Surah 24
(The Light)
(Madinan Period)
Title
The title is derived from verse 35 of this surah: 'Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.'
Period of Revelation
There is agreement that this surah was revealed after Ghazwat Banū al-Muştaliq. It is evident from the Qur'an itself that it was revealed in the context of the well-known incident of slander (ifk) which is mentioned in detail in verses 11-20. Moreover, it is established by authentic traditions that this incident took place while the Muslims were on the move in connection with the campaign against the Banu al-Mustaliq.
There is, however, disagreement about whether this expedition took place before the Battle of Aḥzab in 5 A.H. or after the battle in 6 A.H. This matter needs to be investigated because the injunctions regarding hijab are to be found in only two surahs of the Qur'an: al-Ahzab and the present surah, al-Nur. As far as Surah al-Aḥzāb is concerned, there is complete agreement that it was revealed on the occasion of the Battle of Aḥzab. Now, if the Battle of Aḥzāb predates the expedition of the Banü al-Muşṭaliq, it obviously means that the earlier injunctions about hijab are those that are embodied in Surah al-Aḥzāb, and that these have been supplemented by the current ones in Surah al-Nūr. Conversely, if the campaign against the Banu al-Muṣṭaliq took place before the Battle of Aḥzab, the sequence would be reversed, meaning thereby that the injunctions pertaining to hijab commenced with those found in Surah al- Nur and that they were given their final touch in Surah al-Aḥzāb. Since confusion on this issue might cloud our understanding regarding the wisdom underlying the injunctions about hijab, it is necessary to ascertain the date of the revelation of Surah al-Nur before proceeding any further. According to Ibn Sa'd, Ghazwat Banu al-Muṣṭaliq took place in Sha'ban 5 A.H. and Ghazwat al-Ahzab in Dhu al-Qa‘dah of the same year. (See Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqät, vol. 2, pp. 63-5 Ed.) This view is supported by the traditions cited on the authority of 'A'ishah which are narrated in connection with the incident of slander. These traditions mention the quarrel between Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. (See Bukhārī, K. Tafsir al-Qur'an, Surah al-Nur, 'Bāb law la idh... al-Kādhībūn' (verses 12-13) - Ed.) All authentic traditions, however, affirm that Sa'd ibn Mu'adh had died in Ghazwat Banü Qurayzah which took place immediately after Ghazwat al-Aḥzāb. (See Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqāt, vol. 2, p. 78 Ed.) Hence, there is no question that Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was alive in 6 A.H.
On the other hand, Muḥammad ibn Ishaq narrates that Ghazwat al- Aḥzab took place in Shawwal 5 A.H. and Ghazwat Banu al-Mustaliq in Sha'ban 6 A.H. (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, pp. 214 and 289 - Ed.) Again, this account is corroborated by a large number of traditions narrated from 'A'ishah and others. We learn from these traditions that the injunctions about ḥijāb had already been revealed before the incident of slander, and that they can be found in Surah al-Aḥzāb. These traditions also inform us that Zaynab was married to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) by then, the marriage having taken place after Ghazwat al-Ahzab in Dhu al-Qa'dah 5 A.H. This incident, as we know, is mentioned in Surah al-Ahzab. Furthermore, it appears from these traditions that Ḥamnah, Zaynab's sister, took a leading part in the slander incident because she regarded 'A'ishah as her sister's rival insofar as Aishah was another of the Prophet's wives. (See Bukhari, K. Tafsir al- Qur'an. Surah al-Nur. 'Bab law la idh... al-Kādhībūn' (verses 12-13) - Ed.) Obviously, it must have taken some time for Hamnah's negative feelings towards 'A'ishah to develop after the marriage between the Prophet (peace be on him) and Zaynab took place. All these traditions, therefore, reinforce Ibn Ishaq's account of the incident.
What is, however, difficult to accept is that the name of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh figures in the slander incident. This difficulty though is resolved by the fact that while some of the traditions narrated from 'A'ishah regarding the incident mention Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. other traditions mention Usayd ibn Huḍayr. (See Ibn Hisham. vol. 2. p. 254 - Ed.)
Additionally, these latter traditions are fully consistent with the traditions narrated from 'A'ishah. If an attempt was made to reconcile the chronology of events with the assumption that the slander incident took place while Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was alive, and to believe for that reason that both Ghazwat Banu al-Muṣṭaliq and the slander incident took place before the Battle of Aḥzab and the expedition against the Qurayzah, we would be confronted with an insolubly complex problem. Such an assumption would require that we consider the revelation of the verse pertaining to hijab to have taken place even before the Battle of Aḥzāb and the expedition against the Qurayzah. This, however, is directly opposed to the statements of the Qur'an and several authentic traditions which fully establish that both the Prophet's marriage with Zaynab and the injunction pertaining to hijab belong to the period after the Battle of Aḥzab and the expedition against the Qurayzah. It is for this reason that Ibn Hazm, Ibn al-Qayyim and several other scholars have considered Muḥammad ibn Ishaq's account to be the correct one, and we too are of the same opinion.
Historical Background
Having ascertained that Surah al-Nur was revealed in the later half of 6 A.H., a few months after the revelation of Surah al-Ahzab, let us now consider the background against which it was revealed.
The rise of the Islamic movement beginning with the Muslims' victory at the Battle of Badr had reached a high point by the time of Ghazwat al-Ahzab. The Jews, the hypocrites and the wavering Muslims had all begun to realize that it would be impossible to thwart this nascent movement merely by force of arms. On the occasion of Ghazwat al- Aḥzāb all these hostile elements forged a united front and a massive army of 10,000 invaded Madina. These opponents of Islam maintained their siege of Madina for one full month and then at long last they retreated in utter frustration. No sooner had they retreated than the Prophet (peace be on him) proclaimed: "The Quraysh shall never invade you after this year; but it is you who will be in a position to invade them' (Ibn Hisham, vol. 3, p. 266).
This in fact signified that the anti-Islamic forces had lost their capacity to launch any offensive against the Muslims. It also signified that the time when Islam had to fight a defensive war was over. From now on Islam would be on the offensive and any anti-Islamic forces on the defensive. The view expressed by the Prophet (peace be on him) was a totally correct assessment of the situation. Furthermore, this fact was also fully recognized by the other party.
The increasing number of Muslims was, however, not the main reason for the ever-growing rise of Islam's power. As far as numbers are concerned, right from the Battle of Badr - the first battle to that of Aḥzab, the non-Muslims always greatly outnumbered the Muslims. In fact, the Muslims represented at that time barely one-tenth of Arabia's total population. Nor did the Muslims have any advantage over their adversaries in terms of arms. For the unbelievers excelled the Muslims in every kind of weaponry. Likewise, in respect of economic power and political influence the Muslims were no match for the unbelievers. The latter virtually had control over all of Arabia's economic resources whereas the Muslims were hard put to make both ends meet. Polytheists from all over Arabia as well as the Jews and Christians supported the Makkan unbelievers against the Muslims who, since they called people to embrace a new faith, had lost the support of all those who were loyal to the status quo ante.
Under these circumstances there was one factor that mainly enabled the Muslims to constantly move ahead. In essence, this was nothing less than their moral superiority, and this was an element which even their enemies acknowledged. For they quite clearly observed the unblemished character and conduct of Muḥammad (peace be on him) and his Companions. On the one hand, this strength, purity and sterling character won the hearts of others to their faith. On the other, these same outstanding qualities infused in them a high degree of unity, discipline and solidarity. These qualities invested the Muslims with an almost insurmountable power. Hence, when the Jews and polytheists were confronted with the Muslims whose body politic was characterized with inner cohesion, solidarity and discipline they proved no match for them, neither in times of peace nor of war.
People who are wicked and mean by nature display a strange characteristic when they observe the good qualities of others. Even when they realize that the good qualities of others are conducive to their success and their own weaknesses cause them to suffer loss, they are still hardly inclined to purge themselves of their weaknesses or adopt the good qualities found among others. On the contrary, they concentrate all their attention on manipulations aimed at promoting the same weaknesses from which they suffer.
In this respect, the anti-Islamic forces resolved to launch a campaign to malign the Muslims. They thought that as a result of this campaign, the world would look at the Muslims as not significantly different from them, that the former too were not completely free from blemishes. As a result of this mentality, instead of engaging the Muslims in armed battle. the enemies of Islam directed their efforts at launching vicious and mean campaigns against them. This was in addition to attempts to sow discord in their ranks.
This purpose could be accomplished by the hypocrites who were apparently a part of the Muslim community. They could prove far more effective in carrying out this task than the enemies of Islam outside the Muslim ranks. It was decided, therefore, that the hypocrites of Madina should first foment trouble from within, and that the external enemies - the Jews and the polytheists - shouid subsequently exploit this to their utmost. This conspiracy of the enemies of Islam first manifested itself in Dhu al-Qa'dah 5 A.H. This was occasioned by the decision to extirpate the pre-Islamic custom of adoption*1. The Prophet (peace be on him) embarked on an effort to eradicate this custom by his own personal example. He did so by marrying Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, the divorced wife of his adopted son Zayd ibn Harithah. The hypocrites of Madina seized this opportunity to raise a storm of hostile propaganda against the Prophet (peace be on him). The Jews and the polytheists joined hands with them. Thereafter, all the forces hostile to Islam unanimously embarked on a similar course and resorted to a campaign of slander and calumny. They invented stories of how Muḥammad (peace be on him) had fallen in love with the wife of his adopted son, how Zayd had found out about this and divorced his wife, and how the Prophet (peace be on him) had subsequently married his own daughter-in-law.
*1. The custom of adoption in vogue in Arabia at that time consisted of designating someone else's child as one's own and then assigning to him the same position as one's own issue - Ed.
These stories were spread on such a scale that even the minds of some Muslims could not remain altogether immune from their influence. The result is that we find vestiges of these stories in the traditions about the Prophet's marriage to Zaynab even in the works of some scholars of Hadith and Tafsir. This material was subsequently also much exploited by Orientalists who added a lot of vigour to the traditional material when they narrated this incident in their own works.
The fact of the matter, however, is that Zaynab was the daughter of the Prophet's paternal aunt, Umaymah, the daughter of 'Abd al-Muttalib. The Prophet (peace be on him) thus knew her well from her childhood onwards. Thus, it is preposterous to say that the Prophet (peace be on him) having accidentally seen her instantly fell in love with her because of her physical attractiveness.
It may also be recalled that only the previous year the Prophet (peace be on him) had himself persuaded her to marry Zayd. It may further be recalled that Zaynab's brother. 'Abd Allah ibn Jaḥsh, who was opposed to this proposal was angry that the marriage took place. Zaynab too was
not very happy about it, for it can well be appreciated that a girl who belonged to the noblest family of the Quraysh would not welcome becoming the wife of a freed slave. However, since the Prophet (peace be on him) wished to set the precedent of equality in the Muslim community, he felt that it should begin with his own family. Therefore, he virtually directed Zaynab to marry Zayd. Likewise, it was well known that it was mainly because of Zaynab's pride in her lineage that she could not live happily with Zayd, and that it was this factor which eventually led to their divorce. Even in the face of these well-known facts the enemies of Islam brazenly used this incident as a pretext to malign the Prophet (peace be on him). Their design was so well-conceived and well-executed that the incident continues to cast its shadow to this day.
Another act of character-assassination was committed on the occasion of the expedition of Banu al-Muşṭaliq. This time the slander campaign was even more fierce.
The Banu al-Muṣṭaliq are a branch of the Khuza'ah tribe who lived in Qudyad which lies on the Red Sea coast between Jeddah and Rabigh. There was a spring called Muraysï' in the area where all the families of Banu al-Muṣṭaliq lived. The military expedition that was launched is, therefore, also referred to in the traditions as the Expedition of Muraysi'. The exact location of the campaign is delineated on the map entitled Ghazwat Banu al-Muṣṭaliq (see p. 135).
In Sha'ban 6 A.H. the Prophet (peace be on him) learned that the Banu al-Muşṭaliq, in collaboration with some other tribes, were preparing to mount an attack on the Muslims. As soon as the Prophet (peace be on him) came to know this, he marched in their direction at the head of an armed force so that the evil might be nipped in the bud. 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy joined the Prophet (peace be on him) on this expedition along with a large number of hypocrites. Ibn Sa'd has mentioned that never before had the hypocrites joined the Prophet (peace be on him) in any expedition in such large numbers. The Prophet (peace be on him), however, surprised the enemy by the speed at which he reached al-Muraysi'. After very limited fighting, the whole tribe was taken captive and the goods in their possession seized. Soon after the completion of this mission, while the Muslim army was still encamped at Muraysï', an altercation broke out about water between a servant of 'Umar named Jahjah ibn Mas'ud al-Ghifārī and Sinan ibn Wabar al- Juhani, who was an ally of the Khazraj. One group called upon the Anşăr for help and the other asked the Muhajirun to come to their aid. Though people from both groups responded somehow the matter was resolved.
'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, who belonged to the Khazraj, made an issue of this minor incident seeking to exploit it to the full. He began to incite the Anşar, telling them: "These Muhājirūn have now pounced upon us and have become our enemies. Our example in relation to these Qurayshi destitute is that of a person who takes good care of a dog with the result that eventually the dog mangles him. You brought these people here and made them share your wealth and property. If you were to just withdraw your support from them even today, they would be forced out.' He then swore, declaring that after the return to Madina, 'Those who are honourable among us will drive away those that are degraded*2.
*2This statement by 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy is reproduced in the Qur'an itself: 'If we return to Madina, surely the more honourable element will expel the meaner one' (al-Munafiqun 63: 8).
When these disturbing reports reached the Prophet (peace be on him), 'Umar proposed that 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy be put to the sword. The Prophet (peace be on him), however, decided otherwise, saying that if such a thing were done, people would go about saying that he, Muḥammad, kills his own Companions. So saying, the Prophet (peace be on him) asked the army to immediately march ahead of that place. He did not stop until noon the next day, this so that his people were too exhausted to indulge in gossip. On the way, Usayd ibn Huḍayr asked: 'O Messenger of God! Today you ordered us to march at a time quite different from the time you used to choose for it in the past.' The Prophet (peace be on him) replied: 'Did you not hear what your friend is talking about?' Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr then asked the Prophet (peace be on him) who that person was. The Prophet (peace be on him) replied that it was 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy. Thereupon he submitted: 'O Messenger of God! Please be indulgent with him. At the time when you arrived in Madina we had already decided to appoint him our ruler. We were in fact having a crown prepared for him. Your coming to Madina spoiled his game. He is merely giving vent to his spite.' (See Waqidi, al-Maghāzī, vol. 2, p. 419 – Ed.)
'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy's mischief did not abate for he then came forth with something even graver. It was so grave that had the Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions not acted with the utmost restraint and wisdom, a civil war could have flared up in the nascent Muslim community of Madina. The mischief to which we are referring is the campaign of slander launched against 'Ã'ishah.
It is appropriate if here we consider the account of the whole incident in 'A'ishah's own words. We have attempted to fill any gaps that might be found in 'A'ishah's account by recourse to other authentic traditions pertaining to the incident. This material, however, has been added to the account within square brackets so that the continuity of the narrative is not interrupted. What follows brings out the whole content and context of the incident:
It was the practice of the Prophet (peace be on him) to decide which of his wives would accompany him on a journey by drawing lots.*1 For the expedition of Banu al-Muṣṭaliq, the lot fell in my name and so I accompanied him. On our return while we were approaching Madina, the Prophet (peace be on him) camped for the night at a place. Some time before dawn, preparations were made to set out. I had gone to attend the call of nature and as I was about to return to the camp, I felt that my necklace broke and fell down somewhere. I started to look around for it. Meanwhile, the caravan proceeded. It was customary that I would sit in a litter which was then put on a camel by four persons. Since we women were very lean and thin in those days because of paucity of food, the carriers of my litter did not even realize that I was not in it. They placed the litter on the camel and set off. When I returned [to the camp] after having traced my necklace, I could not find anyone there. I covered myself up with a sheet and lay there assuming that when people discovered my absence, they would try to trace me and so eventually return to the same spot. Meanwhile, I fell asleep. When morning arrived, Ṣafwan ibn Mu'aṭṭal al-Salami passed by the spot where I lay asleep. He immediately recognized me since he had seen me often before the injunction relating to hijab was revealed. Safwan was one of the Companions who had participated in the Battle of Badr. He was in the habit of sleeping till late in the morning.*2 Hence, he had been left behind and lay asleep somewhere in the camp when the caravan set off for Madina. He halted his camel on observing me and exclaimed: "To Allah do we belong and to Him we are destined to return.*3 Oh! The Prophet's wife has been left behind.' As he uttered these words, I woke up and immediately covered my face with the sheet. Without saying a word to me, he made his camel kneel down beside me while he himself stood aside. I rode the camel and he [i.e. Ṣafwän] began to move ahead, leading the camel by the nose-string. Around noon, we joined the army when it was about to camp. Even then nobody had realized that I had been left behind. This provided the slanderers an opportunity to hurl all kinds of calumnies. 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy took a leading role in this slander campaign. I was, however, totally ignorant of the raging storm of calumny directed at me.
*1. This drawing of lots should not be misconstrued as some form of lottery prevalent at the time. The Prophet (peace be on him) resorted to this practice since all his wives had equal rights and there was evidently no grounds for preferring one over and above another. Had the Prophet (peace be on him) himself chosen some in preference to others this might have injured their feelings. He, therefore, resolved the issue by drawing lots. The Shari'ah allows this mode of selection if all concerned are equally and legitimately entitled to something and there is no other plausible way of preferring one to another, the circumstances obviously not allowing all all such persons to benefit from the opportunity.
*2. Abū Da'ûd's Sunan and other collections of ahadith mention that Safwan's wife complained to offered Fajr the Prophet (peace be on him) about the fact that Şafwan never on time. In Prayers on In his defence Safwan pleaded that it was a family trait and that he could not help oversleeping in the morn- ing. The Prophet (peace be on him) told him to pray whenever he got up. (See Abu Daud, K. al-Sawm, 'Bab al-Mar'ah taşūmu bi ghayr idhn Zawjihä' - Ed.) Some scholars of Hadith cite this [habit of oversleeping] as the reason for his missing the caravan. Others, however, state that the Prophet (peace be on him) had assigned him the duty to retrieve whatever articles might have been left in the morning after the army had decamped.
*3. This is a verse from the Qur'an, and is usually uttered in exclamation on knowing that some- thing tragic or awful has taken place - Ed.
According to some other reports, when 'A'ishah reached the camp on Şafwan's camel and it became known that she had been left behind, 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy instantly exclaimed: 'By God! She has not returned untouched. Look! The wife of your Prophet spent the night with another person and now he is publicly bringing her back.'
We now revert to 'A'ishah's account:
On reaching Madina, I fell ill and was bed-ridden for a month. Calumnious reports were in circulation and even reached the Prophet's ears, but I knew nothing about that. Nonetheless, what worried me was the Prophet's lack of attention towards me, which he was wont to show to me during my illness. When he entered the house he went no further than asking some member of the family: 'How is she?' As for myself, he would not speak to me. This made me suspect that there was something behind it. Eventually I obtained his permission to move out to my mother's house so that she might look after me properly.
One night I went out of Madina to attend to the call of nature. Up till that time there were no toilets in our houses and we used to go into open fields for this purpose. I was accompanied by the mother of Mistah ibn Uthathah who was the maternal cousin of my father. [One learns from other traditions that Abu Bakr*1 used to support the whole of Misṭaḥ's family. Notwithstanding this favour, he joined with those who were engaged in spreading slanderous accusations about 'A'ishah.] Along the way Misṭaḥ's mother stumbled and exclaimed: 'May Misṭaḥ be undone!' I asked her: 'What kind of mother are you that you are cursing your son who participated in the Battle of Badr?' Then she narrated the whole story: how scandal-mongers had launched a campaign of slander against me. Apart from the hypocrites, some Muslims had also become a party to this vicious campaign, the leading ones among them being Misṭaḥ, Hassan ibn Thābit and Ḥamnah bint Jaḥsh, Zaynab's sister. On hearing this I was horrified. I even forgot the purpose for which I had gone there and immediately returned to my house and spent the whole night crying.
*1. Who was 'A'ishah's father - Ed.
In my absence the Prophet (peace be on him) summoned 'Ali and Usamah ibn Zayd and sought their advice. Usämah spoke highly of me, saying: 'O Messenger of God! We have seen in your wife nothing but goodness. It is a sheer lie and falsehood which is being disseminated against her.' 'All said: 'O Messenger of God! There is no dearth of women. You can replace her with another wife. Should you like to find out, send for the slave-girl who serves her and ask her about the matter.' Hence the slave-girl was summoned and interrogated. In her reply she said: 'By God, Who has sent you with truth, I have never observed anything bad in her. The only lapse I can think of is that sometimes I knead flour and while I attend to something else and request her to look after the flour, she falls asleep and goats eat the flour up.'
That same day, the Prophet (peace be on him) addressed the Muslims, saying: 'O Muslims! Who is there to defend my honour against the assaults of the person who has hurled false accusations against my family and has thus agonized me? By God, I have never seen anything bad in my wife nor in the person who is subjected to slander and calumny; he is a person who never visited my house in my absence.' On hearing this Usayd ibn Hudayr [according to other reports, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh]*1 rose and said: 'O Messenger of Allah! If that man is from our tribe we will put him to the sword. And if he is from our brothers, the Khazraj, then order us and we are here to carry out your order.' No sooner was this said than Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah,*2 the chief of the Khazraj, contributed his position: 'You are lying. You will not kill him. You are talking of putting this man to the sword because he belongs to the Khazraj. Had he been from your own tribe you would have never said that you would put him to the sword.' Thereupon Usayd ibn Huḍayr responded, saying: 'You are a hypocrite and for that reason you are supporting other hypocrites.' This created pandemonium in the Mosque of the Prophet (peace be on him) even though the Prophet himself was at the time sitting on the pulpit. The Aws and Khazraj tribes were on the verge of exchanging blows but the Prophet (peace be on him) pacified them, whereafter he descended from the pulpit. (See Bukhārī, K. Tafsir al-Qur'ān, Sürah al-Nur, 'Bab law la idh... al-Kädhībūn' (verses 12-13) and ibid., K. al-Maghāzī, 'Bāb Ḥadīth al-Ifk' - Ed.)
1. This might possibly be because instead of using the name 'A'ishah used the appellation: "The chief of Aws'. Some narrators of this tradition might have considered this appellation to refer to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh because during his life-time he was chief of the Aws and he is generally known historically in this capacity. However, at the time of the incident under discussion, Sa'd's paternal cousin, Usayd ibn Hudayr was chief of the Aws.
2. Although Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah was a pious and sincere Muslim who had tremendous love and regard for the Prophet (peace be on him) and was instrumental in the spread of Islam in Madina, he was excessively attached to his tribe. Prompted by this tribal fraternity he defends 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy. The same bias surfaced in his exclamation on the day of the conquest of Makka: "This is the day of massacre. Whatever is forbidden would be lawful today.' (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 2, pp. 406-7 - Ed.) The Prophet (peace be on him) asked him to surrender the banner of his contingent as punishment for this outburst. This also explains his insistence, after the Prophet's death, that the Caliphate was the right of the Ansar. When he failed in his move and all the Anşar and Muhajirün pledged their alle- giance to Abu Bakr, his was the lone voice of dissent. He refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Caliph who was from the Quraysh. (See al-Isabah by Ibn Hajar and al-Isti'äb by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr about Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, pp. 10-11-Ed.)
The remaining details of the incident are mentioned in our explanatory notes which pertain to the Qur'anic verses that exonerate 'A'ishah from the charges levelled against her (see verses 11 ff.). The point made above is that 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy by initiating this mischief attempted to kill several birds with one stone. On the one hand, he attacked the honour of the households of both the Prophet (peace be on him) and Abu Bakr. On the other, he sought to lower the moral prestige of the Islamic movement which was then at its pinnacle. Furthermore, had Islam not brought about the moral transformation of its followers, the mischief created by him would have provoked a civil war between the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, let alone between the two tribes of the Anṣār themselves who might have engaged in gory acts of fratricide.
Subject Matter and Main Themes
The above account provides the background against which the last six sections of Surah al-Aḥzāb were revealed, this at a time when the first major propaganda campaign against Islam was launched. This was on the occasion of the Prophet's marriage with the divorced wife of his adopted son, Zayd. (See al-Aḥzāb 33: 28-73-Ed.) As for Surah al-Nur, it was revealed at the time of the second major propaganda campaign against Islam. If one systematically studies both surahs against this background, it facilitates an understanding of the underlying wisdom of the injunctions expounded in them.
The hypocrites had intended to defeat the Muslims in that very field in which the latter enjoyed superiority. Rather than engage in an emotionally-charged disquisition against the conspiracies of the hypocrites, the Muslims were asked to fill in the gaps in their own moral conduct. In short, they were required to fortify themselves on the moral front.
We have already taken note of the storm of mischief that the hypocrites and unbelievers raised on the occasion of the Prophet's marriage to Zaynab. It was during those turbulent days that Surah al-Aḥzāb was revealed and the following directives laid down in that surah especially with respect to social relations:
(i) The wives of the Prophet (peace be on him) were asked to stay indoors with grace and dignity and not to go about making a public display of their attractions. They were also directed that whenever they happened to converse with men who did not fall into the category of maḥram, they should avoid any mannerism that would lead such men to entertain any uncalled-for expectations. (See verses 32-3 of Surah al-Aḥzab.)
(ii) Those Muslims who did not have any ties of kinship with the Prophet's family were barred from entering his house unless they were specially granted permission to do so. If they needed to ask anything of the Prophet's wives, they were to do so from behind a screen (verse 53).
(iii) A distinction was drawn between maḥram relatives and those who were not maḥram. In this respect, an injunction was issued (verse 55) directing that only maḥram relatives could freely enter the house(s) of the Prophet (peace be on him).
(iv) It was impressed upon the Muslims that the Prophet's wives were
their mothers and, hence, no one could marry them after the Prophet (peace be on him) just as no person may marry his mother. Hence, the Muslims were asked to have nothing but the purest of intentions with regard to the Prophet's wives (verses 53-4).
(v) The Muslims were also warned that causing any offence to the Prophet (peace be on him) would incur God's curse upon them both in this life and in the Next, and that it would render them liable to a humiliating punishment in the Hereafter. Likewise, those who cause an unjustified hurt to the Muslims, be they men or women, or who calumniate them, commit a grave sin (verses 57-8).
(vi) All Muslim women were directed that whenever they have to go out they should properly cover their bodies with their outer garments and cast their mantle over their faces (verse 59).
Subsequently, when the same slander campaign again rocked the Madinan society, Surah al-Nur was revealed. It also embodied injunctions that are relevant to the realms of morality, social life and law. The purpose of those injunctions was to protect Muslim society from the rise and spread of social evils. If social evils were to raise their ugly heads, then certain measures are documented as a means of curbing them. What follows is a summary of the injunctions and directives given in the same sequence in which they appear in this surah. This so that one has a fairly clear idea about the whole range of measures - legal, moral and social that were prescribed by the Qur'an. These were prescribed at the appropriate psychological moment as assistance in the reform and development of human society:
(i) Illicit sex, which had already been denounced as a social evil (al- Nisa' 4: 15-16), was now declared a cognizable criminal offence. The specific punishment of one hundred lashes was laid down with regard to those so convicted.
(ii) People were directed to refrain from having social relations with
those who were morally corrupt. The believers were furthermore especially asked not to enter into matrimonial relations with the morally bankrupt.
(iii) Anyone who accuses another of unlawful sexual intercourse (zinā) and fails to produce four witnesses to substantiate such a charge is liable to a punishment of eighty lashes.
(iv) The procedure of li'ān was laid down in respect of the husband who accused his wife of having committed unlawful sexual intercourse. (For an explanation of li'an see Glossary of Terms.) (v) While refuting the false allegations of the hypocrites against 'A'ishah, it was laid down that people should not blindly accept slanderous charges levelled against persons of honourable character nor should they go about spreading them themselves. Instead people should seek to curb the circulation of such outrageous reports rather than go about narrating them to others.
In this connection a general principle was expounded: that men of clean character are suitable for matrimonial relations with women of clean character. In fact it is quite difficult for such people to feel at home with corrupt women even for a few days. The same is true about women of clean character. The soul of a good-charactered woman will find peace and harmony with a good-charactered man alone and she will be totally out of place if she makes a life-partner of a corrupt man. Given that the Prophet (peace be on him) was a person of clean moral character in fact he was possessed of the cleanest possible character does it stand to reason that he would make a corrupt woman his favourite wife? How can it even be imagined that anyone as pious and righteous as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) would take and keep a woman of disreputable character as his wife, one who goes to the extent of committing adultery? Thus, the accusation that was levelled against 'A'ishah was no more than a slanderous lie fabricated by a depraved person. The whole account of the incident was so outrageously false that no one could possibly believe it. The people should have used their brains and seen with open eyes what kind of person levelled such an outrageous. accusation.
(vi) Those who are guilty of spreading malicious rumours and seek to spread moral corruption in Muslim society deserve punishment rather than encouragement.
(vii) As a general rule, it was prescribed that relations in the Muslim society should be based on the principle that people should have good faith with regard to one another. Everyone was to be considered innocent until proved otherwise, rather than vice versa. (viii) A general directive was given that people should not enter one another's house freely. They may do so only when they are expressly permitted by the owners to so enter their homes.
(ix) Both men and women were asked to restrain themselves from intentionally looking at, let alone ogling, members of the opposite sex.
(x) Women were directed to cover their heads and bosoms even in their own homes.
(xi) Women were also directed not to display their attractions before anyone other than their husbands, their maḥram relatives and the servants of the house.
(xii) They were directed not only to cover their personal adornments, but also not to go out of their homes while wearing tinkling ornaments.
(xiii) The practice of remaining unmarried was declared to be undesirable both for men and women. A general directive was given that unmarried persons, including slave men and women, should marry. This because to remain unmarried often makes people instrumental in the spread of corruption or makes them vulnerable to the same. Those who are unmarried, even when they themselves do not directly engage in moral corruption, are at least more amenable to lending their ears to rumours of moral corruption and to spreading those rumours around.
(xiv) A device, namely mukātabah, was found for the emancipation of slaves, both male and female. (See Glossary of Terms - Ed.) The masters of slaves were urged to provide financial assistance to those slaves who had made mukātabah contracts in order that they might be able to emancipate themselves.
(xv) The use of slave-girls for prostitution was henceforth prohibited. Up until this time it had been customary for slave-girls to belong to this profession. Hence, the prohibition of this practice was aimed at extirpating prostitution.
(xvi) Domestic servants and minor children were directed not to enter
unannounced the bedrooms of any male or female of the house during the hours of privacy (i.e. in the early hours of the morning and afternoon, and at night). Even children were required to seek permission before entering anyone's bedroom.
(xvii) Old women were granted the concession to take off their headscarves in their own homes. They were, nevertheless, asked not to make a deliberate display of their attractiveness. Moreover, they were told that it was preferable if they continued to wear headscarves to cover themselves.
(xviii) The blind, the lame, the maimed and the sick were granted leave to eat anything at anyone's house and the same would not be considered as theft or embezzlement. In other words, such persons would not be taken to task for so doing.
(xix) Close relatives and friends were allowed to eat freely at one another's homes, even without obtaining formal permission, and that doing so was to be considered the same as eating at one's own place. Thus, members of society were brought closer to each other and the barriers of estrangement removed. This was done in order to foster mutual affection and a sincere warmth between people so that any mischief-mongers might be hard put to find gaps they could exploit to achieve their own nefarious designs.
Along with providing these directives, this surah also outlines those features which distinguish the hypocrites from the true believers. Moreover, measures were prescribed so as to introduce greater discipline in the collective life of the Muslims. Steps were also taken to reinforce the inner strength of Muslim society.
What is most remarkable is that this whole surah is absolutely free from the bitterness caused by vulgar and obscene accusations. Consider the context in which the surah was revealed on the one hand, and note its contents and style on the other. Even though the atmosphere was highly charged, both the content and the tenor of this surah rise above what would normally be expected of any discourse on such an occasion. Take into account the provocative background of the events and note the restrained dignity in which the laws were laid down, the reformative directives given, the guidance provided, and the instruction and admonition imparted. This indicates that even when Muslims encounter mischievous hostility they should always act with wisdom and restraint and be magnanimous despite all provocation. The tone and tenor of this surah's discourse also conclusively prove that the Qur'an was in no way composed by Muḥammad (peace be on him). For had it been so, it would have carried some reflection - notwithstanding the loftiness of the Prophet's vision and the greatness of his character- of the bitterness that an innocent person feels when his own honour and dignity are subjected to outrageous attack. On the contrary, there is every indication in the surah that it is the work of One Who is looking at the human situation from a great height. One Who is providing valuable guidance to mankind without being affected by any personal or narrow considerations, or by the conditions obtaining at a given time and place.