We mentioned in many a places before the meaning of Allah's statement,
[سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا
فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ]
(Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah.
And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.) Therefore, we do not need to repeat its
meaning here. Allah's statement,
[يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ ]
(O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do) This refutes
those who neglect to fulfill their promises. This honorable Ayah supports the
view that several scholars of the Salaf held, that it is necessary to fulfill
the promise, regardless of whether the promise includes some type of wealth for
the person receiving the promise or otherwise. They also argue from the Sunnah,
with the Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs in which Allah's Messenger said,
«آيَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ
ثَلَاثٌ: إِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ، وَإِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ، وَإِذَا اؤْتُمِنَ
خَان»
(There are three signs for a hypocrite: when he promises, he breaks his
promise; when speaks, he lies; and when he is entrusted, he betrays.) And in
another Hadith in the Sahih,
«أَرْبَعٌ مَنْ كُنَّ
فِيهِ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا خَالِصًا،وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فِيهِ وَاحِدَةٌ مِنْهُنَّ كَانَتْ
فِيهِ خَصْلَةٌ مِنْ نِفَاقٍ حَتْى يَدَعَهَا»
(There are four characteristics which if one has all of them, he is the pure
hypocrite, and if anyone has any of them, he has a characteristic of hypocrisy,
until he abandons it.) So he mentioned breaking the promise among these four
characteristics. We mentioned the meaning of these two Hadiths in the beginning
of the explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, and to Allah is the praise and the
thanks. Therefore Allah implied this meaning, when He continued His admonishment
by saying,
[كَبُرَ مَقْتاً
عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ ]
(Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do.) Imam
Ahmad and Abu Dawud recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amir bin Rabi`ah said, "Allah's
Messenger came to us while I was a young boy, and I went out to play. My mother
said, `O `Abdullah! Come, I want to give you something.' Allah's Messenger said
to her,
«وَمَا أَرَدْتِ أَنْ
تُعْطِيَهُ؟»
(What did you want to give him) She said, `Dates.' He said,
«أَمَا إِنَّكِ لَوْ
لَمْ تَفْعَلِي كُتِبَتْ عَلَيْكِ كَذْبَة»
(If you had not given them to him, it would have been written as a lie in
your record.)'' Muqatil bin Hayyan said, "The faithful believers said, `If we
only knew the dearest good actions to Allah, we would perform them.' Thus, Allah
told them about the dearest actions to Him,saying,
[إِنَّ اللَّهَ
يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَـتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِهِ صَفّاً]
(Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows) Allah stated what
He likes, and they were tested on the day of Uhud. However, they retreated and
fled, leaving the Prophet behind. It was about their case that Allah revealed
this Ayah:
[يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ ]
(O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do) Allah says here,
`The dearest of you to Me, is he who fights in My cause.''' Some said that it
was revealed about the gravity of fighting in battle, when one says that he
fought and endured the battle, even though he did not do so. Qatadah and
Ad-Dahhak said that this Ayah was sent down to admonish some people who used to
say that they killed, fought, stabbed, and did such and such during battle, even
though they did not do any of it. Sa`id bin Jubayr said about Allah's statement,
[إِنَّ اللَّهَ
يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَـتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِهِ صَفّاً]
(Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows (ranks)) "Before
Allah's Messenger began the battle against the enemy, he liked to line up his
forces in rows; in this Surah, Allah teaches the believers to do the same.'' He
also said that Allah's statement,
[كَأَنَّهُم
بُنْيَـنٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ]
(as if they were a solid structure.) means, its parts are firmly connected to
each other; in rows for battle. Muqatil bin Hayyan said, "Firmly connected to
each other.'' Ibn `Abbas commented on the meaning of the Ayah,
[كَأَنَّهُم
بُنْيَـنٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ]
(as if they were a solid structure.) by saying, "They are like a firm
structure that does not move, because its parts are cemented to each other.''
[وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى
لِقَوْمِهِ يقَوْمِ لِمَ تُؤْذُونَنِى وَقَد تَّعْلَمُونَ أَنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
إِلَيْكُمْ فَلَمَّا زَاغُواْ أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى
الْقَوْمَ الْفَـسِقِينَ - وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ
إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ
التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّراً بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِى مِن بَعْدِى اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ
فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ قَالُواْ هَـذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ]
(5. And when Musa said to his people: "O my people! Why do you annoy me while
you know certainly that I am the Messenger of Allah to you So, when they turned
away (from the path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the right
path). And Allah guides not the people who are rebellious.) (6. And (remember)
when `Isa, son of Maryam, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of
Allah unto you, confirming the Tawrah [which came] before me, and giving glad
tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. "But when he
came to them with clear proofs, they said: "This is plain magic.'')