Al-Imran: (200) "O you who have believed..."

Then, when the Glorious One had explained, in the folds of this noble Surah, the rulings and judgments that He explained, and described the conditions of the believers and the disbelievers, and the pains which the noble believers suffered at the hands of those wretched ones, He concluded the Surah with that from which the musk of adhering to what preceded diffuses, and by the compliance with which the stratagems of the enemies are thwarted, even if the space (for maneuver) were to narrow for them. Thus, He, the Most Mighty of Speakers, said:

(O you who have believed, endure) i.e., restrain your souls from impatience regarding what befalls them. The apparent meaning is a command that encompasses the three types of patience—varying in degree—which are mentioned in the report: patience upon calamity, patience upon obedience, and patience away from disobedience.

(And endure more than others) i.e., endure the hardships of war against the enemies of Allah, the Exalted, with a patience greater than their patience. It is mentioned after the command for general patience because it is more intense, and therefore more excellent; thus, the conjunction is like the conjunction of Gabriel with the angels, and "the middle prayer" with "the prayers." Although this leads to the command for Jihad, it is more expressive than it.

(And be on guard) i.e., stay in the borderlands, tethering your horses there, restraining them, watching for the raid, preparing for it, and reaching the fullest extent in that, more than your enemies. "Murabata" (being on guard/stationed) is also a type of patience; thus, the conjunction here is like the preceding one.

The two Shaykhs recorded from Sahl bin Sa'd that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Stationing for a day in the cause of Allah is better than the world and what is upon it." Ibn Majah recorded with a sound chain from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said: "Whoever dies stationed in the cause of Allah, the Exalted, his reward for the righteous deeds he used to perform shall continue for him, his provision shall continue for him, he shall be secure from the tempter (the trial of the grave), and Allah, the Exalted, shall raise him secure from the Great Terror." At-Tabarani recorded with a chain in which there is no harm from Jabir, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saying: "Whoever stations for a day in the cause of Allah, the Exalted, Allah, the Exalted, shall place between him and the Fire seven trenches; each trench is like seven heavens and seven earths." Abu ash-Shaykh recorded from Anas in a marfu' (attributed) report: "Prayer in the land of ribat (stationing) is equal to two million prayers."

It is narrated from Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that ribat is better than Jihad because it preserves the blood of the Muslims, while Jihad sheds the blood of the polytheists.

(And fear Allah) regarding the disobedience of His command absolutely, so all that has preceded is included in this fundamentally.

(That you may succeed) i.e., in order that you may attain and win the goal, reach the objective, and arrive at success in your quest; this is the reality of success. This verse, according to what you have heard, comprises what guides the believer to that which contains the welfare of the religion and the world, and elevates him to the highest peak. Some have established this by stating that human conditions are of two types: first, what relates to him alone; second, what relates to him in terms of participation with the people of the house and the city. Regarding the first, the Exalted has commanded patience, which includes patience upon the hardship of reflection and reasoning in knowing Oneness, Prophethood, and the Hereafter, patience upon performing duties and recommended acts, abstaining from prohibited things, and patience upon the hardships of the world, its calamities, and its fears. Regarding the second, He commanded musabara (patient endurance against others), which includes bearing the bad characters of relatives and strangers, refraining from seeking revenge against them, enjoining good, forbidding evil, and Jihad against the enemies of the religion with the tongue and the sword. Furthermore, since the human being's obligation with what has been mentioned requires the rectification of the psychic faculties that drive one toward the opposites of these, the Exalted commanded murabata (guarding/stationing), whether it be stationing at a border or stationing of the soul. Then, since the consideration of the Truth, Majestic is His Glory, is inevitable in all deeds and statements for them to be considered valid, the Exalted commanded piety. Then, when the functions of servitude were completed, He concluded the speech with the function of Lordship, which is the hope for success from Him. The end. It is not hidden that there is evident artificiality and strain in this, which only someone stubborn would deny. Better than it is to say: He, the Exalted, commanded general patience first because, as in the report, it is like the head to the body, and it is the key to relief.

Some said: Everything has a core, and the core of the human is the intellect, and the core of the intellect is patience. Many have claimed that all lofty ranks and high stages, religious and worldly, are not attained except through patience. From here, the poet said: "I will deem the difficult easy or attain my hopes, for ambitions do not yield except to the patient." Then, He, the Exalted, commanded secondly a specific type of patience, which is the struggle (mujahada) by which general benefit and complete honor are obtained. It has come from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "If you abandon Jihad, Allah, the Exalted, shall impose upon you a humiliation that He will not remove until you return to your religion." Then, He ascended to another type of that which is higher and more precious, which is the murabata, which is staying in a borderland to repel an impending evil from those behind it. Then, the Exalted commanded, at the end of the matter, general piety, for were it not for it, it would be likely that something of showing off, vanity, or seeing other than Allah, the Exalted, would mix with those things and spoil them. With this, the remedy that heals the ailment is completed, and the wine that quenches the thirst is clarified.

From here, He followed that with His saying, Majestic is His state: (That you may succeed). This is based on what is famous in the interpretation of the verse. It has been narrated in some traditions otherwise. Ibn Marduyah recorded from Salamah bin 'Abdur-Rahman, who said: Abu Hurairah approached me one day and said: Do you know, O son of my brother, concerning what this verse was revealed: "O you who have believed, endure," etc.? I said: No. He said: It was not that there was an expedition in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in which they stood guard (yurabitun); rather, it was revealed regarding a people who frequent the mosques, pray the prayer in their times, and then remember Allah, the Exalted, in them. So, regarding them it was revealed: i.e., (Endure) the five prayers, (and endure) your souls and your desires, (and be on guard) in your mosques, (and fear Allah) regarding what He has taught you, (that you may succeed). Malik, Ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad, and Muslim recorded from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said: "Shall I not tell you what Allah, the Exalted, wipes away sins with and raises degrees with? Performing ablution thoroughly despite hardships, many steps to the mosques, and waiting for the prayer after the prayer. That is the ribat, that is the ribat, that is the ribat."

Perhaps this narration from Abu Hurairah is more authentic than the first narration, along with the distance in the judgment therein that there was no expedition in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in which they stood guard; indeed, that is hardly granted to him. Furthermore, even if this narration is authentic, it does not conflict with the famous interpretation, because it is possible that the lam in the ribat therein is for reference, and what is intended is the ribat in the cause of Allah, the Exalted, and his saying, peace be upon him, "That is the ribat" is of the category of "Zayd is a lion," and the intention is to liken that to the ribat by way of exaggeration.

'Abd bin Humayd recorded from Zayd bin Aslam that the meaning is (Endure) Jihad, (and endure) your enemy, (and be on guard) for your religion. From Al-Hasan, he said: (Endure) calamity, (and endure) the prayers, (and be on guard) in Jihad in the cause of Allah, the Exalted. From Qatadah, he said: (Endure) the obedience of Allah, the Exalted, (and endure) the people of misguidance, (and be on guard) in the cause of Allah, and it is close to the first, and the first is better.

This is [it]. (From the side of indication (allusion)): (Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth)—i.e., the upper world and the lower world—(and the alternation of the night and the day)—the darkness and the light—(are signs for those of understanding), and they are those who look at the creation with the eye of the Truth, (who remember Allah while standing)—in the station of the spirit through witnessing—(and sitting)—in the place of the heart through disclosure—(and on their sides)—i.e., their transitions in the hidden places of the soul through struggle. Some said: (who remember Allah while standing)—i.e., standing by following His commands—(and sitting)—i.e., sitting back from His restraints and prohibitions—(and on their sides)—i.e., avoiding the study of disobedience by a state—(and they reflect)—with their intellects purified from the impurities of illusion—(upon the creation of the heavens and the earth). This reflection is upon two meanings: first, seeking the absence of hearts in the unseen, which are the treasures of the lights of the attributes, to perceive the lights of the power that brings the witness to the Witnessed; second, the circulation of hearts with the attribute of reflection in the creation of the King, seeking to witness the King. When they witness, (they say, "Our Lord, You did not create this in vain")—rather, it is mirrors for Your names and manifestations of Your attributes. The saying of Labid clarifies the intended meaning: "Is not everything other than Allah vain? And every pleasure is inevitably vanishing." (Exalted are You)—i.e., transcendence to You from there being other than You in existence—(so protect us from the punishment of the Fire)—and it is the fire of being veiled by the created things from seeing the Creator. (Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to the Fire)—and veil him from the vision—(has indeed disgraced him)—and humiliated him by distance from You—(and for the wrongdoers)—who associated partners, who have no existence in the caravan nor the troop—(there are no helpers)—due to the overpowering manifestation overcoming them. (Our Lord, indeed we have heard)—with the ears of our hearts—(a caller)—from our secrets that are the right shore of the valley of the spirit—(calling to the faith)—the witnessed—(that "Believe in your Lord," so we have believed)—i.e., witness your Lord, so we witnessed; or (Indeed we have heard) in the first station (a caller calling to the faith), and the intended is Allah, the Exalted, when He addressed the spirits in the world of the particles saying, Exalted is He: "(Am I not your Lord?)" for that is a call to them to the faith. (So we have believed)—meaning their saying: "(Yes)" when they witnessed Him there, Exalted is He. (Our Lord, so forgive us our sins)—i.e., the sins of our attributes by Your attributes—(and remove from us our misdeeds)—our actions by seeing Your actions—(and cause us to die)—from our selves by voluntary death—(with the righteous)—and they are those who stand on the boundary of isolation and Oneness. (Our Lord, and grant us what You promised us through)—the tongues of—(Your messengers)—by Your saying: "For those who do good is the best and more." (And do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection)—by veiling us from You by Your bounty—(indeed, You do not fail in Your promise. And their Lord answered them)—due to the perfection of His mercy—(that "I do not allow to be lost the work of any worker among you)—of the heart and its work, such as sincerity and certainty—(whether male or female)—the soul and its work when it abandons the struggles and the formal acts of obedience—(you are of one another)—for you are joined by one origin, which is the human spirit. (So those who migrated)—from other than Allah, the Exalted, to Allah, the Exalted—(and were driven out of their homes)—and they are the familiar things of their souls—(and were harmed in My cause)—by what they endured from the deniers. From some of the Gnostics, it is said that if the people do not taste the bitterness of the harm of the deniers, they do not win the sweetness of the cup of closeness to Allah, the Exalted. For this reason, Al-Junayd, may his secret be sanctified, said: May Allah, the Exalted, reward our brothers on our behalf with goodness; they turned us by their aversion back to Allah, the Exalted. (And fought their own selves)—in that which is their greatest enemy—(and were killed)—by the sword of annihilation—(I will surely remove from them their misdeeds)—the minor and major ones from the remnants of their attributes and selves—(and I will surely admit them to gardens)—three, which are the garden of actions, the garden of attributes, and the garden of Essence—(beneath which rivers flow)—the rivers of sciences and manifestations—(as a reward from Allah)—the One who gathers all attributes—(and Allah has with Him the best of rewards)—so there is no reward in the hand of other than Him at all. (Do not let the freedom of movement of those who disbelieved)—i.e., were veiled from the Oneness—(in the land deceive you)—in the worldly stations and conditions—(a small enjoyment)—due to the speed of its vanishing and its lack of benefit—(then their refuge is Hell)—deprivation—(and wretched is the resting place)—which they chose according to their preparedness. (But those who feared their Lord)—by stripping themselves with complete stripping—(will have gardens)—three, in exchange for that—(as accommodation from Allah)—prepared for them—(and what is with Allah)—of the blessings of witnessing, the subtleties of closeness, and the sweetness of connection—(is best for the righteous. And indeed, among the People of the Scripture are those who believe in Allah)—and realize the essential Oneness—(and what was revealed to you)—of the knowledge of Oneness and uprightness—(and what was revealed to them)—of the knowledge of the origin and the return and attaining the degrees—(humbly submissive to Allah)—for the essential manifestation; and Allah, the Exalted, does not manifest to a thing except that it submits to Him—(they do not exchange the verses of Allah)—the Exalted, and they are the manifestations of His attributes—(for a small price. Those will have their reward with their Lord)—and they are those gardens—(indeed, Allah is swift in account)—so He delivers their reward to them without delay. (O you who have believed, endure)—away from disobedience—(and endure)—upon acts of obedience—(and be on guard)—the spirits through witnessing—(and fear Allah)—from witnessing the others—(that you may succeed)—by stripping away your concerns and passing thoughts. Or: (Endure) in the station of the soul through struggle, (and endure) in the station of the heart with manifestations, (and be on guard) in the station of the spirit your own selves so that no languor or heedlessness overtakes you, and fear Allah from opposition, turning away, and aversion, (that you may) attain true success. We ask Allah, the Exalted, to grant us the fullest portion of compliance with these commands and what results from them, by His grace and generosity.

These ten verses the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to recite, as Ibn as-Sunni, Abu Nu'aym, and Ibn 'Asakir recorded from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him.

Ad-Darimi recorded from 'Uthman, who said: Whoever reads the end of Al-Imran in a night, Allah, the Exalted, records for him the standing of a night. At-Tabarani recorded from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, in a marfu' report: "Whoever reads the Surah in which Al-Imran is mentioned on a Friday, Allah, the Exalted, and His angels pray upon him until the sun sets." The report "Whoever reads Surah Al-Imran is given for every verse security on the bridge of Hell" is a fabricated report against the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and they criticized those of the commentators who mentioned it. We ask Allah, the Exalted, to protect us from slipping and preserve us from error and falsehood. Indeed, He is Bountiful, Generous, Compassionate, Merciful. Let this be the conclusion of what I have dictated of the interpretation of Al-Fatiha and the two radiant ones (Al-Baqarah and Al-Imran). I desire of Allah, the Exalted, through sincerity, that He bring me to the interpretation of the two protecting Surahs (Al-Mu'awwidhatayn), and it is the first volume of Ruh al-Ma'ani, and the second volume shall follow it, if Allah, the Exalted, wills. The completion of it was at the beginning of Muharram al-Haram, the year one thousand two hundred and fifty-four. May Allah bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad, and to his family and all his companions, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Amen.