1 Alif Lām Mīm. 2. Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining.

There is a consensus that this sūrah is Madinan. An-Naqqāsh related that its name in the Torah was ‘Ṭaybah’ [‘Good’]. Al-Ḥasan, ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd, ‘Āṣim ibn Abī an-Nujūd, and Abū Ja‘far ar-Ru’āsī recited it with a break between Mīm and Allāh and so one stops at Mīm, just as they also stop at the names of the numbers even if they are connected. Al-Akhfash Sa‘īd said that it is permitted to read it with a kasrah on the mīm since two silent letters meet, but az-Zajjāj says that this is a mistake and the Arabs do not do that because it is heavy. An-Naḥḥās says that the first reading is the common one and the early grammarians discussed it. Sībawayh believed that Mīm has a fatḥah because of he meeting of two silent letters. They preferred for it to have a fatḥah so that one does not join a kasrah, a yā’, and the kasrah before it.

Al-Kisā’ī said when the letters of the alphabet meet, the connective alif is elided and takes on the vowel of the alif in the following word and so you say, ‘Alif Lām Mīma-llāh’, ‘Alif Lām Mīmu-dhkur’ and ‘Alif Lām Mīmi-qtarabat.’ Al-Farrā’ said that the root is ‘Alif Lām Mīm. Allāh’ as ar-Ru’asī said. The vowel of the hamzah is put on the mīm. ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb recited ‘al-Ḥayyu-l-Qayyām’. Khārijah said that the copy of the Qur’an of ‘Abdullāh has ‘al-Ḥayyu-l-Qayyum’.

What scholars said about the letters themselves at the beginning of the sūrahs was already discussed in al-Baqarah. As ‘Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining’ is an independent sentence, all the views about the letters are possible.

An-Nasā’ī related that ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb prayed the ‘Ishā’ prayer, beginning with Āl ‘Imrān and recited a hundred āyahs in the first rak‘ah and a hundred in the second. Our scholars say that one should not recite an entire sūrah in two rak‘ahs, but it is allowed if someone does so. In al-Majmū‘ah, Mālik said that there is no harm in it and it is not a significant matter. The sound position is that it is allowed. The Prophet ﷺ recited al-A‘rāf in Maghrib and divided it between the two rak‘ahs. An-Nasā’ī transmitted that. Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Ḥaqq said that it is sound.

There are various reports about the excellence of this sūrah. One report states that it is protection against snakes and a treasure for the destitute, and that it will argue in the Next World on behalf of the one who recites it. If someone recites the end of it in the night, it will be recorded as if he has prayed the entire night. Other things are said as well. Abū Muḥammad ad-Dārimī mentioned in his Musnad from Abū ‘Ubayd al-Qāsim ibn Salām from ‘Ubaydullāh al-Ashja‘ī from Mis‘ar from Jābir, before what happened to him had happened, from ash-Sha‘bī that ‘Abdullāh said, ‘Āl ‘Imrān is an excellent treasure for someone destitute when he stands in prayer reciting it in the last part of the night.’ Muḥammad ibn Sa‘īd related from ‘Abd as-Salām from al-Jurayrī that Abu-s-Salīl said, ‘A man was the target of a blood vendetta and took refuge in the wadi of Majannah, a wadi which no one went into without being bitten by a snake. There were two monks at the edge of the wadi. In the evening, one of them said to his companion, “By Allah, the man is destroyed!” So he began to recite Sūrah Āl ‘Imrān. They remarked: “He recites Sūrat Ṭaybah. Perhaps he will be saved.” He was safe in the morning.’

It is reported that Makḥūl said, ‘If someone recites Sūrah Āl ‘Imrān on Friday, the angels pray for him until nightfall.’ ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān said, ‘If anyone recites the end of Sūrah Āl ‘Imrān in the night, it will be written for him that he prayed for the whole night.’ Ibn Lahī‘ah is in its path of transmission. Muslim transmitted from an-Nawwās ibn Sam‘ān al-Kilābī: ‘I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, “The Qur’an will be brought on the Day of Rising along with the people who acted by it, preceded by Sūrat al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made three metaphors for these surahs which I have not forgotten: they were like two dark clouds or like canopies with light in them or like two flocks of birds in rows, interceding for the one who recited them.’ It is also transmitted that Abū Umāmah said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Recite the Qur’an. It will come on the Day of Rising to intercede for people who recite it. Recite the two brilliant ones: al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān. They will come on the Day of Rising like two clouds or two canopies, or like two flocks of birds in ranks, interceding for the one who recited them. Recite Sūrah al-Baqarah. Using it is a blessing and leaving it is regret, and the sorcerers cannot breach it.”’ Mu‘āwiyah said, ‘I heard that “baṭalah” are sorcerers.’

There are three statements about why al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān are called ‘the two brilliant ones’ (zahrāwayn). The first is because they are two lights, derived from the essence of the brilliance of flowers. They guide the one who recites them by their brilliant lights, i.e. their meanings. The second is because their recitation will bring great light on the Day of Rising. The third is that they are called that because they are partners in containing the Greatest Name of Allah, as Abū Dāwūd and others mentioned from Asmā’ bint Yazīd, who reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The Greatest Name of Allah is found in these two āyahs: “Your God is one God. There is no god but Him, the All-Merciful, Most Merciful,” (2:163) and that which is in Āl ‘Imrān is “Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining.”’ Ibn Mājah transmitted it.

Clouds (ghamām) are clouds which are piled up and give shade to one’s head. That shade is also called ẓullah. It means that the person who recites them is in the shade of the reward for them, in the same way that it is said, ‘A man is in the shade of his ṣadaqah.’ ‘Interceding’ in the hadith means that Allah will create angels who will intercede for them to receive the reward for reciting them, as we find in the hadith: ‘If someone recites ‘Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him…’ (3:18), Allah will create seventy angels who will ask forgiveness for him until the Day of Rising.’ ‘With light in them’ [in the hadith] is sharq, which calls attention to the light because when he ﷺ said ‘two dark clouds’, it might be imagined to refer to darkness. He ﷺ negated that by mentioning the light in them. Their being ‘dark’ means that they are dense and so come between those under them and the heat of the sun and its intense rays. Allah knows best.

The reason for the revelation of the beginning of sūrah was the arrival of the delegation from Najrān according to Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq. The Christians of Najrān came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Madina in a delegation of sixty riders, including fourteen of their nobles. Among the fourteen were three who were in charge of their affair: the ‘Āqib – the leader of the people and the one who decided their policy – whose name was ‘Abd al-Masīḥ; the Sayyid – the administrator of their affairs and the one who saw to their transport and arrangements – whose name as al-Ayham; and Abū Ḥārithah ibn ‘Alqamah of Banū Bakr ibn Wā’il – their bishop and scholar. They went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after the ‘Aṣr prayer. They were wearing silken shawls, cloaks and mantles. The Companions said, ‘We have not seen any delegation with such beauty and majesty.’ The time of their prayer came and they stood in the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ and prayed to the east. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Let them be.’ They stayed for some days debating with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about ‘Īsā, claiming that he was the son of God and other atrocious, confused statements. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ answered them with cutting arguments but they did not see. The first eighty āyahs or so of this sūrah were revealed about them, up to the point when the Prophet ﷺ invited them to perform the mutual curse. The full story can be found in Ibn Isḥāq and elsewhere.

3 He has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what was there before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel, 4 previously, as guidance for mankind, and He has sent down the Furqān. Those who reject Allah’s Signs will have a terrible punishment. Allah is Almighty, Exactor of Revenge.

The Book is the Qur’an. ‘Truth’ is said to mean speaking the truth or the overpowering argument. The Qur’an was sent down in instalments, bit by bit, which is why Allah uses the form ‘tanzīl’ (form II), denoting that it occurred time after time. The Torah and Gospel were sent down in one go which is why the form ‘anzala’ (form IV) of the verb is used. The bā’ that is connected to ‘truth’ is adverbial, modifying ‘Book’ and is connected to something elided, meaning ‘bringing the truth’. It is not connected to ‘send down’.

‘What was there before it’ means Revealed Books. Torah means ‘light’. It is derived from striking (warā or wariya) a flint-stone and its root is ‘tawraya’, on the measure of taf‘alah or taf‘ilah. Al-Khalīl said that its root is faw‘alah and the root is warayah and the first wāw has become a tā’. This happens in other Arabic words. It is also said that it is derived from tarwiyah, which is alluding to one thing and concealing something else. Most of the Torah consists of allusions and indications rather than explicit clarification, as an historical account. The majority take the first view, as the Almighty says: ‘We gave to Musā and Hārūn the Furqān and a shining Light and a Reminder for those who are godfearing.’ (21:48) He means the Torah.

The root of Injīl (Gospel) is the form if‘īl derived from najl, the plural of which is anājīl. The root of the Torah is based on concealing (tawārī) and the Injīl is a source of knowledge and wisdom. The word nājilān is used for parents, since they are a person’s root. Najala is used for extracting something and so knowledge and wisdom can be extracted from the Injīl. Najl is used for a child and descendants since they are brought forth as is said:

To the clan whose ancestor did not bequeath blame to their children. All are stations and they have progeny (najl).

Najl is also used for water which oozes out of the ground. It is used for swampland and it there is the opening (nijāl) from which water oozes. So it is called Injīl because by it Allah brings forth that which teaches the truth. Najlā’ also describes a wide opening in a spring and a spear thrust that makes a wide wound. It is said:

Often a blow with a sharp sword Is between being open and wide (najlā’).

So the Injīl is called that because it is a source of expansion and light for them. Tanājala means fighting together and so the people fight about the Injīl from which it takes its name. Shamir related that one of them said that Injīl is a term describing every book full of comprehensive writing. It is said that the verb najala means to act and make. It is said that it is from a Syriac word, evangelion, as ath-Tha‘labī said.

Al-Jawharī said, ‘The Injīl is the Scripture of ‘Īsā. The word can be masculine or feminine. If it is feminine, it means ‘page’ and if it is masculine, it means the Book.’ Others have said that the Qur’an is also called an ‘Injīl’ as we find in the story of Mūsā who said, ‘O Lord, I see in the Tablets that there are people with “Gospels” (anājīl) in their hearts. Make them my community!’ Allah Almighty told him, ‘That is the community of Aḥmad.’ The word ‘Gospels’ (anājīl) therefore meant the Qur’an.

Al-Ḥasan recited ‘al-Anjīl’ but the rest have Injīl. There are two dialectical forms. It is possible that it is named that because of the manner in which the Arabs arabicise foreign nouns.

‘Previously means before the Qur’an. Ibn Fūrak says that ‘guidance for mankind’ implies godfearing people as indicated by ‘guidance for the godfearing’ (2:3). So the general term is, in fact, specific. ‘Furqān’ here is the Qur’an.

5 Allah – Him from Whom nothing is hidden, either on earth or in heaven.

This is a report about Allah’s knowledge of all things in detail, and examples of this are numerous in the Qur’an. He knows what was, what is and will be, and what is not. How could ‘Īsā be divine or a son of God when many things were hidden from him?

6 It is He who forms you in the womb however He wills. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

It is He who forms you in the womb however He wills.

Here Allah reports about the forming of the human being in the womb. The root of the word for womb (riḥm) is mercy (raḥmah) because it is part of mutual mercy between people. Form (ṣūrah) is derived from ṣāra, which is going to something to which one inclines. So a form inclines to a shape or likeness.

This āyah exalts Allah and contains a refutation of the Christians of Najrān and that ‘Īsā was one of those who create form. This cannot be denied by anyone with intelligence. The Almighty indicates the explanation of formation in the womb in Sūrat al-Ḥajj and Sūrat al-Mu’minūn. The Prophet ﷺ explained it in the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ūd as will be explained, Allah willing. It also refutes the scientists who claim that natural development is an autonomous process. This refutation of them was discussed previously in the commentary on the Āyah of Taḥwīd. In his Musnad, Muḥammad ibn Sanjar reports the following hadith: ‘Allah Almighty creates the bones and cartilage of the foetus from the sperm of the man and its fat and flesh and from the liquid of the woman.’ This is evidence that the child is a combination of the sperm of the man and the liquid of the mother, as we read explicitly stated in the following āyah: ‘O mankind, We created you from a male and female.’ (49:13)

We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Thawbān that a Jew came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘I came to ask you about something which none of the people of the earth know except a Prophet or a couple of men.’ He asked, ‘Will it help you if I tell you?’ He answered, ‘I will listen with my ears.’ He asked him about the genesis of children and the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The emission of the man is white and that of the woman is yellow. When they combine and the sperm of the man dominates that of the woman, it is a male by Allah’s permission, and if the liquid of the woman dominates that of the man it is female with Allah’s permission.’ More of this will be dealt with in Sūrat ash-Shurā, Allah willing.

‘However He wills’ means the child may be beautiful or ugly, black or white, tall or short, happy or wretched, sound or defective, and so forth, to the point of wretchedness and happiness. It is reported that reciters gathered around Ibrāhīm ibn Adham to listen to the hadiths which he had. He told them, ‘I am distracted from you by four things and so I am not free to transmit hadiths.’ He was asked, ‘What are they?’ He answered, ‘One is that I reflect on the day of the covenant when Allah said, “Those are in the Garden and I do not care, and those are in the Fire and I do not care.” I do not know which of the two groups I will be among on that day. The second is that when I was formed in the womb, the angel entrusted with the wombs said, “O Lord, wretched or happy?” and I do not know what the answer that was given. The third is that when the Angel of Death takes my soul, he will ask, “O Lord, with disbelief or faith?” and I do not know what the answer will be. The fourth is that Allah says: “Keep yourselves apart today, you evildoers.” (36:59) and I do not know in which of the two groups I will be in.’

There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

There is no creator or fashioner but Him. That indicates His Oneness; so how can ‘Īsā be a creator when he is created? ‘The Almighty’ is the One who cannot be overcome and ‘the All-Wise’ possesses wisdom or is perfect in what He does. This applies to formation.

7 It is He who sent down the Book to you from Him: āyahs containing clear judgments – they are the core of the Book – and others which are open to interpretation. Those with deviation in their hearts follow what is open to interpretation in it, desiring conflict, seeking its inner meaning. No one knows its inner meaning but Allah. Those firmly rooted in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it. All of it is from our Lord.’ But only people of intelligence pay heed.

It is He who sent down the Book to you from Him:

Muslim transmitted that ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ recited, “It is He who sent down the Book to you from Him…(to the end of the āyah).” Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When you see those who follow what is open to interpretation in it, they are the ones whom Allah has named, so beware of them.”’ Abū Ghālib said, ‘I was walking with Abū Umāmah while he was riding his donkey. When we reached the road to the mosque of Damascus, there were some heads set up. He asked, “Whose heads are these?” The reply was, “Those are the leaders of the Khārijites who were brought from Iraq.” Abū Umāmah said, “The dogs of the Fire! The dogs of the Fire! The dogs of the Fire! The worst to be killed under heaven! Bliss to those who killed them and those they killed!” He repeated that three times and then wept. I asked, “Why are you weeping, Abū Umāmah?” He replied, “Out of compassion for them. They were among the people of Islam and then they left it.” Then he recited, “Do not be like those who split up and differed after the Clear Signs came to them.” (3:105) I asked, “Abū Umāmah, are they them?” “Yes,” he replied. I asked, “Is that something you say from your opinion or something you heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” He replied, “Then I would indeed be bold! I would indeed be bold! Rather I heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ more than once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times, or seven times.” He put his fingers in his ears. “Otherwise we are deaf!” He said that three times and then he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘The tribe of Israel split up into seventy-one sects, one of which will be in the Garden and the rest in the Fire, and this Community will have one more than them. One will be in the Garden and the rest in the Fire.’”’

āyahs containing clear judgments – they are the core of the Book – and others which are open to interpretation.

Scholars disagree about the muḥkamāt and the mutashābihāt verses. There are numerous positions regarding this point. The position taken by Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh and followed by ash-Sha‘bī, Sufyān ath-Thawrī and others is that the muhkamāt are those āyahs of the Qur’an whose interpretation is known and whose meaning and explanation is understood, while there is no way to the knowledge of the mutashābihāt verses and knowledge of them is the sole prerogative of Allah rather than His creation. That is things like the time of the Final Hour, the emergence of Ya‘jūj and Ma‘jūj, the Dajjāl and ‘Īsā and the letters at the beginnings of the sūrahs.

This is the best that I have heard about the mutashābihāt. It was already mentioned at the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah that ar-Rabī‘ ibn Khaytham said, ‘Allah Almighty revealed this Qur’an and He kept the knowledge of whatever He wishes for Himself…’ Abū ‘Uthmān said that muḥkam is the Fātihah of the Book and no prayer is allowed without it. Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl said that it is Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ because there is only tawḥīd in it.

It is said that the whole Qur’an is muḥkam since Allah says: ‘A Book whose verses are perfectly constructed’ (11:1) and it is said that it is all mutashābih since He says: ‘a mutashābih Book.’ (39:23) This statement has nothing to do with the meaning of this āyah. The first āyah refers to the construction and order and that it is truly from Allah. The meaning of the second is that its parts resemble one another and confirm one another. That is not what is meant here. In this āyah the word mutashābih means containing probability and that whose meaning is ambivalent, as when the Jews said, ‘Cows are all much the same for us.’ (2:70) It is possible that it means different species of cows.

What is meant by muḥkam is the opposite of this. It is that in which there is no ambiguity and that which can only have one meaning. It is also said that the mutashābih can have several meanings. When the possibilities are restricted to one meaning and the rest are invalid, then it is muḥkam. The muḥkam is always a fundamental from which there are branches, and the mutashābih is a branch. Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The muḥkamāt are exemplified in the words of Allah in Sūrat al-An’ām: “Say: ‘Come and I will recite to you what your Lord has made unlawful for you’…” (6:151-153) and in Al-Isrā’: “Your Lord has decreed: that you should worship none but Him, and that you should show kindness to your parents…” (17:23)’ Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah remarked, ‘This is what I consider to be examples of the muḥkamāt.’

Ibn ‘Abbās also said, ‘The muḥkamāt verses are those which abrogate, state the ḥarām, the obligations, and what is believed and what is acted upon. The mutashābihāt are those which are abrogated and which are advanced and deferred, examples, oaths, and what is believed but not acted upon.’ Ibn Mas‘ūd and others said that the muḥkamāt are abrogating and mutashābihāt are abrogated. That was stated by Qatādah, ar-Rabī‘ and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk. Muḥammad ibn Ja‘far ibn az-Zubayr said, ‘The muḥkamāt are those which contain the decisive argument of the Lord, the protection of His slaves, and refute opponents and falsehood. They cannot be altered nor twisted from their place. The mutashābihāt can be diverted, twisted and interpreted. Allah tests the slaves through them.’ Mujāhid and Ibn Isḥāq said that. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘This is the best statement about this āyah.’

An-Naḥḥās said, ‘The best that is said about this is that the muhkamāt are self-evident and do not require reference to anything else, such as: “And no one is comparable to Him” (112:4) and “But I am Ever-Forgiving to anyone who turns in repentance.” (20:82) The mutashābihāt are āyahs like: “Truly Allah forgives all wrong actions” (39:53), which refers to His words: “I am Ever-Forgiving to anyone who turns in repentance” (20:82) and “Allah does not forgive partners being attributed to Him.” (4:48).’ What an-Naḥḥās said clarifies what Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah preferred.

Linguistically, muḥkam is a passive participle from aḥkama. Iḥkām is exactitude. There is no doubt about that whose meaning is clear and in which there is no uncertainty or vacillation. That is due to the clarity of its individual words and perfect structure which otherwise might result in ambiguity. Allah knows best.

Ibn Khuwayzimandād said, ‘There are various aspects to the mutashābih. That to which a ruling is connected and on which scholars disagree is which āyah abrogates the other. An example of this is found in the words of ‘Alī and Ibn ‘Abbās about a pregnant woman whose husband dies: they said that she observes the shorter of the two terms. ‘Umar, Zayd ibn Thābit, Ibn Mas‘ūd and others said that it ends when she gives birth. They said, “The Lesser Sūrah of Women (65:4) abrogated the period of four months and ten days.” Ibn ‘Abbās and ‘Ali said that it did not. That was like their disagreement about a bequest to an heir and whether or not it was abrogated. That is when there is a conflict between two āyahs about which of them is advanced when abrogation is not known and its preconditions are not met. An example of that is: “Apart from that He has made all other women lawful for you.” (4:24) That would include combining it with slaves, while the words of Allah: “Not marrying two sisters at the same time except for what took place in the past” (4:23) forbid it. The same principle applies when there is an apparent conflict between hadiths or analogies. That is considered to be mutashābih. Not part of mutashābih, however, is reciting an āyah with two readings. Reciting both is like acting by all that they entail as in 5:6.’

We find in al-Bukhārī that Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said, ‘A man said to Ibn ‘Abbās, “I find things in the Qur’an which seem contradictory to me.” He asked, “What are they?” He said: “‘That Day there will be no family ties between them and they will not be able to question one another’ (23:101) and ‘They will confront each other, questioning one another.’ (37:27) ‘They will not be able to hide a single circumstance from Allah’ (4:42) and ‘They say, “By Allah, our Lord, We were not idolaters.”’ (6:23) and in this āyah they are hiding something. In an-Nāzi’āt: ‘He built heaven … After that He smoothed out the earth.’ (79: 27-30). So Allah mentions the creation of the heaven before the earth. Then He says, ‘Do you reject Him who created the earth in two days … Then He turned to heaven.’ (41:9-11) Here He mentions the creation of the earth before heaven. And He says: ‘Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ (4:100), ‘Allah is Almighty, All-Wise’ (4:158) and ‘Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.’ (4:134) and He uses the past tense.”

‘Ibn ‘Abbās replied, “‘No family ties between them’ refers to the first blast. Then there will be the second blast and all those who are in the heavens and the earth will swoon except for whomever Allah wishes. There will be no ties between them then and they will not to able to question one another. Then there will be another blast and they will begin to question one another. As for the words: ‘We were not idolaters’ and ‘They will not be able to hide a single circumstance from Allah,’ Allah will forgive the people of sincerity for their wrong actions and the idolaters will say, ‘Let us say, “We were not idolaters.”’ So Allah will seal their mouths and their limbs will say what they did. Then it will be known that not a single circumstance will be hidden from Allah. Then those who rejected will wish that they had been Muslims. Allah created the earth in two days and then turned to heaven and arranged it into seven heavens in two days. Then He smoothed out the earth and brought forth water and plants from it and created in it mountains, trees and hills and what is between them in another two days. That is His words, ‘After that He smoothed out the earth.’ So He created the earth and what is in it in four days and the heaven in two days. His words: ‘Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ mean Himself. He was, and continues to be, like that. Allah did not intend anything except that He did exactly what He desired. Woe to you! The Qur’an is not contradictory! It is all from Allah.’”’

Those with deviation in their hearts

In the phrase ‘those with deviation in their hearts’ the word zaygh means inclination, as when the sun inclines or the eyes incline. It is used for when someone deviates by abandoning the goal they were aiming for, as when Allah says: ‘So when they deviated, Allah made their hearts deviate (azāgha).’ (61:5) This āyah embraces every group: unbelievers, zindīqs, the ignorant and those involved in innovation. At the time it was revealed, it was specifically referring to the Christians of Najrān. Qatādah said about this, ‘If this is not the Ḥarūriyyah and other Khārijites, I do not know who it is.’ This interpretation is reported from Abū Umāmah which is marfū‘. It is enough for you.

follow what is open to interpretation in it, desiring conflict, seeking its inner meaning.

Our shaykh, Abu-l-‘Abbās, said, ‘Those who follow the mutashābihāt follow them and collect them, seeking to create doubt about the Qur’an and to misguide the common people, as was done by the zindīqs and Qarmatians who attacked the Qur’an, or seeking to believe in the literal sense of the mutashābihāt, as was done by the anthropomorphists who took literally those words in the Qur’an and Sunnah that are apparently anthropomorphist, to such an extent that they actually believed that the Creator had a physical body and form, a face, eye, hand, side, foot and finger. Allah is exalted above any such ascription! Or they follow it and begin to interpret it and explain its meanings, or do what Ṣabīgh did when he asked ‘Umar a lot of questions. So there are four categories of people listed here.

There is no doubt about the disbelief of the first group, and Allah judged that they should be killed without being asked to repent.

The sound position about the second group is that they are unbelievers since there is no difference between them and those who worship idols and forms. They are asked to repent. If they do not repent, they are killed as is done with apostates.

In the case of the third group, there is disagreement about the permissibility of doing that in accordance with the disagreement about the permissibility of interpreting such āyahs. It is known that the position of the early generations was not to undertake interpretation (ta’wīl) while at the same time they absolutely stated that the literal meaning was impossible. They said, ‘Leave it as it has come.’ Some believed that interpretation was possible and could be applied to a sound meaning linguistically without making that definitive in any way.

The judgment regarding the fourth group is to strongly discipline them, as was done by ‘Umar to Ṣabīgh. Abū Bakr al-Anbārī said, ‘The imāms of the early generations used to punish those who asked about the explanation of the obscure letters in the Qur’an because, if the one who asked meant by his question to perpetuate innovation and cause sedition, then he deserves reproach and a strong punishment. If it this was not his aim, he merits rebuke for committing a wrong action since at the time it provided atheistic hypocrites with a means to achieve their desire to weaken the Muslims through doubt and misguidance by diverting the Qur’an from the paths of revelation and true interpretation.’

Referring to that is what Qāḍī Ismā‘īl ibn Isḥāq reported from Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb ibn Zayd from Yazīd ibn Ḥāzim from Sulaymān ibn Yasār that Ṣabīgh ibn ‘Isl came to Madīnah and began to ask about the mutashābih parts of the Qur’an and other things. ‘Umar heard about that and sent for him. He was brought and ‘Umar had prepared for him some palm branches. When he got there, ‘Umar asked, ‘Who are you?’ He replied, ‘I am the slave of Allah, Ṣabīgh.’ ‘Umar said, ‘And I am the slave of Allah, ‘Umar.’ Then he went to him and hit his head with a branch and split it, and he continued to beat him until the blood ran down his face. He said, ‘Enough, Amīr al-Mu’minīn! By Allah, what I found in my head has gone!’ There are various transmissions about how he was disciplined and that will be mentioned in Sūrat adh-Dhāriyāt. Then Allah inspired him to repent and cast that into his heart and he repented.

The meaning of ‘seeking conflict’ is to seek out and convey the unclear and uncertain matters to the believers so that they become disunited and people turn to deviation. Az-Zajjāj said that ‘seeking its inner meaning’ means to seek the explanation of people’s resurrection and revivification, and Allah informs us that the interpretation of that and its time are only known by Him. The evidence for that is the words of the Almighty: ‘What are they waiting for but its fulfilment (ta’wīlahu)? The Day its fulfilment occurs (i.e. the Day when they see the resurrection, gathering and punishment they were promised), those who forgot it before will say, “The Messengers of our Lord came with the Truth.”’ (7:53) It means: ‘We have been shown the true interpretation of what the Messengers told us’ He said, ‘So the reciter stops at the words of Allah: “No one knows its inner meaning but Allah,” in other words no one knows about the Resurrection but Allah alone.’

No one knows its inner meaning but Allah.

It is said that a group of Jews, including Ḥuyayy ibn Aḥṭab, came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘We heard that “Alif-Lām-Mīm’” has been revealed to you. If you are speaking the truth, the domain of your kingdom will last seventy-one years because in the reckoning of the letters, alif is 1, lām is 30 and mīm is 40.’ Then: ‘No one knows its inner meaning but Allah’ was revealed. Ta’wīl can mean explanation and it can mean what something refers back to. It is derived from the verb āla, meaning ‘to refer back to’. Some fuqahā’ define ta’wīl as the production of a probable meaning of a literal expression when there is other evidence to support that departure from its normal meaning. Tafsīr is the explanation of the expression itself and ta’wīl is to explain the meaning. An example of this is ‘rayb’ in 2:2. The tafsīr is that it means ‘doubt’ and its ta’wīl is that it means ‘no doubt in the believers’ or ‘it is true in itself and does not admit of any doubt. “Doubt” describes the doubter.’

Those firmly rooted in knowledge

Scholars disagree about this and whether it is a new sentence or connected to what is before it, in which case the wāw is connective. Most say that it is a new sentence. This is what Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘Ā’ishah, ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz and others said. It is the position of al-Kisā’ī, al-Akhfash, al-Farrā’, Abū ‘Ubayd and others. Abū Nuhayk al-Asadī said, ‘They used to connect this āyah to what is before it, but it is separate. The knowledge of those firmly rooted in knowledge only reaches their words, ‘We believe in it. All of it is from our Lord.’ ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz said something similar. Aṭ-Ṭabarī related the like of it from Yūnus ibn Ashhab from Mālik ibn Anas. According to this, ‘they say’ is the predicate of ‘those firmly rooted’.

Al-Khaṭṭābī said, ‘Allah has divided the āyahs of His Book one is commanded to believe in and affirm into two parts: muḥkam and mutashābih. He reported that the mutashābihāt of the Book are those whose interpretation Allah alone knows; no one else knows their interpretation. Then Allah praised those who are firmly rooted in knowledge since they say, “We believe in it.” If it had not been for the soundness of their faith, they would not deserve praise.’ The position of most scholars is to have a full stop in this āyah after Allah’s words: ‘except Allah.’ That is related from Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Ibn ‘Abbās and ‘Ā’ishah. It is related that Mujāhid said that the words ‘those firmly rooted in knowledge’ are connected to what is before it and mean that they too know it.

One of the linguists used this as evidence and said that the meaning is: ‘Those firmly rooted in knowledge know it, saying, “We believe.”’ making ‘they say’ an adverb. Most linguistic scholars, however, deny that and think that it is unlikely because the Arabs do not elide both the verb and the object, and do not use an adverb in the form of a ḥāl without the verb. If that had been permitted, it would be permitted to say, ‘‘Abdullāh riding,’ meaning ‘‘Abdullāh came riding.’ That is permitted when the verb is mentioned and is used adverbially. What most scholars say – confirmed by the schools of the grammarians – is more appropriate than the isolated statement of Mujāhid. It is also not permitted for Allah to negate something in respect of His creation and then affirm it for Himself and then be a partner in that. Do you not see that Allah says: ‘Say: “No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah”’ (2:65), ‘He alone will reveal it at its proper time’ (7:187) and ‘All things are passing except His Face’ (28:88). All of this is part of what only Allah knows and no one else shares it with Him. That is like His words: ‘No one knows its inner meaning except Allah.’ If the wāw connected to ‘firmly rooted’ had been for the order, there would be no point in the words: ‘All of it is from our Lord.’ Allah knows best.

What al-Khaṭṭābī said about not taking the view of Mujāhid – that ‘firmly rooted’ is added to the name of Allah and they are included in knowledge of the mutashābihāt – is related from Ibn ‘Abbās. In Mujahid’s view in addition to their knowledge of it, they say, ‘We believe in it.’ Ar-Rabī‘, Muḥammad ibn Ja‘far ibn az-Zubayr, al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad and others also said that. According to that ‘say’ is an adverb. [POEM TO ILLUSTRATE} Those who take this view argue that Allah praised them for being firm in knowledge, so how could He praise them for being ignorant? Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘I am one of those who know its interpretation.’ Mujāhid recited this āyah and also said, ‘I am one of those who know its interpretation.’ The Imam of the Ḥaramayn, Abu-l-Mu‘ālī, related that from him.

Some scholars, however, refer this back to the first statement and say, ‘It implies that what is meant by stopping at “except Allah” means that no one knows the interpretation of the mutashābihāt except Allah, while those firmly rooted in knowledge know some of it and say, “We believe in it. All is from our Lord” by the proofs which are set up in the verses which are muḥkam, and those who refer to them are made firm. When they know the interpretation of some of them but not others, they say, “We believe in it. All of it is from our Lord, and our knowledge does not encompass the hidden things in His sound Sharī‘ah. Its knowledge is with Allah.”’ If someone says, ‘Some explanation is obscure even for those “firmly rooted”, so that Ibn ‘Abbās said, “I do not know what is meant by al-awwāh or ghislīn,”’ the answer is ‘This is not necessary because Ibn ‘Abbās learned it after that and explained it.’ The answer is more definitive than that. That is because Allah did not say that everyone ‘firmly rooted’ must have this knowledge. If one person does not know it, another can teach him.

Ibn Fūrak preferred that the ‘firmly rooted’ know the interpretation and are firm in that. The Prophet ﷺ said to Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘O Allah, give him understanding in the dīn and teach him interpretation (ta’wīl),’ i.e. ‘teach him the meanings of Your Book.’ If you look at it in this way, the stop could be after ‘firmly rooted in knowledge.’ Shaykh Abu-l-‘Abbās Aḥmad ibn ‘Umar said, ‘This is sound. Calling them “firmly rooted” demands that they know more than the muḥkam which is known equally by all of those who understand the words of the Arabs. In what way would they be “firmly rooted” if they only knew what everyone knows?’

There are different categories of mutashābihāt. Some are definitively only known by Allah, such as the matter of the rūḥ and the Last Hour, and no one is given knowledge of these things, not Ibn ‘Abbās or anyone else. As for those which can have several senses linguistically and different forms in Arabic, their correct interpretation can be known and one can remove incorrect interpretations, such as Allah’s words about ‘Īsā being, ‘a spirit from Him,’ (4:181) and similar things. No one should be called ‘firmly rooted’ unless they know a lot of this type of interpretation according to what they are enabled to discover. As for those who say that the mutashābih things are abrogated, on that basis it is correct to include the ‘firmly rooted’ in the knowledge of interpretation, but it is not valid to consider the mutashābihāt to be only of this category.

Rusūkh is firmness in a thing. That which is firm is described as ‘rāsikh’. Its root in physical bodies is the firm rootedness of mountains and trees in the earth. A poet said:

Love was firm in my heart for Laylā. Its signs refuse to alter.

In the same way, faith can be firmly rooted in the heart. The verb is rasakha, yarsakhu. Some said that a pool is firm (rasakha) when its water settles. Ibn Fāris related that. It is a word which has opposite meanings. Rasakha, raṣakha, raṣuna and rasaba are all confirmed. The Prophet ﷺ was asked about those ‘firmly rooted in knowledge’ and said that it is: ‘…whoever fulfils his oath, speaks the truth and whose heart is straight.’ If it is asked how there can be something mutashābih in the Qur’an when Allah says: ‘We have sent down the Reminder to you so that you can make clear to mankind what has been sent down to them’ (16:44) and how it can be that He did not make all of it clear, the answer is that there is wisdom in that – and Allah knows best – in displaying the superiority of scholars. If all of it had been clear, their superiority in relation to one another would not appear. That is how it is done when someone makes a classification: he makes some of it clear and some of it unclear, and a place is left for experience because when the existence of something is of no importance, its radiance is little. Allah knows best.

All of it is from our Lord.’

This refers to the Book of Allah, and all its parts, both those that are clear and those that are open to interpretation.

But only people of intelligence pay heed

and say this and believe and stop where it stops and do not follow the mutashābihāt. Lubb is intelligence and the lubb of anything is its core which is why it is used to denote the intellect. ‘Ūlū’ is the plural of dhū.

8 ‘Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have guided us. And give us mercy from You. You are the Ever-Giving.

‘Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside’

Something is elided and ‘they say’ is implied here. This is talking about about those firmly rooted in knowledge. It is possible that it means: ‘Say, “O Muḥammad.”’ It is said that the swerving of the heart is towards corruption and inclination away from the dīn. Do they fear that, when they have been guided, Allah will turn them to corruption? The answer is that they asked, after Allah had guided them, for Him not to test them by actions which would be burdensome for them which they would be unable to do like those referred to in His words: ‘If We had directed them kill themselves or leave their homes.’ (4:64) Ibn Kaysān said, ‘They asked not to swerve lest Allah would make their hearts swerve as in His words: “So when they deviated, Allah made their hearts deviate” (61:5), in other words, “Make us firm in the guidance You have granted to us. Otherwise we might swerve and deserve our hearts to swerve.”’

It is said that this is separate from what came before it. That is because after Allah mentioned the people who swerve, He taught His slaves to call on Him so that they would not be among the censured party who are mentioned: the people who do swerve. We find in the Muwaṭṭā’ that Abū ‘Abdullāh aṣ-Ṣanābiḥī is reported to have said, ‘I arrived in Madīnah during the caliphate of Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣīddiq and I prayed maghrib behind him. He recited the Umm al-Qur’ān and two of the shorter sūrahs from the Mufaṣṣal in the first two rak‘ahs. Then he stood up in the third and I drew so near to him that my clothes were almost touching his clothes. I heard him reciting the Umm al-Qur’ān and this āyah: “Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have guided us, and give us mercy from You. You are Ever-Giving.”’ Scholars say that his recitation of this āyah was a kind of qunūt and supplication since that was at the time of the Riddah. Qunūt is permitted in maghrib according to a group of people of knowledge, and it is also permitted in every prayer when a terrible matter comes upon the Muslims which alarms them and because of which they fear for themselves.

At-Tirmidhī related that Shahr ibn Ḥawshab said, ‘I asked Umm Salamah, “Umm al-Mu’minīn, what was the most frequent supplication used by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was with you?” She replied, “His most frequent supplication was, ‘O Overturner of hearts, make my heart firm in your dīn.’ I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, the supplication you use the most is “O Overturner of hearts, make my heart firm in your dīn!”’ He said, ‘Umm Salamah, there is no human being whose heart is not between two of Allah’s fingers. If He wishes, He makes him go straight, and, if he wishes, He makes him swerve.’” Mu‘ādh recited, “Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have guided us.”’ He said that it is a ḥasan hadith. This is evidence against the Mu‘tazilites who say that Allah does not misguide His slaves. If there had not been swerving away from Him, it would not be permitted ask Him for what is not possible in respect of Him to be repelled. Abū Wāqid and al-Jarrāḥ recited ‘tazigh’ with the action attributed to the hearts. This is desire for Allah. Both readings mean that swerving is created by Allah and He makes them swerve.

And give us mercy from You.

This means ‘directly from You and Your presence,’ as a favour from You, not on account of anything that has come from us or any action of ours. This involves submission and casting off. There are four dialectical forms of ‘ladun’: ladun, which is the most eloquent; ladu; laduni, and ladna. Some false Sufis and esoteric zindīqs grab on to this āyah and others like it and say: ‘You see, knowledge is what Allah gives direct without any need for acquisition or studying of books. Pages are but a veil.’ This is refuted as will be explained elsewhere. The āyah means: ‘Give us a blessing which issues from Your mercy’ because mercy is one of the attributes of the Essence and so a direct gift of it is inconceivable. The verb for give is wahaba, yahabu. The root is yahibu. It is an error if someone says that the root is yawhaba.

9 Our Lord, You are the Gatherer of mankind to a Day of which there is no doubt. Allah will not break His promise.’

It means: ‘You are the Resurrector and Reviver of them after they have been dispersed.’ It is affirmation of the resurrection on the Day of Rising. Az-Zajjāj said, ‘This is the interpretation which the ‘firmly rooted’ know and affirm. Those who follow what is open to interpretation about the business of the resurrection disagree about it to the point that they end up denying it.’ ‘Rayb’ is doubt and was discussed in Sūrat al-Baqarah. Mi‘ād is the form mif‘āḷ from wa‘d.

10 As for those who disbelieve, their wealth and children will not help them against Allah in any way. They are fuel for the Fire,

The meaning is clear: neither their wealth nor children will avail them against Allah’s punishment in any way. As-Sulamī recited ‘yughnā’ (rather than ‘tughnā’) because of the sentence structure indicating something coming between the noun and the verb. Al-Ḥasan recited ‘yughnī’ in order to make it lighter. The ‘min’ means ‘in the face of’ (‘inda) according to Abū ‘Ubaydah.

They are fuel for the Fire.

‘Waqūd’ (fuel) is a name for firewood. This was already mentioned in Sūrat al-Baqarah. Al-Ḥasan, Mujāhid and Ṭalḥah ibn Muṣarrif read it as wuqūd which is a verbal noun, meaning ‘fuel for the burning of the Fire’. In Arabic, wāw can have the vowel ḍammah. Wuqūd is the verbal noun for the burning of a fire from the verb waqada.

Ibn al-Mubārak transmitted from the hadith of al-‘Abbās ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘This dīn will be victorious until the seas are crossed and you plunge into the sea on horses in the way of Allah Almighty. Then there will come some people who recite the Qur’an and when they recite it, they will say, “Who knows the most recitation among us? Which of us has the most knowledge?” He turned to his Companions and asked, “Do you think that there is any good in those people?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Those are from you and they are from this community, and they are fuel for the Fire.”’

11 as was the case with the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied Our Signs so Allah seized them for their wrong actions. Allah is fierce in retribution.

Da’b designates ‘custom, habit and business.’ The verb da’aba yad’abu means to exert oneself and toil, and Form IV means to pursue a journey with energy. It is used for making a camel travel hard. Dā’ibān means night and day. Abū Ḥātim said, ‘I heard Ya‘qūb say, “ka-da’ab” with a fatḥah on the hamzah. He asked me, a young boy at that time, “On what basis is it permitted to say ‘ka-da’ab’?” I told him, “I think that it comes from the verb da’iba, yad’abu, da’b.” He accepted that from me and was surprised at my ability in spite of my youth. I do not know whether it is said or not.’ An-Naḥḥās said that this is an error and that one never says ‘da’iba’, but rather ‘da’aba’. That is what the grammarians have said, including al-Farrā’ who related it in Kitāb al-Maṣādir. Da’abah is also permitted because it contains a throat letter. There is disagreement about the kāf. It is said that it is in the nominative, implying, ‘Their custom is like that of the people of Pharaoh,’ meaning that ‘what the unbelievers are doing to you is like what the people of Pharaoh did to Mūsā.’ Al-Farrā’ said that the meaning is: ‘The Arabs have disbelieved like the people of Pharaoh disbelieved.’

An-Naḥḥās said that ‘like’ cannot be connected to ‘disbelieve’ because ‘disbelieve’ is in the connective. It is said that it is connected to ‘seized them’, in other words, ‘Allah seized them like He seized the people of Pharaoh.’ It is also said that it is connected to the phrase ‘their wealth and children will not help them’, meaning that wealth will not help them like wealth and children did not help the people of Pharaoh. This is a rebuttal directed at those who failed to go out to perform jihād, claiming that they were distracted by wealth and family. It can also refer to them being fuel for the Fire and the similarity lies in burning.

This idea is supported by the āyah: ‘A most evil torment engulfed Pharaoh’s people – the Fire, morning and night, to which they are exposed; and on the Day the Hour takes place: “Admit Pharaoh’s people to the harshest punishment!”’ (40:45-46) The first position is the most likely and more than one scholar has said that. Ibn ‘Arafah said that the expression ‘…the case with the people of Pharaoh’ means ‘the custom of the people of Pharaoh’. He said, ‘Those unbelievers made a habit of abandoning and harassing the Prophet ﷺ just as the habit of the people of Pharaoh was to harass the Prophets.’ Al-Azharī said that it means that. The words in al-Anfāl: ‘Such was the case with Pharaoh’s people’ (8:52), mean what happened to the people of Pharaoh. It means that they will be repaid with killing and capture in the same way that the people of Pharaoh were repaid with drowning and destruction.

‘Our Signs’ can refer to the āyahs recited in the Qur’an or the signs which are set up in creation as evidence of His Oneness.

12 Say to those who disbelieve: ‘You will be overwhelmed and crowded into Hell. What an evil resting-place!’

This refers to the Jews. Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ defeated Quraysh at Badr and came back to Madīnah, he gathered the Jews and said, “Company of Jews! Be warned by Allah of what happened to Quraysh at Badr before the same thing as befell them befalls you. You know that I am a sent Prophet. You will find that in your Book and in Allah’s covenant with you.” They said, “Muḥammad, do not be deluded by the fact that you killed some foolish people who have no knowledge of war and grasped your opportunity to defeat them! By Allah, if you fight us, you will find out that we are the true people!” Then Allah revealed this.’

Another variant reads it with yā’ instead of tā’, meaning ‘They (Quraysh) will be overwhelmed.’ ‘You will be crowded into Hell’ means in the Next World. This is transmitted from ‘Ikrimah and Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr from Ibn ‘Abbās. In Abū Ṣāliḥ’s variant from him is that it was revealed when the Jews were happy with what happened in the Battle of Uḥud. This coincides with the reading of Nāfi‘ who has a yā’ referring to Quraysh in both verbs: ‘They will be overwhelmed and crowded.’

What an evil resting-place!

This means Hell, taking the āyah literally. Mujāhid said, ‘It means: “what you have prepared for yourselves is evil,”’ as if the meaning was ‘Evil are your actions which have led you to Hell.’

13 There was a sign for you in the two parties which met face to face, one party fighting in the Way of Allah and the other unbelievers. You saw them as twice their number with your own eyes. Allah reinforces with His help whoever He wills. There is instruction in that for people of insight.

There was a sign for you in the two parties

The reason that the verb is kāna and not kānat is that ‘sign’ (āyah) is not a true feminine. It is said that it refers to the clarification, in other words ‘you have clarification,’ indicating the meaning rather than the actual words. It is like the words of Imru’ al-Qays:

White, beautiful, tender, Like the shoot of a bean-tree breaking out with leaves.

He did not use the feminine form of ‘breaking out’ because it refers to the stalk. Al-Farrā’ said that it is masculine because of the adjective. When the adjective comes between the noun and the verb, then the verb is masculine. This usage was mentioned in al-Baqarah (2:180).

The two parties referred to are the Muslims and the idolaters at the Battle of Badr. Most recite ‘fi’atun’ in the nominative, meaning one of the parties. Al-Ḥasan and Mujāhid recite it in the genitive and ‘the other’ is an appositive. Ibn Abī ‘Ablah recite both in the accusative, and Ahmad ibn Yaḥyā said that it is permitted as an adverbial ḥāl, meaning the two different parties meet: one believing and one disbelieving.

A group of people is called a fi’ah (party) because one returns (yufā’) to it in times of difficulty. Az-Zajjāj that said fi’ah is a group, taken from ‘fa’w’, which means to cleave the head with the sword. The verb is used for cleaving through a person. There is no disagreement that this refers to the two groups in the Battle of Badr, but there is disagreement about who is addressed here. It is said that it might be the believers that are addressed and it might be the unbelievers. It is also possible that it is the Jews of Madīnah who are being addressed. Each view has those who espouse it. If it is addressed to the believers, it is meant to strengthen their souls and encourage them to advance against twice their number as indeed happened.

You saw them as twice their number with your own eyes.

Abū ‘Alī said that the seeing here is actually seeing with the eyes. Makkī and al-Mahdawī said that it what the eye sees. Nāfi‘ reads it with a tā’ as ‘You saw them’ while the rest read it with a yā’: ‘They saw them.’ The majority believe that the subject in ‘you see them’ is the believers and ‘them’ refers to the unbelievers. Abū ‘Amr disliked reciting it with tā’ and said, ‘If it had been like that, it would have been twice their number.’ An-Naḥḥās said, ‘That is not necessary, but it can be twice the number of your companions.’ Makkī said that ‘you saw’ is addressed to the Muslims and ‘them’ refers to the idolaters. This would mean that it would have to be ‘twice your number’ and that is not permitted because it differs from the script, but the words can move from the second person to the third person as in other places in the Qur’an like 10:22 and 30:39 in which Allah returns to the third person. So the ‘them’ can refer to the idolaters, i.e. ‘O believers, you see the idolaters as twice their number.’ This is an unlikely meaning because Allah would not make the idolaters multiply in the eyes of the Muslims. Rather He tells us that He reduces their number in the eyes of the believers, and so the meaning would be: ‘O believers, you saw the idolaters as twice your number when they were three times your number.’ So Allah lessened them in the eyes of the Muslims and showed them to be only twice their number to strengthen their spirits. They knew that a hundred of them would overcome two hundred of the unbelievers. He lessened the number of the Muslims in the eyes of the idolaters so that they would be bold and the judgment of Allah would be carried out on them.

It is possible that the pronoun ‘their’ refers to the Muslims, in other words you, the Muslims, saw yourselves as twice your number. Allah did that to strengthen their spirits in the encounter. The first view is more likely. That is indicated by the words of Allah: ‘Remember when Allah showed you them in your dream as only a few’ (8:43) and ‘Remember when Allah made you see them as few when you met them.’ (8:44) It is related that Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘I asked a man beside me, “Do you see seventy?” He said, “I think that there are a hundred.” When we took captives, they told us that they were a thousand.’

Aṭ-Ṭabarī reported that some people said, ‘Allah made the number of believers increase in the eyes of the unbelievers so that they were twice their size.’ Aṭ-Ṭabarī thought this weak. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘That is rejected for several reasons. Rather Allah made the idolaters seem less in the eyes of the believers as was stated.’ According to this interpretation, ‘You saw’ refers to the unbelievers, i.e. ‘You, O unbelievers, saw the Muslims as twice their number.’ Al-Farrā’ said that it means: ‘You saw them as twice your number when they were three times your number.’ This is unlikely and not known linguistically. Az-Zajjāj says that it is an error because we understand the ‘like’ of a thing to be the same size as it and ‘twice’ to be two times as many.

Ibn Kaysān said, ‘Al-Farrā’ explains it in the following manner: ‘It is as when you say when you have a slave, “He needs another one like him.” You need him and one like him and you say, “I need two like him.” So you need three. The meaning is different to what you say and to the language. So in this case al-Farrā’ is saying that the number of the idolaters was three times that of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr. He imagined that it was not permitted for them to see them except as the same number as them. This is highly unlikely and meaningless. Allah made them see them as other than their actual number for two reasons. One is that their best interests lay in that because the hearts of the believers were strengthened by it. The other is that it was a Sign for the Prophet ﷺ. The Battle of Badr will be mentioned later, Allah willing.

If it is recited with yā’, Ibn Kaysān said that ‘them’ refers to ‘the unbelievers’ and ‘their number’ refers to ‘the party fighting in the Way of Allah’ as indicated by the context. That is confirmed by the words: ‘Allah reinforces with His help whomever He wills.’ This, as we said, would mean that the idolaters were three times the number of the Muslims and appeared as only twice their number in their eyes. He said that the seeing refers to the Jews. Makkī said that the seeing refers to the party fighting in the Way of Allah and the group seen were the unbelievers. This means that the party fighting in the Way of Allah saw the unbelievers as twice the number of the believers while the unbelievers were actually three times their number, but Allah made them appear as less to them and ‘you’ is addressed to the Jews. Ibn ‘Abbās and Ṭalḥah recited ‘yurawnahum’ and as-Sulamī has it with a tā’ and ḍammah in the passive.

14 To mankind the love of worldly appetites is painted in glowing colours: women and children, and heaped-up mounds of gold and silver, and grazing horses with fine markings, and livestock and fertile farmland. All that is merely the enjoyment of the life of this world. The best homecoming is in the presence of Allah.

To mankind the love of worldly appetites is painted in glowing colours:

‘Painted in glowing colours’ means ‘adorned’, and people disagree about who is the adorner is. One group say that it is Allah who adorns, and that is the apparent meaning of what ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, and which al-Bukhārī mentioned. We read in the Revelation: ‘We made everything on the earth an adornment for it.’ (18:7) When ‘Umar said, ‘Now, O Lord, when You have adorned it for us!’ there was revealed: ‘Say, “Shall I tell you of something better than that?”’ (3:15)

Another group said, ‘The adorner is Shayṭān.’ This is the apparent position of al-Ḥasan. He said, ‘Who then makes it seem attractive? No one is stronger in censure of it than its Creator.’ So the adornment of Allah is by bringing into existence and preparation for use and producing natures disposed to these things. The adornment of Shayṭān is by whispering, deceit and making it seem good to them to take in an improper way. This āyah, according to both views, is a warning for all people. That contains rebuke for the contemporaries of Muḥammad ﷺ: the Jews and others.

Most recite ‘zuyyina’ in the passive tense with ‘love’ in the nominative. Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and Mujāhid recited ‘zayyana’ with ‘love’ in the accusative. The vowel on ‘appetites’ is different when it is a noun or an adjective. Shahawāt is the plural of shahwah. A man who is shahwān is greedy for something. Something which is shahīy is desirable. Following appetites is ruin and obeying them is destruction. We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘The Garden is surrounded by disliked things and the Fire is surrounded by appetites.’ Anas related it from the Prophet ﷺ. The point of this illustration is that the Garden is only obtained by crossing the deserts of disliked things and putting up with them. One is only saved from the Fire by abandoning one’s appetites and weaning the self from them. It is related that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The Path of the Garden is sorrow on a hill and the Path of the Fire is easy on the flat.’ It means that the Path to the Garden is difficult to travel since it goes by the tops of the hills and the Path to the Fire is easy without hardness and exposure.

women

He begins with women because men’s lower selves often look longingly at them. They are the snares of shayṭān and temptation for men. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I have not left after me any trial greater for men than women.’ Al-Buhkārī and Muslim transmitted it. The trial of women is greater than all other things.

It is said that there are two kinds of trial in women and only one in children. As for the two in women, one is that it can lead to severing of kinship because the woman may order her husband to cut himself off from his mother and sisters. The second is the trial of amassing both lawful and unlawful property. As for children, the single trial is amassing wealth for them. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Do not put your women in upper rooms nor teach them writing.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cautioned them in this way because to put them in upper rooms is to be on the look out for men and there is no protection or concealment for them in that because they are close to men and constitute a trial and temptation for them, and because they are created from men, and so they desire men. Man has lust created in him and she is the focus of it. Therefore, neither of them is safe from the other. The comment about teaching writing is on account of temptation. The Prophet ﷺ is reported by Abū Hurayrah as saying, ‘You should have a woman with religion. May your hands be dusty.’ Muslim transmitted it from Abū Hurayrah. We find in the Sunan of Ibn Mājah that Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Do not marry women for their beauty. Their beauty might ruin you. Do not marry them for their wealth. Their wealth might make you oppress them. Marry them for their dīn. A black slavegirl with religion would be better for you even if she has a split nose.’

and children

Banūn is the plural of ibn (son). Allah reported that Nūḥ said, ‘My son is part of my family.’ The diminutive is bunayy as Luqmān said. It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ asked al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays. ‘Do you have any children by Ḥamzah’s daughter?’ He answered, ‘Yes, and I wish that had a bowl of food which I could give her from those that remain of the Banū Jabalah.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If you say that, they are the fruit of the hearts and delight of the eyes. They are also a source of cowardice, miserliness and sorrow.’

and heaped-up mounds of gold and silver

Qanāṭir is the plural of qinṭār. It is a large heap of money as Allah says: ‘…and have given your original wife a large amount.’ (4:20) It is said that it is the name of a measure, like riṭl and rub‘. It is also used when something reaches that weight, meaning that it is equal to it. The verb is used for a man who has a lot of wealth such that it reaches that level. Az-Zajjāj said, ‘Qinṭār is derived from the verb meaning to make something firm. A bridge is called qanṭarah because it is firmly made. So it is as if the qintār were a contract of property.’ Ṭarafah said:

Like the bridge of the Romans, her lord swears that she will be surrounded until it is strengthened with bricks.

Scholars disagree about exactly how much it is and there are several positions regarding it. Ubayy ibn Ka‘b related that Prophet ﷺ said, ‘A qinṭār is 1200 ūqiyyahs.’ Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr, Abū Hurayrah and a group of scholars said that, and Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said that it is the soundest position, but the qinṭār varies in different lands according to the size of the ūqiyyah. It is said to be 12,000 ūqiyyahs. In his sound Musnad, al-Bustī transmitted from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘A qinṭār is 12,000 ūqiyyahs. It is better than what is between heaven and the earth.’ Abū Hurayrah also took that view. We find in the Musnad of Abū Muḥammad ad-Dārimī that Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī said, ‘Whoever recites ten āyahs in the night will be written among those who remember. Whoever recites a hundred āyahs will be written among the obedient. Whoever recites from five hundred to a thousand āyahs will have the reward of a qinṭār in the morning.’ He was asked, ‘What is the qinṭār?’ and he replied, ‘Enough gold to fill a bull’s hide.’ It is mawqūf. Abū Naḍrah al-‘Abdī said that.

It is said to be derived from Syriac. An-Naqqāsh said that al-Kalbī said that it is Greek. Ibn ‘Abbās, aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and al-Ḥasan said that is 1200 mithqāls of silver. Al-Ḥasan says that that is marfū‘. Ibn ‘Abbās also said that it is 12,000 dirhams of silver and 1000 dinars of gold, which is the blood money for a Muslim man. That is reported from al-Ḥasan and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk. Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyab said that it is 80,000. Qatādah said it is 100 riṭls of gold or 80,000 dirhams of silver. Abū Ḥamzah ath-Thumālī said that the qinṭār in North Africa and Andalusia is 80,000 mithqāls of gold or silver. As-Suddī said that it is 4000 mithqāls. Mujāhid said that is 70,000 mithqāls. That is related from Ibn ‘Umar. Makkī related one view that a qinṭār is forty ūqiyyahs of gold or silver. Ibn Sīdah said that in al-Muḥkam. He said, ‘The qinṭār is a thousand mithqāls.’ Ar-Rabī‘ ibn Anas said, ‘A qinṭār is a lot of wealth piled up.’ This was known among the Arabs. Part of it is the above-mentioned āyah: ‘…and have given your original wife a large amount.’ (4:20) Part of that is the hadith: ‘Ṣafwān ibn Umayyah had a qinṭār in the Jāhiliyyah as did his father.’ This refers to his wealth. Al-Ḥakam said that it is what is between heaven and earth.

‘Heaped up’: there is disagreement about the meaning of muqanṭarah. Aṭ-Ṭabarī and others said that it means multiplied, as if a qinṭār is 3 and muqanṭarah is 9. It is related that al-Farrā’ said that it is the plural of the plural and so it is 9. As-Suddī said that it means minted (i.e. dirhams and dinars.) Makkī says that it means ‘complete’. Al-Harawī said that the form is a verbal usage. One of them said that qanṭarah is used for a bridge because the density of its structure. Ibn Kaysān and al-Farrā’ said that it is not less than nine qinṭārs. It is said that it indicates the presence of ready and available wealth. We find in the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bustī from ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Anyone who prays at night with ten āyahs will not be written among the heedless. Anyone who prays at night with a hundred will be written among the obedient. Anyone who prays at night with a thousand will be written among the muqanṭirīn.’

‘Gold and silver’: dhahab (gold) is a feminine noun. Its plurals are dhihāb and dhuhūb. Dhahaba describes someone taking a good direction (madhhab). Dhahab is also a measure used in Yemen. The verb dhahiba describes a man who sees a gold mine and is astonished (dhahiba). Fiḍḍah (silver) is well known and its plural is fiḍaḍ. ‘Dhahab’ is derived from dhahāb (departure) and silver (fiḍḍah) from infaḍḍa, which means ‘to be scattered’. The derivation makes one aware of the fact that they will disappear and are not firm as we see in the world. How excellent is what one of them said about this:

‘The Fire’ is the last thing that the dinar says.

‘Worry’ is the end of the dirham.

Even if he is wary, between them a man has his heart tormented by the Fire and worry.

grazing horses with fine markings,

The word for horses is khayl. Ibn Kaysan said that he was told by Abū ‘Ubaydah that the singular is khā’il. A horse is called that because it is proud (ikhtāla) in its gait. Others said that it is a collective noun without a singular and one horse is ‘faras’. We find in a hadith from ‘Alī that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Allah created the horse from the wind which is why it flies without wings.’ Wahb ibn Munabbih said, ‘He created it from the south wind.’ Wahb said, ‘There is no glorification, takbīr or shahādah said by the owner of a horse but that it hears it and answers with the like of it.’ More mention of horses will come in Sūrat al-Anfāl. It is reported in a tradition, ‘Allah showed Ādam all the animals and he was told, “Choose one of them.” He chose the horse. He was told, “You have chosen your might.”’ This is the source of the name khayl. They are also called khayl because they are marked with might. If anyone rides one, he is exalted by Allah’s gift to him and by it is arrogant (ikhtāla) towards the enemies of Allah. A horse is called ‘faras’ because covers (iftarasa) the distance of the air like a lion and captures it. It crosses the distance with its hooves as if it swallowed it up. It is called an Arabian horse because it was brought after Ādam to Ismā‘īl as a reward for raising the foundations of the House. Ismā‘īl was an Arab. It was a gift from Allah to him and so the horse was called ‘Arabian’.

The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Shayṭān will not enter a house with a noble horse in it.’ A horse is called ‘noble’ when it is free of defects. Abū Qatādah said that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The best of horses are black ones with white blazes and a white spot on the nose, then black ones with white blazes and white legs, except on an offside one. If it is not black, then a bay one with these markings.’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it from Abū Qatādah. It is reported in the Musnad of ad-Dārimī that a man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I want to buy a horse. What sort should I buy?’ He answered ﷺ, ‘Buy a black one with a white spot on the nose and white legs, except on an offside one, or a bay with these markings. You will get booty and be safe.’ An-Nasā’ī reported from Anas: ‘There was nothing which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ loved more, after women, than horses.’ The imams related from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘There are three kinds of horses: those which are a reward for a man, those which are a protection for a man and those which contain a burden for a man.’ It is so famous that it need not be mentioned. The rulings concerning horses will be mentioned adequately in al-Anfāl and an-Naḥl.

‘With fine markings’ (musawwamah) means grazing in the meadows and pasture according to Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr. One uses sāma to mean camels and sheep grazing where they like. The verb from which the noun is taken means to release animals to graze and so they are called ‘musawwamah’. We find in the Sunan of Ibn Mājah that ‘Alī said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade letting animals graze (sawm) before sunrise and to slaughter animals with milk.’ ‘Sawm’ means grazing here. Allah says: ‘…among which you graze (tusīmūna) your herds.’ (16:10) Al-Akhṭal said:

Someone like Ibn Baz‘ah or another like him, more fitting for is the son of the camel herder.

Sawām are any grazing animals. It is also said that it means made ready for jihād. Ibn Zayd said that.

Mujāhid said that it means ‘marked and beautiful.’ ‘Ikrimah said, ‘They are marked by beauty,’ and an-Naḥḥās preferred that, taking it from the words ‘a handsome (wasīm) man’. Ibn ‘Abbās said that it means marked with colours, (like blazes) on their faces. It then comes from sīmā which is a sign. This is what al-Kisā’ī and Abu ‘Ubaydah said. All of this is allowed by the term: they are freely grazing, ready for war and marked so that they are recognised from other horses when grazing. Abū Zayd said that the basis for that is putting a piece of wool or a marker to distinguish them from other horses which are grazing. The linguist Ibn Fāris said in al-Mujmal that they are released with riders on them. Al-Mu‘arrij said that it means branded. Al-Mubarrad said that they are known in the lands. Ibn Kaysān said that it means piebald. All of the ideas are similar in respect of demarcation.

and livestock

An‘ām it is used for camels and all grazing animals according to Ibn Kaysān whereas na‘am is only for camels. Al-Farrā’ said that the word is masculine rather than feminine while al-Harawī says that it can be either. An‘ām are livestock: camels, cattle, sheep and goats. Na‘am are just camels. Ibn Mājah reports from ‘Urwa al-Bāriqī: ‘Camels are might for their people, sheep are blessing and good is tied up in the forelocks of horses until the Day of Rising.’ Ibn ‘Umar reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Sheep are among the animals of the Garden.’ Abū Hurayrah said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed the rich to have sheep and the poor to have chickens.’ He said that when the rich have chickens Allah gives permission for the destruction of the cities. Umm Hāni’ reported that the Prophet ﷺ said to her, ‘Keep sheep. There is blessing in them.’ He transmitted it from Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah from Wakī‘ from Hisham ibn ‘Urwah from his father from Umm Hāni’ with a sound isnād.

fertile farmland.

Ḥarth is a word used for all land that is tilled. It is a verbal noun used for designation. Ḥaratha is the verb used when someone ploughs the land for farming. Ḥirāthah is used for the cultivation of grains, gardens and other types of agriculture. Using it the hadith states: ‘Cultivate for this world as if you were going to live forever.’ We find in a hadith from ‘Abdullāh: ‘Cultivate this Qur’an,’ i.e. study it thoroughly, and Ibn al-A‘rabī said that ḥarth is studying in depth. Another hadith states: ‘The truest of names is al-Ḥārith’, because the one who cultivates earns. Iḥtirāth means to acquire wealth. Miḥrāth is kindling for a fire and ḥarāth is the thread of the bow-string. Aḥratha is to make a camel lean. We find in the hadith of Mu‘āwiyah: ‘What did your watering camels do?’ The answer was, ‘We made them lean on the Day of Badr.’ Abū ‘Ubayd said that it means ‘we made them lean’.

We find in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī that Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī said that he saw a ploughshare and some agricultural implements and remarked, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whenever this enters a house abasement enters it.”’ It is said that abasement is what adheres to those involved agricultural labour on account of the duties due on the land which are demanded by rulers. Al-Muhallab said, ‘The meaning of this hadith, and Allah knows best, is to encourage elevated circumstances and seeking one’s provision from the noblest of crafts. That is because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ feared that his community would become preoccupied with farming and abandon riding horses and doing jihād in the Way of Allah because they were too occupied with agriculture, and then those nations who ride horses and live off what they bring them would conquer them. Therefore, he encouraged people to gain their livelihood from jihād rather than gravitating to cultivation of the earth and humble occupations. Do you not see that ‘Umar said, ‘Imitate the people of Ma‘d (who were energetic) and wear coarse clothing. Cut off stirrups and leap onto horses. Then the camel-herders will not defeat you.’ He commanded them to keep horses and train their bodies by leaping onto them. We find in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections from Anas ibn Mālik, however, that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If any Muslim plants a plant or sows a crop and a bird, person or animal eat from it, it is ṣadaqah for him.’

Scholars say that Allah mentioned four types of wealth, and each type of wealth is the source of wealth for a certain group of people. Gold and silver enrich merchants. Fine horses are the wealth of kings. Flocks are the wealth of the people of the desert, and farmland is the wealth of the people of estates. So the trial of each group lies in the category by which he enriches himself. Women and children apply to all off them.

All that is merely the enjoyment of the life of this world.

This means that what they enjoy in it will vanish and not remain. Consequently one should be abstinent in this world and desire the Next World. Ibn Mājah and others reported from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘This world is enjoyment, and the best of its enjoyment is a righteous woman.’ We find in a hadith: ‘Make do with little of this world and Allah will love you,’ referring to enjoying rank and wealth beyond what is absolutely necessary. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The son of Ādam only has a right to these three things: a house in which to live, a garment with which to clothe his nakedness, and plain bread and water.’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it from al-Miqdām ibn Ma‘dikarīb. Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh was asked, ‘What makes it easy for a person to leave this world and all appetites?’ He replied, ‘His busying himself with that he is commanded to do.’

The best homecoming is in the presence of Allah.

Ma’āb is a place of return from the verb āba, ya’ūbu. A poet said:

Everyone absent returns but the one absent through death does not return.

The root of māb is ma’wab and the vowel of the wāw has been changed into a hamzah and the alif has replaced the wāw as in the word maqāl. The entire āyah is meant to show the smallness and insignificance of this world and to encourage hope for a good return to Allah in the Next World.

15 Say, ‘Shall I tell you of something better than that?’ The godfearing will have Gardens with their Lord, with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever, and purified wives, and the Pleasure of Allah. Allah sees His slaves:

The question ends at ‘that’. ‘The godfearing’ is an advanced predicate and ‘Gardens’ is in the nominative by the inceptive. It is said that it ends at ‘with their Lord’ and ‘Gardens’ is in the nominative by an implied inceptive. It implies: ‘those are Gardens.’ By this interpretation ‘Gardens’ can be in the genitive instead of ‘better’. That is not permitted in the first interpretation.

Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘This āyah and the one before it are like the words of the Prophet ﷺ: “A woman can be married for four reasons: her wealth, her lineage, her beauty, and her religion. Seek the one with religion. May your hands be in the dust!” Muslim and others transmitted it. “Seek the one with religion” is an illustration of this āyah. Allah mentioned this āyah as solace for lack of this world and to strengthen the souls in abandoning it.’ The meaning of the words in this āyah were already discussed in al-Baqarah.

Riḍwān (pleasure) is a verbal noun derived from riḍā. That is because when the people of the Garden enter it, Allah will say to them, ‘Do you want me to give you more?’ and they will answer, ‘Our Lord, what is better than this?’ He will say, ‘My pleasure so that I will never be angry with you again.’ Muslim transmitted it. ‘Allah sees His slaves’ is a promise and a threat.

16 those who say, ‘Our Lord, we believe, so forgive us our wrong actions and safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.’ 17 The steadfast, the truthful, the obedient, the givers, and

those who seek forgiveness before dawn.

‘Those’ is an appositive for the prior ‘godfearing’. It can be in the nominative, meaning, ‘they are those,’ or in the accusative for praise. ‘Our Lord’ means ‘O Our Lord’. ‘We believe’ is ‘We assent and confirm’. Then there is a prayer for forgiveness,

The ‘steadfast’ are those who refrain from disobedience and their lower appetites. It is also said that it refers to being steadfast in acts of obedience. The ‘truthful’ are those who are true in both word and deed. The ‘qānitīn’ are the obedient. The ‘givers’ are those who spend in the Way of Allah. This was discussed in full in Sūrat al-Baqarah.

In this āyah Allah Almighty explains the states of the godfearing who are promised the Garden. There is disagreement about the meaning of ‘those who seek forgiveness before dawn.’ Anas ibn Mālik said that they are those who ask for forgiveness. Qatādah said that they are simply those who pray at that time. There is no contradiction here. Both groups both pray and ask for forgiveness. Dawn is singled out for mention because it is a time when the prayer is most likely to be accepted and a time when it is answered. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in the explanation of the words of the Almighty reporting from Ya‘qūb to his sons: ‘I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you’ (12:98), that he delayed that until dawn. At-Tirmidhī transmitted it.

The Prophet ﷺ asked Jibrīl, ‘Which part of the night is best for being heard?’ He replied, ‘I do not know, but the Throne trembles at dawn.’ ‘Dawn’ is either saḥar or saḥr. Az-Zajjāj said, ‘Saḥar is the time when the night retreats until the second dawn rises.’ Ibn Zayd said that it is the last sixth of last night.

The soundest of what is related by the Imāms is from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Allah descends to the lowest heaven every night when the first third of the night has passed and says, “I am the King. I am the King. Who is there who calls on Me so that I can answer him? Who is there who asks me so that I can give to him? Who is there who asks My forgiveness so that I can forgive him?” That continues until dawn rises.’ (Muslim) There is disagreement about its interpretation. The best of what is said on it is what has come in an-Nasā’ī from Abū Hurayrah and Abū Sa‘īd: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah waits until the end of the first half of the night and then commands a caller who says, ‘Is there a caller who can be answered? Is there someone who asks for forgiveness so that he can be forgiven?’”’ Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Ḥaqq says that it is sound and removes any ambiguity and clarifies any possibility. There is something elided after ‘first half of the night’ which is ‘an angel descends’. Success is by Allah. We dealt with this in Kitāb al-Asnā.

Additional point: Asking forgiveness is recommended and Allah praises those who ask forgiveness in this āyah and others, as in: ‘They would seek forgiveness before dawn.’ (51:18) Anas ibn Mālik said, ‘We were instructed to ask forgiveness seventy times at dawn.’ Sufyān ath-Thawrī said, ‘I have heard that in the first part of the night a caller calls for the obedient to stand, and they stand and pray until dawn. At dawn there is a call: “Where are those who ask for forgiveness?” and so those people ask for forgiveness. Other people rise and pray and join them. When dawn has entered, there is another call: “Will the heedless not rise?” and they rise from their beds like the dead are brought out of their graves.’

It is related that Anas said that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘Allah said, “I intended to punish the people of the earth and when I looked at those making My houses flourish, those who love one another for My sake, those who pray tahajjud at night and those who ask for forgiveness at dawn, I averted the punishment from them.”’ Makḥūl said, ‘When there are fifteen men in a community asking forgiveness of Allah every day twenty-five times, Allah will not seize that community with a general punishment.’ Abū Nu‘aym mentioned that in al-Ḥilyah. Nāfi‘ said, ‘Ibn ‘Umar used to pray at night. He would ask, “Nāfi‘, is it dawn yet?” “No,” I would answer. He would continue to pray and then ask that question. When I said, “Yes,” he would sit asking for forgiveness.’ Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥāṭib related that his father said, ‘I heard a man in the corner of the mosque at dawn say, “O Lord! You commanded me and I obeyed. This is dawn, so forgive me.” I looked and it was Ibn Mas‘ūd.’

All the reports indicate that asking forgiveness should be done with the tongue and presence of the heart, and it does not mean, as Ibn Zayd said, those who pray the Ṣubḥ prayer in the group. Allah knows best. Luqmān said to his son, ‘My son, do not let the cock be cleverer than you, calling at dawn while you are still asleep.’

The preferred form of asking forgiveness is reported by al-Bukhārī via Shaddād ibn Aws from the Prophet ﷺ: ‘The best way to ask forgiveness is to say, “O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god but You. You created me and I am Your slave. I comply with Your covenant and Your promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with you from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me. No one can forgive sins but You alone.”’ He continued, ‘Anyone who says this during the day having confidence in it and dies on that day before evening will be among the people of the Garden. Anyone who says it during the night having confidence in it and dies before morning will be among the people of the Garden.’ It is only in his Collection.

Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Ghanī ibn Sa‘īd related from Ibn Lahī‘ah from Abū Ṣakhr from Abū Mu‘āwiyah from Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr from aṣ-Ṣahbā’ al-Bakrī from ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took ‘Alī’s hand and said, ‘Shall I teach you some words which, if you say them and your sins are as many as the tracks of ants, or the tracks of tiny ants, Allah will forgive you for them and you will be completely forgiven. They are: “O Allah, there is no god but You. Glory be to You. I have done evil and wronged myself, so forgive me. None can forgive wrong actions but You alone.”’

18 Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said, ‘There were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka‘bah, and when this āyah was revealed, they fell down in prostration.’ Al-Kalbī said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appeared in Madīnah, two of the rabbis of Syria travelled to him and when they saw Madīnah, one of them said to the other, “This city closely resembles the description of the city of the Prophet who will come at the end of time!” When they went to the Prophet ﷺ, they recognised him by his description and asked him, “Are you Muḥammad?” “Yes,” he replied. “You are Aḥmad?” they asked, and he said, “Yes.” They said, “We ask you about the clear testimony. If you tell it to us, we will believe in you and affirm you.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them, “Ask me.” They said, “Tell us the greatest testimony in the Book of Allah.” So Allah Almighty revealed to His Prophet ﷺ, “Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and the people of knowledge, upholding justice,” and the two men became Muslim and affirmed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’

It is said that ‘the people of knowledge’ means the Prophets. Ibn Kaysān said, ‘It is the Muhājirūn and Anṣār.’ Muqātil said, ‘It is the believers of the People of the Book,’ and as-Suddī and al-Kalbī said that it is all believers. That is most likely because it is general.

This āyah is evidence of the excellence of knowledge and the nobility and excellence of scholars. If anyone had been nobler than scholars, Allah would have connected them to His name and the name of his angels, as He did scholars. He said to His Prophet ﷺ about the excellence of knowledge: ‘Say: “Lord, increase me in knowledge.”’ (20:114) If there had been anything nobler than knowledge, then Allah would have commanded His Prophet ﷺ to ask for increase in it. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Scholars are the heirs of the Prophets,’ and ‘Scholars are the trustees of Allah over His creation.’ This honour for scholars is immense and their place in the dīn is important.

Ḥāfiẓ Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Ghanī transmitted from Barakah ibn Nashīṭ, who is ‘Ankal ibn Ḥakārik, while the commentary is that of Barakah ibn Nashīṭ who was a ḥāfiẓ, from ‘Umar ibn al-Mu’ammil from Muḥammad ibn Abi-l-Khaṣīb from ‘Ankal from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq from Sharīk from Abū Isḥāq from al-Barā’ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The people of knowledge are the heirs of the Prophets. The people of the heavens love them and the fish in the sea ask for their forgiveness from the time they die up until the Day of Rising.’ There is also a hadith about this from Abu-d-Dardā’ that Abū Dāwūd transmitted.

Ghālib al-Qaṭṭān reported, ‘I came to Kufa to trade and camped near al-A‘mash and I used to go and visit him. On the night when I wanted to go to Basra he was standing doing tahajjud reciting this āyah: “Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him…(to) Islam.” (3:18-19) Al-A‘mash said, “I testify to what Allah testified and I entrust to Allah this shahādah, and it is in Allah’s custody for me. The dīn with Allah is Islam.” He repeated that several times. I went to him and said good-bye and then said, “I heard you recite this āyah. What have you heard about it? I have been with you for a year and you did not convey it to me.” He said, “By Allah, I will tell it to you in a year’s time.” I got up and wrote that day on his door. When a year had passed, I said, “Abū Muḥammad, the year has passed.” He said, “Abū Wā’il reported to me from ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The one who has it will be brought on the Day of Rising and Allah will say, “My slave entrusted it to me and I am more entitled to fulfil it. Admit My slave to the Garden.”’”’

Abu-l-Faraj al-Jawzī said that Ghālib is Ghālib ibn Khaṭṭāf al-Qaṭṭān. He related this hadith from al-A‘mash and it is mu‘ḍal (perplexing). Ibn ‘Adī said that it is weak. Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said that Ghālib ibn Khaṭṭāf al-Qaṭṭān is very trustworthy. Ibn Ma‘īn said that he is trustworthy and Abū Ḥātim is righteous and truthful. You have enough proof of his integrity and trustworthiness in the fact that both al-Bukhārī and Muslim transmit from him in their books.

A hadith is reported from Anas in which the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If someone recites: “Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise” when he goes to sleep, Allah will create 70,000 angels asking forgiveness for him until the Day of Rising.’ It is said that whoever affirms this testimony firmly in his heart has established justice. It is related that Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said, ‘There were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka‘bah. Each sub-tribe of the Arabs had one or two idols. When this āyah was revealed, the idols fell in prostration to Allah.’

Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him,

‘Allah bears witness’ means ‘explains and informs.’ Someone testifies before a judge when he makes it clear and informs about someone who owes something and who is owed it. Az-Zajjāj said, ‘The witness is the one who informs about the thing and makes it clear. So Allah directs us to His Oneness by what He created and made clear.’ Abū ‘Ubaydah said that it means, ‘Allah decides,’ i.e. informs. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah, however, says that this is rejected for various reasons.

Al-Kisā’ī recited ‘annahu’ and later ‘anna’d-dīn’. Al-Mubarrad said, ‘What it implied is: “The dīn with Allah is Islam which is that there is no god but Allah.”’ A bā’ which would normally be in the sentence (bi-anna) is elided. Islam explains the meaning of tawḥīd. According to al-Kisā’ī, Ibn ‘Abbās recited ‘innahu, anna’d-dīn’, implying ‘Allah bears witness that the dīn in the sight of Allah is Islam.’ Then he begins a new sentence. Abū ”l-Muhallab, a reciter, recited ‘shuhadā’a lillāh’ in the accusative for the ḥāl, but ‘shuhadā’u’ is also reported from him. Shu‘bah related from ‘Āṣim from Zirr that Ubayy related that the Prophet ﷺ used to recite, ‘The dīn with Allah is the Ḥanīfiyyah, not Judaism, Christianity or Magianism.’ Abū Bakr al-Anbārī said, ‘It is evident to anyone with discrimination that these words spoken by the Prophet ﷺ are explanation and some of those who transmitted the hadith included it in the Qur’an.’

‘Upholding’ is in the accusative for the ḥāl which reinforces His Name in ‘Allah bears witness’ or ‘but Him’. Al-Farrā’ said that it is in the accusative for the break and so it is like the root, al-qā’im. When the alif-lām is cut off, then it is in the accusative. The reading of ‘Abdullah has ‘al-qā’imu bi’l-qisṭ’ as an adjective. Qisṭ is justice.

‘There is no god but Him’ is repeated because the first is in the position of a claim and testimony and the second is in the position of a ruling. Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq said, ‘The first is a description and tawḥīd and the second is the notice and information, i.e. “Say: ‘There is no god but Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise.’”’

19 The dīn with Allah is Islam. Those given the Book only differed after knowledge had come to them, envying one another. As for those who reject Allah’s Signs, Allah is swift at reckoning.

The dīn with Allah is Islam.

In this āyah ‘dīn’ means obedience and religion (millah). Islam means faith and acts of obedience. Abu-l-‘Ālīyah said that and most mutakallimūn believe that. The basis for the different names for faith (īmān) and Islam is based on the hadith of Jibrīl. They can be used as synonyms, and so each of them is used for the other as we see in the hadith about the delegation of ‘Abd al-Qays in which he ﷺ commanded them to believe in Allah alone. He asked, ‘Do you know what faith is?’ They answered, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘It is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, perform the prayer, pay zakāt, fast Ramadān and to pay a fifth of booty.’ It is the same when he ﷺ says, ‘There are about seventy branches of faith: the least of which is to remove something harmful from the road and the highest of which is the words: “There is no god but Allah.”’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it. Muslim added, ‘Modesty is a branch of faith.’ They also blend together, so that one is used and the other is meant, just as this āyah includes affirmation and actions, and as the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Faith is affirmation with the heart, expression on the tongue and implementation of the pillars.’ Ibn Mājah transmitted it. It has already been mentioned. What is true is the first statement where the basic facts and the Sharī’ah are concerned. Anything further than that is just elaboration and Allah knows best.

Those given the Book only differed after knowledge had come to them.

Allah reports about the disagreement of the People of the Book and that it occurred when they already had knowledge of the truth and that it was due to envy and seeking this world. Ibn ‘Umar and others said that. There is change in the normal linguistic order here. Al-Akhfash said that means: those who were given the Book only differed out of envy of one another after knowledge had come to them.

Muḥammad ibn Ja‘far ibn az-Zubayr said, ‘It is the Christians who are being referred to in this āyah. It is to rebuke the Christians of Najrān.’ Ar-Rabī‘ ibn Anas said, ‘What is meant are the Jews.’ The expression ‘those given the Book’ includes both Jews and Christians. They only differed about the Prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ ‘after knowledge had come to them,’ meaning the clarification of his description and Prophethood in their Books. It is also said that it means: ‘those who were given the Gospel only differed about ‘Īsā, and split into sects, after the knowledge had reached them that Allah is one and ‘Īsā is the slave of Allah and His Messenger.’

‘Baghyan’ is in the accusative for the direct object or as a ḥāl modifying ‘those’. Allah knows best.

20 If they argue with you, say, ‘I have submitted myself completely to Allah, and so have all who follow me.’ Say to those given the Book and those who have no Book, ‘Have you become Muslim?’ If they become Muslim, they have been guided. If they turn away, you are only responsible for transmission. Allah sees His slaves. If they argue with you, say, ‘I have submitted myself (lit. my face) completely to Allah’

This means: ‘If they argue using false statements and errors, then base yourself on what you are duty bound to believe and convey, and Allah will help you.’ ‘My face’ means ‘myself’ as in the hadith, ‘I (literally “my face”) have prostrated to the One who created me and formed me.’ It is said that here ‘face’ means intention. This was already discussed in full in al-Baqarah. The first is more likely. ‘Face’ is used to designate the entire Essence since it is the noblest part of the person and the focus of the senses. A poet said:

I have submitted myself (‘my face’) to the One to Whom the clouds bearing rain submit.

Proficient mutakallimūn say that His words ‘the Face of your Lord will remain’ (55:27) mean the Essence. It is said that it is action by which His pleasure (face) is intended.

In ‘who follow me’ the ‘who’ is in the position of the nominative, added to the ‘I’ in ‘I have submitted’, meaning ‘those who follow me have submitted’. It is possible that it is added to the nominative pronoun without stressing the gap between them. Nāfi‘, Abū ‘Amr and Ya‘qūb keep the yā’ in ‘follow me’ as in the root. The rest elide it, following the written Qur’an where it is written without a yā’.

Say to those given the Book and those who have no Book, ‘Have you become Muslim?’

“Those given the Book” means the Jews and Christians and “those who have no Book” means those who have no Scripture, in other words the Arab idolaters. ‘Have you become Muslim?’ is a question which needs affirmation and also implies a command, meaning, ‘Become Muslim.’ Aṭ-Ṭabarī and others said that. Az-Zajjāj says that it is a threat, and this is good because the meaning then is: ‘Have you become Muslim or not?’ The expression is then used in the past tense to stress the report about them being guided. It is said that the words ‘you are only responsible for transmission’ were abrogated by jihād. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said that this requires having knowledge of the history of its revelation. As for the apparent meaning of the revelation of these āyahs about the delegation of Najrān, the meaning is: ‘You must convey what has been revealed to you about fighting and other things.’

21 As for those who reject Allah’s Signs, and kill the Prophets without any right to do so, and kill those who command justice, give them news of a painful punishment. 22 They are the ones whose actions come to nothing in this world or the Next World. They will have no helpers.

As for those who reject Allah’s Signs and kill the Prophets

Abu-l-‘Abbās al-Mubarrad said, ‘Some of the tribe of Israel had Prophets come to them and call them to Allah, but they killed them. Some believers came afterwards and commanded them to submit and they killed them too. It was about them that this āyah was revealed.’ So Ma‘qil ibn Abī Miskīn said, ‘The Prophets used to come to the tribe of Israel without a Book and they killed them. Some people who followed them stood and commanded justice and were killed.’ Ibn Mas‘ūd reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Evil are people who kill other people who command to justice. Evil are people who do not command the right and forbid the wrong. Evil are people among whom a believer has to dissemble.’ Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The tribe of Israel killed forty-three Prophets at the beginning of the day in one hour; one hundred and twelve of the worshippers of the tribe of Israel rose and commanded the right and forbade the wrong and they killed them all at the end of the day. They are mentioned in this āyah.’ Al-Mahdawī and others mentioned this. Shu‘bah related from Abū Isḥāq from Abū ‘Ubaydah that ‘Abdullāh said, ‘The tribe of Israel used to kill seventy Prophets on a single day and then set up their vegetable market at the end of the day. If someone says that those who were being warned about this did not actually kill a Prophet, the answer is that they agreed with those who did the killing and so they were in the same position as them. They also sought the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions and wanted to kill them. Allah says about them: “When those who disbelieve were plotting against you to imprison you or kill you.” (8:30)’

This āyah indicates that commanding the right and forbidding the wrong was mandatory for past nations. It is the lesson of the Message and the caliphal task of Prophethood. Al-Ḥasan reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever commands the right or forbids the wrong is Allah’s caliph on His earth and the caliph of His Messenger and the caliph of his Book.’ Durrah bint Abī Lahab said, ‘A man came to the Prophet ﷺ when he was on the minbar and asked, “Who is the best of people, Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “The one who commands the right and forbids the wrong, has the most fear of Allah, and maintains his ties of kinship.”’

We read in the Revelation: ‘The men and women of the hypocrites are as bad as one another. They command what is wrong and forbid what is right.’ (9:67) Then Allah says: ‘The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong.’ (9:71) Allah made the fact of commanding the right and forbidding the wrong the measure of the difference between the believers and the hypocrites. This indicates that the most specific of the believer’s qualities is commanding the right and forbidding the wrong, and their summit is calling to Islam and fighting for it. Commanding the right is not suitable for everyone. The ruler undertakes it since he establishes the ḥudūd and he punishes according to his opinion and imprisons, exiles or banishes. In every town he sets up a strong righteous man with knowledge and trustworthiness and commands him to see that the ḥudūd are carried out, but without excess. Allah says: ‘…those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will establish the prayer and pay zakāt, and command the right and forbid the wrong.’ (22:41)

The people of the Sunnah say that it is not a precondition for the one who forbids the wrong to be upright, as opposed to innovators who say, ‘Only the upright can do it.’ This is discarded because justice is only found in a few people while commanding the right and forbidding the wrong is general to all people. If they counter with the words of Allah: ‘Do you order people to devoutness and forget yourselves?’ (2:44) and: ‘It is abhorrent to Allah that you should say what you do not do’ (61:3) and the like, they are told, ‘Censure here is about committing what is forbidden, not forbidding the wrong. There is no doubt that the prohibition is uglier when it comes from someone who does what is prohibited than from someone who does not do it.’ That is why he will go around in Hell like a donkey around a millstone as we explained in al-Baqarah (2:44).

The Muslims agree about what Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr mentioned: that when there is something wrong, it is an obligation on everyone who is able to do it to change it. If changing it is only a matter of censure which does not lead to harm that should not prevent them from changing it. If someone cannot change it physically, then they should do so with their tongue. If they cannot do that, then with their heart if they can do no more than that. If someone objects with their heart, they have done what they must do if they cannot do more than that.

The hadiths from the Prophet ﷺ very often stress commanding the right and forbidding the wrong, but that is limited to one’s ability. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘If someone speaks to a believer, he hopes for a good result. If he speaks to someone ignorant, it is to teach him. If someone draws his sword or whip and says, “Fear me! Fear me!” then you should have nothing to do with him.’ Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘It is enough for a man, when he sees something objectionable which he cannot change, that Allah knows that he dislikes it in his heart.’ Ibn Lahī‘ah related from al-A‘raj from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘It is not lawful for a believer to humble himself.’ They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what is humbling oneself?’ He replied, ‘Exposing himself to affliction which he cannot bear.’ Ibn Mājah transmitted this from ‘Alī ibn Zayd ibn Jid‘ān from al-Ḥasan ibn Jundub from Ḥudhayfah from the Prophet ﷺ. Something can be said about both transmissions.

It is related that one of the Companions said, ‘When a man sees something wrong which he cannot do anything about, he should say three times, “O Allah, this is wrong.” Then he has done what he must.’ Ibn al-‘Arabī claimed that if someone hopes to remove a wrong but fears that if he does that he will be beaten or killed, most scholars say that he is permitted to embark on that in the face of that uncertainty. If he does not hope to remove it, then what is the point? Then he added, ‘What I believe is that if someone is sincere in his intention, he should embark on doing it without caring about the consequences.’ This differs from the consensus which Abū ‘Umar mentioned. This āyah indicates that it is permitted to command the good and forbid the wrong even if one fears being killed. The Almighty says: ‘Command what is right and forbid what is wrong and be steadfast in the face of all that happens to you.’ (31:17) This alludes to being harmed.

The Imāms relate that Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whoever of you sees something wrong should change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then with his heart, and that is the weakest form of belief.”’

Scholars say that changing with the hand is for the rulers, with the tongue for the scholars and with the heart for the weak, i.e. common people. If the wrong can be removed with the tongue by forbidding it, then one should do that. If the only way to achieve it is through punishment and killing, it should be done. If it can be removed without killing, then it is not permissible to kill. This is taken from the words of the Almighty: ‘Fight the attackers until they revert to Allah’s command.’ (49:9) That is the basis for what scholars say about when a person defends himself against someone who attacks their person, or property, or the person and property of someone else: someone may do that and nothing can be held against him. If Zayd sees ‘Umar trying to take Bakr’s property, he must defend it if the owner is unable to do so or is not happy about it. It is said that the people of any town containing the following four individuals are protected from affliction: a just ruler who does not wrong, a scholar who is on the path of guidance, shaykhs who command the right and forbid the wrong and encourage seeking knowledge and the Qur’an, and women who are covered and do not display themselves in the way they used to in the Jāhiliyyah.

Anas ibn Mālik said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked, “When will we abandon commanding the right and forbidding the wrong?” He replied, “When there appears among you what appeared among earlier communities.” We asked, “Messenger of Allah, what appeared among the nations before us?” He replied, “When power is in the hands of your young people, lewdness in your great people, and knowledge in your base people.”’ Zayd said that this means that knowledge is with the impious. Ibn Mājah transmitted it. More about this will come in al-Mā’idah, Allah willing. The meaning of the expression ‘come to nothing’ was mentioned in al-Baqarah.

23 Do you not see those who have been given a portion of the Book being invited to let Allah’s Book be the judge between them? But then a group of them turn away.

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘This āyah was revealed because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the Jewish study house where there was a group of Jews and called them to Allah. Nu‘aym ibn ‘Umar and al-Ḥārith ibn Zayd asked him, “What religion are you following, Muhammad?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “I follow the religion of Ibrāhīm.” They said, “Ibrahīm was a Jew.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Bring the Torah. It is between us and you.” They refused and this āyah was revealed.’

An-Naqqāsh mentioned that it was revealed because a group of Jews denied the Prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ told them, ‘Bring the Torah. There is a description of me in it.’ They refused. Most recite ‘judge’ as ‘yaḥkuma’ while Abū Ja‘far Yazīd ibn al-Qa‘qā‘ recited ‘yuḥkama’. The first reading is better because of what is in 45:29.

This āyah contains proof of the obligation of someone summoned to present his case before the judge because he has been called to the Book of Allah. If he does not do it, he opposes what is specifically incumbent on him in terms of restraining people by discipline. This occurs with us in Andalusia and the Maghrib, but not in Egypt. This ruling is explained in Sūrat an-Nūr: ‘When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger so that he can judge between them, a group of them immediately turn away … No, it is simply that they are wrongdoers.’ (24:48-50)

Az-Zahrāwī reported from al-Ḥasan that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘If someone’s opponent calls him to a Muslim judge and he does not respond, he is a wrongdoer with no right.’ Ibn al-‘Arabī said that this hadith is false but the words ‘he is a wrongdoer’ are sound but the words ‘with no right’ are not sound. It is possible that it means he is based on something that is not right. Ibn Khuwayzimandād al-Mālikī said, ‘It is mandatory for everyone who is summoned to the assembly of the judge to respond as long as he does not know the judge to be impious or known to have enmity towards the claimant or defendant.’

It contains evidence that the laws of the Sharī‘ahs that came before us are binding on us except for what we know to be abrogated, and it is mandatory for us to judge by the laws of the Prophets before us as will be clarified. We do not read the Torah or act on what is in it because it is not in the possession of those who are trustworthy regarding it and because they have changed it. If we know that something in it has not been altered or changed, then it would be permitted for us to recite it. It is related that ‘Umar said to Ka‘b, ‘If you know that it is the Torah which was revealed to Mūsā ibn ‘Imrān, I will recite it.’ He knew what had not been changed in it and that is why he called them to judge by it. It is said that the āyah was revealed about that and Allah knows best.

24 That is because they say, ‘The Fire will only touch us for a number of days.’ Their inventions have deluded them in their dīn.

This indicates their turning away, turning their backs and being deluded in what they said, as in their words, ‘We are Allah’s children and His loved ones.’ (5:18) The meaning of the expression ‘a number of days’ was discussed in al-Baqarah.

25 But how will it be when We gather them all together for a Day about which there is no doubt? Every self will be paid in full for what it earned. They will not be wronged.

This is addressed to the Prophet ﷺ and his community by way of restraint and wonder: ‘How will they be, or what will they do, when they are gathered on the Day of Rising and the falseness of those lies they told in this world is unmasked and they are repaid for what they earned by their disbelief, audacity and wrongdoing?’ The lām connected to ‘Day’ means ‘on (a Day)’ according to al-Kisā’ī. The Basrans say that it means ‘for the reckoning of a Day’. Aṭ-Ṭabarī said: ‘for what will happen on a Day.’

26 Say, ‘O Allah! Master of the Kingdom! You give sovereignty to whomever You will You take sovereignty from whomever You will. You exalt whomever You will You abase whomever You will. All good is in Your hands. You have power over all things.

‘Alī reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When Allah wanted to reveal the Fātiḥah of the Book, the Āyat al-Kursī, and “Say, ‘O Allah! Master of the Kingdom …’ to ‘… without any reckoning’,” they were suspended from the Throne and there was no veil between them and Allah. They said, “Our Lord, do not send us down to the abode of wrongdoing and to those who disobey You.” Allah said, “By My Sight and My Majesty, no one will recite you after every prayer, but that I will make him dwell in the Preserve of Sanctity for doing that and look at him with My hidden Eye seventy times day and grant seventy of his needs every day, the least of which is forgiveness, and give him refuge from every enemy and help him, and nothing but death keeps him from entering the Garden.”’

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal said, ‘One day I was prevented from being with the Prophet ﷺ and did not pray Jumu‘ah with him. He asked, “Mu‘ādh! What kept you from the Jumu‘ah prayer?” I answered, “Messenger of Allah, I owe the Jew, Yuḥannā ibn Bārā, an ūqiyyah of gold and he is waiting for me at my door. I feared he would keep me from you.” He said, “Mu‘ādh, do you want Allah to settle your debt for you?” “Yes,” I replied. He said, “Say every day: ‘Say, “O Allah! Master of the Kingdom …to… without any reckoning” (3:27), You are the All-Merciful and Most Merciful to this world and the Next. You give of them to whomever You wish and deny them to whomever You wish. Settle My debt for me!” Even if you owe the like of this world in gold, Allah will settle it for you.”’

Ḥāfiẓ Abū Nu‘aym transmitted that ‘Aṭā’ al-Khurasānī reported that Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me some āyahs of the Qur’an – or words – which are such that there is no Muslim on the earth who uses them for supplication when he is distressed by debt, but that Allah will settle it for him and alleviate his worry. I reckon that he mentioned it from the Prophet ﷺ.’ It is a gharīb hadith of ‘Aṭā’ who has it mursal from Mu‘ādh.

Ibn ‘Abbās and Anas ibn Mālik said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ conquered Makkah and promised his community the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium, the hypocrites and Jews said, “Unlikely! Unlikely! How can Muḥammad lay claim to Persia and Byzantium! They are too mighty and unassailable for that! Are not Makkah and Madīnah enough for Muḥammad so that now he desires the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium?” Then Allah revealed this āyah.’

It is said that it was revealed to refute the falsehood of the Christians of Najrān when they said that ‘Īsā was God. That is because it is evident to every person with a sound nature that ‘Īsā did not possess any of these qualities. Ibn Isḥāq said, and Allah knows best, that this āyah is about their obstinacy and disbelief and that ‘Īsā was given Signs from Allah as proof of his Prophethood that took the form of bringing the dead to life and other things while Allah alone is the One who does these things as He says: ‘You give sovereignty to whomever You will. You take sovereignty from whomever You will. You exalt whomever You will. You abase whomever You will,’ and ‘You merge the night into the day. You merge the day into the night. You bring the living from the dead. You bring out the dead from the living. You provide for whomever You will without any reckoning.’ If ‘Īsā had been God, he would have done that and that would have been considered a sign.

Say, ‘O Allah! Master of the Kingdom!

Grammarians disagree about ‘Allahumma’ while they agree that the hā’ has a ḍammah, the mīm is double with a fatḥah and that it is vocative. It is also found with a single mīm as we see in a poem of al-A‘shā. Al-Khalīl, Sībawayh and all the Basrans say that the root is: ‘Yā ’llāhu’ and when the verb is used without the vocative particle ‘yā’, they replace it with this doubled mīm. These two mīms replace the two letters yā-alif. The ḍammah on the hā’ is the ḍammah of the noun which is in the singular vocative. Al-Farrā’ and the Kufans believe that the root is ‘Yā ’llāhu ummanā bi-khayr’ (O Allah, lead us in good) and there is elision and the two words mixed together. The ḍammah on the hā’ is the ḍammah of ‘ummanā’ and when the hamzah is elided, then the vowelling moves. An-Naḥḥās says that according to the Basrans this is a grave error and that the best position on that is what al-Khalīl and Sībawayh said. Az-Zajjāj said, ‘It is impossible to omit the ḍammah, which indicates the singular vocative, and the ḍammah of ‘umm’ to be put onto the name of Allah. This is denial of the name of Allah Almighty.’ Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘This is an error on the part of az-Zajjāj. He claimed that he had never heard, “Yā Allāhu umm” and that the Arabs do not say, “Ya-llahumma.”’

The Kufans say that the vocative particle is added to ‘Allahumma’ as ‘Yā Allahumma’ and quote poems illustrating that. [Poetry] They state that if the mīm had replaced the vocative particle, they would not be together. Az-Zajjāj said, ‘This is aberrant and it is not known who said it. One does not abandon what is in the Book of Allah and all the collection of the Arabs.’ [POETRY] The Kufans said that a single mīm is added to some words, but not a double mīm.

Some grammarians say that what the Kufans said is an error because if it had been as they said, it would be necessary to only say ‘Allahumma’ alone because there is a supplication with it, but you say, ‘Allahumma-r-Razzāq’. If it had been as they claim, then the two would have been separated.

An-Naḍr ibn Shumayl said, ‘Whoever says, “Allahumma” has called on Allah with all His Names.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘“Allahumma” is a comprehensive supplication.’

Qatādah said, ‘I heard that the Prophet ﷺ asked Allah to give his community the kingdom of Persia and Allah revealed this āyah.’ Muqātil said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ asked Allah to give him the kingdoms of Persia and Byzantium as part of his community and Allah taught him to make this supplication.’

‘Master’ is a second vocative according to Sībawayh. It is like Allah’s words: ‘Say: “O Allah, Originator of the heavens and the earth.”’ (39:46) He says that it cannot describe ‘Allahumma,’ but Muḥammad ibn Yazīd and Ibrāhīm ibn as-Sarī az-Zajjāj disagreed and said that in syntax it is an adjective of the name of Allah and the same is true of 39:46.

The word ‘mulk’ here means Prophethood according to Mujāhid. It is said it means victory, and it is said that it means wealth and slaves. Az-Zajjāj said that it refers to the master of people and what they own. It is said that it means the Master of this world and the Next. It is also said that sovereignty means faith and Islam, meaning, ‘You give it to whomever You wish.’ The same is true of what follows as there is some natural elision in the words. [Poetry] Az-Zajjāj says that it means that Allah does whatever He wishes with people.

You exalt whomever You will. You abase whomever You will.

‘Exalt’ means to make high, overcoming and conquering as in the phrase: ‘He got the better of me (‘azzanī) with his words.’ (38:23) ‘Abase’ is to cause to be overcome, overpowered and conquered. Ṭarafah said:

A man slow in noble affairs, quick in what is unseemly, humiliated in the gathering of the men, an outcast.

All good is in Your hands.

This means that all good and evil is in Your hands, and there is some elision in the words. It is said that ‘good’ is singled out because it is what people supplicate for and desire. An-Naqqāsh said that it means victory and booty.

The people of indications said that Abū Jahl was very wealthy but was cast into the well at Badr. The poor – Ṣuhayb, Bilāl and Khabbāb – had no wealth; their wealth was faith. ‘Say: “O Allah! Master of the Kingdom! You give sovereignty to whomever You will.”’ The Messenger was an orphan in the care of Abū Ṭālib in the beginning and then he later called to the bodies thrown into the pit: ‘O ‘Utbah! O Shaybah! “You exalt whomever You will and You abase whomever You will.”’ He was referring to Ṣuhayb and Bilāl. ‘Do not believe that We denied you in this world because We hate you.’

You have power over all things.

His blessing is universal and He gives blessing to whomever He wishes.

27 You merge the night into the day. You merge the day into the night. You bring out the living from the dead. You bring out the dead from the living. You provide for whoever You will without any reckoning.’

Ibn ‘Abbās, Mujāhid, al-Ḥasan, Qatāda and as-Suddī said that ‘merging the day into the night…’ means ‘We put the decrease of one into the lengthening of the other and so if the night has fifteen hours, which is longer, the day has nine hours, which is shorter.’ ‘Merge the day into the night’ is the same. That is what al-Kalbī said, and it is related from Ibn Mas‘ūd. It is also possible that the words simply mean that the night and day follow one another. One goes and then the other comes.

Commentators disagree about the meaning of ‘You bring out the living from the dead.’ Al-Ḥasan said that it means: ‘bring the believer out from the unbeliever and the unbeliever from the believer.’ Something similar is related from Salmān al-Fārisī. Ma‘mar related from az-Zuhrī that the Prophet ﷺ went to his wives and found a woman of beautiful appearance there. He asked, ‘Who is this?’ They answered, ‘One of your aunts.’ He asked, ‘Who is she?’ They replied, ‘Khālidah bint al-Aswad ibn ‘Abd Yaghūth.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Glory be to the One who brings the living from the dead!’ She was a righteous woman and her father was an unbeliever.

What is meant by this is the death of the heart of the unbeliever and life of the heart of the believer, and so life and death are used metaphorically. Some scholars believe that life and death here are real. ‘Ikrimah said, ‘It is the emergence of the live chick from the egg which is dead, and the emergence of the egg, which is dead, from the live chicken.’ Ibn Mas‘ūd said that it is the sperm, which is dead, that emerges from the man who is alive, and the man who emerges living from it when it itself is dead. ‘Ikrimah and as-Suddī also said, ‘It is the grain from ear and the ear from the grain. The kernel emerges from the palm tree and the palm tree emerges from the kernel. Life is likened to the palm and the ear.’ ‘You provide for whoever You will’ means without constriction or stinting, as in ‘He gives without reckoning.’

28 The believers should not take unbelievers as friends rather than believers. Anyone who does that has nothing to do with Allah at all – unless it is because you are afraid of them. Allah advises you to be afraid of Him. Allah is the final destination.

The believers should not take unbelievers as friends rather than believers.

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘Allah forbade the believers to be friendly towards the unbelievers and take them as friends.’ This accords with His words: ‘Do not take any outside yourselves as intimates.’ (3:118) The words: ’He has nothing to do with Allah’ means that he is not part of the party of Allah or among His friends. It is like the words in Surah Yusuf: ‘… ask the town’ (12:82). Then Allah makes an exception:

unless it is because you are afraid of them.

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal and Mujāhid said, ‘This is taqiyyah in the Path of Islam before the Muslims were strong. Today, however, Allah has made Islam strong so that there is no need to dissemble before the enemy.’ Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘It is that someone says something with his tongue while his heart is in fact at peace in faith. Such a person should not be killed and does not commit a wrong action.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘Taqiyyah is permissible for human beings until the Day of Rising but taqiyyah may not be used as a justification for killing.’ Jābir ibn Zayd, Mujāhid and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk recited ‘taqiyyah’ rather than ‘tuqāh’.

It is said that if a believer is abiding among the unbelievers, he can flatter them with his tongue, if he fears for himself, as long as his heart is at peace with faith. Taqiyyah is only lawful when there is fear of being killed, amputation or great injury. If someone is forcibly compelled to disbelief, the sound position is that he can be firm and refuse to articulate disbelief, but it is permitted for him to do that as will come in an-Naḥl, Allah willing. Ḥamzah and al-Kisā’ī pronounce ‘tuqāh’ with imālah while the rest make it emphatic. The root of ‘tuqāh’ is ‘wuqayah’ on the measure fu‘alah and the wāw has been changed into a tā’ and the yā’ into an alif.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk reported from Ibn ‘Abbās that this āyah was revealed about ‘Ubādah ibn aṣ-Ṣāmit al-Anṣārī, who was a godfearing man who had been at the Battle of Badr. He had an alliance with the Jews. When the Prophet ﷺ went out on the Day of the Parties, ‘Ubādah said, ‘Prophet of Allah, I have five hundred men of the Jews with me. I thought that they should come out with me and I can use them to defeat the enemy.’ Allah revealed, ‘The believers should not take…’ It is also said that it was revealed about ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir when he said some of what the unbelievers forced him to say as will be mentioned in an-Naḥl.

Allah advises you to beware of Him.

Az-Zajjāj said, ‘Allah cautions you about Himself.” The Almighty says, quoting the words of Sayyidina ‘Isa: ‘You know what is in my self but I do not know what is in Your Self.’ (5:116) It means: ‘You know what I have and what my reality is but I do not know what You have and what Your reality is.’ Others say that it means to be afraid of His punishment. ‘You know what is in my self’ is what is concealed of me. ‘Allah is the final destination’ means that the end will be Allah’s repayment of one’s actions. This affirms the Resurrection.

29 Say, ‘Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or make it known, Allah knows it. He knows what is in the heavens and what is on earth. Allah has power over all things.’

He knows the secrets in the hearts and what they contain as well as what is in the heavens and the earth. He is the Knower of the unseen worlds and nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him.

30 On the Day that each self finds the good it did, and the evil it did, present there in front of it, it will wish there were an age between it and then. Allah advises you to beware of Him. Allah is Ever-Gentle with His slaves.

The word ‘Day’ is in the accusative as it is governed by the verb in ‘Allah advises you’ while some say it is connected to ‘Allah is the final destination’ or to ‘Allah has power over all things.’ It is possible for it to be a stop and imply an elided ‘Remember the day…’ It is like Allah’s words: ‘Allah is Almighty, Exactor of Revenge. On the Day the earth is changed.’ (14:47-48) The word ‘present’ is a ḥāl modifying an elided pronoun from the connective mā. It implies: ‘On the Day each self finds the good it did present.’ This is on the basis that the verb wajada means ‘to find’, as one finds a lost camel. The second mā is added to the first, and the words ‘it will wish’ is a ḥāl modifying the second mā.

If you make ‘tajid’ mean ‘you know’, then ‘present’ is the second object, and ‘wish’ is also in the position of a second object. It would imply: On the Day that each self knows the repayment for what it did present before it.’ It is permitted for the second mā to be in the nominative by the inceptive and ‘wish’ to be in the nominative as the predicate of the inceptive and it is not permitted then for mā to mean repayment because ‘wish’ is then nominative. If it had been in the past tense, it could be repayment and the words would mean: ‘Any evil you did, you will wish that there had been an age between it and that,’ in other words like the distance between the east and west. When the future has mā as a precondition, it is only in the jussive. It would imply the elision of a fā’, and would imply: whatever evil it did, then it would wish. Abū ‘Alī said, ‘In my view it is analogous to what al-Farrā’ said about His words, exalted is He, “If you obeyed them you would then be idolators” (Sūrat al-An‘ām 6:121) that it is based on the elision of the fā’.’

‘Amad’ (age) is the end and the plural is āmād. ‘One says, ‘He overcame the leader (istawla-l-amad).’ An-Nābighah said:

Except one like you or one you precede as the steed comes first when overcoming the leader.

Amad also means anger, and the verb amida is to be angry.

31 Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you and forgive you for your wrong actions. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’

Ḥubb and maḥabbah mean ‘love’ as does ‘ḥibb’, which can also mean ‘beloved’ like khidn and khadīn. Both aḥabba and ḥabba are verbs meaning ‘to love’. When one says aḥabbahu the one loved is muḥabb and when one says ḥabbahu, yaḥibbuhu the one loved is maḥbūb. Al-Jawharī said that this is aberrant because a passive participle does not have a kasrah on the middle letter. Abu-l-Fatḥ said, ‘The root in it is ḥabuba and the bā’ is silent and elided into the second. Ibn ad-Dahhān Sa‘īd said that there are two dialectical usages of ḥabba: ḥabba and aḥabba. The evidence that here it is aḥabba is that the same form is also used in 5:54 and 3:31. Ḥabba relates to fa‘ula because of the saying ḥabīb and to fa‘ila because of the saying maḥbūb. There is no active participle of ḥabba and so one never says, ‘I am a ḥābb.’ The passive participle of the IV form only occurs rarely, such as his words:

…with me he has the rank of the honoured beloved (muḥabb).

Abu Zayd cited ḥababtuhu uḥibbuhu and recited:

For by Allah if not for his dates I would not have loved (ḥababtuhu) him and he was not less than ‘Uwayf and Hāshim.

And he recited:

By your life, I and the demands of a great metropolis are like the one who grows in distance because of what he loves (ḥabba).

Al-Aṣma‘ī cited fatḥah on the letter of the present/future along with yā’ alone (yaḥabbu).

Ḥubb is also the name for a jar in Persian which has been arabicised. Its plural is ḥibāb and ḥibabah. Al-Jawharī said that.

The āyah was revealed about the delegation of Najrān when they claimed that what they alleged about ‘Īsā was out of love for Allah. Al-Ḥasan and Ibn Jurayj said that it was revealed about some of the People of the Book who said, ‘We are those who love our Lord.’ It is related that the Muslims then said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, we love our Lord,’ and so Allah revealed this.

Ibn ‘Arafah said, ‘Love (maḥabbah) with the Arabs means desire for the thing while aiming for it.’ Al-Azharī said, ‘A person’s love for Allah and His Messenger is to obey them and follow their commands. Allah says: “If you love Allah, then follow me.” Allah’s love for the slave is shown by His blessing them with forgiveness. When Allah says: “Allah does not love the unbelievers,” (3:32) He means that He will not forgive them.’

Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh said, ‘The sign of love of Allah is love of the Qur’an. The sign of love of the Qur’an is love of the Prophet ﷺ. The sign of the love of the Prophet ﷺ is love of the Sunnah. The sign of love of Allah, love of the Qur’an, love of the Prophet and love of Sunnah is love of the Next World. The sign of love of the Next World is that one loves oneself. The sign of love of oneself is to hate this world. The sign of hatred of this world is to only take from it enough provision to suffice your needs.’

It is related from Abu-d-Dardā’ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about: ‘Say, “If you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you”’: that it constituted piety, taqwā, humility and abasement of the self. Abū ‘Abdullāh at-Tirmidhī transmitted it.

It is related that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Anyone who wants Allah to love him must speak the truth, hand over trusts to their owners and not harm his neighbour.’ We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that Abū Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘When Allah loves a person, He calls out to Jibrīl and says, “I love so-and-so, so love him,” and so Jibril loves him. Then a call goes out among the people of heaven, “Allah loves so-and-so, so love him!” and the people of heaven love him. Then acceptance is placed in the earth for him. When He hates a person, He calls out to Jibrīl and says, “I hate so-and-so, so hate him.” So Jibrīl hates him. Then a call goes out among the people of heaven, “Allah hates so-and-so, so hate him!” and they hate him. Then hatred is placed in the earth for him.’ More of this will be mentioned in Sūrat Maryam, Allah willing.

Abū Rajā’ al-‘Uṭāridī recited ‘yaḥbubkum’. ‘Forgive you’ is added to ‘love you’. Maḥbūb related that Abū ‘Amr ibn al-‘Alā’ elided the rā’ at the end of ‘yaghfir’ into the lām of ‘lakum’. An-Naḥḥās stated that al-Khalīl and Sībawayh do not permit the rā’ to be elided into the lām. Abū ‘Amr is too esteemed to err about such matters. Perhaps he lowered the vowel as he does in many places.

32 Say, ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger.’ Then if they turn away, Allah does not love the unbelievers.

Part of the clarification of this will come in an-Nisā’. The phrase: ‘…if they turn away’ is a precondition but not inflected because it is in the past tense. It implies: if they turn to their disbelief and turn away from obeying Allah and His Messenger. The clause: ‘Allah does not love the unbelievers’ means that He is not pleased with their actions and will not forgive them.

He said ‘fa-inna-llāha’ and not ‘innahu’ because when the Arabs exalt something, they mention it again as Sībuwayh quotes:

I do not see death. Nothing gets ahead of death. Death disturbs both the wealthy and poor.

33 Allah chose Ādam and Nūḥ and the family of Ibrāhīm and the family of ‘Imrān over all other beings –

Allah chose Ādam and Nūḥ

‘Iṣṭafā’ means ‘to choose’. This implies: ‘Allah chose their dīn,’ which is the dīn of Islam. Az-Zajjāj says, ‘He chose them for Prophethood over the people of their times.’

It is said that the name ‘Nūḥ’ is derived from nāḥa (to mourn). It is a foreign name but is inflected normally because it has three letters. He was the Shaykh of the Messengers and the first Messenger whom Allah sent to the people of the earth after Ādam. He prohibited marriage with daughters, sisters, aunts and all close relatives. Some historians said that Idrīs was before him, but that is weak as will be explained in Sūrat al-A‘rāf.

and the family of Ibrāhīm and the family of ‘Imrān over all other beings

The meaning of ‘āl’ (family) was discussed in al-Baqarah. We find in al-Bukhārī that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The family of Ibrāhīm and the family of ‘Imrān include the believers of the family of Ibrāhīm, the family of ‘Imrān, the family of Yāsīn and the family of Muḥammad. Allah says: “The people with the strongest claim to Ibrāhīm are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe.” (3:68)’ It is said that the family of Ibrāhīm is Ismā‘īl, Isḥāq, Ya‘qūb and the Tribes, and that Muḥammad ﷺ was part of the family of Ibrāhīm. It is said that the family of Ibrāhīm was just himself and the same is true of the family of ‘Imrān. Affirming this is the words of the Almighty: ‘… certain relics left by the families of Mūsā and Hārūn.’ (2:248) We also find in a hadith, ‘I was given one of the flutes of the family of Dāwūd.’ A poet said:

Do not weep for a dead person after the death of the one loved by ‘Alī, ‘Abbās and the family of Abū Bakr.

Another said:

He suffers from the mention of Laylā’s family (āl), as a healthy person suffers from a sting.

He means the one who remembers Laylā herself.

It is said that the family of ‘Imrān is the family of Ibrāhīm, and it is said that it means ‘Īsā because his mother was the daughter of ‘Imrān. It is said that it was ‘Imrān himself. Muqātil said that ‘Imrān was the father of Mūsā and Hārūn, and his name was ‘Imrān ibn Yaṣhur ibn Qāhāt ibn Lāwī ibn Ya‘qūb. Al-Kalbī says that ‘Imrān was the father of Maryam, and he was a descendant of Sulaymān. As-Suhaylī says that he was ‘Imrān ibn Mātān whose wife was Ḥannah. He singled out these Prophets for mention because the Prophets and Messengers are according to their genus and their genus is from their offspring. ‘Imrān is not declined because of the ‘ān’ at the end of it.

The phrase ‘over all other beings’ refers to the people of their time according to commentators. Abū ‘Abdullāh Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī at-Tirmidhī al-Ḥakīm says that it means all creatures. It is said that it means all creatures until the Day the Trumpet is sounded. That is because the Prophets and Messengers are the elect of creation. Muḥammad ﷺ exceeds the rank of being chosen because he is also a beloved and a mercy. The Almighty says: ‘We only sent you as a mercy to the worlds.’ (21:107) The other Messengers are created for mercy while the character of Muḥammad ﷺ himself was mercy. That is why he was security for creatures: when Allah sent him, creation was safe from the punishment until the time the Trumpet is sounded. The other Prophets did not have this position. That is why the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘I am a guiding mercy.’ So he said that he himself was mercy for creation from Allah and from Allah for creation.

It is said that Ādam was chosen by Allah for five things. The first was his creation by the Hand of Allah in the best form. The second was that He taught him all the names. The third was the command to the angels to prostrate to him. The fourth was that He let him live in the Garden. The fifth is that He made him the father of mankind.

Allah chose Nūḥ for five things. The first was that He made him the father of mankind because all the rest were drowned and only his descendants remained. The second was his long life. It is said, ‘Bliss to the one who lives a long life and has good actions.’ The third that He answered his prayer about the unbelievers and believers. The fourth is that He carried him in the ship. The fifth is that he was the first to abrogate laws, because before this it was not forbidden to marry aunts.

Allah also chose Ibrāhīm for five things. The first was that He made him the father of the Prophets because it is related that a thousand Prophets descended from him. The second is that He took him as a friend. The third is that He saved him from the Fire. The fourth is that He made him an imam for people. The fifth is that He tested him with instructions and gave him success in carrying them out.

Since Mūsā and Hārūn were the sons of ‘Imrān, Allah chose them since He sent manna and quail down for his people, which no other Prophet had. If it is the father of Maryam, He chose Maryam to bear ‘Īsā without a father which happened to no one else in the world. Allah knows best.

34 descendants one of the other. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

The meaning of ‘descendants’ was already discussed in al-Baqarah. It is in the accusative for the ḥāl as al-Akhfash said, meaning descendants from the descendants of others. The Kufans say that there is a stop. Az-Zajjāj says that it is an appositive, i.e. He chose some of their descendants from others.

The words ‘one of the other’ can either refer to actual descent or to the fact that they help one another. We see the same usage in 9:67 were the hypocrites assist one another in misguidance as al-Ḥasan and Qatādah said. It is also said that it refers to being selected and chosen and given Prophethood. It is said that it is actual physical descendants of one another, but this is the weakest view.

35 Remember when the wife of ‘Imrān said, ‘My Lord, I have pledged to You what is in my womb, devoting it to Your service. Please accept my prayer. You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.’ 36 When she gave birth, she said, ‘My Lord! I have given birth to a girl’ – and Allah knew very well what she had given birth to, male and female are not the same – ‘and I have named her Maryam and placed her and her children in Your safekeeping from the accursed Shayṭān.’

Remember when the wife of ‘Imrān said.

Abū ‘Ubaydah said that the ‘when’ is redundant. Muḥammad ibn Yazīd said: ‘It implies “remember when”.’ Az-Zajjāj said, ‘The meaning is: “He chose the family of ‘Imrān when the wife of ‘Imrān said…”’ She was Ḥannah bint Fāqūd ibn Qunbul, the mother of Maryam and grandmother of ‘Īsā. It is not an Arabic name and Ḥannah is not known in Arabic as a woman’s name. However, we do find Abū Ḥannah al-Badrī, but it is said that his name is Abū Ḥabbah, and that is sounder. His name was ‘Āmir. Dayr Ḥannah is in Syria and there is another place called that which Abū Nuwās mentions in a poem.

Ḥabbah is frequently used as a name in Arabic. That includes Abū Ḥabbah al-Anṣārī, and Abu-s-Sanābil ibn Ba‘kak mentions Ḥabbah in the hadith of Subay‘ah. Khannah is only known in the daughter of Qāḍī Yaḥyā ibn Aktham. She was the mother of Muḥammad ibn Naṣr. Jannah is only known in Abū Jannah, the maternal uncle of Dhu-r-Rummah the poet. All of that is in the book of Ibn Mākūlā.

My Lord, I have pledged to You what is in my womb, devoting it to Your service.

The meaning of nadhr (pledge, vow) was already discussed. A vow is something which a person imposes on himself which he was not obliged to do. It is said that when she was pregnant the mother of Maryam said, ‘If Allah saves me and I give birth to what is in my womb, I will devote him to Him.’ ‘Laka’ means ‘to Your service.’ ‘Muḥarrar’ is an adverbial ḥāl or an adjective of something elided. It means: ‘I have pledged to You what is in my womb as a boy devoted to You.’

The first is more consistent with the commentary, context and syntax. In respect of syntax, it is putting the adjective in place of what is described which is not permitted in certain places while it is permitted metaphorically in other places. In respect of commentary, it is said that the reason for what ‘Imrān’s wife said was that she was old and had not given birth. They were the people of a house devoted to Allah and one day she was sitting in the shade of a tree and saw a bird feeding its young and she felt tender and yearned for a child because of seeing that bird. She prayed to Allah to give her a child and she vowed that she would give up the child to serve Him, meaning that he would be a servant of the temple devoted to worship of Allah. That was permitted in their law, and the children were bound to fulfil the vow of their parents. She bore a girl, and a girl was not fitting for temple service either because of being subject to menstruation and the impurity involved or because of not being cut out for mixing with men. She had hoped that it would be a boy that she could devote to His service.

Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘There is no disagreement that ‘Imrān’s wife did not impose an actual vow on her pregnancy because she was free. There is no disagreement that a person cannot make a vow on behalf of their child, whatever their circumstances. If the one making a vow is a slave, nothing he says in that respect is affirmed. If he is free, it is not sound that he should dictate his child’s future. The same is true of a woman. So in what way was it a vow? Allah knows best, but people desire a child for company, help and solace, so this woman asked for a child for company and solace. When Allah granted her that, she vowed to abandon her share of the child’s company. That was based on serving Allah. This is the vow of the free pious ones. She wanted him to be devoted from both aspects, free from the servitude of this world and being occupied with it. One of the Sufis said to his mother, “Mother, let me belong to Allah, to worship Him and learn knowledge.” She said, “Yes.” So he set out until he had an insight and then he returned to her and knocked on the door. She said, “Who is it?” He told her, “Your son, so-and-so.” She answered, “We left you to Allah and will not return to you.”’

Muḥarrar (devoting) is derived from ḥurriyah (freedom), the opposite of slavehood. From this root comes taḥrīr (editing) of a book, which is to purify it of confusion and unsoundness. Khaṣīf related from ‘Ikrimah and Mujāhid that muḥarrar is someone who is sincerely devoted to Allah with nothing of this world sullying him. This is a known linguistic usage. Someone who is sincere is called ‘ḥurr’ and ‘muḥarrar’ which both have the same meaning.

When she gave birth, she said, ‘My Lord! I have given birth to a girl.’

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘She said this because only males are accepted in fulfilment of the vow she had made and Allah had accepted Maryam.’ It is said she raised her until she was grown up and then sent her. Ashhab related that from Mālik. It is said that she put her in her wrapping and sent her to the temple and fulfilled her vow straightaway. Perhaps they did not have segregation then as was also the case at the beginning of Islam. Al-Bukhārī and Muslim reported that a black woman used to sweep the mosque in the time of the Prophet ﷺ and then died.

Allah knew very well what she had given birth to.

If it is read as waḍa‘tu (‘I have given birth to’), it is connected to the rest of her words. That is the reading of Abū Bakr and Ibn ‘Āmir. It contains the idea of submission to Allah, humility and to put Him above having anything hidden from Him. It is not a report because Allah’s knowledge of everything is confirmed in the heart of the believer. She said that to exalt Allah. In the reading of the majority (waḍa‘at), it is part of the words of Allah. It implies that it is after: ‘I have placed her and her children in Your safekeeping from the accursed Shayṭān.’ Allah knew very well what she had given birth to. Al-Mahdawī said that. Makkī said that it is information from Allah to us by way of confirmation. Allah knew what Maryam had given birth to, whether or not she said it. This is strengthened by the fact that, if it is part of the words of Maryam, it is like the words, ‘You know best what I have given birth to’ because she called to Him at the beginning of her words: ‘My Lord, I have given birth to a girl.’ It is related from Ibn ‘Abbās as ‘waḍa‘ti (‘You have given birth to’), and so this was said to her.

male and female are not the same

Some of the Shāfi‘īs use this as evidence that if a woman obeys her husband and has intercourse in the daytime in Ramaḍān, they are not the same with regard to the obligation of kaffārah. Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘This is foolishness. This is a report about a Law before you and they do not say that. This righteous woman intended to clarify her situation. She had vowed her son to the service of the temple. When she found it was a girl, she excused herself to her Lord for things being different to what she had intended.’

‘I have named her Maryam’

An-Naḥḥās said that ‘Maryam’ is not inflected because it is a foreign noun which means ‘servant of the Lord’ in their language. The words: ‘her children’ refer to ‘Īsā; the word ‘dhurriyah’ can be used for both the plural and singular. We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Every child who is born is pricked by Shayṭān on the day he is born and so it cries out – except for Maryam and her son.’ Then Abū Hurayrah added, ‘Recite, if you like: “I have placed her and her children in Your safekeeping.”’

Our scholars said, ‘The point of this hadith is that Allah answered the supplication of Maryam’s mother. Shayṭān pricks all of the children of Ādam, even the Prophets and awliyā’, except for Maryam and her son. A veil was put between them and the prick hit the veil but none of it pierced through it.’ Our scholars observed, ‘Even if that was the case, it is false that only the two of them are singled out for it, nor does this oblige that the prick of Shayṭān causes misguidance and error in the person pricked. That is a false supposition. Shayṭān often presented forms of corruption and error to the Prophets and awliyā’, but Allah protected them from what Shayṭān cast as He says: “You have no authority over any of My slaves.” (15:42) Moreover, each of the descendants of Ādam has a companion from the shayṭāns assigned to him as was stated by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So even if Maryam and her son were protected from the prick, they were not protected from Shayṭān clinging and being attached to them. Allah knows best.

37 Her Lord accepted her with approval and made her grow in health and beauty. And Zakariyyā became her guardian. Every time Zakariyyā visited her in the Upper Room, he found food with her. He said, ‘Maryam, how did you come by this?’ She said, ‘It is from Allah. Allah provides for whoever He wills without any reckoning.’ 38 Then and there Zakariyyā called on his Lord and said, ‘O Lord, grant me by Your favour an upright child. You are the Hearer of Prayer.’

Her Lord accepted her with approval and made her grow in health and beauty.

This means ‘He let her travel the path of the fortunate’ as Ibn ‘Abbās said. Some people say that it refers to caring for her upbringing. Al-Ḥasan said that it means He did not punish her for a moment, night or day.

The phrase: ‘He made her grow in health and beauty’ means that Allah made her physique proportionate without lack or excess. In a single day, she grew the amount a child would normally grow in a year. ‘Qabūl’ (accepted) and ‘nabāt’ (grow) are verbal nouns other than the ones that would normally be used with a verb in Forms IV and V. [Illustrative poems omitted] The copy of the Qur’an of Ibn Mas‘ūd has ‘anzala-l-malā’ikata tanzīlan’ because nazzala and anzala mean the same. Al-Mufaḍḍal said that it means, ‘He made her grow beautifully.’ It is more fitting to take the meaning we mentioned. The root of approval (qabūl) is qubūl because it is a verbal noun like dukhūl and khurūj, and the fatḥah is used in few letters, like walū‘ and wazū‘. It is only these three. Abū ‘Amr, al-Kisā’ī and the imams said that. Az-Zajjāj allowed qubūl based on the root.

Zakariyyā became her guardian.

He adopted her. Abū ‘Ubaydah said that he was responsible for her care. The Kufan reading is ‘kaffala’ (Form II) which is transitive, taking two objects, and means: ‘Zakariyyā was made her guardian,’ by Allah who decreed that and made it easy for him. Ubayy’s copy of the Qur’an has the verb in Form IV (akfalahā) which has a similar meaning to Form II. It is also transitive, and the two verbs before it are also in Form IV. So Allah is speaking about Himself and what he did with her. That is why it is in Form II.

The rest read it as kafala, ascribing the action to Zakariyyā and so Allah informs us that Zakariyyā undertook her care and guardianship as indicated by His words: ‘…which of them would be the guardian of Maryam’ (3:44). Makkī said that it is preferred because Form II derives from Form I because when when Allah made Zakariyyā her guardian, he became her guardian at Allah’s command and because what he did was by Allah’s will and decree. So the two readings are intermeshed.

Hārūn ibn Mūsā ibn Kathīr and Abū ‘Abdullāh al-Muzanī related ‘kafilahā’. Al-Akhfash said that one can say kafala, yakfulu, and kafila, yakfalu, and I have not heard kafula although it has been mentioned.

Ḥafṣ, Ḥamzah and al-Kisā’ī recite Zakariyyā without maddah or hamzah while the rest have a maddah and hamzah as Zakariyā’. The people of Hijaz say Zakariyyā’. The people of Najd elide the alif and say ‘Zakariyy’. There are four dialectical usages. Abū Ḥātim said ‘Zakariyyu’ without inflection because it is a foreign name. This is an error because a name with a yā’ in it like this is inflected, like kursiyy and Yaḥyā. If it is read with a maddah and short, it is not inflected because there is a feminine alif in it, it is foreign and definite.

Every time Zakariyyā visited her in the Upper Room, he found food with her.

The word miḥrāb linguistically denotes the noblest place in an assembly, and it will be dealt with more fully in Sūrah Maryam. Tradition tells us that she was in an upper room and that Zakariyyā visited her by way of a ladder. ‘Adī ibn Zayd said:

When I came to the lady of the miḥrāb, I only reached her by climbing a ladder.

Abū Ṣāliḥ related from Ibn ‘Abbās that ‘Imrān’s wife became pregnant when she was old and made a vow that the child would be devoted to the temple. ‘Imrān said to her, ‘What on earth have you done? What if it is a girl?’ They were both distressed about that. Then ‘Imrān died while Ḥannah was pregnant and she bore a girl and Allah accepted her. Only boys were devoted to the temple, so the rabbis used their reeds, with which wrote they down the Revelation, to draw lots for her care. Zakariyyā became her guardian and found a place for her. When she was older, he arranged an upper room for her which was reached by a ladder. He hired a wet-nurse for her and she used to lock the door and only Zakariyyā went to her until she was an adult. When she menstruated, he moved her to his house and she stayed with her aunt, the wife of Zakariyyā, as al-Kalbī says. Muqātil says that her sister was the wife of Zakariyyā. When she was pure and had purified herself, he took her back to the room. Some of them say that she did not menstruate but was free from that.

When Zakariyyā visited her, he found her with winter fruit in the summer and summer fruit in the winter. He said: ‘Maryam, how did you come by this?’ She answered, ‘It is from Allah.’ That made Zakariyyā yearn for a child and he said, ‘The One who brings her this can also give me a child.’

The preposition ‘annā’ means ‘from where’ as Abū ‘Ubaydah said. An-Naḥḥās said, ‘This is somewhat negligent because ‘ayna’ asks about place and ‘annā’ asks about direction and method. It means: ‘From where and how did this come to you?’ Al-Kumayyat distinguished between them:

How (annā) and from where (ayna) did rapture affect you when there is no youthful passion or doubt?

As for the words: ‘Allah provides…’ It is possible that Maryam said this or that it is Allah speaking. That was the reason for the supplication of Zakariyyā to ask for a child.

Then and there Zakariyyā called on his Lord.

‘There’ (hunālika) can be used for time and place although its basic use is in reference to place. Al-Mufaḍḍal ibn Salamah said that hunālika is about time and hunāka is about place, but one can be used in place of the other.

grant me by Your favour an upright child.

The word ‘hab’ means ‘give’. Dhurriyyah can be singular or plural, male or female. Here it is singular. This is indicated by Allah’s words: ‘…give me an heir (walī) from You’ (19:5) where He uses the singular, not the plural awliyā’. ‘Ṭayyibah’ is in the feminine because of ‘dhurriyah’. This sort of usage is seen in:

Your father another khalīfah bore him And you are a khalifah with that perfection.

Where khalīfah is referred to with a feminine verb (waladat).

It is related from Anas that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If a man dies leaving righteous offspring, Allah will give him the same reward for their actions without that diminishing their rewards at all.’ The derivation of dhurriyyah was discussed in al-Baqarah. ‘Tayyibah’ here means righteous and blessed. The words: ‘You are the Hearer of prayer’ means ‘You accept the prayer.’ We find confirmation of that in the expression: ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him.’

This āyah is evidence that one can ask for a child. It is the sunnah of the Messengers and those who are true. The Almighty says: ‘We sent Messengers before you and gave them wives and children too.’ (11:38) We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ said that ‘Uthmān ibn Maz‘un wanted to be celibate and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade it. He said, ‘If he had permitted it, we would have castrated ourselves.’ Ibn Mājah transmitted from ‘Ā’ishah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Marriage is part of my Sunnah, and whoever does not act by my Sunnah is not with me. Marry. I will have more numbers than other nations by you. If someone is wealthy, he should marry. If he has no wealth, he should fast. It is a shield.’ This is a refutation of those who say that someone who wants a child is stupid. Allah reports that Ibrāhīm said: ‘Make me highly esteemed among the later peoples’ (26:84) and He says: ‘Those who say, ‘Our Lord, give us joy in our wives and children.’ (25:74)

Al-Bukhārī has a chapter on asking for children. The Prophet ﷺ asked Abū Ṭalḥah when his son died, ‘Did you make love to your wife in the night?’ ‘Yes,’ he answered. He said, ‘May Allah bless you in the result of your night.’ She became pregnant. We find in al-Bukhārī that Sufyān said that a man of the Anṣār said, ‘I saw nine children, all of whom recited the Qur’an.’ There is also a chapter on ‘Supplication for many children with blessing.’ Anas ibn Mālik said that Umm Sulaym said, ‘Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah for your servant Anas.’ He said, ‘O Allah, give him much wealth and many children and bless him in what You give him.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘O Allah, forgive Abū Salamah, elevate his rank among the guided and give him successors among his descendants.’ Al-Bukhārī and Muslim transmitted it. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Marry a loving fertile woman. I will have the largest of the nations by you.’ Abū Dāwūd transmitted it.

There are many reports like this which encourage people to seek to have children since a person hopes to gain benefit by that in his life and after his death. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When one of you dies, his actions come to an end except for three,’ and he mentioned ‘a righteous child who prays for him.’ If there had only been this hadith, that would have been enough.

Since this is established, it is obligatory for the human being to make supplication to his Creator to guide his children and spouse to success, guidance, righteousness and chastity and that they help him in his dīn and in worldly things so that he has great benefit from them in this world and the Hereafter. Do you not see that Allah says: ‘…make him, my Lord, pleasing to You’ (19:6) and ‘…give us joy in our wives and children.’ (25:74) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed for Anas: ‘O Allah, give him much wealth and many children and bless him in it.’ Al-Bukhārī and Muslim transmitted this. That is enough.

39 The angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in the Upper Room: ‘Allah gives you the good news of Yaḥyā, who will come to confirm a Word from Allah, and will be a leader and a celibate, a Prophet and one of the righteous.’

The angels called out to him

Ḥamzah and al-Kisā’ī recited ‘fa-nādāhu’ with the alif for the masculine and imālah because its root is a yā’. Ibn ‘Abbās and Ibn Mas‘ūd read it with an alif and Abū ‘Ubayd preferred it. It is related from Jarīr that Mughīrah ibn Ibrāhīm said that ‘Abdullāh [ibn Mas‘ūd] used the masculine for the angels throughout the Qur’an. Abū ‘Ubayd said, ‘We think that he preferred that in order to be different from the idolaters who said that the angels were the daughters of Allah.’

An-Naḥḥās said, ‘This argument is worthless because the Arabs use both feminine and masculine verbs with “men” as well as with “women”, so how can that be used as an argument in the Qur’an? If it had been permitted to use this in the Qur’an as an argument against them, it would have been permitted for them to use in argument the words of Allah: “When the angels said (qālat).” The argument against them is: “Were they present at their creation (hum)?” (43:19) So how can they say that they are female when it is known that this is mere opinion and whim?” ‘Nādāhu’ is permitted in the masculine plural and nādāthu is permitted because ‘group’ is feminine.

Makkī said, ‘Malā’ikah (angels) is a broken plural for sentient beings and the feminine is used as it is for those who are not sentient. Using the feminine hiya, you say, “They (hiya) are men. They are palm stumps. They are camels.” You use the feminine and say, “The Bedouins said.” This is strengthened by its usage here and elsewhere in the Qur’an (6:93, 13:23) So both masculine and feminine are good.

As-Suddī said that it was Jibrīl alone, and that is found in the reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd. It says in an-Naḥl: ‘He sends down angels with the Rūḥ’ (16:2) and He means Jibrīl and the Ṛūḥ is the revelation. It is permitted in Arabic to use the plural for a single person. We see that in the Revelation (3:173) where the plural refers to Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ūd. It is also said that all the angels called to him. That is what is most apparent. It means that the call came from them.

while he was standing in prayer in the Upper Room: ‘Allah gives you the good news of Yaḥyā

‘Anna-llāh’ means ‘bi-anna-llāh’. Ḥamzah and al-Kisā’ī read ‘inna,’ meaning ‘The angels say that Allah…’ The people of Madīnah read ‘yubashshiruka’ while Ḥamzah reads ‘yabshuruka’. The same is true of Ḥumayd ibn al-Qays al-Makkī who has ‘yubshiruka’. The meaning is the same. They are three dialectal possibilities with the same meaning. The evidence for the first is the majority recitation that this is in the past tense or a command. There are many examples of this in the Qur’an. The second reading which is that of ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd which is from bashara, yabshuru, which is the dialect of Tihāmah. [Poetry] The third is from abshara, yubshiru. [Poetry]

The name of Yaḥyā in the first Book was Ḥayā. Sārah was given her name by Ibrāhīm. In Arabic it means, ‘does not give birth’. When he was given the good news of Isḥāq, he called her Sārah and Jibrīl gave her that name. She asked, ‘Ibrāhīm, why did you omit a letter of my name [i.e. Sarai].’ Ibrāhīm asked Jibrīl about that and he said, ‘That letter will be added to the name of a descendant of hers among the best of Prophets. His name is Ḥayā and he will be called Yaḥyā.’ An-Naqqāsh mentioned it. Qatādah said that he was called Yaḥyā because Allah gave him life with faith and Prophethood. Some of them said that he is called that because Allah revived people through his guidance. Muqātīl said that it is derived from the name of Allah, al-Ḥayy (the Living). It is said that it was because he revived the relatives of his mother.

who will come to confirm a Word from Allah.

The ‘Word’ is ‘Īsā according to most commentators. ‘Īsā is called a ‘Word’ because he was brought into existence by the word of Allah ‘Be’ without a father. Abu-s-Sammāl al-‘Adawī recited ‘kilmah’ throughout the Qur’an which is a classical dialectal form. It is said that he is called a Word because people are guided by him as they are guided by the words of Allah. Abū ‘Ubaydah said, ‘a Word from Allah’ is ‘a Book from Allah’. The Arabs call a qaṣīdah (ode) a ‘word’. Many other things are said, but the first is the best known among most scholars.

Yaḥyā was the first to believe in and affirm ‘Īsā. He was three years older than ‘Isā, or six months is also said. They were cousins. When Zakariyyā heard his testimony, he went to him and embraced him while he was wrapped in a cloth. Aṭ-Ṭabarī said, ‘When Maryam was pregnant with ‘Īṣā, her sister was also pregnant with Yaḥyā. She visited her sister and said, “Maryam! Do you know that I am pregnant?” Maryam replied, “Do you know that I am also pregnant?” She said to her, “I felt what is in my womb prostrating to what is in your womb.”’ As-Suddī said that is acknowledgement of His words: ‘…confirm a Word from Allah.’

A ‘leader’ (sayyid) is one who leads his people and whose word is accepted. Its root is saywid. This indicates the permission to call a human being ‘sayyid’ as one can also use ‘azīz (mighty) or karīm (generous) for someone. Indeed, it is related that the Prophet ﷺ said to the tribe of Qurayzah, ‘Rise for your sayyid.’

We find in al-Bukhārī and Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ said about al-Ḥasan, ‘This grandson of mine is a leader and perhaps, by him, Allah will put things right between two great parties of Muslims,’ and that took place. When ‘Alī was slain, more than 40,000 gave allegiance to him, including many who had not joined his father and those who broke their allegiance with him. For about seven months he was Caliph in Iraq and the lands beyond Khorasan. Then he went to Mu‘āwiyah with the people of the Hijaz and Iraq while Mu‘āwiyah went to him with the people of Syria. When the groups saw one another at a place called Maskin in Sawad in the region of Anbar, al-Ḥasan did not want to fight because he knew that neither side would be victorious until many of the other side had been slain and in that way the Muslims would be destroyed. He handed over authority to Mu‘āwiyah with certain stipulations that he made, one of which was that he would have authority after Mu’āwiyah died. Mu‘āwiyah was bound by all of that and the words of the Prophet ﷺ were verified: ‘This son of mine is a leader…’ There is no greater leader than one made a leader by Allah and His Messenger.

Qatādah said that ‘sayyid’ means a leader in knowledge and worship. Ibn Jubayr and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘In knowledge and fear of Allah.’ Mujāhid said, ‘a noble leader.’ Ibn Zayd said, ‘One who is not overcome by anger.’ Az-Zajjāj said, ‘One who is above his peers in every type of good.’ This is comprehensive. Al-Kisā’ī said, ‘A sayyid among goats is one advanced in years.’ A hadith has, ‘…a two-year-old sheep is better than a sayyid goat.’ [Poetry]

‘Celibate’ (ḥaṣūr) is derived from ḥaṣr, meaning confinement. The verbs ḥaṣara and aḥṣara means ‘to confine’. Ibn Mayyādah says:

The shunning of Laylā was not that she kept herself far away From you and work did not detain (aḥṣaratka) you.

A she-camel that is ḥaṣūr has a narrow opening to a teat. A man who is ḥaṣūr does not go to women, as if he was held back from them. Ḥaṣūr and ḥāṣir are used for a man who is confined to bed and does not go out. One says, ‘The people drank, but so-and-so was niggardly (ḥuṣira) with them.’ [Poetry] We find in the Revelation: ‘We have made Hell a prison (ḥaṣīr) for the unbelievers.’ (17:8) Ḥaṣīr is where the king sits because he is veiled from others. [Poetry] Yaḥyā was celibate because he did not approach women, as if he was kept from what men normally do, as Ibn Mas‘ūd and others said, the form fa‘ūl often having a passive meaning, as ḥalūb means ‘milked’. [Poetry] Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās, Ibn Jubayr, Qatādah, ‘Aṭā, and others said that it means he does not approach women although he is able to do so.

This is the soundest of the various views for two reasons. The first is that it is praise for him, and praise is given for an acquired trait which is not generally innate. The second is because it expresses an active choice, meaning that he restrained himself from his appetites. [POEM ON VERB FORM] This might have been part of his Divine Law. Our Law, however, stipulates marriage as was already mentioned. Ibn ‘Abbās, Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyab and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that ḥaṣūr refers to someone who has been castrated. Abū Ṣāliḥ related that Abū Hurayrah said that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Every human being will meet Allah with a sin that he has committed, for which He will either punish him or show mercy to him, except for Yaḥyā the son of Zakariyyā. He was a leader, celibate, a Prophet and one of the righteous.’ It is said that it means he kept himself from disobeying Allah.

As for the expression ‘one of the righteous,’ az-Zajjāj said that the righteous person is the one who practises what Allah has imposed on him and gives people their rights.

40 He said, ‘My Lord, how can I possibly have a son when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?’ He said, ‘It will be so. Allah does whatever He wills.’

It is said that ‘Lord’ here means Jibrīl, and he asked Jibrīl how he could have a son. This is the view of al-Kalbī. Some say that he means Allah. ‘Annā’ means ‘how’. There are two points contained in this question. One is that he asked how he could have a son when he and his wife were of an age when they could not conceive, and the second is that he was asking if he would be given a son from his barren wife or from another woman. It is said that he meant: ‘How can this be the case when I and my wife are in this state’ out of humility.

It is related that the time between his supplication and the good news was forty years, and he was ninety when he received the good news and his wife was a similar age. Ibn ‘Abbās and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that he was 120 and his wife was ninety, since the word, ‘barren’, means too old to conceive. ‘Āqir (barren) can describe a man or woman. The verb is ‘aqara. ‘Uqr and ‘aqārah mean ‘barrenness. It is said that someone is ‘barren’ because it wounds (‘aqara) lineage. Barrenness (‘uqr) in a woman occurs when she is too old to conceive. ‘Āqir is used for a large tract of sand where nothing grows. ‘Uqr refers to the bride-price given to a woman when intercourse with her is a result of dubiousness (or likeness (i.e. to his wife)). It is also used for a cock’s egg. ‘Uqr is a hearth. The ‘uqr of a fire is the middle of it and the ‘aqr of a basin is the end of it where camels stand when they arrive. It is a word with multiple meanings.

The ‘kāf’ in ‘kadhālika’ means: ‘Allah does whatever He wishes like that.’ Ghulām (son) is derived from ghulmah, which is intense desire for intercourse. [Poetry] It denotes a youth whose moustache has started to grow, or it is used for a boy up to the age of seventeen. The plurals are ghilmah and ghilmān. Ghaylmān is a youth or a girl as well as being a male tortoise. The verb ightilama describes the sea when its waves are clashing.

41 He said, ‘My Lord, appoint a Sign for me.’ He said, ‘Your Sign is that you will not speak to people for three days, except by gesture. Remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and after dawn.’

He said, ‘My Lord, appoint a Sign for me.’

When he was given the good news of a son and did not think that it was not within Allah’s power to bring that about, he asked for a sign by which to recognise the soundness of the matter and that it was truly from Allah, and so Allah punished him by afflicting him with the inability to speak to people after the angels had spoken to him. Most commentators have said, ‘It was not an illness or muteness’ which would be a form of punishment. Ibn Zayd said, ‘When Zakariyyā’s wife became pregnant with Yaḥyā, he could not speak to anyone. Although he recited the Qur’an and invoked Allah, he was unable to converse with anyone.’

except by gesture.

Linguistically, ramz (gesture) means to indicate with the lips, but it is also used for indication with the eyebrows, eyes and hands. Its basis is movement. It is said he sought that sign for increased reassurance, meaning, ‘Complete the blessing by giving me a sign so that the sign will be an increase of blessing and honour.’ Then he was told, ‘Your Sign is that you will not speak to people for three days,’ meaning that he would be unable to speak for three days. This is evidence that this was said to him after the angels gave him the good news. The words: ’I created you before, when you were nothing.’ (19:9) mean: ‘I brought you into existence by My power. In the same way I will bring a son into existence for you.’ An-Naḥḥās preferred this view. He said, ‘Qatādah’s statement about Zakariyyā being punished by not being able to speak is rejected because Allah did not inform us that he had sinned nor did He forbid him to do that. His words means: “Give me a sign to indicate the existence of a child since that is hidden from me.”’

‘Ramz’ is in the accusative as a separated exception according to al-Akhfash, Al-Kisā’ī says that the verb is ramaza, yarmuzu and yarmizu. It is also recited as ‘ramazan’ and ‘rumuzan’ whose singular is rumzah.

This āyah is evidence for a gesture being able to take the place of words, which is found a lot in the Sunnah. The strongest example is found in the ruling of the Prophet ﷺ in the case of the black woman when he asked her, ‘Where is Allah?’ and she indicated heaven with her head. He said, ‘Free her. She is a believer.’ So this shows that Islam can be confirmed by gesture, and it is the basis of religion by which blood and life are protected and the Garden and salvation from the Fire are merited. The judgment is that her belief was confirmed in the same way that it would have been if she had expressed it verbally. Therefore gesture must be similarly admissible in every other area of the dīn. This is the view of most fuqahā’.

Ibn al-Qāsim related from Mālik that when a mute person makes a gesture indicating divorce, it is binding. In the case of a man who becomes ill and his tongue is disabled, ash-Shāfi‘ī said that he is like a mute person in respect of taking a wife back and divorce. Abū Ḥanīfah said, ‘It is permitted if the gesture is well known. If it is not, then it is void.’ That judgment is not based on analogy, but on istiḥsān. Analogy would entail it being invalid because he does not speak nor is his gesture understood. Abu-l-Ḥasan ibn Baṭṭāl said, ‘In saying this, Abū Ḥanīfah referred to the fact that he did not know of any sunnah which permitted gestures in different rulings in the dīn.’ Al-Bukhārī attempted to deal with this matter in his chapter, ‘Chapter of gestures in divorce and other matters.’ ‘Aṭā’ said that the words: ‘You will not speak to people’ meant that he should fast for three days because when they fasted they only spoke by gesture. This, however, is unlikely, and Allah knows best.

Some people say that it is permissible for the Qur’an to be abrogated by the Sunnah. Zakariyyā was forbidden to speak when he was able to do so, and this was abrogated by the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘There is no silence in the day until night.’ Most scholars say that it is not abrogated because Zakariyyā was prevented from speaking by some disability which kept him from having the power to speak even though he was healthy. That is what most scholars say. Many scholars believe that the hadith means that there should be no silence where remembrance of Allah is concerned. As for prattle, there is no benefit in it and silence in respect of that is good.

Remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and after dawn.’

He commands him to not abandon dhikr in spite of his tongue being restrained according to the first view. The meaning of dhikr was already discussed in al-Baqarah.

Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b al-Quraẓī said, ‘If anyone had had a licence to abandon dhikr, it would have been Zakariyyā since Allah says: “You will not speak to people for three days, except by gesture. Remember your Lord much…” and there might also have been a licence in battle but Allah says: “When you meet a troop, stand form and remember Allah repeatedly.” (8:45) Aṭ-Ṭabarī mentioned it.

The word ‘glorify’ here means ‘pray’ as the prayer is called glorification since it disconnects Allah from evil. ‘Evening’ (‘ashiy) is the plural of ‘ashīyah. It is also said that it is a singular. Mujāhid said that it is the time from after midday until sunset. In the Muwaṭṭā’, al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad said, ‘None of the people I met prayed Ẓuhr until well after noon.’ Ibkār is from dawn until mid-morning.

42 And when the angels said, ‘Maryam, Allah has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you over all other women. Maryam, Allah has chosen you and purified you.

The words ‘purified you’ refer to purification from disbelief, as Mujāhid and al-Ḥasan said. Az-Zajjāj said it means of all impurities: menstruation, lochia and other things. Allah ‘chose her’ to give birth to ‘Īsā over all the women of her time. Al-Ḥasan, Ibn Jurayj and others say that it means over all women until the Trumpet is sounded, and that is sound as we will explain. That is the position of az-Zajjāj and others.

The word ‘chosen’ is repeated because the first time it means chosen for worship and the second chosen to bear ‘Īsā. Muslim reports that Abū Mūsā said that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There are many perfect men, but the only perfect women are Maryam daughter of ‘Imrān, and Āsiyah, the wife of Pharaoh. ‘Ā’ishah is preferred to other women like tharīd over other types of food.’ Our scholars said that ‘perfect’ means complete. The perfection of each thing is according to what it is. Absolute perfection belongs only to Allah. There is no doubt that the most perfect human beings are the Prophets, then the awliyā’, then the truly sincere, then the martyrs and then the righteous. If this is confirmed, then it is said that the perfection mentioned in the hadith means Prophethood which would necessitate that Maryam and Āsiyyah were Prophets, and that is indeed said. The sound position is that Maryam was a Prophet because Allah gave Revelation to her by means of an angel in the same way that He gave Revelation to the other Prophets. This will be further discussed in Sūrat Maryam. As for Āsiyyah, there is no clear evidence of her Prophethood, but of her ṣīddiqiyyah and excellence, as will be explained in at-Taḥrīm.

It is related by sound paths from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The best of the women of this world are four: Maryam bint ‘Imrān, ‘Āsiyyah bint Muzaḥam, Khadījah bint Khuwaylid and Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad.’ Ibn ‘Abbās reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The best of the women of the Garden are: Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad, Maryam bint ‘Imrān and ‘Āsiyyah bint Muzaḥam, the wife of Pharaoh.’ Another path has: ‘After Maryam, the mistress of the women of the people of the Garden will be Fāṭimah and Khadījah.’

The apparent meaning of the Qur’an and the hadiths demands that Maryam is the best of all the women of the world from Ḥawwā’ to the last woman alive when the Final Hour comes. The angels conveyed to her Revelation from Allah containing responsibility, information and good news, as was conveyed to other Prophets, and so she is a Prophet, and a Prophet is better than a walī. Therefore she is better than all other women, first and last. Next in excellence is Fāṭimah and then Khadījah according to what is related by Ibn ‘Abbās whereby the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The mistress of the women of the world is Fāṭimah, then Khadījah and then Āsiyyah.’ This is a good hadith which gives rises to ambiguity.

Allah singled out Maryam for things He did not give to any other woman: the Spirit of Absolute Purity spoke to her, purified her, blew into her shirt and approached her for that breath. That happened to no other woman. She believed the words of her Lord and did not ask for any sign as proof of the good news as Zakariyyā had done. That is why Allah called her ṣiddīqah in the Revelation when He says ‘a woman of truth’ (5:75) and: ‘She confirmed the words of her Lord and His Books and was one of the obedient’ (66:12). Allah testified that she was a woman of truth and affirmed the words of the good news and testified that she was one of the obedient.

The good news was received by Zakariyyā and he then considered his old age and the barrenness of his wife and asked for a sign. Maryam received the good news of a boy and then considered her virginity and not being touched by a mortal. She was told, ‘That is how it is,’ and she said nothing more and affirmed the words of her Lord and did not ask for any sign as proof. What other woman has possessed these qualities? This is why it is related that she will be among the forerunners to the Garden with the Messengers. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If I were to take an oath, I would carry it out. Only about a dozen men will enter the Garden before the forerunners of my community. They include Ibrāhīm, Ismā‘īl, Isḥāq, Ya‘qūb, the tribes [i.e. Yūsuf and his brothers], Mūsā, ‘Īsā and Maryam bint ‘Imrān.’ Allah knows best.

It is incumbent on someone who follows outward knowledge, and takes outward matters as proof of inward matters, to acknowledge the words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, ‘I am the master of the children of Ādam, and it is no boast’ and, ‘On the Day of Rising the Banner of Praise will be in my hands and the keys of honour will be in my hands. I will be the first to speak, the first to intercede, the first to give good news and the first… and the first…’ He only gained this leadership over the Messengers in this world by something immense inwardly. That is also the case with Maryam. She only obtained Allah’s testimony in Revelation to her being a woman of truth and affirmation in words by her rank of proximity. Those who say that she was not a Prophet said that her seeing of the angel Jibrīl was the same as his being seen by the Companions in the form of Diḥyah al-Kalbī when he asked about Islam and faith. That did not make the Companions Prophets. The first view is clearer and more frequently taken. Allah knows best.

43 Maryam, obey your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow.’

This means to stand a long time in prayer, as Mujāhid said. Qatādah said that it is to be constant in obedience. The meaning of qunūt has already been discussed. Al-Awzā‘ī said, ‘When the angels said that to her, she stood in the prayer until her feet were swollen and ran with blood and pus.’ Prostration is mentioned before bowing because the conjunction ‘wāw’ does not necessarily imply sequence in time. The disagreement about this was mentioned in al-Baqarah (2:158). It is also said that that was the order in their religion (that prostration preceded bowing). ‘Bow with those who bow’ means to pray like them, even if she did not pray with them. It is said that it means the group prayer. This was also already discussed in al-Baqarah.

44 This is news from the Unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their reeds to see which of them would be the guardian of Maryam. You were not with them when they quarrelled.

This is news from the Unseen which We reveal to you.

This is referring to what Allah mentioned about Zakariyyā, Yaḥyā and Maryam. The words: ‘We reveal to you’ are evidence of the Prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ since he was reporting about Zakariyyā and Maryam without having read the previous Books and the People of the Book confirmed it. ‘This’ alludes back to what has just been mentioned. Revelation (waḥy) is sending the Message to the Prophet ﷺ and can mean inspiration and indication and the like. Its linguistic root means ‘to inform in secret’ which is why inspiration is called waḥy. Usage of it is found in the āyah: ‘When I inspired the Disciples…’ (5:111) and: ‘Your Lord revealed to the bees.’ (16:68) It is said that the words: ‘inspired the Disciples’ means ‘commanded them.’ The verb is waḥā and awhā and ramā and armā which mean the same. Al-‘Ajjāj said:

He revealed to it to remain stable and it remained.

Waḥy can also mean speed as we see in the hadith: ‘Speed. Speed. (al-waḥy. al-waḥy.)’ Ibn Fāris says that it means indication, writing and the message and all that entails informing whatever it is. Waḥiyy is quick and waḥā is voice.

You were not with them when they cast their reeds to see which of them would be the guardian of Maryam.

‘You, Muḥammad, were not in their presence.’ Reeds (aqlām), the plural of qalam, are so-called because they have been cut (qalama). It is said that it refers to their arrows. It is also said that it was the reeds with which they wrote the Torah, which is more excellent, since Allah forbade drawing arrows in 5:3, saying that it is ‘deviance’, although doing that is permissible in a different way to the way they were used in the Jāhiliyyah for gambling.

Zakariyyā said, ‘I am more entitled to care for her because I am married to her maternal aunt.’ He was married to Ashya‘ bint Fāqūd, the sister of Ḥannah bint Fāqūd, the mother of Maryam. The tribe of Israel said, ‘We are more entitled. She is the daughter of our scholar.’ So they drew lots. Each one brought his reed and they put them into a river and the one whose reed remained would be the guardian. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The reeds were carried away and that of Zakariyyā rose to the top.’ It was a sign for him because he was a Prophet at whose hands Signs appeared. Something else is also said in respect of the grammar of the sentence which gives the meaning: ‘they were looking to see which of them would be the guardian.’

Some of our scholars use this as evidence that drawing lots is a permissible practice. It is a principle in our Sharī‘ah for all of those who desire fairness in dividing things up. It is a sunnah according to the majority of fuqahā’, when the evidence is equal on both sides, in order to be fair, to calm hearts and to remove suspicion with respect to the allotting. No one is preferred over the other when that for which lots are drawn is the same type of thing, following the Book and the Sunnah. Abū Ḥanīfah and his people reject drawing lots and reject the hadiths about it and claim that there is no sense to it because it is like drawing arrows which Allah has forbidden. Ibn al-Mundhir related that Abū Ḥanīfah permitted it, saying, ‘Lots are not proper by analogy, but we abandon analogy in that case and take the traditions and the Sunnah.’

Abū ‘Ubayd points out, ‘Three Prophets made use of the practice of drawing lots: Yūnus, Zakariyyā, and our Prophet, Muḥammad ﷺ.’ Ibn al-Mundhir said, ‘The allowance for employing the practice of drawing lots is like a consensus among the people of knowledge when deciding how things should be divided between partners and there is no sense in rejecting it.’ At the end of the chapter on testimony, al-Bukhārī has ‘Chapter on drawing lots in difficult cases and the words of Allah: ‘…when they cast their reeds.”’ He includes the hadith of an-Nu‘mān ibn Bashīr: ‘The example of someone who thinks little of the limits of Allah and falls into them is like some people who draw lots on a boat…’ This hadith will be discussed in al-Anfāl and in az-Zukhruf. Al-Bukhārī also has the hadith of Umm al-Alā’ when the Anṣār drew lots for the lodging of the Muhājirūn, and the lot of ‘Uthmān ibn Maẓ‘ūn went to them, and the hadith of ‘Ā’ishah which says: ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wanted to travel, he would draw lots between his wives, and he would travel with whichever wife had her lot drawn.’

The transmission from Mālik varies about someone drawing lots to determine which wife goes on a journey with him. Sometimes he says that one draws lots based on the hadith and sometimes he says that he should travel with the one who is most fitted to that journey. There is the hadith of Abū Hurayrah in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says, ‘If people knew what a reward there was for the call and the first row, and could find nothing but drawing lots for it, they would draw lots.’ There are many hadiths regarding this matter and the methodology of drawing of lots is described in the books of fiqh. Abū Ḥanīfah argues that the discussion of lots in the case of Zakariyyā and the wives of the Prophet ﷺ was in a context when they would in fact consent without lots being drawn and so it was permitted. Ibn al-‘Arabī says that this is weak because the point of drawing lots is to extract a hidden ruling in a case where there is a dispute. That is not the case when there is mutual consent. It is not valid for anyone to say that lots take the place of mutual consent. Lots are never drawn when there is mutual consent. It is always when there is a dispute and begrudgement.

According to ash-Shāfi’īʼ and those who take his position, the description of the methodology of drawing lots is that small pieces of equal size are cut and on each piece the name of the person with a share is written. Then they are placed inside equal-sized nutshells without cracks and left to dry a little. Then a man who was not present puts them in a cloth and covers them with it. Then they are extracted from that. When the name of a man comes out, he is given the portion drawn for him.

The āyah also indicates that a maternal aunt is more entitled to guardianship than all other relatives except the grandmother. The Prophet ﷺ judged that custody of the daughter of Ḥamzah should go to Ja‘far who was married to her maternal aunt, saying, ‘The maternal aunt is in the position of the mother.’ This was already mentioned in al-Baqarah.

Abū Dāwūd transmitted that ‘Alī said, ‘Zayd ibn Ḥārithah went to Makkah and brought Ḥamzah’s daughter. Ja‘far said, “I will take her. I am more entitled to my uncle’s daughter and I am married to her maternal aunt. A maternal aunt is [like the] mother.” ‘Alī said, “I am more entitled to my uncle’s daughter. I am married to the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and so I am more entitled to her.” Zayd said, “I am more entitled to her. I went to her, travelled with her and brought her.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out and the story was told to him. He said, “I judge that the girl should be with Ja‘far. She will be with her maternal aunt and the maternal aunt is like the mother.”’ Ibn Abī Khaythamah mentioned that Zayd ibn Ḥārithah was the executor of Ḥamzah. So according to this, the maternal aunt has more entitlement than the executor. When the cousin is her husband, that does not prevent the maternal aunt from taking custody, even if he is not a maḥram of the girl.

45 When the angels said, ‘Maryam, Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, of high esteem in this world and the Next, and one of those brought near. 46 He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully grown, and will be one of the righteous.’

This āyah indicates the Prophethood of Maryam. The ‘When’ is either connected to ‘quarrelled’ or to ‘you were not with them.’ Abu-s-Sammāl recitation of ‘bi-kalmati’ was already mentioned. ‘His name’ uses the masculine, not the feminine pronoun (for ‘word’) because ‘word’ here refers to ‘son’. Messiah (Masīḥ) is a title of ‘Īsā, and means ‘truthful’ according to Ibrāhīm an-Nakha‘ī. It is said to be an arabicised word and its root has a shīn. So it has various meanings. Ibn Fāris says that masīh is sweat and also means truthful. A dirham which is masīḥ is smooth, without engraving. Masḥ means sexual intercourse. A place which is described as amsaḥ is bare. Masḥā’ is a human with thin thighs and buttocks. Someone is described as having traits (masḥah) of beauty. Masā’iḥ are good bows, the singular being masīḥah. [Poetry]

They disagree about the origin of the term masīḥ in respect of ‘Īsā. It is said that he brushed through (masaḥa) the earth, in that he came to it but did not remain. Ibn ‘Abbās said that he did not wipe over (masaḥa) anyone with a defect without that healing him, which is why he was called Masīḥ. According to this it has the meaning of an active participle. It is said that that was because he was anointed (masīḥ) with the oil of blessings. The Prophets used to be anointed with it and it had a fragrant scent. When he was anointed with it, it was known that he was a Prophet. It is said that it was because beauty touched him and showed on him. It is said that he was called that because he was cleansed with purity from wrong actions.

Abu-l-Haytham said, ‘Masīḥ is the opposite of masīkh. It is said that Allah smoothed (masaḥa) the creation of a person with good blessed character and transformed (masakha) someone’s creation into something ugly and blameworthy.’ Ibn al-A‘rabī said, ‘The Masīh is truthful and the Maskhīh is one-eyed which is why he is the Dajjāl.’ Abū ‘Ubayd said, ‘The root of masīh in Hebrew is mashiḥā and has been Arabicised.’ The Dajjāl is a called a Messiah because one of his eyes is smoothed over (mamsūḥ). Some people call him Mashīkh rather than Masīh although the first is better known. He is called that because he will travel (yasīhu) around in the land and will enter all towns except for Makkah, Madīnah and Jerusalem. The Dajjāl will cause trial (miḥnah) in the land while the son of Maryam brought a gift (minḥah). A poet said:

The Messiah (Masīh) will kill the Messiah (Mashīkh).

We find in Saḥīḥ Muslim from Anas ibn Mālik that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘There is no land where the Dajjāl will not go except for Makkah and Madīnah.’ The hadith of ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr has ‘except the Ka‘bah and Jerusalem.’ Abū Ja‘far aṭ-Ṭabarī mentioned it. Abū Ja‘far aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī added, ‘the mosque of aṭ-Ṭūr’. He related it from Junādah ibn Abī Umayyah from one of the Companions of the Prophet from the Prophet ﷺ.

We find in the hadith of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah from Samurah ibn Jundub that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘He will be victorious over the entire world except for the Ḥaram and Jerusalem. He will lay siege to the believers in Jerusalem.’ We find in Saḥīḥ Muslim: ‘When things are like that, Allah will send the Messiah, son of Maryam and he will descend at the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two yellow garments with his hands on the wings of two angels. When he bows his head, it will seem as if drops are falling from his head. When he raises his head, drops like pearls will fall. Any unbeliever who catches the scent of his breath will die, and his breath will go as far as he can see. He will search for him [the Dajjāl] and will catch him at the gate of Ludd and kill him.’

Finally it is said that there is no derivation for ‘Messiah’ because Allah named him that and so ‘Īsā and Masīḥ are interchangeable. ‘Īsā is a foreign name which is why it is not inflected. If it is Arabicised, it is not inflected in the definite or indefinite because it ends with an alif. They would say that it is from the verb ‘āsa, ya‘ūsu, which is to manage.

of high esteem in this world and the Next, and one of those brought near.

Wajīh (of high esteem) means honoured with high rank and value. According to al-Akhfash, it is in the accusative for the ḥāl. The plural is wujahā’ or wijahā’. ‘One of those brought near’ means brought near to Allah and is added to the words ‘of high esteem’.

He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully grown, and will be one of the righteous,’

‘Cradle’ (mahd) is a place where a child lies during the time of his infancy. The verb means to arrange a matter and smooth it. We find in the Revelation: ‘…making the way easy (yamhadūna) for themselves.’ (30:44) The verb imtihada (Form VIII) is used with something high, like a camel’s hump. The word ‘kahl’ (fully grown) refers to the period between being a boy and being an old man. The term kahlah is used for a woman. Form VIII of the verb is used for a meadow when it is in full bloom. It is said that he spoke to people in the cradle as a sign, and spoke to them when fully grown with Revelation and the Message.

Abu-l-Abbās said, ‘He spoke to them in the cradle to prove his mother’s innocence. He said, “I am the slave of Allah.” (19:30)’ The expression ‘when fully grown’ is said to refer to the fact that when Allah makes him descend from heaven, he will be thirty-three. He will be fully grown and will say to them, ‘I am the slave of Allah’ as he said in the cradle. So both ages are signs and proofs.

Al-Mahdawī said, ‘The point of the āyah is that Allah informs them that ‘Isā will speak to them in the cradle and live until he is fully grown. That is because the norm was that someone who spoke in the cradle did not survive for long.’ Az-Zajjāj said that it means ‘he will speak to them when fully grown.’ Al-Farrā’ and al-Akhfash said that it is added to ‘of high esteem’. It is said that it means that he will speak to people as a child and when fully grown.

Ibn Jurayj related that Mujāhid said that the word ‘kahl’ means being forbearing, but an-Nahhās said that this is not recognised as a linguistic usage. Those who study language say that it means the age of forty. Some of them say that one is a child until the age of sixteen, a youth until the age of thirty-two and then mature at thirty-three, as al-Akhfash said. The words among ‘among the righteous’ is supplementary to ‘of high esteem’ and means ‘among the righteous worshippers.’

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah mentioned from ‘Abdullāh ibn Idrīs from Ḥuṣayn that Hilāl ibn Yasāf said, ‘Only three people spoke in the cradle: ‘Īsā, the child in the story of Yūsuf, and the child in the story of Jurayj.’ We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Only three spoke in the cradle: ‘Īsā ibn Maryam, the child in the story of Jurayj, and the infant who was being suckled by his mother when a tyrant [passed].’

It was reported from Ṣuhayb in the story of the story of the Trench: ‘A woman was brought to be thrown in the fire on account of her faith with an infant.’ It has in a version other than that in Muslim: ‘She held back from being thrown into it and the child said, “Mother, be steadfast! You are following the truth!”’

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘Six spoke in the cradle: the witness for [the Prophet] Yūsuf, the child of the hairdresser of the wife of Pharaoh, ‘Īsā, Yaḥyā, the child in the story of Jurayj, and child in the story of the tyrant.’ He did not mention the Trench. If that is included, it is seven. There is no contradiction between this and the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Only three spoke in the cradle.’ He reported about what he knew that had been revealed to him at that time. Then later Allah informed him about whatever further He wished and he reported that.

The story about Yūsuf will be dealt with later, Allah willing. The story about Jurayj, the one about the tyrant, and the story about the Trench are found in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. The story of the Trench will be found in Sūrat al-Burūj, Allah willing.

As for the story of the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s wife, al-Bayhaqī mentioned from Ibn ‘Abbās that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When I was taken on the Night Journey, a pleasant fragrance reached me and I asked, “What is this fragrance?” They said, “It is the fragrance of the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s daughter and her children. [While she was combing her hair], the comb fell from her and she said, ‘In the Name of Allah.’” Pharaoh’s daughter asked, ‘My father?’ She answered, ‘My Lord, your Lord and your father’s Lord.’ She said, ‘Do you have a Lord other than my father?’ She replied, ‘Yes, my Lord, your Lord and your father’s Lord is Allah.’ He summoned her and demanded, ‘Do you have a Lord other than me?’ ‘Yes,’ she answered, ‘my Lord and your Lord is Allah.’ He ordered a hollow brass cow to be heated up and then commanded that she be thrown into it. She said, ‘I have something to request of you.’ ‘What is it?’ he asked, She said, ‘Put my bones and those of my children in the same place.’ He said, ‘I will grant that to you because of what I owe you.’ He gave the command and they were thrown one by one into it until it reached the suckling babe. It said, ‘Mother! Do not hold back! We are following the truth.’”’ Then he said, ‘Four spoke when they were infants: this one, the witness of Yūsuf, the child with Jurayj and ‘Īsā ibn Maryam.’

47 She said, ‘My lord! How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?’ He said, ‘It will be so.’ Allah creates whatever He wills. When He decides on something, He just says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.

She addressed Jibrīl because he is the one who appeared to her as the messenger of her Lord saying, ‘I am your Lord’s messenger to give you a pure son.’ When she heard that, she asked about how that would occur without sexual intercourse, noting that the normal means of conception was through sexual intercourse either in marriage or fornication. Stressing that, her words are reported in Sūrat Maryam: ‘I am not an unchaste woman’ (19:20) because the words ‘no man has ever touched me’ include both the lawful and the unlawful. It is said that she did not think that anything was impossible for Allah’s power, but she wanted to know how that would occur: by a future husband or by Allah’s direct creation. When Jibrīl said, ‘It will be so! Your Lord says, “That is easy for Me to do”’ (19:9), he breathed into the collar and sleeve of her shift, as Ibn Jurayj says.

Ibn ‘Abbās said that Jibrīl touched the sleeve of her shift with his finger and breathed into it and she conceived immediately. Various other things are said as well, and this will be discussed in Sūrat Maryam, Allah willing.

One of them said that Jibrīl breathed into her womb and it attached itself. One of them said that it is not permitted that the creation be from the breath of Jibrīl because then the child would be part angel and part human, but rather the reason for that is that when Allah Almighty created Ādam and took the covenant from his progeny, he put some of the fluid in the loins of fathers and some in the wombs of mothers. When the two fluids meet, a child is produced. Allah gave Maryam both fluids: some in her womb and some in her spine. Jibrīl breathed into her to stimulate her desire because as long as a woman does not have her desire ignited, she does not become pregnant. When that happened by Jibrīl’s breath, the fluid in her spine descended into her womb and the two fluids mixed and the foetus was attached. That is why Allah then says: ‘When He decides on something,’ meaning when He wants to create something. This was discussed in al-Baqarah.

48 He will teach him the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel, 49 as a Messenger to the tribe of Israel, saying: ‘I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. I will create the shape of a bird out of clay for you and then breathe into it and it will be a bird by Allah’s permission. I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead to life, by Allah’s permission. I will tell you what you eat and what you store up in your homes. There is a Sign for you in that if you are believers.

He will teach him the Book and Wisdom,

Ibn Jurayj said that the Book refers to writing and script. It is said that the Book is other than the Torah and the Gospel which Allah taught ‘Īsā.

as a Messenger to the tribe of Israel, saying:

‘As a Messenger’ either means, ‘We will make him a Messenger’ or ‘He will speak to them as a Messenger.’ It is also said that it is joined to the words ‘of high esteem.’ Al-Akhfash said, ‘If you wish, you can make the wāw before Messenger interpolated while the word “Messenger” is a ḥāl modifying hā’ (him). It implies: “He will teach him the Book as a Messenger.”’ We find in a long hadith reported by Abū Dharr: ‘The first of the Prophets of the tribe of Israel was Mūsā and the last was ‘Īsā.’

I will create the shape of a bird out of clay for you and then breathe into it and it will be a bird by Allah’s permission.

It means: ‘I will form and fashion it for you.’ Al-A‘raj and Abū Ja‘far recited ‘shape’ as ‘ka-hayyati’ while the rest have it as ‘ka-hay’ati’ with a hamzah. The word ‘ṭayr’ (bird) can be masculine or plural. ‘Breathe into it’ means into part of it or into the clay. It became a bird. ‘Bird’ is read as ṭā’ir or ṭayr.

Wahb said, ‘It flew as long as the people were looking at it. When they stopped looking at it, it fell down dead so as to distinguish the action of creation from the action of Allah.’ It is said that he only created a bat which has the full form of the bird so as to be more extensive in power because it has teats, teeth and ears. It menstruates, becomes pure and gives birth.’

It is said that they asked for the creation of a bat because it is the most wondrous of all creation. Among its wonders is that it is flesh and blood, flies without feathers, reproduces as mammals reproduce, without eggs like other birds, and it produces milk. It is not seen in the light of day or in darkest night, but at sunset and dawn. It laughs like a human being and menstruates like a human being. It is said that the people asked him for a sign out of their obstinacy, saying, ‘Create a bat for us and put a spirit into it if you are telling the truth.’ So he took some clay and fashioned a bat from it and then breathed into it and it flew in the sky. The fashioning and breathing was from ‘Īsā and the creation was from Allah, in the same way that the breathing [into Maryam] was from Jibrīl, and the creation was from Allah.

I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead to life, by Allah’s permission.

Ibn ‘Abbās and Abū ‘Ubaydah said that akmah is someone who is born blind. Ibn Fāris also said that. Suwayd said:

His eyes were blind (akmah) so that they were white.

Mujāhid said that akmah is the one who can see in the day but not at night. ‘Ikrimah said that akmah means someone who is dim-sighted, but linguistically it refers to blindness. The verb is kamiha, yakmahu, kamah. Form II is also used to mean to make blind.

A leper (abraṣ) is someone suffering from white leprosy which is a whiteness that shows on the skin. Abraṣ also means the moon. ‘Sāmm abraṣ’ is an albino. These two ailments are mentioned because medicine was important in the time of ‘Īsā and so Allah showed them that type of miracle.

He brought four individuals back to life: a friend of his, the son of the old woman, the daughter of a tax-collector, and Sām ibn Nūḥ. Allah knows best. The friend had died some days before and He prayed to Allah and he rose by Allah’s permission, lived and had a child. The son of the old woman had passed by him being carried on a bed and he prayed to Allah and he got up, wrapped in his shroud, and carried the bed on his shoulder and returned to his family. He went to the daughter of the tax-collector in the night and prayed to Allah for her. She lived and had children.

When they saw that, they said, ‘He has brought back to life those who have recently died. Perhaps they were not dead but in a stupor.’ So he brought to life Sām ibn Nūḥ. He said, ‘Show me his grave.’ He went out with the people to his grave and he prayed to Allah and he came out of his grave, white-haired. ‘Īsā asked him, ‘Why is your hair white when there was no white hair in your time?’ He answered, ‘Spirit of Allah, you summoned me and I heard a voice saying, “Respond to the Spirit of Allah!” I thought that the Day of Rising had come and terror of that turned my hair white.’ He asked him about the wresting of the soul at death. He said, ‘Spirit of Allah, the bitterness of the wresting has not left my throat.’ He had died more than four thousand years earlier. He told the people, ‘Affirm him. He is a Prophet.’ Some people believed him and said that he was a Prophet and some said that it was sorcery.

It is related from Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Ayyāsh from Muḥammad ibn Ṭalḥah from a man that when ‘Īsā wanted to bring the dead to life, he would pray two rak‘ahs and recite Surat al-Mulk (67) in the first and Surat as-Sajdah (32) in the second. When he finished, he praised Allah and then invoked his seven names: ‘O Ancient! O Hidden! O Constantly Abiding! O Unique! O Odd! O One! O Everlasting Sustainer!’ Al-Bayhaqī mentioned it and said that its isnād is not strong.

I will tell you what you eat and what you store up in your homes.

That is because when he brought the dead back to life, they asked for another sign and said, ‘Tell us what we eat in our houses and store up for the tomorrow.’ He told them in detail: ‘You, you ate such-and-such, and you, you ate such-and-such and stored up such-and-such.’ Mujāhid, az-Zuhrī and as-Sakhtiyānī recited ‘mā tadhkharūna’. Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr and others said, ‘He used to tell the children in the school what they stored up until their fathers forbade them to sit with him.’ Qatādah said, ‘He told them what they ate from the table and what they secretly stored from it.’

50 I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So have taqwā of Allah and obey me. 51 Allah is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him. That is a straight path.’

The word ‘confirming’ is an adverbial ḥāl joined to ‘Messenger’. ‘What I find already there’ is what came before him. It is said that ‘Īsā made lawful to them what they had been forbidden in the Torah because of their wrong actions, such as eating fat and animals with claws. It is said that he made lawful for them what their rabbis had forbidden them that was not actually forbidden in the Torah. Abū ‘Ubaydah said that ‘some’ can mean ‘all’. [Poetry] This is wrong theoretically and linguistically and wrong in the context because ‘Īsā allowed them certain foods that Mūsā had forbidden them, such as eating fat and others things, but did not make lawful for them killing, stealing or fornication. The evidence for this is what is related from Qatādah: ‘‘Īsā brought what was more lenient than Mūsā because Mūsā brought the prohibition of camels and fat and ‘Īsā made some of that lawful.’

An-Nakha‘ī recited ‘ḥaruma’. ‘Some’ means ‘all’ which something is added to it which indicates it as we see in the words of the poet:

You have destroyed Abū Mundhir. Let some of us remain.

Inside you some evil is easier than other kinds.

In the words ‘I have brought you a Sign from your Lord’ the singular for ‘sign’ is used although they are several, and so it is generic. They are all proofs of his Prophethood.

52 When ‘Īsā sensed unbelief on their part, he said, ‘Who will be my helpers to Allah?’ The disciples said, ‘We are Allah’s helpers. We believe in Allah. Bear witness that we are Muslims.

When ‘Īsā sensed unbelief on their part,

This means on the part of the tribe of Israel. The word ‘sensed’ here means knew and found, as az-Zajjāj said. Abū ‘Ubaydah says that it means ‘recognised’. The root of that is knowing about the existence of the thing by touching it, so ‘sensing’ is knowledge of the thing. Allah says: ‘Do you see (sense) a trace of any one of them?’ (19:98) The word ‘ḥass’ means killing. Allah says: ‘…when you were slaughtering them (taḥussūnahum) by His permission.’ (3:152) There is also the hadith about the locusts: ‘The cold killed (ḥassahu) them.’ ‘Unbelief’ here means disbelief in Allah. It is said that it means hearing words of disbelief from them. Al-Farrā’ said, ‘They wanted to kill him.’

he said, ‘Who will be my helpers to Allah?’

This is asking for help against them. As-Suddī, ath-Thawrī and others said, ‘The meaning is “with Allah”.’ Allah knows best. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘It means, “Who will be my helpers on the Path to Allah” because he called them to Allah.’ It is said that it means, ‘Who will add their help to that of Allah?’ These are two excellent views. He asked for help to defend his people and make the Call to Islam public. Al-Ḥasan and Mujāhid said that. This is the custom of Allah for His Prophets and awliyā’. Lūṭ said: ‘If only I had the strength to combat you or could take refuge in some powerful support’ (11:80). He meant a clan and companions to help him.

The disciples said, ‘We are Allah’s helpers. We believe in Allah.

The helpers are those who help Allah’s Prophet and His dīn. The ‘disciples’ are the companions of ‘Īsā, who were twelve men according to al-Kalbī and Abū Rawq. There is disagreement about why they were called ‘ḥawwāriyyūn’. Ibn ‘Abbās said that they were called that because of the whiteness of their garments and that they were fishermen. Ibn Abī Najīḥ and Ibn Arṭāh said that they were fullers and were called that because of the whiteness of their garments. ‘Aṭā’ said, ‘Maryam exposed ‘Īsā to various types of work. The last of these was that of the disciples who were fullers and dyers. ‘Īsā’s teacher wanted to travel and he told ‘Īsā, ‘I have many garments of different colours. I have taught you how to dye, so dye them.’ ‘Īsā heated one pot and put all the garments in it and said, ‘By Allah’s permission, be what I want from you.’ The fuller arrived while all the garments were in the pot. When he saw it, he said, ‘You have ruined them!’ Then ‘Īsā brought a red garment, a yellow one, a green one, and other colours and his dye was written on each of them. The fuller was astonished and realised that that was from Allah. He summoned the people to him and they believed in him. So they are the Disciples.

Qatādah and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said they were called that because they were the elite companions of the Prophet because of the purity of their hearts. It is said that they were kings and each king prepared food and invited people to come to it. ‘Īsā was seated at a bowl whose contents did not decrease. The king asked him, ‘Who are you?’ ‘Īsa son of Maryam,’ he answered. He said, ‘I leave you this kingdom of mine and will follow you.’ He went with those with him and they were the disciples. Ibn ‘Awn said that.

The root of ḥawar linguistically is whiteness. The verb ḥawwara is used for bleaching a garment. Huwwārā is white food. The verb iḥwarra means to become white. A bowl that is muḥawwarah is whitened. Ḥawārī also means ‘helper’ as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Every Prophet has a helper, and my helper is az-Zubayr.’ Ḥawāriyyāt means women because of their whiteness. [Poetry]

53 Our Lord, we believe in what You have sent down and have followed the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses.’

It means that they say: ‘We believe in what is in Your Book and what has appeared of Your judgment.’ The Messenger is ‘Īsā. ‘The witnesses’ are the community of Muhammad ﷺ as Ibn ‘Abbas stated. It means: ‘Confirm our names with their names and place us among them.’ It is also said that it means: ‘Write us down with those who testify that Your Prophets told the truth.’

54 They plotted and Allah plotted. But Allah is the best of plotters.

The people who ‘plotted’ were the unbelievers of the tribe of Israel in whom he sensed unbelief, in other words they plotted to kill him. That was when ‘Īsā and his mother were expelled by his people from among them and he returned to them with the Disciples. He proclaimed the call among them and they wanted to kill him and plotted to assassinate him. That was their plotting. The plotting of Allah is when He draws on His slaves from where they do not know, as al-Farrā’ and others said. Ibn ‘Abbās said: ‘Whenever they commit an error, He renews blessing for them.’ Az-Zajjāj said, ‘It is Allah’s repaying them for their plotting. He named it by the original action which led to it.’ We have examples of that in 2:15 and 4:142. This was already discussed in al-Baqarah.

The linguistic root of makr (plot) is using stratagems and deceit. Makr is a plump shank and a type of garment. Makr is a type of plant. It is said that it is russet as Ibn Fāris said.

It is said that Allah’s plotting was casting the shape of ‘Īsā on someone else while raising ‘Īsā to Him when the Jews agreed to kill him. They entered the house and he fled from them and Jibrīl took him up from the window to heaven. Their ruler told a vile man among them called Yahūdhā, ‘Go in and kill him. He entered by the window and did not find ‘Īsā there. Allah then made him resemble ‘Īsā. When he came out looking like ‘Īsā’, they seized him, killed him and crucified him. Then they said, ‘His face is like that of ‘Īsā, but his body is like that of our fellow! If this is our fellow, then where is ‘Īsā? If this is ‘Īsā, where is our fellow?’ They began to fight among themselves and killed one another. This is what is meant by the āyah although other things are said as well.

Mākir is an active participle from makara, yamkuru. Some scholars consider ‘the Best of plotters’ to be one of the names of Allah Almighty and say in supplication, ‘O Best of plotters, plot for me and not against me.’ The Prophet ﷺ used to say in his supplication, ‘O Allah, plot for me and not against me!’ We have mentioned this in Kitāb al-Asnā. Allah knows best.

55 When Allah said, ‘‘Īsā, I will take you back and raise you up to Me and purify you of those who disbelieve. And I will place the people who follow you above those who disbelieve until the Day of Rising. Then you will all return to Me, and I will judge between you regarding the things about which you differed.

When Allah said, ‘‘Īsā, I will take you back and raise you up to Me

The order here is not sequential as is stated by a group of people with grasp of meanings, including aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and al-Farrā’. They say that the wāw does not entail time sequence. It means: ‘I will raise you to Me, purify you of those who disbelieve and make you die after you descend from heaven’ as in His words: ‘And were it not for a prior word from your Lord, and a specified term, it would inevitably have already taken place.’ (20:129) A poet said:

O palm tree from a root, May the mercy and peace of Allah be on you!

And the order of the words is reversed.

Al-Ḥasan and Ibn Jurayj said that ‘take back’ means to take and raise to heaven without him dying. You use the same verb for taking property from a person. Wahb ibn Munabbih said, ‘Allah made ‘Īsā die for three hours and then raised him to heaven.’ This, however, is unlikely because of the sound reports from the Prophet ﷺ about his descent and killing of the Dajjāl as we explained in Kitāb at-Tadhkirah. Ibn Zayd said that ‘take back’ and ‘raise’ mean the same and he has not yet died. Ibn Abī Ṭalḥah related from Ibn ‘Abbās that it means: ‘make you die’. Ar-Rabī‘ ibn Anas said that it is the ‘death’ of sleep. The Almighty says: ‘It is He who takes you back to Himself at night.’ (6:60) This means that He makes you sleep because sleep is the brother of death. The Prophet ﷺ was asked, ‘Is there sleep in the Garden?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘sleep is the brother of death and there is no death in the Garden.’ Ad-Dāraquṭnī transmitted it. The sound position is that Allah raised him to heaven without that being through death or sleep, as was stated by al-Ḥasan and Ibn Zayd. Aṭ-Ṭabarī preferred it and it is sound from Ibn ‘Abbās. Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘The story is that ‘Īsā gathered the Disciples in a room. There were twelve of them. The Messiah entered by a niche in the room and Iblīs informed all the Jews about that. About four thousand of them met and attacked the door of the room. The Messiah said to the Disciples, “Which of you will go out and be killed and be with me in Paradise?” One man said, “I will, Prophet of Allah.” He gave him a woollen shirt and turban and handed him his staff and he was made to look like ‘Īsā. He went out to the Jews and they crucified and killed him. Allah robed the Messiah in feathers, clothed him in light and cut him off from the pleasure of food and drink, and he flew with the angels.’

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah mentioned from Abū Mu‘āwiyah from al-A‘mash from al-Minhāl from Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘When Allah Almighty wanted to raise ‘Īsā to heaven, he came out to his twelve Companions from part of the room with his head dripping with water. He said to them, “One of you will deny me twelve times after he has believed in me.” Then he asked, “Which of you will take on my resemblance and be killed in my place and be with me in my degree?” One of their youngest stood and said, “I will!” ‘Īsā said, “Sit down.” Then he repeated the request and the young man stood and said, “I will!” ‘Īsā said, “Sit down.” Then he repeated the request yet again and the young man stood and said, “I will!” He said, “Yes then. It will be you.” So Allah made him resemble ‘Īsā.’ Allah Almighty raised ‘Īsā to heaven from an aperture in the room. Some of the Jews came, looking for him, and seized the one who looked like him and killed him and then crucified him. One of them denied him twelve times after having believed in him. They split into three groups. One group said, “God was among us for as long as he wished and then ascended to heaven.” They are the Jacobites. Another group said, “The son of God was among us for as long as he wished and then Allah raised him to heaven.” They are the Nestorians. Another group said, “The slave of Allah and His Messenger was among us for as long as he wished and then Allah raised him to Him.” They are the Muslims. The two unbelieving groups fought the Muslim group and killed them. Islam remained extinct until Allah sent Muḥammad ﷺ. Allah revealed: “One faction of the tribe of Israel believed and the other disbelieved. So We supported those who believed…” (61:14) This means that their forefathers believed in the time of ‘Īsā and “…against their enemy” means by making their dīn triumph over that of the unbelievers “… and they became victorious.”’

We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘By Allah, the son of Maryam will descend as a just judge and will break the crosses, kill the pigs and remove the jizyah, and there will be so much wealth that no one will have to strive for it. Rancour, mutual hatred and mutual envy will be removed. People will be invited to receive wealth and no one will accept it.’ He also related that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘By the One Who has my soul in His hand, the son of Maryam will say the talbiyah for ḥajj or ‘umrah or both at the ravine of ar-Rawḥā’.’

He will not bring a new Law and so abrogate our Sharī‘ah, but he will renew what has fallen into misuse of it. It is as we find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘How will you be when the son of Maryam descends among you and your imam is from you?’ Ibn Abī Dhi’ib said, ‘Do you know what is meant by “your imam is from you?”’ The transmitter asked him to tell him and he said, ‘He will lead you by the Book of your Almighty Lord and the Sunnah of your Prophet ﷺ.’ We further clarified this in Kitāb at-Tadhkirah.

The root of ‘mutawaffīka’ is ‘mutawaffiyuka’ and the ḍammah is elided because it is heavy. It is the predicate of inna, and ‘raise you’ is added to it as is ‘purify you’ and ‘place’. ‘Jā‘ilu’ is permitted to be ‘jā’ilun’. It is said that there is a complete stop at ‘purify you of those who disbelieve.’ An-Naḥḥās said that it is a good position.

The you in ‘the people who follow you’ refers to Muḥammad ﷺ. The words ‘…above those who believe’ means by the proof and establishing the evidence. ‘The people who follow you’ is addressed to Muḥammad ﷺ, although aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and Muḥammad ibn Abān say that the Disciples are meant. Allah knows best.

56 As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them with a harsh punishment in this world and the Next World. They will have no helpers.’ 57 As for those who believe and do right actions, We will pay them their wages in full. Allah does not love wrongdoers. 58 That is what We recite to you of the Signs and the wise Reminder.

They will be punished in this world by killing, crucifixion, capture and the payment of jizyah, and in the Next World by the Fire.

59 The likeness of ‘Īsā in Allah’s sight is the same as Ādam. He created him from earth and then He said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was. 60 It is the truth from your Lord so do not be among the doubters.

This is evidence for the validity of using analogy. The comparison between ‘Īsā and Ādam was based on the fact that, like Ādam, ‘Īsā was created without a father not that he was created from dust. The one resembles the other, even if there is a great difference between them, in that single attribute. Ādam was created from dust and ‘Īsā was not, and there is a difference between them in this respect. But the similarity between them was that they were both created without a father and because the basis of their creation was dust. Ādam was not created from dust itself, but the dust became mud and then clay, and then he was created from that. Similarly, ‘Īsā went from one state to another and then became a human being without a father.

This āyah was revealed about the delegation of Najrān when they denied the words of the Prophet ﷺ: ‘‘Īsā is the slave of Allah and His Word.’ They said, ‘Show us a slave created without a father!’ The Prophet ﷺ replied, ‘Ādam. Who was his father? Do you then wonder at Īsā not having a father? Ādam had neither father nor mother.’ That is referred to by the words of Allah: ‘Every time they come to you with a difficult point, We bring you the truth and the best of explanations.’ (25:33)

It is also related that when the Prophet ﷺ invited them to Islam, they said, ‘We were Muslims before you,’ he said, ‘You lie. Three things keep you from Islam: your statement that Allah has had a son, your eating pork and your bowing to the cross.’ They asked, ‘So who was ‘Isā’s father?’ Then Allah revealed this āyah up until ‘upon the liars.’ (3:61)

When he invited them to mutually curse one another, they said to one other, ‘If you do it, the wadi will be filled with fire against you.’ They asked, ‘Do you offer us something else?’ He said, ‘It is either Islam, jizyah, or war.’ They agreed to pay jizyah.

The words end at ‘Ādam’. The verb ‘was (yakūn)’ is in the future tense while the past tense is meant as is understood from the meaning. Al-Farrā’ said that ‘It is the truth from your Lord’ is in the nominative by an implied ‘It is’. It is a new sentence whose predicate is ‘from your Lord’. It is said that it is an active participle, i.e. ‘The truth has come to you.’

Do not be among the doubters

This is addressed to the Prophet ﷺ, but what is meant is his community because he had no doubts about the story of ‘Īsā.

61 If anyone argues with you about him after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come then! Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us make earnest supplication and call down the curse of Allah upon the liars.’

If anyone argues with you about him after the knowledge that has come to you,

‘If, Muḥammad, anyone argues with you and debates with you about ‘Īsā after you know that he is the slave and Messenger of Allah.’

say, ‘Come then! Let us summon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us make earnest supplication and call down the curse of Allah upon the liars.’

The form ‘ta‘ālaw’ was used for someone respected and with a high position and then was used to ask anyone to come forward. It will be further explained in al-A‘nām. This shows that the term ‘sons’ can refer to grandsons since the Prophet ﷺ brought al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn with Fāṭimah walking behind and ‘Alī behind her. He said to them, ‘If I supplicate, then say, “Āmīn.’” Ibtihāl is intense supplication as Ibn ‘Abbās said. Abū ‘Ubaydah and al-Kisā’ī said that it is to curse one another. The root of ibtihāl is striving in supplication with curses and other things. Labīd said:

Time looked at the mature masters of his people and strove (ibtihala) [to destroy them].

Bahl means cursing, and a small amount water. Abhala (Form IV) is to leave someone to himself or to his own will. Form I is used in the same way. Ibn ‘Abbās said that it is about the delegation of Najrān. Their leaders were the ‘Āqib (leader), the Sayyid (master) and Ibn Ḥarith.

This āyah is one of those informing about the Prophethood of Muḥammad ﷺ because when he invited them to mutual cursing, they refused and were content to pay the jizyah after their leader told them if they engaged in mutual cursing, the wadi would have been filled with fire against them and that Muḥammad is a Prophet with a Message. He told them that they knew that he had brought definitive information deciding what is true about ‘Īsā. So they did not accept the mutual curse and went to their land having agreed to pay the jizyah: every year a thousand fine robes in Ṣafar and a thousand in Rajab. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made peace with them on that basis.

Most scholars said that what the Prophet ﷺ said about al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, ‘…let us summon our sons and your sons’ and about al-Ḥasan, ‘This son of mine is a master’, are specifically for al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn: the Prophet ﷺ called them his sons rather than anyone else since he ﷺ said, ‘Every cause and lineage will be cut off on the Day of Rising except for my lineage and cause.’ That is why some of the people of ash-Shāfi‘ī say about someone who makes a bequest to the child of a certain person who had no children, but had grandchildren from a son and from a daughter, that the bequest goes to the child of the son, but not of the daughter. That is the position of ash-Shāfi‘ī. This will be further dealt with in al-An‘ām and az-Zukhruf, Allah willing.

62 This is the true account: there is no other god besides Allah. Allah – He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. 63 And if they turn away, Allah knows the corrupters.

‘This’ indicates the Qur’an and the stories it contains. It is called an ‘account’ because the meanings follow one another in it, as qaṣṣa can also mean ‘to follow’. In the phrase ‘there is no other god besides Allah,’ ‘min’ is added for stress. The Almighty (al-‘Azīz) is the One Who cannot be overcome and the All-Wise (al-Ḥakīm) is the One with wisdom. This has already been discussed.

64 Say, ‘People of the Book! come to a proposition which is the same for us and you – that we should worship none but Allah and not associate any partners with Him and not take one another as lords besides Allah.’ If they turn away, say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’

Say, ‘People of the Book! come to a proposition which is the same for us and you

According to al-Ḥasan, Ibn Zayd and as-Suddī, this is addressed to the people of Najrān. According to Qatādah, Ibn Jurayj and others, it is addressed to the Jews of Madīnah. They are addressed in that way because they turned their rabbis into Lords in the way they obeyed them. It is also said that it is addressed to both the Jews and the Christians. The Prophet ﷺ also quoted this āyah in his letter to Heraclius. He said, ‘In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, Most Merciful. From Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Heraclius, ruler of Byzantium. Peace be upon whomever follows the guidance. I invite you to Islam. Become Muslim and you will be safe. Become Muslim and Allah will double your reward. If you turn away, then you bear the sin of your subjects. “‘People of the Book! come to a proposition which is the same for us and you – that we should worship none but Allah and not associate any partners with Him and not take one another as lords besides Allah.’ If they turn away, say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’”’

The word sawā’ means justice and fairness. Qatādah said that. Zuhayr said:

Show me a course of action with no unfairness in it, in which we are equal.

Al-Farrā’ said, ‘Both siwā and suwā have the meaning of equality.’ It is used in 20:58. He said that the reading of ‘Abdullāh has ‘‘adl’ instead of ‘sawā’’. The reading of Qa‘nab has ‘kilmah’. It means: ‘Respond to what we invite you to. It is a just, upright proposition which does not deviate at all from the truth,’ which He, ta‘ālā, explained by his words: ‘that we should worship none but Allah.’

and not take one another as lords besides Allah

‘An’ [collected to allā] is in the genitive for the appositive for ‘proposition’ or in the nominative by an implied inchoative. It means: ‘We only worship Allah’ or it is explanative without any place. [OMISSION] Al-Kisā’ī and al-Farrā’ said that the phrase ‘not associate any partners with Him and not take’ is in the jussive, imagining that there is no ‘an’ at the beginning of the words.

It means, ‘We do not follow others in their making anything lawful or unlawful except regarding what Allah Himself has made lawful.’ It is similar to Allah’s words: ‘They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah.’ (9:31) It means: ‘They raised them to the station of their Lord by accepting their making things ḥarām or ḥalāl which Allah had not.’ This indicates the falsity of the position of pure istiḥsān which is not based on any legal proof. Aṭ-Ṭabarī said, ‘It is like the rulings by istiḥsān of Abū Ḥanīfah in the determinations he made without any clear reliance on a source.’ It also refutes the Rāfidite Shi‘ites who say that one must accept the position of the Imām without any legal clarification: he can make lawful what Allah has made unlawful without explaining what he has relied on in the Sharī’ah in doing that. Arbāb (lords) is the plural of rabb. The word ‘besides’ (dūn) means ‘other than’.

If they turn away, say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’

‘If they turn away’ from what they are being called to, ‘say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims,”’ meaning, ‘we are ascribed to the dīn of Islam, obeying its judgments and acknowledging that Allah has given us favours and blessings in respect of that without taking anyone else as a Lord, not ‘Īsā, ‘Uzayr or the angels, because they are temporal beings just as we are. We do not accept any of the prohibitions made by the monks prohibiting things which Allah has not prohibited to us. If we did that, we would be accepting them as lords.’ ‘Ikrimah said that the meaning of ‘take’ here is ‘prostrate to’. It was already mentioned that prostration to people had existed until the time of the Prophet ﷺ and then the Prophet forbade Mu‘ādh to prostrate to him as was explained in al-Baqarah. Anas ibn Mālik said, ‘We asked, “Messenger of Allah, shall we bow to each other?” “No,” he answered. We asked, “Shall we embrace one another?” “No,” he replied, “shake hands.”’ Ibn Mājah transmitted it in the Sunan. This will be further dealt with in Sūrat Yūsuf, as will touching a copy of the Qur’an without being pure in al-Wāqi‘ah.

65 ‘People of the Book! why do you argue concerning Ibrāhīm when the Torah and Gospel were only sent down after him? Why do you not use your intellect?

The root of ‘lima’ (why) is ‘limā’ and the final alif has been elided to differentiate between the interrogative and the report. These āyahs were revealed because of the claim of each group of the Jews and Christians that Ibrāhīm was following their religion. Allah said that they were lying because Christianity and Judaism only emerged after him. Az-Zajjāj says that this āyah is the clearest argument against the Jews and the Christians since both the Torah and Gospel were revealed after Ibrāhīm and the name of their religions is not found in either Scripture while the name Islam is found in every Scripture. It is said that there were a thousand years between Ibrāhīm and Mūsā and a thousand between Mūsā and ‘Īsā. The words ‘Why do you not use your intellect?’ refutes their argument and invalidates their position. Allah knows best.

66 You are people arguing about something of which you have knowledge. Why do you argue about something of which you have no knowledge? Allah knows; you do not know.’

You are people arguing about something of which you have knowledge.

This means about Muḥammad ﷺ because they knew him from his description in their Books and then they used a false argument.

Why do you argue about something of which you have no knowledge?

This refers to their spurious claim about Ibrāhīm being a Jew or a Christian. The root of ‘hā antum’ is ‘a antum’ and the first hā’ replaces the hamzah because they are sisters as Abū ‘Amr ibn al-‘Alā’ and al-Akhfash said. An-Naḥḥās said that this is a good position. Qunbul reads from Ibn Kathīr: ‘ha’ntum’. The best view is that the hā’ replaces the hamzah. It is possible that the hā is to call attention to it, and it is added to ‘antum’ and the alif is elided because it is used so frequently. There are two dialectal forms for ‘hā’ulā’’: extended and short. [Omission]

This āyah contains evidence for the prohibition of someone arguing about something about which he has no knowledge and the prohibition of the one with no accurate information. The command to debate is for those with knowledge and certainty, as Allah says: ‘Argue with them in the best way.’ (16:125)

It is reported that a man came to the Prophet ﷺ to disown his son and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, my wife has given birth to a black boy.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, ‘Do you have camels?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. He asked, ‘What is their colour?’ ‘Red,’ he said. He asked, ‘Are there any ash-coloured ones among them?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Where does that come from?’ he asked. He said, ‘Because of a throw-back.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘This child may be a throw-back.’ This is reality of debate and the end of how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was making guidance clear.

67 Ibrāhīm was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but a man of pure natural belief – a Muslim. He was not one of the idolaters.

Allah put him above their false claims and made it clear that he was following the Islamic Ḥanīfīyyah religion and was not an idolater. A ḥanīf is someone who unifies Allah, makes ḥajj, sacrifices, circumcises and faces qiblah. The derivation of Ḥanīf was mentioned in al-Baqarah. Linguistically a Muslim is someone who submits to the command of Allah and obeys Him. The meaning of Islam was also adequately discussed in al-Baqarah.

68 The people with the strongest claim to Ibrāhīm are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe. Allah is the Protector of the believers.

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The leaders of the Jews said, “By Allah, Muḥammad, you know that we are the people most entitled to the religion of Ibrāhīm, more than you or any others. He was a Jew and you only envy us.” Then Allah revealed this āyah.’ ‘Awlā’ means ‘more entitled’. It is said that it means with help and assistance. It is also said that it means with the proof. ‘Those who followed him’ are those following his religion and Sunnah. ‘This Prophet’ is singular to show esteem for him. A similar example of using the singular for this purpose is in 55:68, and this was already discussed extensively in al-Baqarah.

Walī means helper. Ibn Mas‘ūd reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Every Prophet has protectors among the Prophets and my protector among them is my forefather and the Friend of my Lord.’ Then he recited this.

69 A group of the People of the Book would love to misguide you. They only misguide themselves but they are not aware of it.

This was revealed about Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal, Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, and ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir when the Jews of the Banū an-Naḍīr, Qurayẓah and Qaynuqā‘ invited them to their religion. This āyah is similar to: ‘Many of the People of the Book would love it if they could make you revert to being unbelievers after you have believed, showing their innate envy.’ (2:109). ‘Min’ is either partitive, meaning ‘some of them’, or it is generic meaning ‘all’.

The words ‘…to misguide you’ means they want you to disobey by turning from Islam and opposing it. Ibn Jarīr said that it means ‘to destroy you.’ An example of that is the words of al-Akhṭal:

You were the mote in a disturbed frothing wave which the flood casts aside and is completely lost (ḍalla ḍalālan).

The words ‘…they are not aware’ mean that they will not misguide them, or that they do not know the soundness of Islam, which they should learn because its proofs are evident and arguments radiant. Allah knows best.

70 People of the Book! why do you reject Allah’s Signs when you yourselves are there as witnesses?

In other words, when you are witnessing the soundest of the signs which you find in your Books, as Qatādah and as-Suddī said. It is also said that it means: ‘When you are witnessing something identical to the signs of the Prophets which you affirm.’

71 People of the Book! why do you mix truth with falsehood and knowingly conceal the truth?

Mixing is muddling. This was mentioned in al-Baqarah as well as the meaning of the previous āyah and the one before it. ‘Conceal’ can also be ‘taktumū’ as the answer to the question, and ‘knowingly’ (literally ‘and you know’) is a sentence in the position of a ḥāl.

72 A group of the People of the Book say, ‘At the beginning of the day, you should claim to believe in what was sent down to those who believe, and then at the end of the day, you should reject it, so that hopefully they will revert.

This was revealed about Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf, Mālik ibn aṣ-Ṣayf and others. They said to the lowly among their people, ‘Believe in what was revealed to those who believe at the beginning of the day.’ ‘Wajh’ is used for beginning because it is its best part and the first of what is confronted. A poet said:

Luminous in the beginning (wajh) of the day, like an ocean pearl, slipped from its string.

Another said:

Whoever is happy at the killing of Mālik should go to our women at the beginning (wajh) of the day.

The position of Qatādah is that they did that to make the Muslims uncertain. The word tā’ifah means a group. The word is derived from the noun ṭāfa and it is used in the singular.

The āyah means: The Jews said to one another, ‘Display belief in Muḥammad at the beginning of the day and then reject him at the end of it. If you do that, doubt will appear in those who follow him in his religion, and they will revert from his religion to your religion. They will say, “The People of the Book must have better knowledge of it than we do.”’ It is said that the meaning is: ‘Believe in his prayer towards Jerusalem at the beginning of the day, for it is the truth, and reject his other prayer at the end of the day towards the Ka‘bah. Hopefully they will revert to your qiblah.’ Ibn ‘Abbās and others said that. Muqātil said that it means that they came to Muḥammad ﷺ at the beginning of the day and then came away from him and told the lowly ones, ‘It is true. Follow him.’ Then they added, ‘Until we look in the Torah.’ Then they returned at the end of that day and said, ‘We looked in the Torah and it is not him.’ They desired to confuse the lowly by that and make them doubt.

73 Do not trust anyone except for those who follow your dīn.’ Say, ‘Allah’s guidance is true guidance. But you think it is impossible for anyone to be given the same as you were given, or to argue with you before your Lord.’ Say, ‘All favour is in Allah’s Hand and He gives it to whomever He wills. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.

Do not trust anyone except for those who follow your dīn.’

This is a prohibition. This is something the Jews said to one another; their leaders said it to their lesser people. As-Suddī said, ‘It is what the Jews of Khaybar said to the Jews of Madīnah.’

This āyah is the most problematic (ashkāl) in the sūrah. It is related from al-Ḥasan and Mujāhid that the meaning is: ‘Do not believe anyone except those who follow your dīn and do not believe that they will argue with you before your Lord because they have no proof. You have a sounder dīn than them.’ The phrase ‘or to argue’ is in the position of the genitive and means ‘by their arguing with you’. It means: ‘Do not affirm them. They have no argument that anyone else has been given anything like we have been given such as the Torah, the manna and quails, the parting of the sea and other similar signs and marks of distinction.’

Allah’s guidance is true guidance.

This is interposed between the two statements.

But you think it is impossible for anyone to be given the same as you were given, or to argue with you before your Lord.’

Al-Akhfash said that import of ‘to be given’ is: ‘Only believe those who follow your religion and do not believe that anyone will be given the like of what you were given and do not believe that they can argue with you.’ It is said that it means that the Jewish scholars said: ‘Do not believe that any but those who follow your religion will be given the like of what you were given.’ The stress here is their denial that anyone could be given the like of what they were given since the Jewish scholars told them, ‘Do not believe that anyone but those who follow your religion will be given the like of what you have been given,’ stressing the denial of their statement. That is because the Jewish scholars told them, ‘Do not believe that anyone but those who follow your religion will be given the like of what you were given,’ meaning that no one else will be given the like of what you have been given. So the wording is according to the order. ‘An’ is in the position of the nominative and it implies: ‘to affirm or confirm that anyone can be given the like of what you were given,’ ‘An’ can be in the position of the accusative with a verb implied, which is stronger in Arabic because it is more proper to have a question with a verb. It implies: ‘Do you affirm that someone can be given?’ or disseminate or mention that?

Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Muḥayṣin and Ḥumayd recited it with maddah. Abū Ḥātim said that ‘ān’ means ‘a li’an’ and the lām of the genitive has been elided to lighten the word and the maddah has been replaced as we see in 69:14.

According to this reading, it is possible that the words ‘argue with you’ refers to the believers and ‘aw’ means ‘an’ because they are particles of uncertainty and repayment and can be used in place of each other. In that case the āyah implies: ‘O believers, if they argue with you before your Lord, then say, “O Muḥammad, the true guidance is that of Allah and we follow it.”’

If it is read without maddah, the first negative indicates their denial when they say, ‘Do not believe.’ So it means that the Jewish scholars said to them, ‘Do not believe that anyone will be given the like of what you have been given, they have neither faith nor proof.’ So it is added to the idea of knowledge, wisdom, the Book, the argument, manna and quails, splitting the sea and other qualities and miracles. It means: ‘Only you have these things, so do not believe anyone other than those who follow your religion will bring the like of what you have been given.’

There is a change in the normal word order according to this reading and the lām is extra. Ibn Jurayj said that it means: ‘Only believe those who follow your dīn, disliking anyone to be given the like of what you have been given.’ Yet another says that it means: ‘Do not speak about what your Books contain of Muḥammad’s description to anyone except those who follow your religion so that it will not be a way for the idolaters to come to believe him.’

Al-Farrā’ said that it is possible that the words of the Jews stop at ‘your dīn’ and then Allah says to Muḥammad ﷺ, ‘Say: “Allah’s guidance is true guidance,”’ i.e. the true clarification is that of Allah. Then ‘But you think it is impossible for anyone to be given the same as you were given’ is to convey the idea that no one will be given the like of what you were given. [Omission]

It is also possible that the entire āyah is addressed to the believers to make their hearts firm and focus their inner eyes so that they do not fall into doubt when the Jews try to confuse them and tell lies about their dīn. It would then mean: ‘Do not believe, believers, other than those follow your dīn. Do not believe that they can be given the like of what you have been given of excellence and the dīn, and do not believe that those who oppose you can argue with you in the presence of your Lord. Guidance is Allah’s guidance and all favour is in His Hand.’

Aḍ-Daḥḥāk said, ‘The Jews said, “We will argue with those who oppose our religion in the presence of our Lord,” and Allah made it clear that they will be refuted and punished, and that the believers will be the victors and debate with their opponents on the Day of Rising.’ We find in a report that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The Jews and Christians will argue with us before our Lord, and will say, “You gave us one reward and gave them two rewards!” Allah will say, “Were you wronged in your rights at all?” “No,” they will reply. He will say, “That is My bounty which I give to whomever I will.”’

Our scholars say that if they had known that that was by the grace of Allah, they would not argue with you in the presence of our Lord. So Allah informed His Prophet ﷺ, ‘They will argue with you on the Day of Rising in the presence of your Lord.’ Then He said, ‘Now tell them: “All favour is in Allah’s Hand and He gives it to whomever He wills. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.”’ Ibn Kathīr recites ‘ān yu’tā’ with maddah for the interrogative. [Poetry] The rest have it without maddah. Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr recited ‘in yu’tā’ with a negative meaning, and it is part of the words of Allah as al-Farrā’ stated. It means: ‘Say, Muḥammad, “Allah’s guidance is true guidance. If anyone is given the like of what you have been given or argues with you before your Lord falsely (meaning the Jews) who say, “We are better than you.”’ [GRAMMATICAL POINTS OMITTED] Al-Ḥasan recited ‘an yu’tiya’ meaning, ‘that anyone one gives someone the like of what you are given’ and the object is elided.

Two things are said about ‘Say, “Allah’s guidance is true guidance.”’ One is that guidance (hudā) is guiding to good and direction (dalāla) is directing to Allah by the Hand of Allah which He gives to His Prophets. So do not deny He can give to other than you the like of what He gave you. If they deny that, say: ‘All favour is in Allah’s Hand and He gives it to whomever He wills.’ The second point is that the guidance is Allah’s guidance which He gives to the believers in affirming Muḥammad ﷺ, and nothing else. Some of the people of subtle indications say about this āyah, ‘Only keep the company of those who agree with you in your states and paths.’ Allah knows best.

74 He picks out for His mercy whoever He wills. Allah’s favour is indeed immense.’

The word ‘mercy’ here refers to Prophethood and guidance, as al-Ḥasan, Mujāhid and others said. Ibn Jurayj said that it means Islam and the Qur’an. Abū ‘Uthmān said, ‘It is the most beautiful statement since through it, the one with hope hopes and the one with fear fears.

75 Among the People of the Book there are some who, if you entrust them with a pile of gold, will return it to you. But there are others among them who, if you entrust them with just a single dinar, will not return it to you, unless you stay standing over them. That is because they say, ‘We are under no obligation where the gentiles are concerned.’ They tell a lie against Allah and they know it.

Among the People of the Book there are some

This refers to Jews such as ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām. The ‘others among them’ refers to Jews such as Finḥāṣ ibn ‘Āzūrā’. A man entrusted him with a dinar and then he cheated him. It is also said that it refers to Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf and his people.

Ibn Waththāb and al-Ashhab al-‘Uqaylī recited ‘in tīmnahu’ following the dialect of those who recite ‘nista‘īn’. It is the dialect of Bakr and Tamīm. Nāfi‘ and al-Kisā’ī recite ‘yu’ddihī’ with a yā’. Abū ‘Ubayd said that Abū ‘Amr, al-A‘mash, ‘Āṣim and Ḥamzah in the transmission of Abū Bakr agree that there is a stop on the hā’ and recite ‘yu’dddih’. An-Naḥḥās said that the sukūn on the hā’ is only permitted in poetry by some grammarians. Some of them do not permit it at all. He thought that it was an error on the part of those who recite it, thinking that the apocative is reflected on the hā’. Abū ‘Amr is too esteemed to think something like that. What is sound is that he has a kasrah on the hā’ which is the reading of Yazīd ibn al-Qa‘qā‘. Al-Farrā’ said, ‘The position of some Arabs is that the hā’ is in the jussive when there is a vowel preceding it.’ [POETRY OMITTED] It is said that there can be a sukūn on the hā’ here because it is in the jussive and it is a faded hā’. Abu-l-Mundhīr Sallām and az-Zuhrī recite ‘yu’addihu’ with a ḍammah on the hā’ and without a wāw. Qatādah, ̱umayd and Mujāhid recite ‘yu’addihū’ with a wāw. [MORE ON THIS]

Allah is saying that the People of the Book include both those who are treacherous and those who are trustworthy. The believers cannot distinguish between them and so they should avoid all of them. The People of the Book are singled out for mention, even if some of the believers are like that, because treachery is more frequent among them, and so the words are about what predominates, and Allah knows best.

Qinṭār was already explained. A dinar weighs 24 qīrāṭs, and the qīrāṭ is three medium grains of barley and so it is 72 grains. That is agreed upon. If someone is mindful when it is a lot and discharges it, then it is more likely that he will be the same with a little. If someone is treacherous about a little or refuses to give it, that will be more likely when there is a lot. This is the clearest evidence of the principle of what is implied by the words, and there is great disagreement about it among scholars of legal principles.

Allah mentioned two groups: those who pay readily and those who only pay when they are forced to do so. There are also people who do not pay even if you stand over them. Allah mentioned both groups because they are usual while the third is rare. The words deal with what is usual. Ṭalḥah ibn Muṣarraf, Abū ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān as-Sulamī and others recited ‘dimtu’ which is the dialect of Azd as-Sarāh.

Abū Ḥanīfah used the words, ‘unless you stay standing over them’ as evidence for staying close to debtors while the other scholars reject that. It was discussed in al-Baqarah. Some of our Baghdādī scholars used this as evidence for imprisoning debtors since if a debtor can be pursued and kept from transacting, it is also permitted to imprison him.

It is said that the meaning is ‘You confront him and intimidate him and make him embarrassed.’ Modesty is in the eyes. Do you not see what Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘Do not seek something you need from the blind. Modesty is in the eyes. If you seek something you need from your brother, look at him directly in the face so that he is embarrassed and gives it.’ It is said that ‘standing’ is sticking to him. It is also said that ‘standing’ refers to constant asking, not physical standing.

The root of dinar is dinnār and one of the nūns has been changed into a yā’ to lighten the word because it is so frequently used. That is indicated by the plural, danānīr, and the diminutive dunaynīr.

Trusts are of immense importance in the dīn. Part of what shows this is that trusts and kinship will stand at the sides of the Sirāṭ, as is stated in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and only someone who was conscientious about both of them will be able to cross it. Muslim related that Ḥudhayfah said that the Prophet ﷺ told them about the removal of trust and said, ‘A man will go to sleep and trustworthiness will be taken from his heart and just its trace will remain.’ That was mentioned in full in al-Baqarah.

In Ibn Mājah, Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When Allah Almighty wants to destroy someone, He strips away modesty from him. When modesty is stripped from him, you only meet him as hateful and hated. When you only meet him as hateful and hated, trustworthiness is stripped from him. When trustworthiness is stripped from him, you only meet him as treacherous and perfidious. When you only meet him as treacherous and perfidious, then mercy is stripped from him. When mercy is stripped from him, you only meet him as accursed and cursed. When you only meet him as accursed and cursed, then the halter of Islam is removed from him.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Return the trust to the one who entrusted it to you and do not betray the one who betrays you.’ Allah knows best.

There is no granting of legal integrity to the People of the Book as a whole, nor to some of them, on the basis of this āyah, contrary to what some believe about that, because there are impious Muslims to whom trust is given, and who are entrusted with a lot of wealth, and that is not considered to be a reason for deeming them to be upright. The method of establishing legal integrity and witnessing is not satisfied by merely discharging a trust in property in transactions and deposits. Do you not see their words: ‘We are under no obligation where the gentiles are concerned’ (3:75)? How can one consider as just someone who believes that our property and honour are fair game? If that had been enough to establish their legal integrity, their testimony against Muslims would have been allowed.

That is because they say, ‘We are under no obligation where the gentiles are concerned.’

The subject of ‘they say’ is the Jews. It is said that when the Jews gave allegiance to the Muslims, they said, ‘We are under no obligation where the gentiles are concerned,’ in other words, ‘There is no barrier stopping us from wronging them since they differ from us.’ They claimed that that is in their Book. Allah says that they are lying and refuted them, saying that, on the contrary, they should be punished for their lies and thinking it to be lawful to take other people’s property. Abū Isḥāq az-Zajjāj says, ‘The sentence ends with ‘No’ and ‘The truth is, if people honour their contracts…’ is a new sentence.

It is said that the Jews used to contract debts with the Arabs and when those with the rights asked for their rights, the Jews said, ‘You have “no way against us” because you left your dīn and so your debt is cancelled for us.’ They claimed that it was the ruling of the Torah and here Allah refutes them, saying that it is not as they say. Allah told them, ‘No,’ refuting their claim that: ‘We are under no obligation where the gentiles are concerned.’ Then He says: ‘The truth is, if people honour their contracts and are godfearing,’ fearing shirk, they are not among the liars, but Allah and His Messenger love them.

A man said to Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘We deliberately take a portion of the property of the people of the dhimmah in the form of a chicken or a sheep and we say, “There is no harm in that.”’ He said, ‘This is like what the People of the Book said: “We are under no obligation where the Gentiles are concerned.” If they have paid the jizyah, their property is not lawful for you except with their consent.’ ‘Abd ar-Razzāq mentioned it from Ma‘mar from Abū Isḥāq al-Hamdānī from Ṣa‘ṣa‘ah.

They tell a lie against Allah and they know it.

This indicates that an unbeliever is not worthy of having his testimony accepted because Allah has described him as being a liar. It also refutes the unbelievers who make ḥalāl and ḥarām other than what Allah has made ḥalāl and ḥarām, and put that in their Sharī‘ah. Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘From this is deduced a refutation of those who give judgment based on the principle of istiḥsān without any proof. I do not know of any of the people of the qiblah who say this.’ We find in a tradition: ‘When this āyah was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ said, “There is nothing in the Jāhiliyyah which is not under my feet except for trusts. They must be discharged to both the pious and impious.”’

76 No, the truth is, if people honour their contracts and are godfearing, Allah loves the godfearing.

These are those who fear Allah and do not lie and do not make ḥalāl what has made ḥarām. Allah loves those people. The meaning of that has already been discussed. The personal pronoun hā’ connected to ‘contract’ can refer to Allah, or it is possible that it is refers to those who honour, and fear disbelief, treachery and breaking contracts. ‘Ahd (contract) is a verbal noun.

77 Those who sell Allah’s contract and their own oaths for a paltry price, such people will have no portion in the Next World and on the Day of Rising Allah will not speak to them or look at them or purify them. They will have a painful punishment.

The Imāms related that al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays said, ‘There was some land that was shared between me and a Jewish man, and he disavowed me, so I took him to the Prophet ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked me, “Do you have a clear proof?” I answered, “No.” He said to the Jew, “Swear.” I said, “Messenger of Allah, then he will swear and make off with my property.” Then Allah revealed: “Those who sell Allah’s contract and their own oaths for a paltry price…”’

The Imāms also related from Abū Umāmah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘If anyone takes the right of a Muslim by his oath, Allah will make the Fire obligatory for him and deny him the Garden.’ A man said to him, ‘Even if it is something insignificant, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Even if it is only an arak stick.’ Allah not looking at them on the Day of Rising was dealt with in al-Baqarah.

This āyah and the hadiths indicate that the outward judgment of a judge does not make property lawful inwardly if the one who is given the judgment knows it to be false. The Imāms related from Umm Salamah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Litigants come to me and it may be that one of them is more eloquent in his argument than the other and so, because of that, I give judgment about some right, which actually belongs to his brother, in his favour. By doing that I cut out for him a piece of the Fire which he will bring on the Day of Rising, so he should not take it.’

There is no disagreement about this among the Imāms. Abū Ḥanīfah is excessive, saying, ‘The judgment of a judge based on false testimony allows marriage for the one who was forbidden it,’ as was mentioned in al-Baqarah. He claimed that if there are two false witnesses that a man has divorced his wife and the judge decides based on their testimony, she is lawful for the one who marries her knowing that to be false. This is abhorrent and not in keeping with explicit hadiths. It protects property and does not consider it to be lawful based on false rulings. Would property be protected, but not sexual relations? The falsity of this will be dealt with in the āyah about the li‘ān. Allah knows best.

78 Among them is a group who distort the Book with their tongues so that you think it is from the Book when it is not from the Book. They say, ‘It is from Allah,’ but it is not from Allah. They tell a lie against Allah and they know it.

This means a group of the Jews. Abū Ja‘far and Shaybah recited ‘yuluwūna’ indicating frequency. It means that they alter words and make them mean other than what is intended. The root of layy is to incline. One can incline with the hand or with the head. Allah says elsewhere: ‘twisting them with their tongues’ (4:46) which means displaying obstinacy about the truth and turning away from it to something else. The same verb used in the phrase: ‘…refusing to turn back for anyone’ (3:153) means to turn to him when they were climbing. One says lawā ‘alayhi, meaning to turn towards and stand. Layy is bending. The verb is lawā, yalwī, layy and liyān. [Poetry] We find in hadith, ‘The twisting of the finder exposes his honour and exposes him to punishment.’ Alsinah (tongues) is the plural of lisān if it is masculine, and if it is feminine it is alsun.

79 It is not right for any human being that Allah should give him the Book and judgment and Prophethood, and then that he should say to people, ‘Be worshippers of me rather than Allah.’ Rather he will say, ‘Be people of the Lord because of your knowledge of the Book and because you study.’

‘Mā kāna’ means ‘he should not’. We see this usage in 4:92, 19:35, and 24:16. ‘Bashar’ (human being) can be used for both the plural and the singular because it is a verbal noun. Here it is ‘Īsā who is indicated according to aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and as-Suddī, and the Book is the Qur’an, and judgment is knowledge and understanding. It is also said that it is judgments, meaning that Allah does not permit lying to be part of Prophethood. If a human being were to do that, Allah would strip him of the signs of Prophethood. It is, however, possible for a Prophet to say to people, ‘Be people of the Lord.’ This āyah was revealed about the Christians of Najrān. As we said, it is related that the cause of the revelation of the entire sūrah up to āyah 121 was the arrival of the Christians of Najrān, but the Jews are mixed with them because they denied and were obstinate like them.

Rabbāniyyūn is connected to the word ‘Lord’ (rabb). A rabbānī is the one who instructs (rabbā) people with a little knowledge before it becomes great. It is as if he were imitating the Lord in making matters easy. That idea is related from Ibn ‘Abbās. Some have said that root is ‘rabbiyy’ and the alif-nūn are added for stress.

Al-Mubarrad said, ‘The rabbāniyyūn are the masters of knowledge, and the singular is rabbān. It it comes from a root meaning “to put right”.’ It means that they manage the affairs of people and put them right. The alif and nūn is for stress as in words like rayyān and ‘aṭshān. Then the ḍammah of the ascription is added to it as is seen in other words. A poet said:

If I am a pledgee in the air, I am put there by the rabbānī hadith scholars.

‘Rabbānī’ means a scholar with knowledge of the dīn of the Lord who acts on his knowledge, because if he does not act on it, then he is not a scholar. This idea was discussed in al-Baqarah.

Abū Razīn says that it means ‘wise scholars’. Shu‘bāh related from ‘Āṣim from Zirr that ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd is reported as saying that it means the wise among the scholars, and Ibn Jubayr says that it is godfearing sages. Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘No one should abandon the memorisation of the Qur’an,’ and quoted this verse. Ibn Zayd said that it refers to rulers and rabbis. Mujāhid said that they are higher than the rabbis. An-Nahhās approves of this, saying that aḥbār are rabbis and a rabbānī is the one who also has insight into political matters.

The Arabs use the verb rabba for putting people’s affairs right and attending to them. Such a person is rābb and rabbānī. Abū ‘Ubaydah said, ‘I heard a scholar say “The rabbānī is the one who knows the lawful and unlawful, commands and prohibitions, and knows the news of the community, past and present.”’

When Ibn ‘Abbās died, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah said, ‘Today the rabbānī of this community has died.’ It is related that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There is no believer, male or female, free or slave, but that it is their duty to Allah Almighty to learn the Qur’ān and understanding in the dīn.’ Then he recited: ‘Be people of the Lord…’ Ibn ‘Abbās related it.

because of your knowledge of the Book and because you study.’

The people of Madīnah and Abū ‘Amr read ta‘lamūna, ‘what you know’ which corresponds with ‘study’. Abū Ḥātim preferred this reading. Abū ‘Amr said that it is confirmed by ‘study’ (tadrusūna) in Form I, not ‘tudarrisūna’ meaning ‘teach’. Ibn ‘Āmir and the people of Kufa read it ‘tu‘allimūna’, meaning ‘teach’. Abū ‘Ubayd preferred it because it combines the two meanings. Makkī said that Form II is more eloquent because every teacher has knowledge, but not everyone with knowledge is a teacher. Form II indicates both whereas Form I only indicates knowledge. So it is more emphatic and coveys greater censure. The reading with Form I finds evidence in the words of Ibn Mas‘ūd who said that rabbāniyyūn means the wise among the scholars. So it is unlikely that one would say: ‘be wise scholars because of what you teach.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘Be wise scholars by your knowledge.’ Abū Ḥaywah recited ‘tudrisūna’ from Form IV and Mujāhid recited ‘ta‘allimūna’.

80 He would never command you to take the angels and Prophets as Lords. Would He command you to disbelieve after being Muslim?

Ibn ‘Āmir, ‘Āṣim and Ḥamzah recited ‘lā ya’murakum’ as joined to the previous ‘give.’ This is strengthened because the Jews asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Do you want us to take you as a Lord, Muḥammad?’ Then Allah revealed the two verses. ‘He’ here can refer to ‘a human being’: ‘No human being would command,’ meaning ‘Īsā or ‘Uzayr. The rest recite it as ‘lā ya’murukum’ as a new sentence separate from the previous words. So the pronoun refers to Allah: ‘Allah would never command…’ This is strengthened by the reading in the copy of the Qur’an of ‘Abdullah: ‘lan ya’murukum’ which indicates a new sentence and the pronoun refers to Allah. Makkī mentioned it. Sībuwayh and az-Zajjāj said that. Ibn Jurayj and a group said: Muḥammad ﷺ would not command you (lā ya’murkum). This is the reading of Abū ‘Amr, al-Kisā’ī and the people of the two Ḥarams.

He would not command taking the angels and Prophets as Lords. The Christians esteem Prophets and angels to the extent that they turn them into Lords.

Would He command you to disbelieve after being Muslim?

This expresses denial and astonishment. Allah forbade the Prophets from making people slaves so that they would deify them. But people are obliged to respect them. It is confirmed that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘None of you should say, “my slave” (‘abdī) or “my slavegirl” (amatī), but he should say, ‘my lad’ or ‘my girl. None of you should say “my lord”, but should say “my master”.’ We do find in the Revelation in Surah Yusuf: ‘Mention me when you are with your Lord.’ (12:42) This usage will be explained there, Allah willing.

81 Remember when Allah made a covenant with the Prophets: ‘Now that I have given you a share of the Book and Wisdom, and then a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and help him.’ He asked, ‘Do you agree and undertake my commission on that condition?’ They replied, ‘We agree.’ He said, ‘Bear witness, then. I am with you as one of the witnesses.’

Remember when Allah made a covenant with the Prophets:

It is said that Allah made a covenant with the Prophets that they should affirm one another and command belief in one another. That is the meaning of helping by confirmation. This is the position of Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, Qatādah, Ṭāwus, as-Suddī and al-Ḥasan. It is the literal meaning of the āyah. Ṭāwus said, ‘Allah made a covenant with the first of the Prophets to believe in what the last brings.’ Ibn Mas‘ūd recited, ‘When Allah made a covenant with those who were given the Book.’ Al-Kisā’ī said, ‘It is possible that it means: when He made a covenant with those who were with the Prophets.’ The Basrans said, ‘When Allah made a covenant with the Prophets, He made one with those who were with them because they followed them and affirmed them.’ So mā in limā means ‘which’. Sībawayh said, ‘I asked al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad about “When Allah made a covenant…” and he said, “when” means “which”.’ An-Naḥḥās said, ‘According to al-Khalīl’s view, it implies “to that which I gave you” and the pronoun hā’ is elided because of the length of the word. ‘Min’ clarifies the genus. This is like the position of al-Akhfash. Al-Mahdawī said that ‘comes to you’ and what follows it is a sentence added to a connective and they refer to something described which is elided. It implies: ‘Then a Messenger comes to you, confirming it.’

Then a Messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and help him.’

Here the Messenger is Muḥammad ﷺ according to ‘Alī and Ibn ‘Abbās. Even though the indefinite is used, it indicates someone specific, a usage also seen in 16:112-113. So Allah made a covenant with all the Prophets to believe in Muḥammad ﷺ and help him if they were to meet him. He commanded them to take on that contract on behalf of their communities.

The lām connected to ‘you must believe’ is the apodosis of the oath which is taking the covenant since it is like an oath. It is like saying, ‘I took your covenant that you should do such-and-such.’ It is as if you were asking for an oath. The oath and its apodosis are separated by a particle which is ‘limā’ in the reading of Ibn Kathīr as will come. Those who read it as ‘lamā’ make it accept the oath, which is making the covenant. The lām connected to the words ‘you must believe’ is the apodosis of an elided oath, implying, ‘By Allah, you must believe!’

Al-Mubarrad and az-Zajjāj said that ‘mā’ is a precondition to which the lām of realisation is added as it is added to in. It means ‘I have given you both of them’ and mā is in the accusative and ‘I have given’ is jussive. ‘Comes to you’ is added to it and the lām is the apodosis of the repayment as we also see in 16:86. Al-Kisā’ī said that ‘believe in it’ is the support of the oath and it is connected by the first lām.

The people of Kufa recite ‘limā’ which means ‘which’ and is connected to ‘take’, meaning that Allah made a covenant with them because of what He gave them of the Book and Wisdom. Then a Messenger comes to them confirming what is with them so that they believe in him after the covenant, because taking the covenant has the meaning of making someone swear an oath. An-Naḥḥās said that Abū ‘Ubaydah said that this is a good position and the meaning is: ‘When Allah made a covenant with those who were given the Book: “You should believe in him since I have told you about him in the Torah.”’

It is also said that there is some elision in the words and it means: ‘When Allah made a covenant with the Prophets: “Teach people what has come to you of the Book and Wisdom and to oblige people to believe.”’ This elision is indicated by ‘Do you undertake My commission on that condition?’ It is also said that ‘limā’ means ‘after’, meaning ‘after what I have given you of the Book and Wisdom.’

Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr reads ‘lammā’ (‘when I have given’). It is possible that the root is ‘lamā’ and ‘min’ is added according to the view of those who think that its addition is mandatory. The nūn has changed into a mīm and there are three mīms, one of which is elided. The people of Madīnah recite ‘We have given you’ (ātaynākum) whereas the others have ‘I have given’ (ātaytukum) in the singular. Not all Prophets were given the Book, only some, but the generality takes precedence here and it applies to the Prophets who were not given the Book because they were given wisdom and Prophethood. Those not given a Book are commanded to take the Book of those before them and so they are included in the description of those who were given the Book.

He asked, ‘Do you agree and undertake my commission on that condition?’

The verb ‘agree’ is derived from iqrār (affirm). The ‘commission’ (iṣr and aṣr) is the contract. Linguistically it means a burden. It is called that because it involves prohibition and making things difficult.

He said, ‘Bear witness, then.’

The verb ‘bear witness’ means ‘know’, as Ibn ‘Abbās said. Az-Zajjaj said that it means ‘make clear’ because the witness is the one who verifies the claim of the claimant. It is said that it means: ‘Bear witness against yourselves and your followers.’ Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said, ‘Allah says to the angels: bear witness against them.’

82 Any who turn away after that are deviators.

Any from the nations of the Prophets who turn away from faith after taking the covenant. Those are the one who have left faith. Someone who is fāsiq is someone who goes out.

83 Is it other than the dīn of Allah that you desire, when everything in the heavens and earth, willingly or unwillingly, submits to Him and to Him you will be returned? 84 Say, ‘We believe in Allah and what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to Ibrāhīm, Ismā‘īl and Isḥāq and Ya‘qūb and the Tribes, and what Mūsā and ‘Īsā and all the Prophets were given by their Lord. We do not differentiate between any of them. We are Muslims submitted to Him.’

Is it other than the dīn of Allah that you desire.

Al-Kalbī said that Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf and his people took an argument they were having with the Christians to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, ‘Which of us is more entitled to the dīn of Ibrāhīm?’ He replied, ‘Neither of the parties have his dīn.’ They said, ‘We are not satisfied with your verdict and we will not take your dīn.’ Then this was revealed. Abū ‘Amr reads it with yā’ (they desire, they return) and with tā’ (you desire, you return). He said the first is specific and the second general and so there is a distinction. Ḥafṣ and others read them both in the third person and the rest with tā’ on both as second person. Allah knows best.

willingly or unwillingly, submits to Him and to Him you will be returned?

The words ‘submits to Him’ mean surrenders, obeys, is humble and subjected. Every creature is obedient and submits because it is created in a form that it cannot depart from. Qatādah said, ‘The believer submits willingly and the unbeliever, at death, unwillingly and that does not help him, since the Almighty says: “But when they saw Our violent force, their faith was of no use to them.” (40:85)’ Mujāhid said, ‘The submission of the unbeliever is proved unwilling by his prostrating to other than Allah while his shadow prostrates to Allah. Allah says: “Do they not see the things Allah has created, casting their shadows to the right and the left, prostrating themselves before Allah in complete humility?” (16:48) and: “Everyone in heaven or earth prostrates to Allah, willingly or unwillingly.” (13:15)’ It is said that the meaning is that Allah created creation as He wills: some of them handsome, some ugly, tall and short, healthy and sick, but all have no choice but to obey. The healthy obeys and loves that, and the sick obeys and submits even if he dislikes that. Willingly is submitting with ease and unwillingly is with hardship and rejection on the part of the self. ‘Ṭaw‘’ and ‘karh’ (willingly and unwillingly) are two verbal nouns used adverbially.

Anas ibn Mālik reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about this, ‘The angels obey Him in heaven and the Anṣār and ‘Abd al-Qays on the earth.’ The Prophet ﷺ also said, ‘Do not curse my Companions. My Companions have submitted out of fear of Allah while other people submit out of fear of the sword.’

‘Ikrimah said that ‘willingly’ implies without need of proof and ‘unwillingly’ means compelled by the evidence of tawḥīd. This is indicated by Allah’s words: ‘If you asked them who created them, they would say, “Allah!”’ (43:87) and: ‘If you ask them, “Who created the heavens and the earth and made the sun and moon subservient?” they will say, “Allah.”’ (29:63) Al-Ḥasan said, ‘It is general, but its meaning is specific.’ He also said that the sentence ends at ‘everything in the heavens submits to Him,’ and then Allah says: ‘and the earth, willingly or unwillingly.’ He said that the unwilling are the hypocrites whose knowledge does not benefit them. Mujāhid said that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘When someone’s animal is difficult or baulks, recite this āyah in its ear.’

85 If anyone desires anything other than Islam as a dīn, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Next World he will be among the losers.

Mujāhid and as-Suddī said, ‘This āyah was revealed about al-Ḥārith ibn Suwayd, the brother of al-Ḥulās ibn Suwayd. He was one of the Anṣār. He apostatised from Islam along with twelve men, and they joined the unbelievers in Makkah and this āyah was revealed about them. Then he sent to his brother desiring to repent.’ That was related from Ibn ‘Abbās and others. Ibn ‘Abbās said he became Muslim after this was revealed.

and in the Next World he will be among the losers

Hishām said that it means that he will be one of the losers in the Next World. Were it not for that, there would be a separation between the connection and what is connected to. This was already discussed in al-Baqarah (2:130).

86 How can Allah guide a people who have disbelieved after having believed? They bore witness that the Messenger was true and that the Clear Signs had come to them. Allah does not guide people who are wrongdoers.

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘A man of the Anṣār became Muslim and then apostasised, became an idolater and then regretted it. He sent to his people to ask the Prophet ﷺ if he could repent. His people went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked, “Is it possible for him to repent?” Then it was revealed: ‘How can Allah guide a people who have disbelieved after having believed…’ (3:86-89) He sent to him and he became Muslim.’ An-Nasā’ī transmitted it. One variant reports that a man of the Anṣār became Muslim and then apostasised and joined the idolaters and Allah revealed this. His people sent those āyahs to him and when he had read them, he said, ‘By Allah, my people would not lie to me about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not lie about Allah, and Allah Almighty is the most truthful of the three.’ So he repented and returned. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ accepted that from him and let him be.

Al-Ḥasan says that it was revealed about the Jews because they were given the good news of the Prophet ﷺ and prayed for him against the unbelievers. Then when he was sent, they were stubborn and rejected and so Allah revealed, ‘The repayment of such people …’

It is said that the word ‘how’ introduces a question which implies denial, meaning ‘Allah will not guide…’. It is the same as Allah’s words: ‘How could any of the idolaters possibly have a treaty with Allah and with His Messenger?’ (9:7) which means that they do not have a treaty. A poet says:

How can I sleep on a bed When there are people all over it?

Allah does not guide people who are wrongdoers.

The literal meaning of the āyah would be that someone who disbelieves after becoming Muslim cannot be guided by Allah and Allah does not guide wrongdoers. We know, however, that many apostates became Muslims and were guided by Allah and many wrongdoers repented of the injustice they inflicted. Therefore, it actually means: ‘Allah does not guide them as long as they remain in their disbelief and injustice and do not accept Islam.’ When they become Muslim and repent, Allah gives them success in that, and Allah knows best.

87 The repayment of such people is that Allah’s curse is on them and that of the angels and of all mankind. 88 They will be under it for ever. Their punishment will not be lightened. They will be granted no reprieve. 89 Except for those who, after that, repent and put things right. Truly Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

This is when they remain with their disbelief. The meaning of the curse was mentioned in al-Baqarah. They will not be granted a delay. ‘Those who repent’ refers to al-Ḥārith ibn Suwayd, as we already stated. Included in the exception are all those who return sincerely to Islam.

90 Those who disbelieve after having believed and then increase in their unbelief, their repentance will not be accepted. They are the misguided.

Qatādah, ‘Aṭā’ al-Khurasānī and al-Ḥasan said that this was revealed about the Jews who rejected ‘Īsā and the Gospel and then further disbelieved in Muḥammad ﷺ and the Qur’an. Abu-l-‘Ālīyah said, ‘It was revealed about the Jews and Christians who rejected Muḥammad ﷺ after their belief in his attribute and description. They ‘increase in their unbelief’ by remaining in their unbelief, or by the wrong actions they acquired. This last is what aṭ-Ṭabarī prefers. He believes that it is about the Jews.

Their repentance will not be accepted.

This is problematic since Allah says, ‘It is He Who accepts repentance from His slaves and pardons evil acts.’ (42:25) It is said to mean: ‘Their repentance will not be accepted at the point of death.’ An-Naḥḥās said this is a good position, as Allah says: ‘There is no repentance for people who persist in doing evil until death appears to them and who then say, “Now I repent.”’ (4:18) It is related from al-Ḥasan, Qatādah and ‘Aṭā, and the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Allah accepts the repentance of the slave as long as he is not in his death throes.’ This will be discussed in an-Nisā’.

It is said that the words ‘their repentance will not be accepted’ refer to the good they may have done before they disbelieved because their disbelief cancels those actions. It is said that it means when they turn from their disbelief to another disbelief, but their repentance will be accepted when they return to Islam.

Quṭrub said that this āyah was revealed about some of the people of Makkah. They said, ‘We will wait for death to befall Muḥammad. If it seems good to us to return to our people, we will do so,’ and Allah revealed this, meaning that their repentance will not be accepted while they remain in disbelief. It is not accepted because their resolve is not genuine. Allah accepts all repentance when resolve is genuine.

91 As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers, the whole earth filled with gold would not be accepted from any of them if they were to offer it as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment. They will have no helpers.

The word mil’ designates the amount which will fill a thing and mal’ is the verbal noun for filling a thing. The wāw before ‘if they were to offer’ is interpolated and redundant. The āyah means: the whole earth filled with gold would not be accepted from anyone if he were to try and ransom himself with it. Some grammarians, however, say that the wāw is not interpolated because it indicates a meaning which is: ‘the whole earth filled with gold would not be accepted from anyone at all, even if he were to try and ransom himself with it.’

According to al-Farrā’, ‘gold’ is in the accusative for explanation. [EXPLANATION] Al-Kisā’ī said that it is in the accusative by an implied ‘min’, i.e. ‘min dhahab’. We see this in 5:95.

We find in Bukhārī and Muslim that Anas ibn Mālik reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘An unbeliever will be brought on the Day of Rising and will be told, “Do you think that if you had the entire earth filled with gold, you could ransom yourself with it?” “Yes,” he will reply. He will be told, “Less than that was asked of you.”’

92 You will not attain true goodness until you give of what you love. Whatever you give away, Allah knows it.

You will not attain true goodness until you give of what you love.

The Imāms related that Anas said, ‘When this āyah was revealed, Abū Ṭalḥah said, “Our Lord asks us for our property and I testify to you, Messenger of Allah, that I have made my land over to Allah!” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Give it to your relatives, Ḥassān ibn Thābit and Ubayy ibn Ka‘b.”’ We find in al-Muwaṭṭā’, ‘The property I love the best is Bayruḥā’.’ It faced the mosque. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to enter it and drink from its good water.

This āyah is evidence for taking the literal and general meaning of words. The Companions did not understand any further meaning than that of the actual words (faḥwā al-khiṭāb) when the āyah was revealed. When Abū Ṭalḥah heard the words, ‘You will not attain true goodness until you give,’ he did not need to wait until it clarified how Allah wishes His slaves to spend by another āyah or sunnah which elucidated that. They loved many things. It is similar to what Zayd ibn Ḥārithah did. He used to love a horse of his called Sabal and said, ‘O Allah! You know that I have no property which I love more than this horse of mine!’ He took it to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘Take it in the way of Allah.’ He ﷺ said to Usāma ibn Zayd, ‘Take it.’ Zayd felt disturbed by that, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Allah has accepted it from you.’ Asad ibn Mūsā mentioned it.

Ibn ‘Umar freed Nāfi‘. ‘Abdullāh ibn Ja‘far gave a thousand dinars. Ṣafiyyah bint Abī ‘Ubaydah said, ‘I think that was his interpretation of the words of Allah: “You will not attain true goodness until you give of what you love.”’

Shibl related from Abū Najīḥ that Mujāhid said that ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb wrote to Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī asking him to buy a slavegirl from the captives of Jalūlā’ for him when Ctesiphon was conquered. Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ said, ‘‘Umar summoned her and liked her. He said, “Allah says: ‘You will not attain true goodness until you give of what you love.’” He freed her.’

Ath-Thawrī related that he heard that the umm walad of ar-Rabī‘ ibn Khaytham said, ‘When a beggar came to him, he told me to give sugar to the asker. He loved sugar.’ Sufyān said that he was interpreting the words of this āyah.

It is reported that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bought some bags of sugar and gave them away as ṣadaqah. He was asked, ‘Why didn’t you give their value?’ He replied, ‘Because I love sugar and want to give of what I love.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘You will not obtain what you love except by abandoning what you desire and you will not get what you hope for except by steadfastness in enduring what you dislike.’

There is disagreement about the interpretation of the word birr (true goodness). It is said that it means the Garden, as is reported by Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘Aṭā’, Mujāhid, ‘Amr ibn Maymūn and as-Suddī. It implies: ‘You will not obtain the reward of birr until you give of what you love.’ Nawāl [which comes from the root, ‘to obtain’] is giving. It means: ‘You will not reach the Garden and be given it until you spend of what you love.’

It is also said that birr means righteous action, as we see in the sound hadith, ‘You must give ṣadaqah. It leads to birr and birr leads to the Garden.’ This was already mentioned in al-Baqarah. ‘Aṭiyyah al-‘Awfī said, ‘It means obedience.’ ‘Aṭā’ said, ‘You will not obtain the honour of the dīn and taqwā until you give ṣadaqah while you are healthy and greedy, hoping for life and fearing poverty.’

Al-Ḥasan said that the word ‘you give’ here indicates obligatory zakāt. Mujāhid and al-Kalbī said that it was abrogated by the Āyah of Zakāt. It is said that it means: ‘until you give of what you love in the way of good in ṣadaqah and other acts of obedience.’ This is a more general understanding.

An-Nasā’ī reported that Ṣa‘ṣa‘ah ibn Mu‘āwiyah said, ‘I met Abū Dharr and said, “Relate to me!” He said, “All right. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘There is no Muslim who spends two types of all his property in the Way of Allah without the chamberlains of the Garden greeting him, calling him to what he has.’” I asked, “How is that?” He said, “If it is a camel, then it is two camels, or if a cow, then two cows.”’

Abū Bakr al-Warrāq said, ‘This āyah is used as evidence for futuwwah, implying that Allah is saying that you will not obtain My goodness to you except by being good to your brothers and spending on them from your property and rank. When you do that, then you will obtain My goodness and kindness.’ Mujāhid said, ‘This is like His words: “They give food, despite their love of it, to the poor.” (76:8)’ and: ‘Whatever you give away, Allah knows it’ and will repay you for it.

93 All food was lawful for the tribe of Israel except what Israel made unlawful for himself before the Torah was sent down. Say, ‘Bring the Torah and read it out if you are telling the truth.’ 94 So any who, after this, invent a lie against Allah are indeed wrongdoers.

Israel is Ya‘qūb. In at-Tirmidhī, Ibn ‘Abbās reported that the Jews said to the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Tell us what Israel made unlawful for himself.’ He said, ‘He lived in the desert and suffered from sciatica and did not find anything which he liked to eat except camel flesh and milk. That is what he made unlawful.’ They said, ‘You spoke the truth.’ It is said that he swore that if he were free of it he would leave the food and drink he loved most, and that was camel flesh and milk.

Ibn ‘Abbās, Mujāhid, Qatādah and as-Suddī said, ‘When he was fleeing from his brother Esau, Ya‘qūb came from Harran making for Jerusalem. He was a strong and violent man. On the way he encountered an angel and thought he was a thief and he started to fight him. The angel touched Ya‘qūb’s thigh and climbed to heaven while Ya‘qūb was looking at him and suddenly sciatica erupted [in his leg]. He had great suffering from it and could not sleep for the pain. He spent the night crying out and swore that if Allah healed him, he would not eat sinew or any food containing sinew, and so he forbade it to himself. After that his sons used to remove sinews from meat. The reason that the angel touched Ya‘q˙ub was that he had vowed that if Allah were to give him twelve sons and he were to reach Jerusalem sound, he would sacrifice the last of them. Aḍ-Ḍahhāk said that that was to bring him out of his vow.

They disagree about whether Ya‘qūb’s making things unlawful was by his own ijtihād or by permission from Allah. The first is the sound position because Allah ascribed that to him. When a Prophet uses his ijtihād in something, his followers are obliged to follow it because Allah has confirmed him in that, in the same way that they must follow him when he receives revelation. The same is true of what he gives permission for and uses his ijtihād to decide. He must use his ijtihād when he is able to do that. If he did not have permission to make a thing unlawful, he would not embark on making anything lawful or unlawful. In a sound transmission, our Prophet ﷺ made honey unlawful to himself and his slavegirl Māriah. Allah did not confirm the prohibition and revealed: ‘Why do you make unlawful what Allah has made lawful for you?’ (66:1) This will be dealt with in at-Taḥrīm. Aṭ-Ṭabarī said, ‘It is possible to say that the generality of His words in 66:1 indicate that it is not specific to Māriah. Ash-Shāfi‘ī related that kaffārah is obliged for that without the meaning being understood. He made it specific to the text. Abū Ḥanīfah thought that was a principle for forbidding anything permissible and took it to be like an oath.’

Say, ‘Bring the Torah and read it out if you are telling the truth.’

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘When Ya‘qūb had sciatica, the doctors told him to avoid camel flesh and so he forbade it for himself. The Jews said, “We forbid camel meat for ourselves because Ya‘qūb forbade it and Allah sent down its prohibition in the Torah.” So Allah revealed this āyah.’ Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘Allah called them liars and refuted them, saying, “Muḥammad, say: ‘Bring the Torah and read it out if you are telling the truth.’ (3:93)” The Almighty said: “So any who, after this, invent a lie against Allah are indeed wrongdoers.”’

Az-Zajjāj said, ‘This āyah contains the greatest proof of the Prophethood of Muḥammad, our Prophet ﷺ. He reports that it is not in their Book and commands them to bring the Torah which they refused to do, showing by that that they knew that what he said was by revelation.’

‘Aṭiyyah al-‘Awfī said, ‘That was forbidden them because Ya‘qūb forbade it to them. That was when Ya‘qūb suffered from sciatica and said, “By Allah, if Allah heals me of it, none of my children will ever eat it!”’ [‘Irq an-nasā is sciatica and ‘irq is sinew or sciatic vein.] Al-Kalbī said, ‘Allah did not forbid it in the Torah. He forbade it after the Torah had been revealed because of their wrongdoing and disbelief. When the tribe of Israel committed a major wrong action, Allah forbade them good food or poured out punishment on them, which is death. That is referred to in the words of the Almighty: “Because of wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them some good things which had previously been lawful for them” (4:160) and: “We made unlawful for the Jews every animal with an undivided hoof…” (6:146)’

Ibn Mājah has a chapter in his Sunan: ‘Treating Sciatica’ in which Hishām ibn ‘Ammār and Rāshid ibn Sa‘īd ar-Ramlī related from al-Walīd ibn Muslim from Hishām ibn Hishām that Anas ibn Sīrīn heard Anas ibn Mālik say that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘The cure for sciatica lies in melting the tail of a Bedouin’s sheep which should then be divided into three parts. One part should be drunk each day on an empty stomach.’ Ath-Tha‘labī also transmitted in his Tafsīr from Anas ibn Mālik who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about sciatica: ‘Take the tail of medium sized Bedouin ram, cut it into small pieces, remove its liquid, divide it into three parts and then ingest one part on an empty stomach for three days.’ Anas said, ‘I told this to more than a hundred people and they were healed by Allah’s permission.’ Shu‘bah said that a Shaykh related to him in the time of al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf about sciatica, ‘I swear to you by Allah Most High, if you do not stop, I will cauterise you with fire or shave you with a razor!’ Shu‘bah said, ‘I tested it. You say it and wipe over the site.’

95 Say, ‘Allah speaks the truth, so follow the religion of Ibrāhīm, a man of pure natural belief. He was not one of the idolaters.’

In other words, ‘O Muḥammad, Allah speaks the truth: that is not forbidden in the Torah.’ Then He commands him to follow his dīn. He refuted their false claim about him being an idolater.

96 The first House established for mankind was that at Bakkah, a place of blessing and a guidance for all beings. 97 In it are Clear Signs – the Maqām of Ibrāhīm. All who enter it are safe. Ḥajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind – those who can find a way to do it. But if anyone disbelieves, Allah is Rich Beyond Need of any being.

It is confirmed in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that Abū Dharr said, ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the first mosque established on the earth and he answered, “The Masjid al-Ḥarām.” I asked, “And then?” He said, “Al-Aqsa.” I asked, “How long was there between them?” “Forty years,” he replied, “and then the whole earth became a mosque for you, so pray wherever you are when the time for prayer comes.”’

Mujāhid and Qatādah said, ‘There was no house before it.’ ‘Alī said, ‘There were many houses before it. What is meant is that it is the first house established for worship.’ Mujāhid said, ‘The Muslims and Jews boasted and the Jews said, “The temple of Jerusalem is better and greater than the Ka‘bah because it was the place of the emigration of Prophets and is in the Holy Land.” The Muslims said, “The Ka‘bah is better.” Allah then revealed this āyah.’ How the House was built has already been dealt with in al-Baqarah. Mujāhid said, ‘Allah created the site of this house two thousand years before He created any of the earth, and its foundations are in the seventh and lowest earth. As for Al-Aqṣā, Sulaymān built it.’ An-Nasā’ī transmitted this with a sound isnād from ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd built the temple in Jerusalem, he asked Allah for three things. He asked Allah for judgment corresponding to His judgment and he was given it. He asked Allah for a kingdom which no one after him would have and he was given that. He asked Allah, when he finished building the temple, that anyone who approached it for the sole reason of praying in it would have his errors fall from him so that he would be like he was on the day he was born, and this was granted.’ There is some equivocation between the two hadiths because there was a long period of time between Ibrāhīm and Sulaymān. Historians say that there was more than a thousand years between them. It is said that Ibrāhīm and Sulaymān were the predecessors for what others built after them.

It is related that Ādam was the first to build the House, as was already mentioned. Then it is possible that one of his sons built al-Aqṣā forty years later. It is also possible that the angels built it with Allah’s permission. All of this is possible, and Allah knows best. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib said, ‘Allah commanded the angels to build a house on the earth and to do ṭawāf of it before Ādam was created. Then Ādam built what he built of it and did ṭawāf of it and then the Prophets after him, and then Ibrāhīm completed its construction.’

…that at Bakkah,

Bakkah is the actual site of the House and Makkah is the rest of the town according to Mālik ibn Anas. Muḥammad ibn Shihāb said that Bakkah is the mosque and Makkah is all the Ḥaram, including the houses. Mujāhid said that Bakkah is Makkah. The bā’ is replaced by the mīm as done in the word for ‘sticking’: lāzim for lāzib. Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and al-Mu’arrij said that.

Then it is also said that Bakkah is derived from the word bakk, which means crowding and Bakkah takes its name from the fact that the people crowd together in it during ṭawāf. Bakka means ‘to throttle’ and it is said that it is called that because it crushes the necks of any tyrants if they act unjustly towards it. ‘Abdullāh ibn az-Zubayr said, ‘No tyrant has ever directed evil at it without Allah breaking his neck.’

It is said that the name Makkah comes from its lack of water, and it is said that it is because it sucks (makka) the marrow from the bones through the hardship involved in reaching it. The verb makka is used for a foal suckling from its mother. A poet said:

It suckled (makkat) and no milk remained inside her.

It is said that it is called that because it sucks the one who does injustice in it, in other words destroys him. It is said that it is called that because people used to whistle (makkā) and laugh in it as in Allah’s words: ‘Their prayer at the House is nothing but whistling and clapping.’ (8:35)

a place of blessing and a guidance for all beings.

Allah made it blessed by multiplying the reward of action in it. Barakah is abundant good. It is in the accusative for the ḥāl modifying what is implied by ‘established’, or an adverb of Bakkah. It is a guidance for all.

In it are Clear Signs – the Maqām of Ibrāhīm

The people of Makkah, Ibn ‘Abbās, Mujāhid and Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr read this as ‘a Clear Sign’ in the singular, meaning a Sign of tawḥīd, referring to the Maqām of Ibrāhīm alone. They said, ‘The mark of his feet in the Maqām is a Clear Sign.’ Mujāhid explained it as referring to the entire Ḥaram and believed that its Signs include Ṣafā and Marwah, the Corner and the Maqām. The others read it in the plural, meaning the Maqām of Ibrāhīm, the Black Stone, the Ḥaṭīm, Zamzam and all the sacred hallmarks. Abū Ja‘far an-Naḥḥās said the reading with the plural is clearer because the Signs certainly include Ṣafā and Marwah.

Another sign is that the birds do not fly over it when they are healthy and another sign is that when someone is hunting and the game enters the Ḥaram, he leaves it be. Another sign is that when there is abundant rain at the Yemeni Corner, there is plenty in Yemen, and when it is at the Syrian corner, there is plenty in Syria. When rain covers all of the House, there is plenty in all lands. Another aspect of it is that the jamrahs, in spite of what is added to them, remain the same size.

The word Maqām comes from the verb qāma, to stand, and so it is the place where one stands. The Maqām was dealt with in al-Baqarah along with the disagreement about it. It implies: ‘one of them is the Maqām of Ibrāhīm’, as al-Akhfash said. It is related that Muḥammad ibn Yazīd said that ‘Maqām’ is an appositive for ‘Signs’. A third view is that it means: ‘They are the Maqām of Ibrāhīm’ based on a known Arabic usage. [POEM] Abu-l-‘Abbās said that the word ‘maqām’ actually indicates the plural ‘maqāmāt’ because it is a verbal noun. We see in the Qur’an: ‘Allah has sealed up their hearts and hearing’ (92:8) where ‘hearing’ is in the singular. This is strengthened by the hadith which states: ‘Ḥajj is all the Maqām of Ibrāhīm.’

All who enter it are safe.

Qatādah said, ‘That is also one of the signs of the Ḥaram.’ An-Naḥḥās says that is a good opinion because people are swept away all around it and no tyrant reaches it. They reached Jerusalem and destroyed it but never reached the Ḥaram.’ Allah says: ‘Do you not see what your Lord did with the Companions of the Elephant?’ (105:1) One of the people of meanings said, ‘The form of the āyah is a report while its meaning is a command. It means: “Give security to whoever enters it.”’ The same usage is seen in 2:197. Along these lines, an-Nu‘mān ibn Thābit said, ‘Anyone who commits a wrong action and merits a ḥadd punishment and then takes refuge in the Ḥaram is safe,’ based on this āyah. Allah made security mandatory for those who enter it. That is related from a group of the early generations, including Ibn Abbās and others.

Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘There is weakness in the statements of all who say this for two reasons. One is that they do not understand that the āyah is about the past and does not involve the establishment of a future ruling. The second is that they do not acknowledge that its security has been violated and killing and fighting occurred after that. What Allah states cannot occur differently to that statement. So that indicates that this must have been referring to the past.’ Abū Ḥanīfah disagreed and said, ‘Anyone who seeks refuge in the Ḥaram is not given food or water nor is any business done with him nor is he spoken to until he leaves.’ His being forced to leave is not consonant with security. It is related that he said, ‘Retaliation for limbs takes place in the Ḥaram. There is also no security in this case.’ The majority of scholars say that ḥudūd punishments may be carried out in the Ḥaram. It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ ordered the killing of Ibn Khaṭal while he was clinging to the drapes of the Ka‘bah.

Ath-Thawrī related that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘If someone commits a crime that merits a ḥadd punishment in the Ḥaram, it is carried out on him. If he commits it outside of the Ḥaram and then seeks refuge in it, he is not spoken to nor is business carried out with him until he leaves the Ḥaram and then the ḥadd is carried out on him.’ This is the position of ash-Sha‘bī. This is also the argument of Kufans. Ibn ‘Abbās understands that this is what the āyah means. He was the scholar of the Community.

What is sound is that by saying that Allah is referring to the many blessings granted to anyone who is there, whoever they are, as Allah also says: ‘Do they not see that We have established a safe haven while people all round them are violently dispossessed?’ (29:67) In the Jāhiliyyah, those who entered it and sought sanctuary were safe from attack and killing as will be explained in al-Mā’idah. Qatādah said, ‘In the Jāhiliyyah, whoever entered it was safe.’

This is good. It is related that an atheist said to one of the scholars, ‘Does the Qur’an not say: “All who enter it are safe”? We have entered it and we have done such-and-such. Is not the one who enters it safe?’ He said to him, ‘Are you not one of the Arabs? What does someone mean when he says that whoever enters his house is safe? Does he not say to those who obey him, “Leave him be. I have granted him security.” Will he leave him be?’ ‘Yes, of course,’ he replied. He said, ‘That is how it is with His words: “All who enter it are safe”’ Yaḥyā ibn Ja‘dah said that it means he is safe from the Fire.

This is not universal because we find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim in the hadith of intercession reported by Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī: ‘By the One Who has my soul in his hand, none of you can be more insistent in asking Allah for his rights than the believers on the Day of Rising who will ask Allah for their brothers who are in the Fire. They will say, “Our Lord, they used to fast with us, pray and perform ḥajj!” They will be told, “Bring out those you recognise.”’ The one who enters it is safe from the Fire by performing the practices connected with it, respecting it, acknowledging its right, and seeking to draw near to Allah Almighty.

Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq said, ‘Whoever enters it with purity, as the Prophets and awliyā’ entered it, is safe from Allah’s punishment.’ This is what is meant by his words ﷺ, ‘Anyone who makes ḥajj to this House and does not engage in sexual activity or wrongdoing emerges from his errors like the day his mother bore him. An accepted ḥajj has no reward but the Garden.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘An accepted ḥajj is that he returns abstinent in this world, desiring the Next World.’ He recited:

O Ka‘bah of Allah! The supplication of the one who seeks refuge is the supplication of one calling, in need.

He has bade farewell to those he loves and his home and come hovering between fear and hope.

If Allah generously accepts his striving, he is saved. Otherwise he is not saved.

You are one of those whose intercession is hoped for. Be kind to Wāfid ibn Ḥajjāj!

It is also said that it means whoever entered it in the year of the Fulfilled ‘Umrah with Muḥammad ﷺ is safe. The evidence is found in the words of the Almighty: ‘You will enter the Masjid al-Ḥarām in safety, Allah willing.’ (48:27)

It is said that the word ‘man’ (tr. as ‘all’) here refers to the non-sentient and the āyah is about the safety of game. This is odd. We see in the Revelation: ‘Some of them (minhum) go on their bellies.’ (24:45)

Ḥajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind

In the phrase ‘owed to Allah’ Allah uses the lām of the obligation and then reinforces it with ‘‘alā’ which is the strongest preposition in Arabic for making something obligatory. Allah uses the most comprehensive of the expressions of obligation to stress the right it has over us and the esteem owed to it. There is no disagreement about its obligatory nature. It is one of the pillars of Islam and is only obliged once in a lifetime. Some people said that it is obliged once every five years and relate about that a hadith which they trace back to the Prophet ﷺ. The hadith is false and not sound. The consensus invalidates their position.

‘Abd ar-Razzāq related from Sufyān ath-Thawrī from al-‘Alā’ ibn al-Musayyab from his father from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The Lord says, “I have expanded my slave’s provision and yet he does not visit me in iḥrām every four years.”’ It is famous from al-‘Alā’ ibn al-Musayyab ibn Rāfi‘ al-Kāhilī al-Kūfī from the children of hadith scholars. More than one related it from him. They include those who said ‘every five years’. Some said: from al-‘Alā’ from Yūnus ibn Khabbāb from Abū Sa‘īd. There is disagreement about all of that.

The atheists deny the ḥajj and say that it involves removing garments, which is contrary to modesty, running, which is contrary to gravity, and stoning the jamrahs for no purpose, which is contrary to logic. They say that all these actions are baseless because they do not recognise their wisdom or cause. They are ignorant of the fact that it is not necessary for the Lord to make His slave understand all that He commands him to do nor to acquaint him with the point of the actions He requires of him. It is incumbent on him to obey, and he must obey without seeking benefit nor asking about the goal. This is the meaning of what the Prophet ﷺ used to say in his talbīyah: ‘At Your service, truly, truly in worship and slavehood. At Your service, God of the Truth.’

The imāms related that Abū Hurayrah said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed us and said, “People! The Ḥajj has been made obligatory for you, so perform it!” A man asked, “Every year, Messenger of Allah?” He was silent until the man had asked that three times. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If I had said yes, it would have become obligatory and you would not be able to do it.” Then he said, “Leave me with what I have left you. Those before you were destroyed for asking too many questions and differing from their Prophets. If I command you to do something, do what you can of it. If I forbid you from doing something, then leave it.”’ (Muslim)

This hadith makes it clear that when an obligation is directed to those responsible for doing it, it is enough that they do it once and it does need to be repeated. This differs from the position of Abū Isḥāq al-Isfarāyīnī. It is confirmed that his Companions said to the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Messenger of Allah, is this ḥajj of ours for just this year or for all time?’ He answered, ‘It is for all time.’ This is a text refuting those who say that it is obligatory once every five years. The ḥajj was well known among the Arabs. It was part of what they desired because of its markets, social acceptability and being part of the Ḥanīfiyyah. When Islam came, they were told to do what they knew and to hold to what they recognised. The Prophet ﷺ performed ḥajj before the obligatory ḥajj. He had stood at ‘Arafah and did not change the Law of Ibrāhīm that had been changed by Quraysh when they stood at the Mash‘ar al-Ḥarām, saying, ‘We are the people of the Ḥaram and do not leave it. We are the Ḥums.’ This was already explained in al-Baqarah.

One of the oddest claims that I have seen made is that the Prophet ﷺ performed ḥajj twice before the Hijrah and by that the obligation was cancelled for him because he had responded to the summons of Ibrāhīm when it was said: ‘Announce the Ḥajj to mankind.’ (22:27) Aṭ-Ṭabarī said, ‘This is unlikely. When it was announced as part of his Sharī‘ah: “Ḥajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind,” then it must also have been a duty for him according to that injunction. If it is said that it is only addressed to those who have not yet performed ḥajj, that is arbitrary and specific and there is no evidence for it. If someone claims that those who performed ḥajj in the religion of Ibrāhīm are not addressed by this, it is extremely unlikely.’

The Book and the Sunnah indicate that the ḥajj should be performed in a person’s own good time, not immediately. That is the final position in the school of Mālik as Ibn Khuwayzimandād mentioned, and it is the position of ash-Shāfi‘ī, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ash-Shaybānī, and Abū Yūsuf in one transmission. Some later Baghdadi Mālikīs believed that the obligation is immediate and it is not permitted to delay it when the ability to perform it exists. That is the position of Dāwūd. The sound view is the first one because Allah says in Sūrat al-Ḥajj: ‘Announce the Ḥajj to mankind’ (22:27) and al-Ḥajj is Makkan. He says: ‘Ḥajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by people.’ This sūrah was revealed in the year of Uḥud in Madīnah in 3 AH and the Prophet ﷺ did not perform ḥajj until 10 AH.

As for the Sunnah, there is the hadith of Ḍimām ibn Tha‘laba as-Sa‘dī of the Banū Sa‘d ibn Bakr who came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about Islam and he mentioned the shahādah, prayer, zakāt, fasting and ḥajj. Ibn ‘Abbās, Abū Hurayrah and Anas related it. There is a lot of mention of the ḥajj in the Sunnah. It is clearly obligatory. The hadith of Anas is better and more complete. There is disagreement about the date of this hadith. It is said that is 5 AH, 7 AH and 9 AH. Ibn Hishām mentioned from Abū ‘Ubaydah al-Wāqidī that it was in the year of the Ditch after the Confederates left.

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said, ‘Part of the evidence that the ḥajj can be delayed is the consensus of scholars that if someone able to go on ḥajj delays it for a year or two, and then performs the ḥajj some years after his ability to perform it exists, then he has performed the obligatory ḥajj in its time. All agree that he is not like someone who misses the prayer until its time has passed and makes it up after its time, or someone who misses fasting Ramaḍān due to illness or travel and then makes it up, or like someone who invalidates his ḥajj and then makes it up. It is agreed that if someone performs the ḥajj years after he is able to do so, he is not said to be “making it up”. From this we know that there is wide scope for the time of ḥajj and that it is not immediate.’

Abū ‘Umar said, ‘All who say that ḥajj can be delayed put no time limit on that except what is related from Saḥnūn who was asked about a man who had the wherewithal to make ḥajj and delayed it for some years while he was able to do it and whether that meant that he became fāsiq by delaying the ḥajj, causing his testimony to be rejected. He said it did not, even if that delay was up to sixty years. If it was more than sixty years, he was considered fāsiq and his testimony rejected.’ So he made sixty years the limit. Limits are only stipulated in the Sharī‘ah by someone who can legislate.

Ibn al-Khuwayzimandād related this from Ibn al-Qāsim. Ibn al-Qāsim and others said, ‘If he delays it for sixty years, his character is not impaired. If he delays it beyond sixty years, his character is impaired because the Prophet ﷺ said, “The lifespan of my community is between sixty and seventy. Few exceed it.” It is as if the requirement is made urgent for him in these ten years.

Abu ‘Umar said, ‘Some people, like Saḥnūn, cite as evidence the words of the Prophet ﷺ: “The lifespan of my community is between sixty and seventy. Few exceed that.” There is no proof in that because the words deal with the majority of the ages of the community, if the hadith is sound. It contains evidence for scope for this up to the age of seventy because that is still within the lifespan of the majority. It is not proper to call someone of good character and trustworthiness impious through such a weak interpretation.’ Success is by Allah.

Scholars agree that all are addressed in general. Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘Even if people disagree about the application of general terms, they agree that this āyah applies to all people, male and female, except children, who are excluded by the consensus that they are excluded from the obligations of responsibility. The same applies to slaves who are also not included. They are excluded from it by the words: “those who can find a way to do it.” A slave lacks the ability because his master can prevent him from doing it by his right of ownership and Allah put the right of the master before His right out of kindness to His slaves. There is no disagreement about this either in the community as a whole or between the imams. We do not hasten to affirm what we do not actually know. The only evidence regarding it is the accepted consensus.’ Ibn al-Mundhir said that most of the people of knowledge agree, with the exception of the odd person whose disagreement is not considered, that if a child or slave has made ḥajj and then the child becomes an adult or the slave is freed, they still owe the ḥajj if they can find a way to do it.

Abū ‘Umar said, ‘Dāwūd disagreed with most of the fuqahā’ of the cities and leaders of tradition about slaves and said that they are required to perform ḥajj. According to the majority of scholars, however, slaves are not among those addressed by this command. That is because they do not possess freedom of action and cannot perform ḥajj without their master’s permission. That is the same as slaves not being addressed by the requirement to attend Jumu‘ah in 62:9. It is the position of most scholars except for rare exceptions. Slaves are also excluded from the obligation of giving testimony in 2:282. They are not included in that. It is also possible that children are excluded from the command to perform ḥajj in this āyah even though they are included in “mankind” since the pen [recording responsibility] has been lifted from them. Women are excluded from the words: “You who believe, when the prayer is called…”, despite the fact that they are among those who believe, just as slaves are excluded from this. That is the position of the fuqahā’ of the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria and the Maghrib. It is not permitted for them to deviate in the interpretation of the Book.’

If it is asked, ‘If the slave lives in the vicinity of the Masjid al-Ḥarām and his master gives him permission, why is it not necessary for him to perform ḥajj?’ The answer is that this question is based on consensus and it may be that there is no reason for that. But since it is confirmed that this ruling is based on consensus, we use it as evidence for the fact that any ḥajj he performs while still a slave is not counted as the obligatory ḥajj. It is related from Ibn ‘Abbās that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If a child performs ḥajj and then reaches adulthood, he must perform another ḥajj. If a desert Arab performs ḥajj and then emigrates, he must perform another ḥajj. If a slave performs ḥajj and then is freed, he must perform another ḥajj.’

Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘Some of our scholars are careless and have said, “The ḥajj is not confirmed for a slave, even if his master has given permission, because originally he was an unbeliever and the ḥajj of an unbeliever is not counted. When he became a slave perpetually, he was not instructed to perform ḥajj.” This is unsound in three ways. The first is that we believe that the secondary rulings of the Sharī‘ah are also directed at unbelievers, and there is no disagreement that that is the view of Mālik. The second is that all acts of worship are obliged for him with respect to the prayer and fasting while he is a slave. If he had done them while an unbeliever, they would not be counted. The third is that unbelief is removed by Islam, so its ruling must also be removed.’ Success is by Allah.

those who can find a way to do it.

Ad-Dāraquṭnī reported that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘It was asked, “Messenger of Allah, should ḥajj be done every year?” “Rather it is one ḥajj,” he replied ﷺ. He was asked, “What is ‘a way’” He said, “Provision and a mount.”’ That is related from Anas, Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Umar, Jābir, ‘Ā’ishah, and ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb from his father from his grandfather. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib related that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Ḥajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind – those who can find a way to do it.’ He said that he was asked about that and the Prophet ﷺ said that it meant, ‘That you have the use of a camel.’

Ibn Mājah also transmitted the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar in the Sunan as did Abū ‘Īsā at-Tirmidhī in the Jāmi‘. He said that it is a good hadith. According to the people of knowledge, the practice is that when a man has provision and transport, he must perform ḥajj. Things are said by the people of hadith about the memory of Ibrāhīm ibn Yazīd al-Khūzī al-Makkī. They transmitted from Wakī‘ and ad-Dāraquṭnī from Sufyān ibn Sa‘īd from Ibrāhīm ibn Yazīd from Muḥammad ibn ‘Abbād that Ibn ‘Umar said, ‘A man went to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, “Messenger of Allah, what makes ḥajj mandatory?” He answered, “Provision and a mount.” He asked, “Messenger of Allah, what is the state of the ḥājjī?” He replied, “Dishevelled, ill-smelling.” Another rose and asked, “What is ḥajj?” He answered, “Clamour and shedding blood.”’ Wakī‘ said that ‘clamour’ is raising the voice with the talbīyah and ‘shedding blood’ is making the sacrifices.

Among those who said that provision and a mount are preconditions for the ḥajj were ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, his son ‘Abdullāh, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, ‘Aṭā’ and Mujāhid. That is the position of ash-Shāfi‘ī, ath-Thawrī, Abū Ḥanīfah and his people, Aḥmad, Isḥāq, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Abī Salamah, and Ibn Ḥabīb. ‘Abdūs mentioned something similar from Saḥnūn.

Ash-Shāfi‘ī says, ‘Ability has two aspects. One is that a person is physically able to do it and has enough money to achieve the ḥajj. The second is that someone is disabled in his body and unable to ride, but is able to have someone perform ḥajj on his behalf for a wage or without a wage. This will be explained. The one who is physically able is obliged by Allah’s Book to perform ḥajj by Allah’s words: “those who can find a way to do it.” The one who is financially able to do it is obliged to perform the ḥajj by the Sunnah on the basis of the hadith related about the Khath‘amī woman. As for the one who is able to do it himself, he is the strong person who incurs, in riding a mount, no hardship beyond his ability to bear it. If this is the case at a time when he possesses provision and a mount, he is obliged to make ḥajj himself. If he lacks provision and transport, or either one of them, then the obligation of ḥajj is cancelled for him. If someone is able to walk and has provision or the ability to earn provision on the way through their skill, such as leather work, cupping or a similar trade, it is recommended that they make ḥajj on foot, whether man or woman.’ Ash-Shāfi‘ī added, ‘The man has less of an excuse than a woman because he is stronger.’ They consider this to be recommended, not mandatory. If the only way he is able to get provision is by begging from people on the way, it is disliked for him to perform ḥajj because he becomes a burden on people.

Mālik ibn Anas said, ‘If he is both able to walk and also has provision, he must perform ḥajj. If he has no mount but is able to walk, there is some question. If he possesses the necessary provision, he is obliged to perform ḥajj. If he does not possess it, but is able to obtain what he needs on the way, there is also some question about that. For those who do not themselves work, it is not obliged, but in the case of those who earn their living by a trade or craft, it is obliged. It is the same if it is someone’s custom to beg. He must perform ḥajj.’ Mālik made it obligatory for someone able to walk, even if he does not have provision or mount. That is the position of ‘Abdullāh ibn az-Zubayr, ash-Sha‘bī and ‘Ikrimah.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘If a person is strong, young and healthy but has no money, he should hire himself out in exchange for food or its equivalent until he completes his ḥajj.’ Muqātil said to him, ‘So Allah has obliged people to walk to the House?’ He answered, ‘If someone were to have a legacy for him in Makkah, would he then abandon it? No, he would go to it, even crawling. It is on that basis that the ḥajj is obliged for him.’

These scholars cite as evidence the words of the Almighty: ‘Announce the ḥajj to mankind. They will come to you on foot.’ (22:27) They said, ‘That is because the ḥajj is one of the physical acts of worship which are individual obligations. For that reason neither provision nor a mount are obligatory preconditions for its being obligatory, any more than is the case with the prayer and fasting.’ They said that if the hadith of al-Khūzī about provision and a mount is sound, then we would apply it to all people, most of whom live at a great distance. The generality of the words which apply to the most usual circumstances occurs frequently in the Sharī‘ah, the words of the Arabs and their poetry.

Ibn Wahb, Ibn al-Qāsim and Ashhab reported that Mālik was asked about this āyah and said, ‘With respect to that people are judged according to their ability, wealth and resilience.’ Ashhab asked Mālik, ‘Is it a matter of provision and a mount?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘By Allah, it is only according to the ability of people. Someone may have provision and a mount and still not be able to go whereas another may be able to go on foot.’

If someone has the ability and sets out to perform the obligatory ḥajj, and then something stops him, such as a creditor who prevents him from going until he settles his debt, there is no disagreement about that. If someone has a family who need support, he is not obliged to perform ḥajj until they have sufficient to maintain them for the time he is absent, because maintenance is an immediate obligation while ḥajj can be done later, and so the family is put first. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘It is enough of a wrong action for a man to let those he feeds perish.’

The same applies if someone fears his parents will perish and there are none to attend to them. There is no way for him to perform ḥajj. If they forbid him because of over-fondness and loneliness, however, he should not pay any attention to that. A woman can be prevented by her husband, but it is also said that he cannot prevent her. What is sound is that he can stop her from going, especially since we say that it is not necessary to perform ḥajj immediately.

The sea does not annul the obligation to do ḥajj when it is generally considered safe, as we mentioned in al-Baqarah, when someone knows he will not be adversely affected. If there is real probability of shipwreck or sea-sickness or inability to do the prayer, then people should not go. If there is no place to prostrate because of the crowd and narrowness of the place, Mālik said, ‘If someone cannot bow and prostrate except on their brother’s back, they should not go.’ Then he said, ‘Is someone going to embark when they are not going to be able to pray! Woe to anyone who abandons the prayer!’

The obligation of Ḥajj is cancelled if, on the route, there is an enemy taking lives or someone demanding money, if it is an unspecified or exorbitant amount. There is disagreement on whether the obligation is cancelled when the amount demanded is not exorbitant. Ash-Shāfi‘ī said, ‘He should not pay even a single grain, and the obligation of ḥajj is cancelled.’ Ḥajj is obligatory for someone whose usual income is gained through begging and thinks that it is probable he will find someone to give what he needs, as we mentioned when we discussed possessing the means.

If the impediments preventing someone going on ḥajj are removed and he has insufficient ready funds to make ḥajj but possesses saleable goods, he must sell some of his goods to give himself enough money to fulfil the obligation. Ibn al-Qāsim was asked about a man who had a water-skin and nothing else. Should he sell it to enable himself to go on ḥajj and leave his children with nothing to live on? He said, ‘Yes, he must do that and leave his children dependent on ṣadaqah.’ The first position, however, is the correct one, based on the hadith: ‘It is enough of a wrong action for a man to let those he feeds perish.’ That is the view of ash-Shāfi‘ī. The apparent position of his school is that ḥajj is only mandatory for someone with no family or children if he has sufficient money to cover the entire journey. One of them said that the return journey is not taken into account because the fact that someone has no wife or dependants there means that it is no great hardship for him to stay in other than his homeland and so, in fact, all lands can be his homeland. The first position is more correct because a person feels alienated when parted from his homeland. Do you not see that when an unmarried man commits fornication, he is flogged and exiled from his home, whether he has family there or not.

In al-Umm, ash-Shāfi‘ī said, ‘If someone has a residence, a servant and can provide maintenance for his family during his absence, then he is obliged to perform ḥajj.’ The apparent meaning of this is that he considers the expense of ḥajj to be over and above that of a servant and a residence because he mentions that before maintenance of the family. It is as if he was saying that the obligation to go on Ḥajj only comes into force after all these have been taken into account. His people said that he is obliged to sell the house and servant and rent a house and servant for his family. If he has goods, he should trade in them and earn a sufficient profit to support his dependants during the whole of his absence. If he has to spend from the goods themselves, so that the profits from them are reduced and there is not enough to cover his costs, is he then obliged to perform ḥajj from the sale of the goods or not? There are two views. The first is the view of the majority, and it is sound and well known, which is that there is no disagreement that if someone has an estate whose revenue covers his needs, he must sell that estate to enable him to perform ḥajj, and so the same must be true of goods. Ibn Shurayḥ said, ‘That is not the case. The goods should not be sold and the person does not perform ḥajj from their proceeds because the ḥajj is not obligatory if a person’s sufficient needs are not met. This discussion is about ability both physically and in terms of wealth.’

As for someone who is ill and sickly (ma‘ḍūb), ‘aḍb is cutting and that term is used of a sword. It is as if someone who reaches the point where they cannot stay on a mount or be firm on it is the same as someone whose limbs are severed and thus unable to do anything. Scholars disagree about the ruling governing such a person since there is a consensus that they are not obliged to travel on ḥajj on the basis that the ḥajj is only obligatory for someone who is able to do it. Someone ill or sickly does not have the ability to do it. Mālik said, ‘When someone is sickly, the obligation of ḥajj is completely cancelled for him. No one should perform ḥajj on his behalf, even if he is in a position to enable them to do so, either with or without a wage. The ḥajj is not an obligation for him. If someone becomes chronically ill, the obligation of ḥajj is cancelled for him. It is not permitted for anyone to perform ḥajj on his behalf in any case. If he states in his will that someone should perform ḥajj on his behalf, that is taken from the third of the estate [allowed to be left as bequests] and it is a voluntary action.’ His evidence is Allah’s words: ‘Man will have nothing but what he strives for.’ (53:39) He reported that he only has that for which he strives, so if someone says that he is striving on behalf of someone else, that is contrary to the literal meaning of the āyah and to Allah’s words: ‘Ḥajj to the house is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind…’ This person lacked the ability because the ḥajj is enjoined on those responsible for reaching the House themselves and because it is an act of worship which cannot be delegated when the ability is lacking, just as is the case with the prayer.

Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir related from Jābir that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘By means of one ḥajj, Allah will admit three to the Garden: the deceased, the one who takes on ḥajj for him and the one who carries that out.’ Abu-l-Qāsim Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad ad-Dāraquṭnī transmitted this from ‘Amr ibn Ḥuṣayn as-Sadūsī from Abū Ma‘shar from Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir. The name of Abū Ma‘shar was Najīḥ. They considered him to be weak.

Ash-Shāfi‘ī said, ‘Regarding someone who is chronically ill, very sickly or very old, who finds someone able to perform the ḥajj on his behalf, he possesses a certain type of ability. There are two forms of it. One is that he is able to pay someone to perform ḥajj on his behalf. That person performs his obligatory ḥajj. This is the view of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib. It is related that he told a very old man who had not performed ḥajj, ‘Equip a man to perform ḥajj on your behalf.’ This position was taken by ath-Thawrī, Abū Ḥanīfah and his people, Ibn al-Mubārak, Aḥmad and Isḥāq. The second is that he is able to find someone to pay on his behalf and represent him in performing ḥajj on his behalf. According to ash-Shāfi‘ī, Aḥmad and Ibn Rāhawayh, ḥajj is also an obligation for such a person. Abū Ḥanīfah said that the ḥajj is not obligatory for them. Ash-Shāfi‘ī cited as evidence what Ibn ‘Abbās related about the woman of Khath‘am who asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Messenger of Allah, Allah has obliged His slaves to perform ḥajj. My father is a very old man who cannot remain firm on a mount. Can I perform ḥajj on his behalf?’ ‘Yes,’ he answered. That was during the Farewell Ḥajj. One variant has: ‘He cannot remain upright on a camel.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Perform ḥajj for him. Do you think that if your father owed a debt, you would not settle it for him?’ ‘Yes,’ she answered. He said, ‘It is more fitting to settle a debt owed to Allah.’ So the Prophet ﷺ said that his obligation to do ḥajj was fulfilled by his daughter voluntarily performing it and spending on it herself on his behalf. His indication that a father’s obligation to do ḥajj could be fulfilled by the voluntary action of his daughter, suggests that it is even more appropriate to for someone to fulfil their ḥajj obligation by hiring someone to do it on their behalf on the basis of their ability to pay for it from their own wealth. As for someone having to give out wealth beyond what they are able to afford, what is sound is that it is not obliged for them to do so.

Our scholars have said the aim of the hadith about the Khath‘amī woman is not to make ḥajj obligatory in that situation. Its aim is to encourage being good to parents and seeing to their best interests in this world and the Next and to accrue benefit for them naturally and in the Sharī‘ah. When he saw in the woman reaction and obedience and true filial piety and eagerness to bring her father good and reward, and her sorrow at his missing the blessing of ḥajj, he responded to that in the same way that he said to another woman who said, ‘My mother made a vow to perform ḥajj but did not perform ḥajj before her death. Can I perform ḥajj on her behalf?’ ‘Perform ḥajj on her behalf. Do you think that if your mother owed a debt you would not pay it?’ ‘Yes,’ she answered. This indicates that it is about obedience and bringing good and blessings to dead people. Do you not see that he ﷺ likened the ḥajj to a debt?

The consensus is that if someone dies while owing a debt, his relative is not obliged to settle it from his money. He may do that voluntarily and thereby settle the debt for him. Part of the evidence in this hadith that it was not an obligation for her father is this woman’s explicit statement: ‘he was unable.’ Ḥajj is not obligatory for someone who is unable. This is a clear statement denying the obligation and preventing the duty. So it is not permitted for what is definitively negative at the beginning of the hadith to become affirmative by supposition at the end of it. This is confirmed by the words: ‘it is more fitting to settle Allah’s debt.’ Taking this literally, it is not a consensus. It is, in fact, more fitting to settle a debt to a person and the consensus is that one begins with that on account of the poverty of the human being and the wealth of Allah Almighty. Ibn al-‘Arabī said that.

Abū ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-Barr mentioned that the hadith of the Khath‘amī woman, in the view of Mālik and his people, was specific to her. Others said that there is some disturbance in it. Ibn Wahb and Abū Muṣ‘ab said that it is specific to the right of the child. Ibn Habīb said, ‘The indulgence comes about the ḥajj on behalf of an elderly person. There is no encouragement to do it if he has not yet performed ḥajj or, for someone who has died without performing ḥajj, that his child should perform it on his behalf, even if he has not left instructions about that and, Allah willing, it satisfies it. This discussion is about those who are sickly and the like. The hadith of the Khath‘amī woman was transmitted by the imams. It refutes the statement of al-Hasan that a woman is not permitted to perform ḥajj on behalf of a man.’

Scholars agree that if someone does not have adequate provision for the journey, they are not obliged to perform ḥajj. Even if a non-relative gives them money with which to make ḥajj, there is consensus that they do not have to accept it since a favour is attached to it. If a man gives his father money, ash-Shāfi‘ī said that he must accept it because a man’s son is part of his earning and there is no favour attached to that. Mālik and Abū Ḥanīfah said that he is not obliged to accept it because it entails a lowering of respect for his parents. He can satisfy it when they have died. Allah knows best.

But if anyone disbelieves, Allah is Rich Beyond Need of any being.

Ibn ‘Abbās and others said, ‘This refers to anyone who rejects the obligatory nature of ḥajj and does not think that it is obligatory.’ Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and others said, ‘Anyone who abandons the ḥajj when he is able to do it is an unbeliever.’ At-Tirmidhī related from al-Ḥārith that ‘Alī reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘When someone possesses provision and a mount with which to reach the House of Allah and does not perform ḥajj, he can die a Jew or a Christian. That is because Allah says in His Book: “Ḥajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind, those who can find a way to do it.”’ Abū ‘Īsā said, ‘This hadith, however, is gharīb. We only know it from this path. Its isnād is questionable. Hilāl ibn ‘Abdullāh is unknown and al-Ḥārith is considered to be weak.’ Something similar is related from Abū Umāmah and ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.

It is related from ‘Abd Khayr ibn Yazīd from ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a khuṭbah of his, ‘O people! Allah has obliged ḥajj on those of you who are able to find a way to it. If someone does not do it, he can die however he wishes. If he wishes, as a Jew, a Christian or a Magian, unless he is excused by reason of illness, or a tyrant. He has no portion in my intercession nor will he come to My Basin.’

Ibn ‘Abbās said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘If someone has enough money to enable him to perform ḥajj but he does not perform ḥajj, or property on which zakāt is due but he does not pay zakāt, he will be questioned at death and the Resurrection.’ It was said, ‘Ibn ‘Abbās, we think that this is about the unbelievers!’ He said, ‘I recite to you the Qur’an: “O you who believe! do not let your wealth or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does that is lost. Give from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would give me a little more time so that I might give ṣadaqah and be one of the righteous!’”’ (63:9-10) Al-Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ said in his commentary, ‘and give zakāt and perform ḥajj.’

It is reported that a man asked the Prophet ﷺ about this āyah and he said, ‘Anyone who performs ḥajj not hoping for a reward, or remains behind not fearing punishment, has disbelieved in Him.’ Qatādah related that al-Ḥasan said that ‘Umar said, ‘I thought about sending some men to the cities to look into those who had wealth but did not perform ḥajj and imposing the jizyah on them. That is on account of Allah’s words: “But if anyone disbelieves, Allah is Rich Beyond Need of any being.”’ This is to demonstrate severity. That is why our scholars have said that the āyah implies that if someone dies without performing ḥajj when he was able to do so, the threat is aimed at him directly. It cannot be satisfied by someone performing ḥajj on his behalf because a ḥajj performed by someone else does not remove the obligation to do ḥajj from him and so the threat is not removed from him. Allah knows best. Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said, ‘If my neighbour dies and possesses wealth, but has not performed ḥajj, I will not pray over him.’

98 Say, ‘People of the Book, why do you reject Allah’s Signs when Allah is witness of everything you do?’ 99 Say, ‘People of the Book, why do you bar those who believe from the Way of Allah, desiring to make it crooked, when you yourselves are witnesses to it? Allah is not unaware of what you do.’ ‘Why do you bar from the Way of Allah?’

It means to turn people away from the dīn of Allah. Al-Ḥasan recited ‘tuṣiddūna’ [instead of ‘taṣuddūna’]. They are two dialectical forms from ṣadda, aṣadda. ‘Crookedness’ denotes bias and deviation in the dīn, words and actions, and what will divert someone from the straight path or what is upright, as Abū ‘Ubaydah and others said. We see the same meaning in His words: ‘they will follow the Summoner who has no crookedness in him at all.’ (20:108) It means that they will not deviate if they respond to his summons. The verb ‘āja means to stop in a place and stand. ‘Ā’ij is someone standing. [POEM] A man who is a‘raj has bad character and ‘awaj is clear bad character. In respect of a horse, ‘ūj refers to the curving of the sinews in the back leg. It is praised. The term a‘awjīyah was used of certain horses in the Jāhilyyah whose legs were far apart.

you yourselves are witnesses to it.

It means: you understand it. It is said: ‘You witness that it is written in the Torah that the dīn of Allah that is accepted is Islam alone by reason of the fact that it contains the description of Muḥammad ﷺ.’

100 You who believe! if you obey a group of those given the Book, they will make you revert to unbelievers after you have believed.

This was revealed about a Jew who wanted to rekindle the civil war between Aws and Khazraj after it had been stopped by the Prophet ﷺ. He sat among them and recited some poetry to them which one of the tribes had recited about their wars. The other tribe said, ‘But our poet said this and that about such-and-such a day.’ Some of that provoked them and they said, ‘Come on! Let us start the war again!’ Aws shouted, ‘People of Aws!’ and Khazraj shouted, ‘People of Khazraj!’ They met and took up their weapons and formed ranks for fighting and then this āyah was revealed. The Prophet ﷺ came and stood between the ranks and recited it in a loud voice. When they heard his voice, they listened to him, and when he finished, they threw their weapons aside and embraced one another, weeping. ‘Ikrimah, Ibn Zayd and Ibn ‘Abbās reported the story.

The one who did this was Shās ibn Qays the Jew. He introduced into Aws and Khazraj someone who would recall to them the wars that had taken place between them. The Prophet ﷺ came and reminded them and people recognised that it was a provocation from Shayṭān and a machination on the part of their enemy. So they threw down their weapons, wept and embraced one another and then left with the Prophet ﷺ in obedience to him. Then Allah revealed this. ‘You who believe’ are Aws and Khazraj and the words ‘a group of those given the Book’ refer to Shās and his people.

they will make you revert to unbelievers after you have believed.

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh said, ‘There was no arrival that day more hateful to us than that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Then he indicated to us with his hand and we refrained and Allah Almighty made peace between us. Then there was no one we loved more than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I have not experienced a day whose start was uglier or more repulsive and whose end had a greater reward than that day.’

101 How can you disbelieve, when Allah’s Signs are recited to you and the Messenger is there among you? Whoever holds fast to Allah has been guided to a straight path.

The Almighty asks this with amazement. The words ‘Allah’s Signs’ refer to the Qur’an and ‘the Messenger’ is Muḥammad ﷺ. Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘There was fighting and bad feeling between Aws and Khazraj in the Jāhiliyyah. They mentioned what had happened between them and it provoked them to pick up swords against one another. They went to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned that to him and he went to them. Then this āyah was revealed.’

The āyah includes those who did not see the Prophet ﷺ because the establishment of his Sunnah took the place of actually seeing him. Az-Zajjāj says that it is possible that this āyah was directed only to the Companions of Muḥammad ﷺ because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was among them and they saw him. It is also possible that this is addressed to the entire Community because His traces and signs and the Qur’an which he was given are among us in the place of the Messenger ﷺ, even if we did not see him.

Qatādah said, ‘There are two clear signs in this āyah: the Book of Allah and the Prophet of Allah. The Prophet of Allah has passed, and the Book of Allah remains among them as a mercy and a blessing. It contains its lawful and unlawful, and obedience and disobedience.’

The phrase ‘Whoever holds fast’ means someone who is patient and holds to Allah’s dīn and obeys Him. Then he is given success and rightly guided. Ibn Jurayj says that it means he believes in Him. It is said that it means, ‘Whoever holds to the rope of Allah,’ which is the Qur’an. The verbs a‘ṣama and i‘taṣama mean to hold to something to the exclusion of anything else. Anyone who clings to something is called ‘mu‘ṣim’ and ‘mu‘taṣim’. Someone who defends something is called ‘āṣim. Al-Farazdaq said:

I am the son of the defenders (‘āṣimīn) of the Banū Tamīm.

[POEMS] Food is described as defending (‘aṣama) someone from being hungry. The Arabs say, ‘the food kept him (‘aṣama) from being hungry. That is why they call pottage (sawīq) ‘Abū ‘Āṣim.’ Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā said, ‘The Arabs called bread ‘āṣim and jābir, and they also called it ‘āmir. [POEMS]

102 You who believe! have taqwā of Allah with the taqwā due to Him and do not die except as Muslims.

An-Naḥḥās related from Murrah ibn ‘Abdullāh that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The taqwā due to Him is that He be obeyed and not disobeyed, remembered and not forgotten, thanked and not shown ingratitude.’ Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘It means not disobeying Him for the blink of an eye.’ The commentators mentioned that when this āyah was revealed, they asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, who is strong enough for this?’ It was hard for them and then Allah revealed: ‘So show fear of Allah as much as you are able to’ (64:16), and this āyah was abrogated as Qatādah, ar-Rabī‘ and Ibn Zayd said. Muqātil said, ‘Nothing in Āl ‘Imrān is abrogated except this āyah.’

It is also said that the words: ‘So show fear of Allah as much as you are able to’ is clarification of this āyah. The meaning is: ‘Fear Allah with the taqwā due to Him as much you are able to.’ This is more correct because when there is a choice between reconciling and abrogation, reconciling is more appropriate. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭalḥah reported that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The words of Allah: “You who believe, have taqwā of Allah with the taqwā due to Him,” are not abrogated. “The taqwā due to Him” is that one fights to the utmost in the Way of Allah and does not fear the blame of any blamer for Allah’s sake, and establishes justice, even against oneself and one’s children.’ An-Naḥḥās said, ‘Whenever an obligation is mentioned in an āyah, it is mandatory for the Muslims to implement it and there is no abrogation in it.’ This was already mentioned in al-Baqarah.

103 Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate. Remember Allah’s blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way Allah makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided.

Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate.

‘Hold fast’ (i‘taṣimū) comes from ‘iṣmah, which is defence, and it is also used for the guards (badhraqah) of a caravan. That is because they organise those who would defend it against those who would harm it. Ibn Khāluwayh said that badhraqah is not Arabic, but a Persian word that has been Arabicised.

‘Ḥabl’ (rope) is a word with multiple meanings. Its linguistic root is the means by one which one reaches a need and desire. It is a ligament in the neck and a long track of sand. That usage is found in hadith. It is a halter and a covenant. Al-A‘shā said:

When the covenants (ḥibāl) of the tribe seceded it, they took their contracts from another for you.

He means security. It is also cunning, and hibālah is a snare. [POEM]

None of these meanings is meant in the āyah except that of ‘covenant’, as Ibn ‘Abbās said. Ibn Mas‘ūd said that the rope of Allah is the Qur’an. ‘Alī and Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī related this from the Prophet ﷺ, and the same is reported from Mujāhid and Qatādah. Abū Mu‘āqiyah related from al-Hijrī from Abu-l-Aḥwaṣ from ‘Abdullāh that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘This Qur’an is the rope of Allah.’

Taqiyy ibn Mukhallad related from Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥamīd from Hushaym from al-‘Awwām ibn Ḥawshab from ash-Sha‘bī that ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd said that it refers to the Community. It is related from him and others by various paths of transmission. All the meanings are similar because Allah commanded friendship and forbade separation. Separation is destruction and the group is salvation. Ibn al-Mubarāk said:

The community is the rope of Allah, so hold fast to the firmest handhold of it for the one who draws near.

and do not separate.

This means in respect of your dīn, in the way the Jews and Christians separated in their respective religions, as Ibn Mas‘ūd and others said. It is permitted for it to mean: ‘Do not separate by following your individual passions and desires. Be brothers in the dīn of Allah.’ So that should prevent them cutting off one another and plotting against one another. This is indicated by what follows it:

Remember Allah’s blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing.

There is no evidence in the āyah for the prohibition of disagreement concerning secondary rulings. That is not true disagreement. The disagreement intended here is that which makes harmony and joining together impossible. As for rulings in matters of ijtihād, disagreement regarding them is due to the deduction of precepts and fine meanings of the Sharī‘ah. The Companions continued to disagree in respect of judgments about different matters. In spite of that, they were in complete harmony. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The disagreements of my Community are a mercy.’ Allah is forbidding any sort of disagreement that results in discord.

At-Tirmidhī reported from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The Jews divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects and the Christians into the like of that. My community will divide into seventy-three sects.’ At-Tirmidhī said that it is a sound hadith. Ibn ‘Umar also transmitted that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘What happened to the tribe of Israel will happen to my community, step by step, so that if one of them were to come to his mother openly, my community would also have those who do that. The tribe of Israel divided into seventy-two sects and my community will divide into seventy-three. All of them will be in the Fire except for one.’ ‘Who are they, Messenger of Allah?’ they asked. He replied, ‘What I and My Companions follow.’ He transmitted it from ‘Abdullāh ibn Ziyād al-Ifrīqī from ‘Abdullāh ibn Yazīd from Ibn ‘Umar. He said, ‘This hadith is ḥasan gharīb. We only know it from this path.’ Abū ‘Umar said, ‘‘Abdullāh al-Ifrīqī is trustworthy. His people trusted him and praised him while others said that he was weak.’

In his Sunan Abū Dāwūd transmitted from Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Before you the People of the Book divided into seventy-two sects and this community will divide into seventy-three. Seventy-two will be in the Fire and one in the Garden: it is the Jama‘āh. Some people will emerge from my Community and those passions will move them as rabies moves its sufferer. There is no vein or joint of them which that will not enter.’

In the Sunan of Ibn Mājah, Anas ibn Mālik reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Anyone who leaves this world sincerely believing in Allah alone and being sincere in worshipping Him with no partner, establishing the prayer and paying the zakāt, dies with Allah pleased with him.’ Anas said, ‘It is the dīn of Allah which the Messengers brought and conveyed from their Lord before the muddling of hadiths and different sects.’ The confirmation of that is at the end of what Allah revealed. He says: “If they repent…” in other words ‘if they abandon idols and worship of them’, “…and establish the prayer and pay zakāt, they are your brothers in the dīn.”’ (9:11) It is transmitted from Naṣr ibn ‘Alī al-Jahḍamī from Abū Aḥmad from Abū Ja‘far ar-Rāzī from ar-Rabī‘ ibn Anas from Anas.

Abu-l-Faraj al-Jawzī said, ‘If it is said that these sects are known, the answer is that we know the differences and the roots of sects and each of the sects is sub-divided into further sects, even if we do not know all the names of those sects and schools. It is clear to us that the roots of sects are the Ḥarūriyyah (Khārijites), the Qadariyyah, the Jahmiyyah, the Murji’ites, the Rāfiḍites and the Jabriyyah.’ One of the people of knowledge said, ‘There are six sects that form the basis of these misguided sects and each of them divided into twelve sub-sects so they became seventy-two.’

There are twelve sects of the Ḥarūriyyah. The first are the Azraqiyyah who say, ‘We do not know anyone to be a believer,’ and they say that all the people of the qiblah are unbelievers except for those who espouse the same view as them. There are the Ibāḍiyyah who say, ‘Whoever takes our view is a believer and whoever turns away from it is a hypocrite.’ There are the Tha‘labiyyah who say that Allah does not decree; the Khāzimiyyah who say that they do not know what faith is and all creatures are excused; the Khalafiyyah who claim that anyone who abandons jihād, male or female, is an unbeliever; and the Kūziyyah who said that no one should touch another person because he does not know whether he is pure or impure and should not eat with him until he repents and has a ghusl. There are the Kanziyyah who say that no one is allowed to give another person his wealth because he might not deserve it and so he should store it (kanz) in the earth until the people of the truth appear. There are the Shamrākhiyyah who say there is nothing wrong in touching women who are not relatives. There are the Akhnasiyyah who said that the dead find neither good nor evil after death. There are the Ḥakamiyyah who say that anyone who asks for the judgment of a creature is an unbeliever. There are the Mu‘taziliyyah [of the Ḥarūriyyah] who say that the business of ‘Alī and Mu‘āwiyah is unclear and so they are free of both parties. And there are the Maymūniyyah who say that there is no ruler except with the consent of those we love.

There are also twelve sects of Qadariyyah. There are the Aḥmariyyah who stipulate about Allah’s justice that He must give people charge of their affairs and come between them and acts of disobedience. There are the Thanawiyyah who claim that good is from Allah and evil is from Shayṭān. There are the Mu‘tazilites who say that the Qur’an is created and deny the Attributes of Divine Lordship. There are the Kaysāniyyah who say, ‘We do not know whether actions are from Allah or from people. We do not know whether people will be rewarded or punished.’ There are the Shayṭāniyyah who say that Allah did not create Shayṭān. There are the Sharīkiyyah who say that all evil actions are decreed except for disbelief. There are the Wahmiyyah who say that the actions and words of people have no essence and they do neither good nor evil actions. There are the Zabriyyah who say that it is a duty to act by every revealed Book, whether abrogated or abrogating. There are the Mas‘adiyyah who claim that if someone disobeys and then repents, his repentance is not accepted. There are the Nākithiyyah who claim that someone who breaks his allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ does not sin. There are the Qāsiṭiyyah who [preferred seeking the world to doing-without, and the Naẓẓāmiyyah who] followed Ibrāhīm ibn an-Naẓẓām in saying that someone who claims that Allah is a thing is an unbeliever.

The Jahmiyyah likewise make up twelve sects. There are the Mu‘attilah who claim that everything a human being thinks of is created and if someone claims that Allah can be seen, he is an unbeliever. There are Marīsiyyah who say that most of the attributes of Allah are created. There are the Multaziqah who say that the Creator is everywhere. There are the Wāridiyyah who say that no one who recognises his Lord will enter the Fire and no one who enters it will ever emerge from it. There are the Zanādiqah who say that no one can establish a Lord for himself because affirmation can only occur after perception by the senses and what is not perceived cannot be confirmed. There are the Ḥarqiyyah who claim that the Fire will burn the unbeliever once and he will remain burned forever but not feel the heat of the Fire. There are the Makhlūqiyyah who claim that the Qur’an is created. There are the Fāniyyah who claim that the Fire and Garden will vanish. Some of them say that they are not created. There are the Qabriyyah who deny the punishment of the grave and intercession. There are the Laẓfiyyah who say that our articulation of the Qur’an is created.

The twelve sects of the Murji’ah are the Tārikiyyah who say that Allah did not impose any obligation on His creation other than believing in Him and whoever believes in Him can do whatever he wishes. There are the Sā’ibiyyah who say that Allah left His creation to do whatever they wish. There are the Rājiyyah who say that someone obedient is not called obedient nor someone disobedient called disobedient because we do not know what Allah has in store for him. There are the Sālibiyyah who say that obedience is not part of faith. There are the Bahīshiyyah who say that faith is knowledge and whoever does not know the truth from the false or the lawful from the unlawful is an unbeliever. The ‘Amaliyyah say that faith is action. The Manqūṣiyyah say that faith does not increase or decrease. The Mustathniyyah say that ‘if Allah wills’ is part of faith. The Mushabbihah say that His sight is like our sight and His hand like our hands. The Ḥashawiyyah said that ruling of all hadiths is the same and someone who omits the nāfilah is like someone who omits the obligatory. The Zāhiriyyah forbid analogy. The Bid‘iyah were the first to innovate these things in this community.

The Rāfiḍites also have twelve sects. There are the ‘Alawiyyah who say that the Message was really sent to ‘Alī but Jibrīl made a mistake. The Amriyyah said that ‘Alī and Muḥammad shared in Prophethood. The Shi‘ah said that ‘Alī was the executor of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his heir after him and the community fell into disbelief by giving allegiance to someone else. The Isḥāqiyyah said that Prophethood will continue until the Day of Rising and whoever has the knowledge of the People of the House is a Prophet. The Nāwūsiyyah say that ‘Alī is the best of the community and anyone who prefers someone to him has disbelieved. The Imāmiyyah said that it is not possible for this world to be without an imām from the descendants of Ḥusayn. The imām is taught by Jibrīl and if he dies, another takes his place. The Zaydiyyah said that all the descendants of Ḥusayn have the right to be imāms in the prayer. If one of them is present, the prayer is not permitted behind someone else. It makes no difference whether they are pious or impious. The ‘Abbāsiyyah claimed that al-‘Abbās was the most entitled to be caliph. The Tanāsukhiyyah believed in transmigration of souls. If someone was a good-doer, his soul leaves and enters into someone who will have a happy life. The Raj‘iyyah claim that ‘Alī and his companions will return to this world and take revenge on their enemies. The Lā‘inah curse ‘Uthmān, Ṭalḥah, az-Zubayr, Mu‘āwiyah, Abū Mūsā, ‘Ā’ishah and others. The Mutarabbiṣah resemble those performing the ḥajj practices and in every age set up a man whom they put in charge, claiming that he is the mahdī of the community. When he dies, they set up another.

The Jabriyyah have twelve sects. There are the Muḍṭariyyah who say that the human being has no action: it is Allah who does everything. The Af‘āliyyah say that we have actions but no capacity to do them. We are like beasts led by ropes. The Mafrūghiyyah said that all things were created in the past and now nothing is created. The Najjāriyyah claimed that Allah Almighty punishes people for His actions, not for their actions. The Mannāniyyah said that you are responsible for what occurs to your heart, so do whatever you deem to be good. The Kasbiyyah said that the slave of Allah earns neither reward nor punishment. The Sābiqiyyah said you may act as you wish. The fortunate will not be harmed by their wrong actions and the wretched will not be helped by their piety. The Ḥibbiyyah said that if someone drinks a cup of the love of Allah, the pillars of worship are cancelled for him. The Khawfiyyah said that if someone loves Allah, he cannot fear Him because the lover does not fear his Beloved. The Fikriyyah said that if someone increases his knowledge, worship is no longer binding on him. The Khashabiyyah said that this world is shared equally among people and there is no superiority between them in their legacy from their father Ādam. The Manniyyah say that we have no action, only ability.

Further discussion of sects in this Community will come at the end of Sūrat al-An‘ām Allah willing.

Ibn ‘Abbās said to Simāk al-Ḥanafī: ‘Ḥanafī, the Community (Jamā‘ah)! The Community! Past nations were destroyed when they split into sects. Did you not hear the words of the Almighty, “Hold fast to the rope of Allah altogether and do not separate”?’

Abū Hurayrah reports in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Allah is pleased with three things for you and dislikes three things for you. He is pleased that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, that you hold all together to the rope of Allah, and that you do not split up. He dislikes three things for you: chitchat, asking too many questions and wasting wealth.’ So Allah obliged us to hold to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ and to consult them in cases of disagreement. He commanded us to join together in holding fast to the Book and Sunnah in terms of belief and action. That is the means to unity and the remedy for disunity and assures the best interests of of the community in this world and the dīn and safety from discord. He commanded togetherness and forbade us falling into the schisms which have occurred to the people of the two Books. This is the complete sense of the āyah and is evidence for the validity of consensus as one of the fundamental principles of fiqh. Allah knows best.

Remember Allah’s blessing to you when you were enemies

Allah commanded them to remember His blessings, the greatest of which is Islam and following His Prophet ﷺ. By it enmity and division are removed and love and harmony are brought about. It is Aws and Khazraj who are meant although the āyah is of general import.

so that you became brothers by His blessing.

This means you became brothers in the dīn by the blessing of Islam. In the Qur’an aṣbaḥa always means ‘become’ as is seen elsewhere. Ikhwān (brothers) is the plural of akh. Someone is called a ‘brother’ because he aims to follow the path of his brother.

You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire

‘Shafā’ is the edge of anything. Allah also uses the term in ‘on the brink (shafā) of a crumbling precipice.’ (9:109) A poet said:

We dug (ḥafarnā) [the well] Sajlah for the ḥājjīs, growing above its edge (shifāhā) is a plant.

The verb ashfā ‘alā means to be on the brink of something. The verb is used of a sick person on the brink of death. All that remains of it is shafā, a little. Ibn as-Sikkīt said, ‘It is said of a dying man or waning moon or setting sun, “Only a little (shafā) remains of it.”’ Al-‘Ajjāj said:

Many an elevated place is high for the one who ascends it. I ascended it when the sun had set or was close (shafā) to it.

‘Had set’ is ‘bilā shafā’ and ‘bi-shafā means that a little remains of it. It is a weak verb with yā’. One dialect has it as being one of those words with a wāw. An-Naḥḥās said, ‘The root of shafā is shafawa which is why it is written with an alif and without imālah.’ Al-Akhfash said, ‘When imālah is not permitted in it, it is known that there was originally a wāw there. Imālah comes from the yā’. The dual is shafawān.’

Al-Mahdawī said that being on the brink of a fire is a metaphor for them leaving disbelief for belief.

104 Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success.

We have already discussed what enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong entails. ‘Min’ (among) here is partitive. It means that those who enjoin must be people with knowledge, and not all people have knowledge. It is also said that it is generic, and the command is general for everyone. The first position is sounder and indicates that enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong is a farḍ kifāyah. Allah made it specific when He says: ‘Those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will establish the prayer…’ (22:41). This is not all people. Ibn az-Zubayr recited: ‘Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and seek Allah’s help in what befalls them.’ Abū Bakr al-Anbārī said, ‘This addition is, in fact, commentary on the part of Ibn az-Zubayr. It is an error on the part of some transmitters to add it to the words of the Qur’an. It indicates the soundness of the description in the hadith related from my father from Ḥasan ibn ‘Arafah from Wakī‘ from Abū ‘Āṣim from Abū ‘Awn from Ṣubayḥ who said that he heard ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān recite, “Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and seek Allah’s help in what befalls them.” No intelligent person doubts the fact that ‘Uthmān did not consider this addition to be part of the Qur’an since he did not include it in the text of his copy of the Qur’an when he was the leader of the Muslims. He mentioned it as an admonition and to stress the prior words of the Lord.’

105 Do not be like those who split up and differed after the Clear Signs came to them. They will have a terrible punishment

This means the Jews and the Christians, according to most commentators. One of them said that it refers to the innovators of this community. Abū Umāmah, reciting this āyah, said that it is about the Ḥarūriyyah. Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh said that it means the Jews and Christians. The verb ‘came’ is in the masculine for the plural. If the verb had been in the feminine, it would refer to the group.

106 on the Day when faces are whitened and faces are blackened. As for those whose faces are blackened: ‘What! Did you disbelieve after having believed? Taste the punishment for your unbelief!’ 107 As for those whose faces are whitened, they are in Allah’s mercy, remaining in it timelessly, for ever.

On the Day when faces are whitened and faces are blackened.

This is a reference to the Day of Rising when people are resurrected from their graves. The faces of the believers will be whitened and those of the unbelievers blackened. It is said that that occurs when the books are read out. When the book of the believer is read out and he sees his good actions in it, he will rejoice and his face will be brightened. When the unbeliever and hypocrite read their books and see their evil deeds, their faces will be darkened. It is said that this occurs when the scales are set up. It is said that it is when the Almighty says: ‘Keep yourselves apart today, O evildoers.’ (36:59)

It is also said that it happens on the Day of Rising when every group is commanded to join what they worshipped. When they do that they will be wretched and their faces darkened. The believers, People of the Book and hypocrites will stay where they are. Allah will ask the believers, ‘Who is your Lord?’ and they will reply, ‘Our Lord is Allah Almighty.’ He will ask them, ‘Will you recognise Him if you see Him?’ They will reply, ‘Glory be to Him! When He shows Himself, we will recognise Him.’ They will see Allah in the way He wishes them to and the believers will prostrate and their faces will become as white as snow. The hypocrites and People of Book will be unable to prostrate and they will be miserable and their faces dark. The whitening of faces is their shining with bliss and the darkening is their being covered by the painful punishment.

It is also read as ‘tibyaḍḍu’ and ‘tiswaddu’ which is the dialect of Tamīm. Yayhyā ibn Waththāb recited it this way. Az-Zuhrī recited ‘tabyāḍḍu’ and ‘taswāddu.’ It is also permitted for the tā’ to have a kasrah and to have ‘yabyaḍḍu’ in the masculine plural. The whitening of the faces is their shining with blessing and their darkening is from the painful punishment that oppresses them.

There is disagreement about who specifically is being referred to here. Ibn ‘Abbās said that the faces of the people of the Sunnah are white and those of innovation dark. This statement of Ibn ‘Abbās is related by Mālik ibn Sulaymān al-Harawī, the brother of Ghassān, from Mālik ibn Anas from Nāfi‘ from Ibn ‘Umar who reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about these words: ‘It means that the faces of the people of the Sunnah will be whitened and the faces of the people of innovation will be blackened.’ Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Thābit al-Khaṭīb mentioned it. It is said that this is munkar from Mālik.

‘Aṭā’ said, ‘The faces of the Muhājirūn and Anṣār will be whitened and the faces of the Banū Qurayẓah and an-Naḍīr blackened.’ Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said, ‘Those whose faces are blackened are the unbelievers and they will be asked, “Do you disbelieve after your affirmation of belief when you were brought forth from the back of Ādam like atoms?”’ This is what aṭ-Ṭabarī preferred. Al-Ḥasan says that the āyah is about the hypocrites. Qatādah says that it is about the apostates. ‘Ikrimah said, ‘They are the people from the People of the Book who confirmed their Prophets and affirmed Muḥammad ﷺ before he was sent and then, when he was sent, rejected him. That is what is meant by the words of the Almighty: “What! Did you disbelieve after having believed?”’ That is preferred by az-Zajjāj.

Mālik ibn Anas said, ‘It is about the people of sects.’ Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī reported that it is about the Khārijites. Another report says that it is about the Qadariyyah. At-Tirmidhī reported that Abū Ghālib said, ‘Abū Umāmah saw heads set up at the gate of Damascus. He remarked, ‘The dogs of the Fire! The worst to be slain under heaven and the best is the one they killed.’ Then he recited the āyah: “On the Day when faces are whitened and faces are blackened.…” I said to Abū Umāmah, “Did you hear that from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” He answered, “If I had not heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once, two times, three times (and he went on to ‘seven times’), I would not have related it to you.”’ He said that it is a ḥasan hadith.

We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī that Sahl ibn Sa‘d said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I will reach the Basin before you. Whoever passes by me will drink, and whoever drinks will never be thirsty again. Some people will come whom I recognise and who recognise me but a barrier will be put between me and them.”’ Abū Ḥāzim said, ‘An-Nu‘mān ibn Abī ‘Ayyāsh asked, “Is that how you heard it from Sahl ibn Sa‘d?” “Yes,” I answered. He said, “I testify that I heard it from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī and he added, ‘I will say, “They are from me!” It will be said, “You do not know what they innovated after you.” I will say, “Away! Away with those who altered things after me!”’”’

Abū Hurayrah related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘On the Day of Rising, a group of my Companions will come to the Basin and be kept away from it. I will say, “O Lord, my Companions!” He will say, “You do not know what they innovated after you! They turned their backs in retreat.”’

There are many hadiths that talk about this. Anyone who alters, changes or innovates in the dīn of Allah anything not pleasing to Allah and for which Allah has not given permission will be among those who are driven far from the Basin and whose faces are blackened. Those who are driven farthest away are those who opposed the Muslim Community and caused splits among them, such as the Kharijites and their different sects, the Rāfiḍites with their clear misguidance, and the Mu‘tazilites with their various sects. All of these altered and innovated. That is also the case with the extravagant wrongdoers who commit injustice and tyranny and blot out the truth and kill and humiliate its people, as well as those who publicly commit major wrong actions and who treat acts of disobedience lightly, and the group of the people of deviation, sects and innovations. It is feared that all of those are meant by the āyah. As we made clear, only a denying unbeliever who does not have the weight of a mustard seed of faith in his heart will remain in the Fire forever. Ibn al-Qāsim said, ‘There may be from other than the people of sects, those who are worse than the people of sects.’ It used to be said, ‘Full sincerity is avoiding acts of disobedience.’

As for those whose faces are blackened,

There is some elision here, like ‘They were asked, “What! Did you disbelieve after having believed?”’ on the Day of the Covenant when they said, ‘Yes, indeed.’ It is also said that these are the Jews who believed in Muḥammad ﷺ before he was sent and rejected him after he was sent. Abu-l-‘Āliyah said that this is directed at the hypocrites: ‘Do you reject secretly after affirming openly?’ The people who know Arabic agree that there must be a fā’ in the apodosis of ammā since it means: ‘As for Zayd, he is happy.’

Those whose faces are whitened are those who obeyed Allah and fulfilled His covenant. ‘In Allah’s mercy’ is in His Garden and the Abode of His generosity. May Allah place us among them and make us avoid the paths of innovation and misguidance and guide us to the path of those who believed and did good deeds! Amīn.

108 These are Allah’s Signs which We recite to you with truth. Allah desires no wrong for any being. 109 Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to Allah. All matters return to Allah.

‘Allah’s Signs’ are the Qur’an. ‘We recite to you’ means ‘Jibrīl brought them down to you and recited them to you.’ ‘Truth’ is truthfulness. Az-Zajjāj said that the words ‘These are Allah’s signs’ mean that they are the proofs and evidence of Allah. It is said that ‘tilka’, which normally means ‘those’, here means ‘these’, but when they came to an end, it becomes as if they are far and so ‘those’ is used. Also, ‘Allah’s Signs’ can be an appositive for ‘these’ rather than an adjective. ‘Allah desires no wrong for any being’ means that He will not punish them without wrong action on their part.

Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to Allah.

Al-Mahdawī says that the manner in which this is connected to what is before it is that, after Allah mentions the states of the believers and unbelievers and the fact that He does not desire wrong for any being, He then mentions the vast extent of His power and His absolute freedom from any hint of injustice, since everything in the heavens and the earth is in His hand. It is also said that it is the beginning of a new sentence: Allah is making it clear to His slaves that everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him so that they should ask of Him and worship Him and not worship other than Him.

110 You are the best nation ever to be produced before mankind. You enjoin the right, forbid the wrong and believe in Allah. If the People of the Book were to believe, it would be better for them.Some of them are believers but most of them are deviators.

You are the best nation ever to be produced before mankind.

At-Tirmidhī related from Bahz ibn Ḥakīm that his grandfather heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say about these words: ‘You are the culmination of seventy communities. You are the best and noblest of them in the sight of Allah.’ He said that it is a ḥasan hadith.

Abū Hurayrah said, ‘We are the best of people for people. We drag them in chains to Islam.’ Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘They are those who emigrated from Makkah to Madīnah and were present at Badr and Ḥudaybīyah.’ ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, ‘Whoever does what they did is like them.’

It is said that it is the Community of Muḥammad ﷺ, specifically the righteous among them and the people of excellence. They will be the witnesses against other people on the Day of Rising as mentioned in al-Baqarah. Mujāhid said that this is according to the preconditions mentioned in the āyah. It is said that it means: ‘You are in the Preserved Tablet.’ It is said, ‘Since you believed, you were made the best nation.’ It is said that it is good news for the Prophet ﷺ and His community. Al-Afkhash points out that it means the best people of a dīn. [POETRY]

It is said that the verb ‘kāna’ here is in the perfect tense and it means: ‘You have been created and brought into existence’ and ‘the best nation’ is descriptive. It is also said that ‘kāna’ is redundant and it simply means: ‘you are the best nation.’ Similar examples of this usage are found in 19:29 and 2:86.

Sufyān related from Maysarah al-Ashja‘ī from Abū Ḥāzim that Abū Hurayrah said about this āyah, ‘You drag people in chains to Islam.’ An-Naḥḥās said, ‘According to this, it implies; “you are the best nation for people.”’ Mujāhid said, ‘You are the best nation when you enjoin the right and forbid the wrong.’ It is also said that the nation of Muḥammad ﷺ will become the best nation because the Muslims will be the most numerous and enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong is widespread among them. It is also said that it is the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who are being referred to as he said, ‘The best of people are my generation…’, meaning those among whom he was sent.

Since it is confirmed in Revelation that this nation is the best of nations and the Imāms report that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The best of my community are my generation, then the one after them and then the one after them,’ this indicates that those at the beginning of this community are better than those after them, and the majority of scholars believe that. Those who were Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and saw him, even once, are better than those who came after him. No action is equivalent to that of the company of the Prophet ﷺ.

Abū Umar Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr believed that it was possible for there to exist after the Companions those who were better, owing to the fact that the statement of the Prophet ﷺ was not universal, since a generation inevitably contains both the excellent and less excellent. His generation contained hypocrites who opposed faith and people of major wrong actions who had the ḥudūd carried out on them. He said to them, ‘What do you say about a thief, a drinker and a fornicator?’ He said about those in his generation, ‘Do not curse my Companions.’ He said to Khālid ibn al-Walīd about ‘Ammār, ‘Do not insult someone who is better than you.’

Abū Umāmah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Bliss to the one who sees me and believes in me, and bliss seven times over to the one who did not see me but believes in me.’ We find in the Musnad of Abū Dāwūd aṭ-Ṭayālisī from Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥumayd from Zayd ibn Aslam from his father that ‘Umar said, ‘I was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ when he asked, “Do you know which of creation are best in faith?” We replied, “The angels.” He said, “That is true of them, but other than them.” We said, “The Prophets.” He said, “It is true of them, but others.” Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on, “The best of creatures in faith are a people in the loins of men who will believe without seeing me. They will find a page and act by what is in it. They are the best of creatures in faith.”’ Ṣāliḥ ibn Jubayr related that Abū Jum‘ah said, ‘We asked, “Messenger of Allah, is there anyone better than us?” “Yes,” he replied, “A people will come after you who will find a Book between two covers and believe in what is in it and believe in me without seeing me.”’ Abū ‘Umar said that Abū Jum‘ah was a Companion and his name was Ḥabīb ibn Sibā‘. Ṣāliḥ ibn Jubayr was one of the trustworthy Tābi‘ūn.

Abū Tha‘labah al-Khashanī related that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Ahead of you lie days requiring steadfastness, and steadfastness in those days will be like grasping live coals. The one who acts in those days will have the reward of fifty men who do the same action as he does now.’ It was asked, “Messenger of Allah, of their men?” He replied, “Rather of your men.”’ Abū ‘Umar said that some transmitters omit ‘Rather your men’. ‘Umar said in explanation of this āyah, ‘Any who does the like of your actions is like you.’ The hadiths are not contradictory because the first is particular, and success is by Allah.

It is said about what is conveyed by the hadiths regarding this matter that his generation ﷺ is preferred because they were strangers in respect of their faith because of the great number of unbelievers around them, their steadfastness in the face of the persecution they faced and their holding to their dīn. As for the later members of this community, they will be strangers when they establish the dīn and hold to it and are steadfast in obeying their Lord at the time of the appearance of evil, impiety, bloodshed, acts of disobedience and major wrong actions, and then, at that time, their actions will be pure just as the actions of the first ones were pure. Part of what attests to this are the words of the Prophet: ‘Islam began as a stranger and will become as it began. Blessed be the strangers!’ There is also the hadith reported by Abu Tha‘labah that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘My Community is like the rain. It is not known whether the beginning or end of it is best.’ Abū Dāwūd aṭ-Ṭayālisī and Abū ‘Īsā at-Tirmidhī mentioned it. Hishām ibn ‘Ubaydullāh ar-Rāzī mentioned from Mālik from az-Zuhrī that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The metaphor of my Community is like the rain. It is not known whether the beginning or end of it is best.’ Ad-Dāraquṭnī mentioned it from Mālik. Abū ‘Umar said that there is no disagreement that Hishām ibn ‘Ubaydullāh is trustworthy.

It is related that when ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz was appointed caliph, he wrote to Sālim ibn ‘Abdullāh, ‘Write to me informing me of the behaviour of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb so I can act on it.’ Sālim wrote to him, ‘If you act on the behaviour of ‘Umar, then you are better than ‘Umar because your time is not like the time of ‘Umar and your men are not like the men of ‘Umar.’ He wrote to the fuqahā’ of his time and they wrote to him the same as Sālim told him.

Some counter the hadith, ‘The best of people are my generation,’ with the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘The best of people is the one who has a long life and good actions and the worst of people is the one who has a long life and bad actions.’ Abū ‘Umar said that these hadiths mean that the first and the last are equal in faith and righteous action in a corrupt time when the people of knowledge and the dīn are few and there is a lot of corruption and bloodshed, and when the believers are abased and the deviants exalted and the dīn becomes a stranger again in the same way it began as a stranger, and the one who stands by it is like someone who holds on to hot coals. The two are equal, except for the people of Badr and al-Ḥudaybīyah. If someone reflects on the reports regarding this matter, what is correct will be clear to him. Allah gives His bounty to whomever He will.

You enjoin the right and forbid the wrong

This is praise for this community when they understand this and act by it. If they do not, praise is removed from them and censure attached to them. That is a reason for their destruction. We have already discussed what is meant by enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong at the beginning of this sūrah.

If the People of the Book were to believe, it would be better for them.

It would be better for the People of the Book to believe in the Prophet ﷺ. Then Allah tells us that some of them are believers and some are deviants, but that the majority are deviants.

111 They will not harm you except with abusive words. If they fight you, they will turn their backs on you. Then they will not be helped.

This means that they deny you with their twisting and lies. They will not be victorious, as al-Ḥasan and Qatādah said. The exception here can be connective, meaning they will not harm you except for a little. So ‘abusive words’ is a verbal noun. The āyah is a promise from Allah to His Messenger ﷺ and to the believers that the People of the Book will not overcome them and they will be helped against them and not be uprooted or harmed by their lies and twisting and that the ultimate victory will be for the believers. It is also said that the exception is one of separation, and the meaning is that they will not harm you at all, but you hear from them what vexes you. Muqātil said, ‘The leaders of the Jews, Ka‘b, ‘Adī, an-Nu‘mān, Abū Rāfi‘, Abū Yāsir, Kinānah and Ibn Ṣūriyā went to those of their people who were believers, such as ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām and his people, and abused them for becoming Muslims, and Allah revealed this.’ It means verbal abuse. ‘If they fight you…’ refers to the fact that they will be defeated. ‘Then they will not be helped’ is a new sentence. This āyah contains a miracle for the Prophet ﷺ because those Jews who fought him did turn their backs.

112 They will be plunged into abasement wherever they are found, unless they have a treaty with Allah and with the people. They have brought down anger from Allah upon themselves, and they have been plunged into destitution. That was because they rejected Allah’s Signs and killed the Prophets without any right to do so. That was because they disobeyed and went beyond the limits. 113 They are not all the same. There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite Allah’s Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate. 114 They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the righteous. 115 You will not be denied the reward for any good thing you do. Allah knows those who have taqwā.

They will be plunged into abasement wherever they are found,

This refers to the Jews. ‘Wherever they are found’ means wherever they are encountered. This abasement was already mentioned in al-Baqarah. Then follows an absolute exception: ‘unless they have a treaty (literally, rope) with Allah and the people’. A treaty (rope) with the people means the dhimmah status which they have. ‘The people’ here means Muḥammad ﷺ and the believers to whom they pay the jizyah and so they are protected. There is some elision here, meaning ‘They are protected by a contract from Allah.’ Al-Farrā’ said that.

They have brought down anger from Allah upon themselves,

‘Brought down’ either means ‘returned’ or ‘endured’. The linguistic root means that it is obliged for them, and this was discussed in al-Baqarah. Then Allah tells about the reason for that, and this was also discussed in al-Baqarah.

They are not all the same.

This is the conclusion of the statement. Ibn Mas‘ūd said that it means that the People of the Book and the community of Muḥammad ﷺ are not the same. It is said that it means: the believers and unbelievers of the People of the Book are not the same. Abū Khaythamah Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb related from Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim from Shaybān from ‘Āṣim from Zirr that Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘One night the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was late for the ‘Ishā’ prayer and then he came out into the mosque while the people were waiting for the prayer. He said, “There is no one among the people of the religions who remembers Allah Almighty at this hour except you.” Then this āyah was revealed.’ Ibn Wahb related the like of it.

Ibn ‘Abbās said that: “There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite Allah’s Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate” refers to those who believed with the Prophet ﷺ.

Ibn Isḥāq reported from Ibn ‘Abbās that when ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām, Tha‘labah ibn Sa‘yah, Usayd ibn Sa‘yah, Usayd ibn ‘Ubayd and others of the Jews became Muslim and affirmed and desired Islam and were firm in it, the rabbis of the Jews and the people of disbelief said, ‘Only the worst of us believe in Muḥammad and follow him. If they had been among the best of us, they would not have left the religion of their fathers for another.’ Then Allah revealed this.

Al-Afkhash said that it implies that some of the People of the Book have a good path. He recited:

Does someone with a community sin when he obeys?

It is said that there is some elision and it means: ‘There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright and another which is not upright.’ It is like the words of Abū Dhu’ayb:

I disobeyed. My heart belongs to her. I obey its command and do not know whether seeking her is right guidance [or error].

Al-Farrā’ says that the noun ‘community’ is in the nominative agreeing with the adjective ‘same’ [which is in the nominative] and so it implies: ‘A group among the People of the Book who are upright, reciting the signs of Allah are not the same as a group who disbelieve.’ An-Naḥḥās says that this statement is incorrect for several reasons grammatically. One is that the word ‘community’ is in the nominative because of the adjective ‘same’ and so it does not refer to a noun which has no action on it. Because of this it is in the nominative by something which does not act on the verb and implies what is not needed. That is because the unbelieving [group] was already mentioned and so there is no need for that implication. Abū ‘Ubaydah said, ‘This is like their words, “The fleas ate me” and “your companions left.”’ An-Naḥḥās said, ‘This is an error because they were already mentioned, and in the case of “The fleas ate me” [which is literally “they ate me, the fleas”] because they were already mentioned.’

They recite Allah’s Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate.

The word ānā’ ‘throughout’ means its hours. Its singular is inan, anan or inyin. The word ‘prostrate’ here means doing the whole prayer. Al-Farrā’ and az-Zajjāj said that it necessarily means that because there is no recitation in rukū‘ and sujūd. It is like Allah’s words: ‘they prostrate to Him,’ meaning that they do the prayer. We find in al-Furqān: ‘When they are told to prostrate to the All-Merciful…’ (25:60) and elsewhere: ‘Prostrate before Allah and worship Him.’ (53:62) It is also said that it just means normal prostration, but the reason for its revelation refutes that. What is meant is the ‘Ishā’ prayer, as we mentioned from Ibn Mas‘ūd. The idolaters went to sleep when it became dark, while the people of tawḥīd stood before Allah in the ‘Ishā’ prayer reciting the Signs of Allah. Do you not see that when Allah mentions their standing, He is including their prostration? Ath-Thawrī said that it is prayer done between Maghrib and ‘Ishā’. It is also said that it refers to night prayers. It is related that a man of the Banū Shaybah who used to study the Divine Books said, ‘We find among the words of the Lord: “Does a camel herder or shepherd reckon that when night covers him and he is helpless that he is like someone who stands and prostrates in prayer at the end of the night?”’

They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the righteous.

‘They believe’ here means they affirm Allah and affirm what Muḥammad ﷺ says. It is said that the phrase ‘enjoin the right’ has a general meaning and it is also said that it means to command that the Prophet ﷺ be followed and that the phrase ‘forbid the wrong’ means to forbid the bad and to forbid opposing him. The words ‘compete in doing good’ mean they do good actions and hasten to them without finding them burdensome since they know the value of their reward. It is said that it means that they hasten to act before they miss the time prescribed for that action. ‘They are among the righteous,’ means they will be with the righteous, who are the Companions of Muḥammad ﷺ, in the Garden.

You will not be denied the reward for any good thing you do.

Al-A‘mash, Ibn Waththāb, Ḥamzah, al-Kisā’ī, Ḥafṣ, and Khalaf read this as ‘They will not … they do,’ reporting about the upright community. That is the recitation of Ibn ‘Abbās and it is preferred by Abū ‘Ubayd. The rest read it as ‘You,’ as direct address following from ‘you are the best nation…’ That is preferred by Abū Ḥātim. Abū ‘Amr reads it both ways. The āyah means: even if you deny the reward for any good you do, you will be thanked for it and rewarded for it.

116 As for those who disbelieve, their wealth and children will not help them against Allah in any way. They are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, forever.

Muqātil said, ‘After Allah mentions the believers of the People of the Book, He then mentions the unbelievers among them.’ Al-Kalbī said, ‘He made this an inceptive and He says, “Those who disbelieve will not be helped by a lot of wealth or a lot of children against the punishment of Allah.”’ He singles out children here because they are their closest relatives. The rest of this has already been mentioned.

117 The metaphor of what they spend in their life in this world is that of a wind with an icy bite to it which strikes the crops of a people who have wronged themselves and destroys them. Allah did not wrong them; rather it was themselves they were wronging.

The mā (what) here can act like a verbal noun or it can mean ‘which’ and what it refers to is elided. It is like ‘a wind that blows’ which is a blowing wind. Ibn ‘Abbās says that the word ṣirr means intense cold. It is said that its root is ṣarīr, which is a screeching sound, and so it is the sound of a strong wind. Az-Zajjāj says that it is the sound of the flames of the fire in that wind. This was mentioned in al-Baqarah. In a hadith it says that locusts which have been killed by ṣirr are forbidden. So the āyah means: the metaphor of the spending of the unbelievers, in its falsity, disappearance and lack of benefit, is like crops hit by a cold wind or by a fire which burns them up and destroys them. So their owners have no benefit at all from the crops after having had high hopes for their use and benefit.

Allah did not wrong them by that, but they wronged themselves by disbelief and disobedience and denying the right of Allah. It is said that they wronged themselves by cultivating outside the proper time of cultivation and in other than its proper place and so Allah punished them for putting the thing in other than its proper place, as al-Mahdawī stated.

118 You who believe, do not take any outside yourselves as intimates. They will do anything to harm you. They love what causes you distress. Hatred has appeared out of their mouths, but what their breasts hide is far worse. We have made the Signs clear to you if you use your intellect.

Allah is emphasising the blameworthy nature of relying on unbelievers. This is connected to His previous words: ‘…if you obey a group of those given the Book.’ (3:100). The word biṭānah (intimates) is a verbal noun used for both singular and plural. The biṭānah of a man are his closest companions who have deep knowledge of his affairs. It is derived from baṭn, the opposite of outward. A poet said:

Those are my closest friends and inner circle. They, rather than any relative, are my weak spot.

In this āyah Allah forbade the believers to take the unbelievers, Jews and people of sects as intimates, to consult them for their opinions and to rely on them in their affairs. It is said that you should not converse with anyone who is opposed to your school and dīn. A poet says:

Do not ask about a man. Ask about his close companion. Every close companion follows the one he is close to.

We find in the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd that Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘A man follows the religion of his close friend, so each of you should be very careful about whom he takes as a close friend.’ It is related that Abū Mas‘ūd said, ‘Reckon people by their brethren.’ Then Allah clarified the reason why connection is forbidden.

They will do anything to harm you.

This means to corrupt you, meaning that they will spare no effort to corrupt you. Even if they do not fight you openly, they will not stop striving to deceive and betray you, as will be explained.

Abū Umāmah said that this refers to the Khārijites. It is related that Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī employed a dhimmī as a scribe and ‘Umar wrote to him to reprimand him and recited this āyah to him. Abū Mūsā came to ‘Umar with the accounts and presented then to ‘Umar who liked them. A letter came to Abū Mūsā and he said, ‘Where is your scribe so that he can read this letter to the people?’ He replied, ‘He does not enter the mosque.’ He asked, ‘Is he in janābah?’ ‘He is a Christian,’ he answered. He rebuked him and said, ‘Do not bring them near. Put them far away. Do not honour them. Allah has abased them. Do not trust them when Allah has said that they are treacherous.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Do not employ the People of the Book. They think bribes are lawful. Seek help in your affairs with those who fear Allah.’ ‘Umar was told, ‘There is a man among the Christians of Hira and no one writes better than he does. Should he not write for you?’ He replied, ‘I will not take staff from anyone other than the believers.’ So it is not permitted to employ the dhimmīs as scribes nor put them in charge of other matters of buying and selling.

Circumstances have changed at this time as the People of the Book have been taken as scribes and trustees and entrusted with those roles by wealthy ignorant governors and amirs. Al-Bukhārī reported that Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī transmitted that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Allah did not send a Prophet nor appoint a caliph without him having two counsellors, one counsellor commanding the right and encouraging it, and one counsellor commanding the wrong and encouraging it. The one protected is the one that Allah protects.’ Anas ibn Mālik reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Do not seek light from the fire of the idolaters nor engrave an Arab on your signet-rings.’ Al-Ḥasan ibn Abi-l-Ḥasan explained it as meaning, ‘Do not consult the idolaters in any of your affairs and do not engrave Muḥammad on your rings.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘The confirmation of that is found in the Book of Allah: “You who believe! do not take any outside yourselves as intimates.”’

The expression ‘outside yourselves’ means from other than yourselves with regard to conduct and good position. It means that they will not fall short in anything designed to corrupt you. The verb alā means ‘to fall short’. The phrase ‘lā ālū juhdan’ means ‘I did not omit any effort,’ i.e. ‘I did not fall short.’ The verbal usage ‘alawtu uluwwan’ means ‘I fell short.’ Imru’u-l-Qays said:

As long as a man still has a spark of life to reach the end of matters and does not fall short (āl)

‘Khabāl’ or khabl is corruption. That can be in respect of actions, bodies and minds. Khabl is a wound which renders a limb unsound. Khabl is the handicapping of limbs, as it refers to disorder. A man who is described as khabil or mukhabbal is dim-witted or mad. A person can become disordered (khabala) by love. Aws said:

Son of Lubaynā, you have no hand but a hand whose strength is disordered (makhbūlah).

Al-Farrā’ said:

Ibn Sa‘d gave a glance and prepared for it. Your companions and mount are disordered (khabāl).

The word ‘khabāl’ is in the accusative on account of being the second object, as the verb ‘falling short’ is transitive, taking two objects. If you wish, it can be a verbal noun, or it can be genitive. The word mā in ‘love what causes you’ acts as a verbal noun. They love what is hard for you. ‘Anat is hardship and it was already mentioned in al-Baqarah.

Hatred has appeared out of their mouths.

This means: enmity and denial of you have appeared from their mouths. Hatred is the opposite of love. Baghḍā’ is a feminine verbal noun. Mouths are mentioned rather than tongues to indicate their bragging and prattle. This is greater than the concealed hatred that shows in their eyes. In this sense, the Prophet ﷺ forbade a man to speak openly about his brother’s honour. The verb used in the hadith means to open the mouth. A donkey opens its mouth when it brays (shahy) as horses do when they neigh. It describes horses with their mouths open. This hadith is not understood to be evidence for it being permitted to attack someone’s reputation by whispering. Scholars agree that it is forbidden as the revelation says: ‘Do not backbite one another.’ (49:12) The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Your blood, your property and your honour is forbidden to you.’ Mentioning ‘shaḥw’ alludes to bragging and presumptuousness. Know that.

This āyah provides evidence that the testimony of an enemy against his enemy is not permitted. That is the position of the people of Madīnah and the people of the Hijaz. It is related from Abū Ḥanīfah that it is permitted. Ibn Baṭṭāl and Ibn Sha‘bān said, ‘Scholars agree that it is not permitted for someone to testify against his enemy, even if he is reputable. Enmity removes fairness, so how much more is that the case with the enmity of the unbeliever?’

But what their breasts hide is far worse.

This reports that their concealed enmity is worse than their open enmity. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd recited ‘badā’ (appeared) in the masculine because baghḍā’ and baghḍ mean the same.

119 There you are, loving them when they do not love you, even though you believe in all the Books. When they meet you, they say, ‘We believe.’ But when they leave they bite their fingers out of rage against you. Say, ‘Die in your rage.’ Allah knows what your hearts contain.

There you are, loving them when they do not love you,

This refers to the hypocrites. The evidence for that is the words of the Almighty: ‘When they meet you, they say, “We believe.”’ Abu-l-‘Āliyah and Muqātil stated that.

Love here means true friendship, in other words, ‘You, Muslims, offer them true friendship but they do not offer you true friendship because of their hypocrisy.’ It is said that it means: ‘You desire Islam for them while they desire unbelief for you.’ It is said that what is meant are the Jews. The majority say that.

Kitāb (Book) is generic. Ibn ‘Abbās says that it means ‘Books’. The Jews believe in some, as the Almighty says: ‘When they are told, “Believe in what Allah has sent down,” they say, “We believe in what was sent down to us.’ And they reject anything beyond that.”’ (2:91)

When they meet you, they say, ‘We believe.’

They say that they believe in Muḥammad ﷺ and that he is the Messenger of Allah.

But when they leave they bite their fingers out of rage against you.

“But when they leave” and are among themselves, they bite the ends of their fingers in exasperated hatred against you and say to one another, ‘Do you not see that these people are victorious and numerous?’ Biting the fingers is due to the frustration of not being able to act on the rage they feel. It is as Abū Ṭālib said:

They bite their fingers in anger after you leave.

Someone else said:

May Allah make their rage last long! When they see me, they bite the ends of their fingers out of rage.

The verb used is ‘aḍḍa. ‘Uḍḍ is the fodder of animals in the cities. It is like dregs and crushed date-stones. Form IV of the verb is used for feeding camels this kind of fodder and a plump camel is called ‘uḍāḍī. ‘Iḍḍ is a cunning man who has many schemes. Biting the fingers is the action of someone who is angry and cannot act on his anger or someone who has something happen to him that he cannot change. This biting (‘aḍḍ) with the teeth is like biting the hand when someone has missed something or gnashing the teeth in regret. It is like other things that one does like counting pebbles and drawing lines in the sand when grieved. It is written with a ḍād. ‘Aẓẓ with a ẓā’ refers to the hardness of time as in the poem:

The hardness of time, Ibn Marwan, does not leave any wealth other than worn out and empty.

Anāmil (fingers) is the plural of anmalah or anmulah. When Abu-l-Jawzā’ recited this āyah, he said that it referred to the Ibāḍīyyah. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘This description applies to many of the people of innovation among mankind until the Day of Rising.’

Say, ‘Die in your rage.’ Allah knows what your hearts contain.

If it is asked how did they not die since when Allah says to a thing, ‘Be!’ it is, there are two answers. One is made by aṭ-Ṭabarī and many commentators who say that it is a supplication against them, with the meaning: ‘Say to them, “May Allah make your rage last until you die.”’ This would make it a directive to pray against them. The second is that Allah is telling them that they will not obtain what they hope for. Death will occur before that happens. According to this the meaning of supplication is removed and the meaning of harsh rebuke remains. This idea is found in the words of Musāfir ibn Abī ‘Amr:

We grow in our desires and gouge out the eye of the envier.

It is similar in implication to Allah’s words: ‘Anyone who thinks that Allah will not help him in this world and the Next should stretch a rope up to the ceiling and then hang himself.’ (22:15)

120 If something good happens to you, it galls them. If something bad strikes you, they rejoice at it. But if you are steadfast and godfearing, their scheming will not harm you in any way. Allah encompasses what they do.

If something good happens to you, it galls them.

As-Sulamī recited it with yā’ (yamsaskum rather than tamsaskum) and the rest with tā’. The expression is general to all that is good and bad. What the commentators mention of fertility and drought, the cohesion of the believers and disunity and other things are examples, not disagreement.

The meaning of the āyah is: ‘Anyone who has this description of intense enmity, rancour and joy at hardships befalling the believers, is not worthy to be your intimate, especially in the weighty matter of jihād which is the basis of this world and the Next.’ How excellent are the words:

It is hoped that every enmity will be mended except for the one who envies you out of envy.

But if you are steadfast and godfearing, their scheming will not harm you in any way.

‘But if you are steadfast’ in the face of their attempts to harm you and in remaining obedient to Allah and taking the believers as friends. The verb for ‘harm’ is ḍāra, yaḍūru. Allah’s precondition for negating their harm is steadfastness and taqwā. This is meant to console the believers and strengthen their souls.

The Makkans and Madinans and Abū ‘Amr recited ‘yaḍirkum’ from ḍāra as we mentioned. Part of that is the expression, ‘lā ḍayr’, ‘no causing of harm’. Al-Kisā’ī related that he heard ‘ḍāra, yaḍūru’ and allowed ‘yaḍurkum’ and claimed that the copy of the Qur’an of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b had ‘yaḍrurkum’. The Kufan reading is yaḍurrukum from ḍarra, which also means to harm. It can also be in the nominative by an implied fā’. It means: ‘it will not harm you’. [POEM] This is the position of al-Kisā’ī and al-Farrā’. Or it can be in the nominative with the intention of advancement. Sībuwayh composed:

If your brother is felled, you will be felled.

It means: it will not harm you if you are steadfast and godfearing.

It can be in the jussive with a ḍammah on the rā’ because of the meeting of two silent letters, following the ḍammah. The same is true of those who put a fatḥah on the rā’ if the verb is in the jussive and the fatḥah is because of the meeting of two silent letters since the fatḥah is light. Abū Zayd related it from al-Mufaḍḍal from ‘Āṣim. Al-Mahdawī related it. An-Naḥḥās related, ‘Al-Mufaḍḍal aḍ-Ḍabbī related from ‘Āṣim: “yaḍurrikum” with a kasrah on the rā’ because of the meeting of two silent letters.’

121 Remember when you left your family early in the day to install the believers in their battle stations. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

The regent in ‘when’ is implied: ‘Remember when you left early in the day.’ It means, ‘You went out in the morning.’ ‘Your family’ refers to ‘your house with ‘Ā’ishah’. This refers to the battle of Uḥud and the entire āyah was revealed about it. Mujāhid, al-Ḥasan, Muqātil and al-Kalbī, however, say that it is about the Battle of the Ditch, and it is also reported that al-Ḥasan said that it is the Battle of Badr that is being referred to.

Most, however, say that it is about Uḥud, as is indicated by the words in the following āyah: ‘And remember when two of your clans were on the point of losing heart.’ This happened at Uḥud. The idolaters moved towards Madīnah with 3000 men to take their revenge for Badr. They camped at Uḥud on the side of a wadi on a canal facing Madīnah on Wednesday, 12 Shawwāl 3 AH at the beginning of the thirty-first month of the Hijrah. They remained there during Thursday while the Prophet ﷺ was in Madīnah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dreamt that the blade of his sword was dented and some cows of his were slaughtered and that he put his hand in a strong coat of mail. He interpreted it as meaning that a group of his Companions would be killed and that a man of his house would be struck down and that the coat of mail was Madīnah. This is found in Muslim. All of that is according to what is known about the battle of Uḥud.

The root of ‘install’ (tabawwu’) is to take positions, as when one moves into a house to live in it. Using the same verb, the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Let anyone who tells a lie about me take his seat in the Fire.’ Here the verb means to place them in their military positions.

Al-Bayhaqī reports that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I dreamt that I was following a ram and the handle of my sword broke. I interpreted it to mean that I would kill the ram of the people and the breaking of the handle of the sword to be the killing of a man of my family.’ Ḥamzah was killed and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ killed Ṭalḥah, the banner-bearer.

Mūsā ibn ‘Uqbah mentioned that Ibn Shihāb reported, ‘The banner-bearer of the Muhājirūn was one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said, “I am ‘Āṣim (the protector), Allah willing, of what is with me!” Ṭalḥah ibn ‘Uthmān said to him, “Will you, ‘Āṣim, come forth to individual combat?” “Yes,” he replied. That man went forth and struck the head of Ṭalḥah until the sword went through his beard and killed him. So the banner-bearer was killed as in the dream of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the ram.’

122 And remember when two of your clans were on the point of losing heart and Allah was their Protector. Let the believers put their trust in Allah.

The agent in ‘when’ is ‘to install’ or ‘All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’ The two clans are the Banū Salimah of Khazraj and the Banū Ḥārithah of Aws. They were the two flanks of the army in the Battle of Uḥud. ‘Losing heart’ means to lose courage. We find in al-Bukhārī that Jābir reported that when this was revealed, he said, ‘We are the two clans, the Banū Ḥārithah and Banū Salimah. We do not wish that it had not been revealed because Allah says: “Allah was their Protector.”’ It is said that they were the Banū al-Ḥārith, Banū al-Khazraj and Banū an-Nabīt. An-Nabīt was ‘Amr ibn Mālik of Aws. ‘Losing heart’ alludes to cowardice. That is its linguistic meaning.

After they went out and ‘Abdullāh ibn Ubayy went back with the hypocrites who were with him, the two clans were on the point of losing heart, but Allah preserved their hearts and they did not turn back. That is known from the words of Allah: ‘Allah was their Protector,’ in other words the Protector of their hearts from following up on this thought. It is said that they wanted not to go out and that was a small wrong action for them. It is said that it was a suggestion of the self, something that occurred to their minds, and so Allah acquainted His Prophet ﷺ with it and their insight was increased. They did not succumb to that weakness; Allah protected them from it; so they censured one another and went with the Prophet ﷺ.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ proceeded until he was looking down on the idolaters. He set out from Madīnah with a thousand men. ‘Abdullāh ibn Abī Salūl went back with three hundred men in anger since in his opinion it was better to remain and fight in Madīnah when the enemy came to them. His opinion coincided with that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ but most of the Anṣār rejected it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out with the Muslims and those of them whom Allah honoured with martyrdom were martyred. Mālik said, ‘Four Muhājirūn were killed at Uḥud and seventy Anṣār.’

Maqā‘id are positions, like mawāqif, and it is used for firm positions, especially that of archers. This is the the story of Uḥud in brief, and its details will be sufficiently dealt with.

Accompanying the idolaters were a hundred cavalry under the command of Khālid ibn al-Walīd while the Muslims did not have a single horse. In the battle the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was wounded on his face, his lower right incisor was broken with a stone and his helmet cut into his head. May He reward him on behalf of his community and the dīn for the staunchest steadfastness that any Prophet could have had. Those who did that to the Prophet ﷺ were ‘Amr ibn Qamī’ah al-Laythī and ‘Utbah ibn Abī Waqqāṣ. It is said that ‘Abdullāh ibn Shihāb, the grandfather of the famous faqīh, Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihāb, was the one who inflicted the face injury on the Prophet ﷺ. Al-Wāqidī said, ‘What is established with us is that the one who shot at the face of the Prophet ﷺ was Ibn Qamī’ah and the one who broke the incisor was ‘Utbah ibn Abī Waqqāṣ.’

Al-Wāqidī said with his isnād that Nāfi‘ ibn Jubayr said, ‘I heard a man of the Muhājirūn say, “I was present at Uḥud and saw arrows coming from every side and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the midst of them and they were all diverted from him. I saw ‘Abdullāh ibn Shihāb az-Zuhrī saying on that day, ‘Direct me to Muḥammad! Direct me to Muḥammad! I will not survive if he survives!’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was actually beside him without anyone else with him. Then he passed by him. Ṣafwān rebuked him and he replied, ‘By Allah, I did not see him! I swear by Allah, he is protected from us! Four of us went out, having promised each other and made a pact that we would kill him, but we were unable to do that.’

Stones were thrown at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until he fell into a ditch which had been dug by Abū ‘Āmir ar-Rāhib to trap the Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ fell on his side and Ṭalḥah helped him to stand up again. Mālik ibn Sinān, the father of Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, sucked the blood from the wound of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and two rings of his helmet were stuck in his face. Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ extracted them using his front teeth and his two front teeth fell out, so he had no front teeth.”’’

Ḥamzah was killed in this battle by Waḥshī, a slave of Jubayr ibn Muṭ‘im. Jubayr had told him, ‘If you kill Muḥammad, we will give you the reins of horses. If you kill ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, we will give you a hundred camels. If you kill Ḥamzah, you are free.’ Waḥshī said, ‘As for Muḥammad, he is protected by Allah and no one will reach him. As for ‘Alī, everyone he fights is killed. Ḥamzah is a brave man but perhaps I might get lucky and kill him.’ Hind said when he was getting ready or passed by him, ‘Heal me and heal yourself, Abū Dasamah!’ Waḥshī hid behind a rock while Hamzah was attacking some of the idolaters. When he came back from his sortie and passed Waḥshī, he threw a javelin at him and it struck him and he fell down dead. Hind cut out Ḥamzah’s liver and chewed it but could not swallow it and threw it away. She went up on a high rock and shouted some verses at the top of her voice. She said:

We have paid you back for the day of Badr! A war following a war is frenzied.

I could not bear the loss of ‘Utbah nor my brother, his uncle and my first-born.

I have satisfaction and have fulfilled my vow. Waḥshī, you slaked the rancour in my breast.

I will thank Waḥshī for all my life, even until my bones have rotted in the grave!

Hind bint Uthāthah ibn ‘Abbād ibn al-Muṭṭalib answered her:

You were disgraced at Badr and after Badr, daughter of a slanderer, great only in disbelief.

Allah brought against you in the dawn tall, radiant men from Hāshim,

Each slashing with a sharp sword: Ḥamzah my lion and ‘Alī my falcon.

When Shaybah and your father desired treachery towards me, We dyed their breasts with blood.

Your evil vow was the worst of vows.

‘Abdullāh ibn Rawāḥah said while he was weeping for Ḥamzah:

My eye wept, and it was right to weep, although weeping and lamentation is of no use,

for the lion of Allah on the morning that they said, ‘Is that slain man Ḥamzah?’

All the Muslims were distressed about him there. The Messenger was distressed by it.

O Abū Ya‘lā, your pillars are smashed, you, the glorious, pious, generous.

Allah’s peace be upon you in the Gardens, enjoying an everlasting bliss.

O Hāshim, the best of men, be steadfast. All your deeds are good and fine.

The Messenger of Allah is noble and patient. He speaks by Allah’s command when he speaks.

Who will inform Lu’ayy for me? After today fortunes will change.

Before today, they knew and tasted Our fighting in which rancour was slaked.

You have forgotten our blows at the pool of Badr when quick death came to you in the morning,

The mourning when Abū Jahl lay fallen, the vultures wheeling over him.

‘Utbah and his son fell together as well as Shaybah, bitten by the polished sword.

We left Umayyah flat out with a spear in his belly.

Ask the skulls of the Banū Rabī‘ah. There are notches in our swords from them.

So Hind, do not gloat about Ḥamzah, Your might is abased.

Weep, Hind, and do not tire. Shed tears as one bereaved for her child.

There is also an elegy for him by his sister, Ṣafiyyah which is mentioned in the Sīrah. May Allah be pleased with all of them.

Let the believers put their trust in Allah.

This contains clarification of the meaning of trust or reliance (tawakkul). Linguistically tawakkul means to display incapacity and rely on others, meaning literally to lean on someone else. Scholars disagree about the reality of tawakkul. Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh was asked about it and said, ‘One group say that it is contentment with Allah’s guarantee and having no expectation from created beings.’ Others have said, ‘It is abandoning means and relying on the Causer of means. If the means distracts someone from the Causer, it strips them of the name of trust.’ Sahl also said, ‘Whoever says that trust entails abandoning means has attacked the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ because Allah says: “So make full use of any booty you have taken which is lawful and good.” (8:69) Booty is earning. The Almighty also says: “So strike their necks and strike all their finger joints!” (8:12) This is action.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Allah loves the person with a profession.’

Someone else said, ‘This is the position of the common fuqahā’: trust in Allah is trusting in Allah and believing that His decree will be carried out, and that it is necessary to follow the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ in striving with the means of obtaining food and drink, and defence against the enemy and preparing weapons and using what the usual sunnah of Allah demands. This is also the position of recognised Sufis, but in their view the term of ‘tawakkul’ is not merited if someone puts their confidence in these means and their hearts turn to them. That is because the means do not in themselves bring benefit nor avert harm. Rather the cause and the result are the action of Allah alone. All is from Him and by His will. When someone relies on those means, the name ‘trusting’ is stripped from him.

Those who trust have two states. One is the state of the one who is firm in trust and does not turn to any of those means with his heart and he is only occupied with the ruling of the matter. The second is the state of the one who is not firm, and he is the one who turns at times to those means, sometimes without averting them from himself by scholarly reasoning, definitive evidence and experience. So he remains like that until Allah raises him by His generosity to the station of those with firm trust and joins him to the degrees of those with direct knowledge of Allah.

123 Allah helped you at Badr when you were weak so have taqwā of Allah, so that hopefully you will be thankful. 124 And when you said to the believers, ‘Is it not enough for you that your Lord reinforced you with three thousand angels, sent down?’ 125 Yes indeed! But if you are steadfast and are godfearing and they come upon you suddenly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, clearly identified.

Allah helped you at Badr when you were weak

The battle of Badr took place on the Friday 17th Ramaḍān eighteen months after the Hijrah. Badr is the name of some wells there from which the place takes its name. Ash-Sha‘bī said that the water belonged to a man of Juhaynah called Badr, but the first derivation is more frequently cited. Al-Wāqidī and others say that it is the name of the place and its origin is not transmitted. This will be further dealt with in al-Anfāl.

The weakness referred to is about the Muslims being few in number and that is because they numbered three hundred and thirteen or fourteen while their enemy were between nine hundred and a thousand strong. The word, adhillah, the plural of dhalīl, literally means ‘abased’, but the use of abasement here is metaphorical. In themselves they were nothing but mighty, but in relation to their enemy and to all the unbelievers on the earth it seemed that they were in a state of abasement and that they would be overcome.

Naṣr is help. Allah helped them at Badr and killed the leaders of the idolaters. On that day Islam was firmly established. It was the first battle which the Prophet ﷺ fought. We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that Buraydah said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on seventeen expeditions and he fought in eight of them.’ Abū Isḥāq said, ‘I met Zayd ibn Arqam and asked him, “How many expeditions did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ go on?” “Nineteen,” he answered. I asked, “How many times did you go with him?” “Seventeen,” was the answer. I asked, “What was the first expedition he went on?” “Al-‘Usayr or al-‘Ushayr,” he said.’ All of this disagreement is found in histories and Prophetic biographies.

Muḥammad ibn Sa‘d said in the Ṭabaqāt: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on twenty-seven expeditions (ghazwah) himself and sent out fifty-six expeditions (sariyyah). (One variant has forty-six.) Those the Messenger of Allah ﷺ personally fought in are: Badr, Uḥud, al-Muraysī‘, the Ditch, Qurayẓah, the Conquest of Makkah, Ḥunayn and Ṭā’if.’ Ibn Sa‘d stated: ‘This is what there is consensus on. Some transmissions state that he fought against the Banu-n-Naḍīr, and at Wadī al-Qurā in the return from Khaybar and al-Ghābah.’

If this is confirmed, we say that Zayd and Buraydah each reported about what they knew or witnessed. Zayd said, ‘The first expedition he ﷺ took part in was Dhāt al-‘Usayrah.’ This differs from what historians and biographers say. Muḥammad ibn Sa‘d said that there were three expeditions before al-‘Ushayrah, meaning that he ﷺ took part in them personally.

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in Kitāb ad-Durar on expeditions: ‘The first expedition that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself made was the Waddān expedition in Ṣafar. He arrived in Madīnah on the 12th of Rabī‘ al-Awwal and remained there for the rest of the month and for the entire year until Ṣafar 2 AH. Then he went out in Ṣafar, appointing Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah over Madīnah, and reached Waddān. He made peace with the Banū Ḍamrah and then returned to Madīnah and there was no fighting. That is the expedition which is called al-Abwā’. Then he remained in Madīnah until Rabī‘ al-Ākhir of that year. Then he went out, appointing as-Sā’ib ibn ‘Uthmān ibn Maẓ‘ūn over Madīnah, until he reached Buwāṭ in the neighbourhood of Raḍwā. He returned to Madīnah without any fighting and remained there for the rest of Rabī‘ al-Ākhir and part of Jumāda-l-Ūlā. He then went out on an expedition and appointed Abū Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Asad over Madīnah and took the route to al-‘Usayrah.’

Ibn Isḥāq mentioned that ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir said, ‘‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and I were comrades in the ‘Usayrah expedition in the valley of Yanbu‘. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ halted there, we stayed there for a month and there he concluded a truce with the Banū Mudlij and their allies among the Banū Ḍamrah and then left them. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib said to me, “Abu-l-Yaqẓān, do you want to go to those men and see what they are doing?” There was a group of the Banū Mudlij working on a well of theirs. We went and watched them for a while and then felt sleepy. So we went to a group of palm-trees in a cleared part of the ground and slept in the soft dust. By Allah, we were only awoken by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ nudging us with his foot. We sat up, covered in dust, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to ‘Alī, “What are you doing, Abū Turāb (‘father of dust’)?” We told him what we were doing. He said, “Shall I tell you of the two most wretched of men?” “Yes indeed, Messenger of Allah,” we answered. He said, “Uḥaymir of Thamūd who slaughtered the She-camel, and the one who will strike you, ‘Alī, here,” and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ put his hand on his head, “until this is soaked with it,” and he put his hand on his beard.’ Abū ‘Umar said, ‘He stayed there for the rest of Jumāda-l-Ūlā and some nights of Jumāda-l-Ākhirah. He left the Banū Mudlij and returned without any fighting.’

After that, a few days later, the first expedition to Badr took place. There is no uncertainty about this on the part of historians and biographers. Zayd ibn Arqam reported about what he knew. Allah knows best. He said that the name was al-‘Ushayr or al-‘Usayr to which a hā’ was added and so it becomes al-‘Ushayrah. After that came the great expedition of Badr. Badr was the greatest of encounters in excellence for those who attended it. In it, according to the scholars, Allah helped His Prophet ﷺ and the believers with His angels, as is indicated by the literal words of the āyah. That did not happen at Uḥud. Those who state that it refers to the Battle of Uḥud make the words: ‘Allah helped you at Badr … you will be thankful’ an interpolation. This is the position of ‘Āmir ash-Sha‘bī but some people disagree with that. There are many reports which state that the angels were present at Badr and fought there.

Confirming that is what is stated by Abū Usayd Mālik ibn Rabī‘ah who was present at Badr: ‘If I were with you today at Badr and had my sight back, I would show you the ravine from which the angels emerged. I have no doubt about it whatsoever.’ ‘Aqīl related it from az-Zuhrī from Abū Ḥāzim Salamah ibn Dīnār. Abū Ḥātim said, ‘Only this one hadith is known from Abū Ḥāzim. It is said that Abū Usayd was the last of the people of Badr to die. Abū ‘Umar mentioned him in al-Isti‘āb and elsewhere.’

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim we find that ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, ‘On the Day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at the idolaters who numbered one thousand while his Companions were only three hundred and thirteen in number. The Prophet ﷺ faced the qiblah and raised his hands and began to speak to his Lord, “O Allah, fulfil what You promised me! O Allah, bring what You promised me! O Allah, if You destroy this band of the people of Islam, You will not be worshipped on the earth!” He continued to speak to his Lord with his hands raised until the cloak fell from his shoulders. Abū Bakr came to him, picked up his cloak and put it back on his shoulders and then held him from behind and said, “Prophet of Allah, you have entreated your Lord enough. He will fulfil His promise to you.” So Allah revealed: “Remember when you called on your Lord for help and He responded to you: ‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels riding rank after rank.’” (8:9) So Allah reinforced him with angels.’

Abū Zumayl related that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘While a man of the Muslims was chasing an idolater ahead of him, he heard the crack of a whip above him and the sound of a horseman saying, “Forward, Ḥayzūm!” He looked at the idolater and he fell down. He looked at him and his nose had been struck and his head cut by the whip. The Anṣārī told the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that and he said, “You spoke the truth. That was from the help of the third heaven.” On that day they killed seventy and captured seventy.’

More about this will come in al-Anfāl, Allah willing. The Sunnah and Qur’an support what the majority say about the help of the angels. Praise be to Allah. Khārijah ibn Ibrāhīm related that his father said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked Jibrīl, “In the battle of Badr which angel said, ‘Forward, Ḥayzūm’?” Jibrīl answered, “Muḥammad, I do not know all of the people of heaven!”’

‘Alī told the people, ‘While I was drawing water from the well of Badr, a strong wind came whose like I had never seen and then went. Then another strong wind came whose like I had never seen except for the wind before it. (I think he said, ‘Then a strong wind came.’) The first wind was Jibrīl who descended with a thousand angels to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The second wind was Mikā’īl who descended with a thousand angels to the right of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abū Bakr was on his right. The third wind was Isrāfīl who descended with a thousand angels to the left of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I was on the left.’

Sahl ibn Ḥunayf said, ‘In the Battle of Badr, one of us would point with his sword at the head of an idolater and his head would fall from his body before he reached him.’ Ar-Rabī‘ ibn Anas said, ‘In the Battle of Badr, the people recognized those slain by the angels by the blows on their necks and their fingertips, which were as if fire had burned them.’ Al-Bayhaqī mentioned all of this. Some of them said that the angels fought and the sign of their striking the unbelievers was evident because every place they struck caught fire. Abū Jahl said to Ibn Mas‘ūd, ‘You have killed me? I have only been killed by someone so fast that I could not reach the hoof of his horse with my steed if I tried.’ The benefit of the great number of angels was to give tranquillity to the hearts of the believers and Allah Almighty appointed those angels to fight until the Day of Rising. Every Muslim army that is steadfast and anticipating, the angels come to them and fight with them.

Ibn ‘Abbās and Mujāhid said, ‘The angels only fought in the Battle of Badr. They were present at other battles, but did not fight. They were reinforcements.’ Some of them said, ‘The reason why there was a large number of angels present was that those who were fighting that day made much supplication and glorification.’ According to this view, the angels did not fight on that day but were present by the supplication to be firm. The first view is more frequently held.

Qatādah said, ‘In the Battle of Badr, Allah reinforced them with a thousand and then three thousand and then it became five thousand.’ That is borne out by His words: ‘Remember when you called on your Lord for help and He responded to you: “I will reinforce you with a thousand angels riding rank after rank” (8:9)’, and ‘Is it not enough that your Lord reinforced you with three thousand angels, sent down?’ (3:124), and ‘Yes indeed! But if you are steadfast and godfearing and they come upon you suddenly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, clearly identified.’ (3:125) On the Day of Badr the believers were steadfast and were godfearing and so Allah reinforced them with five thousand angels as He promised. This was all in the Battle of Badr. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘Those five thousand will reinforce the believers until the Day of Rising.’

Ash-Sha‘bī said, ‘On the day of the Battle of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions heard that Kurz ibn Jābir al-Muḥāribī wanted to reinforce the idolaters and that was hard for the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims. Therefore, Allah revealed this āyah. Kurz heard about the defeat and did not reinforce them, but returned. So Allah also did not reinforce them with five thousand. They were reinforced with a thousand.’ It is said that Allah promised the believers on the Day of Badr that if they were steadfast in obeying Him and feared and avoided what He prohibited, He would help them in all their wars. They were not steadfast and did not fear forbidden things except in the Battle of the Confederates and so He reinforced them when they laid siege to Qurayẓah.

It is said that this is about Uḥud: Allah promised them help if they were steadfast, but they were not steadfast and so He did not reinforce them with a single angel. If He had reinforced them, they would not have been defeated. ‘Ikrimah and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that.

It is said that it is confirmed that Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ said, ‘I saw two men to the right and left of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the Battle of Badr who were wearing white clothing and fighting fiercely. I never saw them before that nor after that.’ It is said that perhaps this is particular to the Prophet ﷺ and he had two angels who fought with him, and that was not reinforcements for the Companions. Allah knows best.

The descent of the angels was one of the means of help which the Lord does not need. The creature needs it. The heart should be connected to Allah and trust in Him. He is the Helper with or without means: ‘His command when He desires a thing is simply to say to it, “Be!” and it is.’ (36:82). But He reports about that so that creation will obey what they are commanded to follow in respect of those secondary means that have been followed in the past: ‘You will not find any alteration in the pattern of Allah.’ (33:62) That does not detract from trust. It refutes the one who says, ‘Secondary means are for the weak, not the strong.’ The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions were strong and others were weak. This is clear.

The verb madda (reinforce) is the form used for evil and amadda for good. This was already mentioned in al-Baqarah. ‘Sent down’ is recited by Abū Ḥaywah as ‘munzalīna’, meaning that they bring down help. Ibn ‘Āmir recited ‘munazzalīna’, indicating its frequency.

The words end with ‘Yes indeed!’ and then there is a new sentence. ‘If you are steadfast’ means against the enemy, and ‘are godfearing’ is added to it, meaning fear to disobey Him. The apodosis of the precondition is ‘reinforce you’

But if you are steadfast and godfearing and they come upon you suddenly,

The meaning of ‘min fawrihim’ is ‘in a headlong manner,’ according to ‘Ikrimah, Qatādah, al-Ḥasan, ar-Rabī‘, as-Suddī and Ibn Zayd. It is said by Mujāhid and aḍ-Ḍahhāk that it means ‘out of their anger’. They were angry about Badr on the Day of Uḥud. The root of fawr is to aim for something and take it seriously. Fawr means boiling, and so describes vehement anger. It is used to describe a boiling pot as in 10:40. A poet said:

Their pots boiled over us and we made them continue.

Your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, clearly identified.

‘Clearly identified’ means they were marked with signs. Ibn ‘Āmir, Ḥamzah, al-Kisā’ī read it in the active tense (musawwimīn), which would mean, ‘they clearly identified themselves with signs’. Abū ‘Amr, Ibn Kathīr and ‘Āṣim prefer the passive, implying known by a sign and making their horses known. Aṭ-Ṭabarī and others preferred this reading. Most commentators said that it refers to their releasing their horses in the attack. Al-Mahdawī said that Allah released them against the unbelievers. Ibn Fūrak said that.

Based on the first reading, there is disagreement about the mark of the angels. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Ibn ‘Abbās and others said that they wore white turbans with tails. Al-Bayhaqī mentioned it from Ibn ‘Abbās and al-Mahdawī related it from az-Zajjāj. The exception was Jibrīl who had a yellow turban like that of az-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām. Ibn Isḥāq said that. Ar-Rabī‘ said that their sign was that they were on piebald horses. Al-Bayhaqī mentioned that Suhayl ibn ‘Amr said, ‘In the Battle of Badr, I saw white men on piebald horses between heaven and earth with distinguishing marks, killing and taking captives.’ So ‘clearly identified’ indicates the piebald horses, not the marks. Allah knows best.

Mujāhid said that their horses had short tails and manes, and their forelocks and tails were marked with wool. Ibn ‘Abbās also said that at Badr the angels were marked by white wool in the forelocks and tails of their horses. ‘Abbād ibn [Ḥamzah ibn] ‘Abdullāh ibn az-Zubayr, Hishām ibn ‘Urwah, and al-Kalbī said that the angels descended in the mien of az-Zubayr, wearing yellow turbans with the tails between their shoulders. That was stated by ‘Abdullāh and ‘Urwah, the sons of az-Zubayr. ‘Abdullāh said, ‘Az-Zubayr had a yellow turban.’

The āyah is evidence for adopting a sign and identification mark for tribes and squadrons, which the ruler appoints for them, so that each is distinct from the others in fighting, and for the excellence of piebald horses since the angels rode them. Perhaps they descended on them with horses like that of al-Miqdād, which was piebald. They had no other horses and they descended on these horses in honour of al-Miqdād in the same way that Jibrīl wore a yellow turban in honour of az-Zubayr. Allah knows best.

The āyah also is evidence for wearing wool, which was worn by the Prophets and righteous. Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah related from Abū Burdah from his father: ‘My father said to me, “I wish that you could have seen us with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when we were hit by the rain; I think that we smelled like goats.”’ The Prophet ﷺ wore a Greek woollen jubbah with narrow sleeves. The imams related that. Yūnus also wore one. This will be discussed in an-Naḥl, Allah willing.

As for what Mujāhid mentioned about their horses having cropped tails and manes, it is unlikely. We find in the Muṣannaf of Abū Dāwūd that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Abd as-Sulamī heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Do not cut short the forelocks, manes or tails of horses. Their tails keep the flies away, their manes keep them warm, and good is tied to their forelocks.’ There must be some doubt about what Mujāhid said because according to that the horses of the angels were like that. Allah knows best.

The āyah also indicates the excellence of white and yellow as colours since the angels wore them. Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘If someone wears yellow sandals, his needs are fulfilled.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Wear white garments. They are the best of your garments. Shroud your dead in them. Turbans are the crowns of the Arabs and their dress.’ Rukānah, who is the one who wrestled with the Prophet ﷺ and the Prophet ﷺ threw him down, said, ‘The difference between us and the idolaters are the turbans over our caps.’ Abū Dāwūd transmitted it. Al-Bukhārī said that its isnād is unknown and it is not known who listened to whom.

126 Allah only did this for it to be good news for you and so that your hearts might be set at rest by it (help comes from no one but Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise) 127 and so that He might cut off a group of those who disbelieve or crush them and they might be turned back in defeat.

The word ‘this’ refers to their being reinforced by the angels, the promise, or reinforcements. That is indicated by the previous words ‘reinforce you’, the clear identification, the sending down or the number, which may have been as many as five thousand. The lām connected to ‘set at rest’ is the lām of becoming, meaning ‘so that your hearts might be put at rest by it, He made…’ A similar usage is seen in 41:12. The phrase ‘Help comes from no one but Allah,’ means for the believers. The unbelievers are not included in that because any victory they gain is full of disappointment and loss and has a bad outcome.

And so that He might cut off a group of those who disbelieve or crush them and they might be turned back in defeat.

Allah cuts them off by killing them. The thrust of the sentence is: ‘Allah helped you at Badr so that He might cut off…’ It is also said that the meaning is: ‘Help is only from Allah so that He might cut off…’ It could also be connected to the idea of help, meaning, ‘He helped you so that He might cut off…’ It is a reference to the idolaters who were killed at Badr, according to al-Ḥasan and others. As-Suddī said that it refers to the idolaters killed at Uḥud, who numbered eighteen.

The meaning of ‘crush’ is to make them sad. Someone who is ‘makbūt’ is sad. It is related that the Prophet ﷺ went to Abū Ṭalḥah and saw that his son was sad (makbūt). He asked, ‘What is wrong with him?’ He answered, ‘His sparrow has died.’ According to those who study language, the root of ‘crush them’ (yakbitahum) is ‘yakbidahum’ to cause sorrow and exasperation in their livers (akbād), and the dāl has been replaced by a tā’ as we see in sabara and sabada (shave). The verb kabata is used for diverting and humbling the enemy, and kabada is to afflict him in his liver. One refers to sorrow or enmity ‘burning’ one’s liver. The Arabs call an enemy someone with ‘a black liver’ because when livers are burned by enmity, they become black. Al-A‘shā said:

What you suffered from the arrival of a people who are the enemy with blackened livers

The phrase ‘turned back in defeat’ (khāba, yakhību) means with disappointed hopes. Khā’ib is someone whose hopes are cut off. Khayyāb is a steel which does not produce fire.

128 You have no part in the affair. Either He will turn towards them or He will punish them, for they are wrongdoers. 129 Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to Allah. He forgives whoever He wills and punishes whoever He wills. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

You have no part in the affair.

It is confirmed in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that the Prophet’s incisor was broken at Uḥud and his head cut so that it bled. He said, ‘How can a people prosper when they injure the head of their Prophet and break his tooth while he is calling them to Allah Almighty?’ and Allah revealed this.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ wanted to invoke against the unbelievers and Allah sent down this. It is said that he asked for permission to call for their extermination, but when the āyah was revealed, he knew that some of them would become Muslim, and so many of them did, including Khālid ibn al-Walīd, ‘Amr ibn al-‘Āṣ, ‘Ikrimah ibn Abī Jahl, and others.’ At-Tirmidhī related that Ibn ‘Umar said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ made invocation against four people and Allah revealed: “You have no part in the affair.” Allah guided them to Islam.’ He said that it is a sound gharīb ḥasan hadith.

It is said that the phrase ‘either He will turn towards them’ is added to ‘cut off a group’. It means: ‘so that He might kill a group of them or sadden them with defeat or turn to them or punish them.’ ‘Aw’ here can mean ‘until’.

Our scholars said that the words of the Prophet ﷺ refer to finding it unlikely that those who did that to him would prosper. The words of Allah: ‘You have no part in the affair’ bring close what he had thought unlikely and desiring their Islam. When he desired that, he said, ‘O Allah, forgive my people. They do not know.’ We find in Ṣaḥīh Muslim that Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘It is as if I could see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recounting that the people of one of the Prophets struck and wounded him, and he said, as he wiped the blood from his face, “O Allah, forgive my people. They do not know.” They said to him, “You should curse them!” He said, “I was not sent as a curser. I was sent as a caller and a mercy. O Allah, forgive my people! They do not know.”’

Our scholars said that the one reported about in the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ūd is the Prophet ﷺ. He is, in fact, relating about himself as proven by the fact that it is explicitly reported that when the teeth of the Prophet ﷺ were broken and his face injured in the Battle of Uḥud, that was very hard for his Companions to bear. They said, ‘You should curse them!’ He answered, ‘I was not sent as a curser. I was sent as a caller and a mercy. O Allah, forgive my people! They do not know.’ It was as if that had been revealed to him ﷺ before that happened to him at Uḥud. The Prophet ﷺ did not make that specific. When that occurred to him, then it was clear that it was about him as we mentioned.

It is also made clear by what ‘Umar said to him: ‘May my mother and father be your ransom, Messenger of Allah! Nūḥ invoked against his people. He said, “My Lord, do not leave a single one of the unbelievers on earth!” (71:26) If you were to invoke against us in the same way, we would be destroyed to the last one of us. Your back has been trodden on, your face bloodied and your teeth broken, but you refuse to speak other than good!’ He answered ﷺ, ‘Lord, forgive my people! They do not know.’

[One variant of the account has that] ‘Allah was very angry with people who broke the teeth of their Prophet,’ meaning with the actual person who did that. We have mentioned his name along with the disagreement about who it was. We said that the statement became specific because a group of those who were present at Uḥud later became good Muslims.

The Kufans claim that this āyah abrogates the qunūt which the Prophet ﷺ used to perform in the rukū‘ of the last rak‘ah of Ṣubḥ. They use as evidence the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar who heard the Prophet ﷺ say in the Fajr prayer after raising his head from rukū‘, ‘O Allah, our Lord and praise is yours in the last.’ Then he said, ‘O Allah, curse so-and-so and so-and-so.’ Allah revealed: ‘You have no part in the affair.’ Al-Bukhārī transmitted it. Muslim reported it from Abū Hurayrah in a more complete form. This is not abrogation. Allah is informing His Prophet ﷺ that the business is not up to him and that he only knows of the Unseen what Allah acquaints him with and that the entire affair belongs to Allah. He will turn to those He wishes and punish those He wishes. It implies: ‘You have no part in the affair. Everything in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Allah, both you and them. He forgives whomever He wishes and turns to whomever He wishes.’ There is no abrogation, and Allah knows best. His words explain that all matters are by the decision and decree of Allah. This also refutes the Qadariyyah and others in their views about Allah’s decree.

Scholars disagree about the qunūt in Fajr and other prayers. The Kufans forbid it in Fajr and other prayers, and that is the position of al-Layth and Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā al-Laythī al-Andalūsī, the companion of Mālik. Ash-Sha‘bī disliked it. It says in the Muwaṭṭā’ about Ibn ‘Umar, ‘He did not do the qunūt in any prayer.’ An-Nasā’ī related from Qutaybah from Khalaf that Abū Mālik al-Ashjā‘ī reported that his father said, ‘I prayed behind the Prophet ﷺ and he did not do the qunūt. I prayed behind Abū Bakr and he did not do the qunūt. I prayed behind ‘Umar and he did not do the qunūt. I prayed behind ‘Uthmān and he did not do the qunūt. I prayed behind ‘Alī and he did not do the qunūt.’ Then he said, ‘My son, it is an innovation.’

It is said that the qunūt is always done in Fajr and other prayers when a disaster befalls the Muslims. Ash-Shāfi‘ī and aṭ-Ṭabarī said that. It is said that it is recommended in Fajr and that is reported from ash-Shāfi‘ī. Al-Ḥasan and Saḥnūn said that it is sunnah. That is demanded by the transmission of ‘Alī ibn Ziyād from Mālik that the one who deliberately omits it must repeat it. Aṭ-Ṭabarī related the consensus that missing it out does not invalidate the prayer. Al-Ḥasan said that one does the sujūd of forgetfulness for it and that is one of the positions of ash-Shāfi‘ī. Ad-Dāraquṭnī related from Sa‘īd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz that the one who forgets the qunūt in Ṣubḥ should do the sujūd of forgetfulness.

Mālik preferred it to be done before rukū‘, which is the position of Isḥāq. It is also related from Mālik that it can be done after rukū‘. That is related from the four caliphs and it is also the position of ash-Shāfi‘ī, Aḥmad, and Isḥāq. It is related from a group of Companions that there is a choice regarding that. Ad-Dāraquṭnī related with a sound isnād that Anas said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ continued to do the qunūt in the morning prayer until he left this world.’ Abū Dāwūd mentioned in al-Marāsīl that Khālid ibn Abī ‘Imrān said, ‘While the Prophet ﷺ was invoking against Muḍar, Jibrīl came to him and indicated to him that he should be silent and so he was. He said, “Muḥammad, Allah has not sent you as an abuser or curser. He sent you as a mercy. He did not send you as a punishment: ‘You have no part in the affair. Either He will turn towards them or He will punish them, for they are wrongdoers.’” Then he taught him this qunūt: ‘O Allah! Truly we seek Your help and Your forgiveness and believe in You and praise You for all good. We thank You and are not ungrateful to You and submit ourselves to you and surrender and abandon all who reject You. O Allah You alone we worship. We pray and prostrate to You. We strive and struggle in Your Way. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your harsh punishment. Certainly Your punishment encircles the unbelievers.’

130 You who believe, do not feed on usury, multiplied and then remultiplied. Have taqwā of Allah so that hopefully you will be successful. 131 Have fear of the Fire which has been prepared for the unbelievers. 132 Obey Allah and the Messenger so that hopefully you will gain mercy.

You who believe, do not feed on usury, multiplied and then remultiplied.

This is a prohibition against consuming usury interpolated into the story of Uḥud. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘I do not recall anything transmitted about that.’ Mujāhid said, ‘They used to sell on credit and, when the term came, they would increase the price for a delay and so Allah revealed: “You who believe, do not feed on usury multiplied and then remultiplied.”’

Usury is singled out among acts of disobedience because it is that against which Allah has declared war when He says: ‘If you do not, know that it means war from Allah and His Messenger.’ (2:279). War allows killing, and so it is as if He were saying, ‘If you do not fear usury, you will be defeated and killed.’ So he commanded them to give up usury because they used to practise it, and Allah knows best.

‘Multiplied’ is in the accusative for the ḥāl, and ‘remultiplied’ is recited as ‘muḍa‘‘afah’ as well as ‘muḍā‘afah’. It indicates that they increased the usury time after time. The usury practised by the Arabs was that they increased the debt. The one owed the money would say, ‘Will you settle or increase it?’ as we mentioned in al-Baqarah. This went on year after year and the expression stresses the ugliness of what they were doing. That is why Allah mentions that it was being ‘remultiplied’.

Have taqwā of Allah so that hopefully you will be successful.

Fear Him regarding any wealth gained from usury and do not consume it.

Have fear of the Fire which has been prepared for the unbelievers.

Then He alarms them by saying: ‘Have fear of the Fire.’ Most commentators say that this is a threat directed at those who allow usury. Whoever allows usury disbelieves and is called an unbeliever. It is said that it means: fear the action which will strip faith from you and make the Fire mandatory for you, because usury is one of the wrong actions which make it inevitable that a person will be stripped of their faith and causes one to fear for them.

Another such action is lack of respect for one’s parents. A tradition has come that a man called ‘Alqamah who was disobedient to his parents was dying. He was told, ‘Say: “There is no god but Allah,”’ and he was unable to do that until his mother came and was pleased with him. Other things are cutting off relatives, usury, and treachery in respect of a trust. Abū Bakr al-Warrāq reported that Abū Ḥanīfah said, ‘It is that which most removes faith from a person when he dies.’ Abū Bakr said, ‘We looked at wrong actions which remove faith and we did not find anything quicker in doing that than wronging people.’

This āyah indicates that the Fire is already created, which refutes the Jahmites who said that it is non-existent and not prepared.

Obey Allah and the Messenger so that hopefully you will gain mercy.

The instruction ‘Obey Allah’ means you should obey Allah in respect the obligations of the dīn ‘and the Messenger’ in respect of sunnahs. It is said that it specifies obedience to Allah in respect of forbidding usury and to the Messenger in respect of the prohibition which he conveyed. ‘So that hopefully you will gain mercy’ means so that Allah will be merciful to you.

133 Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the godfearing:

Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord

Nāfi‘ and Ibn ‘Āmir read it without wāw (and) before it, as in the copies of the Qur’an of the people of Madīnah and Syria. The rest of the seven have a wāw (and) before it. Abū ‘Alī said that both are correct and well-known. If it is read with a wāw, it is adding a sentence to the sentence before it. If it is read without the wāw, it is because the second sentence is related to the first, but has no need of being joined to it by ‘and’. ‘Race each other’ is the verbal noun form of Form III.

There is some elision in the āyah, meaning: ‘Race to that which will make forgiveness mandatory,’ which is obedience. Anas ibn Mālik and Makḥūl said that it means racing to the takbīr al-iḥrām. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib said that it means racing to the performance of the obligations. ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān said that means racing to sincerity. Al-Kalbī said that it means racing to repentance from usury. It is said it means racing to steadfastness in fighting. Other things are said as well. The āyah is general and means the same as the earlier āyah: ‘Race each other to the good.’ (2:148)

a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth.

The muḍāf is elided in this sentence. [POEM] Scholars disagree about its interpretation. Ibn ‘Abbās said that the heavens and the earth are connected to one another as when a garment is opened up and it is clear that its parts are connected. That is the breadth of the Garden and only Allah knows how high it is. That is what the majority say and it is not denied. We find in a hadith reported by Abū Dharr from the Prophet ﷺ: ‘The seven heavens and seven earths in comparison to the Footstool are only like some dirhams cast into a desert, and the Footstool in comparison to the Throne is only like a ring cast into a desert.’ These things are much greater than the heavens and the earth, and the power of Allah is greater than all that.

Al-Kalbī said, ‘There are four Gardens: the garden of ‘Adn, the Garden of Refuge, the Garden of Firdaws, and the Garden of Bliss. The dimensions of each Garden is the same as the heavens and the earth if they were all joined together.’ Ismā‘īl as-Suddī said, ‘If the heavens and the earth were broken into mustard seeds, each mustard seed would be a garden whose breadth was like that of the heaven and the earth.’ We find in the Ṣaḥīḥ: ‘The least of the people of the Garden in rank will be the one who wishes and wishes until wishes are no more. Allah Almighty says, “You will have that and ten like it.”’ Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī related it, and Muslim and others transmitted it.

Ya‘lā ibn Abī Murrah said, ‘In Homs I met at-Tanūkhī, the emissary of Heraclius to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He was a very old man. He said, “I brought the letter of Heraclius to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He handed the letter to a man on his left. I asked, ‘Who is your companion who is reading?’ ‘Mu‘āwiyah,’ they replied. The letter I was sent with said: ‘You have written inviting me to a Garden whose breadth is like that of the heaven and the earth. Where is the Fire?’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Glory be to Allah! Where is the night when the day comes?’”’

‘Umar al-Fārūq used this argument against the Jews when they said to him, ‘I think that you say, “A Garden whose breadth is like that of the heaven and the earth.” So where is the Fire?’ They told him, ‘You have taken this from what is in the Torah.’

Breadth is used instead of height because height is usually greater than width. When height is mentioned, it does not indicate the extent of the breadth. Az-Zuhrī says, ‘No one knows its height except Allah.’ This is like Allah’s words: ‘They will be reclining on couches lined with rich brocade.’ (55:54) He described the lining as being the most excellent that is possible since it is known that the outside of something is always better than its lining. The Arabs say, ‘a wide land’ and ‘a wide wilderness’. A poet says:

It is as the lands of Allah which, although they are wide, are like the palm of the snatcher of a fearful fugitive.

People also say that this is simply a metaphorical usage in Arabic. Since the Garden has the greatest possible dimensions in respect of space and breadth, it is good to refer to it as ‘the breadth of the heavens and the earth.’ It like referring to a man by saying, ‘This one is an ocean’ and to a large animal by saying, ‘This one is a mountain.’ The āyah does not intend to define its breadth, but it means that it is the widest thing you could possibly imagine.

prepared for the godfearing.

Most scholars say that the Garden is already created since Allah uses the word, ‘prepared’. We also have the evidence provided by the hadiths about the Night Journey and other sound hadiths. The Mu‘tazilites claim that neither the Garden nor the Fire is created now and that Allah will create them when He rolls up this world. He will start with the creation of the Garden and the Fire in whatever way He wishes because they are the Abode of Repayment in respect of both reward and punishment. They say that they will be created after the acknowledgment of responsibility at the moment of repayment and that, just as the responsibility and repayment are not combined in this world, they are not combined in the Next World either.

Ibn Fūrak said, ‘What is in the Garden will increase on the Day of Rising.’ Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘This is a reference to what Mundhir ibn Sa‘īd and others say about the Garden not being created yet.’ Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah also said, ‘The words “What is in the Garden will increase on the Day of Rising” indicate that it already exists, but it needs addition for the increase to occur.’

Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah spoke the truth. He said, ‘In respect of the Footstool, the seven heavens and the seven earths are like a dirham thrown into a wilderness on earth. In respect of the Throne, the Footstool is like a ring cast into a wilderness. The Garden is now as it will be in the Next World. Its breadth is like the breadth of the heavens and the earth. According to what is related in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the Throne is its ceiling. It is known that the ceiling contains what is under it and more. If all created things are like a ring in comparison to it, who is capable of estimating its dimensions? Only Allah, its Creator whose power has no end and the vastness of whose kingdom is without limit knows its height and breadth. Glory be to Him and exalted is He!’

134 those who give in times of both ease and hardship, those who control their rage and pardon other people – Allah loves the good-doers –

those who give in times of both ease and hardship,

This is one of the qualities of the godfearing for whom the Garden is prepared. The literal meaning of the āyah is that it is praise for doing acts that are recommended. Ibn ‘Abbās, al-Kalbī and Muqātil said that sarrā’ is ease and ḍarrā’ is difficulty. ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that they mean comfort and hardship. It is said that they mean health and illness. Ease and hardship can also refer to health and illness, or life and bequests after death. It is also said to refer to weddings and wedding feasts and to calamities and tragedies. It is said to mean spending which delights you, like spending on your children and relatives on the one hand, and giving to your enemies on the other. Or it can refer to hospitality and gifts on the one hand, and to what is spent on those who cause harm on the other. The āyah is universal.

those who control their rage.

Controlling rage is to retract it into yourself. It is said that it refers to someone who does not display his rage when he is able to inflict it on his enemy. The verb is also used in irrigation when the onward flow is blocked so that the water builds up. Kiẓāmah is something that blocks the flow of water. From it comes the word kiẓām which is a stopper for a bottle or waterskin. When the cud is stopped before it reaches an animal’s mouth, the verb for that is kaẓama, as az-Zajjāj said. One describes a male camel and she-camel in that way. [POEM] It is said that that happens to the camel in a state of alarm when it refuses to move. The word akẓūm is used of a man filled with sorrow and grief. We find in the Revelation: ‘His eyes turned white from sorrow, hidden within him (kaẓīm). ’ (12:84), ‘His face darkens and he is furious (kaẓīm)’ (16:58) and ‘when he called out in absolute despair (makẓūm).’ (68:48)

Ghayẓ (rage) is the source of anger and they often go together. The difference between them is that rage does not show on the limbs while anger shows through action. That is why anger is ascribed to Allah when it designates His actions against those with whom He is angry. Some people explain rage as being anger, but this is not good. Allah knows best.

pardon other people

Pardoning people is the most majestic form of good action when a person pardons another when he sees he is in the right. When someone deserves punishment and is spared, he has been pardoned. There is disagreement about the identity of the ‘people’ referred to here. Abu-l-‘Āliyah, al-Kalbī and az-Zajjāj said that it means slaves. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah says that this is good as an example since they are servants and often commit wrong action and power over them is easy to have and they are easy to punish.

It is reported that one day, when he had guests, the slavegirl of Mihrān ibn Maymūn brought in a bowl of hot broth. She stumbled and the broth went over him. He wanted to beat her and the girl said, ‘My master, implement the words of Allah: “those who control their rage.” ‘I have done it,’ he answered. She said, ‘And act by what follows it: “pardon other people.”’ He stated, ‘I have pardoned you.’ The slave-girl then said: ‘Allah loves the good-doers.’ He said, ‘I will act well by you. You are free for the sake of Allah.’ Something similar is related from al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays.

Zayd ibn Aslam said that what is meant is pardoning their wrongdoing and evil. This is general and it is the literal meaning of the āyah. Muqātil ibn Ḥayyān said about this āyah, ‘We heard that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about it, “There are only a few of those among my community; only someone protected by Allah. They were numerous in the nations of the past.”’ Allah praises those who forgive when they are angry when He says: ‘When they are angry, they forgive’ (42:38). Here He praises those who control their rage. He says that He loves them for acting well in that respect.

There are many hadiths reported about controlling rage, pardoning people and controlling oneself when angry. It is one of the greatest acts of worship and jihād of the nafs. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The strong man is not the one who throws people down in wrestling. The strong man is the one who has control of himself when he is angry.’ And he said ﷺ, ‘There is nothing which one can swallow better and with a greater reward than swallowing one’s rage for the sake of Allah.’ Anas reported that a man asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what is the strongest thing of all?’ ‘The anger of Allah,’ he replied. He asked, ‘And what will save a person from the anger of Allah?’ ‘Not getting angry,’ he replied. Al-‘Arjī said:

When you are angry, be dignified and control your rage. Then you will see what you say and hear.

It is enough of an honour that you are patient for a time: Allah will be pleased with you and you will be elevated.

‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said about pardon:

People will not achieve glory, even if they are noble, until they are humble even though they are mighty against people.

They are insulted and you see their colours shining. It is not pardon due to abasement, but rather the pardon of honour.

Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī related from Mu‘ādh ibn Anas al-Juhanī that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If anyone controls his rage when he is able to act on it, Allah will summon him in front of creatures and give him a choice to have whichever of the houris he wishes.’ He said that it is a ḥasan gharīb hadith. Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘On the Day of Rising, a caller will call out, “Whoever is due a wage from Allah should enter the Garden.” It will be asked, “Who is due a wage from Allah?” The reply will come, “Those who pardoned others will stand and enter the Garden without any reckoning.”’

Ibn al-Mubārak said, ‘I was sitting with Manṣūr when he ordered a man to be killed. I said, “Amīr al-Mu’minīn! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘On the Day of Rising a caller will call out before Allah, “Whoever has a hold on Allah should come forward.” None will come forward except the one who pardoned a wrong action.’” He ordered that he be let go.’

Allah loves the good-doers

This means that He will reward them for their doing good. Sarī as-Saqaṭī said, ‘Doing good is to do good at the moment when it is possible. Not every moment has good-doing possible in it.’ A poet said:

Hasten to do good when you are able to do so. You will not be able to do so all the time.

Abu-l-‘Abbās al-Jummānī said:

Not every moment and time Provides scope for acts of charity.

When you are able, then make haste out of fear of the time when it is not possible.

All of this was already discussed in al-Baqarah.

135 those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions (and who can forgive bad actions except Allah?) and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing.

Those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves,

In this āyah Allah speaks of a group who are lesser than the first group but connects them with them out His mercy and favour. They are those who repent. ‘Aṭā’ related that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘This āyah was revealed about Nabhān at-Tammār. His kunyah was Abū Muqbil. A beautiful woman came to him to sell him some dates. He pulled her to him and kissed her and then regretted doing that. He went to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned it and this āyah was revealed.’

In the Musnad of Abū Dāwūd aṭ-Ṭayālisī, ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Abū Bakr reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘There is no one who commits a wrong action and prays two rak‘ahs and then asks Allah for forgiveness without Allah forgiving him.’ Then he recited this āyah and the āyah: ‘Anyone who does evil or wrongs himself…’ (4:110) At-Tirmidhī transmitted it and said that it is a ḥasan hadith.

The āyah is general. It was sent down about a particular occasion but then applies to all who have done that or worse. It is said that the reason that this āyah was revealed was that a Thaqafī man went on an expedition and left an Anṣārī friend of his to look after his family. That man betrayed him by attempting to force himself on his wife. She defended herself and he only kissed her hand. He regretted doing that and went out wandering about the place in regret and repentance. The Thaqafī came and his wife told him what his friend had done. He went out after him and took him to Abū Bakr and ‘Umar hoping that there would be some relief for him but they just rebuked him. He went to the Prophet ﷺ and told him what he had done and then this āyah was revealed. It is more fitting that it is general because of the hadith.

Ibn Mas‘ūd reported that the Companions said, ‘Messenger of Allah, the tribe of Israel is more honoured by Allah than we are. When one of them committed a wrong action, in the morning his punishment was written on the door of his house. (One variant has ‘the expiation of his wrong action was written on the lintel of his house.’): “Cut off your nose. Cut off your ear,” and so on.’ Then Allah revealed this āyah as expansion, mercy and replacement for that which was done among the tribe of Israel. It is related that Iblīs wept when this āyah was revealed.

The word ‘fāḥishah’ (indecency) is used for all types of disobedience but is often specific to fornication so that Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh and as-Suddī said that this āyah is about fornication. In the words ‘or wrong themselves’, it is said that ‘or’ here means ‘and’ what is meant are actions less than the major wrong actions.

remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions

‘Remember Allah’ here means accompanied by fear of His punishment and shame before Him. Aḍ-Daḥḥāk said, ‘They remember the Great Day of Presentation before Allah, and it is said that they realise in themselves that Allah will question them about what they did,’ as is also stated by al-Kalbī and Muqātil. Muqātīl also says that they remember Allah on the tongue when they commit wrong actions.

The phrase ‘ask forgiveness for their bad actions,’ means that they seek forgiveness because of their wrong actions and this applies to every expression or supplication of this sort. We already mentioned at the beginning of this sūrah the ‘master of asking forgiveness’ and that its time is before dawn. Asking forgiveness is a tremendous matter and its reward huge, so that at-Tirmidhī reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If anyone says, “I ask forgiveness of Allah, and there is no god but Him, the Living, the-Self-Sustaining and I turn to Him in repentance,” he will be forgiven, even if he had fled from the heat of battle.’ Abū Hurayrah said, ‘I did not see anyone who asked for forgiveness more than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ Makḥūl said, ‘I did not see anyone who asked for forgiveness more than Abū Hurayrah.’ Makḥūl used also to often pray for forgiveness.

Our scholars said that the form of asking forgiveness which is desired is one that removes persistence in the wrong action and whose effect is confirmed in the heart, not just the expression on the tongue. As for someone who says, ‘I ask Allah’s forgiveness’ with his tongue while persisting in the disobedience he is asking forgiveness for, he must ask forgiveness for doing that, and his minor wrong action is joined to the major ones. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said, ‘Our asking forgiveness requires asking forgiveness.’ This was in his time, so what is it like in our time when a person is seen to be bent on doing wrong and eager for it while the prayer beads are in his hand and he is claiming that he is asking for Allah’s forgiveness for his wrong actions? That is nothing but mockery on his part. Allah says: ‘Do not make a mockery of Allah’s signs.’ (2:231)

Who can forgive bad actions except Allah?

This means that there is no one who forgives disobedience nor removes its punishment except Allah.

and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing.

‘Do not persist’ means that they should not remain fixed and resolved on continuing what they were doing. Mujāhid said, ‘They do not continue in it.’ Ma‘bad ibn Ṣubayḥ said, ‘I prayed behind ‘Uthmān with ‘Alī at my side. He turned to us and said, “I prayed without wuḍū’.” Then he left and did wuḍū’ and prayed.’

Persisting is to resolve on a matter with the heart and not refrain from it. The verb is used for tying up dirhams in a purse. Al-Ḥaṭī‘ah said when describing horses:

Faces frowning, not curried, brave. When they are asked to gallop with whips, they persist.

They are firm in running. Qatādah said that ‘persisting’ is being obdurate in disobeying Allah. A poet said:

He persists at night when his deeds are hidden. Woe! Everyone with an obdurate heart is a cheat.

Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh said, ‘The ignorant man is dead. The forgetful man is asleep. The rebellious man is drunk. The persistent man is destroyed. Persistence lies in procrastination. Procrastination is to say, “I will repent tomorrow.” This is the claim of the nafs. How can it repent tomorrow when it has no control over it!’ Someone else said, ‘Persistence is to intend not to repent. When someone intends to repent, their persistence ceases.’ Sahl’s version is better. It is reported that the Prophet said ﷺ, ‘There is no repentance when there is persistence [in the action].’

Our scholars say that what brings about repentance and not persisting is constant reflection on the Book of Allah, the Almighty, Ever-Forgiving, and what He has mentioned of the details of the Garden promised for the obedient and what He has described of the punishment of the Fire threatened for the disobedient. A person continues doing that until his fear and hope are strong and he calls on Allah with the awe and longing that are the fruits of hope and fear. He fears the punishment and hopes for the reward. It is Allah Who gives success in doing what is correct. It is said that what brings it about is a Divine awakening by which Allah alerts those for whom He desires happiness to the ugliness and harm of wrong actions since they are a deadly poison.

I say that this does not exactly accord with the expression, but does accord with the meaning. A person does not reflect on the promise and threat of Allah unless He alerts him to it. When, by success granted by Allah, someone looks at himself and finds himself filled with the wrong actions he has done and the evils he has committed, and regrets his excess and abandons it out of fear of Allah’s punishment, then Allah affirms that he repents. If he does not do that, he persists in disobedience. Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh said, ‘The sign of true repentance is that the wrong action distracts him from food and drink, as happened with the three who stayed behind [the Tabūk expedition].’

There are various things said about the word ‘knowingly’. It is said that it means that they remember their wrong actions and repent of them. An-Naḥḥās says that this is a good understanding. It is said that it means that they know that Allah will punish persistence in wrongdoing. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr said that it means that they know that if they repent, Allah will turn to them. It is said that it means that they know that if they ask for forgiveness, Allah will forgive them. It is said that they know what is forbidden for them. That was stated by Ibn Isḥāq. Ibn ‘Abbās, al-Ḥasan, Muqātil and al-Kalbī said that it means that they know that persistence is harmful and that it is better to leave it than to persist in it. Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Faḍl said that it means that they know that they have a Lord who forgives wrong actions.

This is taken from the hadith of Abū Hurayrah in which the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Someone committed a wrong action and said, “O Allah, forgive me my wrong action!” Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said, “My slave committed a wrong action and then acknowledged that he had a Lord who forgives wrong action and punishes wrong action.” That person again committed a wrong action and said, “O Lord, forgive me my wrong action!” Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said, “My slave committed a wrong action and then acknowledged that he had a Lord who forgives wrong action and punishes wrong action.” Then the same person again committed a wrong action and said, “O Lord, forgive me my wrong action!” Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said, “My slave committed a wrong action and then acknowledged that he had a Lord who forgives wrong action and punishes wrong action. I have forgiven My slave so let him do what he likes.”’ Muslim transmitted it.

This is evidence for the validity of repentance after breaking it by repeating the wrong action because the first repentance was obedience. Then it was broken and another new act of repentance is required. Returning to wrong action is uglier than doing it the first time because undoing repentance is ascribed to the second wrong action. Returning to repentance is better than doing it the first time because it entails clinging to the Gate of the Generous because none but Him can forgive wrong actions.

His words at the end of the hadith, ‘Let him do what he likes,’ is a command which actually means honour according to one view. It is like Allah’s words: ‘Enter it in peace.’ (15:46) The end of the words is a report about the state of the person who is told that he has been forgiven his earlier wrong actions and, Allah willing, is protected in his future affairs.

The āyah indicates the immense benefit of acknowledging one’s wrong actions and asking for forgiveness for them. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When someone acknowledges his wrong action and then repents to Allah, Allah turns to him.’ It is transmitted in both Ṣaḥīḥ collections. Someone said:

A lad is entitled to pardon when he admits to the wrong actions he committed.

Someone else said:

Admit your wrong action and then ask to have it excused. Denial of the wrong action means there are two wrong actions.

We find in another hadith in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that Abū Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘By the One in Whose hand my soul is, if you had not sinned, Allah would have removed you and brought other people who did commit wrong actions and asked for the forgiveness of Allah Almighty so that He could forgive them.’ This is the benefit which comes from the names of Allah, the Ever-Forgiving (al-Ghafūr) and the One Who Turns to His slaves (at-Tawwāb), as we explained in Kitāb al-Asnā.

The wrong actions for which one can repent are either kufr or something else. The repentance of the unbeliever is to believe while regretting his past disbelief. Faith on its own does not constitute repentance. Repentance for anything other than kufr is either on account of a right due to Allah or a right due to others. In the case of the right of Allah, it is enough repentance to abandon not observing it, although in some cases the Sharī‘ah is not satisfied with simple abandonment but requires the action to be made up, like the prayer and fasting, and in other cases expiation is necessary, such as for breaking oaths and ẓihār. Where the rights of other people are concerned, they must be fulfilled to those to whom they are owed. If they are not found, then one gives ṣadaqah on their behalf. If someone finds no way to come up with what he owes due to hardship, then it is hoped that Allah will pardon him. His bounty is freely given. How many He has provided surety against consequences and changed their evil deeds into good deeds. This will be explained later.

If someone does not remember his wrong action and recognise it, he does not have to repent for it specifically, but when he remembers a wrong action, he must repent of it. The interpretation of many people of what our Shaykh Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Mu‘ṭī al-Iskandarānī mentioned from al-Muḥāsibī, namely that repentance for a category of actions is not valid, means that regret for them as a whole is not sufficient. A person has to repent of each transgression by his limb or heart specifically. People thought that that was his position but it is not what he meant and his words do not demand that understanding. The ruling is that when someone recognises the ruling of actions, and the disobedience he has done, then it is valid for him to repent of all of them that he acknowledges. If he does not recognise that the action was in disobedience to Allah, then he cannot repent of it, either as a whole or in particular. That is like when a man is involved in one of the categories of usury without knowing that it is usury. When he hears the words of Allah: ‘You who believe, have taqwā of Allah and forgo any remaining usury if you are believers. If you do not, know that it means war from Allah and from His Messenger’ (2:2778-279), he finds the threat terrible but thinks that he is safe from usury. When he learns the reality of usury now and thinks about what he has done in the past and knows that he has been involved in a lot of usury in the past, then it is sound for him to repent of all of it now and he does not have to specify each instance of it.

That is true of all the wrong actions and evil deeds someone has done, such as slander, tale-bearing and other forbidden actions which they did not know were forbidden. When they understand the import of their past words, then they can repent of all of that and regret being remiss in what was due to Allah. When they ask the one they wronged to release them and he releases them overall and is content with forgoing his right, that is permitted because it comes under the legal principle of giving something which is unknown. This happens in spite of a people’s greed and avarice in seeking their due, so how is it then with the Most Generous of the generous Who bounteously bestows acts in which Allah is obeyed and gives the means to do them and pardons disobedience, both small and great?

Our Shaykh said that this is what the imam means and it is that which his words indicate for the one who studies it. What someone thinks about regret only being valid for the actual action done or movement made or a specific silence would be attributing responsibility for something no one is actually capable of undertaking and that is not prescribed in the Sharī‘ah, even if it is logically possible. The person would have to know exactly how many sips of wine he had taken, exactly how many movements he had made when fornicating, and exactly how many steps he had taken towards the ḥarām. No one is able to do that and therefore repent in an exactly specific way. More concerning the rulings and preconditions of repentance will be dealt with in an-Nisā’ and elsewhere, Allah willing.

and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing.

This is clear evidence for what Qāḍī Abū Bakr ibn aṭ-Ṭayyib said, ‘A person is punished for any disobedience he prepares for consciously and resolves on with his heart.’ We find in revelation: ‘Those who desire to profane it with wrongdoing, We will let them taste a painful punishment.’ (22:25). Allah says: ‘In the morning it was like burnt land stripped bare.’ (68:30) The people referred to here were punished before their action because of their resolve as will be explained in the appropriate place. In a hadith in al-Bukhārī we find, ‘When two Muslims clash with their swords, then both the killer and killed are in the Fire.’ They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, we can understand this with regard to the killer, but what about the murdered man?’ He said, ‘He also was eager to kill his companion.’ So threat is directed at the desire, which is the resolve and unsheathing of weapons.

Evidence of this is also found what at-Tirmidhī related in a sound marfū‘ report from Abū Kabshah al-Anmārī: ‘This world consists of four types of people. There are those whom Allah provides with money and knowledge and they are fearful of their Lord in respect of it and maintain ties of kinship with it and acknowledge the right of Allah over it. Such a person is in the best position. There are those whom Allah provides with knowledge but does not provide with money. They have a sincere intention and say, “If I had money, I would have acted as so-and-so acted.” Such a person is rewarded according to his intention, so the reward of both types is the same. There are those whom Allah provides with money but does not provide with knowledge, so they proceed haphazardly with their money without any knowledge. Such a person is not fearful of his Lord in respect of it nor does he maintain ties of kinship with it nor acknowledge the right of Allah over it. This person is in the worst position. Then there are those whom Allah does not provide with either money nor knowledge, so such a person says, “If I had money, I would have acted as so-and-so acted.” He is repaid according to his intention, so the burden of sin of both of them is the same.’

This is the position of the Qāḍī and it is that of the generality of the early generations and people of knowledge among the fuqahā’, hadith scholars and mutakallimūn. One pays no attention to any disagreement about this on the part of those who say that a person is not taken to task for what he only intends to do and mentally prepares for.

There is no contrary evidence in the words of the Prophet ﷺ: ‘If someone intends to commit an evil action and does not do it, it is not recorded for him. If he does it, one wrong action is recorded.’ That is because ‘if he does not do it’ means that he does not resolve on doing it as indicated by what we mentioned. ‘If he does it’ means that he actually does it or resolves to do it. Success is by Allah.

136 Their recompense is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. How excellent is the reward of those who act!

After forgiving wrong actions, Allah is generous towards those who are sincere in repentance and do not persist in wrong action. This can also be connected to the story of Uḥud and refer to those who fled, but then turned in repentance and did not persist. Allah will forgive them.

137 Whole societies have passed away before your time, so travel about the earth and see the final fate of the deniers.

This is solace from Allah for the believers. Sunan here is the plural of sunnah, which is the Straight Path. A person who is on a straight path does not incline to any lower desires. Al-Hudhalī said:

Do not be alarmed by a sunnah that you are travelling on. The first to be pleased with a sunnah is the one who travels on it.

Sunnah also means a leader or imām who is followed, and one says, ‘So-and-so is an excellent sunnah’ when people imitate him in good. It is also used for a bad leader in the same way. Labīd said:

There is a group whose fathers are their sunnah. Each group of people have a sunnah and their leader.

Sunnah also refers to a nation. Sunnahs are nations. The poem goes:

People have not seen any virtue like their virtue and have not seen their like in past nations (sunan).

Az-Zajjāj says that what is meant are the people of sunnahs. There is elision. Ibn Zayd said it means ‘likes’. ‘Aṭā’ said that it means laws. Mujāhid says that it refers to those nations like ‘Ād and Thamūd who were destroyed before you.

The ‘final fate’ is the end of the business and refers to the Battle of Uḥud. Allah is saying, ‘I give them a delay and a respite and draw them on until the book reaches its term,’ meaning the victory of Allah and the believers, and the destruction of the enemy who are unbelievers.

138 This is a clear explanation for all mankind, and guidance and admonition for those who are godfearing.

This means the Qur’an, as al-Ḥasan and others said. It is said that it indicates the previous āyah: ‘Whole societies have passed away before your time’ and is a threat.

139 Do not give up and do not be downhearted. You shall be uppermost if you are believers.

Allah comforted and consoled them for the killing and wounding they suffered at Uḥud and encouraged them to fight their enemy and forbade them to be feeble and lose heart. The phrase ‘Do not give up’ means ‘Do not be weak and cowardly, Companions of Muḥammad, about fighting your enemies because of what befell you.’ ‘Do not be downhearted’ for your losses or the defeat. ‘You shall be uppermost’ means: ‘You will have the victory in the end if “you believe” in the truth of My promise.’ It is said that ‘if’ (in) here means ‘when’.

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were defeated at Uḥud and while they were in that condition, Khālid ibn al-Walīd came with his cavalry and wanted to look down on them from the mountain. The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Allah, do not let them be above us! O Allah, we have no strength except by You, O Allah, only this group worship you in the land,” and Allah revealed this āyah. A group of Muslims archers went up the mountain and shot at the horses of the idolaters until they routed them.’ That is what His words, ‘You shall be the uppermost’ are referring to.

The āyah means that after Uḥud they will always overcome their enemies. Indeed after that no army went out during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ without being victorious, and in every battle after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, where even one of the Companions was present, they had victory. All these lands were conquered during the time of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When they came to an end, no land was conquered as they had conquered them all in their time.

This āyah is conclusive evidence of the excellence of this community because they are addressed directly in the same way that Allah addressed His Prophets. Allah said to Mūsā: ‘You will be uppermost.’ (20:68) He told this community: ‘You shall be the uppermost.’ This is derived from His Name, al-A‘lā (Most High).

140 If you have received a wound, they have already received a similar wound. We deal out such days to people turn by turn, so that Allah will know those who believe and can gather martyrs from among you – Allah does not love wrongdoers –

If you have received a wound, they have already received a similar wound.

‘Wound’ is read both as qarḥ and qurḥ. According to al-Kisā’ī and al-Akhfash, they are two dialectical forms. Al-Farrā’, however, said that qarḥ means a wound and qurḥ means pain. It means: If you were wounded at Uḥud, they were wounded at Badr. Muḥammad ibn as-Samayfa‘ recited ‘qaraḥ’.

We deal out such days to people turn by turn,

This is said to be in war: sometimes to the believers so that Allah gives victory to His dīn, and sometimes to the unbelievers when the believers disobey, in order to test them and purify them of their wrong actions. When they do not disobey Allah, the party of Allah will be the victors. It is said that it refers to the alternation of joy and sorrow, health and illness, wealth and poverty. ‘Dawlah’ is to come around again. A poet said:

One day is for us and one day is against us. One day of delay and one day of victory.

so that Allah will know those who believe

This alternation is to set apart the believer from the hypocrite and distinguish between them as is clear in Allah’s words: ‘What assailed you on the day the two armies met was by Allah’s permission, so that He would know the believers, and so that He would know the hypocrites.’ (3:166-167) It is said that it is in order to know the steadfastness of the believers for which they will be rewarded just as He informed them that they are responsible.

and can gather martyrs from among you.

This means to honour you with martyrdom, with the implication that some people will be slain so that they can be witnesses against people by their actions. It is said, ‘This is why he is called a martyr (shahīd).’ It is also said to be because the Garden bears witness for him, and it is said that their spirits are present in the Abode of Peace because they are alive in the presence of their Lord while the souls of others have not yet reached the Garden. So shahīd in fact means shāhid, or present in the Garden. This is sound, as will come later.

The virtue of martyrdom is immense. Enough for you regarding that are the words of the Almighty: ‘Allah buys from the believers their selves…’ (9:111) and ‘O you who believe! shall I direct you to a transaction which will save you from a painful punishment? It is to believe in Allah and His Messenger and do jihad in the Way of Allah with your wealth and your selves … That is the Great Victory.’ (61:10-12)

We find in the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bustī from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘What the martyr experiences from being killed is no more than one of you experiences from a wound.’ An-Nasā’ī related from Rāshid ibn Sa‘d from one of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ that a man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, why is the martyr excused from what other believers are tested with in their graves?’ He replied, ‘The flash of the sword at his head is his test.’

We find in al-Bukhārī: ‘Those Muslims killed in the Battle of Uḥud included Ḥamzah, al-Yamān, an-Naḍr ibn Anas and Muṣ‘ab ibn ‘Umayr.’ ‘Amr ibn ‘Alī related from Mu‘ādh ibn Hishām from his father that Qatādah said, ‘We do not know of any tribe of the Arabs with more martyrs and mightier on the Day of Rising than the Anṣār.’ Qatādah said, ‘Anas ibn Mālik related to us that seventy were killed in the Battle of Uḥud, seventy at Bi’r Ma‘ūnah and seventy in the Battle of Yamāmah.’ He added, ‘Bi’r Ma‘ūnah was in the time of the Prophet ﷺ and the Battle of Yamāmah was in the time of Abū Bakr against Musaylimah the Liar.’

Anas said, ‘‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was brought to the Prophet ﷺ with over sixty wounds from stabbings, blows or thrusts. The Prophet ﷺ began to pass his hand over him and they were healed by Allah’s permission as if they had not been there.’

The words ‘gather martyrs from among you’ indicate that Allah’s Will is not the same as His Command, which is the position of the people of the Sunnah. Allah forbade the unbelievers to kill the believers – Ḥamzah and others – while He willed that they be killed. He forbade Ādam to eat from the tree while He willed that he would do so. He ordered Iblīs to prostrate but did not will that he do so and so Iblīs refused. That is indicated by His words: ‘but Allah was averse to their setting out so He held them back.’ (9:46) He commanded all of them to do jihād but created laziness and the reasons that stop people from doing it.

It is reported that ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib said, ‘Jibrīl came to the Prophet ﷺ at Badr and said to him, “Give your Companions a choice regarding the captives. They can either kill them or let them be ransomed, but if they do that the like number of them will be killed next year.” They said, “The ransom and let us be killed.”’ At-Tirmidhī related it and said that it is a ḥasan hadith. Allah fulfilled His promise by the martyrdom of His friends after He had given them a choice and they chose being killed.

Allah does not love wrongdoers

This means the idolaters. Even if they receive injury from the believers, Allah does not love the unbelievers, but if He allows pain to be afflicted on the believers, it is a sign that He loves them.

141 and so that Allah can purge those who believe and wipe out the unbelievers.

There are three things said about this. One is that the word ‘purge’ means ‘to test’. The second is that it means ‘to purge’ them of their wrong actions, which would apply some elision. Al-Farrā’ said that. The third is that the meaning is ‘to purify’. Al-Khalīl says the verb is used for a rope which is smoothed. Part of that usage is: ‘O Allah, purge us of our wrong actions,’ meaning to save us from being punished for them.

Abū Isḥāq az-Zajjāj said, ‘I read out to Muḥammad ibn Zayd that al-Khalīl said that purging is delivering.’ It means that He tests the believers to make them firm and purify them of their wrong actions. He will wipe out the unbelievers by destruction.

142 Or did you imagine that you were going to enter the Garden without Allah knowing those among you who had struggled and knowing the steadfast?

‘Am’ can mean ‘indeed’ or it is said that the mīm is extra. It means: ‘Did you suppose, you who were defeated at Uḥud, that you would enter the Garden as those who entered who were killed and endured the pain of wounds and killing without proceeding on their path and being steadfast as they were steadfast?’ The words ‘without Allah knowing those among you who had struggled,’ refer to knowledge of witnessing so that there is repayment. It means: without knowing those who did not struggle so that He knows that from you.

In the phrase ‘knowing the steadfast,’ the verb has a fatḥah (ya‘lama) because of an implied ‘an’ according to al-Khalīl. Al-Ḥasan and Yaḥyā ibn Ya‘mar recited ‘ya‘lami’ in the jussive case based on the context. It can also be recited as ‘ya‘lamu’ as a separate sentence, and this is the reading of ‘Abd al-Wārith from Abū ‘Amr. The wāw means ‘so that’.

143 You were longing for death before you met it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes.

‘You were longing for death,’ in other words martyrdom, before you met it. It is before killing or before meeting the causes of death. That is because many of those who had not been at Badr used to wish for a day of fighting. Then they were defeated at Uḥud. Some of them remained firm until they were killed, including Anas ibn an-Naḍr. When the Muslims withdrew, he said, ‘O Allah, I am free of what those have done!’ He joined the fight and exclaimed, ‘It is the fragrance of the Garden that I sense!’ He fought until he was martyred. Anas said, ‘We only recognised him by his finger tips. He had about eighty wounds.’ It is about him and those like him that Allah revealed: ‘men who have been true to the contract they have made with Allah.’ (33:23)

The āyah censures those who were defeated, especially those who encouraged the Prophet ﷺ to leave Madīnah. So this refers to those Muslims who wished for martyrdom based on standing firm and being steadfast in jihad, not for the unbelievers to kill them, because such a wish would be disobedience and disbelief, which one cannot long for. So this question on the part of the Muslims is asking for Allah to grant them martyrdom as well as asking for steadfastness in jihad, even if it results in being killed.

‘Now you have seen it with your own eyes.’ Al-Akhfash said that this is repetition for the sake of stress. It is said that it means: ‘while you are looking with no defect in your eyes’ which is an expression used in Arabic for actually seeing something. This conveys stress. Some of them said that it means: “You were looking at Muḥammad ﷺ. So why were you defeated?’

144 Muḥammad is only a Messenger and he has been preceded by other Messengers. If he were to die or be killed, would you turn on your heels? Those who turn on their heels do not harm Allah in any way. Allah will recompense the thankful.

This was revealed because of the defeat of the Muslims at Uḥud when Shayṭān shouted, ‘Muḥammad has been killed!’ ‘Aṭiyyah al-‘Awfī said, ‘Some people said, “Muḥammad has been struck down, so surrender to them. They are your brothers.” Others said, “If Muḥammad had been struck down, should you not continue as your Prophet did until you join him!” So Allah revealed this āyah about that along with the āyahs after it up to āyah 148.’

The mā in the sentence is negative. Ibn ‘Abbās recited ‘Messengers’ without the definite article. Allah informs us in this āyah that the Messengers do not remain among their people forever and that He desires us to hold to what the Messengers brought, even if they die or are killed. He honoured and chose two names for His Prophet ﷺ which are derived from His Name. These names are Muḥammad and Aḥmad. This is used in Arabic for someone with many praiseworthy qualities. A poet said:

To the noble glorious praised (muḥammad) chief.

This was discussed in al-Fātiḥah. ‘Abbās ibn Mirdās said:

O Seal of the Prophets, you are sent with good! Every guidance to the Path is your guidance.

Allah built love for you for His creation and named you Muḥammad.

This āyah is the end of the censure of those defeated and conveys that they will not be defeated, even if Muḥammad ﷺ is killed. Prophethood is not endangered by death. Allah knows best.

This āyah is the clearest evidence of the courage and boldness of Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq. Courage and boldness are defined by the firmness of the heart in the face of affliction, and there could be no calamity greater than the death of the Prophet ﷺ as we explained in al-Baqarah, and at that time his courage and knowledge became clear. People, including ‘Umar, said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is not dead!’ ‘Uthmān was mute and ‘Alī hid and things were unsettled. Then the Ṣiddīq removed the confusion with this āyah when he came from his house in Ṣunḥ. The hadith is found in al-Bukhārī.

We find in the Sunan of Ibn Mājah that ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died while Abū Bakr was with his wife, the daughter of Khārijah, at al-‘Awālī, people began to say, “The Prophet ﷺ has not died. It is just what happens when he is overcome by the revelation!” Abū Bakr came, uncovered his face, kissed him between the eyes and said twice, “You are too noble for Allah to make you die twice! By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has died.” ‘Umar was in a corner of the mosque, saying, “By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has not died and will not die until he cuts off the hands and feet of many of the hypocrites!” Abū Bakr rose and went up the minbar and said, “Whoever worships Allah, Allah is alive and will never die. Whoever worships Muḥammad, Muḥammad has died. ‘Muḥammad is only a Messenger and he has been preceded by other Messengers. If he were to die or be killed, would you turn on your heels? Those who turn on their heels do not harm Allah in any way. Allah will recompense the thankful.’” ‘Umar said, “It was as if I had not read it until that day.” He retracted what he had been saying.’

This is what Abū Naṣr ‘Ubaydullāh al-Wā’ilī mentioned in Kitāb al-Ibānah. He said that Anas ibn Mālik heard ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb give allegiance to Abū Bakr in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He sat on the minbar of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to testify before Abū Bakr. He said, ‘Yesterday I said something to you, and it is not as I said. By Allah, I did not find what I said in a Book revealed by Allah nor in anything given to me by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but I hoped that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would live so that he could direct us – so that he would be the last of us to die – and Allah chose for His Messenger what is with Him instead of what is with us. This is the Book by which Allah guided His Messenger. Take it and you will be guided by what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was guided by.’

Abū Naṣr al-Wā’ilī said, ‘The statement that he made and then retracted was: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has not died and will not die until he cuts off the hands and feet of many of the hypocrites!” That was due to the immensity of what had happened and his fear of civil unrest and the appearance of hypocrites. When he saw the strength of the greater certainty of Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq when he spoke the words of Allah: “Every self will taste death” (3:185), and: “You will die and they too will die” (39:30) and what he said, he came to his senses and was firm. He said, “It was as if I had never heard the āyah before Abū Bakr spoke.” People went out and about in the streets of Madīnah repeating it as if it had only been revealed on that day. There is no dispute about the fact that he ﷺ died on a Monday, at the same time he entered Madīnah on his Hijrah, when it was well into morning, and was buried on Tuesday or Wednesday night.’

Ṣafiyyah bint ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib composed an elegy for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

O Messenger of Allah! You were our hope! You were good to us and not harsh.

You were merciful, a guide and a teacher. Today, everyone who weeps must weep for you.

By your life, I do not weep for the Prophet because of his loss, but out of fear that bloodshed will come.

It is as if it comes on my heart when Muḥammad is mentioned and the burning brands I fear after the Prophet.

May Allah, the Lord of Muḥammad, bless a grave in Yathrib again.

May my mother, maternal aunt, uncle, fathers and my life and property be the ransom of the Messenger of Allah!

You spoke the truth, and conveyed the Message truthfully. You died a firm staff, bright and clear.

If the Lord of mankind had made our Prophet live we would have been fortunate, but His command is carried out.

May the greeting of people be to you from Allah and may He admit you in the Gardens of Eden in pleasure.

I see Ḥasan as his orphan and legacy, a young man weeping and praying for his grandfather today.

Why was the burial of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed when he had said to the people of a house who delayed burying their dead, ‘Hurry to bury your corpse. Do not delay it’?

There are three points in the answer. The first is what we mentioned about the lack of agreement over his death. The second was because they did not know where to bury him. Some people said that it should be in al-Baqī‘ and others said in the mosque. Some people said that he should be kept until he could be carried to his ancestor Ibrāhīm, until the greatest scholar said, ‘A Prophet is only buried where he dies.”’ Ibn Mājah, the Muwaṭṭā’ and other sources mentioned it. The third is that they were preoccupied with the dispute which occurred between the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār about allegiance and waited until the business was settled, unity restored, and the situation was secure, and they gave their allegiance to Abū Bakr. Then they gave him a second allegiance on the following day in a group and with their assent. By him Allah delivered them from the catastrophe of the Riddah and the dīn was established. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Then they went back to the Prophet ﷺ and looked into burying him and washed and shrouded him. Allah knows best.

They disagree about whether the funeral prayer was performed for him or not. Some say that it was and some said that it was not but that each person stood to make supplication because he was too elevated to have someone pray over him. Ibn al-‘Arabī said that this is weak because the Sunnah is that there is a prayer in the janāzah as there is a prayer over him in supplication when someone says, ‘O Allah, bless Muḥammad until the Day of Rising,’ and that benefits us.

It is said that the prayer was not said over him because there was no imām. This is weak because whoever establishes the obligatory prayer is their imām. It is also said that people prayed individually because each of them wanted his blessing individually and not subject to anyone else. Allah knows best whether that is sound.

Ibn Mājah transmitted with a ḥasan isnād which is sound from Ibn ‘Abbās: ‘When we finished preparing him on Tuesday, he was placed on the bed in his room and then the people came in and prayed over the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and when the men had finished, the women came in. When the women were finished, the children came in. None of the people acted as imām over the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ It is transmitted from Naṣr ibn ‘Alī al-Jahḍamī from Wahb ibn Jarīr from his father from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq. He said that Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abdullāh related it from ‘Ikrimah from Ibn ‘Abbās.

Concerning the change of circumstance after the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Anas said, ‘On the day when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered Madīnah, every part of it was illuminated. On the day he died, every part was cast into darkness. We had not shaken off the dust from our hands after burying the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until we doubted our own hearts.’ Ibn Mājah transmitted it. Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related from ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī from Sufyān from ‘Abdullāh ibn Dīnār that Ibn ‘Umar said, ‘We used to be careful about our words and delighting with our wives in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ fearing that the Qur’an would be revealed about us. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died, we spoke.’

Umm Salamah bint Abī Umayyah, the wife of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said, ‘In the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when people stood to pray, their eyes would not leave the spot where their feet were. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died and Abū Bakr was in charge and people stood to pray, their eyes would not leave the place of their brow. When Abū Bakr died and ‘Umar was in charge, when people stood to pray, their eyes would not leave the place of the qiblah. When ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān was in charge, the fitnah came and then people would look to the right or the left in the prayer.’

If he were to die or be killed, would you turn on your heels?

This is a metaphor for reverting to being unbelievers after faith, according to Qatādah and others. It is said to mean to return to being what they were before. It is said that this refers to actually and not metaphorically being routed. It is said that it means you would behave like apostates.

Those who turn on their heels do not harm Allah in any way.

They will harm themselves and expose themselves to punishment for opposition. Obedience does not help Allah and disobedience does not harm Him. He is free of need of any sort.

Allah will recompense the thankful.

Those who were steadfast, fought, and were martyred. This is a promise connected to a threat.

145 No self can die except with Allah’s permission, at a predetermined time. If anyone desires the reward of this world, We will give him some of it. If anyone desires the reward of the Next World, We will give him some of it. We will recompense the thankful.

No self can die except with Allah’s permission, at a predetermined time.

This is encouragement to perform jihād and information that death is necessary and that every human being will die, slain or not slain, when the time written for him to die comes. ‘Mu’ajjal’ means at a certain term. ‘With Allah’s permission’ means according to His decision and decree. ‘Kitāb’ here means written by Allah. ‘A predetermined time’ is the time in which Allah knows that the spirit of the person will leave his body. When someone is killed, we know that that is his time and it is not correct to say, ‘If he had not been killed, he would have lived.’ The evidence for this is found in the words of the Almighty: ‘When their time comes, they cannot delay it a single hour or bring it forward’ (7:34), ‘Allah’s appointed time is certainly coming’ (29:5), and ‘There is a prescribed limit to every term.’ (13:38) The Mu‘tazilites claim that the term can be moved forward and back, and that if someone is murdered, he died before his time because the killer is responsible and must pay blood money. Here in this āyah the Almighty makes it clear that no self can die before its time. This will be further discussed in al-A‘rāf, Allah willing. The evidence for this is found in the books of knowledge as will be explained in Ṭaha (20:52).

If anyone desires the reward of this world, We will give him some of it.

This means booty. This was revealed about those who left their post to get booty. It is said that it is general to all who desire this world rather than the Next World. It means: ‘We will give him what is allotted for him of it.’ We find in the Revelation: ‘As for anyone who desires this fleeting existence, We hasten in it whatever We will.’ (17:18)

If anyone desires the reward of the Next World, We will give him some of it.

This means We will give him the reward of his actions, as Allah can multiply the reward for whomever He wishes. It is said that it refers to ‘Abdullāh ibn Jubayr and those who remained at their posts until they were killed.

We will recompense the thankful.

We will give them the eternal reward for not fleeing. It is said that it means provision in this world, so that the thankful person does not imagine that he has been deprived of what was allotted him which the unbelievers obtained.

146 Many a Prophet has been killed, when there were many thousands with him! They did not give up in the face of what assailed them in the Way of Allah, nor did they weaken, nor did they yield. Allah loves the steadfast. 147 All they said was, ‘Our Lord, forgive us our wrong actions and any excesses we went to in what we did and make our feet firm and help us against these unbelieving people.’

Many a Prophet has been killed.

Az-Zuhrī said, ‘Shayṭān shouted at Uḥud, “Muḥammad has been killed!” and a group of the Muslims were routed.’ Ka‘b ibn Mālik said, ‘I was the first to recognise the Prophet ﷺ. I saw his eyes shining under the helmet. I called out in my loudest voice, “This is the Messenger of Allah!” He indicated for me to be silent, and then Allah revealed: “Many a Prophet has been killed when there were many thousands with him!…”’

‘Ka-ayyin’ means ‘how many?’ Al-Khalīl and Sībuwayh said that it is ‘ayy’ with the kāf of resemblance added to it and so it is indeclinable with it and means: ‘how many?’ In the copy of the Qur’an it has a nūn because it is a word that has been moved from its basic meaning and its expression has changed because the meaning has changed and then it has been used frequently and there is elision in it.

There are four dialectical forms of the word. Ibn Kathīr recited ‘kā’in’, like ‘kā‘in’, as an active participle, its root being kay’ where the yā’ has been changed into an alif as happens with yay’as and thus some say yā’as with ya’s. [POEMS] Ibn Muḥayṣin recited ‘ka’in’ with a hamzah and the alif shortened, like ka‘in, which is from kā’in and the alif has been elided. He also has ‘ka’yin’ like ka‘yin and it is a reversal of kay’ and it has been lightened. The rest have ‘ka-ayyin’ like ka‘ayyin. It is the root. [POEMS] A fifth version is ‘kay’in’ like kay‘in. It is as if lightened from kayyi’ and reversed. [MORE DISCUSSION] An-Naḥḥās said that Abū ‘Amr stopped at ‘ka’ayy’ without a nūn because it is tanwīn. Sawrah ibn al-Mubārak related that from al-Kisā’ī. The rest stop with a nūn following the script of the Qur’an.

The āyah is meant to encourage the believers and is a command to follow those before them who followed the Prophets. It means: many Prophets were killed while there were devout people with them, or many Prophets were killed and their communities did not apostasise. Two things are said here. The first was said by al-Ḥasan and Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘No Prophet has ever been killed in battle,’ while Ibn Jubayr said, ‘We have not heard of any Prophet being killed in battle.’ The second is transmitted from Qatādah and ‘Ikrimah and then one is permitted to stop after ‘killed’. This is according to the reading of Nāfi‘, Ibn Kathīr, Abū ‘Amr, and Ya‘qūb (which is qutila, killed.) It is the reading of Ibn ‘Abbās, and Abū Ḥātim preferred it.

There are two aspects to it. One is that ‘killed’ refers to the Prophet ﷺ alone and the words end at ‘killed’ and there is some elision in the words, meaning that there were many with him, and it is as you would say, ‘In spite of the huge army with him, the general was killed.’ ‘I went out and there were goods with me.’ The second is that killing affected the Prophet ﷺ and the many with him, and the words mean, ‘some of those with him were killed.’ The Arabs say, ‘We killed Banū Tamīm and Banū Sulaym,’ when some of them were killed. So ‘they did not give up’ refers to those with him. I think that this is more appropriate to the context in which the āyah was revealed. The Prophet ﷺ was not killed while some of his Companions were killed.

The Kufans and Ibn ‘Āmir read qātala (How many a Prophet has fought). That is the reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd and Abū ‘Ubayd preferred it. Allah’s praise of those who fight includes those who are killed, but praise of those who were killed does not include those who fought. So ‘fought’ is more universal.

‘Many thousands is read as ribbiyyūna, rubbiyyūna and rabbiyyūna. Most read it as ribbiyyūna. ‘Alī read it as rubbiyyūna and Ibn ‘Abbās as rabbiyyūna. Ribbiyyūna refers to many groups, according to Mujāhid, Qatādah, aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and ‘Ikrimah. The singular is ribbiyy or rubbiyy. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd says that it means many thousands. Ibn Zayd said that it means followers. The first is better known linguistically. Ribbah and rubbah is a bag in which arrows are collected. Rabāb is a confederation of tribes. Abān ibn Tha‘lab said that ribbiyy means ten thousand. Al-Ḥasan said that they are steadfast scholars. Ibn ‘Abbās, Qatādah, ar-Rabī‘ and as-Suddī said that it is a large group. Ḥassān said:

When a company withdraw from the truth, we attack them in a large company (ribbiyy).

Az-Zajjāj said that the two readings with ḍammah refers to large groups. It is said that it is ten thousand. It is related from Ibn ‘Abbās that rabbiyyūna with fatḥah is derived from rabb (Lord). Al-Khalīl said that it is a singular for those who are steadfast with the Prophets. They are the rabbāniyūn who are attributed to devotion, worship and recognition of Allah’s lordship. Allah knows best.

They did not give up in the face of what assailed them in the Way of Allah.

The verb ‘give up’ means to weaken. It was already mentioned. Wahn is the shattering of resolve by fear. Al-Ḥasan and Abu-s-Sammāl recited ‘wahunū’ instead of ‘wahanū’. Abū Zayd said that they are two dialectical usages. The verb is wahana, and awhana, Form IV, is to weaken. Wāhinah is the shortest rib and wahan camels are bulky. Wahn is also a time in the middle of the night. It means they did not become weak when their Prophet was killed or their comrades were slain. It means: ‘the rest of them did not become weak.’ The muḍāf is elided.

nor did they weaken, nor did they yield.

‘They did not weaken’ in the face of the enemy and ‘they did not yield,’ because of what they suffered in jihād. Istikānah is humility and abasement. Its root is istakanū on the measure of Form VIII and the fatḥah of the kāf is filled and an alif results from it. For those who make it come from kawn it is Form X. The first is more in keeping with the meaning of the āyah. It has been recited as ‘famā wahnū wamā ḍa‘fū’. Al-Kisā’ī related ‘ḍa‘afū’.

Then Allah reports that after some of them were killed or their Prophet was killed, they were steadfast and did not flee and remained steady in the face of death. They asked for forgiveness so that their death would be accompanied by repentance for their wrong actions if they were given martyrdom. They asked for firmness so that they would not be routed and for help against the enemy. Feet are singled out for firmness because they are what one stands on. He is saying, ‘Did you do and say the like of that, Companions of Muḥammad?’ He answered their supplication and granted them help, victory and booty in this world and forgiveness in the Next World when they go there. That is how Allah treats His sincere servants who are true in repentance, support His dīn and are firm in meeting His enemy by His true promise and true words.

Allah loves the steadfast.

He means here those who are steadfast in jihād.

All they said was, ‘Our Lord, forgive us our wrong actions and any excesses

Some recite ‘mā kāna qawluhum’ in the nominative, making ‘qawl’ the noun of kāna. So it means: ‘All that they say is’. For those who read it in the accusative, qawl is the predicate of kāna whose meaning is ‘all they said’.

‘Wrong actions’ are minor wrong actions and ‘excesses’ are major wrong actions. Excess (isrāf) describes being excessive in something and exceeding the limits. We find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to make this supplication: ‘O Allah, forgive my error, ignorance and excess in my business and what you know better than I do.’ So a person must use the supplications found in the Book of Allah and sound Sunnah and leave others based on their own choice. Allah has chosen for His Prophet and His friends and instructed them how they should make supplication.

148 So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the best reward of the Next World. Allah loves good-doers.

The reward of this world is help and victory over one’s enemies. ‘The best reward of the Next World’ is the Garden. Al-Jaḥdarī recited ‘fa-athābahum’ from thawāb (reward).

149 You who believe! if you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you round on your heels and you will be transformed into losers. 150 No, Allah is your Protector. And He is the best of helpers.

When Allah commanded people to follow in the footsteps of the helpers of the earlier Prophets, He also warned them against obeying the unbelievers, meaning the Arab idolaters, Abū Sufyān and his people. It is said that it means the Jews and Christians. ‘Alī said that it is in reference to what the hypocrites said to the believers when they suffered that defeat: ‘Return to your father’s religion.’

‘They will turn you round on your heels,’ making you revert to disbelief. Then you will return defeated. Allah is the One who will help and preserve you if you obey Him. It is recited as ‘bali-llāha’ in the accusative, implying ‘Rather, obey Allah, your Master.’

151 We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they have associated others with Allah for which He has not sent down any authority. Their shelter will be the Fire. How evil is the abode of the wrongdoers!

This echoes Allah’s words: ‘He cast terror into their hearts.’ (59:2) ‘Terror’ is recited with two syllables as ru‘ub (rather than ‘ru‘b’) by Ibn ‘Āmir and al-Kisā’ī. These are two dialectical forms. Ru‘b means fear, a verbal noun from ra‘aba. Someone terrified is described as mar‘ūb. It is possible that ru‘b is a verbal noun and ru‘ub a simple noun. The root of ru‘b (terror) comes from filling, and the verb is used for the filling of a watering-trough or of a torrent filling a valley. It means: ‘We will fill the hearts of the idolaters with fear and alarm.’ As-Sakhtiyānī recited it with yā’, ‘sa-yulqī’ (‘He will cast’) while the rest use the Divine nūn (‘We will cast’).

As-Suddī and others said, ‘When Abū Sufyān and the idolaters left for Makkah after Uḥud, they went part of the way and then regretted doing that. They said, “What we have done is bad! We should have killed them until none of them was left except the odd runaway. Let us go back and wipe them out!” When they resolved on that, Allah cast terror into their hearts so that they did not do it.’ ‘Casting’ is used for the actual throwing down of physical objects as in 7:150 where it refers to the Tablets, in 26:44 where it refers to ropes and staffs, and in 36:45 where it is used for a staff. It is used metaphorically in this āyah as it is in 20:39 in reference to love.

because they have associated others with Allah for which He has not sent down any authority

This is the reason Allah cast terror into their hearts. Shirk is to make someone else a partner. The phrase ‘for which He has not sent down any authority’ is further explanation. ‘Sulṭān’ is supporting proof, clarification and excuse. This is why the ruler is called a ‘sultan’ because he is the proof of Allah on the earth. It is also said that sulṭān is derived from salīṭ, the oil used in a lamp, which is from sesame seed. Imru’u-l-Qays said:

He tipped the sesame oil (salīṭ) with the twisted wicks.

So the sultan gives light by giving victory to the truth and curbing the false. Salīṭ is also used for a sharp edge and so it refers to force (salāṭah). The root of sulṭān is strength because by it he overcomes and the nūn is additional to the root. Salīṭah is used for a sharp-tongued woman and for a man with an eloquent tongue. He means that Allah has given no authority for the worship of idols in any religion and it is not logical to permit that. Then He says where their final resting place will be: the Fire, and then blames them. Mathwā is the place in which one resides, derived from the verb thawā. Ma’wā is any sort of shelter to which one resorts either in the night or the day.

152 Allah fulfilled His promise to you when you were slaughtering them by His permission. But then you faltered, disputing the command, and disobeyed after He showed you what you love. Among you are those who want this world and among you are those who want the Next World. Then He turned you from them in order to test you – but He has pardoned you. Allah shows favour to the believers.

Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b al-Quraẓī said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned to Madina from Uḥud after they had suffered, they said to one another, “How did this happen to us when Allah has promised us victory?” Then this was revealed. That is because they killed the banner-bearer of the idolaters and the seven after him who held the banner. Victory was going to the Muslims but, when they were distracted by booty, some of the archers left their positions for booty and that led to the rout.’

Al-Bukhārī reports that al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib said, ‘In the Battle of Uḥud when we met the idolaters, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ positioned the archers and put ‘Abdullāh ibn Jubayr in charge of them, saying: “Do not leave your position. Even if you see that we have defeated them, do not leave. If you see that they have defeated us, do not help us against them.” When we met them, the Muslims defeated them so that we saw the women running for the mountain, their garments raised and anklets showing. The [archers] began to say, “Booty! Booty!” ‘Abdullāh said, “The Prophet ﷺ made you promise that you would not leave.” They left, became confused, and seventy were struck down. Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb looked down and asked, “Is Muḥammad among the people?” He said, “Do not answer him.” Then he asked, “Is the son of Abū Quḥāfah among the people?” He said, “Do not answer him.” Then he said, “Is the son of al-Khaṭṭāb among the people?” Then he said, “Those have been killed. If they had been alive, they would have answered.” ‘Umar could not restrain himself and said, “By Allah, you have lied, enemy of Allah! All of those you numbered are among the living! That which will vex you remains!” Abū Sufyān said twice, “Hubal be high!” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Answer him!” They said, “What shall we say?” He said, “Say: ‘Allah is Higher and More Majestic.’” Abū Sufyān said, “We have al-‘Uzzā and you have no ‘Uzzā.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Answer him!” They asked, “What shall we say?” He said, “Say: ‘Allah is our Protector and you have no Protector.’” Abū Sufyān said, “A day which is in return for the day of Badr. Victory in war goes in turns. You will find some of the people mutilated. I did not order it, but it does not disturb me.”’

It is related from Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ in al-Bukhārī and Muslim: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the Day of Uḥud and two men were with him fighting for him as fiercely as possible.’ One transmission from Sa‘d has: ‘They were wearing white clothes. I never saw them before or after.’ He meant that they were Jibrīl and Mikā’īl. Another variant has: ‘They were fighting for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as fiercely as possible. I never saw them before or after.’ Mujāhid, however, says that the angels did not fight with them that day and that the only day they fought with them was Badr. Al-Bayhaqī says that Mujāhid means that they left when the people disobeyed the Messenger and were not steadfast in what they had been commanded to do.

‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said, ‘If they were steadfast and godfearing, Allah Almighty promised that He would reinforce them with five thousand angels, clearly identified, and He did that. When they disobeyed the command of the Messenger and abandoned their positions and the archers, out of desire for this world, failed to follow the instruction that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had given them about not leaving their positions, the reinforcement of the angels was taken from them. Allah revealed: “Allah fulfilled His promise to you when you were slaughtering them by His permission.” So Allah was true to His promise and showed them victory. When they disobeyed, He punished them with affliction.’

‘Umayr ibn Isḥāq said, ‘In the Battle of Uḥud, they left the Messenger of Allah ﷺ exposed while Sa‘d was shooting from in front of him with a lad handing him arrows. Whenever one arrow was gone, he brought him another. He said “Shoot, Abū Isḥāq!” When they finished, they looked to see where the young man was and did not see or recognise him.’

Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b said, ‘When the banner-bearer of the idolaters was killed and their banner fell, ‘Amrah bint ‘Alqamah al-Ḥārithah raised it up. Ḥassān said about that:

Had it not been for the Ḥārithī woman, They would have been sold in the markets like chattels.

‘Taḥussūnahum’ means to kill and eradicate them. A poet said:

We slaughtered (ḥasasnāhum) them with swords and their remnants were scattered and separated.

Jarīr said:

The swords slaughter (taḥussuhum) them utterly and their remnants took flight and scattered.

Abū ‘Ubayd said that ḥass is eradication by killing. Locusts are described as ‘maḥsūs’ when they are killed by cold. Cold is a killer which burns off (maḥassah) plants. A year that is ḥasūs has a drought that consumes everything. Ru’bah said:

We suffered a severe (ḥasūs) year that consumed and left everything dry after it was green.

Its root is ḥiss which is perceiving something by touch (ḥāssah). Ḥassa is to remove his senses by killing.

‘With His permission’ means with His knowledge, or according to His decree and command.

But then you faltered, disputing the command,

You lost courage and weakened. The verb is fashila, yafshalu, and verbal noun fashil and fashl. The apodosis of ‘ḥattā’ is elided. This sort of form is permissible and is, in fact, seen elsewhere in the Qur’an as in 6:25. Al-Farrā’ said that the apodosis is ‘disputing’ and the wāw is redundant as we see elsewhere. [OMISSION] Some people said that the wāw before ‘disobeyed’ is redundant, meaning ‘then you faltered and disputed, disobeying.’ On this basis, there is a change in the word order here; it means ‘when you disputed and disobeyed, then you faltered.’

Abū ‘Alī said that the apodosis can be ‘He turned you from them and ‘then’ is redundant. It implies: ‘until when you faltered, disputed and disobeyed, He turned you from them.’ [ILLUSTRATIVE POEM] Al-Akhfash permitted it to be redundant as in the case in 9:118.

It is said that ‘ḥattā’ means ‘ilā’ (to) and then it has no apodosis, i.e. ‘Allah fulfilled His promise to you until you faltered,’ meaning that the promise was contingent on remaining firm. ‘Disputing’, or disagreeing, refers to the archers arguing with one another when some wanted to go after booty and others said that they would remain firm following the command of the Prophet ﷺ.

and disobeyed after He showed you what you love.

They disobeyed the command of the Messenger ﷺ to remain firm. The words ‘after He showed you what you love’ refer to the victory which was going to the Muslims at the beginning of Uḥud when the banner-bearer of the idolaters fell. When he fell, the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions spread out in separate squadrons and began to slaughter the enemy. The enemy cavalry charged three times but the barrage of arrows drove them back. When the fifty archers saw that victory had gone to their brothers, some of them said, ‘Why are we standing here when Allah has defeated the enemy?’ So they left their positions that they had promised the Messenger of Allah ﷺ they would not leave. They disputed, faltered and disobeyed the Messenger and then the cavalry attacked and killed them. The words of the āyah express rebuke for them. The manner of the rebuke is that they saw the beginning of a victory, but they must know that complete victory lies in standing firm, not in being routed.

Among you are those who want this world and among you are those who want the Next World.

Then He explains the cause of the dispute: ‘this world’ here means booty. Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘None of us was aware that any of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ desired this world and its goods until the Day of Uḥud.’ Those who wanted the Next World were those who stayed firm in their position and did not dispute the command of their Prophet ﷺ with their commander, ‘Abdullāh ibn Jubayr. Khālid ibn al-Walīd and ‘Ikrimah ibn Abī Jahl, who were still idolaters then, attacked him and killed those who had remained with him. May Allah have mercy on them.

The blame lies with those who retreated, not with those who stood firm. Those who stood firm won the reward. This is because it is said that when general punishment descends on a people in which the righteous and children are destroyed, the punishment does not actually happen to them. It was the means to their gaining their reward. Allah knows best.

Then He turned you from them in order to test you

This means: ‘after He had let you overpower them, He turned you from them in flight.’ That indicates that both disobedience and disagreement are created by Allah. The Mu‘tazilites say that it means: ‘then you turned,’ and it is connected to the terror of the Muslims which Allah removed from the hearts of the unbelievers to test them. Al-Qushayrī points out that this would not help because removing terror from the hearts of the unbelievers so that they would disdain the Muslims is ugly and not permitted, and would make the āyah meaningless. It is said that ‘He turned you from them” means that ‘He did not oblige you to pursue them.’

He has pardoned you. Allah shows favour to the believers.

He did not eradicate you after your disobedience and opposition. It is said that this is addressed to everyone, and it is said that it is only addressed to the archers who disobeyed, which an-Naḥḥās prefers. Most commentators say that it is like Allah’s words: ‘Then He pardoned you.’ (2:52) Allah shows favour by pardon and forgiveness.

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ was not helped in any place as he was helped at Uḥud.’ He [‘Ubaydullāh, the transmitter] said, ‘We do not acknowledge that.’ Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The Book of Allah stands between me and those who deny that. Allah Almighty says about the Battle of Uḥud: “Allah fulfilled His promise to you when you were slaughtering them by His permission. But then you faltered, disputing the command, and disobeyed after He showed you what you love. Among you are those who want this world and among you are those who want the Next World. Then He turned you from them in order to test you – but He has pardoned you. Allah shows favour to the believers.” (3:152) He means the archers. The Prophet ﷺ had put them in a position and told them, “Guard our backs. If you see us being killed, do not help us. If you see us taking booty, do not join us.”

‘When it looked as if the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had won and they had exposed the camp of the idolaters, the archers all turned away and went to loot the camp, joining the ranks of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and becoming mixed up with them (and he intertwined the fingers of his hands). After the archers deserted their position, the enemy cavalry attacked the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ from that position. They fought one another in a confused melée and many Muslims were slain.

‘At the beginning of the day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companions were in the ascendancy to the point that seven or nine standard-bearers of the idolaters were struck down. The Muslims charged towards the mountain but did not reach the place that people call “the Cave” which is under the hollowed-out rock. Then Shayṭān shouted out: “Muḥammad has been killed!” People were in no doubt at that moment that it was it true and we continued to think the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had been killed until he appeared to us between two men of Sa‘d. We recognised him by the way he walked. We were so happy that it was as if what had happened to us had not happened. He came towards us, saying, “Allah will be very angry with a people who have bloodied the face of their Prophet!”’

Ka‘b ibn Mālik said, ‘I was the first Muslim to recognise the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I recognised him by his eyes shining from under his helmet. I called out in my loudest voice, “Company of Muslims! This is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ coming!” He indicated that I should be quiet.’

153 Remember when you were scrambling up the slope, refusing to turn back for anyone, and the Messenger was calling to you from the rear. Allah rewarded you with one distress in return for another so you would not feel grief for what escaped you or what assailed you. Allah is aware of what you do.

Remember when you were scrambling up the slope, refusing to turn back for anyone,

‘When’ can be connected to ‘He pardoned you.’ Most recite ‘scrambling up’ as ‘tuṣ‘idūna’. Abū Rajā’ al-‘Uṭāridī, Abū ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān as-Sulamī, al-Ḥasan and Qatādah recite ‘taṣ‘adūna’, meaning climbing the mountain. Ibn Muḥayṣin and Shibl recited both verbs with yā’ in the third person. Al-Ḥasan recited ‘talūna’ with one wāw. Abū Bakr ibn ‘Ayyāsh related from ‘Āṣim ‘tulūna’ with a ḍammah on the tā’ which is an aberrant dialect. An-Naḥḥās said that.

Abū Ḥātim said that aṣ‘ada is to travel forward and ṣa‘ida is to ascend a mountain or something else. Iṣ‘ād is travelling on level land, the bottom of valleys, and ravines. Ṣu‘ūd is an elevation on a mountain, plateau, steps and stairs. It is possible that they were on an elevated place on the mountain after climbing up from the valley and so both readings convey the meaning.

Qatādah and ar-Rabī‘ said, ‘They climbed up the valley in the Battle of Uḥud. Ibn ‘Abbās said that they climbed at Uḥud while they were fleeing. Both of the readings are correct as those who retreated on that day climbed and were made to climb. Allah knows best.

Al-Qutabī and al-Mubarrad said that Form IV is used when the distance is far and so it as if the distance is far on the ground just as it is in climbing. A poet said:

O those who ask where she went (aṣ‘adat), she has a promised rendezvous in the valley of Yathrib.

Al-Farrā’ said that iṣ‘ād is to begin a journey and inḥidār is to return from it. One can say, ‘We “climbed”’ from Baghdad to Makkah and to Khorasan and similar places when you set out for them and began the journey, and inḥadara is to return. Abū ‘Ubaydah said:

You wept for the departure (iṣ‘ād). Today you have been sent and the camel driver shouts.

Al-Mufaḍḍal said that ṣa‘ida, aṣ‘ada and ṣa‘‘ada mean the same. ‘Refusing to turn back’ means to ascend and continue without looking at one another in the flight. Someone simply going up can turn his head or his animal.

‘For anyone’ refers to Muḥammad ﷺ according to al-Kalbī. ‘Ukhrā’ means ‘behind them’ Al-Bukhārī says that it is the feminine of ‘ākhir’. ‘Amr ibn Khālid related from Zuhayr that Abū Isḥāq heard al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib say, ‘On the day of the Battle of Uḥud, the Prophet ﷺ put ‘Abdullāh ibn Jubayr in charge of the men on foot. Then they were routed and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was calling to them from behind them. The Prophet ﷺ was left with only twelve men.’ Ibn ‘Abbās and others said that he called out, ‘Servants of Allah! Return!’ while they were fleeing. He was calling to change what was objectionable. It is impossible that he would see something objectionable, in this case the rout, and not forbid it. According to this, the rout was an act that amounted to disobeying Allah, but this is not the case as will be explained, Allah willing.

Allah rewarded you with one distress in return for another.

Ghamm (grief) linguistically comes from ‘to cover’, as when the day becomes dark or the crescent moon is covered so that it cannot be seen. So one says that something grieves (ghamma) a person.

Mujāhid, Qatādah and others said that the first grief was killing and wounding, and the second was the alarm at the killing of the Prophet ﷺ when shayṭān shouted that out. It is said that the first grief was on account of the victory and booty that eluded them, and the second was on account of the killing and defeat they suffered. It is said that the first was the defeat and the second was Abū Sufyān and Khālid looking down on them, which grieved the Muslims since they thought that they would attack and kill them. This made them forget what had afflicted them. That is when the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘O Allah, do not let them be over us.’

The bā’ in ‘bi-ghamm’ has the meaning of ‘‘alā’. It means that they grieved the Prophet ﷺ by opposing him and Allah repaid them for that by their distress over what afflicted some of them. Al-Ḥasan said that the first grief was Uḥud in return for what happened to the idolaters at Badr. ‘Distress’ is called a reward as the repayment for a wrong action is called a wrong action. It is said that Allah gave them success in spite of their wrong action and so they were distracted by that from what afflicted them.

So you would not feel grief for what escaped you or what assailed you.

This is connected to ‘He pardoned you’ or to ‘Allah rewarded you.’ It means: ‘This is sorrow after sorrow so that you would not grieve over the booty you missed or your defeat.’ The first view is better. It can also mean: ‘so that you would not be sad about what missed you and your punishment for disobeying the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ The same usage is found in 7:12 and 58:29. It is said that it means a succession of sorrows so that after this you will not be distracted by booty. His words: ‘Allah is aware of what you do’ is a threat.

154 Then He sent down to you, after the distress, security, restful sleep overtaking a group of you, whereas another group became prey to anxious thoughts, thinking other than the truth about Allah – thoughts belonging to the Time of Ignorance – saying, ‘Do we have any say in the affair at all?’ Say, ‘The affair belongs entirely to Allah.’ They are concealing things inside themselves which they do not disclose to you, saying, ‘If we had only had a say in the affair, none of us would have been killed here in this place.’ Say, ‘Even if you had been inside your homes, those people for whom being killed was decreed would have gone out to their place of death.’ So that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purge what is in your hearts. Allah knows the contents of your hearts.

Then He sent down to you, after the distress, security

It is said that amn and amānah mean the same. It is also said that amānah is security when there is cause for fear and amn is when there is no cause for fear. It is in the accusative by the effect of ‘sent down’ and ‘sleep’ is an appositive for it. It is also said that it is in the accusative as the object as if He were saying, ‘He sent down sleep on you for security.’ Ibn Muḥayṣin recited ‘amnah’. After the sorrows the believers experienced at Uḥud, Allah granted them sleep and most of them fell asleep. Those who feel secure sleep and fearful people do not sleep. In al-Bukhārī, Anas reported that Abū Ṭalḥah said, ‘We were overcome with slumber when we were in the lines on the Day of Uḥud.’ He said, ‘My sword would fall from my hand and I would pick it up, and it would fall from my hand I would pick it up again.’

‘Overtaking’ is read both as taghshā and yaghshā. Yaghshā refers to sleep and taghshā to security.

Another group became prey to anxious thoughts, thinking other than the truth about Allah – thoughts belonging to the Time of Ignorance

Ṭā’ifah (group) can be applied to both one person and to a group. Here it refers to the hypocrites: Mu‘attab ibn Qushayr and his companions. They went out hoping for booty and fearing the believers. They did not sleep and regretted taking part in the expedition and said all sorts of things.

‘Qad ahammathum anfusuhum’ means that it impelled them to worry. Hamm is anything someone is concerned about. The verb ahamma is used for something being of concern to someone. Something that is muhimm is significant. ‘Ahamma’ is used when something causes you disquiet and hamma is to concern you. The wāw before ‘group’ makes it adverbial and so means ‘when they became prey’. They thought that the business of Muḥammad ﷺ was false and that he would not win. The phrase ‘thoughts belonging to the Time of Ignorance’ has an omission: ‘thinking the thoughts of the people of the Time of Ignorance.’

‘Do we have any say in the affair at all?’

This is a question which indicates denial, and implies ‘We did not have any say in the business about going out. We were forced to go out.’ This is indicated by what Allah reports that they said. Az-Zubayr said, ‘On that day sleep was released on us and while sleep was overcoming me, I heard Mu‘attab ibn Qushayr say, “If we had only had a say in the affair, none of us would have been killed here in this place.”’ It is said that it means that he says, ‘We do not have any of the victory which Muḥammad promised us.’ Allah knows best.

Say, ‘The affair belongs entirely to Allah.’

Abū ‘Amr and Ya‘qūb recited ‘kulluhu’ in the nominative for the inceptive whose predicate is ‘to Allah’ while the rest have ‘kullahu’ in the accusative, as you say, ‘The business is all Allah’s’ for stress. This is stress on its universality and total encompassment. This encompassing meaning is only stress. It is also said that it is an adjective modifying ‘affair’. Al-Akhfash said that it is an appositive, meaning ‘Success is in Allah’s hand. He gives success to whomever He wishes and disappoints whomever He wishes.’ Juwaybir said from aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk from Ibn ‘Abbās that the words ‘thoughts belonging to the Time of Ignorance’ allude to denial of the Decree and that is what they were saying, and so Allah replied with this āyah, stating that the Decree, both good and evil, belongs to Allah.

They are concealing things inside themselves which they do not disclose to you, saying, ‘If we had only had a say in the affair, none of us would have been killed.’

What they are concealing is shirk, disbelief and denial. They did not show this to you. They said, ‘Our tribes would not have been killed.’ It is said that the hypocrites said, ‘If we had known, we would not have gone out to fight the people of Makkah and our leaders would not have been killed.’ Allah then refutes them:

Say: ‘Even if you had been inside your homes, those people for whom being killed was decreed would have gone out to their place of death.’

The time when people will die is written on the Preserved Tablet. ‘Maḍāji‘’ means the places where they will be struck down. It is also said that ‘killing’ here means ‘fighting’, because fighting leads to death. Abū Ḥaywah recited ‘burriza’ meaning ‘made to go out’. It is said: ‘If you had failed to go out, hypocrites, you would have been brought out to another place in which you would have fallen so that Allah might test what is in your breasts and show it to the believers.’

So that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purge what is in your hearts.

The wāw in the beginning is interpolated as in 6:75. The verb is elided with the lām which indicates ‘in order to be’. This implies: ‘He obliged fighting for you and did not give you victory at Uḥud in order to test what is in your breasts and to purge your evil deeds when you return and are sincere.’ It is said that ‘test’ is to put through a trial in order to test. It is said that it is so that you will witness what is invisible of His knowledge. It is said that there is some elision and it implies: ‘so that He might test the friends of Allah.’

Allah knows the contents of your hearts.

He knows the good and evil they contain. It is said that the contents of the hearts are the hearts themselves.

155 Those of you who turned their backs on the day the two armies clashed – it was Shayṭān who made them slip for what they had done. But Allah has pardoned them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, All-Forbearing.

This refers to those who turned their backs on the idolaters at Uḥud, as ‘Umar and others said. As-Suddī said that it means those who fled to Madīnah when defeated rather than those who went up the mountain. It is also said to refer to certain people who remained behind the Prophet ﷺ for three days when they were defeated and then left.

The meaning of ‘made them slip’ means to induce them to slip by reminding them of their previous errors. They disliked staying firm because they might be killed. That is what is meant by the words ‘for what they had done’. It is said that it means to move them to slip. It is Form X from zallah, which is an error. It is said that the verbs zalla and azalla mean the same. Then it is said that they disliked fighting before sincere repentance. This is the first position. The second is that their repentance is for their disobeying the Prophet ﷺ by abandoning their position for booty.

Al-Ḥasan said that the words ‘what they had done’ refer to their acceptance of the whispering of Iblīs. Al-Kalbī said, ‘Shayṭān made their actions seem good to them.’ It is also said that their retreat was not disobedience because, when they heard that the Prophet ﷺ had been killed, they wanted to fortify Madīnah and cut off what the enemy wanted to do to them. It is possible that they did not hear the call of the Prophet ﷺ because of their terror. It is also possible to say that the numbers of the enemy were more than twice their number because they were 700 and the enemy were 3000 so in theory retreat in such circumstances was permissible, but to retreat from the Prophet ﷺ was an error which is not permitted. Perhaps they imagined that the Prophet ﷺ had retreated to the mountain. The best view is the first one.

In general, if the affair is taken to be a definite wrong action, Allah pardoned it. If it is taken to be a permissible retreat, then the āyah is about those who retreated a great distance, more than the permitted amount. Abu-l-Layth Naṣr ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm as-Samarqandī mentioned from al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad from as-Sarrāj from Qutaybah from Abū Bakr ibn Ghaylān from Jarīr that ‘Uthmān and ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf had words, and ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf said to him, ‘Do you abuse me when I was present at Badr and you were not. I gave allegiance under the Tree and you did not, and you were one of those who turned in retreat on the day of the Meeting (meaning Uḥud)?’ ‘Uthmān responded to him: ‘As for what you said about being present at Badr while I was not, I was not absent from anything where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was present except when the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was ill and I was tending to her. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave me one of the shares of the Muslims. As for the Pledge of the Tree, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had sent me as an envoy to Makkah and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ put his right hand on his left and said, “This is for ‘Uthmān.” The right hand and left hand of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are better for me than my own right hand and left hand. As for the day of the Meeting, Allah has said, “Allah has pardoned them,” so I am among those Allah has pardoned.’ ‘Uthmān defeated ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān in that argument.

This idea is also validated by Ibn ‘Umar as we find in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī. ‘Abdān reported from Abū Ḥamzah that ‘Uthmān ibn Mawhab said, ‘A man came and made the ḥajj to the House. He saw some people sitting there and asked, “Who are those people?” They answered, “They are Quraysh.” He inquired, “Who is that old man among them?” They replied, “‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar.” He said, “If I ask you about something, will you answer me?” He continued, “I entreat you by the sanctity of this House, do you know that ‘Uthmān fled on the Day of Uḥud?” He answered, “Yes.” He said, “Do you know that he was absent from Badr and not present at it?” He replied, “Yes.” He said, “Do you know that he was absent from the Pledge of Riḍwān and not present at it?” He answered, “Yes.” The man said, “Allah is greater!” Ibn ‘Umar said, “Let me now explain to you what you asked me about. As for his fleeing at Uḥud, I testify that Allah pardoned him. As for being absent from Badr, he was married to the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was ill and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, ‘You will have the reward and share of a man who was present at Badr.’ As for his being absent from the Pledge of Riḍwān, if there had been anyone dearer than ‘Uthmān in the valley of Makkah, he would have sent him in his place. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent ‘Uthmān and the Pledge of Riḍwān took place after ‘Uthmān had gone to Makkah. Therefore the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said of his right hand, ‘This is the hand of ‘Uthmān,’ and struck it against his other hand and said, ‘This is for ‘Uthmān.’” Ibn ‘Umar said to him, “Take this with you now.”’

This āyah is like Allah’s turning to Ādam and the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Ādam overcame Mūsā in a argument.’ That was when Mūsā criticised Ādam for being the cause, when he ate from the tree, of him and his descendants leaving the Garden. Ādam replied, ‘Do you blame me for something which Allah decreed for me forty years before I was created? And then He turned to me. Whoever He turns to incurs no wrong action and whoever has no wrong action is not subject to blame.’ That is the case with those whom Allah pardons. This is a report from Allah and His report is true. Others who commit wrong action and repent hope for His mercy and fear His punishment. They fear that their repentance might not be accepted. Even if it is accepted, their fear dominates them since they do not definitively know that.

156 You who believe! do not be like those who disbelieve and say of their brothers, when they are going on journeys or military expeditions, ‘If they had only been with us, they would not have died or been killed,’ so that Allah can make that anguish for them in their hearts. It is Allah Who gives life and causes to die. Allah sees what you do.

The words ‘do not be like those who disbelieve’ refer to the hypocrites. ‘Their brothers’ are their brothers in hypocrisy or in lineage. They said this about the expedition which the Prophet ﷺ sent to Bi’r Ma‘ūnah. The Muslims were forbidden to say what the hypocrites said. The words ‘when they are going’ refer to what was already mentioned because the words have the meaning of a precondition since ‘those’ was indefinite and not determined and so ‘idha’ is in the position of ‘idh’ as the past tense in the apodosis takes the place of the future.

The verb ‘going’ means travelling for trade or something else in the course of which they die. Ghuzzā (expeditions) is the plural of ghāzi. It is a broken plural and does not change whatever case it is in. The plural is like rāki‘, rukka‘, ṣā’im, ṣuwwam, nā’im, nuwwam, shāhid, shuhhad, and ghā’ib, ghuyyub. The plural can be ghuzāh like quḍāh, and ghuzzā with maddah, like ḍurrāb and ṣuwwām. It is said that ghaziyy is the plural of ghuzāh. It is related that az-Zuhrī recited ‘ghuzzā’. A woman whose husband is on an expedition is called mughziyah. A donkey which is late in reproducing is a mughziyah. The verb aghzat describes a she-camel which is hard to impregnate. Ghazw is aspiring for a thing and maghzā is the goal. That which has to do with an expedition is ‘ghazawī’.

so that Allah can make that anguish for them in their hearts

This refers to their thoughts and words. The lām is connected to His words, ‘they said’. This makes their statement that if they had not gone out, they would not have been killed, a cause of regret for them. Ḥasrah is regret. It is concern for what was missed and could not be obtained. A poet said:

O my anguish that I have not obtained my goal with her. I did not enjoy proximity or nearness.

It is said that it is connected to something elided and means: ‘Do not be like them so that Allah makes that statement a regret because those words display their hypocrisy. It is also said that it means: ‘Do not believe them nor pay any attention to that,’ and that caused anguish in their hearts. It is said that their anguish and disgrace will be on the Day of Rising because of the honour and blessing the believers will enjoy.

It is Allah Who gives life and causes to die.

He decrees those who go out to fight and remain alive and those who stay behind and die among their families.

Allah sees what you do.

It is recited as both ta‘malūna (what you do) and ya‘malūna (what they do). Then He reports that being killed in the Way of Allah and death in it is better than the entire world.

157 If you are killed in the Way of Allah or if you die, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are better than anything you can acquire. 158 If you die or you are killed, it is to Allah that you will be gathered.

The apodosis here is elided and there is no need for it because of the apodosis of the oath in forgiveness. It is more fitting for there to be no need for it with the apodosis of the oath because it has the beginning of the words and means ‘He will forgive you.’

The word ‘die’ is read as mittum with the people of the Hijaz, as in nimtum, from the verb māta yamātu, like kiftu yakhāfu. Lower Muḍar say muttum, like ṣumtum, from māta yamūtu, kāna yakūnu, and qāla yaqūlu. This is the position of the Kufans and it is good.

The phrase ‘it is to Allah that you will be gathered’ is a warning. By saying this, Allah warns them: ‘Do not flee from the battle and from what you have been commanded to do. Rather flee from His punishment which is painful. You will return to Him and no one but He has the power to harm or benefit you.’ Allah knows best.

159 It is a mercy from Allah that you were gentle with them. If you had been rough or hard of heart, they would have scattered from around you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult with them about the matter. Then when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.

It is a mercy from Allah that you were gentle with them.

The use of ‘mā’ in ‘it is a mercy’ is connective and used for stress as is the case elsewhere in the Qur’an (4:155, 38:11). It is not redundant in general although Sībawayh applies the idea of redundancy to it since its governing function is removed.

The meaning of the āyah is that when the Prophet ﷺ was kind to those who had retreated at Uḥud and did not rebuke them, Allah made it clear that it was by Allah’s success that he did that.

It is also said that ‘mā’ is interrogative, meaning, ‘By what mercy from Allah were you gentle to them?’ and expresses wonder. This is unlikely. If that were the case, mā would be written without the alif. The verb for being gentle is lāna yalīnu.

If you had been rough or hard of heart, they would have scattered from around you.

The word ‘rough’ (faẓẓ) implies coarseness and roughness, from the verb faẓẓa. The plural is afẓāẓ. The Prophet ﷺ was not rough or harsh nor did he shout in markets. The expression ‘hard of heart’ refers to scowling, lack of indulgence, and lack of compassion and mercy. Al-Mufaḍḍal said about a reminder:

He is not rough (faẓz) with the lowly. They aim for his gifts, but he is easy.

He is rough (faẓz) with his enemies who are cautious of him, as his attack is death, and its recipient is cut.

Another said:

I will die of deprivation in my house While others die of surfeit.

This world is generous to the ignorant and harsh and rough (faẓz) to those of intelligence.

Hardness of the heart is expressed through the frowning of the face, lack of reaction to the desires of others, and lack of compassion and mercy. A poet said:

He weeps for us, but we do not weep for anyone. Our livers are harder than those of camels.

The verb ‘scattered’ means split up. You separate (Form I) people and they are split up. The root of the word faḍḍ means to break and snap. An illustration of that is the words of Abu-n-Najm describing camels:

Early to water, not bare. The pebbles scatter from them on the high plateau.

The root of faḍḍ has a kasrah. That can be seen from the expression: ‘lā yafḍuḍu-llāhu fāk’ (May Allah not break your teeth).

The meaning is: ‘O Muḥammad, were it not for your kindness, their shame and awe of being near to you would have prevented them from coming back to you after they had retreated and abandoned you.’

So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult with them about the matter.

Scholars say that Allah commanded His Prophet ﷺ to do these things in a specific order. First He commanded him to pardon them for what was due to him in particular. Once he had done this, He commanded him to ask forgiveness for what they owed to Allah. Then when they were in this degree they were worthy of being consulted about matters.

Linguists say that consultation (istishārah) is derived from a verb which means ‘to train an animal to run and other things.’ Mishwār is a place where animals are made to run. Mashūr and mushtār are those who gather honey from its hives. ‘Adī ibn Zayd said:

The Shaykh gave him permission to listen and for hadiths like white honey (mushār).

Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘Shūrā (consultation) is one of the principles of the Sharī‘ah and a firmly established ruling. Anyone who does not consult the people of knowledge and dīn should be dismissed. There is no disagreement concerning that. Allah praises the believers when He says: “They manage their affairs by mutual consultation.” (42:38) A bedouin said, “I have never been cheated, allowing my people to be cheated.” “How is that?” he was asked. He replied, “I do not do anything until I consult them.”’ Ibn Khuwayzimandād said, ‘It is mandatory for rulers to consult scholars about things they do not know and matters of the dīn which are unclear to them, as it is also mandatory for army leaders in matters connected to warfare, for important people in matters connected to public welfare, and for notable scholars, ministers and governors in matters connected to the best interests of the land and its government.’ It used to be said, ‘The one who consults never regrets it,’ as it also said, ‘The one who prides himself on his own opinion is misguided.’

Consult with them about the matter.

This indicates the permissibility of ijtihād in deciding matters and taking other people’s opinions into account when that is allowed by revelation. Allah permitted His Messenger ﷺ to do that. The people of interpretation disagree about the meaning of Allah commanding His Prophet ﷺ to consult his Companions. One group say that it was simply about military tactics, to encourage them, and raise their standing and draw them to their dīn. Allah has no need of anyone’s opinion concerning His revelation. This is related from Qatādah, ar-Rabī‘, Ibn Isḥāq and ash-Shāfi‘ī. Ash-Shāfi‘ī said that it is on the same line as the words, ‘Consult the virgin’ which is meant to set her heart at ease, but it is not that it is actually mandatory.

Muqātil, Qatādah and ar-Rabī‘ said that when the Arab leaders were not consulted, it was upsetting for them, and so Allah commanded His Prophet ﷺ to consult them about the matter out of kindness to them, to assuage their rancour and to elevate them. When he consulted them, they recognised the honour he showed them.

Others say that this is about things concerning which there is no revelation. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘Allah did not command his Prophet ﷺ to consult out of any need for their opinion, but to instruct them in the virtue of consultation and so that his community would follow it after him.’ The reading if Ibn ‘Abbās has ‘fī ba‘ḍi-l-amr’ (some of the matter). Excellent are the words of a poet:

Consult your friend regarding what is hidden and abstruse. Accept the advice of a gracious counselor.

Allah instructed His Prophet to do that when He said, “Consult with them” and “trust”.

It is reported in the Muṣannaf of Abū Dāwūd from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The one consulted is trusted.’

Scholars say that if someone is consulted about legal rulings, he should have knowledge of the dīn. That is rarely found in other than someone of intelligence. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘The dīn of a person is not complete as long as his intellect is not complete.’ When someone like this is consulted and strives in righteousness and makes an effort and there is an error in what he indicates, then he is not blameworthy. Al-Khaṭṭābī and others said that.

The description of the one consulted in matters of this world should be that he is intelligent, experienced and friendly to the one who consults him. He said:

Consult your truthful friend about any unclear, hidden matter.

Another said:

If the door to a matter is difficult of access for you, then consult someone intelligent and do not disobey him.

Shūrā is a blessing. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The one who consults does not regret and the one who does istikhārah is not disappointed.’ Sahl ibn Sa‘d as-Sā‘idī reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘No one is ever made wretched by consultation nor made happy by being satisfied with his own opinion.’ One of them said, ‘Consult someone who is experienced in matters. He will give you his opinion based on what usually happens to him, and you take it free of charge.’ ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb made the appointment of a khalīfah, which is the greatest of matters, a matter of counsel.

Al-Bukhārī said, ‘The rulers after the Prophet ﷺ used to consult the trustworthy people of knowledge in allowable matters in order to adopt the easiest of them.’ Sufyān ath-Thawrī said, ‘Let the people you consult be people of taqwā and trust and those who fear Allah Almighty.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘By Allah, a people do not consult one another without being guided to the best of what is with them.’ It is reported from ‘Alī that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘There are no people who have a council and someone named Aḥmad or Muḥammad attends it and they admit him to it, but that it is good for them.’

Shūrā is based on differences of opinion and the person who consults is looking into those differences and trying to ascertain which is the closest possible position to the Book and the Sunnah. When Allah guides him to whatever He wishes, then he should resolve firmly on it and carry it out, trusting in it, since this is the aim of ijtihād. This is what Allah commanded the Prophet ﷺ to do in this āyah.

Then when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in Allah.

Qatādah said, ‘Allah Almighty commanded His Prophet ﷺ that, when he reached a firm decision, he should act on it and trust in Allah, not in the advice he had been given. Resolving on a firm decision is the correct thing to do. Following opinion rather than firm resolve is only based on the decision of those who strive among the bold Arabs. It is as is said:

“When he aspires, he has resolve firmly before him and sets aside any mention of outcomes.

He only consults himself in his opinion and is only content with handle of the sword as companion.”’

An-Naqqāsh said, ‘Resolve is the intention to carry something out. Ḥazm (determination) is putting a ḥā’ in place of the ‘ayn (‘azm) in resolve. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘This is an error. ‘Azm is the intention to carry out something. Allah says: “Consult with them about the matter. Then when you have reached a firm decision…”.’ Consultation and that which has the same meaning amounts to resolve. The Arabs say, ‘I will be firm if I resolve.’

Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq and Jābir ibn Zayd recited ‘‘azamtu’, ‘When I have decided,’ attributing the resolve to Allah Himself by His guidance and granting success as when He said: ‘You did not throw when you threw. It was Allah who threw.’ (8:17) Thus the words mean: ‘When I have resolved for you, given you success and guided you, then put your trust in Allah.’ The rest recite ‘‘azaymta’, meaning ‘when you have decided.’

Al-Muhallab said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ accepted this and said, “It is not proper for a Prophet who has donned armour on behalf of His community to take it off until Allah decides.” It means that when he has made a decision, he should not turn away from it because that would be contrary to the trust in Allah which Allah stipulated should accompany resolve. He put on his armour when it was suggested by those whom Allah would honour with martyrdom to go forth with him. They were the righteous believers who had missed Badr. They said, “Messenger of Allah, lead us out against our enemies!”

‘The Prophet ﷺ had indicated that they should stay and that was also the view of ‘Abdullāh ibn Ubayy. He said, “Messenger of Allah, stay and do not lead the people out to them. If they stay, they will stay in a bad situation. If they come against us in Madīnah, we will fight them in the courtyards and alleyways and the women and children will throw stones at them from the walls. By Allah, we have never fought an enemy in this city without defeating them and we have never gone out to an enemy without their defeating us.” Others rejected this view and kept urging the people and calling for battle. The Prophet ﷺ prayed Jumu‘ah and went into his house afterwards and donned his armour. Then those people regretted that and said, “We forced the Messenger of Allah.” When he came out to them in his armour, they said, “Messenger of Allah, stay if you wish. We do not want to force you.” Then the Prophet ﷺ said, “It is not proper for a Prophet who has donned armour on behalf of His community to take it off until he fights.”’

Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.

Tawakkul is reliance on Allah while displaying lack of power. The noun is tuklān. One says, ‘ittakaltu ‘alayhi’ (I relied on him). Its root is ‘iwtakaltu’ and the wāw has been changed to a yā’ because of the kasrah before it. Then the tā’ has replaced it and assimilated into the tā’ of Form VIII. One also uses Form II and says, ‘wakkaltu bi.’ The noun is wikālah or wakālah.

Scholars disagree about tawakkul. A group of Sufis say that the only ones entitled to it are those whose hearts are not mixed with fear of other than Allah, not of wild animals or anything else, and until they give up seeking for provision since Allah has guaranteed it.

The position of most fuqahā’ was already mentioned (3:122). It is sound as we made clear. Mūsā and Hārūn experienced fear since Allah said to them: ‘Have no fear,’ (20:67-68) and Ibrāhīm is mentioned as fearing the angels when they came to him. (11:70) If Ibrāhīm the Friend and Mūsā the One-spoken-to, can show fear, that is enough evidence for us, and it is more likely that others will be fearful. This idea will be further explained.

160 If Allah helps you, no one can vanquish you. If He forsakes you, who can help you after that? So the believers should put their trust in Allah.

If you rely on Him and trust in Him, He will help you and defend you against your enemies and you will not be overcome. If He were to forsake you, then no one could help you. The one forsaken is the one who is not helped as He says: ‘If He forsakes you…’ Forsaking (khidhlān) is absence of help and someone who is makhdhūl is abandoned and of no concern. A gazelle which abandons (khadhalat) its fellow females and stands over its calf in the field is called khadhūl. Ṭarafah said:

Isolated (khadhūl), grazing in a dense grove, Eating the edges of the fruit of the arak, adorned.

He also said:

She looked at you with the eye of a girl. She has left (khadhalat) her fellow does for her calf.

It is said that there is some reversal because she is makhdhūlah when she is forsaken. Takhādhala describes legs when they become weak. [Al-A‘shā] said:

The leg is weak (khadhūl) without being lame. A leg that is khadhulah is one that continues to be weak. Allah knows best.

161 No Prophet would ever be guilty of misappropriation. Those who misappropriate will arrive on the Day of Rising with what they have misappropriated. Then every self will be paid in full for what it earned. They will not be wronged.

When the archers left their positions at Uḥud out of fear that the other Muslims would seize all the booty and not leave anything for them, Allah made it clear that the Prophet ﷺ would not be unjust in the distribution and they did not have the right to loot.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘The reason is that on one of his expeditions the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent out scouts and they took booty before they came to him. He divided the spoils among the people, but not the scouts and Allah revealed in criticism: “No Prophet would ever be guilty of misappropriation,” by allotting to some and not others.’ Something similar is related from Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘Ikrimah, Ibn Jubayr and others. They said that it was revealed because a piece of red velvet was missing from the booty at Badr. One of those with the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Perhaps the Prophet ﷺ took it,’ and this was revealed. Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī transmitted it. He said that it is a gharīb ḥasan hadith. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘It is said that this was spoken by the believers, who saw no harm in that. It is said that it was the hypocrites. It is also related that it was a sword which was missing.’ This is based on reading: ‘yaghulla’.

Abū Ṣakhr related from Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b: ‘“No Prophet would ever be guilty of misappropriation” means that no Prophet would conceal something of the Book of Allah.’ It is said that the lām is one that indicates a transfer. It is also recited as yughalla. Ibn as-Sikkīt said, ‘We have only heard ghalla used about booty. And it is recited as “yaghulla” and “yughalla”. The first means to act falsely and the second is that acting thus is falsely attributed to him. The verb means to take something secretly.’

Ibn ‘Arafah said that misappropriation is called ghulūl because the hands are prevented (maghlūlah) from doing that. Abū ‘Ubayd said that ghulūl is only used in reference to booty. He said that he did not think that it is used for treachery or malice. It is, however, clear that aghalla is part of treachery, ghalla yaghillu is part of malice, and ghalla yaghullu is part of misappropriation of booty. The verb is also used of a camel that cannot quench its thirst. It is also used for being treacherous as in the poem by an-Namir:

May Allah repay Ḥamzah ibn Nawfal from us with the repayment of a traitor (mughill) false to his trust.

We find in a hadith, ‘There should be no treachery (ighlāl) and no theft.’ It is said, ‘No bribery.’ Shurayḥ said, ‘There is no liability for a borrower unless he is treacherous (mughill).’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There are three to whom the heart of a believer is not treacherous…’ If the word is read with a fatḥah, then it is about rancour.

The verb ghalla can be either transitive or intransitive. ‘Ghalla-l-mafāwiz’ means ‘he entered the midst of the deserts.’ The verb is used for water running between trees. Linguistically, it is to take something from the booty while concealing it from one’s companions. The verb taghalghala is used for water running in between the trees. Ghalal is the water flowing at the roots of trees because it is concealed by the trees. It is as is said:

The torrents played with it and its water disappeared amid the trees, stopping at the roots of the castor-oil plant.

Ghilālah is an undergarment. Ghāll is depressed land with trees in it. Places where the trees called Salam and Ṭalḥ grow are called ghāll. It is also the name of a plant. The plural is ghullān.

Some people say that ‘yughalla’ means that a ghāll exists. According to this interpretation, the reading is based on the meaning of ‘yaghulla’. According to most scholars, the meaning of ‘yughalla’ is that no one should accuse him of misappropriation in the booty.

The āyah forbids people to misappropriate booty and threatens those who do that. That should not be done to anyone, and it is worse still when applied to the Prophet ﷺ. He is singled out for mention because treachery towards him is a greater sin because wrong actions in his presence are magnified since it is mandatory to respect him. The rulers follow the command of the Prophet ﷺ and so they have their portion of respect. It is said that it means that no Prophet has ever misappropriated and so what is meant by the sentence is not a prohibition, but a report.

Those who misappropriate will arrive on the Day of Rising with what they have misappropriated.

He will bear it on his back and shoulder, being punished by carrying it and its weight, terrified by its voice and displaying his treachery before witnesses. This is the disgrace which Allah will inflict on the misappropriator similar to what He will do to the traitor who will have a banner set up behind him stating the extent of his treachery. Allah assigned punishments according to what human beings know and understand. Do you not see what a poet said?

Do you name me? Woe to you! Have you heard of the banner of treachery regarding her raised in the gathering?

The Arabs used to raise banners because of treachery and similarly a criminal would be paraded with his crime.

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Abū Hurayrah said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among us one day and mentioned ghulūl and how terrible it was and then said, “I should not like to see any of you come on the Day of Resurrection, carrying round his neck a camel that will be grunting. Such a man will say, ‘Messenger of Allah, help me!’ I will say, ‘I can do nothing for you. I conveyed the Message to you.’ I should not like to see any of you come on the Day of Resurrection, carrying round his neck a horse that will be neighing. Such a man will say, ‘Messenger of Allah, help me!’ I will say, ‘I can do nothing for you. I conveyed the Message to you.’ I should not like to see any of you come on the Day of Resurrection, carrying round his neck a sheep that will be bleating. Such a man will say, ‘Messenger of Allah, help me!’ I will say, ‘I can do nothing for you. I conveyed the Message to you.’ I should not like to see any of you come on the Day of Resurrection, carrying round his neck a soul that will be shouting. Such a man will say, ‘Messenger of Allah, help me!’ I will say, ‘I can do nothing for you. I conveyed the Message to you.’ I should not like to see any of you come on the Day of Resurrection, carrying round his neck rags that will be fluttering. Such a man will say, ‘Messenger of Allah, help me!’ I will say, ‘I can do nothing for you. I conveyed the Message to you.’ I should not like to see any of you come on the Day of Resurrection, carrying round his neck gold and silver. Such a man will say, ‘Messenger of Allah, help me!’ I will say, ‘I can do nothing for you. I conveyed the Message to you.’”’

Abū Dāwūd related that Samurah ibn Jundub said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gained some booty, he commanded Bilāl to make an announcement among the people and they would bring their booty, and then he would take the fifth and divide it. A day after the announcement a man brought a halter of hair and said, “Messenger of Allah, this is part of what we got in the booty.” He asked, “Did you hear Bilāl call out three times?” “Yes,” he replied. He asked, “What kept you from bringing it?” He made some excuse and the Prophet ﷺ said, “No, you will bring it on the Day of Rising. I will not accept it from you.”’

Some scholars say that it means that the person will be given the burden of that on the Day of Rising. It is as Allah says in another āyah: ‘They will bear their burdens on their backs. How evil is what they bear!’ (8:30) It is said that the report conveys the great seriousness of the matter. It means that on the Day of Rising a person will come and Allah will make his situation known, just as it would be known if he were carrying a grunting camel or a neighing horse on his back. This is making it metaphorical and not actual. When, however, words can be actual or metaphorical, the actual is the basis, as we read in the books of fundamental principles. The Prophet ﷺ was informing about the reality. [As the proverb goes,] ‘There is no perfume after ‘Arūs,’ [meaning that there is no glossing after the fact.]

It is said that if someone misappropriates something in this world, its form will appear to him on the Day of Rising in the Fire, and he will be told to go down and get it. When he goes down to it, it will continue to drop until it reaches the bottom of Hell. It will continue like that for as long as Allah wishes. It is said the words ‘arrive with what he has misappropriated’ means that that treachery and misappropriation will testify against him on the Day of Rising.

Scholars say that ghulūl is one of the great wrong actions on the strength of this āyah and the hadith already mentioned by Abū Hurayrah about a person carrying it on their neck. The Prophet ﷺ also said about Mid‘am, ‘No! By the One who has my self in his hand! The cloak which he took from the spoils on the Day of Khaybar before they were distributed will blaze with fire on him.’ When the people heard that, a man brought a sandal-strap – or two sandal-straps – to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘A sandal-strap – or two sandal-straps – of fire!’ That is transmitted in the Muwaṭṭā’. The fact that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘By the One Who has my self in His hand’ and did not pray over the one who committed ghulūl is evidence of its gravity. It is one of the rights of people for which there must be retaliation in good and bad actions. Then the person is left to Allah’s will. His words, ‘A sandal-strap – or two sandal-straps – of fire’ is like his words ﷺ, ‘Bring the needle and thread.’ This indicates that it is not lawful to take anything, great or small, from the booty before it is distributed.

The only exceptions that are agreed upon is food eaten, firewood and game caught in enemy territory. Az-Zuhrī reported that food can only be taken in enemy territory with the permission of the leader. This is baseless since traditions contradict it. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘When the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ conquered a city or fortress, they ate from the pottage, flour, ghee and honey.’ Ibrāhīm said that they may eat and fodder animals in enemy territory before the fifth is taken. ‘Aṭā’ also said that people on an expedition can eat ghee, honey and food they take and the rest must be handed over to the leader. This is the position of the majority of scholars.

This hadith is evidence for the fact that the baggage of the misappropriator is not burned because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not burn the baggage of the man who had taken the cloak nor that of the other man over whom he did not pray. If he had burned it, that would have been transmitted as an obligation. As for the hadith related from ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb saying that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If you find a man who has misappropriated, burn his baggage and beat him,’ which is reported by Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī from Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad ibn Zā’idah, it is weak and not used as evidence. At-Tirmidhī said, ‘I asked Muḥammad (meaning al-Bukhārī) about this hadith and he said, ‘This is related by Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad who is Abū Wāqid al-Laythī. His hadiths are munkar.’

Abū Dāwūd also related that he said, ‘We went on an expedition with al-Walīd ibn Hishām and were accompanied by Sālim ibn ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz. A man took some goods from the booty and Ibn Hishām commanded that his baggage be burned. He was paraded about and not given a share of the booty.’ Abū Dāwūd said, ‘This is the sounder of the two hadiths.’

It is related from ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb from his father from his grandfather that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abū Bakr and ‘Umar burned the baggage of misappropriators and beat them. Abū Dāwūd said, ‘‘Alī ibn Baḥr added in it from al-Walīd (whom I have not heard of), “they denied him his share.”’ Abū ‘Umar said, ‘Some of those who related this hadith said, “His head is cut off and his baggage is burned.”’ This hadith goes back to Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad who is not considered to be authoritative. It is confirmed that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘A Muslim’s blood is only lawful for one of three reasons.’ So, on this basis, there can be no execution for stealing from the booty.

Ibn Jurayj related from Abu-z-Zubayr from Jābir that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There is no hand amputation in the case of someone who is treacherous, someone who loots or someone who snatches.’ This contradicts the hadith of Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad and has a stronger isnād. A misappropriator is treacherous both linguistically and in the Sharī‘ah. If amputation is forbidden, then it is even more appropriate that execution would be as well. Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī said, ‘If this hadith of Ṣāliḥ is sound, then it may have been at a time when there were punishments for crimes of property, as with the person who refused to pay zakāt indicated by the words: ‘I will take it along with half of his property, one of the firm commands of Allah Almighty.’ It is as Abū Hurayrah said about a lost camel that was concealed: ‘Its indemnity is owed and its like along with it.’ It is as ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Āṣ said about hanging dates: ‘Its indemnity is twice the amount and some lashes as a deterring punishment.’ All of this is abrogated. Allah knows best.

If a man commits this crime and the object is found, it is taken from him and he is disciplined and punished. Mālik, ash-Shāfi‘ī, Abū Ḥanīfah and their people, and al-Layth say that his baggage is not burned. Ash-Shāfi‘ī, al-Layth and Dāwūd say that if he knows of the prohibition, he is punished. Al-Awzā‘ī said that all his baggage is burned except for his weapons, the clothes he is wearing and his saddle, but his mount is not taken from him and what he stole is not burned. This is the position of Aḥmad and Isḥāq. Al-Ḥasan said that but excluded animals or a copy of the Qur’an.

Ibn Khuwayzimandād said that it is reported that Abū Bakr and ‘Umar burned the baggage of people who misappropriated and beat them. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said that those who said that the saddle and baggage of misappropriators are burned include Makḥūl and Sa‘īd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz. Their evidence is the hadith reported, but in our view a hadith does not oblige violation of vested rights nor carrying out a judgment when there are stronger traditions than it. What Mālik and his followers believed regarding this question is sounder in respect of investigation and sound tradition. Allah knows best.

Mālik’s school does not differ about physical punishment. As for property, it is said that what when a dhimmī sells wine to a Muslim, the wine he sold to a Muslim is poured out and the price taken from the dhimmī as a punishment so that he does not sell wine to other Muslims. Thus financial penalties are permitted. ‘Umar poured out milk diluted with water.

Scholars agree that misappropriators must return all they took to the one in charge of the division before people separate if they can do that. If they do it, that is their repentance and requital of their wrong action. They disagree about what they do if the army has separated and they cannot reach the leader. A group of the people of knowledge say that they must give a fifth to the ruler and the rest as ṣadaqah. This is the position of az-Zuhrī, Mālik, al-Awzā‘ī, al-Layth and ath-Thawrī. It is also related from ‘Ubādah ibn aṣ-Ṣāmit, Mu‘āwiyah and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and is similar to the position of Ibn Mas‘ūd and Ibn ‘Abbās because they thought that they should give it away as ṣadaqah, and that is also the school of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Ash-Shāfi‘ī says that they cannot give away someone else’s property as ṣadaqah.’

Abū ‘Umar said, ‘I consider this to be the case when the owners or the heirs no longer exist. If none of them exist, then ash-Shāfi‘ī does not dislike ṣadaqah in that case, Allah willing. They agree that a found object can be given as ṣadaqah after it has been announced and not claimed. If the owner arrives after that, then he has a choice between a reward or liability. The same principle applies to misappropriated property. Success is by Allah.

The fact that there is liability for misappropriation indicates that those who take booty share equally in the booty and it is not lawful for anyone to be preferred in part of it over someone else. There is agreement that if someone steals some of it, he should be disciplined, as we already stated.

If someone has sexual intercourse with a slavegirl or steals a share, scholars disagree about carrying out the ḥadd punishment on him. One group think that there should be no amputation in this case.

Gifts to governors are equivalent to misappropriation. The disgrace of that in the Next World will be the same as that of the misappropriator. In the Sunan, Abū Dāwūd, and Muslim in the Ṣaḥīḥ, report from Abū Ḥumayd as-Sā‘idī that: ‘The Prophet ﷺ appointed a man called Ibn al-Lutbiyyah from Azd to collect the zakāt. When he arrived back, he said, “This is for you and this was given as a gift to me.” The Prophet ﷺ stood on the minbar, praised and glorified Allah and then said, “I appointed one of your men to be in charge of an activity for which Allah has made me responsible, and then he came and said, ‘This is for you and this was given as a gift to me.’ Why did he not sit in the house of his father or mother until his gift came to him if he is speaking the truth? By Allah, none of you will take anything without right but that he will meet Allah Almighty carrying it on the Day of Rising, a camel which is grumbling, or a cow which is mooing, or a sheep which is bleating.” Then he raised his hands until the whites of his armpits could be seen, and said, “O Allah! Have I conveyed it?” three times.’ Abū Dāwūd reported from Buraydah that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If we appoint someone to a post and we pay him a wage, anything he takes after that is ghulūl.’

It is also related that Abū Mas‘ūd al-Anṣārī said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me as a collector and said, “Go, Abū Mas‘ūd, and I should not like to see you come on the Day of Rising with one of the zakāt camels grumbling on your back, saying, ‘You have misappropriated me.’” When I did not go, he said, “I will not force you.”’

These hadiths specify what Abū Dāwūd related from al-Mustawrid ibn Shaddād who said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whoever is an agent for us should acquire a wife. If he does not have a servant, he should acquire a servant. If he does not have a house, he should acquire a house.”’ Abū Bakr said, ‘I was told that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever takes other than that is a thieving misappropriator.”’

Another aspect of ghulūl is keeping back books from their people, and other things are included as well. Az-Zuhrī said, ‘Beware of ghulūl in books.’ He was asked what that was and replied, ‘Keeping them from their people.’ It is said that it can mean to conceal from people something of revelation out of desire, fear or flattery. That is when people disliked something in the Qur’an that criticised their religion and abused their gods. They asked for it to be concealed. Muḥammad ibn Bashshār said that. What we began with is the position of the majority.

162 Is someone who pursues the pleasure of Allah the same as someone who incurs displeasure from Allah and whose refuge is Hell? What an evil destination! 163 They have different ranks with Allah. Allah sees what they do.

The one who follows the pleasure of Allah is the one who abandons ghulūl and is steadfast in jihād. The one who incurs His displeasure is the one who espouses disbelief, ghulūl, or not following the Prophet ﷺ in battle. Such a person will go to the Fire if he does not repent or Allah does not pardon him. It is an evil place to return to. ‘Pleasure’ is read as both riḍwān and ruḍwān, like ‘udwān and ‘idwān.

They have different ranks with Allah.

The one who gains Allah’s pleasure is not like the one who incurs His displeasure. It is said that their ranks vary with Allah. Whoever gains His pleasure will have honour and immense reward and the one who incurs His displeasure will have abasement and painful punishment. It means that they will have different ranks, or be arranged in different ranks, or will be in different ranks, or will possess different ranks.

The People of the Fire also have different ranks, as in the words, ‘I found him in the depths of the Fire and brought him out to the shallows.’ A believer is not the same as an unbeliever in rank, and then the believers differ from one another, some having higher ranks than others, as is the case with the unbelievers. Darajah is a rank. Darj is to go through rank after rank. The stations in the Fire are referred to as ‘darakāt’ as Allah says: ‘The hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire.’ (4:145) Those who do not misappropriate will have ranks (darajāt) in the Garden, and those who do so will have levels (darakāt) in the Fire. Abū ‘Ubaydah said that Hell has levels (adrāk), each of which is a darak or dark. That refers to descending levels while darajāt refers to ascending ones.

164 Allah showed great kindness to the believers when He sent a Messenger to them from among themselves to recite His Signs to them and purify them and teach them the Book and Wisdom, even though before that they were clearly misguided.

Allah made it clear that He has given them a great favour by sending Muḥammad ﷺ to them. Several things are said about the meaning of the kindness (minnah) referred to here. One is that ‘from among themselves,’ means he is a human being like them. Since he showed definitive evidence and is a human being like them, they knew that that was from Allah. It is said that it is because he is one of them and so they are honoured by him ﷺ and that is the favour. It is said that he is one of them so that they know his condition and nothing of his path is hidden from them. Since his place was among them, it would be more fitting for them to fight for him and not retreat from him. There is an irregular reading which has ‘min anfasihim’, meaning ‘from the noblest of them’ because he is from the Banū Hāshim and the Banū Hāshim are the best of Quraysh, and Quraysh are the best of the Arabs, and the Arabs are better than anyone else.

It is said that although ‘believers’ is general, its meaning here is particular to the Arabs because there is no Arab tribe which he is not descended from and they have lineage related to him, except for the Banū Taghlib who were Christians until Allah purified them of that. This interpretation is further elaborated by Allah’s words: ‘It is He who raised up among the unlettered people a Messenger from them.’ (62:2)

Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Ghanī mentioned from Abū Aḥmad al-Baṣrī from Qāḍī Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī ibn Sa‘d al-Marwazī from Yaḥyā ibn Ma‘īn from Hishām ibn Yūsuf from ‘Abdullāh ibn Sulaymān an-Nawfalī from az-Zuhrī from ‘Urwah that ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘Allah showed great kindness to the believers when He sent a Messenger to them from among themselves.’ She said, ‘This is particular to the Arabs.’ Others have said that Allah means all believers here and ‘from among themselves’ means that he is one of them and a human being like them, but he was singled out for the Revelation. This is the meaning of Allah’s words: ‘A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves.’ (9:128) The believers are singled out because they benefit from it. The favour to them is therefore greater.

‘Yatlū’ is in the accusative to describe the Messenger. It means that he recites. Tilāwah is recitation. ‘Before that’ means that before Muḥammad ﷺ they were in clear misguidance. It is said that ‘in’ means mā and the lām in the predicate means ‘illā’. It is like the phrase ‘even though before this you were astray’ (2:198), meaning that previously they were only among those who were misguided. This is the school of the Kufans. The meaning of this āyah was already discussed in al-Baqarah.

165 Why is it that when a calamity happens to you, when you have already inflicted twice as much, you say, ‘How could this possibly happen?’ Say, ‘It has come from your own selves.’ Allah has power over all things.

The alif at the beginning denotes a question and the wāw adds it to what comes before it. The ‘calamity’ referred to is their defeat at Uḥud and the words ‘you already inflicted twice as much’ refer to Badr. There they killed seventy and took seventy captive. A captive is like someone killed because he can be killed by his captor. You defeated them at Badr and at the beginning of Uḥud and killed about twenty of them then. You killed them in two battles and they afflicted you at Uḥud.

You say, ‘How could this possibly happen?’

‘How could we suffer this defeat and killing when we are fighting in the Way of Allah and are Muslims, and the Prophet and revelation are among us, and they are idolaters?’

Say, ‘It has come from your own selves.’

This refers to the disobedience of the archers. There are no people who obey their Prophet in war without being victorious because when they obey, they are the Party of Allah, and the Party of Allah are necessarily the victors.

Qatādah and ar-Rabī‘ ibn Anas said, ‘Allah means their asking the Prophet ﷺ to go out when he wanted to remain in Madīnah and the interpretation of the dream of armour being a fortress.’

‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه said, ‘It is their choosing ransom at Badr instead of killing.’ They were told, ‘If you let the captives be ransomed, an equal number of you will be killed.’ The Prophet ﷺ said about the captives at Badr, ‘You can kill them if you wish or, if you wish, let them be ransomed and enjoy the ransom, and then a like number of you will be martyred.’ The last of the seventy was Thābit ibn Qays who was in the Battle of Yamāmah. According to the first two views, ‘from your own selves’ refers to your wrong actions. According to the last view, it is your choice.

166 What assailed you on the day the two armies met was by Allah’s permission, so that He would know the believers, 167 and so that He would know the hypocrites. They were told, ‘Come and fight in the Way of Allah or at least help defend us.’ They said, ‘If we knew that there would be a fight, we would certainly follow you.’ They were closer to unbelief that day than to belief, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah knows best what they are hiding.

What assailed you on the day the two armies met was by Allah’s permission, so that He would know the believers

The ‘day’ here is Uḥud, and it refers to the killing, wounding and defeat that took place there. ‘By Allah’s permission’ means ‘with His knowledge’ or ‘by His decision and decree’. Al-Qaffāl said, ‘By leaving you and them, not that He willed that.’ This is the Mu‘tazilite interpretation. The fā’ is added because mā means ‘which’ here. That which assailed them when the two armies met was by Allah’s permission, and so it is like a precondition as Sībawayh said.

so that He would know the believers and so that He would know the hypocrites.

‘Knowing’ the believers and the hypocrites means to distinguish between them or to reveal them. It is said that it means to show the faith of the believers by their firmness in fighting and to show the disbelief of hypocrites by showing their abuse so that they will know that.

They were told, ‘Come and fight in the Way of Allah or at least help defend us.’

‘They were told’: the hypocrites here mean ‘Abdullāh ibn Ubayy and his people who ceased to help the Prophet ﷺ. They numbered 300. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn Ḥarām al-Anṣārī went after them and said to them, ‘Fear Allah and do not abandon your Prophet! Fight in the Way of Allah or defend!’ Ibn Ubayy said to him, ‘I do not think that there will be fighting. If we knew that there would be fighting, we would be with you.’ When ‘Abdullāh despaired of them, he said, ‘Go, enemies of Allah. Allah and His Messenger have no need of you!’ He went with the Prophet ﷺ and was martyred.

People disagree about the meaning of ‘defend’ here. As-Suddī, Ibn Jurayj and others said, ‘Make our numbers seem larger even if you do not fight with us.’ That is defence against the enemy and deterrence. Making numbers seem larger deters the enemy.

Anas ibn Mālik said, ‘At the battle of al-Qādisiyyah, I saw ‘Abdullāh ibn Umm Maktūm wearing armour whose ends were dragging. He had a black banner in his hand. He was asked, “Did not Allah excuse you [from fighting]?” [He was blind.] He said, “Indeed, but I want to increase the numbers of the believers with myself.”’ It is related that he said, ‘So how is my increasing the numbers in the Cause of Allah!’ Abū ‘Awn al-Anṣārī said, ‘The meaning of “defend” is “to take up position (rābitū)”.’ This is close to the first meaning as a murābiṭ must be a defender because if it had not been for the stationing of the murābitūn at the borders, the enemy would have entered.

Some commentators believe that the words of ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr, ‘Defend’ were a summons to fight because he called them to fight in the Way of Allah and so that the word of Allah be uppermost. When he saw that they were not following that, he turned his face from them to shame them and show his disdain. Do you not see that Quzmān said, ‘By Allah, I only fought for the honour of my people!’ And do you not see that one of the Anṣār said on the day of the battle of Uḥud when he saw that Quraysh had released their animals in the fields of the canal, ‘Are we going to let them graze in the fields of the Banū Qaylah without us fighting?” That means: ‘You are not fighting for the Cause of Allah. You are just fighting for yourselves and your territory.’

They were closer to unbelief that day than to belief.

Their state was evident and the veils covering them ripped apart and their hypocrisy disclosed to those who thought they were Muslims. So they were closer to disbelief in their outward state, even though they were actually unbelievers anyway.

The words ‘saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts’ means that they were making a show of faith but concealing disbelief. The word ‘mouths’ stresses that.

168 They are those who said of their brothers, when they themselves had stayed behind, ‘If they had only obeyed us, they would not have been killed.’ Say, ‘Then ward off death from yourselves if you are telling the truth.’

They are those who said of their brothers, when they themselves had stayed behind,

‘They are those who said of their brothers,’ means ‘on behalf of their brothers’. They were the martyrs of Khazraj who had been killed. They were their brothers in lineage and proximity, but not in the dīn. They said of these martyrs, ‘If they had stayed in Madīnah, they would not have been killed.’ It is said that ‘Abdullāh ibn Ubayy and his fellow hypocrites said about them: ‘If those who were killed had obeyed us, they would not have been killed.’ So ‘obeyed us’ means by not going out against Quraysh. ‘They stayed behind’ means ‘They said this and sat by themselves, not going out on jihād.’ Allah then answered them.

Say, ‘Then ward off death from yourselves if you are telling the truth.’

This means: ‘Say to them, Muḥammad: “If you are speaking the truth, then avert death from yourselves.”’ The word dar’ means defence. This makes it clear that there is no defence against the Decree. A person who is killed can only be killed at the end of his life-span. What Allah knows and reports will be must happen. It is said that on that day seventy hypocrites died. Abu-l-Layth as-Samarqandī said, ‘I heard one of the commentators in Samarqand say, “On the day this āyah was revealed, seventy hypocrites died.”’

169 Do not suppose that those killed in the Way of Allah are dead. No indeed! They are alive and well provided for in the very presence of their Lord, 170 delighting in the favour Allah has bestowed on them, rejoicing over those they left behind who have not yet joined them, feeling no fear and knowing no sorrow,

When Allah made it clear that what happened at Uḥud was a test to distinguish the hypocrites from the truthful, He made it clear that the one who did not flee and was killed enjoyed honour and life with Him. The āyah is about the martyrs of Uḥud. It is also said that it is about martyrs of Bi’r Ma‘ūnah or that it is general to all martyrs.

We find in the Muṣannaf of Abū Dāwūd, that Ibn ‘Abbās reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘When your brothers were struck down at Uḥud, Allah placed their spirits in the mouths of green birds which go to the rivers of the Garden, eating from their fruits and returning to gold lamps hanging in the shadow of the Throne. When they found their delightful food and drink and resting-places, they said, “Who will convey to our brothers from us that we are alive and well provided for in the Garden so that they do not turn from doing jihād and do not flinch in battle?” Allah said, “I will convey it for you.” and then Allah revealed, “Do not suppose…”’

Baqī ibn Mukhallad related that Jābir said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ met me and said, “Jābir, why do I see you downcast and worried?” I replied, “Messenger of Allah, my father was martyred and left dependents and he had debts.” He said, “Shall I give you the good news about what your father has received from Allah?” “Yes, indeed,” I replied. He said, “Allah has given life to your father and spoken to him directly – and He speaks to no one except from behind a veil – and said to him, ‘My slave, wish and I will give to you.’ He said, ‘Lord, return me to the world so that I can be killed for You a second time.’ So the Lord said, ‘It has already been decided by Me that people do not return to it.’ He said, ‘Lord, then convey to those after me.’ So Allah revealed, ‘Do not suppose…’”’ It is transmitted by Ibn Mājah in the Sunan and at-Tirmidhī in his Jāmi‘ and he said that it is a ḥasan gharīb hadith.

Wakī‘ related from Sālim ibn al-Afṭas that Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said, ‘When Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib and Muṣ‘ab ibn ‘Umayr were struck down and saw the good they had been given, they said, “Would that our brothers knew the good with which we have been provided so that it would increase their desire for jihād!” Allah Almighty said, “I will convey it to them from you,” and He revealed this.’

Abu-ḍ-Ḍuḥā said, ‘This āyah was revealed about the people of Uḥud in particular.’ The first hadith indicates that this view is sound. Some of them said that it was revealed about the martyrs of Badr. They were fourteen men: eight of the Anṣār and six of the Muhājirūn. It is also said that it was revealed about the martyrs of the Bi’r Ma‘ūnah whose story is well known. Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq and others mentioned it. Others said that when the relatives of the martyrs obtained blessings and happiness, they were filled with regret and said, ‘We are in blessing and happiness while our fathers, sons and brothers are in the grave.’ So Allah revealed this āyah to console them and tell them about the state of those who had been killed.

Generally speaking, even though it is possible for revelation to have a specific cause, Allah reports in it that martyrs are alive in the Garden and provided for, and it is not impossible that, while they have died and their bodies are in the earth, their spirits are still alive, like those of all the believers. They are given provision in the Garden at the moment of their death and so it is as if their life in this world was continuing.

Scholars disagree about this. The majority take the position we mentioned and say that their life is real. Some say that their spirits are returned to them in their graves and they enjoy bliss, in the same way that the unbelievers are revived in their graves and are punished.

Mujāhid said, ‘They are provided with the fruits of the Garden,’ in other words they experience its scent while not actually being in it. Other people say that the ayah is metaphorical and it means that Allah has judged that they will be blessed in the Garden and so it is praise for them. That is like when you say, ‘So-and-so is not dead,’ meaning that his renown lives on. It is said:

The death of someone godfearing is life without annihilation. Some people die among people and yet they remain alive.

It means that they continue to be remembered with excellent praise.

Others say that their spirits are in the mouths of green birds and they are provided for in the Garden, eating and enjoying bliss. This is the sound position because the sound transmission about it is that it is actual and the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbās removes any dispute. The same is true of the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ūd that Muslim transmitted. We have further explained the states of the dead and the Next World in Kitāb at-Tadhkirah. Praise be to Allah.

There we mentioned how the martyrs are and the fact that they have different states. As for the interpretation of the martyrs being ‘alive’ meaning that they will be brought back to life here, this is unlikely and is refuted by the Qur’an and Sunnah. Allah’s word ‘alive’ indicates their everlasting life and only those who are alive are provided for. It is said that every year the reward of an expedition is written for them and they share in the reward of every jihād after them until the Day of Rising because they made jihād a sunnah. It is like Allah’s words: ‘So We decreed for the tribe of Israel that if someone kills another person…’ (5:32) That will be dealt with in that sūrah, Allah willing.

It is said that their spirits bow and prostrate under the Throne until the Day of Rising just as the souls of living believers who spend the night in wuḍū’ also do. It is said that it is said because a martyr does not decay in the grave and the earth does not consume him. We mentioned this idea in at-Tadhkirah. The earth does not consume Prophets, martyrs, scholars, mu’adhdhins whose wage is with Allah and those who know the Qur’an.

Since a martyr is adjudged to be alive, there is no prayer said over him, as is the ruling of someone physically alive. Scholars disagree about washing martyrs and praying over them. Mālik, ash-Shāfi‘ī Abū Ḥanīfah and ath-Thawrī believe that all martyrs should be washed and prayed over, except for those killed in actual battle against the enemy, based on the hadith of Jābir in which the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Bury them in their blood,’ i.e. at Uḥud they were not washed. Al-Bukhārī related it.

Abū Dāwūd related that Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded that those killed at Uḥud should have their weapons and armour removed from them and be buried in their blood and clothing.’ That is the position of Aḥmad, Isḥāq, al-Awzā‘ī, Dāwūd, a group of the fuqahā’ and People of Hadith of the cities and Ibn ‘Ulayyah. Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyab and al-Ḥasan said that they should be washed. One of them said that the martyrs of Uḥud were not washed because they were so many and the situation distracted them from doing that.

Abū ‘Umar says that no one takes the position of Sa‘īd and al-Ḥasan among the fuqahā’ except for ‘Ubaydullāh ibn al-Ḥasan al-‘Anbārī. What they mentioned about them being distracted from doing it is not a valid reason because each of them had relatives who could wash them and see to them. The reason – and Allah knows best – is, as in the hadith: ‘It will be like the scent of musk on the Day of Rising.’ So it is clear that the reason is not as some of them said about them being distracted from doing it and there is no place for analogy and investigation in this matter. It is simply a question of following the tradition about those killed at Uḥud not being washed.

One of the later scholars who took the position of al-Ḥasan argued, using the words of the Prophet ﷺ about the martyrs of Uḥud, ‘I will be a witness for these people on the Day of Rising.’ He said that this indicates that they are special and others do not share with them in that. Abū ‘Umar said that this is aberrant and the position that they are not washed is more appropriate since that was confirmed from the Prophet ﷺ about those killed at Uḥud and others. Abū Dāwud related that Jābir said, ‘A man was hit by an arrow in his chest or his throat and died. He was buried in his clothes as he was. He said, “We are with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”’

As for praying over them, scholars also disagree about that. Mālik, al-Layth, ash-Shāfi‘ī, Aḥmad and Dāwūd believe that the prayer should not be performed over them, based on the hadith of Jābir which states that two of the dead of Uḥud were buried in the same cloth. It was asked, ‘Which of them knew the most Qur’an?’ One of them was indicated and he was put first in the grave. Then he ﷺ said, ‘I will be a witness for these people on the Day of Rising.’ He commanded that they should be buried in their blood and not washed or prayed over. The fuqahā’ of Kufa, Basra and Syria say that the prayer is said over them and they use as evidence mursal hadiths about the Prophet ﷺ performing the prayer over Ḥamzah. Scholars agree, however, that if someone is removed alive from the battlefield and does not die in the battle, but dies later, the prayer is performed over him, as ‘Umar did.

They disagree about someone killed unjustly, like those killed by Khārijites, highwaymen and the like. Abū Ḥanīfah and ath-Thawrī said that anyone killed unjustly is not washed, but the prayer is said over him and over every martyr, and that is the position of most Iraqis, and they cite hadiths in support of this. They related by various paths that Zayd ibn Ṣūḥān, who was killed in the Battle of the Camel, said, ‘Do not remove my garment nor wash away my blood.’

It is confirmed that ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir said something similar. ‘Ammār was killed at the Battle of Ṣiffīn and ‘Alī did not wash him. Ash-Shāfi‘ī has two positions: one is that they are washed like all the dead except those who are actually killed in battle. This is the position of Mālik. Mālik said that those killed by the unbelievers who die in battle are not washed. The one killed by unbelievers outside of battle is washed and prayed over, and this is the position of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. The other position of ash-Shāfi‘ī is that those killed by rebels are not washed. The position of Mālik is sounder. Washing the dead is confirmed by consensus and transmitted from Kufa. So it is mandatory to wash every dead person except for those excluded by consensus or a firm sunnah. Success is by Allah.

If the enemy surprises people in their camp and some of them are killed, is the ruling about them the same as someone killed in battle or the normal ruling of someone who has died? This question arose for us in Cordoba when the enemy attacked by surprise on the third morning of Ramadan 627 AH. Some were killed and some were captured. My father was among those who were killed. I asked our Shaykh, Abu Ja‘far Aḥmad, known as Abū Ḥujjah, about this. He said, ‘Wash him and pray over him. Your father was not killed in battle in the ranks.’ Then I asked our Shaykh Rabī‘ ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad ibn Rabi‘ ibn Ubayy and he said that his ruling is that of someone killed in battle. Then I asked the Qāḍī Abu-l-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn Qiṭrāl, while a group of fuqahā’ were around him. They said, ‘Wash him, shroud him and pray over him.’ I did that. After that I found the question in at-Tabaṣṣur by Abu-l-Ḥasan al-Lakhmī and others. If I had found that before, I would not have washed him and I would have buried him in his blood in his clothes.

This āyah indicates the immense reward for being killed in the Way of Allah and martyrdom in respect of it so that it expiates wrong actions, as the Prophet ﷺ stated: ‘Being killed in the way of Allah expiates everything except debt. That is what Jibrīl told me.’ Our scholars say that the mention of debts alludes also to other rights for which one is responsible, like usurpation, taking property wrongfully, murder and deliberate injury and other matters which entail responsibility. None of that is forgiven by jihād, and there is requital in respect of all of that in the form of good actions and bad actions, as reported in the sound Sunnah.

‘Abdullāh ibn Unays reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Allah will gather the slaves – or people (Hammām is unsure of the word used) – naked, uncircumcised, bare.’ He was asked what that was and he answered, ‘They will have nothing with them. A voice will call to them which will be heard by all, far and near: “I am the King. I am the Judge. None of the people of the Garden should enter the Garden while one of the people of the Fire is seeking requital of an injustice from him, and none of the people of the Fire should enter the Fire while one of the people of the Garden is seeking requital of an injustice from him, even a slap.”’ They asked, ‘How will we be able to do that when we will come barefoot, naked and uncircumcised?’ He replied, ‘It will be with good actions and wrong actions.’ Al-Ḥārith ibn Usāmah transmitted it.

It is also reported in Muslim from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Do you know who is the true bankrupt?’ They replied, ‘The bankrupt is the person who has neither money nor goods.’ He said, ‘The bankrupt person of my community is the one who performs the prayer, fasts and pays zakāt, but insults this person, slanders that one, consumes the property of this person, sheds the blood of that one, and strikes this one. Some will be given some of his good deeds and others will be given some of his good deeds. If his good deeds are exhausted before he has given everyone their due, some of their wrong actions will be taken and cast on him and then he will be cast into the Fire.’ He ﷺ also said, ‘By the One who has my self in His hand, if a man is killed in the Way of Allah and then is brought to life and killed again and then brought to life and killed again, and owes a debt, he will not enter the Garden until his debt is settled.’ Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The soul of the believer is suspended as long as he owes a debt.’ Aḥmad ibn Zuhayr said, ‘Yaḥyā ibn Ma‘īn was asked about this hadith and said that it is sound.

If it is said, ‘This indicates that some martyrs will not enter the Garden when they are killed and their spirits are not in the mouths of birds as was mentioned and they are not in their graves, so where then are they?’ We reply that it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The spirits of martyrs are at a river at the door of the Garden called Bāriq. Their provision is brought out to them from the Garden morning and evening.’ Perhaps it is them, and Allah knows best. This is like what Imām Abū Muḥammad ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said. He said, ‘Those have different degrees and states, but all of them are provided for.’

Imām Abū ‘Abdullāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd ibn Mājah al-Qazwīnī has in his Sunan from Sulaym ibn ‘Āmir who heard Abū Umāmah say that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘A martyr at sea is like two martyrs on land and someone who suffers from seasickness is like someone stained in his own blood on land. The time between one wave and the next is like being cut off from this world in obeying Allah. Allah Almighty has appointed the Angel of Death to take all souls except for those of martyrs at sea: Allah Almighty Himself sees to taking their souls. The martyr on land is forgiven all wrong actions except for debts while the martyr at sea is forgiven all wrong actions and debts as well.’

The debt which holds a person back from the Garden, and Allah knows best, is when he left enough to settle the debt but did not mention it in his will, or which he could have paid but did not, or which he incurred in extravagance and stupidity and died before repaying. As for someone who incurred the debt out of his obligation to support his dependents or because of hardship, and died without leaving enough to pay it, Allah will not hold him back from the Garden, Allah willing, because it is the duty of the ruler to pay his debt for him, either from the zakāt, from the share of the debtors, or from the booty. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If anyone leaves a debt or loss, it is up to Allah and His Messenger. Whoever leaves property, it is for his heirs.’ We have further explained this in a chapter in Kitāb at-Tadhkirah. Praise be to Allah.

well provided for in the presence of their Lord, delighting in the favour Allah has bestowed on them,

There is an elision here which implies, ‘in the honour of their Lord’. The word ‘‘inda’ necessarily indicates proximity. Here it denotes honour. The verb ‘provided for’ has its normal meaning. Some people say that the life referred to is that of being remembered and they are given beautiful praise. The first view is that it is actual and real.

It is said that when the spirits rove in that state, they perceive the scents, fragrance, blessing and delight of the Garden appropriate for spirits, but which act as provision and stimulation for them. As for physical pleasures, when those spirits are returned to their bodies, they will enjoy the full bliss prepared for them. This is a sound statement and it is a sort of metaphor. It agrees with what we have reported. Allah grants success.

The verb ‘delighting’ is a ḥāl ‘circumstantial expression’ of what is implied in ‘well-provided for’. It is also possible that ‘delighting’ is an adjective stemming from the earlier word ‘alive’. ‘Delight’ is joy and the ‘favour’ is the bliss mentioned in this āyah. Ibn as-Samayfa‘ recited ‘fāriḥīna’ with an alif. They are two dialectical forms, like farih and fārih, ḥadhir and ḥādhir, ṭami‘ and ṭāmi‘, and bakhil and bākhil. An-Naḥḥās said that it is permitted to be in the nominative outside of the Qur’an as an adjective of ‘alive’.

rejoicing over those they left behind who have not yet joined them.

Those who have not joined them in favour, even though they have favour. The word ‘rejoicing’ comes from basharah (skin) because when a man is happy, the effect of joy shows in his face. As-Suddī said, ‘Martyrs will be given a book which mentions those of their brothers they have preceded and they will be delighted as people in this world rejoice when someone who has been away returns.’

Qatādah, Ibn Jurayj, ar-Rabī‘ and others said that they rejoice by saying, ‘Our brothers we left in this world are fighting in the Way of Allah with their Lord. They will be martyred and obtain an honour like ours.’ So they delight in that.

It is said that the indication of the good news for those who have not yet joined them refers to all the believers, but when they see the reward of Allah there is certainty that the dīn of Islam is the Truth for which Allah has rewarded them and so they rejoice in the favour that Allah has given them. They rejoice for the believers because ‘they will feel no fear and know no sorrow’. Az-Zajjāj and Ibn Fūrak believed this.

171 rejoicing in blessings and favour from Allah and that Allah does not let the wage of the believers go to waste.

They are rejoicing in obtaining the Garden from Allah or in forgiveness from Allah. ‘Favour’ is extra clarification since favour is a part of blessing and indicates its great expanse and that it is not like the blessings of this world. It is said that favour comes after blessing by way of stress. At-Tirmidhī reports from al-Miqdām ibn Ma‘dīkarib that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The martyr has six distinguishing features with Allah. [Some variants have seven.] Allah forgives him immediately, he sees his seat in the Garden, he is protected from the punishment of the grave, he is safe from the greatest fear, a ruby crown of gravity will be placed on his head which is better than this world and everything in it, he will be married to seventy-two houris, and he will intercede for seventy of his relatives.’ This is a sound ḥasan gharīb hadith. This is the explanation of blessing and favour, and there are many traditions about that.

Mujāhid said, ‘Swords are the keys to the Garden.’ It is related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Allah Almighty honoured the martyrs with five marks of honour with which He did not honour any of the Prophets nor me. One of them is that all Prophets have their souls taken by the Angel of Death who is the one who will take my soul. Allah is the One who takes the souls of the martyrs by His power however He wishes and the Angel of Death has no power over their souls. The second is that all the Prophets are washed after death and I will be washed after death. The martyrs are not washed and they have no need for the water of this world. The third is that all the Prophets are shrouded and I will be shrouded. The martyrs are not shrouded, but buried in their clothes. The fourth is that when the Prophets die, they are called dead and when I die, I will be called dead. The martyrs are not called dead. The fifth is that the Prophets are given their intercession on the Day of Rising and my intercession will be on the Day of Rising. The martyrs intercede every day for those they intercede for.’

Al-Kisā’ī recited ‘inna-llāha’ and the rest have it as ‘anna’. If someone recites it as ‘anna’, it means ‘rejoicing in blessing from Allah and rejoicing in the fact that Allah will not let the wage of the believers go to waste.’ If it is recited with ‘inna’, then it is for the inceptive. Its proof is in the reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd: ‘Allahu’.

172 Those who did good and were godfearing, among those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after the wound had been inflicted, will have an immense reward:

‘Those’ is in the nominative for the inceptive whose predicate is ‘after the wound had been inflicted’. It can also be in the position of the genitive as an appositive for ‘believers’ or for ‘who have not yet joined them’. ‘Istajābū’ means ‘respond’, and the sīn and tā’ are redundant. [VERSE]

In the two Ṣaḥīḥ Collections, ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said, ‘‘Ā’ishah said to me, “Your father is one of those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after they had been wounded.” ‘Ā’ishah said, “Nephew, your fathers (meaning az-Zubayr and Abū Bakr) are among those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after they were wounded.” She continued, “When the idolaters left Uḥud and the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions had suffered the injuries they suffered, they feared that they would return, so he ﷺ said, ‘Who will volunteer to go to those so that they know that we have strength?’ Abū Bakr and az-Zubayr went out with seventy men after the people. They heard them and departed by the favour of Allah.”’

‘Ā’ishah indicated what happened in the expedition of Ḥamrā’ al-Asad which is about eight miles from Madīnah. That was on the Sunday, the second day after Uḥud. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called on the people to pursue the idolaters. He said, ‘Only those who were with us yesterday will go with us.’ So two hundred of the believers went with him. We find in al-Bukhārī: ‘He asked, “Who will go after them?” He selected seventy men from them. Abū Bakr and az-Zubayr were among them. They reached Ḥamrā’ al-Asad, meaning to frighten the enemy. Some of them were seriously wounded and could not walk or ride, and were carried. All of that was to obey the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and out of desire for jihād.’

It is said that the āyah was revealed about two men of the Banū ‘Abd al-Ashhal who were seriously wounded, one leaning on the other. They went out with the Prophet ﷺ. When they reached Ḥamrā’ al-Asad, Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ūd met them and told them that Abū Sufyan ibn Ḥarb and the Quraysh with him had gathered under their banner to return to Madīnah and eradicate its people. They said what Allah tells us: ‘Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians.’ When Quraysh gathered like that, Ma‘bad al-Khuzā‘ī went to them. Khuzā‘ah were allies of the Prophet ﷺ. When he saw the state of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and saw the resolve of Quraysh to return and eradicate the people of Madina, he was alarmed by that and his faithfulness to the Prophet ﷺ and His Companions led him to alarm Quraysh, so he said to them, ‘I have left Muḥammad and his Companions at Ḥamrā’ al-Asad in a large army. He has gathered those who stayed behind and they are coming against you. Save yourselves! Save yourselves! I forbid you to do that! By Allah, what I saw of them led me to compose some verses of poetry!’ ‘What are they?’ he was asked. He said:

My horse almost fell at the rumble when the earth streamed with swarms of steeds.

Galloping with noble lions astride them, not feeble in the fight, firm in the saddle, fully armed.

I continued to run, thinking the ground itself was moving, when they brought a leader who is never deserted.

I said, ‘Woe to Ibn Ḥarb in your encounter when the land is surging with horses!’

I warn the people of the Ḥaram clearly, speaking to every wise and sensible man among them,

Of the army of Aḥmad, not some contemptible troop, and my warning should not be described as hearsay.

That made Abū Sufyan and those with him turn back. Allah cast fear into their hearts and they returned to Makkah swiftly in fear, and the Prophet ﷺ returned victorious to Madīnah with his Companions as Allah says: ‘So they returned with blessings and bounty from Allah and no evil touched them.’ That means that there was no fighting or terror.

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh asked for permission from the Prophet ﷺ to go out with him and he gave him permission. Allah had told them of the immense reward that this group would have, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘It refers to this expedition.’ This is the commentary of the majority on this āyah.

Mujāhid and ‘Ikrimah have an aberrant view and say that this āyah is connected to the two after it and it is about the Prophet ﷺ going out to Lesser Badr. He went out for the appointment he made with Abū Sufyan at Uḥud when he said, ‘Our meeting is Badr next year.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Say: “Yes.”’ So the Prophet ﷺ set out for Badr where there was a great market and gave his Companions some dirhams. He approached Badr and Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ūd al-Ashjā‘ī came to him and told him that Quraysh had gathered and were coming to fight them. The Muslims were alarmed at that, but they said: ‘Allah is enough for us and the best of Guardians.’ They were determined and went to Badr and did not find anyone except the market. They bought some condiments and traded with their dirhams and returned safely and with a profit, as Allah says: ‘They returned with blessings and bounty from Allah.’ (3:174) This means the profit from their trade. Allah knows best.

173 those to whom people said, ‘The people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But that merely increased their belief and they said, ‘Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians.’

There is disagreement about who is meant by ‘those to whom people said’. Mujāhid, Muqātil, ‘Ikrimah and al-Kalbī said that this refers to Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ūd al-Ashjā‘ī. The expression is general but its meaning is particular. A similar usage in seen in ‘Do they in fact envy other people’ (4:54) when Muḥammad ﷺ is meant. As-Suddī said that it was a bedouin who was given a wage for doing that.

Ibn Isḥāq and a group said that ‘people’ here refers to a troop of the ‘Abd al-Qays who passed by Abū Sufyān who sent them to the Muslims to impede them. It is said that the ‘people’ referred to are the hypocrites. As-Suddī said, ‘When the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions prepared to go out to Lesser Badr for the appointment with Abū Sufyān, the hypocrites came to them and said, ‘We are your friends. We forbade you to go out to them and you disobeyed us and they fought you and won. If you go to them, none of you will return.’ They replied, ‘Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians.’

Abū Ma‘shar said, ‘Some of Hudhayl came to Madīnah from Tihāmah and the Companions asked them about Abū Sufyān and they said. “They have gathered many troops against you, so fear them and be on guard against them. You have no power to resist them.”’ According to these statements, the word ‘people’ means troops. Allah knows best.

But that merely increased their belief

The words of the people increased their belief, meaning their confirmation and certainty in their dīn, helping them in strength, boldness, and readiness. So according to this, the increase of belief lies in actions. People disagree about increase and decrease in belief. Scholars disagree about the increase and decrease in actions, taking different positions. One creedal position regarding this is that belief itself is one thing and affirmation (taṣdīq) is another thing. Together they form a single whole which does not increase once it is obtained, and of which nothing remains when it vanishes. So there is only increase and decrease in things connected to it rather than belief itself.

Another group of scholars believe that belief increases and decreases according to the actions which issue from it. This applies especially to many of the scholars who apply the term ‘belief’ to acts of obedience, going by the words of the Prophet ﷺ: ‘Belief has over seventy branches. The best of which is the words: “There is no god but Allah,” and the least of which is removing an obstruction from the road.’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it. Muslim added, ‘Modesty is a branch of belief.’ We find in the hadith of ‘Alī, ‘Belief appears like a white spot in the heart. Whenever belief increases, the spot increases.’ Al-Aṣma‘ī said that the word for ‘spot’, ‘lumẓah’, is like a speck which is white. For instance a horse is ‘almaẓ’ when it has some whiteness on its lower lip. Hadith scholars have ‘lamẓah’, but in Arabic it is lumẓah.

This is evidence against those who deny that belief increases and decreases. Do you not see that he said, ‘Whenever belief increases, the spot increases until the entire heart is white’? It is the same with hypocrisy. It appears as a black spot in the heart. Whenever hypocrisy increases, the heart blackens until it becomes entirely black.

Some of them said that faith is non-essential, not being fixed for two moments at a time, and it comes to the Prophets and righteous in an uninterrupted sequence. It increases by the frequency of its arrival in the heart of the believer and the constancy of its presence there. It decreases by consecutive periods of negligence in the heart of the believer. Abu-l-Ma‘ālī indicated this. This understanding is found in the hadith of intercession, transmitted by Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī in Muslim: ‘The believers say, “Our Lord, they used to fast with us and pray and make ḥajj” They will be told, “Go and bring out those you know. It is forbidden for the Fire to touch their faces.” They will bring out many people, some of whom are in the Fire up to the middle of their thighs and some who are in it up to their knees. Then they will say, “Our Lord, not one of those You commanded us to bring out remains in it.” He will say, “Return and take out of it anyone in whose heart you find good equal to the weight of one dinar.” They will bring out many people and then they will say, “Our Lord, we have not left in it anyone You commanded us to bring out.” Then He will say, “Return and take out of it anyone in whose heart you find good equal to the weight of half a dinar.” They will bring out many people and then they will say, “Our Lord, we have not left in it anyone You commanded us to bring out.” Then He will say, “Return and take out of it anyone in whose heart you find even an atom’s weight of good.”’

It is said that what is meant in the hadith are actions of the heart, such as intention, sincerity, fear, counsel and the like. That is called ‘belief’ since they are located in belief or indicate it. This is the linguistic usage in Arabic. They call something by the name of the thing that it is near it or is a result of it. The evidence for this interpretation is what the Shāfi‘īs say in reference to the time after all those with an atom’s weight of good are removed from the Fire, when [as it says in the hadith] they said, ‘We have not left any good in it at all,’ even though Allah will later remove from it a lot of people who simply said, ‘There is no god but Allah.’ They are believers, and if they had not been believers, He would not have removed them from it.

If the first thing on which a likeness is based does not exist, then it cannot be subject to increase or decrease. That [increase/decrease] is determined in respect of movement. When Allah created a single knowledge and then created a similar knowledge or knowledges of known things along with it, then the first knowledge is increased. If Allah makes those similar knowledges cease to exist, then knowledge decreases, meaning that increase is removed. That is also the case when He creates a movement and creates concomitant movements.

Some scholars believe that the increase and decrease of belief is by way of proofs and so as a person increases in proofs they are said to increase in belief. That is why, according to one position, the Prophets are superior to others. They know about belief from many more angles than most people do. This position, however, does not follow what the āyah implies since it is not conceivable that there be an increase in belief through proofs in this instance.

Some people believe that belief increased through the revelation of obligations and reports in the period of the Prophet ﷺ and in learning of them after having been ignorant of them. This does constitute a kind of increase of belief and would make increase metaphorical. From this point of view, decrease is inconceivable, and this is in respect of knowledge. Allah knows best.

Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians.

‘Enough’ (ḥasb) is derived from aḥsāb which is sufficiency. A poet says:

She killed our house with curds and ghee. It is enough for you in being sated and quenched.

Al-Bukhārī reported from Ibn ‘Abbās that this is also what Ibrāhīm said when he was thrown into the fire and Muḥammad ﷺ said it when people told him, ‘The people have gathered against you.’ Allah knows best.

174 So they returned with blessings and bounty from Allah and no evil touched them. They pursued the pleasure of Allah. Allah’s favour is indeed immense.

Our scholars say that when they entrusted their affairs to Allah and relied with their hearts on Him, He repaid them with four things: blessing, favour, averting evil and following His pleasure, and so He was pleased with them and they with Him.

175 It was only Shayṭān frightening you through his friends. But do not fear them – fear Me if you are believers.

Ibn ‘Abbās and others said, ‘The meaning is “by means of his friends”, in other words he frightens the believers by means of the unbelievers.’ The genitive particle is omitted and the verb connected to the noun which is why it is in the accusative, as we also see in 18:2. He alarmed the believers by means of the unbelievers. As-Suddī and al-Ḥasan said, ‘He frightened them through the hypocrites to make them not fight the idolaters.’ As for the friends of Allah, they are not frightened when he tries to alarm them.

It is said that what is meant is that a human shayṭān, either Nu‘aym ibn Mas‘ūd or someone else, alarmed them with the number of the unbelievers. ‘But do not fear them,’ means do not fear the unbelievers mentioned earlier, or it refers to the friends if you say that it means that Shayṭān makes his friends alarm you.

Allah says ‘fear Me’ in respect of doing what He commands if you believe in His promise. The word ‘fear’ (khawf) in Arabic means dread. Khāwafahu fa-khāfahu is to vie to see which of then would have a greater fear of the other. Khawfā’ is a waterless desert and a camel which is khawfa’ is one with mange. Khāfah is like a leather bag used for collecting honey.

Sahl ibn ‘Abdullāh said, ‘Some of the truly sincere gathered to Ibrāhīm the Friend and asked, “What is fear?” He replied, “Not feeling safe until you reach the place of safety.”’ Sahl also said, ‘Whenever ar-Rabī‘ ibn Khaytham passed by Bukayr, he used to faint. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was told about that and said, “When that happens to him, inform me.” That happened and they told him and he went to his hand inside his shirt and found his heart beating rapidly. He said, “I testify that this is the most fearful of the people of your time.”’

The one who fears Allah fears that He will punish him, either in this world or the Next. That is why it is said that the fearful person is not the one who weeps and wipes his eyes; the fearful person is rather the one who abandons that for which he fears he will be punished. Allah has made it obligatory on His slaves to fear Him. He says: ‘Fear Me if you are believers.’ He praises the believers for having fear: ‘They fear their Lord above them.’ (16:50) The people of subtle indications say many things about fear which connect with what we have mentioned. Abū ‘Alī ad-Daqqāq said, ‘I visited Abū Bakr ibn Fūrak when he was ill. When he saw me, he wept and I said to him, “May Allah restore you and heal you.” He said to him, “Do you think that I am afraid of death? I am afraid of what comes after death.”’

We find in the Sunan of Ibn Mājah that Abū Dharr reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I see what you do not see and I hear what you do not hear. Heaven moans and it has the right to moan. There is no place in it the width of four fingers without an angel placing his brow on it, prostrating to Allah Almighty. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much and you would not enjoy women on your beds and you would go out to the streets seeking the help of Allah Almighty. I wish that I were a felled tree.’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it and said that it is a ḥasan gharīb hadith. It is related by another path that ‘I wish that I were a felled tree’ were Abu Dharr’s words. Allah knows best.

176 Do not let those who rush headlong into unbelief sadden you. They do not harm Allah in any way. Allah desires to assign no portion to them in the Next World. They will have a terrible punishment.

Do not let those who rush headlong into unbelief sadden you.

These are people who became Muslim and then apostatised out of fear of the idolaters. The Prophet ﷺ was saddened about them and Allah revealed this. Al-Kalbī said that it means the hypocrites and Jewish leaders who concealed the description of Prophet ﷺ in their Books and so this was revealed. It is said that it refers to the People of the Book when they did not believe. That was hard on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ because the people looked to them and said that they were the People of the Book and that if he what he said had been true, they would have followed him. So this was revealed.

Nāfi‘ reads this as ‘yuḥzinuka’ (Form IV, to make sad) as he does throughout the Qur’an except in al-Anbiyā’ (21:103) where he has ‘yaḥzunuka’. Abū Ja‘far has the opposite. Ibn Muḥayṣin recited in all ‘yuḥzinuka’ while the rest read it ‘yaḥzunika’. They are two dialects: ḥazana, yaḥzunu, and aḥzana, which is a rare dialectical form, but, according to an-Naḥḥās, the first is the more eloquent of the two. A poet said about aḥzana:

My companions have gone, and the houses sadden me.

Most recite ‘rush’ as ‘yusāri‘ūna’ and Ṭalḥah recited ‘yusri‘ūna’.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that they are the unbelievers of Quraysh and others say that they are the hypocrites. It is said that it is those mentioned before, and it is said that it is all unbelievers and their rushing into disbelief to work against Muḥammad ﷺ.

Al-Qushayrī said, ‘Sorrow over the disbelief of the unbeliever is a type of obedience, but the Prophet ﷺ had excessive sorrow over the disbelief of his people and was forbidden that: ‘So do not let yourself waste away out of regret for them.’’ (35:8) and ‘Perhaps you may destroy yourself with grief, chasing after them, if they do not believe in these words.’ (18:6)

They do not harm Allah in any way.

They will not diminish the kingdom of Allah and His power in any way by their disbelief. It is related by Abū Dharr that the Prophet ﷺ said in what He related from what Allah the Blessed and Almighty said: ‘O My slaves! I have forbidden injustice to Myself and I have made it unlawful between you, so do not wrong one another. O My slaves! All of you are misguided except those that I guide, so seek My guidance and I will guide you. O My slaves! All of you are hungry except those that I feed so ask me for food and I will feed you. O My slaves! All of you are naked except those that I clothe so ask me for clothing and I will clothe you. O My slaves! You make mistakes by night and by day and I forgive all wrong actions so ask for My forgiveness and I will forgive you. O My slaves! You will never attain to My harm so as to be able to harm Me and you will never attain to My benefit so as to be able benefit Me. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, possessed the heart of the most godfearing man among you, that would not increase My kingdom in any way. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, possessed the heart of the most evil man among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in any way. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, were to stand in a single place and ask of Me, I could give to every man what he asks without that decreasing what I have any more than a needle when it enters the sea. O My slaves! It is your actions for which I call you to account and then repay you in full. So anyone who finds good should praise Allah and anyone who finds something else should blame none but himself.’ It is transmitted by Muslim in the Ṣaḥīḥ, at-Tirmidhī and others. It is an immense hadith. It is said that the meaning is: ‘You will not harm the friends of Allah when they relinquish their help since Allah is their Helper.’

Allah desires to assign no portion to them in the Next World.

Ḥaẓẓ (portion) is a share and fortune. You say that someone is more fortunate (aḥaẓẓ) than another and he is maḥẓūẓ or fortunate. The plural of ḥaẓẓ is aḥāẓz̧. Abū Zayd said that a man who is described as ḥaẓīẓ is fortunate since he has a portion of provision. The verb ḥaẓẓa is to be fortunate in something. Sometimes the plural is aḥuẓẓ. Allah means that He will not assign them a portion in the Garden. This is a text which illustrates that good and evil are subject to Allah’s will.

177 Those who sell belief for unbelief do not harm Allah in any way.

Those who sell belief for disbelief were already mentioned in al-Baqarah. ‘They do not harm Allah in any way’ is repetition for stress. It is said that part of bad management is to exchange belief for disbelief and sell the one for the other. ‘Shay’’ is in the accusative in both places since it is in the position of a verbal noun. It is as if Allah were saying: they will not harm Allah either a little or a lot. It can also be in the accusative by the elision of an implied bā’, as if He were saying: it will not harm Allah at all.

178 Those who disbelieve should not imagine that the extra time We grant to them is good for them. We only allow them more time so they will increase in evildoing. They will have a humiliating punishment.

This refers to His granting them a long life and luxury. It means: ‘Those who alarm the Muslims should not imagine that Allah does not have the power to destroy them. They are given a long life so that they can disobey Allah, not because it is good for them.’ It is said to mean: ‘The extra time We have given them in the form of the victory at Uḥud is not good for them. That is just in order to increase their punishment.’

It is related that Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘There is no one, either good or bad, but that death is not better for him. If he is good, Allah says: “What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good” (3:198), and if he is bad, Allah says: “We only allow them more time so they will increase in evildoing.”’

Ibn ‘Āmir and ‘Āṣim read ‘imagine’ as ‘yaḥsibanna’ whereas Ḥamzah reads it as ‘taḥsabanna’ and the rest read it as ‘yaḥsabanna’. If it is read with yā’, ‘those’ is the subject and it means, ‘the unbelievers should not imagine,’ and ‘the extra time We grant to them’ takes the place of two objects and ‘mā’ means ‘which’ and the pronoun is elided. ‘Better’ is the predicate of ‘anna’, and it is also possible to assume that mā’ and the verb are verbal nouns and implies: ‘those who disbelieve should not imagine that Our granting them a deferral is good for them’.

If it is read with a tā’, then the subject is the second person, who is Muḥammad ﷺ, and ‘those’ is in the accusative based on the first object of ‘imagine’ and what follows it is an appositive for ‘those’ and takes the place of two objects as it would do if it were an appositive. It is not proper for ‘an’ and what follows it to be a second object of ‘imagine’ because the second object in this area is the first in meaning because ‘ḥasiba’ and its sisters are added to the inchoative and the predicate, meaning ‘you should not imagine that the extra time We grant them is good.’ This is the view of az-Zajjāj.

Abū ‘Alī said, ‘If this is sound, then “good” would be in the accusative because “anna” would become an appositive for “those who disbelieve”, and so it would be as if Allah were saying, “Do not imagine that the deferral of those who disbelieve is good for them.” So His word “good” is the second object of “imagine”. It is not permitted to recite it with tā’ unless it is “inna” with a kasrah and “good’ is in the accusative. That is not related from Ḥamzah. The reading from Ḥamzah has a tā’ and so this reading is not sound.’

Al-Farrā’ and al-Kisā’ī said, ‘The reading of Ḥamzah is permitted for repetition. It implies: “Do not imagine that those who disbelieve, do not imagine that the deferral We grant them is good.” So “anna” takes the place of two objects by the second “imagine”. It acts as a second object of the first “imagine”.’ Al-Qushayrī said, ‘This is close to what az-Zajjāj mentioned about the claim of the appositive, and the reading is sound and Abū ‘Alī aimed to be harsh to az-Zajjāj.’ An-Naḥḥās said, ‘Abū Ḥātim claimed the recitation by Ḥamzah here and in 3:180 is poor Arabic. This is not permitted and a group corroborate him in that.’

Yahyā ibn Waththāb recited ‘innamā’ and ‘inna’, both with a kasrah. Abū Ja‘far said, ‘Yaḥyā’s reading is good.’ Abū Ḥātim said, ‘I heard al-Akhfash mentioned that the kasrah of “inna” is used by the Qadariyyah as an argument and they make it entail a change in word order: “Those who disbelieve should not imagine that We give them more time so that they can increase in evildoing. Giving them a deferral is good for them.”’ He said, ‘I saw in a copy of the Qur’an in the General Mosque in which a mode (ḥarf) had been added which said: “innāmā numlī lahum [li-yazdādū] imānan.” Ya‘qūb al-Qāri’ looked at it and the incorrect usage was clear and he scratched it out.’

This āyah is a text invalidating the position of the Qadariyyah because it reports that Allah extends their lives so that their unbelief will increase by their committing acts of disobedience to Allah and this occurs sequentially in the heart as is clear in respect of its opposite which is belief. Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘There is no one who is pious or impious but that death is better for him.’ Then he recited: ‘We only allow them more time so that they will increase in evildoing’ and he recited: ‘What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good.’ (3:198) Razīn transmitted it.

179 Allah will only leave the believers in the position you now are in so that He can sift out the rotten from the good. Allah has not given you access to the Unseen. But Allah chooses those of His Messengers whom He wills. So believe in Allah and His Messengers. If you believe and are godfearing you will have an immense reward.

Allah will only leave the believers in the position you now are in so that He can sift out the rotten from the good. Allah has not given you access to the Unseen.

Abu-l-‘Ālīyah said, ‘The believers asked to be given a sign by which a believer could be distinguished from a hypocrite and so Allah revealed: “Allah will only leave the believers in the position you now are in …”’ There is disagreement about who is addressed by this āyah. Ibn ‘Abbās, aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk, Muqātil, al-Kalbī and most commentators say that it is addressed to the unbelievers and hypocrites, implying, ‘Allah would not leave the believers in the position you are in of disbelief, hypocrisy and enmity to the Prophet ﷺ.’

Al-Kalbī said, ‘Some Quraysh from the people of Makkah said to the Prophet ﷺ, “You claim that one of our men is in the Fire. If he leaves our dīn and follows yours, you say that he is one of the people of the Garden. So tell us who this one is. Tell us which of us will come to you and who will not come.” So Allah revealed: “Allah will only leave the believers in the position you now are in” of disbelief and hypocrisy “so that He can sift out the rotten from the good.”’

It is said that it is addressed to the idolaters and that what is meant by the ‘believers’ are those still to be born who will believe, meaning that Allah would not leave children who will believe in the shirk you espouse until He has distinguished between you and them. If this is true, then ‘Allah has not given’ is a new sentence. That is the position of Ibn ‘Abbās and most commentators.

It is said that it is addressed to the believers, i.e. ‘Allah would not leave you, O believers, in the position you are in where the believer is muddled with the hypocrites until he sifts you out through trial and responsibility so that you will recognise the rotten hypocrite from the good believer.’ The two groups were sifted at Uḥud. This is the position of most of the people of meanings.

This is addressed to the believers, meaning, ‘Allah would not single out the hypocrites for you so that you recognise them, but He helps you in that through responsibility and trial.’ That was made clear at Uḥud. The hypocrites stayed behind and displayed malice. ‘You did not know this Unseen reality before this happened. Now Allah has acquainted Muḥammad ﷺ with that.’

It is said that the words ‘give you access’ mean Allah would not inform you of what will happen with them, and so this would be connected to what was before and is not a new sentence. That is because when the unbelievers said, ‘Why has nothing been revealed to us?’ Allah said: ‘Allah has not given you access to the Unseen,’ in other words to the one whom [they think] deserves Prophethood so that revelation would be by their choice.

Allah chooses whomever He wishes to receive access to His Unseen. The verb for ‘giving access’ is ṭala‘a and iṭṭala‘a which is transitive. The verb used for ‘sifting out’ is recited as ‘yumayyizu’ from Form II. It is also recited like that in al-Anfāl and it is the reading of Ḥamzah. The rest have yamīzu from Form I of māza, yamīzu. One says, ‘miztu’ to separate one part of a thing from another, with the verbal noun mayz, and Form II with the verbal noun tamyīz. Abū Mu‘ādh said, ‘“Miztu’ash-shay’’ means “I divided it into two.” When it is into several parts, then you say, “mayyaztuhā tamyīzan”. Similarly when you make one into two, you say, “faraqtu baynahumā”. An example of that is the parting (faraq) of the hair. When you split something into several things, you say, “farraqtuhu tafrīqan.”’ An aspect of it is sifting (imtāza) people from one another. We also see its use in the āyah: ‘It all but bursts with rage’ (67:8): ‘yakādu yatamayyaza,’ meaning almost bursts apart. We also see in a report: ‘If someone removes (māza) something harmful from the road, it is ṣadaqah for him.’

So believe in Allah and His Messengers.

It is said that when the unbelievers asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to make it clear to them who were believers, Allah revealed this. It means: ‘Do not be occupied with what does not concern you. Be occupied with what concerns you, which is belief.’ ‘Believe’ means to affirm the truth, not to seek for the Unseen. ‘The immense reward’ is the Garden.

It is reported that an astrologer was with al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yusūf and al-Ḥajjāj took some pebbles in his hand and, knowing how many they were, asked the astrologer, ‘How many pebbles are in my hand?’ He guessed and was right. Al-Ḥajjāj ignored him and took some pebbles which he had not counted and asked the astrologer, ‘How many are in my hand?’ He guessed and was wrong. Then he guessed again and was wrong. He said, ‘Governor, I think that you do not know how many are in your hand.’ ‘No, I don’t’ he replied and then asked, ‘So what is the difference between this and that?’ He said, ‘You counted the first one and so it was not an unseen matter. I guessed and was right. The number this time was unknown, and so it was unseen matter and only Allah Almighty knows the Unseen.’ This will be further discussed in al-An‘ām.

180 Those who are tight-fisted with the bounty Allah has given them should not suppose that that is better for them. No indeed, it is worse for them! What they were tight-fisted with will be hung around their necks on the Day of Rising. Allah is the inheritor of the heavens and the earth and Allah is aware of what you do.

Those who are tight-fisted with the bounty Allah has given them should not suppose that that is better for them.

‘Those’ is in the nominative and the first object is elided. Al-Khalīl, Sībawayh and al-Farrā’ said that it means: ‘They think miserliness is better for them,’ meaning: ‘The tight-fisted should not suppose that miserliness is better for them.’ There is elision because ‘miserliness’ is indicated. This is common usage in Arabic. [POEM] As for the reading of Ḥamzah, it is very unlikely according to an-Naḥḥās. It is also possible that it means ‘Do not suppose the miserliness of the tight-fisted is better for them.’ Az-Zajjāj said, ‘It is like “Ask the town” (12:82).’ The pronoun ‘huwa’ in ‘it is better for them’ is separating according to the Basrans but is a disconnected pronoun according to the Kufans. An-Naḥḥās said that in Arabic it can be an inceptive and predicate.

It is worse for them. What they were tight-fisted with will be hung around their necks on the Day of Rising.

Miserliness is worse for them. The sīn of the future tense in ‘will be hung’ is a threat. Al-Mubarrad said that. This āyah was revealed about miserliness in respect of wealth and spending in the Way of Allah and not paying the obligatory zakāt. This is like Allah’s words: ‘They do not spend it in the way of Allah.’ (9:34) A group of interpreters, including Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās, Abū Wā’il, Abū Mālik, as-Suddī and ash-Sha‘bī, said, ‘The meaning of “what they were tight-fisted with will be hung around their necks” is that which is reported in hadith from Abū Hurayrah in which the Prophet ﷺ said, “If someone is given wealth by Allah and does not pay the zakāt due on it, on the Day of Rising it will take on the likeness of [a poisonous snake] with two spots which will coil about his neck under his ears on the Day of Rising, saying, ‘I am your wealth. I am your treasure.’” Then he recited this āyah.’ An-Nasā’ī transmitted it.

Ibn Mājah transmitted from Ibn Mas‘ūd that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘If someone does not pay the zakāt due on his wealth, on the Day of Rising it will take on the likeness of [a poisonous snake] with two spots which will coil about his neck.’ He said, ‘Then the Prophet ﷺ recited an āyah confirming this in the Book of Allah Almighty: “Those who are tight-fisted with the bounty Allah has given them should not suppose that that is better for them.”’ It is reported from the Prophet ﷺ: ‘There is no one who has a relative who comes to him and asks him for some of the surplus wealth he has and then he is miserly towards him, but that on the Day of Rising a serpent of fire will be brought to him, smacking its lips, and wrapped around his neck.’

Ibn ‘Abbās said, ‘This āyah was revealed about the People of the Book and their miserliness in clarifying what they knew about Muḥammad ﷺ.’ Mujāhid and a group of the people of knowledge said that. According to this interpretation, the words ‘hung about their necks’ indicate the punishment for their miserliness. It comes from ṭāqah (ability) as the Almighty says: ‘For those who are able to fast’ (2:184), but this is not part of ability. Ibrāhīm an-Nakha‘ī said that on the Day of Rising Allah will give them a collar of fire. This coincides with the first interpretation which is the view of as-Suddī. It is said that their actions will cling to them as a collar clings to the neck. The ring of a dove is used metaphorically to denote this adhesion. Allah Almighty says: ‘We have hastened the destiny of every man around his neck.’ (17:13) An example illustrating this is found in the words of ‘Abdullāh ibn Jaḥsh to Abū Sufyān:

Convey to Abū Sufyan that he will come to regret the outcome of a matter. You sold the house of your cousin to settle the debt you owed.

Your ally by Allah, the Lord of people, swears a strong oath: Take it! Take it! Your treachery will cling to you like the ring of a dove!

This follows the second interpretation. Linguistically, bukhl (miserliness) is that person withholds a right he owes to another. The one who withholds what he is not obliged to give is not a miser because he is not censured for that. The people of the Hijaz say: yabkhulūna, bakhulū while the rest of the Arabs say: yabkhalūna, bakhilū. An-Naḥḥās related that.

An example of the result of miserliness is what is related of the Prophet ﷺ saying to the Anṣār, ‘Who is your master?’ They answered, ‘Al-Jadd ibn Qays in spite of his miserliness.’ He said, ‘What illness could be worse than miserliness?’ ‘How is that, Messenger of Allah?’ they asked. He said ﷺ, ‘A people lived by the coast and, because of their miserliness, disliked guests staying there. They said, “Let our men be far from the women so that the men can use the distance of the women as an excuse for not receiving guests and the women can use the distance of the men as an excuse.” They did that for a long time and so the men became involved with one another and the women with one another.’ Al-Māwardī mentioned it in Kitāb adab ad-dunyā wa’d-dīn. Allah knows best.

There is disagreement about whether miserliness (bukhl) and avarice (shaḥḥ) are the same thing. It is said that miserliness is refusing to give what you have and avarice is desiring to obtain what you do not have. Avarice is miserliness coupled with greed. That is sound based on what Muslim transmits from Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Beware of injustice. Injustice will be darkness on the Day of Rising. Beware of avarice. Avarice destroyed those before you and prompted them to shed each other’s blood and make lawful what was unlawful.’ This refutes the idea of miserliness being refusing to give what is obligatory and avarice being refusing to give what is recommended, because if avarice had been refusing to give what is recommended, it would not have merited such a severe threat and strong censure about being the destruction of this world and the Next. This is supported by what an-Nasā’ī reported from Abū Hurayrah who reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Dust in the Way of Allah will never be joined with the smoke of Hellfire in the nostrils of a Muslim man. Avarice and belief are never joined together in the heart of a Muslim man.’ This indicates that avarice is more strongly censured than miserliness although there is something reported which indicates that they are the same: the words of the Prophet ﷺ who was asked, ‘Is the believer miserly?’ ‘No,’ he replied. Al-Māwardī related in Kitāb adab ad-dunyā wa’d-dīn that the Prophet ﷺ asked the Anṣār, ‘Who is your master?’ They answered, ‘Al-Jadd ibn Qays in spite of his miserliness.’

Allah is the inheritor of the heavens and the earth.

Allah tells us about His going on and the eternal nature of His Kingdom and that He is after time as He was before time, free of any need of the universe. He will inherit the earth after the annihilation of His creation and departure of their kingdoms when there is no one left to claim their wealth. This is a reference to customary practice in human inheritance and this is not what actually happens because the heir is the one who inherits what he did not own before whereas Allah is, in any case, the Owner of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the heavens and what is in them, and the earth and what is in it. Property and wealth are in reality merely loaned to their owners in this world and, when they die, return to their original Owner. It is also like the āyah: ‘It is We who will inherit the earth and all those on it.’ (19:40) In both āyahs Allah Almighty commanded His servants to spend and not to be miserly before they die and leave that to be inherited by Allah Almighty. They only benefit from what they spend.

181 Allah has heard the words of those who say, ‘Allah is poor and we are rich.’ We will write down what they said and their killing of the Prophets without any right to do so and We will say, ‘Taste the punishment of the Burning.’ 182 That is on account of what you did. Allah does not wrong His slaves.

Allah has heard the words of those who say, ‘Allah is poor and we are rich.’

Allah mentions here the ugly words of the unbelievers, especially the Jews. Commentators say that when Allah revealed: ‘Is there anyone who will make Allah a generous loan?’ (2:245), some of the Jews, including Ḥuyayy ibn Akhṭab according to al-Ḥasan, and Finḥāṣ ibn ‘Āzūrā’ according to ‘Ikrimah and others, said, ‘Allah is poor and we are rich since He borrows from us.’ They said this to confuse those who were weak, not because they believed it, because they were People of the Book. But in saying this they asserted disbelief because they wanted to cause doubt in the weak among them and among the believers and to deny the Prophet ﷺ. ‘He is poor according to what Muḥammad ﷺ says, since He borrows from us.’

We will write down what they said

This means ‘We will repay them for it.’ It is said, ‘We will record it in the records of their deeds,’ in other words command the Guardian Angels to confirm what they said on the Day of Rising when they read what is in these books so that it will be evidence against them. It is like Allah’s words: ‘We are writing it down.’ (21:94) It is said that what is meant by writing is remembering, meaning ‘We will remember what they said and repay them.’ The mā in ‘mā qālū’ is in the accusative by the action of ‘write’. Al-A‘mash and Ḥamzah recite ‘sa-yuktabu’ (‘what they said will be written down’) and so mā is a passive subject. Ḥamzah thought that based on the reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd: ‘yuqālu’ (it will be said).

their killing of the Prophets without any right to do so.

We will also record their killing of the Prophets, in other words their approval of their being killed. What is being referred to is their ancestors killing of the Prophets, but they were pleased with that and so it was also ascribed to them. A man commended the killing of ‘Uthmān in the presence of ash-Sha‘bī and ash-Sha‘bī told him, ‘You have shared in his murder.’ He made approval tantamount to actual killing.

This is a very serious matter since approval of disobedience is also disobedience. Abū Dāwūd reported from al-‘Urs ibn ‘Umayra al-Kindī that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When you do something wrong on the earth, those who witness but dislike it – or object to it – are like the one who is absent from it. Those who are absent from it but approve of it are like those who are present.’ This is a text. The meaning of the expression ‘without any right’ was discussed in al-Baqarah.

We will say, ‘Taste the punishment of the Burning.’

This will be said to them in Hellfire, or at their deaths, or at the Reckoning. The words are spoken by Allah or by the angels. The reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd is ‘yuqālu’. ‘Burning’ is a name for the blazing of the Fire. The ‘Fire’ includes that which is actually blazing and that which is not.

That is on account of what you did. (lit. ‘what your hands sent ahead)

That punishment is for your prior wrong actions. The use of the word ‘hands’ here indicates their personally undertaking the action since it ascribes it directly to the person doing it. An action can be ascribed to a person when he orders it to be done as in 28:4. The root of ‘aydīkum’ is ‘aydyukum’ and the ḍammah is elided because it is heavy. Allah knows best.

183 Those who say, ‘Allah has made a contract with us that we should not believe in any Messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire.’ Say, ‘Messengers came to you before me with the Clear Signs and with what you say. So why did you kill them if you are telling the truth?’ 184 If they deny you, Messengers before you were also denied, who brought the Clear Signs and written texts and the illuminating Book.

Those who say, ‘Allah has made a contract with us that we should not believe in any Messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire.’

‘Those’ is in the genitive as an appositive for ‘those who say’ in the previous āyah or as an adjective of ‘slaves’ or the predicate of an inceptive meaning: ‘they are those who say’.

Al-Kalbī and others said that it was revealed about Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf, Mālik ibn aṣ-Ṣayf, Wahb ibn Yahūdhā, Finḥāṣ ibn ‘Āzūrā’ and a group who came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, ‘So you claim that Allah has sent you to us when He revealed to us a Book in which He made a contract with us that we should not believe in any Messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire. If you bring that, then we will believe you.’ Then Allah revealed this. It is said that this is in the Torah, but the Word was complete when both the Messiah and Muḥammad came to them. When they came to them, then they should believe in them without such a sacrifice.

It is said that the matter of that kind of sacrifice was established until it was abrogated by ‘Īsā. Among them, a Prophet used to sacrifice and pray. A roaring smokeless white fire would descend and consume the sacrifice. This is what the Jews claimed, while concealing its abrogation. In holding to this, they were harassing the Prophet ﷺ. The miracles of the Prophet ﷺ were a definitive proof to invalidate their claim. It was the same with the miracles of ‘Īsā. If his truthfulness is mandatory, then it is mandatory to affirm him. Then Allah established the proof against them.

Say, ‘Messengers came to you before me with the Clear Signs and with what you say. So why did you kill them if you are telling the truth?’

This is addressed to Muḥammad and ‘to you’ refers to the Jews. The ‘Clear Signs’ the Prophets brought them were the sacrifices, but in spite of that they killed many of them, such as Zakariyyā, Yaḥyā, Shu‘ayb, and the rest of the Prophets who were killed and not believed in. That, of course, refers to what their ancestors did.

This is the āyah which ash-Sha‘bī recited and used as evidence against the one who commended the murder of ‘Uthmān as we stated. Allah calls these Jews ‘killers’ because they approved of what their ancestors had done, even though there was about seven hundred years between them. ‘Qurbān’ (sacrifice) is a practice by which one draws near to Allah, such as ṣadaqah and other righteous actions. It has the form fu‘lān from the basis of qurbah. It can be a noun like sulṭān and burhān (proof), or a verbal noun like ‘udwān (aggression) and khusrān (loss). ‘Īsā ibn ‘Umar used to recite ‘qurubān’, following the ḍammah on the qāf as the plural of ẓulmah is ẓulumāt and that of ḥujrah is ḥujurāt.

If they deny you, Messengers before you were also denied, who brought the Clear Signs and written texts and the illuminating Book.

‘Clear Signs’ are proofs. ‘Zubur’ are written texts. Mazbūrah means ‘written’. ‘Zubur’ is the plural of zabūr which is a book. The root of zabara means ‘to write’. Every zabūr is a book. Imru’u-l-Qays said:

Whose are the remnants I see which grieve me, like the writing of a book (zabūr) on Yamānī bark?

‘I recognize my tazbirah’, refers to handwriting. It is also said that it is derived from zabr, meaning to chide. The verb zabara can also mean to encircle a well with stones.

Ibn ‘Āmir recited ‘bi-z-zuburi wa bi-l-kitāb’ with two extra bā’s in both words. It is like that in the Syrian copies of the Qur’an.

‘The Illuminating Book’ is a book that is clear in itself and also makes things clear, from the verb anāra, yunīru. Form II and Form X are used as well as Form IV to mean the same. Each of them is intransitive and transitive. Allah combines zubur and kitāb which mean the same. We have already mentioned the root meaning of kitāb.

185 Every self will taste death. You will be paid your wages in full on the Day of Rising. Anyone who is distanced from the Fire and admitted to the Garden has triumphed. The life of this world is just the enjoyment of delusion.

Allah told us about the misers and their disbelief when they said, ‘Allah is poor and we are rich,’ and then commanded the believers to be steadfast in the face of their injury. In the next āyah He tells them: ‘You will be tested,’ and thus makes it clear that this world will end and not continue. The duration of this world is brief and the Day of Rising is the Day of Repayment.

Every self will taste death.

Everyone will taste death because it is unavoidable for the living as Umayyah ibn Abī’ṣ-Ṣalt said:

Whoever does not die in the bloom of life dies decrepit. Death is a cup from which everyone must drink.

Another said:

Death is a door which everyone must enter. Would that I knew which Abode lies beyond the door!

The general reading is ‘dhā’iqatu-l-mawti’ with iḍāfah while al-A‘mash and Ibn Abī Isḥāq read ‘dhā’iqatun al-mawta’ with tanwīn and ‘mawt’ in the accusative. They said that that is because it has not been tasted yet. That is because there are two types of active participle. One indicates the past and the other the future. If it is the first, then it is only in iḍāfah with what follows it, as when you say, ‘This one hit Zayd yesterday and killed Bakr yesterday’ because it acts as an inert noun, which is knowledge like ‘The slave of Zayd’ and ‘the companion of Bakr.’ [POEM] If it is the second, then it is permitted to have the genitive, accusative and tanwīn because it acts like a present verb. If the verb is not transitive, it is not transitive, like ‘qā’iumun Zaydun’. If it is transitive, you make it transitive and it takes the accusative like ‘Zaydun ḥārib ‘Amran.’ It is also permitted to elide the tanwīn and the iḍāfah is lighter. [POEM] We also see the same usage in 39:38.

Know that death has causes and signs. One of the signs of the death of the believers is the sweat of the brow. An-Nasā’ī reported that Buraydah heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘The believer dies with sweat on his brow.’ We explained it in at-Tadhkirah.

When he is dying, he is told to say the shahādah since the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Instruct your dying to say, “There is no god but Allah”’ so that it is his last words and his life is sealed with the shahādah. It should not be repeated to him so that he does not become irritated.

It is recommended to recite Sūrat Yāsīn based on the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Recite Yāsīn over your dying.’ Abū Dāwūd transmitted it. Al-Ajurrī mentioned in the Book of Advice from Umm ad-Dardā’ that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There is no dying person who has Sūrat Yāsīn recited to him without death being easy for him.’ In death the eyes follow the spirit, as is reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Acts of worship and responsibility are removed. Rulings are then addressed to the living, some of which are not properly esteemed. His righteous brothers are informed about his death. Some people dislike that and say that it is tantamount to a death announcement which is disliked. The first view is sounder and we have elucidated it elsewhere. Another thing that is done is preparation of the dead person by washing and burial of them before any putrefaction occurs. The Prophet ﷺ said to some people who delayed burying their dead, ‘Hurry to bury your dead’ and he said ﷺ, ‘Hurry to perform the funeral prayer.’

It is sunnah for the Muslims to wash all their dead except for martyrs. It is said that it is mandatory to wash them as well as Qāḍī ‘Abd al-Wahhāb said. The first is the position of the Book. There are scholars who hold both views. The reason for the disagreement is what the Prophet ﷺ said to Umm ‘Aṭiyyah about washing his daughter Zaynab, as in Muslim, or Umm Kulthūm as in Abū Dāwūd: ‘Wash her three or five or more if you think that is necessary.’ That is the basis of scholars for washing the dead. It is said that what is meant is the command to wash and it is said that what is meant is clarification of the ruling about washing and that it is mandatory. It is said that what is meant is instructing how that washing should be done and there is nothing in it which indicates that it is mandatory. They said that this is indicated by his words ﷺ, ‘if you think’. This would imply that the literal meaning is not a mandatory command because it is left to their view. They are told, ‘This is highly unlikely because the words “if you think” refer to a command, not to understanding. There is merely choice concerning the number of times.’

There is no disagreement that washing the dead is prescribed and acting on it is the Sharī‘ah. It is not abandoned. It is done like the ghusl for janābah. The dead person is not washed more than seven times by consensus as Abū ‘Umar related. If something emerges from the corpse after the seventh time, only the place of emergence is washed. The ruling is the same as that of someone in janābah when he breaks wuḍū’ after his ghusl.

The dead person is shrouded after they are washed. Shrouding is mandatory according to the generality of the Muslims. If they have money, the cost of the shroud is taken from the main part of their wealth according to most scholars, except for Ṭāwus who says that it is taken from the remaining third of their wealth, large or small. If the deceased was someone who had to be supported in his life – by a master, if it is a slave, or by a father, husband or son in other cases – there is agreement that, in the case of a slave, the master must pay, but there is disagreement about the husband, father and son. If there is no one, then it is up to the Muslim Treasury or the community of Muslims as a whole to provide what is needed.

The specific individual obligation is that the private parts must be covered. If more is available, but not enough to cover the entire body, then the head and face are covered as well to honour the face and cover the good features which will change. The basis for this is the story of Muṣ‘ab ibn ‘Umayr. He left a mantle after the Battle of Uḥud. When his head was covered, his feet showed, and when his feet were covered, his head showed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Put it over his head and cover his feet with idhkhir-herb.’ Muslim transmitted it.

Most scholars recommend an odd number of cloths in shrouding, but all of them agree that there is no definitive number. White is recommended. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Wear white. It is the best of your garments. Shroud your dead in it.’ Abū Dāwud transmitted it. The Prophet ﷺ was shrouded in three white Saḥūlī cotton cloths. It is permitted to use other than white for shrouds unless it is silk.

The stinginess of heirs regarding shrouding is settled for them by stipulating the same sort of clothing used for Jumu‘ah and for ‘Īds. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When one of you shrouds his brother, he should shroud him well.’ Muslim transmitted it. That is unless the dead person has left instructions to use something inferior to that. If he leaves instructions for something more extravagant, it is said that such excess is void, and it is also said that it is paid for from the third he is allowed to use for legacies. The first view is sounder since Allah says: ‘Do not be extravagant.’ (6:141) Abū Bakr said, ‘It is for pus.’

When the washing and shrouding is finished, the deceased is placed on their bier and the men carry him. The ruling is to carry the bier quickly since the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Go briskly with the bier. If the dead is righteous, it is good that you are bringing him to. If he is other than that, it is evil that you are removing from your shoulders.’ It is not as the ignorant do today by walking slowly and stopping time after time, and reciting the Qur’an with melodies and other things which are not lawful to do as the Egyptians do with their dead.

An-Nasā’ī related from Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-A‘lā from Khālid from ‘Uyaynah ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥman that his father, ‘Abd ar-Raḥman, said, ‘I saw the funeral of ‘Abd ar-Raḥman ibn Samurah. Ziyād was walking in front of the bier. Some men from family and clients of ‘Abd ar-Raḥman began to get in front of the bier and walk backwards, saying, “Slowly! Slowly! May Allah bless you!” They went at a snail’s pace until we were on part of the Mirbad road where we met Abū Bakrah on a mule. When he saw what they were doing, he attacked them with his mule and brought his whip down on them. He said, “Stop it! By the One who honoured the face of Abu-l-Qāsim ﷺ, when we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we went very quickly with it!” The people were glad.’ Abū Mājidah related that Ibn Mas‘ūd said, ‘We asked our Prophet ﷺ about how to walk with the bier and he said, “Less than trotting. If it is good, he is hastened to it. If it is other than that, then may the people of the Fire be far away!”’

Abū ‘Umar said, ‘The majority of scholars agree that what is meant by going quickly is faster than sedately. They preferred going quickly to going slowly. It is disliked to go so quickly as to impose difficulty on any weak people who are following.’ Ibrāhīm an-Nakha‘ī said, ‘Go slightly slowly but do not creep slowly like the Jews and Christians.’ Some people interpreted the ‘going quickly’ mentioned in the hadith of Abū Hurayah as hastening the burial, not the manner of walking. That is of no import because of what we have mentioned. Success is by Allah.

The prayer over the deceased is a general obligation like jihād. This is the common position of the schools of the scholars, Mālik and others, since the Prophet ﷺ said about the Negus, ‘Stand and do the prayer for him.’ Aṣbagh, however, said that it is sunnah and related that from Mālik. This will be further discussed in at-Tawbah.

It is mandatory to bury the deceased in the earth and cover them since the Almighty says: ‘Then Allah sent a crow which scratched at the earth to show him how to conceal his brother’s corpse.’ (5:31) The ruling concerning digging the grave, what is recommended in it and how to place the dead in it will be mentioned in another place. The ruling concerning building a mosque over graves will be mentioned in al-Kahf.

These are rulings about the dead and what is obliged for the living. ‘A’ishah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Do not curse the dead. They have gone ahead to what they sent forward.’ Muslim transmitted it. We find in the Sunan of an-Nasā’ī: ‘Someone who had died was spoken ill of in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and he said, “Only speak well of the dead.”’

You will be paid your wages in full on the Day of Rising.

The wage of the believer is the reward and the wage of the unbeliever is punishment. Blessing and trial in this world are not counted as a reward and payment because they are subject to annihilation.

Anyone who is distanced from the Fire and admitted to the Garden has triumphed.

He has ‘triumphed’ because he has obtained what he hoped for and was saved from what he feared. Al-A‘mash related from Zayd ibn Wahb from ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn ‘Abd Rabb al-Ka‘bah from ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Anyone who desires to be far from the Fire and to enter the Garden should have death come to him while he is testifying that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and he should give people what he must give them.’ Abū Hurayrah related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘A whip-sized space in the Garden is better than this world and everything in it. Recite if you wish: “Anyone who is distanced from the Fire and admitted to the Garden has triumphed.”’

The life of this world is just the enjoyment of delusion.

This means that it deludes and deceives the believer so that he thinks it will last for a long time while in fact it is quickly passing. Enjoyment refers to articles that are enjoyed and used, such as an axe, pot and bowl. Then it is removed and does not last. That is what most commentators say. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘It is like the green of plants and the games of girls which have no result.’ Qatādah said, ‘It is abandoned enjoyment which is about to vanish. So a person must take what he can from this enjoyment by obeying Allah.’ A poet spoke excellent words about this:

It is the abode of harm and annoyance, the abode of passing away and the abode of vicissitudes.

Even if you were to obtain it lock, stock and barrel, you would still die without getting what you desire of it.

Ghurūr is delusion while gharār is shayṭān who deludes people by making them hope and giving them false promises. Ibn ‘Arafah said, ‘Delusion is things you see that have an outward appearance that you love while their inward is disliked or unknown.’ Shayṭān is the Deluder because he moves people to what their lower selves love while what is behind it is harmful for them. Illustrating this is a sale that is ‘gharār’ (entailing risk). Outwardly it is is uncertain and what is inside it is unknown.

186 You will be tested in your wealth and in yourselves and you will hear many abusive words from those given the Book before you and from those who are idolaters. But if you are steadfast and godfearing, that is the most resolute course to take.

This is addressed to the Prophet ﷺ and His Community. It means: ‘You will be tested and tried in your wealth by hardships and loss, through spending in the Cause of Allah and all the obligations of the Sharī‘ah.’ Testing in selves is through death, illness and loss of loved ones. He mentions wealth first because there are many afflictions in it.

In connection with the verb ‘you may hear’, if it is asked why the wāw is kept in ‘la-tublawūnna’ (tested) when it is elided in ‘wala-tasma‘unna’, the answer is that the wāw in ‘la-tublawūnna’ has a fatḥah before it and so it takes a vowel because of two silent letters meeting, and the ḍammah is singled out because it is the wāw of the plural and it is not permitted to elide it because nothing before it indicates it. It is elided in ‘wala-tasma‘unna’ because what is before it indicates it. It is not permitted for the wāw to have a hamzah in ‘la-tublawūnna’ because its vowel is accidental [not permanent].’ An-Naḥḥās and others said that. One says for the masculine singular ‘la-tublayanna’, for the dual ‘la-tublayānna’ and for the plural ‘la-tublawunna’.

The reason for this āyah being revealed was that Abū Bakr heard a Jew say, ‘Allah is poor and we are rich’ to refute the Qur’an and make light of it when Allah revealed: ‘Is there anyone who will make Allah a generous loan?’ (2:245) He slapped him and the Jew complained about him to the Prophet ﷺ and this was revealed. ‘Ikrimah said that the speaker was Finḥāṣ.

Az-Zuhrī said that it was revealed because of Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf, a poet, who used to satirise the Prophet ﷺ and His Companions; the Qurayshī unbelievers had incited him to do so. He abused the Muslim women to the point that eventually the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Muḥammad ibn Maslamah and his comrades to kill him. This is known in the Sīrah and sound reports. Other things are said as well.

When the Prophet ﷺ came to Madīnah, there were Jews and idolaters there, and he and his Companions endured much verbal abuse. The Ṣaḥīḥ collections report that once, when the Prophet ﷺ was on a donkey, he passed by Ibn Ubayy and called him to Allah. He retorted, ‘If what you say is true, do not annoy us with it in our gatherings! Return to your mount and just speak to whoever comes to you.’ Ibn Ubayy covered his nose so that the dust raised by the donkey would not touch him. Ibn Rawāḥah exclaimed, ‘Indeed, Messenger of Allah! Bring it to us in our gatherings. We like that!’ The idolaters around Ibn Ubayy and the Muslims abused one another. The Prophet ﷺ kept on calming them down until they were quiet. Then he went to Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah to visit him since he was ill and said, ‘Did you hear what so-and-so said?’ Sa‘d said, ‘Pardon him and overlook it. By the One who sent down the Book on you, Allah has brought us the truth which He sent down on you at the very time that the people of this little town had agreed to crown him and bind his head with a (royal) turban. When Allah stopped that happening by the truth which Allah gave you, he was vexed on that account. That is why he did what you saw.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ pardoned him and then this was revealed.

It is said that this was before fighting was revealed and Allah recommended His slaves have steadfastness and taqwā and reported that that is the most resolute course to take. This is found in al-Bukhārī. ‘The most resolute course to take’ is the strongest and firmest.

It more evident that it is not abrogated. Argument should always be conducted in the best way and courtesy is always recommended. The Prophet ﷺ used to make peace with the Jews, flatter them and overlook the hypocrites. This is clear.

187 Allah made a covenant with those given the Book: ‘You must make it clear to people and not conceal it.’ But they toss it in disdain behind their backs and sell it for a paltry price. What an evil sale they make!

Allah made a covenant with those given the Book.

This is connected to the previous mention of the Jews. They were commanded to believe in Muḥammad ﷺ and to make his business clear, but they concealed it. So the āyah rebukes them. Then this is also a general report to them and others.

Al-Ḥasan and Qatādah said, ‘This is about everyone who is given knowledge of the Book. Whoever knows something should teach it. Beware of concealing knowledge. That is destruction.’ Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b said, ‘It is not lawful for a scholar to remain silent with his knowledge nor for someone ignorant to remain silent about his ignorance. Allah says: “Allah made a covenant with those given the Book” and “Ask the People of the Reminder if you do not know.” (16:42)’

Abū Hurayrah said, ‘If Allah had not criticised the People of the Book for not doing so, I would not have transmitted anything to you.’ Then he recited this āyah. Al-Ḥasan ibn ‘Umārah said, ‘I went to az-Zuhrī after he had stopped transmitting hadith and I found him at his door. I said, “Will you transmit to me?” He replied, “Do you not know that I have stopped transmitting hadith?” I said, “You will relate to me or I will relate to you.” He said, “Relate to me.” I said, “Al-Ḥakam ibn ‘Uyaynah related to me from Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār that he heard ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib say, ‘Allah did not impose on the ignorant to learn until he imposed on scholars to teach.’” Then he related forty hadiths to me.’

You must make it clear to people and not conceal it.

It is said that the masculine pronoun ‘it’ can refer to Muḥammad ﷺ (meaning ‘You must make ‘him’ clear’), and it is said that it refers to the Book. This would include clarifying the actions of the Prophet ﷺ because he is mentioned in the Book. ‘Not conceal it’ is grammatically adverbial. Abū ‘Amr, ‘Āṣim in the variant of Abū Bakr and the people of Makkah have ‘li-tubayyinunnahu’ in the second person while the rest have it with yā’ (li-yubayyinunnahu) because they are not present. (‘It must be made clear.’)

Ibn ‘Abbās recited ‘mithāqa’n-nabiyyina’ (a covenant with the Prophets), and so His words, ‘toss it’ refer to the people to whom the Prophets made things clear. The reading of Ibn Mas‘ūd is ‘la-tubayyinūnahu’ without the heavy nūn.

But they toss it in disdain behind their backs and sell it for a paltry price.

The word nabdh means casting aside as in: ‘something to cast disdainfully behind your backs’ (11:92), and it was explained in al-Baqarah. The expression ‘behind their backs’ stresses the tossing aside, as we see in ‘cast disdainfully behind your backs.’ (11:92).

188 Those who exult in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done should not suppose that they have escaped the punishment. They will have a painful punishment.

That is because they stayed behind the expeditions and brought the Prophet ﷺ their excuses. It is confirmed in the Ṣaḥīḥ collections from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on an expedition, some of the hypocrites stayed behind and exulted in doing that. When the Prophet ﷺ returned, they offered their excuses and oaths and wanted to be praised for what they had done, and this was revealed.

Also in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, Marwān said to his doorman, ‘Go to Rāfi‘ ibn ‘Abbās and tell him, “If every man of us who exults in what he had done and loves to be praised for what he has not done is going to be punished, then we will all be punished.” Ibn ‘Abbās said, “What do you have to do with this āyah! This āyah was revealed about the People of the Book.” Then he recited: “Allah made a covenant with those given the Book. You must make it clear to people and not conceal it” and “Those who exult in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done.” Ibn ‘Abbās said, “The Prophet ﷺ asked them about something and they concealed it from him and told him something else. They left and reported what they had told him about what he asked them and wanted to be praised for that and exulted at their concealment of what he had asked them about.”’

Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b al-Quraẓī said, ‘It was revealed about some scholars of the tribe of Israel who concealed the truth and gave to kings knowledge which supported their falsehoods. “They sold it for a small price,” in other words, for what the kings of this world gave them. So Allah said to His Prophet ﷺ: “Those who exult in what they have done …” and told him that they would have painful punishment for their corrupting the dīn for the slaves of Allah.’

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘The Jews used to say to the kings, “We find in our Book that Allah will send a Prophet at the end of time to seal Prophethood.” Then when Allah sent him and the kings asked them, “Is this the one you find in their Book?”, the Jews, desiring the wealth of the kings, replied, “It is not him.” So the kings gave them treasures. Then Allah told them: “Those who exult in what they have done…” by way of lying to the kings to take the goods of this world “…should not suppose…”’ The first hadith is contrary to the second one. It is possible that there were two reasons for its revelation since they occurred at the same time and it answers both. Allah knows best.

they love to be praised for what they have not done

They seek praise. Marwān’s words, ‘If every man of us who exults in what he has done…’ indicate that the generality has a specific form and ‘those’ is part of it. This is definite in the case of those who understand that from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

If the āyah is about the People of the Book and not about the hypocrites who stayed behind, it is because they said, ‘We are following the dīn of Ibrāhīm’ but they were not following his dīn, and they used to say, ‘We are the people of prayer, fasting and Scripture,’ desiring to be praised for that.

Nāfi‘, Ibn ‘Āmir, Ibn Kathīr and Abū ‘Amr read it as ‘They should not suppose’ (yaḥsabanna or yaḥsibanna), meaning ‘those who exult should not suppose that they have escaped the punishment.’ It is said that the first object is elided, which is ‘themselves’ and the second is ‘escaped’. The Kufans read it with tā’ meaning, ‘You should not suppose (taḥsabanna), O Muḥammad, that those who exult have escaped the punishment.’ The second ‘suppose’ is for stress. Its first object is ‘hum’ and the second is elided. The fā’ at the beginning is a conjunction or redundant in replacing the second object by the first.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk and ‘Īsā ibn ‘Umar recite it with a tā’ and a ḍammah on the bā’: ‘taḥsabunnahum’. So it is addressed to Muḥammad ﷺ and his Companions. Mujāhid, Ibn Kathīr, Abū ‘Amr and Yaḥyā ibn Ya‘mur recite it with a yā’ and a ḍammah on the bā’, reporting about those who exult, i.e. ‘those who exult should not suppose’. ‘Escape’ is the second object and ‘suppose’ is for stress. It is said that ‘those’ is the subject of ‘suppose’ and its two objects are elided… (more grammatical discussion).

Most of the seven readers and others recite ‘ataw’ with a short alif, indicating the lying and concealment they have done.’ Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam, al-A‘mash and Ibrāhīm an-Nakha‘ī recite ‘ātaw’ with maddah which means ‘give’. Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr recited ‘ūtū’ without naming the subject, i.e. ‘they are given’.

Mafāzah (escape) is deliverance. It is form maf‘alah from the verb fāza, yafūzu to be saved. It means that they will not be saved (fā’izūn). A place of fear is called mafāzah for luck. Al-Aṣmā‘ī said that. It is said that it is because of it is a place where the desert is crossed (tafwīz) where destruction is likely. The Arabs use ‘fawwaza’ for a man when he dies. Tha‘lab said, ‘I related to Ibn al-A‘rābī what al-Aṣmā‘ī had said and he said, “He erred. Abu-l-Makārim said that it is called mafāzah because the one who crosses it wins (fāza).”’ Al-Aṣma‘ī said that someone who has been stung is called ‘healthy’ for luck. Ibn al-A‘rābī said that it is because he will recover when he is afflicted. It is said that one should not suppose that they are in a place far from the punishment because success is a long way away from what is disliked. Allah knows best.

189 The kingdom of the heavens and earth belongs to Allah. Allah has power over all things.

This is an argument against those who say, ‘Allah is poor and we are rich’ and refutes them. It is said that it means: ‘Do not suppose that those who exult will be saved from the punishment. Everything belongs to Allah and is subject to His power.’ So it is added to the first statement. It means that they will not be saved from His punishment. He will seize them whenever He wishes. The expression ‘Allah has power over all things’ was explained in al-Baqarah.

190 In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are Signs for people with intelligence: 191 those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire. 192 Our Lord, those You cast into the Fire, You have indeed disgraced. The wrongdoers will have no helpers. 193 Our Lord, we heard a caller calling us to belief: ‘Believe in your Lord!’, and we believed. Our Lord, forgive us our wrong actions, erase our bad actions from us and take us back to You with those who are truly good. 194 Our Lord, give us what You promised us through Your Messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Rising. You do not break Your promise.’ 195 Their Lord responds to them: ‘I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female – you are both the same in that respect. Those who made hijrah and were driven from their homes and suffered harm in My Way and fought and were killed, I will erase their bad actions from them and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, as a reward from Allah. The best of all rewards is with Allah.’ 196 Do not be deceived by the fact that those who disbelieve move freely about the earth. 197 A brief enjoyment; then their shelter will be Hell. What an evil resting-place! 198 But those who have taqwā of their Lord will have Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever: hospitality from Allah. What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good. 199 Among the people of the Book there are some who believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and who are humble before Allah. They do not sell Allah’s Signs for a paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And Allah is swift at reckoning. 200 You who believe, be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness; be firm on the battlefield; and have taqwa of Allah; so that hopefully you will be successful.

In the creation of the heavens and the earth

This was already discussed in al-Baqarah. Allah concludes this sūrah with the command to look and deduce from His signs since they only come from the Living, Self-Subsistent, All-Powerful, Pure, Peace, who is free from the needs of created existence, so that their faith is based on certainty, not blind imitation.

Signs for people with intelligence

This means those who use their intellects to reflect on evidence. It is related that ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘When this āyah was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, he rose and prayed. Then Bilāl came to give the adhān for the prayer and he recited it weeping. He said, “Messenger of Allah, why do you weep when Allah has forgiven you your past and any future errors?” He answered, “Bilāl, am I not a grateful slave?” Then Allah revealed this and he ﷺ said, “Woe to those who recite it without reflecting on it!”’

Scholars say that it is recommended for someone who wakes up from sleep to wipe his face and recite these ten āyahs in imitation of the Prophet ﷺ. That is confirmed in the Ṣaḥīḥ collections and elsewhere. Then he should pray what is prescribed for him and combine reflection and action, and the best action will be made clear in this āyah. It is related from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite these ten āyahs every night. Abū Naṣr al-Wā’ilī as-Sijistānī transmitted it in Kitāb al-Inābah from Sulaymān ibn Mūsā from Muẓāhir ibn Aslam al-Makhzūmī from al-Maqburī from Abū Hurayrah. It was already mentioned at the beginning of the sūrah that ‘Uthmān said, ‘If someone recites the end of Āl ‘Imrān in the night, prayer during the whole night will be recorded for him.’

Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides.

Allah mentioned the three postures which human beings necessarily adopt in most of their affairs and so it is as if it covers all their time. ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to remember Allah at all times.’ Muslim transmitted it. That would include when he was in the lavatory and other places.

Scholars disagree about this. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr, Ibn Sīrīn and an-Nakha‘ī allow it, and Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘Aṭā’ and ash-Sha‘bī dislike it. The first position is sounder because of the general nature of the text of the āyah and hadith. An-Nakha‘ī said, ‘There is nothing wrong in remembering Allah in the lavatory. It is taken up,’ meaning recorded by by the angels and written in their books. The evidence for that is Allah’s words: ‘He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by him, pen in hand’ (50:18) and: ‘Standing over you are guardians, noble, recording.’ (82:10) That is because Allah commanded His slaves to remember Him in every state without exception. He says: ‘Remember Allah much’ (33:41), ‘Remember Me – I will remember you’ (2:152) and ‘We will not let the wage of good-doers go to waste.’ (18:30) So it is universal. The person who remembers Allah Almighty in all his states is rewarded, Allah willing.

Abū Nu‘aym mentioned from Abū Bakr ibn Mālik from ‘Abdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal from his father from Wakī‘ from Sufyān from ‘Aṭā’ ibn Abī Marwān from his father that Ka‘b al-Aḥbar said, ‘Mūsā عليه السلام said, “O Lord, are You near so that I can speak intimately with You, or far, so that I must call out to You?” He said, “Mūsā, I sit with the one who remembers me.” He said, “O Lord, what if we are in a situation in which we consider You too majestic and great to be remembered there?” “And what is what?” He asked. He said, “In a state of major impurity (janābah) or in the lavatory.” He said, “Mūsā, remember Me in every situation.”’

The dislike of that is either because of thinking that remembering Allah is too great to be done in places where He should not be remembered, as it is disliked to recite the Qur’an in the bath-house, or because it forces the noble scribes to remain in a place of filth and impurity to record what was said. Allah knows best.

‘Standing, sitting’ is in the accusative for the ḥāl and ‘on their sides’ is also in the accusative for the ḥāl and means lying down, as in Allah’s words: ‘he calls on Us, lying on his side or sitting down or standing up.’ (10:12) This means that he calls on Him lying on his side.

A group of commentators, al-Ḥasan and others, think that the words from ‘those who remember Allah’ are about the prayer, meaning that people must not fail to do it and should perform it in whatever state is possible. If someone has an excuse, then he can pray sitting down or lying down. According to Ibn Mas‘ūd, that is reflected in this āyah as will be made clear.

If the āyah is about the prayer, the fiqh is that a person prays it standing. If he cannot do that, then sitting, and if he cannot manage that, then lying down. This is as it is confirmed from ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn that Abu-l-Bawāsīr asked the Prophet ﷺ about the prayer. He said, ‘Pray standing. If you cannot, then sitting. If you cannot, then lying down.’ The imāms transmitted it. The Prophet ﷺ prayed nāfilah prayers sitting down a year before he died as we find in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. An-Nasā’ī related that ‘Ā’ishah said, ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ praying cross-legged.’ Abū ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān said, ‘I do not know of anyone who relates this hadith other than Abū Dāwud al-Ḥafarī, who is trustworthy. I can only think that this hadith is an error.’ Allah knows best.

Scholars disagree about how a person who is ill should pray and how they should sit. Ibn ‘Abd al-Ḥakam related from Mālik that they sit cross-legged in the standing portions. Al-Buwayṭī mentioned that from ash-Shāfi‘ī. When they want to prostrate, they do as much as they are able to. That is also the position of ath-Thawrī, al-Layth, Aḥmad, Isḥāq, Abū Yūsuf and Muḥammad. In the transmission of al-Muzanī, ash-Shāfi‘i said that they should sit in the prayer as they normally would in the tashahhud. This is related from Mālik and his people. The first is the well-known position and it is the apparent view of the Mudawwanah. Abū Ḥanīfah and Zafar said that they sit as he would for tashahhud and that is how they do rukū‘ and prostration as well.

If they cannot sit, then they can choose whether to pray on their side or their back. This is the position in the Mudawwanah. Ibn Ḥabīb related from Ibn al-Qāsim that they should pray on their backs. If they cannot do that, then on their right side, and finally on their left side. The book of Ibn al-Mawwāz has the opposite: they should pray on their right side. If they cannot do that, then on their left side. And if they cannot do that, then on their backs. Saḥnūn said that they should pray on their right side, in the same way as people are placed in their grave, then on their back, then on their left side. Mālik and Abū Ḥanīfah said, ‘When someone prays lying down, their feet should be towards qiblah.’ Ash-Shāfi‘ī and ath-Thawrī said that they pray on their side with their face towards qiblah.

If someone regains their strength after illness during the prayer, Ibn al-Qāsim said that they should stand for the rest of the prayer and build on what they have done. That is the position of ash-Shāfi‘ī, Zafar and aṭ-Ṭabarī. Abū Ḥanīfah and his two companions said that if someone prays one rak‘ah lying down and then recovers, they should start the prayer again. If they were sitting and bow and prostrate and then recover, they build on what they have done according to Abū Ḥanīfah, but not according to Muḥammad. Abū Ḥanīfah and his people said that if someone starts the prayer standing and reaches a point where they can only indicate the movements, they build on what they have done. That is related from Abū Yūsuf. Mālik said about a sick person who cannot bow or prostrate, but is able to stand and sit, that they pray standing and indicate bowing, and when they want to prostrate, they should sit and indicate prostration. That is the position of Abū Yūsuf and analogous to the position of ash-Shāfi‘ī. Abū Ḥanīfah and his people said that they should pray sitting.

As for the prayer of a healthy person not standing, it is related from the hadith of ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn that the prayer of a healthy person lying down is worth half that of one sitting down. Abū ‘Umar said that the majority of the people of knowledge do not permit nāfilah prayers lying down when someone is able to sit or stand. It is a hadith which is only related by Ḥusayn the Teacher, who is Ḥusayn ibn Dhakwān, from ‘Abdullāh ibn Buraydah from ‘Imrān ibn Ḥuṣayn. There is disagreement about its isnād as well as its text from Ḥusayn which means that one should hesitate about it. If it is sound, I do not know its true import. If one of the people of knowledge permits the performance of nāfilah prayers while lying down for someone able to sit or stand, then that is the meaning of this addition in the report. It is an argument for those who believe that to be the case. If they agree that it is disliked to perform nāfilah prayers while lying down in the case of someone able to sit or stand, then this hadith of Ḥusayn is either an error or abrogated.

It is said that what is meant by the āyah is that those who deduce evidence from the creation of the heaven and the earth say that that which changes must have a Changer, and that Changer must have the power to achieve it in perfection. He can send Messengers. If He sends a Messenger whose truthfulness is indicated by a single miracle, then no one has an excuse. Those people remember Allah in every state. Allah knows best.

reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth.

We have explained the meaning of ‘remember’, which is either with the tongue or in prayer. Then Allah adds another form of worship to it: reflection on the power of Allah and His creation and the lessons to be gained from that so as to increase insight.

Every thing contains a sign of Him which indicates that He is One

It is said that ‘reflect’ is added to the ḥāl. It is also said that it is separate. The first view is more likely.

Reflection is that the heart returns to something. One says tafakkara, and a man who is fikkīr reflects often. The Prophet ﷺ passed by some people who were reflecting on Allah and said, ‘Reflect on creation. Do not reflect on the Creator. You will not be able to value Him properly.’ Reflection, consideration and expanding the mind is with respect to creatures, as Allah says here. It is related that Sufyān ath-Thawrī prayed two rak‘ahs at the Maqām and then raised his head towards heaven. When he saw the stars, he fainted. He used to urinate blood on account of the depth of his sorrow and reflection.

Abū Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Once, while a man was lying on his bed, he lifted his head, looked at the stars and the sky and said, “I testify that you have a Lord and a Creator. O Allah, forgive me.” Allah looked at him and forgave him.’ He ﷺ said, ‘There is no act of worship like reflection.’ It is related that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘An hour of reflection is better than a year of worship.’ Ibn al-Qāsim reported that Mālik said, ‘Umm ’d-Dardā’ was asked, “What did Abu-d-Dardā’ mostly do?” She said, “He mostly reflected.”’ He was asked, ‘Do you think that reflection is best of actions?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘It is certainty.’ Ibn al-Musayyab was asked about prayers between Zuhr and ‘Aṣr and he said, ‘This is not worship. Worship is scrupulousness about what Allah has forbidden and reflecting on the command of Allah.’ Al-Ḥasan said, ‘Reflecting for an hour is better than praying all night.’ Ibn ‘Abbās and Abu-d-Dardā’ said that. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘Reflection is the mirror of the believer in which he sees his good actions and bad actions reflected.’

Part of that on which one should reflect are the terrors of the Next World, the Gathering, the Garden and its bliss, and the Fire and its punishment. It is related that Abū Sulaymān ad-Dārānī took a mug of water to do wuḍū’ for the night prayer. He had a guest. The guest saw him put a finger in the handle of the mug and then he stopped, reflecting, until dawn. He said to him, ‘What is this, Abū Sulaymān?’ He said, ‘When I put my finger in the mug’s handle, I thought about the words of Allah Almighty: “When they have shackles and chains around their necks and are dragged along the ground” (40:71), and I reflected on my state and how I would meet the shackles when they are placed on my neck on the Day of Rising. I continued doing that until morning.’ Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah observed, ‘This is extreme fear, and the best of matters is the middle one. The scholars of this community do not commend this course. Studying knowledge of the Book of Allah and the meanings of the Sunna of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for someone who understands and hopes to benefit is better than this.’

Ibn al-‘Arabī said, ‘Scholars disagree about which of the two actions is better: reflection or the prayer. The Sufis believe that reflection is better. It results in gnosis, which is the best of stations. The fuqahā’ believe that the prayer is better since its encouragement is reported in hadiths.’ We find in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections that Ibn ‘Abbās spent the night with his aunt, Maymūnah. He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up and wiped the sleep from his face. Then he recited the final ten āyahs of Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān. He went to a waterskin which was hanging and did wuḍū’ quickly and then prayed thirteen rak‘ahs.’ Look at how he combined the two: he reflected on creatures and then turned to the prayer. This is the sunnah on which he relied. As for the method of those Sufis who say you should reflect day and night, month after month without break, that is far from what is correct, inappropriate and not following the sunnah.

Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘My father, may Allah be pleased with him, reported to me that one of the scholars of the east said, “I used to spend the night in Al-Aqdām Mosque in Egypt. I prayed ‘Ishā’ and saw a man lying down wrapped up in a garment in his cloak until morning. We prayed that night and stayed awake. When the iqāmah for the Ṣubḥ prayer was given, he got up and faced the qiblah and prayed with the people. I thought that he was terribly impudent to pray without doing wuḍū’. When the prayer was over, he went out and I followed him to admonish him. When I was close to him, I heard him recite:

“An enwrapped body is absent present, a heart which is aware, a silent invoker.

Constricted in the unseen worlds, expanded – that is the state of the gnostic invoker.

I spent the night as the brother of thought, and so for the whole of the night he is awake asleep.”

Then I knew that he was one of those who worship by reflection and I left him.’

Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You!

They say, ‘You did not create this in vain or as a jest. You created this as evidence of Your wisdom and power.’ The bāṭil is that which vanishes and departs. Labīd said:

Everything except Allah is false.

The word ‘for nothing’ is in the accusative because it is the adjective of an elided verbal noun, meaning ‘a vain creation’. It is said that it is in the accusative based on the removal of the genitive, meaning ‘You did not create it for what is in vain. It is said that it is based on a second object and ‘created’ means ‘make.’

As for the expression ‘Glory be to You!’ Mūsā ibn Ṭalḥa reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the meaning of ‘Glory be to Allah.’ He said, ‘It means: to free Allah from every kind of evil.’ This was already explained adequately in al-Baqarah.

So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.

‘Protect us from its punishment.’ This has already been discussed.

Our Lord, those You cast into the Fire, You have indeed disgraced.

It is said that they are disgraced and sent far away. Al-Mufaḍḍal said that it means that they are destroyed, and he recited:

Allah disgraces those who worship the cross

and bear the habits of monks.

It is said to imply distance and hatred. The verb means to put far away and hate. Ibn as-Sakīt said that khizy is when someone falls into trial. The people of threat hold to this āyah and say, ‘Anyone who enters the Fire cannot be a believer because Allah would not disgrace the believers (cf. 66:8).’ This is refuted since there are proofs that someone who commits a major wrong action is still a believer as we will mention.

What is meant here then is those who will be in the Fire forever, as Anas ibn Mālik said. Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyab said that the āyah deals with those who will never leave the Fire and that is why He says: ‘The wrongdoers will have no helpers.’ These are the unbelievers.

The people of meanings said that disgrace can mean shame, and one says khaziya, yakhzā, khazāyah for being ashamed, and the shamed is khazyān. Dhu-r-Rummah said:

Shame reached him in his excursion from ropes, disordered by anger.

So the believers will be ashamed about entering the Fire with the people of other religions until they are brought out from it. Disgrace for the unbelievers is their destruction in it without death. The believers will die and leave it, as is confirmed in the sound sunnah reported from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī in Muslim.

Our Lord, we heard a caller calling us to belief: ‘Believe in your Lord!’, and we believed.

That is Muḥammad ﷺ. Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās and most commentators said that. Qatādah and Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b al-Quraẓī said, ‘It is the Qur’an.’ Not all of them heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The evidence for this is the fact that Allah reports that the believing jinn said: ‘We have heard a most amazing Recitation. It leads to right guidance.’ (72:1-2) The first group answered that if someone hears the Qur’an, it is as if he has met the Prophet ﷺ. This is a sound concept. ‘An’ in ‘Believe in’ is in the accusative by the elided genitive participle, i.e. ‘bi-anna āminū’. There is a change in the normal order and it means: ‘We heard a caller to belief calling.’ Abū ‘Ubaydah said that. The lām in the āyah means ‘ilā’ (to) as is found frequently in other āyahs like 99:5 and 7:43. It is also said that it means ‘for the sake of’, meaning ‘so that we believe’.

Our Lord, forgive us our wrong actions and erase our bad actions from us.

The repetition is for stress in the supplication, as both expressions have the same meaning of covering. In the words ‘Take us back to You with those who are truly good’ the ‘truly good’ are the Prophets. The root of barr has to do with amplitude, and the one who is ‘truly good’ (barr) is the one who goes to great lengths in obeying Allah and receives ample mercy from Allah.

Our Lord, give us what You promised us through Your Messengers.

This means on the tongues of Your Messengers, like ‘ask the town’ (12:82). Al-A‘mash and az-Zuhī recited ‘ruslika’ with lightening. It is said that it is a reference to the Prophets and angels asking for forgiveness for the believers and the angels asking forgiveness for those on the earth. There is also Nūḥ’s supplication for the believers, that of Ibrāhīm, and the Prophet ﷺ praying for forgiveness for his community.

and do not disgrace us on the Day of Rising.

This means ‘Do not punish or destroy us or disgrace us. Do not abase us, distance us from You or hate us on the Day of Rising.’

You do not break Your promise.

There are three aspects to the meaning of Allah not breaking His promise. The first is that Allah has promised the Garden to those who believe and they asked to be among those who were promised that without disgrace and punishment. The second is that they asked this as an act of worship and humility. Supplication is the core of worship. This is like Allah’s words: ‘Say: “Lord, judge us with truth!”’ (21:112) when He only ever judges with the truth. The third is that they asked to be given their promised victory against their enemy immediately because it directly refers to the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and they asked for that in order to exalt the dīn. Allah knows best.

Anas ibn Mālik reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘When Allah promises someone a reward for an action, He makes him accomplish it as mercy from Him. If he promises punishment for an action, then the person has a choice regarding it.’ The Arabs censure failing to keep a promise but praise failing to follow through on a threat. One of them said:

My nephew does not fear my attack as long as I live and so does not hide out of fear of the threatener.

When I threaten or promise, I do not follow through on my threat but I fulfil my promise.

Their Lord responds to them:

He answers them. Al-Ḥasan said, ‘They continue to say, “Our Lord, Our Lord,” until He answers them.’ Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq said, ‘If someone says five times, “Our Lord,” Allah will save him from what he fears and give him what he wants.’ He was asked, ‘How is that?’ He replied, ‘Recite if you wish, “those who remember Allah” to “You do not break Your promise.” (3:191-194)’

Their Lord responds to them: ‘I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female –

‘Īsā ibn ‘Umar recited ‘innī’ instead of ‘annī’. Al-Ḥakīm Abū ‘Abdullāh related that Umm Salamah said, ‘Messenger of Allah, why do I not hear Allah mention women in the hijrah at all?’ Then Allah revealed: ‘Their Lord responds to them “I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female.”’ At-Tirmidhī transmitted it.

‘Min’ in the sentence is for stress because it is preceded by a negative particle. The Kufans, however, say that it is explanatory and cannot be elided because it is included for the meaning which is not sound without it. It can be elided when it is stress for denial.

you are both the same in that respect.

This is an inceptive and predicate. It means: your dīn is the same. It is said that you (meaning male and female) are both the same with respect to reward, judgments, help and the like. Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said, ‘Your men are like your women in respect of obedience, and your women are like your men in respect of obedience.’ This is similar to the phrase: ‘The men and women of the believers are friends of one another.’ (9:71) When it is said, ‘So-and-so is from me (minnī),’ it means: ‘He has my position and my character.’

Those who made hijrah and were driven from their homes and suffered harm in My Way and fought and were killed.

‘Those who made hijrah’ are those who left their homes and came to Madīnah ‘and were driven from their homes’ in obedience to Allah Almighty. ‘They fought’ My enemies and ‘were killed’ in My Way (qātalū wa qutilū). Ibn Kathīr and Ibn ‘Āmir have ‘qātalū wa qattalū’ which is for stress. Al-A‘mash recited ‘qutilū wa qātalū,’ meaning ‘fight My enemies and are killed in My path.’

It is said that the word ‘qad’ is elided in the words, meaning ‘They were killed and they fought (qad qātilū). [POEM ON USAGE] It is said: those of them who remained fought. The Arabs say, ‘We fought the Banū Tamīm and some of them were killed.’ Imru’u-l-Qays said:

If you kill us, we will kill you.

‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz recited ‘qatalū wa qutilū’ without alif.

I will erase their bad actions from them

I will veil them from them in the Next World and will not rebuke them on account of them nor punish them for them because the reward is affirmed for those people. According to the Basrans, ‘thawāb’ is a verbal noun of stress because the words ‘I will admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them’ mean, ‘I will give them a reward.’ Al-Kisā’ī said that it is accusative for the disjunctive. Al-Farrā’ said that it is explanatory. They will be given an excellent recompense. [GRAMMATICAL EXEGESIS]

Do not be deceived by the fact that those who disbelieve move freely about the earth.

It is said that this is addressed to the Prophet ﷺ while the Community is meant. It is said that it is addressed to all. That is because the Muslims said, ‘The unbelievers trade, have wealth and are able to travel about in the land while we are dying from hunger,’ and so it was revealed: ‘Do not be deceived by the apparent safety of the unbelievers in their moving about in their journeys.’

A brief enjoyment; then their shelter will be Hell.

The words ‘A brief enjoyment’ mean that they will only move about freely for a brief time and the benefit of that is only a very temporary one. Ya‘qūb recited ‘yaghurranka’. [POEM] It is similar to: ‘Do not let their free movement about the earth deceive you.’ (40:4) It is called ‘brief’ because it is passing. Everything which is passing, even if it is a lot, is actually little. We find in the Ṣaḥīḥ of at-Tirmidhī that al-Mustawrid reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘This world in comparison with the Next World is like putting your finger in the sea and seeing what comes back on it.’’

What an evil resting-place!

The ‘resting-place’ is evil for them because of their unbelief. It is what Allah has prepared for them in the Fire. Some find evidence in this āyah and ones like it: ‘Those who disbelieve should not imagine that the extra time We grant to them is good for them.’ (3:178). ‘I will give them more time. My strategy is sure.’ (7:183) ‘Do they imagine that, in the wealth and children We extend to them…’ (23:55) and ‘We will lead them, step by step, into destruction from where they do not know.’ (7:182), and say that these āyahs are evidence that the unbelievers are not in fact blessed in this world because the reality of blessing is free from the taint of both immediate and later harm. The blessing of the unbelievers is mixed with pain and punishment. So it is like someone who is given honey mixed with poison. Even if he enjoys eating it, it is not called a blessing because it will kill him. A group of scholars believe this. It is the position of Abu-l-Ḥasan al-Ash‘arī.

A group of them, including Qāḍī Abū Bakr, the Sword of the Sunnah and Tongue of the Ummah, believe that Allah actually does bless them in this world. They say, ‘The root of blessing (ni‘mah) is na‘mah, which is a comfortable life,’ and we find this linguistically used in the Qur’an: ‘What comfort and ease (na‘mah) they delighted in!’ (44:27) One says that the flour is fine (nā‘im) when it is very finely milled. This is sound and there is further evidence for it in that Allah obliges the unbelievers to be grateful as is it obliged on all of those subject to responsibility. He says: ‘Remember the blessings of Allah’ (7:74) and ‘thank Allah.’ (2:182) Thankfulness is only for blessing. He says: ‘And do good as Allah has been good to you’ (28:77), and this was addressed to Qārūn. He says: ‘Allah makes a likeness of a city which was safe and at peace’ (16:112). So Allah reports that He blessed them with worldly blessings and they were ungrateful for them. He says: ‘They acknowledge Allah’s blessing and then deny it’ (16:83) and ‘Mankind! remember Allah’s blessing upon you.’ (35:3) This is universal and includes the unbelievers and others.

When poisoned food is offered to someone, that is a kindness to him in that situation, since they are not made to swallow pure poison, but it is mixed with something sweet. So it is not unlikely for it to be said, ‘He has blessed him.’ If this is the case, then there are two types of blessings: a beneficial blessing and an averting blessing. A beneficial blessing is any kind of pleasure someone is given. An averting blessing is one that averts from them any type of disaster. According to this view, Allah does give blessings to the unbelievers. They do not disagree that Allah does not give them the blessing of the dīn. Praise be to Allah.

But those who have taqwā of their Lord will have gardens with rivers flowing under them

This concludes the negation of the unbelievers and their benefit of moving freely about the land. It is, however, the godfearing who will have the greatest and everlasting benefit. The word ‘But’ is in the position of the nominative by the inceptive. Yazīd ibn al-Qa‘qā‘ recited ‘lakinna’.

hospitality from Allah.

Nuzul is like thawāb according to the Basrans. Al-Kisā’ī said that it is a verbal noun, and al-Farrā’ said that it is explanatory. Al-Ḥasan and an-Nakha‘ī recited ‘nuzl’, finding two ḍammahs heavy. The rest have it as nuzul. The meaning of nuzul is hospitality prepared for a guest. Nazīl is a guest. A poet says:

The guest of a people has the greatest right and the right of Allah in respect of the guest’s right.

The plural is anzāl. The portion of a guest (nazīl) is brought together. Nuzl is a lot of food served to the guest as is nazal.

Perhaps the specific meaning of hospitality here, and Allah knows best, is what appears in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Thawbān, the client of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the story about a rabbi who asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Where will people be on the day the earth is changed to other than the earth and heavens?’ He replied ﷺ, ‘They will be in the darkness before the bridge.’ He asked, ‘Who will be the first person to cross?’ He replied ﷺ, ‘The poor Muhājirūn.’ The Jew asked, ‘What will be their hospitality they enter the Garden?’ He answered ﷺ, ‘The lobe of the liver of the whale.’ He asked, ‘And what will be their food after it?’ He replied ﷺ, ‘The oxen of the Garden will be slaughtered for them and they will eat from the best of them.’ He asked, ‘What will be their drink?’ He replied ﷺ, ‘It will be from a spring there called Salsabīl.’

Linguists say that tuḥfah (hospitality) in the hadith are fruits that one presents (atḥafa) and ṭuḥaf is the best of something. This corresponds to what we mentioned about hospitality. Allah knows best. ‘The lobe of the liver’ is a piece like a finger. Al-Harawī said that ‘hospitality from Allah’ means a reward. It is said that it means provision.

The expression ‘What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good,’ means that it it is better than what the unbelievers have in this world. Allah knows best.

Among the people of the Book there are some who believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them,

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh, Anas, Ibn ‘Abbās, Qatādah and al-Ḥasan said that this was revealed about the Negus. That was because when he died, Jibrīl announced his death to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Prophet ﷺ told his Companions, ‘Stand and pray for your brother the Negus.’ They remarked to one another, ‘He commands us to pray for one of the Abyssinian barbarians!’ Then Allah revealed this.

Aḍ-Ḍaḥḥāk said that the words ‘what has been sent down to you’ refer to the Qur’an and the words ‘and what was sent down to them’ refer to the Torah and Gospel. We find in the Revelation: ‘They will be given their reward twice over.’ (28:54) We find in Ṣaḥīh Muslim, ‘Three will be given their reward twice over.’ A man of the People of the Book is mentioned who believes in his own Prophet and then meets the Prophet ﷺ and believes in him, follows him and affirms him. He will have two rewards. This was already mentioned in al-Baqarah. Mujāhid, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd said that it was revealed about all the believers of the People of the Book. It is general and the Negus is one of them. His name was Aṣḥamah which means gift.

and who are humble before Allah.

This means humble and abased. It is in the accusative for the ḥāl modifying what is implied in ‘believe’, and it is said that it is modifying the pronoun in ‘to them’ or ‘to you’. The āyah contains clarification.

You who believe, be steadfast.

Allah ends the sūrah with the directives that this tenth āyah contains which include victory over the enemy in this world and success in obtaining the bliss of the Next World. So He encourages steadfastness in obedience and against one’s appetites. Ṣabr means constraint, and was already discussed in al-Baqarah.

Be supreme in steadfastness.

This is ṣābara, and it is said that it means steadfastness against the enemy, as Zayd ibn Aslam stated. Al-Ḥasan said that it is being steadfast in the five prayers. It is said that it is being constant in opposing the appetites of the nafs. ‘Aṭā’ and al-Quraẓī said, ‘Wait patiently for what you are promised,’ in other words do not despair, but wait for relief. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Waiting for relief with patience is worship.’ Abū ‘Umar preferred this. The first is the position of the majority. ‘Antarah said:

I have not seen any living person as steadfast we are, Nor any who struggled against the like of those we struggled against.

He means that they were steadfast against the enemy in war as we were steadfast, and displayed neither cowardice nor treachery.

Struggling (mukāfajah) is face-to-face combat. That is why they disagree about the meaning of ‘rābiṭū’ in ‘be firm on the battlefield.’ Most of the Community say that it means: ‘line up horses against the enemy,’ implying link them up as your enemies do, and that is seen in the words of the Almighty: ‘with all the firepower and cavalry you can muster.’ (8:60)

In the Muwaṭṭā’ Zayd ibn Aslam reports: ‘‘Ubayda ibn al-Jarrāḥ wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb mentioning to him the great array of Byzantine troops and the anxiety they were causing him. ‘Umar wrote to him, “Whatever hardship befalls a believing slave, Allah will make an opening for him after it, and a hardship will not overcome two eases. Allah says in His Book: ‘You who believe, be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness; be firm on the battlefield; and have taqwa of Allah; so that hopefully you will be successful.’”’

Abū Salamah ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān said, ‘This āyah is about waiting for the prayer after the prayer. There was no expedition in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in which horses were tied up.’ Abū ‘Abdullāh al-Ḥakam related it in his Ṣaḥīḥ. Abū Salamah used as evidence the words of Prophet ﷺ: ‘Shall I direct you to something by which Allah will wipe out wrong actions and raise up degrees? Doing wuḍū’ thoroughly, even in times of difficulty, taking many steps to the mosque and waiting for the prayer after praying the previous one. That is ribāṭ,’ three times. Mālik related it.

Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said, ‘The sound position is that ribāṭ is perseverance in the Way of Allah.’ Its root meaning is the tying up of horses. Then anyone who devoted himself to defending one of the frontiers of Islam was called a murābiṭ, whether he was mounted or on foot. It is derived from rabṭ (tying up). The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘That is your ribāṭ.’ It resembles ribāṭ in the Way of Allah. This sort of usage is common as in the hadith: ‘The strong person is not the one who throws people down. The strong person is the one who controls himself when he is angry.’

The first, which is the linguistic meaning, is not contestable. Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad, one of the imāms of linguistics, says, ‘Ribāṭ is clinging to the frontiers and being constant in the prayer.’ Therefore, waiting for the prayer is a true linguistic meaning of ribāṭ, as the Prophet ﷺ said. Moreover, there is what ash-Shaybānī observed about it. Water can be described as ‘mutarābiṭ,’ meaning remaining in one place and not leaving it. Ibn Fāris related it. That is demanded by the transitive nature of ribāṭ linguistically. Murābiṭah in Arabic denotes a contract regarding something, so that it does not peter out, and so it refers to something in which one is steadfast. So the heart is bound by good intention and the body by obedience. One of the most important aspects of this is lining up horses in the Way of Allah, as in the text of the Qur’an, ‘with cavalry’ (8:60), but it also includes binding the self to performing the prayers as the Prophet ﷺ said, as related by Abu Hurayrah, Jābir and ‘Alī.

According to the fuqahā’, a murābiṭ in the Way of Allah is someone who goes to one of the frontiers to bind himself there for a time. Muḥammad ibn al-Mawwāz says that. As for those who live at the frontiers who prosper and earn there, they are not murābiṭūn even if they are defenders. Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said that.

Ibn Khuwayzimandād said, ‘There are two situations with respect to ribāṭ. One is that someone is secure and defended at the frontier. In that case it is permitted to live there with one’s wife and children. If it is not safe, a man is permitted to stay there himself, if he is one of the people of fighting, but may not move his wife and children there to expose them to the enemy, since they might be captured and enslaved.’ Allah knows best.

Many hadiths have come about the excellence of ribāṭ. They include what al-Bukhārī reported from Sahl ibn Sa‘d as-Sā‘idī in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Manning the frontier (ribāṭ) for one day in the way of Allah is better than this world and everything in it.’ In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Salmān reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Fighting on the front line (ribāṭ) for a day and a night is better than fasting and praying at night for a month. If a man dies doing it, the actions which he used normally to do go on accruing for him and his provision is bestowed on him and he will be safe from the trials of the grave.’ Abū Dāwūd reports from Faḍālah ibn ‘Ubayd that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The actions of every dead person are sealed except for the murābiṭ in the Way of Allah. His actions will go on increasing until the Day of Rising and he will be safe from the trials of the grave.’

These hadiths provide evidence that ribāṭ is the best of actions whose reward continues after death, as in the hadith reported from al-‘Alā’ ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān from his father from Abū Hurayrah in which the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘When a man dies, his actions are cut off except for three: an on-going ṣadaqah, knowledge which brought benefit and a virtuous son who makes supplication for him.’ This is a sound hadith in the transmission of Muslim. On-going ṣadaqah, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous son who makes supplication for his parents end when the ṣadaqah runs out, the knowledge is lost or the son dies, but the reward of ribāṭ goes on being multiplied until the Day of Rising because the only meaning of growth is multiplication. It does not depend on a cause so that it would cease when that cause disappears. Instead, it is a favour from Allah that will continue until the Day of Rising.

This is due to the fact that no actions of piety are possible except when there is security from the enemy and the territory of the dīn and hallmarks of Islam are protected. For this reason ribāṭ continues to enjoy a reward which comes from all other righteous actions that are performed. Ibn Mājah transmitted with a sound isnād from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘If someone dies as a murābiṭ in the Cause of Allah, he will be given the reward for the righteous actions he did, given his provision, and receive security from the Tempter and Allah will resurrect him on the Day of Rising safe from alarm.’ This hadith has a second qualification, which is death while a murābiṭ. Allah knows best.

It is related that ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘Fighting on the frontier (ribāṭ) in the way of Allah is better than a thousand years of fasting and prayer at night.’ Ubayy ibn Ka‘b reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Ribāṭ for a day in the Way of Allah during Ramaḍān in the exposed areas of the Muslims, in anticipation of the reward, has a greater reward with Allah and repayment from Him than the worship of fasting and night prayers for a thousand years. If Allah returns him safe to his family, no evil deed will be written against him for a thousand years, his good actions are written for him, and the reward of ribāṭ will continue for him until the Day of Rising.’ This hadith indicates that ribāṭ in the month of Ramaḍān will bring him an abiding reward, even if he does not die while engaged in it. Allah knows best. Anas ibn Mālik said that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘A night spent on guard in the Way of Allah is better than a man praying and fasting in his family for a thousand years. The year is three hundred and sixty days, and every day is like a thousand years.’

It is reported that waiting for the prayer after the prayer is ribāṭ. So the one who waits for the prayer also has that excellence, Allah willing. Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Nu‘aym related from Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad from ‘Alī ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz from Ḥajjāj ibn al-Minhāl, and from Abū Bakr ibn Mālik from ‘Abdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal from his father from al-Ḥusayn ibn Mūsā from Ḥammād ibn Salamah from Thābit al-Bunānī from Abū Ayyūb al-Azdī from Nawf al-Bikālī that ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ prayed maghrib one day and we prayed with him. Some people left and some stayed behind. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came before the people had called the ‘Ishā’ prayer. He came to the people who were there, raised his fingers indicating twenty-seven, and pointed to the sky. His garment exposed his knees while he was saying, “Good news, company of Muslims! Your Lord has opened one of the gates of heaven to boast of you to the angels, saying, ‘Look at My slaves who have finished one obligation and are waiting for another.’”’ Ḥammād ibn Salamah related from ‘Alī ibn Zayd from Muṭarrif ibn ‘Abdullāh from both Nawf and ‘Abdullāh, the sons of ‘Amr, from Nawf from the Torah, and ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr related it from the Prophet ﷺ.

Have taqwā of Allah.

Allah never commands jihād without emphasising the need for taqwā.

so that hopefully you will be successful.

So that you will have the success you hope for. Here ‘la‘alla’ means ‘so that’. Success is going-on. All of this was discussed fully in al-Baqarah. Praise be to Allah.