Welcome to our weekly program "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an. We start from where we left you last Friday and here is ayah 5 of Surah Ahzab:

“Call them after their fathers. That is more just with Allah. And if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brethren in the faith and your kinsmen. There will be no sin upon you for any mistake that you may make therein, barring what your hearts may premeditate. And Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.”

This ayah means to say that in your social and family life, do not behave in a manner that your foster child or adopted child appears as your real biological child. Treat him kindly and give him generously from whatever God has given you, but if you known his father’s name refer to him as the son of his real biological father. At the same time, however, consider him as your brother in faith, so that his real identity is preserved and embarrassment is avoided in society, both for you and the adopted person.

It is noted that Zayd who was brought up as a foster son by the Prophet of Islam was called in the pre-Islamic society as Zayd bin Mohammad. After revelation of this ayah, the Prophet told him “You are Ziyd ibn-Harithah”, that is Zayd the son of Harithah.

 Allah the All-Merciful will surely forgive what happened in the past and what one may do by mistake, err, and forgetfulness, but if after the revelation of this ayah, if one intentionally and optionally refer to persons by other than the name of their biological fathers, this will be regarded as disobedience to divine commandment.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. It is biological ties that matter, and the adopted son should be known as the offspring of his real father.
2. Even those people whose fathers are not known, we should behave them with respect and we are not allowed to insult and humiliate others.
3. Disobedience of God’s commandment is sin.

Let us now listen to and read ayah 6 of Surah Ahzab:

“The Prophet is closer to the faithful than their own souls, and his wives are their mothers. The blood relatives are more entitled to inherit from one another in the Book of Allah than the [other] faithful and Emigrants, barring any favour you may do your comrades. This has been written in the Book.”

According to narrations, after Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), in order to bring Muslims closer to each other, especially the Muhajer or Migrants of Mecca and the Ansaar of Helpers of Medina, had called each particular pair as brothers of each other. Here God Almighty makes it clear that this brotherhood for promotion of unity and solidarity does not mean that such brothers will inherit each others. Inheritance is only among blood relations, and biological siblings. The ayah means to say that even the Prophet who has a greater right over the believers than they have over their own selves and is considered the father of the Ummah and his wives as the mothers of Muslims, neither inherits from Muslims and nor the Muslims inherit from him.

As for the use of the term that the Prophet’s wives are mothers of Muslims, this is intended to emphasize the prime position of the Prophet and the dignity attached to him, which means, the Prophet’s cannot be marry anyone after him.  

From this ayah we learn that:

1. The Prophet has absolute authority over all Muslims and they have to obey his instructions, since whatever he says are the commandments of God Almighty.
2. Any woman married to the Prophet cannot marry any other person after the Prophet’s death, in view of the dignity attached to the Prophet.. 
3. In the Islamic culture, kinship has been taken into consideration for strengthening the family unit.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 7 and 8 of Surah Ahzab

“[Recall] when We took a pledge from the prophets, and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Mary, and We took from them a solemn pledge,”

“so that He may question the truthful concerning their truthfulness. And He has prepared for the faithless a painful punishment.”

The previous ayah spoke of the absolute authority over the Muslims of Prophet Mohammad (blessing of God upon him and his progeny). These ayahs have referred to the heavy responsibility of the Prophet of Islam and all previous Prophets and means to say: God has placed heavy duties on the shoulder of Prophets vis-à-vis the right He has given to them and taken firm pledge from them to spare no efforts in conveying the divine message of guidance for the people and to do their best in inviting them to the path of God.

These ayahs have referred to the five greatest-ever Prophets, that is Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, after addressing the Last and Greatest of them all, that is Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Continuation of the ayahs says people comprise two groups towards the invitation of Prophets, the truthful and the faithless. The true believers are those who are honest in their faith. Whatever they say, they do it in practice.

On the Day of Resurrection, God questions both groups and He gives reward and punishment on the basis of their thought and acts.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Familiarity with the history of Prophets and the nations of the past is necessary so that we become aware of facts and realities, and take lessons from what had transpired.  
2. God has placed a duty for every right and the more powers one has his duty and responsibility is heavier.
3. Honesty in words and deeds is required for faith to the extent that God has used the term of truthful instead of faithful.
4. On the Day of Resurrection, God measures humans’ deeds on the basis of their intention and motivation and in addition to the outward acts, the inward acts are also taken into consideration.

AS/ME