3:10 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

يخبر تعالى أن الكفار به وبرسله، الجاحدين بدينه وكتابه، قد استحقوا العقاب وشدة العذاب بكفرهم وذنوبهم وأنه لا يغني عنهم مالهم ولا أولادهم شيئا، وإن كانوا في الدنيا يستدفعون بذلك النكبات التي ترد عليهم، ويقولون { نحن أكثر أموالا وأولادا وما نحن بمعذبين } فيوم القيامة يبدو لهم من الله ما لم يكونوا يحتسبون { وبدا لهم سيئات ما كسبوا وحاق بهم ما كانوا به يستهزؤن } وليس للأولاد والأموال قدر عند الله، إنما ينفع العبد إيمانه بالله وأعماله الصالحة، كما قال تعالى { وما أموالكم ولا أولادكم بالتي تقربكم عندنا زلفى إلا من آمن وعمل صالحا فأولئك لهم جزاء الضعف بما عملوا وهم في الغرفات آمنون } وأخبر هنا أن الكفار هم وقود النار، أي: حطبها، الملازمون لها دائما أبدا، وهذه الحال التي ذكر الله تعالى أنها لا تغني الأموال والأولاد عن الكفار شيئا، سنته الجارية في الأمم السابقة.‏

يخبر تعالى عن الكفار بأنهم وقود النار "يوم لا ينفع الظالمين معذرتهم ولهم اللعنة ولهم سوء الدار" وليس ما أوتوه في الدنيا من الأموال والأولاد بنافع لهم عند الله ولا بمنجيهم من عذابه وأليم عقابه كما قال تعالى "ولا تعجبك أموالهم ولا أولادهم إنما يريد الله ليعذبهم بها في الحياة الدنيا وتزهق أنفسهم وهم كافرون" وقال تعالى "لا يغرنك تقلب الذين كفروا في البلاد متاع قليل ثم مأواهم جنهم وبئس المهاد" وقال ههنا "إن الذين كفروا" أي بآيات الله وكذبوا رسله وخالفوا كتابه ولم ينتفعوا بوحيه إلى أنبيائه "لن تغني عنهم أموالهم ولا أولادهم من الله شيئا وأولئك هم وقود النار" أي حطبها الذي تسجر به وتوقد به كقوله "إنكم وما تعبدون من دون الله حصب جنهم" الآية. قال ابن أبي حاتم:حدثنا أبي حدثنا ابن أبي مريم حدثنا ابن لهيعة أخبرني ابن الهاد عن هند بنت الحارث عن أم الفضل أم عبدالله بن عباس قالت:بينما نحن بمكة قام رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من الليل فنادى "هل بلغت اللهم هل بلغت" ثلاثا فقام عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه فقال نعم ثم أصبح فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "ليظهرن الإسلام حتى يرد الكفر إلى مواطنه وليخوضن رجال البحار بالإسلام وليأتين على الناس زمان يتعلمون القرآن ويقرؤنه ثم يقولون قرأنا وعلمنا فمن هذا الذي هو خير منا فهل في أولئك من خير"؟ قالوا يا رسول الله فمن أولئك؟ قال "أولئك منكم وهم وقود النار" وقد رواه ابن مردويه من حديث يزيد بن عبدالله بن الهاد عن هند بنت الحارث امرأة عبدالله بن شداد عن أم الفضل أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قام ليلة بمكة فقال "هل بلغت" يقولها ثلاثا فقام عمر بن الخطاب وكان أواها فقال اللهم نعم وحرصت وجهدت ونصحت فاصبر فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "ليظهرن الإيمان حتى يرد الكفر إلى مواطنه وليخوضن رجال البحار بالإسلام وليأتين على الناس زمان يقرؤن القرآن فيقرؤنه ويعلمونه فيقولون قد قرأنا وقد علمنا فمن هذا الذي هو خير منا؟ فما في أولئك من خير" قالوا يا رسول الله فمن أولئك؟ قال "أولئك منكم أولئك هم وقود النار" ثم رواه من طريق موسى بن عبيدة عن محمد بن إبراهيم عن بنت الهاد عن العباس بن عبدالمطلب بنحوه.

On the Day of Resurrection, No Wealth or Offspring Shall Avail

Allah states that the disbelievers shall be fuel for the Fire,

يَوْمَ لاَ يَنفَعُ الظَّـلِمِينَ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَهُمُ الْلَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ

(The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to wrongdoers. Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode (i.e. painful torment in Hell-fire).) 40:52.

Further, what they were granted in this life of wealth and offspring shall not avail them with Allah, or save them from His punishment and severe torment. Similarly, Allah said,

فَلاَ تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَلُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلَـدُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَـفِرُونَ

(So let not their wealth nor their children amaze you; in reality Allah's plan is to punish them with these things in the life of this world, and that their souls shall depart (die) while they are disbelievers.) 9:55, and,

لاَ يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِى الْبِلَـدِ - مَتَـعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ

(Let not the free disposal (and affluence) of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you. A brief enjoyment; then, their ultimate abode is Hell; and worst indeed is that place for rest.) 3:196, 197.

Allah said in this Ayah 3:10,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ

(Verily, those who disbelieve) meaning, disbelieved in Allah's Ayat, denied His Messengers, defied His Books and did not benefit from His revelation to His Prophets,

لَن تُغْنِىَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَلُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلـدُهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ

(Neither their properties nor their offspring will avail them whatsoever against Allah; and it is they who will be fuel of the Fire.) meaning, they will be the wood with which the Fire is kindled and fed. Similarly, Allah said,

إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ

(Certainly you (disbelievers) and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell!) 21:98.

Allah said next,

كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ

(Like the Da'b of the people of Fira`wn.) Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah means, "Like the behavior of the people of Fir`awn." This is the same Tafsir of `Ikrimah, Mujahid, Abu Malik, Ad-Dahhak, and others. Other scholars said that the Ayah means, "Like the practice, conduct, likeness of the people of Fir`awn." These meanings are all plausible, for the Da'b means practice, behavior, tradition and habit. The Ayah indicates that the disbelievers will not benefit from their wealth or offspring. Rather, they will perish and be punished. This is the same end the people of Fir`awn and the previous nations met, those who rejected the Messengers, the Ayat, and proofs of Allah that they were sent with.

وَاللَّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(And Allah is severe in punishment.) meaning, His punishment is severe and His torment is painful. None can escape Allah's grasp, nor does anything escape His knowledge. Allah does what He wills and prevails over all things, it is He to Whom everything is humbled and there is no deity worthy of worship, nor any Lord except Him.

As for the disbelievers neither their riches nor their children will avail will protect them against God that is against His chastisement; those — they shall be fuel for the Fire they shall constitute what the Fire will be fuelled by read waqūd as opposed to wuqūd ‘fuel’.

Sequence

The text now shifts from the verbal confrontation with disbelievers on the warnings about the coming physical encounter as pointed out in verse 12 - 'You shall soon be overcome (by Muslims) ' while the verses earlier (10 and 11) serve as the introduction.

As for the unbelievers, their possessions will not take away their need for God, neither their children, and it is they who will be fuel for the Fire. What a majestic God, generous, lovingly kind, who promises the faithful in the midst of warning the unbelievers and who caresses these while blaming those! He is saying, “Tomorrow at the res- urrection possessions and children will be useless to the unbelievers and will not profit them.” In other words, they will be useful to the faithful whenever they have carried out what is rightfully due to them, making them the snare of their own religion and seeking through them their endless felicity. MuṣṬafā said, “How excellent are wholesome possessions for the wholesome man! What ex- cellent assistance are possessions for being wary of God!” This is just what the Lord of the Worlds says: “And, with what God has given thee, follow after the Last Abode” [28:77]. He is saying, “In that of this world which He has given you, bring the next world to hand! Seek the felicity of the next world!” The felicity of the next world lies in recognition of God. Recognition comes from the light of the heart. The light of the heart comes from the lamp of tawḤīd, and the root of this lamp is the divine bestowal. As for its material, that comes from the deeds and obedient acts of the body. Obedient acts come from the strength of the soul, and the soul's strength comes from food, drink, and clothing. Food, drink, and clothing are nothing but possessions. Hence possessions, by this series of steps, are the cause of endless felicity. But, one must not pass beyond the measure of sufficiency, for then these will become the cause of rebellion, just as He says: “No indeed; surely man is rebellious because he sees himself without needs” [96:6-7]. This is why God's Messenger supplicated, “Lord God, make the food of Muhammad's family in the measure of sufficiency!” When the measure of sufficiency is for the leisure to worship, then it itself is nothing but worship, for it is the supplies for the road, and the road supplies are also part of the road. Shaykh Abu'l-Qāsim Kurragānī had a lawful landed estate from which he received his suffi- ciency.