Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Have you made the provision of water for the pilgrims and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Haram [your only good]?”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, I hope you will explain the verse in the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[At-Tawbah 9:19].
Answer:
This is the reason for the revelation of the verse. The people of Makkah, or some of the people of Makkah, boasted of being residents of Makkah and of the vicinity of al-Masjid al-Haram, and that they were in charge of the affairs of the pilgrims by providing them with water. It was revealed regarding al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him).
But the second group strive in the cause of Allah and fight the disbelievers. Allah has made clear that jihad is better than providing water for the pilgrims.[At-Tawbah 9:19]. So those who strive in the cause of Allah are better than those who provide water for the pilgrims and reside in Makkah. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, I hope you will explain the verse in the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Haram equal to [the deeds of] one who believes in Allah and the Last Day
أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِAnswer:
This is the reason for the revelation of the verse. The people of Makkah, or some of the people of Makkah, boasted of being residents of Makkah and of the vicinity of al-Masjid al-Haram, and that they were in charge of the affairs of the pilgrims by providing them with water. It was revealed regarding al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him).
But the second group strive in the cause of Allah and fight the disbelievers. Allah has made clear that jihad is better than providing water for the pilgrims.
Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-Haram equal to [the deeds of] one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and strives in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah
أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَوُونَ عِندَ اللَّهِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، برنامج (فتاوى) (144) لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان بتاريخ [1437-11-26] - كبار العلماء — youtube.com (29:25)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.