ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ
You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah - indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination.
Tafsir
Verse range: 3:186
It is known that after the Almighty consoled the Prophet (PBUH) with His saying, {Every soul will taste death} (Al 'Imran: 185), He increased this consolation with this verse. He clarified that the disbelievers, after having harmed the Prophet and the Muslims on the day of Uhud, would also harm them in the future by every means possible—harm through life and harm through wealth. The purpose of this announcement is to prepare them for patience and to avoid despair. This is because if a person is unaware that affliction will befall him, it will be difficult for him when it does. But if he knows it will descend, its impact will not be severe when it arrives.
Regarding His saying: {You will surely be tested in your wealth and yourselves}, there are several issues:
As for His saying: {And you will surely hear from those who were given the Book before you and from those who associated partners with Allah much abuse}, this refers to the various types of harm inflicted upon the Muslims by the Jews, Christians, and polytheists. This is because they used to say that 'Uzayr is the son of Allah, and the Messiah is the son of Allah, and that Allah is the third of three. They would attack the Prophet (PBUH) with everything they could; Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf satirized him, and they incited people against the Prophet (PBUH). As for the polytheists, they incited people to oppose the Prophet (PBUH), gathered armies to fight him, and discouraged the Muslims from supporting him. Therefore, the statement must be understood to encompass all of them, as applying it to some is no more preferable than applying it to others.
Then He said, following up on these two matters: {But if you are patient and fear Allah, then that is of the best of matters}. There are issues concerning this:
The first: It commands the Prophet (PBUH) to be steadfast in enduring trials concerning wealth and self, and to endure bearing abuse without retaliation or counter-aggression. Allah Almighty mandated this because it is closer to bringing the opponent into the religion, as He said: {Then speak to him a gentle word, perhaps he may remember or fear} (Taha: 44). He also said: {Tell those who believe to forgive those who do not hope for the days of Allah} (Al-Jathiyah: 14), and this forgiveness means patience, refraining from vengeance. Allah also said: {And when they pass by idle talk, they pass by with dignity} (Al-Furqan: 72), and {So be patient, as were those of resolve among the messengers} (Al-Ahqaf: 35), and {Repel evil with that which is best; and thereupon, the one between whom and you was enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend} (Fussilat: 34). Al-Wahidi (may Allah have mercy on him) said this was before the revelation of the Verse of the Sword. Al-Qaffal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In my view, this is not abrogated, and it appears to have been revealed immediately after the incident of Uhud. The meaning is that they were commanded to be patient with the verbal abuse directed at the Prophet (PBUH) through the common discourse among them, and to employ conciliation with them in many situations. The command to fight does not contradict the command for patience in this sense. Know that Al-Wahidi's statement is weak, and the correct view is that of Al-Qaffal.
The second interpretation: Patience and piety (Taqwa) refer to patience in striving against and denouncing the disbelievers and condemning them. Thus, they were commanded to be patient with the hardships of Jihad, and to follow the path of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) in denouncing the Jews, and to be pious by avoiding appeasement with the disbelievers and refraining from openly expressing condemnation.
