Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

CHAPTER 3 (Surah Āl ‘Imrān), VERSES 28 -32

لَّا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَۖ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّـهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَن تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةًۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسَهُۗ وَإِلَى اللَّـهِ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿٢٨﴾ قُلْ إِن تُخْفُوا مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ أَوْ تُبْدُوهُ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّـهُۗ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِۗ وَاللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿٢٩﴾ يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُّحْضَرًا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ مِن سُوءٍ تَوَدُّ لَوْ أَنَّ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَهُ أَمَدًا بَعِيدًاۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسَهُۗ وَاللَّـهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ ﴿٣٠﴾ قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١﴾ قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٣٢﴾

Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing (to do) with Allāh, except (when) you guard yourselves against (them) for fear from them; and Allāh cautions you of Himself; and to Allāh is the eventual coming (28). Say: ‘‘Whether you hide what is in your hearts or manifest it, Allāh knows it; and He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth; and Allāh has power over all things’’ (29). On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil; (it) shall wish that between it and that (evil) there were a long duration of time; and Allāh cautions you of Himself; and Allāh is Compassionate to the servants (30). Say: ‘‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins; and Allāh is Forgiving, Merciful’’ (31). Say: ‘‘Obey Allāh and the Apostle’’; but if they turn back, then surely Allāh does not love the unbelievers (32).

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COMMENTARY

The verses are not disconnected with the preceding ones, which admonished the People of the Book and the polytheists. If the word ‘‘unbelievers’’, coming at the beginning of these verses, covers the People of the Book too, then these verses forbid the believers to befriend, and fraternize with, the polytheists and the People of the Book all together; if it refers to the polytheists only, then the verses admonish the believers not to be friendly with them; instead they should join the party of Allāh, loving Him and His Apostle.

QUR’ĀN: Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers: ‘‘al-Awliyā’ ’’( ا َلْاَوْلِيَآءُ = friends), the plural of al-walīy ( اَلْوَلِي ), is derived from al-wilāyah ( اَلْوِلَايَةُ ). The root word denotes authority to manage something, that is, guardianship.

Guardian of a minor, insane or idiot is called his al-walīy, because he has the authority to manage their affairs and property, although the property belongs to the said ward.

Then the word was used - with increasing frequency - in the context of love; if two people love each other, each feels free to look after the other’s affairs. Love empowers the beloved to manage the affairs, and influence the life, of the lover.

In this verse, taking the unbelievers forfriends means establishing a psychological rapport with them. Such a friendship would taint the believer’s vision, and would adversely affect his thoughts and character, encouraging him to follow his unbeliever friends in his life and manners. The clause, ‘‘rather than the believers’’, points to this fact. It refers to a stage when the believer prefers the unbelievers rather than the believers as the object of his love and as the model for his life; the more he moves nearer to his unbeliever friends, the more he distances himself from the believers.

Many verses strictly forbid the believers to take the unbelievers, and the Jews and the Christians for friends; but in every instance, there are clauses which delineate which type of friendship is forbidden. For example, this verse contains the abovementioned clause, ‘‘rather than the believers’’; the verse: O you who believe!do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends (5:51), goes on to say: they are friends of each other; and the prohibition: O you who believe! do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends . (60:1), is further on explained by the words: Allāh does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of your religion and have not driven you forth from your homes . (60:8).

The adjectives used in the verse under discussion point to the reason of the prohibition. The believers should not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers. Belief and disbelief are diametrically opposed to each other; they can never reconcile. The same mutual repulsion would permeate the whole lives of the believers vis-a-vis the unbelievers. Their thoughts and deeds, their spiritual journey towards Allāh, and in short their whole being would be totally different from the opposite party. Such a position is not in harmony with that of friendship; because friendship demands unity and rapport.

And when such a friendship begins and grows with complete disregard to the friendship with the believers, it first spoils the fruits of the faith, then damages its branches and finally destructs its very roots. That is why Allāh warned them in the next sentence, ‘‘and whoever does this, he shall have nothing (to do) with Allāh’’. Thencomes the exception of taqiyyah, because taqiyyah is only a show of love, not its reality.

‘‘rather than the believers’’: dūn( د ُوْن ) is a proposition of place, meaning: below, under (in rank, value) ; this side of, short of; without, with the exclusion of; leaving aside. ‘‘min dūn’’( م ِنْ دُوْن ) signifies, ‘beginning from a place below that of the believers’, because the believers are far above them in rank. Originally this preposition denoted nearness combined with lowness, for example, dūnaka Zayd( = دُوْنَكَ زَيْدُ

Zayd is near you but below; he does not measure up to you). Then it was used for ‘other than’, ‘besides’, forexample, . . two gods besides Allāh .

. (5:116); . and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases . (4:48). Also, it is used as a nomen verbi; in this sense, dūnaka Zayd would mean: adhere to Zayd. These later usages are based on some association with the original meaning, not that the word was made for them.

QUR’ĀN: and whoever does this, he shall have nothing (to do) with Allāh: ‘‘does this’’, that is, takes the unbelievers for friends in preference to the believers. This misconduct is hated so much by the Speaker that He does not like to mention it in words, and just alludes to it; people often use pronouns to refer to indecent things. Also Allāh did notsay, whoever of the believer does this; it was far beneath the dignity of the believers to attribute such a misconduct to them.

The clause, ‘‘he shall have nothing (to do) with Allāh’’, literally means, he is not from Allāh in anything. Idiomatically, this expression shows that he is not of the group or party of Allāh. Allāh says: And whoever takes Allāh and His Apostle and those who believe for a guardian, then surely the party of Allāh are they that shall be triumphant (5:56). Also Ibrāhīm (a.s .) is quoted as saying: . then whoever follows me, he is surely of me . (14:36).

Anyhow, the sentence means: Whoever does this, he shall in no way remain with the party of Allāh; his thoughts and deeds will be those of the enemies of Islam.

QUR’ĀN: except (when) you guard yourselves against (them) for fear from them: ‘‘al-Ittiqā’ ’’( ا َلْاِتِّّقَآءُ = to seek protection because of fear); the word is sometimes used for fear, by association; probably taqiyyah has the same connotations.

The exception in this sentence is disjoined: To show attachment to someone because of his fear without loving him in reality is quite different from befriending him and having a rapport with him; love and fear are two opposite feelings and have opposite effects on the heart; how can they be found in one place?

The verse clearly allows taqiyyah, as is shown by the traditions of the Imāms of Ahlu ’l-bayt. Also, it is clearly proved by the verse revealed about ‘Ammār, and his parents, Yāsir and Sumayyah: He who disbelieves in Allāh after his having believed - not he who is compelled while his heart is at rest on account of faith, but he who opens (his) breast for disbelief - on these is the wrath of Allāh, and they shall have a grievous chastisement (16:106).

The Qur’ān and thesunnah both agree that taqiyyah is permissible in places. Also, reason supports it. The main purpose of the religion and the Apostle is to keep the truth alive; and sometimes this purpose can be achieved by practising taqiyyah, by keeping good relations with the enemies of the religion, while discarding taqiyyah would serve no purpose at all. It is a reality which no reasonable man can deny. We shall further write about it under ‘Traditions’, and also under the verse 16:106 mentioned just now (. . not he who is compelled while his heart is at rest on account of faith . .).

QUR’ĀN: and Allāh cautions you of Himself and to Allāh is the eventual coming: ‘‘at-Tahdhīr’’( ا َلتَّحْذِيْرُ ) is the transitive of alh adhar ( اَلْحَذَرُ = to beware of a frightful thing). Allāh has warned His servants of His chastisement, as He says: . surely the chastisement of your Lord is to be dreaded of (17:57). And He has warned them of the hypocrites and the mischief of the unbelievers, as He says: . .

they are the enemy, therefore beware of them (63:4); . and be cautious of them, lest they seduce you . (5:49). But in this verse as well as in a following one He cautions them of His Own Self. The crime of befriending the unbelievers to the exclusion of the believers is so serious that no curtain or protection remains between Allāh and the criminal, there is nothing to save him from Allāh, there is no helper or intercessor to intercede on his behalf; he is left without any shield, to face directly the chastisement of Allāh. This style puts utmost emphasis to the threat, and its repetition in a following verse further intensifies it; then it has been further highlighted by the concluding clauses, ‘‘and to Allāh is the eventual coming’’ (in this verse) and ‘‘Allāh is Compassionate to the servants’’ (in the other), as we shall explain later on.

Look at this verse and the others obliging the Muslims not to take the unbelievers for friends. You will see that this sin is tentamount to rejecting the guardianship of Allāh, going out from the band of His servants, and joining the party of His enemies - to damage the affairs of the religion. This transgression is a dry-rot that destroys the fibre of religion; it is more damaging and harmful to Islam than the open disbelief and polytheism of the unbelievers and pagans. One can easily prepare for an open enemy and can repulse his attacks on one’s fortress; but it is not so easy if the enemy is inside and poses as a friend. If a Muslim establishes fraternal bonds with the enemies of Islam, his character is gradually influenced by their manners, deeds and thoughts. A time comes when disbelief replaces the belief; the Muslims slowly discard the tenets and symbols of Islam one after the other, and before they realize it, Islam loses its hold on the society. It is death without any hope of revival, perdition without any chance of resurrection.

It is ‘‘the transgression’’; and his case is directly in the hands of Allāh: Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ‘Ād, (the people of) Iram, possessors of many columned buildings, the like of which were not created in the cities; and with Thamūd, who hewed out the rocks in the valley, and (with) Pharaoh, the lord of stakes; who transgressed in the cities, so they made great mischief therein?

Therefore your Lord let fall upon them the whip of chastisement.

Most surely your Lord is on watch (89:6 - 14). The transgression leads the transgressor to a place where Allāh is on watch - and where there is no one but Allāh; and He smites the guilty with the whip of His chastisement - and there is no one to protect the transgressor from Him.

It is for the same reason that those who take the unbelievers for friends have been warned of Allāh Himself: Such a friendship is open transgression, a transgression that damages and destroys the religion of Allāh.

The same theme has been explained in the verse: Stand fast then (in the right path) as you are commanded, as also he who has turned (to Allāh) with you, and do not transgress (O men!), surely He sees what you do. And do not incline to those who are unjust, lest the Firetouch you, and you have no guardians besides Allāh, then you shall not be helped (11:112 - 113). This verse, according to the traditions, is the one which, the Prophet said, had aged him.

However, this verse and the one under discussion, clearly show that inclination towards the unjust and the unbelievers is a transgression which throws one into the Fire where he will not find any helper; it is the chastisement given by Allāh Himself, and no one can save from it.

The sentence, ‘‘and Allāh cautions you of Himself’’, shows that the threatened punishment is a firmly-decreed affair which cannot be cancelled. What the offender has been warned of is Allāh Himself; there is nothing between Allāh and the culprit; and there is no protector from Allāh; He has threatened to punish this offender, and what He has said is surely to happen. The same thing appears from the verse 11:113 quoted above: . lest the Fire touch you . then you shall not be helped.

‘‘and to Allāh is the eventual coming’’: You cannot escape from Him; nobody can stop you from this eventual return to Allāh. As mentioned earlier, it re-emphasizes the threat.

These verses, ‘‘Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends . .’’, are among those which, in the form of admonition, contain a prediction of what was to happen in this ummah in the coming days; we shall explain it in detail, Allāh willing, in Chapter 5 (The Table).

QUR’ĀN: Say: ‘‘Whether you hide what is in your hearts or manifest it, Allāh knows it’’: The theme is the same as in the verse: . and whether you manifest what is in your souls or hide it, Allāh will call you to account for it (2:284). Nevertheless, a fine difference in style attracts our attention,The verse 2:284 talks about calling to account, and accounting is more often than not a manifest affair; therefore in this verse manifesting comes before hiding. But the verse under discussion talks about the knowledge of Allāh, and knowledge is more germane to what is hidden in the hearts; therefore this verse has reversed the order, mentioning first what is hidden in the hearts, then coming to what is manifest.

Allāh ordered His Apostle to convey this message to the offending servants; it is because He did not like to address directly those who, He knew, would surely disobey His order and would befriend the unbelievers. It shows His displeasure in the same way as the words in the preceding verse: ‘‘and whoever does this . .’’

QUR’ĀN: and He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth; and Allāh has power over all things: It has the same connotation as the verse 2:284, mentioned above.

QUR’ĀN: On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil: Apparently, it is a part of the message which the Prophet was toconvey. ‘‘On the day’’ may refer to a deleted but understood verb, ‘‘remember’’ or ‘‘describe’’ - Remember (or Describe) the day that every soul . Alternatively this adverb of time may qualify the preceding verb, ‘‘Allāh knows it’’ or ‘‘He knows’’, that is, Allāh shall know on that day what is in your hearts; or He will know on that day what is in the heavens and the earth. There is no difficulty in this interpretation; it is not that He would not know these things before the Day of Judgment; what the expression means is this: We, the servants of Allāh, will manifestly see the effects of His all-encompassing knowledge on that day. According to this explanation, this verse describes the manifestation of His knowledge on that day in the same way as the following verses describe manifestation of His power on that very day: (of) the day when they shall come forth; nothing concerning them shall remain hidden to Allāh. To whom belongs the Kingdom this day? To Allāh, the Subduer (of all) (40:16); . there is no protector today 1 from Allāh . (11:43); . and 0 that those who are unjust could see, when they see the chastisement, that the power is wholly Allāh’s . (2:165); . and the command on that day shall be entirely Allāh’s (82:19). Obviously, to Allāh belongsall the Kingdom, power and command, always - before and after the Day of Judgment as well as on that day. But these verses especially refer to that day in this connection, because it will be on that day that we, the servants of Allāh, will clearly see His Kingdom and rule, without any doubt about His exclusive authority and power.

Likewise, if the ver, ‘‘He knows’’, is qualified by the adverb, ‘‘that day . .’’, it would not mean that Allāh would not know the 1 ‘‘Today’’ in this verse refers to the day of the Deluge of Nūh (a.s .), not to the Day of Resurrection. (tr .)

hidden secrets of His servants or their good and evil deeds before the Day of Judgment.

‘‘On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done . .’’ The word translated here as ‘‘present’’ is muhdaran (مُحْضَراً ) which literally means, presented, brought in. The choice of this word, rather than hādiran (حَاضِراً = present), points to the fact that the good and bad deeds are existent and safe from extinction, because only such a thing may be brought in and presented which already exists (even if out of sight); Allāh will bring the deeds in on the Day of Judgment. But who would be preserving them all these days, if not Allāh? This too shows that His power, authority and Kingdom are not confined to the Day of Judgment. He says: and your Lord is the Preserver of all things (34:21); and withUs is a writing that preserve (50:4).

‘‘Tajid’’( ت َجِذُ = shall find) is derived from al-wijdān ( اَلْوِجْدَانُ = to find); its opposite is to lose. ‘‘of good’’ and ‘‘of evil’’: ‘‘of’’ describes the thing that will be presented. ‘‘good’’ and ‘‘evil’’ have been used as common noun, to show its generality - he will find there every good however trivial and every evil however insignificant. It appears from the context that the second clause, ‘‘what it has done of evil’’ is in conjunction with the preceding one, ‘‘what it has done of good’’.

It is one of those verses which prove embodiment of deeds, as we have described in detail in a previous volume.

QUR’ĀN: (it) shall wish that between it and that (evil) there were a long duration of time: The subject of this sentence is a deleted pronoun referring to the soul. ‘‘Law’’( ل َوْ = if) is a conjunctive, as a rule introducing hypothetical conditional clauses; ‘‘law’’ followed by ‘‘anna’’ ( لَوْ اَنَّ = if) introduces nominal clauses; this combination has frequently been used in the Qur’ān; therefore, no attention should be paid to the claim of a writer that this combination was not correct.

‘‘al-Amad’’( ا َلْاَمَدُ ) denotes distance of time. ar-Rāghibr has said in his Mufradātu ’l-Qur’ān: al-Amad and al-abad ( اَلْاَبَدُ ) have nearly the same meaning; but al-abad denotes the eternal duration, without an end; that is why it is never restricted by a limit, it cannot be said, to this or that al-abad. On the other hand, al-amad generally signifies a limited duration but with unknown limit; sometimes the limit is specified, for example, amada kadhā( ا َمَدَ آَذَا = such and such period), as they say this or that time. The difference between al-amad (span of time) and azzamān( ا َلزَّمَانُ = time) is that al-amad looks at the terminus of time while az-zamān looks at the whole period from beginning to end. That is why some have said that al-amad and al-madd( ا َلْمَدي = space of time, distance) are nearly similar in meaning.’’

The wish of the evil-doer, that there should be between him and his deed a long duration of time, shows that the presence of that evil would cause him sorrow; it follows that the presence of good deed would make the good-doer happy.

He will only wish for a long duration of time between himself and his deed, and not for its complete disappearance. Why? He will see how Allāh has preserved it from the day it was done to the Day of Judgment; he will realize that it was of no avail to wish that a thing under such Divine protection should disappear; therefore, he will only wish for the next ‘‘best’’ thing: Would that it had not appeared at the most awkward time, in that most difficult situation.

He will wish the same for the evil companion: And whoever turns himself away from the remembrance of the Beneficent God, We appoint for him a Satan, so he becomes his associate . Until when he comes to Us, he says: ‘‘O would that between me and thee there were the distance of the East and the West’’, so evil is the associate!(43:36 - 38).

QUR’ĀN: and Allāh cautions you of Himself; and Allāh is Compassionate to the servants: The repeated warning emphasizes the threat beyond any doubt. Also, it may be that this warning refers to the punishment of the Day of Judgment (as that is the subject of this verse), while the first warning related to the result of that offence in this life or in both lives.

‘‘and Allāh is Compassionate to the servants’’: It reminds the servants of their relation to Allāh - they are His servants and slaves, and He is their Compassionate Master. Nevertheless, this clause makes the preceding threat doubly emphatic. Such expressions are used for warning someone in the severest term. The import of such clause will be like this: Do not do such a thing, because I have firmly decided not to forgive such offence; I warn you before hand because I have compassion for you.

The meaning then will be as follows: Allāh is Compassionate to the servants; that is why He has warned them before hand not to go near this evil; because if they did so, they would have to undergo the punishment; and they would find no intercessor or protector to intercede on their behalf or to save them.

QUR’ĀN: Say: ‘‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you’’: When writing about the verse 2:165 (. . and those who believe are stronger in love of Allāh . .), we had explained the meaning of love, and said that in reality it relates to Allāh, and after that it may relate to others.

No doubt, Allāh in His Book invites His servants to believe in Him, to worship Him with sincere devotion, and to steer clear of polytheism. He says: Now, surely, sincere religion is for Allāh (alone) (39:3);And they were not enjoined anything except that they should worship Allāh, being sincere to Him in religion . (97:5); Therefore call upon Allāh, being sincere to Him in religion, though averse be the unbelievers (40:14). This theme is found in many other verses.

Sincerity in religion can truly be achieved only when man’s heart is not attached to anything other than Allāh - be it another deity or some desired object; be it a worldly ambition or even some other worldly goal like entering the garden or protection from the Fire. When the heart cuts all links with such things and attaches itself exclusively to Allāh, then the man attains the sincerity of religion, and the love of Allāh.

Love is the only link that connects a lover to his beloved; it attracts and pulls the lover to the beloved. The lover wants to make up through the beloved the defects and imperfections that he finds in his own life. The biggest news for him is that his beloved requites his love. At this stage, both love each other; both become lovers, both become beloved.

Man loves food, and gets it to make up the deficiency which shows itself in hunger; he loves the opposite sex, to satisfy a biological need; he loves his friend for genial companionship. A servant loves his master for his kind patronage. Look at the instances of love, read the stories of well-known lovers - you will find everywhere the truth of what we have mentioned.

When a sincere servant loves Allāh, his only ambition is to attract the love of Allāh to himself; would that Allāh should love him as he loves Allāh; would that Allāh should become his, as he has become of Allāh. This is the reality of Allāh’s love.

Love, as mentioned above, is a link that joins one thing to the other. But Allāh does not count every love as true love. True love demands that the lover - in this case, the believer - should love all that is related to Allāh; he should devoutly accept all that comes from Him. On Allāh depends everything in its existence and in all its affairs; everything seeks a medium to Him; and every big and small thing ultimately returns to Him. In this background, true love of Allāh, sincerity in that love, can be achieved only through believing in the religion of monotheism, that it, Islam, and surely the religion with Allāh is Islam. It is the religion which His representatives brought and which His apostles and prophets taught. It is especially true about the religion brought by Muhammad (s.a.w.a.); it teaches a sublime devotion, an unsurpassed sincerity; it is the natural religion which contains the last law, brought by a Law-giver with whom the chain of the prophets came to its end. All these facts may easily be inferred from the Qur’ān, if one ponders on it.

The Prophet introduced his path as the path of monotheism, the path of sincerity; as he was ordered by Allāh to say: Say: ‘‘This is my way: I invite (you) to Allāh; with clear sight (are) I and he who follows me; and glory be to Allāh; and I am not of the polytheists’’ (12:108). Accordingly, his way was to invite people to Allāh, with clear sight, with sincerity, without ascribing any partner to Allāh. His way was the way of invitation to Allāh and of sincerity about Allāh. Anyone who wants to followhim, should proceed on the same highway.

Then Allāh said that the way of invitation and sincerity can be found only in the sharī‘ah brought by Muhammad (s.a.w.a.): Then We have made you follow a sharī‘ah in the affair, therefore follow it . (45:18); also He said that it means total submission to Him: But if they dispute with you, say: ‘‘I have submitted myself (entirely) to Allāh and (so has) everyone who follows me’’. . (3:20); then He attributed this way to Himself and declared that it was His straight path: And (know) that this isMy path, the straight one, therefore follow it (6:153). If we read all these verses together, it will be clear that Islam (i.e., the sharī‘ah brought by the Prophet, containing fundamental beliefs, moral teachings, practical laws, and having his own sacred life as its model) is the path of sincerity, that is based on love. It is the religion of sincerity, the religion of love.

The above discourse makes clear the meaning of the verse under discussion: ‘‘Say: ‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you’ ’’. It gives the following import - and Allāh knows better: If you want to be sincere to Allāh in your servitude, truly basing it on His love, then follow this sharī‘ah; it is based on love, and is the embodiment of sincerity and submission; it is the straight path of Allāh, whoever proceeds on it is sure to reach nearer to Allāh. If you follow me in this path, then Allāh will love you; reaching this stage you will get what you want. Your love will be requited.

This is the general import of the verse if looked in isolation. But the context gives it some particular implications too. It comes soon after the verses forbidding the believers to befriend the unbelievers. Friendship is love between the friends.Therefore, the verse exhorsts the believers to follow the Prophet if they are sincere in the claim that they love Allāh and belong to His party. Love of Allāh cannot be reconciled with following the unbelievers in their vain desires and unhealthy views; remember that friendship certainly makes a friend follow the other friend in thoughts and deeds. One who loves Allāh should not run after the worldly trinkets found with the unbelievers, and should not set his eyes on their worldly honour and wealth. If you love Allāh you should follow His Prophet in his religion, as He declares: ThenWe have made you follow a sharī‘ah in the affair, therefore follow it, and do not follow the low desires of those who do not know. Surely they shall not avail you in the least against Allāh; and surely the unjust are friends of each other, and Allāh is the guardian of those who guard (against evil) (45:18 - 19). It should be noted how smoothly the verse goes from the theme of following to that of friendship, showing that both are, in fact, one and the same.

In short, anyone claiming to love Allāh, to belong to Allāh, must follow the Prophet, in order that it may take him to the stage where Allāh requites his love and loves him.

The verse mentions only love ofAllāh, and not His guardianship because guardianship is founded on love. Also, it mentions only Allāh’s love, because the love of the Prophet and the believers is in reality a part of Allāh’s love; it has no independent existence.

QUR’ĀN: and forgive you your sins; and Allāh is Forgiving, Merciful: Allāh’s mercy is all-encompassing; His grace is without limit, and His munificence without restriction; it is not confined to any individual or group. The river of His mercy is flowing; everybody is free to take from it as much as he can. Whatever restriction there is, it is not in the river, it is in the receptacle one brings with him. The servants’ ability, or disability, imposes its own limitations; Allāh has not put any limit to His mercy: and the bounty of your. Lord is not confined (17:20).

Sin is the impediment, holding one back from reaching nearer to Allāh, from partaking of the bounties resulting from it, like the paradise etc. If the rust of sin is removed from a man’s heart, the door of Divine bliss will automatically open for him, and he will join the chosen people in the abode of Divine honour and eternal happiness. That is why Allāh added forgiveness of sins to the good news of His love. As described earlier; love attracts the lover to the beloved. When the servant loves Allāh, it moves him to come nearer with sincere monotheism and unalloyed devotion and worship. When Allāh loves a servant, He comes nearer to him and removes the curtains which hide the sublime reality. As mentioned above, there is no curtain except sin, and removing it means forgiving the sins. Once that hindrance is removed, there is no obstacle in the way; and Divine munificence will take over from there; and he can partake of the ever-lasting honour and never ending bounties as much as he likes.

To understand this reality even more clearly, ponder on the verse,Nay !rather , what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts. Nay!most surely they shall on that day be debarred from their Lord (83:14 - 15), in conjunction with the verse, ‘‘Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins’’.

QUR’ĀN: Say: ‘‘Obey Allāh and the Apostle’’: The preceding verse invited the servants to ‘‘follow’’ the Apostle. To follow means to process behind in someone’s track. The believer follows the Apostle in the way taken by the Apostle. The way the Apostle has taken is the straight path which belongs to Allāh. It is thesharī‘ah ordained for the Apostle and conveyed through him to the mankind; and the servants are to obey the Apostle and adhere to his sharī‘ah. That is why the order to follow the Apostle was changed to his obedience. The Apostle’s path of sincerity is the sum total of hissharī‘ah - his orders and prohibitions, his mission and his guidance. When one follows the Apostle in his tracks, He in fact obeys Allāh and the Apostle in thesharī‘ah . Allāh’s name has been added with the Apostle’s, to show that the obedience of Allāh is one and the same with the obedience of the Apostle. The Apostle’s name was necessary to mention with that of Allāh because the talk is about following his tracks.

Someone has written that the sentence means: Obey Allāh in His Book and obey the Apostle in hissunnah . But what we have written above clearly shows the unsoundness of this explanation. It is obvious that the words, ‘‘Obey Allāh and the Apostle’’, have been revealed as explanation of the preceding words, ‘‘If you love Allāh, then follow me . .’’ Further, this verse shows that the obedience of Allāh and obedience of the Apostle are one; that is why the word ‘‘obey’’, has not been repeated. Had there been two different things to be followed (the Book, for Allāh; thesunnah for the Apostle), it would have been appropriate to say, ‘Obey Allāh and obey the Apostle’, as has been said in another verse: O you who believe! Obey Allāh and obey the Apostle and the masters of the affair from among you . (4:59). Anyhow, the verse has the same general and particular aspects as the previous one.

QUR’ĀN: but if they turn back, then surely Allāh does not love the unbelievers: The ending clause shows that those who disregard this order are unbelievers; the same is the import of other verses obliging the believers not to take the unbelievers as friends.

This clause too shows this verse to be an explanation of the previous one. That verse described that Allāh loves those believers who accept and obey the order to follow the Apostle. This one says that Allāh does not love those ‘‘unbelievers’’ who neglect this order to obey the Apostle.

These verses make the following things clear:

First: Taqiyyah is allowed in certain circumstances.

Second: The punishment for befriending the unbelievers will not be waived; the sin of disobeying this order will not be forgiven; it is a firmly decreed order.

Third: The Divinely ordainedsharī‘ah exemplifies the sincerity towards Allāh; and that sincerity exemplifies the love of Allāh. In other words, if we analyse the religion - the sum total of Divine knowledge and faith, the ethical teachings and practical laws, with all their details - it will resolve into sincerity (a sincere servant of Allāh believes that his person, his character and his actions, all belong to Allāh); and on further analysis this sincerity resolves into the love of Allāh.

If we reverse the process and start from the other end, then the love of Allāh constitutes the main ingredient of the sincerity, and the sincerity leads to thesharī‘ah .

Looking from another angle, religion resolves into submission, and submission into monotheism.

Fourth: It is disbelief to take the unbelievers for friends. It is a disbelief related to the branches of religion, not to its roots. Other examples are the disbelief of the one who does not pay zakāt, and of the one who does not pray.

It may possibly be explained in another way. Theone who befriends an unbeliever, has himself been called unbeliever, because that is the ultimate destination where such a friendship leads to. We have described this theme earlier, and shall further explain it in Chapter 5 (The Table).

TRADITIONS,

It is written in ad-Durru ’l-manthūr, about the words of Allāh: Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends . .: ‘‘Ibn Ishāq, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Abī Hātim have narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās that he said: ‘al-Hajjāj ibn ‘Amr was an ally of Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf and Ibn Abi ’1-Haqīq and Qays ibn Zayd; and they were secretly meeting with some Helpers with a view to seduce them from their religion. (Seeing this)Rifā‘ah ibn al-Mundhir, ‘Abdullāh ibn Jubayr and Sa‘d ibn Khuthaymah told those Helpers to keep away from those Jews and to be wary of their secret talks, ‘‘lest they lead you away from your religion’’. But they refused (to listen). Then Allāh revealed: Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends . and Allāh has power over all thing’ ’’.

The author says: Apparently this tradition has applied the verse to that story. Otherwise, the Qur’ān uses the word ‘‘unbelievers’’, for a wider circle than the People of the Book. If any verse were revealed about that story, it would have been the one forbidding friendship with the Jews and the Christians, not these verses.

The tafsīr, as-Sāfī quotes under the words: except (when) you guard yourselves against (them) . ., from al-Ihtijāj, that the Commander of the faithful (a.s.) said, inter alia, in a tradition: ‘‘and He ordered you to practise taqiyyah in your religion; because Allāh says: Be careful, and be careful again, not to expose yourself to perdition, and not to neglect taqiyyah which I have ordered you (to practise); otherwise, you will cause shedding of your blood and the blood of your brethren (as well); will expose your bounties as well as theirs to ruin; and will cause their humiliation at the hands of the enemies of the religion of Allāh, while Allāh has ordered you to exalt them.’’

as-Sādiq (a.s.) said: ‘‘The Apostle of Allāh used to say: ‘He has no religion who does not have taqiyyah;’ then he used to say: ‘Allāh says: except (when) you guard yourselves against them for fear from them.’’ (al-‘Ayyāshī )

al-Bāqir( a.s.) said: ‘‘taqiyyah is (allowed) in every matter about which a man falls in predicament; and Allāh has made it lawful to him.’’ (al-Kāfī )

The author says: There are very many traditions from the Imāms of Ahlu ’l-bayt (a.s .) - probably reaching the limit of mutawātir -

containing the permission of taqiyyah; and you have already seen how the Qur’ānic verses incontestably prove it.

Sa‘īd ibn Yāsar said: ‘‘Abū ‘Abdillāh (a.s.) told me: ‘Is religion anything other than love? Verily Allāh, the Mighty, the Great, says: Say: ‘‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you.’’ ’ ’’ (Ma‘āni ’l-akhbār)

The author says: This tradition has been narrated in al-Kāfī from al-Bāqir (a.s .); also al-Qummī and al-‘Ayyāshī have narrated it in their tafsīrs from the same Imām through al-Hadhdhā’; again al-‘Ayyāshī has narrated it in his at-Tafsīr from the same Imām through Burayd and from as-Sādiq (a.s.) through Rib‘ī.

These traditions support our explanation given in the Commentary.

as-Sādiq (a.s.) said: ‘‘He who disobeyes Allāh, does not love Him.’’ Then he quoted (the following poem):

You disobey Allāh and (at the same time) you manifest His love;By my life!this is a strange behaviour.

If your love were true, you would have obeyed Him; Verily, the lover obeys his beloved. (Ma‘āni ’l-akhbār)

as-Sādiq (a.s.) said, inter alia, in a tradition: ‘‘And whoever likes to know that Allāh loves him, his action should be in obedience to Allāh and he should follow us. Has he not heard the talk of Allāh, the Mighty, the Great, with His Prophet: Say ‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins .’’’( al-Kāfī)

The author says: We shall explain how the Imāms’ obedience is one and the same with the obedience of the Prophet when writing about the verse: O you who believe!obey Allāh and obey the Apostle and the masters of the affairs from among you . (4:59)

‘Abd ibn Hamīd has narrated from al-Hasan that he said: ‘‘The Apostle of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘Whoever feels an aversion to mysunnah , he is not from me.’ Then he recited this verse: Say: ‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you .. ’ ’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)

It has been narrated by Ibn Abī Hātim, Abū Na‘īm (in his Hilyatu ’l-awliyā’) and al-Hākim, from ‘Ā’ishah that she said: ‘‘The Apostle of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘Polytheism is more undetectable than the crawling of an ant on a (smooth) rock in a dark night; and its least (grade) is that one should love something because of (its) injustice and should hate something because of (its) justice; and what is religion except loving and hating in the cause of Allāh? Allāh has said: Say: ‘‘If you love Allāh, then follow me, Allāh will love you .’’ ’ ’’ (ibid.)

Ahmad, Abū Dāwūd, at-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Habbān and al-Hākim have narrated through AbūRāfi‘ from the Prophet that he said: ‘‘I should not find one of you, reclining on his couch, saying - when there comes to him one of my commands, in which I have ordered or prohibited something - ‘We do not understand (it); we shall follow (only) what we find in the Book of Allāh.’’’ (ibid.)

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