Surah Muhammad 47:1-11 - Quran Translation Commentary

2. And those who believed and did good works and believed in that (guidance) which has been revealed toMuhammad² and it is Truth from their Lord - Allah removed their ills from them and improved their condition.³

3. This because those who disbelieved followed falsehood.⁴ and those who believed followed the truth from their Lord. Thus Allah describes their condition for the people.⁵

4. Therefore, when you confront the disbelievers in fight,⁶ smite at their necks, until, when you have massacred thoroughly, then bind them firmly; afterward either deal generously or obtain ransom,⁷ until the war lays down its arms.⁸ This is your responsibility. And if Allah willed, He Himself would have punished them but He ordered thus so that He may test you with each other.⁹ And those who have been killed in the path of Allah, He will never render their deeds vain.¹⁰

5. He will guide them and improve their condition.¹¹

6. And will admit them to Paradise which He has made known to them.¹²

7. O you who believe! If you will help Allah,¹³ He will help you and will make your feet firm.¹⁴

8. Those who disbelieved, for them is destruction and He (Allah) rendered their actions astray.¹⁵

9. This is because they disliked that (guidance) which Allah has revealed. Hence He made their deeds fruitless.¹⁶

10. Have they not traveled in the land and seen what was the end of those before them? Allah wiped them out. And for the disbelievers are similar sentences.¹⁷

11. This is because Allah is the Patron of those who believe and the disbelievers have no Patron.¹⁸

Commentary

1. This is a Surah of Jihad (chapter of war) and hence it has, like Surah Anfal, begun without any preamble. As if it has descended like a wrath upon the disbelievers. To hinder from the path of Allah means to prevent people from accepting Islam, to obstruct the work of inviting people to Islam and to compel Muslims to disobey the laws of Islam. The disbelievers of Makkah had compelled Muslim to leave Makkah and they were stocking the fire of war against Muslims even after they had migrated to Madinah. Quran declared that all the actions of the disbelievers would go in vain. That is: neither these conspiracies of theirs would succeed nor any of their work would be acceptable to Allah. So this prediction of the Quran came true and all of their plans which they were planning against Allah, His prophet and the truth brought by him, failed. It may be clarified here that when a thing is definitely to occur in the future, Quran describes it in the past tense. Hence it is said here: “He rendered their actions vain.” meaning they will definitely be rendered vain.

2. That is: The faith and the good deed is trustworthy only when one also believes in the guidance which is revealed on the prophet of Allah, prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). Not to put faith after his arrival as the prophet and to him in the form of the Quran is disbelief and neither the faith nor the good deed which accompanies disbelief is trustworthy or creditable.

3. That is: Allah will forgive the shortcomings of such sincere believers and improve their religious, moral and material conditions. This prediction of Quran also came true. The lives of those who believed in Quran were amended and their conditions went on improving day by day.

4. Quran is truth. That is the true guidance from Allah. Therefore, to leave it aside and to follow any other thing is to follow falsehood.

5. That is: He describes the state of every group separately so that people may differentiate between the believers and the disbelievers and may not consider them same, equal or alike.

6. This order concerns war and this war, as is obviously clear from the foregoing Ayah, is the war of the followers of the truth in the path of Allah against those worshippers of untruth who are preventing people from treading the path of Allah (Islam) and are raising mischief against His religion. The technical or idiomatical name of this war is Jihad which is a holy obligation in Islam with conditions described by the Shariah. It has been ordained in this Ayah that when it becomes necessary to fight with the disbelievers and when they confront face to face they should be killed without grudge until there is a lot of bloodshed. This bloodshed is necessary to break their power and to end their pomp. Hence there is no question of leniency in this affair. After a fullscale killing start arresting and binding and imprisoning them. This instruction was issued before the war of Badr. But the Muslims made a mistake in that war of Badr that is they started imprisoning the disbelievers before suppressing them sufficiently. This invited a stern warning from Allah. See Surah Anfal, Ayah 67,68 and Note 102.

7. Meaning: Thereafter either of the two things may be done with the prisoners of war. Either they may be released as a gesture of grace or ransom may be taken for setting them free. The Islamic government can resort to either of the treatment which they may find expedient. If they think that a graceful release will create a better impression which they might bring them near Islam then it is preferable. All the Prisoners of the war of the tribe of Banil Mustalaq were released by Muslims at the end of the Gazwah Banil Mustalaq in Shaabaan month of the 6th year of Hijri era. (Seerat Ibne Hisham, Vol:3, p.340). Six thousand Prisoners of the war of the Hawazan tribe were set free without taking anything in exchange after the fight of Hunain (Kitabul Amwal, Abu Ubaidah,P:117). Sumamah bin Usaal, who was the head of” Yamamah, was brought as a POW in the Masjid-e-Nabvi where he was interned so that he may learn about Islam. He was prepared to pay ransom but the Holy prophet released him gratis after some days. Impressed by this good gesture he embraced Islam. (Bukhari: Kitabul Maghazi). But if the enemy has arrested some Muslims and if they can be exchanged with some POWs or it is felt advisable to release the POWs after taking some sort of service or compensation then it can also be done. POWs of the war of Badr were freed after taking from them some money as compensation or after they had done the service of teaching some people how to read and write. (Seerat-e Ibne Hisham, Vol:2, p.306, Kitabul Amwal, p.116). It becomes clear from this Ayah of the Quran that Islam dislikes to imprison POWs for life or for, a long time. Likewise it also does not like the punishment of killing the POWs. It is permissible only in some exceptional cases. So the Holy prophet had ordered the killing of Uqba bin Abi Muait and Nazr bin Harith from among the POWs of Badr as they were the leaders of disbelievers and top ranking mischief mongers. (Seerat Ibn-e Hisham, Vol.2, p.286). Similarly the male POWs of Bani Quraiza were ordered to be executed because they had rebelled and were conspiring inspite of living around Madina. As for enslaving the POWs (Istarqaq), it has not been ordained by the Quran. The two alternatives mentioned in this Ayat, that is: either release gracefully or free them after taking compensation, show that this has been the general rule in Islam. The proof of enslaving men and women found in traditions indicates exceptionable circumstances in which it was allowed for extraordinary situations. So far as the Arabs are concerned no male POW from them was ever made a slave. Abu Uabidah writes : “These are the laws relating to the prisoners of war. That is: either release as a gesture of grace or after taking compensation or execution. And this is specifically for the Arabs because, their males cannot be made slaves. This had been the tradition of the holy prophet. He never enslaved any of their males. Similarly Umar also decided likewise regarding them.” (Kitabul Amwal, p.133) And now when slavery has ended from the world, banning which was one of the most important aims of Islam, possibility thereof has also gone. As Sayed Sabiq has thrown ample light on this matter in the “ Fiqhus Sunnah”. He writes: “There is not a single ‘Nass’ (explicitorder) in the Quran which allows slavery. Of course the call to release slave is given therein. It is also not evident from the Holy prophet that he had ever enslaved anyone. And it is a fact that he had freed the slaves of Makkah of Bani Mustalaq and of Hunain. It is also proved that he had freed the slaves which he owned since pre-Islamic era of ignorance. Likewise he had also freed those slaves who were gifted to him. Of course it is evident that the Khulafa-e-Rashideen did enslave some prisoners of war and that action was in accordance with the rule of equal dealing. They did not legalize all the systems of slavery which were then in vogue as per religious and traditional practice. Rather they limited it to the extent of wars which were fought by Muslims against infidels after proper declaration according to Shariah. They suspended all other forms of slavery and declared them unlawful in every circumstance.” (Fiqhus Sunnah,Vol.2, p.688) Syed Qutb has also confined it to the special circumstances of that time and clarified that it is not a common law in Islam. He writes : “Now when the new situation is such that all those who are at war have agreed that no one should be enslaved Islam, has returned to its unique positive law, that is: (then either to release with grace or to take compensation). Therefore, the system of enslaving (Istirqaq) is neither obligatory nor It is one of the regulations of Islam concerning treatment with prisoners of war.” (Fee Zilalil Quran, Vol.6, p.3285) It should be kept in mind that the order in this Ayah regarding capturing POWs and then either releasing them gracefully or in exchange of ransom relates to all kinds of disbelievers including polytheist (Mushriks) or People of the Book (Ahle kitaab)But subsequently an order came about the Arab polytheists among whom the holy prophet was raised:

“Then when the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and capture them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. Then if they repent, and establish prayer and pay Zakat, then leave their way free.” (Taubah: 5) For explanation see Surah Taubah Note 9. This order was meant especially for the Arab polytheists. Therefore, there is no reason to treat this Ayah of Surah Muhammad as repealed (mansookh) This Ayah describes a common rule. We cannot agree with those commentators who say that this Ayah is repealed.

8. That is: Go on arresting them until the war ends.

9.That is: If Allah willed He could have destroyed the infidels through any calamity. But He found it advisable that the disbelievers be crushed by the believers so that the faithful may attain high ranks after passing through this test and the infidels may either have an opportunity to repent or they may see their adverse end in this world itself.

10. That is: the labours of those people who are killed in the path of Allah will not go vain. They will not lose but gain. Their deeds will be accepted and they will be rewarded.

11. That is: when they laid down their life in the way of Allah, they have not vanished but have become immortal. Allah will raise them up to the destination of true success and will bestow honour and exaltation upon them

12. That is: He will admit them to the same Paradise with which they have been acquainted through Quran. The picture of paradise drawn by the holy Quran is neither mere imagination nor an exaggeration. Rather it is hard reality. Hence those who have been promised will find it as real and exactly according to the description given to them in this world.

13. Helping Allah means helping the religion (cause) of Allah and to stake everything to hold His Word high and to risk even life. It is such a generous appreciation on the part of Allah that He interprets his service as help. Otherwise, obviously, Allah needs no one’s help. All slaves are forever in need of His help.

14. That is: you will find Allah’s help at every stage in your effort to help His cause. HE will encourage you and will make you steadfast.

15. Means their efforts did not succeed and all that they did went in vain.

16. Whatever good deeds they had ever done became weightless due to their disbelief. Faith is a necessary condition for the credibility of good actions.

17. If these disbelievers do not desist then they too will have to face a similar calamity which had destroyed the disbelievers in the past.

18. In the battle of Uhud which was fought two years after the revelation of this Surah, when the disbelievers raised a slogan (We have Uzza and there is no Uzza for you), the Holy Prophet retorted: “(Allah is our patron and there is no patron for you).” (Tafseer Ibne Katheer, Vol.4, P. 175 )