Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (150)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“And so that Allah may purify those who believe and destroy the disbelievers. Or did you think that you would enter Paradise before Allah made evident those among you who strive and made evident those who remain steadfast? You certainly used to wish for death before encountering it; now you have seen it with your own eyes.”

“And so that Allah may purify those who believe.” This is another of the wisdoms: through this, Allah purifies the believers of their sins and faults. This indicates that martyrdom and fighting in Allah’s cause expiate sins and remove faults. Allah also purifies the believers by separating them from the hypocrites, so that they are rid of them and can distinguish the believer from the hypocrite.

Another wisdom is that He decrees this in order to destroy the disbelievers—that is, so that it becomes a cause of their destruction and eradication through punishment. When they gain victory, they transgress and add further tyranny to their tyranny, thereby deserving that punishment be hastened upon them, as a mercy to His believing servants.

Allah Most High then said: “Or did you think that you would enter Paradise before Allah made evident those among you who strive and made evident those who remain steadfast?” This is a rhetorical question of denial. That is, do not suppose or even imagine that you will enter Paradise without hardship and without enduring adversity in Allah’s cause and in pursuit of His pleasure. Paradise is the loftiest of all goals and the finest prize for which competitors may vie. The greater the goal, the greater the means and the effort required to reach it. True repose is attained only by giving up repose, and true bliss only by giving up worldly pleasures. Yet when a servant steels himself for the hardships of this world that befall him in Allah’s cause, trains himself to endure them, and understands what they ultimately lead to, those hardships become gifts in the eyes of people of insight. They rejoice in them and pay them no heed. That is Allah’s bounty, which He grants to whomever He wills.

Allah Most High then rebuked them for failing to remain steadfast in the face of something they had wished and longed for, saying: “You certainly used to wish for death before encountering it.” Many of the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—who had missed Badr used to wish that Allah would allow them to witness a battle in which they could exert their utmost effort. Allah [Most High] said to them: “Now you have seen it”—that is, you have seen with your own eyes what you had wished for—“with your own eyes.” So why did you fail to remain steadfast? Such conduct is neither fitting nor proper, especially for someone who had wished for this and then obtained what he wished. He must instead make every effort and expend all his strength in it.

This verse also shows that wishing for martyrdom is not reprehensible. The evidence is that Allah Most High approved their wish and did not censure them for it; He censured them only for failing to act as that wish required. And Allah knows best.

Then Allah Most High said:

﴿وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ * أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ * وَلَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ تَمَنَّوْنَ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَلْقَوْهُ فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ﴾ . ﴿وليمحص الله الذين آمنوا﴾ وهذا أيضا من الحكم أن الله يمحص بذلك المؤمنين من ذنوبهم وعيوبهم، يدل ذلك على أن الشهادة والقتال في سبيل الله يكفر الذنوب، ويزيل العيوب، وليمحص الله أيضا المؤمنين من غيرهم من المنافقين، فيتخلصون منهم، ويعرفون المؤمن من المنافق، ومن الحكم أيضا أنه يقدر ذلك، ليمحق الكافرين، أي: ليكون سببا لمحقهم واستئصالهم بالعقوبة، فإنهم إذا انتصروا، بغوا، وازدادوا طغيانا إلى طغيانهم، يستحقون به المعاجلة بالعقوبة، رحمة بعباده المؤمنين. ثم قال تعالى: ﴿أم حسبتم أن تدخلوا الجنة ولما يعلم الله الذين جاهدوا منكم ويعلم الصابرين﴾ هذا استفهام إنكاري، أي: لا تظنوا، ولا يخطر ببالكم أن تدخلوا الجنة من دون مشقة واحتمال المكاره في سبيل الله وابتغاء مرضاته، فإن الجنة أعلى المطالب، وأفضل ما به يتنافس المتنافسون، وكلما عظم المطلوب عظمت وسيلته، والعمل الموصل إليه، فلا يوصل إلى الراحة إلا بترك الراحة، ولا يدرك النعيم إلا بترك النعيم، ولكن مكاره الدنيا التي تصيب العبد في سبيل الله عند توطين النفس لها، وتمرينها عليها ومعرفة ما تئول إليه، تنقلب عند أرباب البصائر منحا يسرون بها، ولا يبالون بها، وذلك فضل الله يؤتيه من يشاء. ثم وبخهم تعالى على عدم صبرهم بأمر كانوا يتمنونه ويودون حصوله، فقال: ﴿ولقد كنتم تمنون الموت من قبل أن تلقوه﴾ وذلك أن كثيرا من الصحابة ﵃ ممن فاته بدر يتمنون أن يحضرهم الله مشهدا يبذلون فيه جهدهم، قال الله [تعالى] لهم: ﴿فقد رأيتموه﴾ أي: رأيتم ما تمنيتم بأعينكم ﴿وأنتم تنظرون﴾ فما بالكم وترك الصبر؟ هذه حالة لا تليق ولا تحسن، خصوصا لمن تمنى ذلك، وحصل له ما تمنى، فإن الواجب عليه بذل الجهد، واستفراغ الوسع في ذلك. وفي هذه الآية دليل على أنه لا يكره تمني الشهادة، ووجه الدلالة أن الله تعالى أقرهم على أمنيتهم، ولم ينكر عليهم، وإنما أنكر عليهم عدم العمل بمقتضاها، والله أعلم. ثم قال تعالى: