Tafsir of Al Imran 3:188

"Do not think that those..."

"Do not think" (lā taḥsabanna): An address to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The first of the two objects is "those who rejoice" (alladhīna yafraḥūna), and the second is "in a place of safety" (bimafāzah).

"So do not think them" (falā taḥsabannahum): This is an emphasis. Its estimation is: "Do not think them, so do not think them to be successful (fā’izīn)."

• Variant readings:
  • It is read as "lā taḥsabanna" and "falā taḥsabannahum" with a ḍamma on the yā’ (i.e., lā tuḥsabanna), addressing the believers.
  • It is read as "lā yaḥsabanna" and "falā yaḥsabannahum" with a yā’ and a fatḥa on the bā’ in both, meaning the action is attributed to the Messenger.
  • Abu ‘Amr read it with a yā’ and a fatḥa on the bā’ in the first, and a ḍamma in the second, meaning the action is attributed to "those who rejoice." The first object is omitted, meaning: "Let not those who rejoice think themselves to be in a place of safety," and "so let them not think themselves" is an emphasis.

"In what they have been given" (bimā utū): Meaning: "In what they have done." Atā (to come) and jā’a (to arrive) are used in the sense of fa‘ala (to do). Allah the Almighty said: "Indeed, His promise is ever fulfilled (ma’tiyyan)" (Maryam: 61), and "You have brought (ji’ta) something unprecedented" (Maryam: 27). This is supported by the reading of Ubayy: "rejoice in what they have done (fa‘alū)." It is also read as ātū (with a long ā), meaning "what they were given." It is narrated from ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that it is bimā ūtū.

"In a place of safety from the punishment" (bimafāzah min al-‘adhāb): Meaning: In a state of salvation from it. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked the Jews about something in the Torah; they concealed the truth, told him the opposite, showed him that they had spoken the truth, sought his praise, and rejoiced in what they had done. Allah informed His Messenger of that and comforted him with what He revealed regarding their threat. That is: Do not think the Jews—who rejoice in what they have done by deceiving you, and who love to be praised for what they have not done (i.e., telling you the truth about what you asked them)—are saved from the punishment.

"Rejoicing" (fariḥīna): In what they were given of the knowledge of the Torah. It is also said: They rejoice in what they did by concealing the description of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and they love to be praised for what they did not do—namely, following the religion of Abraham—as they claimed that Abraham was a Jew and that they were upon his religion.

It is also said: They are a people who stayed behind from the military expedition with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When he returned, they apologized to him, claiming they saw it in the best interest to stay behind, and they sought his praise for not going out.

It is also said: They are the hypocrites who rejoice in what they have brought forth—displaying faith to the Muslims while being hypocritical—and by that, they achieve their goals. They seek praise from them for a faith they did not truly possess, as they concealed disbelief.

It is permissible that it encompasses everyone who performs a good deed and rejoices in it with vanity, and loves for people to praise and commend him for piety, asceticism, and qualities he does not possess.