Lit. “Epistemology” means the study of knowledge — how we come to know what is true and how understanding is formed.
Reflections on the Closing Verses of Surah Āl ʿImrān (Verses 190–200): Tafseer As-Saʿdi
Verses 190–194
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ١٩٠
﴾ 3:190 ﴿ Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for people of understanding,
ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمًۭا وَقُعُودًۭا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَـٰذَا بَـٰطِلًۭا سُبْحَـٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ١٩١
﴾ 3:191 ﴿ Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and who reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying]: “Our Lord, You have not created all this without purpose. Glory be to You! So protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ ٱلنَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُۥ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍۢ ١٩٢
﴾ 3:192 ﴿ “Our Lord, surely whomever You cause to enter the Fire — You have indeed disgraced him; and for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.”
رَّبَّنَآ إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًۭا يُنَادِى لِلْإِيمَـٰنِ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَـَٔامَنَّا ۚ رَبَّنَا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّـَٔاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ ٱلْأَبْرَارِ ١٩٣
﴾ 3:193 ﴿ “Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, saying: ‘Believe in your Lord,’ so we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us our sins, remove from us our misdeeds, and cause us to die with the righteous.”
رَبَّنَا وَءَاتِنَا مَا وَعَدتَّنَا عَلَىٰ رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخْزِنَا يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ ١٩٤
﴾ 3:194 ﴿ “Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection; indeed, You do not fail in Your promise.”
Commentary:
Here Allah tells us that ﴾ Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for people of understanding ﴿. This encourages people to think deeply, examine these signs, and contemplate the creation. He left the word ﴾ signs ﴿ ambiguous and did not state explicitly what it points to, as an indication of the great number and ubiquitous nature of those signs. That is because in creation there are amazing signs that dazzle those who look upon them, convince those who ponder them, attract the hearts of those who are sincere, and strengthen the faith of people of understanding.
But the details of what these signs contain are impossible for any person to list or even comprehend some of them. In conclusion, what we see in them — the greatness, the vastness and order in the movement of heavenly bodies — points to the greatness of their Creator and His power, which encompasses all things. Their perfection, precision, and beauty point to the wisdom of Allah, His control over all things, and the vastness of His knowledge. The benefits they bring to people are indicative of the vastness of Allah’s mercy, the all-encompassing nature of His grace and kindness, and the necessity of being grateful to Him.
All of that indicates that the heart should only be attached to its Creator and Originator, and should do its utmost to seek His pleasure, and not associate with Him any of those who have not even an atom’s weight of power over themselves or others on earth or in heaven.
Allah has intended these signs only for people of understanding, namely the people of reason, because they are the ones who benefit from that and who contemplate the signs with reason, and do not merely look at them with their eyes.
Then Allah describes the people of understanding as being: ﴾ People who remember Allah ﴿ in all circumstances — ﴾ standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides ﴿. This includes all types of remembrance of Allah, both verbal and in the heart. That includes praying standing; if that is not possible, then sitting; and if that is not possible, then lying on one’s side.
﴾ And reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth ﴿ — that is, so that they may reach the conclusion intended (that there is a great Creator). This indicates that reflection is an act of worship, and is one of the characteristics of the close friends of Allah. When they reflect upon these things, they realize that Allah did not create them in vain, and they say:
﴾ Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. Glory be to You! ﴿ — and exalted be You above all that is not befitting to Your Majesty; rather You created it in truth, for truth, and including truth.
﴾ Save us from the punishment of the fire ﴿ — by protecting us from doing bad deeds and helping us to do righteous deeds, so that we might thereby attain salvation from the fire. This is an implicit prayer for Paradise, because if Allah protects them from the punishment of the fire, they will attain Paradise. But as this fear is entrenched in their hearts, they call upon Allah referring to that which most concerns them.
﴾ Our Lord, whomever You cause to enter the Fire, You have surely brought to disgrace ﴿ that is, because he has incurred the wrath of Allah and of His angels and close friends, and has become subject to inescapable shame.
Hence Allah says: ﴾ and the wrongdoers will have no helpers ﴿ — to save them from His punishment. This indicates that they will enter it because of their wrongdoing.
﴾ Our Lord! We have heard a caller calling [us] to faith ﴿, — namely Muhammad (ﷺ). What is meant is: he is calling the people to faith and encouraging them to believe in the major and minor matters of faith.
﴾ and we have believed ﴿ — that is, we hastened to respond to him.
This is an acknowledgement on their part of the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon them, and an expression of joy in that blessing, asking Him by virtue thereof to forgive their sins and expiate their bad deeds, because good deeds erase bad deeds. The One Who blessed them with faith will bless them with complete security on the Day of Resurrection.
﴾ and cause us to die in the company of the righteous ﴿. This supplication implies guidance to do good and to refrain from evil, by virtue of which one will become one of the righteous and will continue in that path and remain steadfast until death.
When they mentioned Allah’s guiding them to faith and beseeched Him to complete His favour, they asked Him to reward them for that, and to fulfil what He had promised them on the lips of His Messengers — of victory in this world and the attainment of Allah’s pleasure and Paradise in the Hereafter — for Allah (ﷻ) does not break His promise. Allah answered their prayer and accepted their request, hence He says:
Verse 195
فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّى لَآ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَـٰمِلٍۢ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ ۖ بَعْضُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍۢ ۖ فَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا۟ وَأُخْرِجُوا۟ مِن دِيَـٰرِهِمْ وَأُوذُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِى وَقَـٰتَلُوا۟ وَقُتِلُوا۟ لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ثَوَابًۭا مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسْنُ ٱلثَّوَابِ ١٩٥
﴾ 3:195 ﴿ So their Lord answered them: “Indeed, I do not allow the work of any worker among you, male or female, to be lost; you are one of another. So those who emigrated, were driven out from their homes, suffered harm in My cause, fought, and were killed — I will surely remove from them their misdeeds and admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow — a reward from Allah, and with Allah is the best of rewards.”
Commentary:
That is, Allah answered their supplication (duʿāʾ) and said: ﴾ I will not allow the work of any of you, male or female, to be lost ﴿ — each of you will receive the reward of his or her deeds in full.
﴾ You are both the same in that respect ﴿ — that is, all of you are equal in terms of reward and punishment.
﴾ Those who have left their homes, and been driven out therefrom, and suffered harm for My sake, and fought and been slain ﴿ — they combined faith and migration, leaving behind what one loves of homeland and property, seeking the pleasure of their Lord and striving in the cause of Allah.
﴾ Verily, I will expiate their bad deeds, and admit them into gardens through which rivers flow, a reward from Allah ﴿ — Who grants abundant reward to His servant for little effort.
﴾ With Allah is the best reward ﴿ — such a reward as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has never entered into the mind of man. Whoever desires that, let him ask Allah for it by virtue of his obedience, and strive to draw close to Him by whatever means he can.
Verses 196–198
لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ ١٩٦
﴾ 3:196 ﴿ Do not be deceived by the movement of those who disbelieve throughout the land.
مَتَـٰعٌۭ قَلِيلٌۭ ثُمَّ مَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ ١٩٧
﴾ 3:197 ﴿ It is but a brief enjoyment; then their abode is Hell — and what an evil resting place it is.
لَـٰكِنِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا نُزُلًۭا مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌۭ لِّلْأَبْرَارِ ١٩٨
﴾ 3:198 ﴿ But those who fear their Lord — for them are gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever — as hospitality from Allah; and what is with Allah is best for the righteous.
Commentary:
These verses offer consolation to the believers for the pleasure and enjoyment that the disbelievers experience in this world — their freedom of movement for trade, livelihood, leisure, and their possession of power and influence in various times and places.
All of that is ﴾ only a brief enjoyment ﴿ that will not last; rather, they will enjoy it for a short while, and then they will be punished for it for a long time. This is the best state that the disbeliever may ever attain — and you will soon see how it ends.
As for those who fear their Lord and believe in Him — in addition to attaining honor and joy in this world — they will have ﴾ gardens through which rivers flow, to abide therein forever ﴿.
If it so happens that in this world they encounter misery, hardship, suffering, or difficulties, such trials will be insignificant compared to eternal delight, good living, happiness, and everlasting joy in the Hereafter. These hardships will, in fact, be a gift in the form of purification and elevation.
Hence, Allah says: ﴾ that which is with Allah is best for the righteous ﴿. The righteous are those whose hearts, words and deeds are righteous. The Most Magnificent, Most Merciful will grant them an immense reward and eternal victory, by His grace.
Verses 199–200
وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَـٰشِعِينَ لِلَّهِ لَا يَشْتَرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًا ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ١٩٩
﴾ 3:199 ﴿ And indeed, among the People of the Scripture are those who believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah; they do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price. Those will have their reward with their Lord. Indeed, Allah is swift in account.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ٢٠٠
﴾ 3:200 ﴿ O you who have believed, be patient, and encourage each other to patience, and remain steadfast, and fear Allah so that you may be successful.
Commentary:
That is, some of the People of the Book are guided to goodness; they believe in Allah, and they believe in what has been sent down to you and what has been sent down to them. This is the faith that is beneficial — it is not like the faith of one who believes in some of the Messengers and Books and rejects others.
Hence — because their belief was comprehensive and sincere — it became beneficial for them, leading them to humble themselves before Allah and submit to His Majesty. This faith caused them to follow His commands, heed His prohibitions, and adhere to His limits.
These are the People of the Book and those of true knowledge, as Allah (ﷻ) says elsewhere:
﴾ …Among His slaves, only those who have knowledge truly fear Allah… ﴿ (Fāṭir 35:28)
A sign of their complete humility before Allah is that they ﴾ do not sell the revelations of Allah for a small price ﴿. Thus, they do not give precedence to worldly interests over religious interests, unlike the deviant people who conceal what Allah has revealed and sell it for a small price.
These people have come to know the truth of the matter and have realized that it is the greatest loss to be content with what is cheap and inferior, giving it precedence over religious commitment — or to focus on the base desires of the nafs (self) while overlooking the truth — for true success and victory, both in this world and the Hereafter, lie in holding firmly to the truth, which is the greatest gain and triumph.
Thus, they give precedence to the truth, explain it, call others to it, and warn against falsehood. Therefore, Allah rewards them for that. He has promised them a great reward and informed them that it is near, and that ﴾ He is swift in reckoning ﴿, so that they will not think that what Allah has promised them is slow in coming — for whatever is coming, and there is no doubt about it, is in fact near.
Then Allah urges the believers to do that which will bring them to prosperity — which is victory, happiness, and success. The way to attain that is to adhere to patience, which means disciplining oneself to do that which one finds difficult — such as refraining from sin, being steadfast in times of calamity, and adhering to commands that one may find burdensome.
So Allah commands them to be patient in all these cases. Standing firm means being patient and steadfast, and resisting the enemy in all circumstances.
Being on the alert means staying in the place where there is a fear that the enemy could reach, keeping a lookout for the enemy, and preventing them from achieving their goals — so that they (the believers) may prosper — attaining what they desire in both religious and worldly matters, as well as in the Hereafter — and be safe from that which they fear.
Thus, we learn that there is no way to attain prosperity except through steadfastness, standing firm, and being on the alert, as mentioned.
Those who prosper do so only by means of these qualities; and people miss out on prosperity only because they neglect one or more of them.
End quote.
May Allah ﷻ grant us a deeper understanding of His Book.
Aameen!
The Enduring Good Deeds 