Tafseer of The Pleading Woman · Al-Mujaadila · 58:22
You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those - He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him - those are the party of Allah. Unquestionably, the party of Allah - they are the successful.
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.
The explanation of His, the Exalted's, words: لا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُوا آبَاءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ أُولَئِكَ كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الإِيمَانَ وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِنْهُ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ أُولَئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ أَلا إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (22) (You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day showing love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsmen. For them He has written faith in their hearts and has strengthened them with a spirit from Himself, and He will admit them into gardens beneath which the rivers flow, abiding therein eternally. Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him. Those are the party of Allah. Truly, the party of Allah, they are the successful.) (58:22)
He, exalted is His praise, means by His words: ( لا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ) (you will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day showing love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger): you will not find, O Muḥammad, a people who hold Allah to be truthful and acknowledge the Last Day showing love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, who contend against them and go against the command and prohibition of Allah. ( وَلَوْ كَانُوا آبَاءَهُمْ ) (even if they were their fathers). He says: even if those who oppose Allah and His Messenger were their fathers, ( أَوْ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ) (or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsmen). Allah, exalted is His praise, has, by this verse, only informed His Prophet — may the blessing and peace be upon him — that those who — as the verse says — أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا قَوْمًا غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ (Have you not seen those who took as allies a people upon whom Allah is angry) do not belong to the people of faith in Allah, nor in the Last Day, and that this is why they took as allies those whom they took as allies — namely the Jews.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: ( لا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ) (you will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day showing love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger): you will not find, O Muḥammad, a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day showing love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, that is to say: to those who treat Allah and His Messenger with enmity.
And His words: ( أُولَئِكَ كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الإيمَانَ ) (for them He has written faith in their hearts). He, exalted is His praise, says: these, who show no love to those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsmen — Allah has written faith in their hearts. By this is only meant: He has decreed faith for their hearts. The word "in" (fī) here has the meaning of the preposition "for" (li). He, may His remembrance be exalted, has reported that He has written faith in their hearts for them. And since faith resides in the hearts, and it is known from speaking about the hearts that thereby their possessors are meant, He sufficed with the mention of the hearts in place of the mention of their possessors.
And His words: ( وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِنْهُ ) (and has strengthened them with a spirit from Himself). He says: and He has strengthened them with a proof from Himself, and with light and guidance. ( وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأنْهَارُ ) (and He will admit them into gardens beneath which the rivers flow). He says: and He will admit them into pleasure-gardens beneath whose trees the rivers flow. ( خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ) (abiding therein eternally). He says: remaining therein forever. ( رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ ) (Allah is well pleased with them) because of their obedience to Him in the worldly life, ( وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ) (and they are well pleased with Him) in the Hereafter, by His admitting them into the Garden (janna). ( أُولَئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ ) (those are the party of Allah). He says: these, who possess this quality, are the army of Allah and His protected ones. ( أَلا إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ ) (truly, the party of Allah). He says: truly, the army of Allah and His protected ones, ( هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ) (they are the successful). He says: they are the abiding ones, the ones who have succeeded, by their having attained what they sought and pursued through their pledge of allegiance (bayʿa) in the worldly life and through their obedience to their Lord.
