Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 116–121

3. Aal-i-Imraan · The Family of Imraan

Madinan200 verses

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَن تُغْنِىَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَٰلُهُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَٰدُهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۚ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

3:116As for the faithless, neither their wealth nor their children will avail them anything against Allah. They shall be the inmates of the Fire and remain in it [forever].

مَثَلُ مَا يُنفِقُونَ فِى هَٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍۢ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍۢ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

3:117The parable of what they spend in the life of this world is that of a cold wind that strikes the tillage of a people who wronged themselves, destroying it. Allah does not wrong them, but they wrong themselves.1

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ بِطَانَةًۭ مِّن دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًۭا وَدُّوا۟ مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ ٱلْبَغْضَآءُ مِنْ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِى صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

3:118O you who have faith! Do not take your confidants from others than yourselves; they will spare nothing to ruin you. They are eager to see you in distress. Hatred has already shown itself from their mouths, and what their breasts hide [within] is yet worse. We have certainly made the signs clear for you, should you exercise your reason.

هَٰٓأَنتُمْ أُو۟لَآءِ تُحِبُّونَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِبُّونَكُمْ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْكِتَٰبِ كُلِّهِۦ وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمْ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ عَضُّوا۟ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ ٱلْغَيْظِ ۚ قُلْ مُوتُوا۟ بِغَيْظِكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

3:119Ah! You are the ones who bear love towards them, while they do not love you, though you believe in all the Books. When they meet you, they say, ‘We believe,’ but when they are alone, they bite their fingertips at you out of rage. Say, ‘Die of your rage!’ Indeed Allah knows well what is in the breasts.2

إِن تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌۭ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِن تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌۭ يَفْرَحُوا۟ بِهَا ۖ وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا۟ وَتَتَّقُوا۟ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْـًٔا ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌۭ

3:120If some good should befall you, it upsets them, but if some ill befalls you, they rejoice at it. Yet if you are patient and Godwary, their guile will not harm you in any way. Indeed Allah encompasses what they do.3

وَإِذْ غَدَوْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ تُبَوِّئُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَقَٰعِدَ لِلْقِتَالِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

3:121When you left your family at dawn to settle the faithful in their positions for battle —and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 117

1.Some people apparently became respectable by the good deeds and disregarding the simple and virtuous men’s character. The Holy Quran draws attention towards this point: if there is no faith nor character and is highly unjust towards you, the apparent good deeds of such a cruel person are not trustworthy and their contact can destroy you at any moment and can destroy the whole field in a single moment.

Verse 121

2.These are Islamic scripts that Islam does not keep hidden any detestation and prejudice but invites one to know the enemies, and orders that if enemy does not harass, behave nicely with him but when you gain awareness of his evil intention distrust him, lest you will suffer. According to the Islamic law, it is necessary that Muslim women should be veiled from infidel women because if the infidel praises them for their beauty to their husbands, it could mean trouble for the believing women.

3.From here, this ayat refers to the battle of Uhud. On 3rd Shawwal, Abu Sufyan marched against the Prophet in Medina along with three thousand men and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) came along with one thousand men to oppose him. Abdullah bin Abu Munafaq tempted three hundred men from Prophet’s army so there remained only seven hundred in Prophet’s army. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) appointed 50 Muslim archers with Abdullah bin Zubair, placed them in a strong position and forbade them from abandonment of their positions, whether they win or lose. Then commenced the battle. Ali (a.s.) slew them one by one, the chosen leaders of the opposite camp. The enemies turned back and fled the field. Muslim army started scavenging the property of the enemy. When the archers witnessed this, they too abandoned their place. The enemy seized upon this opportunity and regrouped for an attack changing the face of the situation. Our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) was injured and Hamza (a.s.) was martyred and the victory of battle eclipsed into defeat. Twenty two infidels were killed and seventy Muslims were martyred in the battle of Uhud.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    How beautifully Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) explained this. That one who has sold his self has destroyed it and one who has purchased it has set it free.

  2. 2

    Some commentators consider it to be a praise that Muslims are tolerant while the infidels are biased. Actually it is not praise; it is a criticism that you must fix your method according to the behavior of the infidels.

  3. 3

    The words of Mass and Isaba are used for good and bad deeds respectively. This signified that those accursed people cannot even bear to touch the goodness and no matter how much evil descends on them, it will make them happy.

  4. Benefit

    The Muslims are warned of a great danger in verse no 118. They should not consider everyone as their friends and well wishers and convey their secrets to them. Because the enemies can learn their secrets in this way and destroy them anytime. The Quran has warned of the Muslims of such organization hundreds of years before the CIA was established. Its a pity however that Muslims have not learnt a lesson. They are continuously reposing trust in foreign power and as a result have to often face humiliation.