Quran Garden

Session 476

Chapter 3

Verse 146

And how many a prophet had to fight, with large bands of godly men alongside him who, in the face of their sufferings for God's cause, did not lose heart, weaken, or submit: God loves those who are patient.  (Chapter 3: Verse 146)

Let's review the last two verses we studied.  God says:

Muhammad is only a messenger before whom many messengers have come and gone.  If he died or was killed, would you revert to your old ways?  If anyone did so, he would not harm God in the least.  God will reward the grateful.  It is not for a self to die except by God's permission, a decree appointed.  And whoever desires the reward of this world, We give him of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We give him thereof.  And We will reward the grateful.  (3:144, 145)

These verses were all theoretical, but can we put them into practice?  Yes, of course.  Allah gives us examples of the faithful who preceded us.  He says, "And how many a prophet had to fight, with large bands of godly men alongside him." 

The phrase "how many" means a large number.  For example, when a friend asks you, "Why are you avoiding me?" you could say, "How many a time did I text, call, and leave you a message?"  This is a rhetorical question because you are implying that if your friend checks their phone, they will find many attempts by you to get in touch.  You are confident that they will answer, "You are right…  You have reached out to me many times." 

Similarly, a friend may ask you, "How did this story happen?" You may respond with, "How many times did we see this before?" meaning the events of the story are not unusual and often occur, which brings us back to the verse, "And how many a prophet had to fight, with large bands of godly men alongside him." The answer is that plenty of prophets fought with believers alongside them in support of God's message. 

"Godly men," translated from the Arabic رِبِّيُّونَ (Ribiyoon), refers to people who are knowledgeable of the strategies of war; it can also be interpreted as people who are on God's path and follow the divine teachings. 

The verse continues, "who, in the face of their sufferings for God's cause, did not lose heart, weaken, or submit." Allah is giving us a practical example to follow, and He is assigning some blame to the Muslims.  It is as if He is saying to the believers, "Why did you weaken in your stance during Uhud while fighting alongside the Messenger?  Your enthusiasm for fighting with Muhammad should have been greater than those with the previous prophets, for he, peace be upon him, is the Seal of the Prophets.  He is laying down the foundations of faith till the Day of Judgment, and thus you should be more passionate in your support.  You are the best of nations brought forth for humankind, and I chose you for this task."   

To "lose heart" was the beginning of trouble because the body always follows.  If your heart is afraid, you cannot perform well in a fight.  Thus, in the Aya under study, to "lose heart" was naturally followed by to "weaken," which refers to physical weakness.  Lastly, the word "submit" is translated from the Arabic اسْتَكَانُوا (Istakanoo).  The root س ك ن (Sa Ka Na) means "to stop moving and be still."  Some fighters in Uhud had reached the limits of exhaustion and weakness and were looking to quit.  As you know, war requires motion, courage, and maneuvering, and a person who remains still has given up. 

The verse ends with "God loves those who are patient." Here we recall the words of our beloved Muhammad.  He, peace be upon him, said, "If Allah loves a people, He puts them through trials." In other words, whatever befalls you as a servant of God is for your benefit, just like the example of the godly men facing death and "who, in the face of their sufferings for God's cause, did not lose heart or weaken or submit." All these grave challenges did not prevent them from fighting because they knew they were in God's company, and with some patience, Allah would provide them with strength and victory. 

Likewise, as a believer, it is your job to exhaust all the worldly means God placed at your disposal, then be patient and trust that the divine support will guide you to victory.  Does this sound tough?  Take a moment to appreciate the fabulous prize of people who are patient over life's trials.  God says, "God loves those who are patient," so the reward for patience is to be beloved by Allah.  Is there anything better?  

Many people love God for His blessings and bounties, but the matter is not for us to love the Lord, rather, to become beloved by Him.  What is the point of loving someone if you do not receive love in return?  Your love for God's provisions is not enough, for such worldly blessings are given to believers and disbelievers alike.  What we look forward to are the blessings of the life to come.  God says:

The life of this world is merely an amusement and a diversion; the true life is in the Hereafter, if only they knew.  (29:64)

So, if you truly understand the meaning behind "God loves those who are patient," you will say, "All the troubles of life are worth it if the reward is to be beloved by Allah."

If you want to know God, be patient over whatever life throws, and do not waver in your faith.  Patience equals faith because those with no faith quickly lose hope and turn to despair.  You should be grateful under all circumstances and know that God's help is on full display at times of your weakness and.  Do not be like those who are mentioned in the following verse:

When man suffers some affliction, he cries out to Us, but when We favor him with Our blessing, he says, "All this has been given to me because of my knowledge." It is only a test, though most of them do not know it.  (39:49)