432. For instance, they were given the Tawrah but they refused to accept its commandments. The sea was divided for them, but they began to worship the heifer. They were given Mann and Salwa but they insisted on the produce of the earth. Prophets were sent down among them but they murdered them (Ibn Jarir and Thanwi condensed).

433. By the term "favor" it is the Religion of Allah (swt) sent through the Prophets that has been intended, while "substitution" refers to distortion, disbelief and rejection (Mujahid, Suddi, Rabi` Ibn Jarir).

434. Who has made this life alluring to the unbelievers? One answer is: the Devil. Another possibility is that it is Allah (swt) since in the ultimate analysis it is He who creates thoughts, ideas and propensities (Razi).

435. Why did Allah say "those that attained to piety" and not simply "the believers" as one would expect in the light of the unbelievers making fun of the "believers," as stated in the earlier part of the verse? The answer is: it is to impress that Paradise will be inherited by those believers who attain to piety. However, the sinning Muslim cannot be ruled out altogether in view of the Pardon (that Allah will grant to whomsoever He will) Razi.

436. "Allah bestows upon whomsoever He will without measure," i.e. Allah bestows His blessings of all kinds in great measure on whomsoever He will. Hence His slaves should not hesitate to expend of what He has bestowed on them as said the Prophet in a hadith: "ابن آدم أنفقْ أُنفقْ عليك" "Son of Adam! Spend, and it will be spent on you." He also said: "أنفقْ بلالاً ولا تخش من ذي العرش إقلالاً "Spend O Bilal. Do not fear a decrease from He who possesses the `Arsh."

He also said in a sahih hadith, عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ يُصْبِحُ الْعِبَادُ فِيهِ إِلَّا مَلَكَانِ يَنْزِلَانِ فَيَقُولُ أَحَدُهُمَا اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِ مُنْفِقًا خَلَفًا وَيَقُولُ الْآخَرُ اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِ مُمْسِكًا تَلَفًا.‏ No day dawns but hat two angels descend from the Heavens morning and say: "O Allah, bestow on him who spends that which will last; and bestow on him who holds back that which will fizzle out."

In another sahih hadith he said: "يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ: مَالِي. مَالِي (قَالَ) وَهَلْ لَكَ، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلاّ مَا أَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَيْتَ، أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ؟". "Son of Adam says: ‘My wealth, my wealth.' But is there any wealth for you save what you ate and finished off, what you wore and tore it out, what you spent and is gone? What remains will be for others when you are gone." In another hadith preserved by Ahmad he said: -الدنيا دار من لا دار له ولها يجمع من لا عقل له "This world is his home who has no home (in the Hereafter), and wealth for him who has no wealth (in the Hereafter). Only he amasses wealth for it who is short of intelligence" (Ibn Kathir).

(This last hadith was declared weak by Haythami: Au.).

437. Majid notes: ‘(In the beginning) mankind was one community:’ This implies that originally there was but one religion in the world the religion of Monotheism. Contrary to the conclusion arrived at by an older generation of scientists and pseudo scientists, recent discoveries both in Archaeology and Anthropology have proved that monotheism not polytheism, was the religion of the oldest races of mankind. `The evidence of Anthropology,' says a leading archaeologist of the day, Sir Charles Marston, ‘will be cited in these columns to prove that the original religion of the early races was actually Monotheism or something very like it' (The Bible is True, p.25). ‘The theory of the evolution of Religion is contradicted by the evidence of both Archaeology and Anthropology' (p. 29), ‘This is the very careful and deliberate conclusion of Dr. Langdon, Professor of Assyriology at Oxford, probably the greatest living authority on cuneiform literature ... As a result of his excavations at Kish, Dr. Langdon writes: ‘In my opinion, the history of the oldest religion of man is a rapid decline from monotheism to extreme polytheism and wide spread belief in evil spirits. It is in a very true sense the history of the fall of man’ (pp. 58, 61). ‘Thus is the evidence, from the most ancient libraries of cuneiform tablets, that Monotheism was the original religion. And there is confirmation of this great fact from other sources, especially from the Science of Anthropology. Along with this is the evidence of a universal belief in Future Life' (p. 265).

According to a trustworthy report Ibn `Abbas says that there were twenty generations between Adam and Nuh: all of them following the true religion, until corruption began to appear and Allah (swt) began sending down His Prophets as warners and evangelists (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Jarir quotes a poetical piece from Nabigha to show that the term "ummah" (as used in the Qur'an here) is also used in the sense of "religion."

438. Ibn Hibban has recorded a hadith which says that Abu Dharr (ra) asked the Prophet (saws): قلت: يا نبي الله كم عدد الأنبياء؟ قال: "مائة ألف وأربعة وعشرون ألفاً الرسل من ذلك ثلاث مائة وخمسة عشر جماً غفيراً" (مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد) "How many Prophets (anbiya') have there been?" He replied: "One hundred and twenty four thousand." He asked: "And how many Messengers (rusul)?" He said: "Three hundred and thirteen. And that is a lot" (Alusi).

(Haythami declared this report weak: Au.).

439. With reference to this verse: "Therefore, Allah guided by His Will those who had believed to the right course in (all those) matters concerning the truth in which they (who had disbelieved) were contending," Abu Hurayrah (ra) reports that the Prophet said: « نَحْنُ الآخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ، بَيْدَ أَنَّهُمْ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا ، ثُمَّ هَذَا يَوْمُهُمُ الَّذِى فُرِضَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ ، فَهَدَانَا اللَّهُ ، فَالنَّاسُ لَنَا فِيهِ تَبَعٌ ، الْيَهُودُ غَدًا وَالنَّصَارَى بَعْدَ غَدٍ » - صحيح البخارى "We are the last (to appear) but shall be the first in the Hereafter. We will be the first of the people (to enter Paradise), although they were given the Book earlier than us. Allah (swt) guided us to this day (Friday) in which they differed among themselves. But Allah guided us. Therefore, the other people are our followers; tomorrow (Saturday) is for the Jews and the day after (Sunday) for the Christians" (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Zayd said: Allah guided us to Islam. They (the Jews and Christians) disagreed over the Prayers, so that some pray facing the east, while others facing Jerusalem. Allah guided us to the right Qiblah. They disagreed over fasts so that some fast a part of the day, others a part of the night. Allah guided us to the right way. They disagreed over Friday so that the Jews chose Saturday for themselves and the Christians Sunday. Allah guided us to Friday. They disagreed about Ibrahim (saws), so that the Jews said he was a Jew and the Christians said he was a Christian. Allah exonerated him of all that and declared him a Hanif and a Muslim. He also exonerated him of what the polytheists had fabricated about him that he was an idol worshipper. They disagreed about `Isa so that the Jews alleged impropriety on the part of Maryam (asws) and the Christians made a god of Jesus. Allah guided us to the truth about him. This is the meaning of Allah saying: "Therefore, Allah guided by His Will those who had believed in the right course in (all those) matters concerning the truth in which they (who had disbelieved) were contending" (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Alusi: the report is by Ibn Abi Hatim).

The sum and substance of the above has been reported in ahadith also (Au.).

Traditionists have recorded a hadith from `A'isha according to which the Prophet used to say the following prayer words during his night vigils (tahajjud): كَانَ إِذَا قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ افْتَتَحَ صَلاَتَهُ فَقَالَ « اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ فَاطِرَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَعَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ اهْدِنِى لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ إِنَّكَ تَهْدِى مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ ». قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ. "O Allah, the Lord of Jibril, Mika`il and Israfil, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Knower of the seen and the unseen. You who judges between the people in affairs in which they differ Guide me by Your leave in affairs in which they differ concerning the truth. Indeed You guide whomsoever to the Right Path."

(The hadith is in Tirmidi, Abu Da’ud, and Ahmad which although declared weak by Tirmidhi was recorded by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih: Au.).

Another supplication of the Prophet used to be in the following words: اللهم، أرنا الحق حَقّا وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلا ووفّقنا لاجتنابه، ولا تَجْعَلْه ملتبسًا علينا فنضل، واجعلنا للمتقين إمامًا. "O Allah, show us the Truth as Truth, and help us follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood, and help us avoid it. Do not let it remain a matter of doubt for us, for then we will be misguided. And make of us leaders of the righteous" (Ibn Kathir).

440. With reference to the words, "Do you think that you will enter Paradise..?" it is reported that this revelation came when, unable to bear the persecutions of the Quraysh, Khabbab b. al Art asked the Prophet to pray to Allah for help. The report is as follows: أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ مُتَوَسِّدٌ بُرْدَةً وَهُوَ فِي ظِلِّ الْكَعْبَةِ وَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ شِدَّةً فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلَا تَدْعُو اللَّهَ فَقَعَدَ وَهُوَ مُحْمَرٌّ وَجْهُهُ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ كَانَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ لَيُمْشَطُ بِمِشَاطِ الْحَدِيدِ مَا دُونَ عِظَامِهِ مِنْ لَحْمٍ أَوْ عَصَبٍ مَا يَصْرِفُهُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ دِينِهِ وَيُوضَعُ الْمِنْشَارُ عَلَى مَفْرِقِ رَأْسِهِ فَيُشَقُّ بِاثْنَيْنِ مَا يَصْرِفُهُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ دِينِهِ وَلَيُتِمَّنَّ اللَّهُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ حَتَّى يَسِيرَ الرَّاكِبُ مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ إِلَى حَضْرَمَوْتَ مَا يَخَافُ إِلَّا اللَّهَ.‏ Khabbab said, I went up to the Prophet while he was resting on his (folded) cloak under the shade of the Ka`bah. We had encountered quite harsh treatment at the hands of the pagans. I said, “Will you not pray against the pagans?” His face turned red. He said, "Such people have passed before you who would have a saw run through the middle of the skull until it arrived between his legs, but that would not deter him from his religion. An iron comb would be used to comb through his flesh until it scratched the bones but it would not deter him from his faith." Then he added: "By God, Allah will complete this religion (and give it victory over others) until a rider will travel from San`a to Hadrmawt fearing none but Allah.” (According to other reports, nothing will worry him about his cattle save the wolf. But you are a people who are impatient)" - Ibn Kathir, Razi, Alusi.

Majid remarks: "Entry into Heaven presupposes some measure of suffering maybe in certain cases, exceedingly slight either mental or physical in this world. The higher one's spiritual ambitions, the greater the trials and tribulations one is expected to undergo. And none could be greedier of spiritual advancement than the Muslims of the Prophet's time, his ‘companions.' Hence their readiness to undergo the hardest affliction in the service of God's religion."

Tests and Trials

Tirmidhi has recorded a hadith of Abu Sa`d who says he asked the Prophet: عن مُصْعَبِ بنِ سَعْدٍ عن أَبِيهِ قال قلت: يا رسولَ الله، أَيّ النّاسِ أَشَدّ بَلاَءً؟ قال: "الانْبِيَاءُ ثُمّ الامْثَلُ فالامْثَلُ: فَيُبْتَلَى الرّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِيِنِه، فَإِنْ كَانَ في دِيِنهِ صُلْباً اشْتَدّ بَلاَؤُهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ في دِيِنهِ رِقّةٌ ابْتُلِيَ عَلَى حسب دِيِنهِ، فمَا يَبْرَحُ الْبَلاَءُ بالْعَبْدِ حَتّى يَتْرُكَهُ يَمْشِي عَلَى الأَرْضِ مَا عَلَيْهِ خَطِيئَةٌ". (قال أبو عيسى: هذا حديثٌ حسنٌ صحيحٌ) "Messenger of Allah, which of the people is tried most." He said: "The Prophets, and then those closest to them and then those closest to them. A man is tried in proportion to the strength of his faith. If there is strength in his religion, tests are increased in severity. But if there is weakness in his religion, he is tested accordingly. And tests keep on descending on a man until he walks on the earth without a sin upon him" (Au.).

441. "And they were shaken:" The Companions of the Prophet had to pass through tests that shook them to their core. One of the occasions was during the Battle of the Trench which the Qur'an has described in these words (33: 9 12): إِذْ جَاءُوكُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ وَإِذْ زَاغَتِ الْأَبْصَارُ وَبَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنُونَاز هُنَالِكَ ابْتُلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَزُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالًا شَدِيدًا. وَإِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا [الأحزاب/10-12] "When they descended upon you from your front and from the rear, when eyes became downcast, and the hearts began to leap to the throats and you began to imagine wild things about Allah. It was then that the believers were tested and shaken with high tremors. When the hypocrites and those in whose heart is a sickness began to say, ‘Allah and His Messenger did not make but false promises to us" (Ibn Kathir).

442. "When will come Allah's help?": Since these words betray despair and impatience which are not the qualities of prophets, the interpretation offered by some scholars is that the words "when will come Allah's help" was from the followers of the prophets and "verily, Allah's help is nigh" from the prophets (Qurtubi, Zarkashi). Razi, however, expresses his reservations about the interpretation, and so does Alusi.

If the statement is accepted as coming from a Prophet, then Thanwi's note might throw light on another aspect. He says: "The cry emphasizes the entirely human nature of the prophets."

443. According to Ibn `Abbas (ra) this verse was revealed in response to the enquiry of `Amr b. al Jamuh who was an old and rich man and who asked the Prophet about what and on whom should he spend (Alusi).

Yusuf Ali notes: “Three questions arise in charity: (1) What shall we give? (2) to whom shall we give? and (3) how shall we give? The answer is here. Give anything that is good, useful, helpful, valuable. It may be property or money; it may be a helping hand; it may be advice: it may be a kind word: ‘whatever you do that is good’ is charity. On the other hand if you throw away what is useless, there is no charity in it...To whom should you give? It may be tempting to earn the world's praise by a gift that will be talked about, but are you meeting the needs of those who have their first claim on you? If not, you are like a person who defrauds creditors: it is no charity."

Mahran b. Maymun has said: "Such are the objects of expenditure. It might be noted that Allah (swt) did not mention musical instruments, oil paintings, or murals" (Ibn Kathir).

444. Qurtubi reports Imam Malik's opinion that if the father is in need of getting married again, but cannot by himself, the son should help him out. Also, the step mother is included in the term ‘parents' with same material rights.

445. Ibn Kathir quotes Zuhri's opinion: "Jihad is obligatory on everyone without exception, it being immaterial whether one actually takes part in a battle or not. Someone who stays back from the battlefield, is required to help (materially) whenever there is a call. But when he is asked to come out and take part in the fighting, he should, sitting back only when he is not required." Accordingly, a hadith (of Muslim( says: « مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَغْزُ وَلَمْ يُحَدِّثْ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ مَاتَ عَلَى شُعْبَةٍ مِنْ نِفَاقٍ » "Whoever died without taking part in a jihad and without intending to do it, died on died on a branch of hypocrisy” (Ibn Kathir).

Majid adds : "War, it has been truly said, is sanctioned by the law of nature the constitution of man and the constitution of society ... Islam, the ideal practical religion, has allowed it, but only in cases of sheer necessity. In Christianity, ‘the coming of the Lord is associated with terrible wars ... In the Epistles, St. Paul shows in a dozen references to a soldier's career that he looked at it with interest and even with sympathy' (DB. IV p. 895)."

Legal Points

1. Jihad is obligatory (fard `ayn) on every Muslim in the event of the land of Islam being attacked and conditionally obligatory (fard kifayah) when hostilities are taking place in the lands of the enemy (Alusi).

2. Jihad becomes fard `ayn (an unconditional obligation) on those living in the area attacked. However, if the Muslims of the area are unable to fight off the invaders then it becomes fard `ayn on those nearest to the area of conflict. It also becomes fard `ayn if the Amir al Muslimin (the ruler of the area) orders everyone (or a particular person) to participate in the jihad (Ma`arif).

3. However, if a situation arises in which no jihad is taking place in any part of the world then all Muslims will be considered sinful. This is in view of the reports that "Jihad will continue until the Last Day" (Ma`arif).

4. According to the Hanafiyyah and a few others, Jihad should be conducted by an Islamic state at least once in a year (Au.).

5. So long as jihad has not been declared fard `ayn it is not permissible to go without the permission of the parents (Ma`arif). I.e., if someone happens to be the only son of parents who are too old to look after themselves, he cannot leave without his parent’s leave (Au.).

446. "Persecuted, harassed, afflicted, poverty ridden, exiled, and small in numbers, as the Muslims were at the time of the enactment of warfare, it was but natural that they were not too fond of crossing swords with the mighty forces that had conspired for their extirpation. Nothing short of express and emphatic Divine command could urge them on to the field of battle. And yet the Islamic Jihads are declared to be ‘designed’ by the Prophet ‘to satisfy his discontented adherents by an accession of plunder!' (Margoliouth) Such is this European scholar's love of veracity! Such is his wonderful reading of history!" (Majid).