When Muslims suffered defeat in battle at Uhud and some of them were killed, Shaytan
shouted, "Muhammad has been killed.'' Ibn Qami'ah went back to the idolators and
claimed, "I have killed Muhammad.'' Some Muslims believed this rumor and thought
that the Messenger of Allah had been killed, claiming that this could happen, for
Allah narrated that this occurred to many Prophets before. Therefore, the Muslims'
resolve was weakened and they did not actively participate in battle. This is why
Allah sent down to His Messenger His statement,
﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ
خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ﴾
(Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed Messengers have passed away before
him.) he is to deliver Allah's Message and may be killed in the process, just as
what happened to many Prophets before. Ibn Abi Najih said that his father said that
a man from the Muhajirin passed by an Ansari man who was bleeding (during Uhud)
and said to him, "O fellow! Did you know that Muhammad was killed'' The Ansari man
said, "Even if Muhammad was killed, he has indeed conveyed the Message. Therefore,
defend your religion.'' The Ayah,
﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ
خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ﴾
(Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed
away before him), was revealed. This story was collected by Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Bayhaqi
in Dala'il An-Nubuwwah.
Allah said next, while chastising those who became weak,
﴿أَفإِيْن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ
عَلَى أَعْقَـبِكُمْ﴾
(If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels), become disbelievers,
﴿وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ
فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئاً وَسَيَجْزِى اللَّهُ الشَّـكِرِينَ﴾
(And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and
Allah will give reward to those who are grateful), those who obeyed Allah, defended
His religion and followed His Messenger whether he was alive or dead. The Sahih,
Musnad and Sunan collections gathered various chains of narration stating that Abu
Bakr recited this Ayah when the Messenger of Allah died. Al-Bukhari recorded that
`A'ishah said that Abu Bakr came riding his horse from his dwelling in As-Sunh.
He dismounted, entered the Masjid and did not speak to anyone until he came to her
﴿in her room﴾ and went directly to the Prophet, who was covered with a marked blanket.
Abu Bakr uncovered his face, knelt down and kissed him, then started weeping and
proclaimed, "My father and my mother be sacrificed for you! Allah will not combine
two deaths on you. You have died the death, which was written for you.''
Ibn `Abbas narrated that Abu Bakr then came out, while `Umar was addressing the
people, and Abu Bakr told him to sit down but `Umar refused, and the people attended
to Abu Bakr and left `Umar. Abu Bakr said, "To proceed; whoever among you worshipped
Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and
will never die. Allah said,
﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ
خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفإِيْن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِكُمْ
وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئاً وَسَيَجْزِى اللَّهُ
الشَّـكِرِينَ ﴾
(Muhammad is no more than a Messenger and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away
before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels And he
who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will
reward the grateful.)''
The narrator added, "By Allah, it was as if the people never knew that Allah had
revealed this verse before until Abu Bakr recited it, and then whoever heard it,
started reciting it.'' Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said that `Umar said, "By Allah! When
I heard Abu Bakr recite this Ayah, my feet could not hold me, and I fell to the
ground.''
Allah said,
﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ
إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ الله كِتَـباً مُّؤَجَّلاً﴾
(And no person can ever die except by Allah's leave and at an appointed term.) ﴿3:145﴾
meaning, no one dies except by Allah's decision, after he has finished the term
that Allah has destined for him. This is why Allah said,
﴿كِتَـباً مُّؤَجَّلاً﴾
(at an appointed term) which is similar to His statements,
﴿وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلاَ
يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ فِى كِتَـبٍ﴾
(And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life,
but it is in a Book) ﴿35:11﴾, and,
﴿هُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن طِينٍ
ثُمَّ قَضَى أَجَلاً وَأَجَلٌ مُّسمًّى عِندَهُ﴾
(He it is Who has created you from clay, and then has decreed a (stated) term (for
you to die). And there is with Him another determined term (for you to be resurrected))
﴿6:2﴾.
This Ayah ﴿3:145﴾ encourages cowards to participate in battle; for doing so, or
avoiding battle neither decreases, nor increases the life term. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated
that, Habib bin Suhban said that a Muslim man, Hujr bin `Adi, said in a battle,
"What prevents you from crossing this river (the Euphrates) to the enemy
﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ
إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ الله كِتَـباً مُّؤَجَّلاً﴾
(And no person can ever die except by Allah's leave and at an appointed term)''
He then crossed the river riding his horse, and when he did, the Muslims followed
him. When the enemy saw them, they started shouting, "Diwan (Persian; crazy),''
and they ran away.
Allah said next,
﴿وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا
نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الاٌّخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا﴾
(And whoever desires a reward in the world, We shall give him of it; and whoever
desires a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give him thereof).
Therefore, the Ayah proclaims, whoever works for the sake of this life, will only
earn what Allah decides he will earn. However, he will not have a share in the Hereafter.
Whoever works for the sake of the Hereafter, Allah will give him a share in the
Hereafter, along with what He decides for him in this life. In similar statements,
Allah said,
﴿مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الاٌّخِرَةِ
نَزِدْ لَهُ فِى حَرْثِهِ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا
وَمَا لَهُ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ ﴾
(Whosoever desires (by his deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give him increase
in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this world (by his deeds), We
give him thereof (what is decreed for him), and he has no portion in the Hereafter.)
﴿42:20﴾, and,
﴿مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَـجِلَةَ
عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَآءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ
يَصْلَـهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا - وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الاٌّخِرَةَ وَسَعَى لَهَا سَعْيَهَا
وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَـئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا ﴾
(Whoever desires the quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily
grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for
him Hell; he will burn therein disgraced and despised. And whoever desires the Hereafter
and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it while he is a believer,
then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated) ﴿17:18-19﴾.
In this Ayah ﴿3:145﴾, Allah said,
﴿وَسَنَجْزِى الشَّـكِرِينَ﴾
(And We shall reward the grateful. ) meaning, We shall award them with Our favor
and mercy in this life and the Hereafter, according to the degree of their appreciation
﴿of Allah﴾ and their good deeds.
Allah then comforts the believers because of what they suffered in Uhud,
﴿وَكَأَيِّن مِّن نَّبِىٍّ قَاتَلَ
مَعَهُ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ﴾
(And many a Prophet fought and along with him many Ribbiyyun.)
It was said that this Ayah means that many Prophets and their companions were killed
in earlier times, as is the view chosen by Ibn Jarir. It was also said that the
Ayah means that many Prophets witnessed their companions' death before their eyes.
However, Ibn Ishaq mentioned another explanation in his Sirah, saying that this
Ayah means, "Many a Prophet was killed, and he had many companions whose resolve
did not weaken after their Prophet died, and they did not become feeble in the face
of the enemy. What they suffered in Jihad in Allah's cause and for the sake of their
religion did not make them lose heart. This is patience,
﴿وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّـبِرِينَ﴾
(and Allah loves the patient.)'' As-Suhayli agreed with this explanation and defended
it vigorously. This view is supported by Allah saying;
﴿مَعَهُ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ﴾
(And along with him many Ribbiyyun).
In his book about the battles, Al-Amawi mentioned only this explanation for the
Ayah. Sufyan Ath-Thawri reported that, Ibn Mas`ud said that,
﴿رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ﴾
(many Ribbiyyun) means, thousands. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah,
Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ar-Rabi` and `Ata' Al-Khurasani said that the word
Ribbiyyun means, `large bands'. `Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ma`mmar said that Al-Hasan
said that,
﴿رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ﴾
(many Ribbiyyun) means, many scholars. He also said that it means patient and pious
scholars.
﴿فَمَا وَهَنُواْ لِمَآ أَصَابَهُمْ
فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَمَا ضَعُفُواْ وَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ﴾
(But they never lost heart for that which befell them in Allah's way, nor did they
weaken nor degrade themselves.)
Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said that,
﴿وَمَا ضَعُفُواْ﴾
(nor did they weaken), means, after their Prophet was killed.
﴿وَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ﴾
(nor degrade themselves), by reverting from the true guidance and religion. Rather,
they fought on the path that Allah's Prophet fought on until they met Allah. Ibn
`Abbas said that,
﴿وَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ﴾
(nor degrade themselves) means, nor became humiliated, while As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd
said that it means, they did not give in to the enemy.
﴿وَكَأَيِّن مِّن نَّبِىٍّ قَاتَلَ
مَعَهُ رِبِّيُّونَ كَثِيرٌ فَمَا وَهَنُواْ لِمَآ أَصَابَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
وَمَا ضَعُفُواْ وَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّـبِرِينَ - وَمَا كَانَ
قَوْلَهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ ربَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِى
أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ ﴾
(And Allah loves the patient. And they said nothing but: "Our Lord! Forgive us our
sins and our transgressions, establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over
the disbelieving folk.'') ﴿3:146-147﴾, and this was the statement that they kept
repeating. Therefore,
﴿فَـْاتَـهُمُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا﴾
(So Allah gave them the reward of this world) victory, triumph and the good end,
﴿وَحُسْنَ ثَوَابِ الاٌّخِرَةِ﴾
(and the excellent reward of the Hereafter) added to the gains in this life,
﴿وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ﴾
(And Allah loves the good-doers).
﴿يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ إِن تُطِيعُواْ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُواْ
خَـسِرِينَ - بَلِ اللَّهُ مَوْلَـكُمْ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ النَّـصِرِينَ
- سَنُلْقِى فِى قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الرُّعْبَ بِمَآ أَشْرَكُواْ
بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَـناً وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى
الظَّـلِمِينَ - وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ
بِإِذْنِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَـزَعْتُمْ فِى الاٌّمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِّن
بَعْدِ مَآ أَرَاكُمْ مَّا تُحِبُّونَ مِنكُم مَّن يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنكُم مَّن
يُرِيدُ الاٌّخِرَةَ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ
وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلاَ
تَلْوُونَ عَلَى أحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ فِى أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَـبَكُمْ غَمّاً
بِغَمٍّ لِّكَيْلاَ تَحْزَنُواْ عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلاَ مَآ أَصَـبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ
خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴾
(149. O you who believe! If you obey those who disbelieve, they will send you back
on your heels, and you will turn back as losers.) (150. Nay, Allah is your protector,
and He is the best of helpers.) (151. We shall cast terror into the hearts of those
who disbelieve, because they joined others in worship with Allah, for which He sent
no authority; their abode will be the Fire and how evil is the abode of the wrongdoers.)
(152. And Allah did indeed fulfill His promise to you when you were killing them
(your enemy) with His permission; until Fashiltum and fell to disputing about the
order, and disobeyed after He showed you what you love. Among you are some that
desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then He made you flee from
them, that He might test you. But surely, He forgave you, and Allah is Most Gracious
to the believers.) (153. (And remember) when you ran away without even casting a
side glance at anyone, and the Messenger was in your rear calling you back. There
did Allah give you one distress after another by way of requital, to teach you not
to grieve for that which had escaped you, nor for what struck you. And Allah is
Well-Aware of all that you do.)