Surat Al `Imran (151-160)

{سَنُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَكُوا بِاللهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الظَّالِمِينَ} [آل عمران: 151]

151- We shall spread fear and panic in the hearts of the unbelievers and terrify them because of associating other gods with Allah in worship. These gods have no power or control over people. Allah did not grant them power and they do not harm or benefit, neither listen nor speak. How ignorant and heedless they are! As a result of not using their mentalities and not occupying themselves to follow the truth their final destination is Hell. How evil is the abode that Allah has prepared for those who oppressed themselves as well as others. O believers, be sure of victory because your enemies are afraid of you and they shall be perished .

{وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَرَاكُمْ مَا تُحِبُّونَ مِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الآَخِرَةَ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ وَاللهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى المُؤْمِنِينَ} [آل عمران: 152]

152- Allah has been truthful with you when He promised you victory in the Battle of Uhud as He was truthful with you in the beginning of the day when He exhorted you to fight them. So, you were about to kill them and eradicate their descendants until some of you showed cowardice in fighting because of the dispute and quarrel that took place among you. Some of you (the archers) disobeyed the commands of the Prophet when he commanded you not to leave your positions. However, you left their places and descended to collect the booty, leaving the backs of Muslims open before the enemy. At that moment, Allah showed you failure after victory because your devotion was mixed with ambitions; some of you wanted the booty when they saw that the enemies were defeated, whereas some of you had fought for the sake of Allah until they received commands from the Prophet (peace be upon him). As a result, Allah directed your power from the enemy and made you fail to test your faith, the power of your steadfastness, your holding of your religion, and to take an example of what had hit you in order not to repeat it. In the meantime, He forgave your weaknesses, dispute, and disobedience, and that was the grace and the mercy of Allah for you

.

{إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ فِي أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ لِكَيْلَا تَحْزَنُوا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا مَا أَصَابَكُمْ وَاللهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} [آل عمران: 153]

153- Remember the bad consequences of your disobedience when you started to climb the mountain to escape your enemies and you did not look behind or listen to anybody's command out of fear and horror. The Messenger (peace be upon him) was calling you, when you left him behind, to gather you, give you comfort, and assure to you that he was still alive; not as the enemy claimed. Thereupon, Allah punished you with a distress that filled your hearts because of the defeat and with another distress when you heard about the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) so as not to be sad for the booty you have lost and the defeat, the killing, and injury you suffered. Allah knows what you have concealed in your hearts and nothing of your actions and intentions is hidden from Him .

{ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ الغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُعَاسًا يَغْشَى طَائِفَةً مِنْكُمْ وَطَائِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ بِاللهِ غَيْرَ الحَقِّ ظَنَّ الجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَقُولُونَ هَلْ لَنَا مِنَ الأَمْرِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ قُلْ إِنَّ الأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ للهِ يُخْفُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ مَا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ مَا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا قُلْ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ القَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَاللهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ} [آل عمران: 154]

154- Thereafter, Allah favored you —after that distress— with deep sleep that covered a group of you while wearing the war clothes in order to have security and safety. Another group could not sleep out of worry, fear, and horror. That group was the hypocrites who only cared for themselves, then their ill souls thought terribly that do not match the truth, but they merely thoughts of ignorance. They said that Islam was destroyed by that battle and there will be no victory for Islam and Muslims after that battle .

They were saying: We have been forced to engage in battle without having any will .

O Prophet, say to them: the whole matter is due to Allah because He was the Commander and the people were fulfilling their duty toward their Lord. The duty you have fulfilled was your duty toward your religion. Indeed, their selves were full of obsessions and insinuations; not full of faith. Their selves were suffering objections and protests, therefore, they said: if we had the decision, we would not have responded to the call of the Messenger, would not have attended the battle, and would not have been afflicted by killing and injuries .

Say to them: if you stayed in your houses and did not go for fight while your destiny is to be killed in the battlefield, you will be brought there to be killed because the lifetime cannot be granted in peace and be taken in war. Life is limited by a fixed period when it comes nothing will delay it .

Jihad needs determination and patience to reveal what is in the breasts and gets out what in the hearts. In Jihad, the reality of every person becomes clear: the wicked is distinguished from the good and the believer from the hypocrite. Jihad is the test and affliction and Allah is All-knowing of the secrets that are hidden in the hearts .

{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَ التَقَى الجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللهُ عَنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ} [آل عمران: 155]

155 - Those who fled the war when the two armies met, their escape was because of their past sins. As a result of those sins, their connection with Allah was weak, they lost trust in their power, and their balance and cohesion were disturbed. Therefore, Satan had found an access to their souls to confuse them, insinuate, and beautify for them the defeat. Then, Allah forgave them what their escape because He (Glory be to Him) is Oft-Forgiving, Forbearing, and does not haste the punishment for those disobeyed them .

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقَالُوا لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا فِي الأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا غُزًّى لَوْ كَانُوا عِنْدَنَا مَا مَاتُوا وَمَا قُتِلُوا لِيَجْعَلَ اللهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللهُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ} [آل عمران: 156]

156 - O believers, do not imitate the disbelievers in their sayings and deeds. So, do not say as they said to their friends who had died when they travelled for trade and others or engaged in Jihad: "If they had stayed with us, they would not have died or killed. Allah implanted that belief in their minds to increase their grief because they are not like the believers who receive affliction with patience and seeking the reward from Allah, and are content with the destiny and fate of Allah because the whole matter is in Allah's Hands. He is the One who gives them life as He causes them to die, if He destined death for them. If He did not destine death on them, they would not die whether they went in trade, war, or in any other place. Verily, Allah knows the innerselves of His Creation, All-Seer of their affairs, and nothing of their conditions is hidden from Him .

{وَلَئِنْ قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ} [آل عمران: 157]

157- O believers, the worldly life is not good for you in all cases. If you are killed in the case of Allah or died, your Final End will be better because you shall have the mercy of Allah, His Forgiveness, and His Pleasure. Indeed, it is better than that for which you try hard and collect from the wreckage of the world because all the worldly things is not worth a thing in compare to the blessings of the Hereafter .

{وَلَئِنْ مُتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لَإِلَى اللهِ تُحْشَرُونَ} [آل عمران: 158]

158 - In all conditions, if you are killed in the battlefield, or died on your beds in your home, you shall be gathered before your Lord to reward you for your actions either forgiveness and mercy or wrath and torment. So, the wisdom is to have trust in what Allah had predestined and taking a lesson of what shall be after death .

{فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ القَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللهِ إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ المُتَوَكِّلِينَ} [آل عمران: 159]

159 - By the mercy of Allah, I relented your sides for your friends and beautified your morals, therefore, they loved you and ransomed you with their selves, parents, and properties. However, if you were tough, of bad morals and stone-hearted, they would have turned away from you. So, forgive what they did toward you as Allah forgave them and seek forgiveness for them in regard of their negligence in Allah's Rights to be of perfect morals. Consult them in all matters to know their opinions, comfort their hearts, and to open the way for consultation in Islam because consultation has many benefits .

If yourself feels comfort immediately after the consultation about something, do it and rely on Allah to achieve what you hoped. Indeed, Allah gives victory for those who rely on him and guide them to good and benefit .

{إِنْ يَنْصُرْكُمُ اللهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِنْ يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَنْصُرُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ المُؤْمِنُونَ} [آل عمران: 160]

160 - If Allah wants to provide you with victory and protect you of enemy as He did in the Battle of Badr, no one will be able to defeat you. No might save in Him, no power can suppress His, and no will after His Will. That does not mean not to fulfill what you have to do or not exerting efforts because there is difference between relying on Him and pursuing the means to achieve that, and leaving the whole matter to Him without pursuing the means to that. "If you provide victory to Allah (by fighting for His Sake), He will provide victory for you." {Surat Muhammad: 7 }

If He left you without giving you victory as He did in the Battle of Uhud, who else can provide you victory? So, O believers, rely on Him as should be and do not ask for victory except from Him .