Surah Al-Hashr (59): Read Online and Download - English Translation

مَا قَطَعْتُم مِّن لِّينَةٍ أَوْ تَرَ‌كْتُمُوهَا قَائِمَةً عَلَىٰ أُصُولِهَا فَبِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ وَلِيُخْزِيَ الْفَاسِقِينَ (Whatever palm-trees you have cut down, or have left them standing on their roots, it was with Allah's permission, and so that He might disgrace the transgressors....59:5). The word linah refers to a 'palm-tree'. Another opinion states that besides ` ajwah, all other palm trees are referred to as linah. Banu Nadir's orchards were comprised of palm trees. The reference in the verse is to the cutting, by the orders of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، of the palm trees of Banu Nadir who had shut themselves in their fortresses in defiance of the Holy Prophet's ﷺ orders to surrender. So, some of the blessed Companions, in order to anger them or cast terror into their hearts, cut and burned down some of their date trees. Other Companions felt that the palm-trees should not be destroyed because soon, God willing, the Muslims will be victorious and the orchards will fall to their lot as booty. Thus they did not participate in the destruction of the trees. This was a difference of opinion. Later on when this disagreement was discussed, the Companions who participated in the destruction of the trees or orchards felt guilty. They asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ whether they were really guilty of a sin, in that they destroyed the property that was going to fall to the lot of the Muslims. Verse [ 5] was revealed on that occasion to assuage the guilt-feeling of the Muslims that whatever they have done, whether they cut the trees or left them uncut, was by Allah's leave and it was done to degrade the ungodly Jews.

Commandment of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is in fact the Commandment of Allah: A Warning for those who Refute the authority of the Ahadith

In verse [ 5], the cutting down of the trees or leaving them uncut is called bi-idhni-llah [ with Allah's permission ] whereas neither of the actions was the explicit command of Allah. Apparently, whatever each group did was on the basis of independent reasoning [ Ijtihad ]. At most, it is possible that they might have sought the permission of the Holy Prophet ﷺ which is a Hadith. The 'Prophet's ﷺ permission' is referred to as 'Allah's permission' in the Qur'an. Thus the Qur'an makes plain that Allah has given His Messenger ﷺ the right to legislate laws. The forthcoming verse [ 7] of this Surah puts it that believers need to hold fast to what the Messenger ﷺ bids them and abstain from what he forbids them. This shows conclusively that the Sunnah is an independent source of the Islamic Law.

Disagreement in ijtihad is not a sin

Another important principle derived from this verse is that if those who are competent to undertake ijtihad disagree with another on a particular issue, so as one of them holds something as permissible, while the other takes it as impermissible, neither of them would be counted as sinners, nor will the principle of nahy ` anil-munkar (forbidding evil) be applied to this situation, because none of the two rulings is an 'evil' in the sight of Allah. Under the concluding phrase of verse [ 5] لِيُخْزِيَ الْفَاسِقِينَ (...and that he might disgrace the transgressors) it was explained that the act of cutting or burning down the trees cannot be construed as disorderliness. But it was done to degrade the unbelievers, and therefore it carries reward in the Hereafter.

Ruling

Is it legitimate to demolish or burn down the homes of the infidels, or cut or burn down their trees, or destroy their fields and farms? The leading authorities on Islamic Jurisprudence are not unanimous on this question. Imam A'zam Abu Hanifah (رح) rules that all of these actions are permitted. Shaikh Ibn Humam (رح) ، however, qualifies the ruling and restricts it. He rules that all of the above are permitted if and only if the enemies cannot be vanquished or overpowered without resorting to the above measures, or if the victory of Muslims is not probable or likely. The whole purpose of this ruling is to break the might and power of the enemy. In the case where Muslims do not win the struggle, destruction of their moveable and immovable properties may be included in weakening their might and main. [ Mazhari ]

[ 1] fai' is a term for the properties left over by the non-Muslims and possessed by a Muslim state without fighting. As opposed to this, ghanimah (booty) is a property taken over by fighting. The properties of Bani Nadir were taken over without fighting, hence the word fai'. That is why we did not translate fai' as 'booty'. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

Commentary

The Concept of Fai' and its Law of Distribution

وَمَا أَفَاءَ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ رَ‌سُولِهِ مِنْهُمْ (And whatever fai' [ left over property ] Allah has passed on to His Messenger from them, ...59:6). The word afa'a is derived from fai'un which means 'to return'. Thus the time of the afternoon when the shade of things returns to the east is referred to as fai'. The real ownership of the entire universe belongs to Allah. The ownership of things can be ascribed to human beings when Allah Himself declares them, through His Law, to be under the ownership of a human being. However, when people rebel against Allah, indulging in disbelief and shirk, their lives and properties are confiscated through properly constituted Authority and their ownership return to the Real Owner, Allah. From this point of view, all properties acquired from the unbelievers should be called fai'. However, the sacred Law of Shari` ah draws a distinction between the terms ghanimah [ spoils ] and fai'. The former refers to a property which is acquired from non-Muslims through active armed struggle, as in [ 8:41] وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ (And know that whatever spoils you receive...). However, the word 'fai' refers to a property acquired without resorting to an actual fight, (like in a state of peaceful surrender.) These two terms have been used to set down rules of these two types in the Holy Qur'an. Surah Al-Anfal dealt with injunctions relating to ghanimah or spoils, which is acquired from non-Muslims in the wake of armed struggle. The present Surah takes up the subject of fai' and the law of its distribution. The term fai' includes any property or wealth which the non-Muslims might leave behind and run away, or make over to the Muslim Authority willingly or with consent like Khiraj, jizyah or commercial duty.

مَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ رَ‌سُولِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَ‌ىٰ (Whatever fai' Allah has passed on to His Messenger ﷺ from the people of the towns... 59:7). The phrase ahl ul-qura or 'the people of the towns' refers to the Jewish tribes like Banu Nadir and Banu Quraizah whose wealth and property were obtained without armed struggle. The laws pertaining to the distribution of the two types of spoils are different. Unlike ghanimah [ spoils of war ], fai' is not distributed among the mujahidin (participants in fighting). The Holy Prophet ﷺ is granted full authority to give as much as he likes to whomsoever he likes or to retain for himself at his discretion. However, a few classes of beneficiaries have been clearly defined. The fai' must be distributed among the defined five classes.

The foregoing verses set down the rules pertaining to fai', its beneficiaries and its method of distribution. Some details are available at the beginning of Surah Al-Anfal in Volume 4 of Ma` ariful Qur'an, pages 148-151 and more details of the injunctions are available in the same volume on pages 221-229, under verse 41. It needs to be borne in mind that the wordings of Surah Al-Anfal regarding Khums [ 1/5th ] of ghanimah is almost identical to the wordings of fai' mentioned in the present verse. Let us compare: 8:41 reads: وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّـهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّ‌سُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْ‌بَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ (And know that whatever spoils you receive, its one-fifth is for Allah and His Messenger and for kinsmen and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer... 8:41). Verse [ 7] of the present Surah reads as above which means: "Whatever fai' Allah has passed on to His Messenger from the people of the towns is for Allah and for His Messenger ﷺ ، and for kinsmen and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer....59:7). In both these verses, six classes of beneficiaries are mentioned: Allah, the Messenger, kinsmen, orphans, the needy and the wayfarer. It is all too clear that Allah is the Real Owner and Master of this world, the next world and the entire creation. The name of Allah in relation to the shares has been mentioned by way of blessing or benediction, because the wealth or property thus associated with Allah's name attains honour and distinction. It also points to the permissibility and purity of the wealth. This is the view of Sayyidna Hasan Al-Basri, Qatadah, ` Ata', Ibrahim, Sha'bi رحمۃ اللہ علیہم and the commentators in general. [ Mazhari ]

In the commentary of Surah Al-Anfal, it was fully and exhaustively explained how wealth attains honour and distinction by the mention of Allah's name which, in brief, amounts to the following: The prophets are not allowed to avail of Sadaqat or charities, even though they are derived from the pure wealth of the Muslims. The question might arise how the ghanimah and fai' are made lawful for the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، while they are derived from the infidels? By mentioning Allah's name at the beginning of the verse, this doubt has been removed. The point is that Allah is the real owner of the entire universe. Human beings come to own certain things when Allah by His own grace declares for them to pass into human ownership. However, when a certain segment of human beings rebels against Allah, Jihad is waged against them by Allah's command, which means that, during the war, their lives and properties are no longer sacred. In this way, all their wealth is confiscated in the name of the Authority in command. The confiscated properties are named ghanimah, spoils or war booty - which goes out of the ownership of disbelievers and gets itself deposited separately as being under the ownership of Allah alone. And as stated earlier, the word fai' contains the meaning of 'return' and the wealth is so called because its ownership is restored to the original owner, Allah. No human being has any entitlement to it. The beneficiaries who will receive a share of it will receive it direct from Allah, and therefore it will be lawful and pure like water and self-growing grass which are direct Divine gift, lawful and pure.

In short, the mention of Allah's name in this context points to the fact that the entire wealth belongs to Allah, and it is granted to the beneficiaries on His behalf. It is no sadaqah or khairat [ charity ].

This leaves us with five classes of beneficiaries: [ 1] The Messenger ﷺ ; [ 2] kinsmen; [ 3] orphans; [ 4] the needy; and [ 5] the wayfarer. The same five classes of beneficiaries of khums [ 1/5th ] were determined in [ 8:41] and now the same classes of beneficiaries are determined for fai' property. The rules relating to both ghanimah and fai' properties are identical: They are in full authority of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ، and after him in the authority of the Caliphs. The Authority may retain them for the benefit of Muslims in general, or they may deposit them in bait-ul-mal [ public treasury ] and do not grant anything to anyone, or they may distribute them. If it is decided to be distributed, it must be done within the five classes defined. [ Qurtubi ]

Companions shows that fai' property was in the Authority of the Holy Prophet ﷺ during his time, and was left to his discretion. He may disburse it as he deemed fit. After him, his Caliphs controlled it and disbursed it according to their best judgment.

After the demise of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ، his share of the booty fell into disuse. The word 'Kinsmen' in the verse means the kinsmen of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . There were two reasons why they were granted a share from this booty: Firstly, because they helped the Holy Messenger ﷺ and supported him in his Islamic activities. Therefore, even the rich kinsmen of the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to be granted a share from the booty. [ 2] Sadaqah [ charity ] was unlawful for the Holy Prophet's ﷺ kinsmen. Therefore, the poor and needy relatives of the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to be granted a share from the fai' rather than from the Sadaqah [ charity ]. After the demise of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، helping and supporting him came to an end. The first reason no longer existed. Therefore, the share from the fai' of the rich relatives fell into disuse like that of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . However, the poor and the needy relatives continued to receive their share from the fai' on account of poverty and need. Priority was given to the poor and needy relatives of Allah's Messenger ﷺ over other poor and needy people. [ Hidayah ]. See Ma’ ariful Qur’ an, Vol. 4/pp 228-229.

كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنكُمْ (...so that it may not circulate only between the rich among you 59:7). The word dulatah refers to the 'wealth or good fortune that exchange hands'. [ Qurtubi ] The verse means that Allah has determined the heads of expenditure for the fai' in this way so that the wealth does not circulate among the wealthy, who would spend it as they wish and desire and give none of it to the poor. The verse is aimed at abolishing an old practice of the Days of Ignorance where the circulation of such wealth used to remain confined to the privileged and propertied class or caste. The poorer segment of the society had no entitlement to the wealth of the nation.

Effective Measures taken by Islam against concentration of wealth

Allah is the creator, cherisher and sustainer of the universe. He knows the human needs. All human beings, whether believers or non-believers, whether lineally rich or poor, are equal in the sight of Allah. Allah has to a very large extent kept the distribution of man's natural and basic needs in His own Hands, so that every class, every region, every weak and strong people might be able to benefit equally. Allah has, through His consummate wisdom, kept all such needs beyond man's personal domination. No human being dare take possession of these things personally. Air, wind, atmosphere, the Sun, the Moon, the light of the stars and planets, the rain-laden clouds - all these things are such without which no human can survive for a moment. Allah, the Almighty, has declared all natural resources a public endowment for all. Not even the greatest of sovereign authorities, by virtue of their ruling powers, can ever monopolize or take possession of them. Allah's creation avails of them equally everywhere.

The second category of necessities of life is what the earth produces, as for instance water and other food-stuff. This is not commonly available. However, Islamic law has declared hills and mountains, unpopulated jungles and natural springs as public endowments. However, legitimate right of ownership of some parts of the earth are allowed under special laws to specific human beings. Some people illegitimately grab the land, but naturally even the greatest capitalist cannot derive benefit from the land without the help of the poor, the farmers or the laborers. Thus despite a sort of ownership of it, he is forced to give shares to other powerless and the indigent.

The third category is gold, silver and money, which do not fall under the basic and natural necessities of life. But Allah has made them the means of acquiring all essentials of life. People who mine gold and silver from the ground become their owners subject to certain rules. The right of their ownership is transferred in various ways to other people. If they are widely distributed and are in easy circulation in human society, no individual will go without food and clothing. But what happens in our days is that the greedy people want to benefit from the wealth to the exclusion of others. This led to miserliness and greed which, in turn, led to some old and some new systems of monopolization and concentration of wealth. As a result, people's wealth concentrated in the hands of a few capitalists and people at the helm of affairs. The rest of the population who were poor and indigent had to suffer, because they were deprived of their share in the nation's wealth. This economic situation, as a reaction, gave birth to such unreasonable economic systems as communism and socialism.

Islamic economic system, on the one hand, shows the highest respect to individual property rights, in that an individual's lawful property is as sacred and inviolable as human life itself, and human life is as sacred and inviolable as the House of Allah. Its violation has been most strongly prohibited. On the other hand, if a hand filches or steals it, it is, under penal law, amputated. In the third place, all such doors have been shut, through which a particular individual or group of individuals might monopolize it and deprive the general public.

The unjust and unbalanced way of acquisition of wealth, such as by usury, speculation, gambling and betting, allows wealth to concentrate and circulate in the hands of a few individuals. Islam has declared all such gains as unlawful and cut at the root of all such transactions in trade and tenancy that are based on unlawful practices. Wealth that is gained through lawful means has specific ways of spending: The needy and the indigent are shareholders in the wealth in the form of Zakah, ` Ushr, Sadaqat-ul-Fitr [ Id charity ], various forms of expiation and so on. The surplus wealth may be given away in voluntary charity. If a man leaves behind assets at the time of his death, Divine wisdom has set down specific rules according to which it must be distributed. The shareholders in the assets are the relatives of the deceased, the principle in this case being al-'aqrab- fal-'aqrab, that is 'relatives in order of relationship'. In other words, Islamic law of succession is based on blood relationship; the nearer in degree to the deceased excludes the more remote. The needy in general have not been made the shareholders, because if that were the case, the dying person would have felt the need to spend his assets anyhow, rightly or wrongly, before his death. When he sees only his near and dear ones receiving, this urge does not develop in his heart.

This means of acquiring wealth blocks the way to monopolization. The second means of acquiring wealth is war and jihad. The gains made in this way are distributed according to the Islamic rules. Some of them have been set down in Surah Al-Anfal and others in this Surah. How unwise and short-sighted are those people who give up Islam's balanced system of economics based on justice, fair-play and compassion, and innovate new systems of wealth distribution, which are unjust and unbalanced, and disturb world peace?

وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّ‌سُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ (...Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever thing he forbids you, abstain [ from it ]. And fear Allah....59:7). This verse is in connection with fai' property, and it purports to say that Allah has set down the beneficiaries of this property. However, the question which beneficiary will receive how much have been left to the discretion of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Therefore, the Muslims are advised to happily accept the amount the Holy Prophet ﷺ grants them, and they should not be anxious to receive what he has not given to them. This has been further emphasized by the injunction all (Fear Allah). If anyone collects under false pretext more than what he is granted, Allah is fully aware and will punish him.

The Messenger's Command is Binding like the Qur’ anic Command

Although the verse was revealed in connection with fai', its words are general. They are not specific to wealth. They cover all the commands as well. Hence, the generalized meaning of the verse is that whatever the Holy Prophet ﷺ gives to a person, be it wealth, any other grant or any command, the people must show their willingness to accept it. And whatever he forbids them, they should stay away from it.

Many of the Companions took the generalized sense of the verse, and on the basis of it, they took the Holy Prophet's ﷺ commandment as binding as the Qur'anic commandment. Qurtubi said that in this verse the antonym of ata [ gives ] is naha [ forbids ]. This shows that the verb ata [ gives ] is used in the sense of amara [ commands ] which is the direct antonym of naha [ forbids ]. The Qur'an, instead of using the direct opposite of naha [ forbids ] which is amara [ commands ], employed the verb ` ata [ gives ] presumably to embrace the context of the subject-matter where the verse occurs, that is, the disbursement of fai' property.

Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ once saw a person in the state of ihram wearing sewn clothes (which is impermissible in that state). He asked him to take off the clothes. The person asked him to recite a Qur'anic verse in support of his claim that a pilgrim is prohibited to put on a sewn garb. Sayyidna ` Abdullan Ibn Masud ؓ recited this very verse آتَاكُمُ الرَّ‌سُولُ فَخُذُوهُ (Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it....".

Imam Shafi` i (رح) once said to his congregation: (Ask whatever question you wish, and I will answer from the Qur'an.) A person said that a pilgrim killed a wasp in the state of ihram and asked: "What is the rule about it?" Imam Shafi` i (رح) recited this verse of the Qur'an مَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّ‌سُولُ فَخُذُوهُ. (Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it...." and coupled it with a Tradition which gives the injunction relating to the killing of a wasp. [ Qurtubi ].

لِلْفُقَرَ‌اءِ الْمُهَاجِرِ‌ينَ ([ And fai' is especially ] for the poor emigrants...[ 59:8] ". The few verses from here till the end of the section describe the poor emigrants (muhajirin), helpers (Ansar) and the general members of Ummah that were yet to come in this world. Grammatically, the prepositional phrase 'for the emigrants' is a complement to the prepositional phrase 'for the kinsmen' occurring in verse [ 7] [ Mazhari ]. What this verse purports to say is that although the beneficiaries of fai' are orphans, the needy and the wayfarers as mentioned in the preceding verse, priority and precedence will be given to those whose service to religion, personal qualities and religious perfection are well- known.

Priority should be given to the Indigent Righteous and Religious Scholars serving the Cause of Islam when distributing Charity

This shows that although charities, especially fai' are meant to fulfill the needs of the indigent Muslims in general, the righteous, especially students and learned scholars serving the cause of religion should be given priority over all others. This is the reason why Islamic governments gave allowance from the fai' fund to learned scholars, muftis and judges for serving the cause of education, propagation of Islam and reform of human beings, because these verses establish two categories of the noble Companions. Under the first category fall the emigrants who in the very first instance made great sacrifices for Islam and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . They endured great hardships, and eventually bid farewell to their wealth and property, to their land and country, and to their relatives and the near and dear ones, and emigrated to Madinah. Under the second category fall the Ansar, the natives of Madinah who helped the emigrants and cooperated with them. They invited the Messenger of Allah and with him the emigrants and thus caused the whole world around them to stand in their opposition. Their hospitality is unparalleled in the annals of the nations of the world. After these two major categories, comes a third category which comprises those people who embraced Islam after the blessed Companions and followed their footsteps closely. The last category embraces all Muslims who will follow until the Last Hour. The three categories are discussed below, in succession.

The Merits of al-Muhajirin [ The Emigrants ]

لِلْفُقَرَ‌اءِ الْمُهَاجِرِ‌ينَ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِ‌جُوا مِن دِيَارِ‌هِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرِ‌ضْوَانًا وَيَنصُرُ‌ونَ اللَّـهَ وَرَ‌سُولَهُ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ

([ And fai' is especially ] for the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and properties, while they were seeking the grace of Allah and (His) pleasure, and were helping Allah and His Messenger. They are the truthful.... 59:8)

This verse describes all the characteristics of the emigrants. The first of them is that they were driven from their homes and wealth, that is to say, their only crime was that they had embraced Islam and supported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ، as a result of which the pagans of Makkah persecuted them, so much so that they had to abandon their hearths and homes and emigrate to Madinah. Some of them had to tie stones to their stomach on account of unbearable hunger, and others used to protect themselves against cold by digging holes in the ground, because they did not have clothes to save them from the chill of winter. [ Mazhari, Qurtubi ]

An Important Issue: The rule about the control of unbelievers over the wealth and property of the Muslims

This verse describes the emigrants as poor, whereas a faqir [ poor ] in Islamic law refers to a person who has no property whatever, or a person who possesses a little property, but is poor because he does not possess the minimum amount of property constituting nisab of Zakah. However, most of the emigrants were rich, wealthy and affluent while they were in Makkah. Even after migration, if the wealth had remained in their ownership, it would be inappropriate to refer to them as 'poor' because they had nisab of Zakah. But the Qur'an refers to them as 'poor' and thus points out that the wealth and property which they had left behind in Makkah, and the pagans subsequently took possession of them, became the property of the pagans and the Muslims lost its ownership.

Therefore, Imams Abu Hanifah and Malik رحمۃ اللہ علیہما ruled that if Muslims abandon their homes and possessions and migrate to some other land, and the non-believers take control of their abandoned homes and property, the ownership passes into their hands and Muslims lose ownership. Similarly, if - God forbid! - the unbelievers conquer an Islamic country, usurping Muslim property and wealth, then after having full control over it, they are deemed as owners of that property. Consequently, their transactions of sale and purchase of such properties are recognized in Shari` ah. Mazhari has, on this occasion in his commentary, cited all the relevant Traditions supporting this view.

The second characteristic of the emigrants is described thus: يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرِ‌ضْوَانًا (...seeking the grace of Allah and [ His ] pleasure...59:8). When they embraced Islam, abandoned their country and wealth and migrated, they did not have any ulterior motive. They did all this only to seek Divine favour and gain His good pleasure. This indicates their perfect sincerity. The word fadl [ bounty, grace ] is normally used for worldly blessings and ridwan [ good pleasure ] for blessings of the Hereafter. From this viewpoint, the verse purports to describe that the emigrants gave up all their previous means of luxury, such as their hearths and homes, and now they were in quest of their worldly needs and the blessings of the Hereafter in the shade of Islam. Their objective was to seek the necessities of worldly life under the banner of Allah's and His Messenger's efficacious grace.

The third characteristic of the emigrants is described thus: وَيَنصُرُ‌ونَ اللَّـهَ وَرَ‌سُولَهُ (...and were helping Allah and His Messenger...59:8). The phrase 'help Allah' means to help His religion, for which they made tremendous and amazing self-sacrifices.

The fourth characteristic of the emigrants is described thus: أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ (... They are the truthful...59:8). That is, such people are sincerely true in words and deeds. The covenant they made with Allah and His Messenger by reciting the kalimah, they duly fulfilled it and proved themselves to be true about it. This verse candidly testifies to the truthfulness of all emigrant Companions. Anyone calling any of them a 'liar' cannot be a Muslim, because he is rejecting this verse. God forbid! Rawafid call these Companions 'hypocrites'. This is a clear rejection of the verse. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ held the emigrant Companions ؓ in such high esteem that when he prayed to Allah, he would supplicate through their wasilah. [ as transmitted by Al-Baghawi and Mazhari ].

The Merits of Ansar [ The Helpers ]

وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ‌ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ( And [ fai' is also for ] those who established themselves in the homeland [ of Madinah ] and in faith before the former ones [ arrived in Madinah ] ...59:9). The word tabawwu' means 'to make dwelling in the abode'. The word dar refers to Madinah which has a special distinction. Therefore, Imam Malik (رح) ، from one point of view, regarded Madinah Tayyibah as the most distinguishable of all the cities in the world. He used to say that wherever Islam reached and any city that was conquered, it was conquered by means of jihad - including Makkah Mukarramah. Madinah Tayyibah is the only exception. It was conquered by means of 'Iman. [ Qurtubi ].

In this verse, under the word tabawwu' [ to settle in an abode ] the words dar [ home ] and 'iman [ faith ] are coupled. It could be objected that a 'home' can be found in a place where a person might settle in, but 'faith' is not an 'abode' where a person might find a place to settle in. Some of the scholars take the position that in this context the following verbs اَخلَصُوا or تَمَکَّنُوا to be understood and they mean "These are the people who settled in their abode and became sincere and strong in their faith". It is possible to take the word 'faith' in its metaphorical sense, that is in the sense that 'it is a fortified house' where refuge is taken. The phrase min qablihim [ before them ] describes another characteristic of Ansar, which means that they had settled in Madinah before the Emigrants, while Madinah was so important a city that all the Muslims living in Makkah were ordered to emigrate to it and it became the center of Islam.

The second characteristic of the Helpers is described in يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ‌ إِلَيْهِمْ (...have love for those who emigrated to them...59:9) The Emigrants from Makkah came to the Helpers, deprived and denuded of all their possessions. Normally, no community is willing to allow such a large number of distressed people to settle in their city. Instead, the quarrels between natives and emigrants are found everywhere. But the Ansar received them with open arms and made them equal partners in their belongings. The bond of love and brotherhood which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ established between the Emigrants and the Helpers, and to which this verse bears an eloquent testimony, stands unrivalled in the whole history of human relationships. There was no dearth of the Helpers who were eager to take on the Emigrants. In fact, for each Emigrant there were several applications to take him on. There were many instances in which lots had to be cast. When the lot of a particular Helper fell in favour of a particular Emigrant, he was handed to him. [ Mazhari ]

The third characteristic of the Helpers is described in وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِ‌هِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا (...and do not feel in their hearts any need for what is given to the former ones [ from fai'], ...[ 59:9] ". This statement is concerned with the banishment of Banu Nadir and their orchards and homes falling into Muslim hands.

Distribution of Banu Nadir's properties

As stated earlier, the relevant verse has given discretionary powers to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in matters of distributing the fai' property. It was a time when the Muhajirin (Emigrants) had neither homes of their own nor any property. They lived in the homes of the Ansar, and worked on their farms to earn their livelihood. When the wealth of Banu Nadir and Banu Qainuqa` were obtained as fai', the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called the leader of the Ansar, Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qais Ibn Shammas ؓ ، and asked him to bring his people to him. He asked: "O Messenger of Allah, should I call my tribe of the Ansar, Banu Khazraj, or all of the tribes of the Ansar?" He replied: "All of them." They all gathered. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered a sermon in which he spoke highly of the Ansar as to the manner in which they accommodated the Refugee brethren. He said it was a work of great determination and courage. After that he said: 'Allah has granted you the wealth of Banu Nadir. If you wish, I will divide the wealth between the Muhajirin and the Ansar; and the Refugees will remain as usual in the homes of the Ansar. Or if you wish, the wealth may be distributed among the homeless Refugees; and they may move out of your homes and settle in their own homes.'

Having heard this sermon, two of the great chiefs of the Ansar, Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah and Sa'd Ibn Mu` adh ؓ - stood and said: "0 Messenger of Allah, we are of the view that the entire wealth of fai' be distributed among the Refugee brethren, and in addition they may continue to reside in our homes as usual." At this all the Ansar unanimously said, "We concur with this decision and are happy with it." On that occasion, the Holy Prophet ﷺ supplicated for the Ansar and their children. He then distributed the entire fai' among the Muhajirin. Only two of the Ansar received a grant from the fai' , because they were very poor. Their names are Sayyidna Sahl Ibn Hunaif ؓ and Abu Dujanah ؓ . Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Mu` adh ؓ was given a sword which was a distinguished sword of Ibn Abil-Huqaiq. [ Mazharl with reference to Sabi-ur-Rashad by Muhammad Ibn Yusuf As-Salihi ]

The present verse admires the Ansar on this attitude by saying, وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِ‌هِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا (...and do not feel in their hearts any need for what is given to the former ones [ from fai'], ....59:9). The word 'need' means 'any item of need'. The verse means 'Whatever the Muhajirin were granted in this distribution, the Ansar happily accepted it as if they had no need for any of those items. It was inconceivable that they would complain about it enviously.' When Bahrain was conquered, the same spirit of self-sacrifice was displayed again by the Ansr. The Holy Prophet ﷺ expressed his intention to distribute the entire conquered lands of that territory among the Ansar, but they courteously refused to accept any share of it unless a similar share was granted to the Muhajirin.

The fourth characteristic of the Ansar is described in the verse is: وَيُؤْثِرُ‌ونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ (...and give preference (to them) over themselves, even though they are in poverty ....59:9). The word khasasah means 'poverty' and the word ` ithar means 'to prefer the wish, need and desire of others above those of oneself. The meaning of the verse is that the Ansar used to prefer the needs of others (i.e. the Muhajirin,) to their own needs. That is, the former used to fulfill the needs of the latter first, then they would fulfill their own needs, even though they themselves were poor and needy.

For the interpretation of the Qur'anic verses, there is no need to recount incidents. But because they develop in human beings the highest degree of human qualities and bring about a reform in their lives, the commentators have recounted these events in detail on this occasion, especially Qurtubi. We cite below a few of them from his commentary.

It is recorded in Tirmidhi on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that one night a guest came to ansari's house. The latter had only as much food as he and his children could eat. He said to his wife: 'Put the children off to sleep somehow, and put out the lamp. Then place the food in front of the guest, and sit next to him so that he may be under the impression that we too are eating, but we will not eat so that the guest may be able to eat comfortably.' At this, the present verse was revealed. [ At-Tirmidhi has rated this hadith as 'hasan, sahih'].

Tirmidhi records another narration on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that a person came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: "I am hungry and distressed." The Holy Prophet ﷺ sent a message to one of his blessed wives, but she replied: "We do not have anything except water." Then he sent a message to his another wife, and she made the same reply. Then to a third one and then to a fourth one until the message went to all the mothers of the faithful, and they all replied that they had nothing besides water. Then he addressed the congregation and asked if any of them would be willing to entertain the guest, in response to which a venerable Ansari said: "0 Messenger of Allah, I will entertain him." So he took him with and asked his wife whether there was anything to eat. She replied: "Only as much as our children could eat." He asked his wife to put the children to sleep and then said: "Place the food in front of the guest, sit and then get up and put out the lamp. The guest should not feel that we are not eating." The guest ate the food. In the morning, the Companion went to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who informed him that Allah was very pleased with the way he handled the situation the previous night.

Mahdawi narrates a similar incident of Sayyidna Thabit Ibn Qais ؓ ، a venerable Ansari who entertained his guest one night by putting the light off. There is a common statement appended to all these incidents: 'The above verse was revealed in connection with this event.'

Qushairi cites a story on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ﷺ who reports that a person sent the head of a goat as a gift to a venerable personality from among the blessed Companions. He thought that about a Muslim brother that he and his family are more in need of this, so he sent the head to him. When the second venerable Companion received it, he sent it to a third person who in turn sent it to a fourth person. In this way it circulated in seven houses and eventually it returned to the first venerable personality. On this occasion, the verse was revealed. Tha'labi has also recorded this narration on the authority of Sayyidna Anas ؓ .

It is recorded in Muwaatta' of Imam Malik (رح) on the authority of Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ that a poor person wanted something to eat. She had only one bread, and she was fasting that day. She asked her maid to give him the bread. The maid said that if it was given away, there would be nothing left for her to break her fast in the evening. Sayyidnh ` A'ishah ؓ insisted and gave the bread to the poor person. The maid says: "It so happened after this that a person, who was not accustomed to send any gift, sent a whole roasted goat which was completely covered with batter on the outside, which is thought to be the best Arab dish." Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ called the maid and said: "Come, eat this. This is better than that bread of yours."

Nasa'i has recorded that once Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ fell sick and he felt like eating grapes. A bunch of grapes was bought for him for a dirham. Co-incidentally, a poor person came begging. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ said that the bunch be given to him. One of the Companions furtively followed him, and bought off the bunch from the beggar and gave it back to Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ ، but the beggar came again and begged, Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ gave it to him again. Again someone went behind the beggar secretly and bought off the bunch from him for a dirham and gave it to Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ . The beggar wanted to turn up the third time and beg, but the people stopped him. If Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ knew that the bunch is the same one that he gave out in sadaqah, he would never have accepted it and eaten it. He probably thought that someone had brought it for him from the market-place, and therefore he had eaten it.

Sayyidna Ibn Mubarak reports on the authority of his chain of transmitters that once Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ sent four thousand Dinars in a moneybag to Sayyidna Abu ` Ubaidah ؓ with his servant, with the message that the money was being sent as a gift. He should use it as he deemed fit. The servant was instructed to remain for a while in the house to see what he would do with the money. The servant, accordingly, gave the moneybag to him and waited for a while. Sayyidna Abu 'Ubaidah ؓ took the bag full of money and supplicated for Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ that Allah may reward him and shower his mercy upon him. Instantly, he called his slave-girl and instructed her to give seven Dinars to so-and-so, five Dinars to so-and-so until all four thousand Dinars were distributed then and there.

The servant came back and narrated the story. Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ filled another moneybag with four thousand Dinars and sent it with the servant to Sayyidna Mu` adh Ibn Jabal ؓ ، with the same message to him and with the same instruction to the servant. The servant followed the instruction. Sayyidna Mu'dh Ibn Jabal ؓ took the bag of money and supplicated to Allah for Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ ، thus: رَحِمَہُ اللہ وَ وَصلہ May Allah shower His mercy upon him and reward him." Then he too immediately sat down to distribute the money. He divided the money into many portions and sent them to different houses. His wife was watching all that was happening. She could not hold herself and eventually spoke out: "By Allah! We too are poor and we should also receive something." At that time only two Dinars had remained in the bag, and he gave them to her. The servant saw all this, returned to Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ ، and reported to him all that he saw. He said: "They are all brothers, and they all have the same disposition."

Sayyidna Hudhaifah ` Adawi ؓ narrates: "During the battle of Yarmak, I went out in search of my paternal uncle's son [ cousin ] among the martyrs, and took with me some water just in case there was the last breath of life left in him, so I would give him a sip of water. When I reached him, there was the last spark of life left in him. I asked him whether he would like to have a sip of water, and he nodded 'yes'. Just as I was going to pour the water into his mouth, another martyr next to him heaved a sigh. My cousin indicated to give him the water. When I reached him and was about to give him the water, I heard the voice of a third martyr. The second martyr indicated to give the water to the third one. This series of events continued up to seven martyrs. When I reached the seventh martyr to give water, he had already breathed his last. From there I went back to my cousin, he had also met his end."

These are a few events, some of which relate to the Ansar, and others to the Muhajirin. About a number of these incidents, it is said that the verse under comment was revealed regarding them. In fact, there is no contradiction in these narrations, because it is a well-known habit of narrators that if a verse was revealed under a certain circumstance, and a similar incident took place on another occasion, they mention the second incident as a cause of revelation of that verse as well. In fact, all similar incidents can be said to be the cause of revelation of the verse or, at least, included in its purport.

Disposing of a Possible Doubt

Here we need to dispose of a possible doubt that might arise from the noble Companions' narratives of self-sacrifice that were recounted above. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has prohibited for a Muslims to give away all his wealth in charity. For instance, it is reported in a Tradition that a person came with a piece of gold, about the size of an egg, so that it may be given in charity. The Holy Prophet ﷺ threw it towards himself and said: Some of you bring all your wealth to be given away in charity, then they become poor and go around begging." The question is how and why did the Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ give away whatever they had in the incidents cited above despite the prohibition of such an act?

Answer to this question can be inferred from these very narratives. In fact, people's conditions are different. Accordingly, the rulings differ from condition to condition. The ruling of prohibition applies to those people who, after giving away all their wealth in charity, regret, and cannot endure their poverty but go around begging. But those people who, after giving away all their wealth in charity, do not regret or feel distressed or agitated, they in fact face the situation with calm courage and resolute endurance. For such people, it is permitted to spend all their wealth in Allah's way. Let us take the case of Sayyidna Siddiq Akbar ؓ who donated all his belongings when fund was being collected for a jihad. The stories narrated above belong to this category. Such people trained and developed their families also to face the ordeals of life with the same calm courage and resolute endurance. Therefore, their rights were not usurped or destroyed either. If the wealth were in the control of their families, they too would have done the same thing.

Muhajirin [ The Refugees ] Reciprocate the Ansars' Self-Sacrifice

No social activities or self-sacrifice is possible unilaterally. It has to be bilateral. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has urged the Muslims to exchange gifts with each other and thus enhance their mutual love. So likewise, if a Muslim has given a gift to another, he should repay the gift as a gesture of goodwill. If Allah has granted him abundant wealth, then he should use the wealth to reciprocate. Otherwise, supplication should be enough to reciprocate. It is not in keeping with the principles of ethics or good manners to owe a debt of gratitude to people.

The Ansar displayed a great deal of self-sacrifice in the matter of the Muhajirin. The former made the latter partners in their homes, their shops, their businesses, their land and their agriculture. When Allah gave the Muhajirin affluence, they did not fall short in doing a good turn in return for their favours.

Qurtubi cites a narration of the two Sahihs on the authority of Sayyidna Anas Ibn Malik ؓ that when the Muhajirin arrived in Madinah from Makkah, they were absolutely empty-handed. The Ansar, on the other hand, had properties and lands, and they shared half-and-half of all their holdings with the Muhajirin. The former gave half of their fruits to the latter annually. Umm Sulaim ؓ the mother of Sayyidna Anas ؓ ، gave a few of her palm trees to the Holy Prophet ﷺ which he granted to Usamah Ibn Zaid's mother, Umm 'Aiman ؓ .

Imam Zuhri says that Sayyidna Anas Ibn Malik ؓ reports that when the Holy Prophet ﷺ returned successfully from the expedition of Khaibar to Madinah, the Refugees - all of them - calculated all the gifts of the Ansar and returned them. The Holy Prophet ﷺ took back the trees that were granted to 'Umm ` Aiman and returned them to 'Umm Sulaim ؓ and granted trees to 'Umm 'Aiman from his own orchard.

وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (... And whoever is saved from the greed of his soul, then such people are the successful....59:9) After the mention of the Ansar's selflessness and self-sacrifice, a general rule of law or a universal principle is being laid down in the concluding part of verse [ 9]. The words shuhh [ avarice ] and bukhl [ greed, miserliness ] are near synonyms. The word shuhh, however, yields the sense of intensive greed for money and possessions. Shuhh [ avarice ] and bukhl [ greed, miserliness ] are absolutely forbidden when a person fails to fulfill obligatory rights, which might be Divine rights, such as Zakah, sadaqat-ul-fitr, ` Ushr, oblation and so on, or they might be human rights, such as the maintenance of the family, needy parents and relatives. It is repugnant and reprehensible if shuhh [ avarice ] and bukhl [ greed, miserliness ] prevent one from spending for laudable and rewardable acts. If one does not spend on customary things, it is not shuhh [ avarice ] and bukhl in terms of the sacred laws of Shari` ah.

Avarice, niggardliness and jealousy are such evil qualities as the Qur'an and Prophetic Traditions have severely denounced. There are glad tidings for those who avoid them. The Ansar have many good qualities, among which is their immunity from avarice and jealousy.Being free of Malice and Jealousy is a sign of one's being in Paradise

Ibn Kathir, with reference to Imam Ahmad (رح) ، cites the following narration on the authority of Sayyidna Anas ؓ ، who says:

"We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he said, 'A man is about to arrive who is from among the inmates of Paradise'. One of the Ansars arrived, from whose beard dripped fresh water of minor ablution [ wudu ] and in his left hand were his shoes. The same incident occurred the following day. The same person came in front in the same condition. The same incident happened the third day. The same person entered in the condition described above. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ dissolved the assembly, Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Amr Ibn-ul-` As ؓ followed the Ansari [ so as to find out the secret of his being an inmate of Paradise ] and said to him: 'I had a quarrel in some matter and took an oath that I would not go home for three days. If possible, please accommodate me for three days at your home.' He agreed. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn 'Amr ؓ spent the three nights with him. But he noticed that he did not wake up for 'tahajjud' (voluntary nightly prayers) at night. However, when he lied on bed, he recited some 'dhikr of Allah'. Then he would wake up for Fajr salah. In the course of three days, he did not hear him utter a single word but that of good. ` Abdullah says, 'When three nights were over, and I almost thought his actions were insignificant, I gave up my secret that I had no domestic quarrel. But I continuously heard for three days the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying a man is about to arrive who is from among the inmates of Paradise'. And for three days you arrived. Therefore, I was curious to stay with you and find out your secret act, on account of which you have attained this high status. But strangely enough I did not see you do any extraordinary deed.' Then I asked him: 'What gave you this high status?' He said, 'I have no deed more than what you have seen.' I heard this and was about to return. He called me back and said: '0 Yes, there is something. I do not harbour in my heart any malice or evil against any Muslim, I am not jealous or envious of any Muslim, if Allah has given him anything good.' Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Amr Ibn-ul-` As ؓ said: 'That exactly is the quality that has taken you to the lofty status.'

Having cited this narration, Ibn Kathir says that Nasa'i has also cited this narration in his ` Amal-ul-Yawm wal-Laylah' and its chain of narrators is authentic according to the standard of Bukhari and Muslim.