collections from 'in the shade of the quran

8/10/2019 Collections From 'in the Shade of the Quran'

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Fasting: Its nature and purpose

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Believers, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you, so that youmay remain God-fearing, Fast! a certain number of-days" But whoever of you is ill, or on

a #ourney, shall fast instead the same number of days later on" $hose who find fasting a

strife too hard to bear may compensate for it by the feeding of a needy person" %e whodoes good of his own account does himself good thereby& for to fast is to do yourselves

good, if you but 'now it" $he (ow, )Al-Ba*arah) :+&.-/!

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb, Translated by A.A.Salahi & S.A.Shamsi.

It is only natural that fasting should be decreed to the nation which is duty bound to

launch a campaigner struggle to establish the Islamic way of life which Allah has laid

down for man'ind, and to call on people to accept it and to testify against them in respectof their attitudes to it" Fasting is a manifestation of man0s determined will and his

relationship with his 1ord which is based on total obedience and submission to him" It is

also a demonstration of man0s deliberate disregard of all his physical needs" %e willingly

forgoes these needs in order to achieve his aim of winning the pleasure of Allah andearning his reward" $hese are necessary elements in the training of the believer so that

they are able to bear the pressures and hardships of the way they have chosen" It is the

thorny way, full of obstacles" 2n both sides of it there are all sorts of pleasures andtemptations which bec'on it0s travellers, trying to force them off their course"

3e may add also that fasting has numerous advantages for health which continue to be

discovered as time passes" I am personally not inclined to relate religious duties anddirectives, especially in matters of worship, to their apparent physical advantages" $heunderlying purpose of all such duties and directives is to e*uip man ade*uately to fulfil

his role in his life and to prepare him for the achievement of the standard of perfection

designed for him in the hereafter"

4evertheless, I do not deny any benefit which, we may observe, or scientists maydiscover to result from the fulfilment of such religious duties and directives" It goes

without saying that Allah ta'es into consideration the physical constitution of man before

%e lays down his duties for him" 3e must not, however, relate our religious duties solelyto what our human 'nowledge discovers" 2ur 'nowledge is, after all, limited and cannot

comprehend fully the divine wisdom behind everything that relates to man and hiseducation and training, let alone comprehend everything that relates to the universe"

Allah reali5es that man re*uires help and motivation in order to respond to duty and fulfilit regardless of its benefits" It ta'es time for man to get used to a certain duty and to be

convinced of its wisdom" %ence, the decree of fasting starts with the address made to the

believers which reminds them of their essential *uality, that is, they believe in Allah"$hey are then told that fasting has always been a duty re*uired of the believers in all


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religions" Its principal aim is their education and training so that their hearts ac*uire a

high standard of sensitivity and purity and that the fear of Allah is well established in

them: )Believers, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you, so thatyou may remain God-fearing")

$o fear Allah, then, is the great aim of fasting which looms large before our eyes" As thebelievers fulfil this duty, in total obedience to Allah and in pursuit of %is pleasure, they

feel the *uality of fearing Allah to be a life within them" $his is indeed the *uality whichguards their hearts against spoiling their fasting by indulging in sin, even if it is of the

type which only passes through the mind" $hose who are addressed by the 6ur0an are

fully aware of the value Allah attaches to this *uality of fearing Allah and beingconscious of %im" Its ac*uirement is something for which they yearn" Fasting is a tool

with which it is achieved, or we may say, a way which leads to it" %ence, the 6ur0an

raises it before them as a noble ob#ective which they try to achieve through fasting"

$hey are then told that fasting is prescribed only for a certain number of days" It is not to

be practised every day in their lives" 78empted from it, however, are the ill until theyhave recovered, and the travellers until they have settled: ) Fast a certain number of days"

But whoever of you is ill, or on a #ourney, shall fast instead the same number of days lateron")

$a'en at its face value, the statement concerning the e8emption of the ill and the

travellers is general, unrestricted" %ence any illness or #ourney is a good reason for

e8emption from fasting, provided that compensation is made when the case which#ustifies the e8emption no longer obtains" $his is my understanding of this general,

un*ualified 6ur0anic statement" Moreover, it is more in line with the Islamic concept of

relieving the strain and causing no hardship" $he e8emption is not related to the severity

of the illness or the hardship of the #ourney& it is related to sic'ness and travellinggenerally" $he purpose of the e8emption is that it is Allah0s wish to ma'e things easy, not

hard, for man" 3e cannot claim to have full 'nowledge of the divine wisdom behindrelating this e8emption to sic'ness and travelling generally" $here may be some

considerations 'nown to Allah and un'nown to man in these two cases" $here may be

some hardships which may not immediately appear to us or we may tend to overloo'"

9ince Allah has not attached this e8emption to any particular reason, we refrain fromma'ing any #udgement concerning it" 3e obey any statement Allah has made, even if its

wisdom does not appear immediately to us" 3hat is certain is that there is a wisdom

behind it, although we may not necessarily recogni5e it"

9ome people may fear that such an opinion my cause people to be la8 or to neglect theirworship duties for any reason" Indeed, this is what has prompted Islamic scholars to adopt

a more strict attitude and to lay down conditions" $his argument, however, does not

#ustify, in my opinion, attaching any restrictions to an un*ualified statement made byAllah" Islam does not compel people to be obedient" Its method is to implant in them the

fear of Allah so that they obey %im" $he ac*uirement of the *uality of fearing Allah is the

particular aim of this type of worship" %e who tries to ma'e use of a certain concessionmade by Allah in order to evade fulfilling a duty is, in the first place, devoid of goodness"

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3ith such an attitude, the aim behind the religious duty cannot be fulfilled" 3e must not

forget that Islam is a religion laid down by Allah, not man-made" Allah 'nows best that

this religion achieves a perfect balance between the rela8ation of certain duties and strictadherence to duty" A certain e8emption or concession may serve a certain interest which

cannot be served otherwise" Indeed, this must be the case" %ence, the rophet has ordered

Muslims to ma'e use of the concessions and e8emptions Allah has allowed them"

If it so happens that people, in a particular generation, have become corrupt, their reformcannot be achieved through an e8tra strict application of Allah0s rules, but through their

education and motivation to ac*uire the *uality of fearing Allah" If a strict application of

the rules which govern human transactions may be used as a deterrent or as a means toprevent evil when corruption spreads, the same cannot be applied to matters of worship"

3orship is a relationship between man and %is 1ord which has no direct effect on the

interests of human beings, in the same way as the rules governing human transactionshave" Appearances in matters of worship are irrelevant, unless worship is based on

fearing Allah" If this *uality is present, no one would try to evade a duty or utili5e a

concession e8cept when he is fully satisfied that ma'ing use of it is preferable, inobedience to Allah, in the particular case in which he finds himself" A strict application of

the rules which govern acts of worship generally or a tendency to restrict the e8emptions

which have not been *ualified originally may cause some people to refrain from using

them when they need them" Moreover, it has little effect in chec'ing those who want tobe evasive" It is far better to handle matters in whatever way Allah has made clear to us"

%e has far more wisdom than us and %e 'nows best the interests, immediate and not so

immediate, served by all %is rules which lay down duties or rela8 them"

As for the e8emption from fasting in cases of illness, it appears to me that the e8emptionapplies to every case which may be reasonably described as illness, regardless of its

nature or intensity" It is compulsory for anyone who ma'es use of this e8emption tocompensate for the days of ;amadan which he does not fast because of illness ortravelling" 7ach day is compensated for by fasting one day at any time during the year"

$he weightier opinion is that there is no need to fast on consecutive days when one fasts

in compensation for the days he did not in ;amadan"

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A Test of Genuine Faith

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb, translated by A.A. Salahi & S.A. Shamsi

In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful.

%ave you reflected on the case of! the elders to the children of Israel, after the time of

Moses, when they said to a rophet of theirs: Appoint for us a 'ing, and we shall fight forthe cause of Allah, %e said: $hey answered:


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responsibility, and that their re*uest was serious indeed: $e said( )ould you,per!han!e, refrain from fighting if fighting is ordained for you*Might it not be that

you would hesitate if fighting is imposed on you as a duty= ?our responsibility now ismuch lighter" 9hould I respond to your re*uest and fighting becomes ordained, then there

is no going bac' on it" It is the sort of *uestioning which behoves a rophet" 2nce a

rophet has issued his order, it cannot be ta'en lightly"

At this point, their enthusiasm was at its highest" $hey mentioned other reasons for theirdesire to fight for Allahs cause, which made fighting the only course open to them in

their particular circumstances: They ansered( )hy should e not fight for the !ause

of Allah hen e ha"e been dri"en out of our homes and our !hildren* $he situation,then, was very clear to them" $heir minds were made up" $heir enemies were the enemies

of Allah and %is religion" $hey had forced them to flee their homelands and enslaved

their children" %ence, the only way open to them was to fight" $here was no giong bac',and their determination was very strong"

$hat peacetime enthusiasm, however, was short-lived" $he 9urah immediately turns thepage and we are told: +et, hen fighting as ordained for them, they turned ba!k,

sa"e for a fe of them.%ere we are given an insight into one of the characteristics of thechildren of Israel which ta'es the form of violating pledges, brea'ing promises, trying to

evade religious duties, disunity, and turning bac' on what is manifestly the right course"

$his characteristic, however, is true of any community which does not ac*uire a matureeducation through faith" It is a human characteristic which can be rectified only by means

of an education of a high standard through faith which is progressive and profoundly

effective" %ence, the leadership of any community which wants to implement faith, must

be wary of this characteristic" It must ta'e it into account as it moves on toward its goal,so that it is not ta'en by surprise" Any human community which has not been purged of

its wea'nesses, its rough edges not smoothed out, can be e8pected to show thischaracteristic"

$he comment given here on this attitude of turning bac' runs as follows: Allah is fully

aare of the rongdoers.

It is a comment which implies denunciation of the ma#ority who, even before they were

called on to fight, have turned their bac's on this duty after having re*uested itsimposition" $hey are described here as wrongdoers" $hey have done wrong to themselves

and to their rophet and to the cause of truth, for failing to do their duty by it when they

'new that it is the truth" Anyone who 'nows that his cause is the cause of truth, and that

his enemy is the enemy of truth, in the same way as those elders of the children of Israelreali5ed when they re*uested their rophet to appoint a 'ing for them in order to fight for

Allahs cause, and then turns his bac' on Cihad, or fighting, does wrong will suffer the

punishment meted out to the wrongdoers"

3e then notice, in their polemics, another characteristic of the Israelites which has often

been mentioned in this 9urah" $heir initial re*uest was for the appointment of a 'ing to

lead them in their fighting, which they stated to be a fight for the !ause of Allah'.But

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then they hung down their heads before turning up their chee's to argue about Allahs

choice which has been intimated to them through their rophet" $hey find it hard to

accept $aloot, whom Allah has chosen to be their 'ing" $he reason is that they feel to bebetter entitled on hereditary grounds, to the 'ingship" $aloot did not belong to a royal

family" 4or had he been given abundant wealth to #ustify the overloo'ing of the

hereditary factor" All this betrays a lac' of clarity of vision, in addition to its being a well-'nown characteristic of the children of Israel"

$heir rophet, however, e8plained to them that $aloot was personally worthy of the

position assigned to him" Allah ma'es %is choice wisely: $e said( Allah has !hosen him

in preferen!e to you, and has added to his superiority in isdom and physi!al

stature. Allah bestos his dominion on hom $e ills. Allah gi"es ithout limits

$e is all knoing.For one thing, he is Allahs choice" For another, he has been endowed

with superior wisdom and physical strength" Moreover, Allah bestows %is dominion onwhom %e wills" After all, it is %is dominion and %e is free to choose any of %is servants

to be 'ing" %is bounty is limitless and %e grants %is favours as %e chooses" %e 'nows

what is beneficial and what is not, and %e is fully aware of what is suitable in any and allsituations"

$hese factors, having been stated so clearly, should have been sufficient to remove any

confusion or clarity of vision" But the nature of the Israelites, which was well 'nown to

their rophet, ma'es them unsatisfied with these considerations alone" As they werefacing a battle, they needed something miraculous to reawa'en their hearts and to fully

reassure them: Their -rophet also said to them( The portent of his kingship is thatthere ill !ome to you a !asket ehrein you shall ha"e pea!e of reassuran!e from

your #ord, and a lega!y left behind by the $ouse of %oses and the $ouse of Aaron.

t ill be borne by angels. That ill be a sign for you, if you are true belie"ers.

After the Israelites were able to impose their authority on the %oly 1and under the

leadership of their rophet Coshua, who came after Moses, they suffered a heavy defeatby their enemies who dispersed them in their diaspora, and looted their sacred legacy

represented in the cas'et in which they 'ept the relics of their former rophets of the

%ouses of Moses and Aaron" It is said that the cas'et was an ar' which contained the

tablets given to, Moses on Mount 9inai"" $heir rophet told them, Eborne by angels,giving them great reassurance"

$hat sign was, as their rophet told them, more than sufficient for them as a reassurance

that $aloot was Allahs own choice to be their 'ing" $he 6uranic te8t suggests that this

miraculous event actually too' place, and they were absolutely reassured"


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Charity ith Good %anners

In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful

A 'ind word with forgiveness is better than charity followed by in#ury" Allah is free of allwants, clement" Believers, do not render your charitable deeds worthless by boasting

about your benevolence and causing in#ury to others, as does he who spends his wealth

only to show off and be praised, while he believes neither in Allah nor in the 1ast ay"9uch a person is li'e a smooth roc' covered with earth" $hen heavy rain falls on it and

leaves it hard and bare" 9uch as these shall gain nothing from their wor's" Allah does not

guide the unbelievers" But those who give away their wealth out of a genuine desire toplease Allah, and out of their own inner certainty are li'e a garden on a hillside" %eavy

rain falls on it, and it yields up twice its normal produce" If no heavy rain falls on it, a

slight dri55le is sufficient!" Allah sees all you do"

3ould any of you wish to have a garden of palms and vines, through which rivers flow,then to be well advanced in age, while his children are wea'& and then a fiery whirlwind

smites it and leaves it all burned down= In this way Allah ma'es plain to you %is

revelations, so that you may reflect"

The Co, Al/0a1arah'( 2234/2335

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb, Translated by A.A.Salahi & S.A.Shamsi.

$he purpose of charity is the purification of hearts and souls, and the establishment of a

tie between the giver and the recipient based on mutual love" 2ur present passage startswith an assertion that charity is worthless if followed by in#ury inflicted by the giver on

the recipient" It is far better to replace it by a 'ind word and a friendly feeling" A 'indword helps fill peoples hearts with pleasure and content" Forgiveness washes away

grudges and replaces them with a feeling of friendship and brotherhood" $ogether they

achieve the primary purpose of charity, namely, the purification of hearts and the

strengthening of friendly feelings"

(harity is not a favour done by the giver to the recipient& it is alone given to Allah"

%ence, the statement is concluded with this comment& Allah is free of all ants,!lement. %e is in no need of charity followed by in#ury" A manifestation of %is clemency

is given by the fact that %e provides everything for %is servant, but does not punish themfor their ingratitude" ?et they are indebted to %im for their very e8istence, even before %e

gives them anything" eople, then, should learn and try to treat each other with clemency"

$hey must not be furious with, or inflict in#ury on, those to whom they have beencharitable should they be ungrateful to them or should they do something wrong"

$he 6uran continues to remind people of the attributes of Allah which provide the

perfect ideal for a Muslim with regard to his manners and moral values" %e should wor'


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hard toward that ideal in order to achieve of it whatever his nature is capable of

achieving"

$he last three verses have given us an e8ample of those who spend their wealth for thecause of Allah, without stressing their own benevolence or causing in#ury to others

portrayed allegorically in a scene of vigorous life yielding its fruits with abundance,followed by a statement that Allah is in no need of charity followed by in#ury" 3hen the

impressions left by these verses are at their most vivid and their impact at its highest, thebelievers are instructed not to render their charitable acres invalid by boastfulness and

in#ury" 3e are given here two remar'able scenes which fit perfectly with the earlier one

drawn from the world of agriculture" $hey describe the nature of spending purely forAllahs sa'e and the other type of charity followed by in#ury and boastfulness" $his is in

'eeping with the 6uranic method of putting the intended meaning in a scene, and

showing the effect in a movement, and the whole idea in a vivid portrait which is full oflife"

$he first scene is made up of two contrasting images, with each containing details whichfit perfectly with one another as far as the art of drawing is concerned" $hey are also

perfectly fitting to the message the whole scene has been drawn to give and the feelingsand impressions it is intended to impart"

In the first image, we see the very hard heart:As does he who spends his wealth only to

show off and be praised by others, while he believes neither in Allah nor in the Last Day.

$he gentle, pleasant and happy feelings faith imparts to man are un'nown to that personwho tries to cover his hard nature with a thin cover of hypocrisy" %is mas'ed hard heart is

like a smooth rock covered with earth.It is a piece of stone which can never be fertile,

covered with a thin layer of dust so that its hard nature is not immediately recogni5able in

the same way as hypocrisy covers the hard nature of a heart devoid of faith" Then heavyrain falls on it and leaves it hard and bare. 3hen the dust is washed away by the rain,

everyone recogni5es the reality of the stone& bare, unfruitful, hard, barren" $he same*ualities apply to the person who spends his wealth only to show off and to gain praise"

4othing good results from his action and he can e8pect no reward"

$he contrasting image of this scene is that of a heart full of faith, gentle and happy" It is

the heart of a man who spends his wealth out of a genuine desire to please Allah. %e isalso motivated by his certainty, imparted to him by his faith& that good actions yield the

best fruit" $he heart of the believer is represented here by a fertile garden with deep soil,

in contrast with the thin layer of dust on the smooth roc' which was the image given

earlier for the hard heart of the unbeliever" $wo similes provide perfect harmony" 3henheavy rain falls it does not wash away the fertile soil as it did with the dust on that stone,

it enhances its fertility and doubles its produce: %eavy rain falls on it, and it yields up

twice its normal produce"

$he heavy rain gives life to the soil in the same way as charity gives life to the heart of

the believer to enable him to grow and strengthen his relationship with Allah" %is wealth

also increases and Allah gives him in abundance" moreover, the life of the Muslim


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community is purified with such 'ind of spending and it grows: f no rain falls on it, aslight dri66le is suffi!ient5. Indeed, fertile soil needs only a little water to give its

abundance"

It is complete scene with perfect contrast, and great harmony of details" It is shown with

inimitable s'ill" It portrays every feeling and every thought with tangible indicators, andimparts its message to man effortlessly"

9ince a scene is something which we see with our eyes, and since the whole matter indiscussion depends on how Allah sees the real motives behind actions, it is concluded

with this comment: Allah sees all you do.

$he second scene shows the end brought about by boastfulness and in#ury" $hey totally

destroy the good effects of charity at the time when the person concerned is powerlessand helpless, unable to avert that destruction" $his depressing result is depicted in a vivid

image which leaves strong impressions" 7verything here is stormy, after a period of

security and fertility" In essence and effect, an act of charity is li'ened in the physicalworld to

a garden of palms and vines, through which rivers flow, bringing forth all 'inds of fruits"

It is a beautiful garden with fine trees and abundant fruits" 9o should a charity be in the

life of the giver, the recipient and the community" It should be pleasant, beautiful, and

blessed" It should help truth and it should promote life"

3ho would wish to have such a garden, or such a good act, and then inflict on it uncalled

for boastfulness and in#ury to destroy it completely as a fiery whirlwind destroys a

garden= 3ho would do that at the moment when he is totally helpless to save it, andwhen his need for its fruits is at its most pressing= Then to be ell ad"an!ed in age,

hile his !hildren are eak and then a fiery hirlind smites it and lea"es it all

burnt don.3ho would wish to have that= 3ho would not try to evert such an end,

having contemplated it= n this ay, Allah makes plain to you $is re"elations, so that

you may refle!t.

$he scene portrays first a case of happiness and en#oyment, beauty and splendour, before

the fiery whirlwind utterly destroys it" $he awesome impressions left by this remar'able

scene leaves no room for any hesitation before the choice is made while it can be made,before the beautiful, fruitful garden is destroyed by the fire of the whirlwind"

$he perfect harmony which we inevitably notice in the drawing of every individual scene

and the way it is presented, is not limited to individual scenes" It applies to all the scenes

drawn in this passage, which are all derived from the field of agriculture& a grain out ofwhich grow seven ears& a smooth roc' covered with earth before it is washed away by

heavy rain& a garden on a hillside producing double its normal harvest& a garden of palms

and vines, etc" It is a complete artistic e8hibition which also includes heavy rain, dri55leand a whirlwind"

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Beyond all this lies an essential fact of an important relationship between man and the

soil of the earth" It is the fact of the common origin, the common nature and the life

common to both man and the soil" $his life of both man and soil can also be utterlydestroyed" All this we learn from the 6uran, the perfect word of truth, revealed by the

one who is wise and who 'nows all"


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Sele!t the best for !harity


0elie"ers, spend on others out of the good things hi!h you may ha"e earned, andout of that hi!h )e bring forth for you from the earth. 7o not sele!t for your

spending the bad things hi!h you yoursel"es ould not a!!ept ithout turning

your eyes aay in disdain. 8no that Allah is free of all ant, full of praise. Satan

promises you po"erty and bids you to !ommit inde!en!y, hereas Allah promises

you $is forgi"eness and bounty. Allah is munifi!ent, all/knoing. $e grants isdom

to hom $e ills and he ho is granted isdom has indeed been granted abundant

good. 0ut none takes heed e9!ept those ho ha"e minds.

)hate"er alms you spend and hate"er "os you make are indeed knon to Allah.

The e"ildoers shall ha"e none to help them.

f you gi"e alms openly, that is ell but if you gi"e them to the needy in pri"ate, it is

e"en better for you, and ill atone for some of your bad deeds. Allah is aare of all

you do. The Co, Al/0a1arah' (223:/2:;5

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb, Translated by A.A. Salahi & S.A. Shamsi.

$he 6uranic passage we discussed last issue outlined the moral code of alms giving andthe benefits to be gained by it" $his passage outlines the type of proper charity and how to

give it" 3hat the 6uranic te8t ma'es clear is that charity means to give away of the best

one has"

It cannot be proper when the worst type of ones possession is selected for it, especially ifthe owner does not li'e it to the e8tent that if something similar is given him in a business

deal he would not accept it unless he lowers the price" Allah is in no need to accept our

bad offerings"

It is a general address to the believers in all generations, which includes whatever they

can lay their hands on" It includes what they may legitimately earn through their wor'

and what Allah brings forth for them out of the earth, be it plants, minerals or oil" %ence,

the instruction here, which is of the broadest type, includes all types of wealth, whether'nown at the time of the rophet buh! or not"

4o 'ind of money or wealth which may come into e8istence at any particular time can be

e8empt from its provisions" Ja'ah accrues on all such monies" As for the e8act amount of

Ja'ah for each type, the 9unnah has e8plained all that with regard to monies 'nown atthe time of the rophet buh!" 2ther percentages and amounts may be determined for

new types of money and wealth by comparison"


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3e have reports about the circumstances which called for this verse to be revealed" It is

useful to *uote one of these here in order to appreciate the sort of life which e8isted at the

time of the revelation of the 6uran, and the sort of effort which was needed for theeducation of Muslims and their elevation to the proper standard the 6uran wanted them

to achieve"

Al-$abari reports on the authority of Al-Baraa ibn A5ib that this verse %e is in no

need whatsoever of what people may give" 3hen they give away something in charity,

they serve their own interest" %ence, let them choose what is good and give it away

willingly" %e is also full of praise: %e accepts good actions, praises them and rewardsthem generously" 7ach of these two attributes leaves here its touching impressions as they

did with those Ansari people" 0elie"ers, spend on others out of the good things hi!h

you may ha"e earned .'

2therwise, Allah is in no need for the bad type which you deliberately select for yourcharity" 2n the other hand, %e praises you when you select the things of good *uality

things for your charity and rewards you generously for them" ?et %e is the 2ne who gives

you your provisions in the first place" %e rewards you for spending it on charity whenyou are spending for %is sa'e only what %e has given you" 3hat an effective and

tempting way of tac'ling this point" It is indeed a remar'able way of educating peoples

hearts"

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9ince niggardliness and the selection of what is bad or of poor *uality to give away for

charity can only be motivated by unhealthy motives such as an unfirm belief in what

Allah has in store for the benevolent, and fear of poverty which cannot be felt by anyperson who is close to Allah and relies on %im and believes that he will eventually return

to %im, Allah states these motives to the believers so that they may see them in their

na'edness and 'now their origins and what gives rise to them" $hey all come from 9atan:Satan promises you po"erty and bids you to !ommit inde!en!y, hereas Allah

promises you $is forgi"eness and bounty.'

9atan raises the threat of poverty before you in order to arouse within you the feelings of

selfishness and niggardliness" %e also bids you to commit indecency" $he term refers to any sinful action which is carried beyond reasonable limits"

Although it is most fre*uently used with a certain type of sinful action, it is far more

comprehensive in meaning" $he fear of poverty prompted some people in pre-Islamicdays to bury their daughters alive, which is a gross indecency" $he blind desire to get rich

led some of them to gorge themselves on usury, which is again an indecency" $o fear

poverty as a result of spending for Allahs cause is, however, in itself an indecency"

3hen 9atan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit what is indecent, Allahpromises you forgiveness and abundance: )hereas Allah promises you $is

forgi"eness and bounty.'3e note here that forgiveness has been given precedence over

Allahs bounty, because the latter is given as an e8tra on top of Allahs forgiveness" 3eshould note here that Allahs bounty includes what Allah provides for us of sustenance in

this life, in return for our generosity in spending for %is sa'e and %is cause"

Allah is munifi!ent, all/knoing.' %e gives in abundance" %e also 'nows the

innermost thoughts of people" Moreover, %is gifts are not confined to wealth and

forgiveness" %e also gives " $he use of the term here stressed theneed for moderation, the understanding of causes and effects, the evaluation of all matters

after proper reasoning and deliberation:$e grants isdom to hom $e ills and he

ho is granted isdom has indeed been granted abundant good.'

%e would have been granted reason and moderation which prevent him from e8cesses of

all sorts" %e would also have been granted an insight into causes and effects so that he

can evaluate matters properly" %e can distinguish what is good and proper from what isbad and improper" $his is indeed good in abundance, and in a wide range of ways and

forms"

0ut none takes heed e9!ept those ho ha"e minds.'2nly a person with a sound mind

ta'es heed, reflects and remains conscious of the proper line of action so that he does notallow himself to go astray" After all, this is the function of the mind" %e should also

benefit by everything which reminds him of the need to follow proper guidance and not

to indulge in e8cesses"

$he determining factor on who is given wisdom is Allahs will" $his is a basic principleof Islamic philosophy which attributes everything to Allahs absolute and free will"

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3e move on with the 6uranic passage which e8plains to us that Allah 'nows everything

spent by any person, be it a charity or a fulfilment of a vow, whether made in public or

private" $his necessitates that %e rewards actions according to intentions behind them"9pending in this sense includes everything that a person pays out of his or her money: be

it obligatory or voluntary charity or in support of a Jihadcampaign" Kows are one type of

spending which a person imposes on himself in a defined measure" A vow can only be forAllahs sa'e and in %is cause" If it is made for the sa'e of any other being, it becomes a

form of polytheism, as was the case with sacrifices made by the polytheists for the sa'e

of their idols and deities in different societies"

)hate"er alms you spend and hate"er "os you make are indeed knon to

Allah.'

3hen the believer reali5es that Allah watches his actions and 'nows his intentions, he is

bound to have a variety of feelings" %e is conscious that he must not entertain any

thought of showing off of generosity or betray any notion of miserliness or fear of

poverty" %e also feels reassured as to his reward which will not fail" %e also feelssatisfied with himself for having than'ed Allah practically for %is grace by spending for

%is cause of what %e has given him"

%e who does not do his duty in respect of the grace Allah has bestowed on him, and whodoes not fulfil his obligations towards Allah and towards %is servants, monopoli5ing for

himself the good Allah has given him, is certainly an evildoer who violates his covenant

with Allah and who does wrong against himself" The e"ildoers shall ha"e none to help

them.'$o honour ones obligations is to be fair& to dishonour them is to do evil and be

unfair" In this respect, people are divided into two groups& those who honour their pledges

to Allah, than' Allah for %is grace and honour their obligations, and those who violate

their covenant, fail their obligations and show no gratitude: The e"ildoers shall ha"enone to help them.'

3hen a charity is given voluntarily, it is better and preferable to Allah if given in private"

$his ensures it to be free from any trace of showiness" 3hen it is given in fulfilment ofones obligations, publicity enhances the meaning of obedience" For this meaning to be

common in society is certainly beneficial" %ence, the 6uranic statement& f you gi"ealms openly, that is ell but if you gi"e them to the needy in pri"ate, it is e"en

better for you.'$he statement includes both cases" 7ach is given its proper value" 7ach

is praised in its proper conte8t" For both, the believers are promised atonement of their

sins: And ill atone for some of your bad deeds.'$he feelings of God-consciousness

on the hand, confidence and reassurance on the other, are all aroused and lin'ed withsincere intention and action:Allah is aare of all you do.'

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#essons for the 7is!erning


As for those ho disbelie"e, neither their ri!hes nor their offspring ill in the least

a"ail them against Allah it is they ho shall be the fuel of the fire. s retribution is se"ere indeed.

Say to those ho disbelie"e +ou shall be o"er!ome and gathered unto hell, an e"il

resting pla!e. +ou ha"e had a sign in the to armies hi!h met in battle. =ne as

fighting for Allah>s !ause, the other an army of disbelie"ers. They sa ith their

"ery eyes that the others ere ti!e their on number. 0ut Allah strengthens ith

$is su!!our hom $e ills. n this there is surely a lesson for all ho ha"e eyes to

see.

The $ouse of mran, Aal mran' (4 ;?/;45


$his passage follows the opening verses of the 9urah which outline the attitude of the

believers towards Allahs revelations, whether of the clear and precise type or of the typee8pressed in allegory" %ere we have an e8planation of the end which awaits the

disbelievers, and the divine law which never fails to inflict punishment on them because

of their sins" A warning is also included to the disbelievers among the people of earlier

revelations who stand in opposition to Islam" $he rophet buh! is instructed to warnthem, and to remind them of what they saw with their own eyes in the battle of Badr

when the small group of believers were given a great victory over a much larger force of

disbelievers"

$he conte8t of this passage is an address to the children of Israel warning them of asimilar doom to that of the disbelievers who lived before them and who may live after

them" It also includes a highly significant touch, reminding the Israelites of the doom

which befell haraoh and his soldiers when Allah saved the Israelites from their revenge"$hat, however, did not give the Israelites any right to special treatment should they revert

to disbelief and denial of the truth" $here is nothing to prevent them from being branded

as disbelievers in this life of in the life to come, in the same way as that doom befellharaoh and his army"

$hey are also reminded of the fate of the 6uraish army of the disbelievers in the battle ofBadr" $he reminder drives it home to them that Allahs law will never fail" 4othing will

protect them against the fate of 6uraish, overwhelming them in a similar manner" $hecause of that fate was the re#ection of the faith on 6uraishs part" 4o one has a special

favour with Allah and no one will have any immunity e8cept through true faith"

As for those ho disbelie"e, neither their ri!hes nor their offspring ill in the least

a"ail them against Allah it is they ho shall be the fuel of the fire. 3ealth and

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children are normally thought of as two sources of protection" 4either, however, will be

of any avail on that day of the arrival of which there is no doubt, because Allah never

fails to 'eep %is promise" 2n that day they are the fuel of the fire.' It is a metaphorwhich deprives them of all characteristics which distinguish man" $hey are grouped

together with logs of wood and all sorts of fuel"

Indeed, wealth and children cannot be of any avail in this life, even when they are

coupled with power and authority: Cust li'e the cases of the people of haraoh and thosebefore them& they disbelieved our revelations& therefore, Allah too' them to tas' for their

sins" Allahs retribution is severe in deed" It was a case with fre*uent parallels in history"

Allah has related it in detail in this Boo'" It is a case which outlines Allahs law whichapplies to those who re#ect %is revelations as lies" %e implements this law as %e wills"

%ence, no one who re#ects Allahs law which applies to those who re#ect %is revelations

as lies" %e implements this law as %e wills" %ence, no one who re#ects Allahs revelationscan have any immunity or safeguard"

$his means that those who re#ected the faith and dismissed Muhammads buh! call andthe message contained in the Boo' Allah revealed to him with the truth, lay themselves

open to the same fate in both this life and the life to come" $he rophet buh! isinstructed to warn them against the same fate in both lives" %e is further instructed to

give them the recent e8ample of what happened to them in Badr, for they may have

forgotten the e8ample of haraoh and the disbelievers before him and how they wereoverwhelmed by Allahs stern retribution" Say to those ho disbelie"e( +ou shall be

o"er!ome and gathered unto hell, an e"il resting pla!e. +ou ha"e had a sign in the

to armies hi!h met in battle. =ne as fighting for Allah>s !ause, the other an

army of disbelie"ers. They sa ith their "ery eyes that the others ere ti!e their

on number. 0ut Allah strengthens ith $is su!!our hom $e ills. n this there is

surely a lesson for all ho ha"e eyes to see.

$he statement, @they sa ith their "ery eyes that the others ere ti!e their on

number>,admits two possible interpretations" $he pronoun preceding the verb

saw may be ta'en to refer to the disbelievers and the othersin this case refers to the

Muslims" $his means that despite their numerical superiority, the disbelievers imagined

the much smaller group of Muslims to be twice their own number.$his was by Allahsown design who led the unbelievers to believe that the Muslims were a very large force

when they were indeed few in number, and that put fear in the hearts of the disbelievers"

$he same statement could be ta'en in e8actly the opposite interpretation which suggests

that the Muslims saw the unbelievers


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$he 6uran continues to wor' with its great truth and the many e8amples it includes of

its operation" Allahs promise to defeat the disbelievers who swerve away from the truth

and re#ect Allahs constitution is valid for all time" 9imilarly, Allahs promise to grantvictory to the believers, even though they may be few in number, is also valid for all

time" $hat victory depends in the last resort on Allahs help which %e grants to

whomsoever %e wills is also a fact which remains true for the present and for the future"

$he believers need only to be certain that this is the truth and to be confident that Allahspromise will be fulfilled" $hey must do all they have in their power and then be patient

until Allahs will is done" $hey must not precipitate events, nor should they despair if

victory seems long in coming" 7verything is done in Allahs own good time, according to%is wisdom which determines the most suitable time for every event"

n this there is surely a lesson for all ho ha"e eyes to see. $here must be eyes to see

and hearts to understand and minds to reflect, so that the lesson is fully understood"

2therwise, though lessons are given at every moment of day and night, few will pay any

heed"


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Alluring Comforts


The lo"e of orldly desires, su!h as omen and offspring, heaped/up treasures ofgold and sil"er, horses of high mark, !attle and plantations, is made alluring to man.

These are the !omforts of this life. )ith Allah is the best of all goals.

$he %ouse of Imran, : .&/!


$his verse belongs to that part of the 6uran which is concerned mainly with educating

the Muslim community" It points out a number of subtle natural incentives which may

cause people to deviate from the right path, unless they are properly controlled" In order

to control them, one must always be on the alert, loo' up to more sublime hori5ons and

aspire to those comforts which remain with Allah, for these are indeed far superior toworldly comforts"

ursuing worldly pleasures and giving priority to personal desires and pleasures will no

doubt distract a persons mind and prevent him from reflecting on what fruits one isbound to reap or what lessons one can learn from the facts of life" eople are thus

drowned in easy, physical pleasures, unable to see what lies beyond: better and superior

comforts" $hey are thus deprived of the en#oyment of loo'ing beyond the cheap, physicalpleasure, and the en#oyment of being preoccupied with the nobler concerns which fit with

the great role of man on this earth and are worthy of a creature whom Allah has appointed

as vicegerent in this great dominion, the earth"

$hose physical pleasures and worldly comforts and incentives are, nevertheless, naturallyinfused in man by the (reator to fulfil for man the essential role of preserving the

continuity of life" %ence, Islam does not approve of their suppression" It advocates that

they should be regulated, moderated and brought under control" Islam wants man to beable to control these desires, not to be controlled by them" Islam promotes the feeling of

the sublime in man and helps him loo' up to what is higher and superior"

%ence, the 6uranic statement which is concerned with the education of the Muslim

community mentions all these comforts and pleasures, but portrays alongside them avariety of physical and spiritual pleasures which are provided in the life to come for those

who control their natural incentives in this life, maintaining their noble human standard,and do not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the cheap, physical en#oyments ofthis world"

In a single verse, the 9urah groups together the most en#oyed pleasures of this life:

omen, !hildren, endless ealth, splendid horses, fertile land and !attle.


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$hese are the total sum of worldly pleasures" 7ither by themselves or because of what

they can provide for their owners of other pleasures" In the following verse, the pleasures

of the hereafter are mentioned: Gardens beneath hi!h ri"ers flo, spouses renoned

for their !hastity, and hat is mu!h more( Allah>s good pleasure. $hese are in store

for anyone who loo's beyond the pleasures of this world, maintains his good relationship

with Allah in the manner portrayed by the two verses which follow in this passage: Thelo"e of orldly desires, su!h as omen and offspring, heaped/up treasures of gold

and sli"er, horses of high mark, !attle and plantations, is made alluring to man.

These are the !omforts of this life. )ith Allah is the best of all goals. Say ( shall tell

you of better things than these* For the God/fearing there are, ith their #ord,

gardens beneath hi!h ri"ers flo here they shall dell fore"er, and i"es of

perfe!t !hastity, and Allah>s good pleasure. Allah is mindful of $is ser"ants, those

ho say( =ur #ord, e ha"e indeed a!!epted the faith. Forgi"e us our sins and keep

us safe from the torments of the fire. They are the patient in ad"ersity, true to their

ord, the de"oted ho spend in the !ause of Allah, and those ho pray for

forgi"eness at the time of dan.' The lo"e of orldly desires.. is made alluring to

man.'In the original Arabic te8t, the verb in this sentence is e8pressed in the passivevoice which indicates that this love is part of their nature" %ence, this is a statement of

fact" Man certainly loves to en#oy these pleasures" $here is no need, then, either to denythat love or to denounce and condemn it" It is essential for human life so that it may

continue and progress" But there is certainly another side which is also infused in human

nature to balance that love and to guard man against being totally consumed by it to thee8tent that he loses the great effects of the spiritual element in his constitution" $hat

aspect provides man with the ability to loo' up to the sublime and control his desires and

fulfil them in a befitting and appropriate measure" %e can thus achieve his fulfilment and

aspire at the same time to elevate human life to the standard he can achieve through hisspiritual nature and loo' forward to the life to come where he can en#oy Allahs good

pleasure" $his ability can hold the worldly desires in chec', purify them and 'eep them

within safe limits so that the physical pleasure does not overwhelm the human soul andits aspirations" $o turn to Allah and to fear %im show the way to the achievement of those

aspirations"

$he verse spea's of those worldly desires as being made alluring to man" $here is no

suggestion, implicit or e8plicit, that they are contemptible or that they should be treatedas such" 3e are only called upon to understand their nature in order to place them in their

appropriate place in our lives and not allow them to suppress what is superior to and

nobler than them" 3e are indeed called upon to aspire to higher hori5ons after we haveta'en what is sufficient and necessary for us of those pleasures"

Islam is distinguished by its realistic approach to human nature and its attempt to elevate,

not to suppress it" $hose who spea' nowadays about the harmful effects of the

of natural desires, or about the inferiority comple8es which result fromsuch suppression agree that the main reason for such comple8es of inferiority is the

suppression of natural desires, not their control" 9uppression comes from the

condemnation of natural desires or loo'ing down on them with contempt" $his places theindividual under two types of pressure which pull in opposite directions" $here is first the

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pressure of his feeling, formulated by social traditions or religion, that physical desires

are contemptible and should not have e8isted in the first place" $hey are portrayed as

sinful and evil" $here is, on the other hand, the pressure of these desires themselveswhich cannot be overcome because they are deeply rooted in human nature, having an

essential role in human life" Indeed, they have not been made part of human nature in

vain" As this conflict rages within man, it gives rise to


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o Further )itness Be1uired


In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,

Allahs love cannot be earned by the mere mental acceptance of %is e8istence, nor by the

verbal ac'nowledgement of that:


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acceptance and that concept" It ta'es the form of implementing the divine method in all

our affairs, total obedience to all Allahs laws, and following the guidance of %is

messenger in %is implementation of the divine faith"

$he passage then moves on to publici5e the attitude of the people of earlier revelations,

wondering at them" espite their claim that they follow Allahs religion, some of themturn away when they are invited to put their disputes to be ad#udged according to Allahs

revelations" $heir whole claim is thus rendered baseless" Allah accepts no religion otherthan Islam, and Islam means true submission to Allah, obedience to %is rophet buh!

and the implementation of %is revelations in all spheres of life"

3e are then told of the real reason for their turning away, which actually means that theydo not believe in the divine religion" $hat is, they do not ta'e seriously the concept of

rec'oning and reward on the day of #udgment: $his is because they say: e ill sufferthe fire only for a fe days.In this, they rely on their belief that they are followers of a

divine boo': They ha"e been deluded by hat they ha"e fabri!ated in their religion.

$heir whole notion is a false delusion" $hey are neither followers of a divine boo' nor arethey believers" $hey have nothing whatsoever to do with the divine faith, since inspite of

being invited to put their disputes to the #udgment of divine revelations they continue toturn away" In such absolute clarity Allah states in the 6uran the meaning of religion and

the true nature of being religious" %e accepts from %is servants only one clear attitude:

the religion is Islam& and Islam means to consider Allahs boo' the final arbiter andaccept its #udgment" 4o one who does not do that in practice may be considered a

Muslim, although he may claim to be so or claim to follow Allahs religion" It is Allah

who defines and e8plains %is own religion" %is definition and e8planation do not ta'e

into account the desires or personal concepts of human beings"

Indeed, the one who ta'es the disbelievers, i"e" those who do not accept the #udgment ofAllahs Boo' and revelations, as patrons has nothing to do ith Allah.' $here is

absolutely no relationship between him and Allah" $his applies to those who patroni5eand support or see' the patronage or support of the disbelievers who re#ect the #udgement

of divine revelations, even though they may claim to follow Allahs religion"

$he warning against such patronage which destroys faith altogether is further

emphasi5ed" $he Muslim community is also made aware of the true nature of the forceswhich operate in the universe" Allah has absolute control over it& %e owns it all, and gives

'ingship to whom %e wills and deprives of it whom %e wills" It is %e who gives honour

to, or causes to sin' in contempt, whom %e wills" $his is only part of the fact that %e

controls the whole universe and runs it as %e wishes" It is %e who causes the night tooverwhelm the day and then causes the day to overpower the night" It is %e who ma'es

life come from death and causes death to end life" %e thus maintains #ustice in human life

in the universe at large" $here is no need, then, for the patronage of anyone else, nomatter how powerful or wealthy they are"

$hese repeated, emphatic warnings give us an insight into what was actually ta'ing place

within the Muslim community when these matters were not absolutely clear to them"

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9ome of them maintained their family, or national or economic relations with the

disbelievers in Ma''ah or with the Cews in Madinah" %ence, the need for this e8planation

and warning" $he repeated warnings also suggest that human nature is normallyinfluenced by the physical power of human beings" %ence, people need to be reminded of

the true nature of human power and real power" $his needs to be added to the clear

e8planation of the correct concept of faith and its practical effects in life"

$he passage is concluded with a decisive statement that Islam is true obedience to Allahand %is messenger" $he way to win Allahs pleasure is simply to follow %is messenger"

Allahs love cannot be earned by the mere mental acceptance of %is e8istence, nor by the

verbal ac'nowledgement of that:


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The ssential 7i"ine Attribute


Allah $imself bears itness, and so do the angels and men of knoledge, that thereis no deity sa"e $im, the e9e!utor of Dusti!e. There is no deity sa"e $im, the

Almighty, the ise. The $ouse of mran, Aal mran' ( 4(;E5

(ommentary by 9ayyid 6utb, $ranslated by A"A" 9alahi L 9"A" 9hamsi"

3e have here a statement of the most essential fact which constitutes the basis of theIslamic ideological basis, namely the fact of the 2neness of Allah and that %e is the

eternal master of the universe who maintains and e8ecutes #ustice" It is the same principle

with which the 9urah opens: Allah ( there is no deity sa"e him, the e"er/li"ing, the

eternal master of all. $he ultimate ob#ective of this 9urah is to establish in absolute

clarity the true nature of Islamic faith, and to dispel all doubts from the minds of those

people themselves as well as from the minds of Muslims who may be at one time oranother influenced by those people"

A testimony from Allah that there is no deity other than %im is sufficient for anyone who

believes in Allah" It may be said that such a testimony is sufficient only for the one who

believes in Allah, who is not in need of such a testimony in any case" $his is notabsolutely true" eople of earlier revelations believed in Allah, but at the same time they

maintain that %e has a son and a partner" $he polytheists themselves used to profess that

they believed in Allah" $heir deviation and error too' the form of ascribing partners ande*uals and children to Allah" 3hen both groups of people are told that Allah %imself

bears witness to the fact that there is no deity save %im, such a statement has a mar'ed

effect in correcting their beliefs"

$he matter, however, is much more fine and profound" Allahs testimony that there is nodeity save %ims is given here as a prelude to outlining what it entails" 9ince %e himself

stresses %is 2neness, %e, therefore, does not accept from %is servant anything other than

pure devotion to %im, which ta'es the form of Islam or submission to %im" 9uch

submission is not confined to the realm of beliefs and feelings& it must be translated intototal obedience to Allah and a conscious implementation of %is law outlined in %is

revelations" If we view the matter from this angle we will find many people in all ages

claiming to believe in Allah but ascribing divinity at the same time to others" $his they dowhen they implement a law which is in conflict with %is law, and obey those who do not

follow %is Messenger or %is boo', and when they derive their values, standards and

morals from sources other than %im" All these actions of theirs run contrary to their claimthat they believe in Allah" $hey are in conflict with Allahs own testimony that %e is the

only God"

$he testimony of the angels and the people of 'nowledge ta'es the form of their total

obedience to Allahs orders and loo'ing to %im alone for guidance, accepting everythingwhich comes to them from %im without doubt or argument, once they are certain that it

+/


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has come from %im" $his 9urah has already referred to the attitude of such people of

'nowledge: $hose who are firmly established in 'nowledge say: e belie"e in it is all

from our #ord.$his is then, the testimony of the people of 'nowledge and the angels:

total a!!eptan!e, obedien!e and submission.

$he testimony of Allah, the angels and the men of 'nowledge to the 2neness of Allah iscoupled with their testimony to the fact that %e establishes and maintains #ustice, since

#ustice is an essential *uality of godhead" $he Arabic te8t is phrased in such a way as toleave no doubt that #ustice is an attribute of Allah at all times" $his also e8plains the

meaning of Allah being the eternal master of the universe which has been stated at the

beginning of this 9urah: Allah : there is no deity sa"e $im, the e"er/li"ing, the eternal

master of all. $e maintains $is mastership ith Dusti!e.

Allahs control of the universe and %is conduct of its affairs and of peoples lives is

always characteri5ed by #ustice" Indeed, #ustice cannot be established in human life, and

human life generally cannot be set on its proper course as the rest of the universe where

every single creature fulfils its function in perfect harmony with the rest of creatione8cept through the implementation of the method and the way of life Allah has chosen for

people, as outlined in %is revelation" 2therwise, #ustice cannot be established, harmonycannot be achieved and there can be no interrelation between man and the universe" 3hat

ta'es place, then, is in#ustice, conflict and total ruin"

$hroughout history, only the periods when Allahs method was established were those

characteri5ed by in#ustice" $hese were the periods when human life was set on a perfectand straight course li'e everything else in the universe, to the e8tent that human nature

can tolerate in view of the fact that human beings tend to waver between obedience and

disobedience to Allah" $hey move nearer to obedience to Allah whenever his method is

established and his law is implemented" 3herever man-made laws are established,ignorance and shortcoming abound" A direct conse*uence of this is in#ustice in one form

or another: an individual, or one class tyranni5es another, or one nation sub#ugatesanother, or one generation to eats another with in#ustice" It is only divine #ustice which

remains free of any favouritism toward any of these" %e is the 1ord of all creation who

does not overloo' anything on earth or in the heavens"

There is no deity sa"e $im, the Almighty, the )ise.' $he same truism of the 2nenessof Allah is repeated again in the same verse, but it is coupled this time with the two

attributes of Allahs might and wisdom" Both power and wisdom are essential for the

purpose of maintaining #ustice" Custice can be maintained only when matters are set in

their proper places with the ability to set them so" Allahs attributes suggest positiveactivity" 4othing in the Islamic concept associates Allah with any negative attribute" $his

is the proper and true concept of the divine being, because it is %is own description of

%imself" 3hen we believe in Allah in the light of %is positive attributes our thoughtsremain concentrated on %is will and %is power" 2ur faith, then, becomes much more than

an academic concept& it provides us with a dynamic motive to act and do what is re*uired

of us"

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)hen 7isagreement be!omes Bife


Allah $imself bears itness, and so do the angels and men of knoledge, that thereis no deity sa"e $im, the e9e!utor of Dusti!e. There is no deity sa"e $im, the

Almighty, the ise.

The only true faith in Allah>s sight is slam. 7isagreement spread through mutual

aggression, among those ho ere gi"en re"elations only after knoledge had been

granted to them. $e ho denies Allah>s re"elations ill find that Allah is indeed

sift in re!koning. f they argue ith you, say ( ha"e surrendered my hole being

to Allah, and so ha"e all ho follo me. Say to those ho ere gi"en re"elations and

to unlettered people, )ill you also surrender yoursel"esto Allah5*' f they

surrender, they are on the right path. f they turn aay, then your only duty is to

!on"ey your message. Allah is at!hing o"er $is ser"ants. $he %ouse of Imran, :.& :+!

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb,

Translated by A.A. Salahi & S.A. Shamsi.

In the last issue we discussed the first of these three verses which emphasi5ed the most

important fact of the 2neness of Allah and repeats it twice" 3e move on to discuss thefollowing verses which start with establishing the logical result of that fact" 9ince there is

only one God, then all worship must be addressed to that only God: $he only true faith in

Allahs sight is Islam"

$he 2neness of the ivine being re*uires that all submission must be to %im so thatnothing remains in the minds of people or in their lives which is not sub#ect to Allahs

authority" $he 2neness of Allah means that there is only one being who has the right to

re*uire people to submit to and obey %im, implement the legislation he has enacted for

them, to set values and standards for them, and to conduct all the affairs of their livesaccording to what %e re*uires of them" $here is only one faith, namely, pure submission

to Allah alone, which is acceptable to %im"

3hen we state that the only true faith acceptable to Allah is Islam we mean that true

Islam which is not merely a claim to be stated, but a flag to be raised or an academicconcept which does not stir hearts or minds, or even a number of acts of worship offered

by individuals at certain times or seasons, such as prayer, fasting and pilgrimage" $his is

not the sort of Islam which Allah describes as the only faith acceptable to %im" $rueIslam means complete obedience, total submission to Allah and implementation of %is

revelations in human life, as will be stated presently in the same 6uranic te8t"

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Islam also means the oneness of the divine being who is the eternal master of all" eople

of earlier revelations used to confuse the person of Allah praised be %e! and the person

of Cesus (hrist peace be on him!" $hey also confused Allahs will with that of (hrist"$hey disagreed among themselves so violently that they fought and 'illed each other on

numerous occasions over their differences" Allah, therefore, ma'es the reasons for these

disputes clear for both the people of earlier revelations and for the Muslim community"isagreement spread, through mutual aggression, among those who were given

revelations, only after 'nowledge had been granted to them"

$heir disputes did not arise out of ignorance of the truth" $hey had been given certain

'nowledge of Allahs oneness and the fact that %e is the only 1ord in the universe" $heywere also given the 'nowledge they needed about human nature and true submission to

Allah" $hey simply disagreed when they abandoned the

course of #ustice embodied in the faith and the law which Allah revealed to them"

(hristian historians have shown that political considerations were behind these doctrinal

disputes" $he same has happened fre*uently in both Cewish and (hristian histories" It wasthe hatred felt by 7gypt, 9yria and other regions toward the rulers of ;ome which

resulted in the re#ection of the official ;oman doctrine and the adoption of a differentone" 2n certain occasions, the 'eenness of a By5antine 7mperor to maintain his rule over

certain parts of his 'ingdom was the reason for the invention of a compromise doctrine

which was hoped to achieve the re*uired results" Faith, to them was a ball game whichserved political goals" $hat was one of the worst forms of in#ustice" 3orse still, it was

done 'nowingly and deliberately"

An appropriately stern warning is then given at the right time: %e who denies Allahs

revelations will find that Allah is indeed swift in rec'oning" isagreement over the truism

of the 2neness of Allah is thus considered a denial and a re#ection of Allahs revelations"$he people who re#ect are threatened with swift rec'oning in order that people do not

persist in their disbelief and denials and disputes as a result of being left alone for awhile"

Allah then instructs the rophet buh! to ma'e his attitude towards the people of earlier

revelations and the polytheists well-'nown" $he real issue is stated in absolute clarity"

$heir fate is left to Allah" $he rophet buh! proceeds along his absolutely clear path& ifthey argue with you, say:


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Allah teaches %is Messenger a single word which e8plains his faith and way of life: If

they argue with you in matters of faith and the oneness of Allah, say: I have surrendered

my whole being to Allah" $his applies to the rophet buh! and also to


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)hen -rophets are 8illed

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

$hose who deny Allahs revelations, and slay the rophets against all rights, and slaypeople who en#oin e*uity among people& promise them a painful suffering" It is they

whose wor's shall come to nothing in this world and in the life to come& and they shall

have none to help them"

%ave you considered the case of those who have received a share of revelation= 3henthey are called upon to accept the #udgement of Allahs Boo' in their affairs, some of

them turn away and pay no heed" For they claim:


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the ;oman 7mpire after its adoption of (hristianity, including those who declared that

Allah was one and that Cesus (hrist was a human being" $his latter group is included

among those ho enDoin e1uity among people.'It is also a permanent warning toanyone who may perpetrate such ghastly crimes, and those may live in every age"

It is useful to remember that when the e8pression those ho deny Allah>s re"elations'is mentioned in the 6uran, it does not simply refer to those who declare themselves to be

unbelievers" Anyone who does not ac'nowledge the 2neness of Allah and that %e aloneis worthy of worship is included in this group" 9uch a recognition entails that the

authority to legislate and to set values and standards for human life belongs only to Allah"

Anyone who claims any measure of that authority for anyone other than Allah is either apolytheist or a disbeliever, even though he may claim a thousand times that he believes in

Allah" $he verses which follow confirm this view"

$a"e you !onsidered the !ase of those ho ha"e re!ei"ed a share of re"elation*

)hen they are !alled upon to a!!ept the Dudgement of Allah>s 0ook in their affairs,

some of them turn aay and pay no heed.

It is a rhetorical *uestion which is given to emphasi5e the contradiction in such an

attitude by those who have received a share of revelation, which refers to the $orah in

respect of the Cews and the Bible in respect of the (hristians" 7ach one is simply of Allahs divine revelations which include all the revelation Allah has vouchsafed

to %is messengers, emphasi5ing the unity of Godhead, and that Allah alone conducts the

affairs of the universe" All such revelation is in essence a single boo', part of it was givento the Cews, and another part to the (hristians while the Muslims received the whole

boo', considering that the 6uran embodies all the bases of faith and confirms all

messages Allah revealed in the past" It is certainly something to wonder at, when those

who are called upon to accept the #udgment ofAllahs boo' in their disputes and in all the affairs of their lives, do not respond

positively" 9ome of them are left behind" $hey turn their bac's on Allahs legislation"$his is in flagrant contradiction with believing in any portion of Allahs boo'" It belies

their claim that they follow Allahs revelations: $a"e you !onsidered the !ase of thoseho ha"e re!ei"ed a share of re"elation* )hen they are !alled upon to a!!ept the

Dudgment of Allah>s book in their affairs, some of them turn aay and pay no heed.

Allah invites us to wonder at the people of earlier revelations when some of them, not all,

refuse to allow Allahs boo' to #udge in their affairs of both faith and life" 3hat should be

our attitude, then, toward those who claim to be Muslims but who nevertheless banish

Allahs law from their lives totally, while they continue to claim to be Muslim= $his isindeed an e8ample given by Allah so that Muslims should 'now the true nature of faith

generally and Islam in particular" $hey must be careful lest they themselves should

become sub#ect to Allahs condemnation of their attitude" If this denunciation is given byAllah of the attitude of the people of earlier revelations who did not claim to be Muslims

when a group of them refused to accept the #udgement of Allahs boo' in their affairs,

what degree of denunciation or condemnation would be suitable if Muslims adopt asimilar attitude= $here is no doubt that they would then incur Allahs wrath which will

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lead them to be totally re#ected by Allah and to live in utter misery, deprived of ivine

Mercy in any form"

$he cause of such a denounced, contradictory attitude is then given: For they !laim that

the fire ill most !ertainly not tou!h us sa"e for a limited number of days. They are

de!ei"ed in their on faith by the false beliefs they used to in"ent.

$his is then the reason for people turning their bac's on the #udgment of Allahs boo',

which places them in total contradiction with their claim to be believers or followers ofivine ;evelation" $hey simply do not believe that the notion of rec'oning on the day of

#udgement is serious" 4or do they consider as serious the administration of ivine

Custice" $his is the import of their claim that they will not suffer the fire e8cept for alimited number of days" %ow is this possible when they deviate from the most

fundamental principle of faith which imposes on them the duty of accepting the

#udgement of the ivine Boo' in all matters= %ow can they ma'e such a claim if they

truly believe in the #ustice of Allah, or even if they feel that they will definitely be raised

to Allah on the day of #udgement= 3hat they state is simply an invention which theyperpetrate, then they are deceived by it& $hey are deceived in their own faith by the false

beliefs they used to invent" It is indeed a fact that believing seriously in meeting Allahcannot be combined with such a wet notion in respect to %is #ustice and reward" 4o man

can combine the fear of Allah and punishment on the day of #udgement with turning his

bac' on Allahs rulings outlined in %is boo' or to the implementation of %is law inhuman life"

$his group of the people of earlier revelations stands in the same position as those whom

we meet today claiming to be Muslims and turning their bac's when they are called upon

to implement Allahs laws in their lives" 9ome of them go further than that and

impudently claim that human life has nothing to do with religion" $he say that there is noneed to impose religion on the practical side of human life, or on economic and social,

and indeed family relations" $hey nevertheless continue to claim to be Muslims" 9ome ofthem are so naive that they believe that Allahs punishment will be limited to purifying

them of their sins before they are admitted into heaven" $hey as' in absolute naivety&

Are e not %uslims*'It is the same false belief which was maintained by such group

of the people of earlier revelations" $hey show the same conceit and they deceivethemselves with their false beliefs which have no foundation in the religion Allah has

revealed" Both groups are the same in re#ecting the very basics of faith and isolating

themselves from its fundamental practical e8pression, namely, submission to Allah andtotal obedience to %is commands in all affairs of life which they receive through %is

Messengers"

$o, then, ill it be ith them hen e shall gather them all together to itness the

day about hi!h there is no doubt, hen e"ery soul ill be paid in full hat it has

earned, and they shall not be ronged.

%ow= $his is a very stern warning which every believer shudders to face since he 'nows

that day will inevitably come and that Allahs #ustice is certain to be done" $hat belief is

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in no way wea'ened by any false hopes or invented beliefs" $his warning applies to all&

polytheists and atheists, those who claim to follow earlier revelations and those who

claim to be Muslims" $hey are all ali'e in the essential fact that they do not submit toAllah in their lives"

%ow, then, will it be with them when we shall gather them all together to witness the dayabout which there is no doubt, and Allahs #ustice is done= 7very soul will be paid in full

what it has earned, without any in#ustice or favouritism= $hey shall neither not bewronged, nor shall they receive any favours" It is a *uestion which remains without

answer" Mans heart sha'es when it imagines what will happen"

Fasting %ade asier

.+


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!n the "ame of Allah, the #eneficent, the $erciful

t is laful for you to make lo"e to your i"es on the night of the fast. They are as a

garment for you, and you are as garment for them. Allah is aare that you

ha"e been de!ei"ing yoursel"es in this respe!t, and $e has turned to you

ith $is mer!y and pardoned you. So you may no lie ith them and seekthat hi!h Allah has ordained for you you may eat and drink until you !an

dis!ern the hite line of dan against the bla!kness of the night. Then

resume the fast till nightfall but do not lie ith them i.e. your i"es5 hile

you are in retreat in the %os1ues. These are the bounds set by Allah do not

!ome near them. Thus Allah makes !lear $is re"elations to mankind that

they may remain God/fearing.

7o not de"our one another>s property rongfully, nor bribe ith it the Dudges in

order that you may sinfully, and knoingly, depri"e others of any part of hat is

rightfully theirs. The Co, Al/0a1arah( 2(;E:/E5


$he first of these two verses e8plains some of the rulings with regard to fasting andrela8es some of the restrictions" 3hen fasting was first imposed as a duty on Muslims,

they were allowed not to eat or drin', or to have se8 with their wives, once they went to

sleep after they have bro'en their fast at sunset" If anyone happened to wa'e up duringthe night, even though it might be before dawn, the restriction remained in force and he

could neither have se8 with his wife nor have anything to eat and drin'" It happened that

someone came home at the time when fasting ended to find that there was nothing to eat"3hile his wife went out to fetch some food he do5ed off" 3hen he wo'e up he could not

eat or drin', so he resumed fasting" $he following day he collapsed and the case was

reported to the rophet " In another case, someone slept after having bro'en his fast or

perhaps it was his wife who slept! but wo'e up during the night and could not resist hisse8ual urge" %e had intercourse with his wife, and the case was also reported to the

rophet buh!" It was clear to everyone that this duty was too hard for Muslims" Allah,

therefore, rela8ed their restrictions when this e8perience was still vivid in their minds sothat they may appreciate Allahs mercy and %is response" $his verse was revealed

allowing Muslims to have se8 at any time between sunset and dawn on the night of

fasting& t is laful for you to make lo"e to your i"es on the night of the fast.'

$hat Arabic term used for


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Islam deals with man as he is and accepts everything in his constitution and nature" It

then holds man by the hand to elevate him to a much higher level" Adopting this attitude,

Islam satisfies the physical urge, adds to it this genetic touch and provides it with thisgentle cover, all at the same time"

$he 6uran then tells the Muslims of their own thoughts and feelings, and shows themAllahs mercy as %e allows for their natural desires& Allah is aare that you ha"e been

de!ei"ing yoursel"es in this respe!t, and he has turned to you ith $is mer!y and

pardoned you.'$he deception of themselves which is mentioned here, refers to their

suppressed desires, or, perhaps, to the actual fulfilment of these desires, since it was

reported that some of them did so at the restricted hours" In either case, Allah has shownthem %is mercy and pardoned them, recogni5ing their wea'ness" %e, therefore, has

rela8ed their fasting restrictions which relate to this deception" Again, the rela8ation is

utili5ed to strengthen the Muslims ties with Allah even when they have this 'ind ofactivity& So you may no lie ith them and seek that hi!h Allah has ordained for

you.'

?ou may see' your en#oyment with your wives, and with your offspring, the fruit of se8"

Both types of en#oyment have been given by Allah" 9ince they have been made lawful,you may go ahead and see' them" As Allah has given you this urge, it must fulfil a certain

aim %e wants" It is not a purely physical desire, isolated from the sublime hori5on to

which Islam attaches all human activity"

$hus, se8 between man and wife is related to a larger ob#ective and attached to a hori5onwhich is more sublime than the earth or the moment of full ecstasy between man and

wife" $he relationship between them is thus made cleaner, more gentle and noble" 3hen

we consider all similar cases of inspiring touches in the 6uranic teachings and the

Islamic philosophy as a whole, we can appreciate the fruitful and wise effort which ismade in order to help man loo' up to a higher level of e8istence, within the limits of his

nature, capabilities and constitution" $his is the nature of this Islamic method ofeducation of elevation" It is a method designed by the (reator who 'nows what %e has

created and who is aware of everything"

1i'e se8, eating and drin'ing are allowed in the same period&+ou may eat and drinkuntil you !an dis!ern the hite line of dan against the bla!kness of the night.' $hismeans that the permission e8tends until light has spread on the hori5on and on mountain

tops"

9amorah ibn Cundob reports that the rophet buh! has said:7o not pay mu!h heed tothe !all of 0ilal or to this hiteness, until dan has a!tually broken or has

appeared.' Another version of this pronouncement runs as follows& 7o not be

pre"ented from your morning meal suhoor5 by 0ilal>s !all athan5 or by the

prolonged dan. +ou should at!h for the dan spreading o"er the hori6on.' $hislater dawn which spreads over the hori5on occurs shortly before sunrise" Bilal used to

ma'e an early call for prayers in order to awa'en those who were asleep" Another call

was made later by Ibn mm Ma'toom which signalled the beginning of the fast"

./


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3e have then a ruling concerning intercourse in the period when one is in retreat in the

Mos*ue" Going into such a retreat is recommended in the last few days of ;amadan" $he

rophet buh! himself used to do it in the last ten days of ;amadan, which means that itis a 9unnah" ;etreat into the Mos*ue means to devote ones time only to worship and not

to go home e8cept for mans natural need or to have a meal" It is, then a period of

complete devotion to Allah" $o ma'e this devotion truly complete, and to rid oneself ofall other preoccupations, se8 is not allowed in this period, whether at the time of fasting

or during night when one is not fasting" 0ut do not lie ith them hile you are inretreat in the %os1ues.'

Following its familiar line of directing all actions and abstentions, all commands andprohibitions, the 6uran relates this in#unction to Allah: These are the bounds set by

Allah do not !ome near them.'

If one goes too close to a certain boundary it is very easy to step over it" 9ince man

cannot always be in full control of himself, it is better for him not to test his willpower by

going too close to what is forbidden, relying on his ability to chec' himself at the righttime" Because the bounds mentioned here are those of desires, the order is given here in

these terms& 7o not !ome near them.'3hat is meant here is that intercourse itself itforbidden, not the physical pro8imity to ones wife" $he warning here is e8pressed in

such a way which encourages us to be on our guard& Thus Allah makes !lear $isre"elations to mankind that they may remain God/fearing.' $o remain God-fearing isan ob#ective we should strive to attain" It is a noble ob#ective, the value of which is

appreciated only by those who believe and those who are addressed by the 6uran in

every age"

$hen comes another warning against a different type of eating, that is to devour other

peoples property by unfair law suits and relying on false proofs and twisted evidence aswell as the fabrication of argument and title" Cudges are supposed to ma'e their rulings on

the strength of evidence submitted to them but this need not necessarily reveal the realtruth" 9ince this warning comes immediately after mentioning the bounds set by Allah

and the call made to man'ind to be conscious of %im, there is an air of fear which should

serve as a deterrent against violating Allahs commandments& 7o not de"our one

another>s property rongfully, nor bride ith it the Dudges in order that you may

sinfully and knoingly, depri"e others of any part of hat is rightfully theirs.'

In his commentary on the 6uran, Ibn @atheer e8plains that this verse refers to any

person who owes some money to another when there is no document to prove his

indebtedness" %e denies that he owes the money and that he is sinfully and 'nowinglydepriving its rightful owner of it" A number of famous scholars have set the principle&

o not enter into a le!al dis"ute #hen you $no# that you are in the #ron!.%It has

been authentically reported by mm 9alamah, the rophets 3ife, t that he has said: !am only a human being. %eople in dispute come to me and one of them may be more

elo&uent than the other and he may make his case clearer. Thus, ! may rule in his favour.

!f ! give anyone something which rightfully belongs to another $uslim let him know that! am only giving him a piece of fire. 'e may take it or leave it. $hus, people are left to

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their own 'nowledge" A court #udgement does not ma'e lawful anything

collections from 'in the shade of the quran

Documents