وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مَسْجِدًۭا ضِرَارًۭا وَكُفْرًۭا وَتَفْرِيقًۢا بَيْنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِرْصَادًۭا لِّمَنْ حَارَبَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَلَيَحْلِفُنَّ إِنْ أَرَدْنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ ١٠٧
To truly appreciate these few ayat, first, we really need to understand the context and the seerah behind it.
The story goes like this,
Around the 9th of Hijrah, a group of Muslims went to see the Prophet Muhammad SAW and proposed the idea of building a third Mosque in Madinah. The reason being,
“Sometimes it’s hard for the sick, the old, and the disabled to perform Solat Jemaah at the mosques (refer to the 2 existing mosques), especially during the rainy and winter seasons. So why not we build a third mosque closer to their homes in which, will make it easier for them to Solat Jemaah”.
As we all know, the first mosque built in Madinah was Masjid Quba and the second was Masjid An-Nabawi. Well, building a 3rd mosque is not entirely a bad idea. Right? By using the logic of Masjid = ‘Rumah Allah’, then the more masjid there is, the more ‘Rumah Allah’ there will be. Sounds great. Plus, their reason seems to be legit.
Since the Prophet SAW didn’t oppose this idea, they proceeded by building it from start to finish. And once it was done, they came to the Prophet SAW again and invited him to lead Solat Jemaah in the newly founded mosque as a gesture of blessing. Sort of like an opening ceremony. But Rasulullah SAW was too busy preparing for the upcoming expedition to Tabuk, so he had to decline and said,
“I shall consider the matter on my return home.”
As the expedition on Tabuk had come to an end and the Prophet SAW and the sahabah RA were on their way back to Madinah, ayat 107-109 was then revealed;
Dan (di antara orang-orang munafik juga ialah) orang-orang yang membina masjid dengan tujuan membahayakan, dan keingkaran (mereka sendiri) serta memecah-belahkan perpaduan orang-orang yang beriman, dan juga untuk (dijadikan tempat) intipan bagi orang yang telah memerangi Allah dan RasulNya sebelum itu. Dan (apabila tujuan mereka yang buruk itu ketara), mereka akan bersumpah dengan berkata:” Tidaklah yang kami kehendaki melainkan untuk kebaikan semata-mata “. Padahal Allah menyaksikan, bahawa sesungguhnya mereka adalah berdusta. (9:107)
Turns out, “Ada udang di sebaik batu” as they had a completely different reason for building the third mosque. It wasn’t because they wanted to make Solat Jemaah accessible for all. But because they wanted an HQ for their small group (led by Abdullah Ibn Ubayy and Abu Amir) so that they could start planning their coup against the leadership of Prophet Muhammad SAW in Madinah. And what better place to conceal their devised plan than in a mosque, a place of worship and tranquility. After knowing this, Rasulullah SAW quickly ordered the sahabah to destroy this so-called mosque, which now famously known as Masjid Dirar (meaning to cause harm)
I mean, who would have thought that something so pure and virtuous by its nature (ie: Building a Mosque), is actually being used as a disguise for a heinous and unforgivable crime, which is to destroy Islam from within. And had it not been for Allah’s revelation, their plan might’ve worked. Cuz even the Messenger SAW and the Sahabah didn’t know about their secret scheme.
The Munafiqun thought they could get away with their lies by pretending to care about their society’s congregation prayers. They thought they could deceive the Messenger of Allah as they planned out their next move. They thought they had the upper hand. And most importantly, they thought they were striving for justice and freedom for their people. (Yelah, Rasulullah SAW di mata mereka adalah seorang foreingner dari tanah Mekah. Datang2 Yathirb terus jadi Perdana Menteri, habis tu kami ini? Ini Tanah kami!!)
Until Allah SWT, the All-Knowing, decided to pull the curtains on them, exposing their true skin and nature.
وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
Padahal Allah menyaksikan, bahawa sesungguhnya mereka adalah berdusta.
The next ayat continues by addressing Masjid Quba’, the first-ever mosque built in Madinah, where Allah SWT urges Rasulullah to pray there instead. Cuz the people there are not like the Munafiqun in Masjid Dirar, who would stab Rasulullah in the back. Rather, these people are genuine believers with a specific quality being highlighted, which is, the desire to purify one’s self, whether it’s spiritually or physically.
“Jangan engkau sembahyang di masjid itu selama-lamanya, kerana sesungguhnya masjid (Qubaa’), yang telah didirikan di atas dasar taqwa dari mula (wujudnya), sudah sepatutnya engkau sembahyang padanya. Di dalam masjid itu ada orang-orang lelaki yang suka (mengambil berat) membersihkan (mensucikan) dirinya; dan Allah Mengasihi orang-orang yang membersihkan diri mereka (zahir dan batin).(9:108)
He then explains to us the main difference between these two mosques. While one is built on the basis of taqwa, the other is built on the basis of an evil intent. As one of the mosques was praised and dignified, the other was crushed and destroyed.
“Maka adakah orang yang membangunkan masjid yang didirikannya di atas dasar taqwa kepada Allah dan (untuk mencari) keredaan Allah itu lebih baik, ataukah orang yang membangunkan masjid yang didirikannya di tepi jurang yang (hampir) runtuh, lalu runtuhlah ia dengan yang membangunkannya ke dalam api neraka? Dan (ingatlah) Allah tidak akan memberi hidayah petunjuk kepada orang-orang yang zalim” (At-Taubah;109)
This then begs the question,
“Apa kaitan dengan aku lah?” Cuz I’m pretty sure I’m not building any mosque or waging any secret war against anyone, let alone against Islam.
Well, you might not be involved in building any Mosque any time soon. But the fact is, everyone is building something in this life. Including you. That something could be a career, a business, or even a family. And through these few ayat, it’s teaching us a profound lesson that is,
The basis for everything that we want to build in this world is TAQWA (God-Fearing). And without it as our foundation, the building will slowly crumble and eventually collapse.
There are those who build their careers on the basis of wanting power and influence, of becoming better than everyone else, in hopes of earning the admiration and respect of others. But in the end, they are consumed by arrogance while living a life, driven by the expectations/opinions of others.
There are those who started their business on the basis of their love for dunya and the goal of achieving their financial freedom. So that, one day “I can do anything, buy anything, whenever I want.” But in the end, instead of owning dunya, Dunya owns him, as He is now a slave of his own desire. And as Rasulullah SAW once said, “Nothing will fulfill him except dust”
There are those who built their marriage on the basis of lust, desire and the false promise of true love, demonstrated in the most romantic movies. But in the end, the supposedly happy ever after turns into a nightmare. With all the cheating, lying and blaming. That once romantic spouse has now turned into her worst enemy.
The point is, anything that is built on our worldly desires or an evil intent will surely collapse. We might not see it now, but sooner or later, it will fall. Cuz as they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Unless it was built on the basis TAQWA. On the basis that, “I’m doing this for the sake of Allah” and “He’s always watching me.”
And do you know what’s the scariest part?
The part where sometimes we can disguise our evil intent by uttering such noble words and aspirations. Just as how the Munafiqun tried to disguise their evil scheme by convincing the Prophet SAW of their pure and virtuous intent, which was to provide the people with a more convenient place to perform Solat Jemaah. We could also do the same.
We could say to ourselves and the people around us,
I want to become a politician cuz I want to make a difference for my people. But actually, deep down inside….. All you wanted was power and influence.
I want to start a business cuz I want to have enough money to help the poor. But actually, deep down inside….. All you wanted was the wealth and a luxurious life.
I want to become a so-called social influencer cuz I want to help and inspire others. But actually, deep down inside… All you wanted was fame and being idolize.
I want to become a Doctor, Engineer, Lawyer, etc, cuz I want to contribute to society, making the world a better place. But actually, deep down inside…. All you wanted was the prestige and honor that comes with those jobs.
We could speak of virtue and noble, hoping that by doing so, it could hide our true nature and selfish desire for this world. But the seerah of Prophet SAW proves that sure, people would sometimes believe us despite our evil intent. Heck, they might even be rooting for us, believing that we will stay true to our words. But in the end,
وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
Padahal Allah menyaksikan, bahawa sesungguhnya mereka adalah berdusta.
Sure we can deceive humans. We can lie to their faces and get away with it. But we can’t deceive Allah SWT, the All-Knowing.
Thus, these few ayat are really just a reminder for us to have TAQWA in everything we do and build in this life. Cuz we are all builders at the end of the day. And TAQWA is the foundation that we need to sustain our ‘bangunan-bangunan kehidupan‘. Cuz without it (taqwa), they will collapse and destroy, taking you with it.
“…ataukah orang yang membangunkan masjid yang didirikannya di tepi jurang yang (hampir) runtuh, lalu runtuhlah ia dengan yang membangunkannya ke dalam api neraka?”(9:109)
With that, always ask yourself these questions.
“Why am I doing what I’m doing?”
“What do I really hope to obtain from doing this?”
“Is this to fulfill my worldly desire or to please my Lord?“
May Allah SWT save us from becoming like the Munafiqun.