Tafsir

Praise for the Believers' Attitude, and leaving the ultimate Fate of the Hypocrites to Allah

When Allah mentions how the hypocrites broke their promise to Him that they would not turn their backs, He describes the believers as firmly adhering to their covenant and their promise:صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ(they have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah;) Some of them said: "Met their appointed time (i.e., death)." Al-Bukhari said, "Their covenant, and refers back to the beginning of the Ayah."وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُواْ تَبْدِيلاً(and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.) means, they have never changed or broken their covenant with Allah. Al-Bukhari recorded that Zayd bin Thabit said: "When we wrote down the Mushaf, an Ayah from Surat Al-Ahzab was missing, which I used to hear the Messenger of Allah ﷺ reciting. I did not find it with anyone except Khuzaymah bin Thabit Al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, whose testimony the Messenger of Allah ﷺ counted as equal to that of two other men.

(The Ayah in question was:)مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah;)" This was recorded by Al-Bukhari but not by Muslim, It was also recorded by Ahmad in his Musnad, and by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i in the chapters on Tafsir in their Sunans. At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih. Al-Bukhari also recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "We think that this Ayah was revealed concerning Anas bin An-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him:مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.)" This was reported only by Al-Bukhari, but there are corroborating reports with other chains of narration. Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said: "My paternal uncle Anas bin Al-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him, after whom I was named, was not present with this Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Badr, and this distressed him.

He said: `The first battle at which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was present, and I was absent; if Allah shows me another battle with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Allah will see what I will do!' He did not want to say more than that. He was present with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Uhud, where he met Sa`d bin Mu`adh, may Allah be pleased with him. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him, `O Abu `Amr! Where are you going' He replied, `I long for the fragrance of Paradise and I have found it near the mountain of Uhud.' He fought them until he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him.

Eighty-odd stab wounds and spear wounds were found on his body, and his sister, my paternal aunt Ar-Rabayyi` bint Al-Nadr said, `I only recognized my brother by his fingertips.' Then this Ayah was revealed:مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُواْ تَبْدِيلاً(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah; and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.) They used to think that it had been revealed concerning him and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them." This was also recorded by Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i.

Ibn Jarir narrated that Musa bin Talhah said: "Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up and said, `I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:«طَلْحَةُ مِمَّنْ قَضَى نَحْبَه»(Talhah is one of those who have fulfilled their Nahbah.)"' Mujahid said concerning the Ayah:فَمِنْهُمْ مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ(of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah;) "Their covenant,وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَنتَظِرُ(and some of them are still waiting) they are waiting for battle so that they can do well. " Al-Hasan said:فَمِنْهُمْ مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ(of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah;) "They died true to their covenant and loyal, and some are still waiting to die in a similar manner, and some of them have never changed in the least." This was also the view of Qatadah and Ibn Zayd.

Some of them said that the word Nahbah means a vow.وَمَا بَدَّلُواْ تَبْدِيلاً(but they have never changed in the least.) means, they never changed their covenant or were disloyal or committed treachery, but they persisted in what they had promised and did not break their vow, unlike the hypocrites who said:إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَةٌ وَمَا هِىَ بِعَوْرَةٍ إِن يُرِيدُونَ إِلاَّ فِرَاراً("Truly, our homes lie open." And they lay not open. They but wished to flee.) 33:13وَلَقَدْ كَانُواْ عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ مِن قَبْلُ لاَ يُوَلُّونَ الاٌّدْبَـرَ(And indeed they had already made a covenant with Allah not to turn their backs,) 33:15لِّيَجْزِىَ اللَّهُ الصَّـدِقِينَ بِصِدْقِهِمْالْمُنَـفِقِينَ إِن شَآءَ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ(That Allah may reward the men of truth for their truth, and punish the hypocrites, if He wills, or accept their repentance by turning to them.) Allah tests His servants with fear and shaking so as to tell the evil from the good, as each will be known by his deeds.

Although Allah knows what the outcome will be before anything happens, still He does not punish anyone on the basis of His knowledge until they actually do what He knows they will do. As Allah says:وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ مِنكُمْ وَالصَّـبِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَـرَكُمْ(And surely, We shall try you till We test those who strive hard and patient, and We shall test your facts.) (47:31). This refers to knowing something after it happens, even though Allah knows it before it comes to pass. Allah says:مَّا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَآ أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ(Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allah disclose to you the secrets of the Unseen) (3:179).

Allah says here:لِّيَجْزِىَ اللَّهُ الصَّـدِقِينَ بِصِدْقِهِمْ(That Allah may reward the men of truth for their truth,) meaning, for their patience in adhering to the covenant they had made with Allah and keeping their promise.الْمُنَـفِقِينَ(and punish the hypocrites, ) who are the ones who broke the covenant and went against the commands of Allah, for which they deserve to be punished, but they are subject to His will in this world. If He wills, He will leave them as they are until they meet Him in the Hereafter, when He will punish them, or if He wills, He will guide them to give up their hypocrisy and to believe and do righteous deeds after they had been wrongdoers and sinners. Since His mercy and kindness towards His creation prevail over His wrath, He says:إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً(Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)

The second state mentioned here is that of the hypocrites for they had started saying that the promises of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ were a web of deception: إِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَ‌ضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّـهُ وَرَ‌سُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُ‌ورً‌ا (And (remember) when the hypocrites and those having malady in their hearts were saying, "Allah and His messenger did not promise us but deceitfully; -12). This was an externalized demonstration of their inner disbelief. Onward from here, mention has been made of two groups of hypocrites who were practically a part of the Jihad effort along with Muslims, though outwardly only. One of the two groups started running without any permission saying: وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِ‌بَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَارْ‌جِعُوا (and when a group of them said, "0 people of Yathrib (Madinah), there is no place for you to stay; so go back. - 13" And the other group requested the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to go back on the basis of false excuses.

Their conduct has been mentioned as: وَيَسْتَأْذِنُ فَرِ‌يقٌ مِّنْهُمُ النَّبِيَّ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ بُيُوتَنَا عَوْرَ‌ةٌ (And a group of them was seeking permission (to leave) from the prophet, saying, "In fact our homes are vulnerable," while they were not vulnerable - 13). Thus, the Qur'an exposed the hollowness of their excuses as a pack of lies. The truth of the matter was no more than that they intended to run from the battlefront:إِن يُرِ‌يدُونَ إِلَّا فِرَ‌ارً‌ا (They wanted nothing but to escape - 13). Taken up in the next several verses is their mischief-making and enmity with Muslims following which their sad end has been pointed out.

After that, the text mentions sincere believers and praises their firmness and fortitude. In the same connection, there comes a strong assertion of the need to obey and follow the Holy Prophet ﷺ almost in the form of a legal rule of conduct: لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَ‌سُولِ اللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ (There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - 21). From here it stands proved that all sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have to be followed. But, the Shari'ah authorities have explained the rule about the different degrees of following required from a Muslim. The rule is that any act or omission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ proved to have been done as an obligation would have to be obeyed and followed as wajib (obligatory, necessary). And any act or omission on his part that is proved to have been done as a preferable conduct (istihbab) and not as an obligatory one, should be followed by us too as a commendable (mustahab) conduct and not as a necessary obligation This, in other words, means that its contravention will not be declared to be a sin.

(For a detailed discussion, see al-Jassas in Ahkam ul-Qur'an)The last three (25-27) of the cited verses refer to the event relating to Banu Quraizah. In verse 26: وَأَنزَلَ الَّذِينَ ظَاهَرُ‌وهُم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِن صَيَاصِيهِمْ it was said that Allah Ta’ ala had, by putting the awe of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Muslim followers into the hearts of the people of the Book who had helped the Confederate forces, made them come down from their strong fortresses and had thus made Muslims the inheritors of their properties, homes and areas of concentration.

In the last verse (27), good news of future victories has been given. Gone is the time when disbelievers attacked. Now the cycle of Muslim victories will begin and they will come to be on lands their feet have not touched yet. And this prophecy unfolded itself during the tenure of the noble Sahabah and everyone witnessed the spectacle of great empires ruled by Cyrus and Caesar come under them. And Allah does what He wills.

لما ذكر عن المنافقين أنهم نقضوا العهد الذي كانوا عاهدوا الله عليه لا يولون الأدبار ، وصف المؤمنين بأنهم استمروا على العهد والميثاق و ( صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه فمنهم من قضى نحبه ) ، قال بعضهم : أجله .وقال البخاري : عهده . وهو يرجع إلى الأول .( ومنهم من ينتظر وما بدلوا تبديلا ) أي : وما غيروا عهد الله ، ولا نقضوه ولا بدلوه .قال البخاري : حدثنا أبو اليمان ، أخبرنا شعيب ، عن الزهري قال : أخبرني خارجة بن زيد بن ثابت ، عن أبيه قال : لما نسخنا الصحف ، فقدت آية من " سورة الأحزاب " كنت أسمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقرؤها ، لم أجدها مع أحد إلا مع خزيمة بن ثابت الأنصاري - الذي جعل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم شهادته بشهادة رجلين - : ( من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه ) .انفرد به البخاري دون مسلم . وأخرجه أحمد في مسنده ، والترمذي والنسائي - في التفسير من سننيهما - من حديث الزهري ، به . وقال الترمذي : " حسن صحيح " .وقال البخاري أيضا : حدثنا محمد بن بشار ، حدثنا محمد بن عبد الله الأنصاري ، حدثني أبي ، عن ثمامة ، عن أنس بن مالك قال : نرى هذه الآية نزلت في أنس بن النضر : ( من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه ) .انفرد به البخاري من هذا الوجه ، ولكن له شواهد من طرق أخر .

قال الإمام أحمد :حدثنا هاشم بن القاسم ، حدثنا سليمان بن المغيرة ، عن ثابت قال : قال أنس : عمي أنس بن النضر سميت به ، لم يشهد مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم بدر ، فشق عليه وقال : أول مشهد شهده رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم غيبت عنه ، لئن أراني الله مشهدا فيما بعد مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ليرين الله ما أصنع . قال : فهاب أن يقول غيرها ، فشهد مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم [ يوم ] أحد ، فاستقبل سعد بن معاذ فقال له أنس يا أبا عمرو ، أبن . واها لريح الجنة أجده دون أحد ، قال : فقاتلهم حتى قتل قال : فوجد في جسده بضع وثمانون من ضربة وطعنة ورمية ، فقالت أخته - عمتي الربيع ابنة النضر - : فما عرفت أخي إلا ببنانه . قال : فنزلت هذه الآية : ( رجال صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه فمنهم من قضى نحبه ومنهم من ينتظر وما بدلوا تبديلا ) . قال : فكانوا يرون أنها نزلت فيه ، وفي أصحابه .ورواه مسلم والترمذي والنسائي ، من حديث سليمان بن المغيرة ، به .

ورواه النسائي أيضا وابن جرير ، من حديث حماد بن سلمة ، عن ثابت ، عن أنس ، به نحوه .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : حدثنا أحمد بن سنان ، حدثنا يزيد بن هارون ، حدثنا حميد ، عن أنس أن عمه - يعني : أنس بن النضر - غاب عن قتال بدر ، فقال : غيبت عن أول قتال قاتله رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المشركين ، لئن الله أشهدني قتالا للمشركين ، ليرين الله ما أصنع . قال : فلما كان يوم أحد انكشف المسلمون ، فقال : اللهم إني أعتذر إليك مما صنع هؤلاء - يعني أصحابه - وأبرأ إليك مما جاء هؤلاء - يعني : المشركين - ثم تقدم فلقيه سعد - يعني : ابن معاذ - دون أحد ، فقال : أنا معك . قال سعد : فلم أستطع أن أصنع ما صنع . قال : فوجد فيه بضع وثمانون ضربة سيف ، وطعنة رمح ، ورمية سهم . وكانوا يقولون : فيه وفي أصحابه [ نزلت ] : ( فمنهم من قضى نحبه ومنهم من ينتظر ) وأخرجه الترمذي في التفسير عن عبد بن حميد ، والنسائي فيه أيضا ، عن إسحاق بن إبراهيم ، كلاهما ، عن يزيد بن هارون ، به ، وقال الترمذي : حسن . وقد رواه البخاري في المغازي ، عن حسان بن حسان ، عن محمد بن طلحة بن مصرف ، عن حميد ، عن أنس ، به ، ولم يذكر نزول الآية .

ورواه ابن جرير ، من حديث المعتمر بن سليمان ، عن حميد ، عن أنس ، به .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : حدثنا أحمد بن الفضل العسقلاني ، حدثنا سليمان بن أيوب بن سليمان بن عيسى بن موسى بن طلحة بن عبيد الله ، حدثني أبي ، عن جدي ، عن موسى بن طلحة ، عن أبيه طلحة قال : لما أن رجع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من أحد ، صعد المنبر ، فحمد الله وأثنى عليه ، وعزى المسلمين بما أصابهم ، وأخبرهم بما لهم فيه من الأجر والذخر ، ثم قرأ هذه الآية : ( رجال صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه ) . فقام إليه رجل من المسلمين فقال : يا رسول الله ، من هؤلاء ؟ فأقبلت وعلي ثوبان أخضران حضرميان فقال : " أيها السائل ، هذا منهم " .وكذا رواه ابن جرير من حديث سليمان بن أيوب الطلحي ، به . وأخرجه الترمذي في التفسير والمناقب أيضا ، وابن جرير ، من حديث يونس بن بكير ، عن طلحة بن يحيى ، عن موسى وعيسى ابني طلحة ، عن أبيهما ، به . وقال : حسن غريب ، لا نعرفه إلا من حديث يونس .وقال أيضا : حدثنا أحمد بن عصام الأنصاري ، حدثنا أبو عامر - يعني العقدي - حدثني إسحاق - يعني ابن طلحة بن عبيد الله - عن موسى بن طلحة قال : [ دخلت على معاوية ، رضي الله عنه ، فلما خرجت ، دعاني فقال : ألا أضع عندك يا ابن أخي حديثا سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ؟

أشهد لسمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : " طلحة ممن قضى نحبه " .ورواه ابن جرير : حدثنا أبو كريب ، حدثنا عبد الحميد الحماني ، عن إسحاق بن يحيى بن طلحة الطلحي ، عن موسى بن طلحة قال ] : قام معاوية بن أبي سفيان فقال : إني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : " طلحة ممن قضى نحبه " .ولهذا قال مجاهد في قوله : ( فمنهم من قضى نحبه ) قال : عهده ، ( ومنهم من ينتظر ) قال : يوما . وقال الحسن : ( فمنهم من قضى نحبه ) يعني موته على الصدق والوفاء . ( ومنهم من ينتظر ) الموت على مثل ذلك ، ومنهم من لم يبدل تبديلا . وكذا قال قتادة ، وابن زيد .وقال بعضهم : ( نحبه ) نذره .وقوله : ( وما بدلوا تبديلا ) أي : وما غيروا عهدهم ، وبدلوا الوفاء بالغدر ، بل استمروا على ما عاهدوا الله عليه ، وما نقضوه كفعل المنافقين الذين قالوا : ( إن بيوتنا عورة وما هي بعورة إن يريدون إلا فرارا ) ، ( ولقد كانوا عاهدوا الله من قبل لا يولون الأدبار ) .