Verses 2–11
47. Muhammad · Muhammad
Madinan38 verses
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَءَامَنُوا۟ بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍۢ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۙ كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ
47:2But those who have faith and do righteous deeds and believe in what has been sent down to Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He shall absolve them of their misdeeds and set right their affairs.1
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلْبَٰطِلَ وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَمْثَٰلَهُمْ
47:3That is because the faithless follow falsehood, and the faithful follow the truth from their Lord. That is how Allah draws comparisons for mankind.
فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَضَرْبَ ٱلرِّقَابِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا۟ ٱلْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّۢا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَآءً حَتَّىٰ تَضَعَ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَٱنتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَٰكِن لِّيَبْلُوَا۟ بَعْضَكُم بِبَعْضٍۢ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَلَن يُضِلَّ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ
47:4When you meet the faithless in battle, strike their necks. When you have thoroughly decimated them, bind the captives firmly. Thereafter either oblige them [by setting them free] or take ransom, until the war lays down its burdens. That [is Allah’s ordinance]. Had Allah wished He could have taken vengeance on them, but that He may test some of you by means of others. As for those who were slain in the way of Allah, He will not let their works go fruitless.2
سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ
47:5He will guide them and set right their affairs,
وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ
47:6and admit them into paradise, with which He has acquainted them.3
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ
47:7O you who have faith! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet steady.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَتَعْسًۭا لَّهُمْ وَأَضَلَّ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ
47:8As for the faithless, their lot will be to fall [into ruin], and He will render their works fruitless.4
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ
47:9That is because they loathed what Allah has sent down, so He made their works fail.
۞ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ دَمَّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَلِلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَمْثَٰلُهَا
47:10Have they not travelled through the land so that they may observe how was the fate of those who were before them? Allah destroyed them, and a similar [fate] awaits these faithless.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَوْلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَأَنَّ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ لَا مَوْلَىٰ لَهُمْ
47:11That is because Allah is the protector of the faithful, and because the faithless have no protector.5
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 4
1.Islam does not believe in taunting the people of any other faith. It invites towards truth but with wisdom and a goodly exhortation but when disbelief comes to confront it Islam does not believe in giving any sort of concession. The apparent rule is that as far as possible tight the infidels and destroy them. After the battle is over we must take as many prisoners as possible. They must be arrested with severity so that none may escape. Then the Jihad in-charge has the authority whether to pardon them in mercy or to release them after getting the ransom. A specific law cannot be fixed for this. The Almighty Allah could have done this even without Jihad and he could have destroyed them but He intended to test the believers as to how much they could sacrifice.
Verse 7
2.There is no doubt that Allah has promised help to the believers. He indeed helps them whether in form of a victory or in survival or in any other way. But all this is conditional to the fact that the believers must first help Allah and must be useful to religion. Allah is not responsible for any type of help without sacrifice and the result would be nothing but degradation and humiliation. In the present age this is the very Cause of the downfall of the Muslims. They have no sacrifices to offer yet they are hopeful of divine help and assistance. As a result of this the infidels take advantage of their sloth and degrade and humiliate them in various ways whenever they get a chance.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
Baal means heart and condition. Here apparently’ it is used for condition.
- 2
The rope used to tie animal etc.
Benefit: In the 4th ayat the meeting means the confrontation in the battlefield. And it is a special Quranic term after which there is emphasis on the conditional or unconditional release of prisoners. And there is no mention of slavery. Although this is also a prerogative of the Imam of the time. But it is not the primary aim of Islam. While slavery existed in the West till 1890 and after this collective resolution was passed against it.
- 3
It indicates that the people of Paradise know their Paradise from before. The best example of which is seen on the eve of Aashoora when the companions of Imam Husain (a.s.) were shown their respective places and everyone saw his own position.
- 4
Ta’as - Killing.
- 5
The consequences faced by the previous nations will be suffered by these infidels. They are not the special ones of Allah. The divine system is a proper system which works on the principle: As you sow so you reap.