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Day 265; Qur’an 58:
1-22, pages 542-545
Welcome
Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Today,
by the Grace of God, we begin part 28/30 of the Qur’an. May God ease our way and help us do our best in
service of His words. Amen.
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 المجادِلة/
المجادَلة
‘She
who Argued / The Debating’
From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:
“Its subject
matter is the acceptance of a woman's Plea on behalf of herself and her
children…, and a condemnation of all secret counsels and intrigues in the
Muslim brotherhood.
The date is..,
between A.H. 5 and A.H. 7.”
From Introduction of Muhammad Asad:
“BEGINNING
with an allusion to the wrongs done to woman in pre-Islamic times, followed by
a divine reductio ad absurdum - and thus, a prohibition - of the pagan method
of divorce known as zihar…, the surah proceeds to questions of faith and its
absence as well as their repercussions on man's social life, to the problem of
hypocrisy, and ends with a discussion of the attitude which believers should
adopt towards non-believers.”
COMMENTS:
This is one of those
chapters which remind us of the difference between us and the earliest
Believers:
For us, the novelty and
impact of the 1,400 year old ‘Revelation’ is dictated by personal perception
and interaction, whereas for them:
‘Revelation’ was always new,
and it intervened to change their reality!
The title of this chapter can
be read with the diacritic mark above or beneath the ‘d’ sound, which changes
the noun from referring to the woman who was debating/ arguing with the
Prophet, to the debate/ argument itself (mentioned below).
The root verb ‘jadala[i]’
appears in 27
verses of the Qur’an, and is related to the Cognizant Human’s
dialectic nature, and our tendency to analyze and seek logical reference for
everything (discussed when we read HQ 18:54.
Put ‘dialectic’ in ‘Search’).
‘Jadal’ is therefore innate
in us, differentiating us from other creatures.
It becomes a negative connotation however, when we ‘argue/ dispute/
question’ the Truth or God’s Sign, after
it has been made evident to us, without providing authoritative evidence to
back our contentions.
1. Verses 1- 4 discuss and remedy an issue known among
the Arabs (before the advent of Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him) as ‘thihaar,’
whereby a husband would place the wife (he no longer desires) in limbo by
announcing that she is, from now on, to him as forbidden as his own mother. This means that she will be neither divorced nor
married, and must stay in his household (some commentators have said that this was
the way people ‘divorced’ at the time, without women having any option to remarry).
The words themselves are
shown to be false and mutually objectionable (munkar), and the practice is made
both offensive and costly, necessitating the perpetrator to suffer either two
months consecutive fasting before he can touch his wife again, or the freeing
of a yoke.
Notice, dear Reader that, right at the very first words,
we are reminded of what we’d learnt in our last Reading:
God is WITH us wherever we may be! Here Prophet Muhammad is told (as are we) that
God had indeed heard the communication of the woman who was arguing with him
about her husband and complaining unto
God (‘ila’ indicates her seeking
God’s help). The verse asserts that God
hears ‘your (bilateral) taHaawur/ conversation,’ which seems to indicate that
their exchange was not overheard by anyone else.
Aside:
Please note dear Reader that the word ‘taHaawur’ is of
the same root as ‘Hoor,’ see cross-reference of this root-verb in Qur’an. Isn’t it therefore possible that ‘Hoor’ is
about someone communicative and ‘conversant?’
2. Verses
5-6 warn Those who ‘contend with/ strive’ against God and His Messenger,
assuring them that after He had sent down evident Signs (which they obviously
ignored), He shall subdue[ii]
them just as He subdued those before them, and for the Deniers there shall be
painful suffering. At the time when they shall all be resurrected, He shall
inform them of what they had done; He had evaluated/reckoned
their every deed, while they had forgotten it, and God is of everything
Witness (see difference between ‘aHSaa and ‘adda’[iii]).
It is interesting to note that out of the 4 times the
word ‘Haadda/ contend’ is mentioned in the Qur’an, three are in this
Chapter!
3.
Then comes Verse 7, where the Messenger/ the listener is assured that God
-who knows all that is in the Exalted Expanses and on Earth- is PRESENT as one of them when people are holding
secret counsel/ najwa! He is the fourth
present when they are three, and the fifth when they are four… and that no
matter how many or few they might be, He is WITH them and shall INFORM THEM AT
THE TIME OF RESURRECTION regarding what they were doing, for He is fully
Knowing of everything! This verse
reminds us of HQ 57:4 which stated that God is WITH you (plural) wherever you
may be {....وهو معكم أين ما كنتم....}... This
verse, dear Reader, should stop us before we say anything unworthy of being
heard!
4. Verse 8 continues on the topic of ‘secret counsel/ najwa,’ telling us
that this is something which they were forbidden to do (we had mentioned
earlier that ‘secret counsel’ was what the Hypocrites were conducting, so these
verses are addressed to them). Then God,
their Witness, tells us what their conversations were aiming at:
·
Hindering
(themselves/ others from what is right).
·
Aggression.
·
Disobeying
the Messenger.
We are also shown the disrespect with which they
greeted the Messenger, and what they were saying to themselves as they did
so. Here, God promises them that they
shall suffer for what they say, ending up in the Pit, having made it their
destination.
Words can be as harmful as deeds (put ‘wholesome word’
in ‘Search’)!
Then, Verse 9 calls upon Those who had Attained Faith,
telling them/us that when we do hold secret counsel, we should not be
self-defeating or hostile… we should not speak of Hindrance or Aggression, but
rather of being ‘genuinely forthcoming/foremost in Goodness’ (Bir) and of
Awareness (Taqwa). The verse also commands
us to be Aware of God to Whom we shall be gathered.
Note:
Regular Readers will remember that ‘Bir’ and ‘Ithm’
are opposites, just as are ‘Taqwa’ and ‘Udwaan.’ Isn’t it amazing that so few of us realize
that? The best way to counter our own
hindrance is to be forthcoming, and to counter our aggressiveness is to be
aware. It is a situation where one
negates the other:
We cannot be Aware and Aggressive at the same time. Aggressive persons have no awareness. People of Faith do not hinder
themselves/others from goodness. People
of Faith are not aggressive.
New Readers: Please put any of these words in
‘Search.’
Verse 10 shows us the SOURCE of self-defeating or
hostile ‘najwa.’ It is from the Deviant/
Satan with the purpose of saddening Those who attained Faith, but it cannot
harm them unless God ‘permits/ lets it be known/ lets it take its course.’
Note:
‘Ithn’ is commonly understood and translated as ‘to
permit,’ but it is more than that; it has to do with ‘publicizing’ something
and letting it run its course.. which leads us to assume that their covert
exchanges seem to be about spreading false rumors in order to discourage people
from the faith. It is no wonder then,
that at the end of this section they are branded as ‘Liars.’
The verse ends by stressing upon the Faithful that
they should rely on God (remember that ‘Eman/ Imaan/Faith’ includes full TRUST;
see 7 instances
in Qur’an).
5. Verse
11 continues the lessons we learnt on manners and public etiquette in previous
chapters, hinting at the fact that people’s faith and knowledge do, in fact, lift
them to higher standards of behavior. When
individuals in a congregation make room for others to join, and then disperse
when asked to, they show exemplary behavior. The
verse ends by saying that God is, in all that
‘you’ are doing, ‘Khabeer’ (All-Knowing and fully acquainted with the
subtleties).
6. Verse
12 continues the lessons on etiquette, this time on how The Faithful should conduct
private counsel with the Messenger. The fact that Muhammad, peace upon him, is
mentioned here in his capacity as Messenger probably means that these private
consultations are related to the Qur’anic instruction people might be seeking
from him, to help them in their lives and advance their faith. Here we learn that before they approach such counsel, they should advance a ‘Sadaqa,’
an genuinely-given gift extended to
those less fortunate, which would serve as a powerful Spiritual-Purifier. God would be Forgiving and Unceasingly
Compassionate if they sought and failed to find such a gift (this shows us the
importance of ‘Sadaqa,’ especially for people who can afford it!). Remember that in HQ 9:103 the Messenger himself
was told to: “Take, of their wealth, a
‘genuinely-given gift’ by which you would purify them and help them grow…” see below [iv].
Verse 13 asks listeners a direct
question in the first person plural ‘you,’ urging them again to gift the poor,
and guiding them after that, telling them that, in case of having failed to
give, and after having been forgiven by God, they should establish ‘Salaat/
prayer/ relationship, extend ‘zakaat/ purifying dues (which, by definition,
would keep on growing. Put ‘zakaat’ in ‘Search’). Also, to obey God and the Messenger, for God
is ‘Khabeer’ in all that they are doing (similar to ending of verse 11, but
with reversal of ‘you are doing’ and ‘Khabeer’).
7. Verses
14-17 draw the Messenger’s / listener’s attention to a group of people who have
taken, as their protectors and intimates, a community that has earned God’s
severity, and who are neither part of that community nor part of the Faithful
(in another verse -HQ
4: 142- 146- we were told that they are Hypocrites who ‘waver
between the two’). Here we
learn that they knowingly swear false statements (rumormongering, it seems),
that they obstruct people from the path of God, that neither their wealth nor
their offspring shall avail them, that severe suffering is prepared for them,
and that they are the companions of the Fire destined to be ‘stuck fast/ khaalid’
therein.
Verses 18- 19 take listeners to the Hereafter, to the
time when such persons shall be resurrected, and shall again swear falsely… it
is they who are THE Liars (the label now clothes them, for they have earned
it!).
Remember, dear Reader, that God does NOT guide those
who are denying liars (HQ 39:3), but rather, takes them by their lying, wrongdoing
forelock (HQ 96:16)!
Then we are told how they had become so
misguided:
The Deviant/ Satan took swift, subtle hold of them
(Hawatha- حوذ),
making them FORGET THE REMEMBRANCE OF GOD, it is they indeed who are the ‘Party
of the Deviant/ Hizb-al-ShayTaan,’ indeed the party of the Deviant are THE
Losers (put ‘Hizb’ in ‘Search’)!
Notice the importance of remembering God, dear Reader. See all 10
instances of ‘thikrul-Lah’ in Qur’an, and note that it is the ‘Deviant/
Satan’ that attempts to make us FORGET God, sometimes using his strongest
weapon against us: Addiction. Also see
how our own preoccupation with buying and selling, and how our attachment to
our material possessions AND our children… how all of these can become
DIVERSIONS from the remembrance of God.
Then Verses 20- 21 give listeners two WARNING statements
of fact, saying that:
·
Any people who contend against God and His Messenger shall
be in the ranks of THE Most Humiliated.
· And
God has compiled/ ‘kataba’:
‘I shall of a
certainty overcome, I and my Messengers.
Indeed God is Powerful,
Invincible.'
8. Here we note again that, out of
the 4 times the word ‘Haadda/ contend’ is mentioned in the Qur’an, three are in this
Chapter (Verses 5, 20, 22).
It therefore comes as no surprise that the final verse in this chapter, Verse
22, wraps up with this important issue:
Here the verse tells the Messenger/ the listener that
he would not find people who believe in God and the Last Day ‘condescending to/
showing affection or love to’ Those who Contend with God and His Messenger,
even if they were their parents, children, or peers. Also, that ‘in the hearts/ minds of such
Believers, God has compiled Faith/ Trust, and strengthened them with a Spirit
from Himself, and that He shall admit them into Gardens beneath which rivers
flow, comfortable therein….and finally that God is well-pleased with them, AND
THEY WITH HIM; These are the ‘Party of God,’ indeed it is the ‘Party of God’
which is successful (Ali/Asad calls it the ‘Partisans/ Fellowship’ of God).
It is unfortunate and misleading when political
parties wear Qur’anic names! All
Believers hope to be considered in God’s ‘Hizb’… Hizb-Allah, but the fact remains
that this description has gained notoriety due to its misuse by certain
political parties.
‘The Party Of God/ ‘Hizb-Allah’ is mentioned twice in the Qur’an, here and in HQ 5:56.
Dear Reader,
The uplifting concept of ‘God being well-pleased with
certain people, and they with him’ is
mentioned 4 times in the Qur’an … and as we
see, these people are:
· The Truthful (HQ 5:119).
· The Forerunners among the Emigrants and Helpers and
Those who followed in their footsteps (HQ 9: 100).
· Those who do not condescend/ show affection to Those
who Contend with God and His Messenger (HQ 58:22).
· Those who have attained Faith and performed good deeds
(HQ 98:7-8).
May we be among them... say ‘Amen!’
Peace unto all!
جدل: هو من باب استحكام الشيء
في استرسالٍ يكون فيه، وامتدادِ الخصومة ومراجعةِ الكلام. وهو القياس الذي ذكرناه.
[i]
كبت: من الإذلال والصَّرفِ عن الشيء. يقال: كَبَتَ
اللهُ العدُوَّ يَكْبِتُه، إذا صَرَفَهُ وأذلَّهُ.[ii]
[iii] There is a distinct difference between ‘adda’ and
‘aHSaa’ in the Arabic language. While
the first means to count just the number of recurrences, the second means to
evaluate that entity with reference to its whole. The first is enumerating number, the second
is evaluating worth; BIG difference!
And He has given us
treading-stones, on the path to Him.
One of these
treading-stones is the remedial value of a genuine, heart-felt,
Charitable-gift, or sadaqa, as we see
in HQ 9:103. Readers who know Arabic would notice
its root-verb صدق, which denotes honesty and genuineness. I was amazed to find that it also
denotes strength! Nothing
is as powerful a Spiritual-Purifier, as Repentance followed by a
genuinely-given Charitable-gift extended to those less fortunate than
ourselves.
Actually, when the
wealthy support the needy from their side, then the needy, from their side, see
the wealth in other people’s hands as a personal blessing to them as well, this
impacts positively upon everyone, opening the channels of Purification(تطهرهم) and Growth(تزكيهم) ,
not only in the physical, mental, or spiritual sense… but also in the
socio-economic sense.
That is why the
Prophet is told:
“Take, of their
wealth, a ‘genuinely-given gift’ by which you purify them and help them grow,
and involve yourself with/ pray
for them; your involvement/prayer is comfort to them, and God is
All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
This verse is
informing Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, of the comforting effect which his
hands-on involvement and prayers would have upon the people, especially those
who are now repenting after have blended good deeds with bad!”
For complete meaning
of ‘sallaa’ see original
post.
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