Part of Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah (series completed)
· Lesson 385 of 1251
Summary of Sunni concepts | Concept (383) | The matter comes in the form of news
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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A summary of the core concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah:
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Commands conveyed in the form of informative statements.
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Allah Almighty says:
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“O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence.” (8:65)
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“O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence.” (8:65)
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"because they are a people who do not understand."
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Thus, the outer form of this verse is an informative statement concerning the believers:
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namely, that if they reach this specific number,
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they will overcome that specific number of the disbelievers.
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However, its true meaning and underlying intent
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is a command to the believers to remain steadfast in battle
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whenever their ratio to the disbelievers
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is one believer to every ten disbelievers,
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and that fleeing under such circumstances is strictly forbidden for them.
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This ruling was subsequently abrogated and lightened by the verse that followed it.
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What indicates that an obligation was intended—rather than a mere statement of fact—
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is the subsequent statement of Allah Almighty:
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“Now hath Allah lightened your burden, for He knoweth that there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a steadfast hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a thousand (steadfast) they shall overcome two thousand by permission of Allah. Allah is with the steadfast.” (8:66)
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“Now hath Allah lightened your burden, for He knoweth that there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a steadfast hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a thousand (steadfast) they shall overcome two thousand by permission of Allah. Allah is with the steadfast.” (8:66)
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“Now hath Allah lightened your burden, for He knoweth that there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a steadfast hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a thousand (steadfast) they shall overcome two thousand by permission of Allah. Allah is with the steadfast.” (8:66)
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"and Allah is with the patient."
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For informative statements are not subject to abrogation or easing;
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rather, that applies only to commands and legal obligations.
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Among the subtle rhetorical benefits of shifting
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from the imperative mood to an informative construction here
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is strengthening the hearts of the believers
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and conveying the glad tiding that if they remain steadfast,
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they will inevitably overcome the disbelievers by the leave of Allah Almighty.
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In this manner, the phrasing sometimes shifts away from a direct command or prohibition
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into the declarative form of an informative statement,
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while the actual intent remains a command or a prohibition.
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This carries several profound rhetorical benefits,
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which is part of the sublime eloquence and exquisite clarity of the Qur'an.