Surah Al-Hadid (57) — Ayah 25

(Ayah 25) ➊ {لَقَدْ اَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنٰتِ …:} In the above verses, the spending that has been emphasized is related to jihad. When the disbelievers and the People of the Book suffered defeat after defeat at Badr and other places, they started propaganda—which continues to this day—that how can Muhammad (peace be upon him) be Allah’s Messenger and Islam be Allah’s religion? According to them, the greatest virtue is war and bloodshed; how can Allah’s messengers and His righteous servants have anything to do with bloodshed? They are supposed to be people of peace and security, living a life of seclusion and monasticism, away from worldly affairs. Here, in response, Allah Almighty has clarified three things: First, that Allah sent all the messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, so that people may follow the right path and uphold justice and fairness in their mutual dealings. Second, that justice and fairness require the elimination of oppression and tyranny, which is not possible without power and authority. For this purpose, Allah sent down iron along with the Book and the Balance, which, besides countless other benefits, also serves the purpose of jihad, through which justice and fairness are established and the believers are tested to see who are the believers (mumin) who help Allah's religion, and who are the hypocrites (munafiq) who evade it. Third, it is stated that all the messengers who came from among the descendants of Noah and Abraham (peace be upon them) had the same purpose: the establishment of truth and justice. Jesus (peace be upon him) was also on their path; in contrast to the hardness of the Jews, Allah placed special compassion and mercy in the hearts of his followers. Using this gentleness as a pretext, some of their so-called followers adopted monasticism and abandoned jihad, even though this was their own invented innovation and never Allah’s command. Among Muslims, the abandonment of jihad also resulted from imitating the Christians in this monasticism.
➋ { وَ اَنْزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتٰبَ وَ الْمِيْزَانَ …:} For its explanation, see the commentary of Surah Ash-Shura, verse (17).
➌ { وَ اَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِيْدَ:} Although iron comes out of the earth, to emphasize the greatness of this blessing, the word {’’ اَنْزَلْنَا ‘‘} has been used, just as it is said about cattle: « وَ اَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ الْاَنْعَامِ ثَمٰنِيَةَ اَزْوَاجٍ» [ الزمر : ۶ ] “And He sent down for you eight kinds (male and female) of cattle.” This also hints at the reality that the true source of every blessing is the heavens, from where Allah’s command is issued and everything comes into existence, and also points to the knowledge that Allah inspires in the hearts of His servants regarding how to obtain and use iron.
➍ { فِيْهِ بَاْسٌ شَدِيْدٌ وَّ مَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ:} It is noteworthy that the other “benefits” of iron are mentioned later, while the mention of fierce fighting comes first. This shows the importance of jihad and weaponry. The benefits refer to the countless machines, tools, and vehicles that have been invented and will be invented in the future.
➎ { وَ لِيَعْلَمَ اللّٰهُ مَنْ يَّنْصُرُهٗ وَ رُسُلَهٗ بِالْغَيْبِ:} One of the wisdoms of jihad is that Allah Almighty, if He wills, can destroy the disbelievers in a moment, but He tests His servants through jihad to see who fights for His sake and helps His religion without seeing Him, and who lags behind. For {’’ وَ لِيَعْلَمَ اللّٰهُ ‘‘}, see the commentary of Surah Al-Imran (140–142) and Surah Al-Ankabut (3).
➏ {اِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيْزٌ:} That is, Allah Almighty did not command His servants to perform jihad due to any weakness of His own, but for their own benefit and as a test, because He is the Possessor of great strength and is dominant over all.

25-1 By "Mizan" is meant justice, and the meaning is that We have commanded people to act justly. Some have translated it as "scales," and the meaning of sending down the scales is that We have guided people towards the scales so that by weighing with them, people may give full rights to others.

25-2 Here too, "sent down" is in the sense of creating and teaching its craft. Countless things are made from iron; all of this is the result of Allah's inspiration and guidance which He has given to mankind.

25-3 That is, weapons of war are made from iron, such as swords, spears, guns, etc., with which one can strike the enemy and also defend oneself.

25-4 That is, besides weapons of war, many other things are also made from iron which are used in homes and various industries, such as knives, scissors, needles, building materials, and small and large machines and equipment.

25-5 That is, messengers were sent so that He may know who believes in His messengers without seeing Allah and helps them.

25-6 He has no need for people to help His religion and His messenger; rather, if He wills, He can grant them dominance without any help. People have been commanded to help them for their own benefit, so that in this way, by pleasing their Allah, they may become deserving of His forgiveness.

25. Indeed, We sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance so that people may uphold justice. And We sent down iron [42], in which is strong force and benefits for people, and so that Allah may make evident those who help Him and His messengers unseen. Surely, Allah is Powerful and Mighty.

[42] The Prevention of Mischief and Corruption, the Dominance of Religion, and the Establishment of the System of Justice Require Three Things: Divine Laws, the Balance, and the Executive Power:
To prevent mischief and corruption in the world, three things are needed, which have been mentioned in this verse. Clear signs refer to such proofs by which it is established that this Messenger is truly from Allah and that the Book revealed to him is indeed from Allah, and the clear signs are also mentioned and present in this Book. That is, in this Book, laws have been stated for a peaceful life, for the prevention of mischief and corruption, and for the dominance of Allah’s religion. The balance refers to the measures of weighing and measuring as well, so that people may be given their rights in full, and also the requirements and instructions for establishing the system of justice, which are mentioned in detail in the Book and Sunnah. And by iron is meant the stick or force and executive power which is possessed by the courts, because those who only respond to force never listen to words, and also the military or political power and the instruments of war, which are generally made from iron, such as cannons, guns, arrows, swords, missiles, rifles, and Kalashnikovs, etc. So that the obstacles that stand in the way of the implementation of Islam can be removed. In terms of the context, taking iron to mean weapons and military power is more appropriate. All three of these things were granted to every Messenger, which are necessary for the establishment of the system of justice, the implementation of Allah’s religion, and the eradication of mischief and corruption.

[43] Although iron is extracted from mines within the earth, it is described as being 'sent down', just as the revelation of the balance has been expressed. By this is meant the creation and bringing into existence of these things, and in general, all things are from what Allah has sent down. And one benefit of the use of iron or military power is that mischief and corruption can be prevented by it. And a secondary benefit is that through the acquisition and use of these things, it becomes known who advances for the implementation of Allah’s religion and who turns away from it. Otherwise, Allah is so powerful and dominant that He could implement His religion in many other ways. But the real purpose of jihad is to test people.