Tafsir -Aal-e-Imran 3:156 – Prohibiting the Ideas of the Disbelievers about Death and Predestination

Aal-e-Imran 3:156
Arabic
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَکُوۡنُوۡا کَالَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَقَالُوۡا لِاِخۡوَانِہِمۡ اِذَا ضَرَبُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اَوۡ کَانُوۡا غُزًّی لَّوۡ کَانُوۡا عِنۡدَنَا مَا مَاتُوۡا وَمَا قُتِلُوۡا ۚ لِیَجۡعَلَ اللّٰہُ ذٰلِکَ حَسۡرَۃً فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ یُحۡیٖ وَیُمِیۡتُ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِیۡرٌ

English – Sahih International
O you who have believed, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brothers when they traveled through the land or went out to fight, “If they had been with us, they would not have died or have been killed,” so Allah makes that [misconception] a regret within their hearts. And it is Allah who gives life and causes death, and Allah is Seeing of what you do.

English – Tafsir ibn kathir

Prohibiting the Ideas of the Disbelievers about Death and Predestination

Allah forbids His believing servants from the disbelievers’ false creed, seen in their statement about those who died in battle and during travel; “Had they abandoned these trips, they would not have met their demise.”

Allah said,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَقَالُواْ لاِخْوَانِهِمْ

O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve (hypocrites) and who say to their brethren,

about their dead brethren,

إِذَا ضَرَبُواْ فِي الَارْضِ

when they travel through the earth,

for the purpose of trading and otherwise,

أَوْ كَانُواْ غُزًّى

or go out to fight,

participating in battles,

لَّوْ كَانُواْ عِندَنَا

“If they had stayed with us,”

in our area,

مَا مَاتُواْ وَمَا قُتِلُواْ

“they would not have died or been killed,”

they would not have died while traveling or been killed in battle.

Allah’s statement,

لِيَجْعَلَ اللّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ

so that Allah may make it a cause of regret in their hearts.

means, Allah creates this evil thought in their hearts so that their sadness and the grief they feel for their loss would increase.

Allah refuted them by saying,

وَاللّهُ يُحْيِـي وَيُمِيتُ

It is Allah that gives life and causes death.

for the creation is under Allah’s power, and the decision is His Alone. No one lives or dies except by Allah’s leave, and no one’s life is increased or decreased except by His decree.

وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

And Allah is All-Seer of what you do.

for His knowledge and vision encompasses all His creation and none of their affairs ever escapes Him.