Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 98

The Bedouins are the Worst in Disbelief and Hypocrisy

Allah states that there are disbelievers, hypocrites and believers among the bedouins. He also states that the disbelief and hypocrisy of the bedouins is worse and deeper than the disbelief and hypocrisy of others. They are the most likely of being ignorant of the commandments that Allah has revealed to His Messenger . Al-A`mash narrated that Ibrahim said, "A bedouin man sat next to Zayd bin Sawhan while he was speaking to his friends. Zayd had lost his hand during the battle of Nahawand. The bedouin man said, `By Allah! I like your speech. However, your hand causes me suspicion.' Zayd said, `Why are you suspicious because of my hand, it is the left hand that is cut' The bedouin man said, `By Allah! I do not know which hand they cut off (for committing theft), is it the right or the left' Zayd bin Sawhan said, `Allah has said the truth,

In the second verse (98) too, yet another aspect of the condition of these very Bedouins has been described as: ` those who take what they spend (in Zakah etc.) as a penalty.' Why would they do so? The reason is that they hardly have any faith in their heart. When it comes to making Salah, they would, though, do that, but just to camouflage their disbelief. They would even fulfill the obligation of Zakah, but their hearts would keep worrying as to why they had to put good money down the drain. Therefore, they always look forward to the time when Muslims are hit by some calamity or defeat that may possibly deliver them from having to pay this penalty. The word: الدَّوَائِرَ‌ (aldawa'ir: the cycles of time) is the plural of: دَائِرَ‌ةُ (da'irah). According to the Arabic lexicon, da'irah is the changed state that shifts away from the good state into a bad one. Therefore, the Holy Qur'an says in response to them: عَلَيْهِمْ دَائِرَ‌ةُ السَّوْءِ (upon them is the evil cycle). In other words, the evil state of affairs they wish would strike at Muslims is going to descend upon them all right - and, because their words and deeds are such, they will find themselves far more disgraced.

A tradition of the Prophet says, ‘One who settles in a village will become hard in nature.’ There is an intellectual atmosphere in a city; educational institutes are established there, discussion of learning and the arts is a regular feature of city life, whereas the people in villages do not have these opportunities for self-improvement. Moreover, their manner of living and the means of their livelihood are also inferiror in comparison. Consequently, a deep and mature consciousness does not develop in these people of the countryside. There is harshness in their temperament and superficiality in their thinking. They find it difficult to understand the dialectics of religion and cannot absorb its truth. God is aware of everything; at the same time He is Wise and Merciful also. He is fully aware of this weakness on the part of country people (villagers), or in other words, the general public, and in His wisdom and Mercy allows them full latitude on this account. Therefore, God does not demand from them deep realisation (ma‘rifah) or a high level of religiosity. If they are well-intentioned, God will accept their simple faith.