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Welcome
Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Their commentaries can be read in ‘verse by verse’
view.
سورة الحشر
‘The
Convergence (of driven Multitudes)’
‘The Banishment/ Exile’ (Ali/ Asad).
From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:
“This
is the third of the series of ten short Madinah Surahs, dealing each with a
specific point in the life of Ummah... The special theme here is how
treachery to the Ummah on the part of its enemies recoils on the enemies
themselves, while it strengthen the bond between the different sections of the
Ummah itself, and this illustrated by the story of the expulsion of the Jewish
tribe of Banu Nadir in Rabi al Awal, 4 A.H.
This fixes the date of the Surah.”
From Introduction of Muhammad Asad:
“As always
in the Qur'an, these historical references serve to illustrate a spiritual
truth: in this case, the lesson that believers - even if they are inferior in
numbers, wealth and equipment -are bound to triumph over their opponents so
long as they remain truly conscious of God: for, as the opening and closing
verses of this surah declare, "He alone is almighty, truly wise".
COMMENTS:
I am among those who do NOT subscribe to what is traditionally perceived
(against all Qur’anic evidence) as the BACKGROUND for such verses, among which
are those relating to the Jewish tribes of Medina. Why?
Because of Qur’anic evidence I’ve observed so far, AND I am old enough
to have experienced -in my own lifetime- countless incidents between opposing
factions, and then seen the emergence –AND the acceptance - of grossly distorted reports which are
considered ‘valid,’ while I know otherwise! To me, Truth is what God has witnessed and
reported in the Qur’an… BUT it is up to us to EXPOSE that truth, based on
language and context. Everything after
the fact is arguable.
It is important to know that the most
authentic reports about the Prophet’s life and times are in the Qur’an
itself. That is why, since this project
is about understanding the Qur’an as revealed, you might find me trying
NOT to overwrite what it says[i].
1. The first verse in this chapter presents a statement
of fact:
‘Motivated/
Moving to God is everything in the Exalted Expanses and everything on Earth,
and
He is The Invincible, The Wise.’
You will remember that the
chapter before last, Chapter 57, also began with this beautiful statement (except
that it mentioned ‘ma’ /everything’ only once).
Regular Readers will
remember how we explained the concept of ‘tasbeeh,’ and said that it was
related to the constant motion and changes which characterize everything, and the
process of ‘becoming’ by which they fulfill their God-given characteristics
(see ‘tasbeeh’ mentioned in the Qur’an). Since everything ‘is in a state
of motion/ motivation to fulfill itself naturally, it is in a ‘tasbeeh[ii]’ mode
simply by existing. As for us cognizant humans….far more is expected of us than
mere ‘existence;’ We are higher beings with mental and psycho-spiritual
potential which seek fulfillment!
2. Verses
2-4 describe what had taken place in Medina, at a point in time called ‘awwal
al-Hashr,’ ‘the beginning of the
convergence of multitudes’ (I dispute the reports of most commentators who traditionally
explain THIS ‘Hashr’ as ‘Banishment of the Jewish tribe of Bani-NaDeer’ and of
others who say that it is when the Believers ‘first converged’ against that
tribe, in retaliation for its treason and its having broken the peace-pact). Think with me, dear Reader!
The verb ‘Hashara:’[iii]
Which we defined earlier, and said that it is about ‘converging, being stirred
or driven in multitudes’ (actually, the Arabic noun ‘Hasharah’ means ‘insect’
because that’s how insects converge, always in multitudes, literally ‘swarming!’).
Qur’anic
evidence seems to indicate that these verses are related to the ‘driven convergence/
Hashr’ of the ‘Confederates- al AHzaab’ upon Medina (see Chapter 33), in which
the multitudes besieged Medina in vain, and ended up departing WITH NO
BATTLE. This non-battle was named the ‘Battle of Al Ahzaab’
and also the ‘Battle of the Trench.’
Important Note;
The perceived historic ‘setting’ for these verses is
unproven and quite controversial. Ever
since Ibn Hisham (218 A.H./ 834 A.D) wrote his abridged version of the ‘Seerah/
Life of the Prophet,’ ‘Muslim’ and ‘Non-Muslim’ writers have been criticizing
his work and giving opposing
explanations to certain incidents of the Prophet’s life events, despite it being
considered the most ‘authoritative source.’ Firstly,
it is one person’s rewriting of another person’s compilation of narratives
of which that person had said: ‘Only God knows
which of these narratives are true[iv]’
(Ibn Ishaaq, in his introduction).
I do not wish to indulge anyone’s viewpoint. We are
all seeing history unfold every day, reading and listening to opposing accounts
of the same event, and many of us are now beginning to realize how easily truth
can be stomped down beneath the boots of self-interest. The version of ‘history’ to ultimately prevail
is that which is better documented for posterity, and is backed by supporting
evidence from supposedly unbiased corroborators. So, since I cannot say that the incidents
mentioned in ‘historical narratives’ related to the Prophet’s lifetime are true
and unbiased, any explanation of Qur’an based on them must remain just an
opinion, and nothing more. Indeed, it is
a tragedy that many Qur’anic truths have been bent to serve what is perceived
as ‘historic report,’ rather than the report
itself earning validity only when corroborated by the Qur’an.
This is why, when we seek general Truths about
the Prophet’s life, we should look to the Qur’an. God
is Sole Witness, and the Qur’an is sole authority on what really took place.
Now, our verses describe what had taken place in
Medina, at a point in time called ‘awwal al-Hashr’ or the beginning of the ‘driven
convergence of multitudes.’
Note that by saying that this took place as ‘the beginning’
of the Convergence,’ we understand that listeners already know what ‘the
convergence’ is about.
As
mentioned above, Qur’anic evidence seems to indicate that these verses are related
to the ‘driven convergence/ Hashr’ of the ‘Confederates- al AHzaab’ upon Medina
(see Chapter 33), and they provide us with further detail to complete THAT
narrative.
Q. How can we validate that?
A. Through QUR’ANIC
narrative and context, which speaks of a group from the ‘People
of the Compilation’ who were ‘backing’ the ‘Confederates’ -with identical wording of how they felt when
they were defeated (see HQ 33:26). This must
point to the same incident, for
nothing in the Qur’an is coincidental! Furthermore
during that battle, as the Qur’an says, the Believers ended up killing a group,
and capturing another. Here again, dear
Reader, our research brings us so much closer to what had actually happened,
and corrects biased ‘historical’ narratives.
Indeed, this corrects a HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL so-called
‘historic’ narrative, dear Reader, which you can check out in footnote.
Back to our verses:
Speaking to the Faithful, Verse 2 says that it is God
who took ‘Those who had Denied’ OF the People of the Compilation (not all) out
of their ‘communes/ diyaar’ [v])
at the first Convergence of the multitudes (at a time when) you did not presume
that they would come out….’
(Now, this group had not only allied itself with the Idolaters
of Qureish against the Messenger and
his companions, but had also committed a most terrible miscalculation!)
…
and they presumed that their fortresses would ‘defend’ them from God…..
This information shows us three things:
·
That they knew Muhammad was a true Messenger of God.
· That their arrogance would not allow them to admit
that and change their position (despite knowing that God was NOT on their side,
they went ahead anyway).
·
That God, to them, is flawed, and they have no
reverence for Him.
· That, all the while, God knew what went on in their
minds and was going to bring about a just end.
Then the verse continues, saying that ‘God came upon
them from whence they had not calculated/ reckoned, and cast terror into their
hearts/ minds (literally: sweeping, overwhelming fear[vi]);
they were demolishing their own houses by their own hands (powers) as well as
the ‘hands/ power’ of the Faithful, so learn (a lesson from this) O People of Observation
(أولي الأبصار-
see 3
times mentioned in Qur’an).
Dear Reader:
We would be amiss if we did not pause here to try and
understand this lesson.
By referring to similar verses in the Qur’an, we find
something important which might be learnt:
We note how, in HQ 3:13 the Deniers’ perception of
reality changes, and that in HQ 24:44 it is about the interchange of night and
day…. so…therein lies an important lesson which offers us an important warning
of the consequences of our actions:
When people to whom God has given ‘Light/
Enlightenment’ FAIL in upholding it, and thereby allow the Light to turn to Darkness:
· They become ‘Deniers’
(who have ‘denied/ covered/ concealed’).
· Because they do
not see the true strength of their Opposers, they envision their numbers
multiplied.
· Their lives and the lives of their children become unsustainable.
Result:
They destroy
everything by their own hands and the hands of others more worthy than they
(who have upheld the Light).
Does that strike a cord with you, dear Reader?
Do you see something similar in what is happening
around us today?
3. Verse 4 gives us the REASON behind
all that had happened to them:
It was the
severe consequence ‘iqaab’ of having cut
themselves off from God, and
contended with God and His Messenger.
Regular Readers may remember the GENERAL RULE
mentioned in HQ 30:10,
which tells us that, eventually, the consequence which fall upon Those who Injure
(others) is INJURY itself!
ثم كان عاقبة الذين أساءوا السوأى....
Verse 5 continues the narrative of self-destruction
regarding Those who contend with God (and injure others), showing us how their
livelihood gets threatened or destroyed, and that whatever happened to their
tender crops is by God’s leave (remember, they would end up destroying their
own homes by their own hands and those of the Faithful. Also put ‘lenient’ in
‘Search.’)
In this verse, the Faithful seem to be given
permission to cut the crops of people with whom they are at war (those who were
first described as ‘Deniers’ and now as ‘Deserters/ Breachers / faaasiq’…
probably indicating the breach of their own ‘Faith’ as well as their agreement
with the Prophet).
The purpose for threatening to, or actually resorting
to the cutting of their crops is to subjugate
them ‘khizy-خزي’ [vii].
See explanation of Verses 6-7 by Ali/
Asad. They are about the gain and distribution of
the ‘Returns/ Fay’i’ [viii]
(traditionally explained as the enemy’s land, crops, possessions which are surrendered
without battle. On the other hand, what
people call ‘war-booty’ is ‘ghaneemah/ acquisition’[ix]
in Arabic (root-verb ‘ghanama;’ see 9 instances in Qur’an).
These verses indicate that these ‘Returns’ should be
distributed ONLY to certain categories of persons, ALL who are in need, giving
the Prophet, peace upon him, free license to distribute between the needy in
society, as he sees fit. This was
unusual policy in warfare, where it was usual only for those who participated
to get a fair share (it seems that these verses may have favored the poor among
the Emigrants who had escaped to Medina and left all their possessions behind
in Mecca).
The REASON given for this measure was ‘so that the
‘exchange’ (of stocks/ financial power) would NOT be between the
Self-sufficient among you.’ What a valid
reason!
Then, at the end of the verse (after giving the
Prophet license to distribute as he sees fit and giving the reason for that),
Verse 7 concludes by telling listeners that ‘what the Messenger advances to
you, then take it, and what he forbids you from, refrain from it, and be aware
of God, indeed God is severe in meting out the consequence.’
Important Note:
Although this verse is specific in subject-matter (it
is about the gain and distribution of Returns), and refers to Muhammad as the
‘Messenger’ to underline this measure as part of his Divinely received Message which
should be obeyed… despite that, some scholars have taken this verse as a
sweeping indication that ALL reports of the Prophet’s ‘Saheeh’ Sayings/ Hadeeth’
(delivered through an ‘authenticated/ SaHeeh’ channel of transmitters) are to
be obeyed even when they contradict Qur’an.
In fact, they have allowed such ‘Hadeeth’ to ‘abrogate’ Qur’an,
overriding the verses and rendering them null and void. (Put ‘hadeeth’ in
‘Search.’ Also see ‘abrogation.’)
What many of us overlook is that when the Qur’an asks the
Faithful to ‘obey,’ it ALWAYS refers to the ‘Messenger’….
NEVER the
Prophet!
(We spoke of this earlier. Put ‘messenger prophet
obey’ in ‘Search’).
The Qur’an is precise.
It helps us differentiate
between:
·
His role as Messenger, wherein he was an infallible
‘Deliverer’ of God’s Message for all time.
· His role as a Prophet-Leader of his people, wherein
despite being the best of men, he remained fallible and therefore had to stand publicly
corrected by God -in the Qur’an itself (!)- when he made mistakes.
4. Verse
8 follows up on the subject of distribution with the words ‘TO the needy
Emigrants…,’ where it mentions the good deeds and sincere intention of these
Meccan Believers who had to come to Yethrib/ Medina after they were
dispossessed of their homes and their wealth, and concludes with the statement
‘…it is they who are THE Truthful.’ Here
we recall what we spoke of earlier about the meaning of ‘Saadiq’
in Arabic[x].
Verse 9 then links another group to the first (with
the conjunction ‘and’), speaking in glowing terms of their hosts (the ‘AnSaar/
Helpers’) the fine people of Yethrib/ Medina, mentioning their
generosity and the fact that many of them had not only shared their belongings
and sustenance, but had even favored the Emigrants above themselves in whatever
little they had! The Qur’an records even
their feelings, that they did not begrudge others what they had, that they LOVED
those who came to them for refuge, that they gave eagerly, without any hesitation
or regret.
The verse concludes with a very important statement,
saying that ‘…. whoever is safeguarded from his own covetousness, it is THEY
WHO ARE THE SUCCESSFUL.’
Dear Reader:
The steps to ‘Success/ FalaaH’ in the Qur’an are quite
clear, and they begin with this first step:
Ridding
ourselves of our innate drive to covet, our love for ownership, and the
selfishness of the ‘Me’ and the ‘Mine.’ It is not enough that we give, but we have to
LOVE giving more than having or keeping!
It is when calamities strike us that we realize what
is truly important….may God forgive us. These
are materialistic times, where everything is dictated by financial gain,
including people’s lives, but the tragedy is that we do not admit to that:
Humanity may have progressed away from blatant
slavery, but ‘slavishness’ is everywhere!
5. The
last two verses mentioned the ‘Emigrants’ and the ‘Helpers’ in such glowing
terms, they had us wishing we were among them!
Our wishes are not in vain, as we understand from Verse
10, which adds a third category to the first two, linking it as well with the
conjunction ‘and’..!
‘AND Those who came AFTER THEM will be saying: ‘Our Lord Sustainer, forgive
us, and forgive our Brethren who preceded us in Faith, and do not render in our
hearts/ minds (any) grudge/ resentment[xi]
of the Faithful, our Lord Sustainer, You are Gracious, Unceasingly
Compassionate!’
We can, and should try to be in this third group. How?
By being worthy of the label ‘the Faithful’ in all we
feel and do, AS WELL AS eliminating covetousness and grudge from our
hearts/minds!
6. After these three beautiful verses,
Verse 11 mentions Those who had ‘Camouflaged’ (put ‘escape hypocrites’ in
‘Search.’ Note how ‘Hypocrites’ have literally ‘exited’ Faith, ‘camouflaged’
their true beliefs and feelings, and pretended to be Believers).
It
is these masters of deception counted among the ‘Believers’ of Yethrib who had
actually lied when they encouraged their
Brethren -who had Denied from among the People of the Compilation- to go out
(and break their pact) against the Believers, saying that they would go out
with them and defend them in any battle… and the verse concludes with the
statement: ‘…. and God bears witness that they are
indeed Liars.’
Verse
12-14 continue, with God Himself telling us about such persons:
·
What they promise yet would never do.
·
How
they would turn their backs on any battle.
·
How
their hearts/ minds are more IN AWE of the Faithful than of God Himself,
because they do not ‘discern/ comprehend/ yafqahoon.’
·
(Still
referring to the same two groups, the Hypocrites plus the Deniers from among
the People of the Compilation).. that they would never join together to fight the
Faithful unless they could do so from within fortified towns or from behind
walls.
·
That
the injury they inflict one another is severe, and although Believers may think
them together (united), their hearts/ minds are diverse
(divided), which is because
they are a people who do not reason (or secure comprehension).
Sadly,
dear Reader, much of this now applies to many of us who call ourselves
‘Believers.’
Why?
I
think it may be because many of us have become ‘Hypocrites,’ saying one thing
and doing another, neither truly believing in God nor fully trusting Him.
Verses
15-16 give us two examples, beginning with the words ‘As
in the likeness of…’
First, Verse 15 likens the people (just mentioned) to those before them who had
tasted painful suffering due to what they had done, then, Verse 16 likens their
prodding of others with false promises of support, to what the Deviant/
SheyTaan had said to the Cognizant Human, prodding him to deny.
Dear
Reader: Notice that, after the Cognizant
Human had denied, just as SheyTaan had asked him to, SheyTaan announces his disassociation and disavowal of the
Human, stating quite clearly that he (SheyTaan) fears God, the Lord Sustainer
of all Beings! Now, attempting to
explain this does not make it easier to comprehend. How is it that SheyTaan, who acknowledges
God’s Sustainership/ Lordship over all Beings, even fears Him… how is it that he also disobeys Him? This
seems to tell us
something important about Arrogance, in that it is deaf to all but the tune of
its own inflated Self.
I
am not saying that I understand or can explain this, but I know that we should
shed the ‘Biblical’ image of two comparative ‘powers,’ which are the power of ‘Good’
versus ‘Evil..’ and the assumption that there is a ‘Lord of Darkness’ as well
as a ‘Lord of Light.’ There is only
One Lord, and He is Lord of All. He
IS THE Light of the Exalted Expanses and the EARTH. He IS Truth.
All other ‘deities’ are False.
And all He asks of us is that we help one another grow,
and in doing so, keep advancing and rising to higher elevations of Being.
7. Verse 17 announces the shared Consequence
of these two, both the denying Human and the SheyTaan:
BOTH
in the Fire, stuck fast therein, and that is the recompense of Wrong-Doers
(remember what we said about ‘Jahannam,’ that it is an abyss?).
Stunted
existence. Destruction rather than
Growth. End of story.
And
now we arrive at the ‘khaatimah/ closing section’ to this Chapter (verses
18-24). This happens to be one of the
most moving and oft-recited parts of the Qur’an (and I truly wish it were
possible to bring out its beauty in English)!
Please
listen to it in Arabic, dear Reader (click here
in Tanzil, then scroll down to ‘Recitation’ choose Al- Afasy. Begin listening. Beautiful!)
Here
we find Verses 18-19 speaking directly to ‘Those Who have Attained Faith,’ calling
upon them/ us,[xii]
telling them/us to:
·
Be
aware of God.
· Let
each Self look to/ anticipate what it had put forward for tomorrow.
·
And
be aware of God.
·
God
is Fully Acquainted with all that you do.
·
And
be not like those who forgot God, so he made them forget their own
Selves; these are the Breachers of Faith (Faasiq).
It is quite interesting here to note that the call to
‘awareness’ in this verse is addressed to Those who have attained Faith’ see
all seven
Qur’anic verses. The major
difference in this verse however, is that the call to awareness appears TWICE,
drawing our attention first to the effects of our actions which must befall us,
and then to the fact that God is fully acquainted with all that we do.
After reading and rereading these verses I am
convinced that the ‘ghad/ morrow[xiii]’
mentioned here is NOT what most commentators have postulated, ie, the
‘Hereafter,’ but rather, it is about THE CAUSE AND EFFECT of every deed we do,
and the expectation that our deeds do lay down our future, as we speak, now, IN
LIFE.
That is why the verse literally says, let each Self ‘look
forward/ anticipate’ what it has presented to its future! The worst thing we could do is ‘forget
ourselves,’ a situation of utter apathy, which we seem to arrive at after
having first forgotten God.
8. After the arguments in preceding
verses, Verse 20 gives us a statement, where we are told ‘la yastawee/ not
equal are’ the companions of the Fire and the Companions of the Garden… the
Companions of the Garden are Those who
have received Deliverance/ Salvation.
Then,
by showing us what would have happened to a rock mountain, had it been the
‘recipient’ of the Qur’an, Verse 21 illustrates the IMPACT which the Qur’an should
have had upon the Cognizant Human, had we recognized it for what it is; the
Qur’an should have given us tranquility, calm remembrance of God, and awe in
Him…. had we received it as it should have been received.
9. Finally, we arrive at the last three verses
of this Chapter, all of which begin with the statement: ‘He is Allah..’ …announcing WHO God is.
NOTE, dear Reader, that Verse 22 announces TWICE who He is:
NOTE, dear Reader, that Verse 22 announces TWICE who He is:
First, that 'HE IS ALLAH,' no god
but He, Knower
of the Unwitnessed and the Witnessed, and secondly, that ‘HE IS AL
RAHMAAN, al Raheem,’ The Unique Generator/ Creator, the Unceasingly
Compassionate.
After that, Verse 23 repeats that 'HE IS ALLAH,' no god but He, and then continues with eight beautiful ‘Attributes,’ ending by glorifying God above what they associate with Him.
After that, Verse 23 repeats that 'HE IS ALLAH,' no god but He, and then continues with eight beautiful ‘Attributes,’ ending by glorifying God above what they associate with Him.
Finally, Verse 24 concludes with five more
‘attributes,’, announcing that His are the most Beautiful of Attributes.
I do understand how someone could take ‘Al Rahmaan’ to
be an ‘attribute,’ since I once thought so too myself.
But now, after research and especially understanding
HQ 17:110 which indicates that we may call Him ‘Allah’ or Al Rahmaan,’ and
whichever we call Him, to Him belong the most beautiful Attributes… (also HQ
2:163, 67:29)…. I see this issue quite differently.
Dear Reader:
Here are these beautiful verses, in both explanations
of Ali and Asad:
ALI:
“God is He, than Whom there is
no other god;- Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.
God is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to God! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.
He is God, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
God is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to God! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.
He is God, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
ASAD:
“GOD IS HE save whom there is no deity: the One who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception, as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind: He, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.
God is He save whom there is no deity: the Sovereign Supreme, the Holy, the One with whom all salvation rests, the Giver of Faith, the One who determines what is true and false, the Almighty, the One who subdues wrong and restores right, the One to whom all greatness belongs!
Utterly remote is God, in His limitless glory, from anything to which men may ascribe a share in His divinity!
He is God, the Creator, the Maker who shapes all forms and appearances!
His [alone] are the attributes of perfection. All that is in the heavens and on earth extols His limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!
Peace unto all!
[i] Haven’t
you noticed how the more ‘powerful’ someone is, the more their tendency for
self-aggrandizement and whitewashing of their mistakes, while the tendency of
the ‘less powerful’ is to exaggerate the other’s viciousness, exaggerate their
own losses, and rehash past ‘injustices’ generation after generation? This is especially true when a certain group
feels threatened… as if the preservation of identity necessitates that they
maintain a perception of victimhood.
All of this should be taken into account whenever we
come across reported ‘stories’ of the Prophet’s life, peace upon him. Here, the narrative is all about the Jewish
tribe of Bani Nadeer. But whenever it is
mentioned, it is also followed by the alleged ‘story’ of ‘the massacre’ of Bani
Qurayza which:
BASED ON QUR’ANIC
EVIDENCE, I do NOT believe actually took place at all.
I believe that Ibn Ishaaq’s narrative, taken from
Jewish sources generations after the fact, reflected that group’s ethos, and
does not reflect what had actually taken place (see ‘New
Light on the story of Banu Qurayza and the Jews of Medina’
by W. N. Arafat). The narrative may have
gained popularity amongst some Arabs due to their false bravado.
At any rate, that notorious narrative tells us that,
after the banishment of Bani Nadeer, the tribe of ‘Bani Qurayza were all
punished for treason,’ the men killed and the women and children taken as
captives/slaves, and their possessions as booty. But it is inconceivable that the Prophet
would rule that a tribe of innocent people should be ‘punished’ for the
misdeeds of a few of their elders, while the Qur’an says that no Self bears the
burden of another, and tells us of Moses, peace upon him, who felt guilty and
asked God’s forgiveness when he tried to defend his compatriot and ended up
inadvertently killing his attacker…
So how is it that the Qur’an had NEITHER mentioned
such an ‘important’ incident as that of Bani Qurayza, nor the so-called
‘ruling’ that all men should be killed as ‘punishment’! What the Qur’an did mention, is a BATTLE in
which some were killed and some taken captive.
That is why I believe there was a battle here, not a massacre.
Furthermore, since we are talking of treason, do take
a look at how treason was ‘punished’ in Europe
in the 1500-1800’s, which would help us realize how everything is relative to
its context. Note however, that whatever
the Prophet did, HAD to be relative to QUR’ANIC CONTEXT or else he would be
reprimanded for it in the Qur’an. When
we recall the verses which tell us that he was sent as a ‘Mercy to all people,’
and there was ‘in the Messenger of God a good example’ for any who sought God
and the Hereafter…. We realize that a ‘massacre’ does not fit at all, neither
with his ‘job description,’ nor his known character.
[ii] The word ‘sabaHa’ is related to motion, most
similar to swimming in water. Arabs have used this word to describe the
fluidity of camels upon the mirage of desert sands, the galloping horses, the
churning of ships through the waves & people going about their different
chores.
حشر: السّوق والبعثُ والانبعاث.
وحشرات الأرض: دوابُّها الصغار، كاليرابيع
والضِّباب وما أشبهها، فسمِّيت بذلك لكثرتها وانسياقها وانبعاثها.
[iv] I
do NOT believe that any single ‘historic’ account should dictate how the Qur’an
is explained (or that anything other than the Arabic language and Qur’anic
context should alter our understanding of it)!
As any
scholar would know, the origin of the authoritative narrative of the Prophet’s
life was Ibn Ishaq’s - ابن اسحاق (85-153 A.H./ 703-767 A.D.), which he had compiled from the
ORAL traditions of his time to serve as a history book for a child, the
young son of the Abbasid Caliph Al Mansour أبو جعفر المنصور[iv]. His work was later
abridged by Ibn Hisham (d. 218 A.H./ 833 A.D) ابن هشام- … and lost! What exists today is Ibn Hisham’s narrative.
But we
do know that Ibn Ishaaq said in his introduction: ‘Only God knows which of
these narratives are true.’
[v]
‘Daar’ does not simply mean ‘house/ home,’
which is ‘beyt’ in Arabic. ‘Daar’ is
more about the commune within which one lives and feels at home!
(دور) أصلٌ واحد يدلُّ على إحداق الشيء
بالشيء من حوالَيه.والدار: القبيلة. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
"ألاَ أُنَبِّئكم بخَيْر دُورِ الأنصار؟". أراد بذلك القبائلَ. ومن ذلك
الحديث الآخَر: "فلم تَبْقَ دارٌ إلاّ بُنِي فيها مَسجد". أي لم تَبق
قبيلةٌ.
فالأول
الرَّعْب وهو الخَوف، رَعَبْتُه رَعْباً، والاسم الرُّعْب. ويقال إنّ الرَّعْبَ
رُقْيةٌ، يزعمون أنهم يرْعَبون ذا السِّحْر بكلامٍ([24])، أي يُفْزِعونه. وفاعله
راعبٌ ورَعَّاب.
والأصل
الآخر قولهم: سيلٌ راعبٌ، إذا مَلأَ الواديَ. ورعَبْتُ الحوضَ إذا ملأتَه.
والثالث
قولهم للشَّيء المقَطَّع: مُرَعَّب. ويقال للقِطعة من السَّنام رُعْبوبة. وتسمَّى
الشَّطْبَة من النِّساء رُعبوبةً؛ تشبيهاً لها بقِطعة السنام. ويقال سَنامٌ مرعوبٌ
إذا كان يقطُر دسَما.
فأمَّا
الأول فقولهم خَزَوتُهُ، إذا سُسْتَه.
وأمَّا
الآخَر فقولُهم: أخزَاهُ الله، أي أبعَدَه ومَقَتَه. والاسم الخِزْي. ومن هذا
الباب قولهم خَزِي الرّجل: استحيا مِن قُبْحِ فعله خَزَايةً، فهو خَزيان؛ وذلك
أنّه إذا فعل ذلك واستحيا تباعَدَ ونأى.
[viii]
فأ: تدل على الرجوع. يقال: فاء الفيء إذا رجع
الظل من جانب المغرب إلى جانب المشرق، وكل رجوع فيء. قال الله تعالى: "...حتى
تفيء إلى أمر الله..." (الحجرات ٩).
و يقال منه فيأت الشجرة، وتفيأت في فيئها. والفيء غنائم تؤخذ من المشركين
أفاءها الله تعالى عليهم. قال الله سبحانه: "ما أفاء الله على رسوله من أهل
القرى" (الحشر ٧).
[x] Being ‘true’ denotes strength and solidarity, probably
because Truth is much more powerful than Falsehood! We also learnt that ‘Friend’ in Arabic is ‘Sadeeq’
because there can be no friendship without truth and sincerity, which only
strengthens and cements the relationship.
Isn’t Arabic beautiful?
[xi] غلل:
يدل على تخلل شيء وثبات شيء كالشيء يُغْرَز. من ذلك قول العرب غللت الشيء في الشيء
إذا أثبتّه فيه كأنك غرزته، ومنه الغلول في الغنم وهو أن يُخفى الشيء فلا يرد إلى
القسم كأن صاحبه قد غلّه بين ثيابه، ومن
الباب الغل وهو الضغن ينغلُّ في الصدر.
[xii] The call to the Faithful is repeated in the Qur’an 89 times, and every time we
hear it we listen closely (this is the 78th).
