Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter.
COMMENTS:
1. We stopped last time at the center of page 190, before discussing the Battle of Hunayn, of which Asad says:
“The battle of Hunayn, a valley situated on one of the roads leading from Mecca to Ta’if, took place in the year 8 H., shortly after the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims.”
Read his translation of Verse 25 and his commentary.
This battle offered a lesson to Those Who Attained Faith, who, as we gather, seemed elated after having finally gained victory over idolatrous Qureish and entered Mecca. They were proud of their victory AND overconfident in their growing numbers, as explained by Yusuf Ali:
“For the first time the Muslims had at Hunain tremendous odds in their favour. But this itself constituted a danger. Many in their ranks had more enthusiasm than wisdom, more a spirit of elation than of faith and confidence in the righteousness of their cause.”
What happened was that after an initial defeat which served to wash away their pride and overconfidence, they DID win the battle. God sent His ‘sakeenah/tranquility’ upon His Messenger and The Faithful as well as agents which they did not see and made the Deniers suffer, for that is the due recompense of the Deniers.
After that, God continuously turns (in forgiveness and mercy) upon whomever He wills, and He is Oft-Forgiving, Unceasingly Merciful (Verse 27).
2. These verses were all revealed after Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, and his companions had entered Mecca. The Ka’ba had returned to being the House Of Worship of One God after it was cleansed of its 360 idols. Pure Reverence to God was re-established as was intended by Prophet Abraham when he built the Ka’ba with his son Ishmael, peace upon them both.
Verse 28 tells Those Who Attained Faith, who had ‘cleansed’ the Ka’ba, that the polytheist Mushriks/Shirkers are not allowed, after ‘this year of theirs’ ( بعد عامهم هذا) to enter the Inviolable House of Worship. They are described as ‘najas.’
Yusuf Ali gives the word ‘najas’ both physical and spiritual connotation, while Asad gives it only spiritual meaning.
The word ‘najas/ نَجَس’[1] appears only this once in the Qur’an and is used to describe the Mushriks/Shirkers.
Now, although this word appears in this instance alone and refers to HUMANS, it became well-known in ‘Islamic Jurisprudence- fiqh’ where the term ‘najaasah’ was derived from it to denote all the SUBSTANCES we ‘cleanse ourselves’ of, such as blood, urine, stool, etc. Because of our familiarity with jurisprudential terminology rather than the Arabi tongue, we think of the word as meaning physically ‘unclean/impure/dirty.’ As we see below in our 1,000 year old Lexicon however, ‘najas’ is not only the opposite of cleanliness (Tahaara-طهارة) but also refers to an incurable affliction!
Please note that many verses of the Qur’an speak of people who have an affliction, a ‘maradh- مرض’ in their hearts and minds. Therefore, ‘najas’ here must refer to their incurable ideological affliction rather than to an immature, inaccurate description of them being ‘dirty.’
Why is this important?
Such LABELS are misused by extremists!
So-called ‘Islamic’ AND ‘Anti-Islamic’ fanatics love such connotations and use them to justify their positions against each other.
Dear Reader:
It is quite disheartening to note the damage that misunderstood words such as this have done to the relationship between Muslims and other people throughout the ages (there is more below).
Today, a few of the most vocal attackers of Islam say that they were born Muslims, and that Islam is ‘full of hate.’ Some are of Arab origin. Anti-Islamic blogs highlight the negativity they find in (their understanding of) Qur’an, the Prophet’s life-story (Seerah), his Sayings (Hadeeth), and Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh). We find such persons and others writing regular columns and appearing frequently on TV and radio. They get listened to and believed. These are not ignorant people! These prejudiced ‘intellectuals’ are the strongest and most effective aggressors against Islam. Certainly, most of them have ulterior political motives, but before we blame them, dear Reader, we must realize: Their ammunition is due to our misuse of names.
Remember that the first thing God did for Adam after creating him was define for him all the names/attributes. Losing or forgetting names leads to much wrongdoing. When we misuse names we lose balance and tilt towards extremes. It is mostly from Muslim people and Islamic books that Islam-bashers are get the material they use against us.
A correct understanding of the Qur’an.
This is in EVERYONE’S best interest, and all peace-loving people around the world should rally to this end.
Back to our Reading:
On one hand, these verses give the Mushriks/Shirkers who were present at that time of the Prophet’s Pilgrimage an ultimatum, forbidding them and anyone like them from ever approaching the Inviolable House of Worship. On the other hand, the verses promise self-sufficiency to those who fear that such a ban would cause financial constraints.
3. Verse 29 is another verse taken out of context and mis-explained. After the preceding verse had said that the Mushriks were ‘persona non-grata,’ prohibited AFTER THIS YEAR OF THEIRS from ever living in or visiting the Holy vicinity, this verse assigned to Those Who Attained Faith–and dissolved People of Earlier Compilation- from the responsibility of its maintenance and defense. Those Who Attained Faith were clearly told to subjugate/fight and RENDER BENIGN (to make compliant, and NOT to kill or eradicate) certain individuals from among (‘min’ مِن’ = ‘part of;’ ‘from among’) the People of Earlier Compilation who clearly had not been following the standards of their own faith, as we see below.
The description of such persons is that they:
· Do not have Faith and Trust in God and the Hereafter, and furthermore
· Violate what God and His Messenger have ordained as ‘Inviolable,’ and furthermore
· Do not uphold the just Standard of Accountability.
Those Who Attained Faith were told to engage such persons UNTIL they had ‘laid down their arms’ and become compliant. See Blog Post Day 20 for the definition of ‘qatala’ from our Lexicon.
We must always remember the FRAMEWORK for ‘qitaal’ which the Qur’an had laid down: There is to be NO AGGRESSION (see HQ 2:190).
The words ‘after this year of theirs’ makes specific both the TIME and the SUBJECT of these verses which, I believe, can best be understood within a framework specific to the time of revelation. It seems to me that this verse referred to only a fraction of the People of Earlier Compilation who lived in the vicinity of the Inviolable House of Worship at the time BUT WERE ANTAGONISTIC to Those Who Attained Faith. In respect of the faith they professed (but did NOT follow), Those Who Attained Faith could not give them the same ultimatum they had given the Mushriks. The solution was to give them an alternative: a tax to be paid as the price for remaining UNARMED, YET FULLY DEFENDED by Those Who Attained Faith. At the time, such persons would have been notoriously distinct from the rest of the People of Earlier Compilation by their history and their actions; the rest of the People of Earlier Compilation being those who DID in fact have Faith in God and the Hereafter.
Some might ask: Does this mean that the Qur’an opens God’s Inviolable House of Worship to People of Earlier Compilation ?
The answer seems to be in HQ 3:97, but God knows best.
Such topics are best avoided by laypersons such as ourselves who should not ‘give opinions’ on matters of grand proportions, but it is helpful to gain information by reading the opinions of Jurists, albeit without commenting as it is not our place to do so.
Here we note that there was disagreement among Jurists as to the legal ruling derived from this verse:
Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal both understood that after that particular year, Mushriks were not allowed to enter the Sacred Mosque of Mecca, yet they could enter other mosques, as only the Sacred Mosque was specified in the verse.
Imam Malik saw this verse as more general, and he said that Mushriks could not enter any mosque whatsoever, whether it was the Sacred Mosque of Mecca or any other.[2]
Imam Abu Hanifa, on the other hand, saw the verse as referring only to the actual Hajj pilgrimage, not to any other entry into the premises. His understanding was that Mushriks could enter any mosque, even the Sacred Mosque of Mecca, but could not perform the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage as was the custom of the Mushriks of Mecca before Revelation.
As for the word ‘jizyah -جزية’ – which appears only here in the Qur’an and is about something ‘given’- it is as explained a form of taxation levied upon such unarmed persons in return for their being defended by Those Who Attained Faith and not having to defend themselves.
See Ali and Asad, and note their explanation of the last words: حَتَّىٰ يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَن يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ
Ali: “…with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”
Asad: “…..with a willing hand, after having been humbled [in war].”
Ali and Asad’s explanation of these last words is much truer to the historical reality than certain prejudicial explanations where such persons (who at one time did not have Faith and Trust in God and the Hereafter, violated what God and His Messenger have ordained as ‘Inviolable,’ and did not uphold the just Standard of Accountability) should afterwards be verbally humiliated and physically manhandled by Those Who Attained Faith despite having already conceded to them![3]
Can a person of faith even do that? Can Aggression ever be allowed to replace Taqwa? SubHaanAllah!
Furthermore, do we not have the best example in our beloved Messenger’s treatment of people of different faiths, and how he dealt with those who once were his direst enemies, peace upon him?
Our beloved Prophet was acknowledged by God Himself in Q.68:4 to have a most magnificent, beautiful character:
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴿القلم: ٤﴾
His counsel to his companions always was under the general command of:
“Treat people with good/beautiful manners.”[4]
But exegetes were children of their time who tried to relay in truth what they had heard, even if they did not condone it, simply because they believed it to be their duty to relay in full all the information they had obtained. The information they received -although generally approved at the time- was often colored by political events and socio-cultural bias, something a discerning reader can see through. It is quite unfortunate to see such accounts highlighted by people who fuel the fires of prejudice and polarization at the expense of other more accurate accounts that speak of kindness and leniency!
Here is where I repeat that it is of critical importance for us to focus on ONE thing that could, in itself, correct everything else: A correct understanding of the Qur’an.
This is in EVERYONE’S best interest, and all peace-loving people around the world should rally to this end.
Luckily, history provides ample evidence to the truth:
Whereas Those Who Attained Faith paid Zakaat, the People of Earlier Compilation paid a much smaller amount called ‘jizyah’ in return for being defended and not having to defend themselves and their compatriots. Whenever they undertook such duties however, they became exempt of taxation as was asserted by historians such as al Tabari and al Balādhurī in his book Futooh al-Buldaan.
It is known that Abu Ubaidah Ibn al JarraaH gave back the taxes paid by the People of Earlier Compilation who were living among them in Syria (called ‘ahl al Thimmah’),[5] fearing he’d be unable to defend them from the large Byzantine armies that had amassed around them, saying:[6]
‘We hereby return to you the money you have paid us, because of the news of the enemy troops amassed to attack us, but, if God grants us victory against the enemy, we will keep up to the promise and covenant between us.’
To this Ahl al Thimmah responded:
May God bring you back to us and grant you victory over them!”
4. Verse 30 continues, highlighting one major difference held by some People of Earlier Compilation, in opposition to Pure Reverence to God, namely, that they tell everyone that they consider Ezra and Christ ‘sons’ of God, echoing -with their mouths- the words of the Deniers.
Asad, our authority on the Torah, explains this well.
Please note that in IDEOLOGICAL differences such as these, where arms are not actively taken up against Those Who Attained Faith, the matter is left entirely to God. God will bring upon them the consequences of their beliefs and their verbal assertions:
‘Qaatalahumul-Lah’ قاتلهم الله means ‘…by God they are assailed (in any way He sees fit. We already know that ‘qatala’ does not necessarily mean to kill or destroy; it can be understood as to humiliate, disgrace, crush… etc).
Ali says ‘God’s curse be on them’ and Asad says ‘may God destroy them.’
5. Verse 31 pinpoints where such persons went wrong:
They went wrong when they took their rabbis, priests, or the Messiah, son of Mary as Lords instead of God.
This offers us a lesson, as Muslims.
Many of us in practice -while worshipping God- still take their Imams and Mullahs as ‘lords.’ Everything such persons believe and do would be understood and practiced through what their Imams have instructed and through the books of eminent scholars and chosen sayings of Prophet Muhammad peace upon him, as highlighted and explained by these teachers according to their own beliefs and understanding.
That is why it is crucial for us be of the following:
الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا …Those who say, “Rabbuna Allah” and stand upright (by this statement).
This is one reason why Muslim understanding has often departed from the intent of the Arabi Qur’an.
6. Verses 32–33 are beautiful, telling us that God’s Light cannot be extinguished; It will shine in all its fullness, in spite of The Deniers. Furthermore, the True Standard of Accountability with which He sent His Messenger shall prevail, to the chagrin of The Shirkers -who worship other than God.
Well-explained by Asad, except for the word ‘Deen’ which we now know is not ‘religion’ but ‘Standard of Accountability.’
Note that 61:8 is very similar in speaking about God’s Light.
7. Verses 34–35 inform us of the power that many rabbis and priests (and any of perceived ‘divine authority’) have over the lives and livelihood of common folk, how they devour people’s wealth and prevent them from following the path to God, and how they accumulate gold and silver. The verses speak graphically of their recompense, promising them painful suffering and that they shall veritably be tasting the consequence of their deeds.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 9: 36-47.
Peace unto all!
[1] نجس: يدلُّ على خلاف الطّهارة. وشيء نَجِسٌ ونَجَسٌ: قذِر. والنَّجَس: القَذَر. النَّاجس: الداء لا دَواءَ له.
[2] Imams Shafi’i, Malik and Ahmad understood the term “Sacred Mosque” to refer to the entire Sacred Precinct, that is, all of Mecca as well as its outlying areas.
[3] Al-Suyuti said (in Al-Ikleel): “
So the inference is that it (the Jizyah) is taken while debasing (the Thimmi giver), in that the one who takes it is seated while the Thimmi is standing, then he (the Thimmi) must lower his head, bend his back, put the Jizyah on the scale, and the one who is taking it takes him (the Thimmi) by the beard and punches him beneath the jawbone.”
Makki said in Al-Hidayah: “This verse abrogates pardoning the Mushriks.”
“قال السيوطي ( في الإكليل ): فاستدل بها من قال إنها تؤخذ بإهانة فيجلس الآخذ ويقوم الذمي ويطأطئ رأسه ويحني ظهره ويضعها في الميزان ويقبض الآخذ لحيته يضرب لِهْزِمَته (عظمٌ ناتئٌ في اللَّحْي تحت الحنَك ).
قال مكي في الهداية: وهذه الآية ناسخة للعفو عن المشركين.”
[4] “خالق الناس بخُلُقٍ حَسَن” حديث حسن رواه الترمذي
[5] Ahl al-Thimmah is an Islamic jurisprudential term that refers to People of Earlier Compilation (and other faiths) who live under Islamic rule or in countries with a Muslim majority, having a ‘thimmah/ذِمَّة’ or covenant between them in protection of their lives and livelihood.
[6] Read about this here, and note how lenient these taxes were.