Tafsir of Surah Al-Jumu'ah - Verse 8

Admonishing the Jews and challenging Them to wish for Death

Allah the Exalted admonishes the Jews who were entrusted with the Tawrah and were ordered to abide by it. However, they did not abide by it, and this is why Allah resembled them to the donkey that carries volumes of books. Surely, when the donkey carries books, it will not understand what these books contain because it is only carrying these books using its strength. This is the example of those who were entrusted with the Tawrah; they read its letter but did not understand its meanings nor abided by them. Rather, they even corrupted and changed the Tawrah. Therefore, they are worse than the donkey, because the donkey cannot understand. They, on the other hand, could have understood using their minds, but their minds were of no benefit. This is why Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ

(They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless.) (7:179), and said,

بِئْسَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(How bad is the example of people who deny the Ayat of Allah. And Allah does not guide the people who are wrongdoers.) Allah the Exalted said,

قُلْ يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ إِن زَعمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ لِلَّهِ مِن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ

(Say: "O you Jews! If you pretend that you are friends of Allah, to the exclusion of other people, then long for death if you are truthful.") meaning, `if you claim that you are on the correct guidance and that Muhammad ﷺ and his Companions are being led astray, then invoke Allah to bring death to the misguided group among the two, if you are truthful in your claim.' Allah said,

وَلاَ يَتَمَنَّونَهُ أَبَداً بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْديهِمْ

(But they will never long for it, because of what their hands have sent before them!) meaning because of the disbelief, injustice and sins that they commit,

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّـلِمينَ

(And Allah knows well the wrongdoers.) We mentioned this challenge to the Jews before in Surat Al-Baqarah, where Allah said,

قُلْ إِن كَانَتْ لَكُمُ الدَّارُ الاٌّخِرَةُ عِندَ اللَّهِ خَالِصَةً مِّن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنْتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ - وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّـلِمينَ - وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَى حَيَوةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

(Say: "If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is indeed for you specially and not for others, of mankind, then long for death if you are truthful." But they will never long for it because of what their hands have sent forth before them. And Allah is Aware of the wrongdoers. And verily, you will find them the greediest of mankind for life and (even greedier) than those who ascribe partners to Allah. One of them wishes that he could be given a life of a thousand years. But the grant of such life will not save him even a little from punishment. And Allah is Seer of what they do.) (2:94-96) We explained these meanings there, stating that the challenge was for the Jews to invoke Allah to destroy the misguided group, either they or their enemies. We also mentioned a similar challenge against the Christians in Surah Al `Imran,

فَمَنْ حَآجَّكَ فِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ نَدْعُ أَبْنَآءَنَا وَأَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَنِسَآءَنَا وَنِسَآءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَـذِبِينَ

(Then whoever disputes with you concerning him `Isa after (all this) knowledge that has come to you, say: "Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves -- then we pray and invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie.")(3:61) and against the idolators, in Surah Maryam,

قُلْ مَن كَانَ فِى الضَّلَـلَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَـنُ مَدّاً

(Say whoever is in error, the Most Gracious will extend circumstances for him.)(19:75) Imam Ahmad, may Allah be pleased with him recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "Abu Jahl, may Allah curse him, said, `If I see Muhammad ﷺ praying at the Ka`bah, I will step on his neck.' When the Prophet heard of that, he said,

«لَوْ فَعَلَ لَأَخَذَتْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَيَانًا وَلَوْ أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ تَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ لَمَاتُوا وَرَأَوْا مَقَاعِدَهُمْ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَلَوْ خَرَجَ الَّذِينَ يُبَاهِلُونَ رَسُولَ اللهِصلى الله عليه وسلّم لَرَجَعُوا لَا يَجِدُونَ أَهْلًا وَلَا مَالًا»

(Had he done so, the angels would have snatched him away in public. Had the Jews wished for death, they would all have perished and saw their seats in Hellfire. Had those accepted for invoking the curse of Allah with Allah's Messenger ﷺ, they would not have found families or property when they returned home.)" Al-Bukhari, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i recorded it. His saying;

قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِى تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَـقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(Say: "Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will inform you about what you used to do.") is like His saying in Surat An-Nisa':

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُواْ يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ

(Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high.)

قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّ‌ونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ (Say, “ Indeed, the death from which you [ try to ] run away has to visit you,…62:8). In other words, the Jews’ running away from longing for death despite their aforesaid claim is tantamount to running away from death itself. The Holy Prophet ﷺ is instructed in the verse to tell them that the death from which they are fleeing would inevitably catch up with them. If that would not happen instantly, it would certainly happen sometime later. Thus it is impossible for anyone to avoid or avert death in any way.

Laws pertaining to Avoiding the Causes of Death

There are many normal causes of death, from which both reason and Shari’ ah require man to avoid. Once the Holy Prophet ﷺ passed under a bent wall [ as if it was about to fall down or collapse ] and he passed it quickly, lest it should fall down or collapse on him. Likewise, if fire breaks out at some place, both reason and shari’ ah dictate that one should run away from there. These circumstances of fleeing from death do not fall under fleeing from death denounced in the above verse, if our faith is sound and we believe that when the predetermined time of our death will approach, we will not be able to escape. Since we do not know for sure whether fire, or poison, or some other obnoxious thing will be the destined cause of our death in a particular situation, running away from them would not amount to fleeing from death that is denounced in the verse.

As for as bubonic plague or epidemic is concerned, it is a separate issue. The details appear in books of jurisprudence and Hadith which may be consulted. The author of Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani has on this occasion discussed this issue exhaustively and clarified it to a great degree. Some of its details have already been given in this book under the verses 2:243 to 244. See vol. 1, pp. 619-622.

When a book of God is given to a community, it is given for the purpose of its being followed. But a community which does not become the bearer of the book in that sense is like a donkey on which academic books are loaded without its being aware of what they are. The Jews did not follow the teachings of their religion, but they had made it a sign of pride for themselves. But this sort of pride is not going to be of any use to anybody. Such pride is always false pride, and the proof of this is that no proud person is ready to make sacrifices for the religion which he had made a matter of pride. However, when death overtakes such people, they will come to know that the pride on which they were living in the world will bring them nothing but dishonour in the Hereafter.