Tafsir of Al Imran 3:175

(That is only): The indication is directed toward the one who discourages—either inherently or through mediation—and the address is to the believers. It acts as the subject (mubtada). His saying (Satan)—in the sense of Iblis, as it is his proper name by dominance—is its predicate, serving as a metaphorical assimilation (tashbih baligh). The saying of the Exalted, (frightening his allies), is an initiating sentence explaining his devilish nature, or it is a circumstantial qualifier (hal), as in the saying of the Exalted: (So those are their houses, desolate).

It is permissible for "Satan" to be an adjective for the demonstrative pronoun, also based on assimilation. It is possible that it is figurative, where He made it—that is, Satan—the one who frightens, serving as the predicate. It is also permitted that "that" (dhalikum) refers to the words of the discourager; in that case, one must estimate a genitive component, meaning: "the speech of Satan." The intended meaning remains Iblis. A figurative shift is not valid there, according to the correct view; rather, the figurative shift is in the attribution to him, for since the speech came through his whispering and was caused by him, it was made as if it were his own speech. The hidden pronoun in (frightens) belongs either to the estimated term or to Satan, with the omission of the referent to the estimated term—meaning: "he frightens you with him."

The intended meaning of (his allies) is either Abu Sufyan and his companions; thus, the first object of "frightens" is omitted—meaning: "he frightens you with his allies by magnifying them in your hearts." Similar to this is the saying of the Exalted: (to warn of a severe violence). Ibn Abbas recited it with the inclusion of this object. Some others recited: "he frightens you with his allies." This is the meaning held by the majority of exegetes, and it is the view of al-Zajjaj, Abu Ali al-Farisi, and others. It is supported by His saying: (So do not fear them)—meaning: do not fear his allies whom he has made you fear—(but fear Me) in disobeying My command. Alternatively, it refers to those who lagged behind the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), in which case "his allies" is the first object, and the second object is either left out or omitted due to knowledge of it—meaning: he casts them into fear, or he frightens them concerning Abu Sufyan and his companions. In this reading, the return of the pronoun in (fear them) to "the allies" is not valid; rather, it refers to "the people" in the second mention, like the pronoun in fear them (akhshawhum). It is a rejection of it: meaning, do not fear the people and refrain from fighting and act cowardly, (but fear Me)—so struggle alongside My Messenger and hasten to comply with what He commands you. Al-Hasan and al-Suddi went to this view, and al-Tayyibi claimed that the structure supports it. The address in that case is to the two groups: those who went out and those who lagged behind, with the intention of insinuation against the latter group. It is said: the address is to them (the laggers), and "(his allies)" at that time is an instance of placing the noun in the place of the pronoun to censure them for being allies of Satan. Some have prioritized this view absolutely, arguing that those who went out did not fear anyone but Allah, the Exalted, (and said, "Allah is sufficient for us"). You know that the possibility of insinuation weakens this argument.

The particle "fa" (so) is for the sequence of the prohibition or the termination based on what preceded it; for the fact that the one causing the fear is Satan or his speech is a cause for not fearing and for forbidding it. Abu Amr affirmed the ya in (fear Me) during connection and omitted it during pause, while the rest omit it absolutely; it is the pronoun of the object.

His saying, (if you are believers): If the address is to the laggers, the matter is clear. If it is to those who went out, it was driven by a desire to ignite and stir them, as their faith was established. If it is to everyone, it involves the principle of dominance (taghlib). Regardless, the consequence is omitted. It is said: if the address in what preceded was to the pure believers, it does not require a consequence because it is in the meaning of a causal explanation; if it was to the others, it requires it. The meaning is: "If you are believers, then fear Me and struggle alongside My Messenger, because faith necessitates that you prefer the fear of Allah, the Exalted, over the fear of people."

(And if you were killed in the path of Allah) with the sword of love, (or died) by experimental death, (a forgiveness)—meaning a veiling of your existence—(from Allah and mercy)—from Him, the Exalted, by your adornment with His attributes, the Almighty and Majestic—(is better than what they gather)—meaning the people of the masses.

(So by a mercy from Allah)—meaning by your characterization with the mercy of the Merciful, which is a mercy following your divinely bestowed existence, not the human existence—(you were lenient to them, and had you been harsh)—described with the attributes of the self such as coarseness and roughness—(they would have dispersed from around you)—and would not have endured the burden of that. Or it is said: "Had the attributes of beauty not overcome the traits of majesty in you, they would have scattered from you and would not have been patient with you." Or it is said: "Had you given them the undiluted wine of Unity, not mixed with what they have a portion of, they would have scattered, wandering on their faces, unable to stand with you for a moment." Or it is said: "Had you scrutinized the rulings of the Realities for them, their chests would have tightened and they would not have endured the weights of the reality of etiquette on the Path, but you were lenient with them through the Law and the concessions."

(So pardon them) regarding what pertains to you of their shortcomings toward you, because of your high station and your seeing nothing in existence but Allah. (And ask forgiveness for them) regarding what pertains to the right of Allah, due to their excuses; or ask forgiveness for them for what occurs in their hearts of fleeting thoughts that do not befit the knowledge of the Divine. (And consult them in the matter) when you are in the station of action, to test them and examine their rank. (So when you have determined)—and that is when you are in the station of witnessing the Lordship and exiting from the separation into the Union—(then rely upon Allah), for He is sufficient for you in what comes from you and what you desire from Him.

Some of the Sufis mentioned that it is possible to understand from the verse that the address is to the human soul, and that it is for the attributes of the self and its sensory and irascible powers, so that they may receive their portion, whereby the survival of the offspring and the soundness of livelihood are linked. Were it not for that, those powers would have decayed, vanished, the wisdom would have been disturbed, and the perfections for which man was created would have been lost. (If Allah helps you, there is no one who can overcome you)—this is a realization of the meaning of reliance (tawakkul) and the Oneness (tawhid) in actions.

Some masters—may Allah sanctify their secrets—have mentioned that the victory of Allah, the Exalted, for His servants is of varying ranks: His victory for the seekers is by granting them success in suppressing desires; His victory for the lovers is by the trait of debt-clearing; and His victory for the knowers is by the unveiling of the visions. It has been said: "The victory of Allah, the Exalted, is only attained by the one who absolves himself of his own power and strength and seeks refuge in his Lord in all his causes."

(And it is not for a prophet to misappropriate) due to the perfection of his holiness and the utmost of his trustworthiness; he did not hide the truth of Allah from His servants, and he gave the knowledge of the Truth to the people of the Truth, and he did not place His secrets except with the trustworthy ones of his nation.

(Is then one who followed the pleasure of Allah)—meaning the Prophet in the station of Pleasure, which is the Paradise of Attributes, due to his characterization with the attributes of Allah, the Exalted—(like one who incurred the wrath of Allah), who is the misappropriator veiled by the attributes of his own self? (And his refuge is Hell), which is the lowest abyss of the dark self. (They are levels with Allah)—meaning all, from the people of pleasure and wrath, vary in ranks according to their aptitudes.

(Allah has certainly conferred favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves)—since he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the mirror of the Truth, from whom He manifests to the believers; had He manifested to them purely, they would have been consumed by the first of the intensities of His Greatness. The meaning of his being (from themselves) is his existence in the garment of humanity, appearing in the form they are upon. Interpreting the "believers" as the "knowers" and the "Messenger" as the "Human Spirit" illuminated by the light of the Names and Attributes, sent to reform the powers, is not far-fetched in the station of allusion.

(Or when a calamity befell you)—in the midst of the journey in Allah, the Exalted, which is the calamity of the interval (fatrah) in relation to you—(you had inflicted [on your enemies] twice as many)—once when you arrived at the station of the Unity of Actions, and once when you arrived at the station of the Unity of Attributes. (You said, "From where [has this come to us]?")—while we are in the wilderness of the journey in Allah, the Exalted. (Say, "It is from your own selves")—because a remainder of its attributes remained in them. This does not contradict His saying, the Sublimed: (Say, "All is from Allah"), because the agent-cause in all is the Truth, the Glorified, and the receptive-cause is themselves; and nothing flows from the Agent except what is appropriate for the aptitude and what it necessitates. Thus, from the perspective of the Agent, it is from Allah, and from the perspective of the recipient, it is from their own selves. It may be said that what is from their own selves is also from Allah, looking toward the Unity, for there is nothing else there.

(And do not think of those who have been killed in the path of Allah)—whether they were killed in the lesser jihad, sacrificing their selves seeking the pleasure of Allah, or in the greater jihad, breaking the self and suppressing the desire through spiritual discipline—(as dead; rather, they are alive with their Lord), with the true life, brought near in the presence of holiness, (provided for)—from the spiritual provisions, which are the knowledges and realities. It has been reported in some narrations that the spirits of the martyrs are inside green birds that revolve in the rivers of Paradise, eat from its fruits, and dwell in lanterns of gold hanging in the shadow of the Throne. Some Sufis have quoted this with this wording and made the green birds an allusion to the celestial bodies, and the lanterns of gold an allusion to the stars; the rivers of Paradise are the sources and conduits of sciences, and its fruits are the states and knowledges.

The meaning is that the spirits of the martyrs attach to the luminous celestial bodies due to their purity, enter the conduits of sciences, and acquire there the knowledges and states. It is not hidden that this is something that should not be believed, as we have indicated previously. If interpretation is necessary, let the birds be made an allusion to the forms in which the spirits appear, based on them being abstracted substances, and the name "bird" is applied to them as an allusion to their lightness and their swift arrival, as they have been permitted.

Similar to this, in general, is the saying of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in a hadith: "The children are the da‘amis of Paradise." Da‘amis is the plural of da‘mus, a small creature that lives in stagnant water, moving constantly, barely ever resting. It is known that children are not those small creatures in Paradise, but he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) intended to inform that they are wanderers in Paradise, so he expressed it by way of metaphorical assimilation. Describing the birds as green is an allusion to their beauty and freshness—from which comes the report: "The world is sweet and green," and the saying of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Jihad is sweet and green." Among their proverbs: "The self is green." By this, they may mean that it inclines toward everything and desires it.

The matter of "containment" in the report is easy, and the rest of what is in it is either on its literal meaning or interpreted. In the second, "Paradise" is meant as the "Paradise of Meanings"—the Paradise of the Essence and Attributes—and its "rivers" are the manifestations that occur, and its "fruits" are the effects that follow those manifestations, and the "lanterns hanging in the shadow of the Throne" are stations that are not comprehended, hanging in the shadow of the Throne of Absolute Existence, which encompasses everything. Their being "of gold" is an allusion to their greatness and that they are not attained except with the exertion of the selves.

The gist of the meaning, according to this, is that the spirits of the martyrs who sacrificed themselves in the pleasure of Allah, or were killed by the longing for Him, the Exalted, appear in beautiful, soft, fresh forms—which whoever sees them admires—flying with the two wings of acceptance and pleasure in the types of divine manifestations, and acquiring thereby types of spiritual delights that cannot be measured. A glorious station is renewed for them in the amount of every night, which is not attained except by the likes of their deeds; that is the abiding bliss and the great success. It seems that whoever interpreted this report and others like it intended to close the door to transmigration. Perhaps, in the meaning that the people of misguidance say, it is not necessary, as we have indicated in the verse of al-Baqarah: (Rejoicing in what Allah has brought them of His bounty)—of honor, blessing, and proximity to Him—(and they receive good tidings of those who have not yet joined them from those left behind)—who are the warriors who have not been killed yet, or the traveling strivers who have not yet reached their rank up to that time—(that no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve)—due to their success in the Greatest Sanctuary and the Most Beloved.

(They receive good tidings of a favor from Allah)—a great one, which is the Paradise of Attributes—(and bounty)—meaning an increase over it, which is the Paradise of the Essence—(and)—with that—(Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of the believers)—which is the Paradise of Actions and the reward of deeds—(who have responded to Allah and the Messenger)—by annihilation in the Essential Unity and standing for the right of uprightness—(after the wound had struck them)—meaning the breaking of the self—(for those who did good among them)—who are those steadfast in the station of witnessing—(and feared)—looking at their selves—(is a great reward) beyond the reward of faith.

(Those to whom the people said)—the deniers before arriving at the station of witnessing—(that the people have gathered against you)—and mobilized to deny you—(so fear them)—and leave what you are upon—(but it increased them)—that statement—(in faith)—meaning certainty and unity by negating the other and not caring for it, and they arrived through the negation of what is other than Allah to the affirmation of Him. (And they said, "Allah is sufficient for us")—so they witnessed Him, then returned to the details of the attributes through uprightness—(and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs. So they returned with a favor from Allah and bounty)—meaning they returned with the True Existence in the Paradise of Attributes and the Essence—(no harm having touched them)—no one harmed them, for there is no one except the One. (And they followed the pleasure of Allah)—in the state of their journeying until they won the Paradise of the Essence indicated by His saying, the Exalted: (And Allah is the possessor of great bounty)—as we have indicated.

(That is only Satan; he frightens his allies)—those veiled by their own selves—so do not fear the deniers, (but fear Me), for there is nothing in existence except Me, (if you are believers)—meaning: Monotheists with a true Monotheism. And Allah, the Exalted, is the One who grants success to the truth; He is sufficient for us, and the best Disposer of affairs.