CHAPTER 3 (Surah Āl ‘Imrān), VERSES 102 - 110
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ ﴿١٠٢﴾ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواۚ
وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَاۗ
كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٠٣﴾ وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِۚ
وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٠٤﴾ وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُۚ
وَأُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٠٥﴾ يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوهٌۚ
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ اسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ أَكَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ ﴿١٠٦﴾ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ابْيَضَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فَفِي رَحْمَةِ اللَّـهِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ﴿١٠٧﴾ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّـهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّۗ
وَمَا اللَّـهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٠٨﴾ وَلِلَّـهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِۚ
وَإِلَى اللَّـهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ ﴿١٠٩﴾ كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِۗ
وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمۚ
مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ ﴿١١٠﴾
O you who believe! fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims (102). And hold fast by the cord of Allāh all together and be not divided and remember the bounty of Allāh on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favour you became brethren; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He delivered you from it; thus does Allāh make clear to you His signs that you may follow the right way (103). And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful (104). And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear evidences had come to them, and these it is that shall have a grievous chastisement (105). On the day when (some) faces shall become bright and (some) faces shall turn black; then as to those whose faces will have turned black: Did you disbelieve after your believing? Taste therefore the chastisement for what you were disbelieving (106). And as to those whose faces shall have become bright, they shall be in Allāh’s mercy; in it they shall abide (107). These are communications of Allāh which We recite to you with truth, and Allāh does not desire any injustice to the creatures (108). And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allāh’s; and to Allāh all things are returned (109). You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and you believe in Allāh; and if the People of the Book had believed it would have been better for them; of them (some) are believers and most of them are transgressors (110).
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COMMENTARY
The verses conclude the speech addressed to the believers, warning them of the People of the Book and their machinations. It reminds them that they have got a life-line which if they hold fast to they shall not perish, shall not go astray and shall not fall into pits of perdition. It is a speech branching from the preceding talk. However the previous context, that is, exposition of the behaviour of the People of the Book, has not been concluded yet, as may be seen from the verses coming after these: They shall by no means harm you but with a slight distress.
QUR’ĀN:
O you who believe! fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him,: We have explained that ‘‘at-taqwā’’ (اَلتَّقْوي
= to be on guard; fear; piety) when related to Allāh, means to be on guard against His punishment, to fear His chastisement. Allāh says: then be on guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel (2:24). One may guard oneself from the Divine Wrath by behaving according to Allāh’s pleasure. In other words, it is doing what He has enjoined one to do, and abstaining from what He has forbidden; being grateful for His favours and patient when He puts one in adverse conditions. The last two attributes are actually two facets of gratefulness - because gratefulness is to put a thing in its proper place. In short, fear of Allāh means that man should obey (and not disobey) Him, and should submit to Him in all that He bestows or withholds.
But the verse talks of at-taqwā as it rightfully should be done, that is, a piety that is not tainted by the least wrong. Such piety is the pure servitude which is never marred by an iota of obliviousness or heedlessness; it is obedience without disobedience, gratitude without ingratitude, remembrance without forgetfulness; it is the true Islam, that is, the highest grade of Islam. Accordingly, the words, and do not die unless you are Muslims, would mean: Continue on this condition of ideal at-taqwā until you die.
This verse gives a different ideal than the words: Therefore fear Allāh as much as you can (64:16). This command enjoins man not to leave fear of Allāh in anything as much as he can. But ability differs from man to man according to people’s strength, understanding and will. There is no doubt that the ideal piety is not within easy reach of a majority of men. There are, in this spiritual journey, many stations, locations and danger points which cannot be spotted except by those who know. Also there are many delicate points and subtle differences which cannot be recognized except by those who have been purified. There is many a stage of piety which a common man would say, was beyond human ability; he really believes it to be far above the human strength - while the truly pious people have long past that stage and are now progressing towards even more difficult goal, through much more harder terrains.
The verse, Therefore fear Allāh as much as you can, has been so worded that different minds would interpret it in different ways, according to one’s perceived strength and ability. This will provide a means to proceed to the real goal which is given in the verse under discussion: ‘‘fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims.’’ They will then understand that the main purpose is for them to take to the path of the ideal piety and to progress towards that lofty station. In this respect, it is not different from being guided to the Straight Path: Although all men are invited to it, only the true believers, the pure monotheists, get to that path.
The two verses (fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him; fear Allāh as much as you can) then give the following connotation: All people are called and invited to the ideal piety; then they are told to proceed to that goal as much as they can, everyone according to his own ability and strength. In this way, all will come on the path of piety; but they will be in different stages and various stations according to their own understanding and ambition, coupled with the Divine help and support, that is, bestowed on deserving servants. (This is what one understands after pondering on the two verses.)
It is clear from the above explanation that the two verses are neither different from each other in meaning nor identical; rather, the first verse (fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him) points to the ultimate goal, while the second (fear Allāh as much as you can) shows the way.
QUR’ĀN:
and do not die unless you are Muslims: Death is a creative affair that is beyond the circle of our will and power. An order or a prohibition concerning this or similar things shall be a creative order or prohibition, as Allāh says: Then Allāh said to them, Die (2:243); is only that He says to it, ‘Be’, and it is (36:82).
But sometimes an affair beyond our control is joined to one within our control, and then the combined phrase comes within our power, control and authority. At this stage, it may become a subject of legislative order or prohibition, as Allāh says: therefore you should not be of the doubters (2:147); and be not with the unbelievers (11:42); and be with the true ones (9:119), and many similar verses. Obviously, ‘‘to be’’ is an intransitive creative affair upon which man has no control or power; but when it is joined with an action within his power, like doubting, disbelieving and holding fast to the true ones, it comes within our power; and then it may become subject of legislative order and prohibition.
In short, the prohibition that they should not die unless they are Muslims is a legislative one because the said proviso has made it a voluntary action; and it implies that man should hold fast to Islam in all conditions and at all times, until death comes to him in one of those conditions. Thus he would die on Islam.
QUR’ĀN:
And hold fast by the cord of Allāh all together and be not divided: Allāh has said before to the believers: But how can you disbelieve while it is you to whom the communications of Allāh are recited and among you is His Messenger; and whoever holds fast to Allāh, he indeed is guided to the straight path (3:101). It had shown that holding fast to the communications of Allāh and to His Messenger (the Book of Allāh and the sunnah of the Prophet) is to hold fast to Allāh; and whoever holds fast to Allāh is safe and secure and his guidance is guaranteed; also holding fast to the Prophet is holding fast to the Book, because it is the Book itself that enjoins us to do so: and whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep it back (59:7).
Now the verse under discussion has changed the phraseology; instead of telling us to hold fast to Allāh, it enjoins to hold fast to the cord of Allāh. It shows that the cord of Allāh is the Book revealed by Allāh; it is the cord that joins the creature to his Lord, that connects the heavens to the earth. You may also say that the Divine Cord is the Qur’ān and the Prophet because the end result of all is the same.
The Qur’ān invites only to the ideal piety and firm Islam. Yet the aim of this verse is different from the preceding verse that had enjoined ideal piety and the death on Islam, inasmuch as that verse was concerned with guidance of the individual, while this looks at the good of the society. The words ‘‘all together’’ and ‘‘be not divided’’ point to this fact. The verse therefore orders the Muslim society to hold fast to the Book and the sunnah, as they had earlier enjoined the individual to do so.
QUR’ĀN:
and remember the bounty of Allāh on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favour you became brethren;: The clause ‘‘when you were’’ explains the bounty of Allāh, and the next clause, and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He delivered you from it, is in conjuction with it.
The order to remember this Divine bounty and favour is based on the established Qur’ānic system: it builds its education on explanation of its reasons and causes; and invites to the good and the guidance through proper door; it does not demand blind following from its adherents. Far be it from the Divine Teaching to guide the people to eternal happiness - that is useful knowledge and good deed - and then to tell them to wander in the darkness of ignorance and blind following.
But the reader is warned here not to confuse the subject matter. Allāh teaches men the reality of their happiness and then shows them its proper way and reason, in order that they would understand the mutual relationship between the realities and know that all emanate from the fountain-head of monotheism. It continues side by side with men’s obligation to totally submit to Allāh because He is Allāh, the Lord of the universe, and to hold fast to His cord because it is the cord of Allāh Who is the Lord of the universe. The last two verses (These are communications of Allāh which we recite to you ...) point to this fact.
In short, Allāh has ordered them not to accept any word, nor to obey any order, except after knowing its reason. At the same time He has told them to surrender totally to Him, giving for its reason the fact that He is Allāh Who owns them totally and unconditionally, they have got nothing except that which Allāh has willed for them and done for them; also He has ordered them to unconditionally obey what His Messenger has brought to them, giving for its reason the fact that he is His Messenger who conveys to them only that which he has been entrusted by Allāh to do; then Allāh explains to them the realities of knowledge and describes the ways of happiness, giving them a comprehensive reason in order that they could understand the inter-relation of the spiritual knowledge and the ways of happiness, and thus arrive at the root of monotheistic belief; it provides them with a Divine Training which enables them to think what is correct and speak what is true. Thus they would be alive with knowledge, free from blind following. Result: If they would understand the reason of any established religious reality (or any related thing) they would accept it; and if they did not understand they would not reject it outright; instead they would try to understand it by research and meditation without rejecting, or objecting to, it - because it is an established reality.
But it does not mean that one should not accept anything - even from Allāh and His Messenger - without asking for its reason. Such a proposition would be the height of folly, as it would imply that Allāh wants His creatures to demand for proof after the proof is given to them: His lordship and His ownership is the basic reason and argument that makes it incumbent on everyone to submit to Him and obey His command. Likewise, the messengership of His Messenger is the solid reason and proof to prove that whatever he says has come from Allāh. Otherwise, we would have to say that Allāh has no authority in that which He manages by His authority. Is it but a contradiction in terms? In short, the Islamic way and the prophetic method calls only to knowledge, and not to blind following as these so-called critics - who are nothing if not blind followers themselves - claim.
Perhaps that is why Allāh has called it a favour (the bounty of Allāh on you). It indicates the reason as to why We enjoin you to unite together: you have already experienced the bitterness of enmity and sweet taste of love and brotherhood; you have seen that you were on the brink of the pit of fire and Allāh has saved you; We point this reason to you not because We have to support our sayings with some proof (obviously, Our saying is true whether We point to its reason or not), but only to let you know that it is a favour of Us on you, in order that you may appreciate that in this unity - like everything else We enjoin on you - lies your felicity, comfort and success.
Allāh has given here two proofs, one of which (... you were enemies...) is obviously based on their experience, while the other (... you were on the brink of a pit of fire...) is based on rational explanation.
The clause ‘‘so by His favour you became brethren’’ reminds the Muslims a second time of the Divine Favour mentioned in the preceding clause ‘‘and remember the bounty of Allāh on you’’. The bounty and favour refers to their unity; hence the brotherhood too (which results from this bounty) refers to the same love and unitedness. The brotherhood, as used here, is therefore a claimed reality.
Also possibly it may be a reference to the brotherhood that has been legislated as between the believers, vide the verse: The believers are but brethren (49:10); this legislated brotherhood creates very important mutual rights and duties between one believer and the other.
QUR’ĀN:
and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He delivered you from it:: ‘‘Shafā hufratin’’ (شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ
= brink or edge of a pit where one is in danger of falling down); ‘‘fire’’ may be of the hereafter or of this world. If former, then it would refer to the fact that previously they were unbelievers and about to fall down in the hell the moment they died - and death is nearer to man than is the iris of eye from its white - then Allāh saved them from it through the true faith. And if the aim is to point to their evil society which they were living in before they accepted Islam and became brethren, and the fire refers to their wars and conflicts - and it is a commonly used metaphor - then the meaning would be as follows:
A society built on disunited hearts and divergent minds cannot proceed under one leader or in one direction; it is bound to turn into a disorientated and deranged collection of people - each one pulling it to his side, as it suits his own wishes and desires. Such a society would be a cauldron of dissension and strife, always pushing its members to evernew conflicts, embroiling them in wars and fights, and threatening them with decline and extinction. It is the fire that neither allows one to endure nor does it leave one alone, raging in the pit of ignorance from which no inmate could hope to escape.
The immediate audience of this verse, were the Muslims who before the vesrse was revealed, had accepted Islam after their disbelief. They had spent all their pre-Islamic lives in constant threat of battle and war.
There was no security, no peace, no law and order. They did not understand what constituted public safety - the concept that covers the society in all its aspects like property, honour and life, etc.
When they joined hands to hold fast to the cord of Allāh, perceived the signs of happiness and felicity, and tasted the sweetness of Divine Bounties, they understood by this experience the truth and reality of what Allāh reminds them of His pleasant favours and the resulting wholesome felicity. In this background, this speech was bound to win their hearts - as well as of the others - most effectively and in all totality.
That is why the call to unite has been based on their own experience and observation instead of just philosophical presumptions. One picture is worth a thousand words. And it is because of the same reason that the next warning (And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear evidences had come to them ...) points to the condition of those who had preceded them. The believers have seen and heard what happened to those nations - how they declined and fell - because of their disunitedness and internal strife; the believers should learn lessons from them; they should not walk on the same path, should not proceed in the same direction.
Then Allāh draws their attention to the special nature of this speech and says: thus does Allāh make clear to you His signs that you may follow the right way.
QUR’ĀN:
And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful.: Experience shows that the knowledge a man acquires in his life (and he acquires and preserves for himself only that which may be of some use to him) is soon forgotten if not repeatedly remembered, if not frequently put in practice and acted upon - it makes no difference how that knowledge was acquired and preserved. Also there is no doubt that action, in all its aspects, turns on the pivot of knowledge; its strength or weakness, its efficiency or deficiency all depends on the stength or weakness, efficiency or deficiency of knowledge. Allāh has given a likeness of knowledge and action in the following verse: And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth (abundantly) by the permission of its Lord, and (as for) that which is bad (its herbage) comes forth but scantily; thus do We repeat the communications fora people who give thanks (7:58).
Undoubtedly, there is an interaction between knowledge and action.
Knowledge is the strongest motive of action, and action is the greatest teacher that imparts knowledge.
This reality binds a good society (that which has got useful knowledge and virtuous action) to preserve and keep intact their knowledge and culture; and obliges them to bring a deviator back to the right path, to make sure that nobody goes astray leaving the known way of righteousness for the unforgiving desert of evil - they must protect him from falling into the pit of sin and error by forbidding him to go near it.
This is the call to educate the society members; the obligation of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. It is this important obligation to which Allāh refers when He says: ‘‘... who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong’’.
The Arabic words translated here as ‘‘right’’ and ‘‘wrong’’ (enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong) are ‘al-ma‘rūf’ (اَلْمَعْرُوْفُ
) and ‘almunkar’ (اَلْمُنْكَرُ
) which literally mean ‘‘known’’ and ‘‘unknown’’ respectively. Ponder on the explanation given above and you will understand why Allāh has used these expressions. The verse under discussion is based on the preceding one, And hold fast by the cord of Allāh all together and be not divide A society which follows this guidance must be the ideal society. It would only be the right and the good which they would recognize, which would be ‘‘known’’ to them; and only the wrong and the evil which they would not recognize, which would be ‘‘unknown’’ to them. If this fine point is not kept in mind, then the only possible explanation would be that the right and the wrong were respectively known and unknown in the eyes of religion - but not in actual practice of the society.
The clause ‘‘And from among you there should be a party’’: It has been said that ‘‘from among’’ indicates portion, obliging only a party among the Muslim ummah to enjoin the good and forbid the evil and call to the truth. Others have said that the particle ‘min’ (مِنْ
= from among) has here an explanatory connotation; that the sentence means as follows: If you unite together you will become a party who invite to good, enjoin the right and forbid the evil. In other words it is as we say: ‘I should find in you a friend’, which actually means: ‘Be my friend’. Apparently, the said explanatoriness of ‘‘from among’’ means that the whole Muslim ummah is obligated to call to the good.
Actually, the controversy whether ‘‘from among’’ is for division or explanation is quite irrelevant. Calling to good, enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong are things which, even when obligatory, cannot be obligatory except on a few; because once the goal is achieved it would not be necessary for others to do so. Even if we were to say that the whole ummah invited to good, enjoined the right and forbade the wrong, it would only mean that there were some people in the ummah who did so. Thus the responsibility lies on only a selected group in any case. If the verse is addressed to a group of the ummah, the matter is clear; but if it is addressed to the whole nation, that is because of that particular group. In other words, initially the responsibility lies on everybody’s shoulders, but when some perform the duty, they get its reward and the others are then exempted from the obligation. That is why the verse ends with the clause ‘‘and these [i.e., those who perform this duty] it is that shall be successful’’
It appears from the above that ‘‘from among’’ indicates here a portion; it is this meaning that is generally understood from such combinations in common conversation, and it is not right to go for another meaning without a good reason.
The three - inviting to good, enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong - are profoundly extensive subjects which require deep exegetic discourse, and we shall write about it, Allāh willing, in proper places; also we shall deal there with its academic psychological and social aspects.
QUR’ĀN:
And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear evidences had come to them, and.... Probably the clause, ‘‘after clear evidences had come to them’’, is an adverbial phrase related to the verb, ‘‘disagreed’’, only. If so, then the ‘‘disagreement’’ would refer to difference of belief while the ‘‘division’’ to their physical separation and dissociation. Division has been mentioned first, because it is the prelude to divergence of belief. As long as the members of a community remain in contact with each other, there continues a harmony in their ideas and ideals, and their constant meetings - and the inevitable interaction - welds their beliefs into a single entity, protecting them from ideological differences. If on the other hand, they lose contact and become separated the process of mutual action and reaction comes to a standstill; their views and ideas start developing independently, each going his own way, and it does not take each group very long to develop its own views, ideals, theories and beliefs. It is in this way that ideological disagreements are born and unity of nations is shattered. It is as though Allāh was warning the Muslims not to be like those who began their journey to disaster by separating from each other, losing mutual contacts and remaining aloof from the community, and ended by having different beliefs and divergent ideas.
Allāh has mentioned in various places that this disagreement and difference springs from revolt and envy; for example: And none differed about it but the very people who were given it, after clear signs had come to them, revolting among themselves (2:213).
Of course, it is inevitable for ideas and opinions to differ, because knowledge and understandings differ from individual to individual; but at the same time it is essential for a society to remove that difference and bring back the deviators to the fold of unity. It is possible to remove the differences through various means; and if the ummah neglected this duty, it would in itself be a revolt which would throw them into perdition.
The Qur’ān has given utmost importance to unity and forcefully warned the Muslims against disunity. Why? Because it knew which path this ummah would take; they would differ, disagree and disunite not only as the previous people did, but even more. A peculiarity of the Qur’ānic style has already been mentioned in several places: When it emphatically warns against some pitfall, it serves as a prophecy that the Muslim ummah was going to fall into it, nevertheless; the more forceful the admonition, the more likely the people were to violate it. This difference and disunity was foretold by the Prophet as well as by the Qur’ān; he said that difference would creep into his ummah, then it would raise its head in the form of divergent sects; also he prophesied that the ummah would become divided as the Jews and the Christians were before. Some of those prophecies will be given under ‘‘Traditions’’.
History testifies to the truth of this prophesy. No sooner was the Prophet gone than the people scattered in all directions; they were divided into several sects, each accusing others of apostasy. This has been going on since the days of the Companions to this time of ours. Every attempt at uniting two sects, results in the creation of a third.
Experience and analytical study of Islamic literature and history prove that the fount-head of this difference were the hypocrites. Read the Qur’ān and you will see how forcefully it speaks against them and condemns them; how seriously it denounces their schemes; and how dangerous it takes their plans to be. Ponder on what Allāh has said about them in the Chapters of: The Cow, The Repentance, The Confederates, and The Hypocrites, etc., and you will be stunned. This was their condition and behaviour during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.), when the revelations were regularly coming from Allāh. But as soon as the Prophet departed, the hypocrites were immediately forgotten; we find no mention of them in the Muslim literature; it was as though they vanished the moment the Prophet died!
(It was) as though there never was any intimate friend between al-Hujūn and as-Safā,
Or there never conversed at night any talker at Mecca.
Soon the people found themselves scattered to the four winds and sectarian differences cut them asunder. Despotic and tyrannical governments succeeded in subjugating them, and their felicity of life was transformed into infelicity of error and straying. And we seek help from Allāh. We hope, by the grace of Allāh, to write on this subject in detail in the Chapter of The Repentance.
QUR’ĀN:
On the day when (some) faces shall become bright and (some) faces shall turn black;... they shall abide.: As the talk centres around ungratefulness which, like treachery and breach of trust, causes shame and bashfulness, Allāh has selected here a chastisement of the hereafter that is analogous to it, that is, blackness of face which metaphorically denotes shamefacedness, abashment and disgrace. It is implied, or rather clearly shown, by the words of Allāh: ‘‘then as for those whose faces will have turned black: Did you disbelieve after your believing?’’
For the same reason, those who are grateful for this Divine Favour, shall be given a reward that will be appropirate for thankfulness, and that is brightness of face, which is metaphorically used for contentment and delight.
QUR’ĀN:
These are communications of Allāh which We recite to you with truth,: The clause, ‘‘with truth’’ is related to the verb, ‘‘We recite’’, that is, the recitation is the recital of truth, it is not false, nor is it form Satanic whisperings. Alternatively, it may be related to ‘‘communications’’ giving it an adjectival meaning, that is, true communications. Or it may be related to a deleted word. In any case, the verse means as folows: These verses which describe what Allāh will do with two groups - the ungrateful and the grateful - are accompanied by and based on truth, there is no falsehood or injustice in them. This meaning is more appropriate because the verse ends on the words: and Allāh does not desire any injustice ...
QUR’ĀN:
and Allāh does not desire any injstice to the creatures: The word ‘‘injustice’’, is a common noun used in a negative context, implies comprehensiveness, that is, every type of injustice is negated. Likewise ‘‘the creatures’’ being a plural with definite article ‘‘the’’ denotes comprehensiveness. Therefore, the meaning will be as follows: Allāh does not desire any injustice - of whatevery type it may be - to any of His creatures or a group of creatures.
It is a fact that difference and conflict among the people is such a bad thing that its evil consequences adversely affect all the creatures, the whole mankind.
QUR’ĀN:
And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allāh’s; and to Allāh all things are returned.: After the declaration that Allāh desires no injustice whatsoever, this verse gives its reason to remove any possible misunderstanding to the contrary. Allāh owns everything in all its aspects; He has right and authority to manage it in any way He likes. There is nothing outside His ownership. Had there been anything outside His ownership, only then He would do any injustice or exceed the limit by managing or usurping that ‘‘unowned’’ thing. Moreover, man inclines to injustice when he has a need which cannot be fulfilled except by manipulation of something he does not own.
But Allāh is Self-sufficient to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. (This argument has been given by an exegete, but it is not in conformity with apparent meaning of the verse. This reply is based on the Self-sufficiency of Allāh, and not on His ownership, while the verse mentions the latter, not the former.) However, the Divine Ownership offers irrefutable proof that Allāh is not unjust.
Then comes another proof: Everything and every affair, whatsoever it may be, returns to Allāh. If anyone other than Allāh would have had any authority on any thing. or affair, only then Allāh would have been committing injustice if He would have removed it from that other’s authority and manipulated it according to His own will. This proof is pointed at in the concluding statement: ‘‘and to Allāh all things are returned’’.
The two proofs, as you see, are complementary. One is based on the premise that everything belongs to Allāh, and the other on the principle that no affair belongs to anyone other than Allāh.
QUR’ĀN:
You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men; ...: The word translated as ‘‘raised up’’ is ‘‘ukhrijat’’ (اُخْرِجَتْ
= lit. taken out); it has a connotation of introduction. Taking out also implies incidence, bringing forth and creation. Allāh says: And Who brought forth herbage (87:4). The verse is addressed to the believers; therefore, the word ‘‘men’’ should mean general public, the humanity at large. Someone has said that the verb, ‘kuntum’ (كنْتُمْ
= lit.: you were), is here devoid of time factor and means ‘you are’. The word ‘ummah’ (اُمَّة
= nation, group), is used for a party as well as for individual - when they have the same goal which they aim to reach; it is derived from ‘al-amm’ (اَلْاَمُّ
= to intend, to aim). The clause, ‘‘and you believe in Allāh’’, has been placed after mentioning the enjoining the right and forbidding the evil; it is like mentioning the whole thing or the root after describing some components or branches. According to the above explanation, the verse means as follows: O Muslims! you are the best group which Allāh has brought out for the mankind by guiding it; because you are united, you believe in Allāh, and perform the twin duties of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. Obviously, this honoured title has been given to the whole ummah only because some of them have attained to the true belief and do fulfil the obligations of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. This is in short what some exegetes have written about it.
But obviously the word ‘kuntum’ (كنْتُمْ
= you were), is not devoid of time factor; it is a past tense and refers to the believer’s condition in the early days of Islam. It speaks about those who were foremost among the Emigrants and the Helpers; the belief here refers to their positive response to the call of holding fast to the cord of Allāh without being divided; this belief is opposite of the disbelief in that call - the disbelief that is mentioned in the words: Did you disbelieve after your believing? The same is the import of the belief as related to the People of the Book in this verse, ‘‘and if the People of the Book had believed.’’ In short the meaning will be as follows:
O Muslims! you were - when you were brought forth first of all and appeared for the people - the best group that was ever formed, because at that time you enjoined good and forbade evil, and holding fast by the cord of Allāh you became united and unified like one body and one soul; and if the People of the Book too were like that it would have been better for them, but they are divided and disunited - some of them are believers while most of them are transgressors.
Many times in these verses the talk switches from third to the second person, and from plural to the singular number, and vice versa. Also there are clauses where noun has been used instead of pronoun, for example, the Divine Name ‘‘Allāh’’ has been repeated several times. The reasons for these changes are not difficult to find after meditation.
TRADITIONS
Abū Basīr says: ‘‘I asked Abū ‘Abdillāh (a.s.) about the words of Allāh, fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him, and he said: ‘He should be obeyed, and not disobeyed; remembered, and not forgotten; and thanked, and not shown ingratitude.’ ’’ (Ma‘āni ’l-akhbār; at-Tafsīr, al-‘Ayyāshī)
al-Hākim and Ibn Marduwayh have narrated through another chain from Ibn Mas‘ūd that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘Fear Allāh as He should be feared; (it means) that He should be obeyed and not disobeyed, and remembered, and not forgotten.’ ’’ (ad-Durru ’lmanthūr)
al-Khatīb narrates from Anas that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘No servant fears Allāh with the fear which is due to Him until he knows that what has befallen him could not miss him, and what has missed him could not reach him.’ ’’ (ibid.)
The author says:
We have explained in the Commentary how the meaning given in the first two traditions could be inferred from the verse.
As for the third one, it gives a concomitant of the Qur’ānic meaning, and it is clear.
Ibn Shahrāshūb quotes from at-Tafsīr of Wakī‘ that ‘Abd Khayr said: ‘‘I asked ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib (a.s.) about the words of Allāh: O you who believe! fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him, (and) he said: ‘By Allāh, no one acted upon it except the House of the Messenger of Allāh; we remembered Him, so we do not forget Him; and we thanked Him, so we are never ungrateful to Him; and we obeyed Him, so we never disobeyed Him. When this verse was revealed, the Companions said:
‘‘We are unable to do it.’’ Then Allāh revealed, Therefore fear Allāh as much as you can.’’ ’ ’’ Wakī‘ said: ‘‘that is, as much as you are able to do.’’ (al-Burhān [fī tafsīri ’l-Qur’ān], al-Bahrānī)
Abū Basīr said: ‘‘I asked Abū ‘Abdillāh (a.s.) about the words of Allāh, fear Allāh with the fear which is due to Him. He said: ‘(It is) abrogated.’ I said: ‘And which (verse) abrogated it? He said: ‘The words of Allāh, Therefore fear Allāh as much as you can.’ ’’ (at-Tafsīr, al-Ayyāshī)
The author says:
It may be inferred from the tradition of Wakī‘ that ‘‘abrogation’’ (as mentioned in the tradition of al-‘Ayyāshī) refers to various stages of piety and fear of Allāh. But it does not mean abrogation in the sense of cancellation (as some exegetes have said) because it is against the apparent meaning of the Qur’ān.
as-Sādiq (a.s.) explained the clause, unless you are Muslims, in these words: ‘‘unless you are submissive.’’ (Majma‘u ’l-bayān)
as-Suyūtī writes under the words of Allāh: And hold fast by the cord of Allāh ...: ‘‘Ibn Abī Shaybah and Ibn Jarīr have narrated from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī that he said: ‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said:
‘‘The Book of Allāh, it is the cord of Allāh (which is) outstretched from the heaven to the earth.’’ ’ ’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)
Ibn Abī Shaybah narrates from Abū Shurayh al-Khuzā‘ī that he said:
‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘Surely this Qur’ān is a rope, one end of which is in the hand of Allāh, and the other end is in your hands; therefore hold fast to it; because you shall never slip nor will you ever go astray after (holding fast to) it.’ ’’ (ibid.)
as-Sajjād (a.s.) said, inter alia, in a hadīth: ‘‘And the cord of Allāh - it is the Qur’ān.’’ (Ma‘āni ’l-akhbār)
The author says:
There are other traditions on this theme, narrated by both sects.
al-Bāqir (a.s.) said: ‘‘The progeny of Muhammad, they are the cord of Allāh which He has ordered (the believers) to hold fast to; so He has said: And hold fast by the cord of Allāh all together and be not divided.’’ (at-Tafsīr, al-‘Ayyāshī)
The author says:
There are other traditions of the same meaning; they are supported by what has been written in the Commentary; also other traditions given below, support it.
at-Tabarānī has narrated from Zayd ibn Arqam that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.), said: ‘Surely, I am to depart from you; and surely you are to come to me near the ‘hawd’ (اَلْحَوْضُ
= reservoir, i.e., of ‘al-Kawthar’ =اَلْكَوْثَرُ
). Therefore be careful how you follow me about the two weighty things.’ He was asked: ‘And what are the two weighty things? O Messenger of Allāh!’ He said: ‘The greater one is the Book of Allāh, the Mighty, the Great, (it is) a rope one end of which is in the hand of Allāh and (another) end is in your hands; therefore hold fast to it, you shall never slip up nor will you ever go astray. And the smaller one is my progeny. And surely they will never separate from each other until they reach me near the waterreservoir; and I have asked for them this (especiality) from my Lord; therefore do not precede them lest you be destroyed; and do not (try to) teach them because they are more knowledgeable than you .’ ’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)
The author says:
The tradition of the ‘‘Two Weighty Things’’ is among the mutawātir ones, which has been narrated unanimously by both the Sunnīs and the Shī‘ahs. We have mentioned in the beginning of the chapter that some scholars of traditions have narrated it from thirty-five different narrators - males and females - and a multitude of narrators and scholars have narrated it from those original narrators.
Ibn Mājah, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Abī Hātim have narrated from Anas that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘The Children of Israel became divided into seventy-one sects, and surely my ummah will soon be divided into seventy-three sects - all of them shall be in the fire except one.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh! and who is this one?’ He said: ‘The party.’ Then he recited: And hold fast to the cord of Allāh all together.’ ’’ (ibid.)
The author says:
This too is one of the famous traditions. The Shī‘ahs have narrated it in a different way, as may be seen in al-Khisāl, Ma‘āni ’l-akhbār, al-Ihtijāj, al-Amālī, the Kitāb of Sulaym ibn Qays and at-Tafsīr of al-‘Ayyāshī. We quote it here from the first-named book. as-Sadūq narrates through his chains from Sulaymān ibn Mihrān who narrates from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (peace be on them both) who narrates, through his forefathers, from the Leader of the Faithful (peace be on them all) that he said: ‘‘I heard the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) saying: ‘Verily, the ummah of Mūsā became divided after him, into seventy-one sects, one of them (was) saved, and seventy (were thrown) into the fire. And the ummah of ‘Īsā became divided after him, into seventy-two sects, one of them (was) saved, while seventy-one (were thrown) into the fire. And surely my ummah will soon.be divided after me, into seventy-three sects, one of them (will be) saved, and seventytwo (will be thrown) into the fire.’’
The author says:
It conforms with the next tradition.
Abū Dāwūd, at-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah and al-Hākim (who has confirmed correctness of this hadīth) have all narrated from Abū Hurayrah that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘The Jews were divided into seventy-one sects; and the Christians were divided into seventy-two sects; and my ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.’ ’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)
The author says:
This theme is found in other traditions narrated through other chains from Mu‘āwiyah and others.
al-Hākim has narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘‘There will happen in any ummah all that happened in the Children of Israel in a completely identical manner, so much so that if there were among them someone who had openly had incestuous relation with his mother, there would be someone like that in my ummah too. Verily the Children of Israel were divided into seventyone sects, and my ummah will become divided into seventy-three sects - all of them (will go) into the fire except one.’ He was asked: ‘Which one?’ He said: ‘That on which are I and my Companions today.’ ’’ (ibid.)
The author says:
A similar tradition has been narrated in Jāmi‘u ’lus ūl (by Ibnu ’l-Athīr) from at-Tirmidhī, on the authority of the son of ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās from the Prophet.
as-Sadūq has narrated through his chains from Ghiyāth ibn Ibrāhīm, from as-Sādiq (a.s.) (through his forefathers, peace be on them all) that he said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘All that happened in the previous nations will surely happen in this ummah in a completely identical manner and exactly alike way.’’ (Kamālu ’d-dīn)
The Prophet said: ‘‘Most surely you will follow the customs of those who were before you, in a completely identical manner and exactly alike way; you will not deviate from their path; you will imitate them faithfully (in every conceivable manner), span to span, hand to hand and arm to arm; so much so that if someone in previous nations had entered an iguana’s den, you will surely enter it.’’ They said: ‘‘Do you mean the Jews and the Christians? O Messenger of Allāh!’’ He said: ‘‘Who (else) do I mean? Surely you will unravel the rope of Islam strand by strand; the first thing you will destroy of your religion shall be trustworthiness, and the last of it (to go, shall be) the prayer.’’ (at-Tafsīr, al-Qummī)
The author of Jāmi‘u ’l-usūl has narrated on the authority of the correct books - also at-Tirmidhī has narrated it - from the Prophet that he said: ‘‘By Him in Whose hand my soul is, most surely you will follow the custom of those who were before you.’’ And Razīn has added the words: ‘‘in a completely identical manner and exactly similar way; so much so that if there were among them one who had cohabited with his mother, someone among you too would do so. But I do not know whether you would worship calf or not.’’
The author says:
This too is a famous tradition. The Sunnīs have narrated it in their correct and other books, while the Shī‘ahs have recorded it in their collections of traditions.
Anas said: ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘Surely there will arrive at the Reservoir a group of my Companions, until when they shall be removed (from there) they shall tremble before me. So I shall say: O Lord! my Companions.’ Then it will be said: ‘You do not know what they did do after you.’ ’’ (as-Sahīh, al-Bukhāri; as-Sahīh, Muslim)
Abū Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said. ‘‘There will arrive near me on the Day of Resurrection a group of my Companions (or according to another report: of my ummah), and they will be evicted from the Reservoir. Then I will say: ‘O Lord! my Companions.’ And (Allāh) will say: ‘You have no knowledge of what they did do after you; they became apostates, going backwards (to their previous disbelief).’ Then they will be avicted.’’ (ibid.)
The author says:
This tradition also is very well-known; both the Sunnīs and the Shī‘ahs have recorded it in their correct books and collections, on the authority of many Companions, like Ibn Mas‘ūd, Anas, Sahl ibn Sā‘id, Abū Hurayrah, Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, ‘Ā’ishah, Umm Salmah, Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr, and others, and also from some Imams of the Ahlu ’l-bayt (a.s.).
These traditions, numerous and varied as they are, confirm what we have inferred from the verses; and the historical events and strifes confirm these traditions.
al-Hākim has narrated (and confirmed its correctness) that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘‘Verily the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘Whoever went out of community about a hand-span, he surely removed the collar of Islam from his neck - until he returns. And whoever died without having a leader of community over him, then surely his death shall be a death of ignorance (i.e., disbelief).’ ’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)
The author says:
The theme of this hadīth too is well-known. Both the Sunnīs and the Shī‘ahs have narrated from the Prophet that he said:
‘‘Whoever died without knowing the Imām of his time, he died the death of ignorance (i.e., disbelief ).’’
It is recorded in the Sunans of at-Tirmidhī and Abū Dāwūd that the Prophet said: ‘‘There shall always be a group of my ummah on truth.’’(Jāmi‘u ’l-usūl)
The Leader of the Faithful (‘Alī, a.s.) said about the words of Allāh: Did you disbelieve after your believing?: ‘‘They are the people of innovations and heretic tendencies and wrong views from this ummah.’’ (Majma‘u ’l-bayān)
Abū ‘Amr az-Zubayrī narrates from as-Sādiq (a.s.) about the words of Allāh: You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men ..., that he said: ‘‘(Allāh) means the ummah (group, nation) for which the prayer of Ibrāhīm (a.s.) was granted; and they are the people Allāh raised (His Messenger) among them, and from them and to them; and they are the medium nation, and they are the best nation that has been raised up for the people.’’ (Majma‘u ’l-bayān; at-Tafsīr, al-‘Ayyāshī)
The author says:
We have explained this tradition under the Commentary of the following verse: and (raise) from our offspring a group submitting Thee (2:128).
Ibn Abī Hātim has narrated from Abū Ja‘far (a.s.) that he said about the verse: You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men ...: ‘‘The People of the House of the Prophet.’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)
Ahmad has narrated through good chains from ‘Alī (a.s.) that he said : ‘‘The Messenger of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘I have been given that which no prophet was given: I have been helped with awe, and I have been given keys of the earth, and I have been named Ahmad, and the earth has been made a means of cleansing for me, and my ummah has been made the best nation.’’ (ibid.)
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Author: Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai
