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Tafsir of Al Imran 3:192-194

Surah Al Imran 3:193

ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ ﲵ ﲶ ﲷ ﲸ ﲹ ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ

Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.

Tafsir

Al-Kashshaf

Verse range: 3:192-194

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**"You have disgraced him"** You have reached the ultimate extent in disgracing him. This is analogous to the saying, "Whoever has won, has won," or similar expressions in their speech, such as: "Whoever reaches the pasture of al-Summan has reached [it]," or "Whoever outstrips so-and-so has outstripped [them]."

**"And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers"** The [prepositional] *lam* (in *lil-zalimin*) points to those who enter the Fire, signaling that whoever enters the Fire has no helper—neither through intercession nor otherwise.

**"A caller calling to faith"** You say, "I heard a man saying such-and-such," or "I heard Zayd speaking," where you predicate the action upon the man and omit the thing heard, because you have described him by what he is heard saying, or made it a state (*hal*) of him, which dispenses with the need to mention it. Were it not for the description or the state, it would be unavoidable to say, "I heard the speech of so-and-so" or "his saying."

If you ask: "What is the benefit of combining the 'caller' (munadi) and 'calling' (yunadi)?" I say: The mention of the calling is absolute, then restricted by "to faith" to magnify the status of the caller, for there is no caller greater than one who calls to faith.

It is similar to saying, "I passed by a guide guiding to Islam." This is because when "caller" is used absolutely, the imagination might wander to one calling for war, or to extinguish a conflict, or to aid the distressed, or to address some calamity, or for other benefits. Likewise, "guide" might be applied to one who guides to a path, or guides to sound judgment, and so on. When you say "calling to faith" and "guiding to Islam," you have elevated the status of the caller and the guide and magnified them.

It is said: "He called him li-kadha (for such) and ila-kadha (to such)," and "he summoned him lahu (for it) and ilayhi (to it)," and "he called out to him lahu and ilayhi." Similarly, "he guided him lil-tariq (for the path) and ilayhi (to it)." This is because the meaning of reaching the end-goal and the meaning of specification are both present. The caller is the Messenger.

  • "Call to Allah" (Yusuf: 108)
  • "Call to the way of your Lord" (Al-Nahl: 125)

According to Muhammad ibn Ka'b, the Quran is the caller.

**"That you believe"** Meaning: "Believe," or "by the fact that you believe."

**"Our sins"** Our major sins.

**"Our misdeeds"** Our minor sins.

**"With the righteous"** Specifically in their company, counted among their number. "Righteous" (*al-abrar*) is the plural of *barr* or *barr*, like *rabb* and *arbab*, or *sahib* and *ashab*.

**"Upon Your messengers"** "Upon" (*'ala*) here is connected to the promise, as in your saying, "Allah promised Paradise upon [the condition of] obedience." The meaning is: "What You promised us upon the verification of Your messengers." Do you not see how he followed the mention of the "caller to faith"—who is the Messenger—with his saying "we have believed," which is the verification?

It is also possible that it is connected to an omitted element, meaning: "What You promised us, sent down upon Your messengers," or "carried upon Your messengers," because the messengers are burdened with that.

  • "For he is only responsible for what he is burdened with" (Al-Nur: 54). It is also said: "Upon the tongues of Your messengers." The thing promised is the reward; it is also said to be victory over enemies.

If you ask: "How do they pray to Allah to fulfill what He has promised, when Allah does not break His promise?" I say: The meaning is a request for success in maintaining the causes that lead to the fulfillment of the promise. Or, it is a form of seeking refuge in Allah and submitting to Him, just as the Prophets (peace be upon them) would seek forgiveness despite knowing they were forgiven. They intended by that to humble themselves before their Lord, to supplicate to Him, and to seek the refuge that is the hallmark of servitude.