Not to be usurious, To fear God, To fear the Hell, To spend in the cause of religion, Mutual forbearance to seek the Divine protection, The loss inflicted upon the enemy, Misfortune at Uhud.

Aal ’Imran Verses 130 – 143

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُضَاعَفَةً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“O’ ye who believe! Devour not interest doubling it over and again, and take shelter in God that ye may be successful.” (3:130)

وَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ

“Fear ye the Hell-fire that is prepared for the disbelievers.” (3:131)

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

“And obey God and the Apostle (Muhammad) that ye may be shown Mercy.” (3:132)

وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

“And hasten unto (the means to obtain) forgiveness from your Lord1and Paradise vast2as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious3ones.” (3:133)

الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“Those who spend4(in alms) alike in prosperity and straitness, and who restrain (their) anger, and forgive (the faults of) men; for God loveth those who do good5(to others).” (3:134)

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

“And those who, when they do a shameful deed or commit a wrong to their (own) selves, remember God and implore for pardon for their sins; and who forgiveth sins except God? And who persist not (intentionally), in what they have done6(amiss) while they know it.” (3:135)

أُولَٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ

“As for these, their reward is pardon from their Lord and gardens ‘neath which rivers flow to abide therein; And excellent is the reward of those who act (righteously).” (3:136)

قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ سُنَنٌ فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ

“Indeed, there have already been before you examples, travel ye therefore in the earth and see what hath been the end of the rejecters7of (the Apostles of God) 8” (3:137)

هَٰذَا بَيَانٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

“This is (only) a clear statement (of events) for mankind, and a guidance and admonition for the pious ones.9” (3:138)

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

“And lose10ye not heart and grieve ye not, for ye shall gain the upper hand, if ye (only) be (true) believers11” (3:139)

إِنْ يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ

“If a wound hath afflicted you, a wound similar hath also afflicted the people (disbelievers); And these days (of varying fortunes) We bring about among men by turns, And that God may know12those who have (sincerely) believed, and that He may take witnesses13from among you; and God loveth not the unjust14.” (3:140)

وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ

“And that God may purge those who believe and destroy the infidels.” (3:141)

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ

“Imagine ye (O’ Muslims!) that ye (all) would enter Paradise? When God knoweth15yet not those (of you) who strove hard among you (in His way) and knoweth16(also) the steadfast17?” (3:142)

وَلَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ تَمَنَّوْنَ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَلْقَوْهُ فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ

“And ye did indeed desire for death ere ye met it, so indeed ye have now seen it, even while ye look18(at it).” (3:143)

Commentary

Verse 130

‘Az’aafan Muza’afah’, i.e., multiplying over and above. Those who want to mean by this, only the compound interest to be forbidden and not the simple interest, interpret the words as ever and ever again, whereas the correct meaning of the words renders both the compound as well as the simple one to be forbidden. The term ‘Az’aafan’ meaning multiplying, refers to the amount and the term ‘Muza’afan’ meaning over and above refers to the term. (M.S. TH. etc.). This is to stop developing of ignoble egoistic vices in man which mar the moral progress and ruin the economic welfare of the individual members of the human society.

(Note: What the banks in modern days award to their clients which is called Bank Interest; whether it is allowed as the dividend of the profit, or as the commission or it is prohibited as interest, is a matter to be decided by the leading jurists, the ‘Mujtahids’. It needs the verdict, i.e., a ‘Fatwa’).

Verse 131-133

Inviting mankind to guard themselves against evil and to seek pardon and to hasten to forgive others.

Verse 134

Declared the Holy Prophet that “A charitable one is near to God (loved by God), near to Paradise (entitled to Paradise) and near to men (loved by the public), a miser is far away from God (hated by God), far away from Paradise (not entitled to Paradise), and far away from the public (hated by the public).”

“A charitable illiterate is more lovable with God than a miserly scholar.”

It is noteworthy as to how Islam aims at a voluntary restraint of anger, pardoning offenders and doing good to others.

The Holy Prophet has said:

“Strength is not that which knocks down one to the ground but restraint of self against anger.”

George Sale records the following event in his commentary to (M.S.) the Holy Qur’an.

According to M.S. the incident is concerned with the Third Holy Imam Husayn Ibn ‘Ali.

Verse 135

Sinning according to Islam is being cruel to one’s own self for the sinner corrupts his own soul and entitles it to punishment.

Verse 136

The last words of this Verse indicate the importance that Islam stresses upon action in faith against mere ideological or theoretical belief.

Verse 137

‘Sunan’, i.e., Ways and the matter of dealings. Here meaning God’s ways of dealing with the righteous and the sinful ones. Hence defeat in a battle should not deject the believers.

Verse 138

It is a clear declaration that the Holy Qur’an can be a guidance not for all but only for the pious ones. A similar exposition has been made in 2:2. The question arises as to who are the pious ones, i.e., those who guard themselves against evil. The greatest evil is ‘shirk’ associating anything with God in authority. Hence the term ‘Muttaqin’ in its fulness applies to none but the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt who never even once adorned anybody besides God. And to know the correct identification of the ‘Muttaqin’ one must refer to 2:177.

Hence it could be said that the Holy Qur’an was sent directly for the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt and mankind has to receive the Holy Word of God, i.e., its teachings, from the Ahl Al-Bayt. This agrees with the parting declaration of the Holy Prophet that he leave behind the Book of God and his Ahl Al-Bayt, the one will never be separated from the other and never will the Muslims get astray if they are attached to these two.

Verse 139

On return to Madina from the Battle of Uhud the relatives mourned very much for those martyred and felt for the wounded ones. This Verse was revealed saying not to lose heart for any setback or grieve for any loss, prophesying the ultimate triumph, if they be sincere believers in God.

Verse 140

The people fighting for Islam were not the only or exclusive sufferers, for the enemy had also suffered similar afflictions in spite of the tremendous strength and overwhelming power it had gathered, in spite of which had suffered the humiliating defeat.

Those days or the events of success and defeat, gain and loss, and joy and afflictions are repeated as tests or trials to prove or to make manifest or to disclose for the knowledge of the others, as to who had joined the ranks of the faithful with sincerity and conviction to stand fast suffering the adversities and the afflictions with unswerving faith in God and the ultimate triumph of the truth and who had merely professed the belief just for material gain, the pomp and the glory of a triumph and the other worldly gains to get disheartened or to run away from the events of the trial giving way to falsehood when the situation seems unfavourable to them.

Such trials and tests were essential in view of the fact that much of the stuff that had joined the ranks of the Muslims was just for the privileges and material gains, and most of them were in fact the infidels at their heart and the hidden enemies of the Holy Prophet, and of the sincere followers of the faith, Islam, there were the worst hypocrites in the garb of the great devotees professing the close companionship of the Holy Prophet. The events of the Battle of Uhud proved point-blank as to who stood fast by the Holy Prophet and who deserted him and thus, forfeited their faith. For the information about the personnel of the hypocrites a sincere seeker after this truth may refer to the details of the event in any authentic historic records.

‘Zulm’ is injustice or iniquity. There cannot be a greater ‘Zulm’ or injustice on the part of those who professed to be Muslims and even as companions of the Holy Prophet and staunch support of his cause, Islam, and yet at the time of the worst event of facing the question of life and death for the Apostle of God, the faith Islam and its sincere adherents, to have deserted him and run away leaving him in the heat of the conflict amidst the overwhelming numbers of the bloodthirsty enemies.

Every sincere seeker after the truth must necessarily know how ‘Ali always singly stood for God, for the Holy Prophet and for Islam and who the others were and how they proved what they actually were at heart though they were in the garb in which they presented themselves to the Holy Prophet and to the Muslims. Such events are among the practical signs of guidance of vital importance to the sincere seekers of truth to enable them to distinguish and identify truth against falsehood. The next Verse (141) clarifies the significance of such adversities and inflictions.

Verse 141

Certainly, the genuine supporters of the Truth who stood by the Holy Prophet were proved at Uhud, against the hypocrites who deserted him and Islam and had run away, so far away from the battle-field that some of them did not return to Madina until three days after the event.

Verse 143

After the Battle of Badr, when people heard of the miraculous victory the 313 Muslims had been blessed with against the fully equipped forces of 1,000 of the infidels, they had repentantly desired to have had been in the battle-field to have the distinguished honour of being either among the victors or among the martyrs. Now when the people mourned so much for those killed in Uhud and felt for the wounded ones in that battle, the Holy Prophet gave out the revelation of this Verse saying that they coveted to quote death and now when the occasion for it had occurred, they complainingly mourned for the dead and feel miserable for the wounded19.

• 1. Refer to Verse 57:21.
• 2. Extent of which.
• 3. Who guard themselves against evil
• 4. The All-Perfect models divinely set up for the guidance of man in this regard, are the holy Ahl Al-Bayt purified by God himself. Refer to Verse 33:33.
• 5. Ar. ‘Mohsineen.
• 6. The evil already committed unintentionally.
• 7. Those who disbelieve in the apostles of God
• 8. This Verse clearly indicates how like the Israelites, most of the early converts to Islam were weak in faith, and how at every step the Israelites were assured by God thro’ Moses, these converts to Islam were assured by God through the Holy Prophet-and how in spite of the divine assurance even some prominent Companions deserted the Holy Prophet, ran away from the battle fields leaving him in the midst of the enemies -Not once but repeatedly. (For the personnel see history)
• 9. Refer to Verses 3:143, 3:152.
• 10. Slack not - Be steadfast.
• 11. Refer to Verses 2:2; 2:177; 45:20.
• 12. Make known or distinguished.
• 13. Martyr.
• 14. Refer to Verse 29:3.
• 15. Distinguisheth.
• 16. Distinguisheth.
• 17. Refer to Verse 47:31.
• 18. Why do ye then flinch now?
• 19. Refer to Verse 3:123.