In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

1- Whatsoever is in the heavens and on Earth [due to its inescapable adherence to general natural laws] glorifies God, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

2- O you who believe. Why do you say that which you do not do?

3- It is most hateful to God that you say that which you do not do.

4- Surely, God loves those who fight for His sake in solid ranks, as if they were one concrete structure (marsus).

5-And remember when Moses asked his people, “Why do you harm me when you know I am God’s messenger to you?” When they went astray (zagh), God caused their hearts to stray. God does not guide those who are rebellious.

6- And remember Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel, I am God’s messenger to you, confirming the truth of the Torah [revealed] before me and giving good news of a messenger to come after me.His name will be ‘Ahmad.’” Yet when he came to them with clear signs, they said, “This is obvious sorcery.”

7- And who is more unjust that the one who invents lies against God when invited to submit to Him? God does not guide those who are unjust.

8- They want to extinguish the light of God with their mouths, but God will perfect His light even though the disbelievers hate it.

9- It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to show that it is above all [other] religions, even though the idolaters hate it.

10- O you who believe. Shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful torment?

11- Believe in God and His Messenger and struggle in God’s cause with your possessions and your persons. That is better for you, if you only knew.

12- He will forgive your sins, admit you into Gardens graced with flowing streams, into pleasant dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity. That is the supreme triumph.

13- And He will give you something else that will really please you: Help from God and an imminent victory. So [O Prophet], give the faithful the good news.

14-O you who believe, be God’s helpers. As Jesus, son of Mary, asked the Apostles, “Who will be my helpers in the cause of God?” they replied, “We shall be God’s helpers.” A faction from the Children of Israel believed and a faction disbelieved. We supported (ayyadna) the believers against their enemy, and they were the ones who prevailed (asbahu zahirin).

This chapter, as well as chapters 57 (The Iron; al-Hadīd) and 59 (The Gathering;al-Hashr), all begin with the same phrase: “Whatsoever is in the heavens and on Earth [due to its inescapable adherence to general natural laws] glorifies God, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.” In other words, they open with issues pertaining to jihad and thus have titles related to military matters.Here the subject is iron, which is used in both war (e.g., swords, spears, and shields) and peace (e.g., industry, buildings, and many other things) due to its inherent strength.

The second chapter is about “gathering,” in the sense of mobilizing and preparing the men in a particular place for a defensivejihad.The third chapter defines an orderly row or rank (saff)of people that stands alongside each other in a military formation. In such a formation everyone is where he is supposed to be, and thus the overwhelming impression is one of order, harmony, continuity, and unity among the soldiers. This is referred to as a saff or rank, a solid wall purposely designed to deal with a hostile attack. The word saff or rank has been taken from the chapter’s third verse.

All three chapters start with this verse:

[61:1]Whatsoever is in the heavens and on Earth [due to its inescapable adherence to general natural laws] glorifies God, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

Glorification (tasbīh) is an orderly and purposeful action. Swimming toward a specific shore is referred to as sibāhah, derived from the same root as tasbīh. The Qur’anindicates this by informing the readerthat“...each [planet, as well as the Moon, the Sun, and all stars] is swimming/floating (sibāhah) in an orbit” (36:40).This situation resembles a large factory staffed by manyengineers, technicians, laborers, and others, all of whom are striving to realize the final goal: to produce the products that will earn the owner(s) as well the investors profits, and the employees a pay check.If even one person is absent, there is a strong likelihood that problems will arise, for each employee has a specific role to perform.This is tasbīh.

This is also true of the world, for each of its countlessparts is designed to fulfill a specific purpose.And so harming the eco-system by arbitrarily removing an insect,a worm, or any creature we may deem insignificant will cause a problem in the world’s order. Thus, everything is moving and acting to achieve the main goal based on divine wisdom: “…and He is the Mighty, the Wise.”“Might” means high and exalted.

In Farsi,azīz refers to someone who is dear and loveable; in Arabic it means one who is powerful and invincible. Power corrupts, and since most powerful people have been unreasonable and dictatorial, God’s might is characterized as being wise. God is not a superpower whovictimizes His subjects; rather, his actions are wise and based on reason. This chapter’s introductory verse shows that the world and all of its inhabitants are subservient to a single purpose, as willed by God, and humans have to align themselves with this order too.Can humankind do as they please, while the rest of creation is subservient to the system that He has created, with no digression from the ordained path? In the symphony of the universe, everyone’s instrument should be in tune with the others’ because all are playing from the same musical work. This is the meaning of tasbīh. Afterthis prologue, the chapter asks rhetorically:

[61:2] O you who believe. Why do you say that which you do not do?

“O you who believe”is repeated three times in this chapter to show that it is a serious admonitionto the faithful and despite its few words, the meaning is profound. We say many wordsand promise many things during the day, and yetdo the exact opposite, i.e., our words and deeds are not in harmony in all instances. However, the context here has to do with war and defense, and is not general in nature.

[61:3] It is most hateful to God that you say that which you do not do.

In the sight of God,such inconsistency isa very serious offense and is abominable.As this is a general admonition and God is far beyond all human emotions, this is nothing more than a metaphor to inform us thatGod is pleased when we align our existential structure with Hiswill, and that failing to do so displeases Him.

The rest of the verses reveal that the purpose of this prologue is self-defense, fighting, and jihad.The Qur’an says thatpeople claimto be believers, but when hardship falls on them, the truthful can be distinguished from those who made false claims. This is because claiming to be a believer, which involves no more than stating “I testify thatthere is no deity but God and that Muhammad is His Messenger,” is very easy. However, people can only “prove” that they are Muslims by unifying their words, actions, and faith.Otherwise, their claim of faith would be considered duplicitous, hypocritical, false, and a lie.

Now let us turn to this chapter’sspecific issue.

[61:4]Surely, God loves those who fight for Hissake in solid ranks, as if they were one concrete structure (marsūs).

These people fight in ranks (saff) as an army, as one body, and one organism,thereby displaying their unity, integration, and solidarity. It is as if they were all one person,cut from the same cloth, fromthe same root. Marsūs means coated or covered with lead. In the past, people poured molten lead into the mortar between the bricks of large government buildingsin order to strengthen them. The mortar used in rural buildings was usually mud; however, the people would use limestone if they wanted to strengthen them.Mud and limestone were eventually largely replaced by concrete; however, molten lead is even stronger than concrete.

The Americans built a high school [in Tehran] by the name of Alborz College. I studied there for several years and was always puzzled by the use of lead in the building’s mortar. Such a structure was no longer hundreds of thousands of individual bricks held together, but rather a solid unit, a uniform whole, abuilding that had complete solidity, connectivity, and adhesion. Muslims involved in a war must know that they are part of a whole, that they can neitherfleethe battlefield norseek to avoid the weapons hurled at themso that their friends will be killed.Being one soul in several bodies, they have become a single “structure” and as cohesive as a dam. God wants the battles fought for Him to be like this. Given that the battle mentioned in the Qur’an is defensive, true Muslims face the enemy determined to take care of each other without abandoning the scene when the attack is finally launched.

The next verse presents a historical example to inform people that some self-professedbelievers in the past were unwilling to defend their spouse, children, home, faith, and values – a reality that has existed throughout history.

[61:5]And remember when Moses asked his people, “Why do you harm me when you know I am God’s messenger to you?” When they went astray (zāgh), God caused their hearts to stray. God does not guide those who are rebellious.

Moses’ own people harassed and defamed him incessantly, evenaccusing him of having had sex with a prostitute or of wanting to murder his brother Aaron.The verse continues:“You know that I am God’s messenger, so why do you harass and attack me personally?”Zāgh means to deviate from the straight path, to commit waste and excess, tosuccumb to perversion. When these people deviated and began following the wrong path and committing injustice, God swerved their hearts from the truth,castingdarkness upon them. This is the Qur’an’s way of saying that their continued disobedience sealed their fate and brought about this consequence.Just as consuming unhealthy food leads to obesity and other health problems, our soul as well asour spirit are the same, i.e., acting unjustly toward others will naturally cause our hearts and soulsto gradually deviate from the straight path tobecome ever more impure.

“God does not guide those who are rebellious (fāsiq).” In Farsi, fisq is used only for sexual perversions, but in Arabic it refers to defying and disobeying theShariʿah.Itslexical meaning is toteara protective skin or sheath. For example, tearing the skin of a fruit enables microbes to enter and corrupt it. In the same vein,byignoringthe boundaries and limits that God has established between right and wrong, we are tearing our own protective sheath and bringing about our own corruption. In other words,our own rebelliousness causes us to be misguided.

Another example comesfrom Jesus.

[61:6] And remember Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel, I am God’s messenger to you, confirming the truth of the Torah [revealed] before me and giving good news of a messenger to come after me.His name will be ‘Ahmad.’” Yet when he came to them with clear signs, they said, “This is obvious sorcery.”

Jesus, an Israelite, was sent to the same people that Moses had come to guide in order to complete the latter’s mission. As such, his message was meant exclusively for the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. (“Isrā’īl” is Jacob’s epithet).Joseph,one of Jacob’s twelve sons, rose to power in Egypt,savinghis parents, brothers, and sisters who migrated to Egypt during a time of famine to Egypt. Although they were one family at first, the passage of several generations caused their numbers to grow until they became known as“the people of Isrā’īl”(Banī Isrā’īl), with their roots and lineage traced back to Jacob, who bred and raised great prophets.

“Confirming the truth of the Torah [revealed] before me.”Here Jesus is saying that he was not sent to tell his people to disregard the Torah or to tell them new things or to establish a new school or religion, but only to confirm and strengthen the existing Torah.

“And giving good news of a messenger to come after me.His name will be ‘Ahmad.’” Clearly, on the one hand, Jesus confirms what came before him and on the other hand, he gives the good news of someone who will succeed him.This statement has given rise to a long-standing theological dispute. Scholars and experts have proven that the Torah and Bible we have today differ from the ones brought by Moses and Jesus, respectively. During Jesus’ lifetime there was no print industry and most people were illiterate. Thus the four synoptic gospels [i.e., the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John] are the narrations and recollectionsof Jesus’ disciples about his teachings, admonitions, travels, and so on. For example, they would say that when Jesus was in the mountains, he admonished us as such. Peter said one thing, John said another, and Luke said something else. During the early centuries of Christianity, over300 such books existed. Due to the ensuing conflicts and disagreements, eventually only four of these books were officially accepted; the rest were rejected. Unlike Muhammad, who presented his community with the complete Qur’an before his death, Jesus was unable to do this for the New Testament. The same held true for his disciples. As such, one cannot vouch for their authenticity as many things were either added or omitted, including the tidings about the Prophet. And yet John 14:16 and two other verses declare his words: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”

The word “Comforter” is used in the current translation; however, Muslims maintain that the original word used in Aramaic expressly mentions“Ahmad,”one who is the worthiest of all and has the greatest amount ofmerit. John 15:26 says: “But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify about me.”John 16:7 says: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you.But if I depart, I will send him to you.” So we have these allusions. In any case, what is important here is the reference to a future Comforter.

Some peoplemaintain that the Prophet was called both Ahmadand Muhammad. However, in my opinion the word itself is not the issue. Parents name their children according to their ownsubjective inclinations and preferences. Some people eventually change their names.

But when God names someone, no preference or subjectivity is involved. For instance, when God gives Zechariahthe glad tidings of his son’s birth, “He says ‘O Zechariah, We give you good news of a son whose name isYahyā’” (John the Baptist) and that“We have not given this as a name to any before him” (19:7).Does this mean that this name is totally new, or has God chosen it for another purpose? Yahyā comes from hayāt (life), and so we can assume that this person will give life and vitalityto his community in the sense of providing them with spiritual foundations.

The same is true of the names God gives to Jesus and Mary: “I have named her Mary” (3:36). Suchnames are not “terms,” but are adjectives and intrinsic characteristics of the person who bearsit.What does the Qur’an mean whenit relates that God said:“He taught Adam the names, all of them” (2:31) or that“this a rock, this is a tree, this is the Sun?”Does it denote that person’s or item’s nature, or isit just another name? When He says “someone called Ahmad will come,” He means that this person’s nature, character, and personality is Ahmad, a comparative or a superlative that means praiseworthy, meritorious, worthy, and higher (or highest). On the same pattern asakbar, kabīr meaning big or great andakbar greater or bigger (or greatest).

The Bible states that God is giving the good news of someone whose personality and character is the best, that the best of all people will come. Some Muslims went off on a tangent and claimed that he was also called Ahmad. God has said of the Prophet: “Surely you are of a mighty and exalted character” (68:4).God, who is not prone to excess and hyperbole, praised the Prophet’s morals and character as being great. The Prophet is a Messenger of mercy:“It is a mercy from God that you were gentle with them” (3:159).Thus, a person of exceptional character is meant. It says that when [Muhammad] brought them some truths, they declared that he had made them up.

The Qur’an provides examples of how both Moses and Jesus were disobeyed and harassed by their followers: “Yet when he came to them with clear signs, they said, ‘This is obvious sorcery.’”

[61:7] And who is more unjust that the one who invents lies against God when invited to submit to Him? God does not guide those who areunjust.

The rest of the verses concern exaggerations of personality and character. Many Christians assert that Jesus is the Son of God and that you will be saved if you trulylove him in your heart. They have also invented the Trinity. TheQur’an considers such statements unjust and untruthful, for God, as the Creator, is far above all such imagined associations. It is truly unjust to associate such things with God while calling people to Him. God does not guide those who spread falsehoods and man-made philosophies, for such people are unjust.

[61:8] They want to extinguish the light of God with their mouths, but God will perfect His light even though the disbelievers hate it.

This is an easily understood metaphor: How could humanity extinguish the Sun’s light just by blowing on it? There are millions of suns in the galaxies. They think they can extinguish spirituality or the pure light of divine truth, despite His promise to perfect it.The word “unbelievers”(kāfirūn) denotesno particular people, forkufr means to conceal the truth and what is just. Those who do not want to understand the truth of the Qur’an and Islam mock, defame, and revile God, the Qur’an, the Prophet and the infallible Imams in their useless attempt to“blow out” the light of truth. All such efforts are doomed to fail.

[61:9]It is He who sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to show that it is above all [other] religions, even though the idolaters hate it.

Does this mean that God sent Islam and the Prophet’s Shari‘ah to fight, defeat, and then destroy Jews and Christians? Of course not. The Qur’an is replete with verses that counter such a view and callsupon Muslims to live in peace with them. Furthermore, the Qur’an has expressly stated that it confirms the [original] Torah and the Bible sixteen times.

The word “religions” (plural) does not exist in the Qur’an, for it only speaks of “one religion”:“The same religion He has established for you.” The tree, namely, “islam,” in the sense of being the original religion of submission to God instead of the historical Islam brought to humanity by Muhammad, has branches (i.e., specific religions) that were given to Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all other prophets sent by God.The Islam brought by Muhammad is its final branch. There is only one religion, and thus all people should submit to it, for only it contains the actual truth and is perfectly just, instead of persisting in selfishness, bigotry and groupprejudice. Submission to the truth takes different forms. All we have to do is read what the Qur’an says about Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to see the truth of this statement. So when God says,“I have sent this Shariʿah to manifest it above all religions,” it does not mean the other branches of the same tree, but rather the weeds and poisonous plantsthat need to be rooted out and destroyed so that humanity as a whole can establish God’s religion, strengthen the concept of submission to Him alone, and overcome bigotry and selfishness.

[61:10] O you who believe. Shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful torment?

This is the third intra-group admonition. The word “trade”appears many times in the Qur’anbecause the Makkans were traders and businesspeople. As their dry land had little if any vegetation, industry, agriculture, or breeding livestock, the main profession was trade. Thusits terminology was well known: loss (darar), interest (ribh), fraudsters (mutaffifīn), and so on.However, the Qur’animbued these words with deeper meanings. Everyone sought trade and profit, so the Qur’an askedif they would like to be guided to a trade that would save them, that would never cause them an affliction or loss. What is that trade?

[61:11] Believe in God and His Messenger and struggle inGod’s cause with your possessions and your persons. That is better for you, if only you knew.

“And struggle in God’s cause,”means in the path of that which is right, which, in turn, means defending your life and position, those among you who are like-minded, and the Muslim communities with your property and lives

Jihad does not just mean fighting and war butalso means to strive, try, endure difficulties as well asshortcomings; to spend of your property and risk your life if necessary. You may be afraid of getting killed, but if you do nothing far morepeople will die. When a society is organized and uniform, and therefore capable of defending itself, someof its members will be called upon to die in order to save their society.

Imagine if our body had no white blood cells, we would be wide open to infection because those cells “save” our body by “dying.” The body will replace them, just associety will “replace” its dead members. The Qur’an says that those who have knowledge understand that it is in their own self-interest to undertake jihad.

[61:12] He will forgive your sins, admit you into Gardens graced with flowing streams, into pleasant dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity. That is the supreme triumph.

In return, your sins will be forgiven. Dhunūb means the marks and consequences of wrongs that have been committed. The wrongs that we doare not obliterated, for their results and consequences will continue to follow us wherever we go, just like a magnetic field. Only jihad will neutralize these consequences.Of course, this is phrased in a way that anyone, regardless of time and place, can understand.

[61:13]And He will give you something else that will really please you: Help from God and an imminent victory. So, [O Prophet], give the faithful the good news.

Because people may think these are empty promises, the Qur’an says that you will love it for you are actively seeking it, namely, “Help from God and an imminent victory.”The Prophet is told to convey the goodnews to the believers even though theymay not only disbelieve in paradisebut even doubt the existence of an afterlife. They may say: “What afterlife?!Who has ever come back from the other side?” But, they will assuredly see the effects of that for which they hope –victory in war– if they believe in God and His Messenger and strive in His cause.

[61:14]O you who believe, be God’s helpers. As Jesus, son of Mary, asked the Apostles, “Who will be my helpers in the cause of God?” they replied, “We shall be God’s helpers.” A faction from the Children of Israel believed and a faction disbelieved. We supported (ayyadnā) the believers against their enemy, and they were the ones who prevailed(asbahū zāhirīn).

The last verse, which has a positive and encouraging tone, discusses how the Christians and Jews used to harass the Muslims:“Who will be my helpers in the cause of God?” Of course, God does not need our help and support. What is actually meant hereis that if you help and support each other, you will save your society and, therefore, yourselves. There is a very interesting point here to note. Those who said that they would help Jesus did not say “We are your supporters,” but that“We are God’s supporters.” This very precise and calculated response shows how faithful they were to monotheism. In the end, some people supported him and others did not. As a result, a conflict arose.

“We supported(ayyadnā) the believers.”Yad means power, support, and strength, which helpedthe believers against their enemies to endure this difficult night of torture and execution.Asbaha means both to pass the night and to “become” and conclude. How did they manage to survive this difficult period, which spanned several centuries, and then finallysee the dawn of victory?Zāhirīn means victorious. Jesus arose when Caesar ruled and Rome was a superpower. At that time, his followers would be thrown to the lions and fed to savage beasts. At one point, the Prophet asked his own followers if they knew that the followers of previous prophets had been placed between two trees and then cut in half or decapitated.Sūrat-ul-Burūjmentionshow they would be tossed into pits and burned: “By the sky with its burūj, by the promised Day, and by the witness and what is witnessed. Perish the makers (and leaders) of the pit” (85:1-4).Their only “sin” was believing in God, believing that He was Mighty,Praiseworthy, and Sovereign. Refusing to submit to anyone but God,they were judged “guilty” of not believing in the RomanCaesar.

The Qur’an says that those who torture and kill the believers will be punished in the afterlife. Sūrat-ul-Burūjrelates how some of the early Christians were caughtand killed. It says that God helped them and that His help was not only given for one or two days. In the end, the Roman Empire, thatsuperpower andpowerful system that gloried in itsgladiators and soldiers, was annihilated. Both its eastern (Byzantium) and western (the Rome of the popes) halves were cast into the dustbin of history, and the followers of Jesus were ultimately victorious, for they control large parts of the world, both politically and spiritually ever since. This story has also been told in SūrahĀl-e-‘Imrān, when Jesus, thinkingthat his peoplewouldnot believe in him, became frustrated and impatient and asked: “‘Who will be my helpers in the cause of God?’” (3:52).

Contemporary Christians will say that Jesusnever fought. A Christian cleric once even claimed atan interfaith conference that: “Your Prophet fought in numerous wars, but Jesus neverdid. A prophet should not wield a sword!” I replied: “If Jesusnever fought and a Christianshould never fight, how is it that Christians have fought so many wars throughout history? Theyinitiated the two world wars and continue to build so many airplanes, tanks, artillery, and other military equipment. Christians build ninety-five percent of the world’s armaments. If we are not to fight, why do they cause so many wars?”

In truth, Jesus also fought. He did not have the opportunity to establish a society and political system. And, because he died at a young age, his mission did not take the form of a widespread jihad.But it clearly did so in the following centuries.Our Prophet successfully moved his Makkan followers to Madinah, where he established a city-state, government, and a distinct wayof life. Because the Muslims’ enemies attacked them, they were forced to defend themselves.

Jesus continuously moved from one village to another, living incognito like a revolutionary guerilla.The Apostles and his followers naturally adopted his example. In the end, someone reported that Jesus and a number of his followers had gathered in a house. Roman soldiers, aided by several rabbis, surrounded the house and arrested those inside. In fact, Jesus led an underground movement, and when things got serious, according to what is said in this chapter and inSūrahĀl-e-Imrān, he asked who would be willing to defend him. Actually, the Bible mentions that Jesussaid that whoever has a shirt should sell it and buy a sword (Luke 22:36). Is this not an implicit indication that he was orderingdefensive military preparations,as stated in 3:52-57?

[3:52] When Jesus sensed disbelief in them, he asked, “Who will be my helpers in the cause of God?”
[3:53] “Our Lord, we believe in what You have revealed and we follow the Messenger. So, record us among those who bear witness [to the Truth].”
[3:54] And yet they plotted.And God also plotted, for He the best plotter.
[3:55] God said, “Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to Me. I will purify you of the disbelievers and place your followers above those who disbelieved [in you]until the Day of Resurrection. Then you will all return to Me, and I will judge between you in [those] matters on which you used to disagree.
[3:56] As for those who disbelieved, I shall punish them severely in this world and the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.
[3:57] As for those who believe and do good works, He will pay them their reward in full. God does not love the wrongdoers.”
 

Translator: Hooman Movasagh
Editor: Hamid Mavani