8. REASONS FOR SENDING DOWN THE QUR’ᾹN IN STAGES (3)

8. REASONS FOR SENDING DOWN THE QUR’ᾹN IN STAGES (3)

 Other reasons for sending down the Qur’an in stages are as follows:

4. To adapt to emerging events and issues. The Qur’an was revealed to solve problems emerging from new events. Allah said:

وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً

وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ (النحل: 89)

… And We have sent down to you the Book as

an exposition of everything, a guidance a mercy, and

glad tidings for those who submitted themselves

(to Allah as Muslims) (Q. 16:89)

a.     Some un-Islamic Arab’s traditions and practices were abolished, such as adoption and ẓihār. In Islam adoption is merely being a foster parent, and there is no blood relationship with him. The child remains the son or daughter of his or her biological parents. This issue has been dealt with in my khutbah in Selected Khutab Book 4, under the topic “The Institution of Marriage in Jeopardy.”

With regard to ẓihār Khawlah bint Tha‘labah complained to the Prophet that her husband Aws ibn al-Ṣāmit said to herأَنْتِ عَلَيَّ كَظَهْرِأُمِّيْ  (“you are to me like my mother’s back”), a pre-Islamic form of divorce consisting in the words of repudiation called ẓihār. Then revelation came to explain the invalidity of this kind of divorce and the penalty for the offender in the following verses:

قَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِي تُجَادِلُكَ فِي زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَا

إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ. الَّذِينَ يُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ مَا هُنَّ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْ إِنْ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا

 اللَّائِي وَلَدْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَقُولُونَ مُنْكَرًا مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَزُورًا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ. وَالَّذِينَ

 يُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا ذَلِكُمْ

تُوعَظُونَ بِهِ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ. فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِ

 أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا فَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا ذَلِكَ لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (المجادلة:1-4)

Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of her that

 disputes with you (O Muhammad) concerning her husband,

 and complains to Allah. Allah hears the argument between

 you both. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer. Those among

 you who make their wives unlawful to them by ẓihār, they

 cannot be their mother. None can be their mothers except

 those who gave them birth. And verily, they utter an  ill word

and a lie. And verily, Allah is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.

And those who make unlawful to them their wives by ẓihār

 and wish to free themselves from what they uttered, then

 (the penalty of this case is) the freeing a slave before they

touch each other.  That is an admonition to you so that you

 may not repeat such an ill thing). And Allah is Well-Acquainted

with what you do. And he who finds not (the money for freeing

 a slave) must fast two successive months before they  both

 touch each other.  And he who is unable to do so, should feed

 sixty miskīn (needy persons). That is in order that you may

 have perfect  Faith in Allah and His  Messenger. These are

 the limits set by Allah. And for the disbelievers,

is a painful torment. (Q. 58 :1-4).

            So, the penalty of it, before they touch each other as husband and wife, is to free a slave, or if he can’t or no more slave to free, then fast two successive months if he can, and if not, feed sixty poor people.

b.    Emerging issues such as the distribution of the spoils of war. After the battle Badr that took place on Friday 17 Ramadan 2 AH/17 March, 624 CE, groups Muslim army disputed about the distribution of the spoils of war. Some of them pursued the enemy inflicting utter defeat and casualties; another group came collected the spoils of war; and another group surrounded the Prophet to protect him from any surprise attack against him. They did not know how to distribute them fairly. Sa‘d ibn Mālik who participated in the battlefield came to the Prophet with a sword and said: “O Allah’s Messenger, Allah has brought comfort to me today over the idolaters, so grant me this sword. He said, ‘This sword is neither yours nor mine; put it down.’ So I put it down, but said to myself, ‘The Prophet might give this sword to another man who did not fight as fiercely as I did.’ Then the Prophet came to me, and said, ‘O Sa‘d, you have asked me the sword, and it was not mine. Now it has become mine, and it is for you.’ The he cited the following verse:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنْفَالِ قُلِ الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَصْلِحُوا

ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (الأنفال:1)

They asked you (O Muhammad) about the spoils of war.

Say: the spoils are for Allah and the Messenger.” So fear

Allah and adjust all matters of difference among you,

and obey Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad)

if you are believers.(Q. 8:1)

(Reported by Aḥmad. Abū Dā’ūd, al-Tirmidhī,

al-Nasā’ī and al-Bayhaqī)

This means, in the beginning, the whole spoils of war were for Allah who gave them to the Prophet at his disposal.

Then another revelation was revealed as follows:

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى

وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللهِ وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ

الْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ وَاللهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (الأنفال:41)

And know that whatever of war booty that you may

gain, verily, one-fifth of it is assigned to Allah, and to the

the Messenger, and to the near relatives (of the Messenger),

the orphans, the poor, and the wayfarer, if you have believed

in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our servant on

the Day of Criterion, the Day when the two forces  met;

and Allah is able to do all  things. (Q. 8.:41)

As everything belongs to Allah, His share in the spoils of war is intended for the Prophet. The four-fifth of the spoils of was divided among the fighters, and the remaining one-fifth was divided among the Muslims: the Prophet’s near relatives (as they were not allowed to receive ṣadaqah. i.e., charity(, the orphans, the poor, and the wayfarer. The ṣaḥābah (companions of the Prophet) were very happy, especially ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, who received from the share an old camel mare, when he had nothing, while he was engaged with Fāṭimah, the Prophet’s youngest daughter.

That was in the early period of Islam. Nowadays, as Muslim soldiers receive salaries, military equipment and trainings, even pensions for them and their families from their respective governments, this regulation  is no longer applied, dormant and probably forever.

c.     People ask the Prophet many questions, and Allah gives the answer. The Prophet s.a.w. kept warning the pagan Quraysh tribe in Makkah about the coming of the Hour, and when they asked when it would happen, Allah revealed to him the following verses:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا. فِيمَ أَنْتَ مِنْ ذِكْرَاهَا. إِلَى رَبِّكَ

 مُنْتَهَاهَا. إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرُ مَنْ يَخْشَاهَا. كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا

 عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا (النازعات:42-46)

 They ask you (O Muhammad) about the Hour – when

 will be its appointed time? You have no knowledge to say

  anything about it. To your Lord belongs (the knowledge

 of) the term thereof. You (Muhammad) are only a warner

 for those who fear it. The Day they see it (it will be as if

 they had not tarried (in this world)  except an

afternoon or a morning. (Q. 79:42),

          In the following verse Allah told the Prophet the answer to their question:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ رَبِّي لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا

إِلَّا هُوَثَقُلَتْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً يَسْأَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ

عَنْهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (الأعراف: 187)

They ask you about the Hour (Day of Resurrection)” “When

will be its appointed time?” Say: “The knowledge thereof is

with my Lord (Alone). None can reveal its time but He. Heavy

is its burden through the heaven and the earth. It shall not

come upon you except all of a sudden.” They ask you as if

you have a good knowledge of it. Say: “The knowledge

there of is with Allah (Alone), but most of

mankind know not.” (Q. 7:187)

        The famous Qur’an commentator al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923) said that people asked the Prophet about the crescents, being hidden, then appeared and then change of their condition with increase and decrease in size, unlike the sun which never decreases or increases in size. This question does not need scientific explanation which is beyond their understanding. The Prophet was not an astronomer to teach astronomy, but a Prophet to guide people to the right path. Allah said:

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ (البقرة:189)

They ask you (O Muhammad) about the crescents.

 Say, “These are signs to mark fixed periods of time

 for mankind and for the pilgrimage…” (Q. 2:189)

So, the change of the crescents is to make them mark their acts of worship, the ‘iddah (the period of time a divorced woman or a widow is required to wait before remarrying) of their women, time for paying their debt and rent,  for fasting and breaking their fast, and the time of their ḥajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).

The expression ... ... قُل  يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ(“They ask you about…say …”) is mentioned in five verses, namely, about the crescents (Q. 2:189), about fighting the Sacred months (Q. 2:217),  about alcohol (Q. 2:219), about the Day of Resurrection (Q. 7:189), and about the spoils of war (Q. 8:1). One verse, namely, Q. 79:42  about time of the Hour , as mentioned earlier, is without asking the Prophet to give them the answer with قُل (“say”), but Allah Himself told the Prophet not to bother, because nobody except Allah knows when it will happen. Four verses use the conjunction وَ  (“and) in  وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنْ ...  “And they ask you about…), namely:  concerning the orphans (Q. 2:220),  what they ought to spend  (Q. 2:219), concerning menstruation (Q. 2:222), concerning the spirit (Q. 17:85), and about Dhu ’l-Qarnayn (Q. 18:83).

One verse starts with وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ... فَقُلْ ...  (“And they ask you… then say…) which is concerning the mountains on the Doomsday, as follows:

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْجِبَالِ فَقُلْ يَنْسِفُهَا رَبِّي نَسْفًا (طه:105)

And they ask you about the mountains. (Then) Say:

 My Lord will carry them from the roots (Q. 20:105).

When the following verse was revealed,

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ (غافر:60)

And your Lord says: “Call upon Me,

 I will answer you …” (Q. 40:60)

people wished to know when they should call upon Him. Others asked the Prophet how they should call upon Him. Then the following verse was revealed:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ (البقرة:186)

And when My servant ask you (O Muhammad)

 concerning Me, then surely I am  near;  I answer the

 prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me. So they

 should answer My call and believe in Me, that  

they may walk in the right way  (Q. 2:186)

In this verse when they ask the Prophet about Allah, He Himself answered them directly, without saying قُلْ )(say) to the Prophet, that no matter how and where they pray and call upon Him, He is near and hear their prayers and supplication.

d.    Some Qur’anic verses say about the enemy of Islam, especially the hypocrites and their distinctive feature, such as the following verses:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُمْ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ. يُخَادِعُونَ

اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ. فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ

فَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ. وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا

 فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ. أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَكِنْ لَا

يَشْعُرُونَ. وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ

 أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَكِنْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ. وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا

وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ. اللَّهُ

يَسْتَهْزِئُ  بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ. أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ

اشْتَرَوُا  الضَّلَالَةَ  بِالْهُدَى فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ

 وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ (البقرة:8-16)

And there are some people who say: We believe

 in Allah and the last day; and they are not at all

 believers. They desire to deceive Allah and those who

 believe, and they deceive only themselves and they do

 not perceive. There is a disease in their hearts, so Allah

 added to their disease and they shall have a painful

 chastisement because they used to tell lies. And when

 it is said to them, Do not make mischief in the land,

 they say: We are but peace-makers. Now surely they

 themselves are the mischief makers, but they do not

 perceive. And when it is said to them: Believe as the

 people believe they say: Shall we believe as the fools

 believe? Now, surely they themselves are the fools,

 but they do not know. And when they meet those

 who believe, they say: We believe; and when they

are alone with their Satans, they say: Surely,

 we are with you, we were only mocking.

Allah shall pay them back their mockery,

and He leaves them alone in their

 inordinacy, blindly wandering on.

(Q. 2:8-16)

                   The hypocrites are the most dangerous enemy of the Muslims, as they have to be treated like Muslims, but Muslims have to be very careful not to be stabbed from behind, as they are enemies in disguise. There is a chapter in the Qur’an called Sūrat al-Munāfiqῡn dealing with the hypocrites of Madinah and its leader, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy. I have also dealt with this topic in my khutbah, on Selected Khuṭab, vol. 1 under the topic “Abdullah Bin Ubayy”.

 

‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his followers had slandered ‘Ᾱ’ishah. After waiting for over one month Allah revealed Q. 23:11-13  to clear ‘Ᾱ’ishah of the slander of the hypocrites,  and to prove her innocence, as dealt with in the previous khuṭbah dated 13 September 2013.

These are some examples of questions and problems answered and solved by the Qur’an in due course. (CIVIC 31.01. 140)

المصادر:

المكتبة الشاملة

تفسير الطبري

تفسير تفسير إبن كثير

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