يَسْأَلُونَكَ
مَاذَا
يُنفِقُونَ
قُلْ مَا
أَنفَقْتُمْ
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ
وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ
وَالْيَتَامَى
وَالْمَسَاكِينِ
وَابْنِ
السَّبِيلِ
وَمَا
تَفْعَلُوا
مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ بِهِ
عَلِيمٌ
كُتِبَ
عَلَيْكُمْ
الْقِتَالُ
وَهُوَ
كُرْهٌ
لَكُمْ
وَعَسى أَنْ
تَكْرَهُوا
شَيْئًا
وَهُوَ
خَيْرٌ
لَكُمْ
وَعَسَى أَنْ
تُحِبُّوا
شَيْئًا
وَهُوَ شَرٌّ
لَكُمْ
وَاللَّهُ
يَعْلَمُ
وَأَنْتُمْ
لَا
تَعْلَمُونَ
يَسْأَلُونَكَ
عَنْ
الشَّهْرِ
الْحَرَامِ
قِتَالٍ
فِيهِ قُلْ
قِتَالٌ
فِيهِ
كَبِيرٌ
وَصَدٌّ عَنْ
سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ
وَكُفْرٌ
بِهِ
وَالْمَسْجِدِ
الْحَرَامِ
وَإِخْرَاجُ
أَهْلِهِ
مِنْهُ
أَكْبَرُ
عِنْدَ
اللَّهِ
وَالْفِتْنَةُ
أَكْبَرُ
مِنْ
الْقَتْلِ
وَلَا
يَزَالُونَ
يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ
حَتَّى
يَرُدُّوكُمْ
عَنْ
دِينِكُمْ
إِنْ
اسْتَطَاعُوا
وَمَنْ
يَرْتَدِدْ
مِنْكُمْ
عَنْ دِينِهِ
فَيَمُتْ
وَهُوَ
كَافِرٌ
فَأُوْلَئِكَ
حَبِطَتْ
أَعْمَالُهُمْ
فِي
الدُّنْيَا
وَالْآخِرَةِ
وَأُوْلَئِكَ
أَصْحَابُ
النَّارِ
هُمْ فِيهَا
خَالِدُونَ
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا
وَالَّذِينَ
هَاجَرُوا
وَجَاهَدُوا
فِي سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ
أُوْلَئِكَ
يَرْجُونَ
رَحْمَةَ
اللَّهِ
وَاللَّهُ
غَفُورٌ
رَحِيمٌ
يَسْأَلُونَكَ
عَنْ
الْخَمْرِ
وَالْمَيْسِرِ
قُلْ
فِيهِمَا
إِثْمٌ
كَبِيرٌ
وَمَنَافِعُ
لِلنَّاسِ
وَإِثْمُهُمَا
أَكْبَرُ
مِنْ
نَفْعِهِمَا
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ
مَاذَا
يُنفِقُونَ
قُلْ
الْعَفْوَ
كَذَلِكَ
يُبَيِّنُ
اللَّهُ
لَكُمْ
الْآيَاتِ
لَعَلَّكُمْ
تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
فِي
الدُّنْيَا
وَالْآخِرَةِ
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ
عَنْ
الْيَتَامَى
قُلْإِصْلَاحٌ
لَهُمْ
خَيْرٌ
وَإِنْ
تُخَالِطُوهُمْ
فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ
وَاللَّهُ
يَعْلَمُ
الْمُفْسِدَ
مِنْ
الْمُصْلِحِ
وَلَوْ شَاءَ
اللَّهُ
لَأَعْنَتَكُمْ
إِنَّ
اللَّهَ
عَزِيزٌ
حَكِيمٌ
وَلَا
تَنكِحُوا
الْمُشْرِكَاتِ
حَتَّى
يُؤْمِنَّ
وَلَأَمَةٌ
مُؤْمِنَةٌ
خَيْرٌ مِنْ
مُشْرِكَةٍ
وَلَوْأَعْجَبَتْكُمْ
وَلَا
تُنكِحُوا
الْمُشْرِكِينَ
حَتَّى
يُؤْمِنُوا
وَلَعَبْدٌ
مُؤْمِنٌ
خَيْرٌ مِنْ
مُشْرِكٍ
وَلَوْ
أَعْجَبَكُمْ
أُوْلَئِكَ
يَدْعُونَ
إِلَى
النَّارِ
وَاللَّهُ
يَدْعُو
إِلَى
الْجَنَّةِ
وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ
بِإِذْنِهِ
وَيُبَيِّنُ
آيَاتِهِ
لِلنَّاسِ
لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
(215-221).
They ask you about what they should
spend1. Tell them: ‘Whatever
much you spend is for your parents and kinsfolk and for the orphan and
the destitute and the wayfarer of your society. [And rest assured] whatever
good you do [will never go waste] because God is fully aware of it’2.
(215)
Warfare is ordained for you displeasing
as it may be to you [as much as it is displeasing for you to spend in the
way of Allah]. It is very much possible that may dislike a thing even though
it is good for you, and it is very much possible that you like a thing
even though it is bad for you.3
[And in reality] God knows, but you have no knowledge [of many such things].
(216)
They ask you of warfare in the sacred
month.4 Tell them: ‘Warfare
in this month is a grave offence but to impede others from the path of
God, to deny Him, and to stop people from going to Sacred Mosque and to
expel its dwellers therefrom, is far more grave in His sight. To force
people to give up their religion is more grievous than bloodshed’. And
[O Prophet! you should know that these people against whom you have been
directed to fight have decided between themselves that] they will not cease
to fight against you until they force you to renounce your faith – if they
are able to. But whoever of you recants and dies in a state of disbelief
[should know that] it is such people whose deeds shall bear no fruit in
this world and in the world to come5.
Such men shall be the dwellers of the Fire, wherein they shall abide forever.
[On the other hand], those who fully adhered to faith6
and those who migrated from their land and fought for the cause of God,
may hope for God’s mercy7.
God is most-forgiving and ever-merciful. (217-18)
They ask you about drinking and gambling
[because in their society these are also a means of helping the poor]8.
Tell them: ‘There is great sin in both, [and no doubt] they have some benefit
for people; but their sin is far greater than their benefit’.9
And they ask you [to explain] what they should spend [in charity]. Tell
them: ‘Whatever is above your needs.’10
Thus God explains to you His verses so that you may reflect on the matters
of both this world and of the next.11
And they ask you [that if war takes place and people are killed then] what
should be done with the orphans? Tell them: ‘In whatever is their welfare
is best. And if [by marrying their mothers], you share [their affairs]
with yours, they are your brothers12.
God knows the man who means mischief from the man who means good13.
If God wished, He could have made matters difficult for you [by not giving
you this permission]. Indeed, God is mighty and wise.’14
(219-20)
And [even for the welfare of the orphans],
you shall not wed idolatrous women15,
unless they embrace faith. And [remember]a believing slave-girl is better
than an idolatrous woman, although you may fancy her. Nor shall you wed
your women to the Idolaters, unless they embrace faith. And [remember]
a believing slave is better than an Idolater, although you may fancy him.16
These [idolatrous people] call you to the Fire; but God calls you, by His
grace, to Paradise and to forgiveness17.
And explains His verses to people so that they may take heed. (221)
Researcher’s Companion
I Meaning & Morphology (الصرف
و اللغة
)
1. al-Mushrikun (‘المشركون’)
As pointed out by the author (ref.
15), in the ‘عرف’ (‘urf: conventional usage) of the Qur’an,
the word al-Mushrikun (‘المشركون’) is specifically used for
the Idolaters of Arabia. These Idolaters of Arabia subscribed to the creed
of polytheism and worshipped other deities besides the Almighty and insisted
that polytheism is the very religion revealed by the Almighty. Accordingly,
they were called al-Mushrikun (‘المشركون’) because of their declared
adherence to polytheism.
In contrast to them, the People of
the Book of Arabia (the Jews and Christians) were basically monotheists
though they had become incriminated with certain blatant forms of polytheism.
The Qur’an points out their polytheistic practices in the following
words:
وَقَالَتْ
الْيَهُودُ
عُزَيْرٌ
ابْنُ
اللَّهِ
وَقَالَتْ
النَّصَارَى
الْمَسِيحُ
ابْنُ
اللَّهِ
ذَلِكَ
قَوْلُهُمْ
بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ
يُضَاهِئُونَ
قَوْلَ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُوا
مِنْ قَبْلُ
قَاتَلَهُمْ
اللَّهُ
أَنَّى
يُؤْفَكُونَ
اتَّخَذُوا
أَحْبَارَهُمْ
وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ
أَرْبَابًا
مِنْ دُونِ
اللَّهِ
وَالْمَسِيحَ
ابْنَ
مَرْيَمَ
وَمَا
أُمِرُوا
إِلَّا
لِيَعْبُدُوا
إِلَهًا
وَاحِدًا لَا
إِلَهَ
إِلَّا هُوَ
سُبْحَانَهُ
عَمَّا
يُشْرِكُونَ
(9: 30-1).
The Jews call [of Arabia] ‘Uzayr son of
God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is a saying from
their mouth; [in this] they but imitate what the disbelievers of old used
to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation
of Allah, and [they take as their Lord] Christ the son of Mary; yet they
were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and
glory to Him: [far is He] from having the partners they associate with
Him. (9:30-1)
However, the Qur’an nowhere in
its entire text calls them as polytheists. A person becomes a polytheist
when he openly admits that he is a polytheist. A person who claims to be
a monotheist in spite of being involved in polytheistic practices, cannot
be regarded as a polytheist. The reason is that such a person might be
doing something wrong without realizing that what he is doing.
Moreover, the distinction the Qur’an
makes between declared adherents to polytheism (the Idolaters of Arabia)
and those who were adverse to polytheism yet had become involved in it
(the People of the Book of Arabia), can be appreciated in its subtle choice
of words for both these religious denominations. While referring to the
polytheistic practices of the People of the Book, it always employs a verb;
never are they referred to in the form of an adjective. The reason for
this distinction is that an adjective qualifies states of permanence and
perpetuity while a verb qualifies a temporary or transient statei.
In other words, the mention of the polytheistic practices of the People
of the Book in the form of verbs shows that they at times indulge in polytheism
(that too without realizing it) and are not its positive advocates.
2. ‘فتنه’ Fitnah
The word ‘فتنه’ (2:217)
literally means ‘trial’ and ‘test’ii.
One form of this trial is that people are subjected to torture for following
a particular ideology and thereby forced to give it up. Since at the time
of revelation of the Qur’an
this practice was rampant in the Arab
society, the Qur’an used this word in the above sense. When used
in this sense it becomes equivalent to the English word ‘persecution’.
The following verses bear witness to this usage:
فَمَا
آمَنَ
لِمُوسَى
إِلَّا
ذُرِّيَّةٌ
مِنْ
قَوْمِهِ
عَلَى خَوْفٍ
مِنْ
فِرْعَوْنَ
وَمَلَئِهِمْ
أَنْ يَفْتِنَهُمْ
وَإِنَّ
فِرْعَوْنَ
لَعَالٍ فِي
الْأَرْضِ
وَإِنَّهُ
لَمِنْ
الْمُسْرِفِينَ
(83:10).
But none believed in Moses except some children
of his People; because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs, lest they
should persecute them; and certainly Pharaoh was mighty on the earth and
one who transgressed all bounds. (10:83)
ثُمَّ
إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ
لِلَّذِينَ
هَاجَرُوا
مِنْ بَعْدِ
مَا
فُتِنُوا
ثُمَّ
جَاهَدُوا
وَصَبَرُوا
إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ مِنْ
بَعْدِهَا
لَغَفُورٌ
رَحِيمٌ (110:16).
But surely your Lord – to those who leave their
homes after they are subjected to persecution – and who thereafter strive
and patiently persevere – your Lord, after all this, is Ever-Forgiving,
Most Merciful. (16:110)
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ
ثُمَّ لَمْ
يَتُوبُوا
فَلَهُمْ
عَذَابُ
جَهَنَّمَ
وَلَهُمْ
عَذَابُ
الْحَرِيقِ (10:85)
Those who persecute the believers, men and women,
and do not turn in repentance, will face the torment of Hell and they will
have [to endure] the torment of the Burning Fire. (85:10)
II Eloquence & Style (الاساليب
و البلاغة)
1. The ‘يَسْأَلُونَكَ’ format of queries
It is essential to be aware of the
fact that in the language and diction of the Qur’an the questions
posed by the words ‘…يَسْأَلُونَكَ’
format must always be understood by the answer given. The reason for this
is that such questions are quoted in a very brief and concise manner and
normally carry no details about what is actually being inquired. This can
be observed in verses 215 and 220. Consequently, if the answer to the question
in verse 215 is deliberated upon, it can be see that it is not that the
heads of infaq that required any explanation (as is contended by
most commentators), rather it is the fact that mere spending in the way
of Allah was a hard ask from these people. They are thus chided that their
money is not going to fill the coffers of the Almighty, rather it will
be spent on their own brethren and that they shall be duly rewarded for
the smallest of amounts they spend since the Almighty has knowledge of
everything they do. When in verse 219 the question is repeated, the answer
this time focuses on what the ultimate limit of spending is.
Moreover, another aspect needs to
be kept in mind with regard to the queries stated in this section of verses.
While some of them are mentioned right after the particle of copulation
‘و’, others are not. The reason for this is that the former ones
were asked one after the other without any time lapse and hence were placed
right after one another while the latter ones belong to another time.
2. Contrast between ‘اِثْم’
and ‘نَفْع’
As pointed out by the author (ref.
9) the contrast between the words ‘اِثْم’
and ‘نَفْع’
(2:219) needs to be noted by the reader since it is this contrast which actually
brings out the true connotation of ‘نَفْع’.
As the author has pointed out, here the contrast points to the fact that the
word ‘نَفْع’
actually means the moral benefit and utility that liquor and gambling have. The
reason is that the word ‘اِثْم’
used in contrast to it refers to moral ills. In other words, the way liquor and
gambling were morally beneficial for the Arab society (see ref. 8) is being
referred to and therefore the real reason for the question. Some
commentatorsiii
have
pointed out the fact that the Qur’an has acknowledged that
gambling and liquor possess some utility for people like for example the former
gives access to money earned without much effort and the latter to a temporary
state of pleasure and relief. Whether this is true or not is not the concern of
the Qur’an. Had this been the concern, the contrast explained above
would have been made in different words. The word ‘ضَرَر’
(or some other word of similar connotation) would have been used since ‘ضَرَر’
means ‘worldly damage’ in contrast to ‘moral damage’ connoted by the
word ‘اِثْم’.
3. Use of the Verb ‘آمَنُوا’
In the Arabic language, a verb may
be used in various degrees. For example, a verb may express intention,
result or completeness depending upon the context in which it is used.
The verb ‘آمَنُوا’
(2:218), as pointed by the author (ref. 6), expresses completeness. This means
that the people who are being referred to by this word are not merely the ones
who professed faith, rather they diligently adhered to in spite of the difficult
circumstances they were put through. Consequently, the subsequent words ‘هَاجَرُوا
وَجَاهَدُوا
فِي سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ’ (they migrated and
waged war in the way of Allah) show how steadfast and diligent they were in
their faith.
III Coherence and Placement (النظم
و النظام )
1. The Tabyin Verses
Verses 217 and 221 (‘كَذَلِكَ
يُبَيِّنُ
اللَّهُ’ and ‘وَيُبَيِّنُ
آيَاتِهِ
لِلنَّاسِ’) are
the tabyi#n verses which in
accordance with the promise made by the Almighty in Su#rah
Qiya#mah (75:19) are actually an
explanation of a previous directive. They were revealed later and placed
adjacent to the directive(s) they explain. (For more examples of such verses
see: 2:187, 2:219. 2:266, 3:103, 24:58, 24:61)
2. Placement and relationship of Verses 219, 220 and
221
Questions which pertain to Jihad
and
Infaq are primarily discussed in the section of verses given in
the main text of the article (verses 215-221). While the relevance of the
rest of the questions with these two topics is obvious, that of the questions
regarding drinking and gambling (219), orphans (220) and marriage with
idolaters (221) at first glance seem out of place. The author has tried
to point out the relevance of all these questions to Jihad and
Infaq
in his translation: Gambling and drinking in pre-Islamic Arabia were
a means of Infaq. The issue of the orphans emerged from the fact
that loss of lives during Jihad could result in their increase in
the society. Similarly, the issue of marriage with Idolaters is actually
related to the directive of the orphans. As such, verses all these three
questions bear a deep relation with the topics of Jihad and Infaq.
IV Scriptures and Testaments (العهود
و الصحف)
1. Marriage with Idolaters
Like the Qur’an (2:221), the
Old and New Testaments prohibit marriage with Idolaters as well:
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your
daughters to their sons or take their daughters for their sons for they
will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods and the
Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. (Dt. 7:3-4)
Do not be yoked together with the unbelievers.
For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship
can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and
Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement
is there between the temple of God and idols? (2 Co. 6:14-16)
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