To be steadfast in faith and to be patient in suffering, Warning to the companions of the Apostle of God against giving way in the events of trials and turning their backs upon their heels.

Aal ’Imran Verses 144 – 148

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَإِنْ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ وَمَنْ يَنْقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَنْ يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئًا وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّهُ الشَّاكِرِينَ

“And Muhammad is not but an Apostle1, (Other) apostles have already passed away prior to him; Therefore, if he dieth or be slain, will ye turn upon your heels2? And he who turneth upon his heels will by no means do harm to God in the least, and shortly will God reward the grateful ones.” (3:144)

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُؤَجَّلًا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ

“It is not for any soul to die except by God’s permission, (according to) the Book3that fixes the term (of life); He who desireth (his) reward in this world, We give him thereof and he who desireth (his) reward in the hereafter, We give him thereof! And shortly We shall reward the grateful ones.” (3:145)

وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ قَاتَلَ مَعَهُ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ فَمَا وَهَنُوا لِمَا أَصَابَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَمَا ضَعُفُوا وَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّابِرِينَ

“How many a prophet hath fought with whom were myriads of Godly4men, and they lost not heart at what befell5them in the way of God nor did they weaken, nor did they demean6themselves (before their enemies); And God loveth the steadfast7ones.” (3:146)

وَمَا كَانَ قَوْلَهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

“And their saying was nothing but that they prayed “O’ Our Lord! forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs and set our feet firm and help us against the disbelieving people.”” (3:147)

فَآتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا وَحُسْنَ ثَوَابِ الْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“And God gave them the reward in this world and an excellent reward of the hereafter; And verily God loveth those who do good8(to others).” (3:148)

Commentary

Verse 144

This Verse was revealed in reply to the excuse given to the Holy Prophet by those who had fled away from the battle-field. When questioned by the Holy Prophet, the deserters said that they heard a loud voice announcing that the Prophet had been killed. In reply, this Verse was revealed saying whatever be the case with the life and death of the Holy Prophet Truth was in any case the truth which can never under any circumstances be forsaken, even if its Teacher departs away from this world, and falsehood for no reason on earth can ever be accepted though it may’ travail or triumph for a time.

Historians have given the details of the treacherous conduct of the hidden enemies of the Holy Prophet and Islam, who had joined the ranks of the Muslims with motives wholly selfish. When the tide of the battle went in favour of the Muslims and the enemy had to helplessly fly away leaving in the field all their belongings, the people forgot their duty and fell in plundering the booty. A contingent had been posted by the Holy Prophet at a narrow passage with definite command not to leave the point at any cost. The soldiers of this contingent left their position and joined the plunder. The fast-retreating enemy taking advantage of the passage, passed through it and attacked the Muslims from the rear. Thus, the trend of the conflict reversed and the Muslims attacked by surprise from behind had to fight hard in the worst disadvantage and it was in that hour that many of the companions of the Holy Prophet deserted and fled away.

One of the deserters even shouted aloud: ‘Muhammad is killed, return ye now to your brethren and your original creed (i.e., idolatry)! Some of the deserters even said: ‘Would that we could get a messenger to go to Abdullah Ibn Obay (the hypocrite leader) so that he may get amnesty for us from Abu-Sufyan’ (the arch enemy of the Holy Prophet and Islam). It is reported that Omar threw away his weapons and fled away to the hills9. Anas Ibn Nazr, the uncle of Anas Ibn Malik, seeing those flying away from the battle-field shouted exhorting the deserters not to give up the fight. The flying cowards replied that Muhammad had been killed, to which Anas replied shouting “what if Muhammad is killed, the God of Muhammad is alive never to die and if Muhammad is killed let us also give away our lives for the truth.” The deserters paid no heed, and Anas came down the hills and was killed fighting the infidels (M.S.) Shibli attributes this to the height of despondency that had seized them at that time. (B.H.)

There is no doubt that the Holy Prophet and all the other apostles of God including Jesus, were all mortals. But the question of giving an extraordinary long life to any of the apostles, speaks of the will of the Omnipotent Lord and it does not immaterialize the physical life of any such individual divinely selected for any divine purpose. But the Ahmadi Commentator avails of the argument quoting this Verse to say that Jesus also is dead, since the Verse says that all the apostles preceding the Holy Prophet have also died. The Ahmadi commentator is not prepared to give any choice of exception to the independent will of the Omnipotent Lord, bypassing the fact that God is not subject to the Laws of Nature but the laws of nature being His own creation, are always subject and subservient to the independent will of the Lord, and what we call unnatural need not also be so. It may be the short of understanding of some higher phenomenon of nature on our own part.

Verse 145

This is said to tell the Muslims that death is wholly at the decision of God which is fixed in case of every individual. None can ever escape it, if it has to come at any moment fixed by God and none can hasten it, if it has not been destined by God to come. This is to encourage and prepare the believers for any fight in the cause of Truth. This same idea has been enunciated in:

قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

“Say (unto them, O’ Muhammad); verily the death from which ye run away trill surely (overtake) meet you, and then ye will be returned unto the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, and He will inform you of what ye used to do.” (62:8).

He who desires for good only in this life, will have it but he cannot reasonably expect anything good in the hereafter which he chooses to neglect or to surrender. And he who desires for good in the life hereafter shall have it and also good in this life as a reward in recompense for the sacrifice of the worldly interest he made.

Verse 146

How many apostles of God have fought for truth along with myriads, huge armies of several thousands (M.S. T.S. etc.). But Sale, Palmer and Rodwell have wrongly interpreted this as: “How many prophets have encountered those who had myriads of troops.” None of the other commentators have taken this meaning.

Verse 147-148

This was the prayer of every apostle of God who fought for the cause of Right and died for it. Verse 147 says that such praying godly souls were granted the good both of this life and the hereafter.

• 1. In every word and action only apostolic, acting directly & implicitly under the divine will. Refer to Verses 53:2-5; 10:15; 47:2; 48:29; 3:138; 3:152.
• 2. Reference to the companions & the others who ran away from the battle fields and gave a false cry to the others ‘Muhammad is dead return ye to your previous Creed (of idolatry)’. For the personal see history.
• 3. Ar. ‘Kitaban’. See Verses 2:2; 2:177; 6:7; 13:38, 15:4; 39:23;45:20;46:30; 62:2; 78:29.
• 4. Ar. ‘Rabbiyoon’.
• 5. Inflicted.
• 6. Abased.
• 7. Patient ones.
• 8. Ar. Mohsineen.
• 9. Tabari, Tarikh al-Khamis, Ibn Hisham.