The Family of Imran, The House of Imran — Verse 182

Allah Warns the Idolators Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said, "When Allah's statement, مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً (Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times) 2:245 was revealed, the Jews said, `O Muhammad! Has your Lord become poor so that He asks His servants to give Him a loan' Allah sent down, لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ (Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those (Jews) who say: "Truly, Allah is poor and we are rich!") 3:181." This Hadith was collected by Ibn Marduwyah and Ibn Abi Hatim. Allah's statement, سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ (We shall record what they have said) contains a threat and a warning that Allah followed with His statement, وَقَتْلِهِمُ الاٌّنْبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ (and their killing of the Prophets unjustly,) This is what they say about Allah and this is how they treat His Messengers. Allah will punish them for these deeds in the worst manner, لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ وَقَتْلَهُمُ الاٌّنبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَنَقُولُ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ - ذلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّـمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ (and We shall say: "Taste you the torment of the burning (Fire)." This is because of that which your hands have sent before you. And certainly, Allah is never unjust to (His) servants.) They will be addressed like this as a way of chastising, criticism, disgrace and humiliation. Allah said, الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَهِدَ إِلَيْنَا أَلاَّ نُؤْمِنَ لِرَسُولٍ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَنَا بِقُرْبَانٍ تَأْكُلُهُ النَّارُ (Those (Jews) who said: "Verily, Allah has taken our promise not to believe in any Messenger unless he brings to us an offering which the fire (from heaven) shall devour.") Allah refuted their claim that in their Books, Allah took a covenant from them to only believe in the Messenger whose miracles include fire coming down from the sky that consumes the charity offered by a member of the Messenger's nation, as Ibn `Abbas and Al-Hasan stated. Allah replied, قُلْ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِى بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ (Say: "Verily, there came to you Messengers before me, with Al-Bayinat...") with proofs and evidence, وَبِالَّذِى قُلْتُمْ (and even with what you speak of) a fire that consumes the accepted charity, as you asked, فَلِمَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُمْ (why then did you kill them) Why did you meet these Prophets with denial, defiance, stubbornness and even murder, إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ (if you are truthful), if you follow the truth and obey the Messengers. Allah then comforts His Prophet Muhammad , فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ جَآءُوا بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَالْكِتَـبِ الْمُنِيرِ (Then if they reject you, so were Messengers rejected before you, who came with Al-Baiyyinat and the Scripture, and the Book of Enlightenment.) meaning, do not be sad because they deny you, for you have an example in the Messengers who came before you. These Messengers were rejected although they brought clear proofs, plain evidence and unequivocal signs, وَالزُّبُرِ (and the Zubur), the divinely revealed Books that were sent down to the Messengers, وَالْكِتَـبِ الْمُنِيرِ (and the Book of Enlightenment) meaning the clarification and best explanation.

When they are thrown into the Fire it will be said to them That punishment is for what your hands have sent before ‘hands’ are used to designate a human being because most actions are performed with them; for God is never unjust towards His servants’ punishing them without them having sinned.

Verily God has heard the saying of those who said �Indeed God is poor and we are rich.� We shall write down what they have said and their slaying the prophets without right and We shall say �Taste the chastisement of the burning. That is for what your hands have sent before; for God is never unjust toward His servants.� If this address were between created beings it would be a complaint and the complaint to friends about enemies is the way of lovers sunnat al-aḥbāb. It is said that He knew that there were those among the believers who were slandering people and this was an ugly way to speak but He exposed a greater ugliness. This was to show that the ugly speech of the believers was paltry in comparison to the ugliness of the speech of the disbelievers. It is as if He said �Their speech has been ugly in its defamation but the speech of the disbelievers is even uglier since they have described Us in a way that is not appropriate for Us.� [This verse] also alludes to the call to humankind and the [divine] for- bearance with those who quarrel [with that call] for surely God ������ did not deprive them of what He had given them [in this world] in spite of their disregard for His rights. We shall write down what they have said: These words are cause for embarrassment for the neglectful through the most delicate allusion. It means that even if they have forgotten their states and words �We will resurrect for them what We have written against them.� Their speaker said: I have pages in which blame is buried. One day they will be published and the blame will linger. I will be patient until God brings us together and if we meet one day I will speak. That is for what your hands have sent before: for God is never unjust toward His servants: If this were from one created being to another it would be like absolving oneself of blame for what one has done. It is as if He ������ is saying �My servant the punishment that will come to you on that day is because of your sin. If you had not done it We would not punish you.�

Verily God has heard the saying of those who said �Indeed God is poor and we are rich.� We shall write down what they have said and their slaying the prophets without right and We shall say �Taste the chastisement of the burning. That is for what your hands have sent before; for God is never unjust toward His servants.� If this address were between created beings it would be a complaint and the complaint to friends about enemies is the way of lovers sunnat al-aḥbāb. It is said that He knew that there were those among the believers who were slandering people and this was an ugly way to speak but He exposed a greater ugliness. This was to show that the ugly speech of the believers was paltry in comparison to the ugliness of the speech of the disbelievers. It is as if He said �Their speech has been ugly in its defamation but the speech of the disbelievers is even uglier since they have described Us in a way that is not appropriate for Us.� [This verse] also alludes to the call to humankind and the [divine] for- bearance with those who quarrel [with that call] for surely God ������ did not deprive them of what He had given them [in this world] in spite of their disregard for His rights. We shall write down what they have said: These words are cause for embarrassment for the neglectful through the most delicate allusion. It means that even if they have forgotten their states and words �We will resurrect for them what We have written against them.� Their speaker said: I have pages in which blame is buried. One day they will be published and the blame will linger. I will be patient until God brings us together and if we meet one day I will speak. That is for what your hands have sent before: for God is never unjust toward His servants: If this were from one created being to another it would be like absolving oneself of blame for what one has done. It is as if He ������ is saying �My servant the punishment that will come to you on that day is because of your sin. If you had not done it We would not punish you.�

ذلك العذاب الشديد بسبب ما قدَّمتموه في حياتكم الدنيا من المعاصي القولية والفعلية والاعتقادية، وأن الله ليس بظلام للعببد.

قال تعالى "ونقول ذوقوا عذاب الحريق ذلك بما قدمت أيديكم وأن الله ليس بظلام للعبيد" أي يقال لهم ذلك تقريعا وتوبيخا وتحقيرا وتصغيرا.

{ ذلك بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ الله لَيْسَ بِظَلاَّمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ } .أى : ذلك العذاب الشديد الذى حاق بكم - أيها اليهو- بسبب ما قدمته أيديكم من عمل سىء ، وما نطقت به أفواهكم من قول منكر ، فقد اقتضت حكمته وعدالته ألا يعذب إلا من يستحق العذاب ، وأنه - سبحانه - لا يظلم عباده مثقال ذرة . واسم الإشارة { ذلك } يعود إلى العذاب المحقق المنزل منزلة المحسوس المشاهد . والمراد بالأيدى الأنفس ، والتعبير بالأيدى عن الأنفس من قبيل التعبير بالجزء عن الكل .وخصت الأيدى بالذكر ، للدلالة على التمكن من الفعل وإراته ، ولأن أكثر الأفعال يكون عن طريق البطش بالأيدى ، ولأن نسبة الفعل إلى اليد تفيد الالتصاق به والاتصال بذاته .قال الآلوسى ما ملخصه :وقوله { وَأَنَّ الله لَيْسَ بِظَلاَّمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ } عطف على قوله { ذلك بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ } فهو داخل تحت حكم باء السببية ، وسببيته للعذاب من حيث إن نفى الظلم يستلزم العدل المقتضى إثابة المحسن ومعاقبة المسىء .. .وصيغة المبالغة لتأكيد هذا المعنى بإبراز ما ذكر من التعذيب بغير ذنب فى صورة المبالغة فى الظلم . . . وقيل إن صيغة " ظلام " للنسب كعطار أى : لا ينسب غليه الظلم أصلا " .

وأما قوله: " ذلك بما قدمت أيديكم "، أي: قولنا لهم يوم القيامة،" ذوقوا عذاب الحريق "، بما أسلفت أيديكم واكتسبتها أيام حياتكم في الدنيا، (10) وبأن الله عَدْل لا يجورُ فيعاقب عبدًا له بغير استحقاق منه العقوبةَ، ولكنه يجازي كل نفس بما كسبت، ويوفّي كل عامل جزاء ما عمل، فجازى الذين قال لهم [ذلك] يوم القيامة (11) = من اليهود الذين وصف صفتهم، فأخبر عنهم أنهم قالوا: إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَاءُ ، وقتلوا الأنبياء بغير حق = بما جازاهم به من عذاب الحريق، بما اكتسبوا من الآثام، واجترحوا من السيئات، وكذبوا على الله بعد الإعذار إليهم بالإنذار. فلم يكن تعالى ذكره بما عاقبهم به من إذاقتهم عذاب الحريق ظالمًا، ولا واضعًا عقوبته في غير أهلها. وكذلك هو جل ثناؤه، غيرُ ظلام أحدًا من خلقه، ولكنه العادل بينهم، والمتفضل على جميعهم بما أحبّ من فَوَاضله ونِعمه.----------------------الهوامش:(10) انظر تفسير"بما قدمت أيديهم" فيما سلف 2: 367 ، 368.(11) الزيادة بين القوسين لا بد منها لاستقامة الكلام ، ويعني بقوله: "الذي قال لهم ذلك" ، أي قال لهم: "ذوقوا عذاب الحريق". وسياق العبارة: "فجازى الذين قال لهم ذلك يوم القيامة. . . بما جازاهم به من عذاب الحريق".

( ذلك بما قدمت أيديكم وأن الله ليس بظلام للعبيد ) فيعذب بغير ذنب .

والإشارة في قوله : { ذلك بما قدمت أيديكم } للعذاب المشاهد يومئذ ، وفيه تهويل للعذاب . والباء للسببية على أنّ هذا العذاب لعظم هَوله ممّا يُتساءل عن سببه . وعطف قوله : { وأن الله ليس بظلام للعبيد } على مجرور الباء ، ليكون لهذا العذاب سببان : ما قدّمتْه أيديهم ، وعَدْل الله تعالى ، فما قدّمت أيديهم أوجب حصول العذاب ، وعدْل الله أوجب كون هذا العذاب في مقداره المشاهد من الشدّة حتّى لا يظنّوا أن في شدّته إفراطاً عليهم في التعذيب .

يخبر تعالى، عن قول هؤلاء المتمردين، الذين قالوا أقبح المقالة وأشنعها، وأسمجها، فأخبر أنه قد سمع ما قالوه وأنه سيكتبه ويحفظه، مع أفعالهم الشنيعة، وهو: قتلهم الأنبياء الناصحين، وأنه سيعاقبهم على ذلك أشد العقوبة، وأنه يقال لهم -بدل قولهم إن الله فقير ونحن أغنياء- { ذوقوا عذاب الحريق } المحرق النافذ من البدن إلى الأفئدة، وأن عذابهم ليس ظلما من الله لهم، فإنه { ليس بظلام للعبيد } فإنه منزه عن ذلك، وإنما ذلك بما قدمت أيديهم من المخازي والقبائح، التي أوجبت استحقاقهم العذاب، وحرمانهم الثواب. وقد ذكر المفسرون أن هذه الآية نزلت في قوم من اليهود، تكلموا بذلك، وذكروا منهم "فنحاص بن عازوراء"" من رؤساء علماء اليهود في المدينة، وأنه لما سمع قول الله تعالى: { من ذا الذي يقرض الله قرضا حسنا } { وأقرضوا الله قرضا حسنا } قال: -على وجه التكبر والتجرهم- هذه المقالة قبحه الله، فذكرها الله عنهم، وأخبر أنه ليس ببدع من شنائعهم، بل قد سبق لهم من الشنائع ما هو نظير ذلك، وهو: { قتلهم الأنبياء بغير حق } هذا القيد يراد به، أنهم تجرأوا على قتلهم مع علمهم بشناعته، لا جهلا وضلالا، بل تمردا وعنادا."

قوله تعالى : ذلك بما قدمت أيديكم أي ذلك العذاب بما سلف من الذنوب . وخص الأيدي بالذكر ليدل على تولي الفعل ومباشرته ; إذ قد يضاف الفعل إلى الإنسان بمعنى أنه أمر به ; كقوله : يذبح أبناءهم وأصل " أيديكم " أيديكم فحذفت الضمة لثقلها ، والله أعلم .

One comes to be called a believer by just repeating some words (kalimah), but so far as God is concerned, the would-be Muslim becomes a believer only when he sacrifices his life and his wealth for His cause. Without such a sacrifice, nobody’s faith is credible in the eyes of God. One thinks that by safeguarding one’s money one is safeguarding one’s worldly future. But man’s real future is that which pertains to the Hereafter. And money amassed for worldly purposes will only prove to be a curse for the hoarder.

The second verse (18) warns Jews against their grave act of effrontery and mentions its punishment. According to the background of the event, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ presented the Qur'anic injunctions relating to Zakah and Sadaqat (charities), the arrogant Jews started saying that Allah had surely become poor and needy while they were rich, or else why would He go about asking us to give? We seek refuge with Allah from such effrontery. Obviously, they would have hardly believed in the absurd statement they made but, in all likelihood, they would have said so to prove that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was, God forbid, false in his statement. Their argument was: If these verses of the Qur'an are true, then, it necessarily follows that Allah be poor and needy! This absurd argument of theirs being false in itself was not worth responding to because the injunction of Allah Almighty was not for His benefit; it was, rather, for the benefit of the owners of wealth themselves in this world and the hereafter. But, it was termed as giving loan to Allah elsewhere because repayment of a loan is necessary and certain in the sight of every good person. Similar is the case of charity given by someone, the repayment of which Allah Almighty takes upon Himself as if it was the payment of loan taken from someone. Anyone who believes in Allah Almighty as the Creator and Master of everything would never stoop to entertain the kind of doubt from these words of the verse which is there in the saying of the insolent Jews. For this reason, the Qur'an has certainly refrained from answering this doubt. Instead, it has simply restricted itself to announcing that they shall be appre-hended and punished for this effrontery of theirs, for having falsified the Holy Prophet ﷺ and for having made fun of him. It was said that their insolent words will be put on record in 'writing' so that the final evidence goes against them on the Day of Judgmentand they are punished for what they did. Otherwise, Allah Almighty needs no writing. Along with this act of effrontery committed by the Jews, yet another crime of theirs has been mentioned, that is, they not 'only falsified the prophets and mocked at them, they even went to the limit of killing them! That such people could falsify and flout any prophet or messenger of Allah hardly remains surprising. Staying emotionally satisfied with disbelief in and disobedi-ence to Allah is also an equally grave sin Worth noticing at this point is the fact that those being addressed by the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an are the Jews of Madinah while the incident of the killing of prophets belongs to a time much earlier than theirs, that is, to the time of Sayyidna Yahya and Sayyidna Zakariyya, may peace be on them. Now, the question is: How is it that the crime of the killing of the prophets referred to in this verse was attributed to these addressees? The reason is: The Jews of Madinah were quite satisfied with this act committed by their Jewish predecessors; therefore, they too were counted as those who fall under the injunction governing killers of prophets. Imam al-Qurubi (رح) has said in his Tafsir that 'remaining satisfied with disbelief (kufr) is also included under disbelief and disobedience' which is a major juristic ruling in Islam. A saying of the Holy Prophet ﷺ explains it further. He said: 'When a sin is committed on God's earth, following which; the person who is present on the spot opposes that sin and considers it to be bad, then, such a person shall be deemed as not present there, that is, he is no accomplice in their sin. And, a person who, though not present physically yet is quite satisfied with this act of sinners, then, this person shall be considered, despite his absence (from the scene of sin), an accomplice in their sin.' In the later part of the present verse (181) and in the third verse (182), the text recounts the punishment to be meted out to such loud-mouthed people by saying that they shall be consigned to the Hell to experience the taste of burning in fire which is but the outcome of their own deeds and certainly no injustice from Allah.

(This) punishment (is on account of that which your own hands have sent before you) which your hands have earned. (Allah is no oppressor of (His) bondmen) such that He punishes them without them having committed a crime.