Tafsir of Surah Aal Imran - Verse 155

Slumber Overcame the Believers; the Fear that the Hypocrites Suffered

Allah reminds His servants of His favor when He sent down on them tranquillity and slumber that overcame them while they were carrying their weapons and feeling distress and grief. In this case, slumber is a favor and carries meanings of calmness and safety. For instance, Allah said in Surat Al-Anfal about the battle of Badr,

إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً مِّنْهُ

((Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him) 8:11.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said that, Abu Talhah said, "I was among those who were overcome by slumber during the battle of Uhud. My sword fell from my hand several times and I would pick it up, then it would fall and I would pick it up again." Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith in the stories of the battles without a chain of narration, and in the book of Tafsir with a chain of narrators. At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Al-Hakim recorded from Anas that Abu Talhah said, "On the day of Uhud, I raised my head and looked around and found that everyone's head was nodding from slumber." This is the wording of At-Tirmidhi, who said, "Hasan Sahih". An-Nasa'i also recorded this Hadith from Anas who said that Abu Talhah said, "I was among those who were overcome by slumber."

The second group mentioned in the Ayah were the hypocrites who only thought about themselves, for they are the most cowardly people and those least likely to support the truth,

يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَـهِلِيَّةِ

(and thought wrongly of Allah - the thought of ignorance) 3:154, for they are liars and people who have doubts and evil thoughts about Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored. Allah said,

ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاساً يَغْشَى طَآئِفَةً مِّنْكُمْ

(Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party of you), the people of faith, certainty, firmness and reliance (on Allah) who are certain that Allah shall give victory to His Messenger and fulfill his objective.

وَطَآئِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ

(While another party was thinking about themselves), and they were not overcome by slumber because of their worry, fright and fear,

يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَـهِلِيَّةِ

(and thought wrongly of Allah --- the thought of ignorance).

Similarly, Allah said in another statement,

بَلْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَن لَّن يَنقَلِبَ الرَّسُولُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَى أَهْلِيهِمْ أَبَداً

(Nay, but you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families) 48:12.

This group thought that the idolators achieved ultimate victory, when their forces took the upper hand in battle, and that Islam and its people would perish. This is typical of people of doubt and hesitation, in the event of a hardship, they fall into such evil thoughts. Allah then described them that,

يَقُولُونَ

(they said) in this situation,

هَل لَّنَا مِنَ الاٌّمْرِ مِن شَىْءٍ

("Have we any part in the affair") Allah replied,

قُلْ إِنَّ الاٌّمْرَ كُلَّهُ للَّهِ يُخْفُونَ فِى أَنْفُسِهِم مَّا لاَ يُبْدُونَ لَكَ

(Say: "Indeed the affair belongs wholly to Allah." They hide within themselves what they dare not reveal to you.) wAllah exposed their secrets, that is,

يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الاٌّمْرِ شَىْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَـهُنَا

(saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here.") although they tried to conceal this thought from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Ibn Ishaq recorded that `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr said that Az-Zubayr said, "I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when fear intensified and Allah sent sleep to us (during the battle of Uhud). At that time, every man among us (except the hypocrites) was nodding off. By Allah! As if in a dream, I heard the words of Mu`attib bin Qushayr, `If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here.' I memorized these words of his, which Allah mentioned later on,

يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الاٌّمْرِ شَىْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَـهُنَا

(saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here.)"

Ibn Abi Hatim collected this Hadith.

Allah the Exalted said,

قُل لَّوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ

(Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death,") meaning, this is Allah's appointed destiny and a decision that will certainly come to pass, and there is no escaping it. Allah's statement,

وَلِيَبْتَلِىَ اللَّهُ مَا فِى صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ

(that Allah might test what is in your breasts; and to purify that which was in your hearts,) means, so that He tests you with whatever befell you, to distinguish good from evil and the deeds and statements of the believers from those of the hypocrites,

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ

(and Allah is All-Knower of what is in the breasts), and what the hearts conceal.

Some of the Believers Give Flight on the Day of Uhud

Allah then said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْاْ مِنكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَـنُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُواْ

(Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met, Shaytan only caused them to err because of some of what they had earned) 3:155,

because of some of their previous errors. Indeed, some of the Salaf said, "The reward of the good deed includes being directed to another good deed that follows it, while the retribution of sin includes committing another sin that follows it." Allah then said,

وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ

(but Allah, indeed, has forgiven them), their giving flight,

أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ

(surely, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing)

He forgives sins, pardons and exonerates His creatures. Imam Ahmad recorded that Shaqiq said, " `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf met Al-Walid bin `Uqbah, who said to him, `Why did you desert `Uthman, the Leader of the Faithful' `Abdur-Rahman said, `Tell him that I did not run away during Uhud, remain behind during Badr, nor abandon the Sunnah of `Umar.' Al-Walid told `Uthman what `Abdur-Rahman said. `Uthman replied, `As for his statement, `I did not run away during Uhud,' how can he blame me for an error that Allah has already forgiven. Allah said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْاْ مِنكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَـنُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُواْ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ

(Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met, Shaytan only caused them to err because of some of what they had earned. But Allah, indeed, has forgiven them).

As for his statement that I remained behind from participating in Badr, I was nursing Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, until she passed away. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave me a share in the booty of Badr, and whoever gets a share in the booty from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will have participated in battle. As for his statement that I abandoned the Sunnah of `Umar, neither I nor he are able to endure it. Go and convey this answer to him."'

The Hardships at Uhud: A Test, not Punishment :

The noble Companions as evident from: وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّـهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِ‌كُمْ (154), were actually tested through their sufferings at the battle of Uhud. This was no punishment. The objective was to make true and sincere Muslims distinct from the hypocrites. The mode was a 'test of inner qualities'.

The eloquent Qur'anic expression أَثَابَكُمْ (He awarded you sorrow), which is suggestive of punishment, can be resolved by saying that the outward form was, no doubt, that of punishment but the real purpose was a sort of affectionate correction, something similar to a well-meaning reprimand from a father to his son or a teacher to his student. In common usage, this can be called a punishment of some sort, but this is, in all reality, a form of training and correction. This is very different from a pure legal punishment.

Why did Muslims suffer at Uhud ?

The last part of verse 154 beginning with لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ (so that Allah may test) seems to indicate that the cause of hardships faced by Muslims was this wise divine arrangement. But, the statement: إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا in the verse (155) following immediately seems to suggest that some past mistake of theirs is the cause of this Satanic effect.

The answer is that the particular past mistake was the obvious reason which gave Satan the incentive to make them slip once again, an effort in which the شیطان Satan incidentally succeeded. But there was much more to it; there were wise arrangements made by the Creator behind this slip and its outcome. These have been covered under the expression لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ :'so that Allah may test'. In Ruh al-Ma'ani, a report from Zajjaj says that the Satan made them recall some of their sins in the presence of which they hesitated to appear before their Lord. So they moved away from Jihad hoping to fight later on following personal correction and thus meet Allah as martyrs in Jihad.

One sin becomes the Cause of another:

From the last verse we discover that one sin drags in yet another sin, very much like one good deed which pulls in- another good deed. In other words, all deeds - good and bad - have a sort of magnetic pull of their own. When a person accomplishes a good deed, experience shows that other good deeds become easy on him. His very heart starts desiring to do what is good and righteous. Similarly, a person who commits a sin finds that it has cleared the way for other sins. His very heart starts desiring to do what is sinful. Therefore, some elders say: ان من جزاء الحسنۃ الحسنۃ بعدھا ، وان من جزاء السیٔۃ السیٔۃ بعدھا the ready reward of a good deed is another good deed which a person is enabled to accomplish and the ready punishment of an evil deed is another evil deed the way to which has been cleared by the first.'

In Masa'ilus-Suluk, Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) has said: As explained in hadith, sin makes the heart dark and when the heart goes dark, Satan شیطان prevails.'

The position of the Noble Companions ؓ in the sight of Allah Almighty :

As briefly stated earlier, the mistakes made by some. noble Companions ؓ at the battle of Uhud were intrinsically serious. The majority from among the fifty Companions who were commanded by the Holy Prophet ﷺ to guard a hill-top strategic point, with clear instruction not to leave their duty-post, no matter what happens at the battle front underneath, moved away from their assigned place. Granted that the reason for their abandonment of the post of duty was an erroneous independent judgment, as they thought their side had won the battle. The order to guard their post, according to their view, had been carried out, therefore, they thought, they could go down and join in with the rest of Muslims. But, in reality, their action was in clear contravention of definite instructions given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ .

This mistake of theirs motivated them to leave the battlefield, no matter how this is explained, as reported earlier from Zajjaj. Moreover, this retreat from the battlefield took place while the Messenger of Allah was with them unmoved from the front line and calling them back from behind them. If this situation is viewed without reference to personalities and circumstances that action would certainly be classed as a very serious breach of conduct in a military encounter. In fact, of the many blames imputed to various Companions under the unfortunate genre of Mushajarat (the mutual quarrels and armed confrontations between the noble Companions which took place after the Holy Prophet ﷺ) this would be rated as the most serious.

But, something more worthy of consideration is what Allah Almighty has done in their case inspite of all their mistakes. Stated right here in the present verses, is how their grief was physically changed into tranquility through drowsiness. Then, they were told that their suffering was no punishment; it was a matter of test. Then came the clearly worded proclamation of forgiveness for them. It will be recalled that these have appeared earlier, yet they have been reaffirmed here. There is an element of wisdom behind this repetition. The first time it was said, the purpose was to comfort the noble Companions themselves. Incidentally, here is a refutation of what the hypo-crites said to Muslims. They chided them for not acting on their advice, as a result of which they (the Muslims) suffered all those hardships.

In short, all these related verses make it very clear that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah hold a unique position of affection in His sight inspite of such serious mistakes made by them. Not only that they have been pardoned and forgiven but actually they have been blessed with much more. They have been made special recipients of Allah's grace and mercy. This is what comes from Allah Almighty Himself through the authentic words of the Holy Qur'an. A similar case, as reported in hadith, relating to Sayyidna Hatib ibn Abi Bilta'ah ؓ was brought before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He had written a letter to the mushrikin (disbelievers) of Makkah in which he had passed on information about Muslims living in Madinah. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ was told about it through a revelation, the letter was intercepted. The noble Companions ؓ were very angry with Sayyidna Hatib ibn Abi Bilta'ah ؓ for what he had done. Sayyidna ` Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, asked for permission to behead that 'hypocrite'. But, the Holy Prophet ﷺ knew that Hatib was no hypocrite; he was a true, sincere Muslim but he had made a mistake inadvertently. So, he forgave him his mistake and declared that he was one of the people (veterans) of Badr and, perhaps, Allah Almighty has enforced general pardon for all participants of Badr, (This narration appears in all authentic books of ahadith).

The Noble Companions ؓ : Lesson for Muslims

It is based on this affirmation that the followers of Sunnah and Jama` ah (ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah: Muslims who adhere to the practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and that of his blessed Companions ؓ find the confirmation of their belief and practice. That is, even though the noble Companions are not above sin, for sins can be and have been committed by them, but despite this, it is not permissible for the Muslim community to ascribe any evil or defect to them in a derogatory manner. When Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ forgave such serious slips and errors coming from them and dealt with them generously and mercifully and gave them the great station of ؓ و رضوا عنہ 'may Allah be pleased with them and may they be pleased with Allah,' how can anyone claim to have the right to talk about anyone of them in a derogatory manner?

This is why Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ on hearing somebody satirize Sayyidna ` Uthman al-Ghani ؓ and some noble Companions ؓ by saying that they had run away from the battlefield, the reference being to this incidence at Uhud, said, 'Nobody has the right to criticize that which Allah has expressly proclaimed to have been forgiven (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Therefore, all doctrinal source-books of the ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama` ah unanimously agree that it is wajib or necessary to honour the position of the noble Companions and to abstain from criticizing, mocking or speaking ill of them. It appears in al-` Aqa` id an-Nasfiyah:

و یکف عن ذکر الصحابہ الا بخیر ~

It is necessary that one should not talk about the Companions except in a good manner.

In Sharh al-Musamarah, Ibn Humam has said:

اعتقاد اھل السنۃ تزکیۃ جمیع السحابۃ والثناء علیھم

The belief of the followers of the Sunnah is that all Companions were purified and that they be remembered with praise.

This is what appears in Sharh Muwaqif:

یجب تعظیم الصحابۃ کلھم و الکف عن القدح فیھم

It is obligatory to honour the Companions, all of them; and avoiding satire or criticism against them is equally mandatory.

Abridged below is what Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah (رح) has said in al-'Aqidatul Wasitiyah:

"It is a cardinal belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah that Muslims must refrain from accusing or criticizing any Companion of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the matter of disagreements or armed conflicts which may have come up among them. There is a reason for this. Most of the narrations imputing drawbacks in them which have crept into history are a pack of lies planted by enemies. They simply have no truth in them. Then, there are others in which the reality has been reversed by additions and alterations. Even if, there was some truth about something, that has to be taken as the independent judgment of the Companions in which they have no choice. Going a step further, we can assume a situation where they may not be helpless but be capable of using their choice, then, what works there is the Divine Law إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ that is, good deeds make up for the bad ones. And it is more than obvious that nobody can claim equality with them in the matter of good deeds. The good they did cannot be matched by the good done by anybody else. Similarly, nobody else can be more deserving of the mercy and forgiveness of Allah Almighty as compared to them. Therefore, nobody has the right to sit on judgment against them and call their deeds to account and in that process, criticise or speak ill of them."

On the occasion of Uhud, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy counselled that the defence of Madinah should be undertaken within the walls, instead of the Muslims boldly coming out to meet the enemy. The Prophet, however, at the instance of some other sincere Muslims, went out of the city to meet the enemy, posting his men strategically on Mount Uhud. The battle began well for the Muslims, but turned to near defeat because of the disobedience of a band of fifty archers who had been given the task of guarding a certain pass. Seeing the imminent Muslim victory, they abandoned their posts, attracted by the prospects of booty. When this victory turned into defeat, the hypocrites who had deserted the Muslims even before the battle started, on the pretext that their counsel had not been accepted by the Prophet, began to say that, had their words been heeded, this calamity could have been averted. But death is decreed by God and comes regardless of circumstances. No precautionary measure can save one from death. Such happenings, whatever their apparent reason, are wrought by God, in order that His true believers may turn to Him in repentance and become worthy of further blessings from Him. Such happenings also serve to reveal the truth about those who are not the true servants of God. When the fifty archers posted at the Mount Uhud pass saw that the Muslims had won the battle, a large number of them insisted on going in pursuit of booty. Although ‘Abdullah ibn Jubayr and a few other companions pointed out that it was against the orders of the Prophet, they deserted their posts, leaving behind eleven men. Satan thus made inroads by using the dissension already evident among them. However, when they admitted their error, they were forgiven by God, and after the initial setback, God’s succour came to them too. The Almighty struck terror into the hearts of their enemies, which resulted in their retreat, although they were just a few miles from Madinah. Had God’s succour not come, there was nothing to stop them from forcing their entry into Madinah and uprooting the nascent tree of Islam.