The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 659
PT. 9 AL-ANFĀL CH. 8 وَاتَّقُوْا فِتْنَةً لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا And beware of an affliction. 26 مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللهَ شَدِيدُ those among you exclusively الْعِقَابِ which will surely not smite who have done wrong. And know that Allah is severe in requiting 1114 وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ اَنْتُمْ قَلِيْلٌ مُّسْتَضْعَفُونَ And remember the time. 27 when you were few and deemed فِي الْأَرْضِ تَخَافُونَ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ weak in the land, and were in النَّاسُ فَاوِيكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُمْ بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِّنَ الطَّيْتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ and strengthened you with His تَشْكُرُونَ fear lest people should snatch you away, but He sheltered you help, and provided you with good things that you might be thankful. 1115 "11:114. b7:87. expression is figurative and means that it is God alone Who can make the dictates of the "I" have the desired effect on the heart. The verse also hints that one should always hasten to hear and obey a good call; for if one delays doing so, the law of God, meant for those who hesitate to accept the truth and keep back from it, is likely to come in, and make the heart rusty, with the result that it becomes all the disinclined to accept the truth. 1114. Important Words: as (affliction). See 2:192. Commentary: more The verse embodies a great and important truth. It is not enough that you should become good yourselves. If you are surrounded by wicked and 1099 ungodly persons, you cannot escape the contagion and its consequences. Thus, even a good man may sometimes be overtaken by Divine punishment, if he is living among wicked people and does not shun their society. Hence, we should not only try to lead righteous lives ourselves, but should also endeavour to make others do the same. We should not only reform ourselves but try to reform the society in which we move and the people among whom we live. We cannot long enjoy safety if the houses surrounding ours are on fire. 1115. Commentary: Muslims are here told that as God saved them when they were weak in the land and were surrounded by wicked and mischievous people, so they should strive to save those who