The Virtues of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radiya Llahu `anhu Deduced From These Verses
April 26, 2016Verses of the Qur’an Complimenting the Sahabah
April 26, 2016BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
The Fifth Verse
لَّوْلَا كِتَابٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيْمَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيْمٌ
If not for a decree from Allah that preceded, you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment.[1]
The reason of this verse’s revelation is that after the Battle of Badr was won and the mushrikin were captured, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam consulted the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum as to what to do with the captives. Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu was of the opinion that they should be ransomed and set free. Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu viewed that they should be killed by their own relatives not considering anyone’s love in front of the love of Allah. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam opted for the view of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu and accepted ransom and freed them. This verse was then revealed. This narration is accepted by the Shia scholars and mufassirin.
It is written in Tafsir Khulasat al Manhaj of al Kashani:
روز بدر ہفتاد تن اسیر شدند و از جملہ ایشاںعباس و عقیل بودند حضرت در باب ایشاںبا اصحاب مشاورہ کرد ابو بکر کہ از مہاجرین بود گ فت یا رسول اللہ اکابر و اصاغر ایںقوم اقارب و عشائر تواند اگ ر ہریک بقدر طاق و استطاعت فداۓ بدہد باشد کہ روزے بدولت اسلام برسد الخ
Seventy people were captured at the Battle of Badr including ‘Abbas and ‘Aqil. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam consulted the Sahabah regarding them. Abu Bakr — who was from the Muhajirin — said: “O Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam! All of these are your tribesmen and family. If everyone ransoms himself according to his financial capacity, then hopefully one day they will be favoured with Islam.”
It appears in Majma’ al Bayan of al Tabarsi that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam addressed his companions regarding the captives of Badr, “If you wish, you can kill them and if you wish, you may set them free.” Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “O Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam! They persecuted you and exiled you. Thus, they should be slain. Hand over ‘Aqil to ‘Ali for assassination and so and so over to me. All of these are the leaders of Quraysh.” Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu said, “O Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam! These are your tribesmen and family. Ransom should be accepted from them and they should be freed.” Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam practiced on this view. Upon this, this verse was revealed. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam mentioned, “Had the divine punishment descended, no one would have been spared besides ‘Umar and Sa’d ibn Muaz.”
Some points from these narrations acknowledged by the Shia scholars.
- Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma were amongst the Muhajirin and the participants of Badr.
- Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam consulted them.
- Sayyidina ‘Umar’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu sternness on the kuffar and his non-consideration of family and kinfolk in the path of Allah.
The benefit of these points is that when it is established that Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma were among the Muhajirin, then all the virtues regarding them announced by Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala which we have narrated above are established for them. Secondly, the view of some Shia scholars that the three khulafa’ are not among the Muhajirin has been rebutted. Sayed Muhammad Qilli has written in response to trick no. 92 in the chapter of the tricks of the Shia of Shah ‘Abdul ‘Aziz’s rahimahu Llah Tuhfah:
اصحاب ثلاثہ از مہاجرین اولین نبودند
The three companions, viz. Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum, were not among the first Muhajirin.
Thirdly, the Shia belief that Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma were hypocrites from the very beginning (Allah forbid), they never accepted iman from their hearts and they had evil intentions has been falsified. Janab Miran Qiblah writes in chapter 3 of Hadiqah Sultaniyyah:
سیرت شیخین دلالت بر خبث سریرت آنہا دارد کہ در وقت کتمان از حضرت نبوی در خواست اظھار دعوت نمودہ و در فکر اضرار آنحضرت برمی آمدند و در وقت اعلان از نصرت دست می کشیدند فاعتبروا یا اولی الابصار
The biography of Sheikhayn[2] depicts their evil nature. They requested to propagate Islam when it was supposed to be kept secret and always tried to harm Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. And when it was time for the propagation of din, they abandoned assisting and helping Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Had Miran Qiblah been alive, I would have asked him that if Sheikhayn’s radiya Llahu ‘anhuma intention was evil and they did not assist Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam at the time of need, then why did they participate in Badr? Why did Allah grant victory at their hands? Why did Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam consult them? And why do your forefathers al Kashani and al Tabarsi include them among the Muhajirin and the consulting members?
O Muslims! Just look at the iman, intelligence and shame of these Shia! What evil thoughts they harbour against Sheikhayn radiya Llahu ‘anhuma — who loved Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with every hair on their bodies, who sacrificed all their wealth on Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and who were resolute to propagate Islam day in and day out! They think that their intention for their resoluteness was that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam begins propagating and is thus harmed and killed. What a shame on such a filthy belief!
Nonetheless, let Miran Qiblah and his forefathers say what they want. They can never reject the fact that Sheikhayn radiya Llahu ‘anhuma were among the Muhajirin and participants of Badr.
My stance is proven from this that when they are from the Muhajirin, they are deserving of all those merits and excellences which Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has mentioned throughout the Qur’an regarding the Muhajirin. And when they have participated in Badr, they are included in the promise Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala made to the participants of Badr, i.e. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has pardoned them of all sin. This is also accepted by the Shia. ‘Allamah al Kashani comments on the following verse in Khulasat al Manhaj in the following words:
مَا کَانَ لِنَبِیٍّ اَنْ یَّكُوْنَ لَهٓ اَسْرٰی
It is not for a nabi to have captives (of war)
اگر نہ حکمی و فرمانے می بود از خدا تعالی کہ پیشی گرفتہ شدہ اثبات آں در لوح محفوظ کہ بے نھی صریح عقوبت نہ فرماید یا اصحاب بدر را عذاب نکند
Had the decree and command of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala not been in the Lowh al Mahfuz[3] from before that He would not have punished without clear-cut prohibition or that He would not have punished the participants of Badr.
In the same light, it is recorded in Majma’ al Bayan that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stated:
لعل الله اطلع على اهل بدر فغفر لهم فقال اعملوا ما شئتم فقد غفرت لكم
Allah gazed at the participants of Badr and forgave them declaring: “Do as you please. I have forgiven you.”
It appears in Tafsir Khulasat al Manhaj:
خداۓ تعالی بدریاں را وعدہ مغفرت دادہ و ایشاں را بخطاب مستطاب اعملوا ما شئتم فقد غفرت لکم نوازش فرمودہ
When all the participants of Badr’s entry into Jannat is confirmed on the blessed tongue of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Allah’s words, “do as you please. I have forgiven you,” is established, what doubt remains that all the senior Sahabah especially the three companions are undoubtedly going to Jannat.
Friends! I have still not yet understood the basis of the Shia creed. If it based on the Speech of Allah, then Qur’an is replete with virtues of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. If it is based on the ahadith of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then their high mention has been made there. If it based on the narrations of the Imams rahimahu Llah then they have spoken highly about their qualities. If it based on your commentaries and your books then their virtue is established there as well. What other source do you want us to present of the Sahabah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhum virtues and what other proof should we furnish? The truth is that if you were honest and unbiased, you would have accepted the Qur’an, ahadith and the statements of the Imams. When you are bereft of iman and fairness and choose to follow ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’, then why should you abandon the beliefs and teachings of your instructor? What a great pity and grief that the accursed Jew died 1200 years ago and his bones have decayed, yet the Shia do not forget what he taught them and do not move away from the path he showed them. You can explain to them till the cows sing and present a million verses and ahadith, but nothing holds weight in front of the word of their tutor. They can concoct and misinterpret the Qur’an, fabricate ahadith, reject the statements of their Imams but will never dare to forget the statements of their forefather. Whatever corrupt beliefs they have today is the product of that accursed man’s brain washing. Every evil practice of theirs is the order of that wretched. How beautiful is the saying:
بلب زدود دل آہی کہ داشتم دارم نشستنی بر راہی کہ داشتم دارم
I had switched off the lamps of my heart
I had wiped my seats
The Sixth Verse
وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَهَاجَرُوْا وَجٰهَدُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰوَوْا وَّنَصَرُوْٓا اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ حَقًّاؕ لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَّرِزْقٌ کَرِیْمٌ
And those who have believed and emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided — it is they who are the believers, truly. For them is forgiveness and noble provision.[4]
True believers will never doubt the iman and Islam of the Muhajirin and Ansar and their forgiveness and definite entry into Jannat after reading this verse since Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has declared: “Those who have believed and emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided — it is they who are the believers, truly. For them is forgiveness and a noble provision.”
After hearing this testimony of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala who can doubt their iman and who can question their forgiveness? The party of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ should ponder that when Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala testifies to the iman of the Muhajirin and Ansar by declaring that they are most certainly true believers and grants them glad tidings of forgiveness and a splendid sustenance, then why do they entertain doubts in their hearts regarding such pure personalities and why do they utter such vile words regarding them?
کَبُرَتْ کَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ اَفْوَاهِهِمْ
Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths.[5]
To remove the doubt of he who thinks that this verse excludes those Muhajirin and Ansar whom the Shia regard to be impious, I reproduce the text of Majma’ al Bayan — a reliable tafsir according to the Shia. Have a look at page 452 of this copy printed in Tehran in 1275. The commentator writes:
ثم عاد سبحانه الى ذكر المهاجرين و الانصار و مدحهم و الثناء عليهم فقال الذين امنوا و هاجروا و جاهدوا فى سبيل الله اى صدقوا الله و رسوله و هاجروا من ديارهم و اوطانهم يعنى من مكة الى المدينة و جاهدوا مع ذلك فى اعلاء دين الله و الذين اووا و نصروا اى ضموهم اليهم و نصروا النبى اولئك هم المؤمنون حقا اى اولئك الذين حققوا ايمانهم بالهجرة و النصرة
In these verses, Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has mentioned the Muhajirin and Ansar yet again and praised and applauded them.
وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَهَاجَرُوْا وَجٰهَدُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ
They bore witness to Allah and His Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and emigrated from their homes and towns i.e. from Makkah to Madinah and they waged jihad to elevate the din of Allah.
وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰوَوْا وَّنَصَرُوْا
They granted refuge to the Muhajirin in their homes and assisted Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ حَقًّا
These people are definitely true Muslims for they have attested to their iman by emigrating and assisting.
If the Shia do not acknowledge the virtue of the Muhajirin and Ansar after looking at this commentary, then this is only doggedness and deviation. If the Shia could only present a few verses in response to these categorical ayat and clear glad tidings and only furnish one verse of the Qur’an proving the vileness of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum, just as we have proven their virtue and status through the Qur’an, then we would have understood them to be excused, to an extent. But sadly, the reality is that we verify the virtue of the Muhajirin and Ansar by verses of the Qur’an, the ahadith of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the statements of their Imams recorded in their books, but they reject all of this and present some fabrications of some liars and practice on the statements of those whom the Imams expelled and cursed and labelled as liars and deceivers, which we will prove later on, Allah willing. The neutral can decide whether we believe in and testify to the Qur’an or the Shia of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’.
Friends! For argument’s sake let us accept that our belief regarding the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum is false (Allah forbid) and the belief of the Shia is correct, and on the Day of Qiyamah Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala questions us regarding our false belief then we will present His speech and say humbly:
O Rabb of the universe! You are just. Your justice in respect of the Shia creed is part of the principles of iman. You judge between us fairly. This is Your book which You revealed upon Your Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for our guidance and named it a clear book and did not allow any ambiguity or obscurity therein. You mentioned everything clearly and protected it from adulteration and alteration. Our Rabb! We put Your book in front of us and believed in everything that You stated therein. You have enumerated so many virtues and merits of the Muhajirin and Ansar that we were forced to have good beliefs about them and had conviction on their iman and Islam and on their lofty status and virtues due to Your testimony in this regard. You mentioned regarding them:
اَلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَهَاجَرُوْا وَجٰهَدُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ بِاَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاَنْفُسِهِمْۙ اَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِنِْدَ اللّٰهِ
The ones who have believed, emigrated and striven in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah.[6]
You stated at another place:
وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَهَاجَرُوْا وَجٰهَدُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰوَوْا وَّنَصَرُوْٓا اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ حَقًّا
And those who have believed and emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided — it is they who are the believers, truly.[7]
You promised them:
لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَّرِزْقٌ کَرِیْمٌ
For them is forgiveness and noble provision.[8]
You ensured them:
لَیرْزُقَنَّهُمُ اللّٰهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا
Allah will surely provide for them a good provision.[9]
In short, when we opened Your book, we did not find a page empty of the Muhajirin and Ansar’s mention. You did not speak badly about them in even one verse, hence we had no doubt at all about their righteousness. When we desired to know the Qur’an’s testimony in their favour, we found:
اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ حَقًّا
It is they who are the believers.
When we searched the Qur’an for their ending, we found:
اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ
It is they who are the triumphant.[10]
When You — Who is totally independent — filled Your Speech with their virtues and excellences and said repeatedly in their favour,
رَّضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوْا عَنْهُ
Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.[11]
You emphasized their following upon us, encouraged their love and cautioned regarding harbouring hatred and malice for them. Hence, we were forced to love them, admire them and follow them. You did not create us among those concerning whom You declared:
الَّذِیْنَ اُخْرِجُوْا مِنْ دِیَارِهِمْ وَ اَمْوَالِهِمْ یَبْتَغُوْنَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانًا
Those who were expelled from their homes and their properties, seeking bounty from Allah and (His) approval.[12]
You did not include us in the group the praise of whom You celebrated:
وَ الَّذِیْنَ تَبَوَّؤُا الدَّارَ وَ الْاِیْمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ یُحِبُّوْنَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ اِلَیْهِمْ
And (also for) those who were settled in Madinah and (adopted) the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them.[13]
You created us after them and announced regarding us:
وَ الَّذِیْنَ جَآءُوْ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهِمْ یَقُوْلُوْنَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْلَنَا وَ لِاِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِیْنَ سَبَقُوْنَا بِالْاِیْمَانِ وَ لَا تَجْعَلْ فِیْ قُلُوْبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا
And (there is a share for) those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts (any) resentment toward those who have believed.”[14]
How could we ever not love such leaders and harbour hatred for them?
This is Your book concerning which You pronounced:
اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ اِنَّا لَهلَحٰفِظُوْنَ
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.[15]
Due to this promise, we believed the Qur’an to be unadulterated and continued believing in it. If these statements regarding the Muhajirin and Ansar are present in Your book, then what is our error and sin? We believed to be righteous those whom You declared to be righteous and loved those who You praised. If these words have some other meaning and purport, we were unaware. We understood Your book to be clear and apparent as You have stated and did not believe it to be filled with ambiguity and conundrums.
We do not know that if we present this excuse to Allah, then upon which crime of ours will He — the Most Just — punish us and how will He not regard us to be believers? We have full conviction that Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala will grant us salvation due to such beliefs and will grant us a share of His benevolent sustenance.
Friends! You have heard our answer. Now make some preparations for yours. If your belief regarding the Sahabah turns out to be false and Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala holds you accountable on the Day of Qiyamah, what answer will you give? According to us, you will have no answer but to say:
O Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala! We disregarded Your Book because the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam adulterated and interpolated it. It was not the same way as You had revealed it. The original script was with the Imam. We were unable to locate him and we had no sign or clue of his whereabouts. So why practice on the ‘Uthmani script and why believe in an adulterated Qur’an? We did not consider it for a moment. Forget memorising it, we never cared to even recite it. We busied ourselves in supplicating for the emergence of the Imam and sacrificed our lives to have a glimpse at the original Qur’an which he had. O Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala! It is not our fault. You concealed him so secretly that even his shadow was not visible. We sent him thousands of entreaties but he answered none. We dispatched innumerable requests to him via Khidr and Ilyas over the water but not one was responded to. We asked great mujtahids who all replied that we should await him and supplicate for his emergence. Until now, he has not emerged. We awaited him lifelong, but there was no emergence or appearance. There was not even a trace of him.
شام تک تو آمد جاناں کا کہہینچا انتظار وہ نہ آیا وعدہ اپنا یاں برابر ہو گیا
You stretched his grand appearance till evening
Your promise did not materialise or was demolished
We travelled from India to Surri for the absent Imam, but were unable to locate him and witness his appearance. What were we to do without the Imam and why should we have treaded the straight path? We believed whatever those who saw the Imam told us and regarded it as the truth and never turned away from it.
If Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala hears such a ridiculous excuse and scolds:
O wretched fools! When I was the protector of My speech and I declared:
اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَ اِنَّا لَهلَحٰفِظُوْنَ
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.[16]
Then who had the capability to adulterate or interpolate it? Who told you that My speech was adulterated?
Maybe you will answer:
We heard from Zurarah and Shaitan al Taq informed us.
If Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala had to then question you:
O wretched! Was I truthful or Zurarah? Was My Rasul truthful or Shaitan al Taq?”
I do not know what will be your answer. According to me, you will have no option but to acknowledge your crime and then there will be no sentence for you except,
فَاعْتَرَفُوْا بِذَنْۢبِهِمْۚ فَسُحْقًا لِّاَصْحٰبِ السَّعِیْرِ
And they will admit their sin, so (it is) alienation for the companions of the Blaze.[17]
All the verses I have mentioned until now prove the virtue and merit of the Muhajirin and Ansar in general. I now wish to present those verses which depict the excellence of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
The Seventh Verse
یٰاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَا لَكُمْ اِذَا قِیْلَ لَكُمُ انْفِرُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ اِلَی الْاَرْضِؕ اَرَضِیْتُمْ بِالْحَیٰوةِ الدُّنْیَا مِنَ الْاٰخِرَةِۚ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَیٰوةِ الدُّنْیَا فِی الْاٰخِرَةِ اِلَّا قَلِیْلٌ ﴿38﴾ اِلَّا تَنْفِرُوْا یُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا اَلِیْمًا ۙ ۬ وَّ یَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَیْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوْهُ شَیْئًاؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلٰی كُلِّ شَیْءٍ قَدِیْرٌ ﴿39﴾ اِلَّا تَنْصُرُوْهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللّٰهُ اِذْ اَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا ثَانِیَ اثْنَیْنِ اِذْ هُمَا فِی الْغَارِ اِذْ یَقُوْلُ لِصَاحِبِهٖ لَا تَحْزَنْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَاۚ فَاَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ سَکِیْنَتَهعَلَیْهِ وَاَیَّدَهبِجُنُوْدٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ کَلِمَةَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوا السُّفْلٰیؕ وَکَلِمَةُ اللّٰهِ هِیَ الْعُلْیَاؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَزِیْزٌ حَکِیْمٌ
O you who have believed[18], what is (the matter) with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the hereafter except a (very) little. If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah is over all things competent. If you do not aid the Nabi — Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out (of Makkah) as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah — that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.[19]
After Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam returned from Ta’if and Hunayn and stayed for a few days in Madinah, he made intention to wage jihad against the Romans. This was very hard for some due to the intense heat, the arduous and long journey, the approach of the dates’ ripening season and the overwhelming fear of the Romans. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala revealed these verses to encourage jihad and explained to the people in various ways. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says in the first verse:
یٰاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَا لَكُمْ اِذَا قِیْلَ لَكُمُ انْفِرُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ اِلَی الْاَرْضِؕ اَرَضِیْتُمْ بِالْحَیٰوةِ الدُّنْیَا مِنَ الْاٰخِرَةِۚ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَیٰوةِ الدُّنْیَا فِی الْاٰخِرَةِ اِلَّا قَلِیْلٌ
O you who have believed, what is (the matter) with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the hereafter except a (very) little.[20]
Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has indicated the insignificance of this world and encouraged jihad in this verse.
اِلَّا تَنْفِرُوْا یُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا اَلِیْمًا ۙ وَّ یَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَیْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوْهُ شَیْئًاؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلٰی كُلِّ شَیْءٍ قَدِیْرٌ
If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah is over all things competent.[21]
Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala is independent and will protect His Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala confirms this with the words:
اِلَّا تَنْصُرُوْهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللّٰهُ اِذْ اَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا ثَانِیَ اثْنَیْنِ اِذْ هُمَا فِی الْغَارِ اِذْ یَقُوْلُ لِصَاحِبِهٖ لَا تَحْزَنْ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَنَاۚ فَاَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ سَکِیْنَتَهعَلَیْهِ وَاَیَّدَهبِجُنُوْدٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ کَلِمَةَ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوا السُّفْلٰیؕ وَکَلِمَةُ اللّٰهِ هِیَ الْعُلْیَاؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَزِیْزٌ حَکِیْمٌ
If you do not aid the Nabi (then he is not in need of your help since Allah is his helper) — Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out (of Makkah, and he had no army to assist him) as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion (who grieved that the enemy might see their hiding place and harm Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. At such a time when even the strongest of men shake, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was fully composed and said to his companion), “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels (at the Battle of Badr) you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah — that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.[22]
All the mufassirin whether Shia or Sunni are unanimous that “اِذْ اَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِیْنَ کَفَرُوْا” (when those who disbelieved had driven him out) refers to the time of hijrah and the word sahib in “اِذْ یَقُوْلُ لِصَاحِبِه” (and he said to his companion) refers to Sayyidina Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu. They also agree that hijrah was a time of great sensitivity, hardship, secrecy and grief. The one who participated in that time with sincerity enjoys the loftiest of stages. No one can deny that Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu accompanied Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam from the time he left his home, during his stay in the cave and right up until he reached Madinah. The only difference between us and the Shia is that we regard Sayyidina Abu Bakr’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu companionship to be out of his sincerity, thus regarding him to be the most virtuous of the Muhajirin, while the Shia regard his companionship to be based on evil intentions (Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala forbid), thus regarding him to be one of the hypocrites. I will prove the virtues and merits of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu from these verses and list the doubts of the Shia after which I will answer them.
NEXT⇒ The Virtues of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu Deduced From These Verses
[1] Surah al Anfal: 68
[2] Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma
[3] The Divine Protected Tablet.
[4] Surah al Anfal: 74
[5] Surah al Kahf: 5
[6] Surah al Towbah: 20
[7] Surah al Anfal: 74
[8] Ibid
[9] Surah al Hajj: 58
[10] Surah al Nur: 51
[11] Surah al Towbah: 100
[12] Surah al Hashr: 8
[13] Surah al Hashr: 9
[14] Surah al Hashr: 10
[15] Surah al Hijr: 9
[16] Surah al Hijr: 9
[17] Surah al Mulk: 11
[18] The recipients of this address are those few who displayed laxity with regards to going in jihad and not all the Muhajirin and Ansar. To address all and to target a few is common in Arabic language. Otherwise, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the Banu Hashim will all be included in this address.
[19] Surah al Towbah: 38-40
[20] Surah al Towbah: 38
[21] Surah al Towbah: 39
[22] Surah al Towbah: 40