Surah Ali 'Imran 3:188-200 - Quran Translation Commentary

188. Think not that those who exult in what they have brought about and love to be praised for what they have not done,²¹⁷ can escape the punishment. For them is a grievous punishment.

189. And to Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. And Allah has power over all things.

190. Undoubtedly²¹⁸ in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for men of understanding ²¹⁹, ²²⁰.

191. Such as remember²²¹ Allah, standing, sitting and while lying down on sides, and ponder²²² over the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and call out): “Our Lord ! You have not created all this in vain. You are pure (from doing things in vain). Save us from the punishment of the Hell-fire.

192. “Our Lord! Whom you caused to enter the fire, truly You humiliated him. For evil doers there will be no helpers.

193. “Our Lord! We heard a caller, calling (us) to belief, ‘Believe in your Lord,’ so we believed. Our Lord! forgive us our sins, blot out from us our evil deeds and let us die along with the righteous.

194. Our Lord! Grant us what You have promised us through Your messengers, and humiliate not on the Day of Resurrection. Verily , You never break your promise.

195. Their Lord accepted of them,²²³ saying “Never will I waste the work of any worker among you whether male or female,²²⁴ one of you being from the other.²²⁵ So those who emigrated and were driven out from their homes and persecuted in My cause and who fought and were slain, --verily I will blot out from them their evil deeds and admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow; -- a reward from Allah and with Allah is the best reward.

196. Let not the activities of the infidels in the countries deceive you²²⁶.

197. It is but a little provision. And afterwards their abode will be Hell. What an evil resting place!

198. But for those who fear their Lord, are gardens, underneath which rivers flow, therein are they to dwell forever, ------(This is their hospitality from Allah) and that which is with Allah is the best for the righteous²²⁷.

199. And there are certainly among the people of the Book, who believe in Allah and in the revelation to you and in the revelation to them,²²⁸ humbling themselves before Allah; and do not barter the revelations of Allah for a small price. For them is their reward with their Lord, verily Allah is swift in reckoning.

200. O you who believe! ²²⁹ Be patient, remain steadfast in struggle, be prepared²³⁰ (for jihad), and fear²³¹ Allah so that you may become successful.

Commentary

217. Those who are not religious in reality and who, when they put on the garb of religiosity, want to hear the praises of their piety from the people: they are always desirous of hearing their panegyrics being sung.

218. From here till the end of the Surah, the verses mark the conclusion. It is mentioned in the hadith that the Prophet used to wake up after midnight and recite these verses, looking towards the sky, which means that for remembering God and reciting His words the last part of the night is the best time because at that time man can concentrate his attention.

219. According to Quran wise men or the men of understanding are those who study the universe in such a way that they get an understanding about the Creator of the Universe from this study and its purpose and objectivity become clear to them. Those are not wise who have a fixed prejudiced view in their mind and then study the sciences of astronomy and physics with a view to increasing their knowledge. Such people roam the skies, yet return emptyhanded; they neither find God nor on them the reality of the Hereafter is revealed. It is obvious that the person whose objective is to collect information and knowledge, how can he reach the reality. Only he can reach the ‘reality’ who undertakes the journey to search for that reality.

220. That is: The creation of the heavens and the earth and the system of the alternation of night and day are an evidence of the fact that this universe is not without God nor are there many gods, but that this is the creation of only one Great God, the plan conceived by the Wisest Being, the just system of a Just Administrator and it is the manifestation of the grace and kindness of the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful God, Almighty. Therefore, the existence of man and this universe cannot be without a purpose. Allah is pure and free from doing anything in vain and without purpose.

221. There is no restriction that Allah should be remembered at a particular time only but that He is desired and sought after at every time and in every condition, whether man is standing or sitting, whether he is busy or free, taking rest. As taking breath is essential for human life, so is Allah’s remembrance for the spiritual life and the quality of the wise is that they are never without the remembrance of Allah.

222. This is another characteristic of the wise that their remembrance and recitation are not without pondering and thinking and in Islam both these things – thinking and recital of the name of Allah – are desired, that is with the recitation there should be the thinking for making provision for the Hereafter.

223. This prayer was with the passion of faith and was, therefore accepted by Allah.

224. When this surah was being revealed, Muslims were undergoing terrific sufferings. The women had also to undergo these adversities, therefore by making a special mention of them, their morale is being boosted.

225. That is: Men and women are from one kind only and for Allah the standards of decisions are not different for men and women. Therefore, some one’s being a woman would not cause one to suffer in anyway.

226. That is: Seeing the material progress of the infidels, their worldly well-being and their international activities, you should not be misled to think that they are living a right and successful life. No, this is a short-lived spring. After this they will directly go to hell.

227. Quite appropriate to the occasion, weak and oppressed Muslims are being given comfort and courage by this verse that if they followed the line of righteousness, they would be entertained in a grand manner in the Hereafter. Allah has kept ready the best of things for his loyal slaves.

228. These people of the Book had really believed in Allah. Accordingly, they had Faith in the previous scriptures and they also had Faith in the holy Quran. In other words, these people of the Book in reality were Muslims, therefore, there was no hesitation from them in believing in Quran and the Prophet, after the Quran had been revealed.

229. This is the concluding part and according to the prevalent conditions those directions are given which were necessary for resisting the anti-Islamic forces.

230. That is: Be prepared in every way for resisting the forces that are opposed to Islam. In the word ‘Rabetu’ is included the meaning of to make material preparation for jihad, to provide power, to arrange for defence, to watch and guard and to be ready to fight and die. In the hadith, ‘Rebat’, (to be ready for jihad and to guard) has been declared the best service:

“In the cause of Allah, one day’s duty of guarding (Rebat) is better than the world and what is therein.” –––(Ibn Katheer, with reference to Bukhari Vol. I, page 445).

231. At the commencement of the Surah Baqarah, it was stated: “This guidance is for the righteous;’ and here at the end of Surah Al-i- Imran it is stated: “Adopt righteouness (that is fear Allah) so that you may be successful”. It shows that the command, injunctions and the directions given in these two surahs are such that taking care of them and following them amounts to righteousness and righteous are those who have developed these qualities in themselves.