1. As we have pointed out in our Introduction to this surah, these verses were revealed after Zayd had divorced Zaynab. The Prophet (peace be on him) himself felt the need to strike a severe blow at the jahili practice of adoption and the superstitious notions associated with it.

God had also hinted to him that the time had come to do away with that institution and that he should go ahead and marry Zaynab, the divorced wife of his adopted son, Zayd. This would prove to be the final step in eradicating this institution.

The Prophet (peace be on him), however, was reluctant. The unbelievers and hypocrites were already filled with rage and rancor against him because of a succession of accomplishments. He, therefore, felt that his marrying Zaynab might provide them with a scandalous pretext, one which they would use to discredit him. This, in turn, would damage the cause of Islam. The Prophet (peace be on him) was not so much worried about his personal reputation, but rather more concerned about the harm this might do to Islam’s cause. He was worried lest the ensuing storm of malicious propaganda might have a negative influence on those who were favorably inclined towards Islam. Furthermore, those whose attitude towards Islam was one of neutrality might also become hostile to Islam. At the same time, the Muslims who had not by then acquired full intellectual maturity might begin to entertain doubts about their faith. In view of all this, the Prophet (peace be on him) felt that it was not expedient to marry Zaynab for this might adversely affect the larger interests of Islam.

2. At the very outset, God removes the Prophet's concerns mentioned above (see n. 1). The purport of what is being said here is to stress that God knows best wherein lie the interests of the faith He had ordained.

Likewise, He knows best when certain steps should be taken and others avoided. The Prophet (peace be on him) should, therefore, not act in any manner that would conform with the wishes of the unbelievers and hypocrites. Rather, he should do what God directs him to do. It is God, not the unbelievers and hypocrites, Who ought to be held in awe.

3. This verse is addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), to his Companions as well as to Islam’s detractors. The fact that the Prophet (peace be on him) is patiently enduring his enemies’ assaults on his personal integrity is not hidden from Him. Likewise, God is fully informed about the Muslims who are steadfast in their loyalty and devotion to the Prophet (peace be on him) as well as those who succumb to doubts and suspicions about him. As for the unbelievers and hypocrites, they are told that God is perfectly cognizant of their vicious efforts to malign the Prophet (peace be on him). Indeed, all will be rewarded or punished in accordance with their conduct.

4. This again is addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him) who is directed to discharge the duty entrusted to him and to place his full trust in God. He is also asked not to be intimidated even if all mankind is arrayed against him. Once a person knows for sure that a certain command is from God, he should feel convinced that Islam’s best interests will be served by carrying out that command. Once that is clear, it should no longer be his concern to decide about the dictates of wisdom and public interest; rather, he should fully trust God and follow His command. Such is God that one should entrust all one’s affairs to Him because He is sufficient both to guide man as well as to come to his aid. It is also reassuring that God guarantees that anyone who acts as directed by Him will not face misfortune.

5. That is, a person cannot be a true believer and a hypocrite, truthful and liar, virtuous and wicked at one and the same time. Obviously no one has been endowed with two hearts: one filled with faithful devotion and the other bereft of God-fearing-ness. One can either be a true believer or a hypocrite, be a Muslim or an unbeliever. To call a Muslim a hypocrite or a hypocrite a Muslim does not change the reality: a person will either be one or the other.

6. Zihar was a technical term commonly used by the Arabs. In the time of Jahiliyah, a husband would tell his wife, in a fit of anger, that her back for him was like the back of his own mother. This signified that his wife would henceforth be forbidden to him. God makes it clear that a man’s simple utterance about a woman being like his mother does not change his wife into his mother. The man’s mother can only be the woman who gave birth to him. In other words, calling one’s wife one’s mother does not make any difference as regards the real status of the relationship. (It should be noted that the purpose of this verse is not to prescribe detailed laws in regard to zihar; those laws are laid down in Surah al-Mujadalah, 58:2-4.)

7. This is the main purpose of the verse. The two things said above are by way of argument to stress that a person does not truly become another person’s son merely by his calling him so.

8. The first impact of this injunction was that Zayd was no longer called Zayd ibn Muhammad but rather as Zayd ibn Harithah. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab Ud‘uhum li’ Aba’ihim...; Muslim, Kitab al-Fada’il, Bab Fada’il Zayd ibn Harithah; Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab Surah al-Ahzab and Nasa’, Kitab al-Nikah Bab Tazawwuj al-Mawla al-‘Arabiyyah in a tradition on the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar.) In light of this verse, it was forbidden for anyone to ascribe his paternity to anyone other than his father. Bukhari, Muslim and Aba Daud narrated the Prophet's following saying as reported by Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas: “Whoever knowingly calls someone his father other than his own father will be forbidden from entering Paradise.” (Bukhari, Kitab al-Fara’id, Bab man Idda‘a ila Ghayr Abihi; Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Hal Iman man Raghiba...and Abu Da’ud, Bab fi Rajul Yantami ila Ghayr Mawalihi. — Ed.) There are other traditions as well that embody the same principle and declare this act to be a major sin.

9. This forbids false ascription of lineage.

10. There is no harm if someone calls another person his son by way of endearment. Likewise, there is no harm if a person were to affectionately call someone his mother or father, brother or sister. However, it is quite objectionable if he were to say this in the sense that the person concerned has indeed become his mother or father, son or daughter, and that they enjoy the same rights as laid down for blood relatives.

11. One meaning of this is that God has forgiven all their past lapses in this regard and they will not be taken to task for those lapses. The second meaning is that God does not punish people for acts they did not deliberately commit.

12. Muslims’ relationship with the Prophet (peace be on him) stands on a higher pedestal than all other relationships. In fact, no relationship bears any comparison with a Muslim’s relationship with the Prophet (peace be on him). For his part, the Prophet (peace be on him) is more tender and compassionate towards Muslims than even their own parents. The same is true for his deep, passionate concern for their well-being. It is possible that a person’s parents or his own children might harm him, act selfishly towards him, mislead him, or prompt him to commit misdeeds that would push him towards Hell. None of this, however, is conceivable with regard to the Prophet (peace be on him); for he can do only that which is most - conducive to every person’s best interests. Even though someone might decide to go along the path of self-destruction, the Prophet's advice and guidance will always be that which is most beneficial to him. In view of this, Muslims are obliged to cherish the Prophet (peace be on him) more than everyone else, including themselves, their parents and their children.

They should love him more than anything and anyone in the world, and give preference to the Prophet's opinions and judgements rather than to their own. This idea is clearly expressed in the following hadith: “None of you can be a true believer unless you hold me dearer than your parents, children and all others.” (Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Hub al-Rasul min al- Iman and Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Wujub Mahabbat al-Rasul.) There is some slight variation in the wording of the hadith in these two works.

13. While the believers may marry their mothers by adoption, it is forbidden for them to marry the Prophet’s wives, for they are mothers for all believers. Marrying them is forbidden to Muslims in the same way as marrying their own mothers. This was laid down exclusively for the Prophet (peace be on him) and is applicable to no one else.

It is noteworthy that the Prophet's wives are known as the “mothers of the believers” in the sense that it is obligatory for Muslims to hold them in very high esteem; hence, they may not marry them. In all other respects, however, they are not their mothers. For instance, all Muslims, except those who are their kin, will not be reckoned as their maharim (those with whom marriage is forbidden), and they will be required to observe hijab with them. Likewise, the daughters of the Prophet’s daughters are not the foster-sisters of all Muslims and, hence, it is not forbidden to marry them. Nor is it forbidden for Muslims to marry the brothers and sisters of ‘the Prophet’s wives on the grounds that they are their aunts and uncles.

The same applies to shares in their inheritance, which should not go to any Muslim not related to the Prophet’s wives by ties of kinship.

It should be noted that this exalted status of the Prophet’s wives is a privilege enjoyed by all his wives, including, of course, ‘A’ishah.

This point is significant because a section of people places only ‘Ali, Fatimah and their children at the center stage of Islam. These people try to discredit ‘A’ishah along with numerous other Companions, hurling all sorts of accusations at them. However, they will not be able to make” much headway in their maligning campaign for they will be confronted with this Qur’anic verse, which asks everyone who lays claim to being a believer, to recognize the Prophet's wives as his mothers. To wriggle out of this difficult situation, these people make the bizarre claim that the Prophet (peace be on him) authorized ‘Ali to divorce any of his wives after his demise and to let those whom he [that is, ‘Ali] liked continue to be his wives. Abu Mansur Ahmad ibn Abi Talib al-Tabrasi makes this outrageous claim in his Kitab al-Ihtijaj, which has been reproduced as follows by Sulayman ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Bahrani: “The Prophet (peace be on him) told ‘Ali: ‘O Abi al-Hasan! This privilege remains as long as we remain obedient to God. So, if any of my wives rises in revolt against you and disobeys God, divorce her and deprive her of the privilege of being ‘mother of the believers’”.

This report is obviously devoid of any substance according to the accepted canons of hadith transmission. Furthermore, in the light of verses 28-29 and 51-52 of this surah, it even conflicts with the Qur'an itself. The fact that the Prophet (peace be on him) forfeited the right to divorce any of his wives who had opted for his company is evident from verse 29 of the surah. (This point is further elaborated in nn. 42 and 93 below.) Were one to objectively study the above mentioned report, one is bound not only to dismiss it as absurd but also as a sheer fabrication, one " that is insulting to the Prophet (peace be on him). This because it depicts him in a very poor light. Not even an ordinary decent person, let alone a Messenger of God, can be expected to consider divorcing his wives after his death or of authorizing his son-in-law to divorce them on his behalf if they subsequently have any dispute with him. This lays bare the falsity of such people’s claims to have overflowing love and reverence for the Prophet's family and the Prophet (peace be on him) himself. In fact, it also shows the scant respect they have for God’s commands.

14. This verse elucidates that with the exception of the Prophet (peace be on him), who holds a unique position in the eyes of Muslims, the mutual relations among Muslims will be based on the principle that one’s kith and kin receive priority over all other Muslims in matters such as charity, Zakah and inheritance. It is improper to neglect one’s own parents, wives, children and one’s brothers and sisters and give charity to others.

As regards Zakah, one should first give it to the deserving amongst one’s next of kin and then to other needy people. The same principle applies to inheritance. The property left behind by a deceased person is inherited by his closely related kin. A Muslim may help others with gifts, by making waqf in their favor, or by specifying something for them in his will. One’s heirs, however, cannot be denied their due share of inheritance in order - to provide benefit to others.

In effect, this verse puts an end to that special nexus of brotherhood that had been established between the Muhdajirun and the Ansar after the Prophet’s migration to Madinah. Before the promulgation of this rule, those Muhajirun and Ansar who had been bound in this tie of brotherhood inherited each other. God, however, replaced this by promulgating the laws of inheritance, which only take into account blood ties. One may, nonetheless, if one so wants, give any of one’s brethren-in-faith whatever one likes as a gift or by means of bequest.

15. God reminds the Prophet (peace be on him) that like other Messengers he had entered into a covenant with God that he must faithfully honor. As to the exact nature of the covenant, it appears from the context that it refers to the Messenger’s commitment to obey God’s every command. and to make others do the same. A Messenger is also charged with the duty to faithfully transmit whatever comes to him from God and to exert his efforts in order that God’s commands are put into effect. At other places, too, the Qur’an speaks of this covenant: He has prescribed for you the religion which He enjoined upon Noah and which We revealed to you (O Muhammad), and which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses and Jesus, commanding: “Establish this religion and do not split up regarding it” (al-Shura 42:13).

Recall when God took a covenant from those who were given the Book: “You shall explain it to people and not hide it” (Al ‘Imran 3:187).

And recall when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: “You shall serve none but God ...” (al-Baqarah 2:83).

Was not the covenant of the Book taken from them? “Hold firmly to that which We have given you, and remember what is in it, that you may guard against evil” (al-A ‘raf 7:169 and 171).

Remember Allah’s favor upon you and His covenant which He made with you when you said: “We have heard and we obey” (al-Ma’idah 5:7).

What prompts the mention of this covenant in the present context is that the Prophet (peace be on him) was initially somewhat reluctant to put an end to the pre-Islamic custom of adoption because he apprehended severe opposition from Islam’s enemies. He felt especially bashful about marrying Zaynab because Islam’s enemies would misconstrue this marriage as one motivated by sensuality; further, that they would do so in disregard of the Prophet's utter sincerity in his bid to bring about social reform. He also perceived that his opponents would discredit him as one who wore the cloak of reform, though his real concerns were those of the flesh. Accordingly, God reminds the Prophet (peace be on him) that like His other Messengers, he too is required to carry out God’s commands and to ask others to do the same. He should, therefore, disregard the taunts and derisions of his opponents. He should neither be afraid of nor feel shy in the face of his detractors but should rather concentrate on performing the duty assigned to him by God.

Some people construe this to refer to the covenant which was made with earlier Prophets and their respective communities obliging them to believe in and support those Prophets who would come later. (Al ‘Imran 3:81.) In the light of this interpretation, these people subscribe to the notion that even after the Prophet Muhammad’s advent, another Prophet is possible. In other words, they think that since such a covenant was made with the Prophet (peace be on him), his community is bound to follow the Prophet who comes after him! It is quite clear from the context of the present verse, however, that this is an altogether flawed interpretation. The context does not admit any possibility for the advent of any Prophet after Muhammad (peace be on him). Nor is the Prophet's community bound to believe in the Prophet hood of any such claimant. The content of the verse also reveals that were this interpretation to be accepted, the verse would look altogether odd and incongruous. Besides, its wording also has no suggestion to this effect.

In order to ascertain the nature and meaning of the covenant, the only thing we can do is to refer to those Qur’anic verses that speak of covenants with Prophets. Had the Qur’an mentioned only a single covenant, and that too, about the requirement to believe in those Prophets who will appear later, some allowance could have been made for the above interpretation. However, anyone conversant with the Qur’an recognizes that it refers to a number of covenants that were variously made with Prophets and their communities. Therefore, the meaning of the word “covenant” this verse is determined in keeping with its context, rather than arbitrarily. Such false and tendentious interpretations betray the fact that some people do not turn to the Qur’an for guidance but instead arbitrarily read their own ideas into it.

16. That is, God did not simply make a covenant but will also call the people concerned to account and see how true they were to their covenant.

Those who fulfilled the requisites of the covenant will be reckoned as God’s true servants.

17. For a better appreciation of these verses, one should study them in conjunction with verses 36-41 of this surah.

18. This marks the beginning of the Qur’anic critique of the Campaigns of Ahzab and Bani Qurayzah. For a better understanding of these verses one should call to mind the historical background of these battles as outlined in the Introduction to this surah.

19. This storm of winds did not overtake the unbelievers on the day their army invaded Madinah. Rather, it befell them about one month after the commencement of their siege. As to the “hosts that you did not see” alluded to in this verse, this refers to those forces which, at God's behest, shape and influence man’s affairs even though man does not observe them. In his interpretation of events man is influenced by observable, external factors. He does not take into account any invisible forces at work, though these may often play a decisive role. Since these forces work under the supervision of angels, “hosts that you do not see” might refer to the angels themselves, though this particular verse does not explicitly mention that an army of angels was sent down.

20. This might also mean that the unbelievers invaded Madinah from all sides. Alternatively, the expression those who “came upon you from above” might refer to the invaders from Najd and Khaybar whereas those who came “from below you” might refer to those invaders who came from Makkah.

21. The word “believers” here refers to all those who had pledged obedience to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). These included both true believers and hypocrites. Here, however, God speaks of Muslims in that general sense. In the verses that follow, however, the hypocrites are criticized for their misconduct. The verses which follow this criticism relate to the Prophet (peace be on him) and true believers.

22. In other words, the promise is that the believers will be helped and supported by God and that they will ultimately triumph.

23. This verse is open to two meanings. First, that some people argued that it was pointless to take on the unbelievers and hence they should return home. Secondly, that their statement implied that it is pointless to profess and practice Islam; that is, they would be better off reverting to their ancestral faith. If they did so, this would save them from the wrath of all the Arabs which they had incurred by accepting Islam. The hypocrites dropped oblique hints to this effect so that they might intimate their true purpose to those who were taken in by their specious talk. However, when they were faced with someone who was alert and critical, they would shield themselves by saying that they were merely depicting the grave predicament confronting them. By recourse to this stratagem. they were able to escape reproach.

24. As Bani Qurayzah joined hands with the unbelieving invaders, the hypocrites found an opportune moment to desert the Prophet's army.

They sought the Prophet's permission to withdraw on the grounds that their homes were vulnerable and that they should be allowed to return in order to defend their families and properties. They said this regardless of the fact that the defense of the Madinans was the Prophet's responsibility.

It was his job, rather than that of each individual, to take the necessary steps to ward off the danger posed by the treacherous Bani Qurayzah.

25. The Prophet (peace be on him) had already taken precautionary measures as a part of his defense strategy and in his capacity as the supreme commander of the Muslim army. In fact, no immediate threat confronted them at that precise moment. Hence the pretext that they put forth had no substance.

26. Had the coalition of unbelieving tribes entered their city as victors and had they then invited these hypocrites to cooperate with them in obliterating the Muslims, the hypocrites would have obliged.

27. They had shown weakness during the Battle of Uhud. However, they had pledged in God’s name that they would make up for their lapses whenever the opportunity arose in the future. However, God cannot be deceived by mere words. Whoever makes a pledge to Him is tested so that if he is in sincere, his insincerity will be exposed. Therefore, two years after the Battle of Uhud the hypocrites were put to an even more serious test; through it, they were fully exposed.

28. Their attempt to run away from death will not help them gain longevity. They will not be able to enjoy life until the Last Day, nor amass the wealth of the whole world. Even if they flee from the battlefield they will live, at the most, for just a few more years. They can enjoy life only as much as has been determined for them by God.

29. Reference is made here to the hypocrites who had no sincere commitment to the Prophet (peace be on him), to faith and to truth. Far from being prepared to imperil their lives and expose themselves to hardships in God’s cause, they merely sought a risk-free life of ease and pleasure.

30. The hypocrites were not prepared to devote their energy, time, money or possessions to God’s cause. Conversely, the true believers consecrated whatever they had. In fact, the hypocrites were not willing to cooperate with the Muslims in any venture whatsoever, let alone strive and court danger for that cause.

31. This verse is open to the following two meanings:

i. When the believers returned from the battlefield as victors, the hypocrites warmly greeted them and glibly flaunted themselves as sincere believers who had taken an active part in the cause of faith. So doing, they laid claim to the spoils of war.

ii. When the believers were victorious, the hypocrites were eager to be included among the recipients of spoils of war. They vehemently demanded their share, lest they receive nothing.”

32. All the good deeds apparently done by them after their outward acceptance of Islam will be reduced to naught by God and they will earn no reward from Him. A point worth noting is that the Qur’an plainly placed some people outside the fold of Islam even though they verbally.

claimed to believe in God and His Messenger, offered Prayers, fasted, paid Zakah and joined the Muslims in other good deeds. Notwithstanding this, the Qur’an declared them as those “who never truly believed”.

Significantly, this judgement was given on the grounds that in face of the perils attending the encounter between Islam and unbelief, they acted with duplicity. In essence, they preferred their own vested interests to the cause of Islam and shied away from dedicating their lives, money and energy to defend Islam. God, however, does not reward anyone merely for the external appearance of their actions. What He ascertains is whether one’s acts are prompted by faith and sincerity or are devoid of them.

Rather than the outward appearance of actions, it is one’s loyalty to God that brings reward. Whoever is not loyal to God and to His prescribed faith, will find that their outward acceptance of faith and acts of worship and other good deeds are absolutely worthless.

33. Since the acts of the hypocrites were of no worth, there was no reason why God should be reluctant to reduce them to naught. Also, the hypocrites, and for that matter, any power whatsoever, cannot pose any difficulty for God if He decides to reduce them to naught.

34. The context in which this has been said indicates its purpose. It was to teach a lesson to those who were concerned with their own safety and the furtherance of their own worldly interests on the occasion of the Ahzab Campaign. How could they do so when they claimed to believe in and submit to God and to follow the Prophet (peace be on him)? They should have taken into account the example of God’s Messenger (peace be on him) among whose followers they were. Had their leader been overly concerned with his personal safety, or was given to a life of ease and comfort, or was someone whose attention was focused on his own interests, or was someone who took to heel at the first sight of danger, then any show of weakness on the part of his followers would have been understandable. In this case, however, their leader, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was indeed of quite a different mettle.

He did not ask anyone to bear a burden that he himself did not bear.

In fact, he was ahead of others in doing so. There was no hardship which he did not share with his followers. He was also among those who dug the trench to protect Madinah from the onslaught of Islam’s, enemies. He also equally shared with other Muslims the pangs of hunger and the inclemency of a cold winter. During the siege he was always present on the battlefront and did not shrink even for a moment from taking part in encounters. His own family, too, was exposed. to the same perils to which the rest of the Muslims were exposed as a result of Bani Qurayzah’s perfidy. He made no special security arrangements for himself or for his family. Instead, he wed his readiness to sacrifice whatever he had and did so before asking others to do so. He was, therefore, a living role model for his followers, one which they should, naturally have followed.

This, then, is the obvious meaning of the verse in its given context.

However, the verse is also universal in its import and cannot be restricted only to a particular context. God does not say that the Prophet (peace be on him) is a model only in this particular respect. Rather, he stands out as a role model in the broadest possible sense of the term. Muslims must emulate his example and mold their lives on his exemplary pattern.

35. For those negligent of God, the Prophet (peace be on him) is obviously not a role model. His example is emulated, however, by all those who remember God much. Likewise, there are those who do not believe and do not look forward to any reward from God. They also do not believe that the Day of Resurrection will ever come. Such a person will fail to discern anything remarkable in the life-example of the Prophet (peace be on him). As for those who look forward to God's grace and favor and are concerned about the Hereafter, they will inevitably draw upon the Prophet's example. The success of such people rests on the extent to which they are able to emulate the Prophet's life-example.

36. After stressing that the Prophet (peace be on him) is the role model, attention is drawn to the exemplary conduct of his Companions. This is done in order to highlight the difference between the wholesome conduct of these true men of faith and the wickedness of false claimants to faith.

Outwardly, both seemed alike in so far as both professed to believe, were reckoned to belong to the fold of Islam, and offered Prayers. However, in the hour of crisis each stood apart from the other, making it abundantly clear whose allegiance to God and His Messenger was sincere and whose was not.

37. Here, one should bear in mind verse 12 of this surah regarding the hypocrites and all those with diseased hearts. When such people witnessed a huge 12,000 strong army attacking from the front and Bani Qurayzah from the rear, they cried out: “All that Allah and His Messenger had promised was nothing but deceit.” They began to contend that the Muslims were promised that were they to believe in God they would receive God’s aid, that they would prevail against the Arabs as well as non-Arabs, and the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes would be theirs. However, what happened was quite contrary to this. The whole of Arabia was bent on destroying them and there was no trace of the army of angels that would rescue them from the fierce predicament in which they were caught.

Here, it is pointed out that God’s promises to the believers were not uniformly understood. It is made clear that the promises of God and His Messenger (peace be on him) were liable to two different ways of understanding. One way to understand these promises was that of the hypocrites who thought that they had been cheated. True believers, however, understood them differently. When confronted with impending dangers they too recalled those promises. They, however, did not think that they had been promised dominance over the whole world without even raising their little finger in God’s cause, or that armies of angels would land on earth to coronate them! They knew well that they themselves would first have to undergo severe tests and trials, endure immense hardships and make enormous sacrifices and only then would they be granted success in this world and the Next. This is what the Qur’an says on the subject: Do you suppose that you will enter Paradise untouched by the suffering endured by the people of faith who passed away before you? They were afflicted by misery and hardship and were so convulsed that the Messenger and the believers with him cried out: “When will Allah’s help arrive?” They were assured: “Behold Allah’s help is close by”, (al-Baqarah 2:214).

Do people think that they will be left alone on saying: “We believe”, and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and God will certainly ascertain those who spoke the truth and those who lied, (al- ‘Ankabut 29:2-3).

38. Far from feeling threatened, the believers’ faith grew and strengthened as they came face to face with this calamitous situation.

Also, instead of shirking their obedience to God, they resolved, with even greater faith and mental equanimity, to consecrate to Him their lives and properties.

It is pertinent to note that faith is a state of mind and heart. This is put to the test whenever one is required by one’s faith either to do something or refrain from it. On numerous occasions, faith forbids or prescribes something, requiring that one sacrifice one’s wealth, time, money, energy and even life. Whoever deviates from the course of obedience will suffer a decline in his faith. By contrast, whoever faithfully carries out the enjoinments of faith will grow in faith and resignation to God.

Initially a person becomes a person of faith and submission simply by verbally affirming Islam’s basic creed, that is: “There is no deity other than Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” But faith is not static. It can grow and decline. A decrease in a person’s sincerity and obedience contributes to decline of faith so much so that this process can bring man to the border line of hypocrisy. Conversely, the sincerer a person is in respect of his faith, the more he strives to obey God, and the more devoted and enthusiastic he is to exalt God’s religion, the more his faith will correspondingly grow. Such a person can even reach a stage when he becomes an embodiment of utter sincerity and faithfulness (siddiqiyah).

This growth and decline in a person’s state of faith is, however, known only to God. Hence, when a person affirms his belief in Islam, he becomes a Muslim. He will continue to be considered a Muslim as long — as he holds on to that position. No one is in a position to judge another Muslim as half a Muslim, or one quarter of a Muslim, or that someone is twice or thrice as good a Muslim as any other Muslim. As regards their legal rights, all will be considered equal. No one is entitled to a greater or lesser share in rights depending on the state of one’s faith. Faith cannot be reckoned in such terms by human beings. Imam Abu Hanifah means exactly this when he says: “Faith neither increases nor decreases”. (For details see, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Surah al-Anfal 8: n.2, Vol.

Ill, pp. 137-138; Tafhim al-Qur'an, Surah al-Fath 48: n. 7.)

39. Some believers have already laid down their lives in God’s cause while others are poised to follow in their footsteps, being in a state of utter readiness to sacrifice their lives whenever so required.

40. That is, the Jews of bani Qurayzah tribe.

41. Verses 28-35 of this surah were revealed during the Campaigns of Ahzab and Bana Qurayzah. Muslim narrates a tradition from Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah. It states that one-day Abu Bakr and ‘Umar called on the Prophet (peace be on him) and saw him sitting in the company of his wives. Addressing ‘Umar he said: “They are sitting around me as you see and they are asking for maintenance”. Upon hearing this both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar scolded their daughters [who were wives of the Prophet], saying that they were harassing the Prophet (peace be on him) and asking him to provide them with something that he did not have. (Muslim, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab Bayan anna Takhyir Imra'tihi la Yakun ...) One thus learns that the Prophet (peace be on him) was faced with acute financial problems during this period. This demand at a time when his mind was acutely occupied with the battle raging between the forces of unbelief and Islam, irked him all the more.

42, At the time of the revelation of this verse, the Prophet (peace be on him) had four wives — Sawdah, ‘A’ishah, Hafsah and Umm Salamah. In other words, he had not by then married Zaynab. (Ibn al-’Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur'an, comments on verses 28-29.) When this verse was revealed, the Prophet (peace be on him) first spoke to ‘A’ishah saying: “I want to have a word with you. You need not hurry in answering. You may consult your parents and then inform me of your decision”. Then he told her the content of the verse revealed to him and then recited this verse to her.

She replied: “Do I have to consult my parents in this matter? Without any hesitation I seek ‘Allah and His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter’”. Then the Prophet (peace be on him) called on his other wives and told them the same. All of them gave the same reply that ‘A’ishah had given. (Muslim, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab Bayan anna Takhyir Imra’tihi la Yakun ...; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah and Nasa'I, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab al-Tawqit fi al-Jana’iz.) The term takhyir signifies a husband authorising his wife to decide unilaterally between continuing to live with or separating from him. Since God had asked the Prophet (peace be on him) to offer this choice to his wives, he accordingly took his wives into his confidence. However, had any of them opted for separation, this would not have been automatic.

Rather, the Prophet (peace be on him) would have released them from the bond of wedlock, as is borne out by the text of the verse: “... I will make some provision for you and release you in an honorable way”.

It was, nonetheless, obligatory for the Prophet (peace be on him) to grant them separation if any of them so desired. For, it was inconsistent with his position as a Prophet not to honor his promise. Moreover, after such separation, that wife would no longer have belonged to the category of “mothers of the believers”. It seems that it would not have been unlawful then for any Muslim to marry them, for they would have chosen separation from the Prophet (peace be on him) out of their love for “the world and its embellishments” and this purpose would obviously remain unaccomplished if they were deprived of the opportunity to marry.

On the other hand, if any of his wives chose “Allah and His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter”, the Prophet (peace be on him) would henceforth cease to have the right to divorce those of his wives who had so expressed their preference for God, His Messenger and the Hereafter.

The choice offered them inevitably led to one of two logical consequences.

Should they prefer this world and its embellishments, they would have to separate; if they expressed their preference for God, His Messenger and the Abode of the Hereafter, they would continue to remain as they were, wives of the Prophet (peace be on him) and “mothers of the believers”.

In Islamic law, takhyir is the term used for delegating to one’s wife the right to divorce, a right that originally belongs to the husband. A wife, thus, has the choice to remain in wedlock or be separated. The detailed injunctions in this regard, as deduced from the Qur’an and the Sunnah, are as follows: i. Once a husband grants this right to his wife, he can neither withdraw it nor prevent his wife from exercising it. It is, of course, not mandatory for the wife to necessarily exercise this right. She may choose to continue the marital tie and thus let the right to be separated go by default.

There are two ways to grant this right to a wife. First, by the husband’s authorizing his wife, in unequivocal terms, that she has the authority to invoke divorce. Secondly, whereby the husband does not clearly specify delegating the right of divorce to his wife, but says something that carries the intention to delegate this right to her. For example, he may say to her: “You have the right”, or “Your matter is in your hands”. The use of such suggestive expressions without corresponding intention on the husband’s part, however, does not amount to delegating to his wife the power to invoke divorce. If she claims to have received such a delegation of power and the claim is contestably the husband under oath, this by the husband saying that he did not intend to divorce his wife, the husband’s version will be accepted. An exception can only be made when the wife produces firm evidence to the effect that she was granted this right in the course of a marital quarrel or in the course of their discussion on divorce. For in that context, it would be understood that the husband intended to divorce his wife.

Another condition pertaining to takhytr is that the delegation of this power is made known to the wife. If the wife is not present when the husband makes such a statement, she must receive definite information about it. If she is present, she should herself hear her husband’s statement to this effect. Unless she receives.

information about his delegation of the right of divorce or directly hears this statement from her husband, she cannot exercise this right.

There is some difference of opinion among jurists regarding the duration of the validity of this right, particularly when the husband grants his wife this right in absolute terms, without specifying any time period for its validity. According to one group of scholars, the wife may exercise this right in the same sitting in which her husband granted this right to her. If she moves away without giving any response or is engaged in something which may indicate that she does not want to make any response, she forfeits her right. This is the opinion of ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, Jabir ibn Zayd, ‘Ata’, Mujahid, Sha’bi, Nakha’i, Malik, Abu Hanifah, Shafi'i, Awza'I, Sufyan al-Thawri and Abu Thawr.

According to another group of scholars, the wife’s right is not limited to that particular sitting. She may also exercise it later. This opinion is held by Hasan al-Basri, Qatadah, and Zuhri.

If the husband at the time of delegating the power of divorce to his wife, mentions a specific period of time, say a month or a year, the wife will have this right only during that period. However, if he leaves the timing to her discretion, her right will remain valid for an unlimited period.

If the wife seeks separation, she should express it in clear, unmistakable terms. A vague statement in this regard will not be deemed valid.

In terms of legal procedure, the husband may delegate this power to his wife in one of the following three ways: by either saying to her (a) “Your matter is in your hands”, or (b) “You have the right”, or (c) “You are divorced, if this is what you want”. Each of these, however, has different legal implications: If the husband says to his wife: “Your matter is in your hands”, and she responds to this in clear words that indicate her choice of separation, then, according to the Hanafi School, this constitutes a single irrevocable (ba’in) divorce. (In other words, the husband will forfeit his right to revoke the divorce. After the expiry of the waiting period, however, the spouses may re-marry if they decide to do so.) However, if the husband says at the time while delegating the power of divorce: “Your matter is in your hands to the extent of a single divorce”, this amounts to a single revocable divorce. Hence, the husband: may take her back as his wife during her waiting period. However, if while making the above statement his intention was to vest her with the right of triple divorce, or if he explicitly said so, this is tantamount to divorce irrespective of whether she explicitly pronounces triple divorce on herself or declares only once that she has separated herself from her husband or that she has divorced herself.

If the husband grants his wife the right of separation by saying to her: “You have the right”, and his wife explicitly exercises that right, this will lead, according to the Hanafi School, only to a single irrevocable (ba‘in) divorce, even if the husband intended triple divorce. However, if he explicitly delegates to her the right of triple divorce, her exercise of that right will lead to triple divorce. Shafi’, however, maintains that if the husband’s intention was divorce and the wife secures separation, this amounts to a single revocable divorce. According to Malik, however, this amounts to triple divorce of the wife if the husband had consummated his marriage.

However, the husband’s claim for a single divorce will be accepted if his marriage with that wife had not been consummated.

If the husband says to his wife: “You are divorced, if that is what you want”, and the wife exercises this option, the divorce that will come into effect will be revocable, not ba’in.

vii. If, despite the husband’s delegation of the divorce right to his wife, she expresses her willingness to continue to be his wife, no divorce will come into force. This is the view of ‘Umar, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’‘ud, ‘A’ishah, Abu al-Darda’, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar. This represents the mainstream view. When Masruq sought ‘A’ishah’s ruling on the issue, she replied: “The Prophet (peace be on him) delegated this right to his wives, yet they preferred to continue their marital tie with him. It was, therefore, not deemed as divorce”. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab man Khayyara Azwajahu.) According to one report, only ‘Ali and Zayd ibn Thabit were of the opinion that even in this case a single, revocable divorce will come into force. However, according to another report, both ‘Ali and Zayd ibn Thabit held the opinion that no divorce would come into force. (Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur’an, comments on verse 28 and Ibn al-‘Arabi, Alkkam al-Qur’an, comments on verses 28-29.)

43. This statement does not mean at all that there was any apprehension that the Prophet's wives would commit “flagrant indecency”. The purpose of this statement was to make them realise that the expectations of them were in proportion to their elevated position in Islamic society. Hence, it was expected that their conduct should represent the highest moral standards. The statement made here is similar to the one made in Surah al-Zumar 39:65: “(Tell them clearly that) it was revealed to you and to all Prophets before you: ‘If you associate any others with God in His Divinity, your works will surely come to naught and you will certainly - be among the losers?” This too does not mean that there was any fear that the Prophet (peace be on him), God forbid, would ever be involved in polytheism. The real purpose of the statement was to impress the ‘monstrosity of polytheism on the Prophet (peace be on him) and through him on others, essentially driving home how it is absolutely necessary to stay away from it.

44. Neither their being the Prophet’s wives nor their exalted positions could prevent God from His punishment, if He so decided.

45. The Prophet's wives will receive double the punishment for their sins and double the reward for their good deeds. This is on account of their high position in society, for people generally follow in the steps of their leaders, both in good and evil. If they are evil, their misdeeds corrupt the whole nation. Hence such people deserve punishment for their own misdeeds as well as for the misdeeds of those who were prompted to corruption by their example. By the same token, the goodness of their leaders’ deeds will not remain confined to them, but will also spread to others. When such people commit evil deeds they receive greater punishment because of the unwholesome impact of their behavior on others. On the contrary, when they do good, they are rewarded not only for their own deeds but also for the wholesome impact they had on others.

This verse also brings to light the principle that the more sacrosanct something is, the more sacrilegious is its violation, hence entailing a more severe penalty. For example, drinking in a mosque is a much more outrageous sin than doing so within the confines of one’s home.

Committing unlawful sex with a woman of prohibited degree is a graver sin than committing it with any other woman, and would naturally entail a more grievous punishment.

46. This marks the beginning of the passage (vv. 32-34) which lays down injunctions pertaining to hijab. Although it is addressed to the Prophet’s wives, the aim is to introduce the reforms enshrined in these verses to all Muslim households. Once the Prophet’s household sets the model of piety and rectitude, that model will be emulated by other Muslim women.

Some people express the view that since these verses are addressed to the Prophet's wives, the injunctions enshrined in them are meant only to apply to the Prophet's wives. Just consider, however, what is said in the verses that follow and decide which of the directives mentioned in them is exclusively required for the Prophet’s wives and not for other Muslim women. Could it be God’s purpose that only the Prophet's wives be free of all uncleanness and that only they should obey God and His Messenger, and that only they offer Prayers and pay Zakah? Now, since this is not the case, how can the Qur’anic injunction that they stay in their homes and not go about displaying their allurements, as was done in the former Time of Ignorance, and not be complaisant in their speech with men unrelated to them be considered as injunctions specific to the Prophet's wives only and not to other Muslim women? There are no grounds whatsoever for considering some of these injunctions to be of general and others of specific import.

The Qur’anic statement that the Prophet’s wives “are not like other women”, obviously does not mean that other women may go out alluringly dressed, that they may speak complaisantly to men unrelated to them whereas the Prophet's wives should not do so. In fact, this statement resembles a refined person’s telling his children: “Do not use abusive words; you do not belong to a group of vulgar children”. No intelligent person will interpret this statement to mean that the person concerned considers the use of abusive words blameworthy only for his own children but not for others’ children; that he does not mind if this habit is found among others.

47. It is not blameworthy for a woman to speak to other men, whenever that is needed. However, a Muslim woman should speak in a straightforward manner so that it leaves no room for anyone to entertain amorous expectations. Her speech should be free from endearing overtones, complaisant tones and affected sweetness that arouses a man’s sensual passions and encourage him to make advances. God makes it plain that this manner of conversation does not behave a God-fearing woman who desires to stay away from immoral conduct. In other words, this manner of conversation with men is characteristic of immoral women, not of pious, believing women. Let us consider this verse together with the following Qur’anic directive: “Nor should they stamp their feet on the ground in such a manner that their hidden ornament becomes revealed” (al-Nur 24:31), The message of this Divine directive is loud and clear. Women should not display their charms and allurements to men not related to them. If need arises, and they have to speak to them, they should exercise all necessary precautions when doing so. It is in view of this that women may not make the adhan. If a woman is performing Congregational Prayer, unlike men, she may not pronounce the words Subhan Allah aloud to alert the imam that he has made some mistake. Instead, she may only strike one of her palms against the other.

Considering that Islam does not approve of women’s speaking in an alluring manner to men not related to them and, in fact, would rather like them not to speak to such men unless there is need to do so, how can that religion then approve of their appearance on the stage, singing, dancing or walking with dalliance, making a display of their amorous playfulness and behaving, on the whole, coquettishly? How could Islam possibly support women singing melodious love songs, containing lewd stuff, on the radio and other modes of mass media that whip up men’s desires? How can it allow her to act in dramas and play the role of someone's wife or beloved? Can it allow women to serve as air hostesses adept at charming passengers? Can it permit their appearing, publicly so as to flaunt their attractions in social clubs and other public places in mixed gatherings of men and women? Can it sanction their uninhibited mingling with men and cracking jokes with them? Such practices have no sanction in the Qur’an. The Quranic directives on such matters are common knowledge. Can anyone point to any evidence in the Qur’an that legitimizes the kind of permissive culture described above?

48. The imperative qarna (“stay”) used here has been understood variously by lexicographers. In this respect, it is variously considered to have been derived from the roots q r r and w q r. If it is considered to be derived from q r r, the meaning of the imperative would be: “to be settled down’ and “to linger”. If, however, it is derived from w q r, the meaning would be “stay with serenity” or “stay with grace and dignity”. In either case, it signifies that the main sphere of a woman’s activity is her home.

She should remain in this sphere and focus on discharging her duties.

She may go out of this sphere only when there is a need to do so.

This meaning is clearly borne out by the wording of the verse. It is further reinforced by a hadith. Abu Bakr al-Bazzar reports on Anas ibn Malik’s authority that women once said to the Prophet (peace be on him):” All acts of merit are for men: they engage in jihad and do much else in God’s cause. In which acts should we engage so that we may receive a reward equal to that of mujahidin?” The Prophet (peace be on him) replied: “Whoever of you stays in her home will attain the same degree of merit as mujahidin”. What this means is that a mujahid will devote himself with full equanimity to God’s cause because of the security he enjoys at home, knowing that his wife will duly look after his home and children, and that she will not act in a manner that would embarrass him. Since his wife provides him such peace of mind, she will receive an equal share of the reward for her husband’s jihad. According to another tradition narrated by Bazzar and Tirmidhi on ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud’s authority, the Prophet (peace be on him) remarked: “A woman is an object that ought to be covered. When she goes out, Satan ogles at her. She is closer to God’s mercy when she is in the precincts of her home”. (Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Rada’ and Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 33.) (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur‘an, al-Nur: 24, Vol. VI, n. 49, pp. 239-242.) In face of such explicit and emphatic Qur’anic injunctions there is no justification whatsoever for Muslim women to become members of councils and parliaments, run around in connection with social activities outside their homes, work shoulder to shoulder with men in offices, receive education in co-educational colleges, perform nursing duties in male hospitals, serve as receptionists and hostesses on railways and airlines. Nor is there any good reason to send them to USA or UK for education and training. The only argument for a woman's outdoor role is that ‘A’ishah took part in the Battle of the Camel. Those who cite this example are perhaps not aware of ‘A’ishah’s own opinion on this matter.

The following report has been narrated by ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Zawa’id al-Zuhd and by Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Shaybah and Ibn Sa’d in their respective works on Masruq’s authority. While reciting this verse of the Qur’an (see Surah al-Ahzab 33:33), ‘A’ishah could not control her tears, for it reminded her of her mistake in having taken part in the Battle of the Camel.

49. In this verse, two key expressions, tabarruj and jahiliyah ila have been used. The connotation of both should be grasped for a better understanding of the verse. Tabarruj literally denotes something that is prominent or elevated. Baraja is used to denote an object that is manifest and elevated. Burj (tower) is one of its derivatives and carries the same connotation. A sailing boat is called a barijah because of its distinct sails which are observable even from a distance.

When the word tabarruj is used in the context of women, it carries the following three meanings: (i) displaying the charms of her face and body before others; (ii) displaying her dress and jewelry, (iii) making a show of herself by her coquettish gait and other enticing gestures. Leading lexicographers and Qur’an-commentators have interpreted tabarruj mostly in this sense. Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Abi Nujayh define tabarruj as walking in an alluring and coquettish manner. According to. Muqatil, it denotes a woman’s display of her necklace, earrings and neckline.

Al-Mubarrad explains tabarruj as follows: “A women’s revealing her charms which she ought to conceal”. Abu Ubaydah is of the opinion that it consists in a woman’s revealing her charms of [body and dress] in order to allure men. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 33 and Tabari Tafsir, comments on verse 33.) , As for the word jahiliyah, it occurs in the Qur’an on three other occasions in addition to its use here. In Al ‘Imran 3:154 it is used with reference to those who flinch from fighting in the cause of God because they entertain false notions about God — “the notions of the Age of Ignorance”. In al- Ma’idah 5:50 it is said that those who seek the judgement of others than God in their affairs are guilty of desiring “judgement according to the Law of ignorance”. In al-Fath 48:26 the Makkan unbelievers’ attitude is characterized as one of “fierce bigotry — the bigotry of ignorance”. This bigotry was responsible for their preventing Muslims from performing ‘umrah. Itis recorded in a hadith that once during his quarrel with someone Abu al-Darda’ abused him as regards his mother. On observing this, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: “These are vestiges of jahiliyah in you”.

(Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, Bab ma Yunha min al-Sibab wa al-La‘an — Ed.)

According to another hadith, the Prophet (peace be on him) observed: “There are three practices of jahiliyah: finding fault with someone’s descent, taking divination from the movement of stars, and lamenting and wailing over someone’s death”. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Managib, Bab al- Qasamah fi al-Jahiliyah — Ed.) In view of the above uses of the term jahiliyah, it becomes evident that as a technical term in Islam jahiliyah stands for any practice that runs counter to Islamic norms and worldview. As for the expression jahiliyah “ila which occurs in this verse, it signifies the-evil deeds committed by Arabs and others before Islam’s advent. It is obvious, therefore, that God forbids women from going about displaying their beauty and charms.

God also directs women to stay in their homes. Their main sphere of activity is their home rather than the outside world. If there is any need for them to go out, they may do so but not in the manner of the women of the jahiliyah period. In other words, itis highly unbecoming of Muslim.

women to go out of their homes bedecked with all possible allurements, displaying their charms by wearing make-up and by using seductive, tight-fitting and revealing dresses. These are the practices of the jahiliyah period, which are not conformable with Islam. It is for anyone to decide whether the culture that is being promoted in our society is derived from the Qur’an or from jahiliyah. It would be quite a different matter if those who are promoting this jahili culture have a version of the Qur ‘an thatis not accessible to ordinary mortals!

50. It is evident from the context that the expression ahl al-bayt (members of the Prophet's household) here signifies the Prophet's wives.

This is borne out by the fact that a direct reference is made to them: by virtue of the verse opening with the words ya nisa’ al-Nabi (“O wives of the Prophet”) it is clear that it is they who are addressed throughout this passage.

The Qur’anic expression ahl al-bayt is used in Arabic to denote one’s family, including one’s wife and children. It is patently obvious that a person’s wife cannot be excluded from the family. The Qur’an employs the same expression on two other occasions and in each instance it includes the wife. When the angels gave the good news of the birth of a son to the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him), his wife was astonished to hear this. In amazement she asked: how could they have a son when they were so advanced in age? To this the angels responded: “Do you wonder at Allah’s decree? Allah’s mercy and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house”. (Hud 11:73.) Another instance of the use of ahl al-bayt occurs in the context of the Prophet Moses’ story. When he arrived at the Pharaoh’s palace as a newly-born baby and a search was on to find a wet nurse for him, his sister said: “Shall I direct you to the people of a household (ahl bayt) that will rear him?”, (al-Qasas 28:12).

It is plain and clear, both in terms of the Arabic idiom and the Quranic usage of this expression, that the Prophet's wives are obviously included in the term ahl al-bayt. Likewise, his children belong to the same category.

It is perhaps more appropriate to say that the address is mainly directed to his wives, while his children are implicitly included. Accordingly, Ibn “Abbas, ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr and ‘Ikrimah maintain that the verse makes a pointed reference to the Prophet's wives. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments: on verse 33.) However, were someone to insist that ahl al-bayt are restricted to the Prophet’s wives alone, this would be erroneous. When we speak of someone’s household, we refer to all members of his family. This point was in fact clarified by the Prophet (peace be on him) himself. It is related on Ibn Abi Hatim’s authority that when he was asked about ‘Ali, ‘A’ishah .

said: “You are asking me about him who was among those dearest to the Prophet (peace be on him) and whose wife was the Prophet’s beloved daughter!” She then recounted how the Prophet (peace be on him) once summoned ‘All, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn and covered all of them with a sheet and prayed: “O Lord! They are of my household. Remove uncleanness from them and purify them”. ‘A’ishah added: “I am also of your household”. (In other words, she asked that she, too, be let in under the sheet, and a similar prayer be made for her.) The Prophet (peace be on him), however, told her: “Stay away! Of course, you are one of them”.

(Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab Surah al-Ahzab) Traditions of a similar import are cited by Muslim, Ahmad, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Hakim and Bayhaqi on the authority of Abi Sa‘id al-Khudri, ‘A’ishah, Anas, Umm Salamah, Wathilah ibn Asqa’ and other Companions. These reports indicate that the Prophet (peace be on him) pronounced ‘Ali, Fatimah and their two sons as belonging to his household. In view of these reports, the term ahl al-bayt cannot be restricted just to the Prophet's wives.

Equally flawed is the contention that the Prophet’s wives do not fall under the category of ahl al-bayt. This view is put forward on the grounds of the above-quoted ahadith. First, what the Qur'an expressly declares cannot simply be dismissed on the basis of any hadith. Secondly, the relevant ahadith do not mean (portray) what they are claimed to mean.

These reports simply indicate that the Prophet (peace be on him) did not cover ‘A’ishah and Umm Salamah with the sheet with which he had covered ‘Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn. His action does not signify that he did not consider his wives as part of his household. Rather, the Prophet's wives were already included in his ahl al-bayt, for the Qur’an had addressed them with that title. The Prophet (peace be on him) was concerned about other members of his family (to wit, his daughter, his son-in-law and his grandsons) lest, because of the Qur’an’s wording which specifically addressed his wives, other members of his family were considered outside his household. He, therefore, clarified the point as regards them. No such statement was needed in respect of his wives whom the Qur’an had already included among the Prophet’s ahl al-Bayt. A certain section of people is not only guilty of excluding the Prophet’s wives from the category of ahl al-bayt, but also insists on restricting its use exclusively to ‘Ali, Fatimah and their children.

Furthermore, it misconstrues the Prophet's prayer for their purification in the sense that like God’s Prophets, ‘Ali, Fatimah and their children - are immune from sin. This is deduced from the following words of the verse: “Allah only wishes to remove uncleanness from you, O members of the (Prophet’s) household and purify you completely” (verse 33). In their opinion, the word “uncleanness” (used in the verse) stands for sin and God has declared them to be free of sin. This interpretation, however, is not borne out by the wording of the verse under study. Verse 33 does not declare that they have been made free of sin. It simply says that: “Allah only wishes to remove uncleanness from you”. It is evident from the context that the Qur’an does not intend to narrate the excellent qualities of the Prophet’s household. Rather, it exhorts them to carry out certain deeds and shun others so that God may remove uncleanness from them. In other words, the Qur’an presents before them a way of life whose observance will enable them to attain purity, implying that if they fail to do so, they will not attain purity. However, if the verse is misinterpreted to mean that the Qur’an declares the sinless-ness of the Prophet's household by saying, “He wants to purify you ...”, all those who perform wudu’, ritual bathing, and tayammum should also be taken as sinless. For the Qur’an uses exactly the same words in al-Ma’idah 5:6.

“He wants to purify you ...”.

51. The imperative wa yadhkurna in the verse connotes both “remembrance” and “mention”. Taken in the former sense, it directs the Prophet's wives never to forget that they represent a family that is the source of radiating wisdom and good morality for all. They are, therefore, charged with a great responsibility. Let it not happen then that people observe in this pious household patterns of jahili practices.

If it is taken in its latter sense, the verse directs the Prophet’s wives to mention the Prophet's teachings. This because they are privileged to have access to things to which others have no access. This verse makes a pointed reference to the “Signs of Allah and the words of wisdom which are rehearsed in your homes”. The former expression “Signs of Allah” obviously refers to the Qur’anic ‘verses. As for “words of wisdom”, this has a broad connotation that covers the totality of wisdom that the Prophet (peace be on him) communicated to people. It may apply, to an equal extent, to the teachings of the Qur’an. However, there is no good reason to restrict it to the Qur’an alone. Apart from rehearsing the verses of the Qur’an, the Prophet (peace be on him) also instructed people by means of his precept and practice.

Some people, however, claim that the word tilawah used in this verse is restricted to reciting Qur’anic verses. They argue therefore, that both “Signs of Allah” and “wisdom” used in the verse exclusively signify the Qur’an. This contention is quite faulty. The word tilawah simply meant ‘rehearse or recite’ at the time this verse was revealed. It was only later on that its use was restricted to rehearsing the Qur’an alone. Furthermore, the Qur’an itself does not employ it as a term in the above, restricted sense.

For example, in Surah al-Baqarah 2:102, the same expression is used with regard to the magical chants rehearsed by devils while attributing them to the Prophet Solomon (peace be on him). The Qur’an, thus, uses the term tilawah in its literal, general sense, and does not specifically confine it to Qur’anic recitation.

52. To say that “Allah is All-Aware” amounts to saying that He has full knowledge of everything, including the most hidden secrets.

53. Allah is All-Subtle; hence He has access even to the most hidden things; nothing can remain hidden from Him.

54. In other words, those women who have accepted Islam as the code of conduct for their lives and are committed to live in accordance with this code. The reference is, therefore, to those in whom there remains no vestige of any resistance against the Islamic worldview and way of life, those who have adopted the course of obedience and submission to God.

55. The commitment of these people to Islam is not merely a matter of outward conformity. They sincerely believe in Islam and look upon its teachings as their guide. They are firmly convinced that the way prescribed by the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) represents the Straight Way and that their success lies in following it. They believe that whatever has been declared by God and His Messenger to be false and wrong is indeed false and wrong. By the same token, they strongly believe that whatever God and His Messenger have declared to be right is indeed so. Their minds and hearts do not feel uncomfortable with any injunctions based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Nor do they strain their minds to alter these injunctions so as to mold them according to their own predispositions or in conformity with the ways obtaining in the world, and do so with such skill that none might blame them for distorting the command of the God and His Messenger! The Prophet (peace be on him) has stated the following which represents the true state of faith: “He who is satisfied with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his faith, and with Muhammad (peace be on him) as His Messenger has truly savored the taste of faith”. (Muslim, Kitab al-Imin, Bab al-Dalil ‘ala anna man Radiya ...) Elsewhere, the Prophet (peace be on him) elucidated the same in the following words: “None of you can be a true believer unless his desire is subject to what I have brought”. (Al-Baghawi, Sharh al-Sunnah, Bab Radd al-Bida’ wa al-Ahwa’.)

56. That is, they do not just pay mere lip service to Islam, but put it into actual practice. They are not such who would, on the one hand, believe in what God and His Messenger have commanded and on the other, act contrary to those commands.

57. That is they are true and straightforward in their words and deeds.

Their conduct is free from lies, deception, cheating, treachery and fraud.

They say only what is true and they do only what they regard as right.

In essence, they display utter honesty and integrity in their dealings.

58. They are honest in their utterances and straightforward in their relationship with others. Furthermore, they willingly endure the hardships, threats, risks and difficulties that come their way as a result of their observance of Islam. They are not deterred by any loss they might suffer for the cause of Islam. Nor can fear, greed or temptation distract them from the Straight Way.

59. They are absolutely free from pride and arrogance. They recognize well that they are God’s servants and that they do not enjoy any position above that of servitude to God. Accordingly, they fully submit themselves to Him. Their hearts and bodies are in a state of submission to God and "God's fear permeates their lives. They never betray an attitude that stems from pride or arrogance, which is the wont of those bereft of any God-fearing-ness.

In the context of this verse, the characterization of believers.

as those “who humble themselves before God” alludes to observance of Prayers. This is borne out by the fact that mention of charity and fasting immediately follows Prayer.

60. Apart from paying obligatory Zakah, true believers also voluntarily spend on charity, the emphasis being that they spend generously in God’s cause. They try their level best to help their fellow numan beings.

They do not shrink from supporting any orphan, sick, needy, disabled or poor person who happens to be in the range of their access. Nor do they flinch from spending whatever they have to exalt the religious faith ordained by God.

61. The reference here is to both obligatory and supererogatory fasts.

62. This means that they shun illicit sex and also that they restrain themselves from nudity and obscenity. Nudity and obscenity does not merely consist in appearing before people stripped of all dress. Nudity and obscenity also embraces wearing tight-fitting, revealing or transparent clothes that bring to sharp relief the contours of one’s body.

63. That they remember God means that on all occasions and in different matters they mention His Name. Obviously, this emanates from God-consciousness, which is the essence of the Islamic way of life. As the thought of God permeates one’s conscious, subconscious and even unconscious states, one becomes fully cognizant of Him. Such a person’s actions and utterances are then also marked by God-consciousness. He pronounces God’s Name no matter what-he does: when he starts eating or goes to bed or wakes up. In the course of his conversation too he repeatedly mentions God’s Name, referring to His will, His gracious favors and His glory. He invokes God’s help in all matters, thanks Him for every bounty he receives, and seeks His succor whenever he encounters any calamity. He fears God whenever he is tempted by sin.

Whenever he commits a lapse, he seeks God’s pardon. Whenever he needs something, he turns to God and asks for it.

While other acts of worship are performed at their prescribed time, God’s remembrance envelopes his life all the time, connecting him to God in servitude in so far as his attention is constantly focused on God and his tongue never tires of mentioning His Name. If man has reached this state, he is like the plant that grows in its ideal environment. His life, his acts of worship, and his religious activities all represent sound growth. In contrast, if one’s life is devoid of this constant remembrance of God or if one performs acts of worship only at the appointed hours, one resembles a plant that grows in a hot house, which owes its survival only to the gardener’s special care. The Prophet (peace be on him) pressed home this truth in a hadith. Mu‘adh ibn Anas al-Juhani reports that someone asked the Prophet (peace be on him): who will receive the highest reward among those who take part in jihad? He replied: “He who remembers God most”.

He was then asked who will receive the highest reward among those who fast? The Prophet (peace be on him) gave the same reply. He was also asked the same question as regards those devoted to Prayer, Zakah, Hajj and charity. On each occasion the Prophet's reply was identical: he who remembers God will receive the highest reward. (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Mu‘adh ibn Anas al-Juhani.)

64. The verse indicates the acts that carry weight in God’s sight. In fact, they represent the core values of Islam. As far as these values are concerned, no distinction is made between men and women. Each of them, of course, performs different functions in their respective spheres of activity: men work in certain fields and women in others. However, if their acts are permeated with the same values, they will carry the same weight in God's sight and fetch identical reward. Women may devote themselves to domestic chores while men may put into effect the commands of the Shari‘ah as God’s vicegerents. Likewise, women may bring up children at home while men may stake their lives on the battlefield in the cause of God and His ordained faith. No gender will be treated differently from the other.

65. This marks the beginning of the passage dealing with the Prophet's marriage with Zaynab.

66. According to ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, this verse was revealed when the Prophet (peace be on him) had sent Zayd’s marriage proposal for Zaynab and it was turned down by her and her family. According to ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, when the Prophet (peace be on him) made the proposal, Zaynab’s reaction was: “As regards lineage, I am better than him”. According to Ibn Sa‘d, she had also said: “I do not feel happy about him for myself for I am of noble Quraysh descent”. The same kind of disapproval about the marriage proposal was expressed by her brother, ‘Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, the reason being that Zayd was the Prophet’s freed slave whereas Zaynab bint Jahsh was the daughter of the Prophet's paternal aunt, and his relatives felt grieved that the Prophet (peace be on him) was proposing that a girl of such a prestigious family be married to his freed slave.

It was in this context that the following verse was revealed: “It does not behove a believer, male or female, that when Allah and His Messenger have decided an affair they should exercise their choice”. No sooner had this verse been revealed than Zaynab and her family accepted the proposal and the Prophet (peace be on him) personally solemnized the marriage.

He also paid the bridal due, amounting to ten dinars and sixty dirhams, and gave some clothes and household provisions by way of a gift.

Although this verse was revealed in the context of a particular incident, it lays down the principle that serves as the core of the Islamic way of life embracing every aspect of living. The standing principle is that no Muslim — individual, group, institution, court, legislature or state — is possessed of the authority to decide any matter in contravention of the commands of God and His Messenger. For to be a Muslim means to fully submit oneself to God and His Messenger. No Muslim, whether an individual or a group, can claim the authority to act in violation of God’s command and still claim to be obedient of Him and His Messenger. For this would be a contradiction in terms. No sensible person can reconcile these two divergent positions. A Muslim by definition is he who submits unquestioningly to the commands of God and His Messenger. Anyone who refuses to do so must acknowledge that he is not a Muslim. If anyone refuses to submit to God’s commands, notwithstanding his tall claims to be a believer, he will be reckoned as a hypocrite both by God and human beings.

67. Verses 36-48 were revealed after the Prophet’s marriage with Zaynab. His marriage triggered a fierce and hostile propaganda campaign by the Jews and polytheists. While studying these verses it should be borne in mind that these statements were not meant to clarify and explain things to the Prophet's enemies who were hell bent on maligning him.

Instead, these verses were revealed so as to protect Muslims from the pernicious effects of that campaign. Obviously, what these verses said on the issue would not satisfy the unbelievers. It could convince only those who accepted the Qur’an to be the Word of God. The statements made here are addressed to the believers to ensure they are not swayed by false propaganda. God thus sets the believers’ minds at rest and instructs ordinary Muslims as well as the Prophet (peace be on him) as to how they should respond to the situation.

68. This refers to Zayd whose identity is revealed more clearly in the verses that follow. To appreciate what God’s favors were to Zayd that are alluded to in this verse and what were His Messenger’s favours upon him, one should cast a glance at Zayd’s life. Zayd was the son of Harithah ibn Sharahil, a member of the Kalb tribe. His mother, Su‘da bint Tha‘labah, belonged to Bani Ma‘an, a branch of the Tayy tribe. When Zayd was a child of eight years his mother took him to her parents’ place. People belonging to Bana Qayn ibn Habr raided his camp and carried him away along with others whom they had captured. Zayd was later sold at the ‘Ukaz Fair in Ta’if to Hakim ibn Hizam, Khadijah’s nephew, who handed him over to his aunt. When the Prophet (peace be on him) married Khadijah, he found Zayd there and was pleased with his character and conduct.

Zayd was then 15 years old. After some time, Zayd’s father and uncle came to know that Zayd was living as a slave in Makkah. So they approached the Prophet (peace be on him) and expressed their willingness to pay any amount by way of ransom to secure his freedom. The Prophet (peace be on him) told them that he would like to hear from Zayd himself as to what his own choice was. If Zayd preferred to return to his family, he would not ask for any ransom to set him free. However, if Zayd himself chose to stay where he was, he would not compel him to rejoin his family. Zayd’s family members agreed on this solution which met all the requirements of fairness and justice. The Prophet (peace be on him), therefore, summoned Zayd and asked him if he recognized the visitors.

He duly identified them as his father and uncle. The Prophet (peace be on him) then said to Zayd: “You know them and also know me. You are free to go with them or continue to live with me”. To this Zayd replied: “I do not want to go anywhere, leaving you”. His father and uncle probed him further: “Do you prefer slavery to freedom? Do you like to live with strangers rather than with your own family?” Zayd replied: “Having observed (the Prophet's) virtues I do not want to go elsewhere”.

On receiving this definite reply, his father and uncle reconciled themselves to the situation, for it was Zayd who had refused to leave the Prophet (peace be on him). It was then that the Prophet (peace be on him) freed him and proclaimed in the assembly of the Quraysh: “I call all of you to be my witnesses. From now on Zayd is my son. He will inherit me and I will inherit him”. Accordingly, Zayd came to be known as the son of the Prophet (peace be on him).

This incident took place before Muhammad's designation as Prophet.

Later, Zayd would be one of the first four people to embrace Islam, which he did as soon as the Prophet (peace be on him) proclaimed its message.

The other three were Khadijah, ‘Ali and Abu Bakr. By then, Zayd was 30 years old and had been in the Prophet’s company for 15 years. In 4. AH/625 CE, the Prophet (peace be on him) married Zayd to his cousin, Zaynab, paying the bridal due on his behalf and providing him with essential household items. These are the circumstances to which the Qur’an alludes by saying: “... whom Allah had favored and you had favored”.

69. This refers to the period when marital relations between Zayd and Zaynab had soured. After repeatedly complaining to the Prophet (peace be on him) about Zaynab, Zayd eventually informed him of his decision to divorce her. Although Zaynab had married Zayd in obeisance to the command of God and His Messenger, she could not reconcile herself to the fact that Zayd was a slave who had been freed and brought up by her family. She strongly felt that as a member of the noblest Arab family, she should not have been married to a person of such humble social standing. Accordingly, she never looked upon her husband as her equal, and this inevitably led to marital discord. After only a year of marriage, their marital bond culminated in divorce.

70. Some people misconstrue this to mean that the Prophet (peace be on him) was desirous of marrying Zaynab and wanted Zayd to divorce her.

When Zayd informed him of his divorce decision, they argue, the Prophet (peace be on him) made only a pretense, God forbid, of dissuading Zayd from pronouncing divorce. They contend that it was in this context that God said to him: “And you concealed within yourself for fear of people what Allah was to reveal, although Allah has greater right that you fear Him’. If one reads this in conjunction with verses 1-3 and 7 of this surah, it becomes clear that during the period of marital discord between Zayd and Zaynab, God had hinted to the Prophet (peace be on him) that he should marry Zaynab after she was divorced. The Prophet (peace be on him), however, was apprehensive of the scandalous repercussions of marrying his adopted son’s wife a situation which would flagrantly violate the hallowed norms of the Arabian society of the time. When Zayd informed the Prophet (peace be on him) of his decision to divorce Zaynab, he asked Zayd to fear God and not to proceed with divorce. The Prophet (peace be on him) did so because it Zayd refrained from divorcing her, he would be spared from marrying Zaynab. However, if Zayd divorced her, the Prophet (peace be on him) would have to marry her in keeping with God’s directive. The Prophet (peace be on him) was acutely aware of how shocking this act would be considered in the Arabian society of the time. He was, therefore, reluctant to invite a new ordeal upon himself.

According to his estimate, this would lead to much mudslinging at him.

This needed to be taken into account.

God, however, found the Prophet's stance not quite consistent with his exalted status. God wanted the Prophet (peace be on him) to marry Zaynab for an important reason. Hence, the Prophet (peace be on him) was not in a position to deter Zayd from divorcing his wife just so that he could avoid something that would evoke opposition. It was, therefore, said: “You feared people whereas Allah deserves more to be feared”. The text here clearly indicates this. Zayn al-Abidin ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn says the same in explanation of this verse: “God had informed the Prophet (peace be on him) of his marriage with Zaynab. When Zayd complained to him against his wife, the Prophet (peace be on him) asked him to fear God and not to divorce her. Thereupon God said that He had already apprised the Prophet (peace be on him) of his marriage with Zaynab.

Therefore, by dissuading Zayd, he was trying to conceal what God was to reveal”. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 37 and Tabari, Tafsir, comments on verse 37.) Alusi offers the same interpretation in his exegesis, Ruh al-Ma‘ani. For him, the Prophet (peace be on him) is censured here for not doing what was ideally expected of him. He should either have maintained silence over the whole matter or he should have directed Zayd to do whatever he willed. He should not have tried to deter Zayd from divorcing Zaynab when God had already informed him of his forthcoming marriage to her.

(Alusi, Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on verse 37.)

71. Zayd went ahead with his intention to divorce Zaynab and, thus, the marital tie between them ended. Zaynab subsequently completed the waiting period and “Zayd had accomplished what he would of her”.

Divorce alone, however, does not bring about a total end to the marital tie. For the husband can take his wife back: during the waiting period.

Another consideration in this respect is related to any possible conception prior to the divorce. Once the waiting period has expired, however, this concern too becomes redundant.

72. It is evident from the Qur’anic statement that the Prophet’s marriage with Zaynab was not impelled by any personal desire. Rather, he married her in compliance with God’s command.

73. It is evident from the verse that God made the Prophet (peace be on him) marry Zaynab for there was no other way of ending jahili notions about adopted sons and daughters. The Messenger of God (peace be on him) was expected to take the initiative to bring about this social reform.

God so directed the Prophet (peace be on him) not because He wanted to make it possible for him to add to the number of his wives. Rather, this directive was in response to an important social need.

74. The text indicates that while it is permissible for other Muslims to contract marriage in this circumstance, the Prophet (peace be on him) was required to do so by God.

75. God has always had a special rule for Prophets. Whenever any receive a command from Him they simply have to carry it out even whole world is arrayed in opposition.

76. This phrase liable to the following two meanings for every danger and risk. (ii) God will call everyone to account. One need not fear anyone else than Him.

77. This refutes the baseless objections raised by the Prophet's opponents regarding his marriage with Zaynab.

Pete fist ejection raised by the Prophet's detractors was that he had married his own daughter-in-law. The Qur’an makes it clear that the Prophet (peace be on him) was not Zayd’s father. Therefore, this marriage with Zayd’s divorced wife should not give rise to such a charge.

The second objection they made was that the Prophet (peace be on him) was not obliged to marry the divorced wife of his adopted son. To this, the Qur’an responds by asserting that since he is obliged in this capacity to put an end to all false notions concerning what is lawful and unlawful. This is then followed by the following emphatic statement: "He is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets". Since no Messenger will come after him, any gap left in social reform and legislation would never subsequently be filled. Hence, it was necessary for him to eradicate this jāhilī practice. This is also followed by yet another forceful statement: "Allah knows everything". In other words, God knows well why it is essential for the Prophet (peace be on him) to put an end to this practice of jāhilīyah and what harm could ensue if he did not do so. God knows that no Prophet would be raised after him.

Hence, it would not be possible at a later date to extirpate this social evil.

If such a radical step were taken by any social reformer in the future, he would not have commanded the same unquestioning acceptance for all times that is attached to the practices of the Prophet (peace be on him). For no one besides him would command the kind of obedience that inspires people to do a thing or deter them from it.

78. The Muslims are instructed about what they should do when the Messenger of God is under fire: they should neither remain silent spectators to the malicious propaganda against him, nor should they be influenced by the false reports circulating about him. Equally important, they should not stoop to the low behavior of his detractors who hurled abuses at them. Rather, they should remember God all the more. The directive to glorify God morning and evening signifies that we should constantly praise and worship Him. (This is also explained in n. 63 above.) Glorifying God, in any case means constantly declaring God's holiness rather than simply counting the beads of a rosary.

79. The Muslims are told that the unbelievers' hostility and rancor towards them emanate from the fact that God has favored the Muslims by raising among them His Messenger (peace be on him) who has brought them out from the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith. Moreover, thanks to him, they have been able to attain moral excellence under his guidance. Thanks, again, to the Messenger's teachings, the treasures of faith and moral excellence were granted to them. They should, therefore, not act in any way that might deprive them of God's mercy.

Coming to the word Salah, when it is followed by the preposition 'alā, its purpose being to signify God's Salah on His servants; it denotes His mercy, compassion and benevolence towards them. When it is used with reference to the Salah of angels in regard to human beings, it means that the angels pray that God may shower His mercy and favor upon them.

When it is said that God invokes Salah on the believers it means that God raises their esteem in the sight of others. As a result, they are not only praised by their fellow human beings but also by the angels.

80. The Qur’anic text here reads: "On the Day they meet Him, they will be greeted with: Peace".

This statement gives rise to the following three meanings: (i) God will greet them, as is stated elsewhere in the Qur'ān, with the word: "Peace".

"Peace shall be the word conveyed to them from the Lord Most Merciful".

(Yā' Sin 36:58.) (ii) The angels will greet the believers, as is mentioned in al-Naḥl 16:32: "Those whose souls the angels seize while they are in a state of purity, saying: 'Peace be upon you. Enter Paradise as a reward for your deeds." (iii) The believers will greet one another by invoking peace. This point also features in the following verse: Their cry in it will be: "Glory be to You, Our Lord!", and their greeting: "Peace", and their cry will always end with: "All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe" (Yūnus 10:10).

81. After counselling the Muslims, God now addresses the Prophet (peace be on him) and conveys to him words of solace and assurance The purpose of these words is to reassure the Prophet (peace be on him) that God has conferred upon him a position of eminence, that his opponents will not be able to cause him any harm by raising a storm of opposition against him. He should, therefore, not let their vile accusations distress him. Instead, he should continue to carry out his duties and let his detractors indulge in their ravings. All men, both believing and unbelieving, should realize that the Prophet (peace be on him) enjoys san exalted status conferred upon him by God.”

82. The Qur’an makes a very significant point in mentioning the Prophet (peace be on him) as a “witness”. As to the testimony offered by him, it would be of the following three types.

i. He should bear verbal testimony to those truths and norms which constitute the faith prescribed by God. He is required to publicly proclaim that Islam represents the truth and whatever is contrary to it is falsehood. People may dismiss the Islamic doctrines about God S existence, His Oneness, the existence of angels, Revelation, Life-after-Death, and Paradise and Hell as sheer lies and make the Prophet (peace be on him) the butt of ridicule and mockery.

They may also reject them as implausible, thereby dubbing the Messenger (peace be on him) as an enchanted one. God’s Prophet (peace be on him) is, nevertheless, obliged to proclaim these doctrines with impunity and brand those who refuse to believe in them to be in error. Likewise, God’s Prophet (peace be on him) is required to publicly proclaim the moral concepts, culture and civilization, and the values, norms and codes that God revealed to him. He is duty-bound to affirm them and dismiss all notions in vogue in the world that are discordant with the Divine scheme of things as false. Likewise, he must uphold as lawful what the Shariah pronounces as lawful, regardless of popular beliefs about these matters. By the same token, he must strictly abide by the injunctions of the Shari'ah as regards what is unlawful, even though people may regard these as lawful.

ii. Apart from verbal testimony, he should also bear testimony by his deeds. In other words, he should practice in his own life whatever he preaches. His own conduct should be free from even an iota of what he declares to be evil and sinful. Also, the virtues he preaches should be most gloriously reflected in his own life and character.

He should be most eager to carry out whatever he declares to be obligatory. He should be keener than everyone else to shun whatever he declares to be sinful. He should also spare no effort in putting into effect the Law that he declares to be God’s Law. His own character and conduct should bear out how very committed and sincere he is to the cause that he espouses. Furthermore, his life should embody the teachings of Islam and serve as a living model for mankind. This, then, will help people to realize what kind of human beings Islam would like to give shape to. It should also give them an idea of the kind of character that Islam cherishes and the way of life that it seeks to establish.

iii. The Prophet (peace be on him) is also required to be a witness in the Hereafter. On the Day of Judgement, the Prophet (peace be on him) will testify that he had faithfully conveyed what was revealed to him by God and that he did not shirk from his responsibility. It is on the basis of his testimony that it will be decided who deserves what recompense.

It is clear, therefore, that the Prophet's task as a witness is an onerous one and only a very outstanding personality can accomplish it. It also goes without saying that the Prophet (peace be on him) did not falter even to the slightest extent in discharging his duty as long as he lived.

He will, therefore, affirm on the Day of Judgement that he had clearly demonstrated the truth to people. This will constitute God’s “persuasive argument against people”: Had the Prophet (peace be on him), God forbid, shirked his responsibility even in the least, he would be in no position to act as a witness against people on the Day of Judgement. Nor would a case be proved against the unbelievers who rejected the truth.

Some people twist this Qur’anic concept of the Prophet's testimony to mean that he will bear testimony to everyone’s actions on the Day of Judgement. Going by this logic, the Prophet (peace be on him) is supposed to watch all that people do. For, had it been otherwise, he could not give such testimony. The Qur’an, however, provides no basis for such an interpretation. According to the Qur’an, God has put in place an elaborate, independent arrangement for recording all of man’s actions.

“Angels prepare every human being’s record of deeds (See Qaf5U:17-18 and al-Kahf 18:49). Man’s limbs too, will testify to his deeds (Ya Sin 36:65, and Ha’ Mim al-Sajdah 41:20-21). The Prophets are not supposed to bear testimony to man’s actions. Rather, their testimony will be to the effect that they conveyed the truth to mankind. The Qur’an makes this point quite specifically: The Day when Allah will gather together the Messengers and say: “What answer were you given?” They will reply: “We have no real knowledge of it. You alone fully know all that lies beyond the reach of perception” (al-Ma’idah 5:109).

When the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) will be asked about the Christians’ enmeshment in error, he will say: I watched over them as long as I remained among them; and when You did recall me, then You Yourself became the Watcher over them (al-Ma‘idah 5:117).

These passages clearly state that the Prophets will not bear testimony to men’s actions. As to the testimony offered by them, the Quran states this in utterly emphatic terms:

And it is thus that We appointed you to be the community of the middle way, so that you might be witnesses to all mankind and the Messenger might be a witness to you (al-Baqarah 2:143).

(O Muhammad), warn them of the coming of a Day when We shall bring forth a witness against them from each community and We shall bring you forth as a witness against them all (al-Nahl 16:89).

It is evident from the above that the Prophet's role as a witness on the Day of Judgement will not essentially be any different from that of his community, whereby it too will be a witness against the whole of mankind. Likewise, there will also be witnesses against every community.

Had this testimony been related to each and every individual's actions, it would have meant that all of these witnesses and the entire Muslim community are omnipresent, all-hearing and all-seeing, which is clearly out of the question. However, if this testimony is taken in its restricted sense of conveying the message of the Creator to His servants, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) will, no doubt, be brought forth as a witness on this count.

This view is endorsed and amplified by several ahadith recorded by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other prominent compilers of ahadith on the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, Abu al-Darda’, Anas ibn Malik and a number of other Companions. Common to all these ahadith is the point that on the _ Day of Judgement the Prophet (peace be on him) will see some of his Companions going or being pushed in a direction away from him. Upon observing this he will submit: “O God! They are my Companions”. God will, however, tell him that he does not know the deeds they committed afterwards, that is, after his demise. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Anbiya’, Bab wa Ittakhadha Ibrahim Khalila; Muslim, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab Istihbab Italat al-Ghurrah; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Anas ibn Malik; Tirmidhi, Kitab Sifah al-Qiyamah, Bab ma ja’ fi Sha’n al-Hashr and Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab al-Zuhd, Bab Dhikr al-Hawd.).

That this is the case is clarified on the authority of many Companions, and with such.an extensive chain of narrators that its authenticity is beyond contest. This conclusively establishes that the Prophet (peace be on him) is not a witness to each and every action of each member of his community.

Coming to the hadith that states that the actions of the Prophet's community are presented before him, this too does not run counter to this point. (Tirmidhi, Kitab Fada’il al-Qur’an.) That hadith only states that God keeps the Prophet (peace be on him) abreast of the state of his community's condition. It does not suggest in any way that the Prophet (peace be on him) watches at first-hand each and every action taken by the members of his community.

83. One should not lose sight of the difference between the pronouncements of ordinary mortals and Prophets. An ordinary person may give the tiding that sound faith and good deeds will lead to wholesome results. He may also warn people against the evil consequences of unbelief and evil deeds. All this is very different from the tidings and warnings of the person who is sent down by God specifically as the bearer of good tidings and warner. The pronouncements of a Prophet, since he is designated by God, are authoritative and hence binding on people. The good conveyed by a Prophet indicates that a particular action is commendable and merits reward in God’s sight, on Whose behalf he declares that act to be so. On the other hand, when he warns against an evil action, then, this is also on God’s authority. It must, therefore, be either a sinful and forbidden act and consequently whosoever is guilty of committing it is bound to be punished. This characteristic is not shared by the warnings and good tidings conveyed by any person other than the Prophets, for the latter are not designated by God to make such pronouncements.

84. Once again, the difference between the preaching of an ordinary person and that of a Prophet is brought out. Anyone may invite people to the truth. However, none other than a Prophet enjoys God’s sanction to perform this task. A mission does not simply consist of the mere preaching of the truth. In carrying out this task, he enjoys God’s full support.

Therefore, opposition to him amounts to waging war against God.

This may be better understood in the light of our everyday experience whereby obstructing a government functionary from performing his duty is regarded as an act of rebellion against the state itself.

85. It is patently clear that the expression nikah refers to marriage.

Lexical authorities define nikah in a variety of ways. For some, it carries metaphorical expression. Others take the opposite view, insisting that it signifies sexual intercourse. Each group seeks to substantiate its view by citing passages from Arabic poetry. Raghib al-Isfahani, however, emphatically claims that the root meaning of nikah is marriage and that itis used only metaphorically for copulation. He, thus, rules out that its literal meaning is copulation. He argues that all expressions for copulation in all languages are regarded as obscene. Hence it is to be taken essentially in the sense of marriage. (See al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur’an, q.v.,nkh) In the light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, it is a term signifying marriage, or copulation after marriage. Nowhere does the Qur’an employ this word for copulation outside marriage. The words used for that are zina and safah.

86. This is an isolated verse which was presumably revealed with reference to a divorce case that arose at that time. Thus it has been placed _ between the preceding discourse and the one that follows.

It lays down the following legal provisions:

i. The verse speaks of “believing women”. This would imply that the law promulgated here would not apply to women of the People of the Book. ‘Ulama’, however, are agreed that the same law applies to the women of the People of the Book. If a Muslim marries a woman of the People of the Book, the same laws regarding divorce, bridal-due, waiting period and maintenance that apply to Muslim women apply to women of the People of the Book. That only Muslim women are mentioned in this verse is interpreted by ‘ulama’ to mean that the Qur’an implies that Muslim women are truly worthy to be marriage partners. It is, however, doubtlessly lawful to marry a Jewish or Christian woman, though it is not preferable. It would appear from the Quranic statement that God expects believing men to marry believing women.

ii. The word mass, literally meaning “touching”, here figuratively signifies sexual intercourse. Hence, if the husband has been with his wife in privacy and has even physically touched her, his divorcing her should apparently not entail any waiting period if he had actually not had sexual intercourse with her. However, out of precaution, fuqaha’ have given the ruling that if true privacy takes place — that is, a privacy in which sexual intercourse could take place — then the divorced woman is required to observe the waiting period. The waiting period can only be waived if the husband divorced his wife before having had true privacy with her.

iii. In case divorce is pronounced before the occurrence of privacy, the waiting period is revoked and the husband forfeits the right to take that woman back as his wife, and she instantly becomes free to remarry. It is nonetheless worth reiterating that this is applicable only if she is divorced before privacy takes place. However, if the husband dies before enjoying such privacy, the waiting period is not waived. Instead, the widow has to observe the waiting period.

of four months and ten days, the same as for a woman whose marriage has been consummated. A widow’s remarriage is not valid before the expiry of this waiting period.

iv. “You may not require them to observe a waiting period” underscores the husband’s right during the waiting period. Yet he is not privileged with rights, but is rather correspondingly encumbered with the rights he owes his children and the rights he owes God or the Shari‘ah. The husband’s right proceeds from the fact that during the waiting period he is entitled to take his wife’ back. Moreover, the paternity of any child is contingent upon the proof of the pregnancy or otherwise of the divorced wife during _ the waiting period. This right of the child results from the fact that if the child’s paternity is established, he will be entitled to certain legal rights. Moreover, his social and moral status will also depend upon his unblemished paternity. As for the rights of God (or of the Shariah), it should be noted that even if someone were to neglect his child’s rights, the Shari'ah nonetheless provides protection for those same rights. For example, if a husband authorizes his wife in writing that he does not require her to observe the waiting period, should he die or divorce her, the Shariah will still not allow the waiting period to be waived.

v. The directive: “So make provision for them and release them in an honorable manner”, may be followed in either of two ways: (a) If the bridal due was fixed at the time of contracting the marriage, a and then the husband divorces his wife before enjoying true privacy with her, he is obliged to repay half of the bridal due. This point is explicitly made in al-Baqarah 2:237. Although one is not obliged to pay anything over and above this, it is nonetheless commendable to make some additional provision for the wife. For instance, it is desirable that apart from returning half the bridal due to his wife, she should also be allowed to retain the bridal garments presented by the husband tc her or any other items given to her as gifts at the time of marriage. (b) If the bridal due was not fixed at the time of marriage, the husband is obliged to give some present to his wife.

This, however, depends upon his capacity and financial condition, as specified in al-Baqarah 2:236. A section of ‘ulama’, however, insists that divorced women should be given some present, irrespective of whether the bridal due was fixed or not. (As a term of fiqh, mut‘at al-talaq refers to the assets given to the divorced wife at the time when she leaves her husband’s place in consequence of divorce.)

vi. “To release them in an honorable manner” does not consist only of graciously bidding farewell to the divorced wife after giving her some present. Rather, the directive means that [even when it is absolutely necessary] to terminate the marital bond, it should be done with good grace. If the husband does not like his wife, for one reason or another, or has some grievance against her, she may still be released gracefully, and the parting of company, too should be graceful. The husband for instance, should refrain from publicizing her weaknesses which might deter others from marrying her.

It is evident from the verse that to tie up divorce with the permission of a public committee or court is discordant with the underlying spirit and wisdom of God’s law on this matter. This because such procedure does not leave any room for honorable separation between the spouses. In such a case, even if the husband does not want it so, things could get out of control, eventually leading to mutual recrimination, defamation, humiliation and embarrassment. This verse, even otherwise, does not admit that the husband's right to divorce should be made contingent on its acceptance by a public committee or court of law, for the verse clearly invests the husband with the right to divorce his wife.

It also obliges him to pay half of the bridal due or an amount in keeping with his financial! status to his wife if he divorces her before enjoying privacy with her. The thrust of the verse is unmistakable: the husband is put under a financial obligation if he wants to exercise his right to divorce. This is in order that if he wants to divorce his wife, he should exercise this right after due the matters that are vitally related to the two families confined to them alone, thus not providing any opportunity for unrelated outsiders to interfere. This can possibly be achieved if the husband is not obligated to explain to others why he is divorcing his wife.

vii. In view of the wording of the Qur’anic text, “When you marry ... and then divorce”, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib and Ahmad ibn Hanbal contend that divorce is valid only after the marriage has been contracted. Thus, divorce prior to marriage is null and void. For example, if one were to say: “Divorce be upon a woman of such and such tribe or community, if I marry her”, such a statement is void. It does not bring about divorce. This ruling is supported by the following ahadith. The Prophet (peace be on him) said: “The son of Adam does not have the right to divorce [the woman] on whom he has no right”. (Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab fi ma ja’a anna la Talaq qabl al-Nikah; Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab Ia Talaq qabl al-Nikah; Abu Da’ud, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab fial-Talaq qabl al-Nikah, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As.) In a similar vein is the hadith: “There can be no divorce before marriage”. (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Talaq, Bab — la Talaq qabl al-Nikah.) However, many Fiqh scholars maintain that this is applicable only to a case when one divorces a woman one is not married to. Such a divorce is without substance. However, if one were to say: “Divorce be upon you if I marry you”, then this statement is not governed by the import of the verse under study and the above-quoted ahadith, for it amounts to a declaration of divorce as and when one marries a certain woman. This statement is not void. Rather, it leads to instant divorce whenever the man concerned marries that woman. There is, however, some divergence of opinion among jurists regarding the scope of such a divorce.

In the opinion of Abu Hanifah, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan and Zufar, if one specifies a particular woman of a certain community or tribe, such a divorce does come into force. According to Abu Bakr al-Jassas, ‘Umar, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, Ibrahim al-Nakha’‘l, Mujahid and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz held the same opinion.

Sufyan al-Thawri and ‘Uthman al-Batti maintain that divorce comes into force only when a person specifically mentions a particular woman and says that divorce be upon her if he marries her. Hasan ibn Salih, Layth ibn Sa’d and ‘Amir al-Sha’bi hold the same view, arguing that this is a general statement that should be qualified (takhsis). In other words, it should be qualified by reference to a specific family, tribe, town, country or people. Ibn Abi Layla and Malik, however, disagree with this and state that along with all this a certain time period should also be specified.

For example, if a person says that, if he marries a particular woman or a woman of such and such group or tribe say within ten years then divorce be upon her, divorce will come into force. If such a time period is not mentioned the divorce does not come into force.

Malik further adds that the time period should be a reasonable one. If it is longer than an average life span, divorce will not come into force. (Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur’an, comments on verse 49 and Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 49.)

87. This is a rejoinder to the charge against the Prophet (peace be on him) that while he forbade others from marrying more than four wives at a time, he himself had taken a fifth wife. It may be recalled that the ‘Prophet (peace be on him) had the following four wives at the time of his marriage to Zaynab: ‘A’ishah, Sawdah, Hafsah and Umm Salamah. He had married Sawdah three years before Hijrah. He married ‘A’ishah in _ the same year, though she moved into the Prophet’s house in Shawwal 1 AH/623 CE. The Prophet's marriage with Hafsah was solemnized in Sha‘ban 3 AH/625 CE and with Umm Salamah in Shawwal 4 AH/626 CE. Thus Zaynab was his fifth wife. The unbelievers and hypocrites used this as a pretext to raise much hue and cry. God, however, declares in the Qur’an that it was He Who had sanctioned the Prophet's fifth marriage, and that it was He Who had placed the above restriction on all Muslims but had exempted the Prophet (peace be on him) from the same. Since - God has the right to lay down a rule, there is no reason why He cannot exempt someone from that rule. It should, however, be noted that the aim’ of this statement was not to satisfy the unbelievers and hypocrites. Rather, it sought to put the minds of Muslims at rest. Since they believed the Qur’an to be the infallible Word of God, this verse fully convinced them that the Prophet (peace be on him) had not maneuvered this exemption for himself. Rather, it is God Who had granted him this privilege.

88. Apart from granting the Prophet (peace be on him) the right to marry Zaynab, his fifth wife, God also granted the Prophet (peace be on him) permission to marry the following categories of women: (i) Women whom the Prophet (peace be on him) possessed as bondswomen.

While availing himself of this permission, the Prophet (peace be on him) chose for himself Rayhanah from among the prisoners of war taken after the Battle of Bani Qurayzah, Juwayriyah from among the prisoners of war taken after the Battle of Bani al-Mustaliq, Safiyah from among the prisoners of war taken after the Battle of Khaybar and Mariyah the Copt who was presented to him by Muqawqis of Egypt. Of these, he set the first three free before marrying them. However, he had had conjugal relations with Mariyah as his bondswoman. It has not been quite established whether he freed her prior to marrying her. (ii) Next come the daughters of his paternal and maternal uncles and aunts who had “migrated with him” in God’s cause. The Prophet (peace be on him) was permitted to marry any of them. The expression “who have migrated with him” [to wit, the Prophet] - does not mean that they actually travelled in his company to Madinah. What is meant here is simply that they too had migrated in Islam’s cause just as the Prophet (peace be on him) had done. In conformity with this permission granted by God, the Prophet (peace be on him) married Umm Habibah in 7 AH/628 CE. Also implicit in the verse is the Quranic sanction for marrying both paternal and maternal cousins. In this respect, the Islamic Shariah is markedly different from both Judaism and Christianity. A Christian male may not marry any woman whose line of descent joins his anywhere in the last seven generations. At the other end of the scale, a Jew may marry his own niece (that is, the daughter of his brother or sister.) (iii) A believing woman who was dedicated to the Prophet (peace be on him), that is, one who was prepared to enter into wedlock without claiming any bridal due and was so accepted by the Prophet (peace be on him). In accordance with this provision, the Prophet (peace be on him) married Maymunah in Shawwal 7 AH/629 CE. Prior to this, however, he did pay her bridal due, something that she herself had neither desired nor asked for.

This explains the attitude of those Qur’an-commentators who argue that the Prophet (peace be on him) did not marry anyone who had dedicated herself to him. What this statement means is that he paid the bridal due even in this instance.

89. One possible meaning of the verse is that it is not lawful for any other Muslim to marry a woman without paying her bridal due. Were this verse to be read together with the verses above, it would mean that the permission to have more than four wives is specific to the Prophet (peace be on him) alone, and is not a right enjoyed by any other Muslim.

One thus realizes that certain commands are specific only to the Prophet (peace be on him) and are not shared by other Muslims. A careful study of the Qur’an and the Sunnah reveals several injunctions of this kind. For example, Tahajjud Prayer was made obligatory for the Prophet (peace be on him) whereas it is nafl (supererogatory) for all other Muslims.

Furthermore, it was forbidden for the Prophet (peace be on him) and his household to accept charity while it is not unlawful for other Muslims.

Also, the Prophet's inheritance may not be given to his heirs. All other Muslims are, however, bound by the law of inheritance, as laid down in Surah al-Nisa’ 4:11-12. The Prophet (peace be on him) was also allowed to have more than four wives, but it was not made obligatory for him to render full justice between them. He was also allowed to marry without giving any bridal due to a woman who had dedicated herself to him.

Furthermore, the Prophet’s wives were not allowed to marry any other Muslim after his demise. These special provisions were exclusively applicable to the Prophet (peace be on him) and were not meant for any other Muslim. Qur’an-commentators have also identified another feature specific to him: he was not allowed to marry any woman from among the People of the Book, though every Muslim is free to do so.

90. This is the consideration because of which Prophet (peace be on him) from the general rule. The Quranic statement “Let there be no constraint upon you”, however, does not imply, God forbid, that he was allowed to have a larger number of wives because of some excessive sexual urge that would not be satisfied by only four, or that restricting him to four wives would have constrained him. Only those blinded by bigotry and prejudice would think so. For only such people can ignore the fact that the Prophet (peace be on him) married a 40-year-old lady when he was only 25. Furthermore, for a full 25 years he led a happy, married life with that wife alone. It was only after her death that the Prophet (peace be on him) married again, this time to Sawdah and for four years she was his only wife. No sane and sensible person can, therefore, buy the incredible and mischievous story that the Prophet's sex drive abruptly became so overpowering at the age of 53 that he feverish began to look around for more wives. Hence, the exemption from the limit of four wives granted to the Prophet (peace be on him) should rather be appreciated in its proper context. One should realize that the Prophet (peace be on him) was charged with an onerous task and allowance had to be made for the milieu in which he was to accomplish this task. Anyone who studies the whole matter objectively will realize why God granted him the freedom to have more than four wives and why limiting it t forum would have placed a “constraint” upon him. “The Prophet's task was to reform his crude, uncultivated people not only according to Islamic standards of conduct, but also just from the standpoint of ordinary culture and civilization. The Prophet (peace be on him) was required to cater for their education and upbringing so that they could develop into a highly civilized and refined nation. It was not - enough, therefore, just to educate men, the women’s education was just as important. The only way for the Prophet (peace be on him) to do so was to marry several women of different age groups and mental abilities and to personally see to their education so that they could assist him in his effort to bring about the much needed social reform. He was, therefore, assigned the task of educating both rural and urban, young and old women for this. purpose.

It was also part of the Prophet's assignment to eradicate the preexisting order of jahiliyah and put into effect the Islamic way of life. Hence a fierce battle with the leaders and followers of the order of jahiliyah was imminent. Let us recall that this encounter took place ina land known for its tribal mode of life, with all its attendant traditions. It was, therefore, important for the Prophet (peace be on him) to enter into alliances with different families through marital ties, which would subsequently strengthen and broaden the base of friendly relations and put an end to old enmities. In his choice of wives, one of the considerations, in addition to their personal virtues, that the Prophet (peace be on him) took into account, was their tribal affiliation. In marrying ‘A’ishah and Hafsah, the Prophet (peace be on him) reinforced his friendly relations with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Umm Salamah came from the family of Abu Jahl and Khalid ibn al-Walid while Umm Habibah was the daughter of Abu Sufyan. His marriage with them diminished the hostility of these families towards him. After his marriage with Umm Habibah, Abu Sufyan never openly opposed him. Safiyah, Juwayriyah and Rayhanah were all of Jewish descent. When he married them after setting them free, the Jews felt obliged to tone down their hostilities against him. According to the custom prevalent in Arabia at that time, when a person married a woman of a tribe he was regarded as the son-in-law of that whole tribe and it was quite unbecoming to be hostile towards him.

As we have noted earlier, social reform and the extirpation of pre-Islamic customs and practices were the tasks the Prophet (peace be on him) was required to accomplish. Realization of these objectives required that no obstacles should remain in the way of the Prophet marrying women as required by the exigencies of the situation.

This unmasks the error of those who believe that polygamy is permissible only for some specific personal reason and that it cannot be held as justified in any other circumstance. It is patently clear that the Prophet (peace be on him) took several wives not because any of his wives was ill, or barren, or did not give birth to a male issue, or that his concern was to bring up orphans. He did not marry for any of these considerations. Instead, his marriages resulted from the need to convey his message to the maximum number of people, to raise people according to his teachings, to bring about society's reform, as also to serve a number of other social and political objectives. Now, since God: has not made plurality of wives’ contingent upon the existence of some specific reasons to justify it, previously unheard of reasons are being mentioned in our time. Moreover, God’s Messenger (peace be on him) also married many other women and did so for reasons quite different than those presently mentioned. How, then, can there be any justification to limit the permission to have a plurality of wives by making it contingent on arbitrary conditions which were neither laid down by God nor the Prophet (peace be on him)? Not only that, how can it be claimed that these restrictions are in accordance with the Shariah? Underlying all such argumentation is the Western notion that polygamy is inherently evil. Swayed by this notion many people are of the opinion that one can only resort to this otherwise forbidden practice in highly exceptional circumstances. Notwithstanding all the efforts to provide Islamic window-dressing to establish the Islamic credentials of this notion, the fact remains that it is alien to the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the entire religious tradition of Muslims.

91. The objective of the verse was to relieve the Prophet (peace be upon him) of tensions in his family life so that he could carry out his duties with full poise and concentration. As God authorized him to treat his wives in the manner he liked, this ruled out the possibility of these believing women bothering him or making his life stressful by engaging in virulent rivalry among themselves. Notwithstanding the authority granted to him, the Prophet (peace be on him) always treated all his wives with perfect justice and did not prefer one to another. He had fixed turns for each of his wives.

Among Hadith scholars, only Abu Razin expresses the opinion that the Prophet (peace be on him) had fixed turns for only four of his wives, namely, ‘A’ishah, Hafsah, Zaynab and Umm Salamah and that the others did not have any specific turn. His version, however, is firmly denied by all other Qur’an-commentators and Hadith scholars. They adduce pieces of hard evidence, even after his being given such permission by God, that the Prophet (peace be on him) used to visit all of his wives according to their allocated turns and treated all of them equally well. Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Da’ud cite the following tradition narrated by ‘A’ishah: “Even after the revelation of this verse it was the Prophet's practice that if he changed the turn of any of his wives, he obtained permission from the wife whose turn it was to visit another”. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab Qawl Allah Turji man Tasha’u...; Abu Da’ud, Kitab al-Nikah, Bab fi al-Qism bayn al-Nisa’ and Nasa‘I, Kitab ‘Ishrat al-Nisa’, Bab Mayl al-Rajul ila Ba’d Nisa’ihi.) Jassas reports on the authority of ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr that ‘A’ishah narrated to him: “In fixing turns for his wives the Prophet (peace be on him) did not prefer one to another. There was hardly a day when he did not visit all of his wives. On a day when it was a particular wife’s turn for the Prophet's stay, he did not touch any other wife”. (Jassas, Ahkkam - al-Qur’an, comments on verse 51.) ‘A’ishah also reports that during his last illness which restricted his mobility, he spent his last days at her place after securing permission from his other wives to do so. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Wudu', Bab al-Ghusl wa al-Wudu’ fi al-Mikhdab...; Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, Bab Istikhlaf al-Imam..., lbn Majah, Kitab al-Jana’iz, Bab ma ja’a fi Dhikr Marad Rasul Allah.) Ibn Abi Hatim quotes Zuhri as saying that the Prophet (peace be on him) did not deny a turn to any of his wives. The only exception on this count is Sawdah who had willingly transferred her turn to ‘A’ishah, as she had grown too old. This should not give rise to the misconception that God granted certain privileges to His Messenger in this respect or that his wives were denied their due rights. Actually, " an allowance was made for the Prophet (peace be on him) regarding the number of wives and the same consideration lay behind the bestowal of this authority upon him. In short, this ensured the peace and tranquility of the Prophet's domestic life. Moreover, it brought an end to distractions.

It was indeed a great privilege for his wives to be associated with him as their marriage partner. It also enabled them to assist him in his task of preaching the truth and reforming society. The Prophet (peace be on him) sacrificed all he had in this cause and was joined in this noble task by his male Companions. His wives were directed, in equal measure, to make similar sacrifices. This explains why his' Wives accepted this Divine judgement willingly. (Alusi, Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on verse 51.)

92. This served as a note of warning to his wives and for all others in respect of their attitude towards the Prophet (peace be on him). As for the Prophet's wives, they cannot escape Divine punishment if they nurse any grudge after the promulgation of the Divine command laid down in this verse. Other people are also warned that if they entertain any misgiving about the Prophet's family life, even if it just be in their hearts, then they will be punished. This is followed by the observation that God is Most Forbearing. This underscores the point that if one frees one’s mind of insolent misgivings towards the Prophet (peace be on him) one may expect to be pardoned by God.

93. This is open to the following two meanings: (i) it is not lawful for the Prophet (peace be on him) to marry any woman besides those listed in verse 50 of this surah. (ii) Since his wives have pledged their total commitment to him and preferred the Abode of the Hereafter to this life and are content with their treatment by the Prophet (peace be on him), it is no longer permissible for him to divorce them with others; any of them and replace with others.

94. This makes it quite clear that one may have sexual relations with women whom one’s right hand possesses in addition to one’s wives. There is no fixed number of such women. This point is also made in al-Nisa’ 4:3, al-Mu’minun 23:6 and al-Ma‘arij 70:30. In all these instances, such women are placed under an independent category besides wives. These verses allow one to have sexual relations with such women. Al-Nisa’ 4:3 restricts the number of wives to four. However, God did not place any restriction on the number of other such lawful women. Nor is any suggestion to that effect made in any other verse. However, the Prophet (peace be on him) is told in this verse that it is not lawful for him to marry any more wives from now onwards. Nor may he substitute one wife with another by divorcing one. However, he is free to take those women whom his right hand possesses, meaning that they are lawful to him. That their number has not been fixed is evident from the verse.

This does not, however, mean that the Shari‘ah allows the affluent to purchase an unlimited number of slave girls in order to gratify their sexual urges. This is, in fact, an undue advantage that has been derived by those given to self-indulgence by this Qur’anic provision. The legislation was aimed at facilitating life, rather than to be exploited by those who wanted to indulge in excessive sex. Let us clarify the misuse of this by the following illustration. The Shari'ah allows a man to have up to four wives. It also grants him the right to divorce his wife and replace her with another wife. This law was made in view of the exigencies of human life. However, if one abuses this provision by divorcing one’s full quota of four wives after short periods of time and replaces them with new wives, this amounts to abusing and tampering with the spirit of the law.

Anyone who is guilty of this is responsible for his own misconduct. The Shariah cannot be faulted on this count. Likewise, the Shari'ah allows that women prisoners of war, whom the enemy is not willing to redeem by an exchange of prisoners or ransom, may be taken as slaves. The state may assign them to certain people who are thereby entitled to have sexual relations with them. This is an effective measure to prevent sexual anarchy in society. Now, since the number of prisoners of war cannot be anticipated, the Shariah has not fixed a maximum number of male and female slaves whom a person may have.

The buying and selling of slaves has also been made lawful in consideration of the fact that if any slaves, whether male or female, find themselves incompatible with their master, they may then seek a new master. Otherwise, a permanent, irrevocable tie between a master and his slaves would have been a cause of much suffering for both. The laws of the Shariah seek to meet and facilitate the needs of people in a whole range of circumstances. If the rich abuse any provision of the Shariah, they themselves are to blame rather than the Shariah.

95. This is a prefatory statement regarding the injunction that would be promulgated almost one year later in al-Nur 24:27. It was customary among the Arabs to enter others’ houses without seeking their permission.

They usually barged straight inside each other’s homes and would only then ascertain from women or children whether the male head of the family was at home or not. Inevitably, this jahili practice bred many social evils and proved to be the precursor of moral lapses. Hence it was laid down that no one, neither close friends nor distant relatives, may enter the Prophet's house without express permission from him. Subsequently in Surah al-Nur 24:27 this was made normative for all Muslims.

96. This constitutes another norm relating to social life. Of the ill manners prevalent in Arab social life was that people visited the homes of their friends or relatives at meal times or they prolonged their stay until it was meal time. This put the host to great inconvenience as it was impolite for him to ask his visitors to leave because it was meal time.

Were the host to offer them food, this could not always be arranged at such short notice. Moreover, many people did not have the means to offer food to others. God disapproved of this practice and, therefore, directed that they may eat only at the homes of others when they were so invited.

This injunction was not meant exclusively for the Prophet’s home. It was, however, first introduced in the Prophet's home because it was the model home for all Muslims, the purpose being thereby that this would become a normative element in Muslim culture.

97. This verse seeks to reform another evil practice. Some guests did not leave the host’s house even after taking a meal. They would start a never-ending conversation, paying no heed to the inconvenience they were causing to their host and his family. Some ill-mannered people even put the Prophet (peace be on him) to great inconvenience in this respect.

Since he was an exceptionally kind and magnanimous person, he put up with their uncouth manners. On the occasion of his wedding feast to celebrate his marriage to Zaynab, this clumsy behavior exceeded all limits. As narrated by the Prophet's special attendant, Anas ibn Malik, the feast was held at night. Most of the guests took their leave after the meal and left, but two or three people continued to chat for quite a while. The Prophet (peace be on him) took their leave and made a round of his wives’ homes. On his return, he still found them engrossed in conversation. The Prophet (peace be on him) then went to ‘A'ishah’s apartment. Only after a considerable time, when he was informed of these people’s departure, did he go to Zaynab’s apartment. God, therefore, made a point of drawing everyone’s attention to this objectionable habit. According to Anas ibn Malik, this was the circumstantial background to this verse’s revelation. (Muslim, Kitab al-Nikah, Bab Zawaj Zaynab bint Jahsh wa Nuzul al-Hijab; Tabari, Tafsir, comments on verse 53.)

98. This is known as the Verse of Hijab. Bukhari cites Anas ibn Malik’s account that before this verse’s revelation, ‘Umar often submitted to the Prophet (peace be on him): “O Messenger of God! All kinds of people visit you. I wish you had commanded your wives to cover themselves”.

According to another report, ‘Umar once said to the Prophet's wives: “If Thad my way, my eyes would not fall upon you”. (Bukhari, Kitab al- Tafsir, Bab Qawl Allah: La Tadkhulu Buyut al-Nabi ...) However, since the Prophet (peace be on him) was not free to legislate, he waited for God's command. Finally, God commanded that no male, unless he be a relative of the prohibited degree, should enter the Prophet’s home and those who had some business to conduct should speak to the Prophet's wives from behind a curtain. Consequent upon this command, curtains were hung at the houses of the Prophet’s wives. Since his house served as a model, other Muslims took his cue and adopted the same practice. It is evident from the wording of this verse: “That is more apt for the cleanness of your hearts and theirs”, that those who seek to maintain purity of heart should follow this practice. wrist Anyone endowed with commonsense will notice that the Qur’an here stops men from speaking directly to women and further suggests that if they need to speak to each other then they should do so from behind a curtain, this because such behaviour better ensures the purity of their hearts. How can one infer from this directive that mixed gatherings of men and women, co-educational institutions and the unrestrained mingling of men and women at the workplace, women’s membership of representative institutions are all fine and that they do not affect the purity of people’s hearts? If a person does not want to obey the Qur’an, the reasonable course for him is that he may do so and say clearly that he is not interested in obeying Qur’anic injunctions. However, to violate an explicit injunction of the Qur’an and yet unabashedly claim that this is in accord with the true spirit of Islam, represents sheer degradation.

For what is that “spirit” of Islam that exists outside the parameters of the Qur’an and the Sunnah?

99. This alludes to the unbelievers’ and hypocrites’ allegations against the Prophet (peace be on him) that were being circulated at the time, all as part of a vicious propaganda campaign. Regrettably, even some Muslims of weak faith had begun to contribute to this campaign.

100. This elucidates the point made at the outset of the surah (verse 6) that the Prophet's wives are the “mothers of the believers”.

101. Any person who harbors any ill-feeling towards the Prophet (peace be on him) or his wives will not be able to keep this hidden from God. Those who are guilty of this will be punished by Him.

102. For further details see al-Nur 24: nn. 38-42, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. VI, pp. 231-233. Alusi’s comments are also noteworthy:.

“The command pertaining to brothers, brothers’ sons and sisters’ sons cover all those relatives, whether by descent or fosterage, whom a woman may not marry. Uncles, paternal as well as maternal, are not mentioned.

here because they are like a woman’s parents. Furthermore, explicit reference to nephews would be redundant, for the underlying reason that granting women relaxation in the observation of hijab with their paternal and maternal uncles is the same as exists in the case of paternal and maternal uncles.” (Alusi, Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on verse 55.)

103. For further details see al-Nur 24: n. 43, Towards Understanding the Quran, Vol. VI, pp. 234-235. ;

104. For further details, see al-Nur 24: n. 44, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. VI, pp. 235-236.

105. The promulgation of this explicit injunction meant that anyone who was not covered by the list of relatives enumerated here (see verse 55) was not allowed to enter into anyone’s house. Another possible meaning is that women must refrain from the practice of only observing hijab before unrelated men when their husbands are present, but not doing so when their husbands are away. Such women might be able to conceal their misconduct from their husbands, but it will not remain hidden from God.

106. God’s salah on the Prophet {peace be on him) means that He is exceedingly benevolent and compassionate towards him, lavishes praise on him, blesses his efforts, exalts his renown and showers mercy upon him. As for the angels, their salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) means that they overflow with love for him, they pray to God to exalt his standing, to grant him success in the accomplishment of his mission, and to elevate him to the highest ranks.

The context discloses the purpose of the statement. At that time, the enemies of Islam were engaged in spreading slanderous rumors about the Prophet (peace be on him). In a fit of frustration and an outburst of pent-up malice and rancor, they believed that by engaging in mudslinging they would be able to undermine the Prophet’s moral influence, thanks to which Islam and the Muslims were constantly moving ahead.

It was in this context that God revealed this verse. The message that was conveyed through it was as follows: “Notwithstanding the opposition of unbelievers and hypocrites, God is determined to bestow honor and renown upon His Prophet (peace be on him) and his enemies will be humbled. Since God is kind to him, the angels (who administer the whole universe) praise him, his opponents’ campaign will eat dust. Their opposition will not matter at all for the Prophet’s rank has been exalted by God and he is supported and profusely praised by His angels. In face of such Divine blessings upon him, their hostility will cause him no harm.

Angels pray to God day and night to elevate his rank and to strengthen and promote the religious faith he espouses.”

107. The believers are reminded of the debt they owe the Prophet (peace be on him). Thanks to him, they were guided to the Right Way.

They were stumbling in darkness, yet he served as a beacon of light. When they were immersed in moral degradation, he raised them to such heights of moral excellence that they became an object of everyone’s envy. They were enmeshed in brutish ways, yet he brought about refinement in their lives. The unbelievers’ angst against him was precisely because the Prophet (peace be on him) had abundantly lavished his favors on them rather than because he had caused them any harm. The Muslims’ devotion to the Prophet (peace be on him) should match and even surpass the unbelievers’ wrath and rancor against him. The Muslims should, therefore, praise him no less than the unbelievers denounce him. Furthermore, they should pray to God for him in the manner that the angels pray for him by day and by night. They pray to God: “O Lord of this world and the Next! Lavish upon Your Prophet boundless mercy in measure to his endless favors upon us and crown him with glory in this world and exalt him in the Hereafter by granting him the most favored position”.

This verse directs Muslims towards two things: sallu ‘alayhi (to invoke blessings upon him) and sallimu taslima (to invoke peace on him). When the word salah is used in conjunction with the preposition ‘ala, it carries the following three meanings: (i) to incline towards someone, turn towards someone, or lean towards someone with love; (ii) to praise someone, and (iii) to pray for someone. When the phrase is used with respect to God, the third meaning is rendered redundant, for God cannot pray to anyone. In this instance, the meaning is restricted to either of the first two.

However, when the expression occurs in the context of God’s servants, be they angels or humans, it can embrace all three meanings. Implicit in such invocations is love, praise, glorification and prayer for God’s mercy.

The directive to Muslims to make such an invocation thus entails their developing a deep attachment to the Prophet (peace be on him) whereby they praise and glorify him and make supplications for him.

As for salam, it admits two meanings: (i) to remain secure from every affliction and impairment, and (ii) to enjoy a state of peace and security from active hostility. Saying sallimu taslima for the Prophet (peace be on him), in keeping with the first meaning of the term, signifies that the Muslims should pray that God may grant him absolute peace and tranquility. Moreover, it is an exhortation to Muslims that they help and support the Prophet (peace be on him) with their hearts and souls, that they abstain from whatever entails opposition to him and should faithfully follow and obey him.

When this injunction was revealed, several Companions said to the Prophet (peace be on him): “O Messenger of God! You have instructed us how to greet you when we meet you (by saying al-salamu ‘alayka ya Rasul Allah) and also how to pronounce salam on you during Prayer (by saying al-Salamu ‘alayka ayyuha al-Nabi wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh).

How, then, should we invoke salah for you?” In response, the Prophet (peace be on him) taught his Companions many versions of salah, an account of which follows: Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah: Allahumma Salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad kama Sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala Al Ibrahim innaka Hamid-un Majid; wa Barik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad kama Barakta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala Al Ibrahim innaka Hamid-un Majid.

(O God, exalt Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You exalted Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely, You are Immensely Praiseworthy; “Enormously Magnified. O God, bless Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham. Surely You Are Immensely Praiseworthy, Enormously Magnified.) This version, with slight verbal variations, is cited on the authority of Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Da’ud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd al-Razzaq, Ibn Abi Hatim and Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab anna Allah wa Mala’ikatahu ...; Muslim, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi...; Ibn Majah, Kitab Iqamah al-Salah wa al-Sunnah fiha, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi; Abu Da’ud, Kitab al-Ruku’, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al- Nabi...; Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Witr, Bab ma ja‘a fi Sifat al-Salah; Nasa’i, Kitab al-Sahw and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah.) The version quoted above is also narrated by ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, with minor variations, (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on verse 59).

Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi’s version is as follows: Allahumma Salli ‘ala Muhammad wa Azwajihi wa Dhurriyatihi kama Sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa Barik ‘ala Muhammad wa Azwajihi wa Dhurriyatihi kama Barakta ‘ala Al Ibrahim Innaka Hamid-un Majid. (O God, exalt Muhammad and his wives and his children as You exalted Abraham, and bless Muhammad and his wives and children as You blessed the people of Abraham. Surely You Are Immensely Praiseworthy, Enormously Magnified.) (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab inna Allah wa Mala’ ikatahu...; Muslim, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi...; Ibn Majah, Kitab Iqamah al-Salah wa al-Sunnah fiha, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi: Abu Da’ud, Kitab al-Ruku‘, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Navi...; Malik, Muwatta’, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab ma jaa fi al-Salah’ala al-Nabi; Nasa‘I, Kitab al-Sahw and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi.) Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri’s version: Allahumma Salli ‘ala Muhammad Abdika wa Rasullika kama Sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa Barik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad kama Barakta ‘ala Ibrahim. (O God, exalt Muhammad, Your servant and Your Messenger as You exalted Abraham, and bless Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You blessed Abraham.) (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab anna Allah wa Mala’ ikatahu...; Nasa’i, Kitab al-Sahw and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Abu Sa‘id.al-Khudri.) Buraydah al-Khuza‘i’s version: Allahumma Ij‘al Salataka wa Rahmataka wa Barakataka ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad kama Ji’a Itaha ‘ala Ibrahim. Innaka Hamid-un Majid. (O God, lavish Your exaltation, mercy and blessing on Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You lavished them on Abraham. Surely You Are Immensely Praiseworthy, Enormously Magnified.) (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by Buraydah al-Khuza‘l.) Abu Hurayrah’s version: Allahumma Salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad wa Barik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad kama Sallayta wa Barakta ‘ala Ibrahim fial-‘Alamin. Innaka Hamid-un Majid.

(O God, exalt Muhammad and the people of Muhammad and bless Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You blessed Abraham in the worlds. Surely You Are Immensely Praiseworthy, Enormously Magnified.) Talhah’s version: Allahumma Salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al _ Muhammad kama Sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim Innaka Hamid-un Majid wa Barik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Al Muhammad kama Barakta ‘ala Ibrahim.

Innaka Hamid-un Majid. (O God, exalt Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You exalted Abraham. Surely You Are Immensely Praiseworthy, Enormously Magnified; and bless Muhammad and the people of Muhammad as You blessed Abraham. Surely, You are Immensely Praiseworthy, Enormously Magnified.) (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on verse 59.) Notwithstanding slight verbal variations, all the above versions of salah and salam on the Prophet (peace be on him) mean substantively the same. Let us, therefore, recapitulate the important points emerging from the above discussion: i. The Prophet (peace be on him) apprises the Muslims that the best way to send benedictions upon him is to pray to God that He may send His salah and salam on him. Those who are unaware of what is meant by God’s salah and salam on the Prophet (peace be on him) express their sense of bewilderment at this. They say: “God asks us to send our salah and salam on the Prophet (peace be on him) but, strangely enough, we are being required to ask God to send His salah and salam on the Prophet (peace be on him)”.

By directing the Muslims to do so, the Prophet (peace be on him) implicitly indicated that human beings cannot fully acquit themselves of the responsibility of sending salah and salam on him, no matter how keen they might be to do so. Hence they should turn only to God, supplicating for His salah and salam for him. For we cannot enhance the Prophet's status, only God can do so. We cannot fully repay our debt of gratitude to the Prophet (peace be on him), only God can recompense him. Despite all our efforts to enhance his renown, and to promote the religious faith taught by him, we cannot achieve any success without God’s support and succor. Again, even our having love and reverence for the Prophet (peace be on him) also depends on God’s help. This because Satan constantly seeks to mislead us by his promptings against which we seek God’s refuge. The only way to invoke salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) is to pray to God that He may lavish His salah upon him. Whoever recites salah and salam on the Prophet (peace be on him) acknowledges before God his inability to adequately send benedictions upon him, an inability that drives him to solicit. God to send His salah and salam on him.

ii. Out of grace and magnanimity, the Prophet (peace be on him) did not limit salah and salam just to himself; instead, he also included his wives (azwaj) and children (dhurriyah). Moreover, he included his al, meaning that the salah and salam for the Prophet (peace be on him) was not limited to only the Prophet's immediate family, but also included all his followers and all adherents of his way. In Arabic lexicon, two words are used: al and ahl. The difference between the two is as follows: a person’s al encompass all his associates supporters and followers, regardless of whether they are his kin or not. In contrast, a person’s ahl are his kith and kin, regardless of whether they are his followers or helpers in his cause or not. The Qur’an employs the expression Al Fir’awn (the people of Pharaoh) on 14 occasions. In all these instances, it refers to all those who were on Pharaoh’s side in his encounter against the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). Nowhere is it used specifically for Pharaoh’s family. (See al-Baqarah 2:49-50; Al ‘Imran 3:11, al-A’raf 7:130 and al-Mu'min 40:46.) Therefore, the expression Al Muhammad does not include in its ambit anyone who does not follow the Prophet's way, even if he be a member of his family. On the other hand, it denotes all those who follow his way, disregarding whether they enjoy his kinship or not. Those members of the Prophet's family who follow him, beyond doubt, are a part of Al Muhammad.

It is noteworthy that in every version of salah and salam on the Prophet (peace be on him) taught by him reference is made to the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) and [in most to} his al.

This denotes the prayer that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and his people enjoy the same blessings and peace that - were conferred upon the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) and his people. Many people have found this difficult to comprehend and ‘ulama’ have offered a wide range of opinions though none of them are fully convincing. In my opinion -- and true knowledge rests only with God — reference is made to the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) on account of the unique distinction that God bestowed on him. His distinction consists in being the patriarch of the Jews, Christians and Muslims alike; in sum, of all those who recognize Prophet hood, Revelation and Scripture as the source of guidance. As God made him the leader of all believers, the prayer in regard to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) is that he be granted the same exalted position as Abraham so that all those who believe in Prophet hood have faith in his being the Prophet.

iii. There is a consensus among scholars that invoking salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) is a sunnah in Islam, and it is mustahabb (recommended) to recite it whenever his name is mentioned. There is also a consensus that it is sunnah during the Prayer. All ‘ulama’ are agreed on the point that every Muslim is obliged to invoke salah upon the Prophet (peace be on him) at least once during their lifetime. The Qur’anic command with regard to this issue is unmistakable. However, there are disagreements among ‘ulama’ regarding the details of the salah. Shafi’, for instance, insists that salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) is fard (obligatory); the Prayer of anyone who fails to do so is void. The Companions ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, Abu Mas‘ud al-Ansari, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar and Jabir ibn ‘Abd _ Allah and Sha‘abi, Muhammad Baqir, Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazi . and Muqatil ibn Hayyan among the Successors, and Ishaq ibn Rahwayah among the fuqaha’ subscribe to this opinion. In the later days of his life, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, too, held this opinion. However, Abu Hanifah, Malik and the majority of ‘ulama’ are of the view that it is obligatory (fard) to invoke salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) once in a Muslim’s lifetime.

This is similar to the shahadah: when a person pronounces the shahadah, affirming God’s Godhead and the Prophet Muhammad’s Messenger ship, just once he fulfils the obligation of embracing faith. By the same token, if one recites shahadah or salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) once in a lifetime then it is no longer obligatory to repeat it.

Another group of scholars regards the recitation of salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) as a compulsory component of Prayer. However, they only insist on its recitation in the tashahhud. According to another group, it is wajib to recite it while praying without tying it with tashahhud. Some are of the view that it is wajib to recite salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) whenever his name is mentioned. Others maintain that it must be recited only once in a sitting, no matter how many times the Prophet’s name is mentioned.

At the end of the day, all such differences of opinion are only about whether salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) is obligatory or not.

However, there is absolute agreement that reciting salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) is an act of great merit and excellence and is worthy of reward from God. No one who has been blessed with faith can have any dissenting opinion on the matter. Salah on the Prophet (peace be on him) is the natural outpouring of gratitude on the part of every Muslim who is aware that he is his greatest benefactor after God. The more one values the bounty of one’s faith and of Islam, the greater will one value God’s bounties — faith in, and submission to God — the more he will value the beneficence of the Prophet (peace be on him), and the more he values this beneficence the more he will recite salah on him. Its recitation is an index of a person’s attachment to the Prophet (peace be on him) and of the value he attaches to his faith. The Prophet (peace be on him) said: “Angels continue to recite salah on a person as long as he recites salah on me”. (Ibn Majah, Kitab Iqamah al-Salah wa al-Sunnah fiha, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi.) Of similar import are his other observations. “He who recites salah on me once receives salah ten times from God”, (Muslim, Kitab al- Salah, Bab al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi...).““One who regularly sends salah upon me is more entitled to enjoy proximity with me on the Day of Judgement”, (Tirmidhi, Bab ma ja’a fi Fadl al-Salah ‘ala al-Nabi — Ed.), and “He is a miser who fails to send salah on me when my name is mentioned before him”, (Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Da‘wat ‘an Rasul ...).

On the question of whether sending salah with the words, Allahuma salli ‘ala fulan (on such a person) the words: “salla Allah ‘alayh wa sallam” upon anyone other than the Prophet (peace be on him) is lawful or not, the ‘ulama’ have divergent views. According to one group of scholars, the most prominent among whom is Qadi ‘Iyad, it is absolutely legitimate to recite salah also on persons other than the Prophet (peace be on him).

These ‘ulama’ substantiate their opinion by referring to the following ‘Qur’anic verses which speak of salah with regard to others than the Prophet (peace be on him): Upon them (the believers) will be the blessings (salawat) and mercy of their Lord (al-Baqarah 2:157).

(O Prophet!) Take alms out of their riches and thereby cleanse them (the believers) and bring about their growth (in righteousness), and pray (salli) for them (al-Tawbah 9:103).

It is He Who lavishes His blessings (yusalli ‘alaykum) on you and His angels invoke blessings on you (al-Ahziab 33:43).

Moreover, on several occasions the Prophet (peace be on him) employed the expression salah as praying for people other than Prophets.

For example, he prayed thus for one of his Companions: Allahumma salli ‘ala Al Abi Awfa. At the request of Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah's wife, he said: Salla Allah ‘alayka wa ‘ala zawjika (may Allah endow His blessings upon you and your husband). When people came to the Prophet (peace be on him) with Zakah, he would pray for them as follows: Allahumma Salli alayhim (O God, endow Your blessings on them). While praying to God for Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: Alahumma Ij‘al Salataka wa Rahmataka ‘ala Al Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah (O God, let Your blessing and mercy be ‘on the dl of Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah). Regarding the souls of believers, the Prophet (peace be on him) gave the tiding that angels make the following supplication: Sala Allah ‘alayka wa ‘ala jasadika (May God bless you [i.e.

your soul] and your body).

Nonetheless, the mainstream view is that while the Prophet (peace be on him) could invoke salah for others, itis inappropriate for Muslims to do so for anyone other than the Prophet (peace be on him). It is customary, therefore, for Muslims to use. the word salah exclusively with respect to Prophets. Its use for others should, therefore, thus be avoided. Prompted by the same consideration, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-’Aziz wrote to one of his officials: ‘I have come to know that some preachers use the term salah for their patrons. The use of this term is specific to the Prophet (peace be on him). Upon receiving this letter of mine you should stop them from doing so and ask them to use it exclusively for the Prophet (peace be on him).

They should rest content with making supplications for other Muslims’.

(Alusi, Ruh al-Ma’‘ani, comments on verse 56.) The majority is also of the view that Salah is specific to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and should not be used even for other Prophets.

108. The expression "those who cause annoyance to Allah" refers to disobeying God, to those who are unbelievers, polytheists and atheists, and to those who tamper with God's commands regarding what is lawful and what is not; God's annoyance is also incurred when anyone causes annoyance to the Prophet (peace be on him). As we know, obedience to the Prophet (peace be on him) is tantamount to obeying God. In like view, taunting, opposing, and disobeying the Prophet (peace be on him) is tantamount to taunting, opposing and disobeying God Himself.

109. This constitutes the definition of buhtän (calumny). If one charges someone with a fault that he does not have, this amounts to calumny. The same holds for ascribing an misdeed to someone that he has not committed.

The Prophet (peace be on him) defined buhtān (calumny) along the above lines. Both Abū Dā'ūd and Tirmidhī cite the following tradition: Someone asked the Prophet (peace be on him) to define ghibah (backbiting). To this he responded: "Speaking of your brother in a manner that would displease him". They further asked him whether this also applied when such a fault was indeed found in that person. He replied: "If someone has a certain fault and you mention it, this amounts to backbiting him. However, if that person does not have that fault and you ascribe it to him, you have committed buhtān (calumny) against him". (Abū Dā'ūd, Kitāb al-Adab, Bab fi al-Ghibah; and Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Birr, Bab ma ja‘a fi al-Ghibah.) Obviously, buhtan (calumny) is a moral vice and those guilty of it will be punished in the Hereafter. It also becomes clear from the above verse that an Islamic state should declare calumny a cognizable offence.

110. This verse lays down the injunction: (to draw a part of their outer coverings around them). Here two important words have been used: jalabib sing. (jilbab) and idna’. Now jilbab is the Arabic word that denotes a large sheet used to wrap around the body. As for idna’, it denotes bringing something close and wrapping it around. However, when the preposition ‘ala is affixed to idna’, it denotes letting something down from above. Some modern translators and Qur’an-commentators, under the influence of Western predilections, have translated this injunction to simply denote “to wrap up”. They do so in order to circumvent the requirement to cover the face. Had this, however, been the purpose of the Qur’anic verse, the words would have been yudnina ilayhinna. Anyone who knows the Arabic language will never accept that yudnina ilayhinna can mean simply to wrap a sheet around. The words min jalabibihinna also prevent one from accepting this as the meaning of the relevant words. For the preposition min here indicates that what is _ meant is a part of the sheet, rather than the whole of it. It is also obvious that if a sheet is wrapped around the body it will have to be the whole sheet rather than a part of it. Thus the clear meaning of the injunction is that women should wrap themselves in a sheet and throw a part of it over themselves. This is what is known in Urdu usage as ghunghat dalna (drawing the veil).

In fact, this is how this injunction was understood by people closest to the Prophet's time. According to Ibn Jarir al-Tabari and Ibn al-Mundhir, Muhammad ibn Sirin requested ‘Ubaydah al-Salmani to explain the verse under discussion. (Let us clarify that ‘Ubaydah embraced Islam during the Prophet's time but he could not meet him. It was only during the Caliphate of ‘Umar that he came to Madinah and spent the rest of his life there. He enjoyed the same fame and position as the jurist Qadi Shurayh did.) In answering what this query means, he picked up his sheet and wrapped it around himself, covering his head, forehead, and the whole of his face, leaving open only the area for one of the eyes. This is how he illustrated the thrust of the verse. ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas also subscribed to almost the same interpretation. On the authority of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Marduwayh, he said: “God has asked women that when they go out of their homes, they should wrap themselves in their over-garments and cover their faces, leaving open only the eyes”.

The same interpretation of the verse is ascribed to Qatadah and Suddi.

(Jassas, Akkam al-Qur’an, comments on verse 59.) All prominent Qur’an-commentators in the age of the Companions and Successors were unanimously of the same opinion. In explicating the thrust of the Qur’anic command directed at Muslim women “to draw a part of their outer coverings around them”, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari points out that decent ladies should not resemble slave girls in their dress.

Their faces and hair should not be uncovered. Rather, they should wear an over-garment so that no wicked person might molest them, (Jami’ al- Bayan, 22:33). In the words of Abu Bakr al-Jassas: “This verse indicates that young women are obliged to keep their faces covered before men unrelated to them. When going out, they should cover themselves and display modesty so as not to arouse any expectations in the hearts of immoral men”, (Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur’an, comments on verse 59). Likewise, Zamakhshari reiterates the same by insisting that women should put on their over-garments on themselves, thus covering their head and face with them, (Zamakhshart, al-Kashshaf, comments on verse 59). According to Nizam al-Din al-Nisaburi, the verse commands women to cover their heads and faces by throwing a part of their over-garments on themselves, (Nisaburi, Ghara‘ib al-Qur’an, comments on verse 59). Razi suggests the following rationale of the command: “Since these women will be dressed in this manner, people will realize that they are not women of loose character. For a woman who keeps her face covered, though it is not one of those parts of the body which must be kept covered, she cannot be expected to uncover other parts of her body that are required to be kept covered. People will recognize them as modest women and with whom they cannot indulge in illicit sex”, (Razi, al-Tafsir al-Kabir, comments on verse 59).

. There is another point implicit in the verse: that the Prophet (peace be on him) had more than one daughter, for the Qur’an says: “O Prophet, enjoin your wives and your daughters ...” (emphasis added), the address clearly being in the plural. The verse, thus, exposes the falsity of the stand of those people, who without any fear of God, contend that Fatimah was the Prophet's only daughter from his own loins, while the rest were his step daughters. Swayed by prejudice, such people fail to realize the enormity of their guilt in denying the Prophet's other daughters his paternity: these people will be subjected to stringent interrogation on the Day of Judgement for their iniquity. All reports unanimously state that the Prophet's wife Khadījah gave birth to four daughters rather than just one. The Prophet's earliest biographer, Ibn Işhāq in his account of the Prophet's marriage with Khadījah, records: "Except Ibrāhīm, Khadījah gave birth to all the children of the Prophet (peace be on him).

The names of his children are: Qäsim, Țāhir, Țayyib, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, · Umm Kulthüm and Fāțimah", (Sirat Ibn Hishām, Vol. 1, p. 174). Hishām ibn Muhammad al-Sa'id al-Kalbī, an authority on genealogy, maintains: "Prior to his designation as Prophet, Qāsim was the first child born to the Prophet (peace be on him), followed by Zaynab, Ruqayyah, and Umm Kulthūm in that order" (Ibn Sa'd, Țabaqāt, Vol. 1, p. 133). Ibn Hazm affirms in his Jawāmi' al-Sīrah that Khadījah gave birth to four daughters. Of them, Zaynab was the eldest, followed by Ruqayyah, Fāțimah and Umm Kulthūm, (Jawāmi' al-Sīrah, pp. 38-39). Țabarī, Ibn Sa'd, Abū Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Habīb, author of Kitāb al-Muḥabbar, and Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, author of Kitāb al-Istī'āb, state on the authority of authentic sources that before marrying the Prophet (peace be on him), Khadījah had two husbands. Of them, one was Abü Hālah al-Tamīmi, whose offspring was Hind ibn Abī Hālah. Her other husband was 'Atiq ibn 'Ã'idh al-Makhzūmī, whose daughter was also called Hind. After the death of her husband, Khadījah married the Prophet (peace be on him).

The unanimous view of all the genealogists of the time is that Khadījah gave birth to the Prophet's four daughters, whose names have been given above (Țabarī, Ta'rīkh, Vol. 2, p. 411; Ibn Sa'd, Țabaqāt, Vol. 8, pp. 14–15; Ibn al-Habīb, Kitāb al-Muhabbar, pp. 78-79 and al-Isti'āb, Vol. 2, p. 718).

These reports re-echo the Qur'ānic assertion that the Prophet (peace be on him) had several daughters rather than just one.

111. The simple and modest dress of those women will help them to be recognized as decent and chaste women, rather than as dissolute playgirls with regard to whom sexually corrupt men will entertain the expectation of a positive response to their amorous overtones. Furthermore, reference is made to the fact that their demeanor will prevent them from being molested.

Let us reflect a little on the spirit of this injunction. The way it has been expressed speaks volumes for the purpose of the injunction and represents the spirit of Islamic social law. We have already taken note of the Qur’anic command enshrined in Surah al-Nur, 24:31 that believing women should not reveal their adornments except to certain categories of people enumerated in the verse. They are also asked not to stamp their feet on the ground in such a way that their hidden ornaments are revealed. Were we to consider the above injunction in conjunction with the present verse, it becomes evident that the Qur’anic directive is aimed at ensuring that women conceal their charms from men not related to them. Evidently this objective can be realized only when women cover themselves by plain, simple over-garments. For, were they to use any attractive and colorful outer covering, it would undermine the very purpose of the injunction. Furthermore, the Qur’anic command is not confined simply to using an outer covering; rather, it directs women to let down a part of their outer coverings.

The intent of the command is unmistakable: women should keep their faces covered in addition to covering the adornments of their bodies and garments. Moreover, God indicates the rationale underlying this command: that believing women ‘should stand out for their chastity and moral rectitude and thus be spared molestation. Needless to add, this directive is addressed to those women who are subjected to the molestation and amorous overtures of corrupt men, and who are outraged if they are taken as women of dissolute character. Their preference is to live as chaste housewives. Addressing such decent and respectable women, God instructs them that they should not go out attractively dressed, displaying charms that are relished by lustful men. The best way for them is to go out after fully covering themselves by their over garments, and this includes their faces. They should also walk modestly and quietly so that even the tinkling of their ornaments should not draw men’s attention to them. This purpose will be defeated, however, if women dress coquettishly, exposing their charms to men and attracting their lusty gaze. The purpose can be realized though if they cover themselves with a plain, simple outer garment and if they cover their faces with its edge and not let there be any tinkling of ornaments that would attract people. However, there are women who dress up most attractively and put on full make up before they Step out of their threshold. What can be the purpose of all this except to expose their ravishing charms to men, and to invite their attention towards themselves.

One is free to have one’s viewpoint on any issue, and this may or may not be in harmony with the Qur’anic teaching on that issue. In like manner, one has a choice in accepting or rejecting the Qur’an as a code of conduct. However, unless one is bent upon mutilating the message of the Qur’an by deliberately misinterpreting its intent, every forthright person will plainly recognize that what has been said above represents the teaching of the Qur’an. Anyone who acts contrary to this should either concede that his action is contrary to the Qur’anic teaching or that he regards the Qur’anic guidance as flawed.

112. God will forgive the misdeeds of the pre-Islamic period providing people reform their attitude after the communication of His Guidance to them in very clear terms and providing they refrain from willfully flouting His directives.

113. The word “sickness” in the verse refers to the two serious flaws of those who suffer from such sickness. One, they claim to be Muslims but nurse ill-will towards Islam and Muslims. Two, they suffer from militant, licentiousness and a criminal mindset.

114. This refers to those who, from time to time, circulated vile rumors in Madinah in order to create a scare among the Muslims as well as to demoralize them. They also spread reports to the effect that the Muslims had suffered a disgraceful defeat at one place or another, or that a huge army was on its way to crush the Muslims, or that Madinah was about to be invaded. Furthermore, they circulated scandalous stories; about the-Prophet’s family and other Muslims with a view to poisoning the public mind and weakening the Muslims’ moral influence.

115. It is an abiding principle of God’s Law that those who seek to corrupt people are not given the chance to flourish in an Islamic state and society. As the state adheres to the Islamic code of life, it pre-warns all wicked elements to mend their ways. If they fail thereafter in giving up their corrupt ways, they are treated with great severity.

116. Unbelievers and hypocrites often asked the Prophet (peace be on him) when the Day of Reckoning will come to pass. The purpose of their query was not to find out the truth of the matter. Rather, they raised the question as a part of their campaign to ridicule and mock the Prophet (peace be on him). They did not believe in the Hereafter and looked at its whole concept as nothing else than an empty threat. They did not ask about the time of the Hour of Reckoning because they sincerely wanted to mend their behavior out of fear of that awesome Day. Far from it, instead, they wanted to tell the Prophet (peace be on him) that even though they had fiercely opposed him, they had still not been struck by God’s scourge. Hence they mockingly asked the Prophet (peace be on him) to tell them when the Resurrection would take place and when they would be taken to task.

117. For other instances in point see al-A ‘raf 7:187, al-Nazi‘at 79:42-46; Saba’ 34:3-5, al-Mulk 67:24-27; al-Mutaffifin 83:10-17; al-Hijr 15:2-3; al- Furqan 25:27-29 and Ha’ Mim al-Sajdah 41:46-49.

118. We should bear in mind that the Qur’anic expression “O believers” denotes at places those who truly believe while at other places it denotes the community of Muslims as a whole. In the latter instance, the word “believers” comprehends both true believers and hypocrites.

Moreover, the Qur’an occasionally addresses the hypocrites directly.

When hypocrites and people of infirm faith are addressed as “believers”, the purpose is to put them to shame for their misdeeds despite their claim to have faith. One can easily ascertain from the context what kind of people are meant when the expression “O you believers” is used. In the verse under study, it is the Muslims as a whole who are addressed.

119. Muslims are asked not to behave like Jews. They should not act towards the Prophet (peace be on him) in the manner the Jews did vis-a-vis the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). Although the Jews look upon the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) as their great benefactor, their actual conduct towards him is recorded in the following Biblical passages: Exodus 5:20-21, 14:11-12, 16:2-3 and 17:3-5; and Numbers 111-15 aa ikt0.

The Qur’an draws attention to the Jews’ ingratitude towards the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) and warns the Muslims not to do the same in relation to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). They are warned that if they do so, they will face the same end that befell the Jews.

On several occasions the Prophet (peace be on him) drew attention to this.

For example, he once distributed the booty among Muslims. When they left the scene, someone said: “Today Muhammad (peace be on him) did not fear God or the Hereafter in his distribution of booty”. This was overheard by ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud who reported it to the Prophet (peace be on him). In reply, however, he said to him: “May God's mercy be upon Moses.

He was subjected to even greater suffering (adha) and yet he remained patient”. (Tirmidhi, Bab Fad] Azwaj al-Nabi; Abu Da’ud, Kitab al-Adab and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud.)

120. Concluding the discussion on this question, God draws man’s attention to his true position in this world. If he behaves irresponsibly, treating life in the world as though it were a mere play and sport, and follows a wrong path, he will court destruction. The word “trust” used.

here denotes man’s vicegerency, with which he was invested on earth.

What the Qur’an calls “trust” is referred to in al-Baqarah 2:30 as khilafah (vicegerency), which has been conferred upon man. God has granted man the freedom to obey or to defy Him. He has also granted man the power and authority which he exercises in harnessing to use God’s numerous creatures in exercise of the freedom so granted him. The inevitable and logical consequence of this is that man will be held responsible for his actions and will be recompensed for both his good and evil deeds. Man _ does not enjoy power and authority of his own. Rather, God has conferred it on him. Accordingly, he is accountable to God for his exercise of that "power and authority. In view of these considerations, the Qur’an employs the expression “trust” and “vicegerency” for describing man’s position in the world’s scheme of things.

The idea that the task of vicegerency is crushingly heavy is conveyed through the description of the heavens and earth which, notwithstanding their massiveness, shrank from accepting it. It was man who shouldered this burdensome task in spite of his infirmities and weaknesses. That the heavens and the earth declined to shoulder this responsibility may ‘be meant literally or be a metaphorical representation of the truth. We can neither accurately know or comprehend the true state of God’s relationship with His creatures. For us, the earth, the sun, the moon and.

the mountains appear to be deaf and dumb. That may, however, not be the case in their relationship with God. It is, therefore, likely that when God asked them to bear this great responsibility, they trembled with fear and expressed their inability to do so. They may even have petitioned God that they would prefer to remain His subservient creatures, unencumbered with free will and choice. Alternatively, they may have declined the offer of free will fearing that they might not be able to acquit themselves of the responsibilities flowing from it. Likewise, another possibility is that before the present phase of existence, God had granted a particular form to the entire human species and they expressed their willingness to undertake this responsibility. There is no valid reason to rule this out as a possibility. Only he who suffers from illusions about his intellectual caliber might dismiss this out of hand. Equally tenable is the view that the whole description is allegorical and is simply aimed at emphasizing the extraordinary nature of the situation. God Himself describes the scene as though the massive earth, the heavens and the mountains stood on one side and man, of five or six feet, on the other. God asked all those present as to who would take up the role of His vicegerent. He made it clear that the creature taking up this role would be free to affirm God’s supremacy and obey His command out of choice or he may refuse to do so, rising in revolt against Him. After having granted this authority, God would retire from the scene as if He were no longer there. Vast power and immense potential would be conferred upon man, along with the ability for him who took up the role to lord it over other creatures. However, at an appointed hour, this creature would be taken to task. Those who had misused the freedom granted by God would be subjected to a punishment that had not been inflicted upon anyone before. Conversely, those who faithfully obeyed God and refrained from disobeying Him, although they could have done so, will be granted unprecedented reward. All were then asked: who of you is ready to shoulder this task? This offer left all awe-struck, with one creature after another expressing their inability to shoulder this responsibility. After others had declined the offer, man expressed his readiness to accept it. He accepted this offer in the hope of attaining the highest position in God’s dominion. He was willing to face all the risks to which he was exposed in the hope of winning great rewards.

The whole scenario brings to mind the onerousness of man’s responsibility. It is a great pity that man does not realize the greatness of his role. God, therefore, brands man as “ignorant” and “wrong-doing”. He is “ignorant” in so far as he is not cognizant of the immense responsibility he is carrying. He is also “wrong-doing” in so far as he is inviting destruction upon himself and numerous other creatures by his misdeeds.