رَسُولِ

Important Words:

فاذنوا (then beware of) is derived from اذن. They say اذن له i.e. he gave ear or listened to it or him; he permitted, or allowed him. أذن بالشیء means, he knew the thing; or he became informed or apprised of it. آذنه بالامر means, he made him to know the thing; or he notified or announced it to him. أذن (adhdhana) or تأذن (ta’adhdhana) means, he made known or notified or announced (Lane).

حرب (war) is from حرب. They say حربه i.e. he despoiled him of his wealth and property, leaving him without anything. حرب (hariba) means, he became greatly angry, or wrathful. الحرب means, war; hostilities (Aqrab).

رؤس اموالکم (your original sums). رؤس is the plural of رأس meaning: (1) head; (2) the upper or higher part or end of a thing; (3) chief or leader of a society. رأس الشھر means, the first day of the month. The word رأس also signifies the thing itself; as they say ھوقسم برأسه i.e. this is an independent species in itself. رأس المال means, the original sum without interest; principal; capital. The Arabs say اقرضنی عشرة برؤسھا i.e. he lent me a loan of ten pieces of money without interest (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The verse declares that the taking of interest is tantamount to waging war against God. It may be inferred from this that those among Muslims who lend money at interest, should be boycotted by the rest of the community. History bears testimony to the fact that such Muslim States as borrowed or lent money at interest were ruined.

It is often objected that no trade or commerce is possible without interest. This is not correct. There is no natural relation between trade and interest. The latter has become unconsciously associated with the former, as Western countries have based their commercial system on credit. If this had not been so, commerce would not have been dependent upon interest. Only a few hundred years ago, Muslims were responsible for a large part of the world’s commerce, and yet they carried it on without interest. They used to borrow money even from the poorer classes by way of partnership loans, and the commerce carried on by them thus contributed directly to the welfare of those classes. Interest is not at all essential for commerce, but as commerce is now being carried on, on the basis of interest, it appears as if without interest it would come to a standstill. No doubt, a change in the system would at first be inconvenient but the system of commerce depending upon interest can certainly be discarded.

Interest is, in fact, a leech which is fast sucking away the blood of humanity, especially of the lower and middle classes. Even the upper classes are not entirely secure against its poison, but they are deriving a false enjoyment from it like the proverbial leopard who ate away his own tongue by rubbing it against a rough stone, foolishly thinking it to be the blood and flesh of another animal. Unfortunately those who are willing to forego it are too weak to withstand the force of the current system.

The system of credit prevailing in Western countries is destructive to the peace of the world in two ways. On the one hand, it helps the accumulation of wealth in a few hands and, on the other, it facilitates war. No government can be imagined as entering upon a great war unless it relies upon its ability to raise money by means of loans carrying interest. Long and devastating wars are made possible only by the institution of interest. If huge loans on interest were not possible, many countries would refuse to enter what appeared to be a long war; and if they entered such wars at all, they would certainly hasten to withdraw from them long before they actually terminated, for their treasuries would become empty and their people would revolt in protest against the criminal waste of men and money. But the system of what appear to be easy loans makes it possible for governments to carry on ruinous struggles as they are able to obtain the sinews of war without having to resort to a system of direct taxation. The people of belligerent countries do not, at the moment, feel the burden which is laid on their backs, but after the war is over their backs are bent double under the staggering weight of national debts and future generations are kept busy reducing the weight. Take, for instance, the case of the last Great War. If huge loans had not been possible, the result of the war would still have been the same, but the devastation and the heavy indebtedness of the different countries would have been avoided. Nay, the War itself might have been avoided; and even if it had taken place, the belligerents would soon have been exhausted, peace would have been signed within a year, and the world would have proceeded on its forward march of progress. A worse fate is perhaps awaiting the Western countries at the termination of the present World War.

Important Words:

مراغما (place of refuge) is derived from رغم. They say رغم أنفه meaning his nose clove to the dust, i.e. he became abased and humbled. رغمه means, he disliked it. ارغم اھله or راغم اھله means, he forsook or deserted his family against their wish. رغامmeans, earth or dust. مرغم or مراغم means, a road by travelling on which a man separates himself from his people against their wish or so as to displease them; a place to which one migrates; a place of refuge; a safe and fortified place (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse promises those sincere believers who are forced by circumstances to migrate from their homes in the cause of God abundant place of refuge and plentifulness. There is, therefore, no excuse for the people to stay at home surrounded by hostile disbelievers. But the motive must be good and the migration sincere.

The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "Whoso migrates from his home for the sake of God and His Messenger, his migration will be regarded as having been performed for the sake of God and His Messenger and will be rewarded as such. But whoso leaves his home for the sake of a worldly gain which he wishes to get or for a woman whom he wishes to marry, will be considered to have migrated for the sake of the object for which he migrated, and his migration will not be considered as having been performed in the cause of God" (Bukhari, ch. on Bad’ul Wahy).

2:5, 137; 4:163; 5:60.

4:151.

4:117.

Commentary:

In the clause: O ye who believe, believe in Allah and His Messenger… the first-mentioned belief refers to lip-profession and the second to true and genuine belief which really matters. The words thus show that sometimes expressions like "O ye who believe" or "believers" may be used for those who profess to be believers in Islam but do not live up to its teachings by carrying out faithfully its precepts into practice. Their assertion is a mere lip-profession that carries no weight.

3:133; 4:70; 64:13.

5:100; 16:83; 36:18; 64:13.

Commentary:

The words, be on your guard, may either mean, "you should be on your guard against evils" or they may signify that if you obey Allah and obey the Prophet, the result will be that you will be able to guard yourselves against evil.

The concluding part of the verse means that the duty of a Messenger of God is only to convey to men His commandments. It forms no part of his work to force them to follow him. This exposes the absurdity of the objection that Islam enjoins the use of force for its propagation. Elsewhere the Quran says: There should be no compulsion in religion (2:257). Both these verses and many similar others were revealed at Medina when a state of war existed between disbelievers and believers, which clearly shows that the Holy Prophet took up arms only to defend himself and his followers and not to propagate his religion at the point of the sword, as is often maliciously alleged by the opponents of Islam.

3:53-54; 61:15.

Important Words:

The verb اوحی (inspired) does not always mean verbal revelation. It sometimes simply means to inspire a person with an idea, or to suggest it to him; and it is in this sense that the word is used here. The word has also been used with reference to the bee (16:89).

الحوارین (disciples). See 3:53.

2:15.

Commentary:

The verse signifies that if and when the hypocrites are asked why they make insulting remarks about the Prophet in their private meetings, they naively reply that they only diverted themselves with idle and playful discourse. The verse proceeds to rebuke them by asking whether they could get hold of nothing else than God and His Messenger to make the butt of their jokes and scoffing.

21:108; 25:2; 34:29.

2:259; 23:81; 44:9; 57:3.

Commentary:

This verse beautifully declares that the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments concerning the Promised Prophet have been fulfilled in the Holy Prophet.

The reference in the words, to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, is to the fact that just as there is one kingdom in the heavens, so, as a result of the advent of the Holy Prophet, there will in future be only one spiritual kingdom on earth. It is to this kingdom that the prayer of Jesus (Matt. 6:10) refers. This prayer embodied a prophecy about the advent of the Holy Prophet.

The establishment of one spiritual kingdom on earth points to the fact that the Promised Prophet will be a Messenger of God to all mankind, and that by his advent all distinctions of race, nationality and colour will cease.

Important Words:

براءة (a declaration of absolution) is the noun-infinitive from بری which means, he was or became clear or free from a thing; or he was or became immune, secure or safe. بری من المرض means, he became free from the disease or malady. بری الجرحmeans, the wound healed or was healing. بری من الامر means, he was free from the thing or quit thereof; or he was guiltless of it and was not responsible for it. They say بری من الدین i.e. he became clear or quit of debt; or he became exempt from the demand. بری الیك من حقك means, he was or became clear or quit to thee of thy claim or due or right; or he was or became exempt from thy demand. براءة being the noun-infinitive from بری gives all the meanings derived from the verbal uses of the word given above, It particularly means, a declaration of granting or conferring or announcing immunity or exemption or absolution from a fault or responsibility; freedom from blame; exemption or absolution from a demand, etc. (Taj & Aqrab). See also 3:50.

عاھدتم (you made promises). عاھد is derived from عھد for which see 2:41. The word عاھد is here used not in the sense of entering into a treaty or a compact but making a promise, or making a solemn promise by which one binds oneself. They say عاھدت الله ان لا افعل کذا i.e. I have made a promise to God that I will not do such a thing (Lisan).

Commentary:

This Surah does not begin with the usual formula of بسم الله (In the name of God), for the reason of which see Introductory Note to chapter Anfal.

The first verse of this Surah refers to all the idolaters of Arabia including the dhimmis, i.e. those disbelievers who lived under the protection of Muslims as well as those non-Muslim Arab tribes with whom Muslims had treaty relations.

The verse declares the complete freedom of God and the Holy Prophet from all demand or blame, meaning thereby that all promises made by God and His Messenger had been fulfilled and their truthfulness fully established and, therefore, the idolaters, to whatever class they belonged, could bring no charge against God and His Prophet. Prophecies about the defeat and discomfiture of infidels and the ultimate success and triumph of Islam had been repeatedly made, and, now that all these prophecies had been fulfilled, the infidels of Arabia could no longer say that the declarations of the Prophet about the final triumph of Islam were mere empty promises. By the fulfilment of these promises, the verse says, God and His Messenger had proved their absolute freedom from the charge of making false promises.

9:2.

4:139.

Important Words:

اذان (proclamation) is derived from اذن which means, he gave ear or listened; he permitted or allowed; he knew or he became informed, etc. آذن means, he informed, or notified or announced. اذان means, notification, announcement or call.

بری (clear) see 9:1 above. But whereas in that verse the word signifies absolution from obligations and from fulfilment of promises made by Islam, in the present verse it simply signifies being clear of a person or a thing, i.e. having nothing to do with him or it (Lane).

Commentary:

The declaration, contained in this verse and the one that follows, is different from that embodied in 9:1 & 2 above, for whereas vv. 9:1 & 2 relate to absolution from the fulfilment of promises made to idolaters, the present verse pertains to the severance of connections with them. This severance, however, should not be taken to mean that the verse declares Islam to be free from all treaty obligations; for, as the following verse makes it clear, treaties are to be respected in all cases and must not be violated.

It is related that on his return from Tabuk in the ninth year of the Hijrah, the Holy Prophet sent Abu Bakr to Mecca to announce, on the occasion of the Greater Pilgrimage, that henceforward no one would be allowed to perform the circuit of the Ka‘bah naked or unclothed. Immediately afterwards the first portion of this Surah was revealed. Upon this the Holy Prophet sent ‘Ali to Mecca, and he, as his cousin and representative, after reciting the opening verses of this Surah, made a proclamation containing the following two announcements before the pilgrims who had gathered at Mecca from all parts of Arabia:

1. No idolater shall approach the House of God after this year.

2. Treaties and engagements, made by the Holy Prophet with idolatrous tribes, shall stand and be faithfully respected till the end of their term. The idolaters of Arabia and the hypocrites of Medina had, by their plots and conspiracies against Muslims and by their persistent treacherous conduct, lost all claim to the clemency of the Holy Prophet. When he was absent on the expedition to Tabuk, they spread the false rumour that the whole Muslim army had been captured and the Prophet was dead. Moreover, Abu ‘Amir, a mischievous Arab leader, had gone to Syria to bring a Christian army to attack Muslims and in Arabia itself secret preparations had begun for a general rising. But for the timely return of the Holy Prophet, these plots would have resulted in great disturbance and heavy loss of life. When, on his return, the Holy Prophet learnt of the great mischief, set on foot in his absence and the plots hatched to deal a death-blow to Islam, he, with a view to preventing a recrudescence of such mischief ordered that henceforth no idolater could stay in the Hijaz with the exception of those with whom he had entered into a treaty, and these, too, were allowed to stay only till the expiry of the term of their treaty. The order was justified not only by the persistently treacherous conduct of the idolaters, but also by other political and cultural considerations which demanded its promulgation. The Hijaz had now become the religious as well as the political centre of Islam, and its interests demanded that it should be purged of all foreign and harmful elements likely to endanger its integrity and prove dangerous to the nascent Muslim community which had been brought into being to carry the message of the new Faith to the four corners of the earth.

9:4.

Commentary:

The words, So, as long as they stand true to you, stand true to them, show that war was permissible only against such non-Muslims as were faithless to their covenants and attacked Muslims treacherously. As for the rest, Muslims have been bidden to observe their engagements strictly and faithfully with them. It will be noted that like 9:4, this verse describes the observance of covenants and treaties as an act of piety and righteousness which is pleasing in the sight of God. No wonder that the Quran repeatedly exhorts Muslims to be faithful to their treaties.