4.69
Abbas - Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs
(Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger) this verse was revealed about Thawban, the client of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) who said: "I am afraid not to meet you in the Hereafter, O Messenger of Allah!" This is because he loved him intensely and could not bear being away from him. Allah's Messenger saw the change in him and so Allah mentioned the honour bestowed on him, saying: whoever obeys Allah regarding the obligations and obeys the Prophet regarding the prophetic practices (they are) in Paradise (with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the Prophets) Muhammad (pbuh) and the other prophets, (and the saints) the best among the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) (and the martyrs) those who were martyred in the way of Allah (and the righteous) the righteous among the Community of Muhammad (pbuh). (The best of company are they) in Paradise!
Whosoever obeys God and the Messenger-they will be with those whom God has blessed: the prophets, the sincerely truthful, the witnesses, and the wholesome. What beautiful companions they!
Ibn ʿAbbās says that this verse came down concerning Thawbān, who had become wasted and weak in love for God's Messenger, his back bent and his face yellow. One day the Messenger said to him, "O Thawbān, what is it with you? Has your face turned yellow because you stay awake at night?"
He said, "O Messenger of God, this and that, as you know."
He said, "O Thawbān, are you placing a great deal of suffering on yourself through various sorts of discipline? You have become so weak and your back is bent over!"
Thawbān said, "Yes, O Messenger of God, it has been something of all that."
The Messenger said, "O Thawbān, is it that you are desiring?" Thawbān's eyes filled with tears when he heard talk of desire.
How long will you ask me, "Why are you suffering?" In truth, you know my state better than I.
"O Messenger of God, I do not know how the nights pass until day comes and I see you again." Wishing for you by day is the veil of my idleness,
aching for you by night is the chamber of my wakefulness.
Separation from you is the adornment of my sorrow, fervor for you is the capital of my awareness.
"O Messenger of God! The hardest sorrow is that in the next world you will be in the highest of the High Chambers, and I will be held back from seeing you."
While they were in the midst of this came Gabriel, the messenger of the Presence, the courier of mercy, bringing a verse: "Whosoever obeys God and the Messenger-they will be with those whom God has blessed," and so on to the end. God's Messenger recited it to him and made his heart happy, placing a balm on his woundedness. Yes, it wants a pain like this for there to appear a balm like that! Until you burn, you will not find a way out. Until you drown in Remember Me! in the ocean of remembrance, you will not reach the shore of security by the hand of I will remember you [2:152].
A man with nothing will never find an accomplished friendpain for Ishmael calls for the burn of Abraham.
Whoever obeys God and the Messenger in what he commands they are with those whom God has blessed of the prophets and the truthful that is the most excellent of the Prophet’s Companions because of the fullness of their truthfulness and their affirmation of the truth; and the martyrs those slain in the path of God; and the righteous all those other than the ones mentioned. What fine companions they are! in Paradise since in it one will enjoy seeing them visiting them and being in their presence even though they will be in the highest stations in relation to others.
Whoever obeys God, by wayfaring in the paths of the affirmation of the Oneness and the union, and the Messenger, by being mindful of the differentiations, they are with those whom God has blessed, with guidance, from among the prophets and the truthful, who have been truthful in ascribing attributes and acts to God by repudiating their attributes and assuming His attributes; were they to manifest themselves with the attributes of their own souls, they would have been untruthful, and the martyrs, that is, the folk of the presence, and the righteous, namely, those who are upright in religion.
Allah states that even if the people were commanded to commit what they were prohibited from doing, most of them would not submit to this command, for their wicked nature is such that they dispute orders. Allah has complete knowledge of what has not occured, and how it would be if and when it did occur. This is why Allah said,
(And if We had ordered them (saying), "Kill yourselves (i.e. the innnocent ones kill the guilty ones)) until the end of the Ayah. This is why Allah said,
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُواْ مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِ
(but if they had done what they were told,) meaning, if they do what they were commanded and refrain from what they were prohibited,
لَكَانَ خَيْراً لَّهُمْ
(it would have been better for them,) than disobeying the command and committing the prohibition,
وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتاً
(and would have strengthened their conviction), stronger Tasdiq (conviction of faith), according to As-Suddi.
وَإِذاً لاّتَيْنَـهُمْ مِّن لَّدُنَّـآ
(And indeed We should then have bestowed upon them from Ladunna) from Us,
أَجْراً عَظِيماً
(A great reward), Paradise,
وَلَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ صِرَطاً مُّسْتَقِيماً
(And indeed We should have guided them to the straight way.) in this life and the Hereafter.
Whoever Obeys Allah and His Messenger Will Be Honored by Allah
(And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqin, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!) Consequently, whosoever implements what Allah and His Messenger have commanded him and avoids what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, then Allah will grant him a dwelling in the Residence of Honor. There, Allah will place him in the company of the Prophets, and those who are lesser in grade, the true believers, then the martyrs and then the righteous, who are righteous inwardly and outwardly. Allah then praised this company,
وَحَسُنَ أُولَـئِكَ رَفِيقاً
(And how excellent these companions are!) Al-Bukhari recorded that `A'ishah said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah saying,
(Every Prophet who falls ill is given the choice between this life and the Hereafter.) During the illness that preceded his death, his voice became weak and I heard him saying,
(in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace, the Prophets, the true believers (Siddiqin), the martyrs and the righteous) I knew then that he was being given the choice.'' Muslim recorded this Hadith. This Hadith explains the meaning of another Hadith; the Prophet said before his death;
«اللَّهُمَّ (فِي) الرَّفِيقِ الْأَعْلَى»
(O Allah! In the Most High Company) three times, and he then died, may Allah's best blessings be upon him.
The Reason Behind Revealing this Honorable Ayah
Ibn Jarir recorded that Sa`id bin Jubayr said, "An Ansari man came to the Messenger of Allah while feeling sad. The Prophet said to him, `Why do I see you sad' He said, `O Allah's Prophet! I was contemplating about something.' The Prophet said, `What is it' The Ansari said, `We come to you day and night, looking at your face and sitting by you. Tomorrow, you will be raised with the Prophets, and we will not be able to see you.' The Prophet did not say anything, but later Jibril came down to him with this Ayah,
(And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace, of the Prophets), and the Prophet sent the good news to the Ansari man.'' This Hadith was narrated in Mursal form from Masruq, `Ikrimah, `Amir Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas. This is the version with the best chain of narrators. Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah recorded it with a different chain from `A'ishah, who said; "A man came to the Prophet and said to him, `O Messenger of Allah! You are more beloved to me than myself, my family and children. Sometimes, when I am at home, I remember you, and I cannot wait until I come and look at you. When I contemplate about my death and your death, I know that you will be with the Prophets when you enter Paradise. I fear that I might not see you when I enter Paradise.' The Prophet did not answer him until the Ayah,
(And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace, of the Prophets, the true believers, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!) was revealed to him.'' This was collected by Al-Hafiz Abu `Abdullah Al-Maqdisi in his book, Sifat Al-Jannah, he then commented, "I do not see problems with this chain.'' And Allah knows best. Muslim recorded that Rabi`ah bin Ka`b Al-Aslami said, "I used to sleep at the Prophet's house and bring him his water for ablution and his needs. He once said to me, `Ask me.' I said, `O Messenger of Allah! I ask that I be your companion in Paradise.' He said, `Anything except that' I said, `Only that.' He said,
«فَأَعِنِّي عَلى نَفْسِكَ بِكَثْرَةِ السُّجُود»
(Then help me (fulfill this wish) for you by performing many prostrations.)'' Imam Ahmad recorded that `Amr bin Murrah Al-Juhani said, "A man came to the Prophet and said, `O Allah's Messenger! I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, pray the five (daily prayers), give the Zakah due on my wealth and fast the month of Ramadan.' The Messenger of Allah said,
(Whoever dies in this state will be with the Prophets, the truthful and martyrs on the Day of Resurrection, as long as - and he raised his finger - he is not disobedient to his parents.)'' Only Ahmad recorded this Hadith. Greater news than this is in the authentic Hadith collected in the Sahih and Musnad compilations, in Mutawatir form, narrated by several Companions that the Messenger of Allah was asked about the person who loves a people, but his status is not close to theirs. The Messenger said,
«الْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أَحَب»
(One is with those whom he loves.) Anas commented, "Muslims were never happier than with this Hadith.'' In another narration, Anas said, "I love the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr and `Umar, and I hope that Allah will resurrect me with them, even though I did not perform actions similar to theirs.'' Allah said,
ذلِكَ الْفَضْلُ مِنَ اللَّهِ
(Such is the bounty from Allah) meaning, from Allah by His mercy, for it is He who made them suitable for this, not their good deeds.
وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ عَلِيماً
(and Allah is sufficient as All-Knower), He knows those who deserve guidance and success.
4.66-70
Maududi - Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an
In verse 65, they have been admonished to submit gracefully and sincerely to the way of life brought by the Holy Prophet and to subordinate their desires and interests to his decision. In this verse they have been warned that if they cannot sacrifice even their small interests in following the Islamic Law, they can never be expected to make any bigger sacrifice. if they were asked to sacrifice their lives or leave their homes in the way of God, they would then discard totally the way of Faith and obedience and follow the ways of disbelief and disobedience instead.
That is, "If they had given up doubt, hesitation and indecision and obeyed and followed the Messenger without any mental reservation, their position would have become firm and stable and their thoughts, their morals and their affairs would have secured a strong and permanent foundation. In short, they would have enjoyed all those blessings that are obtained by following steadfastly a straight royal road. On the contrary, the one who wavers in indecision and irresolution, and sometimes takes one road and then another, without faith in either, his whole life passes without any achievement and becomes an object lesson of failure."
That is, if they had resolved to obey the Holy Messenger sincerely without harboring any doubts in their minds, the right way of life would have become very clear to them by the grace of Allah, and they would have clearly seen as to how they should employ their energy and effort so as to get further and further close to their real goal in life.
Siddiq is one who is upright and just: who is always actuated by truth and righteousness; who is fair and equitable in all his dealings; who always sides with truth and justice from the core of his heart; who opposes tooth and nail all that is unfair, without showing the least weakness; who is so pure and so unselfish that both friends and foes expect nothing but impartiality from him. The literal meaning of shahid is "a witness".It implies the one who bears witness to the 'truth of his Faith by following it in all aspects of his life. A martyr also is a shahid because he willingly suffers death by fighting in the cause of Allah. By sacrificing his life for the cause he believes to be true, he gives a practical demonstration of the sincerity of his Faith. Those righteous people who are so trustworthy that their mere evidence for anything to be true is a sufficient proof of its genuineness are also shahid. Salih is one who is upright in his beliefs, intentions, words and actions and adopts the right attitude in every aspect of life.
That is, "Undoubtedly the person who enjoys the company of such people in this world and rises with them in the Hereafter is really very fortunate." Unless one's feelings are totally deadened, one is bound to feel that the company of evil and immoral people is a painful torment even in this world and it would be.
Whoever obeys God and the Messenger they are with those whom God has blessed of the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous. What fine companions they are! That is bounty from God. God suffices as Knower. He made obedience to the Chosen One al-MuṣṬafā ﷺ72 the key to attaining the stations of the prophets the truthful and the martyrs in a manner that is suitable for the community and appropriate for the high rank of [the Prophet] عليه السلام. That is bounty from God: He detached their situation from every cause merit and reason for surely what comes to them and what happens to them is the disbursement of His bounty and originates from His generosity.
(Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger…) [4:69]. Said al-Kalbi: "This verse was revealed about Thawban, the client of Allah’s Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace. Thawban loved the Prophet dearly such that he could not bear not seeing him for long periods. One day Thawban showed up with his complexion changed, he had lost weight and the signs of sadness were evident on his face. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to him: ‘O Thawban, what has made your complexion change?’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am not suffering from any harm or pain, except that when I do not see you, I miss you and feel intense longing for you which does not cease until I meet you. Then I remember the Afterlife and I fear that I will not see you there. I know that you will be raised high up with the Prophets whereas if I enter the Garden, I will be in a rank much lower than yours, and if I do not enter the Garden, it will be certain that I will never see you’. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse". Isma‘il ibn Abi Nasr informed us> Ibrahim al-Nasrabadhi> ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Ali al-Jawhari> ‘Abd Allah ibn Mahmud al-Sa‘di> Musa ibn Yahya> ‘Ubaydah> Mansur> Muslim ibn Subayh> Masruq who reported that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: "We should not part your company in this world, for if you were to leave us, you will be raised above us", and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed (Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous…). Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim informed us> Shu‘ayb> Makki> Abu’l-Azhar> Rawh> Sa‘id> Shu‘bah> Qatadah who said: "It was mentioned to us that some men said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: ‘O Prophet of Allah, we now see you in this world. But in the Afterlife you shall be raised above us because of your merit and we will not see you then', and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse". Abu Nu‘aym al-Hafiz informed, among that which he gave me authorisation to relate from him>Sulayman ibn Ahmad al-Lakhmi> Ahmad ibn ‘Amr al-Khallal> ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Imran al-‘Abidi> Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad> Mansur> Ibrahim> al-Aswad> ‘A’ishah who said: "A man came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than my own person, wife and children. Whenever I remember you when I am sitting in my house I do not rest until I come and look at you. And when I remember my eventual death and yours, I realise that when you enter the Garden you will be raised with the Prophets, while, even if I do enter it, I fear that I will not see you’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, did not answer him until Gabriel, peace be upon him, came down with this verse (Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous…)".
