Overview

(Verses 15 - 17)

In Satan's Footsteps

This evacuation of the al-Nadir from Madinah was not the first of its kind. It was preceded by the evacuation of the Qaynuqa tribe, to which the following verse most probably refers:

Like those who, a short while before them, had to taste the evil that came from their own doings. Painful suffering is in store for them. (Verse 15)

The encounter with the Jewish tribe of Qaynuqa` took place after the Battle of Badr, but before the Battle of Uhud. The Qaynuqa ' were bound by a treaty with the Prophet and the Muslims. When the Muslims won a great victory against the unbelievers in Badr, the Jews were upset and harboured a grudge against the Muslims. They feared that their position in Madinah would be weakened while the position of the Muslims would be strengthened. The Prophet got wind of what they were whispering to one another and learnt of their ill intentions. He reminded them of the treaty he had signed with them and warned them that their attitude might augur ill. They replied rudely to him, saying: "Muhammad! Do not think too highly of your power. You have only encountered a group who knew little about fighting a war and you managed to score a victory against them. Should you engage us in battle, you will certainly know that we are true fighters."

They followed this with repeated provocations against the Muslims. Reports mention that a Muslim woman took some merchandise to sell at the Qaynuqa market place, and sat close to a jeweller's shop. People there tried to get her to lift her head covering, but she refused. The jeweller held the edge of her dress and fixed it behind her back while she was unaware. When she rose, the lower part of her body was exposed. The Jews around laughed at her, while she cried out in shame. A Muslim was near by and he immediately attacked the jeweller and killed him. The Jews rushed to the Muslim and killed him. The family of the Muslim who was killed appealed to other Muslims for help, and the Muslim community was in anger. Tension rose and there was a confrontation between the Muslim community and the Jewish Qaynuqa tribe.

The Prophet laid siege to the Qaynuqa` Jews until they gave up and declared that they would accept the Prophet's ruling. 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Sahul, the chief of the hypocrites, argued with the Prophet on their behalf, citing the fact that for long they were allies of the al-Khazraj Ansari tribe. His true motive, however, was the strong bond between the hypocrites and the unbelievers among the people of earlier religions. The Prophet accepted his pleas and allowed them to leave Madinah, taking with them all their property; except for arms. They left for Syria.

It is to this encounter that the surah refers. It cites it as a comparable case to that of the al-Nadir and the true facts behind the attitude they took towards the Muslim community and the reality of their collaboration with the hypocrites.

The surah also refers to how the hypocrites tried hard to persuade their brethren unbelievers, the Jews of al-Nadir, to put up stiff resistance, and thus led them to their miserable fate. It compares this to a permanent situation in which Satan always lets down anyone who responds to his persuasion and disbelieves in God. Thus both end up in the worst of all situations:

Like Satan, who says to man, 'Reject the faith!' Yet when man disbelieves, Satan says, 'I here and now disown you. I fear God, the Lord of all the worlds.' Both will end up in the fire, where they will abide. Such is the reward of the wrongdoers. (Verses 16-17)

Satan's role with any human being who responds to his promptings, as described in these verses, is in line with his nature and the aim he defined for himself. It is most singular for any human being to listen to him when he is out to trick them and lead them to their ruin. Yet this is the permanent truth which the surah states as its discussion of the event progresses further. It thus links the individual event with this permanent truth, setting it in real context. The Qur'an does not state abstract theories, true as these may be, because a truth stated in an abstract setting does not influence hearts, feelings and minds. This is the difference between the Qur’anic method that seeks to involve people's hearts and the methods followed by philosophers and those engaged in research.

Thus the surah completes its discussion of the al-Nadir, having put into it a large number of images, facts and directives, linking its local events to great and permanent facts. The surah thus represents a journey taking us far into the real world and into the world of human conscience. It goes far beyond the event itself. Its reporting in God's book is so different from the way it is reported in books written by human beings. The difference is as immeasurable as the difference between anything of man's making and what God makes.