Tafsir of Al Imran 3:161

(And it is not for a prophet to deceive) meaning: it is neither valid nor appropriate for any prophet among the prophets to act treacherously regarding the spoils of war, for treachery is contradictory to prophethood. The root of ghull (deceit) is taking something secretly, which is why it was used for theft, then later specified in language as theft from the spoils before their distribution. It is also called ghulul. It is said it was named so because the hands in it are maghlulah—that is, restrained and bound with a ghull, which is the iron collar that fastens the captive's hand to his neck, also known as a jami'ah (yoke). Al-Rummani and others said the origin of ghulul is from ghalal, which is the water entering into the clefts of trees. Treachery was called ghulul because it flows into ownership secretly, in a way other than the lawful path. From this root comes ghill for rancor, ghalil for the heat of thirst, and ghilalah for the undergarment.

The intent here is to exonerate the station of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the most eloquent manner, from what the archers thought of him on the day of Uhud. Al-Wahidi narrated from Al-Kalbi and Muqatil that when the archers abandoned their positions that day in search of plunder, they said: "We fear that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, might say: 'Whoever takes something, it is his,' and that he might not distribute the spoils as he did not distribute them on the day of Badr." Thus, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Did you think we would betray [the spoils] and not distribute them to you?" This is why the verse was revealed.

Or, [the intent is] his exoneration, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from what some hypocrites accused him of on the day of Badr. Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Jarir—and they classified it as hasan—narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "This verse was revealed regarding a red velvet garment that went missing on the day of Badr, and some people said: 'Perhaps the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took it.'" The first account is more appropriate for the context, and the connection of the verse to what precedes it is more perfect because the story concerns Uhud; however, it implies that the spoils of Badr were not distributed, which contradicts what will come in [Surah] Al-Anfal, the investigation of which will follow, if Allah wills. The second account is more acceptable to the masters of this field.

It is possible that the intent is to emphasize the prohibition against ghulul. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in Al-Musannaf and Ibn Jarir, in a mursal report from Al-Dahhak, who said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent out scouts, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, obtained spoils and distributed them among the people but did not distribute anything to the scouts. When the scouts arrived, they said: 'The Prophet distributed but did not distribute to us,' so Allah the Almighty revealed the verse." Thus, the meaning is: It is not for a prophet to give to one group of the army and withhold from others; rather, he must distribute among all equally. The Almighty expressed the deprivation of some warriors as ghulul to completely restrain [the people] from such an act, or as an exaltation of his status, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Some considered the speech, under this interpretation, to be like the saying: "If you associate others with Allah, your deeds will surely become worthless," addressed to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while intending someone else who might do such a thing after being forbidden from it; but its remoteness is obvious.

The wording, according to the first interpretation, is a declaration in both expression and meaning, though it is not devoid of an allusion to prohibiting the belief of such a thing regarding that sacred presence. According to the latter interpretation, it is a statement intended as a command. This form has appeared as a prohibition in several places in the Revelation, such as His saying: "It is not for a prophet to have captives," and "It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists," and "It is not for you to annoy the Messenger of Allah." Likewise, it is used for logical impossibility, as in His saying: "It is not for Him to have a son," and "It is not for you to grow their trees."

Nafi', Ibn Amir, Hamzah, Al-Kisa'i, and Ya'qub read an yughalla (to be betrayed) in the passive voice. There are three aspects in justifying this:

1. That its past tense is aghlaltuhu, meaning: I attributed him to ghulul, just as you say akfartuhu—I attributed him to disbelief. Al-Kumayt said: "A group has attributed me to disbelief (akfaratni) for your love, and a group said: 'An evildoer and a sinner.'" The meaning is: It is not valid for a prophet that anyone should attribute him to ghulul.
2. That it is from aghlaltuhu in the sense of finding someone to be a ghal (traitor), just as they say ahmadtuhu (I found him praiseworthy) and abkhaltuhu (I found him stingy) and ajbantuhu (I found him cowardly). The meaning is: It is not valid for a prophet to be found as a traitor.
3. That it is from ghalla to mean: It is not for a prophet that another should betray him—that is, cheat him and steal from his spoils. Perhaps the specification of the prophet in this, even though it is not permissible for anyone else—whether an Imam or a commander—to be betrayed, is either due to the gravity of the treachery [against him] or because he is the one in charge of the spoils; thus, if treachery is forbidden against him, who is the one in charge, then its prohibition against others is even more certain. That is what is said, and you know there is no need to justify the specification in what was mentioned after considering the cause of revelation and looking at what follows.

Some people claimed that the verse was revealed regarding the delivery of the Revelation. They said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to recite the Quran while it contained the disparagement of their religion and the attribution of blame to their gods, so they asked him to omit that, and Allah the Almighty revealed the verse." It is not hidden that this is very far-fetched, and I do not know how this narration is supported, nor do I think the report is anything but fabricated. Increasing its remoteness—or rather, making it almost impossible—is His saying: (And whoever commits ghulul will bring that which he took on the Day of Resurrection).

This is a conditional clause, independent, having no place in the inflection. "Ma" is a relative pronoun, and the pronoun referring back to it is omitted, meaning: "with that which he betrayed." It is permitted that it is a hal (state), and the estimation would be: "in a state where the traitor knows the punishment of ghulul." The apparent meaning of the narrations indicates that the "bringing" is to be taken literally. The two Shaykhs and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Shu'ab narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood among us one day and mentioned ghulul, declaring it grave and its affair severe. Then he said: 'Let me not find any one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a camel on his neck that has a bleating sound, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, help me!" and I will say: "I possess nothing for you from Allah; I have already conveyed [the warning] to you." Let me not find any one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with a horse on his neck that has a neighing sound, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, help me!" and I will say: "I possess nothing for you from Allah; I have already conveyed [the warning] to you." Let me not find any one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with rags flapping, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, help me!" and I will say: "I possess nothing for you from Allah; I have already conveyed [the warning] to you." Let me not find any one of you coming on the Day of Resurrection with silent wealth, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, help me!" and I will say: "I possess nothing for you from Allah; I have already conveyed [the warning] to you.'"

Reports to this effect are numerous. Perhaps the secret in this is that he is exposed before the witnesses as an increase in his punishment. Al-Jubba'i inclined to this, and there is no logical objection to it. Dismissal [of this interpretation] is not useful, and something that suggests dismissal occurred in the past. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Abu Hurayrah that a man said to him: "Do you see the saying of Allah the Almighty: 'And whoever commits ghulul will bring that which he took on the Day of Resurrection'? This person steals a thousand dirhams or two thousand—will he bring them? Do you see someone who steals a hundred or two hundred camels—how will he manage them?" He said: "Do you see one whose molar is like Uhud, and whose thigh is like Warqan, and whose leg is like Al-Bayda', and whose seating place is between Al-Rabadhah and Medina—would he not carry something like this?" It is mentioned in some reports that the bringing of the ghulul is from the Fire; in that case, there is an omission in the verse—meaning: he will bring what he stole from the Fire. Ibn Marduyah and Al-Bayhaqi narrated from Buraydah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "The stone falls for seventy years in Hell, and the ghulul is brought and cast with it, and its owner is tasked with bringing it." This is the saying of Allah the Almighty: "(And whoever commits ghulul will bring that which he took on the Day of Resurrection)."

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, saying: "If I were to consider small ghulul lawful, I would consider much of it lawful. There is no one who commits ghulul but he will be tasked with bringing it from the lowest depth of Hell." It is said: The "bringing" is a metaphor for bringing its sin, expressing the result of his work as the sin that befalls him—meaning: he brings the burden and sin he has incurred. Balkhi favored this and said: "It is permissible that what the reports contain is in the form of a parable, as if when Allah the Almighty exposes the traitor and punishes him with severe punishment, it proceeds as if he were bringing it and carrying it while it has a sound." It is not hidden that the response of Abu Hurayrah to the man rejects this interpretation.

It is said: Meanings appear in bodily forms on the Day of Resurrection, as indicated by the report of death coming in the form of a ram, and the Quran meeting its companion in the form of a pale man when he emerges from his grave, among other things.

Many have mentioned that it is not unlikely for deeds, both acts of obedience and acts of disobedience, to appear in forms that suit them. In that case, it is possible to say: the sin of every traitor appears on the Day of Resurrection in the form of his ghulul, so he brings it there. According to this, the reports are taken according to their literal meanings without the need to commit to allegory, and the response of Abu Hurayrah does not reject this. His being cast into the Fire is also not problematic. The literalists might say: he is cast without torment, and by that assumption, there is no harm, because Allah the Almighty is not obligated to anything. It has been mentioned in some reports that Allah the Almighty creates a creation when Hell says: "Are there any more?" and places them in it. Even with this, and granting the authenticity of the report, one must say that some ghulul is exempted from being cast, as the ghulul might be a copy of the Mushaf, and I do not think anyone would dare to say it is cast into the Fire.

(Then every soul will be compensated [fully] for what it earned) meaning: every soul tasked with responsibility is given the recompense of what it did, of good or evil, fully and completely. There is an added word omitted in the speech, or that the "earned" (the object) has been placed in the position of its reward. In hanging the "full compensation" on every "earned deed"—even though the intention is to explain the state of the traitor when he brings what he stole on the Day of Resurrection—there is a declaration of the grandeur of that Day and an exaggeration in explaining the hideousness of the traitor's state, which is not hidden. For if every earner is recompensed for his deed without anything being diminished, even if his crime is of the utmost smallness and insignificance, then the traitor, with the greatness of his crime, is more deserving of that. This is the reason for turning away from what the literal meaning requires, such as "Then it will be fully compensated for what it earned," because that is appropriate for what precedes it.

It is said: It is possible that the intent is: "Then every soul that has a right to those spoils will be compensated for what it earned of the diminution of its right due to his ghulul." In that case, the structure follows the apparent meaning. The word "then" (thumma) is for the disparity between his carrying what he stole and his punishment, or for the delay in time—meaning: after carrying what he stole for a long period, and being kept waiting among the people, exposed, carrying what he stole, he is then compensated. It is not hidden that such an interpretation is something that the speech of the Sovereign of the Majestic should be protected from. Therefore, the truth from which one should not deviate is the first opinion, which contains the nuance of the shift [in structure]. The matter of "then" according to that [opinion] is apparent, whether it is for temporal delay or for ranking delay.

As for the first: because the bringing of what he stole occurs upon his rising from the grave, as is the appearance, and the punishment is much later.

As for the second: because the recompense and punishment of the traitor is more hideous than carrying what he stole and being exposed by it; indeed, it is not unlikely that such carrying is like an extra burden on top of a burden, or it is almost like comfort relative to what he will encounter later. The clause, in any case, is connected to the conditional clause.

(And they will not be wronged) meaning: all people indicated by "every soul" will not have their reward of obedience diminished, nor will the punishment of their disobedience increased, according to the requirements of wisdom and justice.