Day 17
+/- 5 Minutes read
EIGHTEENTH PARA

Sûrah Mu’minûn

The 18th pâra commences with Sûrah Mu’minûn. This is a Makkî sûrah. It has 118 verses and 6 rukûs. In this sûrah, the principles of dîn are discussed. In the beginning nine verses, seven such qualities of the believers have been mentioned due to which they will become worthy of Jannatul-Firdaus. These seven qualities are mentioned hereunder.

1- They have true îmân which is free from of hypocrisy and ostentation.
2- They have khushû in salâh i.e. they stand in front of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى with humility and fear.
3- They refrain from laghw. Laghw refers to every such statement and action in which there is no benefit.
4- They discharge their zakât in a perfect manner. Thus they fulfill the rights of people as well as the rights of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى.
5- They protect themselves from adultery and immoral acts.
6- They fulfill their promises and protect those things which have been entrusted to them.
7- They protect their salâh. They bear in mind its times as well as its etiquettes and fundamentals.

After mentioning the qualities of the believers, the proofs of îmân found in the life of man and the different stages of his creation are mentioned. The Qur’ân had mentioned the different stages of man’s creation in the womb of the mother hundreds of years ago when the Arab and non-Arab philosophers and scientists did not have the courage to utter anything regarding it. Today’s modern science and medical research also verifies these stages. After mentioning the proofs of îmân found in man, 3 proofs found in the physical word are mentioned :
1- The creation of the seven heavens and the amazing creations that exist within.
2- The falling down of rain and the growing of different grains and plants due to it.
3- The creation of livestock and benefits in them like milk, meat, wool, being able to ride on them and to load goods on them.

After mentioning the proofs of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى’s power and oneness, the sûrah now moves to the incidents of the Ambiyâ عليهم السلام. In this regard, the incidents of Hadhrat Nûh, Hadhrat Hûd, Hadhrat Sâlih, Hadhrat Mûsa, Hadhrat Hârûn and Hadhrat Îsâ Ibn Maryam عليهم السلام have been mentioned. (23-50) All these Ambiyâ had one call, one program and one purpose. It seems as if all of them were sent in one era and to one place. However, after these Ambiyâ left this world, their nations divided into different groups and parties. Every group was happy with their ways and ideologies. How sad it is that Muslims today have fallen into this same condition! The Qur’ân is one, Nabî is one, qiblah is one but the Muslims are not one. Diverse talks, fatwâs of kufr and fisq (open sinning), in-fighting and arguments. There is only one solution to these differences i.e. every group lowers themselves before the Qur’ân and Sunnah.

On one side are those people who are involved in fighting and arguing with each other and their hearts are drowned in ignorance and negligence. On the other side are those pious servants of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى who have love for each other. Their hearts are alive and enlightened with the light of guidance. There are four outstanding qualities in these people.
1- They fear the punishment of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى .
2- They believe in the signs of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى , be it His laws or His signs in the world.
3- They abstain from show and do every action solely for the pleasure of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى .
4- They have the quality of ihsân i.e. inspite of doing good actions they are fearful, not knowing if their actions are accepted by Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى or not? (57-61)

In contrast to these sincere believers are those unfortunate and deprived ones who mock the Qur’ân and Rasûlullâh صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم. The Qur’ân mentions 3 major reasons for their mockery and disobedience.
1- They do not use their intelligence. Instead of pondering over the Qur’ân, they reject and mock it.
2- They falsify the messenger of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى only due to obstinacy and stubbornness. It is not that they did not know him (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم). They knew very well his truthfulness, trustworthiness, his family lineage, status and his personality. They knew that Nabî صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم would never speak lies.
3- The third reason is mentioned in an interrogative method. Do they see the signs of madness in Nabî صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم ? Definitely some of them used attribute of madness to him. However, the actual reason of falsifying him was not that they (معاذ الله) regarded him to be mad. The main reason was that they did not like the truth and they wanted to see the truth subservient to their desires whereas if truth had to follow their desires, then there would have been disorder in the system of the universe. (68-71)

After proving tawhîd and refuting shirk, at the end of the sûrah we are informed that on the Day of Qiyâmah, man will be divided into 2 groups :
1- Those who are fortunate.
2- Those who are unfortunate.

The book of deeds of the fortunate (سعداء) will be weighty while the book of deeds of the unfortunate (أشقياء) will be light. There, contacts will not be of assistance. The disbelievers will desire to return to this world. It is obvious that their desires will not be fulfilled. They will be reminded that they used to mock the people of îmân, thus today there is nothing but loss for them. Then they will be questioned, “How many years did you live in the world?” They will say, “We lived for a day or part of a day, ask those who counted.” Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى will say, “You did not live but for a short while, if only you knew.” i.e. if there was some intelligence and understanding in you then you would have known that this world was despicable and but for a short while. The purpose of asking them this question will be to afflict them in extra sorrow and to explain the lowliness of this worldly life in comparison to the everlasting life of the hereafter. On this day, they will also experience the lowliness and confinement of this worldly life.

Ibn-Kathîr Rah mentions a narration that once Nabî صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم gave a sermon to the Sahâbah-e-Kirâm رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ in which he said, “When Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى will enter the people of Jannah into Jannah and the people of Jahannum into Jahannum, then He will ask, ‘O people of Jannah! How many years did you live on earth?’ They will say, ‘One day or part of the day.’ Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى will say, ‘In that day or part of the day which you received, you had done some very profitable business. You bought My mercy, My pleasure and My Jannah. Now reside therein forever.’ Then the people of Jahannum will be questioned, ‘How many years did you live in the world?’ They too will give the same answer, as the people of Jannah had done. Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى will say, ‘Your business ran at a loss in the time which you received. You have bought My fire and My anger. Now, remain therein forever.’”

In the last verse, Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى teaches all of mankind, through the means of Nabî صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, that we should supplicate to Him with the following du’â, “O My Rabb! Forgive me, have mercy on me and You are the most merciful of those who show mercy.”

Sûrah Nûr

Sûrah Nûr is a Madanî sûrah. It has 64 verses and 9 rukûs. It is called Sûrah Nûr because the word نور is mentioned in it, in the verse اللهُ نورُ السموتِ والارض. The second reason for its name is that such etiquettes, virtues, laws and rules are mentioned which lightens and brightens the road of social life. In this sûrah, mostly those laws are mentioned which are related to chastity and modesty. Therefore, a special command has been given that women should be taught this sûrah. Hadhrat Mujâhid Rah states that Rasûlullâh صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم has said, “Teach your menfolk Sûrah Mâ’idah and your womenfolk Sûrah Nisâ.” Sayyidina Ayesha رضي الله عنها also emphasized the teaching of this sûrah to women.

Those religious injunctions regarding chastity and the rectification of domestic and social life that have been mentioned in this sûrah are as follows :

Laws and Etiquettes

The first and second law is regarding the punishment meted out to fornicators. An unmarried fornicator will be given one hundred lashes which is mentioned in the Qur’ân. If a fornicator is married, then he will be stoned to death as has been mentioned in a mutawâtir hadîth. An inherent trait of fornicators has been mentioned i.e. only those people are ready to be their partners in life who themselves are fornicators and evil people. The third law is of hadde-qadhf i.e. if any person falsely accuses any intelligent, mature, chaste man and woman of adultery or fornication, then that person will be lashed 80 times. (4-5) The fourth law is of li’ân, which applies only for a husband and wife. If a husband accuses his wife of adultery and he does not have four witnesses, then they will curse each other and will be separated.

The fifth thing mentioned in the form of a story is the incident of Ifk. Ifk means slander and lies. This law was revealed when some hypocrites slandered Sayyidinâ Ayesha رضي الله عنها. This was a very great slander uttered against a noble personality i.e. the pure wife of Rasûlullâh صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم and the spiritual mother of the Muslims. Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى mentions this incident in ten verses. In these verses, the hypocrites are criticized. Muslims are cautioned never again to become part of these types of false accusations, and the purity and chastity of the wife of the Nabî is declared. This is the first time in the history of mankind that the purity of any personality has been mentioned via wahî (revelation). This is one of the specialities of Hadhrat Ayeshaرضي الله عنها .

The sixth command is regarding the permission and etiquettes of entering the home. We should not enter anyone’s house without permission. It is mustahab that salâm be offered before seeking permission. (67-69) The seventh command has been given to men and women of îmân that they should lower their gazes and protect their private parts. Women have been granted permission to make apparent their zînat (beauty) to their husbands, fathers, fathers-in-law, son’s, husband’s sons (from other marriages), brothers, nephews (brother’s and sister’s sons), women, slave-girls, those men who have no desire for women and those children who are not aware of the affairs of women. Besides these people, it is not permissible for them to expose their beauty to anyone else. (Beauty refers to hands, feet, arms, neck, face, hair and legs beneath the knee – Translator)

The eighth command given is that the marriages of free men and women as well as slaves who can fulfill the rights of marriage should be performed. Also encouragement has been given regarding the marriages of slave-girls. In Islâm, fornication cannot be tolerated at all. However, it can never be stopped as long as marriage is not made easy. Islâm has made marriage easy and has encouraged it. (32) The ninth command is regarding slaves and slave-girls. Before the light of Islâm spread in the world, there was the custom of making prisoners of war slaves. Great oppression was meted out to this group who were without support and strength. Islâm made revolutionary reforms in this custom. It closed the doors of oppression completely. It gave rights to them like other humans. Freeing them was a way to attain Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى’s pleasure. A command was given to free them as expiation for different sins. One important guideline given was that if any slave or slave-girl wanted to gain freedom by paying some money then this pact should be accepted. In technical terms, this pact is called mukâtabat.

The tenth command comes as a refutation of one completely harâm manner of earning wealth during the days of ignorance. Before the revelation of the Qur’ân, some oppressive and greedy people used to force their slave-girls to fornicate in exchange of money (i.e. prostitution). A chief like Abdullah Ibn Ubay, who had already made complete preparation to become king of Madînah before the migration of Nabî صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, had also kept such slave-girls. Here he was prohibited from doing do. This in no way means that if they are ready to fornicate happily, then it is permissible. Both cases are impermissible and harâm. The purpose is to show that these women, inspite of being slaves, had severe dislike for such an action. Thus those who are free, to a greater extent, should have hatred for it. (33)

After mentioning these 10 laws and etiquettes, mention is made of beliefs, îmân and the light of truth, by means of which Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى guide the creation. To make this clear 3 examples have been given. This is one special style of the Qur’ân that it gives physical examples to explain its purport. The first example is of the people of îmân and yaqîn (conviction). The second and third example is of the people of falsehood. In the first example, the light found in the heart of a believer is likened to the light of that lamp which is made of clear and transparent glass. This has been placed in a small recess in the wall so that its light remains focused in a specified direction where there is a need for it. The oil used in this lamp has been attained from the olive tree which contains such a glimmer that without even lighting it, the glimmer can be seen. (35) This is the condition of the heart of the mu’min that before attaining knowledge, he is ready to practice on guidance. Now when knowledge comes, then there is light upon light. Yahya Ibn Salâm Rah has said, “The heart of a believer understands the truth before it is explained to him because his heart was in conformity with the truth from before.”

From the two examples mentioned for those on falsehood, the first is regarding their actions which they regard as good. Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى states, “The example of their actions is like a mirage. A thirsty person looking at a mirage from a distance thinks it to be water. However when he comes close, he does not find a trace of water.” This is the condition of the disbeliever who regards his actions as beneficial, but when he will have to face Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى after death, then there will be nothing for him. His actions will turn into dust and fly away. (39)

In the second example, their beliefs have been likened to the layers of darkness of the ocean, where man cannot even see his own hand. This is the condition of a disbeliever who is wandering around lost in the darkness of disbelief and misguidance. (40)

After mentioning the examples of the people of truth and falsehood, mention is made of the proofs of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى’s presence and oneness found in the forms of the changing of night and day, the falling of rain, the creation of the heavens and earth, the flight of birds, and the creation of the different types of livestock. (41-45)

Thereafter, a comparison is made between two groups i.e. the believers and hypocrites. The hypocrites make false claims of îmân and obedience. However in practical life, when any such occasion occurs where there will be personal harm if they accept the command of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى and His Rasûl صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, then they turn away whereas the believer is ready to obey at all times. Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى has promised the true believers that He will grant them khilâfat (vicegerency) on earth. Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى has already manifested this promise. The Muslims gained power over the Arabian Peninsula, the lands of the east and west came under their control and they demolished two powerful kingdoms i.e. the Persian and Roman kingdom. (47-55)

After mentioning the proofs of tawhîd, the comparison between the believers and hypocrites and the promise of khilâfat (vicegerency), three more laws of social life have been mentioned. This first is regarding small children and those male and female slaves who live in the house. If they wish to enter one’s private room before Fajr, in the afternoon at siesta time and after ‘Ishâ, then they should seek permission and enter because during these three times formal clothing is removed and sleepwear is worn. The second command is that when the children mature, then like other mature people, it is compulsory on them that whenever they come home, they should seek permission or they should in any other way inform of their coming e.g. by coughing or making a sound with their shoe. The third command is regarding those women who are very old and have passed the age of marriage. If they remove the outward clothing of purdah, then there is no harm. Adding these three to the ten mentioned before, a total of 13 laws and etiquettes have been mentioned. The fourteenth etiquette is that when entering one’s house, salâm should be made. The fifteenth etiquette is that when sitting in any gathering regarding community consultation, then one should not leave without permission. The sixteenth etiquette is that Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى’s messenger should not be called as people call one another.

The sûrah terminates with the message the whole universe is under the power and knowledge of Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. Allâh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى knows the conditions and actions of all. On the Day of Qiyâmah, every person will be informed regarding the actions that he used to do.