ﳋ ﳌ ﳍ ﳎ ﳏ ﳐ ﳑ ﳒ ﳓ ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ ﳘ ﳙ ﳚ ﳛ ﳜ ﳝ ﳞ ﳟ ﳠ ﳡ ﳢ ﳣ ﳤ ﳥ ﳦ ﳧ ﳨ ﳩ ﳪ ﳫ ﳬ ﳭ ﳮ ﳯ ﳰ
O you who have believed, be supporters of Allah, as when Jesus, the son of Mary, said to the disciples, "Who are my supporters for Allah?" The disciples said, "We are supporters of Allah." And a faction of the Children of Israel believed and a faction disbelieved. So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became dominant.
Tafsir
Verse range: 61:14
Variant Readings: It is read: Kūnū anṣāra Allāh (Be helpers of Allah) and anṣāran li-Allāh (helpers for Allah). Ibn Mas‘ūd read: Kūnū antum anṣāra Allāh (Be you the helpers of Allah), which adds an emphasis to the necessity of supporting Him against them.
The Simile: If you ask: "How is the simile valid, given that its outward form compares their being helpers to the saying of Jesus (peace be upon him): 'Who are my helpers unto Allah?'" I say: The simile is based on the meaning, and thus it is valid. The intent is: "Be helpers of Allah just as the disciples were helpers of Jesus when he said to them: 'Who are my helpers unto Allah?'"
The Meaning of "My Helpers unto Allah": If you ask: "What is the meaning of his saying: 'Who are my helpers unto Allah?'" I say: Its meaning must correspond to the disciples' answer: "We are the helpers of Allah." What corresponds to this is that the meaning is: "Who is a soldier turning toward the support of Allah?"
The genitive construction of anṣārī (my helpers) differs from anṣār Allāh (helpers of Allah). The meaning of "We are the helpers of Allah" is: "We are those who support Allah." The meaning of "Who are my helpers" is: "Who are the helpers who are specific to me and are with me in supporting Allah?" It cannot mean "Who will support me alongside Allah," because that does not correspond to the answer. The proof for this is the reading of those who read: "Who are the helpers of Allah?"
The Disciples (al-Ḥawāriyyūn): They are his chosen ones, the first to believe in him, and they were twelve men. The ḥawārī of a man is his intimate friend and sincere companion, derived from ḥawār, which is pure whiteness. Ḥawārī also refers to fine white flour (darmak). From this is his (peace be upon him) saying: "Al-Zubayr is the son of my aunt and my ḥawārī (disciple) from my nation." It is also said: They were fullers who would whiten (yuḥawwirūn) clothes. A word similar in structure to ḥawārī is ḥawālī (one full of tricks).
"So a party believed... and a party disbelieved": Among them, regarding Jesus. "So We supported those who believed" against those who disbelieved, and they prevailed over them. Zayd ibn ‘Alī said: Their prevalence was through argument and proof.
Virtue of the Surah: From the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): "Whoever recites Surah al-Ṣaff, Jesus will be praying for him and seeking forgiveness for him as long as he is in this world, and he will be his companion on the Day of Resurrection."
