Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 3 Ali 'Imran, Ayat 149-155
يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِنۡ تُطِيۡعُوا الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا يَرُدُّوۡكُمۡ عَلٰٓى اَعۡقَابِكُمۡ فَتَـنۡقَلِبُوۡا خٰسِرِيۡنَ
﴿3:149﴾
بَلِ اللّٰهُ مَوۡلٰٮكُمۡۚ وَهُوَ خَيۡرُ النّٰصِرِيۡنَ
﴿3:150﴾
سَنُلۡقِىۡ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعۡبَ بِمَاۤ اَشۡرَكُوۡا بِاللّٰهِ مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهٖ سُلۡطٰنًا ۚ وَمَاۡوٰٮهُمُ النَّارُؕ وَ بِئۡسَ مَثۡوَى الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ
﴿3:151﴾
وَلَقَدۡ صَدَقَكُمُ اللّٰهُ وَعۡدَهٗۤ اِذۡ تَحُسُّوۡنَهُمۡ بِاِذۡنِهٖۚ حَتّٰۤی اِذَا فَشِلۡتُمۡ وَتَـنَازَعۡتُمۡ فِى الۡاَمۡرِ وَعَصَيۡتُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَاۤ اَرٰٮكُمۡ مَّا تُحِبُّوۡنَؕ مِنۡكُمۡ مَّنۡ يُّرِيۡدُ الدُّنۡيَا وَمِنۡكُمۡ مَّنۡ يُّرِيۡدُ الۡاٰخِرَةَ ۚ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمۡ عَنۡهُمۡ لِيَبۡتَلِيَكُمۡۚ وَلَقَدۡ عَفَا عَنۡكُمۡؕ وَ اللّٰهُ ذُوۡ فَضۡلٍ عَلَى الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
﴿3:152﴾
اِذۡ تُصۡعِدُوۡنَ وَلَا تَلۡوٗنَ عَلٰٓى اَحَدٍ وَّالرَّسُوۡلُ يَدۡعُوۡكُمۡ فِىۡۤ اُخۡرٰٮكُمۡ فَاَثَابَكُمۡ غَمًّا ۢ بِغَمٍّ لِّـكَيۡلَا تَحۡزَنُوۡا عَلٰى مَا فَاتَكُمۡ وَلَا مَاۤ اَصَابَكُمۡؕ وَاللّٰهُ خَبِيۡرٌۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ
﴿3:153﴾
ثُمَّ اَنۡزَلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الۡغَمِّ اَمَنَةً نُّعَاسًا يَّغۡشٰى طَآئِفَةً مِّنۡكُمۡۙ وَطَآئِفَةٌ قَدۡ اَهَمَّتۡهُمۡ اَنۡفُسُهُمۡ يَظُنُّوۡنَ بِاللّٰهِ غَيۡرَ الۡحَـقِّ ظَنَّ الۡجَـاهِلِيَّةِؕ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ هَلۡ لَّنَا مِنَ الۡاَمۡرِ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ الۡاَمۡرَ كُلَّهٗ لِلّٰهِؕ يُخۡفُوۡنَ فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ مَّا لَا يُبۡدُوۡنَ لَكَؕ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ لَوۡ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الۡاَمۡرِ شَىۡءٌ مَّا قُتِلۡنَا هٰهُنَا ؕ قُلۡ لَّوۡ كُنۡتُمۡ فِىۡ بُيُوۡتِكُمۡ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِيۡنَ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡقَتۡلُ اِلٰى مَضَاجِعِهِمۡۚ وَلِيَبۡتَلِىَ اللّٰهُ مَا فِىۡ صُدُوۡرِكُمۡ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِكُمۡؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلِيۡمٌۢ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوۡرِ
﴿3:154﴾
اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ تَوَلَّوۡا مِنۡكُمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡتَقَى الۡجَمۡعٰنِۙ اِنَّمَا اسۡتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيۡطٰنُ بِبَعۡضِ مَا كَسَبُوۡا ۚ وَلَقَدۡ عَفَا اللّٰهُ عَنۡهُمۡؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ غَفُوۡرٌ حَلِيۡمٌ
﴿3:155﴾
(3:149) Believers! If you follow those who deny the Truth, they will drive
you back on your heels,108 and you will turn about, losers. (3:150) But Allah is your Protector, and He is the best of helpers. (3:151) We will cast terror into the hearts of those who have denied the
Truth since they have associated others with Allah in His divinity - something
for which He has sent down no sanction. The Fire is their abode; how bad the
resting place of the wrong-doers will be! (3:152) Allah surely fulfilled His promise (of succour) when you were slaying
them by His leave until the moment when you flagged and quarrelled among yourselves
about the matter, and acted against the order of (the Prophet). Soon He showed
you what you had intensely desired - for some among you sought this world and
some of you sought the Next. Thereupon, in order to put you to a test He turned
you away from your foes. Still He pardoned you after that109 for
Allah is Bounteous to those who believe. (3:153) Recall when you were fleeing without casting even a side glance at
anyone, and the Messenger was calling out to you from the rear.110
Then Allah requited you by inflicting grief after grief upon you111
so as to instruct you neither to grieve for the losses you might suffer nor
for the afflictions that might befall you. Allah knows all that you do. (3:154) Then, after inflict-ing this grief, He sent down an inner peace upon
you - a sleep which overtook some of you.112 Those who were concerned
merely about themselves, entertaining false notions about Allah - the notions
of the Age of Ignorance - asked: 'Have we any say in the matter?' Tell them:
'Truly, all power of decision rests solely with Allah.' Indeed, they conceal
in their hearts what they would not reveal to you, saying: 'If we had any power
of decision, we would not have been slain here.' Say: 'Even if you had been
in your houses, those for whom slaying had been appointed would have gone forth
to the places where they were to be slain.' And all this happened so that Allah
might test your secret thoughts and purge your hearts of all impurities. Allah
knows well what is in the breasts of men. (3:155) Surely those of them who turned their backs on the day when the two
armies met (at Uhud) did so because Satan made them slip because of some of
their lapses. But Allah has pardoned them; He is All-Forgiving, All-Forbearing.
Notes
108. That is, they would push them back into the same state of unbelief from
which they had extricated themselves. Since the Battle of Uhud the hypocrites
and the Jews had constantly propagated the idea that, had Muhammad been a true
Prophet, he would not have suffered the reverse that he encountered in that
battle. This reverse was offered as proof that Muhammad (peace be on him) was
an ordinary person whose fortunes varied, like those of other men, between victory
and defeat. They further contended that the support and patronage of God which
Muhammad claimed to enjoy was a sham.
109. The failure of the Muslims was of such a serious nature that had God
not pardoned them they might have been obliterated there and then. It was out
of God's grace, support and patronage that after the Muslims had been overpowered
by the enemy the latter were seized with perplexity and confusion, and withdrew.
110. When subjected to a sudden two-pronged attack the Muslims scattered;
some fled to Madina while others climbed Mount Uhud. Despite this, the Prophet
(peace be on him) did not move from his position. The enemy surrounded him on
all sides and only a small party of ten to twelve followers was left with him.
Even at that critical moment his feet remained firm and he continued to summon
his fleeing followers towards himself. (See Waqidi, Maghazi, vol. 1, pp. 237,
240 and 241 - Ed.)
111. The 'grief referred to in this verse had many causes: (i) by the setback
the Muslims suffered on the battlefield and by the rumour that the Prophet (peace
be on him) had been martyred; (ii) by the fact that a large number of believers
had been killed and wounded; and (iii) by the fact that nothing was known about
what was happening to the Muslim families left behind in Madina. For it was
possible that the enemy was greater in numbers than the total population of
Madina, and that it might break through the defences of the battered
112. A strange phenomenon was then experienced by certain Muslim soldiers.
Abu Talhah, who took part in the battle, states that the Muslims were seized
by such drowsiness that their swords were slipping from their hands. (For several
Traditions stating this incident, including one related by Abu Talhah, see Waqidi,
Maghazi, vol. 1, pp. 295-6 - Ed.)