8. Al-Anfaal

For added emphasis on the same subject, it was said in the second verse (21): وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ ﴿21﴾ (and do not be like those who say, "we have heard" while they do not listen). Meant here are common disbelievers who claim to be listening but make no such claim about believing. Also meant here are the hypocrites who go beyond the elementary listening which they already do. In fact, they also claim to understand what that they listen to and to believe in it as well. But, the truth of the matter is that they both remain deprived of genuine deliberation and correct understanding. Therefore, their listening falls under the category of not listening. So, Muslims have been forbidden from becoming like them.

The third verse (22) strongly condemns those who do not listen to what is the truth thoughtfully and let it go unaccepted. The Qur'an has declared such people to be worse than animals. The words used are: إِنَّ شَرَّ‌ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّـهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿22﴾ (Surely, the worst of all animals in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb who do not understand).

The word: دوابّ (dawabb) is the plural form of: دَآبَّۃ (dābbah). Literally, everything that walks on the earth is called 'dābbah.' But, in usage, only quadruped animals are called 'dābbah.' So, the sense of the verse is that the worst quadrupeds in the sight of Allah are the ones deaf against listening to the truth and dumb when it comes to accepting it. Even someone deaf and dumb could, if he has the least fund of reason in him, make himself understood by simple gestures in a two-way communication. But, these people are not only deaf and dumb, they are short on reason also. It is obvious that for a person, who is deaf, dumb; and devoid of reason too, the lines of communication shall remain blocked and there will be no way they would understand or be made to understand.

In this verse, Allah Ta` ala has made it clear that human beings have been created with the best of destiny. They have been made the superior-most among the created and the universe has been placed at their service. These are great blessings which lie embedded in and dependent on listening to truth and obeying it. Once human beings turn their backs on listening to the truth, understanding and accepting it, all these blessings are sucked away from them and they are relegated to some species worse than animals.

It appears in Tafsir Ruh al-Bay-an that human beings are, in terms of their original creation, superior to all animals, but are lower in rank as compared to angels. But, when human beings strive on the pathway of obedience to Allah, their creator, they rise higher in status than angels too. However, should they turn away from the pathway of obedience to Allah, they are condemned to become the lowest of the low, far too worse than animals.

In the fourth verse (23), it was said: وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّـهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرً‌ا لَّأَسْمَعَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّوا وَّهُم مُّعْرِ‌ضُونَ ﴿23﴾ (And had Allah seen in them some good, He would have made them listen. And had He made them listen, they would have turned away paying no heed). In other words, the sense of the verse is: Had Allah seen in them some pliability towards receiving good counsel, He would have blessed them with the ability to listen with faith - and if, in their present state of being with no desire to receive truth, He were to make them listen to what is true, they would have certainly turned away from it paying no heed.

The word: خَیر (khayr: good) at this place means the desire to find out the truth, for it is the quest for truth which opens the doors of deliberation and understanding and it is this very quest which enables one to believe and act. Thus, whoever has no quest for truth is as if he has no good in him. If such people did have some good in them, it is obvious that it would have been within the knowledge of Allah Ta` ala. Now, when they have no good in them as borne by the knowledge of Allah Ta` ala, it tells us that they stand deprived of every possible good in the real sense. Therefore, if they were to be invited to ponder, deliberate and believe in the truth within this state of deprivation, they would have never accepted it - rather, they would have turned away from it and run. This aversion, that is, would not be because of any flaw in the religion they may have noticed which made them reject it. In fact, they just did not pay heed to what was the truth.

Incidentally, the stipulation made above also helps remove the nagging logical doubt which bothers many a learned people. They surmise that this is the first form of analogical deduction where the surrender of the middle premise seems to be yielding the wrong outcome. The answer is that the middle premise has not been repeated here because the sense of the first word لَّأَسْمَعَهُمْ (la asma'ahum: He would have made them listen) is separate from the second: وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ (wa lau asma'ahum: and had He made them listen) which carries its own sense apart from the first. Meant in the first is listening to accept and listening to benefit from, while the sense of the second is bland listening with nothing to it.

In the fifth verse (24), believers have been addressed once again. Commanded to obey Allah and His Messenger in a particular manner, they have been told that the thing to which Allah and His Messenger invite you is something which brings no benefit to Allah and His Messenger per se. Instead of that, all Divine injunctions have been prescribed for nothing but their own benefit. So, said in the manner pointed to above, was: اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّـهِ وَلِلرَّ‌سُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ (respond to Allah and the Messenger when He calls you to what gives you life).

What is the 'life' mentioned in this verse? Since several probabilities exist in its interpretation, learned commentators have taken different interpretive positions. According to Suddiyy, that life-giving thing is 'Imān (faith) because the disbeliever is dead. Qatadah said: That is Qur'an in which lies all life and success of both the worlds, Dunya and 'Akhirah. Mujahid said: That is truth. Ibn Ishaq said: It means Jihad through which Allah Ta` ala conferred honour on Muslims. All these probabilities mentioned here are sound as they are. There is no contradiction in them. The larger sense is that ‘Imān, Qur'an or the following of truth are things which put life into the heart and the life of the heart is nothing but that everything which becomes a barrier between the Creator and the created, barriers like inertia and desire, should be removed from the way of truth leaving it free from whatever obstructions there are in order that the heart is filled with the light of insight into the Creator.

Based on a narration from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ Tirmidhi and Al-Nasa'i have reported that on a certain day, the Holy Prophet ﷺ sent for Sayyidna Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ ، who was busy with his Salah at that time. However, he completed his Salah sooner than he would have normally done and presented himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He asked: 'Why did you come so late despite that I called you?' Sayyidna Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ submitted his excuse: 'I was in the state of Salah.' He said: 'Did you not hear what Allah Ta` ala has said in: اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّـهِ وَلِلرَّ‌سُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ (Respond to Allah and the Messenger when He calls you)?' Sayyidna Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ so, said: 'I shall obey it from now on. If you call me, even when I am making my Salah, I shall present myself before you immediately.'

It is on the basis of this Hadith that some Muslim jurists have said that anything done during Salah in obedience to the command of the Messenger of Allah would not be taken as interference in Salah. However, there are other jurists who say that Salah would though be terminated due to doings contrary to the standard rules governing Salah and it would have to be offered later as qada قَضَا (replaced for the missed or terminated Salah). But, the proper thing to do is that should the Holy Prophet ﷺ call someone, even if he is in the state of Salah, then, he should terminate his Salah and obey the call.

As for this form of obedience, it is exclusive to the Rasul of Allah. But, there are other occasions when one may apprehend the danger of serious loss coming to someone, then, at that time too, Salah …

The second verse (26) also mentions several things which could make Divine injunctions easy on them. To pursuade them towards the option of obedience to Allah, Muslims have been reminded of their past weakness and of how Allah has blessed them with power and confidence by changing surrounding conditions through His grace and mercy. The text says:

وَاذْكُرُ‌وا إِذْ أَنتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُّسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ تَخَافُونَ أَن يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ النَّاسُ فَآوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُم بِنَصْرِ‌هِ وَرَ‌زَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُ‌ونَ ﴿26﴾

And remember when you were few in number, oppressed on the earth, fearing that the people would snatch you away. Then, He gave you shelter and fortified you with His support and provided you with good things, so that you may be grateful - 26.

In this verse, Muslims are being asked to remember the conditions they were facing in Makkah during the pre-Hijrah period following which they were given the finest sanctuary at Madinah. Not only that, they were also blessed with Divine support, power and victory over adversaries, as well as assets of great value. Then, towards the end of the verse, it was said: لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُ‌ونَ (so that you may be grateful). It means that the purpose behind this great transformation of conditions around them supported by the flow of Divine blessings was to give them an opportunity to show their gratefulness as obedient servants of Allah, for the finest demonstration of gratefulness, in the real sense, comes through nothing but obedience to what Allah commands them to do.

In the third verse (27), Muslims have been instructed not to commit any breach of trust خِیَانہ (khiyanah) in the dual rights due against them, that is, in the rights of Allah (Huququllah) or in the mutual rights of the servants of Allah as enjoined on each other (Huququl-` Ibad) - either by failing to fulfill them totally, or by fulfilling them in a defective manner leaving one or the other shortcoming behind. Then, by saying: وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (while you know) at the end of the verse, it was stressed that they already knew that breach of trust was an evil conduct lined with many a curse, therefore, going ahead to do something like that was not what an intelligent person would choose to do - and, since the cause of negligence or shortcoming in fulfilling the rights of the servants of Allah is usually one's attachment to property and children, a warning was given in verse 28 by saying:

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ‌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿28﴾(And be aware that your wealth and your children are but a trial and that with Allah there is a great reward).

The word: فِتنَہ (fitnah) used here carries the sense of 'trial' as well as that of 'punishment.' Then, such things as become the cause of punishment are also referred to as fitnah.' In different verses of the Qur'an, 'fitnah' has been used to carry these three meanings. At this place, there is room for all three. There are occasions when one's own property and children become a can of troubles for him and that they would push him into negligence and disobedience and become the very cause of punishment right here in this world is all too obvious. Firstly, the sense could be that Allah aims to put you to test through your property and children for these are His blessings. Now, you prove whether you become grateful and obedient after having received these, or that you choose to be ungrateful and disobedient. Also possible is the second, even the third meaning, that is, should you become all engrossed in your love for your property and children and bring upon yourself the displeasure of Allah, then, these very children and property will become your punishment. There are occasions within this mortal world when one is engulfed into all sorts of hardships because of property and children and he starts experiencing the heat of punishment right here. Even if the case be otherwise, it stands settled that the property which was acquired or spent by ways counter to the injunctions of Allah Ta` ala will itself become, in the Hereafter, the active agent of punishment through snakes, scorpions and brandings by fire - as stated clearly in several verses of the Qur'an and numerous narrations of the Hadith. Finally, the third meaning is that these things become the cause of punishment. As pointed out a little earlier, it is quite evident that once these things become the cause of heedlessness towards and disobedience to Allah Ta` ala and His injunctions, they automatically become the cause of punishment. At the end of the verse (28), it was said: وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ‌ عَظِيمٌ (and that with Allah there is a great reward). In other words, one should understand clearly that for a person who is not all-subdued by his love for property and children while doing his duty of being obedient to the commands of Allah and His Rasul, there is a great reward for him with Allah.

As for the thematic content of this verse, it applies to all Muslims, but the cause of its revelation, according to the majority of commentators, is the event relating to Sayyidna Abu Lubabah ؓ as it came to pass during the battle of Banu Qurayzah. As reported, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the noble Companions ؓ kept the fort of Banu Qurayzah under siege for twenty one days which compelled them to make the request that they be allowed to leave their homeland and go to Syria. In view of their wickedness, he did not accede to their 'request. Instead, he said that the only option of peace open to them was that they should now agree to whatever decision Sayyidna Sa'd ibn Mu` adh رضی …

Commentary

The previous verse mentioned property and children as being a trial for mortal man because these are things the concern and love for which make one so overtaken that one would usually turn heedless towards Allah, the Creator and 'Akhirah, the life-to-come - though, the rational demand of this great blessing was that one should have shown a far pronounced tilt towards Him because of this favour.

The first verse out of those quoted above completes this very subject. Here, it is said that the person who keeps his emotion subservient to his reason, remains steadfast in this trial and sees to it that the obedience to Allah Ta` ala and love for Him stay ahead of everything - which is called Taqwa in the terminology of Qur'an and Shari'ah -then, he is blessed with three things in return. These are: (1) Furqan (the criterion of distinguishing between right and wrong), (2) Kaffarah of Sayyi'at (the expiation of evils done) and (3) Maghfirah (forgiveness from Allah).

Furqan and Farq are both verbal nouns having the same meaning. In usage, Furqan is the name of the thing which separates and makes two things clearly distinct. Therefore, a decision is called Furqan because it makes the difference between true and false very distinct. The help and support from Allah is also called Furqan because, through it, the protagonists of truth are made to win and their antagonists are made to taste defeat which makes the difference between right and wrong and true and false loud and clear. In the Holy Qur'an, it is in this sense that the battle of Badr has been called the Yowm al-Furqan, the Day of Distinction (between right and wrong).

According to the majority of commentators, the sense of providing Furqan to those who fear Allah is that the help and support of Allah Ta` ala is with them. No enemy can hurt them and success goes with them in all objectives they undertake:

ھرکہ ترسید از حق وتقوی گزید ترسد ازوے جن و انس وھر کہ دید

Whoever fears Allah and takes to piety (Taqwa)

Is feared at sight by Jinns and Humans of the world.

It appears in Tafsir Maha'imi that an indication has been given here towards the slip made by Sayyidna Abu Lubabah ؓ ، because of his desire to provide protection for his family and children as mentioned a little earlier in the event relating to him. He was in the error particularly for the reason that the correct and the only method of keeping his family and children protected was no other but that total obedience to Allah Ta` ala and His Messenger ﷺ ، should have been made his personal benchmark as a result of which whatever belonged to him including his family and children would have come under the security umbrella of Allah Ta` ala. Other than this, there are other commentators who say that Furqan in this verse means the wisdom and insight through which it becomes easy to distinguish between true and false, the genuine and the fake. Thus, the core meaning of the statement would be that Allah Ta` ala arms those who observe Taqwa with such insight and intelligence that it becomes easy for them to go ahead and decide between the good and the evil.

The second blessing received in return for practicing Taqwa is the …

The second verse (30) points out to a particular reward and favour of Allah Ta` ala which has been conferred on the Holy Prophet ؓ ، the noble Companions ؓ and, in fact, on the whole world. This came to be before the Hijrah when the Holy Prophet ؓ was encircled by the disbelievers and they were planning to detain or kill him. Then, Allah Ta` ala made their unholy intentions lick dust and made it possible for the Holy Prophet ؓ to reach the city of Madinah in perfect safety.

The related incident has been reported in Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafsir Mazhari on the authority of narrations from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, Imam Ahmad, Ibn Jarir and others. According to details of this incident, when the news about visiting residents of Madinah embracing Islam became known in Makkah, the Quraysh of Makkah started worrying about it. They thought that the matter of people becoming Muslims was something restricted to Makkah upto that point of time, an area where they held all power in their hands. But, as Islam had started spreading in Madinah, many Companions ؓ of the Prophet ﷺ had migrated to that city, it went to prove that Muslims had another center in Madinah where they could assemble a fighting force against them and possibly decide to attack. Alongwith this, they also realized that this was just the beginning when only some Companions ؓ have migrated to Madinah. There was strong likelihood that Muhammad ﷺ may also go and join them. Therefore, the notable chiefs of Makkah called a special meeting for mutual consultations at Dar al-Nadwah. This place called Dar al-Nadwah was the home of Qusay ibn Kilab and was located close to al-Masjid al-Haram. These people used it as the place where they met to consult on national problems. During the Islamic period, it has been merged in al-Masjid al-Haram. It is said that the present Bab al-Ziyadat was the place known as Dar al-Nadwah.

As customary, the Quraysh chiefs met at Dar al-Nadwah for this significant consultation. All known leaders from the Quraysh such as Abu Jahl, Nadhr ibn Harith, ` Utbah, Shaybah, Umaiyyah ibn Khalaf, Abu Sufyan and others participated. The agenda considered was how to confront and block the rising power of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Islam.

Before this consultative meeting could be called to order, there appeared Iblis, the accursed, in the guise of an aged ` Arab Shaykh. People on the door of Dar al-Nadwah asked: Who are you and why have you come here? The answer given was: I am a resident of Najd. I have been told that you have assembled here to discuss an important national issue. So, as a well-wisher of our people, I am here in the hope that I too may be able to tender some useful advice on the matter under consideration.

His plea was heard. He was called in. Then, began the process of suggestions on the subject. According to a narration reported by Suhaili, it was suggested by Abu al-Bakhtari ibn Hisham that 'he' (meaning the Holy Prophet ﷺ ) should be chained and de-tained in a house. The door should be locked and he should be left there until he dies, God forbid, his own death. Hearing this, the Shaykh of Najd - Iblis, the accursed - said: This proposal is not sound for if you did …