Earlier we mentioned a Hadith that An-Nasa'i collected from Ibn `Abbas that
this Ayah is about the People of the Scriptures who believe in Islam, and that
they will earn double their reward if they do so. There is an Ayah in Surat
Al-Qasas to support this meaning. Also, there is a Hadith from Ash-Sha`bi from
Abu Burdah from his father from Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari that the Messenger of Allah
said,
«ثَلَاثَةٌ
يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ آمَنَ
بِنَبِيِّهِ وَآمَنَ بِي فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ، وَعَبْدٌ مَمْلُوكٌ أَدَّى حَقَّ اللهِ
وَحَقَّ مَوَالِيهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ، وَرَجُلٌ أَدَّبَ أَمَتَهُ فَأَحْسَنَ
تَأْدِيبَهَا، ثُمَّ أَعْتَقَهَا وَتَزَوَّجَهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرَان»
(Three will get their reward twice. A believer from the People of the
Scriptures who has been a true believer in his Prophet and then believes in me,
will get a double reward. A slave who fulfills Allah's rights and obligations as
well as the duties of his master, will get a double reward. A person who has a
slave-girl and he educates her properly and teaches her good manners properly
(without violence) and then manumits and marries her, will get a double reward.)
This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs. Ad-Dahhak, `Utbah bin Abi Hakim and
others agreed with Ibn `Abbas in this, and Ibn Jarir preferred it. Allah the
Exalted said in another Ayah,
[يِـأَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إَن تَتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا
وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ
الْعَظِيمِ ]
(O you who believe! If you have Taqwa of Allah, He will grant you a
criterion, and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you; and Allah is
Owner of the great bounty.)(8:29) Sa`id bin `Abdul-`Aziz said, `Umar bin
Al-Khattab asked a Jewish rabbi, `What is the maximum a reward would be
increased for you' He replied, `A Kifl (portion) which is about three hundred
and fifty good merits.' So `Umar said, `Praise be to Allah who gave us two
Kifls.' Then Sa`id mentioned Allah's saying:
[يُؤْتِكُمْ
كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِ]
(He will give you a double portion of His mercy,) Sa`id said, "And the two
Kifls on Friday are similar to that.'' This was recorded by Ibn Jarir. This view
has support from the Hadith that Imam Ahmad recorded from `Abdullah bin `Umar
that the Messenger of Allah said,
«مَثَلُكُمْ وَمَثَلُ
الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَعْمَلَ عُمَّالًا فَقَالَ: مَنْ
يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ
قِيرَاطٍ؟ أَلَا فَعَمِلَتِ الْيَهُودُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ
صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ إِلَى صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ؟ أَلَا
فَعَمِلَتِ النَّصَارَى، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ
إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ عَلَى قِيرَاطَيْنِ قِيرَاطَيْنِ؟ أَلَا فَأَنْتُمُ
الَّذِينَ عَمِلْتُمْ، فَغَضِبَ النَّصَارَى وَالْيَهُودُ وَقَالُوا: نَحْنُ
أَكْثَرُ عَمَلًا وَأَقَلُّ عَطَاءً، قَالَ: هَلْ ظَلَمْتُكُمْ مِنْ أَجْرِكُمْ
شَيْئًا؟ قَالُوا: لَا، قَالَ: فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ فَضْلِي أُوتِيهِ مَنْ
أَشَاء»
(The parable of you and the Jews and Christians is that of a person who
employed some laborers and asked them, "Who will work for me from the Dawn
prayer until midday for one Qirat (a special weight of gold) each'' So, the Jews
worked. The person asked, "Who will do the work for me from the Zuhr prayer to
the time of the `Asr prayer for one Qirat each'' So, the Christians worked. Then
the person asked, "Who will do the work for me from `Asr prayer until sunset for
two Qirat each'' You are those who did this work. The Jews and the Christians
got angry and said, "We did more work, but got less wages.'' Allah said, "Have I
been unjust to you with your reward'' They said, "No.'' So, Allah said, "Then it
is My grace which I bestow on whomever I will.'') Al-Bukhari collected this
Hadith. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Musa said that the Prophet said,
«مَثَلُ
الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَعْمَلَ قَوْمًا
يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ عَمَلًا يَوْمًا إِلَى اللَّيْلِ عَلَى أَجْرٍ مَعْلُومٍ،
فَعَمِلُوا إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ فَقَالُوا: لَا حَاجَةَ لَنَا فِي أَجْرِكَ
الَّذِي شَرَطْتَ لَنَا، وَمَا عَمِلْنَا بَاطِلٌ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: لَا تَفْعَلُوا،
أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ عَمَلِكُمْ، وَخُذُوا أَجْرَكُمْ كَامِلًا، فَأَبَوا
وَتَرَكُوا وَاسْتَأْجَرَ آخَرِينَ بَعْدَهُمْ فَقَالَ: أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ
يَوْمِكُمْ وَلَكُمُ الَّذِي شَرَطْتُ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ، فَعَمِلُوا حَتْى
إِذَا كَانَ حِينَ صَلَّوُا الْعَصْرَ قَالُوا: مَا عَمِلْنَا بَاطِلٌ، وَلَكَ
الْأَجْرُ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَ لَنَا فِيهِ. فَقَالَ: أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ
عَمَلِكُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا بَقِيَ مِنَ النَّهَارِ شَيْءٌ يَسِيرٌ، فَأَبَوا.
فَاسْتَأْجَرَ قَوْمًا أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا لَهُ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمْ فَعَمِلُوا لَهُ
بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمْ حَتْى غَابَتِ الشَّمْسُ، فَاسْتَكْمَلُوا أُجْرَةَ
الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كِلَيْهِمَا، فَذلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ وَمَثَلُ مَا قَبِلُوا مِنْ هذَا
النُّور»
(The parable of the Muslims, Jews and Christians is that of a man who
employed laborers to work for him from morning until night for a known wage. So,
they worked until midday and said, `We are not in need of the wages that you
promised and our work was in vain.' So, the man said, `Do not quit now, complete
the rest of the work and yours will be the full wage I have fixed for it.'
However, they refused and quit, and he had to hire another batch of workers. He
said (to the second batch), `Complete the work for the rest of the day and I
will give you the same wage I promised the first batch.' So, they worked until
the time of the `Asr prayer and said, `Whatever we have done is in vain and we
forfeit the wages you promised us.' He said to them, `Complete your day's work,
for only a small part of the day remains.' However, they refused, and he
employed another batch to work for the rest of the day, and they worked until
sunset and received the wages of the two former batches. This is an example of
them (i.e., the Jews and Christians) and of those who accepted this light (i.e.,
Islam).) Al-Bukhari was alone in recording it. Allah the Exalted said;
[لِّئَلاَّ يَعْلَمَ
أَهْلُ الْكِتَـبِ أَلاَّ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مِّن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ]
(So that the People of the Scriptures may know that they have no power
whatsoever over the grace of Allah,) meaning, so that they become sure that they
cannot prevent what Allah gives, or give what Allah prevents,
[وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ
بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ]
(and that (His) grace is (entirely) in His Hand to bestow it on whomsoever He
wills. And Allah is the Owner of great bounty.) This is the end of the Tafsir of
Surat Al-Hadid, all praise is due to Allah, and all favors come from Him.
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