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the Beneficent and the Most Merciful
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Volume 3: Surah Baqarah, Verses
204-207
And among men is he whose talk in the life of
this world pleases you, and takes Allah to witness as to what is in his
heart, yet he is the most violent of adversaries (204). And when he
becomes ruler, he strives on earth that he may cause mischief therein and
destroy the crop and the progeny; and Allah does not love mischief (205).
And when it is said to him, fear Allah, he is overcome by honor
(pride) by sin; so enough for him is Hell; and
certainly it is an evil abode (206). and Among men is he who sells his
self (soul) to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is
Affectionate to the servants (207).
COMMENTARY
This is another classification of men according to their
character. As the preceding verses (200‑202) classified them
according to their want of this world or the Hereafter, these verses do so
from the point of view of their hypocrisy or the sincerity of their faith.
And this is the link between these and the preceding verses.
Qur’an: And among men . . . most
violent of adversaries:
a'jabahu means gave him pleasure,
delighted him. The words, in the life of this world are connected
with pleases you. The meaning is: his talk pleases you in this
life, because in this life one has to rely on appearances. The deeper
traits and inner feelings are hidden behind a curtain which cannot be
lifted at all, although sometimes some clues are found which help one to
surmise what lies behind the curtain.
Then come the word: and takes Allah to witness as to
what is in his heart. He talks in a way that pleases you: he seems
eager to protect the way of the truth, appears keen to do good for the
people, looks enthusiastic for the advancement of the cause of the
religion and the ummah. And to show that his voice comes from the
depth of his heart, he calls on Allah to be his witness. But, in reality
he is the most virulent enemy of the truth.
Aladd is the adjective in superlative
degree, derived from ladda luddudan (he became a very violent
adversary, khisam is plural of khasm by the
paradigm of sa’b:si’ab and ka’b:
ki'ab. Also
it is said that it is an infinitive verb, and that
aladdu l‑khisam means "most violent in enmity".
Qur'an: And when he become ruler he strives on
earth that he may cause mischief therein:
tawalli means to get authority and power. Further
support of this meaning comes from the next verse: he is overcome by
honor (pride) by sin. It shows that he has got an honor (i.e.,
a cause of pride) earned with sin. (The sin is committed by his heart that
does not conform with his tongue.)
Sa’y means to
strive, to walk hurriedly. Thus the verse means: W hen this hypocrite,
this most violent of adversaries, gets a chance to do something, and is
given authority and rules over the people, he hastens hither and thither
and strives to create mischief in the land.
Tawalli may
also mean to tam back, to be out of
sight. In that case the verse would mean: "And when he turns back (from
you), his actions in your absence belie his talk in your presence." The
enthusiasm for the common welfare and the good of the ummah turns
into striving in the land to create mischief and evil.
Qur’an: and destroy
the crop and the progeny:
Apparently it is a description of the mischief. He
creates mischief by destroying the crop and the progeny. The continued
existence of the human species depends on food and procreation. These are
the two most essential things which the human species cannot do without.
Procreation is clear from the word 'progeny'. So far as food is concerned,
man acquires it from the animal and the plant; animals again acquire it
from plants. Thus, the basis of food is the plant which is obtained from
crops. That is why the mischief and destruction has been explained in
terms of crops and progeny. The verse means that he creates mischief and
destruction in the earth by eliminating through the destruction of crop
and progeny.
Qur’an: and Allah
does not love mischief:
fasad literally means
deterioration, corruption, decay, negation, immorality; here it has been
translated as mischief.
fasad in this sentence does not refer to the physical decay or destruction
in this world. This universe is based on such a system that every
destruction leads to a subsequent construction. A struggle for survival is
continuously going on; every existence is followed by extinction, every
life by death. Both are found in this natural cosmos side by side. This is
the system created by Allah; and how can He hate a thing which He Himself
has created and decreed?
It follows that the "mischief" here refers to corruption
in the shari’ah and legislation. Allah ordained the laws of
religion for the betterment of the actions of His servants; these laws
will improve their character and traits; they will keep human society and
human beings on the straight path, on the path of moderation. Thereupon,
they will find happiness and prosperity in this life as well as in the
life Hereafter. (This will be further explained under the verse
2:213)
Then this man appears on the scene whose words belie his
inner feelings; he starts running hither and thither to create immorality
and mischief on the earth. He pretends to improve society, but in reality
he destroys. He alters the words of Allah by giving them a wrong meaning;
he changes the laws ordained by Allah; he manipulates the teachings of the
religion. All this leads to depravity of character and perennial
controversy in religion and society. And, in this manner, the religion is
negated, humanity is eliminated and the whole world is ruined.
To appreciate how true these verses are, look at the
history of Islam and see how unauthorized people took the reins of the
state in their hands, how they imposed themselves on the Muslim ummah
and how they corruptly conducted the affairs of religion and state.
They did what they did and the losers were the religion (which got nothing
but evil results), the Muslims (who are always in decline and decadence)
and the ummah (which is perennially plagued with internal strife
and dispute.) The religion is now a ball in the hands of anyone who wants
to play with; and human values a toy to be treasured and then discarded at
the whim of the child.
The result of this striving of that hypocrite is decay
and deterioration on the earth; first, he corrupted religion and then
destroyed humanity. That is why in some traditions and destroy the
crops and progeny has been interpreted as the destruction of religion
and humanity.
Qur’an: And when it
is said to him, fear Allah, he is overcome by honor (pride) by sin; so enough for is Hell, and
certainly it is an ill abode:
'Izzah means honor,
mihad is the paved way, abode. Apparently, the words by sin
qualify the word, the honor, and have no connection with he
is overcome. The verse says that when he is told to fear Allah, he is
overcome by the apparent honor which he has earned through his sins and
hypocrisy.
The real honor comes from Allah as He says: and Thou
exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom thou pleasest (3:26);
and to Allah belongs the honor and to His Apostle and to the believer
(63:8); Do they seek honor from them? Then, surely all honor
belongs to Allah (4:139). Honor is a status which Allah
attributes to Himself and declares that it is only He who bestows it on
His chosen creatures. Such a thing cannot be a source of sin or evil. It
naturally follows that the honor mentioned in this verse is not real honor
which is given by Allah. It is only a masquerade which deceives none
except the ignorant people who mistakenly accept it as honor.
The preposition "by" (b. . .) in "by sin" (bi
‘l-ithm) has no connection with the verb he is overcome; the
word "sin" is neither the object of "is overcome", nor its cause. In other
words, the verse does not say that his honor or pride drives him to sin
and to rejection of the advice to fear Allah, or incites him to answer
back the said advisor in unbecoming language. Nor does it mean that sin
drives him to pride. As mentioned above, the word by sin qualifies
the word honor (or pride), and indicates the honor or pride gained
by sin. Had the word honor been left unconditional, it would have
meant that Allah recognized it as real honor (which comes from Allah). And
in that case it could not be said to create, or be created by, sin or
pride. That is why we say that it is conditional and means an apparent
honor which is earned through sin and hypocrisy.
There is another verse where the word honor (izzah)
has been used for the unbelievers. But there, also, the context shows
that it means only an appearance of honor, not real honor. Allah says:
Nay, those who disbelieve are (steeped) in self‑exaltation
‘izzatin, and opposition. How many did We destroy of the generations
before them, then they cried but there was no longer any escape
(38:2‑3). Here the word izzatin (translated above as
"self‑exaltation") is a common noun, it does not have any definite article
before it, and the next verse describes the destruction of people like
them. These points clearly show that here also it is only an appearance of
honor, a passing shadow which will not last long.
Qur’an: And among
the man is he who sells his self (soul) to seek the pleasure of Allah; and
Allah is Affectionate to the servants.:
This verse is in contrast to the preceding three ones.
On one side there is a man priding himself in his sins, boasting and
self‑exalting, showing the doing of good to people, hiding his hypocrisy
behind a mask of charming words; and religion and humanity cannot expect
of him anything except ruin and destruction.
On the other side is a man who has sold his soul to
Allah, he wants nothing except what Allah wishes; he desires nothing for
his self; his honor and strength come only from Allah, and he seeks
nothing but the pleasure of Allah. By his presence, religious and worldly
affairs re‑acquire their correct shape, the truth is revived, humanity
enjoys a happy life and the good effects of Islam reach every
one.
This also shows the connection of the end of the
verse, and Allah is Affectionate to the servants, with its
beginning. Surely, the presence of such a man is a great mercy from Allah
to His servants. Had there not been such virtuous people to counteract the
designs of those others (whose stock‑in‑trade is hypocrisy and mischief),
the structure of religion would have fallen into ruins, and the foundation
of righteousness and goodness would have been destroyed. But it is the
method chosen by Allah that He removes that wrong by this truth, and
repairs the damage inflicted by His enemies with the good spread by His
beloved and chosen servants. He has said: And were
it not for Allah's repelling some men with others, the earth certainly
would be in a state of disorder (2:251);
And had there not been Allah's repelling some people by others, certainly
would have been pulled down cloisters, and churches, and synagogues, and
mosques in which Allah's name is much remembered (22:40); therefore
if these disbelievers in it, We have already entrusted it with a
people who are not disbelievers in it (6:89). The decadence
brought upon the religion and the world by those who love nothing but
their own selves cannot be removed except through the good overflowing
from those who have sold their souls to Allah, who love nothing except
Allah and who desire nothing except that the world and the people of the
world may become virtuous.
This deal has been praised by Allah in many verses, one
of which is as follows:
Surely Allah has bought from the believers
their selves and their properties, for this that theirs be the Garden;
they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain; (this is) a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the
Injil and the Qur’an; and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah?
Therefore, rejoice in the trade that you have transacted; and that is the
great achievement (9:111).
TRADITIONS
It is reported from as‑Suddi about the verses, And among
the men is he whose talk . . . an evil abode, that they were revealed
about, Akhnas ibn Shariq ath‑Thaqafi, an ally of Banu Zuhrah. He came to
the Prophet in Medina and said: "I have come seeking Islam, and Allah
knows that surely I am truthful." The Prophet was pleased with that talk.
The words of Allah, and takes Allah to witness as to what is in his heart
refer to this, aspect. Then he went out and passed by an agricultural
field and some donkeys belonging to some Muslims. He burnt the filth and
wounded and killed the donkeys. It was about that that the verse was
revealed, and when he turns away (from you) he runs hither and thither on
earth so that he may cause mischief therein and destroy the tilth
and the stock. [ad-Durru ‘l manthur]
It is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that the three verses
were revealed about the hypocrites because he shows what is opposed to
what he hides in his heart. The author of al‑Majma' (said that the
same was also narrated from as‑Sadiq (a.s.). [Majma’u
‘l-bayan]
The author says: But this interpretation does not
fit the apparent meaning of the verse.
It is
written in some traditions narrated from the Imams of Ahlu l‑bayt
that these verses were revealed about their enemies.
It is
narrated from as-Sadiq (a.s.) about the words of Allah, and destroy the
crop and progeny, that crop means religion, and progeny, humanity.
[Majma’u ‘l-bayan]
The author says: This tradition has already
been explained earlier. In another tradition the crop has been interpreted
as 'progeny and crop'. It is easy to see how this also may fit the earlier
explanation.
ash‑Shaykh has narrated in his al-Amali a tradition from 'Ali ibn
al‑Husayn (a.s.), about the verse: And among men is he who sells . . .
Affectionate to the servants, that he said: "It was revealed about 'Ali
(a.s.) when he slept (on the night of hijrah) on the bed of the Messenger
of Allah."
The author says:
There are innumerable traditions from both
Shi'ah and Sunni chains that this verse was revealed about 'Ali concerning his sacrifice
on the night of hijrah,. Tafsir al‑burhan gives five of those
chains from ath‑Tha'labi and others.
Ibn Marduwayh has narrated from Suhayb that he said:
"When I intended to emigrate from Mecca to the Prophet in Medina, the
Qurayshites told me, 'O Suhayb! You came to us and you had no wealth. Now
you want to emigrate with all this wealth of yours, By God, this can't
be.' So I said to them, 'What do you think? Would you leave me if I gave
you all my wealth?' They said: 'Yes!' Thereupon I gave them my wealth and
they left me. I came out till I reached Medina. This incident was reported
to the Prophet and he said: 'Suhayb profited twice.' " [ad‑Durru
l-manthur]
The author says:
He has narrated it from some other chains also, some of which add: and
then the verse was revealed: And among men is he
who sells his soul. . .
Some other traditions say that it was revealed about
Suhayb and Abu Dharr because they purchased themselves by giving away
their properties. But the verse does not say, "he who purchases . . .", it
says, he who sells. And the interpretation of the verses does not
agree with the meaning of "purchase".
There is a tradition from 'Ali (a.s.) that this verse
refers to a man who is killed because of enjoining to do good and
forbidding to do bad. [Majma’u l-bayan]
The author says: It is
one example of the general meaning of the verse. There is no difficulty in
explaining the meaning of the verse in general terms, though it was sent
down on a particular occasion for a particular person.
* * * * *
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