Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (331)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(17–18) “It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allah while bearing witness against themselves to disbelief. Their deeds have come to nothing, and they will abide in the Fire forever. The mosques of Allah are maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, give zakat, and fear none but Allah. It is they who may be among the rightly guided.”

Allah says: “It is not”—that is, it is neither proper nor fitting—“for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allah” through worship, prayer, and other acts of obedience, while they bear witness and acknowledge their own disbelief, as attested by their condition and innate nature; indeed, many of them know that they adhere to disbelief and falsehood.

Since they are “bearing witness against themselves to disbelief” and lack faith, which is a condition for deeds to be accepted, how can they claim to be the maintainers of Allah’s mosques when they lack the very foundation and their deeds are invalid?!

Hence He says: “Their deeds have come to nothing”—that is, they are rendered vain and lost—“and they will abide in the Fire forever.”

He then states who truly maintains the mosques of Allah: “The mosques of Allah are maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer”—both obligatory and voluntary, fulfilling its outward and inward dimensions—“give zakat” to those entitled to it, “and fear none but Allah.” That is, they reserve their fear for their Lord alone, refrain from what Allah has forbidden, and do not neglect Allah’s obligatory rights.

He thus describes them as possessing beneficial faith, performing righteous deeds—foremost among which are prayer and zakat—and fearing Allah, which is the foundation of every good. These are the true maintainers of the mosques and their people—those genuinely worthy of being so called.

“It is they who may be among the rightly guided.” When “may” is used by Allah, it denotes certainty. As for anyone who does not believe in Allah or the Last Day and has no fear of Allah, he is neither among those who maintain Allah’s mosques nor among their people who are genuinely worthy of them, even if he claims and asserts otherwise.

﴿١٧ - ١٨﴾ ﴿مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يَعْمُرُوا مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ شَاهِدِينَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِالْكُفْرِ أُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ وَفِي النَّارِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ * إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلا اللَّهَ فَعَسَى أُولَئِكَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ﴾ . يقول تعالى: ﴿مَا كَانَ﴾ أي: ما ينبغي ولا يليق ﴿لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يَعْمُرُوا مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ﴾ بالعبادة، والصلاة، وغيرها من أنواع الطاعات، والحال أنهم شاهدون ومقرون على أنفسهم بالكفر بشهادة حالهم وفطرهم، وعلم كثير منهم أنهم على الكفر والباطل. فإذا كانوا ﴿شَاهِدِينَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِالْكُفْرِ﴾ وعدم الإيمان، الذي هو شرط لقبول الأعمال، فكيف يزعمون أنهم عُمَّارُ مساجد الله، والأصل منهم مفقود، والأعمال منهم باطلة؟!!. ولهذا قال: ﴿أُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ﴾ أي: بطلت وضلت ﴿وَفِي النَّارِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ﴾ . ثم ذكر من هم عمار مساجد الله فقال: ﴿إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ﴾ الواجبة والمستحبة، بالقيام بالظاهر منها والباطن. ﴿وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ﴾ لأهلها ﴿وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلا اللَّهَ﴾ أي قصر خشيته على ربه، فكف عما حرم الله، ولم يقصر بحقوق الله الواجبة. فوصفهم بالإيمان النافع، وبالقيام بالأعمال الصالحة التي أُمُّها الصلاة والزكاة، وبخشية الله التي هي أصل كل خير، فهؤلاء عمار المساجد على الحقيقة وأهلها الذين هم أهلها. ﴿فَعَسَى أُولَئِكَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ﴾ و "عسى" من الله واجبة. وأما من لم يؤمن بالله ولا باليوم الآخر، ولا عنده خشية لله، فهذا ليس من عمار مساجد الله، ولا من أهلها الذين هم أهلها، وإن زعم ذلك وادعاه.