Surah Al-Ankaboot (29) — Ayah 3

(Ayah 3) ➊ {وَ لَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ:} That is, this is not a new matter that has happened to you, rather this has always been the established practice of Allah, and the people before were also tested. Khabbab bin Al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), at that time he was reclining in the shade of the Ka'bah with a cloak as a pillow. We said to him: [ أَلاَ تَسْتَنْصِرُ لَنَا؟ أَلاَ تَدْعُوْ لَنَا؟ فَقَالَ قَدْ كَانَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ يُؤْخَذُ الرَّجُلُ فَيُحْفَرُ لَهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيُجْعَلُ فِيْهَا فَيُجَاءُ بِالْمِنْشَارِ فَيُوْضَعُ عَلٰی رَأْسِهِ فَيُجْعَلُ نِصْفَيْنِ وَ يُمْشَطُ بِأَمْشَاطِ الْحَدِيْدِ مَا دُوْنَ لَحْمِهِ وَعَظْمِهِ فَمَا يَصُدُّهُ ذٰلِكَ عَنْ دِيْنِهِ، وَاللّٰهِ! لَيَتِمَّنَّ هٰذَا الْأَمْرُ حَتّٰی يَسِيْرَ الرَّاكِبُ مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ إِلٰی حَضْرَ مَوْتَ لاَ يَخَافُ إِلاَّ اللّٰهَ وَالذِّئْبَ عَلٰی غَنَمِهِ وَ لٰكِنَّكُمْ تَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَ ] [بخاري، الإکراہ، باب من اختار الضرب و القتل و الھوان علی الکفر : ۶۹۴۳ ] "Will you not seek help for us? Will you not pray for us?" So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among those before you, a man would have a pit dug for him in the ground and he would be placed in it, then a saw would be brought and placed on his head and he would be cut into two halves, and iron combs would be used to tear the flesh from his bones, but this would not turn him away from his religion. By Allah! This matter will surely be completed, until a rider will travel from Sana'a to Hadramawt fearing none but Allah, or fearing the wolf for his sheep, but you are being impatient."

➋ { فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْنَ صَدَقُوْا …:} "So Allah will surely know those who are truthful." Here is a famous question: it is agreed upon by all that Allah knows everything of the past, present, and future, so what does it mean that He will know the truthful and the liars? The commentator Ibn Kathir has answered that here, knowledge refers to the knowledge that is obtained by seeing. General knowledge also includes things that have not yet come into existence, but the knowledge obtained by seeing (or the knowledge that something has come into existence) only happens after something comes into existence. See also the commentary of Surah Al-Imran (142) for further details.

3-1. That is, this is the divine practice which has been continuing from before. Therefore, He will also test the believers of this Ummah, just as the previous communities were tested. In the narrations regarding the circumstances of the revelation of these verses, it is mentioned that the Companions complained about the oppression and persecution they were subjected to by the disbelievers of Makkah and requested the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to pray so that Allah would help them. He ﷺ said, "This violence and harm is part of the history of the people of faith. Before you, some believers were treated in such a way that a pit was dug for them, they were made to stand in it, and then a saw was placed on their heads, splitting their bodies into two parts. Similarly, iron combs were used on their flesh down to their bones. But these tortures did not succeed in turning them away from the true religion." (Sahih Bukhari) The mountains of oppression and persecution that were unleashed upon Hazrat Ammar, his mother Hazrat Sumayyah, his father Hazrat Yasir, Hazrat Suhaib, Bilal, Miqdad, and others (may Allah be pleased with them all) in the early period of Islam are preserved in the pages of history. These incidents themselves became the reason for the revelation of these verses. However, in terms of the generality of the words, all believers until the Day of Judgment are included in this.

3. Indeed, We tested those who came before them [2]. Allah will surely make evident [3] those who are truthful and those who are liars.

[2]
The Testing of Believers on the Touchstone of Hardships:

Hazrat Khabbab bin Arat ؓ says that once I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was reclining on a cloth in the shade of the Ka'bah. At that time, we were enduring severe hardships from the polytheists. I said to him ﷺ: "Why do you not pray to Allah?" Upon hearing this, he (left the cushion and) sat up straight. His ﷺ face became red (with anger) and he said: "Before you, there were people who had iron combs run through their flesh and nerves down to the bone, but they would not turn away from their true religion. And saws were placed on the middle of their heads and they were cut into two pieces, but they would not turn away from their religion. And Allah will surely complete this matter (the dominance of truth)." [بخاری۔ کتاب المناقب۔ باب مالقی النبی و اصحابہ من المشرکین بمکۃ]

[3]
The Doctrine of Bada and Its Response:

A misguided sect has derived from ﴿فليعلمن﴾ the belief that as events continue to occur, Allah comes to know of them. In their terminology, they call this belief "Bada." However, from countless verses it is evident that the knowledge of the universe and all the events that occur within it is already with Him. And this knowledge, like His essence, is eternal and everlasting. And from this verse or some other similar verses from which the misconception of Allah's knowledge being acquired arises, the answer is that the division of past, present, and future is only for us humans; for Allah, this division of time is nothing. Because every event, whether according to our understanding it relates to the past, present, or future, for Him it is not unseen but all is witnessed. That is why Allah has mentioned future events in the past tense in countless places. Like ﴿وَنَادٰٓي اَصْحٰبُ الْجَنَّةِ اَصْحٰبَ النَّارِ﴾ [7: 44] and like ﴿اِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ﴾ [1:81], but this is regarding such events that cannot come into human experience and observation. And those events that can come into human experience and observation, their relation will certainly be with the present and future. Therefore, in such places, Allah has used the present tense, and its meaning is not only so that "We may know" or "We may find out," but also so that "you people may know." As is the case at this place, and in many other places such an expression has been adopted. And its second answer is that Allah in reality already knows about every person, what kind of qualities he possesses. But Allah does not give reward or punishment merely on the basis of His knowledge until that matter actually takes a practical form. For example, it is in Allah's knowledge that such and such person will steal at such and such time. But punishment will not be given on this knowledge until that person actually commits theft. In other words, Allah adopts this manner of expression when it relates to the knowledge of other people. In such verses, the translation of "knowledge" can be done as "witnessing" or "seeing," and Hazrat Ibn Abbas ؓ interprets it as «لِيُرِيَنَّ». [ابن كثير]
And if the translation of "knowledge" is done as "knowing," then in this "knowing" others besides Allah will also be included. And some scholars have, in such places, translated the word "knowledge" not as "knowing" but as "making known."