One of the beautiful traits we have been taught to nurture our souls upon, a trait present with abundance among the salaf of this Ummah, is that of self-reproach.
When we are faced by adversity, difficulties, failing plans, loss of aid, support and possibly tawfeeq (success) from Allah, the believer, the true believer blames himself.
Allah addresses us with this in the verse:
قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
“Say: It is from yourselves”
The incident this verse was revealed concerning, contextualises the verse and brings us numerous other benefits
أَوَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَدْ أَصَبْتُم مِّثْلَيْهَا قُلْتُمْ أَنَّىٰ هَٰذَا قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(What is the matter with you?) When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: “From where does this come to us?” Say (to them), “It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds).” And Allah has power over all things. [Aal-e-Imran:165]:
Al ‘Allaamah Abdur Rahmaan Ibn Naasir As Si’di mentions: This is a consolation from Allah تعالى to His believing servants after what befell them on the Day of Battle of Uhud, when approximately seventy of them were killed. So Allah said: you had already inflicted upon the polytheists “twice as much” at the Battle of Badr — you killed seventy of their leaders and captured seventy. Therefore, let the matter become easier and let the calamity be lighter upon you.
Shaikh Uthaimeen mentioned in his Tafseer of Suratu Aali ‘Imraan:
قَدْ أَصَبْتُمْ مِثْلَيْهَا
“You had struck them with twice as much.”
If someone were to ask: How can Allah say “twice as much” when those killed were seventy, while the other seventy were merely captured — and captivity is not killing?
We say: captivity carries humiliation similar to killing, and perhaps even greater. The slain person is killed and relieved, but the captive is humiliated and subdued.1
So the point is that captivity contains humiliation comparable to killing — if not equal to it, then perhaps even more severe.2 So beware of submitting yourself to slavery other than Allah
Then Allah says:
قُلْتُمْ أَنَّى هَذَا
“You said: How is this?”
This is the جواب (response) to (the statement) “when” — meaning (The beging statement in the verse): “when a calamity struck you..”, you said:
أَنَّى هَذَا
“How did this happen?”
Meaning: How were we afflicted when we are the soldiers of Allah and alongside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? How could defeat come to us?..
For the Companions رضي الله عنهم never objected to Allah’s decree; rather, they were amazed:
How could this happen to us while we are the army of Allah and with His Messenger ﷺ?
Then Allah تعالى said:
قُلْ
“Say…”
meaning: Say to them, O Muhammad:
هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
“It is from yourselves.”
Allah specifically commanded His Prophet ﷺ to convey this directly. Although the entire Qur’an was revealed for the Prophet ﷺ to convey, certain matters are emphasized with a specific command of proclamation.
Thus the meaning is: what befell you came from yourselves.
The particle “min” here is causative, meaning: because of yourselves — you were the cause.
What was the apparent cause?
It was the dispute and disobedience to the Prophet ﷺ when he commanded the archers to remain in the position he assigned them, whether victory belonged to the Muslims or the disbelievers. But when they saw the polytheists fleeing and the Muslims gathering spoils, they thought the battle had ended. So they descended from their assigned position, and what Allah willed then occurred.
The cavalry of the polytheists, seeing the vulnerable opening behind the Muslims left unguarded, attacked from the rear and mixed into their ranks, resulting in what took place (i.e. the death of seventy of the companions).
This is the meaning of:
مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
“from yourselves.”
Then Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“Indeed, Allah is capable over all things.”
Concluding the verse with this statement is perfectly suitable. Allah is fully capable of taking revenge upon the polytheists Himself, yet He did not do so because of His wisdom, just as He said:
وَ لَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لَانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ
“And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them Himself, but [He ordained fighting] in order to test some of you by means of others.” [Muḥammad: 4]3
[End Quote]
In this era of Gen Z bratism, that combines between arrogance, ignorance, hypersensitivity, and self-absolving narcissism, wherein one considers himself the epitome of perfection and our problems ALWAYS come from the ‘omen’ of someone else, never even slightly possibly the Allah decree upon you due to the result of ones own foul actions, my young brother, my young nephew, own it!
Noble elder, own it!
When you, acting individually, cause harm to yourself…own it.
If you cause yourself harm based upon the instruction of others, dont blame them, own it
Don’t be like those who when they single-handedly destroy themselves, start pointing the finger of blame….own it!…blame no one but yourself.
How else will you rectify yourself?
- The humiliation of being a captive in any given situation, a subdued slave, bound in captivity, subject to the dictates of another man. They command, and you submissively obey. Even more humiliating is that a free man should give himself up to this bondage. ↩︎
- So beware of submitting yourself to slavery to anyone other than Allah. ↩︎
- Indicating that Allah uses some people to push back on the transgressions of others ↩︎
