3:198 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

وأما المتقون لربهم، المؤمنون به- فمع ما يحصل لهم من عز الدنيا ونعيمها { لهم جنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها } فلو قدر أنهم في دار الدنيا، قد حصل لهم كل بؤس وشدة، وعناء ومشقة، لكان هذا بالنسبة إلى النعيم المقيم، والعيش السليم، والسرور والحبور، والبهجة نزرا يسيرا، ومنحة في صورة محنة، ولهذا قال تعالى: { وما عند الله خير للأبرار } وهم الذين برت قلوبهم، فبرت أقوالهم وأفعالهم، فأثابهم البر الرحيم من بره أجرا عظيما، وعطاء جسيما، وفوزا دائما.

وهكذا لما ذكر حال الكفار في الدنيا وذكر أن مآلهم النار قال بعده"لكن الذين اتقوا ربهم لهم جنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها نزلا من عند الله وما عند الله خير للأبرار" وقال ابن مردويه: حدثنا أحمد بن نصر حدثنا أبو طاهر سهل بن عبدالله أنبأنا هشام بن عمار أنبأنا سعيد أنبأنا يحيى أنبأنا عبدالله بن الوليد الرصافي عن محارب بن دثار عن عبدالله بن عمرو بن العاص عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "إنما سموا الأبرار لأنهم بروا الآباء والأبناء كما أن لوالديك عليك حقا كذا لولدك عليك حق" كذا رواه ابن مردويه عن عبدالله بن عمرو بن العاص مرفوعا وقال ابن أبي حاتم: حدثنا أبي حدثنا أحمد بن جناب حدثنا عيسى بن يونس عن عبدالله بن الوليد الرصافي عن محارب بن دثار عن عبدالله بن عمرو قال: إنما سماهم الأبرار لأنهم بروا الآباء والأبناء كما أن لوالديك عليك حقا كذلك لولدك عليك حق وهذا أشبه والله أعلم. ثم قال ابن أبي حاتم: حدثنا أبي حدثنا مسلم بن إبراهيم حدثنا هشام الدستوائي عن رجل عن الحسن قال: الأبرار الذين لا يؤذون الذر. وقال ابن أبي حاتم أيضا حدثنا أحمد بن سنان حدثنا أبو معاوية عن الأعمش عن خيثمة عن الأسود قال عبدالله يعني ابن مسعود ما من نفس برة ولا فاجرة إلا الموت خير لها لئن كان برا لقد قال الله تعالى "وما عند الله خير للأبرار" وكذا رواه عبدالرزاق عن الثوري عن الأعمش به وقرأ "ولا يحسبن الذين كفروا أنما نملي لهم خير لأنفسهم إنما نملي لهم ليزدادوا إثما ولهم عذاب مهين" وقال ابن جرير حدثني المثنى حدثنا إسحاق حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر عن نوح بن فضالة عن لقمان عن أبي داود أنه كان يقول: ما من مؤمن إلا والموت خير له وما من كافر إلا والموت خير له ومن لم يصدقني فإن الله يقول "وما عند الله خير للأبرار" ويقول "ولا يحسبن الذين كفروا أنما نملي لهم خير لأنفسهم إنما نملي لهم ليزدادوا إثما ولهم عذاب مهين".

Warning Against Being Deceived by This Life; the Rewards of the Righteous Believers

Allah said, do not look at the disbelievers, who are enjoying various delights and joys. Soon, they will loose all this and be tied to their evil works, for verily, we are only giving them time, which deceives them, when all they have is,

مَتَـعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ

(A brief enjoyment; then their ultimate abode is Hell; and worst indeed is that place for rest.)

This Ayah is similar to several other Ayat, such as,

مَا يُجَـدِلُ فِى ءَايَـتِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَلاَ يَغْرُرْكَ تَقَلُّبُهُمْ فِى الْبِلاَدِ

(None disputes in the Ayat of Allah but those who disbelieve. So, let not their ability of going about here and there through the land deceive you!) 40:4,

قُلْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لاَ يُفْلِحُونَ - مَتَـعٌ فِى الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ الْعَذَابَ الشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ

(Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah, will never be successful. (A brief) enjoyment in this world! and then unto Us will be their return, then We shall make them taste the severest torment because they used to disbelieve.) 10:69,70,

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.) 31:24,

فَمَهِّلِ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْداً

(So, give a respite to the disbelievers; deal gently with them for a while.) 86:17, and,

أَفَمَن وَعَدْنَـهُ وَعْداً حَسَناً فَهُوَ لاَقِيهِ كَمَن مَّتَّعْنَاهُ مَتَـعَ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ هُوَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ مِنَ الْمُحْضَرِينَ

(Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise) which he will find true -- like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)) 28:61.

After Allah mentioned the condition of the disbelievers in this life and their destination to the Fire, He said,

لَكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْاْ رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّـتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا نُزُلاٍ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ

(But, for those who have Taqwa of their Lord, are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise); therein are they to dwell, an entertainment from Allah,) 3:198, for certainly,

وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِّلأَبْرَارِ

(and that which is with Allah is the best for Al-Abrar.)

Ibn Jarir recorded that Abu Ad-Darda' used to say, "Death is better for every believer. Death is better for every disbeliever, and those who do not believe me should read Allah's statements,

وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِّلأَبْرَارِ

(and that which is with Allah is the best for Al-Abrar), and,

وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لاًّنفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِثْمَاً وَلَهْمُ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

(And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness. And for them is a disgraceful torment.) 3:178."

But those who fear their Lord — for them shall be Gardens underneath which rivers flow abiding that is it is decreed for them to abide therein; a hospitality nuzul is what is prepared for a guest; it is in the accusative nuzulan because it is a circumstantial qualifier referring to jannāt ‘gardens’ and its operator is the import of the adverbial phrase from God Himself. That which is with God in the way of reward is better for the pious than the enjoyment of this world.

Mentioned in verses previous to this were some prayers made by good believers.

The first verse (195) appearing above reports that these prayers have been accepted and believers have been given the good news that great rewards have been marked for their good deeds. In the second and third verses (196-197), Muslims have been instructed not to be deceived by the apparent affluence and worldwide maneuvering of disbelievers for this is transitory and the punishment which follows in its wake is eternal.

The fourth verse (198) reasserts the promise of the lasting blessings of Paradise for Muslims who always keep fearing Allah.

The fifth verse (199) particularly mentions the great reward that awaits those Muslims who used to be from among the People of the Book but chose to embrace Islam as their faith.

Commentary

While explaining the statement لَأُكَفِّرَ‌نَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ (I shall certainly write off their evil deeds) in Verse 195, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi (رح) has restricted it to the forgiveness of sins and shortcomings relating to the fulfillment of the rights of Allah. The reason is that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said in Hadith that debts are not included under the purview of this verse. The rule is that the person concerned or his heirs should pay off the debt or have it forgiven. There is no other alternative in this case unless Allah Almighty is especially generous for someone and puts it in the heart of the wronged party that they should relent and forgive. This would, then, be a different matter. In fact, with some, this would also be the case.

So, let us keep in mind that all sins are forgiven following Hijrah (Emigration) and Shahadah (Surrendering life in the way of Allah, martyrdom) but the forgiveness of debts and other rights of people (Huququl-` Ibad) has not been promised.