| Surah Aal Imran, 132-133
"And obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be blessed. [132] And race one another towards Forgiveness from your Lord and towards a paradise the width of which spans the heavens and the earth. It has been prepared for the God-fearing."[133] (3:132-133)
Commentary
In the previous verse, Muslims were commanded to abstain from interest-based dealings, a sin which deprives them of the quality of taqwa, (the fear of Allah, the sense of responsibility before Him).
The present verses stress the positive aspects of taqwa and complement the earlier subject alongwith the promise of reward for those who observe it. Worth remembering throughout one's life is the second point which will serve him well if taken as the guiding light and the constant orientation. Allah Almighty has made it clear in these verses that the obedience to Allah and His Messenger does not become genuine and effective through lip-service alone. Instead, the obedient ones are known by what they are and what they do, by their traits of character and their deeds.
The Obedience Of Allaah (سبحانه و تعالى) And His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
The first verse, in a brief statement, presents a cardinal command of Faith in the following words: (And obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be blessed). Here, in order that one becomes deserving of Divine mercy, the obedience to Allah Almighty has been declared necessary and binding, and along with it, the obedience of the Messenger Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has been made equally necessary and binding. This is something not limited to this verse alone. It has been repeatedly stressed throughout the Holy Qur'an. The pattern of combining the command to obey Allah Almighty, immediately followed by the command to obey the Messenger, appears in the Qur'an again and again. These continued and constant statements of the Holy Qur'an are there to remind human beings that these are the basic principles of Islam and 'Iman. The first part of the Faith is to affirm and declare the existence of God, His Oneness, and that man is there to worship and obey Him. The second part is the confirmation of His Messenger, and of obedience to him.
Also worth noting are the statements of the Holy Qur'an which prove that, whatever the noble Messenger Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him says is by Divine permission and not on his own. The Holy Qur'an says:
And he (the messenger) does not speak out of his own desire. It is not but a revelation revealed (to him) (53:3)
From this, we arrive at the conclusion that the obedience to the Messenger is the very same as the obedience to Allah. It is nothing separate from it. In Surah Al-Nisa' (4:80), the Holy Qur'an has made it more clear in the following words:
And whoever obeys the Messenger, he surely obeys Allah. (4:80)
With this in view, the question is: Why have the two 'obediences' been stated separately? What purpose does it serve? Specially so, when this appears as a consistent feature in the Holy Qur'an where we see both 'obediences' being commanded side by side.
To unfold the secret, we can say that Allah Almighty sent a Book to guide man in this world, and a Messenger. The Messenger was charged with the following duties:
1. That he convey to people the verses of the Holy Qur'an precisely and exactly in the form they were spoken when revealed.
2. That he should cleanse people of outward and inward impurities.
3. That he should teach the community, not only the contents of the Book, but also its purpose.
4. That he should teach people wisdom along with the Book.
This subject appears at several places in the Holy Qur'an almost identically in the form of:
... who recites to them His verses and makes them pure and teaches them the Book and the wisdom ...
This tells us that the obligatory functions of the Messenger are not simply limited to conveying the Qur'an to the people. There is more to it in that the Messenger is also responsible for teaching the Book, and clarifying its message. Also obvious is the fact that the addressees of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him were the eloquent people of Arabia who had command over the finer points of the Arabic language. Teaching of the Holy Qur'an to them could never mean that they were to be taught the literal meaning of the Qur'anic words, for they themselves understood all that perfectly well. Instead, the purpose of this teaching and clarification was, and could be nothing else, that an injunction of the Qur'an stated briefly or in a summary form should be clarified and elaborated upon by the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him and communicated to people with the help of a revelation which did not form a part of the Qur'an (wahy ghayr al-matluww': the unrecited revelation). On the other hand, this was inspired into his blessed heart. The verse of the Holy Qur'an (It is not but a revelation revealed) cited a little earlier, points in this direction.
Let us understand this through some instances. There are a good many occasions in the Holy Qur'an where the text does not go beyond saying: (Establish the salah and pay the zakah). Even if units of prayer come to be mentioned, such as qiyam, ruku)' and sajdah, they remain totally undefined. The modality, outward and inward, is just not there. It was angel Jibra'il (alayhis salaam) who came as commanded by Allah and taught all the details through demonstration before the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him. This was how the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him conveyed the word and the deed to the people of his Ummah.
There are details about the payment of zakah: What are thresholds? How much has to be paid on each threshold? What part of a person's possessions is zakatable? What part is non-zakatable? How much from threshold resources goes zakat-free?: All such details were given by the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him. He even had these committed to writing as executive orders and passed on to several Companions.
Take yet another example. They Holy Qur'an says: (And do not eat up each other's property by false means - 2:188).
Now there are deals and transactions of all sorts, such as buying and selling, rentals, tenancy, wages and many more. What forms are unjust, inequitable or harmful to public interest, and therefore, batil or false? All these details were given to the community by the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him by the leave of Allah. Similarly, this is true about all legal rulings of Islamic Law.
Since all such details were conveyed to the community by the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him in fulfillment of his prophetic mission and under the guidance of Divine revelation, and since these details do not appear in the Holy Qur'an, there was the likelihood that the uninitiated may be deceived into believing that these detailed rulings were not given by Allah Almighty and, therefore, they do not have to be carried out necessarily as part of one's obedience to Allah. It is for this reason that Allah Almighty has made the obedience of the messenger binding alongwith the obedience to Him, at various places in the Qur'an, repeatedly. As such, the obedience of the Messenger is really nothing but the obedience of Allah Almighty, but, given its external appearance and detailed description, it is somewhat different from that. In view of this, it has been emphasised time and again that orders given by the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him should be obeyed as if they were the very orders of Allah the obedience of which was mandatory. These may be there in the Qur'an, open and clear, or may just not be there. They were still equally binding on the community.
This was a matter of crucial importance, not limited to someone falling in doubt. In fact, there were chances that the enemies of Islam would find an excuse to inject chaos in a basic Islamic principle, and thereby make an effort to lead Muslims away, from the right path. Therefore, the Holy Qur'an has dealt with this subject in a variety of ways, in addition to its literal stress on the obedience to the Messenger. It has informed the blessed community of Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him that his duties include not only the teaching of the Book but also the added teaching of wisdom, pointing out to the fact that there are elements other than the words of the Book, which are also included in his teachings. That part too, identified as wisdom, has to be followed by Muslims as a matter of obligation.
As said earlier, the Holy Qur'an used a variety of ways to focus on the same subject. For instance, it was said: which means that the purpose behind sending the Messenger is that he should explain for people the meanings and objectives of the verses revealed to him. (16:44) Then, there is the oft-quoted verse:
Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it (59:7).
All these ramifications have been placed there lest there comes a person saying: 'We have been obligated to follow only that which appears in the Qur'an; what we do not find in the Qur'an, to that we are not obligated.' Perhaps, the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him had foreseen the problems which were to arise later when some people, in order to get rid of the teachings and explanations of the Messenger of Allah, would say 'For us, the Book of Allah is sufficient.' The Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has described this possibility in a hadith, very clearly. The hadith has been reported by al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, al-Baihaqi and Imam Ahmad in the following words:
... Lest I find one of you, reclining on his coach making comments on an order from my orders in which I bid something or forbid something, saying, 'This we do not know. We only follow what we find in the Book of Allah'.
See also:
The Authority Of Sunnah by Mufti Taqi Usmani - http://www.central-mosque.com/fiqh/asunnah1.htm
Obedience To Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم), Following Him, And Following The Khulafaa' (رضي الله عنهم) - http://www.muftisays.com/forums/nabi-%28s%29-sahaabah-stories/6214/obedience-to-rasulullaah-%28saw%29%2C-following-him-and-following-the-khulafa-%28ra%29.html
Conclusion
In short, the repeated stress on the obedience of the Messenger alongwith the obedience of Allah Almighty, as well as, specific instructions to follow the dictates of the Messenger at various places are there to counter the dangerous ignorance of a person who may venture to separate the details of Qur'anic injunctions described by the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him, and available in the treasure-house of his ahadith, making it look like something foreign to the obedience of Allah, and consequently may hasten to reject them. The reality is that they cannot be separated:
What he said was said by Allah
Voiced, though, it was by a slave of Allah
Race Towards Forgiveness, Towards Paradise
The first command was: 'Obey the Messenger'. (132) The second command is: 'Race one another towards Forgiveness from your Lord and towards Paradise.' (133) Here, Forgiveness stands for the means of obtaining forgiveness, that is, good deeds which bring forth forgiveness. There are several exegetic views reported from the blessed Companions and their immediate successors. Though expressed differently, they convey the same theme. Out of the noble Companions and their successors, may Allah be pleased with them all, Sayyidna 'Ali explained it as 'the fulfillment of obligations', Ibn 'Abbas as 'Islam', Abu al-'Aliyah as 'Hijrah', Anas ibn Malik as 'al-Takbir al-Uula (the first call of Allahu Akbar in salah)', Sa'id ibn Jubayr as 'perfection of obedience', Dahhak as 'Jihad' and 'Ikrimah as 'Taubah (repentance)'. The outcome of all these sayings is that Forgiveness covers all good deeds which become the means of obtaining Divine forgiveness.
At this point two things need our attention. First comes the resolution of an apparent contradiction which may be felt when one notices that the present verse carries a command to race one another towards Forgiveness and Paradise, while through another verse: (And do not covet something by which Allah has made some of you excel some others - 4:32), the very seeking of other merits and ranks has been prohibited.
The answer is that fada'il (merits, ranks, virtues) are of two kinds. The first kind relates to that which cannot be achieved by man, being beyond one's power and control. We can call these 'non-electable.' For example, colour or beauty or birth in a morally high family cannot be chosen and acquired. The other kind is something man can achieve by effort. These can be called voluntary or 'electable'. So, the reason why the effort to acquire non-electable merits, even its very desire, has been prohibited for the simple reason that they have been given to His created beings by Allah Almighty Himself in His infinite wisdom. It is something beyond human effort. Why run after them? All such efforts will lead to nothing but envy and malice. Let him who has been given a particular colour of his skin keep desiring to have some other colour. What is he going to get out of his desire? Nothing. However, there is a vast range of meritworthy deeds. One could, and would, make his mark there. That is why we have been asked to accelerate our efforts in that direction. This is not something restricted to one verse. The exhortation appears in several verses. Somewhere it is said: (Try to get ahead of one anther in good deeds - 2:148, 5:48). Elsewhere, it is said: (And in this, then, aspire the aspirers.) (83:26)
Let us consider the advice of the sage who said: 'If one has a natural or physical handicap which is beyond his power to correct, he should remain contended (with his handicap) and unaffected by the achievements of others. He should go on doing what he does. For, if he were to pine over his handicap and envy the achievements of others, he would be unable to perform to his capability, and ultimately, he would end up doing nothing or very little.'
The second point worth considering is that Allah Almighty has mentioned 'Forgiveness' first and the 'Paradise' after it. May be, this is to suggest that entry into Paradise is impossible without Divine Forgiveness. The reason is obvious. Man may spend a life-time doing good and abstaining from the evils. Still the aggregate of his good deeds cannot pay the price of Paradise. What will take him to Paradise is only Forgiveness of His Lord, and His grace. The Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him has said:
'Strive to be straight and true, take the middle course and seek glad tidings (of Allah's grace), for one's deeds shall not take anyone into the Paradise'. The People said: 'Not even yours, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Not even mine, unless it is that Allah covers me up with His mercy.' al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, with reference to al-Bukhari and Muslim).
In short, our deeds are not the price of Paradise. But, as is the customary practice of Allah, He does bestow His grace upon a servant who does what is good. In fact, one who is given the very ability to do good deeds is really given the signal that Allah is pleased with him. So, let none of us be tardy in the performance of what is good. Since Divine forgiveness is the primary factor in one's entry into the Paradise, the text takes this importance into consideration and does not present forgiveness in the absolute sense. It has, rather, elected to say: (Forgiveness from your Lord). By doing so, the text highlights Allah's attribute as the Lord, showing thereby His added grace and mercy for His servants.
The second object towards which man is being asked to hasten is Paradise. It has been said here that the Paradise is as wide as whole of the heavens and the earth. Since human mind cannot conceive any greater vastness than that of the heavens and the earth within the confines of his experience, the Paradise has been likened to them. This is a manner of saying that Paradise is very vast, so vast that it can accommodate the entire heavens and the earth in its vastness.
When the width of the Paradise is so great who can imagine its length which should be even greater?
All the above discussion is based on the assumption that the Arabic word (ard) means 'width'. However, there is another possible interpretation adopted by some commentators. According to them the word "ard" is also used in the meaning of 'price'. If the word is taken here in this sense, the verse would mean that Paradise is not an ordinary commodity; the entire heavens and the earth are its price.
With such an object of unimaginable worth and magnitude, what else should one do but hasten towards it.
Al-Razi in his 'al-Tafsir al-Kabir explains this point as follows:
Abu Muslim says that 'al-'ard' in this verse means that which is offered against the object of sale as its price. In other words, if a price were to be put on Paradise, the heavens and the earth together with whatever is in them will be its price. The purpose is to demonstrate the most exalted status of the Paradise which remains unmatched by anything in its greatness.
Another statement about the Paradise is given in the end by: (It has been prepared for the God-fearing.) This tells us that Paradise has already been created. Clear indicators in the Qur'an and Hadith seem to suggest the existence of Paradise on the seventh heaven which is its surface.
(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 7th January 2012
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