Ayat-e-Tabligh and the Important Points of دعوت و عزیمت

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الرَّسُوْلُ بَلِّغْ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَؕ-وَ اِنْ لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهٗؕ-وَ اللّٰهُ یَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِؕ-اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا یَهْدِی الْقَوْمَ الْكٰفِرِیْنَ(67)

From here begins the ninth lesson and the ninth chapter of the Surah. In the previous section, the evils and ugly actions of the People of the Book were mentioned. Now there is encouragement towards conveying the message: deliver this matter clearly. These people are stubborn and hostile; whether they accept or not, you should clearly convey the truth. Another connection is that previously the evil actions of the Jews were mentioned, and now it is being said that forests are never empty of lions; therefore, present the truth courageously. Every nation contains sensible and intelligent people. Continue conveying the message, and they will accept it. Do not limit the دعوت only to your own people and the Arabs; rather, convey the message to other nations as well. Among them are serious and wise people who will accept the truth and join you in this global and international effort.

Thus, there is encouragement towards تبلیغ, and their reformation is intended. They have created self-made systems and methods and consider themselves successful and honorable because of them. Explain the realities so they may understand, and also explain the reason for their errors and the corruption in their beliefs. Allah Almighty will produce people for you from among them.
“وَ اِذَا سَمِعُوْا مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَى الرَّسُوْلِ” — until verse 86, there is invitation for them and encouragement for the Prophet ﷺ to convey the message.

“یٰۤاَیُّهَا الرَّسُوْلُ بَلِّغْ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ”
O Messenger! Convey whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord, the One nurturing you. “ما انزل” means all that has been revealed; convey everything completely. Just as ایمان بالقرآن does not accept division — that one believes in some verses and not others — and such selective belief is of no benefit, similarly conveying some matters while concealing others is also of no benefit. Rather, all of it is intended.

In Surah Al-An‘am 38, Allah says:
“مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِی الْكِتٰبِ مِنْ شَیْءٍ”
meaning that everything people needed was explained. Therefore, you are the Messenger, so you must also explain it all. In Surah An-Nahl 89:
“وَ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَیْكَ الْكِتٰبَ تِبْیَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَیْءٍ”
And in Surah Yusuf 111:
“وَ تَفْصِیْلَ كُلِّ شَیْءٍ وَّ هُدًى وَّ رَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ یُّؤْمِنُوْنَ۠”

Everything people need exists within the Qur’an, so convey all of it completely. It should not be that only those issues are discussed which suit people’s desires or your own preference, while a large portion of Allah’s Shari‘ah is ignored. In the previous verse, one filthy habit of the Jews was mentioned:
“فَنَسُوْا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوْا بِهٖ”
They abandoned a major portion of what they had been reminded of.

Convey all that has been revealed. This includes both وحیِ جلی and وحیِ خفی. Allah Almighty explained both: He gave the Qur’an and also placed its explanation within your chest:
“ثُمَّ اِنَّ عَلَیْنَا بَیَانَهٗ”
Therefore explain it in the same manner:
“لِتُبَیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَیْهِمْ”

Convey all of it. One indication that “ما انزل الیک” refers to everything, and secondly, “بلغ” is from بابِ تفعیل, which indicates repetition. This means: convey it repeatedly. It is not enough to explain it once and say that is sufficient; rather, continue conveying it again and again. The earth constantly needs water. After some days it again asks for water, and how many times a day do you yourself drink water? Likewise the heart is similar, and the Qur’an is like water for it. Continue explaining it repeatedly at all times. “بلغ” contains the meaning of repetition, and “ما” indicates totality. Convey it again and again. “ربک” — the One who nurtures you revealed it, so He is taking you to perfection. Along with this comes warning and admonition.

“وَ اِنْ لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهٗ”
If you do not do this — meaning “ان لم تبلغ ما انزل الیک من ربک” — it was shortened and said:
“اِنْ لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهٗ”
Meaning, if you did not repeatedly convey it, or did not convey it all completely, then:
“فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهٗ”
you have not fulfilled the right of prophethood, nor completed your duty and responsibility.

Thus “فان لم تفعل” points toward certain conditions. Someone may object: what benefit is there in this wording? For example, outwardly if someone says, “Drink this tea,” and if the person does not drink it, then obviously he did not drink it — so what is the point of saying:
“کل ھذا الطعام وان لم تاکل الطعام فما اکلتہ”
This would appear to be non-beneficial speech. In reality, however, the conditions are intended here: if you did not convey it fully — meaning you conveyed some and concealed some, considering your own interests or people’s reactions — or if you did not convey it repeatedly, mentioning the matter only once and not again and again.

The Prophet ﷺ used to repeat matters so often that people said:
“وَ لِیَقُوْلُوْا دَرَسْتَ”
You have repeated this matter so much that it has become old; enough now. But continue explaining again and again. One never knows when human nature will awaken. If one explanation had been sufficient, then when the Prophet ﷺ first stood on Mount Safa the matter would have ended there. But he continued repeating it, and as a result Hamzah رضي الله عنه awakened in the fifth year, Umar رضي الله عنه in the sixth year, خالد ابن ولید in the sixteenth year, and Abu Sufyan nearly twenty years later. This was the blessing of repeated conveying. Continue repeating the message; one day these dead consciences will awaken.

A third meaning mentioned in مدارک is:
“وان لم تفعل”
If you did not convey it immediately, and instead waited for circumstances and means — saying: “I will first arrange resources, build a mosque, acquire land, and then I will convey the matter” — then:
“فما بلغت رسالته”
you have not conveyed the message.

حضرت عائشہ صدیقہ رضی اللہ عنہا said:
“من حدثك أن محمدا كتم شيئا مما أنزل الله عليه فقد كذب والله يقول يأيها الرسول بلغ ما أنزل إليك من ربك”
Whoever tells you that the Prophet ﷺ concealed anything from “ما انزل” has lied, because Allah says:
“فما بلغت رسالته”

Ibn Kathir mentioned another statement that حضرت عائشہ صدیقہ رضی اللہ عنہا said:
“لو ان محمدا کتم شیئا مما انزل لکتم ھذہ الآیۃ”
If Muhammad ﷺ had concealed anything from what was revealed, he would have concealed this verse, because then concealing the rest would have been easier. He would have hidden this verse for that reason.

Those misguided sects who claim that the Prophet ﷺ did not convey everything and secretly kept certain matters with someone, or that ten more parts are yet to come, are refuted by this verse. Whatever is included in “ما انزل” was fully conveyed by the Prophet ﷺ; nothing was hidden.

A hadith states that during حجۃ الوداع the Prophet ﷺ was riding his camel while more than one hundred thousand companions were present. The Prophet ﷺ announced that on the Day of Judgment people would be asked regarding him whether he had conveyed the message or not. Then he asked them what they would say. The companions replied: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! You not only conveyed the message, but fulfilled its right completely. He asked them:
“الا ھل بلغت”
Have I conveyed the message or not?
The companions replied:
“قد بلغت و ادیت ونصحت”
You conveyed the message, fulfilled the responsibility, and sincerely wished good for the people. You did not merely unload the burden from your shoulders, but rather conveyed it in such a sincere manner that people would accept it.

The Prophet ﷺ then raised his finger toward the sky and pointed it toward the companions, saying repeatedly:
“اللھم اشھد، اللھم اشھد، اللھم اشھد”
O Allah, bear witness. These people testify that I conveyed the message, so You also bear witness.

A person naturally worries, because conveying “ما انزل” properly brings the fear of hardships. There are religious monopolists and worldly rulers. When the true form of Allah’s religion is presented through this دعوت of “ما انزل”, the monopoly of these religious and worldly authorities comes to an end. علامہ اقبال says:

چیست قرآن؟ خواجہ را پیغامِ مرگ
دستگیرِ بندۂ بے ساز و برگ

What is the Qur’an? It is a message of death for the elites and chieftains, the religious monopolists, and a support for the weak and helpless. It strikes at the Pharaohs of every age.

From both groups there will be harm, and worldly interests may also be affected. Therefore Allah says:
“واللہ یعصمک من الناس”
They cannot truly harm you, cannot kill you, and cannot block your worldly benefits. Your benefit will reach you. Thus the promise of protection lies in conveying the message, not in concealing it.

Another point is that difficulties did come to the Prophet ﷺ, but they occurred before this verse. After this verse, no such harm occurred. Secondly, complete protection here means that death will not occur at the hands of enemies; they cannot kill you.

کابلگرام شیخ صاحب رحمہ اللہ تعالیٰ used to say that this promise is for the primary داعی of an area: creation cannot kill you; death is in the hands of Allah Almighty.

A third explanation is that protection here means protection from those things that become obstacles to تبلیغ. Continue giving دعوت, for Allah is the One who protects. They cannot harm you in a way that silences your voice. As for hardships that raise a person’s ranks, attract people’s attention, and spread the message further, such things are naturally connected with دعوت. Similarly illnesses or physical and financial difficulties are not real losses.

When this blessed verse was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ dismissed his guards, saying that Allah Almighty is his Protector.