What is the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And if it were not for Allah’s repelling of some people by others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned would have been destroyed)?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Your Eminence, what is the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Hajj 22:40]?
The Shaykh : And mosques
The questioner :[Al-Hajj 22:40]؟
The Shaykh : The meaning of the noble verse is that if it were not for Allah the Exalted repelling some people from others regarding harm and oppression, the oppressors would have encroached upon the righteous. Listen, He said, yes,[Al-Hajj 22:40] because the oppressor encroaches upon the oppressed, as mentioned in Surat al-Buruj. So if it were not for Allah repelling some people by others, the places of worship would have been ruined and the righteous would have perished. If there are those who defend the believers, their evil is lessened, because the oppressor fears that if he speaks of something, it may be his destruction. So he stops. And this is from the wisdom of Allah Mighty and Majestic. Then He the Exalted said: [Hud 11:7]. And He the Exalted said: [Al-Hujurat 49:13].
And this is from the wisdom of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He. Otherwise, some people ask why Allah made humans, and even the jinn, into two categories: believers and disbelievers. We say that this is from the trial and test. If it were not for this, the people of good would not be distinguished from the evil, because the affliction or trial is what reveals the sincerity of the heart and the sincerity of the worker.
If all people were upon faith, when would we know disbelief? There would be no one to oppose them. And if the people were only believers without disbelievers, the banner of jihad would not have been established, and the truthful would not be known from the liar. And this is among the wisdoms that no one reaches except one to whom Allah the Exalted has granted a firm intellect and correct, sound reasoning.
O Allah, teach us what benefits us, benefit us with what You have taught us, and increase us in knowledge, O Lord of the worlds. And here ends this questioning, and after that, until the next meeting, if Allah wills, Blessed and Exalted is He. And Allah knows best.
And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned
ولولا دفع الله الناس بعضهم ببعض لهدمت صوامع وبيع وصلوات ومساجدَ يذكر فيها اسم الله كثيرًاThe Shaykh : And mosques
The questioner :
and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned
ومساجد يذكر فيها اسم الله كثيراThe Shaykh : The meaning of the noble verse is that if it were not for Allah the Exalted repelling some people from others regarding harm and oppression, the oppressors would have encroached upon the righteous. Listen, He said, yes,
there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned
لهدمت صوامع وبيع ومساجد وصلوات يذكر فيها اسم الله كثيراAnd it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and His Throne had been upon water - that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed. But if you say, "Indeed, you are resurrected after death," those who disbelieve will surely say, "This is not but obvious magic."
هو الذي خلق الموت والحياة ليبلوكم أيكم أحسن عملاO mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
يا أيها الناس إنا جعلناكم شعوبا وقبائل لتعارفوا إن أكرمكم عند الله أتقاكمAnd this is from the wisdom of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He. Otherwise, some people ask why Allah made humans, and even the jinn, into two categories: believers and disbelievers. We say that this is from the trial and test. If it were not for this, the people of good would not be distinguished from the evil, because the affliction or trial is what reveals the sincerity of the heart and the sincerity of the worker.
If all people were upon faith, when would we know disbelief? There would be no one to oppose them. And if the people were only believers without disbelievers, the banner of jihad would not have been established, and the truthful would not be known from the liar. And this is among the wisdoms that no one reaches except one to whom Allah the Exalted has granted a firm intellect and correct, sound reasoning.
O Allah, teach us what benefits us, benefit us with what You have taught us, and increase us in knowledge, O Lord of the worlds. And here ends this questioning, and after that, until the next meeting, if Allah wills, Blessed and Exalted is He. And Allah knows best.