Verse 3:158 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

154 ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَیۡكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلۡغَمِّ أَمَنَةࣰ نُّعَاسࣰا یَغۡشَىٰ طَاۤىِٕفَةࣰ مِّنكُمۡۖ وَطَاۤىِٕفَةࣱ قَدۡ أَهَمَّتۡهُمۡ أَنفُسُهُمۡ یَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ غَیۡرَ ٱلۡحَقِّ ظَنَّ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِیَّةِۖ یَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِن شَیۡءࣲۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ كُلَّهُۥ لِلَّهِۗ یُخۡفُونَ فِیۤ أَنفُسِهِم مَّا لَا یُبۡدُونَ لَكَۖ یَقُولُونَ لَوۡ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ شَیۡءࣱ مَّا قُتِلۡنَا هَـٰهُنَاۗ قُل لَّوۡ كُنتُمۡ فِی بُیُوتِكُمۡ لَبَرَزَ ٱلَّذِینَ كُتِبَ عَلَیۡهِمُ ٱلۡقَتۡلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمۡۖ وَلِیَبۡتَلِیَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِی صُدُورِكُمۡ وَلِیُمَحِّصَ مَا فِی قُلُوبِكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِیمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ۝١٥٤ thumma anzala ʿalaykum min baʿdi l-ghami amanatan nuʿāsan yaghshā ṭāifatan minkum waṭāifatun qad ahammathum anfusuhum yaẓunnūna bil-lahi ghayra l-ḥaqi ẓanna l-jāhiliyati yaqūlūna hal lanā mina l-amri min shayin qul inna l-amra kullahu lillahi yukh'fūna fī anfusihim mā lā yub'dūna laka yaqūlūna law kāna lanā mina l-amri shayon mā qutil'nā hāhunā qul law kuntum fī buyūtikum labaraza alladhīna kutiba ʿalayhimu l-qatlu ilā maḍājiʿihim waliyabtaliya l-lahu mā fī ṣudūrikum waliyumaḥḥiṣa mā fī qulūbikum wal-lahu ʿalīmun bidhāti l-ṣudūr After sorrow, He caused calm to descend upon you, a sleep that overtook some of you. Another group, caring only for themselves, entertained false thoughts about God, thoughts more appropriate to pagan ignorance, and said, ‘Do we get a say in any of this?’ [Prophet], tell them, ‘Everything to do with this affair is in God’s hands.’ They conceal in their hearts things they will not reveal to you. They say, ‘If we had had our say in this, none of us would have been killed here.’ Tell them, ‘Even if you had resolved to stay at home, those who were destined to be killed would still have gone out to meet their deaths.’ God did this in order to test everything within you and in order to prove what is in your hearts. God knows your innermost thoughts very well 155 إِنَّ ٱلَّذِینَ تَوَلَّوۡا۟ مِنكُمۡ یَوۡمَ ٱلۡتَقَى ٱلۡجَمۡعَانِ إِنَّمَا ٱسۡتَزَلَّهُمُ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ بِبَعۡضِ مَا كَسَبُوا۟ۖ وَلَقَدۡ عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِیمࣱ ۝١٥٥ inna alladhīna tawallaw minkum yawma l-taqā l-jamʿāni innamā is'tazallahumu l-shayṭānu bibaʿḍi mā kasabū walaqad ʿafā l-lahu ʿanhum inna l-laha ghafūrun ḥalīmu As for those of you who turned away on the day the two armies met in battle, it was Satan who caused them to slip, through some of their actions. God has now pardoned them: God is most forgiving and forbearing 156 یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقَالُوا۟ لِإِخۡوَ ٰنِهِمۡ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا۟ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَوۡ كَانُوا۟ غُزࣰّى لَّوۡ كَانُوا۟ عِندَنَا مَا مَاتُوا۟ وَمَا قُتِلُوا۟ لِیَجۡعَلَ ٱللَّهُ ذَ ٰلِكَ حَسۡرَةࣰ فِی قُلُوبِهِمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ یُحۡیِۦ وَیُمِیتُۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِیرࣱ ۝١٥٦ yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū lā takūnū ka-alladhīna kafarū waqālū li-ikh'wānihim idhā ḍarabū fī l-arḍi aw kānū ghuzzan law kānū ʿindanā mā mātū wamā qutilū liyajʿala l-lahu dhālika ḥasratan fī qulūbihim wal-lahu yuḥ'yī wayumītu wal-lahu bimā taʿmalūna baṣīru You who believe, do not be like those who disbelieved and said of their brothers who went out on a journey or a raid, ‘If only they had stayed with us they would not have died or been killed,’ for God will make such thoughts a source of anguish in their hearts. It is God who gives life and death; God sees everything you do 157 وَلَىِٕن قُتِلۡتُمۡ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡ مُتُّمۡ لَمَغۡفِرَةࣱ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَحۡمَةٌ خَیۡرࣱ مِّمَّا یَجۡمَعُونَ ۝١٥٧ wala-in qutil'tum fī sabīli l-lahi aw muttum lamaghfiratun mina l-lahi waraḥmatun khayrun mimmā yajmaʿūn Whether you are killed for God’s cause or die, God’s forgiveness and mercy are better than anything people amass

158 وَلَىِٕن مُّتُّمۡ أَوۡ قُتِلۡتُمۡ لَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ ۝١٥٨ wala-in muttum aw qutil'tum la-ilā l-lahi tuḥ'sharūn Whether you die or are killed, it is to God that you will be gathered

159 فَبِمَا رَحۡمَةࣲ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمۡۖ وَلَوۡ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِیظَ ٱلۡقَلۡبِ لَٱنفَضُّوا۟ مِنۡ حَوۡلِكَۖ فَٱعۡفُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ وَشَاوِرۡهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَمۡرِۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمۡتَ فَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ یُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَوَكِّلِینَ ۝١٥٩ fabimā raḥmatin mina l-lahi linta lahum walaw kunta faẓẓan ghalīẓa l-qalbi la-infaḍḍū min ḥawlika fa-uʿ'fu ʿanhum wa-is'taghfir lahum washāwir'hum fī l-amri fa-idhā ʿazamta fatawakkal ʿalā l-lahi inna l-laha yuḥibbu l-mutawakilīn By an act of mercy from God, you [Prophet] were gentle in your dealings with them- had you been harsh, or hard-hearted, they would have dispersed and left you- so pardon them and ask forgiveness for them. Consult with them about matters, then, when you have decided on a course of action, put your trust in God: God loves those who put their trust in Him 160 إِن یَنصُرۡكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمۡۖ وَإِن یَخۡذُلۡكُمۡ فَمَن ذَا ٱلَّذِی یَنصُرُكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦۗ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلۡیَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ۝١٦٠ in yanṣur'kumu l-lahu falā ghāliba lakum wa-in yakhdhul'kum faman dhā alladhī yanṣurukum min baʿdihi waʿalā l-lahi falyatawakkali l-mu'minūn If God helps you [believers], no one can overcome you; if He forsakes you, who else can help you? Believers should put their trust in God 161 وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِیٍّ أَن یَغُلَّۚ وَمَن یَغۡلُلۡ یَأۡتِ بِمَا غَلَّ یَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِیَـٰمَةِۚ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفۡسࣲ مَّا كَسَبَتۡ وَهُمۡ لَا یُظۡلَمُونَ ۝١٦١ wamā kāna linabiyyin an yaghulla waman yaghlul yati bimā ghalla yawma l-qiyāmati thumma tuwaffā kullu nafsin mā kasabat wahum lā yuẓ'lamūn It is inconceivable that a prophet would ever dishonestly take something from the battle gains. Anyone who does so will carry it with him on the Day of Resurrection, when each soul will be fully repaid for what it has done: no one will be wronged 162 أَفَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ رِضۡوَ ٰنَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَنۢ بَاۤءَ بِسَخَطࣲ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَأۡوَىٰهُ جَهَنَّمُۖ وَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمَصِیرُ ۝١٦٢ afamani ittabaʿa riḍ'wāna l-lahi kaman bāa bisakhaṭin mina l-lahi wamawāhu jahannamu wabi'sa l-maṣīr Can the man who pursues God’s good pleasure be like the man who has brought God’s wrath upon himself and whose home will be Hell- a foul destination