Tafsir of Surah Al-Ahzab - Verse 3

Which was revealed in Al-Madinah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Command to defy the Disbelievers and Hypocrites by followingthe Revelation of Allah and putting One's Trust in Him

Here Allah points out something lower by referring to something higher. When He commands His servant and Messenger to do this, He is also commanding those who are lower than him, and the command is addressed to them more so. Talq bin Habib said: "Taqwa means obeying Allah in the light of the guidance of Allah and in hope of earning the reward of Allah, and refraining from disobeying Allah in the light of the guidance of Allah and fearing the punishment of Allah."

وَلاَ تُطِعِ الْكَـفِرِينَ وَالْمُنَـفِقِينَ

(and obey not the disbelievers and the hypocrites.) means, do not listen to what they say and do not consult them.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيماً حَكِيماً

(Verily, Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise) means, He is more deserving of your following His commandments and obeying Him, for He knows the consequences of all things and is Wise in all that He says and does. Allah says:

وَاتَّبِعْ مَا يُوحَى إِلَـيْكَ مِن رَبِّكَ

(And follow that which is revealed to you from your Lord.) meaning, of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيراً

(Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.) means, nothing at all is hidden from Him, and put your trust in Allah, i.e., in all your affairs and situations.

وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلاً

(and sufficient is Allah as a Wakil.) means, sufficient is He as a Trustee for the one who puts his trust in Him and turns to Him.

Once again, the last statement: وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّـهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّـهِ وَكِيلًا (And place your trust in Allah and Allah is enough as a guardian- 3) is also a complement of the same order. Here it is being said: As for your approach, just pay no heed to what they say and, in order to succeed in your objective, you should trust no one but Allah for He, in Himself and by Himself, is the ultimate doer, maker and fixer of all matters and things. With Him there, you do not need to acquiesce in the opinion of anyone.

Ruling

The cited verse proves that, in religious matters, even consulting with disbelievers is not permissible. In other matters relating to technical or functional experience, there is no harm in doing so. And Allah knows best.

The Prophet Muhammad was the call-giver of the purest Truth. In this world, one who rises as such has to face the most discouraging circumstances. He remains a stranger in his surroundings. The prevalent creed, based as it is on worldly considerations, does not accord with the Hereafter-oriented religion of the missionary. Time-serving tendencies clash with his fearless policy of following the Truth. Religion has been made subservient to communal beliefs, while the missionary demands that religion should be based purely on worship of God. Under these circumstances, if a preacher succumbs to the pressure of his surroundings and makes compromises, he may attract many supporters. If he is firm in the way of Truth, he will find no support except that of the one and only God. But, the call-giver must not adopt the first alternative under any circumstances. He has to trust in God, stick to the unadulterated Truth and hope that as God is All-knowing and Wise, He will definitely help His subject.