Tafsir of Surah An-Nur - Verse 54

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. ..) 42:53

وَمَا 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.) 13:40

فَذَكِّرْ 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 victory

وَمَن 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 four

things 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)

The promise of the grant of a dominant status applied initially to the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, but it also applies to the whole community of the believers. It is observed here that men of faith need not make the possession of power and dominance their target, for these are actually blessings of God, conferred upon deserving believers as a reward for their faith and good deeds. The purpose of granting this dominant status is to provide the believers with stability in this world, so that they may be able to live peacefully and in safety, lead their lives as the subjects of the One God and pray to Him freely, without fearing their enemies. The dominant status of the people of faith shall continue so long as they remain grateful to God and do not lose their fear of God (taqwa). Appointing a successor, khalifah, or ‘one who comes afterwards’, entails the conferring of dominant status and stability on one community in place of the community, which had earlier enjoyed this position. The dominant position is, in fact, a part of the divine trial. God gives this position to all communities, one after another, and thus puts them to the test. For people of faith, this position is a means of judging them.