[Dpkefsuf]

Have you taken the serving of water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of Al-Masjid-ul-Haram as equal to (the acts) of one who believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and carries out Jihad in the way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah does not lead the wrongdoing people to the right path. [Surah At-Tawbah:19 - Mufti Taqi Usmani]

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There is an opinion that verse refers to the 'Mushrik' who thought they were better than Muslims because they were the custodians of the Ka'aba. But Imaan is superior to Shirk, no deed done by Mushriks are superior to the deeds done with Imaan.

Here is the Tafseer in Ma'ariful Quran:



Commentary
The first four verses (19 - 22) relate to a particular event. A cursory
look into its background shows that many Mushriks of Makkah felt
proud that they kept the Sacred Mosque bustling with visitors and
devotees and ran a drinking water service for the pilgrims. Keeping
their rival Muslims in view, they claimed that no deed by anyone could
match theirs. When Sayyidna 'Abbas(ra) came to Muslims as a
prisoner from the battle of Badr, he had not embraced Islam by that
time. His Muslim relatives reproached him for remaining deprived of
the blessing of 'Iman. In response, he too had said the same things,
'you think 'Iman and Hijrah are big feathers in your cap, but we too
have our own assets. We are the custodians of the building of the Sacred
Mosque and serve water to the pilgrims. No deed by anyone can
match these.' Revealed thereupon were these verses.
(Ibn Kathir on the authority of 'Ali ibn Abi Talhah from Ibn 'Abbas)

And according to some narratives in the Musnad of 'Abd al-Razzaq,
it was after the entry of Sayyidna 'Abbas (ra) into the fold of Islam
that Sayyidna Talhah ibn Shaybah, Sayyidina 'Abbas and Sayyidina 'Ali
(ra) were talking together. Talhah (ra) said: 'I enjoy an excellence
which none of you do. I have the keys to the Baytullah in my hands. If
I wish I could go inside it and spend the night there.' Sayyidna 'Abbas
said: 'I am the administrator of the water service for pilgrims and I
have rights to the Sacred Mosque.' Sayyidna 'Ali (ra) said, 'I do
not understand that which makes you so proud. As for me, I have said
my prayers facing the Baytullah six months before anyone of you and I
have participated in Jihad with the Holy Prophet ' Thereupon,
these verses were revealed. They made it clear that no deed
done without 'Iman, no matter how merit worthy, carries any value in
the sight of Allah, and no doer of such deeds, while still involved in
Shirk, is acceptable with Him.

And the Sahih of Muslim reports an event on the authority of Sayyidina
Nu'man ibn Bashir (ra) who says that he was sitting with
some Companions close to the Mimbar of the Holy Prophet ,
in his Mosque on a Friday. Someone from those present there said,
'In my view, after Islam and 'Iman, there is no deed superior to serving
water to the pilgrims and I do not care about any deed other than this.'
Someone else retorted, 'no, Jihad in the way of Allah is the highest of
all deeds.' When an argument started between those two, Sayyidina
'Umar (ra) reprimanded both of them and said, 'stop quarreling
near the Mimbar of the Holy Prophet . The proper thing to
do is to say your Jumu'ah prayer first, then you can go and ask the
Holy Prophet himself about it.' As suggested, they did go
to the Holy Prophet , to find out his opinion on the matter.
Thereupon, these verses were revealed where Jihad has been identified
as the deed superior to the 'building' of the Sacred Mosque and the
serving of water to pilgrims.

There is nothing far out about the possibility that the revelation of
the verses themselves may have been aimed as an answer to the pride
and arrogance of the Mushriks. Later, when unpleasant things took
place among Muslims, it is quite possible that the same verses were
used as the deciding argument - which might have given the listeners
the feeling that these particular verses were revealed in the background
of that particular event.

However, the present 'ayat of the Qur'an carry an answer to both
these kinds of events - that an accomplishment, no matter how good
and acceptable, is reduced to zero if it smacks of Shirk. Therefore, no
Mushrik is superior to Muslims because of his association with the
maintenance of the Mosque or the serving of water to pilgrims. And
even after their rejection of disbelief and entry into Faith, the status of
Imaan and Jihad is much higher than the maintenance of the Sacred
Mosque and the serving of water to pilgrims. Muslims who took the initiative
in 'Iman and Jihad are superior to Muslims who did not take
part in Jihad and remained rendering these services to the Sacred
Mosque and the pilgrims.