Sụrah Ạl ‘Imran
(3)
‘The House of ‘Imran'
Sent down at Madịna, its ayat, or portents, 200
The sürah owes its name to its containing the term al `Imran, meaning ‘the House of `Imran', who was the father of the Prophets Müsa and Harün, bliss be upon them.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
The commentary on this was given at the beginning of Sürah Ĥamd.
Alif; lam; mịm;
(1)
What is likely to be the meaning of this has been given.
Allah! There is no god but He, the Alive, the Maintainer:
(2)
He has no partner; He is alive and never dies, though life for Him is different from what life is for us. In us life is not a condition of our essence, but is an attribute established in us; whereas life in Him, glorified be He, is essential to His essence.
…the Maintainer' It is put for al–Qayyüm, meaning that He is in charge of every soul and what it earns, and of all things.
He sent down to thee the book in truth confirming what is before it, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel
(3)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House. `The book' is the holy Quran. It is revealed in truth, though some things may be sent down in falsehood. The Torah (al-tawrat) was sent down to Müsa, bliss be upon him, and the Gospel (al-injịl) to ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
Beforehand, as guidance for the people, and He sent down the Criterion. Indeed those who disbelieve in the portents of Allah—theirs is a severe chastisement, and Allah is grand, a holder of revenge.
(4)
Beforehand... That is, before the Quran was sent down. All three books were sent down:
...as guidance for the people,... guiding them from the darknesses to the light, from falsehood to the truth, and from error to rectitude.
...the Criterion... It is given for al-furqan, which is the means of distinguishing truth from falsehood, and it comprises the previous books and also everything else that Allah sent down upon His Prophets.
…Indeed those who disbelieve in the portents of Allah... The portents of Allah are the evidences and proofs of Himself.
...—theirs is a severe chastisement. They are chastised in the world through disorder and turmoil and difficulties, as he says in His word, `Whoever turns from My remembrance, so Indeed his is a straightened life.' And in the hereafter they are punished.
...and Allah is grand, a holder of revenge. He is able to do whatever He wills, and shall take revenge on those who deny Him and disobey Him.
Indeed Allah—not a thing in the earth and nor in the sky is hidden from Him.
(5)
The implication is that the disobedient should not imagine that he is hidden from Allah, glorified be He. For He knows every item of existence, even the whisperings of the heart, of which He is the best informed.
He it is who shapes ye in the wombs how He wills; there is no god but He, the Grand, the Wise.
(6)
He it is who shapes us and forms us while we are in the wombs of our mothers, making us masculine or feminine, attractive or ugly, short or tall, and so on. How then can anything be hidden from Him, when He performs such precise works in such a secluded place?
...there is no god but He,... He alone is the god of all existence, and its creator.
...the Grand, the Wise. He is grand in His authority; and He is wise, doing nothing arbitrarily, but doing all He does in wisdom.
He it is who sent down the book upon thee – of it are clear verses, they are the mother of the book, and others are ambiguous. So as for those in whose hearts is a swerving, they follow what is ambiguous of it, reaching for tribulation and reaching for its primary-interpretation. And none knows its primary-interpretation except Allah and those firmly rooted in knowledge, saying, `We believe in it; it is all from our Master!' And none recall but the owners of the mind.
(7)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, and the book sent down upon him was the Quran.
...of it are clear verses,...Some of the Quran's verses are clear and unambiguous; their meaning is clear to anyone familiar with Arabic, such as the verse `Say, He is Allah, One.'
...they are the mother of the book,...It is the clear and unambiguous verses that are the `mother' of the Quran, in the sense that they are its basis and point of referral in case of doubt, controversy or dispute.
...and others are ambiguous.' An ambiguous (mutashabih) verse is one that seems to offer two meanings, or a meaning that is beyond the understanding of all the people. These verses are a test to distinguish the believers from the hypocrites, or to bring a delicate matter closer to the understanding of those who do not perceive the higher realities, such as in the case of many of the verses concerning the Divine attributes. An example is the verse `Looking to their Master,' by which it is intended to say that the believers are looking to the mercy of their Master. Or like His word, `Then He directed Himself to the sky.' Or it may be that the topic is precise and beyond the power of some minds, like the verses concerning the devil and the jinn. Or it may be that it is used for a literary consideration, like `they forgot Allah and so Allah forgets them.' Such ambiguities are entirely necessary in lofty discourse, as is clear from the least reflection.
So as for those in whose hearts is a swerving,...`Swerving' is put for zaigh. meaning an inclination away from truth, a deviation, due either to ignorance or to obstinacy.
...so they follow what is ambiguous of it,... They follow the opposite of the intended meaning, interpreting the ambiguity to fit with their ambitions and desires. Examples are many: the person who maintains a body for Allah uses the verse `looking to their Master'; the pre-destinationist uses the line `he whom Allah deviates has no guide'; the person who claims that the Prophets sinned uses the verse, `and Adam disobeyed his Master, so he strayed'; he who says Islam is solely for the Arabs uses the verse `Indeed it is a reminder for you and for your people;' and so on.
...reaching for intrigue...It means that their intention is to deviate the people.
...and reaching for its interpretation.... It means that they do that so as to be able to use their interpretation to support the claim, theory or intrigue that accords to their heart.
…And none knows its interpretation...The word `interpretation' is given for ta-wịl, meaning the point to which one returns, and at which one's quest ends, in seeking the meaning. For example, the apparant or superficial meaning of `looking towards their Master' is that they are looking at Allah, yet the line is interpreted or `returned' to the meaning that they are looking towards the mercy of Allah, His grace and His rewards. Similarly, there is a common saying: `I look at a man's reason, for that is what carries him.' Here, it is not looking withthe eyes that is meant.
...except Allah... He knows the original intentions of His speech.
...and those firmly rooted in knowledge,...It means those with learning and knowledge of the styles of speech and of the rulings of reason and the Law. And there is nothing novel about this, for just as the laws of engineering are known only to those who have studied engineering, so the styles of the Arabic language are known to those who have studied that language.
...saying, ‘We believe in it;... This is said by those rooted in knowledge. They believe in the ambiguous just as they believe in the clear.
...it is all from our Master!' When the meaning is not immediately apparent for them, they do not deny it and they do not draw from it any incoherencies. Rather they draw on the distinctions of learning in order to interpret it, and they understand the ambiguous correctly. The ignorant, by contrast, protest at the ambiguity in the first place, and in the second place they interpret it according to their desires.
...And none recall but the owners of the mind. It is the judicious, those used to applying their reason, who refer the ambiguous to the clear, and to the evidences of reason and authority (naql).
It is recorded in ĥadịth that `those rooted in knowledge' are the Messenger and the Imams, bliss be upon them. It is clear that they are the most outstanding examples of those rooted in knowledge, and that is what the report means, not that it is they alone to the exclusion of all others who are rooted in knowledge.
Our Master! Swerve not our hearts after Thy guiding us, and bestow us from Thy presence mercy; Indeed Thou are the Bestower!
(8)
Our Master! Swerve not our hearts... This is the prayer of those rooted in knowledge, when they take refuge with Allah. The deviation of the hearts is attributed to Allah in the sense that it is He who has made ready the means for His servants to be tested; therefore a person's departure from the true path and the cutting from him of grace, so that he becomes prey to the devil, is all amongst the works of Allah, glorified be He.
In the same way, it is sometimes said that `the king corrupts the community' meaning not that he has worked for their corruption, but rather that he has been lax and has left them to become corrupt. It must be stated, however, that there is a clear difference between Allah, glorified be He, and a king for his nation. Allah created the world as a place of trial and test, and therefore it was in the very nature of things that He create the two means so that the obedient become clear from the disobedient. A king, on the other hand, has no right to corrupt a nation, even by leaving them to do as they will; rather he is to command them to rectitude and reform. In the same way, Allah the Most High piles His bounties upon the gardens of paradise, and does not noticeably punish people in the world; yet this is not permissible for a king, as the king must have criminals arrested for trial, and must ensure that they are punished.
Now, however firmly rooted in knowledge a person may be, still he can slip as Bal'am slipped, as he says, glorified be He: `Like the example of he to whom We gave Our portents, so he withdrew from them and then the devil followed him, so he became among the deviated.' Thus those firmly rooted in knowledge call upon their Master, glorified be He, that He not cut them off from His special grace, and not leave them for the devil to play with them as he wills.
...after Thy guiding us,...That is, after His guiding them to His religion.
...and bestow us from Thy presence mercy;...It means the mercy of being firm in His religion and His obedience.
...Indeed Thou are the Bestower!' It means that His gifts are many, for whom He wills and of what He wills. `The Bestower' is put for al-wahhab, meaning one who is superlative in giving.
Our Master, Indeed Thou are the Gatherer of the people for a day in which there is no doubt. Indeed Allah does not break the promise.
(9)
Allah, glorified be He, will assemble all the people on the day of resurrection. The rational and wise have no doubt about that day, even though it is doubted by the people who are without knowledge and awareness. The explanation is given at the beginning of Sürah al-Baqarah.
…Indeed Allah does not break the promise. His promise is that delivered by His Prophets and is the glad tidings of the day of resurrection. Those rooted are saying `So do not swerve our hearts so that on that day we be rejected.' Or their expression in acknowledgement of the resurrection is so that they combine the virtues of acknowledging the Origin and the Return.
Indeed those who disbelieve—their wealth shall not enrich them against Allah a thing, and nor shall their sons. And those are the fuel of the fire.
(10)
Indeed those who disbelieve...It means those in whose hearts is a swerving so that they follow the ambiguous, as well as the other disbelievers.
...—their wealth shall not enrich them, and nor shall their sons,... They shall not be able to use their wealth to ransom themselves as they would in the world. And nor will their sons be any use to them,
...against Allah a thing. It means against His chastisement and His anger.
And those are the fuel of the fire.' On the day of resurrection their bodies will be fuel for the fire, just as wood and so forth is fuel for fires in the world.
Like the custom of the House of Pharoah, and those before them: they called Our portents false, so Allah took them for their sins. And Allah is severe in retribution.
(11)
The custom of those disbelievers in calling The Messenger and what he received false, was as the custom of the Pharoah's people, in their calling the Prophets false. And it was the same as the custom of the previous communities of disbelievers, all of whom belied their Prophets.
...so Allah took them for their sins.... It means that He punished them, because of their sinning and their disobedience.
...And Allah is severe in retribution. His punishments are not like the punishments of people, for as He says, glorified be He: `Fire; its canopy encloses them. If they ask for showers, they will be showered with the like of molten lead that burns the faces.'
Say to those who disbelieve: `Ye shall be overcome and gathered unto hell, and atrocious is the refuge.'
(12)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House. He was to tell the disbelievers:
Ye shall be overcome...They were soon to be overcome, either in the world with the victory of Islam, as happened after their lands were conquered, or in the hereafter:
...and gathered unto hell,... This refers to the day of resurrection. If their being ovecome was not to happen in the world, then they were soon to be defeated by the command of Allah and the angel of death was to take their souls. Then they were to be gathered into hell on the day of resurrection.
... and atrocious is the refuge.' An evil place to await anyone, especially as they have prepared it for themselves.
Having explained that the disbelievers will soon be overcome, Allah now gives a concrete example of this from the story of Badr, where the Muslims were three-hundred and thirteen and the disbelievers were a thousand. The Muslims were hardly armed at all, whereas the disbelievers were superbly equipped. Nevertheless, the Muslims were victorious against them, with the deliverance of Allah, glorified be He.
There surely was a portent for ye in the two bands that met, a band fighting in the way of Allah and another disbelieving; they saw them as twice their like, with the sight of the eye! And Allah assists with His succour whom He wills. Indeed in that is a monition for the owners of vision.
(13)
The address, in the plural, is to the Muslims, or to the disbelievers. In the meeting of the two companies at Badr was a portent of the Prophet's legitimacy and that Allah would deliver him and defeat the disbelievers. The company that fought in the way of Allah were the Muslims, while the other were the polytheists who had come from Makka. With their eyes and not due to their imaginations the Muslims saw the disbelievers as twice their own number, though they were in fact many more than that. Nevertheless, the Muslims were victorious, and perhaps the point to be made is that the Muslims fought and won despite knowing their enemy to be far stronger than them. That proves that Allah brought to them His deliverence, otherwise a force that knows the enemy to be far superior in numbers normally crumbles before the enemy's might and is defeated. On the line `with the sight of the eye!' there are other views, and they are given in the commentaries.
…And Allah assists with His succour whom He wills. Therefore differences in numbers and equipment cannot harm them.
…Indeed in that is a monition,... In the victory of the Muslims over the disbelievers, despite their being out-numbered by three to one, is a `monition' for all. `Monition' is put for `ibrah, meaning a warningful lesson or example, that carries a person from ignorance and heedlessness to knowledge and mindfulness.
...for the owners of vision. This means those who use their minds. It does not refer to vision of the eye, but to vision of the heart or mind.
Here the question arises of what made the disbelievers turn away from the truth,after having seen it so clearly. So now comes the answer that they were diverted by the beauty of the world and its wealth, as put by the Imam, bliss be upon him: `The world was sweet to their eyes, and its embellishments delighted them.'
Adorned for the people is the love of desires, of women and sons and piled heaps of gold and silver and the branded horses and the livestock and the tilth. That is the enjoyment of the world, and Allah—alongside Him is the beautiful return.
(14)
A person's love for the world's attractions and pleasures means that the world becomes beautiful for them, so that they seek only its pleasures even those that are forbidden. `Love of desires' means love of the objects of desire:
...of women and sons...Sons for obedience and protection, even at the cost of the religion.
...and piled heaps of gold and silver...In love of wealth a man disobeys Allah in how he gathers it and by not giving the dues from it that he should.
...and the branded horses... It means the top-quality means of conveyance, for it was only the best horses that were branded.
...and the livestock... It means grazing animals: camels, cattle and sheep.
...and the tilth…. It means agricultural land. People love all of these forms of wealth.
…That is the enjoyment of the world,... The things mentioned are all pleasurable in the world, but give no benefit in the hereafter save when used in the path of Allah, according to how it is best given.
...and Allah—alongside Him is the beautiful return. The final return of everyone to a beautiful situation is dependent upon Allah, glorified be He, and so it is necessary for man to be disciplined with regard to the world's pleasures so as not to embrace anything forbidden, in the hope of Allah's reward and His everlasting blessings. Man must not let the world's pleasures divert him from the truth to falsehood, and from rectitude to error.
Say: `Shall I announce to ye of better than that for those who are guardful: alongside their Master are gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, eternal in them, and purified spouses, and contentment from Allah; and Allah is an observer of the servants.
(15)
Say…The Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, was to say to the people for whom the world had become attractive:
…'Shall I inform ye of better than that for those who are guardful:...Those of the people who are guardful of the prohibitions and act according to Allah's commands, glorified be He, have better than those objects of desire; namely:
...alongside their Master... It means in the hereafter.
...are gardens, rivers flowing beneath them,...The rivers flow beneath the trees and shrubs of the gardens.
...eternal in them,... They live therein forever, unceasing and unchanging.
...and purified spouses,...It means women who are free of physical impurities, like menstruation, and of inner impurity, like bad character, spite and malice. Moreover, greater than all this:
...and contentment from Allah;... Allah is satisfied and pleased with them, and when a person knows this it is his greatest personal blessing, just as when a subject knows that his king is pleased with him.
...and Allah is an observer of the servants.' He is aware of all their deeds, and He will recompense them according to what they do.
Allah then describes `those who are guardful', whom He promises these rewards, in His word:
Those who say: `Our Master! Indeed we believe, so forgive us our sins and guard us from the chastisement of the fire.'
(16)
Those who say: ‘Our Master! Indeed we believe,... It means they confirm Allah and His Prophet and all He has commanded and promised.
...so forgive us our sins... They ask that He overlook the mistakes they commit.
...and guard us from the chastisement of the fire.' That they not be among its inhabitants.
The restrainers, the truthful, the subservient, the dispensers, the seekers of forgiveness at pre-dawn.
(17)
These are other descriptions of `those who are guardful.' They are patient in times of difficulty and in obedience and before disobedience. They are sincere in their intentions, words and deeds. They are submissive and obedient. They spend their wealth in the way of Allah, glorified be He. And they seek forgiveness during the pre-dawn period (sahr) at the end of the night.
After this mention of the characteristics of those who are guardful and who act for Allah, glorified be He, it is fitting for the theme to point out some of the attributes of the Creator, honoured be His name:
Allah testifies that there is no god but Him – as do the angels and the owners of knowledge – standing up justice; there is no god but Him, the Grand, the Wise.
(18)
Allah testifies that there is no god but Him... Allah's testifying is verbal and real. To testify is to express a matter in language, and Allah the Most High has expressed His oneness and His other attributes by that which is stronger, firmer and superior to language: by constructing the creation every bit of which testifies to His attributes, as the poet has said, `In everything is a portent of Him,....proving that He is one.' The creation of the skies and the earth testify to His oneness in that were there within them a god other than Allah, they would certainly be in disorder; and the absence of such disorder proves the oneness, as established in `ilm al-kalam.
...—as do the angels and the owners of knowledge... The angels testify in word and deed to His oneness, and those of knowledge testify, but not everyone who claims to have knowledge, rather whoever regards existence in contemplation has no choice but to concede the oneness.
...—standing up justice;... It means that all He does, glorified be He, is in justice. His creating, His managing, His legislating, all is in justice. The meaning of justice (`adl) is to be straight, as opposed to injustice (żulm) which is to be crooked and deviated. So, for example, He justly sets the sun in the sky, where it shines and maintains the solar system, and the absence of this would be injustice and deviation. In the same way is His managing things so that one person becomes rich and another poor, one a leader and one a follower, in justice; and what deviations are witnessed in this are due not to His managing but to the evils of human choice. In the same way, His legislating that prayer be obligatory and wine be forbidden are in justice.
It is said that a king was once asked the reason for his justice. He replied that there were several reasons; among them, that one day in the desert he saw a dog break the leg of a gazelle; soon after that a man threw a rock at the dog and its leg broke; a few moments later a horse came and kicked the man, and broke his leg; then the horse stumbled and its leg broke. From that he learned that the end result of injustice is disastrous.
Now, if a person does not know the best and the just in some matters, it is not for him to protest, for he is ignorant about many things. Otherwise he would be like a man who protests about the appearance of a medicine prescribed by a doctor, though he know nothing about medicine.
‘Standing' is the literal meaning of the original qa-im, conveying the subtle point that he who is standing witnesses what he who is sitting remains unaware of.
...there is no god but Him,...The repetition is for emphasis, as prior to Islam the world was stuck in the mire of polytheism; then Islam came and clarified monotheism and revived the teachings of the Prophets and their guidances concerning the Origin, glorified be He.
...the Grand, the Wise. He is grand in His authority, wise in His actions.
Now, having established the divine oneness and justice that are central to the religion that Allah, glorified be He, sent down for the servants:
Indeed the religion alongside Allah is Islam; and those given the book differed about it only after the knowledge had come to them, in resentment among themselves. And whoso disbelieves in Allah's portents – Indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning.
(19)
Indeed the religion alongside Allah is Islam;... The religion is the path that secures felicity for man in the world and the hereafter. Alongside or in the sight of Allah this religion is Islam, however much for those other than Him it may be Judaism or Christianity or whatever. Allah the Most High has sent only Islam, and Islam is the religion of all the Prophets, for it is to submit the road of one's action to Allah, glorified be He, who created existence and knows best that regular system which, when followed, leads a person to live in happiness and die praised. And we have already explained that the differences between the religions of divine origin are matters of conditions and circumstances, not of substance and principles.
...and those given the book differed about it...Some of them differed with others, and all of them differed with the Muslims.
...only after the knowledge had come to them,...They knew the right from the wrong, and the truth from the falsehood, and yet they differed.
...wronging among themselves.' That which led them to differ was envy: the Jews would not submit to ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, because of their jealousy, and nor would the Christians accept to believe in The Messenger of Islam, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, again out of jealousy. It is as He says, `Or is that mankind are jealous due to that which Allah gives them of His bounty?'
…And whoso disbelieves in Allah's portents... He who believes not in Allah's portents should not imagine that he is in profit and can enjoy the world forever, for he loses both his world and his hereafter. For:
...—Indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning. He reckons with the disbelievers in the world with a variety of misfortunes and disasters, as He says `Whoever turns from My remembrance—Indeed his is a straightened life.' And in the hereafter they face the account of their disbelief and sinning. And the hereafter is extremely close, as it said: `He whom the dart misses today, it will not miss tomorrow.'
So if they dispute thee, say: `I have submitted my face to Allah, and those who follow me.' And say to those granted the book and to the maternals: `Have ye submitted?' So if they submit, then they are certainly guided. And if they turn back, – upon thee is but to deliver. And Allah is an observer of the servants.
(20)
So if they dispute thee,...The verse is addressed to the Prophet. If they disputed with him concerning monotheism after the clarification of the proofs, he was to say:
…say: I have submitted my face to Allah... That is, he had submitted himself entirely to Allah, glorified be He, and worshipped only Him and set up beside Him no partner. The term `submitting one's face' is used to denote total submission, as he who submits his face submits his heart and all his limbs.
...and those who follow me.' That is, his followers too had submitted entirely to Allah, glorified be He, and maintained no partners for Him.
And say to those granted the book... It means those with a heavenly book: the Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians.
...and to the maternals:... ‘Maternals' ones is put for ummiyịn, from umm, meaning ‘mother'. It means the polytheists who had no book, and they were called ummiyịn either on account of their ignorance, having learned no more than they learned on the laps of their mothers, or on account of their being the people of Makka, the `mother of cities'.
…'Have ye submitted?'...He was to ask them if they too had sincerely submitted their faces to Allah alone, and was not to carry on arguing with them once the proofs had been fully submitted.
...So if they submit,...That is, if they submit and accept Islam.
...then they are certainly guided. And if they turn back – upon thee but to deliver... If they accept Islam they are guided to the truth and to the straight path. If not, the Prophet's duty was to present Islam and deliver the message; he was not to compel them against turning away if that was their choice.
...And Allah is an observer of the servants. Nothing they do escapes Him, and He will requite them for their disbelief, just as He requites and rewards in return for faith and obedience.
Thereupon the theme turns in order to console the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, by explaining how the book-folk of old disbelieved in Allah and killed the Prophets, so that his opponents' opposition and denials of him not dishearten him.
Those who disbelieve in Allah's portents and kill the Prophets without right, and kill those of the people who bid to justice—so give them tidings of a painful chastisement.
(21)
Those who disbelieve in Allah's portents... It means those who reject them after they are clearly explained and they have understood them, and known them to be true.
...and kill the Prophets without right,... It is never rightful to kill a Prophet; the clause `without right' is to show that in the same way as they had no justification for killing the Prophets, those facing the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, had no claim to justification.
...and kill those of the people who bid to justice...When empowered the unjust and the astray normally resort to killing those who call on them to desist and be just.
...—so give them glad tidings of a painful chastisement.' `Glad tidings' (bisharah) is here used in mockery. Or it is used to hint at the opposite, like in the word `Whoever transgresses against you, transgress against him just as he transgressed against you;' for the believer has the glad tidings of the reward, while the disbeliever has the `glad tidings' of the punishments.
Those are they whose deeds are for nothing in the world and the hereafter, and they have no succourers.
(22)
Any good deeds they do in the world will go for nothing and be cancelled out, for everybody does some good deed at some time in their lives. The disbeliever who is at war with the Muslims is not saved by any good he has done; or the good deeds that avert disaster and calamity do not benefit the disbeliever in this way. And in the hereafter their good deeds do not benefit them in terms of reward, as He says, `And We proceed to the deeds they have done, and so We make them like scattered specks.'
...and they have no succourers. There is none to rescue them from the chastisement of Allah, glorified be He.
Have thou not regarded those who were granted a portion of the book? They were called to the book of Allah that it judge between them. Thereupon a division of them turned back, and they are turners away.
(23)
Have thou not regarded those who were granted a portion of the book?... The address is to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, `regarded' conveying the sense of a benefit in knowledge. `Portion of the book' shows that what they had was some of the book, for through their alterations and distortions they had lost some of it, as He says, glorified be He, `They forget a part of that which they were reminded.'
...They were called to the book of Allah that it judge between them.... It was the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, who summoned them to the book that it judge between them, as to whether The Messenger was true or not, for there was then in the Torah and the Gospel the description of him, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House. So he called them to let their book be the judge of this matter, but they would not accept.
Thereupon a division of them turned back, and and they are turners away. They turned away from the judgement of the book. It was a group of them that turned away as some of them became Muslims after the proofs were fully presented to them, like `Abd Allah b. Salam and others. The rest of them were averse to the truth and to their book.
Some narrations state that the verse came down over an issue of fornication between a Jew and Jewess of Madịna. The ruling on this from the Torah was stoning, and they referred to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, in the hope that he would give a different verdict. The Messenger judged between them in accordance to the Torah, and they disliked that.
That is because they say, `The fire will not touch us but for numbered days!' And what they have forged has deceived them in their religion.
(24)
Their turning away from their book and the commands of Allah, glorified be He, was because they believed the lie they had fabricated, that, even if they were disbelievers and sinners, the fire of hell would not touch them save for a limited number of days. Seven days or forty days is what they believed, and they saw no point to giving up the desires and leadership for the sake of such a paltry punishment. And so in the matter of their religion they were deceived by what they had forged.
So how, when We gather them for a day about which there is no doubt, and every spirit is fully met for what it has earned, and they are not wronged?
(25)
So how,...It means `what will be their condition?'
...when We gather them for a day... It means the day of resurrection.
...about which there is no doubt, and every soul is fully met for what it has earned,...It means that every person will be requited for his deeds in exact measure, with no shortfalls.
...and they are not wronged? On the contrary, they will be precisely requited according to their deeds.
Here the theme turns to the dominion over all things belonging to Allah, so that the book-folk were better not being jealous of The Messenger and the Muslims and the strength, power, dignity and honour they had been given. In some reports is is said tha the verse came down after The Messenger had given the glad tidings to the Muslims that they would conquer the empires of Rome and Persia, which led the disbelievers to mock, saying how could it be that such people could overcome those two powerful states.
Say: O Allah! Owner of the dominion! Thou grant the dominion to whom Thou will, and Thou divest the dominion from whom Thou will. And Thou give dignity to whom Thou will, and Thou abase whom Thou will. In Thy hand is the good; Indeed Thou over all things are powerful.
(26)
Say: O Allah! Owner of the dominion! … It means: O Allah! O Owner of the dominion! All things are Thours, alone; Thou have no partner; any owner other than Thou is owner in name only, and his ownership is relative and subjective.
Thou grant the dominion to whom Thou will, and Thou divest the dominion from whom Thou will…. This is true of dominion in the sense of kingship, and dominion in the sense of ownership of a thing like a house or lands.
…And Thou give dignity to whom Thou will,... This too is true of apparent dignity, or the inner dignity of faith and obedience.
…and Thou abase whom Thou will. In Thy hand is the good;... It means that He, glorified be He, is the source and provider of all goodness, according to His will and His wisdom.
...Indeed Thou are over all things powerful.' It is in His power to grant and to deny, to raise and to debase.
Thou thrust the night into the day, and Thou thrust the day into the night; and Thou bring the alive out of the dead, and Thou bring the dead out of the alive; and Thou sustain whom Thou will without measure.
(27)
Thou thrust the night into the day,...The night takes the place of the day, as the days shorten and the nights grow longer. Or it refers to the coming of the night and the departure of the day. `Thrust' is put for ịlaj, meaning to make (something) enter (something else). Its use is metonymical, in that the day and night do not really enter into each other.
...and Thou thrust the day into the night;... The same two likelihoods apply equally here.
...and Thou bring the alive out of the dead,... Living plants are brought out of dead seeds and dead earth, or as a living baby is brought out alive from the womb of the mother who has died.
and Thou bring the dead out of the alive;... Dead seeds are brought out of living plants; lifeless eggs are brought out of a hen; the dead infant is brought from the living mother when it dies in the womb. The `penetrative explanation' (ta-wịl) is the bringing our of a believer from a disbeliever, and the bringing out of a disbeliever from a believer.
...and Thou sustain whom Thou will without measure.' It means that He sustains His creatures and servants unstintingly, generously. Or it means without measure from the recipient, as alongside Him, glorified be He, everything has its measure.
Now that it has been established that total dominion is Allah's, glorified be He, and that dignity and abasement are from Him, therefore:
The believers should not take the disbelievers as friends, instead of the believers; and whoever does that, he has not from Allah in any thing—unless ye are guarding against them in caution. And Allah warns ye of Himself. And unto Allah is the outcome.
(28)
The believers should not take the disbelievers as friends, instead of the believers;... The believer is not to befriend the disbeliever with the idea that this will benefit him on account of the disbeliever having some ownership or authority, or supposing that friendship with him will lead to honour and dignity for the believer. The believer is to make friends with the believer, and is to take the disbeliever as an enemy.
...and whoever does that, he has not from Allah a thing...Whoever takes the disbeliever as a friend, has no stature, no value before Allah, glorified be He.
...—unless ye are guarding against them in caution.... It means the practice of taqiyyah.
...And Allah warns you of Himself.... It means that to befriend the disbeliever brings down Allah's punishment upon oneself.
...And unto Allah is the outcome.' He who disobeys Him is requited with the fire and the chastisement.
Say: `Whether you hide what is in your breasts or you manifest it, Allah knows it. And He knows what is in the skies and what is in the earth; and Allah over all things is powerful.'
(29)
Even if a person hides his friendship for the disbeliever and keeps it in his heart without manifesting it to the people, Allah is aware of it nevertheless. After all, `He knows what is in the skies and what is in the earth;' how, then, can he not know what is in a person's heart?
....and Allah over all things is powerful. Allah is aware of the sentiments of the heart and capable of punishing; it is appropriate for the Muslim not to take a disbeliever as a friend or a believer as an enemy, therefore, even in his heart, as Allah is aware of what is in his heart and able to punish him for it.
And remember, O people:
The day every spirit finds what good it has done presented, and what evil it has done; it wishes if only there was between itself and that a distant gap. And Allah warns ye of Himself; and Allah is kindly to the servants.
(30)
The day every spirit finds what good it has done presented, and what evil it has done;... It means that on the resurrection day everyone will find his deeds present, as He says, `And they find present what they have done.' The meaning of deeds being present is that the account of them and their reward or punishment is present. Or it means that deeds will become physically materialised and embodied, as some maintain.
...it wishes if only there was between itself and that a distant gap…. The guilty soul wishes there was an intervening distance between itself and its evil deeds made present. `A distant gap' (amadan ba'ịdan) is a metaphor.
And Allah warns you of Himself;... We should fear His punishments and be guardful of Him.
...and Allah is kindly to the servants. An instance of His kindness and mercy towards them is His warning about disobedience, so that none be taken without warning by the evil consequences of their deeds.
Say: `If ye are fond of Allah, then follow me, Allah will be fond of ye and forgive ye your sins. And Allah is forgiving, merciful.'
(31)
The address is to The Messenger of Islam, Alah's peace and blessings be his and his kin's. He was to say to the Muslims, or to the book-folk, that were their love of Allah real and genuine, and they were sincere in their claim, then they should follow him in his commands and his prohibitions, for then Allah would love them.
In other words, Allah loves only those who follow His Prophet in what he commands and what he forbids. Otherwise, the mere claim to love Allah with no objective proof is of no benefit to the claimant whatsoever. And Allah would forgive them their sins, as he who goes upright and follows The Messenger is forgiven his sins, and his evils are annulled, as Allah is forgiving and merciful to His servants.
Say: Obey Allah and the Prophet; so if they turn back, so Indeed Allah loves not the disbelievers.
(32)
Obedience to Allah, glorified be He, is obedience to the Prophet. This obedience is mentioned seperately to convey the importance of the issue, and to show the stratification of the obedience. It is as He says, `So Indeed a fifth of it is for Allah and for the Prophet' when the fifth that is due to Allah is for the Prophet. Perhaps the seperate mention of Allah and The Messenger is to convey the unity of such obedience, and that obedience to them is a single obedience; so that it is like saying `obey the learned ones', not like saying, `obey a learned man or obey your father.'
...so if they turn back, so Indeed Allah loves not the disbelievers. If they turn away and refuse to be obedient, then as for those disbelievers who disavow the commands of Allah or the commands of the Prophet, Allah loves them not. And the meaning of Allah's not loving is not merely the absence of love, that could co-exist with an absence of loathing, but rather His dislike for them is an objective hatred and disgust.
As the discussion has been about the unity of the religion, and it being Islam, and as it has protested against the disbelievers, and then finally mentioned the criterion for true love of Allah, glorified be He, it is appropriate that the theme now mention some of those Allah chose as equal leaders of the single religion that has arrived at the Muslims, as they should know of them and value them:
Indeed Allah chose Ạdam and Nüh and the House of Ibrahịm and the House of `Imran over the worlds.
(33)
Chose' is given for istifa; here it means that He chose them for His message and His inspiration and made them guiding Prophets. The `House' (al) of Ibrahịm means the Prophets who were among his descendents: Isma'ịl, Ishaq, Ya'qüb, Yüsuf, ‘Ịsa and Muhammad, may Allah incline towards them all. The House of `Imran means Müsa and Harün, bliss be upon them. These Prophets are given particular mention as Ạdam, firstly, was the father of mankind; and as Nüh and the House of Ibrahịm includes Ibrahịm—for the House of a person includes that person himself; and the House of `Imran included the Prophets having determination (awli `l-'azm) whose dispensions were for the whole world.
Offspring, some of them from others; and Allah is hearing, knowing.
(34)
Offspring… It is given here for zurriyah. Nüĥ and the House of Ibrahịm and the House of `Imran were offspring, each succeeding his predecessor, in applying the message, supporting the religion, and guiding the people. In these lines of descent, whoever left the religion of his fathers was not counted as among their offspring, as He says in His word, `O Nüh, Indeed he is not of your family.'
...and Allah is hearing, knowing. Allah hears the offspring's speech, and is aware of the contents of their hearts, their minds, their consciences, as well as of their actions, and thus He chose them over all others. All of these Prophets had a single set of particular characteristics that they inherited from their grandfather, Ạdam, bliss be upon him, which qualified them to bear the single mission that is Islam.
The mood is now set for mentioning the mother of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon them, and how chaste and pure she was, so that she qualified to have that great Prophet entrusted to her. So recount, O Prophet of Islam:
When a woman of `Imran said, `My Master, Indeed I vow to Thee what is in my belly in dedication; so accept from me, Indeed Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing.'
(35)
The woman of `Imran's House was Hannah, grandmother of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, through his mother. She vowed to Allah that she would give her child over in service to the Masjid. At the time she made her vow she was pregnant and therefore unaware that the child was female. `In dedication' is given for muharraran; it means being unoccupied by worldly works and constantly free to serve the House of Allah, glorified be He. Such was the condition of the heart of Maryam's mother: so flourishing with faith in Allah that the thing she valued most highly she gave to Allah, in service to Allah's servants.
...so accept from me, Indeed Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing.' With these words she concluded her prayer, asking the Master to accept her vow, and restating her faith in His having heard her supplication, and His being aware of her sincerity.
So when she gave birth to it she said, `My Master! Indeed I have given birth to it female!'
And Allah knew better what she delivered, and the male is not like the female.
‘And Indeed I call her Maryam, and Indeed I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the forsaken devil.'
(36)
So when she gave birth to it she said, `My Master! Indeed I have given birth to it female!'... When Hannah gave birth to her child her expectations were dashed, as she gave birth to a daughter. In her despair and piety she prayed that the child she had borne was a female, and not suitable for service at the Masjid.
And Allah knew better what she delivered, and the male is not like the female.... And Allah knew the gender of her child better than she did, for He knew it was female before she delivered, while she knew not. And the male is not like the female, as the male can be put to service without there being any problem about his attendance in the masjid's crowded places of worship, whereas it is not appropriate for the female to mix with men, and it is not appropriate for her to be in the masjid during her female habit.
Then she said:
And Indeed I call her Maryam,...In her language the name meant a female servant.
...and Indeed I commend her and her seed to Thy protection... It means that she entrusted her daughter and her daughter's offspring to the care and protection of Allah.
...from the bombarded devil. The devil is stoned (rajịm) with curses and cut off from all goodness.
So her Master accepted her with a beautiful acceptance, and gave her to grow up with a lovely growth, and charged her to Zakariya—whenever he entered upon her in the chamber he found provision alongside her. Said he, `O Maryam, how do you get this?'
It is from alongside Allah,' she said. `Indeed Allah sustains whom He wills without measure.'
(37)
So her Master accepted her with a beautiful acceptance,... Despite Maryam's femininity, Allah the Most High accepted her, and His acceptance of her was most lovely indeed, for He decreed felicity for her and gave her to mother ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
...and gave her to grow up with a lovely growth,... That is, He made her upbringing such that she became distinguished in virtues and manners and chastity and purity. And He ensured that she was entrusted to Zakariya. He was the husband of Hannah's sister and a Prophet of Allah, glorified be He. Maryam's mother brought the child to the masjid and entrusted her to the dignitaries in charge. They disagreed about who was to take charge of her, and so they cast lots and the lot that was drawn was that bearing the name of Zakariya. So in her childhood years Maryam served the masjid, and when she reached her maturity she withdrew from them in her own raised chamber that was built for her within the masjid by Zakariya, which could only be reached by a special ladder. Each day Zakariya would bring her needs to her, and it was amongst the wonders of her affair that:
…whenever he entered upon her in the chamber... `Chamber' is given for mihrab, literally meaning `a place of war;' it shows that Maryam's room was a place where her spirit fought the devil.
...he found provision alongside her.... Fruits out of season.
...Said he, ‘O Maryam, how do you get this?' It was natural for Zakariya to ask this question.
...It is from alongside Allah,' she said.... Maryam explained that the fruits were sent down to her by Allah, glorified be He, from the garden as a special generosity towards her.
…'Indeed Allah sustains whom He wills without a reckoning.' It means unstintingly, or without the measure of the sustained.
Thereupon Zakariya supplicated his Master, saying: `O Master! Grant me from Thy presence sound offspring; Indeed Thou are hearing of the supplication.'
(38)
Thereupon Zakariya supplicated his Master,... Having witnessed Allah's generosity to Maryam and His extraordinary sending fruits to her, Zakariya was encouraged to pray for something extraordinary for himself, for he was old and his wife was barren and he dispaired of having children. So he prayed and sought something of a miracle:
…'O Master! Grant me from Your presence pleasant offspring; Indeed Thou are hearing of the supplication.' `Presence' is given for ladun, which has a similar meaning to `ind, which in this work is translated as `alongside' or `by.' Both terms are a way of indicating a very special grace. `Sound' (tayyib) here means `virtuous.' Zakariya sought for himself a virtuous child.
So the angels called to him while he was standing praying in the chamber: `Indeed Allah gives thee the glad tidings of Yahya, confirming a word from Allah, a lord, chaste, and a Prophet from among the virtuous.
(39)
So the angels called to him while he was standing praying in the chamber:... Zakariya was standing at prayer in the `chamber,' meaning either the masjid itself or a special prayer-station within it. `Chamber' is put for mihrab, literally a place of war; here, the war is between the heart and the devils, who wish to divert man towards the world, while the purpose of the masjid is for man to direct himself to the hereafter. Zakariya was standing at prayer when the angels called out to him with good news of a son called Yahya:
...`Indeed Allah gives thee the glad tidings of Yahya, confirming a word from Allah,... The Most High thus named him before he was born, while he was confirmation `of a word from Allah.' The meaning of `word,' here, is ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, who is called `the word of Allah' for the reason that Allah `breathed' him into Maryam, like a word is blown in that it is carried by the breath.
...a lord,... Yahya was to have leadership and nobility.
...chaste,... He was to be chaste in the sense that he kept himself from the pleasures, or from women in particular, meaning that he was an ascetic, bliss be upon him. His being commended for being chaste in this sense is not incongruous with the Law's encouraging marriage, as his chastity was on account of special reasons.
...and a Prophet from among the virtuous.' In contrast to the other Prophets Yahya was of a people amongst whom there was no corruption.
Said he, `My Master! How can there be a son for me, when old-age has reached me and my woman is barren?'
He said, `Just so! Allah does what He wills!'
(40)
Having received the tidings, Zakariya sought clarification of whether the child would come to the two of them just as they were, or whether their condition would be changed in some way. And so he asked Allah how he could have a son when he was old and his wife barren. The angel replied that it would be done just as they were, old and barren, and that Allah is able to do whatever he wills.
Said he, `My Master, place some portent for me!'
He said, `Thy portent is that you shall not speak to the people for three days, save by portents. And remember your Master much, and glorify at the evening and the dawn.'
(41)
Zakariya, bliss be upon him, supplicated Allah and requested a portent in order for him to know when the pregnancy would happen in order for his gratitude and happiness to increase; or the portent was for him to know that his prayer had been granted and for his heart to be secure about it, and that he learn of it in a practical, sensory way after learning about it verbally.
In reply he was told by the angel, or Allah told him by creating a voice in the atmosphere, that he would be unable to speak to people for three days—whenever he tried to talk to people his tongue would simply not respond, and all he would be able to do was make portents with his hands and his head. At the same time, he was to continue praising and glorifying Allah, for here his tongue would carry on as normal. And in particular he was to glorify and announce the purity of Allah at the end and the beginning of each day.
Thereupon the theme returns to the remainder of the account of Maryam, bliss be upon her, since the account of Zakariya, bliss be upon him, was an interjection at an appropriate place:
And, when the angels said, `O Maryam, Indeed Allah has chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above the women of the worlds.
(42)
It means `And recount, O Prophet, when the angels told Maryam that Allah had chosen her to worship Him and to obey Him and to be a recepticle for His Prophet. And that He had purified her of sins and of material uncleaniness and of the woman's monthly habit. And furthermore, that He had chosen her ‘above the women of the worlds.' The repetition of her being chosen is for emphasis, and for the informative `above the women of the worlds.' It means that she was not chosen to be one of a special group, but that she was chosen to be above all the other women of her time and her worlds.
Therefore she was not above all other women of all worlds and of all times; that honour belonged to Fatimah, bliss be upon her, who indeed was the absolutely chosen above all other women. It has been explained that such phrases mean the contemporary worlds, not all worlds; just as when it is said, for example, that a particular government is the strongest of all governments—what is meant is that it is the strongest government of the age, not that it is the strongest government that has ever been or ever will be.
‘O Maryam, supplicate for your Master and prostrate and bow with the bowers.'
(43)
Be devoted' is given for uqtụnị, meaning to be humble and full of concentration in worship. `Those who bow' means those who bow for Allah, glorified be He.
That is among the announcements of the unseen that We inspire upon thee. Thou were not alongside them when they threw their pens as to which of them would be charged with Maryam. And thou were not alongside them when they disputed.
(44)
That...It means the story given here of Maryam, Zakariya and Yahya.
...is among the announcements of the unseen,... Everything that is beyond the senses is part of the unseen.
...that We inspire upon thee. The story was revealed upon The Messenger as proof that he was among the Prophets, for when a person knows such things without being present and not learning them by the route of history and transmission, then hs knowledge is miraculous and above the ordinary.
You,,,' The address is to the Prophet.
...Thou were not alongside them...It means the religious leaders who were contemporary to Maryam.
...when they threw their pens...These were their special pens with which they copied the Torah.
...as to which of them would be charged with Maryam. And thou were not alongside them when they disputed. When `Imran's wife brought Maryam to the masjid the religious dignitaries there disputed over who should be charged with her, for she was the daughter of their religious leader. Zakariya maintained that he had the most right, as he was married to her aunt. The others objected saying that had it been a question of ordinary rights like that, then the mother who gave birth to her had the most right. Instead, they decided to throw lots, and so they went off to the bank of a flowing river or stream. There were nineteen of them, Zakariya included. So they all cast their pens into the water, and the pen of Zakariya came to the top and floated, while the other pens all sank to the bottom. And so Zakariya was chosen.
When the angels said, `O Maryam, Indeed Allah gives thee tidings of a word from Him; His name is the Masịh, ‘Ịsa son of Maryam, a presence in the world and the hereafter, and among those brought near.
(45)
When the angels said,... It means: And recount, O Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, when the angels said to Maryam, bliss be upon her:
O Maryam, Indeed Allah gives thee tidings of a word from Him;...It means a son who was a word of Allah cast into her, that was to come out of her in the form of ‘Ịsa the Masịh, bliss be upon him.
His name is the Masịh, ‘Ịsa son of Maryam,...It is said that he was called al-Masịh on account of how he anointed the earth with all his travelling about it. And it is said in theology (al-kalam) that his mother refuted the accusations against her by saying that he was Allah's son. And he was,
...a presence in the world and the hereafter,... `Presence is given for wajịh; it means that he was the holder of honour, status and rank.
...and among those brought near.' He is among those brought near to Allah the Most High in honour and rank, not in time and space.
And he shall speak with the people in the cradle and in full maturity, and is of the virtuous.'
(46)
And he shall speak with the people in the cradle... ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was to speak to people from the cradle, long before children are able to speak. `Cradle' is put for mahd, meaning a special place for settling a baby, made out of wood or iron and cloth.
... and in full maturity... And he was to speak to them in full maturity, according to the inspiration he received. `Full maturity' is given for kahl, which is the period between youth and old-age. Perhaps the intent was to show that he would live to that age.
...and of the virtuous.' He was to be among those who are good and upright, and empty of corruption.
She said, `My Master! How can there be a son for me, when no person has touched me?'
He said, `Just so! Allah creates what He wills; when He consummates an affair He but says, `Be!' and it is.
(47)
She said, `My Master! How can there be a son for me, when no person has touched me?'... On hearing the astonishing news, Maryam asked how it could be that she could bear a son, when no man had come near her, for she had not married.
...He said, `Just so! Allah creates what He wills;... The angel replied that that was exactly how she would give birth, without the touch of a husband, and that Allah creates what He wills, and that such a birth is not beyond His power.
...when He consummates an issue He but says, `Be!' and it is.' It means that when Allah, glorified be He, intends the creation of a thing, He but says to it the word `Be,' or He simply wills it into existence without saying any word. And then it exists in objective, real existence. Allah creates things simply by willing them to be.
And He shall teach him the book and the wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel.
(48)
And He shall teach him the book...Allah taught him how to read and write; or He taught him the entire book sent down from on high.
...and the wisdom,... It means that he became wise in knowing the place of things; or what is meant by `the wisdom' is knowledge of the Law, the lawful and the forbidden and the other rules.
...and the Torah and the Gospel. The Torah was the book sent down to Müsa, bliss be upon him, while the Gospel (al-Injịl) was the book sent down to ‘Ịsa himself. It is said that `torah' means `teachings and glad tidings,' while `injịl' means glad tidings and teachings.'
And as a Prophet to the sons of Israel: `Indeed I have come to ye with a portent from your Master—I create for ye from clay like the form of the bird, then I blow in it and it is a bird, with Allah's permission. And I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the dead to life, with Allah's permission. And I inform ye of what you eat and of what ye store in your houses. Indeed in that is a portent for ye, if ye be believers.
(49)
And as a Prophet to the sons of Israel... It means that he was sent as a Prophet to them, to guide them from deviation to the truth.
Here the theme turns to present the words spoken by ‘Ịsa to his people at the time he had become a Prophet:
…'Indeed I have come to ye with a portent from your Master... His `sign' was his ability to perform his miracles, which portentified the sincerity of his claim to be a Prophet.
...—I create for ye from clay like the form of the bird, then I blow in it and it is a bird, with Allah's permission. He would fashion the form of a bird from earth or clay, and would then blow into his model, and by the power and will of Allah it would fly off.
And I heal the blind... He would cure the blind, even those who were blind from birth.
...and the leper,...' These too he would cure.
...and I bring the dead to life, with Allah's permission… He would stand on a grave and would say to the corpse: `Stand, by the permission of Allah!' and the corpse would rise and then brush the earth from his body as if he had never been dead.
…And I inform ye of what ye eat and of what ye store in your houses…. He was able to say to people, `Ye have eaten such and such, and ye have stored such and such for the night.'
…Indeed in that is a portent for ye, if ye are believers. In these miracles was a great portent of the truth of his claim to be a Prophet, for those who were believers. Otherwise, those who have no faith in Allah, glorified be He, cannot tell between miracles and sorcery.
‘And confirming the Torah that came before me; and I make permitted for ye some of that made forbidden for ye; and I come to ye with a portent from your Master; so be guardful of Allah and obey me.
(50)
‘And confirming the Torah that came before me;... ‘Ịsa confirmed the Torah that had been sent down before him, as it was necessary to the confirmation of him as a Prophet that he did not deny the previous books sent to the sons of Israel.
...and I make permitted for ye some of that made forbidden for ye;... He did announce as lawful some of the things that were forbidden in the Law as revealed to Müsa, bliss be upon him, as the reasons for these prohibitions had ceased.
...and I come to ye with a portent from your Master;...It means that he came with a proof that testified to his sincerity and to his being sent by Allah, glorified be He. Either this is a general reference to the three portents given previously, namely the confirmation, the legalising and the miracles; or it means a further portent not detailed in the Quran.
...so be guardful of Allah and obey me.' They were to be guardful of Allah and confirm ‘Ịsa's mission, and they were to obey him in what he commanded and what he forbade.
‘Indeed Allah is my Master and your Master, so worship Him; that is a straight path.'
(51)
‘Indeed Allah is my Master and your Master,... In other words, he was not His son, for he said this to refute those who hailed him as god.
...so worship Him;... It means worship Him alone, without any partner, such as `Uzair who was worshipped by some deviant Jews, or ‘Ịsa, who was worshipped by the Christians.
...that is a straight path.' It is a path that is direct and even, as opposed to the paths of other schools and religions, that are both uneven and deviated.
After these clear proofs the Israelites increased in nothing but obstinacy and arrogance:
Then, when ‘Ịsa felt disbelief from them, he said, `Who are my succourrs unto Allah?'
The bright ones said `We are Allah's succourers, we believe in Allah; and bear witness that we are Muslims.'
(52)
Then, when ‘Ịsa felt disbelief from them,... That is: when ‘Ịsa found that the people were not benefitting from his arguments and proofs,
...he said, ‘Who are my succourers unto Allah?'… He was asking who would serve his religion and thus travel the path to Allah's rewards, for he who would arrive at Allah's rewards must travel the path to Allah.
The bright ones said... `The bright ones' is the literal translation of al-hawariyyün. The title is given to special people on account of the purity of their hearts. They were ‘Ịsa's special followers.
…'We are Allah's succourers, we believe in Allah; and bear witness that we are muslims.' They declared that they would serve the religion of Allah, and follow the path ‘Ịsa was on; they declared their belief in Allah to be pure of polytheism, and called on ‘Ịsa to witness that they were Muslims in their religion.
They then directed themselves towards Allah, glorified be He, in supplication, saying:
‘Our Master! We believe in what Thou have sent down and we follow the Prophet, so write us with the witnesses.'
(53)
In their prayer they confirmed their belief in the message sent down upon ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, and their obedience to him in what he commanded and forbade.
....so write us with the witnesses.' They sought to be written as those who are witnesses over the people, as the Most High says, ‘...so that you be witnesses over mankind, and that over you The Messenger be a witness.' Prophets are witnesses over their companions and disciples, who are in turn witnesses over the rest of the people.
These were the words of ‘Ịsa's companions who believed in him. The disbelievers who disputed and denied, however, did not believe:
And they plotted and Allah plotted, and Allah is the best of plotters.
(54)
And they plotted... They plotted to kill ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
...and Allah plotted,... Allah `plotted' to save ‘Ịsa and to kill the chief of his enemies in place of him. `Plot' is given for makr, which is to seek a remedy for a situation or a matter, and is usually used about evil. Perhaps the word is attributed to Allah, glorified be He, for comparison, as in His word, `You know what is in my spirit (nafs) , but I know not what is in your spirit!' when Allah, glorified be He, has no soul.
...and Allah is the best of plotters. For He knows best the ways of repair and remedy. In some commentaries it is stated that when the leading Israelite wished to kill ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, he entered a chamber that had a skylight, then Jibra-ịl came and raised him through the skylight to the skies. The leader told the evil man of the disbelievers to go in to him and kill him. So he entered the chamber and then Allah, glorified be He, made hs appearance like that of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him; he came out of the room and told his companions that ‘Ịsa was not in the house, so they killed him thinking that he was ‘Ịsa. The man was crucified, and however much he told them he was not ‘Ịsa, it did him no good.
And recount, O Prophet of Islam:
When Allah said, `O ‘Ịsa, I am taking thee and raising thee to Myself, and purifying thee of those who disbelieve; and am placing those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the day of resurrection. So to Me is your return, then I shall judge among you as to that in which you differ.
(55)
When Allah said, `O ‘Ịsa, I am taking thee... It is closer that the meaning is that ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was taken body and soul.
...and raising thee to Myself,... ‘Ịsa was raised to the fourth sky, as has come to us in some narrations. It is supposed that this contradicts some well-known findings of modern science in that there are no skies or heavens having bulk and substance, yet this supposition is imperfect, as even if what is meant by `the sky' are the orbits, which is the literal meaning, still there are skies there. For clarification of this point see `Allamah al-Shahristanị's al-Hay-at wa `l-Islam (`Astronomy and Islam').
...and purifying thee of those who disbelieve;...Those who disbelieve are unclean and impure, and in the same way as a body becomes purified of uncleanliness when washed, so too a pure person amongst disbelievers is purified of their filth when he leaves them.
...and am placing those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the day of resurrection.... The followers of ‘Ịsa, peace be upon him, were to be established above those Jews who disbelieve in him, until the end of time as we know it. This is one of the miracles of the Quran, for the Christians have been over the Jews until our own day, and will remain over them until the day of resurrection.
So to Me is your return,... The return of ‘Ịsa, his companions and the disbelievers, all of them, is to Allah on the day of resurrection.
...then I shall judge among ye as to that in which ye differ. That day Allah shall judge as to monotheism, polytheism, and as to whether ‘Ịsa was a Prophet, and as to the remaining principles and obligations to which ‘Ịsa summoned, and on the basis of which he gave glad tidings, and which the Jews denied.
So as for those who disbelieve, I shall chastise them a severe chastisement in the world and the hereafter; and they have no succourers.
(56)
So as for those who disbelieve, I shall chastise them a severe chastisement in the world... Those who disbelieve in ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, and in what he brought were punished in the world with poverty and humiliation. They are always under the control of ‘Ịsa's followers, and they have never had a government save with under the patronage of others. They are despised and rejected forever.
...and the hereafter;... And as for the hereafter, there they shall enter a fire burning bright around them, and they shall be given to drink only that which will increase their torment.
...and they have no succourers. And none shall help them against the severity of their punishment from Allah, glorified be He.
And as for those who believe and do the virtuous deeds, their wage will be met in full—and Allah loves not the wrongful.
(57)
Those who believed in ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, and did the virtuous deeds, as He commanded, and refrained from the forbidden – for it is not said of a person that he does the virtuous deeds (`amilu al-salihat) unless he performs the obligations and to this adds abstinance from the sins – their wage will be met in full by Allah, glorified be He.
...and Allah loves not the wrongful. `The unjust' are those who are unjust by their disbelief, or their failing to do the virtuous deeds.
That is what We recite to thee of the portents and the wise reminder.
(58)
That... It means the accounts of Zakariya and ‘Ịsa and Yahya and Maryam, bliss be upon them.
...is what We recite to thee... It means recited to him, May Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, through revelation.
...of the portents.. It means the portents and proofs demonstrating his sincerity and that he Indeed was a Prophet and receiving revelation.
...and the wise reminder. The reminder is the Quran, which is wise and firm, and admits no falsehood and no deviation within it.
This has prepared the minds and the hearts to perceive the reality of ‘Ịsa—his being human and being born without a father. Thus He says, glorified be He:
Indeed what ‘Ịsa is like alongside Allah is Ãdam—He created him of dust; thereupon He said to him, `Be!' and he was.
(59)
Indeed what ‘Ịsa is like alongside Allah is Ãdam... The creation of ‘Ịsa without a father was neither amazing nor novel, and it does not portentify that he is the Master, for Ãdam's creation was more amazing and he was not Allah, glorified be He.
...—He created him of dust;... Ãdam's body was created out of dry earth.
...thereupon He said to him `Be!...That is, `Be a living human.'
...and he was. Ãdam came into existence just the way He had said.
The truth from thy Master, so do not be of the vacillators.
(60)
The story of ‘Ịsa as presented, or his creation in this way, is the truth from your Master, O Prophet of Allah, so do not be of the doubters. Here, although the address is to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, in meaning it is general and applies to everyone. ‘Vacillators' is given for mumtarịn, meaning people who are in doubt and unable to make up their minds. In fact, that the line shows that the point is that there was much futile doubt among the people about the circumstances of ‘Ịsa`s birth.
So whoever disputes thee about him after the knowledge that has come to you, say: `Come, we shall call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our selves and your selves; thereupon we shall supplicate and place the curse of Allah upon the liars.'
(61)
So whoever disputes thee... The address is to Allah's Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House.
about him... It means about `Ịsa, bliss be upon him. Those who disputed maintained that he was not human and was a Master (rabb) detached from the Master (al-rabb).
The verse was sent down about a delegation of Christians from Najran. They came to dispute The Messenger of Allah, but the arguments and the proofs were lost on them, and so it was agreed between the two sides that they would go out into the desert and that the two parties would each call on Allah against the liar.
So on the appointed day The Messenger went out accompanied by `Alị, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn, peace and blessings be with them. When the Christians saw them they lost heart and their cheif said `Indeed I see faces, that if they were to ask Allah to shake down a mountain from its place, He would shake it down. So do not go through with this parallel cursing, or you will be destroyed and no Christian will remain on the face of the earth until the day of resurrection.'
Said the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, `By He in whose hand is my soul, had they cursed me they would have changed into monkeys and pigs, and the wadi would have broken out in fire against them, and so it would have been against the Christians until they were destroyed.'
...after the knowledge that has come to you,... The knowledge of the story of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
...say:... The address is to the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House. He was to invite them to a proof that would not be open to doubt or dispute.
…'Come, we shall call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our selves and your selves;... `Selves,' (anfus, plural of nafs) here, means those who are like unto themselves in rank. The meaning is that they each were to invite their special favourites and those closest to them, like sons, women and those most like themselves in rank.
...thereupon we shall supplicate and place the curse of Allah upon the liars.' Each party was to pray against the other, saying `Curse the liar!' The commentators are unanimous in that the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, was accompanied only by his (grand)sons, Hasan and Husayn, his daughter Fatima, and his cousin `Alị, bliss and condescensions be upon them.
Indeed that, it is certainly the true stories; and there is no god but Allah; and indeed Allah—He is indeed the Grand, the Wise.
(62)
Indeed that... It means the accounts inspired to The Messenger about ‘Ịsa and suchlike.
...it is certainly the true stories;... There is no falsehood in them and no deviation.
...and there is no god but Allah;... Therefore it is not true that ‘Ịsa is a god, as supposed by the Christians.
...and indeed Allah—indeed He is the Grand, the Wise. He is the Grand in His authority, and the Wise in all His deeds; He took no human as a son, as supposed by the Jews and the Christians.
So if they turn away, then Indeed Allah is knowing of the corrupters.
(63)
Should they turn away, persistent in their corrupt beliefs, then Indeed Allah is aware of those who corupt the beliefs of the people and their actions. They shall not escape Him, but rather His knowledge encompasses them and they shall be requited for their deeds.
The theme having dealt fully with the account of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, the account now turns to the book-folk and their deviations, since there is a strong connection between the two. And so He says, glorified be He:
Say: `O book-folk, come to a word equal between us and you: that we worship none but Allah and not partner a thing with Him, and that some of us not take others as masters instead of Allah.'
And if they turn back, then say: `Bear witness that we are Muslims.'
(64)
Say: `O book-folk, come to a word equal between us and ye:... Allah's Prophet was to say to the Jews and Christians: `Come on, let us all gather together on a just word, or belief, that has no deviation, and which we all acknowledge. and let us cast off all else that has no proof.' The word:
...that we worship none but Allah... Worship is unlawful except of Allah, for He created existence.
...and not partner a thing unto Him,...We should not take any person, animal or object as a part of Allah or as a partner or rival to Him.
...and that some of us not take others as masters instead of Allah.'... Some humans should not take others as gods and masters in place of Allah, like the Christians' taking ‘Ịsa as a god. Or it may be that the intention is that the priests and rabbis should not be taken as gods in obedience to what is counter to Allah, glorified be He, as He says in His word, `They take their priests and their monks as masters...
...And if they turn back,... That is: if they turn away from this invitation.
...then say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.' That is: bear witness that we are submissive to Allah alone; we follow His path and we seek no religion other than Islam.
The book-folk would claim that Ibrahịm, bliss be upon him, was of their religion, the Jews saying that he was a Jew, and the Christians saying that he was a Christian. So Allah refuted them, in His word,
O book-folk, why do ye dispute about Ibrahịm, when the Torah and the Gospel were not sent down save after him; do ye not reason?
(65)
O book-folk, why do you dispute about Ibrahịm,... Each maintained that he was of their sect, not of the other.
...while the Torah and the Gospel were not sent down save after him;... Ibrahịm preceded both religions, as he lived before them; he was the anscestor of Müsa who received the Torah, and of ‘Ịsa, who received the Gospel, and he lived centuries before them.
....do ye not reason?' It means: do you not have reason, that you might know something of history.
Lo, ye are those who disputed about that of which ye have knowledge, so why do ye dispute about that of which ye have no knowledge?
And Allah knows while ye know not.
(66)
The communities of the book-folk disputed about things they knew, like the qiblah and so forth. Then they went on to dispute things that they did not know, like the history of Ibrahịm and his being a Jew nor a Christian.
…And Allah knows... Allah knows all about Ibrahịm, his place in history and his religion.
...while ye know not. How, then, can they enter into such disputes and arguments.
Ibrahịm was not a Jew nor a Christian, rather he was an upward, a Muslim, and he was not of the idolators.
(67)
Ibrahịm was neither a Jew nor a Christian, for they are on subsequent paths that have deviated from the ways of the Prophets, and even Müsa and ‘Ịsa could not be described as being on these paths.
...rather he was an upright,...`Upright' is given for ĥanịf, meaning that he went straight and direct in his religion, and was not deviated.
...a muslim,... Ibrahịm, bliss be upon him, was a Muslim in the sense given that Islam was the religion of all the Prophets.
...and he was not of the partnerists. He was not a polytheist or partnerist, as are the Jews and Christians.
The Jews would say that they were closer to Ibrahịm, for he was of their religion, and the Christians would say the same thing about themselves; and so this was sent down:
Indeed those of the people nearest to Ibrahịm are those who follow him—this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the Patron of the believers.
(68)
Indeed those of the people who are nearest to Ibrahịm... It means those who are most like him and most entitled to be proud of him and to say that they were on his path and to claim him as the founder of their community:
...are certainly those who follow him... It means those who followed him during his time and after him, for those who follow him have the right to be proud of him as their leader, not the Christians and Jews whose paths countered that of Ibrahịm, bliss be upon him.
...—this Prophet and those who believe,... It means that The Messenger of Islam and the believers are those who follow Ibrahịm; it is those who are on his path, for his path was that of monotheism and the negation of false gods.
...and Allah is the Patron of the believers. He supervises their affairs and aids them against their enemies.
A party of the book-folk would love to deviate you, but they deviate none but themselves, while they do not know.
(69)
A party of the book-folk... Many of the book-folk were innocent of what follows.
...would love to deviate you,... They would have loved to deviate the Muslims from their religion so that they return to disbelief and Judaism.
...but they deviate none but themselves,... In neglecting Islam and sticking to their deviated religions, they caused deviation for themselves. Or it means that their efforts to deviate the Muslims rebound only on themselves, in that it would bring them humiliation in the world and chastisement in the hereafter.
...while they do not know. They were unaware that they would deviate themselves, or they were unaware that their efforts to deviate the Muslims would rebound on themselves.
O book-folk, why do you disbelieve in the portents of Allah, while ye witness?
(70)
The `book-folk' (ahl al-kitab) means the Christians and Jews. The Zoroastrians, although they are book-folk, are not meant here, as the discussions show that only the two communities are meant.
...why do you disbelieve in the portents of Allah,...They are asked why they disbelieve in the arguments and proofs for monotheism and prophethood and the other religious principles.
...while you witness? They were witnesses of the necessity of admitting the truth; or they were witnesses of the proofs of monotheism and the messengership of Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, and the other matters in dispute, all of which existed in their own books.
O book-folk, why do you dress the truth in the false and conceal the truth, while you know.
(71)
O book-folk,...They are addressed like this to show that they really ought to have expected better of themselves, for they were people of knowledge and learning and the book of Allah, glorified be He, had been sent down among them.
...why dress ye the truth in the false... It means why do they mix the truth with the false, for a part of their actions was right and true, while a part was false. Their belief in Müsa and ‘Ịsa was true, while their disbelief in Muhammad, May Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, was false, and in the same way some of their book was true, while the part that they had forged was false.
...and conceal the truth, while you know.' Their scholars knowingly concealed the descriptions of the Messenger, May Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, so that their people would not incline to him and they would not lose their leadership.
In addition to this, the book-folk devised a strategem to send the people astray and prevent them from joining Islam. They were to manifest themselves in such a way that they would appear sincere and genuine to the people, while refusing to Islam in the claim that they did not find it to be true:
And a party of the book-folk say `Believe in what has been sent down upon those who believe at the break of day, and disbelieve at the end of it; that they might return.
(72)
Some of them advised others to declare belief in the Quran first thing in the morning, saying that they believed in Muhammad and his book for he was described in their own book, and then later that day say that they had turned away again as they saw that in fact he was not as described in their book.
In this way they sought to have themselves seen in the eyes of the people as sincere seekers of the truth who had believed in Muhammad in the belief that he was genuine, but who had then discovered that he was not genuine and had therefore, in all sincerity, turned away.
...that they might return. They hoped that this deceitful tactic would lead the Muslims to desert Islam, as it would cause them to have doubts.
And believe not except for him who follows your religion!' – Say: ‘Indeed the guidance is the guidance of Allah' – ‘That someone be given the like of what ye have been given! Or that they dispute ye before your Master!'
Say: `Indeed the profusion is in the hand of Allah, He gives it to whom He wills, and Allah is expansive, knowing.'
(73)
…And believe not except for him who follows your religion!'… They told eaxh other not to show their true beliefs to any but one of their own faith.
…—Say: Indeed the guidance is the guidance of Allah—… This is an interjection addressed to the Messenger, reminding us that real guidance is Allah's guidance, not this contrived and artificial guidance that requires such deception to mislead themselves and others. We have no need of such guidance, nor do we fear that such plots will make us stray, for when Allah guides a person he is not sent astray by such deceptions. Now the theme returns to the words of the Jews, some of them to others:
…That someone be given the like of what ye have been given!… They were saying that they should not believe in Islam as what they had was better than what had come to others, and that they should not believe in Muhammad with a sincere belief from their hearts.
…‘Or they dispute ye before your Master!'… They were saying that they should not let their pretended belief in the morning to draw them into any disputes with the Muslims, for in their view the Muslims' path was false and there is no point defending oneself against those whose path is false.
…Say:... The Messenger was to refute their word about their teachngs being better than those of others, with the word:
Indeed the grace is in the hand of Allah,...It means that there is no obstacle to His granting the Muslims the like of what He had given the Jews, or better than that.
...He gives it to whom He wills, and Allah is encompassing,... His grace is not depleted on account of His bestowing it upon anyone.
...knowing. He knows the best interests of His creatures, and knows best where to place His messages.
He distinguishes with His mercy whom He wills, and Allah is the Holder of magnificent profusion.
(74)
Allah raises by His mercy those of His servants whom He wills. His grace begins with creation, and ends at a point above which man is unable to absorb any more.
And of the Book-folk is he who if ye entrust him a pile he will restore it to ye; and of them is him if ye entrust him a coin he will not restore it to ye unless ye are ever standing over him. That is because they say, `There is no path against us concerning the maternals.' And they say of Allah the lie, while they know.
(75)
And of the Book-folk...It means those of the book-folk who believed, like `Abd Allah b. Salam.
...is he who if ye entrust him a pile he will restore it to ye;... `A pile' means a pile of wealth. It means that if entrusted with such a sum he would not betray the trust but would return it in full whenever demanded of him. It is narrated that `Abd Allah b. Salam was entrusted by a man with a thousand and two hundred dirhams to look after, and he returned it to him in full. Therefore Allah praised him in this verse.
...and of them is he if ye entrust him a coin...`A coin' is put for a `dịnar', a coin of small value.
...he will not restore it to ye... A man from the Quraish entrusted a dịnar to Fakhas, who betrayed him and refused to return it.
...unless ye are ever standing over him... It means unless he is watched and supervised.
That... It means the deceit and betrayal.
...is because they say, ‘There is no path against us concerning the maternals.'… The betrayers would say that there was no path for criticism, no fault in them, for their betraying the Arabs, and that their taking their wealth was lawful since when they were entrusted it they were polytheists, and so when they left that path and accepted Islam they lost their rights. They said this and they also attributed it to their book. Therefore Allah says,
…And they say of Allah the lie,... There is no such thing in their book, but rather their book states that they should return their trusts to the righteous and the brazen alike.
...while they know. They knew that they were attributing to Allah a lie, and that to withhold a trust is treachery and a vice.
Nay, whoso fulfils his covenant and is guardful—Indeed Allah loves the guardful.
(76)
Nay' is given for bala, which indicates that the matter before it is false, and the subsequent matter is true.
...whoso fulfils his covenant...It means those who are true to their trusts and return them when asked.
...and is guardful... It means vigilance against the chastisement of Allah in betrayal and suchlike.
...—Indeed Allah loves the guardful.' he does not love the betrayers and the liars.
Indeed those who purchase, for the covenant of Allah and their oaths, a small price—those have no share in the hereafter and Allah shall not speak to them and He shall not regard them on the day of resurrection, and He shall not purify them and theirs is a painful chastisement.
(77)
Indeed...This ayah is about those who consume the trusts deposited with them and attribute lies to Allah—such persons have sold their religion for a small price.
...those who purchase, for the covenant of Allah... This means in return for giving up their adherence to the book and the religion.
...and their oaths,.. They had given lying oaths for the sake of dishonesty.
...a small price...It has been given that the things of the world, no matter how great they seem, are little when compared to the hereafter.
...—those have no share in the hereafter...They shall have no part of Allah's mercy or of the garden in the hereafter.
...and Allah shall not speak to them... No word of kindness or mercy; it portentifies the anger of Allah, for he who is angry with a person refrains from speaking to him.
...and He shall not regard them...It means that they shall not be included in His grace and bounty. It is another way of portentifying Allah's anger, as when a person is angry he refrains from looking at those he is angry with. .
..on the day of resurrection,... And that is the day when everyone needs His grace and bounty.
...and He shall not purify them... The hearts of the lying traitors are the dirtiest of all, and Allah will not cleanse them and He will not include them in His particular grace by which He blesses the believers.
...and theirs is a painful chastisement. Their long-term future has nothing but pain.
And Indeed among them is a group twisting their tongues with the book, that you suppose it to be of the book, while it is not of the book; and they say, `This is from alongside Allah,' while it is not from alongside Allah. And they say of Allah the lie, while they know.
(78)
Some of the book-folk were guilty of twisting their tongues while reciting the book. `Twisting their tongues' (lịị alsunatihim) means contorting them by pulling them this way or that, away from the straight and direct. It means that they contorted the Torah and the Gospel by adding things here and removing things there. They did this so that the Muslims would reckon their innovations to be part of their book, when they were not part of their book. And they claimed that what they were reciting was from Allah, when it was not from Allah but from their own store of lying forgeries.
...And they say of Allah the lie, while they know.' They knew all along that their innovations were falsely attributed to Allah, and that they were liars.
Since the clearest of all their distortions was their saying that ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was a partner of Allah, and that this was stated in their book, Allah refutes this claim by showing that it was impossible for ‘Ịsa, as Allah, glorified be He, does not give prophethood to a liar who would claim mastership and divinity for himself:
It was not for a person that Allah grant him the book and the rule and the prophethood, and thereupon he say to the people: `Be the servants of me, rather than of Allah.'
But rather, `Be mastered ones for your teaching the book and for your having learned it.'
(79)
Allah, glorified be He, would not grant a man the book and rule among the people and make him a Prophet, if he was the type to say to the people that they should worship him as well as Allah, or instead of Allah. Worship of a partner for Allah is worship of other than Allah, for the meaning of polytheism (shirk) is worship that is not absolutely for Allah, for Allah has no partner. So whoever has a partner is not Allah. In some commentaries it is stated that the cause of this verse being sent down was that a Jew asked the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, about this, and so the verse was sent down.
But rather,... It means that it is instead necessary for the Prophets to say to the people,
…'Be godly,... ‘Godly' is given for rabbaniyịn, from rabb meaning ‘master'. It implies the relationship between them and the rabb, of the type between a man and God that is denoted by the word ‘godly.' They should have a proper relation to the Master, and as such should guide the people to worship the One God.
...for your teaching the book... It means that they should do that because they had taught the book to the people after having taken it from the Prophet.
...and for your having learned it.' And because they had learned it. So it means that the Messenger would say to the people that since they were scholars who learned and taught the book, they should be sincerely devoted to the Master, and not to any partner or idol.
And nor would he command you that ye take the angels and the Prophets as masters; would he command ye to disbelief after yee were Muslims?
(80)
And nor would any Prophet command the people to worship the angels or other Prophets. That would be impossible, as he whom Allah, glorified be He, selects for prophethood would not command the people to disbelief. .
..would he command ye to disbelief after ye were Muslims? The question form here is for negation. On the contrary, the Prophets take the people out of disbelief into Islam; how then would they command them to disbelieve again by setting up partners?
This completes the discussion of ‘Ịsa and his not being a partner of Allah, glorified be He, and so the theme returns to The Messenger of Islam, and his being The Messenger after ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him. So recount, O Prophet of Allah,
And when Allah took the pact of the Prophets that: ‘Whenever I give ye a book and wisdom and thereafter a Messenger comes confirming what is with ye—ye must certainly believe in him and ye must certainly succour him.'
He said, ‘Do ye affirm and take My pledge on this?'
They said, ‘We affirm.'
Said He, ‘Then bear witness; and I am with ye among the witnesses.'
(81)
‘Pact' is given for mịthaq, meaning a very strong and firm pact. By ‘a Messenger' is meant the Messenger of Islam, or whatever Prophet came after them. It means that Allah took from the Prophets the covenant that whenever messengership came to one of them, it was for him to believe in the Messenger of Islam, or in the Messenger who was to come after himself, and he was to aid and assist him. According to the first likelihood, it means that all the Prophets affirmed the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, and believed in him. By the second likelihood, it means that each Messenger was to believe in the Messenger who came after him, so that all the Prophets were like a single chain with each one confirming the earlier and believing in the next.
...and ye must certainly assist him.' This means that each Prophet was to take from his nation a covenant in favour of the next in the line of Prophets.
...He said, ‘Do ye affirm and take My pledge on this?'… This was said by Allah in emphasis. They were to confirm that they would be ready to believe in and assist the coming Messenger, and that they would take from their own communities a strong pact that they too would believe in and support him.
...They said, ‘We affirm.' This was said by the Prophets.
…Said He, ‘Then bear witness;...They were to be witnesses over their people for their testimony to be used on the day of resurrection against any who were recalcitrant.
....and I am with ye among the witnesses.' It means that Allah too is a witness of their affirming that they would believe in and support the coming Prophet.
It is narrated from Imam `Alị, bliss be upon him, that Allah did not raise Ãdam as a Prophet nor any Prophet after hm without taking from him a pact that he would believe in Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon him and his House, and without commanding to take the same pact from his people.
Then whoso turns away after that—so they are the perverse ones.
(82)
It means that whoever turns away after making that pact of belief in the coming Prophet and assisting him, then they are the perverse (fasiqün) in that they are outside the domain of obedience to Allah, glorified be He, for having broken their pact.
Lack of faith in Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, would be against their pact, first, and contrary to their obligation, second:
So do they seek other than the religion of Allah, when to Him have submitted all who are in the heavens and the earth, willingly and unwillingly, and to Him they return?
(83)
So do they seek other than the religion of Allah,... Do they seek a religion other than Islam, after all the proofs that have established its validity?
...when to Him have submitted all who are in the heavens and the earth,... Everything in existence is humble and submissive to Allah, glorified be He, and obedient to His command. So what is with them that they oppose the religion of Allah, to whom everything in existence has submitted?
...willingly and unwillingly,...The angels and other possessors of mind and of will have yielded willingly, while material objects have yielded unwillingly, in that they have no will and are totally dependent on the will of Allah, glorified be He.
...and to Him they return?' They return to His rule, His command, His reward and His punishment when they die, or at the resurrection.
Now it is the turn of the Muslim nation to manifest belief in all of the Prophets, for it is demanded by the unity of prophethood and by what has passed of the necessity of every successor having faith in his predecessor, and of every successor confirming his predecessor:
Say: `We believe in Allah and that sent down to us, and that sent down to Ibrahịm, Isma'ịl, Ishaq, Ya'qüb and the grandsons, and that given to Müsa and ‘Ịsa and the Prophets from their Master—we differentiate between none of them—and we are Muslims to Him.
(84)
Say:... The address is to the Prophet. He was to say the formula of faith that must be acknowledged by every member of his nation.
...We believe in Allah... Alone and without partner. .
..and that sent down to us,... The Wise Quran and the other laws and rules.
...and that sent down to Ibrahịm, Isma'ịl, Ishaq, Ya'qüb and the grandsons,...`The grandsons' means the desendents of Ya'qüb who were Prophets. .
...and that given to Müsa... The Torah.
...and ‘Ịsa... The Gospel.
...and the Prophets from their Master—we differentiate between none of them... Muslims accept all the Prophets, unlike the Jews who reject ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, and Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House; and unlike the Christians, who reject Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House.
...—and we are Muslims to Him.' We submit to His every command and prohibition.
And who seeks other than Islam as a religion—it shall never be accepted from hm, and in the hereafter he is among the losers.
(85)
And whoso desires a religion other than Islam, whether it be of celestial origin or invented, it shall never be accepted in the world, and he shall be ruled as a disbeliever. And in the hereafter such persons shall be the losers of themselves, of their wealth, and of their nearest and dearest.
Those who perceive these realities of the unity of prophethood and of Muhammad, May Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, and Islam, and thereafter deny it all and doggedly oppose it, have certainly been unjust to themselves and have distanced themselves from the grace of Allah and His guidance; Allah will not bless them with His particular grace and will not guide them but will leave them in the darkness of their disbelief:
How shall Allah guide a tribe disbelieving after their faith and testifying that the Messenger is true, and the clarifications coming to them? And Allah guides not the wrongful tribe.
(86)
How shall Allah guide a nation disbelieving after their faith... Their faith' means their knowledge that The Messenger was genuine, and their displaying a superficial faith. Otherwise, if we take what has come to us in some commentaries and narrations about a man who believed and then apostatised and then regretted, and so he sent someone to the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, to ask him whether his repentance would be accepted. The Messenger replied in the affirmative, and so the man repented and was thereafter good in his Islam; and therefore the end of the ayah ends with the exception, `Save for those who repent after that.'
...and testifying that the Messenger is true,... It means a genuine testifying even though not manifested and without being bound by its ramifications.
...and the clarifications coming to them?... The clarifications (al-bayyinat) are the clear proofs that the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, and that which he brought were true.
…And Allah guides not the wrongful tribe. It means that He does not favour them with His particular grace with which He favours those who stand upright and do not wrong themselves.
Them, their recompense is that upon them is the curse of Allah and of the angels and of the people, all-together.
(87)
Them,... It means those who apostatise after their belief.
...their recompense is that upon them is the curse of Allah... It means that He distances them from His mercy, His forgiveness and His reward.
...and of the angels and of the people, all-together.' They curse them, and call for them to be chastised.
Eternal in it; the chastisement shall not be lightened for them, and they shall not be considered.
(88)
Eternal in it;... It means they are forever in that accursed condition.
...the chastisement shall not be lightened for them,... It shall not be made easy for them, for they deserve the eternal chastisement for their disbelief.
...and they shall not be considered. It means that the chastisement will not be put off them until a later time; or it means that they will not be looked at.
Save for those who repent after that and repair; Indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(89)
Save for those who repent after that... It means those who repent after their disbelief, and then believe again.
...and repair;... It means that they go on to do the virtuous deeds.
...Indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. Allah is forgiving even of a period of disbeleif as well as sins. And He is merciful, and does not take them for their wrongs.
This has been the condition of those who believe after apostasy and repent, or who believe after being aware of the truth while remaining in disbelief. However, those who remain in disbelief after having believed, their requital is as follows:
Indeed those who disbelieve after their faith, and then increase in disbelief—their repenting is not accepted and those, they are the astray.
(90)
Indeed those who disbelieve after their faith,... It means after their belief in The Messenger and what he brought.
...and then increase in disbelief... The disbeliever, by remaining in disbelief, increases in disbelief; for every hour in which he remains a disbeliever he is deeper in disbelief than he was previously. Or it means an increase in disbelief by its becoming established, in that just as a person's faith increases the more he witnesses Allah's portents, so too his disbelief increases the more he turns away from the portents he sees.
...—their repenting is not accepted... It means that when they repent at the time they are dying, it is not accepted. When a person is dying he sees the reality of faith and he experiences a heart-felt repentance and regret, but this will not be accepted from him. Allah says, `There is no repentance for those who perform the evils, until death comes to one of them, he says ‘I now repent!'
...and those, they are the astray. They are those who in the world have strayed from the path of the truth, and are chastised in the hereafter.
Indeed those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers—the earth full of gold would not be accepted from one of them, if he could ransom hmself with it.
These—theirs is a painful chastisement, and they have no succourrers.
(91)
Indeed those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers... These do not repent even when they see the approach of death, as He says, `And not those who die while they are disbelievers' after the line, …and there is no repentance... Or it means that those whose repentance is not accepted in the world will not be saved from the chastisement of Allah on the day of resurrection by paying a ransom.
...—the earth full of gold would not be accepted from one of them,... It means an amount of gold equal to the earth.
...if he could redeem himself with it.... It means it would not benefit him.
... These—theirs is a painful chastisement and they have no succourers. No one to succour them against the painful chastisement of Allah and from His wrath.
Since mention has been made of spending not being accepted from the disbelievers on the day of resurrection, it is appropriate for the theme to turn to the importance of spending in the world, and that,
Ye shall never attain to righteousness until ye dispense from that ye are fond of; and whatever thing ye spend, indeed Allah of it is knowing.
(92)
You shall never attain to righteousness...It means that the benefit we hope to receive in terms of the satisfaction of Allah and His rewards and the garden and the goodness of the world and suchlike, will not be forthcoming.
...until you spend from that ye are fond of;... Spending means giving charitably. This is in contrast to giving things that are not loved, as He says, ...when ye take it not save that ye squint at it.
...and whatever thing you spend...Whether it is a little or a lot, and whatever type of thing it is.
...—then indeed Allah of it is knowing. He shall reward you for its value.
The thread now returns to the topic dealt with at the beginning of this set of ayat, the beliefs and practices of the book-folk, and their obstinacy and argumentativeness. In elucidations it is given that some Jews argued with the Messenger, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his kin, denying the permissibility of camel-meat, and claiming that it was banned for Ibrahim, bliss be upon him, and that this was mentioned in the Torah. Thereupon Allah sent down this ayah against them:
All food was permitted for the sons of Isra.il, save what Isra.il banned upon himself before the sending down of the Torah. Say, ‘So bring the Torah, then recite her, if ye be truthful.'
(93)
All food was permitted… The meaning of 'all', here, is relative as against that which the Jews claimed was banned.
…for the sons of Isra.il,… It means the Jews.
…save what Isra.il… It means Ya'qub, bliss be upon him.
…banned upon himself… He banned the meat of the camel for himself because eating it upset his stomach. And that took place,
…before the sending down of the Torah…. Ya'qub's banning camel-meat for himself was no proof that such a ban was general and permanent; and so when the Torah was sent down the meat of the camel was subject to no such ban. Therefore, in response to the Jews and their claims, the Messenger was to
…Say, ‘So bring the Torah and recite it,… For then it would become clear that the Torah has no such ban.
…if ye be truthful.' That is, truthful in their claim that the Torah banned the meat of the camel. However, they did not produce the Torah and thus their lying became clear. The Jews had supposed that the Messenger, being unschooled, had no knowledge of the Torah, and so they attributed to it all sorts of things, but the revelation disgraced them.
So whoso forges upon Allah the lie after that, so those, they are the wrongful.
(94)
So whoso forges upon Allah the lie after that,… It means after the clear proof of there being no such ban in the Torah.
…so those, they are the wrongful. They wrong themselves by resisting the guidance, and they wrong others by denying the truth.
Say, ‘Allah speaks true; so follow the community of Ibrahim, upward, and he was not of the partnerists.'
(95)
Say, ‘Allah speaks true;… The Messenger was to tell the Jews that they had lied about the meat of the camel being banned, for it had been made clear that all such food was permitted.
…so follow the community of Ibrahim,… The Jews were to follow the community of Ibrahim and observe the laws of that community, by which the meat of the camel was permitted.
…upward,… It is given for hanif, meaning straight and direct.
…and he was not of the partnerists.' This is a refutation of another of the book-folk's forgeries about Ibrahim, bliss be upon him. in that they said that Ibrahim was a Jew or a Christian--both of them partnerists. First their forgery against Allah concerning food was dealt with, then their forgery about the Prophets being partnerists.
The book-folk's argument concerning the permitted and the banned being annulled, and their argument concerning Ibrahim also annulled, just as all their other arguments had been annulled, their only remaining argument was that the holy land of Jerusalem was holier than the Ka'bah., for it was the home of the Prophets. The Quran annuls this their final argument, as the Ka'bah is the holier as it is the first of all such sacred houses, and because Ibrahim whom the book-folk attributed to themselves was the man who built it, and because the Hajj is legislated for the Ka'bah:
Indeed the first house built for humankind was definitely that at Bacca, hallowed, and a guidance for the worlds.
(96)
Indeed the first house built for humankind… It means for their religious and worldly benefits: the earth was spread out beneath it, and before it there was no house built.
…was definitely that at Bacca,… It is another name for Makka, from bakka, yabik, meaning to be jostled in a crowd, as during the Tawaf and suchlike one is jostled.
…hallowed,… It is given for mubarakan, meaning having many blessings and benefits, worldly benefits like camaraderie, community and economic prosperity, and benefits in the hereafter, like the forgiving of sins and the elevation of level and degree.
…and a guidance for the worlds. That is, it is a cause of their being guided, for it is a reminder of Allah, and it contains reminders of the Prophets and of the teachers of worship.
In it are clarifying signs: the station of Ibrahim; and whoso enters it is safe.
And for Allah upon humankind is the hajj of the house, whoso is enabled unto it as to a path.
And whoso disbelieves, so Allah is rich over the worlds.
(97)
In it are clarifying signs:… In that house are clear signs proving the Divinity, Messengership and the victory of Islam.
…the station of Ibrahim; It is the place where he stood, in that there is a rock there which was placed there by Ibrahim for him to stand on while building the higher levels of the Ka'bah, and in which his feet left their mark. This is one of the clearest of Allah's signs, glorified be He, and is given particular mention on account of its importance, and in honour of Ibrahim who sacrificed all he had in Allah's path, glorified be He.
…and whoso enters it is safe…. The house is a sanctuary in which whoever enters it is safe, no harm coming to his standing, his person or his wealth, even if he deserves to be punished.
…And for Allah upon humankind is the hajj of the house,… It is obligatory for people to visit the house and perform the rites of hajj.
…whoso is enabled unto it as to a path…. It means whoever is able to go there; this condition includes having sufficient money and supplies for himself and his family, that upon his return he will be able to live in sufficiency, that the route is safe, the journey will not be injurious to his health, and suchlike, as given fully in fiqh.
…And whoso disbelieves,… It means: whoso performs not the hajj though able; for we have seen that 'disbelief' (kufr) is of two types: disbelief in the principles and disbelief in the practices, meaning to refrain from an obligation or to perform what is banned. 'Disbelief' is widely used in this latter sense in the Quran and the reports or hadith.
…so Allah is rich over the worlds. It should not be imagined that any disbelief could in any way harm Allah, glorified be He.
The thread now returns to the book-folk:
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, why disbelieve ye in Allah's signs, when Allah is a witness over what ye do?'
(98)
Say,,… The address is to the Messenger, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin,
…‘O ye the book-folk, why disbelieve ye in Allah's signs… as to the prophethood of the Prophet of Islam and all that he brought, including the status of Allah's Sacred House, the Ka'bah.
…when Allah is a witness over what ye do?' Allah sees and knows all they do, and He will requite them for it.
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, why bar ye from Allah's path whoso believes? Ye reach for it crookedly, while ye are witnesses; and nor is Allah heedless of what ye do.
(99)
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, why bar ye from Allah's path whoso believes?… The Messenger was to demand from the book-folk why they barred people from belief in Allah, or the book-folk would observe those who were inclined towards faith, and would prevent them. They would also cast aspersions and create doubt about the faith and the believers. The clause 'whoso believes' seems to indicate that they were preventing the believers in particular, unless what is intended is general, including the believers and those inclined towards the faith.
…Ye reach that it might be crooked,… They sought the straight path in crookedness, not in a straight, direct way. Or they sought to deviate the straight Allah's path and make it stray, by subjecting it to doubts.
…while ye are witnesses;… This explains the underlying reality within themselves, for their souls were admitting their false actions.
…and nor is Allah heedless of what ye do. Nay, rather He is aware and informed, and will punish them for it.
Having dealt with the book-folk's preventing people from the belief, Allah now turns to warn the believers not to listen to the book-folk, or be diverted by their aspersions:
O ye who believe, if ye obey a party from among the book-folk, they will turn ye back, after your faith, as disbelievers.
(100)
Were the Muslims to give ear to a group from among those of the Torah and Gospel, they would be turned by them into disbelievers, after their having believed. This is attributed to 'a party' of them, as not all the book-folk would cause deviation and apostasy.
But how will ye disbelieve, when Allah's signs are recited upon ye and among ye is His Messenger? And whoso clings to Allah, He is certainly guided to a straight road.
(101)
But how will ye disbelieve,… The address is to the believers, meaning: how could they disbelieve, given that:
…when Allah's signs are recited upon ye,… They had learned the signs of Allah and His divine proofs, and knew them. Such people do not disbelieve.
…and among ye is His Messenger?… Among them was Allah's messenger who called them to belief through evidence and the presentation of miracles. The interrogative form is to convey outraged denial, so as to distance them from disbelief, and to encourage them to hold on to their store of faith.
…And whoso clings to Allah,… That is, whoso clings to His signs, His book, His religion and His Messenger, and so enters not into partnerism, disbelief and disobedience.
…He is certainly guided to a straight road. In the world he attains to the life of freedom, dignity, honour and well-being; and in the hereafter he attains to the felicity of the gardens of delight.
Those who flocked to the banner of Islam were in the main of the Aws and Khazraj tribes, who were given to feuding and conflict. This led the disbelievers and the book-folk to take advantage of their past and of the nature of man, in causing friction and division between them, so as to create disunity in the ranks of the companions of the Messenger, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his kin. Thus the Quran urged them to remain united and not be divided, and to be guardful of Allah in what He bids and forbids, and not to obey the book-folk's divisive words and ruinous stratagems:
O ye who believe, be guardful of Allah with due guardfulness of Him, and die not save that ye be muslims.
(102)
O ye who believe, be guardful of Allah… It means to fear His punishments, and so obey Him in what He bids and forbids.
…with due guardfulness of Him,… it means has He deserves to be feared and guarded against. Such guardfulness is extremely difficult, for it is a condition of man wherever he is and whatever he is doing.
…and die not save that ye be muslims. It means: let not the devil deceive you and take you out of the faith so that you die as disbelievers. Perhaps the relation between the two verses is that the absence of guardfulness leads eventually to disbelief, as He says, '…and the end of those who did evil was evil, for their belying Allah's signs…' (Rum, 30-10).
And cling to Allah's rope, together, and disperse not, and remember Allah's blessing upon ye, when ye were enemies and then He joined your hearts so that through His blessing ye became brothers. And ye were on the brink of a pit, the fire, so He saved ye from it.
This is how Allah clarifies His signs for ye, that ye might be guided.
(103)
And cling to Allah's rope,… The rope of Allah is His religion and His Quran; the metaphor is on account of how a person who grasps a rope is pulled upwards, for he who holds fast to faith rises in the world to the lofty levels and in the hereafter to the eternal gardens.
…together,… The command is for all the Muslims, and not just some of them.
…and disperse not,… It should not be that some of us hold fast to the rope of Allah while others of us hold fast to the rope of the devil. This emphasises the former '…together…'.
…and remember Allah's blessing upon ye, when ye were enemies… Prior to Islam some were the enemies of others.
…and then He joined your hearts… The hearts of the believers are full of feeling towards each other. His placing faith in the hearts meant that they were emptied of spite and rancour, envy and spite.
…so that through His blessing ye became brothers…. Through Allah's blessing upon the Muslims in uniting their hearts, they became brothers in faith, each of them as one with his brothers. This blessing broke the groupings of the ignorance, which were those of tribalism, regionalism, colour and so forth.
…And ye were on the brink of a pit, the fire,… The Muslims had previously been on the verge of a pit of fire; in the world, in the form of retributions and violence, while the fire of the hereafter is that prepared for the disbelievers.
…so He saved ye from it…. Their salvation was through Islam which gives order to the life of the world and the life of the hereafter.
…This is how Allah clarifies His signs for ye,… In the same way and with the same clarity that this matter has been explained, so He, glorified be He, clarifies His proofs.
…that ye might be guided. Guided, that is, to the truth and to the straight path. And as for the narrations stating that the 'rope of Allah' is Imam 'Ali, bliss be upon him, or the Imams, blessedness be upon them, or the noble Quran, these are lofty embodiments.
Now, since Allah saved them from destruction and guided them, so it was for them to guide the rest of mankind:
And there should be from among ye a nation calling to the good and bidding to the honourable and forbidding from the dishonourable; and those, they are the thrivers.
(104)
And there should be from among ye a nation… That is, it is obligatory that there should be a group from among the Muslims,
…calling to the good… 'The good' is put for al-khair; it means all the goodness of Islam, the religion, the laws and so forth.
…and bidding to the honourable… 'The honourable' is put for al-ma'ruf, meaning every deed seen as being good and noble in the Legislation and in reason, whether counted as obligatory or simply desirable. The term al-ma'ruf is used on account of how such deeds are recognised and known (ma'ruf ) by the people.
…and forbidding from the dishonourable;… 'The dishonourable' is put for al-munkar, being the opposite of al-ma'ruf, in that it is everything denounced by the Legislation and reason as ugly. The term is used as such things are disavowed by the people.
…and those, they are the thrivers. Those fitting this three-fold description are those who are successful and thrive.
And be not like those who divided and differed after the clarifications having come to them. And those, theirs is a mighty chastisement.
(105)
And be not… The Muslims were not to be, after the aligning of their hearts and their brotherhood of faith,
…like those who divided… Prior to Islam the hearts of others had been united by their Prophets, and yet, they became divided into sects, parties and groupings.
…and differed… each grouping taking a different side.
…after the clarifications having come to them…. Clear proofs of the oneness of the beliefs, and of the sources and pillars of the faith.
…And those,… It means those of them who disperse and oppose the truth.
…theirs is a mighty chastisement. This is the consequence of their substitutions, alterations and distortions.
He then, exalted be He, explains when exactly that chastisement will take place, for it will take place on:
The day faces whiten and faces blacken--so as for those whose faces blacken: ‘Did ye disbelieve after your believing? So taste the chastisement in that ye were disbelieving.'
(106)
The day faces whiten… It means that the chastisement will take place on that day when the faces of those who believed and performed the virtuous deeds will be white and radiant. The expression 'faces whiten' indicates happiness and joy.
…and faces blacken… These are the faces of the disbelievers. The blackening of their faces is actual in that in misery and dread faces tend to darken, on account of the blood gathering under the skin. Or it is a means of indicating their gloom. despair and anxiety.
…--so as for those whose faces blacken:… It shall be said to them:
…‘Did ye disbelieve… The interrogative denotes censure.
…after your believing?… Either what is meant is actual belief in that they are those who differed and dispersed and apostatised after having believed, or what is meant is their natural (fitri) faith, for the nature of every human is to be a believer, as the Messenger has said, 'Every new-born is born on the natural path (fitrat), save that his parents make of him a Jew or a Christian or a Zoroastrian.'
…So taste the chastisement in that ye were disbelieving.' It means on account of their being disbelievers.
And as for those whose faces whiten: in Allah's mercy: they are in it eternal.
(107)
And as for those whose faces whiten:… These are the believers who perform the virtuous deeds.
…in Allah's mercy:… They are enwrapped in His rewards, His contentment and His garden.
…they are in it eternal. Forever and ever.
These are Allah's signs, We recite them to thee in truth; And nor does Allah wish a wrong for the worlds.
(108)
These… It means the accounts given of the conditions of the believers and the disbelievers, and so forth.
…are Allah's signs,… His indications, His proofs and evidences.
…We recite them to thee… To the Messenger.
…in truth;… Reciting can be in falsehood, when the reciter or the content of the recitation is false.
…And nor does Allah wish a wrong for the worlds. It means that He has no wish to wrong a single person, for it is established in theology ('Ilm al-kalam) that the intention to wrong, like the doing of wrong, is unworthy and ugly. Therefore, the darkening of the disbelievers' faces is not due to His wronging them, but is rather justice and the recompense of their deeds.
How could Allah wish a wrong, given that:
And Allah's is that in the heavens and that in the earth, and unto Allah the affairs return.
(109)
And Allah's is that in the heavens and that in the earth,… And wrongdoing arises from need, while He is absolutely rich.
…and unto Allah the affairs return. It means the affairs of the creatures, for Allah, glorified be He, returns the creatures so as to requite them. This is likened to a physical return between the judge and those judged, in that those judged are driven to the presence of the judge, to be judged. To state that the affairs return to Allah leaves no room for the disbeliever to imagine that he will be able to flee from Him, glorified be He, and so escape the recompense of his evil deeds.
Here the thread returns to the preceding topic of the necessity of calling to the good, and of bidding to the honourable and forbidding the dishonourable:
And ye are the best nation brought out for humankind: ye bid to the honourable and ye forbid from the dishonourable and ye believe in Allah. And had the book-folk believed it would have been good for them; among them are believers, but most of them are perverse.
(110)
And ye… It means the Muslims.
…are… It is given for kana, which is general without being limited to the past tense.
…the best nation brought out for humankind:… That is, the best group made manifest for mankind, for each nation is made manifest for humankind for a while, and then becomes concealed and hidden as another group takes its place. The Muslims are the best nation on account of three qualities. They are:
…ye bid to the honourable and ye forbid from the dishonourable… When a society is void of these two necessities, it cannot help but sink due to the natural tendency towards corruption, disorder and strife. On the other hand, when a society is adorned with these two practices it automatically moves towards human progress and true civilisation and the summit of humanity.
…and ye believe in Allah…. It means with a real, valid faith, rather than like the book-folk and the partnerists. Valid faith in Allah is at the head of the virtues, for though it is not itself a thing of substance, yet it is a powerful inducer of every kind of goodness, and a strong deterrent against all kinds of evil.
…And had the book-folk believed… That is, had they believed with a valid faith free of partnerism and with an acceptance of the prophethood of the Prophet of Islam, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin,
…it would have been good for them;… In their religion and their world, for it would have arranged their worldly affairs in the radiance of Islam and freed them from ignorance, illness, poverty and vice, while in the hereafter it would have saved them from the chastisement of Allah. 'Good' here is given for khair, for here there is no question of them being in goodness without faith, but better with it.
At this point He explains, glorified be He, that not all of the book-folk remained on their path:
…among them are believers,… Some of them accepted the belief in Allah and His Prophet and that which he brought, like the Najashi and Ibn Salam and others.
…but most of them are perverse. It means being outside of the obedience to Allah by following instead their desires and their spurious paths.
The disbelievers among the book-folk would annoy the believers from amongst themselves in particular, and the rest of the believers in general, so that the believers were afflicted by their cunning and their stratagems. And so Allah soothed their anxieties in His word:
They will never harm ye save bother; and if they fight ye, they would direct to ye their backs, and they would not be succoured.
(111)
They will never harm ye… That is, the book-folk can do ye no harm, O Muslims.
…save bother;… Their stratagems were weak and their cunning slight, and amounted to no more than efforts to confuse and divide, which is not to be counted as serious harm. And as for the Muslims' fears that they would be able to uproot them and destroy their religion, that would never happen, for the Muslims would have the divine succour:
…and if they fight ye, they would direct to ye their backs,… They would turn their backs in flight.
…and they would not be succoured. Their words would be of no assistance to them on account of the dread of Islam cast into their hearts and their fear of the Messenger. Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin. Those meant in this verse were the Jews, as is made clear from the verses that follow:
Abjection has been impressed upon them wherever they are found, save with a rope from Allah and a rope from humankind, and they return with anger from Allah; and poverty has been impressed upon them.
That, because they were disbelieving in Allah's signs and killing the Prophets without a right.
That, because of their disobeying and their being transgressors.
(112)
Abjection has been impressed upon them wherever they are found… Allah has impressed abjection and humiliation upon them, so that they are forever abject; and what abjection could be greater than their never having an independent government with them being despised wherever they go and all governments hostile to them save where they meet their particular interests. Thus they are as subject slaves, when they serve their masters they feed them, otherwise they reject them.
…save with a rope from Allah… That is, except when they grab the rope of Allah through belief in Him and in His Messenger, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin, and that which he brought, so that they are as Muslims, subject to all that Muslims are subject to, and sharing with them in the advantages of Islam.
…and a rope from humankind…, It means with the support of a strong government. 'And' here is divisional, giving the sense of 'or', as in 'words are nouns and verbs and particles'; it does not mean that they need both.
…and they return with anger from Allah;… All are brought to drink from the pool of Islam, but whereas ordinary people return from the pool with Islam and the love of Allah, glorified be He, the Jews--who are among them—return with disbelief and the anger of Allah the Most High upon them.
…and poverty has been impressed upon them…. It means spiritual poverty, which is the most extreme form of poverty; their souls yearned for the material more than any idle pauper, and despite their apparent wealth they were the neediest of creation in psyche and in spirit.
…That,… It means their punishment in the world.
…because they were disbelieving in Allah's signs… Thus Musa their Prophet was constantly bothered by them, for no sooner had they left the sea when they said, ‘O Musa, set up for us a god like they have gods!' And they set up the calf, and annoyed Musa in other ways.
…and killing the Prophets without a right…. ‘Without a right' is for emphasis and to show that they did not even have a formal excuse, a superficial justification for killing them. No, for they were killed simply for calling the people to Allah, glorified be He, and for guiding and admonishing. They had not killed anyone, or stolen anything or any suchlike—and had they done so it would have been by the command of Allah and therefore justified and ‘with a right'—but the Prophets had not even done that. It is just as Imam Husayn said at Karbala: ‘How do you count my blood as lawful? Is there among you someone I have killed?'…until the end of his speech.
…That, because of their disobeying and their being transgressors. It means that their disbelief in Allah's signs and their killing the Prophets was on account of their disobedience regarding Allah's commands, that gave rise to their disbelief and their killing the Prophets, which in turn gave rise to Allah anger and His curse.
Again the Wise Quran makes an exception of those of the book-folk who come to belief, in that they are not like their fellows who remain stubborn in their disbelief. It is said that this ayah was sent down as a number of the book-folk were accepting Islam, while the disbelievers among them were saying that those were the worst of them:
They are not even: among the book-folk is an upright nation, reciting Allah's signs through the night, and they prostrate.
(113)
They are not even:… That is, the book-folk are not all the same in that which has gone before about them and their qualities.
…among the book-folk is an upright nation,… Those of them who come to Islam are upright upon the truth, without deviation and without deterioration.
…reciting Allah's signs… as sent down as the sacred Quran.
…through the night,… The hours and watches of the night, for reciting the Quran during the night has an exceptional effect, in that the still of the night and the peace of the psyche mean that the ayat penetrate more than during the day.
…and they prostrate. They prostrate to Allah, glorified be He, and humble themselves before Him in prayer and reducing themselves to the dust.
They believe in Allah and the last day, and they bid to the honourable and forbid from the dishonourable, and they race in the good works--and those are among the virtuous.
(114)
They believe in Allah and the last day,… They have genuine belief in Allah and the last day, for whoso genuinely believes in the account, is dispossessed of disbelief and disobedience.
…and they bid to the honourable and forbid from the dishonourable, and they race in the good works--… One who has real belief in the account races in goodness for he never knows when he will die, and so he cuts short his longings. ‘Race' is put for yusari'un, which indicates that they compete against each other.
…and those are among the virtuous. They do acts of virtue, and not of corruption. In other words they are the virtuous elements of society. They were not the worst of the book-folk, rather they were the best of the elect and righteous.
And whatever good they do, they shall never be denied it; and Allah is aware of the guardful.
(115)
And whatever good they do,… It refers to the believers from the book-folk, and their obedience and worship.
…they shall never be denied it;… They will never be denied their reward, as opposed to the other book-folk, for their good deeds are rendered invalid by their disbelieving, like ashes blown away by the wind on a gusty day.
…and Allah is aware of the guardful. He is aware of their condition, and their deeds, and will reward them for the beauty of it.
Indeed those who disbelieve, their wealth will never enrich them a thing against Allah, and nor their sons. And those are the companions of the fire, they are in it eternal.
(116)
Indeed those who disbelieve, their wealth will never enrich them a thing... Those who disbelieve in Allah will find nothing in their wealth to suffice them against Allah and to ward off from them the chastisement, and nor in their sons. Wealth and sons are only useful in the world in warding off the undesirable through bribery, gifts and familial kindness, and through defence.
…against Allah… It means against the punishment of Allah and His chastisement.
…And those are the companions of the fire,… They accompany it, they are its fellows, just as it is said that so and so is someone's companion when he accompanies him.
…they are in it eternal. They are there forever. It is stressed that eternity there is for the die-hard, stubborn opponent, as evident in Du'a Kumail. As for the others, they will suffer an ordeal of trial and tribulation, as confirmed by reason and the Legislation.
Having mentioned the conditions of the believer and the disbeliever, now it is the disbeliever's charities and dispensing that is mentioned, as a contrast to that given earlier about the believers: ‘…And whatever good they do… ‘
What that they dispense in this worldly life is like is a wind, a scorching therein, afflicting the tilth of a tribe wronging themselves, and destroys it. Allah wrongs them not; but rather they wrong themselves.
(117)
What that they dispense in this worldly life… It means the disbelievers and what they dispense. ‘In this worldly life' is to emphasise that the life which is a plantation and which gives permanent benefits is in the hereafter, is of no benefit to the disbeliever.
…is like is a wind, a scorching therein,… ‘Scorching' is put for sirr; it denotes extreme heat or extreme cold.
…afflicting the tilth of a tribe…. Their dispensing is as the tillage, their disbelief like the wind.
…wronging themselves,… They plant their crops in an unsuitable place, exposed to the wind, say; or at an unsuitable time, like planting winter crops in the summer, or vice versa. Or it means that they wronged themselves through disobedience, and so Allah subjected them to the wind, as He says, ‘Had the people of the township believed and been guardful, We would have opened upon them Our blessings from the sky and the earth, but they belied and so We seized them as for what they were earning.' The disbelievers wronged themselves just as those who owned the tillage.
…and destroys it…. The wind destroys the tillage.
…Allah wrongs them not;… In their dispensing being void; or in the destruction of the crops.
…but rather they wrong themselves. That is, they wrong themselves by their disbelief or their disobedience.
And in the context of the discussion of the qualities of the book-folk and that they differ from the Muslims in their beliefs and actions, so in turn the discussion turns to mention how it is unfitting for the Muslim to take a friend from among them:
O ye who believe, take not intimates from other than yourselves. They miss no chance to befuddle; they love that ye be distressed; enmity has appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts hide is greater.
Truly We have clarified for ye the signs, if ye are reasoning.
(118)
O ye who believe, take not intimates from other than yourselves…. It means that the Muslim is not to take close associates from among the disbelievers. ‘Intimates' is put for bitanah, meaning a man's special friend in whom he confides his secrets and his information. The Muslims used to associate with men of the book-folk on account of their previous friendships with them, their proximity or their being neighbours and suchlike. Then Allah explains the reason for this prohibition. And it is likely that ‘from other than yourselves' means the hypocrites, as stated in some elucidations, on the grounds of their saying ‘We believe!' as in the following verse.
…They miss no chance to befuddle;… They waste no opportunity to spoil the Muslim's affairs and are constant in their efforts to harm them.
…they love that ye be distressed;… These are all the attributes of an enemy, not of a friend.
…enmity has appeared from their mouths,… Their slips of the tongue reveal their hidden enmity.
…and what their breasts hide is greater… They have more enmity towards the Muslims than what is revealed by their tongues.
…Truly We have clarified for ye the signs, if ye are reasoning. The evidences and the proofs have been clear to the believers who have and use their intellects and perceptions, so that they may discern the friend from the foe.
The Most High then takes up the question of how the believer can love those, when they are his enemies and so different in belief:
Ha, ye are those who are fond of them while they are not fond of ye, ye believing in the book, all of it. And when they meet ye, they say, ‘We believe!' And when they closet, they gnaw their fingers at ye in rage. Say, ‘Die in your rage!' Indeed Allah is aware of what holds the breasts.
(119)
Ha,… This is given for the Arabic ha, which is a word of warning.
…ye are those who love them while they love ye not,… The believers loved the disbelievers but the disbelievers did not love the believers, for they sought deviation and disbelief for the believers.
…ye believing in the book, all of it.… The believers believed in the entire book, whereas the others believed only in a part of the book—they disbelieved in the part of their book that described Muhammad (s) and called for belief in him. Or the meaning of ‘all of it' (kullihi) is the species of that sent down to the Prophets, whereas they did not believe in the book of Muhammad (s).
…And when they meet ye, they say, ‘We believe!'… On meeting the believers they claim that they accept what they hear, but belief had not entered their hearts. A disbeliever who wishes to be friendly with someone often goes along with what his friend believes, all the while he is of a different hue altogether. This is assuming that the word ‘other than yourselves' means the disbelievers, and not the hypocrites.
…And when they closet,… It means when some of the disbelievers are closeted in seclusion with other disbelievers.
…they gnaw their fingers at ye in rage…. The progress and establishing of the community and religion enrages them so badly that they have to bite their finger-tips in order to stay calm.
…Say, ‘Die in your rage!… There was nothing they could do; the religion of the Muslims and their affairs were progressing smoothly. The phrase is informative or a form of supplication.
…Indeed Allah is aware of what holds the breasts.' Allah knows the hypocrisy they hold in their hearts, and all of their scheming, and they shall be recompensed for their sins.
How could a Muslim take them as intimates, given that these are their characteristics:
If a beauty touches ye, it afflicts them. And if an evil befalls ye, they rejoice at it. And if ye be restrained and guardful, their plot will not harm ye a thing; indeed Allah of what they do is encompassing.
(120)
If a beauty touches ye, it afflicts them… When the Muslims are subject to good fortune, their enemies grieve and sorrow.
…And if an evil befalls ye, they rejoice at it…. When the Muslims are subject to misfortune, at the hands of their enemies, or suffer poverty or death, their so-called friends are joyous.
…And if ye be restrained… It means in the face of their annoying the Muslims. and of the cessation of relations with them that would turn them into open enemies, for many are afraid to break with hypocrites in the fear that they will thereafter manifest their enmity.
…and be guardful,… of Allah, glorified be He, so that He grant His succour.
…their plot will not harm ye a thing;… for He will succour the believers against them.
…indeed Allah of what they do is encompassing. He knows all that is done by both the believers and the disbelievers, and will recompense them for their actions.
Here the sacred Quran presents a single account that proves the extent of the concordance between the characteristics of the hypocrites as given and the objective reality, and how Allah succours the Muslims in the direst of moments and the darkest of places. The account is of the battle of Uhad, when the Quraish left Makka intending to fight against the Prophet, Allah' s blessings be on him and his kin. The Prophet, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin, chose his ground, and those who were with him were as many as seven hundred men. He placed ‘Abdallah b. Jubair with fifty archers at the mouth of the valley to safeguard the Muslims against being attacked from behind, telling them not to move from their places and to stay where placed, whether the Muslims were victorious or whether they were defeated. When the Quraish were broken and the Muslims began to gather their spoils, Ibn Jubair's men began to ask why they should stay where they were and gain no spoils, when the other Muslims were engaged in gathering spoils. Ibn Jubair told them to fear Allah, and that the Messenger (s) had forbidden them from leaving their places. But they would not listen and one by one they departed, until Ibn Jubair was left among only twelve men. The disbelievers profited from this and attacked, scattering the remaining Muslims and killing them at the mouth of the valley. They then attacked the Muslims from behind, while they were busy with plunder, and the fleeing disbelievers also rallied and returned to the Muslims once more. Thus the Muslims were caught between the two forces, and they fled. Only ‘Ali, bliss be upon him, and Abu Dajana remained with the Prophet, Allah's blessings be with him and his kin. Many Muslims were killed, as many as seventy, and among them was the Messenger's uncle Hamza, the lion of Allah and the lion of His Messenger (s):
And when thou went forth from your folk to set the believers in place for the battle, and indeed Allah is hearing, aware.
(121)
And when thou went early from your folk… ‘Went early' is put for ghadawtu. It means that the Messenger went forth from Madina early in the morning.
…to set the believers in place for the battle,… It refers to the battle of Uhad.
…and indeed Allah is hearing, aware. He hears the words and is aware of the Messenger's good intentions based on his love of goodness and of guiding all people.
When two parties among ye determined on being faint-hearted, and Allah is their Patron, and so upon Allah should the believers rely.
(122)
When two parties among ye…. They were the two tribes Bani Salmah and Bani Haritha.
…determined on being faint-hearted,… They had decided to act cowardly and turn away from the battle. The hypocrite Abu Sulul had excited their fears about fighting the enemy and they were for turning back, though they did not do so.
…and Allah is their Patron,… He is the one who succours His servants, and so it is Him who should be feared.
…and so upon Allah should the believers rely. ‘Rely' is put for tawakkul; it means to resign one's affairs to Allah, glorified be He: ‘And whoso relies upon Allah, He suffices him.'
And truly Allah succoured ye at Badr, while ye were abject. So be guardful of Allah, that ye might be thankful.
(123)
At the battle of Badr, named after the well at which it had been fought, the Muslims had been received the divine succour, even though in numbers and equipment they were paltry.
…So be guardful of Allah,… This confirms His word, ‘And Allah is their Patron,' and was sent down to encourage the Muslims for the battle at ‘Uhad; they were not to turn away from jihad after having seen the divine succour at Badr.
…that ye might be thankful. After His succouring them they were expected to stand in thanks for His blessings upon them.
When thou said to the believers, ‘Does it not suffice ye that your Master extend ye with three thousand of the angels sent down?'
(124)
At Badr the Messenger, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin, had said this to the believers. He had said it to strengthen the believers' hearts, and to explain to them that Allah, glorified be He, sends angels to strengthen the believers and to bolster their positions. It was sent down to remind the believers on their way to the battle of Uhad about how Allah had previously succoured them.
‘Sent down' is put for munzilin; they were sent down by Allah, glorified be He, so as to succour the Muslims—they fought against the disbelievers and killed some of them.
Nay, if ye be restrained and guardful and they come at thee in this their agitation, your Master will extend ye with five thousand of the angels, marked.
(125)
‘Nay' is given for bal, meaning ‘No, on the contrary.' The meaning is that it was not to be supposed that the divine assistance was but the three thousand angels, for the Messenger told them, on the day of Badr, in order to encourage them, that if they restrained themselves for the jihad, and were guardful against disobedience, and the disbelievers rushed at them like a flood, then Allah, glorified be He, would assist them with five thousand more angels, in addition to the three thousand.
‘Marked' is put for mussawimin, a word arising from the branding of horses, so that the meaning is that they were marked with some distinguishing mark or sign. Or it means that they distinguished themselves with a sign, and in fact they wore white turbans with the ends flowing between their shoulders.
There is another view, that this verse from ‘Nay…' applies to the matter of Uhad, in that the disbelievers had determined to return to the engagement for a second time after the Muslims had suffered that which they had suffered following their disobedience; therefore Allah promised them that were the disbelievers to return He would assist the Muslims with five thousand angels. But the first interpretation is more fitting. And Allah is most aware.
Allah then explains that the sending down of the angels and the promise of this were not because they would be the cause of the Muslims' succouring, but rather as glad tidings. The succour itself was from Allah alone, even without the angels. This that the hearts of the Muslims be fortified for jihad:
Allah puts it only as a tidings for ye, and that your hearts be confident through it. And succour is but from alongside Allah, the Grand, the Wise.
(126)
The sending down of the angels and the promise about it, O Muslims, was for no more than to be good news for ye, and that the presence of the angels and the promise about it was to settle the Muslims' hearts. The assistance itself was but from Allah, the Grand in His authority, the Wise in His affairs.
Now comes the wisdom behind succouring the Muslims against their enemies in this battle and other conflicts:
To snip an edge off those who disbelieve, or to subdue them so they return disappointed.
(127)
To snip an edge off those who disbelieve,… The disbelievers were depleted in human resources through being killed, in land through the victory, and in wealth by losing spoils.
…or to subdue them… They were humbled into regret and they lost their morale.
…so they return disappointed. Not only did they not return to their households without having gained spoils, rather the contrary, as they returned disappointed and rueful.
None of the affair is thine.
Or that He turn to them, or chastise them, for indeed they are wrongful.
(128)
None of the affair is thine…. This is an interjection addressed to the Messenger (s). ‘The affair' refers to the treatment of the disbelievers. The succour and the defeat and disappointment was all the will of Allah, glorified be He, as He says, ‘Thou threw not as thou threw, but rather Allah threw.' and ‘He it is who turned those who disbelieve from their homes…'
…Or that He turn to them,… It means that the succouring of the believers over the disbelievers be the cause of some of them being guided to the belief so that Allah would turn to them in forgiveness with respect to their previous disbelief and disobedience.
…or chastise them,… It refers to their defeat and being taken captive.
…for indeed they are wrongful. Their being chastised was no injustice on the part of Allah, glorified be He, but due to them wronging themselves. So the issue was not in the Messenger's hands, but rather the believers were succoured for one of four reasons: a. to ‘snip an edge' off the disbelievers; b. to frustrate them and destroy their morale; c. to guide them; d. to chastise them. The interjection ‘None of the affair is thine' is to serve the purpose of reinforcing the import, for the effect of an interjected phrase is more than when it is simply expressed in a normal flow.
And Allah's is that in the heavens and that in the earth, He forgives whom He wills, and He chastises whom He wills; and Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(129)
The Messenger had no power in these things: Allah's is that in the heavens and that in the earth, and He does what He wills with whoever He wills, and He disposes of His realm according to a wisdom and purpose. He forgives those who deserve His forgiveness through obedience and repentance, and He chastises those who deserve chastisement due to their disbelief and disobedience.
…and Allah is forgiving, merciful. His forgiveness exceeds His chastisement, for His mercy precedes His anger.
Here the thread returns to the topic of usury and dispensing that we saw before, since usury is one of the causes of chastisement, and dispensing is one of the causes of forgiveness:
O ye who believe, consume not usury, increasing, increasingly; and be guardful of Allah, that ye might thrive.
(130)
O ye who believe, consume not usury, increasing, increasingly;… It is the nature of usury that the interest increases upon itself. In this way the wealth of the poor is devoured along with the efforts they must make to clear themselves from debt.
…and be guardful of Allah,… That is: fear His punishments.
…that ye might thrive. It means the achievement of the rewards and the blessings.
And be guardful of the fire that has been prepared for the disbelievers.
(131)
And be guardful of the fire… That is: commit not that which will lead to it.
…that has been prepared for the disbelievers. This covers both the disbelievers in belief and the disbelievers in actions; or it means the disbelievers in belief, and their being specially mentioned – although the disobedient also go to the fire – is because they remain there, or because they are the major inhabitants there.
And obey Allah and the Messenger, that ye might be mercied.
(132)
And obey Allah and the Messenger,… The believers are to obey the commands and prohibitions of Allah and His Messenger (s). The mention of the Prophet (s) is to honour him and to show that his command is the command of Allah, glorified be He.
…that ye might be mercied. That is, that they receive the mercy of Allah in the world and the hereafter.
And race towards forgiveness from your Master and gardens whose extent is the heavens and the earth, prepared for the guardful.
(133)
And race towards forgiveness from your Master… It means to brook no delay in performing that which brings about the divine forgiveness, namely the virtuous deeds.
…and gardens whose extent is the heavens and the earth,… Like the heavens and the earth the gardens have no perceivable limits.
…prepared for the guardful. For those who guard themselves against disobedience.
‘The guardful' are then described in His word:
Those who dispense in ease and in hardship, and the withholders of rage and the pardoners of humankind; and Allah loves the beautifiers.
(134)
Those who dispense in ease and in hardship,… They dispense of their wealth no matter what their circumstances.
…and the withholders of rage… They withhold their anger, their rage, and take no revenge on whoso causes it.
…and the pardoners of humankind;… They forgive them when they wrong them.
And whoso does this is a beautifier, for he works beauty in himself and in the people:
…and Allah loves the beautifiers. It must be clear that ‘the guardful' (al-muttaqin) are they who accumulate all the beautiful characteristics, yet the mention of them is distributed throughout the Wise Quran according to circumstances, so that the guardful are described with some of these characteristics at each place.
And those who when they do an indecency or they wrong themselves, they remember Allah and so seek forgiveness for their sins,
(and who forgives the sins other than Allah?) and they insist not upon what they were doing, while they know.
(135)
And those who when they do an indecency… This continues the description of the guardful. They are those who, whenever they do commit an indecency of disobedience, transgressing a limit,
…or they wrong themselves,… This indicates something less than the level of an indecency, a lesser form of disobedience, or sin, for the implication of ‘indecency' (fahisha) is that it is a major sin.
…they remember Allah… They remember His prohibition, and His punishments.
…and so seek forgiveness for their sins,… They regret what they have done and seek forgiveness from Allah, glorified be He.
…(and who forgives the sins other than Allah?)… This is an ‘invitational interrogative' (istifham isti'tafi), meaning that the question is actually an invite; here, then, the wise Quran invites the disobedient to repentance and seeking forgiveness.
…and they insist not upon what they were doing,… On the contrary, they cease doing it and regret what they have done.
…while they know. They know that what they did was mistaken, and so they insist not on performing the sin with their knowledge about it.
Those, their requital is forgiveness from their Master and gardens, rivers flowing under them, eternal in them. Blessed is the wage of the deedful.
(136)
Those, their requital is forgiveness from their Master… The guardful having the mentioned characteristics will be rewarded with the forgiveness in the world of their sins being concealed and in the hereafter pardoned.
…and gardens, rivers flowing under them,… That is, under the trees and bushes.
…eternal in them…. Forever.
…Blessed is the wage of the deedful. ‘Deedful' is put for ‘amilin. Forgiveness and reward are among the best of rewards for any action, for no wage can compare in permanence and luxury.
Ways have vacated before ye, so journey in the earth and see how was the consequence of the beliars.
(137)
Ways have vacated before ye,… Among the former generations which have passed were different ways (sunan) or paths, the path of truth and the path of falsehood, the path of goodness and the path of evil, and so forth.
…so journey in the earth… It means travel to the lands and cities these previous generations inhabited.
…and see how was the consequence of the beliars. It means to become acquainted with the fact that they did not prosper: they belied the Messengers and lived and then died and were buried; no good name survived them in the world and nor did they have lasting enjoyment of the good things for which they did what they did. Rather they were transferred to the divine chastisement. In this is a warningful example for all, so be not among the beliars, but rather among the confirming believers.
This is a clarification for humankind, and a guidance and admonition for the guardful.
(138)
It means that the Quran, or the characteristics of the believers and disbelievers that have been given, and the admonitions and warnings that precede it, are a clarification and explanation for the people about how it is fitting for them to live. And it is a guidance to guide them to the truth. And it is an admonition for the guardful, in the sense that it is the guardful alone who will benefit from it, though the address is made to all of humankind.
Here the thread returns to the battle of Uhad, to give the believers courage and the heart to tolerate their difficulties. It follows the comparative descriptions of the believers and the disbelievers, for the determination of the believers to be strengthened, and for their hearts to be settled.
And languish not and sorrow not, ye are the uppermost if ye be believers.
(139)
And languish not and sorrow not,… The believers were not to weaken and nor were they to let their defeat and the deaths and woundings cause them to sorrow.
…ye are the uppermost… It means the victorious; victory removes the heat of losses.
…if ye be believers. The believer neither languishes nor sorrows, for the capacity of faith renders a person secure in strength and joy—the strength is from Allah, glorified be He, the joy is at the victory or the rewards of Allah, glorified be He, even if defeated.
He then explains, glorified be He, that the tragedy which afflicted the Muslims was not particular to them, but that the disbelievers had suffered in the same way, so that they were equal in that—except that the believers hoped for the reward of Allah, glorified be He, which would not be attained by the disbelievers. Accordingly, it was for the believers to be more steadfast, more self-restrained, and less given to languish and sorrow:
If a wound has touched ye, so a wound like it has touched the tribe. And such days—We distribute them among humankind, and for Allah to know those of ye who believe, and take from ye martyrs.
And Allah loves not the wrongful.
(140)
If a wound has touched ye… The address is to the Muslims. ‘Wound' (qarh) means the losses and pain of Uhad.
…so a wound like it has touched the tribe…. ‘The tribe' (al-qawm) means the disbelievers. They too suffered losses at Uhad. Or it means that they suffered at Badr, where they were defeated and many were killed.
…And such days… That is, days of victory and defeat, and of wounds.
…—We distribute them among humankind,… One day is for these over for those, another is for those over these. When Allah succours the believers, it is due to their faith; when they are defeated it is as a test for them.
…and for Allah to know those of ye who believe,… The distribution of the fortunes of war is so as to prove or distinguish the genuine believer, for ‘in the vagaries of providence is known the substance of a man,' and ‘under a trial a man shines or fades'. The meaning of ‘for Allah to know' is that what He knows become real in the objective reality. It does not mean that He was ignorant, glorified be He, and then He learned. As knowledge is a subjective thing between the knower and the known, therefore ‘to come to know' has two meanings: the knower who did not know but then learns; or that the known which has no objective existence comes into existence.
…and take from ye martyrs…. The vagaries of providence are for several benefits, and among these benefits is that Allah take those slain from among the believers as martyrs in Allah's path so that through martyrdom they reach the loftiest heights. And this is the closest interpretation.
…And Allah loves not the wrongful. It means those who wrong themselves through disbelieving, or through giving up.
And to purge those who believe, and to annihilate the disbelievers.
(141)
And to purge those who believe,… Among the benefits of the vagaries of fortune is that the believers are purged of the hypocrites among their ranks, for they clarity the believer from the hypocrite. Or it means that they are cleansed of their sins, for the misfortunes melt away the sins, while difficulties conceal the mistakes.
…and to annihilate the disbelievers. To destroy them. Such vagaries eat away at the disbelievers, bit by bit, until they are entirely destroyed.
Then He explains, glorified be He, another benefit of the distribution of success in war: that the believer will not enter paradise simply by manifesting the dual-declaration, but that it is necessary that he struggle and act. And in the distribution of days of victory and defeat that these actions are made possible. Thus such trials are for the people of paradise to show their merit. The issue is presented in the form of a question, as a matter of eloquence:
(Or reckoned ye that ye would enter the garden while Allah has not yet known those of ye who struggle?) And to know the self-restrainers.
(142)
(Or reckoned ye that ye would enter the garden… That is, without examination, simply on the strength of words.
…while Allah has not yet known those of ye who struggle?)… It means that jihad has not occurred, for Allah's knowledge to relate to it.
…And to know the self-restrainers. Self-restraint (sabr) had also not occurred for His knowledge to apply to it. No entry into the garden will be made without jihad and self-restraint, and so these days being distributed like this gives rise to the believers' jihad and their self-restraint, so that they become worthy of the garden.
The noble Quran now gives a censure to the believers for their stand at Uhad. A group of them before the battle were looking forward to the jihad and were longing for martyrdom, but then they fled in a rout. Still worse, the faith of some of them proved to be extremely feeble, in that no sooner had they heard of the death of Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be with him and his kin, than they intended to apostatise:
And truly ye were yearning for death before ye met it, so ye definitely saw it, while ye were watching.
(143)
The believers were yearning for death before they encountered it. ‘Meeting death' means meeting the conditions that bring death about, and meeting the fear which is from death.
…so ye definitely saw it,… They clearly saw at the battle how the disbelievers dominated and how a number of believers were killed.
…while ye were watching. ‘Watching' at the battle, witnessing t. This is emphatic, and to clarify that it was with their eyes that they saw, rather than their hearts, as ‘see' is used also for ‘know'.
And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have vacated before him; so if he dies or is killed, do ye turn on your heels?
Whoso turns on his heels will harm Allah not a thing, and Allah will reward the thankful.
(144)
And Muhammad is but a Messenger. He, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his kin, is not a god that he is above death. He is but a man chosen by God for messengership, and is therefore subject to death like the rest of mankind. This is not something new, for:
…Messengers have vacated before him;… ‘Vacated' is given for khalat. It means that Prophets have come and gone, and they were subject to the divine method regarding death and the cessation of life.
…so if he dies… a normal death.
…or is killed,… as a martyr.
…do ye turn on your heels?… This form of interrogative is used to express repugnance and rebuke. The meaning is that such should not be their condition; that is, they should not apostatise at the death of the Prophet (s).
…Whoso turns on his heels… That is, whoso apostatises and gives up the religion.
…will harm Allah not a thing,… Allah, glorified be He, is absolutely rich and needless, having no need of anyone's belief, such that He would be harmed by their disbelieving.
…and Allah will reward the thankful. He will reward those who are grateful for the blessing of faith and are firm upon it, as apostasy is among the greatest types of disbelief; as He says: Allah makes ye beholden that He guided ye to the belief….
Here another criticism is directed at the Muslims in their defeat: the fear of death. Why flee? From fear of death, when death is nothing but by the permission of Allah, and everyone's period is determined? By this criteria, to flee or not to flee are equal in respect to the period of life accorded to anyone:
And it is not for a spirit to die save with Allah's permission; a termed book. And whoso wants the reward of the world, We give him of it.
And whoso wants the reward of the hereafter, We give him of it; and We soon reward the thankful.
(145)
And it is not for a soul to die… People are not left to their own devices, that he who wishes to die may die, and he who wishes to remain alive may remain alive—all by normal means other than through the will of the Creator, glorified be He. No death occurs…
…save with Allah's permission;… and His will.
…a termed book…. Allah has that time written on the Protected Tablet, the defined, recognised period of everyone's life.
…And whoso wants the reward of the world,… Whoso wants the goodness of the world and works and strives for worldly benefits…
…We give him of it…. He who works shall see the results of his actions.
…And whoso wants the reward of the hereafter,… and works for the rewards of the afterlife…
…We give him of it;… in proportion to how he acts for it. It means that Muslims were to seek the rewards of Allah and the wage of the hereafter through jihad and steadfastness, and were not to flee like they fled at Uhad.
…and We shall reward the thankful. It shall be a beautiful reward. A part of thankfulness is that the person recognise the value of the favour Allah has bestowed upon him in Islam and blessing him with the opportunity of jihad in front of His Messenger in order to raise the divine word. Whoso is grateful in this way shall be rewarded with the reward of the thankful.
What was wrong with the Muslims that they languished at the battle of Uhad and fled? Had they not the example of previous communities of believers who, with their Prophets, stood up against the forces of falsehood?
And how many a Prophet battled, many Master's ones with him. They languished not at what afflicted them in Allah's path, and they weakened not and succumbed not. And Allah loves the restrainers.
(146)
And how many a Prophet fought, many Master's ones with him.… Many Prophets fought in jihad and with them and under their banner fought many believers. ‘Master's ones' is given for rabbiyun; the jihad-waging believers are associated with the Master (rabb), exalted be He, through obedience, worship and faith. Or it means the elect among the learned.
…They languished not at what afflicted them… They did not give way to flight under the pressure of loss of life and of limb, and plunder and wounds.
…in Allah's path,… This was to remind the Muslims that their own difficulties were all in Allah's path, glorified be He.
…and they weakened not and succumbed not…. They did not become weak in the face of their enemy, and they did not submit to their enemy and did not humble themselves before them.
…And Allah loves the restrainers. Praise for those who are restrained in the face of difficulties, and while at war.
And their word was but that they said, ‘Our Master, forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affair, and fix our feet and succour us over the disbelieving tribe.'
(147)
And their word… The only thing the ‘mastered ones' would say at the time of jihad and when meeting the enemy.
…was but that they said, ‘Our Master, forgive us our sins… At the time of war they sought forgiveness for the sins they had committed preparatory to the meeting with Allah in a cleansed condition.
…and our excesses in our affair,… It means their transgressing the limit, their extremism and deficiencies.
…and fix our feet… They sought the strength to stand firmly before the enemy, and not be put to flight.
…and succour us over the disbelieving tribe. Thus they waged jihad in fear of their sins, and in all humility they sought no more than that their sins be pardoned, and their aim was the victory of the religion over the people of disbelief.
So Allah gave them the reward of the world and the lovely of the reward of the hereafter; and Allah loves the beautifiers.
(148)
So… in recompense for the self-restraint and forbearance they had shown, for their resilience, their efforts and their humility:
…Allah gave them the reward of the world… That is, in the form of victory, honour, prestige and ease.
…and the lovely of the hereafter's reward;… Gardens, rivers flowing beneath them. The lovely reward of the hereafter. It is the reward of the hereafter that is said to be lovely, rather than the world, perhaps because by comparison it is only the reward of the hereafter that can truly be described as beautiful. The world, by contrast, is finite and subject to decay, and therefore there is no spiritual value to its rewards, and therefore no real loveliness. Or the meaning is the most beautiful types of the rewards of the hereafter, that none attain to save the warriors—in contrast to the world that is gained both by the righteous and by the brazen.
…and Allah loves the beautifiers. The love of Allah is above all rewards, as He says: ‘And contentment from Allah is greater.'
At the battle of Uhad, as things became severe, a group of hypocrites began to call on the people to apostatise and thereby save themselves. Therefore, Allah sent down about them:
O ye who believe, if ye obey those who disbelieve they will turn ye back on your heels, so ye shall return as losers.
(149)
O ye who believe, if ye obey those who disbelieve… It means the hypocrites, or the Jews and Christians who spread the rumour that Muhammad, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his kin, had been killed, and that they should return to their previous religion and lifestyle.
…they will turn ye back on your heels,… That is, they will turn you back into being disbelievers, as before.
…so ye shall return as losers. Had they apostatised they would have lost both religion and the world, for the world of the pre-Islamic Arabs was chaotic, poverty-stricken and base.
Nay, Allah is your Patron, and He is the best of succourers.
(150)
Nay, Allah is your Patron,… It was Him the Muslims should have obeyed, rather than the disbelievers and hypocrites, for it is Him who succours them against their enemies.
…and He is the best of succourers. His succour is goodness for both worlds, in contrast to the succour of others.
Soon We shall cast fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve, in that they partner unto Allah that for which no authority was sent down; and their abode is the fire--vile is the lodging of the wrongful.
(151)
Soon We shall cast fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve,… With fear and dread in their hearts they shall be defeated by Allah's forces—that is the succour of Allah.
…in that they partner unto Allah that for which no authority was sent down;… It is a reminder that their partnerism (shirk) was a matter of them imitating others, rather than being based on any proof or evidence.
…and their abode is the fire… In the hereafter.
…--and atrocious is the lodging of the wrongful. Among mankind, vile is the station of those who wrong themselves through disbelief. In narrations we have it that the verse was sent down at Uhad at the time the partnerists had determined upon returning upon the Muslims and uprooting them to the last of them. No sooner had they resolved upon this than Allah cast fear into their hearts, so tha they turned away from their resolution. It is not to be overlooked that the casting of fear into the heart of the disbeliever is a matter of natural course: the Muslim draws strength from Allah, glorified be He, whereas the disbeliever has a vacuum in his heart in not believing, and this is occupied by fear.
Thereupon Allah, glorified be He, explains that their defeat on the day of Uhad was no more than the effect of their disobedience towards the command of Allah and of the Messenger; otherwise Allah would have succoured them as He promised, so that the partnerists would have been routed.
And certainly Allah confirmed for ye His promise when ye deadened them with His permission, until when ye were faint-hearted and ye disputed over the matter, and ye disobeyed after He had shown ye what ye love--among ye is him who wants the world and among ye is him who wants the hereafter—then He turned ye from them, that He try ye. And He has pardoned ye, and Allah possesses profusion for the believers.
(152)
And certainly Allah confirmed for ye His promise… It refers to His promise to succour the Muslims.
…when ye deadened them with His permission,… ‘Deadened' is given for tuhussunahum (‘ye deadened them') from hassa meaning to deprive (another) of all feeling, of all sensation. It means that they killed them, with His permission, which means by His command, for Allah ‘permitted' them to fight, as in His word: It is permitted for those who battle in that they were wronged… ([al-Hajj] 22; 40)
…until when ye were faint-hearted… They disobeyed the Messenger's command, took fright, and kept themselves from the battle.
…and ye disputed over the matter,… As we have seen, the fifty archers at the mouth of the valley disputed over whether they should obey the Messenger's command and remain in their places, or whether they should leave their positions and gather the spoils.
…and… ultimately,…
…ye disobeyed… They disobeyed the Messenger's command to remain in their places guarding the mouth of the valley and they vacated their positions. Of the fifty, thirty-seven deserted their places.
…after He had shown ye what ye love… They deserted after Allah had shown them the defeat of their enemy, the partnerists, and the victory of the Muslims.
--among ye… Among ye, O Muslims…
…is him who wants the world… Those who disobeyed in order to seek spoils.
…and among ye is him who wants the hereafter… It refers to Abdallah who was in charge of the archers and the twelve who with him held to their places.
…—then He turned ye from them. Allah turned the Muslims away from the disbelievers, in the direction of the spoils, instead of guarding their places. In guarding their positions their attention was towards the disbelievers, lest they should come at the Muslims from behind; so when they turned their attention to the spoils, it was away from the disbelievers. Their turning away is attributed to Allah in the relative sense, like ‘…whoso He sends astray…' Or it means that their turning away was the consequence of their attraction towards the world.
…That He try ye…. To subject them to trial and examination, to prove how they will act.
…And He has pardoned ye,… Allah pardoned them their disobedience to the Messenger, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin.
…and Allah possesses profusion for the believers. He succours them against their enemies, and forgives them their sins. ‘Profusion' is given for fadl, meaning favour and blessings that are given over and above what is deserved.
O Muslims, you were pardoned of the sin you committed:
When ye went and thought of no one, while the Messenger was calling ye from behind yourselves; so distress upon distress afflicted ye—that ye not sorrow at what misses ye, nor at what afflicts ye. And Allah is informed of what ye do.
(153)
When ye went… They travelled through the land, instead of remaining in their positions.
…and thought of no one,… They gave no attention to anyone behind them; all they could think of was gaining speed in flight, so as not to be overtaken.
…while the Messenger… Muhammad, Allah's blessings upon him and his kin.
…was calling ye from behind yourselves;… He was calling them from behind them, as he faced them to call them.
…so distress upon distress afflicted ye… It means that Allah recompensed them for their flight with distress and sorrow upon distress and sorrow—at the defeat and the loss of the lives of those who were killed. The repetition of the word allows many possibilities.
…—that ye not sorrow at what misses ye… It means the good things that miss us.
…nor at what afflicts ye…. This refers to the harmful things that afflict us. Man, when exerted to pressure and its tribulations, becomes strong and his spirit is fortified, and so does not shake an tremble when in difficulties. Therefore, the defeat at Uhad was a lesson and an example so as to diminish in the view of the Muslims the value of any good things that might miss them, and the hardship of any difficulty that might inflict them.
…And Allah is informed of what ye do. He will therefore recompense us according to our deeds.
Then He sent down upon ye after your distress security: sleep—it overcame a party from among ye, while a party were preoccupied with themselves. They thought about Allah other than the truth—the thought of the ignorance. They said, ‘Is anything of this affair ours?'
Say, the affair, all of it, is Allah's.
They hide in themselves what they will not reveal to thee.
They say, ‘Had we anything of this affair we would not have been killed here.'
Say, had ye been in your houses those upon whom death is written would have gone forth to their resting-places.
That Allah try what is in your breasts and to purge what is in your hearts, and Allah is aware of what holds the breasts.
(154)
Then He sent down upon ye after your distress security: sleep… After the Muslims were overcome by distress at their defeat, Allah sent down security: sleep. Tired from all their efforts they were able to sleep once the fear had left their hearts and the disbelievers had moved off.
…—it overcame a party from among ye,… Thus the Muslims were in two divisions. Those who believed that Muhammad—Allah condescend upon him and his House—was genuine and that Allah would not desert him and that the afflictions they had suffered would be rewarded and were beneficial—they were the ones who slept.
…while a party were preoccupied with themselves…. This second party were only with the Messenger out of hypocrisy. Their thought and attention was on their defeat, and they were unable to sleep through grief and fear—word had spread amongst them that the partnerists were determined to return, and they doubted the divine succour. Thus they were unable to sleep on account of their fear.
…They supposed about Allah other than the truth… That is, that He would not succour His Prophet.
…—the supposing of the ignorance…. It was the disbelievers still living in the ignorance who belied the promise of Allah, glorified be He.
…They said, ‘Is anything of this affair ours?'… This was their saying to themselves what they supposed in the way of the ignorance (al-jahiliyah). They used the interrogative as a denial; in other words, they denied and doubted that Allah would succour them against the disbelievers.
…Say, the affair, all of it, is Allah's…. The Messenger was to say in response that the entire affair was Allah's and that He succours whom He pleases. The Muslims would be victorious because of His succouring them.
…They hide in themselves what they will not reveal to thee…. It means that the hypocrites concealed their hypocrisy, as they had not the pluck to express it.
…They say, ‘Had we anything of this affair we would not have been killed here.'… They said that were they really being succoured by Allah, then their companions would not have been killed that day.
…Say,… The Messenger was to tell them in reply that their being succoured by Allah did not mean that none of them should die; man dies when his period is up and his span is reached, even if he is in his home:
…had ye been in your houses those upon whom death is written would have gone forth to their resting-places…. These on whom death was written and recorded in the ‘Protected Tablet' (lawh al-mahfuz) would have gone out to their final resting-places. ‘Resting-places' is given for madaji', meaning a place of sleep.
…That Allah try what is in your breasts… Allah examines what is in the breasts—sincerity and hypocrisy, steadfastness and weakness—which only manifest in diversity. The phrase is conjunctive to ‘that He try ye' (154). Or it is an independent phrase, equivalent to ‘Allah did that in order to try what is in your breasts…'
…and to purge what is in your hearts,… To purify it by revealing it to the people and to themselves, in that a person imagines things and then, when something happens, it becomes clear that the reality is the opposite of what he supposed.
…and Allah is aware of what holds the breasts. The examination is not so that Allah may know, but that what He knows become manifest.
Indeed those who turned away among ye the day the two groups met—the devil merely degraded them with some of what they earned. And Allah has pardoned them; Allah indeed is forgiving, clement.
(155)
Indeed those who turned away among ye the day the two groups met… On the day of Uhad when a party of Muslims under the leadership of the Messenger, Allah's blessings be with him and his kin, encountered a party of partnerists under the leadership of Abi Sufyan, some of the Muslims turned and fled.
…—the devil merely degraded them… The devil sought their degradation and humiliation through their disobedience.
…with some of what they earned…. It means on account of the sins they had committed, whose consequences and evil effects afflicted them.
…And Allah has pardoned them;… That is, He pardoned them after their regret and their return.
…Allah indeed is forgiving,… He forgives the sins of those who repent.
…clement. He rushes not the punishment but rather delays so that the sinner might repent and return to rectitude.
O ye who believe, be not like those who disbelieved and said to their brothers when they strode through the earth or were attacking, ‘Had they been with us, they would not have died and not been killed.'
Allah put this as regret in their hearts, and Allah enlivens and deadens, and Allah of what ye do is an observer.
(156)
O ye who believe, be not like those who disbelieved… It means those who disbelieved in the confessional sense, the disbelievers who have no religion based on the unseen. Or it means those whose deeds made them disbelievers; the hypocrites and suchlike.
…and said to their brothers… It means their brothers in belief, or in humanity, as the disbelievers were addressing, amongst others, the believers. They were speaking about ‘their brothers' who had travelled and died, or had fought and been killed.
…when they strode through the earth… When they travelled for the sake of trade and suchlike. ‘The earth' is mentioned in particular, as travel is normally by sea.
…or were attacking,… It refers to their attacking the enemy in battle.
…‘Had they been with us,… That is, had they stayed at home.
…they would not have died and not been killed.' They reckoned that death is due solely to natural factors, no more than that, whereas in fact it is by a determining (taqdeer) and decree or divine consummation (qada), and therefore there would have been no benefit for them in remaining at home. This is a rebuff to the hypocrites putting it about that the Messenger, peace of Allah upon him and his kin, was responsible for deaths of the believers at Uhad, in that the brought them out and then they were killed.
The meaning of ‘the determining' (al-taqdeer) and ‘the decree' or ‘the implementation' (al-qada) in matters to do with existence and the creation, is design and preparing and providing the causes. An architect wishing to build a house first designs the house, and then puts in place all the substances of the building—bricks, plaster, iron, wood and suchlike. So too all of the existential matters in the world have been sketched out and are known by Allah, glorified be He, and He has put in place all of the constituent components. But this does not mean that things are completely beyond human hands,
…Allah put this… ‘This' means what they believed.
…as regret in their hearts,… It means their frustration and disappointment at seeing their brothers triumphantly returning with spoils. It is a part of nature that the immobile person feels sorrow and a sense of loss when he sees the goodness and precedence coming to one who is dutiful and active.
…and Allah enlivens… He resuscitates the earth and the lifeless human.
…and deadens,… It is not that travel and battle are complete in being the cause of death.
…and Allah of what ye do is an observer. A call for them to be enthusiastic about obedience and jihad, and to guard against disobedience and flight, for Allah knows the deeds, and sees all that is done.
Moreover, even if we suppose that going forth and fighting are complete causes of death, is not death with forgiveness better than a life spent in amassing wealth—as lived by the disbelievers who remained at home?:
And if ye are killed in Allah's path or die—truly forgiveness from Allah and His mercy are better than what ye gather.
(157)
And if ye are killed in Allah's path or die… When the believers are killed in the path of Allah waging jihad against His enemies, or when they die while undergoing the hardships of travel in seeking provision through trade, and going through the earth, then:
…—truly forgiveness from Allah and His mercy … His forgiveness and mercy are because they obeyed Him and carried out His commands.
…are better than what ye gather. It refers to the disbelievers who remained in their homes in fear of going forth.
Death or being killed are not the end of one's life, that a person should fear them and turn his hand away from the higher objectives:
And if ye die or are killed, unto Allah will ye be mustered.
(158)
And then we shall be recompensed for our deeds; thus it is better to obey an thus be in line for His reward and His profusion.
Here the thread turns to indicate the awesome affection of the Messenger, Allah's peace and blessings be with him and his kin, towards the believers, in that he pardoned them their behaviour at Uhad--in particular their vacating the mouth of the gully, which allowed the partnerists to turn the battle and to do what they did to the Messenger, Allah's mercies be upon him and his kin, and to his companions:
So it was by mercy from Allah that thou inclined towards them—were thou severe, harsh of heart, they would have dispersed from around thee; so pardon them and seek forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affair. Then, when thou have decided, rely upon Allah—indeed Allah loves the reliers.
(159)
So it was by mercy from Allah… It was as a mercy to the believers.
…that thou inclined towards them… Allah, glorified be He, made him tender and compassionate towards them.
…—were thou severe, harsh of heart,… Had the Messenger been harsh of heart and of tongue, course and unfeeling,
…they would have dispersed from around thee;… They would have left the Messenger alone.
…so pardon them… He was to pardon them for their mistakes.
…and seek forgiveness for them,… And he was to seek Allah's forgiveness for the mistakes they had committed. Allah, glorified be He, had already mercied them; this instruction was to increase the affection of the Messenger, Allah's peace be on him and his kin, since when a person seeks forgiveness for another, the distaste he has for that person in his own heart vanishes. It was also to increase the affection of the believers towards him, Allah condescend upon him and his House, in that they would know that he was seeking forgiveness for them.
…and consult them in the affair…. This was to attract their affections and to train them to take consultation in their own affairs. Otherwise, the Prophet was needless of their counsel, as he was aided by Allah through revelation.
…Then, when thou have decided,… It means after the consultation process is over.
…rely upon Allah… The Messenger was not to give importance to those whose views opposed his own.
…—indeed Allah loves the reliers. He loves those who trust Him, depend upon Him and rely upon Him in all their affairs.
If Allah succours ye then none will dominate ye; and if He forsakes ye, who is it that will succour ye after Him? And so upon Allah should the believers rely.
(160)
If Allah succours ye… O believers, He will succour ye when ye deserve it through your laying the basis for the succour, obedience to His commands.
…then none will dominate ye;… No one will be able to dominate them.
…and if He forsakes ye,… ‘He forsakes' is put for yakhdhul, meaning that He refrains from protecting them from themselves and from helping them in their affairs.
…who is it that will succour ye after Him?… It is an interrogative of denial, meaning that there is none can succour other than Allah, glorified be He.
…And so upon Allah should the believers rely. They should trust him and depend upon Him.
Among the reasons why the Muslims deserted their places on the hillside on the day of Uhad, was their fear that the Messenger, Allah's blessings be with him and his kin, would not include them in the division of the spoils. There had been much talk among the hypocrites following the battle of Badr, when some red velvet had gone missing, and they said that the Messenger had taken it. Accordingly, this ayah was sent down to negate the idea that the Prophets cheat and betray:
And it was not for a Prophet to cheat—and whoso cheats, he will bring that which he cheated on the day of resurrection; then every soul will be met in full for what it earned, and they are not wronged.
(161)
And it was not for a Prophet to cheat…It is not lawful to cheat (given for ghalla), which is say betray (khana). Betrayal is forbidden for everyone, although the Prophets are mentioned in particular as the talk is of the Messenger.
…—and whoso cheats,… That is, whatever the cheat's status, and whether the cheating is for something little or big…
…he will bring that which he cheated on the day of resurrection;… Narrations inform us that he will carry it on his back.
…then every soul will be met in full for what it earned,… Everyone will be perfectly requited for what they earned, with no deficiency.
…and they are not wronged. Nothing will be deficient from their wage, and nor will they be punished more than they deserve.
Is he who follows the contentment of Allah like he who returns with wrath from Allah? And his abode is hell; atrocious is the outcome.
(162)
Is he who follows the contentment of Allah… That is, by following His commands and refraining from His prohibitions.
…like he who returns with wrath from Allah?… It is as if he returns to his worldly deeds after having gone to Allah, glorified be He, and knowing what He wants; and so he returns subject to anger and wrath, while others return with contentment.
…And his abode… His destination.
…is hell; atrocious is the outcome. That is, the destination to which he is returning is a vile and foul place to go to. So it is for the human not to flee from war and not disobey the commands of Allah and the Messenger, for then he will return with anger and his destination will be hell.
They are degrees alongside Allah, and Allah is an observer of what ye do.
(163)
They are degrees alongside Allah,… Those who return with anger have a level, and those who return with contentment have a level. The believers have an elevated level and the others a low, dismal level.
…and Allah is an observer of what ye do. He requites all according to what they have done, so it is for the person not to give up doing good deeds on the grounds that they will not be appreciated, and nor may the sinner carry on his sins thinking that they will not be seen.
The blessing with which Allah blessed the Muslims, in return for which it was for them to be grateful and strive for its furtherance, was an extremely massive blessing, the like of which could be equalled by no other blessing, and whose status is not attained by any kindness or favour:
Allah definitely favoured the believers when He raised among them a messenger from themselves, reciting to them His signs and purifying them and teaching them the book and the wisdom, even though beforehand they were in clear deviation.
(164)
Allah definitely favoured the believers… ‘Favoured' is put for manna, meaning that He blessed them. The favour was general and is mentioned as being particularly for the believers as it is the believers who benefit from it, and not others.
…when He raised among them a Messenger… The ultimate blessing, which is why it is only this with which Allah says He has favoured man, for in messengership are the virtues of the religious life, the worldly life, the life of the hereafter, and a human's perfection according to the capacity of each.
…from themselves,… The mention of another blessing, as the Messenger, Allah's blessings be with him and his kin, was from the human species, and not an angel or a jinn. This is an honour for all people and a manifestation of the excellence of this species. And since the thread is occupied with human believers, there is no room for the objection that the believers include not only humans but also jinn, for whom the Messenger was not ‘from themselves'.
…reciting to them His signs… As a teacher might recite a lesson for a class.
…and purifying them… He cleansed them of physical uncleanness through the laws of cleanliness and suchlike, and he purified their behaviour and beliefs by guiding them to the truth and to virtue.
…and teaching them the book… He taught them the meanings of the book, which is different to ‘reciting it'.
…and the wisdom,… It means the knowledge of the Legislation (shari'a), or it is unconditional in the sense of him teaching them the value and proper place of things; for as it is said, ‘wisdom is the placing of things in their (proper) places.'
…even though beforehand they were in clear deviation. Before the coming of the Prophet they were in manifest deviation—in their beliefs, in their behaviour and attitudes, and in their actions. Therefore it is for the believer to sacrifice in the path of this blessing to the utmost. And their actions on the day of Uhad were the contradiction of gratitude. And what they did sacrifice was very little when compared to the blessing with which they had been favoured.
Or is it that when an affliction afflicts ye, ye having afflicted twofold, ye say, ‘Why this?'
Say, ‘It is from alongside yourselves;' indeed Allah is over all things powerful.
(165)
Or is it that when an affliction afflicts ye,… That is, is it that when an affliction comes to you Muslims, all the while that:
…ye having afflicted twofold,… At Badr the Muslims afflicted the disbelievers—at Uhad seventy Muslims died, while at Badr they had killed seventy of the disbelievers and taken seventy captive.
…ye say, ‘Why this?' They wondered why the affliction had come to them, them being Muslims. It is a criticism, meaning: How do you wonder at this affliction you have suffered, when you afflicted twice its like at Badr? Moreover, this affliction is due to your own weakness in being deceived by the wealth and leaving your places on the hillside.
…Say,… The address is in the singular; the Prophet was to tell them:
…‘It is from alongside yourselves;'… It was from their greed for wealth and spoils.
…indeed Allah is over all things powerful. He is able to succour the Muslims over their enemies just as He is able to disgrace them when they leave aside His orders. Some narrations state that at Badr the Muslims had the choice between taking a ransom for the captives, although then the following year they would be killed to the number of the (seventy) captives they let free in this way, or killing them. They chose to take the ransom, and so they brought the affliction upon themselves.
And what afflicted ye on the day the two groups met was by Allah's permission, and that He know the believers.
(166)
That which afflicted the Muslims when they encountered the disbelievers on the day of Uhad was by the permission of Allah: by His knowledge, or meaning that He did not come between them and the disbelievers, and thus they were afflicted. That would be a kind of ‘existential permission' (idhn takwini). His permitted it for the benefit of distinguishing between the believer and the hypocrite. As He says,
…and that He know… That is, that His knowledge become objective reality.
…the believers. The believers fought.
And that He know those who engage in hypocrisy. It was said to them ‘Come, fight in Allah's path, or defend!' They said, ‘Had we known there was fighting we would not have followed ye!'
They were nearer to disbelief that day than they were to belief. They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts. And Allah knows best what they conceal.
(167)
And that He know those who engage in hypocrisy…. This came in reference to Ibn Abi Sulul and his party who manifested Islam while internally wishing it harm, and who, on the day of Uhad, deserted away from Uhad with three hundred men, saying they did not wish to kill themselves.
…It was said to them ‘Come, fight in Allah's path,… An Ansari by the name of ‘Amr b Hajjam called out these words after them as they departed.
…or defend!'… That is, they should at least have been ready to defend their homes and their lives, for had the disbelievers conquered them they would have been treated very roughly.
…They said, ‘Had we known there was fighting we would not have followed ye!'… They held that were that on which the Muslims were embarking properly warfare, then their opinion would have been taken, and as the Muslims were seeking to throw themselves into destruction, this too meant that it was not proper war.
…They were nearer to disbelief that day than they were to belief…. Everything a hypocrite does in opposition is closer to disbelief, and everything he does in conformity is closer to belief.
…They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts…. Their mouths speak words of faith while their hearts are occupied by disbelief and disobedience.
…And Allah knows best what they conceal. He knows what they hide in their hearts, and so shall compensate them for their concealed hypocrisy.
It seems that this ayah (from ‘That He know…') is not conjunctive to ‘…Allah's permission,…' for then the meaning would be that the affliction was the means of discerning these hypocrites, whereas the proclamation of jihad was the means of that. So the verse is an independent sentence, meaning that the battle of Uhad was for the purpose of distinguishing between the believer and the hypocrite, among a number of other benefits.
He, glorified be He, then further describes those who engage in hypocrisy:
Those who said of their brothers as they sat, ‘Had they obeyed us, they would not have been killed.'
Say, ‘Put off from yourselves death, if ye be truthful.'
(168)
Those who said of their brothers as they sat, ‘Had they obeyed us, they would not have been killed.' The hypocrites who had sat back from the battle said of their brothers who had gone forth to the field of jihad and been killed, that had they obeyed them and deserted with them, they would not have been killed.
…Say,… The Messenger was to tell them:
…'Put off from yourselves death, if ye be truthful.' It means that if their view is true, that to remain at home leads to the negation of death, then how is it that so many remain at home and die, while so many go forth to jihad and walk away unharmed.
Even if we suppose that he who goes forth for jihad will be killed, where is the harm in that? He who is martyred in Allah's path is not deprived of life, but remains alive and beautifully provisioned:
And reckon not those killed in Allah's path as dead; nay, alive alongside their Master, provisioned.
(169)
And reckon not those killed in Allah's path as dead;… Just as the physical life has degrees and levels, ranging from the level of those in felicity and joy down to that of those who are nasty and wretched, so too all who die are of two types. Both remain alive in a life with its own characteristics. One section will be ‘alive', meaning that they will be in felicity and joy, while the other will be ‘dead', meaning that they will be wretched and misery-stricken. This explains why the ayah does not mean that those who are not killed in Allah's path are not alive after death.
…nay, they are alive alongside their Master, provisioned. Their life is alongside Allah, glorified be He, where their provision is there for them morning and night.
Their condition there is that they are:
Joyous at what Allah grants them from His profusion, and happy for those who have not yet joined them behind them, that no fear is upon them, and nor do they sorrow.
(170)
Joyous at what Allah grants them from His profusion,… Eternal life, felicity and goodness.
…and happy for those who have not yet joined them behind them, … Those killed in Allah's path are happy at the condition of their brothers whom they have left behind, for the condition of their brothers who are behind them is:
…that no fear is upon them … Allah is directing their affairs.
…and nor do they sorrow. That is, they do not sorrow for those behind them. So, those killed have both blessings, the blessing of having been blessed by Allah, glorified be He, themselves, and the blessing of their brothers behind them in that they know there is no fear upon them. Against these were those who remained at home and didn't wage jihad; they had both evils, the difficulties of their own lives and the problem of their brothers, in that they knew neither their own fates nor the fates of their brothers.
Happy at a blessing from Allah and a profusion; and that Allah wastes not the wage of the believers.
(171)
Happy at a blessing from Allah… Those killed in Allah's path are joyous and happy at the blessing of the hereafter, bestowed upon them by Allah, glorified be He.
…and a profusion;… Blessings over and above what they deserve, or beyond all expectation.
…and that Allah wastes not the wage of the believers. It is natural that whoever is sure that his wage and reward is certain will be bound to be happy and joyous, and this those who have been martyred see with their eyes. This is in contrast to man in the world, for though he knows it, he cannot see it. The repetition is to lodge the matter firmly in the heart, till it is as if the matter has been witnessed.
When Abu Sufyan and his companions had turned from Uhad and reached al-Rawha, they regretted having turned away and turned on each other, some of them saying to others: ‘Neither was the Messenger killed, nor were any beautiful girls carried off. You killed them until they were all fugitives, and then you abandoned them; so turn back and eradicate them.' When this news reached the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and his House, he decided to frighten them off. So he went out and along with him were many who had been wounded at Uhad, until they reached Humra. al-Asad. When the news of this development reached the partnerists, they became terrified and turned and fled.
This ayah comes here as Allah, glorified be He, having explained the reward of the martyrs and that they are happy for those still alive, now describes those for whose sakes the martyrs are happy: those they left behind are not shaken by tribulation, nor do wounds make them shrink from confrontation, and nor are they made afraid by the gathering of the enemy or rumours to that effect while they are weakened by their wounds:
Those who answered Allah and the Messenger after they had been afflicted by the wounding—for those who worked beauty among them and were guardful is a magnificent wage.
(172)
Those who answered Allah and the Messenger… They obeyed their commands. We have previously mentioned that the mention of the Messenger in such places is a mark of honour for him, and to show that his command is the command of Allah; otherwise, the two commands are one.
…after they had been afflicted by the wounding… It refers to the wounds they received at Uhad.
…—for those who worked beauty among them… It means after their answering the call.
…and were guardful… Guardful against being disobedient.
…is a magnificent wage. For they were obedient in three ways: their presence at Uhad, their responding to the summons for the second time, and their beautiful deeds and guardfulness.
Then He, glorified be He, describes them in another way:
Those to whom the people said, ‘Indeed the people have gathered against ye, so be in awe of them.' So it increased them in belief, and they said, ‘Allah suffices us, and what a fine trustee.'
(173)
People were saying to the Messenger's companions after their return from Uhad, that the ‘people', meaning Abu Sufyan and the partnerists, were gathering against them so as to renew the war. They told the Muslims to fear this news, for were they to return to the fray then, given the Muslims being so weakened by wounds, they would be destroyed to the last man. But instead, the news increased them in faith, for in every affliction the believer remembers Allah and his soul is fortified and his determination strengthened by Allah's succour.
…and they said, ‘Allah suffices us,… It means that Allah would be sufficient for them against the enemies.
…and what a fine trustee.' He is the best in whom to entrust ones' affairs, for He knows the true benefits and the true harms, and He is best able to bring the benefits to His clients and avert from them the harms.
So they returned with a blessing from Allah and profusion, no evil touched them.
And they followed Allah's contentment, and Allah holds magnificent profusion.
(174)
The believers who responded to the call of Allah and His Messenger returned from their sortie accompanied by the blessings of Allah, glorified be He.
…no evil touched them…. Upon their going forth to meet Abu Sufyan, Abu Sufyan took fright, and so the Muslims returned having put terror into the much larger of the two forces.
…And they followed the contentment of Allah,… That is the reason they obeyed His command in pursuing the partnerists.
…and Allah holds magnificent profusion. He has profusion for those who obey His commands and He gives felicity to them in the world and the hereafter. It is narrated from Imam Sadiq, bliss be upon him, that he said, ‘I am amazed by those who fear; why do they not take heed from His word, “Allah suffices us, and what a fine agent” for it is followed by, “So they returned with a blessing from Allah and profusion, no evil touched them.”
There you have the devil: frightening his protégés, so fear them not and fear Me, if ye be believers.
(175)
There you have the devil:… It means that spreading fear abroad, like those who tried to make the Muslims afraid, is a work of the devil.
…frightening his protégés,… The devil's party are in fear, not the believers, as the devil's party have cut their connection to Allah, glorified be He, and therefore are in fear of everything. This is as He says, ‘They reckon every outcry is against them.' ([al-Munafiqun] 63, 4.
…so fear them not;… They were not to fear the people who had gathered against them, or not to fear the devil and his friends.
…and fear Me,… It means obeying Him and not disobeying Him, glorified be He, for to act otherwise leads to the fire.
…if ye be believers. As a consequence of faith the believer fears only Allah, glorified be He. The meaning is not the total absence of fear, for that is impossible; what is meant is not giving way to any fear.
And those who race in disbelief should not sorrow thee; indeed they harm Allah not a thing. Allah wishes that He put not for them a share in the hereafter, and theirs is a mighty chastisement.
(176)
And those who race in disbelief should not sorrow thee;… The Messenger was not to be upset by those seeking to outdo each other in the deeds of disbelief, ‘racing' in their enthusiasm.
…indeed they harm Allah not a thing…. It means that despite all they could do in their rivalry to it, the Messenger's mission which was from Allah was bound to succeed and prosper, unharmed by all they could do. Equating the mission with Allah in this way is to denote its exalted position and the strength by which it is defended and protected.
…Allah wishes that He put not for them a share in the hereafter,… He only wishes that because of their turning away from the truth. It is like one who entrusts his servant with some money for trading, and then finds that he has frittered it away gambling. He gives him a respite and does not punish him, so that when he does punish him he will give him a severe punishment.
…and theirs is a mighty chastisement. This is theirs on account of their disbelief, their rivalry and enthusiasm against Islam.
Indeed those who purchase disbelief for belief—they will not harm Allah a thing; and theirs is a painful chastisement.
(177)
Those who exchange faith for disbelief will never harm Allah – that is, His cause – in the slightest by their transaction. Rather they will earn for themselves a painful chastisement.
And those who disbelieve should not reckon that Our indulging them is good for themselves – We indulge them that they increase in sin, and theirs is a debasing chastisement.
(178)
The disbelievers should not suppose that Allah's indulging them by giving them a long life and furnishing them wealth and status was good for them, for good is that which has no evil consequences. Their lives being long and their blessings being many was all for them to increase in sin and disobedience. By turning from the truth and by letting their inner selves decay and become vile, they had made themselves deserving of the fire and the chastisement. But there is no punishment merely for inner wickedness, and so their being indulged is for the purpose of manifesting their inner realities. Accordingly, their remaining alive increases their punishment.
…and theirs is a debasing chastisement. Besides its painfulness, it will also disgrace them. And it is said that the connection expressed by ‘that' (given for lam ) in, ‘that they increase in sin', is one of consequence, like in the verse about Musa, bliss be upon him: ‘So the house of Pharaoh took him up, that he be to them an enemy, a sorrow.' [al-Qasas [28]; 9).
Thereupon the thread returns to the account of Uhad, and how it revealed the believer obedient to the Messenger in the war, in contrast to the hypocrite who opposed the jihad, like ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy, and those in opposition with him:
Allah would not leave the believers upon what ye were upon until He had distinguished the vile from the wholesome;
and Allah would not inform ye as to the unseen; rather, Allah chooses from His Messengers whom He wills.
So believe in Allah and His Messenger; and if ye believe and be guardful, then yours is a magnificent wage.
(179)
Allah would not… It means that it is not part of His method or practice, His sunnah.
…leave the believers upon which ye were upon… It means that it is not His practice to let the believers alone upon a mere declaration of faith, in which the believer and the hypocrite are equal.
…until He had distinguished the vile from the wholesome;… So that the inner convictions of each party might become clear. In some elucidations it is given that the partnerists said to Abu Talib that if Muhammad, Allah condescend upon him and his House, was genuine, he would be able to tell them which of them believed, and which of them did not, and that if they found him to be correct they would all submit themselves as Muslims. And so the ayah was sent down. If that is so, then the meaning of ‘that upon which ye were upon' is the condition they were in prior to their believing. That is, Allah would not leave one who is a believer at heart in a condition of disbelief among the disbelievers.
…and Allah would not inform ye as to the unseen;… It is not for us to know who is a believer and who is a hypocrite without objective examination by which the inner realities become clear.
…rather, Allah chooses from His Messengers whom He wills…. He selects Messenger and Prophets to inform them of the unseen. Elsewhere He says, ‘He reveals His unseen to no one, save whoso He chooses as a Messenger…' ([al-Jinn] 72, 28). This does not preclude a partial information concerning the unseen on the part of the angels and the Imams and some of the believers, as the angels are beyond making an exception for them, while the others are either taught by the Prophet or are inspired with the information by Him, glorified be He. There is no exception given as objectively the exceptions are so few. The norms of nature are not, as we know, negated by rarities.
…So believe in Allah and His Messenger;… It means with a real, genuine faith, uncontaminated by hypocrisy and inner impurity.
…and if ye believe… with a genuine belief,
…and be guardful,… It means by not being disobedient and doing the virtuous deeds.
…then yours is a magnificent wage. It will last forever, in gardens the extent of which is as the heavens and the earth, and contentment from Allah.
The discussion having been about jihad and sacrifice, it is now followed by the topic of wealth, for the two are normally mentioned together, since jihad necessitates expenditure, and the religion depends upon the twin sacrifices of life and of wealth. And so He says, glorified be He;
And those who are miserly with what Allah grants them from His profusion should not reckon it is good for them – rather it is evil for them: they shall be yoked with that for which they were miserly on the day of resurrection. And Allah's is the legacy of the heavens and the earth, and Allah of what ye do is informed.
(180)
And those who are miserly with what Allah grants them from His profusion… It means from what Allah grants them of His blessings. Even though a person may have worked hard to the point of exhaustion, nevertheless all wealth is from Allah's profusion. He created it and He fashioned it. Gold coins, for example, are minerals that He has created, and so it is with other wealth, be it vegetable or whatever. All is His. And this is in addition to the human faculties, by which man is made able to acquire wealth, also belonging to Him. In this ayah the meaning of ‘miserliness' (bukhl) is the forbidden type: refraining from making the obligatory expenditure.
…should not reckon it is good for them… They supposed that their miserliness would increase their wealth, in that it would remain with them and not depart from their hands.
…—rather it is evil for them:… Their miserliness will bring them evil in the world in the form of a bad name that will in turn mean they are unable to acquire more wealth. It may mean that the ruler confiscates their wealth and distributes it among the poor. Worse still:
…they shall be yoked with that for which they were miserly on the day of resurrection … It means the wealth over which they were miserly will be made into a yoke upon their necks. The term highlights the responsibilities of wealth, in that it is said that a wife is a yoke upon a man's neck, or that a debt is a yoke upon the neck of the debtor. In narrations we have it from the Prophet, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin, and the Imams, peace be with them, that whoever denies any zakat from his wealth—Allah will put that on the day of resurrection as a snake of fire yoked about his neck and snapping at his flesh,…. And in some of them this is the elucidation of the noble ayah.
And furthermore, what is the point of being miserly? Wealth will never stay with anyone forever: all depart and leave their wealth behind:
….And Allah's is the legacy of the heavens and the earth,… Whosoever dies with them and leaves something behind—Allah inherits it in the sense that it remains His alone after all have died. Whatever in miserliness is kept from Him and not dispensed in His path, can only return to Him in the end. So hoarding it is no more than sin.
…and Allah of what ye do is informed. Whatever is dispensed in His way and for His sake is known by Allah, glorified be He, and it shall be beautifully recompensed.
Among the misers of the Jews was one who refrained from dispensing that which Allah had granted him, and then added to that by saying that Allah is destitute for He continually seeks loans--as He says, '‘Who is it that will lend Allah…'—while I, with what I have, am rich!:
Allah has definitely heard the word of those who say, ‘Indeed Allah is poor, and we are rich!'
We shall write what they say and their killing the Prophets without right, when We say, ‘Taste the chastisement of the conflagration!'
(181)
Allah has definitely heard the word of those who say, ‘Indeed Allah is poor, and we are rich!' It is enough of a warning to them that He says He has heard their word, for they must expect a precise requital and a painful punishment.
…We shall write what they say… The record of their words will be written and registered; their will be no chance to deny it on the day He brings the record of every affair.
The logic of the Jews had deviated to the lengthiest of extremes. How can Allah be impoverished when it is Him who owns all things, even the spirit of the speaker? His ‘taking loans' is a test, and His seeking wealth is a test and examination. And how can that man be rich, when he owns not even his spirit, let alone his wealth?
…and their killing the Prophets without right,… The Jews' killing of their Prophets will also be recorded in a written register. Allah blames them for this, even though it was their fathers who killed them, on account of their being pleased with that, firstly, and to explain that these are the descendants of those criminal ancestors, therefore there is no wonder that they speak disbelief, given that their ancestors did worse things.
The use of the word or letter sin, given as ‘shall' in ‘shall write', is perhaps to explain that the writing does not take place until the death of the non-believer in Muhammad, Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin. As for the believer, the writing will do no harm as it is wiped clean by believing. This is correct in respect of their word; and as for the murdering by their ancestors, their murdering is written, and so now the turn of writing is for the descendants, but only if they remain in disbelief.
…when We say,… This is at the time of their being punished in the hereafter.
…‘Taste the chastisement of the conflagration!' It shall burn away at their bodies on account of their words and their deeds.
‘That is for what your hands sent forth, and as Allah is not a wronger for the creatures.'
(182)
That is for what your hands sent forth,… Their being chastised is on account of their disbelief and disobedience. The term ‘what your hands sent forward' is used because it is normally the hands that present things.
…and as Allah is not a wronger for the creatures. The creatures opposed His commands and therefore they made themselves deserving of that punishment. ‘A wronger' is given for zallam, which is not emphatic, but meaning ‘concerned with wrongs and injustices', like a tammaar or date-seller is occupied with dates.
Those who said ‘Allah is poor while we are rich', and killed their Prophets, refused to believe in the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and his House, on spurious pretexts. They said: ‘O Muhammad, Allah has covenanted unto us in the Torah that we believe in no messenger until he produces a sacrifice devoured by fire. So if you suppose that Allah has sent you to us, produce this sacrifice and we will confirm you.' So this ayah was sent down:
And of those who say, ‘Indeed Allah has covenanted us that we believe in no Messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire!'
Say, ‘Messengers did come to ye before me with clarifications and with what ye said, so why did ye kill them, if ye be truthful?'
(183)
And of those who say,… This is a conjunct to ‘…those who say, “Indeed Allah is poor…”'
…‘Indeed Allah has covenanted us… It means commanded and enjoined in their revealed book.
…that we believe in no Messenger… That is, not confirm his prophethood.
…until he brings us a sacrifice… It means an animal sacrificed for Allah.
…consumed by fire!'… A fire should appear out of the unseen and consume the sacrificial offering.
…Say,… The Messenger was to reply to them:
…‘Messengers definitely came to ye before me with clarifications and with what ye said,… Messengers came to them with clear arguments and proofs as well as producing sacrificial offerings being consumed by a fire from the unseen. Yet nevertheless:
…so why did ye kill them,… They killed the Prophets Zakariya and Yahya and others.
…if ye be truthful?' It means truthful in their claim that they would believe in the Messenger were he to produce for them a sacrifice consumed by unearthly fire. The deeds of the predecessors are attributed to the descendants because their natures were the same and their inclinations were the same. It could not be said that the Jews of the Messenger's time did not manifest their approval of their ancestors' killing the Prophets.
So if they belie thee – they definitely belied Messengers before thee; they came to them with clarifications, the law-scriptures and the enlightened book.
(184)
So if they belie thee… The address is to the Messenger. If they were to disbelieve in his messengership.
…—they definitely belied Messengers before thee;… Their denying the Messengers was no new thing. The people had denied previous Messengers, even though:
…they came to them with clarifications,… Clear proofs.
…the Law-scriptures… ‘Law-scriptures' is put for al-zubur, meaning texts containing the Laws and Legislation.
…and the illuminating book. This is the kitab al-munir, a collection of all the Laws. The difference between them is that the zubur are various scriptures containing various Laws, whereas the kitab is comprehensive and structured. It is like the Messenger, Allah's blessings be with him and his kin, being revealed hadith qudsi and the Quran.
Here the question arises as to why the Messenger did not produce for them a sacrifice consumed by flames. The answer is that they sought that out of obstinacy rather than for any desire to be guided. Otherwise the other signs and proofs would have sufficed them. The Messengers are above performing the extraordinary at the whim of any obstinate opponent; and this is the mystery behind the Messenger's refusal to perform so many miracles.
Refraining from jihad for fear of death, refraining from belief for fear of the loss of leadership, and refraining from dispensing for fear of poverty, all have evil consequences: the fire. Everybody dies and loses his life, his position and his wealth. It is fitting, therefore, that we act so as to bring about the beautiful consequences:
Every spirit is a taster of death, and ye shall be fully met your wages on the day of resurrection; so whoso moves from the fire and is entered into the garden, has definitely achieved.
And the worldly life is nothing but pleasure in delusion.
(185)
Every spirit is a taster of death,… We all taste death and we all meet it.
…and ye shall be requited your wages on the day of resurrection;… All of mankind will be repaid their wages in goodness and evil on the day of resurrection, for this place is for deeds without a reckoning, there is the place for the reckoning and the requital.
…so whoso moves from the fire and is entered into the garden, has definitely achieved. He is in perfect happiness and ease without end and without blemish.
…And the worldly life is nothing but pleasure in delusion. The pleasures and delights of the world cause man's delusion and heedlessness towards the eternal benefits. Thus it is an urgent necessity to use one's life, position and wealth to acquire the eternal life, and not be deluded by the world into disobeying Allah, glorified be He, for then he will enter the fire.
The world is the field of trial and examination, not the station of comfort and happiness:
That ye definitely be tried in your belongings and your selves, and ye shall hear from those granted the book before ye and from those who partnerise much annoyance; and if ye be restrained and guardful – that is of the decisiveness of affairs.
(186)
That ye definitely be tried… The emphasis could not be more stressed. It is certain that disasters and misfortunes befall the believers.
…in your belongings… By their departure, deficiency and the obligation of dispensing from them.
…and your selves,… Diseases, difficulties, being killed in the jihad and so forth.
…and ye shall hear from those granted the book before ye… The Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians.
…and from those who partnerise… In particular among the disbelievers.
…much annoyance;… It means things like abuse and insults and scorn and derision .
…and if ye be restrained… It means under the pressure of the difficulties and afflictions.
…and guardful… That is, not let the difficulties and severities deviate a person from the religion and the sacred actions.
…—that… Self-restraint and guardfulness.
…is of the decisiveness of affairs. It means the affairs for which decisiveness (al-'azm) is required.
The thread then turns to mention another of the characteristics of the book-folk, appropriately enough, in that they knew about the messengership of the Messenger, for it was mentioned in their books, but instead of admitting it and disclosing it for the people, they concealed it under opposition and obstinacy, and hid the book from the people:
When Allah took the pact of those granted the book, that they would clarify it for humankind and not conceal it, they threw it behind their backs, and purchased with it a small price; so, atrocious is what they purchase!
(187)
When Allah took the pact of those granted the book,… This was the emphatic promise taken from them by their Prophets.
…that they would clarify it for humankind… They were to explain the book for the people, clarifying its laws and the tidings of the Messenger, Allah's bliss be upon him.
…and not conceal it,… They were not to keep any of it hidden.
…they threw it behind their backs,… It is a way of saying that they overlooked their pact and paid it no attention, like one who throws away something he doesn't want.
…and purchased with it a small price;… The substituted the laws of the book for a little power and a little wealth in the world, which they acquired from the rest of the Jews.
…so, atrocious is what they purchase! Vile indeed, as by doing that they made themselves deserving of the eternal chastisement.
Among the people are those who fail to engage in good works along with those who act, and when those who perform the good deeds fail to achieve their goals, they consider themselves sensible and wise. Yet when those who perform the good deeds are successful, they reckon themselves as having contributed and helped them, and they expect to be praised along with them. Such people who do not take part in that in which they must take part, can only look forward to the chastisement for their neglecting their obligation. Such people are normally among the hypocrites, and those who sit back from the jihad, and from the obligation of bidding to the honourable and forbidding from the dishonourable. They have another distinguishing characteristic, in that they are pleased by whatever they do, whether right or wrong—in contrast to the believers who seek forgiveness when they sin, and when they do good they fear; as He says: ‘And those who give what they give, while their hearts are in dread…' ([al-Mu.minun] 23; 60).
Reckon not those who are joyous at what they bring, while they love to be praised for what they have not done—reckon them not as achieving over the chastisement. Theirs is a painful chastisement.
(188)
Reckon not… The address, in the singular, is to the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and his House.
…those who are joyous at what they bring,… ‘What they bring' means what they do, their deeds, good or bad.
…while they love to be praised for what they have not done… They like to be praised by the people for things they have not done.
…—reckon them not as achieving over the chastisement. The Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and his House, was not to suppose that they would be saved from the chastisement; for they were emphatically to be punished for their deeds and qualities.
…Theirs is a painful chastisement. As is clear, this ayah is universal, and where it has been interpreted as being about the hypocrites and suchlike are instances of the embodiments being mentioned.
How can they escape Allah's chastisement?:
And Allah's is the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is over all things powerful.
(189)
And Allah's is the dominion of the heavens and the earth,… No one can escape His authority.
…and Allah over all things is in power. He misses not that which He wants, and He does as He wills.
Here the flow comes to an end with an evidence for belief and a description of the believers, and that the actions of the disbelievers are wasted. This is in line with the general purport of the surah which is about belief and the contrasting characteristics of the believers and the disbelievers. It is related to the preceding ayah ‘And Allah's is the dominion of the heavens and the earth…':
Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, are portents for the owners of the mind.
(190)
Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth,… In His creating them with all the marvels and variations they contain.
…and the alternation of the night and the day,… The way one follows after the other with perfect certainty and order.
…are portents… Signs proving the existence of Allah, glorified be He, and His attributes.
…for the owners of the mind. ‘Owners of the mind' is given for uwli ‘l-albab. Whoever considers an effect, his intellect discerns the existence of the cause; and the more the effect is certain and beautiful, the stronger is the proof of the perfect knowledge of the cause, His power, will and other attributes.
He then explains the characteristics of ‘those with intellect' in His word:
Those who recall Allah standing and sitting and on their sides, and reflect about the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Master! Thou created this not in falsehood; glory be Thine, so guard us from the chastisement of the fire.
(191)
Those who remember Allah… It means in their hearts, or it means remembrance of Him, glorified be He.
…standing and sitting and on their sides,… They are constantly thinking about Him, glorified be He, and remembering Him, whether they are standing, sitting or lying down.
…and reflect about the creation of the heavens and the earth:… They think deeply about how the heavens and the earth were created with such a precise and amazing way; how they came into being, how they are and how they will become. And while they are in thought an astonishment, they are saying:
‘Our Master! Thou create this not… It means the creation, existence.
…in falsehood;… It means pointlessly, vainly, without a purpose and goal.
…glory be Thine,… It is given for subhanaka, an expression meaning that Allah is above and pure of falsehood and vanity.
…so guard us from the chastisement of the fire. ‘So' is put for fa and ‘guard us' is given for qina. Perhaps the fa comes here to show that they sought to be guarded from the fire in return for their confirmation, their faith and their deliberation.
And they are also wont to say:
‘Our Master! Indeed, him whom Thou enter into the fire – definitely Thou have humiliated him. And the wrongful have no succourer.
(192)
‘Our Master! Indeed, him whom Thou enter into the fire—definitely Thou have humiliated him…. Whomsoever Allah places in the fire is disgraced and tormented.
…And the wrongful… Those who wrong themselves in the world by disbelief and disobedience.
…have no succourer. There is no one to succour them against the chastisement of Allah, glorified be He.
‘Our Master! Indeed we heard a caller calling to belief, “Believe in your Master!” And so we believed. Our Master, so forgive us our sins and cover our evils, and make us die with the righteous.
(193)
‘Our Master! Indeed we heard a caller calling to belief,… It means the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and his House, and whoever calls the people to belief in Allah, glorified be He. “Those of intellect' acknowledge to Allah, glorified be He, that they answered the caller to belief, and did not turn away from the call of truth. They heard the caller calling:
…“Believe in your Master!”… They were called upon not to disbelieve and not to partnerise.
…And so we believed.…. They were saying, ‘We believed in Thee, O Master!'
…Our Master, so forgive us our sins and cover our evils,… It seems the difference between ‘sins' (al-dhunub) and ‘evils' (al-sayi.at) is that the former are the major sins that have consequential repercussions, while the latter are the minor sins that pollute a person but do not accrue punishment for as long as a person does not commit the major sins. There are other views about the difference. Perhaps the repetition is a clear emphasis of their fear of sins.
…and make us die… It means: take us unto Thyself, as we die, in company:
…with the righteous. The righteous are those whom Allah has favoured with obedience towards Himself.
‘Our Master! And grant us that which Thou promised us by Thy Messengers, and humiliate us not on the day of resurrection, for indeed Thou, Thou break not the promise.'
(194)
‘Our Master! And grant us that which Thou promised us… It is a reference to goodness and felicity in the world.
…by Thy Messengers,… It means on the tongue of the Messengers and Prophets.
…and humiliate us not on the day of resurrection, for indeed Thou, Thou break not the promise.' ‘The promise' refers to His pact with the believers to grant them salvation in the world and goodness in the hereafter.
So their Master answered them, for I waste not an act of a deedful one from among ye – male or female, some of ye are of others.
So those who migrated and were exiled from their homes and suffered annoyance in My path and battled and were killed—I shall cover their evils and I shall enter them into gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, a reward from alongside Allah.
And Allah—alongside Him is the beautiful reward.
(195)
So their Master answered them,… He answered those believers who prayed with the fore-mentioned prayer, and He accepted their words, saying:
…for I waste not an act of a deedful one from among ye… It means among the believers.
…—male or female,… Whatever the believers' gender, their actions are preserved for the recompense to be repaid.
…some of ye are of others…. The believers are all of the same stock and help and support each other. In that they differ from the disbelievers, who are not ‘of' or ‘from' each other, in that they oppose each other. And so each party has its own characteristics, its own ‘colour' or hue.
…So those who migrated… That is, to Madina.
…and were exiled from their homes… The partnerists drove them out of Makka. The ayah applies to all who migrate from their homes, and are driven from their lands.
…and suffered annoyance in My path… They were subjected to annoyance because of their faith and their obedience.
…and battled… It means for the sake of Allah, glorified be He.
…and were killed… It means killed by the disbelievers.
…—I shall cover their evils… They shall not be called to account for their evils.
…and I shall enter them into gardens, rivers flowing beneath them,… The rivers flow beneath the trees and shrubs of the gardens, as has been given.
…a reward from alongside Allah. The reward is for their deeds and their enthusiasm in His path.
…And Allah—alongside Him is the beautiful reward. The beautiful reward is with Allah alone; no other has the power or authority to bestow such a beautiful reward.
Here a person might wonder how it is that the disbelievers have such luxury and ease and plentiful travel-opportunities and benefits, while the believers are persecuted and driven from their homes and oppressed? Is not Allah, glorified be He, their supporter and succourer? Here is the answer:
Thou should not be deceived by the turnaround through the lands of those who disbelieve.
(196)
Thou should not be deceived… It means that the Messenger was not to imagine that the disbelievers were in happiness.
…by the turnaround through the lands of those who disbelieve. Their easily going about the earth brings them no benefits.
It is nothing more than:
A little pleasure, thereupon their abode is hell, and atrocious is the resting-place!
(197)
A little pleasure,… It means that their enjoyment is but for a short while.
…thereupon their abode is hell—and atrocious is the resting-place! Their final destination is the hell, a vile and painful place in which to remain.
But those who guard before their Master—theirs are gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, eternal in them. A setting down from alongside Allah; and that alongside Allah is better for the righteous.
(198)
But those who guard before their Master… Those who believe and obey, though they may be in difficulties at present, nevertheless:
…—theirs are gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, eternal in them…. Theirs is no mere cursory enjoyment, like the disbelievers' enjoyment in the world.
…A setting down from alongside Allah;… ‘Setting down' is put for nuzulan. It means that which is set down for a guest: honour, goodness, food and drink.
…and that alongside Allah… The beneficence and generosity of Allah, glorified be He,
…is better for the righteous. It is better than what the disbelievers enjoy in the world.
Now the thread returns to the book-folk who were previously criticised for disbelieving and plotting:
And indeed, of the book-folk is he who believes in Allah and that sent down to ye and that sent down to them--awe-struck for Allah; they purchase not for Allah's portents a small price.
Those—theirs is their wage alongside their Master; indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning.
(199)
And indeed, of the book-folk is he who believes in Allah… Some book-folk confirm His oneness and acknowledge all that the believers acknowledge.
…and that sent down to ye… The noble Quran.
…and that sent down to them… This is in contrast to the other book-folk who did not believe in what was revealed to them, for they permitted the forbidden and forbade the permitted and opposed the Laws of their book. The condition of the believers from the book-folk was that they were:
--awe-struck… Humble.
…for Allah;… They humbly obey His commands and prohibitions.
…they purchase not for Allah's portents a small price…. It means that they do not swap His signs and His proofs and evidences for something paltry. Their leaders did this—they corruptly hid the book so as not to lose their leadership.
…Those… It means those of the book-folk who have these good qualities.
…—theirs is their wage alongside their Master;… He rewards them for the goodness they do, their believing and their confirmation.
…indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning. Their reward is not distant, for the length of the world is short, even though it may seem long.
Finally, the believers are addressed and the surah ends with this eloquent recommendation:
O ye who believe! Restrain, rival in restraint, be on patrol and guard before Allah, that ye might thrive.
(200)
O ye who believe! Restrain,… It means that they are to put up with the difficulties of believing.
…rival in restraint… It is put for sabiru, a form of the word sabr implying to compete in self-restraint. The believers are to be triumphant in self-restraint. Perhaps the meaning is to compete with the enemy in self-restraint, so that however restrained the disbelievers become, the believers are to outdo them in self-restraint, until they triumph and take the battle.
…be on patrol… ‘Be on patrol' is put for rabitu. The Muslims are to patrol their borders so that they are informed of what the disbelievers are doing.
…and guard before Allah,… It means to be careful in actions and not commit any disobedience.
…that ye might thrive. To be successful and to thrive in the world and the hereafter.
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Qur'an
