Transliteration:( Ishtaraw bi Aayaatil laahi samanan qaleelan fasaddoo 'an sabeelih; innahum saaa'a maa kaanoo ya'maloon )
"They have purchased the verses of Allah for a meager [21] price and have blocked others from His path. Indeed, they have done very evil deeds."
This verse condemns those who, for the sake of material gain, rejected Islam and broke their treaties with the Prophet ﷺ. Their actions were driven by worldly greed, such as the covetousness of Abu Sufyan, which led them to abandon their agreements.
The phrase “verses of Allah” refers either to:
The verses of the Holy Qur’an, which they rejected and misused, or
The treaties and covenants made with the Prophet ﷺ, whose terms were supported by Divine principles revealed in the Qur’an.
By prioritizing temporary gains over truth, and by obstructing others from accepting Islam, they committed a grievous offense. Their act of manipulating divine guidance for personal benefit is what the verse labels as a most evil deed.
9. They have purchased with the Ayat of Allah a little gain, and they hindered men from His way; evil indeed is that which they used to do. 10. With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of kinship or of covenant! It is they who are the transgressors. 11. But if they repent, perform the Salah and give the Zakah, then they are your brethren in religion. (In this way) We explain the Ayat in detail for a people who know.) Allah admonishes the idolators and encourages the believers to fight against them because,
(They have purchased with the Ayat of Allah a little gain,) idolators exchanged following the Ayat of Allah with the lower affairs of life that they indulged in,
(and they hindered men from His way), trying to prevent the believers from following the truth,
(evil indeed is that which they used to do. With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of kinship or of covenant!) ﴿9:9-10﴾. We explained these meanings before, as well as, the meaning of,
(But if they repent, perform the Salah…)
(9:9) They have sold the revelations of Allah for a paltry price[12] and have firmly hindered people from His Path.[13] Evil indeed is what they have done.
12. That is, when they had to make a choice between the divine guidance and the transitory worldly ambitions, they chose the latter, because they did not comprehend the comparative values of the two. Whereas the revelations of Allah were inviting them to goodness, righteousness and observance of the divine law, which lead to eternal bliss. They chose to follow the unbridled lusts of their selves which gained some transitory worldly benefits for them, but consequently led them to eternal perdition.
13. Those evil-doers “hindered (people) from His Way”, for they not only chose misguidance for themselves but also tried to prevent others from following the right way. They put every kind of obstruction in the way of the invitation to righteousness; nay, they tried their best to gag the mouths of those who were extending that invitation and make their lives hard for them. In short, they did all they could to prevent the establishment of the righteous system of life that Allah required the people to establish.
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