61:10 O you who believe, shall I guide
you to a commerce that will save you from a painful punishment?
61:11 You
believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive for the cause of Allah with your
wealth and your selves; that is better for you, if you but know.
61:12 He will
forgive your sins and admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, and to
pleasant dwellings in Gardens of Eden; that is the great success.
61:13 And He
will give you another blessing that you love – help from Allah and an imminent
victory; and give good tidings to the believers.
61:14 O you
who believe, be Allah’s helpers, as Jesus, Maryam’s son, said to the Disciples,
“Who will be my helpers to Allah?” The Disciples said, “We are Allah’s
helpers.” And a party of the Children of Israel believed and a party
disbelieved. Then We supported those who believed against their enemy; thus,
they became victorious.
Relationship with the Previous Part
In the previous parts of Surah As-Saff, the believers are commanded to fight for the sake of Allah and are warned against disobeying the commands of Messenger Muhammad, lest they become like the people of Messenger Moses and Jesus, who disobeyed their Messengers. Then, Surah As-Saff mentions the profitable commerce, which is belief in the Oneness of Allah and striving for the sake of Allah with one’s wealth and self. Thereafter, Allah urges the believers to support His religion and Messenger Muhammad, just as the Disciples of Jesus supported Messenger Jesus.
Tafsir
61:10 O you who believe, shall I guide
you to a commerce that will save you from a painful punishment?
The following Ayah presents an answer to what
some believers said to Messenger Muhammad, namely, “We wish that we knew the
best deeds that Allah loves, so that we may do them,” as mentioned previously.
It is as if Allah commanded the believers to
avoid saying what they do not do, informed them about the story of Messenger
Moses and Messenger Jesus and their people, and gave them glad tidings that
Islam would prevail over all other religions. Then, Allah informed the
believers about the best deeds that He loves, namely: “O you who believe, shall
I guide you to a commerce that will save you from a painful punishment?”
Commerce originally refers to work related to
the production, buying, and selling of goods or services. However, in this
Ayah, commerce refers to sound creed and righteous deeds.
61:10 O you who believe, shall I guide
you to a commerce that will save you from a painful punishment?
61:11 You
believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive for the cause of Allah with your
wealth and your selves; that is better for you, if you but know.
The interrogation in this Ayah is intended to
create suspense and arouse interest in the subject.
O you who believe in the Oneness of Allah,
His Messenger Muhammad, His angels, His Scriptures, and the Hereafter, do you
wish that I guide you to a commerce that will save you from a painful
punishment? This commerce is that you believe in the Oneness of Allah and His
Messenger and strive for the sake of Allah with your wealth and selves.
In other words, O believers, I will inform
you about a profitable commerce: that you persist in believing in the Oneness
of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad and strive for His sake with your wealth
and selves.
Belief in the Oneness of Allah and performing
righteous deeds for His sake are called commerce because they resemble trade in
that both aim at attaining benefit and profit.
Striving for the sake of Allah with one’s
wealth is mentioned before striving with one’s self because the context
clarifies the meaning of profitable commerce. Commerce depends on the exchange
of wealth, which is indispensable for striving in the cause of Allah. Wealth is
needed to purchase arms and equipment for this purpose.
Meaning of “That Is Better for
You, If You But Know”
“That is better for you, if you but know”
means that belief in the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger, and striving for
the sake of Allah with one’s wealth and self, are better for you than merely
focusing on worldly gain, if you truly understand their importance. The most
important matter is the final outcome, which the ignorant do not know and which
only those with knowledge and understanding appreciate.
There are two types of striving:
·
Striving against one’s
whims and desires.
·
Striving against the
enemies of Islam with one’s wealth and self in order to spread the religion of
Allah and restrain its enemies.
61:12 He will forgive your sins and
admit you into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, and to pleasant dwellings in
Gardens of Eden; that is the great success.
O you who truly believe, if you believe in
the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger and strive for the sake of Allah with
your wealth and selves, Allah will forgive your sins and admit you into Gardens
beneath which rivers flow. He will also grant you pleasant dwellings containing
all beneficial things in Gardens of Eden. These are permanent dwellings prepared
for the inhabitants of Paradise, wherein they will remain forever.
That is the great success.
Indeed, the great reward that Allah grants sincere believers is the greatest
success, with which no other success can be compared.
61:13 And He will give you another
blessing that you love – help from Allah and an imminent victory; and give good
tidings to the believers.
This Ayah mentions another blessing that
Allah will grant to the believers.
In addition to the great reward awaiting the
believers, Allah will grant them another blessing that will strengthen their
faith and fill their hearts with joy. He will make them victorious over their
enemies and enable them to conquer more lands soon, if they strive for His sake
with their wealth and selves.
And give good tidings to the
believers.
O noble
Messenger Muhammad, give glad tidings to the believers that Allah will grant
them victory in this world and a great reward in the Hereafter.
Allah, Exalted be He, concluded Surah As-Saff
with a final call to the believers, inviting them to be among the truthful and
righteous slaves of Allah.
61:14 O you who believe, be Allah’s
helpers, as Jesus, Maryam’s son, said to the Disciples, “Who will be my helpers
to Allah?” The Disciples said, “We are Allah’s helpers.” And a party of the
Children of Israel believed and a party disbelieved. Then We supported those
who believed against their enemy; thus, they became victorious.
The Disciples were the followers of Messenger
Jesus who believed in his message and supported him in spreading the belief in
the Oneness of Allah.
O you who believe in the Oneness of Allah and
His Messenger Muhammad, continue to support the religion of Allah as the
Disciples did when Jesus called them to assist and support him.
The intended meaning is to urge the believers
to obey Messenger Muhammad constantly, just as the Disciples obeyed Messenger
Jesus. They firmly believed in the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger Jesus and
were not affected by difficulties and hardships.
Qatada said:
‘[61:14 O you who believe, be Allah’s
helpers, Jesus, Maryam’s son, said to the Disciples; “Who will be my helpers to
Allah?” The Disciples said, “We are Allah’s helpers.”] There have been helpers
to the religion of Allah from the nation of Messenger Muhammad. They used to
fight for protecting His Book and His Rights. We were told that seventy-two men
from the helpers of Al-Madinah gave an oath of allegiance to Messenger Muhammad
on the night of Al-Qabah. We were told that some of them said, “Do you know for
what matter you are giving an oath of allegiance to this man? You are giving
him the oath for fighting all the Arabs unless they embrace Islam.” We were
told that a man said, “O Prophet of Allah, stipulate whatever you want for your
God and yourself.” Prophet Muhammad said, “I stipulate for my God that you
should worship Him alone, and I stipulate for myself that you should protect me
as you protect yourselves and your children.” They said, “If we do that, what
shall we have, O Prophet of Allah?” He said, “You shall be victorious in this
world and admitted into Paradise in the Hereafter.” They did as they promised,
and Allah did as He promised them.’
Jesus, Maryam’s son, said to the
Disciples, “Who will be my helpers to Allah?”
Messenger Jesus, son of Mary, said to the Disciples: “Who will support the
religion of Allah by worshipping Him sincerely, obeying His commands, and
conveying His message to the people?”
The Disciples said, “We are
Allah’s helpers.”
They
replied positively and said that they would sacrifice their selves and wealth
for the sake of Allah.
And a party of the Children of
Israel believed and a party disbelieved.
When
Messenger Jesus called them to the right path, the Disciples responded
positively and held fast to the creed of the Oneness of Allah. However, the
remaining group of the Children of Israel divided into two parties: one that
believed in the message of Messenger Jesus and another that disbelieved.
Then We supported those who
believed against their enemy; thus, they became victorious.
This part
of the Ayah explains the consequences of the stance taken by each party. Allah
supported those who believed in the message of Messenger Jesus against those
who disbelieved, and the believers were victorious through His help and bounty.
The intended meaning is to urge believers, at
all times and in all places, to persist in believing in the Oneness of Allah
and performing righteous deeds. This is because the rule of Allah necessitates
that believers will be victorious over disbelievers, just as He granted victory
to the believing Children of Israel.
The Learned Lessons from Surah As-Saff Ayah
10–14
·
Allah, Exalted be He, has
guided the believers to the profitable commerce that will save them from
painful torment in the Hereafter: belief in the Oneness of Allah and His
Messenger Muhammad, and striving for the sake of Allah with one’s wealth and
self.
·
Belief in the Oneness of
Allah and striving for His sake with one’s wealth and self are better than any
gain of this worldly life.
·
The reward of belief in
the Oneness of Allah and striving for His sake is the forgiveness of Allah and
admission into Paradise, wherein one will enjoy lasting happiness.
·
Belief in the Oneness of
Allah and striving for His sake lead to victory over the enemies of Islam in
this world.
·
Allah, Exalted be He, has
commanded the believers to hold fast to His religion and support it, as the
Disciples of Jesus did. Messenger Jesus said, “Who will be my helpers to
Allah?” The Disciples replied, “We are Allah’s helpers,” and they fulfilled
their pledge.
·
The Children of Israel
were divided into two parties concerning Messenger Jesus: one believed in him
and in the message, he brought from Allah, while the other disbelieved.
·
Allah granted victory to
the believers among the Children of Israel over their enemies.
·
Allah will grant victory
to the believers over their enemies.
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