Surah Al-Hajj (22): Read Online and Download - English Translation

Commentary

سَخَّرَ‌ لَكُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ (Allah has subjugated to you whatever there is on the earth - 22:65) It means that everything on this earth has been placed under the control of man. This raises the question that the mountains, rivers, beasts and birds and thousands of similar objects do not follow the commands of man. But placing something in the service of someone is also like putting it under his control, and in this verse the word Taskhir (subjugation) has been used to mean ` to serve'. The verse therefore means that all the things mentioned above are all the time working in the service of man by the command of Allah. It was quite within the power of Allah Ta’ ala to have placed all these things under the control of man, but in such a situation man himself would have been the loser, because human natures, desires and needs differ. If a person ordered the river to divert towards a particular direction, and some other person ordered to the contrary, the result would have been utter chaos and confusion. Therefore, Allah Ta’ ala has retained with Him alone the command of these things, but the benefits to be derived from them accrue to human beings.

Commentary

لِّكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا (For every ummah (religious community) We have appointed a way of worship - 22:67). This sentence has come earlier in almost identical words in verse number 34 of this Surah, but the word مَنسَكً (mansak) conveys a different meaning in each verse. In the earlier verse the words مَنسَكً and نسَكً have been used in the context of the rites of Hajj and mean sacrifice of animals, while in the present verse the word مَنسَكً has been used in the sense of the rules of slaughter or general rules of worship. That is why, unlike the verse 34, the present verse does not have the conjunctive letter ' وَ ' (i.e. 'and' ) in the beginning.

One interpretation of this verse is that the infidels used to engage the Muslims in futile arguments regarding the slaughter of animals. They thought it odd that Islam permitted its followers to eat the meat of those animals which they slaughtered with their own hands but forbade eating the meat of those animals whom Allah Ta’ ala killed, that is the carrion. The present verse was revealed to answer these objections of the infidels. (Ruh ul-Ma’ ani). Thus the meaning of the word مَنسَكً here would refer to ` the method of slaughter', and the sum and substance of the verse is that Allah Ta’ ala gave each nation a code of laws, and the rules governing the slaughter of animals are different in each code. The rules of slaughter given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ are independent and self-sufficient and it is not permissible to compare them. with those of an earlier Shari'ah, let alone comparing them with someone's own whims and conjectures. As regards the meat of dead animals, it is well known that its oral use was forbidden in all earlier codes. (Ruh u1-Ma` ani) Therefore, it is sheer ignorance to argue with the Holy Prophet ﷺ on that basis.

However, majority of commentators has interpreted this verse in another way. They say that the word مَنسَكً here means the general rules of Shari'ah. Lexically, the word مَنسَكً means a place which is fixed for a

specific purpose, whether the purpose is good or bad, and for this reason the rites of pilgrimage are known as نسَكً , because different rites connected with the pilgrimage have to be performed at places fixed for each rite. (Ibn Kathir). The dictionary meaning of is ` piety and worship of Allah Ta’ a1a', and the words أَرِ‌نَا مَنَاسِكَنَا (And show us our ways of worship - 2:128) occurring in the Qur'an have been used in this sense Manasik means rules governing worship. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has adopted this second interpretation also. Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi, Ruh u1-Ma` ani etc. have adopted this meaning of the word, and the context of the verse also lends support to this interpretation. Having said all this, it is evident that the meaning of this verse would be that the infidels and the polytheists who dispute the Islamic code of laws on the ground that their own ancestral religion did not include those laws must understand very clearly that any comparison between the old book or Shari` ah and the new book or Shari` ah is totally misplaced and irrelevant, because Allah Ta` a1a granted to each nation in its own time a special Shari` ah and a Book which was binding upon it until another book or Shari` ah arrived on the scene after which it becomes the duty of all people to follow the new Shari` ah, and if any of its laws are in conflict with the laws of the old Shari` ah, then the new rules shall prevail and the old laws will stand invalidated, and nobody has the right to raise a dispute on this matter with the Prophet ﷺ ، who is the recipient of the latest book and Shari` ah. This is the meaning of the following words of this verse. فَلَا يُنَازِعُنَّكَ فِي الْأَمْرِ‌ (They should never quarrel with you in the matter - 22:67). That is, now that the Holy Prophet has brought a new Book and new code of laws no one has the right to dispute them and create any confusion about them.

This also shows that there is in fact no inconsistency between the two interpretations of this verse. It is quite possible that this verse was revealed with reference to some specific dispute about the slaughter of animals but since, as a general rule, the words must be interpreted in the sense they are understood by the common people and not in reference to a particular event, the words of this verse can be so construed as to apply to all the laws of Shari'ah. The essence of both the interpretations, therefore is, that since Allah Ta’ ala has given each nation its own particular set of rules where differences as to details do exist, the latest set of rules becomes binding on all peoples, and issues relating to these differences cannot be raised. This is the reason why it has been stated at the end of this verse وَادْعُ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكَ إِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ هُدًى مُّسْتَقِيمٍ (And do call them to your Lord. Surely, you are on straight Guidance - 22:67) in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been advised not to take any notice of the machinations and disputes raised by the infidels but to continue with his mission, because he was following the path of righteousness whereas his opponents were steeped in error.

A doubt and its answer

In verse 67 it has been averred that Allah Ta’ ala granted to the earlier nations their own Shari` ah or set of rules, and the Mosaic Code and the Christian Code are instances in point. The Jews and the Christians may, therefore, are that their Codes also being Divine should be allowed to exist alongside of the Islamic Code. But this is a fallacious argument because it is a well established fact that an earlier Shari` ah is cancelled by a subsequent Shari` ah, and this view is reinforced by the following verses in which the infidels who challenge the Islamic Shari` ah have been warned of severe chastisement. وَإِن جَادَلُوكَ فَقُلِ اللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (And if they dispute with you, then say, "Allah knows best what you do." - 22:68)