3:86 Aal-i-Imraan (The Family of Imraan)

هذا من باب الاستبعاد، أي: من الأمر البعيد أن يهدي الله قوما اختاروا الكفر والضلال بعدما آمنوا وشهدوا أن الرسول حق بما جاءهم به من الآيات البينات والبراهين القاطعات { والله لا يهدي القوم الظالمين } فهؤلاء ظلموا وتركوا الحق بعدما عرفوه، واتبعوا الباطل مع علمهم ببطلانه ظلما وبغيا واتباعا لأهوائهم، فهؤلاء لا يوفقون للهداية، لأن الذي يرجى أن يهتدي هو الذي لم يعرف الحق وهو حريص على التماسه، فهذا بالحري أن ييسر الله له أسباب الهداية ويصونه من أسباب الغواية.

قال ابن جرير: حدثنا محمد بن عبدالله بن بزيع البصري حدثنا يزيد بن زريع حدثنا داود بن أبي هند عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس قال: كان رجل من الأنصار أسلم ثم ارتد ولحق بالشرك ثم ندم فأرسل إلى قومه أن سلوا رسول الله هل لي من توبة؟ فنزلت "كيف يهدي الله قوما كفروا بعد إيمانهم - إلى قوله - فإن الله غفور رحيم" فأرسل إليه قومه فأسلم وهكذا رواه النسائي والحاكم وابن حبان من طريق داود بن أبي هند به. وقال الحاكم: صحيح الإسناد يخرجاه. وقال عبدالرزاق أنبأنا جعفر بن سليمان حدثنا حميد الأعرج عن مجاهد قال: جاء الحارث بن سويد فأسلم مع النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ثم كفر الحارث فرجع إلى قومه فأنزل الله فيه "كيف يهدى الله قوما كفروا بعد إيمانهم- إلى قوله- غفور رحيم". قال: فحملها إليه رجل من قومه فقرأ عليه فقال الحارث: إنك - والله ما علمت - لصدوق وإن رسول الله لأصدق منك وإن الله لأصدق الثلاثة قال: فرجع الحارث فأسلم فحسن إسلامه فقوله تعالى "كيف يهدي الله قوما كفروا بعد إيمانهم وشهدوا أن الرسول حق وجاءهم البينات" أي قامت عليهم الحجج والبراهين على صدق ما جاءهم به الرسول ووضح لهم الأمر ثم ارتدوا إلى ظلمة الشرك فكيف يستحق هؤلاء الهداية بعد ما تلبسوا به العماية؟ ولهذا قال تعالى "والله لا يهدي القوم الظالمين".

Allah Does Not Guide People Who Disbelieve After they Believed, Unless They Repent

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "A man from the Ansar embraced Islam, but later reverted and joined the polytheists. He later on became sorry and sent his people to, `Ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for me, if I can repent.' Then,

كَيْفَ يَهْدِى اللَّهُ قَوْمًا كَفَرُواْ بَعْدَ إِيمَـنِهِمْ

(How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief) until,

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) was revealed and his people sent word to him and he re-embraced Islam."

This is the wording recorded by An-Nasa'i, Al-Hakim and Ibn Hibban. Al-Hakim said, "Its chain is Sahih and they did not record it."

Allah's statement,

كَيْفَ يَهْدِى اللَّهُ قَوْمًا كَفَرُواْ بَعْدَ إِيمَـنِهِمْ وَشَهِدُواْ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ وَجَآءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ

(How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and after they bore witness that the Messenger is true and after clear proofs came to them)

means, the proofs and evidences were established, testifying to the truth of what the Messenger was sent with. The truth was thus explained to them, but they reverted to the darkness of polytheism. Therefore, how can such people deserve guidance after they willingly leapt into utter blindness This is why Allah said,

وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(And Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers.)

He then said,

أُوْلَـئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُمْ أَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَـئِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

(They are those whose recompense is that on them (rests) the curse of Allah, of the angels and of all mankind.)

Allah curses them and His creation also curses them.

خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَآ

(They will abide therein) in the curse,

لاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ

(Neither will their torment be lightened nor will it be delayed or postponed.) for, the torment will not be lessened, not even for an hour. After that, Allah said,

إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُواْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Except for those who repent after that and do righteous deeds. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)

This Ayah indicates Allah's kindness, graciousness, compassion, mercy and favor on His creatures when they repent to Him, for He forgives them in this case.

How shall God guide that is to say He shall not guide a people who have disbelieved after their belief and bore witness that is and after their bearing witness that the Messenger is true and after the clear signs the manifest proofs of the truth of the Prophet had come to them? God guides not the evildoing that is the disbelieving folk.

Commentary

The removal of a doubt:

On a superficial view of the verse كَيْفَ يَهْدِي اللَّـهُ : 'How shall Allah give guidance...' (86), there emerges a doubt that whoever turns an apostate receives no guidance afterwards, although, the fact is contrary to this. There are many who, after having become apostates, re-embrace the faith and become recipients of guidance.

The answer is that the withholding of guidance mentioned here is in accordance with common usage. For instance, some criminal when punished by a certain ruler may say, 'I have been given a special treatment by the ruler with his own hands.' And in answer to him, it is said: 'Why are we going to give a special treatment to such a criminal?' That is, there is just no special treatment called for in this case, while it does not mean that such a person cannot, in any way, become deserving of special treatment even if he behaved well. (Bayern a1-Qur'an)

(How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief�) [3:86]. Abu Bakr al-Harithi informed us> Abu Muhammad ibn Hayyan> Abu Yahya 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad> Sahl ibn 'Uthman> 'Ali ibn 'Asim> Khalid and Dawud> 'Ikrimah> Ibn 'Abbas who reported that a man from the Helpers renounced his religion and joined the idolaters, and Allah, exalted is He, revealed (shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief) up to His saying (Save those who afterward repent�) (3:89). His people sent him these verses and when they were read to him, he said: �By Allah, my people are not telling a lie about the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, nor is the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, telling a lie about Allah. By Allah, I will believe all three�, and he went back repentant. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, accepted his repentance and let him be. Abu Bakr informed us> Abu Muhammad> Abu Yahya> Sahl> Yahya ibn Abi Za'idah> Dawud ibn Abi Hind> 'Ikrimah> Ibn 'Abbas who said: �A certain man from the Helpers renounced Islam and joined idolatry. He later regretted this and sent to his people to ask the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, whether his repentance would be accepted since he regrets his apostasy. Allah, exalted is He, revealed (How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief) until His saying (Save those who afterward repent). When the man's people sent him these verses, he came back and became Muslim�. Abu 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Hamid informed us> Abu Bakr ibn Zakariyya> Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Faqih> Ahmad ibn Sayyar> Musaddid ibn Musarhad> Ja'far ibn Sulayman> Hamid al-A'raj> Mujahid who said: �Al-Harith ibn Suwayd was a Muslim. He was with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. But he later renounced Islam and joined his own people. Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief) up to His saying (Save those who afterward repent). A man from amongst his people took these verses and read them to him. Al-Harith said: 'By Allah, I know that you are truthful, and I know that the Messenger of Allah, Allah, bless him and give him peace, is more truthful than you, and Allah, exalted is He, is more truthful than all'. He went back, declared his Islam and became a good Muslim�.