Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (153)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(156–158) “O you who believe, do not be like those who disbelieved and said of their brothers when they traveled through the land or went out to battle, ‘Had they remained with us, they would not have died or been killed.’ Allah thereby makes this a source of anguish in their hearts. It is Allah who gives life and causes death, and Allah is All-Seeing of what you do. And if you are killed in the path of Allah or die, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are certainly better than all that they amass.”

The Exalted forbids His believing servants from resembling the disbelievers—whether hypocrites or others—who do not believe in their Lord or in His decree and predestination.

He forbids them from resembling the disbelievers in all respects, and particularly in this matter: when the disbelievers’ brothers in religion or lineage “traveled through the land,” meaning that they journeyed for trade, “or went out to battle,” and were then killed or died, they objected to the divine decree and said, “Had they remained with us, they would not have died or been killed.” This claim of theirs is false, for the Exalted has said: “Say, ‘Even if you had remained in your homes, those decreed to be killed would have gone forth to the places of their death.’” Yet this denial benefited them only insofar as Allah made this statement and belief a source of anguish in their hearts, thus compounding their affliction. Those who believe in Allah, however, know that this occurred by Allah’s decree; they therefore believe and submit. ⦗154⦘ Allah thereby guides and steadies their hearts and eases their affliction.

In response to them, Allah says, “It is Allah who gives life and causes death”; that is, He alone (1) possesses this power, and no precaution can avert what has been decreed.

“And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do,” so He will recompense you for your deeds and your denial.

The Exalted then informs us that being killed in His path or dying therein involves neither loss nor anything to fear. Rather, it is something for which those who strive should compete, because it leads and brings one to Allah’s forgiveness and mercy. That is better than all the worldly possessions amassed by the people of this world.

(1) In B: “the sole possessor.”

﴿١٥٦ - ١٥٨﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقَالُوا لإخْوَانِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا فِي الأرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا غُزًّى لَوْ كَانُوا عِنْدَنَا مَا مَاتُوا وَمَا قُتِلُوا لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ * وَلَئِنْ قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ﴾ . ينهى تعالى عباده المؤمنين أن يشابهوا الكافرين، الذين لا يؤمنون بربهم، ولا بقضائه وقدره، من المنافقين وغيرهم. ينهاهم عن مشابهتهم في كل شيء، وفي هذا الأمر الخاص وهو أنهم يقولون لإخوانهم في الدين أو في النسب: ﴿إذا ضربوا في الأرض﴾ أي: سافروا للتجارة ﴿أو كانوا غزى﴾ أي: غزاة، ثم جرى عليهم قتل أو موت، يعارضون القدر ويقولون: ﴿لو كانوا عندنا ما ماتوا وما قتلوا﴾ وهذا كذب منهم، فقد قال تعالى: ﴿قل لو كنتم في بيوتكم لبرز الذين كتب عليهم القتل إلى مضاجعهم﴾ ولكن هذا التكذيب لم يفدهم، إلا أن الله يجعل هذا القول، وهذه العقيدة حسرة في قلوبهم، فتزداد مصيبتهم، وأما المؤمنون بالله فإنهم يعلمون أن ذلك بقدر الله، فيؤمنون ويسلمون، ⦗١٥٤⦘ فيهدي الله قلوبهم ويثبتها، ويخفف بذلك عنهم المصيبة. قال الله ردا عليهم: ﴿والله يحيي ويميت﴾ أي: هو المنفرد (١) بذلك، فلا يغني حذر عن قدر. ﴿والله بما تعملون بصير﴾ فيجازيكم بأعمالكم وتكذيبكم. ثم أخبر تعالى أن القتل في سبيله أو الموت فيه، ليس فيه نقص ولا محذور، وإنما هو مما ينبغي أن يتنافس فيه المتنافسون، لأنه سبب مفض وموصل إلى مغفرة الله ورحمته، وذلك خير مما يجمع أهل الدنيا من دنياهم.

(١) في ب: المتفرد.