TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR'AN (TAFHIM AL-QUR'AN) Vol 12

TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR’ A N

Towards Understanding the Qur’ a n

The Islamic Foundation

Towards Understanding the Qur’ a n, Vol. XII, S U RAHS 58–65, English version of Tafh i m al-Qur’ a n

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Translated and edited by Zafar

Ishaq Ansari

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Transliteration Table

Arabic Consonants

Initial, unexpressed medial and final:ت ب ا ء ’

a d d k

b dh t l

t r z m

th z ‘ n

j s gh h

h sh f w

kh s q y

Vowels, diphthongs, etc.

Short: a i u

Long: a i u

Diphthongs: aw ay

Editor’s Preface

The twelfth volume of Towards Understanding the Qur’ a n , comprising s u rahs 58-65 with their explanatory notes, is in your hands. To God are due both praise and thanks for enabling us to accomplish whatever we have been able to. From Him alone we seek succour to continue this work and Him alone we beseech to accept our effort as a contribution to a better understanding of His Book.

The present volume, as volumes III through XII, has been prepared with the able assistance of Dr. A.R. Kidwai. He translated into English Tafhim al-Qur’an’s explanatory notes to the surahs of which this volume is comprised. After a process of careful editing, that served as the basis out of which the explanatory notes of the present volume were given their final shape. While Dr. Kidwai’s assistance is gratefully acknowledged, the responsibility for the present text, especially of its inadequacies, rests solely with the present writer. As for the English rendering of the text of the surahs, that is entirely mine.

In this volume, as in the previous ones, we have attempted to provide as adequate documentation as we possibly could. In documenting the Hadith we have followed A.J. Wensinck’s system in his Concordance. However, instead of referring to the number of the Babs of traditions, as he did, we have mentioned the actual titles of the Kitabs and Babs of those traditions. It may also be pointed out that, while referring to explanatory notes from various Tafsir works, we have mentioned the relevant surahs and their verses rather than to the volumes and pages of those tafsirs. This was

done in view of the fact that, as in the case of Hadith works, there exist numerous editions of tafsirs, both old and new. Hence, had we referred to the page number of any specific edition of a tafsir, it would possibly have been extremely difficult for our readers to check the references, because it is not certain that they would have access to the same edition to which we referred. Hopefully our method of referencing will facilitate for our readers the location of the cited materials. As for the Bible, all quotations are from its Revised Standard Edition.

In finalising the text, I have greatly benefitted from the excellent editorial suggestions of Dr. Susanne Thackray which, I am sure, have appreciably enhanced its readability. Mr. Naiem Qaddoura of the Islamic Foundation, Leicester, did a fine job of setting the English and Arabic material. Likewise, Dr. M. Manazir Ahsan of the Foundation merits ample thanks. His occasional reminders did not permit me to remain indolent for long. Professor Khurshid Ahmad, my very dear and lifelong friend, remains, as ever, a pillar of strength and an abiding source of inspiration.

The assistance and encouragement I received from these friends does not detract from the fact that my colleagues at the International Islamic University, Islamabad, assisted me in a variety of ways. As regards the present volume, Mr. Muhammad Islam of Islamic Research Institute worked extremely hard in ways just too many to be described. He assiduously culled out the information that has gone into Glossary of Terms and Biographical Notes. He remained occupied for months in extensive research, careful editing, painstaking identification and checking of relevant material and references, and myriad other sundry tasks. To him I am immensely beholden. I am also deeply thankful to Mr. Amjad Mahmood who, as ever before, tirelessly typed the text, time after time. My Personal Secretary, Mr. Muhammad Saleem, has also been constantly available for whatever assistance I needed.

Over the years my sons and sons-in-law, my daughters and daughters-in-law, and the steadily growing army of my grandchildren have been the sunshine of my life. I have no words to thank God enough for this benevolent provision to keep me happy and cheerful in the twilight of my life.

Towards Understanding the Qur’ a n

To all those mentioned above, and to many others who assisted, encouraged and inspired me in one way or another, I record my profound sense of gratitude. May Allah bless them all.

Islamabad Zafar Ishaq Ansari*

* Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari passed away on 24th April 2016. May Allah shower his choicest blessings upon him for having completed this valuable translation project. Publisher

N.B.  refers to the continuation of the paragraph adopted by Mawd u d i in the Urdu translation.

Surah 58

Al-Mujadalah

(The Contention) (Madinan Period)

Title

The title is vocalised as both al-Mujadalah and al-Mujadilah which are derived from, al-Lati tujadiluka employed in the opening verse of the Surah. At the outset of the Surah, mention is made of the woman who pleaded with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the case of the zihar committed by her husband. She insistently petitioned the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to suggest a way out of it, which would protect her and her children from the miserable situation she found herself in. Allah refers to her insistence on this issue as mujadalah and, hence, the Surah came to be known by this very title. If it is read as al-Mujadalah it would mean “pleading and arguing”, and if it is read as al-Mujadilah it would mean “the woman who pleads and argues”.

Period of Revelation

There is no hadith that indicates when this incident of pleading and arguing took place, but there is a hint in the subject matter on

the basis of which it can be determined. This incident must have taken place sometime after the battle of the Trench in Shawwal 5 AH. In Surah 33, al-Ahzab, the Qur’an touches on the issue of an adopted son, saying: “God has not made your wives whom you divorce by zihar your mothers” (al-Ahzab 33:4). In this instance the Qur’an does not regard the zihar as a sin or offence nor does it prescribe any legal injunction regarding it. By contrast, the present Surah contains elaborate rulings about the zihar which must have come after the brief reference to it in Surah al-Ahzab.

Subject Matter and Topics

In this Surah instructions were given to the Muslims about the issues which confronted them at that time.

From the beginning of the Surah to verse 6, legal injunctions related to the zihar are given. Muslims are therefore strongly warned against clinging to pagan ways after their acceptance of Islam, or violating the limits set by God, or refusing to abide by them, or trying to make up their own rules and regulations that contradict what is ordained by God. For doing so would bring on them the punishment of disgrace and humiliation in this world and also severe reckoning in the Hereafter.

In verses 7-10, the hypocrites are taken to task for their secret conversations and consultations through which they conspired and plotted against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Due to their hidden malice and grudge, and like the Jews, they greeted him in such a way as to wish him ill instead of wishing him well. In this context, the Muslims were consoled as if to say: “The secret conversations of the hypocrites cannot harm you; therefore, you should go on doing your duty with full trust in God.” The Muslims were also taught this moral lesson: “When the true believers converse secretly, they do not converse about sin and transgression nor about disobeying the Messenger.”

In verses 11-13, the Muslims are taught certain manners of social behaviour and are instructed to eradicate certain social evils which were prevalent among them and are still prevalent today. If some people happen to be already sitting in an assembly, and more people arrive, they would not show the courtesy of making

ibn Dinar, al-Sha[bi, Tawus, Mujahid, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abu [Ubayd and Abu Thawr.

d. If, in the two-month period, the husband has sexual intercourse with his wife on whom he had pronounced the zihar, all the Imams are of the opinion that he has to begin fasting afresh for the Qur’anic command stipulates fasting two successive months before he could touch his wife.

20. According to the Qur’an and Sunnah, the third type of expiation, i.e. feeding sixty poor people, may be done by the one who is unable to fast two consecutive months. The details of acting on this command as worked out by the jurists are as follows:

a. One’s inability to fast may be due to old age, illness or lack of self-control over having sexual intercourse for two consecutive months. The above three grounds are validated by the hadith concerning Aws ibn al-Samit al-Ansari and Salamah ibn Sakhr al-Bayadi. The jurists, however, differ among themselves regarding the nature of illness that constitutes a valid excuse. The Hanafis accept only those illnesses that are curable or those that may be aggravated by fasting. The Shafi[is, however, interpret this in the sense that if one fears for one’s health, were one not to refrain from fasting, then one’s excuse is tenable. The Malikis hold that if one thinks that one’s health is likely to improve, one may defer fasting. However, if one strongly feels that one will not get better, then one should feed the poor. The Hanbali stance is that the ground for fearing the worsening of one’s disease by fasting is tenable.

b. Food can be given only to the poor (masakin) whose maintenance is not the obligated responsibility of the man concerned with expiation.

c. The Hanafis stipulate that both Muslim and non-Muslim subjects of the Islamic state (dhimmis) can be fed but combatant unbelievers and those unbelievers enjoying an amnesty with the Muslims are not. The Malikis, Shafi[is and Hanbalis insist that only poor Muslims are fed.

d. The unanimous view is that the reference is to feed the poor two meals a day which fill the stomach. However, there is some disagreement on its forms. For the Hanafis, this is done by providing cooked meals twice a day or through

take any share unless the same is granted to our Muh ajir u n brethren” (Ya h y a ibn A dam). God speaks highly of such selflessness and sacrifice on the part of the An sa r.

19. The Qur’an asserts that they were saved. For, without God’s help and support, no one can attain contentment and peace of mind. Moreover, God grants this bounty out of His grace. In Arabic, shuhh is used for miserliness and stinginess. When the same expression is used in relation to the self, it connotes meanness and small mindedness which is something worse than miserliness and lies at the core of one’s miserly conduct. Far from recognizing someone’s due and paying it, a mean person does not even acknowledge any virtue in others. He is after amassing everything for himself he desires so that no one else gets anything. Not only does he refuse to give anything to others, it hurts him to see someone else give something to others. He swayed by greed so much that he usurps others’ due. He earnestly wants to grab everything good around him for himself and not leave anything for others. The Qur’an therefore asserts: “Whosoever are preserved from their greed, such are the ones that will prosper” (Surah al-Hashr, 59: 9). In other words, those who shun this evil are bound to prosper. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) condemns it as a wicked human trait which is the root cause of all discord and mischief. According to Jabir ibn [Abdullah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned: “Fear greed for it has destroyed those before you. It incited them to shed blood and declare lawful what is unlawful” (Muslim, Kitab al-Birr, 56; Musnad of Imam

Ahmad, 2, 160, 191 and 3, 323; and al-Bayhaqi and al-Bukhari, Kitab alAdab). [Abdullah ibn [Umar’s report carries these words: “It is greed which prompted them to do injustice and they did commit it; it incited them to indulge in evil and they committed it; it impelled them to sever their ties of kinship which they did” (Musnad Ahmad, 2, 160 and 191; Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Zakat, 46). Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Faith and meanness cannot co-exist in one heart” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Nasa’i, al-Bayhaqi and al-Hakim). Hadrat Abu Sa[id al-Khudri related that the Prophet said: “There are two traits

And whosoever are preserved from their own greed, such are the ones that will prosper.19

(10) (And it also belongs to) those who came after them,20 and who pray: “Lord, forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in faith, and do not put in our hearts any rancour towards those who believe.

which cannot co-exist in the Muslim: miserliness and ill-manners” (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and al-Bukhari). It is on account of such Islamic teachings that, as a community, leaving aside individuals, the Muslim community is the most generous and large-hearted community in the world. Members of other communities, notorious for their meanness and miserliness, live in the midst of Muslims and millions of Muslims live together with non-Muslims of the same ethnic origin. However, the two stand apart in terms of their generosity and their Islamic moral code accounts for their large-heartedness.

20. These Qur’anic commands prescribed that God, His Messenger, the Prophet’s relatives, the orphans, the poor, the wayfarers, the Muhajirun, the Ansar and the future generations of Muslims have a share in fay’ In view of this significant Qur’anic law, the Caliph [Umar made new arrangements for the lands and properties of the conquered territories of Iraq, Syria and Egypt while taking into account the existing properties of former rulers. As these territories fell to the Muslims, some leading Companions, including al-Zubayr, Bilal, [Abd al-Rahman ibn [Awf, and Salman al-Farisi, insisted that these lands should be distributed among the warriors of the Muslim army. They believed that these properties were not covered by the verse: “Whatever God has taken away from them and bestowed as spoils on His Messenger for which you spurred neither horses nor camels” (Surah al-Hashr 59: 6). They believed that the Muslims have conquered these lands by using their horses and camels and, therefore, should be designated as spoils of war, except for towns and territories that pledged obedience without any resistance. Accordingly, onefifth of their lands should form part of the public treasury while the remaining four-fifths should be distributed among the army. However, their stance was rejected on the ground that, during the Prophet’s era, the lands and properties of conquered territories were not treated by

Surah 60 Al-Mumtahinah

(The Examining [Surah])

(Madinan Period)

Title

Verse 10 of this Surah enjoins that those women who migrate to dar al-Islam (the Abode of Islam) and claim to be Muslims should be examined. Hence, this Surah is named al-Mumtahinah (The Examiner). This expression may be pronounced al-Mumtahanah as well as al-Mumtahinah. The former means the woman who is examined while the latter stands for the Surah which examines.

Period of Revelation

This Surah deals with two issues whose time of occurrence are known historically. The first issue relates to Hatib ibn Abi Balta[ah who had secretly informed the Quraysh chiefs of the Prophet’s preparations to launch an attack on Makkah, a short while before the conquest of Makkah. The second one is regarding the Muslim women who started migrating from Makkah to Madinah after the Hudaybiyah peace treaty. Their arrival gave rise to the question of whether these women, like it was agreed about men, are to be

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

(1) Believers1, if you have left (your homes and) have come forth to struggle in My Way and to seek My good pleasure, do not make friends with My enemies and your enemies. 

ب

1. It will be appropriate at the outset to mention the details of the incident regarding which these verses were revealed because this helps in understanding these verses better. The commentators of the Qur’an agree, in addition to the unanimous opinion of Ibn [Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, [Urwah ibn al-Zubayr and others, that these verses were revealed when the letter of Hatib ibn Abi Balta[ah addressed to the pagans of Makkah was intercepted. This letter contained information about the Prophet’s preparation to launch an attack on Makkah. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not tell anyone about his plan about the expedition except for a few close Companions. Coincidently, a woman (a former slave-girl of the Banu [Abd al-Muttalib) came at that time from Makkah to Madinah. After being freed, she worked as a singer and dancer. She told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about her poor financial condition and sought some help and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Banu [Abd al-Muttalib to help her. When she was about to return to Makkah, Hatib ibn Abi Balta[ah met her and quietly gave her a letter addressed to some chiefs of Makkah and paid her ten dinars to make sure that she does not disclose this secret mission and deliver his letter confidentially to them. Just when she left Madinah, Allah informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of this. Immediately, he deputed [Ali, al-Zubayr and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad to catch up with her swiftly and intercept her at Rawdat al-Khakh, 12 miles from Madinah on the way to Makkah. He told them that she was carrying Hatib’s letter to the polytheistic chiefs and that they were to secure that letter by any means. He instructed them to let her go if she

Title

Surah 65 Al-Talaq (Divorce) (Madi

nan Period)

Al-Talaq (divorce) is not only the name of this Surah but also the title of its subject matter. It deals at length with the legal rulings related to divorce (Talaq). [Abdullah ibn Mas[ud has described it as a shorter version of Surah al-Nisa’ .

Period of Revelation: [Abdullah ibn Mas[ud narrates, and the internal evidence of the subject matter of this Surah confirms, that it must have been revealed after the verses of Surah al-Baqarah which stipulated for the first time the legal rulings related to divorce. Although it is difficult to ascertain precisely the exact date of its revelation, it appears nonetheless from some reports that, as people misconstrued the legal rulings contained in Surah al-Baqarah and began to commit mistakes, God revealed this Surah in order to correct them.

Theme and Subject Matter

For a better appreciation of the content of this Surah, it will be useful to refresh one’s memory about the instructions which have

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

(1) O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them for their waitingperiod,1 

1. You should not make undue haste in the matter of pronouncing divorce: your minor family quarrels should not incline you to pronounce the final divorce in a fit of anger which leaves no chance for reconciliation. However, if you want to divorce your wives, you should divorce them for their prescribed waiting period. Pronouncing divorce for the waiting-period has two meanings and both are implied here: This is the command which has already been prescribed in S u rah al-Baqarah verse 228 above. The waiting period of the married woman who menstruates is three menstrual cycles after the pronouncement of divorce. If this commandment is kept in view, the only appropriate time of pronouncing divorce, so that the waiting-period may duly begin, is when she is not in her menses. Furthermore, this command also requires that the woman should not be divorced in a state of purity during which her husband has had sexual intercourse with her. For a divorce pronounced in this scenario leaves both the husband and wife uncertain whether their sexual union has led to conception or not. Hence, the waiting period cannot start on the assumption that it will be reckoned with reference to future menstrual cycles nor does it cover the waiting period of a pregnant woman. Thus, the above Qur’ a nic command lays down two rulings simultaneously:

1. Divorce should not be pronounced during the menstrual cycle.

2. Divorce may be pronounced either in the period of purity during which the couple did not have sexual intercourse, i.e. in a state whereby the woman does not know she is pregnant.

A further consideration of the matter will show that the restrictions imposed on the pronouncement of divorce are for good reasons. The objective behind forbidding divorce during a menstrual cycle is that

during this period it is prohibited for the husband and the wife to engage in sexual intercourse. Moreover, during the menstrual cycle, the wife is not temperamentally normal. If there is discord between the couple when the wife is in this state, both the husband and wife are helpless in averting the situation. And if the matter is deferred until the woman is free from her menses, there is the possibility that the woman may return to her normal temperamental state and the mutual attraction that nature has placed between them may also work and reunite them. Likewise, the reason for prohibiting the pronouncement of divorce is that they do not know if their sexual union has led to conception or not. Therefore, it is not a suitable time for pronouncing divorce. Once the husband learns that conception has taken place, he will think twice about divorcing the future mother of his child. Likewise, out of her concern for her baby and her own future, the wife may try her best to remove the cause of her husband’s anger. But if a decision is taken blindly, and then it is known that conception had taken place, both will have to regret it later. Also from a medical point of view, it is also confirmed that women are not tempermentally normal during their menses. Therefore, if a quarrel erupts between a husband and wife when she is in this state, both the husband and wife would be helpless to put an end to it.

The above account contains the first meaning of “divorcing women for the prescribed waiting period”. It is applicable only to those married women whose marriage is consummated and who menstruate and may possibly conceive. As for its second meaning, it is this: “If you have to divorce your wives, you should divorce them until the expiry of their waiting-period”. People are instructed not to pronounce a triple divorce at once which may result in permanent separation. One should pronounce a single or at most double divorce and wait until the end of the waiting period, leaving some chance for reconciliation at any time during this period. Taken in this sense, the above commandment applies to such menstruating women whose marriage has been consummated and also to the post-menopausal women or those who are yet to menstruate or who are found to be pregnant at the time of the pronouncement of divorce. If this Divine Command is followed, one will not be full of regret and remorse after pronouncing divorce. This is because the above mode of divorce has a provision for taking the wife back in wedlock. After the expiry of the waiting period, the separated couple have the option to remarry if they wish to do so.

The same meaning of “divorce them for their prescribed waiting period” has been given by the leading Qur’anic commentator Ibn [Abbas