Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 3 Ali 'Imran, Ayat 173-180
اَلَّذِيۡنَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ اِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدۡ جَمَعُوۡا لَـكُمۡ فَاخۡشَوۡهُمۡ فَزَادَهُمۡ اِيۡمَانًا ۖ وَّقَالُوۡا حَسۡبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَنِعۡمَ الۡوَكِيۡلُ
﴿3:173﴾
فَانْقَلَبُوۡا بِنِعۡمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَفَضۡلٍ لَّمۡ يَمۡسَسۡهُمۡ سُوۡٓءٌ ۙ وَّاتَّبَعُوۡا رِضۡوَانَ اللّٰهِ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ ذُوۡ فَضۡلٍ عَظِيۡمٍ
﴿3:174﴾
اِنَّمَا ذٰلِكُمُ الشَّيۡطٰنُ يُخَوِّفُ اَوۡلِيَآءَهٗ فَلَا تَخَافُوۡهُمۡ وَخَافُوۡنِ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
﴿3:175﴾
وَلَا يَحۡزُنۡكَ الَّذِيۡنَ يُسَارِعُوۡنَ فِى الۡكُفۡرِۚ اِنَّهُمۡ لَنۡ يَّضُرُّوا اللّٰهَ شَيۡـئًا ؕ يُرِيۡدُ اللّٰهُ اَلَّا يَجۡعَلَ لَهُمۡ حَظًّا فِىۡ الۡاٰخِرَةِ ۚ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِيۡمٌ
﴿3:176﴾
اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ اشۡتَرَوُا الۡكُفۡرَ بِالۡاِيۡمَانِ لَنۡ يَّضُرُّوا اللّٰهَ شَيۡـئًا ۚ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَ لِيۡمٌ
﴿3:177﴾
وَلَا يَحۡسَبَنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡۤا اَنَّمَا نُمۡلِىۡ لَهُمۡ خَيۡرٌ لِّاَنۡفُسِهِمۡؕ اِنَّمَا نُمۡلِىۡ لَهُمۡ لِيَزۡدَادُوۡۤا اِثۡمًا ۚ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ مُّهِيۡنٌ
﴿3:178﴾
مَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيَذَرَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ عَلٰى مَاۤ اَنۡـتُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ حَتّٰى يَمِيۡزَ الۡخَبِيۡثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِؕ وَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيُطۡلِعَكُمۡ عَلَى الۡغَيۡبِ وَ لٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَجۡتَبِىۡ مِنۡ رُّسُلِهٖ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ فَاٰمِنُوۡا بِاللّٰهِ وَرُسُلِهٖۚ وَاِنۡ تُؤۡمِنُوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا فَلَـكُمۡ اَجۡرٌ عَظِيۡمٌ
﴿3:179﴾
وَلَا يَحۡسَبَنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ يَبۡخَلُوۡنَ بِمَاۤ اٰتٰٮهُمُ اللّٰهُ مِنۡ فَضۡلِهٖ هُوَ خَيۡـرًا لَّهُمۡؕ بَلۡ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمۡؕ سَيُطَوَّقُوۡنَ مَا بَخِلُوۡا بِهٖ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ ؕ وَ لِلّٰهِ مِيۡرَاثُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِؕ وَاللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ خَبِيۡرٌ
﴿3:180﴾
(3:173) When people said to them: 'Behold, a host has gathered around you
and you should fear them', it only increased their faith and they answered:
'Allah is Sufficient for us; and what an excellent Guardian He is!' (3:174) So they returned with a mighty favour and a great bounty from Allah
having suffered no harm. They followed the good pleasure of Allah, and Allah
is the Lord of great bounty. (3:175) It was Satan who suggested to you the fear of his allies. Do not
fear them; fear Me, if you truly believe.124 (3:176) Let not those who run towards disbelief grieve you; they shall not
hurt Allah in the least. Allah will not provide for them any share in the Next
Life. A mighty punishment awaits them. (3:177) Indeed those who have purchased unbelief in exchange for faith shall
not hurt Allah in the least. Theirs shall be a painful chastisement. (3:178) Do not let the, unbelievers imagine that the respite We give them
is good for them. We give them respite so that they may grow in wickedness.
A humiliating chastisement lies in store for them. (3:179) Allah will not let the believers stay in the state they are:125
He will set the wicked apart from the good. Allah is not going to disclose to
you what is hidden in the realm beyond the reach of perception,126
but He chooses from among His Messengers whom He wills (to intimate such knowledge).
Believe, then, in Allah and in His Messengers; and if you believe and become
God-fearing, yours will be a great reward. (3:180) Those who are niggardly about what Allah has granted them out of
His bounty think that niggardli ness is good for them; it is bad for them. What
they were niggardly about will turn into a halter round their necks on the Day
of Resur-rection. To Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth;127
and Allah is well aware of what you do.
Notes
124. While returning from the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan challenged the Muslims
to another encounter at Badr the following year. But when the appointed time
arrived, Abu Sufyan's courage failed him on account of the famine prevailing
in Makka that year. As a face-saving device he arranged to send an agent to
Madina who spread the rumour that tremendous war preparations were afoot among
the Quraysh, and that they were trying to muster a huge army which would be
so powerful that no other power in the whole of Arabia would resist it. The
purpose of this rumour was to overawe the Muslims and discourage them from advancing
towards Makka, so that when the confrontation did not take place it would be
blamed on the timidity of the Muslims. The effect of this measure was such that
when the Prophet (peace be on him) urged the Muslims to accompany him to Badr
the initial response was not encouraging. Finally, the Prophet publicly announced
that if no one would accompany him, he would go alone. In response, fifteen
hundred devotees expressed their willingness and accompanied him to Badr. Abu
Sufyan set out with two thousand men but after travelling for two days he told
his men that it seemed unwise to fight and that they would return the following
year for the proposed encounter. Thus he and his men retreated. The Prophet
and his Companions stayed at Badr for eight days awaiting the threatened encounter.
Meanwhile, they conducted business with a trade caravan which yielded them considerable
profit. Later, when it became known that the unbelievers had gone back to Makka,
the Prophet returned to Madina. (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, pp. 209 f.; Ibn Ishaq,
Life of Muhammad, pp. 447 f. - Ed.)
125. That is, God does not want to see the Muslim community in a hotch-potch
condition with the true men of faith indistinguishable from the hypocrites.
126. This means that God does not resort to revelation to provide information
as to whether specific individuals are true men of faith or hypocrites. God
creates, instead, certain situations in which the faith of those who profess
to believe is severely tested. The result is that the man of faith stands out
clearly from the hypocrite.
127. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to God alone. Hence
the possession and use of anything by man is purely transient. For everyone
will be dispossessed of his temporary belongings, and everything will ultimately
return to and abide with God. If anyone therefore spends openheartedly in the
way of God out of his temporary possessions he does so from property which,
ultimately, belongs to God alone. Anyone who hoards his possessions and fails
to spend them in the way of God is indeed stupid.