2. Al-Baqara

Verse 241: The divorced women deserve a benefit

Providing compensatory benefits (` mata متاع `) for divorced women has also been dealt with in verses earlier than this, but that was restricted to two types of divorced women who were divorced before privacy and consummation. The first case of providing compensatory benefits was the giving of a set of clothes. The second case was of providing compensatory benefit in the form of half of the dower. Now remains the case of divorcees who were divorced after privacy and con-summation. Here, providing compensatory benefits to one whose dower has already been fixed lies in giving her the full amount of dower or mahr. For one whose dower has not already been fixed, a post-consummation divorce will make it obligatory to give her mahr almithl مھر المثل or 'equivalent dower' (as customarily given in the immediate family circle of the woman). If the word 'benefit' used in this verse is taken to mean 'dower', its payment is obligatory according to these de-tails. However, if we take math' to mean a particular benefit, that is, the giving of a gift or set of clothes, then giving this to a particular type of divorced woman is obligatory which has been pointed out earlier. In the rest of the cases, this is mustahabb مستحب or desirable. And should math` be taken to mean maintenance or nafaqah, then it is obligatory until the expiry of ` iddah in the case of a divorce after which ` iddah has to be observed. The divorce may be revocable (رجعی) or irrevocable (باین) --it does not matter. To sum up, the verse, by using universally applicable words, covers all situations.

Verse 241: The divorced women deserve a benefit

Providing compensatory benefits (` mata متاع `) for divorced women has also been dealt with in verses earlier than this, but that was restricted to two types of divorced women who were divorced before privacy and consummation. The first case of providing compensatory benefits was the giving of a set of clothes. The second case was of providing compensatory benefit in the form of half of the dower. Now remains the case of divorcees who were divorced after privacy and con-summation. Here, providing compensatory benefits to one whose dower has already been fixed lies in giving her the full amount of dower or mahr. For one whose dower has not already been fixed, a post-consummation divorce will make it obligatory to give her mahr almithl مھر المثل or 'equivalent dower' (as customarily given in the immediate family circle of the woman). If the word 'benefit' used in this verse is taken to mean 'dower', its payment is obligatory according to these de-tails. However, if we take math' to mean a particular benefit, that is, the giving of a gift or set of clothes, then giving this to a particular type of divorced woman is obligatory which has been pointed out earlier. In the rest of the cases, this is mustahabb مستحب or desirable. And should math` be taken to mean maintenance or nafaqah, then it is obligatory until the expiry of ` iddah in the case of a divorce after which ` iddah has to be observed. The divorce may be revocable (رجعی) or irrevocable (باین) --it does not matter. To sum up, the verse, by using universally applicable words, covers all situations.

Commentary

In a uniquely eloquent manner, the two verses (243, 244) appearing above and verse 245 which follows, present guidance that prompts the sacrifice of one's life and possessions in the way of Allah Almighty. Consequently, before stating related injunctions, an important event of history has been taken up which makes it clear that death and life are subservient to the destiny determined by Allah. Going into a battle in jihad is not the cause of death, and running away from it, out of cowardice, is not the means to avoid death.

On the authority of revered Companions (Sahabah) and their successors (Tabi'in), Tafsir ibn Kathir explains this event as follows:

There was a group of Israelites in a city which was struck by plague or some other epidemic. The whole group, some ten thousand in number, panicked. Leaving the city out of fear of death, all of them went out to camp in an open plain located between two mountains. Allah Almighty, in order to impress upon other peoples of the world that no living being can escape death by running away from it, sent two angels who stood on the two ends of the plain and sent forth some sort of shrill cry which caused all of them to drop dead instantly. Not one of them was left alive. When the people living in the adjoining area heard about this event, they hurried to the site. Making arrangements to shroud and bury ten thousand human beings was no easy task. They, therefore, enclosed the whole area with a fence of boughs making a hovel-like shed for the corpses which, in due course, were decomposed leaving bare bones lying around. After a long time, one of the prophets of Bani Israel, whose name has been identified as Hizqil or Ezekiel, passed through this location. He was amazed to see human bone structures strewn all over inside an enclosed shed. The whole story of these people was related to him through revelation. Prophet Ezekiel, prayed Allah to bring these people back to life. Allah Almighty answered his prayer and he was asked to address those crumbled bones in the following manner: ایتھا العظام البالیہ ان اللہ یامرک ان تجتمعی ' O bones, old and worn, Allah commands you to gather together (joint by joint, as you were).'

These bones received the command of Allah Almighty through the words of the Prophet and obeyed it. Isn't it that these very bones are considered by the whole world, devoid of reason and consciousness but they too, like every single particle of the world, are oriented to Divine commands and, possess senses and perceptive ability in proportion to their state of being, and are obedient to Allah Almighty. This is what

the Holy Qur'an points to in the verse: أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (20:50). It means that Allah Almighty created everything and then gave it (built-in) guidance in proportion to its state of being. The great poet, Maulana Ri mi has said about such phenomena:

خاک و باد و آب و آتش بندہ اند

بامن و تو مردہ باحق زندہ اند

Dust, air, water and fire have been bonded together

To me and you they are dead; to God they are alive.

So, when every human bone found its proper place at the behest of a single call, the Prophet ﷺ was commanded to give yet …

Commentary

In a uniquely eloquent manner, the two verses (243, 244) appearing above and verse 245 which follows, present guidance that prompts the sacrifice of one's life and possessions in the way of Allah Almighty. Consequently, before stating related injunctions, an important event of history has been taken up which makes it clear that death and life are subservient to the destiny determined by Allah. Going into a battle in jihad is not the cause of death, and running away from it, out of cowardice, is not the means to avoid death.

On the authority of revered Companions (Sahabah) and their successors (Tabi'in), Tafsir ibn Kathir explains this event as follows:

There was a group of Israelites in a city which was struck by plague or some other epidemic. The whole group, some ten thousand in number, panicked. Leaving the city out of fear of death, all of them went out to camp in an open plain located between two mountains. Allah Almighty, in order to impress upon other peoples of the world that no living being can escape death by running away from it, sent two angels who stood on the two ends of the plain and sent forth some sort of shrill cry which caused all of them to drop dead instantly. Not one of them was left alive. When the people living in the adjoining area heard about this event, they hurried to the site. Making arrangements to shroud and bury ten thousand human beings was no easy task. They, therefore, enclosed the whole area with a fence of boughs making a hovel-like shed for the corpses which, in due course, were decomposed leaving bare bones lying around. After a long time, one of the prophets of Bani Israel, whose name has been identified as Hizqil or Ezekiel, passed through this location. He was amazed to see human bone structures strewn all over inside an enclosed shed. The whole story of these people was related to him through revelation. Prophet Ezekiel, prayed Allah to bring these people back to life. Allah Almighty answered his prayer and he was asked to address those crumbled bones in the following manner: ایتھا العظام البالیہ ان اللہ یامرک ان تجتمعی ' O bones, old and worn, Allah commands you to gather together (joint by joint, as you were).'

These bones received the command of Allah Almighty through the words of the Prophet and obeyed it. Isn't it that these very bones are considered by the whole world, devoid of reason and consciousness but they too, like every single particle of the world, are oriented to Divine commands and, possess senses and perceptive ability in proportion to their state of being, and are obedient to Allah Almighty. This is what

the Holy Qur'an points to in the verse: أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (20:50). It means that Allah Almighty created everything and then gave it (built-in) guidance in proportion to its state of being. The great poet, Maulana Ri mi has said about such phenomena:

خاک و باد و آب و آتش بندہ اند

بامن و تو مردہ باحق زندہ اند

Dust, air, water and fire have been bonded together

To me and you they are dead; to God they are alive.

So, when every human bone found its proper place at the behest of a single call, the Prophet ﷺ was commanded to give yet …

Commentary

1. يُقْرِ‌ضُ اللَّـهَ قَرْ‌ضًا حَسَنًا (who would give Allah a good loan?) the word 'loan' refers to good deeds and to the act of spending in the way of Allah, This was expressed figuratively as qard قرض (literally, 'loan' ), otherwise everything belongs to Allah. It simply means that whatever you spend will surely be returned to you (in the form of a reward in the Hereafter) just as a loan is surely returned. The promise of increased or multiplied return appears in a hadith which declares that a date spent in the way of Allah is so increased by Allah Almighty that it outgrows the mountain of Uhud.

Giving 'loan' to Allah Almighty has also been explained as the giving of actual loan to His slaves i.e. the human beings and thereby helping them in their hour of need. So, the act of giving loan has been credited with great merit in Hadith. The noble Prophet ﷺ said:

ما من مسلم یقرض مسلما قرضا مرۃ اِلا کان کصدقتہ مرتین

For every Muslim, who gives loan to another Muslim, it will be equal to having given sadaqah (charity) twice. (Mazhari with reference to Ibn Majah)

2. Hearing this verse, says Ibn al-'Arabi, people split in three groups. The first group is that of those unfortunate people who, after hearing this verse, said: 'Muhammad's Lord is poor, and we are rich.' The reply to this comment was given by another verse:

لَّقَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّـهُ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّـهَ فَقِيرٌ‌ وَنَحْنُ أَغْنِيَاءُ

Allah has surely heard the saying of those who said, "Allah is poor and we are rich". (3:181)

The second group is that of those who, hearing this verse, elected to act against it and adopted miserliness as their way of life. The love and greed of material possessions so tied them down that they remained deprived of the very ability to spend in the way of Allah.

The third group is that of sincere Muslims who lost no time and acted as directed by the verse giving the best of their possessions in the way of Allah, such as is the case of Companion Abu al-Dahdah ؓ and others. When this verse was revealed, Sayyidna Abu al-Dahdah ؓ presented himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and asked him: '0 Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed to you, does Allah Almighty need loan from us, although He is Ghani غنی ، the one who needs no loan?' The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: 'Yes, Allah Almighty does wish to grant you entry in Paradise through it.' Hearing this, Sayyidna Abu al-Dahdah ؓ said. 'Let the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stretch his hand forward.' He stretched his hand forward. Now Abu al-Dahdah ؓ started saying:

'I own two date farms. I own nothing except these. I give the loan of these two farms of mine to Allah Almighty.'

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said to him: 'Dedicate one of these as waqf (endowment) in the way of Allah and keep the other to take care of your family needs.' Abu al-Dahdah ؓ said: "You be my witness that I 'spend' the better of the two farms which has six hundred date trees in the way of Allah." He said: 'Allah will bless you with Paradise in return.

Abu al-Dahdah ؓ came to his house and told his wife about it. She too was very pleased with this wonderful deal. The noble Prophet ﷺ said:

کم من عذق رداح و دار …

Commentary

1. Verse 246: إِذْ قَالُوا لِنَبِيٍّ لَّهُمُ ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُّقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ (When they said to a prophet of theirs: "Send us a king so that we may fight in the way of Allah)."

These people from the Bani Isra'il had abandoned the injunctions given by Allah Almighty. When the infidel Amalekites were made to rule over them, they began thinking about correcting the situation. The name of the prophet mentioned here is Samuel (Arabic: Hebrew: Shemuel).

Verse 248: The story of Talut and Jalut

The Bani Isra'il used to have the legacy of a wooden chest (also identified as the Ark of the Covenant). Moses and other prophets of Bani Isra'il would keep this chest in the frontline of the battlefield. Its barakah بَرَکَہ (blessing, benediction) used to give them victory. When )Jalut: Goliath) overcame Bani Isra'il, he took this chest away with him. When Allah Almighty willed the return of the chest, it so happened that the infidels were struck by some epidemic or calamity at places where they carried this chest. Five cities were turned desolate. Nonplussed, they loaded it on two bullocks and drove them off. Then, the angels took control of the bullocks and made it reach Talut's doorsteps. (Talut is the Qur'anic name of the king known in the Bible as Saul) When the Bani Isra'il saw this sign, they believed in the kingdom of Talut, who then mounted an attack on Jalut while the weather was very hot.

Commentary

1. Verse 246: إِذْ قَالُوا لِنَبِيٍّ لَّهُمُ ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُّقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ (When they said to a prophet of theirs: "Send us a king so that we may fight in the way of Allah)."

These people from the Bani Isra'il had abandoned the injunctions given by Allah Almighty. When the infidel Amalekites were made to rule over them, they began thinking about correcting the situation. The name of the prophet mentioned here is Samuel (Arabic: Hebrew: Shemuel).

Verse 248: The story of Talut and Jalut

The Bani Isra'il used to have the legacy of a wooden chest (also identified as the Ark of the Covenant). Moses and other prophets of Bani Isra'il would keep this chest in the frontline of the battlefield. Its barakah بَرَکَہ (blessing, benediction) used to give them victory. When )Jalut: Goliath) overcame Bani Isra'il, he took this chest away with him. When Allah Almighty willed the return of the chest, it so happened that the infidels were struck by some epidemic or calamity at places where they carried this chest. Five cities were turned desolate. Nonplussed, they loaded it on two bullocks and drove them off. Then, the angels took control of the bullocks and made it reach Talut's doorsteps. (Talut is the Qur'anic name of the king known in the Bible as Saul) When the Bani Isra'il saw this sign, they believed in the kingdom of Talut, who then mounted an attack on Jalut while the weather was very hot.

Commentary

1. Verse 246: إِذْ قَالُوا لِنَبِيٍّ لَّهُمُ ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُّقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ (When they said to a prophet of theirs: "Send us a king so that we may fight in the way of Allah)."

These people from the Bani Isra'il had abandoned the injunctions given by Allah Almighty. When the infidel Amalekites were made to rule over them, they began thinking about correcting the situation. The name of the prophet mentioned here is Samuel (Arabic: Hebrew: Shemuel).

Verse 248: The story of Talut and Jalut

The Bani Isra'il used to have the legacy of a wooden chest (also identified as the Ark of the Covenant). Moses and other prophets of Bani Isra'il would keep this chest in the frontline of the battlefield. Its barakah بَرَکَہ (blessing, benediction) used to give them victory. When )Jalut: Goliath) overcame Bani Isra'il, he took this chest away with him. When Allah Almighty willed the return of the chest, it so happened that the infidels were struck by some epidemic or calamity at places where they carried this chest. Five cities were turned desolate. Nonplussed, they loaded it on two bullocks and drove them off. Then, the angels took control of the bullocks and made it reach Talut's doorsteps. (Talut is the Qur'anic name of the king known in the Bible as Saul) When the Bani Isra'il saw this sign, they believed in the kingdom of Talut, who then mounted an attack on Jalut while the weather was very hot.

Verse 249: قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ (He said: Allah is going to test you by a

river).

The wisdom behind this test, as perceived by this humble commentator, appears to be as follows. Not difficult to imagine is the excitement created on such occasions but there are not many who would stay firm in their hour of trial. And should such a time come, the weakness shown by such people becomes contagious making others panic as well. Allah Almighty willed that such people be pruned out. This purpose was accomplished by this test, which is very appropriate, because steadfastness is necessary in fighting. So, being patient, when water is made available without asking in a state of intense thirst, is a proof of steadfastness, and dashing for water is a proof of its absence. Later on comes the unusual: Those who drank too much water became mysteriously more incapacitated. This has appeared in Ruh al-Ma'ani on the authority of Ibn Abi Haim from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Now the events and sayings mentioned in this story tell us that there were three kinds of people among them:

(1) The weak in faith who failed to make the grade in their hour of

trial.

(2) The perfect who fully succeeded in their trial but did feel concerned about how low they were in numbers.

(3) The most perfect who did not bother even about that.

Verse 249: قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ (He said: Allah is going to test you by a

river).

The wisdom behind this test, as perceived by this humble commentator, appears to be as follows. Not difficult to imagine is the excitement created on such occasions but there are not many who would stay firm in their hour of trial. And should such a time come, the weakness shown by such people becomes contagious making others panic as well. Allah Almighty willed that such people be pruned out. This purpose was accomplished by this test, which is very appropriate, because steadfastness is necessary in fighting. So, being patient, when water is made available without asking in a state of intense thirst, is a proof of steadfastness, and dashing for water is a proof of its absence. Later on comes the unusual: Those who drank too much water became mysteriously more incapacitated. This has appeared in Ruh al-Ma'ani on the authority of Ibn Abi Haim from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Now the events and sayings mentioned in this story tell us that there were three kinds of people among them:

(1) The weak in faith who failed to make the grade in their hour of

trial.

(2) The perfect who fully succeeded in their trial but did feel concerned about how low they were in numbers.

(3) The most perfect who did not bother even about that.