3:181 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

يخبر تعالى، عن قول هؤلاء المتمردين، الذين قالوا أقبح المقالة وأشنعها، وأسمجها، فأخبر أنه قد سمع ما قالوه وأنه سيكتبه ويحفظه، مع أفعالهم الشنيعة، وهو: قتلهم الأنبياء الناصحين، وأنه سيعاقبهم على ذلك أشد العقوبة، وأنه يقال لهم -بدل قولهم إن الله فقير ونحن أغنياء- { ذوقوا عذاب الحريق } المحرق النافذ من البدن إلى الأفئدة، وأن عذابهم ليس ظلما من الله لهم، فإنه { ليس بظلام للعبيد } فإنه منزه عن ذلك، وإنما ذلك بما قدمت أيديهم من المخازي والقبائح، التي أوجبت استحقاقهم العذاب، وحرمانهم الثواب. وقد ذكر المفسرون أن هذه الآية نزلت في قوم من اليهود، تكلموا بذلك، وذكروا منهم \"فنحاص بن عازوراء\" من رؤساء علماء اليهود في المدينة، وأنه لما سمع قول الله تعالى: { من ذا الذي يقرض الله قرضا حسنا } { وأقرضوا الله قرضا حسنا } قال: -على وجه التكبر والتجرهم- هذه المقالة قبحه الله، فذكرها الله عنهم، وأخبر أنه ليس ببدع من شنائعهم، بل قد سبق لهم من الشنائع ما هو نظير ذلك، وهو: { قتلهم الأنبياء بغير حق } هذا القيد يراد به، أنهم تجرأوا على قتلهم مع علمهم بشناعته، لا جهلا وضلالا، بل تمردا وعنادا.

قال سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس: لما نزل قوله تعالى "من ذا الذي يقرض الله قرضا حسنا فيضاعفه له أضعافا كثيرة" قالت اليهود: يا محمد: افتقر ربك فسأل عباده القرض؟ فأنزل الله "لقد سمع الله قول الذين قالوا إن الله فقير ونحن أغنياء" الآية رواه ابن مردويه وابن أبي حاتم. وقال محمد بن إسحق: حدثني محمد بن أبي محمد عن عكرمة أنه حدثه عن ابن عباس قال: دخل أبو بكر الصديق بيت المدارس فوجد من يهود ناسا كثيرة قد اجتمعوا على رجل منهم يقال له فنحاص وكان من علمائهم وأحبارهم ومعه حبر يقال له أشيع فقال له أبو بكر: ويحك يا فنحاص اتق الله وأسلم فوالله إنك لتعلم أن محمدا رسول من عند الله قد جاءكم بالحق من عنده تجدونه مكتوبا عندكم في التوراة والإنجيل. فقال فنحاص: والله يا أبا بكر ما بنا إلى الله من حاجة من فقر وإنه إلينا لفقير ما نتضرع إليه كما يتضرع إلينا وإنا عنه لأغنياء ولو كان عنا غنيا ما استقرض منا كما يزعم صاحبكم ينهاكم عن الربا ويعطينا ولو كان غنيا ما أعطاك الربا فغضب أبو بكر رضي الله عنه فضرب وجه فنحاص ضربا شديدا وقال: والذي نفسي بيده لولا الذي بيننا وبينك من العهد لضربت عنقك يا عدو الله فأكذبوك ما استطعتم إن كنتم صادقين. فذهب فنحاص إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم فقال: يا محمد أبصر ما صنع بي صاحبك فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "ما حملك على ما صنعت يا أبا بكر" فقال: يا رسول الله إن عدو الله قال قولا عظيما يزعم أن الله فقير وأنهم عنه أغنياء فلما قال ذلك غضبت لله مما قال فضربت وجهه فجحد فنحاص ذلك وقال: ما قلت ذلك فأنزل الله فيما قال فنحاص "لقد سمع الله قول الذين قالوا إن الله فقير ونحن أغنياء" الآية. رواه ابن أبي حاتم وقوله "سنكتب ما قالوا" تهديد ووعيد ولهذا قرنه تعالى بقوله "وقتلهم الأنبياء بغير حق" أي هذا قولهم في الله وهذه معاملتهم رسل الله وسيجزيهم الله على ذلك شر الجزاء.

Allah Warns the Idolators

Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said, "When Allah's statement,

مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً

(Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times) 2:245 was revealed, the Jews said, `O Muhammad! Has your Lord become poor so that He asks His servants to give Him a loan' Allah sent down,

لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ

(Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those (Jews) who say: "Truly, Allah is poor and we are rich!") 3:181."

This Hadith was collected by Ibn Marduwyah and Ibn Abi Hatim.

Allah's statement,

سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ

(We shall record what they have said) contains a threat and a warning that Allah followed with His statement,

وَقَتْلِهِمُ الاٌّنْبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ

(and their killing of the Prophets unjustly,)

This is what they say about Allah and this is how they treat His Messengers. Allah will punish them for these deeds in the worst manner,

لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ وَقَتْلَهُمُ الاٌّنبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَنَقُولُ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ - ذلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّـمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

(and We shall say: "Taste you the torment of the burning (Fire)." This is because of that which your hands have sent before you. And certainly, Allah is never unjust to (His) servants.)

They will be addressed like this as a way of chastising, criticism, disgrace and humiliation.

Allah said,

الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَهِدَ إِلَيْنَا أَلاَّ نُؤْمِنَ لِرَسُولٍ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَنَا بِقُرْبَانٍ تَأْكُلُهُ النَّارُ

(Those (Jews) who said: "Verily, Allah has taken our promise not to believe in any Messenger unless he brings to us an offering which the fire (from heaven) shall devour.")

Allah refuted their claim that in their Books, Allah took a covenant from them to only believe in the Messenger whose miracles include fire coming down from the sky that consumes the charity offered by a member of the Messenger's nation, as Ibn `Abbas and Al-Hasan stated. Allah replied,

قُلْ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِى بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(Say: "Verily, there came to you Messengers before me, with Al-Bayinat...") with proofs and evidence,

وَبِالَّذِى قُلْتُمْ

(and even with what you speak of) a fire that consumes the accepted charity, as you asked,

فَلِمَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُمْ

(why then did you kill them) Why did you meet these Prophets with denial, defiance, stubbornness and even murder,

إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ

(if you are truthful), if you follow the truth and obey the Messengers.

Allah then comforts His Prophet Muhammad ,

فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ جَآءُوا بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَالْكِتَـبِ الْمُنِيرِ

(Then if they reject you, so were Messengers rejected before you, who came with Al-Baiyyinat and the Scripture, and the Book of Enlightenment.) meaning, do not be sad because they deny you, for you have an example in the Messengers who came before you. These Messengers were rejected although they brought clear proofs, plain evidence and unequivocal signs,

وَالزُّبُرِ

(and the Zubur), the divinely revealed Books that were sent down to the Messengers,

وَالْكِتَـبِ الْمُنِيرِ

(and the Book of Enlightenment) meaning the clarification and best explanation.

Verily God has heard the saying of those namely the Jews who said ‘Indeed God is poor and we are rich’ they said this when the verse who is he that will lend God a good loan Q. 2245 was revealed adding that ‘If God were truly rich He would not be asking us for loans’. We shall write down We shall order that it be written what they have said in the scrolls containing their deeds so that they will be requited for it a variant reading for active naktubu ‘We shall write’ has the passive yuktabu ‘it shall be written’ and We shall write down their slaying read accusative qatlahum or nominative qatluhum the prophets without right and We shall say naqūlu also read yaqūlu meaning God shall say to them by the tongue of the angels in the Hereafter ‘Taste the chastisement of the Burning the Fire.

The second verse (18) warns Jews against their grave act of effrontery and mentions its punishment. According to the background of the event, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ presented the Qur'anic injunctions relating to Zakah and Sadaqat (charities), the arrogant Jews started saying that Allah had surely become poor and needy while they were rich, or else why would He go about asking us to give? We seek refuge with Allah from such effrontery. Obviously, they would have hardly believed in the absurd statement they made but, in all likelihood, they would have said so to prove that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was, God forbid, false in his statement. Their argument was: If these verses of the Qur'an are true, then, it necessarily follows that Allah be poor and needy! This absurd argument of theirs being false in itself was not worth responding to because the injunction of Allah Almighty was not for His benefit; it was, rather, for the benefit of the owners of wealth themselves in this world and the hereafter. But, it was termed as giving loan to Allah elsewhere because repayment of a loan is necessary and certain in the sight of every good person. Similar is the case of charity given by someone, the repayment of which Allah Almighty takes upon Himself as if it was the payment of loan taken from someone. Anyone who believes in Allah Almighty as the Creator and Master of everything would never stoop to entertain the kind of doubt from these words of the verse which is there in the saying of the insolent Jews. For this reason, the Qur'an has certainly refrained from answering this doubt. Instead, it has simply restricted itself to announcing that they shall be appre-hended and punished for this effrontery of theirs, for having falsified the Holy Prophet ﷺ and for having made fun of him. It was said that their insolent words will be put on record in 'writing' so that the final evidence goes against them on the Day of Judgmentand they are punished for what they did. Otherwise, Allah Almighty needs no writing.

Along with this act of effrontery committed by the Jews, yet another crime of theirs has been mentioned, that is, they not 'only falsified the prophets and mocked at them, they even went to the limit of killing them! That such people could falsify and flout any prophet or messenger of Allah hardly remains surprising.

Staying emotionally satisfied with disbelief in and disobedi-ence to Allah is also an equally grave sin

Worth noticing at this point is the fact that those being addressed by the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an are the Jews of Madinah while the incident of the killing of prophets belongs to a time much earlier than theirs, that is, to the time of Sayyidna Yahya and Sayyidna Zakariyya, may peace be on them. Now, the question is: How is it that the crime of the killing of the prophets referred to in this verse was attributed to these addressees? The reason is: The Jews of Madinah were quite satisfied with this act committed by their Jewish predecessors; therefore, they too were counted as those who fall under the injunction governing killers of prophets.

Imam al-Qurubi (رح) has said in his Tafsir that 'remaining satisfied with disbelief (kufr) is also included under disbelief and disobedience' which is a major juristic ruling in Islam. A saying of the Holy Prophet ﷺ explains it further. He said:

'When a sin is committed on God's earth, following which; the person who is present on the spot opposes that sin and considers it to be bad, then, such a person shall be deemed as not present there, that is, he is no accomplice in their sin. And, a person who, though not present physically yet is quite satisfied with this act of sinners, then, this person shall be considered, despite his absence (from the scene of sin), an accomplice in their sin.'

In the later part of the present verse (181) and in the third verse (182), the text recounts the punishment to be meted out to such loud-mouthed people by saying that they shall be consigned to the Hell to experience the taste of burning in fire which is but the outcome of their own deeds and certainly no injustice from Allah.

(Verily Allah heard the saying of those who said�) [3:181]. �Ikrimah, al-Suddi and Muqatil ibn Ishaq related that, one day, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq entered a Jewish place of study and found a group of Jewish people gathered around one of them called Finhas ibn �Azura, who was one of their doctors. Abu Bakr said to Finhas: �Fear Allah and embrace Islam, for by Allah you know well that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah who has brought the truth to you from Allah. He is mentioned in your Torah; so believe and accept the truth and grant Allah a goodly offering and He will make you enter the Garden and multiply your reward�. Finhas responded: �O Abu Bakr, you claim that our Lord is asking us to lend Him our wealth. Yet, it is only the poor who borrow from the rich. And if what you say is true, it follows that Allah is poor and we are rich, for if He were rich He would not ask us to lend Him our wealth�. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be well pleased with him, became very angry and struck the face of Finhas with a mighty blow. He then said to him: �By Him in whose Hand is my soul, if it were not for the treaty between us, O enemy of Allah, I would have killed you�. Finhas went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �O Muhammad! Look at what your companion has done to me�. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, asked Abu Bakr: �What has driven you to do what you have done?� He said: �O Messenger of Allah, this enemy of Allah has said something very serious. He claimed that Allah is poor and they are rich. I therefore got angry for the sake of Allah and hit his face�. But Finhas denied that he ever uttered those words, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (Verily Allah heard the saying of those who said�) to give the lie to Finhas and to confirm that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq said the truth. �Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir informed us> Abu �Amr ibn Matar> Ja�far ibn al-Layth al-Ziyadi> Hudhayfah Musa ibn Mas�ud> Shibl> Ibn Abi Najih> Mujahid who said: �This verse was revealed about the Jews; Abu Bakr, may Allah be well pleased with him, had struck the face of one of their men who said �Allah is poor and we are rich� �. Shibl commented: �I was informed that this man was Finhas the Jew, and it is also this man who said: (Allah�s hand is fettered) [5:64]�.