Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 145

(Ayah 145) {وَ مَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ اَنْ تَمُوْتَ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ …:} The purpose of this is to encourage Muslims towards jihad and to instill in their minds that by choosing the path of fleeing from death, a person cannot escape the clutches of death. Allah Almighty has appointed a fixed time for every person's death, which cannot be advanced or delayed. In {’’ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘}, {’’ اِذْنٌ ‘‘} means knowledge, that is, the time of every person's death is in the knowledge of Allah Almighty, and it is also possible that {”اِذْنٌ“} means decree and destiny. In short! You should abandon the thought of fleeing from death and fight bravely in the way of Allah Almighty, and your aim in this jihad should be the reward of the Hereafter, otherwise, if you only desire worldly reward, fame, and spoils of war, etc., then you will only get that, and that too depends on the will of Allah Almighty, and you will be deprived of the Hereafter. Here, “{كِتٰبًا مُّؤَجَّلًا“ }” refers to the book that contains { ”آجَالٌ“ } (appointed times). Some have taken this to mean the Preserved Tablet (Lawh Mahfuz). In the ahadith it is stated: “Allah Almighty said to the pen: [ اُكْتُبْ فَكَتَبَ مَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ ] ‘Write.’ So the pen wrote everything that was to happen.” [ أحمد : 317/5، ح : ۲۲۷۷۳ وابن أبی عاصم عن عبادۃ بن الصامت رضی اللہ عنہ و سندہ حسن ]

In this verse, there is an indication that those who were present at the Battle of Uhud were of two types in terms of their intentions: some were seekers of spoils, and some were seekers of the Hereafter. Although this verse was revealed specifically about jihad, in terms of ruling it is general, and all actions depend on a person's intention and purpose. It is understood that even the slain dies at the appointed time of death, and change in the appointed time is impossible.

145. 1. This is being said to encourage those who display weakness and cowardice, that death will surely come at its appointed time, so what is the benefit of fleeing or showing cowardice? Similarly, by merely seeking the world, one may attain some worldly gains, but nothing will be gained in the Hereafter. On the contrary, those who seek the Hereafter will surely receive the blessings of the Hereafter, and Allah Almighty also grants them worldly blessings. Further on, for more encouragement and reassurance, examples are being given of the patience and steadfastness of the previous prophets (علیہم السلام) and their followers.

145. No soul can ever die except by Allah’s permission. [132] The time of death is decreed. Whoever desires a reward in this world, We will grant him some of it; and whoever desires a reward in the Hereafter, We will grant him some of it. And soon We will reward the grateful. [133]

[132]
The Connection of Death with the Battlefield is Not Final, and This is the Reason for the Believer’s Bravery:

In this verse, Muslims are taught a very courageous lesson, which greatly increases their bravery and valor in displaying their qualities on the battlefield. That is, death has absolutely no connection with the battlefield; it can come even at home. It has a fixed time. Now, see for yourself: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs participated in countless battles, but since their time of death had not yet come, they kept returning safely. And when the time of death arrives, a person cannot escape it even at home. Similarly, everyone knows the status of Khalid bin Walid ؓ as a commander-in-chief. His entire life was spent in battles. There was no part of his body without a mark of sword or spear. But death did not come on the battlefield; rather, it came at home, on the deathbed. This clearly shows that death has no connection with war or the battlefield. It has its own appointed time, and when it comes, no human effort can save the dying person from the jaws of death.

[133] There is a mutawatir hadith: «اِنَّمَا الاَعْمَال بالنِّيَاتِ» That is, whatever intention a person has while doing an action, he will be rewarded accordingly. The same action, with a change of intention, becomes something entirely different. For example, during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, a companion placed a window of his house facing the Prophet’s Mosque. The Prophet ﷺ asked: “Why have you placed this window?” He replied, “So that air can come and go.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “If you had intended that the sound of the adhan would come from here, you would have continued to receive reward, and the air would have come anyway.” If you reflect, this is the case with many of a person’s actions. For example, every person, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, considers it his duty to raise and spend on his children. Now, if a Muslim does this considering it Allah’s command, he will also receive the reward of charity in the Hereafter. That is, those who seek only worldly benefit, Allah gives them that, and those who seek benefit in the Hereafter, Allah certainly gives them the reward of the Hereafter. In addition, He also grants them as much worldly benefit as is destined for them.