2-217 They ask thee about fighting in the sacred month. Say: Fighting in it is a grave (offense). And hindering (men) from Allah’s way and denying Him and the Sacred Mosque and turning its people out of it, are still graver with Allah; and persecution is graver than slaughter.a And they will not cease fighting you until they turn you back from your religion, if they can.b And whoever of you turns back from his religion,c then he dies while an unbeliever — these it is whose works go for nothing in this world and the Hereafter.d And they are the companions of the Fire: therein they will abide.
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلشَّہۡرِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ۬ فِيهِۖ قُلۡ قِتَالٌ۬ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌ۬ۖ وَصَدٌّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَڪُفۡرُۢ بِهِۦ وَٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ وَإِخۡرَاجُ أَهۡلِهِۦ مِنۡهُ أَكۡبَرُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِۚ وَٱلۡفِتۡنَةُ أَڪۡبَرُ مِنَ ٱلۡقَتۡلِۗ وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمۡ حَتَّىٰ يَرُدُّوكُمۡ عَن دِينِڪُمۡ إِنِ ٱسۡتَطَـٰعُواْۚ وَمَن يَرۡتَدِدۡ مِنكُمۡ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَيَمُتۡ وَهُوَ ڪَافِرٌ۬ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُهُمۡ فِى ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأَخِرَةِۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِۖ هُمۡ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ (٢١٧)
217a كَبِير – actually means big, but the word is frequently used in a negative sense to mean grievous, as in كَبُرَتۡ ڪَلِمَةً۬ (Grievous is the word) (18:5). In the same negative sense, كَبِيرة is used for a grievous sin (R).
صَدّ – It has the dual meaning of to turn back and stop or to cause someone to turn back and stop.
Unbelievers’ hostilities and oppression of Muslims in the sacred months: In the previous verse, fighting is enjoined on Muslims and mention is made in this verse that fighting in the sacred months is prohibited. While stating that Islam respects these sacred months, mention is also made that the unbelievers who raise this question are themselves guilty of violating all things sacred, such as preventing people from the way of Allah, from entering the Sacred Mosque, and ultimately by expelling the Muslims from the Sacred Mosque although the grant of sanctuary within the precincts of the Sacred Mosque is an established tradition amongst the unbelievers. All of these actions are referred to by the word فِتۡنَةُ in the statement that فِتۡنَةُ is graver than slaughter. This sheds further light on the meaning of the word فِتۡنَه . In at least three other places (29:6, 4:101, 85:10) this word is used in the Quran for the persecution meted out to Muslims when they converted to Islam.
Unbelievers exploit the killing of Amr bin Al-Hadrami by Abdullah ibn Jahsh: In the second year of hijra when skirmishes between the Muslims and the unbelievers started as a result of the aggressive actions of the Makkan disbelievers, the Holy Prophet dispatched a small reconnaissance party under the command of Abdullah bin Jahsh to scout and only observe the movements of the Quraish. They spotted three members of the Quraish and attacked them. One of them by the name of Amr bin Al-Hadrami was killed and the other two were captured. This incident occurred on the last day of Jamadi-ul-Sani and it is uncertain whether the attacking party spotted the crescent for the start of Rajab before the attack. Abdullah ibn Jahsh in his statement testified that they saw the crescent only after the attack. His statement was: انا قتلنا ابن الحضرمی ثم مسینا فنظرنا الٰی ھلال رجب فلا ندری افی رجب اصبناہ ام فی جمادی . Hence this incident cannot be used to sanction fighting in the sacred months, and the prohibition of hostilities in these months remains valid and is not abrogated. Further evidence of this is provided by the fact that the Holy Prophet did not carry arms when he set out with the intention of performing Hajj in the sixth year of hijra. It was only when he saw the hostile intentions of the unbelievers that perforce he prepared to defend himself. Similarly, there is evidence from the action of the Holy Prophet in another event that fighting was proscribed in the sacred months.
217b: يَرُدُّوا – The meaning of رَدّ is to turn back on one’s own or to be turned away from one state to another (R).
ٱسۡتَطَـٰعُواْ – is derived from طَوع which means submission or obedience. And the necessary ingredients to bring about submission are a clear objective, a structured plan, the necessary tools, and weakness on the part of the target for submission (R). The purport of إِنِ ٱسۡتَطَـٰعُواْۚ (if they have the strength to do so) is that while all the other necessary ingredients are present and the unbelievers are exerting themselves to the fullest, there is no weakness on the part of the target. That is, the Muslims can never leave their religion. It becomes obvious that the reason why the unbelievers initiated hostilities against the Muslims was to turn them away from their religion. They first persecuted them, then turned them out from their homes, and finally pulled out their swords against them to turn them away from their religion. The accusation that Muslims waged wars to convert the unbelievers is entirely contrary to facts. If the civilized nations of today were to show even a tenth of the patience that the Muslims exhibited to avoid fighting, there would be complete peace and harmony in the world. Muslims fought wars because efforts were made to turn them away from their religion, and not that they were desirous of turning others from religion.
217c: يَرۡتَدِدۡ – The real meaning of اِرۡتِدَاد is to turn back to the way from which one had come, as in: فَٱرۡتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصً۬ا (So they returned retracing their footsteps) (18:64). In particular, this word is used for leaving Islam and returning to unbelief. The word رِدّة is specific for this meaning (R).
Death is not the punishment for every kind of apostasy: The mention in this verse is of dying after apostatizing and not of killing the apostate. In verse 54 of Surah Maidah, there is mention of a person apostatizing, but even there, there is no mention of killing the apostate, nor is there mention anywhere else in the Quran of killing a person for apostatizing. In the Hadith, one narration by Ibn Abbas mentions that when some Zindeeqs were burnt in the time of Caliph Ali, Caliph Ali remarked that they should have been killed because the Holy Prophet had stated: من بدّل دینه فا قتلوہ (Kill whoever changes his religion). It is obvious that the generality of this statement is untenable because it would mean that any person who leaves any religion to adopt another faith has to be killed. For example if a Jew converts to Christianity or a Christian converts to Islam, the person changing their religion would have to be killed. This is absurd on at the outset. Hence the words of this hadith are to be circumscribed. Ibn Abbas, the narrator of this hadith, reached maturity when wars had started, so the contextual interpretation is that only such apostates are meant who left Islam, deserted the Muslims, and joined the enemy. It was necessary to kill such renegades. Further confirmation justifying such a constraint on the generality of the statement is manifested by a decree of Imam Abu Hanifa in which he held that women are exempt from the statement. The only reason for this can be that women did not participate in fighting, and the Holy Prophet had forbidden the killing of women on the same grounds. The killing of apostates cannot be justified either from the punishment meted out in a hadith narrated by Aqil. The concerned people punished in this hadith were a group that professed Islam in the presence of the Holy Prophet and later made the excuse of being sick. The Holy Prophet gave them permission to reside outside the city at a place where camels belonging to the state were kept so that they may regain their health by drinking fresh camel milk, and the salubrious effect of clean air. But they killed the keepers of the camels and absconded with the camels. Their punishment was for murder and dacoity and not for apostasy. In addition, if any apostate in Madinah was declared to be deserving of death, then it was because those who apostatized joined the ranks of the enemy bent on exterminating Islam. The condition of the Muslims at the time was like a force camping in a battlefield during a state of war, and there is a hadith in which the Companions complained that they had to keep armed day and night. The meaning of apostasy at that time was akin to joining the enemy. Any person who deserts his force and joins the enemy is subject to the death penalty even now. It is evident from the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah that the apostates were not to be killed in a time of peace because the Holy Prophet agreed to a clause in the treaty that any apostate who joined the unbelievers did not have to be returned to the Muslims. If the Quran had prescribed death as a punishment for apostasy, the Holy Prophet would never have agreed to such a condition. So, the statement من بدّل دینه فا قتلوہ appears to be specific to conditions where apostacy means joining forces with the enemies if Islam, because no one can subscribe to a meaning so generic in its application.
The marriage of every apostate is not annulled: It was shown that death as a penalty for apostasy is not justified either by the Quran or Hadith, and just as imposing that penalty is not correct, so too are incorrect various decrees (فتویٰ ) that jurists have issued that rest on apostasy being an act punishable by death. This is particularly so in this day and age when a large number of Muslims live in non-Muslim states. According to these decrees, an apostate forfeits all rights, and based on this it is held that an apostate’s marriage is annulled. The British colonial government did not accept the basic premise of this decree that an apostate forfeits all rights. However, they did accept a corollary flowing from this basic premise that the marriage of an apostate stands annulled. This was a flawed decision. The two logical options were either to accept the entire decree in entirety or to reject it in entirety, and since the first option was not acceptable to the British courts, the option to reject should have been accepted. The condition of the Muslim ulema was pathetic. They witnessed Muslim women converting to Christianity merely to obtain divorce, but they were silent, afraid to challenge the decree of the jurists. They did not realize that the decree of the jurists could not be implemented in colonial India, and so implementing just one part of it that was highly detrimental to the Muslim nation was a travesty. There is no injunction in the Quran that an apostate’s marriage is annulled. There is only a decree of the jurists, but when the fundamental basis of the decree is not accepted by the courts, that is, the courts do not consider all rights of an apostate forfeited, then accepting its offshoot that the marriage is annulled is merely damaging the interest of Muslims. Is it not the duty of the Muslim ulema to raise their voices against a supplementary provision when the foundation on which it rests is not accepted? In normal circumstances, if a wife converts to Christianity, the marriage is not annulled because it is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a Christian woman, but if the man becomes a Christian, then his Muslim wife stands divorced because a Muslim woman is not permitted to marry a Christian man.
217d: حَبِطَتۡ – The real meaning of حَبۡط is that an animal eats excessively to the point its stomach becomes distended (R). In other words, the eating does not benefit the animal. The meaning of حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُ is the failure of an action to be of use, or to provide any benefit. Imam Raghib states that the failure of an action may be in three ways: First, worldly actions that yield no benefit in the Hereafter–person trades or manufactures merely to earn money. He gives the example of this as: وَقَدِمۡنَآ إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنۡ عَمَلٍ۬ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُ هَبَآءً۬ مَّنثُورًا (And We shall turn to the work they have done, so We shall render it as scattered motes) (25:23). A second example is the state of the Christian nations: ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعۡيُہُمۡ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَهُمۡ يَحۡسَبُونَ أَنَّہُمۡ يُحۡسِنُونَ صُنۡعًا۔۔۔ فَحَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُهُمۡ (Those whose efforts goes astray in this world’s life, and they think that they are making good manufactures …so their works are vain) (18:104-105). By the use of the words ضَلَّ سَعۡيُہُمۡ is indicated that their craftmanship is only confined to this world and will only benefit them here but in the Hereafter, it will be of no use. The second situation of حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُ explained by Imam Raghib is that although the actions are of a type designed for the Hereafter, the intention of the person performing the action is not to seek the pleasure of Allah. He illustrates this by an example from the Hadith where it is stated that a person would be told that he read the Quran just so that people may call him a qari, and so his reading the Quran would be of no use to him now. The third situation is that the actions are good and are performed with the right intention, but by comparison the person’s evil deeds preponderate (R). In this situation, the righteous actions by virtue of their paucity will not help the person to achieve the objective for which he performed the good action. An analogy to illustrate this is that thirst cannot be quenched by a drop of water. Besides this, there are two other ways in which the deeds may be in vain, that is be حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُ . One حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُ is specific to the deeds of the opponents of prophets. Prophets come in the world to spread the truth, but their opponents try to nullify their mission. However, their actions for this purpose are rendered in vain because it is necessary for Truth to prevail in the world. In surah Al-Imran, mention is made of the attempt to kill prophets and righteous people and then it is stated: أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ ٱلَّذِينَ حَبِطَتۡ أَعۡمَـٰلُهُمۡ فِى ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأَخِرَةِ (Those are they whose works will be of no avail in this world and the Hereafter) (3:21). The other way is the one mentioned here. A person is Muslim and performs good deeds but then apostatizes and opts for an evil way. His previous good actions are wasted because his life took an evil turn.
2-218 Those who believed and those who fled (their homes) and strove hard in Allah’s way — these surely hope for the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.a
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُواْ وَجَـٰهَدُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يَرۡجُونَ رَحۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (٢١٨)
2-218a: هَاجَرُواْ – ھَجۡر and ھِجۡران is the separation of one person from another, whether it is physically, or an inability to communicate, or the growing apart of hearts (R). مھاجرة is to disassociate with one another, and the apparent meaning of it is to migrate from an area controlled by unbelievers to an area controlled by believers (R), as for example the migration of the Holy Prophet and his companions from Makkah to Madinah. Although there were unbelievers in both cities, Makkah was at the time, the abode of the unbelievers (Dar ul Kufr) because the Muslims were persecuted there. Imam Raghib states that the real necessity for physical migration arises when one forsakes evil desires, bad morals and transgressions. This is migration for a spiritual purpose which is indicated in the following hadith: المھاجر من ھجر ما نھی اللّٰه عنه (A refugee is one who abandons those things that Allah has forbidden).
جَـٰهَدُواْ – جھَد and جُھد means strength and toiling. And جھاد and مجاھدہ means to expend strength and wealth in defending against an enemy (R). Imam Raghib states that jihad is of three kinds, jihad against a physical enemy, jihad against Satan, and jihad with your own self (nafs). All three kinds of jihad are included in the verse here, as also in verses: وَجَـٰهِدُواْ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ (And strive hard for Allah with due striving) (22:78) and وَجَـٰهِدُواْ بِأَمۡوَٲلِڪُمۡ وَأَنفُسِكُمۡ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّه (…and strive hard in Allah’s way with your wealth and your lives (9:41). He further cites a saying of the Holy Prophet: جاھدوا اھواء کم کما تجاھدون اعداء کم (Strive against your desires like you strive against your enemies). In the explanation of the word, ھجر, he cites a hadith رجعتم من الجھاد الاصغر الٰی لجھاد الاکبر (You have returned from a lesser jihad to a greater jihad), where the reference to the lesser jihad is to the fight against the enemy and the reference to the greater jihad is to the fight against your own desires. A similar sentiment is expressed in the Quran: وَجَـٰهِدۡهُم بِهِۦ جِهَادً۬ا ڪَبِيرً۬ا (…and strive against them (disbelievers) a mighty striving with it (the Quran).) (25:52). There is a similar injunction about jihad with the hypocrites although no war occurred with them.
The best jihad and migration: This verse tells us that belief on its own is not sufficient. Besides belief, abandonment of unrighteous deeds and striving with full strength in the way of Allah are necessary ingredients for those who hope for Allah’s mercy. Migration from evil to righteous deeds and jihad with one’s desires is an option always available to a person. Whereas the necessity for migration from an abode of unbelief to a place of belief or the need to fight against an enemy are things that occur rarely. When the need for Allah’s mercy is ever present, the jihad and migration meant here must also be of the kind whose opportunity is ever present. Failure to understand the significance of this jihad and migration is making Muslims today unmindful of reforming themselves and propagating Islam. Rather their entire emphasis is on fighting and leaving their country. The Companions of the Prophet first undertook jihad on their desires and migrated from evil to righteous deeds, and it was only subsequently that they got permission to physically migrate and to fight with the sword. For the Muslim nation to progress as a living entity, the Muslims need to wage jihad on their desires and migrate from evil to righteous deeds first. It is not possible to succeed by putting first what should come later.
2-219 They ask thee about intoxicants and games of chance.a Say: In both of them is a great sin and (some) advantage for men, and their sin is greater than their advantage.b And they ask thee as to what they should spend. Say: What you can spare.c Thus does Allah make clear to you the messages that you may ponder,
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡخَمۡرِ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرِۖ قُلۡ فِيهِمَآ إِثۡمٌ۬ ڪَبِيرٌ۬ وَمَنَـٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثۡمُهُمَآ أَڪۡبَرُ مِن نَّفۡعِهِمَاۗ وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ ٱلۡعَفۡوَۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٢١٩)
2-219a – The real meaning of خَمۡرِ is to cover a thing, and for this reason a shawl worn as an outer covering is called خِمار , whose plural form خُمُر is a word used in the Quran: وَلۡيَضۡرِبۡنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ (And let them wear their head coverings…) (24:31). And intoxicants are called خَمۡرِ because they shroud the rational center of a person’s intelligence (R), that is, a person is unable to act rationally. It is also stated in Mufradat that some consider all intoxicants to be included in خَمۡرِ while others consider only wine made from grapes and dates. The latter view is based on a statement made by the Holy Prophet that خَمۡرِ is from these two trees, that is date tree and grape vines. It is obvious from the Holy Prophet’s statement: الخمر من ھاتین الشجرتین that this is not a complete list, but just an example of the two most common sources of wine. In Taj al-Arus, it is stated that the real meaning of الخمر is الخمر ما اسکر , that is, خَمۡرِ is that which intoxicates, and this is followed by a discussion of the controversy regarding its meaning. The opinion of Imam Abu Hanifa is that خَمۡرِ is only from grapes, while Jamhur holds that خَمۡرِ is whatever intoxicates. The latter view is held to be correct in Taj al-Arus which also contains a statement by Caliph Umar that خَمۡرِ was banned during the Madinah period. Now, the wine in Madinah was not made from grapes but from بُسر and تَمر , that is fresh and dried dates. So, the real meaning of خَمۡرِ is all intoxicants.
ٱلۡمَيۡسِر – میسر is a verbal noun and it means gambling, This meaning may be because یُسۡر means ease and in gambling money can be won easily. Or it may be because یسر means to be or become small or little, and میسر was a practice among the pre-Islamic Arabs where a camel was slaughtered and its meat split into ten or twenty-eight portions; then ten arrows were taken and numbered one to seven while three arrows were left unnumbered. Ten persons would participate in this game, and each would draw an arrow. If the game was played with twenty-eight shares, a person who drew an arrow numbered seven would get seven shares, the one who drew six would get six portions, and so on. The persons who drew the unnumbered arrows would get nothing. This is akin to today’s lottery. So, میسر includes lottery and all forms of gambling.
What is the relationship between خَمۡرِ and میسر and the ongoing topic of war? Intoxicants destroy intelligence, gambling destroys wealth, and both result in enmity and conflict. Hence the two are mentioned together. The relationship of both with war is that in actuality both intelligence and wealth do not provide safety in war, but oftentimes, in a situation of war, intoxicants are consumed or provided abundantly so that soldiers may fight blindly. The momentary courage that is produced as a result of intoxication destroys genuine bravery. Hence intoxicants are forbidden. The pre-Islamic Arabs often gathered wealth through gambling to bear the expenditure of war. This practice is akin to the present-day lottery. It is for this reason that immediately after the injunction forbidding gambling, the question is raised about what to spend.
2-219b Intoxicants and gambling are two dangerous diseases of civilized nations, particularly the Christian nations, and their remedy is not prescribed by any religion except Islam. There are some evils whose deleterious effects are so easily apparent that they are universally recognized, but there are other evils whose deleterious consequences manifest only after a long time and thus they evade widespread recognition. Wine belongs to the latter category of evils. It is for this reason that the only perfect religion, Islam, recognizes the ill effects of intoxicants and bans their ingestion. Judaism does not contain any prohibition against wine and in some places even praises it. For example, see Judges 9:13, II Samuel 16:2, Proverbs 31:6. The sages of Judaism went so far as to say that medicines are needed where there is no wine. Amongst the Hindus , imbibing wine is justified on the basis of their Holy Scriptures. Wine is one of the ritual offerings to the gods in Yajurveda. In the Laws of Manu, also known as Manusmriti, it is stated that: “There is no sin in the eating of meat, nor in wine,” (Manusmriti 5.56). It is also evidenced from Manusmriti that there is no sin in drinking wine at some religious festivals. Christianity crosses all limits by making the drinking of wine almost a foundation of their religion. In the Gospel by John (2:1-11), the very first miracle of Christ is described as the conversion of water to wine by Jesus when the wine ran out at a wedding before the guests were fully drunk. Jesus stepped in to solve this problem. It may be said that this incident reflects the future history of Christianity in that this nation will drink wine in place of water. Even more significant than this is that to remain a Christian a person must imbibe wine at least once every year. In the eucharist celebration, wine is a necessary ingredient, and a gulp of wine symbolizing the blood of Christ is declared the foundation of Christian unity. Thus, this assemblage of Christianity has at its foundation a piece of bread and wine. It is true that apart from Christianity, righteous and holy men in all religions keep aloof from drinking wine even though they may not be able to persuade others to do so. Among the Jews, there were two sects who did not drink wine. But to permanently decapitate the beast of drinking, a formidable spiritual power was needed that had not been granted to any other except the Holy Prophet. To save a single person from alcoholism is a difficult job, but the Holy Prophet’s spiritual prowess was so formidable and perfect that he instantly cleansed a whole nation and the entire country not just from wine, but even from the equipment for making wine. He accomplished this feat despite the fact that in pre-Islamic Arabia wine was imbibed so extensively that it is difficult to find another historical parallel of such widespread use of drinking except perhaps in the current situation in Europe. No sooner was the injunction forbidding the use of wine given than wine began to flow through the streets of Madinah like rainwater. People consider miracles to be acts that defy natural laws, but what can be a greater miracle than this which in an instant rid humanity from this evil. Thirteen hundred years after the Holy Prophet, the Americans tried to rid this evil by a constitutional amendment, but prohibition did not last long. Even in the short span it existed on paper, it was effectively bypassed through illegal means. This just goes to show the difference between the spiritual prowess of the Holy Prophet who instantaneously got rid of this evil versus the man-made resolutions which were unenforceable even as written law.
The wisdom in forbidding consumption of wine by stages: It is true that the ban on drinking wine was accomplished by stages. This was primarily because Islam understands the human psyche. In this respect, drinking was an exception because such gradual elimination is not found in respect of injunctions forbidding other evils. The first stage of the ban was an informative lesson that there are certain benefits of drinking because of which people adhere to this habit even to this day, but its detriment is much greater than its benefit. The next step was an injunction not to go near prayers in a state of intoxication: لَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنتُمۡ سُكَـٰرَىٰ (…go not near prayer when you are intoxicated…) (4:43). This was meant to convey that communion could not be established with Allah in a state of intoxication. The final injunction banning drinking was given in Surah Al-Maidah. Intoxicants are called رِجۡسٌ۬ (uncleanness) and the devil’s work, and the injunction was given: فَٱجۡتَنِبُوهُ (so shun it), and the injunction ended with a reproof: فَهَلۡ أَنتُم مُّنتَہُونَ (Will you then keep back?). Thus, there is great wisdom in banning this evil by stages.
Intoxicants in any amount are forbidden: It is worth remembering that although the ban on خَمۡرِ is primarily because of its intoxicating properties, all other intoxicants are included in this ban. This prohibition is general, and it would be wrong to conclude that drinking wine in a small amounts that do not intoxicate is permissible. The specificity of the reason does not negate the generality of the injunction. The hadith is clear on this point: حرمت الخمر لعینھا قلیلُھا و کثِیرُھا , that is wine by its nature is forbidden whether in small quantity or large quantity. It is also stated: ما اسکر کثیرہ فقلیله , that is, a thing that intoxicates in a large amount, is also forbidden in small amounts. Similarly, finding excuses for drinking different types of wine is clearly a violation of the Quranic injunction. However, the use of alcohol for medicinal purposes is not forbidden because even poison in small amounts can be administered for therapeutic reasons. There is a hadith which states not to use what is forbidden as medicine. However, in a situation of necessity, even pork is allowed, so necessity overrides the general ban on intoxicants.
2-219c ٱلۡعَفۡو – The literal meaning of عفو is to resolve to take a thing, and the word is used for a thing that is easy to take. Imam Raghib takes the meaning of عفو to be: ما یَسۡھل انِفاقُه , that is a thing that can be easily spent. Ibn Umar and most commentators of the first generation after the Holy Prophet explainn its meaning as wealth that is surplus to the needs of one’s family. Ibn Kathir states that some have taken it to mean things in good condition and honestly earned, and being, as it is, in juxtaposition with the ill-gotten wealth of gambling, this meaning is most appropriate. Wealth in excess of one’s need is also a befitting meaning; in support of which, there is also a hadith in Sahih Muslim in which the Holy Prophet said about the disposition of sadaqa: “Start with yourself and spend it on yourself, and if anything is left, it should be spent on your family, and if anything is left (after meeting the needs of the family) it should be spent on relatives, and if anything is left from the family, it should be spent like this and then this,” indicating in front of you, on your right and on your left. The teachings of Islam are very practical, and do not ignore human needs. After fulfilling one’s personal needs and that of family and children, if a person spends the rest in the way of Allah, it would be indeed an action of great virtue. If the Muslims were to follow these instructions, they would have millions of rupees in their possession that they could spend on the needs of religion.
2-220 On this world and the Hereafter. And they ask thee concerning the orphans. Say: To set right their (affairs) is good; and if you mix with them, they are your brethren. And Allah knows him who makes mischief from him who sets right. And if Allah pleased, He would have made matters difficult for you. Surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.a
فِى ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأَخِرَةِۗ وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰۖ قُلۡ إِصۡلَاحٌ۬ لَّهُمۡ خَيۡرٌ۬ۖ وَإِن تُخَالِطُوهُمۡ فَإِخۡوَٲنُكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُصۡلِحِۚ وَلَوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَعۡنَتَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ۬ (٢٢٠)
2-220a: تُخَالِطُوهُمۡ – is from خَلط which means to mix the parts of two or more things. A friend, a partner or a neighbor are called خَلِیط (R). Thus, مخالطت means partnership and mutual social intercourse.
اخوان – It is the plural of اخ and is spoken of a person with whom one shares a father or mother or both, but is also metaphorically spoken of someone with whom one shares a tribe, or religion, or industry, or affair, or love (R).
اعۡنَتَكُمۡۚ – معانتة and مُعاندَة are the same, but معانتة shows more intensity because it is مُعاندَة in which there is fear and potentially even death, and عَنَتis involvement in an affair in which there is danger of being fruitless. (R). And عَنَت is used in several senses and may mean hard work, mischief, perish, sin, fault, or adultery (N). Its use in the Quran occurs in: ذَٲلِكَ لِمَنۡ خَشِىَ ٱلۡعَنَتَ مِنكُمۡ (This is for him among you who fears falling into evil) (4:25), وَدُّواْ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ (They love that which distresses you) (3:118) عَزِيزٌ عَلَيۡهِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ (…grievous to him is your falling into distress) (9:128). And عَنَت in: وَعَنَتِ ٱلۡوُجُوهُ لِلۡحَىِّ ٱلۡقَيُّومِ (And faces will be humbled before the Living, the Self-subsistent) (20:111) is used in the sense of disgrace and submission (R), that is, will be humbled.
يَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُصۡلِحِ – Because to distinguish or differentiate between two things is included in the meaning of علم, hence مِنَ appears in some cases as its personal pronoun. In such a situation, the meaning is generally to differentiate.
By setting right the affairs of the orphans is meant that they should be included in societal intermingling, such as dining, lodging, and partnering in trade. This is specifically mentioned because there were prior injunctions about strictly guarding the assets of orphans. Keeping the orphans totally separate would give rise to many problems and also would be difficult for guardians. Hence permission is given to set right their affairs. Even more important than the physical aspects of boarding, lodging, and partnering in trade, is the need to have a system which would enable them to develop good social and moral values. According to Abu Muslim, مخالطت is used in the sense of مصاھرت , that is, those relationships that arise from marriage. These days, orphanages run by Islamic institutions function in a way that the orphans are kept apart from the rest of society. The environment is such that it keeps reinforcing that they are without parents and this has a deleterious effect on their morals. It would be much better if they were integrated with the rest of students. Even worse is when orphans are sent out to beg for money in bazaars and railway stations by pleading their orphan status. This is totally against the teaching of Islam.
2-221 And marry not the idolatresses until they believe; and certainly a believing maid is better than an idolatress even though she please you. Nor give (believing women) in marriage to idolaters until they believe, and certainly a believing slave is better than an idolater, even though he please you. These invite to the Fire and Allah invites to the Garden and to forgiveness by His will and He makes clear His messages to men that they may be mindful.a
وَلَا تَنكِحُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكَـٰتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤۡمِنَّۚ وَلَأَمَةٌ۬ مُّؤۡمِنَةٌ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّن مُّشۡرِكَةٍ۬ وَلَوۡ أَعۡجَبَتۡكُمۡۗ وَلَا تُنكِحُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤۡمِنُواْۚ وَلَعَبۡدٌ۬ مُّؤۡمِنٌ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّن مُّشۡرِكٍ۬ وَلَوۡ أَعۡجَبَكُمۡۗ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَدۡعُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱلۡجَنَّةِ وَٱلۡمَغۡفِرَةِ بِإِذۡنِهِۦۖ وَيُبَيِّنُ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (٢٢١)
2-221a: تَنكِحُواْ – Its root is نکح and the real meaning of نکاح is the marriage tie, that is marriage between a man and a woman, but colloquially it is also used for an adulterous relationship (R).
امة – Its root is امو and اَمَة means a woman slave.
عَبۡد – The meaning of عبُودِیَّة is تَذَلّل, to be humbly submissive. And عبد is used in four senses. First, it denotes a slave, and its plural is عَبِید . Second, to bring into existence, and this use is for Allah only, as in: إِن ڪُلُّ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّآ ءَاتِى ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ عَبۡدً۬ا (There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes to the Beneficent as a servant) (19:93). Third, in the sense of worship and service, and this عَبۡد is of two types; one is ,عَبۡد ٱللَّه , that is, those who serve just Allah, as in: عَبۡدَنَآ أَيُّوبَ – نزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِه القرٰان – إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ عَبۡدً۬ا شَكُورً۬ا . Wherever there is a mention of righteous persons as عَبۡد , it is in the sense of عابِد and عابِد is more informative than عَبۡد. The other is in the sense of those who become enamored by this world and become its servants with the sole objective of gaining wealth and the goods of this world. An example of this use is the saying of the Holy Prophet in which he said: تَعِسَ عبدُ الدِرھم تَعِسَ عبد یلدیۡنار , and عَبۡد in the sense of عابِد has for its plural عبادآتی. Here عَبۡد is in the sense of a slave (R).
مَغۡفِرَةِ – For غفر see 199a. مَغۡفِرَةِ here is in the sense of protection because مَغۡفِرَةِ is used after جَنَّة . Allah calls towards paradise and protection, which highlights the high status of مَغۡفِرَةِ . Certainly, the protection of Allah is a much higher standing than merely forgiveness of sins because one enters into heaven after the sins are forgiven but protection is needed even after entering heaven.
The injunction prohibiting matrimony with polytheists: It became necessary to forbid matrimonial relations, which require love and affection, with polytheists because of the state of war, but the injunction given in it is general and applicable to all polytheists. Thus, marriage between a polytheistic man and a believing woman or a believing man and a polytheistic woman is forbidden. The situation regarding such marriages which existed at the time of revelation is dealt with in Surah Al-Mumtahanah. In another place in the Quran, Muslim men are allowed to marry women who are from the followers of the Book, but marriage with polytheistic women is proscribed in all situations.
Practical manifestation of disgust with polytheists: The Quran terms polytheism as the foundation of all evil, and so it systematically exterminated each and every rite associated with polytheism, even to the extent of prohibiting food which was dedicated to their gods. Even social relations with polytheists were stopped so that neither a Muslim woman is allowed to cohabit with a polytheistic man, nor a Muslim man is allowed to cohabit with a polytheistic woman. In this very practical way, Muslims were taught to loath polytheism. Those who follow polytheistic practices from among the followers of the Book, like the Christians who consider Jesus to be god, are included in this prohibition. Marriages with Christian women who considered Jesus to be god was a major reason for the downfall of the Turks. The violation of God’s injunctions casts Muslims into this worldly fire. By a complete repudiation of polytheism, Allah invites the believers to His protection and paradise. According to some jurists, the followers of the Book are not included among the polytheists, and the injunction prohibiting marriage with polytheists applied specifically to the polytheists of Arabia. So, according to them, marriage with Christian women is permissible even if they are polytheists.
It is a sad state of affairs that Muslims who were given these injunctions to totally divorce themselves from all polytheistic rites are today fully indulging in such rites. Muslims were put in charge of exterminating such rites from other religions but sadly they are now the victim of these rites themselves.
Bayan-ul-Quran 