Surah Ali 'Imran 3:156-172 - Quran Translation Commentary

(3:156) Believers! Be not like those who disbelieved and said about such of their brethren²⁵² as who, when they journeyed through the land, or were in an expedition, that 'Had they remained with us, they would not have died or been slain.’²⁵³ This, in order that Allah may make it a source of great regret in their hearts. Indeed, it is Allah who bestows life and deals death.²⁵⁴ Allah sees what you do.

(3:157) If you are slain, or die in Allah’s cause, surely, Allah’s forgiveness and His mercy are better than what they amass.

(3:158) Whether you die or are slain, surely it is unto Allah that you shall be gathered.

(3:159) And by Allah’s grace you are (O Muhammad) soft to them.²⁵⁵ Had you been harsh and hard-hearted, surely they would have dispersed away from about you.²⁵⁶ Therefore, overlook, seek Allah’s forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs.²⁵⁷ But when you are resolved,²⁵⁸ put your trust in Allah.²⁵⁹ Verily, Allah approves of those who put their trust (in Him).

(3:160) If Allah helps you, then there is none to overcome you. But if He abandons you, then who is it that can help you after Him?²⁶⁰ Therefore, in Allah let the believers place their trust.

(3:161) It is not for a Prophet to be fraudulent.²⁶¹ Whoever defrauded shall bring the fruits of his fraud on the Day of Judgement.²⁶² Then it is that every soul shall be repaid in full for what it earned, and they shall not be wronged.

(3:162: What?! Can he who followed Allah’s good pleasure can be like him who returned with Allah’s anger, and whose abode is Hell? - an evil homecoming!²⁶³

(3:163) They are in varying ranks with Allah. And Allah sees all that they do.

(3:164) Surely, Allah conferred a great favor on the believers²⁶⁴ when He raised amidst them a Messenger from amongst themselves,²⁶⁵ who recites to them His verses, purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom,²⁶⁶ while, before that, they were in manifest error.²⁶⁷

(3:165) Is it that when you were struck with a disaster, while you had struck them (with one) two-fold (in its destructiveness),²⁶⁸ you asked, 'Where is this from?’ Tell them, 'This is from your own selves.²⁶⁹ Verily, Allah has power over all things.’

(3:166) What befell you the day the two forces met (at Uhud), was by the will of Allah, in order that He may know the believers.

(3:167) And in order that He may know those who resorted to hypocrisy.²⁷⁰ They were told, 'Come. Fight in the way of Allah, or defend,’ they replied, 'Had we known there would be a fight, we would have followed you.’²⁷¹ That day they were nearer to unbelief than they were to belief,²⁷² uttering with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah is better informed of what they conceal.

(3:168) Those who said about their brethren,²⁷³ while they themselves had stayed back, 'Had they obeyed us, they would not have been slain.’ Tell them, 'Then turn death away from your own selves, if you are true.’

(3:169) Consider not those who were slain in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided,

(3:170) Well pleased with what Allah has provided them of His grace, and rejoice in the fact that those behind them who have not yet reached them, shall be in no fear, nor shall they grieve.²⁷⁴

(3:171) They rejoice²⁷⁵ in the bounties from their Lord, and His grace, and (in) that Allah lets not the reward of the believers go waste.²⁷⁶

(3:172: Those who responded to Allah and the Messenger, after wounds had afflicted them - for all those of them who did good and were godfearing, shall be a great reward.

Commentary

252. It is the hypocrites who had said these words. It is possible that they were referring to the people of their own kind who died in the Uhud encounter, or on other occasions, and hence the word "brethren." Alternatively, they might have been speaking of their blood-related brothers, and not brothers in faith (Zamakhshari, Razi).

253. Sayyid writes: "The words, 'had they remained with us, they would not have died or been slain,' reveal the distinguishing marks found in the concepts of one endowed with faith, and the one lacking it ... concepts regarding the Divine Laws that govern life and its numerous facets: both the pleasant as well as the unpleasant. A man of faith understands the laws of Allah, knows the will of Allah, and is satisfied with the decrees of Allah. He knows that nothing but what is decreed by Allah can strike him; that what he got could not have been missed, and what he missed could not have been got. He does not, therefore, meet setbacks with despair, nor does he indulge in excessive celebrations at successes. He does not lose his self before this or that event, nor does he regret at the end of an affair, that if he had not done that, he would not have received this. With him, the considerations of the Divine Decree, efforts, opinions and consultations, are all before the event, and before the action. But after the action, in line with the Decree and efforts, within the limits of his knowledge, and within the limits of the lawful and unlawful ... after the action in the light of these factors ... there is no looking back for him. Whatever the outcome, he meets it with grace, peace, and submission, believing that whatever happened is by the will of Allah and following His wisdom, and that it could not have been otherwise, although it was he who made the efforts, balancing it between actions and submission and between positivism and trust in Allah. As for him whose heart is devoid of faith in Allah, faith of the kind described herewith, it is he who is always in worries ... always in an 'if' and 'if not' situation, or mutters, 'Woe unto me,' or 'to my great ill luck,' etc."

254. That is, Allah gives life to those who go to the battle field, and death to those who stay back at home (Qurtubi). Not only does Allah give life and deal death, He also lengthens or shortens life of whomsoever He will (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Khalid ibn al Walid is reported to have said on his death bed: "There isn't a place on my body equal to the length of the span of a hand on which there isn't a mark of an injury that I have received in the battle fields. Yet, here I am dying on this bed" (Zamakhshari).

"However," Razi writes, "coming as it does, after the mention of the heart, the phrase could also mean that Allah gives life to the hearts of the righteous with the light of guidance, and lets the hearts of the hypocrites die."

255. The relationship between the previous and this verse is that when the Prophet returned from Uhud, he did not evince any anger toward his followers (Qurtubi), nor toward the hypocrites, rather, was lenient and forgiving, and hence the words: "By Allah's grace you are soft ..." Accordingly, when the Prophet and `Ali were washing their arms after the battle of Uhud, `Uthman's wife came in and enquired about him. `Ali said that `Uthman had disgraced himself (by leaving the battlefield and seeking refuge in Madinah). But the Prophet was not too pleased with the answer. When `Uthman himself showed up a little later, along with two of his friends, all that the Prophet said to him was: "Surely, you travelled a long distance (retreating all the way to Madinah)" Razi.

Abu Umamah al-Bahili has reported in a hadith of Ahmad that once the Prophet took his hand in his own and said:

مسند أحمد - (36 / 635)

يَا أَبَا أُمَامَةَ إِنَّ مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَنْ يَلِينُ لِي قَلْبُهُ

"O Abu Umamah, there are some among the believers whose heart softens for me" (Ibn Kathir).

256. According to Rabi`, the description of our Prophet in the Tawrah is as follows:

إنه ليس بفظ، ولا غليظ، ولا صخاب في الأسواق ولا يجزي بالسيئة السيئة، ولكن يعفو ويصفح

"He will not be harsh, nor severe, nor quarrelsome in the markets, nor will he pay back an evil with an evil, rather, will forgive and overlook" (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

257. The word shawir refers in its root to the act of extracting honey from a beehive. There was at least one additional reason why Allah ordered the Prophet to consult his followers. Things had gone awry at Uhud after he had consulted them before the battle and had acted according to their wishes. If he had not consulted them in the subsequent affairs, it would have sounded as if he was not too pleased with them at heart, which was not the case (Razi).

The Prophet always consulted them. He consulted them at Badr: whether they should fight or not; at Uhud: whether they should defend the city from within or go out and meet the enemy in the open; during the battle of the Ditch: whether they should make peace with the Makkans over one third of the dates of Madinah or not, but abandoned the idea after it was opposed; at Hudaibiyyah: whether they should fight the Makkans or not; at the incident of Fidak regarding what was to be done with regard to the rumors about `A'isha; as well as on several other occasions (Ibn Kathir).

A hadith says that a people will not consult each other in their affairs, but will be guided to what is best for them. And Abu Hurayrah is reported to have said: "I have not encountered another set of people other than the Companions who consulted each other more” (Zamakhshari).

Some reports, one in Hakim of a strong status, suggest that it was not everyone that the Prophet was supposed to consult, rather men like Abu Bakr and `Umar, for they were, according to `Ali ibn Abi Talib, his apostles, viziers and fathers of the Ummah (Ibn Kathir). Accordingly, the Prophet is reported to have said about Abu Bakr and `Umar:

لو اجتمعتما في مشورة ما خالفتكما

"If you two agree on something, I will not go against it" (Alusi).

In fact, Ibn `Atiyyah has said that consultation is one of the pillars of Islam and a ruler who does not consult may be removed. Ibn Khuwayzmandad has said that it is obligatory on the rulers to consult the scholars in matters of Islamic law, military chiefs in matters of war, prominent citizens in matters of their welfare, and technical and other experts on the developmental affairs... (The more so for them because), as Hasan al Basri and Dahhak have said, the order to consult is actually more binding on the Muslims than on the Prophet, who actually stood in no need of their opinions ... Hence we find that the ruling Companions of the Prophet created a consultative council for state affairs (Qurtubi).

Asad adds: "This injunction, implying government by consent and council, must be regarded as one of the fundamental clauses of all Qur'anic legislation relating to statecraft. The pronoun "them" relates to the believers, that is, to the whole community; while the word al amr occurring in this context as well as in the much earlier revealed phrase amruhum shura baynahum in 42: 38 denotes all affairs of public concern, including state administration. All authorities agree in that the above ordinance, although addressed in the first instance to the Prophet, is binding on all Muslims and for all times. (For wider implications see State and Government in Islam, pp. 44 ff.)."

258. When the Prophet was asked according to a tradition in Ibn Marduwayh, on the authority of `Ali ibn Abi Talib to explain the implications of the word `azm in the above context, he replied: "(It means) consulting the knowledgeable people (ahl 'l ra'y) and thereupon following them (in their advice)" Ibn Kathir.

Thanwi adds: It is not binding, however, upon a person, be he a ruler, to follow the advice of those he consults. He may overrule them and act in the best interests of those who will be directly affected.

259. Rashid Rida writes: That is, after you have consulted the people, and have made your choices, depend on Allah, (and not on your material means or equipment) and put your plans to action. So did the Prophet when he sought the advice of his Companions whether they should defend the city from within or without. When they had given their opinion, he had made up his mind, and he had put on his armor, he went ahead with the action, not looking back. He did not change his decision when his Companions withdrew their suggestion. Had he done that he would have betrayed lack of firmness. He moved ahead with faith and trust in Allah. In fact, as a corollary it can be added that when a similar incident took place with the British they also did not withdraw from their declared intention. When our master (Sheikh `Abduh) was in Britain they asked him the advisability of sending British troops to Sudan to combat the forces of Mahdi. He told them that it was not advisable and that the British would lose the war. The British did not pay attention and sent out their troops. They were promptly defeated and our master wrote to the British minister reminding him of his own advice. The minister wrote back that be that may, but the British policy was that once the government had taken its decision, it did not like to withdraw it.

Tawakkul

On the subject of tawakkul, it might be pointed out that it is not the name of cessation or slackness of efforts. Tawakkul is an act of the heart, while efforts are the acts of the body. Tirmidhi has preserved a hadith which says:

التَّاجِرُ الصَّدُوقُ الْأَمِينُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ

"An honest, truthful trader shall be with Prophets, Siddiqun and martyrs on the Day of Judgment."

In this hadith we see the rule at work is that anyone who made efforts and strove to make his living honestly will be placed with the chosen ones. Another hadith of Tirmidhi, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah says:

لَوْ أَنّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَوَكّلُونَ عَلَى الله حَقّ تَوَكّلِهِ لَرُزِقْتُمْ كَمَا تُرْزَقُ الطّيْرُ تَغْدُو خِمَاصاً وَتَرُوحُ بِطَاناً

"Were you to have trust in Allah, the way He should be trusted, He would feed you the way He feeds the birds: they go out hungry in the morning and return well-fed by the nightfall." This hadith also indicates that it is necessary to make efforts, so that even the birds have to fly out. According to another hadith, of which various versions exist in Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban and Tabarani a man asked the Prophet (saws) if he should tie his camel or leave it in Allah's trust. He told him:

قال رجل يا رسول الله أَعْقِلُهَا وَأَتَوَكّلُ أَوْ أُطْلِقُهَا وَأَتَوَكّلُ؟ قَالَ اعقِلْهَا وَتَوَكَلْ

"Bind it and have trust in Allah.”

The above hadith has been declared Hasan by Tirmidhi (Au.).

`Umar is reported to have said: “Let not anyone sit back at home doing nothing about his sustenance saying, ‘O Allah feed me,’ for you know that the heavens neither rain down silver nor gold” (Rashid Rida: abridged and annotated).

Thanwi comments: Efforts (tadbir) do not contradict tawakkul. However, they are not absolutely essential. In contrast, tawakkul – in the sense of trust in Allah for the best of outcome – is absolutely essential and obligatory upon every Muslim. The rules for efforts (tadbir) are therefore as follows: If the efforts required are of religious nature, then it is forbidden to neglect them (for instance war preparations, which has been ordered by the Qur’an. Mere tawakkul is not enough for victory: Au.). If the efforts are not a religious requirement, but are of the sort upon which results ‘normally’ depend, then too they cannot be neglected (for instance working for one’s living before expecting to see the dinner table laden with food, although Allah is the Provider: Au.). On the other hand,

if the effects of efforts on the results are of “uncertain” nature (zanni), then, for someone endowed with a strong will and faith, they are inessential. But if the effects of the efforts are of imaginary type (wahmi), then one should entirely abstain from tadbir (such as, for example, refusing to share a drink from a single bowl out of fear of transmission of diseases: Au.).

Also see note 196 of this Surah for further discussion.

260. Hence the Prophet’s supplication (abridged):

فأصْلِحْ لي شأنِي كُلَّهُ وَلاَ تَكِلْني إلى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنِ

"O Allah, do not abandon me to my own self, nor to anyone else, even for a moment" (Ibn al-Qayyim).

261. There are several interpretations, one of them (preferred by Ibn Jarir) comes from Ibn `Abbas. It says: "This verse was revealed after the battle of Badr when a red gown was found missing of the war spoils and some of the Companions thought that probably the Prophet had kept it for himself (to which he had the right anyway, according to the laws then in force: Au.)" Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir.

When Ibn `Abbas was asked how his followers could suspect his honesty, he answered: "Why not? If they could attempt to assassinate him (they could also suspect him)" (Razi).

In other words, Ibn `Abbas had the hypocrites in his mind (Au.).

However, an alternative explanation (offered by Kalbi and Muqatil: Razi), is that the verse was revealed in response to the conversation that took place between the Prophet and the archers. When he asked them why they had abandoned their post while they had his strict instruction against it, they replied that they thought each person would get what he had helped himself of the booty, and therefore, they might not get a share in the booty. The Prophet remarked: "Did you imagine that we were going to dupe you and deny your share of the booty?!" (Zamakhshari).

262. In a long hadith (in Bukhari and Muslim: Ibn Kathir), the Prophet is reported to have warned that on the Day of Judgment people would appear with a goat, a horse or a camel on their shoulders those beasts crying in their voices and men pleading help of the Prophet who will say: "I have no power over anything today. I had delivered my message." According to another report (in Bukhari and Muslim: Ibn Kathir), the Prophet sent one of his men to collect zakah. When the man returned he said: "These are zakah goods, and these are my personal things that have been gifted to me." At this the Prophet climbed the mimber and said after praises to Allah: "What's the matter with the people that when I send one of them to collect zakah, he returns and says I have been gifted such and such things. Lo. Why should he not stay put in his house and wait for the gifts to come by?!" Then he added: "People. Fear Allah. Let not one of you come on the Day of Judgment with an animal on his shoulder bleating or neighing, or whining" (Qurtubi).

According to another report, when the Prophet warned Sa`d b. `Ubadah, (before sending him out on a mission) of the seriousness of the affair of collecting the zakah (in which there is the likelihood of collecting more than the obligatory and earning a sin: Au.), Sa`d b. `Ubadah sought to be spared the job and the Prophet spared him (Ibn Jarir). A similar report is (in Abu Da'ud: Ibn Kathir) about Ibn Mas`ud who declined to accept the responsibility and the Prophet spared him too (Qurtubi).

According to a report in Ahmad and Abu Da'ud, the Prophet said:

مَنْ كَانَ لَنَا عَامِلاً فَلْيَكْتَسِبْ زَوْجَةً فَإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ خَادِمٌ فَلْيَكْتَسِبْ خَادِماً، فإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مَسْكَنٌ فَلْيَكْتَسِبْ مَسْكَناً. قال قال أبُو بَكْرٍ: أُخْبِرْتُ أنّ النّبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: مَن اتّخَذَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ غَالّ أوْ سَارِقٌ

"He whom we appoint as a state official may take a house for residence if he hasn't one, a wife as a spouse if he has none, and a servant to serve him if he has none. But whoever took anything more than this is fraudulent or a thief" (Qurtubi),

According to another report in Ahmad, brought to us by Abu Rafi`, the Prophet used to do his `Asr and go out to Banu `Abdul Ash hal staying some time with them chatting and returning by Maghrib. Once when he was returning and happened to pass by the graves of Jannatu al Baqi`, he turned one side and said, 'Woe unto you, woe unto you.' At this I (the reporter) felt constricted in my shield and fearing he had addressed me and so I fell back. He asked me why I had fallen back. When I told him my fears, he said, 'Rather, that grave is of so and so whom I had sent for collecting zakah, but he kept back a shield for himself. He is being punished now.'"

We also have the famous story of Khyber preserved in Muslim, related by `Umar ibn al Khattab, which says that people were counting the dead and saying,

فلان شهيد فلان شهيد حتى مروا على رجل فقالوا فلان شهيد فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: كلا إني رأيته في النار في بردة غلها أو عباءة ثم قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا ابن الخطاب إذهب فناد في الناس أنه لا يدخل الجنة إلا المؤمنون

'So and so is a martyr, so and so is a martyr,' until they passed by a man's corpse and said the same thing. The Prophet interjected: "Not at all. I have seen him in the Fire because of a cloak he had stolen out of the booty." Then the Prophet added, “O Khattab’s son, go and announce: "Beware! None but believers will enter Paradise."

Finally, we have (Qurtubi), the hadith of the Prophet which says that:

كَانَ رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذَا أصَابَ غَنِيمَةً أمَرَ بِلاَلاً، فَنَادَى في النّاسِ، فَيَجِيئُونَ بِغَنَائِمِهِمْ فَيَخْمُسُهُ وَيُقَسّمُهُ، فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ بِزِمَامٍ منْ شَعَرٍ فقَالَ يَارَسُولَ الله هَذَا فَيمَا كُنّا أصَبْنَاهُ منَ الْغَنِيمَةِ فَقالَ أسَمِعْتَ بِلاَلاً يُنَادِي ثَلاَثاً؟ قالَ نَعَمْ. قالَ وَمَا مَنَعَكَ أنْ تَجِيءَ بِهِ فَاعْتَذَرَ إلَيْهِ فقَالَ كُنْ أنْتَ تَجِيءُ به يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَنْ أقْبَلهُ عَنْكَ

After every battle in which booty was obtained, the Prophet ordered Bilal and he announced among the people (that all booty was to be registered with the Prophet). They came with the booty they had captured and he divided in the following manner: one fifth to the state and four fifth to the soldiers. Once it so happened that a man came up after the division with a tuft of hair. The Prophet asked him three times: "Did you hear Bilal's announcement or not? Did you hear Bilal's announcement or not?" The man said he had. "Then what kept you back from bringing it?" he asked him. The man sought to be excused. But the Prophet did not accept his excuse. He said, "Rather, you will bring it with you on the Day of Judgment, I am not accepting it from you now" (Ibn Kathir).

The above report, as found in Abu Da’ud’s collection, has been termed Hasan (Au.).

Nevertheless, various reports suggest that food articles are exempted, especially when there is scarcity; so that one might eat out of the booty, to the extent of his hunger without incurring sin (Razi, Qurtubi).

263. Several interpretations of the two kinds of men referred to at this point are possible: a) true believers and hypocrites, b) those who do not defraud, and those who defraud in the spoils of war, c) he who obeyed and is righteous and he who did not obey and committed sins, and d) those who followed the Prophet in chasing Abu Sufyan after Uhud and those who did not (Razi).

264. Sayyid comments: "What is the great blessing of Allah upon all Muslims of all times that has been conferred upon them through their Prophet? It is that of Islam, its way of life, its social, economic, and political systems. This is now their personal identity card with which they Arab Muslims as the first to be addressed and non Arab Muslims as their partners can introduce themselves to the rest of the world. But if they do not present this as their specialty, what else is there that they can present? Can they present geniuses in arts, science, and literature? No. The people have enough of them, of their own stock and, therefore, are neither in need of them nor are they waiting for the appearance of a few more. Can they, alternatively, present their industrial products and fill their markets with them? No they can not, for the rest of the world is already producing enough. In fact, others are leaders in these fields. Or, can they present to them the secular systems of thoughts and ideas, or economic theories, or what have you not? No, they cannot, for the world is over subscribed with theories and philosophies touching every issue of life. What then is it that the Muslims can present to the world? Lo! It is none other than the religion of Islam and the system of life it offers. Nothing short of the great blessing itself that has been bestowed upon them can they present to the world. The world was never in greater need of it than today. If the Arab and non Arab Muslims cannot present this, then there is nothing else they can offer to the world at large. They are in possession of this great blessing. But what Devil is it which prevents them from presenting this to the world? What Devil is it? (Can anyone tell us)?"

265. The meaning of the words: "min anfusi him (a Messenger from amongst themselves), is that Allah raised him from their own kind, that is, a man (and not, for instance, an angel: Au.) in order that they might be at ease with him, as He said elsewhere (30: 21):

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ [الروم : 21]

"And of His signs is that He created out of your own selves spouses in order that you may find solace in her."

In this verse, Allah used the same phrase "min anfusi kum." Allah also said elsewhere (18: 110):

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ [الكهف : 110]

"Tell them (O Prophet), I am but a man like you, (save that), it is revealed unto me that your Lord is one Lord."

Or (25: 20):

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ [الفرقان : 20]

"I have not sent before you (O Prophet) Messengers but that they used to eat food and used to go about in the markets."

And, elsewhere (12: 109):

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى [يوسف : 109]

"And We have not sent to the chief towns earlier but men, revealing unto them." (Ibn Kathir)

266. "The Book and the Wisdom" one alludes to what is apparent and extrovert, and the other to what is unapparent and introvert in our religion (Razi).

267. Sayyid comments: "To understand what purification this verse is referring to, we might recall what Ja`far b. Abi Talib said when he appeared in the court of Najashi to thwart the attempts by the Quraysh to get the Muslims expelled from Habasha. He said: "O King. We were an ignorant people: worshipping idols, devouring carrion, committing indecencies, severing blood ties, neglecting the neighbor, and the strong devouring the weak. We were in this state when there appeared amongst us a Messenger of our own stock. We know his family connections, his truthfulness, his trustworthiness, and his chastity. He called us to one God, in order that we may worship Him alone and give up what we and our forefathers worshipped of stones and idols. He taught us to be truthful, deliver the trust, join the blood ties, do good to the neighbor, abstain from vile things and bloodshed. He forbade us indecencies, false witnessing, devouring of the property of orphans, defaming of chaste women, and ordered us that we worship none but one God, ascribing no partner unto Him, and he ordered us to establish the Prayers, pay the zakah and observe fasts."

In addition, we may recall what `A'isha had to say about the different kinds of sexual and marital relationships and practices that existed before the advent of Islam. She said, "Before Islam there were four kinds of sexual and marital relationships. First, the kind of practice which is now prevalent, after Islam, according to which, a man proposes to a woman through her guardian and marries her against a dowry. Second, a man would tell his wife, 'Go to such and such a man and lie down with him.' Then he would not touch her until the time he was sure she was pregnant from that man. If she was, he would go into her if he wished. This they would do in order to bring into their own family a trace of nobility of that man. This was known as the 'stock marriage.' Another form of marital relationship was of ten or more people going into a single woman in turns at a time. After she had become pregnant by them and had given birth to a child, she would invite them all to her house. They would all show up without exception. When they had gathered at her place she would say, 'You know what has transpired between us. Now I have given birth to a child.' Then she would declare anyone of them she wished as the child's father, and the man had to accept the child as his son, without anyone protesting about it. Finally, a group of people would gather and go into a woman. These were prostitutes who hoisted a flag on their doors so that they may be recognized as prostitutes. Anyone could go into them. When one of them became pregnant and gave birth to a child, all the people would be invited and a 'tracker' (Qaafah) would be brought in who would decide by physical signs as to whose son the child could be. He would name a person and the child would be attached to him, to be known as his son. The man had no choice in the affair and had to acquiesce."

268. According to Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, `Ikrimah, and others this refers to the defeat at Uhud where seventy of the Muslims were martyred while at Badr the Muslims had killed seventy and imprisoned seventy (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

269. According to Qatadah, this refers to the advice given by the Companions to the Prophet to go out of Madinah and give the enemy a fight in the open, rather than, as the Prophet had wished, use the city as a bastion and fight from within.

But, according to `Ubaydah al Salmani and `Ali, this was due to their preference to accept redemption from the prisoners of Badr instead of executing them, and risk martyrdom of seventy of their own men, about which they had been warned by Jibril and by the Prophet, since the Companions thought, at that time, that martyrdom was not such a bad idea after all, and that they needed the money rather so badly then (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

Abu Da'ud and Tirmidhi have also related this hadith, but the latter has declared it hasan gharib (which is a kind of weak report: Au.) Ibn Kathir.

Nasa'i has also this report coming from `Ali (Shawkani). But Shawkani wonders how the report can be reconciled with another trustworthy report according to which the Prophet and Abu Bakr regretted that they had not executed the Prisoners at Badr. Why should they have, if they had been given a choice to act either way? Rashid Rida also doubts the strength of the report. Albani has however declared it trustworthy (Sayyid Ibrahim) Au.

270. According to the grammarian Abu `Ubaydah, the word nifaq (hypocrisy) is derived from the word nafiqah which is the name of one of the two exits of a tunnel that a desert rodent (Jerboa: a kind of rat) digs in the earth for itself. When it is pursued from one end he escapes by the other (Razi, Qurtubi).

However, it may be noted that Allah did not refer to them as hypocrites, rather as, "those who resorted to hypocrisy." This is because until then hypocrisy of most of the doubters was not firm and certain. For many it was a passing condition of heart. Many in fact repented later to become good Muslims (Rashid Rida).

271. This refers to the falling back of `Abdullah ibn `Ubayy b. Sallul and his three hundred followers a little out of Madinah on the pretext that they saw no fight at all and that their advice had not been heeded. When they were reproached at the fact that they were abandoning their brethren to perils, they said they did not expect a fight would take place (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

Another possible meaning is that they did not see a fight, rather a slaughter at the hands of the invaders (Razi, Qurtubi).

272. It has been argued with this verse that a man can be in various states of faith, sometimes weak, sometimes strong (Ibn Kathir).

273. See note 251 above.

274. Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud, and Jabir b. `Abdullah have variously reported that the Prophet said:

لَمّا أُصِيبَ إخْوَانُكُم بِأُحُدٍ جَعَلَ الله أرْوَاحَهُمْ في جَوْفِ طَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ تَرِدُ أنْهَارَ الْجَنّةِ تَأْكُلُ مِنْ ثِمَارِهَا وَتَأْوي إلَى قَنَادِيلَ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ مُعَلّقَةٍ في ظِلّ الْعَرْشِ فَلَمّا وَجَدُوا طِيبَ مَأْكَلِهِمْ وَمَشْرَبِهِمْ وَمَقِيلِهِمْ قَالُوا مَنْ يُبَلّغُ إخْوَانَنَا عَنّا أنّا أحْيَاءٌ في الْجَنّةِ نُرْزَقُ لِئَلاّ يَزْهَدُوا في الْجِهَادِ وَلاَ يَنْكُلُوا عِنْدَ الْحَرْبِ؟ فَقَالَ الله تَعَالى: أنَا أُبَلّغُهُمْ عَنْكُم، قالَ: وَأنْزَلَ الله عَزّوَجَلّ: {وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنّ الّذِينَ قُتِلُوا في سَبِيلِ الله أمْوَاتاً} إلى آخِرِ الاَيَةِ

"Verily, Muslims who fell in the battle fields of Badr and Uhud have been given the forms of green birds. They drink from the springs of Paradise, eat out of its fruits. By the evening they rest on golden lanterns that hang by the shade of the `Arsh. When they find the good food, drink and place of rest, they say, “who will inform our brothers about us, that we are alive in Paradise, well-fed, so that they might also work for it and not turn away from jihad. They are told by Allah that their wishes would be conveyed to their compatriots on earth, and this verse was revealed" (Ibn Jarir, Kashshaf, Qurtubi, Shawkani).

Similar versions are in Muslim, Abu Da'ud and Hakim also. In fact there are reports coming from the Prophet which say that even the souls of ordinary Muslims are in Paradise (in the form of birds: Au.). Indeed, in one of the reports, three of the four great imams appear in the chain of narrators. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal has reported through Muhammad b. Idris Shafe`i and he through Malik b. Anas, and he through others, that the Prophet said:

إنّمَا نَسَمَةُ الْمُوءْمِنِ طَائِرٌ فِي شَجَرِ الْجَنّةِ حَتّى يَبْعَثَهُ اللّهُ عَزّ وَجَلّ إلَى جَسَدِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

"Souls of the believers are in the form of birds that perch on the trees of Paradise until Allah will put them back in their human form on the Day of Judgment" (Ibn Kathir).

While on the subject, the following can also be quoted. In a hadith in Muslim the Prophet (saws) is quoted as having said:

مَا مِنْ نَفْسٍ تَمُوتُ. لَهَا عِنْدَ اللّهِ خَيْرٌ. يَسُرّهَا أَنّهَا تَرْجِعُ إلَى الدّنْيَا. وَلاَ أَنّ لَهَا الدّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا. إلاّ الشّهِيدُ. فَإنّهُ يَتَمَنّىَ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ فَيُقْتَلَ فِي الدّنْيَا. لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ فَضْلِ الشّهَادَةِ

"No soul which dies and finding itself favored there in the Hereafter, wishes that it come back to earth except for the martyr. He wishes that he be sent back and again get killed in the way of Allah. This is because of the favors it sees in martyrdom" (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

But it may be remembered that death in Allah's cause expiates all sins, except, as a hadith states, what one borrows in this world. The debts have to be settled before they can enter into Paradise. Now, if it is asked, where are the souls of those martyrs who left the world in debts, since their entry into Paradise is barred, the answer is, it is possible that it is martyrs of this kind who are alluded to in a tradition of the Prophet. He said:

الشُّهَدَاءُ عَلَى بَارِقِ نَهَرٍ بِبَابِ الْجَنَّةِ فِي قُبَّةٍ خَضْرَاءَ يَخْرُجُ عَلَيْهِمْ رِزْقُهُمْ مِنْ الْجَنَّةِ بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا

"Souls of the martyrs are near the streams at the gate of Paradise called Baariq in a green tomb, where they are fed from Paradise, morning and evening” (Qurtubi).

The hadith is in several works including in Hakim’s Mustadrak declared by Dhahabi as of trustworthy chain (Au.).

However, according to Anas b. Malik, this verse is also applicable to those who were martyred in the Bi’r Ma`una expedition about which another verse was revealed but subsequently abrogated and replaced by this one (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

275. Suddi has said in a statement (in Bukhari: Ibn Kathir) that the martyrs are given a book which tells them that so and so is going to join them on such and such a day, they rejoice in that as they would if someone were to come back to them from a journey (Qurtubi).

276. According to a hadith in Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi, who has declared it hasan sahih gharib, a martyr enjoys six special benefits:

يُغْفَرُ لَهُ في أَوّلِ دُفْعَةٍ ويرَى مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ الْجَنّةِ، ويُجَارُ مِنْ عَذَابِ القَبْرِ، وَيَأْمَنُ مِنَ الفَزَعِ الأكْبَرِ، وَيُوضَعُ على رأْسِهِ تَاجُ الوَقَارِ، اليَاقُوتَةُ منها خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدّنْيَا وما فيها، ويُزَوّجُ اثْنَتَيْنِ وسْبعِينَ زَوْجَةً مِنَ الْحُورِ (الْعِينِ) ، وَيُشَفّعُ في سَبْعِينَ مِنْ أقَارِبِهِ

1. He is forgiven his sins instantly and is shown his place in Paradise, 2) He is saved from the punishment of the grave, 3) He will be saved from the fear and shock of the Great Day, 4) A crown studded with pearls will be placed on his head better than the world and what it contains, 5) He will be married to seventy houries, and, 6) He will intercede on behalf of seventy of his kinsfolk.