Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And that Allah may know who will support Him and His messengers in secret)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And that Allah may know who will support Him and His messengers in secret)
Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Hadid: 25] is conjoined to (so that people may stand up for justice).
And his statement: (So that He may know who will support Him) The intended meaning is the knowledge of manifestation, which leads to reward or punishment. As for the knowledge that it will happen, that is prior to the sending of the messengers and the revelation of the books; for Allah has always been and continues to be All-Knowing of everything.So the matter should not be difficult for you. Do not say: Indeed, Allah does not know except after this,We say: Yes.
Knowledge is of two types: He knows a thing before its existence, and He knows a thing after its existence. Which knowledge leads to reward and punishment? The second or the first? The second; because the prior knowledge does not lead to reward or punishment until people are tested.
Therefore: (So that Allah may know) That is: the knowledge of manifestation,Meaning: that it has manifested and occurred in reality. This is one aspect. And it is a knowledge that leads to reward and punishment. As for the knowledge that it will happen, that has been known from eternity.
His statement: That is: to support His religion,And the meaning is not: To support Allah Himself? No, because Allah is free of need of all creation,For this reason, Allah the Exalted said: [Muhammad: 4] So: how do you interpret "support Him"? To support His religion,So if someone says: How can one support His religion when Allah says: ?! This is an interpretation that contradicts the wording. And you reject those who interpret the Qur'an in a way that contradicts the apparent wording. So what is the answer?
We do not reject people when they interpret the Qur'an in a way that contradicts the apparent wording if there is evidence for it. If there is evidence for it, then we do not reject them.Therefore, if someone says regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nahl: 98] If someone says: The meaning is: "When you read the Qur'an," that is: "When you intend to read it," then this is an interpretation that contradicts the apparent meaning.Do we say: Is this interpretation correct or incorrect? It is correct; because a person seeks refuge in Allah when he intends to read what he will complete reading. This is based on the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family); and because this is what benefits the person in seeking refuge in Allah before he reads, so that he reads while Satan is far from him.
In any case: If someone asks you: How do you interpret the saying of Allah the Exalted: That is: who will support His religion, while you reject those who interpret the Qur'an in a way that contradicts its apparent meaning?So the answer is: That we do not reject those who interpret the Qur'an in a way that contradicts its apparent meaning if there is valid evidence for it.And the evidence that the intended meaning is to support His religion is His saying: [Al-Hadid: 25] He does not need anyone, so He is Strong, Mighty, and Prevailing with a strength that is not accompanied by weakness.
And His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Hadid: 25] The support of the messengers: is the intended meaning that one supports the messenger himself, or that one supports the Shari'ah that he brought? Both. If the messenger is alive, the intended meaning is to support the messenger himself and his Shari'ah. After his death, one supports his Shari'ah. In this is evidence that supporting the Shari'ah is supporting the one who brought it. Therefore, it is not problematic that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, may cause the messenger to die before he sees widespread support for him,So we say: Supporting his Shari'ah is supporting him.
And his statement: ((In secret)) That is: that they support Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and support His messengers while they have not seen Allah; because Allah the Exalted is supported but not seen. He is not seen in this world,For this reason, some of the Salaf said: They support Him but do not see Him,An interpretation of His saying: (In secret) They support Him but do not see Him. The intended meaning is that they do not see Him in this world. As for the Hereafter, we ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. The seeing of Allah the Exalted is a truth, established in the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Companions.
Therefore: (In secret) That is: they support Allah while He is unseen. It is also possible that the meaning of (in secret) is: in their secrecy from people. In this is evidence of their sincerity, and that they are not among those who worship Allah only when they are among people, but they worship Allah the Exalted in secret and in public.
Allah the Exalted said:
and so that Allah may make evident those who support Him and His messengers unseen
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُ بِالْغَيْبِAnd his statement: (So that He may know who will support Him) The intended meaning is the knowledge of manifestation, which leads to reward or punishment. As for the knowledge that it will happen, that is prior to the sending of the messengers and the revelation of the books; for Allah has always been and continues to be All-Knowing of everything.So the matter should not be difficult for you. Do not say: Indeed, Allah does not know except after this,We say: Yes.
Knowledge is of two types: He knows a thing before its existence, and He knows a thing after its existence. Which knowledge leads to reward and punishment? The second or the first? The second; because the prior knowledge does not lead to reward or punishment until people are tested.
Therefore: (So that Allah may know) That is: the knowledge of manifestation,Meaning: that it has manifested and occurred in reality. This is one aspect. And it is a knowledge that leads to reward and punishment. As for the knowledge that it will happen, that has been known from eternity.
His statement:
who supports Him
مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُThat [is the command]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah - never will He waste their deeds.
ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْwho supports Him
مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُWe do not reject people when they interpret the Qur'an in a way that contradicts the apparent wording if there is evidence for it. If there is evidence for it, then we do not reject them.Therefore, if someone says regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِIn any case: If someone asks you: How do you interpret the saying of Allah the Exalted:
who supports Him
مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُIndeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌAnd His saying, the Exalted:
those who support Him and His messengers
مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُAnd his statement: ((In secret)) That is: that they support Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and support His messengers while they have not seen Allah; because Allah the Exalted is supported but not seen. He is not seen in this world,For this reason, some of the Salaf said: They support Him but do not see Him,An interpretation of His saying: (In secret) They support Him but do not see Him. The intended meaning is that they do not see Him in this world. As for the Hereafter, we ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. The seeing of Allah the Exalted is a truth, established in the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Companions.
Therefore: (In secret) That is: they support Allah while He is unseen. It is also possible that the meaning of (in secret) is: in their secrecy from people. In this is evidence of their sincerity, and that they are not among those who worship Allah only when they are among people, but they worship Allah the Exalted in secret and in public.