Quran Garden

Session 467

Chapter 3

Verses 138 & 139

This is a clear declaration to people, and guidance and teaching for those mindful of God.  (Chapter 3: Verse 138)

A "declaration" is a loud well-publicized announcement issued by a powerful authority.  When revolutionaries take over a country, the entire world is shaken, and everyone awaits the first declarations of the new power.  If such is the impact of a declaration from human beings, how about one from the Almighty?

What is God's declaration?  It is a comforting one.  Allah is informing you that He will not take you by surprise.  In the preceding verse, He says, "Similar traditions came to pass before you, so travel in the land and see the fate of the deniers," so if you take time to study, you will know exactly what's coming when you behave in a certain way. 

Allah is also giving you "guidance and teaching."  In other words, He is showing you the best way to reach your goal of Paradise and teaching you how to avoid the obstacles you may encounter.   All of these lessons are derived from the verses related to Uhud, where God paused and used the emotions from the story to teach us moral and practical lessons before completing the account of the battle.  He says in the next Aya of Al Imran:

Do not weaken or grieve –if you are true believers, you have the upper hand.

(Chapter 3: Verse 139)

God is addressing the Muslim fighters of Uhud, 'You are the soldiers of the truth who enjoy God's support and are under the leadership of Muhammad, the Messenger of God and the holder of the Quran, proving his connection to the heavens.  Given these facts, what happened in the battle of Uhud should not weaken you.  You know God's campaign against falsehood and are aware of the history of the civilizations that passed before.'

"Do not weaken" refers to physical weakness because many were injured in the Uhud; some could not even stand.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had trouble climbing a large rock and needed Talha ibn Ubaid's help to do so.  Allah is reminding the believers that He will not allow the forces of falsehood to win.  Hence, your body should soldier on.

"Grief," on the other hand, is an emotional sentiment in the heart.  The Muslim fighters of Uhud grieved because many of their close friends were killed –seventy-five to be exact, of whom five were Meccan migrants and seventy from the Ansar of Medina.  This was very difficult and distressing.  Our beloved Muhammad grieved for the martyrs and was angry at the killing and mutilation of Hamza.  He, peace be upon him, said, "I will never suffer any loss graver than your loss, Hamza!  Nothing has ever angered me more than this."  Then he continued, "If God grants me victory over the Quraysh, I will mutilate thirty of their dead for your sake."

So how can Allah ask the believers not to grieve under such circumstances?  We answer that you should measure each event against your goals.  The loss of a loved one, especially at the hands of the enemy, is extremely difficult and repulsive to the soul, but let's consider the ultimate goal. 

As for the martyrs, they have gone to an immortal life of bliss with their Lord.  God says:

Do not think at all of those killed in God's cause as dead.  Rather, they are alive with their Lord, well provided for. (3:169)

Is life on earth like life with God?  Are our standards higher than His?  Of course not.  Nothing compares to life with the Creator.  So, the martyrs are in a much better place now, and there is no need to grieve for them.  A more proper reaction would be joy for what they achieved.  Say, for example, you want to travel from Cairo to Damascus.  You prepare your car for the trip and load your luggage.  The plan is to spend about twenty hours on the road, including stops for food, bathroom, and border crossings.  Then, a friend comes and says, "I was able to get us plane tickets instead.  We will be there in less than two hours." How would you feel?  Happy, of course.  Now your trip is much easier, and you will get to Damascus a day ahead of schedule.  Should your family grieve for you?  No, because you achieved your goal sooner.  That is the same situation for the martyrs: they reached their goal earlier.   

Some say that, when a great fighter dies in God's cause, the remaining army is that much weaker.  I remind you of God's words in Aya 126 of Al Imran, "For victory comes from God alone, the Almighty and All-Wise." Furthermore, when people see a person giving his or her life for a cause, they realize that the goal must be precious.  Take the example of our beloved Muhammad.  In the battle of Badr, he, peace be upon him, put his family next to him at the front lines because he knew that if one of them were killed, they would be guaranteed Paradise.  Muhammad loved his family immensely and wanted the best for them.  All people love their families, but their love is often confined to worldly affairs.

Allah advises the believers, "Do not weaken or grieve," which also includes grieving for what they missed of the spoils and the victory that slipped away in Uhud.  Why?  God answers: because "you have the upper hand."  Abu Sufyan –one of the leaders of Quraysh– called out on the battlefield, "Victory to Hubal," which was one of their idols.  The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to his companions, "Answer him."  They asked, "What do we say?"  He said, "Say: 'Allah is the Highest, the Most Exalted.'"  Then Abu Sufyan said, "We have Al-Uzza, and you do not have any glory."  Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Answer him."  They asked, "What should we say?" He said, "Say: 'Allah is our Protector, and you have no protector.'"  Then Abu Sufyan said,  "We will meet again near the wells of Badr next year."  Then the Messenger, peace be upon him, said to one of his companions, "Say: 'Yes, we shall meet then.  You have our pledge.'"

If you want to know the true meaning of "you have the upper hand," then you should compare the victory of the Muslims in Badr to their setback in Uhud.  In Badr, the Muslims killed many of Quraysh's top leaders, while in Uhud, Quraysh killed some of the companions of the Prophet.  In Badr, the Muslims took spoils and prisoners of war, while in Uhud, Quraysh took none.  Lastly, despite the setback in Uhud, Quraysh did not gain any land or attack Medina, which had non-existent defenses at the time.   In fact, Quraysh left the battlefield before the Muslims. 

More importantly, God's words, "If you are true believers, you have the upper hand," rang 100% true.  During Uhud, the Muslims had the upper hand and were on their way to a resounding victory.  But as soon as the archers violated the order of God's Messenger –a core requirement of faith–the tide turned against them.

As soon as the Muslim army returned to Medina, Prophet Muhammad made an announcement asking the people to assemble a force and head out towards Mecca to chase the forces of Quraysh.  It was a tactic to show the enemy that nothing could weaken the resolve of the believers.  Who do you think were the fighters who volunteered and were chosen for this raid?  Fresh fighters?  No!  Each of them was a fighter who had just returned from Uhud.  Our beloved Muhammad added only one person - Jaber ibn Abdu Allah- who was absent from Uhud.  Jaber was excused from Uhud because his father died, leaving behind seven daughters under his care.  This force was the embodiment of God's words: "Do not weaken or grieve –if you are true believers, you have the upper hand."  When Abu Sufyan heard that the Muslims were in pursuit, he gathered his forces and hurried back to Mecca.