يا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جاهِدِ الكُفّارَ وَالمُنافِقينَ وَاغلُظ عَلَيهِم ۚ وَمَأواهُم جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئسَ المَصيرُ
O Prophet! Wage jihad against the faithless and the hypocrites, and be severe with them. Their refuge shall be hell, and it is an evil destination.
EXEGESIS
Jāhid derives from jahada, which in turn comes from jahd or juhd, meaning struggling, often to one’s utmost capacity. This can be the struggle of the battlefield, or it can be a struggle against evil in general, whether internal (one’s own self), or external (other people or devils). It is reported from Imam Ali (a): ‘By God, [I exhort you to] struggle with your wealth and your selves and your tongues in the way of God.’
As the exegetes point out, the Prophet never fought the hypocrites in any battle. Therefore, the meaning of struggle is more appropriate for this verse, rather than battle.
For a discussion on the meaning of ughluẓ (be severe), see our explanation of ghilāẓ in verse 6.
EXPOSITION
The address changes in this verse once again, now from the believers back to the Prophet. This is the final such call or hail present in the surah. The surah has five of them in total. The first hail is to the Prophet, the second to the believers, the third to the faithless, the fourth to the believers, and the final one returns to the Prophet once again. This palindromic structure is an eloquent literary device and ties into one of the main subthemes of the surah, the two potentials of a human being. A human being has the potential to reach great heights through faith, but can fall to the lowest levels through evil and disbelief. The surah begins by hailing the Prophet who occupies the highest station of faith, then moves down to the believers, then falls to the faithless, then moves up again through the faithful, and up again to the Prophet. This falling and rising is a reminder to the wives of the Prophet and the believers in general; as his wives, if they are faithful, they may occupy a lofty position, but if they choose to rebel, they will fall down to the lowest levels with the faithless. However, hope for those whose hearts have certainly swerved (verse 4) is not lost, through sincere repentance they may climb up again to a lofty position.
The Prophet is commanded to Wage jihad against the faithless and the hypocrites. The context of the verses suggests this is not fighting in the battlefield, but the struggle of resisting their attempts to divert one from the correct path, the struggle of speaking the truth, and the struggle of distancing oneself from false notions and untruths.
The verse commands the Prophet to be severe with the faithless and the hypocrites. One may ask: why is the Prophet here ordered to be severe in his dealing with the hypocrites when elsewhere in the Quran God describes his blessed character by saying, It is by Allah’s mercy that you are gentle to them; and had you been harsh and hard-hearted, surely they would have scattered from around you (3:159)? The truth is that sometimes gentleness and leniency may lead unscrupulous characters to abuse the kindness given to them. That is why it is important to know when to apply softness and when to apply severity. Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah, and those who are with him are hard against the faithless and merciful amongst themselves (48:29). The one who has decided on the path of enmity and evil should not be given every opportunity to sow discord and trouble for others, but must be answered with strict measures, not half measures or appeasement.
The reader may have by now surmised how this ties in closely to the theme of the surah about family relations and the events that embroiled the household of the Prophet and led to the revelation of the surah. The verse is both advice and warning in that regard. It is reminding the Prophet that he has been ordered to be severe with the enemies of God, and is advising him that his reaction to the disobedience shown by his wives (of forbidding something to himself in order to please them) was a needless imposition upon himself, as their actions were not in line with the actions befitting the faithful, so he should not have shown them such leniency. This interpretation is aided by the fact that the address is to the Prophet, and it only includes the believers indirectly. It is a warning to the wives as well, to consider carefully to which group they wish to belong. This theme is immediately followed up by the examples set in the following verses.
It is also possible that the hypocrites in Medina and disbelieving tribes surrounding the city had made stories about this event to discredit the Prophet, especially considering the prolonged absence of the Prophet, as according to some reports he withdrew from his wives. Hence, the verse is meant to encourage the believers to disassociate themselves from such people who would spread these kinds of rumours.
Whilst the address is to the Prophet, as we mentioned, it also indirectly includes the believers, as certainly waging jihad is not his duty alone. This also ties into earlier themes. Here, the order is to be severe with the wrongdoers. The expression brings to mind immediately verse 6 in which we read about the severe and mighty angels guarding hell; just like the angels are tasked with opposing the unjust, the believers also must be unwavering in their struggle against it. Jihad and hell have a similar purpose: to minimise the damage done by evil and to remove and separate it from society.
The verse ends with the exhortation, Their refuge shall be hell, and it is an evil destination; this ties into earlier themes about the light of the believers (see the commentary on the previous verse and on verses 57:12-14), and verse 6. It is especially significant as mention is made of the hypocrites, as it acts as a reminder that even though the hypocrites or the faithless may be one’s friends or even family members, they should know that on the Day of Judgement there will be a separation, and the evil ones will be driven to hell; The day the hour sets in, they will be divided on that day: as for those who have faith and do righteous deeds, they shall be in a garden, rejoicing. But as for those who were faithless and denied Our signs and the encounter of the hereafter, they will be brought to the punishment (30:14-16). In effect, the order to be severe is reinforced with a reminder of this reality that the day to clearly separate from the evil ones will inevitably occur.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Many exegetes say that jihad against the faithless means fighting them in battle, whilst fighting the hypocrites means speaking out against evil. However, because of the context, what is more fitting is what was mentioned earlier.
According to what is reported, Hasan al-Baṣrī and Qatādah were of the opinion that most of those who violated Islamic law at the time of the Prophet were the hypocrites, and that is why he was ordered to be severe with them, meaning in applying the set legal punishments. Makārim Shīrāzī denies this though, pointing out that there is no evidence in the sources of this being based on historic fact.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
[1] Raghib, p. 208. [2] Nahj, letter 47. [3] Tabrisi, 10/478; Nemuneh, 24/299; Mizan, 19/336. [4] This is brought up again in the last three verses of the surah. [5] Tibyan, 10/52; Tabrisi, 10/478; Tabari, 28/109; Alusi, 14/356. [6] Tibyan, 10/52; Tabari, 28/109; Alusi, 14/356. [7] Nemuneh, 24/299-300. The argument of Hasan al-Baṣrī and others is perhaps also partially rooted in the traditional Sunni view, that the companions were all righteous. Razi in fact explicitly states this, saying that the companions of the Prophet were protected from committing major sins (kabāʾir) (Razi, 30/573). [8] Romans 11:22.