Welcome to our weekly programme "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 are ayahs 57 and 58 of Surah Ahzab:

 “Indeed those who displease Allah and His Messenger are cursed by Allah in the world and the Hereafter, and He has prepared a humiliating punishment for them.”

“Those who torment faithful men and women undeservedly, certainly bear the guilt of slander and flagrant sin.”

Last week, we said, as is clear from ayah 56, God Almighty sends blessings on His Last and Greatest Messenger with the universal mission of Islam for enlightenment of all humanity, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). In the same ayah God commands the believers to send salawaat or blessings on the Prophet in a most worthy manner. As confirmed by several hadith the proper way of sending blessings on the Prophet is to recite, “Allahomma salle ala Mohammad wa Aal-e Mohammad”. It means: O Allah bless Mohammad and the progeny of Mohammad. It is also recommended to recite: O God send blessing on Mohammad and his progeny, as You sent on Abraham and his progeny, You are Praiseworthy and Exalted. It should be noted that salawaat or blessings on the Prophet are incomplete if his pure progeny, whom God Himself has made immune from any fault, blemish, and uncleanness, is not mentioned, as agreed by our Sunni brethren as well. 

The ayahs which we recited to you now mean to say that those who displease God and His Prophet through their words or deeds, are subject to divine curse in this world and in afterlife, and unless they repent and reform, they should be prepared for a humiliating punishment. “Displease” here means doing something against God’s commands that instead of attracting His Mercy, leads to the incurring of Divine wrath and curse as a consequence. 

The word displeasing the Prophet has a vast meaning, and it includes any action that hurts him, including disbelief, atheism, and opposition to the commandments of God, and also undue attributions and accusations against him, or creating trouble for him. It is worth noting that a famous hadith from the Prophet says regarding his Immaculate Daughter: Fatema is part of me, and whoever hurts her has hurt me, and whoever hurts me has (in fact) hurt Allah.”

The next ayah speaks about the tormenting of believers, whether men or women, and it means hurting and harassing them, as well as accusing them unjustly and belittling them. Such behaviour is a cardinal sin and those who indulge in such acts, incur upon themselves the wrath of God and divine punishment.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. We should not annoy others through our words and deeds so that God does not deprive us of His mercy and blessings.
2. Humiliation and ridicule have dire consequences, some of which appear in the transient life of this world for the doer in the form of calamities, and if he/she does not repent and reform, the punishment in afterlife will be more severe.  

Let us now listen to and read ayah 59 of Surah Ahzab:

“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw closely over themselves their chadors [when going out]. That makes it likely for them to be recognized and not be troubled, and Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.”

The ayah specifies that the mere wearing of a veil or headscarf is not enough, but the believing women, whether married or unmarried, should wear abaya, chador, cloak, or a long headscarf  that covers the head and chest, often up to the ankles or below, rather than some parts of the body or hair. In continuation, the ayah emphasizes that the full and comprehensive coverage makes sure you that a believing woman is well-known and should not be troubled by mischief-mongers. As for the occasion of revelation of this ayahs, it is recorded in the exegesis of the holy Qur’an that in those days when Muslim women used to go to the mosque and pray, especially the evening prayer, some mischief-mongers used to stare at them and pass comments against them. This ayah thus orders Muslim women to observe their hijab or veil perfectly so that they would become recognized clearly and nobody could dare to bother them.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. The philosophy of hijab is to grant freedom to women outside their homes and protect them from the mischief of evil persons and foul remarks.
2. Proper covering of women in public is indicative of their social dignity and results in commanding of respect in the community.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 60 to 62 of Surah Ahzab:

“If the hypocrites do not relinquish and [also] those in whose hearts is a sickness, and the rumour-mongers in the city [do not give up], We will surely urge you [to take action] against them, then they will not be your neighbours in it except for a little [while].”

“Accursed, they will be seized wherever they are confronted and slain violently:”

“Allah’s precedent with those who passed away before, and you will never find any change in Allah’s precedent.”

These ayahs refer to the measures taken by Islam to ensure the security of society, which is so important that the Prophet has been commanded by God to banish the hypocrites. Among the mischiefs of the hypocrites was to spread rumours of the supposed might of the enemies in order to demoralize the Muslims. Thus God commands the Prophet to confront those who create insecurity in the society, whether physical or psychological, by punishing them. Depending on the gravity of the crime and terror-tactics of the enemies of Islam, God permits the expulsion of some, and in cases has decreed capital punishment or death sentence for some others, in order to safeguard the stability of the Muslims society. These measures are vital in order to root out corruption and deviation. This ayah says that this is not new commandment for the Prophet of Islam, but this has been the way of Allah among the nations that have passed away before; whenever the corruptive groups violate the limits with shamelessness and plots, the Divine command is severe.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Although God is Most Merciful and Islamic laws provide leniency in most cases, there are certain matters that ought to be dealt with decisiveness, and the violators be given due punishment for the good of the rest of the society.
2. The seditionists and those who spread terror and insecurity in the society, should be arrested, and punished in accordance with Islamic laws which in some cases advocate capital punishment for the most wicked depending on the gravity of their crime.
3. Officials of the Islamic society should be on guard against the plots of the enemies who spread rumours through their agents, who act as the 5^th column against Muslims.
4. The laws of God are dynamic, and though flexible depending on the time, the circumstances, and the case, their fundamental concepts never change.

AS/ME