4. Surah An-Nisaa

The fifth verse (64) begins by stating a universal Divine principle: And We did not send any Messenger but to be obeyed by the leave of Allah.' It means that any Messenger who was sent by Allah was sent so that everyone obeys the rules set by him in accordance with the will and command of Allah Almighty. In that case, the inevitable consequence will be that anyone who opposes the rules set by the Messenger will be dealt with in the manner disbelievers are dealt with. Therefore, whatever Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ did turned out to be correct. Following this appears an advice in the best interest of the hypocrites indicating that they would have done better if, rather than indulge in false oaths and interpretations, they would have confessed their error and presented themselves before him seeking forgiveness from Allah, and the Messenger too prayed for their forgiveness, then, Allah Almighty would have certainly accepted their repentance. At this place, for the repentance to be acceptable, two things have been made binding: That they present themselves before the Holy Prophet ~..L ..1L ! t and that he then prays for their forgiveness. Perhaps, the first reason is that they violated the great station of prophethood bestowed by Allah Almighty on His noble Messenger ﷺ and caused him undue pain by disregarding the decision given by him. So, in order that their repentance: over their crime becomes acceptable, the condition that they present themselves before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and that he prays for their forgiveness was imposed on them. Although, this verse (64) was revealed in the background of a particular incident relating to the hypocrites, yet its words yield a general ruling which stipulates that anyone who presents himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and he prays for his forgiveness he will definitely be forgiven. And 'the presence before the Holy Prophet ﷺ as it would have been during his blessed life in this mortal world, holds the same effect even today as the visit to the sacred precincts of the Mosque of the Prophet and the act of 'presenting' oneself before the blessed resident of the sanctified mausoleum falls within the jurisdiction of this rule. Sayyidna Ali ؓ said: "Three days after we all had finished with the burial of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a villager came and fell down close to the blessed grave. Weeping bitterly, he referred to this particular verse of the Qur'an and addressing himself to the blessed grave, he said: 'Allah Almighty has promised in this verse that a sinner, if he presented himself before the Rasul of Allah, and the Rasul elects to pray for his forgiveness, then he will be forgiven. Therefore, here I am, presenting myself before you so that I may be blessed with your prayer for my forgiveness.' People personally present there at that time say that, in response to the pleading of the villager, a voice coming out from the sanctified mausoleum rang around with the words: قَد غُفِرَ لَکَ meaning: You have been forgiven. (al-Bahr al-Muhit)

Commentary Not accepting the decision of the Holy Prophet is Kufr This verse, while projecting a powerful view of the highly exalted station of the noble Prophet ﷺ presents a very explicit statement concerning the need to obey him, something conclusively proved by so many verses of the Holy Qur'an. The verse opens with the ultimate oath, "by your Lord", following which Allah Almighty proclaims that nobody can become a Muslim unless he accepts the verdict of the Holy Prophet ﷺ willingly, calmly and fully to the extent that there remains even in his heart not the slightest strain because of this verdict. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is himself the exerciser of God-given authority over his community in his capacity as the Messenger of Allah and he is thus responsible for adjudicating in every dispute that may arise. The authority he excercises in making decisions certainly does not depend upon his being made a judge by some litigants. We should also keep in mind that Muslims have been asked to make the prophet their judge because people are generally not satisfied with judgments delivered by someone appointed by the government as compared with an arbitrator they themselves choose to have. But, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، is not only the ruler of a state, he is a Messenger of Allah, protected against sins by Him, and sent as mercy for the worlds, and also a loving father for his community - so, the compassionate instruction given is that, whenever a situation of conflict arises in social or religious matters, the contesting parties are duty-bound to make the Holy Prophet ﷺ the arbitrator and judge and have him give the final verdict, and once the verdict has been given by him, let them all accept it whole-heartedly and act accordingly. The Authority of the Holy Prophet ﷺ extends to all times Commentators say that acting in accordance with this command of the Holy Qur'n is not restricted to the blessed times when he graced this mortal world. After him, the verdict of the sacred Law left by him, is nothing but his own verdict. Therefore, the rule reigns supreme right through the Last Day, the rule that guidance should be sought by-turning directly to the Holy Prophet LI during his blessed life-time, and after him, one must turn to his Shari'ah which is, in all reality, a return to him, may Allah bless him forever and ever. Some problems and their solutions 1. To begin with, as already stated earlier, the rule is that a person who is not satisfied with the decision given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، in every dispute and in every problem or issue, is not a Muslim. As we already know, this was the reason why Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ killed the person who was not satisfied with the decision given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ following which he carried the case to Sayyidna ` Umar for an alternate judgment. The heirs of the person killed went to the court of the Holy Prophet ﷺ with a suit against Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ accusing him of having killed a Muslim without a valid legal reason. It is important to note here, and this has not been taken up earlier, that the following words, when the case was presented before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، came out spontaneously from his blessed lips: " مَا کنت أظن أن عمر یجترء علٰی قتل رجل مؤمن " (that is, I never thought ` Umar will ever dare killing a believing Muslim). This proves that the higher authority, when approached with an appeal against the decision of a lower authority, should not take sides with his subordinate authority, but should come up with a decision based on justice and fairness alone, as it has been illustrated above where the Holy Prophet ﷺ expressed his displeasure over the decision of Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ - before the revelation of the verse had a bearing on this incident. Once this verse was revealed, the reality came out in the open that the person killed was not a believing Muslim as confirmed by this verse. 2. The second ruling which emerges from the expression: فیما شَجَرَ (in the disputes which arise) settles that it is not restricted to dealings and rights alone; it covers articles of belief, ideas and many other theoretical problems. (at-Bahr al-Muhit) Therefore, given such a wide spectrum if intellectual and social activity, it is not unlikely that things could go to the undesirable limits of mutual differences in views and ways when confronting a certain problem. When this does happen, it is the duty of a Muslim not to continue mutual disputation, instead of which, both parties should revert back to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and when he is not with them personally, they must revert back to his Shari’ ah to search for the solution of their problems. 3. The third rule of self-assessment that we find from here is: Doing something, which was provenly said or done by the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، with a heavy heart is a sign of weakness in faith ('Iman). For example, there are occasions when the Shari’ ah has allowed the performance of salah by making tayammum in place of the regular wudu with water; now, if a person feels uneasy and not so satisfied with the idea of making the symbolic tayammum in place of a regular wuclu he would very much like to do, then, he should not take this attitude of his as a sign of taqwa or piety, instead, he should take it to be caused by some spiritual sickness. Who can be more muttaqi, more God-fearing than the Holy Prophet ﷺ ? If the form and condition in which he allowed people to perform their prayers while sitting - and he himself performed it while sitting - does not find favour with a person looking for the satisfaction of his heart, and he elects to undergo unbearable hardship by insisting to stand and perform his prayer in that position, then, he better be sure that there is some sickness is his heart. However, if a person, whose pain or discomfort or need is not that acute, elects not to use the leave (rukhsah) given to him by the Shari’ ah and, instead of that, chooses to take the path of high determination.(` azimah) which is, then, correct in accordance with the very teaching of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . But feeling any strain in utilizing the leaves (rukhsah) granted by the Shari’ ah as some sort of absolute rule is no taqwa. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: یُحِبُّ اَن تُؤتٰی اِنَ اللہ تعالیٰ یُحِبُّ اَن تُؤتٰی رُخصہ کَمَا یُحِبُّ اَن تُؤتٰی عَزَایٔمُہ (that is, 'the way Allah Almighty is pleased with what is done with high determination, so is He pleased with what is done by using leaves).' The best method of general ` Ibadat (acts of worship), Adhkar اَذکَار (plural of dhikr: the remembrance of Allah), Aurad اوراد (plural of wird وِرد : self-allotted voluntary recitations, made privately in specified hours of the morning or night), Durud (prayer to Allah that peace and blessings be on the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Tasbih (glorification of Allah) is no different than what used to be the routine of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself and which was, after him, followed consistently by his noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all. All Muslims must, as a matter or personal obligation, find these out from the authentic and sound narrations of hadith so that they can make them an integral part of their daily routine of life. Special Note Details given above clearly show that the Holy Prophet was not only a reformer and moral leader but was a just ruler as well, an authority of such class and majesty that his judgment was declared to be the very criterion of belief and disbelief, a 'distinguishing feature between 'Iman and Kufr, as evident from the incident relating to Bishr, the hypocrite. To make this prophetic station more explicit, Allah Almighty has, at many places in His sacred Book made the obedience of the Holy Prophet ﷺ mandatory along with His own due obedience incumbent on all believers. Thus, the Qur'an says: أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّ‌سُولَ (Obey Allah and obey the Messenger - 3:32; 3:132; 4:59; 5:92; 24:54; 47:33; 64:12). Then, elsewhere it says: مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّ‌سُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّـهَ (Whoever obeys the Messenger, he really obeys Allah - 4:80).1 1. For a detailed treatment of this aspect, please see "The Authority of Sunnah" by Muhammad Taqi Usmani. A little deliberation in these verses will unfold the radiant grandeur of his authority, a practical demonstration of which became manifest when Allah Almighty sent to him His Law so that he can decide cases in accordance with it. Therefore, it was said: إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِمَا أَرَ‌اكَ اللَّـهُ ۚ (that is, 'We revealed to you the Book with the truth so that you may judge between people by what Allah makes you see.' ) (4:105)

The present verses and those appearing immediately earlier were revealed in the background of an incident relating to Bishr, the hypocrite. As we already know, he had first proposed Ka'b Ibn Ashraf, the Jew as the adjudicator of his dispute, but, later on, mutual discussions forced him to go to the Holy Prophet ﷺ for this purpose. Since the judgment of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was against him, he did not accept it and went to Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ for a totally fresh decision. When the news of this incident got around in the city of Madinah, the Jews chided Muslims by saying: 'What sort of people you really are? Here you are believing in a Messenger of Allah and claiming to follow him, yet you do not accept his decisions! Look, in -order that their repentance be accepted, the Jews were commanded to kill each other. This was a severe command, but we obeyed it, so much so that seventy thousand of our people were killed. If you were given a command like that, what would you have done?' Thereupon, the verse وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ (And if We had prescribed for them ...) was revealed. It means: If these hypocrites, or all common people, disbelievers or believers, were charged with some severe command, such as that of self-killing or migration like the Bani' Isra` il were ordered to do, very few of them would have, being what they are, obeyed this command. On the one hand, there is a stern warning here for people who try to seek the solutions of their disputes, not from the Messenger of Allah, or not from the Law and Way of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ، but take it elsewhere. On the other hand, it answers the chiding of the Jews because this state of affairs fits the hypocrites and certainly not those who are firm in their faith as true Muslims. This is proved by what happened when this verse was revealed. Someone from among the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, said: 'Allah did not put us through this trial.' When this statement was relayed to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، he said: 'There are people in my community in whose heart Faith is entrenched firm like mountains.' Ibn Wahab says that this statement was made by Sayyidna Abu Bakr رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ . According to another narration, when Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ heard this verse, he said: Had this command been prescribed, by God, I would have been the first to sacrifice myself and my family to obey. According to some other narrations, when this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: If this command to self-kill or migrate had come from Allah, Umm ` Abd (meaning Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ would have definitely acted accord-ingly.' As for migration, the noble Companions ؓ acted faithfully and selflessly when they left their homes in Makkah, left their properties and businesses, and migrated to Madinah. Towards the end of the verse (66), it has been said that, difficult though it may seem, yet doing, so in obedience to their Lord's command would turn out to be better for them in the end. This will make their faith more firm, bringing a great reward from Allah, and the blessing of being guided to the straight path. This great reward promised here in the end of verse 67 for those who obey Allah and His Messenger has been described immediately after in verses 69 and 70 which follow with detailed explanations of the promised ranks. it.

1.Siddiq, lexically means 'very truthful'. In the Islamic terminology, it normally refers to those Companions of a prophet who excel all others in their submission to Allah and His Messenger. They enjoy the highest status of piety after the Prophets, like Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ 2. Shuhada (plural of Shahid) means the persons who sacrificed their lives in the way of Allah. The word has not been translated here by the word 'martyr` which sometimes is taken as an equivalent of Shahid, because the word 'martyr' is also applied for the persons killed in ethnic or racial wars while they may not be termed as 'Shuhada' in the Islamic terminology. In the verses appearing immediately earlier, the promise of a great reward was made to special addressees. at appears in the present verses is a universal promise. that those who obey Allah and His Messenger shall be rewarded as a standing rule. Commentary: Deeds wi11 be the criterion in ranks of Paradise Those who do everything Allah and His Messenger have asked them to do and stay away from everything Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, shall receive different ranks in terms of their deeds. The foremost among them will be blessed with the highest stations of Paradise along with the noble prophets, may peace be upon- them all. Next to them will come those who will be blessed with the rank of those who are only next to prophets. They are known as the Siddiqin, that is, the great Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ who came forward to believe in the very initial stage without any hesitation or hostility, like Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ . Then, there will be a third rank of people who will be with the noble Shuhada. The Shuhada' are people who sacrificed their lives and wealth in the way of Allah. Then, those in the fourth rank will be with the revered Righteous. The Salihin or the Righteous are people who restrict themselves, outwardly and inwardly, to doing only what is good and right. In short, all those who are totally obedient to Allah and His Messenger shall be in the company of those who are the most exalted and the most favoured in the sight of Allah Almighty and who have been identified here under four ranks: Prophets, Siddiqin, Shuhada' and Salihin (righteous). The Background of Revelation This verse was revealed in the background of a special event which has been reported by the great commentator, Ibn Kathir as based on several sound authorities. It so happened, narrates Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، that a Companion came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ one day and said to him: 'Ya Rasulallah, I hold you dear, dearer than my own life, even more than my wife and more than my children. There are times when I do not seem to be at peace with myself even in my house until I come to you and have the pleasure of looking at you. That finally gives me the peace I missed. Now, I am worried about the time when you will leave this mortal world and I too will be taken away by death. In that case, what I know for sure is that you will be in Paradise with the blessed prophets housed in its most exalted stations. As for myself, first of all, I just do not know whether or not I shall be able to reach Paradise. Even if I do reach there, the level where I shall be will be way below from where you are. If I am unable to visit you and have the pleasure of seeing you there, how am I going to put this impatient heart of mine at rest?' The Holy Prophet ﷺ quietly heard what he said, but made no response, until came the revelation of this particular verse (69) وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَالرَّ‌سُولَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ﴿69﴾ It was only then that the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave him the glad tidings that the obedient ones shall have occasions to meet with the prophets, the Siddiqin, the Shuhada' and the righteous. In other words, despite the relative precedence of ranks in Paradise, there will be occasions of meeting and sitting together. Some forms of 'meeting' in Paradise One such form will be that people will see each other from where they are, as it has been reported in Mu'atta of Imam Malik (رح) on the authority of a narration from Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: 'The inmates of Paradise will see those in the strata above them like you see stars in the physical world.' Also there will be yet another form when visits will be made to the strata where they are, as Ibn Jarir has reported on the authority of a narration from Sayyidna Rabi' that the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، while explaining this verse, said: 'Those of the strata above will come down to those of the strata below to meet and sit with them.' It also possible that those of the strata below have the permission to visit and meet those of the higher strata, as the Holy Prophet 4 has, on the basis of this verse, given many people the glad tidings of being with him in the Paradise. It appears in Sahih Muslim 'that Sayyidna Ka` b ibn Aslami ,.L .1JI used to spend nights in the company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ At the time of Tahajjud on one of such nights, Sayyidna Ka'b Aslami ؓ brought water for wudu, the miswak and other things he might need at that time. The Holy Prophet ﷺ ، quite pleased with him, said: 'Is there anything I can do for you? Go ahead, ask.' Sayyidna Ka'b Aslami ؓ said: 'I wish to have your company in Paradise.' He said: 'Anything else?' Sayyidna Ka` b ؓ said: 'Nothing else.' Thereupon, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: 'If you want to be with me in Paradise, then " أعنی علی نفسک بکثرۃ اسجود " (literally - 'help me by taking upon yourself the doing of plenty of prostrations' ). The elegant prophetic expression means that 'your wish shall be granted, but you can also help me in this by offering plenty of prostrations (sujud, sajdah) that is, plenty of voluntary prayers (nawafl). According to the Musnad of Ahmad, a man came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . and said: 'Ya Rasulallah, I have testified that there is none worthy of worship other than Allah, and that you are the true Messenger of Allah, and I dutifully perform the five prescribed prayers every day, pay the Zakah due on me and fast during the month of Ramadan.' Hearing this, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: 'Anyone who dies in this state will be with the prophets, the Siddiqin and the Shuhada - only if he does not disobey his parents.' Similarly, there is another hadith from Tirmidhi in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ reported to have said: اَلتاجر الصدوق الامین مع النبیِّن وَالصِّدِّیقین وَالشُھَدَآءِ , (The businessman who is truthful and trusty will be with the prophets and the Siddiqin and the Shuhada' ). Love is the sine qua non of Nearness The blessed company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ can be acquired by loving him. This is conclusively proved by what has been reported in Sahih al-Bukhari on the authority of many uninterrupted chains of narrations from a large body of the noble Companions ؓ of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he, on being asked as to what will be the status of a person who does belong to a group emotionally but fails to achieve the standards of deeds set by it, said: اَلمَرَء مَعَ مَن اَحَبَّ that is, (on the Day of Resurrection) everyone will be with the ones whom he loves. Sayyidna Anas ؓ days that the Noble Companions ؓ were never so pleased with anything else in this mortal world as they were when they heard this hadith, because it gave them the most wonderful news, a delightful prophecy indeed, that those who love the Holy Prophet ﷺ will be with their noble master on the plains of Resurrection and in the gardens of Paradise. The company of the Holy Prophet is not restricted to any colour or race In al-Mu'jim al-Kabir al-Tabarani has reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ that an Ethiopian came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and said: 'Ya Rasulallah, may His blessings be upon you, not only that you are distinct from us in the beauty of your physique and the colour of your skin but you also have the distinction of being a prophet and messenger of Allah. Now, if I were to believe in what you believe and do what you do, can I too have the honour of being with you in the Paradise?' The Holy Prophet ﷺ ~ said: 'Definitely yes (forget about your being black). I swear by the Power whose hands hold my life that all members of the black race will become fair and beautiful in Paradise radiating in their presence from a distance which might take a thousand years to cover. Then, Allah takes upon Himself the success and salvation of a person who says and believes in لا إلہ إلا اللہ ، (There is no god but Allah) and a person who recites سُبحانَ اللہ و بِحَمدِہ (Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi: 'Pure is Allah and praised is He' ) has one hundred and twenty four thousand virtues written. in his Book of Deeds.' Hearing this, someone present there said: 'Ya Rasulallah, when Allah is generous in giving such enormous awards on such minor good deeds, how can we ever perish or be punished?' He said: ' (That is not the point), the truth is that some people will come up on the Day of Doom with so many virtues and good deeds, so many that, should all these be placed on a mountain, even the mountain would find their weight too heavy to hold. But, when they are compared to the blessings from Allah (bestowed on them in the worldly life), man's deeds and virtues remain no match to them - unless Allah Almighty Himself elects to be generous and merciful to him. It was this question and answer with the Ethiopian brother which caused the revelation of the following verse of Surah Ad-Daher: هَلْ أَتَىٰ عَلَى الْإِنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ‌ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئًا مَّذْكُورً‌ا ﴿1﴾ (that is, man has indeed been through a period of time being nothing-76:1). Surprised, the Ethiopian gentleman asked: 'Ya Rasulallah, will my eyes be seeing the same blessing which your blessed eyes will be witnessing?' He ﷺ said: 'Definitely yes.' Hearing this, the newly converted Muslim from Ethiopia started weeping and so much so that he died in that very state - weeping his heart out. The Holy Prophet ﷺ performed his last rites, bathing and shrouding and offering salatul janazah and burial, all with his own blessed hands. Ranks of Paradise: Some details Now that we have gone through an explanation of the verse, including the background of its revelation and related clarifications, the only thing that remains to be determined is the nature of the four ranks of people blessed by Allah. We have to find out as to what is the basis on which these ranks have been established, how they are interconnected and how are they different from each other, and whether or not can these converge into one person. Commentators have written in great details about this subject. Some say that all these four ranks can be found in one person. According to them, all these attributes are overlapping because the one identified as 'prophet' in the Holy Qur'an has also been called by the title of 'siddiq'. For example, it has been said about Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) (Surely, he was a man of truth, a prophet - 19:41); and about Sayyidna Yahya (علیہ السلام) (and a prophet from among the righteous - 3:39); and similarly, about Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) (and he shall speak to the people in the cradle) 'as well as in middle age, and shall be one of the righteous' - 3:46. The outcome is that, though these four attributes and ranks are distinct in terms of meaning and sense, yet it is possible to find all these combined in one person. Let us take an example to illustrate the proposition. Religious scholars, the ` ulama` are identified by their attributions, such as a Mufassir (commentator of the Holy Qur'an), a Muhaddith (scholar of hadith), a Faqih (Muslim jurist), a مُؤرِّخ Muwarrikh (historian). But, there could be some scholars who may combine in their person the excellence of all these fields. In our own time, when the trend is towards interdisciplinary education and training, it is not so difficult to conceive the convergence of the attributes of a doctor, an engineer and a pilot, all in one person. However, in accordance with commonly recognized practice, a person gets to be identified with an attribute which comes to take a dominating position in his life-work because of which such a person is usually associated with that particular field. It is for this reason that commentators generally take. 'Siddiqin' to mean the most illustrious Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Shuhada' to mean the martyrs of the battle of Uhud and Salihin as signifying the general run of righteous Muslims. Imam Raghib al-Isfahani (رح) has determined that all these four ranks are different. The same things find mention in Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, Ruh al-Ma'ani and Mazhari. The sense of this approach is that Allah Almighty has, in this verse classified true Muslims in four categories or ranks and for each He has appointed stations of precedence, and common Muslims have been induced to see that they do not lag far behind in their efforts to achieve the rankings of any of these ideal ones. Waging the best of their intellectual and practical struggle, they must do the best they can to reach such stations of excellence. However, the station of prophethood is something which can never be acquired by effort and struggle, but there is something one still gets to have and that is the company of the prophets. Imam Raghib (رح) says that the highest among these ranks is that of the prophets, may peace be upon them. They enjoy the support of the Divine power. They 'are like someone who is seeing something from a close range. Therefore, Allah Almighty has said about such people: (Do you argue with him over what he sees? - 53:12). The definition of the Siddiqin The second rank is that of the Siddiqin. These are people close to the blessed prophets in the quality of spiritual excellence. They are like someone seeing something from a distance. Somebody asked Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ 'Have you seen Allah Almighty?' He said: 'I cannot worship something I have not seen.' Then, he further said: 'Though people have not seen Allah Almighty with their eyes, but their hearts have seen Him through the realities of faith.' By his act of 'seeing', Sayyidna ` Ali meant the kind of sighting he has referred to later, for such intellectual or intuitive perception is like seeing. The definition of the Shuhada' The third rank is that of the Shuhada'. These are people who recognize their ultimate objective through the chain of reasons and proofs. They have no access to direct vision, that is, mushahada is what they miss. They are like someone seeing something in a mirror from a close range - very similar to what Sayyidna Harithah ؓ said: 'I feel I am seeing the Throne of my most sublime Lord.' The expression اَن تَعبُدَ اللہ کَاَنَّکَ تَرَاہُ ( (That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him) in the famous hadith may also be interpreted to mean this very kind of 'seeing'. The definition of the Sa1ihin The third rank is that of the Salihin. These are people who recognize their ultimate objective through following the precepts of Shari'ah. It is like someone sees something in a mirror from a distance. In the other part of the famous hadith quoted above: فَاِن لَّم تَکُن تراہُ فَاِنَّہ یَرَاکَ (And if you cannot see Him, then, He sees you anyway) the reference may be to this very level of 'seeing'. In short, this investigative approach taken by Imam Raghib al-Isfahani shows that all these ranks are ranks that reflect the quantum of knowledge one has of His Lord, and that the different gradations that are there are based on the respective rankings of this knowledge. As for the subject of the verse, it is clear enough. Here, all Muslims have been given the glad tidings that those who are totally obedient to Allah and His Messenger shall be with those who hold higher ranks in Paradise. May Allah Almighty bless us all with this love, آمِین Amin.

Before this, there was the command to obey Allah and His Messenger. Now, in the present verses, Jihad has been prescribed for the obedient and faithful so that they can vitalize their Faith and raise the word of Allah high and supreme. (Qurtubi) Commentary Important Notes In the first part of the verse: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا خُذُوا حِذْرَ‌كُمْ اَلخ (0 those who believe, take your precautions ...), appears the command to ensure the supply of weapons, while the later part refers to the launching of Jihad action. This tells us two things right away. Firstly, as already clarified at several places, the act of getting together functional means to achieve a good purpose is not contrary to tawakkul or trust in God. Secondly, we see that the text limits. itself to the command to ensure the supply of weapons, but it does not promise that, because of this support, Muslims will have any guaranteed security against their enemies. By doing so, it has been indicated that the choice of using means is for nothing but a certain peace of mind, otherwise, the use of means as such does not carry any operational gain or loss. The Qur'an has said: قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَا إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَنَا (0 Prophet) say: "Nothing will befall us except what Allah has prescribed for us." (9:51) 2. Let us look at the first verse again. It opens up with the command to get ready for Jihad followed by a- description of the marching plan; the later has been expressed in two sentences, that is, فَانفِرُ‌وا ثُبَاتٍ أَوِ انفِرُ‌وا جَمِيعًا (...and march in groups, or march off all together.) Here, the word, 'thubatin' is the plural form of 'thubatun' which means a small group and is used to denote a military company and was called a Sariyyah in the military campaigns of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . In that sense, it is being said here that Muslims, when they go out for Jihad, should not start off all alone. They should, rather, set out in the formation of small groups. The other alternative is to march as a large army: jami’ an' because, in fighting, going 'alone is very likely to hurt --- the enemy is not going to let this opportunity slip out of their hands. No doubt, this instruction has been given to Muslims for the particular occasion of Jihad, but, even in normal circumstances, this is what the Shari’ ah teaches - do not travel alone. In a hadith, therefore, a lone traveler is called one satan and two of them two satans and three of them become a group or party. Similarly, there is another hadith which says: خَیر الصحابہ اربعۃ، و خیرالسرایا أبعہ مایٔہ، وخیر اجیوش اربعۃ آلاف . The best companions are four and the best military company is that of four hundred and the best army is that of four thousand.' (From Mishkat as reported by Al-Tabarani)

2. Seen outwardly, the words of the verse 72 (... وَإِنَّ مِنكُمْ ) seem to suggest that this too is addressed to the believers, although the characteristics described later on cannot be taken to be those of the believers. Therefore, al-Qurtubi says that they signify hypocrites. Since, they were the ones who used to claim being Muslims, at least outwardly. This is why they have been identified as a group from among the believers.

Commentary Answering the call of the oppressed Left behind in Makkah were Muslims who were unable to migrate because of physical weakness and insufficiency of resources. Later on, the disbelievers themselves stopped them from going and started hurting and harassing them in all sorts of ways so that they turn away from their faith in Islam. The names of some of these are preserved in exegetic works, for example, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and his mother, Sulyma ibn Hisham, Walid ibn Walid and Abu Jandal ibn Sahl, may Allah be pleased with them all (Qurtubi). These blessed people kept facing tyranny and torture because of their unflinching faith showing no signs that they would ever surrender their firm stand on Islam. However, they did continue praying to Allah Almighty for deliverance from this hard life which was finally accepted by Him when He commanded Muslims to wage Jihad against the disbelievers and rescue the oppressed from their coercion and persecution. According to this verse, Muslims had requested Allah Almighty the favour of two things - that they be rescued from that town (meaning Makkah) and that they be blessed with some supporter and helper. The fact is that Allah Almighty granted both these prayers when He provided some of them with the opportunity to move out from there which was the fulfillment of their first wish. However, some of them remained staying right there until the Conquest of Makkah. At that time, the Holy Prophet ﷺ appointed Sayyidna ` Attab ibn Asid as their caretaker and who had the oppressed Muslims delivered from their oppressors. Thus, granted was their second wish as well. It will be noted that the Holy Qur'an, rather than give a straightforward command to fight in this verse, has elected to use the words: وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ): (What has happened to you that you do not fight in the way of Allah?). Here the hint given is that fighting and Jihad is a natural duty under such conditions,_ not doing which is certainly far from a reasonable man.

Praying to Allah is the panacea for all hardships The words of prayer in verse 75: يَقُولُونَ رَ‌بَّنَا أَخْرِ‌جْنَا tell us that one of the reasons why the command to fight came was the prayer made by these weak Muslim men and women. Allah Almighty responded to their prayer and commanded Muslims to wage Jihad against their oppressors and which put an end to their hardships immediately. The objectives of war Verse 76 says that الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ :those who believe fight in the way of Allah and those who disbelieve fight in the way of Taghut.' This clearly shows that the purpose for which a believer strives is to see that the Divine Law becomes operative in this world and that the authority of Allah Almighty reigns supreme, because He is the master of all. He has created the universe in His infinite wisdom, and His Law is based on pure justice, and when the rule of justice is established, there will be peace which sustains. In order that there be peace in the world, it is necessary that it is run under a law which is the Law of the Lord. So, when a true and perfect Muslim fights in a war, this is the purpose before him. But, in sharp contrast to him, disbelievers seek to spread the message of kufr, give it the widest possible currency, and work to bring about the ascendency of disbelief. They are all too eager to see that satanic powers rule the world so that everything that constitutes kufr and shirk can be enforced in the universal order giving it the sheen and glamour of something seemingly positive. Since kufr and shirk are the ways of the Satan, therefore, the disbelievers help the Satan in doing his job. The guile of Satan is feeble The last sentence of verse 76: إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا assures that the deceptive plans made by Satan are weak and insubstantial because of which he cannot harm or hurt true Muslims in any way whatsoever. So, Muslims should really not demur when it comes to fighting against the friends of Satan, that is, against the disbelievers. This is because their helper is none other but Allah Himself and, with Allah on their side, the game plan of the Satan is not going to work for them. And this is what happened at the battle of Badr. There was the Satan by the side of the disbelievers, dishing out his tall claims before them, telling them; لَا غَالِبَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ 'this day, nobody is going to over-power you' - because: إِنِّي جَارٌ‌ لَّكُمْ I am your helper by your side. I shall be there with my armies to support you.) When the actual fighting began, he did advance with his army, but no sooner did he notice that angels have arrived to help Muslims, all plans he had made were frustrated and he took to his heels, saying to his disbelieving accomplices: إِنِّي بَرِ‌يءٌ مِّنكُمْ إِنِّي أَرَ‌ىٰ مَا لَا تَرَ‌وْنَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّـهَ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ I bear no responsibility for you. I see what you do not see. I fear Allah for Allah is severe when punishing.) (Mazhari) That the guile of Satan has been called 'feeble' in this verse (76) is not an isolated statement. There emerge two conditions right from this verse which provide us with an exception. The first one is that the person against whom the Satan is trying his guile must be a Muslim. Then, the second one is that the effort being made by that Muslim must be for the pleasure of Allah alone. In other words, he may not have any selfish motive behind his effort. The first condition emerges from the words: الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (those who believe) and the second from: فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ (fight in the way of Allah). If either of the two conditions stop existing, then, it is not necessary that the guile of the Satan remains 'feeble' against him. Sayyidna Ibn Abbas ؓ has said: When you see Satan, do not think twice. Attack him.' After that, he recited this very verse: إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا (No doubt, the guile of Satan is feeble.) (al-Qurtub)