25. COMMENTARY OF Q. 41:30-35 (2)

25. COMMENTARY OF Q. 41:30-35 (2)

          The third view is that of al-Ḥasan and Qays ibn Abī Ḥāzim. They say that the above verse was revealed upon every believer who calls people to Allah.

There are many interpretations of “doing righteous deed” in the above verse: it is praying two rak‘ahs between ādhān and iqāmah according to Abū Umāmah; it is praying and fasting, according to ‘Ikrimah; and it is performing the religious duties according to al-Kalbī. This last interpretation is the best one according to al-Qurṭubī, adding with “avoiding prohibited things and doing many recommended things.”

وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ

 فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ .

The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal.

 Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allah

 orders the faithful believers to be patient at the

 time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them

 badly) then verily he, between whom and you

there was enmity, (will become) as though

he was a close friend.

(The Noble Qur’ān, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Riyadh)

M.M. Pickthall: The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend.

A.Y. Ali: Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: then will be better whom and you was hatred become as it were your friend and intimate!

M. Asad: But [since] good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou [evil] with something that is better—and lo! he between whom and thyself was enmity [may then become] as though he had [always] been close [unto thee], a true friend!

  “The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal” means that the condition of the believers is not equal to that of idolaters, as the former believe in the Oneness of Allah, whereas the latter is idolatry. Al-Māwardī mentions six interpretations of the good deed and the bad deed, as follows:

1.     amiable behavior -  rudeness (reported by Ibn ‘Īsā)

2.     patience -  aversion

3.     īmān (belief) -  idolatry (according to Ibn ‘Abbās)

4.    forgiveness -  revenge (according to Ibn ‘Umayr)

5.    ḥilm (gentleness, forbearance, understanding) – indecency, abominableness (according to al-Daḥḥāk)

6.    loving the Prophet’s family – disliking them (according  ‘Ali)  

  “Repel (the evil) with one which is better” has many interpretations, as follows:

 Ibn ‘Abbās: Repel with your ḥilm (gentleness, forbearance, understanding) the jahl (stupidity, foolish act)[1] of the person who behave foolishly towards you. If someone abuses you, you tell him, “if you are right, may Allah forgive me, but if you are wrong, may Allah forgive you.” It was reported that Abū Bakr had said the same thing when someone wronged him.  

(Unknown): repel offense of the offender with disregarding it.

Mujāhid and ‘Aṭā’: Repel hostility from someone who is hostile against him with greeting with peace, namely, السَّلامُ عَلَيْك (“Peace be upon you!”).

Bakr ibn al-‘Arabī: Repel evil with shaking hands. Narrated by ‘Aṭā’ al-Khurasānī narrated that the Prophet said:

 تَصَافحُوا يَذهَب الغِلُّ، وَتَهادَوْا تحَابُّوا، وتَذْهَبِ الشَّحَنَاءُ

Shake hands, the hatred will go away, be gentle, so

you will love each other, and enmity will go away.

          Imām Mālik says that this ḥadīth is mursal (its chain of transmitter is not connected with the Prophet), so that he does not see the necessity of shaking hands, although he said it was permissible. He recommended it after he had said that he disliked it. This is the opinion of group of Muslim scholars. Sufyān al-Thawrī convinced him, saying to him that the Prophet had shaken hands with Ja‘far when he returned from his refuge in Ethiopia. Mālik told him that it was special for him. Sufyān said, “what is special for the Prophet is also special for us, and what is general for him is also general for us,” and therefore, shaking hands is acceptable, and cannot be denied. Moreover, Qatādah asked Anas whether the companions of the Prophet did shake hands, and he answered, “yes”.

                        Narrated by al-Barrā’ ibn ‘Āzib that the Prophet said:

  مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ فَيَتَصَافَحَانِ إِلَّا غُفِرَ لَهُمَا قَبْل أَنْ يَتَفَرّقَا

(رواه أحمد و أبو داؤدو والترمذي)

 Whenever two Muslims met each other and

  shook hands their sins will be forgiven before

  they departed (Reported by Aḥmad,

 Abū Dā’ūd and al-Tirmidhī)

There are many ḥadīths and statements of Qur’ān commentators dealing with the legality and the validity of shaking hands, among which are as follows:

عَنْ أَنَس قِيلَ يَا رَسُول اللَّه الرَّجُل يَلْقَى أَخَاهُ أَيَنْحَنِي لَهُ؟ قَالَ لَا.

 قَالَ : فَيَأْخُذ بِيَدِهِ وَيُصَافِحهُ ؟ قَالَ : نَعَمْ (أَخْرَجَهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ)

Narrated by Anas that it was said to the Prophet,

“O, Messenger of Allah, if a man meets his (Muslim) brother, should he bow to him?” He said, “No.” He

asked, ”Should he take his hand and shake

 hands with him?” He sad, “Yes.”

 (Reported by al-Tirmidhī)

عَنْ الْبَرَاء  لَقِيت رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

فَصَافَحَنِي ، فَقُلْت : يَا رَسُول اللَّه كُنْت أَحْسِب أَنَّ هَذَا

مِنْ زِيّ الْعَجَم ،  فَقَالَ : نَحْنُ أَحَقّ بِالْمُصَافَحَةِ

(أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُو بَكْر الرُّوْيَانِيّ فِي مُسْنَده)

Al-Barrā’ narrated, “I met the Messenger of

Allah s.a.w., then he shook hands with me; so,

  I said to him, ‘O, Messenger of Allah, I thought

that this practice was among the customs of

 non-Arabs;’ then he said: ‘It is more appropriate

 for us.’” (Reported by Abū Bakr al-Ru’yānī)

Ibn Baṭṭāl says that shaking hands according to the ‘ulamā’ (Muslim scholars) is a good practice. Al-Nawawī says that it has been agreed upon that shaking hands at the moment of meeting is recommended. Al-Nawawī says further that shaking hands in basically recommended, and keeping it in some cases remains recommended. As regards to shaking hands after every fajr and evening prayers is considered permitted innovation.

“… then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend” was revealed, according to Muqātil, in the case of Abū Sufyān who annoyed, irritated, and hostile to the Prophet; but he became the Prophet’s walī (helper, friend, relative, helper, protector) through marriage (his sister married the Prophet), especially after he converted to Islam. This view was mentioned by al-Tha‘labī and al-Qushayrī.

Another view was mentioned by al-Māwardī that the verse was revealed on the case of Abū Jahl ibn Hishām who annoyed the Prophet, then Allah ordered him to be patient and to forgive him. It was said that this verse was revealed before the injunction of fighting for self-defence was revealed.                  Ibn ‘Abbās said that in this verse Allah ordered the Prophet to         be patient when he became angry, to be gentle when he was foolishly treated, and forgive when he was wronged. If people did all these, Allah would protect them from Satan, and their enemy would surrender to them.      It is reported that when a man abused Qanbar, ‘Ali’s freed-slave, ‘Ali told him to leave the abuser and ignore him, so that he would please Allah the Merciful and displease Satan,  and the abuser would be punished.      

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ

But none is granted it (the above quality) except

 those who are patient – and none is granted it except

 the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the

 Hereafter, i.e., Paradise, and of a high moral

 character) in this world.

M.M. Pickthall: But none is granted it save those who are steadfast, and none is granted it save the owner of great happiness.

A.Y. Ali: And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, - none but persons of the greatest good fortune.

M. Asad:  Yet [to achieve] this is not given to any but those who are wont to be patient in adversity: it is not given to any but those endowed with the greatest good fortune.

Commentary:

“But none is granted it except those who are patient”  means: (1) none is granted with repelling badness with goodness, except those who are patient with forbearance; (2) none is granted with Paradise except those who are patient in obeying (Allah).

“…and none is granted it except those endowed with the greatest good fortune” means (1) those who have good fortune according to al-Suddī; (2) those who have good luck, according to Ibn ‘Abbās; (3 those who have good luck which is Paradise, according to al-Ḥasan. It is said that Qatādah and ibn ‘Abbās held the same view.

 One example of the significance of patience is that one day Abū Bakr was abused by someone while the Prophet was present. Abū Bakr forgave him for a while, but later he became angry and abused the abuser as revenge, and the Prophet stood up and left. Abū Bakr followed him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, he abused me and I forgave him, and you remained sitting; but when I abused him back for revenge, you left.” The Prophet said to him: “Actually, an angel was replying on your behalf. But when you took revenge, the angel started leaving, and Satan came. By Allah, I did not like to sit with Satan, O Abū Bakr!” So, if someone abuses you, forgive him, and let the angel abuse him for you.

                                                                                (CIVIC, 3 March, 2017)

المراجع:

 المكتبة الشاملة

تفسير الطبري (ت. 310922/   (

تفسير القرطبى (611 - 671 هـ  / 1214 - 1273 م)                      

تفسير ابن كثير (ت. 774/ 1373 (

تفسير ابن عباس (3 ق هـ - 68 هـ / 619 - 687 م(

تفسير الخازن (678-741 هـ / 1280-1341م(

تفسير الماوردي (364 - 450 هـ / 974 - 1058 م)

المسالك في شرح مؤطأ مالك

The Noble Qur’ān: Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Muhammad Asad. The Message of Islam.

Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. The Glorious Qur’ān.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali. The Meaning of the Holy Qur’ān.    

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[1] The term جَهْل  (jahl) means: to be ignorant, to be irrational, to behave foolishly. The pre-Islamic era is also called الْعَصْرُ الْجَاهِلِي , the era of ignorance, whereas “the Golden Age” is called الْعَصْرُ الذَّهَبِي.  This “era of ignorance” could also mean “the era of irrationality,” as it was the era where people behaved irrationally, such as their delight in war, their strong passion, and fiery in temper, ardent in love, bitter in hate. The pre-Islamic poet عَمْرُو بن كَلْثُوم التَّغْلبي  (‘Amr ibn Kalthūm al-Taghlibī)  in his poem said:  أَلاَ لاَ يَجْهَلَنْ  أَحَـدٌ  عَلَيْنَا  *   فَنَجْهَلَ  فَوْقَ  جَهْلِ  الجَاهِلِينَا  “Know that never anyone shall behave foolishly against us, otherwise we shall behave foolishly against him more than the foolish behavior of the fool.” In Indonesia we say that a person who like to do bad things, as having tangan jahil, (“mischievous hands”), like drawing on walls, i.e. graffiti.