| Surah Aal Imran, 118-120
"O those who believe, do not take anyone as insider but from your own selves. They would spare no effort to do you mischief. They want you to be in trouble. Malice has come out of their mouths while what is concealed in their hearts is far worse. We have made the signs clear to you, provided that you understand. [118] Look, you are the ones who love them and they do not love you. And you believe in the Book, in all of it. And when they meet you, they say, "We believe", and when they are alone they bite their finger-tips out of rage against you. Say, 'Die in your rage." Surely, Allah is All-Aware of what lies in the hearts. [119] If something good happens to you, it annoys them and if something evil befalls you, they are delighted with it. And if you keep patience and fear Allah, their cunning shall not harm you at all. And Allah is All-Encompassing of what they do."[120] (3:118-120)
Commentary
These verses were revealed in a particular background. There were Jewish settlements around Madinah. They had old friendly ties with the tribes of Aws and Khazraj. Individuals from these tribes were also on friendly terms with other individuals from the Jewish settlements. In their tribal capacity too, Aws and Khazraj were to the Jews their neighbours and allies. When these two tribes embraced Islam, they continued to maintain their old ties with them. Individuals from these tribes saw no problems in meeting their old Jewish friends with the same love and sincerity.
But, Jews were so hostile to the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him and the religion brought by him that they were unwilling to be sincere and loving to anyone who had said yes to the prophetic call and had embraced Islam. So, they outwardly went along with the same old relationships with the Ansars of Madinah, but inwardly they had turned into their enemies. The apparent friendship they had allowed to remain became their cover which they utilized in their sinister efforts to foment trouble among Muslims so that their unity could be disintegrated. They even went to the limit of banking on this feigned friendship with Muslims to find out their organizational secrets and pass them on to the enemies.
It is this hypocritical behaviour of theirs which Allah Almighty has asked Muslims to guard against. We have been given an important rule of conduct when it was said:
O those who believe, do not take anyone as insider but from your own selves.
The word, bitanah used here means a friend, confidant, one with whom secrets are shared. The lining or inside part of a dress which stays close to the body is also known as bitanah. Derived from batn (inside), it is used in everything opposed to zahr (outside). That which is outside is zahr and that which is inside is batn. In garments, the outer part is ziharah and the inner part touching the body such as a lining is called bitanah. [There is an expression in English - hand in glove- which comes close to this sense, even if partly. It means 'to be on very intimate terms'.] Similarly, the expression, bitanatu-th'thawb lends the metaphor of friend, confidant, one who comes to know internal secrets and that is how the word, bitanah is used to carry that sense. The well-known, and quite reliable lexicon of Arabic, Lisan al-'Arab explains bitanah as follows:
It means that a person's bitanah is one who knows his secrets, has access to his affairs in which he seeks his advice. Raghib al-Isfahani in his Mufradat and al-Qurtubi in his Tafsir have given the same meaning. (The word, 'bitanah', translated here as 'insider' is an effort to cover some of these important shades of meaning.)
So, it has been enjoined upon Muslims through this verse that they should not take persons other than those from their own community as confidants and advisers, in a way that leads one into spilling the sensitive secrets of one's own government, community or state. No doubt, under the shade of its universal mercy, Islam has given unusual instructions to Muslims in order that they treat non-Muslims with compassion, goodwill, beneficence, kindliness and tolerance, and not leaving it at that, the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has put these in actual practice in all affairs concerning non-Muslims. But, at the same time, and in perfect wisdom, binding instructions were given so as to make sure that the organized body of Muslims and its particular hallmarks stay protected. A Muslim cannot be permitted to go beyond a certain limit when developing or promoting relations (unilateral, bilateral or multi-lateral) with those who disbelieve in or practice hostility against the Law of Islam. This is so because such an action throws the doors of harm and danger open both for the individuals and the community. This arrangement is clear, reasonable, appropriate, and very necessary to give secure frontiers to the individuals as well as to the Muslim state.
About non-Muslims resident in Islamic states or those tied with Muslims through a treaty, the teachings of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him and his most emphatic instructions for their protection are all part of the Islamic law. The Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has said:
Whoever harms a Dhimmi (protected non-Muslim), I shall be his opponent on the Day of Judgement and I always defeat the one whom I oppose. (Reported by Ibn Mas'ud)
In another hadith, he said:
My Lord has prohibited me to wrong the one protected by a treaty, or anyone other than him. (narrated by Sayyidna 'Ali)
In yet another hadith, he said:
Beware, whoever wrongs a non-Muslim protected by treaty, or usurps his right, or obligates him to do what is beyond his power, or takes from him something without his genuine consent, then, I shall be the advocate for him (the said non-Muslim) on the day of Judgement.
Side by side with these concessions and considerations for non-Muslims, instructions were given to Muslims that they should protect their distinct group cohesion by not trusting enemies of Islam and Muslims with their secrets. Ibn Abi Hatim narrates that Sayyidna 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab Radhi-Allahu Anh: Allah be pleased with him was asked to appoint a young non-Muslim as the chief manager and scribe in his office since he was very good at that. Thereupon, he said:
If I were to take him in, in that case, I will be taking an insider from among non-Muslims (which is against the Qur'anic authority).
Imam al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him), a famous scholar and commentator of the fifth century says, with marked pensive longing, that contravention of this teaching of the Qur'an has produced evil results for Muslims:
Things have so changed these days that Jews and Christians were trusted with secrets and considered trustworthy through which they we're able to prevail over the ignorant rich, the rulers and the chiefs.
Even today, in a state established under a particular ideology, a person who does not subscribe to this ideology cannot be admitted into the inner echelons of power as a confidant. In Russia and China, a person who does not believe in communism is not given any responsible office or, farther still, trusted with state secrets. A close study of the decline of Muslim states would reveal several reasons behind it. One of the oft-repeated ones will be that Muslims had entrusted their sensitive affairs in the hands of non-Muslim confidants. This policy was an active factor in the decline of the Ottoman Caliphate as well.
The reason why this command has been given is explained soon after. Starting from (they would spare no effort to do you mischief) and ending at (provided that you understand), the text warns Muslims that they should not take anyone other than their own Muslim brothers as insiders on their affairs, for no other group, be they Jews, Christians, hypocrites or other disbelievers, could be their genuine well-wishers. Contrary to that, they are always on the look out for opportunities to hoodwink and hurt them materially and spiritually. They are always plotting to harm them in this worldly life as well as to take them away from the enjoined pursuits of their Faith. All this is what the Muslims can see for themselves, but the venom that lies hidden in their hearts is far too fatal. However there are times when they are enraged with their deceptive cool front thrown off and the fangs of their deep hostility become clearly visible. Why would an intelligent person take such people as his confidant? Allah Almighty has pointed out who they are and what has to be done about them. Now it is upto him who understands what is involved here.
The sentence (they want you to be in trouble) is a perfect mirror of the mentality of disbelievers. Here, the in-depth teaching is that no non-Muslim can ever be the real friend and well-wisher of Muslims.
After that, in verse 119: , Muslims have been told that 'it is certainly strange that you go about loving them as friends, yet they are no friends of yours. Indeed, they are your worst enemies. Still more unusual is the situation because you believe in all Scriptures without any reservations as to the people they address, the time when they were sent down and the prophet they were revealed to. Contrary to this, they do not accept your Book and your Prophet. Their belief in their own Books is not correct either. Given this state of affairs it would have been expected that they should have been affectionate towards you and you should have been the ones to give them a cold shoulder. But, what is happening here is just the reverse of what it should have been.'
The mentality of disbelievers has been further clarified by saying: in the first part of verse 120 which has been translated as, 'if something good happens to you, it annoys them and if something evil befalls you, they are delighted with it.'
How can Muslims remain protected against the aftermath of sinster moves of the hypocrites and the deadly hostility of opponents? For this, a simple and effective prescription was suggested in:
And if you keep patience and fear Allah, their cunning shall not harm you at all. Surely, Allah is All-Encompassing of what they do.
Sabr and Taqwa: Panacea for Muslims
The Holy Qur'an has prescribed sabr (patience, endurance) and Taqwa (fear of Allah) as an effective measure against all hardships. This elemental teaching has been conveyed to Muslims not only here but also at many other places in the Qur'an. For instance, in the section that follows immediately, it has been said:
Why not? If you stay patient and fear Allah and they come upon you in this heat of theirs, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand of the angels having distinct marks. (3:125)
Here, the promise of divine help has been made conditional upon Sabr and Taqwa.
In Surah Yusuf, it has been said:
Whoever fears Allah and keeps patience.... (12:90)
Here too, prosperity and success have been tied with Sabr and Taqwa. Towards the end of this very Surah, Sabr is being proposed in the following words:
O those who believe, be patient, be more patient than others, and guard your frontiers, and fear Allah so that you may be successful. (3:200)
Once again, prosperity and success have been made dependent on Sabr and Taqwa.
The two words, Sabr and Taqwa, though looking like a short title, are nevertheless very comprehensive. They contain within themselves a successful rule for all aspects of individual and collective life as well as public, government and military affairs.
The Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has said, as narrated by Sayyidna Abu Dharr Radhi-Allahu Anh: Allah be pleased with him:
I know a verse which, if people were to take to it, would suffice them. And that is: 'And whoever fears Allah, for him He shall make a way out (of the difficulties) - 65:2.' (Ma'ariful Qur'an)
» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 3rd January 2012
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