13. Fear ye to offer alms before your conference? Then, when ye do it not and Allah hath forgiven you, establish worship and pay the poor-due and obey Allah and His messenger. And Allah is Aware of what ye do.
14. Hast thou not seen those who take for friends a folk with whom Allah is wroth? They are neither of you nor of them, and they swear a false oath knowingly.
15. Allah hath prepared for them a dreadful doom. Evil indeed is that which they are wont to do.
16. They make a shelter of their oaths and turn (men) from the way of Allah; so theirs will be a shameful doom.
17. Their wealth and their children will avail them naught against Allah. Such are rightful owners of the Fire; they will abide therein.
18. On the day when Allah will raise them all together, then will they swear unto Him as they (now) swear unto you.
LVIII SHE THAT DISPUTETH 573 and they will fancy that they have some standing. Lo! is it not they who are the liars?
19. The devil hath engrossed them and so hath caused them to forget remembrance of Allah. They are the devil s party. Lo! is it not the devil’s party who will be the losers?
20. Lo! those who oppose Allah and His messenger, they will be among the lowest. 21. Allah hath decreed: Lo! I verily shall conquer, I and My messengers. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.
22. Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah ^nd the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His messenger, even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their clan. As for such. He hath written faith upon their hearts and hath strengthened them with a Spirit from Him, and He will bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah’s party. Lo! is it not Allah’s party who are the successful?
sOrah lix sOrah lix Al-Hashr, “Exile,” takes its name from vv. 2—17, which refer to the exile of the Bam Nadir, a Jewish tribe of Al-Madinah (for treason and projected murder of the Prophet) and the confiscation of their property. The “Hypocrites,” as the lukewarm Muslims were called, had secretly sympathised with these Jews, whose opposition had grown strong since the Muslim reverse at Mt. Uhud, and had promised to side with them if-it came to a collision with the Muslims; and to emigrate with them if they were forced to emigrate. But when the Muslims marched against the Bam Nadir, and the latter took refuge in their strong towers, the Hypocrites did nothing. And when at length they were reduced and exiled, the Hypocrites did not go with them into exile.
The date of revelation is the fourth year of the Hijrah.
EXILE Revealed at Al-Madinah In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.
2. He it is Who hath caused those of the People of the Scripture" who disbelieved to go forth from their homes unto the first exile. Ye deemed not that they would go forth, while they deemed that their strongholds would protect them from Allah. But Allah reached them from a place whereof they recked not, and cast terror in their hearts so that they ruined their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So learn a lesson, O ye who have eyes!
' The term for Jews and Christians. In this case it refers to Jews.
SURAH LIX EXILE 3. And if Allah had not decreed migration for them, He verily -would have punished them in this world, and theirs in the Hereafter is the punishment of the Fire.
4. That is because they were opposed to Allah and His messenger,* and whoso is opposed to Allah, (for him) verily Allah is stern in reprisal.
5. Whatsoever palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots, it was by Allah’s leave, in order that He might confound the evil-livers.
6. And that which Allah gave as spoil unto His messenger from them, ye urged not any horse or riding-camel for the sake thereof, hut Allah giveth His messenger lordship over whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things.
7. That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger' and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you. And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lol Allah is stern in reprisal.
8. And (it is) for the poor fugitives who have been driven out from their homes and their belongings, who seek bounty from Allah and help Allah and His messenger. They are the 9. Those who entered the city and the faith before them love those who flee unto them for refuge, and find in their breasts no need for that which hath been given them, but prefer (the fugitives) above themselves though poverty become their lot. And whoso is saved from his own avarice—such are they who are successful.
10. And those who came (into the faith) after them say; ' i.e. for the State, THE GLORIOUS KORAN sdRAH Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who were before us in the faith, and place not in our hearts any rancour toward those who believe. Our Lord! Thou art Full of Pity, Merciful.
11. Hast thou not observed those who are hypocrites, (how) they tell their brethren who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture: If ye are driven out, we surely will go out with you, and we will never obey anyone against you, and if ye are attacked we verily will help you. And Allah beareth witness that they verily are liars.
12. (For) indeed if they are driven out they go not out with them, and indeed if they are attacked they help them not, and indeed if they had helped them they would have turned and fled, and then they would not have been victorious.
13. Ye are more awful as a fear in their bosoms than Allah. That is because they are a folk who understand not. 14. They will not fight against you in a body save in fortified villages or from behind walls. Their adversity among themselves is very great. Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are divers. That is because they are a folk who have no sense.
15. On the likeness of those (who suffered) a short time before them, they taste the ill-effects of their own conduct, and theirs is painful punishment.
16. (And the hypocrites are) on the likeness of the devil when he telleth man to disbelieve, then, when he disbelieveth saith: Lo! I am quit of thee. Lo! I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
17. And the consequence for both will be that they are in the Fire, therein abiding. Such is the reward of evil-doers.
18. O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah. And let every soul look to that which it sendeth on before for LIX EXILE the morrow. And observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do.
19. And be not ye as those who forgot Allah, therefor He caused them to forget their souls. Such are the evildoers.
20. Not equal are the owners of the Fire and the owners of the Garden. The owners of the Garden, they are the victorious.
21. If We had caused this Qur’an to descend upon a mountain, thou (O Muhammad) verily hadst seen it humbled, rent asunder by the fear of Allah. Such similitudes coin We for mankind that haply they may reflect. 22. He is Allah, than whom there is no other God, the Knower of the invisible and the visible. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.
23. He is Allah, than whom there is no other God, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him).
24. He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens aird the earth glorifieth Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.
SURAH LX Al-Mumtahanah, “She who is to be Examined,” takes its name from V. lo, where the believers are told to examine women who come to them as fugitives from the idolaters and, if they find them sincere converts to Al-IslSm, not to return them to the idolaters. This marked a modification in the terms of the Truce of Hudeybiyah, by which the Prophet had engaged to return all fugitives, male and female, while the idolaters were not obliged to give up renegades from Al-Islim. The more terrible persecution which women had to undergo, if extradited, and their helpless social condition were the causes of the change. Instead of giving up women refugees who were sincere, and not fugitives on account of crime or some family quarrel, the Muslims were to pay an indemnity for them; while as for Muslim husbands whose wives might flee to Qureysh, no indemnity was to be paid by the latter but, when some turn of fortune brought wealth to the Islamic State, they were to be repaid by the State what their wives had taken of their property. In v, 12 is the pledge which was to be taken from the women refugees after their examination.
The date of revelation is the eighth year of the Hijrah.
SHE THAT IS TO BE EXAMINED Revealed at Al-Madinah In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I, O ye who believe! Choose not My enemy and your enemy for friends. Do ye give them friendship when they disbelieve in that truth which hath come unto you, driving out the messenger and you because ye believe in Allah, your Lord? If ye have come forth to strive in My way and seeking My good pleasure, (show them not friendship). Do ye LX SHE THAT IS TO BE EXAMINED 579 show friendship unto them in secret, when lam best Aware of what ye hide and what ye proclaim? And whosoever doeth it among you, he verily hath strayed from the right way.
2. If they have the upper hand of you, they will be your foes, and will stretch out their hands and their tongues toward you with evil (intent), and they long for you to disbelieve.
3. Your ties of kindred and your children will avail you naught upon the Day of Resurrection. He will part you. Allah is Seer of what ye do. 4. There is a goodly pattern for you in Abraham and those with him, when they, told their folk: Lo! we are guiltless of you and all that ye worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there hath arisen between us and you hostility and hate for ever until ye believe in Allah only— save that which Abraham promised his father (when he said): I will ask forgiveness for thee, though I own nothing for thee from Allah—Our Lord! In Thee we put our trusty and unto Thee we turn repentant, and unto Thee is the journeying.
5. Our Lord! Make us not a prey for those who disbelieve, and forgive us, our Lord! Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, the Wise.
6. Verily ye have in them a goodly pattern for everyone who looketh to Allah and the Last Day. And whosoever may turn away, lo! still Allah, He is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise.
7. It may be that Allah will ordain love between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity. Allah is Mighty, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
8. Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from 580 THE GLORIOUS KORAN s^>rah your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them* Lo! Allah loveth the just dealers. 9. Allah forbiddeth you only those who warred against you on account of religion and have driven you out from your homes and helped to drive you out, that ye make friends of them. Whosoever maketh friends of them— (All) such are wrong-doers.
10. O ye who believe! When believing women come unto you as fugitives, examine them. Allah is best aware of their faith. Then, if ye know them for true believers, send them not back unto the disbelievers. They are not lawful for the disbelievers, nor are the disbelievers lawful for them. And give the disbelievers that which they have spent (upon them). And it is no sin for you to marry such women when ye have given them their dues. And hold not to the ties of disbelieving women; and ask for (the return of) that which ye have spent; and let the disbelievers ask for that which they have spent. That is the judgement of Allah. He judgeth between you. Allah is Knower, Wise.
11. And if any ol your wives have gone from you unto the disbelievers and afterward ye have your turn (of triumph), then give unto those whose wives have gone the like of that which they have spent, and keep your duty to Allah in whom ye are believers. iz. O Prophet! If believing women come unto thee, taking oath of allegiance unto thee that they will ascribe no thing as partner unto Allah, and will neither steal nor commit adultery nor kill their children, nor produce any lie that they have devised between their hands and feet, nor disobey thee in what is right,' then accept their allegiance I This is called the women’s oath of allegiance. It was the oath exacted from men also until the second pact of Al-‘Aqabah when the duty of defence was added to the men’s oath.
LX SHE THAT IS TO BE EXAMINED 581 and ask Allah to forgive them. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
13. O ye who believe! Be not friendly with a folk with whom Allah is wroth, (a folk) who have despaired of the Hereafter as the disbelievers despair of those who are in the graves.
SORAH LXI As-Sajf, “The Ranks,” takes its name from a word in v. 4. In the copy of the Koran which I have followed, it is stated to have been revealed at Mecca, though its contents evidently refer to the Madinah period. It may have been revealed while the Prophet and his companions were encamped in the valley of Mecca during the negotiations of the Truce of Hudeybiyah, with which some of its verses are associated by tradition.
In that case the date of revelation would be the sixth year of the Hijrah.
THE RANKS Revealed at Al-Madtnah In the naitte of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.
2. O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?
3. It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that ye say that which ye do not.
4. Lo! Allah loveth those who battle for His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure.
5. And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Why persecute ye me, when ye well know that I am Allah’s messenger unto you? So when they went astray Allah sent their hearts astray. And Allah guideth not the evilliving folk.
6. And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah,' ' Books of Moses.
SURAH LXI THE RANKS and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One.' Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say; This is mere magic.
7. And who doth greater wrong than he who inventeth a lie against Allah when he is summoned unto Al-Islim? ^ And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk, 8. Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however much the disbelievers are averse. 9. He it is who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it conqueror of all religion however much idolaters may be averse.
10. O ye who believe! Shall I show you a commerce that will save you from a painful doom?
11. Ye should believe in Allah and His messenger, and should strive for the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is better for you, if ye did but know.
12. He will forgive you your sins and bring you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, and pleasant dwellings in Gardens of Eden. That is the supreme triumph.
13. And (He will give you) another blessing which ye love: help from Allah and present victory. Give good tidings (O Muhammad) to believers.
14. O ye who believe! Be Allah’s helpers, even as Jesus son of Mary said unto the disciples: Who are my helpers for Allah? They said: We are Allah’s helpers. And a party of the Children of Israel believed, while a party disbelieved. Then We strengthened those who believed against their foe, and they became the uppermost.
' Ar. Ahmad. A name of the Prophet of Arabia. The promised "Comforter” was believed by many Christian communities of the East to be a Prophet yet to come, and most of them accepted Muhammad as that Prophet, sOrah lxii Al-Jum'ah, “The Congregation,’’ takes its name from a word in v. 9, where obedience to the call to congregational prayer is enjoined. Tradition says that vv. 9—n refer to an occasion when a caravan entered Al-Madinah with beating of drums at the time when the Prophet was preaching in the mosque, and that the congregation broke away to look at it except twelve men. If, as one version of the tradition says, the caravan was that of Dahyah al-Kalbi, the incident must have occurred before the fifth year of the Hijrah, because Dahyah was a Muslim in the fifth year A.H.
The date of revelation is between the years 2 and 4 A.H.
THE CONGREGATION Revealed at Al-Madinah In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, the Mighty, the Wise.
2. He it is Who hath sent among the unlettered ones a messenger of their own, to recite unto them His revelations and to make them grow, and to teach them the Scripture and Wisdom, though heretofore they were indeed in error manifest, 3. Along with others of them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. 4. That is the bounty of Allah; which he giveth unto whom He will. Allah is of infinite bounty.
5. The likeness of those who are entrusted with the SURAH LXii THE CONGREGATION Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books. Wretched is the likeness of folk who deny the revelations of Allah. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.
6. Say (O Muhammad): O ye who are Jews! If ye claim that ye are favoured of Allah apart from (all) mankind, then long for death if ye are truthful.
7. But they will never long for it because of all that their own hands have sent before, and Allah is Aware of evil-doers.
8. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Lo! the death from which ye shrink will surely meet you, and afterward ye will be returned unto the Knower of the invisible and the visible, and He will tell you what ye used to do.
9. O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.
10. And when the prayer is ended, then disperse in the land and seek of Allah’s bounty, and remember Allah much, that ye may be successful.
11. But when they spy some merchandise or pastime they break away to it and leave thee standing. Say: That which Allah hath is better than pastime and than merchandise, and Allah is the best of providers.
SURAH LXIII Al-Mmafiqun, “The. Hypocrites,” takes its name from a word occurring in the first verse. V. 8 refers to a remark of Abdullah ibn Ubeyy, the “Hypocrite” leader, expressing the desire that the old aristocracy of Yathrib, of which he had been the acknowledged chief, might regain the ascendancy and turn out the refugees from Mecca, whom he regarded as intruders.
The date of revelation is the fourth year of the Hijrah.
THE HYPOCRITES Revealed at Al-Madtnah In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, 1. When the hypocrites come unto thee (O Muhammad), they say: We bear witness that thou art indeed Allah’s messenger. And Allah knoweth that thou art indeed His messenger, and Allah beareth witness that the Hypocrites are speaking falsely.
2. They make their faith a pretext so that they may turn (men) from the way of Allah. Verily evil is that which they are wont to do, 3. That is because they believed, then disbelieved, therefore their hearts are sealed so that they understand not. 4. And when thou seest them their figures please thee; and if they speak thou givest ear unto their speech. (They are) as though they were blocks of wood in striped cloaks.' They deem every shout to be against them. They are the enemy, so beware of: them, Allah confound them! How they are perverted!
I Or propped-up blocks of wood.
SURAH Lxiii THE HYPOCRITES 587 5. And when it is said unto them: Come! The messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you! they avert their faces and thou seest them turning away, disdainful.
6. Whether thou ash forgiveness for them or ask not forgiveness for them, Allah will not forgive them. Lo! Allah guideth not the evil-living folk.
7. They it is who say: Spend not on behalf of those (who dwell) with Allah’s messenger that they may disperse (and go away from you); when Allah’s are the treasures of the heavens and the earth; but the hypocrites comprehend not.
8. They say: Surely, if we return to Al-Madinah the mightier will soon drive out the weaker; when might belongeth to Allah and to His messenger and the believers; but the hypocrites know not.
9. O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers. 10. And spend of that wherewith We have provided you before death cometh unto one of you and he saith: My Lord! If only thou wouldst reprieve me for a little while, then I w’ould give alms and be among the righteous.
11. But Allah reprieveth no soul when its term cometh, and Allah is Aware of what ye do.
SURAH LXIV At-Taghdhun, “Mutual Disillusion,” takes its name from a word The date of revelation is possibly the year i A.H., though it is generally regarded as a late Meccan Surah, vv. 14 ff. being taken as referring to the pressure brought to bear by wives and families to prevent Muslims leaving Mecca at the time of the Hijrah.
MUTUAL DISILLUSION Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah; unto Him belongeth sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise, and He is Able to do all things, 2. He it is Who created you, but one of you is a disbeliever and one of you is a believer, and Allah is Seer of what ye do.
3. He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He shaped you and made good your shapes, and unto Him is the journeying.
4. He knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and He knoweth what ye conceal and what ye publish. And Allah is Aware of what is in the breasts (of men], 5. Hath not the story reached you of those who disbelieved of old and so did taste the ill-effects of their conduct, and theirs will be a painful doom.
6. That was because their messengers (from Allah) kept SURAH LXIV MUTUAL DISILLUSION 589 coming unco them with clear proofs (of Allah’s sovereignty), but they said: Shall mere mortals guide us? So they disbelieved and turned away, and Allah was independent (of them). Allah is Absolute, Owner of Praise.
7. Those who disbelieve assert that they will not be raised again. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Yea, verily, by my Lord! ye will be raised again and then ye will be informed of what ye did; and that is easy for Allah.
8. So believe in Allah and His messenger and the light which We have revealed. And Allah is Aware of what ye do.
9. The day when He shall gather you unco the Day of Assembling, that will be a day of mutual disillusion. And whoso believech in Allah and doeth right. He will remit from him his evil deeds and will bring him into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein to abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph.
10. But those who disbelieve and deny Our revelations, such are owners of the Fire; they will abide therein—a hapless journey’s end! 11. No calamity befalleth save by Allah’s leave. And whosoever believeth in Allah, He guideth his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things.
12. Obey Allah and obey His messenger; but if ye turn away, then the duty of Our messenger is only to convey (the message) plainly.
13. Allah! There is no God save Him. In Allah, therefore, let believers put their trust.
14. O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
15. Your wealth and your children are only a temptation, whereas Allah! with Him is an immense reward.
590 THE GLORIOUS KORAN s6rah lxiv 16. So keep your duty to AIIaK as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful.
17. If ye lend unto Allah a goodly loan,’ He will double it for you and will forgive you, for Allah is Responsive, Clement, 18. Knower of the invisible and the visible, the Mighty, the Wise.
» i.e. a loan without interest or any thought of gain or loss.
SURAH LXV At-Talaq, “Divorce,” is so called from vv. 1—7, which contain an amendment to the laws of divorce which are set forth in Surah II. This is generally referred traditionally to a mistake made by Ibn ‘Umar in divorcing his wife, which is said to have happened in the 6th year of the Hijrah. But others relate that the Prophet on that occasion only quoted this verse which had already been revealed.
The date of revelation is the sixth year of the Hijrah or a little earlier.
DIVORCE Revealed at Al~Madinah In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. O Prophet! When ye (men) put away women, put them away for their (legal) period and reckon the period, and keep your duty to Allah, your Lord. Expel them not from their houses nor let them go forth unless they commit open immorality. Such are the limits (imposed by) Allah; and whoso transgresseth Allah’s limits, he verily wrongeth his soul. Thou knowest not; it may be that Allah will afterward bring some new thing to pass.
2. Then, when they have reached their term, take them back in kindness or part from them in kindness, and call to witness two just men among you, and keep your testimony upright for Allah. Whoso believeth in Allah and the Last Day is exhorted to act thus. And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, 3. And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation. And whosoever putteth his trust in THE GLORIOUS KORAN StJRAH Allah, He will suffice him. Lo! Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah hath set a measure for all things.
4. And for such of your women as despair of menstruation, if ye doubt, their period (of waiting) shall be three months, along with those who have it not. And for those with child, their period shall be till they bring forth their burden. And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, He maketh his course easy for him.
5. That is the commandment of Allah which He revealeth unto you. And whoso keepeth his duty to Allah, He will remit from him his evil deeds and magnify reward for him.
6. Lodge them where ye dwell, according to your wealth, and harass them not so as to straiten life for them. And if they are with child, then spend for them till they bring forth their burden. Then, if they give suck for you, give them their due payment and consult together in kindness; but if ye make difficulties for one another, then let some other woman give suck for him (the father of the child).
7. Let him who hath abundance spend of his abundance, and he whose provision is measured, let him spend of that which Allah hath given him. Allah asketh naught of any soul save that which He hath given it. Allah will vouchsafe, after hardship, ease.
8. And how many a community revolted against the ordinance of its Lord and His messengers, and we called it to a stern account and punished it with dire punishment, 9. So that it tasted the ill-effects of its conduct, and the consequence of its conduct was loss.
10. Allah hath prepared for them stern punishment; so keep your duty to Allah, O men of understanding! O ye who believe! Now Allah hath sent down unto you a reminder, 11. A messenger reciting unto you the revelations of Lxv DIVORCE 593 Allah made plain, that He may bring forth those who believe and do good works from darkness unto light. And whosoever believeth in Allah and doeth right, He will bring him into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein to abide for ever, Allah hath made good provision for him.
12, Allah it is who hath created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof. The commandment cometh down among them slowly, that ye may know that Allah is Able to do all things, and that Allah surroundeth all things in knowledge.
SURAH LXVl At-Tahrtrn, “The Banning,’’ takes its name from a word in v. i.
There are three traditions as to the occasion of vv. 1—4; (1) The Prophet was very fond of honey. One of his wives received a present of honey from a relative and by its means inveigled the Prophet into staying with her longer than was customary. The others felt aggrieved, and Ayeshah devised a little plot. Knowing the Prophet’s horror of unpleasant smells, she arranged with two other wives that they should hold their noses when he came to them after eating the honey, and accuse him of having eaten the produce of a very rank-smelling tree. When they accused him of having eaten Maghdfir the Prophet said that he had eaten only honey. They said: “The bees had f^ed on Maghafir.’’ The Prophet was dismayed and vowed to eat no more honey.
(2) Haf?ah found the Prophet in her room with MSrya—the Coptic girl, presented to him by the ruler of Egypt, who became the mother of his only male child, Ibrahim—on a day wliich custom had assigned to Ayeshah. Moved by Hafsah’s distress, the Prophet vowed that he would have no more to do with MSrya, and asked her not to tell Ayeshah. But Hafsah’s distress had been largely feigned. No sooner had the Prophet gone than she told Ayeshah with glee how easily she had got rid of Marya.
(3) Before Al-Isldm women had had no standing in Arabia, The Koran gave them legal rights and an assured position, which some of them were inclined to exaggerate. The Prophet was extremely kind to his wives. One day Omar had to rebuke his wife for replying to him in a tone which he considered disrespectful. She assured him it was the tone in which his own daughter Hafsah, Ayeshah and others of the Prophet’s wives answered the Prophet. Omar went at once and remonstrated with Hafsah and with another of the Prophet’s wives to whom he was related. He was told to mind his own business, which increased his horror and dismay. Soon afterwards the Prophet separated from his wives for a time, and it was thought that he was going to divorce them. Then Omar ventured SURAH Lxvi BANNING 595 to tell the story of his own vain effort to reform them, at which the Prophet laughed heartily. Traditions (i) and (3) are the better authenticated and are alone adduced by the great traditionists. But the commentators generally prefer (2) as more explanatory of the text. All allude to a tendency on the part of some of the wives of the Prophet to presume on their new status and the Prophet’s well-known kindness—a tendency so marked that, if allowed to continue, it would have been of bad example to the whole community. The Koran first rebukes the Prophet for yielding to their desires to the extent of undertaking to forgo a thing which Allah had made lawful for him—in the case of (2), fulfilment of his vow involved a wrong to Marya—and then reproves the women for their double-dealing and intrigue.
The above traditions have been made by some non-Muslim writers the text for strictures which appear irrelevant because their ideology is altogether un-Islamic. The Prophet has never been regarded by Muslims as other than a human messenger of God; sanctity has never been identified with celibacy. For Christendom the strictest religious ideal has been celibacy, monogamy is already a concession to human nature. For Muslims, monogamy is the ideal, polygamy the concession to human nature. Polygamy is of the nature of some men in all countries, and of all men in some countries. Having set a great example of monogamic marriage, the Prophet was to set a great example of polygamic marriage, by following which men of that temperament could live righteous lives. He encountered all the difficulties inherent in the situation, and when he made mistakes the Koran helped him to retrieve them, Al-Islam did not institute polygamy. It restricted an existing institution by limiting the number of a man’s legal wives, by giving to every woman a legal personality and legal rights which had to be respected, and making every man legally responsible for his conduct towards every woman. Whether monogamy or polygamy should prevail in a particular country or period is a matter of social and economic convenience. The Prophet himself was permitted to have more wives than were allowed to others because, as head of the State, he was responsible for the support of women who had no other protector. With the one exception of Ayeshah, all his wives had been widows.
596 THE GLORIOUS KORAN surah BANNING Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
2. Allah hath made lawful for you (Muslims) absolution from your oaths (of such a kind), and Allah is your Protector, He is the Knower, the Wise.
3. When the Prophet confided a fact unto one of his wives and when she afterward divulged it and Allah apprised him thereof, he made known (to her) part thereof and passed over part. And when he told it her she said: Who hath told thee? He said: The Knower, the Aware hath told me, 4. If ye twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban); and if ye aid one another against him (Muhammad) then lo! Allah, even He, is his protecting Friend, and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore the angels are his helpers.
5. It may happen that his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him in your stead wives better than you, submissive (to Allah), believing, pious, penitent, inclined to fasting, widows and maids.
6. O ye who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire whereof the fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels strong, severe, who resist not Allah in that which He commandeth them, but do that which they are commanded.
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