Tafsir of Muhammad 47:35

Translation of Mafatih al-Ghayb Excerpt

Context: After establishing that the deeds of the disbeliever, even those resembling good works, are nullified, and their gravest sin is unforgivable, the text explains that they have no sanctity in this world or the Hereafter. God Almighty commanded obedience to the Messenger.

Verse Context (Implied continuation from previous verses):

When it was explained that the disbeliever's deed, which appears as good, is nullified, and their sin, which is the ugliest of evils, is unforgiven, it was made clear that they have no sanctity in this world or the Hereafter. God Almighty commanded obedience to the Messenger with His saying, {And obey the Messenger} (An-Nisa: 59).

He commanded fighting with His saying: {So do not lose heart} (i.e., do not weaken) after the reason for earnestness in command and diligence in Jihad has been established.

Therefore, He said: {So do not lose heart and cease striving for peace [with the enemy]}.

There is an excellent arrangement in these verses. This is because the statement {Obey Allah and obey the Messenger} (At-Taghabun: 120) necessitates striving in fighting, as the command of God and the command of the Messenger included Jihad. Since they were commanded to obey, this necessitates that the accountable person should not become weak, lazy, disheartened, or negligent.

Furthermore, even when the prerequisite (the command to fight) is established, an impediment might arise preventing the result. This impediment to fighting is either related to the Hereafter or to this world.

1. The Impediment of the Hereafter: He mentioned that the disbeliever has no sanctity in this world or the Hereafter because they have no deeds in this world and no forgiveness for them in the Hereafter. Thus, when the cause exists and the impediment (of the Hereafter) does not, the result (fighting) should occur.
2. The Impediment of This World: He did not mention the worldly impediment before {So do not lose heart} as an indication that worldly matters should not prevent action. Do not lose heart, for victory is yours, or you must maintain resolve even if defeat seems imminent.

Then the Almighty said, following this, that the worldly impediment—even though it should not be an impediment—is also non-existent, where He said: {You are the superior ones}.

The terms al-a‘lūn (the superior ones) and al-mustafūn (the chosen ones) in the plural form in the nominative case are known in origin. It is known how the command reached this form in conjugation: its original form in the plural matching a‘layūn and mustafayūn. The yā’ (ي) was made quiescent because it was a weak letter, and the preceding letter became vocalized. The wāw (و) was quiescent, leading to two quiescent letters meeting. It was necessary to either delete one or vocalize it. Vocalization would have led to the prohibited state that was sought to be avoided, so deletion became necessary. The wāw was included to convey a meaning only conveyed by it—plurality—so the yā’ was dropped, leaving a‘lūn. By this evidence, in the genitive case, it becomes a‘līn and mustafīn.

His saying, {And Allah is with you}, is guidance and direction that prevents the accountable person from self-admiration. This is because when God said, {And you are the superior ones}, it could lead to boasting. So He said: {And Allah is with you}, meaning this superiority is not from yourselves but from Allah.

Alternatively, when He said, {And you are the superior ones}, the believers saw their own weakness and small numbers compared to the multitude and might of the disbelievers. Some might have thought: How can victory be theirs? He replied: Allah is with you; thus, no doubt or suspicion should remain that victory belongs to you. This is like His saying: {Indeed, I will surely prevail, I and My messengers} (Al-Mujadila: 21), and {And indeed, Our soldiers—they will be the victors} (As-Saffat: 173).

And His saying, {And He will never deprive you of the rewards of your deeds} (or wa-lan yutirakum a‘mālakum), is another promise. This is because when God said Allah is with you, it implied that victory comes through God, not through you. A person might say: No deed of mine deserves consideration, so I do not deserve glorification. He replied: He grants you victory, and yet He does not diminish anything from your deeds. He makes it seem as if the victory was granted through you and from you, as if you are independent in that, and He gives you the reward of one who acts independently.

Al-Witr (الترة) means deficiency or reduction. From this is al-mūttar (الموتر), as if something was taken from him to make him deficient. When fighting, if one of the disbelievers is killed, they have been wātr (deprived/diminished) in their families and deeds, as their number has decreased and their deeds are lost. If a believer is killed, only their number is diminished, but their deeds are not diminished. How could their number be diminished when they are alive, sustained, and rejoicing in what they are being led toward?

Verse 36: