Overview  (Verses 149 -150)

Obedience Bringing Utter Loss 

Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the faith, they will cause you to turn back on your heels, and you will be the losers. Indeed, God alone is your Lord Supreme and He is the best of all who bring succour. (Verses 149-150)

Another passage within the context of the Qur’ān’s review of the Battle of Uĥud and its events now begins. The comments it includes aim at correcting the concepts of  the  believers,  enhancing  their  awareness  of  their  situation,  warning  them  of pitfalls which lie in their way and what the enemy may scheme against them.

The defeat of the Muslims at Uĥud provided the unbelievers, the hypocrites and the Jews in Madinah with a suitable climate to spread their hostile propaganda. Madinah was not yet a wholly Muslim city. The Muslims there were largely a foreign element, to which the spectacular victory at Badr imparted an awe-inspiring stature. When they were defeated at Uĥud, attitudes were markedly changed. The enemies of Islam found in that defeat a chance to declare their hostility and spread their poisonous rumours. They were quick to exploit the tragedy which had affected every Muslim family and to try to create confusion in the minds of Muslims.

At the outset of the Qur’ānic report of the actual events of the battle, God Himself emphatically warns the believers against obeying those who have rejected the faith. We hear Him (limitless is He in His glory) promising the believers victory over their enemy coupled with striking a feeling of fear in the hearts of these enemies, and reminding them of the victory He has granted them in the first round of their war, in fulfilment of His earlier promise. They, however, had squandered that victory when they weakened, and disobeyed the express orders of God’s Messenger. Now He portrays the opposite scenes of the battle when He gives reassurance to the believers after  their  defeat,  leaving  the  hypocrites  to  their  own  worry  and  confusion.  He reveals to them a part of His purpose in letting events move in the direction they did, explaining the true nature of the timing of people’s deaths. He warns them at the end against the erroneous notions promoted by the unbelievers in relation to death and martyrdom. He reminds them that all people, whether they die in the normal course of events or in battle, will eventually be resurrected and return to God.

When we examine these verses carefully, we realise that they describe a vast array of scenes and emphasise at the same time a number of principles which are fundamental to Islamic philosophy, human life and universal law. The whole battle is depicted in quick, lively and penetrating sketches. They accurately describe the atmosphere, events and circumstances of the battle, along with all the feelings and attitudes displayed by the believers at that time. There is no doubt that it is beyond human expression to include all these scenes and all these principles in such a short passage and a small number of sentences, vivid as they may be. This is a point which can be better understood by those familiar with different styles and methods of expression.

Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the faith, they will cause you to turn back on your heels, and you will be the losers. Indeed, God alone is your Lord Supreme and He is the best of all who bring succour. (Verses 149-150)

The unbelievers, the hypocrites and the Jews in Madinah seized the opportunity created by the defeat of the Muslims to warn them against following Muĥammad. They painted to them in dark colours the gloomy prospects of going to war and fighting the idolaters of the Quraysh and its allies. In the aftermath of defeat, the social climate provides easy opportunities to spread confusion and to weaken the trust of soldiers in their leaders. By the same token the idea of establishing a peaceful accord with the victors was painted in tempting colours. Personal grief was being exploited as part of the wicked design aiming to destroy the Muslim community and Islam altogether.

Hence, God warns the believers against giving heed to those who have rejected the faith, because that obedience will inevitably result in utter loss. Nothing good can come from it. It represents a complete about-turn from a state of disbelief. A believer either continues to fight those who cling to falsehood and reject faith, or turns on his heels — God forbid — thus becoming an unbeliever. It is not possible for a believer to take an in-between attitude, trying to maintain neutrality while at the same time hanging on to his faith. He may harbour some such thoughts in the wake of defeat and under the influence of calamity. He may even imagine that he can withdraw from battle against a mightier power, and establish peace with that enemy, and, at the same time, retain his faith. This, however, is a great delusion. In the whole question of faith, a person who does not move forward can only go backwards. If one does not fight disbelief, evil, falsehood and tyranny, one must beat retreat and turn back on one’s heels to embrace all this evil. A person whose faith does not stop him from obeying unbelievers and having trust in them sacrifices, in fact, his very faith for their sake. He is spiritually defeated when he befriends the enemies of his faith and follows their directives. As he starts with defeat, he cannot escape from it at the end. He is bound to revert to rejection of the faith, although he may not imagine that such would be his end. A believer is satisfied with his faith and leadership to such an extent that he has no need to consult the enemies of his faith. If he listens to them once,  he  actually  begins  the  process  of  turning  back  on  his  heels.  This  is  an elementary and honest truism to which God draws the attentions of the believers: “Believers, if you obey those who have rejected the faith they will cause you to turn back on your heels, and you will be the losers.”

What loss is greater than turning back on one’s heels, after one has attained to faith? What benefits may be gained after loss of faith has taken place?

If the tendency to obey the unbelievers is motivated by hopes of protection and succour, this is also a great delusion. The Qur’ān does not discuss this delusion, but reminds the believers of where true help, protection and succour come from: “Indeed God alone is your Lord Supreme and He is the best of all who bring succour.” It is to Him that the believers pray for support and victory. He who has God for his supporter has no need whatsoever for any of His creation. If he has the support of God, what use to him is the support of any creature?