The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 129
PT. 4 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN CH. 3 وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللهِ And no soul can die except. 146 by Allah's leave- -a decree with كِتبًا مُؤَجَّلًا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا a fixed term. And whoever نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ desires the reward of the present world, We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the life to come, We will give him thereof; and We will surely reward the grateful. 45 429 نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّكِرِينَ وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ نَّبِيَّ قَتَلَ مَعَهُ رِبِيُّونَ And many a Prophet there. 147 has been beside whom fought كَثِيرٌ ۚ فَمَا وَهَنُوْا لِمَا أَصَابَهُمْ فِي numerous companies of their سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَمَا ضَعُفُوا وَ مَا اسْتَكَانُوا followers. They slackened not وَاللهُ يُحِبُّ الصُّبِرِينَ for aught that befell them in the way of Allah, nor did they weaken, nor did they humiliate a3:149; 4:135; 42:21. b4:105. new life into it, by proving that Jesus, whom Christians have deified, is dead, like all other Prophets that lived before Islam. 429. Commentary: The enemy rejoiced when the report went round that the Prophet had been slain, but that supposed death of the Prophet turned out to be the veritable "life" of Islam. It fulfilled a great purpose. It prepared Muslims for the actual passing of the Holy Prophet. If this event had not occurred, the death of the Holy Prophet would have proved an unbearable trial for Muslims. In fact, this painful experience brought in disguise many blessings for Islam. At the Battle of Uhud, it brought to light the unshakable faith of the believers; at the time of his death it served to save Islam from going to pieces; and now that Islam is to all appearances dead, it is serving as a means of breathing | time. 569 The preceding verse spoke of the possible death of the Holy Prophet. But that was mentioned only as a matter of principle. Otherwise, how could the Holy Prophet, whom God had promised to protect, die except by His leave? Whenever death comes, it comes with the permission of God; but that permission could not be yet given in the case of the Holy Prophet. There is a fixed time for it and the enmity or the secret machinations of disbelievers could not hasten that