Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 3 Ali 'Imran, Ayat 188-200
لَا تَحۡسَبَنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ يَفۡرَحُوۡنَ بِمَاۤ اَتَوْا وَّيُحِبُّوۡنَ اَنۡ يُّحۡمَدُوۡا بِمَا لَمۡ يَفۡعَلُوۡا فَلَا تَحۡسَبَنَّهُمۡ بِمَفَازَةٍ مِّنَ الۡعَذَابِۚ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَ لِيۡمٌ
﴿3:188﴾
وَلِلّٰهِ مُلۡكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرٌ
﴿3:189﴾
اِنَّ فِىۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَاخۡتِلَافِ الَّيۡلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّاُولِى الۡاَلۡبَابِ ۚۖ
﴿3:190﴾
الَّذِيۡنَ يَذۡكُرُوۡنَ اللّٰهَ قِيَامًا وَّقُعُوۡدًا وَّعَلٰى جُنُوۡبِهِمۡ وَيَتَفَكَّرُوۡنَ فِىۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِۚ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقۡتَ هٰذَا بَاطِلًا ۚ سُبۡحٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
﴿3:191﴾
رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّكَ مَنۡ تُدۡخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدۡ اَخۡزَيۡتَهٗ ؕ وَمَا لِلظّٰلِمِيۡنَ مِنۡ اَنۡصَارٍ
﴿3:192﴾
رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّنَا سَمِعۡنَا مُنَادِيًا يُّنَادِىۡ لِلۡاِيۡمَانِ اَنۡ اٰمِنُوۡا بِرَبِّكُمۡ فَاٰمَنَّا ۖ رَبَّنَا فَاغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ذُنُوۡبَنَا وَكَفِّرۡ عَنَّا سَيِّاٰتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الۡاَبۡرَارِۚ
﴿3:193﴾
رَبَّنَا وَاٰتِنَا مَا وَعَدتَّنَا عَلٰى رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخۡزِنَا يَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ ؕ اِنَّكَ لَا تُخۡلِفُ الۡمِيۡعَادَ
﴿3:194﴾
فَاسۡتَجَابَ لَهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ اَنِّىۡ لَاۤ اُضِيۡعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ ذَكَرٍ اَوۡ اُنۡثٰىۚ بَعۡضُكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡضٍۚ فَالَّذِيۡنَ هَاجَرُوۡا وَاُخۡرِجُوۡا مِنۡ دِيَارِهِمۡ وَاُوۡذُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِىۡ وَقٰتَلُوۡا وَقُتِلُوۡا لَاُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنۡهُمۡ سَيِّاٰتِهِمۡ وَلَاُدۡخِلَنَّهُمۡ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُۚ ثَوَابًا مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰهِ ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ عِنۡدَهٗ حُسۡنُ الثَّوَابِ
﴿3:195﴾
لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا فِى الۡبِلَادِؕ
﴿3:196﴾
مَتَاعٌ قَلِيۡلٌ ثُمَّ مَاۡوٰٮهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُؕ وَ بِئۡسَ الۡمِهَادُ
﴿3:197﴾
لٰكِنِ الَّذِيۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا رَبَّهُمۡ لَهُمۡ جَنّٰتٌ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَا نُزُلًا مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰهِؕ وَمَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ خَيۡرٌ لِّلۡاَبۡرَارِ
﴿3:198﴾
وَاِنَّ مِنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ لَمَنۡ يُّؤۡمِنُ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡكُمۡ وَمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡهِمۡ خٰشِعِيۡنَ لِلّٰهِ ۙ لَا يَشۡتَرُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيۡلًا ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ لَهُمۡ اَجۡرُهُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ سَرِيۡعُ الۡحِسَابِ
﴿3:199﴾
يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اصۡبِرُوۡا وَصَابِرُوۡا وَرَابِطُوۡا وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُوۡنَ
﴿3:200﴾
(3:188) Do not think that those who exult in their misdeeds and love to be
praised for what indeed they have not done,133 do not think that
they are secure from chastisement. A painful chastisement awaits them. (3:189) To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and Allah
is All-Powerful. indeed been successful. (3:190) Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth,134
and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for men of understanding.
(3:191) those who remember Allah while standing, sitting or (reclining) on
their backs, and reflect in the creation of the heavens and the earth,135
(saying): 'Our Lord! You have not created this in vain. Glory to You! Save us,
then, from the chastisement of the Fire.136 (3:192) Our Lord! Whomever You cause to enter the Fire, him You indeed bring
to disgrace, and there will be none to succour the wrong-doers. (3:193) Our Lord! Indeed we heard a crier calling to the faith saying: "Believe
in your Lord"; so we did believe.137 Our Lord, forgive us our sins,
and wipe out our evil deeds and make us die with the truly pious.' (3:194) 'Our Lord, fulfil what You promised to us through Your Messengers,
and disgrace us not on the Day of Resurrection; indeed You never go back on
Your promise.138 (3:195) Their Lord answered the Prayer thus: "I will not suffer the work
of any of you, whether male or female, to go to waste; each of you is from the
other.139 Those who emigrated and were driven out from their homesteads
and were persecuted in My cause, and who fought and were slain, indeed I shall
wipe out their evil deeds from them and shall certainly admit them to the gardens
beneath which rivers flow." This is their reward with their Lord; and with Allah
lies the best reward.140 (3:196) (O Messenger!) Do not let the strutting about of the unbelievers
in the land deceive you. (3:197) This is but a little enjoyment, then their destination is Hell -what
an evil resting place! (3:198) But those who fear their Lord: theirs shall be the gardens beneath
which rivers flow and in which they will live forever: a hospitality from Allah
Himself, And Allah's reward is best for the truly pious. (3:199) And among the People of the Book some believe in Allah and what has
been revealed to you, and what has been revealed to them. They humble themselves
before Allah, and do not sell Allah's revelations for a small price. For these
men their reward is with their Lord. Allah is swift in His reckoning. (3:200) Believers, be steadfast, and vie in steadfastness,141
stand firm in your faith, and hold Allah in fear that you may attain true success.
Notes
133. Such people expected praises to be lavished upon them for being God-fearing,
devout and pious, for being sincere servants of the true faith, for being defenders
of God's Law and for having reformed and purified the lives of people, even
though none of this might be true. They wanted people to go about trumpeting
that such and such a person had made great sacrifices in the cause of God and
had sincerely guided people to the right way even though the facts might be
the reverse of what they claimed.
134. This section constitutes the conclusion of the present surah. It is
related not so much to the verses which immediately precede it as to the entire
surah. In order to grasp its significance one should particularly bear in mind
our introductory remarks to this surah. (See pp. 229 ff. above.)
135. This means that with the help of those signs one can easily arrive at
the Truth, provided one is not indifferent to God and looks at the phenomenon
of the universe thoughtfully.
136. When people look carefully at the order of the universe, it becomes
clear to them that it is an order permeated by wisdom and intelligent purpose.
It is altogether inconsistent with wisdom that the man endowed with moral consciousness
and freedom of choice, the man gifted with reason and discretion, should not
be held answerable for his deeds. This kind of reflection leads people to develop
a strong conviction that the After-life is a reality. Thanks to this conviction,
they begin to seek God's refuge from His punishment.
137. Many eras have passed before you. Go about, then, in the land and behold
the end of those who gave the lie to (the directives and ordinances of Allah).
138. Such people do not doubt the fact that God will fulfil His promises.
What they do doubt is whether they will be reckoned among those for whom those
promises were made. Hence they pray to God to make them worthy of His promised
rewards. They are afraid lest they remain targets of slander and ridicule by
the unbelievers in this world, and then be disgraced in the Hereafter before
the same unbelievers who may mock them once again saying that their faith has
been of no avail to them.
139. All humans are equal in the sight of God. God does not have separate
criteria for judging the male and the female, the master and the slave, the
high and the low.
140. It is reported that some non-Muslims came to the Prophet and said that
Moses had produced his staff and had been endowed with the miracle of the shining
hand see( Qur'an 7: 108; 20: 22), and that Jesus restored sight to the blind
and cured the lepers see (Qur'an 31 49). Other Prophets had also been granted
miracles. What miracles, they enquired, could the Prophet perform? In response
the Prophet recited all the verses from (verse 190 )to the end of this surah,
adding that that was what he had brought.
141. The original Arabic word is " sabiru". This has two possible meanings.
One is that whenever they are in confrontation with unbelievers, the believers
should endure even greater hardships for their cause, and display a higher degree
of fortitude than the unbelievers. The other is that the believers should try
to excel one another in facing the opposition and hostility of unbelievers with
courage and fortitude.