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155. "and we will surely test you (all) with something of fear and
hunger and loss of property, lives and fruits; but give glad
tidings to the (steadfast) patient."
166. "who, when a calamity befalls them, (by showing perseverance),
say: ` verily we belong to allah, and certainly unto him shall we return'."
167. " those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from
their lord, and they are the ones that are guided (aright)."
commentary:
trial, an indisputable divine
rule
imam amir-ul-mu'mineen ali (a.s.) said: "even though allah, the
glorious, knows them more than they know themselves, yet he does so to let
them perform actions with which they earn reward or punishment."
1
concerning the sense of rial, in a sermon, he (a.s.) also has
remarked:
"...certainly, allah tries his servants in respect of evil actions by decreasing
fruits, holding back blessings and closing treasures of good, so that he who
wishes to repent may repent, he who wishes to recall (forgotten good) may
recall, and he who wishes to abstain (from evil) may abstain. ..."
2
* * * *
allah (s.w.t.) tests all human beings, but with varieties. all the
different sites of the world are the testing-places, and all the members of
humanity, even the prophets, are under trial, and all the pleasant and
unpleasant things are the means of trial. we ought to know that the
divine examinations are not done in order to clear out the ambiguity,
but they are to evoke and train the capacities and abilities of
humankind.
the means of this trial are all bitter and sweet happenings of
man, including: fear, hunger, loss of property, lives, agricultural
products, fear from enemies, economic siege, and taking part in holy
war himself, or by sending children and dear ones to the battle of war.
these trials were experienced in the first war of islam (battle of badr),
and will also come forth at the time of the reappearance of the
expected mahdi, the twelfth imam (may allah hasten his glad advent),
for which muslims should be prepared.
the inflictions, which human beings encounter with, are usually
concerned with wealth, life, children, or the fear of the loss of either of
them.
the secret of mentioning ` fear ', among the means of trials, first,
may be that the purpose is the fear for the lack of either of those three
things. it is always before the loss of the very things that one fears of
losing them.
then, next to fear, hunger is pointed out, which comes into being
as a result of poverty. yet, in this respect, fasting is counted one of the
examples of hunger.
loss of property has been situated in the third degree. the loss
of wealth, of course, is very bitter, especially for a rich person when he
becomes poor.
then there comes the loss of life, which often occurs because of
different ailments or after being wounded: in a battle-field and holy
war in the way of allah, and so on.
and, finally, the loss of fruits comes forth. some of the
commentators have rendered this loss into the death of one's child,
which is the heaviest calamity.
"...but give glad tidings to the (steadfast) patient."
it addresses the prophet of islam (p.b.u.h.) that he gives glad
tidings to those people who persevere with patience in their calamities
and difficulties.
some commentators have said that this ` glad tidings' points to
the reward of heaven and the merit of divine forgiveness for them, as
imam sadiq (a.s.) has said: "allah, mighty and glorious, said: `...but give
glad tidings to the (steadfast) patient', or, (that is), with paradise and
forgiveness." 3
but in another tradition, imam s¤adiq (a.s.) has rendered the
concept of ` glad tidings ' into the reappearance of imam al-mahdi
(a.s.), where he says:
" before the rise of gha'im (al-mahdi) (may allah hasten his
auspicious reappearance) there will appear some signs by which allah tries
the muslim believers. " muhammad-ibn-muslim, (who was one of the
special followers of the imam), said that he required to know what those
signs were; and he (a.s.) answered:" those are the same that allah, the
glorious, has expressed in the qur'an, thus:
` and we will surely test you (all) with something of
fear and hunger and loss of property, lives and fruits;'
so far as he (a.s.) recited: `...but give glad tidings to the (steadfast)
patient', and continued to say: ` this means to give glad tidings to the
believers who show patience and perseverance in these calamities for the
advent of the gha'im (a.s.), (viz., had¤rat mahdi, may allah (s.w.t.) hasten
his glad advent." 4
yes, the world is anxiously awaiting the advent of this great
reformer (a.s.). when he comes, he will fill the world full of justice.
then, there will be no inequity, no cruelty, and no transgression. allah
will open the doors of blessings out of the earth and heaven because of
his auspicious appearance. at that time, the believing people can
continue to live peacefully and easily under his esteemed government,
to prove their worship and servitude to allah.
concerning this meaning, in a tradition, the holy prophet
(p.b.u.h.) has said:" al-mahdi is mine. his luminous forehead is high and
wide, while over whose nose there is a little projection. he will fill the earth
with justice, just as it is filled up with aggression and cruelty." 5
* * * *
"who, when a calamity befalls them, (by showing perseverance), say:
` verily we belong to allah,
and certainly unto him shall we return'."
after recounting different calamities, and giving glad tidings to the
patient, it introduces this group of patient who, with this competency,
rightfully deserve to be given glad tidings. it is clear that every ordinary
person is not fit to be rewarded with all these excellences and dignities.
hence, that reward, i.e. the glad tidings, is specialized to the ones whose
patience originates from a firm foundation. this particular glad tidings
is qualified by a special blessing and mercy from the side of allah.
these kind of people are those ones whose hearts turn to their lord at
the moment of meeting with a calamity when, they say:
`... verily we belong to allah, and certainly unto him shall we return'."
they treat such because they have realized, through knowledge of
certainty or by visual certainty, that whatever exists belongs to allah
and is under his will. so, whatsoever he has given to human-kind in
this world, such as: soul, property, children, and all other similar
respects, are ficticious.
they also know that whatever allah has bestowed upon them
has been based upon his wisdom, and when he takes it from them, it is
not taken because of miserliness, but it is for his good that he takes a
blessing from a person to mercifully impart a better one. they have
found out that their return, their destination, as well as the return of
every thing, is undoubtedly unto him.
* * * *
however, he who, based on these foundations, knows and
remembers that his soul, wealth, and whatever he possesses belongs to
allah and is under his authority, surrenders to his divine decrees.
the one, with this awareness, will be patient and thankful properly and
reasonably. such a person, of course, is one of those eligible believers
for whom allah says:
" those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their lord,...", and
they are prosperous.
some of the commentators have said that / salawat/ (blessings and
peace), which comes from allah (s.w.t.), is the same as ` fogiveness',
while some others believe that it is `praise'.
the term /s¤alawat/ (blessings) is said in the plural form because it
refers to the abundant mercy of allah. it may mean that there are
many frequent blessings for these steadfast patient from allah which
do not cease.
it is narrated from the prophet (p.b.u.h.) who said:" the person
who receives a calamity and thereafter, whenever the one remembers it,
utters the phrase ` verily we belong to allah, and certainly unto him shall
we return ', allah gives the believer once again the reward of the day when
the one received that calamity". (even though there has passed a long time
after that calamity). 6
he (p.b.u.h.) has also said in another tradition that, for such a
person, allah will amend that calamity with a better quality than before
and his destiny will conclude well.7
"...and they are the ones that are guided (aright)."
this group of the patient, as was mentioned in the above, when
they entangle with a calamity, are patiently steadfast, since they have
known that they themselves and what they have are all allah's, and in
his possession. they also know that their return is unto him, and they
express this fact, too, by their tongue and with uttering the above holy
phrase. such people have attained the rank and position of nearness to
allah. their march is gain after gain, i.e. an ever progressive gain. they
are, in fact, guided aright.
1 nahjul balaqah, saying no. 93
2 nahjul-balaqah, sermon 143
3 al-burhan fi tafsir-il-qur'an, vol. 1, p. 169
4 al-burhan fi tafsir-il-qur'an, vol. 1,p.197
5 tara'if, by sayyid-ibn-tawus, p. 177; & sunan
abi-dawud, vol. 4, p. 152
6 bihar-ul-anwar, vol. 82, p. 142
7 makhzan-ul-`irtan, vol. 2, p. 143
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