The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) آل عمران 156–160
156
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَقَالُواْ لإِخْوَانِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُواْ غُزًّى لَّوْ كَانُواْ عِندَنَا مَا مَاتُواْ وَمَا قُتِلُواْ لِيَجْعَلَ اللّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللّهُ يُحْيِـي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
Believers, do not be like those who are bent on denying the truth and who say of their brothers, when they travel about the land or go forth to war, ‘Had they but remained with us, they would not have died, or been slain’—for God will cause such thoughts to become a source of bitter regret in their hearts, since it is God who gives life and causes death. And God sees all that you do.
157
وَلَئِن قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ
If you are killed or die in God’s cause, then surely forgiveness from God and His grace are better than all that one could amass.
158
وَلَئِن مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لإِلَى الله تُحْشَرُونَ
For, indeed, if you die or are killed, it is to God that you shall be gathered.
159
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
It is by God’s grace that you were gentle with them—for if you had been harsh and hard-hearted, they would surely have deserted you—so bear with them and pray for forgiveness for them. Take counsel with them in the conduct of affairs; then, when you have decided upon a course of action, place your trust in God: for God loves those who place their trust in Him.
160
إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللّهُ فَلاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكِّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
If God helps you, none can overcome you, but if He withdraws His help from you, who is there who can help you besides Him? In God, then, let the believers place their trust!
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
(a) All that happens in this world is by the will of God. However, everything takes place under the veil of cause and effect. Incidents appear to have a cause behind them but, actually, they occur at the will of God. Man’s faith is put to the test through apparent causes, which make it difficult to see the hidden hand of God in all things. The non-believer is the one who is lost in trying to understand the causes and effects, while the believer is one who penetrates their veil to discover the actual reality. One who claims to be a believer, yet regards life and death, success and failure as the results of human strategies, is not true to his claim. When a non-believer suffers a setback, he grieves over it, thinking that had he adopted this or that course, he could have been saved. But when a believer confronts the same situation, he resigns himself to it by accepting it as the will of God. When a man has the conviction that everything happens by God’s will, then all other human causes appear insignificant and not worthy of further consideration. Those, on the other hand, who hold worldly resources important devote their whole lives to providing for the things of this world. But the only things of true value are those which will be theirs in the Hereafter—that is, God’s forgiveness and Paradise. Paradise is something which can be attained only at the cost of one’s life. Man’s existence on earth is the exact price he has to pay to enter Paradise. If he fails to make this sacrifice, he cannot be certain of his fate in the Hereafter. (a) The gentle way the Prophet is asked to deal with the believers (in this context those who had disobeyed him in quitting their posts, incurring defeat in the battle) is equally essential in any Muslim leader. Moderation is indispensable for him. This lenient attitude is required not only in normal, daily life but also in dealings between Muslims and non-Muslims, even where, due to the disobedience of certain people, a victory turns into a defeat. Unless the leader shows broad-mindedness and high thinking, a powerful polity cannot be established. Mistakes, however grave their outcome, if committed without any evil intention, are pardonable. The leader, therefore, should overlook this type of error while dealing with people. He should be such a great well-wisher of his people that he should pray to God for their guidance. Indeed, the good leader so values his people that he takes decisions on matters of importance only after consulting them.