Aal-i-Imraan 3:181

"Allāh has certainly heard the statement of those [Jews] who said, "Indeed, Allāh is poor, while we are rich." We will record what they said and their killing of the prophets without right and will say, "Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire."

Allah Warns the Idolators

Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said, "When Allah's statement,

مَّن ذَا الَّذِى يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً

(Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times) 2:245 was revealed, the Jews said, `O Muhammad! Has your Lord become poor so that He asks His servants to give Him a loan' Allah sent down,

لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ

(Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those (Jews) who say: "Truly, Allah is poor and we are rich!") 3:181."

This Hadith was collected by Ibn Marduwyah and Ibn Abi Hatim.

Allah's statement,

سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ

(We shall record what they have said) contains a threat and a warning that Allah followed with His statement,

وَقَتْلِهِمُ الاٌّنْبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ

(and their killing of the Prophets unjustly,)

This is what they say about Allah and this is how they treat His Messengers. Allah will punish them for these deeds in the worst manner,

لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَآءُ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ وَقَتْلَهُمُ الاٌّنبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَنَقُولُ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ - ذلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّـمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

(and We shall say: "Taste you the torment of the burning (Fire)." This is because of that which your hands have sent before you. And certainly, Allah is never unjust to (His) servants.)

They will be addressed like this as a way of chastising, criticism, disgrace and humiliation.

Allah said,

الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَهِدَ إِلَيْنَا أَلاَّ نُؤْمِنَ لِرَسُولٍ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَنَا بِقُرْبَانٍ تَأْكُلُهُ النَّارُ

(Those (Jews) who said: "Verily, Allah has taken our promise not to believe in any Messenger unless he brings to us an offering which the fire (from heaven) shall devour.")

Allah refuted their claim that in their Books, Allah took a covenant from them to only believe in the Messenger whose miracles include fire coming down from the sky that consumes the charity offered by a member of the Messenger's nation, as Ibn `Abbas and Al-Hasan stated. Allah replied,

قُلْ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِى بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(Say: "Verily, there came to you Messengers before me, with Al-Bayinat...") with proofs and evidence,

وَبِالَّذِى قُلْتُمْ

(and even with what you speak of) a fire that consumes the accepted charity, as you asked,

فَلِمَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُمْ

(why then did you kill them) Why did you meet these Prophets with denial, defiance, stubbornness and even murder,

إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ

(if you are truthful), if you follow the truth and obey the Messengers.

Allah then comforts His Prophet Muhammad ,

فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ جَآءُوا بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَالْكِتَـبِ الْمُنِيرِ

(Then if they reject you, so were Messengers rejected before you, who came with Al-Baiyyinat and the Scripture, and the Book of Enlightenment.) meaning, do not be sad because they deny you, for you have an example in the Messengers who came before you. These Messengers were rejected although they brought clear proofs, plain evidence and unequivocal signs,

وَالزُّبُرِ

(and the Zubur), the divinely revealed Books that were sent down to the Messengers,

وَالْكِتَـبِ الْمُنِيرِ

(and the Book of Enlightenment) meaning the clarification and best explanation.

Пусть скаредные люди, которых Аллах одарил богатством, высоким положением в обществе, знаниями и многими другими благами, которым Он оказал великую милость и велел делиться ею с творениями, не причиняя при этом вреда самим себе, которые отказываются выполнять Божье повеление, удерживают дарованные им щедроты и скупятся делать добро рабам Аллаха, не думают, что они поступают во благо себе. Напротив, они вредят своей вере и мирской жизни и губят свое настоящее и будущее. В День воскресения накопленное ими богатство обернется вокруг их шей и причинит им великие страдания. В достоверном хадисе сказано: «Богатство скупого человека в День воскресения предстанет перед ним в образе плешивого змея. Он обовьется вокруг его шеи, а затем схватит его за углы рта и скажет: “Я - твое богатство! Я - твои сокровища!”» А в подтверждение сказанного Пророк, да благословит его Аллах и приветствует, прочел этот аят. Грешники полагали, что скаредность принесет им пользу и славу, однако все произошло наоборот, поскольку скупость и скаредность нанесли им величайший урон и повлекли за собой наказание. Аллах - Единственный Властелин царства, и все богатства Вселенной, в конечном итоге, достанутся Ему одному. Рабы же покинут земной мир, не имея при себе ни дирхема, ни динара, ни любого другого имущества. Всевышний сказал: «Воистину, Мы унаследуем землю и тех, кто на ней, и они вернутся к Нам!» (19:40). Призадумайтесь над упомянутыми обстоятельствами, которые обязывают каждого человека не скупиться расходовать дарованные им блага. Вначале Аллах упомянул о том, что богатство и имущество человека даровано ему по милости Господней и не является его окончательной собственностью, ведь если бы не милость Аллаха, то он никогда не приобрел бы его. Поэтому, отказывая окружающим в этих благах, он фактически отказывает им в милости и добродетели Аллаха, потому что Его доброе отношение обязывает его делать добро рабам Божьим. Недаром Всевышний сказал: «Твори добро, подобно тому, как Аллах сотворил добро для тебя, и не стремись распространять нечестие на земле, ведь Аллах не любит распространяющих нечестие» (28:77). Если человек осознал, что приобретенное им имущество - это милость Аллаха, то он не должен отказывать людям в помощи, если это не причиняет ему никакого вреда, а лишь облагораживает его душу, очищает его имущество, приумножает его веру и оберегает его от несчастий. Затем Аллах упомянул о том, что все богатства, которыми владеют рабы, непременно вернутся к Нему. Всевышний унаследует все богатства Вселенной, ведь Он - Наилучший из наследующих. Поэтому совершенно бессмысленно скупиться на пожертвования и держаться за богатство, которое все равно покинет тебя и достанется другим. Наконец, Аллах упомянул о воздаянии, которое неизбежно, поскольку Ему известно обо всем, что совершают творения. Обладая совершенным знанием обо всех деяниях, Аллах непременно воздаст добром за праведные поступки и накажет за злодеяния. И если человек обладает хотя бы крупицей веры, то он не должен медлить с пожертвованиями, которые принесут ему щедрое вознаграждение. Он не должен довольствоваться накоплением земного добра, которое обречет его на страдания.

The second verse (18) warns Jews against their grave act of effrontery and mentions its punishment. According to the background of the event, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ presented the Qur'anic injunctions relating to Zakah and Sadaqat (charities), the arrogant Jews started saying that Allah had surely become poor and needy while they were rich, or else why would He go about asking us to give? We seek refuge with Allah from such effrontery. Obviously, they would have hardly believed in the absurd statement they made but, in all likelihood, they would have said so to prove that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was, God forbid, false in his statement. Their argument was: If these verses of the Qur'an are true, then, it necessarily follows that Allah be poor and needy! This absurd argument of theirs being false in itself was not worth responding to because the injunction of Allah Almighty was not for His benefit; it was, rather, for the benefit of the owners of wealth themselves in this world and the hereafter. But, it was termed as giving loan to Allah elsewhere because repayment of a loan is necessary and certain in the sight of every good person. Similar is the case of charity given by someone, the repayment of which Allah Almighty takes upon Himself as if it was the payment of loan taken from someone. Anyone who believes in Allah Almighty as the Creator and Master of everything would never stoop to entertain the kind of doubt from these words of the verse which is there in the saying of the insolent Jews. For this reason, the Qur'an has certainly refrained from answering this doubt. Instead, it has simply restricted itself to announcing that they shall be appre-hended and punished for this effrontery of theirs, for having falsified the Holy Prophet ﷺ and for having made fun of him. It was said that their insolent words will be put on record in 'writing' so that the final evidence goes against them on the Day of Judgmentand they are punished for what they did. Otherwise, Allah Almighty needs no writing.

Along with this act of effrontery committed by the Jews, yet another crime of theirs has been mentioned, that is, they not 'only falsified the prophets and mocked at them, they even went to the limit of killing them! That such people could falsify and flout any prophet or messenger of Allah hardly remains surprising.

Staying emotionally satisfied with disbelief in and disobedi-ence to Allah is also an equally grave sin

Worth noticing at this point is the fact that those being addressed by the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an are the Jews of Madinah while the incident of the killing of prophets belongs to a time much earlier than theirs, that is, to the time of Sayyidna Yahya and Sayyidna Zakariyya, may peace be on them. Now, the question is: How is it that the crime of the killing of the prophets referred to in this verse was attributed to these addressees? The reason is: The Jews of Madinah were quite satisfied with this act committed by their Jewish predecessors; therefore, they too were counted as those who fall under the injunction governing killers of prophets.

Imam al-Qurubi (رح) has said in his Tafsir that 'remaining satisfied with disbelief (kufr) is also included under disbelief and disobedience' which is a major juristic ruling in Islam. A saying of the Holy Prophet ﷺ explains it further. He said:

'When a sin is committed on God's earth, following which; the person who is present on the spot opposes that sin and considers it to be bad, then, such a person shall be deemed as not present there, that is, he is no accomplice in their sin. And, a person who, though not present physically yet is quite satisfied with this act of sinners, then, this person shall be considered, despite his absence (from the scene of sin), an accomplice in their sin.'

In the later part of the present verse (181) and in the third verse (182), the text recounts the punishment to be meted out to such loud-mouthed people by saying that they shall be consigned to the Hell to experience the taste of burning in fire which is but the outcome of their own deeds and certainly no injustice from Allah.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Allah Warns the Idolators