Tafsir of Al-Fath 48:5

Surah Al-Fath (The Victory) - Verse 5

{ليدخل المؤمنين والمؤمنات...} (That He may admit the believing men and believing women...)

This phrase implies a preceding action, as one does not say, "I will honor you" unless they have first said, "I will come to you," or something equivalent. There are several possibilities for this preceding action, which can be categorized based on whether the action is explicitly mentioned or merely implied.

1. His saying: {لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا} (That they may increase in faith) (Al-Fath: 4). It is as if Allah sent down tranquility so that they might increase in faith due to this sending down, and so that He may admit them into the Gardens because of that faith.
   • Objection: If this is the case, then the following verse, {وَيُعَذِّبَ} (And punish) (Al-Fath: 6), is connected (via 'atf) to {لِيُدْخِلَ} (That He may admit). Their increase in faith cannot be a cause for their punishment.
   • Response (Two views):
     • First: The punishment is mentioned because it is intended for the disbelievers/hypocrites. It is as if Allah is saying: Because of your increase in faith, He admits you into the Gardens in the Hereafter, and He punishes the disbelievers and hypocrites by your hands in this world.
     • Second: The meaning is: He does this because of what you possess of increase (in faith/disbelief). It is said: "I did it to test the enemy and the friend," meaning, to distinguish the friend by its presence and the enemy by its absence. Similarly, the believer increases in faith, so He admits him to Paradise, and the disbeliever increases in disbelief, so He punishes him with it.
     • Third View: The increase in the believers' faith is due to their patience and steadfastness, which causes the hypocrite and the disbeliever distress and punishment. This is close to what we have mentioned.

2. His saying: {وَيَنصُرَكَ اللَّهُ} (And that Allah may help you) (Al-Fath: 3). It is as if Allah said: He helps you through the believers so that He may admit the believers into the Gardens.

3. His saying: {لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ} (That Allah may forgive you your past faults) (Al-Fath: 2). This applies if we hold that the intended meaning of "your fault" refers to the believer's fault. It is as if Allah said: He forgives the believers' faults, so that He may admit the believers into the Gardens.

1. His saying: {حَكِيمًا} (Wise) (Al-Fath: 4). This implies that Allah is Wise, and He did what He did so that He may admit the believers into the Gardens.

2. His saying: {وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ} (And complete His favor upon you) (Al-Fath: 2). This favor is in this world and the Hereafter, meaning He answers your supplication in this world and accepts your intercession in the Hereafter so that He may admit the believing men and believing women into the Gardens.

3. His saying: {إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ} (Indeed, We have granted you a clear victory) (Al-Fath: 1). It is narrated that the believers said to the Prophet (PBUH): "Congratulations to you, Allah has forgiven you; but what is for us?" Then this verse was revealed. It is as if Allah said: We granted you a clear victory so that He may forgive you, and We granted the believers [a victory/favor] so that He may admit them into the Gardens.

This is the command for fighting (القتال), because when victory and aid are mentioned, the context is understood to be one of fighting. It is as if Allah said: Allah commanded fighting so that He may admit the believers, or it is understood from the context that Allah chose the believers to admit them into the Gardens.

Fourth Issue: Mentioning Believing Men and Women Separately

Here, and in some other places, Allah mentions {المؤمنين والمؤمنات} (believing men and believing women), while in others, He suffices with mentioning the believing men, and the women are included, such as in {وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ} (And give good tidings to the believers) (Al-Ahzab: 47) and {قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ} (The believers have succeeded) (Al-Mu'minun: 1). What is the wisdom behind this?

Answer:

In places where the wording might suggest that the promised reward is exclusive to the believing men, while believing women share in it, Allah explicitly mentions them. In places where there is no such suggestion of exclusion, He suffices with including the women under the term "believers."

For example, in {وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ}, although the general nature of the message is known from {وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا كَافَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا} (And We have not sent you except to all mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner) (Saba: 28), this general statement does not imply the exclusion of believing women from the good tidings.

However, here, since {لِيُدْخِلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ} relates to a preceding action—whether it is the command to fight, patience therein, aid for the believers, or victory achieved by their hands—it could be assumed that since women do not participate in fighting, they might not receive the promised admission to Paradise. Therefore, Allah explicitly mentioned the women.

Similarly, regarding punishment, since the hypocritical and polytheistic women did not fight, they would not be punished by the sword, so Allah explicitly mentioned them ({وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ...}).

Also, in {إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ} (Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women...) (Al-Ahzab: 35), the context was specifically about women and their affairs due to verses like {وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ} (and do not display yourselves) (Al-Ahzab: 33) and {وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَىٰ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ} (And remember what is recited in your houses) (Al-Ahzab: 34). Therefore, mentioning women was the primary focus there. However, since men also have the same great reward as women, they were mentioned alongside them, using a singular form without subordination, because the primary focus in that context was on mentioning women.

Fifth Issue: The Sequence of Forgiveness and Admission

Allah says: {وَيُكَفِّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ} (And to cover over their sins from them) after mentioning admission to the Gardens, even though the covering of sins precedes admission.

Answer (Three views):

1. The conjunction waw (و) does not necessitate chronological order.
2. The covering of sins, forgiveness, and other consequences are all results of being among the people of Paradise. Therefore, admission was mentioned first to signify that they belong to the people of Paradise.
3. The covering of sins occurs by bestowing the robes of honor, which are in Paradise. In Paradise, the physical blemishes of humanity (like waste products) and moral blemishes (like anger and desire) are removed—this is the covering of sins. Furthermore, the angelic attributes are established in them, which are the noblest forms of robes of honor.

Regarding His saying: {وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا} (And that was, with Allah, a great attainment):

1. The Common View: The admission [to Paradise] and the covering of sins are, with Allah, a great attainment. It is said: "This matter is with me in this way," meaning, in my belief.
2. A More Subtle View: It is as if Allah is making this a description of the attainment itself: That attainment is great only if it is established with Allah (i.e., recognized and valued by Him). Even entering Paradise would not be a great attainment if it lacked proximity and nearness to Allah.

Verse 7

{وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ الظَّانِّينَ بِاللَّهِ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ عَلَيْهِمْ دَائِرَةُ السَّوْءِ وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَنَهُمْ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَهَنَّمَ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا * وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا}

(And to punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the polytheist men and polytheist women who assume about Allah evil assumptions. Upon them is the circle of evil, and Allah has earned their wrath, and has cursed them and prepared for them Hell, and wretched it is as a destination. *And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.)