In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

It is by God’s grace that you deal gently with them. Had you been harsh and hard- hearted, they would surely have broken away from you. Therefore, pardon them and pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs.

When you have resolved about a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves those who put their trust in Him. (Verse 159)

In the course of the sūrah’s commentary on the Battle of Uĥud and the attitudes of the Muslim community and other groups towards the way events developed both prior to and during that battle, a few verses are included about the noble personality of Muĥammad, God’s Messenger (pbuh) and the importance of his status as a Prophet to the life of the Muslim community. This demonstrates much of the grace God has bestowed on the Muslim community. While the Prophet’s personality is the known theme of the following verses, certain lines also explain the Islamic method in organising the Muslim community, the basis of this organisation, as well as some basic elements of Islamic philosophy and its importance to human life generally.

We can appreciate the great aspect of Divine grace represented by the high moral standards of the Prophet and his fine manners. He had an easy, gentle, lenient and compassionate nature, which attracted people and established real bonds among them. We also find in this short passage the basic principle governing the life of the Muslim community, namely, consultative government. We have here a clear order to implement this principle of consultation. It is worthy of note that this order is given at a time when consultation appears to have led to bitter consequences. Coupled with the principle of consultative government is that of firm resolution, of implementing, without hesitation, whatever has been decided after consultation. To these two principles is added the most important value of placing our trust in God. There is a distinct conceptual, practical and organisational complementarity provided by these three principles. Moreover, the essence of God’s will and predestination is explained here. All matters start with Him and return to Him. His will is supreme in conducting events and determining results. The passage also warns against treachery and greed, and distinguishes between those who follow what pleases God and those who incur His wrath. This provides a criterion with which to evaluate gains and losses. The passage concludes by emphasising the great bounty God has bestowed on this nation in the form of the message conveyed by the Prophet. Compared to this bounty, everything else appears so small and all suffering can easily be tolerated.

“It is by God’s grace that you deal gently with them. Had you been harsh and hard- hearted, they would surely have broken away from you. Therefore, pardon them and pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs. When you have resolved about a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves those who put their trust in Him.” At this point, the sūrah addresses the Prophet who must have felt uneasy towards his people. Initially they had been enthusiastic to meet their enemy outside Madinah. Shortly afterwards confusion crept into their ranks and one-third of the army withdrew, before the battle had even commenced. Later, they disobeyed his express order and yielded to the temptation of the loot. They weakened when they heard the rumour of his death. Defeated at heart, they turned on their heels, leaving him with a handful of his Companions and the net result was that he was wounded.

He remained steadfast at their rear, calling them to persevere, while they paid no heed to anyone. The Divine address provides consolation to the Prophet and tells the Muslims of God’s limitless grace, manifested in Him sending the Prophet to them. It reminds them of the fact that God has shown them great mercy in giving the Prophet a compassionate nature which makes people’s hearts turn towards him.

The purpose of this address is to enhance the Prophet’s compassion so that he overcomes what disappointment he may feel at their actions. For their part, they will realise how important it is to them that the Prophet is so compassionate. The Divine address tells the Prophet to pardon his Companions and to pray to God to forgive them. He is also called upon to take counsel with them on how important matters should be conducted, in the same way as he consulted them. The consequences of Uĥud must not be allowed to suspend or override the principle of consultative government which is fundamental to Islamic life.

“It is by God’s grace that you deal gently with them. Had you been harsh and hard- hearted, they would surely have broken away from you.” God’s grace was indeed shown to the Prophet and his Companions. It is demonstrated by the fact that the Prophet himself had a compassionate nature which prompted him to take a lenient and gentle attitude towards them. Had he been hard of heart, he would not have won their hearts, nor would they have gathered around him.

People always need compassion, care, a cheerful face and patient forbearance which is not exhausted by other people’s ignorance and weakness. People need someone with a large heart who gives them all he can but asks nothing of them, who shares with them their worries without burdening them with his own. They need someone who will always be caring, sympathetic, loving, content and forbearing.

God’s Messenger had all these characteristics and these were the distinctive aspects of his life among his Companions. He was never angry with anyone; nor was he ever impatient because of their weaknesses. Never did he take for himself anything of the enjoyments of this world; on the contrary, he gave them all that he possessed with a smile and a cheerful heart. His forbearance, compassion, care and sympathy were extended to all. Everyone who came into contact with the Prophet was full of love for him because of what he generously gave of his love.

All this was by God’s grace, which He extended to the Prophet and his followers.

God reminds them of this grace at this particular moment so as to build on it something which is essential to the life of the Muslim community: “Therefore, pardon them and pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs.”

We have here a distinctive order: “Consult with them on the conduct of public affairs.” This principle, which is basic to the Islamic system of government, is established here, even when Muĥammad himself, God’s Messenger, is the one who conducts public affairs. This is, then, a definitive statement which leaves the Muslim community in no doubt that consultation is central to Islamic government. Without it, no system is truly Islamic. What form this consultation takes and how the principle is implemented are matters which can be adapted to the prevailing conditions of any particular Islamic society. Any forms and mechanisms which ensure that consultation is really, not superficially, practised are acceptable to Islam.

The decisive order, “consult with them on the conduct of public affairs” is issued by God to the Prophet at a time when consultation appears to have produced bitter results. Appearances suggested that it was due to consultation that disunity crept in among the Muslims during the events leading to the Battle of Uĥud. By way of a reminder, one group wanted the Muslims to stay in Madinah, where they could easily repel any enemy attacks. Another group wanted to fight the unbelievers outside the city. The resulting disunity was clearly apparent when `Abdullāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl withdrew with no less than one-third of the army, when the enemy was knocking at the gates of Madinah. Moreover, the plan adopted for the defence of Madinah did not appear to be the most sound from a military point of view. It was at variance with what had been learnt from past experience. The Muslims did, however adopt the opposite strategy in the following battle, staying in Madinah and digging a moat around it. Thus, they showed that they had benefited by the lessons of Uĥud.

The Prophet himself was not unaware of the serious consequences which would result from moving out. As a prophet, whose dreams always came true, he had seen in a dream that one of his own household would be killed, and that a number of his Companions would fall in battle. He also said that the dream indicated that Madinah was akin to an impregnable fortress. Under the circumstances, he was entitled to overturn the decision made on the basis of consultation. However, he preferred to go ahead with that decision because the practical establishment of the fundamental principle of consultation, and allowing the Muslim community to learn hard lessons through its implementation, was more important than avoiding temporary setbacks.

It would have been understandable if the Prophet, as the leader, had abrogated the whole principle of consultation after the battle, in view of the division and defeat it had caused. Islam was, however, cultivating a whole nation and preparing it to assume its natural role of the leadership of mankind. God knew that the best method to achieve that purpose was for the community to be educated through consultation and to be trained to take responsibility for its decisions. It was expected to err, and indeed to make serious mistakes, in order to learn how to correct its errors and to face up to their consequences. How else could it be trained to make the right decision? Losses can be borne if the net result makes the whole nation understand its responsibilities and able to shoulder them. Avoiding errors does not benefit a community, if it means that the community continues to enjoy supervision and protection. True, it could avoid material losses, but it would lose its personality and its ability to face up to all events. It would be in the same position as a child who is not trained to walk so that it may be spared the falls involved in that training, or to save the price of a pair of shoes.

It was necessary for Islam to allow the Muslim community to achieve maturity so as to prepare it for its role of leadership. There was no alternative but to allow it to practise its role, without patronage or protection, during the Prophet’s lifetime and under his guidance. It may be suggested that the presence of wise leadership makes consultation superfluous and should dispense with the practical training of the Muslim community. Wise leadership should have been allowed to make its own decisions on serious matters. Such an assumption is totally false. Had it been true, the very presence of Muĥammad (pbuh), equipped with Divine revelation, would have been sufficient to deprive the Muslim community at that time of its right to consultation, especially in the light of its bitter consequences at Uĥud. Neither the presence of God’s Messenger, equipped as he was with Divine revelation, nor the events and complications that took place were enough to suspend the right of the community to be consulted. God, limitless is He in His Glory, knew that consultation must be practised in the most serious of matters, regardless of the consequences, losses and sacrifices. All these were but a small price for the attainment of maturity by the Muslim community, its training in the conduct of its affairs, to bear its responsibilities and accept the consequences of its decision. Hence the Divine commandment at this particular point in the life of the young Muslim community:

“Therefore, pardon them and pray for them to be forgiven and consult with them in the conduct of public affairs.” Thus, the principle is established, despite the risks that may attend its implementation. The flimsy argument which is often raised in favour of abrogating this principle of consultation is rejected outright. The maturity of the nation cannot be achieved without putting this principle into effect. For the community to achieve its maturity is far more important and far more valuable than any loss that may be incurred in the process.

The true picture of the Islamic system does not appear complete unless we examine the rest of the verse, to discover that consultation is never allowed to lead to hesitation and delay. Nor does it replace the need to rely ultimately on God: “When you have resolved upon a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves those who put their trust in Him.” The role of consultation is to examine all views and select a particular course of action. When the process reaches this stage, consultation must give way to implementation with resolve and decisiveness, placing trust in God. Thus, God’s will determines the outcome as He pleases.

The Prophet not only gave the Muslim community the lesson of consultation, he also gave it a second lesson as he willingly and seriously implemented the decision made and placed his trust in God. He gave his order to the Muslims to get ready to march and prepared himself to do so by putting on his body armour, even though he was aware of what awaited them all in terms of suffering and sacrifice. As will be recalled, there were those who feared that in all this they might have imposed on the Prophet a course of action of which he did not approve. Therefore, they put the matter back to him and assured him of their obedience whatever he decided.

Nevertheless, even with this second opportunity, the Prophet did not reverse his decision. He wanted to teach them the whole lesson of consultation and resolve, combined with complete reliance on God and submission to His will. He wanted them to realise that there was a specific time for consultation, but once a decision was taken there could be no room for hesitation and starting the process anew. That could only perpetuate the state of indecision.

“God loves those who put their trust in Him.” This is a distinctive quality of the believers. Reliance on God, putting our trust in Him and submitting to His will constitute the final line which maintains the proper balance in Islamic philosophy and Islamic life. Ultimate authority belongs to God and He does what He chooses.

This was one of the great lessons which the Battle of Uĥud taught the Muslim community. It remains a lesson to be learnt by every new generation of Muslims.

In order to explain what placing one’s trust in God means, the sūrah clearly states that the power which determines victory or defeat is God’s. It is from Him that support should be sought and through His help defeat is avoided. Once the believers have made their preparations and mobilised all the forces they can muster, they turn to God for help, rely fully on Him and recognise that they have no say in determining the consequences. It is God’s will that determines the outcome: “If God helps you, none can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, then who is it that can help you beside Him? It is in God that the believers should place their trust.” (Verse 160)

The Islamic concept of life demonstrates the perfect balance between asserting that God’s will is absolute in shaping all events and that it comes into operation through man’s own actions. The Divine law of nature establishes a cause and effect relationship in all matters, but causes do not initiate effects. The operative force is that of God, Who determines effects on the basis of causes according to His will. He then requires man to work hard, fulfil his duties, and meet his obligations. It is in relation to how far man discharges his responsibility that God determines the results.

This means that results and consequences will always be dependent on God’s will, for it is He alone who brings them into being whenever and however He wills. An equilibrium is thus established between the basic concept of a Muslim and his actions. He works as hard as he can and knows that the results of his actions depend on God’s will. To him, there is no inevitability in the cause and effect relationship, because he does not claim that anything which God does is inevitable.

In the particular case of a military battle and its two possible results, victory or defeat, the sūrah refers Muslims to God’s will and reminds them of His might. If God helps them, then they cannot be overcome by any force, and if His help is not forthcoming, then they will not be able to find anyone to bring them victory. This is the absolute truth: there is no ability, power or will other than those of God, Who determines all events. This basic truth, however, does not exempt Muslims from following God’s method, obeying His directives and fulfilling their obligations, exerting all efforts and relying, after all that, on God alone: “It is in God that the believers should put their trust.” (Verse 160) Thus, a Muslim does not seek anything from any source other than God. He has a direct relationship with the operative power in the universe, which means that he is in no need of help or protection from any other source. He relies totally on God to bring about events and results according to His wisdom. As for him, he accepts what God determines with total reassurance. This is a perfect bliss which no human being can experience except through Islam.

The sūrah refers again to the moral qualities associated with the Prophet, in order to stress the importance of honesty and to forbid deceit and cheating. It reminds people that they will have to account for their deeds and that everyone will be given his fair reward: “It does not behove a prophet to act dishonestly, for he who acts dishonestly shall be faced with his dishonesty on the Day of Resurrection. Everyone will then be paid in full what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.” (Verse 161)

One of the reasons which tempted the archers in the Battle of Uĥud to abandon their positions on top of the hill, was that they feared that the Prophet might not give them a share of the spoils of war. Some of the hypocrites had earlier suggested that a portion of the spoils of war the Muslims collected at Badr had disappeared. They were so impudent as to even mention the Prophet by name in this connection. Here, the sūrah delivers a general statement which makes it clear that no prophet could ever act dishonestly. No prophet would take money, or a portion of the spoils for himself or his family, or give one section of the army more of the spoils than another, or commit any deceitful action whatsoever: “It does not behove a prophet to act dishonestly.” This is inconceivable. Dishonesty is against the very nature of prophethood; it is repugnant to all prophets. The use of the negative here does not mean that it is not lawful for a prophet to act dishonestly, but to make it plain that it is both inconceivable and impossible that a prophet would ever do so. A prophet is by nature honest, just and well-contented. Hence, to be dishonest is to act against his own nature. It is perhaps useful to add that according to the reading of Imām Al- Ĥasan al-Başrī of this verse, the passive voice is used here, which means that it is totally unlawful that a prophet should be deceived, or that his followers allow themselves to hide something from him. This interpretation fits perfectly with the rest of the verse. Those who are dishonest and try to take something which belongs to the public treasury, or keep for themselves what booty they may be able to lay their hands upon, are issued with this fearful warning: “He who acts dishonestly shall be faced with his dishonesty on the Day of Resurrection. Everyone will then be paid in full what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.” Imām Ahmad relates that God’s Messenger appointed a man called Ibn al- Lutaibah, from the tribe of Azd, to collect zakāt. When he had completed his mission, he came back and said: “This belongs to you, and this has been given to me as a gift.” God’s Messenger said from the pulpit: “How is it that a person whom we send to complete a certain assignment says: ‘This belongs to you and this I have been given as a gift?’ Let him stay in his parents’ home and find out whether any gift will be given to him? By Him Who holds Muĥammad’s soul in His hand, anyone of you who does this will come on the Day of Resurrection carrying that thing on his shoulders, even though it may be a camel, a cow or a lamb making its particular noise.” The Prophet then lifted his hands until his armpits were visible and said: “My Lord, have I conveyed Your message?” He repeated this three times. (Related by Al- Bukhārī and Muslim.)

Abū Umayyah reports: God’s Messenger mentioned dishonesty as he was addressing us. He described how serious it was, and said: “Let me not see anyone of you on the Day of Resurrection carrying on his shoulder a camel making noise, and say: ‘Messenger of God, help me.’ I will then say to him: ‘I have no power to help you against God’s judgement. I have conveyed to you God’s orders.’ Let me not see any one of you come on the Day of Resurrection carrying a snorting horse on his shoulders, appealing to me: “Messenger of God, help me.’ I will say to him: ‘I cannot help you against God’s judgement. I have conveyed to you His orders.’ Let me not see anyone of you on the Day of Resurrection carrying a dumb load of gold and silver on his shoulders and appealing to me: ‘Messenger of God help me.’ I will say to him: ‘I cannot help you against God’s judgement. I have conveyed to you His orders.” (Related by Al-Bukhārī, Muslim and Ahmad.)

The Prophet is reported to have said: “Anyone who does an assignment for us and conceals even a needle, or anything bigger, acts dishonestly. He will be faced with his dishonesty on the Day of Judgement.” A black man from the Anşār (whose name is, according to Mujāhid, Sa`d ibn `Ubādah) said: “Messenger of God, accept from me what you have assigned to me.” The Prophet said: “What do you mean?” He said: “I have heard what you have just said.” The Prophet said: “And I repeat it entirely:

Whoever does an assignment for us, let him bring it all, big or small. Let him take what he is given and leave alone what he is not given.” (Related by Muslim, Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd.)

This Qur’ānic verse, in conjunction with the Prophet’s hadīths, has worked wonders in the moulding of the Muslim community, and made it unique in the value it attaches to honesty and the repugnance with which it views deceit and cheating.

An ordinary Muslim may, in war, lay his hand on something valuable when no one is watching him. If he does, he should take it to his commander, entertaining no thought of keeping it for himself, so that he does not expose himself to what this Qur’ānic verse says, and so that he does not meet the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection in such a shameful condition. To a Muslim, the hereafter is a reality. He cannot see himself coming face to face with the Prophet and standing in front of God, as the Prophet has described. Hence, he knows that this will not happen. This is the secret of his scrupulous nature. The hereafter is to him part of the reality he lives, not a remote promise or threat. He entertains no doubt that everyone will be rewarded for what he does, and that everyone will be paid in full what they earn.

In his comprehensive book on history, Al-Ţabarī reports that when the Muslims conquered Al-Madā’in and collected the spoils of war, a man came with something to give to the one in charge of those spoils. He and his assistants said: “We have never seen anyone like this man. None of our people can be compared to him.” They asked him: “Have you taken any part of it for yourself?” The man answered: “By God, had it not been for my fear of God, I would not have given it to you.” They asked him his name, but he said: “I am not telling you or anyone else my name in order to be praised. I praise God and I am content with His reward.” When he left, they sent one of them to follow him until he arrived in his camp. He enquired about him and they learnt that he was called `Āmir ibn `Abd Qais.

After the Battle of Qādisiyyah, the spoils of war were sent to `Umar in Madinah.

Included in them was the crown of the Persian Emperor and his throne. They were priceless. `Umar looked at them happily and said: “Soldiers who tender this to their ruler are certainly honest.” This is how Islam moulded the Muslim community. When we hear such stories, we may think them legends. But the fact is that there is no legend in all this; it was the plain reality.

Within the framework of keenness to have a share in the spoils of war, which was the direct cause of the defeat at Uĥud, and dishonesty in general, the sūrah underlines the proper values, on which a believer’s attention must be focused: “Can he who strives after God’s pleasure be compared to one who has incurred God’s wrath and whose abode is hell? How evil such a goal is.” (Verse 162)

There is no doubt that God’s pleasure is the prize to be coveted, and the winning of which determines whether one’s efforts are profitable or end in utter loss. The gulf is great between the one who pursues God’s pleasure until he wins it and the one who ends up incurring God’s displeasure, which leads him to hell. The two have greatly different standings with God: “They have different standings in God’s sight.” (Verse 163) Each actually earns his position, which means that there is no favouritism and none is wronged: “God sees all that they do.” (Verse 163)

This part of the sūrah concludes with a reference back to the personality of God’s Messenger, his message, and the fact that it represents a great favour bestowed by God on the believers: “Indeed, God bestowed a favour on the believers when He sent them a messenger from among themselves, to recite to them His revelations, and to purify them, and teach them the book and wisdom, whereas before that they were surely in plain error.” (Verse 164)

This reference to the Prophet’s role in bringing the Muslim community into existence, and in moulding, educating and leading it out of a state of error to become a nation endowed with knowledge, wisdom and purity is clearly emphasised. It is typical of the Qur’ānic method of moulding the Muslim community that this reference is made in the context of defeat, pain, and loss suffered at Uĥud. All worldly gains, indeed all the riches of the world, and all the suffering and sacrifices that the Muslims may be called upon to endure seem very petty compared with the great favour God has done to mankind when He sent them His Messenger.

The practical effects of this favour, which can be seen in the life of the Muslim community, are then mentioned: “... to recite to them His revelations, and to purify them, and to teach them the book and wisdom, whereas before that they were surely in plain error.” These effects represent a total transformation of the Muslim community. God is preparing this community to play a great role in the leadership of mankind, and this requires that a messenger be sent to them. A nation with such a mission should not be preoccupied with petty gains that it can make in a battle and should not be reluctant to make sacrifices. Great goals cannot be achieved without sacrifice.

“Indeed, God bestowed a favour on the believers when He sent them a messenger from among themselves.” The fact that God Almighty cared to send a messenger to a particular species of His creation, is a favour which can only be motivated by His limitless grace. It is a favour that cannot be returned in any way by the recipients.

Who are those human beings whom God has chosen for such grace, so as to be the recipients of His revelations? Indeed, God bestows His grace on His creation even when they have not earned that grace, and can never return it.

The favour is made even greater by the fact that this messenger is “from among themselves.” We should reflect that the Qur’ānic text did not say “a messenger from them.” For him to be “from among themselves” is especially significant, because it identifies that the relationship between the believers and the messenger is one of human souls, not a relationship between an individual and a race. The question is not merely that the Prophet was one of them, it is far more significant than that. With faith, they establish their unique relationship with the Prophet and a great position of favour with God. That means that it is a double favour; sending the messenger, and establishing the relationship which exists between believers and the Prophet.

The first and greatest of the effects of this favour on the lives of the believers is referred to in the statement describing the Prophet’s role: “To recite to them His revelations.” When we remember that God Himself addresses man with His own words, to speak to him about His majesty, and to explain His attributes, and the nature and qualities of Godhead, we may begin to appreciate how great God’s favour is. Let man reflect that God tells him about himself, an insignificant creature.

He speaks to him about his life, feelings, actions and abilities in order to tell him what brings about a truly happy life and what sets him on the way to achieving the greatest of human goals, namely, admission to Paradise, which is far greater than the heavens and the earth. Such a favour can come only from God’s grace, which is infinite indeed.

God the Almighty has no need for mankind, or indeed for any creature. Man, on the other hand, is poor and powerless. He needs God. But it is God Who bestows on man His favours and grace, and calls on him to adopt what brings about a total transformation in his life. Nothing that man can do is sufficient to thank God for His grace.

The role of the Messenger is also “to purify them”. This purification touches their hearts, affects their homes, honour and worship, and characterises their lives, community and social systems. He purges them of all traces of polytheism, idol worship, and superstition and all that is associated with these, of rituals, habits and traditions which are unworthy of man. Human life is thus purged of all traces of ignorance and its effects on values, principles and social traditions.

Every type of ignorant community, including the Arabs at that time, entertained its own evil aspects. These evils were highlighted by Ja`far ibn Abī Ţālib, a cousin of the Prophet, when he addressed Negus, the ruler of Abyssinia. A number of Muslims had sought refuge in Abyssinia, but the Quraysh sent a delegation which requested its ruler to extradite them. He called in the Muslim refugees to put their case. Their spokesman, Ja`far, made his statement in the following terms:

“We have been ignorant people who worshipped idols, ate carrion, committed all gross indecencies, severed relations with our kinsfolk, were unkind to our neighbours, and the strong among us usurped the rights of the weak. We continued in this state of affairs until God sent us a Messenger from among ourselves, who was known to us in respect of his good family position, and truthfulness, honesty and integrity. He called upon us to worship God alone, associate no partners with Him, to abandon what we and our forefathers used to worship alongside Him of stones and statues. He has commanded us to be truthful in what we say, honest, kind to our relatives and neighbours, and to refrain from sin and from killing one another. He has forbidden us every aspect of indecency, perjury, devouring what belongs to orphans, and accusing chaste women of committing adultery. He has bidden us to worship God alone, associate no partners with Him, attend to our Prayers, spend in charity [zakāt], and fast.” Another aspect of the evil customs that prevailed in ignorant Arabia is described by `Ā’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, as she gives this account of relations between the sexes. This report is given in Al-Bukhārī’s Şaĥīh, the most authentic collection of the Prophet’s hadīths: “There were four types of relations between men and women in the days of ignorance. One of these was the same as the marital relationships of today: a man may make a proposal of marriage to another man’s daughter or some other girl in his charge. He pays her a dower and marries her. A second type was that a man said to his wife after she finishes her menstrual period: ‘Go to so and so ... [he names a certain man] and get pregnant by him.’ He himself stops having intercourse with her until she is manifestly pregnant by the man he named. When she becomes heavy with the child, her husband may have intercourse with her if he so desires. He resorts to this method because of his desire to have a son of superior blood. A third form is that a number of men, less than ten, shared the same woman, every one of them having intercourse with her. If she got pregnant and gave birth to a child, she sent to them asking them to come over to her a few days after delivery. None of them could absent himself from that meeting. She would say to them: ‘You are aware of what has passed between us. Now that I have given birth to a child, this child is the son of ....’ She chose whoever she fancied to be the father. He could not disown that child. The fourth type was that of prostitution. Any number of men may associate with a woman who would not refuse anyone who came to her. Prostitutes used to put some sort of a flag on their doors, to indicate that they welcomed any man. If such a prostitute gave birth to a child, they collected some money for her and they called in a physiognomist to determine the father of that child. The child was then named after that man who did not decline to claim it.” This contemptible, derogatory state of affairs needs no comment. It is sufficient to imagine a man sending his wife to another man to get pregnant by him, in the same way as he sends his female camel or horse or other animal for good breeding. It is sufficient to imagine a number of men, less than ten, having intercourse with the same woman and then allowing her to choose one of them to be the father of her child. As for prostitution, it is the same everywhere. In this particular case, however, the child born to a prostitute is named after a particular adulterer. He finds no disgrace in this and does not disclaim the child. Had it not been for Islam and its purifying principles, the Arabs would have continued to live in such squalor.

All this, however, is only one aspect of the contempt which was preserved for women in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance. In his valuable work, Islam and the World, Abu’l-Ĥasan `Alī Nadwī says:

The lot of women was extremely lamentable in pre-Islamic Arabia. The right of inheritance was denied to them. Widowed and divorced women were not permitted to remarry. It was a common practice for the eldest son to take as wives his father’s widows, inherited as property with the rest of the estate.

Discrimination was made against them even in matters of food, men reserving certain dishes for themselves. Daughters were buried alive at birth.

Pride and poverty had introduced the abominable crime of female infanticide among all the Arabian tribes. Haitham ibn `Adī tells us that one out of every ten men was guilty of it. Kind-hearted tribal chiefs often bought infant girls to save their lives. Sa`sa`a says that before the dawn of Islam he had rescued as many as 300 girls from that terrible fate by paying compensatory money to their fathers. Sometimes a young girl who had escaped being killed at birth or during childhood, due to her father being away from home or some other reason, would be treacherously taken to a lonely spot by her father and done to death. Several incidents of this nature were narrated from their past lives by the companions of the Prophet after they had embraced Islam. 4

These accounts give us a glimpse of the evils from which Islam saved the Arabs and purified them.

All systems based on ignorance of God have their evils and debased practices.

Perhaps the most prominent among these in pre-Islamic Arabia was idol-worship as described by Nadwī:

The belief in an overruling Providence had grown very feeble among them (the Arabs of pre-Islamic days). It was confined to a select few, while the religion of the great mass of them was gross idolatry. The idols that had originally been introduced to serve as devotional media had become elevated to the status of divinity. Homage was still paid to one transcendent God, but only verbally; in their hearts a host of deities were enthroned, whose goodwill they sought to propitiate, and displeasure avert.

Each tribe, city, and locality had its own god. Al-Kalbī has stated that every household in Makkah had its own idol. When a Makkan started on a journey, his last act at home would be to invoke the blessings of the family deity, and the first thing he did on his return was to pay reverence to it.

People used to vie with one another in collecting idols and constructing temples for them. Those who could afford neither planted a slab of stone in front of the Ka`bah and performed the ritual of circumambulation around it.

Such stones were called ansāb. In the words of Abū Rijā’ al-`Uţāridī, as reported in the Şaĥīh of Al-Bukhārī, “We worshipped stones. When we found a better stone than the one we had, we took it up and threw away the old one.

Where no stones were available, we made a mound of sand, milked a goat over it and worshipped it.” When a traveller halted at a place, he used to collect four stones, worshipped the most beautiful of them and used the other three to rest his pots on for cooking.

Angels, stars, jinns (spirits) and all the rest of the objects of veneration found in polytheistic faiths were adored as divine beings by the Arabs. The angels, they believed, were daughters of God, whom they besought to intercede with Him on their behalf, while jinns were regarded as partners of the Almighty in the practical control of the world.

Al-Kalbī says that Band Malīĥ, a branch of the tribe of Khuzā`ah, worshipped the jinns; and Sā’id reports that the tribe of Ĥimyar worshipped the sun; the tribe of Kinānah adored the moon; the tribe of Tamīm worshipped al- Dabarān; the Lakhm and the Judhām, Ţā’ī, Banū Qais and Banū Asad worshipped Jupiter, Canopus, the Dog Star and Mercury, respectively.5

A quick look at this crude, primitive form of polytheism is sufficient to give a good idea of the sort of feelings, principles and practices it generated. We can also appreciate the great transformation Islam managed to bring about in the lives of the Arabs. It purified their thoughts and their lives of those evils which gave rise to the sort of social and moral ills which prevailed in their society and in which they took pride. Drinking, gambling and tribal vengeance were their highest preoccupations.

Countless poems boastfully described their indulgence in such practices. Shaikh Nadwī says in Islam and the World:

War, in some respects, was a necessity for them, but more than that, it was a fun.... A most trivial incident could touch off a bitter inter-tribal war. The war, for instance, between the descendants of Wā’il, Bakr and Taghlīb dragged on for full forty years. There were innumerable casualties in this war. An Arab chief, Muhalhil, has depicted the consequences of this war thus: “Both the tribes have been exterminated; mothers have become childless; children have become orphans; the flow of tears does not cease; the dead are not buried.”6

The same can be said of the war known as Dāĥis and Al-Ghabrā’. What caused this war to flare up was that Dāĥis, a horse belonging to Qais ibn Zuhair, was leading in a race arranged between the horses of Qais and Ĥudhayfah ibn Badr, with bets placed on which horse will be the winner. A tribesman of Asad, on instructions from Ĥudhayfah, hit the face of the leading horse and this allowed other horses to catch up and pass him by. A killing followed and vengeance was sought. Both tribes tried to revenge the killing of their murdered children. Many were taken captive. Tribes were displaced and thousands were killed.

All this was evidence of the fact that their lives had no worthy preoccupation.

They used up their energy in such trivialities. They never thought of what sort of role they should play in improving human life. They had no faith to purify them from such social evils. Without faith, people can easily sink to such debasement.

Ignorance remains the same. Every form of ignorance has its own manifestations of debasement, regardless of where and when it exists. When people live without a Divine faith or code to regulate their lives, they sink into some form of ignorance. We can easily draw parallels between the ignorance prevalent in our modern world and that which prevailed in pre-Islamic Arabia, or with other contemporary forms elsewhere in the world. It was only through Islam that Arabia was saved from and purified of that ignorance.

Humanity lives today in a great quagmire of vice. We have only to look at the media, the cinema, the fashion industry, beauty competitions, dancing places, public houses, and the widespread use of pornography in literature and art. Combined with the fact that its economic system is based on usury, which entails a materialism that motivates people’s greed and the desire to become rich, even if they have to resort to cheating, embezzlement and other immoral methods. The moral and social fabric of society is also undermined. Doubt and cynicism have affected every individual, family, system and community. It is sufficient to cast a quick glance at all this to realise that the ignorance which prevails in our own world is leading humanity to an awful doom.

Man’s humanity is wearing thin as people continue to seek animal pleasures.

Indeed, animals have a standard of life which is cleaner and purer. They are governed by a serious law of nature which is applicable to them. They do not become debased as man does when he breaks loose, away from faith and its discipline, resorting to ignorance, from which God has saved him by His grace. God reminds His servants of this favour in the verse which states: “God bestowed a favour on the believers when He sent them a messenger from among themselves to recite to them His revelations, and to purify them, and to teach them the book and wisdom...”

“And to teach them the book and wisdom.” Those addressed by this verse were illiterate in every sense of the word. Not only did they not read and write, but their illiteracy was intellectual as well. According to international standards of knowledge, they lagged behind in every field. Their preoccupations were not of the sort which encouraged or increased knowledge. When they received this message, they experienced a great transformation which made them pass it on to the rest of the world. It endowed them with great wisdom. They became the standard-bearers of an intellectual and social philosophy which was destined to save humanity from the depths of ignorance into which it had sunk. The same doctrine is about to play its role again, God willing, to save humanity anew from its contemporary ignorance, an ignorance which shares with past forms the same moral and social characteristics, as it sets the same goals and objectives for human life, despite the great material advances of science and industry and the affluence such advances have brought about.

“Whereas before that they were surely in plain error.” They were certainly in error with regard to concepts and beliefs, goals and objectives, habits and practices, systems and standards, as well as moral and social values. The Arabs, addressed for the first time by this verse, undoubtedly remembered what their lives were like and fully appreciated the total transformation brought about by Islam. They recognised that without Islam they would never have attained the high standards to which Islam elevated them. Such a transformation is totally unique in human history. They recognised that it was through Islam that they moved directly from the tribal stage, with all its petty concerns and narrow-mindedness, to become not merely a nation in the fullest sense of the word, but a nation to lead humanity and to set for it its ideals and systems.

They recognised that only through Islam had they acquired their national, cultural, and intellectual character. Most importantly, Islam gave them their human character, which elevated them to a position of honour through God’s grace. They established their whole life on the basis of this honour and, subsequently, imparted it to the world, and taught it how to respect man and give him the position of honour God has granted him. In this they were the leaders. There was no one ahead of them, not in Arabia, not anywhere. The reference to consultative government which we discussed earlier brings out one aspect of this Divine system.

They also realised that only through Islam had they a message to present to mankind. It involved a doctrine and a system by which to mould human life. All these are basic essentials for the existence of a nation which wants to play an important role on life’s stage.

The Islamic faith, its concepts of life and existence, its laws and regulation of human life, and its practical code which ensures man’s happiness, were the credentials which the Arabs presented to the world and by which they earned the respect and leadership of mankind. Neither at present nor in future will they ever have any other credentials. They have no message other than Islam to give them a position in the world. The choice they have to face is either to be the standard-bearers of the message of Islam, through which they earn recognition and honour, or to abandon it and go back to their earlier position when no one recognised them. The Arabs should ask themselves what they can give to humanity when they abandon the message of Islam.

Do they offer any great achievements in literature and art? Many nations are far ahead of them in these fields, which are of secondary importance. Nations of the world will not wait for any Arab genius to make his contribution, because the need for such a contribution is not felt by anyone. Can they offer any great industrial advance to win the respect of the world and to compete in international markets?

Many a nation has taken the lead over the Arabs in this respect as well. Or can they offer any social, economic, or organisational philosophy of their own? Such philosophies, with varying practical effects, are abundant in our world. What can the Arabs, then, give to mankind in order to win a leading position which commands respect and demonstrates their excellence? They can offer nothing except their great message and unique system. This is the great favour which God has bestowed on them and favoured them with as its standard-bearers. It is the message with which God saved mankind from ignorance. Today, mankind desperately needs this message to save itself from the abyss of misery and worry into which it is sinking.

This message is the identity card of the Arabs, which they presented to the world in the past, and thereby commanded its respect. They can present it anew in order to save themselves and save the world. Every great nation has a message, and the greatness of the nation is commensurate to the greatness of its message and system.

The Arabs have this great message in their custody. They are its standard-bearers, while other nations are their partners in it. What devil turns them away from their great role and their infinite wealth? It is their duty to chase the devil and resist his temptation and render his actions hopeless and futile.