Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Say: ‘Fleeing will not benefit you, if you flee from death or killing, and even then you will not be granted [life] except for a short time.’”

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

Then Allah the Exalted said:

Say, [O Muhammad], "Never will fleeing benefit you if you should flee from death or killing

قُلْ لَنْ يَنْفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ

[Al-Ahzab: 16]

will not

لن

This conveys three things that Isa mentions to us.
The student: Negation and the accusative case...?

The Shaykh : Negation and the accusative case.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : What?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : No.
The student: And the future tense.
The Shaykh : And the future tense means that the present-tense verb is possible to be for the present state or for the future. So when *lan* enters it, it specifies that it is for the future. And is *lan* for perpetual negation, meaning it necessitates and requires perpetual negation? O Abdullah, is *lan* for perpetual negation? ... And does *ma* and *illa* become for perpetuity or for non-perpetuity?
The student: For non-perpetuity.

The Shaykh : Always for non-perpetuity?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : And it becomes for perpetuity, yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Meaning it becomes for this and for that. Give an example of perpetuity?
The student:

But if you do not - and you will never be able to -

فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَنْ تَفْعَلُوا

[Al-Baqarah: 24]?

The Shaykh : Good.

But if you do not - and you will never be able to -

فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَنْ تَفْعَلُوا

[Al-Baqarah: 24] And the verse with us is for perpetuity.

Never will fleeing benefit you if you should flee from death or killing

لَنْ يَنْفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ

[Al-Ahzab 33:16]

Good. And does it come for non-perpetuity?
The student: ...?

The Shaykh : It appears that it is for perpetuity here, or perhaps... in more than... What do you say about this verse? Is it for perpetuity or for non-perpetuity?

They will not harm you except for [some] annoyance

لَنْ يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلَّا أَذًى

[Ali 'Imran 3:111]

The student: ...

The Shaykh : Allah the Exalted said:

But they will not wish for it, ever, because of what their hands have put forth

وَلا يَتَمَنَّوْنَهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ

[Al-Jumu'ah: 7] This is for perpetuity.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : They do not wish for death; in the torment of the Fire, they wish for death.
The student: ...?

The Shaykh : No, in this world they do not wish for death, but even in this world, it is confirmed by His saying "never." The correct view is that

will not

لن

does not necessitate perpetuity, as Ibn Malik said:
"And if you see negation with *lan* as perpetual, then his statement is to be returned, and the rest is to be supported."
It is not possible that it comes for perpetuity ever, meaning its meaning is that it does not necessitate perpetuity, although it may imply it. For this reason, the people of the Sunnah say that the saying of Allah the Exalted to Musa

you will not see Me

لن تراني

does not necessitate that he does not see Allah, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter. As for the Mu'tazilah and those who deny the seeing of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), they say:

will not

لن

implies perpetuity, so it indicates that Allah is not seen ever. Yes.

Say, [O Muhammad], "Never will fleeing benefit you if you should flee from death or killing

قُلْ لَنْ يَنْفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ

[Al-Ahzab 33:16]

He said:

And then

وَإِذًا

Meaning, suppose that you fled from death or killing.

and

وإذا

If you flee.

You will not be granted [life] in this world

لا تُمَتَّعُونَ في الدنيا

After your fleeing.

Except for a short time

إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

The remainder of your lifespans. Meaning, on the assumption that you fled from death or from killing, will you remain in life? No, they do not remain. If they flee, they are not granted [life] except for a short time, which is the remainder of their lifespans. Yes, this is on the assumption of their fleeing. And at that time, what is the benefit of a person leaving the fighting that is obligatory upon him and turning his back to a matter that may benefit him and may not benefit him? He may die in the state of turning his back, or he may remain and live. But if he remains and lives, will he remain forever? No, he is not granted [life] except for a short time, however long the duration may be, it is short. For this reason, the entire world is nothing compared to the Hereafter. Allah the Exalted said:

⁽¹⁶⁾ But you prefer the worldly life, ⁽¹⁷⁾ While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا * وَالآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى

[Al-A'la: 16-17] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the place of a man's whip in Paradise is better than the world and what is in it. So the enjoyment of the world is truly nothing compared to the time of the Hereafter. For this reason, he said:

and then [if you did], you would not be given enjoyment [of life] except for a little."

وَإِذًا لا تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

[Al-Ahzab 33:16]

Then there is another thing: if they are killed in the path, then they are killed in the path of Allah, but they are alive. Allah the Exalted said:

And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not.

وَلا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَكِنْ لا تَشْعُرُونَ

[Al-Baqarah: 154] We have forbidden this statement with the tongue, and even the suspicion in the heart, we have forbidden it.

And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision,

وَلا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ

[Al-Imran: 169] So it is not permissible to say or to suppose that one who is killed in the path is dead. Rather, he is dead in body, but he is alive in spirit with a barzakh life, and it is not like the life of this world. If it were like the life of this world, it would not have been permissible to bury these people, because if we buried them while they were alive with the life of this world, we would have killed them and destroyed them. And by this, we know the misguidance of those who said that they are alive and ask for you, if you ask them to call upon Allah for you, and they answer you, and they reach through this to associating partners with them, and with the prophets, and with those they call awliya (close friends of Allah). Yes.
The student: ...?

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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