Surah As-Saff (61) — Ayah 2

(Ayah 3,2) ➊ {يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ:} In these verses, there is amazement and intense displeasure expressed at those people who say what they do not do. This includes several types of people. Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "We discussed among ourselves, who is the one who will go to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty, but none of us stood up. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a man to us, and after gathering us, he recited this Surah, that is, Surah As-Saff, in its entirety." [ مسند أحمد : 452/5، ح : ۲۳۷۸۸ ] The researchers of Musnad Ahmad said: {’’ إِسْنَادٌ صَحِيْحٌ عَلٰی شَرْطِ الشَّيْخَيْنِ۔‘‘} Tabari narrated with an authentic chain from Ali bin Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) in the explanation of these verses that he said: [ كَانَ نَاسٌ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُّفْرَضَ الْجِهَادُ يَقُوْلُوْنَ لَوَدِدْنَا أَنَّ اللّٰهَ دَلَّنَا عَلٰی أَحَبِّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَيْهِ فَنَعْمَلَ بِهِ، فَأَخْبَرَ اللّٰهُ نَبِيَّهُ أَنَّ أَحَبَّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَيْهِ إِيْمَانٌ بِاللّٰهِ لاَ شَكَّ فِيْهِ، وَجِهَادُ أَهْلِ مَعْصِيَتِهِ الَّذِيْنَ خَالَفُوا الْإِيْمَانَ وَلَمْ يُقِرُّوْا بِهِ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ الْجِهَادُ، كَرِهَ ذٰلِكَ أُنَاسٌ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ، وَشَقَّ عَلَيْهِمْ أَمْرُهُ، فَقَالَ اللّٰهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالٰی : «يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ» [الصف : ۲ ] ] [ طبري : ۲۲ /۶۰۶، ح : ۳۴۳۵۹ ] "Some of the believers, before jihad was made obligatory, used to say: 'We wish that Allah Almighty would tell us the most beloved deed to Him so that we could do it.' So Allah Almighty informed His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that the most beloved of all deeds is faith in Allah in which there is no doubt, and jihad against those who disobey Him, who opposed faith and did not affirm it. Then, when the command of jihad was revealed, some of the believers disliked it and the command was hard on them, so Allah, Glorified and Exalted, said: «يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ» 'O you who have believed! Why do you say what you do not do.'
From this, it is understood that those meant by these verses are those who, before jihad was made obligatory, used to desire it and say that if we knew which deed is most beloved, we would do it, but when the command of jihad was revealed, some of them avoided it, as Allah Almighty said: «اَلَمْ تَرَ اِلَى الَّذِيْنَ قِيْلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّوْۤا اَيْدِيَكُمْ وَ اَقِيْمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَ اٰتُوا الزَّكٰوةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ اِذَا فَرِيْقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللّٰهِ اَوْ اَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً وَ قَالُوْا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ لَوْ لَاۤ اَخَّرْتَنَاۤ اِلٰۤى اَجَلٍ قَرِيْبٍ قُلْ مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيْلٌ وَ الْاٰخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقٰى وَ لَا تُظْلَمُوْنَ فَتِيْلًا (77) اَيْنَ مَا تَكُوْنُوْا يُدْرِكْكُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِيْ بُرُوْجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ» [ النساء : 78،77 ] 'Have you not seen those to whom it was said: Restrain your hands and establish prayer and give zakah, then when fighting was prescribed for them, suddenly a group of them feared people as they should fear Allah or with even greater fear, and they said: Our Lord! Why have You prescribed fighting for us? Why did You not grant us respite until a near term? Say: The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for him who is righteous, and you will not be wronged even as much as a thread. Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you are in fortified towers.' And He said: «وَ يَقُوْلُ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَوْ لَا نُزِّلَتْ سُوْرَةٌ فَاِذَاۤ اُنْزِلَتْ سُوْرَةٌ مُّحْكَمَةٌ وَّ ذُكِرَ فِيْهَا الْقِتَالُ رَاَيْتَ الَّذِيْنَ فِيْ قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّرَضٌ يَّنْظُرُوْنَ اِلَيْكَ نَظَرَ الْمَغْشِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ» [ محمد : ۲۰ ] 'And those who believe say: Why has a surah not been sent down? But when a decisive surah is sent down and fighting is mentioned therein, you see those in whose hearts is a disease looking at you as one who is overcome by death.' Likewise, those are also meant who said to you that we will not turn our backs in battle, but did not remain firm on this promise, as He said: «وَ لَقَدْ كَانُوْا عَاهَدُوا اللّٰهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ لَا يُوَلُّوْنَ الْاَدْبَارَ وَ كَانَ عَهْدُ اللّٰهِ مَسْـُٔوْلًا» [ الأحزاب : ۱۵ ] 'And indeed they had already made a covenant with Allah before that they would not turn their backs, and the covenant with Allah will be questioned.'
➋ In the words of {’’ لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ ‘‘}, those people are also included who claim to have done deeds which they have neither done nor do. For example, saying: We fought in jihad, we turned the enemy back, we did this and that, while they have done nothing of the sort; their desire is to be praised for achievements they have not accomplished. About such people, Allah Almighty said: «لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَفْرَحُوْنَ بِمَاۤ اَتَوْا وَّ يُحِبُّوْنَ اَنْ يُّحْمَدُوْا بِمَا لَمْ يَفْعَلُوْا فَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّهُمْ بِمَفَازَةٍ مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ وَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ اَلِيْمٌ» [ آل عمران : ۱۸۸ ] 'Do not think those who rejoice for what they have done and love to be praised for what they did not do, do not think they will escape the punishment, and for them is a painful punishment.'
➌ In {’’ لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ ‘‘}, those people are also included who make any promise to someone which they do not intend to fulfill. Abdullah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) says that one day my mother called me while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was at our house, and she said: "Come, I will give you something." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: [ وَمَا أَرَدْتِ أَنْ تُعْطِيْهِ؟ ] "What did you intend to give him?" She said: "I will give him dates." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ أَمَا إِنَّكِ لَوْ لَمْ تُعْطِيْهِ شَيْئًا كُتِبَتْ عَلَيْكِ كِذْبَةٌ ] [ أبو داوٗد، الأدب، باب التشدید في الکذب : ۴۹۹۱، وقال الألباني حسن ] "Remember! If you had not given him anything, a lie would have been written against you."
➍ Some people use this as evidence that a person who does not do a deed himself should not invite others to it, whereas here the rebuke is for making a promise or claim about a deed which a person does not do, not for inviting to such a deed. Acting on the obligations and inviting to them is necessary for everyone; if one invites to them but does not act himself, then indeed there is accountability, but that is for abandoning the deed, not for the invitation. See also the explanation of Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah (44): «اَتَاْمُرُوْنَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَ تَنْسَوْنَ اَنْفُسَكُمْ وَ اَنْتُمْ تَتْلُوْنَ الْكِتٰبَ». Allah Almighty did not say that if you do not act yourself, then stop telling others, rather, with a feeling of regret and shame over one's own shortcomings, one should continue to invite and preach, and hope that by its blessing Allah Almighty will grant the ability to remove the shortcoming. Moreover, it is obligatory on every Muslim to convey every matter of the religion. Regarding obligations, both acting oneself and conveying to others are obligatory, while conveying recommended and virtuous deeds is obligatory; if one acts, there is reward, if not, there is no accountability, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ بَلِّغُوْا عَنِّيْ وَلَوْ آيَةً ] [ بخاري، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب ما ذکر عن بني إسرائیل : ۳۴۶۱، عن عبد اللہ بن عمرو رضی اللہ عنھما ] "Convey from me, even if it is one verse." And he said: [ فَلْيُبَلِّغِ الشَّاهِدُ الْغَائِبَ فَرُبَّ مُبَلَّغٍ أَوْعٰی مِنْ سَامِعٍ ] [ بخاري، الحج، باب الخطبۃ أیام منًی : ۱۷۴۱، عن أبي بکرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] "So let the one who is present convey to the one who is absent, for many of those to whom it is conveyed may remember better than those who hear." For emphasis on enjoining good and forbidding evil, see Surah Al-Imran (110,104).
➎ {كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ …: ’’مَقَتَ يَمْقُتُ مَقْتًا‘‘ (ن) ’’ أَبْغَضَهُ بُغْضًا شَدِيْدًا ‘‘} In these verses, Allah Almighty has expressed His intense displeasure in several ways at the promise or claim which is not acted upon. First, for rebuke and reproach, He used an interrogative of denial, saying: Why do you say what you do not do, despite believing? Then, to express the abhorrence of this act, instead of using a pronoun, He repeated the same words in the next verse, so first He said: « لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ » then He said: « اَنْ تَقُوْلُوْا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ » then, to express the intensity of displeasure, He used the word {’’ كَبُرَ ‘‘}, which means intense hatred, and with it, He said {’’ مَقْتًا ‘‘} that this intense hatred is also "kabir" (great). Then, the word {’’ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} is used, that this intense hatred is not from an ordinary person, but by this act you are becoming the target of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, His intense displeasure.

2. 1. Here, although the address is general, the actual addressees are those believers who were saying that the deeds most beloved to Allah should be asked from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ so that they could act upon them, but no one had the courage to go to him ﷺ and ask. Upon this, Allah Almighty revealed this surah (Musnad Ahmad).

2. O you who believe! Why do you say [2] what you do not do?

[2]
The Contradiction Between Word and Deed is a Very Bad Trait:

The second and third verses have two meanings. One is that a person advises others about things on which he himself does not act. For example, he advises others, especially his children, that speaking the truth is a very good habit, so always speak the truth. But he himself says things to them that clearly reveal his own falsehood. And the second meaning is that do not boast or make such claims about things on which you cannot act yourself. The contradiction between a person's words and actions is a very bad trait, due to which a person falls in the eyes of people, and Allah strongly dislikes such a thing. It is easy to say something with the tongue, but it is not easy to fulfill it, so whatever you say, say it thoughtfully.