Surah Al-Hujuraat (49) — Ayah 7

(Ayah 7) ➊ { وَ اعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّ فِيْكُمْ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ:} It is obvious that every companion knew that the Messenger of Allah is present among us, yet it is said: "And know that the Messenger of Allah is among you." The reason for this is that whether the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is physically present in life or after his passing, when the Book and Sunnah are present, whoever insists on his own opinion and wants to impose his own view instead of seeking guidance from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his hadith, in reality, he is ignorant of the fact that the Messenger of Allah is among us, and we should obey him in every matter. Because if he knew this, he would obey the Messenger and would not try to make the Messenger obey him. So just as the person is ignorant who calls out to you from outside the walls, and the person is ignorant who acts upon the news brought by a transgressor without investigation, similarly, the person is also ignorant who wants to impose his own view while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his hadith are present. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to tell him: Know! The Messenger of Allah is among you.

➋ { لَوْ يُطِيْعُكُمْ فِيْ كَثِيْرٍ مِّنَ الْاَمْرِلَعَنِتُّمْ:} That is, since the commands of the Messenger are revealed from Allah Almighty, and Allah Almighty is All-Knowing and Wise, and every command of His is based on knowledge, wisdom, mercy, and benefit, therefore, by obeying the Messenger, you will be saved from all kinds of hardship and difficulty, because Allah Almighty wants ease for you, as He said: «يُرِيْدُ اللّٰهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَ لَا يُرِيْدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ» [البقرۃ: ۱۸۵] "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship." And the Messenger also does not tolerate your falling into hardship in any way, as He said: « عَزِيْزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيْصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ » [التوبۃ: ۱۲۸] "It is very hard on him that you fall into hardship; he is very eager for you." On the contrary, if the Messenger obeys you, you will fall into hardship, because firstly, not all of your opinions will be the same; everyone will try to impose what he thinks is beneficial for him, so whose opinion will the Messenger accept and whose opinion will he command the Ummah to follow? Then your knowledge is incomplete, you have no knowledge of the future, nor do you possess knowledge of the unseen; how do you know that what you consider beneficial for yourself may actually be extremely harmful in the end. Therefore, just as the system of the universe is running correctly because it is running according to the command of one Allah, similarly, the system of Shariah can only run correctly by obeying the Messenger, because his obedience is in fact obedience to Allah Almighty, as He said: « وَ لَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ اَهْوَآءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمٰوٰتُ وَ الْاَرْضُ وَ مَنْ فِيْهِنَّ » [المؤمنون : ۷۱ ] "And if the truth were to follow their desires, the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them would surely be corrupted."

➌ { ’’ لَوْ يُطِيْعُكُمْ فِيْ كَثِيْرٍ مِّنَ الْاَمْرِ ‘‘} In this, there is also an indication that the Messenger sometimes accepts your advice in certain administrative matters, because he has been commanded by Allah to consult, as He said: « فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَ شَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْاَمْرِ » [ آل عمران : ۱۵۹ ] "So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter." But remember! Your job is not to command, but to advise; if the Messenger deems it appropriate, he will accept it, and if not, he will not; the final decision, with the guidance of Allah Almighty, is to be made by him, as He said: «فَاِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّٰهِ » [ آل عمران : ۱۵۹ ] "Then when you have decided, put your trust in Allah."

➍ { وَ لٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ حَبَّبَ اِلَيْكُمُ الْاِيْمَانَ:} Here, faith means obedience to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), which includes affirmation by the heart, declaration by the tongue, and action by the limbs. That is, if the Messenger obeys you in many matters, you will surely fall into difficulty, but Allah Almighty has (saved you from falling into difficulty and) made faith, i.e., obedience to the Messenger (peace be upon him), beloved to you and adorned it in your hearts so that you willingly adhere to the obedience of the Messenger. Therefore, sometimes, due to human nature, you make mistakes, but because of the love of faith and hatred of disbelief, you quickly turn to Allah Almighty and refrain from sins.

➎ { وَ كَرَّهَ اِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَ الْفُسُوْقَ وَ الْعِصْيَانَ:} That is, disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience have been made disliked for you. Razi said: "Faith includes affirmation by the heart, declaration by the tongue, and action by the limbs. Disbelief is the absence of affirmation by the heart, wickedness is the absence of declaration by the tongue, and disobedience is the absence of action." Shaykh Abdur Rahman al-Sa'di said: "(The meaning of disbelief is obvious) Wickedness refers to major sins (kabair), and disobedience refers to sins of a lesser degree." (And Allah knows best)

➏ {اُولٰٓىِٕكَ هُمُ الرّٰشِدُوْنَ:} That is, these people for whom Allah Almighty has made faith beloved and adorned it in their hearts, and made disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience disliked for them, these are the ones who are perfectly guided. "Alif Lam" is for the expression of perfection and also gives the meaning of exclusivity, that only the companions are upon guidance, their enemies and opponents are misguided. In this verse, the great virtue of the companions is mentioned, because Allah Almighty first described their praiseworthy qualities which He granted them, and at the end, in clear words, testified to their being on the right path.