Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AL MUJAADILAH [11]

11. O you who believe! When you are told to make room in the assemblies, make room. Allah will give you room. And when you are told to rise up, then rise up. Allah will exalt in degress those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do. Allah teaches His servants good manners and orders them to be kind to each other when they are sitting together,

(O you who believe! When you are told to make room in the assemblies,)

(make room. Allah will give you room.) Indeed, the reward or recompense depends on the type of action. In a Hadith, the Prophet said,

(Whoever builds a Masjid for Allah, Allah builds for him a house in Paradise.) In another Hadith, the Prophet said,

(He who relieves a difficulty for a person living in straitened circumstances, then Allah will relieve the difficulties of this life and the Hereafter for him. Surely, Allah helps the servant as long as the servant helps his brother.) There are many similar Hadiths. This is why Allah the Exalted said,

(make room. Allah will give you room.) Qatadah said, ”This Ayah was revealed about gatherings in places where Allah is being remembered. When someone would come to join in assemblies with the Messenger , they would hesitate to offer them space so that they would not loose their places. Allah the Exalted commanded them to spread out and make room for each other.'' Imam Ahmad and Imam Ash-Shafi`i recorded that `Abdullah bin `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(One of you should not remove someone from his place and sit in it, but instead, spread out and make room.) This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said,

(A man should not remove another man from his place and then sit in it. Rather spread out and make room and Allah will make room for you.) Imam Ahmad also recorded this Hadith with the wording:

(A man should not leave his place for another man, but rather spread out and make room, and Allah will make room for you).'' It has been reported that Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and others said that:

(When you are told to make room in the assemblies, make room. Allah will give you room.) means to war assemblies, and that,

(And when you are told to rise up, then rise up.) means, ”Get up to fight.'' Qatadah said

(And when you are told to rise up, then rise up.) means, ”When you are called to any type of good, then respond.'' Allah's statement,

(Allah will exalt in degrees those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.) means, do not think that if one of you makes room for his brother, or rises up when he is commanded to do so, that this will diminish his right or honor. Rather, this will increase his virtue and status with Allah, and Allah the Exalted will never make his good deed be lost. To the contrary, He will reward him for it in this life and the Hereafter. Surely, he who humbles himself by and before the command of his Lord, then Allah will elevate his status and make him known by his good behavior. the statement of Allah the Exalted,

m(Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well--Acquainted with what you do.) meaning, surely, Allah is Aware of those who deserve this reward and those who are not worthy of it. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu At-Tufayl `Amir bin Wathilah said that Nafi` bin `Abdul--Harith met `Umar bin Al-Khattab in the area of `Usfan. `Umar appointed Abu At-Tufayl to be the governor of Makkah. `Umar asked him, ”Whom did you appoint as your deputy for the valley people (that is, Makkah).'' `Amir said, ”I appointed Ibn Abza, one of our freed slaves, as my deputy.'' `Umar said, ”You made a freed slave their governor in your absence'' He said, ”O Leader of the faithful! He has memorized Allah's Book and has knowledge of regulations of inheritance, along with being a proficient judge.'' `Umar said, ”Surely, your Prophet has said,

(Verily, Allah elevates some people and degrades others, on account of this Book.)'' Muslim collected this Hadith.