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The Islamic Moral System: Commentary

of Surah al-Hujurat
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Author(s):
Ayatullah Jafar Subhani [3]

Publisher(s):
Islamic Humanitarian Service (IHS) [4]

Translator(s):
Shaykh Saleem Bhimji [5]

Category:
Quran Commentaries [6]
Ethics [7]

Topic Tags:
Ethics [8]
Morals [9]
Akhlaq [10]
Qur9an [11]
Tafsir [12]
Important notice:
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and
retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.
Miscellaneous information:
Edited by: Arifa Hudda
In a detailed commentary of Surah al-Hujurat, Ayatullah Ja'far Subhari elaborates on the
ethical aspects behinds its revelation and expounds on a range of ethical problems that are

experienced in society which are thoroughly dealt with by Islamic teachings.

Biography of Ayatullah Ja`far Subhani

The golden pages of history are replete with individuals who have sacrificed their lives for
the guidance and leadership of humanity and throughout the ages, we see many scholars
who have dedicated their lives to the path of progress and spiritual upliftment of mankind.
One such scholar who is also one of the greatest thinkers of the Islamic world is Ayatullah
Hajj Shaykh Ja`far Subhani who has spent his entire life in research, writing and teaching
and has struggled through these means to lift the culture and level of humanity.
Ayatullah Subhani was born on the 28th of Shawwal in the year 1347 AH (1926 CE) in the
city of Tabriz (in Iran) into a scholarly and well-respected family. His father was the late
Ayatullah Shaykh Muhammad Husain Subhani Khayabani who spent more than fifty years
teaching, writing and guiding the people and was also responsible for the training and
educating of the future teachers and leaders of the society.
After completing his primary school and the introductory studies, Ayatullah Subhani then
went on to study the books of Farsi literature and grammar. Following this, at the age of 14
(1361 AH/1940 CE) he proceeded to enter into the Theological Seminary of Tabriz named
Talibiyah and was busy in the preliminary and second level of studies in the Theological
Seminary.
He studied the `Arabic language under the guidance of the following deceased scholars:
Hajj Shaykh Hasan Nahwi and Shaykh `Ali Akbar Mudarris Khayabani (author of the book
Rayhanatul Adab). These studies took him five years until the year 1365 AH (1944 CE)
after with Ayatullah Subhani was able to complete the second level of theological studies
and began the highest level of Islamic studies (Kharij) in Fiqh, Usulul Fiqh and Philosophy.
During this period of his studies, he benefited from the knowledge of teachers such as:
1. The Late Ayatullah al-`Uzma al-Hajj as-Sayyid Muhammad Husain Burujerdi (d. 1380
AH/1959 CE)
2. The Late Ayatullah al-`Uzma al-Hajj as-Sayyid Muhammad Hujjat Kuhkamari (d. 1372
AH/1951 CE)
3. The Late Ayatullah al-`Uzma al-Hajj as-Sayyid Ruhullah al-Musawi Khumayni (d. 1409
AH/1988 CE)
In the field of Philosophy, he studied the commentary of the book Manzumah and al-Asfar of
Mullah Sadra (may Allah be pleased with him) and also benefited from private lessons in
the subject of realism under the tutelage of the late `Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husain
Tabatabai (may Allah be pleased with him).
In addition, he studied `Ilmul Kalam under the late Sayyid Muhammad Badkubae (d. 1390
AH/1969 CE).
Ayatullah Subhani is one of those scholars who took up the pen and writing from a very
young age and since then, his entire life has been spent in the fields of teaching and
writing. Because of this, we see that the first book he ever wrote which was named The

Criterion of Thinking (in the field of Logic) was written when he was a mere 17 years old!
At the age of 18, he began teaching the secondary level of Islamic studies (Sutuh) and was
imparting knowledge in the fields of Fiqh, Usul, Philosophy, Hadith and other subjects.
In addition, he has written notes on the lectures of Usulul Fiqh of the late Ayatullah
Khumayni which have been recently printed.
Through all of this work, he has transformed himself into a teacher who goes deep into a
subject and an effective thinker such that many important tasks have been imparted onto
him, such as:
1) Establishing a centre for the teaching of `Ilmul Kalam and a research library and facility
for those who are conducting research in the Islamic sciences.
2) Written one complete topic-wise commentary of the Quran in ten volumes.
3) Prepared and taught one complete course consisting of 16 printed volumes of books
in the fields of the History of Fiqh and the Fuqaha.
4) Prepared and wrote manuals for the teaching of Usulul Fiqh, `Ilmul Kalam, Hadith, `Ilmul
Rijal and the history and information on the various religions of the world and their sects
and divisions.
We pray to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) to grant the author of this work the
blessings to be able to continue on this path.
Introduction

Introduction to the Fourth Printing in Farsi

Stability of Nations and the Importance of Etiquette
This book, The Islamic Moral System which was written close to thirty years ago, contains a
discussion on the Islamic principles and values as mentioned in the blessed Surah of the
Quran, al-Hujurat. These topics were explained in a way that could be easily understood by
all readers and it was our intention and prayer to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) that the
youth would take notice of this book, and through the manifestation of the Islamic etiquette
(mentioned in this book), they would be able to reach to great (spiritual) levels during the
course of their lives.
Since we desired that this close relationship with the dear readers of this book (especially
the youth) should be re-established (through this work), we have edited and re-published
this work once again.
We remind the readers of one point in relation to the importance of developing the noble
ethical traits, just as an `Arab poet has stated:

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So then surely they are (the true) nations,

Whose etiquette has remained behind (for us);
Then if they lost their etiquette (when they existed),
Then they too have ceased to exist (now).
Who are those nations that had made a pledge to uphold these valuable ethical traits such
that these priceless qualities would rule supreme over them and through this, have
remained in existence? If one day we see that a nation is destroyed and becomes extinct,
then the only reason for this can be that they did not pay attention to the noble ethical
traits, and thus they were pulled into confusion and destruction.
During the `Abbasid Empire, all of the branches of knowledge (with the exception of Akhlaq
Morals and Ethics) of the Greeks were translated into the `Arabic language and were
widely and openly accepted (by others) and even the Muslims struggled (to understand
these texts).
However in the opinion of the Muslim thinkers, the ethical and moral teachings of the
Greeks did not even carry the slightest importance since the moral commandments that
Islam possessed were much more superb, such that no other ethical teachings could
compare to them. Therefore after the book Taharatul A`raq of Ibn Maskuyah, most of the
books of Akhlaq written were concerning the Islamic etiquette.
It is our hope that this book will be the guiding light to the (straight) path for the Muslim
youth.
Qum, Imam as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) Institute
6/11/1376
27th of the Blessed Month of Ramadhan, 1418 AH
Ja`far Subhani

Introduction to the English Translation

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa Ali Muhammad
Surah al-Hujurat, the forty-ninth chapter of the Quran, lays out many of the social-ethical
concepts in Islam. It covers various themes from submission and obedience to Almighty
Allah and His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), to the status and
honour of the Prophet in eyes of Allah; its talks about the brotherhood of the Muslims and
the ethical duties that they have towards one another; it emphasizes on the concern that
Muslims should have for solving internal disputes, and for supporting justice against
injustice; it presents the equality among the believers irrespective of their ethnic and racial
differences; it highlights the importance of spiritual conviction (Iman) over the physical
submission (Islam).
Al-Hujurat was my favourite Surah since my student days in Qum in the seventies. When I
was invited by the Imamia Students Organisation (of Pakistan) in Ramadhan of 1979, I
started a tafsir program in their four local chapters in Karachi and used Surah al-Hujurat as
the theme. All praise is due to Allah that the program became a success even, and that
tradition of tafsir in Ramadhan nights has continued ever since in Karachi.
When I came to Vancouver (Canada) in summer of 1983, I initiated the tafsir program in

Ramadhan where I again started with Surah al-Hujurat. That Surah was also used by me as
the pilot project for the plan of An Explanatory Translation of the Quran which has been
published in three volumes covering half of the holy Quran (and the remaining three
volumes will be published soon, Insha-Allah).
The Persian commentary of Surah al-Hujurat by Ayatullah Shaykh Ja`far Subhani was one of
the sources that I referred to when doing the tafsir of that Surah. Ayatullah Subhani is one
of the leading scholars of Qum, and his multi-volume commentary of the Quran (under the
title of Mafahimu l-Quran) may be considered as a pioneering attempt in the thematic
approach of Quranic commentary.
And so it was indeed a delight to know that Shaykh Saleem Bhimji has translated the
commentary of Surah al-Hujurat of Ayatullah Subhani and has thus helped the English
speaking students of the Quran to study the moral/ethical concepts of Islam from its
original source.
May Almighty Allah bless Shaykh Saleem Bhimji for his endeavours in translating this book
and increase his tawfiqat.
Amen
18 August 2003 / 20 Jumadi ath-Thani 1424
Toronto
Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
Foreword
In introducing man as a creature with the ability of thought and contemplation, the
Philosophers and great thinkers of the world have relied upon the phrase that man is a
rational animal ( ) - one that possesses intelligence and the ability to perceive
things.
Such a definition is precisely correct and undeniable from the point of view of a Philosopher
since his occupation is related to the thoughts and intelligence of people.
Thus, he wishes to enlighten people by inviting them to the laws and secrets behind
creation and the mysteries of the universe of creation through the faculty of thought and
reasoning. Consequently according to the Philosopher, a person will never reach to his true
objective (in life) except through strengthening his ability to think and reason.
However, from the point of view of the Scholars of Akhlaq (Islamic Etiquette and Morals)
and others who are active in the field of training and education and those responsible for
the nurturing and development of man, this definition is completely incorrect and is not a
complete nor expressive definition of man.
They state this since even though half of a persons character is made up of his thought
and intelligence, however the other half is derived from instinct, human nature and the
(innate) inclinations whose boundaries and limits are unknown. For those who are engaged
in the field of nurturing and training others, the issues of instinct and human nature of the
person is much more important than his intellect and intelligence since these are the things
that lead and govern a persons human nature and his desires.
There is no doubt that every individual has certain innate characteristics that he has been
created with such as: love of self; desire to reach perfection; help and service to others;

love for wealth, status and beauty; the feeling of fear and revenge; and other things.
These innate characteristics which guarantee the preservation of mankind and which are
the source of every type of movement and development in life are so deeply rooted in a
person that sometimes they take control of his destiny and make him traverse a particular
path in his life.
Through the control that they possess, they penetrate deep into him and limit his power of
thought and reason. It is at this point that the role of ethical teachings in the life of a person
and the necessity of having a correct guide for ones instincts is made clear. Thus, this
makes the weighty responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the teachers of Akhlaq even
more apparent.

The Most Important Issue in the Lives of the Youth

The principle issue in the lives of the youth is that of the control of their sentiments and
feelings. The control of ones natural instincts and keeping ones sentiments from going to
the two extremes of extravagance and miserliness is one of the greatest difficulties in the
life of a person, especially during the period of ones adolescence. This is the stage of life in
which the young man or woman sees a crisis in relation to his or her feelings and where the
power of the youths internal wishes and desires take over.
For example, anger is one of the natural instincts of a person which plays an active and
functional role in the life of a person and which can - in certain instances - protect the life
and guarantee his existence. When a persons life is thrown into danger, this natural
instinct takes control and by alerting all of the energy that the person has, it strives to
protect the person whose life has been thrown into danger by the enemy.
If this natural instinct is not channelled in the proper manner, then the one who possesses
this trait will be just as that person who he is being threatened by and thus, he too would
be labelled as one who has anger and rage. In addition, he would never be able to be a
person of proper composure and would be such a source of anger that he would have
deviated from the peaks of humanity. Since he was not able to channel his anger in the
proper way, we would be ruined such that there would be no way for him to make amends
for his actions.
We are able to come to this conclusion concerning each of the natural instincts that we
have been given such as: sexual inclinations, inclinations towards beauty, inclinations
towards wealth and status - which just like the inclination towards anger and wrath have all
been tested and examined. Accordingly we reach to the conclusion that the way to
happiness is to control these emotions and natural instincts and make sure that they are
correctly governed. The people who are responsible for this important task are none other
than the teachers and instructors of Akhlaq.

The Factors that Can Control Ones Instincts

1. Knowledge and Wisdom
Socrates and Aristotle are two of the most well-known scholars of the ancient Greeks. They
truly believed that the proper guide for ones natural instincts which could lead to a fruitful
life of excellence and moral ethics in the heart of a human being was possible only under

the shadow of knowledge and wisdom.

Under the shade of knowledge of what is good and bad, mankind would naturally gravitate
towards the noble ethical traits and would seek to distance themselves from the negative
ethical traits. Thus, the conclusion of this school of thought is that the only thing that forms
the foundations of ethics and etiquette is knowledge and wisdom and thus, their slogan
was, Ethics under the shadow of knowledge.
It is not a place of argument that knowledge and wisdom leave a beneficial mark on the
well-being of the moral traits and can also prevent some crimes from occurring (within a
society). However, we can never accept that for all times and for all people, knowledge and
wisdom can completely and without any doubt be the final solution in controlling the
natural instincts of the people.
Thus, some feel that the bad people within a society are the same people who did not take
advantage of the knowledge available to them; and in contrast to this, (they say that) the
outstanding people of the society are those that have been disciplined in the middle
schools and universities.
This point is not accurate and if anyone who has knowledge of the world societies in
general were to conduct a study on this issue, one would see that this statement is a lie
since the increase and spread of corruption in its various forms and shapes amongst those
people who have an education is not something that anyone can deny. Rather, the
statistics that are published in the newspapers of the world bear witness and make our
claims solid and trustworthy.
Certainly, we are not saying that a well-read engineer or a well-educated doctor can be
equivalent to a person who dwells in the desert and has corrupted himself with sins. Rather,
if through this person (the one with education) demonstrating a special vigilance which is a
direct product of his knowledge and intelligence, his good actions were to be changed to
bad ones and he was to commit a heinous crime due to various reasons, then it can be said
that his actions have stemmed from his weak religious convictions.
We personally know people who are able to write voluminous books about the dangers that
can be caused by drinking alcohol, however these same people sometimes get so drunk
that they cannot even tie their own shoelaces!
There are people who can write articles on the individual and societal damage that is
caused by gambling and bribery and illicit relations and can organize and hold seminars in
these regards, however, if you look carefully at their lives, you will definitely see that from
the top of their head to the tips of their toes, they are submerged in sins and wickedness.
Thus, simply having the knowledge which is a resultant of studying and attending classes
has not saved them from these desires and inclinations.
There is not a single person who can claim that on its own, knowledge can prevent greed
and gluttony, or that it can stop one who is in the quest of attaining a higher position.
Today, we see that the world has been pulled towards wars and fighting by those people
who seek a higher position and status and who are educated people and this has occurred
twice already - during World War I and World War II - in which more than one hundred
million people were killed and eradicated.
There are some people who changed the name of the mentioned teachings which have

been inherited from Socrates and Aristotle and in place of the word knowledge substituted
the word intellect. By doing this, they wished to claim that through the greatness and
training of the intellect and mind of a human being, one is able to strip ones self of all sins
and wrongdoings, and in their place, cultivate the noble traits of humanity.
However this agent (that of the intellect) also does not possess the ability to do this and is
not much different than the first agent mentioned (knowledge). This is so because the
intellect is able to control and restrain the force and power of the passions (of a person),
but in the face of the demonic lusts and passions, it can be compared to a straw house
being destroyed by a violent river. It can also be compared to a small lamp which offers
very little light to a person while he is wandering through a dark, gloomy valley.
The natural human instincts can sometimes be compared to a flowing river. When the flow
of water on the river is normal, many truckloads of gravel can stop the river from
overflowing. However once the river has started to overflow and heavy rains fall upon it and
the torrential currents surge forth, then this water would take with it hundreds of tons of
gravel and sand.
In normal circumstances, in the greatness of the light of his natural instincts, the
intelligence of a person illuminates the path of his life and prevents him from falling into the
valley of extinction, however when his natural instincts explode, then the intelligence
becomes so weak and muted that even the strongest of people become lost and thus in the
end, they end up falling deep into the dreadful valley of their (low) human instincts.

2. Training and Upbringing without Religion

This is the same design and plan that Freud and those who followed him had brought forth
into the sphere of operation. They stated that the issues related to moral ethics and the
principles of humanity must be taught to the child while he is in the bosom of his father and
mother and while in the environment of the kindergarten and primary school - and this is an
obligatory requirement. Not only must they be taught these things, rather, the people
(around them) must strive and struggle such that these things become a regular part of the
childs soul and spirit.
For example, one of the societal crimes is the breaking of laws that takes place amongst
the older people of the society. In order to prevent this moral disease from coming about,
the young children must be taught and trained in the centres of learning in such a way that
they do not act in any other method, except that they respect the laws and regulations of
the society. Thus, such thinkers see no other way than this to move forward upon.
In order to make this moral belief firm rooted and penetrate deep into the spirit during the
period of ones youth - right from the beginning of ones education - the laws and
regulations that the kindergarten and primary school have in place must be obeyed.
The children must be made to follow these rules and the threat and punishment of going
against these rules must also be practically shown to them. If the leaders (of the society)
and the teachers of the children would be careful in following up their teaching with
injecting the noble moral, ethical traits to the children and were to make the principles of
upbringing and nurturing of the children under the shadow of continuous drills and by
paying attention to them as common practice, then this would have a very good effect on
the children.

The people who brought forth the idea mentioned above were negligent of one point which
is: whereas it is true that nurturing and upbringing has a positive effect on the eventual
success (of the child) and in the growth and development of the principles of ethics in the
mind of the young children, however opposition and resistance to this in the face of the
obstinate natural instincts of a person is very rarely seen.
In most times, this opposition is met with defeat and in most instances in the face of natural
desires and instincts such as: self-pride, quest for status, sexual desires and worship of the
beauty (of self) - the ethics (which have been taught or imposed upon the children) are
overcome and defeated. Thus, we see that the power and strength of these natural
instincts is so great and the force of their blow is so powerful, that any form of upbringing
which is devoid of the divine religious teachings is completely powerless and will eventually
accomplish nothing.
Most often, there is a discrepancy and difference between a persons internal desires, his
natural instincts and the ethical principles and the only way to satisfy ones internal desires
is by throwing the ethical principles under ones feet and to not obey them. This is the case
since: doing the right thing, speaking the truth, self-sacrifice, maintaining the trust that
others have given, chastity and forgiveness of others which are all clear examples of the
principles of ethics and morality necessitate that one must be deprived and give up
certain things (of the material life). The woman who wishes to protect her chastity and
modesty must obviously keep away from a series of things which may bring her pleasure.
Doing the right thing and speaking the truth even if later on, would cause troubles, acting
with justice and dealing with others with equality may lead to others falling into difficulties
and may also lead to the loss in the material sphere for others; and in this event, which
person would actually keep away from those things which cause one loss? In addition, the
power of upbringing is not that powerful and firmly rooted that a person would be able to
be transformed into a machine-like being that all sense of perception and negative
emotions would be completely removed from him.
However, we cannot deny the fact that in this battle field, sometimes the victory is
achieved through nurturing and upbringing. However at the same time, we cannot deny the
fact that when ones sexual desires are overflowing, and when the desire to have great
amounts of wealth and to attain a status (within the society) are there, the principles of
upbringing that one has learnt are all thrown under ones feet and those things that one is
not permitted to perform are now made acceptable.
The people who brought about this view defended their incorrect theory for some time and
claimed that ethics and morality could take the place of religion and the actions of the wellmannered nations of the West was made as their document (of ethics). These people were
adamant that now that the Western World had found these humanistic teachings of
upbringing that there was no need for the Divine and Heavenly teachings.
However, not much time passed when they realized their mistake and the savage World
War I broke out, which resulted in the killing of tens of millions of people. In addition, the
entire European continent was turned upside down by these same Western people who
claimed to have ethics and morality and this war definitely woke them up from their deep
sleep and made them declare that, The perception and intelligence of humanity has still
not yet reached to the level that morals and ethics can take the place of divine religion nor
where proper upbringing can take the place of religion (a complete code of life).

The further ahead we advance in the history of the world, the more it is made clear that the
desire to place morals and etiquette in the place of religion will not lead to any positive
results.

Beneficial Ethical Traits

The moral traits that are in vogue in the West are those which provide material benefit
which have been founded from the writings of Dale Carnegie. The roots of these teachings
are the same moral teachings of the Ancient Greek whose distinctions and particulars we
will explain later on. The principle and essence of the teachings of such a school of ethics
and morality are a disguised form of well-mannered exploitation that believe: What can we
do to increase our wealth and to make our position and status in the minds of the people
firm?
After a person has finished studying these books, he would have certainty that if Western
Nations have implemented many of these ethical principles in their lives, for example
keeping away from lying and not deceiving and tricking people, then it is because of the
fact that these traits are ways that they are able to gain (material) benefit and which lead
to increases in the business market and to a change in the economic wheels (of the
country).
If one day the people see that their (material) benefit is in something opposite to this, then
immediately they will change face - and this will show their true side and character. This in
itself is a form of deviation from the perfect state of a human being since such people
desire ethical traits only to serve their materialistic goals and pleasures, which would add
greatness to their lives and economic status, not because these traits are worthy in and of
themselves and are natural and instinctive traits.

3. Ethical Traits that Rely upon Religious Teachings

The ethical teachings that are based upon religion, such that the theological beliefs of the
faith and the belief that (all people) are granted rewards and punishments based on their
daily actions, are what support and sustain the principle of ethics. It is through this channel
that the Divine and Heavenly teachings, especially the sacred teachings of Islam have
chosen (to propagate the ethical teachings) and during the course of 14 centuries, we see a
brilliant outcome from traversing this path.
The belief in a God who is completely aware of the inner thoughts and apparent actions of
humanity; the belief in a God who is not kept unaware of anything that is upon the Earth or
in the Heavens; the belief in a God who is completely aware of the number of unimaginable
atoms in the universe and the number of molecules in a particular body; the belief in a God
who is the final Judge and on that Day that He judges everyone, the book of deeds of each
human being which has been protected by the Angels from all sorts of errors and mistakes
and is free from all sorts of materialistic aims and goals, will be brought forth and spread
open for all to see - and He will not even stop at this.
Rather, the actual image of the actions that we had performed will also be brought forth
through His never-ending power and all the parts of our bodies, through the unbreakable
intention, will speak and bear witness to the acts that he had performed. Then, each and
every person will be given the reward and punishment that they deserve, and1
The firm and immutable belief in such a day is the greatest support for the noble ethical

traits and is the most natural guarantee for people to act according to the principles of
humanity and in reality, is the most valuable asset and most priceless treasure that the
great divinely appointed Heavenly leaders have left behind for us and we must support and
keep this priceless legacy alive.
The power of true belief in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the belief in the
punishment on the Day of Judgement can sometimes reach to such a level within a person
that these things actually act as a deterrent to the person who wants to commit a sin and
would thus bring a person who wishes to commit an evil deed to the level of a heavenly
creature and infallible person.
The strength of true faith in controlling a person is such that if one day, a believer was to
act against what true faith entails him to act upon and went against the teachings of his
natural instincts, then he would immediately think about how to repair the damage he has
caused and would fall into grief and misery through this act of polluting ones own self. In
order to remove the effects of the sin he had committed, without those who are responsible
for judging and sentencing a person who had committed such acts, he would seriously
request them to punish him or would request the punishment that Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) has ordained be meted out on him. In the end, he would come out of this
event as a spiritually cleansed person with no burden (of sin) on his shoulders and would
thus enter on the Resurrection Day as such.2

The Mission of Ethical Guidance of Islam

Through various types of societal, economic and ethical programs and guidelines, the
religion of Islam stepped into the social arena of life and through laying this groundwork in
all areas (of life), was able to bring about a valuable and original set of teachings a set of
teachings that are completely new-found, with positive qualities which are able to
(spiritually) build a society.
The religion of Islam looked favourably at ethical principles and the role of upbringing and
nurturing others and has classified these as being the most important responsibilities of the
Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny).
As for the importance of this role, it is worthy to mention that the topic of training and
nurturing others has been placed ahead of teaching others in the Noble Quran3. This has
been done since the religion of Islam wishes to announce to the leaders of society that the
issue of upbringing and nurturing others is more important than teaching and educating
them and thus, the slogan of the leaders of a society, in relation to the leadership and
building the happiness of the entire society must be first through nurturing and then
teaching. This is said because until that time that a community does not have the proper
nurturing and development, teaching and educating them will never reach to a level of ever
being noticed.

The Distinctions of the Islamic Ethical Teachings

Before the official appointment of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny), the Ethics of the Greeks ruled over the advanced civilizations of the world for
a period of time.
After relating and translating the scientific and ethical works of the Greeks, the principles of
their ethical teachings were introduced into the scholarly gatherings of the Muslims without

any thought and a group of Muslim scholars proceeded to expand upon and perfect these
teachings and thus, wrote treatises and books in relation to these works.
One of the best books that shows the true value of the ethical teachings of the Greeks is
the book, Tahdhibul Akhlaq Wa Tathirul A`raq )& #xFEF7;ﻼ
ﻷ (written by Abu `Ali Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Maskuyah (d. 431 AH). As
for the importance and worth of this book, it is sufficient to state that the late Muhaqqiq atTusi has written a poem in relation to this book, of which the first line states:

I sacrifice my soul for a Book
That contains all virtuous traits,
And guarantees to paint the portrait
Of the perfection of creation.4
After this book of morals which elucidates upon the principles of the ethical teachings of the
Greeks, the next book which is also very valuable is Akhlaq-e-Nasiri ]ﻼ[
written by the late Khajah Nasir ad-Din at-Tusi which had been penned according to the
methodology of the Greek books of ethics.
The clear deficiency of the ethical teachings of the Greeks is that their ethical principles
have been based upon the foundations of the quickly diminishing materialistic gains and
have been explained and elucidated as such. For example it has been said in these books
that, If you put these ethical teachings into practice, then you will definitely find that you
will be remembered in a good way and people would speak good things about you in the
society.
However these people only looked at things from a materialistic point of view and were
completely uninformed of the next life and its affairs and thus, they tried to imitate the
ethical teachings of the materialists whose goal and aim was not geared towards
purification of the soul and the mind. Rather, their aim and purpose was only to ensure the
(ease in the) life of this world and how they could wield influence within a society.
The spiritual-ethical teachings (Akhlaq-e-Irfani) are directly opposed to the Greek ethical
teachings (Akhlaq-e-Yunani), however both seek to give the same benefit, but they would
never have the ability to build a persons self or instill a moving nature within him. In
addition, some of the teachings (the ethical teachings of the Greeks) cannot even be taught
or presented to the common people and for the youth who are thirsty over a set of
teachings that would not only beautify their spiritual presence with greatness and nobility,
but that would also teach them a path and customs to follow in their lives, these teachings
of the Greeks would have absolutely no appeal or attraction.
The original and firm set of teachings, which at the same time are also the most
comprehensive and which contain all of the positive qualities of the religion, are the ethical
teachings and guidelines found in the Noble Quran and the faith of Islam. All of the
advantages of the material and spiritual world are completely taken into account with the
condition that it is put into practice and presented in its purity - distanced from any sort of
artificial decorations.

In some of the books which have been written under the topic of Islamic Ethics, we see a
series of commandments presented which are in no way in line with the principles of the
teachings of Islam. Thus, after careful research and review, it is made clear that all of the
conclusions that are presented are the specific opinions of the writer of the work and they
have absolutely no connection to the principle ethical teachings of Islam.
One example which we can present to highlight this point is the book entitled, Ihya al`Ulum (al-Ghazali, d. 505 AH) which is one of the most comprehensive books of ethics, and
possibly in the entire history of Islam, there has never been a more all-inclusive book
written than this one. Unfortunately however, in expounding on some of the ethical issues,
we see that often times there are things that in no way can be considered as being
harmonious with the teachings of Islam.
The Late Muhammad Muhsin Faidh (Al-Kashani) (d. 1091 AH) has embellished his
monumental work with countless ahadith from the leaders of Islam (the Prophet and
Aimmah, prayers be upon all of them) which he named, Al-Mahajjatul Baydha Fi Tahdhibul
Ahya. this book, which has been published in eight volumes has been printed countless
times to date!

Necessity of Having a Movement that Encourages Ethics

There is not a single intelligent person religious or non-religious who, in the face of
growing corruption amongst the future builders of a society (the younger generation) who
would be indifferent (to what is happening) and not feel some personal responsibility since
this matter is a warning to the leaders and those who are responsible for upbringing others,
that they must act as fast as possible to make decisions and rescue this generation from
falling into the valley of destruction.
Due to this, there is no other option available to us except that we must strengthen our
source of faith and make the principle theological beliefs stronger (in our heart) which will
be a prelude to laying the groundwork for the advancement of ethical traits.
Through a correct leadership and by utilizing all the means at our disposal, we will be able
to struggle and refine the ethics of the society and alongside this, through organizing
religious functions and establishing seminars and in addition, the study of the reasons for
the spread of corruption, we will be able to get together to publish a series of books on
Islamic Ethics which are in line with the spirit, time and thoughts of the youth of today.
We say this since a majority of the books of ethics have been written in such a way that
they do not confirm to the soul and level of understanding of our youth. How many times
have we seen that after reading a few pages of these sorts of books, the person becomes
tired or loses his interest to continue the book and puts it aside?
In order to assist in this lofty, humanistic goal, this humble writer has proceeded to study
Surah al-Hujurat which contains a great number of principle ethical and societal teachings
of the faith of Islam. The principles that have been mentioned in this Surah have been
examined and analysed in such a way that people of all levels of a society would be able to
make use of them. It is our hope that this insignificant book would serve in this purpose.
We pray for that day when the great scholars of Islam are able to extract all of the verses of
the Quran that deal with ethics and through organizing and putting them in order, are able
to comment and elucidate upon them.5 This point too should also not go without saying

that some parts of this book were previously printed in the scientific-religious magazine,
Maktab-e-Islam, in the section on Tafsir of the Quran and now, we present it in its complete
form to the dear readers.
Qum, Hawzah `Ilmiyyah
10th Dhul Qa`dah al-Haram, 1390 AH
Ja`far Subhani
1. This sentence is the meaning of the verses of the Quran contained in various chapters of the Noble Quran
such as: Surah Luqman (31), Verse 16; Surah al-Saba (34), Verse 4; and Surah al-Zilzal, (99), Verses 7 and 8.
2. In the book, The History of Punishment in Islam, we see many examples on this issue which, to keep this
discussion brief, we do not mention in detail here.
3. In the Quran, we read the phrase: ... And he (the Prophet Muhammad) purifies
them (nurturing and upbringing) and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom Surah al-Jumu`ah (62), Verse 2.
4. Tasis al-Shi`atul Kiram lil-`Ulumil Islam, Page 411.
5. It should be noted that as far as we are aware, this task has been completed to a certain level by two noble
writers. This book has been printed under the name of: Ethics from the point of view of the Quran and The
Ethics of the Quran.

The Specifics of Surah al-Hujurat

What Objectives does this Surah Pursue?
The goal of this Surah is to elucidate upon a series of life-giving commandments of Akhlaq
(Ethics and Morality) and social interaction which (if put into practice), would lead an ideal
civilization. These in turn could create and cultivate a pure society that is far removed from
all sorts of blameworthy moral traits.
According to the unanimous verdict of all the commentators of the Quran, the number of
verses of this Surah are eighteen. Through its own particular way of explaining things, this
Surah incorporates a series of comprehensive and beneficial commandments for the
purification of the soul and spirit for all of humanity. If the conditions and ethical injunctions
mentioned in this Surah were acted upon within all societies, then we would definitely be
able to bring about a calm and peaceful environment full of consideration (for others) and
contentment for all far removed from all sorts of wicked and evil ethical traits.
This Surah gives us an overall view of a pure and uncontaminated society in which not only
the tongue and ears of the individuals, rather even their thoughts and reflections are not
given complete free reign, such that are free to say whatever they want to say, hear
whatever they want to hear, or do whatever they wish to do in relation to other people.
The following is a list summarizing the commandments that are mentioned in this Surah:
1. This Surah begins its first commandment by bringing up a point in regards to having
discipline and order, while in the presence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the
Messenger (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny). The meaning of this discipline
and order is that the Muslims must learn the commandments and legislations (of the
religion) from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and must not let their own inner desires
and whims lead them to formulating laws and regulations.
2. The people who have true faith are instructed and commanded how they should speak to

their leaders.
3. The people who have true faith are also commanded that when they are given news or
testimony about another person from one who commits sins in the open, is known for his
wicked ways or is not scared of his transgressions (against the laws of Allah, Glorified and
Exalted is He), that they must not accept such a testimony from him and must stay away
from all forms of rumours and gossip.
4. The general thoughts and opinions of the people have absolutely no value when
compared to the orders and directives of the infallible Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny).
5. Each and every person possesses an ethical conscience.
6. It is incumbent upon every Muslim that he strives for peace, and to attain this goal he
must stand up against the oppressors so that he would be able to uphold the truth and
maintain the rights of the oppressed.
7. All Muslims are brothers (and sisters) of and equal to one another and it is incumbent
that they all endeavour to ensure that peace and happiness are established amongst
themselves.
8. A Muslim does not have the right to make fun of another Muslim.
9. It is forbidden to find or pick faults in other people according to the teachings of Islam.
10. A true believer does not have the right to call his brother in faith by a nickname or bad
name.
11. It is forbidden (haram) to think bad thoughts about a believing brother (or sister).
12. It is expressly forbidden to spy on or pry into the secrets and private life and affairs of
other people.
13. It is a major sin to speak bad things behind the back of another Muslim.
14. In this Surah, the issue of racial superiority has also been brought to an end and the
only criteria for judging who is better (than another person) is ones merit, piety and
abstinence from those things which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has forbidden and by
keeping away from all sins.
After these fourteen commandments have been explained, there is another series of issues
that are discussed which will be explained in their own section. When glancing over these
commandments, is the superiority and dominance of the ethical Quranic teachings over all
other ethical teachings of the world not clear and obvious for all to see?

This Surah was Revealed in Madinah, Not Makkah

We are able to discern which Surahs were revealed in Makkah and which were revealed in
Madinah by keeping the following two points in mind:
1. The narrations and traditions which mention to us the place of revelation of a specific
Surah.

2. Pondering and thinking over the contents of the verses of the Surah which usually act as
a verbal chain of events that tell us if the Surah was revealed in Makkah or Madinah.
Seeing as how the cities of Makkah and Madinah were two completely different
environments, we understand that each was governed by its own ways of thought, and thus
the religion of Islam was put face to face with issues and difficulties which were specific to
that particular area.
Thus, after we are acquainted with the way of thinking and the particular issues of an area
(Makkah or Madinah), and we have studied the contents and verses of a Surah, then we are
then able to discern where the Surah or the verses of the Surah were revealed.
For instance, the environment of Makkah was one polluted with polytheism and idol
worship. The Jews and Christians had not permeated into this city and thus, those who had
true faith (Iman) were very small in number. The issue of Jihad and fighting were not
brought up in this environment and the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) had frequent dealings and relations with the idol worshippers.
Therefore, the point of difference of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) with the polytheists (of Makkah) was concerning Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah,
Glorified and Exalted is He) and the concept of being brought back to life on the Day of
Judgement after one was physically dead.
Thus, the verses whose axis rotates around the discussion of issues such as the origin (of
life), Resurrection Day and the verses which reproach Polytheism and speak about the
outcome of the previous generations that were inflicted with the anger and punishment of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) due to not following His commandments and their
appointed Messengers, were most often revealed in Makkah.
However the environment in Madinah was an atmosphere of faith, virtue and piety. It was a
centred where the Ahl al-Kitab - especially the Jews had influenced and permeated into. It
was an atmosphere of young men, heroes, champions and brave people who readily
accepted the teachings of Islam.
In addition, it was also an environment where the Muslims had little need to discuss the
foundational beliefs (Usul ad-Din) of the religion and thus it was time for them to become
acquainted with a series of other issues including their practical responsibilities, the ethical
and societal guidelines and the performance of devotional acts such as Salat, Sawm
(fasting), Zakat and other issues.
It is because of this fact that the verses in relation to the Tawrat and Injil and the beliefs of
the Ahl al-Kitab (Jews and Christians) and the explanation of the altercations, battles and
wars of the Muslims with the Ahl al-Kitab and the Polytheists were revealed in Madinah.
Also, the verses that speak of the principles of etiquette and the commandments of the
religion including the obligatory (wajib) and recommended (mustahab) acts were all
revealed in Madinah meaning after the migration (hijrah) of the Prophet (blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny) from Makkah to Madinah.1
Given that the mood in Madinah was one of interaction between the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) and the Ansar (the local people of Madinah who
welcomed the Prophet and his followers to their city) and other groups that slowly accepted

the teachings of Islam, this limited time frame did not permit the Prophet (blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny) to discuss issues such as condemning idols and idol
worshippers (while in Madinah). Therefore we must acknowledge that all the verses of this
Surah were revealed in Madinah.
In addition to all of the commentators of the Quran being unanimous on this issue (that all
of the verses of this Surah were revealed in Madinah) and it has only been related from
Ibn `Abbas that in his opinion, the thirteenth verse of this Surah was revealed in Makkah
the contents of these verses are a living, practical example that they were all revealed in
Madinah.
The atmosphere in Makkah was not conducive to discussing these sorts of ethical issues,
since the people of Makkah still held doubts concerning the principles of Islam (origin of life
and Day of Resurrection), and did not attest to the prophetic mission of the Prophet of Islam
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and had not yet developed faith in his
universal message.
In such an environment, the opportunity never arose that would allow the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to bring up issues of morality such as
having bad thoughts about others or backbiting other people.
Above all of this, those who are being spoken to in this Surah are those that possess true
faith (Muminun), just as we see that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has started out this
Surah with the phrase:

O you who have true faith!
Thus, from this beginning of this Surah until we reach the end, we see that with the
exception of one instance, all of the contents of this chapter are addressed to the believers
or those who have true faith and this is one indisputable indication that this Surah was
revealed in Madinah.
1. Those verses which were revealed to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) during his
Hajjatul Wida` or Farewell Hajj (before he passed away) while in Makkah are technically referred to as Madani
verses (verses revealed in Madinah) of the Quran even though they were not actually sent to him in the city of
Madinah. This is so because the condition that is used to judge whether a verse is Madani is if it was revealed
after the migration to Madinah. It is by observing this definition that we have given the above classification (in
relation to the place of revelation).

The Disciplines of Islam

( Verse 1 )

&; #xFEFB

O you who have true faith! Do not give preference (to your own words and
deeds) above those of Allah and His Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad,
blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny). And have consciousness of
Allah. Unquestionably, Allah is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
The purpose of this verse is to establish moral discipline in the principles of Islam within
every single person who possesses true faith. This verse serves to create a sense of moral
discipline that would prevent the true believer from enacting any sort of precedence or
priority in his or her own life over the orders of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny).
This discipline would also prevent the person from developing any sort of doubt or
uncertainty in relation to the orders of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny).
The spirit and reality of the disciplines of Islam dictate that every individual must take the
rules, regulations and convention of laws that he follows, which are related to both the
individual and the society, from the Divine Source. In addition, he must thoroughly satiate
himself with these laws and must follow the one thought (the laws of Allah) which are much
more superior and higher than all other thoughts and ideologies.
Why do we say this? We know that the legislations and Islamic commandments that have to
be followed must be brought by one who first and foremost recognizes and understands the
human being. Therefore, such a legislator must know all of the secrets, hidden issues and
finer points of the human and his soul.
There must not remain a single atom of ambiguity in the life of mankind that a law has not
been prescribed for. In addition to this, such a legislator must also be free from all types of
sins and errors and there cannot be any type of interest or benefit for him in the society
such that this benefit would lead him to formulate laws that suit his own self.
Just as we know, there is not a single person who has these characteristics except for the
Creator of the Universe. It is He alone who has complete knowledge of both our inner and
outer thoughts. It is He alone who is free from all sin and error and who derives no benefit
from the society.
Therefore, everyone must have true faith in such an Entity and the Islamic disciplines that
He sends down. They must not consider their own interests or wishes above that of what
has been decided by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and they must take inspiration from
Him alone.
If we give up such Islamic disciplines and solely rely on our wishes and desires to formulate
laws and regulations, then the sphere of our lives would resemble an army with multiple
leaders. Even if such an army was fully equipped and ready to fight a battle, they would
definitely fall into confusion and disorder since they are being led by various leaders and
commanders, and after a short period of time, they would fall to the prowess of the enemy

thus being destroyed.

The stage that we live our life upon is just like the battle-front and the wishes and desires of
each person, each stratum of people or each group are similar to having multiple
commanders for an army. If there was to be any difference of opinion within the
commanders, then this would lead the people into great conflicts and would drag them into
confusion and disorder which would ultimately result in the disregard of justice amongst
one another.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has explained the necessity of maintaining such a
discipline in this introductory verse where He has mentioned:

; ...&#xFEFB
do not give preference (to your own words and deeds) above those of Allah
and His Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny).
Later on in the seventh verse of this Surah, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) stresses on
the infallibility of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and his
inability to fall into error or make a mistake where He says:

; 7&#xFEF
Know that the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny) is amongst you. Had he yielded to you on many matters, you
would have definitely been in great trouble.
By stating this, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) means to say that since the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) takes all of his information and guidance
from the Springs of Revelation and Divine Inspiration, there will never be even the smallest
amount of error in his leadership.
However, if the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) were to follow the
people - since they may fall prey to the wishes of their own desires - then whether they
know it or not, they would fall into harm and loss.
Therefore, if we sincerely wish to be a society of believers and true Muslims, then we must
take the following verse as an example as to how to pattern our lives:

; ...&#xFEFB

do not give preference (to your own words and deeds) above those of Allah and
His Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny).

Examples in History of Those who have Taken

Precedence over Allah and His Prophet
A great number of the faithful believers have followed the primary rule of obeying the One
who has legislated the laws for humanity, and if the Islamic verdict was not found for a
particular issue, then they would not act upon it nor would they express their own opinion
(on that issue).
However, by exercising and using their own judgement and conclusions, these same people
have given precedence to their own desires over those of the Heavenly rulings - the rulings
of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny) - and unknowingly, they did not act upon the verse that states:

; ...&#xFEFB
do not give preference (to your own words and deeds) above those of Allah
and His Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny).
It is possible that sometimes by people acting upon that which is a figment of their own
imagination or due to being under the pressures of their environment; they resort to acting
on their own thoughts and personal judgements which go against the laws that have been
explicitly mentioned in the religion.
Thus, they have given their own ideas the colour of sanctity and placed these above the
Heavenly commandments. The problem with the Muslims (of today) is mostly within this
sphere - meaning that we place our own ideas ahead of those of the religion, such that we
are not ready to accept the truth and reality for what it truly is.
Even now, we can bring forward examples in which the Muslims are trying to place their
own opinions and ideas - which in reality is equivalent to placing their own beliefs above the
shining commandments of the religion above those of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
and His Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny). Sometimes, due to the
fear of being classified as open sinners or disbelievers in the faith amongst the people, they
hide their opinions (though they still keep such ideas in their hearts).
Nevertheless, in order to keep this discussion brief, we will only relate a few examples of
this act in which Muslims have placed their own thoughts and ideas ahead of those of the
teachings of the religion that had occurred in the beginning of Islam. We leave it up to the
readers to research and study examples of this attitude that is taking place in the present
day.
1) During the blessed month of Ramadhan in one of the years after the Hijrah to Madinah,
the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) travelled with a group of his

companions towards Makkah.

When they reached the place known as Kara` al-Ghamim, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) requested a glass of water and between the Salat of Zuhr and
`Asr, broke his fast and commanded all of those with him to also break their fast, since
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) had not commanded fasting for those who are travelling.
However, a group of his companions who presumed themselves to be holy people thought
that if they were to fast while travelling, they would receive a greater reward. These people
thought that they would act according to their own desires and place their wishes above
the orders of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and
thus remained fasting. This group of Muslims was actually referred to as the group of
sinners1 by the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)!
The greatest calamity for these people was that at the time of going forward for Jihad
(struggle) in the way of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), they had not taken even one
glimmer of guidance from the Divine revelations, and thus each one of them proceeded to
follow their own commander and leader (which was their own wishes).
2) During the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyah) of the `Arabs (before the coming of Islam), a
man was prohibited from marrying his adopted sons wife after they had divorced. In order
to destroy this wrong custom and tradition, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commanded
the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to remove this belief (from
amongst the people) and therefore commanded him to marry Zainab, the divorced wife of
his adopted son Zaid.
The Prophet proceeded to marry Zainab at which time, a group of those who (apparently)
had faith in Islam and who knew very well that the actions and speech of the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) are never carried out without reason and
who knew that he takes inspiration from the World of Revelation in all of his actions, started
to launch criticisms upon him. By employing sarcastic remarks and comments, they began
to say that the marriage of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
was unlawful!
The motive of these people to start such criticisms was their own cultural thoughts and
personal discretion that had been inherited (from the days of Ignorance) and as such, they
believed that it was not permitted to marry the ex-wife of ones adopted son.
In order to destroy these types of unfounded criticisms which are rooted in lack of faith in
the reality of the Prophetic mission and the illuminating teachings of Islam, the Quran
brings forth various verses, of which we relate one here from Surah al-Ahzab:

&; #xFEFB

&; #xFEFB;&#xFEFB
And it is not permitted for the believing men nor for the believing women that

when Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny) decide on an issue that they express their own opinion on this issue
(once it has already been decided for them by Allah and His Messenger). And the
one who disobeys Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) is definitely in manifest error. 2
The late Tabrisi (may Allah be pleased with him) has stated that, The sentence, do not
give preference (to your own words and deeds) above those of Allah and His
Messenger (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) has a very deep
and extensive meaning, that those who have true faith must not take their own opinions
above that of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) or the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny).
In reality, that which we have mentioned and explained above is one of the meanings of the
comprehensive meanings of this verse.

The True Meaning of Islam is Submission

The true meaning of Islam is the (complete) state of submission to Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He). Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has defined the
reality of Islam by summarizing it in one sentence where he said:

&; #xFEFB;9&#xFEF
Al-Islam is (simply) complete submission (to the laws and commandments of Allah)3
Thus, a true Muslim is one who submits entirely to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
whether it entails benefit or loss for him; if it is according to what his own soul desires; or if
it goes against his own desires and wishes. Such a person (who is a true Muslim) submits to
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in order to earn His pleasure.
However for those people who do not have such a demeanour within themselves, whenever
they see that the religion and the teachings protect their own benefits, then they claim that
(part of the) religion. By this we mean that any time they see that the teachings and the
wisdom of the faith are in accordance with their internal wishes and desires, then they
defend Islam and the teachings of the religion.
However, when it goes against their own benefits, inner desires and passions, then by using
various excuses, they devoid themselves of all affinity to the religion. In such people, there
is no form of true submission which is the basis and foundation of Islam just as we will be
able to see clearly in the story mentioned below.
Tamim ibn Jarasha, along with a group of others representing the tribe of Thaqif were
making their way to Madinah and were preparing their tribe for the acceptance of the
religion of Islam under the conditions which they had previously decided upon. When they
reached the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) he said to them,
Write down your conditions so that I may go over them. They were referred to `Ali (peace
be upon him) and requested him to write down the conditions and instructed `Ali (peace be

upon him) to write the following provisions:

The Tribe of Thaqif will accept the religion of Islam if the following conditions are met:
Giving and taking of interest and performing adultery are permitted and the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) will excuse them from performing the
Salat.
`Ali (peace be upon him) could not bring himself to write such conditions and thus they
were sent to Khalid ibn Sa`id ibn `As. He drew up the contract and thereafter they returned
back to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and read the
conditions to him. At this point, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) became very upset, and with his own hands, changed what was written on the
paper and then signed it.4
Keeping in mind the quote from Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) in
relation to what Islam truly is, we see that such people (those of the tribe of Thaqif) were
devoid of the true Islam which is complete submission to the Truth. These people wanted
a form of Islam that was conducive to their own lustful desires and one which suited them
and if this was not possible, then Islam would hold no place in their lives.
Ibn Hisham has narrated that this group of `Arabs had requested the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) that their large idol - Lat - not be destroyed for a period
of three years and that the most important obligatory act of Islam (the Salat) should not be
made incumbent upon them.
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) replied to these people that
he would not permit - even for one minute - that idols be worshipped and told them that
any set of spiritual beliefs which lack the Salat - communication with Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) and other acts of servitude - would be like a body without a soul and this
would serve no benefit.5
Even more amazing than this event was the objection that was raised by some of the
companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to
some other companions who had come out of their Ihram and had sexual relations with
their wives.
This group of companions (after finishing the rites of the `Umrah) had performed a ghusl
(after having sexual relations with their wives) and while the water was dripping from their
faces they were addressed by another group of companions: Do you not have any shame?
The Messenger of Allah is still in the state of Ihram and you have come out of your Ihram
and (after having relations) have the water of your ghusl dripping from your face and
head?
The Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) heard this being said
and got very upset and told his companions, I myself told them to do this and if I had not
brought an animal to sacrifice with myself, I too would have come out of the Ihram.6
The greatest calamity and the most severe blow against the Heavenly teachings is that
man - who is a creature and is prone to commit errors adds and introduces his own ideas
and beliefs within the religion, since he is not able to completely replace the teachings of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) with his own thoughts.

How many times have we ourselves seen that in our lives, many forbidden acts have later
on taken the form of being permitted? How many barriers and limitations (in the religion)
have we seen that were brought into effect which were later broken by those same people
who introduced them?
All of these types of interventions and interferences with the laws of Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) stem from one source and that is that we do not have the correct
understanding of the disciplines of Islam and this sentence of the Surah is the true
expression of this:

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do not give preference (to your own words and deeds) above those of Allah
and His Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny).
In the year that the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
performed the Final Hajj (Hajjatul Wida`), after performing the Sa`i between the mountains
of al-Safa and al-Marwah, he turned towards those who were visiting the house of Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) and said, Whoever has not brought a sacrifice along with him
should trim his hair or cut his nails a little bit and come out of the Ihram. However, anyone
who has brought along an animal to sacrifice just as I have, must stay in the state of Ihram
until the sacrifice is given in Mina.
This was something difficult for a group of the companions to accept and their excuse for
not listening to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was that it
was not agreeable to them that they should come out of the Ihram and those things that
were still prohibited for the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) should
be permitted for them.
Some of them even said that it is not correct that those who are classified as people who
are visiting the House of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) should have the drops of water
from a ghusl (due to sexual relations) dripping from their head and face!
The eyes of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) fell on `Umar (ibn
al-Khattab) while he was still in the state of Ihram. The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) asked him if he had brought along a sacrifice to which `Umar replied
that he had not.
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) then asked him why he had
not yet removed his Ihram? To this `Umar replied that, I am not willing to come out of the
Ihram while you are still in the state (of Ihram). The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) replied to him, Not only now, however until the day you die you will
always follow this same belief (of disobeying the Prophet).
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was very upset at the doubts
and hesitations of the people and said:


If I had given this issue previous thought then just like you, instead of bringing the animal
to sacrifice with me, I would have left it at home and would have come to perform the
visitation rites of the House of Allah (without the animal). However what can I do now that I
have brought this animal to sacrifice, I must act in accordance to the commandment of
Allah which states:

(You must remain in the state of Ihram) until you reach to the place where you
must offer the sacrifice (that you have brought with you).
Thus, I must remain in the state of Ihram until the day of Mina when I can go to the area of
sacrifice and slaughter this animal. However, anyone who has not brought an animal with
them to sacrifice must come out of their Ihram and whatever acts they have performed
would be considered as their `Umrah and then later on, they can again put on their Ihram
for the Hajj.7
In this section, we have given four different examples of people who placed their own
opinions and views above those of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the Messenger
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny). In addition, in the pages of the history of
Islam, especially the history of the first three Khulafa (Abu Bakr ibn Al-Quhafah, `Umar ibn
Al-Khattab and `Uthman ibn al-Affan), we see very distinct examples relating to the topic
under discussion which have been discussed in a separate book.8
After writing this section of the commentary, an article9 that had been written by one of our
friends who had done research on this topic was given to us which (in reality) is a
continuation of our discussion (here). Below, we present a summary of what he has
mentioned:
The true meaning of Islam is that when a person is at the crossroads of either following
what his religion tells him to do or what own internal desires command him towards, he
gives preference to what his religion states since submission in other than this way means
that he would be superseding the teachings of the religion with his own desires which is a
sign of not having true submission (Islam).
For example, the love and affection that a person shows for another is only indisputable
and proved when a disagreement comes up between the two people at which time, he
prefers the opinion of his friend over his own.
If in this instance, he prefers his own opinion and gives it precedence, then it is clear that
his agreement with his friend in other instances and circumstances was based on ulterior
motives and not due to the love and affection that he has for his friend. Rather, it was due
to some other sort of (material or spiritual) benefit for himself that he saw in his friendship.
In reality, this is explained very well in this verse of the Quran:

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Those people who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and who intend to
create differences between Allah and His Messengers (by rejecting their
message) and say, We believe in some and disbelieve in others and (through
this) they intend to find and follow a middle way Without doubt, such are the
disbelievers in the truth.10
This verse clearly shows that those who wish to differentiate between the commandments
of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) are the true disbelievers and even the smallest
amount of faith will never be seen within them. When Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
commanded Shaitan to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him) which he rejected to do, he
replied to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He):

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If you excuse me from prostrating to Adam then surely I will worship You such )a worship(
that no one before has ever worshipped You.
He was heedless of one fact of reality which was that the true meaning and spirit of worship
and devotion is (complete) submission and that which he thought was worship (`Ibadat)
was nothing and it possessed no value whatsoever.
Therefore, Islam is like one unit that is connected together such that it can never be
separated into individual parts and sections. In actuality, true belief in Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He); true belief in the prophetic mission of His Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny); true belief in those who are his successors and acting upon the
rulings and teachings that they have conveyed are all one compound unit which is made up
of various commands. To separate these or split them up from one another in relation to
beliefs or practical laws would take one out of true submission, which makes up the
foundation of Islam.
On this same foundation, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has classified those who deny
the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) as being the same as those
who deny Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). The roots of denying the Prophetic mission of
the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) is equivalent to
denying Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), as has been mentioned in the following verse of
the Quran:

&; #xFEFB
So then surely they do not deny you (O Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny), however the oppressors disagree with the signs of Allah.11
If the people were to be submissive in the presence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He),
then they would not have objected to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny).
By seeing the miracles that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
was performing and the sufficient proofs that he had brought, they should not have
remained at the head of the two roads (of belief and disbelief).
However, since Allah, the Greatest, is higher than that He should oppose them (due to their
disbelief), in relation to such people, He has accepted their outward act of submission and
has mentioned that it is these people (who inwardly deny Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He)
however they outwardly show that they deny the Prophets that Allah (Glorified and Exalted
is He) has sent.
1. The hadith (narrated in Wasail ash-Shi`a, Volume 7, Page 125) states that the Prophet was quoted as saying
about them:
2. Refer to Surah al-Ahzab (33), Verses 4 and 5; 36 and 40.
3. Nahjul Balagha, Short Saying 125.
4. Ibn Athir, Asad al-Ghabah, Volume 1, Page 216.
5. Sirah ibn Hisham, Volume 2, Page 540.
6. Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 2, Page 386.
7. Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 21, Page 319; Late Faidh al-Kashani, Kitab al-Wafi, Volume 8, Page 32 has explained
the words of the Prophet in a different manner.
8. The renowned Scholar and the great soldier of Islam, the Late Sayyid Sharaf al-Din al-`Amuli has discussed
the main points leading to this type of opposition in his work, Al-Nass wa al-Ijtihad.
9. This article can be found in the Persian Journal entitled Maktab-e-Islami, number 1, Year 9.
10. Surah al-Nisa (4), Verse 150 & 151.
11. Surah al-An`am (6), Verse 33.

Humility When Speaking

( Verses 2 5 )

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.
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O you who have true faith! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the
Prophet (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and do not be
loud in speaking to him (as you speak to one another) for (if you do this) then all
of your (good) deeds will be made devoid of all virtue while you do not realize it.
The hearts of those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of
Allah (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) are tested by Allah
through consciousness (of Allah) - they will have forgiveness and a great reward
(given to them by Allah). Unquestionably most of those who call upon you (O
Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) from behind the private
chambers (of your house) do not have any understanding. Had these people
exercised patience until you (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) had come out (from your house) then it would have been better for them
and Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
One of the most important discussions in the science of Akhlaq relates to the method of
speaking with people and the way that one interacts with individuals of various classes and
strata, and in addition, observing the principles and manners of etiquette related to other
people.
There are even some thinkers in the West that have carried out research projects and
studies and have developed ways to influence people. These researchers have written
manuals and books in relation to how people should live with others. It is interesting to note
that most of the information that these experts have compiled have actually already been
explicitly mentioned in the Islamic narrations!
Unfortunately however, our talented writers and scholars do not present the ethical
teachings that are found in the Islamic sources in a way that is acceptable to the present
day, coupled with practical examples for the younger generation - who are thirsty to hear
these sorts of ethical teachings.
Our teachings (on this issue) are not presented as some of the scholars want the people to
imagine that this information is based on the initiative (of research) of the Westerners.
Rather, the youth should know that in this area of discussion, the Prophet of Islam
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and his successors have given us a great
deal of guidance.
The writer and great narrator of hadith, Shaikh Hurr al-`Amuli (may Allah be pleased with
him) in his book Wasail ash-Shi`a1, has narrated numerous ahadith concerning the
responsibility that a Muslim has and the way that he must interact with other people. He
has narrated traditions from the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) and the Ahlul Bait (peace be upon all of them) under the topic of Etiquette of
Social Intercourse while Travelling and at Home.2
The method of interaction of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
with others around him is the best guide (for us) and provides us with the greatest
assistance in this area of life. Briefly in this section, we present some examples of the
behaviour and mode of interaction of the great Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) with those around him.

1. He was the first in greeting other people.

2. If he wished to speak to a person while in the streets or in a gathering, he would not
speak to them while looking out of the corner of his eyes. Rather, he would turn his entire
body in the direction of that person and then speak to him and while speaking, he always
had a smile on his face.
3. If a person made an error while speaking, he would not call him to account for what was
said.
4. No one was ever deprived of his good demeanour and etiquette.
5. If any of his companions were not present (at a gathering), then he would immediately
ask about that person.
6. He respected people of all classes and ranks such that each and every person that met
him felt as if he was the most honoured person in the sight of the Prophet.
7. Whenever he was in a gathering, he never chose a specific place to sit, rather, he sat in
whatever spot was empty.
8. He fulfilled the needs and requests of those who came to him and if he was not able to,
then he would at least make them pleased with a kind word.
9. He would bring a special sort of modest, dignity, truthfulness and pleasantness to a
gathering and he never raised his voice while speaking.
10. He was tolerant of bad etiquette from those who did not know better and those who
were strangers and if someone performed an act that was not in accordance with his
nature, the Prophet would not think anything of it.
11. He respected the elders and caressed the young children.
12. He spoke very little and never cut short the speech of anyone else.
13. He never reproached anyone.
14. He stayed away from things that had no worth or value to them and listened attentively
to the speech of other people.
In addition to these, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) had
many other traits - the most praiseworthy and heavenly characteristics have been
mentioned in books on the life of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) and the history of Islam.

A Rough, Rude Society

Such a kind, gentle and broad-minded soul (that of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) was enraptured within the hearts of the people who
were spiritually and practically distanced from the beneficial ethical traits.
While in the presence of the Noble Messenger (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny), people saw that he spoke in such a manner that one would think that they were

speaking to a person who walks around the city streets and the market place (one who was
not a Prophet).
In the ninth year of the Hijrah which is known as `Amul Wufud (The Year of the
Delegations), various groups and assemblies of people from the tribes that lived around
Madinah made their way to the city to accept the teachings of Islam. They would stand at
the door of the Prophets house which was not too far away from the Masjid (an-Nabi) and
at various times of the day would yell out:

!
O Muhammad! Come out (of your house)!3
Not only did this act of theirs disturb the resting period of the Prophet of Allah (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny), but in addition, it was also a form of disrespect to this
noble personality. It is for this reason that in the four verses under discussion from the
Quran, such people have been referred to as having little understanding and being simple
minded.
Not only was the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
offended by the way that both the strangers and the desert `Arabs who were acquainted
with him interacted with him, rather even some of his own close companions did not
observe the proper etiquette while they were in his presence and were speaking to him.
Bukhari, the well-known narrator of hadith of the Ahl as-Sunnah has written:
A group of people on behalf of the tribe of Bani Tamim were proceeding to enter the city of
Madinah. Separately, Abu Bakr and `Umar selected a person to go and meet the people of
the tribe, however a difference arose between the two of them on who should be chosen.
This resulted in a quarrel which escalated to yelling and shouting while in the presence of
the Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), which upset him
quite a bit.
In order that this type of undesired scene would never be played out again while in the
presence of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), the second and
third verses of Surah al-Hujurat were revealed and these actions were classified as being so
heinous, that ones good actions would be completely removed.4
In essence, we must look at why such a form of disrespect while in the presence of the
Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) would result in the loss of
the reward of ones good deeds? The answer to this question is due to the fact that the
honour and respect that is physically manifested and even the way that one speaks while in
the presence of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) is an
indication of the respect that one has deep inside his soul for the Prophet of Allah (blessings
of Allah be upon him and his progeny).
It goes without saying that the method of dealing with others and our actions with them are
the outcome of our beliefs and the level of faith that we possess (in our hearts). With this
said, when an undesired act is done and attention is not paid to a great personality such as
the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), then this shows that deep

inside ones heart, one does not pay attention to the Prophet (Glorified and Exalted is He)
or the other noble figures of the religion.
It must be noted that this form of respect is not limited to the period of the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) when he was alive, rather, after the
Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) has passed away, he
must still be respected.
There is an event in history which took place after the martyrdom of Imam Hasan ibn `Ali
al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him) where `Ayesha binte Abu Bakr (the wife of the Prophet
Muhammad) started to scream and yell while near the grave of the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny). She started to call upon others to assist her (to prevent
the burial of Imam Hasan ibn `Ali, peace be upon him) near his grandfather and thus was
successful in her mission. In order to quiet `Ayesha down, Imam Husain ibn `Ali (peace be
upon him) recited this verse of the Quran:

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O You who have true faith! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the
Prophet (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny).
The Imam (peace be upon him) then continued by saying:

Certainly Allah has forbidden the believer to act in relation to the deceased in any way
which was prohibited to act during his lifetime.5
The scholars of the Quran have concluded from this verse that this type of respect is not
related only to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) rather,
interaction with all of the leaders of Islam: the `Ulama (Scholars), teachers, ones father
and mother and in general, all of the elders must also be dealt with in this same form of
respect.
This point must especially be noted when one is in the Haram (sanctuary) and the sacred
thresholds where these personalities are buried and thus, any sort of yelling or screaming
must not be performed in such places either.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Volume 7, Page 398 621.

The topic of this section of his compilation is Ahkam al-`Ashrahtu Fis Safar wa al-Hadhr.
Nur al-Thaqalain, Volume 5, Page 80.
Al-Taj, Volume 4, Page 213 & 214.
Nur al-Thaqalain, Volume 5, Page 80 & 81.

The Sin of Making up Rumours

( Verse 6 )

O you who have true faith! If one who publicly and openly commits sins brings
you any news (concerning another person) then ascertain its truthfulness
carefully (before you spread it) lest you harm people through (your own)
ignorance (through accepting and following false reports) and then regret what
you have done.
Making up rumours and lying about others is one of the greatest sins that can occur within
a society and sometimes can even place the lives of others in danger. This act can also
result in ones honour and dignity being stripped from one - thus paralyzing ones life within
a society. How many times has information that has absolutely no foundation, ignited the
flames of war between two people resulting in a great loss and injury to both sides?
In order to prevent such a great injustice from occurring, Islam has commanded the
Muslims not to pay attention to just any piece of news or information that comes to them
and not to accept just anything that anyone says to them.
Rather, Muslims are only supposed to accept the reports from those people who possess
some inner feelings and the fear of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). It is the reports from
those people who possess the ethical traits of justice, confidence (of their speech) and
reliance (in what the person says) which would prevent a person from making up false
reports and lying and relating bits of news and information that are unfounded and
fabricated.
In some important issues in relation to religion and the society in which the honour and
respect of a person or a group of people is at stake, we have been commanded not to take
the word of only one just and truthful person, rather until three other people who are just
and have the fear of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in them support the statement of
the first person, then only are we permitted to accept the statement made by them.
Thus, we must make sure that their statements match exactly with one another in all ways.
In other issues that may not be as important as those mentioned above, we have been
commanded to make sure that those who are providing the information to us are a
minimum of two `Adil (just from the point of view of the Islamic definition) people.
In order to prove that the words of a person are true in a particular issue (to protect and
safeguard the honour of a person or a group of individuals and to prevent any sort of
negative outcome from taking place), in addition to the two conditions that were mentioned
(the righteousness of the person giving testimony and the number of witnesses that must
be present when giving witness to a sensitive societal issue such as adultery or theft) the
religion of Islam also lays down conditions for the person who is acting as a witness. If these

conditions are not fulfilled, then the persons testimony will not have even the slightest
worth or value. Some of these additional conditions include:
1. The witness must have good eyesight and must have vigilance such that with good vision
and a powerful memory, he would not add or forget anything about that which he is
testifying in regards to.
2. Those things which one can differentiate by the senses must be borne witness to through
one of the (five) natural senses. Thus, it is not permitted to base ones testimony on an
estimate, guess or assumption and according to the words of the Imam (peace be upon
him):

.
Those things which you are required to testify concerning must be just like the sun
plain and clear and in other than this event, you do not have the right to spread any
reports.
3. A person - who without any basis or foundation - gives testimony to an issue without
delay or hesitation (without first confirming the reports) must be whipped and he must also
be presented to the people as being one who has given false testimony so that next time
people will not accept what he says.1
These conditions are proof that the religion of Islam - by specifying the prerequisites for the
acceptance of any sort of information is striving to protect the Islamic society from falling
into dangers that stem from making up rumours and from evil forces that formulate lies.
Thus, the religion has emphatically commanded its followers who have true faith that they
must carefully review and study any news that comes to them from people who are open
sinners or in whom there is a possibility that they have made up reports or lied about an
issue. This is done so that the believers do not unknowingly follow a false report and end up
causing harm or damage to another person.

Liars During the Period of Prophet Muhammad

During the time of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny),
Walid ibn `Aqbah ibn Abi Mu`it - who belonged to one of the branches of the polluted tree
of the Bani Umayyah - was given the authority to go to the tribe of Bani al-Mustaliq and
collect the Islamic tax (Zakat) from them and bring it back to Madinah.
When the people of the tribe heard that the representative of the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) was coming to their village, all of the people rushed out
to meet and welcome him into their village. However, since there was some previous
enmity that Walid had with this tribe (before the coming of Islam) or because of the
incorrect thoughts he had that the tribe was coming to kill him, without going to meet those
who were in charge of welcoming him into the city, Walid turned back from where he had
reached and went back to the city of Madinah.
He proceeded to report to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)

that the tribe of Bani al-Mustaliq had rejected the teachings of Islam and were not prepared
to pay the Islamic tax and even had the intention of killing him! It goes without saying how
dangerous such an incorrect report is and to what extent such information is able to cause
damage and injury to innocent people.
The Muslims of Madinah reached a stage where they were trying to decide what should be
done with this tribe (Bani al-Mustaliq). In the meantime, the chiefs of this tribe were
informed as to what had transpired and rushed to the presence of the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) and told him, We seek refuge in you from the anger of
Allah and His Prophet.
The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) who was
extremely upset said to them, Turn back from what you have done and return to the
teachings of Islam. If you do not, then we will send someone to put you back in line that
person who is my life and soul and at this time, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) placed his hand on the shoulder of `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon
him).
The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) did not stop at that rather, he secretly dispatched a person to the tribe of Bani al-Mustaliq to watch over how
they conduct the affairs of their religion. It was through this person that the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) realized that the report that Walid had
brought back was a lie since during the time of Salat, they were busy in their `Ibadat and
were ready and willing to pay their Islamic taxes.2

Who was Walid?

Walid was the son of `Aqabah ibn Abi Mu`it and just as it is known, `Aqabah was one of the
staunch enemies of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny). He was
also one of the four people who always used to irritate and annoy the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny)3
`Aqabah was also the person who showed no shame in throwing garbage at the door of the
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and anytime he came face to face
with the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), he would use the most
indecent curse words in front of him.
In addition, anytime he saw the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) in
Sajdah, he would try to harm him violently. His enmity to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) reached to such a level that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) once said: If I ever see you outside of the precincts of the
Haram, I will definitely punish you for all the actions you have done to me.
Incidentally during the Battle of Badr which happened to be the first war between the
Muslims and the Polytheists, `Aqabah was killed after being captured in the war.
Walid was one of the branches of this evil tree (of the Bani Umayyah) and was not too far
away from the wickedness of his own root (his father). According to the rulings of the
verses of the Quran, he was a sinful and unclean person who due to the grudges and past
hatred that he had for the tribe of Bani al-Mustaliq, or due to his own carelessness - wanted
the blood of the Muslims to be shed. Not only has the Quran referred to him as an open
sinner in this verse, rather in other verses too he has been referred to with this same

attribute, as it has been mentioned:

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So then is he who is a true believer similar to the person who is an open sinner
never can these two be considered as equal.4
A majority of the commentators of the Quran if not all of them have said that, The
meaning of a true believer in this verse is Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be
upon him) and the meaning of an open sinner is Walid.5
This verse was revealed at a time when the manifestation of true faith and the
manifestation of pure debauchery meaning Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be
upon him) and Walid (respectively) were boasting about their own selves. Walid spoke
proudly (of his family) and was boasting to `Ali (peace be upon him), however `Ali ibn Abi
Talib (peace be upon him) considered his true faith and belief in Islam as being his pride
and honour and thus said to Walid, Be quiet! You are a man whose heart has not yet had
true faith enter into it It was at this time that the above verse of the Quran was revealed
about these two personalities.6
The inner wickedness and enmity that Walid had did not stop here. It was during the
succession of `Uthman ibn al-Affan that the Islamic leadership fell prey to even more
divisions and wars and since he (Walid) was the foster brother of the Khalifah of that time,
he was appointed as the governor of Kufah. During those days, only those people who were
amongst the family of the Khalifah would be appointed to major positions within the
government.
The day that Walid entered into the city of Kufah, `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud was the head of the
public treasury. Walid proceeded to take an exorbitant loan from Ibn Mas`ud in the amount
of approximately 300,000 dinar since even before him, the previous governors of Kufah
used to take loans from the public treasury and then later on, pay them back.
Even though the treasurer impressed on him the importance of paying this money back to
the public treasury which was repeatedly mentioned, Walid wrote a letter to the Khalifah of
the time - who was his foster brother - and asked him to let the person in charge of the
public treasury know that he should overlook the money that had been taken. The Khalifah,
who was under the influence of the love of his brother wrote a letter to `Abdullah ibn
Mas`ud and said, You are my treasurer! Do not interfere with Walid!
The treasurer happened to be a true follower of the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny) and a righteous person and became extremely upset with
the actions of the Khalifah and wrote him a reply stating: I had always assumed that I was
the treasurer of the public treasury of the Muslims! Now it is clear to me that I am the
treasurer of the Khalifah. I have no need for such a position and from today, I officially
tender my resignation.
Thereafter in a heated speech that he proceeded to give, Ibn Mas`ud informed all of the
people of Kufah about what had transpired (between him and the Khalifah).7

Walid Performs Four Rak`at of Salat al-Fajr

In addition to being the leader of the region, the Governor was also given the responsibility
of being the Imam of the Salat al-Jama`at in the central Masjid. One evening, Walid drank
an excessive amount of alcohol and in the state of being intoxicated, went into the Masjid
and performed four Rak`at of Salat al-Fajr and in place of the dhikr of the Ruku` and Sujud,
he said the following:

(O the one who loves me) Drink me (the alcohol) and satiate yourself with me!
In addition, he recited the following poem in a loud voice which showed the burning passion
and lust he felt for a woman named Rubab:

The heart is attracted to Rubab, after it drinks (alcohol) and is drunk.
After he finished his Salat, he turned towards the people and said, If you desire, we can
add a few more Rak`at to the previous ones that we just performed!
The state that he was in and because of the excess amount of alcohol that he had drunk, he
lost control of his bodily functions and soiled the Masjid, Mihrab8 and Mimbar9 by vomiting
everywhere.
When this occurred, Abu Zainab and Jundub ibn Zahir Azdi who were both present in the
Salat, took the ring off of the finger of Walid, which he did not notice (since he was drunk)
that was used to sign and stamp all of the official letters and books in relation to the
government. Along with four noble and respected people from Kufah, `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud
went to Madinah to meet the leader and Khalifah of the time with the ring of Governor
(Walid) and complained to him (about the actions of Walid).
They informed the Khalifah of what had transpired however `Uthman did not accept their
words and rejected the testimony of these people and in addition, warned them (of their
actions).
These people then went to see `Ayesha bint Abu Bakr who was also involved in the political
affairs of Madinah and informed her of the actions of the Governor of Kufah and of the
warning that the Khalifah (`Uthman) had given them. She went out amongst the people and
proclaimed that: `Uthman has stopped meting out the punishments ordained by Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) and has also warned these people who have come to him
bearing witness (of crimes being committed by his Governor) however this act as well did
not solve the problem.

This group of Muslims then went to Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)
and complained to him about what had transpired. `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)
met with `Uthman and said to him, Why have you stopped meting out the punishments
ordained by Allah and have instead warned these people who have witnessed (a crime)?
Have you forgotten the admonition that `Umar gave to you when he said, Do not make the
Bani Umayyah and the children of Abi Mu`it preside over the people! O `Uthman! It is
incumbent upon you to remove this person from the governorship of Kufah and you must
not appoint him to any other religious position. You need to investigate into the testimony
of these witnesses. If they are people of faith, then summon Walid from Kufah and apply
the punishment that Allah has designated for those who drink wine.
The pressures of the common people reached to such a level that `Uthman was forced to
summon his governor from Kufah and (after investigating) was finally ready to impose the
Islamic penalty upon him meaning that he was ready to lash him 80 times. However, not a
single person had the courage to whip the brother of the Khalifah. Whoever went close to
Walid (to try to hit him) would be warned by Walid of his close family ties to the `Uthman.
It was at this time that Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) himself took
the whip and with the full power and strength that he had, whipped Walid 80 times on his
body; and according to some of the ahadith, `Abdullah bin Ja`far was the one who whipped
Walid by the command of `Ali (peace be upon him).10

Rumour Mongering in Our Time

The printing and publishing industry is one of the most valuable gifts of the industrial era. In
addition to alleviating the high cost of printing, it is through the blessing of this industry
that mankind has been able to print and spread the sciences and various branches of
knowledge throughout the world in a very short time span. Unfortunately however, this
industry has also struck a blow to humanity through the spreading of lies and rumours
which has enabled it to make a profit through untruths and dishonesty via the printing of
deception.
Today, the spreading of rumours, fabrication of lies, levelling accusations and other
inappropriate things upon others, is one of the most active missions of the Western press.
However we cannot say that all of the publications that come from the West are inflicted
with this societal disease, because not being careful and observing precaution and
negligently narrating reports to some newspapers and magazines has also been
unintentionally done by us (the Muslims) as well.
How many people have lost their honour and respect through the negligent reporting and
printing of wrong reports? Even after apologizing and making amends later on, this wrong
can never be made right. How many times have we seen the esteem and honour of a group
of people fall victim due to the lack of communication between the various news reporters?
Today is the day that we must say: The print media must take the pen away from those
people who feel that they are free to write whatever they wish to write and feel that they
can attribute whatever they wish to attribute to whoever they wish.
Thus, the fourth article in the Constitution (of Iran) which can lead to the (spiritual)
illumination of the minds and thoughts of a nation must be saved and liberated from those
authors who either write for no purpose, for a hidden benefit or for some personal gain.

1. al-Khilaf (Section of giving Witness), Page 235.

2. al-Kashhaf, Volume 3, Page 149.
3. The other three people include: Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab and Hakam ibn al-`As ibn Umayyah.
4. Surah al-Sajdah (32), Verse 81.
5. Hisan ibn Thabit, the poet of the Messenger of Allah (S), wrote the following lines of poetry in reference to this
person:


6. Allah has revealed in the indisputable Book About `Ali and al-Walid a verse,
Through which wickedness has been attributed to al-Walid
While faithfulness has been attributed to `Ali.
Commentary of Nahjul Balagha, Volume 2, Page 103.
7. `Aqd al-Farid, Volume 2, Page 172.
8. The place where the Imam of the Salat al-Jama`ah stands to lead the congregation usually semi-circle in
shape.
9. The pulpit upon which the orator would stand or sit upon to deliver a lecture.
10. Ansab al-Ashraf, Volume 4, Page 23; Sahih al-Muslim, Volume 2, Page 52.

Immunity from Sin and Error

( Verses 7 8 )

;9࿯ 7&#xFEF

&; #xFEFB .
(O Believers!) Know that surely the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad, blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) is among you. Had he (Muhammad, blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) obeyed you (took your advice and acted upon it)
on many occasions, then you would have been in great trouble now. However,
Allah has endeared the faith to you and He has made it attractive to your hearts
and He has made disbelief, evil deeds and disobedience hateful to you. Such
people (those who have faith and keep away from evil traits) are those who are
rightly guided. This blessing (of faith) is a favour and blessing from Allah and
Allah is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.
The goal of these two verses of the Quran is to inform those who have true faith of two
major ethical points. The first point is that that the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) is free from committing sins or errors and thus all of his orders
and commands must be carried out completely. We are commanded to follow him and he is
not required to follow us. The second point is that each and every person has innate ethical
traits and qualities instilled within him.
Seeing as to how both of these issues carry their own significance and importance, we will
discuss each of them individually.

Is there any level or status (that one can have in a society) that is greater and which holds
more of a responsibility than leadership (of that community)? Is it possible for a person who
lacks both the spiritual and physical qualifications to fulfil the task and responsibilities of a
leader? What about the person who cannot even fulfil the role of a leader in matters related
to ones own life - how can he be a leader of the people?
Is it possible for a political leader who only leads the people in matters of politics; or those
who are experts in the matters of economics and who are in charge of the economic and
business affairs of the entire country be placed in these positions if they do not possess a
series of moral and ethical values that would permit them to occupy such important
positions? Can such people be placed within the framework of the political and economic
affairs of a community?
The divinely appointed Messengers are true leaders of the people in all matters of their
lives and thus they must possess the noble and grand qualities which would reflect their
competence in the mission of leading the people and which would give the people a reason
to follow them. Thus, we can summarize the traits and qualities that the Messengers of
Allah must possess as follows:
1. Comprehensive knowledge and understanding. By this we mean that the Prophets of
Allah must have complete and precise knowledge in relation to all matters that they have
been commanded to convey to the people, such that not a single ruling from amongst the
rulings of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) should be hidden or concealed from them. In
addition, there should also be no question asked to them in relation to the religion that they
would not be able to answer.
2. They must be protected from committing sins and going against the commandments of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) at all times in their lives whether this be before their
official appointment or after their official appointment (to the station of Prophethood).
3. They must be protected from committing any sort of mistake or error in relation to the
propagation of the religion and the application of its practical rulings.
4. They must be purified from all sorts of negative spiritual traits and physical defects which
(if they possessed) may lead the people to develop an aversion and dislike for them. This
would make the people keep their distance from them which would in turn lead to the
Prophets and Messengers not being successful in their mission of conveying the message
(of Allah) to the people.
In order to stress the importance of each of these points, the scholars of Islam and the
specialists in Theology have gathered clear proofs and evidence1 of which, to keep this
discussion concise, we do not mention here.
Do not such distinctions (of these personalities) necessitate that in relation to matters of
the religion, we must follow them and that we should never anticipate or expect that these
Divinely sent teachers - since they have been granted `Ismat (protection from committing
errors or sins) and are free from all errors and slips in relation to the Divine
Commandments and leadership - would ever follow any incomplete and imperfect ideas
and opinions?
A person who desires that the Heavenly teachings and Divinely appointed leaders should
follow their own personal thoughts and desires and who feels that the wheel of the religious

teachings should revolve around their own opinions, is lacking a correct understanding of
the Prophets and the status and rank of the Messengers, and has definitely not kept in mind
the infallibility of these personalities.
In the verse of the Quran under discussion, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:

; 7&#xFEF
(O Believers!) You should know that surely the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad,
blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) is amongst you. Had he (Muhammad,
blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) obeyed you (took your advice and
acted upon it) on many occasions, then you would have been in great trouble
now.
The person who wishes to take precedence over Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His
Messenger (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and wants to place his own
thoughts and ideas ahead of those of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) has been reminded that since he has been given a Prophet that is free from sins
and committing any sort of error, one must not place his own desires and ideas ahead of
the revelation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
In summary (you will recall that), in the beginning of this Surah, Allah (Glorified and Exalted
is He) addressed the believers by saying:

&; #xFEFB
do not give preference (to your own words and deeds) above those of Allah
and His Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny).
Continuing on in the verse under discussion, we have been commanded not to give
preference to our own ideas in relation to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny) since he is a man who has been protected from all types of errors and sins and
because of this, we must follow him.
In addition, it must be mentioned that this part of the verse relates to issues of the Islamic
legislation and thus the thoughts of the common people cannot be accepted and followed
(over the rulings of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He). Therefore, we must take inspiration
from the revelation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and just because the people may
feel offended or insulted is no reason that the commands of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is
He) should be changed.

An Infallible Prophet and the Subject of Asking Advice

Yes, in those issues related to the society and community which were not (directly)
associated to the religion or Divine revelation that even the common people were able to
differentiate between the truth and falsehood (in them), the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) was commanded to ask advice from those around him. Thus,
through asking advice from the common people, problems and difficulties can be solved.
It has been mentioned in the Quran that:

; 7&#xFEF

So then (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon

him and his progeny) forgive the people their slips
and errors and seek forgiveness from Allah for them
all and consult and seek council from them in
matters (not relating to the religion or the teachings
of Allah). So then when you are ready to make a
decision (based on the advice of the others), then
have trust in Allah (put a collective decision into
practice).34
In addition, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) testifies that one of the signs of a person with
true faith is that he asks for advice from others in relation to performing a certain task:

&; #xFEFB

And as for those people (who are believers) and who answer the call of their
Lord (Allah) and uphold the Salat and conduct their affairs through consultation
with one another and (these are the people) who give out of their wealth (to the
needy).2

By the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) asking for advice as the
very first step (in carrying out any task), this truly sets an example for others, that in
matters relating to the society and community, we should not appear as despotic or
authoritarian - rather we must give respect to the opinions of other people and ask for help
and assistance through soliciting their opinions. Yes, the part of the verse that says:

So then when you are ready to make a decision (based on the advice of the
others), then have trust in Allah (put a collective decision into practice).
shows us that the first stage that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) would traverse was that of seeking advise, and then at the conclusion, the final
decision would be left to him alone.
All of the democratic societies and free governments of the world resort to asking others in
the society for advice in deciding how to solve their problems, however at the same time
they still have one leader who, after taking advice from others, makes his final decision. To
an extent, asking advice from others helps remove the curtains and veils (that a person
may have) and gives the person a proper outlook of events. However in the end, it is
necessary for the person who will make the final decision to weigh the various opinions and
then make one ultimate resolution.
Some people think that: The only outcome that can come from asking others for advice is
that difficulties will be prolonged and a group of people who do not possess one definitive
leader and who instead resort to consultation and asking the general population for advice,
cannot bring an issue or affair to closure once it has been started without a stoppage of
work.
However, the above quoted verse of the Quran goes against this opinion and conveys the
fact and bears witness that a difference of opinion and diversity of beliefs actually leads to
a standstill and stoppage of work. Thus in the end, it is incumbent that after the leader or
person in charge has asked others for advice, he gives his own decisive judgment.
Due to this fact, after Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commands the Prophet (blessings
of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to seek council from other people, He (Glorified and
Exalted is He) then states:

So then when you are ready to make a decision (based on the advice of the
others), then have trust in Allah (put a collective decision into practice).
The life of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) clearly
shows us to what level he respected the opinions of his companions. Even though the true

face and reality of the actions was made known to the mirror of his heart (through Divine
Inspiration) and he was completely aware of both the good and bad that would come out of
every act, more so than others knew, still in many complex issues he would form a
committee and ask his companions for their opinions and judgements. Take for example
the following cases:
1. Before the Prophet went face to face on the battlefield of Badr with the armies of the
Quraish, he formed a committee comprised of the Muhajirin and the Ansar and asked them
for their advice in relation to the battle against the polytheists, which the companions saw
as an uninhibited opportunity for them to expound their various beliefs. The Messenger of
Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) accepted and followed the opinions
of the people and marched with his soldiers towards Badr.3
2. When the news reached the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) while in Madinah that the forces of the Quraish - who had lost many people during
the battle of Badr - were coming to exact revenge on those that were killed (thus, starting
the war of Uhud), he examined the situation by asking what the method of defence of the
Muslims should be and if they should stay in the city or if they should all leave and fight the
war outside (of the city). When the youth from amongst the Ansar suggested that they go
out of the city of Madinah to fight the battle, he acted upon their suggestion.4
3. During the battle of Ahzab in which the forces of idolatry congregated like locusts from
all parts of `Arabia and were making their way to Madinah to destroy the young religion of
Islam, in his own particular way of fighting against this onslaught, the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) took the opinion of a great Iranian personality and put
his ideas into practice.
It was Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) who suggested that those areas of
Madinah which could be easily infiltrated should be fortified with a three metre deep trench
and throughout the whole length of this ditch, rifle-pits should be placed separated by a
small distance. This was suggested so that any time the valiant fighters from amongst the
polytheists desired to fill the trench (to make their way across) or attempt to cross over the
trench (on their horses), the soldiers of Islam would be able to catapult rocks and stones to
push back the approaching soldiers.5
4. When trying to take over the fortified stronghold of the Jews in Khaibar, we see that the
area where the soldiers of Islam invaded from, by following the orders of the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was completely unthought-of of by the
enemies (and thus, it caught them off guard).
One of the experienced warriors of Islam by the name of Habib ibn Mandhar who had indepth knowledge of the area of Khaibar went to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny) and said to him, Anytime the command comes from Allah to attack this
area, I will not have even the smallest thing to say about it. However if this is an issue in
which I am permitted to offer my advice, then I would say that I do not think this is a good
place to choose as the base to keep the soldiers in, because this area is accessible to the
enemies and is very close to the Fortress of Nistat. The archers from that Fortress will be
able to hit our troops easily since there are no date trees or houses that would block their
view.
The Quranic principle that states:

...;7&#xFEF
So then consult with them (O Prophet) in your affairs.
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) said that, If in a particular
issue, you are able to bring forth a better point, then we will choose that place as the area
to travel towards.
It is because of this discussion that took place and after studying the fortress of Khaibar,
that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) chose an area for his
base that was behind the date trees.6
1. In discussing the importance of each of these traits, we have written a book entitled, Universal Message of
the Prophets in which we have discussed these points in detail. Please refer to this book for more information.
2. Surah al-Shuara (42), Verse 38.
3. Sirah Ibn Hisham, Volume 1, Page 614.
4. Ibid., Volume 2, Page 63.
5. Sirah al-Halabi, Volume 2, Page 331.
6. Ibid., Volume 3, Page 39.

An Internal Messenger: The Ethical

Conscience
( Verse 7 )

; 9&#xFEF ..

However Allah has made true belief something that is loved by you and He has
made it alluring to your hearts and He has made disbelief (Kufr), evil deeds and
disobedience hateful to you. Such people (those who have true faith and keep
away from these evil traits) are those who are rightly guided.
Those traits that a person recognizes as good and bad within his own self which he is able
to discern without being taught and are also a part of the issues of human nature, are
referred to as the ethical conscious or the ethics of human nature.
However, there are traits engrained deep within the nature of mankind whose goodness
and badness (of the particular trait) cannot be discerned simply through human nature.
Rather, these qualities stem from the Divine, Heavenly teachings or from the teachers of
the religion (the Prophets and Messengers) and are known as ethical traits which are not
innate and thus, it is these which must be learnt.
Amongst all nations and peoples around the world - oppression, tyranny and marriage with

ones immediate family members are all despicable and appalling acts although
oppression is a trait that mankind intrinsically knows is bad - however the despicability of
marrying ones family members is recognized (only) through the teachings of the Divine
religions.
In order to differentiate between the teachings which form a part of our nature and those
which do not, there are methods and formulas which when put into practice, enable us to
discern these two types of knowledge:
1. Those traits which are innate are not limited to a particular class or race of people and it
is not necessary for a person to refer to someone else to learn these things.
2. Seeing as to how the innate ability is ones own guide and leader, thus geographical,
economic, political and instructional factors do not play any role in attracting a persons
attention to these things.
3. Any sort of propaganda or teachings that try to go against the innate traits - even if they
try to destroy the growth and development of them - can never destroy the roots of those
traits which are instilled deep within a person.1
The Quran clearly announces that: Within the heart of a person, Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) has placed the traits of inclination (to Him), love and adoration for the true
faith, and love for Allah - the Creator of all the Worlds and has made mankind love Him.
He has also made disbelief and disobedience as hated and detested traits (within a person)
when He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:

; 9&#xFEF

However Allah has made true belief something that is loved by you and He has
made it alluring to your hearts and He (Allah) has made disbelief (Kufr), evil
deeds and disobedience hateful to you.
Therefore, not only has Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) blessed us with a cognizance of
His self and moulded us with the belief of having an origin, rather He has also decorated
our hearts with the respectable, up-right traits that can be discerned without a teacher or
instructor and these have been engrained deep within all of us. This is the wider meaning
that we are able to comprehend from the sentence:

...;9&#xFEF ...
has made true belief something that is loved by you
In the second part of this verse, in addition to making us detest disbelief (Kufr), it has also
been mentioned that the hatred for sins and transgressions are traits which have been

built-in to all of us as well. Therefore, the meaning of making true faith loved and cherished
by us is not simply related to the cognizance (Ma`rifah) and recognition of Allah (Glorified
and Exalted is He). Rather in addition to this, our intrinsic nature has also been taught a
series of ethical traits and unknowingly, our soul is attracted and pulled towards these
qualities.
At this point, we refer to some of the traits that are a part of mans innate disposition,
which can been seen from the clear verses of the Quran: Cognizance of Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) and recognition of the starting point of creation and end (of life); the
recognition of the world of creation and realizing that there is a Fashioner for all of these
amazing things. These are all things so engrained in our natural disposition that mankind
has been moulded and fashioned to search and find the answers to these.
Going past the need to search out Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), we come to issues
such as the love and attraction that people feel towards the noble ethical traits which have
also been infused into our creation. In addition, the desire towards good things and the
abhorrence of bad things are also rooted in our innate disposition.
We cannot find a single nation throughout the world which would consider it good to keep
something (for ones self) that one has retained in trust for another person or who would
think that to act treacherously in regards to a responsibility that one was given is a noble
trait.
Similarly, we cannot find people who would consider it despicable to keep ones promises
and feel that it is good to break ones pledge or guarantee. If a father makes a promise to
his child to carry out a certain act and he does not live up to it, then he will definitely be
reproached by his child. It is through the innate natural disposition that the child possesses
that he can see nothing else except that one must fulfil and live up to his promises.
It has been written on the innate natural heart by the Pen of Creation (of Allah) on every
single person that one must always speak the truth and other than speaking the truth, a
young child knows nothing else. Thus, it is a part of a persons make-up that he is given a
pure heart and the characteristic of modesty.
This is true even for those women who are drowned in sin that at the first instance of them
committing a lewd act, they immediately try to bring back a sense of chastity and purity
back into their lives.
In addition, when people want to distribute and allocate wealth which has been plundered
from other people, they strive to be just and to show equality in their action of distribution
and even at this time, they know and realize that to be unjust in the distribution of this
wealth is not right (even though they themselves have stolen the wealth from others).
All of these commonly known innate principles are known and taught to all of humanity
through their primary school known as creation. The mechanism of creation has placed all
of these traits of perfection within the deep valleys of the person. The Noble Quran clearly
states this truth in the most complete way in various chapters, such as where it is
mentioned:

(I swear) by the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its
enlightenment as to its wrong and its right (deeds).2

And We have shown him (the human being) the two paths (of right and wrong
action).3

; 9&#xFEF

Verily We created man from a drop of mingled sperm in order to test him. Thus,
We have given him hearing and sight.4
Not only has Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) placed the love for the good traits deep
within the hearts of mankind and has made him feel averse to bad, wicked deeds, rather He
has also given mankind a soul that punishes its self when the person goes beyond the
limits (set for ones self). It is this soul that reprimands and scolds the person in the worst
possible way, just as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has said:

&; #xFEFB
&; #xFEFB

I swear by the Resurrection Day and I swear by the self-reproaching spirit.5

4. While explaining the continuous struggles of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) - the
idol destroyer - there is a short verse of the Quran in which an allusion is made to the
(innate) intelligence of humanity. In this story, the event in which Prophet Ibrahim (peace
be upon him) was brought in front of the court in order to put him on trial (for destroying
the idols) has been mentioned.
In summary, the event goes as follows: Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had
proceeded to destroy the idols in the temple one after the other, and then using these
broken idols, made a hill in the middle of the temple. When he was finished, he took the
hammer (used to break the idols) and placed it beside the largest idol of the temple (which
he did not break) and then left.
Upon the peoples return (from out of the city), and seeing what had happened, it was clear
to the elders of the community, based on his previous habits, that the one who had
destroyed their idols was none other than Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Thus, they

summoned Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to the court and while in the presence of
others, made him bear testimony to this act. When they asked him to explain what had
happened in their idol worshipping temple, he said to them, Ask this large idol what
happened.
At this time, those who had gathered to hear what had occurred were placed in a baffling
dead end since if they were to say that the large idol did not have the ability to perceive
things or have any intelligence, then they would have taken the side of Ibrahim (who
believed that) it is not possible to worship something that cannot understand or perceive
things. If they were to say that the idol has intelligence and can speak, then Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) could reply, Then why are you asking me what happened
ask the idol!?
At this point in time, the obscured instincts of these people was aroused and they looked at
one another and said to Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) that, You are the oppressor
and transgressor. The Noble Quran presents this event concerning Prophet Ibrahim
(peace be upon him) and his attempts to destroy the wrong thoughts of his people in the
following manner:

&; #xFEFB
So then they turned (in thought) back to themselves and said, Surely you are
the ones who are doing wrong deeds. They were then confounded with shame
(and said), You know full well that these (idols) do not speak!6
In addition there is also mention of ones ethical consciousness in the Islamic ahadith. For
example, Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has said:

&; #xFEFB
The person who does not have the ability within his own soul to advise and warn himself
(from keeping away from bad things) will never receive benefit from another person who
tries to advise and council him (on these issues) and others who try to council him will have
no effect whatsoever.7
This sort of natural and universal perception cannot bring about forbidden acts within the
society, nor can it lead to a person placing his own wishes and desires above that of the
religion.

Freud and the Ethical Consciousness

Freud, the well-known psychologist, denied the existence of all sorts of inherent perceptions
and collectively considered all of these as stemming from the societal forbidden acts and
the effects from the societal inclinations and dispositions, and thus rejected and discarded
all of them.
He was of the belief that just as the reigns of a horse help to control the unruliness and
naturally make the horse submissive and tame, so too during the course of time, the rules
and prohibited moral traits of a society reached to the stage of being the reigns for the
control of humanity such that in relation to various issues, one is controlled and tamed and
thus, deep down in ones soul, in the light of these rules, the issue of the ethical conscious
would take form.
The ethical conscious is nothing more than the reigns that control society. The ethical
conscious does not represent an inherent act or something that is deeply rooted in the soul
of mankind. Rather, it is the simple outward approach of the acts that are forbidden within
a society.8
However, the view of Freud in relation to some of the good and bad ethical traits that
mankind has learned from the leaders and elders who have lived in this world was correct.
Without doubt, the marrying of ones close family members is something that all religious
beliefs have classified as being repulsive. However as for those good and bad ethical
qualities that are universally agreed upon by all people over the entire Earth which even
those people who are far removed from cultured nations and the teachings of the Prophets
and those who live in the furthest points of the world and accept the goodness and badness
of such acts can never be thought of as ethical traits that one learns and acquires and is
not born with!
It is here that the truth of the verse under discussion becomes absolutely clear when the
human being acknowledges that without doubt, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has
made our souls have true faith and purity (within them) and has created our intellects with
an aversion to bad and immoral acts:

; 9&#xFEF ...
...
has endeared the faith to you and He has made it attractive to your hearts
and He has made disbelief (Kufr), evil deeds and disobedience hateful to you
1. For a deeper explanation in reference to how we can discern the innate traits, please refer to the book The
Time of Returning back to True Faith, written by Ayatullah Ja`far Subhani.
2. Surah al-Shams (91), Verse 7-8.
3. Surah al-Balad (90), Verse 10.
4. Surah al-Insan (76), Verse 2.
5. Surah al-Qiyamat (75), Verses 1 & 2.
6. Surah al-Anbiya (21), Verse 64 & 65.
7. Nahjul Balagha, Khutbah 78 (The word in this hadith, is based on the passive voice verb in the meaning of
a person who is not assisted from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) such that he would be able to remove the
negative traits from within his own soul.)
8. From the book, What do I know : The Sicknesses of the Soul, Page 64.

An Everlasting Peace Treaty

( Verse 9 )

; 7&#xFEF


And if two factions from amongst the believers begin fighting against one
another, then restore peace between them both. However, if one party revolts
against the other party, then fight the revolting party until they submit to the
command of Allah. When they do so, then restore the peace that was between
them with justice and act with equality (between the parties involved). Surely
Allah loves those people who act with equality.
Peace and harmony, whose basis is founded upon justice and fairness is one of the benefits
of the teachings of the moral ethics and is also one of the rulings (that must be enacted) in
an Islamic society. However true peace is one in which the interests of the opposing parties
who are belligerent towards one another is brought forth in the correct manner.
It is peace and harmony which is upheld by people of true faith and who possess
cognizance of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and if one of the two sides who are within
the sphere of justice and fairness were to step out and go beyond the boundaries, then with
whatever force and power is available, they would be stopped. The forces would be
mustered up to fight against the aggressive party so that they return back to the path of
truth.
In order to make such a peace agreement permanent and stable, Islam has laid down
certain conditions:
1. Any sort of peace treaty or agreement to refrain from aggression and hostility must be
based upon justice and fair dealings and if one party is more powerful than the other side,
then they must not use their power to impose their wishes and desires on the party who is
weaker.
It has been said in the past that, True peace between a powerful (nation) and a weaker
one can never be conceivable and this is definitely the truth and thus, the Quran has told
us that:

...

then restore the peace that was between them with justice and act with
equality (between the parties involved).
2. Those who possess true faith and genuinely recognize Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
and who do not stand to profit from the disagreement must be the ones who oversee the
peace treaty.
3. Anytime one of the two parties thinks about expansion (of their area or land) and try to
take steps that go against the peace treaty, then those who are the arbitrators and the
neutral party involved must inform the aggressive party about the outcomes or effects of
them starting a war. This must be done so that the person who wishes to oppress others
and go against the laws of Islam would know that there is no room in an Islamic society for
such people and these two fundamental conditions are found in the Quran in the following
verse:

...; 7&#xFEF

However, if one party revolts against the other party, then fight the revolting party until
they submit

4. Fighting against the oppressing party must not take on the form of revenge or
retribution. Rather, any form of opposition to the oppressor must be due to the fact that he
has gone against the laws of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and one must try to remove
the thoughts from his head in which he feels that he is able to violate and encroach upon
the rights of the believers, and this can be deduced from the section of this verse that
states:

...
until they submit to the command of Allah.
Thus, opposition to oppression must continue until the oppressor returns back to the path
of justice and fairness which in essence are the commandments of Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) as have been mentioned in this verse.
5. At the end of this verse, we have been reminded of an important point which is that
those people who have true faith must constantly strive to make sure peace is attained and
any wars that take place must not make them hopeless or discouraged of trying to attain
peace. This must be realized and carried out even to the point that after the oppressors
have subjugated a group of people, we must still keep our spirits high and try to formalize a
new peace treaty that is based upon justice, just as it has been mentioned in the verse:

...
When they do so, then restore the peace that was between them (the parties
involved) with justice and equality)...
Such a peace treaty and agreement that is founded on the above mentioned conditions is a
true peace agreement that Islam has laid down and enjoined upon the belligerent parties at
war.
If the above mentioned conditions were to be carried out, then in addition to being able to
safeguard the interests of both parties, we would also be able to cover the entire world with
the clothing of a peaceful life which is the greatest wish and longing for the people of the
entire world. This is the peace that Islam has proposed and the conditions that it has given
to attain and maintain such a state.
Let us take a look at the peace treaties that both the major and minor nations of the world
have signed and ratified in the past - which of these agreements are truly just? Is a peace
treaty that is drawn up between two aggressive parties ever equitable, or is it ever
imaginable that peace between a powerful and a weak nation is attainable?
Are the councils that oversee the peace treaties impartial or are they completely free of
any benefit or profit in their arbitration, problem solving and settling of a dispute and
enmity? Are the aggressive parties made known of the peace treaties, agreements and
settlements (that are imposed upon them) by the major powers of the world before they
sign and enact them?
The political commentators of the world are all in agreement and have stated that,
Establishing peace in any part of the world will never be accepted except with complete
agreement of the world powers and the dominating super powers of the world. Even the
establishment of peace in the Middle East will only become possible when two camps
from both the East and the West are in agreement of such a peace.
Therefore, such an imposed peace which is far from being achieved will never yield positive
results and an everlasting and perpetual peace will in no way be realized or established.

Struggling for Peace

Peace is one of the goals and ethical values of the religion of Islam and is one of the most
important obligatory acts of the religion (for the believers) which must be enacted with the
conditions mentioned above. It does not make any difference if the peace agreement which
is trying to be reached is between two Muslims, two groups of people or two major nations.
In any event, it is incumbent on every Muslim that in the minimum, he must strive and
struggle to make sure peace is established.
In the war of Hudaybiah, the Messenger of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) displayed an amazing self-sacrifice in establishing peace between the Muslims
and the Polytheists. He was willing to order some of his companions to return back to
Makkah [to live amongst the Polytheists just as they (the people of Makkah) had wished]
just to make sure the peace treaty could be ratified. (We have gone into detail on this issue
in our book, Furugh Abadiyyat).1

Elaborating on the importance of peace and friendship between two opposing parties, Amir
al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), has said the following:

:&; #xFEFB
&; #xFEFB&; #xFEFB

I advise you (my two sons al-Hasan and al-Husain) to establish and foster peace amongst
two opposing parties, since surely I have heard your grandfather (the Messenger of Allah,
blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) say, Establishing peace between two
opposing parties is better than praying and fasting for the entire year.2
The commandment of establishing peace is so important in the view of Islam that the
person who is trying to make peace (between two parties) is permitted to use any logical
means at his disposal and he is even permitted to lie to the opposing parties to bring about
this peace!3

Standing up to an Oppressor
Without doubt, standing up to an oppressor is one of the sacred primary teachings of Islam.
Principally, a majority of the Heavenly Prophets came from families who lived under the
oppression and domination of tyrants.
In addition, there are very few Surahs of the Quran in which the names and punishments
of the tyrants is not mentioned (either directly or indirectly) and even in the verse under
discussion, the Islamic society has been commanded to fight against tyrants and
oppressors until they return back to the straight path and open the doors to the
commandments of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). It is said in this verse:

...

then fight the revolting party until they submit to

the command of Allah.
In another place in the Quran, we are cautioned that no Muslim is permitted to take an
oppressor as a protector; it has been mentioned:

&; #xFEFB

And do not incline towards those people who are

oppressive and do wrong or the fire will seize
you.51
The noble leader of the Shi`a world, Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)
has said, Many times the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
said:

&; #xFEFB

That nation or government in which the rights of the oppressed and destitute people are
not guarded and where the mighty and powerful people are not forced to accede to these
rights will never see happiness and salvation.4
After being deprived of the right to lead the community for twenty-five years, Amir alMuminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) explained the reason why he accepted the
leadership (Khilafah), at that time:

&; #xFEFB

&; #xFEFB &; #xFEFB
; 8&#xFEF
.
Behold, I swear by Him who split the grain (to grow) and created living beings that had it
not been for the people coming to me and had the supporters not exhausted the argument
and if there had not been the pledge of Allah with the scholars that they should not
acquiesce in the gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed, I would have
cast the rope (of Khilafah) on its own shoulders and would have given the last one the same
treatment as to the first one.5
Through his clear speech and the unmistakable events of Islamic history and keeping in

mind that those who held the flag of the religion in every time were always the oppressed
individuals of society and the powers who worked against the Prophets were the ones who
made up the exploitation powers (of their time), is it correct what the materialists claim the
following about religion that: Religion instructs its followers to observe patience and
tolerance in the face of oppression from the exploiters and that one should consider their
oppression as being a part of undisputable fate and destiny that has protected the interests
of the exploiters.
The pressures and forces exacted by the leaders in relation to their subjects and the
extortion and encroachment on the rights of the Feudalists and the Aristocrats in relation to
the oppressed and downtrodden people - even though it lead to violent uprisings
however, by drawing upon the parallels that these uprisings and ineffectiveness had, lead
to consolation in the minds of those who were deprived amongst the society and thus it was
slowly thought that religion had a stupefying effect on the soul of a person.
The person who has even the least amount of knowledge in relation to the plan that religion
has brought forth, would know that all of the incorrect observations (mentioned in the
above mentioned quotes) were designed to confuse the people who do not know the truth
and realities about religion.
The issue of observing patience is a belief that even the materialists of our time possess. It
is indeed one of the upright principles of the ethical teachings which all nations and all
people - including the materialists - have true faith in. Without this main ethical trait, there
is not a single person who possesses aims and goals (for himself) that would ever be able to
reach his objectives (without this trait).
This is so because the meaning of patience (sabr) is not that one gives in to the oppression
of a tyrant. In no culture or in any of the books of ethical traits has patience been explained
in this way. Rather, the meaning of patience (sabr) means to be firm on the path to reach
ones goals and to have endurance in the face of tribulations. Thus, there is not a single
nation that has reached to any point without showing endurance and firmness (on the path
towards their goal).6
Therefore, the true meaning of patience is opposite to that which the materialists imagine it
to be as it truly means to be firm and resolved against the opposing enemies and
opposition to the incorrect wishes and desires of the soul or the unpleasant events that
happen in ones life. Such an ethical principle is one which will destroy subjugation,
demolish the empires of the oppressors and one which will bring about success and victory
in the various stages of ones personal life.
The aversion that Islam shows to oppression and tyranny is to such an extreme, that even
the person who is pleased with an oppressor living is counted as being amongst those who
commit oppression:

; )9&#xFEF

:(&;#xFEFB

Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The person who oppresses
(another person) and the one who helps him and the one who is pleased with him
(oppressing someone else) are all equal to one another.7
Safwan ibn Mahran, was one of the close friends and companions of Imam Musa ibn Ja`far
al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) who owned many camels. One day the Imam (peace be
upon him) reproached him by saying that, All of your deeds are good except one of them
and that is that you rent out your camels to Harun al-Rashid, the Oppressor.
The companion said to the Imam, I swear by Allah! I never rent him my camels for vain or
prohibited acts. Rather, at the time of the Hajj, I give him my camels so that he is able to
visit the House of Allah. I do not even go with him on this journey; rather, I send those who
work with me to accompany him.
The Imam replied, When you give Harun the camels, do you request him to pay you in full
before he takes them or does he give you an amount and then the rest is paid to you (when
he returns)?
Safwan replied, He pays me an amount before he goes and then the rest when he returns
from his trip.
The Imam then asked Safwan, Do you wish that Harun returns back from his trip alive so
that he can pay you back the rest of the money that he owes you?
The companion replied, Yes.
The Imam (peace be upon him) then said, Whoever is happy or wishes that an oppressor is
given a long life is considered as an oppressor himself and his eventual outcome will be the
hell-fire.8
Yes! That what the materialists say about religion has been extracted from Christianity and
is close to the teachings of the Christian Church since in their opinion, one of the teachings
of the Messiah (`Isa ibn Mariam, peace be upon them both) is that if a person hits you on
one side of your face, then give him the other side too, as it is stated: But I tell you, Do not
resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him also the
other.9
1. Volume 2, Page 580-603 (Third Printing); this can also be read in the English translation of the mentioned
book entitled, The Message, published by Islamic Seminary Publications of Karachi, Pakistan, reprinted by
Ansariyan Publications (Refer to Page 518 539).
2. Nahjul Balagha, Volume 3, Page 85 (Advice from Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, to his
children.)
3. al-Makasib al-Muharramah, Discussion on the Prohibition of Lying.
4. Nahjul Balagha, Volume 3, Page 113 (Letter that was written to Malik al-Ashtar).
5. Ibid., Volume 1, Speech 3.
6. We have explained the true meaning of sabr or patience as explained in the Quran under the commentary of
verse 11 of Surah Luqman (31) where it is stated: So then bear with patience that which we
have tested you with.
7. Wasail al-Shi`a, Volume 12, Page 128.
8. Ibid., Volume 12, Page 132.
9. New Testament, St. Matthew, Chapter Five, Verse 39 (as found on bible.gospelcom.net).

Brotherhood in Islam
( Verse 10 )

Without doubt the believers are brothers of one another so then make peace and
harmony between your brothers and have consciousness of Allah so that maybe
He will show you mercy.
The closest relationship and bond that can take place between two people during the
course of their lifetime is that of brotherhood. Although the relationship between a father
and his children is much stronger and powerful than the ties of brotherhood, however this
relationship (between a father and his child) is one in which the two people are not on an
equal level from the point of view of time, situation, character and the level of respect
(that they must show one another), they are different.
The only relationship that is a complete manifestation of strong unity, love and affection is
the one that exists between two people who are living on an equal plane in life and this is
the relationship of brotherhood and sisterhood.
This unbreakable relationship that has been brought about by creation is constantly found
in all environments and societies and is the secret behind love, affection and closeness that
exists between individuals. It is because of this fact that the Quran invites humanity to
unite and come together under the principles of love and affection and thus, has referred to
the faithful believers of a society as being brothers (and sisters) of one another.
For the first time in history, a community of people that numbered hundreds of millions was
brought together as brothers of one another and the following sentence was made their
slogan and motto:

...
Without doubt the believers are brothers of one another
You may ask yourself this question that why has this circle of relationship not been made
wider and taken all of humanity into it as brothers of one another, whereas (in this verse)
the sphere of brotherhood is limited to only those who have true faith? The answer to this
question is obvious and a cursory glance is sufficient for us to understand the reason why
this was not done.
This religious brotherhood is not a simple formality and that too of a political nature such
that all of humanity whether or not they have the qualities of brotherhood should be

classified and grouped together as brothers of one another. Rather, the purpose of making
the believers brothers of one another points to a series of noble societal and ethical goals
and responsibilities that take shape within the greatness of the Islamic brotherhood that
the believers must manifest to one another.
All of these responsibilities and goals have been mentioned in the books of Ahadith and
Jurisprudence in detail. Therefore, until unity of thought and spirit towards one goal and
belief is not established, there can never be firm unity and association of individuals.
If one day, a group of people who are wavering (in belief) in their hearts are seen uniting
together under a series of political issues and trying to unite as brothers for a specific cause
(other than that of religion), then even the smallest thing would be able to break the unity
that was brought about through the mere agreement of thoughts, spirits, difference of
(personal benefits) and difference of foundations, and would thus cause them to separate
from one another.
A society whose axis or pivot is not based on (unity of) ideas and beliefs and in which
everyone acts as individuals will always rotate upon various thoughts and ideologies
opposed to one another and no sort of unity or harmony will ever exist amongst those
people. Only to that level that unity and harmony protects their material interests will they
be able to lead a peaceful life. If one day a person who is united with others sees that he is
not in need of this form of unity and feels that he has become successful in the arena of his
own life and has reached his goals, then all of the relations that united him with others
which were all based on political motives will be turned into differences and disputes.
Never would a Muslim one who has true faith in One Allah and the Day of Judgement and
who believes in the governance of justice and equality and who deems it necessary to
follow the noble moral traits and the humanistic virtues - be able to become the brother of
an atheist who does not believe in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) or the Last Day and
who feels that ethical teachings and traits are just play-things and considers such teachings
as fables.

Unity under the Luminance of True Belief

If we have doubts and misgivings about every issue among the issues within a society, or
require that in order to acknowledge a specific issue that we must carry out analysis and
research and claim the need to have proof (for these various issues), then we must not let
these (doubts and misgivings) creep into the discussion of unity and harmony in the
society. Thus, we can never find even a single person in this world who would say that
dispersion and disarray (of the society) are beneficial and that unity and agreement are
harmful and detrimental, since even the smallest benefit that can come about through
unity and agreement returns back to the society.
It is through uniting small independent forces with one another that under the shadow of
such unity can great power and strength come about which would be able to bring about
numerous changes in the lives of people.
The huge dams of the world that manifest themselves as blocking large bodies of water are
actually joining smaller bodies (of water) together since these small individual rivers do not
have the ability to produce electricity, nor can they be beneficial for the irrigation of crops.
However, when all of these small rivers join to make one major body of water, then at this

time they are able to produce thousands of kilowatts of electricity and it is through this one
large river that thousands of hectares of land can be irrigated. Where do all of these great
bounties come from? They come about through the unity of small drops of water that were
once weak and did not possess the ability to do anything on their own.
The power of the atom is clear to everyone. A single atom does not have the power or
ability to do anything and is so small and insignificant that even the most powerful
microscopes cannot see what it looks like.
However when innumerable atoms join together, they produce such power and energy that
if just a few atomic bombs were to be detonated, the civilization and life of mankind on this
Earth, as we know it, would be brought to an end. In the span of a few minutes, the entire
surface of the Earth would be a mass of fire with piles of ashes lingering everywhere.
In the words of a poet:

The goal of union and coalition,
Is to gather the powers.
Since when drops of water gather,
Then they form a (powerful) river.

Nothing comes about from a drop (individual),
However the river (unity) runs strong.
Any benefit that can be imagined,
Comes about from that river (of unity).

A fish can never be seen,

In one single drop of water.
How is it then from the river,
Whales can come about.

A loaf of bread can never be made ,
From a single head of wheat,
But when gathered together and thrashed,
It brings out all of its prosperity.

It is impossible for individuals - one by one,
To take on a great task.
However, from uniting together,
Anything that is desired can be accomplished.

Unity and conciliation can be seen,
In the way that the ants gather together.
In the words of the Shaikh,
Glory is strong, captive and temporary.

&;#xFEFC
However when separation occurs,
To a community that is together.
They become just like the stories,
Of the Sufis, the Sayyid and the Mullah.
Not only must the physical strength of the people be made use of with everyone working
towards one common goal, rather we must also seek assistance through the intelligence
and aptitude of the members of society. Through taking advice, working together and
accepting the opinions of others, we must remove the monstrous difficulties that are facing
us.
The Noble Quran considers asking advice and (through this), changing ones opinion as one
of the characteristics of a person with true faith and has said:

And those people who respond to the call of their Lord and who (also) uphold
the Salat and proceed in their activities through consultation with one another
and give out in charity of that which We have granted to them.1
The same point mentioned in the above verse of the Quran can also be seen in the poem
previously quoted and also in the following two lines of poetry:

If mine and your intelligence were enough,
Then why has Allah commanded us to consult (one another)?

 )) ((

We must resonate with the proof that:
The Hand of Allah is with the Congregation.
Since by being with the community,
The strong hand has a longer reach.

What is the Basis and Source of Unity?

A majority of Sociologists state that: The human being is a societal animal and within his
creation, he has been given a strong attraction to living within a community. At this point,
we must see that under what factors and conditions does our societal life take form?
Some of todays Sociologists are of the firm belief that factors such as: race, language,
sharing a common history and country, blood-ties and other elements make up the unity of
nations. The society which is brought about through these elements just mentioned is the
same one that the Legal Experts refer to as a Nation.
It is under the shadow of these factors that one is able to bring about a nation which is
united in which the various organs and members, who are living in the midst of one
another, can have a loving and close life together.
However these people (who have such a belief) have forgotten an important point: how is it
possible for a society which is made up of people of various ideologies, who have different
wishes and desires (for their own life) and who have their own opinions and thoughts in
relation to every aspect, to come together as one united nation with complete harmony and
live among one another in this form?
It is true that those factors which were mentioned do help and play a role in the unity and
harmony of a society, however as long as there is no unity in thought and idea and each
person has his own goals and ideologies, the unity and harmony of the individuals under
these factors and principles will be involuntarily brought about and thus will not be
permanent and stable.
If one day, the people were to unite under one common goal and stretch forth their hands
towards one another in unity and express their brotherhood towards one another, then they
would definitely be able to reach their goal. In this event, not a single event could occur
that would cause them to fall into intellectual difference and discrepancy in relation to their
wishes and goals - nor would they fall prey to conflicts and divergences that would lead
them to be divided with one another.
A society whose axis does not rotate around one thought and ideology in which the people
revolve around various factors that have been imposed upon them will never have a
guaranteed unity (of the society) since the path of life of each person is determined

through (ones own) thoughts and ideological beliefs, and not factors that have been
imposed upon one. If a day comes that amongst the people of a nation who share the same
nationality, blood-ties and language - a spiritual bond and cultural affinity were to come
about, then there could never be any sort of blow brought to the unity of that nation.
It is here that the great leaders of humanity who take their inspiration from the Divine
Revelation have said that the foremost pillar of nationality must be based on unity of
thought and ideology. The people of that society - who from the point of view of their
ideological beliefs and method of thought share a common opinion have been referred to
as brothers of one another, and thus, their motto would be:

...
Without doubt the believers are brothers of one another
In his historical speech, the greatest leader of humanity, Prophet Muhammad (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) categorized the people within a society who have true
belief as being equivalent to the limbs of one body, such that they all share one common
thought and ideology, one soul that commands and governs over them and whose hearts
are united.2
In summary, the material factors which contain absolutely no soul or essence such as:
nationality, language, blood (relation) and others which cannot build unity of thought and
which are not from those things which the human soul has been inspired with, cannot bring
about the basis by which nationality and the principles of a common life are based upon
and which can lead to one united nation of people which have complete love and close
friendship and unity amongst the individuals. Rather, individuals that are brought together
under the banner of these factors - due to the difference of thoughts and their divergence
in distinguishing their goals - will give up any sort of unity and alliance that they have
amongst one another.
In addition to this, the person who wishes to build a nation under the flag of these sorts of
material factors can never claim that with these factors in place, they have been able to
bring all of humanity as brothers of one another, nor will they be able to claim that the
entire society has become spiritually close.
Rather, the only claim they would be able to bring is that they have been able to unite a
large number of people (not all) together under certain incidental phenomena (those
factors which were previously mentioned).
If the sublime Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was able to
bring the hearts of various groups of people together and bring people of various nations each of which had their own nationality and language - together as one nation and make
them brothers of one another, then he was able to do so because he was able to bring
about one common united thought and ideology amongst them all. In addition, the direction
of all of their lives was geared towards one goal and all of their ideas and thoughts were
channelled into one main thought.


Congratulations to the efforts of that one leader,
Who brought unity to hundreds of thousands of individual minds.

An Effective Medication
On the day that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was
commanded to convey the Heavenly messages of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), we
see that the environment of the Muslims in Madinah was plagued with differences. It was
not possible to restore back to health the sickness of division that had plagued the
community, except by going under the banner of unanimity, accord and unity of thought.
The Muhajirin and the Ansar had been brought up in two completely different environments
and each of them felt some sort of supremacy over the other group, while the Ansar
themselves were divided into two factions which had the fires of war raging between them
for years. The Muslims who had come from places far and wide such as Habasha (Ethiopa)
and other parts of the world suddenly converged on the land of Madinah.
From the point of view of their nationality and language, a majority of them differed from
one another. The most powerful of relations that existed amongst all these people - keeping
in mind the differences that were also there - was the relationship of true faith and religious
brotherhood through which the enmity, hatred and other negative effects that their
differences created amongst themselves, was removed from their hearts.
One day, the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) stood up in
the Masjid, turned towards the Muslims and said:

(O people!) Stand up so that I can make you brothers of one another (in the name of
Allah).
Upon hearing this, the Muslims stood up and each one was made a brother of another one
whom they had a great deal of love and affection for and it was here that the Prophet of
Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) chose Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi
Talib (peace be upon him) as his own brother.3
This sort of brotherhood which took place amongst a very small circle of people is a minor
example of the unity that ruled over the Islamic society which encompassed all Muslims
and made them brothers of one another. Under the greatness of this Islamic brotherhood,
the Muslims were victorious over all of their difficulties and as long as this religious bond of
love and affinity was amongst them, they had supremacy over the entire world.

An Alert Enemy
The enemies, who at that time were desperately seeking the down-fall of the Muslims,
struggled and are continuing to struggle (even today) to cut the firm roots of unity from
amongst the Muslims and to remove this affinity from the Muslim nation. By bringing up a
series of issues which are not related to the fundamental principles (of the religion), they
have been able to light the fire of difference amongst the Muslims. This is not only the goal
of the enemies of our present time - rather, from that first day that this Islamic
commandment was given, those who wanted bad things to come to the Muslims struggled
to break the unity and accord.
One day, a group of young men from the tribes of Aws and Khazraj (two tribes from `Arabia
that had been at war for countless years, however under the shadow of Islam and true
faith, were able to come together as brothers of one another and have love rule between
them both) were sitting together.
A Jew from Madinah named Shas ibn Qais who was very jealous of the unity that had been
brought about between these two tribes, entered into their gathering and through the
shrewdness that he possessed, started to speak about and remind them about the bitter
moments that had transpired between these two tribes during the battle of Ba`ath before
the coming of Islam. He spoke in such a manner that he was able to instigate the youth of
both tribes to reach for their swords causing them to re-ignite the war of Ba`ath.
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was informed of what was
transpiring and he himself went to this gathering and gave a speech in which he
mentioned, Islam made you brothers of one another and commanded you to remove any
form of hatred or grudges that remain in your heart.
When the speech of the Prophet reached to this phase, the deafening sound of crying and
weeping could be heard and in order to attest to the religious brotherhood that existed
amongst themselves, they began to hug each other and asked Allah (Glorified and Exalted
is He) for forgiveness.4
If on that day a man named Shas existed (that caused such turmoil), then today too there
are those who under different names, different physiognomies and different shapes are
trying to stir up corruption within the Muslim society. It is these people who are trying to
strike devastating blows to the unity and harmony of the Muslims.

Examples of Self-Sacrifice through Islamic

Brotherhood
One of the greatest manifestations and materializations of brotherhood is that a Muslim
does not encroach upon the life, reputation and wealth of his brother.
This point has been mentioned in one of the valuable pieces of advice from the Messenger
of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) which he delivered to a large
gathering of people in Mina. In this assembly, he turned towards his companions and
addressed them as such: (O People!) Today is a day which is very sacred in the sight of
your Lord and this land of Mina too is one of sanctity and this month (Dhul Hijjah) which we
are presently in, is a noble month in the sight of Allah!



Unquestionably your lives and your properties and your reputations are all sacred and
sacrosanct just as this day of yours, this land of yours and this month of yours (are
sacred).5
The Prophet repeated this sentence three times and then looked towards the sky and said:

O Allah (You bear witness that) I have (fulfilled my responsibility and) conveyed the
message.
In order to nurture and cultivate this spiritual relationship, Islam has laid down
commandments through which the Muslims are able to make their brotherhood and love for
one another known (to one another) in a practical manner.
There was once a man in the Masjid of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) who asked Imam Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him), I am this
mans friend (pointing to the person beside him). The Imam replied, Show the level of
your friendship to him, because by expressing your love and friendship for a person, you
will make the relationship last (longer).6
The words of the leaders of Islam (the Prophet and Aimmah) in making this religious
affinity strong are so many in number than we would not even be able to bring forth onetenth of them (in this book), however from amongst all of these narrations and
commandments, we present two traditions. The Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) has said:

Surely the believers in relation to the mercy and compassion and affection (that they
show for one another) - are the same as one body. Therefore, if one part of the body is
feeling pain, then it complains about this pain to the other parts of the body through a fear
and hurt (so that the body can help the hurt or injured part).7
Therefore, any time a Muslim is facing troubles or difficulties, it is incumbent upon all the
individuals of the society to rush to his aid and to also share in his grief.

Sa`di, the gifted poet and brilliant orator from Shiraz has taken inspiration from this hadith
and expressed it in the following poem:
The Children of Adam are related to one another,
And in their creation, they are all from one essence.
If one part of the body falls into pain and suffering,
Then all other parts of the body are also affected.
In the second hadith, the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
has said:

The worth of the blood (the lives) of the Muslims is equal to another Muslim and even the
smallest trust that is given from one of them to another must be honoured, and in the face
of foreigners (enemies) they are all united together and are one force (against the
opponents).8
We suffice with these two hadith in relation to Islamic brotherhood, which is one of the most
essential principles of Islam for the Muslims. Later on, the rights of a believer over his
brother will be mentioned.9
In truth, we are able to say that the closest relationship and firmest link which can exist
within a society and which will never be broken - is the religious affinity which covers all
boundaries of status, racial diversity and spiritual levels and we must struggle to maintain
this benefit that the religion has given us.
Yes! In the words of the Quran, that which has brought about this religious affinity is the
Islamic brotherhood. An everlasting peace and harmony can never be brought forth except
through this commandment.
One of the necessary criteria for religious brotherhood is that whenever two groups of
Muslims fall into disagreement with one another, it is necessary for all of the believers to
struggle and try to put out the flames of war between them and to raise the flag of peace
and agreement over them. However, Islam is not hell-bent on achieving peace at any cost.
Rather, Islam wants peace on the basis of justice and equality and one in which the rights
of both sides are protected and thus, the following verse of the Quran mentions:

...
So then make peace between the two parties with justice
If this is not done, then a peace treaty or any other sort of agreement which tramples upon
the rights of one of the two parties would not be a long lasting one. Rather, it would lay the

groundwork for enmity and hostility which is not looked upon favourably by the teachings of
Islam.
1. Surah al-Shuara (42), Verse 38.
2. Safinat al-Bihar, Volume 1, Page 13.
3. Sirah ibn Hisham, Volume 1, Page 123-124.
4. Ibid., Page 555.
5. Sirah Ibn Hisham, Volume 2, Page 605.
6. Safinat al-Bihar, Volume 1, Page 12.
7. Al-Taj, Volume 2, Page 136.
8. Wasail al-Shi`a, Section 31 (Section on the Penalty for Killing Another Person); Maghazi, Volume 2, Page 836.
9. Many of these rights have been mentioned in the book, Wasail al-Shi`a in the section of Ahkam al-`Ushrah,
Volume 8, Page 166 and on.

Respecting the Repute of Another

Muslim
( Verse 11 )

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O you who have true faith! Do not let men make fun of other men perhaps
they may be better than the other (group of men). Also, do not let women make
fun of other women, as it may be that they are better than the other (group of)
women. Do not find faults in yourselves and do not defame one another by using
bad names. How bad it is after having true faith that a person (does these acts)
but does not turn in repentance (to Allah) so then surely it is these people who
are the oppressors.
The purpose of this verse and the next verse is to explain a series of Islamic rights that
brothers in faith have upon one another which must be observed. Seeing as to how the
previous verse stated that Muslims are brothers of one another, in this verse and the one
that follows, some of the principles of etiquette are elucidated upon, which in reality are the
effects of brotherhood in Islam.
The brotherhood of the Muslim Ummah is not simply a visible and verbal brotherhood
rather, it is a relationship of rights (upon one another) which has requirements and
necessities (that must be fulfilled) and thus, the Muslims must observe these rights in
relation to one another.

In this verse, the first three ethical principles that those who have true faith must observe
are mentioned as being:
1. Showing respect to the character or repute of a Muslim.
2. Prohibition of looking for faults in other people.
3. The prohibition of using or attributing bad nicknames to a believer.
We will explain each of these three principles separately.
The first tenet that each Muslim must put into practice is to respect the character of
another believer. According to this rule, Muslims must not make fun of one another and
thus they are not permitted to hurt the feelings of each other either.
As we know, the level and station of the character of a person can be seen from different
angles. There are people who judge and respect others only due to their noticeable,
outward traits such as ones well-proportioned body; the beauty of anothers face;
economic status; the types of clothing one wears; a persons style of residence and other
such visible traits that reflect ones material status.
Thus, any classification which is based upon the merits and privileges mentioned leading to
respect of the person, would prevent another person from mustering up the courage to
speak about a person (that possesses these traits) since it would go against the imaginary
character of the person (that they have conjured in their minds). However in a majority of
instances, those people who do not posses the merits that were mentioned, are the ones
who are made fun of.
The way of thinking and the method of judgement that a Muslim must employ are the exact
opposite to what people who simply judge by seeing the apparent and material aspects do.
In the teachings of Islam, the apparent and material aspect is not the scale or criteria used
to judge who the better person is.
The people whose character is worthy of being respected are those whose soul and
presence have been enlightened with the divine Nur (light) of Cognizance (Ma`rifah) of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and whose entire presence is the focus of the noble traits
and etiquette and whose way of life is based on forgiveness and pardon. Performing good
deeds, showing mercy and compassion, nobility and generosity, humility and modesty,
pleasantness and honesty, piety and refraining from sins, etc are what make up such a
person.
By possessing such traits, a person raises his own worth and status and any type of speech
or action that goes against such a persons character or personality would be forbidden and
not allowed to be spoken about him (according to the teachings of Islam).

Support from the Quran in Strengthening this

Principle
The part of this verse that states:

... ...
perhaps it may be that they are better than you are
proves to us why the Quran tells us it is forbidden to make fun of people who have true
faith. Seeing as to how people do not possess any knowledge of the heart, mind and
spiritual thoughts of another person, a true human (who possesses faith and the righteous
ethical traits) and one who is showing off look similar from the point of view of their
physical appearance.
It is also possible that a person who does not possess beauty, good looks, wealth in this
world, nor a lofty position in the society, would be the one that people make fun; of
however from the point of view of his soul and spirit, he may be purer than other people.
By him possessing a greater spiritual level of humanity and ethical traits, he would be much
higher in the presence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) than these other people. If the
greatness of such a soul and the perfection of such a character were to be made incarnate
in a physical body, then those who are making fun of them - in place of mocking them would actually have to lower their heads in submission and surrender.
It is due to this (the criteria of judging the character of a person as being based on a series
of hidden issues which the people cannot see the affairs of the inner heart and soul) that
it is not permissible for a person who has true faith to mock other people. We are told in
this verse that there is a possibility that such a person (whom we want to make fun of) may
be higher and much greater from the point of view of his inner-soul, humanistic characters,
and his great ethical traits.

Psychological Motives for Making Fun of Others

When we look at the psychological reasons that lead a person to make fun of other people,
we see that there is a defect or shortcoming that the person himself possesses and by
making other people feel inferior, he wants to try and compensate for his own shortcomings
and thus he tries to instill in himself his supposed greatness. Therefore those people who
have character and personality and who do not feel inferior or feel that they have defects
within themselves, will never resort to acting in this manner and whenever they see people
acting like this, it truly pains and grieves them.
In addition to this, there are also other factors which are at play such as: these sorts of
people actually derive pleasure and enjoyment in destroying the character of other people
and making fun of them and feel their own spirit getting larger. Such people end up having
their soul become fierce and animal-like and take control over them. This internal mental
state comes about through a series of various psychological traits and is physically
manifested through making fun of other people.
As we see in the world around us, a wild animal resorts to killing, ripping to shreds and
devouring weaker animals to satiate his hunger and to gain pleasure. Similarly, people who
try to make others feel inferior act just like the wild beasts by attacking people who do not
have the ability to defend themselves thus destroying their character and self-esteem.
Through this act, they seek to satiate the hunger of their own minds and to derive spiritual
pleasure.

In order to protect the character of people of all levels, Islam has commanded that
individuals must be respected and no Muslim is to be considered as insignificant or
worthless:

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Do not consider any of the Muslims as being insignificant, since in the eyes of Allah (that
person whom you consider as being insignificant) actually has a high rank.1
Through His final Messenger, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent the following message
to the world that:

And say to My servants (O Muhammad) that they speak only that which is most
excellent.2
Imam Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him) has said:

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Treat your companions and friends with kindness and never make faces or show contempt
towards them.3
Truly, the Muslims can learn magnificent lessons by studying the lives of the great leaders
of Islam (the Prophet and Aimmah) and how they showed respect to the character of other
people. The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) displayed
respect for all people and anytime a person came to him, he would open his Qabah (overcoat) on the floor for the person to sit on and would give the pillow that he was resting on
to the other person who came to meet him.

Occasion of Revelation of this Verse

In regards to the occasion of revelation of this Qur'anic verse, the Commentators have
mentioned two incidents:
1. One day, Thabit ibn Qais who was weak of hearing entered into the Masjid and started to
break the lines of the people so that he could get closer to the Prophet (blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny). One of the Muslims prevented him from moving forward any
further and made him sit behind him.

In order to get revenge on the person who stopped him from moving forward, when the
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) finished his talk, Thabit turned
towards the man and said, Who are you? The man replied to him, I am the son of so and
so. In order to ridicule him, Thabit replied, Behold! This is the son of so and so woman!
and he took the name of this mans mother, which during the time of ignorance (before the
coming of Islam) was a name that people mocked at. When this person heard the name of
his mother, he became embarrassed and thus, lowered his face.
2. Umme Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), the chaste wife of the Prophet of Islam
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), had wrapped some white cloth around
her waist. A small piece of this cloth was hanging out at which time, `Ayesha binte Abu
Bakr and Hafsah binte `Umar said to one another, Umme Salamah has a piece of fabric
hanging out which resembles the tongue of a dog when he is chasing himself!
Due to these incidents, this verse was revealed to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) as a reminder to the men and women that, Men must not make fun
of one another nor must women make fun of other women.
1. Majmu`ah Warram, Volume 1, Page 31.
2. Surah al-Isra (17), Verse 53.
3. al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 173.

Picking Faults is Prohibited

( Verse 11 )

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Do not find faults in yourselves
One of the pillars of perfection of a persons soul and spirit is that he has the ability to
examine his own spiritual state, through looking at his own defects and ethical weaknesses.
He looks at his own inner self through self-recognition so that he is able to cut all of the
roots of the destructive traits that are within his soul and spirit that have taken shape and
materialized over time.
From the point of view of the scholars, the discussion of self-recognition is so important that
they say, The person who wishes to remove the chains of impurity from himself and
wishes to save himself from the negative effects that the spiritual defects cause, must not
only think of these issues during certain times in his life, rather, he must ponder over these
every day during his hectic schedule.
Thus when he finds some quiet and peaceful time, he must sit down, take out a piece of
paper and write down all of the actions that he has performed that day and without being
biased, must review all of his deeds. If he finds something that was done which is not
commendable, then he must resolve not to repeat that act.

Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has said:

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.
It is incumbent upon every person of intelligence that he carefully look over his
weaknesses in regards to (following his) religion, his thoughts, etiquette and that of his
interaction with other people and he should either record these in his heart or write them
down and then he should strive to remove all of these (bad traits) from himself.1
However, there are a group of people who incessantly try to pick faults in people and due to
the lack of insight of the (negative) traits within their own selves and being unaware of the
(spiritual) status of others, are constantly looking to find faults in people and constantly
strive to lift the curtains that cover the defects and shortcomings of others.
These are individuals who derive pleasure and enjoyment from finding and picking faults of
others, since they feel some sort of inferiority and inadequacy within themselves. Thus,
through picking the weak points of others and making these known to people and trying to
take away their worth and status within the society, they feel that they can put their own
inferiority at ease.
At this point in time, it is not our goal to discuss the reasons why people start picking faults
in others rather, that which is important for us to realize is that we must stop and think a
little bit about the wickedness and immorality of such an act.
The effects of speaking bad and criticizing the actions of other people plays a role in the
friendship and affinity between two people, such that this closeness is removed (from
them). The friendship and trust is converted into animosity and sometimes hatred whereas praising a person for his good deeds and flattering him for his righteous acts
results in the roots of friendship being made even stronger.
In relation to people who always look at the weaknesses and faults of other people, Imam
Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him) has said:

.
Sufficient is a persons own defect (in himself) that he tries to pick and look for faults in
other people when he himself has those same faults in himself (and does not recognize
them)!2
If those who pick faults of others would spend the same energy that they use in looking at
the bad in others and through which they reproach other people, on correcting themselves
and looking at their own defects and trying to recognize their own souls, imagine what level

of happiness they would be able to reach to! It is here that the value and worth of the
hadith which has come to us from one of the leaders of our faith is made clear when it has
been said:

The person who busies himself looking into the faults of others should start by looking into
the faults of his own self (first).3
The greatest defect of such people is that they can never live around people in a
community since they will make known the inner secrets (of others) and thus, nobody
would be safe from being in their company.
It is because of this reason that Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has
forbidden us from associating ourselves with such people and has said that:

!
.
I warn you about keeping relations with people who look for faults in others, since surely
there is not a single person who will be safe from such people.4

Pointing Out Ones Defects with Sincerity is Not the

Same as Fault Finding
A point of interest which a great majority of people are uninformed about is that picking
faults of others and insulting them in the presence of other people is one thing, whereas
guiding them and pointing out the proper way to do things and showing them their errors is
another thing.
Picking the faults of others is one of the negative ethical traits, whereas guiding people and
informing them of their own shortcomings by advising and giving them good council is one
of the religious and humanistic responsibilities.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon every spiritually conscious person to save his fellow human
beings from a terrible end and that dark day (when everyone will have to answer for their
actions).
Informing people of the shortcomings in their own lives is so important and valuable that
Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) classified this as the greatest
gift that a person can give to another and has said:


May Allahs mercy be upon that person who offers a gift to me by pointing out my own
mistakes and shortcomings.5
In addition, Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has said:

Let the best person in your estimation be that person who points out to you your faults
and shortcomings and presents them to you as a gift.6
Principally, the first step that a person can take to cure his physical and spiritual sicknesses
and to remove the societal evils is that one becomes precisely aware of the sources of
these diseases and their various types. As long as this is not carried out, then whatever sort
of cure or remedy that is applied will be of no benefit or use.
The person who is scared of straight talk finds the truth being brought out into the open as
being something bitter to accept. He finds it hard to acknowledge and accept any sort of
open dialogue about the problems in the society. Such a person wants the spiritual and
societal shortcomings of a community to be swept under the rug and kept quiet and desires
that people should not speak about such things.
These people are never content that the writers and speakers of the community bring up
the problems of the people and anytime these things are brought up, then those who do
not like this done try to destroy and refute what has been written or said. Therefore, we
must say to such a person: May you be destroyed! Not bringing up these issues (the
problems of a community) is an error in itself!
It is not only in the instance of this negative ethical trait (speaking bad and picking the
faults of others) and the natural human disposition (of guiding people and showing them
their short comings and faults) that are confused with one another.
Rather, it is possible that in many of the other natural human dispositions and ethical
principles, a series of other detested spiritual and ethical traits can also be confused with
one another. However with careful research, we are able to discern the limits of each of
these from one another and keep them separated.

Stirring Up a Persons Emotions

In bringing up this ethical principle, the Quran has appealed to the emotions of humanity
and thus when it wants to instruct its adherents that they should not pick the faults of
others it says:

...&; #xFEFB...

Do not find faults in yourselves.

The aim of expressing it in this form (that we must not find faults in ourselves) is to stir up
the sentiment of the person - since spiritual fraternity and religious brotherhood bring about
such a bond of friendship and love amongst the believers that they are like one organ and
one collective body. Thus, if a person picks faults with one Muslim, it is equivalent to
picking faults with the entire Muslim body.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Ghurur al-Hikm, Page 559.

al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 459.
Ghurur al-Hikm, Page 659.
Ghurur al-Hikm, Page 148.
Tuhaf al-`Uqul, Page 366.
Ghurur al-Hikm, Page 558.

A Bad Name and Family

( Verse 11 )

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and do not defame one another by using bad names. How bad it is after
having true faith that a person (does these acts) but does not turn in repentance
(to Allah) so then surely it is these people who are the oppressors.

Bad Names and Titles

The name and title of a person are the manifestation of the character of that individual. It is
because of this fact that a good name and title are classified as being the value and
goodness of a person, just like a bad name and title that a person possess are unpleasant
things. Not only is this something that leads to one being made fun of, but it also takes
away ones status and character and leads one to being self-conscious while amongst
friends and within the society in general.
When the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was officially appointed
as a Messenger, a large number of cities and villages had very bad names. A lot of the
tribes (of `Arabia) were also renowned for their obscene and repulsive titles and epitaphs.
The `Arabs would choose names and titles for their children that were rude, repulsive and
symbolized fierceness, plunder and pillaging!
One of the positive steps that the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) adopted on this path was to command his followers to change the names of many
of the cities, villages and other parts of the town (that had bad names). He also ordered the

tribes or people that had obscene or repulsive names to replace them (with something
better).1
This noble personality went to such an extreme that he even commanded parents to
choose beautiful names for their children and considered this as one of the rights and
obligations that a father must fulfil in respect to his children.
The Quran al-Majid considers calling one another by rude or obscene names or titles as a
form of violation of the rights of another human being and has referred to a person who
performs this act as being an oppressor and tyrant and by saying:

...
and whoever does not turn in repentance (back to Allah) is surely of those
who are the oppressors.
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was pleased and overjoyed
whenever he heard a good name and would say, Whenever you want to send a person to
me, send one who has a good name.
1) One day, one of the workers in a temple of idol worshippers (in `Arabia) saw a fox
urinating on top of one of the idols. This person thought to himself: What sort of a thing do
we worship that cannot even defend himself such that he does not even have the ability to
get a fox to move away from itself? This thought of his affected his soul to such an extent,
that he composed this line of poetry in relation to what he saw:

Is a stone idol who is being urinated upon by a fox one to be worshipped?
Anything that a fox is able to urinate upon is surely despised and infirm.
After witnessing this scene, he arrived in the company of the Prophet of Allah (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) and described what he had seen. The Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) asked this man what his name was and
the man replied, My name is Ghawi ibn Dhalim2 The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) immediately changed his name and said, Rather (from today)
your name will be Rashid ibn `Abdullah.
2) During the battle of Dhi Qard, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) asked what the name of a particular body of water was - which was extremely
sour and the people replied that it was called Bisan. The Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) immediately replied that it is now changed to Nu`man.3
3) A man once came to the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
and when the Prophet met him, he asked him his name. The man replied, My name is
Baghidh (the hated or despised). The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his

progeny) replied, Your name is now Habib (the beloved) which was the exact opposite of
Baghidh.4
4) The same thing can be seen in relation to another person that had met the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny). When asked his name, the man replied,
My name is `Abdus Sharr (the Servant of Evil). The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) replied to him, Rather, your name (now) is `Abdul Khair (the Servant
of Good).5
5) In the same way, once a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) and when she was asked what her name was, she replied,
`Asiyah (one who commits sins). The Prophet changed her name and said, From today
onwards, you will be known as Jamilah (beautiful).6
6) A man whose name was `Abdul Jan (Servant of the Jinn) came to the Prophet (blessings
of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and by the command of the Messenger of Allah
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) his name was changed to `Abdullah
(Servant of Allah).7
7) Some people who had names such as Jabbar or Qayyum which are names reserved for
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) were commanded by the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) to add `Abd to the beginning of them. Therefore, their names
were changed to `Abdul Jabbar and `Abdul Qayyum.8
8) Those people who had names such as `Abdul `Izzah (Servant of Respect), `Abdul Shams
(Servant of the Sun), `Abdul Lat (Servant of the Stone Idol named Lat) or even Shaitan
(Satan) where all told to change their names and the new name of `Abdullah (Servant of
Allah) was given to all of them.9
There are also other examples in these same instances which in order to keep our
discussion short, we will not narrate here. The historian, Ibn Athir is his work, Asadul
Ghabah, which is a commentary on the lives of the people around the Prophet of Allah
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) during the days of Ignorance (pre-Islam),
has narrated many more examples of people who had repulsive names and by the
commandment of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), their
names were changed.
The manifesto of human rights has mentioned that a childs right to have a name is the
same as his right to possess a nationality - however it has never been mentioned that the
child must possess a decent, righteous name. Islam has a very precise attitude and view
point in relation to the life of a child whether it is before his birth or even after birth - such
that even while the child is in the womb of his mother, he is given the right to have his own
character. In addition, the individual and societal rights have also been designated for him.
The strict attention that the teachings (of Islam) lay down in relation to the child are to such
an extreme that the father and mother have been commanded to name their child even
before it is born and if they do not know if the child is a boy or a girl, then they are advised
to choose a name that is acceptable to either sex.10
What is important is the name that is chosen for a child. Keeping in mind the love that the
father and mother feel for their child, they will strive to choose a good name for him/her.
However, how unfortunate it is that sometimes they make a mistake in choosing a name for

their children and give them a name that in the opinion of others is not a praiseworthy
name, even though from the view point of the father and mother, they feel that they have
given their child a good name.
From the point of view of Islam, when choosing a name for ones child, the parents must
keep in mind the various points of upbringing and nurturing and must not opt for a bad
name that will resemble the child or will always stay with him. A bad name will act as an
impediment (for the person) and every time the person who has been given a repulsive
name hears his name called out, he will be put through pain and suffering.
Due to this, in the history of the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) we read that whenever he came across an area or a person who had a repulsive
or bad name, he changed it.
A man once asked the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), What is
the childs right upon me? The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
replied, You must give him a good name and bring him up in a good way. His right on you
is also that you keep a good job or profession in mind for him.11
How good it truly is that a name is chosen for the child which indicates the servitude of
Allah!12
1. Qurb al-Isnad, Page 45.
2. Ghawi is in the meaning of one who has been deluded or lead astray, while Dhalim means an oppressor or
tyrant. (Asadul Ghabah, Volume 2, Page 149).
3. Sirah Halabi, Volume 3, Page 377.
4. Asad al-Ghabah, volume 1, Page 202.
5. Ibid., Volume 2, Page 63.
6. Ibid., Volume 2, Page 76.
7. Ibid., Volume 3, Page 174.
8. Ibid., Volume 4, Page 362 and Volume 5, Page 250.
9. Ibid., Volume 3, Page 232, 240, 271 and Volume 4, Page 362.
10. In a tradition from the Prophet, it is mentioned that he has said: & #xFEFB; !
& #xFEF7;& #xFEF7;
Name your children before they are even
born! So then if you do not know if you will have a boy or a girl, then name them with a name that is appropriate
for both a boy and girl. (Al-Kafi, Volume 6, Page 18).
11. The hadith states: : 9 !: . A man said, O
Messenger of Allah! What is the right of my son? The Prophet replied, Give him a good name and train him well
and choose a good job or profession for him.
12. The hadith states:
! :& #xFEF7; Name (your children) with the name of servitude
and worship (to Allah). They said, And what name is this? He said, `Abdul Rahman.

Being Pessimistic About Others

( Verse 12 )

&; #xFEFB&; #xFEFB


O you who have true faith! Keep away from all sorts of conjecture since surely
some types of conjecture may lead to sin. In addition, do not spy on and do not
back-bite one another. Do any of you (who back-bite) love to eat the flesh of your
dead brother? Rather, you detest this act, therefore have consciousness of Allah.
Certainly Allah is the One who is Oft-Turning to you in Repentance, Merciful.
In this verse, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has made it incumbent upon the Muslim
community to observe three ethical principles which are classified as the necessary rights
(of Islam) and are the essentials of Islamic brotherhood and religious fellowship.
These three principles in summary are:
1. It is prohibited to have bad thoughts or be cynical of another Muslim.
2. A Muslim is not permitted to spy into the life of another Muslim.
3. It is forbidden to back-bite and talk bad about other Muslims behind their back.
Seeing as to how the principles that have been mentioned, form the primary ethical traits
of Islam and play an important role in the improvement of society, and since we have
beautiful and interesting explanations from the leaders of our religion in relation to these
traits, it would be fitting to discuss each of these separately on their own with their
independent analysis. At this point, we begin by discussing the first principle - spying on
others.
Spying on others is a negative, psychological trait which can cause damage and injury to
the character, respect, piety and spiritual purity of a person whom one is busy in thought
about. A person who is pessimistic about others will forget about the thousands of good
deeds and righteous actions that the person performs in his life and will only pay attention
to those few vague, dark and murky actions of the person.
We all know that the life, wealth and honour of a Muslim is sacred and any sort of
encroachment to these are prohibited in Islam. However in this verse, another form of
injustice upon the rights of a Muslim has been alluded to and it is says that: The respect,
honour and character of every Muslim even in our thoughts and imagination and in
making judgements in our mind (about that Muslim) must also be respected and revered.
A Muslim is not permitted to cross the boundaries even in his mind in relation to the purity
of another Muslim by harbouring bad thoughts or beliefs about him or her.
In the words of one of our present day Scholars, The limits of security that Islam has
brought forth for the Muslim society is not limited to just the life, wealth and character of
another person. Rather, in addition to these three securities, there is also a fourth security
which is required and that is the safety of being judged by others. By this, we mean that
within ones thoughts, one must not launch attacks or think bad and unpleasant thoughts
about other people.
The respect and character of a Muslim, in addition to being practically adopted, is one that
must also be protected in ones mind and thoughts.

From the point of view of Islam, any sort of bad thoughts or misgiving in ones mind which
would lead to tainting the character of another person is prohibited. Thus, we have been
commanded that a society of people who have true faith will keep away from any sort of
bad thoughts in relation to others.
In one of his most eloquent sayings in relation to the safety and security of a Muslim in
relation to the four traits mentioned above, the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) has stated:

Certainly Allah has made sacred the blood, property and respect of a Muslim (from another
Muslim) and he must not even entertain bad thoughts (about the other Muslim).1
If we see that the first three types of safety and sanctity that have been mentioned in the
ahadith are enacted in the physical world and in the various global organizations, but the
fourth namely the safety of a person in relation to the thoughts that others entertain
about him - is not acted upon except under the shadow of true faith in Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He), then it is because the limits of governance of the material (non-religious)
world are limited to the apparent aspects of life only and preventing any sort of trespassing
of the inner thoughts are out of the limits and boundaries of the powers mentioned.
Thus, it is only true faith in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) which can prevent a person
from this sort of trespassing (through his thoughts), since a Muslim has firm conviction that
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sees all of the actions that he performs and is even aware
of his inner thoughts.

The Dangers of Being Pessimistic About Others

1. The first result of distrusting others will return back to the person who himself possess
this trait, since a person who does not trust others will never be able to imagine that others
can do things without any (hidden) motive. Therefore, in addition to causing himself
spiritual difficulties and putting his soul through troubles, one will lead a difficult life. Also,
the burning and passion that are brought about through ones imagination and thoughts
will only increase the (mental) torture of a person.
2. Being pessimistic and not trusting other people also destroys the roots of friendship and
harmony amongst people. The person who thinks bad about others will always imagine
such people as being treacherous and will feel that their friendship is something that is not
stable or is not built upon faithfulness (to one another). Thus, such people will be compelled
to cut off relations with those around them and it is for this reason that the Aimmah (peace
be upon them all) have told us:

The person whose pessimism about others takes control over him will destroy any sort of
peace or harmony that exists between himself and his friend.2
3. The person who is pessimistic and distrusts others will always be reclusive and will
withdraw himself from others. Due to the fear and apprehension that he has for other
people, he will never be able to be sociable with others and it is for this reason that we
have been told in the ahadith:

A person who does not correct his thoughts about other people, will always be frightened
of every single person.3
4. Being pessimistic and distrustful of others is a major calamity and will affect a persons
reason and ability to judge others, since this sickness is a type of disorder that affects the
thought pattern and discernment of a person. Thus, he would never be able to judge a
situation based upon his logical reasoning or by what reality is.
5. Pessimism is a sickness that is also contagious such that even those people that a
pessimist sits and associates with, will fall into the filth of this negative trait.
6. Not only does pessimism and distrust affect the soul of a person, rather since there is a
direct correlation between the body and the soul, the body too will remain un-healthy. In
the words of the famous thinker of our time, Dr. Alexis Carol says, Being pessimistic and
always finding faults in things also takes away from the life span of a person since this
harmful habit affects the nerves of the body known as the sympatic nerves and the internal
glands as well. This can be the commencement of other physical disorders including
affecting the limbs and organs of the body.
7. Having bad thoughts about people without any reason will also drag ones spouse,
employees, workers and helpers around the house into committing treachery and crimes.
This is true since when the leader of the house or the husband continuously pries into the
lives of others, then due to his associating thoughts to other people, an untrue picture or
representation and despicable act will be made manifest to those around him and these
untrue thoughts and feelings will get placed in the hearts of his close ones. In the words of
some of the scholars, The worker who is at the whims of the bad thoughts of his boss who
is constantly thinking that his worker is stealing things from his house will slowly push his
servant into actually stealing his property.
Due to this, in the sacred teachings of Islam, pretending to be very zealous or passionate
when the situation does not call for it, or to be extravagant in relation to ones spouse has
been highly discouraged. How many times has it occurred that an innocent, chaste person
is pulled towards impurity and people who usually perform good deeds are tempted and
encouraged to do bad deeds, just as Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon
him) has said:

.
I warn you about being overzealous and obsessive in improper occasions since
unquestionably this act will tempt and encourage chaste women to go towards (spiritually)
dirtied and fouled traits and would drag women who do not commit sin towards committing
wicked deeds.4
1.
2.
3.
4.

Al-Mahajjat al-Baydha, Volume 5, Page 268.

Ghurur al-Hikm, Page 697.
Ibid.
Ibid., Page 152.

Prying Into the Secrets of People

( Verse 12 )

...&; #xFEFB...
and do not spy on one another
In the previous pages, it was mentioned that verse number 12 of Surah al-Hujurat discusses
three different negative ethical traits in the following order:
(1) Pessimism or not having trust in others;
(2) Prying into the secrets of other people;
(3) Speaking bad behind someone elses back.
The reason why the Quran has mentioned these three despised traits in this order is that
the first trait (distrusting others) leads to one developing the second negative quality
prying into their private lives. Once a person has bad thoughts of another person, he would
naturally begin to spy and scrutinize that person in regards to his actions.
Obviously, when one starts to spy and pry into others personal lives, he would not be able
to prevent himself from speaking to others about what he has seen in fact, he would
openly and frankly discuss with others what he knows and thus, he would have no choice
but to speak bad and back-bite them. It is because of this reason that the Quran mentions
these three negative traits in the order that it has, so that the natural relationship between
them is made clear.
In the previous discussions, more or less, the damage that being pessimistic in relation to
others was discussed and at this point, we will discuss inquisitiveness or as the Quran calls
it, spying on others. Being inquisitive about the affairs of other people is a negative trait
that brings about both ethical and societal harm which can be summarized in the following

points:
1. It was mentioned in our previous discussion that Islam has provided four types of
security for the community of believers:
a. Security of ones life.
b. Security of ones property.
c. Security of ones honour and dignity.
d. Security of ones character and personality within the thoughts and minds of other
people.
In addition, in one of his most comprehensive lectures on these four types of security, we
see that the Noble Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) had
discussed these in detail.1

Societal Dangers Brought About by Prying into

Others Lives
1. Ruining the Reputation of Others
One of the major dangers that is brought about by prying into the lives of others is that the
third security (that of ones honour and dignity) is put into danger and an irreversible
damage is done to ones dignity and status within the society. This is especially true when
after a person has spied on another persons actions, and then he goes forth and spreads
the secrets and private actions of that person to others.
A very small number of people that pry into the lives of others and come to know the inner
state of other people are able to keep the secrets that they find hidden from others. It is
these types of people who will never be protected from backbiting and speaking bad about
others.
In summary, through spying into the private affairs of another person and then spreading
this information to others, the respect and honour of a true believer - which is
demonstrated through the security of his life and property within the teachings of Islam - is
trampled upon and destroyed.
The essential pre-requisite of religious brotherhood is that a true believer does not spread
those things which would result in the loss of a Muslim brothers character and honour
amongst the people.
In relation to people who spy on the actions of others, our great leader, Imam Ja`far ibn
Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has said:

&; #xFEFB
The furthest state that a person can be from the (spiritual presence of) Allah is when one

befriends another person and he remembers whatever shortcomings and weaknesses that
person has so that he can dishonour him one day.2
Just as can be seen from this hadith, the greatness of this sin is such that a person who
does this act would find himself being at the furthest (spiritual) distance away from Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He).

2. Withdrawing and Retreating from Society

Prying into and being inquisitive about the affairs of people is also a form of having bad
thoughts about them and in reality, this act is the outcome of being pessimistic about
people. When a person spends his time in spying and prying into the affairs of other people,
he will also become aware of many of the weaknesses and defects of that person and
because of this, he will try to seclude himself from other people as well. Thus in reality,
there are very few people that he would actually be able to interact with in his life.
It is highly possible that those defects which he sees in other people do not really play any
role in his interaction and contact that he has with them but it will unfortunately take him
away from the societal life that he leads amongst the people and thus, he will be dragged
towards a life of separation and seclusion from society.
Therefore for such a person who is inquisitive about other people and who also inherently
entertains bad thoughts about others, it would not be possible for him, while in this
(mental) state, to analyse and investigate (each individual person). Therefore, he would not
be able to accept the faults, inner weaknesses and problems that other people have and
this would cause him to not have any relations at all with others.
In any case, it is very difficult to find people who are perfect and are completely without
any defects. Obviously, through ones own inquisitiveness, each and every person would be
able to find the hidden defects and covered faults of other people and because of this, such
a person will - within himself - feel a need to observe some sort of seclusion and distance
from others.
Thus, in addition to having bad thoughts about other people and prying into the affairs of
others, this group of people will also become reclusive and seclude themselves and will not
be able play a constructive role within society.

3. Loss of Freedom
One of the greatest blessings for a person is to have freedom in his or her actions and by
Islam introducing the concept of element of general overseeing, it has appointed the
responsibility of the control (of society) and the freedom of humanity in the general
overview to the laws of intelligence and the religious regulations.
Thus, the freedom that one has within a society is within the framework of the firm,
determined laws of Islam and as a result, the members of a society are free (to do what
they want) so long as their own happiness (in the next life) and the freedom of other people
is not encroached upon and as long as they do not go towards any of the prohibited acts
and refrain from performing the obligatory acts.
Islam has limited the internal (intellectual) freedoms of a person by giving him a hidden
police force (within himself), and by establishing the governance of true faith, and has

placed limits and guides (on his thoughts).

However from the point of view of the intelligence and the religious regulations, there are a
series of actions which can be performed with no problem and it is these acts that the
religion has referred to as permissible (Mubah) and discouraged (Makruh). However, a
person would never perform these sorts of things in the presence of other people, nor
would he be pleased if others are made known of him performing such acts.
If other people were to have complete knowledge of the specific events in a persons life,
then the pleasure of life that comes about through the freedom of doing as one wishes in
his privacy would be taken away. In the view of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny), those people who are inquisitive about the affairs of other people and
their personal life are not true Muslims and thus, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his family) has said to them:

; 9&#xFEF !
&; #xFEFB &; #xFEFB

O people! One who gives lip service to Islam but does not have true faith in his heart, do
not disparage the (other) Muslims and do not pursue peoples short comings and private
matters.3
Although the religion of Islam has tried to put a stop on spying and prying into the lives of
others and has classified these things as being very dangerous and of no benefit, however
at the same time in limited circumstances in which the preservation and maintenance of
the society is clearly at stake and rests on making known the particular aspects of the lives
of people and their hidden deeds and acts, the religion has given the permission that in
certain areas of a persons life, it is permissible to conduct investigations.
For example, if there is a young boy and girl who wish to get married to one another, of if
two adults wish to enter into a business partnership with one another, or other such
scenarios and it is imperative that the other side know the particulars of the life and actions
of the other person, then as far as those things which are related to how the person would
make his or her final decision are concerned, one is able to gather more information about
the other party.
A person can attain knowledge and information in regards to the spiritual qualities and
specific issues of the other persons life only to that limit where a decision or work with
them is dependent upon such knowledge. If this research is not done, then later on in the
future, he may develop a sense of remorse in his work or dealings with the person or he
may even come face to face with other forms of corruption due to his choices.
In addition, the people who one asks for advice in these types of scenarios must speak the
truth and they must keep in mind the saying:


The one whom a person seeks advice from must be a person who is reliable.
By this we mean that the person who we are taking advice from in relation to the goodness
of a specific act, must himself possess the internal spiritual qualities and must offer the
advice in this way.
1. al-Muhajjat al-Baydha, Volume 5, Pages 162 and 268.
2. Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 355.
3. Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 75, Page 214 (as related from Shaikh Saduq, Thawab al-A`mal, Page 216).

Speaking Bad Behind Someones Back

( Verse 12 )

&; #xFEFB...

and do not back-bite one another. Do any of you (who back-bite) love to eat
the flesh of your dead brother? Rather, you detest this act, therefore have
consciousness of Allah. Certainly Allah is the One who is Oft-Turning to you in
repentance, the Merciful.
In this part of the verse, one of the worst ethical traits has been mentioned. This
destructive trait is regarded as being so despicable and appalling that the Quran offers a
comparison as it has never done before by stating that speaking bad about someone
behind his back is just like eating the flesh of ones dead brother!
The most disgraceful act that can be done is that a person attacks the body of a dead
person, and it is especially bad if the deceased happens to be his own brother, and even
more so if his method of attack is that he begins to eat from his flesh! This action is so
despised and wicked that very few people would ever do such a thing.
Why has backbiting and talking bad about others behind their back been compared to
eating the flesh of ones deceased brother? It is possible that it is for this reason that such a
person who eats the flesh of his own brother and the one who back-bites other people
destroy the respect and honour of that person.
The indecency of this act is divided such that both people the one who is speaking the
bad words and the one who is listening to them - are both classified as launching an attack
against a person who is not able to defend himself.
The one person is eating the flesh of a dead person who is unable to defend himself, while

the other person (who is listening to such talk) is aiding in the attack on someone who is
not present in the gathering so as to be able to defend himself. Thus, to attack a person
who does not have the ability to defend himself is something that is considered as a
shameful act.
In other words, the Quran draws this similitude and parable that the one who talks bad
about a person behind his back is equivalent to the one who eats the flesh of his own
deceased brother. Thus, the following four points have been taken into consideration:
1. Ones religious brother is the same as ones biological brother.
2. A persons dignity and respect are the same as his physical flesh.
3. Speaking bad words about a person behind his back and causing harm to his character or
disrespecting him is equivalent to eating his flesh.
4. Since this person is not present in the gathering and is unable to defend himself against
these cowardly attacks, it is said that he is dead and has been attacked upon in such a
state.
It is possible that in order to explain the fourth point, Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib
(peace be upon him) referred to the person who back-bites and speaks ill of others behind
their back as being lowly and weak (since they are attacking a person who does not have
the ability to defend himself) when he said:

Backbiting another person is (equivalent) to fighting a person who cannot defend
himself.1

The Motives that Lead to Backbiting

One of the reasons and motives of a person backbiting is jealousy and envy that one has
which makes him speak ill of another person. It is the persons position and status that are
upsetting him and through this act (of speaking ill of him) he wishes to lower the status and
worth of him or her.
In his speech to Mufaddhal ibn `Umar, Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon
him) has referred to this motive as follows:

&; #xFEFB
&; #xFEFB

A person who talks about a believers conduct hoping that through this act, he is able to
lower the other persons value and worth in the eyes of others will be taken out of the
guardianship of Allah and will be placed in the guardianship of the Shaitan.2
In this hadith, Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has mentioned one of the motives
behind backbiting which is the jealousy, envy and the status that a person may feel for
another person within the society. Sometimes however, feelings such as anger, rage, pride
and conceit also compel a person towards this negative, ethical trait.
In another hadith, it has first been mentioned that envy and then anger lead a person
towards backbiting. It is possible that these attributes have been mentioned in this
particular order since envy and anger are two reasons and motives that lead a person to
speak bad about others behind their back, just as it has been stated:

;&#xFEFB &; #xFEFB &; #xFEFB

Do not have jealousy for one another and do not have hatred for another and do not backbite others and be servants of Allah, brothers to one another.3

Dangers of Backbiting
Speaking ill behind a persons back has many negative consequences related to both the
individual and the society. In relation to the individual, backbiting has been referred to as
oppression against ones believing Muslim brother - and what kind of oppression can be
worse than when a person tramples upon the respect and character of another believer,
such that there is nothing that can make up for this act?
Some of the consequences that affect an entire society come about from backbiting, and
the dangers that come about from these two negative traits of having pessimism and
speaking bad behind another persons back have been mentioned in brief in the previous
discussion and which are common between the two, include:
1. A society that becomes contaminated with backbiting will never see agreement and unity
and there will never be closeness and love amongst the people. They will never become a
society that has matured in humanity, such that love and affection will rule over everyone.
2. Cooperation and teamwork, with the aim of reaching the sacred goals of the society, can
only be realized through confidence and trust of one another will never be achieved. The
society in which the defects of the people are openly talked about and one in which the
curtains that conceal private acts and deeds are lifted and one in which the feeling of
confidence gives birth and produces the good opinion that people have of one another, will
be destroyed.
3. Speaking bad behind a persons back is something that ignites the fire of hatred and
enmity. The person who has been spoken bad about and has had his secrets spread out for
everyone to know and has had his respect and dignity taken away will be extremely upset
and will obviously resort to taking revenge.

4. Lifting the curtains that cover the sins and transgressions of the people would result in
them performing these disgraceful actions in the future openly since others respect and
dignity normally prevent one from committing sins.
If a person commits sins, one would do so in private where no one can see him with
complete fear (of others). Therefore, if due to speaking bad about others behind their back,
we remove the curtains that cover their secrets, and by doing so we destroy their character
and dignity, then who is to say that they would not commit these sorts of sins openly in the
presence of others (due to our actions)?
Due to the fear of losing respect and honour, a great number of people stop themselves
from committing sins and evil deeds and if this obstacle - which in reality is the spiritual
worth of a person - was to be taken away, then there would remain no barrier for one to
refrain from sinning.
In addition to this, not only does spreading the secrets of the people lead to added courage
of the person doing this act, but also those who are listening to such things and who may
be weak of faith may also develop the courage to commit this (and other) sins as well.
Thus, this act of backbiting other people will actually be a source for the spread of
corruption and wickedness.
Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has said:

:

A person who tells others the actions of another believer that he has seen or heard with
his ears is of those people about whom Allah (the Glorious and Noble) has said:
Unquestionably those people who love to spread evil words around, regarding
those who have faith have a perpetual punishment awaiting them.4
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ghurur al-Hikm, Page 36.

Al-Mahajjat al-Baydha, Volume 5, Page 155.
Ibid., Page 251.
Usul al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 357.

Islam and Racial Superiority

( Verse 13 )

O Humanity! Without doubt We have created you from a male and a female and
have made you into various nations and tribes, so that you may come to know
and understand one another. Definitely the most honoured among you in the
sight of Allah is the one who is the most Allah-Consciousness. Surely Allah has
full Knowledge and is All-Aware.
The issue of equality between all human beings, opposition to any type of racial, ancestral
and class discrimination, fairness between all the children of Adam in relation to human
rights and that no person is better than another due to his skin colour, language, lineage or
race - is one of the most important societal issues in the Quran which has been mentioned
in various Ayat of this Heavenly Book.
The Quran has denounced any sort of superiority - whether it be of race, language or skin
colour and even today, this subject is one of the most complicated issues within the society
which even in the most important industrial centres of the world (such as America) is still a
source of confusion and since the (the industrialized centres of the world) feel that this is an
issue that can never be solved, they have brought this discussion to a close. The Quran
explains this issue with simple logic and by explaining the origin and creation of man,
clearly demonstrates that such an imaginary belief that ones race or colour is what makes
him superior to others is false.
We see that from the beginning of this Surah to the present verse under discussion, Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) has addressed the people five times with the phrase:

...
O you who have true faith
However in this verse, the sphere of those being addressed has been widened from those
who have true faith to humanity in general Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Thus, in
this verse, we read:
O Mankind! If you look through the files of creation of the entire humanity, you will
definitely see that the origin of all of these people is one and all of them have come from
one male and one female (Adam and Hawa, peace be upon them both) and all descendants
return back to these two people and thus, there is no criteria that can be used to make one
group of people better than another.
If We have brought you forth as different groups and nations then it is not because you
should have pride or conceit over the nation or family that you have come from. Rather, it
is through the different groups that you are to know one another and recognize each other
.( )The secret behind this branching out (of humanity) is simply for attaining
knowledge and recognition of one another and merely being attached to one family, but
this should never be the basis and criteria for claiming superiority over another.
In order to condemn this fable of racial superiority and to negate this imaginary belief of
preference of national supremacy and nationalism and to quiet any slogans of the ignorant
people, the concept that all of us have been brought forth from one source has been
mentioned in various chapters of the Quran as those mentioned below1:

...
Have taqwa (Allah-Consciousness) of your Lord (O People) who created all of
you from a single soul2
Just as the Quran has referred to the issue of superiority of one tribe over another as being
a myth, even the difference in languages or the colour of skin are also not grounds for pride
or vanity over one another.
It is both of these things (language and skin colour) which have been referred to as the
signs (ayat) of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and a symbol of the power of the Creator
so that we may recognize that we have come from one element and one source. It is
through this chain of natural and inherent characteristics that there is a difference in the
colour of the skin of various people and that they speak various languages, just as has been
said:

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And of His signs is the creation of the Heavens and the Earth and the difference
in your languages and your skin colours. Certainly there are signs in this for the
people of the worlds.3

The Question of Race and Language in the World

Today102
Even though the world today has passed through many stages of industrialization, however
they still have not been able to reach to even partial completion in the issues mentioned (in
regards to the eradication of racism).
Every year in the advanced centres of the world, the experts sit down to discuss this issue,
while the flames of disagreement burn and in which people are pulled (into these flames of
hatred). Today, in some of the largest and most advanced parts of the world, students,
who due to a series of natural and ontological events that have taken place which lead to
their skin being black, are not permitted to go to the same schools as those whose skin
happens to be white, even if they are of the same religion and country of origin.
Today, if by accident a white person was to walk through the door of a movie theatre that is
specifically for black people only, they would be forced to pay a fine.
In the present day in these industrialized countries, the surgical and medical treatment
wards of the hospital are different for black people and white people and the instruments
and medicines that are used in the section reserved for whites would never be seen or used

in the medical ward or surgical area for the blacks! In addition, those young doctors who
come from overseas - who the Hospital Staff feel are still doctors in training - do not have
the right to treat white patients, however the doors to the black patients are wide open!
With the unjust distinctions and privileges which know no limit or boundary that exist within
these nations, how is it possible for them to put out the call for freedom and refer to
themselves as the pillars of liberty?!
In regards to the issue of the Declaration of Human Rights which was ratified after the
French Revolution, or the Charter of Freedoms and Equality of Humanity which was penned
after World War II and was signed by all of the major and influential world powers we see
that they still have not been able to bring this conflict to an end.
However on that day, in the sand filled country of Arabia and the gloomy and unenlightened
world that existed at that time, a divine man and heavenly leader lifted up the call of true
freedom and equality of all human beings and said, In the presence of Allah and in His
Court of Justice, a Leader from the tribe of Quraish is equal to a black Ethiopian.
In order to reject and eliminate all of the (previous) incorrect traditions, the Prophet of Islam
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) sent a comprehensive message to the
societies that blood, nationality and ones language are no reasons to show pride or
conceit.
The noble Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was a progeny
of this same environment (of `Arabia) and was fully aware of both the ailments and the
cures of the `Arab society. He knew the reasons for the decline of the people of Makkah
and thus was able to place his finger on the societal ailments of the `Arab society and to
completely cure their sicknesses. At this point, we present some of the words of the Prophet
of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) in which there is a cure for
specific ailments with society.

1. Having Pride of Ones Relations, Family or Tribe

Of the many illnesses that existed in the `Arab society which was also one of the biggest
things for a person to boast about was being from a branch of one of the well-known tribes,
such as that of the Quraish. In order to remove this fictitious element of greatness, the
Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) stated the following:

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O Mankind! Surely Allah has removed the pride and conceit that existed within you during
the days of Ignorance in relation to your fore-fathers. Surely all of you are from (Prophet)
Adam and Adam was (created) from mud. Surely the best servant of Allah is that servant
who has consciousness of Him.4

In order for the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to announce to
the world that the true criteria in judging a person is his level of taqwa (consciousness of
Allah) and keeping away from sins, in a part of his speech, he divided all of mankind into
two categories and said that their only greatness is the taqwa or consciousness of Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) that people have. By dividing them in this method and
grouping them in this way, he removed all of the imaginary criteria that existed when he
stated:

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Certainly mankind is of two types: the true believer who has piety and nobility to Allah;
and the sinner, who is lost and despicable in the sight of Allah.

2. The Virtue of Being an `Arab

The Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) knew that the `Arab
nation considered their nationality and their descent from this race to be a major source of
honour and pride. The vanity and conceit that the `Arabs possessed resembled a
contagious disease that was deeply rooted in their hearts. In order to cure this sickness and
to remove this imaginary greatness that they claimed to possess, the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) once again turned towards the people and said to
them:

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Now then, surely your being `Arab is not the basis for your personality nor a part of your
essence, rather, it is the language which you speak. So then whosoever is negligent in his
actions, then the pride that he has from his father (being an `Arab) will not help him in the
least and will not make up for the defects in his (religious) actions).5
Is it possible to find a more eloquent and expressive statement than this? Truly the
Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was the genuine caller
to freedom. However he did not stop at this. Rather, in order to strengthen the equality of
humanity and the society he said:

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Surely all of mankind from the time of Adam until our time are like the teeth of a comb
(all equal to one another) and there is no greatness for an `Arab over a non-`Arab and no
greatness for a red-skinned person over a black-skinned person, except due to ones
consciousness of Allah (taqwa).6
Through these words, the Noble Messenger (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) removed all sorts of distinctions and merits that knew no ends or boundaries,
among the nations of the world. All of these areas which the Declaration of Human Rights or
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms have not even mentioned were addressed and put to
rest in the Islamic sources.
Not only did the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) accomplish this
task through conveying the verses of the Quran and his speech (ahadith), rather, he was
also able to stir up tension in the hearts of the defeated people of those days. In many
instances within his practical life, he was able to make null and void the nationalism and
racism that was surrounding him.
In order for him to reach to his aim of equality between all human beings, he married the
daughter of his uncle to the slave he owned named Zaid. In addition, he give Bilal, who was
both a non-`Arab and a black-skinned African slave (at one point in his life), the important
religious post of being the Muaddhin or the one who made the call to prayer. He also
commanded Ziyad ibn Labid who was one of the richest and noblest men from amongst the
Ansar to marry his daughter to a black slave named Jubair.
Keeping in mind the outcome of the marriage of this mans daughter to the man she
married and how these two people had come from completely opposite lifestyles, we see
that this is one of the amazing stories of Islam and in reality shows the true equality
between people of all levels of society who have sincere faith.
It is appropriate at this point that we properly analyse, investigate and relate this event in
brief, especially since this event has been mentioned in the most trustworthy books of the
Shi`a.7

The Most Amazing Marriage in History

Not even a few days has passed since the migration of the Messenger of Allah (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) to the city of Madinah when a very enthusiastic man
from the city of Yamamah came to the presence of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny) and accepted the teachings of the faith. This man had a pure
heart and was a true believer with genuine sincerity.
As for his physical form, he was a short man who was not that handsome with a very dark,
African complexion. In any case, he had needs, but did not have the means to supply for
them, and he did not even possess suitable clothing on his body! The abject state of
poverty of this man from Yamamah - whose name was Jubair - caught the attention of the
blessed Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and it was his state which
drew the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) closer to this poor man.
The Prophet of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) felt compassion for
him due to his lack of proper clothing and since he was away from his home land, gave him
two pieces of clothing to cover himself up properly and also ordered the Muslims to give
him one Sa`8 of wheat every day. His accommodation was also looked after as the Prophet

(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) gave him permission to live inside the
Masjid with the other indigent and helpless Muslims.
Time passed by and this man from Yamamah continued his life in this manner. The more
the teachings of Islam spread and extended outward into other regions, the more people
who were far from their own home and had no possessions made their way to Madinah.
Other than the Masjid, there was no other place of residence for these people and it was
out of necessity that they were housed there. The Masjid was a place where Muslims
gathered, a place of worship for the people of Madinah and the centre from where the true
teachings of Islam were being spread.
It is clear that the state of these people was not something that could be tolerated and was
not in agreement with the higher aims and goals of the Noble Messenger (blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny) and his leadership and guidance (that they stay in a Masjid in
the state that they were in). In any event, these men who had no family or possessions
were taking up space for others and in addition, the Masjid in Madinah did not even have
the capacity to house so many people.
At this time, the Revelation came to the Prophet and he was commanded to purify the
Masjid of all forms of pollution and dirt and was told that all of the people who were given
the chance to stay in the Masjid and sleep there were now to be removed from this sacred
site at that very time (which was night-time).
Even more than all of this, the command came that all of the doors of the Masjid that
opened up into the houses of those who lived around this place of worship were to be
sealed, with the exception of the Prophets (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
door and the door of the house of `Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them both). They were
exempt from this ruling and this in itself was one of the distinctions for these two noble
personalities.
The Noble Messenger (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) then went on to
introduce new conditions to the community in stages and thus from this day forward, no
one had the right to live inside the Masjid. However in this present state, the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) did not forget these refugees and thus he
ordered that a place be built for them which had a roof so that all could live in there
together. The place that was built was known as Suffah and an uncountable number of
companions of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) would later go
on to be known as the Ashab-e-Suffah or those companions of the Prophet who lived under
this sheltered housing.
After all of this transpired, the normal habit of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny) was that he would pass on whatever food and clothing that was given to
him to the people. Following the example of the Prophet, the Muslims too did not forget
these people and whatever they had and were able to give was handed over to them. In
this way, the Islamic society which at that time was quite small and did not have a large
budget at their disposal, took care of those people who had no help or security.
As he usually did, one day the Prophet went to see the Ashab-e-Suffah. Amongst these
companions, he noticed the man from Yamamah and said to the man, whose name was
Jubair, How good it would be for you to find a wife and get married and through this act,
you would be able to get rid of the demonic temptations and also protect your own chastity,
since your wife would help you in matters of this world and the next world.

With complete politeness Jubair replied to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and
his progeny), Is it possible that someone would develop a liking for me? I do not have any
personal merit, nor do I have any great lineage. I have no wealth nor do I possess beauty.
Thus, what kind of woman would be willing to marry me?
The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) replied, O man!
Through the religion of Islam, Allah brought those people who during the days of Ignorance
felt that they were superior and excellent, to a level of humbleness and inferiority and
those who during the days of Ignorance were abject and considered as insignificant (in the
society) were given esteem and honour. By sending the religion of Islam, Allah the Most
High has removed all sorts of pride, vanity, self-centeredness and the imaginary nobility
that people felt for themselves during the days of Ignorance.
From today, ones tribe or clan, descent or lineage and any other prejudice that stem from
ignorance have no value or worth. Today all men - black and white, Quraish and nonQuraish, `Arab and non-`Arab are all equal. Everyone that exists no matter what
nationality they are and in whatever state, are all the children of Adam and Adam was
created from dirt.
In the Last Days, only those people who are more conscious of Allah (have taqwa) than
others, those who are the foremost in their servitude and obeying the orders of Allah will be
the ones who will be blessed with the kindness, grace and mercy of Allah.
The heavenly words of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) took
such a place in the heart of the man from Yamamah that the spiritual rays of the Prophets
words opened the doors of cognizance and true belief in him. By hearing these words, the
true meaning of justice and the actual interpretation of fair dealings was made incarnate for
him.
Upon hearing these words of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
which he listened to with great attentiveness, such that it could be said that every word of
the divine words brought up an image of the reality and pure truth (of Islam) and in the
presence of this strong logic, Jubair had no other choice but to remain quiet and it is
possible that may have he felt remorseful and guilty for that short sentence which he said
to the Prophet.
At this time, the Prophet told the man from Yamamah to get up and go to Ziyad ibn Labid
who happened to be one of the most noble people of the tribe of Bani Bayadhha and tell
him, I have brought a message from the Messenger of Allah to you. The Prophet has told
me that I am to convey to you that the Messenger of Allah commands you to marry your
daughter whose name is Dhulayfa, to the man named Jubair which is me.
The man from Yamamah got up and made his way to convey the message of the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to Ziyad ibn Labid. When he reached the
house, he saw Ziyad and a group of his family and close relatives in the house sitting
together. He asked permission to enter which he was given and then proceeded to enter
and greet the people present.
At this time, Ziyad and those present with him took notice of Jubair and wanted to know
why this poor man from Yamamah wanted - who was always known to them as one of the
companions of the Suffah and whom people such as these (rich, affluent `Arabs) would
naturally look at as being a contemptible and low person who possessed the frame and

physical features that he did.

Jubair said, O Ziyad! I have brought a message to you from the Messenger of Allah! This
message is in relation to myself should I proclaim it in the open or in private (to you)?
Ziyad, who could not even think that this man from Yamamah had any needs said, Why
should you say it in private? Speak it out! I am honoured to hear the message of the
Prophet of Allah!
Jubair said, The Prophet has commanded that you are to marry your daughter Dhulayfa to
Jubair.
Ziyad, who was not anticipating to hear such a message, with complete shock and surprise
said, Are you truthful that the Noble Prophet has sent you here for this reason?
Jubair said, Yes! I have never attributed a lie to the Messenger of Allah! Ziyad said, I
(only) marry my daughters to those people who are equal and at their same status that we
are at and that too from the people of the Ansar. Jubair! You may go back and let me go see
the Prophet and convey my apologies to him.
Jubair returned back in a state of confusion and said to himself that, I swear by Allah! The
Quran does not condone or sanction the actions of this man, nor was the intention of the
apostleship of Muhammad (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) for this.
Dhulayfa, the daughter of Ziyad was behind the curtain (in the room) and was witness to all
that had transpired and heard the final words that her father said to this man from
Yamama. These words of her father weighed heavily upon her and it could be said that the
faith and belief that she had in the Prophet deep in her heart had been rebuked.
Therefore, she immediately sent a person to go to her father and from behind the curtains
(in her room) she summoned her father and reproached him saying, My dear father! What
is this that I heard you saying? Why did you speak to this person that was sent by the
Prophet as you did?
Ziyad replied, Did you not hear what that man said? With the state that he is in, he
claimed that the Prophet had sent him to me and was commanding me to marry my
daughter Dhulayfa - you to himself.
Dhulayfa said, I heard what he said, however I swear by Allah that Jubair is not the type of
person who would openly lie against the Prophet. In any case, he was sent by the Prophet
and he definitely tells the truth. You must immediately send someone to catch up to Jubair
before he reaches the Prophet and conveys your reply to him and ask him to return here.
Up until this point, it was as if Ziyad was in a deep slumber which his daughter had to wake
him up from and without any questions, he immediately sent a person to go after the man
from Yamamah and requested him to return. Jubair returned to the house, though Ziyad did
not pay attention to the change in the mental state and confusion that Jubair was in, with
open arms, he welcomed him and said, Jubair! Thank you for coming! I request you to stay
here for a little while until I return.
Ziyad left him in the house and went to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) and told him, O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for
you! Jubair brought your message to me and told me that you had commanded me to

marry my daughter Dhulayfa to him, however I did not show my pleasure or happiness to
him and thought that I should come and speak to you that which I feel is necessary.
Our custom is that we give our daughters in marriage to a person who, from the point of
view of his nobility, honour and other aspects, is at the same status of us. Therefore, in the
future, a person from the Ansar who possesses these traits will be the husband of my
daughter.
The Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) replied, Jubair is a
Muslim man and a believer and in the teachings of Islam a Muslim man is the equal to a
Muslim woman and any believing man is at the same status as a believing woman.
Therefore, Jubair is the equal (in societal status) to your daughter and therefore, you must
get them married as soon as possible and there is nothing that can excuse you from this
order.
Seeing as how Ziyad was not able to have his way (with the Prophet), he returned to his
house and went directly to his daughter and told her what the Prophet said to him. His
daughter replied, Therefore, there is no choice but to comply with the order. If I go against
the Prophet, then I will become a disbeliever.
Ziyad came out of his house, took the hand of Jubair and took him to the elders and seniors
of his tribe, and in their presence, married his daughter to him. The Mahr (dowry) which had
been specified by the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
and was agreed upon was the traditional Mahr of 500 dirham. After this, the preparations
for the wedding celebration were made and the gifts that were to be given to his daughter
were purchased.
The message was then passed on to Jubair that his wife was now ready for him and at this
point, he was asked if he had a house. Jubair replied, No, by Allah! I do not have my own
house. The order was then given that a house should be given to the bride and her
husband and all the necessities of the house whatever they needed were gathered
together. Two new pieces of clothing were also given to Jubair and the bride was brought to
her new home in a special manner.
Jubair entered into the bridal chamber, however contrary to his expectations, he was not
happy at what he saw. He looked towards his wife and then glanced around the bedroom.
Looking around, he saw the gold, ornaments, rug, curtains which had all been perfumed
with musk and amber which really astonished him. Without saying a word or paying any
attention to his wife, he took a place in the room and until the rising of the sun, was busy in
the recitation of the Quran and Salat. He heard the sound of the Adhan from the Masjid of
the Prophet at the time of Fajr and thus made his way to the Masjid, while his wife made
her Wudhu and performed her Salat at home.
In the morning, the ladies of the city all made their way to her house and being impatient
as they were, wanted to hear about the night that she spent with her new husband. They
proclaimed, Dhulayfa! Did your husband come to you last night? In a state of
embarrassment, Dhulayfa said to them, No. From the beginning of the night until morning,
he was busy in the recitation of the Quran and in the performance of the Salat and at the
breaking of dawn when he heard the Adhan, he went to the Masjid.
The same event that happened on the first night transpired on the second night as well and
during these two days, there was no physical contact between the husband and wife;

however the ladies and close family members of the bride did not mention any of this to the
brides father.
The third night ended in the same way as the first two nights and at this point, the women
broke their seal of silence and told Dhulayfas father of what had happened. Ziyad
proceeded to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and said to him:
O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! You commanded
me to marry my daughter to Jubair even though he was in no way compatible with us and
was not equal to us and we still obeyed your commands and in whatever way possible, we
sent the bride on her way and brought the bride to the home of our son-in-law.
The Prophet said, Congratulations! But have you seen something bad from him?
Ziyad said, This man had absolutely nothing to his name, I gave all the necessities for his
house to him and gave my daughter in submission to him, however I did not expect him to
act in the way that he has!
The Prophet replied, What has he done?
Ziyad said, Nothing. On the night of the wedding, Jubair entered into the room and without
even paying any attention to my daughter, with a sad face, he sat in a corner of the room
until the morning busy in the recitation of the Quran and in the performance of Salat and
at the time of Fajr, he left the house. The second night was just the same as the first,
however his actions were kept hidden from me. The third night passed the same as the first
two nights and it was at this time that the news was given to me and now, I am coming to
you so that you can intervene in this matter. This present state of affairs cannot be
tolerated! I think that this man does not possess any sexual desire and has no liking for
women. Ziyad finished his talk and left.
The Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) called Jubair and asked him,
Do you not have any liking for women? Jubair replied, Of course I do am I not a man?
Incidentally, I have a strong inclination for women.
The Prophet replied, However I have been given reports that run contrary to this. I have
been informed that you have been given a magnificent house will all the things that you
would need including a beautiful daughter who dresses up for you and just like the branch
of a flower, she is perfumed and sweet smelling, however you entered the bedroom with a
grim look on your face and did not even say one word to her! Has an unexpected event
come upon you?
Jubair replied, O Messenger of Allah! For many years I was alone in the Suffah. All of a
sudden after my marriage, my eyes were opened to a wide, spacious house with all types of
items and necessities of life and a beautiful, sweet smelling wife has been given to me. In
this state, that condition that I had passed many years through came to my mind. The
thoughts of poverty and misery and nakedness, being alone without anyone, living amongst
the poor, destitute all of these things came back to me one after the other. I saw it far
from being just that before I make use of all these blessings that I have been given, without
first thanking Allah.
It is because of this in order to thank Him and get closer to Allah, I took a corner of the
room to myself and from night until morning, was busy in the recitation of the Quran, Ruku
and Sujud; and while in the state of Sujud I would thank Allah as much as possible until I

heard the sound of the Adhan and at this time, I would leave the house. I would spend the
whole day in fasting until the breaking of the fast and I continued this act for the past three
days.
Through all of this, I have humbled and put myself to shame in the presence of Allah and
have considered these acts of mine as being trivial. However today I will put these acts to
an end and tonight, with the permission of Allah, I will make my wife pleased with me.
After hearing the words of Jubair, the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) called Ziyad to come to him and what he had heard from Jubair was related to
Ziyad. When Ziyad and his entire family heard this, they became extremely happy and
these words (of Jubair from the Prophet) relieved all of the discomfort and distress that they
felt.
That day passed on and the night of the fourth started, however in reality, this was the first
night of their marriage. Jubair was faithful to the promise that he had made and the new
groom and his bride started their happy, pleasant life together.
By acting in this manner, the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) was trying to make it known to the unruly people of his time and even of today,
that not only have we been commanded to destroy the stone and mud idols, rather even all
of the irrational idols of distinction and class supremacy must be removed.
Yes! This unequalled marriage was the centre of attention for all of the people of Madinah
in fact for all of the Muslims - which formulated and made strong the spiritual power and
influence of the Prophet and also brought some of the programs and plans of the religion of
Islam to the practical level.
The popularity and talk that came about from this marriage had not even stopped, when
the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) dispatched a group of
companions towards the battle front. Jubair who had been recently married was sent and it
was during this battle that he was killed and was blessed to drink from the cup of
martyrdom. His beautiful wife Dhulayfa, was thrown into mourning for the death of her
husband. However, after this, Dhulayfa, like the other women did not stay a widow, rather,
she received proposals from Muslims everywhere and more than any other woman, people
wanted to marry her.

Why is Allah Consciousness (Taqwa) the Criteria for

Excellence?
We must find out what the roots and conditions which relate to the soul and spirit are that
make one person better than another. In other words, from the true factor that makes up a
person which is his soul, we must take lessons and we must never look at wealth, property,
nationality, colour or status in the world, possession of children or genealogy in relation to
other tribes or groups of people or individuals as being the true visage of what makes up a
persons character and status. These are all far and separated from the truth and thus none
of these play any role in the character or the greatness of a person.
Yes! The noble ethical traits and lofty spiritual characteristics such as truthfulness, love,
nobility and friendship or cognizance (of Allah) which truly bring about the unity of a person
with his soul are the criteria which must be used to determine the greatness of an

individual. It is these characteristics which if united together within someone truly make up
his humanity and spiritual character.
However all of the outward, apparent characteristics of a person cannot lead to a good
demeanour of one, if they are not accompanied with the characteristic of consciousness of
Allah (Taqwa) and keeping away from sins, which in reality means that one observes and
maintains the rights of both Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and humanity.
This is said because each of these lofty humanistic traits can only be classified as a pride
for the person when he does not trample upon the rights that he must observe in relation to
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the people around him. In other than this, not only
can these traits not be classified as a pride for the person, rather, they would be
categorized as him stepping over the boundaries and would actually be negative moral
traits for him.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Surah al-Nisa (4), Verse 1; Surah al-An`am (6), Verse 98; Surah al-Zumar (39), Verse 6.
Surah al-Nisa (4), Verse 1.
Surah al-Rum (30), Verse 22.
Sirah bin Hisham, Volume 2, Page 412; al-Kafi, Volume 8, Page 246.
Al-Kafi, Volume 8, Page 246.
Ikhtisas, Volume 341.
al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 9; Tadhkirah, Volume 2, Beginning of the discussion on Marriage (Nikah).
A weight of measurement equivalent to approximately 3 kilograms.

Islam and Iman from the Point of

View of the Quran
( Verse 14 )

; 7&#xFEF
; 9&#xFEF
&; #xFEFB

The Desert `Arabs (come to you O Muhammad) and say We have true belief!
Say to them (O Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) that, You
are not true believers, rather you have only submitted (to Allah), since true faith
has not yet entered into your hearts. However if you were to obey Allah and His
Messenger (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) then nothing
would be reduced from your good deeds. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, AllMerciful.
The axis of discussion of this verse revolves around a group of people who were
apparently Muslims that were pretending to be of those who submitted and had true faith

- however not even the smallest amount of faith existed in their hearts!
This group is known as the hypocrites whose danger is much more serious than that of
others, since the Jews and Christians are the known and apparent enemies of Islam;
however the hypocrites are the undistinguishable enemies. Thus, the damage and injury
that people at this level can inflict is much greater than the other group (Jews and
Christians)1
By studying the verses of the Quran in which the words Islam and man are mentioned
in their various forms, one can reach to the conclusion that in most cases, the word Islam
(submission) is used as an opposite to Shirk (polytheism) and Iman (true faith) is used as
an opposite to Kufr (disbelief) and Fisq (wickedness).
The lexical meaning of the word Islam is submission and humility; while the lexical
meaning of the word Iman is assurance and confidence. Therefore, the meaning of Islam
in the language of the Divine teachings is the state of humility and submission to the
Creator of the Universe and that which is opposite to this is Shirk (polytheism) and Ilhad
(atheism). It should also be mentioned that an atheist is not humble or submissive to
anything, whereas a Mushrik (polytheist) submits to idols, bodies or things that have been
fashioned by ones own hands.
Seeing as to how during the time when the Quran was being revealed, the meaning of a
Mulhid (atheist) was a person who did not believe in a Creator, in most cases, the word
Islam was used as an opposite to Shirk and a Muslim was used as an opposite to a Mushrik.
Pay attention to the following verses of the Quran:

&; #xFEFB

Say (O Muhammad): "Certainly I have been commanded to be the first of those

who submit (to Allah (in Islam)) and unquestionably not to be of those who join
(gods) with Allah.2

So then your god is One God: submit then your will (entire presence) to Him (in
Islam): and give the good news (O Muhammad) to those who humble
themselves.3

&; #xFEFB

(Prophet) Ibrahim was not a Jew, nor was he a Christian; but he was true in faith
(Hanif) and he bowed his will (entire presence) to Allah (in Islam), and he was not
of those who joined gods (with Allah).4

We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, of Ibrahim and Isma`il
and Ishaq - the one (True) God (Allah) and to Him do we all submit (in Islam).5

Say (O Muhammad): That which has been revealed to me (from Allah) is that
your God is the One God (Allah): will you then be of those who submit to him as
Muslims (in Islam)?6

&; #xFEFB
He has no partners and to this I have been commanded and I am the first of
those who submit (one of the Muslims).7

&; #xFEFB&; #xFEFB

There is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israil believe in and I am one
of those who submit (to Allah in Islam).8
By paying close attention to these verses that present the meaning of Islam and all the
derivatives that come from this word, we see that truly this word means humility to Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) and turning away from all forms of polytheism and diverging
thoughts.
Seeing as to how the worship of the One Creator and abandoning any sort of polytheism
and not paying heed to any created object, is the fundamental belief of all of the Heavenly
Teachings, it is because of this fact that from the very first day that mankind was created,
there has never been more than one true religion and that is al-Islam, just as it is
mentioned in the Quran:

&;#xFEFB;9&#xFEF
Unquestionably the only Din (complete code and way of life) acceptable to Allah
is al-Islam.9

&; #xFEFB;9&#xFEF
And whoever chooses other than al-Islam as his Din - then it will never be
accepted from him.10
Given that the Quran wishes to invite the followers of the Injil and the Tawrat to one
common goal and aim, all of humanity have been invited towards al-Islam. In addition, the
reality of Islam is that the followers do not turn to polytheism and the worship of idols, as it
has been mentioned in the Quran:

&; #xFEFB&; #xFEFB&; #xFEFB...

&; #xFEFB

that we shall not worship any other creature or entity other than Allah and we shall not
setup with Him partners and we will not take some people over us as lords other than
Allah. So

then if they turn away (and do not accept these things) then say to them (O Muhammad

) that Bear witness surely we are of those who submit (as Muslims).
11

Again, since the reality of Islam is to worship Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and to turn
away from everything other than Him, and during all times and ages this is what mankind
has been commanded to follow, we see that even after building the Ka`bah, Prophet
Ibrahim al-Khalil al-Rahman (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is
He) to make him and his children Muslims, when he said:

O our Lord! Make us from those who submit to You (as Muslims) and also
(make) our children to be from the nation of submitters (Muslims) to You.12
The Quran also holds firm to the belief that Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had
named those people who worshipped Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) from a previous
time as being Muslims:

It is he (Ibrahim) who called you Muslims from before.13
From these verses of the Quran, we can deduce that the truth of Islam and the principle
goal of this religion (in the instances that have been elucidated to in these verses) is
submission and obedience in the presence of the Truth which takes form in the worship of
One God (Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He).
It goes without saying that the centre for this form of true submission which is also the
basis through which one is saved from the fire of hell and is graced with the bounties of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the heart and the soul of the person. Therefore, a
Muslim is one who is humble and submissive from the bottom of his heart towards Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) and does not accept anyone or anything other than Him at the
level of Lordship.
The first part of the body that this manifests itself on to is the tongue of the person
(through the verbal declaration), followed by the other parts of the body. Therefore the true
meeting point of submission and obedience is the heart and soul of a person and the
tongue is simply the faculty through which it is made known.

Analysis of the Word Iman

In the Quran, the word Iman (true faith) is used as an opposite to the word Kufr (disbelief).
A point that must be mentioned in relation to this is that Iman is a mental state of believing

and accepting something. With this said, we see that Kufr is in the meaning of covering up
something and thus is the opposite of Iman. It is said that through his own disregard and
denial (of the Truth), a disbeliever covers up the true visage of the Truth and in this
relation, the Quran states:

; 9&#xFEF

But whoever changes from true faith (Iman) to disbelief (Kufr) has definitely strayed from
the correct way.
14

;9&#xFEF
On that day, they were nearer to disbelief (Kufr)than they were to true faith
(Iman).15

;9&#xFEF
If they love disbelief (Kufr) over true faith (Iman).16

;5&#xFEF
They have true faith (Iman) in Allah and the Last Day.17

&;#xFEFB
Those people who have true faith (Iman) in the unseen and uphold the Salat.18

And thus (it is) We that have sent down the Book (al-Quran) to you (O
Muhammad). So, the people who have been given the book have true faith
therein.19
The conclusion that we arrive at by studying these verses is that the intended meaning of
Islam in the language of the Quran is submission and humility in the presence of Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He); while Shirk is classified as humility in the presence of idols
which are made from the things that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) Himself has created.
The meaning of Iman in the Quran is voluntary submission and obedience to Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) and those things which are connected to Him such as the
Prophetic Mission of the Prophets, the Day of Judgement, the Heavenly books and other
(such) things and this is the opposite to Kufr in which all of these things or even some of
them are denied and not accepted.
If the true visage of Islam is submission and attestation, then without doubt the true focal
point of these two states is the ruh (spirit) and the soul of a person, and the tongue and
other parts of ones body are the places where the physical manifestations of these two
states are made.
However, if the meaning of these two words is simply to show or demonstrate ones
submission and obedience even though in the heart and deep down in the soul of the
person, there are no effects present - just as we find people in whose hearts there is no
effect of submission or obedience, however by their words they act as if they are
submitting and obedient to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) - then in this event the
manifestation of submission and obedience will simply remain on their tongues. In some of
the verses of the Quran, this sort of external or apparent form of Islam and dishonest Iman
has been mentioned.
In relation to the cause of revelation of the verse under discussion, the Commentators of
the Quran have narrated that a group of people from the tribe of Bani Asad came to the
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to ask permission to use the
Zakat and they made known to the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) that they had true faith in him (they had Iman). Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
commanded the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to say to them
that, You have accepted Islam (not Iman), since true faith has not yet entered into your
hearts.
It goes without saying that just as Iman had not entered into their hearts, so too Islam
(submission) had also not entered into their hearts and their submission or acceptance of
Islam was nothing more than a verbal attestation. However, why is it that the Prophet told
them: Do not say that you have true faith (Iman), rather say that you have submitted
(accepted Islam) since from the apparent point of view they had accepted Islam and Iman,
however deep down inside themselves, they had neither Iman nor Islam? We will elaborate
upon these points later on.
In the Quran, there are some verses which speak about verbal faith such as:

&; #xFEFB

(O Muhammad!) Do not let those people grieve you who race each other into disbelief
(Kufr) (if it be) among those who say We believe with their mouths but whose hearts have
no true faith (Iman).
20

From this discussion, it is clear that the true focal point of Islam and Iman is the heart and
soul of a person and the tongue is the place where the physical manifestation of these two
traits takes place. Sometimes however, it is possible that the true physical manifestation of
Islam and Iman do not occur and the presence of Islam and Iman is not made known within
the depths of a person.
Therefore, opposed to what some people may imagine, Iman is not particularly related to
the heart and Islam is not particularly related to the tongue (verbal confirmation) - rather
both of these, both from the inner and the outer aspects - are of various degrees and levels.

Another Meaning of Islam and Iman

The popular and prevalent meaning of these two terms are just as have been mentioned,
however there are some other verses of the Quran and ahadith that offer another
interpretation of them, of which we mention some of them here.
1. Sometimes Islam is defined as the physical submission, whereas Iman is limited
specifically to the ethereal beliefs and these are the meanings of these two words when
they are used together as opposites to one another. The person who is hearing these words
is in a position where he must separate (two things from themselves), as can be seen in the
verse under discussion.
In this verse, we see that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) had
been commanded by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to tell the people from the tribe of
Bani Asad who had come to him to ask permission to use the Zakat and outwardly showed
that they had accepted the faith. It was here that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) was commanded to tell them that they had accepted Islam
(submission), but not Iman (true faith).
This sentence clearly shows that by attributing Islam to these people, they had traversed
one of the stages and levels of Islam which was the verbal submission but not all of the
levels that Islam entails. Also by negating any sort of Iman that they possessed, this
negation was only in relation to some of the stages and levels of Iman of which the hidden
or true faith of the heart is that which was negated from these people and not all the levels
of Iman. This is the case since we see that from the apparent aspect they had accepted
Islam and they also had Iman, however if we looked at what was deep in their hearts, they
neither had Islam nor Iman.
It is possible that the reason why these two words are used in this fashion is that the most

clear area of manifestation of submission (to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He) is the
tongue and the most natural part of the body in which Iman would be made manifest is the
soul and spirit of a person. Due to this, in the verse under discussion we see that the word
Islam is simply the Islam of the tongue and Iman is the Iman of the spirit; and because of
this, it is correct to state that one of these confirms the other one, while the other one
negates the first one.
2. Islam is a phrase that is confessed by the tongue and is linked to the beliefs that one has
in his heart. However in regards to Iman, in addition to this (definition), it also entails acting
according to ones responsibilities (of the religion) and this is the meaning that has been
specified in the ahadith.
Muhammad ibn Muslim has narrated from either Imam Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Baqir or
Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon them both) that it was said:

&;#xFEFB;9࿯ 9&#xFEF
&;#xFEFB
Iman is the confession (by the tongue) and acting (according to ones responsibility) and
Islam is confession (by the tongue) without acting.21
In a letter which Imam `Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon him) wrote to Mamun, he
summarized Islam by stating the following:

;&#xFEFB &; #xFEFB

The people upon whom the punishment of Allah must be meted out are the Muslims, not
those who have true faith (Muminun), nor the disbelievers (Kafirun).22
However, these people (of the tribe of Bani Asad) are Muslims, since both in their heart and
through their tongue they had testified to the truthfulness of the religion of Islam, however
they were not true believers (Muminun).
This is said because the foundation of Islam is based on acting according to the injunctions
of the religion whereas a person who commits a sin that necessitates the punishment that
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed has naturally trampled upon a series of
responsibilities that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has placed for him.
Building up on this interpretation, there is a well-known hadith which has been narrated in
the books of the Ahl al-Sunnah and the Shi`a that states:


&; #xFEFB
.&; #xFEFB
At the time that a thief is stealing and (at the time that) an adulterer is committing
adultery, he is not a Believer.23
In this interpretation, Iman has been sited as an opposite to sin and rebellion (against the
laws of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He) and Islam has been used as an opposite to Kufr or
disbelief.
3. Within the definition of Iman, in addition to Islam being one of the conditions, Wilayah
(recognizing the true successors of the Messenger of Allah, blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny) is also a prerequisite. After mentioning the definition of Islam as being the
confession to Tawhid (Oneness of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He) and the Prophetic
Mission of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and
fulfilling ones religious obligations, Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon
him) went on to say:

; 7࿯ 9&#xFEF
; 7&#xFEF
;&#xFEFB
Iman (means) to recognize and believe in this issue (Wilayah of us, the Ahlul Bait) and if
one testifies to this but does not recognize this issue (the Wilayah of the Ahlul Bait), then he
is a Muslim and he is misguided.24

Investigating a Long Running Dispute

The dispute as to the reality of what Islam and Iman are is a dispute that is long running.
The great teacher of the Shi`a, late Shaikh Mufid (may Allah be pleased with him) in his
precious work Awail al-Muqalat25 has clearly explained the opinion of the Shi`a. Also, the
late scholar `Allamah Majlisi (may Allah be pleased with him), in his discussion on Kufr and
Iman26, has brought forth both verses of the Quran and ahadith in relation to this dispute.
However we bring this discussion to a close by quoting the words of Shahid ath-Thani (may
Allah be pleased with him):
The difference of opinion amongst the Scholars in relation to the meaning of these two
words can be divided into three categories:
Issue 1: Do the words Islam and Iman, from the point of view of their purport and subject
have a different (lexical) meaning or is their substance one and the same?
The answer to this question was made clear in the beginning of this discussion since these
two words, from the point of view of their lexical meaning have two distinct and different

meanings. The reality of Islam is humility, while the definition of Iman is submission,
confirmation and voluntary obedience to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). With this said,
how is it possible to say that the original meaning of these two words whether from the
point of view of their lexical meaning or how they are used in the religion are one and the
same?
Issue 2: In the meanings of these two words, is there a sense of sharing of a common
ground or not? By this we mean that is every true Muslim also a true Mumin and vice-versa
or not?
Answer: If this question is related to the common and prevalent meaning of these two
words, then without doubt the meanings of them would lead us to accept that there is a
relationship and both mean the same thing, since if someone is humble and submits
himself to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), then certainly between himself and that which
is related to him (his body parts), there will also be submission. There are some verses of
the Quran which show that both of these words are equal in meaning:

Then We brought forth such as were therein of the believers. But We did not
find therein save a (single) house of those who submitted (the Muslims).27
However, if this question is related to the final three meanings that were mentioned, then
without doubt the relationship between these two words is that they share some
commonality but also have their own independent meanings. By this we mean that
everyone who has true faith (Iman) is a Muslim, however not all Muslims have true faith
(Iman).
In the first definition that was given for Iman, it was mentioned that Iman is a firm belief
which is rooted in the heart, whereas in the second definition, it was mentioned that Iman is
to fulfil ones responsibilities. The third interpretation was that Iman means to recognize
and accept the rightful successors of the Prophet; whereas for one to be considered a
Muslim, none of these three things are necessary.
Issue 3. Are the issues that are related to the practical laws of Islam such as purity
(taharah), ones life and wealth being sacrosanct (from other Muslims) and the
permissibility to eat meat that has been slaughtered by such a person and the other rulings
in Islam specific to the one who has Iman or even to the one who professes Islam?
Answer: If this question is related to the common and prevalent meaning of these two
words, then we must state that the issue of the practical laws of Islam are simply related to
submission and the apparent obedience to Islam. Thus, it is not necessary to delve deep
into the inner submission of the heart and true acceptance of the teachings.
However if this question is in relation to the other three meanings of these two words,
especially the first meaning that Islam is related to the apparent testimony and that faith is
an internal issue rooted in the heart, then it must be stated that the practical laws of Islam

are limited to only that Islam not Iman. This reality can easily be seen by looking
through the history of the life of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) and the ahadith of his successors.
In the beginning days of Islam, anyone was able to openly testify to their acceptance of
Islam even if they did not have such a belief in their hearts and their submission was
accepted and the laws of Islam were applicable to them. Imam Ja`far ibn Muhammad asSadiq (peace be upon him) has said:

&; #xFEFB;9&#xFEF
; 7&#xFEF
.;9&#xFEF
One who accepts Islam, his blood will be sanctified (he cannot be killed); anytime he gives
you a trust, it must be returned; and (sexual) relations are made permissible (after
marriage), however the reward (from Allah) is limited to Iman (true faith).28
In another tradition, Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has said:

&; #xFEFB

&; #xFEFB
I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no creature or
entity worthy of worship except for Allah, and when they say this then at that time, their
blood and property are sacrosanct.29
1. This topic has been thoroughly explained by this author in his commentary of Surah al-Munafiqun under verse
number 4 that reads:
They are your enemies so then beware of them
2. Surah al-An`am (6), Verse 14.
3. Surah al-Hajj (22), Verse 34.
4. Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 67.
5. Surah al-Baqarah (2), Verse 133.
6. Surah al-Anbiya (21), Verse 108.
7. Surah al-An`am (6), Verse 163.
8. Surah Yunus (10), Verse 90.
9. Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 19.
10. Ibid., Verse 85.
11. Ibid., Verse 64.
12. Surah al-Baqarah (2), Verse 128.
13. Surah al-Hajj (22), Verse 78.
14. Surah al-Baqarah (2), Verse 108.
15. Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 167.
16. Surah at-Tawbah (9), Verse 23.
17. Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 114.
18. Surah al-Baqarah (2), Verse 2.
19. Surah al-`Ankabut (29), Verse 47.

20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.

Surah al-Maidah (5), Verse 41.

Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 68, Page 246.
Ibid., Page 262.
Ibid., Page 270.
Usul al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 24.
Page 15.
Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 68, Page 225-301.
Surah al-Dhariyat (51), Verse 35 & 36.
Al-Mahasin, Page 285.
Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 68, Page 262.

Self-Sacrifice in Order to Reach Ones

Objectives
( Verse 15 )

Without doubt the true believers are only those who have faith in Allah and His
Messenger (Muhammad) and then do not change their belief into doubt, and (the
believers are those) who struggle with their wealth and their lives in the way of
Allah. Surely it is these people alone who are the truthful ones.
The style of the Quran is such that when discussing an issue, it puts forth the clearest
proofs and it follows this method when it elucidates on the practical laws and issues related
to society. Within its communications, the Quran also introduces both logical proofs and
the traits which are within our innate disposition and in a majority of instances, its
directives are not propounded as simply matters of submission.1
Many times during the course of a persons research, a scholar will view a verse of the
Quran as an isolated, independent issue, separate from that which came before it.
However after careful study, he will realize that the issue which he is studying is not
independent; rather the aim and intention of the contents of the verse he was studying was
to elucidate and draw his attention to a previously mentioned fact, and this point is
absolutely clear for the person who has a deep love for the Quran.
The verse under discussion is of this type and although the plan and design of this verse is
to explain some of the signs of a person of true faith, however in reality it explains the
causes why the tribe of Bani Asad must say:

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(Rather say) that we submit (as Muslims) since true faith has not yet entered
into your hearts.
Why does the Quran say this? It is because people who possess true faith can be
distinguished through the following characteristics:
1. They have firm faith in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His Messenger (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) and this is deeply rooted in the bottom of their hearts.
2. They do not allow doubt or scepticism to enter into their hearts.
3. They offer sacrifices in the way of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
Were these characteristics within them (the tribe of Bani Asad)? Without doubt, they were
not. This was said because the outward show of their actions illustrated that they had not
yet developed true faith in the bottom of their hearts and there was still doubt and
scepticism in them and thus, they were not willing to give up their life and wealth in the
way of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
Now, we offer an explanation of the third characteristic:
One of the signs of a person who possesses true faith is that he is unselfish and selfsacrificing. Such a person is constantly struggling with his life and property toward his goals
and the action and behaviour of one are brought forth through his manner of thinking and
his beliefs.
If the beliefs of a person in relation to something reach to such a level that they overtake
the importance of his own life, property and his entire existence, then without doubt he will
exert as much energy that is needed to reach and protect his goals and will be ready to
give up everything (to reach to such an aim).
Principally, true faith and belief in something would produce such a strong love and
affection in a person that sometimes without his own volition he would express his love for
that thing. It goes without saying that love is an internal, conscious feeling that makes a
person act in a particular way out of its own desire.
The power and force that this emotion has on the internal conscious of a human being and
the wave of excitement that love and affection bring about in a persons life can never be
explained or brought about with proof or logic.
Sometimes, it could be that countless points of logic and other sorts of proof could be
brought forward to crush the internal feelings and emotions of a person, however when
those same feelings become stronger and more powerful in the (spiritual) heart, then they
uncontrollably take over a person and thus the person is left to submit to his powerful inner
emotions.
For example, sometimes it may be impossible to get even one dollar from a person who has
a strong love and affinity to money and wealth however when his child falls victim to an
illness, then the natural instinct within himself that forces him to love his child takes
precedence over his love for wealth. In such an instance, it is possible that he would even
give away half of his wealth just to have his child cured from a sickness!
The feelings and inner desires, rather all of the innate characteristics of a human being

bring about an intense form of (spiritual) movement and motion in a person, and if these
emotions and feelings are not controlled and channelled in a proper manner, then truly the
person would transgress many boundaries and limits.
When we look at the self-sacrifice of people during the passing of time, we see individuals
who in an urge to push their own goals and aims forward, became so uncontrollable and
illogical that they ended up losing their own respect and dignity just to make sure that their
goals were achieved.
It is because of this fact that it is said they have true faith in the bottom of their hearts for
the goals that they were trying to reach towards and their faith created such a strong sense
of love within themselves that without even calculating the outcome of their acts, they
ended up sacrificing everything to reach to their goals and without any control, were pulled
towards reaching it. If we see that at the final stages of their lives they even ended up
forgetting their spouses and children and were still trying to pursue their goals, then it is
because of this reason.
Sa`d Rabi` was one of the self-sacrificing companions of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) who possessed a heart that was overflowing with faith
and sincerity. During the battle of Uhud, he fell to the ground with a staggering twelve
injuries to his body and was in a state of giving up his life when the Prophet (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny) commanded another believer to go and investigate the
state of Sa`d Rabi` and to bring him back the real news of how he was.
Zaid ibn Thabit found this companion of the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) amongst the others who had been killed on the battle field and (just before he
died), he proceeded to ask how he was doing, to which Sa`d replied in the following
manner:
Tell the Prophet that there are only a few moments left in the life of Sa`d and may Allah
give you, O Messenger of Allah, the best reward that one who is a Prophet is entitled to
receive. He then went on to say, Convey my greetings to the companions of the Prophet
and tell them that anytime any sort of injury or harm is inflicted on the Prophet and they
are living then they must ask forgiveness from Allah for this.2
There is no love or affection greater than the love that true faith brings about in a person,
since the person who has such a faith will be so drowned in the glory and beauty of the one
that he loves and will strive to reach his goal, that he would be willing to give up his entire
life to attain that which he loves, and will forget everything else around him.

The Areas Where Love is of No Use

Each and every person has been created with a specific inclination or set of emotions within
him. This spiritual blessing exists in all people however with a variance in its levels amongst
people. Amongst all of the various levels that exist, women are the focal point of this
inclination and it is their hearts which are full of love and affection.
One time, a Muslim woman of Madinah was told that three of her loved ones were killed in
the battle of Uhud. This woman mounted a camel and proceeded towards the area where
the battle of Uhud had taken place so that she could go and bring the bodies of her
deceased ones back home for burial. On the return back to Madinah, she was carrying the
three bodies with her on the camel and was getting ready to enter into the city.

Half way to the city, she met up with one of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (blessings
of Allah be upon him and his progeny). This wife of the Prophet asked the lady how the
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) was doing.
This selfless woman - with a clear face resembling one who had not even seen the smallest
difficulty who was holding the ropes of the camel in one hand and was covered in the
blood of the martyrs that were on the camel being transported back, said to the wife of the
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), I have good news for you and
that is that the Prophet is alive and safe and because of this great blessing, all other trials
and tribulations seem to be insignificant, trivial things!
The wife of the Prophet asked this lady, Whose bodies are those? The lady replied, The
one body is that of my husband, the second is that of my son and the third is my brothers.
I am taking them all back to Madinah to have them buried there.3
What factors were responsible for this display of self-sacrifice and unselfishness in ones
aim and purpose that flowed through this woman? How is it possible that such a true faith
and strong affection to the true visage of Tawhid could be present in the heart of a person
such that her innate inclinations of motherhood could be kept under such control?!

True Faith Takes the Place of the Forces of Equality

One of main reasons for the victories during the previous wars is the superiority of the
military forces or at least being at par or balance with the opposing side. By this we mean
that each side of the conflict would try their best to make sure that the number of soldiers
and quantity of weapons would be equal with the opposing side so that there would be
some equality between the two armies.
However in relation to the wars that are fought to defend the sanctity of an ideology and
teachings in which the soldiers are equipped with true faith, inner desires, wishes and
through their spiritual stimulants which make them go towards the enemies, at no time can
equality (of military strength) be the classification for victory.
Rather, there have been people who were small in number and insignificant (from the point
of view of strength) that were victorious over a large group of people and it was the power
of their soul and spirit that made them victorious over their well-equipped enemy.
For example, in the Battle of Badr, the forces of the idol worshippers were three times that
of the Muslim forces. In addition, the entire force of the enemy was armed to the teeth with
weapons and had enough troops mobilized (to win the battle). Before the flames of war
erupted between these two groups, the elders of the Quraish requested one of the bravest
men to go and count the number of companions of Muhammad (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny).
With his swift horse, he circled the camp of the Muslim army and returned with the
following report: The number of fighters with Muhammad does not exceed more than 300
people and there are no other people behind them that could be used to ambush us.
However, I also tried to study their mental and spiritual state and found that they have
brought death and destruction from Madinah as a gift for you all!
The man continued: I saw a group of people who have nothing except for a sword to use
for protection such that until they do not kill one of you, they will not be able to be killed.

When this number of people have killed an equivalent number of you, then their lives will
have no more worth.4
This man found all of the polytheists of the Quraish quiet, however the firm resolve could be
seen on their faces and their snake-like venomous tongue was still in their mouths.
It is because of this that the Quran considers the greatest sign of true faith to be selfsacrifice when it mentions that those people who have true faith are those who as the
Quran puts it: Those who have true faith are those people who have a firm belief in Allah
and His Messenger which is rooted in the bottom of their hearts and are willing to give up
their lives and wealth to reach to their goals, surely it is these people who are the truthful
ones.5

The Generation of Freedom

The second half of the twentieth century has been introduced as the generation of freedom
for the exploited nations of the world. Those nations who for countless years were locked
under the chains of colonization finally awoke and through their intelligence and vigilance,
broke off the chains (of oppression) that were upon them and have proclaimed their
freedom to the entire world.
However the only nations that proved to be successful were those who traversed this path
(of freedom) with true faith and self-sacrifice in all areas of their lives and completely
turned their backs to the colonizing empires of the world. The self-sacrifices of the freed
nation of Algeria and the other countries of Africa are clear examples of this issue.
Today, for the countries who are busy exploiting and colonizing others, there is no fear if a
group of wicked, rebellious people that do not possess any spiritual goal and motives based
on true faith rise up in aggression.
The greatest danger and threat for Imperialism on a national level are the developed
nations which have true faith such that by relying on their faith and spiritual goals that they
have set for themselves, have risen up and even with arrows and rocks, have been able to
remove the colonial forces from their lands. As long as life is flowing through them, they will
never rest for even one moment, and thus their eventual end will be that of victory.
1. By this, it is meant that when the Quran speaks on various issues, it does not make the issue as one that we
must accept without proof or logical arguments and as simply being commandments that we must follow as
Muslims or those who submit to the word of Allah - rather, the Quran tries to explain issues to us through
proofs and reasoning that our minds would understand and accept. (Tr.).
2. Sirah Ibn Hisham, Volume 2, Page 497; Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 20, Page 121.
3. Maghazi, Volume 1, Page 265.
4. Sirah Ibn Hisham, Volume 1, Page 622; Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 19, Page 251.
5. Surah al-Hujurat (49), Verse 15 [Verse Under Discussion].

The Infinite Knowledge of Allah

( Verse 16 )


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Say (to the people O Muhammad): Do you wish to teach Allah about your Din
(complete way of life) whereas Allah knows all that is contained in the Heavens
and all that is upon the Earth; and surely Allah has complete knowledge of
everything.
The all-encompassing knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) over all of the
creations of the world is referred to by various words and phrases in many places in the
Quran. One such phrase which is employed is:

...
complete knowledge of everything.
This phrase has been mentioned in the above verse under discussion and has also been
repeated in over twenty other instances in the Quran. This sentence and other such
examples negate any sort of ignorance on the part of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in
relation to any affair of even the smallest size. The Quran has not stopped at this sentence
and in other verses as well, the encompassing knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is
He) has also been explained:

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Not even the weight of an atom that is within the Heavens nor in the Earth is
hidden from Him.1

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Surely there is nothing that is hidden from Allah whether it be in the Earth or in
the Heaven.2

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And with Him (Allah) are the Keys of the Unseen. No one knows them (the
Secrets of the Unseen) except for Him (Allah). And He (Allah) knows all that is on
the land and all that is in the seas and there is not even a single leaf that falls
except that He has full knowledge of it and there is also not a single dry thing
that is hidden in the darkness of the Earth, nor anything that is wet or dry,
except that (all of these) are preserved in a Clear Book.3
Is there a more expressive way that these (verses of the Quran) can explain the
comprehensive knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) over all of the creations?
In one of his lectures, Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) has
elucidated on the comprehensive knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) over all of
His creations of the world in the following manner:

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He (Allah) knows of the cries of the beasts in the forest; the sins of the servants while they
are in seclusion and the movements of the fish in the deep seas and the rising of the water
by the tempestuous winds.4

Proofs of Allahs Never-Ending Knowledge

Through various ways and methods available to them, the scholars and experts of Islamic
Theology have proven the knowledge and wisdom of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
ranging from the smallest of creations to the phenomenon of the world, as well as the
secrets of the creation, and of these, we mention two.

First Proof for the Comprehensive Knowledge of Allah (Glorified and

Exalted is He):
1. Without doubt, the designer of a machine has knowledge of even the most intricate
workings of what he has manufactured. Is it possible to say that, The manufacturer of a
plane is unaware of a scientific or technical aspect of his design?! Or, is it possible that the
author of an encyclopaedia would not know what the contents of his own work are?!

In our previous discussion, we elucidated on the fact that if the presence of a creation
proves that there was a creator to bring that thing about; and similarly the characteristics
of the thing created give witness to the specific characteristics of the creator who has
brought the thing into being, then any time the created thing is studied in detail in relation
to its blue-print of creation, size, organization and arrangement of creation, then without
doubt it would have to be said that the creator of that thing must be one who possesses
knowledge - such that through his extensive knowledge, we was able to bring about such a
thing.
Therefore, seeing as to how all of the creations of the world from the atoms to the stars in
the sky have all been created according to a set plan and certain organized conventional
rules, and day by day mankind is discovering the unity and harmony of the Universe and is
becoming more and more aware (of its surroundings), therefore we must say that the world
of creation has taken its beginnings from a very Learned and All-Knowing source that has
complete knowledge of all the particularities. Thus, He has created all of them in
accordance with His pre-prepared plan.
The existing order of every leaf from all of the leaves in creation; of every atom from all of
the innumerable atoms; every particle from the particles that make up the human being;
every cell from amongst all of the cells of living creatures; every star from amongst the
stars in the heavens - all point to the organization and order that exists and bears witness
to the fact that the Creator of all of these things and all of their specifics that they possess,
can only be the one All-Knowing (Allah). Therefore, it is impossible to think that the world of
creation would come about without an All-Knowing Creator.

Guidance from the Quran on the First Proof

The Noble Quran has explained this proof in a very subtle manner and the creation of
mankind has been used as the evidence of the knowledge of the Creator where it has been
said:

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What then does He who created (all), and He who is the knower of the
subtleties - the Aware - not know (about His creations?)5
In another verse of the Quran, it has been mentioned that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is
He) is closer to the human being than his own jugular vein:

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Unquestionably We have created mankind and We know what his soul whispers
to him (the evil whisperings) and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.6

As long as my heart is filled with the love of my friend (Allah),
It will always be averse from those who are not my friends.
Absent from the sight (is Allah), however attentive in the heart,
I associate with none but such lovers (of Him).
The eighth Imam, `Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha (peace be upon him) has taken the unity of
creation and organization of the universe, as the proof of the knowledge of a Creator and
has stated:

.
The world of creation has been made firm and solid through His plan based on wisdom and
everything has been placed in its rightful place through His knowledge.7

Second Proof for the Comprehensive Knowledge of Allah (Glorified

and Exalted is He):
2. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the One who is everywhere (at all times) and has
complete knowledge of all periods and all things.
The second proof for the vast knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His
complete perception of all of the creations and events that are occurring in the universe - is
the comprehensive knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) in relation to the origins
and beginnings of the universe of creation and Him being unlimited and unrestricted.
The being which is unlimited and which is in all places at all times and sees all of the
creations, is naturally more knowledgeable than anything else in existence. However, if
such an entity was limited to the physical world and was imprisoned only to the limits of
space, then it would not be possible for that being to have (complete) knowledge and be
fully aware of all things.8
In summary: There is not a single material creation that is independent of the sphere of
time and the radius of existence and every single creation that is under the cover and
control of time is limited to that restricted sphere of time which it is contained in.
Thus, it is not possible that any creation can occupy a previous or future period of time,
other than its own and without doubt a creation has no way of being acquainted with
events that have occurred in the past or in the future (through their own free will).
However, if we were able to smash through the prisons of time and space and go into the

sphere which is beyond time, then yesterday and today would have absolutely no meaning.
Thus, time as we know it and the events that take place within it (both in the past and
future) would be accessible to the person just as if the event was happening in his own
present time.
Every single material creation maintains its existence in its specific place and fills a specific
location and with this said, if something exists between him and something near to him,
then this thing would be said as being close (to him); and if there was something that was a
great distance from him, then it would be said that the thing is far (from him). However if a
being was able to break through the prisons of time and was able to make himself needless
of residing in a specific place and could place himself with a world higher than that of
space, then for him there would be no meaning of something being close or far.
In order to make this point more clear, we relate the following examples:
Example 1: Imagine a microscopic insect that possess a limited field of vision walking
upon a colourful rug. At any point in time, this insect can only see one pattern and one
specific colour (that is in front of him) and has knowledge of only that one particular spot on
the rug.
Thus, it has no knowledge of another spot which is out of the ability of his sight and
therefore he is completely unaware of it. However a human being that is standing beside
the rug and can see the complete rug with all of its colours and patterns which is
completely opposite to how the insect can see it - has knowledge of the complete rug.
Example 2: Imagine that we are sitting on the bank of a large river, along with a group of
friends, watching the waves come in and are observing the movement of the water. At any
single moment, we are witnessing a new wave and movement of water, however we do not
have complete knowledge of all of the waves and all the water from where this river begins
up to the sea where the river drains into.
The reason for this limited knowledge is because of the limited area that we are in which
makes up the space which we occupy. If we were to go on a plane and fly over the river,
then at that time we would be able to see many different sections of the river and we would
also be able to see all of the waves and the flowing water that is in this river.
Example 3: Imagine once again that we are sitting in a small room which has only one
small window through which we can see the outside world. All of a sudden, a caravan of
camels carrying large loads passes by our room. From this small window, at any particular
instance in time, we cannot see more than one camel. However a person who is on the roof
of the house would be able to see the entire caravan at one time.
The condition of mankind in relation to the past and the future is the same as the person
who is watching the caravan of camels through a small window. However the situation of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) who is free from material essence and thus is not limited
to place, and in addition does not have any sort of limit in relation to time and space is
present everywhere and sees everything in creation, which can be compared to a person
who is sitting on the roof of his house and thus, can see everything that is around him
(though this even is limited for a human being).
Therefore, we must state that His essence is not limited, and His being is present in all
places at all times, and He is not limited to time or place. Thus, there is not a single time or

place which is free from Him. He himself bears witness that His comprehensive knowledge
encompasses all creations, and all events that have happened in the past, and those that
will come in the future, are known to Him.

The Knowledge of God in the Tawrat

The Quran elucidates on the complete, All-Encompassing Knowledge of Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) as has been mentioned. In comparison however, it is worthwhile to take a
look at the Tawrat and see how this book introduces God. In the Tawrat, we read the
following:
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the
garden?
2 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God
did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you
must not touch it, or you will die.
4 You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil.
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they
sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife
heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called
to the man, Where are you?
10 He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I
hid.
11 And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I
commanded you not to eat from?
12 The man said, The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the
tree, and I ate it.
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said,
The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, Cursed are you
above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat
dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

16 To the woman he said, I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you
will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
17 To Adam he said, Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, You must not eat of it, Cursed is the ground because of you; through
painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for
you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your
food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to
dust you will return.
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. 21
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the
Lord God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must
not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever.
23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which
he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the
Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to
the tree of life.9
This is the God which the Tawrat introduces that when Adam hid in the garden, God had no
knowledge where he was and thus, He was forced to call out to him that, Adam, where are
you? This is the sort of God who does not know if Adam had eaten from the tree of
wisdom; a God that forbids His servants from eating from the tree of knowledge and
understanding; a God that fears that Adam will - without His knowledge - eat from the tree
of perpetual life; a God that in order to stop Adam and his wife from reaching to the tree of
everlasting life, hires Angels to be as police to guard the tree!
However, the God that is described in the Quran is One that has complete knowledge of
that which is in the Heavens and the Earth; He also knows what is in the hearts of His
creations and those of the desert `Arabs who claimed to have true faith in their hearts were
told that:

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Do you wish to teach Allah about your Din (complete way of life) whereas Allah
knows all that is contained in the Heavens and all that is upon the Earth
The God that the Quran introduces is completely opposite of the God that the Tawrat
mentions and with complete clarity, the Quran states that:

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And He (Allah) taught Adam all of the names

Thus, the verses of the Quran have introduced Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) as One
who is completely free from all sorts of stinginess and miserliness in relation to teaching
and educating His servants of the truths of the universe.
With this summary, the relation between the previous verse and the verse under discussion
is clear and it is unambiguous that this verse explains the comprehensive knowledge of
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) over everything that is hidden and the apparent
phenomenon in creation and thus, nullifies the claims and assertions of the desert `Arabs.
1. Surah al-Saba (34), Verse 3.
2. Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 5.
3. Surah al-An`am (6), Verse 59.
4. Nahjul Balagha, Khutbah 193.
5. Surah al-Mulk (67), Verse 14.
6. Surah Qaf (50), Verse 16.
7. Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 4, Page 58.
8. In the upcoming sections, we will discuss further the issue of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) being free
from the physical world and His being free from time and space.
9. Genesis, Chapter 3 [The Fall of Man], extracted verbatim from the New International Version (NIV) of the Old
Testament found on www.biblegateway.com [13].

The Greatest Blessing

( Verse 17 )

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(The Bedouins tell you O Muhammad that) you owe them (a great deal) for their
embracing (the religion of Islam). Say to them (O Muhammad, blessings of Allah
be upon him and his progeny) that, You are not doing me any favour by
embracing Islam. In fact, it is Allah who has done a great favour to you by
guiding you to the true faith. (Think about this) if you are people of truth.
The services of the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and
the Noble Quran that he brought to the world of humanity can never be forgotten. The
value of this service can only be made clear when we study the thoughts, beliefs, customs
and traditions of the nations at that time in history (leaving aside those animalistic nations
and civilizations who possessed no culture) and compare these to the lofty goals and
teachings of Islam and the blessings that the nations of the world were given due to the
influence of the Islamic teachings. At this time would the value of the services that the
teachings of Islam conferred upon the human society be made evident for all to see.
Eventually from the depths of their hearts, mankind will have to acknowledge that the

superior teachings of the Quran and the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) are the greatest blessings of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
Eventually, people will have to confirm that it is these teachings which is protecting the
future generations, the culture of humanity and is the connection that lies between the old
and new civilizations. It is this truth that has been mentioned in the Quran by Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) when He said:

&; #xFEFB

&; #xFEFB
Certainly Allah granted a great favour to the believers when He raised up from
amongst their own people a Messenger (Muhammad, blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) to recite to them His (Allahs) signs, to purify them (of
moral defects), to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, and before this they had
surely lived in manifest error.1
We simply need to take a cursory glance at the past history of mankind, especially in those
parts of the world in which the life-giving call of Tawhid and the prophetic missions of the
appointed leaders of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) had not reached and then judge for
ourselves to what extent Islam has helped and assisted the world of humanity.
The country of India - which is a vast region and from the point of view of being a machinedriven society - is one of the most advanced countries in the East, however their
government and nation still are held captive to the authority of the sacred cow.
Some time back, in order to prevent a massive famine and starvation which was placing the
lives of its people in danger, the government gave the permission to kill cows (for food),
however mass confusion engulfed the entire country which was followed up with fierce
fighting and riots! Due to this, one of the ministers of the Government was fired from his
job and thus the state of the country and the government in power was made unstable!2
There is not a single person in all of India who enjoys the same level of freedom, respect
and character as the sacred cow does and it suffices us to mention this final point that
many times, it has been seen that from out of nowhere, a cow will come and sit in the
middle of the street and behind him, a large line-up of cars will be waiting (for the cow to
move).
The police will not interfere in this issue nor would anyone else have the courage to touch
the cow or cause him any sort of discomfort. Thus in the end, it is up to the cow and his
own intentions to decide when he will get up and move out of the way, ending this
inconvenience to the people.
If the cow was to sit down on the railway tracks, the train operator would be obliged to
apply the breaks and stop there in waiting until the cow gets up and moves away on his
own free will, thus removing this inconvenience from the passengers in the train!

The number of sacred cows in this country is well over 150,000,000. Just picture for one
minute if all of these cows were completely free (to do as they want) and were at peace
(with whatever they were doing) - what would be the outcome?
Without doubt they would destroy all the farms. They would manage to eat up the food that
is earmarked for hundreds of millions of people for the upcoming years and in the end who
knows what the outcome would be? Nothing. In addition, when these cows die, their
corpses must be disposed of in such a way (that does not show any disrespect for them)
and this too creates great headaches for the people.
Another point of amazement to us is that how is it possible for humanity - who have
ascended into the heavens on the wings of knowledge and intelligence to be so separated
from the teachings of the Heavenly Prophets and show such humility and humbleness to a
cow!
How do we know that if the call of the life-saving teachings of Tawhid had not reached our
country we too may have fallen into this same state or even worse? How do we know that if
the Noble Quran and the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)
- with the logic that (they brought) that knocked sense into us and that unseen self-sacrifice
- had not stood up against the idols and the various types of idol worshipping, that today,
just like a large number of people of the world and those countries that are around us who
have beliefs such as the cow-worshippers of India, fire-worshippers, sun worshippers, those
who worship rocks and pieces of wood that we too would have not have been as they are?
The country of Japan is one of the most advanced countries in the world today. The
products of this country are in competition in the free market with the goods made in
America and the European countries; however this nation, which has reached to and
conquered the machine age are so engulfed in shameful thoughts and imaginations such
that the pen is even ashamed to write such things.
One of the businessmen of our country (Iran) who has been quite active in trade and
commerce in Japan for some time now once said, Unfortunately, the majority of the people
of the nation of Japan are idol worshippers and for every event that comes up in their lives,
they believe that a separate god and creator is responsible for that event and they attribute
it to him.
For example, they have fashioned a god of rain, a god of war and a god of peace, etc One
of their gods is the god that brings a man to a woman who is looking to get married. In the
idol-worshipping centres of this country, these idols are made to resemble shocking and
repulsive shapes; for example (the god that they believe helps a woman find her mate)
actually resembles what they think such a god would look like. Women who are single
actually pay visitation to this place at specific times and ask their requests from such
things!
This act shows the level and degree of intelligence of a nation who has penetrated through
the realms of the heavens and has explored deep into the oceans and whose entire life and
existence has been changed through technology and expertise.
Through a cursory glance at this scene and by studying this part of the world which has
been deprived of the spiritual bounties of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), do we still fail
to recognize the service and benefits that Islam has brought to civilization?

Seeing as how Ja`far ibn Abi Talib had observed - from close up - the corruption that idol
worshipping had brought and the dangers that were brought about by being distanced from
the teachings of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), when the ruler of Habasha (present day
Ethiopia) asked him about the true visage of Islam, he replied in the following manner:
O King, we were an unenlightened people plunged in ignorance. We worshipped idols, we
ate animals that died on their own, and we committed many other abominations. We broke
the natural ties (of family) and mistreated our neighbours and the strong amongst us
exploited the weaker ones.
We lived in this manner until Allah raised among us a Prophet of noble birth and lineage,
truthfulness, honesty and purity that we were all aware of. He invited us to acknowledge
the Unity of Allah and to worship Him and to renounce the stones and idols that our
forefathers and we ourselves used to venerate.
He enjoined us to speak the truth, to redeem our pledges, to be kind and considerate to our
kin and neighbours; he forbade and told us to refrain from every vice including bloodshed,
shamelessness, lies, deceit and told us not to encroach upon the rights of the orphans nor
to vilify chaste women.
He commanded us to pay divine homage to Allah alone and never associate others with
Him; he ordered us to offer prayers, to pay the Zakat, to observe the fast (thus
enumerating other injunctions of Islam).
We acknowledged his truthfulness and believed in him; we followed him in whatever he
brought from Allah and we worshipped only One God without associating anything or
anyone else with Him; we treated as unlawful what he prohibited and accepted what he
made lawful for us.
From then on, we were estranged from our own people such that they persecuted us, tried
to seduce us from our faith and forced us to take back the idols as our gods and they even
compelled us to return to the abominations we had committed earlier. So when they
tortured us and held us under their tyranny and stood between us and our religion, we fled
to your country having chosen you above all others for refuge. We have come here, O King,
to your land seeking your protection and we hope that we shall not be dealt with unjustly.3
Since Ja`far ibn Abi Talib and those who were with him had seen the manifestation and
outcome of not subscribing to a religion and the state of those who were free in their
(religious) practices, they realized the true importance of the teachings of Islam and thus
considered it even more worthy than their own lives.
However, those people who have been born into a religious and spiritual family and have
not had to travel the difficult path to find religion, nor have they been abused and had
wounds inflicted upon them in this path to the point where their blood has been shed,
would never understand the true importance that religion has and the important role that it
plays in the improvement and well-being of a society.

 !
A rainy night and the scary ocean swells with uneasy storms,
The light rain on the coasts can never know this (turbulent) state.
The Quran considers religion as being the greatest spiritual blessing that has been given to
mankind:

And recall (O Muslims) the blessings of Allah that were showered upon you
during the time when you were enemies of one another and (through the
blessings of Allah) He united your hearts.4
On the day that the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) made known
his Wasi (successor), the revelation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) came down to him
and referred to this event (18th of Dhul Hijjah) as the greatest blessing:

...
This day (18th of Dhul Hijjah) have I (Allah) completed your religion for you and
have I perfected upon you My bounties.5
The `Arabs that lived in the desert imagined that by simply accepting Islam, they had done
a service to the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and
through this act of theirs, they felt as if they had put an obligation upon the Prophet
(blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny).
However, if they had truly and sincerely accepted Islam, then at the first level (of their
submission) they would have derived much benefit, since the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) would have been obligated to grace and bless them since they
had chosen the path of happiness and the road to complete perfection just as it has been
mentioned in the Quran:

;9&#xFEF
Rather, it is Allah who has laid upon you an obligation by guiding you to the
faith.6
One of the distinctions of the Quran is that there is not a single instance in which it

neglects to mention any detail or aspect and it tackles every issue that it speaks about from
various different aspects. For example, in the verse under discussion, when it is mentioned
in regards to the desert `Arabs and their apparent acceptance of the religion of Islam and
attributing this as being Iman or true faith, the Quran then says:

;9&#xFEF
by guiding you to the faith.
And immediately it ends with the following sentence:

...
if you are truthful.
By this it is meant that attributing true faith (Iman) to these people is something that they
themselves had said in regards to their own souls, but in the opinion of the Quran, true
faith (Iman) had not yet entered into their hearts.
By the Quran mentioning this condition, it removes any kind of contradiction that might be
imagined in relation to this verse and the previous verse (verse number 14) since in the
14th verse of this Surah, it is clearly mentioned that these people had accepted Islam
however they were devoid of true faith (Iman).
Thus, if in this verse they were to be counted amongst the ranks of the Believers (Muminin)
which is the greatest blessing of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), then it is only due to the
fact that this is what they themselves claimed about their own souls and it is for this reason
that immediately, the Quran replies to them that:

...
if you are truthful.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 164.

Various Newspaper articles.
Sirah of Ibn Hisham, Volume 1, page 336 (adapted from the translation found on www.islamvision.org [14]).
Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 103.
Surah al-Maidah (5), Verse 5.
Surah al-Hujurat (49), Verse 17.

Knowledge of the Unseen

( Verse 20 )

; 7&#xFEF

Certainly Allah has (complete) knowledge of that which is hidden in the Heavens
and the Earth and Allah is the One who Sees what all of you (His creations) do.
The lexical meaning of the word hidden ( )is something that is covered. Anything that
is hidden or concealed from us - whether this is something physical which is discernable by
the senses or something that is Divine, however it has been clothed with the physical
(world) and is far from being discernable by our senses - is referred to as being of the
hidden ().
Those events that have occurred in the past or the events that will come about in the
future, even if on their own are things which can be recognized by our senses, however in
the present time they are outside of our jurisdiction, are also clear examples of what is
considered as unseen ().
Those affairs that naturally cannot be discerned by our senses and which are far above that
which mankind is able to discern or understand with his limited ability of perception such as
the Essence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) or His Characteristics; the reality of the
raising up from the graves and many other things are all issues that are related to the
Knowledge of the Unseen and it is only Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) who has complete
knowledge of these things.
Until that time that mankind does not understand and unlock the mysteries of the universe,
method of creation, the rules that govern the world of creation, and does not gain
knowledge of these things, all of these will continue to remain as issues related to the
unseen, which maybe slowly and gradually will enter into the knowledge of mankind.
The tiny and minute creations and also the large creatures that exist around us - both those
that live on the land and in the depths of the oceans which are scattered around - have all
been created according to their own disciple and order, and all of these will remain as
issues of the unknown. This is the point which has been alluded to in this verse when He
(Glorified and Exalted is He) says:

;7&#xFEF
And to Allah belong the unknown secrets of the Heavens and the Earth.
From this verse of the Quran and many other verses, we realize that the only One who has

complete Knowledge of the Unseen is Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He):

&; #xFEFB&; #xFEFB

And with Him are the keys of the Unseen that no one knows except for Him.1

;7&#xFEF&; #xFEFB
&; #xFEFB
Say (O Muhammad) no one has knowledge of that which is hidden in the
Heavens and the Earth except for Allah.2
Without doubt, Knowledge of the Unseen which is specifically limited to Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) and not a single person shares in this knowledge, is the comprehension of
the Essence and Pre-Existence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) which He has not
received from anywhere rather, this is His actual essence and He is free from all sorts of
possible obligations, limits and confines.
However, by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) limiting the allocation of such Knowledge of
the Unseen to Himself it does not mean that at times, some of His specific servants cannot
be acquainted with some of this hidden knowledge by them. It has been mentioned in
regards to the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) that:

;&#xFEFB&; #xFEFB

The Knower of the Unseen (Allah) so then He does not make known what is
hidden to a single person except those whom He is pleased with from amongst
His Messengers.3
According to the clear reading of this verse of the Quran, the Prophet (blessings of Allah be
upon him and his progeny) had been permitted to have the Knowledge of the Unseen by
the permission of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and thus he had been informed of
hidden events and issues that would come to pass.
This issue is not only limited to the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) - rather according to the clear verses of the Quran, even Prophet `Isa ibn Mariam
al-Masih (peace be upon them) was acquainted with a great deal of information that had
come from the Knowledge of the Unseen. The Quran quotes him as saying to the people:


And I inform you of what you eat (even though I have not seen you eating) and
that which you store in your houses.4
Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him), the Leader of the Prophets (Shaikhul Anbiya), was one
of those people who requested Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to destroy the people of
his community (due to the sins they were committing). In relation to the outcome of his
people and that of his own children, he was informed (given Knowledge of the Unseen) that:

; 7&#xFEF&; #xFEFB
;&#xFEFB&; #xFEFB

(And Nuh said) O my Lord! Do not leave upon the Earth any dweller from
amongst the unbelievers for surely if You leave them, they will lead Your
servants astray and will not beget any but immoral, ungrateful (children).5
In addition, in three separate incidents that occurred, the travel companion of Prophet Musa
(peace be upon him) - meaning Prophet Khidhr (peace be upon him) - informed Prophet
Musa (peace be upon him) of Knowledge of the Unseen.
The first event was when he damaged the ship; the second was when he killed the young
boy; and the third one was when he came across the dilapidated wall in the city which he
rebuilt. In order to remove the surprise and shock of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him),
Prophet Khidr (peace be upon him) proceeded to explain his astonishing actions to him by
detailing the events that would occur in the future that were hidden from the understanding
and knowledge of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) by saying to him:
Since the oppressive ruler of the time was taking away all of the ships of the people and it
was possible that theirs (owner of that ship) too would be taken, I damaged a part of the
ship since I wanted this oppressive king to lose interest in this ship. The young boy that I
killed was due to the fact that if he continued to live, he would have chosen the path of
rebellion and corruption, and continuing in this course of life, he would have ended up
murdering both his mother and father.
I fixed the wall that was almost destroyed since under the wall, there was a buried treasure
that belonged to two orphans. By fixing the wall, I intended to keep the treasure hidden
from the eyes of the people of that city so that in the future, those who owned that wealth
could take it out (and make use of it).6
That which has been mentioned are all examples of events that were hidden and only those
servants of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) which He is pleased and content with were
given knowledge of. These sorts of events occurring can never be interpreted as these
personalities being partners with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) since these two types of

knowledge are different and separate from one another.

The knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the Knowledge of the Unseen is
inherent and is not something that can be acquired it is pre-existent and is in no way
limited or restricted. However, the knowledge of the Prophets and those people who are the
worthy and suitable servants of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is limited and restricted.
After Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) conquered the city of Basrah
(in present day Iraq) and destroyed the power and influence of those who broke their treaty
with him (namely Talhah and Zubair), he then proceeded to inform the people of the events
that would occur in the future in Basrah. One of the companions of the Imam (peace be
upon him) asked him, Do you inform us of the Unseen ) ?)The Imam (peace be upon
him) replied to him as follows:

This is not information of the unseen (that is limited only to Allah and of which no one else
has permission to know), rather that what I say is knowledge that one who possesses
knowledge (the Prophet of Allah) taught me.7
In addition, there are countless narrations that bear witness to the fact that our religious
leaders - the Aimmah (peace be upon all of them) - in certain instances and circumstances,
had informed us of events that would occur in the future.
Of these instances is the Knowledge of the Unseen that Amir al-Muminin `Ali ibn Abi Talib
(peace be upon him) referred to as that which the one who possess knowledge taught
me and obviously such a report and Knowledge of the Unseen can never be construed to
go against the verses of the Quran that speak of the Knowledge of the Unseen being
limited to the Essence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alone.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commanded His Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny) to tell the people the following: I never claim to have Knowledge of the
Unseen and if I had such knowledge, then surely very many bad things would have been
kept away from myself and I would have had much good come to me.

; 8&#xFEF

And had I (Muhammad

) known the unseen I would have had much good (come to me).
8

In another verse of the Quran, the Prophet (Glorified and Exalted is He) is commanded to
say to the people:

&; #xFEFB &; #xFEFB

I (Muhammad) do not say that I have the hidden secrets of Allah with me, nor do
I have Knowledge of the Unseen.9
The purpose of these noble verses is not to show some sort of humility or humbleness in
the Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny); rather this is a truth that the
Quran is elucidating upon and the logical and philosophical reasons and other verses of the
Quran also confirm this belief.
However, it goes without saying that the purpose of these verses by the testimony of the
Quran itself which is currently under study is that specific Knowledge of the Unseen
which none other than Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has access to is the boundless,
limitless Divine Knowledge - meaning the Knowledge of the Essence and Pre-Eternity of
Allah (the knowledge which is the Essence of Allah and is neither an addition to His
Essence, that knowledge which has been with Him for eternity).
Thus, these verses do not negate the Knowledge of the Unseen being provided to the
Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) through Divine revelation or from
the information given to him through the Angels or from some other means that are made
accessible to him as all of these forms of Knowledge of the Unseen are limited and not a
part of his essence - rather, they must be acquired.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) informed Adam, the Father of Humanity, with a series of
truths and Names, that even the Angels were not acquainted with and it is the Angels who
were even prevented from such magnificent knowledge!10
In addition, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) informed the mother of Musa of the outcome
of the struggles of her child.11
He (Glorified and Exalted is He) also informed His final Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon
him and his progeny) of that fact that some of his wives were spreading secrets about him
to others12 - and thus, this is that same Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) who is able to
permit His other righteous servants to be acquainted with the Knowledge of the Unseen.
It is in the greatness of His glory that they are able to (with the permission of Allah), be
informed of the events that have happened in the past and those that will occur in the
future and there is not the smallest amount of doubt either from the point of view of what
our knowledge tells us, nor from the related proofs (Quran and ahadith) in regards to this.

Yahya ibn `Abdullah has said, I was in the presence of Imam Musa ibn Ja`far al-Kadhim and
asked him: Do you have Knowledge of the Unseen? In relation to my question, he become
upset and said to me, From this type of question, the hairs on the body of a person will
stand up! That which we know and we inform you about is the knowledge which has
reached us from the Prophet of Allah.13

and all the praise belongs solely to Allah, the Lord of the Universe

1. Surah al-An`am (6), Verse 59.

2. Surah al-Naml (27), Verse 65.
3. Surah al-Jinn (72), Verse 26.
4. Surah Aali Imran (3), Verse 49.
5. Surah Nuh (71), Verse 26 & 27.
6. Surah al-Kahf (18), Verse 60 82.
7. Nahjul Balagha, Speech 128.
8. Surah al-A`raf (7), Verse 188.
9. Surah Hud (11), Verse 31.
10. Surah al-Baqarah (2), Verse 31 - 33
11. Surah al-Qasas (28), Verse 10.
12. Surah al-Tahrim (66), Verse 13.
13. Rijal al-Kishi, Pages 252-253; Amali of Shaikh Mufid, Third Sitting, Page 493. For a deeper understanding on
the issue of Knowledge of the Unseen, refer to the book, Mafahim al-Quran, Pages 321 to 383. In this section of
the book, a complete discussion in relation to the Knowledge of the Unseen of the Prophet and the Aimmah has
been covered.

Appendix: Explanatory Translation of

Surah al-Hujurat
Explanatory Translation of Surah al-Hujurat (The Rooms) 1
Please note that the Original `Arabic text has been translated and formatted as normal
text, whereas the explanatory translation is in italics. The subscripted number preceding
the text refers to the verse number.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Obedience to the Shari`ah

& #xFEFC;
{1}

1 O you who believe! In the matters of the shari`ah do not go ahead of or take precedence
before Allah and His Messenger and the Imams; and fear the punishment of Allah for such
actions, and be careful of what you say or write about the shari`ah because Allah surely is
All-Hearing and All-Knowing. (During the Occultation of the Present Imam, the same
discipline should be observed by following the most learned mujtahid expert of Islamic
laws of our time.)

& #xFEFC;

& #xFEFC;
{2} & #xFEFC;
2 O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet. After the
death of the Prophet the believers can follow this command of Allah by not voicing their
objections against the laws brought by the Prophet. And do not talk loudly to him as you
talk to one another. Heed to these two commands, lest all your deeds become forfeited in
such a way that you wont even realize it.

{3}
3 Surely those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah are the
people whose souls have been tested by Allah for their piety (tawqa); for them, and for all
those who heed to the above command, is the forgiveness of Allah and a great reward.

ﻼ
{4}

{5}
During the last years of the Prophets life, many individuals and groups came to Madinah to
visit the Prophet. Among these visitors, the Bedouins behaved in such a way that even
Allah did not like it. Whenever they entered the city of Madinah, they would all go to the
Prophets house at the same time and call him out to see him; they did not realize that the

Prophet was entitled to some privacy and rest. 4 Surely most of the people who call you, O
Muhammad, from outside2 the rooms, do not understand. 5 If they waited patiently until
you come out to them, this would be better for them. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Criterion of Truth & Falshood in News

Walid bin `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it of the tribe of Bani Umayyah was sent by the Prophet to the
people of Bani Mustalaq to collect zakat. In pre-Islamic days, Walid and Bani Mustalaq were
enemies of each other. When the people of Bani Mustalaq came to know that Walid is
coming as a representative of the Prophet, they came forward to welcome him. When Walid
saw them from far, he thought that they have come to fight against him because of their
past enmity. Thus he returned to Madinah before even meeting the Bani Mustalaq people.
In Madinah, he reported to the Prophet that, The tribe of Bani Mustalaq had given up Islam
and refused to pay zakat.
When the representatives of Bani Mustalaq came to Madinah to inquire about the strange
attitude of Walid, they found the Prophet very upset with them.
It was in relation to this false report of Walid bin `Uqbah that Allah revealed the following
verse3:

{6}
6 O you who believe! If a sinful person comes to you with news or a report about a person
or people; then ascertain the truth of his report lest you harm a people because of your
ignorance and then regret what you have done. (Therefore think twice before you criticize
any Muslim nation or people when some news concerning it comes from a source which is
unreliable or opposed to Islam.)

Obedience to the Prophet

&;#xFEFA; 8&#xFEF

{7}

{8} & #xFEFC;

7 And O you the believers, know that the Messenger of Allah is among you; if he were to
obey you in most things, for example, in the case of Walid's false report, then surely you
would fall into trouble. But Allah has saved you from trouble by endearing the faith to you,
by adorning it for your hearts and by arousing dislike in you to disbelief, transgression and
disobedience. These people who follow the commands of the Prophet and his rightful
successors are the rightly guided people. 8 This right guidance is a grace from Allah and a
favour and Allah is indeed All-Knowing and Wise.

Islamic Solidarity

; 8&#xFEF

{9}

{10}
9 If two parties of believers, or two people, fight with each other, then don't just stand as
on-lookers, but go forward to make peace between them.
But if one of them refuses to make peace and continues to oppress the other, then you
should fight the oppressor until he agrees to return and heed to the command to Allah.
When the oppressor heeds to the commandments of Allah, then make peace between them
on basis of justice and act with equity. Surely Allah loves those who act with equity.
(Therefore to be "non-aligned" in regards to affairs of the Muslims is an un-Islamic attitude.)
Why should a Muslim brother (or people) bother himself to make peace between two
Muslims? What right does he have to do so? 10 Surely the believers are but brothers,
therefore, if two believers fight each other then you, as brothers, should make peace
between your brothers. And while making peace act justly and fear the punishment of Allah,
so that He may have mercy on you.

Some Moral Rights of Muslims

As the Muslims have been declared brothers of each other, they must respect the rights of
one another. These rights are of reciprocal nature:

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A. 11 O you who believe! People should not laugh at, or make fun of, another people,
because possibly those who are being laughed at may be better, in the view of Allah than
those who laugh. Nor should women laugh at other women because possibly those who are
being laughed at may be better, in the view of Allah, than those who laugh.
B. Do not find fault with your own Muslim brothers, rather pay more attention to selfcriticism and to your own perfection.
C. Do not call one another by bad and insulting nicknames, because calling someone by
bad names after his declaration of the faith is itself a transgression. And those who indulge
in these wrongful acts and do not ask forgiveness for their sins; they are the unjust people.

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D. 12 O you who believe! Avoid most of the suspicious thoughts about other Muslims; for
surely suspicion in some cases is a sin.
E. And do not spy on each other.
F. Nor should some of you back-bite others. Does any one of you like to eat the flesh of his
dead brother?! Surely you abhor it. Suspicion leads to spying and spying in turn leads to
backbiting. Avoidance of suspicion helps in refraining from spying on others and thus
backbiting. So fear the punishment of Allah in violating these rights of a Muslim brother.
Surely Allah is Most-Forgiving and Merciful.

Racism Rejected
One of the most abhorring social features of our present age is racial discrimination. Almost
every country and community suffers from this social disease in varying degrees. Addressing the human society, Allah says:



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13 O you men! We have created you from a male and a female (i.e., Adam and Hawwa),
and then We made you into different races and tribes so that you may know and recognise
each other.
According to Islam, each and every human being is from Adam and Hawwa. Allah divided
them into different tribes and races so that it would be easy to recognise one another. Thus
the difference in race, tribe, colour and language are to facilitate the recognition of each
other.
These physical and material differences cannot be a standard for preference or superiority
of one group over others. Besides knowledge and jihad (in its every sense), the only mark
of distinction in Islam is taqwa i.e., piety and God fearing. Surely the most honourable of
you in Allahs sight is the one who is most pious among you; surely Allah is All-Knowing and
Aware.

Difference Between Islam and Iman: Submission &

Conviction
The Bedouin people of Bani Asad were overcome by famine. They came to Madinah and
declared themselves Muslims. Then they asked the Prophet to give them some of the zakat.
They talked to the Prophet in such a way that it seemed that they had done him a favour by
becoming Muslims, and that he was obliged to help them. It was about them that Allah
says:

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14 The Arabs of the desert say, O Muhammad! We believe in you and your God. Tell
them: You do not believe in me or my Lord, however you should say, We submit
(aslamna) ourselves to your Lord, because the faith (iman) has not yet entered into your
hearts. But if you sincerely obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not diminish anything
from your deeds. Surely Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Therefore, Islam (submission) and Iman (faith, conviction) are two different stages of belief.
Islam is verbal confession, whereas Iman is spiritual conviction; Islam is believing in
Allah and His Messenger by just following others (like parents and society, etc.), whereas

Iman is believing in Allah and His Messenger after achieving conviction about the truth of
Allah and His Messenger.

{15}
The next verse defines the muminin (those who believe with conviction) vis-a-vis the
muslimin (those who verbally submit themselves to Allah).
15 The muminin (believers) are only those who:
believe in Allah and His Messenger, verbally as well as spiritually;
and then they never doubt in their faith because it originates from conviction not blind
following;
and they struggle hard with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah.
These are the truthful believers.

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16 O Muhammad, tell those Arabs that: Are you appraising Allah about your religion by
saying that, We Believe? Allah knows what is in the Heavens and what is in the Earth.
Allah knows all things.

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17 By becoming Muslims, they seem to do you a favour! Tell them that, By becoming
Muslims you do not do me a favour, rather Allah has done you a favour by guiding you to
the faith. This is a fact which you can easily understand if you are truthful.

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18 Surely Allah knows the unseen things of the heavens and the earth, and Allah sees what
you do.
1. We reproduce the explanatory translation of Surah al-Hujurat from the Holy Quran as translated by Sayyid
Muhammad Rizvi [with permission from the translator]. This translation has been extracted from Volume 2 of his
work entitled, An Explanatory Translation of the Holy Quran (ISBN 0-920675-02-6) (Tr.)
2. The original words in `Arabic are min wara` which means from behind; but in accordance with the presentday context, I have translated it as from outside.
3. Al-Zamakhshari, Tafsir al-Kashsaf, Volume 3, Page 129.

Selected Bibliography
Al-Quran Al-Karim
`Amuli, Sharaf Ad-Din, An-Nass wal Ijtihad
Amdi, `Abdul Wahid ibn Muhammad, Ghurar Al-Hikam wa Durrar al-Kalam
Ansari, Shaikh Murtadha, Al-Makasib
Barqi, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid, Al-Mahasin
Baruk, Kamiri, Diseases of the Soul
Biladhari, Ahmad ibn Yahya, Ansabul Ashraf
Faidhh al-Kashani, Mullah Muhsin, Al-Mahjjatul Baydhha
Halabi, `Ali ibn Ibrahim, Sirah Al-Halabi
Hamiri, `Abdul Malik ibn Hisham, Sirah Ibn Hisham
Hamiri, `Abdullah ibn Ja`far, Qurb Al-Isnad
Hawizi, `Abdul `Ali, Nur Ath-Thaqalain
Hilli (`Allamah), Hasan ibn Yusuf, Tadhkiratul Fuqaha
Hurr `Amuli, Muhammad ibn Hasan, Wasail Ash-Shi`a
Ibn Athir, Mubarak ibn Muhammad, Asadul Ghabah
Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir, Bihar Al-Anwar
Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad, Al-Ikhtisas
______, Awailul Muqalat

Nasif, Mansur `Ali, At-Taj

Nishaburi, Muslim ibn Hajjaj, Sahih al-Muslim
Qummi, Shaikh `Abbas, Safinatul Bihar
Qurtubi, Ahmad ibn `Abdul Rabbah, `Aqdul Farid
Radhi, Muhammad (Sayyid Radhi), Nahj Al-Balagha
Waqidi, Muhammad ibn `Umar, Al-Maghazi
Warram, Ibn Abi Faras, Majmu`atul Warram
Zamakshari, Mahmud ibn `Umar, Al-Kashshaf

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