Surah Ale-Imran (The Family Of Imran ) 3 : 86

Overview (Verses 86 - 92)

Deliberate Rejection of the Truth

How shall God guide people who have lapsed into disbelief after having accepted the faith and having borne witness that this messenger is true, and after having received clear evidence of the truth? God does not guide the wrongdoers. Of such people the punishment shall be the curse of God, the angels and all men. Under it they shall abide. Neither their suffering shall be lightened, nor shall they be granted respite. Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent and mend their ways; for God is Much- Forgiving, Merciful. But those who return to disbelief after having accepted the faith and then grow more stubborn in their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not be accepted. For they are those who have truly gone astray. As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers, not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted from any one of them, were he to offer it in ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and they shall have none to help them. You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend. (Verses 86-92)
 
The preceding verses leave no doubt whatsoever about the true meaning of Islam. In the light of these verses, it is impossible to arbitrarily interpret Qur’ānic statements in order to give Islam a definition other than that given by God. Islam, the religion of the whole universe, means submission to the system God has laid down for life.

Islam can never be confined to a verbal declaration of believing in the oneness of God and Muĥammad’s message. Such a declaration must be followed by its practical correlative. This means, in the context of bearing witness that there is no deity save God; to actually believe that God alone is the only Lord of the universe to Whom worship should be addressed and Whose pleasure is to be sought. In the case of bearing witness that Muĥammad is God’s Messenger, it means to implement in full the way of life he has explained to us as given him by his Lord, and to apply the laws he has given us and to refer all disputes to the Qur’ān, the Book he has conveyed to us.

As we have said, Islam can never be confined to a mere mental acceptance of the truth of divinity and revelation, devoid of its practical effect. Nor can Islam be limited to a set of worship practices, contemplations, or moral and spiritual education, unless these are followed by their practical correlative represented by a way of life derived from God. Worship, contemplation and moral education have no practical value in people’s lives unless they are incorporated into a social system which moulds human life in its own clean fashion, in accordance with God’s will. 

Such is Islam as God wants it. No value can be attached to Islam in the version devised by people’s desires, or coloured by the wishes and prejudices of the enemies of Islam and their stooges everywhere.

Those who do not accept Islam in the form God wants it to take, after having learnt its true nature will definitely be the losers in the hereafter. They will receive no guidance from God and will not be exempt from His punishment: “How shall God guide people who have lapsed into disbelief after having accepted the faith and having borne witness that this messenger is true, and after having received clear evidence of the truth? God does not guide the wrongdoers. Of such people the punishment shall be the curse of God, the angels and all men: under it they shall abide. Neither their suffering shall be lightened, nor shall they be granted respite.” (Verses 86-88) 

It is a sustained campaign which strikes terror in every heart with even the smallest measure of faith, and which views the question of the hereafter with the minimum degree of seriousness. The punishment detailed here is fair for anyone who has been given the chance to save himself, but who deliberately and stubbornly turns away from the path of salvation.

Islam, nevertheless, leaves the door open for repentance. Any erring person who wants to turn back to the right way needs only to knock on the door. Indeed, he does not even need to knock. 

There is no one and nothing to prevent him entering. He only needs to turn to the way which ensures his security, and to do good in order to show that his repentance is sincere and truthful: “Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent and mend their ways; for God is Much- Forgiving, Merciful.” (Verse 89) However, those who do not repent, who refuse to turn back, who insist on remaining unbelievers and continue in their erring ways until the chance given them is withdrawn, until the test is over, and the time for punishment and reward arrives, cannot be saved. No repentance will be accepted from them. It will not be of any benefit to them that they may have spent the whole earth’s weight of gold in what they thought to be good causes. Since their spending was not made for God’s sake and not dedicated to Him alone, it has no value with Him. Nor will they be able to save themselves from the punishment of the hereafter even if they were to offer the earth’s full weight of gold. Their chance is over and the doors are closed: “But those who return to disbelief after having accepted the faith and then grow more stubborn in their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not be accepted. For they are those who have truly gone astray. As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers, not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted from any one of them, were he to offer it in ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and they shall have none to help them.” (Verses 90-91) The discussion is thus concluded in a fearful and decisive manner, leaving no doubt in anyone’s heart.

Since spending for causes other than that of God is mentioned as well as the offering of a ransom when none may be accepted, God explains the sort of spending which earns His pleasure: “You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend.” (Verse 92) The Muslims at the time understood this Divine directive perfectly well. They were keen to achieve that standard of true piety, which means the culmination of everything that is good, by offering what they cherished most dearly. They came forward with such offerings in the hope of receiving a much greater reward in the hereafter. 

Imām Ahmad relates on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik: “Abū Ţalĥah was one of the richest people among the Anşār in Madinah. His property, which he cherished most dearly, was a plot of land called Ĥā’. It was opposite to the Prophet’s mosque. The Prophet used to go there and drink of its fine spring. Anas says that when God revealed the Qur’ānic verse: “You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish,’ Abū Ţalĥah said: ‘Messenger of God, God says: “You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish.” My property, which I cherish most dearly, is this piece of land. I am offering it as a charity dedicated for God’s sake. I do this in the hope that I will be rewarded for it by God. You, Messenger of God, may dispense with it in any way you please.’ The Prophet said: ‘Good. Good. That is an investment with high return. I have heard what you said. I think the best course is for you to divide it among your relatives.’ Abū Ţalĥah said: ‘I will do that, Messenger of God.’ He divided it among his relatives and cousins.” (Related by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim.) 

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim also relate that `Umar said: “Messenger of God, I have never acquired any property which is more valuable than my share in Khaybar. How do you advise me to dispense with it?” The Prophet said: “Make the land a permanent endowment and its produce free for all.” 

Many of them have followed this line in fulfilment of God’s instruction, Who has outlined for us the way to true piety when He has guided us to Islam. In this way, we attain our freedom from being enslaved by wealth and self-aggrandisement. We can aspire to attain a more sublime level, free of all shackles, undeterred by any impediments.