Surah Ahzab ayat 21 Tafsir Quran 33:21

﴿لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾
[ الأحزاب: 21]

33:21 There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.

Verily there is for you a good example read iswa or uswa in the Messenger of God to emulate in combat and in holding one’s ground therein for whoever li-man substitutes for lakum ‘for you’ hopes for the encounter with God fears Him and the Last Day and remembers God often in contrast to those who do not.

You people have always had an exemplar of the Messenger of Allah who displays a good quality as well as a magnificent attribute of a great master whose conduct induces imitation by the one in whose bosom hope springs eternal of Allahs mercy and of the bliss of the hereafter and applies remembrance to Allah often enough

The Command to follow the Messenger ﷺ This Ayah is an important principle, to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in all his words, and deeds, etc.
Hence Allah commanded the people to take the Prophet as an example on the day of Al-Ahzab, with regard to patience, guarding, striving and waiting for Allah to provide the way out; may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him forever, until the Day of Judgement.
Allah says to those who were anxious and impatient and were shaken by feelings of panic on the day of Al-Ahzab: لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ ( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow ) meaning, `why do you not take him as an example and follow his lead' Allah says: لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الاٌّخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً ( for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much. ) The Attitude of the Believers towards the Confederates Then Allah tells us about His believing servants who believed Allah's promise to them and how He will make the consequences good for them in this world and in the Hereafter.
He says: وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الاٌّحْزَابَ قَالُواْ هَـذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ( And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: "This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us; and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth." ) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Qatadah said: "They mean what Allah said in Surat Al-Baqarah: أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ ( Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials ) as came to those who passed away before you They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said,"When ( will come ) the help of Allah" Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!) ( 2:214 ) meaning, `this is the trial and test that Allah and His Messenger promised us would be followed by the help and victory of Allah that is near.' Allah says: وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ( and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth.
) وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلاَّ إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيماً ( And it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness. ) This indicates that faith can increase and strengthen in accordance with people's circumstances, as the majority of scholars stated: faith can increase and decrease.
We have stated this at the beginning of our commentary on Al-Bukhari, praise be to Allah. وَمَا زَادَهُمْ ( And it only added ) means, at that time of stress and difficulty إِلاَّ إِيمَانًا ( to their faith ) in Allah, وَتَسْلِيماً ( and to their submissiveness. ) means their submission to His commands and their obedience to His Messenger .

(33:21) Surely there was a good example for you in the Messenger of Allah, *34 for all those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much. *35

There has certainly been for you in meaning

*34) In view of the context in which this verse occurs, the object of presenting the Holy Prophet's conduct and way of life as a model was to teach a lesson to the people, who had been motivated by considerations of selfish interests and personal safety on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench.
They are being addressed, as if to say: " You claimed to be the believers and Muslims and followers of the Holy Messenger.
You should have seen how the Messenger whose followers you claimed to be conducted himself on the occasion.
If the leader of a group is himself a seeker of personal security, is lazy and indolent, gives preference to personal interests to everything else, and is ever ready to flee danger, it would be reasonable to expect manifestation of such weakness from his followers.
But here the case was different.
The Holy Prophet endured along with others every toil and labour that he asked others to endure, and endured better than others; there was no trouble which others might have experienced and he himself did.
not.
He was among those who dug the trench, and endured hunger and other afflictions just as the common Muslims did.
He did not leave the battlefront even for a moment during the siege nor retreated an inch.
After the betrayal of the Bani Quraizah his own family had also been exposed to danger even as the families of the other Muslims were.
He did not make any special arrangement for his own and his family's protection, which did not exist for others.
He was always in the forefront to offer maximum sacrifices for the great objectives for which he was constantly asking others to make sacrifices.
Therefore, whoever made a claim of being his follower should have followed the practical example set by the leader.

This is the meaning of the verse in the context here.
But its words are general and there is no reason why it should be confined to these meanings only.
AIlah dces not.
say that only in this respect His Messenger's life is a model for the Muslims to follow, but has regarded it as a model absolutely.
Therefore, the verse demands that the Muslims should take the Holy Prophet's life as a model for themselves in every affair of life and should mould their character and personality according to it.

*35) That is, "The Prophet's life is no model for the person who is forgetful of God, but it certainly is a model for him who remembers Allah much and consistently and not only occasionally just by chance.
Likewise, this life is no model for him who has no hope from Allah and does not expect Resurrection to take place, but it is most surely a model for the person who is hopeful of Allah's grace and His favors, and who is also mindful that the Day of Judgement will come when his well-being will wholly depend on how closely his conduct resembled the conduct and character of the Messenger of Allah in this world.
"
 

The Command to follow the Messenger ﷺ This Ayah is an important principle, to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in all his words, and deeds, etc.
Hence Allah commanded the people to take the Prophet as an example on the day of Al-Ahzab, with regard to patience, guarding, striving and waiting for Allah to provide the way out; may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him forever, until the Day of Judgement.
Allah says to those who were anxious and impatient and were shaken by feelings of panic on the day of Al-Ahzab: لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ ( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow ) meaning, `why do you not take him as an example and follow his lead' Allah says: لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الاٌّخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً ( for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much. ) The Attitude of the Believers towards the Confederates Then Allah tells us about His believing servants who believed Allah's promise to them and how He will make the consequences good for them in this world and in the Hereafter.
He says: وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الاٌّحْزَابَ قَالُواْ هَـذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ( And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: "This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us; and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth." ) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Qatadah said: "They mean what Allah said in Surat Al-Baqarah: أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ ( Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials ) as came to those who passed away before you They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said,"When ( will come ) the help of Allah" Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!) ( 2:214 ) meaning, `this is the trial and test that Allah and His Messenger promised us would be followed by the help and victory of Allah that is near.' Allah says: وَصَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ( and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth.
) وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلاَّ إِيمَانًا وَتَسْلِيماً ( And it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness. ) This indicates that faith can increase and strengthen in accordance with people's circumstances, as the majority of scholars stated: faith can increase and decrease.
We have stated this at the beginning of our commentary on Al-Bukhari, praise be to Allah. وَمَا زَادَهُمْ ( And it only added ) means, at that time of stress and difficulty إِلاَّ إِيمَانًا ( to their faith ) in Allah, وَتَسْلِيماً ( and to their submissiveness. ) means their submission to His commands and their obedience to His Messenger .

( Verily in the Messenger of Allah ye have a good example ) a good wont and goodly imitation in staying with him in the Ditch ( for him who looketh unto Allah ) for he who longs for Allah’s bounty and reward; it is also said that this means: for he who fears Allah ( and the last Day ) and fears the chastisement of the Hereafter, ( and remembereth Allah much ) with his tongue and heart.

Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.

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