وَأَنّا لَمّا سَمِعنَا الهُدىٰ آمَنّا بِهِ ۖ فَمَن يُؤمِن بِرَبِّهِ فَلا يَخافُ بَخسًا وَلا رَهَقًا
When we heard the [message of] guidance, we believed in it; for whoever has faith in his Lord shall neither fear any detraction nor adversity.
EXEGESIS
Samiʿnā is a perfect tense verb that comes from the root samʿ meaning to hear. In Arabic, the noun samʿ implies the mere activity of hearing which may and may not be accompanied with thorough attention to that which is being heard.
Hudā is a noun that has the same meaning as the word hidāyah, which denotes guidance and showing the path. The word hidāyah has however not appeared in the Quran; instead, the Quran consistently refers to the concept and reality of guidance by the term hudā. In the verse under discussion, the term hudā refers to the Quran on account of what it contains of the elements of guidance.
Āmannā is a perfect tense verb that comes from the root amn that denotes peace of mind, tranquillity, and to be free from fear and anxiety. In the verse under discussion, āmannā signifies that the jinn rested in peace and tranquillity as they attested to the truth of the Quran and submitted to it.
Bi-rabbihi: rabb is a noun that signifies the lordship of God.
Yakhāfu is an imperfect tense verb that lexically originates from the root khawf, meaning fear. However, a deeper probe into the meaning of the word in Arabic reveals that it actually signifies the anticipation of mishap as a result of confirmed or unconfirmed evidence. It can thus be said that the term khawf denotes a mental state of apprehension and worry about an unpleasant event that one may anticipate to occur in the future. This is whilst ḥuzn is the state of grief arising on account of an unpleasant event that has happened in the past. The opposite of the word khawf is rajāʾ, which implies looking forward to something pleasant.
Bakhs is a noun that denotes decrease or diminution. Rāghib qualifies the meaning of the term with ‘injustice’, and suggests that the term means ‘to unjustly decrease of something’ as implied in 11:15. Muṣṭafawī however holds that the term lexically signifies to detract from the right of something, while such concepts as injustice or disfiguring a thing are all among the corollaries of the word bakhs. In any case, the term lexically denotes a deliberate detraction from, and underestimation of, the right or value of a person or a thing.
The different derivatives of the word bakhs have occurred several times in the Quran. A close look at these instances shows that the term involves the concept of ‘detracting from the right or value of something unjustly’, as it has been deployed to imply both qualitative and quantitative underestimation of something. In light of this verse, the term bakhs has been explained by the exegetes as denoting fear of losing either the righteous deeds that one may have performed or the reward of them. It however appears that bakhs in this verse signifies loss of anything that can be categorised as good. As such, this fragment of the verse would mean: a believer shall not fear loss of good neither in terms of the reward of the righteous deeds that he has performed, nor in terms of the good that God may have decreed for him.
Rahaq is a noun that derives from the root verb rahaqa meaning to cover something and to encircle it from all sides. The term implies to forcibly put somebody in a situation that is unpleasant for him.
In the context of the verse under discussion, the term rahaq has been interpreted as oppression (ẓulm), humiliation, and a sinful act that one may be unjustly accounted for. However, the word rahaq seems to have occurred in this verse to mean to be surrounded by adversities, as suggested by Tabatabai. As a result, this part of the verse would mean: a believer need not have fear of being afflicted with calamities; for whatever reaches him of adversities would either be the consequence of his own actions, or would be part of the divine universal plan that is based on justice.
EXPOSITION
In this verse the believers from the jinn once again recount the story of their submission to God, as well as the advantage of belief in God.
It is obvious from the verse that in the course of inviting their community towards Islam, this group of jinn stressed on their acceptance of the divine message upon their encounter with it: When we heard the [message of] guidance, we believed in it. This was probably to emphasise that they were not inviting their fellow members towards something of which they themselves were not convinced.
The sentence for whoever has faith in his Lord shall neither fear any detraction nor adversity illustrates the positive implications of faith in God and the fact that it removes fear of detraction and adversity from a believer as a result of his conviction in divine justice. Belief in God brings peace and tranquillity to the soul by eliminating fear of loss and ordeals from it. This has been guaranteed by God to whoever adheres to the divine path in life: those who follow My guidance shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve (2:38). The believers are in the state of fearlessness, not only in the afterlife but in this world as well: Look! The friends of Allah will indeed have no fear nor will they grieve. Those who have faith and are God-wary. For them is good news in the life of this world and in the hereafter. There is no altering in the words of Allah. That is the great success (10:62-64).
As many exegetes seem to view the second part of this verse to be merely a description of the positive effect of faith by the jinn, Tabatabai sees the particle fāʾ in the fragment fa-man as inferential (tafrīʿ) that links the second sentence in the verse to the first one, based on a causal relationship, the latter being the cause of the former. Accordingly, he considers the sentence for whoever has faith in his Lord shall neither fear any detraction nor adversity as a clause of reason that justifies the lack of reluctance on the part of the jinn to accept the divine message. In other words, what prompted this group of jinn to believe in the Quran and Prophet Muhammad (s) was the implication of faith, that it averts worries and anxieties from a believer. As a result of belief in the divine lordship and justice, one is naturally bound to realise that it is through God’s will and power alone that good or harm can reach him. Subsequently, he would not fear or rely on anyone other than his Lord: Those to whom the people said: ‘All the people have gathered against you; so fear them.’ That only increased them in faith, and they said: ‘Allah is sufficient for us, and He is an excellent trustee’ (3:173). Based on this, Tabatabai maintains that the meaning of the verse under discussion would be as follows: When we heard the Quran – that is guidance – we hastened to believe in it without reluctance. This is because whoever believes in it has indeed professed belief in his Lord; and he who believes in his Lord is neither afraid of losing that which is good nor of being afflicted with unpleasant occurrences that may make him reluctant to accept the truth.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Zamakhsharī offers a slightly different interpretation of the fragment shall neither fear any detraction nor adversity. According to him, the sentence means: he who believes in God will not have fear of divine retribution because of detraction or oppression; this is because a believer does not violate the right of anyone, nor does he oppress anyone. As such, the verse subtly alludes that it behoves one who believes in God not to encroach upon the rights of other people.
[1] For further explanation on this term, see istamaʿa under the Exegesis of verse 1.
[2] Lisan, under s-m-ʿ.
[3] For a detailed discussion on the meaning of the term hidāyah, see yahdī under the Exegesis of verse 2.
[4] Raghib, under h-d-y.
[5] Mizan, 20/45.
[6] Fayyumi, under amina; Tahqiq and Raghib, under ʿ-m-n.
[7] For a detailed treatment of the words āmannā and yuʾminu in this verse, see āmannā under the Exegesis of verse 2.
[8] For a detailed discussion on the meaning of the term rabb, see rabbinā under the Exegesis of verse 2.
[9] Hans Wehr, under khāfa.
[10] Raghib, under kh-w-f.
[11] Bahrayn, under kh-w-f.
[12] Raghib, under kh-w-f.
[13] Lisan, under b-kh-s.
[14] Raghib, under b-kh-s.
[15] Tahqiq, under b-kh-s.
[16] Qamus, under bakhs.
[17] Tabari, 29/71; Shawkani, 5/367.
[18] Tabrisi, 10/559; Alusi, 15/99.
[19] Mizan, 20/45.
[20] For more information about this word, see rahaq under the Exegesis of verse 6.
[21] Lisan, under r-h-q.
[22] Raghib and Tahqiq, under r-h-q.
[23] Tibyan, 10/152; Ithna Ashari, 13/346; Kashif, 7/439; Fadlallah, 23/158; Nemuneh, 25/117; Tabrisi, 10/559.
[24] Safi, 5/236; Alusi, 15/99.
[25] Tabari, 29/71.
[26] Mizan, 20/45.
[27] Nemuneh, 25/117.
[28] Nemuneh, 25/117.
[29] Kashif, 7/439.
[30] Nemuneh, 25/117. See also Ithna Ashari, 13/346; Tabari, 29/71; Alusi, 15/99; Shawkani, 5/368; Tabrisi 10/559; Tibyan, 10/152.
[31] Mizan, 20/45.
[32] Mizan, 20/45.
[33] Zamakhshari, 4/628.