Quran Garden

Session 479

Chapter 3

Verse 151

We shall throw terror into the hearts of the faithless because they attribute partners to God, although He has sent no authority for this: their shelter will be the Fire- how miserable is the home of the wrongdoers!  (Chapter 3: Verse 151)

Shortly after the fighting in Uhud was done, fear struck the hearts of the disbelievers.  Some came to Abu Sufyan and said, "Muhammad is coming back after you with an army from Medina, and with him are fresh fighters who were not hurt in the battle."  Despite being in a superior military condition, Allah struck fear in Abu Sufyan's heart, so he gathered his men and fled to Mecca.

In the Quran, the verb "throw," translated from the Arabic نُلْقِي (Nulqi), is usually reserved for tangible material things.  Here are a few examples.  God says in verse 150 of chapter 7,

And when Moses returned to his people, angry and indignant, he said, "Evil has been your conduct in my absence!  Would you hasten on the mandate of your Lord?" He threw down the tablets and seized his brother by the head

And in another chapter,

So they threw their ropes and staffs, saying: "By the might and glory of Pharaoh, we will surely be the victors." (26: 44)

Lastly,

We revealed to Moses' mother, "Nurse him; then, when you fear for him, throw him into the river, and do not fear or grieve, for We will restore him to you and make him one of the apostles." (28:7)

So while 'throwing' something is usually used for material things, in the verse under study, Allah used it for 'terror.' As if the Almighty wants us to visualize fear as an object that is gathered up, condensed, and then put in the heart of the disbelievers.  When fear settles in the heart, it is pumped throughout the body until it permeates every limb and organ.  The result will be panic and disorder.   God says, "We shall throw terror into the hearts of the faithless because of they attribute partners to God."

Take note that God used the expression "We shall" in the plural form.  This is usually done to emphasize the majesty and grandness of an action.  For example, God says,

Indeed it is We, We Who send down the Reminder in parts, and it is indeed We Who are its Guardian. (15:9)

The revelation and preservation of the Qur'an is an immense act; thus, God described it with the plural "We." The Quran was sent down with power, wisdom, knowledge, insight, vision, and ultimate care.  Thus, even speaking about it warrants glorification.  The pronoun 'we' expresses grandeur and majesty, not a plurality of actors.  God says,

Truly We sent it down on the Night of Power.  What will explain to you what that Night of Power is?  The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. (97:1-3)

But when Allah speaks of devotion and worship, it is always singular.  He says,

"Assuredly, it is I, I am God, there is no deity save Me.  So worship Me and keep up the prayer so that you remember Me." (20:14)

And in another chapter,

We never sent any Messenger before you except that We revealed to him that there is no deity but Me, so worship Me alone.  (21:25)

The actions you and I take require many qualities.  For example, running requires eyesight to scan the road, strength to move your legs, and health to keep going.  All are blessings from God; thus, we advise you to start all your activities with God's name, asking for His help.  In the running example, you could say "in the name of the All-Seeing," "in the name of the All-Powerful," and "in the name of the Sustainer," But that can be cumbersome, and you may forget to ask for a specific quality needed for running.  Thus, God taught us a name that is inclusive of all His attributes of perfection: Allah.  Now you can begin all our actions with "in the name of Allah" or بِسْمِ اللَّهِ (Bismi Allah.) 

This brings us back to the verse.  Although God is One, He uses the pronoun "We" to indicate the majesty of His actions, not the plurality of actors.  The phrase "We shall throw terror into the hearts of the faithless" alerts us to the grand act of gathering fear, then distributing it into the heart of every disbeliever on the battlefield. 

Here we should ask: Did Allah assault them with fear for no reason?  Did He decide to torment them out of the blue?  No, they earned this punishment "because they attribute partners to God." The polytheism of Gods in their hearts earned them fear; Allah does what He wills, and the partners they attribute to Him do nothing.  Had their partners been true, they would have protected them, right?!  Why didn't they come to rescue their followers?  Fear struck them because they had no guardian.  If they had other gods, as they claim, they would have prayed, "O our gods, Muhammad is doing such and such.  Stop him!" But they associated with Allah those which do not harm nor benefit them.   

The verse continues, "because they attribute partners to God although He has sent no authority for this." Authority is of two types.  The first is forcing one to do an act he or she does not want to do; this is known as the "power of compulsion."  The second is convincing a person to voluntarily do an act while he or she is content; this is known as the "power of persuasion."  The believers always have authority because the heavens back them.  At times, they have the authority of compulsion because God aids them to victory over their enemies.  But even when the believers suffer a defeat, they always have the power of persuasion on their side because they represent the ultimate truth. 

Let's look at the type of authority and support the disbelievers have.  God says, 

When everything has been decided, Satan will say, "God gave you a true promise.  I, too, made promises, but they were false: I had no power over you except to call you, and you responded to my call, so do not blame me; blame yourselves.  I cannot help you, nor can you help me.  I reject the way you associated me with God before." A bitter torment awaits such wrongdoers.  (14:22)

Satan does not have the power of compulsion nor the power of persuasion.  Sadly, his whispers often find an inclination and a desire within us; thus, we lend him an attentive ear and pursue.  However, you should never forget the result of this struggle.  Satan will declare the facts to his followers on the Day of Resurrection.  He will say, "I had no authority over you, I had no arguments to convince you to do sins, nor did I have the power to force you to act, but you were flirting with sin, and all I had to do was to give you a little nudge." 

The verse ends with, "Their shelter will be the Fire- how miserable is the home of the wrongdoers!" A shelter is a place to which you run at times of trouble.  As if the disbeliever will instinctively recognize the place they belong.  Therefore, we understand from God's word, "How miserable is the home of the wrongdoers," that there is no escape; Hellfire is the disbelievers' only choice, and it will be their home and shelter.