Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

43. “He it is Who sends blessings on you, and (likewise do) His angels, to bring you forth from the shadows (of infidelity) into the light (of faith); and He is Merciful to the believers.”

44. “Their greeting on the Day when they meet Him will be ‘Peace’, and He has prepared for them an honourable reward.”

In the previous verse the Qur’an said:

“Remember Allah with much remembrance”.

Now, in this verse it says:

“He it is Who sends blessings on you…”.

As if the blessing of Allah is your much remembrance. It is like the holy verse which says:

“Therefore, remember Me, (and) I will remember you…”1

In fact, this holy verse is the result and the ultimate cause of the constant remembrance and glorification.

It says:

“He it is Who sends blessings on you, and (likewise do) His angels, to bring you forth from the shadows (of infidelity) into the light (of faith)…”

Allah brings you out from the darkness of ignorance, polytheism, and infidelity and leads you toward the light of faith, knowledge, and piety, because He is Beneficent and Merciful unto the believers and that is why He has undertaken their guidance and leadership and also has commissioned His angels to help them.

So, at the end of the verse, it says:

“…and He is Merciful to the believers.”

The Qur’anic term /yusalli/ is derived from /salat/ which here means a special attention and favour; and this favour in respect to Allah is the descent of Mercy, and in respect to the angels is seeking forgiveness and asking mercy, as in Surah Qafir, No. 40, verse 7 we recite that the angels who bear ‘Arsh (the throne of Allah) and those around it:

“…implore forgiveness for those who believe…”.

However, this verse contains a great glad tiding for the believers who ceaselessly remember Allah, for it explicitly indicates that, in their motion toward Allah, they are not alone, but, based on the Qur’anic verb /yusalli/, which is expressed in future tense and is an evidence to the continuation of action, they are always under the cover of the Mercy of Allah and His angels.

It is under the shade of this Mercy that the curtains of darkness will be removed and the light of knowledge, wisdom, faith, and piety brightens their hearts and souls.

Yes, this verse is a great glad tiding for all those who pave the path of Allah, and it informs them that there is a strong help from the side of Allah, the Almighty, that they succeed to pave the straight way.

The Arabic verb /Kana/ in the sentence:

“…and He is merciful to the believers”

which is grammatically a past tense verb, denotes this fact that Allah is always particularly merciful to the believers, and it is another emphasis on this matter.

Yes, it is this special mercy of Allah that brings the believers out from the darkness of illusions, lusts, and Satanic temptations, and leads them to the light of intuitive faith, certainty, and domination on one’s self, so that if His Mercy were not, this difficult path could not be paved.

The next holy verse, in a short sentence, illustrates the rank of the believers and their reward in the best form.

It announces as follows:

“Their greeting on the Day when they meet Him will be ‘Peace’…”

The Arabic word /tahiyyat/ is derived from /hayat/ in the sense of ‘invocation’ for the health and life of another one.

This is a greeting which is, in fact, the sign of security from punishment and from any kind of pain and affliction. It is a greeting accompanied with calmness, tranquillity, and certainty.

Some commentators believe that the concept of the Qur’anic term /tahiyyatuhum/ (their greeting) refers to the greeting of the believers to each other, but regarding to the former verses the words of which were about the favour and Mercy of Allah and His angels in this world, apparently this greeting is also from the side of His angels in the Hereafter, as Surah Ar-Ra‘d, No. 13, verses 23 and 24 says:

“…and unto whom the angels will enter from every gate,” “Peace (be) upon you (saying) that you persevered in patience!…”

It was made clear from what was said that the objective meaning of the Qur’anic phrase: /yauma yalqaunahu/ is the Day of Hereafter which has been called: ‘The day of meeting Allah’, and this collocation is usually used in the verses of the Qur’an.

After this greeting, which, in fact, relates to the beginning of their affair, the Qur’an has pointed to the end of their fate and says:

“…and He has prepared for them an honourable reward.”

This is a sentence, which being very short, contains every thing gathered in it and points to all blessings and merits.