Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Surah At-Tawbah
Surah 9 · At-Tawbah · verse 17 of 129

Quran 9:17 · At-Tawbah

مَا كَانَ لِلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ أَن يَعۡمُرُواْ مَسَٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ شَٰهِدِينَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِم بِٱلۡكُفۡرِۚ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡ وَفِي ٱلنَّارِ هُمۡ خَٰلِدُونَ

It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allah [while] witnessing against themselves with disbelief. [For] those, their deeds have become worthless, and in the Fire they will abide eternally

Translation: Sahih International
Maulana’s commentary · Tazkirul Quran

At the time when the Quran was revealed, the position in Arabia was that the Muslims had gathered round the Prophet Muhammad and the polytheists around the Ka‘bah. Till that time the histories of glories which we are now acquainted with had not yet become attached to the name of the Prophet Muhammad. He appeared to the people like an ordinary man. On the other hand, the Sacred Mosque of Makkah, because of the thousands of years of history attached to it, appeared to them a symbol of greatness and holiness. The polytheists saw themselves as being servants and retainers of the holiest shrine. On the contrary, when they saw the Muslims, they thought of them, under the circumstances prevailing at that time, as a group of people gathered around a madman.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Tazkirul Quran

In the lectures

Maulana does not cite this verse in the lectures indexed so far. The verses of this surah Maulana does cite →