3:156 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

ينهى تعالى عباده المؤمنين أن يشابهوا الكافرين، الذين لا يؤمنون بربهم، ولا بقضائه وقدره، من المنافقين وغيرهم. ينهاهم عن مشابهتهم في كل شيء، وفي هذا الأمر الخاص وهو أنهم يقولون لإخوانهم في الدين أو في النسب: { إذا ضربوا في الأرض } أي: سافروا للتجارة { أو كانوا غزى } أي: غزاة، ثم جرى عليهم قتل أو موت، يعارضون القدر ويقولون: { لو كانوا عندنا ما ماتوا وما قتلوا } وهذا كذب منهم، فقد قال تعالى: { قل لو كنتم في بيوتكم لبرز الذين كتب عليهم القتل إلى مضاجعهم } ولكن هذا التكذيب لم يفدهم، إلا أن الله يجعل هذا القول، وهذه العقيدة حسرة في قلوبهم، فتزداد مصيبتهم، وأما المؤمنون بالله فإنهم يعلمون أن ذلك بقدر الله، فيؤمنون ويسلمون، فيهدي الله قلوبهم ويثبتها، ويخفف بذلك عنهم المصيبة. قال الله ردا عليهم: { والله يحيي ويميت } أي: هو المنفرد بذلك، فلا يغني حذر عن قدر. { والله بما تعملون بصير } فيجازيكم بأعمالكم وتكذيبكم.

ينهى تعالى عباده المؤمنين عن مشابهة الكفار في اعتقادهم الفاسد الدال عليه قولهم عن إخوانهم الذين ماتوا في الأسفار والحروب لو كانوا تركوا ذلك لما أصابهم ما أصابهم فقال تعالى "يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تكونوا كالذين كفروا وقالوا لإخوانهم" أي عن إخوانهم "إذا ضربوا في الأرض" أي سافروا للتجارة ونحوها "أو كانوا غزى" أي كانوا في الغزو "لو كانوا عندنا" أي في البلد "ما ماتوا وما قتلوا" أي ما ماتوا في السفر وما قتلوا في الغزو وقوله تعالى "ليجعل الله ذلك حسرة في قلوبهم" أي خلق هذا الاعتقاد في نفوسهم ليزدادوا حسرة على موتاهم وقتلاهم ثم قال تعالى ردا عليهم "والله يحيي ويميت" أي بيده الخلق وإليه يرجع الأمر ولا يحيا أحد ولا يموت أحد إلا بمشيئته وقدره ولا يزاد في عمر أحد ولا ينقص منه شيء إلا بقضائه وقدره "والله بما تعملون بصير" أي علمه وبصره نافذ في جميع خلقه لا يخفى عليه من أمورهم شيء.

Prohibiting the Ideas of the Disbeleivers about Death and Predestination

Allah forbids His believing servants from the disbelievers' false creed, seen in their statement about those who died in battle and during travel; "Had they abandoned these trips, they would not have met their demise." Allah said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَقَالُواْ لإِخْوَنِهِمْ

(O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve (hypocrites) and who say to their brethren), about their dead brethren,

إِذَا ضَرَبُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(when they travel through the earth) for the purpose of trading and otherwise,

أَوْ كَانُواْ غُزًّى

(or go out to fight), participating in battles,

لَّوْ كَانُواْ عِنْدَنَا

("If they had stayed with us,") in our area,

مَا مَاتُواْ وَمَا قُتِلُواْ

("they would not have died or been killed,") they would not have died while traveling or been killed in battle. Allah's statement,

لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ

(so that Allah may make it a cause of regret in their hearts. ) means, Allah creates this evil thought in their hearts so that their sadness and the grief they feel for their loss would increase. Allah refuted them by saying,

وَاللَّهُ يُحْيىِ وَيُمِيتُ

(It is Allah that gives life and causes death.) for the creation is under Allah's power, and the decision is His Alone. No one lives or dies except by Allah's leave, and no one's life is increased or decreased except by His decree.

وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

(And Allah is All-Seer of what you do,) for His knowledge and vision encompasses all His creation and none of their affairs ever escapes Him. Allah's statement,

وَلَئِنْ قُتِلْتُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ

(And if you are killed or die in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all that they amass.) 3:157, indicating that death and martyrdom in Allah's cause are a means of earning Allah's mercy, forgiveness and pleasure. This, indeed, is better than remaining in this life with its short lived delights. Furthermore, whoever dies or is killed will return to Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, and He will reward him if he has done good deeds, or will punish him for his evil deeds. Allah said,

وَلَئِنْ مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لإِلَى الله تُحْشَرُونَ

(And whether you die or are killed, verily, unto Allah you shall be gathered.) 3:158.

O you who believe be not as the disbelievers that is as the hypocrites who say of their brothers that is regarding their affair when they travel in the land and then die or are on raiding campaigns ghuzzan ‘a raiding party’ is the plural of ghāzin and are then slain ‘Had they been with us they would not have died and would not have been slain’ in other words do not say as they say — so that God may make that saying of theirs as a conclusion of their affair anguish in their hearts. For God gives life and He gives death and so no staying put can prevent death and God sees what you do ta‘malūna or ya‘malūna ‘they do’ and He will requite you for it.

The saying of the hypocrites in verse 156 here is an extension of what was cited in verse 154 earlier: لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ‌ شَيْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا :"If we had any say in the matter, we would have not been killed here." Since there were chances that sincere Muslims may be affected by such doubt-creating devices used by hypocrites, Muslims were asked through these verses to remain unconcerned with such sayings and doings and adhere to the belief that the span of life and the time of death are ordained by Allah alone.