يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

“O you who believe! fear Allah with the fear, which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims” (3:102).

وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

“And hold fast by the cord of Allah all together and be not divided and remember the bounty of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favour you became brethren; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He delivered you from it; thus does Allah make clear to you His signs that you may follow the right way” (3:103).

وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

“And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful” (3:104).

وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا۟ وَٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

“And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear evidences had come to them, and these it is that shall have a grievous chastisement” (3:105).

يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوهٌ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ أَكَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

“On the day when (some) faces shall become bright and (some) faces shall turn black; then as to those whose faces will have turned black: Did you disbelieve after your believing? Taste therefore the chastisement for what you were disbelieving” (3:106).

وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ٱبْيَضَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فَفِى رَحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

“And as to those whose faces shall have become bright, they shall be in Allah’s mercy; in it they shall abid.” (3:107).

تِلْكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“These are communications of Allah which We recite to you with truth, and Allah does not desire any injustice to the creatures” (3:108).

وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ

“And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allah’s; and to Allah all things are returned” (3:109).

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَوْ ءَامَنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم مِّنْهُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ

“You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and you believe in Allah; and if the People of the Book had believed it would have been better for them; of them (some) are believers and most of them are transgressors.” (3:110).

Commentary

The verses conclude the speech addressed to the believers, warning them of the People of the Book and their machinations. It reminds them that they have a lifeline which if they hold fast to they shall not perish, shall not go astray and shall not fall into pits of perdition. It is a speech branching from the preceding talk. However, the previous context, that is, exposition of the behaviour of the People of the Book, has not been concluded yet, as may be seen from the verses coming after these: They shall by no means harm you but with a slight distress.

Verse 102

Qur’an: “O you who believe! fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him…” (3:102).

We have explained that “at-taqwa” ( اَلتَّقْوي = to be on guard; fear; piety) when related to Allah, means to be on guard against His punishment, to fear His chastisement. Allah says:

“…Then be on guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel” (2:24).

One may guard oneself from the Divine Wrath by behaving in manners that Allah is pleased. In other words, it is doing what He has enjoined one to do and abstaining from what He has forbidden; being grateful for His favours and being patient when He puts one in adverse conditions. The last two attributes are actually two facets of gratefulness - because gratefulness is to put a thing in its proper place. In short, fear of Allah means that man should obey (and not disobey) Him and should submit to Him in all that He bestows or withholds.

But the verse talks of at-taqwa as it rightfully should be done, that is, a piety that is not tainted by the least wrong. Such piety is the pure servitude which is never marred by an iota of obliviousness or heedlessness; it is obedience without disobedience, gratitude without ingratitude, remembrance without forgetting; it is the true Islam, that is, the highest grade of Islam. Accordingly, the words, and do not die unless you are Muslims, would mean: Continue on this condition of ideal at-taqwa until you die.

This verse gives a different ideal than the words:

“Therefore, fear Allah as much as you can” (64:16).

This command enjoins man not to leave the fear of Allah in anything as much as he can. But the ability to do so differs from man to man according to the person’s strength, understanding, and will. There is no doubt that the ideal piety is not easily within reach for the majority of men. There are, in this spiritual journey, many stations, locations and danger points that cannot be spotted except by those who know. Also, there are many delicate points and subtle differences which cannot be recognized except by those who have been purified. There is many a stage of piety which a common man would say, was beyond human ability; he really believes it to be far above the human strength - while the truly pious people have long been past that stage and are now progressing towards even more difficult goal, through much more harder terrains.

The verse “Therefore fear Allah as much as you can” (64:16) has been so worded that different minds would interpret it in different ways, according to one’s perceived strength and ability. This will provide a means to proceed to the real goal which is given in the verse under discussion:

“Fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims” (3:102)

They will then understand that the main purpose is for them to take to the path of the ideal piety and to progress towards that lofty station. In this respect, it is not different from being guided to the Straight Path: Although all men are invited to it, only the true believers, the pure monotheists, get to that path.

The two verses, “fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him” (3:102) and “fear Allah as much as you can” (64:16) then give the following connotation: All people are called and invited to the ideal piety; then they are told to proceed towards that goal as much as they can, everyone according to his own ability and strength. In this way, all will come on the path of piety; but they will be in different stages and various stations according to their own understanding and ambition, coupled with the Divine help and support, that is, bestowed on deserving servants. (This is what one understands after pondering on the two verses.)

It is clear from the above explanation that the two verses are neither different from each other in meaning nor identical; rather, the first verse “fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him” (3:102) points to the ultimate goal, while the second “fear Allah as much as you can” (64:16) shows the way.

Qur’an: “...And do not die unless you are Muslims” (3:102).

Death is a creative affair that is beyond the circle of our will and power. An order or a prohibition concerning this, or similar things shall be a creative order or prohibition, as Allah says:

“…Then Allah said to them, Die!...” (2:243).

“...Is only that He says to it, ‘Be’, and it is.” (36:82).

But sometimes an affair beyond our control is joined to one within our control, and then the combined phrase comes within our power, control and authority. At this stage, it may become a subject of legislative order or prohibition, as Allah says:

“…Therefore, you should not be of the doubters” (2:147).

“...And be not with the unbelievers” (11:42).

“…And be with the true ones” (9:119).

and many similar verses. Obviously, “to be” is an intransitive creative affair upon which man has no control or power; but when it is joined with an action within his power, like doubting, disbelieving, and holding fast to the true ones, it comes within our power; and then it may become subject of legislative order and prohibition.

In short, the prohibition that they should not die unless they are Muslims is a legislative one because the said proviso has made it a voluntary action; and it implies that man should hold fast to Islam in all conditions and at all times until death comes to him in one of those conditions. Thus, he would die on Islam.

Verse 103

Qur’an: “And hold fast by the cord of Allah all together and be not divided....” (3:103).

Allah has said before to the believers:

“But how can you disbelieve while it is you to whom the communications of Allah are recited and among you is His Messenger; and whoever holds fast to Allah, he indeed is guided to the straight path” (3:101).

It had shown that holding fast to the communications of Allah and to His Messenger (the Book of Allah and the sunnah of the Prophet) is to hold fast to Allah; and whoever holds fast to Allah is safe and secure and his guidance is guaranteed; also holding fast to the Prophet is holding fast to the Book, because it is the Book itself that enjoins us to do so:

“..And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep it back” (59:7).

Now the verse under discussion has changed the phraseology; instead of telling us to hold fast to Allah, it enjoins to hold fast to the cord of Allah. It shows that the cord of Allah is the Book revealed by Allah; it is the cord that joins the creature to his Lord, that connects the heavens to the earth. You may also say that the Divine Cord is the Qur’an and the Prophet because the end result of all is the same.

The Qur’an invites only to the ideal piety and firm Islam. Yet the aim of this verse is different from the preceding verse that had enjoined ideal piety and the death on Islam, inasmuch as that verse was concerned with guidance of the individual, while this looks at the good of the society. The words “all together” and “be not divided” point to this fact. The verse therefore orders the Muslim society to hold fast to the Book and the sunnah, as they had earlier enjoined the individual to do so.

Qur’an: “…And remember the bounty of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favour you became brethren…” (3:103).

The clause “when you were enemies” (3:103) explains the bounty of Allah, and the next clause, and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He delivered you from it, is in conjunction with it.

The order to remember this Divine bounty and favour is based on the established Qur’anic system: it builds its education on explanation of its reasons and causes; and invites to the good and the guidance through proper door; it does not demand blind following from its adherents. Far be it from the Divine Teaching to guide the people to eternal happiness - that is useful knowledge and good deed - and then to tell them to wander in the darkness of ignorance and blind following.

But the reader is warned here not to confuse the subject matter. Allah teaches men the reality of their happiness and then shows them its proper way and reason, in order that they would understand the mutual relationship between the realities and know that all emanate from the fountainhead of monotheism. It continues side by side with men’s obligation to totally submit to Allah because He is Allah, the Lord of the universe, and to hold fast to His cord because it is the cord of Allah Who is the Lord of the universe. The last two verses “These are communications of Allah which we recite to you...” (3:108) point to this fact.

In short, Allah has ordered them not to accept any word, nor to obey any order, except after knowing its reason. At the same time He has told them to surrender totally to Him, giving for its reason the fact that He is Allah Who owns them totally and unconditionally, they have got nothing except that which Allah has willed for them and done for them; also He has ordered them to unconditionally obey what His Messenger has brought to them, giving for its reason the fact that he is His Messenger who conveys to them only that which he has been entrusted by Allah to do; then Allah explains to them the realities of knowledge and describes the ways of happiness, giving them a comprehensive reason in order that they could understand the inter-relation of the spiritual knowledge and the ways of happiness, and thus arrive at the root of monotheistic belief; it provides them with a Divine Training which enables them to think what is correct and speak what is true.

Thus, they would be alive with knowledge, free from blind following. Result: If they would understand the reason of any established religious reality (or any related thing) they would accept it; and if they did not understand they would not reject it outright; instead, they would try to understand it by research and meditation without rejecting, or objecting to, it - because it is an established reality.

But it does not mean that one should not accept anything - even from Allah and His Messenger - without asking for its reason. Such a proposition would be the height of folly, as it would imply that Allah wants His creatures to demand for proof after the proof is given to them: His lordship and His ownership is the basic reason and argument that makes it incumbent on everyone to submit to Him and obey His command. Likewise, the messengership of His Messenger is the solid reason and proof to prove that whatever he says has come from Allah. Otherwise, we would have to say that Allah has no authority in that which He manages by His authority. Is it but a contradiction in terms? In short, the Islamic way and the prophetic method calls only to knowledge, and not to blind following as these so-called critics - who are nothing if not blind followers themselves - claim.

Perhaps that is why Allah has called it a favour “the bounty of Allah on you” (3:103). It indicates the reason as to why We enjoin you to unite together: you have already experienced the bitterness of enmity and sweet taste of love and brotherhood; you have seen that you were on the brink of the pit of fire and Allah has saved you; We point this reason to you not because We have to support our sayings with some proof (obviously, Our saying is true whether We point to its reason or not), but only to let you know that it is a favour of Us on you, in order that you may appreciate that in this unity - like everything else We enjoin on you - lies your felicity, comfort and success.

Allah has given here two proofs, one is the sentence “... you were enemies...” (3:103) is obviously based on their experience, while the other “…you were on the brink of a pit of fire...” (3:103) is based on rational explanation.

The clause “so by His favour you became brethren” (3:103) reminds the Muslims a second time of the Divine Favour mentioned in the preceding clause “and remember the bounty of Allah on you” (3:103). The bounty and favour refer to their unity; hence the brotherhood too (which results from this bounty) refers to the same love and unitedness. The brotherhood, as used here, is therefore a claimed reality.

Also, possibly it may be a reference to the brotherhood that has been legislated as between the believers, vide the verse:

“The believers are but brethren” (49:10).

This legislated brotherhood creates very important mutual rights and duties between one believer and the other.

Qur’an: “…And you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He delivered you from it…” (3:103).

“Shafa hufratin” ( شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ = brink or edge of a pit where one is in danger of falling down); “fire” may be of the hereafter or of this world. If the former, then it would refer to the fact that previously they were unbelievers and about to fall in the hell the moment they died - and death is nearer to man than is the iris of eye from its white - then Allah saved them from it through the true faith. And if the aim is to point to their evil society which they were living in before they accepted Islam and became brethren, and the fire refers to their wars and conflicts - and it is a commonly used metaphor - then the meaning would be as follows:

A society built on disunited hearts and divergent minds cannot proceed under one leader or in one direction; it is bound to turn into a disorientated and deranged collection of people - each one pulling it to his side, as it suits his own wishes and desires. Such a society would be a cauldron of dissension and strife, always pushing its members to ever-new conflicts, embroiling them in wars and fights, and threatening them with decline and extinction. It is the fire that neither allows one to endure nor does it leave one alone, raging in the pit of ignorance from which no inmate could hope to escape.

The immediate audience of this verse were the Muslims who - before the verse was revealed - had accepted Islam after their disbelief. They had spent all their pre-Islamic lives in constant threat of battle and war. There was no security, no peace, no law, and order. They did not understand what constituted public safety - the concept that covers the society in all its aspects like property, honour, and life, etc.

When they joined hands to hold fast to the cord of Allah, perceived the signs of happiness and felicity, and tasted the sweetness of Divine Bounties, they understood by this experience the truth and reality of what Allah reminds them of His pleasant favours and the resulting wholesome felicity. In this background, this speech was bound to win their hearts - as well as of the others - most effectively and in all totality.

That is why the call to unite has been based on their own experience and observation instead of just philosophical presumptions. One picture is worth a thousand words. And it is because of the same reason that the next warning “And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear evidence had come to them…” (3:105) points to the condition of those who had preceded them.

The believers have seen and heard what happened to those nations - how they declined and fell - because of their disunity and internal strife; the believers should learn lessons from them; they should not walk on the same path, should not proceed in the same direction.

Then Allah draws their attention to the special nature of this speech and says:

“…Thus does Allah make clear to you His signs that you may follow the right way” (3:103).

Verse 104

Qur’an: “And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful” (3:104).

Experience shows that the knowledge a man acquires in his life (and he acquires and preserves for himself only that which may be of some use to him) is soon forgotten if not repeatedly remembered, if not frequently put in practice and acted upon - it makes no difference how that knowledge was acquired and preserved. Also, there is no doubt that action, in all its aspects, turns on the pivot of knowledge; its strength or weakness, its efficiency or deficiency all depends on the strength or weakness, efficiency or deficiency of knowledge. Allah has given a likeness of knowledge and action in the following verse:

“And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth (abundantly) by the permission of its Lord, and (as for) that which is bad (its herbage) comes forth but scantily; thus, do We repeat the communications for a people who give thanks” (7:58).

Undoubtedly, there is an interaction between knowledge and action. Knowledge is the strongest motive of action, and action is the greatest teacher that imparts knowledge.

This reality binds a good society (that which has useful knowledge and virtuous action) to preserve and keep intact their knowledge and culture; and obliges them to bring a deviating person back to the right path, to make sure that nobody goes astray leaving the known way of righteousness for the unforgiving desert of evil - they must protect him from falling into the pit of sin and error by forbidding him to go near it.

This is the call to educate the society members; the obligation of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. It is this important obligation to which Allah refers when He says: “... who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong” (3:104).

The Arabic words translated here as “right” and “wrong” (enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong) are ‘al-ma‘ruf’ ( اَلْمَعْرُوْفُ ) and ‘al-munkar’ ( اَلْمُنْكَرُ ) which literally mean “known” and “unknown” respectively. Ponder on the explanation given above and you will understand why Allah has used these expressions. The verse under discussion is based on the preceding one

“And hold fast by the cord of Allah all together and be not divides...” (3:103).

A society which follows this guidance must be the ideal society. It would only be the right and the good which they would recognize, which would be “known” to them; and only the wrong and the evil which they would not recognize, which would be “unknown” to them. If this fine point is not kept in mind, then the only possible explanation would be that the right and the wrong were respectively known and unknown in the eyes of religion - but not in actual practice of the society.

The clause “And from among you there should be a party” (3:104): It has been said that “from among” indicates portion, obliging only a party among the Muslim ummah to enjoin the good and forbid the evil and call to the truth. Others have said that the particle ‘min’ ( مِنْ = from among) has here an explanatory connotation; that the sentence means as follows: If you unite together, you will become a party who invites to good, enjoins the right and forbids the evil. In other words, it is as we say: ‘I should find in you a friend’, which actually means: ‘Be my friend’. Apparently, the said explanation of “from among” means that the whole Muslim ummah is obligated to call to the good.

Actually, the controversy whether “from among” is for division or explanation is quite irrelevant. Calling to good, enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong are things which, even when obligatory, cannot be obligatory except on a few; because once the goal is achieved it would not be necessary for others to do so. Even if we were to say that the whole ummah invited to good, enjoined the right and forbade the wrong, it would only mean that there were some people in the ummah who did so.

Thus, the responsibility lies on only a selected group in any case. If the verse is addressed to a group of the ummah, the matter is clear; but if it is addressed to the whole nation, that is because of that particular group. In other words, initially the responsibility lies on everybody’s shoulders, but when some perform the duty, they get its reward, and the others are then exempted from the obligation. That is why the verse ends with the clause “and these [i.e., those who perform this duty] it is that shall be successful”

It appears from the above that “from among” indicates here a portion; it is this meaning that is generally understood from such combinations in common conversation, and it is not right to go for another meaning without a good reason.

The three - inviting to good, enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong - are profoundly extensive subjects which require deep exegetic discourse, and we shall write about it, Allah willing, in proper places; also, we shall deal there with its academic psychological and social aspects.

Verse 105

Qur’an: “And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear evidences had come to them, and these it is that shall have a grievous chastisement” (3:105).

Probably the clause, “after clear evidence had come to them” (3:105), is an adverbial phrase related to the verb, “disagreed”, only. If so, then the “disagreement” would refer to difference in belief while the “division” to their physical separation and dissociation. Division has been mentioned first, because it is the prelude to divergence of belief. As long as the members of a community remain in contact with each other, there continues a harmony in their ideas and ideals, and their constant meetings - and the inevitable interaction - welds their beliefs into a single entity, protecting them from ideological differences.

If on the other hand, they lose contact and become separated the process of mutual action and reaction comes to a standstill; their views and ideas start developing independently, each going his own way, and it does not take each group very long to develop its own views, ideals, theories, and beliefs. It is in this way that ideological disagreements are born, and unity of nations is shattered. It is as though Allah was warning the Muslims not to be like those who began their journey to disaster by separating from each other, losing mutual contacts, and remaining aloof from the community, and ended by having different beliefs and divergent ideas.

Allah has mentioned in various places that this disagreement and difference springs from revolt and envy, for example:

“And none differed about it but the very people who were given it, after clear signs had come to them, revolting among themselves” (2:213).

Of course, it is inevitable for ideas and opinions to differ, because knowledge and understandings differ from an individual to another; but at the same time, it is essential for a society to remove that difference and bring back the deviating individuals to the fold of unity. It is possible to remove the differences through various means; and if the ummah neglected this duty, it would in itself be a revolt which would throw them into perdition.

The Qur’an has given utmost importance to unity and forcefully warned the Muslims against disunity. Why? Because it knew which path this ummah would take; they would differ, disagree, and disunite not only as the previous people did, but even more. A peculiarity of the Qur’anic style has already been mentioned in several places: When it emphatically warns against some pitfall, it serves as a prophecy that the Muslim ummah was going to fall into it, nevertheless; the more forceful the admonition, the more likely the people were to violate it.

This difference and disunity were foretold by the Prophet as well as by the Qur’an; he said that difference would creep into his ummah, then it would raise its head in the form of divergent sects; also, he prophesied that the ummah would become divided as the Jews and the Christians were before. Some of those prophecies will be given under “Traditions”.

History testifies to the truth of this prophesy. No sooner was the Prophet gone than the people scattered in all directions; they were divided into several sects, each accusing others of apostasy. This has been going on since the days of the Companions to this time of ours. Every attempt at uniting two sects, results in the creation of a third.

Experience and analytical study of Islamic literature and history prove that the fountainhead of this difference were the hypocrites. Read the Qur’an and you will see how forcefully it speaks against them and condemns them; how seriously it denounces their schemes; and how dangerous it portrays their plans to be. Ponder on what Allah has said about them in the Chapters of: The Cow, The Repentance, The Confederates, and The Hypocrites, etc., and you will be stunned. This was their condition and behaviour during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (S), when the revelations were regularly coming from Allah. But as soon as the Prophet departed, the issue of hypocrites were immediately ‘forgotten’; we find no mention of them in the Muslim literature; it was as though they vanished the moment the Prophet died!

(It was) as though there never was any intimate friend between al-Hujun and as-Safa,

Or there never conversed at night any talker at Mecca.

Soon the people found themselves scattered to the four winds and sectarian differences cut them asunder. Despotic and tyrannical governments succeeded in subjugating them, and their felicity of life was transformed into infelicity of error and straying. And we seek help from Allah. We hope, by the grace of Allah, to write on this subject in detail in the Chapter of The Repentance.

Verses 106 - 107

Qur’an: “On the day when (some) faces shall become bright and (some) faces shall turn black; then as to those whose faces will have turned black: Did you disbelieve after your believing? Taste therefore the chastisement for what you were disbelieving” (3:106).

Qur’an: “And as to those whose faces shall have become bright, they shall be in Allah’s mercy; in it they shall abide” (3:107).

As the talk centres around ungratefulness which, like treachery and breach of trust, causes shame and bashfulness, Allah has selected here a chastisement of the hereafter that is analogous to it, that is, blackness of face which metaphorically denotes shamefacedness, abashment, and disgrace. It is implied, or rather clearly shown, by the words of Allah:

“Then as for those whose faces will have turned black: Did you disbelieve after your believing?” (3:106).

For the same reason, those who are grateful for this Divine Favour, shall be given a reward that will be appropriate for thankfulness, and that is brightness of face, which is metaphorically used for contentment and delight.

Verse 108

Qur’an: “These are communications of Allah which We recite to you with truth, and Allah does not desire any injustice to the creatures” (3:108).

The clause, “with truth” is related to the verb, “We recite”, that is, the recitation is the recital of truth, it is not false, nor is it form Satanic whisperings. Alternatively, it may be related to “communications” giving it an adjectival meaning, that is, true communications. Or it may be related to a deleted word. In any case, the verse means as follows: These verses which describe what Allah will do with two groups - the ungrateful and the grateful - are accompanied by and based on truth, there is no falsehood or injustice in them. This meaning is more appropriate because the verse ends on the words:

“And Allah does not desire any injustice...” (3:108).

The word “injustice”, is a common noun used in a negative context, implies comprehensiveness, that is, every type of injustice is negated. Likewise, “the creatures” being a plural with definite article “the” denotes comprehensiveness. Therefore, the meaning will be as follows: Allah does not desire any injustice - of whatever type it may be - to any of His creatures or a group of creatures.

It is a fact that difference and conflict among the people is such a bad thing that its evil consequences adversely affect all the creatures, the whole mankind.

Verse 109

Qur’an: “And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allah’s; and to Allah all things are returned” (3:109).

After the declaration that Allah desires no injustice whatsoever, this verse gives its reason to remove any possible misunderstanding to the contrary. Allah owns everything in all its aspects; He has right and authority to manage it in any way He likes. There is nothing outside His ownership. Had there been anything outside His ownership, only then He would do any injustice or exceed the limit by managing or usurping that “unowned” thing.

Moreover, man is inclined to injustice when he has a need which cannot be fulfilled except by manipulation of something he does not own. But Allah is Self-sufficient to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. (This argument has been given by an exegete, but it is not in conformity with apparent meaning of the verse. This reply is based on the Self-sufficiency of Allah, and not on His ownership, while the verse mentions the latter, not the former.) However, the Divine Ownership offers irrefutable proof that Allah is not unjust.

Then comes another proof: Everything and every affair, whatsoever it may be, returns to Allah. If anyone other than Allah would have had any authority on anything or any affair, only then Allah would have been committing injustice if He would have removed it from that other’s authority and manipulated it according to His own will. This proof is pointed at in the concluding statement: “and to Allah all things are returned.” (3:109)

The two proofs, as you see, are complementary. One is based on the premise that everything belongs to Allah, and the other on the principle that no affair belongs to anyone other than Allah.

Verse 110

Qur’an: “You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and you believe in Allah; and if the People of the Book had believed it would have been better for them; of them (some) are believers and most of them are transgressors” (3:110).

The word translated as “raised up” is “ukhrijat” ( اُخْرِجَتْ = lit. taken out); it has a connotation of introduction. Taking out also implies incidence, bringing forth and creation. Allah says:

“And Who brought forth herbage” (87:4).

The verse is addressed to the believers; therefore, the word “men” should mean general public, the humanity at large. Someone has said that the verb ‘kuntum’ ( كُنْتُمْ = lit.: you were) is here devoid of time factor and means ‘you are’. The word ‘ummah’ ( اُمَّة = nation, group), is used for a party as well as for individual - when they have the same goal which they aim to reach; it is derived from ‘al-amm’ ( اَلْاَمُّ = to intend, to aim). The clause “and you believe in Allah” (3:110) has been placed after mentioning the enjoining the right and forbidding the evil; it is like mentioning the whole thing or the root after describing some components or branches.

According to the above explanation, the verse means as follows: O Muslims! you are the best group which Allah has brought out for mankind by guiding it; because you are united, you believe in Allah, and perform the twin duties of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. Obviously, this honoured title has been given to the whole ummah only because some of them have attained to the true belief and do fulfil the obligations of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. This is in short what some exegetes have written about it.

But obviously the word ‘kuntum’ ( كُنْتُمْ = you were) is not devoid of time factor; it is a past tense and refers to the believer’s condition in the early days of Islam. It speaks about those who were foremost among the Emigrants and the Helpers; the belief here refers to their positive response to the call of holding fast to the cord of Allah without being divided; this belief is opposite of the disbelief in that call - the disbelief that is mentioned in the words:

“Did you disbelieve after your believing?” (3:106).

The same is the import of the belief as related to the People of the Book in this verse, “and if the People of the Book had believed.” (3:110) In short, the meaning will be as follows:

O Muslims! you were - when you were brought forth first of all and appeared for the people - the best group that was ever formed, because at that time you enjoined good and forbade evil, and holding fast by the cord of Allah you became united and unified like one body and one soul; and if the People of the Book too were like that it would have been better for them, but they are divided and disunited - some of them are believers while most of them are transgressors.

Many times, in these verses the talk switches from third to the second person, and from plural to the singular number, and vice versa. Also, there are clauses where noun has been used instead of pronoun, for example, the Divine Name “Allah” has been repeated several times. The reasons for these changes are not difficult to find after meditation.

Traditions

Abu Basir says: “I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (‘a) about the words of Allah “fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him” (3:102) and he said: ‘He should be obeyed, and not disobeyed; remembered, and not forgotten; and thanked, and not shown ingratitude.’ ”1

al-Hakim and Ibn Marduwayh have narrated through another chain from Ibn Mas‘ud that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘Fear Allah as He should be feared; (it means) that He should be obeyed and not disobeyed, and remembered, and not forgotten.’ ”2

al-Khatib narrates from Anas that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘No servant fears Allah with the fear which is due to Him until he knows that what has befallen him could not miss him, and what has missed him could not reach him.’ ”3

The author says: We have explained in the Commentary how the meaning given in the first two traditions could be inferred from the verse. As for the third one, it gives a concomitant of the Qur’anic meaning, and it is clear.

Ibn Shahrashub quotes from at-Tafsir of Waki‘ that ‘Abd Khayr said: “I asked ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) about the words of Allah: “O you who believe! fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him” (3:102), (and) he said: ‘By Allah, no one acted upon it except the House of the Messenger of Allah; we remembered Him, so we do not forget Him; and we thanked Him, so we are never ungrateful to Him; and we obeyed Him, so we never disobeyed Him. When this verse was revealed, the Companions said: “We are unable to do it.” Then Allah revealed, “Therefore fear Allah as much as you can.” (64:16) ’ “ Waki’ said: “that is, as much as you are able to do.”4

Abu Basir said: “I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (‘a) about the words of Allah, “fear Allah with the fear which is due to Him.” (3:102). He said: ‘(It is) abrogated.’ I said: ‘And which (verse) abrogated it? He said: ‘The words of Allah, “Therefore, fear Allah as much as you can.” (64:16)’”5

The author says: It may be inferred from the tradition of Waki’ that “abrogation” (as mentioned in the tradition of al-‘Ayyashi) refers to various stages of piety and fear of Allah. But it does not mean abrogation in the sense of cancellation (as some exegetes have said) because it is against the apparent meaning of the Qur’an.

As-Sadiq (‘a) explained the clause, unless you are Muslims, in these words: “unless you are in submission.” (3:102)” 6

As-Suyuti writes under the words of Allah: “And hold fast by the cord of Allah...” (3:103), Ibn Abi Shaybah and Ibn Jarir have narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri that he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (S) said: “The Book of Allah, it is the cord of Allah (which is) outstretched from the heaven to the earth.” ’ ”7

Ibn Abi Shaybah narrates from Abu Shurayh al-Khuza‘i that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘Surely this Qur’an is a rope, one end of which is in the hand of Allah, and the other end is in your hands; therefore hold fast to it; because you shall never slip nor will you ever go astray after (holding fast to) it.’ 8

As-Sajjad (‘a) said, inter alia, in a hadith: “And the cord of Allah - it is the Qur’an.”9

The author says: There are other Traditions on this theme, narrated by both sects.

Al-Baqir (‘a) said: “The progeny of Muhammad, they are the cord of Allah which He has ordered (the believers) to hold fast to; so He has said: And hold fast by the cord of Allah all together and be not divided.”10

The author says: There are other traditions of the same meaning; they are supported by what has been written in the Commentary; also, other Traditions given below, support it.

At-Tabarani has narrated from Zayd Ibn Arqam that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S), said: ‘Surely, I am to depart from you; and surely you are to come to me near the ‘hawd’ (اَلْحَوْضُ = reservoir, i.e., of ‘al-Kawthar’ = اَلْكَوْثَرُ). Therefore, be careful how you follow me about the two weighty things.’ He was asked: ‘And what are the two weighty things? O Messenger of Allah!’ He said: ‘The greater one is the Book of Allah, the Mighty, the Great, (it is) a rope one end of which is in the hand of Allah and (another) end is in your hands; therefore, hold fast to it, you shall never slip up nor will you ever go astray. And the smaller one is my progeny. And surely, they will never separate from each other until they reach me near the water reservoir; and I have asked for them this (privilege) from my Lord; therefore do not precede them lest you be destroyed; and do not (try to) teach them because they are more knowledgeable than you.’” 11

The author says: The tradition of the “Two Weighty Things” is among the mutawatir ones, which has been narrated unanimously by both the Sunnis and the Shi‘ahs. We have mentioned in the beginning of the chapter that some scholars of Traditions have narrated it from thirty-five different narrators - male and female - and a multitude of narrators and scholars have narrated it from those original narrators.

Ibn Majah, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have narrated from Anas that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘The Children of Israel became divided into seventy-one sects, and surely my ummah will soon be divided into seventy-three sects - all of them shall be in the fire except one.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! and who is this one?’ He said: ‘The party.’ Then he recited: And hold fast to the cord of Allah all together.’12

The author says: This too is one of the famous Traditions. The Shi‘ahs have narrated it in a different way, as may be seen in al-Khisal, Ma‘ani ’l-akhbar, al-Ihtijaj, al-Amali, the Kitab of Sulaym Ibn Qays and at-Tafsir of al-‘Ayyashi. We quote it here from the first-named book. as-Saduq narrates through his chains from Sulayman Ibn Mihran who narrates from Ja‘far Ibn Muhammad (peace be on them both) who narrates, through his forefathers, from the Leader of the Faithful (peace be on them all) that he said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (S) saying: ‘Verily, the ummah of Musa became divided after him, into seventy-one sects, one of them (was) saved, and seventy (were thrown) into the fire. And the ummah of ‘Isa became divided after him, into seventy-two sects, one of them (was) saved, while seventy-one (were thrown) into the fire. And surely my ummah will soon.be divided after me, into seventy-three sects, one of them (will be) saved, and seventy-two (will be thrown) into the fire.”

The author says: It conforms with the next tradition.

Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and al-Hakim (who has confirmed correctness of this hadith) have all narrated from Abu Hurayrah that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘The Jews were divided into seventy-one sects; and the Christians were divided into seventy-two sects; and my ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.’ ”13

The author says: This theme is found in other Traditions narrated through other chains from Mu‘awiyah and others.

al-Hakim has narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: “There will happen in any ummah all that happened in the Children of Israel in a completely identical manner, so much so that if there were among them someone who had openly had incestuous relation with his mother, there would be someone like that in my ummah too. Verily the Children of Israel were divided into seventy-one sects, and my ummah will become divided into seventy-three sects - all of them (will go) into the fire except one.’ He was asked: ‘Which one?’ He said: ‘That on which are I and my Companions today.’ ” 14

The author says: A similar tradition has been narrated in Jami‘ al-usul (by Ibn al-Athir) from at-Tirmidhi, on the authority of the son of ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As from the Prophet.

As-Saduq has narrated through his chains from Ghiyath Ibn Ibrahim, from as-Sadiq (‘a) (through his forefathers, peace be on them all) that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘All that happened in the previous nations will surely happen in this ummah in a completely identical manner and exactly alike way.” 15

The Prophet said: “Most surely you will follow the customs of those who were before you, in a completely identical manner and exactly alike way; you will not deviate from their path; you will imitate them faithfully (in every conceivable manner), span to span, hand to hand and arm to arm; so much so that if someone in previous nations had entered an iguana’s den, you will surely enter it.” They said: “Do you mean the Jews and the Christians? O Messenger of Allah!” He said: “Who (else) do I mean? Surely you will unravel the rope of Islam strand by strand; the first thing you will destroy of your religion shall be trustworthiness, and the last of it (to go, shall be) the prayer.”16

The author of Jami‘ al-usul has narrated on the authority of the correct books - also at-Tirmidhi has narrated it - from the Prophet that he said: “By Him in Whose hand my soul is, most surely you will follow the custom of those who were before you.” And Razin has added the words: “in a completely identical manner and exactly similar way; so much so that if there were among them one who had cohabited with his mother, someone among you too would do so. But I do not know whether you would worship calf or not.”

The author says: This too is a famous tradition. The Sunnis have narrated it in their sahih and other books, while the Shi‘ahs have recorded it in their collections of Traditions.

Anas said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘Surely there will arrive at the Reservoir a group of my Companions, until when they shall be removed (from there) they shall tremble before me. So, I shall say: O Lord! my Companions.’ Then it will be said: ‘You do not know what they did do after you.’ “17

Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah (S) said. “There will arrive near me on the Day of Resurrection a group of my Companions (or according to another report: of my ummah), and they will be evicted from the Reservoir. Then I will say: ‘O Lord! my Companions.’ And (Allah) will say: ‘You have no knowledge of what they did do after you; they became apostates, going backwards (to their previous disbelief).’ Then they will be evicted.”18

The author says: This tradition also is very well-known; both the Sunnis and the Shi‘ahs have recorded it in their sahih books and collections, on the authority of many Companions, like Ibn Mas‘ud, Anas, Sahl Ibn Sa‘id, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, ‘A’ishah, Umm Salmah, Asma’ bint Abi Bakr, and others, and also from some Imams of the Ahl Al-Bayt(‘a).

These Traditions, numerous and varied as they are, confirm what we have inferred from the verses; and the historical events and strife confirm these Traditions.

al-Hakim has narrated (and confirmed its correctness) that Ibn ‘Umar said: “Verily the Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘Whoever went out of the community about a hand-span, he surely removed the collar of Islam from his neck - until he returns. And whoever died without having a leader of community over him, then surely his death shall be a death of ignorance (i.e., disbelief).’ ”19

The author says: The theme of this hadith too is well-known. Both the Sunnis and the Shi‘ahs have narrated from the Prophet that he said: “Whoever died without knowing the Imam of his time, he died the death of ignorance (i.e., disbelief ).”

It is recorded in the Sunans of at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud that the Prophet said: “There shall always be a group of my ummah on truth.”20

The Leader of the Faithful (‘Ali, ‘a) said about the words of Allah “Did you disbelieve after your believing?” (3:106): They are the people of innovations and heretic tendencies and wrong views from this ummah.” 21

Abu ‘Amr az-Zubayri narrates from as-Sadiq (‘a) about the words of Allah: “You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men...,” (3:110), that he said: “(Allah) means the ummah (group, nation) for which the prayer of Ibrahim (‘a) was granted; and they are the people Allah raised (His Messenger) among them, and from them and to them; and they are the medium nation, and they are the best nation that has been raised up for the people.”22

The author says: We have explained this tradition under the Commentary of the following verse 2:128.

Ibn Abi Hatim has narrated from Abu Ja‘far (‘a) that he said about the verse: “You are the best nation raised up for the (benefit of) men...” (3:110), the People of the House of the Prophet.” 23

Ahmad has narrated through good chains from ‘Ali (‘a) that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘I have been given that which no prophet was given: I have been helped with awe, and I have been given keys of the earth, and I have been named Ahmad, and the earth has been made a means of cleansing for me, and my ummah has been made the best nation.”24

• 1. Ma‘ani ’l-akhbar; at-Tafsir, al-‘Ayyashi.
• 2. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 3. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 4. al-Burhan [fi tafsir al-Qur’an], al-Bahrani.
• 5. at-Tafsir, al-Ayyashi.
• 6. Majma‘ al-bayan.
• 7. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 8. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 9. Ma‘ani al-akhbar.
• 10. at-Tafsir, al-‘Ayyashi.
• 11. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 12. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 13. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 14. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 15. Kamal ad-din.
• 16. at-Tafsir, al-Qummi.
• 17. as-Sahih, al-Bukhari; as-Sahih, Muslim.
• 18. as-Sahih, al-Bukhari; as-Sahih, Muslim.
• 19. ad-Durr al-Manthur.
• 20. Jami‘ al-usul.
• 21. Majma‘ al-bayan
• 22. Majma‘ al-bayan; at-Tafsir, al-‘Ayyashi
• 23. ad-Durr al-Manthur
• 24. ad-Durr al-Manthur