57:7 Believe in Allah and His Messenger,
and spend of what He has made you successors. For those of you who believe and
spend, theirs shall be a great reward.
57:8 And what is the matter with you that
you believe not in Allah, seeing that the Messenger is inviting you to believe
in your Lord, and He has taken your covenant, if you are believers?
Context
After
presenting evidence for His oneness, knowledge, and power—through signs in the
heavens, the earth, and within human beings themselves—Allah,
the Almighty, follows with certain religious obligations. He commands belief in
Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him), emphasizing the need for
steadfastness and sincerity in this faith. He then calls upon the believers to
spend in the cause of Allah, promising a multiplied reward. He explains that
His signs lead one out of the darkness of disbelief into the light of faith. He
further highlights the merit of those who were the first to embrace Islam—those
who accepted the faith and contributed their wealth before the conquest of
Makkah—and then reinforces the exhortation to spend in His cause.
Tafsir
57:7 Believe in Allah and His Messenger,
and spend of what He has made you successors. For those of you who believe and
spend, theirs shall be a great reward.
Allah
the Almighty says: “Believe in Allah, O people; acknowledge His oneness and truthfulness
of His Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Believe
in what he has brought to you from Allah, and follow him.”
And spend of what He has made you successors.
Spend
in the cause of Allah from the wealth that Allah has entrusted to you, which He
has passed on to you from those who came before you, making you their
successors.
For
those of you who believe and spend, theirs shall be a great reward.
Those
among you, O people, who believe in Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, and who spend
in the cause of Allah from the wealth He has granted them (having inherited it
from their predecessors), shall receive a great reward.
57:8 And what is the matter with you that you believe not in Allah, seeing that the Messenger is inviting you to believe in your Lord, and He has taken your covenant, if you are believers?
What
is the reason, O people, that you do not acknowledge the oneness of Allah, even
though His Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), invites
upon you to affirm His oneness and has brought you such clear proofs of this
truth that all your excuses are invalidated and every doubt is removed from your
hearts?
He
has taken your covenant, if you are believers…
It
has been said that this means: your Lord took a covenant from you, while you
were still in the loins of Adam, that Allah is your Lord and that there is no
god for you other than Him.
{If you are believers}
If
you intend to believe in Allah at any point, now is the most fitting time to do
so, especially given the successive proofs presented to you through the
Messenger, and his call for you to embrace that which has already been
established as true for you through these signs, evidences, and the covenant
taken from you.
57:9 He is the One who reveals clear ayat to His slave that He brings you out from darkness into the light. And verily, Allah is to you most Kind, most Merciful.
By
revealing to His slave and Prophet, Muhammad, the clear Ayat, intended for your
guidance and to enlighten you regarding the right path, Allah demonstrates His
kindness and mercy toward you; it is out of this kindness and mercy that He has
done so.
57:10 And what is the matter with you that you spend not in cause of Allah, and to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth? Not equal among you are those who spend and fought before the Victory; those are higher in rank than those who spend not and fight afterwards; yet Allah has promised unto each the greatest reward. And Allah is All-aware of what you do.
What
is the matter with you, O people, that you do not spend in the cause of Allah
from what He has provided for you? Your wealth will ultimately return to Allah
if you fail to spend it in His cause during your lifetime, for to Him belongs
the inheritance of the heavens and the earth.
Through
this, He, Exalted be He, urges them toward what is in their own best interest,
saying: “Spend your wealth in the cause of Allah, so that it may serve as a
treasure for you with Him before you die—at which point you would no longer be
able to do so—and your wealth passes on as an inheritance to the One to whom
the heavens and the earth belong.
Not
equal among you are those who spend and fought before the Victory; those are
higher in rank than those who spend not and fight afterwards…
Exegetes
have differed regarding the interpretation of this Ayah. Three views are
reported:
•
Some have said it means:
“Among you, O people, those who believed and migrated before the conquest of
Makkah are not equal to those who were not so.”
•
Others have argued that
“the conquest” refers to the conquest of Makkah, and “spending” refers to spending
on fighting against the polytheists.
•
Still others have said
that “the conquest” in this context refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
Imam Muhammad bin Jarir At-Tabari
said, “the most accurate interpretation is as follows: “Among you, O people,
those who spent in the cause of Allah and fought against the polytheists before
the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah are not equal to those who spent and fought
thereafter.” The text omits an explicit mention of those who spent and fought
later, as the context itself sufficiently implies their inclusion. Abu Sa’id
al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said to us during the year of al-Hudaybiyyah: “A people will soon
come whose deeds, when compared to your own, will make your own deeds seem
insignificant to you.” We asked, “Who are they, O Messenger of Allah? Are they
the Quraysh?” He replied, “No, rather they are the people of Yemen; they
possess the tenderest hearts and the gentlest dispositions.” We asked, “Are
they better than us, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Even if one of them were
to possess a mountain of gold and spend it all, he would not attain the
equivalent of a mudd (a specific measure) spent by one of you, nor even
half of it. Know that this is the distinction between us and others: Not
equal among you are those who spend and fought before the Victory; those are
higher in rank than those who spend not and fight afterwards; yet Allah has
promised unto each the greatest reward. And Allah is All-aware of what you do.’”
…those
are higher in rank than those who spend not and fight afterwards.
Those
who spent in the cause of Allah and fought against the disblievers before the
Conquest of al-Hudaybiyyah hold a higher rank in Paradise than those who spent
and fought after that time.
…
yet Allah has promised unto each the greatest reward. And Allah is All-aware of
what you do.
Allah
has promised Paradise to both groups, those who spent and fought before the
Conquest and those who spent and fought afterwards, by virtue of their spending
in His cause and their fighting against His enemies.
Qatadah said
regarding the phrase {yet Allah has promised unto each the greatest reward.}: "It means
Paradise."
And
Allah is All-aware of what you do.
Allah is fully aware of everything you do, whether it be spending in His cause, fighting His enemies, or any other action you perform. Nothing of it remains hidden from Him, and He will recompense you for all of it on the Day of Resurrection.
57:11 Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, and He will multiply it for him, and his shall be noble reward?
Who is it that will
spend in the cause of Allah during this worldly life, seeking His reward and
anticipating what He has in store? That spending is the "goodly
loan."
…and
He will multiply it for him, and his shall be noble reward
Allah will multiply
the loan he granted by spending in His cause, turning each single unit into
seven hundred, and he shall receive a generous reward and recompense. By this
reward, Paradise is meant.
57:12 On the Day you see the believing men
and the believing women with their light running before them and on their
right. ‘Glad tidings unto you this Day, gardens beneath which flow rivers, to
abide therein!’ That is the great triumph.
The scholars of
Tafsir have differed in their interpretation of this Ayah:
57:12 On the Day you see
the believing men and the believing women with their light running before them
and on their right.
- Some have said it means: the Day
you see the believing men and the believing women, with their light
shining before them and on their right.
- Others have argued that it means:
the Day you see the believing men and the believing women, with their
faith and guidance moving before them, and the records of their deeds on
their right.
The meaning of the
Ayah is as follows: On the Day when you see the believing men and women, with
their light moving before them and to their right along the Sirat (the
bridge over Hell) in proportion to their [good] deeds, it will be said to them:
"Good news for you today! You shall enter vast gardens, beneath whose
palaces and trees rivers flow. You shall never depart from them." This
reward is the supreme triumph for you in the Hereafter.
‘Glad tidings unto you
this Day, gardens beneath which flow rivers, to abide therein!’ That is the
great triumph.
It will be said to
them: "The glad tidings you receive today, O believers, are gardens
beneath which rivers flow, so rejoice in them!" They shall remain in these
gardens, never to leave them. This eternal dwelling in the gardens is the
supreme triumph, the ultimate success that they sought, following their
deliverance from Allah's punishment and their entry into Paradise, where they
shall abide forever.
Lessons from
Surah Al-Hadid, Ayat 7-12
1. Belief
in Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) is the foundation of the
obligations in these Ayat, and it is joined with spending in the cause of
Allah; those who do both are promised a great reward.
2. Wealth
is a trust: it has been entrusted to people and passed on to them from those
who came before, making them successors who are commanded to spend from it in
the cause of Allah.
3. The
Messenger’s call to faith is supported by such clear proofs that all excuses
are invalidated and every doubt is removed, and it is reinforced by the
covenant taken from humanity, which according to one reported view was taken
while they were still in the loins of Adam.
4. The
revelation of clear Ayat to Allah’s slave is an expression of His kindness and
mercy, intended to guide people on the right path and to bring them out of the
darkness of disbelief into the light of faith.
5. Wealth
ultimately returns to Allah, to whom belongs the inheritance of the heavens and
the earth; spending it during one’s lifetime makes it a treasure with Allah
before death, after which spending is no longer possible.
6. Ranks
differ among those who spent and fought: those who did so earlier are greater
in rank than those who did so afterward, yet Allah has promised the best reward
to each, and He is All-Aware of what they do.
7. The
believing men and women are promised light before them and to their right, the
good news of Gardens beneath which rivers flow, and an eternal abode, which is
described as the supreme triumph.
Practical
Lessons for Contemporary Life
1. Spend
generously in the cause of Allah from your wealth during your lifetime,
remembering that it is entrusted to you and will ultimately return to Allah.
2. Do
not delay responding to the Messenger’s call to believe in the Oneness of
Allah, and to follow him.
3. Value
the clear Ayat as a mercy from Allah and as a means of guidance out of darkness
into light.
4. Give
and strive with sincerity, trusting that Allah is All-Aware of what you do and
has promised the best reward to each.
Reflective
Questions and Answers
1: According to the tafsir, why should a person
spend in the cause of Allah during his or her lifetime?
Answer:
Because
wealth will ultimately return to Allah, to whom belongs the inheritance of the
heavens and the earth, if it is not spent in His cause during one’s lifetime.
Spending beforehand makes it a treasure with Allah before death, after which
one is no longer able to spend.
2: What reasons does the tafsir give to show that
mankind has no excuse for not believing?
Answer:
The
Messenger calls people to believe in the Oneness of Allah and has brought clear
proofs that invalidate all excuses and remove every doubt.
3: What is the purpose of Allah sending down clear
Ayat to His slave and Messenger, and what does this show about Him?
Answer:
The
purpose is to bring people out of darkness into light, guiding them and
enlightening them regarding the right path. This shows Allah’s kindness and
mercy toward them.
4: What has Allah promised to those who spent and
fought earlier and to those who did so later?
Answer:
Those
who spent and fought earlier are greater in rank than those who did so
afterward; yet Allah has promised the best reward to each, and He is All-Aware
of what they do.
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