Surah 22. Al-Haj

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-22 [2], 23-25 [3], 26-33 [4], 34-38 [5], 39-48 [6], 49-57 [7], 58-64 [8], 65-72 [9], 73-78 [10]

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Quran Text of Verse 39-4822. Al-Haj Page 337اُذِنَPermission is givenلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoیُقٰتَلُوْنَare being foughtبِاَنَّهُمْbecause theyظُلِمُوْا ؕwere wrongedوَ اِنَّAnd indeedاللّٰهَAllahعَلٰیforنَصْرِهِمْtheir victoryلَقَدِیْرُۙ(is) surely Able لَّذِیْنَThose whoاُخْرِجُوْاhave been evictedمِنْfromدِیَارِهِمْtheir homesبِغَیْرِwithoutحَقٍّrightاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatیَّقُوْلُوْاthey saidرَبُّنَاOur Lordاللّٰهُ ؕ(is) Allahوَ لَوْ لَاAnd if notدَفْعُAllah checksاللّٰهِAllah checksالنَّاسَthe peopleبَعْضَهُمْsome of themبِبَعْضٍby othersلَّهُدِّمَتْsurely (would) have been demolishedصَوَامِعُmonasteriesوَ بِیَعٌand churchesوَّ صَلَوٰتٌand synagoguesوَّ مَسٰجِدُand masajidیُذْكَرُis mentionedفِیْهَاin itاسْمُ(the) name of Allahاللّٰهِ(the) name of Allahكَثِیْرًا ؕmuchوَ لَیَنْصُرَنَّAnd surely Allah will helpاللّٰهُAnd surely Allah will helpمَنْ(those) whoیَّنْصُرُهٗ ؕhelp HimاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahلَقَوِیٌّ(is) surely All-Strongعَزِیْزٌ All-Mighty اَلَّذِیْنَThose whoاِنْifمَّكَّنّٰهُمْWe establish themفِیinالْاَرْضِthe landاَقَامُواthey establishالصَّلٰوةَthe prayerوَ اٰتَوُاand they giveالزَّكٰوةَzakahوَ اَمَرُوْاand they enjoinبِالْمَعْرُوْفِthe rightوَ نَهَوْاand forbidعَنِfromالْمُنْكَرِ ؕthe wrongوَ لِلّٰهِAnd for Allahعَاقِبَةُ(is the) endالْاُمُوْرِ (of) the matters وَ اِنْAnd ifیُّكَذِّبُوْكَthey deny youفَقَدْso verilyكَذَّبَتْdeniedقَبْلَهُمْbefore themقَوْمُ(the) peopleنُوْحٍ(of) Nuhوَّ عَادٌand Aadوَّ ثَمُوْدُۙand Thamud وَ قَوْمُAnd (the) peopleاِبْرٰهِیْمَ(of) Ibrahimوَ قَوْمُand (the) peopleلُوْطٍۙ(of) Lut وَّ اَصْحٰبُAnd the inhabitantsمَدْیَنَ ۚ(of) Madyanوَ كُذِّبَAnd Musa was deniedمُوْسٰیAnd Musa was deniedفَاَمْلَیْتُso I granted respiteلِلْكٰفِرِیْنَto the disbelieversثُمَّthenاَخَذْتُهُمْ ۚI seized themفَكَیْفَand howكَانَwasنَكِیْرِ My punishment فَكَاَیِّنْAnd how manyمِّنْofقَرْیَةٍa townshipاَهْلَكْنٰهَاWe have destroyed itوَ هِیَwhile itظَالِمَةٌwas doing wrongفَهِیَso itخَاوِیَةٌfellعَلٰیonعُرُوْشِهَاits roofsوَ بِئْرٍand wellمُّعَطَّلَةٍabandonedوَّ قَصْرٍand castleمَّشِیْدٍ lofty اَفَلَمْSo have notیَسِیْرُوْاthey traveledفِیinالْاَرْضِthe landفَتَكُوْنَand isلَهُمْfor themقُلُوْبٌheartsیَّعْقِلُوْنَ(to) reasonبِهَاۤwith itاَوْorاٰذَانٌearsیَّسْمَعُوْنَ(to) hearبِهَا ۚwith itفَاِنَّهَاFor indeed [it]لَاnotتَعْمَی(are) blindedالْاَبْصَارُthe eyesوَ لٰكِنْbutتَعْمَی(are) blindedالْقُلُوْبُthe heartsالَّتِیْwhichفِی(are) inالصُّدُوْرِ the breasts 22. Al-Haj Page 338وَ یَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَكَAnd they ask you to hastenبِالْعَذَابِthe punishmentوَ لَنْBut never willیُّخْلِفَAllah failاللّٰهُAllah failوَعْدَهٗ ؕ(in) His Promiseوَ اِنَّAnd indeedیَوْمًاa dayعِنْدَwithرَبِّكَyour Lordكَاَلْفِ(is) like a thousandسَنَةٍyear(s)مِّمَّاof whatتَعُدُّوْنَ you count وَ كَاَیِّنْAnd how manyمِّنْofقَرْیَةٍa townshipاَمْلَیْتُI gave respiteلَهَاto itوَ هِیَwhile itظَالِمَةٌ(was) doing wrongثُمَّThenاَخَذْتُهَا ۚI seized itوَ اِلَیَّand to Meالْمَصِیْرُ۠(is) the destination

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Translation of Verse 39-48

(22:39) Permission (to fight) has been granted to those for they have been wronged.⁷⁸ Verily Allah has the power to help them:⁷⁹

(22:40) those who were unjustly expelled from their homes⁸⁰ for no other reason than their saying: "Allah is Our Lord."⁸¹ If Allah were not to repel some through others, monasteries and churches and synagogues⁸² and mosques wherein the name of Allah is much mentioned, would certainly have been pulled down.⁸³ Allah will most certainly help those who will help Him. Verily Allah is Immensely Strong, Overwhelmingly Mighty.

(22:41) (Allah will certainly help) those⁸⁴ who, were We to bestow authority on them in the land, will establish Prayers, render Zakah, enjoin good, and forbid evil.⁸⁵ The end of all matters rests with Allah.⁸⁶

(22:42) (O Prophet), if they⁸⁷ give the lie to you, then before them the people of 'Ad and Thamud, also gave the lie (to the Prophets),

(22:43) and so too did the people of Abraham and the people of Lot;

(22:44) and so did the dwellers of Midian, and Moses too was branded a liar. Initially I granted respite to the unbelievers for a while and then seized them.⁸⁸ How dreadful was My punishment!⁸⁹

(22:45) How many towns have We destroyed because their people were steeped in iniquity:⁹⁰ so they lie fallen down upon their turrets! How many wells lie deserted; and how many towering palaces lie in ruins!

(22:46) Have they not journeyed in the land that their hearts might understand and their ears might listen? For indeed it is not the eyes that are blinded;⁹¹ it is rather the hearts in the breasts that are rendered blind.

(22:47) They ask you to hasten the punishment.⁹² Allah shall most certainly not fail His promise; but a Day with your Lord is as a thousand years of your reckoning.⁹³

(22:48) How many towns did I respite at first though they were steeped in iniquity, and then I seized them! To Me are all destined to return.

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Commentary

78. We have already mentioned in the introduction to this surah that it contains the very first verse in which leave was granted to. the Muslims to engage in fighting (qital) in the way of God. The present verse. however, simply grants Muslims the permission to fight. It was only later that they were commanded to fight. The verses embodying this command are as follows: (1) ‘Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you’ (al-Baqarah 2: 190): (2) ‘And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out’ (al- Baqarah 2: 191); (3) ‘And fight them until there is no more oppression and the way prescribed by Allah prevails’ (al-Baqarah 2: 193); (4) ‘Fighting is prescribed upon you and you dislike it’ (al-Baqarah 2: 216); (5) ‘Then fight in the cause of Allah and know that Allah hears and knows all things’ (al-Baqarah 2: 244).

There was only a short lapse of time between the granting of permission to fight and the command to do so. To the best of our knowledge, such permission was granted in Dhu al-Hijjah 1 A-H., while the command was given a little before the Battle of Badr, either in Rajab or Sha‘ban 2 A.H.

79. Although the Muslims were few in number, God could still make them prevail against the polytheists of Arabia. It might be noted that at the time when the Muslims were granted permission to take up arms against their tormentors their power was limited to the confines of a small town and the total number of Muhajirun and Ansar did not reach even the figure of one thousand. It was in this situation that the challenge was thrown down to the Quraysh, ‘the latter enjoying the support of many polytheistic tribes of Arabia, and who, a little later on, also gained the support of the Jews.

In this context, it was appropriate that the Muslims be assured that Allah being ‘Immensely Strong, overwhelmingly Mighty’ was fully capable of supporting them. This assurance gave them encouragement to take on the whole of Arabia. Moreover, this was also a warning to the unbelievers that they were not pitted against only a handful of Muslims, but were in fact engaged in an encounter with the Almighty God. If they, indeed, had the power to confront Him, they were welcome to try.

80. This phrase makes it quite clear that this part of Sarah al-Hajj was definitely revealed after the Hijrah.

81. One can possibly gauge the extent of the persecution suffered by the Muslims in Makka, forcing them to migrate to Madina, by the following incidents: When Suhayb al-Rumi was about to migrate, the unbelieving Quraysh told him that since he had arrived in Makka empty-handed and had become rich during his stay there, he could leave only if he left all his belongings behind Quite obviously, all that Suhayb had earned was by dint of hard work. Yet he was forced to leave everything behind so that when he reached Madina he was once again empty-handed.

Umm Salamah and her husband, Abu Salamah, set out to migrate along with their suckling baby. They were stopped on the way by Bani Mughirah, the tribe to which Umm Salamah belonged. The relatives of Umm Salamah told ber husband that he was free to go wherever he wanted but could not take along any female member of their tribe. He was, thus, forced to leave his wife behind. Then Banu ‘Abd al-Asad, the tribe to which Abu Salamah belonged, approached him and told him that since the baby belonged to the tribe, he should also leave that behind. He was, thus, separated from both his wife and child, and remained so for almost a year. Likewise, Umm Salamah had to live alone, and it was only after much difficulty that she managed to retrieve her baby and leave for Madina. She travelled all this distance on a camel with the baby in her lap, using routes dreaded by even armed caravans. (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 469 — Ed.) ‘Ayyash ibn Rabi‘ah, a cousin of Abu Jahl, reached Madina along with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab. While on his way, Abu Jahl sent someone to ‘Ayyash with a false report that his mother had vowed that if he did not return to her, she would not move out of the scorching sun into the shade, nor comb her hair. Moved by love for his mother, ‘Ayyash decided to return to Makka. On his return journey, he was captured by his brothers and brought to Makka tied with ropes. As he entered Makka, one of his brothers announced: ‘O people of Makka! Here is an example for you to retrieve the members of your families.’ ‘Ayyash was interned for a long time, but eventually he was rescued by a courageous Muslim who helped him migrate to Madina.

Almost everyone who dared to migrate to Madina was subjected to similar persecution. The Makkan unbelievers were callous and did not even allow | these oppressed Muslims to depart in a decent manner. (See Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 474 f. - Ed.)

82. The Qur’an uses the following expressions: sawami’, biya‘ and salawat. While the word sawami‘ signifies a place inhabited by monks and ascetics, biya‘ and salawat stand respectively for Christian and Jewish places of worship. Salawat is a derivative of salawta, originally an Aramaic word. It is not unlikely that the words ‘salute’ and ‘salutation’, derive from the word salawta, finding their way first into Latin and, thereafter, into English. (For these words see Alusi, Ruh al- ‘Ma‘ani, vol. 17, p. 163 — Ed.) _

83. It is indeed one of God’s great favors that He has not bestowed perpetual power and authority on any particular group of people. On the contrary, He keeps removing one group of people from its position of power through another. Had a particular group been granted that privilege on a permanent basis, they would have destroyed virtually everything, forts, castles, palaces, and centers of political, industrial and commercial activity as also places of worship. The same point is made elsewhere in the Qur’an: ‘And were it not that Allah repelled men with one another, the earth would surely be overlaid with mischief; but Allah is Bounteous to the people of the world’ (al-Baqarah 2: 251).

84. That those who summon mankind to monotheism, strive to establish the true faith, and seek to promote righteousness in place of evil are helpers of God is a recurrent theme in the Qur'an. This is so because the abovementioned tasks are God's, and those who exert themselves in the performance of these tasks, thereby, become His helpers. For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. 1, Al ‘Imran 3, n. 50, p. 257.

85. These are the characteristics of those who help God and who are deserving of God’s aid and support. When power is bestowed on them, rather than on those who engage in evil deeds and who strut about arrogantly exulting in their power, such people concern themselves with such noble tasks like establishing Prayer. Likewise, rather than squandering their wealth on luxury and self-indulgence, they use it in the way of Zakah. Again, they use their power to promote goodness and to extirpate evil.

This verse succinctly states the basic objective of the Islamic state. It also clearly expresses the main characteristics of its functionaries and rulers. Anyone who wants to comprehend the nature of the Islamic state will be able to do so with the help of this single verse.

86. It is, in fact, God Who decides to whom governance of a territory should be entrusted. People who are intoxicated with power are prone to misunderstand that it is they who decide the fate of people. But God, Who has the power to transform a tiny seed into a huge tree, and Who conversely, can turn a huge tree into a pile of ashes, also has the power to strike a fatal blow and make an example of those who, by their acts of repression, struck terror into the hearts of people making themselves appear too well entrenched to be removed from power. On the other hand, He can also raise the drown-trodden to heights of power that none can dream of,

87. This alludes to the unbelievers of Makka.

88. No people in the past were visited with God's scourge immediately after they rejected the Prophet sent to them, calling him a liar. On the contrary, each people was granted respite several times in order that they might understand and mend their ways. Yet each of them was eventually punished after all the dictates of justice had been fully met. The unbelievers of Makka should, therefore, not misperceive the fact that they have not as yet been punished and they should not, therefore, look upon the warnings of the Prophet (peace be on him) as hollow and baseless. They should instead realize that the respite which they are enjoying has been granted to them in keeping with God’s way of dealing with nations to whom He sends Prophets. If they do not make proper use of the respite granted to them they are bound to meet the same fate as that of their predecessors and be dealt an awesome punishment.

89. The word nakir used in the verse is far too rich to be adequately expressed by a one-word equivalent such as punishment. The word rather signifies two things: (1) strong disapproval of someone’s evil ways; (2) the infliction of a severe punishment on him, a punishment that reduces him to a miserable thing, so miserable he does not even remain recognizable. In view of the above, the Qur’anic statement means that by incurring God’s Wrath for their misdeeds, a woeful fate has befallen them.

90. In Arabic usage, the word bi’r connotes ‘well’ in addition to ‘habitat’. When a town is inhabited by a particular tribe it is also mentioned by reference to its well. Likewise, if an Arab is told that all the wells are dried up, he readily understands that this alludes to the desertion and abandonment of that habitat.

91. One should not lose sight of the fact that the Qur’anic discourse is couched in literary rather than scientific phraseology. One should not, therefore, get stuck with the question of how can anyone say that the organ, the heart, which is located in man’s bosom, think? In literary usage, emotions, feelings, thoughts, in fact all actions of the brain are ascribed to the heart. When a person says that he remembers something, he expresses the idea by saying that such and such a thing is preserved or stored in his heart.

92. This refers to the ludicrous statement repeatedly made by the Makkan unbelievers to the effect that if Muhammad (peace be on 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? Why did such a scourge not specifically visit them even though they had repeatedly been warned by their Prophet that were they to deny him they would be seized by a calamity?

93. 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.