Quran 3:156 — Surah Aal-i-Imraan Ayah 156 | Arabic, Translation & Tafsir

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا۟ مِنكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَ...

3:156

Aal-i-Imraan

وَلَئِن قُتِلْتُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّم...

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقَالُوا۟ لِإِخْوَٰنِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا۟ غُزًّۭى لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ عِندَنَا مَا مَاتُوا۟ وَمَا قُتِلُوا۟ لِيَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ حَسْرَةًۭ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌۭ

Yaaa ayyuhul lazeena aamanoo laa takoonoo kallazeena kafaroo wa qaaloo li ikhwaanihim izaa daraboo fil ardi aw kaanoo ghuzzal law kaanoo 'indanaa maa maatoo wa maa qutiloo liyaj'alal laahu zaalika hasratan fee quloobihim; qallaahu yuhyee wa yumeet; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Baseer

O you who have believed, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brothers when they traveled through the land or went out to fight, "If they had been with us, they would not have died or have been killed," so Allah makes that [misconception] a regret within their hearts. And it is Allah who gives life and causes death, and Allah is Seeing of what you do.

Related Tafsir

Ibn Kathir

Prohibiting the Ideas of the Disbeleivers about Death and Predestination

Allah forbids His believing servants from the disbelievers' false creed, seen in their statement about those who died in battle and during travel; "Had they abandoned these trips, they would not have met their demise." Allah said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَقَالُواْ لإِخْوَنِهِمْ

(O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve (hypocrites) and who say to their brethren), about their dead brethren,

إِذَا ضَرَبُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(when they travel through the earth) for the purpose of trading and otherwise,

أَوْ كَانُواْ غُزًّى

(or go out to fight), participating in battles,

لَّوْ كَانُواْ عِنْدَنَا

("If they had stayed with us,") in our area,

مَا مَاتُواْ وَمَا قُتِلُواْ

("they would not have died or been killed,") they would not have died while traveling or been killed in battle. Allah's statement,

لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ

(so that Allah may make it a cause of regret in their hearts. ) means, Allah creates this evil thought in their hearts so that their sadness and the grief they feel for their loss would increase. Allah refuted them by saying,

وَاللَّهُ يُحْيىِ وَيُمِيتُ

(It is Allah that gives life and causes death.) for the creation is under Allah's power, and the decision is His Alone. No one lives or dies except by Allah's leave, and no one's life is increased or decreased except by His decree.

وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

(And Allah is All-Seer of what you do,) for His knowledge and vision encompasses all His creation and none of their affairs ever escapes Him. Allah's statement,

وَلَئِنْ قُتِلْتُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ

(And if you are killed or die in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all that they amass.) 3:157, indicating that death and martyrdom in Allah's cause are a means of earning Allah's mercy, forgiveness and pleasure. This, indeed, is better than remaining in this life with its short lived delights. Furthermore, whoever dies or is killed will return to Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, and He will reward him if he has done good deeds, or will punish him for his evil deeds. Allah said,

وَلَئِنْ مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لإِلَى الله تُحْشَرُونَ

(And whether you die or are killed, verily, unto Allah you shall be gathered.) 3:158.

View Full Tafsir: Prohibiting the Ideas of the Disbeleivers about Death and PredestinationAyahs 156–158

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When your brethren were smitten at the battle of Uhud, Allah put their spirits in the crops of green birds which go down to the rivers of Paradise, eat its fruit and nestle in lamps of gold in the shade of the Throne. Then when they experienced the sweetness of their food, drink and rest, they asked: Who will tell our brethren about us that we are alive in Paradise provided with provision, in order that they might not be disinterested in jihad and recoil in war? Allah Most High said: I shall tell them about you; so Allah sent down; "And do not consider those who have been killed in Allah's path." till the end of the verse.

Sunan Ibn Majah #3680It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Woe to you! Do not turn back into disbelievers after I am gone, striking one another’s necks.”

Sunan an-Nasa'i #3165It was narrated from Kathir bin Murrah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"There is no soul on Earth that dies, and is in a good position before Allah, that would like to come back to you, even if it had all this world, except the one who is killed (in the cause of Allah); he wishes that he could come back and be killed again."

Sunan an-Nasa'i #3170It was narrated from Al-'Irbad bin Sariyah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"The martyrs and those who dies in their beds referred a dispute to our Lord concerning those who dies of the plague. The martyrs said: 'Our brothers were killed as we were killed.' And those who dies in their beds said: 'Our brothers dies on their beds as we died.' Our Lord said: 'Look at their wounds; if their wounds; if their wounds are like the wounds of those who were killed then they are of them and belong with them.' And their wounds were like their (the martyrs') wounds."

Sunan Ibn Majah #2537It was narrated from ‘Abdullah concerning the Verse:

“Think not of those as dead who are killed in the way of Allah. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision,” that he said: “We asked about that, and (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: ‘Their souls are like green birds that fly wherever they wish in Paradise, then they come back to lamps suspended from the Throne. While they were like that, your Lord looked at them and said, “Ask me for whatever you want.” They said: “O Lord, what should we ask You for when we can fly wherever we wish in Paradise?” When they saw that they would not be left alone until they had asked for something, they said: “We ask You to return our souls to our bodies in the world so that we may fight for Your sake (again).” When He saw that they would not ask for anything but that, they were left alone.’”