Tafsir of Al Imran 3:153

Āl 'Imrān (The Family of 'Imrān): Verse 153

{إِذْ تُصْعَدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَىٰ أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ فِي أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ لِّكَيْلَا تَحْزَنُوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا مَا أَصَابَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ}

There are two main views regarding the connection of this phrase to the preceding text:

View 1: It is connected to the preceding context. Under this view, there are several possibilities for the implied meaning:

1. It is as if the verse means: "And He pardoned you when you were fleeing up the mountain." This is because the pardon must relate to an action they committed, which is their departure from that place and their rush into the valley as if routed, not looking back at anyone.
2. The implied meaning is: "Then He turned you away from them when you were fleeing up the mountain."
3. The implied meaning is: "So that He might test you when you were fleeing up the mountain."

View 2: It is the beginning of a new statement, unconnected to what preceded it. The implied meaning is: "Mention when you were fleeing up the mountain."

Issue 1: Recitations of {تُصْعَدُونَ} (You were fleeing up)

• Al-Hasan read it as: {إِذْ تُصْعَدُونَ فِي الْجَبَلِ} (when you were ascending in the mountain).
• Ubayy read it as: {إِذْ تُصْعَدُونَ فِي الْوَادِي} (when you were ascending in the valley).
• Abu Haywah read it with a fatḥa on the tā’ and a shadda on the ʿayn (تُصَعَّدُونَ), derived from taṣaʿʿada (like ascending stairs).

Issue 2: The Meaning of Iṣʿād (Ascending/Fleeing)

• Iṣʿād generally means going far away or moving into a distant area. One says ṣaʿada fī al-jabal (he ascended the mountain) and aṣʿada fī al-arḍ (he went far into the land). It is also said: "We traveled from Mecca to Medina."
• Abu Ma'ādh al-Naḥwī stated: Everything has a lower part and an upper part (like a valley or a river). If one moves from the bottom to the top of a valley, you say ṣaʿada fī al-wādī. However, for something that rises vertically, like stairs, you say ṣaʿidtu.

Issue 3: The Meaning of {وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَىٰ أَحَدٍ} (and not looking back at anyone)

• This means you did not turn your attention toward anyone due to the intensity of the flight.
• The root meaning involves twisting one's neck or the reins of one's mount toward something one is turning toward. If one proceeds without turning back, it is said lam yalwīhi.
• The term al-layy (twisting/turning) is then used metaphorically for abandoning concern for something or not paying attention to it. One says: "So-and-so does not yalwī (care about) anything," meaning he does not incline toward it or pay heed to it.

• It is as if the Prophet (PBUH) was saying: "O servants of God, I am the Messenger of God; whoever comes to me will have Paradise."
• This implies two possibilities:
  1. The Messenger (PBUH) was calling them to himself so they would gather around him and not disperse.
  2. He was calling them to fight the enemy.
• {فِي أُخْرَاكُمْ} (in your rear): Meaning the last among you. It is said: jītu fī akhari an-nās wa-ūlāhum (I came among the last and the first of the people). The meaning is that the Messenger (PBUH) was calling them while standing at their rear, because the people had advanced ahead of him due to the rout.

Issue 1: The use of the word Thawāb (Reward)

• The word thawāb is generally used for good things, but it can also be used for evil. It is derived from thāba ilayhi ʿaqluhu (his intellect returned to him). Allah says: {وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ} (And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people). A woman is called thayyib because the one who approaches her returns to her.
• The origin of thawāb is any recompense that returns to the doer, whether good or bad. However, by common usage, thawāb has become specific to good.
  • If we take the literal meaning here, the statement is sound.
  • If we take the conventional meaning, it is used sarcastically, like saying: "Your greeting is a beating," or "Your admonition is the sword," meaning He gave grief instead of the expected reward. This is similar to {فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ} (So give them tidings of a painful punishment).

Issue 2: The meaning of the preposition Bā’ (with) in {غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ}

The bā’ can mean equivalence/substitution, or it can mean "with" (maʿa).

A. If the Bā’ means Substitution (i.e., one grief in exchange for another):

1. Al-Zajjāj’s view: Since you caused the Messenger grief by disobeying his command, Allah caused you this grief—the grief resulting from the defeat and the loss of loved ones. The meaning is: He recompensed that grief with this grief.
2. Al-Hasan’s view: It refers to the grief of the Muslims on the Day of Uhud in exchange for the grief of the polytheists on the Day of Badr. The purpose is that the believers should not become attached to worldly matters, neither rejoicing in their coming nor grieving over their departure, as stated in {لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ} (so that you may not grieve over what you have missed or rejoice in what He has brought you). The Qadi criticized this view, arguing that the grief of Uhud was due to the dominance of the disbelievers, which is disbelief and disobedience; how could Allah attribute this to Himself?
   • Rebuttal: It is possible that Allah knew that allowing the disbelievers to overcome the Muslims served a benefit: preventing the believers from rejoicing in worldly gains or grieving over their loss, thus keeping their hearts focused only on God.
3. The pronoun in {فَأَثَابَكُمْ} (He rewarded you) might refer back to the Messenger. When the Companions saw the Prophet (PBUH) wounded, his molar broken, and his uncle killed, they grieved for him. When the Messenger saw that they disobeyed their Lord seeking spoils, were deprived of them, and their relatives were killed, he grieved for them. Thus, {فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ} refers to this mutual grief.

B. If the Bā’ means Conjunction (i.e., grief with grief, or grief upon grief): This is permissible because prepositions can sometimes substitute for one another (e.g., saying mazaftu bi-fulānin or mazaftu ʿalā fulānin).

Summary of the Many Griefs Experienced: There were numerous griefs:

1. Grief from what the enemy inflicted upon them in lives and property.
2. Grief for what the rest of the believers suffered.
3. Grief over the injury and broken tooth sustained by the Messenger (PBUH).
4. Grief from the rumor spread that the Messenger (PBUH) had been killed.
5. Grief over their own sin and the fear of its punishment.
6. Grief due to the obligation of repentance, as their repentance was incomplete without abandoning the flight and returning to battle. This is extremely difficult, as a routed person becomes weak-hearted and cowardly. If he returns, he fears death; if he does not, he fears disbelief or punishment in the Hereafter. This last grief is undoubtedly the greatest.

Interpretations based on these griefs:

• View 1: The first grief was from failure and dispute; the second was from the defeat.
• View 2: The first grief was from missing the spoils; the second was from Abu Sufyan and Khalid ibn al-Walid attacking the Muslims and killing a large number of them.
• View 3: The first grief was when Abu Sufyan and Khalid advanced to kill them; the second was the fear that if the remaining Muslims returned, the enemy would kill them all, making this second grief overshadow the first.
• View 4: The first grief was what afflicted them concerning themselves and their property; the second was the rumor of the Prophet's death.

A Third View (Chosen by Al-Qaffāl): Allah did not intend two specific griefs, but rather the continuity and succession of griefs. He punished them with many successive griefs—the killing of brothers and relatives, the descent of the polytheists upon them, the fear of total annihilation, and their commission of sin. Thus, He gave them these successive griefs to deter them from sin and from engaging in what contradicts God's command.

Issue 3: The meaning of God "Creating" the Grief (The Mu'tazilite perspective)

For the Ash'arites, God creating grief is acceptable. However, the Mu'tazilites, whose principles reject this, offered explanations for attributing the grief to God:

1. Al-Ka'bi’s view: When the hypocrites spread the rumor that the Prophet (PBUH) was killed, and God did not immediately deny it, it became as if God Himself caused that grief. This is like a man who hears distressing news, and someone with him knows it is false but remains silent, letting him dwell on it before revealing the truth. The man would then say, "You grieved me by remaining silent." God’s silence here is analogous.
2. Even if the grief originates from the actions of the people, its cause is God's action, as God created in humans the nature to be grieved by calamities that befall them, for which they are neither praised nor blamed.
3. It is not impossible that God creates grief in the heart of some accountable person for the sake of certain benefits.

There are two main views on the connection of the lām (for the purpose of):

1. Connected to {وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنكُم} (And He pardoned you): Meaning, He pardoned you so that you would not grieve, because His pardon removes all sorrow and grief.
2. Connected to {فَأَثَابَكُم} (So He rewarded you): Under this view, there are sub-points:
   • Al-Zajjāj’s view: He rewarded you with the grief of defeat in exchange for your grief over disobeying the Prophet (PBUH). The purpose was that your grief should be solely for disobeying him, not for the loss of spoils or the defeat itself, because grief resulting from committing disobedience overshadows grief resulting from worldly misfortunes.
   • Al-Hasan’s view: He made you grieved on the Day of Uhud in return for the grief you caused them on the Day of Badr, so that worldly matters might become insignificant in your eyes, preventing you from grieving over what is lost or rejoicing over what is gained.

These two points are based on the view that the bā’ in {غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ} signifies recompense.

If we hold that the bā’ means "with" (conjunction), the meaning is: You thought that if you had remained in place and obeyed the Messenger, you would have suffered the grief of missing the spoils. Know that when you disobeyed the Messenger and sought the spoils, you fell into these immense griefs, each one many times greater than that potential grief. A rational person, when faced with two harms, must avert the greater one. Thus, the rewarding of grief upon grief served as a barrier and deterrent against grieving the loss of spoils.

Just as He deterred them through this worldly deterrent, He deterred them through the deterrents related to the spoils: {وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} (And Allah is Acquainted with what you do). He knows all your deeds, intentions, and motivations, and He is capable of recompensing them—good for good, and evil for evil. This knowledge is one of the greatest deterrents for a servant against committing sin. And Allah knows best.

Verse 154

{ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاسًا يَغْشَىٰ طَائِفَةً مِّنكُمْ وَطَائِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مِن شَيْءٍ قُلْ إِنَّ الْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ يُخْفُونَ فِي أَنفُسِهِم مَّا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا قُل لَّوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمْ وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ}

{ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاسًا} (Then after the grief, He sent down upon you security, a drowsiness that overcame a portion of you)

• This refers to the tranquility sent down after the intense grief of defeat.
• {أَمَنَةً نُّعَاسًا} (security, a drowsiness): Nuʿās (drowsiness) is explained as the amannah (security) itself, or it is a badal (apposition) clarifying the nature of that security. This drowsiness was a sign of divine aid and a cause of calm, as fear prevents sleep.
• {يَغْشَىٰ طَائِفَةً مِّنكُمْ} (that overcame a portion of you): This drowsiness covered the believers who were steadfast.

{وَطَائِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ} (and another portion, whose souls were preoccupied with themselves)

• This refers to the hypocrites and those weak in faith. Their concern was only for their own survival.

{يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ} (thinking about Allah other than the truth, the thought of ignorance)

• Their assumption was that God would not support His Messenger, or that the divine decree was not absolute, which contradicts the true belief in God's power and wisdom.

{يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مِن شَيْءٍ} (saying, "Do we have any say in the matter?")

• They questioned the Prophet's authority and the divine plan, implying that if they had a share in decision-making, the outcome would have been different.

{قُلْ إِنَّ الْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ} (Say, "Indeed, the matter is entirely for Allah.")

• This is the refutation of their doubt, affirming absolute divine sovereignty.

{يُخْفُونَ فِي أَنفُسِهِم مَّا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ} (They conceal within themselves what they do not reveal to you)

• They hid their true feelings of doubt and despair.

{يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا} (Saying, "If we had any say in the matter, we would not have been killed here.")

• This reveals the core of their hypocrisy: attributing the killing to the Prophet's lack of control rather than to God's decree.

{قُل لَّوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمْ} (Say, "Even if you had remained in your houses, those decreed to be killed would have gone forth to their resting places.")

• This confirms that death is predetermined. If one's fate is martyrdom, he will meet it whether he stays home or goes out.

{وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ} (And that Allah may test what is in your breasts and purify what is in your hearts)

• The purpose of the trial (Uhud) was twofold:
  1. To test the sincerity of the believers (what is in their chests/intentions).
  2. To purify the hearts of the hypocrites and the weak from doubt and attachment to the world (what is in their hearts).

{وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ} (And Allah is Knowing of what is within the breasts.)

• He knows the innermost secrets and intentions, confirming that the testing and purification were necessary and effective.