Quran Garden

Session 489

Chapter 3

Verse 159

a continuation

It was by some mercy of God that you were gentle with them.  If you had been rough or hard of heart, they would have scattered from around you.  So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult with them about the matter.  Then when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in God.  God loves those who put their trust in Him.

(Chapter 3: Verse 159)

In the previous session, we discussed the incredible compassion and mercy God instilled in Prophet Muhammad toward all people.  We explained how he, peace be upon him, not only forgave the faults of Muslims but also asked God to forgive them and to guide his enemies.  

But Allah asked His Messenger to take this love to a higher level.  He says, "So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult with them about the matter." Before Uhud, Prophet Muhammad consulted his companions about whether to stay and defend Medina from within or go out to meet Quraysh on the battlefield.  He, peace be upon him, was of the firm opinion to remain in Medina, but when some of the companions -who missed out on the honor of Badr- insisted on marching, the Prophet relented and prepared the army to go out.  The battle was then lost. 

In the verse under study, Allah instructs Muhammad: 'Do not say, 'I consulted them, acted on their advice, then we were defeated; So I will never consult them again!'  Despite the outcome, you should keep the door of discussion wide open.  Many lessons can be learned from Uhud.  It was a battle of education, testing, and purification.  But it was not a battle to end consultation and sharing ideas.  Rather, you should always discuss with them.' God says, "So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult with them about the matter." In other words, as long as you forgave them and asked your Lord to forgive, you should turn a new page as if nothing has happened. 

Moving forward, we observe that the Muslims were always victorious, partly due to the lessons and experiences of Uhud.  When Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, fought the apostasy wars, he consulted his companions.  Some strongly advised against war, but Abu Bakr chose to advance anyway.  Seeking consultation has its own set of rules; following or rejecting the opinion of others also has its rulings.  The critical point is always to take the counsel (Shura) of others before major action, for al-Mashura helps you draw comparisons between various opinions.  A poet said:

Seek counsel when difficulty befalls you

 even if you are of those who give counsel

The poet delivered the meaning beautifully.  Even if you are a prominent figure who others seek for wisdom and advice, you should still get advice from others.  Why?  The poet completes his lines,

The eye might see what is near and far

but it cannot see itself without a mirror

You can help solve the problems of others because you are an objective observer without bias or skin in the game.  Your only motivation is the truth.  But when you are in trouble, your judgment is clouded by prejudice, and seeking the truth may take the second row. 

Prophet Muhammad was injured in Uhud.  He, peace be upon him, had two front teeth broken and lost one of his dearest people: his uncle Hamza.  In other words, the outcome of seeking counsel in Uhud was ugly.  Yet, as though God says to His Messenger: 'Do not look on the previous outcome of discussions, see it as fruitless, and cut off shura.  You will not remain with them forever, and there will be a time soon when they will be governed by someone else.  And as long as an erring individual will govern them, you should not set a precedent that robs this person from seeking advice.  When offered several opinions, he or she can consider and compare options and choose what is closer to the truth.' 

The verse continues, "Consult with them about the matter.  Then, when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in God." After consulting with the companions, the Prophet decided to march, then went home to put on his armor.  Some of the companions regretted pressuring him and chased after him to reconsider.  So the question is: should he, peace be upon him, have put down his armor and stayed in Medina as he wanted from the beginning?  No, because after careful shura, there is no room for hesitation; put your trust in God and do not look back.  This is the benefit of faith.  The body works while the heart trusts.  What a balanced equation!  The body plows, sows the seeds and plants, irrigates, and fertilizes the land.  The body also prepares for frost and protects the plants with straws.  All of this and more is the required material work of the body.  After that, the heart trusts the Almighty God.  Do not say, "We are sure to have a great harvest because I have perfected my work." Why?  Because God Almighty is above all means.  

You do your work and then trust in the judgment of your Lord, regardless of what it is.  I believe in God, who possesses absolute power and can create with means and without.  We as humans need means, but the Almighty is above all means.   This is the beauty of faith. 

Here, we should take a moment to address a common problem.  Placing your trust in God to provide you with money and provision is very different from laziness and stupid dependency.  Reliance on God means working hard with your hands while your heart is at peace with whatever provision Allah has decreed.  But laziness and neglect are to sit around doing nothing while declaring that God will provide for you.  When faced with a difficult task or something they do not like, lazy people often hide behind "I am relying on God the Provider."  We say to such a person, "If you truly believe that God will provide you with no work on your part, do not even extend your hand to eat when people place food in front of you.  Wait for God to make the food jump into your mouth.  Do you even need to chew, or should God do that for you too?"

Another point to address in this verse is what some people see as a contradiction.  More specifically, the phrase "Then when you have reached a firm decision, put your trust in God" seems to ask you to do two opposite things.  The first is to be determined and make a firm decision, and the second is to put your trust in God, meaning to relegate the responsibility to Him.  In our daily lives, we hear people say that they have entrusted the matter to so and so.  It means that they were not able or willing to do the job, so they entrusted someone else to do it on their behalf. 

We answer that we always entrust our affairs to God Almighty.  I understand that the materials and means God made available to me are His helping hand on earth; My task is to exhaust these means and then leave the rest to the All-Powerful, All-Wise.  I recite the following aya from Al-Fatiha at least seventeen times every single day,

You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.  (1:5)

I am confident that Allah, who arranges the affairs of the entire creation, will take care of my affairs, so while my body works hard, my heart does not exhaust itself with worry.