Surah 29. Al-'Ankabut

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Verses [Section]: 1-13[1], 14-22 [2], 23-30 [3], 31-44 [4], 45-51 [5], 52-63 [6], 64-69 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-1329. Al-'Ankabutبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِالٓمّٓۚAlif Laam Meem اَحَسِبَDo thinkالنَّاسُthe peopleاَنْthatیُّتْرَكُوْۤاthey will be leftاَنْbecauseیَّقُوْلُوْۤاthey sayاٰمَنَّاWe believeوَ هُمْand theyلَاwill not (be tested)یُفْتَنُوْنَ (will not) be tested وَ لَقَدْAnd indeedفَتَنَّاWe testedالَّذِیْنَthose whoمِنْ(were) before themقَبْلِهِمْ(were) before themفَلَیَعْلَمَنَّAnd will surely make evidentاللّٰهُAllahالَّذِیْنَthose whoصَدَقُوْا(are) truthfulوَ لَیَعْلَمَنَّand will surely make evidentالْكٰذِبِیْنَ the liars اَمْOrحَسِبَthinkالَّذِیْنَthose whoیَعْمَلُوْنَdoالسَّیِّاٰتِevil deedsاَنْthatیَّسْبِقُوْنَا ؕthey can outrun UsسَآءَEvil isمَاwhatیَحْكُمُوْنَ they judge مَنْWhoeverكَانَ[is]یَرْجُوْاhopesلِقَآءَ(for the) meetingاللّٰهِ(with) Allahفَاِنَّthen indeedاَجَلَ(the) Termاللّٰهِ(of) Allahلَاٰتٍ ؕ(is) surely comingوَ هُوَAnd Heالسَّمِیْعُ(is) the All-Hearerالْعَلِیْمُ the All-Knower وَ مَنْAnd whoeverجَاهَدَstrivesفَاِنَّمَاthen onlyیُجَاهِدُhe strivesلِنَفْسِهٖ ؕfor himselfاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahلَغَنِیٌّ(is) Free from needعَنِofالْعٰلَمِیْنَ the worlds 29. Al-'Ankabut Page 397وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous (deeds)لَنُكَفِّرَنَّsurely We will removeعَنْهُمْfrom themسَیِّاٰتِهِمْtheir evil deedsوَ لَنَجْزِیَنَّهُمْand We will surely reward themاَحْسَنَ(the) bestالَّذِیْ(of) whatكَانُوْاthey usedیَعْمَلُوْنَ (to) do وَ وَصَّیْنَاAnd We have enjoinedالْاِنْسَانَ(on) manبِوَالِدَیْهِgoodness to his parentsحُسْنًا ؕgoodness to his parentsوَ اِنْbut ifجَاهَدٰكَthey both strive against youلِتُشْرِكَto make you associateبِیْwith Meمَاwhatلَیْسَnotلَكَyou haveبِهٖof itعِلْمٌany knowledgeفَلَاthen (do) notتُطِعْهُمَا ؕobey both of themاِلَیَّTo Meمَرْجِعُكُمْ(is) your returnفَاُنَبِّئُكُمْand I will inform youبِمَاabout whatكُنْتُمْyou usedتَعْمَلُوْنَ (to) do وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous deedsلَنُدْخِلَنَّهُمْWe will surely admit themفِیamongالصّٰلِحِیْنَ the righteous وَ مِنَAnd ofالنَّاسِthe peopleمَنْ(is he) whoیَّقُوْلُsaysاٰمَنَّاWe believeبِاللّٰهِin AllahفَاِذَاۤBut whenاُوْذِیَhe is harmedفِیinاللّٰهِ(the Way of) Allahجَعَلَhe considersفِتْنَةَ(the) trialالنَّاسِ(of) the peopleكَعَذَابِas (the) punishmentاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) Allahوَ لَىِٕنْBut ifجَآءَcomesنَصْرٌvictoryمِّنْfromرَّبِّكَyour Lordلَیَقُوْلُنَّsurely they sayاِنَّاIndeed, weكُنَّاwereمَعَكُمْ ؕwith youاَوَ لَیْسَIs notاللّٰهُAllahبِاَعْلَمَmost knowingبِمَاof whatفِیْ(is) inصُدُوْرِ(the) breastsالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds وَ لَیَعْلَمَنَّAnd will surely make evidentاللّٰهُAllahالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ لَیَعْلَمَنَّAnd (He) will surely make evidentالْمُنٰفِقِیْنَ the hypocrites وَ قَالَAnd saidالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoاٰمَنُواbelieveاتَّبِعُوْاFollowسَبِیْلَنَاour wayوَ لْنَحْمِلْand we will carryخَطٰیٰكُمْ ؕyour sinsوَ مَاBut notهُمْtheyبِحٰمِلِیْنَ(are) going to carryمِنْofخَطٰیٰهُمْtheir sinsمِّنْanyشَیْءٍ ؕthingاِنَّهُمْIndeed theyلَكٰذِبُوْنَ (are) surely liars وَ لَیَحْمِلُنَّBut surely they will carryاَثْقَالَهُمْtheir burdensوَ اَثْقَالًاand burdensمَّعَwithاَثْقَالِهِمْ ؗtheir burdensوَ لَیُسْـَٔلُنَّand surely they will be questionedیَوْمَ(on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrectionعَمَّاabout whatكَانُوْاthey usedیَفْتَرُوْنَ۠(to) invent

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Translation of Verse 1-13In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(29:1) Alif. Lam. Mim.

(29:2) Do people think that they will be let go merely by saying: “We believe,” and that they will not be tested,¹

(29:3) for We indeed tested those who went before them?² Allah will most certainly ascertain³ those who spoke the truth and those who lied.

(29:4) Do the evil-doers⁴ suppose that they will get the better of Us?⁵ How evil is their judgement!

(29:5) Let him who looks forward to meeting Allah know that Allah's appointed term will surely come to pass.⁶ He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.⁷

(29:6) Whosoever strives(in the cause of Allah) does so to his own good.⁸ Surely Allah stands in no need of anyone in the whole Universe.⁹

(29:7) Those who believe and do good deeds, We shall cleanse them of their evil deeds and reward them according to the best of their deeds.¹⁰

(29:8) We have enjoined upon man kindness to his parents, but if they exert pressure on you to associate with Me in My Divinity any that you do not know (to be My associate), do not obey them.¹¹ To Me is your return, and I shall let you know all that you have done.¹²

(29:9) As for those who believed and acted righteously, We shall certainly admit them among the righteous.

(29:10) Among people there are some who say:¹³ “We believe in Allah.” But when such a person is made to endure suffering in Allah's cause, he reckons the persecution he suffers at the hands of people as though it is a chastisement from Allah.¹⁴ But if victory comes from your Lord, the same person will say “We were with you.”¹⁵ Does Allah not know whatever is in the hearts of the people of the world?

(29:11) Allah will surely ascertain who are the believers and who are the hypocrites.¹⁶

(29:12) The unbelievers say to the believers: “Follow our way and we will carry the burden of your sins.”¹⁷ (They say so even though) they are not going to carry any part of their sins.¹⁸ Surely they are lying.

(29:13) They will certainly carry their own burdens and other burdens besides their own.¹⁹ They will assuredly be called to account on the Day of Resurrection concerning the fabrications which they contrived.²⁰

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Commentary

1. To appreciate the import of this verse, the following context should be borne in mind. The state of affairs obtaining at the time this surah was-revealed was such that no sooner had someone embraced Islam in Makkah than a storm of persecution and torture was let loose. If the person happened to be a slave or poor, he was mercilessly manhandled and subjected to exacting torment. If he were a shopkeeper or craftsman, he was made the victim of economic boycott, which led to straightened circumstances and even starvation. If he belonged to an influential family, his family members made life miserable for him, exerting pressure on him and subjecting him to a variety of vexing measures. As a result of this wide-scale persecution, the atmosphere in Makkah was charged with dread and fright. Fearful of facing terrible consequences, many who recognized the truth of the Prophet’s message hesitated to declare their faith. Furthermore, some who had embraced Islam gave in to the unbelievers’ torture and recanted their faith.

These adverse circumstances, however, did not weaken the firm resolve of true believers — the deeply-convinced Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him) - to remain faithful to Islam. Nevertheless, they too were only human, and inevitably, at times, felt upset and worried.

Illustrative of this state is a report by Khabbab ibn al-Arat, recorded in Bukhari, Aba Dawud and Nasa’i. Khabbab narrates as follows: “At the time when we faced the polytheists’ excesses, one day I saw the Prophet (peace be on him) seated in the shade of the Ka ‘bah’s wall. I submitted to him: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Do you not pray for us [that we be delivered from this miserable state]?’ On hearing this, the Prophet's face turned red with emotion and he said: ‘The believers before you were subjected to even greater excesses. Pits were dug for some of them and they were made to sit in them and they were sawed into two pieces from head to foot. The joints of some others were rubbed with iron combs. All this was done to make them recant their faith. By Allah, this [mission] is bound to be accomplished so that one day a person will travel from San ‘a’ to Hadramawt without having fear of anyone except God.” (See Bukhari, K. al-Manaqib, Bab: ‘Alamat al-Nubawah fi al-Islam; Abu Dawud, K. al-Jihad, Bab: Fi al-Asir yukrahu ‘ala al-Kufr; Nasa’i, K. al-Zinah, Bab: Libs al-Buriid — Ed.) In order to transform the believers’ state of perturbance and anxiety into one of calm patience and endurance, God informed the believers that a person is not eligible for His promise of success and felicity in this world, as well as in the Next, merely by claiming that he is a believer. Instead, he has to establish the truthfulness of his claim by successfully going through a crucible of tests and trials. Admission to Paradise demands far more than the mere verbal profession of faith. Nor can anyone expect to be blessed with God’s special bounties even in this world by merely professing to be a believer. To obtain these rewards it is essential that one be put to hard tests, even to the point of loss of life and all one’s belongings. Mentally, one should be prepared for all kinds of suffering and discomfort. Further, one will also be exposed to temptation and intimidation and will have to sacrifice everything one holds dear in the cause of one’s faith. It is only after one has gone through all this that the truthfulness or otherwise of one’s claim to be a believer is established.

This point is stressed in all Qur’anic passages that mention Muslims’ perturbance and disconcertment in the face of the hardships and difficulties they confronted. In the early days of the Madinan period following the Hijrah, the Muslims were vexed by a host of problems — financial stringency, the threat of aggression without, and the mischievous machinations of the Jews and hypocrites within. At this point in time the Qur’an gave the Muslims the following message: Do you suppose that you will enter Paradise untouched by the suffering endured by the men of faith who passed away before you? They were afflicted by misery and hardship and were so convulsed that the Messenger and the believers with him cried out: ‘When will Allah’s help arrive?’ They were assured that Allah’s help was close by. (al-Baqarah 2:214) Likewise, when the Muslims were confronted with a host of sufferings after the Battle of Uhud, God addressed them in the same vein: 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? (Al ‘Imran 3:142) More or less the same truth features in Al ‘Imran 3:79, al-Tawbah 9:6 and Muhammad 47:31. God, thus, conveyed to the Muslims the plain truth that it is only by going through the crucible of test and trial that crowns of sterling gold can be separated from those that are fake and counterfeit.

When tested, those deficient in firmness of faith will automatically abandon the path of God. This is how true men of faith are identified, how the shallow and weak are winnowed out and how it is only those who are true who receive God’s rewards.

2. There was nothing new about the tests to which the Muslims were being subjected. History testifies that in the past all those who claimed to be believers were put to similar trials. Since their predecessors were not rewarded until they had been so tested, the Muslims too should not expect any reward until they have successfully gone through their tests and proven their worth. There is, after all, no good reason why any exception should be made in their case.

3. Regarding this test, the Qur’an says: “Allah will most certainly ascertain those who spoke the truth and those who lied”. When one reads this verse, a likely question that arises is: since God knows fully what everyone’s conduct will be, what is the point in testing him? The answer is that as long as a person does not commit a certain action, irrespective of his ability to do so, the dictates of justice require that he should neither be rewarded or punished. One person might be potentially trustworthy and another potentially untrustworthy. However, unless they act in one manner or the other, it is discordant with God's justice to reward or punish them only on the basis of His knowledge of those actions that will take place in the future. God, no doubt, has knowledge of both the past and the future, yet this does not have a bearing on the manner in which He will dispense justice. He does not punish anyone simply because he is inclined to steal or because he is likely to steal in the future. Rather, His punishment is contingent upon the person actually stealing. By the same token, God does not bestow His rewards on someone just because they will grow into excellent believers or as excellent fighters in God’s cause. On the contrary, this person too only earns his reward by dint of his actually having sincere faith and striving in God’s cause.

4. This verse has universal import and embraces all those who are disobedient of God. Nonetheless, it is especially directed at the oppressive Quraysh chiefs, Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Abi Jahl, ‘Utbah, Shaybah, ‘Ugbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt and Hanzalah ibn Wa'il, who relentlessly opposed Islam and persecuted the Muslims. (See Alast, Rath al-Ma ‘ant, Ibn al-Jawzi, Zad al-Masir; al-Qurtubi, al-Jami‘li Ahkam al-Qur’an; Abi Hayyan, al-Bahr al-Muhit, for comments on al- ‘Ankabiit 29:4 - Ed.) The context demanded that alongside exhorting the Muslims to show steadfastness in the face of persecution, words of reproach and censure also be directed at those guilty of perpetrating excesses on the votaries of Truth.

5. This might also be taken to mean that the unbelievers fancy that God will not be able to seize them. The Arabic expression used in the text, however, literally means: “They will get the better of Allah.” This could mean either of two things. First, that the unbelievers are of the view that what God wants — the success of the Prophet’s mission — will not come to pass, and what they themselves want - to reduce the Prophet's mission to, ignominy — will come to pass. Secondly, that while God wants to punish the unbelievers for the excesses they committed against the believers, the unbelievers entertain the illusion that this will not happen and that they will be able to elude God’s grasp.

6. The case of the person who does not believe in the Afterlife, who does not consider himself accountable to anyone, who is convinced that there will never come a time when his deeds will be subjected to reckoning, is quite different. Such a person. is free to remain engrossed in his negligence and to act as recklessly as he wants. A Day will surely come, however, when he will be confronted with reality, which will be quite contrary to his estimates. As for those who recognize that one Day they will have to appear before God and will be rewarded or punished in accordance with their deeds should not delude themselves that death is a remote possibility. Rather, they should think that death is just around the corner and that the term granted them to reveal their true natures is about to end. This should prompt them to do whatever they can for their own good in the Hereafter. There is no reason why they should defer efforts to reform themselves in the vain hope that they will live a long life.

7. They should not succumb to the delusion that they will have to deal with an ill-informed sovereign. On the contrary, the Lord before Whom they are required to appear is All-Hearing and All-Knowing. Nothing about them is hidden from Him.

8. Mujahadah means to strive against a hostile force. If no enemy is specified, the word signifies a person’s engagement in a pervasive, all-out struggle. A believer has to undertake this struggle throughout his life. At one level, he has to fight against Satan who constantly seeks to deter him.

from good deeds by frightening him with the prospect of the losses he - will incur and tempting him to evil by pointing out the advantages and _ pleasures it will yield. Furthermore, he has to strive against his own self that is wont to prompt him to become a slave of his desires. Likewise, he has to strive against fellow-beings whose ideas, predilections, moral concepts, customs and usages, cultural patterns and socio-economic laws are discordant with the true faith. He has also got to pit himself against that state which, claiming its right to remain free of God’s obedience, exercises and enforces its authority and directs its power to promote evil rather than good. This striving is not limited to any one particular day, but extends across a believer’s whole life, embracing every moment of his day and night. Furthermore, this striving is not confined to any particular domain of life; instead, it embraces each and every aspect of it. Hasan al-Basri refers to this very mujahadah when he says: “A man makes jihad even though he might never have struck [anyone] with his sword.”

9. God does not ask the believers to engage in this striving because He stands in need of them to establish and maintain His sovereignty, or because His sovereignty would not operate unless they help Him. The truth is that God is not in need of man’s help at all. Hence, if He still directs human beings to engage in this striving, it is because this is conducive to man’s own growth. This striving helps human beings free themselves from the clutches of evil and waywardness and helps them proceed along the path of goodness and truth. This also infuses into them the strength that transforms them into champions of goodness and virtue and makes them worthy of Paradise. Hence, by engaging in this striving, they do God no favor; rather, they do good to themselves.

10. Belief consists of truthfully accepting all what God’s Book and His Messenger ask the person to believe in. As for good deeds, they consist in carrying out the directives of God and His Messenger. A person’s whole being can do good deeds. The good deeds of a man’s heart and mind are that his thought and intention be pure and sound. The good deeds of his tongue consist of abstention from uttering evils and saying only that which accords with truth and justice. As for the good deeds of the limbs of the body, they consist of devoting his life to obeying and serving God and following His laws and commands. A person’s belief and good deeds are mentioned as being instrumental in bringing about the following results: (i) that he will be purged of his evil deeds, and (ii) that he will be rewarded according to the best of his deeds and receive compensation that will be well in excess of his good actions.

Purging a person of his evil deeds means that whatever sins he might have committed before embracing the true faith will be forgiven as soon as he enters Islam’s fold. Moreover, his lapses, which were not committed out of willful rebellion, will be overlooked in consideration of his good.

deeds. Furthermore, when he adopts the life of faith and good deeds he will attain self-development and overcome many of his weaknesses.

Coming to the rewards for believing and doing good deeds, the Qur’an promises the following: “We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds.” This statement is, however, open to two meanings. First, that people will be rewarded in consideration of their best deeds. Secondly, that they will be granted a better reward than what they strictly deserve on the basis of their good deeds. This latter idea is also expressed in other places. Consider, for example, the following verses: Whoever will come to Allah with a good deed shall have ten times as much. (al-An ‘am 6:160) OO He who shall bring a good deed shall be rewarded with what is better. (al-Qasas 28:84) Indeed Allah wrongs none, not even as much as an atom’s weight. Whenever a man does good, He multiplies it two-fold. (al-Nisa’ 4:40)

11. According to Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Abi: Dawid and Nasa’l, this verse was revealed with regard to Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas. Sa‘d had accepted Islam when he was only 18 or 19 years old. When his mother, Hamunah bint Sufyan ibn Umayyah, Abi Sufyan’s niece, came to know of it she swore that she would neither eat, drink nor sit under the shade until her son recanted his belief in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Now, God Himself commands every believer to fulfil his obligations towards his mother. So if Sa‘d would not listen to her, she contended, he could be guilty of disobeying God. The very thought that he would be disobeying his mother greatly upset Sa‘d and he mentioned the matter to the Prophet (peace be on him). It was ‘on this occasion that this verse was revealed. (See Muslim, K. Fada’il al-Sahabah, Bab: Fi Fadl Sa‘d ibn Abit Wagqqas; Tirmidht, K. Tafsir al-Qur’an, Bab: Wa min Surat al-‘Ankabut and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, pp. 181 and 185 - Ed.) It is likely that in the early days of Islam other Makkan youths also went through similar experiences after their acceptance of Islam. Hence, why this subject is forcefully repeated in verse 15 of Surah Luqman.

The verse makes it emphatically clear that obligation towards one’s parents takes the highest priority. Yet, if parents compel their offspring to associate others with God in His Divinity, then they should not be obeyed. The verse states this point in very forceful terms, saying that even if “they exert pressure” in this respect, “do not obey them”. Since this verse directs one to disregard even one’s parents’ pressure to associate others with God in His Divinity, obviously non-parental pressure should be disregarded all the more. | Equally significant, is another point the verse makes. It says: “If they exert pressure on you to associate with Me in My Divinity any that you do not know (to be My associate), do not obey them.” This verse contains a weighty argument as to why one should not obey a parental command to engage in polytheism. It is the parents’ right that their offspring serve them, take good care of them, show them due respect, and obey them in all lawful matters. However, they have no right to compel their children to blindly follow them in matters of faith. No one is obliged to follow a particular religious’ faith simply because it happens to be their parents’ faith. If offspring know their parents’ faith to be false, they should abandon it and embrace the true faith. In this connection, the same applies to everyone else as well. In other words, it is not lawful to follow anyone until one knows that they are on the right path.

12. Ties of kinship and obligations one owes to one’s kin are confined to the life of this world. Eventually everyone, parents and children alike, has to return to the Creator and will then be held accountable in their individual capacity. If parents are guilty of misleading their offspring, they will be taken to task. By the same token, if the offspring persist in error out of deference to their parents, they too will be punished. However, if children choose to follow the Straight Way and at the same time do not neglect their obligations towards their parents, and they are still harassed by their parents for not joining them in their error, such parents will not escape God’s punishment.

13. Although the speaker in the above instance is a single individual, he employs a plural pronoun for himself and says: “We believe in Allah.” Imam Razi makes an insightful comment about this. According to him, a hypocrite always tries to parade himself as part of the believers’ community. He mentions his faith to be the same as the believers’. In so doing, his behavior is similar to that of a coward who accompanies an army on expedition. Valiant members of that army fight with such determination that the enemy is forced to flee. Now although the coward takes no part in the battle itself, once all return from the expedition he counts himself among the brave who established their valor on the battlefield.

14. A person should abjure disbelief in and disobedience of God out of fear of chastisement from God. The case cited here, however, sharply contrasts with this. Filled with fear of persecution by Islam’s enemies, the person concerned recants the true faith and gives up righteous acts. After being subjected to threats, physical manhandling, arrest and incarceration at the unbelievers’ hands he thinks that this persecution is of the same order as will be the punishment in Hell set up by God, the punishment that he must suffer after death on account of unbelief. He, therefore, decides to undergo punishment in the Afterlife rather than endure sufferings in the present life. Driven by this he recants his belief in Islam and rejoins the unbelievers’ camp. In doing so, his only concern is to lead a happy, trouble-free life in this world.

15. This person returned to the fold of unbelief in order to save his skin and so doing he also betrayed the believers. He did so because he was not prepared to suffer even a minor loss or injury in the cause of the true faith. However, when God will grant victory to the true believers who staked their lives and their belongings in His cause, he will once again return to the believers’ camp and claim a share in the spoils of war. He will then assure the Muslims that in his heart of hearts he was always with them, that he prayed throughout for their victory and held their striving and sacrifices in the highest esteem.

It should be made clear at this point that it is permissible to make a statement indicating one’s disbelief when one is confronted with unendurable torment, losses or extreme fear, provided one adheres to the true faith within one’s heart. However, there is a world of difference between the following two persons’ situations: one is a sincere believer who resorts to expressing unbelief in order to save his life, and the other is a self-seeking opportunist who recognizes Islam as the truth and yet joins hands with the unbelievers because he dreads the risks and dangers involved in adhering to the true faith. Ostensibly, there is not much difference between the two. However, what sets the two totally apart is that the sincere Muslim not only remains loyal to Islam as a faith but his true sympathies also lie with Islam and the Muslims. Thus, the success of the Muslims always fills him with joy and when they suffer any reverse, he is agonized intensely. Even when he acts under duress, he makes the most of every possible opportunity to help and support the Muslims. In fact, he always remains on the look-out for an opportune moment to join the Muslims’ ranks as soon as the enemy’s grip over him is relaxed.

In sharp contrast to this, an opportunist carefully weighs the pros and cons of the two options, of following his faith or joining the unbelievers’ camp. When he encounters hardships in adhering to the true faith and realizes that benefits will accrue to him by joining the unbelievers’ camp, he abandons his faith and gels with the unbelievers so as to ensure his own safety as also to derive material benefits from it. In seeking to achieve his selfish ends, he never shrinks from doing anything that openly violates Islamic principles and is hurtful to Muslims’ interests. At the same time, he is shrewd enough not to totally exclude the possibility that someday Islam might gain ascendancy. So, whenever he gets the chance to interact with the Muslims, he lavishly praises their beliefs, claims that he considers their doctrines to be true and pays glowing tributes to their sacrifices in the cause of Truth. So doing, he makes a kind of investment, hoping to cash it in at an appropriate moment. The following Qur’anic passage lays bare this calculating, business-like mentality of hypocrites: These hypocrites watch you closely: if victory is granted to you by Allah, they will say: “Were we not with you?” And were the unbelievers to gain the upper hand, they will say: “Did we not have mastery over you, and yet we protected you from the believers?” (al-Nisa’ 4:141)

16. God regularly provides occasions for such trials so that the true faith of the Muslims and the insincerity of the hypocrites become manifest.

In this way, everyone reveals their true colors. Al ‘Imran 3:179 reiterates the same truth: “Allah will not let the believers stay in the state they are: He will set the wicked apart from the good.”

17. The Makkan unbelievers’ contention was that doctrines such as Life after Death, Resurrection, the Grand Assembly and Reckoning were all a farce. They also asserted that if the Afterlife did turn out to be a reality and people were indeed subjected to a Reckoning, then they would be ready to bear the burden of others’ sins. They asked the converts to recant their faith and return to their ancestral one for they, the unbelievers, would assume all responsibility for the consequences that might ensue. Traditions mention several Quraysh chiefs saying the kind of things mentioned here to those who had converted to Islam.

For example, it is related that Abu Sufyan and Harb ibn Umayyah ibn Khalaf said the same to ‘Umar when he embraced Islam. (See Tabari, Tafsir, and Abu Hayyan, al-Bahr al-Muhit, comments on al-‘Ankabut 29:12 — Ed.) "

18. First of all, it is out of the question that anyone will bear the burden of others’ sins in the Hereafter, or that a sinner will be exonerated because some Other person owns the latter’s sins. Instead, everyone will be recompensed in the Hereafter for their own deeds. As the Qur’an says: “Everyone will bear the consequences of what he does, and no one shall bear the burden of another”, (al-An Gin 6:164). Let us suppose though for " argument’s sake that some people will be allowed to bear the burden of others’ sins. Yet once anyone has even a glimpse of Hell’s scorching fire as recompense for unbelief and polytheism, he will certainly shrink from taking on board another’s such sin. For this would mean, on the one hand, that he who forsook the true faith should be pardoned and admitted to Paradise. On the other hand, he who had made the offer to carry another’s punishment will be cast into Hell as punishment for his own unbelief as also for the unbelief of the person who embraced this on account of his assurance.

19. True, the unbelievers will not carry the burden of others’ sins. At the same time, they will not escape receiving double punishment. Not only will they be punished for straying from the Truth, but they will also be taken to task for misleading others. This point may be better illustrated by the following example. Let us consider that someone commits a theft and asks someone else to be his accomplice in the crime. Now, the latter will not be acquitted on the mere plea that he so thieved at someone else’s behest. He will, in any case, be duly punished for his crime, for it is against the dictates of justice that he be exonerated and the instigator be punished in his place. The instigator, however, will receive a double punishment _ _ for his own misdeed as well as for leading another astray. The Qur’an states this principle in the following words: “[They say so] that they may bear the full weight of their burdens on the Day of Resurrection and also of the burdens of those whom they misled on account of their ignorance”, (al- Nahl 16:25). The Prophet (peace be on him) reaffirmed the same principle in the following statement: “Whoever invites [someone] to right guidance will receive a reward for him who followed right guidance {on account of his invitation] without the reward of either of them being decreased, and whoever invites [someone] to error will incur sin equal to the sins of those who follow him, without the sin of any of them being decreased the least.” _ (Muslim, K. al-Um, Bab: Wa man Sanna Sunnah Hasanah aw Sayyi'ah — Ed.)

20. Their fabrications lay, for example, -in the false statement: “The unbelievers say to the believers: ‘Follow our way and we will carry the burden of your sins’,” (verse 12). This statement rests on two premises: one, that the polytheistic creed which they follow is true whereas the Prophet's monotheistic faith is false. Hence, it would not be intrinsically wrong to give it up. Two, that there will be no second life. The very notion of the Hereafter to which the Muslims subscribe and because of which they are fearful of embracing the unbelievers’ polytheistic cult is - absolutely baseless. Because of these presuppositions, the unbelievers approached the Muslims with virtually the following proposition: “If you believe that abjuring Islam is a sin and if indeed an Afterlife does take place where you will be held accountable for abjuring Islam, then we will bear the burden of that sin. So, abandon Muhammad’s faith at our responsibility and revert to the faith of your forefathers.” To this they added two other untruths. First, the notion that if someone commits a crime at someone else’s behest, the former will be exonerated on the grounds that he committed the sin at someone else’s instigation and, hence, the latter will be made to bear the entire burden of the sin.

Secondly, they falsely promised that they would bear responsibility on behalf of those who reverted from true faith to unbelief. On the Day of Judgement when, contrary to their expectations, they will come face to face with Hell, they will not be at all willing to suffer for the sins of those whom they misled in this world in addition to. suffering for their own unbelief.