Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'idah - Verse 67

Commanding the Prophet to Convey the Message; Promising Him Immunity and Protection

Allah addresses His servant and Messenger Muhammad ﷺ by the title `Messenger' and commands him to convey all that He has sent him, a command that the Prophet has fulfilled in the best manner. Al-Bukhari recorded that `A'ishah said, "Whoever says to you that Muhammad hid any part of what Allah revealed to him, then he is uttering a lie. Allah said,

يَـأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ

(O Messenger! Convey what has been sent down to you from your Lord.)" Al-Bukhari collected the short form of this story here, but mentioned the full narration in another part of his book. Muslim in the Book of Iman, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa'i in the Book of Tafsir of their Sunans also collected this Hadith. In is recorded in the Two Sahihs that `A'ishah said, "If Muhammad hid anything from the Qur'an, he would have hidden this Ayah,

وَتُخْفِى فِى نِفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَـهُ

(But you did hide in yourself that which Allah will make manifest, you did fear the people while Allah had a better right that you should fear Him.)" Al-Bukhari recorded that Az-Zuhri said, "From Allah comes the Message, for the Messenger is its deliverance and for us is submission to it." The Ummah of Muhammad has testified that he has delivered the Message and fulfilled the trust, when he asked them during the biggest gathering in his speech during the Farewell Hajj. At that time, there were over forty thousand of his Companions. Muslim recorded that Jabir bin `Abdullah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in his speech on that day,

«أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّكُمْ مَسْؤُولُونَ عَنِّي، فَمَا أَنْتُمْ قَائِلُونَ؟»

(O people! You shall be asked about me, so what are you going to reply) They said, "We bear witness that you have conveyed (the Message), fulfilled (the trust) and offered sincere advice." The Prophet kept raising his finger towards the sky and then pointing at them, saying,

«اللَّهُمَّ هَلْ بَلَّغْتُ؟ اللَّهُمَّ هَلْ بَلَّغْتُ؟»

(O Allah! Did I convey O Allah! Did I convey) Allah's statement,

وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ

(And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message.) meaning: If you do not convey to the people what I sent to you, then you have not conveyed My Message. Meaning, the Prophet knows the consequences of this failure. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas commented on the Ayah,

وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ

(And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message.) "It means, if you hide only one Ayah that was revealed to you from your Lord, then you have not conveyed His Message." Allah's statement,

وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ

(Allah will protect you from mankind.) means, you convey My Message and I will protect, aid and support you over your enemies and will grant you victory over them. Therefore, do not have any fear or sadness, for none of them will be able to touch you with harm. Before this Ayah was revealed, the Prophet was being guarded, as Imam Ahmad recorded that `A'ishah said that the Prophet was vigilant one night when she was next to him; she asked him, "What is the matter, O Allah's Messenger" He said,

«لَيْتَ رَجُلًا صَالِحًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِي يَحْرُسُنِي اللَّيْلَة»

(Would that a pious man from my companions guard me tonight!) She said, "Suddenly we heard the clatter of arms. The Prophet said,

«مَنْ هَذَا؟»

(Who is that".) He (the new comer) replied, "I am Sa`d bin Malik (Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas)." The Prophet asked,

«مَا جَاءَ بِكَ؟»

(What brought you here) He said, "I have come to guard you, Allah's O Messenger." `A'ishah said, "So, the Prophet slept (that night) and I heard the noise of sleep coming from him.)" This Hadith is recorded in Two Sahihs. Another narration for this Hadith reads, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was vigilant one night, after he came to Al-Madinah...", meaning, after the Hijrah and after the Prophet consummated his marriage to `A'ishah in the second year of Hijrah. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `A'ishah said, "The Prophet was being guarded until this Ayah,

وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ

(Allah will protect you from mankind) was revealed." She added; "The Prophet raised his head from the room and said;

«يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ انْصَرِفُوا فَقَدْ عَصَمَنِي اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَل»

(O people! Go away, for Allah will protect me.)"' At-Tirmidhi recorded it and said,"This Hadith is Gharib." It was also recorded by Ibn Jarir, and Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, where he said, "Its chain is Sahih, but they did not record it." Allah's statement,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْكَـفِرِينَ

(Verily, Allah guides not those who disbelieve.) means, O Muhammad, you convey, and Allah guides whom He wills, and misguides whom He wills. In other Ayat, Allah said,

لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ

(Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills,) and,

فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ

(Your duty is only to convey and on Us is the reckoning.)

Emphasis on Tabligh and Comfort for the Prophet ﷺ

In the present verses as well as throughout the previous two sections, there has been a continued description of the crookedness, waywardness, obstinacy and anti-Islam mechanizations of Jews and Christians. One natural effect it could have on the Holy Prophet ﷺ was that he, being human, could feel disappointed or compelled by circumstances and, as a result of which, the process of Tabligh or the very mission of prophethood might slow down or left lacking somewhere. The second effect could be that in the event he elected to devote single-mindedly to his call and mission as a prophet without caring for any hostility, enmity, harm or hurt, there was every likelihood that it could result in the worst of hardships at the hands of his adversaries. Therefore, in the last verse (67), the Holy Prophet ﷺ was, on the one hand, emphatically commanded to convey everything revealed to him by Allah, all of it, without any hesitation, to the people. That someone likes or dislikes it, takes or rejects it, should not worry him in his mission. Then, on the other hand, by giving the Holy Prophet ﷺ the good news that all those disbelievers will be unable to bring any harm to him in his mission as a prophet for Allah will Himself protect him.

The sentence: وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِ‌سَالَتَهُ And if you do not, then, you have not conveyed His message [ at all ] ' in this verse is worth pondering. This address to the Holy Prophet ﷺ here means that if he failed to convey even one Divine command to the Muslim Ummah, he would not find himself absolved of the responsibility of prophethood. This was the reason why the Holy Prophet ﷺ strived with his full courage and strength all his life to fulfill this heavy obligation placed on his shoulders. Muslims are familiar with the renowned Khutbah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ during his Last Hajj, the great address which was not only the Constitution of Islam but also the last will and testament of an elementally lenient and merciful prophet who was far more affectionate and caring than a father and mother could ever be.

The parting will of the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the occasion of the Last Hajj

In this Khutbah before a huge gathering of his noble Sahabah, after he had given important instructions to them, he asked the audience: اَلَا بَلَّغتُ (Listen: Have I conveyed your religion to you?). The Sababah confirmed that he certainly had. Thereupon, he said: You be a witness on this. And along with it, he also said: فَلیُبَلِّغِ اشَّاھِد ( الغای (علیہ السلام) بَ (that is, those present in this gathering should convey my message to those who are not here). Included among the absent are those who were present in the world at that time but were not present in the gathering itself - and also included are those who were yet to be born. The method of conveying the message to them was the spreading of the knowledge of the دین Din of Allah, a duty which was fulfilled by great efforts made by the Sahabah and the Tabi'in.

It was under the direct influence of this parting advice that the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, took the words and deeds of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as a weighty trust of Allah and did their best to ensure that not a single sentence uttered by his blessed tongue should remain un-conveyed to his Ummah. This holds true under all normal conditions. However, if someone did not narrate a particular Hadith before people for a special reason or compulsion, he made it a point to do that before his death by reciting it to at least some people around so that they could be relieved of the burden of trust they have been carrying on their shoulders. A similar event about a Hadith from Sayyidna Mu'adh ؓ has been reported in the Sahih of al-Bukhari, that is, اَخبر بہ معاذ عند موتہ تاثما that is, Sayyidna Mu` adh recited this Hadith at the time of his death so that he would not become a sinner because of his failure to convey this trust with him to others.

The Protection of Allah

In the second sentence of the last verse: وَاللَّـهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ (And Allah shall protect you from the people), good news has been given to him that his enemies would remain unable to do anything harmful against him despite their myriad demonstrations of animosity.

It appears in Hadith that, before the revelation of this verse, some Companions ؓ generally used to stay around him in order to protect him. They guarded him wherever he was, in the city or in travel. After the revelation of this verse, he relieved them all as no security arrangements were needed anymore. Allah had Himself taken that responsibility.

In a Hadith narrated by Sayyidna Hasan, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: When I was charged with the duty of conveying the message of Allah as His prophet, the charge appeared to be very frightening because people around me were bound to falsify and oppose me. Then, as this verse was revealed, I was at peace. (Tafsir Kabir)

Thus, after the revelation of this verse, no one dared to harm the Holy Prophet ﷺ during his efforts to spread the message of Islam as a prophet of Allah. Any casual injury received in Jihad battles is not contrary to this.

When the Prophet Muhammad appeared in Arabia , it was not the case that there was nobody professing religion there at that time. The whole of Arabian society was founded on religion. It was in the name of religion that many people had assumed positions of prominence and leadership. Being holders of high religious positions was the symbol of a high status in society and something to be proud of. In spite of this, the Prophet had to endure the worst type of opposition from the people of Arabia. The reason for this was the prevalence among them of a new self-made religion which had usurped the real religion of God. In this region, centuries of tradition had resulted in the formation of various seats of power and centres of vested interests. This being the situation, when the Prophet gave a call for pure religion, the people felt that it was damaging to their religious status. They were afraid that once this pure religion took root, the old religious order which had given them prominent status would be destroyed. Such a state of affairs is very hard on the preacher of the word of God. Openly pursuing his religious activities becomes equivalent to struggling against the established religious authorities of the time. He feels that if he makes no compromises in propagating true religion, he shall have to face the most severe reaction; he will be ridiculed; he will be degraded; he will become impoverished, violent action will be taken against him; and he will be deprived of all assistance and support. Now he has two ways open to him. He can either take worldly considerations into account, in which case successful communication of the word of God appears impossible. Or he can ignore the constraints of worldly considerations, in which case in fulfilling his responsibilities, God’s promise of help will assist him to concentrate. God promises that if he focuses fully on preaching, His help will be enough in case of any difficulties created by the addressee community. The purveyor of God’s will should simply trust in God. The reaction of the addressee community is natural and the preacher has to face it at all events. But its sphere is limited to the scope of God’s Law relating to the trial of man. It can never happen that opponents gain control of the situation to the extent of stopping the preacher’s work or preventing its completion. Achieving the target of such work is the plan of God. So, it will inevitably be completed. Thereafter, acceptance by the addressee group is its own responsibility, and can be effective only to the extent the addressees desire.