Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:25

When they disobeyed him, rebelled against him, opposed him, and uttered words of disbelief, there remained with him no obedient supporter he could trust except Aaron.

"My Lord, I possess not" for the sake of supporting Your religion, "except myself and my brother."

This is an expression of anguish, sorrow, complaint to God, heartbreak, and tenderness of heart—the kind through which mercy is sought and victory is invoked. Similar to this is the saying of Jacob (peace be upon him): "I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah" (Yusuf: 86).

It is narrated that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) once called upon the people from the pulpit of Kufa to fight the rebels, but only two men answered him. He sighed deeply, prayed for them, and said, "How insignificant are you compared to what I intend!"

Regarding the grammar of "my brother" (akhī):

1. It may be in the accusative case (nasb), as a conjunction to "myself" or to the pronoun in "I possess" (innī), meaning: "I possess nothing but myself, and my brother possesses nothing but himself."
2. It may be in the nominative case (raf'), as a conjunction to the position of inna and its noun, as if it were said: "I possess nothing but myself, and Aaron likewise possesses nothing but himself," or as a conjunction to the pronoun in "I possess." It is permissible due to the separation.
3. It may be in the genitive case (jarr), as a conjunction to the pronoun in "myself," though this is weak because conjunction to a genitive pronoun is improper without repeating the preposition.

If you ask: "Were there not two other men with him?" I would say: It is as if he did not trust them fully and did not feel secure in their steadfastness, given what he had tasted over a long time and constant companionship regarding the conditions of his people, their fickleness, and the hardness of their hearts. Thus, he mentioned only the infallible Prophet, in whose matter there is no doubt. It is also possible he said this out of extreme distress when he heard them belittling those who agreed with him, or he may have meant: "Who will support me in my religion?"

"So separate" Meaning: Distinguish "between us" and them by judging for us what we deserve and judging against them what they deserve. This is in the sense of a prayer against them.

That is why he followed it with: "For they are forbidden to them." This is either by way of causality, or it means: "Distance us from them and save us from their company," like his saying: "And save me from the wrongdoing people" (Al-Qasas: 21).

"For they are forbidden to them" Meaning: The Holy Land is forbidden to them; they shall not enter it nor possess it.

If you ask: "How can this be reconciled with His saying, 'Which Allah has ordained for you' (Al-Ma'idah: 21)?" I say: There are two views:

1. That it was ordained for them on the condition that they fight its inhabitants. When they refused to fight, it was said: "It is forbidden to them."
2. That it was forbidden to them for forty years. Once the forty years passed, those for whom it was ordained entered it. It is narrated that Moses traveled with those who remained of the Children of Israel, with Joshua at the vanguard, and they conquered Jericho, stayed there as long as Allah willed, and then he (Moses) passed away.

It is said that when Moses died, Joshua was sent as a prophet, and he informed them that he was the Prophet of Allah and that Allah had commanded him to fight the tyrants. They believed him, pledged allegiance to him, marched with him to Jericho, killed the tyrants, and expelled them, and all of the Levant became the land of the Children of Israel. It is also said that none of those who said, "We will never enter it," entered the Holy Land; they perished in the wilderness, and a new generation from their descendants grew up, fought the tyrants, and entered it.

The governing factor for the adverbial phrase is either "forbidden" or "they wander." The meaning of "they wander in the earth" is: they travel in it, bewildered, finding no path. The tīh (wilderness) is the desert in which one wanders.

It is narrated that they remained for forty years in a space of six farsakhs, traveling every day with diligence, only to find themselves at evening exactly where they had departed from. The clouds would shade them from the heat of the sun, a pillar of light would rise for them at night to illuminate their path, manna and quails would descend upon them, their hair would not grow long, and if a child was born to them, he would have a garment like a nail that grew as he grew.

If you ask: "Why were they blessed with the shading of the clouds and other things while they were being punished?" I say: Just as some calamities descend upon the disobedient to discipline them, they simultaneously receive manifest blessings. This is like a compassionate father who strikes and disciplines his child to educate and refine him, without cutting off his kindness and favor.

If you ask: "Were Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them) with them in the wilderness?" I say: There is a difference of opinion. Some say they were not with them because it was a punishment, and Moses had asked his Lord to separate between him and them. Others say they were with them, but it was a source of comfort and safety for them, not a punishment, like the fire for Abraham or the angels of torment.

It is narrated that Aaron died in the wilderness, and Moses died one year after him. Joshua entered Jericho three months after his death. The leaders died in the wilderness suddenly, except for Caleb and Joshua.

"So do not grieve" Do not grieve for them, for he had regretted his prayer against them, so it was said: "They are deserving of punishment due to their wickedness, so do not grieve or regret."