The ninth surah, delivered nine years after Muhammads departure from Mecca, is popularly entitled Al-Baraat, which means Immunity, because that is its initial subject: after returning from a military expedition to Tabuk, far to the northwest of Medina, Muhammad proclaimed via the opening portion of this surah that the Arabian pagans had four months -- i.e., they were to be given legal immunity -- to become non-idolaters or risk termination. Another title for this surah is At-Taubah (which some translate as Repentance and others render Forgiveness), which refers to the regret, and subsequent forgiveness, of inhabitants of Medina who had declined to go with Muhammad on the expedition to Tabuk.
Most of this surah is centered on the events before, during, and after the military expedition to Tabuk. Because of this, and because this is a very late surah (probably the last one of all, although Rodwell arranged it next-to-last, before Surah 5), At-Taubah is an excellent place to look to find an authoritative expression of the Islamic concept of Jihad. By studying this surah, readers may clearly see whether or not jihad is merely an internal struggle, and they may also see whether or not true Islam permits Muslim men who are capable of waging jihad to decline from doing so. Even though the expedition to Tabuk did not result in a war-campaign (since the Byzantine army had left the area before Muhammads army arrived), Muhammads attitude (and thus, to Muslims, the ideal attitude for all Muslims to have) and instructions about warfare in the cause of Islam are on display here.
The arrangement of the main portions of this surah is, for the most part, chronologically backwards. The opening section consists mainly of a message which Muhammad proclaimed and sent Ali to deliver to the people of Mecca, letting them know that the countdown to Pagan Season was underway. After that, the subject fluctuates for a few verses, and then the text refocuses in v. 38 on the subject of marching forth in the cause of Allah. The gist of verses 38-41 is that those who refuse to march forth with Muhammad to Tabuk will be punished with painful torment, so they should march forth young and old, well-armored or not. Verse 42-90 are a sort of Those-Hypocrites-Will-Be-Sorry-They-Didnt-Come speech consisting mostly of negative descriptions of those who stayed behind. Verses 91-127 are a mixture of statements made on the return from the Non-Battle of Tabuk, and after the troops arrival back at Medina. Although those who didnt join Muhammad on the expedition to Tabuk were initially sentenced to a painful torment (which typically describes hell-fire elsewhere in the Quran), Muhammad ended up declaring, in v. 103, that they could be forgiven by means of their almsgiving and the prayers of Muhammad: Muhammad stated that he was told, Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them.
There are interesting things to be said about the very beginning and very end of this surah. The existing text is essentially a supplemented, organized transcript of the messages which Muhammad spoke at different stages of the expedition to Tabuk and shortly thereafter. The organization of this material, however, was not quite finished when Muhammad died in 632. Muhammad had not told anyone to put the usual introductory phrase at the beginning of this surah, so it was not included. Some interpreters have speculated that because the Bismillah was not attached, this surah should be understood as a continuation of the preceding one, but when the Quranic text was standardized later, it was written separately.
It was at the time of the text-standardization that another issue arose: the question of whether or not the last two verses (128-129) should be included. Al-Bukhari says that Zaid ibn Thabit reported that when he was collecting Quranic material, he did not find these two verses with anyone except Aby Khuzaima Al-Ansari (for full quotations, with citation-references, see the essay at www.quran.org/9128.htm ). It seems plain to me that Muhammad had delivered this part of the surah in two forms -- one with, and one without, these two verses. The Khalifite sect regards these verses as spurious.
As I mentioned above, the opening verses of At-Taubah plainly inform the polytheists of Arabia, especially those in Mecca, that any treaties that they may have had with Muhammad are over. There were exceptions to this: those tribes which Muhammad considered to have adhered to previous treaties. With the exception of those tribes, though (the Bani Dhamra and Bani Kinana), four months from the deliverance of this message, idolaters were to be killed: Kill the Mushrikun wherever you find them, and capture them and beseige them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush.
How can the polytheists avoid this? The escape is spelled out in verse 5: (1) repent, (2) perform the Islamic prayers, and (3) pay zakat.
Verse six is not readily comprehensible, because right after instructing Muslims to kill idolaters, it instructs Muslims to give protection to idolaters who ask for it. Although some interpreters understand this to mean that Muslims were supposed to spare idolaters until they were well-informed about what the teachings of Islam were, and then kill the idolaters if they refused to become Muslims, I think verse six refers to what the Muslims were supposed to do before the four-month truce immunity-period was over: during that time, if an idolater asked a Muslim to protect him, the Muslim was not only supposed to protect the endangered person but also, if the idolater was informed about Islam and decided against it, he was to be allowed to get out of reach of the Islamic community -- until the countdown was over, at least.
Verses 7-12 defend the change of policy embodied in the preceding verses. Most of the polytheists had not kept their previous treaties, and when they made agreements with Muslims, they would break them even if the Muslim was a close relative. The only way to deal with them, therefore, was to either force them into exile, or kill them, or compel them to become Muslims -- at least nominal Muslims. Once they have done the requisite steps -- (1) repent, (2) perform salat, and (3) pay zakat -- to be considered members of the Islamic community, if they attack your religion with disapproval and criticism, then their leaders are to be fought.
Notice that if a formerly polytheistic Muslim expresses disapproval and criticism about Islam, this is considered an attack.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Most of this surah is centered on the events before, during, and after the military expedition to Tabuk. Because of this, and because this is a very late surah (probably the last one of all, although Rodwell arranged it next-to-last, before Surah 5), At-Taubah is an excellent place to look to find an authoritative expression of the Islamic concept of Jihad. By studying this surah, readers may clearly see whether or not jihad is merely an internal struggle, and they may also see whether or not true Islam permits Muslim men who are capable of waging jihad to decline from doing so. Even though the expedition to Tabuk did not result in a war-campaign (since the Byzantine army had left the area before Muhammads army arrived), Muhammads attitude (and thus, to Muslims, the ideal attitude for all Muslims to have) and instructions about warfare in the cause of Islam are on display here.
The arrangement of the main portions of this surah is, for the most part, chronologically backwards. The opening section consists mainly of a message which Muhammad proclaimed and sent Ali to deliver to the people of Mecca, letting them know that the countdown to Pagan Season was underway. After that, the subject fluctuates for a few verses, and then the text refocuses in v. 38 on the subject of marching forth in the cause of Allah. The gist of verses 38-41 is that those who refuse to march forth with Muhammad to Tabuk will be punished with painful torment, so they should march forth young and old, well-armored or not. Verse 42-90 are a sort of Those-Hypocrites-Will-Be-Sorry-They-Didnt-Come speech consisting mostly of negative descriptions of those who stayed behind. Verses 91-127 are a mixture of statements made on the return from the Non-Battle of Tabuk, and after the troops arrival back at Medina. Although those who didnt join Muhammad on the expedition to Tabuk were initially sentenced to a painful torment (which typically describes hell-fire elsewhere in the Quran), Muhammad ended up declaring, in v. 103, that they could be forgiven by means of their almsgiving and the prayers of Muhammad: Muhammad stated that he was told, Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them.
There are interesting things to be said about the very beginning and very end of this surah. The existing text is essentially a supplemented, organized transcript of the messages which Muhammad spoke at different stages of the expedition to Tabuk and shortly thereafter. The organization of this material, however, was not quite finished when Muhammad died in 632. Muhammad had not told anyone to put the usual introductory phrase at the beginning of this surah, so it was not included. Some interpreters have speculated that because the Bismillah was not attached, this surah should be understood as a continuation of the preceding one, but when the Quranic text was standardized later, it was written separately.
It was at the time of the text-standardization that another issue arose: the question of whether or not the last two verses (128-129) should be included. Al-Bukhari says that Zaid ibn Thabit reported that when he was collecting Quranic material, he did not find these two verses with anyone except Aby Khuzaima Al-Ansari (for full quotations, with citation-references, see the essay at www.quran.org/9128.htm ). It seems plain to me that Muhammad had delivered this part of the surah in two forms -- one with, and one without, these two verses. The Khalifite sect regards these verses as spurious.
As I mentioned above, the opening verses of At-Taubah plainly inform the polytheists of Arabia, especially those in Mecca, that any treaties that they may have had with Muhammad are over. There were exceptions to this: those tribes which Muhammad considered to have adhered to previous treaties. With the exception of those tribes, though (the Bani Dhamra and Bani Kinana), four months from the deliverance of this message, idolaters were to be killed: Kill the Mushrikun wherever you find them, and capture them and beseige them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush.
How can the polytheists avoid this? The escape is spelled out in verse 5: (1) repent, (2) perform the Islamic prayers, and (3) pay zakat.
Verse six is not readily comprehensible, because right after instructing Muslims to kill idolaters, it instructs Muslims to give protection to idolaters who ask for it. Although some interpreters understand this to mean that Muslims were supposed to spare idolaters until they were well-informed about what the teachings of Islam were, and then kill the idolaters if they refused to become Muslims, I think verse six refers to what the Muslims were supposed to do before the four-month truce immunity-period was over: during that time, if an idolater asked a Muslim to protect him, the Muslim was not only supposed to protect the endangered person but also, if the idolater was informed about Islam and decided against it, he was to be allowed to get out of reach of the Islamic community -- until the countdown was over, at least.
Verses 7-12 defend the change of policy embodied in the preceding verses. Most of the polytheists had not kept their previous treaties, and when they made agreements with Muslims, they would break them even if the Muslim was a close relative. The only way to deal with them, therefore, was to either force them into exile, or kill them, or compel them to become Muslims -- at least nominal Muslims. Once they have done the requisite steps -- (1) repent, (2) perform salat, and (3) pay zakat -- to be considered members of the Islamic community, if they attack your religion with disapproval and criticism, then their leaders are to be fought.
Notice that if a formerly polytheistic Muslim expresses disapproval and criticism about Islam, this is considered an attack.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
; and where force can be used to wipe out disbelief (9:5, 8:39, 2:193) with the added option of imposing dhimmitude (9:29). 
