The Light — Verse 49

The Treachery of the Hypocrites and the Attitude of the Believers Allah tells us about the characteristics of the hypocrites who show one thing while hiding another, and who say with their tongues, آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّى فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ ذلِكَ ("We have believed in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey," then a party of them turn away thereafter,) meaning, their actions contradict their deeds, and they say that which they do not do. Allah says: وَمَآ أُوْلَـئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ (such are not believers.) وَإِذَا دُعُواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ (And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger, to judge between them...) means, when they are asked to follow the guidance which Allah has revealed to His Messenger , they turn away and are too arrogantly proud of themselves to follow him. This is like the Ayah: أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ ءَامَنُواْ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ (Have you not seen those who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you,) until His saying: رَأَيْتَ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنكَ صُدُوداً (you see the hypocrites turn away from you with aversion) 4: 60-61. وَإِن يَكُنْ لَّهُمُ الْحَقُّ يَأْتُواْ إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ (But if the truth is on their side, they come to him willingly with submission.) means, if the ruling will be in their favor and not against them, then they will come and will listen and obey, which is what is meant by the phrase مُذْعِنِينَ (willingly with submission.) But if the ruling will go against him, he turns away and demands something that goes against the truth, and he prefers to refer for judgement to someone other than the Prophet so that his false claims may prevail. His acceptance in the beginning was not because he believed that it was the truth, but because it happened to be in accordance with his desires. So when the truth went against what he was hoping for, he turned away from it. Allah said: أَفِى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّرَضٌ (Is there a disease in their hearts...) meaning, their situation cannot be anything else, they must necessarily have a disease in their hearts, or else they have some doubts about the religion, or they are afraid that Allah and His Messenger will be unjust in their ruling against them. Whichever it is, it is pure disbelief, and Allah knows which of these characteristics each one of them has. d بَلْ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الظَّـلِمُونَ (Nay, it is they themselves who are the wrongdoers.) means, they are the evildoers who commit immoral actions, and Allah and His Messenger are innocent of the injustice and unfairness that they imagine; exalted be Allah and His Messenger above such a thing. Then Allah tells us about the attributes of the believers who respond to Allah and His Messenger and who seek no other way apart from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger . Allah says: إِنَّمَا كَانَ قَوْلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذَا دُعُواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن يَقُولُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا (The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allah and His Messenger, to judge between them, is that they say: "We hear and we obey".) meaning, to hear to obey. Allah describes them as having attained success, which is achieving what one wants and being saved from what one fears. So Allah says: وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (And such are the successful.) Concerning the Ayah: أَن يَقُولُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا (they say: "We hear and we obey".), Qatadah said: "We were told that when `Ubadah bin As-Samit, who had been present at Al-`Aqabah and at Badr, and was one of the leaders of the Ansar, was dying, he said to his nephew Junadah bin Abi Umayyah: `Shall I not tell you what you must do and what is your due' He said, `Yes.' He said: `You have to listen and obey when times are easy and when they are hard, when you feel energetic and when you do not want to, and when you feel selfish. You have to train your tongue to speak the truth. Do not go against those who are in authority, unless they openly command you to commit acts of disobedience to Allah. Whenever you are commanded to do something that goes against the Book of Allah, then follow the Book of Allah."' Qatadah said: We were told that Abu Ad-Darda' said, "There is no Islam except through obedience to Allah, and no goodness except in Jama`ah. Sincerity is to Allah and His Messenger , and to the Khalifah and all the believers." He said: "And we were told that `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say; `The bonds of Islam are La ilaha illallah, establishing prayer, paying Zakah and obeying those whom Allah has given authority over the affairs of the Muslims."' This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim. There are very many Hadiths and reports which state that it is obligatory to obey the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, the Rightly-Guided Khalifahs and the Imams when they command us to obey Allah; there are too many of these reports to quote them all here. وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ (And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger,) in what he is commanded with, and avoid what he is forbidden, وَيَخْشَ اللَّهَ (fears Allah, ) means, for his past sins, وَيَتَّقْهِ (and has Taqwa of Him,) regarding sins he may commit in the future. فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْفَآئِزُون (such are the successful.) means, those who will attain all goodness and be saved from all evil in this world and the Hereafter.

But if right be on their side they would come to him willingly hastening compliantly.

وإن يكن الحق في جانبهم فإنهم يأتون إلى النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام طائعين منقادين لحكمه؛ لعلمهم أنه يقضي بالحق.

أي وإذا كانت الحكومة لهم لا عليهم جاءوا سامعين مطيعين وهو معنى قوله "مذعنين" وإذا كانت الحكومة عليه أعرض ودعا إلى غير الحق وأحب أن يتحاكم إلى غير النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ليروج باطله ثم فإذعانه أولا لم يكن عن اعتقاد منه أن ذلك هو الحق بل لأنه موافق لهواه ولهذا لما خالف الحق قصده عدل عنه إلى غيره.

( وَإِن يَكُنْ لَّهُمُ الحق يأتوا إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ )والإذعان : الانقياد والطاعة ، يقال : أذعن فلان لفلان ، إذا انقاد له وخضع لأمره .أى : وإن يكن لهؤلاء المنافقين الحق على غيرهم ، يأتوا إلى الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم منقادين طائعين راضين بحكمه ، لأنهم واثقون من أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم لن يبخسهم شيئا من حقوقهم لا يأتون إليه مذعنين فى كل الأحوال ، وإنما يأتون إليه صلى الله عليه وسلم مذعنين لحكمه عندما يكونون أصحاب حق فى قضية من القضايا الدنيوية التى تحصل بينهم وبين غيرهم .

يقول تعالى ذكره: وإن يكن الحق لهؤلاء الذين يدعون إلى الله ورسوله ليحكم بينهم فيأبون ويعرضون عن الإجابة إلى ذلك، قِبَل الذين يدعونهم إلى الله ورسوله - يأتوا إلى رسول الله مذعنين، يقول: مذعنين منقادين لحكمه، مقرّين به طائعين غير مكرهين، يقال منه: قد أذعن فلان بحقه إذا أقرّ به طائعا غير مستكره وانقاد له وسلم.وكان مجاهد فيما ذكر عنه يقول في ذلك ما حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، عن مجاهد، قوله: ( يَأْتُوا إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ ) قال: سراعا.

( وإن يكن لهم الحق يأتوا إليه مذعنين ) مطيعين منقادين لحكمه ، أي : إذا كان الحق لهم على غيرهم أسرعوا إلى حكمه لثقتهم بأنه كما يحكم عليهم بالحق يحكم لهم أيضا بالحق .

وَإِنْ يَكُنْ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ يَأْتُوا إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ (49) وقوله : { وإن يكن لهم الحق يأتوا إليه } أي إلى الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلمومعنى : { وإن يكن لهم الحق } أنه يكون في ظن صاحب الحق ويقينه أنه على الحق . ومفهومه أن من لم يكن له الحق منهم وهو العالم بأنه مبطل لا يأتي إذا دعي إلى الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام ، فعُلم منه أن الفريق المعرضين هم المبطلون . وكذلك شأن كل من هو على الحق أنه لا يأبى من القضاء العادل ، وشأن المبطل أن يأبى العدل لأن العدل لا يلائم حبه الاعتداء على حقوق الناس ، فسبب إعراض المعرضين علمهم بأن في جانبهم الباطل وهم قد تحققوا أن الرسول لا يحكم إلا بصراح الحق .وهذا وجه موقع جملة : { أفى قلوبهم مرض } إلى آخرها .ووقع حرف { إذا } المفاجأة في جواب { إذا } الشرطية لإفادة مبادرتهم بالإعراض دون تريث لأنهم قد أيقنوا من قبل بعدالة الرسول وأيقنوا بأن الباطل في جانبهم فلم يترددوا في الإعراض .والإذعان : الانقياد والطاعة .ولما كان هذا شأناً عجيباً استؤنف عقبه بالجملة ذات الاستفهامات المستعملة في التنبيه على أخلاقهم ولفت الأذهان إلى ما انطووا عليه والداعي إلى ذلك أنها أحوال خفية لأنهم كانوا يظهرون خلافها .وأُتبع بعض الاستفهامات بعضاً بحرف { أم } المنقطعة التي هي هنا للإضراب الانتقالي كشأنها إذا عطفت الجمل الاستفهامية فإنها إذا عطفت الجمل لم تكن لطلب التعيين كما هي في عطف المفردات لأن المتعاطفات بها حينئذٍ ليست مما يطلب تعيين بعضه دون بعض ، وأما معنى الاستفهام فملازم لها لأنه يقدر بعد { أم } .والانتقال هنا تدرج في عدّ أخلاقهم . فالمعنى أنه إن سأل سائل عن اتصافهم بخُلق من هذه المذكورات علم المسؤول أنهم متصفون به ، فكان الاستفهام المكرر ثلاث مرات مستعملاً في التنبيه مجازاً مرسلاً ، ومنه قوله تعالى : { ألهم أرجل يمشون بها أم لهم أيد يبطشون بها أم لهم أعين يبصرون بها أم لهم آذان يسمعون بها } في سورة الأعراف ( 195) .

{ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ يَأْتُوا إِلَيْهِ } أي: إلى حكم الشرع { مُذْعِنِينَ } وليس ذلك لأجل أنه حكم شرعي، وإنما ذلك لأجل موافقة أهوائهم، فليسوا ممدوحين في هذه الحال، ولو أتوا إليه مذعنين، لأن العبد حقيقة، من يتبع الحق فيما يحب ويكره، وفيما يسره ويحزنه، وأما الذي يتبع الشرع عند موافقة هواه، وينبذه عند مخالفته، ويقدم الهوى على الشرع، فليس بعبد على الحقيقة

الثانية : قوله تعالى : وإن يكن لهم الحق يأتوا إليه مذعنين أي طائعين منقادين ؛ لعلمهم أنه - عليه السلام - يحكم بالحق . يقال : أذعن فلان لحكم فلان يذعن إذعانا . وقال النقاش : مذعنين خاضعين ، مجاهد : مسرعين . الأخفش وابن الأعرابي : مقرين .

While the Prophet was in Madinah, there was a group which had apparently accepted Islam, but which was not really sincere about religion. This group was called the hypocrites (munafiqun). These people mouthed their obedience to God and His Prophet, but in practice, at the time of need, their actions would belie their pretensions. At that time, due to prevailing circumstances, a regular Islamic Court had not yet been established. The Jewish chiefs had been deciding cases as a matter of convention for centuries. But now the Prophet Muhammad had migrated to Madinah and established himself there. It was typical of the half-hearted hypocritical Muslims to agree to have their disputes (with other Muslims) settled by the Prophet Muhammad, provided they were sure that it would be decided in their favour. But when it seemed that the outcome might be unfavourable to them, these hypocrites (munafiqun) preferred going to a Jewish chief to have the matter decided. To all appearances this was an act of great cleverness, but in actuality they were just wronging themselves. Such apparent winners shall have lost their case even before reaching the court of God.

مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا From the sky mountains (of clouds) having hail in them - 43. Here the word سَمَاء is purported for clouds, and Jibal جِبَالٍ (mountains) for big masses of clouds, while hails are called Barad.

(But if right had been with them) with the people of 'Uthman (they would have come unto him) to the Prophet (pbuh) (willingly) in haste and obediently.