Tafsir of Al Imran 3:169

"And do not think of those..."

"And do not think" (wa-lā taḥsabanna): The address is to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) or to everyone. It is also read with a yā’ (wa-lā yaḥsabanna), meaning: "Let not the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) think," or "Let not one who calculates think."

It is permissible for "those who have been killed" to be the subject, with the implied meaning: "Let not those who have been killed think [themselves] dead." If you ask: "How is it permissible to omit the first object?" I say: It is originally a nominal sentence (mubtada’ and khabar), so it is omitted just as the subject is omitted in the phrase "alive" (aḥyā’an). The meaning is: "They are alive," as the context indicates both.

It is also read as wa-lā taḥsabanna (with a fatḥa on the sīn), wa-quttilū (with a shadda), and aḥyā’an (in the accusative case), meaning: "Rather, consider them alive."

"With their Lord" (ʿinda rabbihim): They are brought near to Him, possessing status and proximity, as in His saying: "But those who are with your Lord..." (Fussilat: 38).

"They are provided for" (yurzaqūn): Just as other living beings are provided for; they eat and drink. This is a confirmation of their being alive and a description of the state they are in regarding the enjoyment of Allah’s provision.

"Rejoicing in what Allah has given them of His bounty": This refers to the success in martyrdom and the honor and preference He has driven toward them—namely, that they are alive, brought near, and granted the provision and bliss of Paradise in haste.

It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ): "When your brothers were struck at Uhud, Allah placed their souls in the bellies of green birds that roam the rivers of Paradise, eat from its fruits, and nest in golden lanterns hanging in the shade of the Throne."

"And they rejoice for..." their brothers, the mujahideen.

"Those who have not yet joined them from behind them": Meaning, they have not been killed so as to join them.

"From behind them": Meaning those who remained after them, while they have preceded them. It is also said: "They have not joined them" means they have not yet attained their virtue and station.

"That there will be no fear concerning them": This is a substitute (badal) for "those." The meaning is: They rejoice at what has become clear to them regarding the state of the believers they left behind—that they will be resurrected in safety on the Day of Resurrection. Allah has given them glad tidings of this, so they are rejoicing in it.

Mentioning the state of the martyrs and their rejoicing for those behind them serves to incite those who remain to increase in obedience, strive in jihad, and desire to attain the stations of the martyrs and their virtue. It is also a commendation for one who sees himself in goodness and wishes the same for his brothers in Allah, and it is glad tidings for the believers of success in the Hereafter.

"They rejoice" (yastabshirūn) is repeated: To attach to it the explanation of His saying: "That there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve." This includes the mention of the blessing and the bounty, and that this is a reward for their faith which, by the justice and wisdom of Allah, must be granted to them and not lost.

It is read as wa-anna Allāha (with a fatḥa), as a conjunction to "the blessing and the bounty."

It is also read with a kasra (wa-inna Allāha) as an initial clause, making the sentence a parenthetical one. This is the reading of al-Kisā’ī, and it is supported by the reading of ‘Abd Allāh (Ibn Mas‘ūd): "And Allah does not let [the reward] go to waste."