Surah al-Anfal (The Spoils Of War ) 8 : 3

ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

Translations

 
 Muhsin Khan
 Pickthall
 Yusuf Ali
Quran Project
The ones who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they spend.

1. Lessons/Guidance/Reflections/Gems

[ edit ]

Explanatory Note

“They attend regularly to their prayers.” In this quality we find a visible aspect of faith, after we had seen some of its invisible ones. Faith is defined as that which is deeply rooted in one’s heart and to which credence is given through action. Action is, therefore, the practical aspect of faith which appears to all people signifying that the person who takes such action is a person of faith.

“And (they) spend on others some of what We have provided them with.” This applies to zakāt and other forms of charity. These people spend on others `some of what We have provided them with.’ It is God who is the provider, and whatever they donate is part of His provision. Qur’ānic statements are always rich in their connotations and the impressions they leave. Those people have not created their wealth. It is only part of the countless abundance which God has provided for them. Whatever they may spend is only part of it. They retain the rest; for whatever they have has been provided for them by God alone.

2. Linguistic Analysis

[ edit ]
The data for this section is awaiting to be be uploaded. Be the first to contribute.


Frequency of Root words in this Ayat used in this Surah *


3. Surah Overview

4. Miscellaneous Information

[ edit ]
The data for this section is awaiting to be be uploaded. Be the first to contribute.

5. Connected/Related Ayat

[ edit ]
The data for this section is awaiting to be be uploaded. Be the first to contribute.

6. Frequency of the word

[ edit ]
The data for this section is awaiting to be be uploaded. Be the first to contribute.

7. Period of Revelation

[ edit ]

It was revealed in 2 A.H. after the Battle of Badr which took place in Ramadhan in the 2nd year after Hijrah.

8. Reasons for Revelation

[ edit ]

Before reviewing the Surah it is worthwhile to consider the events that led to the Battle of Badr. During the first decade or so of the Prophethood at Makkah, the Message had proved its firmness and stability. This was the result of two things; firstly the Messenger who possessed the highest qualities of character was performing his Mission with wisdom foresight and magnanimity. He had shown by his conduct that he had made up his mind to carry the movement to a successful end and therefore was ready to face all sorts of dangers and obstacles along the way. Secondly, the Message was so appealing that it attracted the hearts and minds of the people irresistibly towards itself. So much so that all obstacles of ignorance, superstition and petty prejudices failed to check its advance. That is why the opponents of the Message, who had looked down upon it in its initial phases, had now begun to reckon it as a serious menace and were bent on crushing it with all their force. However despite their strength, the movement still lacked certain abilities to lead it to victory.

Firstly, it had not yet fully been proven that it had gathered a sufficient number of followers, who not only believed in its truth, but were so intensely devoted to its principles that they were ready to expend all their energies, and all that they possessed in the struggle for its success and establishment. So much so that they were ready to sacrifice their lives in the fight against the whole world itself, even though they should be their own nearest relative. It is true that the followers of Islam had endured the severest persecutions at the hands of the Quraysh of Makkah and had given a good proof of the firmness of their faith and their strong relation with Islam yet further trials were required to show that Islam had succeeded in acquiring such a band of followers which considered nothing dearer than its ideal and was ready to sacrifice life for it.

Secondly, though the voice of Islam had reached every part of the country its effects were yet scattered and its acquired strength was spread here and there: it had not yet gathered sufficient force essential for a decisive conflict with the old established order of ‘ignorance’.

Thirdly, Islam had yet no home of its own and had not established itself firmly anywhere in the land where it could consolidate its power and make it a base for further action. For the Muslims were scattered all over the country and were living among the unbelievers as aliens whom their bloodthirsty enemies wanted to uproot from their own homes.

Fourthly, the Muslims had not yet had an opportunity to demonstrate practically the blessings of the system of life based on Islam. There was neither any Islamic culture, nor any social, economic or political system; nor were there any established principles of war and peace for their guidance. Therefore the Muslims had no opportunity for demonstrating those moral principles on which they intended to build their entire system of life; nor had it been proved on the touchstone of trial that the Muslims as a community were sincere in the proclamation of the Message. God created opportunities for making up these deficiencies. During the last four years of the Prophet's stay at Makkah, the voice of Islam had been proving effective at Yathrib (Madinah) and the people for various reasons had been accepting the message more readily than other clans of Arabia. So much so that in the twelfth year of Prophethood on the occasion of Hajj a deputation of 75 people met the Prophet in the darkness of night. These people not only accepted Islam, but also offered to give him and his followers a home. As this was a most epoch making opportunity provided by God, the Prophet took advantage of it. The significance of this offer was quite clear to the people of Yathrib, and they fully realised that this was not an invitation to a mere fugitive, but to the Messenger of God so that he should become their leader and ruler. Likewise they knew that they were not inviting the Muslim refugees to give them shelter from persecution but to assemble them from all over the country for their integration with themselves to form an organised community. Thus the offer of the people of Yathrib was to make Yathrib the “City of Islam.” Accordingly the Prophet accepted their invitation and made it the first “City of Islam” in Arabia. And the people of Yathrib were fully aware of the implications of this offer. It was indeed a declaration of war against the whole of Arabia, and an invitation to their own social and economic boycott as well. And when the Ansar from Yathrib declared their allegiance to the Prophet at Aqabah, they knew fully well its consequences. During the course of the formal declaration of allegiance, Asad bin Zurarah, the youngest of all the delegates from Yathrib, stood up and said, “O people of Yathrib! Just listen to me and consider the matter carefully in all its aspects. Though we have come to him, regarding him only as a Messenger of God, we should know that we shall be inviting the enmity of the whole of Arabia. For when we take him away to Yathrib, we shall be attacked and our children may be put to the sword. Therefore if you have the courage in your hearts to face it, then and then only, you should declare your allegiance to him and God will give you its reward. But if you love your lives more than him and his Message, then leave this matter and frankly excuse yourselves, for at this time God may accept your excuses.”

Abbas bin Ubadah bin Naalah, another member of the delegation, reiterated the same thing, saying, Do you understand the implication of the declaration of your allegiance to this person?” (Voices, “Yes, we know it.”) “You are challenging the whole world to war by your declaration of allegiance to him. There is every likelihood of a serious menace to your lives and properties. Therefore consider it well. If you have any idea lurking in your minds that you will then hand him over to his enemies, it is much better to leave him alone now, because that conduct shall bring shame and disgrace to you in this world and the next. On the other hand, if you have sincerely resolved that you will endure all kinds of consequences that will follow as a result of this invitation, then it would be the best thing to take the oath of allegiance to him because, by God, this will surely bring good to you in this world as well as in the next world.” At this all the members of the delegation cried with one voice, “We are ready and prepared to risk all our wealth and our noble kith and kin for his sake.” It was then that the famous oath of allegiance, which is known as the “Second Oath of Allegiance at Aqabah” was taken.

On the other side, the people of Makkah also understood fully well the implications of this matter from their own point of view. They realised that Muhammad, who they knew well, had a great personality and possessed extraordinary abilities, was going to gain a strong footing, by this allegiance. For this would help integrate his followers, whose constancy, determination, and unwavering faithfulness to the Messenger had been tried, into a disciplined community under his wise leadership and guidance. And they knew that this would spell death for their old ways of life. They also realised the strategic importance of Madinah to their trade, which was their chief means of livelihood. Its geographical position was such that the Muslims could strike with advantage at the caravans travelling on the trade route between Yemen and Syria, and thus strike at the root of their economy and that of other pagan clans very effectively. The value of the trade done by the people of Makkah alone on this route, not to count that of ta’if and other places, amounted to about two hundred thousand dinars annually. As the Quraysh were fully aware of the implications of the oath of allegiance at Aqabah, they were greatly agitated when they got wind of it the same night. At first they tried to win over the people of Madinah to their side. But when they saw that the Muslims were migrating to Madinah in small groups, they realised that the Prophet was also going to emigrate soon from there. Then they decided to adopt an extreme measure to prevent this danger. A few days before his migration, the Quraysh held a council to consider the matter. After a good deal of argument; they decided that one person should be taken from each of the families of Quraysh other than that of Banu Hashim to put an end to the life of the Prophet. This was to make it difficult for the family of the Prophet to fight alone with all the other families of the Quraysh and thus to force them to accept blood-money for his murder instead of taking revenge from them, but by the grace of God their plot against the life of the Prophet failed because of his admirable foresight and full trust in God, and he reached Madinah safe and sound. When they could not prevent his emigration, it occurred to them to exploit Abdullah bin Ubay who had begun to cherish a grievance against the Prophet since his arrival at Madinah. He was an influential chief of Madinah and the people had agreed to make him their king. But when the majority of Aws and Khazraj clan became Muslims and acknowledged the Prophet as their leader, guide and ruler, all his hopes of becoming a king came to an end. Therefore the Quraysh wrote to him, “As you have given shelter to our enemy, we tell you plainly that you should either fight with him yourself or exile him from your city otherwise we swear by God that we will invade your city, kill your males and make your females our slave girls.” This letter added fuel to the flames of his jealousy and he was inclined to do some mischief, but the Prophet took timely precautions and defeated his evil designs. The Quraysh got another opportunity to hold out a threat. When Sa'ad bin Mu'adh, another chief of Madinah, went to Makkah to perform Umrah, Abu Jahl (one of the leaders of the Quraysh, known for his hatred and persecution of the Muslims) interrupted him at the very door of the Ka’bah, saying, “Do you think we will let you perform Umrah in peace when you give shelter and help to renegades from us? Had you not been a guest of Ummayyah bin Khalf, you would not have gone alive from here.” Sa’ad replied, “By God, if you prevent me from this, I will retaliate in a worse manner and block your route near Madinah.” This incident virtually led to a declaration from the people of Makkah that they would prevent the Muslims from a pilgrimage to the Ka’bah, and from the people of Madinah that as a retaliation they would block their trade route to Syria against the opponents of Islam. As a matter of fact there was no other alternative for the Muslims than to keep a strong hold on this route so as to force the Quraysh, and the other clans, whose interests were vitally bound with this route, to reconsider their hostile and antagonistic attitude towards them. That is why the Prophet attached the greatest importance to this problem. As soon as he was free from making the preliminary arrangements for organizing the newly formed Muslim Community and settling peace terms with the neighbouring Jewish tribes, he adopted two measures in this connection.

First, he entered into negotiations with those clans who lived between the Red Sea and this route so as to make alliances with them or at least to persuade them to make treaties of neutrality with the Muslims. He was successful in this, and he entered into a treaty of non-alignment with Juhainah, which was a very important clan of the hilly tract near the sea coast. Then, at the end of the first year of Hijrah, he made a treaty of defensive alliance with Bani Damrah. In 2 A.H. Bani Mudlij also joined the alliance, as they were the neighbours and allies of Bani Damrah. Then it so happened that quite a large number of these people were reverting to Islam as a result of the missionary work done by the Muslims.

Secondly, he successively sent small bands of his men on this route to serve as a warning to the Quraysh, and himself accompanied some of them. In the first year of Hijrah, four expeditions were sent there, that is, the expedition under Hamza, the expedition under Ubaidah bin Harith, the expedition under Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas and the Al-Abwa expedition under the Prophet himself. In the first month of the second year two more incursions were made on the same route. These are known as Buwat Expedition and Zawal Ushairah Expedition. Two things about all these expeditions are noteworthy. First, no blood was shed and no caravans were plundered in any of these expeditions. This proves that the real object of these expeditions was to show to the Quraysh which way the wind was blowing. Secondly, not a single man from the people of Madinah was sent by the Prophet on any of these incursions. All the bands consisted purely of the immigrants from Makkah so that the conflict should remain between the people of the Quraysh themselves and should not further spread by the involvement of other clans. On the other side, the Quraysh of Makkah tried to involve others also in the conflict. When they sent bands towards Madinah, they did not hesitate to plunder the people. For instance, an expedition under the leadership of Kurz bin Jabir al-Fihrl plundered the cattle of the people of Madinah from the very vicinity of the city to show what their real intentions were.

This was the state of affairs when, in Sha’aban, 2 A.H. (February or March, 623 C.E.) a large trade caravan of the Quraysh, carrying goods worth about £50,000, with only a guard of thirty to forty men, on its way back from Syria to Makkah, reached the territory from where it could be easily attacked from Madinah. As the caravan was carrying trade goods worth thousands of pounds, and was scantily guarded, naturally Abu Sufyan, who was in charge of it, from his past experience feared an attack from the Muslims. Accordingly, as soon as he entered the dangerous territory, he despatched a camel rider to Makkah with a frantic appeal for help. When the rider reached Makkah, he, following an old custom of Arabia, tore open the ears of his camel, cut open his nose and overturned the saddle. He began to cry aloud at the top of his voice, “O people of Quraysh despatch help to protect your caravan from Syria under the charge of Abu Sufyan, for Muhammad with his followers is in pursuit of it; otherwise I don’t think you will ever get your goods. Run, run for help.” This caused great excitement and anger in the whole of Makkah and all the big chiefs of the Quraysh got ready for war. An army, consisting of 600 armoured soldiers and cavalry of 100 riders with great pomp and show marched out for a fight. They intended not only to rescue the caravan but also to put to an end, once for all, the new menace from the Muslims who had consolidated themselves at Madinah. They wanted to crush that rising power and overawe the clans surrounding the route so as to make it absolutely secure for future trade. Now the Prophet, who always kept himself well informed of the state of affairs, felt that the decisive hour has come and that was the right time when he must take a bold step; otherwise the Islamic Movement would become lifeless forever and no chance would be left for it to rise again. For if the Quraysh invaded Madinah, the odds would be against the Muslims. The condition of the Muslim Community was still very shaky because the immigrants (Muhajirin) had not been able to stabilize their economy during the short period (less than two years) of their stay at Madinah; their helpers, the Ansar had not yet been tried; and the neighbouring Jewish clans were antagonistic. Then there was a strong group of hypocrites and polytheists in Madinah itself; above all, the surrounding clans lived in awe of the Quraysh and had all their religious sympathies with them. The Prophet, therefore, felt that the consequences of this possible invasion would not be favourable to the Muslims. The second possibility was that they would not invade Madinah but try only to escort their caravan safely and securely by a mere show of force. In that case, too, if the Muslims remained inactive, it would affect their reputation adversely. Obviously, this weak stand in the conflict would embolden the other Arabs also and make the position of the Muslims very insecure in the country and the surrounding clans would, at the instance of the Quraysh, start hostilities against them. And the Jews, the hypocrites and the polytheists of Madinah would openly rise against them and not only endanger their security of life, property and honour but make it difficult for them even to live there. The Muslims would not be able to inspire the enemy with awe so as to keep safe from them their life, property and honour. A careful study of the situation led the Prophet to make up his mind to take a decisive step and go into the battle with whatever little strength he could muster, for thus and thus only could he show whether the Muslim Community had the right to survive or was doomed to perish.

When he arrived at this momentous decision, he called the Muhajirin and the Ansar together and placed the whole position before them, without any reservation. He said, “God has promised that you will confront one of the two, the trade caravan coming from the north or the army of the Quraysh marching from the south. Now tell me which of the two you want to attack!” A large majority of the people replied that they wanted to attack the caravan. But the Prophet who had something else before him, repeated the same question. At this Miqdad bin ‘Amr, a Muhajir, stood up and said, “O Messenger of God! Please march to the side to which your Lord commands you; we will accompany you wherever you go. We will not say like the Israelites, ‘Go and let you and your Lord fight we will wait’. In contrast to them we say, ‘Let you and your Lord fight; we will fight by your side to our last breath’.” Even then he did not announce any decision but waited for a reply from the Ansar who had not yet taken any part in any battle of Islam. As this was the first opportunity for them to prove that they were ready to fulfil their promise of fighting for the cause of Islam, he repeated the question without directly addressing them. At this, Sa’ad bin Mu’adh, an Ansar, stood up and said, “…it appears that you are putting the question to us.” When the Prophet said, “Yes,” the Ansar replied, “We have believed in you and confirmed that what you have brought is the Truth, and have made a solemn pledge with you that we will listen to you and obey you. Therefore, O Messenger of God, do whatever you intend to do. We swear by God Who has sent you with the Truth that we are ready to accompany you to the sea shore and if you enter it, we will plunge into it. We assure you that not a single one of us will remain behind or forsake you, for we will not hesitate at all to go to fight, even if you should lead us to the battlefield tomorrow. We will remain steadfast in the battle and sacrifice our lives in the fight. We do hope that by the grace of God our behaviour will gladden your heart. So, trusting in God’s blessing, take us to the battlefield.” After these speeches it was decided that they should march towards the army of the Quraysh and not towards the trade caravan. But it should be noted that the decision was of an ordinary nature. For the number of people, who came forward to go to the battlefield, was only a little more than three hundred (86 Muhajirs, 62 from Aws and 170 from Khazraj). Then the little army was ill-armed and hardly equipped for battle. Only a couple of them had horses to ride and the others had to take their turn in threes and fours on the back of a camel, out of the 70 they had in all. Above all, they had not got enough weapons for the battle; only 60 of them had armour. It is, therefore, no wonder that with the exception of those who were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam, the majority of those who had joined the expedition, were so filled with fear that they felt as if they were knowingly going into the jaws of death. Then there were people who always looked at things from a selfish point of view. Though they had embraced Islam, they did not realise that their faith would demand the sacrifice of their lives and properties from them; they were of the opinion that it was a mad expedition prompted by irrational enthusiasm for religion. But the Prophet and the true Believers had realised the urgency of that critical hour which required the risk of life: therefore they marched straight to the south-west, wherefrom the army of the Quraysh was coming. This is a clear proof of the fact that from the very beginning they had gone out to fight with the army and not to plunder the caravan. For if they had aimed at plundering the caravan they would have taken the north-westerly direction and not the south-westerly one.

The two parties met in combat at Badr on the 17th of Ramadan. When the two armies confronted each other and the Prophet noticed that the Quraysh army outnumbered the Muslims by three to one and was much better equipped, he raised his hands up in supplication and made this earnest prayer with great humility: “O God! Here are the Quraysh proud of their war material: they have come to prove that Thy Messenger is false. O God! now send that assistance that Thou hast promised to give me. O God! If this little army of Thy servants is destroyed, then there will be left none in the land to worship Thee.” In this combat the emigrants from Makkah were put to the hardest test for they had to fight against their own near and dear relatives and put to the sword their fathers, their sons, their paternal and maternal uncles and their brothers. It is obvious that only such people could have come out successful in this hardest of tests as had accepted the Truth sincerely and cut off all relations with falsehood. And in another way the test to which the Ansar were put was not less hard. So far they had only alienated the powerful Quraysh and their allies by giving shelter to the Muslims against their wishes but now, for the first time, they were going to give fight to them and to sow the seeds of a long and bitter war with them. This was indeed a very hard test for it meant that a small town with a population of a few thousand inhabitants was going to wage a war with the whole of Arabia. It is obvious that only such people could take this bold step who believed in the Truth of Islam so firmly that they were ready to sacrifice every personal interest for its sake. So God accepted the self-sacrifices of the Muhajirin and the Ansar because of their true faith, and rewarded them with His assistance. The proud, well-armed Quraysh were routed by these ill-equipped devotees of Islam. Seventy men of their army were killed and seventy captured as prisoners and their arms and equipment came into the hands of the Muslims as spoils of war. All their big chiefs, who were their best soldiers and who had led the opposition to Islam, were killed in this Battle. No wonder that this decisive victory made Islam a power to be reckoned with.

9. Relevant Hadith

[ edit ]
The data for this section is awaiting to be be uploaded. Be the first to contribute.

10. Wiki Forum

Comments in this section are statements made by general users – these are not necessarily explanations of the Ayah – rather a place to share personal thoughts and stories…

11. Tafsir Zone

 

Overview (Verses 3 - 4)

Practising What We Preach
 

The Prophet’s Companions were indeed models of true believers. The Qur’ān had a special effect on them, enhanced by the general atmosphere in their community in which people tried their best to practically live by the Qur’ān and not confine themselves to an intellectual appreciation of its meaning. We have mentioned certain reports that relate the incident leading to the revelation of the opening verse of the sūrah. These reports speak of Sa`d ibn Mālik who requested the Prophet to give him a particular sword before the revelation that gave the Prophet complete control over the spoils of war and how they were to be distributed. The Prophet said to him: “This sword belongs neither to you nor to me. Put it down.” When Sa`d complied with this instruction and went away, and was then called back, he feared that his request might have been answered by revelation. Quoting Sa`d, the report goes on: “I said: Has God revealed something concerning me?” The Prophet told him: “You asked me to give you this sword when it was not mine. Now it has been given to me, and I gift it to you.” Thus did they live with their Lord and with the Qur’ān which was being revealed. That was great indeed, taking place in a remarkable period of human history. Those Companions of the Prophet were thus able to appreciate the Qur’ān in their own exemplary way. The fact that they conducted their own practical affairs, guided by the Qur’ānic directives made their own appreciation of the Qur’ān both practical and highly effective. While no repeat of the first aspect is possible in the sense that no human community could receive the Qur’ān directly anymore, yet the type of interaction with the Qur’ān that characterized the community of the Prophet’s Companions can certainly be repeated. It only requires a community of believers to try to establish this religion of Islam in practical life just like the first Muslim community did. Such a community of believers will certainly have the same type of appreciation of the Qur’ān and will have their faith increased whenever it is recited, because, to start with, it is a believing community. For them, true faith requires that they take action to establish this religion in practice after jāhiliyyah had regained control over the whole world. To them, faith is not confined to wishful thinking, but it means something that is deeply rooted in one’s heart and to which credence is given through action.
 
“In their Lord do they place their trust.” (Verse 2) The way this statement is phrased signifies that they rely on God alone, associating no one with Him from whom to request help. Ibn Kathīr explains the significance of this statement fully as he says: “They place their hopes in none other than Him, turn to no one other than Him, seek no one else’s protection, address their appeals only to Him and turn for help to no one other than Him. They know that whatever He wishes will be accomplished and what He does not will never take place. They also know that He alone has complete control over the whole universe, with no one needed to endorse, ratify, or confirm His judgement. He is also fast in reckoning. For this reason, Sa`īd ibn Jubayr says: “True reliance on God is the net sum of faith.”
 

This is the practical meaning of pure faith in God’s oneness, addressing all worship completely and purely to Him alone. It is not possible for any person to have true faith in God as the only Lord in the universe and yet rely on someone other than Him. Those who find themselves relying on someone other than God must first of all search in their own hearts to discover whether they truly believe in God.
 
To rely on God alone does not prevent anyone from taking action or precaution. A believer takes precautions against any eventuality as a sign of believing in God and obeying Him, as He has ordered us to do so. But a true believer does not consider his actions and precautions as the only causes to give the effects they produce, to the extent that he relies only on such actions and precautions. What produces these effects, and indeed brings their causes into being, is God’s will. In a believer’s heart, the cause and effect relationship is not self-enforcing. A believer takes action in order to obey God. But the results and effects come about by God’s own will which is totally independent from the causes leading to it. Such will is determined by God alone. In this way, a believer does not feel controlled by such actions and causes. Nevertheless, he tries his best to take every precaution hoping that he will be rewarded for doing so in obedience to God.
 
Modern jāhiliyyah which describes itself as `scientific’ has tried hard to emphasize the “inevitability of natural laws”, in order to deny God’s will and whatever God has chosen not to make known to us. All its attempts and the manipulation of all means at its disposal have shown it to be powerless in the face of God’s will. It was eventually forced to admit its inability to make future predictions with any degree of certainty or inevitability. It then resorted to what it terms `the theory of probabilities’ in the material world. Whatever used to be `inevitable’ in its lexicon has come to be considered only `probable’. Ghayb, which is the Qur’ānic term for what lies beyond the reach of human perception, remains a sealed secret. Furthermore, God’s will remains the only true certainty. The only inevitable law is that expressed in the Qur’ānic statement: “You never know but God may well cause something new to come about.” (65: 1) This statement refers to the fact that God’s will is free, unrestrained. It lies behind the natural laws which God has set into operation to control the universe according to His will.
 
Sir James Jeans, a renowned British physicist says: The old science had confidently proclaimed that nature could follow only one road, the road which was mapped out from the beginning of time to its end by the continuous chain of cause and effect; state A was inevitably succeeded by state B. So far the new science has only been able to say that state A may be followed by state B or C or D or by innumerable other states. It can, it is true, say that B is more likely than C, C than D, and so on; it can even specify the relative probabilities of states B, C and D. But, just because it has to speak in terms of probabilities, it cannot predict with certainty which state will follow which; this is a matter which lies on the knees of the gods — whatever gods there be.
 
When a person has rid his mind of the pressure of apparent causes, it is left with the only alternative of relying completely on God. It realizes that God’s will is the only cause for all that happens, and that this is the only true certainty. Apparent causes produce only probabilities. With this truth, Islamic faith enables the human mind to bridge a great gulf. Modern jāhiliyyah has spent three centuries in order to arrive at the first intellectual stage in bridging that gulf. But it has not made any progress towards bridging it in as far as beliefs are concerned, or with regard to the far-reaching practical effects that result from it, in accepting God’s will and dealing with it as apparent causes and forces. Bridging that gulf means the total liberation of mankind, intellectually, politically, socially and morally and, above all, in matters of faith. It is not possible for man to achieve this freedom if he were to remain under the yoke of `inevitabilities’ that would undoubtedly lead him to submission to the will of human beings or the will of nature. Any inevitability other than that of God’s will serves as a basis for submission to something else. Hence, the Qur’ān emphasizes the need to rely on God alone, making it an essential condition of faith. In Islam, the basic concept of belief is a complete whole. It must interact as such in the practical model which this religion of Islam provides for human life.
 
“They attend regularly to their prayers.” (Verse 3) In this quality we find a visible aspect of faith, after we had seen some of its invisible ones. Faith is defined as that which is deeply rooted in one’s heart and to which credence is given through action. Action is, therefore, the practical aspect of faith which appears to all people signifying that the person who takes such action is a person of faith. Regular attendance to prayer does not signify its mere performance. It is the performance which befits a servant standing in the presence of his Master (limitless is He in His glory). It is not the mere recitation, movement, bowing and prostration when one’s mind is totally oblivious to what one is actually doing. In its proper performance, prayer is a true evidence of faith.
 
“And (they) spend on others some of what We have provided them with.” (Verse 3) This applies to zakāt and other forms of charity. These people spend on others `some of what We have provided them with.’ It is God who is the provider, and whatever they donate is part of His provision. Qur’ānic statements are always rich in their connotations and the impressions they leave. Those people have not created their wealth. It is only part of the countless abundance which God has provided for them. Whatever they may spend is only part of it. They retain the rest; for whatever they have has been provided for them by God alone.
 
These are the qualities God mentions here as signifying faith. They include believing in God’s oneness, responding to the mentioning of His name, being influenced by His revelations, placing one’s trust only in Him, offering prayer to Him alone and donating to others some of what He has provided for them. These qualities do not represent the details of faith as they have been explained elsewhere in the Qur’ān; but they deal with a certain situation when the Prophet’s companions disputed with one another over the spoils of war, allowing ill feelings to develop between themselves. Hence, only those qualities of the believers which are particularly relevant to dealing with such a situation are mentioned here. At the same time, they outline certain essential qualities of proper faith. If all these qualities are lacking, a person cannot be a true believer. It is not necessary to enlist all the qualities of faith here. The Qur’ānic method of cultivating the finer human qualities with the Qur’ān tackles only those aspects and provides only those directives that are useful in dealing with certain practical situations. Besides, the Qur’ān provides a practical method for human life, not a mere theory that it wishes to present. Hence, the final comment on these qualities is as follows: “It is those who are truly believers. They shall be given high ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness of sins and generous provisions.” (Verse 4)
 
Here we find highlighted those qualities of true believers which are particularly relevant to the situation prevailing at the time of their revelation. Those companions of the Prophet were keen to attain martyrdom through fighting hard for God’s cause. A clear reference to this is given in the fact that those whose qualities are such “shall be given high ranks with their Lord.” (Verse 4) We also have a reference to what `Ubādah ibn al-Şāmit describes as bad manners and unbrotherly relations being clearly apparent. The passage tells us that those believers who have all these qualities shall be given forgiveness by their Lord. The sūrah also refers to the dispute over the spoils of war that took place after the battle, stating that people with such qualities of true believers shall have `generous provisions’ given to them by their Lord. Thus, all aspects of the situation are covered, whether they appeared in practical attitudes or were confined to feelings only. At the same time, this passage makes it very clear that a person who does not have any of these qualities is certainly not a true believer.
 
“It is those who are truly believers.” (Verse 4) The first Muslim community was being taught that faith has an essence which must be felt by every believer. Faith is not merely a claim or a verbal statement, or wishful thinking. In an authentic ĥadīth, a man from the Anşār named al-Ĥārith ibn Mālik is reported to have met the Prophet who asked him: “How do you feel this morning, Ĥārith?” The man said: “I feel myself to be a true believer.” The Prophet said: “Reflect on what you say, for everything has an essence. What is the essence of your faith?” He answered: “This world is no longer of much appeal to me. Therefore, I am staying up at night and enduring thirst by day. (This means that he spent much of his nights in worship and he frequently fasted voluntarily.) I feel as though I am looking at my Lord’s throne in full view. I almost see the dwellers of heaven visiting one another there, and the people of hell uttering cries of anguish. “The Prophet said: “Ĥārith, you have come to know the facts, so maintain your attitude.” He repeated his advice three times.
 
This Companion of the Prophet deserved the Prophet’s testimony that he was in full knowledge of the facts. Yet, when he answered the Prophet’s question he not only mentioned his feelings, but the type of action he did in response to his knowledge. A person who can almost see his Lord’s throne in full view, and the dwellers of heaven visiting one another, and the people of hell making their cries of anguish will not merely look at these scenes. They leave very strong impressions on him that generate powerful feelings characterizing every move and action he makes. It is because of what he has experienced that he spends so much of his time in night worship and he fasts frequently, trying to refine his nature.
 
True faith must be taken very seriously. It is not a mere word that people say while practice remains in conflict with what is said. Taking true faith seriously and approaching it with determination are highly important, particularly for any community of believers who try to re-establish the faith of Islam in practice after jāhiliyyah has imparted its ugly colour to human life everywhere.
 


12. External Links

[ edit ]
The data for this section is awaiting to be be uploaded. Be the first to contribute.