This passage comments on the early events of the Battle of Uĥud up to the point at which the victory which was well within the grasp of the Muslim army turned into defeat. As the Qur’ān comments on these events, it seeks to establish certain rules and principles. The events themselves are only a means employed by the Qur’ān to drive the truth home to the Muslims. These comments begin with a reference to an ever-recurring pattern which engulfs those who reject God’s message and describe it as a lie. The Muslims are told here that the Quraysh victory in this particular battle is a one-off incident delivering a particular lesson. They are called upon to demonstrate their steadfastness and to feel their superiority through faith. If they have suffered, the idolaters have also suffered in the same battle. What happened to the Muslims is useful in certain ways as it helps distinguish those who are firm in their faith and select from among them martyrs who are ready to sacrifice their lives for their faith.

Moreover, the Muslims are brought face to face with death, after they had wished for it. Their promises and wishes are thus put to the test. All this helps the Muslim community acquire the necessary equipment to face its enemies and to bring about the desired result of wiping out unbelievers. In both defeat and victory, the overall goal is served.

In the Battle of Uĥud, the Muslims suffered a misfortune: they were defeated and many of them were killed. Physically and mentally, they endured affliction. Seventy of the Prophet’s Companions were killed. The Prophet himself was wounded as were those who defended him. All this shook the believers; they had not expected such a blow after their spectacular victory at Badr. They wondered: “How could this happen to us? How can this turn of events come about when we are Muslims?” The Qur’ān reminds them here that there are patterns which will eventually come to pass. Muslims are not a special type of men. The laws of nature which apply to human life will continue to operate. Nothing comes about out of the blue. If they examine the laws of nature and understand what rules affect them, they will be able to learn the lessons of all events. They will realise that God’s law never fails. Nothing happens in vain. They will also be able to carve out their future way in the light of what has happened in the past. They will not stand idle, relying on the fact that they are Muslims, and expect to have victory without doing what is necessary to achieve it. Foremost among these is obedience to God and to His Messenger.

Many patterns have passed away before you. Go about the earth and see what was the fate of those who described the truth as lies. This is a plain exposition for mankind, as well as a guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing. (Verses 137-8)

The patterns to which the sūrah refers here, and to which it draws the attention of the believers, concern the fate of those who, throughout history, denied God’s message and described it as a lie, and the fact that days of fortune and misfortune alternate between people and communities. The patterns identified also test people in order to know whether they are truly believers, and patient in adversity. Another pattern of importance is the fact that victory is always granted to those who are steadfast, while the unbelievers are blotted out. As these corresponding parts are outlined, much encouragement is given to the believers to persevere and remain steadfast. They are consoled for their misfortune, which has not befallen them alone.

A similar one has befallen their enemies. They should remember that they have a superior faith and aim to those of their enemies and that they enjoy Divine guidance and have a perfect constitution.

Moreover, ultimate victory will be theirs, while their opponents will be vanquished: “Many patterns have passed away before you. Go about the earth and see what was the fate of those who described the truth as lies.” (Verse 137) The Qur’ān relates the present to the past in order to point to the future. The Arabs who were the first to be addressed by the Qur’ān had nothing in their lives, neither experience nor knowledge, prior to Islam, to enable them to have such a wide view of life and its events. Islam indeed gave them a new life and made out of them a nation to lead mankind.

The tribal system in their community could never have enabled them to appreciate the relationship between the life of the people of Arabia, or indeed human life in general, and the laws of nature which govern everything in life. The new concept, Islam, represented a great departure which could not have developed out of their tribal society or their life conditions. It was given to them by their new faith. They were elevated to this standard within a quarter of a century, while their contemporaries could not manage to reach this level for many centuries to come.

They could not for many generations recognise that the laws of nature never fail.

When they did, however, they overlooked the fact that God’s will is free and absolute, and that to Him all matters are referred. This nation of Islam was able to recognise all this and to understand it. That enabled it to appreciate the balance between God’s free will and the constant laws of nature. Thus, they conducted their lives on the basis of working within the laws of nature, reassured that God can accomplish what He wills at any time He chooses.

“Many patterns have passed away before you.” These have taken place according to rules and systems which are established by God’s free will to govern life. What happened at other times will also happen in your own time, according to God’s will.

Do not be faint of heart, and do not grieve; for you shall gain the upper hand if you are truly believers. If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has befallen other people as well. Such days [of fortune and misfortune], We deal out in turn among men. God wants to mark out those who truly believe and choose from among you such as [with their lives] bear witness to the truth. God does not love the wrongdoers. (Verses 139- 40)

Believers must not lose heart, nor should they allow grief to overtake them because of what may happen. They will gain the upper hand, because they have a superior faith. Believers prostrate themselves only to God, while others prostrate before one, or more, of His creatures. This sūrah makes it plain to the believers that they are indeed superior and far more exalted than other people. It tells them: You have a superior way of life, because you follow a method established by God while the methods followed by other groups have been devised by His creatures.

Moreover, your role is superior, because you have been selected for a position of trust, to convey God’s guidance to all mankind. Other people are unaware of this guidance, and have gone astray. Your place on earth is superior, because God has promised you to inherit the earth, while they will sink into oblivion. If you are truly believers, then you are superior. Therefore, you have to demonstrate the strength of your faith by not losing heart and you must not grieve. The rules determined by God make it possible that you may score a victory or suffer a defeat, but the ultimate end after enduring the test and striving hard for God’s cause, will be in your favour.

“If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has befallen other people as well.” The misfortune which is said to have befallen the Muslims and the fact that a similar one befell those who rejected the truth may be a reference to the Battle of Badr, in which the idolaters suffered a heavy defeat. On the other hand, it may be a reference to the Battle of Uĥud, in which the Muslims were initially close to victory, but were then defeated. What the Muslims suffered was fair reward for their disagreement and disobedience. Moreover, it represents an aspect of how the rules of nature established by God never fail. The disagreement among the rearguard of the Muslim army was the result of their greed. In any campaign of jihād, God grants victory to those who strive for His cause, looking for nothing of the petty gains of this world.

Another rule of nature which is seen in full operation is the dealing out of fortune and misfortune among people according to their actions and intentions. In this way, true believers are distinguished from hypocrites. Mistakes are identified and the way ahead becomes very clear.

“If misfortune befalls you, a similar misfortune has befallen other people as well. Such days [of fortune and misfortune] We deal out in turn among men. God wants to mark out those who truly believe.” (Verse 140) When hardship is followed by prosperity and the latter is followed by another hardship, people’s true characters emerge. They reveal how clear their vision is, how much they panic and how patient in adversity they can be, as well as how great their trust in God is and how submissive to His will they are.

God wants to mark out those who truly believe and choose from among you such as [with their lives] bear witness to the truth. God does not love the wrongdoers. And God wants to test and prove the believers, and to blot out the unbelievers. (Verses 140-1)

The sūrah goes on to reveal to the Muslim community certain aspects of Divine wisdom behind which the events of the Battle of Uĥud took place, and why defeat was suffered by the Muslims after their spectacular victory at Badr. The principle of testing the believers and proving their mettle is strongly emphasised. At the same time God states that He wants to choose from among the believers people who “with their lives bear witness to the truth.” The Arabic original states that God wants to choose from among the believers “martyrs”. It should be remembered that in Arabic the word “shahīd” which denotes “martyr” also means “witness”.3

The way this point is expressed in the Qur’ān is particularly remarkable: “God wants ... to choose from among you such as [with their lives] bear witness to the truth.” God, then, takes martyrs from among those who strive for His cause. Therefore, it is neither a tragedy nor a loss that anyone is chosen to be a martyr. Indeed, it is a matter of honour because the choice is made by God and those martyrs are given, by God, a special position near Him. Moreover, they are selected to bear witness to the truth of God’s message to mankind. They give their testimony in a way which cannot be contested by anyone. That testimony is to struggle to establish the truth of the Divine Message in life until they die. They testify that what they have received from God is the truth in which they have believed and to which they have dedicated themselves, and that human life will not be set right unless this truth is implemented.

They are so certain of this that they spare no effort in fighting falsehood and establishing the truth, moulding society on the basis of its tenets. Their testimony is their struggle until death. The truthfulness of that testimony is irrefutable.

Every Muslim declares that he “bears witness that there is no deity save God and that Muĥammad is His messenger.” However, he is not considered a witness unless he gives credence to his declaration that there is only one God in the universe. This means that he accepts no legislation other than that which comes from God. The most essential characteristic of Godhead is to legislate and the most essential characteristic of worship is to accept and implement God’s legislation. This declaration also means that a believer does not receive God’s legislation except through Muĥammad (pbuh), since he is God’s Messenger. Every person who makes this declaration is required to strive hard in order to make sure that God alone is acknowledged as the only God by all mankind. The practical effect of this is to make the constitution God devised for human life, and which was conveyed to us by Muĥammad (pbuh), the established constitution throughout the world. If the attainment of that goal means that a Muslim should die, he is then a martyr, or a witness, chosen by God to make this testimony and to win this noble position.

Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity. Surely, you used to wish for death before you came face to face with it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes. (Verses 142-3)

These verses start with a rhetorical question, the purpose of which is to correct the concepts formed by Muslims on the patterns established by God for the advocacy of His faith: how victory is achieved and defeat suffered; the importance of action and what reward it merits, etc. The Qur’ān makes it clear that/ the road to heaven is attended by many difficulties and undesirable things. The best equipment for a believer is patience in adversity. This is totally different from hollow wishes and claims which any test may prove to be futile. “Do you reckon that you can enter paradise unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause] and who are patient in adversity?” (Verse 142)

The rhetoric mode is employed in this question so as to make it clear that the whole concept is wrong. It is certainly a mistake for any man to think that it is sufficient for him to only say that he has accepted Islam and be ready to die for it in order to fulfil the duties which are required of him as one of the believers. It is important to remember here that the fulfilment of such duties earns that person the greatest prize of all, namely, admission to heaven. What is needed for the fulfilment of such duties is to go through a practical test of jihād, to face up to difficulties and to be patient in adversity.

The phraseology of the Qur’ānic text is particularly significant: “...unless God has identified those among you who strive hard [in His cause], and who are patient in adversity.” It is not sufficient that believers should strive hard in God’s cause. They have to demonstrate their patience and fulfil the continuous and varied tasks imposed on them by their faith. Fighting on the battlefield may be one of the lightest of these tasks which demand patience and prove the strength of faith. There is, in addition, the never-ending, uphill task of maintaining the standards of behaviour commensurate with faith, developing a set of values which are not only based on the principles of faith but are also reflected in one’s feelings and attitudes. There is also the need for perseverance which helps people overcome their weaknesses, whether these be within themselves or in others with whom they deal in the course of daily life. Patience and perseverance have to be demonstrated in a variety of situations, especially when to give up appears to be far more appealing.

Examples of this include when falsehood appears to be victorious, and stronger than the truth; when the way ahead appears to be too long, too hard and full of difficulties; when a moment of relaxation appears to be all that one can care for after a long period of hard struggle. Fighting on the battlefield is no more than one aspect of striving for God’s cause, which is the only way to heaven. Certainly, heaven is not won by wishful thinking or by paying lip-service to the requirements of faith.

Muĥammad is only a messenger: all messengers have passed away before him. If then, he dies or is slain, will you turn about on your heels? He that turns about on his heels will not harm God in any way. God will reward those who are grateful [to Him].

(Verse 144)

This verse refers to a particular incident which took place during the Battle of Uĥud. The Prophet had stationed a detachment of soldiers on top of the mountain behind the Muslim army. They were the rearguard, equipped with bows and arrows to repel any attack launched against the Muslim army from behind. When the battle appeared to be all over, most of them left their positions, against the express orders of the Prophet. A battalion of the enemy forces were thus able to go round the mountain and attack the Muslims from the rear. The Prophet himself was injured: his front teeth were broken, and his face was bleeding.

The situation became chaotic and the Muslim army was in disarray. At this moment, someone cried out: “Muĥammad is killed!” Such a great shock was this to the Muslims, that many of them turned round to return to Madinah. They went up into the mountain, shattered, defeated, in despair. However, the Prophet himself, with a small group of his Companions, stood firm. He called to his Companions as they began to retreat. When they heard him, they began to rally. God helped them regain their moral strength and allowed them to be overtaken by a momentary slumber so as to give them strength, security and reassurance, as will be explained later.

This sequence of events is used in the Qur’ān to drive home to the Muslims certain fundamental principles about life and death and the history of Divine faith:

“Muĥammad is only a messenger: all messengers have passed away before him. If then, he dies or is slain, will you turn about on your heels?” Muĥammad (pbuh) is simply a messenger, having been preceded by all other messengers. He will die as other messengers have died before him. This is an elementary fact. How is it then that the Muslims show themselves to be oblivious of this fact when it stared them in the face during the battle?

Muĥammad (pbuh) is a messenger of God, entrusted with the task of conveying His message. God is Eternal and His word never dies. Believers should never turn on their heels if the messenger who has come to convey God’s word to them dies or is killed. This is also an elementary fact which the Muslims, in their great confusion, overlooked.

Human beings die and perish, while the faith survives. The way of life God has designed for mankind has its own entity; it is independent of those who convey it to people, be they messengers or believers. Every Muslim loves God’s Messenger (pbuh). His Companions loved him as no one had ever been loved before. They were ready to sacrifice their lives in order to spare him the slightest pain. One of his Companions, Abū Dujānah, stood as a shield to protect the Prophet, was hit by numerous arrows in the back and yet he never stirred. Only nine of his Companions were close to him when he was targeted by a determined attack by the unbelievers, and those nine defended him most courageously, until they were all killed. Many others in every generation and in all places continue to love him with all their hearts.

No one can die except by God’s leave, at a term appointed. He who desires the reward of this world, We shall give him thereof and to him who desires the reward of the life to come, We shall give thereof. We shall reward those who are grateful to Us. (Verse 145)

Every human soul, then, lives up to its appointed time. No one dies before his time. Neither fear, nor the desire to live longer can postpone anyone’s appointed time. Courage and adventure, on the other hand, will not shorten one’s life. As this idea sinks into the minds of the believers they simply do not think of death as they go about fulfilling their responsibilities and carrying out their religious duties. This is the reason why people, throughout the ages, have seen that those who believe in God are not encumbered by their desire to prolong their time on earth or by their fear of what lies ahead. They simply rely on God as they carry out their duties with patience and reassurance.

Since everybody dies at his or her appointed time then everyone should think of the life to come and should work hard in order to achieve the greater happiness of that life: “He who desires the reward of this world, We shall give him thereof and to him who desires the reward of the life to come, We shall give thereof” (Verse 145)

The gulf between the two types of life is as wide as the gulf between the concerns of those who desire the reward of either one or the other. The length of one’s life on this earth is not affected by the choice one makes. So, he who makes this life his ultimate goal and seeks only its rewards leads a life which is not greatly different from the life of animals, before he dies at the appointed time. On the other hand, he who looks up to the wider horizon leads the life of a true human being whom God has ennobled, to whom He has assigned the mission of building a happy human life on earth. Such a person also dies at his appointed time.

“We shall reward those who are grateful to Us.” Those who appreciate how God has ennobled man and lift themselves above the standard of animals and show their gratitude to God will certainly be richly rewarded by Him.

This is how the Qur’ān views the essence of life and death, and the end of human beings as they choose for themselves and determine their preoccupations which can be either petty like those of worms or great like those of man. In this way, the Qur’ān turns our attention from fear of death and worry about duties because we have no say with regard to our life and death. It thus enables us to concentrate on what is of much better use, namely, the life to come. Whichever choice he makes, he will receive from God the reward most appropriate for that choice.

God then gives the Muslims an example drawn from the history of fellow believers. The procession of faith, composed of believers, dates back to the very beginning of time. There were people who were true to their word, firm believers who fought alongside the prophets sent to them and they never weakened in times of adversity. As they stared death in the face, they demonstrated their awareness of their true position when they fought in God’s cause and lived in accordance with the teachings of their faith. They said no more than a prayer to God to forgive them.

They enlarged their slips in behaviour and attitude, so as to describe them as “excesses”. They also prayed to God to make their steps firm and to grant them victory. This earned for them the reward of this life and that of the life to come, because they combined the right attitude in battle and the right attitude in their prayers. Thus, they have provided an example which God cites here for the Muslims.

Many a Prophet has fought with many devout men alongside him. They never lost heart on account of what they had to suffer in God’s cause, and neither did they weaken nor succumb. God loves those who are patient in adversity. All that they said was this: “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs. Make firm our steps, and give us victory over the unbelievers.” God has granted them the reward of this life and the best reward of the life to come. God loves those who do their duty well. (Verses 146-8)

The Battle of Uĥud was the first major defeat suffered by the Muslims. They had earlier been granted victory at Badr when their forces were far inferior to those of their enemy. Thus, they may have felt that victory in every encounter was part of the laws of nature. The shock dealt them at Uĥud was a hard and disturbing trial. This may be the reason for the long Qur’ānic comments on this particular battle. The Muslims are encouraged at one point, and their notions are corrected at another; at times, certain principles are clearly stated, and at others, examples are cited to provide proper education for them and to correct any misconceptions they may have.

They had to be well prepared for their long and arduous struggle in discharging the duties imposed on them as advocates of God’s message.

The example which the sūrah gives here is a general one, which neither mentions any prophet by name nor specifies a particular nation or people. The outcome of this is that the Muslims feel themselves to belong to the advocates of true faith throughout history. They learn the proper manners which believers should adopt.

Trials are shown to them as something to be naturally expected by the advocates of any message and any faith. Ties are established between them and the followers of earlier prophets so that they appreciate that believers in any generation are closely related to their predecessors in faith. They learn that the cause of faith is one which has been present throughout history and that they are only one battalion in a great army of the faithful: “Many a Prophet has fought with many devout men alongside him.