Surah Ale-Imran (The Family Of Imran ) 3 : 142
Translations
Pickthall
Yusuf Ali
Qur'an Dictionary
| Click word/image to view Qur'an Dictionary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Word | Arabic word | |
| (3:142:1) am Or |
|
|
| (3:142:2) ḥasib'tum do you think |
|
|
| (3:142:3) |
|
|
| (3:142:4) tadkhulū you will enter |
|
|
| (3:142:5) l-janata Paradise |
|
|
| (3:142:6) |
|
|
| (3:142:7) yaʿlami made evident |
|
|
| (3:142:8) l-lahu Allah |
|
|
| (3:142:9) alladhīna those who |
|
|
| (3:142:10) jāhadū strove hard |
|
|
| (3:142:11) |
|
|
| (3:142:12) wayaʿlama and made evident |
|
|
| (3:142:13) l-ṣābirīna the steadfast |
|
|
Explanatory Note
These verses start with a rhetorical question, the purpose of which is to correct the concepts formed by Muslims on the patterns established by God for the advocacy of His faith: how victory is achieved and defeat suffered; the importance of action and what reward it merits, etc. The Qur’ān makes it clear that/ the road to heaven is attended by many difficulties and undesirable things. The best equipment for a believer is patience in adversity. This is totally different from hollow wishes and claims which any test may prove to be futile. “Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause] and who are patient in adversity?”
The rhetoric mode is employed in this question so as to make it clear that the whole concept is wrong. It is certainly a mistake for any man to think that it is sufficient for him to only say that he has accepted Islam and be ready to die for it in order to fulfil the duties which are required of him as one of the believers. It is important to remember here that the fulfilment of such duties earns that person the greatest prize of all, namely, admission to heaven. What is needed for the fulfilment of such duties is to go through a practical test of jihād, to face up to difficulties and to be patient in adversity.
The phraseology of the Qur’ānic text is particularly significant: “ unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity.” It is not sufficient that believers should strive hard in God’s cause. They have to demonstrate their patience and fulfil the continuous and varied tasks imposed on them by their faith. Fighting on the battlefield may be one of the lightest of these tasks which demand patience and prove the strength of faith. There is, in addition, the never-ending, uphill task of maintaining the standards of behaviour commensurate with faith, developing a set of values which are not only based on the principles of faith but are also reflected in one’s feelings and attitudes. There is also the need for perseverance which helps people overcome their weaknesses, whether these be within themselves or in others with whom they deal in the course of daily life. Patience and perseverance have to be demonstrated in a variety of situations, especially when to give up appears to be far more appealing. Examples of this include when falsehood appears to be
victorious, and stronger than the truth; when the way ahead appears to be too long, too hard and full of difficulties; when a moment of relaxation appears to be all that one can care for after a long period of hard struggle. Fighting on the battlefield is no more than one aspect of striving for God’s cause, which is the only way to heaven. Certainly, heaven is not won by wishful thinking or by paying lip-service to the requirements of faith.
3. Surah Overview
“This Surah consists of four discourses:
- The first discourse (v. 1-32) was probably revealed soon after the Battle of Badr.
- The second discourse (v. 33-63) was revealed in 9 A.H. (After Hijrah - migration from Makkah to Madinah) on the occasion of the visit of the deputation from the Christians of Najran.
- The third discourse (v. 64-120) appears to have been revealed immediately after the first one.
- The fourth discourse (v. 121-200) was revealed after the Battle of Uhud.” [Mawdudi]
1. The Believers had met with all sorts of trials and hardships about which they had been forewarned in Al-Baqarah. Though they had come out victorious in the Battle of Badr they were not out of danger yet. Their victory had aroused the enmity of all those powers in Arabia which were opposed to the islamic Movement. Signs of threatening storms had begun to appear on all sides and the Muslims were in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety. It looked as if the whole Arabian world around the tiny state of Madinah - which was no more than a village state at that time - was bent upon blotting out its very existence. This state of war was also adversely affecting its economy which had already been badly disturbed by the influx of the Muslim refugees from Makkah.
2. Then there was the disturbing problem of the Jewish clans who lived in the suburbs of Madinah. They were discarding the treaties of alliance they had made with the Prophet after his migration from Makkah. So much so that on the occasion of the Battle of Badr these people of the Book sympathized with the evil aims of the idolaters in spite of the fact that their fundamental articles of Faith - Monotheism, Prophethood and Life-after-death - were the same as those of the Muslims. After the Battle of Badr they openly began to incite the Quraysh and other Arab clans to wreak their vengeance on the Muslims. Thus those Jewish clans set aside their centuries-old friendly and neighbourly relations with the people of Madinah. At last when their mischievous actions and breaches of treaties became unbearable the Prophet attacked the Bani-Qaynuqah, the most mischievous of all the other Jewish clans who had conspired with the hypocrites of Madinah and the idolatrous Arab clans to encircle the Believers on all sides. The magnitude of the peril might be judged from the fact that even the life of the Prophet himself was always in danger. Therefore his Companions slept in their armours during that period and kept watch at night to guard against any sudden attack and whenever the Prophet happened to be out of sight even for a short while they would at once set out in search of him.
3. This incitement by the Jews added fuel to the fire which was burning in the hearts of the Quraysh and they began to make preparations to avenge the defeat they had suffered at Badr. A year after this an army of 3000 strong marched out of Makkah to invade Madinah and a battle took place at the foot of Mount Uhud. The Prophet came out of Madinah with one thousand men to meet the enemy. While they were marching to the battlefield three hundred hypocrites deserted the army and returned to Madinah but there still remained a small band of hypocrites among the seven hundred who accompanied the Prophet. They played their part and did their utmost to create mischief and chaos in the ranks of the Believers during the Battle. This was the first clear indication of the fact that within the fold of the Muslim Community there was quite a large number of saboteurs who were always ready to conspire with the external enemies to harm their own brethren.
4. Though the devices of the hypocrites had played a great part in the set-back at Uhud, the weaknesses of the Muslims themselves contributed no less to it. And it was but natural that the Muslims should show signs of moral weakness for they were a new community which had only recently been formed on a new ideology and had not as yet got a thorough moral training. Naturally in this second hard test of their physical and moral strength some weaknesses came to the surface. That is why a detailed review of the Battle of Uhud was needed to warn the Muslims of their shortcomings and to issue instructions for their reform. It should also be noted that this review of the Battle is quite different from the reviews that are usually made by generals on similar occasions.
10. Wiki Forum
11. Tafsir Zone
|
Overview (Verses 142 -143) Wishful Thinking in Contrast with Reality Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity. Surely, you used to wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes. (Verses 142-143) These verses start with a rhetorical question, the purpose of which is to correct the concepts formed by Muslims on the patterns established by God for the advocacy of His faith: how victory is achieved and defeat suffered; the importance of action and what reward it merits, etc. The Qur’ān makes it clear that/ the road to heaven is attended by many difficulties and undesirable things. The best equipment for a believer is patience in adversity. This is totally different from hollow wishes and claims which any test may prove to be futile. “Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause] and who are patient in adversity?” (Verse 142) The rhetoric mode is employed in this question so as to make it clear that the whole concept is wrong. It is certainly a mistake for any man to think that it is sufficient for him to only say that he has accepted Islam and be ready to die for it in order to fulfil the duties which are required of him as one of the believers. It is important to remember here that the fulfilment of such duties earns that person the greatest prize of all, namely, admission to heaven. What is needed for the fulfilment of such duties is to go through a practical test of jihād, to face up to difficulties and to be patient in adversity. The phraseology of the Qur’ānic text is particularly significant: “...unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity.” It is not sufficient that believers should strive hard in God’s cause. They have to demonstrate their patience and fulfil the continuous and varied tasks imposed on them by their faith. Fighting on the battlefield may be one of the lightest of these tasks which demand patience and prove the strength of faith. There is, in addition, the never-ending, uphill task of maintaining the standards of behaviour commensurate with faith, developing a set of values which are not only based on the principles of faith but are also reflected in one’s feelings and attitudes. There is also the need for perseverance which helps people overcome their weaknesses, whether these be within themselves or in others with whom they deal in the course of daily life. Patience and perseverance have to be demonstrated in a variety of situations, especially when to give up appears to be far more appealing. Examples of this include when falsehood appears to be victorious, and stronger than the truth; when the way ahead appears to be too long, too hard and full of difficulties; when a moment of relaxation appears to be all that one can care for after a long period of hard struggle. Fighting on the battlefield is no more than one aspect of striving for God’s cause, which is the only way to heaven. Certainly, heaven is not won by wishful thinking or by paying lip-service to the requirements of faith. “Surely, you used to wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes.” (Verse 143) Once more, they are put face to face with death, which they already faced on the battlefield. Since they used to wish for death, they should weigh their words against the facts they have seen with their own eyes. They are thus taught how words must reflect practical reality. In this way, they learn the value of words, wishes and pledges. What attains them heaven is the credence they give to their words and the fulfilment of their pledges. In practice, that necessitates hard striving and patience in adversity. When they demonstrate all that in practical life, all their hopes are fulfilled. There is no doubt that God was able, from the very first moment, to grant His Prophet victory and to establish His message in practical life, without any effort made by the believers. He was indeed able to send down His angels to fight alongside the believers, or without them, and to destroy the idolaters just as He destroyed the peoples of `Ād, Thamūd and those to whom the Prophet Lot was sent. But the question is not one of victory. The crux of the matter is the education and preparation of the Muslim community to assume the role of the leadership of mankind, after having overcome all its weaknesses and desires, and having corrected any deviation resulting from such weaknesses. To exercise mature and responsible leadership, the Muslim community should have leaders who go through stringent preparation. Among the most important qualities needed are serious morality, unshaken support for the truth, patience in adversity, awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in human nature, ability to identify the causes of temptation and deviation and how they can be successfully countered. Other prerequisites include passing the test of prosperity as well as that of hardship and the even more difficult test of hardship after prosperity. It is through this sort of education that God prepares the Muslim community for the great and highly difficult role of leadership He has assigned to it. It is His will that man, whom He has placed in charge of building life on earth, assumes this role. The process of educating and preparing the Muslim community may take a variety of ways and means as well as incidents and events. Sometimes, the Muslim community is elated by a decisive victory and is required to control its feelings. No trace of arrogance should be apparent in its attitude. On the contrary, it must always show its humility and gratitude to God. At other times, the Muslim community may experience great hardship and defeat. In this case, it must turn to God acknowledging its weakness if it deviates from the method and way of life God has assigned to it. It must remain acutely aware of its intrinsic strength and how to tap it. When the Muslim community suffers a bitter defeat, it must continue to feel itself superior to the forces of falsehood, because it takes its stand in support of the absolute truth. It tries hard to identify its weaknesses in order to remedy its position in preparation for the next round. In either case, of victory or defeat, the Muslim community tries to enhance its strength, realising that the rules of nature set by God will continue to operate and will never fail. All this was part of what the first Muslim community learnt from the Battle of Uĥud. The Qur’ān presents the same in the clearest of terms before the Muslim community. The lesson, however, continues to apply to every Muslim community in every generation. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
|
|
Overview (Verses 142 -143) Wishful Thinking in Contrast with Reality Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity. Surely, you used to wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes. (Verses 142-143) These verses start with a rhetorical question, the purpose of which is to correct the concepts formed by Muslims on the patterns established by God for the advocacy of His faith: how victory is achieved and defeat suffered; the importance of action and what reward it merits, etc. The Qur’ān makes it clear that/ the road to heaven is attended by many difficulties and undesirable things. The best equipment for a believer is patience in adversity. This is totally different from hollow wishes and claims which any test may prove to be futile. “Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause] and who are patient in adversity?” (Verse 142) The rhetoric mode is employed in this question so as to make it clear that the whole concept is wrong. It is certainly a mistake for any man to think that it is sufficient for him to only say that he has accepted Islam and be ready to die for it in order to fulfil the duties which are required of him as one of the believers. It is important to remember here that the fulfilment of such duties earns that person the greatest prize of all, namely, admission to heaven. What is needed for the fulfilment of such duties is to go through a practical test of jihād, to face up to difficulties and to be patient in adversity. The phraseology of the Qur’ānic text is particularly significant: “...unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity.” It is not sufficient that believers should strive hard in God’s cause. They have to demonstrate their patience and fulfil the continuous and varied tasks imposed on them by their faith. Fighting on the battlefield may be one of the lightest of these tasks which demand patience and prove the strength of faith. There is, in addition, the never-ending, uphill task of maintaining the standards of behaviour commensurate with faith, developing a set of values which are not only based on the principles of faith but are also reflected in one’s feelings and attitudes. There is also the need for perseverance which helps people overcome their weaknesses, whether these be within themselves or in others with whom they deal in the course of daily life. Patience and perseverance have to be demonstrated in a variety of situations, especially when to give up appears to be far more appealing. Examples of this include when falsehood appears to be victorious, and stronger than the truth; when the way ahead appears to be too long, too hard and full of difficulties; when a moment of relaxation appears to be all that one can care for after a long period of hard struggle. Fighting on the battlefield is no more than one aspect of striving for God’s cause, which is the only way to heaven. Certainly, heaven is not won by wishful thinking or by paying lip-service to the requirements of faith. “Surely, you used to wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes.” (Verse 143) Once more, they are put face to face with death, which they already faced on the battlefield. Since they used to wish for death, they should weigh their words against the facts they have seen with their own eyes. They are thus taught how words must reflect practical reality. In this way, they learn the value of words, wishes and pledges. What attains them heaven is the credence they give to their words and the fulfilment of their pledges. In practice, that necessitates hard striving and patience in adversity. When they demonstrate all that in practical life, all their hopes are fulfilled. There is no doubt that God was able, from the very first moment, to grant His Prophet victory and to establish His message in practical life, without any effort made by the believers. He was indeed able to send down His angels to fight alongside the believers, or without them, and to destroy the idolaters just as He destroyed the peoples of `Ād, Thamūd and those to whom the Prophet Lot was sent. But the question is not one of victory. The crux of the matter is the education and preparation of the Muslim community to assume the role of the leadership of mankind, after having overcome all its weaknesses and desires, and having corrected any deviation resulting from such weaknesses. To exercise mature and responsible leadership, the Muslim community should have leaders who go through stringent preparation. Among the most important qualities needed are serious morality, unshaken support for the truth, patience in adversity, awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in human nature, ability to identify the causes of temptation and deviation and how they can be successfully countered. Other prerequisites include passing the test of prosperity as well as that of hardship and the even more difficult test of hardship after prosperity. It is through this sort of education that God prepares the Muslim community for the great and highly difficult role of leadership He has assigned to it. It is His will that man, whom He has placed in charge of building life on earth, assumes this role. The process of educating and preparing the Muslim community may take a variety of ways and means as well as incidents and events. Sometimes, the Muslim community is elated by a decisive victory and is required to control its feelings. No trace of arrogance should be apparent in its attitude. On the contrary, it must always show its humility and gratitude to God. At other times, the Muslim community may experience great hardship and defeat. In this case, it must turn to God acknowledging its weakness if it deviates from the method and way of life God has assigned to it. It must remain acutely aware of its intrinsic strength and how to tap it. When the Muslim community suffers a bitter defeat, it must continue to feel itself superior to the forces of falsehood, because it takes its stand in support of the absolute truth. It tries hard to identify its weaknesses in order to remedy its position in preparation for the next round. In either case, of victory or defeat, the Muslim community tries to enhance its strength, realising that the rules of nature set by God will continue to operate and will never fail. All this was part of what the first Muslim community learnt from the Battle of Uĥud. The Qur’ān presents the same in the clearest of terms before the Muslim community. The lesson, however, continues to apply to every Muslim community in every generation. |
