4:104 An-Nisaa (The Women)

أي: لا تضعفوا ولا تكسلوا في ابتغاء عدوكم من الكفار، أي: في جهادهم والمرابطة على ذلك، فإن وَهَن القلب مستدع لوَهَن البدن، وذلك يضعف عن مقاومة الأعداء. بل كونوا أقوياء نشيطين في قتالهم. ثم ذكر ما يقوي قلوب المؤمنين، فذكر شيئين: الأول: أن ما يصيبكم من الألم والتعب والجراح ونحو ذلك فإنه يصيب أعداءكم، فليس من المروءة الإنسانية والشهامة الإسلامية أن تكونوا أضعف منهم، وأنتم وإياهم قد تساويتم فيما يوجب ذلك، لأن العادة الجارية لا يضعف إلا من توالت عليه الآلام وانتصر عليه الأعداء على الدوام، لا من يدال مرة، ويدال عليه أخرى. الأمر الثاني: أنكم ترجون من الله ما لا يرجون، فترجون الفوز بثوابه والنجاة من عقابه، بل خواص المؤمنين لهم مقاصد عالية وآمال رفيعة من نصر دين الله، وإقامة شرعه، واتساع دائرة الإسلام، وهداية الضالين، وقمع أعداء الدين، فهذه الأمور توجب للمؤمن المصدق زيادة القوة، وتضاعف النشاط والشجاعة التامة؛ لأن من يقاتل ويصبر على نيل عزه الدنيوي إن ناله، ليس كمن يقاتل لنيل السعادة الدنيوية والأخروية، والفوز برضوان الله وجنته، فسبحان من فاوت بين العباد وفرق بينهم بعلمه وحكمته، ولهذا قال: { وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا } كامل العلم كامل الحكمة

وقوله تعالى "ولا تهنوا في ابتغاء القوم" أي لا تضعفوا في طلب عدوكم بل جدوا فيهم وقاتلوهم واقعدوا لهم كل مرصد "إن تكونوا تألمون فإنهم يألمون كما تألمون أي كما يصيبكم الجراح والقتل كذلك يحصل لهم كما قال تعالى إن يمسسكم قرح فقد مس القوم قرح مثله ثم قال تعالى "وترجون من الله ما لا يرجون" أي أنتم وإياهم سواء فيما يصيبكم وإياهم والجراح والآلام ولكن أنتم ترجون من الله المثوبة والنصر والتأييد كما وعدكم إياه في كتابه وعلى لسان رسوله صلى وهو وعد حق وخبر صدق وهم لا يرجون شيئا من ذلك فأنتم أولى بالجهاد منهم وأشد رغبة فيه وفي إقامة كلمة الله وإعلائها "وكان الله عليما حكيما" أي هو أعلم وأحكم فيما يقدره ويقضيه وينفذه ويمضيه من أحكامه الكونية والشرعية وهو المحمود على كل حال.

The Order for Ample Remembrance After the Fear Prayer

Allah commands Dhikr after finishing the Fear prayer, in particular, even though such Dhikr is encouraged after finishing other types of prayer in general. In the case of Fear prayer, Dhikr is encouraged even more because the pillars of the prayer are diminished since they move about while performing it, etc., unlike other prayers. Allah said about the Sacred Months,

فَلاَ تَظْلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ

(so wrong not yourselves therein), even though injustice is prohibited all year long. However, injustice is particularly outlawed during the Sacred Months due to their sanctity and honor. So Allah's statement,

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَوةَ فَاذْكُرُواْ اللَّهَ قِيَـماً وَقُعُوداً وَعَلَى جُنُوبِكُمْ

(When you have finished Salah, remember Allah standing, sitting down, and on your sides,) means, in all conditions,

فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلَوةَ

(But when you are free from danger perform the Salah.) when you are safe, tranquil and fear subsides,

فَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلَوةَ

(perform the Salah) by performing it as you were commanded; fulfilling its obligations, with humbleness, completing the bowing and prostration positions etc. Allah's statement,

إِنَّ الصَّلَوةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَـباً مَّوْقُوتاً

(Verily, the Salah is Kitaban on the believers at fixed hours.) means, enjoined, as Ibn `Abbas stated. Ibn `Abbas also said, "The prayer has a fixed time, just as the case with Hajj." Similar is reported from Mujahid, Salim bin `Abdullah, `Ali bin Al-Husayn, Muhammad bin `Ali, Al-Hasan, Muqatil. As-Suddi and `Atiyah Al-`Awfi.

The Encouragement to Pursue the Enemy Despite Injuries

Allah's statement,

وَلاَ تَهِنُواْ فِى ابْتِغَآءِ الْقَوْمِ

(And don't be weak in the pursuit of the enemy;) means, do not weaken your resolve in pursuit of your enemy. Rather, pursue them vigorously, fight them and be wary of them.

إِن تَكُونُواْ تَأْلَمُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْلَمُونَ كَمَا تَأْلَمونَ

(if you are suffering then surely they are suffering as you are suffering,) meaning, just as you suffer from injuries and death, the same happens to the enemy. In another Ayah, Allah said,

إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ

(If you suffer a harm, be sure a similar harm has struck the others). Allah then said,

وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَرْجُونَ

(but you have a hope from Allah that for which they hope not;) meaning, you and they are equal regarding the injuries and pain that you suffer from. However, you hope for Allah's reward, victory and aid, just as He has promised you in His Book and by the words of his Messenger . Surely, Allah's promise is true. On the other hand, your enemies do not have hope for any of this. So, it is you, not they, who should be eager to fight so that you establish the Word of Allah and raise it high. i

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيماً حَكِيماً

(And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.) means, He is most knowledgeable and wise in all what He decides, decrees, wills and acts on concerning various worldly and religious ordainments, and He is worthy of praise in all conditions.

After they returned from Uhud the Prophet s dispatched a group to seek out Abū Sufyān and his companions but they complained about their wounds and the following was revealed Be not faint be not weak in seeking in pursuing the enemy the disbelievers in order to fight them; if you are suffering if you have pains from a wound they are also suffering as you are suffering that is just like you yet they do not shrink from fighting you; and you hope from God in the way of victory and the reward for it that for which they cannot hope and since you have this advantage over them you should be more willing for it than them. God is ever Knower of all things Wise in His actions.

The concessions given in travel

(In Islamic legal terminology, Safar means journey or travel; Qasr refers to the making of one's Salah short while in that status. Thus, four obligatory Raka’ at of Zuhr, 'Asr and 'Isha are reduced in number and confined to two Raka'at only.)

Rulings:

1. Full Sarah is made in a journey which is less than 48 miles.

2. If, after reaching the destination at the end of the journey, one intends to stay there for less than fifteen days, rules relating to 'journey' will continue to apply to him, that is, the obligatory four Raka'at of Salah will be reduced to half. This is Qasr. Now, if one intends to stay at one place for fifteen days, or more, it will become his place or country of residence. Here too, Qasr will not be observed as it was not observed in his original home country, that is, full Sarah will be performed.

3. Qasr is done in the Fard (obligatory) Salah of Zuhr, 'Asr and 'Isha' only. There is no Qasr in Maghrib and Fajr, nor in Sunnah and Witr prayers.

5. If, there be no fear of possible danger during a journey, Qasr will still be observed in making Sarah.

6. Some people are troubled by apprehensions of sin when making their Sarah short (Qasr) in place of the regular full Sarah. This is not correct because Qasr is also a rule of the Shari'ah following which brings no -sin. On the contrary, it brings reward.

7. Verse 102 mentions a special way of offering Sarah in a state where, due to the fear of enemy, all the Muslims cannot pray in a single congregation. This special way is called 'Salatul-Khawf, the details of which are found in the books of Islamic Fiqh. Verse 102 says: وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ ; (And when you { O prophet} are among them and arrange for them the Salah). Let this not be construed to mean that the injunction of the Salah of Fear (Salatul-Khawf) is no more imperative because the blessed person of the noble Prophet ﷺ is no more present among us. The reason is that this restriction has been mentioned here in terms of the situation at that particular time, for there can be no sans-excuse Imam of Salah in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ . After him, whoever is the Imam shall be deemed to be standing in his place and he will be the one to lead the Salatul-Khawf. All leading religious authorities agree that the injunction of Salatul-Khawf is operative even after him and has not been abrogated.

8. Just as making Salatul-Khawf is permissible when in fear of hostility from human beings, so it is when one is gripped with the fear of hurt from some beast like a lion or python and there is very little time left to make the Salah.

In this verse (102), mention has been made of both groups making one Raka'ah each, but the method of performing the second Raka'ah has appeared in Hadith which says: 'When the Holy Prophet ﷺ turned for Salim after the completion of his two Raka’ at, the two groups went on to complete their one Raka'ah each on their own'. More details can be seen there.