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Ayah
Word by Word
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا
O
ٱلَّذِينَ
(you) who
ءَامَنُواْ
believe
لِمَ
Why
تَقُولُونَ
(do) you say
مَا
what
لَا
not
تَفۡعَلُونَ
you do
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا
O
ٱلَّذِينَ
(you) who
ءَامَنُواْ
believe
لِمَ
Why
تَقُولُونَ
(do) you say
مَا
what
لَا
not
تَفۡعَلُونَ
you do
Translation
O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?
Tafsir
O you who believe, why do you say, in demanding [to participate in] the struggle, what you do not do?, for you retreated at Uhud.
Tafsir of Surah As-Saff
Chastising Those Who say what They do not do
We mentioned in many a places before the meaning of Allah's statement,
سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الاَۡرۡضِ وَهُوَ الۡعَزِيزُ الۡحَكِيمُ
Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
Therefore, we do not need to repeat its meaning here.
Allah's statement,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ اَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَاا تَفۡعَلُونَ
O you who believe!
Why do you say that which you do not do?
This refutes those who neglect to fulfill their promises.
This honorable Ayah supports the view that several scholars of the Salaf held, that it is necessary to fulfill the promise, regardless of whether the promise includes some type of wealth for the person receiving the promise or otherwise.
They also argue from the Sunnah, with the Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs in which Allah's Messenger said,
ايَةُ الۡمُنَافِقِ ثَلَثٌ إِذَا وَعَدَ أَخۡلَفَ وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ وَإِذَا اوۡتُمِنَ خَان
There are three signs for a hypocrite:
- when he promises, he breaks his promise;
- when speaks, he lies; and
- when he is entrusted, he betrays.
And in another Hadith in the Sahih,
أَرۡبَعٌ مَنۡ كُنَّ فِيهِ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا خَالِصًا وَمَنۡ كَانَتۡ فِيهِ وَاحِدَةٌ مِنۡهُنَّ كَانَتۡ فِيهِ خَصۡلَةٌ مِنۡ نِفَاقٍ حَتۡى يَدَعَهَا
There are four characteristics which if one has all of them, he is the pure hypocrite, and if anyone has any of them, he has a characteristic of hypocrisy, until he abandons it.
So he mentioned breaking the promise among these four characteristics.
We mentioned the meaning of these two Hadiths in the beginning of the explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, and to Allah is the praise and the thanks.
Therefore Allah implied this meaning, when He continued His admonishment by saying,
كَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do.
Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud recorded that Abdullah bin `Amir bin Rabi`ah said,
Allah's Messenger came to us while I was a young boy, and I went out to play. My mother said, `O Abdullah! Come, I want to give you something.' Allah's Messenger said to her,
وَمَا أَرَدۡتِ أَنۡ تُعۡطِيَهُ
What did you want to give him?
She said, `Dates.'
He said,
أَمَا إِنَّكِ لَوۡ لَمۡ تَفۡعَلِي كُتِبَتۡ عَلَيۡكِ كَذۡبَة
If you had not given them to him, it would have been written as a lie in your record.
Muqatil bin Hayyan said,
The faithful believers said, `If we only knew the dearest good actions to Allah, we would perform them.' Thus, Allah told them about the dearest actions to Him, saying
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا
Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows,
Allah stated what He likes, and they were tested on the day of Uhud.
However, they retreated and fled, leaving the Prophet behind. It was about their case that Allah revealed this Ayah:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ اَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَاا تَفۡعَلُونَ
O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do
Allah says here, `The dearest of you to Me, is he who fights in My cause.'
Some said that it was revealed about the gravity of fighting in battle, when one says that he fought and endured the battle, even though he did not do so.
Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak said that this Ayah was sent down to admonish some people who used to say that they killed, fought, stabbed, and did such and such during battle, even though they did not do any of it.
Sa`id bin Jubayr said about Allah's statement,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا
(Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows (ranks)),
Before Allah's Messenger began the battle against the enemy, he liked to line up his forces in rows; in this Surah, Allah teaches the believers to do the same.
He also said that Allah's statement,
كَأَنَّهُم بُنيَانٌ مَّرۡصُوصٌ
as if they were a solid structure.
means, its parts are firmly connected to each other; in rows for battle.
Muqatil bin Hayyan said,
Firmly connected to each other.
Ibn `Abbas commented on the meaning of the Ayah,
كَأَنَّهُم بُنيَانٌ مَّرۡصُوصٌ
(as if they were a solid structure). by saying, They are like a firm structure that does not move, because its parts are cemented to each other.
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