Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:41
[And they are] those who, if We give them authority in the land, establish prayer and give zakah and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And to Allah belongs the outcome of [all] matters.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: Permission is granted to those who are fought against — [that is] those who, if We give them power in the land, establish the ritual prayer (ṣalāh). The second "those" refers back to the first "those who are fought against."
By His word: إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الأرْضِ (if We give them power in the land) He means: if We establish them firmly in the lands, so that they overcome the polytheists and gain mastery over them — and these are the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He says: if We give them the upper hand over their enemies and they overcome the polytheists of Mecca, they will obey Allah: they will establish the ritual prayer with its prescribed ordinances; and pay the obligatory alms (zakāh) — that is: they will give the zakāh of their possessions to the one for whom Allah has appointed it; وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ — that is: they will call the people to the oneness of Allah and to working for His obedience and to that which the people of faith in Allah recognize as virtue; وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ — that is: they will forbid the ascribing of partners to Allah (shirk) and working in His disobedience, that which the people of truth and faith in Allah regard as reprehensible; وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الأمُورِ — that is: the final outcome of the affairs of creation belongs to Allah — He means: with Him is their destination, for reward or punishment in the Hereafter.
In accordance with what we have said concerning the interpretation of this, the interpreters (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
Mention of those who said this: Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥusayn al-Ashyab related to us, saying: Abū Jaʿfar ʿĪsā ibn Māhān — also known as al-Rāzī — related to us, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, on the authority of Abī al-ʿĀliya, concerning the word: الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الأرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ — he said: their commanding of the good consisted in their calling to sincere devotion to Allah alone, without partner; and their forbidding of the reprehensible consisted in their forbidding the worship of idols and the service of Satan. He said: whoever among the people calls to Allah unto the good has commanded the good; and whoever forbids the worship of idols and the service of Satan has forbidden the reprehensible.
