Quran Garden

Session 497

Chapter 3

Verses 166 & 167

What befell you on the day the two armies met in battle happened with God's permission so that He would know the believers. (Chapter 3:Verse 166)

In the previous session, we explained how God's laws and precedents never change.  The Muslims lost in Uhud because they disobeyed God's Messenger.  Anyone who disobeys a Messenger is bound to lose; that is the heavenly law.  But do not think that God set the rules and then left.  He is the ever-present, and nothing happens in the universe without both: His knowledge and permission.  He says,

He has the keys to the unseen: no one knows them but Him.  He knows all that is in the land and sea.  No leaf falls without His knowledge, nor is there a single grain in the darkness of the earth or anything, fresh or withered, that is not written in a clear Record.  (6:59)

On the day of Uhud, God gathered the believers and the disbelievers in one place with His permission and knowledge.  The battle ran with the result already known and permitted by the Almighty.  The miserable outcome was not changed for His beloved Muhammad or anyone else, because God does not alter His laws for any of His creations, regardless of their rank. 

When you hear phrases in the Quran such as, "so that He would know the believers," you should remember that Allah already knows the believers, disbelievers, hypocrites, and whatever you hold in your heart.  He says,

The hypocrites are afraid lest a surah should be sent down against them, making what is in their hearts plainly known.  Say: "Go on mocking.  God will surely bring to light that you dread." (9:64)

However, God does not use His knowledge as proof against you; your actions are the proof.  Why?  Because someone may say, "O Lord, You have judged me based on your knowledge, but I would never have done what You say You know."  Thus, God puts each of us through life's trials to see what we do.  Now, your actions are the proof, not for God, but against yourself. 

Let me give you an example to clarify: At the end of the school year, the principal comes to the teacher and says: "We need to conduct an examination to know the good students from the bad ones.  We can then plan a graduation party to honor those who succeed while the failing students go through summer school."  The teacher objects and says, "We do not need an exam.  I can tell you exactly who will pass and who will fail.  I can even rank the entire class for you from top to bottom!" But the principal insists on the examination because he does not want trouble from the parents.  So the principal tasks a different teacher to develop and administer an exam; sure enough, the results are exactly as the students' teacher predicted.  Here we ask: Was the teacher who taught these students all year unaware of what the students know?  Did he intend to obtain this knowledge through the exam?  Of course not!  Every competent teacher can tell you who will ace the test and who will fail.  Testing is necessary because it presents the evidence to the students themselves.  If a student comes to argue, all the teacher has to do is point to the test score.  The result is now a tangible fact.

God says, "so that He would know the believers." A battle is the best test of people's faith.  Are you firm in your belief, or will you waver under pressure?  True believers know that if a calamity hits them, it is the result of some of their actions, so they sit and reflect. 

Now, we move to the next Aya in Al-Imran.  God says,

And so that He would know the hypocrites.  They were told, "Come and fight in the Way of God or at least help defend us." They said, "If we knew there would be a fight, we would certainly follow you." They were closer to disbelief that day than to belief, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts.  And God knows best what they are hiding.

(Chapter 3: Verse 167)

The phrase "and so that He would know the hypocrites" means to make them stand out and be identified before all people.  Hypocrites hide by nature, so events –such as Uhud- are needed to expose them. 

"They were told, 'Come and fight in the Way of God or at least help defend us.'"  Medina was under attack, and if the disbelievers were to triumph, they would enter the city, kill, steal, enslave people, and commit atrocities.  Abdullah bin Amr told the hypocrites: "Come and fight with us; fight for Islam, or at the very least join us to defend yourselves, wealth, and women!  You know what will happen to you if Quraysh is victorious."  Ibn Amr clearly doubted their faith, so he called on them to fight for pride and honor.  But when he saw their insistence on skipping the fight, he said, "Go, enemies of God.  God and His Messenger will suffice for us."

There is a big difference between fighting in God's way and defending oneself.  "They were told, "Come and fight in the Way of God or at least help defend us" even if it means just showing up to make our numbers look larger.  What was their reply?  "They said, 'If we knew there would be a fight, we would certainly follow you.'"  When we look back at the battle preparations, we find that Ibn Ubay –the leader of the hypocrites- wanted the Prophet to stay in Medina.  Why?  Because he had experienced that when Medina came under attack, its residents were victorious when they defended the city from within but were at a significant disadvantage when they left the city.  That was the opinion he shared with the Muslims.  The problem was: Can the advice of Ibn Ubay be trusted?  Was it the truth or a bunch of lies?  To understand this underlying doubt, we need to look at the background of Ibn Ubay.  His story started on the day the Prophet migrated to Medina.  It happened to be the same day that Ibn Ubay was to be crowned as the chief of Medina.  The arrival of Muhammad changed all plans, and the leadership of Ibn Ubay never materialized.  He never got over that personal loss. 

This brings us back to the day of Uhud.  "They said, 'If we knew there would be a fight, we would certainly follow you.'" In other words, Ibn Ubay suggested that leaving the city was a sure way to lose, and with no hope of victory, you can no longer call this a fight.  Was he truthful?  Was there really no hope of winning?  God answers, "They were closer to disbelief that day than to belief, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts."  Before Uhud, the hypocrites secretly denied Islam while their tongue proclaimed faith.  They were wavering between both states.  Today, as the Muslims prepared for battle, their actions spoke louder, bringing them close to open disbelief.

The phrase, "saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts," teaches us that a hypocrite has no honor.  Let me explain: the disbelievers of Quraysh were honorable men; how, you may ask?  We answer that they were honorable because they stood for what they believed.  Their hearts denied faith, and their tongues and actions were honest.  We say that a man's word is his bond, and the disbelievers of Quraysh –as wrong as their beliefs were- lived by this principle.  The Muslims were also honorable because their hearts believed, and their every word and action supported their belief.  They were both: right and honorable.  The hypocrites, on the other hand, are low-lives.  Every word and action is a lie.  No honor can be found.  God says,

Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth Hell; and you will never find for them any helper. (5:145)

The phrase, "saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts," also teaches us that speech is the most critical form of communication.  The tongue will inevitably throw out what is within the heart.  Some say you can express yourself equally in writing, online, or with pictures.  Think about when you do something wrong, and you must admit your mistake or apologize.  Don't you always prefer to escape by writing a note than speaking directly to the person you wronged?  Talking is not like writing, but the hypocrites had no problem lying to the Muslims' faces and felt no shame or embarrassment.  That was blatant hypocrisy and a step too far.