Tafseer Ibn Kathir of ALI 'IMRAN [104]

104.Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma`ruf (all that Islam orders) and forbidding Al-Munkar (all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful. 105. And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment. 106. On the Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) when some faces will become white and some faces will become black; as for those whose faces will become black (to them will be said): ”Did you reject faith after accepting it Then taste the torment (in Hell) for rejecting faith.'' 107. And for those whose faces will become white, they will be in Allah's mercy (Paradise), therein they shall dwell forever. 108. These are the Ayat of Allah. We recite them to you in truth, and Allah wills no injustice to the `Alamin. 109. And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And all matters go back (for decision) to Allah.   Allah said,  

  (Let there arise out of you a group of people)   that calls to righteousness, enjoins all that is good and forbids evil in the manner Allah commanded,  

  (And it is they who are the successful.)   Ad-Dahhak said, ”They are a special group of the Companions and a special group of those after them, that is those who perform Jihad and the scholars.''   The objective of this Ayah is that there should be a segment of this Muslim Ummah fulfilling this task, even though it is also an obligation on every member of this Ummah, each according to his ability. Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,  

  (Whoever among you witnesses an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he is unable, then let him change it with his tongue. If he is unable, then let him change it with his heart, and this is the weakest faith.) In another narration, The Prophet said,  

  (There is no faith beyond that, not even the weight of a mustard seed.)   Imam Ahmad recorded that Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman said that the Prophet said,  

  (By He in Whose Hand is my soul! You will enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, or Allah shall send down a punishment from Him to you. Then, you will supplicate to Him, but He will not accept your supplication.)   At-Tirmidhi also collected this Hadith and said, ”Hasan''. There are many other Hadiths and Ayat on this subject, which will be explained later.     Allah said,  

  (And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them) ﴿3:105﴾.   In this Ayah, Allah forbids this Ummah from imitating the division and discord of the nations that came before them. These nations also abandoned enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil, although they had proof of its necessity.   Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu `Amir `Abdullah bin Luhay said, ”We performed Hajj with Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan. When we arrived at Makkah, he stood up after praying Zuhr and said, `The Messenger of Allah said,  

  (The People of the Two Scriptures divided into seventy-two sects. This Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all in the Fire except one, that is, the Jama`ah. Some of my Ummah will be guided by desire, like one who is infected by rabies; no vein or joint will be saved from these desires.)   ﴿Mu`awiyah said next:﴾ By Allah, O Arabs! If you do not adhere to what came to you from your Prophet then other people are even more prone not to adhere to it. '' Similar was recorded by Abu Dawud from Ahmad bin Hanbal and Muhammad bin Yahya.   Allah said next,

(On the Day when some faces will become white and some faces will become black;) ï´¿3:106ï´¾ on the Day of Resurrection. This is when the faces of followers of the Sunnah and the Jama`ah will radiate with whiteness, and the faces of followers of Bid`ah (innovation) and division will be darkened, as has been reported from Ibn `Abbas. Allah said,

(As for those whose faces will become black (to them will be said): ”Did you reject faith after accepting it”) Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, ”They are the hypocrites.''

(Then taste the torment (in Hell) for rejecting faith,) and this description befits every disbeliever.

(And for those whose faces will become white, they will be in Allah's mercy (Paradise), therein they shall dwell forever.) in Paradise, where they will reside for eternity and shall never desire to be removed. Abu `Isa At-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Ghalib said, ”Abu Umamah saw heads (of the Khawarij sect) hanging on the streets of Damascus. He commented, `The Dogs of the Fire and the worst dead people under the cover of the sky. The best dead men are those whom these have killed.' He then recited,

(On the Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) when some faces will become white and some faces will become black;) until the end of the Ayah. I said to Abu Umamah, `Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah' He said, `If I only heard it from the Messenger of Allah once, twice, thrice, four times, or seven times, I would not have narrated it to you.' '' At-Tirmidhi said, ”This Hadith is Hasan.'' Ibn Majah and Ahmad recorded similarly. Allah said,

(These are the Ayat of Allah. We recite them to you) meaning, `These are the verses of Allah, His proofs and signs that We reveal to you, O Muhammad,'

(in truth) making known the true reality of this world and the Hereafter.

(and Allah wills no injustice to the `Alamin. ) for He never treats them with injustice. Rather, He is the Just Ruler Who is able to do everything and has knowledge of everything. Therefore, He does not need to treat any of His creatures with injustice, and this is why He said next,

(and to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the Earth.), they are all His servants and His property,

(And all matters go back to Allah,) for His is the decision concerning the affairs of this life and the Hereafter, and His is the Supreme Authority in this life and the Hereafter.