Tafsir

قُل لاَّ تُقْسِمُواْ(Say: "Swear you not...") meaning, do not swear this oath.طَاعَةٌ مَّعْرُوفَةٌ(obedience is known.) It was said that the meaning is, your obedience is known, i.e., it is known that your obedience is merely verbal and is not accompanied by action. Every time you swear an oath you lie.

This is like the Ayah:يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْاْ عَنْهُمْ(They swear to you that you may be pleased with them...) 9:96 And Allah says:اتَّخَذْواْ أَيْمَـنَهُمْ جُنَّةً(They have made their oaths a screen (for their evil actions).) 58:16 It is part of their nature to tell lies, even in the issues they choose, as Allah says:أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نَـفَقُواْ يَقُولُونَ لإِخْوَانِهِمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ لَئِنْ أُخْرِجْتُمْ لَنَخْرُجَنَّ مَعَكُمْ وَلاَ نُطِيعُ فيكُمْ أَحَداً أَبَداً وَإِن قُوتِلْتُمْ لَنَنصُرَنَّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ - لَئِنْ أُخْرِجُواْ لاَ يَخْرُجُونَ مَعَهُمْ وَلَئِن قُوتِلُواْ لاَ يَنصُرُونَهُمْ وَلَئِن نَّصَرُوهُمْ لَيُوَلُّنَّ الاٌّدْبَـرَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُنصَرُونَ (Have you not observed the hypocrites who say to their friends among the people of the Scripture who disbelieve: "If you are expelled, we indeed will go out with you, and we shall never obey any one against you; and if you are attacked, we shall indeed help you." But Allah is Witness that they verily are liars.

Surely, if they are expelled, never will they go out with them; and if they are attacked, they will never help them. And if they do help them, they will turn their backs, and they will not be victorious.) 59:11-12 Then Allah says:قُلْ أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ(Say: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger...) meaning, follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger .فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ(but if you turn away,) if you ignore what he has brought to you,فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ مَا حُمِّلَ(he is only responsible for the duty placed on him), conveying the Message and fulfilling the trust.وَعَلَيْكُمْ مَّا حُمِّلْتُمْ(and you for that placed on you.) accepting that, and venerating it and doing as it commanded.وَإِن تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُواْ(If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance.) because he calls to the straight path,صِرَطِ اللَّهِ الَّذِى لَهُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ(The path of Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth.

..) 42:53وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ الْمُبِينُ(The Messenger's duty is only to convey in a clear way.) This is like the Ayat:فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ(your duty is only to convey and on Us is the reckoning.) 13:40فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ - لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُسَيْطِرٍ (So remind them -- you are only one who reminds. You are not a dictator over them.) 88:21-22

Four conditions for success and victoryوَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَرَ‌سُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّـهَ وَيَتَّقْهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ ﴿52﴾And whoever obeys, Allah and His messenger and has awe of Him and observes Tagwa of Him, then such people are the victorious. [ 52]In this verse it is declared that those who bind themselves to follow these four things are the ones who are successful and victorious in this world and the Hereafter.

An astonishing incident

An incident of Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ is reported in Tafsir Qurtubi, which explains the difference between these four things and puts them in right perspective. It so happened that one day Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ was standing in the Prophet's mosque, when suddenly a Roman villager appeared and stood beside him, and said انا اَشھَدُ اَنَّ لا إله إلا اللہ و اَشھَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً رَّسُولُ اَلله . Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ inquired ` What is the matter?' He replied ` I have accepted Islam for Allah's sake'. Then Sayyidna Umar ؓ asked if there was any reason for that, to which he replied in the affirmative, and elaborated that he had read Torah, Injil, Zabur and a number of other books brought by past messengers. But lately he had heard a verse of the Holy Qur'an recited by a Muslim prisoner and realized that in that small verse all the older books have been condensed. So, he was convinced that it was Allah's revelation. Then Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ enquired from him about the verse he was referring to, and he recited this very verse.

That Roman villager also gave a very astonishing commentary of the verse, which goes like this:وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَرَ‌سُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّـهَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ ﴿52﴾And whoever obeys Allah and His messenger and has awe of Him and observes Tagwa of Him, then such people are the victorious. [ 52]This مَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ relates to the obligations toward Allah and وَرَ‌سُولَهُ refers to Prophet's traditions, and يَخْشَ اللَّـهَ alludes toward past life and وَيَتَّقْهِ is purported for the remaining life. When someone acts upon these fourthings he is given the good tiding of فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ (that such people are the victorious). And Fa'iz is that person who gets deliverance from Jahannam and earns a place in the Paradise. After hearing this explanation Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ said the endorsement of this is available in the utterance of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، who had said that اُوتیت جوامع الکلم Allah has graced me with such comprehensive expressions in which words are few but the meanings are vast'. (Qurtubi)

قل - أيها الرسول - للناس: أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول، فإن تعرضوا فإنما على الرسول فِعْلُ ما أُمر به من تبليغ الرسالة، وعلى الجميع فِعْلُ ما كُلِّفوه من الامتثال، وإن تطيعوه ترشدوا إلى الحق، وليس على الرسول إلا أن يبلغ رسالة ربه بلاغًا بينًا.

ثم قال تعالى : ( قل أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول ) أي : اتبعوا كتاب الله وسنة رسوله .وقوله : ( فإن تولوا ) أي : تتولوا عنه وتتركوا ما جاءكم به ، ( فإنما عليه ما حمل ) أي : إبلاغ الرسالة وأداء الأمانة ، ( وعليكم ما حملتم ) أي : من ذلك وتعظيمه والقيام بمقتضاه ، ( وإن تطيعوه تهتدوا ) ، وذلك لأنه يدعو إلى صراط مستقيم ( صراط الله الذي له ما في السماوات وما في الأرض ألا إلى الله تصير الأمور ) [ الشورى : 53 ] .وقوله : ( وما على الرسول إلا البلاغ المبين ) كقوله : ( فإنما عليك البلاغ وعلينا الحساب ) [ الرعد : 40 ] ، وقوله ( فذكر إنما أنت مذكر لست عليهم بمسيطر ) [ الغاشية : 21 ، 22 ] .وقال وهب بن منبه : أوحى الله إلى نبي من أنبياء بني إسرائيل - يقال له : شعياء - أن قم في بني إسرائيل فإني سأطلق لسانك بوحي . فقام فقال : يا سماء اسمعي ، ويا أرض انصتي ، فإن الله يريد أن يقضي شأنا ويدبر أمرا هو منفذه ، إنه يريد أن يحول الريف إلى الفلاة ، والآجام في الغيطان ، والأنهار في الصحاري ، والنعمة في الفقراء ، والملك في الرعاة ، ويريد أن يبعث أميا من الأميين ، ليس بفظ ولا غليظ ولا سخاب في الأسواق ، لو يمر إلى جنب السراج لم يطفئه من سكينته ، ولو يمشي على القصب اليابس لم يسمع من تحت قدميه .

أبعثه مبشرا ونذيرا ، لا يقول الخنا ، أفتح به أعينا عميا ، وآذانا صما ، وقلوبا غلفا ، وأسدده لكل أمر جميل ، وأهب له كل خلق كريم ، وأجعل السكينة لباسه ، والبر شعاره ، والتقوى ضميره ، والحكمة منطقه ، والصدق والوفاء طبيعته ، والعفو والمعروف خلقه ، والحق شريعته ، والعدل سيرته ، والهدى إمامه ، والإسلام ملته ، وأحمد اسمه ، أهدي به بعد الضلالة ، وأعلم به من الجهالة ، وأرفع به بعد الخمالة ، وأعرف به بعد النكرة ، وأكثر به بعد القلة وأغني به بعد العيلة ، وأجمع به بعد الفرقة ، وأؤلف به بين أمم متفرقة ، وقلوب مختلفة ، وأهواء متشتتة ، وأستنقذ به فئاما من الناس عظيما من الهلكة ، وأجعل أمته خير أمة أخرجت للناس ، يأمرون بالمعروف ، وينهون عن المنكر ، موحدين مؤمنين مخلصين ، مصدقين بما جاءت به رسلي . رواه ابن أبي حاتم .