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Welcome
Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Yusuf
Ali’s explanation of this Chapter.
Muhammad
Asad’s explanation of this Chapter.
Their commentaries can be read in ‘verse by verse’
view.
سورة المُمْتَحَنَة
‘The
Tested’
From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:
“Here the point is: what social relations are possible with the
Unbelievers? A distinction is made between those who persecute you for your
Faith and want to destroy you and your Faith, and those who have shown no such
rancour. For the later there is hope of
mercy and forgiveness. The question of women and cross-marriage is equitably
dealt with.”
From Introduction of
Muhammad Asad:
“THE KEY-WORD by which this
surah has been known from earliest times is based on the injunction
"examine them" in verse 10. Revealed some months after the conclusion
of the - 1094 -Truce of Hudaybiyyah-that is, not earlier than the year 7 H. and
probably as late as the beginning of 8 H. - Al-Mumtahanah is in its entirety
devoted to the problem of the believers' relations with unbelievers. Although,
as was quite natural, most of the Prophet's Companions visualized these
problems under the aspect of the historical events of which they were
witnesses, the import of the injunctions laid down in this surah cannot be
restricted to that particular historical situation but has, as always in the
Qur'an, a definite bearing on how believers of all times should behave.”
COMMENTS:
Indeed, this important
chapter draws for the ‘Believers’ the parameters of how to deal with those who
have no faith in God:
They should be dealt with in
a straight-forward, equitable and even-handed manner, even to the possibility
of feeling love and devotion for them… PROVIDED -PROVIDED –PROVIDED that they
have NEVER fought against Believers to change their standard of Accountability/
Deen, and provided that they have never attempted to displace them from their
homes. These are the 2 conditions which,
when lacking, make anyone into enemies who should be treated as such. Could anyone disagree with the logic and
justice of that?
‘Those who had Attained
Faith’ are addressed directly in Verses 1, 10, 13. For us listeners, whenever we hear such a
call, we take heed, since such a call is always followed by instruction on what
to follow or to avoid. In these verses,
the warning to the Faithful is NOT to take people who have openly announced
their enmity as ‘protectors/intimates,’ NOR TO GIVE SUCH PERSONS ANY ROLE IN
THE LIVES OF FAITHFUL WOMEN (even if they were their own family members), NOR
to continue their own cohabitation with unfaithful women (even if they were their
own family members).
This theme of choosing one’s
intimates appears in many verses in the Qur’an, (put ‘protector’ in ‘Search’), mainly due to the fact
that, after an ideological change- which is almost always linked to economical
losses, being a family-member or previous ally does not mean that someone can
be trusted. Indeed, it was from such
ranks that the Faithful got their most brutal enemies!
What an important
concept:
Persons who have ‘despaired’
of the Hereafter should not be given any role in forming our present or future!
1. Verses 1-2 draw
the attention of Those Who have attained Faith to the need to re-assess their innermost sense of allegiance:
Whatever ‘love/ devotion/
mawadda’ may have been harbored to others who were ‘close’ prior to the
newfound Faith has to be re-evaluated:
Do such persons hold OUR benefit at heart, or only theirs? Are they likely now to harm us since we have
left their ‘faith,’ or not? New circumstances
dictate new resolutions; relationships have changed and alliances should be
reassessed, as well as family-ties. Yes,
in such dangerous times even family-ties may need to be broken! Here we find
them not fulfilling the condition we spoke about: When they fight us to get us to change our
standard of Accountability/ Deen, we have to separate ways, and treat them as
enemies.
Verse 2 informs us as to the
innermost desire of such persons; their innermost desire is that you commit ‘kufr/ Denial.’
Indeed, everyone should be
aware that God knows everything! The
first verse ended by stating that ‘…I am most-Knowing of
what you conceal and what you reveal, and any of you who so acts has indeed
strayed from the rightful course!’
2. Verse
3 tells us that NONE shall benefit us; neither the blood-relatives of which we
have sprung, nor the blood-relatives which spring out of us! At the time of Resurrection, God shall define
and distinguish amongst us all, and He is Seeing of what we are doing.
So, what is it that ‘defines and distinguishes’
us? Our deeds.
And what is it that benefits us? Yes: Our Deeds.
3. Both Verses 4 and 6 mention the ‘good
example/ uswatun hassanah/ أسوة حسنة’ .. of Prophet Abraham, peace upon
him, who plainly absolved himself of his people due to their idol-worship,
announcing to them that he and his followers have ‘refuted/ denied’ them, and warning
them that they shall show clear enmity and everlasting dislike for them until
they believed in God Alone. We hear
Abraham’s plea for his father, seeking God’s forgiveness for him, coupled with
a beautiful prayer of reliance on God.
We also hear the rest of the prayer in Verse 5, asking God ‘..do not make
of us (render us into) a Trial by Fire to Those who had Denied, and to forgive
us, You are The Invincible, The Wise’ (this is similar to the prayer of Prophet
Moses and his followers in HQ 10:85),
Dear
Reader:
Note that ‘People
of Faith’ can become a ‘Fitnah/ Trial by Fire’ to others, and that this is
something they should avoid. AVOID.
We should
not seek confrontation, as many who call themselves ‘Faithful’ are so foolishly
doing these days. We should fervently
avoid it! How? By deeds that deflate antagonism, as well as by prayer, seeking God’s help. Why?
Because ‘Fitnah’ is by definition a ferocious, uncontrollable inferno
that does not discriminate, and grows by the second as it feeds upon the good
and the bad, the innocent, and the guilty, the young and the old alike…. all
equal in its blaze…. forcing future generations to start again from lower than
ground-level, losing any benefit their forefathers may have incurred.
What a sad,
unnecessary waste.
If we
thought of Humanity as one entity which should be progressing, we’d realize how stupid such a ‘fitnah’
would be.
Have we ‘Muslims’
been inflating or deflating antagonism towards us?
You tell
me!
Note:
Regular
Readers may remember that in HQ 33:21 Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, is also
said to be the ‘good example.’
4. Verse
6 reasserts the need for us all to see Prophet Abraham’s M.O. as a good example
for any who yearn for God and the Final Day, assuring us that any who turns
away from this does to his own loss, for God is free of all needs.
Verses 7-9 may seem surprising to some, as they show
us the road to reparation between us and our ‘enemies,’ to the extent that even
future feelings of ‘devotion’ are possible.
As I mentioned earlier, we
should deal with them in a straight-forward, equitable and even-handed manner
PROVIDED -PROVIDED –PROVIDED that they have NEVER fought against us to change
our standard of Accountability/ Deen, and provided that they have never
attempted to displace us from our homes.
These are the 2 conditions without which people become obvious enemies
who can never be trusted.
Regular Readers may remember the conditions of the 10-year
Truce/ Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which stated that anyone (from Qureish) who wished to join Muhammad
and enter into an agreement with him could do so, while anyone who wished to
join Qureish and enter into an agreement with them could do so. We said at the time that this truce was in
fact an opportunity, a break (put ‘Opening/ Fat-H’ in ‘Search’).
Verses 10- 11 speak of one of the outcomes of this
truce: Giving married couples the chance to separate when they do not share the
same Accountability standards.
Compatibility in marriage is of utmost importance:
Believing women are NOT to remain married to Idolatrous
men, nor are Believing men to remain married to Idolatrous women. A union which ties down a Believer to an Idolater
is henceforth ‘unlawful.’
(Read ‘The
Marriage Union: Sanctity and Fulfillment’
to understand the importance of compatibility and tranquility/
‘sakeena’ in marriage, as well as the importance of the institution of marriage
itself to personal growth and to society’s advancement.)
Believing women who emigrate to the Believers, leaving
their idolatrous families behind, are to be quizzed for signs of sincerity,
after which they are welcomed into the Believing society. Their previous marriages (rendered unlawful
due to incompatibility in Accountability/ Deen) are henceforth dissolved, their
ex-husbands are reimbursed for whatever dower/ gifts they had given their wives,
and the now eligible women are free to wed Believing men, who must extend dowers to them.
Dowers are used to ‘consolidate’ or ‘dissolve’ the
marriage contract, and provide evidence of intent on the part of men.
5. Verse 12 is about a Believer’s pledge, in this case it
is addressed directly to the Prophet, telling him what the women’s bey’a/ pledge
should be when they join the Believers.
They should pledge to the Prophet that they:
· Shall
not associate anything with God.
· Shall
not steal.
· Shall
not fornicate.
· Shall
not kill their children.
· Shall
not bring forth any invented Falsehood, devised by any personal means.
· Shall
not disobey him in anything which is mutually acceptable ‘Ma’roof.’
Notes:
-The fifth pledge refers to any falsehood whatsoever, probably including paternity of their offspring (see here to understand how one’s tongue, arms and legs are witness to one’s true deeds).
-Note that in the final pledge, the Believers’ obeying the Prophet is conditional on the acceptability of his command, as Leader of the community (obeying him as Messenger is never conditional, because in that capacity he will be invoking Qur’an. Put ‘difference between Prophet Messenger’ in ‘Search’).
-The fifth pledge refers to any falsehood whatsoever, probably including paternity of their offspring (see here to understand how one’s tongue, arms and legs are witness to one’s true deeds).
-Note that in the final pledge, the Believers’ obeying the Prophet is conditional on the acceptability of his command, as Leader of the community (obeying him as Messenger is never conditional, because in that capacity he will be invoking Qur’an. Put ‘difference between Prophet Messenger’ in ‘Search’).
-The
verse ending commands the Prophet to ask God to forgive them, and that indeed
God is Most Forgiving, Unceasingly Compassionate.
-The
prophet did conduct several pledges other than this, where both men and women
were present. The conditions were quite
similar.
6. The final verse in this Chapter takes
us back to its main theme, calling on Those who Had Attained Faith for the
third time, telling them/ us not to take as ‘intimates/ protectors’ people who
have incurred God’s severity, and are in despair of the Hereafter, likening
their despair to to that of the Deniers feelings towards people who are dead
and buried ‘companions of the graves.’
Since
the Deniers do not believe in the Afterlife, once someone is dead, that is the
end for him and for them.
And so ends this important
chapter which draws the parameters of how to deal with those who have no faith
in God, making sure they have no say in our own future!
Peace unto all!
