Exegesis of Verses (12 - 13) of Surat al-Mujadilah.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the thirty-sixth meeting after two hundred of the meetings known as the Open Door meetings, which take place every Thursday. This Thursday is the fourteenth of the month of Safar in the year 1421, and this will be the conclusion of this term until a date is determined later, if Allah wills, because the students are busy with exams and we fear that a person might regret not attending, and if he attends, he might miss some things. Therefore, we will postpone, if Allah wills, after this day until it becomes clear later.
We begin this meeting with the words of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Mujadila 58:12]:
The address to the believers is an honor for them. The address to the believers from Allah is an honor for them without a doubt, and beginning the address with a call indicates the importance of what is being addressed. For this reason, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you hear Allah say[Al-Baqarah 2:104], give it your full attention, for it is either good that you are commanded to do, or evil that you are forbidden from."
He, Mighty and Majestic, says:[Al-Mujadila 58:12]:
"You sought private conversation" means: you intended to have a private conversation with the Messenger. Private conversation is the secret speech between those who converse privately. The Messenger is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), out of their love for gathering with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and speaking to him privately, used to frequent the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and visit him often. It is not hidden what annoyance this caused. For this reason, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said regarding those who came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as guests: He commanded them that when they finished, they should not stay, because that hurt the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was shy of them. Similarly, if these private conversations became frequent, there is no doubt that they hurt the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So Allah, the Exalted, wanted to test them, and He commanded them to offer a charity before their private conversation, meaning: before it and in front of it. He did not specify the amount; it could be a loaf of bread, a date, a dirham, a dinar, a garment, or something else. Charity requires money, and it requires effort, and it requires searching for a poor person, so it is not an easy matter. Private conversations with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would decrease if a person did not have a private conversation with him unless he offered a charity. And this is the reality; the private conversations did decrease.
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in the religion, because it indicates your complete desire to have a private conversation with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
: Because charity purifies a person from sins, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 4210Da’if (Darussalam).
[An-Nur 24:28] meaning: if you do not find money to give in charity.
[Al-Baqarah 2:192] meaning: then He has forgiven you and shown you mercy, so have a private conversation with the Messenger without offering a charity. And this is the general, comprehensive rule in this Shari'ah, which is based on ease and simplicity, and it is: "There is no obligation with inability, and there is no prohibition with dire necessity": meaning that if a person is unable to perform an obligatory act, it is dropped from him, and if he is compelled to do a forbidden act, it becomes permissible for him, on the condition that he is compelled to it so that he finds no other means to remove the necessity, and that consuming this forbidden thing removes his necessity.
Then He, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-Mujadila 58:13]:
meaning: did you find it difficult, from the hardship of offering charities before your private conversations? And this is the reality; it was difficult for the Companions, and you know that most of the Companions were poor, and it was difficult for them.
So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-Mujadila 58:13]:
The meaning is that We have dropped the obligation from you.
[Al-Mujadila 58:13] by dropping this obligation.
meaning: do not neglect what Allah has made obligatory upon you in other matters, such as establishing the prayer, giving zakah, and obeying Allah and His Messenger: [Al-Mujadila 58:13] meaning:
He is All-Knowing of everything we do of good and evil, and we will meet Him, if Allah wills, and He will judge between us according to what His wisdom and mercy require. In this verse, as you saw, what is the abrogating and what is the abrogated?
The abrogating is this last verse, and the abrogated is the verse before it. Allah made charity obligatory and then dropped it. And this is abrogation from obligation to permissibility. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, abrogates what He wills, as He said:[Al-Baqarah 2:106]: Among the abrogated matters is facing the qiblah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), when he first arrived in Madinah, used to face the Sacred Mosque in Jerusalem, and then that was abrogated to the obligation of facing the Ka'bah, the first house established for people.
And among the abrogated matters is that when fasting was first made obligatory, a person was given the choice between fasting or breaking the fast, meaning it was said to a person: if you wish, fast, and if you wish, feed a poor person for every day. Then that was abrogated to the obligation of fasting individually.
Also abrogated is that the obligation upon Muslims in jihad in the path of Allah was that they should not flee from ten times their number, meaning: if they were one hundred, they should not flee from a thousand, and if they were two hundred, they should not flee from two thousand. Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-Anfal 8:66], if there are twenty patient ones among you, let them overcome two hundred, [Al-Anfal 8:66].
And abrogation does not mean that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, did not know the benefit and then it became apparent to Him. No, abrogation follows the state of the servants. It may be that the best for them is making this thing obligatory at one time, and abrogating it at another time, because rulings follow benefits, and benefits differ in every time, place, and nation. For this reason, you find that tawhid (the oneness of Allah) was made obligatory from the beginning of the message, the prayer was delayed in its obligation for ten years after the revelation, zakah was delayed until the migration, and fasting likewise until the migration, and Hajj until the ninth year. All of this became a follow-up to what the benefit requires and the gradualism in Islamic legislation.
And with this, the speech ends with what was facilitated, and we remain with the questions.
As for what follows:
This is the thirty-sixth meeting after two hundred of the meetings known as the Open Door meetings, which take place every Thursday. This Thursday is the fourteenth of the month of Safar in the year 1421, and this will be the conclusion of this term until a date is determined later, if Allah wills, because the students are busy with exams and we fear that a person might regret not attending, and if he attends, he might miss some things. Therefore, we will postpone, if Allah wills, after this day until it becomes clear later.
We begin this meeting with the words of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
O you who have believed, when you [wish to] privately consult the Messenger, present before your consultation a charity
يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا ناجيتم الرسول فقدموا بين يدي نجواكم صدقةThe address to the believers is an honor for them. The address to the believers from Allah is an honor for them without a doubt, and beginning the address with a call indicates the importance of what is being addressed. For this reason, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When you hear Allah say
O you who have believed
يا أيها الذين آمنواHe, Mighty and Majestic, says:
O you who have believed, when you [wish to] privately consult the Messenger, present before your consultation a charity
يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا ناجيتم الرسول فقدموا بين يدي نجواكم صدقة"You sought private conversation" means: you intended to have a private conversation with the Messenger. Private conversation is the secret speech between those who converse privately. The Messenger is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), out of their love for gathering with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and speaking to him privately, used to frequent the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and visit him often. It is not hidden what annoyance this caused. For this reason, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said regarding those who came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as guests: He commanded them that when they finished, they should not stay, because that hurt the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was shy of them. Similarly, if these private conversations became frequent, there is no doubt that they hurt the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So Allah, the Exalted, wanted to test them, and He commanded them to offer a charity before their private conversation, meaning: before it and in front of it. He did not specify the amount; it could be a loaf of bread, a date, a dirham, a dinar, a garment, or something else. Charity requires money, and it requires effort, and it requires searching for a poor person, so it is not an easy matter. Private conversations with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would decrease if a person did not have a private conversation with him unless he offered a charity. And this is the reality; the private conversations did decrease.
That is better for you and purer
ذلكم خير لكم وأطهرThat is better for you.
ذلكم خير لكمand purer
وأطهرcharity extinguishes bad deeds just as water extinguishes fire
الصدقة تطفيء الخطيئة كما يطفيء الماء النارAnd if you do not find
فإن لم تجدواthen indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
فإن الله غفور رحيمThen He, Mighty and Majestic, said:
Have you feared to present before your consultation charities
أأشفقتم أن تقدموا بين يدي نجواكم صدقاتWere you afraid
أاشفقتمSo Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:
Have you feared to present before your consultation charities? Then when you do not and Allah has forgiven you, then [at least] establish prayer
أأشفقتم أن تقدموا بين يدي نجواكم صدقات فإنْ لم تفعلوا وتاب الله عليكم فأقيموا الصلاةThe meaning is that We have dropped the obligation from you.
Then when you do not and Allah has forgiven you
فإن لم تفعلوا وتاب الله عليكمThen establish prayer
فأقيموا الصلاةthen [at least] establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
فأقيموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة وأطيعوا الله ورسوله والله خبير بما تعملونHe is All-Knowing of everything we do of good and evil, and we will meet Him, if Allah wills, and He will judge between us according to what His wisdom and mercy require. In this verse, as you saw, what is the abrogating and what is the abrogated?
The abrogating is this last verse, and the abrogated is the verse before it. Allah made charity obligatory and then dropped it. And this is abrogation from obligation to permissibility. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, abrogates what He wills, as He said:
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it
ما ننسخ من آية أو ننسها نأت بخير منها أو مثلهاAnd among the abrogated matters is that when fasting was first made obligatory, a person was given the choice between fasting or breaking the fast, meaning it was said to a person: if you wish, fast, and if you wish, feed a poor person for every day. Then that was abrogated to the obligation of fasting individually.
Also abrogated is that the obligation upon Muslims in jihad in the path of Allah was that they should not flee from ten times their number, meaning: if they were one hundred, they should not flee from a thousand, and if they were two hundred, they should not flee from two thousand. Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:
Now, Allah has lightened [the hardship] for you, and He knows that among you is weakness.
الآن خفف الله عنكم وعلم أن فيكم ضعفاًSo if there are from you one hundred [who are] steadfast, they will overcome two hundred. And if there are among you a thousand, they will overcome two thousand by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the steadfast.
وإن يكن منكم مئة صابرة يغلبوا مئتين وإن يكن منكم ألف يغلبوا ألفين بإذن الله والله مع الصابرينAnd abrogation does not mean that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, did not know the benefit and then it became apparent to Him. No, abrogation follows the state of the servants. It may be that the best for them is making this thing obligatory at one time, and abrogating it at another time, because rulings follow benefits, and benefits differ in every time, place, and nation. For this reason, you find that tawhid (the oneness of Allah) was made obligatory from the beginning of the message, the prayer was delayed in its obligation for ten years after the revelation, zakah was delayed until the migration, and fasting likewise until the migration, and Hajj until the ninth year. All of this became a follow-up to what the benefit requires and the gradualism in Islamic legislation.
And with this, the speech ends with what was facilitated, and we remain with the questions.