O You Who Believe

81)

"O you who have believed, do not make allies of a people with whom Allah has become angry. They have despaired of [reward in] the Hereafter just as the disbelievers have despaired of [meeting] the inhabitants of the graves."

[Al-Mumtahinah 13]

This is the last verse of Surah Mumtahinah. Allah refers to the Jews, Christians and the rest of the disbelievers whom Allah became angry with and cursed. Those who deserved being rejected and banished by Him. They must not be befriended (again, befriend means to obey and to choose their side over Allah's) because they are the enemies of Allah and His religion. They do not waste a single chance to chase the believers out of Allah's light and towards Satan's darkness. As light and dark cannot be same, the people of Allah cannot be the same as the people of Satan. And as a blind man is not the same as a man blessed with vision, the people who know the truth are different from the people who feign ignorance of Allah's commands.

The second half of the verse can have two possible meanings. First, the disbelievers despair of ever again meeting their relatives buried in graves, because they do not believe in Resurrection or being brought back to life. Therefore, they have no hope that they will meet them again, according to their creed. Secondly, just as the disbelievers who are buried in graves have lost hope in receiving any kind of goodness (i.e., after seeing the punishment and knowing that Resurrection is true).

Al-A'mash reported from Abu Ad-Duha from Masruq that Ibn Mas'ud said regarding the despair of the disbelievers mentioned in the verse that, "Just as the disbeliever despairs when he dies and realizes and knows his (evil) recompense."

Hence, Allah prohibits allying those enemies of Islam and Allah (and ultimately, of the believers) who are despaired of the Hereafter. They have become disappointed in the Hereafter and this despair is equal to the despair a disbeliever feels when he enters the grave i.e when the hot air of Jahannam passes over him and he knows about his destination and knows that there will be no help for him from Allah now. The reason Allah prohibits befriending such disbelievers (whether they are Christians, Jews or Idolators) is because they have despaired themselves of the Hereafter i.e they don't believe in the Hereafter with the same intensity of the disbelievers who entered the graves and knew that their doom is ahead and the doors of mercy from Allah will not open from them.

This verse highlights a very important message which is to not despair of Allah's mercy and never despair of the Hereafter.

“Certainly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve”

[Al-Yusuf 12:87]. 

"The life of this world is merely an amusement and a diversion; the true life is in the Hereafter, if only they knew” 

[Al-Ankabut 29:64]

The Day of Judgment is inevitable and every Muslim has a firm belief in rising after death and standing in the court of Allah Almighty. Therefore, disbelief for the Hereafter and despairing of the Hereafter are the characteristics of the disbelievers and their despair of the Hereafter is not of small degree. Rather it is equal to the despair a disbeliever feels when he enters the grave i.e complete despair of Allah's mercy.

Things we learnt:

> The direct command in this verse is a prohibitory command. Allah disalows the believers from befriending such disbelievers who earned the wrath of Allah and became the enemies of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), the entirely Merciful and Supreme God.

> The next part of the verse is he knowledge behind the prohibition. As Allah is the Knower of all knowledges and humans can never begin to understand even a drop worth of it, He explains some of the logic behind this prohibition so believers find the command easy and comfortable to follow. Allah states the reason for this command by saying that the disbelievers who earned Allah's wrath are those disbelievers who have become despaired with the Hereafter and the Judgement Day just like a disbeliever entering his grave grieves about his loss and despairs of Allah's mercy.

> The important message in the verse for believers is to no befriend such disbelievers and to consistently believe in the Hereafter and that every soul shall taste death and will be returned to Allah for accountability. It is a core belief of the believers to never despair of the Judgement Day neither of the mercy of Allah.

May Allah guide us to the right path.
Ameen.
Wama alayna illal balaghul mubeen.