Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

Verse 73

Table of Contents

    73. “So Allah punishes the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the polytheist-men and the polytheist-women and Allah turns in mercy to the believing-men and the believing-women, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”

    The trust of Allah causes man to be responsible. He who protects the trust will receive the Divine Mercy, and he who proves treacherous will be punished.

    This verse, in fact, states the cause of offering this trust to man. It states this fact that, after bearing this great Divine trust, the members of human beings are divided into three groups: the hypocrites, the polytheists, and the believers.

    It says:

    “So Allah punishes the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the polytheist-men and the polytheist-women and Allah turns in mercy to the believing-men and the believing-women, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”

    However, the letter ‘L’ at the beginning of the Qur’anic word /liyu‘aŏŏiba/ is as the sign of the purpose of something which is mentioned for the statement of the end of something.

    Thus, the concept of the verse is: the end of the carrying this trust was that a group paved the path of hypocrisy and another group took the path of polytheism and, as the result of being treacherous in the trust of Allah, then they will encounter His punishment, while a group, who believe, for being faithful to this trust and that they do perform their duty concerning it, will be involved in the Mercy of Allah.

    By the way, the application of /yatub/ (turns in mercy) for the believers (instead of reward) may be for this fact that the most fear of the believers is for the faults they may have committed, so it gives them certainty and rest that their faults will be forgiven.

    Or it is for the sake that the repentance of Allah unto the servants is His turning to mercy, and we know that all merits and rewards have lied in the term /rahmat/ (mercy).

    O Lord! Appoint us among those who have sincerely accepted the trust of Yours, and have eagerly protected it by fulfilling their duties about it.