| Surah Aal Imran, 151-152
"We shall put awe into the hearts of those who disbelieve, since they have associated with Allah something for which He has not sent any authority. Their ultimate place is the Fire. And evil is the abode of the unjust. [151] And Allah has surely fulfilled His promise to you when you, with His will, were killing them off [These verses refer to the battle of Uhud.] until you showed weakness and disputed in the matter and disobeyed after He had shown you what you liked. Among you there were some who were seeking the mundane and among you there were others who were seeking the Hereafter. After that He reversed your position against them, so that He may test you. And, of course, He has forgiven you. And Allah is All-Gracious to the believers."[152] (3:151-152)
The previous verses referred to Allah Almighty as 'the best of helpers'; recounted here are some incidents of Allah's help.
The word, sultan, rendered here as 'authority' includes all revealed or rational bases of their position. The promise of casting awe and fear into the hearts of the disbelievers in this verse was made in the background of the battle of Uhud when the disbelievers of Arabia marched back to Makkah without any obvious reason and inspite of defeat overtaking Muslims (Baydawl). However, after having covered a certain distance on their way to Makkah, they awoke to their folly.
When they thought of marching back to Madinah, Allah Almighty filled their hearts with such awe and fear that they could not muster the courage to do so. The most they could do was to hire a Madinah-bound villager to go there and tell Muslims that they were coming back. But, this whole deal came into the knowledge of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in Madinah through revelation. He marched to Hamra' al-Asad to apprehend them but they had already run away from there.
This was the background in which the present verse was revealed.
The verses that follow recount, as pointed out earlier, Allah's help and support for Muslims in the battle of Uhud.
Commentary
The High Station of the Noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم)
As obvious, the noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم) made an error of judgement during the battle of Uhud which forms the subject of admonition and correction in the previous continuity of verses. But, equally worth noticing here are the graces of Allah Almighty showered on the noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم) side by side with the element of warning. To begin with, by saying (so that He may test you) it was made clear that this temporary setback did not come as punishment, rather, it was to test them. Then, comes the statement, , which very clearly proclaims: 'And, of course, We have forgiven you.'
Did The Noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم) Tilt Towards The Material?
As stated in the verses, the noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم) were split in two groups at that time; some sought the mundane while others sought the Hereafter.
The question is as to what was done by these revered Companions (رضي الله عنهم) which identifies them with the seekers of the mundane. Obviously, it was their intention to go and collect spoils which has been equated with the seeking of the mundane.
Let us now figure out the reality. If they had held on to their assigned post of duty and, as a result, had not taken part in the collection of spoils, would it have made their due share in the spoil any lesser? And, did their participation entitle them to some larger share? The Law of Spoils as authentically proved by the Qur'an and Hadith is common knowledge. They, as the first observers of the operation of the Law, knew it beyond doubt that their due share in the spoils was under no condition subject to being more or less. The fact was that their share in the spoils would have remained the same whether they helped in the collection of spoils or remained on guard at the appointed place of duty.
Keeping this in view, it is obvious that their action cannot be classed as the unqualified pursuit of the material. Instead of that, it is participation in what mujahideen are supposed to do. However, given the workings of human nature, the thought of spoils entering their hearts at that time is not totally unimaginable. But, Allah Almighty has His ways with people; He very much likes to see the hearts of the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) of His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم clean and untouched even by the remotest idea of any tilt towards material possession. So, this very idea of going to possess things of dunya has been equated with 'seeking of the mundane' which explains the element of divine distaste for the action. (Ma'ariful Qur'an)
See Also:
The Sahabah (Companions) (رضي الله عنهم) - http://www.muftisays.com/forums/nabi-%28s%29-sahaabah-stories/5863/the-sahaba-%28companions%29-%28radiallaahu-anhum%29.html
Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم) And Sahabah (رضي الله عنهم) Stories - http://www.muftisays.com/forums/36-nabi-%28s%29-sahaabah-stories/
» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 17th January 2012
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