Tafsir of Al Imran 3:166-167

Al Imran: (166 - 167) And what struck you on the day...

This verse is connected to the preceding one: {Or when a calamity struck you} (Al Imran: 165). In that verse, it was mentioned that the calamity struck them due to their sins and from themselves. In this verse, it is mentioned that the calamity struck them for another reason: so that the believer might be distinguished from the hypocrite. There are several issues concerning this verse:

The intended meaning here is the Day of Uhud. The "two hosts" refer to:

1. The host of the Muslims, companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
2. The host of the polytheists who were with Abu Sufyan.

There are several interpretations:

First View: The permission of Allah means takhliyah (leaving them alone) and refraining from defense. It is used metaphorically for leaving the disbelievers alone, as Allah did not prevent them from attacking the Muslims in order to test them. Since refraining from defense is a consequence of permission, the term "permission" is used metaphorically for refraining from defense.

Second View: {By the permission of Allah} means by His knowledge, similar to His saying {And an announcement from Allah} (At-Tawbah: 3), meaning notification, and His saying {And no witness among us} (Fussilat: 47), and {Then proclaim war against him from Allah} (Al-Baqarah: 279)—all of which mean knowledge.

Al-Wahidi objected to this view, stating that the verse is a consolation for the believers regarding what afflicted them, and consolation is only achieved if the event occurred by His knowledge, as His knowledge encompasses all things known, evidenced by His saying: {And no female bears except with His knowledge} (Fatir: 11).

Third View: The permission here means command. This is supported by His saying: {Then He caused you to turn away from them to test you} (Al Imran: 152). The meaning is that since Allah commanded the fighting, and that fighting subsequently led to the defeat, it is metaphorically correct to say that this occurred by His command.

Fourth View (Narrated from Ibn Abbas): The permission means Allah's decree and judgment concerning it. This view is preferable because the verse consoles the believers regarding what afflicted them, and consolation is achieved when it is said that the event occurred by Allah's decree and predestination, leading them to be content with what Allah has decreed.

Then the Almighty said: {And that He might make evident the believers * And that He might make evident those who were hypocrites}. The meaning is to distinguish the believers from the hypocrites. There are several issues here:

Al-Wahidi said: A man is called a munafiq (hypocrite) if he displays the word of faith while concealing its opposite. The term Nifaq is an Islamic term whose derivation is debated:

1. Abu Ubaidah's View: It is derived from the nafaqā' (exit hole) of the jerboa (jerboa). A jerboa's burrow has two openings: the qāṣi‘ā’ (main entrance) and the nāfaqā’ (exit). If one is blocked, the animal exits through the other. Thus, the hypocrite is called a munafiq because he has established two paths for himself: displaying Islam and concealing disbelief. Whichever path you seek him through, he emerges from the other.
2. Ibn al-Anbari's View: The hypocrite is from an-nifq, which means a tunnel or hidden passage. The meaning is that he conceals himself with Islam, just as a man conceals himself in a tunnel.
3. *Another View based on Nāfaqā’:* The nāfaqā’ is a burrow the jerboa digs underground, then covers the top lightly with earth. If it senses danger, it pushes the earth with its head and emerges. The hypocrite is called a munafiq because he conceals disbelief internally, and if you investigate him, he casts off that disbelief and clings to Islam.

The apparent meaning suggests that this permission was granted precisely so that this knowledge might be attained by Allah, implying a renewal of Allah's knowledge, which is impossible for Allah. Therefore, the intended meaning of "knowledge" here is to make evident (to manifest). The meaning is: So that the believer might be distinguished from the hypocrite, and one might be separated from the other, the permission for that calamity was granted. This meaning has been previously established in earlier verses. And Allah knows best.

There is an omission in the verse. The implied meaning is: {And that He might make evident the faith of the believers * And the hypocrisy of the hypocrites}.

If it is asked: Why did He say {And that He might make evident the believers * And that He might make evident those who were hypocrites} and not simply {And that He might make evident the hypocrites}?

The answer is: The noun form (al-mu'minīn) emphasizes their established state of faith, while the verb form (nāfaqū) indicates that they began to perform actions befitting hypocrisy at that time. The phrase {And that He might make evident the believers} indicates their established and firm adherence to their faith.

Then the Almighty said: {And when it was said to them, "Come, fight in the cause of Allah or repel [the enemy]"} There are several issues here:

There are two views:

1. Al-Aṣamm's View: It was the Messenger (peace be upon him) inviting them to fight.
2. Narrated View: When Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl set out with his troops towards Uhud, they said, "We will not throw ourselves into death," and they returned. They were 300 out of the 1,000 who set out with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). Then Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram, the father of Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, said to them: "I remind you of Allah, that you should not abandon your Prophet and your people when the enemy is present." This is what is meant by His saying {And when it was said to them}, meaning the saying of Abdullah.

This means: If you have love for the religion and Islam in your hearts, then fight for the religion and Islam. If you do not have that, then fight to repel the enemy from yourselves, your families, and your wealth. That is, be either men of religion or men of the world.

Al-Saddi and Ibn Jurayj said: "Repel the enemy from us by increasing our numbers, even if you do not fight alongside us." They argued that large numbers are a cause of awe and prestige. The first interpretation is the stronger view.

His saying {Fight in the cause of Allah or repel [the enemy]} is an explicit statement that they prioritized the pursuit of religion over worldly matters. This indicates that a Muslim must always prioritize religion over the world in all important matters.

Then the Almighty said: {They said, "If we had known [there would be] fighting, we would have followed you." They, that day, were nearer to disbelief than to faith}. This is the response given by the hypocrites, and there are two views regarding it:

First View: The meaning is that the two groups would not fight at all, which is why they retreated.

Second View: The meaning is: If we knew what could properly be called "fighting," we would have followed you. That is, what they were about to do was not truly fighting, but rather throwing oneself into destruction, because Abdullah's opinion was to remain in Medina, and he did not approve of going out.

It must be noted that if the First View is intended, it is false. This is because conjecture regarding worldly affairs stands in place of certainty, and the signs of impending battle were clear that day. If one were to say to this hypocrite who gave this answer: "Then, if you saw someone draw a sword in war, you should not approach to fight him because you do not know that it is fighting," the same logic would apply to all actions in worldly affairs. Rather, the truth is that Jihad is obligatory when the signs of warfare appear, and there are no stronger signs than their proximity to Medina at the mountain of Uhud. Therefore, mentioning this response indicates the utmost shame and hypocrisy, and their goal in giving this answer was either deception or mockery.

As for the Second View, it is also false, because Allah Almighty had promised them victory and aid; thus, going out to that battle was not throwing oneself into destruction.

Then He clarified their state when they gave this response: {They, that day, were nearer to disbelief than to faith}. There are several issues here:

First View: Before this incident, they displayed faith outwardly, and no sign of their disbelief had appeared. When they retreated from supporting the Muslims, they moved further away from being presumed believers.

Their retreat from aiding the Muslims demonstrated that they were not Muslims. Furthermore, their statement {If we had known [there would be] fighting, we would have followed you} indicates they were not Muslims, because, as we explained, this statement implies either mockery of the Muslims or a lack of trust in the Prophet's (PBUH) word, and either one is disbelief.

Second View: The meaning is that they were nearer to supporting the people of disbelief than the people of faith, because their withdrawal diminished the number of Muslims, which led to strengthening the polytheists.

Most scholars said that this is an explicit declaration from Allah that they were disbelievers. Al-Hasan said: When Allah says "nearer," it is a certainty that they are polytheists, similar to His saying {one hundred thousand or more}. This excess is without doubt. Moreover, a responsible person cannot be free from either faith or disbelief; since the verse indicates closeness [to disbelief], the occurrence of disbelief is necessitated.

Al-Wahidi said in Al-Basit: This verse is evidence that whoever utters the testimony of faith is not considered a disbeliever, and one should not rush to declare them disbelievers, because Allah did not explicitly declare them disbelievers, even though they were disbelievers, due to their outward declaration of "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

Then the Almighty said: {They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts}. This means their tongues contradicted their hearts. Even though they displayed faith with their tongues, they concealed disbelief in their hearts.

Then He said: {And Allah knows best what they conceal}.

If it is asked: If something is known by two knowers, one is not more knowledgeable than the other. So what is the meaning of {And Allah knows best what they conceal}?

The answer is: The meaning is that Allah knows the details of those states that no one else knows.

7 < {Those who said about their brothers while they remained behind: "If they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed." Say: "Then repel death from yourselves, if you are truthful."} >