16. THE MEANINGS OF KHAYR (GOOD) IN THE QUR’ĀN (3)

16. THE MEANINGS OF KHAYR (GOOD) IN THE QUR’ĀN (3)

13. الصَّلاح (good or proper condition, righteousness), as in the following verse :

وَالَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ

إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا... (النور: (33

And such of your servants as seek a writing

(of emancipation) give them such writing,

if you find that there is good and honesty

(i.e., righteousness) in them…(Q. 24:33)

It is Allah’s command to slave-owners to write a contract of emancipation for their slaves if they ask them, provided that there is khayr with them. Some say it is righteousness, others say honesty, wealth, and a skill and ability to earn.

            The verse continues with  وَآتُوهُمْ مِنْ مَالِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ…and give them something out of the wealth of Allah which He has bestowed upon you… means that these slaves have right and share in the wealth of the zakat. It is Allah’s command to the believers to help in freeing them, until there will be no more slave among Muslims.

14. الْقُوَّةُ وَ الْقُدْرَة (power and ability), as in the following verse:

أَهُمْ خَيْرٌ أَمْ قَوْمُ تُبَّعٍ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ (الدُّخَان:37)

Are they better (i.e., more powerful) or the people of

 Tubba‘  and those before them? We destroyed them

 because they were indeed criminals (Q. 44:37)

Tubba‘ was the title of the ancient powerful Ḥimyar kings who ruled for centuries over Southern Arabia. Despite their power they were eventually overcome by the Abyssinians in the 4th century. These people denied the truth of resurrection and Allah’s judgment (Q. 50:14)

15. الدُّنْيَا (the world), as in the following verse:

وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ (الْعَادِيَات: (8

And verily, he is violent in the love

wealth (i.e. the world) (Q. 100:8)

Ibn Zayd says that the term khayr in this verse means “the world”, i.e., people extremely love this material world. Other commentators say that the word khayr in this verse means “wealth”. The word shadīd basically means “strong, powerful, violent.”But if it is related to the wealth, it could mean mutashaddid (strict, rigid) and bakhīl (greedy, covetous, miser, stingy). Therefore, the above verse means: (a) He is severe in his love of wealth, and (b) He is covetous and stingy due to the love of wealth. Both are correct complementing each other.

16. الإصْلاح (correction, betterment, restoration), as in the following verse:

وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ

وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (آل عمران: (104

Let there arise out of you a group of people

inviting to all that is good (i.e. Islam), enjoining

ma‘ruf and forbidding munkar. And It is they

who are the successful (Q. 3:104)

Probably it is not appropriate to use iṣlāḥ as the meaning of the khayr in the above verse, but rather Islam as put by al-Țabarī. There are two views whether the whole Muslims are enjoined to call people to Islam, or some of them only. According to the classical Arabic philologist Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim al-Anbārī (d. 328/940), it is the whole Muslims, as sometimes مِنْ (of, from, among) mean كُلُّ (all), so that the expression مِنْكُمْ (of you) means كُلُّكُمْ (all of you). He says that the position of مِنْ is لِلتَّجنِيْس (to indicate paronomasia), namely, “of you Muslims” and not from non-Muslims. The example in the Qur’ān is, فَاجْتَنِبُوا الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الْأَوْثَانِ... (الحج:30) … so shun the abomination (worshiping) of idol… (Q. 22:30) which means فَاجْتَنِبُوا الأَوْثَانَ الَّتِي هِيَ رِجْس “so avoid (worshiping) idol which is a dirty thing”, as any idol is dirty, all of them.

The other view is that of Al-Qurṭubī who says that the injunction to call people to Islam is exclusively for scholars, as not all Muslims are scholars, because it is فَرْضُ كِفَايَة (a collective duty), not فَرْضُ عَيْن (an individual duty). These scholars are chosen people. Among the chosen people are as mentioned in the following verse:

الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ

وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ... (الحج: (41

Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power  

 in the land (they) perform the prayers, pay the zakat, and

 they enjoin ma’ruf and forbid munkar…(Q. 22:41)

In my view, both views are acceptable, as Islam is a missionary religion, and every Muslim has to be involved in it. In the lowest level, even without talking, we still can use our body language, indicating that we are humble not arrogant, generous and not stingy, honest and not tricky, etc. We are not perfect, but we have some Islamic characters which we should let non-Muslims know in our dealing with them. We can say “I am not a good Muslim, but Islam prohibits such-and-such thing.” In the highest level, it is the job of Muslim scholars, such as the late Ahmad Deedat (d. 2005) of South Africa who had debated five Christian scholars, and challenged Pope John Paul II for a public debate in the Vatican Square in 1984, Dr. Zakir Naik of India, Dr. Gary Miller of Canada, Yusuf Estes of the USA, and Abdur-Raheem Green of UK, to mention a few.

17. الْوَلَدُ الصَّالِح (suitable child), as in the following verse:

 ... فَإِنْ كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا

وَيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا (النساء: (19

… If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike

a thing though which Allah brings a great

deal of good (i.e., pious children) (Q. 4:19)

This verse is about Allah’s order the Muslims not to treat widows with harshness to take away part the dowry given to them. If they do not like them, Allah may bring good things to them. So far, no other commentators say that khay in this verse means “suitable child”, except Ibn al-Jawzī.

18.  الْعِفَّة (abstinence, uprightness, righteousness, chastity) and والصِّيَانَة (preservation, protection, guarding), as in the following verse:

لَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ

خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا هَذَا إِفْكٌ مُبِينٌ (النور: (12

Why then did not the believers, men and women,

when you heard it (the slander), think good (chastity)

of their own people and say: “This (charge) is

 an obvious lie?” (Q. 24:12)

            This verse is about the accusation of the Prophet’s wife ‘Ā’ishah of indecency by hypocrites, and when the believers heard about it they knew that she was innocent and the accusation was an obvious lie, as confirmed by the Qur’ān.

19. حُسْنُ الأَدَب  (good behavior), as in the following verse:

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا

لَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (الحجرات: (5

And if they had had patience till you could come out to

 them, it would have been better (i.e., good behavior) for

them. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.(Q. 49:5)

            The verse is about a delegation of the Arabs among them was al-Aqra‘ ibn Ḥābis al-Tamīmī who called the Prophet from behind his dwellings, whereas the good behaviour would be waiting for him till he came out.

20. النَّوَافِل (supererogatory performance), as in the following verse:

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ …(الأنبياء: (73

And We made them leaders, guiding (mankind)

by Our Command, and We revealed to them the

doing of good deeds, performing the prayers

(i.e., supererogatory performance)…(Q. 21:73)

This verse is about Prophet Abraham and his descendants Isaac and Jacob who were made prophets and leaders, and inspired to do good deeds. Al-Qurṭubī simply said “good deeds” here means “obedience” to Allah.

21.  النَّافِع (beneficial, profitable, useful thing), as in the following verse:

...وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ

إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (الأعراف: (188

“…If I had the knowledge of the Unseen, I should

have secured for myself an abundance of wealth,

and no evil should have touched me. I am but

a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings to

a people who believe.”(Q. 7:188)

  Both term الْغَيْب (the Unseen) and الْخَيْر (the good deed) are in general sense, mean:  (a) If I knew what Allah wanted me to do before hand, I would have done it. (b) If I knew when I would win the war I would have fought, so that I would not be defeated. (c) If I knew the year of drought, I would have stored what would be sufficient for me in the time of the drought (Ibn ‘Abbās’s interpretation). (d) If I knew the merchandise that would sell well, I would have bought it in the time of its slump. (e) If I knew when I would die, I would have increased doing good deeds (al-Ḥasan and Ibn Jurayj’s interpretation). (f) If I knew the unseen I would have done what I was required to do. All these interpretations in al-Qurṭubī’s view make sense.  

             “and no evil should have touched me” means (a) The Prophet said that he was not insane as they had claimed him to be, (b) The Prophet said further that if he had known the unseen he would have taken precaution against evil, but he was just a warner (al-Qurṭubī’s commentary)

22. الْخَيْرُ الَّذِي هُو ضِدُّ الشَّرّ (good thing which is the opposite of bad thing), as in the following verse:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّمَنْ

تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُإِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (آل عمران: 26) 

Say (O Muhammad): “O Allah! Possessor of the

kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will,

and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and

You endue with honour whom You will, and You

humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is he good.

Verily, You are Able to do all things.”(Q. 3:26)

Ibn ‘Abbās and Anas ibn Mālik said that when the Prophet s.a.w. conquered Makkah he promised his people the kingdom of Persia and Rome. The hypocrites and the Jews of Madinah said, “Impossible! How could he do that, as they are more powerful and more unconquerable? Are not Makkah and Madinah sufficient for him that he becomes ambitious to conquer the kingdoms of Persia and Rome?” Then Allah revealed the above verse. It was also said that the verse was revealed to refute the claim of the Christians on Najrān the divinity of ‘Īsā (Jesus) a.s.   in spite of his ability to do miraculous things, such as to revive the dead (al-Qurṭubī’s commentary)  

 (CIVIC, 30 October, 2015)

المصادر:

المكتبة الشاملة

ابن الجوزي (ت. 597\1201). نُزْهَة  الأَعْيُنِ النَّوَاظِرِ فِيْ عِلْمِ الْوُجُوْهِ وَ النَّظَائِر. بيروت: مؤسسة الرسالة, 1405\1985.

تفسير الطبري (ت. 310 هـ(

تفسير القرطبى (ت. 671 هـ(

تفسير ابن كثير (ت. 774 هـ(

Asad, Muhammad. The Message of the Qur’ān. Gibraltar: Dar al-Andalus, 1964.