الم
﴿3:1﴾
(3:1) Alif, Lam, Mim.
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ
الْقَيُّومُ
﴿3:2﴾
(3:2) Allah, the Ever-Living, the
Self-Subsisting, Who sustains the entire
order of the universe - there is no God
but He. *1
*1. For explanation see Surah 2, n. 278
above.
نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ
مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ
وَأَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ
﴿3:3﴾
(3:3) He has revealed this Book to you,
setting forth the truth and confirming
the earlier Books, and earlier He
revealed the Torah and Gospel
مِنْ قَبْلُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَأَنْزَلَ
الْفُرْقَانَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ
وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ
﴿3:4﴾
(3:4) for the guidance of mankind; *2
and He has also revealed the Criterion
(to distinguish truth from falsehood). A
severe chastisement lies in store for
those who deny the signs of Allah. Allah
is All-Mighty; He is the Lord of
Retribution.
*2. The Torah is generally taken to
signify the first five books of the Old
Testament, and the Injil (Gospel), to
mean the four Gospels of the New
Testament, even though those books form
a part of it. This has sometimes caused
people to wonder if these books were
indeed revealed by God. If they are
accepted as revealed, one may wonder if
the Qur'an really verifies their
contents as this verse says. The fact
is, however, that the Torah is not
identical with the first five books of
the Old Testament even though those
books form a part of the Torah.
Likewise, the Injil is not identical
with the four Gospels of the New
Testament.
The fact is that the Torah, in the
Qur'anic usage, signifies the
revelations made to Moses (peace be on
him), in about forty years, from the
time he was appointed a Prophet until
his death. These include the Ten
Commandments', which were handed over to
him inscribed on stone tablets. Moses
took down the rest of the revealed
injunctions and handed over one copy to
each of the twelve tribes of Israel, and
one copy to the Levites for safe
keeping. It is this book which was known
as the Torah and it existed until the
first destruction of Jerusalem. The copy
entrusted to the Levites was put beside
the Ark of the Covenant along with the
Commandment tablets, and the Israelites
knew it as the Torah. The Jews, however,
neglected the Book: during the reign of
Josiah the King of Judah the Temple of
Solomon was under repair and the high
priest, Hilkiah, chanced to find the
Book lying in the construction area. He
gave it to the King's secretary, Shaphan,
who in turn took it to the King as if it
were a strange find (see 2 Kings 22:
8-13).
Hence, when the Babylonian King,
Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem and
razed it and the Temple of Solomon to
the ground, the Israelites lost for ever
the few original copies of the Torah
which they possessed, and which they had
consigned to obscurity. At the time of
Ezra the priest, some Israelites
returned from captivity in Babylon, and
when Jerusalem was rebuilt the entire
history of Israel, which now comprises
the first seventeen books of the Old
Testament, was recorded by Ezra with the
assistance of some other elders of the
community. Four of these books, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy,
consist of a biographical narrative of
Moses. In this biography those verses of
the Torah available to Ezra and the
other elders are also recorded and in
the contexts in which they were
revealed. The present Torah, therefore,
comprises those fragments of the
original book which are interspersed
throughout the biography of Moses
(composed in the manner described
above).
In locating these fragments of the
original Torah there are certain
expressions which help us. These are
interspersed between the different
pieces of biographical narration and
usually open with words such as: 'Then
the Lord said to Moses', and 'Moses
said, the Lord your God commands you.'
These expressions, then, are fragments
of the original Torah. When the
biographical narration re-commences,
however, we can be sure that the
fragment of the true Torah has
concluded. Wherever authors and editors
of the Bible have added anything of
their own accord, by way of either
elaboration or elucidation, it has
become very difficult for an ordinary
reader to distinguish the original from
the explanatory additions. Those with
insight into Divine Scripture, however,
do have the capacity to distinguish
between the original revealed fragments
and the later, human interpolations.
It is these scattered fragments of the
original revealed Book which the Qur'an
terms as the Torah, and it is these
which it confirms. When these fragments
are compared with the Qur'an, there is
no difference between the two as regards
the fundamental teachings. Whatever
differences exist relate to legal
matters and are of secondary importance.
Even today a careful reader can
appreciate that the Torah and the Qur'an
have sprung from one and the same Divine
source.
Likewise, Injil signifies the inspired
orations and utterances of Jesus (peace
be on him), which he delivered during
the last two or three years of his life
in his capacity as a Prophet. There are
no certain means by which we can
definitively establish whether or not
his statements were recorded during his
lifetime. It is possible that some
people took notes of them and that some
followers committed them to memory.
After a period of time, however, several
treatises on the life of Jesus were
written. The authors of these treatises
recorded, in connection with the
biographical account, those sayings of
his which they had received from the
previous generation of co-religionists,
in the form of either oral traditions or
written notes about events in his life.
As a result the Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John are not identical
with the Injil. Rather, the Injil
consists of those statements by Jesus
which form part of these Gospels.
Unfortunately we have no means of
distinguishing the fragments of the
original Injil from the pieces written
by the authors themselves. All we can
say is that only those sections
explicitly attributed to Jesus, for
example in statements such as: 'And
Jesus said' and 'And Jesus taught',
constitute the true Injil. It is the
totality of such fragments which is
designated as the Injil by the Qur'an,
and it is the teachings contained in
these fragments that the Qur'an
confirms. If these fragments are put
together and compared with the teachings
of the Qur'an one notices very few
discrepancies between the two, and any
discrepancies that are found can be
resolved easily by unbiased reflection.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ
شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي
السَّمَاءِ
﴿3:5﴾
(3:5) Nothing in the earth and in the
heavens is hidden from Allah. *3
*3. That is, God knows all the facts of
the universe. Hence the Book which He
has revealed is, of necessity, true. It
may be more appropriate to say that the
unadulterated Truth can be made
available to man only through this Book,
which has been revealed by the
All-Knowing, All-Wise God.
هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي
الْأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
﴿3:6﴾
(3:6) It is He Who fashions you in the
wombs as He wills. *4
There is no God but He; the All-Mighty,
the All-Wise.
*4. This refers to two important facts.
The first is that no being knows human
nature as well as God does; it is thus
imperative that man should depend on the
guidance revealed by God, something man
needs the most. The second is that the
Being Who takes care of all of man's
requirements, major and minor, from the
time of conception onwards, will not
fail to provide guidance for man's
conduct in this life.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ
الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آَيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ
هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ
مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي
قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا
تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ
وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ
تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ
آَمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا
وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُواْ
الْأَلْبَابِ
﴿3:7﴾
(3:7) It is He Who has revealed the Book
to you. Some of its verses are
absolutely clear and lucid, and these
are the core of the Book. *5
Others are ambiguous. *6
Those in whose hearts there is
perversity, always go about the part
which is ambiguous, seeking mischief and
seeking to arrive at its meaning
arbitrarily, although none knows their
true meaning except Allah. On the
contrary, those firmly rooted in
knowledge say: 'We believe in it; it is
all from our Lord alone.' *7
No one derives true admonition from
anything except the men of
understanding.
*5. Muhkam means that which has been
made firmly and perfectly. The muhkam
verses mentioned here are those Qur'anic
verses which are embodied in clear and
lucid language and whose meaning is not
liable to any ambiguity and
equivocation. The words of these verses
are clear pointers to their true meaning
and, therefore, it is difficult to
subject them to arbitrary
interpretation. Such verses form the
core of the Holy Book; they are the
verses which fulfil the true purpose for
which the Qur'an was revealed, and they
invite the whole world to Islam. They
embody admonition and instruction as
well as the refutation of erroneous
doctrines and the elucidation of the
Right Way. They also contain the
fundamentals of the true faith;
teachings relating to belief, worship
and morality, and mandatory duties and
prohibitions. These are the verses which
will guide the genuine seeker after
Truth who turns to the Qur'an in order
to find out what he ought and ought not
to do.
*6. 'Ambiguous' verses are those whose
meaning may have some degree of
equivocation. It is obvious that no way
of life can be prescribed for man unless
a certain amount of knowledge explaining
the truth about the universe, about its
origin and end, about man's position in
it and other matters of similar
importance, is intimated to him. It is
also evident that the truths which lie
beyond the range of human perception
have always eluded and will continue to
elude man; no words exist in the human
vocabulary which either express or
portray them. In speaking about such
things, we necessarily resort to words
and expressions generally employed in
connection with tangible objects. In the
Qur'an, too, this kind of language is
employed in relation to supernatural
matters; the verses which have been
characterized as 'ambiguous' refer to
such matters.
At best, such expressions may serve to
either bring man close to or enable him
to formulate some view of reality, even
if it is a faint one. The more one tries
to determine the precise meaning of such
verses, the more their ambiguities
proliferate, and the more one is
confronted with choosing between several
plausible interpretations. All this is
likely to alienate one progressively
further away' from the Truth instead of
bringing one closer to it. Those who
seek the Truth and do not hanker after
the satisfaction of their egocentric
quest for exotic superfluities, will be
satisfied with the dim vision of reality
derived from these verses. They will
concentrate their attention instead on
the clear and lucid 'core' verses of the
Qur'an. It will be left to those who are
either out to make mischief and mislead
people or who have an abnormal passion
for superfluities to devote their
attention to hair-splitting discussions
about the contents of the 'ambiguous"
verses.
*7. This might give rise to an
unnecessary problem: How can people
believe in 'ambiguous' verses when the
contents of these cannot be grasped?
The fact is that a reasonable person
will believe that the Qur'an is the Book
of God through his reading of its clear
and lucid verses, rather than by
learning fanciful interpretations of the
ambiguous verses. Once so convinced, he
is not likely to be worried by doubts
and anxieties caused by the ambiguities
of the verses concerned. One who seeks
the Truth is satisfied with the obvious
meaning of these verses, and wherever he
encounters complications and ambiguities
he abstains from pursuing their solution
too far. Instead of wasting his time
splitting hairs, he is content to
believe in the things laid down in the
Book of God, without seeking to know
them precisely and in detail. He turns
his attention, in the main, to questions
of a practical nature.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ
إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ
لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ
الْوَهَّابُ
﴿3:8﴾
(3:8) They pray to Allah: 'Our Lord! Do
not let our hearts swerve towards
crookedness after You have guided us to
the right way, and. bestow upon us Your
mercy. Surely You, only You, are the
Munificent Giver!
رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ
لِيَوْمٍ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ
لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ
﴿3:9﴾
(3:9) Our Lord! You surely will gather
mankind together one Day, a Day about
(the coming of which) there is no doubt.
Surely Allah never goes against His
promise.'
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَنْ تُغْنِيَ
عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا
أَوْلَادُهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا
وَأُولَئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ
﴿3:10﴾
(3:10) Those who disbelieve, neither
their wealth nor their offspring will
avail them at all against Allah, and it
is they who will be the fuel of the Fire
كَدَأْبِ آَلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ
مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآَيَاتِنَا
فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ
وَاللَّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
﴿3:11﴾
(3:11) (To them shall happen) the like
of what happened to the people of
Pharaoh, and those before them. They
rejected Our signs, so Allah seized them
for their sins. Allah indeed is severe
in punishment.
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَتُغْلَبُونَ
وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وَبِئْسَ
الْمِهَادُ
﴿3:12﴾
(3:12) Tell those who disbelieved: *8
'You shall soon be overpowered and
mustered to Hell - and that is an evil
resting place!'
*8. For explanation see Surah 2, n. 161
above.
قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ آَيَةٌ فِي فِئَتَيْنِ
الْتَقَتَا فِئَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ وَأُخْرَى كَافِرَةٌ يَرَوْنَهُمْ
مِثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ وَاللَّهُ
يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِنَّ
فِي ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِأُولِي
الْأَبْصَارِ
﴿3:13﴾
(3:13) You have already come across an
instructive sign in the two hosts that
encountered each other in battle (at
Badr): one host fighting in the way of
Allah, and the other that of
unbelievers. They saw with their own
eyes that one host was twice the number
of the other. *9
But (the result of the battle has proved
that) Allah succours with His victory
whomsoever He wills. In this there is
surely a lesson for all who have eyes to
see. *10
*9. The actual disparity between the two
armies was roughly three to one, but
even a cursory glance was enough to tell
the casual observer that the army of
unbelievers was about twice as large as
that of the believers.
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ
مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ
وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنَ
الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ
الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ
وَالْحَرْثِ ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ
الدُّنْيَا وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حُسْنُ
الْمَآَبِ
﴿3:14﴾
(3:14) Men are naturally tempted by the
lure of women, children, treasures of
gold and silver, horses of mark, cattle
and plantations. These are the
enjoyments in the life of this world;
but with Allah lies a goodly abode to
return to.
*10. The events and results of the
Battle of Badr are briefly reviewed so
as to bring home certain lessons to the
Muslims. There are three important
lessons to be learnt. First, the manner
in which the believers and the
unbelievers advanced to the battlefield
clearly demonstrated the difference in
the moral fibre of the two armies. In
the army of the unbelievers, the
soldiers held drinking parties and were
entertained by the songs and dances of
slave girls. The prevalent mood of that
army was one of self-indulgence. On the
other hand, piety, fear of God and moral
restraint of the highest order
characterized the Muslim army. The
soldiers were busy in devotion and
remembrance of God, to Whom they
addressed all their prayers and
supplication. It was obvious to anyone
which army was fighting in God's cause.
Second, the believers won a resounding
victory against an army of unbelievers
superior to them in numbers, and in the
quality and the quantity of arms. So the
victory clearly indicated which of the
two armies enjoyed the support of God.
Third, the outcome of the battle came as
a shocking humiliation for those who,
heedless of God's might, had been
exulting in the strength of their arms
and the number of their supporters. It
came as a shock to such people when God
subjected a tribe like the Quraysh,
foremost in influence and power
throughout Arabia, to an ignominious
defeat at the hands of a few
ill-equipped Makkan fugitives and
peasants from Madina.
قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ
ذَلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا عِنْدَ
رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ
تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا
وَأَزْوَاجٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ
اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
﴿3:15﴾
(3:15) Say: 'Shall I tell you of things
better than these? For the God-fearing
there are, with their Lord, gardens
beneath which rivers flow; there they
will abide for ever, will have spouses
of stainless purity *11
as companions, and will enjoy the good
pleasure of Allah.' Allah thoroughly
observes His servants. *12
*11. For explanation see Surah 2, n. 27
above.
*12. This shows that God neither showers
His favours on people arbitrarily nor
makes casual and superficial judgements.
He knows full well the deeds and
intentions of people. He also knows who
merits His rewards and who does not.
الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا
آَمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا
وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
﴿3:16﴾
(3:16) These are the ones who pray: 'Our
Lord! We do indeed believe, so forgive
us our sins and keep us safe from the
chastisement of the Fire';
الصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّادِقِينَ
وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْمُنْفِقِينَ
وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحَارِ
﴿3:17﴾
(3:17) men who are steadfast, *13
truthful, obedient, spend (in the way of
Allah) and implore the forgiveness of
Allah before daybreak.
*13. That is, they are those who remain
steadfast in the cause of Truth; who do
not lose heart when they either suffer
losses or are subjected to afflictions;
who do not despair when they encounter
reverses; who are not seduced by
temptations. They are the ones who
remain faithful to the Truth, even when
it apparently stands no chance of
prevailing (see also Surah 2, n. 60
above).
شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا
هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُواْ
الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ لَا
إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
﴿3:18﴾
(3:18) Allah Himself bears witness that
there is no God but He; *14
and likewise do the angels and the men
possessed of knowledge *15
bear witness in truth and justice that
there is no God but He, the All-Mighty,
the All-Wise.
*14. The testimony in question is from
God Himself, Who knows directly all the
realities of the universe, Who observes
every existing thing without
obstruction. It is the testimony of the
One from Whose sight nothing is hidden,
and who can be a better first-hand
witness than He? His testimony is that
no one but He is possessed of the
attributes of godhead; no one has the
power to govern the universe, and no one
has the right to claim the rights which
belong exclusively to God.
*15. After God, the most trustworthy
testimony is that of the angels, for
they carry out the administration of the
universe. The testimony of the angels,
based on their own observations, is that
the Will of God alone reigns supreme in
the universe, and they turn to Him alone
in the governance of the heavens and the
earth. Moreover, all creatures
possessing knowledge of reality have
testified, unanimously, that no one
except the One True God reigns and rules
over the universe.
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
الْإِسْلَامُ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ
أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ
مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا
بَيْنَهُمْ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِآَيَاتِ
اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ
الْحِسَابِ
﴿3:19﴾
(3:19) The true religion with Allah is
Islam. *16
The People of the Book adopted many
different ways rather than follow the
true way of Islam even after the
knowledge of truth had reached them, and
this merely to commit excesses against
one another. *17
Let him who refuses to follow the
ordinances and directives of Allah know
that Allah is swift in His reckoning.
*16. In the sight of God there is only
one system of life and way of conduct
which is both in accord with reality and
morally right. This consists of man's
acknowledging God as his Lord and the
sole object of his worship and devotion;
of surrendering himself unreservedly to
God in obedience and service. In doing
so he should follow in toto the guidance
communicated by God through His
Messengers rather than try to devise
ways of serving God according to his own
lights. This mode of thought and action
is known as Islam, and it is only
reasonable that the Lord and Creator of
the universe should accept nothing less
from His creatures and servants. In his
folly man thinks that he has the right
to believe in and follow every doctrine
that comes his way whether it be atheism
or idolatry. In the sight of the
Sovereign of the universe, however, all
such attitudes amount to nothing short
of rebellion against God.
*17. This shows that the religion of
every Messenger of God, in every age and
clime, was none other than Islam
(submission to God). Likewise, every
Divine book, in whichever language it
was revealed, and to whichever people it
was addressed, contained the teachings
of Islam. The various religions which
have spread among mankind are
distortions of this true, original
religion, and are the result of
tampering. Coveting privileges over and
above those to which they were entitled,
people altered the beliefs, principles
and injunctions of the true religion in
a manner conducive to their own
interests.
فَإِنْ حَاجُّوكَ فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ
وَجْهِيَ لِلَّهِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ
وَقُلْ لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ
وَالْأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ فَإِنْ
أَسْلَمُوا فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنْ
تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ
الْبَلَاغُ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ
بِالْعِبَادِ
﴿3:20﴾
(3:20) And if they remonstrate with you,
tell them: 'I have submitted my whole
being to Allah, and so have those who
follow me.' And ask the People of the
Book as well as those who follow no
heavenly Scripture: 'Have you also
submitted (to Allah)?' *18
If they have submitted to Him, they are
indeed on the right way but if they
deviate from submitting to Allah, then
your duty is merely to deliver the
message. Allah observes the affairs of
His servants.
*18. The Prophet (peace be on him) is
asked to tell them in effect: I and my
followers have embraced the original,
unadulterated Islam which is the true
religion enjoined by God. Tell us, now,
if you are prepared to give up the
accretions introduced by your
forefathers, and embrace this original,
true religion?'
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ
اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ
بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ
يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ
فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
﴿3:21﴾
(3:21) Give those who refuse to follow
the directives of Allah, who slay the
Prophets unjustly, and who slay those
who enjoin justice, give them glad
tidings of a grievous chastisement. *19
*19. This is a sarcastic remark. Its
purpose is to bring home to them that
the misdeeds about which they are so
jubilant, and which they regard as their
proud achievements, will ultimately lead
them to a painful end.
أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ حَبِطَتْ
أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا
وَالْآَخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ
نَاصِرِينَ
﴿3:22﴾
(3:22) These are the people whose works
have gone to waste in this world and in
the World to Come. *20
They have none to help them. *21
*20. They have spent their efforts and
energies in a manner leading to
catastrophic results in this world and
the Next.
*21. No power can make these misdeeds
either bear good fruit or prevent them
bearing evil fruit. The powers upon
which the wrong-doers rely for support
in this world and in the World to Come
will not be of any help to them.
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا
نَصِيبًا مِنَ الْكِتَابِ يُدْعَوْنَ
إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ لِيَحْكُمَ
بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّى فَرِيقٌ
مِنْهُمْ وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ
﴿3:23﴾
(3:23) Have you not noticed those who
have been given a portion of the Book?
Whenever their learned men are summoned
to the Book of Allah to judge the
differences between them, *22
a party of them turns away in aversion.
*22. They are asked to acknowledge the
Book of God as the final arbiter in all
matters, and to submit to its judgement,
accepting as right whatever this Book
holds to be right, and as wrong whatever
it holds to be wrong. The Book of God
referred to here is the Torah and the
Injil, while the expression 'those who
have been given a portion of the Book'
refers to the Jewish and Christian
religious scholars. (For the Quranic
view of the Torah and the Injil see n. 2
above - Ed.)
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَنْ
تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلَّا أَيَّامًا
مَعْدُودَاتٍ وَغَرَّهُمْ فِي دِينِهِمْ
مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
﴿3:24﴾
(3:24) This is because they say: 'The
fire of Hell shall not touch us except
for a limited number of days.' *23
The false beliefs which they have forged
have deluded them in their faith.
*23. These people considered themselves
to be God's favourites and cherished the
illusion that, regardless of what they
did, they were bound to enter Paradise.
They took the view that since they were
believers, were descended from pious
people, followed noble Prophets, and
were disciples and admirers of holy men,
Hell would not dare touch them. They
also thought that even if they were
thrown into Hell they would remain there
for a few days only, to be purged of the
impurity of the sins which had afflicted
them, and would then be sent straight to
Paradise. Such notions had made them so
bold that even when they committed the
most atrocious crimes and the most
mortal of sins, and brazenly deviated
from Truth and rectitude, their hearts
remained utterly unmoved by the fear of
God.
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَاهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ
لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ
نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا
يُظْلَمُونَ
﴿3:25﴾
(3:25) How, then, will they fare when We
shall gather them all together to
witness the Day about (the coming of)
which there is no doubt, and when every
human being shall be repaid in full for
what he has done, and none shall be
wronged?
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ
تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ
وَتَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ
وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ
تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى
كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
﴿3:26﴾
(3:26) Say: 'O Allah, Lord of all
dominion! You give dominion to whom You
will, and take away dominion from whom
You will, and You exalt whom You will,
and abase whom You will. In Your Hand is
all good. Surely You are All-Power-ful.
تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ
وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ
وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ
وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ
وَتَرْزُقُ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
﴿3:27﴾
(3:27) You cause the night to pass into
the day and the day to pass into the
night. You bring forth the living out of
the dead, and You bring the dead out of
the living, and You give sustenance to
whom You will beyond all reckoning.' *24
*24. Those who disbelieved and disobeyed
were seen to be prosperous, whereas the
believers, with their devotion and
loyalty to God, suffered all the
deprivation, persecution and torment to
which the Prophet and his followers were
subjected around the year 3 A.H. The
contrasting states of the two groups of
men were the reverse of what would
naturally be expected. This raised
disturbing questions in people's minds
about the underlying wisdom of this
phenomenon. The verse conveys God's
answer.
لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ
فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا
أَنْ تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً
وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ وَإِلَى
اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ
﴿3:28﴾
(3:28) The believers may not take the
unbelievers for their allies in
preference to those who believe. Whoever
does this has nothing to do with Allah
unless he does so in order to protect
himself from their wrong-doing. *25
Allah warns you to beware of Him for it
is to Allah that you will return. *26
*25. This means that it is lawful for a
believer, helpless in the grip of the
enemies of Islam and in imminent danger
of severe wrong and persecution, to keep
his faith concealed and to behave in
such a manner as to create the
impression that he is on the same side
as his enemies. A person whose Muslim
identity is discovered is permitted to
adopt a friendly attitude owards the
unbelievers in order to save his life.
If he considers himself incapable of
enduring the excesses to which he may be
subjected, he may even state that he is
not a believer.
*26. One should not be overwhelmed by
the fear of other human beings to the
extent of losing the fear of God. Human
beings can harm a man but the most they
can do is to ruin his transient, earthly
life. God, on the other hand, can
subject him to everlasting torment. If
one is constrained in extraordinary
circumstances to resort to a prudent
concealment of faith (taqiyah) in order
to save one's life, this concealment
should remain within reasonable limits.
The most one is permitted to do is to
protect one's life and property without
jeopardizing either the interests of
Islam or of the Muslim community as a
whole, and without causing loss of life
and property to other Muslims. One must
never allow saving one's own life to
lead to the propagation of unbelief at
the expense of Islam and to the
dominance of unbelievers over Muslims.
Here the believers are warned that, no
matter how dangerous the circumstances
surrounding them, they cannot escape
God's reproach if they give substantial
aid to those rebelling against Him, and
cause any harm to God's chosen religion,
to the community of believers or to any
individual believer. For, it is to God
that one will ultimately return for
reckoning.
قُلْ إِنْ تُخْفُوا مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ
أَوْ تُبْدُوهُ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ
وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا
فِي الْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ
شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
﴿3:29﴾
(3:29) Say: 'Whether you conceal what is
in your hearts or disclose it, Allah
knows it. Allah knows what is in the
heavens and in the earth and He has
power over everything.'
يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُحْضَرًا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ
مِنْ سُوءٍ تَوَدُّ لَوْ أَنَّ بَيْنَهَا
وَبَيْنَهُ أَمَدًا بَعِيدًا
وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ
وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
﴿3:30﴾
(3:30) The Day is approaching when every
soul shall find itself confronted with
whatever good it has done and whatever
evil it has wrought. It will then wish
there is a wide space between it and the
Day! Allah warns you to beware of Him;
He is most tender towards His servants. *27
*27. It is out of sheer goodwill that
God warns people against deeds likelyto
have devastating consequences for them.
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ
فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ
وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ
غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
﴿3:31﴾
(3:31) (O Messenger!) Tell people: 'If
you indeed love Allah, follow me, and
Allah will love you and will forgive you
your sins. Allah is All-Forgiving,
All-Compassionate.'
قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ
فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا
يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ
﴿3:32﴾
(3:32) Say: 'Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger.' If they turn away from this
then know that Allah does not love those
who refuse to obey Him and His
Messenger. *28
*28. This marks the conclusion of the
first discourse. Reflection upon its
contents, particularly the reference to
the Battle of Badr, leads one to the
conclusion that this section was
probably revealed between the battles of
Badr and Uhud, i.e. sometime in 3.A.H.
The tradition mentioned by Muhammad b.
Ishaq has led to the common
misunderstanding that the first eighty
verses of this surah were revealed on
the occasion of the arrival of the
deputation from Najran in 9 A.H. (See
Ibn Hisham. Sirah, vol. 1, pp. 573 ff.,
especially p. 576; Ibn Ishaq, Life of
Muhammad, tr. A. Guillaume, second
impression, London, Oxford, 1968. pp.
270 ff.. especially p. 272 - Ed.) This
is not true. In the first place, the
introductory section indicates that the
surah was revealed much earlier. Second,
the Tradition narrated by Muqatil b.
Sulayman states explicitly that on the
occasion of the arrival of the
deputation from Najran only those verses
which concern the Prophets John (Yahya)
and Jesus ('Isa) (peace be on them) were
revealed, and the number of those verses
is about thirty.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى آَدَمَ وَنُوحًا
وَآَلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآَلَ عِمْرَانَ
عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ
﴿3:33﴾
(3:33) Truly Allah *29
chose Adam and Noah and the descendants
of Abraham and of 'Imran *30
above all mankind.
*29. This marks the beginning of the
second discourse. The period of its
revelation is about 9 A.H., when a
delegation from the Christian republic
of Najran visited the Prophet. Najran
lies between the Hijaz and Yaman, and
comprised, at that time, seventy-three
towns and villages. Its population can
be gauged from the fact that an
estimated one hundred and twenty
thousand men could bear arms. The entire
population was Christian and was under
the hegemony of three Christian chiefs.
The first of these, 'aqib, was the head
of the community. The second, sayyid,
looked after the collective and
political affairs of the people. The
third, usquf (bishop), was their
religious leader. (See Ibn Hisham, vol.
1, p. 573; Ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad,
tr. A. Guillaume, pp. 270 f. - Ed.)
When the Prophet annexed Makka, the
whole of Arabia became convinced that
the future of the area was bound up with
him, and deputations from all parts of
the peninsula began to visit him. In
this connection the three chiefs of
Najran came to Madina accompanied by
sixty people. As they were not prepared
to go to war, the alternatives before
them were either to embrace Islam or to
live as dhimmis (protected non-Muslim
subjects of the Islamic state). It was
on this occasion that God revealed this
discourse; it served as an invitation to
the people of Najran to accept Islam.
*30. 'Imran was the father of Moses and
Aaron, and has been mentioned in the
Bible as Amram.
ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُهَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ
وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
﴿3:34﴾
(3:34) (for His messengership) - a
people alike and the seed of one
another. *31
Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
*31. The real error of the Christians
lies in considering Jesus to be the son
of God and a partner in His godhead,
rather than His servant and Messenger.
If this misunderstanding was removed it
would become quite easy for them to
advance towards Islam. Hence at the very
outset of the discourse it is mentioned
that Adam, Noah and the Prophets in the
house of Abraham and 'Imran were all
human beings. Even though many Prophets
were born in the same family, one from
the other, none of them was God. Their
merit lay in the fact that God had
chosen them to preach His religion and
reform the world.
إِذْ قَالَتِ امْرَأَةُ عِمْرَانَ رَبِّ
إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي
مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي إِنَّكَ
أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
﴿3:35﴾
(3:35). (He also heard) when the woman
of 'Imran *32
said: 'O Lord! Behold, unto You do I vow
that the child in my womb is to be
devoted to Your exclusive service.
Accept it, then, from me. Surely You
alone are All-Hearing, All-Knowing.' *33
*32. If the 'woman of 'Imran' is
interpreted as the wife of 'Imran, this
'Imran must be different from the 'Imran
just mentioned (see the preceding
verse). In the Christian tradition the
name of the father of Mary is mentioned
as Joachim. If this expression, however,
is interpreted to mean 'a woman of the
house of 'Imran', it would mean that the
mother of Mary belonged to that tribe.
There is, unfortunately, no definite
source of information that would lead us
to prefer one interpretation to the
other, as there is no historical record
either about who the parents of Mary
were, or to which tribes they belonged.
Were we to accept the tradition that the
mother of John (Yahya) and the mother of
Jesus were cousins, then it would be
valid to interpret the expression as
meaning 'a woman of the tribe of 'Imran'
for, according to the Gospel of Luke,
the mother of John was one of the
daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5).
*33. That is, God heeds the prayers of
His creatures and is well aware of their
intentions.
فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ
إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنْثَى وَاللَّهُ
أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ
الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنْثَى وَإِنِّي
سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي
أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ
الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
﴿3:36﴾
(3:36) But when she gave birth to a
female child, she said: 'O Lord! I have
given birth to a female' - and Allah
knew full well what she had given birth
to - 'and a female is not the same as a
male. *34
I have named her Mary and commit her and
her offspring to You for protection from
Satan, the accursed.'
*34. Since a boy is free from some of
the physical shortcomings and social
disabilities associated with a girl, the
mother of Mary thought that had the
child been a boy he would have been more
able to achieve the purpose for which
she had consecrated the child.
فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ
وَأَنْبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا
وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ
عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ
عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ
أَنَّى لَكِ هَذَا قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ
عِنْدِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ
مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
﴿3:37﴾
(3:37) Thereupon her Lord graciously
accepted Mary and vouchsafed to her a
goodly growth and placed her in the care
of Zechariah. Whenever Zechariah *35
visited her in the sanctuary, *36
he found her provided with food. He
asked her: 'O Mary, how did this come to
you?' She said: 'It is from Allah. Allah
provides sustenance to whom He wills
beyond all reckoning.'
*35. This section refers to that period
of Mary's life when she attained her
majority and was admitted to the Temple
of Jerusalem, and devoted all her time
to remembering God. Zechariah, into
whose care she was given, was perhaps
the husband of her maternal aunt, and
was one of the guardians of the Temple.
This Zechariah is not to be confused
with the Prophet Zechariah whose
assassination is mentioned in the Old
Testament.
*36. The word mihrab usually refers to
that niche in mosques where the leader
of the prayer stands. In this instance,
however, the term signifies the
apartments usually built in synagogues
and sanctuaries on a raised platform
adjacent to the place of congregational
worship, which served as the residence
of caretakers, servants and beggars.
Mary lived in an apartment of this kind
and devoted all her time to worship and
prayer.
هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ قَالَ
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً
طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ
﴿3:38﴾
(3:38) Then Zechariah prayed to his
Lord: 'O Lord! Grant me from Yourself
out of Your grace the gift of a goodly
offspring, for indeed You alone heed all
Prayers.' *37
*37. Until then Zechariah had no issue.
The sight of this pious young girl made
him yearn for a child just as virtuous
and devout. When he saw that God sent
food to her, by dint of His limitless
power, he felt hopeful that God might
also bless him with issue, despite his
old age.
فَنَادَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُوَ
قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي الْمِحْرَابِ أَنَّ
اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكَ بِيَحْيَى مُصَدِّقًا
بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَسَيِّدًا
وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
﴿3:39﴾
(3:39) As he stood praying in the
sanctuary, the angels called out to him:
'Allah gives you good tidings of John
(Yahya), *38
who shall confirm a command of Allah , *39
shall be outstanding among men, utterly
chaste, and a Prophet from among the
righteous.'
*38. In the Bible his name is mentioned
as John the Baptist. For information
about him see Matthew 3, 9 and 14: Mark
1 and 6; Luke 1 and 3.
*39. The 'command from Allah' signifies
Jesus (peace be on him). His birth took
place as the result of an extraordinary
command from God and in an unusual
manner, hence he is designated as 'the
command' or 'word' from Allah.
قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ
وَقَدْ بَلَغَنِيَ الْكِبَرُ وَامْرَأَتِي
عَاقِرٌ قَالَ كَذَلِكَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ
مَا يَشَاءُ
﴿3:40﴾
(3:40) Zechariah exclaimed: 'My Lord!
How shall I have a son when old age has
overtaken me and my wife is barren?' He
said: Thus shall it be; *40
Allah does what He wills.'
*40. God granted Zechariah a son despite
his old age and despite the barrenness
of his wife.
قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ لِي آَيَةً قَالَ
آَيَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ
ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًا
وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحْ
بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ
﴿3:41﴾
(3:41) Zechariah said: 'O my Lord!
Appoint a sign for me.' *41
The angel said: 'The sign for you shall
be that you shall not speak to men for
three days except by gesture. Remember
your Lord and extol His glory by night
and by day.' *42
*41. Here the request is made for some
specific sign to be given by means of
which Zechariah would come to know in
advance when the unusual incident of the
birth of a child to a couple, where the
male was old and the female both old and
barren, would take place.
*42. The real purpose of this discourse
is to disclose to the Christians the
error of their belief in Jesus as God
and as the son of God. The subject is
introduced by mentioning the birth of
John (peace be on him),
anothermiraculous birth which had taken
place only six months before the birth
of the Messiah (peace be on him) and
among his own relatives. God wants to
make the Christians ask themselves why
the miraculous birth of Jesus should
make him God when the similarly
miraculous birth of John did not make
him so.
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا
مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَاكِ
وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَى نِسَاءِ
الْعَالَمِينَ
﴿3:42﴾
(3:42) Then came the time when the
angels said: 'O Mary! Behold, Allah has
chosen you, and made you pure, and
exalted you above all the women in the
world.
يَا مَرْيَمُ اقْنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ
وَاسْجُدِي وَارْكَعِي مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
﴿3:43﴾
(3:43) O Mary! Remain devout to your
Lord, and prostrate yourself in worship,
and bow with those who bow (before
Him).'
ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ
إِلَيْكَ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ
يُلْقُونَ أَقْلَامَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ
يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنْتَ
لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ
﴿3:44﴾
(3:44) (O Muhammad!) We reveal to you
this account from a realm which lies
beyond the reach of your perception for
you were not with them when they drew
lots with their pens about who should be
Mary's guardian, *43
and you were not with them when they
disputed about it.
*43. They drew lots to decide who should
be the guardian of Mary, whose mother
had consecrated her to the service of
God in the Temple. Since she was a girl,
it was a delicate matter as to who from
among the priests of the Temple would be
the appropriate person to take care of
her.
إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ
مِنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ
مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِي الدُّنْيَا
وَالْآَخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ
﴿3:45﴾
(3:45) And when the angels said: 'O
Mary! Allah gives you the glad tidings
of a command from Him: his name shall be
Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary. He
shall be highly honoured in this world
and in the Next, and shall be one of
those near stationed to Allah.
وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ
وَكَهْلًا وَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
﴿3:46﴾
(3:46) And he shall speak to men in the
cradle and also later when he grows to
maturity and shall indeed be among the
righteous.'
قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ
وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ قَالَ كَذَلِكِ
اللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ إِذَا قَضَى
أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ
فَيَكُونُ
﴿3:47﴾
(3:47) She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I
have a son when no man has ever touched
me?' The angel answered: Thus shall it
be. *44
Allah creates whatever He wills. When He
decides something, He merely says: "Be"
and it is.
*44. Thus it was affirmed that a child
would be born to Mary despite the fact
that no man had touched her. The angel's
answer mentioned here, 'Thus shall it
be', was exactly the same as the
response given to Zechariah. Both the
following sentences and the preceding
section support the view that the angel
had conveyed to Mary the glad tidings
that a son would be born to her without
normal sexual contact, and it was thus
that Jesus was born. For, if Mary's
child was to be born to her in the usual
manner in which children are born to
women, and if the birth of Jesus did
take place in the normal way, the entire
narrative from verse 35 of this surah to
verse 63 would have to be declared
absurd.
Indeed, one would be forced to treat as
meaningless all those statements about
the birth of Jesus which are found
scattered elsewhere in the Qur'an. The
Christians had begun to regard Jesus as
God and the son of God because of this
fatherless birth. The Jews, in turn,
cast aspersions on Mary's chastity on
the grounds that she had given birth to
a child despite being unmarried. If the
fatherless birth of Jesus was itself
false, it would have been sufficient to
tell the Christians that they were
indulging in sheer mis-statement, that
Mary had indeed been married, that she
had a legitimate husband, and that it
was as a result of that wedlock that
Jesus was born. If this fact could have
been stated plainly, there would have
been no need for long preparatory
statements and complicated propositions,
and no need to call Jesus the son of
Mary instead of naming his father. For
far from resolving the issue such
statements add to the confusion. Those
who believe the Qur'an to be the word or
command from God and yet try to prove
that the birth of Jesus took place in
the normal manner, as a result of union
between his father and mother, end up by
proving only that God is less capable of
clear expression than they are!
وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ
وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ
﴿3:48﴾
(3:48) And He will teach him the Book,
the Wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel,
وَرَسُولًا إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
أَنِّي قَدْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِآَيَةٍ مِنْ
رَبِّكُمْ أَنِّي أَخْلُقُ لَكُمْ مِنَ
الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ فَأَنْفُخُ
فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
وَأُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ
وَأُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
وَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا
تَدَّخِرُونَ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي
ذَلِكَ لَآَيَةً لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ
مُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:49﴾
(3:49) and he will be a Messenger to the
Children of Israel.' (And when he came
to them he said): 'I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord. I will make
for you from clay the likeness of a bird
and then I will breathe into it and by
the leave of Allah it will become a
bird. I will also heal the blind and the
leper, and by the leave of Allah bring
the dead to life. I will also inform you
of what things you eat and what you
treasure up in your houses. Surely this
is a sign for you if you are true
believ-ers. *45
*45. It is hinted here that these signs
are sufficient proof that Jesus was
designated by God, the Creator and
Sovereign of the universe, provided
people are prepared to accept the truth
instead of obstinately clinging to their
prejudiced views. This is further proof
that Jesus had been entrusted with a
mission by God. Had he not been
designated by God but by an imposter he
would surely have attempted to found an
independent religion, exploiting his
miracles to lead people away from their
original faith. However, Jesus believed
in, and confirmed, the validity of the
teachings of the original religion which
had been preached at God's behest by the
earlier Prophets.
وَمُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ
التَّوْرَاةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُمْ بَعْضَ
الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَجِئْتُكُمْ
بِآَيَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَاتَّقُوا
اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ
﴿3:50﴾
(3:50) And I have come to confirm the
truth of whatever there still remains of
the Torah, *46
and to make lawful to you some of the
things which had been forbidden to you. *47
have come to you with a sign from your
Lord; so have fear of Allah and obey me.
*46. The fact that Jesus preached the
same religion as that expounded earlier
by Moses and the other Prophets is also
borne out by the statements of the
existing Gospels: According to Matthew,
in his Sermon on the Mount the Messiah
categorically declared: 'Think not that
I have come to abolish the law and the
prophets; I have come not to abolish
them but to fulfil them' (Matthew 5:
17). And when a Jewish lawyer enquired:
'Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law?', Jesus replied:
'You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and the first commandment. And
a second is like it, you shall love your
neighbour as yourself. On these two
commandments depends the law and the
prophets' (ibid., 22: 37-40). He also
instructed his disciples: The scribes
and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so
practise and observe whatever they tell
you, but not what they do; for they
preach, but do not practise' (ibid., 23:
2-3).
*47. What Jesus wanted to impress upon
them was that he would abolish the
prohibitive innovations which had
infiltrated the original Divine Law
(Shari'ah}. These were the results of
the superstitions of their ignorant
commoners, the legal hair-splitting of
their lawyers, the extremism of their
world-renouncing pietists, and the
ascendancy and predominance of
non-Muslim peoples over them. In
determining what is lawful and unlawful,
Jesus would be guided by the injunctions
of God and not by the inventions of
human beings.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ
فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ
﴿3:51﴾
(3:51) Surely, Allah is my Lord and your
Lord; so serve Him alone. This is the
straight way.' *48
*48. This shows that as with the other
Prophets, the fundamental points of
Jesus' mission were the following:
(1) Man should acknowledge- the
exclusive sovereignty of God which
demands absolute service and obedience
to Him, and Him alone. This principle
serves as the basis for the entire
structure of human morality and social
behaviour.
(2) Man should obey the Prophets since
they are the representatives of the true
Sovereign.
(3) The Law which should regulate man's
conduct by elaborating what is right and
what is wrong should be none other than
the Law of God. The laws devised by
others should be abrogated. There is,
thus, no difference between the missions
of Jesus, Moses and Muhammad (peace be
on them all). Those who think that the
missions of the Prophets differ from one
another and who believe that their
objectives vary have fallen into serious
error. Whoever is sent by the Lord of
the Universe to His creatures can have
no other purpose than to dissuade God's
subjects from disobeying Him and
assuming an attitude of vanity and
disregard towards Him, and to admonish
them against associating anyone with God
in His divinity (that is, either holding
anyone to be a partner with the Lord of
the Universe in His Sovereignty or
recognizing others beside God as having
a rightful claim on part of man's
loyalty, devotion and worship), and to
invite them all to be loyal to, and to
serve, obey and worship God alone.
It is unfortunate that the Gospels in
their present form do not offer as clear
a picture of the mission of Jesus as
that presented by the Qur'an.
Nevertheless, we find scattered
throughout the Gospels all the three
fundamentals mentioned above. The notion
that man ought to submit himself totally
to God is embodied in the following
statement:
'You shall worship the Lord your God and
Him only shall you serve' (Matthew 4:
10).
In addition, Jesus believed that the
object of his efforts was that God's
commands relating to the moral realm
should be obeyed in this world in the
sphere of human conduct just as His
commands about the operation of the
physical universe are obeyed in the
heavens: 'Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven' (ibid., 6:
10).
The fact that Jesus presented himself as
a Prophet and a representative of the
Kingdom of Heaven, and that in this
capacity he asked people to follow him
is borne out by several statements.
When, for instance, he began his mission
in Nazareth and when his own kith, kin
and compatriots turned against him, he
remarked: 'A prophet is not without
honour except in his own country . . .'
(Matthew 13: 57; see also Luke 4: 24 and
Mark 6: 4). And when conspiracies were
hatched in Jerusalem to put an end to
his life, and people counselled him to
go away, he replied: 'Nevertheless I
must go on my way . . . for it cannot be
that a prophet should perish away from
Jerusalem' (Luke 13: 33). When Jesus
entered Jerusalem for the last time the
disciples cried with a loud voice:
'Blessed be the King who comes in the
name of the Lord' (Luke 19: 38). This
angered the Pharisees, who asked Jesus
to rebuke his disciples. But he replied:
'I tell you, if these were silent the
very stones would cry out' (ibid., 19:
40). On another occasion he said: 'Come
to me, all who labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light' (Matthew 11: 28-30).
The fact that he invited people to obey
the Laws of God rather than the laws
made by man is evident from his response
(found in both Matthew and Mark) to the
objection raised by the Pharisees to the
conduct of their disciples who ate with
defiled hands, that is, without washing.
'Well did Isiah prophesy of you
hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honours me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the precepts of
men.'
And he said to them: 'You have a fine
way of rejecting the commandment of God
in order to keep your tradition. For
Moses said, "Honour your father and your
mother", and "He who speaks evil of his
father or mother, let him surely die",
but you say, "If a man tells his father
or mother what you would have gained
from me is Corban (that is, given to
God), and then you no longer permit him
to do anything for his father or mother,
thus making void the word of God through
your tradition which you hand on"' (Mark
7: 6-13; see also Matthew 15: 2-9).
فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عِيسَى مِنْهُمُ
الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْصَارِي إِلَى
اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ
أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِ آَمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ
وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
﴿3:52﴾
(3:52) And when Jesus perceived their
leaning towards unbelief, he asked: 'Who
will be my helpers in the way of Allah?'
The disciples *49
said: 'We are the helpers of Allah. We
believe in Allah, *50
and be our witness that we have
submitted ourselves exclusively to
Allah.
*49. The word hawari means approximately
the same as the word ansar in the
Islamic tradition. In the Bible the
usual terms are 'apostles' and
'disciples'. Jesus' chosen disciples
were called apostles in the sense that
they had been entrusted with a mission
by him rather than in the sense of
having been entrusted with a mission by
God.
*50. At various places the Qur'an
characterizes man's participation in the
effort to establish the supremacy of
Islam as 'helping God'. This needs a
little explanation. God has endowed man
with the freedom of will and choice,
with the result that He does not resort
to His omnipotent will to compel man
either to do certain things or to
refrain from others. He rather leaves
man free to adopt the course that
pleases him - be it that of either
belief or unbelief, of either obedience
or disobedience. God prefers to instruct
man by means of persuasive argument and
admonition, so as to bring home to him
that even though he is free to
disbelieve, disobey and defy the Will of
God, his own interest and well-being lie
in serving and obeying his Creator.
Hence, directing people to the right
path by persuasion and admonition is of
concern to God, He regards those who
contribute to this cause as His allies
and helpers. This is, in fact, the most
exalted position attainable by man. When
a man performs Prayers, keeps his fast
and worships God in other ways, he is
merely on the level of service and
subjection to God. But when a man
strives to spread God's true religion
and to enthrone it in actual life, he is
honoured with the status of God's ally
and helper, which is the zenith of man's
spiritual growth. 'Literally, 'and be
our witness that we are Muslims' - Ed.
رَبَّنَا آَمَنَّا بِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ
وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا
مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
﴿3:53﴾
(3:53) Our Lord! We believe in the
com-mandment You have revealed and we
obey the Messenger; make us, then, one
of those who bear witness (to the
Truth).'
وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ
خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ
﴿3:54﴾
(3:54) Then they schemed (against the
Messiah), and Allah countered their
schemes by schemes of His own. Allah is
the best of schemers.
إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى إِنِّي
مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ
وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَى يَوْمِ
الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ
فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ
فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
﴿3:55﴾
(3:55) (And it was part of His scheme)
when Allah said: 'O Jesus! I will recall
you *51
and raise you up to Me and will purify
you (of the company) of those who
disbelieve, *52
and will set your followers above the
unbelievers till the Day of
Resurrection. Then to Me you shall
return, and I will judge between you
regarding what you differed.
*51. The expression used is mutawaffika.
The original meaning of tawaffa is to
take and receive. To 'seize a person's
sou!' constitutes the figurative rather
than the literal meaning of the word.
Here the word is used in the sense of
'recall', for example, the recall of an
official from his work. The Israelites
had persisted in their disobedience, and
despite repeated warnings and
admonitions their collective behaviour
had become increasingly corrupt. They
had killed a succession of Prophets and
were out to shed the blood of all those
who invited them to righteousness and
moral rectitude. In order to complete
His argument against them, and to give
them a last chance to reform themselves,
God sent to them two great Prophets,
Jesus and John the Baptist. These
Prophets carried with them such
overwhelming proof of their designation
by God that no ground was left for
anyone to disbelieve in them, except
those who were obstinately hostile to
the Truth and who had become exceedingly
bold in their opposition to it.
Yet the Israelites let this last
opportunity slip away. They not only
spurned the message of the Prophets but
also brazenly indulged in many other
atrocious crimes. One of their chiefs
had John beheaded at the behest of a
dancing girl, and their priests and
scribes conspired to have Jesus put to
death by the Roman authorities. Further
admonition would have been a sheer waste
of time. God, therefore, decided to
recall His Prophet and condemned the
Israelites to perpetual disgrace.
It should be noted that this whole
discourse (verses 3: 33 ff.) is devoted
to repudiating the Christian belief in
the godhead of Jesus, and to reforming
their beliefs. The main reasons for the
spread of these false beliefs were: (i)
the miraculous birth of Jesus; (ii) the
miracles which he performed; and (iii)
his ascension into heaven (which is
mentioned categorically in the Christian
scriptures). The Qur'an confirms the
miraculous birth of Jesus and asserts
that this fatherless birth is a
manifestation of God's omnipotence. God
creates whomsoever He wills and in the
manner He chooses. This extraordinary
birth neither proves that Jesus was God
nor that he had any share in God's
godhead. The miracles of Jesus are also
verified by the Qur'an; in fact it
enumerates them one by one. The Qur'an,
however, makes it clear that Jesus
performed these miracles in accordance
with God's will, and not of his own
innate power.
Had the traditions cherished by the
Christians regarding Jesus' ascension
into heaven been without foundation,
they would have been told that he whom
they regarded as either God or the son
of God had died long ago and become part
of the earth, and that if they wanted to
satisfy themselves on that score they
could go and witness for themselves his
grave at a certain place. But not only
does the Qur'an not make any categorical
statement that Jesus died, it employs an
expression which, to say the least,
contains the possibility of being
interpreted as meaning that he had been
raised into heaven alive. Further, the
Qur'an tells the Christians that Jesus,
contrary to their belief, was not
crucified. This means that the man who
cried out at the end of his life: 'Eli,
Eli, lama sabach-thani?', that is, 'My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'
(Matthew 27: 46), and the one whose
image was seen on the cross was not
Christ; God had already raised Christ
into heaven.
As for those who try to interpret these
Qur'anic verses as indicating the death
of Jesus, they actually prove only that
God is incapable of expressing His ideas
in clear, lucid terms.
*52. The words 'those who disbelieve'
here refer to the Jews whom Jesus had
invited to believe, and who had refused
that invitation. The expression: 'your
followers', if it denotes the true
followers of Jesus, can only mean
Muslims. Should 'followers' signify all
those who profess allegiance to Jesus,
it would include both Christians and
Muslims.
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
فَأُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا فِي
الدُّنْيَا وَالْآَخِرَةِ وَمَا لَهُمْ
مِنْ نَاصِرِينَ
﴿3:56﴾
(3:56) As for those who disbelieved, I
shall punish them with a terrible
chastisement in this world and in the
Next; and they shall find none to help
them.
وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا
الصَّالِحَاتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ
وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
﴿3:57﴾
(3:57) But those who believe and do
righteous deeds, He will reward them in
full. Allah does not love the unjust.'
ذَلِكَ نَتْلُوهُ عَليْكَ مِنَ الْآَيَاتِ
وَالذِّكْرِ الْحَكِيمِ
﴿3:58﴾
(3:58) What We recite to you consists of
signs and wise admonition.
إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
كَمَثَلِ آَدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ
ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
﴿3:59﴾
(3:59) Surely, in the sight of Allah,
the similitude of the creation of Jesus
is as the creation of Adam whom He
created out of dust, and then said:
'Be', and he was. *53
*53. This means that if Jesus'
miraculous birth is sufficient proof
that he should be regarded either as God
or as the son of God then there are even
stronger grounds to apply this to Adam.
For, while Jesus was born without a
father, Adam was born with neither
father nor mother.
الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ
الْمُمْتَرِينَ
﴿3:60﴾
(3:60) This is the truth from your Lord;
be not, then, among those who doubt. *54
*54. The main points set before the
Christians so far are the following:
First, it was impressed upon them that
none of the various arguments which gave
rise to the doctrine of the divinity of
Jesus provided valid grounds to support
that doctrine. Jesus was merely a human
being whom God had created in an
extraordinary manner for reasons best
known to Him. God had also invested
Jesus with the power to perform certain
miracles by means of which he could
categorically establish his claim to
prophethood. It seems perfectly
reasonable that God should not have
allowed such an extraordinary person to
be crucified by unbelievers and should
have raised him up to Himself. As the
Sovereign, God has the power to treat
any of His subjects as He wishes. How
can this extraordinary treatment of
Jesus justify the conclusion that the
subject was himself either the
Sovereign, the son of the Sovereign or
an associate with Him in His
Sovereignty?
Second, the message of Muhammad (peace
be on him) is the same as that of Jesus.
The missions of the two are identical.
Third, even after [the ascension of]
Jesus the religion of his disciples
remained the same, namely, Islam, which
is now expounded by the Qur'an. What has
happened is that, in the course of time,
the Christians have abandoned the
teachings of Christ, and have deviated
from the religion followed by the early
disciples of Jesus.
فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا
جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا
نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ
وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنْفُسَنَا
وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ
فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَى
الْكَاذِبِينَ
﴿3:61﴾
(3:61) Tell whoever disputes with you on
this matter after true knowledge has
come to you: 'Come! Let us summon our
sons and your sons, and our women and
your women, and ourselves and
yourselves, and then let us pray
together and invoke the curse of Allah
on those who lie.' *55
*55. The real aim in suggesting this
procedure for deciding the dispute was
to prove that the attitude of those
amongst the delegation of Najran was one
of deliberate stubbornness and
intransigence. They had no sound
arguments to contradict any of the
points mentioned above, and they could
not find any shred of evidence in their
own scriptures upon which they could
claim, with firm conviction, that their
beliefs were true. Moreover, all that
the members of the deputation had come
to know of the character, teachings and
achievements of the Prophet had made
them more or less convinced of his
prophethood, and at least caused their
disbelief to waver. When they were told
that if they had full confidence in the
truth of their beliefs they should come
forward and pray to God that His curse
should fall on the deniers of the truth,
none of them came forward. It thus
became clear all over Arabia that the
priests and leaders of Christianity in
Najran, whose holiness was celebrated
far and wide, followed beliefs, the
truth of which, they themselves were not
fully confident in.
إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْقَصَصُ الْحَقُّ
وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
﴿3:62﴾
(3:62) This is the true story. There is
no God but Allah, and assuredly Allah is
All-Mighty, All-Wise.
فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُفْسِدِينَ
﴿3:63﴾
(3:63) And if they turn their backs,
truly Allah knows those who cause
mischief.
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا
إِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا
وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا
اللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا
وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا
أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ
تَوَلَّوْا فَقُولُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا
مُسْلِمُونَ
﴿3:64﴾
(3:64) Say: *56
'People of the Book! Come to a word
common between us and you: *57
that we shall serve none but Allah and
shall associate none with Him in His
divinity and that some of us will not
take others as lords beside Allah.' And
if they turn their backs (from accepting
this call), tell them: 'Bear witness
that we are the ones who have submitted
ourselves exclusively to Allah.'
*56. This marks the beginning of the
third discourse of this surah. Its
contents invite the conclusion that the
surah was revealed sometime between the
battles of Badr and Uhud. The subjects
of these three discourses are so closely
interrelated that some commentators have
wrongly understood the verses which
follow to be part of the foregoing
discourse. From the whole tenor of the
discourse which now begins, however, it
is evident that it is addressed to the
Jews.
*57. The invitation here is for the two
parties to agree on something believed
in by one of them, the Muslims, and the
soundness of which could hardly be
denied by the other party, the
Christians. For this was the belief of
their own Prophets and had been taught
in their own scriptures.
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ
فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَتِ
التَّوْرَاةُ وَالْإِنْجِيلُ إِلَّا مِنْ
بَعْدِهِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
﴿3:65﴾
(3:65) People of the Book! Why do you
dispute with us about Abraham even
though the Torah and the Gospel were not
revealed until after the time of
Abraham? Do you not understand? *58
*58. That is, both Judaism and
Christianity came into existence after
the Torah and the Injil had been
revealed; Abraham had lived much earlier
than that. Thus it can easily be grasped
that the religion of Abraham could not
have been that of either Judaism or
Christianity. If Abraham was on the
right path and had attained salvation it
is obvious that one need not follow
either, Judaism or Christianity in order
to be on the right path and to attain
salvation. (See also Surah 2, nn. 135
and 141 above.)
هَا أَنْتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ حَاجَجْتُمْ
فِيمَا لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلِمَ
تُحَاجُّونَ فِيمَا لَيْسَ لَكُمْ بِهِ
عِلْمٌ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا
تَعْلَمُونَ
﴿3:66﴾
(3:66) Behold, you are those who have
disputed greatly concerning matters
which you knew; why are you now
disputing about matters that you know
nothing about? Allah knows it whereas
you do not know.
مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا
نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا
مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ
الْمُشْرِكِينَ
﴿3:67﴾
(3:67) Abraham was neither a Jew nor a
Christian; he was a Muslim, wholly
devoted to God. *59
And he certainly was not amongst those
who associate others with Allah in His
divinity.
*59. The word hanif denotes someone who
turns his face away from all other
directions in order to follow one
particular course. We have tried to
convey this sense through the
expression: 'a Muslim, wholly devoted to
God'.
إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ
لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَذَا
النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا
وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:68﴾
(3:68) Surely the people who have the
best claim to a relationship with
Abraham are those who followed him in
the past, and presently this Prophet and
those who believe in him; Allah is the
guardian of the men of faith.
وَدَّتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ
لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ
إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
﴿3:69﴾
(3:69) A party of the People of the Book
would fain lead you astray, whereas in
truth they lead none astray except
themselves, but they do not realize it.
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَكْفُرُونَ
بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ
﴿3:70﴾
(3:70) O People of the Book! Why do you
reject the signs of Allah even though
you yourselves witness them? *60
*60. Another rendering of this could be,
'and you yourselves bear witness' to
Muhammad's prophethood. However it is
translated the sense remains the same.
In fact, the impeccable purity of the
life of the Prophet, the astounding
impact of his teachings and training on
the lives of his Companions, and the
loftiness of the teachings of the Qur'an
all constituted such illustrious signs
of God that it was very difficult for
anyone conversant with the lives of the
Prophets and the tenor of Divine
Scriptures to doubt the prophethood of
Muhammad (peace be on him).
It is a fact that many Jews and
Christians (especially their scholars)
came, to recognize in their hearts that
Muhammad was the very Prophet whose
coming had been announced by the
preceding Prophets. This fact was so
overwhelming that, despite their
intransigence, they could not help but
give verbal expression, at times, to the
truth of the Prophet's teachings. This
is why the Qur'an repeatedly blames them
for maliciously misrepresenting the
signs of God which they saw with their
own eyes and to which they themselves
attested.
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَلْبِسُونَ
الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُونَ
الْحَقَّ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
﴿3:71﴾
(3:71) People of the Book! Why do you
confound Truth with falsehood, and why
do you conceal the Truth knowingly?
وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ
الْكِتَابِ آَمِنُوا بِالَّذِي أُنْزِلَ
عَلَى الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَجْهَ
النَّهَارِ وَاكْفُرُوا آَخِرَهُ
لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
﴿3:72﴾
(3:72) A party of the People of the Book
said: 'Believe in the morning what has
been revealed to those who believe, and
then deny it in the evening that they
may thus retract (from their faith).' *61
*61. This was one of the devices adopted
by the leaders and rabbis of the Jews
who lived on the outskirts of Madina in
order to damage the mission of Islam. To
demoralize the Muslims and create
misgivings about the Prophet (peace be
on him), they sent their agents to
embrace Islam publicly, then to renounce
it, and subsequently to go about telling
people they had done so because of the
faults they had found in Islam, the
Muslims and their Prophet.
وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا إِلَّا لِمَنْ تَبِعَ
دِينَكُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ الْهُدَى هُدَى
اللَّهِ أَنْ يُؤْتَى أَحَدٌ مِثْلَ مَا
أُوتِيتُمْ أَوْ يُحَاجُّوكُمْ عِنْدَ
رَبِّكُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ
اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ
وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
﴿3:73﴾
(3:73) They also say among themselves:
'Do not follow anyone except him who
follows your faith.' Say: 'Surely true
guidance is Allah's. It is His favour
that anyone should be given the like of
what you have been given in the past,
and that others should have been given
firm evidence to proffer against you
before your Lord.' Say: 'Surely bounty
is in the Hand of Allah; He gives it to
whom He wills. Allah is All-Embracing, *62
All-Knowing. *63
*62. The word wasi' which is used here
occurs in the Qur'an in three contexts.
The first context is the
narrow-mindedness and mean outlook of
certain people, in contrast to which God
is not 'narrow'. The second context is
the denunciation of miserliness,
meanness and niggardliness, in contrast
to which God is Generous and Munificent.
The third context is the ascription of
finite, limited concepts to God as a
result of their limitedimagination,
whereas the truth is that God is
infinite (see Surah 2, n. 116 above).
يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ
وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
﴿3:74﴾
(3:74) He singles out for His mercy
whomever He wills, Allah is possessed of
abounding bounty.'
*63. That is, God knows who deserves to
be honoured and exalted.
وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَنْ إِنْ
تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنْطَارٍ يُؤَدِّهِ
إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ إِنْ تَأْمَنْهُ
بِدِينَارٍ لَا يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا
مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَائِمًا ذَلِكَ
بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِي
الْأُمِّيِّينَ سَبِيلٌ وَيَقُولُونَ
عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ
يَعْلَمُونَ
﴿3:75﴾
(3:75) And among the People of the Book
there are some who would restore you
even if you were to entrust a treasure
of gold, and of them there are some whom
were you to entrust with one gold piece,
will not restore it unless you stand
over them. That is because they say: 'We
will not be taken to task for whatever
we may do to non-Jews (ummls). *64
Thus they falsely fix a lie upon Allah,
and do so wittingly.
*64. This was not merely the
misconception of the ignorant mass of
Jews. Their religious teaching was the
same and the legal doctrines of their
accepted religious authorities and
jurists reflected this idea. With regard
to injunctions on loans and interest the
Bible makes a clear distinction between
an Israelite and a non-Israelite
(Deuteronomy 15: 1-3; 23: 20).
It is stated in the Talmud that if the
bullock of an Israelite injures the
bullock of a non-Israelite the former is
not liable to any penalty, but not vice
versa. Similarly, it is laid down that
if anyone finds an unclaimed article he
should enquire amongst the people who
live nearby. If they are Israelites he
should announce his find; if not he may
keep it without saying anything further.
Rabbi Samuel Ishmael says that if a
dispute between a Jew and a Gentile is
brought before a judge, he should base
his verdict on Jewish law if it is
favourable; if the law of the Gentiles
goes in favour of the Jew he should
justify his judgement by saying that the
Gentile has no valid ground for
complaint since judgement was given
according to his own law. Even if both
laws are unfavourable towards the Jew
the judge should still find some pretext
for deciding in his favour. Rabbi Samuel
says that benefit should be derived from
every mistake the non-Israelite may
make. (See Paul Isaac Hershon, Talmudic
Miscellany, London, 1880, pp. 37 and
210-21.)
بَلَى مَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ وَاتَّقَى
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ
﴿3:76﴾
(3:76) But Allah loves only those who
fulfil their covenant and fear Allah.
Truly Allah loves the God-fearing.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ
اللَّهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا
أُولَئِكَ لَا خَلَاقَ لَهُمْ فِي
الْآَخِرَةِ وَلَا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ
وَلَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَا يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ
عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
﴿3:77﴾
(3:77) There shall be no share in the
Life to Come for those who sell away the
covenant of Allah and their oaths for a
trivial gain. On the Day of Resurrection
Allah will neither address them, look at
them, nor will He purify them. *65
A painful chastisement lies ahead of
them.
*65. The reason is that, despite their
worst crimes, they still thought that on
the Day of Judgement they alone would be
honoured with God's favour, and that
towards them alone He would turn His
gracious attention. They also
entertained the belief that if they had
been stained by any trace of sin, it
would be washed away by the grace of
their pious elders. Such people are
warned here that the treatment meted out
to them in the Next Life will be
altogether contrary to their
expectations.
وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ
أَلْسِنَتَهُمْ بِالْكِتَابِ
لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا هُوَ
مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ
عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ
اللَّهِ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ
الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
﴿3:78﴾
(3:78) And there is a party among them
who twist their tongues while reciting
the Book to make you think that it is
part of the Book when in fact it is not. *66
They say: 'It is from Allah', when in
fact it is not from Allah. They falsely
fix a lie upon Allah, and do so
wittingly.
*66. This could mean that they either
distort the meaning of the Scriptures or
twist the words of the text in order to
misinterpret it. Its real meaning,
however, seems to be that when, during
their reading of the Scriptures, they
encounter any word or sentence which
goes against their interests, and the
beliefs and notions which they cherish,
they distort the meaning of it by
deliberately twisting their tongues.
Instances of such tongue-twisting are
not altogether wanting among those who,
despite their belief in the Qur'an,
share some of these people's
characteristics. For instance, some
people who stress the superhuman
character of the Prophet (peace be on
him) misread the following verse: innama
ana basharun mithlukum (Qur'an 18: 110)
(I am nothing but a human being like
you), replacing innama by inna ma ana
and translate it: '(O Prophet), say to
them: "I am not a human being like you."
مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ
اللَّهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ
وَالنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ
كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِي مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ
وَلَكِنْ كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا
كُنْتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا
كُنْتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ
﴿3:79﴾
(3:79) It does not befit a man that
Allah should grant him His Book and
sound judgement and prophet-hood, and
thereafter he should say to men: 'Become
servants to me apart from Allah.' He
would rather say: 'Become dedicated men
of Allah, *67
in accord with the dictates of the Book
you have been teaching and studying.'
*67. The term rabbani is used here to
denote Jewish religious scholars and
functionaries who were supposed to
provide true religious guidance to
establish their rites of worship,
implement religious laws, and so on. The
same word occurs in Surah 5: 44 and 63.
In the Christian tradition the word
'divine' is used as an equivalent to the
word rabbani.
وَلَا يَأْمُرَكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّخِذُوا
الْمَلَائِكَةَ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ
أَرْبَابًا أَيَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالْكُفْرِ
بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
﴿3:80﴾
(3:80) He will never enjoin you to take
the angels or Prophets for your lords.
Will he enjoin upon you unbelief when
you have submitted yourselves to Allah? *68
*68. This refutation is directed at all
the false concepts which were attributed
to the Messengers of God by various
nations, and then made an integral part
of the religious scriptures. These
concepts were false in that they
elevated either the Prophets or the
angels to the level of deities
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ
النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آَتَيْتُكُمْ مِنْ
كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ
رَسُولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَكُمْ
لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ
قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَى
ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِي قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا
قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُمْ مِنَ
الشَّاهِدِينَ
﴿3:81﴾
(3:81) And recall when Allah took a
covenant from the Prophets: 'This is the
Book and the Wisdom which I have given
you. But should a Prophet come to you
confirming that which is already with
you, you shall believe in him and shall
help him. *69
So saying, Allah asked: 'Do you agree
and accept to take up the burden of the
covenant?' They answered: 'We agree,' He
said: 'Then bear wirness; and I will be
with you among the witness.
*69. A party of the People of the Book
would fain lead you astray, whereas in
truth they lead none astray except
themselves, but they do not realize it.
فَمَنْ تَوَلَّى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ
فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
﴿3:82﴾
(3:82) Then whosoever shall turn away
from this covenant they are the
transgressors. *70
*70. People of the Book! Why do you
reject the signs of Allah even though
you yourselves witness them?60
أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ
وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ
يُرْجَعُونَ
﴿3:83﴾
(3:83) Do they now seek a religion other
than prescribed by Allah even though all
that is in the heavens and the earth is
in submission to Him *71
- willing or unwillingly - and to Him
all shall return?
*71. The basic principle characterizing
the universe, in other words the
religion of the universe and of every
part of it, is Islam; insofar as the
universe is in a state of total
obedience and service to the Will of
God. Here people are asked if they would
follow a way of life different from
Islam though they are part of the
universe which is characterized by
submission to God (islam).
قُلْ آَمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ
عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى
إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ
وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ
مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ
رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ
مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ
﴿3:84﴾
(3:84) Say: 'We believe in Allah and
what was revealed to us and what was
revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and to
Issac and Jacob and his descendents, and
the teachings which Allah gave to Moses
and Jesus and to other Prophets. We make
no distinction between any of them *72
and to Him do we submit.
*72. They are told that it is not the
habit of Muslims either to believe in
Prophets and disbelieve in others or to
affirm to the truth of some call others
false. Muslims are free from narrow
prejudices and chauvinistic loyalties.
The true attitude of Muslims is to bear
witness to truth of every Messenger of
God, irrespective of where and when he
appears.
وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ
دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي
الْآَخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
﴿3:85﴾
(3:85) And whoever seeks a way other
than this way a submission (Islam), will
find that it will not be accepted from
him and in the Life to come he will be
among the losers.
كَيْفَ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ قَوْمًا كَفَرُوا
بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَشَهِدُوا أَنَّ
الرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ وَجَاءَهُمُ
الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي
الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
﴿3:86﴾
(3:86) How can Allah guide people who
once believed, after they received clear
signs and affirmed that the Messenger
was a true one, lapsed into disbelief. *73
Allah does not guide the wrong-doers.
*73. This is a repetition of the
statement made earlier, namely that the
Jewish rabbis of Arabia in the time of
the Prophet (peace be on him) knew, and
sometimes even testified to verbally,
that Muhammad was a true Prophet and
that his teachings were the same as
those of the earlier Prophets. (See for
instance Qur'an 2: 89 - Ed.) Their
subsequent attitude - namely that of
rejection and opposition - was the
outcome of prejudice and intransigence,
born out of their centuries-old
hostility to the Truth.
أُولَئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ أَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ
لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ
وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
﴿3:87﴾
(3:87) The recom- pense for their
wrong-doing is that the curse of Allah
and of the angels and of all men shall
upon them.
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ
الْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ
﴿3:88﴾
(3:88) Thus shall they abide. Neither
shall their chastisement be granted nor
shall they be granted any respite.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ
ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
﴿3:89﴾
(3:89) But those who repent and mend
their ways shall be excepted for indeed
Allah is Forgiving, All-Compassionate.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ
إِيمَانِهِمْ ثُمَّ ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا
لَنْ تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأُولَئِكَ
هُمُ الضَّالُّونَ
﴿3:90﴾
(3:90) Those who relieved and have
har-dened in their disbelief after once
believing, *74
their (pretence to) repentance shall not
be accepted. Indeed such men have
altogether strayed.
*74. They were not content with just
rejecting the call to the Truth but
stood in vehement opposition and
hostility to it and spared no efforts in
obstructing people from following the
way of God. They created doubts, spread
misgivings, sowed the seeds of distrust
and engaged in the worst conspiracies
and machinations in order to frustrate
the mission of the Prophet (peace be on
him).
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا
وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْ
أَحَدِهِمْ مِلْءُ الْأَرْضِ ذَهَبًا
وَلَوِ افْتَدَى بِهِ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ
عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ
نَاصِرِينَ
﴿3:91﴾
(3:91) Truly those who disbelieved and
died as unbelievers, not even an earth
full of gold will be accepted from them
as ransom. For such people there is
painful chastisement; and none shall
come to their help.
لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّى
تُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا
تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
﴿3:92﴾
(3:92) You shall not attain
righteousness until you spend out of
what you love (in the way of Allah). *75
Allah knows whatever you spend.
*75. The purpose of this verse is to
remove the misconception of the Jews
concerning 'righteousness'. The Jews had
inherited an elaborate legal code which
had accumulated as a result of the
casuistry and hair-splitting legalism of
their jurists. Their notion of
'righteousness' consisted of outward,
formal conformity to that code and they
evaluated all day-to-day actions,
especially the trivial ones, in terms of
conformity to that code.
Narrow-mindedness, greed, covetousness,
meanness, concealment of the Truth and
readiness to barter with it lay beneath
this veneer of formal piety. They were,
nevertheless, considered pious in the
minds of the people; Jewish public
opinion condoned their conduct because
it conformed to its concept of
'righteousness'.
In order to remove this misconception
they are told that the things they
considered fundamental to righteous
conduct are of little consequence. The
real spirit of righteousness consists in
the love of God - a love which makes man
value the good pleasure of God above all
worldly acquisitions. If the love of
anything seizes a man's mind to such an
extent that he is unable to sacrifice it
for the sake of the love of God, then
that thing has virtually become an idol,
and until he smashes it the door to
righteousness will remain closed to him.
If a man lacks this spirit, then his
excessively formal and legalistic
approach in religious matters can be
considered no more than glossy paint
over a piece of hollow, worm-eaten wood.
It may be possible to deceive human
beings by the sheer lustre of the outer
paint, but not God.
كُلُّ الطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّا لِبَنِي
إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ
إِسْرَائِيلُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِ
أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ التَّوْرَاةُ قُلْ
فَأْتُوا بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَاتْلُوهَا إِنْ
كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
﴿3:93﴾
(3:93) All food (that is lawful in the
Law revealed to Muhammad) was lawful to
the Children of Israel, *76
except what Israel *77
made unlawful to themselves before the
revelation of the Torah. Tell them:
'Bring the Torah and recite any passage
of it if you are truthful.'
*76. When the Jewish rabbis found no
grounds for criticizing the fundamental
teachings of the Prophet (there was no
difference between the teachings of the
previous Prophets and that of the
Arabian Prophet on matters which
constitute the core of religion), they
raised objections about the details of
religious law. The first objection was
that the Prophet (peace be on him) had
declared lawful a number of things which
had been reckoned as unlawful since the
time of the ancient Prophets. What is
said here is a refutation of that
objection.
*77. If 'Israel' is taken to mean the
'Children of Israel' then the
interpretation of this verse must be
that before the revelation of the Torah
they treated a number of things as
prohibited on the grounds of custom and
usage alone. If, however, 'Israel'
signifies Jacob (Ya'qub) then, the
meaning is that he avoided the use of
certain foods, which his descendants
wrongly understood to be religiously
prohibited, as a result of either a
temperamental dislike or an ailment.
This latter version is more commonly
accepted. It becomes clear from the next
verse that the Biblical injunction
regarding the prohibition of the flesh
of camels and rabbits was not part of
the original Torah but an interpolation
by Jewish doctors. (For a detailed
discussion see Surah 6, n. 122 below.)
فَمَنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ
مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ
الظَّالِمُونَ
﴿3:94﴾
(3:94) Those who falsely fix lies upon
Allah despite this are the wrong-doers.
قُلْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ فَاتَّبِعُوا مِلَّةَ
إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ
الْمُشْرِكِينَ
﴿3:95﴾
(3:95) Say: 'Whatever Allah has said is
true. Follow, then, the way of Abraham
in total devotion to Allah. He was not
one of those who associate others with
Allah in His divinity. *78
*78. The Jews had enmeshed themselves in
legalistic minutiae and these had become
their major concern. They had abandoned
service to the One True God and had
allowed their religious life to become
corrupted by polytheism. Instead of
attending to the fundamentals of
religion they indulged in discussions
about questions that had only arisen
because of the hair-splitting legalism
of their scholars during their centuries
of decadence.
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ
لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى
لِلْعَالَمِينَ
﴿3:96﴾
(3:96) Behold, the first House (of
Prayer) established for mankind is the
one at Bakkah: it is full of blessing
and a centre of guidance for the whole
world. *79
*79. The second objection raised by the
Jews was that the direction for Prayer
had been changed from Jerusalem to the
Ka'bah. This objection is answered in
Surah 2 (see verses 142 ff. and nn. 142
and 147 above). The Bible, itself,
testifies that Jerusalem was built by
Solomon more than four and a half
centuries after Moses (see 1 Kings 6:
1), and that it was during his time that
the worshippers of the One God began to
pray towards it (1 Kings 8: 29-30). It
is established by traditions from
numerous sources which are undisputed
throughout Arabia, however, that the
Ka'bah was constructed by Abraham who
lived some eight or nine centuries
before Moses. That the Ka'bah was older
than the Temple of Jerusalem was beyond
dispute.
فِيهِ آَيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَقَامُ
إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كَانَ
آَمِنًا وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ
الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ
سَبِيلًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ
﴿3:97﴾
(3:97) In it there are clear signs and
the station of Abraham; *80
whoever enters it becomes secure. *81
Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed
to Allah by all who can make their way
to it. As for those who refuse to follow
His command, surely Allah does not stand
in need of anything.
*80. Here it is stressed that there are
several clear signs which prove that the
Makkan sanctuary enjoys God's blessing
and has been chosen by Him as His
sanctuary. Even though it is located in
the middle of wide expanses of desert
God has seen to it that its inhabitants
enjoy a satisfactory living. Although
the rest of Arabia was plunged into
chaos and disorder for about two and a
half thousand years, peace and
tranquillity reigned in both the
precincts and the environs of the
Ka'bah. Thanks to the Ka'bah the entire
Arabian peninsula enjoyed four months of
peace and order every year. These were
the sacred months when people went on
Pilgrimage. Moreover, barely a half
century before the revelation of these
verses, people had seen how Abrahah, the
Abyssinian invader, fell prey to God's
scourge when he attacked Makka with the
intention of destroying the Ka'bah. At
that time, this incident was known to
everybody in Arabia. Its memory was
fresh and many eye-witnesses were still
alive at the time of the Prophet (peace
be on him).
*81. Even during the pre-Islamic era -
the Age of Ignorance in Arabia - this
sanctuary enjoyed such veneration that
even those who thirsted for each other's
blood saw their enemies in the sacred
territory but dare not attack them.
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ
تَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ
شَهِيدٌ عَلَى مَا تَعْمَلُونَ
﴿3:98﴾
(3:98) Say: 'People of the Book! Why do
you reject the signs of Allah when Allah
is witness to all that you do?'
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ
تَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مَنْ
آَمَنَ تَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَأَنْتُمْ
شُهَدَاءُ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا
تَعْمَلُونَ
﴿3:99﴾
(3:99) Say: 'People of the Book! Why do
you hinder one who believes from the way
of Allah, seeking that he follow a
crooked way, even though you yourselves
are witness to its being the right way?'
Allah is not heedless of what you do.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِنْ
تُطِيعُوا فَرِيقًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ
أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ بَعْدَ
إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ
﴿3:100﴾
(3:100) Believers! Were you to obey a
party of those who were given the Book,
they might cause you to renounce the
Truth after you have attained to faith.
وَكَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ وَأَنْتُمْ تُتْلَى
عَلَيْكُمْ آَيَاتُ اللَّهِ وَفِيكُمْ
رَسُولُهُ وَمَنْ يَعْتَصِمْ بِاللَّهِ
فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
﴿3:101﴾
(3:101) How can you disbelieve when you
are the ones to whom the signs of Allah
are recited and amidst you is His
Messenger? Whoever holds fast to Allah
will certainly be guided to the straight
way.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اتَّقُوا
اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ
إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
﴿3:102﴾
(3:102) Believers! Fear Allah as He
should be feared, and see that you do
not die save in the state of submission
to Allah. *82
*82. They should remain steadfast in
their obedience and loyalty to God.
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا
وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ
اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ
أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ
فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا
وَكُنْتُمْ عَلَى شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ
النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَا كَذَلِكَ
يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آَيَاتِهِ
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
﴿3:103﴾
(3:103) Hold fast together to the cable
of Allah *83
and be not divided. Remember the
blessing that Allah bestowed upon you:
you were once enemies then He brought
your hearts together, so that through
His blessing you became brothers. You
stood on the brink of a pit of fire and
He delivered you from it. *84
Thus Allah makes His signs clear to you
that you may be guided to the right way. *85
*83. The expression 'cable of Allah', in
this verse, refers to the 'religion of
God'. The reason for use of the word
'cable' (habl) is that it both
establishes a bond between man and God
and joins all believers together. To
take a firm hold on this cable means
that the believers should attach
profound importance to their religion:
this should always be the centre of
their concerns; they should continually
strive to establish it; and the common
desire to serve it should make them
co-operate with each other.
As soon as Muslims turn their attentions
away from the fundamental teachings of
their religion and lose sight of
establishing its hegemony in life they
begin to concern themselves with matters
of secondary importance. And, just as
they rent the communities of the former
Prophets, enticing people away from
their true objective in life, so schisms
and dissensions are bound to plague
their lives. If Muslims do this they are
bound to suffer indignity and disgrace
both in this world and the Next as
happened with the followers of the
previous Prophets.
*84. This refers to the state of the
Arabs on the eve of the advent of Islam.
There were animosities among the tribes
which regularly broke out into fighting;
every now and then there was much
bloodshed. Things had reached a point
that the entire Arabian nation seemed to
be on the verge of destroying itself. It
was due to the blessings of Islam alone
that it was saved from being consumed by
the fire to which this verse alludes.
The people of Madina had embraced Islam
some three or four years before these
verses were revealed. They had witnessed
the blessing of Islam as it unified into
one brotherhood the Aws and Khazraj, two
tribes which had long been sworn
enemies. Moreover, both tribes treated
the migrants from Makka in a spirit of
sacrifice and love seldom seen even
among members of the same family.
*85. If they had eyes to see they could
conclude for themselves whether their
salvation lay in adhering firmly to this
religion or in abandoning it and
reverting to their former state; i.e.
decide whether their true well-wishers
were God and His Messenger or those
Jews, polytheists and hypocrites who
strove to plunge them back into their
former state.
وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ
إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ
بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ
الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ
الْمُفْلِحُونَ
﴿3:104﴾
(3:104) And from among you there must be
a party who invite people to all that is
good and enjoin the doing of all that is
right and forbid the doing of all that
is wrong. It is they who will attain
true success.
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا
وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ
الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ
عَظِيمٌ
﴿3:105﴾
(3:105) Do not be like those who fell
into factions and differed among
themselves *86
after clear signs had come to them. A
mighty chastisement awaits them on the
Day when some faces will turn bright and
ther faces will turn dark. Those whose
faces have turned dark will be told:
'Did you fall into unbelief after you
had been blessed with belief? Taste,
then, chastise- ment for your unbelief.'
And those whose faces have turned
bright, they will be in the mercy of
Allah, and therein they shall abide.
These are the mes sages of Allah which
We recite to you in truth, and Allah
desires no wrong *87
to the people of the world. To Allah
belongs all that is in the heavens and
the earth, and to Allah are all matters
referred for decision.
*86. The reference is to those
communities which received clear and
straightforward teachings of the true
religion but who had abandoned the
fundamentals, forming separate sects
around trivial and subsidiary questions;
they became so engrossed in quarrelling
over superfluous and insignificant
questions that they lost sight of the
mission God had entrusted to them, and
even lost interest in those fundamentals
of belief and righteous conduct which
are essential for man's salvation and
felicity.
يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ
وُجُوهٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ اسْوَدَّتْ
وُجُوهُهُمْ أَكَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ
إِيمَانِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا
كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
﴿3:106﴾
(3:106) On the Day when some faces will
turn bright and ther faces will turn
dark. Those whose faces have turned dark
will be told: 'Did you fall into
unbelief after you had been blessed with
belief? Taste, then, chastisement for
your unbelief.
وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ابْيَضَّتْ
وُجُوهُهُمْ فَفِي رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ هُمْ
فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
﴿3:107﴾
(3:107) And those whose faces have
turned bright, they will be in the mercy
of Allah, and therein they shall abide.
تِلْكَ آَيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا
عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا اللَّهُ
يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِلْعَالَمِينَ
﴿3:108﴾
(3:108) These are the mes sages of Allah
which We recite to you in truth, and
Allah desires no wrong
to the people of the world.
*87. Since God does not want to subject
people to any wrong He illuminates the
straight path of their salvation, and
forewarns them of the matters for which
they will be asked to render an account
in the Hereafter. It is clear that if
people abandon the path of rectitude
they wrong no one but themselves.
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي
الْأَرْضِ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ
الْأُمُورُ
﴿3:109﴾
(3:109)To Allah belongs all that is in
the heavens and the earth, and to Allah
are all matters referred for decision.
كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ
لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ
وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَوْ آَمَنَ
أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ
مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ
الْفَاسِقُونَ
﴿3:110﴾
(3:110) You are now the best people
brought forth for (the guidance and
reform of) mankind. *88
You enjoin what is right and forbid what
is wrong and believe in Allah. Had the
People of the Book *89
believed it were better for them. Some
of them are believers but most of them
are transgressors.
*88. This is the same declaration that
was made earlier (see verse 2: 143
above). The Arabian Prophet (peace be on
him) and his followers are informed that
they are being assigned the guidance and
leadership of the world, a position the
Israelites had been relieved of because
they had shown themselves unsuitable.
The Muslims were charged with this
responsibility because of their
competence. They were the best people in
terms of character and morals and had
developed in theory and in practice the
qualities essential for truly righteous
leadership, namely the spirit and
practical commitment to promoting good
and suppressing evil and the
acknowledgement of the One True God as
their Lord and Master. In view of the
task entrusted to them, they had to
become conscious of their
responsibilities and avoid the mistakes
committed by their predecessors (see
Surah 1, nn. 123 and 144 above).
*89. 'People of the Book' refers here to
the Children of Israel.
لَنْ يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلَّا أَذًى وَإِنْ
يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ
ثُمَّ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ
﴿3:111﴾
(3:111) They will not be able to harm
you except for a little hurt, and if
they fight against you they will turn
their backs (in flight), and then they
will not be succoured.
ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ
مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ
اللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَبَاءُو
بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ
عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَسْكَنَةُ ذَلِكَ
بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ
بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ
الْأَنْبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ذَلِكَ
بِمَا عَصَواْ وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ
﴿3:112﴾
(3:112) Wherever they were, they were
covered with ignominy, except when they
were protected by either a covenant with
Allah or a covenant with men. *90
They are laden with the burden of
Allah's wrath, and humiliation is stuck
upon them - and all this because they
rejected the signs of Allah and slayed
the Prophets without right, and because
they disobeyed and transgressed.
*90. If the Jews have ever enjoyed any
measure of peace and security anywhere
in the world they owe it to the goodwill
and benevolence of others rather than to
their own power and strength. At times
Muslim governments granted them refuge
while at others non-Muslim powers
extended protection. Similarly, if the
Jews ever emerged as a power it was due
not to their intrinsic strength but to
the strength of others.
لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ
أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آَيَاتِ
اللَّهِ آَنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ
يَسْجُدُونَ
﴿3:113﴾
(3:113) Yet all are not alike: among the
People of the Book there are upright
people who recite the messages of Allah
in the watches of the night and
prostrate themselves in worship.
يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ
الْآَخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ
وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ
وَأُولَئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
﴿3:114﴾
(3:114) They believe in Allah and in the
Last Day and enjoin what is right and
forbid what is wrong, and hasten to
excel each other in doing good. These
are among the righteous.
وَمَا يَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَنْ
يُكْفَرُوهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ
بِالْمُتَّقِينَ
﴿3:115﴾
(3:115) Whatever good they do shall not
go unappreciated, and Allah fully knows
those who are pious.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَنْ تُغْنِيَ
عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا
أَوْلَادُهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا
وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ
فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
﴿3:116﴾
(3:116) As for those who denied the
Truth, neither their possessions nor
their children will avail them against
Allah. They are the people of the Fire,
and therein they shall abide.
مَثَلُ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ فِي هَذِهِ
الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ
فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ
ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ
وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَكِنْ
أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
﴿3:117﴾
(3:117) The example of what they spend
in the life of this world is like that
of a wind accompanied with frost which
smites the harvest of a people who
wronged themselves, and lays it to
waste. *91
It is not Allah who wronged them; rather
it is they who wrong themselves.
*91. The term 'harvest' in this parable
refers to this life which resembles a
field of cultivation the harvest of
which one will reap in the World to
Come. The 'wind' refers to the
superficial appearance of righteousness,
for the sake of which unbelievers spend
their wealth on philanthropic and
charitable causes. The expression
'frost' indicates their lack of true
faith and their failure to follow the
Divine Laws, as a result of which their
entire life has gone astray.
By means of this parable God seeks to
bring home to them that while wind is
useful for the growth of cultivation if
that wind turns into frost it destroys
it. So it is with man's acts of charity:
they can prove helpful to the growth of
the harvest one will reap in the
Hereafter but are liable to be
destructive if mixed with unbelief. God
is the Lord and Master of man as well as
of all that man owns, and the world in
which he lives. If a man either does not
recognize the sovereignty of his Lord
and unlawfully serves others or disobeys
God's Laws then his actions become
crimes for which he deserves to be
tried; his acts of 'charity' are but the
acts of a servant who unlawfully helps
himself to his master's treasure and
then spends it as he likes.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا
تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِنْ دُونِكُمْ لَا
يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا
عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ
أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ
أَكْبَرُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ
الْآَيَاتِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
﴿3:118﴾
(3:118) Believers! Do not take for
intimate friends those who are not of
your kind. They spare no effort to
injure you. *92
Indeed they love all that distresses
you. Their hatred is clearly manifest in
what they say, and what their breasts
conceal is even greater. Now We have
made Our messages clear to you, if only
you can understand (the danger of their
intimacy).
*92. The Jews living on the outskirts of
Madina had long enjoyed friendly
relations with the two tribes of Aws and
Khazraj. In the first place this was the
result of relations between individuals.
Later, they were bound by ties of
neighbourliness and allegiance as a
result of tribal inter-relationship.
Even after the people of Aws and Khazraj
embraced Islam, they maintained their
old ties with the Jews and continued to
treat them with the same warmth and
cordiality. However, the hostility of
the Jews towards the Arabian Prophet
(peace be on him) and towards his
mission was far too intense to allow
them to maintain a cordial relationship
with anyone who had joined the new
movement. Outwardly, the Jews maintained
the same terms of friendship with the
Ansar (Helpers) as before but at heart
they had become their sworn enemies.
They made the best use of this pretended
friendship, and remained constantly on
the look-out for opportunities to create
schisms and dissensions in the Muslim
body-politic, and to draw out the
secrets of the Muslims and pass them on
to their enemies. Here God warns the
Muslims to note this hypocrisy and take
the necessary precaution.
هَا أَنْتُمْ أُولَاءِ تُحِبُّونَهُمْ
وَلَا يُحِبُّونَكُمْ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ
بِالْكِتَابِ كُلِّهِ وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمْ
قَالُوا آَمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا عَضُّوا
عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ
قُلْ مُوتُوا بِغَيْظِكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ
عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
﴿3:119﴾
(3:119) Lo! It is you who love them but
they do not love you even though you
believe in the whole of the (heavenly)
Book. *93
When they meet you they say: 'We
believe', but when they are by
themselves they bite their fingers in
rage at you. Say: 'Perish in your rage.'
Allah knows even what lies hidden in
their breasts.
*93. It is strange that although the
Muslims had reason to feel aggrieved by
the Jews it was the latter who felt
aggrieved by the Muslims. Since the
Muslims believed in the Torah along with
the Qur'an the Jews had no justifiable
ground for complaint. If anyone had
cause to complain it was the Muslims for
the Jews did not believe in the Qur'an.
إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ
وَإِنْ تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا
بِهَا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لَا
يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ
اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ
﴿3:120﴾
(3:120) If anything good happens to you
they are grieved; if any misfortune
befalls you they rejoice at it. But if
you remain steadfast and mindful of
Allah their designs will not cause you
harm. Allah surely encompasses all that
they do.
وَإِذْ غَدَوْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ تُبَوِّئُ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَقَاعِدَ لِلْقِتَالِ
وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
﴿3:121﴾
(3:121) (O Messenger! *94
Remind the Muslims of the occasion) when
you went forth from your home at early
dawn (to the battlefield of Uhud) and
placed the believers in battle arrays.
Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
*94. This marks the beginning of the
fourth discourse of this surah. It was
revealed after the Battle of Uhud and
contains comments on it. The previous
section ended with the assurance: 'But
if you remain steadfast and mindful of
Allah their designs will not cause you
harm.' (See verse 120 above.) The
Muslims did suffer a setback in the
Battle of Uhud precisely because of this
lack of patience, and because of a few
mistakes committed by some of them which
were indicative of insufficient piety.
This discourse, therefore, is quite
appropriate and warns the Muslims
against such weaknesses.
The discourse contains a precise and
instructive commentary on all the main
events connected with the Battle of
Uhud. In order to appreciate this it is
appropriate to refresh our minds as to
the situational context of its
revelations. In the beginning of Shawwal
3 A.H., the Quraysh attacked Madina with
an army of three thousand men. In
addition to their numerical superiority
they were also much better equipped.
Moreover, they sought to avenge their
losses in the Battle of Badr. The
Prophet (peace be on him) and his
closest Companions were of the opinion
that they should defend themselves from
within the boundaries of Madina, There
were, however, several young people who
longed for martyrdom and felt aggrieved
at, not having had the opportunity to
fight in the Battle of Badr. They
insisted that the enemy should be
resisted outside the confines of Madina.
The Prophet gave in to their demands and
decided to march out of the city to meet
their enemies. A thousand people
accompanied him. Of these, 'Abd Allah b.
Ubayy broke away along with his three
hundred followers after reaching the
place called Shawt. This, happening as
it did just before the commencement of
the battle, created such perplexity and
confusion that the people of Banu
Salamah and Banu Harithah wanted to turn
back, and it took some effort on the
part of the Companions to persuade them
not to.
The Prophet advanced with the remaining
seven hundred Muslims and lined up his
troops at the foot of Mount Uhud (a
distance of approximately four miles
from Madina) in such a manner that the
mountain was behind and the Quraysh army
in front of them. There was only one
mountain pass from where the Muslims
could be subjected to a surprise attack.
The Prophet posted fifty archers there
as guards under the- command of 'Abd
Allah b. Jubayr, instructing him neither
to let anyone approach nor to move away
from that spot. 'Even if you see birds
fly off with our flesh', the Prophet
said, 'still you must not move away from
this place'. (For such instructions from
the Prophet see Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, vol.
2, pp. 39-40 and 47, and Waqidi,
Maghazi, vol. 1, pp. 224 and 229 - Ed.)
Then the battle commenced. In the
beginning the Muslims proved the better
side but instead of maintaining their
onslaught until they had assured
complete victory, they were overcome by
the temptation of booty and turned to
collecting the spoils. When the archers
whom the Prophet had posted to repel the
attack of the enemy from the rear saw
that the enemy had taken to its heels
and that people were collecting booty,
they too joined the melee and began to
do the same.
'Abd Allah b. Jubayr tried to persuade
them not to leave their posts by
reminding them of the Prophet's
directive. Hardly anyone heeded him.
Khalid b. Walld, who was at that time an
unbeliever and who commanded the Quraysh
cavalry, seized his opportunity. He rode
with his men around Mount Uhud and
attacked the flank of the Muslim army
through the pass. 'Abd Allah b. Jubayr's
depleted forces tried unsuccessfully to
resist the attack.
The fleeing soldiers of the enemy also
returned and joined the attack from the
front and the scales of the battle
turned against the Muslims. The
suddenness of these attacks, from both
the rear and the front, caused such
confusion that many fled. Then the
rumour spread that the- Prophet,
himself, had been martyred. This news
shattered whatever presence of mind the
Companions had left, and led many who
had stood firm to lose courage
altogether. At this moment there
remained around the injured and bleeding
Prophet (peace be on him) no more than
ten or twelve loyal persons who had
staked their lives for his sake. Defeat
seemed inevitable. Fortunately, however,
the Companions realized that the Prophet
was still alive. They therefore advanced
towards him from all sides, rallied
around him, and led him to the safety of
the mountain. (For an account of the
Battle of Uhud in early Islamic sources,
see Ibn Hisham, Slrah, yol, 1, pp. 61
ff., Waqidi, Maghazi, vol. 1, pp. 199
ff., especially pp. 224, 229 f. and 237
ff., and Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, vol. 2, pp.
36-48, etc. - Ed.)
It remains a mystery why the unbelievers
of Makka held back when victory was
within their grasp. The Muslim ranks
were in such disarray that they would
have been hard pushed to resist further.
(Cf. the account and conclusion of W. M.
Watt regarding the Battle of Uhud in
Muhammad at Medina, Oxford University
Press, 1956, pp. 21 ff., especially pp.
26-9 -Ed.)
إِذْ هَمَّتْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ
تَفْشَلَا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّهُمَا وَعَلَى
اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
﴿3:122﴾
(3:122) And recall when two groups from
among you were inclined to flag *95
although Allah was their protector; it
is in Allah that the believers should
put their trust.
*95. This refers to Banu Salamah and
Banu Harithah, whose morale had been
undermined as a result of the withdrawal
of 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy and his
followers.
وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍ
وَأَنْتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
﴿3:123﴾
(3:123) For sure Allah helped you at
Badr when you were utterly weak. Beware,
then, of Allah; perhaps you will be
thankful.
إِذْ تَقُولُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَلَنْ
يَكْفِيَكُمْ أَنْ يُمِدَّكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ
بِثَلَاثَةِ آَلَافٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ
مُنْزَلِينَ
﴿3:124﴾
(3:124) And recall when you said to the
believers: 'Will it not suffice you that
your Lord will aid you by sending down
three thousand angels? *96
*96. When the Muslims saw that their
enemies numbered three thousand while
three hundred out of their army of one
thousand had departed they began to lose
heart. It was on this occasion that the
Prophet spoke these words to them.
بَلَى إِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا
وَيَأْتُوكُمْ مِنْ فَوْرِهِمْ هَذَا
يُمْدِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِخَمْسَةِ
آَلَافٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ
﴿3:125﴾
(3:125) If you are steadfast and mindful
of God, even though the enemy should
suddenly fall upon you, your Lord will
help you even with five thousand marked
angels.
وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَى
لَكُمْ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُكُمْ بِهِ
وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِنْدِ
اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ
﴿3:126﴾
(3:126) Allah has reminded you of this
only as a glad tiding to you and so as
to let your hearts be at rest. Help can
only come from Allah, the All-Mighty,
the All-Wise.
لِيَقْطَعَ طَرَفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُوا أَوْ يَكْبِتَهُمْ
فَيَنْقَلِبُوا خَائِبِينَ
﴿3:127﴾
(3:127) And Allah provided this aid to
you in order to cut off a part of those
who disbelieved and frustrate them so
that they retreat in utter
disappointment.
لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ أَوْ
يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ
فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
﴿3:128﴾
(3:128) (O Messenger!) It is not for you
to decide whether He will accept their
repentance or chastise them, for they
surely are wrongdoers.
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي
الْأَرْضِ يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ
وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ
غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
﴿3:129﴾
(3:129) Whatever is in the heavens and
the earth belongs to Allah. He forgives
whom He wills, and chastises whom He
wills: Allah is indeed All-Forgiving,
Most-Compassionate. *97
*97. When the Prophet was injured he
uttered words of imprecation against the
unbelievers: 'How can a people that
injures its own Prophet attain
salvation?' These verses are in response
to that utterance.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا
تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا
مُضَاعَفَةً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ
لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
﴿3:130﴾
(3:130) Believers! Do not swallow
interest, doubled and redoubled, and be
mindful of Allah so that you may attain
true success. *98
*98. The major cause of the setback
suffered at Uhud was that precisely at
the moment of their victory the Muslims
succumbed to the desire for worldly
possessions, and turned to collecting
booty rather than completing their task
of crushing the enemy. Hence God thought
fit to raise a barrier against this
excessive adoration of money, and to
urge them to give up usury which keeps
man constantly absorbed in considering
ways and means of amassing wealth and
generally whets his appetite for money.
وَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي أُعِدَّتْ
لِلْكَافِرِينَ
﴿3:131﴾
(3:131) And have fear of the Fire which
awaits those who deny the Truth.
وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ
لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
﴿3:132﴾
(3:132) And obey Allah and the
Messenger, that you may be shown mercy.
And hasten to the for-giveness of your
Lord and to a Paradise as vast as the
heavens and the earth, prepared for the
God-fearing who spend in the way of
Allah both in plenty and hardship, who
restrain their anger, and forgive
others. Allah loves such good-doers."
وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ
رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا
السَّمَوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ
لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
﴿3:133﴾
(3:133) And hasten to the for-giveness
of your Lord and to a Paradise as vast
as the heavens and the earth, prepared
for the God-fearing.
الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ
وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ
وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ
يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
﴿3:134﴾
(3:134) who spend in the way of Allah
both in plenty and hardship, who
restrain their anger, and forgive
others. Allah loves such good-doers."
*99
*99. The existence of interest in a
society generates two kinds of moral
disease. It breeds greed and avarice,
meanness and selfishness among those who
receive interest. At the same time,
those who have to pay interest develop
strong feelings of hatred, resentment,
spite and jealousy. God intimates to the
believers that the attributes bred by
the spread of interest are the exact
opposite of those which develop as a
result of spending in the way of God,
and that it is through the latter rather
than the former that man can achieve
God's forgiveness and Paradise. (For
further explanation see Surah 2, n. 320
above.)
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً
أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا
اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ
وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا
اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَى مَا
فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
﴿3:135﴾
(3:135) These are the ones who, when
they commit any indecency and wrong
against themselves, instantly remember
Allah and implore forgiveness for their
sins - for who will forgive sins save
Allah? - and who do not wilfully persist
in the wrong they did.
أُولَئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ مِنْ
رَبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ
تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا
وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ
﴿3:136﴾
(3:136) They shall be recompensed by
forgiveness from their Lord and by
gardens beneath which rivers flow; there
they shall abide. How good is the reward
of those who labour!
قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ سُنَنٌ
فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُروا
كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ
﴿3:137﴾
(3:137) Many eras have passed before
you. Go about, then, in the land and
behold the end of those who gave the lie
to (the directives and ordinances of
Allah).
هَذَا بَيَانٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى
وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
﴿3:138﴾
(3:138) This is a plain exposition for
men, and a guidance and admonition for
the Godfearing.
وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا
وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ
مُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:139﴾
(3:139) Do not, then, either lose heart
or grieve: for you shall surely gain the
upper hand if you are true men of faith.
إِنْ يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ
الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ
الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا
وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ وَاللَّهُ
لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
﴿3:140﴾
(3:140) If a wound has befallen you a
similar wound has already befallen the
people who are opposed to you. *100
We make such movements to men in turn so
that Allah might mark out those who are
the true men of faith and select from
among you those who do really bear
witness (to the Truth): *101
for Allah does not love the wrong-doers,
*100. This alludes to the Battle of
Badr. The intention is to point out to
the Muslims that if the unbelievers were
not demoralized by the setback they
suffered at Badr then the Muslims should
not be disheartened by the setback thev
suffered in the Battle of Uhud.
*101. The actual words of this verse,
can be interpreted in two ways. One
meaning could be that God wanted to
select some of them so that He could
bestow upon them the honour of
martyrdom. The second meaning could be
that out of the hotch-potch of true
believers and hypocrites which their
community consisted of at that moment,
God wanted to sift those who were truly
His witnesses over all mankind. (See
Qur'an 2: 143 - Ed.)
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا
وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ
﴿3:141﴾
(3:141) and makes men go through trials
in order that He might purge the
believers and blot out those who deny
the Truth.
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا
الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ
الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ
الصَّابِرِينَ
﴿3:142﴾
(3:142) Did you think that you would
enter Paradise even though Allah has not
yet seen who among you strove hard in
His way and remained steadfast?
وَلَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ تَمَنَّوْنَ الْمَوْتَ
مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَلْقَوْهُ فَقَدْ
رَأَيْتُمُوهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ
﴿3:143﴾
(3:143) You previously longed for death
(in the way of Allah): now you have
faced it, observing it with your own
eyes. *102
*102. This is with reference to those
Companions who had urged the Prophet to
go out of Madina and take on the enemy
there because of their ardent desire for
martyrdom. (See Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, vol.
2, p. 38 - Ed.)
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ
خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَإِنْ
مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى
أَعْقَابِكُمْ وَمَنْ يَنْقَلِبْ عَلَى
عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَنْ يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ
شَيْئًا وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّهُ
الشَّاكِرِينَ
﴿3:144﴾
(3:144) Muhammad is no more than a
Messenger, and Messengers have passed
away before him. If, then, he were to
die or be slain will you turn about on
your heels? *103
Whoever turns about on his heels can in
no way harm Allah. As for the grateful
ones, Allah will soon reward them.
*103. When the rumour of the Prophet's
martyrdom spread during the battle, it
disheartened most of the Companions. The
hypocrites who were in the Muslim camp
began to advise the believers to
approach 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy so that he
might secure protection for them from
Abu Sufyan. Some went so far as to say
that had Muhammad really been the
Messenger of God he would not have been
put to death, and for that reason they
counselled people to revert to their
ancestral faith. It is in this context
that the Muslims are now told that if
their devotion to the truth is wholly
bound up with the person of Muhammad
(peace be on him), and if their
submission to God is so lukewarm that
his demise would cause them to plunge
back into the disbelief they had cast
off, then they should bear in mind the
fact that Islam does not need them.
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلَّا
بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُؤَجَّلًا
وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا
نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ
الْآَخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَسَنَجْزِي
الشَّاكِرِينَ
﴿3:145﴾
(3:145) It is not given to any soul to
die except with the leave of Allah, and
at an appointed time. *104
And he who desires his reward in this
world, We shall grant him the reward of
this world; and he who desires the
reward of the Other World, *105
We shall grant him the reward of the
Other World. And soon shall We reward
the ones who are grateful. *106
*104. The purpose of this directive is
to bring home to the Muslims that it
would be futile for them to try to flee
from death. No one can either die before
or survive the moment determined for
death by God. Hence one should not waste
one's time thinking how to escape death.
Instead, one should take stock of one's
activities and see whether one's efforts
have either been directed merely to
one's well-being in this world or to
well-being in the Hereafter.
*105. The word thawab denotes recompense
and reward. The 'reward of this world'
signifies the totality of benefits and
advantages which a man receives as a
consequence of his actions and efforts
within the confines of this world. The
'reward of the Other World' denotes the
benefits that a man will receive in the
lasting World to Come as the fruits of
his actions and efforts. From the
Islamic point of view, the crucial
question bearing upon human morals is
whether a man keeps his attention
focused on the worldly results of his
endeavours or on the results which will
acrue to him in the Next World.
*106. The 'ones who are grateful' are
those who fully appreciate God's favour
in making the true religion available to
them, and thereby intimating to them
knowledge of a realm that is infinitely
vaster than this world. Such people
appreciate that God has graciously
informed them of the truth so that the
consequences of human endeavour are not
confined to the brief span of earthly
life but cover a vast expanse, embracing
both the present life and the much more
important life of the Hereafter.
A grateful man is he who, having gained
this breadth of outlook and having
developed this long-range perception of
the ultimate consequences of things,
persists in acts of righteousness out of
his faith in God and his confidence in
God's assurance that they will bear
fruit in the Hereafter. He does so even
though he may sometimes find that, far
from bearing fruit, righteousness leads
to privation and suffering in this
world. The ungrateful ones are those who
persist in a narrow preoccupation with
earthly matters. They are those who
disregard the evil consequences of
unrighteousness in the Hereafter,
seizing everything which appears to
yield benefits and advantages in this
world, and who are not prepared to
devote their time and energy to those
acts of goodness which promise to bear
fruit in the Hereafter and which are
either unlikely to yield earthly
advantages or are fraught with risks.
Such people are ungrateful and lack
appreciation of the valuable knowledge
vouchsafed to them by God.
وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ قَاتَلَ مَعَهُ
رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ فَمَا وَهَنُوا لِمَا
أَصَابَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَمَا
ضَعُفُوا وَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا وَاللَّهُ
يُحِبُّ الصَّابِرِينَ
﴿3:146﴾
(3:146) Many were the Prophets on whose
side a large number of God-devoted men
fought: they neither lost heart for all
they had to suffer in the way of Allah
nor did they weaken nor did they abase
themselves. *107
Allah loves such steadfast ones.
*107. They did not surrender to the
followers of falsehood merely because of
their numerical inferiority and lack of
resources.
وَمَا كَانَ قَوْلَهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ
قَالُوا رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا
ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا
وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا
عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
﴿3:147﴾
(3:147) And all they said was this: 'Our
Lord! Forgive us our sins, and our
excesses, and set our feet firm, and
succour us against those who deny the
Truth.'
فَآَتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا
وَحُسْنَ ثَوَابِ الْآَخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ
يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
﴿3:148﴾
(3:148) Thereupon Allah granted them the
reward of this world as well as a better
reward of the World to Come. Allah loves
those who do good.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِنْ
تُطِيعُوا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ
فَتَنْقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ
﴿3:149﴾
(3:149) Believers! If you follow those
who deny the Truth, they will drive you
back on your heels, *108
and you will turn about, losers.
*108. That is, they would push them back
into the same state of unbelief from
which they had extricated themselves.
Since the Battle of Uhud the hypocrites
and the Jews had constantly propagated
the idea that, had Muhammad been a true
Prophet, he would not have suffered the
reverse that he encountered in that
battle. This reverse was offered as
proof that Muhammad (peace be on him)
was an ordinary person whose fortunes
varied, like those of other men, between
victory and defeat. They further
contended that the support and patronage
of God which Muhammad claimed to enjoy
was a sham.
بَلِ اللَّهُ مَوْلَاكُمْ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ
النَّاصِرِينَ
﴿3:150﴾
(3:150) But Allah is your Protector, and
He is the best of helpers.
سَنُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا
لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا
وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى
الظَّالِمِينَ
﴿3:151﴾
(3:151) We will cast terror into the
hearts of those who have denied the
Truth since they have associated others
with Allah in His divinity - something
for which He has sent down no sanction.
The Fire is their abode; how bad the
resting place of the wrong-doers will
be!
وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ
إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ حَتَّى
إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي
الْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا
أَرَاكُمْ مَا تُحِبُّونَ مِنْكُمْ مَنْ
يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ
يُرِيدُ الْآَخِرَةَ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ
عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا
عَنْكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:152﴾
(3:152) Allah surely fulfilled His
promise (of succour) when you were
slaying them by His leave until the
moment when you flagged and quarrelled
among yourselves about the matter, and
acted against the order of (the
Prophet). Soon He showed you what you
had intensely desired - for some among
you sought this world and some of you
sought the Next. Thereupon, in order to
put you to a test He turned you away
from your foes. Still He pardoned you
after that *109
for Allah is Bounteous to those who
believe.
*109. The failure of the Muslims was of
such a serious nature that had God not
pardoned them they might have been
obliterated there and then. It was out
of God's grace, support and patronage
that after the Muslims had been
overpowered by the enemy the latter were
seized with perplexity and confusion,
and withdrew.
إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَى
أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ فِي
أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ
لِكَيْلَا تَحْزَنُوا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ
وَلَا مَا أَصَابَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ
بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
﴿3:153﴾
(3:153) Recall when you were fleeing
without casting even a side glance at
anyone, and the Messenger was calling
out to you from the rear. *110
Then Allah requited you by inflicting
grief after grief upon you *111
so as to instruct you neither to grieve
for the losses you might suffer nor for
the afflictions that might befall you.
Allah knows all that you do.
*110. When subjected to a sudden
two-pronged attack the Muslims
scattered; some fled to Madina while
others climbed Mount Uhud. Despite this,
the Prophet (peace be on him) did not
move from his position. The enemy
surrounded him on all sides and only a
small party of ten to twelve followers
was left with him. Even at that critical
moment his feet remained firm and he
continued to summon his fleeing
followers towards himself. (See Waqidi,
Maghazi, vol. 1, pp. 237, 240 and 241 -
Ed.)
*111. The 'grief referred to in this
verse had many causes: (i) by the
setback the Muslims suffered on the
battlefield and by the rumour that the
Prophet (peace be on him) had been
martyred; (ii) by the fact that a large
number of believers had been killed and
wounded; and (iii) by the fact that
nothing was known about what was
happening to the Muslim families left
behind in Madina. For it was possible
that the enemy was greater in numbers
than the total population of Madina, and
that it might break through the defences
of the battered
ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ
الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُعَاسًا يَغْشَى
طَائِفَةً مِنْكُمْ وَطَائِفَةٌ قَدْ
أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ
بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ
الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَقُولُونَ هَلْ لَنَا
مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ قُلْ إِنَّ
الْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ يُخْفُونَ فِي
أَنْفُسِهِمْ مَا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ
يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ
الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ مَا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا
قُلْ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ
لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ
الْقَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ
وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّهُ مَا فِي
صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِي
قُلُوبِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ
الصُّدُورِ
﴿3:154﴾
(3:154) Then, after inflict-ing this
grief, He sent down an inner peace upon
you - a sleep which overtook some of
you. *112
Those who were concerned merely about
themselves, entertaining false notions
about Allah - the notions of the Age of
Ignorance - asked: 'Have we any say in
the matter?' Tell them: 'Truly, all
power of decision rests solely with
Allah.' Indeed, they conceal in their
hearts what they would not reveal to
you, saying: 'If we had any power of
decision, we would not have been slain
here.' Say: 'Even if you had been in
your houses, those for whom slaying had
been appointed would have gone forth to
the places where they were to be slain.'
And all this happened so that Allah
might test your secret thoughts and
purge your hearts of all impurities.
Allah knows well what is in the breasts
of men.
*112. A strange phenomenon was then
experienced by certain Muslim soldiers.
Abu Talhah, who took part in the battle,
states that the Muslims were seized by
such drowsiness that their swords were
slipping from their hands. (For several
Traditions stating this incident,
including one related by Abu Talhah, see
Waqidi, Maghazi, vol. 1, pp. 295-6 -
Ed.)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ
يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا
اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا
كَسَبُوا وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ
﴿3:155﴾
(3:155) Surely those of them who turned
their backs on the day when the two
armies met (at Uhud) did so because
Satan made them slip because of some of
their lapses. But Allah has pardoned
them; He is All-Forgiving,
All-Forbearing.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا
تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقَالُوا
لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا فِي
الْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا غُزًّى لَوْ
كَانُوا عِنْدَنَا مَا مَاتُوا وَمَا
قُتِلُوا لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ
حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ
يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
﴿3:156﴾
(3:156) Believers, do not behave like
those who disbelieved and say to their
brothers (who meet some mishap) in the
course of their journey for fighting:
'Had they remained with us, they would
not have died nor been slain.' Allah
makes such thoughts the cause of deep
regrets in their hearts. *113
For in truth it is Allah alone who
grants life and deals death. Allah sees
all that you do.
*113. Such ideas had no solid ground.
God's decree regarding the time of one's
death cannot be deferred. Those who lack
faith in God and think that everything
is dependent on their own scheming and
effort rather than on the overpowering
Will of God become victims of perpetual
remorse, since they never cease to
reflect how a slightly different
circumstance or slightly altered
strategy could have led to an altogether
different and wholesome result.
وَلَئِنْ قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ
وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ
﴿3:157﴾
(3:157) And were you to be slain or to
die in the way of Allah, then surely
Allah's forgiveness and mercy are better
than all the goods they amass.
وَلَئِنْ مُتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لَإِلَى
اللَّهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
﴿3:158﴾
(3:158) And were you to die or be slain,
it is to Allah that you will all be
mustered.
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ
لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ
الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ
فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ
وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا
عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّ
اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
﴿3:159﴾
(3:159) It was thanks to Allah's mercy
that you were gentle to them. Had you
been rough, hard-hearted, they would
surely have scattered away from you. So
pardon them, and pray for their
forgiveness, and take counsel from them
in matters of importance. And when you
are resolved on a course of action place
your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves
those who put their trust (in Him).
إِنْ يَنْصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ
لَكُمْ وَإِنْ يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَنْ ذَا
الَّذِي يَنْصُرُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ
وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ
الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
﴿3:160﴾
(3:160) If Allah helps you none shall
prevail over you; if He forsakes you
then who can help you? It is in Allah
that the believers should put their
trust.
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَنْ يَغُلَّ
وَمَنْ يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ
يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ
نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا
يُظْلَمُونَ
﴿3:161﴾
(3:161) It is not for a Prophet to
defraud; *114
and whoever defrauds shall bring with
him the fruits of his fraud on the Day
of Resurrection, when every human being
shall be paid in full what he has
earned, and shall not be wronged.
*114. When the archers, whom the Prophet
had posted to defend the army against
any attack from the rear, saw that the
spoils of the enemy were being
collected, they feared that the spoils
might fall in their entirety to the lot
of the soldiers who were then collecting
them, and that they might, therefore, be
deprived of their share. It was this
idea which had impelled them to leave
their posts. When the Prophet returned
to Madina after the battle he asked them
to explain the cause of their
disobedience. When he had heard their
unconvincing stories he told them: 'You
thought that we would act dishonestly
and would not deliver you your share.'
(See Alusi. Ruh al-Ma'ani, commentary on
this verse - Ed.) The verse alludes to
this here. The purpose is to impress
upon them that the Messenger of God
himself was the commander of their army
and that all their affairs were in his
hands alone. What made them feel that
their interests were not secure even in
the hands of God's Messenger? Did they
think that a division of spoils under
the direct supervision of the Prophet
Would be made in any manner other than
that dictated by absolute honesty,
trustworthiness and justice?
أَفَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ
كَمَنْ بَاءَ بِسَخَطٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ
وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ
الْمَصِيرُ
﴿3:162﴾
(3:162) Is he who follows the good
pleasure of Allah like him who is laden
with Allah's wrath and whose abode is
Hell? How evil that is for a
resting-place!
هُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ
بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
﴿3:163﴾
(3:163) They vary greatly in rank in the
sight of Allah, and Allah sees what they
do.
لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ
رَسُولًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو
عَلَيْهِمْ آَيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ
وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ
وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ
مُبِينٍ
﴿3:164﴾
(3:164) Surely Allah conferred a great
favour on the believers when He raised
from among them a Messenger to recite to
them His signs, and to purify them, and
to teach them the Book and Wisdom. For
before that they were in manifest error.
أَوَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَدْ
أَصَبْتُمْ مِثْلَيْهَا قُلْتُمْ أَنَّى
هَذَا قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
﴿3:165﴾
(3:165) And how come when a calamity
befell you, you began to ask: 'How has
this come about?' *115
even though the enemy has suffered at
your hands (in the Battle of Badr)
double what you have suffered! *116
Say: This calamity has been brought
about by yourselves. *117
Surely Allah is Ail-Powerful. *118
*115. The more high ranking Companions
were too well aware of reality to fall
prey to any misunderstandings. The
ordinary believers, however, had thought
that as long as God's Messenger was in
their midst and as long as they enjoyed
God's support and help the unbeliever,
could never triumph over them. Hence,
when they suffered defeat at the Battle
of Uhud, their expectations were shaken
and they began to wonder why things had
taken the course they had. They wondered
why they had been defeated even though
they had fought for the sake of God's
true religion with God's support, and
the Messenger of God was with them on
the battlefield. Furthermore, they were
worried that the defeat had been at the
hands of those who were out to destroy
God's true religion. These verses seek
to allay this sense of anxiety and rid
their minds of doubt and suspicion.
*116. In the Battle of Uhud seventy
Muslims were martyred. In the Battle of
Badr. seventy unbelievers were killed
and seventy taken as captives.
*117. The calamity that had befallen
them was the outcome of their own
weaknesses and mistakes. They had not
remained sufficiently patient, they had
acted, in certain respects, in a manner
inconsistent with the dictates of piety,
they had disobeyed the command that had
been given them, they were lured by
material wealth and they disputed and
quarrelled among them-selves. After all
this, was it still necessary to ask what
caused the debacle?
*118. If God has the power to make them
victorious He also has the power to
bring about their defeat.
وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى
الْجَمْعَانِ فَبِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
وَلِيَعْلَمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:166﴾
(3:166) What befell you on the day when
the two hosts met was by the leave of
Allah, and in order that He might mark
out those who believe
وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ نَافَقُوا وَقِيلَ
لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا قَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ أَوِ ادْفَعُوا قَالُوا لَوْ
نَعْلَمُ قِتَالًا لَاتَّبَعْنَاكُمْ هُمْ
لِلْكُفْرِ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنْهُمْ
لِلْإِيمَانِ يَقُولُونَ بِأَفْواهِهِمْ
مَا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ
أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَكْتُمُونَ
﴿3:167﴾
(3:167) and those who are hypocrites.
And when these hypocrites were asked:
'Come and fight in the wayof Allah', or
(at least) 'defend yourselves', they
answered: 'If we but knew that there
would be fighting, we would certainly
have followed. *119
They were nearer then to infidelity than
to faith. They utter from their mouths
what is not in their hearts. Allah knows
well what they conceal.
*119. When 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy decided
to withdraw from the battlefield with
his men several Muslims attempted to
persuade him not to do so. Ibn Ubayy
replied that he was sure that there
would be no fighting that day, and he
assured them that had he expected
fighting to take place, he would have
gone along with them.
الَّذِينَ قَالُوا لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ
وَقَعَدُوا لَوْ أَطَاعُونَا مَا قُتِلُوا
قُلْ فَادْرَءُوا عَنْ أَنْفُسِكُمُ
الْمَوْتَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
﴿3:168﴾
(3:168) These are the ones who stayed
away, saying about their brothers: 'Had
they followed us, they would not have
been slain.' Say: 'If you speak the
truth then avert death when it comes to
you.'
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي
سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ
أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ
﴿3:169﴾
(3:169) Think not of those slain in the
way of Allah as dead. *120
Indeed they are living, and with their
Lord they have their sustenance,
*120. For an explanation see Surah 2. n.
155 above.
فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آَتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ
فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ
لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ
أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ
يَحْزَنُونَ
﴿3:170﴾
(3:170) rejoicing in what Allah has
bestowed upon them out of His bounty, *121
jubilant that neither fear nor grief
shall come upon the believers left
behind in the world who have not yet
joined them.
*121. There is a Tradition from the
Prophet that he who leaves the world
after having lived righteously is
greeted with a life so felicitous that
he never wishes to return to the world.
The only exception to this are martyrs
who wish to be sent back to the world so
that they may once again attain
martyrdom and thereby enjoy that unique
joy, bliss and ecstasy which one
experiences at the time of laying down
one's life for God. (Ahmad b. Hanbal,
Musnad, vol. Ill, 103, 126, 153, 173,
251, 276, 278, 284, 289; Bukhari,
'Tafsir al-Qur'an', 6 and 21: Muslim,
'Al-Imarah', 108, 109. 121 - Ed.)
يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ
وَفَضْلٍ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ
أَجْرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:171﴾
(3:171) They rejoice at the favours and
bounties of Allah, and at the awareness
that Allah will not cause the reward of
the believers to be lost.
الَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِلَّهِ
وَالرَّسُولِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَصَابَهُمُ
الْقَرْحُ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا مِنْهُمْ
وَاتَّقَوْا أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
﴿3:172﴾
(3:172) There were those who responded
to the call of Allah and the Messenger *122
after injury had smitten them *123
- for all those who do good and fear
Allah there is a mighty reward.
*122. When, after the Battle of Uhud,
the Makkan polytheists had travelled
several stages of their journey, they
began to tell themselves what a mistake
they had made in allowing the
opportunity to crush the power of
Muhammad to slip out of their hands. At
one place they halted and deliberated
among themselves about launching a
second attack on Madina. They failed,
however, to muster sufficient courage
and carried on to Makka. The Prophet,
for his part, also realized that they
might attack once again. On the second
day of Uhud, therefore, he gathered the
Muslims and urged them to pursue the
unbelievers. Even though this was a
highly critical moment, the true men of
faith girded their loins and were
prepared to lay down their lives at the
behest of the Prophet. They accompanied
him to Hamra' al-Asad, eight miles from
Madina. The present verse refers to
these dedicated men.
*123. These few verses were revealed
almost one year after the Battle of
Uhud. As they are connected with the
events of the battle they were included
in the present discourse.
الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ
النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ
فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا
وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ
الْوَكِيلُ
﴿3:173﴾
(3:173) When people said to them:
'Behold, a host has gathered around you
and you should fear them', it only
increased their faith and they answered:
'Allah is Sufficient for us; and what an
excellent Guardian He is!'
فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ
وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ
وَاتَّبَعُوا رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ
ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ
﴿3:174﴾
(3:174) So they returned with a mighty
favour and a great bounty from Allah
having suffered no harm. They followed
the good pleasure of Allah, and Allah is
the Lord of great bounty.
إِنَّمَا ذَلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ
أَوْلِيَاءَهُ فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمْ
وَخَافُونِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿3:175﴾
(3:175) It was Satan who suggested to
you the fear of his allies. Do not fear
them; fear Me, if you truly believe. *124
*124. While returning from the Battle of
Uhud, Abu Sufyan challenged the Muslims
to another encounter at Badr the
following year. But when the appointed
time arrived, Abu Sufyan's courage
failed him on account of the famine
prevailing in Makka that year. As a
face-saving device he arranged to send
an agent to Madina who spread the rumour
that tremendous war preparations were
afoot among the Quraysh, and that they
were trying to muster a huge army which
would be so powerful that no other power
in the whole of Arabia would resist it.
The purpose of this rumour was to
overawe the Muslims and discourage them
from advancing towards Makka, so that
when the confrontation did not take
place it would be blamed on the timidity
of the Muslims. The effect of this
measure was such that when the Prophet
(peace be on him) urged the Muslims to
accompany him to Badr the initial
response was not encouraging. Finally,
the Prophet publicly announced that if
no one would accompany him, he would go
alone. In response, fifteen hundred
devotees expressed their willingness and
accompanied him to Badr. Abu Sufyan set
out with two thousand men but after
travelling for two days he told his men
that it seemed unwise to fight and that
they would return the following year for
the proposed encounter. Thus he and his
men retreated. The Prophet and his
Companions stayed at Badr for eight days
awaiting the threatened encounter.
Meanwhile, they conducted business with
a trade caravan which yielded them
considerable profit. Later, when it
became known that the unbelievers had
gone back to Makka, the Prophet returned
to Madina. (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, pp.
209 f.; Ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad, pp.
447 f. - Ed.)
وَلَا يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ
فِي الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَنْ يَضُرُّوا
اللَّهَ شَيْئًا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَلَّا
يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ حَظًّا فِي الْآَخِرَةِ
وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
﴿3:176﴾
(3:176) Let not those who run towards
disbelief grieve you; they shall not
hurt Allah in the least. Allah will not
provide for them any share in the Next
Life. A mighty punishment awaits them.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الْكُفْرَ
بِالْإِيمَانِ لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ
شَيْئًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
﴿3:177﴾
(3:177) Indeed those who have purchased
unbelief in exchange for faith shall not
hurt Allah in the least. Theirs shall be
a painful chastisement.
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ
لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ
لِيَزْدَادُوا إِثْمًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ
مُهِينٌ
﴿3:178﴾
(3:178) Do not let the, unbelievers
imagine that the respite We give them is
good for them. We give them respite so
that they may grow in wickedness. A
humiliating chastisement lies in store
for them.
مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
عَلَى مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى
يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ وَمَا
كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى
الْغَيْبِ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْتَبِي
مِنْ رُسُلِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ فَآَمِنُوا
بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا
وَتَتَّقُوا فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
﴿3:179﴾
(3:179) Allah will not let the believers
stay in the state they are: *125
He will set the wicked apart from the
good. Allah is not going to disclose to
you what is hidden in the realm beyond
the reach of perception, *126
but He chooses from among His Messengers
whom He wills (to intimate such
knowledge). Believe, then, in Allah and
in His Messengers; and if you believe
and be come God-fearing, yours will be a
great reward.
*125. That is, God does not want to see
the Muslim community in a hotch-potch
condition with the true men of faith
indistinguishable from the hypocrites.
*126. This means that God does not
resort to revelation to provide
information as to whether specific
individuals are true men of faith or
hypocrites. God creates, instead,
certain situations in which the faith of
those who profess to believe is severely
tested. The result is that the man of
faith stands out clearly from the
hypocrite.
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ
بِمَا آَتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ
هُوَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ
لَهُمْ سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ
يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ
السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
﴿3:180﴾
(3:180) Those who are niggardly about
what Allah has granted them out of His
bounty think that niggardli ness is good
for them; it is bad for them. What they
were niggardly about will turn into a
halter round their necks on the Day of
Resur-rection. To Allah belongs the
inheritance of the heavens and the
earth; *127
and Allah is well aware of what you do.
*127. Everything in the heavens and the
earth belongs to God alone. Hence the
possession and use of anything by man is
purely transient. For everyone will be
dispossessed of his temporary
belongings, and everything will
ultimately return to and abide with God.
If anyone therefore spends openheartedly
in the way of God out of his temporary
possessions he does so from property
which, ultimately, belongs to God alone.
Anyone who hoards his possessions and
fails to spend them in the way of God is
indeed stupid.
لَقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ
قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ
أَغْنِيَاءُ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُوا
وَقَتْلَهُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ
وَنَقُولُ ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ
﴿3:181﴾
(3:181) Allah has heard the saying of
those who said: 'Allah is poor, and we
are rich. *128
We shall record what they have said, and
the fact of their slaying the Prophets
unjustly, and we shall say to them:
Taste now the torment of the Fire.
*128. This statement was made by the
Jews. On the revelation of the Qur'anic
verse (2: 245): 'Who of you will lend
Allah a goodly loan?', the Jews began to
ridicule it and said: 'Look, God has now
gone bankrupt and has begun to beg of
His creatures for loans.' (For this
statement made by the Jews see the
Tradition mentioned by Ibn Kathir in his
comments on this verse - Ed.)
ذَلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ
وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ
لِلْعَبِيدِ
﴿3:182﴾
(3:182) That is in recompense for what
you have done.' Allah does no wrong to
His servants.
الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَهِدَ
إِلَيْنَا أَلَّا نُؤْمِنَ لِرَسُولٍ
حَتَّى يَأْتِيَنَا بِقُرْبَانٍ
تَأْكُلُهُ النَّارُ قُلْ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ
رُسُلٌ مِنْ قَبْلِي بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
وَبِالَّذِي قُلْتُمْ فَلِمَ
قَتَلْتُمُوهُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
﴿3:183﴾
(3:183) To those who say: 'Allah has
directed us that we accept none as
Messenger until he makes an offering
that the fire will consume', say: 'Other
Messengers came to you before me with
clear signs, and with the sign you have
mentioned. So why did you slay them, if
what you say is true? *129
*129. The Bible mentions at several
places that the token of Divine
acceptance of a person's sacrificial
offering was the appearance of a
mysterious fire which consumed the
offering. (See Judges 6: 20-1 and 13:
19-20; 2 Chronicles 7: 1-2.) The Bible
does not state, however, that the
consuming fire was an indispensable
token of prophethood and that anyone not
endowed with that miracle could not be a
Prophet. The Jews in discussing the
claim of Muhammad (peace be on him) to
be a Messenger of God brought up the
question of this miraculous sign, and
used it as a pretext for denying that
claim. There was even clearer evidence
of the Jews' hostility to Truth: they
had not hesitated to murder a number of
Prophets who had been endowed with the
miracle of consuming fire. The Bible
mentions, for example, the Prophet
Elijah who had challenged the
worshippers of Ba'l to sacrifice a bull,
promising that he too would sacrifice a
bull. He stated that the offering of the
one who was truthful would be consumed
by the miraculous fire. The
confrontation took place before a large
crowd and it was Elijah's sacrifice
which was consumed by the fire. This so
antagonized the Ba'1-worshipping Queen
that the henpecked King decided to put
the Prophet Elijah to death. Elijah was
forced to leave his homeland and take
refuge in the mountains of Sinai. (See 1
Kings 18 and 19.) The Jews are told in
effect: 'How dare you ask for the
miracle of the consuming fire when in
the past you have not even refrained
from murdering Prophets who performed
that miracle?'
فَإِنْ كَذَّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَ رُسُلٌ
مِنْ قَبْلِكَ جَاءُو بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
وَالزُّبُرِ وَالْكِتَابِ الْمُنِيرِ
﴿3:184﴾
(3:184) Now, if they give the lie to
you, then other Messengers who came
bearing clear signs and scriptures and
the illuminating Book were also given
the lie before you.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ
وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ
يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ
النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ
فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا
مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
﴿3:185﴾
(3:185) Everyone is bound to taste death
and you shall receive your full reward
on the Day of Resurrection. Then,
whoever is spared the Fire and is
admitted to Paradise has indeed been
successful. The life of this world is
merely an illusory enjoyment. *130
*130. Whoever considers the effects of
his actions in this earthly life to be
of crucial significance, and sees in
them the criteria of right and wrong,
the criteria of that which leads either
to one's ultimate salvation or to one's
doom, falls prey to a serious
misconception. The fact that a person is
outstandingly successful in life does
not necessarily prove that he is either
not prove that he has either strayed
from the right way or is out of favour
with God. The earthly results of a man's
actions are often quite different from
the ones he will see in the Next Life.
What is of true importance is what will
happen in that eternal life rather than
in this transient one.
لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ
وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ
الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ
قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا
أَذًى كَثِيرًا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا
وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ
الْأُمُورِ
﴿3:186﴾
(3:186) (Believers!) You will certainly
be put to test in respect of your
properties and lives, and you will
certainly hear many hurtful things from
those who were granted the Book before
you and those who have associated others
with Allah in His divinity. If you
remain patient and God-fearing *131
this indeed is a matter of great
resolution.
*131. Muslims should not lose their
self-control in the face of the Jews'
invidious taunts and slander. The Jews'
accusations, debased talk and false
propaganda should not provoke the
Muslims into adopting a posture either
inconsistent with truth and justice or
with the dignity, decorum and high
standards of moral conduct that become
men of faith.
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ
أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ
لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُونَهُ
فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ
وَاشْتَرَوْا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا
فَبِئْسَ مَا يَشْتَرُونَ
﴿3:187﴾
(3:187) And recall when Allah took a
covenant from those who were given the
Book: 'You shall explain it to men and
not hide it. *132
Then they cast the Book behind their
backs, and sold it away for a trivial
gain. Evil indeed is their bargain.
*132. Although the Jews remembered that
some Prophets had been endowed with the
miracle of consuming fire, they
conveniently forgot their covenant with
God at the time they were entrusted with
the Scripture, and their mission as the
bearers of the Scripture. The 'covenant'
to which this verse alludes is mentioned
at several places in the Bible. In the
last sermon of Moses, cited in
Deuteronomy, he again and again calls
the attention of Israel to the covenant
in the following words: 'Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God is one Lord; and you
shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all
your might. And these words which I
command shall be upon your heart; and
you shall teach them diligently to your
children, and shall talk of them when
you sit in your house, and when you walk
by the way, and when you lie down, and
when you rise. And you shall bind them
as a sign upon your hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between your eyes. And
you shall write them on the doorposts of
your house and on your gates.'
(Deuteronomy 6: 4-9.)
Then, in his last testament Moses said:
'And on the day you pass over the Jordan
to the land which the Lord your God
gives you, you shall set up large
stones, and plaster them with plaster
and you shall write upon them all the
words of this law, when you pass over to
enter the land which the Lord your God
gives you, a land flowing with milk and
honey, as the Lord, the God of your
fathers, has promised you. And when you
have passed over the Jordan, you shall
set up these stones, concerning which I
command you this day, on Mount Ebal, and
you shall plaster them with plaster.'
(Deuteronomy 27: 2-4.) When the Levites
were handed a copy of the Torah, they
were instructed to gather men, women and
children every seventh year on the
occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles and
to recite the entire text to them. But
their indifference to the Book of God
grew to such a point that seven hundred
years later even the priests of the
Temple of Solomon and the Jewish ruler
of Jerusalem did not know that they had
the Book of God with them. (See 2 Kings
22: 8-13.)
لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْرَحُونَ
بِمَا أَتَوْا وَيُحِبُّونَ أَنْ
يُحْمَدُوا بِمَا لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا فَلَا
تَحْسَبَنَّهُمْ بِمَفَازَةٍ مِنَ
الْعَذَابِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
﴿3:188﴾
(3:188) Do not think that those who
exult in their misdeeds and love to be
praised for what indeed they have not
done, *133
do not think that they are secure from
chastisement. A painful chastisement
awaits them.
*133. Such people expected praises to be
lavished upon them for being
God-fearing, devout and pious, for being
sincere servants of the true faith, for
being defenders of God's Law and for
having reformed and purified the lives
of people, even though none of this
might be true. They wanted people to go
about trumpeting that such and such a
person had made great sacrifices in the
cause of God and had sincerely guided
people to the right way even though the
facts might be the reverse of what they
claimed.
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
قَدِيرٌ
﴿3:189﴾
(3:189) To Allah belongs the dominion of
the heavens and the earth; and Allah is
Ail-Powerful. indeed been successful.
The life of this world is merely an
illusory enjoyment.
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ
وَالنَّهَارِ لَآَيَاتٍ لِأُولِي
الْأَلْبَابِ
﴿3:190﴾
(3:190) Surely in the creation of the
heavens and the earth, *134
and in the alternation of night and day,
there are signs for men of
understanding.
*134. This section constitutes the
conclusion of the present surah. It is
related not so much to the verses which
immediately precede it as to the entire
surah. In order to grasp its
significance one should particularly
bear in mind our introductory remarks to
this surah. (See pp. 229 ff. above.)
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا
وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِهِمْ
وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذَا
بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ
النَّارِ
﴿3:191﴾
(3:191) those who remember Allah while
standing, sitting or (reclining) on
their backs, and reflect in the creation
of the heavens and the earth, *135
(saying): 'Our Lord! You have not
created this in vain. Glory to You! Save
us, then, from the chastisement of the
Fire. *136
*135. This means that with the help of
those signs one can easily arrive at the
Truth, provided one is not indifferent
to God and looks at the phenomenon of
the universe thoughtfully.
*136. When people look carefully at the
order of the universe, it becomes clear
to them that it is an order permeated by
wisdom and intelligent purpose. It is
altogether inconsistent with wisdom that
the man endowed with moral consciousness
and freedom of choice, the man gifted
with reason and discretion, should not
be held answerable for his deeds. This
kind of reflection leads people to
develop a strong conviction that the
After-life is a reality. Thanks to this
conviction, they begin to seek God's
refuge from His punishment.
رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَنْ تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ
فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ
مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ
﴿3:192﴾
(3:192) Our Lord! Whomever You cause to
enter the Fire, him You indeed bring to
disgrace, and there will be none to
succour the wrong-doers.
رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا
يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آَمِنُوا
بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآَمَنَّا رَبَّنَا
فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ
عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ
الْأَبْرَارِ
﴿3:193﴾
(3:193) Our Lord! Indeed we heard a
crier calling to the faith saying:
"Believe in your Lord"; so we did
believe. *137
Our Lord, forgive us our sins, and wipe
out our evil deeds and make us die with
the truly pious.'
*137. Many eras have passed before you.
Go about, then, in the land and behold
the end of those who gave the lie to
(the directives and ordinances of
Allah).
رَبَّنَا وَآَتِنَا مَا وَعَدْتَنَا عَلَى
رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخْزِنَا يَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ
الْمِيعَادَ
﴿3:194﴾
(3:194) 'Our Lord, fulfil what You
promised to us through Your Messengers,
and disgrace us not on the Day of
Resurrection; indeed You never go back
on Your promise. *138
*138. Such people do not doubt the fact
that God will fulfil His promises. What
they do doubt is whether they will be
reckoned among those for whom those
promises were made. Hence they pray to
God to make them worthy of His promised
rewards. They are afraid lest they
remain targets of slander and ridicule
by the unbelievers in this world, and
then be disgraced in the Hereafter
before the same unbelievers who may mock
them once again saying that their faith
has been of no avail to them.
فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّي لَا
أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ
ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ
بَعْضٍ فَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا
وَأُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَأُوذُوا
فِي سَبِيلِي وَقَاتَلُوا وَقُتِلُوا
لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ
وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي
مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ثَوَابًا
مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ
حُسْنُ الثَّوَابِ
﴿3:195﴾
(3:195) Their Lord answered the Prayer
thus: "I will not suffer the work of any
of you, whether male or female, to go to
waste; each of you is from the other. *139
Those who emigrated and were driven out
from their homesteads and were
persecuted in My cause, and who fought
and were slain, indeed I shall wipe out
their evil deeds from them and shall
certainly admit them to the gardens
beneath which rivers flow." This is
their reward with their Lord; and with
Allah lies the best reward. *140
*139. All humans are equal in the sight
of God. God does not have separate
criteria for judging the male and the
female, the master and the slave, the
high and the low.
*140. It is reported that some
non-Muslims came to the Prophet and said
that Moses had produced his staff and
had been endowed with the miracle of the
shining hand (see Qur'an 7: 108; 20:
22), and that Jesus restored sight to
the blind and cured the lepers (see
Qur'an 31 49). Other Prophets had also
been granted miracles. What miracles,
they enquired, could the Prophet
perform? In response the Prophet recited
all the verses from verse 190 to the end
of this surah, adding that that was what
he had brought.
لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُوا فِي الْبِلَادِ
﴿3:196﴾
(3:196) (O Messenger!) Do not let the
strutting about of the unbelievers in
the land deceive you.
مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ
جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ
﴿3:197﴾
(3:197) This is but a little enjoyment,
then their destination is Hell -what an
evil resting place!
لَكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ
لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا
الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا نُزُلًا
مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
خَيْرٌ لِلْأَبْرَارِ
﴿3:198﴾
(3:198) But those who fear their Lord:
theirs shall be the gardens beneath
which rivers flow and in which they will
live forever: a hospitality from Allah
Himself, And Allah's reward is best for
the truly pious.
وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَنْ
يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ
إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ
خَاشِعِينَ لِلَّهِ لَا يَشْتَرُونَ
بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا
أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ
رَبِّهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ
الْحِسَابِ
﴿3:199﴾
(3:199) And among the People of the Book
some believe in Allah and what has been
revealed to you, and what has been
revealed to them. They humble themselves
before Allah, and do not sell Allah's
revelations for a small price. For these
men their reward is with their Lord.
Allah is swift in His reckoning.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا
اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ
تُفْلِحُونَ
﴿3:200﴾
(3:200) Believers, be steadfast, and vie
in steadfastness, *141
stand firm in your faith, and hold Allah
in fear that you may attain true
success.
*141. The original Arabic word is "
sabiru". This has two possible meanings.
One is that whenever they are in
confrontation with unbelievers, the
believers should endure even greater
hardships for their cause, and display a
higher degree of fortitude than the
unbelievers. The other is that the
believers should try to excel one
another in facing the opposition and
hostility of unbelievers with courage
and fortitude.
