This passage tackles a very serious issue in the life of the Muslim community. It speaks about the conditions that must obtain for faith to exist and the boundaries that must be observed, i.e. the system laid down for the Muslim community to implement.

It is important to realise that the Qur’ān actually brings the Muslim community into existence and nurtures it to ensure its proper growth: “You are the best community that has ever been raised for mankind.” (3:110) Indeed, what the Qur’ān achieved with the first Muslim community was man’s re-birth. This was no mere step along the way, a stage in development, or even a leap forward. It was rather a definitive re- birth of the Arabs, and of mankind generally.

To appreciate this we need first to look at pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, and other aspects of the Arabs’ literary heritage, which delineate their outlook on life, existence, the universe, man, morality and behaviour, as well as the main features of their social life, their feelings, concepts and culture. In short, all that reflects the Arab personality. We should then look at all this in the light of the Qur’ān, as also consider the realities of Arab society both before and after Islam. This will confirm, in the most vivid and clear way, that the Qur’ān initiated a new community. It is God who, to use the Qur’ānic term, “raised” this community. That, in itself, was a unique case. To our knowledge, it was the only time in history that a complete community, with clearly distinctive characteristics, came into existence through the pages of a book.

But no wonder, for it is God’s Book, containing His own words.

Anyone who disputes this should tell us where this community was before God initiated it with His revealed Book. We certainly know that it was living in the Arabian peninsula, but what position did it occupy in the ranking of human civilisation? Where could it be placed at humanity’s dining table? What contribution did it make in human history?

This community was nurtured by the religion of Islam and moulded by its perfect way of life. Thereafter, it mapped its way, assuming the leadership of mankind, on the basis of the Divine Book. Its whole life has borne its mark. It has never had any other quality to give it such a position of leadership among mankind. History bears witness to all this. What is more is that God fulfilled His promise to the Arabs as He says to them: “We have bestowed on you from on high a Book that contains all that you ought to bear in mind. Will you not use your reason?” (21: 10)

It is by reason of the Qur’ān that the Arabs acquired a position on the world stage and had a role to play in human history. It is the Qur’ān which has given them their status and civilisation. Yet some people, devoid of intelligence, make it their mission in life to reject God’s favours showered on the Arabs. They dismiss as irrelevant God’s favour, which brought His final message to mankind through the Arabs, and in their language. Through this, He gave them an honourable position, a history and a true civilisation. Nevertheless, these people want to take off the garment God has given them to wear and to tear down the banner under which they achieved all their glory.

God commands you to deliver whatever you have been entrusted with to their rightful owners, and whenever you judge between people, to judge with justice. Most excellent is what God exhorts you to do. God hears all and sees all. (Verse 58)

These are the main obligations placed on the Muslim community and these sum up its moral code: namely, fulfilment of trust and maintaining justice. The basic and most important trust is that which God has implanted in human nature. This is the one which the heavens, the earth and the mountains refused to accept, but which man undertook. It is that of willingly and deliberately recognising Divine guidance and believing in God. This is the trust that God has given to human beings alone in their very nature. Other creatures have been given faith without the need for any effort on their part. Thus, they recognise their Lord and worship Him without having to make any choice or exerting any special effort. It is man alone who has been given this task to fulfil on the basis of his guiding nature, knowledge, reasoning, will and effort. He will always receive God’s help in that: “As for those who strive hard in Our cause, We shall most certainly guide them to paths that lead to Us; for, indeed, God is with those who do good.” (29: 69)

This is, then, the first trust man has to fulfil. It is that which gives rise to all other trusts which God commands people to fulfil. An important one among these being to give testimony in favour of Islam. This takes the form firstly of striving hard within oneself so that one’s life, feelings, actions and behaviour become a practical translation of faith. Thus, when people praise a believer’s behaviour, values and manners and moral standards, they realise that it is only because he believes in Islam that he is able to attain such high standards.

Another way of giving testimony in favour of Islam is the realisation of just how much more profound and superior Islam is to other human beliefs. With this knowledge, a believer begins to call on people to believe in Islam, explaining its values and principles. It is not sufficient then for a believer to keep his faith to himself. He must fulfil his task of making it known, calling upon others to accept it.

That is part of his trust and as such he should discharge it.

Testimony is further given by taking steps to help implement Islam as a code of living for the Muslim community, and in human life in general. To do this, believers should make use of every means available to them both as individuals and as members of that community. Such a practical implementation is the most important trust, second only to accepting the faith itself. No individual and no group are exempt from this trust. The Prophet says: “Jihād” continues until the Day of Resurrection.” Jihād in this sense is a fulfilment of a specific trust.

Another trust which is implied in the above is that of dealing with people and delivering to them whatever they have entrusted to us. That includes honesty in daily transactions, giving honest counsel to rulers and ruled, taking good care of young children, protecting the interests of the community and defending it against hostile forces and observing all duties and obligations outlined by the Divine code.

It is imperative that a proper standard should be available for all these minds to refer to in order to establish right and wrong in their evaluation and judgement of different issues. The human mind is the one tool available to man in order to determine the accuracy and fairness of his judgements, for this standard does not bend in order to please or appease anyone. The standards people produce for themselves cannot be placed on the same level, because these may be faulty or defective, leading to an imbalance that affects all values. The only way to avoid such imbalance is to refer to the ever-accurate standard God has established for human life in order to maintain honesty and justice, and to establish all proper values and rulings in all spheres of human activity: “Believers, obey God and obey the Messenger and those from among you who have been entrusted with authority. If you are in dispute over anything, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you truly believe in God and the Last Day.

This is the best [for you], and most suitable for final determination.” (Verse 59)

In this short statement, God explains the conditions for being a believer and the boundaries of Islam. At the same time, He outlines the underlying rule of the constitution of the Muslim community, the basis of all judgement and the source of all authority. All these begin and end with receiving guidance from God alone, and, where there is no clear statement, to refer to Him in any detail that may arise in human life over which people may differ.

Sovereignty belongs to God alone in all human life and all its affairs, large and small. God has enacted a constitution and a law which He has embodied in His revealed Book, the Qur’ān, and sent His Messenger to explain it to people. God’s Messenger “does not speak out of his own desire: that [which he conveys to you] is but a [Divine] inspiration which he receives.” (53: 3-4) Hence, the Prophet’s sunnah is part of God’s law.

To obey God is obligatory. One of the essential elements of Godhead is that God enacts the law; implementation of this is, thus, obligatory. Believers are required to obey God, to start with, and to obey His Messenger, since it is God that has sent him with His message. Thus, obedience to the Prophet is part of obeying God Himself.

Moreover, the Prophet’s sunnah and his judgement are part of the Divine law that must be implemented. Whether a person is a believer or not is conditional on such obedience and implementation. As the Qur’ān specifies: “If you are in dispute over anything, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you truly believe in God and the Last Day.” (Verse 59)

The verse that gives the order to obey God and His Messenger also orders that those “entrusted with authority” must also be obeyed. However, these are clearly defined as the ones “from among you,” i.e. from among the believers who meet the condition of faith and keep within the boundaries of Islam. This requires them to obey God and His Messenger, accept sovereignty as belonging to God alone and implement only His guidance. The text, as it is phrased, makes obedience to both God and the Messenger a basic, unquestionable duty. Obedience to people entrusted with authority comes as a corollary of such obedience to God and His Messenger.

Now the sūrah refers to those who claim to be believers but who deliberately violate the central condition of faith, trying to refer their disputes to false gods for arbitration, when they have been commanded to reject such false gods. The sūrah wonders at their attitude and warns them against Satan’s attempts to lead them far astray. It describes their reaction when they show their aversion to being called upon to adhere to what God has revealed and to follow His Messenger. The sūrah considers this an act of hypocrisy, and denounces their reference to false gods as a rejection of faith. When their wicked plans end up in misery they try to justify themselves, but their justification is shown to be hollow and false. Nevertheless, God directs His Messenger (peace be upon him) to give them good counsel and to admonish them. The paragraph concludes with a clear statement of God’s purpose in sending Messengers, which shows that they must be obeyed.

Are you not aware of those who claim that they believe in what has been bestowed from on high upon you, as well as in what was bestowed from on high before you?

They seek the judgement of false gods, although they are bidden to deny them. But Satan wants to lead them far astray. When it is said to them, “Come to that which God has bestowed from on high, and to the Messenger,” you see the hypocrites turn away from you with aversion. But how will it be when calamity befalls them [on the Day of Judgement! because of what their hands have done in this world? They would then come to you, swearing by God, “Our aim was but to do good, and to bring about harmony.” As for them — God knows all that is in their hearts. So leave them alone, and admonish them, and speak to them a word to reach their very souls. We have sent every messenger so that he should be obeyed by God’s leave. If when they have wronged themselves, they would but come to you and pray to God to forgive them, and the Messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would surely find that God is the One who accepts repentance, Merciful. But no, by your Lord. They do not really believe unless they make you judge in all disputes between them, and then find in their hearts no bar to an acceptance of your decisions and give themselves up in total submission.

(Verses 60-65)

This description suggests that all this was in the early stages, after Islam first settled in Madinah. At the time, the hypocrites mustered a substantial force and the Jews, who co-operated with the hypocrites, commanded real strength. Those who did not wish to refer their disputes to God’s law, preferring to refer them to false gods instead, might have been a group of hypocrites, as they are clearly described in the second verse in this paragraph. Alternatively, they might have been Jews who, when they needed arbitration in their dealings with the people of Madinah, were invited to refer them to God’s Book, i.e. the Torah, in some cases, or to God’s Messenger in others. They declined and preferred to refer them to the local traditions that prevailed in pre-Islamic Arabia. After consideration, we feel that the first view is more accurate, especially in light of their claims “that they believe in what has been bestowed from on high upon you, as well as in what was bestowed from on high before you.” (Verse 60) The Jews did not claim to have accepted Islam or to have believed in what was revealed to the Prophet. It was the hypocrites who made such claims in the early period of Islam, i.e. before their power was severely curtailed with the victories achieved against the Jews of Quraiżah and Khaybar. This subsequently led to the steady weakening of the hypocrites’ power in Madinah.

A basic fact needs to be asserted here. God has sent His Messengers in order that they should be obeyed, by His leave. They may not be disobeyed. Their role is not merely that of guides and preachers: “We have sent every messenger so that he should be obeyed by God’s leave. If when they have wronged themselves, they would but come to you and pray to God to forgive them, and the Messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would surely find that God is the One who accepts repentance, Merciful.” (Verse 64) This is a very important fact. God’s Messenger is not merely a day preacher who speaks fine words to which no one need pay any heed, as claimed by those who try to distort the role of faith and prophets.

Religion is a code for practical life, with all its systems, situations, values, morality, and worship. This requires that God’s message should enjoy proper enforcement authority, commanding obedience. In fact, God has sent His messengers so that they be obeyed, by His leave and within His law, so that the Divine way of life is properly implemented. Thus, obedience of God’s messenger is part of obeying God. He certainly has not sent a messenger so that he has only a moral effect on people and gets them to offer worship rituals. That would be an erroneous understanding of religion, which does not fit with the purpose of God sending His messengers. His purpose in so sending them is to establish a proper code in practical life. A world where a messenger has only to speak to people, urging them to mend their ways, and who then leaves them to throw his admonition behind their backs, is far from respectable.

This explains the true image of Islam in history: a message to be conveyed, a regime, an authority, and a system of government to implement the Islamic law and constitution after the Prophet has passed away. This ensures continuous obedience of the Prophet, generation after generation, and fulfils God’s purpose behind sending His messengers. There is no other set-up which may be given the name Islam, or which represents the Islamic faith. The essential characteristic of any true Islamic set- up, regardless of the actual form or system it adopts, is complete acceptance of the Divine way of life, referring all matters to God’s law, obeying God’s Messenger in all that he has conveyed to us of God’s message, and acknowledging that Godhead belongs completely to God alone. This makes all sovereignty, with its essential corollary of legislative authority, belong to God. An important result of this is not to refer to false gods in any matter, serious or trivial. Reference must always be to God and His Messenger in any situation that may come up as a result of life development.

The sūrah then opens up a way back for those who “wrong themselves” by deviating from God’s way. This is the same chance as offered to the hypocrites of Madinah at the time of the Prophet: “If when they have wronged themselves, they would but come to you and pray to God to forgive them, and the Messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would surely find that God is the One who accepts repentance, Merciful.” (Verse 64) When repentance is genuine, God will definitely accept it. He is always merciful to those who return to Him. It is He who describes Himself as such and promises those who turn to Him in repentance, seeking His forgiveness, that He will accept their repentance and turn to them in mercy. Those who were the first to he addressed by this statement had the chance of requesting the Prophet to pray for their forgiveness. This chance is no longer there, but God’s door remains open at all times, and His promise will always come true. No one need have any hesitation, once his repentance is sincere.

Next, the sūrah confirms that the code of living people are called upon to implement is easy to apply and that the law to judge in their disputes is compassionate, returning verdicts full of mercy. It does not impose on them anything that is too hard or requiring great sacrifices. God knows how weak man is, and He turns to him with mercy. He knows that if people have very tough duties, only a few will fulfil such duties. He does not wish to overburden them, or that they should fall into sin. Hence, He has not imposed on them what is too hard or what causes many of them to fall short of obeying Him. Thus, when people respond to God’s admonition and fulfil the easy tasks imposed on them, they receive great benefits both in the life of this world and in the life to come. God is certain to help them by facilitating their guidance, as He helps everyone who tries his best to follow His guidance: “Yet if We were to order them, Lay down your lives,’ or, ‘Forsake your homelands,’ only a very few of them would do it; but if they would do what they are admonished to do, it would indeed be for their own good and apt to strengthen them greatly [in faith]. And We should indeed grant them, out of Our grace, a mighty reward, and indeed guide them along a straight path.” (Verses 66-68)

This religion of Islam is easy for anyone with an uncorrupted nature to follow. It does not require any superior will-power, available only to a few. The Islamic message is not meant for such a minority; it is a faith for all mankind. People differ in their abilities to fulfil obligations. The religion of Islam ensures that they are all able to fulfil their obligations and refrain from what is forbidden.

Killing oneself and forsaking one’s homeland are two types of hardship to undergo. Were they made binding tasks, they would only be fulfilled by the smallest minority. They have not been imposed, because it is not an objective of Islam to impose such stringent obligations that are too difficult for most people to fulfil, or that most people turn away from. The objective is that all people should be able to fulfil them, so that all those with uncorrupted natures should e able to join the ranks of the faithful. In this way, the Muslim community will include people of different abilities and talents, which helps Islam to progress and refine itself.

Ibn Jurayj relates on the authority Abū Isĥāq al-Subay`ī: “When the verse stating ‘if We were to order them, “Lay down your lives”’ was revealed, one of us said, ‘Had we been ordered, we would have done it; but we praise God for having spared us.’ The Prophet was informed and he commented, ‘Some of my followers have firmer faith than great mountains .

Ibn Abī Ĥātim relates on the authority of `Abdullāh ibn al-Zubayr: “When the verse stating ‘if We were to order them, “Lay down your lives”’ was revealed, the Prophet said, ‘Had it been required, Ibn Umm `Abd would have been one of them.” Another report on the authority of Shurayĥ ibn Ubayd says: “When the Prophet recited the verse stating ‘if We were to order them, “Lay down your lives”’ he pointed to `Abdullāh ibn Rawāĥah and said, `Had God ordered this, that man would have been among the few who responded.’“ God’s Messenger’s knowledge of his followers was both intimate and profound.

At the end of this passage, the sūrah once again tries to arouse people’s feelings, raising before them the prospect of the most noble companionship in the life to come:

“All who obey God and the Messenger shall be among those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings: the prophets, and those who never deviate from the truth, and the martyrs and the righteous ones. How goodly a company are these! Such is God’s bounty, and sufficient it is that God knows all.” (Verses 69-70) It is a prospect to tempt every heart, even with the slightest degree of goodness and the faintest hope of attaining a good position in the life to come, with noble companions, enjoying God’s endless favours. To be in the company of such a group can only come about by God’s grace. No human being, devout as he or she may be, can ever hope to attain such a grade merely by their devotion. They attain it only through God’s abounding grace.

It is fitting here that we should reflect on how the Prophet’s Companions yearned for his company in the life to come as well. Some of them could not even contemplate parting with him, when he was still alive among them. When this verse was revealed, their hearts were filled with hope.

Al-Ţabarī relates on the authority of Sa`īd ibn Jubayr that a man from the Anşār looked depressed when he came to the Prophet. The Prophet asked him the cause of his sorrow. He said: “It is something that I have been thinking of.” When the Prophet asked him about it, the man said: “We come to see you in the morning and in the evening, look at you and sit with you. Tomorrow, you will be raised to be in the company of other prophets in Heaven, b and we cannot attain to you.” The Prophet gave him no reply. Then this verse was revealed, stating: “All who obey God and the Messenger shall be among those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings: the prophets...” The Prophet sent someone to the man to give him this happy news.

A different version of this report is given by Abū Bakr ibn Mardawaih on `Ā’ishah’s authority: “A man said to the Prophet, ‘Messenger of God, you are dearer to me than myself, my family and my children. I may be at home when I mention you, and I cannot wait to come and see you. When I remember my death and your death, I realise that when you are admitted to heaven, your position will be high among the rest of the prophets. Should I be admitted to heaven, I fear that I may not see you.” The Prophet did not answer him until this verse was revealed: “All who obey God and the Messenger shall be among those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings: the prophets, and those who never deviate from the truth, and the martyrs and the righteous ones. How goodly a company are these!” (Verse 69)

Rabī`ah ibn Ka`b al-Aslamī reports: “I used to stay some nights at the Prophet’s home. One night I brought him water for his ablution and purification. He said to me, ‘Tell me your request.’ I said, ‘Messenger of God, I seek to be your companion in heaven.’ He said, ‘Say something else.’ I said, ‘That is my request.’ He said, `Then help me to triumph over yourself by frequent prayer and prostration.” (Related by Muslim.)