Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 47 Muhammad, Ayat 29-38
اَمۡ حَسِبَ الَّذِيۡنَ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ اَنۡ لَّنۡ يُّخۡرِجَ اللّٰهُ اَضۡغَانَهُمۡ
﴿47:29﴾
وَلَوۡ نَشَآءُ لَاَرَيۡنٰكَهُمۡ فَلَعَرَفۡتَهُمۡ بِسِيۡمٰهُمۡؕ وَلَتَعۡرِفَنَّهُمۡ فِىۡ لَحۡنِ الۡقَوۡلِؕ وَاللّٰهُ يَعۡلَمُ اَعۡمَالَكُمۡ
﴿47:30﴾
وَلَـنَبۡلُوَنَّكُمۡ حَتّٰى نَعۡلَمَ الۡمُجٰهِدِيۡنَ مِنۡكُمۡ وَالصّٰبِرِيۡنَ ۙ وَنَبۡلُوَا۟ اَخۡبَارَكُمۡ
﴿47:31﴾
اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا وَصَدُّوۡا عَنۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَشَآقُّوا الرَّسُوۡلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الۡهُدٰىۙ لَنۡ يَّضُرُّوا اللّٰهَ شَيۡـئًا ؕ وَسَيُحۡبِطُ اَعۡمَالَهُمۡ
﴿47:32﴾
يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَطِيۡعُوا اللّٰهَ وَاَطِيۡعُوا الرَّسُوۡلَ وَلَا تُبۡطِلُوۡۤا اَعۡمَالَـكُمۡ
﴿47:33﴾
اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا وَصَدُّوۡا عَنۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوۡا وَهُمۡ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنۡ يَّغۡفِرَ اللّٰهُ لَهُمۡ
﴿47:34﴾
فَلَا تَهِنُوۡا وَتَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلَى السَّلۡمِۖ وَاَنۡـتُمُ الۡاَعۡلَوۡنَۖ وَاللّٰهُ مَعَكُمۡ وَلَنۡ يَّتِـرَكُمۡ اَعۡمَالَـكُمۡ
﴿47:35﴾
اِنَّمَا الۡحَيٰوةُ الدُّنۡيَا لَعِبٌ وَّلَهۡوٌ ؕ وَاِنۡ تُؤۡمِنُوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا يُؤۡتِكُمۡ اُجُوۡرَكُمۡ وَلَا يَسۡـئَـلۡكُمۡ اَمۡوَالَكُمۡ
﴿47:36﴾
اِنۡ يَّسۡـئَـلۡكُمُوۡهَا فَيُحۡفِكُمۡ تَبۡخَلُوۡا وَيُخۡرِجۡ اَضۡغَانَكُمۡ
﴿47:37﴾
هٰۤاَنۡـتُمۡ هٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ تُدۡعَوۡنَ لِتُنۡفِقُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ ۚ فَمِنۡكُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّبۡخَلُ ۚ وَمَنۡ يَّبۡخَلۡ فَاِنَّمَا يَبۡخَلُ عَنۡ نَّـفۡسِهٖ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ الۡغَنِىُّ وَاَنۡـتُمُ الۡفُقَرَآءُ ۚ وَاِنۡ تَتَوَلَّوۡا يَسۡتَـبۡدِلۡ قَوۡمًا غَيۡرَكُمۡ ۙ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُوۡنُوۡۤا اَمۡثَالَـكُم
﴿47:38﴾
(47:29) Or do they, in whose hearts there is a sickness, believe that Allah
will not bring their failings to light? (47:30) If We were to so will, We could have shown them to you so that you
would recognise them by their faces, and you would certainly know them by the
manner of their speech. Allah knows all your deeds. (47:31) We shall certainly test you until We know those of you who truly
strive and remain steadfast, and will ascertain about you. (47:32) Those who disbelieved and barred others from Allah's Way and opposed
the Messenger after the True Guidance had become manifest to them, they shall
not be able to cause Allah the least harm; rather, Allah will reduce all their
works to nought.39 (47:33) Believers, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not cause your
works to be nullified.40 (47:34) Verily Allah shall not forgive those who disbelieved and barred others
from Allah's Way and clung to their unbelief until their death. (47:35) So, be not faint-hearted and do not cry for peace.41 You
shall prevail. Allah is with you and will not bring your works to nought.
(47:36) The life of this world is but sport and amusement.42 If
you believe and are God-fearing, He will grant you your reward, and will not
ask you for your possessions.43 (47:37) If He were to ask you for your possessions and press you (in that
regard), you would have grown niggardly, and Allah would have brought your failings
to light.44 (47:38) Behold, you are those who are called upon to spend in Allah's Way,
but some of you are niggardly. Whoever is niggardly is in fact niggardly to
himself. For Allah is All-Sufficient, whereas it is you who are in need of Him.
If you turn away, He will replace you by a people other than you, and they will
not be like you.
Notes
39. This sentence has two meanings:
(1) That Allah will render vain and fruitless all those works which they
had performed as good works, and they will get no reward whatever for them in
the Hereafter.
(2) That all the devices that they are adopting to obstruct the way of Allah
and His Messenger’s (peace be upon him) religion will prove ineffective and
fruitless.
40. In other words, the deeds being beneficial and yielding of good results
depends wholly on one’s obedience to Allah and His Messenger. After one has
turned away from obedience, no deed remains a good deed so that one may deserve
any reward for it.
41. Here, one should bear in mind the fact that when this discourse was revealed
only a handful of the Muslims consisting of a couple of hundreds of the Muhajirin
and Ansar living in the small town of Madinah were upholding the standard of
Islam and they were not only faced by the powerful Quraish but also by the whole
of pagan Arabia. Such were the conditions when they were exhorted not to show
weakness and not to beg (the enemy) for peace, but to make preparations for
the decisive conflict. This does not mean that the Muslims should never negotiate
for peace, but it means that in a state like this it is not right to initiate
peace negotiations when it shows the Muslims’ weakness, for it will still further
embolden the enemy. The Muslims should first establish their superiority in
power and strength; then if they negotiate peace there will be no harm.
42. That is, as against the Hereafter, this world is no more than a means
of temporary entertainment. The success or failure here is not anything real
and enduring, which might in any way be important. The real life is the life
Hereafter, and its success should be man’s main concern. (For further explanation,
see (E.N. 102 of Surah Al-Ankabut).
43. That is, Allah is Self-Sufficient: He does not need taking anything from
you for His own self. If He tells you to expend something in His way, He does
so not for Himself but only for your own good.
44. That is, He does not put you to any severe trial that may bring out your
weaknesses.