| This Surah (Revealed) Medinese, except for verse 13, or [it is all] Meccan; it consists of 38 or 39
verses.(Muhammad)
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| بِسْم ِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | |
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Tafseer
Those who disbelieve, from among the people of Mecca, and bar, others, from the
way of God, that is to say, [from] faith, He will leave their works to waste, such as giving food [to
the poor] or being kind to kin, and so they will find no reward for these [works of theirs] in the Hereafter;
[but] they are requited for them in this world [purely] out of His bounty, exalted be He.
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Tafseer
But those who believe, namely, the Helpers (al-Ansār) and others [like them],
and perform righteous deeds and believe in what has been revealed to Muhammad, namely, the Qurâān â and it
is the truth from their Lord â He will absolve them of, He will forgive them, their misdeeds and rightly
dispose their mind, their state, so that they do not disobey Him.
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Tafseer
That, rendering void of their works and the absolution of evil deeds, is because
those who disbelieve follow falsehood, Satan, and because those who believe follow the truth, the Qurâān,
from their Lord. Thus, in the same manner of clarification, does God strike for mankind similitudes of
themselves, [that is how] He clarifies for them their states, in other words, the disbeliever has his work
rendered void while the believer is forgiven.
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Tafseer
So when you encounter [in battle] those who disbelieve, then [attack them with]
a striking of the necks (fadarbaâl-riqābi is a verbal noun in place of the [full] verbal construction, that is to say,
faâdribū riqābahum, âthen strike their necksâ), in other words, slay them â reference is made to the
âstriking of the necksâ because the predominant cause of being slayed is to be struck in the neck. Then,
when you have made thoroughly decimated them, bind, spare them, take them captive and bind firmly,
the bonds (al-wathāq is what is used to bind [yūthaqu] a captive). Thereafter either [set them free] by
grace (mannan is a verbal noun in place of the [full] verbal construction), that is to say, either show
them grace by setting them free unconditionally; or by ransom, ransoming them with payment or with Muslim
captives, until the war, that is to say, its participants, lay down its burdens, its heavy loads of weaponry and
other things, so that either the disbelievers surrender or enter into a treaty. This [last clause]
constitutes the âpurposeâ of [enjoining the Muslims to] slaying and taking captive. So [shall it be] (dhālika is the
predicate of an implied subject, [such as] al-amr, âthe ordinanceâ, in other words, âthe ordinance [of God] regarding
them is as mentionedâ). And had God willed, He could have [Himself] taken vengeance on them, without any
fighting, but, He has commanded you to [do] it, that He may test some of you by means of others, from
among them, by way of battle, so that the slain among you will end up in Paradise, while those [slain]
among them [will end up] in the Fire. And those who are slain (qutilū: a variant reading has qātalū, âthose
who fightâ) â this verse was revealed on the day of [the battle of] Uhud, after the dead and the wounded had
become numerous among the Muslims â in the way of God, He will not let their works go to waste, He
will [not] render [them] void.
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Tafseer
He will guide them, in this world and in the Hereafter to what benefits them,
and rightly dispose their minds, their condition in both, with that [guidance and disposal] in this world being
for those who were not slain, 595 but who have been included in [the statement] âand those who were slainâ
(qutilū) because of [the] predominance therein [of those who were slain].
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Tafseer
And He will admit them into Paradise, which He has made known, [which] He has
pointed out, to them, so that they are guided to their dwellings in it, and to their spouses and servants
without asking to be shown the way.
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Tafseer
O you who believe! If you help God, that is to say, His religion and His
Messenger, He will help you, against your enemy, and make your foothold firm, He will make you stand firm [while you
fight] on the battleground.
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Tafseer
And as for those who disbelieve, from among the people of Mecca (waâlladhīna
kafarū is the subject, the predicate of which is [an implicit] taâisū, âthey shall be wretchedâ, as
indicated [by what follows]) wretchedness shall be their lot, that is, destruction and defeat from God. And
He will make their works go to waste (wa-adalla aâmālahum is a supplement to [the implied] taâisū, âthey shall
be wretchedâ).
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Tafseer
That, wretchedness and wasting [of their works], is because they are averse to
what God has revealed, of the Qurâān with all that it includes of religious obligations (takālīf), so He
has made their works fail.
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Tafseer
Have they not travelled in the land to see the nature of the consequence for
those who were before them? God destroyed them â He destroyed them, their children and their possessions;
and [a fate] the like thereof will be for the disbelievers, that is to say, the like of the fate of those
before them.
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Tafseer
That, granting of victory to the believers and the vanquishing of the
disbelievers, is because God is Patron, Ally and Helper, of those who believe and because the disbelievers have no
patron.
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Tafseer
God will surely admit those who believe and perform righteous deeds into gardens
underneath which rivers flow. As for those who disbelieve, they take their enjoyment, in this world, and
eat as the cattle eat, that is to say, they are only concerned with [filling] their bellies and [satisfying]
their private parts, without giving any thought to the Hereafter; and the Fire will be their habitation, their home,
their station and their [final] destination.
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Tafseer
And how many (ka-ayyin means kam) a town, by which is meant the inhabitants
thereof, mightier in power than your town, Mecca, that is to say, its inhabitants, which expelled you
(akhrajatka [is feminine despite the plural sense of inhabitants meant is because it] takes into account the
[feminine] form of qarya, âtownâ), have We destroyed (ahlaknāhum takes into account the former [plural] import of
qarya, âtownâ), and they had none to help them, against Our destruction [of them].
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Tafseer
596 Is he who follows a clear sign, a definitive argument and proof, from his Lord,
and these are the believers, like those whose evil deeds have been adorned for them, so that they see them as
fair [deeds], and these are the disbelievers of Mecca, and who follow their desires?, by worshipping
graven images. In other words, there is no similarity between the two.
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Tafseer
A similitude, a description, of the Garden promised to the God-fearing:
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| Ayah the
Garden] that is shared equally by all those who enter it (this first clause is the subject, of which the
predicate [follows:]) therein are rivers of unstaling water (read āsin or asin, similar [in form] to dārib, âstrikerâ,
and hadhir, âcautiousâ), that is to say, one that does not change, in contrast to the water of this world, which may
change due to some factor; and rivers of milk unchanging in flavour, in contrast to the milk of this world,
on account of its issuing from udders, and rivers of wine delicious to the drinkers, in contrast to the wine of
this world, which is distasteful to drink; and [also] rivers of purified honey, in contrast to the honey of this
world, which when it issues out of the bellies of bees becomes mixed with wax and other elements; and there will
be for them therein, varieties [of], every fruit and forgiveness from their Lord, for He is pleased
with them, in addition to His beneficence towards them in the way mentioned, in contrast to one who is a
master of servants in this world, who while being kind to them may at the same time be wrathful with them.
[Is such a one] like him who abides in the Fire? (ka-man huwa khālidun fīâl-nāri, the predicate of an
implied subject, which is a-man huwa fī hādhaâl-naâīm, âIs one who is amidst such bliss [as him who abides in
the Fire]?â). And they will be given to drink boiling water which rips apart their bowels, that is, their
entrails, so that these will be excreted from their rears. (Amâāâ, âbowelsâ, is the plural of miâan, its alif
being derived from the yāâ of their saying miâyān [as an alternative singular to miâan]).
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Tafseer
And there are some among them, namely, the disbelievers, who listen to you,
during the Friday sermon â and these are the hypocrites; until, when they go forth from you, they say to
those who have been given knowledge, that is to say, to the knowledgeable ones among the Companions [of
the Prophet], such as [âAbd Allāh] Ibn Masâūd and [âAbd Allāh] Ibn âAbbās, in derision and mockery:
âWhat was he saying just now?â (read ānifan or anifan, meaning al-sāâa, âjust nowâ). In other words,
[they mean to say] âwe will not go back to [listen to] him againâ. Those are the ones on whose hearts God has set a
seal, of disbelief, and who follow their own desires, in [acting with] hypocrisy.
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Tafseer
But those who are [rightly] guided, namely, the believers, He, God, enhances
their guidance and invests them with fear [of Him], He inspires them to [do] that by which they can be wary
of [ending up in] the Fire.
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Tafseer
Do they, then, await, they do not await, namely, the disbelievers of Mecca,
anything except that the Hour should come upon them (an taâtiyahum is an inclusive substitution for al-sāâata,
âthe Hourâ; in other words, it cannot be other than that it will come upon them [â]) suddenly? For already its
portents, the signs thereof, have come, among which are the sending of the Prophet (s), the splitting of the
Moon [Q. 54:1] and the Smoke [Q. 44:10]. So, when it, the Hour, has come upon them, for what [benefit]
will their reminder be?, their remembering; in other words, it will be of no benefit to them.
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Tafseer
Know, then, that there is no god except God, that is to say, adhere, O Muhammad
(s), to knowledge of this [fact] that will benefit you at the Resurrection, and ask forgiveness for your
sin â this was said to him, despite his infallibility (âisma), so that his community might emulate him [in
this respect]. Indeed he did do this. The Prophet (s) said, âVerily I do ask God for forgiveness a hundred times
every dayâ â and for the believing men and believing women â herein is an honouring for them, by having
their Prophet enjoined to ask forgiveness for them. And God knows your going to and fro, your bustle
during the day in pursuit of 597 your business, and your place of rest, when you retire to where you sleep at
night. In other words, He has knowledge of all your states, nothing of which can be hidden from Him, so be
mindful of Him â the address [in this verse] is meant for believers as well as others.
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Tafseer
And those who believe say, seeking to take part in the struggle: âWhy has a sūra
not been revealed?â, [one] in which there is mention of the [command to participate in the] struggle. But
when a definitive sūra is revealed, one in which nothing is abrogated (naskh), and fighting, that is to
say, requirement for it, is mentioned in it, you see those in whose hearts is a sickness, that is, doubt â
and they are the hypocrites â looking at you with the look of someone fainting at [the point of] death,
because of [their] fear of it and [their] aversion to it; in other words, they fear fighting and are averse to it.
Yet more fitting for them (faawlā lahum is a subject, the predicate of which [is the following, tāâatun wa-qawlun
maârūfun])
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Tafseer
would be [to offer] obedience and honourable words, that is, [words] that are
kind to you. Then, when the matter has been resolved upon, that is to say, [when] fighting has been
prescribed, if they are loyal to God, in faith and obedience, it will be better for them (the sentence beginning with
law, âifâ, constitutes the response to idhā, âwhenâ).
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Tafseer
May it not be [the case] with you, (read âasītum or âasaytum; there is a shift
here from the third person to the second person address), that if you were to turn away, [if] you were to shun
faith, you would then cause corruption in the land and sever your kinship ties?, in other words,
[that] you would then return to the ways of pagandom such as belligerence and fighting.
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Tafseer
Those, that is, the agents of corruption, are the ones whom God has cursed, so
made them deaf, to hearing the truth, and blinded their eyes, to the path of guidance.
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Tafseer
Do they not contemplate the Qurâān?, and so recognise the truth. Or (am here is
like bal, ânay, butâ) is it that there are locks on, their, hearts?, so they are unable to comprehend it.
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Tafseer
Truly those who have turned, by way of hypocrisy, their backs after the guidance
has become clear to them, Satan has seduced, he has adorned [disbelief for], them and has given them
[false] hopes (read wa-umliya lahum, â[false] hopes have been given to themâ, or wa-amlā lahum, where the one
who gives the [false] hopes is Satan, [but only] by Godâs will, exalted be He, for he [Satan] is the
one who leads them astray).
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Tafseer
That, leading of them astray, is because they said to those who were averse to
what God revealed, namely, to the idolaters: âWe will obey you in some mattersâ, that is to say, by
cooperating to maintain enmity against the Prophet (s) and preventing people from participating in the struggle
alongside him: they had said as much secretly, but God, exalted be He, exposed it; and God knows their
secrets (read asrārahum, as the plural of sirr, âa secretâ, or isrārahum, âtheir keeping [of things]
secretâ, as the verbal noun).
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Tafseer
Then how will it be, their predicament, when the angels take them away, beating
(yadribūna is a 598 circumstantial qualifier referring to the angels) their faces and their backs?,
with hooked iron rods.
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