29:10 Al-Ankaboot (The Spider)

لما ذكر تعالى أنه لا بد أن يمتحن من ادَّعى الإيمان، ليظهر الصادق من الكاذب، بيَّن تعالى أن من الناس فريقا لا صبر لهم على المحن، ولا ثبات لهم على بعض الزلازل فقال: { وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ فَإِذَا أُوذِيَ فِي اللَّهِ } بضرب، أو أخذ مال، أو تعيير، ليرتد عن دينه، وليراجع الباطل، { جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللَّهِ } أي: يجعلها صادَّة له عن الإيمان والثبات عليه، كما أن العذاب صادٌّ عما هو سببه.{ وَلَئِنْ جَاءَ نَصْرٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ } لأنه موافق للهوى، فهذا الصنف من الناس من الذين قال اللّه فيهم: { وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انْقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ } { أَوَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِي صُدُورِ الْعَالَمِينَ } حيث أخبركم بهذا الفريق، الذي حاله كما وصف لكم، فتعرفون بذلك كمال علمه وسعة حكمته.

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن صفات قوم من المكذبين الذين يدعون الإيمان بألسنتهم ولم يثبت الإيمان في قلوبهم بأنهم إذا جاءتهم محنة وفتنة في الدنيا اعتقدوا أن هذا من نقمة الله تعالى بهم فارتدوا عن الإسلام ولهذا قال تعالى: "ومن الناس من يقول آمنا بالله فإذا أوذي في الله جعل فتنة الناس كعذاب الله" قال ابن عباس يعني فتنته أن يرتد عن دينه إذا أوذي في الله وكذا قال غيره من علماء السلف وهذه الآية كقوله تعالى: "ومن الناس من يعبدالله على حرف فإن أصابه خير اطمأن به وإن أصابته فتنة انقلب على وجهه -إلى قوله - ذلك هو الضلال البعيد" ثم قال عز وجل: "ولئن جاء نصر من ربك ليقولن إنا كنا معكم" أي ولئن جاء نصر قريب من ربك يا محمد وفتح ومغانم ليقولن هؤلاء لكم إنا كنا معكم أي إخوانكم في الدين كما قال تعالى: "الذين يتربصون بكم فإن كان لكم فتح من الله قالوا ألم نكن معكم وإن كان للكافرين نصيب قالوا ألم نستحوذ عليكم ونمنعكم من المؤمنين" وقال تعالى: "فعسى الله أن يأتي بالفتح أو أمر من عنده فيصبحوا على ما أسروا في أنفسهم نادمين" وقال تعالى مخبرا عنهم ههنا "ولئن جاء نصر من ربك ليقولن إنا كنا معكم" ثم قال الله تعالى: "أوليس الله بأعلم بما في صدور العالمين" أي أو ليس الله بأعلم بما في قلوبهم وما تكنه ضمائرهم وإن أظهروا لكم الموافقة؟.

The Attitudes of the Hypocrites and the Ways in which Allah tests People

Allah mentions the descriptions of the liars who falsely claim faith with their lips, while faith is not firm in their hearts. When a test or trial comes in this world, they think that this is a punishment from Allah, so they leave Islam. Allah says:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يِقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِاللَّهِ فَإِذَآ أُوذِىَ فِى اللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللَّهِ

(Of mankind are some who say: "We believe in Allah." But if they are made to suffer for Allah, they consider the trial of mankind as Allah's punishment;) Ibn `Abbas said, "Meaning that their trial is leaving Islam if they are made to suffer for Allah." This was also the view of others among the Salaf. This Ayah is like the Ayah,

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انْقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ

(And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge: if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face...) until:

ذلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَـلُ الْبَعِيدُ

(That is a straying far away) 22:11-12. Then Allah says:

وَلَئِنْ جَآءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ

(and if victory comes from your Lord, they will say: "Verily, we were with you.") meaning, "if victory comes from your Lord, O Muhammad, and there are spoils of war, these people will say to you, `We were with you,' i.e., we are your brothers in faith." This is like the Ayat:

الَّذِينَ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ بِكُمْ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ فَتْحٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ قَالُواْ أَلَمْ نَكُنْ مَّعَكُمْ وَإِن كَانَ لِلْكَـفِرِينَ نَصِيبٌ قَالُواْ أَلَمْ نَسْتَحْوِذْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَنَمْنَعْكُمْ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(Those who wait and watch about you; if you gain a victory from Allah, they say: "Were we not with you" But if the disbelievers gain a success, they say (to them): "Did we not gain mastery over you and did we not protect you from the believers") (4:141).

فَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِىَ بِالْفَتْحِ أَوْ أَمْرٍ مِّنْ عِندِهِ فَيُصْبِحُواْ عَلَى مَآ أَسَرُّواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ نَـدِمِينَ

(Perhaps Allah may bring a victory or a decision according to His will. Then they will become regretful for what they have been keeping as a secret in themselves) (5:52). And Allah tells us about them here:

وَلَئِنْ جَآءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ

(and if victory comes from your Lord, they will say: "Verily, we were with you.") Then Allah says:

أَوَ لَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِى صُدُورِ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(Is not Allah Best Aware of what is in the breasts of the creatures) meaning, `does Allah not know best what is in their hearts and what they store secretly within themselves, even though outwardly they may appear to be in agreement with you'

وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ

(And indeed Allah knows those who believe, and verily He knows the hypocrites.) Allah will test the people with calamities and with times of ease, so that He may distinguish the believers from the hypocrites, to see who will obey Allah both in times of hardship and of ease, and who will obey Him only when things are going in accordance with their desires. As Allah says:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ مِنكُمْ وَالصَّـبِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَـرَكُمْ

(And surely, We shall try you till We test those who strive hard and the patient, and We shall test your facts.) (47:31) After the battle of Uhud, with its trials and tribulations for the Muslims, Allah said:

مَّا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَآ أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ

(Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good...) (3:179)

And among people there are those who say ‘We believe in God’ but if such a person suffers hurt in God’s cause he takes people’s persecution that is their harming of him to be the same as God’s chastisement in terms of his fear of it and so he obeys them and behaves hypocritically. Yet if la-in the lām is for oaths there comes help to believers from your Lord and they take spoils they will assuredly say la-yaqūlunna the final nūn of the indicative has been omitted because of the other nūn coming after it and likewise the wāw indicating the plural person has been replaced by a damma because of two unvocalised consonants coming together ‘We were indeed with you’ in faith so give us a share of the booty. God exalted be He says Does God not know best what is in the breasts of all creatures? what is in their hearts of faith or hypocrisy? Indeed He does.

(1)-It means that such people join the infidels when they apprehend some kind of torture from them, but when Allah's help will come to the Muslims in a battle against the infidels, they will pretend to be Muslims on the plea that they had joined the infidels only because they feared to be persecuted by them.

(2)-The sense is that they did not believe in Islam with their hearts, and this fact cannot: be concealed from Him, because He knows whatever lies in the hearts of the people.

(Of mankind is he who saith: We believe in Allah�) [29:10]. Said Mujahid: �This verse was revealed about some people who declared faith with their tongues. However, when Allah tested them with trials or calamities regarding their own persons, they succumbed�. Said al-Dahhak: �This verse was revealed about some Meccan hypocrites who displayed faith but showed their belief in idolatry whenever they were harmed�. �Ikrimah also reported that Ibn �Abbas said: �This verse was revealed about the believers who were expelled to Badr by the idolaters and so they renounced their faith. It is about these people that the verse (Lo! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they wrong themselves�) [4:97] was revealed�.