Quran Garden

Session 355

Chapter 3

Verse 21

a continuation

Those who disbelieve in God's signs and kill the prophets unjustly, and kill those who call for justice from among the people, give them the glad tidings of a painful torment.

(Chapter 3: Verse 21)

There were many attempts by the enemies of Muhammad to kill him.  The assassination plots -some were very sophisticated- started in Mecca in the early days of Islam.  However, all the efforts of the Messenger's enemies were foolish.  Why? Because they ignored the fact that he, peace be upon him, was not only a prophet but also a messenger of God.  As a prophet, Muhammad led by example, and as a messenger, he was the carrier of a new divine message.  Had he only been a prophet, they may have succeeded in killing him as they killed many prophets before. But as the carrier of a new religion, he had God's full protection.  God says:

Messenger, proclaim everything that has been sent down to you from your Lord -if you do not, then you will not have communicated His message- and God will protect you from people. God does not guide those who defy Him. (5:67)

Allah, however, reassured the believers and informed the opponents of the Messenger that there is no way to kill him.  He says:

When it is said to them, "Believe in God's revelations," they reply, "We believe in what was revealed to us, "but they do not believe in what came afterwards, though it is the truth confirming what they already have. Say: "Why did you kill God's prophets in the past if you were true believers?" (2:91)

The phrase "in the past" explained to our beloved Muhammad and to his enemies that the practice of killing the prophets is now over. From this point forward, no one will ever succeed.  Regardless of the wishes and the schemes of the disbelievers, God has power over everything, and He will protect His Prophet.  God says:

And they plot and Allah plots. But Allah is the best of plotters. (3:54)

Here we should ask, why is Allah issuing a warning against those who killed the prophets before? These people were not even alive at the time of Muhammad! Who exactly is God addressing?  We answer that God's warning is mainly directed towards some of the people of the Book.  More specifically, to the Children of Israel who follow in the footsteps of their ancestors who killed their prophets.  The Children of Israel had killed over forty-three of their prophets and hundreds of their followers.  This verse is a rebuke of the Jews of Medina who rejected Muhammad's message and insisted on following the faith which was corrupted by their ancestors.  God says:

Those who disbelieve in God's signs and kill the prophets unjustly, and kill those who call for justice from among the people, give them the glad tidings of a painful torment.

(Chapter 3: Verse 21)

And in Surah Al-Baqarah:

But when it is said to them, "Follow the message that God has sent down," they answer, "We follow the ways of our fathers." What! Even though their fathers understood nothing and were not guided? (2:170)

The phrase "give them glad tidings" should give us pause.  How could anybody give glad tidings of a painful torment? "Glad tidings" is usually reserved for pleasant surprises.  Allah gives the believers glad tidings of paradise as an encouragement to implement His teachings.  We answer that using a term like "give glad tidings" for punishment is meant to inflict psychological pain.  How? We explain that when you come up to somebody and tell them that you have great news, they anticipate hearing something pleasing.  But when you follow that with something horrible, the devastation is doubled.  The sudden fall from happiness to despair is psychologically damaging.

Similarly, had God warned the killers of prophets -and those who follow them- directly, the news of the painful punishment would have been expected.  But by starting with "give glad tidings" then following with the punishment, the sense of calamity is heightened.  Here is another example from the Quran.  God says in the 29^th verse of chapter 18:

We have prepared a Fire for the wrongdoers that will envelop them from all sides. If they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten metal, scalding their faces. What a terrible drink! What a painful resting place!

When the residents of hellfire cry for help and then hear that help is on the way, they feel better immediately.  But what do you think happens when the relief is worse than the punishment? The psychological damage is devastating.  God says:

We shall send those who reject Our revelations to the Fire. When their skins have been burned away, We shall replace them with new ones so that they may continue to feel the pain: God is mighty and wise. (4:56)

Such is the glad tiding for those who killed the prophets and the righteous.  God gives them glad tidings of a painful punishment, and His warning extends to anyone who believes that what they did was appropriate.