Overview  (Verse 151)

Striking Fear in Enemies’ Hearts

The sūrah now provides the believers with more reassurance, giving them the happy news of God’s plan to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies because they associate partners with Him, against all His express orders. Indeed, God has given those alleged partners no power of any sort. Moreover, in the hereafter, the wrongdoers will receive further punishment: “We shall strike terror in the hearts of unbelievers because they associate partners with God — something for which He has never granted any warrant. Their abode is the fire, and evil indeed is the dwelling place of the wrongdoers.” (Verse 151)

A promise from God, the Almighty, to strike terror into the hearts of the unbelievers is sufficient guarantee to bring the battle to a decisive victory for the believers who support Him, against His enemies. It is a promise which holds true in every confrontation between belief and disbelief. Every time the unbelievers come face to face with the believers, fear overcomes them, because God strikes that feeling into their hearts. What is important for this feeling to surface is that the believers themselves truly feel their faith. They must genuinely submit themselves to God alone, and have total confidence in God’s help and entertain no shred of doubt that victory will be given to God’s soldiers and that God will accomplish His will and that the unbelievers can never frustrate what God wants to accomplish. Sometimes, appearances may suggest the contrary, but the believers have to trust in God’s promise because it will always come true, regardless of what people may see with their own eyes or judge with their own minds. The unbelievers will feel terror in their hearts, because they do not rely on any firm support. They have no power of their own, and they do not enjoy the support of any other powerful source. They have  attributed to  God  partners  who  have  no  authority  or  power  of  their  own, because God has never bestowed any warrant on them.

The  expression  “something  for  which  He  has  never  granted  any  warrant,”  is particularly significant. It is frequently used in the Qur’ān, sometimes to describe the partners associated with God, and at other times to describe false beliefs. It points to a basic and fundamental principle. An idea, a principle, a person or an organisation can live, survive and be effective only according to what it enjoys of real force. Such force is always commensurate with its share of the truth. This means that it is only powerful in direct proportion to its concordance with the basic principle which constitutes the foundation of the universe and with the laws God has set in operation in the universe. It is only when such harmony is achieved that God gives it effective force, which enables it to work. Otherwise, it remains shaky, false, powerless, though it may appear at times tempting and mighty.

The idolaters ascribe divinity to deities other than God. The very concept of polytheism is based on giving certain fundamental qualities to beings other than God. One of the most important of these qualities and attributes is the right to issue legislation which may affect any aspect of human life, and the right to establish values which people should implement in their community and observe in their behaviour. Also, the right to establish one’s ’own power over others and to make other people submit to such legislation and implement such values is another aspect of practical polytheism. Offering actual worship to beings other than God is another of its aspects, which means, as we have already said, ascribing Godhead qualities to beings other than God.

How much harmony do these deities have with the truth upon which the universe has been founded? God, Who has no partners, has created the universe so that it points to its single Creator. All creation must submit to Him alone, without partners, and must receive from Him alone their laws and values and must offer worship sincerely and genuinely to Him alone. Whatever is in conflict with the general and comprehensive meaning of the concept of the oneness of God, is false and contrary to the truth inherent in the universe. Hence, it is weak, shaky, devoid of any power and authority and cannot have any genuine effect on the course of life, because it is devoid of all the elements of life and has no right to live.

As those idolaters associate with God partners for whom He has never granted any authority, they have no firm support to rely upon. They will always be weak and they will experience terror whenever they come face to face with the believers, who rely on the mighty truth.

This  promise  always  comes  true  in  any  confrontation  between  truth and falsehood. Many a time, falsehood has every type of armament when it confronts the truth, which may have little or no weaponry. Nevertheless, falsehood mobilises its forces, and feels a shiver go through its constitution. It shudders at every movement and at every shout. If the truth makes a sudden attack, confusion will spread within the ranks of falsehood, even though it may have great numerical superiority. All this takes place in fulfilment of God’s true promise: “We shall strike terror in the hearts of the unbelievers because they associate partners with God [something] for which He has never granted any warrant.” All this takes place in this life. As for the hereafter, a dismal and sorrowful destiny awaits the wrongdoers: “Their abode is the fire, and evil indeed is the dwelling place of the wrongdoers.”

At this point, the sūrah takes the believers back to the fulfilment of God’s promise at the Battle of Uĥud in particular. Initially, the Muslims enjoyed a clear advantage which could have led to certain victory. Unbelievers lay dead left, right, and centre, until the bulk of their army turned on their heels, leaving much of their equipment and armament as spoils of war. Their banner was on the ground, and there was none to lift it until a woman managed to raise it for them. Yet at that point, the Muslims’ clear victory turned into defeat because their rearguard had weakened before the temptation of sharing in the spoils. They disputed among themselves and then violated the express orders of God’s Messenger, their Prophet and leader. Now the sūrah moves on to describe the scenes and events of the battle itself.