Surah ‘Aali-’Imran: Verses 28 - 32
لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْ تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ ۗ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ
Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing [to do] with Allah, except [when] you guard yourselves against [them] for fear from them; and Allah cautions you of Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming (3:28).
قُلْ إِنْ تُخْفُوا مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ أَوْ تُبْدُوهُ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ ۗ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Say: “Whether you hide what is in your hearts or manifest it, Allah knows it; and He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth; and Allah has power over all things” (3:29).
يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُحْضَرًا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ سُوءٍ تَوَدُّ لَوْ أَنَّ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَهُ أَمَدًا بَعِيدًا ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil; [it] shall wish that between it and that [evil] there were a long duration of time; and Allah cautions you of Himself; and Allah is Compassionate to the servants (3:30).
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Say: “If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (3:31).
قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ ۖ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ
Say: “Obey Allah and the Apostle”; but if they turn back, then surely, Allah does not love the unbelievers (3:32).
Commentary
The verses are not disconnected with the preceding ones, which admonished the People of the Book and the polytheists. If the word “unbelievers”, coming at the beginning of these verses, covers the People of the Book too, then these verses forbid the believers to befriend, and fraternize with, the polytheists and the People of the Book all together; if it refers to the polytheists only, then the verses admonish the believers not to be friendly with them; instead, they should join the party of Allah, loving Him and His Apostle.
Let Not The Believers Take The Unbelievers For Friends Rather Than The Believers
“Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers” (3:28).
“al-Awliya’”. ( اَلْاَوْلِيَآءُ = friends), the plural of al-waliy ( اَلْوَلِي ), is derived from al-wilayah ( اَلْوِلَايَةُ ). The root word denotes authority to manage something, that is, guardianship. Guardian of a minor, insane or idiot is called his al-waliy, because he has the authority to manage their affairs and property, although the property belongs to the said ward.
Then the word was used - with increasing frequency - in the context of love; if two people love each other, each feels free to look after the other’s affairs. Love empowers the beloved to manage the affairs, and influence the life, of the lover.
In this verse, taking the unbelievers for friends means establishing a psychological rapport with them. Such a friendship would taint the believer’s vision, and would adversely affect his thoughts and character, encouraging him to follow his unbeliever friends in his life and manners. The clause, “rather than the believers”, points to this fact. It refers to a stage when the believer prefers the unbelievers rather than the believers as the object of his love and as the model for his life; the more he moves nearer to his unbeliever friends, the more he distances himself from the believers.
Many verses strictly forbid the believers to take the unbelievers, and the Jews and the Christians for friends; but in every instance, there are clauses which delineate which type of friendship is forbidden. For example, this verse contains the abovementioned clause, “rather than the believers”; the verse:
“O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends” (5:51).
Goes on to say: they are friends of each other; and the prohibition:
“O you who believe! do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends...” (60:1).
Is further on explained by the words:
“Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of your religion and have not driven you forth from your homes...” (60:8).
The adjectives used in the verse under discussion point to the reason of the prohibition. The believers should not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers. Belief and disbelief are diametrically opposed to each other; they can never reconcile. The same mutual repulsion would permeate the whole lives of the believers vis-à-vis the unbelievers. Their thoughts and deeds, their spiritual journey towards Allah, and in short, their whole being would be totally different from the opposite party. Such a position is not in harmony with that of friendship; because friendship demands unity and rapport.
And when such a friendship begins and grows with complete disregard to the friendship with the believers, it first spoils the fruits of the faith, then damages its branches and finally destructs its very roots. That is why Allah warned them in the next sentence, “and whoever does this, he shall have nothing (to do) with Allah”. Then comes the exception of taqiyyah, because taqiyyah is only a show of love, not its reality.
“Rather than the believers”: dun ( دُوْن ) is a proposition of place, meaning: below, under (in rank, value) ; this side of, short of; without, with the exclusion of; leaving aside. “min dun” ( مِنْ دُوْن ) signifies, ‘beginning from a place below that of the believers’, because the believers are far above them in rank. Originally this preposition denoted nearness combined with lowness, for example, dunaka Zayd ( دُوْنَكَ زَيْدُ = Zayd is near you but below; he does not measure up to you). Then it was used for ‘other than’, ‘besides’, for example:
“...two gods besides Allah...” (5:116).
“...and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases...” (4:48).
Also, it is used as a nomen verbi; in this sense, dunaka Zayd would mean: adhere to Zayd. These later usages are based on some association with the original meaning, not that the word was made for them.
And Whoever Does This, He Shall Have Nothing With Allah
“And whoever does this, he shall have nothing [to do] with Allah” (3:28).
“Does this”, that is, takes the unbelievers for friends in preference to the believers. This misconduct is hated so much by the Speaker that He does not like to mention it in words, and just alludes to it; people often use pronouns to refer to indecent things. Also, Allah did not say, whoever of the believer does this; it was far beneath the dignity of the believers to attribute such a misconduct to them.
The clause, “, he shall have nothing [to do] with Allah”, literally means, he is not from Allah in anything. Idiomatically, this expression shows that he is not of the group or party of Allah. Allah says:
“And whoever takes Allah and His Apostle and those who believe for a guardian, then surely, the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant” (5:56).
Also, Ibrahim (‘a) is quoted as saying:
“...then whoever follows me, he is surely, of me...” (14:36).
Anyhow, the sentence means: Whoever does this, he shall in no way remain with the party of Allah; his thoughts and deeds will be those of the enemies of Islam.
Except (When) You Guard Yourselves Against (Them) For Fear From Them
“Except [when] you guard yourselves against [them] for fear from them” (3:28).
“al-Ittiqa’”. ( اَلْاِتـِّّقَآءُ = to seek protection because of fear); the word is sometimes used for fear, by association; probably taqiyyah has the same connotations.
The exception in this sentence is disjoined: To show attachment to someone because of his fear without loving him in reality is quite different from befriending him and having a rapport with him; love and fear are two opposite feelings and have opposite effects on the heart; how can they be found in one place?
The verse clearly allows taqiyyah, as is shown by the traditions of the Imams of Ahl Al-Bayt. Also, it is clearly proved by the verse revealed about ‘Ammar, and his parents, Yasir and Sumayyah:
“He who disbelieves in Allah after his having believed - not he who is compelled while his heart is at rest on account of faith, but he who opens [his] breast for disbelief - on these is the wrath of Allah, and they shall have a grievous chastisement” (16:106).
The Qur’an and the sunnah both agree that taqiyyah is permissible in places. Also, reason supports it. The main purpose of the religion and the Apostle is to keep the truth alive; and sometimes this purpose can be achieved by practising taqiyyah, by keeping good relations with the enemies of the religion, while discarding taqiyyah would serve no purpose at all. It is a reality which no reasonable man can deny. We shall further write about it under ‘Traditions’, and also under the verse mentioned just now:
“... not he who is compelled while his heart is at rest on account of faith...” (16:106).
And Allah Cautions You Of Himself And To Allah Is The Eventual Coming
“And Allah cautions you of Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming” (3:28).
“at-Tahdhir” ( اَلتَّحْذِيْرُ ) is the transitive of al-hadhar ( اَلْحَذَرُ = to beware of a frightful thing). Allah has warned His servants of His chastisement, as He says:
“...surely, the chastisement of your Lord is to be dreaded of” (17:57).
And He has warned them of the hypocrites and the mischief of the unbelievers, as He says:
“...they are the enemy, therefore beware of them” (63:4).
“...and be cautious of them, lest they seduce you...” (5:49).
But in this verse as well as in a following one, He cautions them of His Own Self. The crime of befriending the unbelievers to the exclusion of the believers is so serious that no curtain or protection remains between Allah and the criminal, there is nothing to save him from Allah, there is no helper or intercessor to intercede on his behalf; he is left without any shield, to face directly the chastisement of Allah. This style puts utmost emphasis to the threat, and its repetition in a following verse further intensifies it; then it has been further highlighted by the concluding clauses, “and to Allah is the eventual coming” (3:28) (in this verse) and “Allah is Compassionate to the servants” (3:30) (in the other), as we shall explain later on.
Look at this verse and the others obliging the Muslims not to take the unbelievers for friends. You will see that this sin is tantamount to rejecting the guardianship of Allah, going out from the band of His servants, and joining the party of His enemies - to damage the affairs of the religion. This transgression is a dry-rot that destroys the fibre of religion; it is more damaging and harmful to Islam than the open disbelief and polytheism of the unbelievers and pagans.
One can easily prepare for an open enemy and can repulse his attacks on one’s fortress; but it is not so easy if the enemy is inside and poses as a friend. If a Muslim establishes fraternal bonds with the enemies of Islam, his character is gradually influenced by their manners, deeds and thoughts.
A time comes when disbelief replaces the belief; the Muslims slowly discard the tenets and symbols of Islam one after the other, and before they realize it, Islam loses its hold on the society. It is death without any hope of revival, perdition without any chance of resurrection.
It is “the transgression”; and his case is directly in the hands of Allah:
“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ‘Ad” (89:6).
“[the people of] Iram, possessors of many columned buildings” (89:7).
“The like of which were not created in the cities” (89:8).
“And [with] Thamud, who hewed out the rocks in the valley” (89:9).
“And [with] Pharaoh, the lord of stakes” (89:10).
“Who transgressed in the cities” (89:11).
“So they made great mischief therein?” (89:12).
“Therefore, your Lord let fall upon them the whip of chastisement” (89:13).
“Most surely, your Lord is on watch (89:14).
The transgression leads the transgressor to a place where Allah is on watch - and where there is no one but Allah; and He smites the guilty with the whip of His chastisement - and there is no one to protect the transgressor from Him.
It is for the same reason that those who take the unbelievers for friends have been warned of Allah Himself: Such a friendship is open transgression, a transgression that damages and destroys the religion of Allah.
The same theme has been explained in the verses:
“Stand fast then [in the right path] as you are commanded, as also he who has turned [to Allah] with you, and do not transgress [O men!]. Surely, He sees what you do” (11:112).
“And do not incline to those who are unjust, lest the Fire touch you, and you have no guardians besides Allah, then you shall not be helped” (11:113).
These verses, according to the traditions, are the ones which, the Prophet said, had aged him. However, these verses and the one under discussion, clearly show that inclination towards the unjust and the unbelievers is a transgression which throws one into the Fire where he will not find any helper; it is the chastisement given by Allah Himself, and no one can save from it.
The sentence, “and Allah cautions you of Himself”, shows that the threatened punishment is a firmly-decreed affair which cannot be cancelled. What the offender has been warned of is Allah Himself; there is nothing between Allah and the culprit; and there is no protector from Allah; He has threatened to punish this offender, and what He has said is surely, to happen. The same thing appears from the verse quoted above:
“...lest the Fire touch you, and you have no guardians besides Allah, then you shall not be helped” (11:113).
“And to Allah is the eventual coming”: You cannot escape from Him; nobody can stop you from this eventual return to Allah. As mentioned earlier, it re-emphasizes the threat.
These verses, “Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends...”, are among those which, in the form of admonition, contain a prediction of what was to happen in this ummah in the coming days; we shall explain it in detail, Allah willing, in Chapter 5 (The Table).
Say: Whether You Hide What Is In Your Hearts Or Manifest It Allah Knows It
“Say: ‘Whether you hide what is in your hearts or manifest it, Allah knows it’” (3:29).
The theme is the same as in the verse:
“...and whether you manifest what is in your souls or hide it, Allah will call you to account for it” (2:284).
Nevertheless, a fine difference in style attracts our attention, the verse 2:284 talks about calling to account, and accounting is more often than not a manifest affair; therefore, in this verse manifesting comes before hiding. But the verse under discussion talks about the knowledge of Allah, and knowledge is more germane to what is hidden in the hearts; therefore, this verse has reversed the order, mentioning first what is hidden in the hearts, then coming to what is manifest.
Allah ordered His Apostle to convey this message to the offending servants; it is because He did not like to address directly those who, He knew, would surely, disobey His order and would befriend the unbelievers. It shows His displeasure in the same way as the words in the preceding verse: “and whoever does this...”
And He Knows Whatever Is In The Heavens And Whatever Is In The Earth
“And He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth; and Allah has power over all things” (3:29).
It has the same connotation as the verse 2:284, mentioned above.
On The Day That Every Soul Shall Find Present What It Has Done
“On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil” (3:30).
Apparently, it is a part of the message which the Prophet was to convey. “On the day” may refer to a deleted but understood verb, “remember” or “describe” - Remember (or Describe) the day that every soul...Alternatively this adverb of time may qualify the preceding verb, “Allah knows it” or “He knows”, that is, Allah shall know on that day what is in your hearts; or He will know on that day what is in the heavens and the earth. There is no difficulty in this interpretation; it is not that He would not know these things before the Day of Judgment; what the expression means is this: We, the servants of Allah, will manifestly see the effects of His all-encompassing knowledge on that day. According to this explanation, this verse describes the manifestation of His knowledge on that day in the same way as the following verses describe manifestation of His power on that very day:
“[of] the day when they shall come forth; nothing concerning them shall remain hidden to Allah. To whom belongs the Kingdom this day? To Allah, the Subduer [of all]” (40:16).
“...there is no protector today 1from Allah...” (11:43).
“...and O that those who are unjust could see, when they see the chastisement, that the power is wholly Allah’s...” (2:165).
“...and the command on that day shall be entirely Allah’s” (82:19).
Obviously, to Allah belongs all the Kingdom, power and command, always - before and after the Day of Judgment as well as on that day. But these verses especially refer to that day in this connection, because it will be on that day that we, the servants of Allah, will clearly see His Kingdom and rule, without any doubt about His exclusive authority and power.
Likewise, if the verb, “He knows”, is qualified by the adverb, “that day...”, it would not mean that Allah would not know the hidden secrets of His servants or their good and evil deeds before the Day of Judgment.
“On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done...” The word translated here as “present” is muhdaran ( مُحْضَراً ) which literally means, presented, brought in. The choice of this word, rather than hadiran ( حَاضِراً = present), points to the fact that the good and bad deeds are existent and safe from extinction, because only such a thing may be brought in and presented which already exists (even if out of sight); Allah will bring the deeds in on the Day of Judgment. But who would be preserving them all these days, if not Allah? This too shows that His power, authority and Kingdom are not confined to the Day of Judgment. He says:
“And your Lord is the Preserver of all things” (34:21).
“And with Us is a writing that preserve” (50:4).
“Tajid” ( تَجِذُ = shall find) is derived from al-wijdan ( اَلْوِجْدَانُ = to find); its opposite is to lose. “of good” and “of evil”: “of” describes the thing that will be presented. “good” and “evil” have been used as common noun, to show its generality - he will find there every good however trivial and every evil however insignificant. It appears from the context that the second clause, “what it has done of evil” is in conjunction with the preceding one, “what it has done of good”.
It is one of those verses which prove embodiment of deeds, as we have described in detail in a previous volume.
(It) Shall Wish That Between It And That (Evil) There Were A Long Duration Of Time
“[it] shall wish that between it and that [evil] there were a long duration of time” (3:30).
The subject of this sentence is a deleted pronoun referring to the soul. “Law” ( لَوْ = if) is a conjunctive, as a rule introducing hypothetical conditional clauses; “law” followed by “anna” ( لَوْ اَنَّ = if) introduces nominal clauses; this combination has frequently been used in the Qur’an; therefore, no attention should be paid to the claim of a writer that this combination was not correct.
“al-Amad” ( اَلْاَمَدُ ) denotes distance of time. ar-Raghibr has said in his Mufradat al-Qur’an: al-Amad and al-abad ( اَلْاَبَدُ ) have nearly the same meaning; but al-abad denotes the eternal duration, without an end; that is why it is never restricted by a limit, it cannot be said, to this or that al-abad. On the other hand, al-amad generally signifies a limited duration but with unknown limit; sometimes the limit is specified, for example, amada kadha ( اَمَدَ كَذَا = such and such period), as they say this or that time. The difference between al-amad (span of time) and az-zaman ( اَلزَّمَانُ = time) is that al-amad looks at the terminus of time while az-zaman looks at the whole period from beginning to end. That is why some have said that al-amad and al-madd ( اَلْمَدي = space of time, distance) are nearly similar in meaning.”
The wish of the evil-doer, that there should be between him and his deed a long duration of time, shows that the presence of that evil would cause him sorrow; it follows that the presence of good deed would make the good-doer happy.
He will only wish for a long duration of time between himself and his deed, and not for its complete disappearance. Why? He will see how Allah has preserved it from the day it was done to the Day of Judgment; he will realize that it was of no avail to wish that a thing under such Divine protection should disappear; therefore, he will only wish for the next “best” thing: Would that it had not appeared at the most awkward time, in that most difficult situation. He will wish the same for the evil companion:
“And whoever turns himself away from the remembrance of the Beneficent God, We appoint for him a Satan, so he becomes his associate” (43:36).
“And most surely, they turn them away from the path, and they think that they are guided aright” (43:37).
“Until when he comes to Us, he says: ‘O would that between me and thee there were the distance of the East and the West’, so evil is the associate!” (43:38).
And Allah Cautions You Of Himself; And Allah Is Compassionate To The Servants
“And Allah cautions you of Himself; and Allah is Compassionate to the servants” (3:30).
The repeated warning emphasizes the threat beyond any doubt. Also, it may be that this warning refers to the punishment of the Day of Judgment (as that is the subject of this verse), while the first warning related to the result of that offence in this life or in both lives.
“and Allah is Compassionate to the servants”: It reminds the servants of their relation to Allah - they are His servants and slaves, and He is their Compassionate Master. Nevertheless, this clause makes the preceding threat doubly emphatic. Such expressions are used for warning someone in the severest term. The import of such clause will be like this: Do not do such a thing, because I have firmly decided not to forgive such offence; I warn you beforehand because I have compassion for you.
The meaning then will be as follows: Allah is Compassionate to the servants; that is why He has warned them beforehand not to go near this evil; because if they did so, they would have to undergo the punishment; and they would find no intercessor or protector to intercede on their behalf or to save them.
Say: If You Love Allah, Then Follow Me, Allah Will Love You
“Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’” (3:31).
When writing about the verse:
“... and those who believe are stronger in love of Allah...” (2:165).
We had explained the meaning of love, and said that in reality it relates to Allah, and after that it may relate to others.
No doubt, Allah in His Book invites His servants to believe in Him, to worship Him with sincere devotion, and to steer clear of polytheism. He says:
“Now, surely, sincere religion is for Allah [alone]” (39:3).
“And they were not enjoined anything except that they should worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion...” (97:5).
“Therefore, call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in religion, though averse be the unbelievers” (40:14).
This theme is found in many other verses.
Sincerity in religion can truly be achieved only when man’s heart is not attached to anything other than Allah - be it another deity or some desired object; be it a worldly ambition or even some other worldly goal like entering the garden or protection from the Fire. When the heart cuts all links with such things and attaches itself exclusively to Allah, then the man attains the sincerity of religion, and the love of Allah.
Love is the only link that connects a lover to his beloved; it attracts and pulls the lover to the beloved. The lover wants to make up through the beloved the defects and imperfections that he finds in his own life. The biggest news for him is that his beloved requites his love. At this stage, both love each other; both become lovers, both become beloved.
Man loves food, and gets it to make up the deficiency which shows itself in hunger; he loves the opposite sex, to satisfy a biological need; he loves his friend for genial companionship. A servant loves his master for his kind patronage. Look at the instances of love, read the stories of well-known lovers - you will find everywhere the truth of what we have mentioned.
When a sincere servant loves Allah, his only ambition is to attract the love of Allah to himself; would that Allah should love him as he loves Allah; would that Allah should become his, as he has become of Allah. This is the reality of Allah’s love.
Love, as mentioned above, is a link that joins one thing to the other. But Allah does not count every love as true love. True love demands that the lover - in this case, the believer - should love all that is related to Allah; he should devoutly accept all that comes from Him. On Allah depends everything in its existence and in all its affairs; everything seeks a medium to Him; and every big and small thing ultimately returns to Him.
In this background, true love of Allah, sincerity in that love, can be achieved only through believing in the religion of monotheism, that it, Islam, and surely, the religion with Allah is Islam. It is the religion which His representatives brought and which His apostles and prophets taught. It is especially true about the religion brought by Muhammad (S); it teaches a sublime devotion, an unsurpassed sincerity; it is the natural religion which contains the last law, brought by a Law-giver with whom the chain of the prophets came to its end. All these facts may easily be inferred from the Qur’an, if one ponders on it.
The Prophet introduced his path as the path of monotheism, the path of sincerity; as he was ordered by Allah to say:
“Say: ‘This is my way: I invite [you] to Allah; with clear sight [are] I and he who follows me; and glory be to Allah; and I am not of the polytheists’” (12:108).
Accordingly, his way was to invite people to Allah, with clear sight, with sincerity, without ascribing any partner to Allah. His way was the way of invitation to Allah and of sincerity about Allah. Anyone who wants to follow him, should proceed on the same highway.
Then Allah said that the way of invitation and sincerity can be found only in the Shari‘ah brought by Muhammad (S):
“Then We have made you follow a Shari‘ah in the affair, therefore follow it...” (45:18).
Also, He said that it means total submission to Him:
“But if they dispute with you, say: ‘I have submitted myself [entirely] to Allah and [so has] everyone who follows me’...” (3:20).
Then, He attributed this way to Himself and declared that it was His straight path:
“And [know] that this is My path, the straight one, therefore follow it” (6:153).
If we read all these verses together, it will be clear that Islam (i.e., the Shari‘ah brought by the Prophet, containing fundamental beliefs, moral teachings, practical laws, and having his own sacred life as its model) is the path of sincerity, that is based on love. It is the religion of sincerity, the religion of love.
The above discourse makes clear the meaning of the verse under discussion:
“Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’” (3:31).
It gives the following import - and Allah knows better: If you want to be sincere to Allah in your servitude, truly basing it on His love, then follow this Shari‘ah; it is based on love, and is the embodiment of sincerity and submission; it is the straight path of Allah, whoever proceeds on it is sure to reach nearer to Allah. If you follow me in this path, then Allah will love you; reaching this stage you will get what you want. Your love will be requited.
This is the general import of the verse if looked in isolation. But the context gives it some particular implications too. It comes soon after the verses forbidding the believers to befriend the unbelievers. Friendship is love between the friends. Therefore, the verse exhorts the believers to follow the Prophet if they are sincere in the claim that they love Allah and belong to His party.
Love of Allah cannot be reconciled with following the unbelievers in their vain desires and unhealthy views; remember that friendship certainly makes a friend follow the other friend in thoughts and deeds. One who loves Allah should not run after the worldly trinkets found with the unbelievers, and should not set his eyes on their worldly honour and wealth. If you love Allah, you should follow His Prophet in his religion, as He declares:
“Then We have made you follow a Shari‘ah in the affair, therefore follow it, and do not follow the low desires of those who do not know” (45:18).
“Surely, they shall not avail you in the least against Allah; and surely, the unjust are friends of each other, and Allah is the guardian of those who guard [against evil]” (45:19).
It should be noted how smoothly the verse goes from the theme of following to that of friendship, showing that both are, in fact, one and the same.
In short, anyone claiming to love Allah, to belong to Allah, must follow the Prophet, in order that it may take him to the stage where Allah requites his love and loves him.
The verse mentions only love of Allah, and not His guardianship because guardianship is founded on love. Also, it mentions only Allah’s love, because the love of the Prophet and the believers is in reality a part of Allah’s love; it has no independent existence.
And Forgive You Your Sins; And Allah Is Forgiving, Merciful
“And forgive you your sins; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (3:31).
Allah’s mercy is all-encompassing; His grace is without limit, and His munificence without restriction; it is not confined to any individual or group. The river of His mercy is flowing; everybody is free to take from it as much as he can. Whatever restriction there is, it is not in the river, it is in the receptacle one brings with him. The servants’ ability, or disability, imposes its own limitations; Allah has not put any limit to His mercy:
“And the bounty of your Lord is not confined” (17:20).
Sin is the impediment, holding one back from reaching nearer to Allah, from partaking of the bounties resulting from it, like the paradise etc. If the rust of sin is removed from a man’s heart, the door of Divine bliss will automatically open for him, and he will join the chosen people in the abode of Divine honour and eternal happiness. That is why Allah added forgiveness of sins to the good news of His love.
As described earlier; love attracts the lover to the beloved. When the servant loves Allah, it moves him to come nearer with sincere monotheism and unalloyed devotion and worship. When Allah loves a servant, He comes nearer to him and removes the curtains which hide the sublime reality.
As mentioned above, there is no curtain except sin, and removing it means forgiving the sins. Once that hindrance is removed, there is no obstacle in the way; and Divine munificence will take over from there; and he can partake of the ever-lasting honour and never-ending bounties as much as he likes.
To understand this reality even more clearly, ponder on the verses:
“Nay! Rather, what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts” (83:14).
“Nay! Most surely, they shall on that day be debarred from their Lord” (83:15).
In conjunction with the verse,
“Allah will love you and forgive you your sins” (3:31).
Say: Obey Allah And The Apostle
“Say: ‘Obey Allah and the Apostle’” (3:32).
The preceding verse invited the servants to “follow” the Apostle. To follow means to process behind in someone’s track. The believer follows the Apostle in the way taken by the Apostle. The way the Apostle has taken is the straight path which belongs to Allah. It is the Shari‘ah ordained for the Apostle and conveyed through him to the mankind; and the servants are to obey the Apostle and adhere to his Shari‘ah. That is why the order to follow the Apostle was changed to his obedience. The Apostle’s path of sincerity is the sum total of his Shari‘ah - his orders and prohibitions, his mission and his guidance.
When one follows the Apostle in his tracks, He in fact obeys Allah and the Apostle in the Shari‘ah. Allah’s name has been added with the Apostle’s, to show that the obedience of Allah is one and the same with the obedience of the Apostle. The Apostle’s name was necessary to mention with that of Allah because the talk is about following his tracks.
Someone has written that the sentence means: Obey Allah in His Book and obey the Apostle in his sunnah. But what we have written above clearly shows the unsoundness of this explanation. It is obvious that the words, “Obey Allah and the Apostle”, have been revealed as explanation of the preceding words,
“Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’” (3:31).
Further, this verse shows that the obedience of Allah and obedience of the Apostle are one; that is why the word “obey”, has not been repeated. Had there been two different things to be followed (the Book, for Allah; the sunnah for the Apostle), it would have been appropriate to say, ‘Obey Allah and obey the Apostle’, as has been said in another verse:
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and the masters of the affair from among you...” (4:59).
Anyhow, the verse has the same general and particular aspects as the previous one.
But If They Turn Back Then Surely, Allah Does Not Love The Unbelievers
“But if they turn back, then surely, Allah does not love the unbelievers” (3:32).
The ending clause shows that those who disregard this order are unbelievers; the same is the import of other verses obliging the believers not to take the unbelievers as friends.
This clause too shows this verse to be an explanation of the previous one. That verse described that Allah loves those believers who accept and obey the order to follow the Apostle. This one says that Allah does not love those “unbelievers” who neglect this order to obey the Apostle.
These verses make the following things clear:
First: Taqiyyah is allowed in certain circumstances.
Second: The punishment for befriending the unbelievers will not be waived; the sin of disobeying this order will not be forgiven; it is a firmly decreed order.
Third: The Divinely ordained Shari‘ah exemplifies the sincerity towards Allah; and that sincerity exemplifies the love of Allah. In other words, if we analyse the religion - the sum total of Divine knowledge and faith, the ethical teachings and practical laws, with all their details - it will resolve into sincerity (a sincere servant of Allah believes that his person, his character and his actions, all belong to Allah); and on further analysis this sincerity resolves into the love of Allah.
If we reverse the process and start from the other end, then the love of Allah constitutes the main ingredient of the sincerity, and the sincerity leads to the Shari‘ah.
Looking from another angle, religion resolves into submission, and submission into monotheism.
Fourth: It is disbelief to take the unbelievers for friends. It is a disbelief related to the branches of religion, not to its roots. Other examples are the disbelief of the one who does not pay zakat, and of the one who does not pray.
It may possibly be explained in another way. The one who befriends an unbeliever, has himself been called unbeliever, because that is the ultimate destination where such a friendship leads to. We have described this theme earlier, and shall further explain it in Chapter 5 (The Table).
Traditions
It is written in Ad-Durr Al-Manthur, about the words of Allah: Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends... (3:28).: “Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: ‘al-Hajjaj Ibn ‘Amr was an ally of Ka‘b Ibn al-Ashraf and Ibn Abi ’1-Haqiq and Qays Ibn Zayd; and they were secretly meeting with some Helpers with a view to seduce them from their religion. (Seeing this) Rifa‘ah Ibn al-Mundhir, ‘Abdullah Ibn Jubayr and Sa‘d Ibn Khuthaymah told those Helpers to keep away from those Jews and to be wary of their secret talks, “lest they lead you away from your religion”. But they refused (to listen). Then Allah revealed:
“Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing [to do] with Allah, except [when] you guard yourselves against [them] for fear from them; and Allah cautions you of Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming” (3:28).
“Say: ‘Whether you hide what is in your hearts or manifest it, Allah knows it; and He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth; and Allah has power over all things’” (3:29).
The author says: Apparently this tradition has applied the verse to that story. Otherwise, the Qur’an uses the word “unbelievers”, for a wider circle than the People of the Book. If any verse were revealed about that story, it would have been the one forbidding friendship with the Jews and the Christians, not these verses.
The tafsir, as-Safi quotes under the words: except (when) you guard yourselves against (them)..., from al-Ihtijaj, that the Commander of the faithful (‘a) said, inter alia, in a tradition: “and He ordered you to practise taqiyyah in your religion; because Allah says: Be careful, and be careful again, not to expose yourself to perdition, and not to neglect taqiyyah which I have ordered you (to practise); otherwise, you will cause shedding of your blood and the blood of your brethren (as well); will expose your bounties as well as theirs to ruin; and will cause their humiliation at the hands of the enemies of the religion of Allah, while Allah has ordered you to exalt them.”
as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “The Apostle of Allah used to say: ‘He has no religion who does not have taqiyyah;’ then he used to say: ‘Allah says: except (when) you guard yourselves against them for fear from them (3:28).” (al-‘Ayyashi)
al-Baqir(‘a) said: “taqiyyah is (allowed) in every matter about which a man falls in predicament; and Allah has made it lawful to him.” (al-Kafi)
The author says: There are very many traditions from the Imams of Ahl Al-Bayt (‘a) - probably reaching the limit of mutawatir - containing the permission of taqiyyah; and you have already seen how the Qur’anic verses incontestably prove it.
Sa‘id Ibn Yasar said: “Abu ‘Abdillah (‘a) told me: ‘Is religion anything other than love? Verily Allah, the Mighty, the Great, says: “Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’” (3:31). ” (Ma‘ani Al-Akhbar)
The author says: This tradition has been narrated in al-Kafi from al-Baqir (‘a); also al-Qummi and al-‘Ayyashi have narrated it in their tafsirs from the same Imam through al-Hadhdha’; again al-‘Ayyashi has narrated it in his at-Tafsir from the same Imam through Burayd and from as-Sadiq (‘a) through Rib‘i.
These traditions support our explanation given in the Commentary.
as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “He who disobeys Allah, does not love Him.” Then he quoted (the following poem):
You disobey Allah and (at the same time) you manifest His love;
By my life! this is a strange behaviour.
If your love were true, you would have obeyed Him; Verily, the lover obeys his beloved. (Ma‘ani Al-Akhbar)
as-Sadiq (‘a) said, inter alia, in a tradition: “And whoever likes to know that Allah loves him, his action should be in obedience to Allah and he should follow us. Has he not heard the talk of Allah, the Mighty, the Great, with His Prophet: Say ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins...”’(al-Kafi)
The author says: We shall explain how the Imams’ obedience is one and the same with the obedience of the Prophet when writing about the verse:
“O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Apostle and the masters of the affairs from among you...” (4:59)
‘Abd Ibn Hamid has narrated from al-Hasan that he said: “The Apostle of Allah (S) said: ‘Whoever feels an aversion to my sunnah, he is not from me.’ Then he recited this verse:
“Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’” (3:31).” (Ad-Durr Al-Manthur)
It has been narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu Na‘im (in his Hilyat al-awliya’) and al-Hakim, from ‘A’ishah that she said: “The Apostle of Allah (S) said: ‘Polytheism is more undetectable than the crawling of an ant on a (smooth) rock in a dark night; and its least (grade) is that one should love something because of (its) injustice and should hate something because of (its) justice; and what is religion except loving and hating in the cause of Allah? Allah has said:
“Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you’” (3:31).” (Ad-Durr Al-Manthur)
Ahmad, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Habban and al-Hakim have narrated through Abu Rafi‘ from the Prophet that he said: “I should not find one of you, reclining on his couch, saying - when there comes to him one of my commands, in which I have ordered or prohibited something - ‘We do not understand (it); we shall follow (only) what we find in the Book of Allah.’” (Ad-Durr Al-Manthur)
- 1. ‘‘Today’’ in this verse refers to the day of the Deluge of Nuh (‘a), not to the Day of Resurrection. (tr.)