"...Take a Lesson, O You Who Have Insight." (Quran 59:2)
– An Article Commenting on the Previous One
Published in August 28, 2017
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
1- This article is a comment on our previous article titled "The Relation between the Yathreb City-State of Prophet Muhammad and the People of the Book". We assert here that Islam was never made to spread in Arabia (or anywhere else) using the sword or any military endeavors; rather, Islam (which means peaceful behavior) spread in Arabia during Muhammad's lifetime using peace itself, as peaceful demeanor has been preached and adhered to by Arabs temporarily until Muhammad died; we do not talk about monotheistic faith tenets here at all or the belief in the Quran, but about Islam as it means adherence to peace and non-violence. When Muhammad saw groups of people enter into peace (as peace is God's religion) as per the verse 110:2, he never knew if those peaceful Arabs believed in the Quran or not, and he was not a mind-reader who could know their hearts; only God the Omniscient can judge beliefs within one's heart and mind, and people can judge overt behavior only as either violent/aggressive or peaceful and fair.
2- Thus, most Arabs entered into peace (the Islamic religion in terms of practice and behavior) only for these reasons below.
2/1: The absolute freedom to embrace (or not to embrace) Islam in terms of heart/mind beliefs (i.e., piety and monotheism): the Quran calls its readers to use their reasoning minds to realize the futility and absurdity of worshipping items and mortals, and no Quranic verse contain the command to destroy idols or mausoleums; the divine command is only to avoid them and never to impose avoiding them on others, and this indicates absolute religious freedom in Islam regarding Islam in terms of piety/monotheism inside one's heart/mind. Hence, we know from the Quranic Chapter 5 that some early believers in Yathreb continued (even shortly before Muhammad's death) to worship 'holy' mausoleums, to gamble, and to drink wine, things prohibited in the Quran, while they remained citizens in the Yathreb city-state, and the only role of Muhammad was to peacefully advise them using the Quran, as we read these verses that were among the last ones revealed in Yathreb before Muhammad died: "O you who believe! Wine, gambling, mausoleums, and divinations are abominations of Satan's doing. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. Satan wants to provoke strife and hatred among you through wine and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer. Will you not desist? Obey God and obey the messenger, and be cautious. If you turn away - know that the duty of Our messenger is clear communication." (5:90-92). This means that Arabs were required to adhere to peace (real Islam in practice and demeanor) as this is their duty toward people, but their responsibility before God is Islam in terms of belief (piety + monotheism and (There is no God but Allah), and this duty toward God will be judged only on the Last Day, not by mortals in this world. God is the Only Judge of faiths/beliefs of all human beings: "If you disbelieve, God is Independent of you, yet He does not approve ingratitude on the part of His servants. And if you are thankful, He will approve that in you. No bearer of burden can bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return; and He will inform you of what you used to do. He is aware of what the hearts contain." (39:7).
2/2: Islam in terms of behavior is peace leading to prosperity, happiness, and security, whereas wars/aggression leads to poverty, fear, and sorrow: Arabian tribes lived in fear as they raided and attacked one another for food and money, while leaving caravans of Qorayish in peace to protect their idols in the Kaaba sacred Mosque, and this made Qorayish grew too powerful and it lived in peace and prosperity, taking advantage of the ignorance and polytheism of gullible Arabs. After the advent of Islam, Qorayish with its arrogance, power, and military might could not defeat peaceful Muslims in Yathreb who hated fighting in the first place. Qorayish was defeated for ten years of fighting Yathreb, and its connections, power, might, alliances, military prowess, and its gods/deities/saints availed it nothing at all, whereas the Yathreb city-state flourished in terms of trade and economy because of peace maintained by its dwellers. The Meccans of Qorayish realized after ten years of struggle against Muhammad and Yathreb, the city attacked by polytheists of the Arabian tribes and desert-Arabs/Bedouins and by aggressive ones among the People of the Book, that peace will benefit them and serve their interests more than useless incessant fighting; preserving their interests led them eventually to enter into peace (i.e., God's religion) in groups; see 110:2. This does NOT imply that they believed in the Quranic message; rather, they adhered to peace: Islam in terms of behavior only, shortly before the death of Muhammad.
3- Peace is among the chief higher values and purposes of Islam (i.e., Quranism) along with justice and freedom. The military preparations of any Quran-based rule within any country are meant to deter potential enemies and to preserve peace with might and power. Thus, peaceful countries must deter any possible aggressors so as not to get attacked by having weapons and military power, and this will spare bloodshed and establish peace making it reign supreme, and God commands people to adhere to peace with those aggressors who stopped their aggression and offer peace to believers, while relying on God; see 8:60-62
4- In light of the above, let us ponder on this verse: "...take a lesson, O you who have insight." (59:2).
Firstly:
1- God caused fear and terror to seize the hearts of aggressive ones among the People of the Book who attacked the Yathreb city-state: no one at the time expected that they would feel Yathreb and leave their castles, fortifications, and barracks, as these aggressive ones among the People of the Book assumed that such buildings would even protect them against God! and before leaving Yathreb for good, they destroyed their buildings, houses and assets so as not to let others benefit from them: "It is He who evicted those who disbelieved among the People of the Book from their homes at the first mobilization. You did not think they would leave, and they thought their fortresses would protect them from God. But God came at them from where they never expected, and threw terror into their hearts. They wrecked their homes with their own hands, and by the hands of the believers. Therefore, take a lesson, O you who have insight." (59:2).
2- Thus, the aggressive ones among the People of the Book were NOT driven out or fought at all by the early believers; they choose to evacuate, exile themselves, and leave Yathreb and their assets and possessions on their own accord. The reason is found in the following two verses: "Had God not decreed exile for them, He would have punished them in this life. But in the Hereafter they will have the punishment of the Fire. That is because they opposed God and His messenger. Whoever opposes God - God is stern in retribution." (59:3-4). This means that their great sin was opposing and fighting against God and Muhammad, and they were penalized by God by making terrible fear seize their hearts to make them choose to leave Yathreb (and Arabia) for good. Their crime was committing military aggressions (i.e., raids and attacks) against the Yathreb city-state of peaceful citizens, while assuming that barracks and castles would protect them against any possible retaliation by Muhammad and his followers. This means that those aggressive ones among the People of the Book were located so near to Yathreb; this verse shows that they allied themselves to aggressive polytheists of the confederates who sieged Yathreb at one point in time: "Like those shortly before them. They experienced the consequences of their decisions. For them is a painful punishment." (59:15). God made fear seize their hearts and thus they left Arabia for good after the confederates were defeated only by God (without fighting on the part of early Muslims): "And He brought down from their strongholds those of the People of the Book who backed them, and He threw terror into their hearts. Some of them you killed, and others you took captive. And He made you inherit their land, and their homes, and their possessions, and a region you have never stepped on. God has power over all things." (33:26-27). This means that the same military case applied to the aggressive ones among the People of the Book near Yathreb, as per the Quranic Chapter 59, who lived very near to Yathreb and felt afraid of the retaliation of Muslims after God has defeated the confederates of Meccan polytheists who sieged Yathreb, as these among the People of the Book allied themselves to the Meccans and they attacked Muslims inside Yathreb itself, and they chose to leave and exile themselves before any military confrontation might occur.
3- It was not difficult for the Yathreb dwellers to meet and face any troops outside Yathreb to stop the aggressors from entering the city, but it was extremely difficult to attack barracks and castles of the aggressive ones among the People of the Book who would be victorious in every raid/attack for sure, and the divine intervention was that God made the fear of retaliation by the Yathreb dwellers seize their hearts and minds, and those People of the Book near Yathreb feared early Muslims more than they feared God: "Fear of you is more intense in their hearts than fear of God. That is because they are a people who do not understand." (59:13).
4- The above point is asserted in the very next verse: "They will not fight you all together except from fortified strongholds, or from behind walls. Their hostility towards each other is severe. You would think they are united, but their hearts are diverse. That is because they are a people who do not understand." (59:14). Thus, the militarily aggressive fighters among these People of the Book had immense power and fortifications, and yet, fear seized their hearts and their cold exterior of calmness did not betray at first the fact that they were shaken to the core with doubts and terror; they were defeated inwardly (without outside interference at all) and nothing could boost their morale as their hearts were diverse and never united.
5- Thus, this event of their fleeing Arabia and how God made fear and terror seize the hearts of aggressive disbelievers despite their military prowess, power, and fortifications is the lesson to be drawn by those reasonable persons with insight as per 59:2.
Secondly: how does God make fear seize the hearts of aggressive disbelievers?
1- Disbelief in terms of behavior is aggression and violence, especially the military aggression and committing crimes and atrocities against peaceful innocent people, and the first victims of such heinous crimes and sins are the aggressors themselves; they live in constant fear of retaliation and such extreme worry control their deeds and thinking so much that they typically commit more crimes/atrocities of aggression to presumably defend themselves, as they get sucked into an endless vicious circle till they die or get killed. Other extreme worries is when those aggressors vie for power with another foes/enemies and they fight one another until destroyed completely; this is a very well-known rule: tyrannical rulers who oppress and persecute their citizens and nations fear people so much and enter into this vicious circle of aggression, worry, and fear till they die or get ousted, as they struggle against potential rivals or other tyrants and feel all the time that conspiracies are being schemed and plotted against them. Tyrants this way never have sound, wholesome sleep and fall victims to worries all the time 24/7 and they never enjoy or get some relief even for a moment. This is exemplified also by struggles and assassinations as well as (internal wars) among dons of the mafia as they seek to control streets or cities, and victims among mafia members are more than victims among ordinary people. Modern as well as ancient history provides so many painful accounts and examples of what we refer to here; e.g., the struggles between Persians and Byzantines, between Qorayish and desert-Arabs after the crime/sin of Arab conquests, between Europeans and Arab caliphates, among colonial powers inside Europe, between France and Britain, and within WWI and WWII, and more recently within the struggle between the Wahabi KSA and Al-Qaeda and ISIS and the struggle among Wahabi factions in Syria as well as the enmity between Qatar on the one hand and the KSA and the UAE on the other hand, though they were united in the endeavors and schemes to destroy Yemen, Syria, and Libya.
2- This can be explained using the Quran as follows.
2/1: Believers in terms of behavior are peaceful ones in terms of demeanor of non-violence and adherence to justice and security, regardless of any religious tenets: "Those who believe, and do not obscure their faith with committing injustices - those will have security, and they are guided." (6:82).
2/2: If those peaceful believers combine their peace with monotheism/piety inside their hearts in the fear of our Lord God, they will never fear any mortals, unlike aggressive disbelievers who live in constant fear as they are allies of Satan and devils: "That is only Satan frightening his allies; so do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are believers." (3:175).
2/3: Besides, the aggressive disbelievers who are allies of Satan are punished by God Who make fear and terror seize their hearts all the time: "We will throw terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they attribute to God partners for which He revealed no sanction. Their lodging is the Fire. Miserable is the lodging of the unjust ones." (3:151). This occurred to the aggressive Meccans of Qorayish in the battle of Badr: "Your Lord inspired the angels: "I am with you, so support those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve..." (8:12) and to aggressive ones among the People of the Book; see 59:2 and 33:26.
2/4: Thus, tyrants, aggressors, transgressors, and unjust ones live in constant fear and terror all their lives as long as they do not repent, while God supports and lends courage to peaceful believers in their self-defense fighting, as the case with the battle of Badr; see 8:9-12 and 3:123-126. When God gave believers the permission to engage into self-defense fighting, we see that God promises victory for those adhering to the Truth and advocating peace and aim to stop persecution and aggression inflected by disbelievers: "God defends those who believe. God does not love any disbelieving traitor. Permission is given to those who are fought against, and God is Able to give them victory. Those who were unjustly evicted from their homes, merely for saying, "Our Lord is God." Were it not that God repels people by means of others: monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques-where the name of God is mentioned much-would have been demolished. God supports whoever supports Him. God is Strong and Mighty." (22:38-40); "Most surely We will support Our messengers and those who believe, in this life, and on the Day the witnesses arise." (40:51).
Lastly: "...take a lesson, O you who have insight." (59:2)
1- In sum, we assert that any unjust people or countries who initiate attacks and wars of aggressions cannot end them as per their strategies, whims, and desires even if these wars of aggression take longer than expected and even if military defeats or victories take place, as eventually, aggressors will lose inevitably everything by the end in all cases. When wars end, it is typical to see change of alliances and conditions as per realities on the ground, making allies of yesterday enemies of today and vice-versa (e.g., compare the stances Germany, the USA, and the USSR after and before WWII).
2- The West countries and the East countries have drawn useful lessons after the sufferings and atrocities of WWI and formed the Assembly of Nations to preserve worldwide peace, but this endeavor failed as the Nazis and Hitler desired to take revenge after Germany was humiliated in WWI and this resulted in WWII, the sufferings and atrocities of WWII made countries in the East and the West draw the lesson of preserving peace and they have established the UN for this purpose, and yet, the governments of the First World countries own and fabricate weapons and arms and they must maintain wars anywhere to sell these weapons and arms, and since they refuse to turn their countries into battlefields again, Muhammadans do this instead by turning the Arab world into a battlefield of self-destruction and they buy weapons and arms from the East and the West to turn the Arab world into ruins that we witness today and more ruins that we will witness tomorrow. Shame on Arab tyrants!
3- Despite the fact that the Muhammadans read 59:2 and the entire Quranic Chapter 59 frequently, they never take heed or draw any lessons to this Quranic address that has nothing to do with them; as they have no insight or faith at all, as we all know.