Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 24

(Ayah 24) ➊ The meaning of { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اسْتَجِيْبُوْا لِلّٰهِ وَ لِلرَّسُوْلِ:’’اَجَابَ يُجِيْبُ‘‘} is to accept, and {’’ اسْتَجِيْبُوْا ‘‘} is from the form Istif‘al of {’’اِسْتَجَابَ يَسْتَجِيْبُ ‘‘ }, in which generally there is a sense of seeking. Here, the meaning of seeking is not possible, therefore, with the addition of "seen" and "taa", an increase in meaning is intended. That is why it has been translated as "accept gladly," meaning it is obligatory upon you to respond joyfully to the call of Allah and His Messenger.

➋ The meaning of { اِذَا دَعَاكُمْ:} "when he calls you" is that you should accept immediately, without delay. Ubayy bin Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) was praying when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called him. He completed his prayer and then came, so the Prophet recited this verse and said: "Did you not hear Allah’s command?" He replied: "From now on, insha’Allah, I will not do so." [ ترمذی، فضائل القرآن، باب ما جاء فی فضل فاتحۃ الکتاب : ۲۸۷۵ ] In Sahih Bukhari, in the commentary of this verse, it is mentioned that Abu Sa‘id bin Ma‘la (may Allah be pleased with him) was called while praying, and when he did not come immediately, the same instruction was given. [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب : «یأیھا الذین اٰمنوا استجیبوا… » : ۴۶۴۷ ]

➌ {لِمَا يُحْيِيْكُمْ:} "for that which gives you life" — regarding this, the scholars of the Salaf have different opinions. Some said it refers to Islam and faith, some to the Qur’an, but most have interpreted it as Jihad, because Jihad is the greatest means of life in this world and the Hereafter, especially since this is the subject from the beginning of the Surah. The verse: «{ اَلَمْ تَرَ اِلَى الَّذِيْنَ خَرَجُوْا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَ هُمْ اُلُوْفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ }» [ البقرۃ : ۲۴۳ ] also encourages Jihad. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When you engage in ‘inah (a form of usury through trickery), hold onto the tails of cattle, become content with agriculture, and abandon Jihad, Allah will impose upon you such great humiliation that He will not remove it until you return to your religion." [ أبوداوٗد، البیوع، باب فی النہی عن العینۃ : ۳۴۶۲۔ السلسۃ الصحیحۃ : ۱۱ ]

➍ {وَ اعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ يَحُوْلُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَ قَلْبِهٖ:} That is, even after the truth becomes clear, if someone does not obey the command of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then Allah punishes such a person by coming between him and his heart, and after that, he is not granted the ability to respond to the call of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as Allah said: «{ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوْۤا اَزَاغَ اللّٰهُ قُلُوْبَهُمْ }» [ الصف : ۵ ] "When they themselves deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate." These are the meanings explained by Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and the majority of commentators. The same point is mentioned in Surah Al-An‘am, verses (109, 110). During the Battle of Tabuk, Ka‘b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) could not set out immediately, and later he was not granted the ability to go; however, Allah, due to his sincerity and repentance, granted him the ability to repent and mentioned him with goodness in the Qur’an. Shah ‘Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) explained this verse as follows: "Do not delay in carrying out the command, perhaps at that time the heart may not remain the same; the heart is in Allah’s hand." (Mawduh) Some commentators have explained that Allah’s coming between means death, i.e., obey before death comes, and the phrase «{ وَ اَنَّهٗۤ اِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُوْنَ }» (and know that this is a certain reality that you will be returned to Him) also supports this meaning. In reality, both meanings can be intended, and there is no contradiction between them.

24. 1. لِمَا یُحْیِیْکُمْ — To things by which you will have life. Some have interpreted this as referring to jihad, that in it lies the means of your life. Others have taken it to mean the commands and prohibitions of the Quran and the rulings of the Shariah, in which jihad is also included. The meaning is that only obey Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and act upon it; in this lies your life.

24. 2. That is, by causing death, the taste of which every soul must experience. The meaning is that before death comes to you, obey Allah and His Messenger and act upon it. Some have said that the way Allah is close to the heart of a human is expressed here as an example, and the meaning is that He knows the secrets of hearts. Nothing is hidden from Him. Imam Ibn Jarir has explained its meaning as that He has complete control over the hearts of His servants, and whenever He wills, He intervenes between them and their hearts, so that a person cannot attain anything without His will. Some have related this to the Battle of Badr, that the Muslims were afraid of the large number of enemies, so Allah intervened between the hearts and replaced the fear in the hearts of the Muslims with peace. Imam Shawkani says that all these meanings of the verse can be intended (Fath al-Qadeer). The meaning explained by Imam Ibn Jarir is supported by those hadiths in which emphasis is placed on supplicating for steadfastness in religion. For example, in one hadith, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The hearts of the children of Adam are between two fingers of the Most Merciful, like one heart, He turns them as He wills. Then he ﷺ recited this supplication: اللهم مصرف القلوب صرف قلوبنا الی طاعتک — O Turner of the hearts! Turn our hearts towards Your obedience. In some narrations, the words are ثبت قلبی علی دینک.

24. O you who believe! Respond to Allah and the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life [23]. And know that Allah comes between a person and his heart [24], and that to Him you will be gathered.

[23]
The Life-Giving Call of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ:

That is, the invitational message of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ is such that you will attain a life of honor and contentment in this world, and in the Hereafter, you will obtain an eternal life filled with blessings. To fully understand its meaning, keep in mind that this Surah was revealed after the Battle of Badr, when a Muslim state had been established, and they were living a free life. The victory at Badr had given them the status of an equal nation, and they were living together with great love, affection, and brotherhood. Now, in contrast, bring to mind the society of the Age of Ignorance, when people were thirsty for each other’s blood. In Madinah, the Battle of Bu’ath, and in Makkah, the Harb al-Fijar, had wiped out entire households. Tribal wars seemed never-ending, and you were trying to escape from them. Everywhere, looting was rampant, and drinking was widespread. No one’s life, wealth, or honor was safe, and people’s lives had become unbearable. Then Allah and His Messenger gave you such teachings that the direction of your life was completely changed, and now you are living in peace and tranquility. Therefore, you must immediately obey Allah and His Messenger, and you must respond at once when the Messenger ﷺ calls you, for therein lies the secret of your life. This verse also shows that even if a person is engaged in an important task, such as the obligatory prayer, he should leave the prayer and immediately respond to the call of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. As is made clear by the following hadith.

Responding Immediately to the Messenger’s Call:

Abu Sa‘id bin Ma‘la ؓ says: I was performing prayer. The Prophet ﷺ passed by me and called me. I finished my prayer and then came to him. He ﷺ said to me: Why did you not come immediately when I called you? Have you not heard Allah’s statement: ﴿يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اسْتَجِيْبُوْا لِلّٰهِ وَلِلرَّسُوْلِ اِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيْكُمْ﴾ Then he ﷺ said: “Before I leave, I will tell you about the greatest Surah in the Quran.” When he ﷺ was about to leave, I reminded him of this, and he ﷺ said: “That Surah is ﴿اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ﴾. It contains seven verses which are recited repeatedly (in every prayer).” [بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
And from the hadith of Jurayj, the scholars have derived the ruling that if either parent calls, a person should break his voluntary prayer and respond immediately.

[24]
The Meaning of Allah Coming Between a Man and His Heart: The Effort to Protect the Heart from Satanic Whispers:

That is, Allah Almighty is so close to a person’s heart that He knows its secrets, intentions, and purposes, and it is this heart that is the source of good and evil. Therefore, a Muslim should not delay in obeying Allah’s Messenger. Otherwise, it is possible that some other thought may arise later, and Allah’s law is such that whatever intention or resolve a person makes, Allah begins to guide his heart in that direction. Therefore, one should try as much as possible to prevent the heart from becoming a target of satanic whispers, and the only way to do this is to obey Allah and His Messenger without delay. Thus, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would often make this supplication:
«اللہم ثبت قلوبنا عليٰ دينك» or the words would be: «يا مقلب القلوب ثبت قلوبنا عليٰ دينك»