The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 257
PT. 2 AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ And say not of those who. 155 are killed in the cause of Allah that they are dead; nay, they are living; only you perceive not. 161 "3:170. use of all the necessary means created by God for the attainment of an object. This fact, however, does not minimize the importance of prayer, nor does it impose any limit on the omnipotence of God. If God so wills it, prayer can work wonders even where all earthly means fail. Islam does not teach utter and blind dependence on material means. Prayer indeed is the essence of Islam. Man is neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and if he does not seek divine guidance and assistance, he can neither see all good nor can he secure it for himself. As explained under Important Words, the word also signifies, enduring afflictions with fortitude and without complaint and murmur. In this sense the verse would mean that, the present being the time of war and bloodshed, Muslims should bear these hardships with perfect patience and fortitude and that if they did so, God would succour them in their trails. The concluding portion of the verse, i. e. Allah is with the steadfast, seems to confine itself to only, excluding the element of 8. But it is not so really, for in its wider sense includes prayer also. What is meant is that Allah is with those who are steadfast in their endeavours and are steadfast in their prayers. The principle 257 اَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاء وَ لكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ provides a wonderful key to success. 161. Important Words: حی (living) is the plural of 3 which, among other things, means: (1) one whose life work does not go in vain; (2) one whose death is avenged. A well-known pre-Islamic poet, Ḥārith ibn Hillizah, author of the seventh Mu'allaqah, says: i. e إن نبشتم مابين ملحة فالصاقب فيها الاموات والاحياء If you dig the graves between Milhah and Saqib, you will find some who are dead, and others who are living. In this couplet by the "living", the poet means such persons as were slain in battle but whose blood was avenged, and by the "dead" he means those whose blood was not avenged. Commentary: صبر The teaching about (steadfastness) naturally brings in the question of sacrifices that Muslims were making in the cause of Islam. Therefore the Quran suitably refers here to the subject of martyrdom. Death is not the end of life, and in this respect believers and unbelievers stand on the same footing and the martyrs too enjoy no distinction. Nor would it be wrong to speak of them as dead in the ordinary sense of the word. But the word (living) has been used here about martyrs in a special sense. As explained under Important