بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
We are studying the Book of Allah to increase in faith. In [9:124]:
"And whenever there comes down a Surah (chapter from the Quran), some of them (hypocrites) say: "Which of you has had his Faith increased by it?" As for those who believe, it has increased their Faith, and they rejoice."
Surah al-AlHujurat is Madaniyyah, and was revealed in 9AH.
Theme of the Surah
The foundations of building a Muslim Community
Division of the Surah into Parts
#1 - Introduction (Verses 1-3)
#2 - The foundations of building a Muslim Community (Verses 4-13)
#3 - Faith (Verses 14-17)
#4 - Conclusion (Verse 18)
The greatest means of building a Muslim Community is through building faith in the hearts of the Muslims.
The Commandments and Prohibitions in this Surah
Allah is addressing the Muslims in this Surah, which is why you find many commands and prohibitions. And this is the purpose behind Allah revealing of the Qur'an;- so that we recite it, understand it, ponder over it, and according follow it. What is the point in reciting the Qur'an, then closing it, and not obeying its orders nor abstaining from its prohibitions? One of the Scholars said that it may be a person recites the Qur'an, and the Qur'an is cursing him, because his recitation is merely on his tongue. He recites and he acts contrary to his recitation.
The Prophet ﷺ said regarding the Khawarij (ISIS for example):
يَخْرُجُ نَاسٌ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَشْرِقِ وَيَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لَا يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ يَمْرُقُونَ مِنْ الدِّينِ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنْ الرَّمِيَّةِ ثُمَّ لَا يَعُودُونَ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَعُودَ السَّهْمُ إِلَى فُوقِهِ
"There will come a people from the east who recite the Quran but it will not go beyond their throats. They will pass through the religion just as an arrow pierces its target and they will not return to it just as the arrow does not return to the bow." [Bukhari]
The Commandments in the Surah
#1 - Allah commands us with Taqwa
(Verse 1)
#2 - If an evil, disobedient person comes to you with news, Allah commands us to verify it
(Verse 6)
#3 - Allah commands us to know the following. The knowledge of it should be clear in our hearts.
(Verse 7)
-> Know that it is Allah who beautifies faith in your heart and makes disobedience hated to you. We need to perpetually feel in need of Allah and ask Him to beautify good in our hearts and make evil something ugly to us.
# 4 - Allah commands us with reconciliation
#5 - Allah commands us to fight the one who transgresses until they comply with the command of Allah
#6 - Allah commands us with reconciliation again
#7 - Allah commands us to be equitable
(Verse 9)
#8 - Allah commands us with reconciliation again
#9 - Allah commands us to have Taqwa again
(Verse 10)
#10 - Allah commands us to avoid much suspicion
#11 - Allah commands us with Taqwa for the third time.
(Verse 12)
The command for both Taqwa and Making Reconciliation was repeated Thrice.
The Prohibitions in the Surah
#1 - "لا تقدموا"
Do not make a decision in advance to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ
(Verse 1)
#2 - Do not raise your voice over the voice of the Messenger ﷺ
#3 - Do not speak loudly to the Messenger ﷺ as you speak loudly to one another
(Verse 2)
-> This includes raising your voice in the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ and when a Hadith is being mentioned.
#4 - Do not ridicule one another
#5 - Do not insult one another
#6 - Do not call each other offensive nicknames
(Verse 11)
#7 - Do not Spy
#8 - Do not Backbite one another
(Verse 12)
#9 - Do not look at your Islam as a favour
Do not do good deeds considering it a favour to Allah. Allah does not need the deeds of the entire world, it is us that need our good deeds.
(Verse 17)
We need to remind ourselves and others of the commandments and prohibitions in the Qur'an.
Division #1 - The Introduction (Verse 1-3)
Verse 1:
"O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allah and His Messenger (SAW), and fear Allah. Verily! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing."
"يأيها الذين آمنوا"
The verse began with "يأيها الذين آمنوا" because Allah is addressing the Muslims in Madinah. Allah wants to build a Muslim Community, and the most important matter to discuss in a Muslim Community is Leadership. The first thing Allah teaches us is a manner with Allah and His Messenger ﷺ - who is the Leader of this Ummah. Our belief should make us abide by these commandments and abstain from the prohibitons.
"لا تقدموا بين يدي الله و رسوله"
We should magnify Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and respect them by not making a decision in advance to them. It is out of manners with Allah and His Messenger ﷺ to not make a decision before knowing the ruling of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
Qatadah commented, "We were told that some people used to say, `Revelation should be sent down about such and such matters,' and, `such and such practices should be rendered allowed.' Allah the Exalted disliked this attitude.''
Afterwards, you would find the companions always say, "Allah and His Messenger ﷺ know best". Even when the Prophet ﷺ asked, "Which month is this?" no one answered. He repeated the question, they said, "Allah and His Messenger ﷺ know best". He said, "Isn't this the month of Dhul-Hijjah?" They said, "Yes".
عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ ضَحَّى خَالٌ لِي يُقَالُ لَهُ أَبُو بُرْدَةَ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " شَاتُكَ شَاةُ لَحْمٍ ". فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ عِنْدِي دَاجِنًا جَذَعَةً مِنَ الْمَعَزِ. قَالَ " اذْبَحْهَا وَلَنْ تَصْلُحَ لِغَيْرِكَ ". ثُمَّ قَالَ " مَنْ ذَبَحَ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّمَا يَذْبَحُ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَمَنْ ذَبَحَ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَدْ تَمَّ نُسُكُهُ، وَأَصَابَ سُنَّةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ". تَابَعَهُ عُبَيْدَةُ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ. وَتَابَعَهُ وَكِيعٌ عَنْ حُرَيْثٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ. وَقَالَ عَاصِمٌ وَدَاوُدُ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عِنْدِي عَنَاقُ لَبَنٍ. وَقَالَ زُبَيْدٌ وَفِرَاسٌ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عِنْدِي جَذَعَةٌ. وَقَالَ أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ عَنَاقٌ جَذَعَةٌ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنَاقٌ جَذَعٌ، عَنَاقُ لَبَنٍ.
Narrated Al-Bara' bin `Azib: An uncle of mine called Abu Burda, slaughtered his sacrifice before the `Id prayer. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him, "Your (slaughtered) sheep was just mutton (not a sacrifice)." Abu Burda said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have got a domestic kid." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Slaughter it (as a sacrifice) but it will not be permissible for anybody other than you" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before the (`Id) prayer, he only slaughtered for himself, and whoever slaughtered it after the prayer, he offered his sacrifice properly and followed the tradition of the Muslims." [Bukhari]
We should adhere to this commandment in our lives. Do not make a decision in advance.
E.g. A woman wants to travel and does not have a Mahram.
Ask - What did Allah and His Messenger ﷺ say regarding this matter?
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " لاَ يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ أَنْ تُسَافِرَ مَسِيرَةَ يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ لَيْسَ لَهَا ذُو حُرْمَةٍ "
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel for more than one day’s distance without a Mahram.” [Ibn Majah]
You will be tested by the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ in your life. Will you follow it?
Walk behind the Prophet ﷺ and the orders of Allah. Do not put yourself ahead of them in action, saying, obedience. This is something obligatory on us. And we cannot do this except by first having knowledge.
"واتقوا الله"
Then, Allah commands us with Taqwa. If you have Taqwa it will serve as a barrier between you and your desires. We make a decision over the decision of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ because we like such and such and want to do something else.
"إن الله سميع عليم"
Allah reminds us He is سميع عليم. If you remember that He hears you and knows about your hidden affairs and what you display outwardly, it should make you have Taqwa of Allah. If you want to have Taqwa, increase your faith in Allahs Hearing and Knowledge.
When you remember that Allah hears you right now, will you backbite?
Verse 2:
"O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (SAW), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not."
"لا ترفعوا أصواتكم فوق صوت النبي"
This is a manner with the Prophet ﷺ. It was stated that this Ayah was revealed about Abu Bakr and `Umar. Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn Abi Mulaykah said, "The two righteous ones, Abu Bakr and `Umar, almost earned destruction when they raised their voices before the Prophet who was receiving the delegation of Bani Tamim. One of them recommended Al-Aqra` bin Habis the member of the Banu Mujashi` while the other recommended another man. Nafi` (a subnarrator) said: "I don't remember his name.'' Abu Bakr said to `Umar, `You only wanted to contradict me,' while `Umar said, `I did not intend to contradict you.' Their voices then became loud, thereupon Allah the Exalted sent down this Ayah.
`Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr said, "After that, `Umar's voice was so low that the Messenger of Allah had to ask him to repeat what he said so that he could understand what he was saying to him.''
Even Abu Bakr and Umar, the greatest companions, made mistakes.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas bin Malik said, "When this Ayah was revealed, Thabit bin Qays bin Ash-Shammas, whose voice was loud, said, `I was the one who raised his voice above the voice of Allah's Messenger . I am among the dwellers of the Fire. My good deeds have been done in vain.' He remained in his house feeling distressed, and the Messenger of Allah noticed his absence. So some men went to Thabit and said to him, `The Prophet noticed your absence. What is the matter with you' Thabit said, `I used to raise my voice above the voice of the Prophet and speak loudly in front of him. My deeds have been rendered useless and I am among the people of the Fire.' They went to the Prophet and told him what Thabit said and the Prophet said, "Nay, he is among the dwellers of Paradise."
Whenever the companions heard a commandment, they would follow it at once. And when they heard a prohibiton, they would abstain from it at once.
Whenever the companions heard a commandment, they would follow it at once. And when they heard a prohibiton, they would abstain from it at once.
"و لا تجهروا له بالقول كجهر بعضكم لبعض"
I.e. Do not call him "يا محمد" (O Muhammed). Call him the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
In Masjid Al-Nabawi, one prayer is equivalent to 1000 prayers. And sins are greater there. We should have manners inside the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ and not raise our voices there.
The Scholars said we should practice these manners, even while we hear a Hadith, or during the Athan.
Verse 3:
"Verily! Those who lower their voices in the presence of Allah's Messenger (SAW), they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for piety. For them is forgiveness and a great reward."
Allah praises those who lower their voices in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ.
"أولآئك الذين امتحن الله قلوبهم للتقوى"
Allah tests our hearts every day in our lives - if we have Taqwa or not. If you have Taqwa you will abstain from the prohibitons of Allah and obey His commandments.
The more you have Taqwa, the more you will succeed in these tests.
"لهم مغفرة و أجر عظيم"
Allah promises those who practice Taqwa forgiveness and a great reward.
Accordingly we should do four things:
1) Learn; Have Knowledge of the Commandments and Prohibitions.
2) Follow them
3) If Allah opened a gate of doing good, do it immediately. Do not delay. You do not know what will happen tomorrow. Do not think your heart is in your hand and you can do it tomorrow. If Allah beautified the good deed in your heart, and granted you ability to do it, it is a favour from Him. Allah turns our hearts. You may like to do the good deed today, but may not want or be able to tomorrow.
4) Do not listen to your desire. Your heart is tested for Taqwa. Put Allah and His Messenger ﷺ before your desires.
Benefits
1) The Muslim follows the Qur'an and Sunnah, He does not put himself before Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
2) The great rank of the Prophet ﷺ
3) When you refer to the Prophet ﷺ, you do not refer to him by his Name, but precede it with Prophet or Messenger and end it with ﷺ.
4) The dangers of the tongue. Raising your voice, putting your opinions before Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, etc. are all done by the tongue.
5) The tongue is connected to the heart. Because Allah said in Verse 3: "Verily! Those who lower their voices in the presence of Allah's Messenger ﷺ they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for piety."
6) The companies never argued or debated, they would immediately obey the commandments and prohibitions.
7) To be aware of Allahs watchfulness. The more you are aware of His Knowledge, His Hearing, His Seeing, the more you will watch yourself and have Taqwa. You will reach the highest level in the religion: Al-Ihsan; which is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you can not do that, know that He sees you. If you do this even in the small actions you do in your life, you would have practiced Ihsan.
E.g. You are putting your Abaya on to go to the lecture. While you are doing that you remind yourself that Allah sees me, He knows I am going, I want my faith to increase, all my sins to me forgiven, etc. You have practiced Ihsan.
8) Allah reminds us of repentance. The gate of forgiveness and repentance is open. If you commit a sin do not think you are paralyzed, isolated, and no one is going to accept you. Repentance is between you and your Lord; repent and come back to the Muslim Community. You have a Merciful Lord, all you need to do is repent.
Umar رضي الله عنه hear about a companion who used to drink alcohol. The companions would talk about him. He said, "Do not help the Shaytan against your brother, remind him". Then he wrote a letter to this companion, containing just the third verse from Surah AlGhafir:
"The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours), La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), to Him is the final return."
When the companion read this letter, he repented sincerely, and died as martyr. Do not be stingy with your advice.
Division #2 - The Foundation of Building a Muslim Community (Verse 4-13)
Verse 4:
"Verily! Those who call you from behind the dwellings, most of them have no sense."
This verse was revealed regarding bedouins who used to come to the Prophet ﷺ's house. They did not have manners to wait until he came out, but would stand outside saying, "O Muhammed, O Muhammed"
Allah says they do not have sense.
This is a rule from the Qur'an: The more sense you have, the more manners you have. The less sense you have, the less manners you have.
The manners you have with people is an indication of your faith, because the Muslim has good manners seeking the pleasure of Allah.
Verse 5:
"And if they had patience till you could come out to them, it would have been better for them. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
This is the second time Allah teaches us not to be hasty. And then He reminds us that He is Forgiving and Merciful.
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