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A Noble Sacrifice: Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:207) By Mohammad Sobhanie

Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:207)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

A Noble Sacrifice

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ ﴿٢٠٧

Translation:

2:207 And there is the type of man who gives his life to earn the pleasure of God: And God is full of kindness to (His) devotees.

Commentary: The Prophet (SAWA) and his companions lived under persecution and horror of the tribes of Mecca at the beginning of his prophetic mission. Adverse hardship continued until the 12th year of the Prophetic mission, when the people of Medina finally embraced Islam and invited the Prophet to Medina.

Subsequently, the exodus of Muslims to Medina began. Soon after, no Muslims remained in Mecca except the Prophet (SAWA) and few of his companions. The Meccan tribes had realized that the migration of the Prophet would be a turning point in their defeat, as history attests. The clan leaders held a special council in Dār alNadwa (Arabic: دار النَدوَة) to discuss how to stop the Prophet from leaving Mecca.

Various ideas were discussed; some tribe leaders wanted to kill the Prophet (SAWA), while others suggested to torture him until his death. Eventually, Abu Jahl (Arabic: أبو جهل‎) put forth the idea that designated individuals from each tribe could collectively assault the Prophet’s house at night and kill him in his bed. In this manner, all tribes would share the blame and guilt.

He reasoned that the tribe of the Prophet, Banū Hāshim (Arabic: بنو هاشم ), would not have the strength to seek vengeance against all the tribes of Mecca. Consequently, they agreed to be compensated financially for shedding the blood of the Prophet (SAWA). They all approved Abu Jahl’s plan and set a date to carry out it. However, Allah (SWT) informed the Prophet about the clan’s plan and asked him to leave Mecca [Al-Anfal 8:30].

وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ ۚ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّـهُ ۖ وَاللَّـهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ ﴿٣٠

8:30 And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Mecca]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.

On the designated date, the assassins surrounded the house of the Prophet and put him under surveillance. Consequently, the Prophet could not leave home in the public’s view, otherwise the murderers would apprehend and kill him on the outskirts of Mecca. Hence, he had to leave his home without being noticed.

The Prophet shared his plan to leave Mecca with Ali (AS) and asked him if he was willing to sleep in his bed so that the clan’s spies and hired assassins would think that he was at home. In this manner, he could leave Mecca without being noticed. Ali (AS), without hesitation, accepted the risk and slept that night in the Prophet’s bed.

In the early hours of dawn, the assassin pulled their swords and attacked the house of the Prophet. They entered the Prophet’s room. Ali (AS) raised his head from the pillow and asked them what were they looking for? With angry voices they shouted: “Where is Mohammed?”

Ali (AS) could have been killed either mistakenly or the assassins could take their revenge from Ali (AS), who was the cousin of the Prophet (SAWA). His sacrifice was so valuable that the Allah (SWT) recorded the event in the Quran in the verse 2:207, which reads:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ ﴿٢٠٧

2:207 And there is the type of man who gives his life to earn the pleasure of God: And God is full of kindness to (His) devotees.

Truly, Ali (AS) risked his life so that the Prophet could leave safely from Mecca to Medina. And later on, in a poem he mentioned the risk that he took that night:

وَقَيْتُ بِنَفْسِي خَيْرَ مَنْ وَطِئَ الْحَصَا وَ مَنْ طَافَ بِالْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ وَ بِالْحِجْرِ
مُحَمَّدٌ لَمَّا خَافَ أَنْ يَمْكُرُوا بِهِ‏ فَوَقَاهُ رَبِّي ذُو الْجَلَالِ مِنَ الْمَكْرِ
وَ بِتُّ أُرَاعِيهِمْ مَتَى يَنْشُرُونَنِي‏ وَ قَدْ وُطِّنَتْ‏ نَفْسِي‏ عَلَى‏ الْقَتْلِ‏ وَ الْأَسْر[1]

I shield the life of the best person on earth and the best person who has circumambulated the Kabah and chamber of Ismail.

That noble person was Mohammad, when I did that, the unbelievers were plotting for his murder, but my Lord saved him from the plot of enemies.
I laid it in his bed and in anticipation of the enemy’s attack and captivity.

Word-for-Word Translation:

2:207 [وَمِنَ] And of [النَّاسِ] the people [مَن] is the one who [يَشْرِي] sells [نَفْسَهُ] his own self [ابْتِغَاءَ] seeking [مَرْضَاتِ] pleasure [اللَّـهِ] of Allah [وَاللَّـهُ] and Allah [رَءُوفٌ] is full of kindness [بِالْعِبَادِ] to His servants.

 

 

[1] طوسى، محمد بن الحسن، الأمالي (للطوسي) – قم، چاپ: اول، 1414ق.

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