Surah 33

33. SURAH AL-AHZAB (THE CONFEDERATES)

NAME : The Surah takes its name from the word ‘Al-Ahzab’ occurring in the Ayah No.20, alluding to those groups of Makkans who had united and had launched an attack on Madina, against the people.of Faith.

TIME OF REVELATION: It was revealed in Madina, after the Battle of Ahzab, which took place in the month of Shawwal of 05 Hejira.

CENTRAL THEME : The office of prophethood, its demands and the attitude of the people of Faith with the Prophet in the light of the events.

ORDER OF THE VERSES : Ayat Nos. 1 to 3 are the introductory verses, in which the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, has been emphatically instructed not to be misled by what the disbelievers and the hypocrites say, to put his trust in Allah and to follow the revelation from Him.

In Verses Nos. 4 to 8, the need for the reformation of custom of adopting sons is stated and the relationship of the people of faith with the Prophet (S.A.W.) and the place of the holy wives of the Prophet is clarified. Besides it also reminds of the promise taken from every prophet about the sincere following of Allah’s religion.

Ayat Nos. 9 to 27 are a review of the Battles of Ahzab and Bani Quraizah, which bring into focus how in these emergent conditions Allah’s help had appeared, and it is the proof of the fact that for the solution of the problems of the people of faith divine help is sufficient. Therefore, they should not care for anybody else but should go on fulfilling their own responsibilities.

Verses Nos. 28 to 34 are addresse to the wives of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, and their place is explained to them and in that connection their responsibilities have been made clear to them.

In Verses Nos. 35 to 40 the custom of not marrying the divorced or widowed wife of the adopted son has been ended, and in this connection the nikah of the Prophet with Zainab (R) has been presented as an example.

In Ayat Nos. 41 to 44 the people of faith. having been directed to remember Allah often, are given the glad tidings of mercy and magnificent rewards.

Ayat Nos. 45 to 48 are addressed to the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, and his greatness is explained. In Ayat Nos. 49 to 52 first a problem of talaq is narrated and then the Prophet is given specific directions concerning his wives.

Verses Nos. 53 to 62 contain the commands concerning purdah.

In Verses Nos. 63 to 68 the Doomsday and the Hereafter are mentioned. Ayat Nos. 69 to 73 contain instructions to the people of faith about their responsibilities and the hypocrites are warned. Narratives creating doubts about Quran : Among various narratives there are certain narratives which give an impression that in the Surah Al-Ahzab there were 200 ayat, but when Uthman (R) copied down the Quran, he could write only those ayat which are at present found in the Quran. After quoting this narrative, Allama Aalusi writes that from this it appears that some part of Quran has been lost, but such a narrative can only be an invented and conoctcd one. In fact every narrative which states that some part of Quran has been lost is either invented or needs some interpretation (i.e. it means something else.) -(Tafseer Ruhul Ma’ani Vol. 7 P.142).

The fact is that when due to differences various sects came into existence among Muslims, they invented many narratives in support of their creed and beliefs, and mixed them up with the authentic narratives in such a way that it became difficult to distinguish between the true and false narratives. Particularly those people who exaggerated the greatness of Ali (R.) and who invented the new creed of “Imamat”, invented the narratives in such a large number that the very foundation of the religion was shaken. And they tried to create an impression that some of the Quranic ayat have been caused to be lost or that their words have been dropped, for example the ayah No.71 of Surah Ahzab: “And whoever will obey Allah and His messenger, verily he will achieve great success;” in connection with this ayah the most important book of the Shiah, Usulul Kafi, contains this narrative of Abu Baseer that Hajrat Jaffer Sadiq states that this ayah was revealed like this: “And whoever obeys Allah and His messenger ( in the matter of Ali and the Imams after him) will achieve great success.”–(Usulul Kafi Vol.1, page 342, Al-Maktabatul Islamiah, Tehran).

Similarly there is a tradition in Usulul Kafi, narrated by Hazrat Jaffer Sadiq, that Jibril, (P.b.u.h.) had brought this revelation to Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam: “O People of the Book! Believe in what We have sent down (about Ali) it is clear light.” (Usulul Kafi,Vol.1.P.345).

But this ayah is nowhere to be found in the Quran.There are certain narratives in which something has been added in the name of differences with the Quran: for example in ayah No.6 of Surah Ahzab, the words’ and he is father of the Muslims’ have been added after the words ‘and his wives are mothers of Muslims. ‘And it is also claimed that in Quran there was an ayah for the punishment of stoning of the person committing illegal sex act (Ash-Shaikh wash Shaikhah..), but later on it was cancelled. (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer Vol.3,page 465).

Or it is also claimed that in the Quran copied by Abdullah Ibn Masood (R) the two last surahs (Falaq and An-nas) were not there at all. By inventing such narratives provision was made for creating great mischief, and it is a pity that such narratives found place in Tafseers, although these narratives deserved to be thrown out looking to their contents, for Quran has itself given a guarantee of its own protection and authenticity. “Surely We sent down this Reminder, and We Ourselves are its Guardian.”-(Surah Al- Hijr-9).

And this is confirmed by continuity and certainty that the Divine Book which is with us today is the perfect and whole Quran and not even the slightest change was ever effected in it. As for the difference in the qir’at (mode of recitation), it can be tolerated only to the extent that it does not affect the meaning of the ayat, e.g. in Surah Ghashiya the word “Musaitir” can be recited as if written with a “saad” or with “seen.” But those narratives which give credence to such a difference between the mode of recitation which cause a change of meaning, they cannot be accepted. Imam Razi writes: “A(shaz) rare mode of recitation cannot override or cancel a continually accepted mode of recitation. Therefore we trust continually accepted mode of recitation for the support of our school of thought, and also because the mode of recitation which is rare is not a proof according to us, for us its position is not that of Quran.

If that mode of recitation were Quran then it would have been essentially continually accepted. And if we make a concession that a part of Quran was not passed on without a break, then we will open a gate for the Rafzis and atheists to make charges against the reliability of Quran, and it will be possible to say that there were in the Quran such verses that were the divine proof of “Imamat” (Leadership) of Ali (R), but that they did not reach us. And it can also be said that there were in the Quran many ayat cancelling certain Shariah commands, but they also did not reach us. But it is false on the ground that if this were a part of the Quran it would have been continually passed on to us, and when it is not continually accepted it is essentially not Quran. Therefore, it is proved that a rare mode of recitation is not an acceptable argument.” (At-Tafseerul Kabeer, Vol. II, page 227).

33. SURAH AL-AHZAB (THE CONFEDERATES) Ayat: 73

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. O Prophet ! ¹ Have fear of Allah, and do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites.² Verily Allah is All- Knowing, Wise.³

2. Follow that which is revealed ⁴ to you from your Lord. Verily, Allah is aware of what you do.

3. And put your trust in Allah. ⁵ And Allah is sufficient as a Guardian.

4. Allah has not made two hearts ⁶ for any man within his body, nor has he made your wives whom you declare as your mothers as your mothers,⁷ nor has He made your adopted sons your sons.⁸ This is but a saying of your mouths.⁹ And Allah speaks the truth and He guides to the right path. ¹⁰

5. Call your adopted sons by their fathers¹¹ that is most just in the sight of Allah.l² And if you do not know their fathers, regard them as your brothers in faith and friends.¹³And there is no sin for you in the mistakes you make unintentionally, but what you intend from your hearts! ¹⁴ (that will be a sin for you). Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

(COMMENTARY)

1.“Nabi” (Prophet) means one who gives information about Allah (Lissan-ul- Arab,Vol.I.P. 162), and in the terminology of Quran it means that person to whom revelation is sent down by Allah, and who gives information to the people on the basis of this special means of knowledge, and conveys Allah’s commands.

Here the address is to the Quran’s prophet, Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. Nowhere in the Quran the prophet has been addressed by name, i.e. as’ O Muhammad: ‘He has been called by his designation of prophethood as’ O Prophet: ‘It expresses his elevated position as also it gives the guideline that while addressing him proper etiquette be observed, because he is the prophet of the time.

2. This emphatic command was given to the prophet at a time when it was necessary to take some steps to reform a problem concerning the family life, and it is a proof of the fact that the Shariah is not a self-invented matter, but that it decides on the commands from Allah, obeying which was also essential for Prophet also.

The meaning of the verse is that in obeying any Shariah command when it is against the current social system there should be no hesitation whatsoever, nor should you worry about the jeers and reproaches of the disbelievers and the hypocrites, nor should you care about any wrong propaganda that they may be doing against you, but that you should adopt such a righteous stance that all these things should seem insignificant to you.

3. Allah has knowledge and wisdom, therefore, all His Shariah commands are based on full knowledge and wisdom.

4. The command to obey the divine commands is given to the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, and through him to all people. This revelation has taken into its area of operation all the corners of the human life, which means obedience is not restricted to religious matters only, but that they should be obeyed in all matters. After this guideline there is no room for dividing life into secular and non-secular slots.

5. That is: The oppositions that you will have to face on account of your obeying the divine commands should not be allowed to impress you at all, but that you should put your trust in Allah who will relieve you of all your troubles and make you reach your, goal. Trust in God is the fruit of sincere belief. It fills the heart with certainty and sets it firm on truth.

6. The mould in which Allah has created man, according to that only one personality is active in that. Accordingly, a woman is the mother of her children, but she does not become the mother of her husband by merely his saying that she is his mother. So also a man’s children are only those who are born from his own seed. By merely saying some one to be one’s son, that one does not become a son. Thus the adopted son does not take the place of the real son.

Besides this, there is another meaning hidden in this verse that in every man according to his own creation there is only one personality that can decide and determine a thing, that is he can either be a faithful (momin)or a denier (kafir).It is not possible that a man be a Momin and also a Kafir, disbeliever, and because of collecting contradictory things in himself he deserves to be called a hypocrite.

7. In the pre-Islamic day (Jahiliyah) if anybody told his wife that she was like ‘the back of his mother’ for him, then she used to be unlawful (haram) for him as a wife. Then he could neither live with her as a husband nor could he give her divorce. Quran has reformed this wrong practice of the pre-Islamic days, which has been hinted at in the ayah, and the detailed command in this connection is given in the Surah Mujadilah.

Here the idea is to clarify that a wife does not become a man’s mother by his saying that she is his mother, because such a thing is contrary to realism. Therefore, one should avoid saying such things or such words or expressing such sentiments.

8. In the pre-Islamic days the adopted were treated as equal to the real begotten sons. No person could marry the divorced wife of his adopted son, and the adopted son used to be his legal heir. But since just calling some one as your son does not make him in reality your son, therefore, the Shariah commands which apply to the real begotten son cannot apply to the adopted son. These ayat were revealed in order to reform this custom, and the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, provides the practical model for such a reform, which will be described further.

It may be noted that Islam does not prevent any one from helping or sponsoring any orphan children or from being their guardians; it considers it a great act of virtue, but it does not permit one to consider such a child as one’s own real son. In this connection it has put the following restrictions:

1. The boy should be called as the son of his real father.

2. The adopted son’s wife does not become the daughter-in-law of the person sponsoring him, therefore, nothing should stop him from marrying her after she become a widow or is divorced, if his mentor wants it.

3.The son living in the guardian’s house cannot be his heir. However, if the mentor desires, he can execute a will in favour of the boy according to the Islamic law, bequeathing one third of his property to the boy if he so desires.

4. The boy will be a ‘Na Mahram’ (stranger) for the ladies of the house, and on his becoming adult the ladies will have to follow the same restrictions as they do in the case of strangers, according to Shariah.

In the modern times governments generally adopt such rules of law which give the same status in law to the adopted son as to the real begotten son, and such a step is presented as sympathy and a means of providing maintenance and guardianship to the helpless orphans, etc. but the imbalances which it creates in the family life of the concerned persons and the rights of the real relatives which are trampled upon are lost sight of, while other steps to solve the problem of the helpless orphans and needy children can be adopted, and these steps can be the same as suggested in the Shariah.

9. Such things cannot be given the status of the Shariah.

10. The guidance of Allah only is right and all other guidance’s are false, and wrong.

11. That is: Do not call the children being looked after by other persons as sons of those persons, but call them after the names of their real fathers. It indicates the relationship as also it is the just thing to do. Zaid (R) was brought up by the Prophet as his son and he was being called as Zaid bin Muhammad, but after the revelation of this ayah, he was called Zaid bin Haritha.

From this ayah it has also become clear that every one should be called after the name of his father, i.e. X son of Y, M son of N, etc. And in the hadith it is stated that on the Day of Judgment everybody will be called as some one son of some one, etc. except Prophet Eesa (Jesus) who would be addressed as Eesa Ibn Maryam, because he was born without a father.

In India, women after marriage call themselves after their husbands as some one wife of some one, while the relationship of marriage is not permanent, but the relationship of father and daughter is unchangeable, therefore, the Islamic system is to put the name of father after the name of the woman, as some one daughter of some one. The names of the wives of the Prophet were taken with the names of their fathers, like Ayesha daughter of Abu Bakr, Hafsa daughter of Umar, and the Prophet’s daughter was called Fatima Binte Muhammad.

12. It is according to reality and it also ensures that the rights of the fathers are also not trampled upon.

13. That is: If somebody’s father is not known, they do not call him as the son of some one other than his father, but that in their case adopt an attitude of love and sympathy of a co-religionist. Islam admonishes for stating wrong fatherly connection. In the hadith it is stated:

“Whoever relates himself as a son to a person who is not his father, in spite of knowing that he is not his father, for such a person Paradise is haram (forbidden)”- (Muslim, kitabul Iman).

At the same time Islam forbids people to disrespect those whose fathers are not known and persuades Muslims to call them as their religious brothers and friends.

14. That is: The errors committed by you unwittingly and unknowingly, there is no accountability for you for that. But if you have intentionally stated the wrong fatherly connection, then you will have to account for it.

6. The Prophet has a greater claim ¹⁵ on the people of faith than they have on each other and his wives are their mothers. ¹⁶ Blood relations are closer to one another in the Book of Allah than to other believers and muhajirs, although you may act kindly with your friends.¹⁷ This is decreed in Allah’s Book.¹⁸

7. And (recall) when We took a covenant from the Prophets, and from you (O Prophet!) and also from Nooh, Ibrahim, Moosa and Eesa, son of Maryam,We took from them a solemn covenant ; ¹⁹

8. So that He may question²⁰ the truthfulness about their truthfulness. And for the disbelievers He has prepared a painful punishment.²¹

9. O you who believe! Remember Allah’s favour to you when there came against you armies, and We sent against them wind and armies you could not see.²² And Allah is ever watchful of what you do.

10. When they came upon you from above you and from below you ²³, and the eyes were blurred and the hearts leapt to your throats,²⁴ and you were imagining various things about Allah.

11. There the believers were put to test, and were shaken with a mighty shock ²⁵.

12. And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease²⁶, were saying: “Allah and His messenger promised us nothing, but delusion.”²⁷

15. The relationship of the Prophet with the people of faith takes precedence over all other relationships, for the reason that it is the demand of the faith and also because he is a greater well wisher of theirs than they are of themselves. Therefore, the people of faith should give him precedence over their own selves, they should love him devotedly, they should consider him dearer than their own lives, they should protect him at the risk of their own lives and accept all his decisions without the slightest hesitation. In a hadith it is stated:-

“None of you can be a faithful unless I am more dear to him than his father, his children and all the people.”-(Bukhari, Kitab - ul - Iman)

16. The special nature of relationship between the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, and the people of faith demanded that his wives should have the status of mothers for them, and after him nikah with them should be forbidden. Therefore, in the Verse No.53 of this Surah it has been clearly forbidden and declared haram.

By giving the holy wives of the Prophet the status of the mothers of the people of Faith, emphasis is laid on giving the utmost respect and a special position to them in the Ummah so that nothing done by a Muslim should cause any kind of ill feeling to the Prophet.

(See Ayah No.53), but it is very regrettable that inspite of this clear direction a sect of Muslims, in its exaggeration of regard and devotion for Ali(R),has made. Ayesha Siddiqah (R) the butt of its abuses. These people considering their creed to be right and with their mental reservations, when they study the Quran and come across anything against their own creed and belief, they try to interpret it in an absurd way. Thus they continue to go astray even after reading Quran.

17. That is: So far as the heir ship is concerned, according to Allah’s law only blood relations will be considered lawful to be declared as the heirs. This is a hint of the fact that the status of mothers of the Faithful given to the holy wives of the Prophet has no relation to the heirship of the Muslims. Besides it also indicates that the relationship of brotherhood that was established between the Muhajirs from Makkah and the Ansars from Madina and as a result of that relationship Ansars had shared their property equally with the Muhajireen, this relationship was of a temporary nature and because of it they could not be heir to one another’s property, because Islam’s law of heirship takes into account only the blood and uterine relationships. However, other forms of beneficiary dealings can be adopted to oblige one’s friends and others, e.g. to give something to them in one’s lifetime only, or to execute a will bequeathing up to one third of the property in their favour.

18. Refers to that law of heirship which has been described in Surah Nisa. Moreover in Surah Anfal also precedence is given to the blood and uterine relations’ economic rights.

19.The covenant refers to the solemn of promise fulfilling the responsibilities of Prophethood, as is clear from the reference to context. This responsibility becomes compulsory for a prophet to fulfill on his being appointed a prophet by God. In these duties is included the obedience of Allah’s commands as revealed to him,without fearing the people, and conveying the divine message to the people, making clear the teachings of His religion. In the Ayah No.2 of this Surah the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, has himself been asked to follow the command contained in His revelation. Further on in the ayah No.39 it is clarified that prophets convey Allah’s messages and have fear of Him; they do not fear anyone else but Him. In the ayah a general mention is made of the covenant taken from the prophets, and names of the great prophets have been mentioned in particular.

20. On the Day of Judgment prophets will be asked whether they had conveyed the message of Allah and whether they had themselves followed them or not with truthfulness. In Surah A’raf it is stated:

“So (remember) We will question those to whom our messengers were sent, and we will question the messengers well.”(Surah A’raf.6)

21. That is: when through the Prophets the divine message will be conveyed convincingly to the people, then those who will deny the message will be liable to receive painful punishment.

22. This refers to the Battle of the Trench in which Allah’s help came in support of the people of faith, and although they were smaller in number, the armies of the enemy could not defeat them, but returned without even giving a fight.

This battle, which is also called the Battle of the Confederates, took place in Shawwal, 05 Hijra (627 Christian era). The Jewish tribe, Bani Nadir, having been exiled from Madina, prompted the disbelievers to fight the Muslims. Accordingly Huyay bin Akhtab, Chief of the Bani Nadir Tribe, led a delegation to Makkah, and prepared the Quraish to unite and launch an attack on Madina. The tribe of Ghatfan was also prompted to take up arms. When the Prophet came to know of this, he ordered a two kilometer long trench to be dug, on the advice of Salman (R),around the northern and western sides of Madina, from where the disbelievers could reach Madina. -(Ghazwatul Ahzab-Muhammad Ahmed Bashmeel, page 162). In the work of digging the trench the companions of the Prophet worked very hard, and the prophet himself took part in the digging. The Muslims took position this side of the trench, keeping the Sala’ hills at their back. Muslims were 3000 in number, among them were some hypocrites also. The Quraish reached the other side of the trench with Bani Kananah, and from Najd came Ghatfan, Hawazan and other tribes. These armies numbering 10000 reached outskirts of Madina to fight against Muslims. These armies were fully armed and well equipped. One Jewish tribe, Bani Quraizah, who had a pact with the Muslims and was stationed in the eastern side of Madina, broke its pact and declared its support for the disbelievers. This siege of the disbelievers lasted for one month, but Allah arranged the help of the angels by sending them down and created such an awe that the disbelievers could not take any action against the Muslims. And He arranged such severe and cold wind to blow that the tents of the attacking armies were blown away and the soldiers could not take their position. All the camp fires were extinguished and such a darkness fell that the disbelievers decided to call it a day and ultimately all the armies returned unsuccessful. After the retreat of the enemy, Muslims went back to their homes. Allah’s help appeared in favour of Muslims in such a way that there was no need to fight, and all the schemes and plans of the deniers failed. This is the favour of Allah about which a reference is made in the Ayah, and this was such a great favour that after this the disbelievers never dared to launch an attack on Madina. The Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, had, on the retreat of the infidels, said:

“Now the Quraish will never be able to attack you, now you will launch at attack on them. And this prophecy came to be true, word by word. The idolaters thereafter never dared turn towards Madina for attack. However, Muslims became so powerful that they turned to Makkah and conquered it.

It has become clear that if the people of faith set out to raise the word of God at the risk of their own lives, then Allah comes to their assistance in an extra-ordinary way.

23. From above means from the eastern side of Madina and from below means from the western side of Madina. The higher part of Madina is on the eastern side and the lower part on the western side. From the east, armies of Ghatfan and Hawazan had come and Quraish and Bani Kananah etc. had come from the west.

24. This style of speech expresses that state of mind which is under great fright. This has been said addressing the Muslims, but it is meant for those who were weak in their faith. The condition of sincere Muslims was quite different, as is mentioned in the verses Nos. 22 and 23.

25. That is: The severe conditions which the Muslims had to face at the time of the Battle of the Trench was the result of Allah’s scheme, which wanted to test who among the people of the faith were sincere and who were in doubts and were hypocrites.

26. Disease here means doubt. Those who doubted about the truthfulness of the Quran and the Prophet were these hypocrites.

27. That is: The promise of Allah’s help and success and victory.

13. And when a group of them said: “O people of Yathrib²⁸ ! There is no room for you to stand, so return.”²⁹ And one group of them was seeking permission of the Prophet, saying: “Verily our homes are defenceless.”And they were not defenceless, but they wished to flee.³⁰

14. Had the city been entered from the sides, and they had been exhorted to treachery, they would have committed it, and would have hesitated thereupon but little. ³¹

15. And verily before that they swore to Allah that they would never turn their back in flight.³² And an oath to Allah must be answered for.

16. Say: “Flight will not benefit you if you flee from death or killing, and you will enjoy this world only for a little while.”³³

17. Say: “Who is he who can protect you from Allah if He intends to harm you or intends to show mercy to you.” They will not find that they have any friend or helper other than Allah.

18. Allah knows well those of you who hinder(in war efforts)and who say to their brethren : “Come join us;”³⁴ and seldom take part in the stress of the battle,

19. Being reluctant ³⁵ to assist you. When fear overtakes them, they look to you with rolling eyes like one who faints to death.³⁶ And when fear departs, they assail you with their sharp tongues ³⁷ in their greed for the spoils of war. Such men have no faith. Therefore, Allah makes their deeds fruitless,³⁸ and that is very easy for Allah.³⁹

28. Yathrib is the old name of Madinatun Nabawi.

29. That is: You are not in a position to fight against the army which is coming to attack you. Therefore, it is better that you return to your homes so that the fighting may not take place.

30. In Madina children and women were removed to the safe fortifications. Therefore, this excuse of the hypocrites was not true that their houses were lying open and defenseless, therefore, they should be allowed to return home.

Actually they had no courage to face the enemy, and they wanted to flee away leaving the war front and their excuse was that their homes were not safe.

31. That is: If the enemy were to enter Madina and demand of them some mischievous thing like killing the companions of the Prophet or turning away from Islam, they would not have hesitated in accepting this demand, because they were not sincere in their faith.

32. This is a hint at the fact that they were trying to remove disgrace which was the result of the weakness shown by them in the Battle of Uhud by saying that on the next occasion to be provided by Allah they would fight bravely and would never show their backs. But when in the Battle of the Trench the chance to show their good faith and bravery came, they were trying to search excuses for running away from the front.

33. To try to flee from the battle front for fear of death or being killed is useless, because in such a case whatever chance of life you would get would be only for a very short time, and ultimately you will have to return to Allah only, and the result of this line of action will be deprivation and disgrace.

Prophet Eesa, Peace be upon him, while persuading people to take risk of life in the path of Allah had stated a very realistic point:

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? -(Mat.16:21,26)

34. Means the hypocrites, who were creating obstructions in preparing the defense line of Muslims, and were trying to dissuade others to support Muslims and were enticing them to join the hypocrites. It was their open treason.

35. That is: They do not want to take any risks for your protection. They have no sympathy for you (sincere Muslims) nor can they offer any sacrifices for you.

36. This is a picture of the hypocrites’ fright and cowardice. In the battle if any dangerous situation arose, their panic was so great as if the fainting of death had overtaken them. If they were sincere in their faith, they would have fought in the way of Allah with bravery and would have faced the idolaters like brave men.

37. That is: After the battle when the occasion of distributing the spoils of war came, they used to appear as greedy claimants of the spoils and used to claim greater share in the spoils in very sharp and scathing language, and used to severely complain against the Muslims.

38. They claim to be Muslims, but in fact they have no faith. Had they been sincere Muslims, their attitude in the battle would not have been that of disloyalty with Allah and his messenger. And when their hearts are empty of faith, then all their virtues would have gone waste. They will not be rewarded for those acts of virtue.

From this an important reality has come to light, that those persons who show themselves to be Muslims but are not sincere in their faith, then their acts of piety like salat and jihad are not acceptable to Allah, for Allah accepts only those acts of virtue which are performed after accepting His faith and only for His pleasure.

In the present society of Muslims there is no dearth of those Muslims who are treading the path of the hypocrites, particularly in the educated section of Muslims-their line of action is openly against the demands of faith, but since the condition of the hearts is known to Allah only, therefore, on the basis of their claim they will be considered Muslims in this world, but it does not mean that in the sight of Allah also they would be considered Muslims. If there is no faith in their hearts, then Allah will declare their claim of being Muslims as false, and their acts of virtue will be thrown into their face, even though they might have been offering salat, performed Hajj and Jihad. Bodies are useless, if there is no spirit in them. Similarly acts of virtue are useless if there is no spirit of faith behind those acts.

39. That is: Nobody should think how Allah would make their acts of virtue go waste. There will be no obstruction for Him for doing this. Neither anybody’s recommendation will be any obstruction for Him, and not doing so will be against justice and fairplay.

Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks to Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.(AL-Quran)

20. They think that the confederates have not withdrawn⁴⁰, and if the confederates were to come again they would like to be in the village among the wandering Arabs asking news of you⁴¹; and were they with you, they would take but little part in the fighting.⁴²

21. Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example ⁴³ for him who looks to Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. ⁴⁴

22. When the (true) 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.” And this only increased their faith and submission.⁴⁵

23. Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.⁴⁶ Some of them have paid their vow with death,⁴⁷ and some of them still are waiting ; ⁴⁸ and they have not made any change in the least;

24. (All this happened) So that Allah may reward the true men for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if He will or accept their repentance.⁴⁹ Verily, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

25. And Allah repulsed the disbelievers in their wrath; they gained no advantage.⁵⁰ And Allah sufficed for the support of the believers in the battle.⁵¹ Allah is strong, mighty.⁵²

26. And He brought those of the People of the Book who supported them down from their fortifications, and cast panic into their hearts. Some you slew and some you made captive.⁵³

40. That is: These hypocrites are so much terrified by the army of the disbelievers that although the attackers had withdrawn from the battle -field in disappointment, these people think that they are present somewhere nearby and would soon launch another attack.

41.That is: Now they desire that if the disbelievers attack again, then they,the hypocrites, should not be found in Madina, but somewhere in the nearby villages among the Bedouin people, so that they might not be required to take part in fighting, and from there they should try to find out the condition of the Muslims whether they have been defeated by the disbelievers or not.

42. Since they have no interest in fighting a jihad nor are they prepared to offer any sacrifice, participating in the battle is mere exhibition and the result of the pressure of the circumstances.

It may be noted that in the city of Madina in those days the rule of the tribal system was in vogue, and Aus and Khizraj were two big tribes. When the people of these two tribes embraced Islam, then for those people who did not want to accept this faith, a problem arose, that in the event of their not embracing Islam, they will have no place in their tribe and social problems will confront them. Therefore, such people made a compromise with the situation and accepted this faith for the sake of appearances only. After this they could not fulfill the responsibilities which fell on them on account of their being counted as Muslims and their hypocrisy was being gradually exposed.

43. The sufferings through which Allah’s messenger had to pass, the dangers which he invited, the manner in which he stuck to his place on the front and the courage and bravery which he showed, all this provided the best example for his followers. Therefore, on this occasion you should have done the same thing which Allah’s messenger did.

Although the ayah hints at this particular event, the generality of the wording of the ayah points to a very important principle and guideline, and it is that the action of the Messenger of Allah is ever an example for the people of faith. Therefore, they should keep the life of the Prophet before them and follow the example of the Prophet.

From this it also becomes clear that any one who deviates from the example of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, then his example is not worth following by the Muslims, even if such example may be of devout worshippers or the sufis.

44. That is: The followers of the Messenger of Allah will be only those who will be hopeful of meeting Allah in the Hereafter, of getting reward for the righteous deeds, and in whose hearts Allah’s remembrance is present, and on their tongues is His name always. Those who do not have these qualifications, cannot have such courage as to the support the Prophet in times of emergency, and keeping his good example before their eyes, they should shape their character accordingly.

There is no dearth of Muslims today who will praise the good example of the Prophet’s excellent life in glowing terms, but they will not make it a guide for shaping their own lives according to that example, but they would make the ‘bad example’ of the worst lives of the misguided people as their guide; so that their life in this world may be comfortable and the people of the world may also be pleased with them.

45. In the Battle of the Ahzab the behaviour of the sincere people of faith has been presented here, which shows their loyalty to Allah and His messenger, their care for their covenant, their courage and their readiness for sacrificing themselves. The hypocrites, as stated in the Ayah Nos.11and 12. started having misgivings in respect of Allah and said that the promise of Allah and His messenger was only a deception. But the sincere Muslims spontaneously said: ‘It is what Allah and His messenger had promised us.’ It is a hint at the fact that the path of success lies through trials and tribulations, as is stated in the Surah’ Baqarah:

“Do you think that you will enter Paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you ? ...” - (Surah Baqarah 214) And in Surah Ankaboot stated :-

“Do people think that they would be left alone if they (merely) say: ‘We believe,’ and they would not be tried ? And verily We tested those who have gone before them. So Allah will surely see those who are truthful and will surely see those who are liars.”-(Surah Ankaboot-2,3).

And when they expressed these feelings of faith, their intensity of faith and their desire for obedience increased.

46. This covenant that they will risk their lives in the path of Allah.

47. That is: By risking their lives, they became martyrs.

48. That is: They are waiting as to when they would get a chance to risk their lives for the sake of Allah.

49. After stumbling they should take care and should seek Allah’s repentance. The idea is to let the hypocrites know that there was still time for them to seek Allah’s repentance and why should they make themselves liable to receive His punishment?

50. Allah’s plan resulted in the disbelievers returning in wrath, fuming and fretting. They were not able to harm the people of Madina in any way nor did they benefit from their campaign in any way.

51. The disbelievers had presented a united front and mounted an attack on Muslims, but Allah caused such circumstances to occur that the Muslims were not required to fight at all. Allah was sufficient to fight for them. On the occasion of Hajj, these words, which are uttered at Safa and Marwah, refresh the memory of this divine help only: “There is no god except one Allah. He fulfilled His promise and helped His slave, and defeated (the armies of) the confederates single-handed.” -(Muslim Kitabul Hajj).

52. Allah has power, therefore, it is not at all difficult for Him to defeat a huge army, and He is Mighty, therefore, whatever He plans, it is successfully executed.

53. Refers to Bani Quraizah, who lived in the eastern part of Madina and were Jews. The Prophet (S.A. W.) had made an agreement with them after migration, but they did not keep their part of the covenant, and at the time of the Battle of the Trench they broke their covenant and assisted the enemy. When the Prophet (S.A. W.)returned from the Battle of the Trench, Jibril (Peace be upon him)came with the message from Allah that he should turn to Bani Quraizah without delay and military action be taken against the said tribe. Therefore, the Prophet at once turned to go towards their colony with his companions, and there he surrounded their place. The siege lasted for twenty five days, after which they came down from their fortress on this condition that their matter should be decided by the chief of the tribe of Aus, Sa’ad bin Ma’az, who was their ally. Accordingly the judgment given by Sa’ad (R) was:

“All their males who are able to fight should be killed, their women and children should be made captive, and their properties should be distributed.” (Bukhari-Kitabul Mughazi).

On this Prophet(S.A.W.) said that he gave judgment according to the divine command. This judgment of Sa’ad bin Ma’az (R) is according to the Torah, in which this law of fighting has been enunciated :

“When you draw near to a city to fight against it ------- But it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it; and when the LORD your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves;” (Det.20 :10 to 14).

In this way the Jewish Bani Quraizah were removed from Madina. Such a harsh attitude was taken against them because before this a tribe of the Jews, Bani Nadir, had also broken their covenant and they were allowed to leave with their women and children with some property, in spite of their conspiracies and broken promises. They left Madina and settled in Khyber. But from here also they continued hatching conspiracies against Muslims and troubling them. Then Bani Quraizah broke their covenant in such an emergent situation that the idolaters had laid a siege with a very huge army and were about to attack Muslims, on such an occasion the jews stabbed their allies in the back, therefore, it was inevitable that such traitors were given the severest punishment.

It may be noted that the number of those who were killed was not more than eight hundred and the number of women and children who were taken prisoners was about one thousand. (Ghazwah Bani Quraizah - Muhammad Ahmed Bashmeel,P.197)

27. And He caused you to inherit ⁵⁴ their land, and their houses and their wealth, and land ⁵⁵ on which you had never set foot before. Allah has power over all things.

28. O Prophet ! Say ⁵⁶ to your wives: “If you desire the world’s life and its adornment, come ! I will make good provision for you and release you in a fair way. ⁵⁷

29. “And if you seek Allah and His messenger and the abode of the Hereafter then (be assured) Allah has prepared the righteous among you an immense reward.”⁵⁸

30. O you wives of the Prophet! Whoever of you commits open lewdness will be doubly punished.⁵⁹ And that is easy for Allah.⁶⁰

31. And whoever of you shall be obedient to Allah and His messenger and shall act righteously will be doubly rewarded,⁶¹ and We have peapared for her honourable provision.

32. O you wives of the Prophet ! You are not like other women.⁶² If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in your speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire, ⁶³ but utter customary speech.⁶⁴

33. And stay in your homes and do not display your finery as was done in the Time of Ignorance in the past. ⁶⁵ And establish salat, give Zakat ⁶⁶ and obey Allah and His messenger. Allah only wishes to remove uncleanness from you, O people of the Household! and purify you completely.⁶⁷

54. Along with the property, Muslims got a huge haul of weapons. Narratives state that Muslims got fifteen hundred swords, two thousand pears, three hundred coats of arms and five hundred shields. (Ghazwah Bani Quraizah-page 229).

55. This was a glad tidings of the victories over such lands where they had never stepped before after this, the first place which was overrun by Muslims was Khyber, thereafter other places.

Thus the prophecies of the Quran proved to be true.

56. From here another topic starts, which concerns the wives of the Prophet. Till the revelation of these ayat, i.e. 05 Hijri, the Prophet had four wives. They were: Hazrat Saudah, Ayesha, Hafsa and Um Salmah (May Allah be pleased with them).

57. When the wives of the Prophet (S.A.W.) were given the position of the mothers of the people of faith, then their responsibilities were also increased. Now they were required to attain the required standard of righteousness, contentment and other-worldliness, and since the standard of living of the Prophet was, from the economic point of view, very austere, and he had none of the provisions of the material comforts and outwardly adornments, Allah directed the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, to ask his wives about their preferences. If they are not prepared to lead this kind of life willingly and if they want the worldly adornments and glitter, then give them something and bid them adieu. Accordingly in the hadith it is stated that first of all the Prophet asked Ayesha (R) and advised that she should also consult her parents. Ayesha (R) replied what was there to consult the parents about, when she herself wanted to be with Allah, His messenger and preferred the other-worldliness; Then other wives also replied in similar vein.-(Bukhari- Kitabut Tafseer-Al-Ahzab). Thus the benefit of knowing their voluntary desire was that they achieved the position of greatness themselves, secondly their reply pleased the Prophet immensely and thirdly the hypocrites did not get the chance to indulge in the propaganda that the Prophet did not give proper treatment to his wives, etc., and that they are being forced to lead a life of poverty.

After knowing the correct sense of the ayah, there is no necessity of refuting the view that the Prophet’s wives used to demand provisions from him, due to which he had become very much upset. The narratives which express such a view are not correct, because they also contain contradictory statements, and things which go against the Quran.These narratives will be discussed in the commentary of Surah Tahreem, Insha Allah!

The jurists have opined that these wordings of the Prophet amounted to a conditional talaq (divorce),i.e. in such an event if the wife wanted she could have imposed the talaq on herself, when there is no such proof in the ayah. In the ayah the Prophet say to ask his wives to inform whether they liked Allah and His messenger or the material world and its adornments, and if they wanted the material world, then to separate from them in a fair way, i.e. after knowing their mind or preference they should be divorced. From this how can it be argued that if they opt for the material world then the talaq is imposed automatically. In the ayah the word talaq has not at all been used, and its wordings: “Us arrihkunna sarahan jameela” I will release you in a fair way.’ These words show that they would have separated if the prophet would have separated them. Therefore, this expression of voluntary desire cannot be taken as a chance to take divorce. And the principle of chance to get talaq worked out by the jurists, is not appreciated by the present day Muslims, who are not satisfied with the Islamic Personal Law and are demanding amendment of these family laws and propose that at the time of Nikah one agreement be drawn in which the woman may be given a right to impose on herself the right in advance of talaq or separation on the conditions to be stipulated therein.

By this excuse under the chance to get talaq they want to establish the principle of equality between men and women. But the Shariah, on account of various reasons which also includes the status of women, has given the right of divorce to men only and not to women. Therefore transferring this right to woman will be an attempt against the intent of the Shariah.

‘Umattekunna’ (giving them something) incidentally shows that in the event of talaq the wife should be given ‘Mata’ or ‘Muta’h’ (some provision). It supports this viewpoint that the command of giving some provision to the divorced woman in ayah No.241 of Surah Baqarah applies to all divorced women and not to only those divorced women with whom the marriage is not consummated.

(See Surah Baqarah notes Nos. 376 and 377).

58.If you make your goal Allah and His messenger instead of world and its pleasures, and if you act righteously, then your position will be elevated and Allah will reward you handsomely.

59. It does not mean that there was any danger of the Prophet’s wives’ committing any lewdness, but the idea was to create a sense of extreme modesty and chastity so that they may be extra careful and the hypocrites may not get any chance of creating any doubts about their character.

From this, the point becomes clear that Allah’s law is indiscriminate. If the wife of a prophet commits an act of lewdness, then she also becomes liable for punishment like any other woman, nay, she is liable for double punishment, for her act would cause bad reputation for the prophet, and a very bad example will be established for the people.

60.In the event of the Prophet’s wife committing any sin, it would not be difficult for Allah to punish her, because Allah’s law of justice is indiscriminate.

61.When the position of the wives of the Prophet was elevated to be the mothers of the people of faith, then their responsibilities were also increased. Stating these responsibilities, this glad tiding was also given them that if they remained loyal to Allah and His messenger and would act righteously, then they would be honored and would be rewarded doubly.

62. That is: Compared to other women, you have the honour of being the wives of the Prophet, therefore, you should be extra careful in your practical life.

63. Here disease means lecherousness and lust.

Generally the voice of women is lyrical and sweet, and when they talk with extra softness, then hearing it those people who are lecherous in nature are inclined to cherish lecherous thoughts about them. Therefore, God’s fear (righteousness) demands that while talking to men, women should not talk with artificial softness. And when this is the demand of righteousness, then every woman should follow this point. Here this advice and other things which have been addressed to the Prophet’s wives are not meant only for them, but also for other women, It means that the wives of the Prophet should be very strict in following these and they have to be extremely careful in these directions matters.

Incidentally from this, this principle also be comes clear that when Islam does not allow women to talk in softer than necessary tones, then how can it tolerate women singing in the presence of men? Its ‘forbiddenness’ is quite obvious, but in modern times, singing of women and that too in a lewd manner, has become so common that the concept of its being forbidden has evaporated. now it will be difficult to find persons who would avoid to hear singing of women because it is forbidden by Islam.

64. That is: Whatever that may be uttered by you should be good and of righteous nature, and that you should avoid all talk of vulgar nature, etc.

65. In the text the word used is ‘Tabarruj’, which means display and exhibition, and it means to display one’s finery and adornment in the presence of strange men, as is clear from the ayah No.60 of Surah Noor (they should not be the displayers of their finery).

And the ‘Jahiliyatil Oola’ means Time of Ignorance of the past when non-Islamic customs were in vogue. It means that your main sphere of activity is home, where you should be living and fulfilling your responsibilities. And for this purpose it is not at all proper that you should go out and display your adornments.

It also does not mean that for the wives of the Prophet going out of the house was absolutely would be forbidden. Further on in the ayah the wives, daughters of the Prophet and common Muslim women are given direction that when they go out they should , put over their bodies a chadar (sheet), which proves the propriety of going out for the women. In the hadith it is stated:

“You have been given permission to go out,” - (Bukhari-Kitabut Tafseer). It suited the status of the wives of the Prophet that they remained inside their houses and should be extra careful in the matter of going out. As for the common Muslim women, their main sphere of activity also becomes their houses, Since the needs of the common Muslim women to go out for work is greater than those of the wives of the Prophet, they need not be made prisoners in their houses as that is not the intention of the ayah. In the modern times the needs for the women to go out has increased manifold, e.g. journey, education, teaching, social work for women, earning of livelihood, attending religious gatherings, etc. For such necessary work their going out is not at all forbidden, provided they observe the etiquette of the Shariah, particularly if they do not display their beauty and their adornment.

66. The command for salat and Zakat is general, but the idea in addressing specifically the wives of the Prophet in this connection is this that they should particularly pay special heed to this matter.

From this command it is clear that the Zakat for the property belonging to a woman is to be paid by the woman herself, and it is not to be paid by the husband. It also shows that the wives of the Prophet were not so badly off, as is commonly thought. They were in a position to pay Zakat, that is why directive is given to them to pay Zakat, and this view is supported by the fact that the ‘Meher’ (dower) of the Prophet’s wives used to be four hundred and eighty dirham, when Zakat is to be paid for two hundred dirham.

67. From the context of the wordings of the ayah it is absolutely clear that by’ Ahl-e-Bait’ is meant wives of the Prophet, but a sect among Muslims, who has committed excess in belief concerning Ali (R) and has introduced the creed of ‘Imamat’ in the religion, takes this ayah also to mean by Ahl-e-Bait (People of the Household) Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussain (May Allah be pleased with them ). So far as the literary meaning of Ahl-e-Bait is concerned wives are most appropriately to be included in that, and beside them the children. Therefore, this term is applied in addition to the wives on the children also. But in this ayah the wives of the Prophet have been specifically addressed as’ Ahlul Bait’ (People of the Household), and directions have also been given direct to them, therefore, on this occasion only his wives are meant. But people who have deviated from the Quran, have evicted the Prophet’s wives from the Ahl-e-Bait and have forcibly applied this term on Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussain (May Allah be pleased with them), and from their purification, they claimed their innocence from all sins and then innocence of all ‘Imams’, To clarify the error of the interpretation of this ayah which these people present, we would like to state a few words in this connection, as follows:

1) In the Quran the words Ahl-e-Bait have been used at two places. One at the place when the angels had given the good tidings of the birth of Ishaq to Prophet Ibrahim’s wife, Sarah, and when she expressed astonishment, the angels said:

“Do you wonder at the command of Allah, the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O People of the House!” -(Surah Hood-73).

In this ayah the address as Ahl-e-Bait is to Prophet Ibrahim’s wife, In the second instance, when Prophet Moosa’s sister spoke in connection with the problem of feeding the infant Moosa, she said to the people of Firaun:

“Shall I show you a household who will rear him for you” -(Surah Al-Qasas-12).

In this ayah also by household is meant the mother of Prophet Moosa. It has thus become clear that in the Ahl-e-Bait wives are included at top priority level. In a hadith it is stated that at the time of the ‘Walima’ (feast) at Zainab (R)’s wedding, when the Prophet entered the room of Ayesha (R), he said:

“Peace and Allah’s mercy be upon you, O people of the Household. “-(Bukhari, Kitab-ut- Tafseer), That is, the Prophet himself has addressed his wives as Ahl-e-Bait. After this, what further argument is needed to prove that wives of the Prophet are rightly to be considered as Ahl-e- Bait?

2) This argument that in the ayah the pronouns used are of masculine gender and therefore, they cannot be taken to mean the wives of the Prophet, is not correct, because in Arabic the pronoun relating to the word ‘Ahl’ is used in the masculine gender. Accordingly in the two ayah quoted above the pronoun and the verbs used are in the masculine gender, although in the first ayah the address is to the wife of Prophet Ibrahim and in the second ayah Ahl-e-Bait refers to the mother of Prophet Moosa.

3) The justifiers take the support of a narrative in which it is stated that the Prophet called Fatima, Hasan, Hussain and Ali (R) and covered them under a sheet of cloth and said: ‘O Allah: These are my Ahl-e-Bait, remove impurity from them and purify them.’ This hadith has been narrated in Tirmizi, and several traditions of similar sense have been narrated by Tabari in his Tafseer. But these narratives are weak. Therefore Tirmizi has clarified its being weak, and in the narratives of Tabari several narrators are Shiah,e.g. one of the narrators is Abdullah bin Abdul Quddus, who is a Shiah. Ibn Mueen has called him Rafzi, and Abu Dawood, Nasai and Dar Qatni have called it weak. (For the research of these narratives please see Dr. Ali Ahmed As-Saloosi’s book: ‘Ayatut Tatheer Bain Ummahatul Mumineen Wa Ahlul Kasa’- Published by Maktabah Ibn Taimiyah, Post Box 14064, Kuwait).

Here another question also comes up that at the time of the revelation of this ayah two other daughters of the Prophet (S.A.W) were alive Um Kulthum and Zainab (R),Then what is the meaning of including only Fatimah (R) leaving these two daughters? Um Kulthum was married to Uthman (R) and Zainab (R) was married to Abul A’s. But since Shiah are claimants of the ‘Imamat’ of Ali (R),they include Fatimah, Hasan and Hussain (R) in the Ahl-e-Bait, but ignore Urn Kulthum (R) and Zainab (R).Therefore, there is no wonder if the said narrative is invented by the Shiahs.

4) From this the justifiers argue in support of their claim of innocence from all sins of Ali (R) and other Imams. But in the ayah itself nothing of the sort has been mentioned. First of all the ayah is about the wives of the Prophet (S.A.W.) Moreover the ayah does not say that Allah has purified them, but it says that Allah desires to purify them. It is similar to what is stated in Surah Maidah, where addressing the people of faith who have been commanded to perform ‘wuzu’ Allah says that He desires that He may purify you. (Maidah 6).It is obvious that it does not mean that all people of faith who have been commanded to perform ‘Wuzu’ (ablutions) are purified and are innocent from all sins. It means by obeying the command to perform wuzu, they would get purification. As in this there is no argument or proof of the people of faith being innocent of all sins, similarly there is no proof in the ayah of Tatheer of the innocence from all sins of the Ahle- Bait.

Such a longish explanation has been given in order to make it clear how those people who want to justify their particular creed from the Quran deviate from the correct sense and meaning of the Quranic words and wrongly justify their claims, and taking support of the wrong narratives want to adjust and adapt Quran to those weak narratives, however much difficult it may be for them. And it is a fact that those who have taken up the creed of Shiahs have invented so many narratives in support of their beliefs and creed that even Sunni Muslims could not remain unaffected by that.

Verily the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the believing men and the believing women, the obedient men and the obedient women, the truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the patient women, the men of humility and the women of humility, the men and the women who give charity, the men and women who fast, the men and the women who guard their private parts (chastity), and the men and women who remember Allah much, for them all Allah has kept ready forgiveness and a great reward.(AL-Quran)

34. And bear in mind that which is recited in your houses of the revelations of Allah and wisdom. ⁶⁸ Verily, Allah is the Seer of the Minutest thing,⁶⁹ Aware.

35. Verily the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the believing men and the believing women,⁷⁰ the obedient men and the obedient women,⁷¹ the truthful men and the truthful women,⁷² the patient men and the patient women,⁷³ the men of humility and the women of humility ⁷⁴, the men and the women who give charity, ⁷⁵ the men and women who fast, the men and the women who guard their private parts (chastity),⁷⁶ and the men and women who remember Allah much,⁷⁷ for them all Allah has kept ready forgiveness and a great reward.⁷⁸

36. It is not (becoming) for a believing man and woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His messenger (for them), that they should have any choice⁷⁹ in their matter, and whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger, he has verily gone astray in a clear misguidance.

37. And when you (O Prophet :) said to the man, whom Allah has favoured and you also have favoured; ⁸⁰ ‘keep your wife to yourself (do not divorce) and have fear of Allah ⁸¹ and were concealing in your Heart what Allah was to disclose ⁸² and were fearing people, where Allah had better right that you should fear Him.⁸³ So when Zaid performed his purpose concerning her, We gave her to you in marriage, ⁸⁴ so that there should be no difficulty ⁸⁵ for the believers in the matter of the wives of their adopted sons, when they have performed their purpose concerningthem. And the commandment of Allah was to be fulfilled.⁸⁶

68. Revelations of Allah means the ayah of the Quran and the Hikmat or wisdom means the teachings and the words of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. The holy wives of the Prophet have been commanded to remember them specifically so that they should be able to brighten their lives from this source of light and then spread this light for the benefit of others.

In obeying this command the service in connection with hadith rendered by them is monumental and the whole ummah is obliged to them. May Allah be pleased with them :

69. Allah is the Seer of the Minutest things, therefore, nothing is hidden from Him.

70. In the foregoing ayah there was special blessings for the holy wives of the Prophet. Here is general blessings for Muslim men and women. Here those attributes have been mentioned which are the desired standard, and every Muslim, whether man or woman, must develop in himself or herself these attributes. And on the basis of these attributes only he would be worthy of receiving forgiveness and great reward from Allah.

When the words Muslim and Momin or Islam and Iman are used together, then Islam means accepting the belief of monotheism (Tawheed) and adopting Islam as a religion. By Iman is meant acceptance from heart or sincere acceptance, that is: any person’s mere declaring himself to be a Muslim and claiming belief in the Islamic tenets is not sufficient, but for becoming a sincere Momin it is necessary that he should believe in these tenets form his heart, and he should be firm in his belief about the truth of Islam, that is, a person’s acceptance of Islam will be recognised by Allah only when his inner self also believes in what he openly says; otherwise there is no value and respect for the so-called Muslims, who are Muslims only in name.

71.’Qaniteen’ (obedient) is an attribute which shows loyalty in action and practice, that is after accepting Islam and having Iman they have practically adopted the attitude of loyalty to Allah.

72. To be truthful is a very good quality, but this quality is developed by only those persons who have the aspirations to rise high. Comfort loving persons have no hesitation in telling lies and in the modern times when the business of the world is carried on falsehood, adoption of truthfulness is a difficult task. But truthfulness is the cream of a man’s character, and is very dear to Allah. The Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, has said:

“Be truthful, for truth leads to virtue, and virtue leads to Paradise. A man speaks truth, and adopts truthfulness (as a habit) till he is registered as ‘Siddique’ (truthful) in Allah’s records.” -(Muslim-Kitab-ul- Bir).

73. For the explanation of ‘Sabr’ (Patience) please see Surah Ra’d Note No.51.

74. For the explanation of ‘Khushu’ (humbleness) see Surah Muminoon, Note No.2. Here ‘Khushu’ hints at salat.

75. ’Sadqa’ (Charity) includes Zakat also and every type of expenditure for the sake of Allah. For further explanation, please see Surah Taubah, Note No.189

76. Guarding private parts means guarding chastity as also covering the private parts. Please see Surah Muminoon, Note No.5.

77. ’Zikr-e-Ilahi’(Remembering Allah)-For explanation, please see Surah A’raf Note No.310, Surah Taha, Note No.16 and 161, and Surah Ankaboot, Note No.85.

78. Forgiveness is the Permit to Paradise, and great reward are the everlasting blessings which will be given as a reward for the good and virtuous deeds.

Here the guarantee of success in the Hereafter is given only to those persons who would develop in themselves these attributes, whether men or women. As for the so-called Muslims, their lives are bereft of these attributes, for them this guarantee is not there.

79. In this ayah a very important principle has been stated. After knowing the decision of Allah and His messenger concerning a matter about human life and affairs pertaining to it, no Muslim man or woman has a right to disagree with that decision. The decision may be about a disputed matter of personal or social nature, or it may be in the nature of court’s decision by the prophet, a Muslim must willingly accept it and must essentially obey it. To divide life into religious and non-religious compartments, and to reject many decisions of Allah and His messenger concerning family, economic and political life and adopt the secular way of living is manifest deviation from Islam.

So far as the decisions of Allah are concerned, they are in the holy Quran and they are to be obeyed unquestionably. As for the decisions of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, those in the hadith which are proven to be undisputed, narrated continually by reliable narrators, they are also unquestionably to be obeyed, except those which go against the teachings of the Quran, or which go against what the other reliable narrators have stated or which are contrary to the common sense and intellect, or the wordings of which may be very involved or whose certificate of reliability of their narrators may not be acceptable. When it cannot be said about such narratives that they are the sayings of the Prophet, they cannot be unquestionable. Accordingly, Umar (R) had rejected a hadith narrated by Fatimah bint Qais, in which it was stated that a woman who was given ‘Talaq-e-Bain’ (absolute divorced) was not entitled to get maintenance from her husband, and he had said:

“We will not give up the Book of Allah and the tradition of Our Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, on the statement of a woman. We do not know whether she preserved it (the saying) or she forgot.” -(Muslim Kitab-ut- Talaq).

80. Refers to Zaid bin Hartha, who was a slave. The Prophet had freed him before declaring his prophethood and had brought him up as his son. He was Prophet’s adopted son. Allah conferred on him this favour that he was provided the guardianship of the Prophet and was blessed with faith. Therefore, he is one of those lucky people who embraced Islam in its earliest days. The favour conferred by Prophet on him was this that he freed him and brought him up as one of his own family. On account of these favours Zaid (R) emerged as a very prominent Muslim and performed very laudable and noteworthy deeds. This is a prominent example of the progres a slave made in the Islamic ambience.

81. Zaid (R) had married Zainab Bint Jahsh (R), who was a cousin of the Prophet. This is a very good example of social equality where a freed slave is allowed to marry a highly placed lady of the top family of Makkah, the Quraish. Since their temperaments differed, the married life was not happy. Within one and a half years separation stared in the face. On this occasion, the Prophet wanted to prevent Zaid from divorcing his wife, and he directed him to fear Allah. But when Zaid saw that continuing married life would be difficult, he decided to divorce her.

A point culled from this incident is this that although Allah has given the right of talaq to man, man should have fear of Allah when giving talaq to his wife, that is by the wrong use of this right a woman can be made to suffer considerably, which would be disliked by Allah, and man will be accountable for that.

The second thing which is elicited is this that the Prophet did not want that Zaid should divorce his wife. Therefore, those narratives which sound like stories and relate that the Prophet was inclined to marry the wife of Zaid is contrary to what is stated in Quran and it is a view which does not conform to the unblemished character of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. Therefore, these narratives are fit to be rejected. Similarly this narrative is also unacceptable that Zainab (R) was not prepared to marry Zaid (R), but she married him on the insistence of the Prophet, which ultimately ended with talaq.

First of all this is not proved by any hadith, and for such proof it is necessary that the hadith should be authentic. Mere writing by a biographer or being found in a third class book of hadith like that of Abi Hatim is not sufficient proof of its being the saying of the Prophet. Besides, no instance can be cited where the Prophet might have compelled any lady to marry against her will-So much so that the former husband of Barirah was very much anxious to re-marry her and even the Prophet witnessed his anxiety and restlessness, and wished that Barirah should go back to her former husband, but he did not compel her to do so, did she go back to her former husband in remarriage. Then how could he compel his own cousin to marry a person who was previously a slave?

82. From the last words of the ayah (the commandment of Allah must be fulfilled) it is clear that the Prophet was commanded to marry Zainab after the completion of the formality of talaq by Zaid, so that the custom of the jahiliyah that the father cannot marry the divorced wife of the adopted son may be discontinued. But the Prophet was afraid that the idolaters and the hypocrites would get a chance to start some mischief against him. Therefore, he wanted that neither Zaid should divorce his wife, nor should he bring her into his own nikah. But Allah was going to bring out in the open this fear which he was feeling in his heart. Accordingly Allah not only revealed this fear of the Prophet, He also warned him that it is not proper to have any fear in the matter of any command of Allah. It does not mean that the Prophet had been hesitating in obeying Allah’s command, because till then the time for obeying the command had not come. But once when the hint was given from Allah, then it did not become a Prophet to worry about obeying His command.

From the context of the ayah, this interpretation of the ayah seems to be appropriate, but in some narratives, quite the contrary view has been expressed, and these narratives have found a place in some commentaries of Quran. A summary of these narratives is: that apparently the Prophet was asking Zaid not to give Talaq to his wife, but he really wanted that Zaid should divorce Zainab, so that he might wed her afterwards. This was the thing which he was concealing in his heart. But to refute these narratives, only these words of the ayah are sufficient: “...... what Allah was to disclose” Now the question is: what point Allah bring to light in connection with this incident ? whether this thing that he should divorce his wife and the Prophet may wed her, or that he was preventing Zaid from divorcing his wife and did not want that chance to marry his divorced wife should come up. Allah did not bring to light the first thing. Then how did the narrators know that the Prophet had concealed the desire to marry Zainab in his heart? However the second thing that the Prophet did not want that Zaid should divorce her and the chance to marry her should come up and the people may get a chance to raise objection, is quite clear from the text of the ayah.

83. This is a warning to the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, that it is not correct to pay any heed to the fear of what the people would say or do in the matter of obeying the command of Allah. This Quranic criticism of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, is a clear proof of the Quran’s being the word of Allah, and it is also an open example of the Prophet being a truthful messenger. If the Quran were a book, authored by the Prophet, then it would not have contained instances in which the slightest miscalculation on the part of the Prophet is severely criticized.

84. That is: When Zaid divorced his wife, and the period of ‘Iddat’ was over, Allah commanded the Prophet to marry her. Accordingly, he obeyed Allah’s command and Zainab bint jahsh came in the nikah of Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

Ibn Hisham writes:

“The messenger of Allah married Zainab bint jahsh Ibn Rasibul Asariyah. Her brother Abu Ahmed bin Jahsh gave her in marriage. The Prophet gave her four hundred dirham as Mehr (dower). Before this she was married to his freed slave. Zaid bin Hartha. In her case only Allah has revealed this ayah:

‘So when Zaid completed the necessary formality. We gave her to you in marriage.” -(Seerat Ibn Hisham.Vol.4. page 322).

If this narrative is correct, then it means that this nikah was performed according to the Shariah. However, since it was performed under the command of Allah it was a little distinguished from other nikahs. For this reason Zainab (R) used to consider her nikah as a thing to be proud of. In the Bukhari it is stated:

“Zainab bint jahsh (R) used to say proudly to the other wives of the Prophet that their nikah was performed by their home people, but her nikah was performed by Allah from the seventh heaven.” -(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Vol. III, P.491).

Any way it is confirmed by Quran and hadith that the nikah of Zainab bint Jahsh (R) with the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, was performed under the command of Allah, therefore, the absurd stories which have been written in connection with this nikah are automatically refuted. May Allah forgive Ibn Jarir Tabari, who did not take proper care and has quoted such a narrative which tells of a vulgar and ill-bred story in connection with this nikah, that it can be construed as an insult of the holy Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. Such narratives provide a chance to the enemies of Islam to cast aspersions on the personality of the Prophet. We do not consider it proper to quote this narrative here and think that this explanation of Allama Ibn Katheer would be sufficient:

“On this occasion Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir have quoted some sayings of the past companions of the Prophet, but we did not think it fit to relate it here on account of its incorrectness.” - (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Vol. III, P. 491).

85. This is the good reason for which Allah had given specific command to His messenger to marry the divorced wife of his adopted son. This nikah removed the obstacle which was coming in the way of marrying the divorced wives of the adopted sons from the times of jahiliyah, and an important rule of the Islamic family law was brought into light.

Zainab (R) was married to Prophet at a time when he already had four wives. The special permission given to the Prophet for marrying more than four wives was on account of various religious necessities. But objectors close their eyes to these necessities and hurl insults against the personality of the Prophet, thus they themselves are misguided and try to misguide others. In the modern times the denigrators have made this a special topic of their objections. Perhaps they do not realize what is the result of spitting at the moon.

86. When Allah had given the command to His Prophet to marry, it was essential that this command be obeyed.

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and last of the prophets, and Allah has knowledge of all things.O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And recite His praises (tasbeeh) morning and evening. (AL-Quran)

38. There is no blame for the Prophet in what Allah has made his duty ⁸⁷. Such was the way of Allah with those (Prophets) who passed away before him⁸⁸ and the commandment of Allah is certain destiny.⁸⁹

39. Who delivered the messages of Allah and feared Him, and feared none except Allah.⁹⁰ And sufficient is Allah for reckoning.⁹¹

40. Muhammad is not the father of any man among you,⁹² but he is the messenger of Allah and last ⁹³ of the prophets, and Allah has knowledge of all things. ⁹⁴

41. O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.⁹⁵

42. And recite His praises (tasbeeh) morning and evening. ⁹⁶

43. He it is who blesses you, and His angels (too bless you), so that He may bring you forth from darkness to light;⁹⁷ and He is Merciful to the believers.

44. Their greeting on the day when they will meet Him will be “Peace,” ⁹⁸ and He has prepared for them an honourable reward.

45. O Prophet! Verily We have sent you as a witness,⁹⁹ and a bringer of good tidings,¹⁰⁰ and warner.¹⁰¹

46. And a caller to Allah by His command, ¹⁰² and an illuminating lamp.¹⁰³

87. That is: The Prophet should be reassured that whatever task Allah has appointed for him, even if it is his own nikah, in doing that task no blame would come upon him, there is nothing wrong in doing it. He should neither care for the objections nor should he be bothered by the thought that it would be made a means of raising doubts about Islam, for Allah knows best what is good for the religion.

88. Before this also Allah had been giving, to the past Prophets (peace be upon them), commands that were trying from this view point that those commands could be made the means of their character-assassination by their opponents. But without caring for the reproaches of the people, they obeyed the commands of Allah and this is the very tradition of the prophets.

The Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, also obeyed the command of Allah and married Zainab (R), and followed the very tradition of the prophets, despite what his opponents said. In the beginning when he had got only a hint from Allah, this thought was creating anxiety in his mind as to what would the opponents say and they would make it the means of putting a blot on his character. When Allah’s clear command was received, he unhesitatingly obeyed it.

In the modern times when the followers of the Western civilization do not find any defect in his unblemished character, they make the number of his wives a butt of their criticism and taunts, although it is quite clear that he did not contract these marriages for his own pleasure, but for the great benefit of his faith, and this nikah with Zainab (R) was performed by him under the direct command of Allah, otherwise he was not at all desirous of that, And when this is the reality, it is not necessary to adopt an apologetic attitude in trying to reply to these denigrators and misguided objectors.

89. When Allah gives a command to his prophet, its nature is that of pre-ordained decision, and it has essentially to be obeyed. It cannot be avoided.

90. That is: This has been the way of the prophets that they conveyed the messages of Allah to the people, and in this connection they did not care for anybody’s objection or reproach, and feared Allah only.(O Prophet!) you have to follow their footsteps.

91. When Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, is not the father of any man among you, then Zaid is neither his son, nor Zainab is his daughter-in-law. Then after Zainab’s getting divorce what is wrong or blame worthy in his marrying her?

92It may be noted that the Prophet (S.A. W.) did have male children, but they died in childhood. And at the time of the revelation of this ayah, no male child of the prophet was alive. Afterwards, he got a son from Maria Qibtiyah, who was named by him as Ibrahim, but he also died in young age.

93.’Khatam’ occurring in this ayah means the last. In the reliable Arabic Dictionary, Lisan-ul- Arab, it is stated: Khatamuhum = Akhiruhum “Nation’s khatam, i.e. their last person. (Lisan-ul- Arab, Vol.12, page 164).

And the meaning of Khatamunnabiyyeen is the Last of the prophets. On this occasion the difference between a Rasool and Nabi should be noted that compared to Nabi (Prophet) the office of Rasool (messenger) is special, that is every messenger is a prophet, but every nabi is not a messenger by office. Therefore, when with the ayah the Prophet’s being the last prophet has been made clear, then his being the last messenger (Rasool) is automatically clear. The meaning of the ayah is that after Muhammad, (S.A. W.) no prophet or messenger will come therefore, the perfection of the religion has to take place at his hands, and it demands that the custom of a ban on marrying the divorcee of an adopted son which was in vogue from the times of jahiliyah, should be ended at his hands, and it should be clear to the people that this nikah is absolutely proper and lawful. And if this custom of the Jahiliyah is not ended by him, there will be no Prophet after him who would deal the final blow. The statement about the finality of the prophethood mentioned in the ayah is an important part of the Islamic belief. Quran does not only prophesy about any coming prophet, as other divine scriptures had done in the past, but it also asserts that Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, is the last Prophet, and also states that the religion of Allah has been made perfect (Surah Maidah:3). That is: when Islam has reached the stage of the full moon and is giving light to the world, there is no need for any other light to the world. And it is also guaranteed that the guidance which has been revealed to this Prophet will surely and definitely be preserved and survive, because its responsibility has been taken by Allah himself. (Surah Hijr -9)

Therefore, there is no possibility of any alteration in its wording, and therefore, no need to send down any other prophet to correct it.

For example a few authentic hadith are presented here:

“Abu Hurairah has reported that the messenger of Allah has stated: ‘My likeness and that of the other prophets is of a person who has built a beautiful and grand building, but he has left in a corner a place for a brick empty. People go round it and wonder, however, looking at the empty space they say: ‘What is the matter: Here a brick has not been placed.’ The Prophet said that he was that brick, and I am the last of the prophets.’ -(Bukhari Kitabul Ahadithul Anbiya)

“Bani Israil were led by the prophets. When one prophet died, other prophet would take his place. But there will be no prophet after me, but there will be khalifas. -(Bukhari, Kitab-ul- Manaqib)

“I have been sent as a messenger to all the creatures and with me the series of the prophets has been culminated.” -(Muslim Kitab -ul- Masajid).

“I am the last prophet, and there is no prophet after me.” -(Tirmizi Abwab-ul- Fitan).

There is complete agreement on his being the last prophet on the part of the entire Ummah. Allama Aloosi states:

“Allah’s book is the deciding word on the Messenger being the last prophet. Sunnah has also stated so openly, and there is complete agreement of the Ummah on this point. Therefore, a person who would make a claim against this, would be declared a kafir, and if he insisted in his claim, he would be beheaded.” (Ruhul Ma’ani,Vol.22,page 21).

Allama Ibn Katheer writes:

“Allah (Tabarak Wa Tala) in his Book and His messenger (S.A.W.) in His Sunnah, authentically and continually reported, have informed that there is no prophet after him, so that people should know that after him whoever would claim that position, would be a liar, mischievous and a deceiver. He is himself misguided and will misguide others.(Tafseer Ibn Katheer,Vol.3,P.494).

After this clear belief about the last prophet, about which Quran and hadith are the last words and there is full agreement of the Ummah over it, in recent times a few people have presented a wrong and misguiding interpretation of this belief and have raised a great cause for mischief. The foundation of the Qadiani religion is on this false belief, and the Bahai religion is also the claimant of a new prophethood, though the false claim for prophethood is the misguidance of the first order and a very severe crime:

“Who is more wrong-doer than the one who attributes a lie to Allah, or claims:’ A revelation has come to me,’ when nothing has been revealed to him.”-(Surah An’am.93).

And those who believe in the false claimants of prophethood, in fact they believe in ‘taghut’ (rebels), while people have been asked to reject them.

94. This is a hint at the fact that Allah had taken the decision on the finality of prophethood on the basis of His knowledge. He also knows the conditions prevailing in future, therefore, there is no possibility of any error in his decision. Now this sun will be emitting light till the Day of Resurrection.

95. Remembrance of Allah is a kind of worship which has no limit. It is desired to be performed as much as possible, and the meaning of ‘Zikr’ (remembrance) as we have explained is to remember Allah with utmost sincerity and from the bottom of the heart, to recite his name by mouth, and to utter words of His praises without being conscious, spontaneously. It is the very fruit of remembering Allah in this way which has been stated in the following ayah No.43, and in the hadith such a remembrance has been praised in this way:

“The likeness of the person who remembers Allah and who does not remember Allah is that of a living and a dead one.” -(Bukhari, kitabud Da’waat).

That is: By remembering Allah consciousness is awakened and the inner self is nourished and blossoms, but a person who does not remember Allah. he is lying in neglect and his conscience is dead.

“The messenger of Allah Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, said: Allah says: ‘I live with that thought of my slave which he has about Me, when he remembers Me, I am with him, if he remembers Me in his heart I remember him in My heart, if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a better gathering. (Bukhari Kitabut Tawheed)

“Your tongue; should always be wet (busy) with the remembrance of Allah.” Tirmizi, Abwabud Da’waat).

Ayesha (R) says: The messenger of Allah, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, used to remember Allah in all hours of his time.” (Riyazus - Saliheen quoted by Muslim).

In view of these clarification of the Quran and the Sunnah to lower the importance of remembering Allah by the word of mouth, and to consider it of no value is very wrong and is the sign of deficiency in the insight in religion.

96. Tasbeeh does not mean counting the rosary but it is to recite the glorification and praise of Allah. For this remembrance the times of morning and evening are very important, therefore, they have been mentioned specifically.

97. This is the fruit of remembering Allah and reciting His praises. When this thing becomes the routine of a Momin’s life then Allah sends down His mercy on him, and the angels pray for Allah’s mercy being sent to him, and its blessings appear in such a way that coming out of the darknesses of ignorance and entering the light of knowledge and guidance becomes easy.

98. This is the honour which will be bestowed on the people of faith who had been remembering Allah frequently and abundantly, on the Day of Judgment. On that occasion they will be greeted by the honourable and peaceful words of the salutation from Allah: ‘Peace.’ (Salam).

99. Here certain important attributes of the Prophet (S.A.W) have been mentioned, which have relation with his office of Prophethood. The first characteristic attribute is that he is ‘shahid’ (witness), which means:

“Shahid means one who knows, may relate what he know.”(Lisan-ul- Arab, Vol.3,P.239)

And ‘shahadat’ means definite information.- (Ibid).

The meaning of the Prophet being the witness is that he, on account of the knowledge through revelation, is the giver of definite information about Allah’s being and attributes, His commands and His likes and dislikes. In other words he is the witness for the true religion from Allah. In Surah Muzzammil also this word has been used in this very meaning:

“We have sent forth to you a messenger to testify against you, just as We sent to Firaun a messenger...” -(Muzzammil-15)

Some Urdu translators have translated the word ‘shahid’ as ‘hazir wa nazir’ (ever present and seer), which represents their excessive and innovative (bid’ati) creed, but according to the reference to the context this meaning is absolutely wrong.

100. The second characteristic attribute is that he is ‘Mubashshir’ that is giver of the good tidings of mercy and eternal blessings to the believers. This prophecy of good tidings is given in the Quran as also in the hadith. In the authentic Ahadith the good rewards for the righteous deeds that have been stated are the pearls of this very necklace of the good tidings. But it should be remembered that this wealth will be for only those who are sincere slaves of Allah and have His fear in their hearts.

101. The third characteristic attribute is that he is ‘Nazeer’. That is he is a Warner to the disbelievers and transgressors, and warns them of the divine punishment and the adverse conditions in the Hereafter. In the Quran this aspect of warning is so prominent that whoever will study it will definitely feel that for the deniers and the criminals the Hell has come out in the open clear and unveiled. In the traditions of the Prophet also the adverse result of the evil deeds has been very effectively stated, and the deniers and the criminals have been warned.

102. The fourth characteristic attribute is this that Allah has appointed him to call people towards Allah. Since this call is being given by him by the permission of Allah, it is a call based on truth and perfectly right.

103. The first characteristic attribute is that he is a shining light or lamp, that is a lamp of guidance in whose light man can reach his desired destination. This aspect has come out so prominently in the Quran and the traditions as if even today the Prophet is present among us for our guidance with all these characteristic attributes.

Announce to the believers the good tidings that there is great grace for them from Allah. And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Disregard their persecution, and put your trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as Trustee.(AL-Quran)

47. Announce to the believers the good tidings that there is great grace for them from Allah.

48. And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Disregard their persecution, and put your trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as Trustee.

49. O you who believe ! ¹⁰⁴ if you marry believing women, and divorce them before touching them, you have no right to require them to observe waiting period. But give them some provision and release them with grace. ¹⁰⁵

50. O Prophet ! ¹⁰⁶ We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have paid Mehr (dower), ¹⁰⁷ and those whom Allah has given you as your female slaves as spoils of war; ¹⁰⁸ the daughters of your paternal uncles and paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and maternal aunts who migrated with you; ¹⁰⁹ any other believing woman if she offer herself to the Prophet and the Prophet desire to wed her¹¹⁰ ---- a privilege for you¹¹¹only, not for other believers ----- We are aware of what We enjoined upon them concerning their wives and those female slaves who came in their possession¹¹²------ so that you may not experience any difficulty,¹¹³ and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. ¹¹⁴

51. You may set aside any of your wives you please and invite any of your wives you please. Nor is it unlawful for you to receive any of those whom you have temporarily set aside.That is more proper, so that their eyes may be cooled and they may not be grieved, and may all be pleased with what you give them.¹¹⁵Allah knows what is in your hearts.¹¹⁶And Allah is All-Knowing, Tolerant.

104. From here the discussion turns to social commands. In this ayah answer is given to the problems concerning talaq (divorce). In subsequent ayah specific commands are given concerning the marriage of the Prophet. Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

105. Here the word nikah is used to mean marriage and that is its real meaning. By touching them (Tamassuhunna) means consummating the marriage or establishing the sexual relationship between a husband and a wife.

If some one after the nikah, gave talaq to his wife before establishing the sexual relationship with her, then the wife would not be required to spend the waiting time (Iddat), but in this case the husband should give some provision (clothes, jewellery, money, etc.) without fail, as the emphatic command is given in Surah Baqarah. Verse No.241, which applies to all the divorced women without any exception, (For the explanation of the provision to be given after divorce please see Surah Baqarah, Note No.376). This provision or gift is in addition to the amount of Mehr. If the Mehr was fixed and the talaq has been given before consummation of marriage, then as stated in Surah Baqarah, ayah No.237, half the Mehr would have to be paid, and if no Mehr was fixed, then at the time of giving provision gift, due consideration should have to be given to it.

It may be noted that the Mehr is related to Nikah (marriage), while ‘Mata’ or ‘Muta’ (gift provision) is related to talaq. Therefore every divorced woman will have to be given the parting gift, which should be according to the fair custom, that is it should not be more than what is according to man’s position, nor should it be so less that its value be insignificant. Allama Ibn Taimiyah says:

“The third saying is more correct and that is the second statement ascribed to Imam Ahmed that for every divorced woman is Muta’h (gift provision) “Walilmutalliqati mataun bilmaroof” as the expression and generality of the ayah signifies and for this reason also that the divine command is: ‘Iza (ayah No.49, Surah Al-Ahzab). “In this ayah those women who have been divorced before they are touched are commanded to be given Muta’h (gift provision), and this command is not specific for only those whose Mehr was not fixed, when many women are given talaq after Mehr is already fixed.” (Majmua’ Fatawa Ibn Taimiyah Vol. 32, P. 27)

In the event of talaq the woman is commanded to be released with grace, and this is the high moral teaching of Islam that when in the eventuality of separation bad manners should not be displayed, but decency and good manners should be adopted so that the effects of bitterness may be as less as possible. But generally Muslims have forgotten this teaching, and it is experienced that when relationships are broken bitterness rises to the extreme.

106. In this ayah a particular rule for the number of wives for the Prophet has been stated. It shows that for the exigencies of the religious matters special exceptions were made in the case of the Prophet. And since these exceptions were granted by Allah, nobody has a right to object to it.Whatever marriages that Prophet (S.A.W) contracted were done within the limits prescribed herein by Allah.

107. Those whose Mehr were paid by the Prophet were six: Sauda (R), Ayesha (R), Hafsa (R), Um Salma (R) Zainab Bint Al-Harith (R), and Um Habiba (R). Khadija (R) and Zainab Bint Khazima (R) had died earlier.The Mehr of the holy wives of the Prophet used to be, as stated in the hadith, five hundred dirham (1487 gram silver) -(Muslim Kitabun Nikah). However Um Habiba’s Mehr was four hundred dinar (1700 gram gold), which was paid by the Abyssinian ruler Negus on behalf of the Prophet. -(Tafseeer Ibn Katheer Vol.3 p.499).

This is an example of paying the Mehr with magnanimity, but a section of the Muslims has made the paying of Mehr a custom, a formality. Either they fix twenty five or fifty rupees as Mehr, which cannot buy even 5 grams of silver, while they spend thousands of rupees in wedding arrangements and showing off rituals, or for the show they fix such a huge amount of Mehr that the eventuality of its paying does not arise, Both these extremes need to be reformed.

108. Means those women who are made captives in wars as spoils of war and are distributed among the victors as female slaves. .The Prophet was allowed to marry such women. Under this permission he had married Juwariyah and Safiyah (R) Juwairiyah (R) was made captive in the Battle of Mustalaq (Shaban-06 Hijri). She was the daughter of the chief of that tribe and had embraced Islam. In view of her position, the Prophet freed her and married her. Similarly Safyah (R) was made captive in the Battle of Khyber (07 Hijri), and she was the daughter of the famous chief of the Jews. When she embraced Islam, then Prophet reckoned her freedom to be her Mehr and took her in his nikah. In this way both these female slaves were fortunate to become the holy wives of the Prophet.

109. It does not mean that they migrated with him and were with him when he migrated, but that as he left his home and everything and migrated, for the sake of faith, they also migrated and left everything for the sake of faith. They also sacrificed everything and were his partners in this good deed. He was permitted to marry such daughters of paternal and maternal uncles and aunts. He took advantage of this permission only to the extent to which the exigencies of the faith required. In the foregoing lines the circumstances of his marriage with Zainab (R) and Um Habiba (R) have been mentioned. Zainab (R) was the daughter of his father’s sister, and Um Habiba was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, who was from the Bani Umayyah clan, and Abu Sufyan was Prophet ‘s uncle through his great grandfather.

110. That is: If a woman of faith may offer to give herself in marriage to Prophet without Mehr, and he may accept this offer and marry her. His nikah with Maimoona (R), which took place in 07 Hijri was under this regulation only.

111. That is: The permission to accept the offer of nikah without fixing any Mehr is exclusively for the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. Such a permission is not available to general Muslims.

112. Points to the fact that in Surah An-Nisa Muslims are allowed to marry four wives, and commands about female slaves are also given in that Surah.

113. For the Prophet the circle of nikah was made wider because in view of the exigencies of faith he should not feel any constraints in marrying and may not pay any heed to the objections of the opponents.

It should be remembered that the Prophet had mostly married older women and widows, which was for making them happy and also for influencing the concerned families and the tribes, and also for training the women to impart religious education among the women of the community.

114. Hints at the point that if in fulfilling these family responsibilities any error is committed unwittingly, then Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

115. That is: He has the right to keep anyone he may near him or away from him. And there is also nothing wrong in calling anyone whom he had kept away near him. It means that the right of the Prophet has precedence over the rights of his wives, and the Prophet had contracted a number of Nikahs only for the exigencies of faith. Therefore, whatever time and opportunity his wives get to be with him, they should consider it their good fortune, and should be content with it. In such a case it would be easier for the Prophet to fulfill his responsibilities, and his wives will also be happy and satisfied, and thus the atmosphere in the house of the Prophet will be pleasant.

Although Allah had given him this right as mentioned above, yet he used to stay with his wives by turns, and used to do justice with all of them. The narratives which state that he had kept some of his wives away from him are not correct. Abu Bakr Jussas writes:

“The Prophet has stated that he used to stay with his wives according to the turns fixed for every one, and in this there is no mention that he had made any exception in allotting a turn to any wife Ayesha (R) says that the Messenger of Allah used to fix turns with justice, and used to say: O Allah: this distribution is fair so far it is in my hand, so for what is in your power and what is not in my power, I may not be questioned.” (Tafseer Jussas, Vol.3, page 453).

However, Sauda (R) had given her turn to Ayesha (R) as she had grown old.

It was the result of this guidance only that there was no rivalry or jealousy among the holy wives of the Prophet, nor did the Prophet ever experience any hurtful feeling from them. Their character as the mothers of the faithful had been very high and ideal.

116. Hints at the point that the concessions that Allah had granted to his Prophet concerning his wives does not give any right to any person to have objections for that, but if you have been having any doubts in your hearts about that, then you should know that Allah knows what is in the heart of every person.

52. Hereafter it is not lawful for you to take (other) women, nor should you change them for other wives, even though their beauty may please you, ¹¹⁷ except those female slaves who come in your possession.¹¹⁸ And Allah is Watcher over all things.

53. O you who believe ! Do not enter the dwellings of the Prophet without permission, and (on being permitted) do not wait ¹¹⁹ for meal to be served; but when you are invited (for a meal), then enter and after eating disperse¹²⁰----linger not for conversation.¹²¹ Verily that would cause annoyance to the Prophet, and he would be shy to ask you to go, and Allah is not shy of telling the truth.¹²² And when you ask them (his wives) for anything, ask them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. ¹²³ And it is not proper for you to hurt the messenger of Allah, nor ever to marry his wives after him.¹²⁴ Verily that would be a very grave offence in the sight of Allah.

54. Whether you reveal a thing or conceal it, Allah has knowledge of all things.

55. It is no sin for them the (Prophet’s wives to be seen unveiled) by their fathers, their sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their own women and their slave ¹²⁵. O Women ! Have fear of Allah. Verily Allah is witness to all things. ¹²⁶

56. Verily, Allah and His angels shower blessings on him. O you who believe! Send blessings on him and greet him with worthy salutation.¹²⁷

117. That is: The Prophet can marry only within the limitations prescribed by Allah as mentioned above. There is no permission for the Prophet to marry outside these limitations, as if where the Prophet has been given special concessions to marry, there he has been subjected to specific limitations also,which are not applicable to general Muslims, for example, if a Muslim has four wives, he can divorce any one of them and can wed another one in her place, but the Prophet was restricted from divorcing anyone of his wives and bringing in her place another one, that is the restriction or the limitation of the Shariah which was applicable to him. And this is the proof of the fact that whatever was revealed from Allah, the Prophet followed it diligently, so much so that his private and family life was also not an exception.

Allama Ibn Katheer has explained that at the time of the Prophet’s death, he had nine wives living. (Al-Hidayah wan Nahayah Vol.5, page 391)

Incidentally from the wordings of the ayah that even if some woman’s beauty pleases a believing man, it is elicited that a woman’s beauty is a means of attraction for men, but for the people of faith consideration of the commands of the Shariah is most important and necessary.

118. For the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, nikah was declared lawful with only those women that were mentioned in the above ayah. However permission was given to him to have a relationship of husband and wife with his female slaves, which permission is also given to the general Muslims. Under this permission he had accepted Maria Qibtiya, who was sent as a gift by the Christian ruler of Egypt, ‘Maquqas’ and he had explained that this lady was considered to be very honorable. From this lady a son, was born, who was named Ibrahim by the Prophet and who died in 09 Hijri.

119. These directions are for the general people, guiding them how to behave in a respectable manner with the Prophet and his household. First they should not enter his house without permission. Secondly on getting permission, they should enter the house and remain there as long as it is necessary, they should not linger there till the meal time and wait for the meal to be served to them. it is obvious that not acting according to these instructions is absolute bad manners, and showing bad manners in the Prophet’s house is very objectionable.

120. This is the third direction. If some one is invited by the Prophet for a meal, one should definitely go, but after taking the meal leave the house without wasting any time. In the first part of the ayah instructions were given to enter the dwellings of the Prophet after getting permission, even if it was necessary to go for some work, and in this part direction is given to take care of certain things after one is invited for taking a meal by the Prophet.

121. After entering the Prophet’s house you should not busy yourself in conversation, whether you have entered after taking permission or you have been invited to take a meal. Any way the Prophet’s dwellings are not like the dwellings of the other people, therefore, necessary etiquette must be observed diligently.

122. The Prophet does not say anything out of politeness. He tolerates sitting of other people in his house without necessity or their waiting uninvited till the meal-time because of his politeness and good manners, but the question for Allah being polite with such people does not arise. He gives guidelines for observing etiquette in dealing with his Prophet so that your training may be set at right from this aspect also.

123. This is the fourth direction in connection with entering the Prophet’s house that there should be a curtain between the people and the wives of the Prophet. If it is necessary to ask for a thing from them, it should be done from behind a curtain. Do not appear before them face to face. And the good point behind this direction is this that in this way your heart will also be clean and pure and also their hearts, and there will be no room for any misgivings or doubts. In connection with purdah, this was the first ayah and the beginning of the command for Purdah was made with the house of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. Although purdah is desirable in the houses of the general Muslims also, yet it has not been made compulsory for them. Accordingly Surah Noor, which was revealed after Surah Ahzab, has this command for women that they should not manifest their ornamentation those who enter their houses with permission, that is they should not come before them in an attractive manner. (See Surah Noor ayah 31, Note 43)

If the command for having a curtain inside the house were for the general Muslims, then the question of the women’s coming in an attractive way before those who enter the house, would not have arisen. It is thus seen that to the general Muslim women such a severe command for purdah inside the house was not given as was given to the wives of the Prophet, and it was so because the position of the mothers of the faithful is much higher than the general Muslim women.

It is stated in a hadith that this ayah was revealed at the time of the “Walimah” of Zainab (R):

“Anas (R) reports that when the Messenger of Allah wedded Zainab Binte Jahash(R) he invited people for the walimah. When people finished eating, they sat conversing for a long time. He wanted to get up, but people continued to linger. Ultimately he got up. When he got up other people also got up, but three men went on sitting. When the Prophet (S.A. W.)wanted to enter again, he saw people were still sitting, (So he went out). When they went out, I told the Prophet that they have gone. Then he came and entered the house, And when I also tried to enter, then he put a curtain between me and him, and Allah revealed this ayah (No.53,Surah Ahzab)” -(Bukhari-kitabut Tafseer).

124. That is: After his death also, it is unlawful to marry the widows of the Prophet.

125. These people are exempted form the restrictions of the purdah inside the house, as stated in the foregoing ayah. In these are included along with the mahram’ slaves, males and females, who are in their possession.

126. That is Allah is present every where and sees everything.

127. The phrase ‘Sallu Alaihi’ in Arabic means to send or shower blessings and to pray for blessings being showered. The ayah does therefore mean that Allah showers blessings on the Prophet and the angels pray for blessings being showered on him. O People of faith, you also pray for blessings being showered on him, and send salutations in plenty. Salat also means special kind of blessings and mercy, that is blessings which is showered with honour and grace. There is specific word for this, Darood, and sending greetings or salam, means to pray for safety from every kind of trouble.

This command of sending gifts of Darood and Salam has been given to every Muslim, and as is stated in the hadith it is desirable that this should be acted upon as often as possible because with Darood and Salam the relationship of devotedness and regard with the Prophet is strengthened.

The words of Darood and Salam used in the ‘Tashahhud’ In the prayer are in the obedience of this command. The method of sending salutation to the Prophet as taught in this is as under: “ peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s mercy and blessings by upon you.”— (Bukhari- Abwab-e- Suffatus Salat).

The phrase O Prophet here does not mean that the prophet is present here and every where and sees everything, because that distinction is reserved for Allah only. This address is on account of his being the prophet of the time, that is to give the idea that for guiding us he is with us (through his teachings), and we are submitting our greetings in the court of the prophet. This is a style of impressive speech. Its other example is that prayer which is made at the time of the visit to the graveyard, when the dead people are addressed and they are greeted by salutation. It does not mean that the dead people are present and alive and can see, etc., but that the person who greets them has gone in their midst, and is greeting them. Those who do not understand this style of impressive speech give it a wrong meaning to prepare ground for polytheism and innovation. But for its refutation this explanation of Abdullah Ibn Masood (R) is sufficient. We used to say the words, O Prophet, when he used to be with us, alive, and when he passed away, we began saying: Salam on the Prophet.-(Bukhari ‘Kitabul-Isti’zan), that is instead of using the words in second person, words in third person were being used. It is also worth consideration that for sending salam on the Prophet it is not necessary to stand up, as in the salat the salam is recited while sitting, but the bidati (innovators) have started a new method of standing up for sending salam on the Prophet. And if some one does not stand up on this occasion he is reproached, so much so that his creed is also considered wrong. Such innovations have sowed the seeds of disruption among the Ummah. As for Darood, its method is also stated in the hadith. Ka’b bin Ujrah says that they told the Prophet that they knew the method of sending salam on him, but should they send Darood on him? He said say:

“O Allah : Shower salam on Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad as you have showered salam on the followers of Ibrahim. Verily You. are worthy of praises and Most Honoured.”O Allah: Shower blessings on Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad as you have showered blessings on the followers of Ibrahim. Verily, You are worthy of praises and Most Honoured.” - (Bukhari-Kitabud Dawat).

In another narrative there are additional words ‘of Ibrahim’. In Darood the word ‘Aal’ is used, which in Arabic means race and family also, as well as for followers too. Therefore, in the Lisanul Arab it is stated: Aal means the followers (Lisan-ul- Arab Vol. 11, page 38). And in the Quran Aal-e-Firaun was spoken for the group of the followers of Firaun. Among the followers of Ibrahim the overwhelming number was that of these who were of his race. That is why they were called Aal-e-Ibrahim. But the followers of Prophet Muhammad belong to a universal Ummah, therefore, all his followers from his time till the end of the world will be recipients of this blessing. Such a sense is supported by the ayah No. 43 in which a mention is made of Allah’s and His angels’ showering blessings on the people of faith.

The importance of Darood has been stated in an authentic hadith in these words:

“Whoever will send greetings of one Darood on me, Allah will send ten times blessings on him .” -(Muslim Kitabus Salat)

But in weak and invented hadith importance of Darood has been stated in great exaggeration. The commentator of Bukhari, Hafiz Ibn Hijr writes:

“In this chapter (importance of Darood) there are plenty of weak and baseless hadith, and the narratives which the storytellers have invented are countless. But the strong hadith are sufficient to let us do without them.” -(Fathul Bari, Vol.11, page 141).

For example in an unreliable narrative it is stated that on a Friday reciting Darood eighty times would enable a person to get his sins of eighty years be forgiven. -(Silsilatul Ahadithul dhaeefah Lil Albani.Vol.1,page 251). Such narratives are quoted by careless scholars without any precautions, which resulted in the people taking special care to arrange for reciting Darood most devotedly while neglecting a number of other religious responsibilities. Formally they became pious, but the sense of sincerely and perfectly following the faith could not develop in them.

It may be noted that Darood is an important prayer and it has significant place in religion, but about remembering and reciting frequently the command is exclusively for Allah’s name only, and recitation of praises and tasbeeh should be of His name only.There was no practice of arranging gatherings for completing recitation of one lakh Darood, as it is being followed these days, and that such a practice is not supported by Quran and Sunnah, Darood-e-Taj and other such types of Darood and their lengthy lists of importance are things that have been added by the subsequent people. For the straight going Muslims the method shown by the Prophet of reciting Darood is sufficient.

The Prophet’s personality deserves extraordinary respect, and, therefore, it is necessary to have Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam with his name always. His respected companions, while reporting hadith from him, always used to say: So said the Messenger of Allah, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (blessings and peace be upon him).

And the teachers of hadith have also adopted this very method. It is not correct to write only S. or S.A.W. because it is miserliness. The writer does not recite the whole phrase, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam nor does the reader. There will be as much reward for repeating Darood and Salam, then what is the reason for miserliness.

O Prophet! Tell your wives, and your daughters and the women of the believers that they should cast upon them their cloaks. That is more proper, so that they may be recognised and not molested. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.(AL-Quran)

57. Those who annoy Allah and His messenger, Allah has cursed them in this world and in the Hereafter,¹²⁸ and has prepared for them a shameful punishment .

58. And those who annoy believing men and believing women for what they did not commit, they bear the guilt of slander and manifest sin.¹²⁹

59. O Prophet! Tell your wives, and your daughters and the women of the believers that they should cast upon them their cloaks. That is more proper, so that they may be recognised and not molested.¹³⁰ And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.¹³¹

60. If the hypocrites and those who have a disease in their hearts,¹³² and the rumour mongers of Madina do not desist, We will rouse you against them, and they will be your neighbours in it only for a while. ¹³³

61. Accursed,¹³⁴ they will be seized wherever found, and slain mercilessly.¹³⁵

62. That has been the tradition of Allah in the case of those who passed away before; and you will find no change in the tradition of Allah.¹³⁶

63. People ask you about the Hour of Doom. Say: “The knowledge of it is with Allah alone. Who knows, it may well be near at hand?” ¹³⁷

64. Verily Allah has cursed the disbelievers and has prepared for them a blazing Fire, ¹³⁸

128. In the above ayah the people of faith were commanded to send blessing upon the Prophet. In this ayah those who malign the Prophet and annoy him and cause mental tension are warned of a shameful punishment. It has become clear that those who send blessings upon the Prophet they themselves also become deserving of receiving blessings. As against this those who malign the Prophet, they become liable to be cursed, and this is a hint at particularly those hypocrites, who were making a target of their objections the number of Prophet’s marriages and his family life, and were ridiculing the commands of Allah.

The meaning of maligning Allah is saying such things which invite his wrath against them, for example to say He has children, to ascribe shortcoming and defect to Him, to consider Him like any other creature, to associate partners with Him, to impute things below His dignity to Him, to ridicule His messengers, His Books and Him, and to utter derogatory words about Him, etc. etc. And the meaning of maligning, annoying or hurting the messenger is to utter derogatory remarks against him, to insult him, to ridicule his tradition, to raise objections about his private life, to disrespect his decisions, to impute false reports to him, to consider his decisions to be based on injustice and to quarrel with him, etc.

For those who insult Allah and His messenger, there is curse for them not only in the Hereafter, but in this world too they are subjected to curse. They are thrown away from the mercy of Allah in such away that their lot is only shame and disgrace. Real honour will never befor them.

129. Refers to those mischievous activities of the hypocrites in which they indulged to bring into disrepute Muslim men and Muslim women, so that the excellent group of persons that had come up by the training of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, might become unpopular and be disgraced, and this might cause obstruction in the way of spreading Islam. In the ayah severe warning is given for maligning believing man and believing woman and hurting their feelings and leveling false accusations against them. To accuse an innocent person is falsely implicating him or her and it is not our ordinary sin but a major sin, especially implicating them in matters which are blemishes on chastity.

In the present Muslim society it appears that there is no realization of the enormity of this sin. To cast aspersions on pious Muslim persons has become a common custom of the people. Various groups of Muslims go on accusing one another of various misdeeds falsely, and journalism provides every facility for this nefarious work. Any way a person who wants to adopt fear of Allah and piety as a way of life, he should be very careful, he should not utter anything against his Muslim brother which would implicate him in an act which he had not committed. In a hadith it is stated:

“A Muslim is he from whose tongus and hands other Muslims are safe.” -(Riyazus Saliheen.P.599, with reference to Bukhari and Muslim).

130. In this ayah the general Muslim women are directed to draw close to their bodies cloak (Jilbab chadar) whenever they may go out from their houses, as is clear from the sentence that follows. And its advantage has also been stated that it will enable them to be recognised, that is it will show that they are respectable and chaste women, and therefore, mischief-making elements will not expect any response from them and will not tease them. This chadar of modesty will keep them comparatively safe.

Jilbab means broad cloth (Lisan-ul- Arab Vol.1 page 272). This word is used for a sheet of cloth, chadar, which is bigger than dupatta, which women use for covering their bodies and dress. The word ‘min’ is not used here as a preposition, as it is not used in the hadith narrated by Um Atiyyah:

“Um Atiyyah says: ‘When the Prophet persuaded women to join the prayer for Eid, I said : O messenger of Allah: if some one of us has no cloak (chadar), what should we do? He said: Her sister should cover her with her cloak.”-(Fathul Qadeer, Vol.4, page 304, as quoted from Bukhari).

In this hadith also the words ‘Min Jilbabiha’ do not mean part of the cloak of her but it means her full chadar. And ‘Yudneena Alaihinna’ means to draw it on oneself. Similarly at another place in the Quran it is stated:

“Wa Daniyatan Alaihim Zilaluha” which means its shadows will be on them. (Al-Insan 14).

It means that when Muslim women go out of the houses, they should draw close over their bodies such cloak or sheet of cloth which should be bigger than the odhani (head-cloth), which should cover their bodies and dress. This cloth should either be in the form of a sheet or in the form of ‘burqa’, the purpose is to conceal the open parts of the body, the ornamentation and the cut and fit of the clothe, so that the woman may not pass before strange men with her charm and attraction. She should go in a way which would meet the demands of modesty and which would show her to be a respectable woman. This is an outline of command concerning purdah, and it is not clarified in it whether a woman can keep her face and hands open, because as Quran proposes to stop the mischief, it also tries to remove the difficulties in practicing it. Accordingly in the Surah Noor which was revealed after this Surah, where the women have been commanded to conceal their ornamentation, there the exception has also been allowed: ‘except what becomes manifest.’ (See Surah Noor, ayah 21, Note No.42). Therefore, in the command concerning jilbab’ this concession will be kept in view, especially when this command is in the nature of an outline. If the purpose were to essentially conceal the face and the hands, then the clarification would have been given in the ayah.

In the absence of this clarification, insistence on concealing the face and the hands and covering the body with the chadar in such a way that no part of the dress be visible to the outsider is nothing else but trying to make an outline command to be a very as detailed and severe. If such a severity were adopted in the past, then it would have been tolerated conditions then prevailing, but in the present condition when women have to meet so many of their needs and fulfill their responsibilities by going out of the house, making the command of the purdah so severe can create a lot of difficulties and problems for them. And it may also result in the women giving up purdah altogether, considering it to be totally unpracticable. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the correct balance.

131. Hints at the point that if in following the command concerning jilbab sincerely, if any defects are found unwittingly, then Allah will forgive and will show mercy.

132. Means the disease of lust, means lustful men.

133.It give an idea that at that time the hypocrites and mischief makers had become very bold to disturb the ambience of Madina, to spread panic among people by propagating rumours of imminent fighting, and teasing respectable Muslim ladies and leveling false allegations against them. Therefore, on the one hand the Muslim women were given the command to observe purdah while going out in order to keep safe from their mischief, and on the other hand those hypocrites and mischief-makers were warned that if they did not desist, then Allah would give command to His messenger to punish them and to clear the Muslim society of these mischief makers.

It may be noted that the need of the moment which required that special kind of purdah (jilbab) does not mean that this command is specific or reserved for such circumstances only. Many commands in the Quran were given in specific or special circumstances, but they are now of permanent nature, and the one need specific for that command may not be the only need, there may be other needs also, and it was thought necessary to state only one need.

134. That is: They will be thrown away from the mercy of Allah, and those whom Allah deprives of His mercy, they are destined to be disgraced.

135. Accordingly in Surah Taubah (09 Hijri) command was given to deal very strictly with hypocrites:

“O Prophet ! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and deal strictly with them” -(At-Taubah - 73).

And the Prophet also commanded their mosque which they had built to create discord among the Muslims to be burnt down. All these details have been given in the commentary of Surah Taubah.

136. That is: Before these, in the communities in which the Divine Messengers were sent when the disbelievers were eliminated, the hypocrites and the mischief makers were also removed to clear the society, and the new society composed of the righteous faithful was allowed to flourish, and the responsibilities of the khilafat (rule) were entrusted to that. In this way, after crushing the mischief, Allah forms the human society anew on righteous basis. And there is no reason that this tradition of Allah may not be enforced in relation to this Prophet. And it is a fact that the society and the ambience of Madina were made clear of all mischief before the death of Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

137. The question: when will the Doomsday occur? was not only being asked in makkah, but it was also being repeated in Madina. Though Quran had answered this question several times, yet the people used to annoy the Prophet often with this question. Their purpose was to create doubts about Doomsday in the minds of the general people. If in Makkah the infidels were trying to create doubts, then in Madina these hypocrites were doing the same thing.

If Allah’s wise policy demanded that its occurrence may not be revealed to anyone, it did not mean that it will not occur at all. Nobody knows when the death of a person will occur, then does it mean a person’s death does not take place? As the coming of death is certain, so also is the coming of Doomsday certain, although its hour of occurrence is not known to us. However Quran also clarifies that the Doomsday will occur soon, and it is a fact as Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, is the last prophet. Through him the religion of Allah has been perfected, and Allah’s message has been conveyed to the people of the world. Therefore, this world is now passing through its last stage. In a hadith it is stated that the Prophet has stated:

“I and the Day of Resurrection have been sent together like this, and he showed his first and middle finger joined together.” - (Mishkat kitabus Salat as quote by Muslim).

For further explanation please see Surah A’raf Note No. 286 to 289).

138. This is a warning for those who want the Doomsday to be brought soon. The Doomsday will come at its appointed hour. Those who deny its coming for them there is deprivation and when it will occur, they will be thrown in it, because after denying the occurrence of Doomsday, man cannot develop in himself attributes which would enable him to get rewards in the Hereafter. Instead he commits such acts which make him liable to receive punishment in the Hereafter.

65. Wherein they will abide for ever. They will find no protecting friend nor helper.

66. On the day when their faces will be turned over in the fire, they will say: “Oh, would that we had obeyed Allah and had obeyed His messenger !”¹³⁹

67. And they will say: “Our Lord! Verily we obeyed leaders and elders, and they misled us from the right path. ¹⁴⁰

68. Our Lord! Let their punishment be doubled, and lay on them a mighty curse.”¹⁴¹

69. O you who believe! Do not be like those who annoyed Moosa, but Allah cleared him of what they said (against him), and he was well esteemed in Allah’s sight.¹⁴²

70. O you who believe! Fear Allah, and speak a straight speech. ¹⁴³

71. He will rectify your acts ¹⁴⁴ for you and will forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger,¹⁴⁵ he has verily achieved a great achievement.

72. Verily, We offered (Our) trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were afraid of it. And man undertook to bear it. Verily man is a wrong-doer and ignorant being.¹⁴⁶

73. So Allah will punish hypocrites, men and women, and the disbelieving men and the disbelieving women,¹⁴⁷and Allah will pardon believing men and believing women,¹⁴⁸ and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

139. The deniers of the Day of Resurrection have turned their faces from obeying the commands of Allah, and they also do not care for obeying the Messenger of Allah. But on the Day of Resurrection when they will be confronted with the Hell, they will realise their error and they will feel sorry and will say Oh, Would that we had obeyed Allah and His messenger !

140.’Sadatna’ means their leaders and ‘Kubarana’ means their elders, religious guides, etc. The deniers will realise after being thrown into the Hell that in the world they had been obeying the rebel and wayward leaders, instead of obeying Allah and His messenger, and they followed those religious guides who misled them.

141.Today these deniers are showering praises over their leaders, and are expressing their devotion to their religious guides, but after going to Hell they will be sending curses on them and will desire that the curses and the punishment of their leaders may be enhanced.

142. This is an emphatic command: do not harass or annoy or malign your Prophet as the Bani Israil had done Prophet Moosa. Quran contains various references to the bitter answers which the Bani Israil had given to Prophet Moosa after disobeying him. For example, their reply that you and your Lord may go to the holy land and fight, we will remain here only. Ayah No.5 of Surah Saf hints at this kind of annoyance which they caused. But here the annoyance which is being mentioned is of the type which amounts to character-assassination, that is false allegations and slander against him. And when a dirty allegation is leveled against a Prophet, Allah clears His prophet of this allegation during his life time only, so that the personality of His prophet may not appear to be blemished before the people. In this connection, the example of Prophet Yusuf is very clear, as He cleared him of the false charges against him in such a way that there remained no shadow of doubt about his innocence. In this ayah also it is stated that Allah cleared Moosa of the allegations, and he was a respectable and dignified prophet in the sight of Allah. Both these things point that the allegations were such that they affected the reputation and honour of Prophet Moosa. Quran has not pointed out what was that specific incident, as it is better not to relate such incidents from the remembrance points of view. Therefore, we will also not try to go into the details of this incident.

Commentators generally quote a hadith in explaining this ayah. The summary of this hadith is that Abu Hurairah (R) reports from the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, that he said that Prophet Moosa was very modest and careful about his clothes. He took particular care not to expose any part of his body. But Bani Israil said that it was so because he had some defect in his body or some secret disease. (In view of the respect due to a Prophet we would not like to name the defect which was mentioned in this narrative). Allah wanted to clear him of this false allegation, and one day it so happened that when Moosa was alone he disrobed himself and put his clothes on a stone and took a bath. After his bath, when he tried to take his clothes, the stone started running. Moosa pursued him and reached a crowd of Bani Israil. There the people saw him in the naked state and came to know that there was no defect in Moosa’s birth or body. Thus Allah cleared him of the thing of which they were accusing Moosa. Then the stone stopped and Moosa put on his clothes, and then struck the stone with his staff, which left some marks on the stone. The reference of the ayah “La Takoonoo…… “ (Do not be like those who annoyed Moosa) is to this incident. -(Bukhari Kitab Ahadith-ul- Anbiya).

This hadith has been quoted by Bukhari as well as by Muslim. In one of the narratives of Bukhari it is also stated that the Prophet said that the Bani Israil used to bathe in the naked state and used to watch the genitals of one another, but Moosa used to bathe in solitude. (Bukhari Kitabul Ghusl)

But the said narrative is not reliable from the point of view of its sources and its text. Abdul Wahab Najjar has criticized this story in his book Qasasul Anbia, which is a book of research in Arabic, whose summary is as under:

1) What kind of a miracle is it that it exposes the private parts of a prophet. Even if there were a physical defect in Moosa’s body, how could it render him undignified in the sight of Allah:

2) If Moosa had been accused of having a physical defect, how could it prevent him from being a prophet, when in Surah Saf this saying of Prophet Moosa has been quoted: O people of my community! why are you hurting me, you know that I am a Messenger of Allah sent to you. Therefore, the hurt or the annoyance must be of a more grave nature, and in the Quran the word ‘Eeza’ (hurt) is used for a discomfort of a grave nature.

3) The said hadith had, as one of its sources, a narrator named Auf about whom the well known and reliable book of Asmaur Rajal, Tahzeebut Tahzeeb says that he was a shiah, Rafzi and Satan.

4) I accept only those hadith whose narrators are pure, that is they have no defects of character and about whom my conscience is satisfied. As for the hadith whose narrator is questionable, however small the cause for unreliability may be, my conscience does not accept it regardless of the fact how many other might have accepted it as reliable. I give more importance to reliability, particularly when the narrator is an innovator, regardless of the fact whether he is inviting us to his innovation or not. And in the case of a narrator being a Shiah I take more precautions.

5) In the hadith it is stated that Hasan Basri reported from Abu Hurairah, when the hearing of hadith by Hasan Basri from Abu Hurairah is not proved, nor is the hearing of hadith by Khilas from Abu Hurairah is proved. In Umdatul Qari (Sharh- e-Bukhari) this explanation is given.

6) As for that narrative in Bukhari which has been stated through other sources, in that one narrator is Abdul Razzaq, about whom Ibn Mueen says that he is not firm and he belongs to Shiah cult. He has narrated a number of Ahadith in praise of Ahl-e-Bait, which traditions no other reliable narrator has narrated.

7) Ulema says that in the shariah of Bani Israil bathing naked was allowed, but there is no proof for such a statement. The disagreeableness to expose private parts before others is inborn in human nature.

8) Is a miracle proved without the support of a definite reference in the Divine Scripture? - (Qasasul Anbia by Abdul Wahab Najjar, pages 281 to 291 ).

There is considerable force in the reasoning of Abdul Wahab Najjar, and there is no reason why the said hadith be considered a hadith of the Prophet, and a story be related to Moosa which amounts to an insult. But those who do not want to allow research and religious insight being applied to judge a hadith, on such occasions they accuse others of denial of hadith. But we should care more for the defence of the good name of Quran and the Prophet than our own reputation. We would further like to say that from the viewpoint of sources this hadith is not at all one which can be said to be authentic. About Abdul Razzaq in the book.(Meezanul E’tidal, a book of Asmaur Rajal, edited by Imam Zahbi) contradictory opinions of the narrators of hadith have been quoted. Imam Bukhari says that he is reliable, but in narrating hadith from Muammer he commits errors.

Nasai says that false hadith are narrated by him, and Ibn Adi says that he is said to belong to Shiism. Muhammad bin Uthman At-Thaqafiul Basri states that when Abbas bin Abdul Azim came from sanaa, from Abdul Razzaq, he said to us: By Allah, except Him there is no other God, Abdul Razzaq is a liar Ibn Adi says that Abdur Razzaq has reported this hadith from the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam that whenever you see Muaviyah on my mimber, (pulpit), kill him. (See Meezanul E’tidal, Vol.2, page 609 to 612), Similarly different opinions about Auf are held by the teachers of hadith. (Ibid Vol.3, page 305)

Even after such clarifications by the teachers of hadith, if Imam Bukhari considers Abdur Razzaq’s narration to be acceptable, then it is not necessary that others should also agree with his view.

However, in the explanation of the ayah, the following hadith from Bukhari can be presented:

“The Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, distributed the spoils of war, then a person said that in the distribution Allah’s pleasure was not sought. Abdullah Bin Masood says that he went to the Prophet and informed him of this. He became very much upset, then said: May Allah have mercy on Moosa. He was maligned even more than this, but he showed patience.”- (Bukhari Kitab Ahadith-ul- Anbia)

The charge of injustice in the distribution of the spoils of war was such which threw aspersions on his character, therefore, the reference which he gave on this occasion of Prophet Moosa shows that Prophet Moosa was hurt in such a way that it cast aspersions on his moral character.

143. “Qaul-e-Sadeed” means true speech or true words, which also include the points of not making any false allegations or charges against anybody, and that it means whatever one says should be out and out truthful, and not speaking half-truths or ambiguous words which would mislead others ................. However, to speak half truths at the time of war in order to avert a greater mischief is an exceptional case ................ People of faith should take care to say everything with fear of Allah in their hearts, and should adopt truthful speaking as their way of life. If they promise anybody something, they must try to fulfill that promise. Empty promises for fulfilling which no care is taken are contrary to truthful speech or straight speech.

144. It is learnt that the person who speaks truth and is truthful in his talks and keeps his promises gets guidance from God to reform his acts, in other words the fruit of truthful speech is the reformation of the practical life. As against this, a person who talks irresponsibly and is not tolerant to hear about his own errors, he keep himself deprived of reformation.

145. The command is given for obeying the Messenger along with the command of obeying Allah. And the obedience of the Prophet is this that, whatever commands are proved to have been given by the Prophet, whether concerning worship or worldly affairs, whether connected with the individual life or the social life, they should be strictly followed.

146. Here trust means those authorities and powers which have been given to man to make use of them in obeying Allah, but since after giving these powers man has been sent to the testing ground for being tested, he has the liberty to use these powers either to use them for the obedience of Allah or for disobeying Him. A person who uses them for His obedience, he will be successful and on account of proving himself to be trustworthy will deserve to get a great rewardeternal success and pleasure. And a person who uses them for his disobedience, he will fail in this test and on account of misappropriation in Allah’s trust will be liable to heavy punishment, eternal failure and torture.

This burden of trust was so heavy that the great creations like the heavens and the earth and the mountains were afraid to bear it, but since man was physically capable of bearing it, accepted this offer of Allah in greed of eternal reward. Therefore, man’s position in this world is that of a creature having powers or authority of trusteeship, and naturally his responsibility is to use these powers according to the dictates or desires of his Lord. But man has forgotten these realities, and therefore, a large number of humans considers itself independent and is misappropriating the trust by using it according to its own whims and fancies. By doing so such men are doing a great disservice to their own selves and proving themselves to be ignoramuses.

“Kana Zalooman Jahoola” has been taken by many commentators to mean that he was a great tyrant and ignorant, and have proceeded to offer lengthy interpretations, although ‘kana’ does not always come to mean ‘was’. But it is also used to mean ‘is’ or ‘happens to be’, as in “Kanallahu Ghafoorar Raheema” (Allah is Forgiving Merciful) Or “Kanal Insanu A’joola” (Man is or happens to be hasty). Therefore, whatever meaning is suitable at this place has been taken, that is, man has become wrong-doer and ignorant after bearing this burden of trust. Wrong doer because he is misappropriating the trust of God, and ignorant because he does not realise his own responsibility, and considers himself free and independent, being carefree of the consequences. In the world the condition of many men is like this. As for the question as to heaven and the earth and the mountains are lifeless materials, then what is the meaning of offering them this trust? We should not try to fix its meaning while remaining in our own limited sphere of knowledge, nor should we consider it on the level of worldly affairs. We should consider it as a fact in the same way in which it is stated in the Quran. Allah can talk with His any creation, whether it is lifeless or not, and that creation can hear Him. Quran has stated that everything in the world recites His glory and praises but man cannot understand it. It can also be concluded from the ayah that had heavens and the earth and the mountains shown willingness to accept this burden of trust, then they would have been given powers according to their status and subjected to test, but they shook from its very concept. Their refusal also does not mean that Allah had given them command to bear the burden and they had refused it, but that they had been given the choice of accepting or not accepting it. But they did not show willingness to accept.

147. The essential result of misappropriation in this trust is that the perpetrators of this crime be punished. Hypocrites (who hide their denial and appear as Muslims) and polytheists, whether men or women, are misappropriates, therefore they will definitely be made to receive their punishment.

148. Those who will prove to be honest in keeping the trust, will deserve to get rewards from Allah, and those who prove to be trustworthy can only be people of faith, whether men or women. When they might have used their powers, considering them to be the trust from Allah, then whatever errors might have been committed by them Allah will surely forgive them and Allah will accept their repentance, In this there is a persuasion for the people of faith to keep in view their action and their errors and must always repent before Allah.