Surah No. 47
Surah No. 471
Merits of the Surah
1. The chapter is also named as Surah al-Qital (Qurtubi, Shawkani).
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (1)
(47:1) Those who disbelieved and hindered from Allah’s path, He will lay waste their deeds.2
2. Yusuf Ali has a poignant point: “Whatever they do will miss its mark, because Allah is the source of all energy and life. If the wicked try to persecute men or seduce them from the Truth, the result will be the opposite of what they intend.”
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَآمَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۙ كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ (2)
(47:2) While those who believed and worked righteous deeds, and believed in that which has been sent down upon Muhammad3 – and it is the Truth from their Lord – He will acquit them their evil deeds, and reform their condition.4
3. Sufyan Thawri said with reference to the words, “And believed in that which has been sent down upon Muhammad,” that the allusion is to those who did not oppose Muhammad in any way (Qurtubi).The addition of this clause is to emphasize that after the appearance of Prophet Muhammad, belief in him becomes part of the faith structure, and that, there is no independent path of salvation open but which must necessarily pass through Muhammad’s territory (Au.).
4. Obviously, the application is general, but Ibn `Abbas is reported to have said that (at the time of revelation) the first verse was referring to the Makkans while the second to the Ansar (Tabari).
The above opinion of Ibn `Abbas was recorded by Hakim and others, with the former declaring it trustworthy (Alusi).
Ibn Kathir points out that similar words have been used in supplicatory words that are to be said in response to another’s sneeze. They are:
“May Allah guide you and reform your condition.”
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْبَاطِلَ وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْحَقَّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَمْثَالَهُمْ (3)
(47:3) That because those who disbelieved followed the falsehood,5 while those who believed followed the truth from their Lord. Thus does Allah set forth for the people their similitudes.6
5. “Batil” is that which does not enjoy a true existence (Razi).
6. “We learn the greatest moral lessons by parables and similitudes from things that happen in the outer world. If a man goes after a mirage or a thing that has no real existence, he can never reach his goal, while the man that follows the kindly Light from Allah that leads him on must be happier in mind, sounder in heart, and firmer in life, generally for every moment that he lives” (Yusuf Ali).
فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّىٰ تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لَانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (4)
(47:4) Therefore, when you meet the unbelievers (in a battle), then (let there be) striking of the necks until, when you have slaughtered them well enough, tie well the bonds.7 Thereafter either (confer) generosity, or (accept) ransom,8 until war lays down its burdens.9 That (is how it has to be)!10 Had Allah wished, He could have avenged upon them;11 but that He may try some of you by means of others.12 As for those who were slain in Allah’s path, never will He lay waste their deeds.13
7. Asad comments, “.. thus connecting with verse 1 and laying down the fundamental condition which alone justifies physical warfare; namely, a defence of the Faith and of freedom. In other words, when ‘those who are bent on denying the truth’ try to deprive the Muslims of their social and political liberty and thus to make it impossible for them to live in accordance with the principles of their faith, a just war (jihad) becomes allowable and, more than that, a duty.”
8. That is, after you have overcome your enemies, then, either set them free, without any compensation, or set a ransom. Some scholars have thought that this verse is abrogated by another which said (9: 5),
“When the holy months have passed, then slay the polytheists wherever you find them.” However, the correct position is that the ayah under question is firm, un-abrogated. The leader of the faithful is free to kill some prisoners (with bad record: Au.), ransom some, or set free others as a gesture of goodwill (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).
In fact, this ayah abrogates the rule set by the verses of surah al-Anfal (ayah 67, 68), which disapproved prisoner-taking in the first place. In view of the verse under discussion, scholars have treated the verses of surah al-Anfal as abrogated, and have said that taking prisoners and then granting them freedom after they have paid ransom, or freeing them in return of nothing, is entirely lawful. This was the position adopted by `Abdullah ibn `Umar, Hasan, `Ata, Thawri, Shafe`i, Ahmad, Is-haq and others. Accordingly, when the Prophet (saws) captured 80 men of an ambushing party at Hudaybiyyah, he freed them all for no returns. From Imam Abu Hanifah we have two opinions, one disallowing ransom, another, allowing it. Tahawi has reported in Ma`ani al-Athar that this is the preferred opinion of Abu Hanifah.
As regards how Islam – which stands firm in favor of human rights – allowed taking slaves, the answer requires good amount of discussion, but in sum it might be noted that the rules and conditions that have been promulgated in this connection, leave only the name: slavery, but in actual fact take away all the realities of slavery best seen in British and American treatment of slaves. As Le Bon Gustave has pointed out, the image of a slave, bound in chains, whipped for work, housed in a pen, fed with little, if any, does not hold true of the slave in Islam. The Prophet has said, as in a hadith of Bukhari,
“They are your brothers, placed under you. So if one of your brother is placed under your hand, then, let him feed him out of what he eats, clothe him out of what he clothes himself, and place not upon him a burden more than he can bear, but if he did place an unbearable burden on him, then, help him therewith.” As against all other systems, Islam allows that a slave marry his own owner, receives half the booty of a battle, and, surprisingly, if he promises security to an enemy member, his word is to be honored. The Prophet’s last words, as reported by `Ali, were, (as in Abu Da’ud and Ahmad),
“The last words of the Prophet were, ‘Prayers, Prayers. Fear Allah in the matters of the salves.’” In addition, Islam framed such rules and injunctions that helped in the emancipation of the slaves. Indeed, it appears as though slaves were to be freed on simple pretexts. There were many sins whose commitment entailed freeing of a slave as the expiation. It went to such extent that according to a hadith when someone slapped his slave, he was asked to free him. These are the reason why the Companions are reported to have freed such large number of slaves. The author of Al-Najm al-Wahhaj has conducted research to show the following figures of slaves freed by some Companions:
`A’isha, 69 slaves,
`Abbas, 70
Hakim b. Hizam, 100
`Abdullah ibn `Umar, 1,000
`Uthman b. `Affan, 20
Dhu al-Kala` Himyari, 800
`Abdul Rahman b. `Awf, 30,000
Finally, one might note that slave-taking is a mutual act. That is, prisoners are made slaves for the reasons of retaliation. But if there is a mutual pact between a Muslim and a non-Muslim warring states that they will not take slaves, then, a Muslim state will be more than willing to enter into such a pact (Mufti Shafi`).
Mawdudi adds: “The treatment therefore, of the slaves in early Islam was remarkable. One of the slave, Abu `Aziz, himself reported, “The Ansari in whose care I was placed, used to live on dates while he fed me bread.” The Prophet (saws) was told about another slave, Suhayl b. `Amr, that he was a fiery speaker (against Islam) and, therefore, his teeth ought to be broken. The Prophet replied, as in Ibn Hisham, “If I have his teeth broken then Allah will break my teeth, although I am a Prophet.”
The rules regarding Arabian Pagans, however, writes Alusi, are different. If they resort to war and are taken prisoners, then, nothing but Islam is accepted of them. (Having come to the battle and getting imprisoned, ransom will not be accepted ofthem). For them, it is either Islam or exile. However, no child, woman or an old man can be executed in view of the Prophet’s instruction; nor can any individual execute any of the prisoners of war. That is the prerogative of the government alone. Further, if they embrace Islam before imprisonment, then they cannot be enslaved. On the other hand, if they embrace Islam after being imprisoned, they cannot be executed. But rather, they will remain slaves of the state.
It is reported that Hajjaj handed over a prisoner to Ibn `Umar to execute him. He refused saying, “This is not what we have been ordered; but rather, ‘either favor, or ransom’” (Qurtubi). The report is in Ibn Marduwayh (Shawkani).
Scholars have given their opinions about the third option, not mentioned here: that of executing the prisoners. A study of the Prophetic practice reveals that it was only in specific cases that the prisoners were killed, otherwise, the general Prophetic practice was adoption of one of the two alternatives mentioned above: show favor or accept ransom. This is what he did most of the time, such as, with the prisoners of Makkah, Hawazin, Jews of Khayber, and many others (Au.).
9. Mujahid has said that the “until” of the ayah would be attained when `Isa ibn Maryam descends; (until then wars will go on: Au.) – Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and others).
Apart from being a rational explanation, the above admits a fact: there will never be peace in the world. For example, during the last two hundred years Muslims have not committed any offence against the West. But, did it bring peace to them? Far from that, they have been continuously losing lives and property decade after decade.
Abu Salamah b. Nufayl is said to have reported that someone went up to the Prophet and said, “I am wearied of the horse, have laid down my arms as war has laid down its burdens, and I said to myself, ‘there is no more fighting.’” The Prophet replied, “It is now that the war has begun. A group of my Ummah will remain dominant over others. Allah will up-raise the hearts of a people, so they will fight them and Allah will feed them through them, until Allah’s command comes to pass while they are in that state. Lo, Islam’s most prominent place will be Syria. As for horses, goodness is tied to their foreheads until the day of Judgment.”
According to other versions, the man had gone to the Prophet after a certain victory (Ibn Kathir).
Hadith commentators explain that Syria would be the principal city of Islam when, before the end of the world, great events will take place (Au.).
The above hadith is in the Sahih of Ibn Hibban as well as in Nasa’i (Sami).
10. Shabbir expounds the passage: Truth and falsehood will always remain confronting each other. Therefore, when there is a clash between believers and unbelievers, the Muslims should remain steadfast and show courage. Falsehood will only weaken when its ringleaders are destroyed and their unity is broken. Therefore, let there be no lackadaisical or sluggish attitude towards the clash; nor any hesitation in slaughtering the enemy in the battlefield. When, after considerable battling, your dread is implanted in the hearts of the enemies, and their strength is broken, then it is that you might take prisoners. This imprisonment may lead them to learn a lesson (so as not to resort to violence once again). Another possibility is that when the prisoners have lived among you, they might see the difference between you and themselves, and reconsider the Islamic message. It is expected that this will lead to their acceptance of the truth. However, if you feel it right, you might free them without ransom which might lead some of them to soften their hearts towards Islam, or you may accept ransom and let them go. But if it is not possible to return the prisoners, then there are only three ways of dealing with them: (a) Keep them back as citizens of the Islamic state as dhimmis. (b) Take them as slaves. (c) Kill them. But killing is only allowable if one of them has committed a serious crime. (Otherwise they cannot be killed).
If someone attempts a little research - and he might not need to spend a long time on the project - he will discover how far away the West is in dealing with war prisoners, in comparison with the Islamic instructions and practices. At the time of this writing, kidnapping citizens of other countries, locking them up in secret prisons, or handing them over to such states that promise to torture them and never let them out, without any trial ever taking place, nay, without anyone ever knowing the true numbers involved, is accepted by the citizens and leaders of the so-called civilized world as fair and just (Au.).
11. Qatadah said: He could easily destroy them by setting upon them His forces, and many they are. Were He to set upon them the weakest of His forces, it would suffice them (Ibn Jarir).
12. That is, Allah (swt) had the power to destroy them Himself, but He allowed them to commit aggression against you and challenge you in the battle-field, in order to try you by them: whether you will fight back, or flee to safer places, leaving Islam unsuccored (Au.).
13. Qatadah said that the special reference by “those who were slain” was to those who fell at Uhud. These verses were in fact revealed in reference to that battle. The Prophet was on a hill and his followers were badly injured. A batch of pagans proclaimed: “Hubal is exalted.” The Muslims responded, “Allah is more Exalted and more Glorious.” The pagans said, “A day for a day. War is like a pail. We have `Uzza, while you have no `Uzza.” The Prophet then said, “Allah is our Protector while you have no protector. As for the dead they fair differently: our dead are alive, being fed, while your dead are in the Fire, receiving torture” (Tabari, Kashshaf, Qurtubi).
It was Abu Sufyan who had spoken out those words from the foot of the hill on behalf of the pagans (Ibn Kathir).
As regards a martyr’s special status, there are several ahadith to support it. One is in Tirmidhi, who declared it Sahih, as well as in Ibn Majah . It says,
Miqdam b. Ma`dikarib reported the Prophet: “A martyr enjoys six specialties: He is forgiven at the first instance (of martyrdom) so that he sees his place in Paradise; is saved from the punishment in the grave; will be saved from the Great Fear; will have a crown of dignity placed on his head - whose rubies will be better than the world and what it contains; will be married to seventy (wide-eyed) houris; and will be able to intercede for seventy of his kinsfolk.”
سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ (5)
(47:5) He will surely guide them,14 and reform their condition.
14. That is, guide them to Paradise, although other connotations are possible (Qurtubi).
وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ (6)
(47:6) He will admit them to Paradise with which He has familiarized them.15
15. It is widely reported by the commentators that the angel who will take charge of the individual believers on Judgment day, will lead him right up to the gates of Paradise.
We have a report in this connection from Abu Said al-Khudri. It says,
Abu Sa`id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet said, “When the believers would have escaped the Fire, they will be held on a bridge between the Fire and Paradise. At that point they will settle their accounts of wrongs done to each other. Then they will be allowed to proceed to Paradise. At that time, they would know their places in Paradise better than they knew their homes on the earth.”
Mujahid added that they will know their places as if they lived in them from the time they were created, without seeking guidance from anyone (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari & Razi [without quoting the hadith]).
The above hadith is in Bukhari (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
The translation as “familiarized” follows Hasan’s understanding as in Qurtubi to the effect that Allah has already familiarized the believers with Paradise, having described it and explained in detail what it will be like (Au.).
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنْصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ (7)
(47:7) O those who have believed, if you help Allah, He will help you, and firm up your feet.16
16. Allah (swt) will firm up the feet of those who help Him in His cause during this life so that they stay firm on Islam, as He will also firm them up in the battlefields and give them firm feet on the Bridge (Qurtubi), in other words, at everyl moment where a believer can stagger or hesitate (Au.).
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَتَعْسًا لَهُمْ وَأَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (8)
(47:8) As for those who disbelieved, destruction for them,17 and He has laid waste their works.
17. The Prophet has said, as in Bukhari,
“Destroyed is the worshipper of Dinar and Dirham, cloaks and shrouds. If he is granted he is pleased, but if denied, he is displeased” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (9)
(47:9) That because they disliked what Allah has revealed therefore, He quashed their deeds.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ أَمْثَالُهَا (10)
(47:10) Have they not traveled in the land to see how was the end of those before them? Allah set destruction upon them. As for (these) unbelievers, they shall have the like thereof.18
18. That is, a similar end awaits them.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَوْلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَأَنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ لَا مَوْلَىٰ لَهُمْ (11)
(47:11) That, because Allah is the protector of the believers and that because the unbelievers have no protector for them.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ الْأَنْعَامُ وَالنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَهُمْ (12)
(47:12) Allah will surely admit those who believed and did righteous deeds into gardens beneath which rivers flow. As for the unbelievers, they enjoy themselves and eat like the cattle eat,19 while Fire is their ultimate abode.
19. That is, they devour food as cattle devours pasture without any regard for anything higher (Tabari).
Razi writes: There are a few differences between the partaking of a believer and an unbeliever. A believer eats and drinks in order to (gain strength and) obey Allah. The unbeliever has no aim whatsoever. Second, a believer is led to his Lord, while an unbeliever sees no evidence of the creator of his food. Third, an unbeliever devours to get larger and fatter, just like an animal, without realizing that it is the fat one of the herd which is slaughtered first.
Hence the Prophet’s words (as in the Sahihayn: Sami):
“A believer eats with a single intestine while an unbeliever eats with seven intestines” (Ibn Kathir).
Qurtubi adds: It is said that while a believer is preparatory (for next life: Au.), a hypocrite is ostentatious, and the unbeliever relishing. The Arabic text is as follows:
وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ هِيَ أَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِنْ قَرْيَتِكَ الَّتِي أَخْرَجَتْكَ أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ فَلَا نَاصِرَ لَهُمْ (13)
(47:13) And how many a town (there has been) that was stronger in might than the town that expelled you, (but) which We destroyed? Then, there was no helper for them.
أَفَمَنْ كَانَ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ (14)
(47:14) Is he then, who is upon clear evidence from His Lord, like him, to whom his evil deeds have been decked out fair, and such as those who followed their base desires?
مَثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ ۖ فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ لَبَنٍ لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ خَمْرٍ لَذَّةٍ لِلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ عَسَلٍ مُصَفًّى ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَالِدٌ فِي النَّارِ وَسُقُوا مَاءً حَمِيمًا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَاءَهُمْ (15)
(47:15) The description20 of the Paradise that the pious have been promised: rivers of unpolluted water, rivers of milk of unchanging taste, rivers of wine, tasty for the drinkers, and rivers of pure honey;21 and for them therein all kinds of fruits - and forgiveness from their Lord. (Is someone who is in such bliss) like him who will abide in the Fire (among those) who will be served boiling liquid which will tear their intestines into pieces!?22
20. The translation of “mathal” as “description” is based on the understanding of `Ikrimah as in Ibn Kathir.
21. Reports tell us that the milk of Paradise will not be the product of udders, that the wine thereof would not have been pressed by the feet, and the honey, not the regurgitation of the bee. And, in a report preserved by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet said,
“Surely, in Paradise there are seas of water, seas of honey, sees of milk and seas of wine. It is out of them that rivers spring out” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Ibn Kathir adds: A hadith tells us, (as in Bukhari: Au.),
“When you ask Allah, ask Him Firdaws, for it is in the best part of Paradise, in the highest part of it. Above it is the Rahman’s `Arsh, and from it flow out the rivers of Paradise.”
In this context another hadith might be quoted. In full length it is in Ahmad, (as also in Zawa’id of Ahmad’s son, and Tabarani: Sami but whose authenticity could not be traced: Au.). It reports the narrator as saying,
“Messenger of Allah. What is it that we will see in Paradise?” He replied, “Rivers of pure honey, rivers of wine that will neither cause headache nor regret, rivers of milk whose flavor would not have changed, and rivers of unpolluted water - and fruit. And, I swear by the eternity of your Lord, that which you do not know; and better than that would be with Him, and spouses, purified.” I asked, “Messenger of Allah. Shall we have spouses, or, will there be among them reformed ones?” He answered, “The righteous women will be for righteous men. They will enjoy them like you enjoy them in this world, and they will enjoy you except that you will not have children.”
Yet another hadith that describes the rivers of Paradise (but, as Mundhiri said in “Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib,” it is the words of the first narrator: Sami) says that rivers of Paradise will not be flowing in sunken earth, but rather, right on the surface, cordoned by pearls, whose bottom will be musk and azfar grass (Ibn Kathir).
22. The Prophet (saws) said, “(A drink) will be brought near to him but he will be averse to it. When brought nearer, it will burn his face and his forehead skin will rip off. When he drinks, his intestine will be torn to pieces until it comes out of his rear” (Ibn Jarir).
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا خَرَجُوا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ قَالُوا لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مَاذَا قَالَ آنِفًا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاتَّبَعُوا أَهْوَاءَهُمْ (16)
(47:16) And among them are some who listen to you, till, when they depart from you ask those who have been given knowledge, ‘What did he say just now?’23 They are the ones upon whose hearts Allah has set a seal, and so they follow their base desires.24
23. These were hypocrites in their previous life. They paid scant attention to what the Prophet was saying. When they left, they asked one of the true believers, merely out of jest, “What was he saying?” (Kashshaf).
24. “The people spoken of in the above verse are the hypocrites among the contemporaries of the Prophet as well as all people, at all times, who pretend to approach the Qur’anic message with a show of ‘reverence’ but are in their innermost unwilling to admit that there is any sense in it” (Asad).
وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ (17)
(47:17) As for those who are guided aright, He increased them in guidance, and gave them their piety.
فَهَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا السَّاعَةَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَاهُمْ (18)
(47:18) Are they then waiting for (anything) but the Hour, that it should come upon them suddenly? Already, its signs have arrived.25 But how (usefull) for them their reminder (will be) when it appears to them?
25. Literally, its conditions have been met (Au.).
Prophet Muhammad has described the signs of the approaching hour in such details as no other Prophet did. In fact, he himself – being last of the Prophets - was a sign. Hence his various names that give out the meaning of being last). He said (in a hadith of Bukhari),
“I have been sent with the Hour like this” pointing with his two fingers, stretching them forward (Ibn Kathir).
According to a hadith in Bukhari, the Prophet said,
“I have five names. I am Muhammad, and Ahmad, I am Mahi, the obliterator by whom Allah will obliterate disbelief, I am Hashir after whom Allah will gather together the people, and I am the `Aqib (who is followed by none) – Au.
Since the ayah speaks of the appearance of some of the signs of the end of the world, we feel appropriate to go beyond the commentaries to gather together a few traditions from various Hadith works, that describe such signs of the Hour as seem to have come true by our times. We shall not be presenting those predictions of the Prophet, which do not seem to have yet been fulfilled. A hadith of Bukhari says,
`Awf b. Malik said, “I went to the Prophet during the Tabuk expedition. He was in a leather tent. He said, ‘Count six before the Hour: (i) My death; then, (ii) the fall of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem); then, (iii) two (mass) deaths that will take you like the illness of the sheep; then, (iv) abundance of wealth so that a man will be given a 100 Dinar but he will be unhappy; then (v) a tribulation that will not leave an Arab house but would enter it; and then (vi), there will be a peace-treaty between you and the white race. But they will be treacherous and will come to you as eighty companies, in each company there will be twelve thousand (soldiers).’”
The above figure works out to about a million souls. However, other reports of similar nature say that the ultimate victory will be for Muslims.
At all events, first four of the above predictions have come true. We are going through the fourth, when a 100 Dinar increase in the salary of a professional (doctor, engineer) is considered worthless. As regards the fifth, it is not clear what is meant by it (Au.).
Abu Hurayrah says he heard the Prophet say to Thawban, “How will you be O Thawban when the nations will fall upon you like you fall upon food at the table?” He answered, “May my parents be sacrificed for you, will it be because of our fewness?” He answered, “No. You will be large in numbers, but ‘wahn’ would be cast in your hearts.” They asked, “What is ‘wahn’ Messenger of Allah?” He answered, “Your love of this world and dislike of a fight.”
Abu Hurayrah reports the Prophet as having said that the Hour will not strike until two large groups will clash leading to great many deaths between them, each making the same claim; until near about 30 lying Dajjals will appear, each of them claiming that he is Allah’s messenger; until earthquakes will become frequent; time will appear close; tribulations will appear and there will be lot of (senseless) killing; until there will be so much wealth that a man of wealth will be at a loss to find someone to accept his charity; until he offers it to someone, but that person will say, ‘I have no need for it;’ until, people will compete with each other over tallness of buildings; until a man will pass by a grave and say, ‘O that I was in his place;’ and until the sun appears from the West. Now when it would have thus appeared and the people would have seen it, they will all believe; that will be at a time when ‘a man’s faith will not profit him, if he had not believed earlier or had not earned any good in his faith’”
Except for two or three, it will be noticed that the rest of the preductions have come true, some wholly, some partially, the first prediction being an allusion perhaps to the battles between two claimants to Khilafah during the time of the Companions.
`Awf b. Malik said, “O plague, seize me.” They said, “Have you not heard from the Prophet, ‘A Muslim enjoying long life is good for him?’ He said, “Indeed yes. But I fear six things: (i) Leadership of the foolish; (ii) sale of justice (through bribes); (iii) excessive police (presence); (iv) severance of kinship ties; (v) a people who will treat the Qur’an as a musical work and (vi) bloodshed.” The hadith is in Ahmad and Tabarani. Haythami declared Tabarani’s version as trustworthy: Au.).
Hudhayfah b. al-Yaman reports the Prophet as having said that “the Hour will not strike before the luckiest of men so considered will be a mean one, son of a mean one.” Tirmidhi said that the report is of Hasan status.
Ibn Hajr mentions the hadith of Anas, originally in Ahmad and other works that, “Before the advent of Dajjal they will have years of deceit in which a truthful one will be treated as a liar while a liar will be treated as believable; a trustworthy will be treated as treacherous and a treacherous trusted; and in which common men will speak in affairs of governance.”
The above hadith clearly indicates in its ending passage the scourge of the modern times viz., democracy in the hands of the inept.
Abu Hurayrah reports the Prophet as having said, “The Hour will not strike until river Furat (Euphrates) spews out mountains of gold over which the people will fight resulting in the killing of ninety-nine out of every hundred. Each of the men will say, ‘Maybe, I will be the one to survive.’”
It is not clear from the above whether the allusion is to oil, called black gold or to gold itself. Huge amounts of high-quality and cheap oil is said to be buried everywhere in Iraq. At the moment Iraq is occupied by the USA and other Western invaders and, so far, a million people have died while millions are eking out their living on bread crumbs. Another report is in Muslim:
Jabir reports (that the Prophet) said, “It is likely that the people of Iraq would not be allowed to have their measure (of food) or Dirham.” We asked, “How would that be?” He replied, “At the hands of the non-Arabs. They will prevent it.” Then he added, “It is likely that the people of Syria would not be allowed their measure (of food) or Dirham.” We asked, “How would that be?” He replied, “At the hands of the white race.”
Above were some of the ahadith that have predicted what have either come true, or seem to be happening now. Here is a long report from Abu al-Sheikh but whose authenticity-status could not be traced. Perhaps it is a collection of several reports. It has piquant references to so many things of our contemporary world that as if it is not from a book of old, but written down in our own times:
“`Ali reports the Prophet as having said, ‘Of the signs of the Hour is that you will see the people not dong their Prayers, loss of trust, legalization of major sins, devouring of interest, acceptance of bribe, (massive) construction of buildings, following of base desires, bartering of religion for worldly gains, treating the Qur’an as a musical instrument, spreading of the skins of wild animals, mosques as places to pass through, wearing of silk, spread of oppression, common occurrence of adultery, treating divorce as something easy, dependence on the treacherous, treating the trustworthy as treacherous, skin-deep rains, coarse (indisciplined) children, debauch rulers, lying viziers, those trusted proving treacherous, oppressive secret agencies, fewness of scholars, numerousness of Qur’an reciters, fewness of the knowledgeable, decoration of the Qur’an with gold, ornamenting of mosques, raising of the pulpits, corruption of the hearts, popularity of singing girls, legalizing of musical instruments, drinking of wine, discontinuation of capital punishments, shortness of the months, breaking of the oaths, women participating in business with their husbands, women riding mules, men imitating women and women imitating men, swearing by other than Allah, a man testifying without being asked, when zakah is considered a penalty, trust as booty, a man obeying his wife abandoning his mother and distancing his father, governance becoming inheritable, the last of this Ummah criticizing its firsts, a man respected simply because of fear of his evil, numerousness of the police, the ignorant climbing pulpits, men wearing crowns, congestion of roads, (massive) construction of buildings, men’s needs met by men and women’s needs by women, plethora of speech-makers on your pulpits, your scholars depending on your rulers to make the unlawful lawful to them and lawful unlawful, passing religious rulings following their wishes, your scholars gaining knowledge in order to milk your Dinars and Dirhams and when you will take the Qur’an as a means of trading, when you will neglect Allah’s share in your wealth, when your wealth will be in the hands of the most evil among you, when you break asunder the ties of kinship, drink wine in your gatherings, when you gamble, when you begin to use musical instruments, when you deny your needy ones your charity, and consider it a penalty, killing of the innocent in order to anger the common people from their killing, when your opinions are at variance, and when all charity will fall into the hands of the slaves and the lowly ones, when weights and measures are played with and when you hand over your affairs (of the government) to the inept.”
The hadith is from the collection of Abu al-Sheikh (Al-Fitan) who appeared in the 4th Islamic century. Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, who dies at the end of the 17th century (C.E.) placed it in his collection called Kanz al-`Ummal. This single hadith should be enough for anyone to embrace Islam on the spot. It makes predictions such as which no mind even of the nineteenth century could make. Consider the following which are entirely non-moral, but rather economic, political or social: “massive construction of buildings (there are so many vacant in Dubai alone that the entire Sharjah population can be accommodated); treating divorce as something easy (averagely 25% all over the world); treating the trustworthy as treacherous; coarse (indisciplined) childrene; lying viziers (two presidents of the USA lied to the world for starting war in Iraq and Libya); oppressive secret agencies; (they have now become a scourge even upon white, Christian, Wesern citizens), numerousness of Qur’an reciters, fewness of the knowledgeable; popularity of singing girls, discontinuation of capital punishments (now it is univerally banned); women participating in business with their husbands, men imitating women and women imitating men, when trust is treated as booty, a man obeying his wife abandoning his mother and distancing his father; the last of this Ummah criticizing its firsts; numerousness of the police; congestion of roads; (massive) construction of buildings; men’s needs met by men and women’s needs by women; plethora of speech-makers on your pulpits; when you break asunder the ties of kinship; when you deny your needy ones your charity (in some Arab countries, even sending out of country to feed the starving is denied); killing of the innocent in order to anger the common people from their killing.”
What human could have predicted these happenings of the 21st century? (Au.).
فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوَاكُمْ (19)
(47:19) Know then that there is no deity save Allah, seek forgiveness for your sins and for the (sins of the) believing men and believing women.26 Allah knows your movements about, and your end abode.27
26. Sins and errors are judged by the ranks (of the sinners). What is sin for one may not be for another. A Prophet’s minor misstep is referred to as sin, although, ordinarily, no sin at all. Hence they say,
“Good deeds of the pious are evil for those brought nigh” (Shabbir).
Accordingly, the Prophet’s prayer-words used to be, as in Bukhari: Sami):
“My Lord, forgive me my errors, my ignorance, my excesses in all my affairs, and of what You know better than me. O Allah, forgive me my unintended errors and the intended ones, my ignorance, my sallies - and (I admit) all these are in me.”
He would also say at the end of Prayers, as in a Sahih report (in Muslim: Sami),
“O Allah forgive me: what I have sent forward and what I have held back; what I have concealed and what I have done openly: surely You are the One who pulls forward and the One who pushes backward, and You have power over all things.”
Another trustworthy report (as in Bukhari: Sami) records his words as,
“By Allah! I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him more than seventy times a day.”
Yet another report (of Ahmad: Sami) says,
Iblis said, “My Lord. I shall not cease misguiding mankind so long as there is life in their bodies.” The Lord the Mighty, the Exalted answered, “I shall not cease forgiving them so long as they seek forgiveness from Me” (Ibn Kathir).
27. The translation is based on the explanation offered by Ibn `Abbas as in Ibn Kathir.
But, as should be obvious, the words can apply to all kinds of human movements, including those from the sperm to the child; and to all kinds of returns: from return to homes, to graves, to the ultimate abode, etc. (Qurtubi).
وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَتْ سُورَةٌ ۖ فَإِذَا أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ مُحْكَمَةٌ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا الْقِتَالُ ۙ رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ نَظَرَ الْمَغْشِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ ۖ فَأَوْلَىٰ لَهُمْ (20)
(47:20) And said those who have believed, ‘Why is it not that a surah is sent down?’28 But when a surah of decisive meaning was sent down,29 and fighting mentioned therein, you saw those in whose heart is a sickness,30 looking at you with a look of one who swoons of death;31 but more fitting for them (would have been)32 …
28. It was the wish to defend themselves, their faith, their honor, their Prophet and their religion, and win their Lord’s good pleasure that led the true believers to seek Allah’s command to wage retaliatory jihad against their adversaries; but the weak ones among them sought peace, even if it was at the cost of humiliation at the hands of the enemies of Islam; their policies being no different from the policies of the leaders of the Muslim ummah today: surrender, so that you can live comfortably for a while more (Au.).
29. That is, a surah of clear, unambiguous meaning, which would declare obligatory fighting in Allah’s cause in explicit terms.
30. The allusion by heart’s sickness is to hypocrisy (Ibn Jarir).
31. That is, tired of persecutions, the believers wish that a surah could be sent down legalizing retaliation. But when a surah is actually sent down containing the command, it shakes those who carry the disease of hypocrisy in their hearts, who would all but faint off at the news, and physically appear as if the angel of death stands right before them, about to snatch away their souls (Au.).
32. The words in parenthesis and the translation here expresses the understanding of a section of commentators such as Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, and others, who thought that the ending words of verse 20 should be joined with the opening words of verse 21.
Ibn Jarir however thinks that the words “fa awla lahum” should be rendered as “then, destruction be for them” which is a second meaning also accepted by many as valid, such as, Zamakhshari and Qurtubi (the latter citing other examples).
طَاعَةٌ وَقَوْلٌ مَعْرُوفٌ ۚ فَإِذَا عَزَمَ الْأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا اللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ (21)
(47:21) Obedience and goodly word.33 Thereafter, when the affair was resolved, then, had they been true to Allah, it would have been better for them.
33. Another meaning attributed to Ibn `Abbas, as in Qurtubi is that the words, “obedience and a goodly word” is an instruction from Allah to the hypocrites that they ought to be obeying and saying goodly words. Yet another possible meaning, as stated by Razi is: “It is better for them”, i.e., death is better for them. The complicated structure of the passage and its elliptic nature allows for other interpretations as well.
فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ (22)
(47:22) Then, is it expected of you, if you turned away,34 that haply you would work corruption in the earth35 and sever altogether your ties of kinship?36
34. Another possible connotation is: “if you are given charge (of affairs)” – Ibn Jarir, Razi.
35. That is, will cause bloodshed in the land.
36. That is, it is not the fear of loss of life or property which discourages you from fighting. But rather, it is your unwillingness to fight for a cause, the cause of Islam that creates in you such a powerful dislike for war. Is it possible that if Islam recedes, you will revert to your pre-Islamic standards of morals and behavior, and then will fight fearlessly causing destruction in the land, and breaking ties of kinship? (Au.).
In Mawdudi’s words, “If at this time you shrink from supporting and defending Islam and refrain from fighting with your life and wealth for the cause of the great reformist revolution which the Holy Prophet Muhammad and his Companions are struggling to bring about, there will be no other consequence of this that you will return to the same type of ignorance in which you have been cutting each other’s throat since centuries, burying your children alive, and filling God’s earth with injustice and wickedness.”
Yusuf Ali touches upon another aspect: “They have become so impervious to facts and truths, because, without the courage to oppose Allah’s Cause openly, they secretly intrigue with Allah’s enemies, and say that they will follow them part of the way, and by remaining partly in the other camp, they will be far more useful as spies and half-hearted doubters than by going over altogether. If they think that this game will be successful, they are mistaken. All the inner secrets and motives of their hearts are known to Allah. Cf. lix. 11.
(In connection with the ties of kinship, texts describing its importance are numerous). One of them says,
Abu Hurayrah reports the Prophet that Allah created the creation. When He was done with it, kinship stood up and held the lower garment of the All-merciful. He said, “Stop that.” She said, “This is the place of one seeking Your refuge from severance of ties.” He replied, “Are you not satisfied that I should join him who joins you and sever him who severs you?” She said, “Yes, indeed.” And so it was. Then Abu Hurayrah said, “Read if you will, ‘that haply you would work corruption in the earth and sever altogether your ties of kinship’” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi)
The above hadith is in Bukhari and Muslim, and one of the version says that the ayah was quoted by the Prophet himself. And Qurtubi explains that the hadith has to be understood in allegorical terms (Au.).
Then there is one in Ahmad (and Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi who trusted its authenticity):
On the authority of Abu Bakrah, the Prophet said, “There is no sin more deserving that its punishment should be hastened to its perpetrator in this world, in addition to what is stored for him in the Hereafter, than insurrection (against a Muslim authority) and severance of ties.” Another report is from Ahmad. It says,
“He who is pleased with increase in his term of life, and in his providence, may join the kin.”
(Yet another makes the point sharper). It is in Ahmad and says,
A man went up to the Prophet (saws) and said, “Apostle of Allah. I have close kin whom I join but they cut me apart. I forgive them, they do me injustice. I do good, they respond with evil. Should I then deal with them evenly?” He said, “No. In that event you all would have abandoned (the right behavior). But rather, show grace and keep doing them good, in which event you shall have a supporter from Allah the Exalted, so long as you are in that state.”
Bukhari has one that further expounds the subject at hand. It says,
The Prophet said, “He who reciprocates is not one who joins the kin. A joiner is one who, when cut asunder, joins the kinship.”
Another employs different words,
The Prophet said, “The tie of kinship will be placed on the Judgment-day with a curve like the curve of a spindle, speaking in eloquent language. It will bind him who bound it and cut asunder him who cut it asunder.”
(Haythami treated the report as quite close to being reliable: Sami).
Yet one more is also from Ahmad and Tirmidhi who declared it of Hasan Sahih status. It says:
“Those who show kindness will be shown kindness by the All-merciful. Show mercy to the peoples of the earth, you will be shown mercy by He of the heaven. And the womb (rahm) is derived from al-Rahman. It will join whosoever joined it and sever whosoever severed it.”
Finally, we have a hadith from Tabarani’s Al-Awsat, (as well as in Shi`ab al-Iman, which, although weak, is strengthened by others of more or less the same meaning: Au.). It says:
The Prophet said, “When words are displayed, but actions are absent, tongues differ, hearts are filled with rancor, and every kinsman cuts his kin, then at that point Allah will curse them, deafen them and blind their sights” (Ibn Kathir).
It is in keeping with the spirit of the above that when some women-prisoners were being sold away to one party, and their children to another, the Prophet prohibited that mothers and children be separately sold. He ordered them kept together.
أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمَىٰ أَبْصَارَهُمْ (23)
(47:23) They are the ones Allah has cursed and so He made them deaf and blinded their sights.
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا (24)
(47:24) What! Do they not ponder the Qur’an, or, are there on the hearts their locks?37
37. In the world of literature, the word “qufl” (pl.: aqfal) is used for hardness of material and immaterial objects (Qurtubi).
It is reported that once the Prophet (saws) recited this verse ending with, “or, are there on the hearts their locks?” A young Yemeni boy sitting thereby remarked, “Of course there are locks on the hearts and it is Allah Himself, the Exalted who locks them or unlocks them.” The young man remained in `Umar’s memory until, when he assumed caliphate, he used him (for governmental services) – Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ارْتَدُّوا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْهُدَى ۙ الشَّيْطَانُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَأَمْلَىٰ لَهُمْ (25)
(47:25) Verily, those who turned on their backs after the guidance had become clear to them, Satan enticed them and prolonged hopes for them.38
38. Another possible meaning of the words “amla lahum” is, “He (i.e., Allah) gave them respite.” In other words, “Satan enticed them but Allah gave them respite” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi); and, as explained by Ibn `Abbas, Dahhak and Suddi, the allusion is to hypocrites who backtracked from jihad (Qurtubi).
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لِلَّذِينَ كَرِهُوا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ سَنُطِيعُكُمْ فِي بَعْضِ الْأَمْرِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِسْرَارَهُمْ (26)
(47:26) That is because they said to those who disliked what Allah revealed, ‘We shall obey you in some affairs (alone).’39 Allah knows their secrets.40
39. They meant to say that they could commit themselves only to such things (as which pleased them), even if it happened to be in the displeasure of the Prophet (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Asad clarifies: “Lit., ‘in some [or “parts of”] the matter’: i.e., ‘although we cannot agree with you [atheists] as regards your denial of God, or of resurrection, or of the fact of revelation as such, we do agree with you that Muhammad is an imposter and that the Qur’an is but his invention’ (Razi). By ‘those who turn their back [on the message] after guidance has been vouchsafed to them’ are meant, in the first instance, the hypocrites and half-hearted followers of Islam at the time of the Prophet who refused to fight in defence of the Faith; in a wider sense however, this definition applies to all people, at all times, who are impressed by the teaching of the Qur’an but nevertheless refuse to accept it as God-inspired and, therefore, morally binding.”
40. Allah (swt) mentioned “their secrets” because the above statement was made by them in secret, or kept the intention to themselves, guarding its secrecy (Qurtubi, reworded).
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَارَهُمْ (27)
(47:27) So, how will it be when the angels receive (their souls), smiting on their faces and backs.41
41. The relationship of deeds with punishments may be noted: The hypocrites “disliked what Allah has revealed,” which state (i.e., dislike) appears on their faces. Hence, the angels smite them on their faces. Thereafter, the hypocrites refused to obey saying, “We shall obey you in some affairs (alone),” which implies showing their backs. Hence the angels smite their backs (Razi).
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اتَّبَعُوا مَا أَسْخَطَ اللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا رِضْوَانَهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (28)
(47:28) That because they followed what angers Allah and disliked His good pleasure. So He made their deeds collapse.42
42. “This has two meanings: (i) That Allah will render vain and fruitless all those works which they performed believing them as ‘good works’, and they will get no rewards whatever for them in the Hereafter, and, (ii) that all the devices that they are adopting to obstruct the way of Allah and His Messenger’s religion will prove ineffective and fruitless” (Mawdudi).
أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ أَنْ لَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ أَضْغَانَهُمْ (29)
(47:29) Or have those in whose heart is a disease though that We shall never bring out their hatred?
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَأَرَيْنَاكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ ۚ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَالَكُمْ (30)
(47:30) And, if We wished, We could have shown them to you, so that you would have known them by their marks.43 However, you will know them from the tune of (their) talk.44 And Allah knows your deeds.
43. Many of us have the experience to differentiate a Sunni from a Shi`ee from his face alone. Nothing strange then, that the Awliaya’ Allah should have been able to distinguish between a Muslim and non-Muslim, a good believer and a corrupt one to say, “I can smell belief in him,” or, “I can smell disbelief in him.” The Prophet, above all in his spiritual powers, would have been able to recognize them with the help of his own light of faith. It is in this light that the scholars have said, (since, as a hadith it is either very weak or fabricated: Au.) that,
“Be mindful of the acumen of a believer. He sees by the light of Allah” (Alusi).
That said, I would like to add, says Thanwi, that this does not make inquisitiveness allowable, but makes inquiry permissible if the reason is reformation. E.g., the Prophet telling `A’isha, after she was slandered, “If you have committed an error, then, seek Allah’s forgiveness.”
44. We have a pertinent report in Musnad Ahmad:
On the authority of Abu Mas`ud, “Once the Prophet addressed us. He began by praising Allah and extolling Him. Then he said, Among you are hypocrites. So when I name one of you, let him get up (and leave). Then he began to say, ‘Rise: so and so.’ ‘Rise: so and so.’ ‘Rise: so and so,’ until he named some thirty-six men. The he said, ‘Surely in you, or, of you .. therefore, fear Allah.”
`Umar happened to encounter one of those men who was leaving the mosque, whom he used to know and trust. He asked, “What’s the matter with you?” He told him the story about what the Prophet said. `Umar said, “Away with you for the rest of the day man” (Ibn Kathir).
Haythami did not give this report full clearance (Au.).
A two line report in Qurtubi however, throws a refreshing light on the report above. Ibn Zayd said: “Allah wished to expose the hypocrites and so they were ordered to leave the mosque. But (some) refused, and clung to the testimony of Islam (kalimah), and therefore, their lives were spared and they were allowed to marry Muslim men or women.”
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّىٰ نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَارَكُمْ (31)
(47:31) And, We shall surely try you until We know45 the striving ones of you and the steadfast ones, and shall try your reports (concerning your states).46
45. That is, bring to light (Qurtubi).
46. “Akhbar: the things reported of you; reputation for courage and constancy, which has to be brought to the test of facts and experience. In an epigram of Tacitus we are told of a Roman Emperor that he would have been considered in every way to have been worthy of being a ruler if only he had never ruled! So in life people may think us courageous, true, noble, and self-sacrificing; and we may consider ourselves as possessing all such virtues; but it is actual experience that will bring them to the test” (Yusuf Ali).
Fudayl b. `Iyad would cry at this verse and say, “O Allah, do not try us. If You did, You will expose us” (Qurtubi).
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَشَاقُّوا الرَّسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْهُدَىٰ لَنْ يَضُرُّوا اللَّهَ شَيْئًا وَسَيُحْبِطُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (32)
(47:32) Surely those who disbelieved and hindered from Allah’s path, and made breach with the Messenger after the guidance became clear to them, they will never harm Allah in the least, rather He will cause their deeds to collapse.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَلَا تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ (33)
(47:33) O those who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and do not nullify your deeds.47
47. Ibn `Umar and Abu al-`Aliyyah said, “The Companions were originally of belief that since no (good) deed was acceptable from a state of disbelief, it was legitimate to conclude that no (evil) deed would do any harm from a state of belief, until Allah revealed this verse about the collapse of good deeds.”
Some of the Salaf, like Ibn `Umar, felt that major sins led to the collapse of one’s good deeds, but, in view of another verse (4: 47),
“Surely Allah will never forgive that He should be associated with, but might forgive anyone anything other than that,” changed the opinion to as follows: “Fear (of punishment) concerning those who committed major sins, and hope (of forgiveness) concerning those who did not indulge in them” (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Razi points to another possible meaning, Do not commit the sin of Association after your Islam. If you did, all the good deeds of the past will collapse, as Allah said (39: 65),
“If you committed Association, your deeds will collapse.”
Qatadah however said, “Whoever of you can manage that he does not lead his deeds to collapse by committing sins after good deeds of the past, then, let him do it” (Ibn Jarir, Alusi, Thanwi).
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ (34)
(47:34) Surely those who disbelieved and hindered from Allah’s path, then died while they were unbelievers, never will Allah forgive them.
فَلَا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ (35)
(47:35) So, weaken not and sue not for peace.48 You will have the upper hand. Allah is with you and will never deprive you of your works.
48. It might be recalled that at the time this was revealed, Muslims were still in hundreds, facing a million of the Peninsula Arabs, bent on destroying Islam root and branch, while the Jews and Christians of the world over, plus the fire-worshiping Persians, watched the struggle with interests and waiting to finish off the job if the Quraysh and others would not (Au.).
إِنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ ۚ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ (36)
(47:36) The life of the world is no more than sport and pastime.49 But if you believe and acquire piety, He shall grant you your wages, and will not ask you for your wealth.50
49. “If life is declared as devoid of any meaning or purpose with reference to the Hereafter, and is not guided by the rules laid down by Allah, then surely it is reduced to nothing but play and pastime. It is the way of life as determined by Allah which makes it the field whose fruit will be harvested in the Hereafter, and which turns man into the vicegerent who will inherit the everlasting abode. This is what the words that follow indicate: ‘But if you believe and acquire piety, He shall grant you your wages.’ Belief and piety then, are elements that do not allow this life to turn into a meaningless pastime. They lift man from the state of animal existence to the state of caliphate connected to higher existence. A day will arrive when nothing that a believer would have earned in this world but would appear as reward, in the true, lasting world” (Sayyid).
50. Yusuf Ali touches on our souls when he writes: “Complete self-sacrifice, if voluntarily offered, has a meaning: it means that the person’s devotion is exclusively and completely for the Cause. But no law or rule can demand it. And a mere offer to kill yourself has no meaning. You should be ready to take risks to your life in fighting for the Cause, but you should aim at life, not death. If you live, you should be ready to place your substance and your acquisitions at the disposal of the Cause. But it is not reasonable to pauperise yourself and become a hanger-on for the Cause. Moreover, the inborn tendency to self-preservation in an average man would lead to concealment and niggardliness if all were asked for the Cause, by Law, and there would further be a feeling of bitterness and rebellion.”
إِنْ يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ (37)
(47:37) If He should ask them of you, and pressed you, you will be miserly and thus He will expose your ill-feeling.51
51. The dictionary meaning of “al-dhaghn” is hatred, or extreme rancor. This is the meaning we have adopted at ayah 29 where the reference is to hypocrites. However, the meaning stated by Qurtubi is slightly different. It is, “that which is concealed of dislike.” This is the meaning that suits the common believers who conceal their dislike to spend off all their wealth in Allah’s cause, while “hatred” is the right meaning for the sentiments that the hypocrites bear for Islam.
Asad expounds: “The implication is that since ‘man has been created weak (4: 28), the imposition of too great a burden on the believers would be self-defeating inasmuch as it might result not in an increase of faith but, rather, in its diminution. This passage illustrates the supreme realism of the Qur’an, which takes into account human nature as it is, with all its God-willed complexity and its inner contradictions, and does not, therefore, postulate a priori an impossible ideal as a norm of human behavior..”
هَا أَنْتُمْ هَٰؤُلَاءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يَبْخَلُ ۖ وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ ۚ وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ (38)
(47:38) Here you are, being invited to expend in Allah’s cause, then of you are some who are miserly, although whoever is miserly, is miserly unto Himself. Allah is Self-sufficient while you are the needy ones. Yet if you turn away, He will substitute you with a people other than you, and then, they will not be the likes of you.52
52. That is, far from your wealth, of which Allah does not seek all, even your physical bodies and presence are not indispensable to Him; He could replace you if He so wished.
Some scholars have thought that the allusion by the nation that might be brought in place of the older one is to non-Arabs and Persians. There is a hadith to this effect:
The Prophet recited this verse, “Yet if you turn away, He will substitute you with a people other than you, and then, they will not be the likes of you.” They asked him, “Who are they O Messenger of Allah – those who, if we turned away, will replace us, and then they will not be like us?” In answer he struck on Salman Farsi’s shoulder and said, “This, and his people. If religion were to be in Sirius, surely, one of the Persians would bring it (down)” - Ibn Jarir, Kashshaf, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi.
The hadith is in the Sahih of Ibn Hibban also.
The point to note is that the prophesy amazingly came true. Within a hundred years, and for more than a millennium thereafter, thousands of scholars from Khurasan and farther afield dominated the fields of Tafsir, Hadith and Fiqh, leaving their permanent mark on the world of Islam. The prophesy was made at a time when pen and ink were not sold in the shops of Khurasan. Who but a Prophet could have predicted t? - Au.