Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "...and their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs will be branded with it."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : And they are the upper parts of their faces the right and the left from the back, and thus they will be branded with it from all sides. Pay attention, my brother, from all sides. From the front, where is it taken from? From the back, and from the right and the left. So that the punishment encompasses them from every side.
And some scholars said: Because if the one who withholds zakat is approached by one who is entitled to it, he either frowns in his face, or turns away and shows him his back, or shows him his side. So the branding is on these four places for this wisdom. Answer, my brother, answer, answer. What did I say?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In his saying[At-Tawbah 9:35] What did I say?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : You are a student of knowledge and a good one. Do not let the time slip away.
Some scholars said: He mentioned these four places to make clear that the punishment encompasses them from every side. This is one view. And it was said?
The student: That if the one who withholds zakat is approached by one entitled to it, he either frowns in his face, so the punishment is...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Or he turns his back... or he leans to one of his sides...
The Shaykh : Complete. May Allah bless you. If someone were to say that Allah mentioned these four places for both reasons, is that possible or not? It is possible, because we have a rule, my brothers, in the Qur'an and the Hadith. Pay attention to it. The rule: If a piece of evidence can be understood in two meanings equally, and there is no contradiction between them, it is obligatory to apply it to both. I will repeat it once more: If a piece of evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah can be understood in two meanings equally, and there is no contradiction between them, it is obligatory—complete the sentence—that it be applied to both. Because the meanings of the speech of Allah and His Messenger are broader than our understanding. As long as the text allows for both meanings equally, with no preference for one over the other and no contradiction between them, it is obligatory to apply it to both. If one is preferred, it is taken without the other. If they contradict, the preferred one is sought. If no preference is found, it is obligatory to suspend judgment.
This is a rule that will benefit you when using the Qur'an or the Sunnah as evidence. Repeat the verse. [At-Tawbah 9:35]
And their foreheads will be branded with it
فتكوى بها جباههمand their flanks
وجنوبهمand their backs
وظهورهمtheir foreheads
جباههمtheir flanks
جنوبهمAnd some scholars said: Because if the one who withholds zakat is approached by one who is entitled to it, he either frowns in his face, or turns away and shows him his back, or shows him his side. So the branding is on these four places for this wisdom. Answer, my brother, answer, answer. What did I say?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : In his saying
seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs
تكوى بها جباههم وجنوبهم وظهورهمThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : You are a student of knowledge and a good one. Do not let the time slip away.
Some scholars said: He mentioned these four places to make clear that the punishment encompasses them from every side. This is one view. And it was said?
The student: That if the one who withholds zakat is approached by one entitled to it, he either frowns in his face, so the punishment is...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Or he turns his back... or he leans to one of his sides...
The Shaykh : Complete. May Allah bless you. If someone were to say that Allah mentioned these four places for both reasons, is that possible or not? It is possible, because we have a rule, my brothers, in the Qur'an and the Hadith. Pay attention to it. The rule: If a piece of evidence can be understood in two meanings equally, and there is no contradiction between them, it is obligatory to apply it to both. I will repeat it once more: If a piece of evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah can be understood in two meanings equally, and there is no contradiction between them, it is obligatory—complete the sentence—that it be applied to both. Because the meanings of the speech of Allah and His Messenger are broader than our understanding. As long as the text allows for both meanings equally, with no preference for one over the other and no contradiction between them, it is obligatory to apply it to both. If one is preferred, it is taken without the other. If they contradict, the preferred one is sought. If no preference is found, it is obligatory to suspend judgment.
This is a rule that will benefit you when using the Qur'an or the Sunnah as evidence.