Verses 58–66
وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قُتِلُوا أَوْ مَاتُوا لَيَرْزُقَنَّهُمُ اللَّهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ ٥٨ لَيُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ مُدْخَلًا يَرْضَوْنَهُ ۗ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٌ ٥٩ ذَٰلِكَ وَمَنْ عَاقَبَ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبَ بِهِ ثُمَّ بُغِيَ عَلَيْهِ لَيَنْصُرَنَّهُ اللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ ٦٠ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ ٦١ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ ٦٢ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَتُصْبِحُ الْأَرْضُ مُخْضَرَّةً ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ ٦٣ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ ٦٤ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ ٦٥ وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ ٦٦
- And (as for) those who emigrated in Allah’s way and are then slain or die, Allah will most certainly grant them a goodly sustenance, and most surely Allah is the best Giver of sustenance.
- He will certainly cause them to enter a place of entrance which they shall be well pleased with, and most surely Allah is Knowing, Forbearing.
- That (shall be so); and he who retaliates with the like of that with which he has been afflicted and has been oppressed, Allah will most certainly aid him; most surely, Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving.
- That is because Allah causes the night to enter into the day and causes the day to enter into the night, and because Allah is Hearing, Seeing.
- That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon besides Him—that is falsehood, and because Allah is the High, the Great.
- Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky so the earth becomes green? Surely Allah is Subtle, Aware.
- His is whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth; and most surely Allah is the Self-sufficient, the Praised.
- Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatsoever is on the earth and the ships running in the sea by His command? And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except with His permission; most surely Allah is Compassionate, Merciful to people.
- And He it is Who has brought you to life, then He will cause you to die, then bring you to life (again); most surely humanity is ungrateful.
Introduction
These verses follow the message of the previous verses. They discuss the reward of those who migrated and then were either killed while fighting in God’s way, or died. The verses encourage fighting and promise God’s aid, as seen in the verse: that (shall be so); and he who retaliates with the like of that with which he has been afflicted and has been oppressed, Allah will most certainly aid him… ().
There is something special with these verses that is not found anywhere else in the Noble Qur’an: there are eight consecutive verses here that all end with two of God’s Beautiful Names after mentioning the Majestic Name of Allah. If we assume that the pronoun “He” (Huwa) is also one of God’s Names, then these verses conclude with sixteen of God’s Names:
He (Huwa)
the best Giver of sustenance (Khayr al-Rāziqīn)
the Knowing (al-ʿAlīm)
the Forbearing (al-Ḥalīm)
the Pardoning (al-ʿAfuww)
the Forgiving (al-Ghafūr)
the Hearing (al-Samīʿ)
the Seeing (al-Baṣīr)
the High (al-ʿAliyy)
the Great (al-Kabīr)
the Subtle (al-Laṭīf)
the Aware (al-Khabīr)
the Self-sufficient (al-Ghaniyy)
the Praised (al-Ḥamīd)
the Compassionate (al-Raʾūf)
the Merciful (al-Raḥīm)
Then, the ninth verse says that God gives life and death (). It is also stated in these verses that God is the Truth (), and that everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him (). These are effectively four further names:
the Reviver (al-Muḥyī)
the Giver of death (al-Mumīt)
the Truth (al-Ḥaqq)
the Owner or King (al-Mālik or al-Malik)
Thus, these eight verses incorporate twenty of God’s names in a most elegant and splendid way.
Commentary
وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قُتِلُوا أَوْ مَاتُوا لَيَرْزُقَنَّهُمُ اللَّهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ ٥٨
(22:58) And (as for) those who emigrated in Allah’s way and are then slain or die, Allah will most certainly grant them a goodly sustenance, and most surely Allah is the best Giver of sustenance.
This chapter previously talked about the expulsion of the Muhājirīn (Meccan Immigrants) from their homes by force and oppression []. This verse promises them a reward of a goodly sustenance for migrating and enduring afflictions in the way of God.
Migration alone is not sufficient to qualify for this reward; it must be migration in Allah’s way. This is because God’s reward is for righteous deeds, and what makes an act righteous is if it is done with a sincere intention for the sake of God, not for other goals such as wealth, power or other worldly objectives. For the same reason, the qualification “in God’s way” also applies to: are then slain or die. That is, the verse describes those who leave their homes or are force to leave their homes in Allah’s way, and are then slain or die in Allah’s way.
… and most surely Allah is the best Giver of sustenance: This ending of the verse justifies the previous promise, that: Allah will most certainly grant them a goodly sustenance. “Goodly sustenance” refers to God’s bounties in the Hereafter, because it refers to what one receives after he is killed or dies. Hence, this verse uses the word “sustenance” (rizq) for Paradise, just like in the verse: they are alive (and) are provided sustenance (yurzaqūna) there with their Lord ().
لَيُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ مُدْخَلًا يَرْضَوْنَهُ ۗ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٌ ٥٩
(22:59) He will certainly cause them to enter a place of entrance (mudkhalan) which they shall be well pleased with, and most surely Allah is Knowing, Forbearing.
Mudkhal is a noun of place (ism makān) derived from idkhāl. It can also be a gerund (maṣdar), but this possibility is not likely here given the context of the verse.
This place of entrance is described as one which they shall be well pleased with. Their pleasure is mentioned unconditionally, which indicates their utmost level of satisfaction according to whatever they desire, as the Qur’an says: they shall have therein what they desire ().
He will certainly cause them to enter a place of entrance which they shall be well pleased with: This is an exposition of: Allah will most certainly grant them a goodly sustenance (). He will cause them to enter an entrance with pleasure and satisfaction, despite their forced expulsion by the polytheists which was against their will and pleasure. That is why the verse then justifies this reward by saying: most surely Allah is Knowing, Forbearing. He knows what is pleasing to them, so He will prepare it for them in advance. And if He does not hasten to punish their oppressive enemies, it is because He is Forbearing.
ذَٰلِكَ وَمَنْ عَاقَبَ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبَ بِهِ ثُمَّ بُغِيَ عَلَيْهِ لَيَنْصُرَنَّهُ اللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ ٦٠
(22:60) That (shall be so)(dhālika); and he who retaliates (ʿāqaba, from ʿiqāb) with the like of that with which he has been afflicted and has been oppressed, Allah will most certainly aid him; most surely, Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving.
Dhālika (lit. “that is”) at the beginning of the verse is the predicate of an omitted subject. The implied meaning is: “The matter is that” or “the truth is that which We told you.” ʿIqāb (retaliation, retribution, punishment) is a pain that is inflicted upon a person for doing something painful to the one who is now retaliating. It is called ʿiqāb because it comes after (ʿaqīb) one’s act.
“Retaliating with a similar affliction” is a way of saying “equal retaliation and treatment.” Such equal treatment is not good unless the first affliction was unjust. That is why the verse says, and has been oppressed in order to qualify the initial affliction.
… Allah will most certainly aid him; most surely: Since these verses are in the context of permission for jihad, the apparent meaning of “aid” here is assisting the oppressed in battle and giving them victory over their oppressors. Another possible meaning is that “aid” means the legislation of a law that gives the oppressed the right to retaliate for his unjust loss and damage. This is inferred from the verse: and whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority, so let him not exceed the just limits in slaying; surely he is aided (). Giving legal authority and permission to an oppressed person to treat the unjust oppressor in a like manner is a way of giving him power over someone who previously had such power over him.
This should clarify the verse’s justification at the end: most surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving. One of the results of God’s attributes of pardon and forgiveness is to give permission in cases of necessity, damage and the like. We have discussed this a few times under verses like: but whoever is compelled by hunger, not inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (). We also elaborated on it in our discussion on “Punishment and Forgiveness” at the end of Chapter 5.
Given this second possibility, the meaning of the verse would be: God has aided one who has been treated unjustly and retaliates in like manner by giving him permission to do so and not stopping him from equal retaliation. This is because God is most surely Pardoning and Forgiving, since He will erase the evil results and consequences that necessarily follows such treatment and retaliation.
It is as if any unpleasant infliction upon the people is by nature undesirable in the universe, but God effaces this undesirability and covers its evil effect—as long as it is equal retaliation by one who has been oppressed against his oppressor. God gives this person permission to do so. Such retaliation is not a sin.
The above interpretation should clarify the relevance of mentioning God’s forbearance at the end of the last verse: And most surely Allah is Knowing, Forbearing (). It also shows that when the verse says, and (thumma) he has been oppressed, the word thumma (lit. “then”; translated as “and”) does not indicate temporal order or delay, but it is only to add another point.
Some exegetes have suggested another meaning for the verse: If one retaliates against a criminal according to his crime, but the criminal then oppresses him again by further affliction, then God will most surely aid him against that oppressor. God surely pardons and forgives the victim for his first retaliation, because it would have been better and more commendable if he had patience and had forgiven the criminal, as God says: It is nearer to righteousness that you should relinquish (); But whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah (); And whoever is patient and forgiving, these most surely are actions due to courage ().
However, there are a few problems with this interpretation:
In this interpretation, the word thumma means “then,” indicating temporal order and delay. This separates the initial retaliation (ʿiqāb) from the following oppression (baghy), making them two separate events. If so, then “retaliation” here should be interpreted in an unconditional sense, because it is no longer qualified by “oppression,” and indeed not all retaliation is in response to oppression. This, however, is inconsistent with their proposed interpretation, because their interpretation assumes that the person is retaliating for an oppressive and criminal affliction. This additional qualification [of oppression and crime] cannot be inferred from the text of the verse.
This suggested meaning interprets God’s aid as something existential that He creates in the universe (takwīn), as opposed to an injunction that He legislates (tashrīʿ). In other words, the meaning of this statement—Allah will most certainly aid him—is that God will avenge the wrongdoer for his initial crime and his subsequent oppression. However, in reality we see that this is not always the case.
Fighting in the way of God against the polytheists is certainly one of the instances and applications of this verse [given the context]. However, according to the suggested meaning, it is better to pardon and forgive, which is a clear contradiction.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ ٦
(22:61) That is because Allah causes the night to enter into the day and causes the day to enter into the night, and because Allah is Hearing, Seeing.
The “entrance” of day and night into one another means the replacement of one by another. For example, the morning light is substituted for the darkness of the night like an object that enters another, followed by an expansion of the day such that it covers the space that was previously covered by the night. Likewise, the darkness of the night advances on the light of the day just as an object enters another, followed by the expansion and encompassment of the night.
Based on the meaning of “aid” discussed in the previous verse, this verse presents a metaphorical picture for how the oppressed will dominate the oppressor. That is, the above mentioned aid is according to God’s custom of making one opposite overcome another, just as He causes the night to enter into the day, and causes the day to enter into the night. Indeed God hears what they say and sees what they do. He helps the oppressed because He sees his right being taken,and hears his complaint and supplication—which is expressed by his lisān al-ḥāl (inner tongue, language of condition, existential capacity).
There are some other suggested meanings for the verse that do not comply with the context. I decided it is better to ignore them.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ ٦٢
(22:62) That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon besides Him—that is falsehood, and because Allah is the High, the Great.
Dhālika (lit. “that is”) at the beginning of the verse refers to God’s aid (naṣr, mentioned in verse ). It could also refer to both His aid and the justification given for it (in verse ).
There are two possible meanings for the strict exclusion seen in: Allah is the Truth and what they call upon besides Him—that is falsehood.
(1) God is all and only true, without any mix of falsehood. But what they call upon besides Him, meaning the idols, are entirely and only false, without any shred of truth. Thus, He has unconditional authority in the creation of things, and can rule as He wills in or against their favor.
(2) God is the only being that is really true. Truth is exclusively to be found in Him; there is no other truth except by His grant and validation. And falsehood is exclusively found in what they call upon, meaning the idols, as well as anyone or anything that they rely on and resort to in their needs. There is no other truth because there is nothing else than God. Anything other than God is false because it has no truth in and of itself.
Either way, the implied meaning is: God has authority and influence in the external world of existence (takwīn) as well as the world of legislation (tashrīʿ) because He is the Truth, such that any other truth is established only by His will. On the contrary, anything other than God that the deviators and transgressors serve and rely on is vain and false, without the ability to do anything.
… and because Allah is the High, the Great: His highness is such that He dominates others but is not dominated by anyone. His greatness is such that nothing can abase and humiliation Him. These two qualities are branches and implications of His Truth, meaning that He is established without any abolition, and He exists without any termination.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَتُصْبِحُ الْأَرْضُ مُخْضَرَّةً ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ٦٣
(22:63) Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky so the earth becomes green? Surely Allah is Subtle, Aware.
“Sky” here means “above.” The two events mentioned here—the “descent of water from the sky” and the “greening of the earth”—are evidence for God’s universal power that was stated above.
… Surely Allah is Subtle, Aware: This is an explanation and justification for the greening of earth through water that comes down from the sky. Overall, the verse’s evidence and its subsequent justification sum up to the following meaning: Since God is surely Subtle and Aware, He sends down water which makes the earth green, and this bears witness to His all-encompassing power.
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ ٦٤
(22:64) His is whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth; and most surely Allah is the Self-sufficient, the Praised.
This is apparently another complement for “do you not see that…” (). Therefore, it would add to the justification in the previous verse. The meaning is: Surely God is Subtle, Aware (), and He is the Owner of whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. Thus He directs and manipulates His kingdom as He wills, according to His subtlety and awareness.
It may also be that this verse is independent of the previous verse [not an addition to it]. Then it would be a separate justification [again for verse ].
… and most surely Allah is the Self-sufficient, the Praised: This shows that God has no need for any of His doings because He is absolutely Self-sufficient. At the same time, all of His acts are commendable, beautiful, and beneficial, and thus He is absolutely Praiseworthy. Therefore, the two names together imply that God does not do anything except that which is beneficial, yet these benefits do not accrue to Him, but to His creatures.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ ٦٥
(22:65) Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the earth and the ships running in the sea by His command? And He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except with His permission; most surely Allah is Compassionate, Merciful to people.
This is further evidence for God’s universal power. Talking about the subservience of “what is on the earth” against the subservience of “the ships in the sea” implies that what is meant by “earth” here is land as opposed to water. Adding the subsequent part of the verse (He withholds the heaven…) to these points, the verse is saying overall that God has indeed made everything subservient to you: heaven, earth, land and water.
What is meant by “heaven” here is “above,” including anything that is above us, such as meteors and thunderbolts. God prevents them from falling to the earth except when He permits it.
The verse ends with the two attributes of compassion and mercy, as a complement to God’s bounty and favor upon the people.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ ٦٦
(22:66) And He it is Who has brought you to life, then He will cause you to die, then bring you to life (again); most surely humanity is ungrateful.
“Brought you to life” is in the past tense, indicating that it concerns our life in this world. “Then bring you to life” refers to our eternal life after the Resurrection, not our temporary life in the barzakh (the intermediate realm between this world and the resurrection). This is based on the importance and priority of mentioning the Hereafter.
This process—of life, followed by death and then followed by life—is one of the greatest bounties of God, by which God has perfected His grace upon us. That is why the verse ends with: most surely humanity is ungrateful.
Examining Narrations
- Concerning verses (And (as for) those who fly in Allah’s way… most surely Allah is Knowing, Forbearing), it has been narrated that some Muslims said [to the Prophet]: “O Messenger of God! Now we know the good reward that God shall give to those who have been slain [in His way, based on what you have told us]. But we are also fighting right next to you as they did. So what will be our share if we die while we are with you?” Thus these two verses were revealed [in response to their inquiry].
- Concerning verse (he who retaliates with the like of that with which he has been afflicted…) Majmaʿ al-bayān says: It has been narrated that this verse was revealed about some polytheists of Mecca who encountered a group of Muslims two nights before the end of Muḥarram [the first month of the Islamic lunar year]. They said among themselves, “Muḥammad’s followers will not fight in this month,” and thus they attacked them. The Muslims adjured them [by God] not to fight against them in a sacred month, but the polytheists declined their request. Then God caused the Muslims to defeat them.
Author’s comment: Al-Durr al-manthūr also narrates this, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, on the authority of Muqātil.
However, this is clearly a weak narration, because the polytheists also used to refrain from fighting during the sacred months. This is further weakened by other narrations about the story of ʿAbd-Allāh b. Jaḥsh and his companions which was presented under verse (They ask you concerning the sacred month about fighting in it. Say: Fighting in it is a grave matter…).
Another possibility is that “He” (huwa) is only a pronoun here, as it has been repeated in verses 58, 62 and 64. ↩︎
Idkhāl means “to make one enter.” Therefore, mudkhal would mean “the place where one is made to enter,” or more simply, “the place of entrance.” Mudkhal as a gerund would mean “entering”; that is, “the act of entering.” The meaning would be: He will certainly cause them to go through such act of entering that they shall be well pleased with it. (Trans.) ↩︎
More simply, dhālika here means “that is the case” or “thus shall it be.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Therefore, ʿiqāb literally means “aftermath, consequence.” (Trans.) ↩︎
See volume 12, pp. 191ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎
To complement the author’s discussion, the following points can be added: (1) The other Qur’anic usages of the verb ʿāqaba (retaliate) are in contexts of unjust affliction (, ). This is part of the Qur’anic sense and usage of the term, without needing any additional qualification. ʿĀqaba in the Qur’an can be interpreted as retaliation for an unjust affliction through battle. Contrarily, the word baghy does not always mean “oppression” and is not always negative (, , ), although it is in this verse. (2) The apparent meaning of “Allah will most certainly aid him” () is existential support by making one dominate his enemies. The author’s second objection would equally apply to other verses that promise aid and support for the prophets and believers (, , , , , , , ). (3) Given the previous verse and the context of revelation, this verse may concern those who tried to retaliate before God’s permission for jihad. This is another possibility in addition to the author’s plausible interpretation of: Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving (). (4) The current verse can be closely matched with verses , which can be viewed as an interpretation and elaboration of what is meant here. In short, another possible meaning for the verse is: If one tries to retaliate for an initial unjust affliction but is oppressively suppressed, then God will certainly aid him. (Trans.) ↩︎
The two possible meanings would be: (1) God will aid the oppressed because Allah is the Truth… (2) God aids the oppressed and causes the day and night enter one another because Allah is the Truth… (Trans.) ↩︎
Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ. ↩︎
See volume 3, pp. 245ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎