وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
Maintain the prayer and give the zakat, and obey the Apostle so that you may receive [Allah’s] mercy.
EXPOSITION
This verse and the next act as a denouement for the promise of verse 55, emphasising what is required of the believers and explaining what that promise entails for the disbelievers.
Maintain the prayer and give the zakat: prayer and charity are specified because they are two pillars of faith and obedience.[1] Prayer strengthens the bond between man and God, whilst charity strengthens both the bond between man and God and the bonds between fellow humans.[2]
The address, which was explicitly in the third person in the previous verse (although the second person address is implied in the statement of you), now switches explicitly to the second person. This shift brings the attention to each individual believer who reads the verse. In effect, it is telling them what is expected of them while they are awaiting God’s promise to be fulfilled. As we mentioned in the previous verse, awaiting is an active state, not a passive one, and the promise of God is extended to those of you who have faith and do righteous deeds.
And obey the Apostle: significantly, there is no mention of obeying God, but rather only emphasis on obeying His Messenger. This is because to obey God is more readily acceptable than it is to obey another human being.[3] Albeit, as we discussed previously, this obedience is naturally an extension of the obedience owed to God, however it was and is difficult for some to accept that another human being should be obeyed, so it is further emphasised. The next surah will explore this theme more.
So that you may receive [Allah’s] mercy: the believers always hope for mercy.[4] The believer is never sure whether his actions are sufficient and accepted, whether he will be taken into account for his sins, or whether his sins or other misdeeds will cause the nullification of his good deeds; O you who have faith! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle, and do not render your works void (47:33). So he places his hope in the mercy of God in that perhaps God will accept from him and grant him entrance into paradise. At the same time, the promise of God is that He will be merciful to the righteous believers, and there is no doubt that His promise will be fulfilled provided they are and they remain righteous.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”[5]
- Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose.[6]
Note: This passage encourages believers to work toward their salvation with fear and trembling, recognising the importance of humility and dependence on God’s mercy.
[1] Mizan, 15/157.
[2] Nemuneh, 14/535-536: Munyah, 19/135.
[3] Alusi, 9/397.
[4] Baghawi, 3/427.
[5] John 14:23-24.
[6] Philippians 2:12-13.