047- MUHAMMAD
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
# Those who disbelieve and turn from the way of God—He has made their deeds go astray. # And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, and believe in what has been sent down unto Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He has absolved them of their evil deeds and set their state aright. # That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood and because those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus does God set forth for mankind their likenesses. # When you meet those who disbelieve, strike at their necks; then, when you have overwhelmed them, tighten the bonds. Then free them graciously or hold them for ransom, till war lays down its burdens. Thus [shall it be]. And if God willed, He would take vengeance upon them, but that He may test some of you by means of others, [ . . . ]. And as for those who are slain in the way of God, He will not make their deeds go astray. # He will guide them and set their state aright, # and cause them to enter the Garden, having made it known to them. # O you who believe! If you help God, He will help you and make firm your steps. # As for those who disbelieve, wretched are they, and He has made their deeds go astray. # That is because they were averse to that which God sent down, so He made their deeds come to naught. # Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? God destroyed them; and the disbelievers shall have the like thereof. # That is because God is Master of those who believe, and because the disbelievers have no master. # Truly God causes those who believe and perform righteous deeds to enter Gardens with rivers running below, while those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat; and the Fire shall be an abode for them. # And how many a town greater in strength than thy town which cast thee out have We destroyed, having none then to help them? # Is one who stands upon a clear proof from his Lord like one whose evil deeds are made to seem fair unto him and like those who follow their caprices? # The parable of the Garden that has been promised to the reverent: therein lie rivers of water incorruptible, rivers of milk whose flavor does not change, rivers of wine delicious for those who imbibe, and rivers of purified honey. Therein they partake of every fruit and of forgiveness from their Lord. [Are they] like one who abides in the Fire and those who are made to drink a boiling liquid which then tears apart their bowels? # Among them are those who listen unto thee. Then when they depart from thee they say to those who have been given knowledge, “What did he say?” It is they whose hearts God has sealed and who follow their caprices. # But those who are guided, He increases them in guidance and grants them their reverence. # Do they await aught but that the Hour should come upon them suddenly? Yet its portents have already come. Then when it has come upon them, what will their remembrance do for them? # Know, then, that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for the believing men and the believing women. God knows your coming and going, and your abode. # Those who believe say, “Would that a sūrah were sent down.” Then when a definitive sūrah wherein fighting is mentioned is sent down, thou seest those in whose hearts is a disease looking at thee as if death had overcome them. More fitting for them # would be obedience to God and honorable speech. Then, when the matter is resolved, were they true to God, it would be better for them. # Were you to turn away, would you perchance work corruption upon the earth and break your family relations? # They are those whom God has cursed, making them deaf and blinding their sight. # Do they not contemplate the Quran? Or do hearts have their locks upon them? # Truly those who turn their backs after guidance has been made clear to them—Satan has seduced them, yet He grants them respite. # That is because they say to those who are averse to what God has sent down, “We shall obey you in some matters.” And God knows their keeping of secrets. # Then how will it be when the angels seize them, striking their faces and their backs? # That is because they followed that which angers God and were averse to His good pleasure; so He made their deeds come to naught. # Or do those in whose hearts is a disease suppose that God will not expose their rancor? # And if We willed, We would show them to you so that you would know them by their mark. And you will certainly know them by their tone of speech. And God knows your deeds. # And We shall test you until We know those among you who strive and those who are patient, and We shall test your proclamations. # Truly those who disbelieve and turn from the way of God, and oppose the Messenger of God after guidance has been made clear to them will not harm God in the least. And He will make their deeds come to naught. # O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and let not your deeds be in vain. # Truly those who disbelieve and turn from the way of God, then die while they are disbelievers, God will not forgive them. # So do not falter and call for peace while you have the upper hand. God is with you and will not deprive you of your deeds. # The life of this world is but play and diversion. If you believe and are reverent, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your wealth. # Were He to ask you for it, then implore you, you would be miserly, and He would expose your rancor. # Behold! You are those who are called upon to spend in the way of God; yet among you some are miserly. And whosoever is miserly is only miserly toward himself. God is the Rich, and you are the poor. And if you turn away, He will cause a people other than you to take your place, and they will not be the likes of you.
Commentary
# Those who disbelieve and turn from the way of God—He has made their deeds go astray.
1 Turn from translates ṣadda ʿan, which can mean both “to turn away from” and “to prevent from” (Iṣ, Z). Taking the two meanings together, the verse indicates that the disbelievers turn away from the way of God and also seek to prevent others from following it. As this behavior reflects their disposition toward religion, God has made their deeds go astray, meaning that their evil deeds will not have the intended effect, that any good deeds they have performed will bring no benefit for them in the Hereafter (JJ), and that they mistake evil deeds for good deeds because the evil of their deeds is made to seem fair unto them (9:37). In this way, God brings their scheming and plotting to naught (Q). This verse stands in stark contrast to the last sentence of v. 4: And as for those who are slain in the way of God, He will not make their deeds go astray. But the use of the past tense here in v. 1 leaves open the possibility that those who disbelieve may repent in the future and thus be forgiven for their evil deeds.
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# And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, and believe in what has been sent down unto Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He has absolved them of their evil deeds and set their state aright.
2 Whereas even the good deeds of disbelievers go astray, the evil deeds of believers are absolved and forgiven. Has absolved them of their evil deeds is understood by some to mean all of the evil deeds that they performed before they believed (Q), as it is a fundamental tenet of Islamic theology that embracing Islam “wipes out all previous sins.” Absolution (takfīr) is said to cover over evil deeds, rendering them as if they had never been committed (Iṣ). It is thus a greater reward than forgiveness wherein although one will not be punished for one’s evil deeds one will still witness them on the Day of Judgment. Set their state aright then means that God helps them in following the teachings of Islam after embracing religion (Z), as in 25:70, which says of those who repent, God will replace their evil deeds with good deeds (R). State translates bāl, which can also mean the heart or the mind (Ṭū).
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# That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood and because those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus does God set forth for mankind their likenesses.
3 That is because refers to God’s rendering the deeds of the disbelievers void and absolving the believers of their evil deeds (JJ, Q), as the disbelievers follow falsehood and the believers follow truth (Q). In this context, Thus does God set forth for mankind their likenesses indicates that God has made clear the difference between good and evil deeds (Q), or it refers directly to the distinction made in the beginning of the verse between the disbelievers following falsehood and the believers following truth (R).
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# When you meet those who disbelieve, strike at their necks; then, when you have overwhelmed them, tighten the bonds. Then free them graciously or hold them for ransom, till war lays down its burdens. Thus [shall it be]. And if God willed, He would take vengeance upon them, but that He may test some of you by means of others, [ . . . ]. And as for those who are slain in the way of God, He will not make their deeds go astray.
4 Strike at their necks conveys the gravity and severity of the fighting (Q). Rendered literally, it would be “striking the necks” in the accusative, which is understood to mean “strike the necks with a strike” (IK, Q, Ṭ), indicating the brevity of the act, as it is confined to battle and is not a continuous command. When you have overwhelmed them can mean, “When you have overcome those whose necks you did not strike and made them captives” (Ṭ), or “When you have slaughtered them” (IK). Tighten the bonds means that prisoners should only be taken after the victory has definitely been achieved, as in 8:67: It is not for a prophet to take captives until he overwhelms [his enemy] in the land (Q). The bonds are to be tightened so that the enemy can neither cause further harm nor escape (Ṭ). According to the present verse, prisoners of war can be set free as a gracious act, ransomed for money, or freed to the other side in an exchange of prisoners (JJ, Q). It does not, however, command that prisoners be released. They may thus continue to be held captive as well or in certain cases even executed, alternatives practiced by the Prophet at various times during different battles according to different circumstances (Q). Although there are debates as to whether verses such as 8:57; 9:5; and 9:36 may abrogate this verse, al-Qurṭubī notes that abrogation only need arise in cases where two verses are considered irreconcilable in their legal intent, but that when it is possible to implement both verses under different circumstances, as in this case, there is no abrogation. Whether to slay prisoners of war because they are implacable adversaries, continue to hold them captive, or set them free must thus be decided on a case-by case basis. For a more complete discussion of the treatment of captives, see commentary on 8:67–71; 9:5; and the essay “Conquest and Conversion, War and Peace in the Quran.” Till war lays down its burdens means either until war ceases or so that war will cease. Some interpret its burdens literally to mean weapons, while others allow that it means all the hardships that war entails (Q). Many understand till war lays down its burdens as a reference to the time when only God is worshipped (Q, Ṭ, Ṭū). If God willed, He would take vengeance upon them without any fighting (JJ), but instead He tests some human beings by means of others (cf. 6:53), as in 5:48: And had God willed, He would have made you one community, but [He willed otherwise], that He might try you in that which He has given you. So vie with one another in good deeds.
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# He will guide them and set their state aright,
5 See 47:2c. In this context, the future tense indicates a promise that God will set their state aright.
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# and cause them to enter the Garden, having made it known to them.
6 After being guided and having their state set aright, God will bring the believers into the Garden (R). Then each person will know his or her place in Paradise, as in a ḥadīth: “When the believers have been saved from Hell, they will be stopped at a bridge between the Fire and the Garden, where they will retaliate against each other for the injustices done among them in the world. Then when they are purified and cleansed, they will be permitted to enter the Garden. And by Him in Whose Hands lies the soul of Muhammad, everybody will recognize his dwelling in the Garden better than he recognizes his dwelling in this world” (Q).
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# O you who believe! If you help God, He will help you and make firm your steps.
7 If you help God is understood to mean if believers help God’s religion and the Prophet (JJ, Q) or if they help the party of God (58:22). The manner in which believers help God is made more explicit in 22:40: Were it not for God’s repelling people, some by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, wherein God’s Name is mentioned much, would have been destroyed. And God will surely help those who help Him. The phrase make firm your steps (cf. 2:250; 3:147) refers to walking on the straight path (Q), or it means making one stand firm while fighting (JJ). It is also understood as an allegory for making hearts firm in faith (Q), as in 8:12, where God says to the angels before the Battle of Badr, Truly I am with you; so make firm those who believe.
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# As for those who disbelieve, wretched are they, and He has made their deeds go astray.
8 Wretched are they translates taʿsan lahum, an emphatic phrase that conveys ruin, sorrow, misery, revilement, destruction, defeat, failure, ignominy, evil, and misfortune (Q). With regard to God’s making their deeds go astray, see 47:1c.
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# That is because they were averse to that which God sent down, so He made their deeds come to naught.
9 That is because refers to their being wretched and to their deeds going astray (Q). That they were averse to what God sent down implies aversion to all revealed books and religions (Q). God makes their deeds come to naught in this world and the Hereafter (2:217; see also 3:22), since in the absence of proper belief, good deeds provide no reward in the next life (cf. 2:217; 3:21–22; 5:5; 6:88; 7:147; 9:17; 11:16; 18:105; 39:65; 5:53c).
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# Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? God destroyed them; and the disbelievers shall have the like thereof.
10 Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? is repeated several times in the Quran (see 12:109; 30:9c; 30:42; 35:44; 40:21, 82). The Quran frequently mentions the fate of the guilty, the corrupt, the wrongdoers, and those who denied God’s messengers as an admonition for the disbelievers (see 3:137; 6:11; 7:84, 86, 103; 10:39, 73; 16:36; 27:14, 69; 37:73; 43:25). Those before them is thus understood as a reference to the ruins left by previous tribes who were destroyed despite being of greater might than those who opposed the Prophet (see 35:44; 40:21, 82). For more on the Quranic discussion of journeying upon the earth and the spiritual and moral edification that derives from it, see 30:9c. That the disbelievers shall have the like thereof is understood to mean that they will suffer a fate like that of those before them (Q, Ṭ).
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# That is because God is Master of those who believe, and because the disbelievers have no master.
11 Here that refers to the destruction and degradation suffered by disbelievers of past generations (R). Master translates mawlā, which also means “protector” and “helper.” The implication is that anyone who does not recognize God as master, protector, and helper will have no master or protector, since they will find no protector or helper for themselves apart from God (33:17; cf., e.g., 29:22; 33:65; 42:31, 46; 46:32). Some maintain that this verse was revealed on the Day of the Battle of Uḥud, when, after gaining the upper hand over the Muslims, the idolaters shouted from afar, “A day for a day. We have [the goddess] ʿUzzā and you have no ʿUzzā.” The Prophet then told his Companions to shout back, “God is our Master, and you have no master” (Q).
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# Truly God causes those who believe and perform righteous deeds to enter Gardens with rivers running below, while those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat; and the Fire shall be an abode for them.
12 Regarding Gardens with rivers running below, see 2:25c. That the disbelievers eat as cattle eat means that they have no concern other than filling their bellies—and by implication satisfying their carnal desires (JJ, Q)—and are heedless of the Hereafter (JJ). In this vein, it is said, “In the world the believer makes provision [for the Hereafter], the hypocrite preens, and the disbeliever revels” (Q).
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# And how many a town greater in strength than thy town which cast thee out have We destroyed, having none then to help them?
13 According to some accounts, this verse was revealed at the beginning of the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah. After the Prophet left Makkah, he turned to the city and said, “By God, thou art the most beloved land to God and the most beloved land to me. Were it not that thy people had expelled me from thee, I would not have left thee” (Āl, IK, Q). This is one of several verses to mention previous peoples destroyed for their iniquity and for their refusal to accept the teachings of the messengers God had sent them, referring to towns (7:4; 21:11; 22:45, 48) and to whole generations (17:17; 19:74; 20:128; 32:26; 36:31; 38:3; 50:36), all of which serve as a reminder that God can undo the power of any people.
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# Is one who stands upon a clear proof from his Lord like one whose evil deeds are made to seem fair unto him and like those who follow their caprices?
14 A clear proof refers to the revelation, or to affirmation and certainty (Q), or simply to a definitive argument from his Lord (JJ). Elsewhere it is said of those who reject God’s messengers that Satan made their deeds seem fair unto them (16:63; 27:24; 29:38). That they follow their caprices is then a greater degree of disbelief, since one whose evil deeds are made to seem fair unto him may still have doubt and thus reflect upon and question his evil deeds and in doing so be closer to one who stands upon a clear proof (R). In this vein, 28:50 asks, And who is more astray than one who follows his caprice without guidance from God? Regarding the Quranic understanding of caprice, see 45:23c. Similarly, 32:18 asks rhetorically, Is one who believes like one who is iniquitous? They are not equal. And in 39:9 the Prophet is told, Say, “Are those who know and those who do not know equal?”
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# The parable of the Garden that has been promised to the reverent: therein lie rivers of water incorruptible, rivers of milk whose flavor does not change, rivers of wine delicious for those who imbibe, and rivers of purified honey. Therein they partake of every fruit and of forgiveness from their Lord. [Are they] like one who abides in the Fire and those who are made to drink a boiling liquid which then tears apart their bowels?
15 Water incorruptible means either water whose nature, in contrast to the water of this world, does not change (JJ) or water whose smell and taste do not change (Q). Milk whose flavor does not change means milk that does not sour, as does the milk of this world (Q). The rivers of wine provide a drink wherefrom they suf er neither headache nor stupefaction (56:19), unlike the wine of this world. And purified honey means that it is not earthly honey, which is made by bees and must then be harvested and filtered because of impurities, but is created directly by God (Q). Some equate these four rivers with the rivers seen by the Prophet during his Night Journey and Ascension through the seven heavens (see 17:1c; introduction to Sūrah 53). Regarding this part of the journey, the Prophet is reported to have said, “I was raised to the lote tree of the boundary (53:14) and saw four rivers, two of which were flowing out and two of which were flowing in. Those that were flowing out were the Nile and the Euphrates, and those that were flowing in were two rivers in Paradise. Then I was given three bowls: one containing milk, another containing honey, and a third containing wine. I took the bowl containing milk and drank it. It was said to me, ‘You and your followers will be on the right path.’” Many Sufis see these rivers as four different kinds of Divinely granted knowledge by which the human heart is enlivened. According to al-Kāshānī’s detailed interpretation, water incorruptible is the knowledge that “does not change with the defects of delusions (wahmiyyāt), doubts (tashkīkāt), and differences in corrupt tenets (iʿtiqādāt) and customary beliefs. And it is for the reverent . . . who have reached the station of the heart” (K). Milk whose flavor does not change then represents a lower degree of knowledge that does not change by being mixed with caprice or innovation, the differences between schools of law, and the tribalism of those attached to creeds. This is the knowledge pertaining to proper actions that prevents one from acts of disobedience and depravity. The rivers of wine are then different kinds of love for the Divine Attributes and the Divine Essence. They are delicious “for those who are complete (kāmil), who have reached the station of witnessing the beauty of the manifestations of the [Divine] Attributes, and directly witnessing the beauty of the [Divine] Essence, the ardent lovers who desire Absolute Beauty, in the station of the spirit.” And the rivers of purified honey are “holy delights that descend [upon the heart], luminous gleams, and the raptures of realization in states and stations for [spiritual] wayfarers . . . and seekers.” Those who drink from the rivers of purified honey are thus less numerous than those who drink from the rivers of wine, and “not everyone who tastes the delight of honey tastes the sweetness of wine.” From this perspective, they partake of every fruit means that they partake of every delight from the manifestations of the Divine Acts, Attributes, and Essence (K). Although other verses speak of those who are made to drink a boiling liquid (see 6:70; 10:4; 18:29; 37:67; 38:57; 44:46; 78:24–25; 88:5), none provides as stark a contrast. In the context of this sūrah and according to the Sufi interpretation, it could be said that they are made to drink the boiling liquid of their own caprice (K), as in 4:10: Truly those who consume the property of orphans unjustly only consume fire in their bellies, a reality that the Prophet is said to have directly witnessed in his glimpse of Hell during the Night Journey and Ascension. In this way, it is the disbelief and evil deeds of those in Hell that tear apart their bowels, since God does not wrong human beings in the least, but rather human beings wrong themselves (10:44).
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# Among them are those who listen unto thee. Then when they depart from thee they say to those who have been given knowledge, “What did he say?” It is they whose hearts God has sealed and who follow their caprices.
16 Among them refers to the hypocrites of Madinah, while those who have been given knowledge refers to the Prophet’s Companions (Q, Ṭ, Z). In this context, that God seals their hearts (see 2:7c) means that, although they hear the words and profess belief outwardly, they are blinded by their desire to follow their caprices. Thus they cannot understand and do not act in accord with what they hear. This verse can also be understood as a message to believers that they must be attentive when reciting the Quran, lest they hear the words but do not understand them or heed their meaning. In his Revival of the Religious Sciences, al-Ghazzālī lists four obstacles that prevent those who listen to the Quran from understanding it: confining their focus to the correct pronunciation of the letters of the Quran; dogmatic adherence to a particular school of thought (madhhab); persistence in sin or being characterized by pride and worldly passions; and reading the outward commentary on the Quran and thinking that the Quran contains only those meanings that have been transmitted from early commentators such as Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Masʿūd, and the like (Iḥyāʾ: Qirāʾāt al-qurʾān).
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# But those who are guided, He increases them in guidance and grants them their reverence.
17 Increases them in guidance indicates that God increases those who are guided in faith (Q, Ṭ), knowledge, and insight (Q), which does not occur for those whose hearts are sealed. That God grants them their reverence indicates either that God helps them attain reverence or that He gives them rewards for their reverence (Z).
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# Do they await aught but that the Hour should come upon them suddenly? Yet its portents have already come. Then when it has come upon them, what will their remembrance do for them?
18 This verse asks whether those disbelievers and hypocrites (mentioned in the previous verses) are waiting for the Final Hour, and whether they know that it will come upon them suddenly and that they will not have time to repent and remember God (Ṭ). Although there are many discussions regarding the signs or portents of the Hour, the sign to which this verse refers is most likely the coming of the Prophet, who is reported to have said, “I was sent like this in relation to the Hour,” while pointing to his index finger and his middle finger (Mw, Q).
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# Know, then, that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for the believing men and the believing women. God knows your coming and going, and your abode.
19 Some understand this verse to mean that what one has learned by way of reason and deduction, one must know for certain (Mw). Others see it as a command to say, “There is no god but God,” as the form of remembrance mentioned in the previous verse. God knows your coming and going, and your abode is interpreted as a reference to waking activity and sleep (Mw, Q, Ṭ) or to activity in this life and the state in the grave and the Hereafter (Aj, Q). In each interpretation, it refers to God knowing all of one’s states because nothing is hidden from Him (Aj).
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# Those who believe say, “Would that a sūrah were sent down.” Then when a definitive sūrah wherein fighting is mentioned is sent down, thou seest those in whose hearts is a disease looking at thee as if death had overcome them. More fitting for them
# would be obedience to God and honorable speech. Then, when the matter is resolved, were they true to God, it would be better for them.
20–21 For the meaning of definitive or “determined” sūrahs or verses, see 3:7c. It is said that the context for this verse is a time when some believers were hoping for a sūrah that would allow them to fight their enemies. While in Makkah, a group of the Muslims had reportedly asked the Prophet why they could not fight the disbelievers even though they were oppressed by them. The Prophet responded that he had not been commanded to fight. When verses came enjoining fighting, many feared fighting even as they should have feared God (4:77; see 61:2–3c). Though they went into battle, some of the believers were at first reluctant to fight, and some even retreated at the Battle of Uḥud (see 3:121c; 3:155c). This verse, however, most likely refers only to the hypocrites (Q, R, Ṭ), since those in whose hearts is a disease (cf. 2:10; 5:52; 8:49; 9:125; 22:53; 33:12, 60; 47:29; 74:31) describes those of impure intentions (see 33:32) or those who secretly harbor in their souls a deep religious hypocrisy or doubt (see 2:8–11; 5:52; 24:47–50; 33:12, 60). As translated, a single thought continues through these two verses, though some prefer to place a full stop at the end of v. 20, so that the last clause means “[death] would be more fitting for them” (R). In this context, honorable speech means words that are kind to the Prophet (JJ), rather than scoffing, and when the matter is resolved means when fighting has been decreed.
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# Were you to turn away, would you perchance work corruption upon the earth and break your family relations?
22 What the hypocrites turn away from is the religion and the Prophet. Although here working corruption is linked specifically to breaking family relations, it is more generally linked to all manner of iniquity, such as arrogance (7:74) and oppression (26:183; 28:4). For the Quranic understanding of working corruption, see 30:41c. Regarding the prohibition against working corruption upon the earth, see 7:56c. Maintaining family relations, literally, “womb relations,” is considered to be among the most important virtues; see 4:1c, where reverence is linked to maintaining family relations in the same way that obedience is linked to it in these verses. According to a ḥadīth qudsī, “God created creatures, and when He finished His creations, the womb said, ‘[O God,] at this place I seek refuge in Thee from all those who sever me [i.e., sever the ties of kinship].’ God said, ‘Yes. Will you not be pleased that I will keep good relations with the one who will keep good relations with you, and I will sever relations with the one who will sever relations with you.’ It said, ‘Yes, O my Lord.’ God said, ‘Then that is for you.’” To this the Prophet added, “Read if you wish, the statement of God: Were you to turn away, would you perchance work corruption upon the earth and break your family relations?” In this context, breaking family relations is understood to mean returning to the ways of paganism and idolatry before Islam (JJ, Ṭ). But as maintaining family relations was also an esteemed virtue among the Arabs before the advent of Islam, for such an interpretation to hold true, family relations would need to be used as a metaphor for the bonds of brotherhood between Muslims, as mentioned in 49:10: The believers are but brothers; so make peace between your brethren, and reverence God, that haply you may receive mercy.
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# They are those whom God has cursed, making them deaf and blinding their sight.
23 They are those who turn away, work corruption, and do not honor family ties. Making them deaf and blinding their sight indicates that their hearts are unreceptive to truth, as in 22:46: Truly it is not the eyes that go blind, but it is hearts within breasts that go blind (cf. 18:57; 41:44). They continue to hear and to see, but because the heart, the seat of the intellect, is hardened and therefore, spiritually speaking, dead, they are like the cattle mentioned in v. 12 in that they have no intellect (Q).
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# Do they not contemplate the Quran? Or do hearts have their locks upon them?
24 The question Do they not contemplate the Quran? is repeated in 4:82; see also 23:68: Have they not contemplated the Word, or has there come unto them that which came not unto their forefathers? Although recitation of the Quran is enjoined in several passages, it is also noted that one must contemplate, understand, and implement the Quran’s teachings to the best of one’s ability. In this vein, Ibn Masʿūd is reported to have said of the Companions, “The Prophet used to recite for them ten verses, and they would not move on to the next ten until they had learned everything about [the first ten]. Thus he taught them the Quran and the deeds based upon it together.” Regarding the knowledge to be obtained by meditating upon the Quran, the fourth Shiite Imam, ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, is reported to have said, “The verses of the Quran are stores of treasure. So whenever you open one of them, you must see what lies inside.” Another famous ḥadīth says, “The best of you is one who learns the Quran and teaches it.” In this same vein, Ibn Masʿūd is reported to have said, “When you intend to acquire knowledge, study the Quran in depth, for in it lies the knowledge of those of old and those of later times.” Or do hearts have their locks upon them is understood to mean, “But hearts have their locks upon them” (IJ). Some understand the locked heart to refer to the heart of the most severely afflicted, whom no guidance reaches, while hearts with rust upon them (see 83:14) and hearts that are sealed (see v. 16) are less diseased (IJ).
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# Truly those who turn their backs after guidance has been made clear to them—Satan has seduced them, yet He grants them respite.
25 Here those who turn their backs refers to those who turn their backs on the Prophet, which could mean the hypocrites who turned away when fighting was enjoined upon them (IJ, Q) or the Jews of Madinah who rejected the Prophet and turned away from part of what was revealed to them (IJ), as in 2:85, when they are asked, Do you, then, believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part? Some say that it refers to the disbelievers who knew the Prophet’s trustworthy character well before the coming of Islam, but nonetheless rejected him after the coming of Islam (Q). As translated, the last phrase means that God grants them respite in this world, so that they may turn in repentance before they die, or to allow them to further prove their sinful nature (see 3:178). He grants them respite could also be rendered “he gives them false hope,” deriving from the verb amala, meaning “to hope” (Ṭ), in which case the subject of the verb would be Satan.
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# That is because they say to those who are averse to what God has sent down, “We shall obey you in some matters.” And God knows their keeping of secrets.
26 That refers to the seduction by Satan and the granting of respite (or false hope). Here commentators mention that it is either the hypocrites or the Jews who turn to the disbelievers who are averse to what God has sent down and offer to follow them. An alternate reading of And God knows their keeping of secrets (isrārahum) is, “And God knows their secrets (asrārahum)” (IJ, Q). Both readings refer to their secret consultations with the disbelievers.
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# Then how will it be when the angels seize them, striking their faces and their backs?
27 This verse asks what the state of the disbelievers will be when the angels take their souls, given that God granted them respite but they still died in a state of disobedience (Q). Regarding the angels’ striking their faces and their backs, see 8:50, which adds that the angels say to them, Taste the punishment of the burning, and 8:50c.
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# That is because they followed that which angers God and were averse to His good pleasure; so He made their deeds come to naught.
28 That refers to the punishment mentioned in the previous verse. For made their deeds come to naught, see 47:9c.
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# Or do those in whose hearts is a disease suppose that God will not expose their rancor?
29 This verse asks if the hypocrites fear that God will expose their hypocrisy by exposing their enmity for the Prophet (IJ)
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# And if We willed, We would show them to you so that you would know them by their mark. And you will certainly know them by their tone of speech. And God knows your deeds.
30 Regarding the marks upon the disbelievers and the hypocrites, 55:41 states, The guilty shall be known by their marks; and they shall be seized by the forelocks and by the feet. For other verses that mention marks that reveal belief or disbelief, see 2:273; 7:46–48. For a discussion of the ability to know them by their mark, see 2:273c. Their tone of speech can refer to the tenor with which they said things or to their actual words, as when ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites in Madinah, is reported to have said with regard to the Prophet and his Companions, If we return to Madinah, the mightier will surely expel the weaker therefrom (63:8).
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# And We shall test you until We know those among you who strive and those who are patient, and We shall test your proclamations.
31 God will test people to see if their testimony of faith and willingness to fight are indeed true, as was reportedly done in the Battle of Uḥud (see 3:121c; 3:155c). In the context of this sūrah, this verse means both that one must act in accord with revelation in order for one’s proclamations of belief to be accepted and that many of the hypocrites declared their willingness to fight until they were commanded to do so (v. 20). Those among you who strive (cf. 3:142; 9:16) refers not only to those who fight, but also to those who strive in the way of God with their property and themselves (49:15; cf. 2:218; 4:95; 5:54; 8:74; 9:20, 41, 44, 81). Until We know could also mean “in order to know” (cf. 2:143c). In either translation, it is understood to mean, “in order to make manifest” in existence, as God already knows their true nature (IJ); see 10:14c; 29:3c. In a more general sense, the present verse indicates that all hypocrisy will be exposed.
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# Truly those who disbelieve and turn from the way of God, and oppose the Messenger of God after guidance has been made clear to them will not harm God in the least. And He will make their deeds come to naught.
32 Regarding turn from, see 47:1c. After guidance has been made clear means after the revelation has been made clear. Whereas vv. 9 and 28 state that God made their deeds come to naught, which can be understood as a reference to deeds for which one would receive reward if they were combined with faith and thus right intention, here the deeds that come to naught is understood as a reference to acts done in defiance of the Prophet (R), and the use of the future tense thus conveys a promise that they will not prevail against him.
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# O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and let not your deeds be in vain.
33 The Command to obey God and obey the Messenger (3:32; 4:59; 5:92; 24:54; 64:12; see also 3:132; 4:80; 7:156–57; 8:1, 20, 46; 33:33; 49:14; 58:13) is an underlying theme of the Quran; see 3:32c; 4:59c. Although most commentators relate the Command let not your deeds be in vain to undoing good deeds through disobedience, it can also be understood as an injunction to purify one’s intentions. In this vein, al-Tustarī writes, “Let not your deeds be in vain, that is, by seeing them as coming from yourselves and by seeking recompense from your Lord, for sincere action is that which seeks no recompense” (ST).
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# Truly those who disbelieve and turn from the way of God, then die while they are disbelievers, God will not forgive them.
34 Those who die in a state of disbelief will not be forgiven, because God forgives not that any partner be ascribed unto Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whomsoever He will (4:48, 116). In contrast those disbelievers, such as Khālid ibn al-Walīd (d. 642), who initially sought to turn others away from Islam before repenting and embracing Islam are believed to have been absolved of their evil deeds (see 47:2c). Khālid ibn al-Walīd, for example, later became a legendary Muslim military leader and is held in high regard by Sunni Muslims.
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# So do not falter and call for peace while you have the upper hand. God is with you and will not deprive you of your deeds.
35 Do not falter, that is, show weakness (IJ). Many understand this verse as a command not to make treaties with the disbelievers (IJ, Q). If this is the case, it would be a command to the nascent Muslim community during its first years in Madinah, when this sūrah is believed to have been revealed, as the Prophet later made significant treaties with many of the tribes who remained disbelievers, the most important of which was the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyah, made with the Quraysh in 6/628 (see the introduction to Sūrah 48). The command to not make treaties with the disbelievers would also stand in stark contrast to the command to make peace given in 8:61: And if they incline toward peace, incline thou toward it, and trust in God. Some thus say that 8:61 abrogates this verse (Q), but, as discussed in 47:4c, in questions such as these many commentators prefer to see such differences as a description of different options or conditions or different rulings under different circumstances rather than abrogation.
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# The life of this world is but play and diversion. If you believe and are reverent, He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your wealth.
36 This world is described as mere play and diversion (see also 6:32; 29:64) or as naught but the enjoyment of delusion (3:185) and more fully as play, diversion, ornament, mutual boasting among you, and vying for increase in property and children—the likeness of a rain whose vegetation impresses the farmers; then it withers such that you see it turn yellow; then it becomes chaf (57:20). That He will . . . not ask for your wealth means that God will allow people to keep most of their wealth, requiring only that they pay the mandatory alms (zakāh); it can also be understood to imply that God is not asking for people’s wealth but for His wealth, since all things ultimately belong to Him (cf. 25:57; Q).
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# Were He to ask you for it, then implore you, you would be miserly, and He would expose your rancor.
37 Were He to ask you for it is understood to mean, “Were He to ask you for all that you own,” while expose your rancor means, “make manifest your enmity toward God and His Messenger” (IJ). In other words, God is Merciful in that He only asks that a small amount of the wealth He has given be spent in the way of God.
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# Behold! You are those who are called upon to spend in the way of God; yet among you some are miserly. And whosoever is miserly is only miserly toward himself. God is the Rich, and you are the poor. And if you turn away, He will cause a people other than you to take your place, and they will not be the likes of you.
38 Whosoever is miserly is only miserly toward himself indicates a moral and spiritual reflexivity of actions in which one’s actions ultimately affect oneself more than anyone else (see also 4:131; 5:54; 6:133; 14:19). In this context, it is understood to mean that refusal to pay the mandatory alms is in fact to deprive oneself of the benefits that accrue from it (IJ), since God has no need of one’s money (Q). Conversely, whatever good you spend, it is for yourselves, when you spend only seeking the Face of God (2:272). This “reflexive” nature of good and evil deeds is emphasized throughout the Quran (see 2:9, 272; 3:69; 4:111; 6:123; 8:60; 9:34–35; 10:23; 29:6; 35:18; 36:19). God is the Rich, and you are the poor (cf. 35:15c) means that God is completely sufficient unto Himself, and human beings are utterly dependent upon Him. In the present context, it also refers to the fact that all of one’s wealth is from God; so to refuse to pay the mandatory alms in the way of God is to refuse to give back to God what is rightfully His. It can, moreover, be understood as a reference to the fact that one’s very existence is from God and that one must thus submit fully and completely to Him. In this vein, al-Tustarī writes of this phrase, “Knowledge of poverty before God is the knowledge that wealth is in God” (ST). He will cause a people other than you to take your place (cf. 4:133; 5:54; 6:133; 9:39; 11:57; 14:19; 35:16) means that God will replace some with others more worthy of His religion, meaning either another people who already exist or a whole new people whom He will create (IJ). They will not be the likes of you then means that they will be better people (IJ), not miserly and refusing to spend in the way of God (Ṭ).
Source: The Study Quran, by Sayyed Hossein Nasr and 4 Others
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