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 73-7822. Al-Haj Page 341یٰۤاَیُّهَاO mankindالنَّاسُO mankindضُرِبَIs set forthمَثَلٌan exampleفَاسْتَمِعُوْاso listenلَهٗ ؕto itاِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whomتَدْعُوْنَyou invokeمِنْbesides Allahدُوْنِbesides Allahاللّٰهِbesides Allahلَنْwill neverیَّخْلُقُوْاcreateذُبَابًاa flyوَّ لَوِeven ifاجْتَمَعُوْاthey gathered togetherلَهٗ ؕfor itوَ اِنْAnd ifیَّسْلُبْهُمُsnatched away from themالذُّبَابُthe flyشَیْـًٔاa thingلَّاnotیَسْتَنْقِذُوْهُthey (could) take it backمِنْهُ ؕfrom itضَعُفَSo weakالطَّالِبُ(are) the seekerوَ الْمَطْلُوْبُ and the one who is sought مَاNotقَدَرُواthey (have) estimatedاللّٰهَAllahحَقَّ(with) dueقَدْرِهٖ ؕ[His] estimationاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahلَقَوِیٌّ(is) surely All-Strongعَزِیْزٌ All-Mighty اَللّٰهُAllahیَصْطَفِیْchoosesمِنَfromالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِthe AngelsرُسُلًاMessengersوَّ مِنَand fromالنَّاسِ ؕthe mankindاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahسَمِیْعٌۢ(is) All-HearerبَصِیْرٌۚAll-Seer یَعْلَمُHe knowsمَاwhatبَیْنَ(is) before themاَیْدِیْهِمْ(is) before themوَ مَاand whatخَلْفَهُمْ ؕ(is) after themوَ اِلَیAnd toاللّٰهِAllahتُرْجَعُreturnالْاُمُوْرُ all the matters یٰۤاَیُّهَاO you who believeالَّذِیْنَO you who believeاٰمَنُواO you who believeارْكَعُوْاBowوَ اسْجُدُوْاand prostrateوَ اعْبُدُوْاand worshipرَبَّكُمْyour Lordوَ افْعَلُواand doالْخَیْرَ[the] goodلَعَلَّكُمْso that you mayتُفْلِحُوْنَۚ۩be successful وَ جَاهِدُوْاAnd striveفِیforاللّٰهِAllahحَقَّ(with the) striving due (to) Himجِهَادِهٖ ؕ(with the) striving due (to) HimهُوَHeاجْتَبٰىكُمْ(has) chosen youوَ مَاand notجَعَلَplacedعَلَیْكُمْupon youفِیinالدِّیْنِthe religionمِنْanyحَرَجٍ ؕdifficultyمِلَّةَ(The) religionاَبِیْكُمْ(of) your fatherاِبْرٰهِیْمَ ؕIbrahimهُوَHeسَمّٰىكُمُnamed youالْمُسْلِمِیْنَ ۙ۬Muslimsمِنْbeforeقَبْلُbeforeوَ فِیْand inهٰذَاthisلِیَكُوْنَthat may beالرَّسُوْلُthe Messengerشَهِیْدًاa witnessعَلَیْكُمْover youوَ تَكُوْنُوْاand you may beشُهَدَآءَwitnessesعَلَیonالنَّاسِ ۖۚthe mankindفَاَقِیْمُواSo establishالصَّلٰوةَthe prayerوَ اٰتُواand giveالزَّكٰوةَzakahوَ اعْتَصِمُوْاand hold fastبِاللّٰهِ ؕto AllahهُوَHeمَوْلٰىكُمْ ۚ(is) your Protectorفَنِعْمَso an Excellentالْمَوْلٰی[the] Protectorوَ نِعْمَand an Excellentالنَّصِیْرُ۠[the] Helper

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Translation of Verse 73-78

(22:73) O people, a parable is set forth: pay heed to it. Those who call upon aught other than Allah shall never be able to create even a fly, even if all of them were to come together to do that. And if the fly were to snatch away anything from them, they would not be able to recover that from it. Powerless is the supplicant; and powerless is he to whom he supplicates.¹²³

(22:74) They have not formed a true estimate of Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty.

(22:75) Allah chooses Messengers from among angels and from among human beings (to convey His command)¹²⁴. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

(22:76) He knows all that is before them and that which is hidden from them.¹²⁵ And it is to Allah that all affairs are returned.¹²⁶

(22:77) Believers, bow down and prostrate yourselves before Your Lord and serve Your Lord and do good that you may prosper.¹²⁷

(22:78) Strive in the cause of Allah in a manner worthy of that striving.¹²⁸ He has chosen you¹²⁹ (for His task), and He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion.¹³⁰ Keep to the faith of your father Abraham.¹³¹ Allah named you Muslims earlier and even in this¹³² (Book), that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and that you may be witnesses over all mankind.¹³³ So establish Prayer, and pay Zakah, and hold fast to Allah.¹³⁴ He is your Protector. What an excellent Protector; what an excellent Helper!

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Commentary

123. One who turns to a powerful being for help does so because of a realization of his own weakness. But the false gods whose help people are invoking are themselves absolutely weak, so much so that at times they are weaker than flies. Those who invoke other than God for help are themselves utterly weak and helpless. Furthermore, they pin all their hopes and reliance on those who are devoid of even a morsel of power.

124. The most superior among those creatures whom the polytheists recognized as deities, were either angels or Prophets. But even those are no more than a means to communicate God’s commands, ie. those whom He chooses for that task. The function which they perform neither elevates them to the position of God, nor makes them His partners.

125. This expression is frequently used in the Qur’an to refute the polytheistic version of intercession. Viewed in this context, it implies that the worship of angels, Prophets and saints is wrong regardless of whether it is performed under the impression that they are independently capable of relieving the people’s distress or of fulfilling their needs, or because of belief that those false gods will effectively intercede with God. All this is wrong because it is God Alone Who both sees and hears everything, Who knows all the aspects of every person’s life, both public and private, Whose wisdom embraces all the wisdom that there is, be it explicit or hidden. No creature knows, not even angels and Prophets, which actions are propitious and which are not. Hence God has not bestowed upon any of His creatures, not even upon those closest to Him, the absolute right of intercession with Him, let alone the assurance that He will accept every intercession of theirs.

126. All matters. pertaining to the universe are disposed of by God. It is He alone to Whom all such matters, large or small, are referred for decision. Hence, there is none else than Him to whom people should tum for help. It is pointless-to invoke beings who themselves are devoid of the power to fulfil their own needs, let alone those of others.

127. This is the way, the only way through which one may expect to achieve true success. However, even those who follow this way should be wary of arrogance, complacency and belief that because of their religious devotion and righteous conduct they are bound to attain true success. Instead, they should seek God’s bounty and focus all their hopes on His Grace and Mercy. No person can achieve true success unless God bestows it upon him, for no one has the power to achieve success by dint of his own power.

The expression used in this verse literally means ‘perhaps you will prosper’. The statement made here though does not mean that the attainment of prosperity and success is subject to any doubt. This expression can be better appreciated if we regard it as being part of a royal, majestic discourse. Suppose a king were to say to any of his servants: ‘Do this and you might be given a good position.’ This seemingly non-committal statement suffices to fill that person with utmost joy and makes him celebrate the event. This because the statement hints at a favor, even if that favor is not couched in categorical terms. For it cannot even be conceived that a benevolent and gracious master would raise certain expectations in his servants and then disappoint them.

Shafi, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubarak and Ishaq ibn Rahawayh consider this to be one of those verses of recitation whereby it is obligatory for the person to prostrate. That it is obligatory both for him who recites it as for him who listens to it. Abu Hanifah, Malik, Hasan al-Basri, Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i and Sufyan al- Thawri, however, do not accept this opinion. What follows is a summary of the arguments advanced by the two groups.

The first group bases its opinion on the apparent command to prostrate.

Another piece of evidence from which they derive support for their views is the following tradition narrated by ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir as recorded in the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and in the Hadith collections of Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Marduwayh and Bayhaqi: ‘I asked, “O Messenger of God! Has Surah al-Hajj been made superior to all other surahs by virtue of having two verses of prostration in it?” The Prophet (peace be on him) replied: “Yes; he who does not prostrate himself after reciting those verses should better not recite it. (See Abu Da’ud, K. al-Salah, ‘Bab Tafri‘Abwab al-Sujud’ and Tirmidhi, ‘Abwab al-Jumu‘ah, ‘Bab ma ja’ fi al-Sajdah wa fi al-Hajj’ — Ed. ) The third argument _ advanced in support of this view is the tradition-found in the works of Abu Da’ud and Ibn Majah on the authority of ‘Amr ibn al- ‘As that the Prophet (peace be on him) directed him to prostrate himself twice while reciting Sarah al- Hajj. (See Abu Da’ ud, K. al-Salah, ‘Bab Tafri‘Abwab al-Sujud’ — Ed.) The fourth argument consists of the tradition from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, Abu al- Darda’, Abu Musa al-Ash ‘ari and ‘Ammar ibn Yasir in which it has been claimed that there are two places in this surah which require prostration.

The second group, on the other hand, contends that the verse under discussion does not specifically lay down the command to prostrate. Instead, the verse simply mentions ruku and prostration together, and whenever such an expression is used in the Qur’an, it signifies Prayer.as such. Moreover, the combination of ruku‘ and prostration is specifically restricted to Prayer. These scholars also call into question ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir’s tradition on the grounds of its weak chain of narrators. This tradition was narrated by Ibn Lahi‘ah on the authority of Abu al-Mus‘ab who was among those who mounted an attack by catapult on the Ka‘bah along with Hajjaj ibn Yasuf al-Thaqafi. They also reject the tradition from ‘Amr ibn al-As as untrustworthy, arguing that it was narrated by Sa‘id al- ‘Itqi from ‘Abd Allah ibn Munayn al-Kilabi. Both are considered majhul for it is not known who they are nor what level of trustworthiness they command. As for the traditions of the Companions cited in support of this view, it is contended that ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas explained the. statement concerning the two prostrations as follows: ‘The first is for obligatory; the second is for the purpose of instruction.’ (See Jassas, vol. 3, p. 225 - Ed.)

128. Jihad does not simply mean fighting and war. The word denotes: ‘to Strive, to exert to the utmost’. The words jihad and mujahid imply the existence of forces of resistance against whom it is necessary to wage a struggle. Moreover, the stipulation that jihad should be fi sabil Allah (in the way of God) makes it clear that there are forces of resistance which obstruct people from serving God and pursuing His good pleasure, and that it is necessary to engage in strife and struggle to overcome them.

As for the purpose of jihad it is to remove the forces obstructing man from following the Way of God so that one may be able to serve God in an adequate manner, exalt His Word, and subdue unbelief and rebellion against Him. The first and foremost target of this struggle should be one’s own self which always prompts one to rebel against God’s commands and distracts one from belief and obedience. Unless one conquers one’s own self within, one cannot fight against the forces without. It is against this background that once the Prophet (peace be on him) told those who were returning home after waging a jihad: ‘You have now come from a smaller jihad to a larger jihad.’ Asked what was meant by larger jihad, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘A man’s striving against his own self.’ After one has waged this jihad, one finds oneself in a battlefield spread the world over. One finds the world full of those who have rebelled against God and who incite others to rebellion. To strive against these forces and to devote all the power of one’s mind, heart and body in this connection is what is required of man. The present verse embodies this requirement.

129. Of all mankind, the believers were-chosen for the task mentioned in the present verse. The same point is also made at other places in the Qur’an: “We appointed you to be the community of the middle way. (al-Baqarah 2: 143). “You are now the best of people brought forth for mankind’ (Al ‘Imran 3: 110).

It is perhaps pertinent to point out here that this is one of several verses which establish the excellence of the Prophet’s Companions. The verse also shows how wrong are those who are prone to launch attacks on the Companions.

For it is quite obvious this verse directly identifies the Companions as those chosen by God, and further that it extols other members of the Ummah indirectly.

130. This proclaims that the believers are free from all the unjust shackles forged by the theologians, priests, and lawyers of previous religious communities. It is declared here that no longer are there any restrictions that obstruct intellectual progress, nor any restraints in the practical affairs of man’s life which impede the growth of culture and civilization. This because they have been provided with a set of simple, straightforward beliefs and a body of ‘practicable laws. While adhering to this one may make as much progress as one wants. The point mentioned here in a positive manner has elsewhere been couched in negative terms, as follows: ‘He [the Prophet] enjoins upon them what is good and forbids them what is evil. He makes the clean things lawful to them and prohibits all corrupt things, and removes from them their burdens and the shackles that were upon them’ (al-A ‘raf 7: 157).

131. Although Islam can be described. as the faith of Noah, Moses and Jesus (peace be on them), it can also be described as the faith of Abraham. The Qur’an repeatedly calls it ‘the faith of Abraham’. It also calls upon others to follow it. There are three main reasons for this. First, because the immediate addressees of the Qur’an were Arabs and they were more familiar with Abraham than with any other Prophet. The towering figure of Abraham dominated their history, traditions and religious life. Second, the Jews and Christians, the — polytheists of Arabia and the Sabaeans of the Middle East were all agreed on recognizing Abraham as their patriarch. No Prophet enjoyed this position.

Third, Abraham came before the emergence of Judaism, Christianity and Sabaeanism. Insofar as Arab polytheists are concerned, they conceded that idolatry was introduced among them by ‘Amr ibn Luhayy, a chief of Bani Khuza‘ah who brought the idol of Hubal from Moab. ‘Amr ibn Luhayy lived in the fifth or sixth century B.C. In other words, polytheism had gained currency several centuries after Abraham. It is also implied that if Abraham was in the right and did not profess any of their distorted beliefs and practices, then it is his faith that should be embraced. Now the Message of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was clear and simple: ‘Follow the faith of Abraham.’ For further details, see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, al-Baqarah 2, nn. 134-5, pp. 115-17 and Al ‘Imran 3, nn. 58 and 79, pp. 263 and 273-4 and vol. IV, al-Nahl 16, n. 120, p. 374.

132. The word ‘you’ in the statement ‘... and named you Muslims’ does not only refer to the believers at the time of revelation of this verse, nor only to those who subsequently joined the fold of Islam. It rather refers to all those who, since the beginning of human history, have believed in monotheism, in the After-Life, in the institution of Prophethood and in the Scriptures. The thrust of the statement is that the believers of the past were not named after the Prophets they followed, i.e. they were not called Noahites, Abrahamites, or Mosites, etc.

Rather, they were simply called ‘Muslims’ since their basic characteristic of life was their submission to God. In like manner, believers of today are known as Muslims, rather than Muhammadans. This has presented something of a puzzle to those who wondered which Scripture before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) mentions his followers as Muslims.

133. For a detailed discussion see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, al-Baqarah 2, n. 44, p. 62. This point is discussed in greater detail in the present author’s monograph Shahddat-e Haqq. (This is now available in English translation as Witnesses unto Mankind, Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1985 ~— Ed.)

134. The believers are being told to firmly hold on to God. They are required to derive from Him both general guidance and practical laws for their everyday lives. They are also directed to obey Him, to hold Him alone in awe, to center all their hopes in Him, to seek help from none other than Him, and to place all their reliance and trust in Him alone.