22:11 Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

أي: ومن الناس من هو ضعيف الإيمان، لم يدخل الإيمان قلبه، ولم تخالطه بشاشته، بل دخل فيه، إما خوفا، وإما عادة على وجه لا يثبت عند المحن، { فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ } أي: إن استمر رزقه رغدا، ولم يحصل له من المكاره شيء، اطمأن بذلك الخير، لا بإيمانه. فهذا، ربما أن الله يعافيه، ولا يقيض له من الفتن ما ينصرف به عن دينه، { وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ } من حصول مكروه، أو زوال محبوب { انْقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ } أي: ارتد عن دينه، { خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ } أما في الدنيا، فإنه لا يحصل له بالردة ما أمله الذي جعل الردة رأسا لماله، وعوضا عما يظن إدراكه، فخاب سعيه، ولم يحصل له إلا ما قسم له، وأما الآخرة، فظاهر، حرم الجنة التي عرضها السماوات والأرض، واستحق النار، { ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ } أي: الواضح البين.

قال مجاهد وقتادة وغيرهما على حرف على شك وقال غيرهم على طرف ومنه حرف الحبل أي طرفه أي دخل في الدين على طرف فإن وجد ما يحبه استقر وإلا انشمر وقال البخاري حدثنا إبراهيم بن الحارث حدثنا يحيى بن أبي بكير حدثنا إسرائيل عن أبي الحصين عن سعد بن جبير عن ابن عباس " ومن الناس من يعبد الله على حرف " قال كان الرجل يقدم المدينة فإن ولدت امرأته غلام ونتجت خيله قال هذا صالح وإن لم تلد امرأته ولم تنتج خيله قال هذا دين سوء وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا علي بن الحسين حدثنا أحمد بن عبدالرحمن حدثني أبي عن أبيه عن أشعث بن إسحاق القمي عن جعفر بن أبي المغيرة عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال: كان ناس من الأعراب يأتون النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم فيسلمون فإذا رجعوا إلى بلادهم فإن وجدوا عام غيث وعام خصب وعام ولاد حسن قالوا إن ديننا هذا لصالح تمسكوا به وإن وجدوا عام جدوبة وعام ولاد سوء وعام قحط قالوا ما في ديننا هذا خير فأنزل الله على نبيه " ومن الناس من يعبد الله على حرف فإن أصابه خير اطمأن به " الآية وقال العوفي عن ابن عباس: كان أحدهم إذا قدم المدينة وهم أرض دونه فإن صح بها جسمه ونتجت فرسه مهرا حسنا وولدت امرأته غلاما رضي به واطمأن إليه وقال ما أصبت منذ كنت على ديني هذا إلا خيرا " وإن أصابته فتنة " والفتنة البلاء أي وإن أصابه وجع المدينة وولدت امرأته جارية وتأخرت عنه الصدقة أتاه الشيطان فقال والله ما أصبت منذ كنت على دينك هذا إلا شرا وذلك الفتنة وهكذا ذر قتادة والضحاك وابن جريج وغير واحد من السلف في تفسير هذه الآية وقال عبدالرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم هو المنافق إن صلحت له دنياه أقام على العبادة وإن فسدت عليه دنياه وتغيرت انقلب فلا يقيم على العبادة إلا لما صلح من دنياه فإن أصابته فتنة أو شدة أو اختيار أو ضيق ترك دينه ورجع إلى الكفر وقال مجاهد في قوله " انقلب على وجهه " أي ارتد كافرا وقوله " خسر الدنيا والآخرة " أي فلا هو حصل من الدنيا على شيء وأما الآخر فقد كفر بالله العظيم فهو فيها في غاية الشقاء والإهانة ولهذا قال تعالى " ذلك هو الخسران المبين " أي هذه هي الخسارة العظيمة والصفقة الخاسرة.

The meaning of worshipping Allah as it were upon the edge

Mujahid, Qatadah and others said:

عَلَى حَرْفٍ

(upon the edge) means, in doubt. Others said that it meant on the edge, such as on the edge or side of a mountain, i.e., (this person) enters Islam on the edge, and if he finds what he likes he will continue, otherwise he will leave. Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ

(And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge.) "People would come to Al-Madinah to declare their Islam and if their wives gave birth to sons and their mares gave birth to foals, they would say, `This is a good religion,' but if their wives and their mares did not give birth, they would say, `This is a bad religion."' Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "One of them would come to Al-Madinah, which was a land that was infected with a contagious disease. If he remained healthy there, and his mare foaled and his wife gave birth to a boy, he would be content, and would say, `I have not experienced anything but good since I started to follow this religion."

وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ

(but if a Fitnah strikes him), Fitnah here means affliction, i.e., if the disease of Al-Madinah befalls him, and his wife gives birth to a babe girl and charity is delayed in coming to him, the Shaytan comes to him and says: `By Allah, since you started to follow this religion of yours, you have experienced nothing but bad things,' and this is the Fitnah." This was also mentioned by Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, Ibn Jurayj and others among the Salaf when explaining this Ayah. Mujahid said, concerning the Ayah:

انْقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ

(he turns back on his face.) "(This means), he becomes an apostate and a disbeliever."

خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالاٌّخِرَةَ

(He loses both this world and the Hereafter.) means, he does not gain anything in this world. As for the Hereafter, he has disbelieved in Allah the Almighty, so he will be utterly doomed and humiliated. So Allah says:

ذلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَنُ الْمُبِينُ

(That is the evident loss.), i.e., the greatest loss and the losing deal.

يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَضُرُّهُ وَمَا لاَ يَنفَعُهُ

(He calls besides Allah unto that which can neither harm him nor profit him.) means, the idols, rivals, and false gods which he calls upon for help, support and provision -- they can neither benefit him nor harm him.

ذلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلاَلُ الْبَعِيدُ

(That is a straying far away.)

يَدْعُو لَمَنْ ضَرُّهُ أَقْرَبُ مِن نَّفْعِهِ

(He calls unto him whose harm is nearer than his profit;) means, he is more likely to harm him than benefit him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will most certainly cause him harm.

لَبِئْسَ الْمَوْلَى وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ

(certainly an evil Mawla and certainly an evil `Ashir!) Mujahid said, "This means the idols." The meaning is: "How evil a friend is this one upon whom he calls instead of Allah as a helper and supporter."

وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ

(and certainly an evil `Ashir!) means the one with whom one mixes and spends one's time.

And among mankind there are those who worship God on a knife-edge that is with uncertainty in his worship — such a person has been likened the knife- edge of a mountain in his precariousness — if good fortune befalls him so that he enjoys health and security with respect to his own self and his property he is reassured by it; but if an ordeal befalls him a trial or ill-health with regard to himself or his property he makes a turnabout that is he reverts to disbelief losing both this world when what he had hoped for in it has eluded him and the Hereafter by his disbelief. That is the manifest loss.

Commentary

(And among men there is one who worships Allah (standing) on the verge - 22:11.) Bukhari and Ibn Abi Haim have related from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that when the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah, people flocked to him and accepted the new religion. But there were some among them whose conversion to Islam was far from being genuine, and whose sole motive for their action was to seek self-advancement, and they lacked conviction. If, after becoming Muslims, favorable circumstances resulted in an increase in their prosperity and their children, they thought Islam was a very good religion, but they were equally ready to condemn it if things went against their personal interests. This verse was revealed to describe such people who were mere opportunists and were easily swayed either way depending on where their selfish interests lay.

(And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge�) [22:11]. The commentators of the Qur'an said: �This verse was revealed about some Bedouins who used to travel from the desert to Medina to see the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. If one of them had, during such visits, good health, or his mare gave birth to seemly foals or his wife gave him a boy, such that his wealth and cattle multiplied - he would be pleased and well contended. He would say: 'Since I embraced this religion, I have not seen anything but good'. If, on the other hand, he fell ill, during such visits, or his wife gave birth to a girl, or his foals were stillborn, such that he lost his wealth, or such that the payment of alms to him was delayed - the devil would come to him and whisper: 'Since you embraced this religion, you have not gained anything but evil', and thus he would renounce his religion. Allah, exalted is, therefore, revealed (And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge)�. 'Atiyyah reported that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: �A Jewish man who had embraced Islam lost his sight, wealth and children. He thought that Islam was ill-omened and so he went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: 'Discharge me!' The Prophet said: 'you do not get discharged from Islam'. The man said: 'I did not gain any good from this religion of mine!' The Prophet said: 'O Jew, Islam smelts men as fire smelts the dross of iron, silver and gold'. Then the verse (And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge) was revealed�.