The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 259
PT. 2 AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 overtakes them, say, b‘Surely, to الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا Who, when a misfortune. 157 إِنَّا لِلهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رُجِعُوْنَ Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. '163 "22:36. b7:126; 26:51. be prepared not only to lay down their lives in the cause of Islam but also to suffer diverse forms of affliction which will be imposed on them as a trial. According to the Quran, God has generally two purposes in "proving" men. He "proves" or tries those who have attained to a high stage of spiritual advancement, as was the case with Abraham (2:125); and He also tries those who have not yet attained to that stage (29:3). His object in "proving" the former is to bring them to the notice of the people and make them shine as models of virtue and purity; while in the case of the latter, the purpose is to make them acquainted with their own weaknesses so that they may try to improve their condition. Though misfortunes and afflictions involve a certain amount of pain, they also afford a good opportunity for spiritual reformation and purification. Thus afflictions and calamities have their use. They serve to strengthen the faith. Those who remain steadfast under trials, despite afflictions, become entitled to a great reward from God. A trial also sometimes becomes a means of exposing the weakness of a person and of his downfall; for after all it is an examination which, though held with the object of promoting a student, sometimes results in his failure. See 7:177. The tests by means of which God 259 intended to "prove" the faithful are, as stated in this verse: (1) Fear, i. e. a state or condition in which fear will dominate them, the enemy surrounding them with diverse dangers. (2) Hunger, i. e. shortage of food; the enemy will not only cut off their means of communication but will also completely boycott them, leaving them stranded without food or provision. The word "hunger" may also signify a state of famine. (3) Loss of wealth and property. The enemy will raid Muslims repeatedly and inflict heavy losses on them. (4) Loss of lives, i. e. the cruel war inflicted on them by the enemy will also cause loss of life. (5) Loss of fruits. The action of the enemy will not be confined to inflicting loss of lives and property only but will extend to inflicting loss of crops as well. As (fruit) also means the fruit of one's labour or the profit accruing to a man from any source, loss of fruits also signifies disorganization of trade and industry. All these losses coming together constituted indeed a very heavy burden; but they were borne by the Muslims with such patience and fortitude as is unrivalled in all history. God tried them and found them truly patient. 163. Commentary: This verse provides a true definition