Tafsir

The Reason for Revelation

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said: "Julaybib was a man who used to enter upon women and joke with them. I said to my wife, `Do not let Julaybib enter upon you, for if he enters upon you I shall do such and such.' If any of the Ansar had a single female relative, they would not arrange a marriage for her until they found out whether the Prophet wanted to marry her or not. The Prophet said to one of the Ansar:«زَوِّجْنِي ابْنَتَك»(Give me your daughter for marriage.) He said, `Yes, O Messenger of Allah, it would be an honor and a blessing.' He said,«إِنِّي لَسْتُ أُرِيدُهَا لِنَفْسِي»(I do not want her for myself.) He said, `Then for whom, O Messenger of Allah' He said,«لِجُلَيْبِيب»(For Julaybib.) He said, `O Messenger of Allah, let me consult her mother.' So he went to the girl's mother and said, `The Messenger of Allah is proposing marriage for your daughter.' She said, `Yes, it would be a pleasure.' He said, `He is not proposing to marry her himself, he is proposing on behalf of Julaybib.' She said, `What!

Julaybib No, by Allah, we will not marry her to him.' When he wanted to get up and go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to tell him what the girl's mother had said, the girl asked, `Who is asking for my hand' So her mother told her, and she said, `Are you refusing to follow the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ Follow his command, for I will not come to any harm.' So her father went to the Messenger of Allah and said, `Deal with her as you wish.' So he married her to Julaybib.

Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out on one of his military campaigns, and after Allah had granted him victory, he said to his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,«هَلْ تَفْقِدُونَ مِنْ أَحَد»(See whether there is anybody missing.) They said, `We have lost so-and-so, and so-and-so.' He said,«انْظُرُوا هَلْ تَفْقِدُونَ مِنْ أَحَد»(See if there is anybody missing.) They said, `No one.' He said:«لَكِنَّنِي أَفْقِدُ جُلَيْبِيبًا»(But I see that Julaybib is missing.) He said:«فَاطْلُبُوهُ فِي الْقَتْلَى»(Go and look for him among the dead.) So they looked for him, and found him beside seven of the enemy whom he had killed before he was himself killed. They said, `O Messenger of Allah, here he is, beside seven of the enemy whom he had killed before he was himself killed.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came and stood beside him and said,«قَتَلَ سَبْعَةً وَقَتَلُوهُ، هَذَا مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْه»(He killed seven before he was himself killed.

He belongs to me and I belong to him.) He said this two or three times, then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ carried him in his arms and held him while his grave was dug, then he placed him in his grave. It was not mentioned that he washed him, may Allah be pleased with him." Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "There was no widow among the Ansar who was more sought after for marriage than that girl." Ishaq bin `Abdullah bin Abi Talhah asked Thabit, "Do you know how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed for that girl" He told him: "He said,«اللَّهُمَّ صُبَّ عَلَيْهَا الْخَيْرَ صَبًّا وَلَا تَجْعَلْ عَيْشَهَا كَدًّا»(O Allah, pour blessings upon her and do not make her life hard.) And this is how it was; there was no widow among the Ansar who was more sought after for marriage than her." This is how it was recorded by Imam Ahmad, in full. Muslim and An-Nasa'i recorded the story of his death in Al-Fada'il.

Al-Hafiz Abu `Umar bin `Abd Al-Barr mentioned in Al-Isti`ab that when the girl said in her seclusion, `Are you refusing to follow the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ' -- This Ayah was revealed:وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلاَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْراً أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ(It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision.) It was narrated that Tawus asked Ibn `Abbas about praying two Rak`ahs after `Asr and he told him not to do that. Ibn `Abbas recited:وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلاَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْراً أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ(It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision.) This Ayah is general in meaning and applies to all matters, i.e., if Allah and His Messenger decreed a matter, no one has the right to go against that, and no one has any choice or room for personal opinion in this case.

Allah says: oفَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجاً مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً(But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.) (4:65) Hence the issue of going against it is addressed in such strong terms, as Allah says:وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـلاً مُّبِيناً(And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error.) This is like the Ayah:فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَـلِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ(And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment, beware, lest some Fitnah should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them) (24:63).

Commentary

It has been repeatedly explained earlier that the majority of injunctions appearing in Surah Al-Ahzab relate to the reverence, love and perfect obedience of the Holy Prophet ﷺ or to the prohibition of causing any pain to him. The verses cited above have also been revealed in connection with some incidents of this nature.

One such incident related to Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah who was the slave of someone. It was during the days of Jahiliyyah that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had bought him from the famous bazaar of ` Ukaz. He was still very young at that time. The Holy Prophet ﷺ had freed him after purchasing him, and further honored him by adopting him as his son as was the common practice under the Arab custom of the time and went on to bring him up. In Makkah al-Mukarramah, he was called by the name of Zayd Ibn Muhammad. The Qur'an declared it to be an erroneous custom of the Jahiliyyah and prohibited the calling of the so-called or adopted son of a person as his 'son' and ordered that he should be attributed to his real father. Revealed in this connection were verses that have appeared earlier within this Surah: ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ (Call them by (the name of) their (real) fathers - 5) After the revelation of these injunctions, the noble Sahabah abandoned the practice of calling him by the name of Zayd Ibn Muhammad and started attributing him to his father, Harithah.

A subtle point

Not even the name of the greatest of the great Sahabi - of course, except that of the blessed prophets - was ever mentioned throughout the Qur'an with the sole exception of Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah! Some respected elders while describing the wisdom behind it have said that the attribution of his parentage to the Holy Prophet ﷺ when severed under the injunction of the Qur'an had him deprived of a great personal honor. However, Allah Ta’ ala had it compensated by mentioning him in the Qur'an by name. Thus, the word: زَید (Zayd), being a word of the Qur'an, has its own distinct status. On every letter of this word, in accordance with the promise in Hadith, ten good deeds are recorded in the Book of Deeds. So, when his name is recited in the Qur'an, the reciter gets thirty good deeds in return just for pronouncing his name!

Even the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to give him respect. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ says, 'Whenever he has sent him on a military expedition, it is invariably him that he has made the commander of the forces.' (Ibn Kathir)A lesson to remember

This, in a nutshell, was the reality of slavery at the advent of Islam when slaves were educated and trained till they became achievers and whoever from them proved his class and capability was given the rank of leaders.

When Zayd Ibn Harithah grew to be a young man, the Holy Prophet ﷺ chose Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh, the daughter of his paternal aunt for marriage with him. A formal proposal of marriage was sent. Since Sayyidna Zayd was branded with the conventional label of being a freed slave, Sayyidah Zainab and her brother, ` Abdullah Ibn Jahsh rejected this proposal on the basis that they were nobler than him in terms of family and lineage.

Revealed upon this incident was the verse: مَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ (And it is not open for a believing man or a believing woman - 36). The instruction given there is: When the Holy Prophet ﷺ orders someone to do something as an obligation, it becomes obligatory for that person to do it. The choice of not doing it does not remain valid under Islamic Law - even if the required act may not be obligatory or necessary in its origin. But, once he does order someone to do that, it become incumbent and obligatory on him. And should someone not do so, his or her action has been termed as open error at the end of the verse.

When Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ and her brother heard this verse, they retracted from their rejection and agreed to the proposal of marriage. Thus, the marriage was solemnized. The dower of the bride was paid by the Holy Prophet ﷺ on behalf of Sayyidna Zayd which was ten dinars [ equal to approximately 4 tolas of gold), (equal to approximately 18-1/2 tolas of silver), one beast of burden, complete pair of ladies dress, 15 mudd (approximately 25 kilos) of flour and 10 mudd (approximately 5 kilos) of dates (Ibn Kathir). The well-known event in the background of the revelation of this verse is, according to the majority of commentators, no other but this very account of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi and Mazhari).

Ibn Kathir and some other commentators have also reported two additional events of this nature. There too, it has been said that the cited verse has been revealed in the background of those events. One of these events is about Sayyidna Julaibib ؓ whose proposal to marry the daughter of an Ansari Sahabi was turned down by the father and his family. When this verse was revealed, they agreed and the marriage was solemnized. The Holy Prophet ﷺ made a du'a (prayer) for extended means of livelihood for them. The noble Companions say that Allah had placed such barakah in their home that it was known to be the most generously kept home of Madinah at-Tayyibah. Later, Sayyidna Julaibib ؓ met with his shahadah in a Jihad. The Holy Prophet ﷺ bathed and shrouded his body with his own blessed hands.

A similar event relating to Umm Kulthum bint 'Uqbah Ibn Abi Mu'ait has been reported in Hadith narrations (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi) and there is no contradiction in them. It is possible that several events of this nature may have been the cause of the revelation of the verse.

The Injunction to consider the principle of کفو (kuf) in marriage

The reason why Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ and her brother ` Abdullah had initially rejected the proposal of marriage with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah was that the two of them had no familial and lineal homogeneity, which is desirable even in the sight of the Shari'ah. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that girls should be married in their کفو (kuf': equal, alike, matching) (to be explained later). Therefore, a question arises here as to why the excuse of Sayyidah Zainab and her brother was not accepted in this case?

The answer is that the equality, rather equalness (کَفَاءت :kafa’ ah) and likeness of spouses in their religion is certainly incumbent and necessary for the validity of the marriage. The marriage of any Muslim girl with any disbeliever is not halal (lawful) under the consensus of the Muslim ummah - even if the girl agrees to it. The reason is that this is not simply the right of a woman which may be dropped at her pleasure. Instead, it is the right of Allah and a Divinely imposed duty. On the contrary, equality of the spouses in financial and lineal status is the right of the girl and in the matter of lineal equality, the guardians too have right along with the girl. If a sane and adult girl, despite being from a wealthy family, were to drop her right by agreeing to marry some pauper, the choice is hers.

And in lineal equality, if the girl and her guardians, all of them, abandon this right for the sake of some other major expedient consideration and agree to the proposal of marriage from a person who is lesser than them in terms of lineage and family status, then, they have the right to do so. In fact, should this be in view of higher religious consideration, the act of surrendering this right is most desirable and praiseworthy. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has, on several occasions, recommended that this right should be ignored and marriage should be solemnized because of higher and more beneficial religious considerations.

And clear indicators set forth in the noble Qur'an prove that the right of the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the men and women of his ummah is more than that of anyone else. In fact, it is more than that of their own self - as the Qur'an says: النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ that is, 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves - 33:6.' Therefore, in the case of Sayyidah Zainab ؓ and her brother, ` Abdullah, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised them to ignore their right to lineal equality and ordered them to agree to the marriage with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah ؓ ، it was their duty to bypass their personal opinion and their own rights in the face of this prophetic order. Therefore, it was on this refusal from them that this injunction of the Qur'an was revealed.

As for the lineal consideration in marriage, one may ask when it was worthy of consideration in the sight of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself, why would he himself not go by it? The answer to this doubt is already clear from the earlier submission, that is, this consideration is worth surrendering in favour of other higher and more beneficial religious considerations. During the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، several marriages were solemnized among non-equals (ghayr-kuf' ) as based on these very kinds of beneficial religious considerations which do not violate the principle.

The Issue of Equality in marriage (Kaf'ah)Marriage (nikah) is a matter in which the absence of homogeneity in the temperaments of the spouses disturbs the purpose of marriage, disturbs the process of fulfilling each other's rights and breeds mutual disputes. Therefore, the Shari` ah has ordered that kafa'ah (mutual likeness) should be taken into consideration. But, it never means that a man of high family background starts taking a man from a family lesser than him as low and mean. In Islam, the criterion of low and high is based on Taqwa and love for one's faith. Whoever does not have it, no matter how noble his family is, he yet has no status in the sight of Allah. So, this order to take kafa'ah (mutual equality) into consideration in marriages has been given only to keep the management of matters smooth and straight.

In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said that the nikah (marriage) of girls should invariably be through their guardians (that is, it is not appropriate even for a pubescent girl that she settles the transaction of her nikah (marriage) all by herself. Modesty demands that this matter should be handled by her parents and guardians). And he said that the nikah of girls should invariably be solemnized within their kuf' (equal, like). Though, the authority of this Hadith is weak but, with the support from the reports and sayings of the noble Sahabah, it becomes worth being used as an argument. In Kitab ul-'Athar, Imam Muhammad has reported Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ saying: "I shall issue an operative order that no girl from some high and recognized family should be given in marriage to another having a lesser status." Similarly, Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ and Sayyidna Anas ؓ have also stressed that kafa'ah (likeness) should be taken into consideration in nikah (marriage) - as reported from several authorities. Imam Ibn Humam has also written about it in details in Fath al-Qadir.

Hence, the outcome is that the consideration of kafa'ah (equalness and likeness) in nikah (marriage) is desirable in religion, so that the spouses live in accord and harmony. But, should some other important consideration, more important than this kafa'ah, come up, then, it is permissible for the woman and her guardians that they surrender this right of theirs and marry in ghayr kuf, that is, other than equal and like. Particularly so, when there is some religious consideration in sight - if so, it is better and more merit worthy to do so, as proved from several events pertaining to the noble Sahabah. Incidentally, from this we also know that these events do not negate the basic premise of the issue of kafa'ah. Allah knows best.

قال العوفي ، عن ابن عباس : قوله : ( وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة ) الآية ، وذلك أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم انطلق ليخطب على فتاه زيد بن حارثة ، فدخل على زينب بنت جحش الأسدية فخطبها ، فقالت : لست بناكحته ، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : " بل فانكحيه " قالت : يا رسول الله ، أؤامر في نفسي فبينما هما يتحدثان أنزل الله هذه الآية على رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة إذا قضى الله ورسوله أمرا ) الآية ، قالت : قد رضيته لي منكحا يا رسول الله ؟

قال : " نعم " قالت : إذا لا أعصي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قد أنكحته نفسيوقال ابن لهيعة ، عن ابن أبي عمرة ، عن عكرمة ، عن ابن عباس قال : خطب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زينب بنت جحش لزيد بن حارثة ، فاستنكفت منه ، وقالت : أنا خير منه حسبا - وكانت امرأة فيها حدة - فأنزل الله ، عز وجل : ( وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة ) الآية كلهاوهكذا قال مجاهد ، وقتادة ، ومقاتل بن حيان : أنها نزلت في زينب بنت جحش [ الأسدية ] حين خطبها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على مولاه زيد بن حارثة ، فامتنعت ثم أجابتوقال عبد الرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم ، نزلت في أم كلثوم بنت عقبة بن أبي معيط ، وكانت أول من هاجر من النساء - يعني : بعد صلح الحديبية - فوهبت نفسها للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فقال : قد قبلت فزوجها زيد بن حارثة - يعني والله أعلم بعد فراقه زينب - فسخطت هي وأخوها وقالا إنما أردنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فزوجنا عبده قال : فنزل القرآن : ( وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة إذا قضى الله ورسوله أمرا ) إلى آخر الآية قال : وجاء أمر أجمع من هذا : ( النبي أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم ) قال : فذاك خاص وهذا جماعوقال الإمام أحمد : حدثنا عبد الرزاق ، أخبرنا معمر ، عن ثابت البناني ، عن أنس قال : خطب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على جليبيب امرأة من الأنصار إلى أبيها ، فقال : حتى أستأمر أمها فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : فنعم إذا قال : فانطلق الرجل إلى امرأته ، [ فذكر ذلك لها ] ، فقالت : لاها الله ذا ، ما وجد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا جليبيبا ، وقد منعناها من فلان وفلان ؟

قال : والجارية في سترها تسمع قال : فانطلق الرجل يريد أن يخبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بذلك فقالت الجارية : أتريدون أن تردوا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمره ؟ إن كان قد رضيه لكم فأنكحوه قال : فكأنها جلت عن أبويها ، وقالا صدقت فذهب أبوها إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : إن كنت رضيته فقد رضيناه قال : " فإني قد رضيته " قال : فزوجها ، ثم فزع أهل المدينة ، فركب جليبيب فوجدوه قد قتل ، وحوله ناس من المشركين قد قتلهم ، قال أنس : فلقد رأيتها [ وإنها ] لمن أنفق بيت بالمدينة وقال الإمام أحمد : حدثنا عفان ، حدثنا حماد - يعني ابن سلمة - عن ثابت ، عن كنانة بن نعيم العدوي ، عن أبي برزة الأسلمي أن جليبيبا كان امرأ يدخل على النساء يمر بهن ويلاعبهن ، فقلت لامرأتي : لا يدخلن اليوم عليكم جليبيب ، فإنه إن دخل عليكم لأفعلن ولأفعلن قال : وكانت الأنصار إذا كان لأحدهم أيم لم يزوجها حتى يعلم : هل لنبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيها حاجة أم لا ؟ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لرجل من الأنصار : " زوجني ابنتك " قال : نعم ، وكرامة يا رسول الله ، ونعمة عين فقال : إني لست أريدها لنفسي قال : فلمن يا رسول الله ؟

قال : لجليبيب فقال : يا رسول الله ، أشاور أمها فأتى أمها فقال : رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يخطب ابنتك ؟ فقالت : نعم ونعمة عين فقال : إنه ليس يخطبها لنفسه ، إنما يخطبها لجليبيب فقالت : أجليبيب إنيه ؟ أجليبيب إنيه ؟ لا لعمر الله لا تزوجه فلما أراد أن يقوم ليأتي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيخبره بما قالت أمها ، قالت الجارية : من خطبني إليكم ؟ فأخبرتها أمها قالت : أتردون على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمره ؟! ادفعوني إليه ، فإنه لن يضيعني فانطلق أبوها إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : شأنك بها فزوجها جليبيبا قال : فخرج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في غزاة له ، فلما أفاء الله عليه قال لأصحابه : " هل تفقدون من أحد " ؟ قالوا : نفقد فلانا ونفقد فلانا قال : " انظروا هل تفقدون من أحد ؟

" قالوا : لا قال : " لكني أفقد جليبيبا " قال : " فاطلبوه في القتلى " فطلبوه فوجدوه إلى جنب سبعة قد قتلهم ثم قتلوه [ قالوا : يا رسول الله ، ها هو ذا إلى جنب سبعة قد قتلهم ثم قتلوه ] فأتاه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقام عليه ، فقال : قتل سبعة [ وقتلوه ] ، هذا مني وأنا منه مرتين أو ثلاثا ، ثم وضعه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على ساعديه [ وحفر له ، ما له سرير إلا ساعد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ] ثم وضعه في قبره ، ولم يذكر أنه غسله ، رضي الله عنه قال ثابت : فما كان في الأنصار أيم أنفق منها وحدث إسحاق بن عبد الله بن أبي طلحة ثابتا : هل تعلم ما دعا لها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ؟ فقال : " اللهم ، صب عليها [ الخير ] صبا ، ولا تجعل عيشها كدا " كذا قال ، فما كان في الأنصار أيم أنفق منهاهكذا أورده الإمام أحمد بطوله ، وأخرج منه مسلم والنسائي في الفضائل قصة قتله وذكر الحافظ أبو عمر بن عبد البر في " الاستيعاب " أن الجارية لما قالت في خدرها : أتردون على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمره ؟

تلت هذه الآية : ( وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة إذا قضى الله ورسوله أمرا أن يكون لهم الخيرة من أمرهم )وقال ابن جريج [ أخبرني عامر بن مصعب ، عن طاوس قال : إنه سأل ابن عباس عن ركعتين بعد العصر ، فنهاه ، وقرأ ابن عباس ، رضي الله عنه : ( وما كان لمؤمن ولا مؤمنة إذا قضى الله ورسوله أمرا أن يكون لهم الخيرة من أمرهم ) ]فهذه الآية عامة في جميع الأمور ، وذلك أنه إذا حكم الله ورسوله بشيء ، فليس لأحد مخالفته ولا اختيار لأحد هاهنا ، ولا رأي ولا قول ، كما قال تعالى : ( فلا وربك لا يؤمنون حتى يحكموك فيما شجر بينهم ثم لا يجدوا في أنفسهم حرجا مما قضيت ويسلموا تسليما ) [ النساء : 65 ] وفي الحديث : " والذي نفسي بيده ، لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يكون هواه تبعا لما جئت به " ولهذا شدد في خلاف ذلك ، فقال : ( ومن يعص الله ورسوله فقد ضل ضلالا مبينا ) ، كقوله تعالى : ( فليحذر الذين يخالفون عن أمره أن تصيبهم فتنة أو يصيبهم عذاب أليم ) [ النور : 63 ]