23:94 Al-Muminoon (The Believers)

تفسير الآيتين 93 و 94 لما أقام تعالى على المكذبين أدلته العظيمة، فلم يلتفتوا لها، ولم يذعنوا لها، حق عليهم العذاب، ووعدوا بنزوله، وأرشد الله رسوله أن يقول: { قُلْ رَبِّ إِمَّا تُرِيَنِّي مَا يُوعَدُونَ } أي: أي وقت أريتني عذابهم، وأحضرتني ذلك { رَبِّ فَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي فِي الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ } أي: اعصمني وارحمني، مما ابتليتهم به من الذنوب الموجبة للنقم، واحمني أيضا من العذاب الذي ينزل بهم، لأن العقوبة العامة تعم -عند نزولها- العاصي وغيره

يقول تعالى آمرا نبيه محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يدعو هذا الدعاء عند حلول النقم " رب إما تريني ما يوعدون " أي إن عاقبتهم وأنا أشاهد ذلك فلا تجعلني فيهم كما جاء في الحديث الذي رواه الإمام أحمد والترمذي وصححه "وإذا أردت بقوم فتنة فتوفني إليك غير مفتون.

The Command to call on Allah when Calamity strikes, to repel Evil with that which is better, and to seek refuge with Allah

Allah commands His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to call on Him with this supplication when calamity strikes:

رَّبِّ إِمَّا تُرِيَنِّى مَا يُوعَدُونَ

(My Lord! If You would show me that with which they are threatened.) meaning, `if You punish them while I am witnessing that, then do not cause me to be one of them.' As was said in the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi, who graded it Sahih:

«وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بِقَومٍ فِتْنَةً فَتَوفَّنِي إِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُون»

(If You want to test people, then take me to You cause me to die without having to undergo the test.)

وَإِنَّا عَلَى أَن نُّرِيَكَ مَا نَعِدُهُمْ لَقَـدِرُونَ

(And indeed We are able to show you that with which We have threatened them.) means, `if We willed, We could show you the punishment and test that We will send upon them.' Then Allah shows him the best way to behave when mixing with people, which is to treat kindly the one who treats him badly, so as to soften his heart and turn his enmity to friendship, and to turn his hatred to love. Allah says:

ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ

(Repel evil with that which is better. ) This is like the Ayah:

ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌوَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُواْ

(Repel (the evil) with one which is better, then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. But none is granted it except those who are patient) 41:34-35. meaning, nobody will be helped or inspired to follow this advice or attain this quality,

إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُواْ

(except those who are patient) meaning, those who patiently bear people's insults and bad treatment and deal with them in a good manner when they are on the receiving end of bad treatment from them.

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَآ إِلاَّ ذُو حَظِّ عَظِيمٍ

(and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion) means, in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah says:

وَقُلْ رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيـطِينِ

(And say: "My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings of the Shayatin.") Allah commanded him to seek refuge with Him from the Shayatin, because no trick could help you against them and you cannot protect yourself by being kind to them. We have already stated, when discussing Isti`adhah (seeking refuge), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say,

«أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِه»

(I seek refuge with Allah, the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, from the accursed Shayatin, from his whisperings, evil suggestions and insinuations.) His saying:

وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ

("And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they should come near me.") means, in any issue of my life. So we are commanded to mention Allah at the beginning of any undertaking, in order to ward off the Shayatin at the time of eating, intercourse, slaughtering animals for food, etc. Abu Dawud recorded that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say:

«اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَرَمِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَدْمِ وَمِنَ الْغَرَقِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ يَتَخَبَّطَنِي الشَّيْطَانُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْت»

(O Allah, I seek refuge with You from old age, I seek refuge with You from being crushed or drowned, and I seek refuge with you from being assaulted by the Shayatin at the time of death.)

my Lord then do no put me among the evildoing folk’ lest I be destroyed when they are destroyed.

Commentary

قُل رَّ‌بِّ إِمَّا تُرِ‌يَنِّي مَا يُوعَدُونَ رَ‌بِّ فَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي فِي الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

(0 prophet) say (in prayer), "0 my Lord, if You are to show me (in my life) that (punishment) which they (the infidels) are threatened with, then, my Lord, do not place me among the wrongdoing people." (23: 93, 94)

There are many verses of the Qur'an which contain warnings of punishment to the unbelievers. While the award of punishment is a certainty on the Day of Judgment, it is possible that it may be awarded in this world also - and even during the life time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . And when Allah's wrath descends upon a people, it is not confined to sinners alone, but sometimes it afflicts virtuous people too, who may not be punished in the Hereafter and may even be compensated by extra rewards for the undeserved punishment which they suffered in this world. The Qur'an says اتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنكُمْ خَاصَّةً (And beware of a punishment which shall not fall on the wrongdoers only - 8:25). In these verses, the Holy Prophet has been told by Allah to pray to Him that if His wrath were to descend upon the infidels in his life time, then He should be removed from their company. This prayer was suggested to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in spite of the fact that he was impeccable and infallible, the intention being that He should at all times remember Allah and beseech His mercy so as to increase his own reward in the Hereafter.