Muhammad · Madani · ayah 21 of 38

Muhammad 47:21

طَاعَةٌ وَقَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ ۚ فَإِذَا عَزَمَ ٱلْأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ

“Obedience and good words. And when the matter [of fighting] was determined, if they had been true to Allāh, it would have been better for them.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Willing obedience and a decent word would have served them better; once the matter turned serious, only truth to Allah would do.

A reflection

Two kinds of truthfulness

"When the matter was resolved", the ayah says, being true to Allah would have been better for them. A classical spiritual writer builds a whole teaching on this sentence. Nothing benefits a servant more, he says, than being true to his Lord in all his affairs. And that truthfulness has two parts.

The first is truthfulness of resolve. Gathering the intention, making it firm, leaving no hesitation in it. A resolve with no wavering and no delay.

The second is truthfulness of action. Once the resolve is true, what remains is to give it everything. Exhaust your capacity. Spend your effort. Hold nothing back, inwardly or outwardly.

He explains what each one protects against. True resolve protects from a weak will and a low aim. True action protects from laziness and slackening. And he adds a promise drawn from experience. Whoever is true to Allah in all his affairs, Allah does for him more than He does for others.

The root of ṣadaqū adds a picture. The lexicons say a spear shaft was ṣadq when it was hard, sound and straight through: it did not snap when put to the test.

Picture a man who has "meant to" learn Arabic for twenty years. Every January it is on his list. This year, he pays upfront for a full year of evening classes, and writes every date into his calendar in ink. That is resolve. Then, on a wet Tuesday in February when he is tired, he goes anyway. That is action.

Most people have plenty of good intentions. What they lack is one of these two. Ask which one you are missing, and ask Allah for it by name.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.