Al Imran: (86-89) How Allah Guides...

After affirming the gravity of Islam and faith in His saying, {And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers} (Al Imran: 85), the Almighty confirms this great status by clarifying the warning for those who abandon Islam, saying: {How can Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their faith?}

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Occasion of Revelation

There are several opinions regarding the occasion of revelation:

1. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This verse was revealed concerning ten men who believed, then apostatized and joined the people of Mecca. They then began to await misfortune upon the Prophet. Allah revealed this verse concerning them. Among them was one who repented, and the exception {except those who repented} applies to him.
2. It is also narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: It was revealed concerning the Jews of Banu Qurayza and Banu Nadir and those who followed their religion. They disbelieved in the Prophet (peace be upon him) after they had been believers before his mission, as they used to testify to his prophethood. When he was sent with clear proofs and miracles, they disbelieved out of malice and envy.
3. It was revealed concerning Al-Harith ibn Suwayd, a man from the Ansar, who regretted his apostasy. He sent a message to his people asking, "Is there any repentance for me?" His brother sent him this verse. He then came to Medina and repented at the hand of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the Prophet accepted his repentance.

Al-Qaffal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Scholars have two views regarding this verse:

• Some say that the Almighty's saying, {And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam...} up to {and those are the misguided ones}, were all revealed concerning one incident.
• Others place the beginning of the incident from {Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers...}.

Based on both estimations, there are two further views:

1. That it concerns the People of the Book.
2. That it concerns apostates from Islam who believed and then reverted, as we have explained.

Issue 2: Interpretation of Guidance

The rationalists differed in interpreting His saying: {How can Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their faith?}

The Mu'tazila said: Our principles testify that Allah has guided all creation to religion by means of making things known, establishing proofs, and performing subtle favors (لطف). If He had extended these things to everyone, the disbeliever and the misguided person would be excused. Since Allah has judged that He does not guide these disbelievers, this guidance must be interpreted as something other than establishing proofs. They offered three interpretations:

1. The intended meaning is the withholding of the subtle favors (Al-Lutf) that He grants to believers as a reward for their faith, as He says: {And those who strive in Our cause, We will surely guide them to Our paths} (Al-Ankabut: 69), and {And Allah increases those who are guided, in guidance} (Maryam: 76), and {And those who are guided - He increases them in guidance} (Muhammad: 17), and {By which Allah guides those who follow His pleasure to the ways of peace} (Al-Ma'idah: 16). These verses indicate that Allah may increase the guidance of the guided.
2. The intended meaning is that Allah does not guide them to Paradise. He says: {Indeed, those who disbelieve and commit wrong, never would Allah forgive them, nor would He guide them to a way * Except the way to Hell} (An-Nisa: 168-169). And He says: {Their Lord guides them by their faith; beneath them flow rivers} (Yunus: 9).
3. The intended meaning cannot be the creation of knowledge within them. If that were the case, it would necessarily be from Allah, because if Allah creates the knowledge, the person becomes a believer and guided. If He does not create it, he becomes a disbeliever and misguided. If disbelief were from Allah, it would not be correct for Allah to blame them for disbelief, nor would it be correct to attribute disbelief to them. However, the verse clearly states that they are blameworthy for their disbelief and that they are the doers of it, as He says: {How can Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their faith?}—attributing the disbelief to them and blaming them for it.

This summarizes their views on this verse.

The Ahl al-Sunnah said: The intended meaning of guidance here is the creation of knowledge (i.e., true belief). They argue that Allah's established practice in the realm of accountability is that whatever action the servant intends to achieve, Allah creates it immediately following the servant's intention. Thus, it is as if Allah is saying: How can Allah create knowledge in them when they intended to achieve or desired disbelief? And Allah knows best.

Issue 3: The Word "And Bear Witness" (وأشهدوا)

There are two views on the word وأشهدوا (and bear witness):

1. It is a conjunction (coordination). The implied meaning is: After they believed, and after they bore witness that the Messenger is true. Although it appears to coordinate a verb with a noun (faith), in meaning, it coordinates one action (bearing witness) with another action (believing).
2. The Waw (و) is circumstantial (واو الحال), implying qad (قد). The meaning is: How can Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their faith, while they bore witness that the Messenger is true?

Issue 4: The Relationship Between Faith and Witnessing

The structure of the verse implies: How can Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their faith, and after they bore witness that the Messenger is true, when clear proofs had come to them? The witnessing (of the Messenger's truth) is coordinated with faith. Since the coordinated element must differ from the element it is coordinated with, this implies that witnessing the Messenger's truth is different from faith.

The answer is: According to our doctrine (Ahl al-Sunnah), faith is the affirmation of the heart (Tasdiq bil-Qalb), while witnessing is the declaration by the tongue (Iqrar bil-Lisan). Since these two are distinct, this verse, from this perspective, indicates that faith is different from verbal declaration and is an attribute residing in the heart.

Issue 5: The Gravity of Their Disbelief

The Almighty magnifies the disbelief of these people because it occurred after three conditions:

1. After faith.
2. After witnessing the truth of the Messenger.
3. After the coming of clear proofs.

When disbelief occurs after these things—after insight and after the declaration of testimony—this disbelief becomes the ugliest form of rejection and denial. This indicates that the slip of a scholar is uglier than the slip of an ignorant person.

Regarding His saying: {And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people}, there are two questions:

Question 1: He said at the beginning, {How can Allah guide a people...} and at the end, {And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people}. Is this repetition?

Answer: His saying {How can Allah guide a people...} is specific to the apostates. Then, the Almighty generalized this ruling to include both the apostate and the original disbeliever by saying: {And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people}.

Question 2: Why are disbelievers called Zalimun (wrongdoers)?

Answer: Allah says: {Indeed, associating others with Allah is a great injustice} (Luqman: 13). The reason is that the disbeliever has brought himself into positions of affliction and punishment because of that disbelief, thus being unjust to himself.

Then the Almighty says: {Those! Their recompense is that upon them is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people * Abiding therein} (Al Imran: 87). This means that Allah has decreed that those who disbelieved after their faith will be prevented from His guidance. Then He clarified that the matter is not limited to that; just as He does not guide them in this world, He curses them with a great curse and punishes them eternally in the Hereafter.

Know that the curse of Allah is different from the curse of the angels, because His curse is by distancing them from Paradise and inflicting punishment and torment. The curse from the angels, and from the people, is by word. All of this is deserved due to their wrongdoing and disbelief, so it is fitting to be the recompense for that. Here are two questions:

Question 1: Why is the curse generalized to include all people, even those who agree with them (i.e., other disbelievers)?

Answer: There are several views:

1. Abu Muslim said: It is permissible for them to be cursed even if no one curses them.
2. In the Hereafter, some of them will curse others. Allah says: {Whenever a group enters, it will curse its like} (Al-A'raf: 38), and {Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will disown one another and curse one another} (Al-Ankabut: 25). Under this interpretation, the curse has indeed occurred upon the disbelievers from other disbelievers.
3. Perhaps "the people" refers only to the believers, and the disbelievers are not considered among "the people." Then, after mentioning the curse of the three groups, He said: {all together} (أجمعين).
4. The soundest view in my opinion: All creation curses the falsehood-doer and the disbeliever. However, the disbeliever believes within himself that he is neither a falsehood-doer nor a disbeliever. So, when the disbeliever is cursed, and he is a disbeliever in Allah's knowledge, he has cursed himself, even if he is unaware of it.

Question 2: His saying {Abiding therein} (خالدين فيها), meaning abiding in the curse. What is the eternity of the curse?

Answer: There are two views:

1. The eternity in the curse means that on the Day of Resurrection, the angels, the believers, and those with them in the Fire will continuously curse them. Thus, no state of theirs will be free from a curser among these groups.
2. The meaning of the eternity of the curse is the eternity of its effect, because the curse necessitates punishment. Thus, the eternity of the effect of the curse is expressed by the eternity of the curse itself. Similar to this is His saying: {Whoever turns away from it, indeed, he will bear on the Day of Resurrection a burden * Abiding therein} (Taha: 100-101).
3. Ibn Abbas said: {Abiding therein} means in Hellfire. In this case, the pronoun refers to something not explicitly mentioned. Know that {Abiding therein} is in the accusative case (نصب) as a circumstantial clause (حال) related to what precedes it, which is His saying: {upon them is the curse of Allah}.

Then He says: {Their torment will not be lightened, nor will they be reprieved} (لا يخفف عنهم العذاب ولا هم ينظرون). The meaning of Inzar (انظار) is postponement. Allah says: {then a respite until a time of ease} (Al-Baqarah: 280). The meaning is that their torment will not be made lighter, nor will the punishment be postponed from one time to another. This confirms the statement of the theologians: that the torment inflicted upon the disbeliever is pure harm, devoid of any benefit, and is permanent and uninterrupted. We seek refuge in Allah from it.

Then He says: {Except those who repented after that} (إلا الذين تابوا من بعد ذالك). This means except those who repented from it. Then He clarified that repentance alone is not sufficient unless it is accompanied by righteous deeds, saying: {and reformed} (وأصلحوا). This means they reformed their inner selves concerning the Truth through vigilance (المراقبات) and their outward selves concerning creation through acts of worship (العبادات). This is done by denouncing what they were upon of falsehood, so that if someone is deceived by their corrupt path, they turn away from it.

Then He says: {Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful} (فإن الله غفور رحيم). There are two interpretations:

1. Forgiving of their ugly deeds in this world by concealing them, and Merciful in the Hereafter by pardoning them.
2. Forgiving by removing punishment, and Merciful by granting reward. Similar to this is His saying: {Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease, what has previously passed will be forgiven them} (Al-Anfal: 38). The Fa' (ف) enters the saying {Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful} because it is the consequence/result (الجزاء). The implied structure is: If they repent, then Allah is Forgiving and Merciful to them.

{Indeed, those who disbelieved after their faith and then increased in disbelief, never will their repentance be accepted, and those are the misguided ones.} (Al Imran: 89)