Surah Al-Mujaadila (58) — Ayah 22

(Ayah 22) ➊ { لَا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُّؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَ الْيَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ يُوَآدُّوْنَ …:} That is, faith in Allah and the Last Day and friendship with the enemies of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) are two things that cannot coexist, even if those people are the closest relatives of a person. Therefore, the claim of faith by the hypocrites, who maintain friendship with the disbelievers despite their claim of faith, is false. See also Surah Al-Imran (28) and Surah At-Tawbah (24, 23).

➋ { اُولٰٓىِٕكَ كَتَبَ فِيْ قُلُوْبِهِمُ الْاِيْمَانَ:} That is, these people who do not maintain friendship with those who are enemies of Allah and His Messenger, even if they are their closest relatives, Allah has engraved faith in their hearts. Its example is the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), because they severed all ties of friendship and heartfelt connection with those who opposed and were enemies of Allah and His Messenger, whether they were their fathers, sons, brothers, or family members. There are many examples in the books of history and biography that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not hesitate to kill or imprison even their closest relatives who fought against the Muslims in support of disbelief, whether they were their fathers, sons, brothers, or any other relatives. In the Battle of Badr, when there was consultation regarding the prisoners—whether they should be released for ransom or killed—Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) suggested that each of these disbelieving prisoners should be handed over to his relative, so that he himself would kill him with his own hands, and Allah liked the suggestion of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). For details, see the commentary of Surah Al-Anfal (67). Then, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) uncle Abbas and Aqil bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them) were captured and were released after paying ransom like the other prisoners. Similarly, his son-in-law Abu Al-As was released on the condition that he would send back his daughter Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her).

➌ { وَ اَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوْحٍ مِّنْهُ:} That is, He helped them by granting them a great spiritual strength from Himself.

➍ { وَ يُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنّٰتٍ تَجْرِيْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهٰرُ …:} This is the entry into gardens, eternal residence therein, and that certificate of Allah’s pleasure which the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) received from Allah. Then, what could be the state of misfortune for those who bear enmity towards them and speak ill of them?

➎ {اُولٰٓىِٕكَ حِزْبُ اللّٰهِ …: ’’ حِزْبُ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} By the predicate being definite, the meaning of exclusivity is established, that is, the party and group of Allah are only those people who have made Allah their own and have become estranged from those dear ones who are enemies of Him and His Messenger. Remember! Only the party of Allah are those who will be successful.

22. 1. In this verse, Allah Almighty has clarified that those who are perfect in faith in Allah and faith in the Hereafter do not have love or affection for the enemies of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. In other words, faith and love/support for the enemies of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ cannot coexist in one heart. This subject has been mentioned in several other places in the Quran as well, for example (لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ الْكٰفِرِيْنَ اَوْلِيَاۗءَ مِنْ دُوْنِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ۚ وَمَنْ يَّفْعَلْ ذٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللّٰهِ فِيْ شَيْءٍ اِلَّآ اَنْ تَتَّقُوْا مِنْھُمْ تُقٰىةً ۭ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللّٰهُ نَفْسَهٗ ۭ وَاِلَى اللّٰهِ الْمَصِيْرُ 28) 3. Aal-e-Imran:28), (قُلْ اِنْ كَانَ اٰبَاۗؤُكُمْ وَاَبْنَاۗؤُكُمْ وَاِخْوَانُكُمْ وَاَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيْرَتُكُمْ وَاَمْوَالُۨ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوْهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ اَحَبَّ اِلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَرَسُوْلِهٖ وَجِهَادٍ فِيْ سَبِيْلِهٖ فَتَرَبَّصُوْا حَتّٰي يَاْتِيَ اللّٰهُ بِاَمْرِهٖ ۭ وَاللّٰهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ 24؀) 9. At-Tawbah:24), etc.

22. 2. This is because their faith prevents them from loving them, and the consideration of faith is more important and necessary than the love and consideration of fatherhood, sonship, brotherhood, and family or clan ties. Thus, the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) demonstrated this practically: a Muslim Companion did not hesitate to kill his father, his son, his brother, his uncle, maternal uncle, and other relatives if they were among those fighting alongside the disbelievers in support of disbelief. Such examples are recorded in books of history and biographies. In this context, the incident of the Battle of Badr is also noteworthy: when there was a consultation regarding the prisoners of Badr, whether they should be released for ransom or killed, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) suggested that each disbelieving prisoner should be handed over to his relative so that he himself would kill him with his own hands. Allah Almighty liked Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) suggestion. For details, see the footnote of (مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ اَنْ يَّكُوْنَ لَهٗٓ اَسْرٰي حَتّٰي يُثْخِنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ ۭتُرِيْدُوْنَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْيَا ڰ وَاللّٰهُ يُرِيْدُ الْاٰخِرَةَ ۭوَاللّٰهُ عَزِيْزٌ حَكِيْمٌ 67؀) 8. Al-Anfal:67).

22. 3. That is, He has made it firm and strong.

22. 4. By "spirit" is meant His special help, or the light of faith which they attained due to their aforementioned quality.

22. 5. That is, when these earliest Muslim Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) became displeased with their relatives on the basis of faith, to the extent that they did not hesitate to kill them with their own hands, then in return, Allah rewarded them with His pleasure and showered such blessings upon them that they too became pleased with Allah. Therefore, the honor mentioned in the verse "رضی اللہ عنھم ورضوا عنہ" (Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him), although it was not revealed specifically about the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), they are its foremost and most complete example. Thus, keeping in view its literal meaning, every Muslim who possesses these mentioned qualities can become deserving of it, just as, in terms of literal meaning, the supplicatory phrase (علیہ الصلوۃ والسلام) can be applied to every Muslim person. However, Ahl al-Sunnah, departing from its literal meaning, have declared it impermissible to say or write for anyone other than the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Prophets (peace be upon them), and not for anyone else. These are, in a way, distinguishing marks: "رضی اللہ عنہ" for the Companions, and "علیہم الصلواۃ والسلام" for the noble Prophets. It is similar to how "رحمہ اللہ" (may Allah have mercy on him) or "اللہ اس پر رحم فرمائے" (may Allah have mercy on him) can, in the literal sense, be applied to both the living and the dead, since it is a supplicatory phrase needed by both. However, its usage has become specific to the dead, so it is not used for the living.

22. 6. That is, this very group of believers will attain success, while others, in comparison to them, will be as if they are completely deprived of success, just as in reality they will be deprived in the Hereafter.

22. You will never find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger [26], even if they are their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. These are the ones in whose hearts Allah has inscribed faith and has strengthened them with a spirit [28] from Himself. He will admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever. Allah is pleased [29] with them, and they are pleased with Him. They are the party of Allah. Behold! The party of Allah are the successful.

[26]
Befriending Disbelievers is Also Disbelief:

That is, the claim of faith in Allah and the Hereafter and love for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger are two contradictory things that can never coexist in one heart, just as day and night or light and darkness cannot exist together at the same time. But the deception of the hypocrites is that they are doing both things simultaneously. Only one of these two can be true. If they have faith in Allah and the Hereafter, then they cannot befriend those who oppose Allah and His Messenger. And if they do befriend them, then they can never be true believers. Because the principle is that the friend of an enemy is also an enemy. Then how can a believer befriend the enemies of Allah?

[27]
The Conduct of Muslims Towards Disbelieving Relatives During War:

This verse was revealed regarding those Companions who acted upon Allah’s command and presented its practical example before the world. In the Battle of Uhud, Sayyiduna Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair (may Allah be pleased with him) killed his brother ‘Ubaid bin ‘Umair. Sayyiduna ‘Umar Farooqؓ killed his maternal uncle ‘As bin Hisham, and Sayyiduna ‘Aliؓ, Sayyiduna Hamzah, and ‘Ubaidah bin al-Harith killed, respectively, ‘Utbah, Shaybah, and Walid bin ‘Utbah. Once, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq’sؓ son ‘Abdur Rahmanؓ said to his father, “Father! In battle, you were right within the reach of my sword, but I spared you because you are my father.” Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ replied, “Son, if you had come within the reach of my sword, I would never have spared you.” When consultation was held regarding the prisoners of the Battle of Uhud, Sayyiduna ‘Umarؓ suggested that every man should kill his close relative and put him to death. On the return from the Battle of Banu Mustaliq, ‘Abdullah bin Ubayy the hypocrite uttered inappropriate words about the Prophetﷺ, so his son, whose name was also ‘Abdullah and who was a true believer, came to the Prophet and said, “If you command, I will cut off my father’s head and lay it at your feet.” But due to his natural compassion, the Prophet forbade ‘Abdullah from doing so. In short, the very characteristic of true believers is that, in comparison to Allah and His Messenger, they do not care for even the closest of relatives, even their own lives.

[28] That is, Allah has breathed spirit into the hearts of such people, making their strength of faith many times more powerful. Also, “spirit” may refer to the Holy Spirit or Jibreelؑ, who not only descends during battle to strengthen the faith of the Muslims, but whenever there is any important matter, the believers receive such support from Allah. When the disbelievers satirized the Messenger of Allahﷺ, Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabitؓ responded to their satire. Upon hearing these verses of Hassanؓ, the Prophetﷺ said: “Satirize the polytheists, Jibreelؑ is with you.” [بخاری۔ کتاب المغازی۔ باب مرجع النبی من الاحزاب۔۔]
And the words in Muslim are: “O Allah! Help Hassan with the Holy Spirit.” [مسلم۔ کتاب الفضائل۔ باب فضائل حسان بن ثابت رضی اللہ عنہ]

[29] This statement of Allah regarding the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is also mentioned at several other places in the Quran, which proves their great virtue. Despite this, those who doubt or deny their faith should be concerned for their own faith.