3. Sura al-Imran
Medina 89 [200 verses]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَا
أَصَابَكُمْ
يَوْمَ الْتَقَى
الْجَمْعَانِ
فَبِإِذْنِ
اللّهِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿١٦٦﴾
3: 166. What ye suffered on the day the two armies met, was with the leave of Allah, in order that He might test the believers.
C475. Test: literally know.
See n. 467 to 3:154.
وَلْيَعْلَمَ
الَّذِينَ
نَافَقُواْ...
3: 167. And the Hypocrites also.
C476. The testing of the Hypocrites was the searching out of their motives and exposing them to the sight of their brethren, who might otherwise have been taken in.
In the first place they gave counsels of caution: in their minds it was nothing but cowardice.
In the second place, what they wished was not the good of the community but its being placed in a contemptible position. When others were for self-sacrifice, they were for ease and fair words. Pretending to be Muslims, they were nearer to Unbelief.
Ironically they pretended to know nothing of fighting, and left their devout brethren to defend their faith and ideas. If that devout spirit did not appeal to them, they might at least have defended their city of Madinah when it was threatened,-defended their hearths and homes as good citizens.
...وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْاْ قَاتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَوِ ادْفَعُواْ...
These were told: "Come, fight in the way of Allah, or (at least) drive (the foe from your city)."
...قَالُواْ لَوْ نَعْلَمُ قِتَالاً لاَّتَّبَعْنَاكُمْ ...
They say: "Had we known how to fight, we should certainly have followed you."
...هُمْ لِلْكُفْرِ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنْهُمْ لِلإِيمَانِ ...
They were that day nearer to unbelief than to faith,
...يَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِهِم مَّا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَكْتُمُونَ ﴿١٦٧﴾
saying with their lips what was not in their hearts.
But Allah hath full knowledge of all they conceal.
3: 166
Asad and all that befell you on the day when the two hosts met in battle happened by God’s leave, so that He might mark out the [true] believers,
Pickthall That which befell you, on the day when the two armies met, was by permission of Allah; that He might know the true believers;
Transliteration Wa ma_ asa_bakum yaumal taqal jam'a_ni fa bi'iznilla_hi wa liya'lamal mu'minin(a).
3: 167
Asad and mark out those who were tainted with hypocrisy and, when they were told, “Come, fight in God’s cause” – or, “Defend yourselves” [ note 128] – answered, “If we but knew [that it would come to a ] fight, we would indeed follow you.” Unto apostasy were they nearer on that day than unto faith, uttering with their mouths something which was not in heir hearts [note 129], the while God knew fully well what they were trying to conceal:
Pickthall And that He might know the hypocrites, unto whom it was said: Come, fight in the way of Allah, or defend yourselves. They answered: If we knew aught of fighting we would follow you. On that day they were nearer disbelief than faith. They utter with their mouths a thing which is not in their hearts. Allah is best aware of what they hide.
Transliteration Wa liya'lamal lazina na_faqu_, wa qila lahum ta'a_lau qa_tilu_ fi sabililla_hi awidfa'u_, qa_lu_ lau na'lamu qita_lal lattaba'na_kum, hum lilkufri yauma'izin aqrabu minhum lil'ima_n(i), yaqu_lu_na biafwa_hihim ma_ laisa fi qulu_bihim, walla_hu a'lamu bima_ yaktumu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 128 Only a fight in self-defense – in the widest meaning of this term – can be considered a “fight in God’s cause” (see 2: 190-194, and the corresponding notes); and, thus, the particle “or” between these two phrases is almost synonymous with the expression “in other words”.
129 – This is an allusion to the three hundred men who, on the way from Medina to Mount Uhud, forsook the Prophet on the specious plea that he did not really intend to give battle (see note 90 above). But since they knew in their hearts that it would come to a fight, their defection from God’s cause almost amounted to a denial of him (kufr, here rendered as “apostasy”) ]]