أَنصَارِ

5:112; 61:15.

Important Words:

الحواریون (disciples) is the plural of حواری (a disciple) which is derived from حار which means, he or it returned; or he became perplexed. حار الثوب means, he washed the cloth and rendered it white. حواری means: (1) one who whitens clothes by washing them, i.e. a washerman; (2) one who has been tried and found to be free from vice or fault; (3) a person of pure and unsullied character; (4) one who advises or counsels or acts honestly and faithfully; (5) a true and sincere friend or helper; (6) a select friend and helper of a Prophet; (7) a relation. The disciples of Jesus were called حواریون because they helped him in his work, or because they were white or pure of heart, or because they made the hearts of other people white and pure by their noble teachings and good example, or (as some have thought) because some of them were washermen by profession (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). The Quran has used the word in the sense of helpers, as the words that follow indicate.

Commentary:

In this verse, the Quran has cleared the disciples of Jesus of the serious lapses ascribed to them in the Gospels. They were sincere helpers in the cause of God, believing in the mission of Jesus and making no secret of their faith.

The word حواری as explained under Important Words above, signifies a reliable helper and disciple of a Prophet. From an authentic saying of the Holy Prophet, the word appears to have also been once applied by him to one of his trustworthy and distinguished Companions, Zubair bin ‘Awwam, who, on an occasion of great danger, went alone boldly in the enemy camp during an extremely cold and dark night and brought back necessary information (Bukhari).

58:23; 98:9.

Important Words:

السابقون (foremost) is the plural of السابق being derived from سبق. They say سبقه i.e. he got or went or came before him or ahead of him; he outstripped him in a race, etc. So سابق is one who outstrips others in faith and actions (Lane).

الاولون (the first) is the plural of الاول which is derived from وأل being the opposite of الآخر i.e. the last. اول means, the first; one preceding all others (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse mentions two distinctive qualifications of prominent believers: (1) السابقون i.e. those who are foremost in spiritual rank, outstripping others in faith and actions; and (2) الاولون i.e. those who are the first to believe, others only following them.

The Companions of the Holy Prophet are thus held up here as models for others, being both foremost in rank and the first to believe. Nay, even those, who sincerely followed in their footsteps, became the favoured ones of God. Incidentally, the verse also constitutes a forcible refutation of the Shia accusations against the first three Successors of the Holy Prophet and his prominent Companions.

Commentary:

It is clear from this verse that the word تاب (turned with mercy) does not necessarily mean "turning with mercy by way of accepting repentance." It also means, as in the present verse, "bestowing favour upon a person, or being gracious to him," for it has been used here with regard to the Holy Prophet and those who cheerfully followed him in the hour of distress. Indeed, in the case of the Holy Prophet and his faithful followers it was not an occasion for granting forgiveness but for bestowing reward. As it was an "hour of distress" for the Muslims, the expedition to Tabuk is rightly known as غزوة العسرة (Ghazwatul-‘Usrah), i.e. the Expedition of Distress.

3:53; 5:112.

Commentary:

Of the three religious groups among the Jews to whom Jesus preached his Message—the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes—Jesus belonged to the last, while he had not yet been commissioned as a Divine Preacher. The Essenes were a highly religious and righteous people who lived away from the world’s hustle and bustle, passing their time in meditation and prayer and in the service of humanity. It was from these people that most of Jesus’s early followers came ("The Dead Sea Community" by Kurt Schubert and "The Crucifixion by an Eye-Witness"). They have been called "Helpers" by Eusephus.

The concluding words of the Surah are indeed very prophetic. Throughout the ages the followers of Jesus have enjoyed power and precedence over their enemies—the Jews. They have founded and ruled over vast and powerful empires while the Jews have been a dispersed people so much so that "The Wandering Jew" has become a byword.