Surah Muhammad (47) — Ayah 2

(Ayah 2) ➊ Although righteous deeds are also included in {وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ … : ’’ اٰمَنُوْا ‘‘}, because deeds are a part of faith, yet to emphasize their importance, they have also been mentioned separately. See the commentary of Surah Al-Asr. Similarly, in {’’اٰمَنُوْا‘‘}, although faith in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the revelation sent down to him is included along with other articles of faith, yet to highlight its honor, it has also been mentioned separately. Especially because there were some Jews in Madinah who believed in all the details of faith in the unseen and also performed righteous deeds, but despite acknowledging the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a prophet, they refused to believe in him, saying that he is the prophet of the unlettered. Even now, many people say that whether one remains a Jew, Christian, or Muslim, if they believe in Allah and do good deeds, then all are fine. Allah Almighty has said that now only that faith will be valid which includes faith in our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the pledge of obedience to him. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ وَالَّذِيْ نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ! لَا يَسْمَعُ بِيْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ هٰذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ يَهُوْدِيٌّ وَلَا نَصْرَانِيٌّ ثُمَّ يَمُوْتُ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِالَّذِيْ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ إِلَّا كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ ] [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب وجوب الإیمان برسالۃ نبینا محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ۱۵۳ ] "By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace be upon him)! There is none from this Ummah, whether Jew or Christian, who hears about me, then dies without believing in what I was sent with, except that he will be among the people of the Fire." See also Surah Saba (28).

➋ {وَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّهِمْ: ’’ الْحَقُّ ‘‘} which is established in reality and exactly in accordance with the original of something. By bringing the definite article "al" on {’’ الْحَقُّ ‘‘}, exclusivity is created. {’’ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَ اٰمَنُوْا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ ‘‘} is the subject and {’’ كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّاٰتِهِمْ وَ اَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ ‘‘} is its predicate, and {’’ وَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّهِمْ ‘‘} is an intervening clause brought to further emphasize faith in the revelation sent down to Muhammad (peace be upon him). That is, the revelation sent down to Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the complete truth which has come from the Lord Almighty.

➌ Due to faith and righteous deeds, Allah Almighty forgives all previous sins. Amr bin Al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: [ فَلَمَّا جَعَلَ اللّٰهُ الْإِسْلَامَ فِيْ قَلْبِيْ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ ابْسُطْ يَمِيْنَكَ فَلِأُبَايِعْكَ فَبَسَطَ يَمِيْنَهُ قَالَ فَقَبَضْتُ يَدِيْ، قَالَ مَا لَكَ يَا عَمْرُو!؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِطَ قَالَ تَشْتَرِطُ بِمَاذَا؟ قُلْتُ أَنْ يُغْفَرَ لِيْ قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ الْإِسْلَامَ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهُ ؟ وَ أَنَّ الْهِجْرَةَ تَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهَا ؟ وَ أَنَّ الْحَجَّ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهُ؟ ] [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب کون الإسلام یہدم ما قبلہ… : ۱۲۱ ] "When Allah put Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: 'Extend your right hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) extended his right hand, but I withdrew my hand. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'O Amr! What happened to you?' I said: 'I want to make a condition.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'What condition do you make?' I said: 'That I be forgiven.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Do you not know that Islam wipes out whatever was before it, and migration wipes out whatever was before it, and Hajj wipes out whatever was before it.'"

➍ Al-Tabari said: {وَ اَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ:} is like a verbal noun, just as {’’ بَالٌ ‘‘} is, and no verb is made from it. The Arabs do not use its plural except out of poetic necessity, and if they do make a plural, they make {’’شَأْنٌ‘‘}. Shahab said: {’’بَالَاتٌ‘‘} is used in the sense of state and condition, and sometimes it is specific to a great matter, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ ذِيْ بَالٍ ] [ابن ماجہ: ۱۸۹۴] "Every matter of great importance." And sometimes it is used for an inner thought, and metaphorically, the heart is also called so. If this interpretation is taken here, then it is also a good interpretation. Safaqsi interpreted it as thought, because when the heart and thought are correct, then belief and action are all correct." (Tafsir Qasimi)

The meaning is that Allah Almighty nullifies and destroys the deeds of the disbelievers, whereas, on the contrary, He forgives the sins of those who have faith and do righteous deeds, corrects their condition, reforms their hearts and thoughts, and grants them the ability to embrace monotheism instead of polytheism, to follow the Sunnah instead of disobedience, and to perform righteous deeds instead of sins, to the extent that He even turns their past sins into good deeds. See Surah Al-Furqan (70).

2. 1. Although belief in the revelation to Muhammad, that is, the Holy Quran, is included in faith, its importance and honor have been further clarified and highlighted by mentioning it separately.

2. 2. That is, He forgives the mistakes and shortcomings committed before believing, as the Prophet ﷺ has also said that Islam erases all previous sins. (Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir al-Albani)

2. 3. The meaning of بالھم is their affair, their status, their condition; all these are similar in meaning. The meaning is that they are protected from sins and set upon the path of guidance and goodness. For a believer, this is the best way to reform one's condition. It does not mean that their condition is improved through wealth and riches, because not every believer receives wealth, and besides, mere worldly wealth is not a definite means of reforming one's condition; rather, it is more likely to cause corruption of condition. That is why the Prophet ﷺ did not like abundance of wealth.

2. And those who believe [2.1] and do righteous deeds, and believe in what has been sent down upon Muhammad ﷺ—and it is the truth from their Lord—Allah will remove their misdeeds [3] and will set their condition right.

[2۔ 1]
After Your Prophethood, It Is Obligatory for Everyone to Believe in Your Prophethood:

In this verse, Allah Almighty has specifically mentioned having faith in Muhammad ﷺ and the Quran. The reason is that there were some Jews in Madinah who believed in all the particulars of faith in the unseen and also performed righteous deeds. They were warned that now having faith in Sayyiduna Musa ؑ and the Torah would no longer be beneficial. The reason is that all previous prophets’ laws were either regional or national and also temporary. Whereas the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is a Messenger for the entire world and until the Day of Judgment. Similarly, the Quran is also a source of guidance for all people of the world until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, now even such Jews must believe in Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ and the Quran.

Sayyiduna Umar Reading Pages of the Torah:

The explanation of this concept is also found in this hadith: Once, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ brought some pages of the Torah and began reading them while sitting before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As Sayyiduna Umar ؓ continued reading, the face of the Prophet ﷺ kept changing. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ addressed Sayyiduna Umar ؓ and said: “Woe to you! Do you not see the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” When Sayyiduna Umar ؓ looked at the Prophet’s face, he said, “I seek refuge with Allah from the anger of Allah and His Messenger. We are pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our religion, and with Muhammad ﷺ as our Prophet.” Upon this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad ﷺ, if Musa ؑ himself were to appear today and you were to follow him, leaving me, you would surely go astray from the straight path. And if Sayyiduna Musa ؑ were alive today and found the time of my prophethood, he would have no choice but to follow me.” [دارمی بحوالہ مشکوٰۃ۔ کتاب الاعتصام بالکتاب والسنتہ۔ فصل ثالث]

[3] That is, in the face of the disbelievers and their hostile activities, they believed in Allah, Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ, and the Quran, and continued to perform righteous deeds. They endured the oppression and persecution of the disbelievers, and acted with patience and perseverance. Allah will forgive their previous shortcomings and faults, and will deliver them from the difficulties they are currently facing, improve their circumstances, and their efforts will bear fruit.