Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:214

(Or do you suppose that you shall enter Paradise) was revealed during the Battle of the Trench, when the Muslims were afflicted with the exhaustion, severity, fear, cold, wretched living, and various forms of harm that reached them, to the extent that hearts reached the throats. It is also said to have been revealed regarding the Battle of Uhud. Ata said: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his companions entered Medina, the hardship upon them intensified because they had left without wealth, abandoned their homes and assets in the hands of the polytheists, and preferred the pleasure of Allah the Exalted and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Jews displayed hostility toward the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and a group of hypocrites concealed their hypocrisy. Thus, Allah revealed this verse to comfort their hearts.

The address is either directed to the believers specifically, or to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and them. Attributing the "supposition" (hasban) to him—peace and blessings be upon him—is either because, when his noble breast was constricted by the severities of the polytheists, he was placed in the position of one who supposes that he might enter Paradise without enduring hardships, or it is by way of generalization, as in His saying, "Or you will return to our creed."

The "Am" (Or) is disjunctive, and the implied hamza is for denying that supposition, indicating that it is not fitting for it to exist. It is said that it is conjunctive with an implied equivalent, and it is said that it is disjunctive without implication. In the discourse, there is an iltifat (shift), though it is not explicit, from the third person to the address. This is because His saying, "Mankind was a single nation," is a speech that includes the mention of previous nations and past generations, as well as the mention of the prophets sent to them and the hardships they encountered from them, and the demonstration of miracles, in order to encourage the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the believers to be steadfast and patient against the harm of the polytheists; or it is specifically for the believers, and they were, in this respect, the intended ones—though they were addressed as third parties. This is supported by "Then Allah guided those who believed," etc.

Therefore, when "Or do you suppose" is said, it is a transition from the third person to the address, or because the first speech was an allusion to the believers—indicating their lack of steadfastness and patience regarding the harm of the polytheists. It is as if it were placed in the position of what the believers rightfully required—encouragement and patience—by following the example of those before them. This is evidenced by what al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood, al-Nasa'i, and Imam Ahmad recorded from Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, who said: "We complained to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about what we encountered from the polytheists, saying: 'Will you not seek victory for us? Will you not pray to Allah the Exalted for us?' He said: 'Those who were before you—one of them would have a saw placed on the parting of his hair, and it would reach his feet, but that would not turn him away from his religion; and he would be combed with iron combs between his flesh and bone, but that would not turn him away from his religion.' Then he said: 'By Allah, this matter will be completed until a rider travels from Sana'a to Hadramaut, fearing nothing but Allah the Exalted and the wolf for his sheep; but you are in haste.'"

This is the meaning ignored by the Am, i.e., "Leave that, do you suppose that they will enter Paradise?" Thus, this was left to the address, and the iltifat was achieved in meaning. From what has been mentioned, the way of connecting the verse to the preceding one is known. It is said the reason is that when He, the Exalted, said, "He guides whom He wills to a straight path," and the "path" meant the truth whose following leads to entering Paradise, He clarified that this is not attained except by enduring hardships and duties.

"(And has there not come to you)"—the "waw" is for the state (hal), and the sentence following it is in the accusative as a state, meaning "while there has not come to you." "Lamma" is jussive, like "lam"; they are distinguished in books of grammar, and the famous view is that it is simple, while it is said to be compound of "lam" and the negative "ma." It is similar to "qad" in that the verb mentioned after it is expected to occur.

"(The like of those who passed away before you)"—meaning the like of their likeness and their wondrous situation; thus, the speech is based on the omission of an added noun (mudaf). "(Those)" is an attribute of an omitted word, meaning "the believers." "(Before you)" is related to "(passed away)," and it is like a confirmation of what is understood from it.

"(They were afflicted by adversity and hardship)"—this is an explanation of the "likeness" as a new commencement (isti'naf), regardless of whether one estimates "how" that likeness was or not. Abu al-Baqa' allowed for it to be a state (hal) with the estimation of "qad." "(They were shaken)"—meaning, they were disturbed severely by various types of afflictions.

"Until the Messenger and those who believed with him say"—meaning, their affair reached the point of affliction where they were compelled to the extent that "(the Messenger says)"—and he is the most knowledgeable of people regarding what is fitting for the Exalted, and what His wisdom necessitates—"and the believers who follow his footsteps and are guided by his lights, 'When is the victory of Allah?'" This is a request and a yearning for it, and a complaint about the length of the severity, not out of doubt or suspicion. The "Messenger" here denotes the genus, not one specific individual. It is said that it is Elisha, or Isaiah, or Amos. Upon specification, what is meant by "those who passed away" are specific groups, namely the followers of those messengers.

Nafi' read "yaqulu" in the nominative, as it is a narrative of a past state. "With him" may be in the accusative because of "say"—meaning they accompanied him in this statement—or it may be in the accusative because of "believed"—meaning they agreed with him in faith.

"Unquestionably, the victory of Allah is near" (214)—a grammatical commencement (isti'naf) based on the estimation of the saying. That is, it was said to them at that time to comfort their souls by granting them their desire. Preferring the nominal sentence over the verbal one is suitable for what preceded it, and beginning it with the particle of alerting and confirmation ("Ala") serves to indicate the realization of its content and its substantiation in a way that is not hidden. Choosing to narrate the promise of victory is because it is in the position of establishing a promise for the Messenger, and limiting it to narrating it without narrating the victory itself—despite its realization—is to signal that there is no need for that, due to the impossibility of the breach of promise.

It is said that since the question of "When" points to inquiring about the nearness, the answer included the "nearness" and sufficed with it so that the answer would match the question. It is possible that this came from the side of the Exalted, at the time of narration, by way of interruption (idraj), not as something uttered at the time the narrated event took place. The claim that this sentence is the saying of the Messenger and "When is the victory of Allah?" is the saying of those with him, by way of disordered laff wa nashr (folding and spreading), is worth nothing. In terms of wording, it is not proper to connect the saying of those who say without the saying of those who were addressed; and in terms of meaning, it is not proper to mention the saying of the Messenger, "Unquestionably, the victory of Allah is near," in the situation where the intent is to show the extremity of the affair in terms of severity.

The saying that the omission of the conjunction is to alert that both are the saying of one of them, and a precaution against the illusion that the total is the saying of one, and an alert that the Messenger said this to them in response to them, and that the station of messengership requires the purification of the Messenger from being shaken—none of this should be paid attention to. Because if the conjunction is omitted, it is not conjoined to the first saying, so how can there be an alert that each is the saying of one? And we are not safe from preventing the notion that the station of messengership requires that purification; for being shaken and disturbed is not greater than fear, and the messengers—peace and blessings be upon them—were subject to it, as many verses explicitly state.

In the verse is a symbol that reaching the holiest presence is not attained except by rejecting pleasures and enduring hardships, as the report, "Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and the Fire is surrounded by desires," informs. Al-Hakim recorded, and authenticated, from Abu Malik that he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Allah the Exalted tests one of you with affliction—while He is most knowing of him—just as one of you tests his gold with fire. Some come out like pure gold; that is the one whom Allah has saved from evil deeds. And some come out like black gold; that is the one who has been seduced."