The Quran

140

Preface

إِن يَمسَسكُم قَرحٌ فَقَد مَسَّ القَومَ قَرحٌ مِثلُهُ ۚ وَتِلكَ الأَيّامُ نُداوِلُها بَينَ النّاسِ وَلِيَعلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنكُم شُهَداءَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الظّالِمينَ

Yusuf Ali

If a wound hath touched you,¹ be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that God may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyr-witnesses (to Truth). And God loveth not those that do wrong.

These general considerations apply in particular to the disaster in Uḥud. (1) In a fight for truth, if you are hurt, be sure the adversary has suffered hurt also, the more so as he has no faith to sustain him. (2) Success or failure in this world comes to all at varying times: we must not grumble, as we do not see the whole of God’s Plan. (3) Men’s true mettle is known in adversity as gold is assayed in fire: Cf. also 3:154, n. 467. (4) Martyrdom is in itself an honour and a privilege; how glorious is the fame of Ḥamza the Martyr,and in later times, of Ḥasan and Ḥusain? (5) If there is any dross in us, it will be purified by resistance and struggle. (6) When evil is given rope a little, it works out its own destruction: the orgies of cruelty indulged in by the Pagans after what they supposed to be their victory at Uḥud filled up their cup of iniquity; it lost them the support and adherence of the best in their own ranks, and hastened the destruction of Paganism from Arabia, Cf. 3:127 and n. 448.