Overview (Verse 55)

God’s True Promise

Once the attitude of the hypocrites has been discussed and settled, the sūrah leaves them aside and speaks about obedient believers. It outlines the reward of sincere obedience and proactive faith. The first instalment of such reward is given in this life, before human beings are held to account on the Day of Resurrection. God has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, in the same way as He caused those who lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for them the religion which He has chosen for them; and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a state of security. They will thus worship Me alone and associate with Me no partners whatsoever. Those who, after this, choose to disbelieve are indeed wicked. (Verse 55) Such is God’s promise to the believers who do good deeds and follow the Prophet Muhammad’s guidance. They will be given power and will be established on earth. Their state of fear will be replaced by a state of reassurance and security. God’s promise will always come true. It is, then, pertinent to ask about the nature of faith and the practical fulfilment of this promise by God.

True faith, which ensures that God’s promise comes true, is great indeed. It influences all human activity and defines its direction. Once faith is well established in a person’s heart, it begins to manifest itself in the form of positive and constructive action undertaken for God’s sake and addressed to Him. It means full compliance with His orders in all matters, major and minor. It transforms a believer’s desires and inclinations so as to make them all in line with the Prophet’s guidance, because such guidance has been given to him by God.

It is the sort of faith that fills people’s whole entity, their feelings, aspirations, natural inclinations, actions, movements, as well as their behaviour at home, in society and with their Lord. All these must be addressed or dedicated to God alone. This is specifically mentioned in the sūrah as justification for giving believers power and establishing them on earth: “They will thus worship Me alone and associate no partners with Me whatsoever.” (Verse 55) Idolatry can take different shapes and forms, and can creep into a person’s mind through a variety of ways and means. The sūrah makes it clear however that to address any action or feeling to anyone other than God is a manifestation of idolatry.

Belief in God is a complete way of life. It incorporates all divine orders including the provision of all means, taking all precautions and ensuring all that is necessary to fulfil the great trust of being in charge of the earth and building human life on it. So what does this involve in reality?

It does not just entail being in power and forming a government. Rather it involves all this with the proviso that it is used for promoting sound human life and the implementation of the way of life God has chosen for mankind. It is only through such implementation that humanity can achieve the level of perfection that befits the species God has honoured.

The trust given to man on earth is an ability to build and promote goodness, not to corrupt and destroy. It involves ensuring justice and happiness for all, not injustice or suppression. It leads to the elevation of humanity and human life, and not letting them sink to the level of animals. It is such power and such trust that God has promised the believers who do good deeds. He promised to give them power on earth, just as He gave it to earlier communities of believers, so that they would put into practice the constitution He chose for mankind, establish justice and enable humanity to attain sublimity. People who spread corruption and injustice, and promote carnal desires are not in the position of trustees. They are subjected to a test or are the means to test others. All this is done to fulfil God’s purpose.

To further demonstrate this aspect of giving power to the believers is the fact that this promise is followed in the same verse by a further one: “of a certainty, He will firmly establish for them the religion which He has chosen for them.” (Verse 55) The firm establishment of His religion means that this will take a firm hold on people’s hearts on the one hand, and form the basis on which all life affairs are conducted on the other. God has promised the believers who do righteous deeds to grant them power on earth and to make their faith govern human life. Their faith bids them to do well, establish justice, shun worldly desires, and build a happy human life making good use of all the resources God has placed on earth. It also bids the believers to dedicate all this to God alone.

Furthermore, God’s promise to the believers stipulates “that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a state of security.” The Prophet’s Companions were for a long period of time in a state of fear. They could not put down their arms, even after the Prophet and his Companions had migrated to Madīnah, the city that served as the first base for Islam in history.

Al-Rabī ` ibn Anas quotes Abū al-`Āliyah’s comments on this verse: “The Prophet and his Companions remained in Makkah for around ten years calling on people to believe in God and to worship Him alone, associating no partners with Him. But they did so in secret, as they were in a state of fear and were prevented from fighting. When they later migrated to Madīnah, God bid them to fight for their cause. This meant that they were again in a state of fear, wearing their body armour day and night. They persevered for as long as God willed. One of his Companions asked the Prophet: Are we to remain in fear for the rest of time? Will there come a time when we can put our armaments aside?’ The Prophet said: ‘It will not be long before any one of you can sit among a huge crowd without anyone carrying arms.’ Soon afterwards, God revealed this verse. The Prophet was able to establish his authority over the whole of Arabia and his followers were in a state of security. They put down their arms. Sometime later, the Prophet passed away, and the Muslims remained in security during the reigns of Abū Bakr, `Umar and `Uthmān. Then friction occurred between them and God allowed fear to creep into their midst. They had to employ guards. When they changed their overall stance, their conditions also changed.”