﴿إِنَّمَا
الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ
وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـناً وَعَلَى
رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾
The believers are only those who, when Allah is
mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Ayat are recited
unto them, they increase their faith; and they put their trust in their
Lord (Al-Anfaal:2)
`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said about the Ayah,
﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾
(The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts)
"None
of Allah's remembrance enters the hearts of the hypocrites upon
performing what He has ordained. They neither believe in any of Allah's
Ayat nor trust (in Allah) nor pray if they are alone nor pay the Zakah
due on their wealth. Allah stated that they are not believers.
He then
described the believers by saying,
﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾
(The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts) and they perform what He has ordained,
﴿وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـناً﴾
(and when His Ayat are recited unto them, they increase their faith) and conviction,
﴿وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾
(and they put their trust in their Lord), having hope in none except Him. ''
Mujahid commented on,
﴿وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾
(their
hearts Wajilat),
"Their hearts become afraid and fearful.'' Similar was
said by As-Suddi and several others. The quality of a true believer is
that when Allah is mentioned, he feels a fear in his heart, and thus
implements His orders and abstains from His prohibitions.
Allah said in a
similar Ayah,
﴿وَالَّذِينَ
إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَـحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللَّهَ
فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ
وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴾
(And
those who, when they have committed Fahishah (immoral sin) or wronged
themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins;
-- and none can forgive sins but Allah -- and do not persist in what
(wrong) they have done, while they know) (3:135),
and,
﴿وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى - فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِىَ الْمَأْوَى ﴾
(But
as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself
from vain desires. Verily, Paradise will be his abode.) (79:40-41)
Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated that As-Suddi commented,
﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾
"A man might be thinking of committing injustice or a sin. But he
abstains when he is told, `Have Taqwa of Allah', and his heart becomes
fearful.'''
Allah's statement,
﴿وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـناً﴾
(And when His Ayat are recited unto them, they increase their faith;)
is similar to His statement,
﴿وَإِذَا
مَآ أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ
هَـذِهِ إِيمَـناً فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـناً
وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ ﴾
(And whenever there comes down a
Surah, some of them (hypocrites) say: "Which of you has had his faith
increased by it'' As for those who believe, it has increased their
faith, and they rejoice) (9:124)
Al-Bukhari and other scholars
relied on this Ayah (8:2) and those similar, as evidence that faith
increases and varies in strength from heart to heart. This is also the
view of the majority of the scholars of Islam, prompting some scholars,
such as Ash-Shafi`i, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Abu `Ubayd to declare that
this is the consensus of the Ummah, as we mentioned in the beginning of
the explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari. All the thanks and praises are due
to Allah.
Allah said,
﴿وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾
(And they put their trust in their Lord.)
Therefore,
the believers hope in none except Allah, direct their dedication to Him
alone, seek refuge with Him alone, invoke Him alone for their various
needs and supplicate to Him alone. They know that whatever He wills,
occurs and that whatever He does not will never occurs, that He alone is
the One Who has the decision in His kingdom, without partners; none can
avert the decision of Allah and He is swift in reckoning. Hence the
statement of Sa`id bin Jubayr, "Tawakkul of Allah is the essence of
faith".
