Surah Al-Fath (48) — Ayah 29

(Ayah 29) ➊ {مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ:} Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The word {’’ مُحَمَّدٌ ‘‘} is the subject and {’’ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} is the predicate. After calling Muhammad (peace be upon him) ‘the Messenger of Allah,’ there is no need for any further praise, because this encompasses all human perfection and virtues. Therefore, the attribute of {’’ وَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَهٗۤ ‘‘} is mentioned next.” At this point, several things become clear from this sentence. One is that in the Noble Qur’an, generally, when addressing or mentioning the Prophet (peace be upon him), it is done with his titles rather than his name, such as {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ ‘‘، ’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الرَّسُوْلُ ‘‘، ’’ شَاهِدًا ‘‘، ’’ مُبَشِّرًا ‘‘، ’’ نَذِيْرًا ‘‘،’’ دَاعِيًا اِلَي اللّٰهِ ‘‘} and {’’ سِرَاجًا مُّنِيْرًا ‘‘}, etc. The noble name “Muhammad” appears only four times: see Surah Al Imran (144), Al-Ahzab (40), Surah Muhammad (2), and the verse under commentary. In all four places, there is some wisdom in mentioning his name. Here, the wisdom is to announce that if the disbelievers of Makkah, out of ignorant pride, insisted that “Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah” not be written in the treaty, and for the sake of reconciliation, “Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib” was written at their insistence, this does not mean that you are not the Messenger of Allah. Rather, the reality is that “Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah,” and the disbelievers’ denial does not change the truth. The second purpose is to answer the question: how will this religion prevail over all religions? It is stated that the dominance of Muhammad (peace be upon him) over all religions will not be due to his personal excellence or personal effort, but because Muhammad (peace be upon him) is “the Messenger of Allah,” meaning he is sent by Allah, who sent him specifically to make this religion prevail over all others. Then, who can prevent the one sent by Allah from prevailing?

➋ { وَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَهٗۤ:} In this, mention is made of those pure personalities through whom Allah was to make this guidance and the true religion prevail over the face of the earth. {’’ وَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَهٗۤ ‘‘} (those who are with him): this word includes all the noble Companions, whether they had a long or short period of companionship with him. Those who were with him at Hudaybiyyah are the foremost example of this word. The companionship of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) was such an elixir that whichever believer attained it, his very nature changed. Allah granted them such a longing for martyrdom and Paradise, such courage, and placed such blessing in them that when they attacked, the enemy would flee within moments. The presence of a single Companion in an army was considered a guarantee of victory. Those who met them also received this blessing. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ يَأْتِيْ زَمَانٌ يَغْزُوْ فِئَامٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَيُقَالُ فِيْكُمْ مَنْ صَحِبَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيُقَالُ نَعَمْ، فَيُفْتَحُ عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ يَأْتِيْ زَمَانٌ فَيُقَالُ فِيْكُمْ مَنْ صَحِبَ أَصْحَابَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيُقَالُ نَعَمْ، فَيُفْتَحُ، ثُمَّ يَأْتِيْ زَمَانٌ فَيُقَالُ فِيْكُمْ مَنْ صَحِبَ صَاحِبَ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيُقَالُ نَعَمْ، فَيُفْتَحُ ] [بخاري، الجھاد والسیر، باب من استعان بالضعفاء والصالحین في الحرب : ۲۸۹۷ ] “A time will come upon the people when a group among them will fight, and it will be said: ‘Is there anyone among you who was with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?’ They will say: ‘Yes!’ and they will be granted victory. Then a time will come upon the people when a group among them will fight, and it will be said: ‘Is there anyone among you who was with the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?’ They will say: ‘Yes!’ and they will be granted victory. Then a time will come upon the people when a group among them will fight, and it will be said: ‘Is there anyone among you who was with the one who was with the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?’ They will say: ‘Yes!’ and they will be granted victory.”

➌ { وَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَهٗۤ:} As mentioned in the previous benefit, {’’ وَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَهٗۤ ‘‘} (those who are with him) refers first and foremost to those Companions who pledged allegiance at Ridwan, then to all the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), whether they had the honor of being with the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a moment. The commentator al-Biqa’i said: “{’’ وَ الَّذِيْنَ مَعَهٗۤ ‘‘} includes all Muslims who, by following the Prophet (peace be upon him) with excellence and goodness, have the honor of being with him.” The hadith mentioned in the previous benefit supports al-Biqa’i’s statement, and in the Noble Qur’an, those who follow with excellence and goodness are clearly given the glad tidings of Allah’s pleasure and entry into Paradise along with the foremost ones. For further clarification, see the commentary on Surah At-Tawbah, verse (100): « وَ السّٰبِقُوْنَ الْاَوَّلُوْنَ مِنَ الْمُهٰجِرِيْنَ وَ الْاَنْصَارِ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوْهُمْ بِاِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ وَ رَضُوْا عَنْهُ ». In the verse under commentary, the example of the crop is fully completed by including, along with the Companions, their followers until the Day of Resurrection.

➍ { اَشِدَّآءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَآءُ بَيْنَهُمْ:} In these words, the noble Companions and the Muslim Ummah are praised for having such faith in Allah and His Messenger that even their feelings of friendship and enmity are subject to their faith. If someone is a disbeliever, they are his enemies and extremely harsh against him, and if someone is a believer, they are his heartfelt friends and extremely merciful to him. Allah commanded our Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) to be harsh against the disbelievers and to strive against them, as He said: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَ الْمُنٰفِقِيْنَ وَ اغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ مَاْوٰىهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ » [ التوبۃ : ۷۳ ] “O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh with them, and their abode is Hell.” And the same command was given to the Muslims, as He said: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا قَاتِلُوا الَّذِيْنَ يَلُوْنَكُمْ مِّنَ الْكُفَّارِ وَ لْيَجِدُوْا فِيْكُمْ غِلْظَةً » [ التوبۃ : ۱۲۳ ] “O you who have believed! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you and let them find harshness in you.” And Allah has decreed that the relationship of the believers with the disbelievers is one of eternal enmity and hatred until they believe, even if those disbelievers are their fathers, sons, brothers, or close relatives. See the first four verses of Surah Al-Mumtahanah and the last verse of Surah Al-Mujadilah.

In contrast, our Prophet (peace be upon him) was extremely merciful and compassionate to the believers, as He said: «لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُوْلٌ مِّنْ اَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيْزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيْصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ » [ التوبۃ : ۱۲۸] “Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; it grieves him that you should suffer, he is full of concern for you, to the believers he is kind and merciful.” And the attribute of the believers is also the same, as He said: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَنْ يَّرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِيْنِهٖ فَسَوْفَ يَاْتِي اللّٰهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُّحِبُّهُمْ وَ يُحِبُّوْنَهٗۤ اَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ اَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكٰفِرِيْنَ يُجَاهِدُوْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ لَا يَخَافُوْنَ لَوْمَةَ لَآىِٕمٍ ذٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ يُؤْتِيْهِ مَنْ يَّشَآءُ وَ اللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيْمٌ » [ المائدۃ : ۵۴ ] “O you who have believed! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will soon bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, who are humble toward the believers, stern toward the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer. That is the grace of Allah; He bestows it upon whom He wills, and Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.” Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ تَرَی الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ فِيْ تَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكٰی عُضْوًا تَدَاعٰی لَهُ سَائِرُ جَسَدِهِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمّٰی] [بخاري، الأدب، باب رحمۃ الناس والبہائم: ۶۰۱۱ ] “You will see the believers in their mutual mercy, love, and compassion as one body; when any limb suffers, the whole body responds with wakefulness and fever.” And Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ اَلْمُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا ] [ بخاري، المظالم، باب نصر المظلوم: ۲۴۴۶ ] “A believer to another believer is like a building, each part strengthening the other.”

➎ Note that being harsh against the disbelievers does not mean that they never show mercy to any disbeliever. Rather, it means that when Allah and His Messenger command harshness against the disbelievers, then family ties or friendship, etc., do not prevent them from carrying out this command. As for showing kindness and mercy to them, the Qur’an itself has decided this, as He said: « لَا يَنْهٰىكُمُ اللّٰهُ عَنِ الَّذِيْنَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوْكُمْ فِي الدِّيْنِ وَ لَمْ يُخْرِجُوْكُمْ مِّنْ دِيَارِكُمْ اَنْ تَبَرُّوْهُمْ وَ تُقْسِطُوْۤا اِلَيْهِمْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِيْنَ (8) اِنَّمَا يَنْهٰىكُمُ اللّٰهُ عَنِ الَّذِيْنَ قٰتَلُوْكُمْ فِي الدِّيْنِ وَ اَخْرَجُوْكُمْ مِّنْ دِيَارِكُمْ وَ ظٰهَرُوْا عَلٰۤى اِخْرَاجِكُمْ اَنْ تَوَلَّوْهُمْ وَ مَنْ يَّتَوَلَّهُمْ فَاُولٰٓىِٕكَ هُمُ الظّٰلِمُوْنَ » [ الممتحنۃ : 9،8 ] “Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes, from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion, that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” That is, Allah does not forbid kindness and good treatment toward those disbelievers who are not a source of harm to Muslims and are not at war with them. Accordingly, there are countless incidents of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the noble Companions showing kindness and generosity to weak, helpless, or needy disbelievers. Maintaining justice in their dealings is a general command of Islam; even on the battlefield, any action against justice is not permissible.

➏ {تَرٰىهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا:} In the previous sentence {’’ اَشِدَّآءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَآءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ‘‘}, the dealings of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with people were mentioned, and in this sentence, their relationship with Allah is described: you see them bowing and prostrating. Most of their time is spent in the blessed act of prayer, which is the act that brings a person closest to Allah, because their Prophet (peace be upon him) said: [ أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُوْنُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَّبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ] [مسلم، الصلاۃ، باب ما یقال في الرکوع والسجود؟ : ۴۸۲] “The servant is closest to his Lord when he is in prostration, so make plenty of supplication.” Their hearts are attached to the mosque; five times a day they come to the house of Allah to perform this duty, and when they leave, their attention remains there, and then at night they also stand in prayer.

➐ { يَبْتَغُوْنَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانًا:} Since bowing and prostration can also be done for show, in this sentence, the sincerity of the noble Companions and the followers of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is testified to: their bowing and prostration are not for show or ostentation, but for seeking more blessings from Allah and His pleasure. This also describes the loftiness of their ambition: they seek the highest thing, beyond which there is nothing greater, as He said: « وَ رِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ اَكْبَرُ » [ التوبۃ : ۷۲ ] “And the pleasure of Allah is greater.” The lowly things of this world or other inferior things have no value in their lofty sight.

➑ { سِيْمَاهُمْ فِيْ وُجُوْهِهِمْ مِّنْ اَثَرِ السُّجُوْدِ:} Some people have taken the effect of prostration to mean the callus that forms on the forehead, commonly called a prayer mark. The mark that appears on the forehead of a sincere Muslim due to the friction of prostration is certainly included in this identification, but here it refers to the radiance and signs of beauty and nobility that appear on the face due to sincerity, good intention, fear and humility, and abundance of prayer. If two people stay awake all night, one engaged in drinking and sinful acts, the other in prayer, recitation of the Qur’an, and remembrance, in the morning there will be a clear difference in their faces. This same difference is evident on the faces of the truthful and the liars, the treacherous and the loyal, the oppressors and the just, the immoral and the chaste, and the arrogant and the humble. Al-Tabari has narrated with an authentic chain from Ali bin Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): [ {’’ سِيْمَاهُمْ فِيْ وُجُوْهِهِمْ ‘‘} يَعْنِي السَّمْتَ الْحَسَنَ ] [ طبری : ۳۱۸۹۱ ] “That is, it means a beautiful appearance and form.” In Ibn Kathir, it is mentioned that Mansur heard from Mujahid that it means humility. Mansur said, I thought it meant the mark that appears on the face, but he said: “That mark sometimes appears on the foreheads of people who are even harder-hearted than Pharaoh.” In summary, there is a special kind of light and radiance on the faces of the companions of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), whether they are Companions or their followers, by which they are distinguished from all other people. Here, some commentators have narrated a report attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): [ مَنْ كَثُرَ صَلَاتُهُ بِاللَّيْلِ حَسُنَ وَجْهُهُ بِالنَّهَارِ ] “Whoever prays abundantly at night, his face will be beautiful during the day.” But the scholars agree that this is not established from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), rather it is the statement of a narrator, Sharik.

➒ { ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرٰىةِ: ’’مَثَلٌ‘‘} means both example and attribute; here, attribute is meant, i.e., their attribute that the effect of prostration and worship is apparent on their faces, this is mentioned in the Torah. Although the Torah currently in the hands of the Jews and Christians has been altered in many ways, and most of the attributes of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his Ummah have been deleted or changed, even so, in its fifth book “Deuteronomy,” chapter (33), verse (2), it says: “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned upon them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousand holy ones; at His right hand was a fiery law for them.” The only one who fits this prophecy is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), because it clearly mentions appearing from Mount Paran and coming with ten thousand holy ones, and it is well established that Paran is the name of a mountain in Hijaz, and at the conquest of Makkah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came with ten thousand Companions. Clearly, the holy ones are meant to be Allah’s pure and devout servants; in the Qur’an, the words {’’ تَرٰىهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَّبْتَغُوْنَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانًا سِيْمَاهُمْ فِيْ وُجُوْهِهِمْ مِّنْ اَثَرِ السُّجُوْدِ ‘‘} are used in its place. And instead of “fiery law,” {’’ اَشِدَّآءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ‘‘} is mentioned, referring to the law of jihad.

Note: The words “ten thousand” were present in previous editions of the Bible; in recent editions, this number has been removed in some and changed to “hundreds of thousands” in others.

➓ { وَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْاِنْجِيْلِ كَزَرْعٍ اَخْرَجَ …:} In the Torah, the piety, sanctity, law of jihad, and dominance and authority of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) are described, and in the Gospel, the gradual increase of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) from few to many, and from weakness to strength, is clarified with an example: though their beginning will be weak, in the end, they will become like a mighty tree under whose shade great nations will take refuge. Thus, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter (13), verses (3–9), this example is given as follows: “He (the Messiah) put another parable before them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” The same example, with slight changes in wording, is also found in the Gospel of Mark, chapter (4), verses (3–9), and the Gospel of Luke, chapter (13), verses (18–21). (Quoted from Tafsir Thanai)

The purpose of giving the example of a crop in the Qur’an is that if, in the year of Hudaybiyyah, you could not enter Makkah, there are many hidden wisdoms in this, and it was also intended to teach you that the rise and perfection of Islam will not be sudden, but gradual, just as a crop gradually reaches perfection. First, from the seed, a delicate shoot or sprout emerges, then it strengthens, then it becomes thick, then its plant stands upright on its stem, then more plants grow with it, and the field becomes full, which delights the sowers' hearts. In the same way, a day will come when this crop of guidance and the true religion, which was first sown in the land of Arabia, will reach its perfection, the East and West will be filled with it, it will delight the hearts of those who nurture and care for it, and it will burn with grief and anger the hearts of those who strove with all their might to prevent its growth.

⓫ { لِيَغِيْظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ: ’’ لِيَغِيْظَ ‘‘} The “lam” is for an implied verb which is understood from the previous context: {’’ أَيْ جَعَلَهُمُ اللّٰهُ كَذٰلِكَ لِيَغِيْظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ‘‘} That is, Allah will gradually raise the noble Companions and their followers to perfection and eminence, so as to enrage the disbelievers and burn their hearts. History bears witness that those who accepted the call of truth brought by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and who sacrificed their lives, wealth, and everything to make it prevail over the whole world, were the noble Companions, and after them, those who loved them and followed in their footsteps—the Tabi’un and those who came after—through whom this true religion spread and prevailed throughout the world. The hearts of the believers are delighted when they see and hear about the noble Companions and their followers, and the hearts of the disbelievers are filled with anger and burn when they see them and hear about their conditions. In Tafsir al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir (26/177), it is mentioned that Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: [ مَنْ أَصْبَحَ مِنَ النَّاسِ فِيْ قَلْبِهِ غَيْظٌ عَلٰی أَحَدٍ مِّنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَدْ أَصَابَتْهُ هٰذِهِ الْآيَةُ ] “Whoever among the people has anger or jealousy in his heart against any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), this verse certainly applies to him.” Ibn Ashur said: “May Allah have mercy on Imam Malik; how subtle is his deduction.”

⓬ {وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ مِنْهُمْ …:} Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “And the parable of the crop is that at first there was one man upon this religion, then there were two, then strength kept increasing in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the caliphs, and this promise was given to those who believe and do good deeds. All the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were like this, but the fear of a bad end remained. Allah does not give such glad tidings to His servants that they become fearless; even such praise from the Master is a great favor.”