Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 22 Al-Haj, Ayat 58-64

وَالَّذِيۡنَ هَاجَرُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ قُتِلُوۡۤا اَوۡ مَاتُوۡا لَيَرۡزُقَنَّهُمُ اللّٰهُ رِزۡقًا حَسَنًا​ؕ وَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَهُوَ خَيۡرُ الرّٰزِقِيۡنَ‏  ﴿22:58﴾ لَيُدۡخِلَـنَّهُمۡ مُّدۡخَلًا يَّرۡضَوۡنَهٗ​ ؕ وَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَعَلِيۡمٌ حَلِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿22:59﴾ ذٰ لِكَ​ۚ وَمَنۡ عَاقَبَ بِمِثۡلِ مَا عُوۡقِبَ بِهٖ ثُمَّ بُغِىَ عَلَيۡهِ لَيَنۡصُرَنَّهُ اللّٰهُ ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُوۡرٌ‏ ﴿22:60﴾ ذٰ لِكَ بِاَنَّ اللّٰهَ يُوۡلِجُ الَّيۡلَ فِى النَّهَارِ وَيُوۡلِجُ النَّهَارَ فِى الَّيۡلِ وَاَنَّ اللّٰهَ سَمِيۡعٌۢ بَصِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿22:61﴾ ذٰ لِكَ بِاَنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الۡحَـقُّ وَاَنَّ مَا يَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ هُوَ الۡبَاطِلُ وَاَنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الۡعَلِىُّ الۡكَبِيۡرُ‏ ﴿22:62﴾ اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ اَنۡزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً  فَتُصۡبِحُ الۡاَرۡضُ مُخۡضَرَّة ً  ؕاِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَطِيۡفٌ خَبِيۡرٌ​ ۚ‏ ﴿22:63﴾ لَهٗ مَا فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ​ ؕ وَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَهُوَ الۡغَنِىُّ الۡحَمِيۡدُ‏ ﴿22:64﴾

(22:58) As for those who migrated in the way of Allah, whereafter they were slain, or died, Allah will certainly grant them a goodly provision. Indeed, Allah is the Best of all those who provide. (22:59) He will surely admit them to a resort which will please them. Most certainly Allah is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing.103 (22:60) That indeed is so, as for him who retaliates in proportion to the excess committed against him, and is thereafter again subjected to transgression, Allah will surely aid him.104 Verily Allah is All-Pardoning, All-Forgiving.105 (22:61) So shall it be106 because it is Allah Who causes the night to emerge out of the day and causes the day107 to emerge out of the night and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.108 (22:62) So shall it be because Allah, He is the Truth, and all whom they invoke instead of Him are false.109 Allah is Most High, All-Great. (22:63) Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky whereby the earth turns green?110 Verily Allah is Subtle, All-Aware.111 (22:64) To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Surely Allah - He alone is Self- Sufficient, Praiseworthy.112

Notes

103. As Allah is All-Knowing, He knows well those who left their homes for His sake and what reward they deserve. He is Clement, and forgives minor errors and weaknesses of the people; therefore these things will not hinder Him from rewarding the believers for their services and sacrifices.

104. The preceding verses referred to those persecuted people who could not retaliate and here the reference is to those victims of persecution who could fight back.

From this verse, Imam Shafai has concluded that retaliation will be effected in the way as life was taken in the original act. If a person is killed by immersion in water, the killer also should be put to death by immersion in water; or if a person is burnt to death, the killer also will be burnt to death. The Hanafites dispute this. According to them, retaliation against a murderer will be incurred in one and the same established way no matter how life was taken by the culprit in the original act.

105. This verse (60) may imply two things:

(1) Allah forgives that killing which is done in self-defense, though killing of people is not a good thing in itself. (2) As Allah, Whose slaves the believers are, is Forgiving and Forbearing, they should also forgive and forbear as much as possible. Though they have the right of retaliation, they should not resort to carnage and massacre.

106. “That is” (as stated in the preceding paragraph) because Allah is the Ruler of the universe and has the power to give punishments and rewards to those who deserve them.

107. The fact that “Allah causes.........night” is a proof that He is the Master, Sovereign and Ruler of the universe. But the deeper meaning of the verse is that Allah, Who is able to bring forth the light of the day out of the darkness of the night, has the power to bring out the light of the truth out of the darkness of disbelief and ignorance, and the light of justice out of the darkness of tyranny.

108. He hears everything and sees everything and is not unaware of anything.

109. As Allah is in fact the Sovereign of the universe, His worshipers will surely attain true success and the worshipers of false gods will meet with utter failure.

110. This verse has a deeper meaning also, though apparently it merely declares that Allah alone has the power to send down rain which makes the land green. The deeper meaning is that the rainfall of the blessed revelation will, in the near future, turn the barren land of Arabia into a garden of knowledge, morality and bring forth a high and righteous civilization.

111. Latif implies that Allah fulfills His designs in such fine ways that it is difficult to understand them till they become real and apparent.

As He is fully aware of everything, He knows how to conduct the affairs of His Kingdom.

112. He alone is All-Sufficient and is not in need of anyone in any way. He is All-praiseworthy because all praise belongs to Him alone whether anyone praises Him or not.