Verses 141–147
3. Aal-i-Imraan · The Family of Imraan
Madinan200 verses
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَيَمْحَقَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
3:141And so that Allah may purge [the hearts of] those who have faith and that He may wipe out the faithless.1
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
3:142Do you suppose that you would enter paradise, while Allah has not yet ascertained those of you who have waged jihad and He has not ascertained the steadfast?
وَلَقَدْ كُنتُمْ تَمَنَّوْنَ ٱلْمَوْتَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَلْقَوْهُ فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
3:143Certainly you were longing for death before you had encountered it. Then certainly, you saw it, as you were looking on.2
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌۭ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ ٱلرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِي۟ن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَٰبِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًۭٔا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ
3:144Muhammad is but an apostle; [other] apostles have passed before him. If he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? Anyone who turns back on his heels, will not harm Allah in the least, and soon Allah will reward the grateful.3
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ كِتَٰبًۭا مُّؤَجَّلًۭا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِى ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ
3:145No soul may die except by Allah’s leave, at an appointed time. Whoever desires the reward of this world, We will give him of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We will give him of it; and soon We will reward the grateful.
وَكَأَيِّن مِّن نَّبِىٍّۢ قَٰتَلَ مَعَهُۥ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌۭ فَمَا وَهَنُوا۟ لِمَآ أَصَابَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا ضَعُفُوا۟ وَمَا ٱسْتَكَانُوا۟ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
3:146How many a prophet there has been with whom a multitude of godly men fought. They did not falter for what befell them in the way of Allah, neither did they weaken, nor did they abase themselves; and Allah loves the steadfast.
وَمَا كَانَ قَوْلَهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِىٓ أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
3:147All that they said was, ‘Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs, make our feet steady, and help us against the faithless lot.’
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
The history of the battle of Uhud has settled a few questions: (i) How many believers are there? (ii) Which people intend to be martyred? (iii) Who are the cruel people? (iv) On whom do we trust? (v) How do the ungrateful ruined? The common conception of Muslims was that only the verbal acceptance of the Muslim creed is a security of Paradise and struggle in not in requirement and hence they could not become firm rooted in the battlefield. Allah clarified that patience and religious war, both are necessary to enter the garden and access to the garden is impossible without them. The battle of Uhud disclosed the fact of their pride and courage, clarified the actions after the death of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and how they will flee. This incident is given in Tafseer-e-Tabari, that Anas bin Nazar taunted when Umar Bin Khattab was fleeing the battlefield and asked him the reason of this desertion. He said: Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has been killed. Anas responded: Allah is alive and knows, continue fighting the way would had he been alive.
Verse 145
1.Allah nullified the misunderstanding: death does not come before its time. Then what harm is there in setting out towards the battlefield? Fight for Islam. If you die in battle, you will achieved the grade of a martyr. The following verse of the Holy Quran points out: Muslims in every era, recite the martial song before its time and claim of victory before the actualization. They announce towards charity but ignore it when the actual time to give arises. They have no concern with resurrection, for Paradise is only for the enduring and endeavourer people.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
Some commentators have mentioned about the segregation of the believers, and considered the disbelievers to be those who abandoned the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and some people consider it to be a test and consider the infidels as those who fought the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) in the battle of Uhud.
- 2
After the Battle of Badr some Muslims began to say that if we had been present there we would have fought more valiantly. The Almighty Allah tried them in the battle of Uhud and the truth was exposed.
- 3
After the Battle of Badr the Muslims mellowed in false pride that success is assured if they remain with the Prophet (s.a.). However, in the Battle of Uhud they were routed. Thus the Almighty made it clear to them that success was not the result of the Prophet’s presence. It is a result of patience, discipline, cooperation and control, and the spirit for Jihad. The people of the past periods achieved success only due to these factors.