The Holy Quran, like a brilliant lamp, serves as humanitys guide through the darkness of ignorance and misguidance. This divine scripture, with profound and sagacious language, reveals truths that have often remained concealed within the complexities of history and society. Ayah 118 of Surah Al-Imran is one such enlightening verse, which, with a clear warning, cautions the believers against friendship with strangers and uncovers the latent corruption and enmity in the hearts of some. This writing, with a deep and analytical perspective on this noble verse, endeavours to explore its semantic and sociological layers and elucidate the divine messages for the readers with a clear and dignified language. What follows reflects profound contemplations on the divine verses and historical and social realities, employing metaphors and allusions in pursuit of clarifying the truth of religion in the face of existing realities.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِنْ دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those outside yourselves; they will not spare you any ruin. They wish you hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will reason.
The noble Ayah 118 of Surah Al-Imran is a direct address to the believers, ringing like a bell through the heart of history, warning them to abstain from friendship and intimacy with outsiders. The term binah in this verse refers to a secret friend or confidant, accompanied by trust and intimacy; however, God explicitly forbids the believers from establishing such relationships with man dnakum (those outside of you). These outsiders particularly include Jews, Christians, and other groups present within the Islamic society, whose hearts were filled with rancour and enmity.
The verse substantiates this warning with four clear reasons: First, l yalnakum khablan, indicating that these groups do not refrain from causing corruption and weakness among the believers. Here, khabl refers to an inner corruption that devastates the heart and soul, not merely material corruption. Second, wadd m anittum expresses their desire for the believers suffering and hardship. Third, qad badati al-bughdu min afwhihim narrates the enmity and hatred manifest in their speech. Fourth, wam tukhf udruhum akbar points to a deeper animosity in their hearts, far greater than what is apparent in their words.
The Holy Quran, as the most truthful narrator, recounts realities that are often difficult to address in society. This noble verse, with a profound look at inter-religious relations, speaks of deep enmity among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. However, what makes this truth bitterer is its incompatibility with historical and social realities. The history of religions, like an open book, shows that the people of religionbe they Jews, Christians, or Muslimshave at times been the source of corruption, war, and misery. This corruption has persisted not only in the past but throughout all eras, from the time of the prophets until today.
One of the most painful realities is corruption among Muslims themselves. Various Islamic sects, from Shia and Sunni to Hanbali and Maliki, have at times surpassed even outsiders in enmity and rancour towards each other. This hostility, like a fire under the ashes, is evident in their behaviours and speech. The Holy Quran in this verse explicitly speaks of hatred and rancour that emerge from the speech of the People of the Book, yet this rancour is also visible among Muslims themselves. History demonstrates that these hostilities, from the dawn of Islam to the present day, have dragged religious communities towards destruction like chains.
To clarify this reality, one may look to historical examples. Abu Muslim Khorasani, regarded as one of the most prominent Islamic governors, on his wedding night closed the city and split his wifes horse in two with a sword to prevent anyone from mounting it. This behaviour is not a sign of piety but a symbol of corruption and despotism conducted in the name of religion. Likewise, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, despite his claim to Islam, committed numerous atrocities that history bitterly recalls. These examples serve as mirrors reflecting how religion, in the hands of corrupt individuals, turns into a tool for oppression and crime.
One of the most pivotal points in this interpretation is the distinction between the truth of religion and its reality in society. The truth of religion, like a pure gem, is embedded in philosophy and divine knowledge; yet the reality of religion, as manifested in the behaviour and actions of individuals, is sometimes tainted with corruption and destruction. Religion, in its essence, is a privilege that can guide humans towards perfection, but in the hands of wicked people, it becomes like petrol poured on fire, intensifying oppression and crime. This reality casts a heavy shadow over the history of religions.
Despite this darkness, a light of genuine devotion appears in rare individuals. The narrator speaks of a woman who prays the night prayer in the courtyard of her house with grandeur and solemnity, as if a prophet were worshipping. This woman, with her white chador like a luminous shroud, symbolizes true devotion that shines like a star amid a multitude of corruption. Additionally, the narrator mentions his teacher, Mrs. Golin, and her mother as examples of genuine devotees. These rare individuals, like flowers blooming in the dry spring of religious society, signify that true devotion, though scarce, does exist.
The Holy Quran states in another verse:
Few of My servants are grateful.
This verse testifies that genuine guidance is not found in large gatherings but rather in rare and special individuals. Guidance, like planting a seed in fertile soil, must be selective and individual. Speaking to thousands is like pouring water on stonefruitless. But guiding one capable and worthy individual can, like a mighty tree, yield everlasting fruit.
To understand the depth of corruption in religious societies, one can look at the current situation in Afghanistan. Elections in this country, conducted with the most advanced global technologies, are rife with fraud and corruption. This corruption, like an old wound, signifies the continuation of enmity and rancour that has persisted from the dawn of Islam until today. People, amidst war and misery, are trapped in elections that not only fail to lead to good but become a pretext for strife and slaughter.
Contrasting this darkness, India, with its religious diversity and absence of religious hatred, shines like a terrestrial paradise. In this land, where thousands of religions and sects coexist, an advanced democracy prevails and no one harms another. Free food is offered not with humiliation but with respect, unlike some Islamic societies where even charity is accompanied by abasement. This difference, like a mirror, reflects that the absence of religious rancour can lead a society towards peace and progress.
One of the most bitter realities is the flight of millions from Islamic societies to non-Muslim lands. These individuals, in search of security and better lives, seek refuge in countries that, free from religious hatred, provide them with work and livelihood. This flight, like a silent scream, indicates that religious societies, instead of being sanctuaries, sometimes become prisons for their inhabitants.
Religion, in its essence, is like a fire that can provide warmth and light, but in the hands of corrupt individuals, like petrol poured on this fire, it becomes a factor of destruction. The Holy Quran, by inviting to recite and understand its verses (So recite what is easy [for you] of the Quran), calls humans towards action and reason. Yet in religious societies, this invitation has at times been transformed into a tool for crime and slaughter. The Christian knights who killed in the name of God, and todays extremist groups who terrorise in the name of religion, exemplify this deviation.
Religious science, which ought to guide humans towards truth, is sometimes wielded by unworthy individuals as a justification for oppression and corruption. This deviation does not stem from the essence of religion but from the misuse by individuals. For instance, in some societies, the call to prayer, which should be a summons to unity and worship, has become an empty and superficial cry. This critique, like a double-edged sword, strikes both the abusers of religion and stresses the necessity of returning to the true religion.
Amidst this darkness, examples of genuine devotion do exist. The narrator mentions a wounded veteran boy who expelled his father from the house for worldly wealth, illustrating the absence of true devotion. Conversely, individuals such as the praying woman or the narrators teacher represent the rarity of true devotion. This contrast, like two sides of a coin, reveals the truth and reality of religion: truth in rare individuals, and reality in collective corruption.
Ayah 118 of Surah Al-Imran, as a divine warning, cautions the believers against friendship with outsiders and speaks explicitly of corruption, rancour, and enmity among the People of the Book. However, this verse goes beyond warning against strangers; it acts as a mirror reflecting the corruption within the believers themselves. The history of religionsfrom Jews and Christians to Muslimsis replete with examples where religion was transformed into an instrument of oppression and atrocity. Nevertheless, the truth of religion, like a rare gem, exists within a limited number of individuals. Guidance is fruitful not in large crowds but through capable and worthy individuals. This interpretation, with a sociological outlook and reflection on
