Children of Israel, The Israelites — Verse 65

اذْهَبْ `(Go,) I will give you respite.' According to another Ayah (Allah) said: قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ - إِلَى يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ (Verily, you are of those allowed respite till the Day of the time appointed.) (38:80-81). Then Allah warned him and those who follow him among the progeny of Adam about Hell: قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ جَزَآؤُكُمْ ((Allah) said: "Go, and whosoever of them follows you, surely, Hell will be the recompense of you (all)) meaning, for your deeds. جَزَاءً مَّوفُورًا (an ample recompense.) Mujahid said, "Sufficient recompense." Qatadah said, "It will be abundant for you and will not be decreased for you." وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُمْ بِصَوْتِكَ (And fool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice,) It was said that this refers to singing. Mujahid said, "With idle entertainment and singing," meaning, influence them with that. وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُمْ بِصَوْتِكَ (And fool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice,) Ibn `Abbas said, "Every caller who calls people to disobey Allah." This was the view of Qatadah, and was also the opinion favored by Ibn Jarir. وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ (Ajib upon them with your cavalry and your infantry.) Send your troops and cavalry and infantry against them. The meaning is, send whatever forces you have at your disposal against them. This is a command (related to the divine decree), as Allah says elsewhere: أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَـطِينَ عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزّاً (See you not that We have sent the Shayatin against the disbelievers to push them to do evil. ) (19:83), meaning, to provoke them and drive them towards evil. وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ (Ajlib upon them with your cavalry and your infantry,) Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid said, "Everyone who rides or walks to go and commit sin and disobey Allah." Qatadah said, "He has infantry and cavalry among the Jinn and among humans. They are the ones who obey him." The Arabs use the verb Ajlaba when describing somebody shouting at another person. Hence it is forbidden in races to shout at one another and push one another. From this root is also derived the word Jalabah, which means raising voices. وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِى الاٌّمْوَلِ وَالاٌّوْلَـدِ (and share with them wealth and children,) Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid said, "This means what he commands them to do of spending money in disobedience to Allah, may He be exalted." وَالاٌّوْلْـدِ (and children,) Ibn' Abbas, as reported by Al-`Awfi, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak said, "This means the children of Zina (i.e., illegitimate children)." `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "This means the children whom they used to kill out of folly, without knowledge." Qatadah reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "Allah caused Shaytan to take a share of wealth and children by making them Magians, Jews and Christians, and making them follow any religion other than Islam, and by making them give a part of their wealth to the Shaytan." Qatadah said the same. وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِى الاٌّمْوَلِ وَالاٌّوْلَـدِ (and share with them wealth and children.) The fact that only wealth and children are mentioned in this Ayah, does not mean that it is limited only to those things. Everything in which a person disobeys Allah or obeys the Shaytan means that he is sharing with him. It was reported in Sahih Muslim from `Iyad bin Himar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «يَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ فَجَاءَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُم» (Allah the Mighty and Exalted says, "I have created My servants as Hunafa' monotheists, then the Shayatin come to them and lead them astray from their religion and (tell that) what I have permitted for them is forbidden to them.") According to the Two Sahihs, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَهْلَهُ قَالَ: بِسْمِ اللهِ اللَّهُمَّ جَنِّبْنَا الشَّيْطَانَ وَجَنِّبِ الشَّيْطَانَ مَا رَزَقْتَنَا فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ يُقَدَّرْ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَدٌ فِي ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَبَدًا» (When one of you wants to have intercourse with his wife, let him say, `In the Name of Allah. O Allah, keep us away from Shaytan and keep Shaytan away from what you bestow on us (children).' Then if a child is decreed for them from that, the Shaytan will never harm him.) وَعِدْهُمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَـنُ إِلاَّ غُرُورًا ("...and make promises to them." But Shaytan promises them nothing but deceit.) As Allah tells us, Iblis will say, on the Day when the matter is decided: إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ (Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you.) 14:22 إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـنٌ (Verily, My servants, you have no authority over them.) Here Allah tells us that He supports His believing servants, and guards and protects them against the accursed Shaytan. Allah says: وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلاً (And All-Sufficient is your Lord as a Guardian.) meaning, as a Protector, Supporter and Helper.

‘Truly as for My servants the believers you shall have no warrant’ no sway or ability. And Your Lord suffices as a guardian as a protector for them against you.

'Truly in the case of My servants, over them you shall have no power'. Otherwise, if the person [in question] is immersed in sensory preoccupations with his head buried deep in the affairs of this world, he [Satan] will share with him in his wealth and children by goading him to share his love of them with [his love of] God, loving them as he loves God. And he will entice him to enjoy these, to multiply them and to be proud of their existence and he will fill him with false desires and adorn for him empty hopes. If the person is not immersed [so] and if he is aware and perceptive of his [Satan's] enticements, he [Satan] will rally against that person his cavalry and his infantry, in other words, he will scheme to deceive him with all manner of devices and plot against him with different kinds of temptations; and he will pronounce for him that the actualisation of all manner of ephemeral things [of this world] and pleasures is part [and parcel] of the welfare pertaining to [one's] livelihood; and he will delude him [with notions of grandeur] through knowledge and fill him with vanity and similar acts until that person becomes among those 'whom God has led astray knowingly' [cf. Q. 45:23]. If that person were not to be a person of knowledge but a devoted worshipper, of piety, he will lead him astray by making promises [to him] and filling him with desires, deceiving him with acts of obedience and self-purification in the easiest possible way. And your Lord suffices as a guardian: in other words, My elect servants entrust their affairs to God alone, neither to Satan nor to any other - and He shall indeed suffice them in managing their affairs - and they trust only in Him by witnessing His acts and His attributes.

'Truly in the case of My servants, over them you shall have no power'. Otherwise, if the person [in question] is immersed in sensory preoccupations with his head buried deep in the affairs of this world, he [Satan] will share with him in his wealth and children by goading him to share his love of them with [his love of] God, loving them as he loves God. And he will entice him to enjoy these, to multiply them and to be proud of their existence and he will fill him with false desires and adorn for him empty hopes. If the person is not immersed [so] and if he is aware and perceptive of his [Satan's] enticements, he [Satan] will rally against that person his cavalry and his infantry, in other words, he will scheme to deceive him with all manner of devices and plot against him with different kinds of temptations; and he will pronounce for him that the actualisation of all manner of ephemeral things [of this world] and pleasures is part [and parcel] of the welfare pertaining to [one's] livelihood; and he will delude him [with notions of grandeur] through knowledge and fill him with vanity and similar acts until that person becomes among those 'whom God has led astray knowingly' [cf. Q. 45:23]. If that person were not to be a person of knowledge but a devoted worshipper, of piety, he will lead him astray by making promises [to him] and filling him with desires, deceiving him with acts of obedience and self-purification in the easiest possible way. And your Lord suffices as a guardian: in other words, My elect servants entrust their affairs to God alone, neither to Satan nor to any other - and He shall indeed suffice them in managing their affairs - and they trust only in Him by witnessing His acts and His attributes.

إن عبادي المؤمنين المخلصين الذين أطاعوني ليس لك قدرة على إغوائهم، وكفى بربك -أيها النبي- عاصمًا وحافظًا للمؤمنين مِن كيد الشيطان وغروره.

وقوله تعالى "إن عبادي ليس لك عليهم سلطان" إخبار بتأييده تعالى عباده المؤمنين وحفظه إياهم وحراسته لهم من الشيطان الرجيم ولهذا قال تعالى "وكفى بربك وكيلا" أي حافظا ومؤيدا ونصيرا وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا قتيبة حدثنا ابن لهيعة عن موسى بن وردان عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "إن المؤمن لينض شياطينه كما ينض أحدكم بعيره في السفر" ينض أي يأخذ بناصيته ويقهره.

وقوله - تعالى - : ( رَّبُّكُمُ الذي يُزْجِي لَكُمُ الفلك فِي البحر لِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ . . . ) بيان لمظهر من مظاهر رحمة الله - تعالى - بعباده ، وفضله عليهم .و ( يزجى ) من الإِزجاء ، وهو السوق شيئًا فشيئًا . يقال أزجى فلان الإِبل ، إذا ساقها برفق ، وأزجت الريح السحاب ، أى : ساقته سوقًا رفيقًا ، ومنه قوله - تعالى - : ( أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ الله يُزْجِي سَحَاباً . . . ) و ( الفلك ) ما عظم من السفن . قال الجمل ما ملخصه : ويستعمل لفظ الفلك للواحد والجمع ، ويذكر ويؤنث . قال - تعالى - : ( وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِي الفلك المشحون ) فأفرد وذكر . وقال - سبحانه - : ( والفلك التي تَجْرِي فِي البحر ) فأنث ، ويحتمل الإِفراد والجمع . قال - تعالى - : ( حتى إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِي الفلك وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم . . . ) فجمع . . . .و ( البحر ) يطلق على الماء الكثير عذبًا كان أو ملحًا . وأكثر ما يكون إطلاقًا على الماء الملح .أى : اذكروا - أيها الناس - لتعتبروا وتشكروا ربكم الذى من مظاهر نعمته عليكم ، أنه يسوق لكم - بلطفه وقدرته - السفن التى تركبونها فى البحر لكي تطلبوا من وراء ركوبها الرزق الذى يصلح معاشكم ، والذى هو لون من ألوان فضل الله عليكم .وقوله : لتبتغوا من فضله ، تعليل لإِزجاء الفلك ، وتصريح بوجوه النفع التى تفضل الله - تعالى - بها عليهم .وقوله : ( إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيماً ) تعليل ثان لهذا الإِزجاء .أى : يزجى لكم الفلك فى البحر ، لتطلبوا من وراء ذلك ما ينفعكم ، ولأنه - سبحانه - كان أزلا وأبدا ، بكم دائم الرحمة والرأفة .

يقول تعالى ذكره لإبليس: إن عبادي الذين أطاعوني، فاتبعوا أمري وعصوك يا إبليس، ليس لك عليهم حجة.وقوله ( وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلا ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه لنبيّه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: وكفاك يا محمد ربك حفيظا، وقيما بأمرك، فانقد لأمره، وبلغ رسالاته هؤلاء المشركين، ولا تخف أحدا، فإنه قد توكل بحفظك ونصرتك.كما حدثنا بشر، قال ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله ( إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلا ) وعباده المؤمنون، وقال الله في آية أخرى إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ .

قوله ( إن عبادي ليس لك عليهم سلطان وكفى بربك وكيلا ( أي حافظا من يوكل الأمر إليه .

وجملة { إن عبادي ليس لك عليهم سلطان } من تمام الكلام المحكي ب { قال اذهب } [ الإسراء : 63 ]. وهي جملة مستأنفة استئنافاً بيانياً ناشئاً عن قوله : { فمن تبعك منهم } [ الإسراء : 63 ] وقوله : { واستفزز من استطعت منهم } [ الإسراء : 64 ] ، فإن مفهوم { من تبعك } و { من استطعت } [ الإسراء : 64 ] ذريّة من قبيل مفهوم الصفة فيفيد أن فريقاً من درية آدم لا يتبع إبليس فلا يحتنكه . وهذا المفهوم يفيد أن الله قد عصم أو حفظ هذا الفريق من الشيطان ، وذلك يثير سؤالاً في خاطر إبليس ليعلم الحائل بينه وبين ذلك الفريق بعد أن علم في نفسه علماً إجمالياً أن فريقاً لا يحتنكه لقوله : { لأحتنكن ذريته إلا قليلاً } [ الإسراء : 62 ]. فوقعت الإشارة إلى تعيين هذا الفريق بالوصف وبالسبب .فأما الوصف ففي قوله : { عبادي } المفيد أنهم تمحضوا لعبودية الله تعالى كما تدل عليه الإضافة ، فعلم أن من عبدوا الأصنام والجن وأعرضوا عن عبودية الله تعالى ليسوا من أولئك .وأما السبب ففي قوله : { وكفى بربك وكيلاً } المفيد أنهم توكلوا على الله واستعاذوا به من الشيطان ، فكان خير وكيل لهم إذ حاطهم من الشيطان وحفظهم منه .وفي هذا التوكل مراتب من الانفلات عن احتناك الشيطان ، وهي مراتب المؤمنين من الأخذ بطاعة الله كما هو الحق عند أهل السنّة .فالسلطان المنفي في قوله : { ليس لك عليهم سلطان } هو الحكم المستمر بحيث يكونون رعيته ومن جنده . وأما غيرهم فقد يستهويهم الشيطان ولكنهم لا يلبثون أن يثوبوا إلى الصالحات ، وكفاك من ذلك دوام توحيدهم لله ، وتصديقهم رسوله ، واعتبارهم أنفسهم عباداً لله متطلبين شكر نعمته ، فشتان بينهم وبين أهل الشرك وإن سخفت في شأنهم عقيدَةُ أهل الاعتزال . وقد تقدم معنى هذا عند قوله تعالى : { إنه ليس له سلطان على الذين آمنوا وعلى ربهم يتوكلون إنما سلطانه على الذين يتولونه والذين هم به مشركون } في سورة [ النحل : 99 ، 100 ].فالمؤمن لا يتولى الشيطانَ أبداً ولكنه قد ينخدع لوسواسه ، وهو مع ذلك يلعنه فيما أوقعه فيه من الكبائر ، وبمقدار ذلك الانخداع يقترب من سلطانه . وهذا معنى قول النبي في خطبة حجة الوداع : إن الشيطان قد يئس أن يُعبد في بلدكم هذا ولكنه قد رضي بما دون ذلك مما تحقرون من أعمالكم .فجملة وكفى بربك وكيلاً } يجوز أن تكون تكملة لتوبيخ الشيطان ، فيكون كاف الخطاب ضمير الشيطان تسجيلاً عليه بأنه عبدُ الله ، ويجوز أن تكون معترضة في آخر الكلام فتكون كاف الخطاب ضمير النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم تقريباً للنبيء بالإضافة إلى ضمير الله . ومآل المعنى على الوجهين واحد وإن اختلف الاعتبار .

ولما أخبر عما يريد الشيطان أن يفعل بالعباد وذكر ما يعتصم به من فتنته وهو عبودية الله والقيام بالإيمان والتوكل فقال: { إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ } أي: تسلط وإغواء بل الله يدفع عنهم -بقيامهم بعبوديته- كل شر ويحفظهم من الشيطان الرجيم ويقوم بكفايتهم. { وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلًا } لمن توكل عليه وأدى ما أمر به.

قوله تعالى : إن عبادي ليس لك عليهم سلطان وكفى بربك وكيلا [ ص: 261 ] قوله تعالى : إن عبادي ليس لك عليهم سلطان قال ابن عباس : هم المؤمنون . وقد تقدم الكلام فيهوكفى بربك وكيلا أي عاصما من القبول من إبليس ، وحافظا من كيده وسوء مكره .

In the face of his threat to thoroughly mislead ‘all but a few’ of Adam’s descendants, Satan has not been given any real power over man by God. The only thing he has the power to do is tempt people by his words and by putting evil thoughts into their minds. He glorifies things which will have no value in the Hereafter. The words, ‘but over My true servants you shall have no power’ imply that, potentially, Satan does have considerable power over those who are not true servants of God. Now the question is how to save oneself in a world where Satan tries with all the strength at his command to mislead man. The only way is for man to make God his sole supporter in the real sense. One who does so will come under the protection of God, and then Satan will find himself helpless, despite the strength which God has allowed him to retain.

(2) Secondly, he had said if he was given respite till the day of Qiyamah, he will mislead the entire progeny of 'Adam, except a few of them. That Allah Ta’ ala has elected to answer in the later verses. He said that the Shaitan will have no control over His sincere servants even if he were to rally his entire forces against them and as for the insincere who fall into his trap, they will meet the same fate as his, all consigned to Hell. When this verse (64) mentions the horsemen and footmen of the Shaitanic army, it does not necessarily mean that the Shaitan actually has combat support in that formation. In fact, this is a manner of referring to the full force and power of the Shaitan. And if the Shaitan does have horsemen and footmen actually, even that too cannot be denied. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: Those who come out in support of disbelief and sin, horsemen or footmen, they are nothing but the army of the Shaitan. Now remains the question as to how the Shaitan came to know that he would succeed in enticing and misleading the progeny of 'Adam (علیہ السلام) ، the basis on which he claimed that he will subdue them. There are two possibilities. Perhaps, by looking at the ingredients that went into the making of man, he had gathered that man would be desire-prone and it would not be difficult to entice him successfully. And then, it is also not far out to believe that his very claim was nothing but a bland lie. As for the sense of: وَشَارِ‌كْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ (and share with them in their wealth and their children - 64), Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: Wealth and property acquired by false, impermissible and unlawful means or spent on what is haram is the sharing of the Shaitan in it. As for the sharing of the Shaitan in children, it could either be through illegitimacy, or by naming them like disbelievers and polytheists, or by indulging in polytheistic customs to ensure their security, or by taking to Haram sources of income to bring them up. (Qurtubi)

(Lo! My (faithful) bondmen) who are protected from you (over them thou hast no power) you have no way to get to them or overcome them, (and your Lord sufficeth as (their) guardian) He guarantees that which He promised; it is also said: He is Protector.