Tafsir of Al Imran 3:154

Āl 'Imrān (The Family of 'Imrān): Verse 154

{Then He sent down upon you after the distress, security—a drowsiness that overcame a party of you...}

There are two perspectives on the coherence of this passage:

1. First View: Since God Almighty had promised victory to the believers over the disbelievers, and this victory necessarily requires the removal of fear from the believers first, this verse clarifies that God removed their fear. This serves as evidence that God will fulfill His promise regarding the believers' victory.
2. Second View: God first mentioned that He aided the believers, but when some of them disobeyed, He inflicted fear upon them. Then, He mentioned removing that fear from the hearts of those who were sincere in their faith and firm in their religion, to the extent that drowsiness overcame them.

Know that the people with the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the day of Uhud were of two groups:

1. The Believers: Those who were certain that Muhammad (PBUH) was a true Prophet from God and that he did not speak from mere desire—it was only revelation revealed to him. They had heard from the Prophet (PBUH) that God would grant victory to this religion and make it prevail over all other religions. Therefore, they were certain that this event would not lead to their annihilation, so naturally, they felt secure. This security reached a point where drowsiness overcame them, as sleep does not come with fear. The arrival of sleep indicates the complete removal of fear.
   • Regarding the story of Uhud, the verse states: {Then He sent down upon you after the distress, security—a drowsiness that overcame a party of you}.
   • Regarding the story of Badr, it states: {When He covered you with drowsiness as a security from Him} (Al-Anfāl: 11).
   • In the case of Uhud, security (Amnah) is mentioned before drowsiness (Tu'ās). In the case of Badr, drowsiness is mentioned before security.

2. The Second Group (The Hypocrites): They doubted his prophethood (PBUH) and only attended the battle seeking spoils. Their distress intensified, and their fear grew great. God Almighty then described the state of each of these two groups. He described the believers by saying: {Then He sent down upon you after the distress, security—a drowsiness that overcame a party of you}.

Issue 1: The Meaning of Al-Amnah (Security)

Al-Wāḥidī said: Al-Amnah is a maṣdar (verbal noun) like al-amn (security). Similar maṣdars include al-'uẓmah (greatness) and al-ghalabah (dominance). Al-Jubbā'ī said: It is said, amn (he was secure), ya'manu (he is secure), amnan and amānan.

Issue 2: The Reading of Amnah

The author of Al-Kashshāf said: It was recited as (Amnah) [with a sukun on the mīm], because it signifies a single instance of security (al-marrah min al-amn).

Issue 3: The Grammatical Relation of Tu'āsan (Drowsiness)

There are two interpretations for the word {Tu'āsan}:

1. It is an appositive (badal) for Amnah.
2. It is an object (maf'ūl). If this is the case, then Amnah has several possibilities:
   • It is a preceding circumstantial adverb (ḥāl muqaddamah) modifying the implied subject, like saying: "I saw a man riding."
   • It is an object of reason (maf'ūl lah), meaning: "You became drowsy for the sake of security."
   • It is a circumstantial adverb describing the addressees, meaning: "You, possessing security."

Issue 1: Identifying the Party

We have already mentioned that this party refers to the believers who possessed clear insight into their faith.

Abū Ṭalḥah said: Drowsiness overcame us while we were in our battle lines, so the sword would fall from one of our hands, and he would pick it up, and then it would fall again, and he would pick it up.

It is narrated from Al-Zubayr that he was with the Prophet (PBUH) when fear intensified. God sent sleep upon us, and I heard Mu'attab ibn Qushayr saying—while drowsiness overcame me—"If we had any say in the matter, we would not have been killed here."

'Abd al-Raḥmān ibn 'Awf said: Sleep overcame us on the day of Uhud. Ibn Mas'ūd said: Drowsiness in battle is security, but drowsiness in prayer is from Satan. This is because in battle, it only occurs from complete trust in God and detachment from worldly matters, whereas in prayer, it only occurs from extreme distance from God.

The Benefits of that Drowsiness

Know that this drowsiness had several benefits:

1. It occurred to all the believers, not just to the usual extent, making it a clear miracle for the Prophet (PBUH). Without a doubt, when the believers witnessed this new miracle, their faith increased upon their existing faith. When they reached this state, their zeal in fighting the enemy and their trust in God fulfilling His promise increased.
2. Sleeplessness and staying awake cause weakness and fatigue, while sleep restores strength, vigor, and heightened power and ability.
3. Since the disbelievers were busy killing the Muslims, God cast sleep upon the eyes of those remaining among them so they would not witness the killing of their dearest ones, which would have intensified fear and cowardice in their hearts.
4. The enemies were extremely eager to kill them. Their remaining safe while asleep in such a battle is the strongest evidence that God's protection and preservation were with them. This removed fear from their hearts and instilled in them increased trust in God's promise.

Some scholars suggest that mentioning drowsiness here is a metaphor for extreme security. This view is weak because changing a word from its literal meaning to a figurative one is only permissible when there is contradictory evidence. How could it be permissible to abandon the literal meaning when it encompasses all these benefits and wisdoms?

Issue 2: The Reading of Tughshā (Overcame/Covered)

Ḥamzah and Al-Kisā'ī recited it as {Tughshā} (with a tā'), referring back to Al-Amnah (security). The rest recited it as {Yughshā} (with a yā'), referring back to Tu'āsan (drowsiness). This latter reading is preferred by Abū Ḥātim, Khalaf, and Abū 'Ubayd.

Know that Al-Amnah and Tu'āsan each imply the other, so it is appropriate to refer the pronoun back to whichever you wish, just as in the verse: {The Tree of Zaqqūm, Food of the Sinner, like molten brass, boiling in the bellies} (Ad-Dukhān: 43-45), where yughlī (boiling) refers back to the mahl (molten brass).

If we accept the permissibility of both references, we can argue for the reading with the tā' (referring to Amnah) because Amnah is the primary noun, and Tu'āsan is its appositive; referring the pronoun back to the primary noun is better. Furthermore, Amnah is the intended goal, and when security is achieved, drowsiness follows because it is the cause (a fearful person rarely feels drowsy).

As for those who read with the yā' (referring to Tu'āsan), their proof is that drowsiness is what covers (ghāshī). Arabs say, "Drowsiness overcame us" (ghashīyanā an-nu'ās), and they rarely say, "Security overcame me from drowsiness." Moreover, drowsiness is explicitly mentioned with the action of covering in the verse: {When He covers you with drowsiness...} (Al-Anfāl: 11). Also, Tu'āsan immediately follows the verb, making it closer in wording to the mention of covering than Amnah, so giving it precedence in gender agreement is preferable.

Issue 1: Identifying This Party

These are the hypocrites, 'Abdullāh ibn Ubayy, Mu'attab ibn Qushayr, and their companions. Their concern was the salvation of their own souls. It is said: "Something concerned me" (hammanī ash-shay') means it was part of my concern and intention. Abū Muslim said: It is customary among Arabs to say of someone who is afraid, "His soul concerned him" (ahammat-hu nafs-hu). These hypocrites, due to the intensity of their fear of being killed, lost sleep.

Another view is that they were believers whose concern was the Prophet (PBUH) and their believing brethren. The hypocrites, however, were concerned only with themselves.

The definitive explanation is that when a person is intensely preoccupied and engrossed in something, they become heedless of everything else. Since the dearest thing to a person is their own self, when one fears for their life, they become oblivious to everything else. This is what is meant by {whose souls concerned them}. This is because the causes of fear (the enemy's attack) were present, but the deterrent—trust in God's promise and His Messenger's promise—was not considered by them, as they disbelieved the Messenger in their hearts. Consequently, fear grew great in their hearts.

Issue 2: Grammatical Structure

Ṭā'ifah (party) is in the nominative case (raf') as the subject of an implied sentence, and its predicate (khabar) is {Yadhunnūn} (they think). Alternatively, its predicate is {Ahammat-hum anfusuhum} (their souls concerned them).

God Almighty then described this party with various attributes.

Issue 1: The Nature of This Thought

There are two possibilities for this thought:

1. The More Apparent View: This thought was their internal reasoning: "If Muhammad were truthful in his claim, the disbelievers would not have been allowed to overpower him." This is a false assumption:
   • According to the Sunnis and the Community: Because God does what He wills and decrees what He wills; no one can object to Him. Prophethood is a robe of honor bestowed by God upon His servant. It is not rationally necessary that if the Master honors a servant with one robe, He must honor him with another. Rather, He has the command and prohibition as He wills, by the right of Divinity.
   • According to those who consider expediency (maṣāliḥ) in God's actions: It is not impossible that God has hidden wisdom and subtle favors in allowing the disbeliever to overpower the Muslim, as this world is the abode of testing and trial, and the aspects of expediency are hidden from intellects. Perhaps the expediency lies in allowing the disbeliever to overpower the believer, or perhaps the expediency lies in subjecting the believers to poverty and affliction. Al-Qaffāl said: If the believer's truthfulness necessitated the removal of such afflictions, people would be compelled to recognize the truthful person by force, which contradicts accountability and the deserving of reward and punishment. Rather, a person recognizes the truthful one through the proofs and clear signs they possess. Power and dominance can belong to the oppressor over the truthful, or to the truthful over the oppressor. This is sufficient to show that one cannot use worldly dominance, power, or strength as proof that its possessor is on the truth.

2. Second View: This thought was their denial of the Omniscient, Omnipotent Creator, and their denial of prophethood and the Resurrection. Consequently, they did not trust the Prophet's (PBUH) statement that God would strengthen and aid them.

Issue 2: The Meaning of Ghayr (Other Than)

{Ghayr} is in the position of a maṣdar and means: "They think about God other than the true thought that ought to be thought about Him." {Ẓann al-Jāhiliyyah} (the thought of ignorance) is an appositive (badal) for it. The benefit of this arrangement is that "other than the truth" encompasses many creeds, the ugliest of which are the doctrines of the people of ignorance. Thus, He first mentioned that they think about God other than the true thought, and then clarified that from the categories of untrue thoughts, they chose the most baseless and corrupt one: the thought of the people of ignorance. This is like saying: "So-and-so's religion is not true; his religion is the religion of the heretics."

Issue 3: The Meaning of Ẓann al-Jāhiliyyah

There are two views on {Ẓann al-Jāhiliyyah}:

1. It is like saying: "Hātim of generosity" or "'Umar of justice," meaning the thought specific to the pre-Islamic creed.
2. It means the thought of the people of ignorance.

Know that {Do we have any say in the matter?} (Hal lanā min al-amr min shay') recounts the doubt upon which the hypocrites relied. This statement can have several interpretations:

1. First Interpretation: When 'Abdullāh ibn Ubayy was consulted by the Prophet (PBUH) regarding this event, he advised against leaving Medina. When the Companions insisted that the Prophet (PBUH) go out to meet the enemy, 'Abdullāh ibn Ubayy became angry and said, "He disobeyed me and obeyed the boys!" When the killing intensified among Banū Khazraj and 'Abdullāh ibn Ubayy returned, he was told, "The Khazraj have been killed." He replied, "Do we have any say in the matter?" meaning Muhammad did not accept my advice when I commanded him to stay in Medina and not leave. This is similar to what God recounted about them: {If only they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed} (Āl 'Imrān: 168). The meaning is: Do we have an authority that is obeyed? This is a question expressing denial/reproach.

2. Second Interpretation: It is customary among Arabs, when the dominance belongs to their enemy, to say, "The matter is his." Thus, {Do we have any say in the matter?} means: Do we have any part of the aid that Muhammad promised us (victory and strength)? This is a question expressing denial. Their goal was to use this to argue that Muhammad (PBUH) was a liar in claiming divine aid and protection for his community.

3. Third Interpretation: The meaning is: Do we hope to have victory over these people? The purpose here is to console the Muslims during the severity of fighting the disbelievers.

God Almighty answered this doubt with: {Say, "Indeed, the matter is entirely God's"}.

Issue 1: The Reading of Kulluhu (Entirely)

Abū 'Amr recited (Kulluhu) [with the lām in the nominative case (raf')] while the rest recited it with the accusative case (naṣb).

• The Raf' Reading: (Kulluhu) is the subject (mubtada'), and (Lillāh) is its predicate (khabar). This entire clause then becomes the predicate of inna.
• The Naṣb Reading: The word kull is for emphasis, like the word ajma' (all). If one said, "Indeed, the matter is all of it (ajma')," it would only be in the accusative case, and similarly when saying (Kulluhu).

Issue 2: The Basis for This Answer

As we explained regarding the Sunni doctrine, there is no objection to anything God does in causing death or life, poverty or wealth, ease or hardship. If we follow the doctrine of those who consider expediency (maṣāliḥ), then the aspects of expediency are hidden, known only to God. Sometimes expediency lies in bringing joy and pleasure, and sometimes in inflicting sorrow and pain. Thus, the hypocrites' doubt is refuted from this perspective.

Issue 3: Proof for Divine Decree and Predestination

Our scholars use this verse as proof that all created things occur by God's decree and predestination. This is because the hypocrites said: "If Muhammad had accepted our opinion and advice, this tribulation would not have occurred." God answered by saying: {Indeed, the matter is entirely God's}. This answer is only coherent if the actions of the servants are by God's decree, predestination, and will. If their actions were outside His will, this answer would not refute the hypocrites' doubt. Thus, this verse proves what we mentioned.

Furthermore, the apparent meaning of this verse aligns with rational proof. Existence is either necessary in itself (wājib bi-dhātihi) or possible in itself (mumkin bi-dhātihi). The possible in itself cannot have its existence preferred over its non-existence unless it ultimately traces back to the Necessary in itself. Thus, everything other than God depends on His creation and bringing into being. This principle is not restricted to one created thing over another, or one possibility over another; it includes the actions, movements, and stillness of servants. This is what is meant by {Say, "Indeed, the matter is entirely God's"}. This point is extremely clear for one whom God has favored with fairness.

Know that God Almighty recounted their saying: {Do we have any say in the matter?} This statement is ambiguous. Perhaps the speaker was one of the sincere believers, and his intention was to show concern and ask when relief would come and where victory would be obtained. Or perhaps the speaker was one of the hypocrites, and he said it to criticize Muhammad's prophethood and Islam. God Almighty clarifies in this verse that the intention of these people behind this statement was the latter case. The benefit of this clarification is that the Prophet (PBUH) should be guarded against their deceit and plotting.

There is a difficulty here: What is the difference between this statement and the preceding one, {Do we have any say in the matter?}

This can be answered in two ways:

1. First Way: When God recounted their saying {Do we have any say in the matter?}, He answered with {Indeed, the matter is entirely God's}. The hypocrites then used their statement, {If only we had any say in the matter, we would not have been killed here}, to challenge this answer, implying: "The matter is not entirely God's, as you claim, because if it were, we would not have been killed here." This is precisely the debate between the Sunnis and the Mu'tazilites. The Sunni says: The entire matter—obedience, disobedience, faith, and disbelief—is in God's hand. The Mu'tazilite says: This is not the case, as man is independently choosing and capable of action; if he wills, he believes, and if he wills, he disbelieves. Under this interpretation, this statement is not an independent doubt but rather an attempt to undermine the answer God provided to the first doubt.

2. Second Way: The meaning of {Do we have any say in the matter?} is: Do we have any part of the promised aid from Muhammad? The meaning of {If only we had any say in the matter, we would not have been killed here} is what 'Abdullāh ibn Ubayy used to say: "If Muhammad had obeyed me and not left Medina, we would not have been killed here."

God Almighty answered this doubt in three ways:

The First Way of Answering: {And if God had decreed that they should be killed, they would have gone forth to their resting places}

The meaning is that caution does not repel destiny, and planning does not overcome predestination. Those whom God decreed to be killed must be killed under all circumstances, because when God informs that someone will be killed, if he were not killed, God's knowledge would turn into ignorance—which is impossible. We have also explained that existence is contingent and must trace back to God's creation; if He did not create it, His power would turn into impotence—both are impossible. What confirms this necessity, as we have established, is the phrase {those upon whom death was decreed}. This phrase implies obligation (wujūb). The word kutiba (was decreed) in verses like {Fasting is prescribed for you} or {Retaliation is prescribed for you} (Al-Baqarah: 178) implies the obligation of the action. Here, it cannot mean the obligation of the action, so it must be interpreted as the obligation of existence (i.e., their existence must necessarily lead to death). This is extremely clear for one whom God supports with success.

We then say to the commentators: There are two views here:

1. If you had stayed in your houses, those upon whom God decreed death would have gone forth to their places of death so that what God knew would occur, would occur.
2. It is as if it was said to the hypocrites: If you had stayed in your houses and refrained from fighting, the believers upon whom God decreed fighting the disbelievers would have gone forth to their resting places and would not have refrained from this obedience because of your abstention.

The Second Way of Answering: {And that God might test what is in your breasts}

The people claimed that going out to fight was a harm (mafsadah), and if the matter were up to them, they would not have gone out. God Almighty replied: Rather, this fighting involves two types of benefit: distinguishing the sincere from the hypocrite. There is a famous proverb: "Do not detest tribulations, for they are the harvest of the hypocrites." The meaning of Ibtilā' (testing) in relation to God has been explained many times.

If it is asked: Why was the testing mentioned again when it was already mentioned in {Then He turned you away from them to test you} (Āl 'Imrān: 152)? We reply: Because the discourse was prolonged, it was repeated. Or, the first testing was the believers' defeat, and the second testing refers to the other circumstances.

The Third Way of Answering: {And that He might purify what is in your hearts}

There are two interpretations for this:

1. This event purifies your hearts from whispers and doubts.
2. It serves as an expiation for your sins, thus purifying you from the consequences of transgressions and misdeeds.

Note that He mentioned Ibtilā' (testing) concerning the breasts (ṣudūr) and Tamḥīṣ (purification) concerning the hearts (qulūb), which warrants further discussion. Then He said: {And God is Knowing of the innermost thoughts}.

Know that Dhāt aṣ-ṣudūr (the essence/things of the breasts) are the things existing in the breasts: the secrets and the hidden intentions. They are the essence of the breasts because they reside within them, accompanying them. The companion of a thing is its dhū (owner), and the thing itself is its dhāt. This was mentioned to indicate that His testing was not because something was hidden from Him, or anything else, as He knows all things. Rather, He tested them either for the sake of pure Divinity or for rectification (iṣlāḥ).

Verse 155

{Indeed, those who turned away among you on the day the two hosts met—Satan only caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned. And God has certainly pardoned them. Indeed, God is Forgiving and Forbearing.}

Know that God Almighty recounted their saying: {Do we have any say in the matter?} This statement is ambiguous; perhaps the speaker was one of the sincere believers showing concern, or perhaps one of the hypocrites, criticizing the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam. God Almighty clarifies in this verse that the intention of these people behind this statement was the latter case, and the benefit of this clarification is that the Prophet (PBUH) should be guarded against their deceit and plotting.

The verse states that those who turned back on the day the two armies met—meaning those who fled—Satan only caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned. This implies that their turning away was not solely due to Satan's direct influence, but rather due to their own prior deeds (such as hypocrisy, doubt, or previous sins) which made them susceptible to Satan's temptation.

Then God Almighty stated: {And God has certainly pardoned them. Indeed, God is Forgiving and Forbearing.} This indicates that despite their error, God forgave them, emphasizing His attributes of forgiveness and forbearance.