الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ ﴿۱۵۶﴾ أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ ﴿۱۵۷﴾ إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا وَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۱۵۸﴾
﴾156﴿ Allazeena izaaa asaabathum museebatun qaalooo innaa lillaahi wa innaaa ilaihi raaji'oon
﴾157﴿ Ulaaa'ika 'alaihim salawaatun mir Rabbihim wa rahma; wa ulaaa'ika humul muhtadoon
﴾158﴿ Innas Safaa wal-Marwata min sha'aaa'iril laahi faman hajjal Baita awi'tamara falaa junaaha 'alaihi ai yattawwafa bihimaa; wa man tatawwa'a khairan fa innal laaha Shaakirun'Aleem
﴾156﴿ Those who, when a calamity strikes them, say: “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we shall return.”
﴾157﴿ They are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and they are the ones who are rightly guided.
﴾158﴿ Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of the religion of Allah. So whoever performs Hajj to the House (of Allah) or ‘Umrah, there is no sin upon him to walk between the two. And whoever does good willingly — then surely Allah is All-Accepting, All-Knowing.
[156] This verse explains the state of the patient ones, and that saying this phrase is appropriate in every calamity — it is not limited to death alone.
(They said) — What is meant here is that holding this belief in the heart is obligatory, and saying it with the tongue is sunnah.
(Indeed, we belong to Allah) — In terms of ownership, dominion, and servitude, we entirely belong to Allah. We have no power of our own.
(And to Him we shall return) — This means that everything will ultimately perish, and we will return to Him for reckoning.
With this belief, every trial becomes easier to bear.
[157] Three rewards are given in return for three qualities: patience, saying “Indeed, we belong to Allah”, and “Indeed, to Him we shall return.” These may correspond either in order (parallel structure) or in a combined manner.
– (Blessings - صَلَوَاتٌ) refers to divine favors and special mercies.
– (Mercy - رَحْمَةٌ) refers to general mercies that encompass this world and the Hereafter.
– (Guided ones - مُهْتَدُونَ) means those who succeed in achieving their religious and worldly goals.
[158] This verse addresses the ninth objection: During the time of ignorance (Jāhiliyyah), there was an idol named Usāf on Safa and another named Nā’ila on Marwah, and the polytheists used to perform ritual rounds (ṭawāf) around them.
When Islam prescribed walking between Safa and Marwah, the Jews and polytheists objected, saying: “You prohibit us from shirk, yet you yourselves imitate it.” As a result, some believers had doubts, as mentioned in the hadith of Bukhari regarding a group of the Ansār:
– One group used to perform ṭawāf of Manāt in Jāhiliyyah and considered Safa and Marwah impermissible.
– Another group used to perform ṭawāf of Safa and Marwah during Jāhiliyyah and thought it was sinful after entering Islam.
The response was that these places were originally sites of Tawḥīd, and the involvement of polytheists did not taint their sanctity.
– (Sha‘ā’ir Allāh): The plural of sha‘īrah, meaning a distinct symbol — used here for acts of obedience, worship, or places specifically marked as signs of Islam by which Muslims are recognized.
– Ḥajj(pilgrimage): Linguistically means “intent,” but in Sharī‘ah it refers to a specific act of worship related to the Ka‘bah and its surroundings.
– (Or performs ‘Umrah): In language, it means visiting, but in Sharī‘ah it is a specific ritual act.
– (There is no sin upon him): The purpose is not merely to say it is allowed, but to remove any doubt — in fact, walking between them is obligatory.
– Ṭawāf: Literally means repeated movement back and forth; here it refers to sa‘y (walking briskly) between Safa and Marwah in accordance with the sunnah.