In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
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Study the Qur'aan in Qur'aanic light to understand Islam in its pristine simplicity, clarity, beauty and purity
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Qur'aanic Studies - Volume VII
by
Mohammad Shafi
PREFACE
Below the Arabic text of every verse of the Qur'aan, is its transliteration, followed by translation and Chapter Notes, if any, essentially based on the Qur'aan itself. Please remember that the Arabic text is divine and, therefore, sacrosanct, but the transliteration, translation and the Notes are human and, therefore, subject to correction. Please also remember that the human-made Notes cannot, and do not, explain the divine verses. They seek to explain the human translation only and/or to relate the verse to present circumstances or to divine explanations given in other verses of the Qur'aan.
I have adopted the transliteration method employed by the Muslim Students' Association (MSA) of the University of Southern California. And, in this regard, I may usefully quote from their site:
"MSA-USC would like to thank muslimnet.net for making their transliteration of the Qur'an publicly available.
'We would like to emphasize that this [transliteration] text is not a substitute for the original Arabic Qur'an. It is only an attempt to help those who are trying to learn to read the Arabic text, since it is as close to the written text as possible.
It is important to practice pronouncing the letters as directed in the transliteration table, especially the underlined letters, before starting to read. It will be helpful if an Arabic speaker can help you.
This work is free for use to everyone as long as no changes that might distort it are done to it. We request from those who benefit from it to pray for us. We pray to Almighty Allah to help you learn to read the Holy Qur'an, and to do every good thing.'"
I present this humble work in the earnest hope that it will prompt my Readers to try and understand the divine Message in its original Arabic text. They should remember that no translation however meticulously done can ever equal the original Arabic text in its divine grandeur and pristine clarity.
One may wonder why this yet another addition to the existing plethora of Translations and Commentaries! The answer to this question lies in the beauty of the fact that the divine Message of the Qur'aan remains valid for all times and ages since its revelation until the Last Day. The Message therefore needs to be studied from time to time in the changing perspectives of the changing times. It would be absolutely wrong to confine this universal Message for mankind to the circumstances and situations of a particular period in the past. Unfortunately, however, most of the commentators so far have based their understanding of the Qur'aan in the strict perspective of the circumstances and situations prevailing at the time of its revelation way back in 7th century A.D. The Muslim mindset generally has thus got stagnated and therefore unable to cope with the changing situations of the changing times. This humble attempt of mine is to help Muslims generally to come out, Allah willing, of that crippling stagnation.
This Volume of my Qur'aanic Studies is on Aal-e-Imran Verses 92 to 164.
Mohammad Shafi
Mumbai, INDIA,
28th April, 2007
CONTENTS |
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(Aal-e-Imran)
Chapter 3: Family of Imran
92. Lan tanaloo albirra hatta
tunfiqoo mimma tuhibboona wama tunfiqoo min
shay-in fa-inna Allaha bihi AAaleemun
92. Never shall you attain to righteousness unless you spend from what you love. And Allah is indeed aware of anything you spend.105 to 107
105. Man loves wealth. He thinks it could bring him comfort in this worldly life. His thoughts do not go beyond, to the life in the Hereafter. But Islam teaches him that this worldly life is temporary and only a test; it is the everlasting life in the Hereafter that really matters. And the Verse 92 here tells us that unless we overcome our love of wealth by spending from it, we cannot be righteous enough to deserve comfortable lives in the Hereafter.
106. We can of course incur necessary expenses, from our own wealth, on our own selves. But we cannot waste the wealth on our own selves beyond our genuine needs. Allah would be aware of it, if and when we do it. And Verse 2.215 tells us on whose genuine needs to spend our wealth that is in excess of our own individual needs.
107. Man loves other things also, besides wealth. He loves his spouse and chidren, for example. Verse 92 here could be extended in its implications to cover these other objects of love too. Our love for our own children, for instance, should not come in our way of standing firmly for justice in any matter involving them.
93. Kullu alttaAAami kana
hillan libanee isra-eela illa ma harrama
isra-eelu AAala nafsihi min qabli an tunazzala alttawratu
qul fa/too bialttawrati faotlooha in
kuntum sadiqeena
93. All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Israel made unlawful for himself, before the Torah was revealed. Say: "Bring the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful."108
108. Even though, on the authority of this Verse, all wholesome food was lawful for the Children of Israel, Verse 6.146 informs us that certain food items were made unlawful to them only as punishment for their rebellious behaviour. And from Verse 3.50, we learn that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was sent to them, inter alia, to make some of these forbidden items lawful again. But since they had rejected Jesus, they had not implemented the lifting of the ban on those items. Apparently the thrust of this Verse 3.93 here is to tell the Jews present at the time of the revelation of the Qur'aan that they need not raise their eyebrows at the Qur'aan making lawful food items forbidden in the Torah.
94. Famani iftara AAala Allahi
alkathiba min baAAdi thalika faola-ika humu
althalimoona
94. So then, after that, people, such as one who concocts the lie upon Allah, are indeed the wrong-doers.109
109. In the context of the preceding Verse 93, it is apparent that the Jews, at the time of the revelation of the Qur'aan, were taunting the believers that the latter had made lawful the food items that Allah Himself had forbidden in the Torah. To nail that lie, the Jews were, as noted in the preceding Verse 93, asked to bring the Torah and read from it. It must have then been clear to all concerned that the forbidding of the food items in the Torah was only by way of a punishment to the Jews, for their intransigence. It wasn't a general forbiddance. Please go through the preceding Note 108 also in this connection. Those who insisted on the lie that the forbiddance in the Torah was a general divine forbiddance, even after the matter was thus clarified, were indeed insisting on their instransigence.
95. Qul sadaqa Allahu faittabiAAoo
millata ibraheema haneefan wama kana
mina almushrikeena
95. Say, "Allah has told the Truth. Devoutly follow Abraham's creed then! He was not of the polytheists."110
110. In the immediate context of the preceding two Verses, 93 and 94, the truth that is referred to here in this Verse 95 as having been told by Allah is the truth about the food items forbidden to the Jews in the Torah. The forbiddance was specifically for the Jews by way of a punishment to them, and therefore not continued in the Qur'aan. The Jews are being told here to accept this truth from their Lord, and to follow their forefather Abraham's creed devoutly. And Abraham's creed was to submit to the Lord of the Worlds. (Refer Verse 2.131 and go through footnote 194 of these Studies thereunder.)
96. Inna awwala baytin wudiAAa lilnnasi
lallathee bibakkata mubarakan wahudan lilAAalameena
96. Indeed, the first House built for mankind is at Bakkah, the blessed place that has provided guidance for all the worlds.111
111. From the next Verse 97, it is apparent that the name Bakkah used here is to denote the same city we now know as Makkah. In Verse 48.24, however, Valley of Makkah is as such mentioned. This indicates that at the time of revelation of the Qur'aan, the city was known as Bakkah, while the valley in which the city is located was known as Makkah. At the same time, it may be noted that 'ba' and 'ma' are phonetically akin. This Verse also reveals that the House (Kaabah) was the first one to be built at that place. And as we all know, from this blessed place emanated the perfected religion of Islam to provide guidance for all the worlds. And as regards the Qur'aanic meaning of 'worlds', please refer footnote 1.5 of these Studies.
97. Feehi ayatun bayyinatun
maqamu ibraheema waman dakhalahu kana aminan
walillahi AAala alnnasi hijju
albayti mani istataAAa ilayhi sabeelan waman kafara
fa-inna Allaha ghaniyyun AAani alAAalameena
97. Among clear Signs therein112 is Maqam Ibrahim113. And whoever enters it, becomes safe.114 And for Allah is the annual Pilgrimage to the House ordained upon mankind - upon any who can afford the journey to it.115 And as for one who suppresses the Truth, Allah is self-sufficient and stands in no need of the worlds.116
112. That is, in Bakkah referred to in the preceding Verse 96.
113. This is a stone bearing human footprints. On the authority of this Qur'aanic Verse, the footprints are those of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). The stone was reportedly used by Abraham to build the upper portions of the walls of the Kaabah. The repeated use thus of the stone might have left impressions of his feet thereon. The preservation of the footprints is a clear sign from Allah. The stone is now kept in an enclosure in front of the Kaabah on the left side of its door.
114. The city of Makkah (Bakkah) is a no-war zone in terms of Verse 2.191.
115. The pilgrimage to Makkah is a conditional obligation. The condition is that the pilgrim can afford it - financially, physically or even otherwise. It may so happen that in a particular year, a person may be both physically and financially able to perform the Pilgrimage, but he may be prevented from undertaking the journey because of some other compelling business or personal circumstance. But this last reason ought not to be made an excuse for evading the Pilgrimage, year after year, particularly if the person has not gone for the pilgrimage even once.
116. A suppressor of the Truth would deny that performing the Hajj is a divinely laid down duty. And so he does not perform it. Allah Ta'ala makes it clear here to such a person that He is not in need of any pilgrimage. The non-performance of the duty will only make the human defaulter liable to punishment for disobeying his Creator.
98. Qul ya ahla alkitabi lima
takfuroona bi-ayati Allahi waAllahu
shaheedun AAala ma taAAmaloona
98. Say: "O People of the Book! Why do you suppress Allah's signs/Verses, when Allah is Himself witness to all you do?"117
117. As we have already seen, Allah informs us in Verse 2.146 that the Jews and the Christians recognise Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as they recognise their sons. That is obviously because their own Scriptures contain the prophecy of the Prophet's coming to this world at a future time. Peruse footnote 3.84 under Verse 3.70 also, in this context.
99. Qul ya ahla alkitabi lima tasuddoona
AAan sabeeli Allahi man amana tabghoonaha
AAiwajan waantum shuhadao wama Allahu bighafilin
AAamma taAAmaloona
99. Say: "O People of the Book! Why do you obstruct a believer from the path of Allah, seeking crookedness in that path, while you are yourselves witnesses118? And Allah is not unaware of all that you do."
118. The Jews and Christians are themselves witnesses - on the authority and basis of the evidences in their own scriptures - to the fact that Allah's path, as shown in the Qur'aan, is the right path. Allah is very well aware of their suppression thus of the Truth. The wanton suppression may land them into irretrievable torment.
100. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
in tuteeAAoo fareeqan mina allatheena ootoo alkitaba
yaruddookum baAAda eemanikum kafireena
100. O you who believe! If you follow any faction of those upon whom the divine Book was bestowed earlier, they would turn you back to suppressing the Truth after you have come to believe!
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101. Wakayfa takfuroona waantum tutla
AAalaykum ayatu Allahi wafeekum rasooluhu
waman yaAAtasim biAllahi faqad hudiya ila
siratin mustaqeemin
101. And how could you suppress the Truth while Allah's Verses are being recited to you, and His Messenger is amongst you? And whoever clings firmly to Allah, he/she is indeed guided to the Straight Path.119
119. Although Allah's Messenger is not with us now, His divinely protected and perfected Verses are with us. By meticulously adhering to the divine instructions contained in those Verses, we would be clinging firmly to Allah and thus be guided to the Straight Path.
102. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha haqqa tuqatihi wala tamootunna illa waantum muslimoona
102. O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not but as those who have surrendered themselves completely to Allah.120
120. Death may come without any warning signals. Man should therefore never postpone surrendering himself to any future date. That future date may never come in his life.
103. WaiAAtasimoo bihabli
Allahi jameeAAan wala tafarraqoo waothkuroo
niAAmata Allahi AAalaykum ith kuntum aAAdaan
faallafa bayna quloobikum faasbahtum biniAAmatihi
ikhwanan wakuntum AAala shafa hufratin
mina alnnari faanqathakum minha kathalika
yubayyinu Allahu lakum ayatihi laAAallakum
tahtadoona
103. And cling together, all of you, to Allah's Rope121, and stand not divided! And remember Allah's favour on you when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren. And you were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He rescued you from it.122 Thus does Allah make His Signs/Verses clear to you that you may be guided.
121. 'Allah's Rope' is a beautiful metaphor for the Qur'aan! Mankind is, so to say, in the pit of this world, struggling for moral survival against its trials and tribulations. Only those could be saved from this pit, who cling to this Rope of Hope, sent down by the Lord. Only those are saved, in other words, who adhere meticulously to the instructions given in the Qur'aan.
122. What is depicted here is the state of offairs in the Arab society, just before Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came to them with His Message.
104. Waltakun minkum ommatun yadAAoona ila
alkhayri waya/muroona bialmaAAroofi wayanhawna AAani
almunkari waola-ika humu almuflihoona
104. And there ought to come into being a community out of you, calling people to the good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. And they are the ones to attain salvation.123
123. There is a misconception, among the believers, about this Verse. They think that Allah wants a group of the believers - and not all of them - should devote themselves to the work entrusted here in this Verse. We should take note of what the last part of the Verse says. It says that only those who do the work entrusted shall attain to salvation. That means that those believers who do not do the work shall not attain salvation! Moreover what is mentioned here is a community, and not just a group of that community. So, the logical understanding of this Verse is that Allah desires that the entire body of the believers should evolve into a community that does this work divinely entrusted here to them.
105. Wala takoonoo kaallatheena
tafarraqoo waikhtalafoo min baAAdi ma jaahumu
albayyinatu waola-ika lahum AAathabun AAatheemun
105. And be not like those who differ and dispute after clear signs have come to them. For them, a terrible punishment!
106. Yawma tabyaddu wujoohun wataswaddu
wujoohun faamma allatheena iswaddat wujoohuhum
akafartum baAAda eemanikum fathooqoo alAAathaba
bima kuntum takfuroona
106. That Day124 some faces will brighten, and some faces will darken. Then those with darkened faces will be told, "Did you suppress the Truth after you had come to know the Truth!? Taste then the punishment, since you were suppressors of the Truth!"
124. I.e., the Day of Judgement or the Day of Resurrection.
107. Waamma allatheena ibyaddat wujoohuhum fafee rahmati Allahi hum feeha khalidoona
107. And those with brightened faces will be under Allah's mercy and grace. They will dwell therein for ever.
108. Tilka ayatu Allahi
natlooha AAalayka bialhaqqi wama Allahu
yureedu thulman lilAAalameena
108. These are Allah's Verses/signs. We recite them over to you in Truth. And Allah means no oppression or injustice to the worlds125.
125. For a comprehensive Qur'aanic meaning of the Arabic word alAAalameen, please see footnote 1.5 of these Studies.
109. Walillahi ma fee alssamawati
wama fee al-ardi wa-ila Allahi
turjaAAu al-omooru
109. And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. And to Allah, the matters return.126
126. Here's a crucial point of difference between an atheist and a theist believing in an Entity consciously creating and sustaining the entire Universe. For an atheist, this worldly life is the 'be-all' and 'end-all' of all things. To him, a man is just a superior type of animal. Nothing more. Like all other animals, he is born, he lives for an uncertain number of years, and he dies. During his span of life in this competitive world, if he uses his intelligence shrewdly in out-manoeuvring others in the games of life, he can enjoy the fruits, although temporary, thereof. Otherwise, his life would be miserable. For him, there is none to sit in judgement on the propriety or impropriety of his actions. For a believer in Allah, on the other hand, death is not the 'end-all'. Life for him here is only a test. The matters he is involved in, are referred to his Creator for final adjudication. Along with the matters, he too is returned to the Creator, after death, for facing His judgement on his performance in this life. He is accountable to Allah for all his acts of omission and commission.
110. Kuntum khayra ommatin okhrijat lilnnasi
ta/muroona bialmaAAroofi watanhawna AAani almunkari
watu/minoona biAllahi walaw amana ahlu alkitabi
lakana khayran lahum minhumu almu/minoona waaktharuhumu
alfasiqoona
110. You are a better people, picked up for mankind, to enjoin what is right and to forbid what is wrong, and to believe in Allah.127 And had the People of the Book believed, it would certainly be better for them. Among them are some who believe, but most of them are dissolute.128
127. This is a divine confirmation that the task of propagating Islam, the Allah-chosen and Allah-perfected Religion for mankind, has been entrusted to the followers of the Qur'aan, after the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
128. Although at the time of the revelation of the Qur'aan, the epithet 'people of the Book' was applied to the Jews and the Christians, it is applicable now to the Muslims as well. They (the Muslims) too are given a divine Book, and among them too there are some who do believe, but most have gone astray.
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111. Lan yadurrookum illa athan
wa-in yuqatilookum yuwallookumu al-adbara thumma la
yunsaroona
111. They will cause no harm to you, but a trifle. And if they come out to fight you, they will turn their backs to you. Then, no help shall they get.129
129. At the time of its revelation, the people referred to in this Verse as 'they' were the Jews and the Christians, in the light of the preceding Verse 110. But in our own context today, the 'people of the Book', as already noted in the preceding footnote 128, would include Muslims too, who have strayed away from the pure Qur'aanic teachings.
112. Duribat AAalayhimu alththillatu
ayna ma thuqifoo illa bihablin mina Allahi
wahablin mina alnnasi wabaoo bighadabin
mina Allahi waduribat AAalayhimu almaskanatu thalika
bi-annahum kanoo yakfuroona bi-ayati Allahi
wayaqtuloona al-anbiyaa bighayri haqqin thalika
bima AAasaw wakanoo yaAAtadoona
112. Disgraced are they wherever found, except for those who hold on firmly to the Rope from Allah and to the rope from men. They incurred wrath from Allah and are afflicted with poverty. That is because they wantonly ignored Allah's signs/Verses and killed the prophets unjustly. That is because they disobeyed and were transgressors.130
130. Obviously again, this Verse was revealed with reference to the Jews and the Christians living at the time of the revelation of the Qur'aan. The reference to the killing of the Prophets particularly pertained to them. But, as stated in the foregoing footnotes 128 and 129 herein above, 'people of the Book' could apply to Muslims also now. And except for the killings of the Prophets, the rest of the Verse appears to be divinely applied now to Muslims, rather than to the Jews and the Christians. It is applied now to the Muslims by way of a divine warning to them. That is because, unlike the Jews and the Christians, Muslims may still be, in the eyes of Allah, amenable to leaning back to the right path as shown in the Qur'aan. The Jews and the Christians are now generally beyond guidance and wornings as communities. Allah Ta'ala has stoppped giving them the warning signals. Please keep also the next two Verses 113 & 114 in mind, in this context.
113. Laysoo sawaan min ahli alkitabi
ommatun qa-imatun yatloona ayati Allahi
anaa allayli wahum yasjudoona
113. Not all of them are alike. Of the People of the Book there are some that stand for the right. They recite Allah's Verses during the night time, and they prostrate themselves.
114. Yu/minoona biAllahi waalyawmi
al-akhiri waya/muroona bialmaAAroofi wayanhawna
AAani almunkari wayusariAAoona fee alkhayrati waola-ika
mina alssaliheena
114. They believe in Allah and in the Last Day. And they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. And they hasten to do good work. They are among the righteous.
115. Wama yafAAaloo min khayrin falan yukfaroohu waAllahu AAaleemun bialmuttaqeena
115. And whatever good they do, nothing will be suppressed therefrom.131 And Allah knows those who fear Him.
131. There is a general apprehension, in the minds of those who do not have a strong belief in Allah, that the good one does is not adequately appreciated and, therefore, wasted. They are thus inclined to give as much publicity as possible to their good deeds, whereby they hope to get good names and other benefits for themselves. Had their belief in Allah been strong enough, they wouldn't hanker after such mundane benefits. They would be sure that Allah, their Lord, wouldn't let their good deeds go waste.
116. Inna allatheena kafaroo lan tughniya
AAanhum amwaluhum wala awladuhum mina Allahi
shay-an waola-ika as-habu alnnari
hum feeha khalidoona
116. Those indeed who suppress the Truth! Neither their wealth nor their progeny will be of any use to them against Allah. Those would be inhabitants of the Fire, dwelling therein for ever.
117. Mathalu ma yunfiqoona fee hathihi
alhayati alddunya kamathali reehin
feeha sirrun asabat hartha qawmin thalamoo
anfusahum faahlakat-hu wama thalamahumu Allahu
walakin anfusahum yathlimoona
117. What they spend in the life of this world is like a bitingly cold wind. It strikes the field of those people who wrong their own selves, and destroys it. And Allah does not wrong them, but they wrong themselves.132
132. In the divine scheme of things, human life in this world is like a field. The farmer toils hard in his field in order to get a good crop. Similarly, every human being is fashioned to toil hard in the temporary life of this world in order to get a good crop for the permanent life in the Hereafter. And to get a good crop the human being is required to spend his/her time and money in certain divinely laid down ways. Suppressors of the Truth suppress their consciences urging them to spend in those ways. And they spend in other ways. And those spendings in other ways generates that bitingly cold wind destined to destroy the crop that could give them a good life in the hereafter. They thus themselves destroy their own future.
118. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
la tattakhithoo bitanatan min doonikum la
ya/loonakum khabalan waddoo ma AAanittum qad badati
albaghdao min afwahihim wama tukhfee sudooruhum
akbaru qad bayyanna lakumu al-ayati in
kuntum taAAqiloona
118. O you who believe! Develop no intimacy with those outside your circle who leave no stone unturned to ruin you, loving to see you suffer. Hatred spews from their mouths, and what their hearts conceal is far worse. We have certainly made the Signs/Verses clear to you, if you could but understand.133
133. This Verse, along with the next two Verses 119 and 120, clearly spells out the description of the people who should be shunned. In Verses 60.8 and 60.9, the qur'aan makes it further clear that Allah does not forbid the believers to deal justly and kindly with those who had not fought against them because of their religion, and had not driven them out of their houses.
119. Ha antum ola-i tuhibboonahum
wala yuhibboonakum watu/minoona bialkitabi
kullihi wa-itha laqookum qaloo amanna
wa-itha khalaw AAaddoo AAalaykumu al-anamila
mina alghaythi qul mootoo bighaythikum
inna Allaha AAaleemun bithati alssudoori
119. Behold! You are the ones who love them, but they love you not. And you do believe in every Book of His134! And when they meet you, they say, "We believe." And when they are alone, they bite their fingers, in their rage against you. Say: "Die in your rage. Allah does indeed know secrets of the minds135."
134. The believers are required to believe, not only in the Qur'aan, but also in all the Books bestowed by Allah upon earlier peoples. [Verse 4.1236]
135. Please refer footnote 2.117, on Verse 2.88, in this regard. In that Verse the Arabic word used was quloob, and in this Verse it is sudoor. Sadar, the singular form of sudoor, is generally translated as heart, but it also means head. And the head (governing) part of the human body is literally called the 'head', which contains the mind. And hence the translation of sudoor here is given as 'minds'.
120. In tamsaskum hasanatun tasu/hum
wa-in tusibkum sayyi-atun yafrahoo biha
wa-in tasbiroo watattaqoo la yadurrukum
kayduhum shay-an inna Allaha bima yaAAmaloona muheetun
120. If anything good happens to you, it grieves them. And if anything bad befalls you, they rejoice at it. And if you exercise patience and piety, their guile shall cause you no harm.136 Indeed! Allah has, in His Sight, everything they do.
136. If only, the Muslims of today had unshakable belief in this!!
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121. Wa-ith ghadawta min ahlika tubawwi-o
almu/mineena maqaAAida lilqitali waAllahu
sameeAAun AAaleemun
121. And when you left early from your family to set the believers in battle order.137 And Allah hears all and He knows all.
137. This Verse and the Verses that follow, refer to a battle. And from Verse 123 below, it is clear that this battle had taken place after the battle of Badr.
122. Ith hammat ta-ifatani
minkum an tafshala waAllahu waliyyuhuma
waAAala Allahi falyatawakkali almu/minoona
122. When two groups from amongst you were about to lose heart! And Allah was their Guide and Patron. And upon Allah then the believers ought to put their trust.
123. Walaqad nasarakumu Allahu
bibadrin waantum athillatun faittaqoo Allaha
laAAallakum tashkuroona
123. And Allah had helped you at Badr, when you were very weak.138 Fear Allah then so that you show your gratitude to Him.
138. For more details on the earlier battle at Badr, please see Verses 8.5 to 8.19.
124. Ith taqoolu lilmu/mineena alan
yakfiyakum an yumiddakum rabbukum bithalathati alafin
mina almala-ikati munzaleena
124. When you told the believers, "Is it not enough for you that Allah would help you with three thousands of the angels sent down?"
125. Bala in tasbiroo watattaqoo
waya/tookum min fawrihim hatha yumdidkum rabbukum
bikhamsati alafin mina almala-ikati
musawwimeena
125. "And yes, if you be patient, and fear Allah, and they mount a sudden attack on you now, your Lord would help you with five thousands of the angels facing them."
126. Wama jaAAalahu Allahu illa
bushra lakum walitatma-inna quloobukum bihi wama
alnnasru illa min AAindi Allahi
alAAazeezi alhakeemi
126. And Allah made it139 not but a message of good news to reassure your minds therewith. And the help came not but from Allah, the Almighty, the Wise.140
139. The reference is to what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the believers on the battlefield, as in the preceding two Verses, regarding Allah sending down angels in thousands to help them.
140. There is a subtle indication here of the fact that Allah need not physically send thousands of angels down to help the believers in the battlefield. Just the Will of Allah is enough. The mention of thousands of angels was just to becalm the believers, whose human minds might not comprehend divine help without imagining the physical presence of angels preventing the enemy from attacking the believers.
127. LiyaqtaAAa tarafan mina allatheena
kafaroo aw yakbitahum fayanqaliboo kha-ibeena
127. 141To cut off one side of those who suppressed the Truth or to restrain them, and they should then turn back frustrated.
141. This Verse is in continuation of the last part of the preceding Verse, viz., "And the help came not but from Allah, the Almighty, the Wise". And that was actually the result of that particular battle. Although the Muslims suffered significant casualties, they rallied around the Prophet (peace be upon him), by Allah's Grace, and fought back. The enemy retreated, and their plans to destroy the Muslims were frustrated.
128. Laysa laka mina al-amri shay-on aw yatooba AAalayhim aw yuAAaththibahum fa-innahum thalimoona
128. It was not for you to decide whether to pardon them, or punish them. But they did indeed do wrong.142
142. It appears that the Muslim army went in hot pursuit of the enemy, after the latter retreated from the battlefield. But they could not pursue for long. The fierce battle had taken its toll on the Muslims too. They were tired and returned to Medina after going for some distance. It was in this context that Allah tells the believers that the real decision in any matter rests with Him. In the retreating Meccan army, there were many who later became Muslims. Allah knew this beforehand, and saved them for future openings of their minds to Islam.
129. Walillahi ma fee alssamawati
wama fee al-ardi yaghfiru liman yashao
wayuAAaththibu man yashao waAllahu
ghafoorun raheemun
129. And to Allah belongs whatever there is in the heavens and in the earth. He forgives whom He pleases and punishes whom He pleases. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
130. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
la ta/kuloo alrriba adAAafan
mudaAAafatan waittaqoo Allaha laAAallakum
tuflihoona
130. O you who believe! Consume not Ar-Riba143, doubled and multiplied. And fear Allah, so that you attain salvation.
143. For the Qur'aanic definition of this term, please see footnotes 2.514 to 2.516, on Verse 2.275, of these Studies. Ar-Riba got totally prohibited under Verse 2.275, and Verse 3.130, the one we are studying now, was revealed earlier in chronological order of revelation. So, at the time of revelation of Verse 3.130, Ar-Riba was not totally prohibited. But by this Verse, the believers were asked not to consume Ar-Riba at exorbitant rates. This is in line with the divine scheme of inducting prohibition of long-entrenched harmful human habits in gradual steps. Prohibiton of intoxicants was also similarly done. And I recommend that the Readers review Verses 2.275 to 2.280 and all the footnotes on these Verses, under these Studies, for a better understanding of what Ar-Riba is.
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131. Waittaqoo alnnara
allatee oAAiddat lilkafireena
131. And fear the Fire, prepared for suppressors of the Truth.
132. WaateeAAoo Allaha waalrrasoola
laAAallakum turhamoona
132. And obey Allah and the Messenger so that Mercy is bestowed upon you.144 to 146
144. This Qur'aanic directive to obey the Messenger is grossly misunderstood. The Messenger is no longer living in this world, and there is no question of his issuing any directives now in person, which could be obeyed. The directives he had issued, while he was living, under Allah's guidance are most authentically incorporated in the Qur'aan. So when the believers obey the directives in the Qur'aan, they in effect obey both Allah and His Messenger. But a majority of the Muslims now say that obeying the Qur'aanic directives alone wouldn't be akin to obeying the Messenger. He (the Messenger), they insist, had issued some detailed instructions for practical implementation of the divine directives in the Qur'aan. These practical instructions, they say, are contained in the ahaadeeth. According to these Muslims, then, the divinely approved Religion of Islam is not complete and perfect without the ahaadeeth!
145. The majority contention of the present-day Muslims as above, clearly contradicts many Qur'aanic statements like those quoted below:
- "...We have missed nothing in the Book..." [Verse 6.38]
- "...It is not a concocted hadeeth but a confirmation of what preceded it and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a mercy for the people who believe." [Verse 12.111]
The Muslim contention in fact betrays their lack of belief in the Qur'aan.
146. It is an accepted fact that the ahaadeeth contain many contradictions. And in the light of the divine criterion laid down in Verse 4.82, such writings cannot be from Allah. So by treating these non-divine writings at par with the divine Verses of the Qur'aan, the Muslims are committing the unpardonable sin of shirk. Nay, they are committing a sin worse than shirk. They are rejecting the divine Verses which say that everything is explained in the Qur'aan, and they seek the explanation instead in the error-prone, man-influenced ahaadeeth. They, in effect, believe in men narrating the ahaadeeth to the recorders, hundreds of years after the death of the Prophet. But they do not believe in Allah!! May the GhafoorurRaheem make them realise, before it becomes too late, that they are, by doing so, inexorably hurtling themselves into a painful doom.
133. WasariAAoo ila maghfiratin
min rabbikum wajannatin AAarduha alssamawatu
waal-ardu oAAiddat lilmuttaqeena
133. And strive for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden, as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious people.147
147. This ought to be the aim of every believer's life on this earth. The pious people who would get the Jannah are described in the next two Verses.
134. Allatheena yunfiqoona fee alssarra-i
waalddarra-i waalkathimeena
alghaytha waalAAafeena AAani alnnasi
waAllahu yuhibbu almuhsineena
134. Those who spend in prosperity and in adversity,148 those who restrain anger and those who are forgiving in their relations with people. And Allah loves those who do good.
148. People tend to be miserly even when they have more than enough for their own needs. Allah loves those who eschew this human tendency. And as for those who find themselves in adverse circumstances, monetary or otherwise, wealth is not the only thing that can be spent. Allah may have bestowed upon them time and knowledge, for example, which they could spend on others. And knowledge is a thing which doesn't get diminished by spending or sharing it with others.
135. Waallatheena itha
faAAaloo fahishatan aw thalamoo anfusahum thakaroo
Allaha faistaghfaroo lithunoobihim waman
yaghfiru alththunooba illa Allahu
walam yusirroo AAala ma faAAaloo wahum
yaAAlamoona
135. And those who, when they do an act of indecency or wrong their own selves, remember Allah and ask for forgiveness for their sins - And who can forgive sins except Allah? - and do not knowingly persist in doing what they had done.
136. Ola-ika jazaohum maghfiratun
min rabbihim wajannatun tajree min tahtiha
al-anharu khalideena feeha waniAAma ajru
alAAamileena
136. Those are the people for whom the reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens, with rivers flowing underneath, to dwell eternally therein. An excellent reward for those who do good work!
137. Qad khalat min qablikum sunanun faseeroo
fee al-ardi faonthuroo kayfa kana
AAaqibatu almukaththibeena
137. There indeed had been histories of people in the past before you. Travel through the earth, and see what happened to those who rejected the Truth.149
149. The times preceding the revelation of the Qur'aan were prehistoric. The revealed divine Books like the Torah and the Qur'aan are the only source of written records of those people. But there are fossilised remains in the earth, which also give their telltale circumstances before being destroyed because of their arrogance and corruption.
138. Hatha bayanun lilnnasi
wahudan wamawAAithatun lilmuttaqeena
138. This is a plain, well-explained, address for mankind, and a guidance and good advice to those who fear Allah.150
150. Obviously, what is referred to here is the Qur'aan. But alas! Most Muslims themselves have abandoned it [refer Verse 25.30]. They do only a ritualistic reading of it, without understanding what they read, as if that's all that the Religion requires them to do! And they are blissfully content therewith!! They never bother to use it as the source of divine guidance and good advice.
139. Wala tahinoo wala tahzanoo
waantumu al-aAAlawna in kuntum mu/mineena
139. Be not weak, and grieve not! And you should have an upper hand if you are strong in Faith.151
151. And most Muslims of today are not strong in their Faith. So they are weak as a community, and they grieve a lot.
140. In yamsaskum qarhun faqad massa
alqawma qarhun mithluhu watilka al-ayyamu nudawiluha
bayna alnnasi waliyaAAlama Allahu allatheena
amanoo wayattakhitha minkum shuhadaa waAllahu
la yuhibbu alththalimeena
140. If you are hurt, then surely the community is similarly hurt. And We rotate periods of hurt among mankind, and We do so in order that Allah may distinguish those that believe and pick up witnesses from amongst you.152 And Allah does not love the offenders.
152. So the hurt that may afflict any person is a test from Allah that would distinguish him/her as believing or non-believing. If the person recognises the hurt as the test and suffers it patiently with prayers to the Lord, employing all fair means to overcome the effects of the hurt, he/she has passed the test. Allah Ta'ala then takes him/her as a witness to the truth of the hurt being only a test. On the other hand, if the person frets and fumes at the hurt, curses his destiny and does not hesitate to employ even foul means to overcome the effects of the hurt, he/she is an offender.
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141. Waliyumahhisa Allahu
allatheena amanoo wayamhaqa alkafireena
141. And that153 Allah makes the believers shine and destroys suppressors of the Truth.
153. This connects this Verse with the preceding one to mean that Allah's further purpose of the test is to make the believers eligible for better things and the suppressors of the Truth, for punishment.
142. Am hasibtum an tadkhuloo aljannata walamma yaAAlami Allahu allatheena jahadoo
minkum wayaAAlama alssabireena
142. Did you think that you would enter the Paradise, while Allah is yet to distinguish those of you who would strive and identify those who would exercise patience?154
154. Although Allah in His infinite knowledge knows beforehand who would enter Paradise, He wouldn't identify them till His human creatures build a veritable record of evidences with their deeds. Justice is not only required to be done, but also seen to be done. And Allah Almighty is our Just Lord.
143. Walaqad kuntum tamannawna almawta min qabli
an talqawhu faqad raaytumoohu waantum tanthuroona
143. You did indeed wish for death before you were face-to-face with it. Then you did certainly see it and you looked on.155
155. This Verse was revealed, as other Verses immediately preceding and following were, in the background of a battle. In that battle, apparently, the believers' ranks were facing a critical situation, having suffered many casualties. Allah Ta'ala here subtly censures the believers for hesitating to face death during that critical situation, while earlier, before actually being face-to-face with death, they had declared their readiness to face it whenever required in the Path of Allah.
144. Wama muhammadun illa
rasoolun qad khalat min qablihi alrrusulu afa-in mata
aw qutila inqalabtum AAala aAAqabikum waman
yanqalib AAala AAaqibayhi falan yadurra Allaha
shay-an wasayajzee Allahu alshshakireena
144. And Muhammad is not but a messenger. There were certainly messengers before him who had passed away. If he were to die or be slain, will you then turn back? And none who turns back can do any harm to Allah. And Allah shall reward those who turn to Him in gratitude.156
156. Remember that these Verses were revealed in the background of a raging battle. This particular Verse indicates that a serious situation had developed so far as the Muslim army was concerned. And as Verse 153 below tells us, some of them had fled, leaving the Prophet (peace be on him) in the thick of the battle behind. A false rumour, that the Prophet had been killed, might have triggered the flight. But Allah inspired the other believers to rally around the Prophet, so much so that the enemy had to stop the battle and retreat to Makkah with all their battle gear.
145. Wama kana linafsin an tamoota
illa bi-ithni Allahi kitaban
mu-ajjalan waman yurid thawaba alddunya
nu/tihi minha waman yurid thawaba al-akhirati
nu/tihi minha wasanajzee alshshakireena
145. None can die except by Allah's command at a recorded fixed time.157 And as for the person who desires a reward in this world, We give it to that person therefrom. And as for the person who desires a reward in the Hereafter, We give it to that person therefrom. And We shall reward those that turn to us in gratitude.
157. Allah Ta'ala thus admonishes the believers who had lost heart after believing in the false rumour of the Prophet's death in the battle. The divine admonition extends also to the next few Verses below.
146. Wakaayyin min nabiyyin qatala
maAAahu ribbiyyoona katheerun fama wahanoo lima asabahum
fee sabeeli Allahi wama daAAufoo wama
istakanoo waAllahu yuhibbu alssabireena
146. And there were many of the prophets who had fought, and with them were a large number of godly men. But they never lost heart because of what befell them in Allah's way, nor did they weaken or give in. And Allah loves those who exercise patience.
147. Wama kana qawlahum illa
an qaloo rabbana ighfir lana thunoobana
wa-israfana fee amrina wathabbit aqdamana
waonsurna AAala alqawmi alkafireena
147. And their prayer was none other than saying, "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in what we do. And make us steady and steadfast in the performance of our duties, and help us against suppresssors of the Truth."
148. Faatahumu Allahu thawaba
alddunya wahusna thawabi al-akhirati
waAllahu yuhibbu almuhsineena
148. Allah then gave them a reward in this world and the good reward of the Hereafter. And Allah Loves those who do good.
149. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
in tuteeAAoo allatheena kafaroo yaruddookum AAala
aAAqabikum fatanqaliboo khasireena
149. O you who believe! If you obey those who suppress the Truth, they will turn you back. Then you turn back doomed!
150. Bali Allahu mawlakum wahuwa
khayru alnnasireena
150. But Allah is your Supreme Patron, and He is the best of helpers.
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151. Sanulqee fee quloobi allatheena
kafaroo alrruAAba bima ashrakoo biAllahi
ma lam yunazzil bihi sultanan wama/wahumu alnnaru
wabi/sa mathwa alththalimeena
151. Soon shall We put awe into the minds of those who suppress the Truth, because they ascribed partners to Allah, for which He had sent down no evidence. And their abode shall be the Fire. And evil is the dwelling place of the wrong-doers!
152. Walaqad sadaqakumu Allahu
waAAdahu ith tahussoonahum bi-ithnihi hatta
itha fashiltum watanazaAAtum fee al-amri waAAasaytum
min baAAdi ma arakum ma tuhibboona
minkum man yureedu alddunya waminkum man yureedu
al-akhirata thumma sarafakum AAanhum liyabtaliyakum
walaqad AAafa AAankum waAllahu thoo
fadlin AAala almu/mineena
152. And Allah did certainly fulfill His promise when you were routing them at His Command, until you flagged and you raised a dispute about the order and you disobeyed after He gave you some glimpse of what you love. Among you are some that desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then He turned you away from them in order to test you. And He did forgive you. And Allah is favourable to those who believe.158
158. Allah's promise, mentioned at the beginning of this Verse, refers to the promise, as made in Verses 124 and 125 above, of sending down angels to help the believers fight the enemy on the battleground. In this matter of divine help, Verse 126 and footnote 140 thereon may also please be kept in mind. With this divine help, the believers did rout the enemy. But, as this Verse distinctly indicates, a part of the Muslim army disobeyed some strict orders given to them, after seeing victory, which they love, coming their way. And thus a sure victory turned to a stalemate. The stalemate was a lesson, a test and yet, a favour from Allah. It was a lesson for the Muslims as they were deprived of a sure victory because of disobedience and worldly desire on the part of some of them. It was a test for them that they did not get a clear victory despite heavy casualties among those of the Muslims who fought bravely and steadfastly. And yet it was a favour from Allah that they did not suffer an utter defeat which they would have deserved because some of them hankered after worldly gain and disobeyed orders.
153. Ith tusAAidoona wala
talwoona AAala ahadin waalrrasoolu
yadAAookum fee okhrakum faathabakum ghamman
bighammin likay la tahzanoo AAala ma
fatakum wala ma asabakum waAllahu
khabeerun bima taAAmaloona
153. That time when you were fleeing without looking back at any one, and the Messenger in your rear was calling you back!159 HE (Allah) did then inflict you with one sorrow after another so that you do not grieve for that which you lost and for that which befell you.160 And Allah is well aware of all that you do.
159. Please see Note 156 above.
160. The sorrows for the Muslim army, coming one after another, were (1) a sure victory turning into a near total defeat, (2) heavy casualties of deaths and injuries, (3) desertion by a part of the army on seeing the turn in the battle. But Allah used these sorrows to steel the resolve of the faithful few around the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they fought with such intensity and bravery that the enemy were forced to leave the battlefield without achieving their aim of annihilating the Muslim army completely.
154. Thumma anzala AAalaykum min baAAdi alghammi
amanatan nuAAasan yaghsha ta-ifatan minkum
wata-ifatun qad ahammat-hum anfusuhum yathunnoona
biAllahi ghayra alhaqqi thanna
aljahiliyyati yaqooloona hal lana mina al-amri min
shay-in qul inna al-amra kullahu lillahi yukhfoona fee
anfusihim ma la yubdoona laka yaqooloona law kana
lana mina al-amri shay-on ma qutilna hahuna
qul law kuntum fee buyootikum labaraza allatheena kutiba
AAalayhimu alqatlu ila madajiAAihim waliyabtaliya
Allahu ma fee sudoorikum waliyumahhisa
ma fee quloobikum waAllahu AAaleemun bithati
alssudoori
154. Then, after the sorrow, He sent down the peace of slumber covering one section of you, while another section cared about their own selves, entertaining wrong thoughts about Allah - thoughts prevalent during the times of ignorance. They said, "Have we had the authority to take decision in any matter?" Say, "The authority in taking decisions in all matters indeed rests with Allah." They hide within their own selves what they do not reveal to you. They say, "If we had anything to do with taking any decision in this affair, We would not have been slain here." Say, "Even if you had stayed in your houses, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to their decreed places of death." And in order that161 Allah might test that which is in your conscious minds and purge that which is in your subconscious.162 For Allah knows well the secrets of your minds.
161. What follows in this sentense is the 2nd purpose of Allah Ta'ala in inflicting sorrow upon sorrow on the Muslim army. The first purpose, mentioned in the preceding Verse, was to prevent the believers from indulging in grief over what they had lost and what befell them in the battlefield. The sorrows succeeded one another so rapidly that the believers had no time for grief. And immediately after the causes for the sorrows ended, the believers were overcome with a becalming slumber.
162. The mind operates at two stages - one, conscious, and the other subconscious. It is the conscious mind that exercises the freedom of choice given to man and takes the decisions on any course of action. The decisions may be influenced by events that are still fresh in the conscious mind, but these are also influenced by events that have got submerged into the subconscious and by feelings and emotions that have their bases in the subconscious. In this Verse, as in other Verses of the Qur'aan, sudoor (plural of sadr) has been used to refer to the conscious mind, whereas quloob (plural of qalb has been used to refer to the subconscious. Conviction on anything, good or bad, comes from the subconscious. In religious discussions, we modern-day Muslims may reiterate our faith in the Qur'aan and in all the divine directives therein. But in practical life, most of us forget those directives and do not mind resorting to falsehoods and corruption to get our worldly things done in our favour. That is because Islam has not become a matter of conviction with us. In other words, Faith has not entered our subconscious, as the Qur'aan says in Verse 49.14. The subconscious is within the conscious mind as confirmed in Verse 22.46. In the context of the battle, in the perspective of which these Verses were revealed, Allah tested the minds of those in whose subconscious still lurked wrong thoughts of the period of ignorance, before their exposure to Islam. Allah's 2nd purpose of inflicting sorrow upon sorrow on the Muslim army was to bring out into open those wrong thoughts and to purge them from the subconscious. As regards the translation of both quloob and sudoor as minds, rather than as hearts, please see footnote 2.117 of these Studies and footnote 3.135 herein above.
155. Inna allatheena tawallaw minkum
yawma iltaqa aljamAAani innama istazallahumu
alshshaytanu bibaAAdi ma kasaboo
walaqad AAafa Allahu AAanhum inna Allaha
ghafoorun haleemun
155. Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who made them slip, because of something they had done.163 And Allah did pardon them. Indeed! Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing.
163. The reference is to those believers who had deserted (turned back from) their posts on the battleground at sight of impending victory. The battle had turned its course, because of their disobedience. (See Verse 152 above.) Those were indeed believers at heart, but Satan had made them slip at that particular occasion. Allah tells us here that it was not primarily Satan who was responsible for the believers' deviation from their bounden duty. The primay responsibility lay on the shoulders of the believers themselves, in that they had first taken a conscious decision, in exercise of their free will, to dispute the order given to them. They thus themselves opened their minds for satanic influence in encouraging their deviation from their duty.
156. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
la takoonoo kaallatheena kafaroo waqaloo
li-ikhwanihim itha daraboo fee al-ardi
aw kanoo ghuzzan law kanoo AAindana ma
matoo wama qutiloo liyajAAala Allahu thalika
hasratan fee quloobihim waAllahu yuhyee
wayumeetu waAllahu bima taAAmaloona baseerun
156. O you who believe! Be not like those who suppress the Truth and of their brothers, travelling through the earth or fighting, they say, "If they had stayed back with us, they would not have died or been slain", so that Allah makes it an anguish in their subconscious.164 And Allah it is that gives life and causes death. And Allah sees all that you do.
164. While the believers had come out to fight the battle, with reference to which these Verses were revealed, there were those suppressors of Truth who had preferred to remain back at Madina. It is the utterance of these latter people that is quoted here in this Verse. Allah says that the 3rd purpose for His inflicting sorrow upon sorrow on the believers in the battlefield was to make it an anguish for those incorrigible people back at Madina, the casualties being those of their own ethnic brothers. As regards the 1st and the 2nd purposes, please see Note 161 on Verse 154 herein above. Allah's purpose in inflicting sorrow after sorrow in the battlefield was thus three-fold, for three differenct categories of people:
- the believers whose Faith had entered their subconscious,
- the believers whose Faith had not yet entered their subconscious,
- the suppressors of Truth among the ethnic brothers of the believers.
157. Wala-in qutiltum fee sabeeli Allahi
aw muttum lamaghfiratun mina Allahi warahmatun
khayrun mimma yajmaAAoona
157. And if you are killed in the way of Allah, or you die, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they165 could amass.
165. The pronoun refers to the suppressors of Truth mentioned in the preceding Verse as saying that the believers would not have been killed if they had stayed back. This Verse and the next are in response to that statement.
158. Wala-in muttum aw qutiltum la-ila
Allahi tuhsharoona
158. And if you die, or are killed, you are definitely going to be brought together unto Allah.
159. Fabima rahmatin mina Allahi
linta lahum walaw kunta faththan ghaleetha
alqalbi lainfaddoo min hawlika faoAAfu
AAanhum waistaghfir lahum washawirhum fee al-amri
fa-itha AAazamta fatawakkal AAala Allahi
inna Allaha yuhibbu almutawakkileena
159. It is Mercy from Allah, then, that you are lenient to them. And if you were harsh and hardhearted, they would have dispersed away from around you. So pardon them, and pray for forgiveness for them, and consult them in community matters. Then, when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.166
166. During the course of the battle, in the context of which the foregoing Verses were revealed, the believers and the residents of Madina were guilty of various acts of omission and commission. The Prophet (peace be upon him) still pardoned them in pursuance of divine instructions in this Verse. The pardon was also in consonance with the Prophet's natural disposition. He was never harsh or hardhearted to people around him. This Verse also imparts a lesson to rulers of men and to individuals alike, on how to conduct their affairs.
160. In yansurkumu Allahu fala
ghaliba lakum wa-in yakhthulkum faman tha
allathee yansurukum min baAAdihi waAAala Allahi
falyatawakkali almu/minoona
160. If Allah helps you, none can get the better of you. And if He forsakes you, who is there to help you thereafter? In Allah, then, do believers put their trust.
161. Wama kana linabiyyin an
yaghulla waman yaghlul ya/ti bima ghalla yawma alqiyamati
thumma tuwaffa kullu nafsin ma kasabat wahum la
yuthlamoona
161. No prophet could deceive. And if anyone deceives, he will come with what he deceived, on the Day of Judgment. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned. And none shall be wronged.
162. Afamani ittabaAAa ridwana Allahi
kaman baa bisakhatin mina Allahi wama/wahu
jahannamu wabi/sa almaseeru
162. Is anyone, seeking Allah's pleasure, like the one, incurring Allah's wrath and woefully destined for an abode in Hell?
163. Hum darajatun AAinda Allahi
waAllahu baseerun bima yaAAmaloona
163. There are different grades for them with Allah, and Allah does see all that they do.167
167. There are grades both in the Jannah and in the Hell. If the grades were not to be there, it would amount to injustice. A more pious person in Jannah may then get the same treatment and the same benefits as a person who was less pious in this world. Similarly, a person who was guilty of committing more sins in this world may get the same punishment in Hell as the one who committed less sins. Everything with Allah is based on justice.
164. Laqad manna Allahu AAala
almu/mineena ith baAAatha feehim rasoolan min anfusihim
yatloo AAalayhim ayatihi wayuzakkeehim
wayuAAallimuhumu alkitaba waalhikmata wa-in
kanoo min qablu lafee dalalin mubeenin
164. Allah did confer a great favour upon the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His Signs/Verses, purifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom. And, before that, they had indeed been in manifest error.168
168. Please see footnote 2.192 on Verse 2.129, in this context. It needs however to be emphasised here that the task of purifying people, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, has not ended with the passing away of the Messenger (peace be upon him). The task is now passed on to those who have inherited the Qur'aan from him - his Ummah. A section of the Ummah, unfortunately, still clings to the baseless belief that the Messenger somehow still performs this task, even after his death! May Allah Subhanahu guide us away from any path that may lead us to the unpardonable sin of shirk.
Mohammad Shafi
Mumbai, INDIA,
28th April, 2007
Books by Mohammad Shafi:
WHY DO I BELIEVE IN ISLAM
ISLAM & INTEREST
The Veil & Polygamy, In Islam
QUR'AANIC STUDIES - I
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114. Yu/minoona biAllahi waalyawmi
al-akhiri waya/muroona bialmaAAroofi wayanhawna
AAani almunkari wayusariAAoona fee alkhayrati waola-ika
mina alssaliheena
114. They believe in Allah and in the Last Day. And they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. And they hasten to do good work. They are among the righteous.
115. Wama yafAAaloo min khayrin falan yukfaroohu waAllahu AAaleemun bialmuttaqeena
115. And whatever good they do, nothing will be suppressed therefrom.131 And Allah knows those who fear Him.
131. There is a general apprehension, in the minds of those who do not have a strong belief in Allah, that the good one does is not adequately appreciated and, therefore, wasted. They are thus inclined to give as much publicity as possible to their good deeds, whereby they hope to get good names and other benefits for themselves. Had their belief in Allah been strong enough, they wouldn't hanker after such mundane benefits. They would be sure that Allah, their Lord, wouldn't let their good deeds go waste.
116. Inna allatheena kafaroo lan tughniya
AAanhum amwaluhum wala awladuhum mina Allahi
shay-an waola-ika as-habu alnnari
hum feeha khalidoona
116. Those indeed who suppress the Truth! Neither their wealth nor their progeny will be of any use to them against Allah. Those would be inhabitants of the Fire, dwelling therein for ever.
117. Mathalu ma yunfiqoona fee hathihi
alhayati alddunya kamathali reehin
feeha sirrun asabat hartha qawmin thalamoo
anfusahum faahlakat-hu wama thalamahumu Allahu
walakin anfusahum yathlimoona
117. What they spend in the life of this world is like a bitingly cold wind. It strikes the field of those people who wrong their own selves, and destroys it. And Allah does not wrong them, but they wrong themselves.132
132. In the divine scheme of things, human life in this world is like a field. The farmer toils hard in his field in order to get a good crop. Similarly, every human being is fashioned to toil hard in the temporary life of this world in order to get a good crop for the permanent life in the Hereafter. And to get a good crop the human being is required to spend his/her time and money in certain divinely laid down ways. Suppressors of the Truth suppress their consciences urging them to spend in those ways. And they spend in other ways. And those spendings in other ways generates that bitingly cold wind destined to destroy the crop that could give them a good life in the hereafter. They thus themselves destroy their own future.
118. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
la tattakhithoo bitanatan min doonikum la
ya/loonakum khabalan waddoo ma AAanittum qad badati
albaghdao min afwahihim wama tukhfee sudooruhum
akbaru qad bayyanna lakumu al-ayati in
kuntum taAAqiloona
118. O you who believe! Develop no intimacy with those outside your circle who leave no stone unturned to ruin you, loving to see you suffer. Hatred spews from their mouths, and what their hearts conceal is far worse. We have certainly made the Signs/Verses clear to you, if you could but understand.133
133. This Verse, along with the next two Verses 119 and 120, clearly spells out the description of the people who should be shunned. In Verses 60.8 and 60.9, the qur'aan makes it further clear that Allah does not forbid the believers to deal justly and kindly with those who had not fought against them because of their religion, and had not driven them out of their houses.
119. Ha antum ola-i tuhibboonahum
wala yuhibboonakum watu/minoona bialkitabi
kullihi wa-itha laqookum qaloo amanna
wa-itha khalaw AAaddoo AAalaykumu al-anamila
mina alghaythi qul mootoo bighaythikum
inna Allaha AAaleemun bithati alssudoori
119. Behold! You are the ones who love them, but they love you not. And you do believe in every Book of His134! And when they meet you, they say, "We believe." And when they are alone, they bite their fingers, in their rage against you. Say: "Die in your rage. Allah does indeed know secrets of the minds135."
134. The believers are required to believe, not only in the Qur'aan, but also in all the Books bestowed by Allah upon earlier peoples. [Verse 4.1236]
135. Please refer footnote 2.117, on Verse 2.88, in this regard. In that Verse the Arabic word used was quloob, and in this Verse it is sudoor. Sadar, the singular form of sudoor, is generally translated as heart, but it also means head. And the head (governing) part of the human body is literally called the 'head', which contains the mind. And hence the translation of sudoor here is given as 'minds'.
120. In tamsaskum hasanatun tasu/hum
wa-in tusibkum sayyi-atun yafrahoo biha
wa-in tasbiroo watattaqoo la yadurrukum
kayduhum shay-an inna Allaha bima yaAAmaloona muheetun
120. If anything good happens to you, it grieves them. And if anything bad befalls you, they rejoice at it. And if you exercise patience and piety, their guile shall cause you no harm.136 Indeed! Allah has, in His Sight, everything they do.
136. If only, the Muslims of today had unshakable belief in this!!
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121. Wa-ith ghadawta min ahlika tubawwi-o
almu/mineena maqaAAida lilqitali waAllahu
sameeAAun AAaleemun
121. And when you left early from your family to set the believers in battle order.137 And Allah hears all and He knows all.
137. This Verse and the Verses that follow, refer to a battle. And from Verse 123 below, it is clear that this battle had taken place after the battle of Badr.
122. Ith hammat ta-ifatani
minkum an tafshala waAllahu waliyyuhuma
waAAala Allahi falyatawakkali almu/minoona
122. When two groups from amongst you were about to lose heart! And Allah was their Guide and Patron. And upon Allah then the believers ought to put their trust.
123. Walaqad nasarakumu Allahu
bibadrin waantum athillatun faittaqoo Allaha
laAAallakum tashkuroona
123. And Allah had helped you at Badr, when you were very weak.138 Fear Allah then so that you show your gratitude to Him.
138. For more details on the earlier battle at Badr, please see Verses 8.5 to 8.19.
124. Ith taqoolu lilmu/mineena alan
yakfiyakum an yumiddakum rabbukum bithalathati alafin
mina almala-ikati munzaleena
124. When you told the believers, "Is it not enough for you that Allah would help you with three thousands of the angels sent down?"
125. Bala in tasbiroo watattaqoo
waya/tookum min fawrihim hatha yumdidkum rabbukum
bikhamsati alafin mina almala-ikati
musawwimeena
125. "And yes, if you be patient, and fear Allah, and they mount a sudden attack on you now, your Lord would help you with five thousands of the angels facing them."
126. Wama jaAAalahu Allahu illa
bushra lakum walitatma-inna quloobukum bihi wama
alnnasru illa min AAindi Allahi
alAAazeezi alhakeemi
126. And Allah made it139 not but a message of good news to reassure your minds therewith. And the help came not but from Allah, the Almighty, the Wise.140
139. The reference is to what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the believers on the battlefield, as in the preceding two Verses, regarding Allah sending down angels in thousands to help them.
140. There is a subtle indication here of the fact that Allah need not physically send thousands of angels down to help the believers in the battlefield. Just the Will of Allah is enough. The mention of thousands of angels was just to becalm the believers, whose human minds might not comprehend divine help without imagining the physical presence of angels preventing the enemy from attacking the believers.
127. LiyaqtaAAa tarafan mina allatheena
kafaroo aw yakbitahum fayanqaliboo kha-ibeena
127. 141To cut off one side of those who suppressed the Truth or to restrain them, and they should then turn back frustrated.
141. This Verse is in continuation of the last part of the preceding Verse, viz., "And the help came not but from Allah, the Almighty, the Wise". And that was actually the result of that particular battle. Although the Muslims suffered significant casualties, they rallied around the Prophet (peace be upon him), by Allah's Grace, and fought back. The enemy retreated, and their plans to destroy the Muslims were frustrated.
128. Laysa laka mina al-amri shay-on aw yatooba AAalayhim aw yuAAaththibahum fa-innahum thalimoona
128. It was not for you to decide whether to pardon them, or punish them. But they did indeed do wrong.142
142. It appears that the Muslim army went in hot pursuit of the enemy, after the latter retreated from the battlefield. But they could not pursue for long. The fierce battle had taken its toll on the Muslims too. They were tired and returned to Medina after going for some distance. It was in this context that Allah tells the believers that the real decision in any matter rests with Him. In the retreating Meccan army, there were many who later became Muslims. Allah knew this beforehand, and saved them for future openings of their minds to Islam.
129. Walillahi ma fee alssamawati
wama fee al-ardi yaghfiru liman yashao
wayuAAaththibu man yashao waAllahu
ghafoorun raheemun
129. And to Allah belongs whatever there is in the heavens and in the earth. He forgives whom He pleases and punishes whom He pleases. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
130. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
la ta/kuloo alrriba adAAafan
mudaAAafatan waittaqoo Allaha laAAallakum
tuflihoona
130. O you who believe! Consume not Ar-Riba143, doubled and multiplied. And fear Allah, so that you attain salvation.
143. For the Qur'aanic definition of this term, please see footnotes 2.514 to 2.516, on Verse 2.275, of these Studies. Ar-Riba got totally prohibited under Verse 2.275, and Verse 3.130, the one we are studying now, was revealed earlier in chronological order of revelation. So, at the time of revelation of Verse 3.130, Ar-Riba was not totally prohibited. But by this Verse, the believers were asked not to consume Ar-Riba at exorbitant rates. This is in line with the divine scheme of inducting prohibition of long-entrenched harmful human habits in gradual steps. Prohibiton of intoxicants was also similarly done. And I recommend that the Readers review Verses 2.275 to 2.280 and all the footnotes on these Verses, under these Studies, for a better understanding of what Ar-Riba is.
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131. Waittaqoo alnnara
allatee oAAiddat lilkafireena
131. And fear the Fire, prepared for suppressors of the Truth.
132. WaateeAAoo Allaha waalrrasoola
laAAallakum turhamoona
132. And obey Allah and the Messenger so that Mercy is bestowed upon you.144 to 146
144. This Qur'aanic directive to obey the Messenger is grossly misunderstood. The Messenger is no longer living in this world, and there is no question of his issuing any directives now in person, which could be obeyed. The directives he had issued, while he was living, under Allah's guidance are most authentically incorporated in the Qur'aan. So when the believers obey the directives in the Qur'aan, they in effect obey both Allah and His Messenger. But a majority of the Muslims now say that obeying the Qur'aanic directives alone wouldn't be akin to obeying the Messenger. He (the Messenger), they insist, had issued some detailed instructions for practical implementation of the divine directives in the Qur'aan. These practical instructions, they say, are contained in the ahaadeeth. According to these Muslims, then, the divinely approved Religion of Islam is not complete and perfect without the ahaadeeth!
145. The majority contention of the present-day Muslims as above, clearly contradicts many Qur'aanic statements like those quoted below:
- "...We have missed nothing in the Book..." [Verse 6.38]
- "...It is not a concocted hadeeth but a confirmation of what preceded it and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a mercy for the people who believe." [Verse 12.111]
The Muslim contention in fact betrays their lack of belief in the Qur'aan.
146. It is an accepted fact that the ahaadeeth contain many contradictions. And in the light of the divine criterion laid down in Verse 4.82, such writings cannot be from Allah. So by treating these non-divine writings at par with the divine Verses of the Qur'aan, the Muslims are committing the unpardonable sin of shirk. Nay, they are committing a sin worse than shirk. They are rejecting the divine Verses which say that everything is explained in the Qur'aan, and they seek the explanation instead in the error-prone, man-influenced ahaadeeth. They, in effect, believe in men narrating the ahaadeeth to the recorders, hundreds of years after the death of the Prophet. But they do not believe in Allah!! May the GhafoorurRaheem make them realise, before it becomes too late, that they are, by doing so, inexorably hurtling themselves into a painful doom.
133. WasariAAoo ila maghfiratin
min rabbikum wajannatin AAarduha alssamawatu
waal-ardu oAAiddat lilmuttaqeena
133. And strive for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden, as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious people.147
147. This ought to be the aim of every believer's life on this earth. The pious people who would get the Jannah are described in the next two Verses.
134. Allatheena yunfiqoona fee alssarra-i
waalddarra-i waalkathimeena
alghaytha waalAAafeena AAani alnnasi
waAllahu yuhibbu almuhsineena
134. Those who spend in prosperity and in adversity,148 those who restrain anger and those who are forgiving in their relations with people. And Allah loves those who do good.
148. People tend to be miserly even when they have more than enough for their own needs. Allah loves those who eschew this human tendency. And as for those who find themselves in adverse circumstances, monetary or otherwise, wealth is not the only thing that can be spent. Allah may have bestowed upon them time and knowledge, for example, which they could spend on others. And knowledge is a thing which doesn't get diminished by spending or sharing it with others.
135. Waallatheena itha
faAAaloo fahishatan aw thalamoo anfusahum thakaroo
Allaha faistaghfaroo lithunoobihim waman
yaghfiru alththunooba illa Allahu
walam yusirroo AAala ma faAAaloo wahum
yaAAlamoona
135. And those who, when they do an act of indecency or wrong their own selves, remember Allah and ask for forgiveness for their sins - And who can forgive sins except Allah? - and do not knowingly persist in doing what they had done.
136. Ola-ika jazaohum maghfiratun
min rabbihim wajannatun tajree min tahtiha
al-anharu khalideena feeha waniAAma ajru
alAAamileena
136. Those are the people for whom the reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens, with rivers flowing underneath, to dwell eternally therein. An excellent reward for those who do good work!
137. Qad khalat min qablikum sunanun faseeroo
fee al-ardi faonthuroo kayfa kana
AAaqibatu almukaththibeena
137. There indeed had been histories of people in the past before you. Travel through the earth, and see what happened to those who rejected the Truth.149
149. The times preceding the revelation of the Qur'aan were prehistoric. The revealed divine Books like the Torah and the Qur'aan are the only source of written records of those people. But there are fossilised remains in the earth, which also give their telltale circumstances before being destroyed because of their arrogance and corruption.
138. Hatha bayanun lilnnasi
wahudan wamawAAithatun lilmuttaqeena
138. This is a plain, well-explained, address for mankind, and a guidance and good advice to those who fear Allah.150
150. Obviously, what is referred to here is the Qur'aan. But alas! Most Muslims themselves have abandoned it [refer Verse 25.30]. They do only a ritualistic reading of it, without understanding what they read, as if that's all that the Religion requires them to do! And they are blissfully content therewith!! They never bother to use it as the source of divine guidance and good advice.
139. Wala tahinoo wala tahzanoo
waantumu al-aAAlawna in kuntum mu/mineena
139. Be not weak, and grieve not! And you should have an upper hand if you are strong in Faith.151
151. And most Muslims of today are not strong in their Faith. So they are weak as a community, and they grieve a lot.
140. In yamsaskum qarhun faqad massa
alqawma qarhun mithluhu watilka al-ayyamu nudawiluha
bayna alnnasi waliyaAAlama Allahu allatheena
amanoo wayattakhitha minkum shuhadaa waAllahu
la yuhibbu alththalimeena
140. If you are hurt, then surely the community is similarly hurt. And We rotate periods of hurt among mankind, and We do so in order that Allah may distinguish those that believe and pick up witnesses from amongst you.152 And Allah does not love the offenders.
152. So the hurt that may afflict any person is a test from Allah that would distinguish him/her as believing or non-believing. If the person recognises the hurt as the test and suffers it patiently with prayers to the Lord, employing all fair means to overcome the effects of the hurt, he/she has passed the test. Allah Ta'ala then takes him/her as a witness to the truth of the hurt being only a test. On the other hand, if the person frets and fumes at the hurt, curses his destiny and does not hesitate to employ even foul means to overcome the effects of the hurt, he/she is an offender.
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141. Waliyumahhisa Allahu
allatheena amanoo wayamhaqa alkafireena
141. And that153 Allah makes the believers shine and destroys suppressors of the Truth.
153. This connects this Verse with the preceding one to mean that Allah's further purpose of the test is to make the believers eligible for better things and the suppressors of the Truth, for punishment.
142. Am hasibtum an tadkhuloo aljannata walamma yaAAlami Allahu allatheena jahadoo
minkum wayaAAlama alssabireena
142. Did you think that you would enter the Paradise, while Allah is yet to distinguish those of you who would strive and identify those who would exercise patience?154
154. Although Allah in His infinite knowledge knows beforehand who would enter Paradise, He wouldn't identify them till His human creatures build a veritable record of evidences with their deeds. Justice is not only required to be done, but also seen to be done. And Allah Almighty is our Just Lord.
143. Walaqad kuntum tamannawna almawta min qabli
an talqawhu faqad raaytumoohu waantum tanthuroona
143. You did indeed wish for death before you were face-to-face with it. Then you did certainly see it and you looked on.155
155. This Verse was revealed, as other Verses immediately preceding and following were, in the background of a battle. In that battle, apparently, the believers' ranks were facing a critical situation, having suffered many casualties. Allah Ta'ala here subtly censures the believers for hesitating to face death during that critical situation, while earlier, before actually being face-to-face with death, they had declared their readiness to face it whenever required in the Path of Allah.
144. Wama muhammadun illa
rasoolun qad khalat min qablihi alrrusulu afa-in mata
aw qutila inqalabtum AAala aAAqabikum waman
yanqalib AAala AAaqibayhi falan yadurra Allaha
shay-an wasayajzee Allahu alshshakireena
144. And Muhammad is not but a messenger. There were certainly messengers before him who had passed away. If he were to die or be slain, will you then turn back? And none who turns back can do any harm to Allah. And Allah shall reward those who turn to Him in gratitude.156
156. Remember that these Verses were revealed in the background of a raging battle. This particular Verse indicates that a serious situation had developed so far as the Muslim army was concerned. And as Verse 153 below tells us, some of them had fled, leaving the Prophet (peace be on him) in the thick of the battle behind. A false rumour, that the Prophet had been killed, might have triggered the flight. But Allah inspired the other believers to rally around the Prophet, so much so that the enemy had to stop the battle and retreat to Makkah with all their battle gear.
145. Wama kana linafsin an tamoota
illa bi-ithni Allahi kitaban
mu-ajjalan waman yurid thawaba alddunya
nu/tihi minha waman yurid thawaba al-akhirati
nu/tihi minha wasanajzee alshshakireena
145. None can die except by Allah's command at a recorded fixed time.157 And as for the person who desires a reward in this world, We give it to that person therefrom. And as for the person who desires a reward in the Hereafter, We give it to that person therefrom. And We shall reward those that turn to us in gratitude.
157. Allah Ta'ala thus admonishes the believers who had lost heart after believing in the false rumour of the Prophet's death in the battle. The divine admonition extends also to the next few Verses below.
146. Wakaayyin min nabiyyin qatala
maAAahu ribbiyyoona katheerun fama wahanoo lima asabahum
fee sabeeli Allahi wama daAAufoo wama
istakanoo waAllahu yuhibbu alssabireena
146. And there were many of the prophets who had fought, and with them were a large number of godly men. But they never lost heart because of what befell them in Allah's way, nor did they weaken or give in. And Allah loves those who exercise patience.
147. Wama kana qawlahum illa
an qaloo rabbana ighfir lana thunoobana
wa-israfana fee amrina wathabbit aqdamana
waonsurna AAala alqawmi alkafireena
147. And their prayer was none other than saying, "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in what we do. And make us steady and steadfast in the performance of our duties, and help us against suppresssors of the Truth."
148. Faatahumu Allahu thawaba
alddunya wahusna thawabi al-akhirati
waAllahu yuhibbu almuhsineena
148. Allah then gave them a reward in this world and the good reward of the Hereafter. And Allah Loves those who do good.
149. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
in tuteeAAoo allatheena kafaroo yaruddookum AAala
aAAqabikum fatanqaliboo khasireena
149. O you who believe! If you obey those who suppress the Truth, they will turn you back. Then you turn back doomed!
150. Bali Allahu mawlakum wahuwa
khayru alnnasireena
150. But Allah is your Supreme Patron, and He is the best of helpers.
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151. Sanulqee fee quloobi allatheena
kafaroo alrruAAba bima ashrakoo biAllahi
ma lam yunazzil bihi sultanan wama/wahumu alnnaru
wabi/sa mathwa alththalimeena
151. Soon shall We put awe into the minds of those who suppress the Truth, because they ascribed partners to Allah, for which He had sent down no evidence. And their abode shall be the Fire. And evil is the dwelling place of the wrong-doers!
152. Walaqad sadaqakumu Allahu
waAAdahu ith tahussoonahum bi-ithnihi hatta
itha fashiltum watanazaAAtum fee al-amri waAAasaytum
min baAAdi ma arakum ma tuhibboona
minkum man yureedu alddunya waminkum man yureedu
al-akhirata thumma sarafakum AAanhum liyabtaliyakum
walaqad AAafa AAankum waAllahu thoo
fadlin AAala almu/mineena
152. And Allah did certainly fulfill His promise when you were routing them at His Command, until you flagged and you raised a dispute about the order and you disobeyed after He gave you some glimpse of what you love. Among you are some that desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then He turned you away from them in order to test you. And He did forgive you. And Allah is favourable to those who believe.158
158. Allah's promise, mentioned at the beginning of this Verse, refers to the promise, as made in Verses 124 and 125 above, of sending down angels to help the believers fight the enemy on the battleground. In this matter of divine help, Verse 126 and footnote 140 thereon may also please be kept in mind. With this divine help, the believers did rout the enemy. But, as this Verse distinctly indicates, a part of the Muslim army disobeyed some strict orders given to them, after seeing victory, which they love, coming their way. And thus a sure victory turned to a stalemate. The stalemate was a lesson, a test and yet, a favour from Allah. It was a lesson for the Muslims as they were deprived of a sure victory because of disobedience and worldly desire on the part of some of them. It was a test for them that they did not get a clear victory despite heavy casualties among those of the Muslims who fought bravely and steadfastly. And yet it was a favour from Allah that they did not suffer an utter defeat which they would have deserved because some of them hankered after worldly gain and disobeyed orders.
153. Ith tusAAidoona wala
talwoona AAala ahadin waalrrasoolu
yadAAookum fee okhrakum faathabakum ghamman
bighammin likay la tahzanoo AAala ma
fatakum wala ma asabakum waAllahu
khabeerun bima taAAmaloona
153. That time when you were fleeing without looking back at any one, and the Messenger in your rear was calling you back!159 HE (Allah) did then inflict you with one sorrow after another so that you do not grieve for that which you lost and for that which befell you.160 And Allah is well aware of all that you do.
159. Please see Note 156 above.
160. The sorrows for the Muslim army, coming one after another, were (1) a sure victory turning into a near total defeat, (2) heavy casualties of deaths and injuries, (3) desertion by a part of the army on seeing the turn in the battle. But Allah used these sorrows to steel the resolve of the faithful few around the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they fought with such intensity and bravery that the enemy were forced to leave the battlefield without achieving their aim of annihilating the Muslim army completely.
154. Thumma anzala AAalaykum min baAAdi alghammi
amanatan nuAAasan yaghsha ta-ifatan minkum
wata-ifatun qad ahammat-hum anfusuhum yathunnoona
biAllahi ghayra alhaqqi thanna
aljahiliyyati yaqooloona hal lana mina al-amri min
shay-in qul inna al-amra kullahu lillahi yukhfoona fee
anfusihim ma la yubdoona laka yaqooloona law kana
lana mina al-amri shay-on ma qutilna hahuna
qul law kuntum fee buyootikum labaraza allatheena kutiba
AAalayhimu alqatlu ila madajiAAihim waliyabtaliya
Allahu ma fee sudoorikum waliyumahhisa
ma fee quloobikum waAllahu AAaleemun bithati
alssudoori
154. Then, after the sorrow, He sent down the peace of slumber covering one section of you, while another section cared about their own selves, entertaining wrong thoughts about Allah - thoughts prevalent during the times of ignorance. They said, "Have we had the authority to take decision in any matter?" Say, "The authority in taking decisions in all matters indeed rests with Allah." They hide within their own selves what they do not reveal to you. They say, "If we had anything to do with taking any decision in this affair, We would not have been slain here." Say, "Even if you had stayed in your houses, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to their decreed places of death." And in order that161 Allah might test that which is in your conscious minds and purge that which is in your subconscious.162 For Allah knows well the secrets of your minds.
161. What follows in this sentense is the 2nd purpose of Allah Ta'ala in inflicting sorrow upon sorrow on the Muslim army. The first purpose, mentioned in the preceding Verse, was to prevent the believers from indulging in grief over what they had lost and what befell them in the battlefield. The sorrows succeeded one another so rapidly that the believers had no time for grief. And immediately after the causes for the sorrows ended, the believers were overcome with a becalming slumber.
162. The mind operates at two stages - one, conscious, and the other subconscious. It is the conscious mind that exercises the freedom of choice given to man and takes the decisions on any course of action. The decisions may be influenced by events that are still fresh in the conscious mind, but these are also influenced by events that have got submerged into the subconscious and by feelings and emotions that have their bases in the subconscious. In this Verse, as in other Verses of the Qur'aan, sudoor (plural of sadr) has been used to refer to the conscious mind, whereas quloob (plural of qalb has been used to refer to the subconscious. Conviction on anything, good or bad, comes from the subconscious. In religious discussions, we modern-day Muslims may reiterate our faith in the Qur'aan and in all the divine directives therein. But in practical life, most of us forget those directives and do not mind resorting to falsehoods and corruption to get our worldly things done in our favour. That is because Islam has not become a matter of conviction with us. In other words, Faith has not entered our subconscious, as the Qur'aan says in Verse 49.14. The subconscious is within the conscious mind as confirmed in Verse 22.46. In the context of the battle, in the perspective of which these Verses were revealed, Allah tested the minds of those in whose subconscious still lurked wrong thoughts of the period of ignorance, before their exposure to Islam. Allah's 2nd purpose of inflicting sorrow upon sorrow on the Muslim army was to bring out into open those wrong thoughts and to purge them from the subconscious. As regards the translation of both quloob and sudoor as minds, rather than as hearts, please see footnote 2.117 of these Studies and footnote 3.135 herein above.
155. Inna allatheena tawallaw minkum
yawma iltaqa aljamAAani innama istazallahumu
alshshaytanu bibaAAdi ma kasaboo
walaqad AAafa Allahu AAanhum inna Allaha
ghafoorun haleemun
155. Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who made them slip, because of something they had done.163 And Allah did pardon them. Indeed! Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing.
163. The reference is to those believers who had deserted (turned back from) their posts on the battleground at sight of impending victory. The battle had turned its course, because of their disobedience. (See Verse 152 above.) Those were indeed believers at heart, but Satan had made them slip at that particular occasion. Allah tells us here that it was not primarily Satan who was responsible for the believers' deviation from their bounden duty. The primay responsibility lay on the shoulders of the believers themselves, in that they had first taken a conscious decision, in exercise of their free will, to dispute the order given to them. They thus themselves opened their minds for satanic influence in encouraging their deviation from their duty.
156. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo
la takoonoo kaallatheena kafaroo waqaloo
li-ikhwanihim itha daraboo fee al-ardi
aw kanoo ghuzzan law kanoo AAindana ma
matoo wama qutiloo liyajAAala Allahu thalika
hasratan fee quloobihim waAllahu yuhyee
wayumeetu waAllahu bima taAAmaloona baseerun
156. O you who believe! Be not like those who suppress the Truth and of their brothers, travelling through the earth or fighting, they say, "If they had stayed back with us, they would not have died or been slain", so that Allah makes it an anguish in their subconscious.164 And Allah it is that gives life and causes death. And Allah sees all that you do.
164. While the believers had come out to fight the battle, with reference to which these Verses were revealed, there were those suppressors of Truth who had preferred to remain back at Madina. It is the utterance of these latter people that is quoted here in this Verse. Allah says that the 3rd purpose for His inflicting sorrow upon sorrow on the believers in the battlefield was to make it an anguish for those incorrigible people back at Madina, the casualties being those of their own ethnic brothers. As regards the 1st and the 2nd purposes, please see Note 161 on Verse 154 herein above. Allah's purpose in inflicting sorrow after sorrow in the battlefield was thus three-fold, for three differenct categories of people:
- the believers whose Faith had entered their subconscious,
- the believers whose Faith had not yet entered their subconscious,
- the suppressors of Truth among the ethnic brothers of the believers.
157. Wala-in qutiltum fee sabeeli Allahi
aw muttum lamaghfiratun mina Allahi warahmatun
khayrun mimma yajmaAAoona
157. And if you are killed in the way of Allah, or you die, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they165 could amass.
165. The pronoun refers to the suppressors of Truth mentioned in the preceding Verse as saying that the believers would not have been killed if they had stayed back. This Verse and the next are in response to that statement.
158. Wala-in muttum aw qutiltum la-ila
Allahi tuhsharoona
158. And if you die, or are killed, you are definitely going to be brought together unto Allah.
159. Fabima rahmatin mina Allahi
linta lahum walaw kunta faththan ghaleetha
alqalbi lainfaddoo min hawlika faoAAfu
AAanhum waistaghfir lahum washawirhum fee al-amri
fa-itha AAazamta fatawakkal AAala Allahi
inna Allaha yuhibbu almutawakkileena
159. It is Mercy from Allah, then, that you are lenient to them. And if you were harsh and hardhearted, they would have dispersed away from around you. So pardon them, and pray for forgiveness for them, and consult them in community matters. Then, when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.166
166. During the course of the battle, in the context of which the foregoing Verses were revealed, the believers and the residents of Madina were guilty of various acts of omission and commission. The Prophet (peace be upon him) still pardoned them in pursuance of divine instructions in this Verse. The pardon was also in consonance with the Prophet's natural disposition. He was never harsh or hardhearted to people around him. This Verse also imparts a lesson to rulers of men and to individuals alike, on how to conduct their affairs.
160. In yansurkumu Allahu fala
ghaliba lakum wa-in yakhthulkum faman tha
allathee yansurukum min baAAdihi waAAala Allahi
falyatawakkali almu/minoona
160. If Allah helps you, none can get the better of you. And if He forsakes you, who is there to help you thereafter? In Allah, then, do believers put their trust.
161. Wama kana linabiyyin an
yaghulla waman yaghlul ya/ti bima ghalla yawma alqiyamati
thumma tuwaffa kullu nafsin ma kasabat wahum la
yuthlamoona
161. No prophet could deceive. And if anyone deceives, he will come with what he deceived, on the Day of Judgment. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned. And none shall be wronged.
162. Afamani ittabaAAa ridwana Allahi
kaman baa bisakhatin mina Allahi wama/wahu
jahannamu wabi/sa almaseeru
162. Is anyone, seeking Allah's pleasure, like the one, incurring Allah's wrath and woefully destined for an abode in Hell?
163. Hum darajatun AAinda Allahi
waAllahu baseerun bima yaAAmaloona
163. There are different grades for them with Allah, and Allah does see all that they do.167
167. There are grades both in the Jannah and in the Hell. If the grades were not to be there, it would amount to injustice. A more pious person in Jannah may then get the same treatment and the same benefits as a person who was less pious in this world. Similarly, a person who was guilty of committing more sins in this world may get the same punishment in Hell as the one who committed less sins. Everything with Allah is based on justice.
164. Laqad manna Allahu AAala
almu/mineena ith baAAatha feehim rasoolan min anfusihim
yatloo AAalayhim ayatihi wayuzakkeehim
wayuAAallimuhumu alkitaba waalhikmata wa-in
kanoo min qablu lafee dalalin mubeenin
164. Allah did confer a great favour upon the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His Signs/Verses, purifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom. And, before that, they had indeed been in manifest error.168
168. Please see footnote 2.192 on Verse 2.129, in this context. It needs however to be emphasised here that the task of purifying people, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, has not ended with the passing away of the Messenger (peace be upon him). The task is now passed on to those who have inherited the Qur'aan from him - his Ummah. A section of the Ummah, unfortunately, still clings to the baseless belief that the Messenger somehow still performs this task, even after his death! May Allah Subhanahu guide us away from any path that may lead us to the unpardonable sin of shirk.
Mohammad Shafi
Mumbai, INDIA,
28th April, 2007
WHY DO I BELIEVE IN ISLAM
ISLAM & INTEREST
The Veil & Polygamy, In Islam
QUR'AANIC STUDIES - I
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