“I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect.Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine,but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct. — Imam Shafa’i

 Read in Arabic, this part of the ayah sounds beautiful and deeply meaningful. A translation cannot echo the same effect: “And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-haram lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty”.

This ayah is generally considered to be related to the events and truce in Hudaibiyyah in 6 AH. when apparently Muslims were humbled. However, the eminent scholar Dr. Mohammed Asad differs on this point in his tafseer “The Message of the Quran”. “Inasmuch as this surah was undoubtedly revealed in the year 10 H. (Tabarf, Ibn Kathir), it is difficult to accept the view of some of the commentators that the above verse alludes to the  events culminating in the truce of Hudaybiyyah, in 6 A.H. when the pagan Quraysh succeeded in preventing the Prophet and his followers from entering Mecca on pilgrimage……….” says the scholar. “When the Muslims were re-established in Mecca, some of them wanted to retaliate and exclude the Pagans or in some way to interfere with them in the Pilgrimage” according to Allaamaa Yousuf Ali in his excellent tafseer in English.

The eminent scholar Sayyid Qutb labels this ayah as “ The Islamic Constitution” in his monumental tafseer “Fi Dhilal-il-Quran” and goes on to forcefully elaborate thus: “Then the Islamic constitution was revealed to establish new values and to remould people’s way of thinking”. After quoting this part of the ayah in Arabic he continues: “Thus, a new bond linking hearts to God was established. Values and morals were given a new Divine standard. The Arabs, and mankind as a whole, were led out of blind fanaticism and the control of personal and tribal feelings in determining who is a friend and who is a foe. Man was reborn in the Arabian Peninsula. The new man derives his moral standards from God. This heralded the rebirth of man throughout the world. Prior to this, there was nothing in Arabia but blind loyalties which say: ‘Support your brother, whether he is the victim or the perpetrator of injustice’. The same blind loyalties were known throughout the world”. Allow me to throw a challenge on the floor. The present day Ummah as a whole is totally devoid of these “new values” and “people’s way of thinking”. True? False?

The ayah teaches us about the controls and constraints we should have in life at all levels: inner life, own affairs, life with family, clan or tribe; life with community or nation; life with friends or enemies. Over and above there must be controls and constraints to govern our life and relationship with our Lord, who is the essence of all life. Islam has set up these controls in human life with clarity and accuracy. As these are based on Divine authority, these values should be well respected, observed and obeyed. Any compromise with opposing demands should be avoided. It is demanded that any personal feelings of love or hostility are not allowed to stand in the way to administer full justice. It has to be stressed that the basic and over-riding “control” is believing in God, acknowledging His overall Lordship and submitting to His will. Put in another way “The ayah recommends an even-handed dispension of justice to everyone, your own or not your own, friend or foe, which has been combined with a corresponding prohibition of any counter injustice inflicted in return for some injustice done”. Malice and hostility against an enemy is no reason to act unjustly. Mufti Mohammed Shafi asserts in his popular tafseer Ma’aarif-ul-Quran “The  Quran teaches that friend and foe should be treated equally on the scale of justice. It commands Muslims to do nothing but justice as a matter of obligation, no matter how deadly the enemy and no matter how serious the pain inflicted. That Islam guards the rights of enemies  is certainly one of the peculiar qualities of Islam which does not answer one injustice by another, rather elects to do justice in return”. Another scholar, Allaamaa Yousuf Ali in his excellent tafseer in English supports this view in these words : “We must not retaliate or return evil for evil. The hatred of the wicked does not justify hostility on our part. We have to help each other in righteousness and piety, not in perpetuating feuds of hatred and enmity.” I request a little soul searching from my readers: how many of us are at least aware of these values; acting on them is far fetched. 

The next segment of the index ayah وَتَعاوَنوا عَلَى البِرِّ وَالتَّقوىٰ ۖ وَلا تَعاوَنوا عَلَى الإِثمِ وَالعُدوانِ ۚ is  referred to as “The Teaching of the Qur’an about Nationalism and Universalism” by Mufti Mohammed Shafi in his Ma’aariful Quran. The ayah says “And help each other in righteousness and piety, and do not help each other in sin and aggression.” This is the basis of a world order presented by the Quran. I can see a smile and not surprise on your face. Rightly so. Acknowledging the ground realities, this sounds utopian to us. Coming from God Almighty we will consider it as excellent and ideal but in the next nanosecond it will be thrown out as impracticable and visionary. A caveat is in place here. Mufti Mohammed Shafi and many other renowned Muslim scholars have derived a rule from this: “The concept of nation and brotherhood was established on the basis that those who believe in Allah and His Rasool are one nation and those who do not so believe are the other.” This reading has led to immense problems for Muslims as a part of the world community. Yes, the precepts mentioned above have formed a Muslim Brotherhood. But nations are built on different principles and foundations. Even in early Islamic golden age there were simultaneously different caliphates followed by centuries of opposing and fighting regimes. In World War One the Saudis joined the British to oust Turkey from their land. I must admit though, in very early Islamic period specially under our Holy Prophet one does see a practical demonstration of this classification (i.e. Allah created all human beings, then, they split in two groups – some became disbelievers and some others became believers) during the battles of Badr, Uhud, Ahzab and Hunayn when a blood brother who elected to stay away from the obedience of Allah and His Rasool found that his bond of mutual cooperation with his believing brother stood severed and he could no longer escape the stroke of his believing brother’s sword. 

In the prelude to this series of “An Ayah of the Quran for Thirty Days” I have mentioned “It would be very educative and helpful to discuss an Ayah once a month to see if it supports or rejects our views and actions in our daily life”. I have tried to adhere to this objective most of the times, including the present one. I usually select an ayah based on its relevance to our problems in the twenty first century. In the previous paragraph I mentioned “ The ayah teaches us about the controls and constraints we should have in life at all levels” and have quoted several scholars in its support. Let us skip our individual lives. In our collective life, and in our relationship with other communities and nations—specially Jews, Christians, America—do  we come even close to following the “controls and constraints” ordained in the ayah under discussion. It appears as if we Muslims, a majority of us have a fixed narrative which runs like this: These people have ruled over us, exploited us, suppressed us and are responsible for our present state of poverty, ignorance, intellectual stagnation, helplessness and vulnerability. Hence we seem to have a feeling of animosity and resentment—overt or covert; expressed or suppressed—against the “West”. I do not intend to discuss this issue now. But I do want to suggest that a large majority of Muslims justify or ignore criminal activities—gunah-e-kabeera— of fellow Muslims due to this underlying resentment of Jews, Christians or US. They instantly gloss over or hush up the wrong doing of their brother Muslim and instead focus on the wrong doings of the “West”. Let me illustrate with some examples. The cold blooded, cowardly, point blank shooting to kill a young Muslim girl, Malaala, an activist for female education was an obvious heinous crime—gunah-e-kabeera in our shariah. On the night of the attack I spoke about it with a friend—a practicing Muslim, very kind and honest person. His immediate response was “why don’t they stop the drone attacks”. I was shocked. Are you? Next. I was discussing ISIS with a passionate practicing Muslim very successful in his profession. His novel comment: “why blame ISIS? Blame America for manufacturing these lethal weapons. If they had not done it, ISIS could not kill and destroy”. I feel I have made point. But the best example is the recent incident in France. I have discussed this issue in detail in my article:

 “Action in France: Blasphemy? or Laïcité?

Reaction by Muslims: Righteousness? or A Great Sin?

Briefly, the scene was played out in a school in a small town in France. The subject for the class was Free Speech. This is a subject as dear to the French as is blasphemy to Muslims. The teacher displays the cartoons that were shown in Denmark a few years ago. (These were avenged by Muslims by death and destruction.) This event was announced on the FaceBook. Next day a teenager travelled sixty miles to cut the throat of the teacher deep enough to behead him. Just shooting was not enough to quench his wild sentiments. He needed this gruesome murder to satisfy his ferocious  emotions. But this is not the end. In a neighboring church a sixty year old woman had her throat sliced deep enough to behead her. It appears as if killing has to be atrocious to avenge any blasphemy. Stop the tape at this point and let us think. Can you imagine a more vicious and horrific act by human beings in the name of and for protection of the honor of  our beloved Holy Prophet, the best specimen of all humans. Are these savage murders not a big crime in our shariah. A person who has read and understood the ayah under discussion cannot even imagine such a barbarous act. It needs outright condemnation. Let us now start the tape to hear what happens once the news is out. The abominable crime goes under the carpet. France declares war on terror and Muslins want action against France: call to boycott French goods, recall the ambassador etc. etc. I would request my fellow Muslims to spare a moment and think and ponder: Is this attitude clearly and certainly not against the letter and spirit of the Quran as we have just read. Once again, is it not the same story repeated: underlying animosity and resentment of the “West” overtakes the love of God Almighty and respect for HIS commands: barbarity of fellow Muslims hushed up, action against France and its people demanded. As I close, I appeal to my fellow Muslims: Think and Ponder with an open mind, Please. Compare and contrast the clear message and command in the ayah we have discussed and our behaviour and attitude on the ground.

……..and Allah knows best. 

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding–“fahm”–of our Deen, Aameen.

Dr. Khalid Mitha