24:54 An-Noor (The Light)

هذه حالهم في نفس الأمر، وأما الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام، فوظيفته أن يأمركم وينهاكم، ولهذا قال: { قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ فَإِنْ ْ} امتثلوا، كان حظكم وسعادتكم وإن { تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ مَا حُمِّلَ ْ} من الرسالة، وقد أداها. { وَعَلَيْكُمْ مَا حُمِّلْتُمْ ْ} من الطاعة، وقد بانت حالكم وظهرت، فبان ضلالكم وغيكم واستحقاقكم العذاب. { وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا ْ} إلى الصراط المستقيم، قولا وعملا، فلا سبيل لكم إلى الهداية إلا بطاعته، وبدون ذلك، لا يمكن، بل هو محال. { وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ ْ} أي: تبليغكم البين الذي لا يبقي لأحد شكا ولا شبهة، وقد فعل صلى الله عليه وسلم، بلغ البلاغ المبين، وإنما الذي يحاسبكم ويجازيكم هو الله تعالى، فالرسول ليس له من الأمر شيء، وقد قام بوظيفته.

أي اتبعوا كتاب الله وسنة رسوله وقوله تعالى: "فإن تولوا" أي تتولوا عنه وتتركوا ما جاءكم به "فإنما عليه ما حمل" أي إبلاغ الرسالة وأداء الأمانة "وعليكم ما حملتم" أي بقبول ذلك وتعظيمه والقيام بمقتضاه "وإن تطيعوه تهتدوا" وذلك لأنه يدعو إلى صراط مستقيم "صراط الله الذي له ما في السموات وما في الأرض" الآية وقوله تعالى: "وما على الرسول إلا البلاغ المبين" كقوله تعالى: "فإنما عليك البلاغ وعلينا الحساب" وقوله: "فذكر إنما أنت مذكر لست عليهم بمصيطر" قال وهب بن منبه أوحى الله إلى نبي من أنبياء بني إسرائيل يقال له شعياء أن قم في بني إسرائيل فإني سأطلق لسانك بوحي فقام فقال: يا سماء اسمعي ويا أرض انصتي فإن الله يريد أن يقضي شأنا ويدبر أمرا هو منفذه إنه يريد أن يحول الريف إلى الفلاة والآجام في الغيطان والأنهار في الصحاري والنعمة في الفقراء والملك في الرعاة ويريد أن يبعث أميا من الأميين ليس بفظ ولا غليظ ولا صخاب في الأسواق لو يمر على السراج لم يطفئه من سكينته ولو يمشي على القصب واليابس لم يسمع من تحت قدميه أبعثه بشيرا ونذيرا لا يقول الخنى أفتح به أعينا عميا وآذانا صما وقلوبا غلفا وأسدده بكل أمر جميل وأهب له كل خلق كريم وأجعل السكينة لباسه والبر شعاره والتقوى ضميره والحكمة منطقه والصدق والوفاء طبيعته والعفو والمعروف خلقه والحق شريعته والعدل سيرته والهدى إمامه والإسلام ملته وأحمد اسمه أهدي به بعد الضلالة وأعلم به من الجهالة وأرفع به بعد الخمالة وأعرف به بعد النكرة وأكثر به بعد القلة وأغني به بعد العيلة وأجمع به بعد الفرقة وأؤلف به بين أمم متفرقة وقلوب مختلفة وأهواء مشتتة وأستنفذ به فئاما من الناس عظيما من الهلكة وأجعل أمته خير أمة أخرجت للناس يأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر موحدين مؤمنين مخلصين مصدقين بما جاءت به الرسل رواه ابن أبي حاتم.

قُل لاَّ تُقْسِمُواْ

(Say: "Swear you not...") meaning, do not swear this oath.

طَاعَةٌ مَّعْرُوفَةٌ

(obedience is known.) It was said that the meaning is, your obedience is known, i.e., it is known that your obedience is merely verbal and is not accompanied by action. Every time you swear an oath you lie. This is like the Ayah:

يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ لِتَرْضَوْاْ عَنْهُمْ

(They swear to you that you may be pleased with them...) 9:96 And Allah says:

اتَّخَذْواْ أَيْمَـنَهُمْ جُنَّةً

(They have made their oaths a screen (for their evil actions).) 58:16 It is part of their nature to tell lies, even in the issues they choose, as Allah says:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نَـفَقُواْ يَقُولُونَ لإِخْوَانِهِمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ لَئِنْ أُخْرِجْتُمْ لَنَخْرُجَنَّ مَعَكُمْ وَلاَ نُطِيعُ فيكُمْ أَحَداً أَبَداً وَإِن قُوتِلْتُمْ لَنَنصُرَنَّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ - لَئِنْ أُخْرِجُواْ لاَ يَخْرُجُونَ مَعَهُمْ وَلَئِن قُوتِلُواْ لاَ يَنصُرُونَهُمْ وَلَئِن نَّصَرُوهُمْ لَيُوَلُّنَّ الاٌّدْبَـرَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُنصَرُونَ

(Have you not observed the hypocrites who say to their friends among the people of the Scripture who disbelieve: "If you are expelled, we indeed will go out with you, and we shall never obey any one against you; and if you are attacked, we shall indeed help you." But Allah is Witness that they verily are liars. Surely, if they are expelled, never will they go out with them; and if they are attacked, they will never help them. And if they do help them, they will turn their backs, and they will not be victorious.) 59:11-12 Then Allah says:

قُلْ أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ

(Say: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger...) meaning, follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger .

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ

(but if you turn away,) if you ignore what he has brought to you,

فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ مَا حُمِّلَ

(he is only responsible for the duty placed on him), conveying the Message and fulfilling the trust.

وَعَلَيْكُمْ مَّا حُمِّلْتُمْ

(and you for that placed on you.) accepting that, and venerating it and doing as it commanded.

وَإِن تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُواْ

(If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance.) because he calls to the straight path,

صِرَطِ اللَّهِ الَّذِى لَهُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(The path of Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. ..) 42:53

وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ الْمُبِينُ

(The Messenger's duty is only to convey in a clear way.) This is like the Ayat:

فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ

(your duty is only to convey and on Us is the reckoning.) 13:40

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ - لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُسَيْطِرٍ

(So remind them -- you are only one who reminds. You are not a dictator over them.) 88:21-22

Say ‘Obey God and obey the Messenger.’ But if you turn away from obedience to him tawallaw ‘you turn away’ one of the two tā’ letters in tatawallaw has been omitted; an address to them know that he is only responsible for that with which he has been charged of conveying the Message and you are responsible for that with which you have been charged of obedience to him. And if you obey him you will be rightly guided. And the Messenger’s duty is only to convey the Message clearly’.

Four conditions for success and victory

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَرَ‌سُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّـهَ وَيَتَّقْهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ ﴿52﴾

And whoever obeys, Allah and His messenger and has awe of Him and observes Tagwa of Him, then such people are the victorious. [ 52]

In this verse it is declared that those who bind themselves to follow these four things are the ones who are successful and victorious in this world and the Hereafter.

An astonishing incident

An incident of Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ is reported in Tafsir Qurtubi, which explains the difference between these four things and puts them in right perspective. It so happened that one day Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ was standing in the Prophet's mosque, when suddenly a Roman villager appeared and stood beside him, and said انا اَشھَدُ اَنَّ لا إله إلا اللہ و اَشھَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً رَّسُولُ اَلله . Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ inquired ` What is the matter?' He replied ` I have accepted Islam for Allah's sake'. Then Sayyidna Umar ؓ asked if there was any reason for that, to which he replied in the affirmative, and elaborated that he had read Torah, Injil, Zabur and a number of other books brought by past messengers. But lately he had heard a verse of the Holy Qur'an recited by a Muslim prisoner and realized that in that small verse all the older books have been condensed. So, he was convinced that it was Allah's revelation. Then Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ enquired from him about the verse he was referring to, and he recited this very verse. That Roman villager also gave a very astonishing commentary of the verse, which goes like this:

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَرَ‌سُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّـهَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ ﴿52﴾

And whoever obeys Allah and His messenger and has awe of Him and observes Tagwa of Him, then such people are the victorious. [ 52]

This مَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ relates to the obligations toward Allah and وَرَ‌سُولَهُ refers to Prophet's traditions, and يَخْشَ اللَّـهَ alludes toward past life and وَيَتَّقْهِ is purported for the remaining life. When someone acts upon these four

things he is given the good tiding of فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ (that such people are the victorious). And Fa'iz is that person who gets deliverance from Jahannam and earns a place in the Paradise. After hearing this explanation Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ said the endorsement of this is available in the utterance of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، who had said that اُوتیت جوامع الکلم Allah has graced me with such comprehensive expressions in which words are few but the meanings are vast'. (Qurtubi)