Surah Al-Haj 22:39-48 - Quran Translation Commentary

(22:40) Those that were expelled from their homes without right except that they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’ And, were it not for Allah to check one set of people by means of another,⁷⁷ surely, (many) monasteries, churches,⁷⁸ synagogues, and mosques⁷⁹ - in which Allah’s name is much pronounced⁸⁰ - would have been pulled down.⁸¹ Assuredly, Allah will help those who help Him, surely, Allah is Powerful, Mighty.⁸²

(22:41) Those, whom, if We established in the earth, they would establish the Prayer, expend in charity, enjoin the good and forbid the wrong.⁸³ And with Allah rests the end of (all) affairs.

(22:42) But, if they give you the lie then (no wonder), before them the people of Nuh, `Aad and Thamud also gave the lie.

(22:43) And (so did) the people of Ibrahim and Lut.

(22:44) And the inhabitants of Madyan.⁸⁴ And, Musa was (also) given the lie.⁸⁵ But I granted respite to the unbelievers (for a while) and then seized them. How then was My repudiation punishment?⁸⁶

(22:45) So, how many a township We destroyed which was given to wrongdoing!? So (there) it is fallen on its roofs,⁸⁷ and wells lying idle,⁸⁸ and castles well-built.⁸⁹

(22:46) Do they not journey through the land, so that they might have hearts that they think thereby,⁹⁰ or ears they hear thereby, for, it is not sights that go blind, but rather, hearts that are in the breasts that go blind.

(22:47) And they ask you to hasten the chastisement, while Allah will never fail in His promise.⁹¹ Verily, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years by your count.⁹²

(22:48) And to how many a township I gave respite which was given to wrong-doing? Then I seized it, and to Me is the (final) destination.

Commentary

75. Generally, one feels impressed by A.J. Arberry’s translation that tries to remain as close as possible to the understanding of the majority. But not at this point. A plain verse, that does not demand a research to find out how an insignificant minority understood it in the past is translated by him as: “Leave is given to those who fight because they were wronged ..”

76. Ibn Jarir notes and shows his own preference to the recitation of the Kufans, as well as of some Makkan (authorities) who have read the text slightly differently - in a manner it would render the meaning as, “(Allah) has allowed those who fight (to retaliate) against those Allah does not approve of ..” However, the great majority of the Ummah has recited in the manner now in the Qur’anic texts.

In any case, Ibn `Abbas reported, “When the Prophet left Makkah, Abu Bakr said, ‘They have expelled their Prophet, to Allah we belong and to Him we return: they will be destroyed.’”

Ibn `Abbas added, “When Allah revealed, ‘Leave is given to those against whom war is made – because they have been wronged,’ Abu Bakr remarked, ‘I knew there would be fighting.’”

The report is somewhat weak (Qurtubi). But Albani treated it as Sahih while editing Tirmidhi and Nasa’i, in both of which it is found (Shawkani, S. Ibrahim).

And Ibn Zayd said, “They were allowed to retaliate after ten years of wrongs.” Qatadah added, “This is the first ever verse revealed concerning Jihad” (Ibn Jarir).

That being the case, it is thought that the verse is Madinan. Allah said in other places (47: 31),

{وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَارَكُمْ} [محمد: 31]

“Surely, We shall try you until We know the patient fighters among you and (thus) We shall test your affairs.”

He also said (9: 16),

{ أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تُتْرَكُوا وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلَا رَسُولِهِ وَلَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِيجَةً وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} [التوبة: 16]

“Have you imagined that you will be spared when Allah has not yet known those who fought from among you and did not take friends apart from Allah, His Messenger or the believers. And Allah is Aware of what you do.”

He also said (3: 142),

{أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ } [آل عمران: 142]

“Or, do you think you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet known those who fought from among you, and known those who showed patience.”

Ibn `Abbas has said, “Allah decreed Jihad at the right time. At Makkah the pagans were in large numbers. If He had asked them to fight back when they were less than ten percent of the population, surely, it would have been tough on them. Thus, although when eighty or so of the Yethribites pledged their hands of support to the Prophet at `Aqabah, when they asked, ‘Messenger of Allah. Should we not fall upon these pagans here at Mina?’ He replied, ‘But rather, I have not been ordered to do that?’ But when they were driven out of Makkah, some going to Abyssinia, others to Madinah, and Allah provided them a shelter at Madinah, where they were able to establish their rule over a piece of land, Allah decreed Jihad by this verse, “Permitted are those (to retaliate) who are fought against..” (Ibn Kathir).

And the beauty of this first verse allowing the Muslims to fight back, when fought against, is that the word “fight” has not been used. This shows Islam’s distaste for matters settled with the help of wars, but its readiness to retaliate if attacked (Au.).

77. It is said that twenty-seven of `Ali’s followers reported him as saying that the meaning is, “If not for Allah shielding the Followers (taabe`iyyun) by means of the Companions, surely, (many) monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which Allah’s name is much pronounced, would have been pulled down.” However, the great majority have accepted the apparent meaning, viz., “If Allah had not checked the evil of some people by means of the good of others, (many) monasteries, ..” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi). Perhaps `Ali was leading to another possible shade of meaning (Au.).

However, another aspect of the meaning is touched upon by Qurtubi. He explains Allah’s words, “were it not for Allah to check one set of people by means of another..” as meaning, “Had not Allah legalized wars unto the Prophets and believers, the unbelievers would have suppressed the believers and caused the desertion of their places of devotion to one God. But rather, He defended them, legislated fighting, so that, ultimately, they could be free to worship their Lord.

78. The following is a surprised addition by a sufi commentator Thanwi: Two places of Christian worship and devotion have been named (as against one of every other community) perhaps because they ran a parallel religion in monasteries.

79. “Masaajid” (sing. “masjid”), lit. a place where prostration is made, is perhaps so called because prostration is the best part of the Islamic Prayer (Alusi), the most distinctly different and hence noteworthy to others (Au.).

80. Scholars have differed over whether the qualifying sentence “in which Allah’s name is much pronounced” is applicable to all places of worship or to Masaajid alone. In our times however, it shouldn’t be difficult to attribute the statement to Masaajid in particular, since, it is within them alone that Allah’s name is mentioned much. Most other houses of worship have either been abandoned, or have been converted to dance and music halls for the faithful (Au.).

81. Why did Allah mention together the various houses of worship? Is it to approve what goes on within them? Are they of the same status as mosques? Imam Razi answers that such is not the case. But rather, they had Allah’s approval at the time of their Prophets but not later when a new Prophet came and the disbelieved in him. He canceled the old. In other words, what the verse is saying, had not Allah defended the Synagogues during the Mosaic and later Jewish times, they would have been destroyed; had not Allah defended the Christian Churches during the times when the Final Messenger had not yet appeared.. - they would have been destroyed.

It might also be noted, writes Qurtubi, that neither the pagan nor the Magian temples have been mentioned. That is because One God is not mentioned at all in those places of worship.

82. The rendering of `Aziz as “Mighty” is inadequate. It stands for, as Yusuf Ali puts it, “Exalted in power, rank, dignity; Incomparable; Full of might and majesty; Able to enforce His will.”

83. So, that’s the condition for securing Allah’s help: Jihad should be conducted to establish Allah’s religion (Thanwi).

And, by the words “those who, if established in the land ... ” the allusion is to the Companions. (Because, it is during their reign that the four primary spiritual functions of a government were fulfilled in the highest sense, although, the room is open for others who will follow them unto the Last Hour: Au.).

Abu al-Aaliyyah has said: (Although the mention here is in general terms), the specific meaning of bidding the good and forbidding evil is that they invite to Allah’s oneness and forbid idol worship. For, whoever invited to Allah’s oneness and forbid the worship of idols, actually invited to the good and forbid the evil (in the highest sense) - Ibn Jarir.

84. That is, the nation of Shu`ayb (Ibn Jarir).

85. One might appreciate the accuracy of the Qur’an that while it said about other Prophets that their people cried lies to them, about Musa it did not say that he was cried lies to, for, his people did not lay lies on him (Ibn Jarir, Razi). But Yusuf Ali has a deeper meaning to offer. He writes: “The case of Moses is mentioned apart, as his people survived to the time of our Prophet and survive to the present, and they frequently rebelled against Moses (ii, 49-61).”

86. The word “inkaar” means to repudiate, reproach, reject, disavowal, etc. The meaning here is, “See how was my repudiation of your continued denial” (Ibn Kathir, Baghawi and others).

Some of the ancient scholars have said that the time gap between Fir`awn’s words, ‘I am your highest Lord,’ and his destruction was forty years. (Thus long did Allah grant him respite). And a report in the Sahihayn says,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْهُ

“Allah extends respite to a wrongdoer. But when He seizes him, He does not let go” (Ibn Kathir).

The textual word “nakeer” has at least two strong connotations. In the words of Mawdudi, “(1) strong disapproval of someone’s evil ways; (2) the infliction of a severe punishment on him.”

87. “The roof fell in first, and the whole structure, walls and all, came tumbling after, as happens in ruins. The place was turned upside down (Yusuf Ali).

88. Wells were always a place most frequented in older times. You knew the strength of a village, from the strength of people turning up at the wells (Au.).

89. The understanding of Mujahid, `Ikrimah, `Ataa’, and others is reflected in the translation. They said it means “plastered.” That is, well built. But Qatadah and Dahhak said that it meant “lofty” (Ibn Jarir).

90. Qurtubi has attributed to Abu Hanifah, although he seems to doubt the authenticity, that the mind is the main reasoning organ. Obviously, he was right, but how did he arrive at that conclusion is not easy to answer.

As if Abu Haneefa’s opinion is not enough of a surprise, at a time when there were no electrodes to be attached to the brain in the laboratories to measure the activities of the brain, Shawkani’s conjectures is all the more surprising. He says that even if the actual process of reasoning takes place in the brain, the signals could be going from the heart – just as the signals go from the ear, but actual hearing is done by the brain.

Latest scientific findings have vindicated Shawkani’s conjecture made at a time when the scientists were unanimous that brain is the only organ that thinks.

The Heart is also a Brain:

The surprise finding of this century is that heart has its own brain, complete with neurons, dendrites, axons, memory, thought processes, data handlers, and rest of the neuron paraphernalia.

Back in 60s neurophysiologists had discovered a neutral pathway and mechanism whereby input from the heart to the brain could ‘inhibit’ or ‘facilitate’ the brain’s electrical activity. Soon it was discovered that the heart is the most powerful generator of rhythmic information patterns in the human body. The conclusion was that as a critical nodal point in many of the body’s interacting systems, the heart is uniquely positioned as a powerful entry point into the communication network that connects body, mind, emotions, and spirit.

Amazingly, the neurons of the nervous system of the heart, numbering some 40,000, group together to form what could be called the ‘brains’ of the heart. They regulate and control cardiac functions of the heart, while they are responsible for functions like learning, memory (both short and long-term) and even ‘feel’ and ‘sense.’

Indeed, in some respects, the heart seems to be more powerful than the brain. Its electrical field is 60 times greater in amplitude than the electrical activity generated by the brain, and the magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 5,000 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain. It is so strong that it can be detected with the help of magnetometers from the distance of a few meters from the body. This opens up the possibility of hear-to-heart transfer of information through heart-brain synchronization of two people when they interact.

After two decades of research, it is now firmly established that the brain in the head is not the only brain in the body. There are at least two others, one in the heart and another in the gut. In fact, the gut has many more neurons (about 100 million) but the brain in the heart seems to control higher human senses, perceptions, emotions and feelings. It can also ‘remember’ feelings associated with other people and alter the heart rhythm when people meet with each other. Thus, feelings such as of love, hatred, etc. reside precisely in the heart.

By 1991 research had advanced and for the first time the idea of “heart brain” was introduced by the scientists. By now it is firmly established that the heart has its own intrinsic nervous system that operates and processes information independently of the brain or the nervous system.

The specialists of this newest scientific discipline are called Neurocardiologists. They have discovered a profound communication link between the heart and the brain. And, what is surprising, they have discovered that although communications take place from both directions, more information is sent across by the heart to the brain than the other way round. The messages from the heart are sent to the brain through several pathways to an area called the ‘medulla,’ located in the stem of the brain.

This relatively new area on ongoing research is releasing study results almost weekly. The Institute of Heart Math has now published photographs of neurons in the heart--some taken with a confocal microscope. Researchers call these neurons "the little brain in the heart” (Au.).

91. Muslims – who wish things to hasten up - will do well to understand this verse. In Mawdudi’s words: “This refers to the ludicrous statement repeatedly made by the Makkan unbelievers to the effect that if Muhammad (peace be upon him) was indeed a Prophet sent by God, then why had his detractors not been visited by the scourge that ought to afflict those who deny a true Prophet?”

Further down he writes, “It is preposterous to think that the consequences of obeying or disobeying God’s injunctions can be observed instantly. If a nation is warned that a certain pattern of behavior it follows will prove catastrophic, it is absurd for them to retort that they have taken that course for the last ten, twenty, or fifty years, and still no calamity has befallen them. For it often takes not days, months or years, but centuries for the consequences of a people’s behavior to become fully evident.

92. One might put forth here the Salaf’s understanding reflected in Asad’s words, “I.e., what men conceive of as ‘time’ has no meaning with reference to God, because He is timeless, without beginning and without end, so that ‘in relation to Him, one day and a thousand years are alike’ (Razi). Cf. 70: 4, where in the same sense, a ‘day’ is said to be equal to ‘fifty thousand years’, or the well-authenticated saying of the Prophet, ‘God says, “I am Time Absolute (Ad-Dahr)”.”

Accordingly, Ibn Kathir adds, Sa`d b. Abi Waqqas is recorded in Abu Da’ud that the Prophet said, “I hope that my Ummah will not be so insignificant with its Lord as to be denied an extra half a day. Sa`d was asked, “And what is half a day?” He replied, “Five hundred years.”

That is, Sa`d conjectured that the life of this Ummah is one day, where one day is equal to a thousand years. Further, its life-span has been extended by half a day, i.e. five hundred years. All in all it works out to 1500 years. However, that was Sa`d’s own opinion. Interestingly, while we are in 1432, the unbelievers are saying – going by several factors - that this is perhaps the last century (Au.).