Verses 11–18
This section of the chapter begins with the aim and purpose of this chapter. This happens after the introduction (to this aim and purpose) in the previous section. The aim and purpose of this chapter is to call the Muslims to spend in God’s way, and to exhort them to be patient in the face of the problems and misfortunes that afflict them in the course of struggling in God’s way.
This section also begins with the mention of the problems and misfortunes (that Muslims face in God’s way), and the need to be patient in face of such misfortunes. The reason for such mention here is so that the Muslims may prepare themselves and thereby devote themselves wholeheartedly to the situation in light of what God calls to subsequently in these verses, of spending in His way, and so that excuses are rendered void.
Commentary
ما أَصابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَ مَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ وَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ١١
(64:11) No affliction comes about but by Allah’s permission; and whoever believes in Allah, He guides aright his heart; and Allah is Cognizant of all things.
Al-muṣība is a word whose usage has become widespread with respect to evil or bad incidents which accompany harm. The word al-idhn means “notification of the permission (for something) and the absence of deterrence or prohibition (regarding the same).” Knowledge of permission (al-idhn) (for something) always accompanies what is permitted and authorized, but permission (al-idhn) is not the same as knowledge, in contrast to what has been suggested.
Firstly, it becomes apparent from the aforementioned that God’s permission regarding an act/deed is a cause from among the causes. It is the clearing of the way between the act/deed and its cause by the removal of obstacles or hindrances that interpose between the act/deed and its cause; obstacles or hindrances which prevent the cause from bringing about the act/deed in light of what is required of the cause due to its causality. For example, fire necessarily burns cotton provided there is no distance between the two and there is no moistness (in the cotton). Thus, the removal of any distance between these two (fire and cotton) and the removal of any moistness, coupled with knowledge of all that, serves as permission (al-idhn) for the fire to act or produce an effect on the cotton in a manner which its essence necessitates and requires, which is ‘burning’.
The use of the word al-idhn (permission) in common parlance is specific to cases where the thing permitted (to bring about an effect) is from the intelligent beings so that the meaning of ‘notification’ (which forms part of the definition of al-idhn) makes sense conceptually. Thus it is said: ‘I permitted such and such a person to do such and such’ but it is not said: ‘I permitted fire to burn’, nor is it said: ‘I permitted the horse to gallop’. Nevertheless the Noble Qur’an uses the word al-idhn (permission) more widely, legitimizing its use for intelligent and non-intelligent beings, such as the verse And We did not send any messenger but that he should be obeyed by Allah’s permission... () (an intelligent being) and the verse And as for the good land, its vegetation springs forth (abundantly) by the permission of its Lord... (A non-intelligent being) ().
It is not implausible that this expansive usage of the word (for both intelligent and non-intelligent beings) is based on what the Qur’an teaches that knowledge and perception apply to (all) existents, as we have presented in the commentary of the verse And they shall say to their skins: Why have you borne witness against us? They shall say: Allah Who makes everything speak has made us speak.... ().
However it may be, an act from an agent is not accomplished nor is an effect accomplished from an effective agent save by God’s permission (al-idhn). Therefore, if a cause from the causes is incomplete (meaning) it has obstacles and hindrances to it such that were those obstacles to be actualized, they would hinder the cause to bring about its effect, then God’s permission (al-idhn) for it would be for Him to bring about the removal of the obstacles. This is while when a cause from the causes is complete, having no obstacles and hindrances to it which may hinder it in bringing about its effect then God’s permission (al-idhn) for it would be for Him not to bring about anything from the obstacles for it. Consequently, the effect of the cause accompanies (God’s) permission (al-idhn) without separation.
Secondly, afflictions, which are incidents which afflict the human being and bring about negative and disliked effects, occur by God’s permission just as goodness occurs by God’s permission. This is due to God’s permission accommodating or encompassing the coming about of every effect that ensues from every effective agent/cause.
Thirdly, this permission is creational (al-takwinī) permission and not a legislative (al-tashriʿi) one. It involves the removal of hindrances from the actualization of an act/effect. Therefore, the afflicting of an affliction accompanies God’s permission when it occurs even if that affliction is one of the forbidden ones such as afflictions of injustice and oppression. This is because the nature of injustice and oppression being forbidden is from the perspective of legislation (al-tashrīʿ) and not creation (al-takwīn).
Therefore, it is impermissible to be patient in the face of some misfortunes and afflictions and it is not permitted to bear them; rather it is necessary for the human being to resist and fight them as much as possible, such as wrongs and grievances associated with one’s reputation and honor, and one’s self.
Consequently it becomes apparent from here that the afflictions, in respect of which God has called to patience when these occur, are those regarding which the one afflicted is not instructed to resist them or refuse to bear them, such as general, universal afflictions like death and sickness, which are beyond a human being’s choice. On the other hand, those afflictions where choice has a place, such as afflictions associated in some way with human choice, as for example, afflictions associated with human dignity, in such cases the human being must seek to protect himself from them to the best of his ability.
The part of this verse that says ...and whoever believes in Allah, He guides aright his heart.... is understood as follows: The apparent meaning of the previous part of this verse, which says No affliction comes about but by Allah’s permission.... means that God has knowledge and will with respect to the incidents that harm the human being. This means that no affliction afflicts the human being save after God’s knowledge of it and His will regarding it. Therefore no natural cause is independent in itself (from God) regarding what it effectuates and influences; rather, it is part of the order of creation, and no lord holds sway over the order of creation save its creator. Therefore no incident or event occurs unless it is with God’s knowledge and will, and so nothing will miss the human being when God has willed to afflict him with it, and nothing will afflict him when God has willed that it misses him.
This is the reality that God has explained in another form in the following verse, which is No evil befalls on the earth nor in your own souls, but it is in a book before We bring it into existence; surely that is easy to Allah (). Therefore God is the lord of the universe. The necessary corollary of His general lordship is that He alone owns everything. There is no master apart from Him while the system in place, in existence, is the sum total of the different types of His authority over His creation. Thus no moving being moves, and no motionless being becomes calm and stationary, save with His permission. No creature carries out an act nor does a being, which accepts something, accept it but due to prior knowledge from God and due to His will. His knowledge and will do not err nor is His judgment rejected.
Therefore submitting to God in that He is Allah leads to the guidance of the human soul to these realities, and to tranquillity and peace of mind, and to the absence of anxiety and worry with respect to his relationship with apparent causes (since he recognizes that these apparent causes are not independent of God) and with respect to his associating the bitter misfortunes and calamities to the apparent causes rather than to God (since he recognizes that control of the causes lies with God). This is the meaning of the part of this verse that says ...and whoever believes in Allah, He guides aright his heart....
It is however also suggested that the meaning of this part of the verse is: ‘Whoever believes in God’s unity and bears God’s command patiently shall have God guide his heart towards the realization that everything ensues from Him and returns to Him, so that he says “we are from God and to Him we are returning.”’ This meaning consists of including the trait of patience in the meaning of faith.
It is also suggested that this verse means: ‘Whoever believes in God shall have God guide his heart to what is necessary for it to do. So if he is afflicted with affliction, he shall bear it patiently and if he is granted blessings, he shall be grateful, and if he is oppressed, he shall forgive.’ This interpretation is close to what we have presented.
...and Allah is Cognizant of all things: This serves to emphasise the exception made earlier in this verse where it says No affliction comes about but by Allah’s permission... It is also possible that this part of the verse alludes to what means.
وَ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَ أَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَإِنَّما عَلى رَسُولِنَا الْبَلاغُ الْمُبِينُ ١٢
(64:12) And obey Allah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, then upon Our Messenger devolves only the clear delivery (of the message).
In this verse the plural imperative ‘(all of you) obey’ (aṭīʿū) occurs twice. Its repetition rather than (its occurrence once, to include both God and His Messenger such as) the verse stating ‘obey Allah and the Messenger’ is apparently meant to convey the difference in meaning for the word ‘obedience’ with respect to them both. The meaning and intent of ‘obeying God’ (aṭīʿū allāh) is to submit to Him regarding what He has legislated for mankind of religious laws and teachings. This is while the meaning of ‘obeying the Messenger’ (aṭīʿū al-rasūl) is to submit to him and to comply with what he instructs due to his leadership of the Muslim community, in light of what God has established of it for him.
The next part of this verse says ...but if you turn back, then upon Our Messenger devolves only the clear delivery (of the message). The word al-tawallī means “to turn away” while the word al-balāgh means “to convey, to deliver.” Therefore the meaning of this part of the verse is: ‘If you turn away from obeying God with respect to what He has legislated (for you) or if you turn away from obeying the Messenger with respect to what he instructs you in his capacity as the leader of the matter of your guidance, then Our Messenger shall not coerce you all to obedience. This is because he was not instructed to do that, rather he was (only) instructed to convey the message, and he has accomplished that.’
From here it becomes apparent that the authority of the Prophet Muḥammad with regards to the rules and laws of the faith is due to his conveying the message of God. Thus the Prophet’s command and prohibition, in what he undertakes, are derived from and are God’s command and prohibition. Obeying the Prophet’s command and prohibition is obeying God, as the absolute nature of the following verse indicates: And We did not send any messenger but that he should be obeyed by Allah’s permission.... (). This verse makes it apparent that obedience to the Messenger in what he commands and prohibits is absolute and unequivocal, permitted to him by God’s permission. God’s permission in favor of the Messenger’s obedience necessitates God’s knowledge and will for the Messenger’s obedience. And the intent in favor of the obedience of the command and the prohibition is intent in favor of the command and prohibition itself. Therefore, the Prophet Muḥammad’s command and prohibition derive from and are God’s command and prohibition even if these are with respect to the rules and laws established by God.
The foregoing emphasizes that obedience to the Messenger Muḥammad is obedience to God and is traced back to Him, (and so) the verse at its end undergoes a grammatical shift in discourse (al-iltifāt) from third person at the beginning of the verse And obey Allah and obey the Messenger... to first person at its end ...then upon Our Messenger.... which in addition, contains trace of a threat to it.
اللَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ١٣
(64:13) Allah, there is no god but He; and upon Allah, then, let the believers rely.
This verse serves as a justifying explanation for the necessity to obey God in light of the foregoing, which was that obedience to the Messenger Muḥammad is derived from and is obedience to God. The explanation for that is as follows: obedience, in the sense of submitting to a command and refraining from a prohibition as instructed, is a form of worship and servitude whence the effect of the master owning his slave is that the master owns the slave’s will, intent, and deeds. Thus the slave does not intend save what the master desires the slave to intend, nor does the slave carry out an act save what the master wishes him to carry out. Thus obedience is a kind of worship as the following verse points out. Did I not enjoin you, O children of Adam that you should not worship the Satan? Surely he is your open enemy... (). In this verse God reprimands the children of Adam for worshipping Satan whereas they had merely obeyed him.
Thus, the obedience of an obedient being in favor of the being obeyed is a kind of worship (by the former) for the latter. Since there is no being worthy of worship save God, therefore there is no obedience save for God or whoever He commands be obeyed. Thus the meaning is: ‘all of you obey God since there is no obedience except for the being worthy of worship. And there is no being worthy of worship, in truth, except God, therefore it is imperative on you all to worship Him and not to associate anything with Him by obeying any other apart from Him or by worshipping any other apart from Him such as the Satan or personal whims and fancies.’ This is the meaning of the statement made above that this verse serves as a justifying explanation (for what was explained previously in the commentary of the preceding verse).
On the basis of the foregoing, it becomes apparent why God’s attribute of divinity (al-uluhiyya) (that is, God’s description as ‘al-ilāh’—the God—in this verse), which signifies the meaning of Him being worthy of worship, is specifically mentioned here rather than His attribute of being the Lord, Cherisher, and Nourisher (al-rubūbiyya). Thus this verse does not say: Allah, there is no Lord, Cherisher and Nourisher but He (allāhu lā rabba ghayruhu), but instead says Allah, there is no god but He... (allāhu lā ilāha illa huwa).
The statement ...and upon Allah, then, let the believers rely serves as emphasis for the meaning of the first half of this verse, which is Allah, there is no god but He...
Its explanation is as follows: The word al-tawkīl means a person appointing another (the authorized agent) in his stead or in his place with respect to the management of his affairs. The necessary corollary of that is that the authorizing agent situates his will and intent with the will and intent of his authorized agent or renders his will and intent to lie with the will and intent of his authorized agent, and situates his act with his act or renders it to lie with his act. This corresponds, from a perspective, to obedience. This is because a person who submits to and obeys another renders his will and intent, and his act, in accord with the will and intent of the person obeyed. Thus the will and intent of the person obeyed stands in place of the will and intent of the one obeying, while the act of the person obeying is rendered in accord with or in conformity to the will and intent of the one obeyed, and as emanating from such will and intent, from a perspective. Thus, obedience becomes an act of appointment of another from one perspective just as the appointment of another as one’s agent is obedience to the latter from a perspective.
Therefore, a slave’s obedience towards his lord is to subject his will and intent to comply with the will and intent of his lord, and to accomplish deeds in the same manner. In other words, it is to prefer the will and intent of his lord and whatever deeds are associated with it, to his own will and intent and whatever deeds are associated with it.
Thus obeying God in respect of what He legislates for His servants and all that which relates to it is in a way, a kind of placing of trust and reliance on Him (al-tawakkul). God’s obedience is obligatory for whoever knows and recognizes Him and believes in Him. Hence, let the believers rely on God alone, and let them obey Him. As for whoever does not know or recognize Him and does not believe in Him then consequently obedience will not be actualized from such a person.
It has become apparent from the foregoing that faith and virtuous deeds are a kind of placing of trust and reliance in God.
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْواجِكُمْ وَ أَوْلادِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ وَ إِنْ تَعْفُوا وَ تَصْفَحُوا وَ تَغْفِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ١٤
(64:14) O you who believe! Surely from among your wives and your children there is an enemy to you; therefore beware of them; and if you pardon and forbear and forgive, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
The preposition min (meaning ‘from’ that occurs in this verse) in min azwājikum (and governing awlādikum too (min azwājikum wa (min) awlādikum)) denotes partitiveness, something being a part of something, ‘some of’ (al-tabʿīḍ). (Hence, the phrase min azwājikum wa (min) awlādikum means ‘from among your wives and children/some of your wives and children’). The context of the discourse in this verse provided by the words O you who believe coupled with the mention of or the association of enmity towards them (that is, towards the believers) ...there is an enemy to you (from among some of your wives and children) serves as justifying explanation that (some of) the wives and children of the believers bear enmity towards them because they (the believers) are believers. Enmity in regards to faith does not materialize save when the enemy is intent on dissuading the believer from faith itself or from virtuous deeds such as dissuading the believer from spending in God’s way or dissuading the believer from migrating to the land of belief from that of disbelief or pushing them towards disbelief or grave sins such as rendering them stingy when it comes to spending in God’s way by evoking in them compassion for their children and wives, and such as forcing them to appropriate wealth (for the sake of the family) by illegitimate means.
Thus God considers some of the children and wives of the believers as their enemies due to the believers’ faith where the former push the latter towards abandoning faith in God or abandoning some virtuous deeds or committing some grave sins, and perhaps the latter obey the former in some of these issues due to feelings of compassion and love for them. Therefore, God commands the believers to be careful and to be wary of (some of) their wives and children.
The latter half of this verse says ...and if you pardon (taʿfū) and overlook (taṣfaḥū) and forgive (taghfirū), then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Al-Rāghib writes: ‘(The word) al-ʿafw means “to intend to take something, the purposing to take something.”’ He writes: ‘It is said ʿafāhu and iʿtafāhu, which (past tense verbs with their suffix pronouns) mean “he intended or sought him or aimed for him, taking what was with the latter.”’ Al-Rāghib carries on with his entry till he writes: ‘(the sentence) ʿafawtu ʿanhu means: “I intended or purposed or sought to remove (or take away/efface/erase) his sin (guilt/crime), turning away from him (thereby pardoning him).”’ He also writes: ‘The word al-safḥ means: “abandoning or relinquishing blame and censure, which is superior to al-ʿafw. This is why God says ...but pardon (faʿfū) and overlook (waṣfaḥū), till Allah should bring about His command... (). This is because a person may pardon but not overlook (a wrong) or relinquish blame and censure.”’
Al-Rāghib also writes: ‘The word al-ghafr means “a covering which protects or shields a person from impurity/filth.”’ (He continues): ‘Ensuing from this, it is said: hide (ighfir) your garment (thawbaka) in the container (fī al-wiʿāʾ) (thereby covering it). It is also said: dye (iṣbagh) your garment (thawbaka) for it is best at hiding/covering (fa innahu aghfaru) the filth (lil-wasikh) (since it hides/covers up the dirt)’. (He then writes): ‘Therefore the words al-ghufran and al-maghfira in relation to God mean: “He protects and preserves (His) slave from being touched by punishment (by forgiving (covering up/hiding) his sins).” The Qur’an says ghufrānaka rabbana (Thy forgiveness (do we crave) ()), maghfiratun min rabbikum (...forgiveness from your Lord ()), wa man yaghfiru al-dhunūba illa allāh (...and who forgives the faults but Allah? ())’.
Therefore, the clause ...and if you pardon and overlook and forgive... serves as a call in favor of consummate overlooking towards children and wives (of a believer) when something from the traces of the aforementioned enmity appears from them, coupled with care on the believer’s part that he should not be tempted by them.
This verse then concludes with ...then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. If the intent of this part of the verse is God’s forgiveness and mercy chiefly for those addressed in this verse in that they pardon, overlook, and forgive, then it serves as a beautiful promise for them in response to their virtuous deed, akin to ...and let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (). However, if the intent is God’s general mercy and forgiveness without it being restricted to those addressed in this verse, then it signifies that forgiveness and mercy are from the attributes of God. Thus, if the believers pardon, overlook and forgive, then they have characterized themselves with God’s characteristics and attributes and have moulded themselves to God’s morals.
إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ١٥
(64:15) Your possessions and your children are only a trial, and Allah it is with Whom is a great reward.
The word al-fitna refers to that by which a person is tested and tried. The reason possessions and children are a test and a trial is because they are the adornments of this life, and the human soul is attracted to and inclines to them both. Consequently, it becomes enchanted by them both and is tempted by them. It gets distracted by them from what (truly) concerns it from the matter of its hereafter and the obedience of its lord. God says Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of this world; and the ever-abiding, the good works, are better with your Lord in reward and better in expectation ().
Your possessions and your children are only a trial is a figure of speech forbidding people to get distracted by possessions and children, forsaking God’s side by giving in to them, while the concluding part ...and Allah it is with Whom is a great reward affirms this.
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَ اسْمَعُوا وَ أَطِيعُوا وَ أَنْفِقُوا خَيْراً لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَ مَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ١٦
(64:16) Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as much as you can, and hear and obey and spend, it is better for your souls; and whoever is saved from the greediness of his soul, those it is that are the successful.
The statement, Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as much as you can... means: ‘to the extent of your ability’. This is understood on the basis of the context of this verse for the context is that of calling and inviting to listen to, obey, spend, and struggle for God. This verse occurs as a ramification to the previous verse which said Your possessions and your children are only a trial, and Allah it is with Whom is a great reward (). Therefore the meaning obtained is: ‘Be careful of your duty to God or be God-conscious and pious to the extent of your ability and do not forsake any aspect of God-consciousness and piety which your strength and effort have the capacity for.’ Thus this verse is similar to O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him… (). This verse (that is, ) is not about negating the responsibility of being careful of one’s duty to God beyond one’s capability and strength, as in the verse...Our Lord do not impose upon us that which we have not the strength to bear... ().
The following points become clear from the foregoing. Firstly, there is no contradiction between the two verses and . The difference between them is as the difference between quantity and quality (respectively). Thus , which reads Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as much as you can... is an instruction in favor of accommodating all the instances (quantity), which (a person’s) ability to be God-conscious and pious has the capacity for, while , which reads O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him... () is an instruction to engage oneself or to get involved and occupy oneself in every instance of God-consciousness and piety as God-consciousness and piety deserve without discriminating between them (quality).
Secondly, it is apparent that the opinion of some who maintain that abrogates is invalid.
The sentence, ...and hear and obey and spend, it is better for your souls... serves as clarification and emphasis for the preceding part of this verse which was Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as much as you can... ‘Hearing’ is a reference to responding positively to and accepting (what is being conveyed), and it is in the position of heartfelt commitment (to what is being conveyed) while ‘obedience’ is to submit (to what is being conveyed), and it is in the position of the act (that is, actualizing what is being conveyed). ‘Spending’ refers to generously giving wealth in God’s way.
In the phrase, it is better for your souls (khayran li-anfusikum), khayran is a noun in the accusative case. This is because of an omitted verb that makes khayran its object, placing it in the accusative case, as explained in the Qur’anic exegesis al-Kashshāf. Consequently, the phrase implicitly means: āminū khayran li-anfusikum, or believe in what is better for your souls. In this verse, the plural command anfiqū—spend, all of you—encompasses a meaning akin to qaddimū—present/advance, all of you—as inferred from the context. The verse uses for your souls (li-anfusikum) instead of “for you all” (lakum) to emphasize the enhanced benefit for the souls of the addressed. Thus, it implies: ‘indeed, spending is better for you all. Only your souls reap the benefit due to the way spending cultivates generosity within you and enhances your ability to meet the needs of your societies.’
...and whoever is saved from the greediness of his soul, those it is that are the successful: The commentary of this part has already been made in the commentary of Sūrah al-Ḥashr.
إِنْ تُقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعِفْهُ لَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ شَكُورٌ حَلِيمٌ ١٧ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ١٨
(64:17-18) If you lend to Allah a goodly loan, He will double it for you and forgive you; and Allah is most Ready to appreciate (service), Forbearing. The Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Mighty, the Wise.
The meaning of the phrase ‘lending to God’ which occurs in this verse means to spend in His way. God has called ‘spending in His way’ as ‘giving a loan to God’. This is while the wealth that is spent (in God’s way) is called a ‘goodly loan’ in order to encourage and urge the believers in favor of this deed. The part of this verse that reads ...He will double it for you and forgive you.... points to the beautiful and wholesome nature of His reward in the world and in the hereafter.
The words shakūr (most ready to appreciate) and ḥalīm (forbearing) (that occur in ), and the phrase ʿālim al-ghayb wa al-shahāda (knower of the unseen and the seen), the word al-ʿazīz (the mighty) and the word al-ḥakīm (the wise) (that occur in ), are five of God’s beautiful names. Their explanation has been given before. The aspect by which these five names have an apt and fitting relationship with what God has instructed in regarding hearing, obedience, and spending (in His way) is well apparent.
Examining Narrations
- Abu Jaʿfar al-Bāqir said with respect to ...Surely from among your wives and your children there is an enemy to you; therefore beware of them.... (): ‘That was when a man intended to migrate to the Messenger of God. His child and wife would cling to him and say: “We implore and beg you by God not to go away from us and leave us for then we would perish after you.” Among these men was one who would give in to his family and stay. Thus God warns such men to beware of their children and wives and forbids them to obey and give in to them. And among them was one who would depart, leaving his family, telling them: “By God! If you all did not migrate with me, and subsequently God gathers us together in the abode of migration, I will not avail you with anything, ever!” Thus when God gathered them together, He commanded the one who had emigrated (despite his family) to deal mercifully with them and to show regard for them by discharging his duties to them in full, to do good to them, and to maintain ties with them for fear of God. Thus He said ...and if you pardon and forbear and forgive, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful ().’
Author’s comment: The same meaning has been cited in the Qur’an commentary Al-Durr al-manthūr (by al-Suyūṭī) from a number of major hadith compilers, from Ibn ʿAbbās.
- The Prophet Muḥammad said with respect to Your possessions and your children are only a trial and a temptation.... (): ‘There is a trial for every community and the trial of my community is wealth and possessions’.
Author’s comment: A report similar to this one has also been transmitted (by al-Suyūṭī) on the authority of Ibn Mardawayhi, from Kaʿb ibn ʿIyāḍ, from the Prophet Muḥammad.
- Burayda reports: ‘The Prophet was delivering a sermon (once) when al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn arrived. Both of them had on a (long) red shirt. They were walking and falling (as they tottered ahead). The Messenger of God came down from the pulpit and carried them both, one on one side and the other on the other side. Then he went up the pulpit and said: “God has said the truth. He said Your possessions and your children are only a trial and a temptation... () When I saw these two boys walking and falling (as they tottered ahead), I did not wait (patiently). I interrupted my speech and came down to them (from the pulpit).’
Author’s comment: The report is not devoid of criticism for wherefrom would temptation overwhelm the Prophet when he is the leader of (all) the sincere prophets, is infallible, as well as aided by the Holy Spirit?!
Far more atrocious than this report is the one he (al-Suyūṭī) cites from Ibn Mardawayhi from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar that the Messenger of God was in the midst of delivering a sermon to the people from the pulpit when al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī came out. He tripped on his garment and fell to the ground and began to cry. The Messenger of God came down from the pulpit. When the people saw this, they rushed to al-Ḥusayn and taking him up in their arms, passed him one to the other, contending together in doing that, till he (al-Ḥusayn) reached the arms of the Messenger of God, whereupon the Messenger of God said: ‘May God fight the Satan! Surely one’s child is a temptation and a trial! I swear by the One in whose grasp lies my life, I did not realize I had come down from my pulpit!’
Similar to this report is the one from Ibn al-Mundhir from Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr who said: The Prophet heard al-Ḥasan or al-Ḥusayn crying, whereupon he said: ‘The child is a temptation and a trial. I had betaken myself to him without realizing it!’ The position regarding such reports is to discard them unless they can be re-interpreted.
- Abd Khayr reports: I asked ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib about O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him… (). He said: ‘By God! None has acted on this verse save the members of the house of the Messenger of God (ahlu bayti rasūlillah). We remember God and we do not forget Him. We thank and are grateful to Him and are never ever ungrateful to Him. We obey Him and do not disobey Him. When this verse was revealed, the (Prophet’s) companions protested: “We are incapable of that!” whereupon the following was revealed by God Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as much as you can... ().’
- Al-Faḍl ibn Abi Murrah relates: ‘I saw Abu ʿAbdillāh (al-Ṣādiq) circling (the Kaʿba) from the beginning of the night till morning, and he was supplicating with the words: “O God! Protect me from the greediness of my soul.” So I said to him: “May I be ransomed for you. I did not see you supplicate (the entire night) save with this supplication!” He replied: “Which thing is worse than the greediness of the soul? Surely God says ...and whoever is saved from the greediness of his soul, those it is that are the successful... ()”’
Tafsīr al-Qummī, the transmission of Abu al-Jārūd from him. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayhi, from ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit and ʿAbdullah ibn Abī Awfā, from him. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Shayba, Aḥmad, Abu Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāi, Ibn Māja, al-Ḥākim, and Ibn Mardawayhi, from him. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Burhān from Ibn Shahr-Ashūb, from the Qur’an commentary of Wakiʿ, from Sufyān ibn Murrah al-Hamadānī, from him. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of his father, from him. ↩︎