The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 240
PT. 5 CH. 4 AN-NISA' 85. Fight, therefore, in the cause of Allah thou art not made فَقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ ۚ لَا تُكَلِّفُ إِلَّا نَفْسَكَ وَحَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَسَى responsible except for thyself الله أنْ يَكُفَّ بَأسَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا and urge on the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the might might of those that disbelieve; and Allah is stronger in might and stronger in inflicting punishment. 553 وَالله أَشَدُّ بَأْسًا وَأَشَدُّ تَنْكِيْلًا مَنْ تَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَةً حَسَنَةً يَكُن لَّهُ نَصِيبٌ Whoso makes a righteous. 86 مِنْهَا وَمَنْ يَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَةً سَيِّئَةَ يَكُن لَّهُ intercession shall have a share thereof, and whoso makes an evil intercession, shall have a a8:66. army to the enemy and he would take immediate steps to strengthen his position at the threatened point. Under normal conditions too the injunction is very important, exercising direct influence on the discipline and well-being of society. The words, those in authority, refer to the Holy Prophet or his Successors or the chiefs appointed by both. 553. Commentary: The words, Fight therefore in the cause of Allah, do not mean that the command to fight is related to the Holy Prophet alone. If that had been the case, the second clause in the verse would have read as (illä nafsuka), i. e. none is made responsible except thyself, and not as (illā nafsaka), i. e. Thou art not made responsible except for thyself, as in the verse. What the verse means is that 680 every Muslim, not excluding the Prophet, was individually answerable to God. But the duty of the Holy Prophet was twofold: (1) to fight, and (2) to urge his followers to fight. He was, however, not answerable for them. He was only to communicate to them the divine behests, and if they disobeyed, they themselves were answerable for it. The commandment making jihad obligatory on Muslims had already been revealed (4:78). The clause, It may be that Allah will restrain the might of those that disbelieve, means that God will bring into existence such circumstances as will make war cease of itself, or that the enemy will fail to exert his power to the full and will finally collapse. Thus we see that at the Battle of the Ditch and at the Fall of Mecca providential circumstances helped the Muslims.