The Romans, The Byzantines — Verse 44

The Command to follow the Straight Path before the Day of Resurrection Here Allah commands His servants to hasten to obedience to Him and to hasten to do good deeds. فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينَ الْقِيِّمِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لاَّ مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ (So, set you your face to the straight and right religion, before there comes from Allah a Day which none can avert.) The Day of Resurrection, for when Allah wants it to happen, no one will be able to avert it. يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ (On that Day men shall be divided.) means, they will be separated, with one group in Paradise and another in Hell. Allah says: مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَـلِحاً فَلاًّنفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ مِن فَضْلِهِ (Whosoever disbelieves will suffer from his disbelief, and whosoever does righteous good deeds, then such will prepare a good place for themselves. That He may reward those who believe. and do righteous good deeds, out of His bounty.) meaning that He may reward them from His bounty, in return for one good deed, he will get the reward for ten, up to seven hundred like it, as much as Allah wills. إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْكَـفِرِينَ (Verily, He likes not the disbelievers.) yet He is still just with them and does not oppress them.

Whoever disbelieves the consequence of his disbelief shall upon him that is the evil consequences of his disbelief which will be his being punished in the Fire and those who act righteously they will be paving the way for the salvation of their own souls preparing their places in Paradise

من كفر فعليه عقوبة كفره، وهي خلوده في النار، ومن آمن وعمل صالحًا فلأنفسهم يهيئون منازل الجنة؛ بسبب تمسكهم بطاعة ربهم.

قال تعالى "من كفر فعليه كفره ومن عمل صالحا فلأنفسهم يمهدون ليجزي الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات من فضله" أي يجازيهم مجازاة الفضل الحسنة بعشر أمثالها إلى سبعمائة ضعف إلى ما يشاء الله "إنه لا يحب الكافرين" ومع هذا هو العادل فيهم الذي لا يجور.

ثم بين - سبحانه - الفريق الأول فقال : ( مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ ) أى : من كفر من الناس ، فعاقبه كفره واقعة عليه لا على غيره ، وسيتحمل وحده ما يترتب على ذلك من عذاب مهين .قال صاحب الكشاف : قوله ( فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ ) كلمة جامعة لما لا غاية وارءه من المضار ، لأن من كان ضاره كفره ، فقد أحاطت به كل مضرة .ثم بين - سبحانه - الفريق الثانى فقال : ( وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحاً فَلأَنفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ ) أى : ومن عمل فى دنياه عملاً صالحاً ، فإنه بسبب هذا العمل يكون قد مهد وسوى لنفسه مكاناً مريحاً يستقر فيه فى الآخرة .والمهاد : الفراش . ومنه مهاد الصبى أى فراشه . ويقال مهدت الفراش مهدا ، أى : بسطته ووطأته . ومهدت الأمور . أى : سويتها وأصلحتها .فالجملة الكريمة تصوير بديع للثمار الطيبة التى تترتب على العمل الصالح فى الدنيا ، حتى لكأن من يعمل هذا العمل ، يعد لنفسه فى الآخرة مكاناً مبعداً ، ومضجعاً هنيئا ، ينزل فيه وهو فى أعلى درجات الراحة والنعيم :قال ابن جرير : قوله - تعالى - ( فَلأَنفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ ) أى : فلأنفسهم يستعدون ، ويسوون المضجع ، ليسلموا من عقاب ربهم ، وينجوا من عذابه ، كما قال الشاعر :أمهد لنفسك ، حان السقْم والتلف ... ولا تضيعن نفسا ما لها خلف

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : مَنْ كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلأَنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ (44)يقول تعالى ذكره: من كفر بالله فعليه أوزار كفره، وآثام جحوده نِعَمَ ربه، (وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا): يقول: ومن أطاع الله، فعمل بما أمره به في الدنيا، وانتهى عما نهاه عنه فيها(فَلأنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدونَ) يقول: فلأنفسهم يستعدون، ويسوّون المضجع ليسلموا من عقاب ربهم، وينجوا من عذابه، كما قال الشاعر:امْهِـدْ لنفْسِـكَ حـانَ السُّـقْمُ والتَّلَـفُوَلا تُضَيِّعَـنَّ نَفْسـا مَـا لَهـا خَـلَفُ (1)وبنحو الذي قلنا في تأويل ذلك قال أهل التأويل.* ذكر من قال ذلك:حدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء، جميعا عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد (فَلأنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ) قال: يسوّون المضاجع.حدثنا ابن المثنى والحسين بن يزيد الطحان وابن وكيع وأبو عبد الرحمن العلائي، قالوا: ثنا يحيى بن سليم، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد (فَلأنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ) قال: في القبر.حدثنا إبراهيم بن سعيد الجوهري، قال: ثنا يحيى بن سليم، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد (فَلأنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ) قال: للقبر.حدثنا نصر بن عليّ، قال: ثنا يحيى بن سليم، قال: ثنا ابن أبي نجيح، قال: سمعت مجاهدا يقول في قوله: (فَلأنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ) قال: في القبر.--------------------------الهوامش:(1) البيت لسليمان بن يزيد العدوي (مجاز القرآن لأبي عبيدة، الورقة 189 - أ) قال في تفسير قوله تعالى: (فلأنفسهم يمهدون): من (بفتح الميم) يقع على الواحد والاثنين والجميع. ومجازها هنا مجاز الجميع. ويمهد: أي يكسب ويعمل ويستعد. قال سليمان بن يزيد العدوي: امهد لنفسك ..." البيت وحان: قرب. والتلف: الموت. وفي اللسان (مهد) لنفسه يمهد مهدًا (كفتح) كسبب وعمل.

( من كفر فعليه كفره ) أي : وبال كفره ( ومن عمل صالحا فلأنفسهم يمهدون ) يوطئون المضاجع ويسوونها في القبور .

مَنْ كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِأَنْفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ (44) هذه الجملة تتنزل منزلة البيان لإجمال الجملة التي قبلها وهي { فأقم وجهك للدّين القيم } [ الروم : 43 ] ، إذ التثبيت على الدين بعد ذكر ما أصاب المشركين من الفساد بسبب شركهم يتضمن تحقير شأنهم عند الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم والمؤمنين ، فبين ذلك بأنهم لا يَضرون بكفرهم إلا أنفسهم ، والذي يكشف هذا المعنى تقديم المسند في قوله { فعليه كفره } فإنه يفيد تخصيصه بالمسند إليه ، أي فكفره عليه لا عليك ولا على المؤمنين ، ولهذا ابتدىء بذكر حال من كَفر ثم ذُكر بعدَه { من عمل صالحاً } . واقتضى حرف الاستعلاء أن في الكفر تبعة وشدة وضَرّاً على الكافر ، لأن ( عَلى ) تقتضي ذلك في مثل هذا المقام ، كما اقتضى اللام في قوله { فلأنفسهم يمهدون } أن لِمجرورها نفعاً وغنماً ، ومنه قوله تعالى : { لها ما كسبت وعليها ما اكتسبت } [ البقرة : 286 ] . وقال توبة بن الحُمَيِّر :وقد زعمت ليلى بأني فاجر ... لنفسي تُقاها أو عليها فجورهاوأفرد ضمير { كفره } رعياً للفظ { مَن } . وهذا التركيب من جوامع الكلم لدلالته على ما لا يحصى من المضارّ في الكفر على الكافر وأنه لا يَضُر غيره ، مع تمام الإيجاز ، وهو وعيد لأنه في معنى : من كفر فجزاؤه عقاب الله ، فاكتفي عن التصريح بذلك اكتفاء بدلالة ( على ) من قوله { فعليه كفره } وبمقابلة حالهم بحال من عمل صالحاً بقوله { ليجزي الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصالحات من فضله } .وأما قوله { ومن عمل صالحا فلأنفسهم يمهدون } فهو بيان أيضاً لما في جملة { فأقم وجهك للدّين القيّم } [ الروم : 43 ] من الأمر بملازمة التحلّي بالإسلام وما في ذلك من الخير العاجل والآجل مع ما تقتضيه عادة القرآن من تعقيب النذارة بالبشارة والترهيب بالترغيب فهو كالتكملة للبيان . وإنما قوبل { من كَفر } ب { من عَمِل صَالِحاً } ولم يقابل ب ( مَن ءامن ) للتنويه بشأن المؤمنين بأنهم أهل الأعمال الصالحة دون الكافرين . فاستغني بذكر العمل الصالح عن ذكر الإيمان لأنه يتضمنه ، ولتحريض المؤمنين على الأعمال الصالحة لئلا يتّكلوا على الإيمان وحده فتفوتهم النجاة التامة . وهذا اصطلاح القرآن في الغالب أن يَقرن الإيمان بالعمل الصالح كما في قوله تعالى قبل هذه الآية : { ويوم تقوم الساعة يومئذ يتفرقون فأما الذين ءامنوا وعملوا الصالحات فهم في روضة يُحبرون وأما الذين كفروا وكذبوا بآياتنا ولقاءِ الآخرة فأولئك في العذاب مُحضَرون } [ الروم : 14 16 ] حتى توهمت المعتزلة والخوارج أن العمل الصالح شرط في قبول الإيمان .وتقديم { فلأنفسهم } على { يمهدون } للاهتمام بهذا الاستحقاق وللرعاية على الفاصلة وليس للاختصاص .و { يمهدون } يجعلون مِهاداً ، والمهاد : الفراش . مثلت حالة المؤمنين في عملهم الصالح بحال من يتطلب راحة رقاده فيوطىء فراشه ويسويه لئلا يتعرض له في مضجعه من النتوء أو اليبس ما يستفز منامه .وتقديم { لأنفسهم } على { يمهدون } للرعاية على الفاصلة مع الاهتمام بذكر أنفس المؤمنين لأن قرينة عدم الاختصاص واضحة .وروعي في جمع ضمير { يمهدون } معنى { مَن } دون لفظها مع ما تقتضيه الفاصلة من ترجيح تلك المراعاة .ويتعلق { ليجزي الذين ءامنوا } ب { يمهدون } أي يمهدون لعلة أن يجزي الله إياهم من فضله .

{ مَنْ كَفَرَ } منهم { فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ } ويعاقب هو بنفسه لا تزر وازرة وزر أخرى، { وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا } من الحقوق التي للّه أو التي للعباد الواجبة والمستحبة، { فَلِأَنْفُسِهِمْ } لا لغيرهم { يَمْهَدُونَ } أي: يهيئون ولأنفسهم يعمرون آخرتهم ويستعدون للفوز بمنازلها وغرفاتها.

قوله تعالى : من كفر فعليه كفره ومن عمل صالحا فلأنفسهم يمهدون .قوله تعالى : من كفر فعليه كفره أي جزاء كفره . ومن عمل صالحا فلأنفسهم يمهدون أي يوطئون لأنفسهم في الآخرة فراشا ومسكنا وقرارا بالعمل الصالح ; ومنه : مهد الصبي . والمهاد الفراش ، وقد مهدت الفراش مهدا : بسطته ووطأته . وتمهيد الأمور : تسويتها وإصلاحها . وتمهيد العذر : بسطه وقبوله . والتمهد : التمكن . وروى ابن أبي نجيح عن مجاهد فلأنفسهم يمهدون قال : في القبر .

In the present world there is a mixture of good and bad people. In the Hereafter these two types of people will be separated. On that day, God’s reward will be bestowed upon those who lived in this world entirely as men of God, and those whose interests were linked to any beings other than God will be eternally deprived of God’s blessings.

Commentary ظَهَرَ‌ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ‌ وَالْبَحْرِ‌ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ (Plight has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of the people have earned 30:41). The author of Ruh ul-Ma’ ani has explained that the word fasad' (translated in the text as 'plight' ) means all sorts of calamities, such as famine, epidemic diseases, frequency of the incidents of fire, drowning, lack of Allah's blessing in everything, and reduction in profits and incurring of losses in lucrative businesses. It can also be deduced from this verse that the cause of falling of calamities in the world is commission of sins and other evil acts by the people. Shirk (association of partners with Allah) and infidelity are the most severe of them all, and other sins follow after them. The same subject has appeared in another verse with a difference أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ‌ (42:30) that is, whatever troubles you are inflicted with are due to your own wrong doings. The essence of this statement is that whatever troubles and tribulations people face in this world are brought about by their own sins, despite the fact that many of these sins are pardoned, and many are punished but slightly, and yet some others are left unpunished. There are only a few sins that are punished by way of calamities. If all sins were punished with the intensity they deserve, no one would have been left alive in the world. But it is our good fortune that Allah Ta’ ala forgives so many of our sins and those which are not forgiven are dealt with very mildly, as stated at the end of the verse لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا (So that He (Allah) makes them taste same of what they did - 30:41) that is, He lets them taste a little of their evil deeds. After that, it is pointed out that whatever trouble and tribulation is sent down to them in this world, though as a result of their misdeeds, is in fact blessing and grace from Him, if only one could ponder. The purpose of these worldly troubles is to awaken them from their slumber, so that they get rid of their evil acts. This would naturally result in their favour and bring them blessings, as stated at the end of the verse لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْ‌جِعُونَ (In order that they may return (to the right way). - 30:41). Big calamities fall upon the world because of the sins of people It is in this backdrop that some scholars have declared that if a man commits an evil deed, he harms the entire human kind, beasts, birds and other animals, because whatever calamities fall upon earth due to his sins, all others are also affected by it. Therefore, each one of the sufferers of the calamities will lodge a claim against the sinner on Dooms Day. Shaqiq Zahid has said that whoever acquires something unlawfully, he does not harm only the person whom he has taken it from, but also the entire human kind. (Ruh). It is because this opens up the door for others to follow, and thus the whole humanity gets involved in the practice. Secondly, this evil practice invites the calamities which in turn bring about troubles for everyone. Answer to a doubt It is recorded in authentic ahadith that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, ` this world is a prison for the believers and heaven for the infidels.' He then elaborated that the infidels get the reward of their good deeds in this world only in the form of wealth and health, whereas the reward of the believers is saved up to be awarded in the Hereafter. Furthermore, the believers in this world are like a branch of tree, which drifts from side to side in the breeze and stands still when the breeze stops; and ultimately they leave the world in this very condition. It is also stated that the worldly tribulations afflict the prophets most and then to those who are near to them, and then to those who are near to the near ones. بَلَاًء أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ (The most severe trials are faced by the prophets, then by those closer to them, then by those closer to them.) Apparently, all these authentic ahadith seem to be in conflict with the statement given in this verse. Further, it is also a common experience that generally the Muslim believers live a difficult life, whereas the infidels and libertines live a comfortable and easy life. If the troubles and difficulties were afflicted because of sins, as mentioned in the verse, the situation would have been exactly opposite. Answer to this quandary is that the verse under reference has mentioned the sins as a cause for inviting troubles, but not the only cause (عِ (رح) لَّتِ تامَّہ) in the sense that whenever one is afflicted with troubles, it is only due to his sins. As a rule, if the cause of some happening comes to surface, its resultant effect normally follows. However, in certain cases the normal effect is overtaken by some other cause, suppressing or altogether eliminating the normal effect. For instance if someone says that purgatives are used for moving the bowls, the statement is true as far as the effect of purgatives is concerned. But sometimes they don't move the bowls under the effect of some other drug or an unknown reason. Similarly, it is also a common experience that at times antipyretics do not bring down the fever and the sleeping pills do not put one to sleep. Therefore, the upshot of the verse is that it is one of the traits of sins to invite troubles and tribulations, but sometimes due to other conflicting reasons, the troubles do not come about. On the other hand, the opposite of this can also happen at times, that is, troubles and tribulations may come about without commitment of sins, because their appearance without sins has not been ruled out in the verse altogether. Therefore, in the case of prophets and pious persons, calamities may visit them without sins. In such situations the cause of vexation is not sins, but for the sake of upgrading their status, tests and trials are conducted by putting them into trouble. Moreover, the Holy Qur'an has assigned the reason for the troubles and tribulations as sins of people for such situations where these calamities engulf the whole world or the entire city, and all humans and animals are afflicted with that. Normally such calamities fall when sins are committed openly and freely. In the case of individual troubles and tribulations, this rule does not apply, because sometimes calamities befall for trials and tests, and when the individual passes the tests successfully, his position is raised in the Hereafter. In fact, such calamities prove to be blessings and graces of Allah Ta’ ala. Hence it is not correct to call a person sinner, if he is afflicted with calamity. In the same way, it is not apt to consider someone pious and righteous if he is affluent. However, the main reason for the affliction of major troubles and calamities, such as famine, storms, epidemics, inflation and lack of Allah's blessing is commission of sins openly and defiance of Allah's rule. Special note Hadrat Shah Waliyyullah (رح) has commented in (حُجَّۃَ البَالِغۃ) that there are two types of causes, in this world, for good or evil, trouble or comfort and difficulty or ease. Causes of the first kind are visible or outward, while causes of the second type are latent or inward. Outward causes are the material causes which are seen by all and normally regarded as such; whereas the inward causes are those based on human actions, which lead to either help from the angels or to their curse and hate. For example, the causes of rain before the scientists and philosophers are the formation of vapors in the form of clouds over the oceans due to heat, then their drift toward the land by the breeze, then their ascent to heights because of the heat of land, and then freezing of vapors after attaining heights into the cooler strata, and after being defrost by the heat of sun, their ultimate fall from the height in the form of water drops. But the ahadith on the subject tell us that this whole process is an act of the angels. In fact, there is no contradiction in the two statements as there could be many causes for any one process. Hence the outward cause in this case is the scientific explanation referred above, while the inward cause could be the action of the angels. When both these causes are combined, the rain falls according to need and expectation, and if both the causes do not combine, the rainfall may be interrupted. Explaining the subject further, Shah Waliyyullah (رح) has said that some causes of the tribulations of the world are physical or biological, which do not recognize good or bad. For instance, it is the characteristic of fire to burn, without considering whether someone is pious or sinner, unless it receives a Divine command to act otherwise, as was the case in the fire of Namrud, which was commanded to cool down and be tranquil for Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The attribute of water is to drown the heavier bodies. So it will always act to perform this duty. Similarly, other elements are also performing their assigned jobs. For some, they become troublesome and arduous, but for others they bring in comfort and ease. Like the outward physical causes, the good or evil deeds of a person are also effective in bringing troubles and tribulations or ease and comfort. When both outward and inward causes of ease, happiness and comfort join together, the person or a group of people enjoy ease and comfort in life. As against this, if the natural causes bring in distress and problems for an individual or a group of people and his or their actions also call for troubles and tribulations, then the calamities fall as a rule. Sometimes it happens that whereas the material outward causes are working to bring about troubles and calamity, but the good actions of a person are inclined for ease and comfort in his life. In such a conflicting situation, the inward causes are consumed in countering the influence of the outward causes. As a result, the full benefit of his friendly inward causes is not reaped. Likewise, it happens sometimes that the material causes demand the ease and comfort, but the inward causes or his actions invite troubles and tribulations. In this conflicting situation also, neither full comfort and ease is available nor the calamities take their full toll. In a similar manner, the material causes are sometimes made unfavorable for a prophet, saint or a pious to put him to test. If this explanation is understood properly, then the mutual harmony and consistency between the Qur'anic verses and the referred ahadith becomes apparent, and any doubts about inconsistency or conflict are removed. وَاللہُ سبحانَہُ و تعالیٰ اَعلَم Difference between trial or test and punishment or torment when calamities fall When the calamities fall, they are meant for trial and test for some good people in order to atone their sins or raise their status, and for others to punish them for their sins. In both cases, the form of the calamities look alike. Then how should they be differentiated? Shah Waliyyullah (رح) has said that the calamities on good people for the sake of tests can be recognized by their endurance with contentment, which is a gift of God. They remain happy and contented in troubles and calamities like a patient, who remains contented on his treatment by medicines of bitter taste or by a painful surgery. Not only that he does not complain of the pains he faced during treatment, but also pays fees for it and deploys all sorts of resources for getting himself treated in such a painful manner. As against this, the evildoers, on whom the calamities fall as punishment, take it to heart and cry and moan against the sufferings they are placed in. Sometimes they utter words of ingratitude to the extent of blasphemy. Sayyidi Hakim-ul-Ummah Ashraf Thanavi (رح) has given another distinction between the two calamities. If one becomes aware of his sins and faults and finds greater inclination toward seeking pardon from Allah Ta’ ala, then it is a sign of His kindness and favour. But if one gets frustrated and indulges more in sins and evil, then it is a sign of Allah's wrath and torment. وَاللہُ سبحانَہُ و تعالیٰ اَعلَم

(Whoso disbelieveth) in Allah (must (then) bear the consequences of his disbelief) the punishment of his disbelief is to dwell in the Fire forever, (while those who do right) and are also believers (make provision for themselves) and collect reward and honour in Paradise.