ł Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without God knowing those among you who strived, and without knowing those who were patient?
142 Cf. 29:2. This verse is understood to mean not that God’s Knowledge is incomplete (see v. 139), but that one must strive and be patient in order to enter the Garden (R). Put another way, it is like saying, “I know no good in him,” meaning, “He is no good” (Z). The verb in the clause and without knowing those who were patient is read by some to mean, “without God knowing those among you who strived such that He would know those who were patient” (Q, R). In commenting on this verse, al-Rāzī says, “Know that love of this world cannot coexist with happiness in the Hereafter, and to the degree that one of them increases the other diminishes. That is because happiness in the world only is achieved by the heart’s occupation with worldliness, and happiness in the Hereafter can only be achieved by emptying the heart of all that is other than God and filling it with the love of God. Not all those who affirm the religion of God are truthful. Rather, in the difference there is a question of the sway of things that we hate and things that we love. Love is that which does not diminish with difficulty and does not increase through fulfillment. If love survives the onset of suffering, it is shown to be true love.”
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Ń You did indeed long for death before you met it. Now you have seen it, looking on.
143 This verse is thought to address certain believers who did not participate in the Battle of Badr and yet who hoped to have the chance to fight against the idolaters in the way of God (Ṭ); they longed for death in the sense of longing for the fighting that could lead to death (Ṭ). Some interpret you have seen it, looking on to be a kind of emphatic statement akin to, “You heard it with your own ears” (Ṭ); others think that it means they saw it with untrammeled vision (Q), or that it implies a question, “You have seen it, looking on, so why then did you flee?” (Q), referring to the events at Uḥud when, during the heat of battle, some believers retreated or fled (see v. 144).
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ń Muhammad is naught but a messenger; messengers have passed before him. So if he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? Whosoever turns back on his heels will not harm God in the least, and God will reward the thankful.
144 Similar verses include 39:30: Surely thou wilt die, and surely they will die; and 3:185: Every soul shall taste death. As mentioned in 3:128–29c, the Prophet was seriously injured during the Battle of Uḥud, and in the fog of the battle rumors began to circulate that he was not only injured, but killed, causing alarm and hesitation among some of the believers and temporarily raising the morale of the idolaters. One Companion was reported to have said, “O people, if Muhammad has died, then the Lord of Muhammad will not die. How shall you live your lives after the Messenger of God? Fight as he fought, and die as he died!” Moreover, some hypocrites taunted the believers, saying that if Muhammad were truly a prophet, he would not have been killed, and prodded the believers to return to their old religion. Years later, immediately after the Prophet had died, some Companions, such as ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, refused to believe he was dead. In his famous words to the Muslim community after the Prophet’s death, Abū Bakr reminded the people of this verse, and ʿUmar is reported to have responded, “It is as though I had never recited those words before that day.”
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Ņ It is not for any soul to die save by God’s Leave—an enjoined term. Yet whosoever desires the reward of this world, We shall give him of it; and whosoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We shall give him of it. And We shall reward the thankful.
145 An enjoined term is thought to include an implicit verb and to mean “He enjoined an enjoined term” (Ṭ). It is said that whosoever desires the reward of this world refers to those seeking after the spoils of war, glory, and renown (R), though it has a more universal import (Q). This verse reinforces the message of the previous verse that all human beings, including prophets, will die, and this death does not diminish the mission of prophethood (R). Moreover, it is interpreted as a means of imparting wisdom regarding fear and courage, a reminder that fear and cowardice do no one any good, and that one should courageously fight for the good (R). It also denies the hypocrites the right to say such things as, “Had he been with us, he would not have died” (R). A long ḥadīth describes a warrior, a philanthropist, and a scholar who expect Paradise for their actions while having only worldly intentions: the warrior for his fighting and dying, the philanthropist for giving charity, and the scholar for teaching others. Their true intentions of gaining only worldly renown and glory are exposed by God on the Day of Judgment, and they are rewarded with the Fire instead of Paradise. Regarding desiring the rewards of both this world and the Hereafter, see also 2:201.
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ņ How many a prophet had many devoted men fight alongside him! They did not then falter in the face of what befell them in the way of God, nor did they weaken, nor did they demean themselves. And God loves the patient.
146 Some read fight (qātala) as “were killed” (qutila), in which case it would mean, “And how many a prophet was killed, while there were alongside him many devoted men!” (R, Ṭ). Al-Ṭabarī prefers this interpretation, as it accords with the plain sense of the previous verses.
Devoted men translates ribbiyyūn, which is interpreted by some as a form of rabbāniyyūn, rendered in this translation as sages (Z; see v. 79). Others suggest that it refers generally to large groups (Ṭ); some give ten thousand as the specific number for ribbī and interpret ribbiyyūn to mean large numbers of learned people (ʿulamāʾ; Ṭ) or patient people (Q).
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Ň Their words were but to say, “Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our prodigality in our affairs, and make firm our steps, and help us against the disbelieving people.”
147 Some interpret our sins to mean small sins and our prodigality to mean great sins (Q). Prodigality renders isrāf, which means both waste and excess, the going beyond bounds.
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ň And God gave them the reward of this world and the most beautiful reward of the Hereafter, and God loves the virtuous.
148 Some interpret the reward of this world to refer to victory and spoils, and stability in the world (Ṭ); see 4:134c. Although in other verses it is stated that God is said to love the reverent (see 3:76; 9:4, 7), the patient (3:146), the just (5:42; 60:8), and the equitable (49:9), among others, the virtuous in general are cited most often as those whom God loves (see 2:195; 3:134; 5:13, 93).
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ʼn O you who believe! If you obey those who disbelieve, they will turn you back on your heels; then you will be overturned as losers.
149 Those who disbelieve is interpreted to mean variously the Muslims’ enemies among the Jews, Christians, hypocrites, and idolaters (Ṭ). Back on your heels means back to disbelief after faith (Ṭ). As losers can mean, as in other instances, both those who are lost and those who have lost everything.
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Ő Rather, God is your Master, and He is the best of helpers.
150 This verse counsels seeking refuge with God, seeking help from no other (Ṭ).
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ő We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for having ascribed partners unto God, for which He has not sent down any authority. And their refuge shall be the Fire, and evil is the abode of the wrongdoers.
151 Although this verse can be understood more generally, it is reported that, on the way back to Makkah after the Battle of Uḥud, the idolaters lamented that they did not eradicate the Muslim community, though they had inflicted severe casualties upon them. When the Makkans had mustered the intention to return to Madinah, God cast terror into them until they lost heart and continued on toward Makkah (Q, Ṭ).
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Œ And God certainly was true to His Promise to you when you were eradicating them by His Leave, until the moment you lost heart, and quarreled with one another about the matter, and disobeyed, after He had showed you that which you loved. Among you are those who desire this world, and among you are those who desire the Hereafter. Then He turned you from them, to test you, and He certainly pardoned you—God is Possessed of Bounty for the believers—
152 The first part of this verse refers to the failure of the archers to stand their ground, abandoning their positions on the high ground to ensure their share of the spoils once they saw the battle’s tide turn in the believers’ favor (Q; see v. 121). Showed you that which you loved thus refers to coming victory portended by early events in the battle, such as the killing of the idolaters’ standard bearers (Q). The you in and He certainly pardoned you refers to either the archers specifically or the believers as a whole (Q). The Companion Ibn Masʿūd reportedly said that, prior to the revelation of this verse, he had not known or believed that any among the Prophet’s Companions could be characterized as those who desire this world (Ṭ). Quarreled with one another means that some of the archers did not want to leave their posts to seek after the spoils and insisted on staying and following the Prophet’s orders (Q, Ṭ). Turned you from them means that you (the believers) were turned away from them (the disbelievers), because of your disobedience, failing to achieve the rout that would have been yours if you had been obedient; to test you, that is, to try you (Ṭ). He certainly pardoned you means that God did not utterly eradicate them, according to some interpretations, even though what they did was an enormity, disobeying the Prophet in the midst of battle (Ṭ).
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œ when you were climbing, casting a glance to no one, while the Messenger was calling you from your rear. So He recompensed you with sorrow upon sorrow, that you may not grieve over what escaped you or what befell you. And God is Aware of whatsoever you do.
153 When you were climbing continues the discussion of the events of the previous verse, but if the when is translated “Remember when . . . ,” it can also indicate the beginning of a new sentence (R). Although the verb rendered climbing (aṣʿada) has the root meaning of “to go up,” some say that in the form the root takes here it means to traverse level ground (Ṭ), not to climb. According to this reading, one performs the action aṣʿada through a valley, while another verb, ṣaʿida, is used to indicate going up a mountain. Reading the verb to mean traversing level ground would, moreover, be in accord with the narration of events, which indicates that, far from climbing, some of the believers are being blamed for descending from their posts on high ground to chase after the spoils. However, others interpret this to mean that, when the battle turned against the believers, some fled up Mt. Uḥud (Ṭ). Casting a glance to no one means not caring about anyone else. As they were running away, the Prophet was reportedly calling from behind them, “To me! Servants of God! To me! Servants of God!” (Q, R, Ṭ).
Sorrow upon sorrow is understood by some to mean “sorrow because of sorrow”; that is, they were made to feel sorrow for having made the Prophet sorrowful (R). Or it can mean “sorrow after sorrow,” in which case the first sorrow was the news that the Prophet had died, and the second was the casualties they suffered later, or the reverse (Ṭ); or it was losing both the battle and the spoils, then hearing the gloating of the enemy (Ṭ); or the first was the loss of the battle, which was then followed by fear that the idolaters would return to finish them off and complete their victory over them (R). Still others interpret it to mean a kind of compounded, relentless grief (R).
That you may not grieve is connected to either So He recompensed you or He certainly pardoned you from v. 152. According to the former, God caused sorrow in them for their causing sorrow in the Prophet, but saved them from the grief over losing the spoils of battle (R). It is also interpreted to mean that God caused them sorrow, so that they would not become attached to the world and be neither saddened at losing it nor pleased at gaining it (R). Al-Rāzī mentions that the very act of retreating or running away is a kind of sorrow, because one feels weak and cowardly.
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Ŕ Then He sent down upon you—after sorrow—security, a sleepiness enveloping a company among you, while a company were anxious over themselves, thinking about God what is not true—the thinking of the Age of Ignorance—saying, “Do we have any decision [in this]?” Say, “The decision belongs entirely to God.” They hide in their souls what they do not disclose to you, saying, “Had we any decision [in this], we would not have been slain here.” Say, “Had you stayed in your houses, those who were destined to be slain would have gone out to their places of rest.” And [this is] so that God may test what is in your breasts and so that He may assay what is in your hearts. And God knows what lies within breasts.
154 Sleepiness (nuʿās) here is either a description of security or an independent object of the verb sent down. In the latter case it means, “sent down sleepiness as safety,” where the two words are reversed, or “we made you sleep safely” (R). According to Ibn Masʿūd, to sleep during a battle shows one’s trust and faith in God and one’s detachment from the world, but sleep during prayer shows one’s distance from God (R). This sleepiness was thus a kind of miracle and moreover caused them to rest physically, so that they might carry on the battle; it was a sign that God was on their side (R). Some of the believers were able, while on the field, to achieve a restful sleep. One ḥadīth tells of a Companion who said he would fall asleep and his sword would fall out of his hand, and this happened repeatedly.
Anxious over themselves means they were afraid (R). Thinking about God what is not true refers to the belief of some of them that, if Muhammad really were a prophet, they would not have encountered the setbacks at Uḥud (R). Al-Rāzī also offers a discussion about providence in commenting upon this verse, asserting that we should not claim to derive what God wills or does from our egocentric evaluation of pleasure and suffering, because we do not possess all the measures by which we might judge whether such and such a thing is bad or good, including success or failure on the battlefield.
Do we have any decision? referring to the decision to go out and meet the idolaters in battle (see v. 121), is a question spoken by the hypocrites (Q), although al-Rāzī thinks that this question could have been spoken by the believers in a sincere way in their anticipation of victory. The hypocrites were arguing that it was foolish for them to go out and meet the Makkans in battle, and that had they stayed in Madinah, they would not have suffered such casualties. Places of rest refers to their final resting places, where they will lie when they are dead (Q, R). So that God may test means He does so in order to separate out the hypocrites from the sincere (R).
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ŕ Those of you who turned away on the day the two hosts met—Satan alone made them slip because of part of what they committed. And God certainly pardoned them; truly God is Forgiving, Clement.
155 The day the two hosts met refers to the battle between the idolaters and the believers at Uḥud (Ṭ). What this verse describes would have happened after the archers left the high ground and the Makkans began to make gains against the believers (see v. 121). Many details exist in the ḥadīth and Sīrah (biographical literature about the Prophet) regarding the Battle of Uḥud, but there is no unanimity as to which group of people this verse describes. According to some commentators, those of you who turned away could refer to a group of the believers who ran away from the fighting or to a group who remained back in Madinah, or it means that some ran away to the city while others clambered up Uḥud (Ṭ). Others believe that it refers to a specific group of known individuals: ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, Saʿd ibn ʿUthmān, and ʿUqbah ibn ʿUthmān (Ṭ), who ran either out of simple fear or because they believed the rumor that the Prophet had been killed (see v. 144). That some eminent Companions are included among those who turned away and then were pardoned by God is explained as a lesson in God’s Forgiveness by commentators, who also cite, for example, God’s accepting Adam’s repentance and pardoning him (see 2:37; Q).
Because of part of what they committed can also be read as “in part of what they committed,” meaning Satan caused them to slip only in certain matters, not more generally (R). But according to the former reading, it could mean that they were made to slip precisely because they turned away, since one error or sin can lead to another (R). Some interpret this verse to mean that they ran away because they did not wish to die except in a state of perfection and were afraid to meet God before they had achieved true repentance (R).
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Ŗ O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren when they travel upon the earth or campaign, “Had they stayed with us, they would not have died and been slain,” that God may make that a source of regret in their hearts. And God gives life and causes death, and God sees whatsoever you do.
156 Say of their brethren has the sense of “on account of their brethren,” meaning they say this because of what happened to them (Z). The words Had they stayed with us are spoken by either disbelievers in general, the hypocrites in general, or specifically ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy (see v. 121; Q, R). Some understand it to mean that those who could have prevented their friends and relatives from going out to campaign or travel for some other reason would be made to feel regret and anguish upon hearing these words, because they failed to stop their relatives and friends from going out to their doom; or the words were spoken simply to create doubt (and hence regret) in the hearts of weaker believers (R). The verse could be telling the believers, “Be not like them, so that God may make that a source of regret in their hearts,” a regret that might also be experienced by them on the Day of Judgment for their having spoken those words (R). That God gives life and causes death restates a point made in v. 154, namely, that human beings should never forget that God, not human agency, determines life and death. It is also interpreted spiritually to mean that God quickens the hearts of His friends and brings death to the hearts of His enemies (R).
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ŗ And indeed if you are slain or die in the way of God, truly forgiveness and mercy from God are better than what they amass.
Ř And indeed if you are slain or die, truly unto God shall you be gathered.
157–58 What they amass refers to their wealth or more broadly to their collecting the vanities of the world (IK). The state of those who are slain or die is discussed in 3:169–71c.
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ř Then [it was] by a mercy from God that thou wert gentle with them. Hadst thou been severe [and] hard-hearted they would have scattered from about thee. So pardon them, ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in affairs. And when thou art resolved, trust in God; truly God loves those who trust.
159 Other verses describing the Prophet’s treatment of the believers include 7:199; 9:128; 26:215. This gentleness was directed toward the Prophet’s Companions and followers who had fallen short in their conduct during the battle (Ṭ). Scattered from about thee means they would have left the Prophet (Ṭ).
Consult them in affairs refers to matters of war, since the Prophet by definition would not consult them in matters of revelation (Q, R). Before the battle the Prophet did precisely that, consulting with the Muslims of Madinah about whether they should remain in the city or ride out to meet the idolaters in battle (see v. 121). Many view any consultation carried out by the Prophet to be superfluous and good only as a kind of flattery, since he had revelation and needed no one’s advice (Q), but this is rejected by many, and the Prophet did consult his contemporaries, men and women, in many matters. Some see the Prophet’s act of consulting others as a means of establishing consultation as a wont of his community (R). Others note that there are all sorts of things to be known in the world and quote the Prophet’s qualification of his own knowledge of the world in the famous ḥadīth, “You all know more about the affairs of this world of yours,” thus giving a more substantive interpretation to the Prophet’s consultation. According to one view, this verse reassures the Companions not only that they were forgiven, but that God still looks upon them with favor by telling the Prophet to consider their judgment (R). Consult them in affairs also contains guidance for politics in general and the affairs between human beings and throughout the centuries has been important for Islamic political thought and the ideal of political action and especially in the modern period when Muslims have sometimes used the Quranic concept of consultation to interpret the Western notion of democracy. When thou art resolved means when the Prophet has come to a decision on his own, not based on consultation (Q), or that after the Prophet has gone through consultation, he should then make his attitude one of trust in God, not in human deliberations (R).
On the subject of gentleness, al-Rāzī quotes a saying attributed to ʿAlī: “God has been so good to us! We were idolaters, and if the Messenger of God had come with this entire religion all at once, and with the Quran all at once, the responsibilities would have weighed heavily upon us, and we would not have entered Islam. Rather, he called us to a single word, and when we accepted it and tasted the sweetness of faith, we accepted what came after it, word upon word, in a gentle way, until the religion was completed and the law was perfected.”
The Prophet is to pardon them when it is a matter of their having violated his rights and ask forgiveness for them insofar as they have violated God’s rights (R, Z). Al-Rāzī argues that this is an obligation only for the Prophet and that the believers are merely encouraged to do so, since “the sins of those brought nigh (muqarrabūn) are the virtues of the pious (abrār).” He also notes that this verse indicates that even great sins can be forgiven, since 8:16 states that turning one’s back on the enemy during battle shall certainly earn wrath from God, and fleeing from the battlefield is often listed as one of the great sins, though this is not universally held. The concept of trust (tawakkul) is a cornerstone of Islamic spirituality, and believers are told to trust in God in dozens of verses (e.g., 4:81; 5:23; 8:61; 25:28).
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Š If God helps you, none shall overcome you. And if He forsakes you, who then can help you thereafter? And in God let the believers trust.
160 This verse is often interpreted to mean that God helped the believers at Badr, but forsook them at Uḥud (R). Thereafter means after being forsaken, but it can also be read as referring back to God, in which case it would be rendered “who can help you other than He?” (R). This verse is one of the most famous Quranic verses, cited often by Muslims throughout life. In reaffirming the supremacy of God’s Power, this verse is similar in rhetorical form to 10:107; 28:71; 39:38: If God desires some harm for me, could they remove His Harm, or if He desires some mercy, could they withhold His Mercy?
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š It is not for any prophet to defraud. And whosoever defrauds will bring what he obtained by fraud on the Day of Resurrection. Then every soul shall be paid what it has earned in full, and they shall not be wronged.
161 Defraud renders a verb often associated with the unfair distribution of the spoils of war or purloining of some part of it. For some this refers to the battle of Badr when a valuable textile went missing, and it was said the Prophet might have taken it, on which occasion this verse was revealed (R, Ṭ). For others it is simply a command to distribute the spoils equitably and not favor one person or group over another (Ṭ). Another view sees the purpose of this revelation was simply to inform people that the Prophet does not do such a thing, which is al-Ṭabarī’s preferred interpretation (Ṭ).
Some say that this verse refers to the matter of the archers, who were initially given none of the spoils they precipitously sought to secure during the battle, or that it refers to certain expeditionary groups the Prophet sent out, distributing the spoils before their return (Q, Ṭ). Others say it was revealed after the archers tried to explain themselves and the motivation for their hasty decision, meaning that they did not need to act as they did to guarantee their shares (R). Still others say that this verse has nothing to do with spoils, but commands the Prophet never to withhold from people any of the revelation he has been given (Ṭ). In another view it has the general sense of “no prophet should betray anyone” or “no prophet should be betrayed” (Q, Ṭ).
In connection with whosoever defrauds will bring what he obtained by fraud some mention various aḥādīth describing how people will come to the Prophet on the Day of Judgment literally with the objects they wrongfully took hanging around their necks, even with stolen animals upon their backs. They will ask for the Prophet’s help, but he will not be able to give it (Q, Ṭ). This is a message similar to that of v. 180: On the Day of Resurrection they will be collared by that with which they were miserly.
Though many commentators treat this verse in the context of purloining the spoils of war, they also generalize it to refer to any kind of embezzlement or misuse of a trust (Q, R). To consume or keep the spoils of war before they are fairly divided is considered by many to be a major sin, subject to varying levels of punishment, including physical punishment (Q). More broadly, any kind of mishandling or corruption in the matter of public goods is severely condemned in Islam. In connection with this verse some commentators mention a ḥadīth describing a man who was sent by the Prophet to collect the alms (zakāh); when he returned he said, “This is for you, and this was given as a gift to me.” The Prophet severely reprimanded him for this, asking if he waited for his gift at his mother’s and father’s house, meaning that the accepting of the “gift” was an unjust practice that could not have been applied to all people equally.
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Ţ Is he who pursues God’s Contentment like one who earns a burden of anger from God, and whose refuge is Hell? An evil journey’s end!
162 Similar verses comparing believers and unbelievers, the righteous and the unrighteous, include 32:18; 38:28; 45:21. The notion of a burden of anger or wrath from God also appears in 2:61, 90; 3:112.
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ţ They are ranked in degrees in the sight of God, and God sees whatsoever they do.
163 Ranked in degrees can mean at the most basic level that the two aforementioned groups in v. 162 are at different levels in this world (Ṭ), but it is also interpreted to mean that those who are punished are ranked at different levels of suffering in the Hereafter, just as those who achieve Paradise experience varying levels of bliss (R). That God will reward or punish in degrees in accord with people’s actions is explicitly stated in 6:132 and 46:19. On this topic see also the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.” This verse can also be seen as a general affirmation of the general principle that reality consists of a hierarchy of levels.
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Ť God certainly favored the believers when He sent them a Messenger from among themselves, who recites His signs unto them, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom, while aforetime they were in manifest error.
164 The wording of this verse closely matches that of 2:129 and links the coming of the Prophet Muhammad with the prayer of Abraham in that verse; see also 2:151; 62:2. That a human being like them, from among themselves, should be God’s Messenger was a cause of the idolaters’ incredulity and denial of Muhammad’s prophethood, as in 54:24: Shall we follow a single human being from among us? and 11:12: Why has no treasure been sent down upon him, or an angel not come with him? Part of the answer to this latter question is given in 15:8: We do not send down the angels, save in truth, and were We to do so, they would be granted no respite. In 7:69 they are questioned as to why they marvel at this appointment of a human being like them, an incredulousness also described in 10:2; 38:4; 50:2. Manifest error refers to their state in the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance.
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ť And when an affliction befell you, though you wrought an affliction twice its like, did you say, “Whence is this?” Say, “It is from yourselves.” Truly God is Powerful over all things.
165 According to this verse, the believers caused twice the affliction to the idolaters at Badr that the idolaters caused at Uḥud. The number of believers killed at Uḥud is considered to have been 70; at Badr the believers killed approximately 70 idolaters, but also took 70 prisoners (Ṭ), which is in a sense equivalent to twice as many, because prisoners can be executed; if they had executed the prisoners, that would mean 140 people killed (Q). For some this verse means that the believers were afflicted at Uḥud because they ransomed the prisoners of Badr, while others say this happened because they disobeyed the Prophet through their aforementioned faltering or pursuing the spoils or by running away (R, Ṭ). Some suggest that twice its like refers to this retreat; that is, the believers put the idolaters to flight at the battle of Badr and had done so also at the start of the battle of Uḥud, though the battle later turned against them and they were put to flight, resulting in the believers routing the idolaters twice overall, but suffering that fate themselves only once (R). Whence is this? refers to the flight during the battle, meaning, “If this is a true prophet, why did this rout take place?” (R)
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Ŧ And that which befell you on the day the two hosts met was by God’s Leave, and that He may know the believers,
166 Regarding that He may know the believers, see 3:140–41c. The day the two hosts met refers to the Battle of Uḥud.
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ŧ and that He may know the hypocrites. And it was said unto them, “Come, fight in the way of God or defend [yourselves].” They said, “Had we known there would be fighting, we would have followed you.” That day they were closer to disbelief than to belief, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And God knows best what they conceal.
167 Regarding that He may know the hypocrites, see 3:140–41c. This verse refers to the withdrawal of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy with approximately three hundred others before the battle began (see v. 121). When called upon to stay and fight with the Prophet, he said, “We do not believe there will be fighting. If we knew that there would be fighting, we would be with you” (Q). This can mean either that they did not believe there would be fighting, only a kind of tense standoff, or that if fighting ensued, it would not be a battle, but an all-out massacre (R); in either case, their attitude would have been hypocritical, not sincere.
Or defend [yourselves] means that, if they would not fight in the way of God, they should at least fight in their own self-defense (Q); that is, they should not be cowards. Or it can mean that they should “repel” the enemy, even if there is no fighting, by at least remaining on the battlefield, forming ranks, and giving the appearance of greater numbers (Ṭ).
Some say they were closer to disbelief than to belief shows that one should not call anyone who declares the testimony of faith (shahādah) a disbeliever, since even God said only that they were closer to disbelief (kufr) than to belief (īmān), rather than calling them disbelievers outright (R). For others this means that outwardly they were closer to disbelief, but inwardly actually fully disbelievers (Q).
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Ũ Those who said of their brethren, while they were sitting [at home], “Had they obeyed us, they would not have been slain.” Say, “Then ward off death from yourselves, if you are truthful.”
168 It is said that this verse was revealed in connection with ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy and other hypocrites. What they said to the survivors regarding those who had been killed (Ṭ) is similar to the statement in v. 156: Had they stayed with us, they would not have died and been slain. The theological issues related to death are similar to those of v. 156: all matters of life and death are determined and ordained by God (R). In a sense this verse, like v. 156, exposes the illogicality of applying a counterfactual argument when it concerns God’s Will. Since it was the Will of God for them to die that day, the hypocrites are in essence claiming to know what God would have done under other circumstances, though they do not realize that this is the logical conclusion of their assertion. It is as if they were saying, “You could have warded off death by staying home,” to which the reply is that no one can ward off death at a place and time ordained by God. These words would have been spoken not only regarding brethren in the spiritual sense, but also concerning blood relatives (Q).
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ũ And deem not those slain in the way of God to be dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, provided for,
Ű exulting in what God has given them from His Bounty, and rejoicing in those who have not yet joined them from among those who remain behind—that no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve—
ű rejoicing in Blessing and Bounty from God, and that God neglects not the reward of the believers,
169–71 See 2:154c, which also negates the notion that those who are slain in the way of God are dead. Unlike 2:154, these verses expand upon the description of those who were killed in the way of God, but are truly alive. Commentators mention accounts similar to that of the green birds around the Divine Throne described in 2:154c. Other accounts describe how, in the midst of receiving all that they ask for, the believers ask to return to the world so that they can die again in the way of God (R, Ṭ). They are alive with their Lord can also be understood as “God knows them to be alive,” or it means that they are in proximity to God, as reflected in the translation. Al-Rāzī considers and rejects the idea that this means that they will be alive in the future in the Hereafter, preferring the understanding that they are alive at that instant. Since all human beings will be alive in the Hereafter, he argues, there would be no purpose to saying, And deem not those slain in the way of God to be dead. Moreover, that they are rejoicing in those who have not yet joined them shows that they are alive at that moment. These and similar verses were used extensively in Islamic theology to support the idea that souls are alive between physical death and the Resurrection, against the views of some theologians such as some Ashcarites.
Vv. 169–71, even more so than 2:154, raise questions regarding the state of those who have died while others remain alive in this world, since they describe the dead as exulting and rejoicing. In traditional Islamic eschatology, there is a stage after death called the “trial of the grave,” which is sometimes referred to as the barzakh, or “barrier,” and lasts until the Day of Resurrection (yawm al-qiyāmah), when all human beings rise from their graves, as described in many verses (e.g., 22:7; 54:7). Many aḥādīth allude to the experience of souls in this intervening period; in them the Prophet speaks to or prays at the graves of people, virtuous souls experience the grave as spacious and light-filled, and vicious souls are beset with torments and a state of narrow confinement. It is said that souls will be questioned in the grave by the angels Nakīr and Munkar regarding their conduct in life. Then, after this questioning in the barzakh, at the end of the world, all human beings will be resurrected and face final judgment.
In a particularly vivid account, it is reported that after the Battle of Badr the Prophet called out to the slain of the enemy, “Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?” When asked why he was addressing the dead, he told the questioners, “You cannot hear better than they can.” Other aḥādīth say that the recently deceased can hear the footsteps of the funeral procession, are tormented by the wailing of their relatives, or are comforted by the prayers of the Prophet at their graves. Among the funeral rites commonly practiced by Muslims is the “instruction of the dead” (talqīn al-mayyit), in which people “instruct” the dead and remind them of their faith in the Oneness of God and in the Prophet Muhammad, although some claim this practice is valid only as one approaches death, not after death. Moreover the recital of verses of the Quran at the burial, especially Sūrah 36, Yā Sīn, and 55, al-Raḥmān, is a practice that most Muslims consider to be a sunnah of the Prophet, done for the benefit of the dead, not the living. Moreover, almost all Muslims believe that, wherever they are, if they send prayers and salutations to the Prophet, these will be conveyed to him, and indeed an address to the Prophet, “Peace be upon thee, O Prophet” (al-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuha ’l-nabī), is a part of the canonical prayer (ṣalāh); see 33:56c.
It is not easy to classify neatly the stages of the soul’s journey beyond this world, since the Quran and Ḥadīth describe torments and pleasures experienced after death, then during the Day of Judgment itself after the resurrection of the dead, and finally at the various levels of the Garden and the Fire. Verses such as 2:154 and 3:169 do not give details regarding “where” the dead are, and the picture is further enriched (and perhaps made more imponderable) by aḥādīth such as “The grave is a Garden from among the Gardens of Paradise, or a pit from among the pits of the Fire”; “The grave is the first station of the Hereafter. If a person is delivered from it, what comes after is easier, but if he is not delivered, what comes after is harsher”; and, “Whosoever among you has died, his resurrection has taken place.”
One can imagine that, after death, time is not the linear time experienced in this life. A person’s temporal journey after death transcends time as experienced by the living, partially or totally, so that the departed can be in Paradise “now” from a certain point of view, even though the Day of Resurrection is still in the future according to the view from this world.
These verses and aḥādīth speak to those who are still in this world and its spatial and temporal confines and suggest that the soul retains a kind of attachment to the physical body and to the world, even as it exists in another dimension or level of reality. Other traditions, such as those describing souls who are spared the questioning of the Day of Judgment, and indeed 2:154 and 3:169 suggest that exalted souls detach themselves from the world easily and quickly and ascend to God’s proximity, while worldly souls, to varying degrees, cling to the world in accordance with their attachment to it. V. 170 suggests that those who have died have a certain benevolent solicitude and relationship to those still living in this world, rejoicing in those who have not yet joined them.
It should be noted that a central doctrine of Islamic eschatology is the affirmation of bodily resurrection, that in the Hereafter human beings will be embodied, not disembodied spirits, although these will be bodies of another kind, sometimes called “subtle” (laṭīf) or “luminous” (nūrānī) bodies in various schools of Islamic philosophy and Sufism. Even the trials in the grave are described in bodily as well as spiritual terms, as are the tribulations of the Day of Judgment, the rewards of Paradise, and the punishments of the Fire (all of which must be understood symbolically).
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Ų who responded to God and the Messenger after being afflicted by wounds; for those among them who have been virtuous and reverent there shall be a great reward,
172 The day after the Battle of Uḥud, the Prophet called those who had participated in the battle the previous day to set out with him to pursue the Makkans, who were still on the road between Makkah and Madinah and might have returned for another attack. Most of the Muslims, including the Prophet, were already wounded. They stopped several miles outside Madinah, at a place called Ḥamrāʾ al-Asad. Although the Muslims were badly wounded and even fewer in number than they had been the previous day, the Prophet was able to arrange for a man from the tribe of Khuzāʿah (a non-Muslim tribe with whom the Prophet had a treaty) to tell the idolaters that the Madinans were in hot pursuit of them and in far greater numbers than what the Makkans had encountered the previous day, because they now included all those who had remained in the city away from the fighting. Additionally, the Prophet ordered hundreds of individual campfires to be lit at night, in sight of the Makkan camp, to give the illusion of greater numbers.
A minority of commentators hold that these verses deal with the incident of the “Lesser Badr,” referring to an agreement reportedly made between the two sides immediately after Uḥud to meet on the anniversary of the Battle of Badr at the site of the original battle. According to this account, the Prophet and his followers set out to meet the opponents at the appointed time and place, but the idolaters did not follow through on the promise to have another battle. Ultimately, the believers found only a market there, where they bought goods and returned to Madinah (Q); see 3:174c.
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ų to whom the people said, “Truly the people have gathered against you, so fear them.” But it increased them in faith, and they said, “God suffices us, an excellent Guardian is He!”
173 These words of warning were reported to have been spoken either by travelers on the way to Madinah who passed by the Makkan contingent on the road or by the hypocrites, who had been warning against fighting all along (Q), reminding the Madinans of the possibility of the Makkans’ regrouping and attacking Madinah again. Indeed, many of the Makkans were eager to return to Madinah to win a more decisive victory. The word of the Madinans’ greater numbers and eagerness for battle along with the appearance of campfires indicating substantially greater numbers led the Makkans to decide against returning to Madinah. The declaration God suffices us or God suffices me also appears in 9:59, 129; 39:38; God suffices us, an excellent Guardian is He! (ḥasbunā’Llāh wa niʿma’l-wakīl) is a famous prayer invoked often by Muslims especially at times of danger. This verse is interpreted allegorically to mean that those of a spiritual nature should not be discouraged when worldly people unite to repudiate them, and that in fact the repudiation of worldly people will be only further proof of the truth of their spiritual attainment (Aj).
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Ŵ So they returned with Blessing and Bounty from God, untouched by evil. And they pursued the Contentment of God, and God is Possessed of Tremendous Bounty.
174 They were untouched by evil in the sense of having avoided harm or injury from the enemy, since they returned to Madinah having staved off a second battle (Ṭ). Alternately, it may refer to their returning from the “Lesser Badr” without having to engage in fighting (see v. 172). Some say the blessing refers to worldly goods, while bounty is a good of the Hereafter (R).
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ŵ That is only Satan, sowing fear of his friends. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are believers.
175 According to this verse, Satan inspires the disbelievers to frighten the believers (Q, Ṭ). Here Satan may also refer to the disbelievers and hypocrites themselves, since human beings can also be referred to as “satans” in the Quran (R; see 2:14c; 6:112c). The believers’ assertion that God suffices them (v. 173) in the face of the attempts of others to frighten them (this verse) also appears in 39:35. The command to fear them not, but fear Me is also found in 2:150 and 5:3.
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Ŷ And let not those who hasten unto disbelief grieve thee. Truly they will not harm God in the least. God desires to give them no share in the Hereafter, and theirs shall be a great punishment.
176 The Prophet is spoken of as being grieved or saddened by others’ disbelief and denial in 5:41: Let them not grieve thee; 10:65 and 36:76: Let not their speech grieve thee; 31:23: Let not his disbelief grieve thee; 35:8: So let not thy soul be expended in regrets over them. The notion of having a share in the Hereafter refers to having a share in its goodness and blessing (see 3:77 and commentary), not that such people will have no experience in the Hereafter whatsoever. Those who hasten unto disbelief may include the idolatrous Makkans, who were the Prophet’s own kinsmen trying to harm him (R); the People of the Book, who according to the Quran should have recognized and followed him; or the hypocrites, who claimed belief, but strove to undercut the believers at many turns (Q).
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ŷ Truly those who have purchased disbelief at the price of belief will not hurt God in the least, and theirs shall be a painful punishment.
177 Using the mercantile image of buying and selling as a metaphorical description of fruits of human moral choices and actions is a common rhetorical construction in the Quran. For other examples, see 2:16 and 2:175, which speak of those who have purchased error at the price of guidance; and 2:86: It is they who have purchased the world at the price of the Hereafter.
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Ÿ And let not those who disbelieve suppose that the respite We grant them is good for them. We only grant them respite that they may increase in sin, and theirs shall be a humiliating punishment.
178 The respite We grant them refers to the disbelievers being given more life to live, instead of dying or being killed. That they should not suppose that the respite We grant them is good for them can be interpreted to mean that, since they are disbelievers, giving them long life can only be worse for them, or it can mean that God punishes their disbelief by increasing them in it, in which case the dark state of disbelief (kufr) is a punishment in itself and not only a cause of later punishment. That God should respond to disbelief by giving people the opportunity to increase in their disbelief raises theological questions about whether human beings are always free to believe, but God’s response can be better understood if one interprets the state of kufr (which is a state of being without guidance, meaning, or hope) as suffering itself, which also entails further suffering by leading one to commit further evil actions (see also 2:7c). Some read the verb suppose in the imperative (Q), giving the translation, “And do not suppose that the respite We grant to those who disbelieve is good for them.”
Al-Rāzī describes a debate between Ashʿarites and Muʿtazilites over the question of whether God “wants” some people to increase in sin (We only grant them respite that they may increase in sin; see also v. 176: God desires to give them no share in the Hereafter). The Ashʿarites argue that this means God is the agent of both good and evil from the point of view of human beings (R). The Muʿtazilites, however, argue that since God did not create jinn and mankind save to worship Him (51:56), He does not desire for them to disbelieve and rebel. The Ashʿarites respond that 51:56 is a general verse, but 3:178 is specific and still holds true in the face of it. The Muʿtazilites go on to argue that what would be good for them relates specifically to the outcome of battle, meaning that they should not think that their survival during the battle is better than the death of those who fought in the way of God, since all it achieved was allowing them to go on living in a wicked state; God granted them life, but not because He favored them. Another interpretation reads the particle in this sentence as representing causation, not intent, so that it would be translated, “We grant them a respite which only results in their increasing in sin.” Al-Rāzī rejects this interpretation as a contradiction of the verse’s plain sense.
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Ź God will not leave the believers as you are till He separates the bad from the good. And God will not apprise you of the Unseen, but God chooses from His messengers whomsoever He will. So believe in God and His messengers. And if you believe and are reverent, you shall have a great reward.
179 That God will separate the bad (khabīth) from the good (ṭayyib) means He will separate the hypocrites from the sincere believers (Ṭ). Some interpret these words as being addressed to the disbelievers and hypocrites, meaning that God would not leave the believers in the same state as those who disbelieve. However, for most commentators it is an address to the believers themselves, promising them that they will not be left mixed together with the hypocrites and disbelievers (Q). God will not apprise you of the Unseen means that He will not reveal what is in the hearts and minds of human beings (i.e., whether they are truly believers or not), but rather will use trials and tribulations as a means of exposing the sincerity or hypocrisy of people, as happened at the Battle of Uḥud, when the sincerity of the believers was tested (R, Ṭ). Some say that this verse was revealed after the believers asked for a way to distinguish between the true believers and the hypocrites (Q). Others say that it was, rather, a challenge issued by an opponent of the Prophet, bidding him to tell the difference between the two groups (Ṭ). But God chooses from His messengers whomsoever He will means that He singles them out from among other human beings, to be given knowledge regarding the state of people’s hearts (R, Ṭ). Spiritually, this verse can be understood as a description of the purification of the soul, a removal of the bad from the good, encouraging spiritual travelers to continue on the path but without expecting, as their final goal, to gain any kind of secret knowledge by it; rather, they should be seeking after God alone (Aj).
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ƀ And let not those who are miserly with what God has given them from His Bounty suppose that it is good for them; rather, it is evil for them. On the Day of Resurrection they will be collared by that with which they were miserly. And unto God belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth, and God is Aware of whatsoever you do.
180 This verse is interpreted to refer to the hoarding of both material wealth and spiritual knowledge; those who did not share spiritual knowledge are the People of the Book, because they refused to teach the Book they had (Ṭ). The imagery of being collared by what one withheld is similar to the imagery in v. 161. Among the interpretations attributed to the Prophet for this verse is that a person’s hoard of wealth will appear on the Day of Judgment as a serpent following him, slowly consuming him or wrapping itself around him, and the serpent will say to him, “I am your wealth; I am your treasure.” The deleterious effects of miserliness are also discussed in 4:37; 47:37–38; 57:24. The end of this verse is similar to 19:40: We shall inherit the earth and whatsoever is upon it. Commentators distinguish between human inheritance and the kind spoken of here, in that God is always in possession of the heavens and the earth and inherits them only in the sense that all other owners cease to be and He alone remains (Q, R, Ṭ).
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Ɓ God has certainly heard the words of those who said, “God is poor, and we are rich.” We shall record what they said, and their slaying of the prophets without right, and We shall say, “Taste the punishment of the burning.”
Ƃ That is because of what your hands sent forth, and because God wrongs not His servants.
181–82 It is said that some Jews, upon hearing the verse Who shall lend God a goodly loan? (2:245; 57:11), taunted the Muslims by saying that this means that they are rich and God is poor, not because they actually believed it, but in order to stir up disquiet in the hearts of the weak among the believers (Q); see also 47:38: God is the Rich, and you are the poor. Their words and deeds will be recorded in the book they will read from on the Day of Judgment (Q), referred to in 17:13–14; 18:49; 69:19–25; 78:29; 84:7–10. Slaying of the prophets without right (see also 2:61c) refers to events in the Israelite past, but is also interpreted here (and in other places) as a reference to their approval or acceptance of it (Q). In this vein, some quote a ḥadīth of the Prophet: “When a sin is committed on earth, whosoever is present but deplores it is like one who was absent from it. Whosoever is absent from it but approves it is like one who was present.”
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ƃ [As for] those who say, “Truly God has committed us to not believe in any messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire,” say, “Messengers certainly came before me with clear proofs and with that whereof you speak; so why did you slay them, if you are truthful?”
183 The commentators describe a challenge posed to the Prophet by some prominent Jews, who asked him to prepare a sacrificial offering that would be consumed by a fire from Heaven (Q, Ṭ). Fire coming down from Heaven or from an angel is mentioned in the Bible in connection with Elijah (1 Kings 18:22–38), David (1 Chronicles 21:26), Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:1), Gideon (Judges 6:21), and Manoah (Judges 13:20). Many commentators note that since a miraculously burned offering was not exhibited even by all the prophets of Israel, and since the practice of Jewish animal sacrifice had stopped after the destruction of the Second Temple, the challenge thus amounted to an empty and cynical ploy (R). On the slaying of the prophets more generally, see 2:61c. As a spiritual allegory, this verse is seen as describing the soul’s stubbornness in refusing to follow the spiritual way and coming up with excuses to fool itself (Aj).
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Ƅ So if they deny thee, they certainly did deny messengers before thee, who came with clear proofs, scriptures, and the luminous Book.
184 The clear proofs are various demonstrations of truth (IK, Q). Scriptures renders zubur, which etymologically means something that is written; according to some it can refer to any book containing wisdom (R). It is different from zabūr, which refers specifically to the Psalms of David (al-Zabūr). Luminous Book refers to the Torah and the Gospel, but is not necessarily something different from the scriptures (zubur); the and in and the luminous Book signifies that scriptures and luminous Book are the same object (R), although scriptures can refer to Divine revelations sent to messengers in a more general sense (e.g., to Abraham, as mentioned in 87:18–19; IK).
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ƅ Every soul shall taste death, and you will indeed be paid your reward in full on the Day of Resurrection. And whosoever is distanced from the Fire and made to enter the Garden has certainly triumphed. And the life of this world is naught but the enjoyment of delusion.
185 The Arabic allows this first phrase (also in 21:35; 29:57) to be also translated, “Every soul tastes death” and “Every soul is a taster of death,” signifying that death is not only a future event, but can also be a state of being or a recurring experience of the soul. Some mention that, in connection with whosoever is distanced from the Fire and made to enter the Garden, the Prophet said, “The area covered by a whip [i.e., how far you can reach with a whip] in the Garden is better than this world and everything in it.” Verses similar in theme include All things perish, save His Face (28:88); and All upon it passes away. And there remains the Face of thy Lord, Possessed of Majesty and Bounty (55:26–27). Al-Qushayrī says of this verse that the cup of death has been placed in the hand of every living being, and one can either drink it well and find bliss or drink it with a grimace and a wail. It is a very often quoted verse among Muslims and even appears on many tombstones. See also the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.”
Delusion (ghurūr) connotes vanities, deception, pride, and even peril; enjoyment of delusion also appears in 57:20. The notion of this world as being a place of ephemeral enjoyment (matāʿ) is mentioned throughout the Quran (e.g., 2:36; 3:14, 197; 4:77; 7:24; 9:38; 10:23, 70; 16:80, 117; 21:111; 28:60–61; 36:44; 40:39; 42:36; 43:35).
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Ɔ You will surely be tried in your wealth and your souls, and you shall hear much hurt from those who were given the Book before you, and from those who are idolaters. But if you are patient and reverent, then that is indeed a course worthy of resolve.
186 Your souls can be rendered “yourselves,” but also as “your own,” meaning your near kinsmen and members of your clan or tribe (Ṭ). The trial of wealth and souls is also mentioned in 2:155: And We will indeed test you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth, souls, and fruits. Much hurt refers to taunts and insults; it renders an Arabic word that can mean both physical harm and verbal deprecation as well as falsehoods and blasphemies about God and His prophets (Ṭ). A course worthy of resolve also appears in 31:17; 42:43.
This verse reflects other verses that counsel patience and forbearance in the face of those who reject the prophetic messages, such as 20:44, where Moses and Aaron are commanded with regard to Pharaoh, Yet speak unto him gently, that haply he may remember or have fear; 41:34: Repel [evil] with that which is better; then behold, the one between whom and thee there is enmity shall be as if he were a loyal protecting friend; and 45:14: Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days of God. Al-Rāzī and al-Qurṭubī reject the argument that this verse is abrogated by the verses allowing fighting, since patience and leniency in the face of ridicule and insults was a wont of the Prophet and his Companions throughout their lives, even during the days of war (Q, R).
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Ƈ [Remember] when God made the covenant with those who were given the Book, “You shall make it clear to the people, and not conceal it.” Then they cast it behind their backs and sold it for a paltry price. Evil indeed is their selling!
187 God made the covenant is interpreted to mean that the prophets made a covenant with their peoples by God’s Leave (Ṭ). This verse can be understood as a general condemnation of anyone who is given knowledge, but then does not teach it, even though it is speaking specifically of the Jews (Q). The it in make it clear . . . and not conceal it refers back to the Book, though some offer the interpretation that this refers more specifically to the foretellings of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad believed by Muslims to be found in earlier scriptures (Q, R; see 7:157). The Prophet said, “Whosoever conceals knowledge from his people will wear one of the bridles of the Fire,” and ʿAlī said, “God tasks no ignorant person with learning until he tasks a learned person with teaching.” On this theme of the People of the Book concealing what God has revealed to them, see also 2:42, 76, 140, 146, 159, 174; 3:71; 5:15; 6:91. The casting aside of the covenant and the Book is also mentioned in 2:100–101 and refers to the lack of commitment to it and failure to live according to its teachings (R).
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ƈ Do not suppose that those who exult in what they have brought about and love to be praised for what they have not done—do not suppose that they are delivered from the punishment; theirs is a painful punishment.
188 Those who exult in what they have brought about while wanting to be praised for what they have not done find happiness in worldly things and passions, yet want to be known as sincere, pious people (R). The commentators mention different kinds of hypocrisy and deceit to which this verse seems to be referring. It is reported by some that this verse was revealed in connection with certain hypocrites who would find an excuse not to go out with the Prophet when he left for a battle, but would seek pardon from him upon his return and, moreover, seek to be praised for their actions (IK). Or it refers simply to the hypocrites in general, those who wanted to be praised for a faith they did not possess. Others say it refers to the practices of People of the Book, such as distorting their scriptures and then wanting to be praised as devoted people of religion. Or it refers to the concealing of truth mentioned in v. 187, exulting in this concealment while still desiring to be praised as learned (R).
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Ɖ Unto God belongs sovereignty over the heavens and the earth, and God is Powerful over all things.
189 On God’s having sovereignty over the heavens and the earth, see also 5:17, 40; 24:42; 42:49; 45:27; 48:14; 67:1c.
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Ɛ Truly in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the variation of the night and the day are signs for the possessors of intellect,
190 It is said that the Prophet would recite vv. 190–200 of this sūrah every night. When it was first revealed, the Prophet stood to pray, and while he was praying Bilāl came to call him to the congregational prayer, found him weeping, and said, “O Messenger of God, why dost thou weep, though God has forgiven thee whatever sins you have or may commit?” He said, “O Bilāl, shall I not be a grateful servant, since God has revealed the verse Truly in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the variation of the night and the day are signs for the possessors of intellect?” He then said, “Woe unto him who recites it and does not reflect upon it” (Q). Muslims are therefore advised not only to read, but also to meditate deeply upon the meanings—in fact, levels of meaning—of this verse.
Creation renders khalq, which can refer not only to God’s creative Act, but also to the nature or qualities of the heavens and the earth as being created, or makhlūq. On the variation of the night and the day, see also 2:164 (where the creation of the heavens and the earth is also mentioned); 10:6; 23:80; 45:5. For a discussion of possessors of intellect (ūlu’l-albāb), see 2:179c; 39:9c; see also 13:19; 14:52; 38:29; 39:18.
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Ƒ who remember God standing, sitting, and lying upon their sides, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth, “Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain. Glory be to Thee! Shield us from the punishment of the Fire.
191 Standing, sitting, and lying as three modes of remembering God are also mentioned in 4:103. On one level, one should always be remembering God, since a human being is always in one of these three states (R). It can refer also to remembrance in the heart, by the tongue (R), or in the various positions of the prayer (e.g., for people who must perform the canonical prayer sitting or lying down due to physical disability or illness; IK). It can, moreover, refer to all modes of remembrance, including the recitation of the Quran, and it is one of the scriptural bases of the Sufi practice of remembrance of God (dhikr Allāh) at all times. That creation is not in vain is echoed in 21:16: We did not create Heaven and earth and whatsoever is between them in play; and 38:27: And We did not create Heaven and earth and whatsoever is between them in vain; that is the conjecture of those who disbelieve. Nevertheless, the positive symbolic nature of the world as an object of contemplation, emphasized in the Quran, and its reflecting the Wisdom of its Creator should not be confused with the seductive, dispersive dimension of life in this world, spoken of in 6:32 as but play and diversion (also in 29:64; 47:36; 57:20). The “life” of this world suggests the frailties and passions of the subjective ego, which can turn God’s creation into a diversion and end in itself, but God’s creative Act and the objective nature of the heavens and the earth as reflections of His Qualities and Wisdom are signs pointing to truths beyond themselves. Other verses that mention the nature of God’s creation as an object of reflection or meditation include 10:24; 13:3; 16:11, 69; 30:8; 45:13.
This verse also indicates that one can meditate upon God through His creation and His Attributes and Qualities reflected in it, but not upon God’s Essence directly, since the Divine Essence can never be the direct object of meditation by limited human consciousness (R). In this sense this verse echoes the message of 41:53: We shall show them Our signs upon the horizons and within themselves till it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.
A ḥadīth states, “One hour of reflection [or meditation, tafakkur] is better than a night’s vigil.” Meditation and reflection are mentioned many times in the Quran (13:3; 16:11, 44, 69; 30:21; 39:42; 45:13; 59:21), and the notion of reflection (tafakkur or fikr) forms an important foundation of Islamic spirituality. Some say, “Reflection (fikr) is the lamp of the heart. If it vanishes the heart has no illumination” (Aj). It is reported that the wife of Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī said he would spend his days in reflection in a corner of his house, and the wife of Abū Bakr said that is how he would spend his nights (Aj). In this vein, Ḥasan al-Baṣrī is reported to have said, “If one’s words are not wisdom, they are vain. If one’s silence is not reflection, it is absentmindedness. If one’s thought is not contemplation, it is play” (Aj).
Shield us from . . . the Fire is a theme that appears also in 2:201; 3:16; 40:7.
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ƒ Our Lord! Whomsoever Thou makest to enter into the Fire, Thou hast surely disgraced him. And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers.
192 This “disgrace” is said to be specific to those who enter the Fire but never leave it, not those who are only there for a time (Q, Ṭ). On this topic al-Ṭabarī quotes a saying of Ḥasan al-Baṣrī that those who committed some sin will enter the Fire, but will at some point leave it because of the faith that exists in their hearts. For more on this issue, see the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.”
This verse also shows the spiritual or psychic torment of the Hereafter, since disgrace is not a material punishment (R), just as They shall hear no idle talk therein, but only “Peace!” (19:62) does not describe material rewards in the Garden. This verse has been sometimes employed by theologians in the debate over whether the perpetrator of a great sin can still be considered a believer or if such a person will enter the Fire. Since in 66:8 it is said that the Day of Judgment is the Day when God will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him, some assert that no believers can enter the Fire, since, in doing so, they would be disgraced (R).
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Ɠ Our Lord! Truly we have heard a caller calling to faith, saying ‘Believe in your Lord,’ so we believed. Our Lord, forgive us our sins and absolve us of our evil deeds, and take us unto Thee with the pious.
193 The caller is most often interpreted to be the Prophet Muhammad, though some see it as a reference to the Quran itself, since the Quran reaches everyone and only a limited number of people actually heard the Prophet (R). Found in many manuals of prayer, this verse is one of the most famous Islamic prayers and is repeated often by pious Muslims.
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Ɣ Our Lord! Give us what Thou hast promised us through Thy messengers, and disgrace us not on the Day of Resurrection. Truly Thou wilt not fail the tryst.”
194 What Thou hast promised us through Thy messengers can mean either that God made the promise to the messengers, or that the messengers conveyed this promise to others (R), or both. Here al-Rāzī comments on the apparent pointlessness of praying to God to do something He would do in any case, such as fulfilling His Promise, noting that such prayers are not calls to action, but rather expressions of humility, deference, and meekness by the believer, such as 21:112: My Lord, judge with truth! and 40:7: Our Lord, Thou dost encompass all things in Mercy and Knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Thy way. That is, these are supplications, but God does not do these things as a response to them; rather, these supplications are a kind of response to those actions by God. V. 191 mentions the bodily punishment of the Fire, but here the believers seek deliverance from the spiritual punishment of disgrace (R).
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ƕ So their Lord answered them, “I shall not let the work of any worker among you, male or female, be in vain; each of you is like the other. So those who emigrated, and were expelled from their homes, and were hurt in My way, and fought and were slain—I shall absolve them of their evil deeds and shall make them enter Gardens with rivers running below, a reward from God. And God, with Him is the most beautiful reward.
195 Each of you is like the other means that reward for obedience and righteous deeds is not differentiated between men and women or different tribes and groups (R). The phrase can also mean “Each of you is ‘of’ the other,” in the manner of “Whosoever does that is one ‘of’ us” (R). Moral equality between men and women is also mentioned in other verses, such as 9:71: But the believing men and believing women are protectors of one another, enjoining right and forbidding wrong. The emigration and expulsion refer to the fate suffered by the believers in Makkah when they migrated to Madinah. Those hurt in My way can refer to those being insulted and ridiculed as well as those who have received physical injury.
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Ɩ Let it not delude thee that those who disbelieve are free to come and go in the land.
Ɨ It is a little enjoyment. Then their refuge is Hell, an evil resting place!
196–97 It is reported that this verse came in response to a remark made by some believers that, while they were suffering from hunger, the idolaters traveled freely throughout the land and made profit from their commerce (cf. 40:4; Q); others say that this was spoken by the hypocrites (R). Though this verse is addressed to the Prophet, it is considered to have a broader audience, as if to say, “O listener” (R). These two verses also echo the idea found in v. 178.
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Ƙ But [as for] those who reverence their Lord, theirs shall be Gardens with rivers running below, abiding therein, as a welcome from God. And that which is with God is better for the pious.
198 A welcome renders nuzul, a word referring to what a host prepares for a guest (R); see also 18:102, 107; 32:19; 37:62; 41:32c; 56:56, 93.
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ƙ And truly among the People of the Book are those who believe in God and that which has been sent down unto you, and that which has been sent down unto them, humble before God, not selling God’s signs for a paltry price. It is they who shall have their reward with their Lord. Truly God is swift in reckoning.
199 According to some, this verse was revealed in connection with the death of the Negus, the Christian king of Abyssinia who provided asylum for believers from Makkah before the migration from Makkah to Madinah (Q, R); this event is also given by some as the occasion for revelation for 2:115. Other opinions about who this verse refers to include forty people from Najrān (from the tribe of Banū al-Ḥārith ibn Kaʿb), or thirty-two people from Abyssinia, or eight people from Byzantium who followed the religion of Jesus and then became Muslims (R, Th), though further details are not provided. Mujāhid states that it refers to all the believers among the People of the Book (R, Th), but without specifying what this “belief” means.
Part of the objection to the Prophet’s praying for the Negus was that the latter was a Christian, an objection voiced by sincere followers, but also by the hypocrites, who feigned outrage that the Prophet would perform funerary rites for a Christian he had never even met (R, Ṭ). Though this verse presents the People of the Book as a separate group (unto you versus unto them), it affirms that some members of this group believe in what was sent down unto the community of the Prophet. In keeping with interpretations applied to similar verses dealing with Christians and Jews, some commentators understand this as a reference to former Christians or Jews, such as ʿAbd Allāh ibn Salām, who had converted to Islam (Ṭ; see also commentary on 3:113–15). Commentators often leave the status of the Negus open-ended, referring to the hesitation regarding prayer for a Christian on the part of the community, but recording neither a positive statement on the part of the Prophet beyond his calling the Negus “your brother,” nor that the Prophet corrected them by informing them that he was in fact a Muslim and not a Christian (see 5:82–83c). In mainstream Islamic thought, for a person to believe in what was sent down to the Prophet is precisely to become a Muslim, and this may be why the commentaries are generally mute about the nature of “belief” in this verse. This issue is related to, but separate from, the status of belief of Jews and Christians as such, which is discussed at length in 2:62c; 5:69c; 5:82–83c; and elsewhere. The question raised by this verse consists in what it means to remain one of the People of the Book while believing in that which has been sent down to the Prophet Muhammad.
It is possible to interpret this verse to refer to the affirmation of the truths that, according to Islam, are expressed by all true religions: belief in the One God, the judgment of the Hereafter, and the moral obligations of justice and mercy in this life and similar issues. Insofar as the Negus believed in these things, he would have believed in that which has been sent down unto you. But since this kind of phrasing, as found in verses that mention belief in what was revealed to the Prophet and what was revealed to other prophets, often denotes a more specific affirmation of the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Quran, the question remains as to the status of a Jew or Christian (“them”) who believes in what was sent down to the Prophet Muhammad. There may be a third possibility often left unexplored by Muslims until recently: that one can remain a Christian while affirming the veracity of the Prophet Muhammad and of what was revealed to him. This possibility may be understood to have been mentioned in 5:82, which speaks in positive and praiseworthy terms of those who say, “We are Christians.” In 5:83 they are described in this way: When they hear that which was sent down unto the Messenger, thou seest their eyes overflow with tears because of the truth they recognize. Some commentators note that this may refer to Christians in general, not only those who would later become Muslims, and would include those who accepted the prophethood of Muhammad, but continued to live according to the “sharīʿah of Jesus,” as discussed in 5:82–83c.
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Ȁ O you who believe! Be patient, vie in patience, persevere, and reverence God, that haply you may prosper.
200 Be patient and vie in patience are two forms of the same root (ṣ-b-r), the first referring to patience itself, the second to a contest of patience in which one should outdo the enemy in patience and endurance (R, Z). Persevere renders rābiṭū (noun form ribāṭ), which comes from a root with a range of meanings including to “tie,” “fortify,” and “join.” Though ribāṭ has the general meaning of being steadfast and firm, more specifically the word refers to taking up a border or frontier post (or to the post itself) in defense of the community or in anticipation of an attack; it is called ribāṭ because one “ties” or bridles one’s horse, as referred to in 8:60, horses tethered [for battle] (ribāṭ al-khayl; R). In this vein, there are aḥādīth such as “One day of ribāṭ in the way of God is better in God’s Eyes than this world and all that is in it.” Other aḥādīth speak of ribāṭ as a deed whose merit accrues even after death, since the defense of the community allows others to accomplish their acts of piety and righteousness (IK, Q). Referring to the spiritual understanding of ribāṭ, in a ḥadīth the Prophet said, “Performing ablutions under unpleasant conditions, multiplying one’s steps to the mosque, and waiting for the prayer after the prayer, that is ribāṭ.” Here “waiting for the prayer after the prayer” refers to waiting in remembrance, devotion, and reflection between two of the canonical prayers (such as the late afternoon and sunset prayers). This is a spiritual ribāṭ, which is compared with the martial ribāṭ by the famous jurist al-Nawawī (d. 676/1278) in his commentary on the aforementioned ḥadīth. In the same way, two types of jihād (striving) are described in a well-known ḥadīth in which the Prophet said to those returning from a battle, “You have returned from the lesser jihād to the greater jihād.” When asked what the greater jihād was, he said, “A servant’s jihād against his passions.”