ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ
If good touches you, it distresses them; but if harm strikes you, they rejoice at it. And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do.
Tafsir
Verse range: 3:120
Know that this verse is a continuation of the description of the hypocrites. Allah, the Exalted, clarified that despite their blameworthy characteristics and ugly deeds, they anticipate the descent of some form of affliction and trial upon the believers. There are several issues in this verse:
The root meaning of mass (touching) is with the hand, but it is used metaphorically for anything that reaches something. It is said, "So-and-so was afflicted by fatigue and toil." Allah says: {And no weariness touched us} (Qaf: 38), and {And when harm touches you in the sea} (Al-Isra: 67).
The author of Al-Kashshaf said that mass here means "to befall" or "to strike," as in: {If a good thing befalls you, it grieves them, and if a calamity befalls you...} (At-Tawbah: 50), and {Whatever good reaches you is from Allah, but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself} (An-Nisa: 79), and {When harm touches him, he is frantic, * And when good touches him, he is miserly} (Al-Ma'arij: 20-21).
The "good" intended here refers to worldly benefits in all their forms: health, abundance of crops, victory in spoils, dominance over enemies, and the attainment of love and affection among loved ones.
The "evil" refers to their opposites: sickness, poverty, defeat, retreat from the enemy, separation among relatives, killing, plundering, and raiding.
Thus, Allah clarified that they grieve and become distressed when the Muslims experience any form of "good," and they rejoice when the Muslims experience any form of "evil."
The word sā'a (to be evil/ugly) makes the subject sayyi' (ugly/bad), and the feminine is sayyi'ah. It means ugliness. Hence, Allah's saying: {Evil is that which they do} (Al-Ma'idah: 66). As-Su'wā (the worst) is the opposite of Al-Husnā (the best).
Then He said: {And if you are patient}—meaning, in obedience to Allah and in enduring the hardship and distress encountered therein—{and fear Allah}—meaning, abstaining from all that He has forbidden and placing your trust in Allah regarding your affairs—{their plot will not harm you at all}. There are several issues here:
Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Abu 'Amr recited it as {lā yaḍurrukum} (with a fatḥa on the yā' and a kasra on the ḍād and a quiescent rā'), derived from ḍārrahu yaḍīruhu (to harm him).
The rest recited it as {lā yaḍurrukum} (with a ḍamma on the ḍād and a doubled rā'), derived from aḍ-ḍurr (harm). Its original form was lā yaḍrurrukum in the jussive mood, where the first rā' was assimilated into the second, and the ḍamma of the first rā' was transferred to the ḍād, and the final rā' was given a ḍamma following the nearest vowel, which is the ḍamma of the ḍād. Some scholars suggest it is an inversion, meaning: "Their plot will not harm you at all if you are patient and fear Allah." Al-Kashshaf narrated that Al-Mufaḍḍal narrated from 'Asim {lā yaḍurrukum} with a fatḥa on the rā'.
Kayd is when a person schemes to bring another into something disliked. Ibn 'Abbas interpreted kayd here as enmity.
{Shay'an} is in the accusative case as a maṣdar (verbal noun), meaning "a thing of harm."
The meaning of the verse is that whoever is patient in fulfilling Allah's commands and fears all that Allah has forbidden, they will be under Allah's protection, and the plots of the disbelievers and the schemes of the schemers will not harm them.
The deeper explanation is that Allah, the Exalted, created creation for servitude, as He said: {And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me} (Adh-Dhariyat: 56). Whoever fulfills the covenant of servitude, Allah, the Exalted, is too noble not to fulfill the covenant of Lordship by protecting them from afflictions and fears. This is alluded to in His saying: {And whoever fears Allah—He will make for him a way out * And will provide for him from where he does not expect} (At-Talaq: 2-3), indicating that He will convey to him whatever brings him ease. Some wise men said: If you wish to suppress those who envy you, strive hard in acquiring virtues.
Then Allah said: {Indeed, Allah, with what they do, is Encompassing}. There are several issues here:
It was recited with a yā' (implying "they"—the hypocrites/enemies) as an absent subject, meaning He knows what they do in their hostility toward you, and He will punish them for it. Whoever recited it with a tā' (implying "you"—the believers) means He knows and encompasses what you do of patience and piety, and He will deal with you according to what you deserve.
The use of the term Muḥīṭ (Encompassing) for Allah is metaphorical, as encompassing something implies surrounding it from all sides, which is a characteristic of bodies. However, since Allah is knowing of all things and capable of all possibilities, it is permissible in the language's metaphor to say He encompasses them. Examples include: {And Allah is encompassing of the disbelievers} (Al-Baqarah: 19), {And they cannot encompass Him in knowledge} (Taha: 110), and {And He has encompassed all that they have, and He has enumerated every single thing in number} (Al-Jinn: 28).
He said: {Indeed, Allah, with what they do, is Encompassing} and did not say: {Indeed, Allah is Encompassing what they do} because they prioritize what is most important and what they are engaged in. That is, the purpose here is not merely to state that He is knowing, but to clarify that all their deeds are known to Allah, the Exalted, and He will recompense them for them. Therefore, the action (al-'amal) is mentioned. And Allah knows best.
