Verses 7–13
This section of the chapter contains verses with respect to secret conversations, and some manners relating to social interaction.
Commentary
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَىٰ ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلَا خَمْسَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ وَلَا أَدْنَىٰ مِنْ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا أَكْثَرَ إِلَّا هُوَ مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كَانُوا ۖ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ٧
(58:7) Do you not see that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth? Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them, nor (between) five but He is the sixth of them, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are; then He will inform them of what they did on the day of resurrection: surely Allah is Cognizant of all things.
The question in the verse, Do you not see that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth? is in a rhetorical style which aims to convey censure, disapproval, rebuke, and condemnation (by the speaker) coupled with surprise (on the speaker’s part in respect of a deed by the addressee, which is not befitting him/her (which in this case refers to the act of secret counsels and conversations)). This kind of rhetorical interrogative is known as al-istifhām al-inkāriy, while the phrase Do you not see... figuratively means certain, definite knowledge, (and therefore means ‘do you not certainly and definitely know..?’). The beginning part of this verse is explained by the subsequent part in that God is present and participating with those who engage in secret conversations.
The word al-najwā which occurs in this verse is a verbal noun and means ‘to carry on a whispered conversation, to converse intimately and confidentially; a secret conversation,’ while the masculine third person singular personal pronoun (huwa—He) that recurs in this verse refers to God. The phrases ‘fourth of them’ (rābiʿuhum) and ‘sixth of them’ (sādisuhum), which occur in this verse, mean, to render three, four and to render five, six. This happens by God participating in knowledge with those who engage in whispered, secret conversations, regarding what they secretly confide in with each other, and it means Him being present with them in knowledge, awareness, and acquaintance with what they secretly converse. This is (further) attested by the (two) statements that encompass this narrative (which narrative occurs in the middle of the verse). These two statements are: the interrogative statement at the beginning of this verse Do you not see that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth... and the emphatic statement at its end ...surely Allah is Cognizant of all things.
...nor less than that nor more: Means: ‘nor less than what is mentioned of number or more than what is mentioned of number’. Thus by means of these two words (‘less’ and ‘more’) the narrative encompasses all possible numbers of secret conferrers. If ‘less than that’ then less than three would be two while less than five would be four and as for ‘more than that’ then more than five would be six and beyond that number.
Moreover, from the delicate and graceful style of this verse is the arrangement of the numbers three, four, five, and six in it without repetition. Thus the verse did not say ‘nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them nor (between) four but He is the fifth of them,’ and so on.
The statement ...but He is with them wheresoever they are... means God is with those who engage in whispered, secret conversations from the perspective of knowledge regarding what they confer in private, and participates with them in that. Therefore it becomes apparent that the meaning of God being the fourth of three secret conferrers and the sixth of five secret conferrers is Him being with them from the perspective of knowledge, and Him participating with them in terms of awareness, and in terms of an acquaintance with what they secretly confide in with each other. It does not mean a similarity or identicalness with them in completing the number. This is because each of the secret conferrers is a single human being in body whereby joining that person to its like would make them two, and joining the two to their like would render them three while God is far beyond corporeality, and free from materiality. (Hence God being with the secret conferrers means Him knowing, being aware, and being well-acquainted with what they secretly confer, and not that He is with them in terms of body like another human being, for corporeality and materiality is denied for Him).
And that is because the literary context necessitates that the exception in the verse, Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them, nor (between) five but He is the sixth of them, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are... has one meaning, which is that no secret counsel or private conversation is hidden from God. Thus the statements ...but He is the fourth of them, and ...but He is the sixth of them are in the meaning of ...but He is with them wheresoever they are... which is a knowledge-based accompaniment (al-maʿiyya al-ʿilmiyya), meaning that He surely partakes with them in knowledge and associates with them in it, or that His is a presence-based accompaniment (al-maʿiyya al-wujūdiyya) in the sense that wherever a group of people is assumed to gather for secret conversations then God is there, Hearing, Knowing.
The clause ...wheresoever they are... refers to all places in general since if God accompanies those who engage in secret counsel on the basis of knowledge and not on the basis of spatial or bodily accompaniment then situations do not vary or differ for Him due to differences in place in terms of nearness and distance. This is because no place is empty of God while He is not confined to a specific place.
It also becomes clear from the foregoing that what the verse avails in terms of meaning regarding the accompaniment of God with those who engage in secret conversations, and Him being the fourth of three secret conferrers and the sixth of five secret conferrers, does not negate what has been explained in detail with regards to the verse They certainly disbelieve who say: Surely Allah is the third (person) of the three; there is no god but the one Allah, and if they do not desist from what they say, then a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve (). (This is because it negates the trinity) in the sense that His unity/oneness (al-wiḥda) is not from the perspective of number (al-wiḥda al-ʿadadiyya) rather it is from the perspective of uniqueness, singularity, matchlessness, and being without peer (al-wiḥda al-aḥadiyya) such that it is impossible to assume for one possessing such oneness/unity to have a second. Thus the meaning of God being with the secret conferrers, and as the fourth of three and as the sixth of five is that He is cognizant (ʿālim) of what they confide in with each other in secrecy and privacy, and that what they hide from others is manifest, exposed, and apparent to Him and not that God has a finite, limited existence which entertains numerical identity where it is possible to assume a second and a third for Him, and so on (and thus, the explanation for this verse and that for () do not contradict each other).
The statement ...then He will inform them of what they did on the day of resurrection... means God shall inform them of the reality of what they had done of deeds, which includes their secret conversations, while the clause ...surely Allah is Cognizant of all things serves as a justifying explanation (al-taʿlīl) for the clause ...then He will inform them of what they did on the day of resurrection... and an affirmation of what has preceded regarding His knowledge of whatever is in the heavens and on the earth and Him being present with the secret conferrers. Finally, the verse is befitting as a preliminary to the content of the following verses; paving the way for them, while its end part consists of a severely threatening tone related to what occurs in the succeeding verses of censure and warning.
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نُهُوا عَنِ النَّجْوَىٰ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَيَتَنَاجَوْنَ بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ الرَّسُولِ وَإِذَا جَاءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ وَيَقُولُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَوْلَا يُعَذِّبُنَا اللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ ۚ حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ ٨
(58:8) Have you not seen those who are forbidden secret counsels, then they return to what they are forbidden, and they hold secret counsels for sin, enmity and hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger, and when they come to you they greet you with a greeting with which Allah does not greet you, and (or while) they say within themselves (or within their hearts): Why does not Allah punish us for what we say? Hell is enough for them; they shall burn in it, and evil is the resort.
The content of these verses indicates that there was a group of hypocrites, along with those who had sickness in their hearts from the believers, who had established and spread a secret counsel among themselves against the Prophet and the believers. They engaged in secret conversations among themselves in favor of sin, enmity and hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger of God, and in order to harm and torment the believers and to grieve and sadden them. They used to persist in that, refusing to stop when asked to, and consequently, these verses were revealed.
Thus the statement Have you not seen those who are forbidden secret counsels, then they return to what they are forbidden... consists of blame, rebuke, and censure against them in absentia where the verse addresses the Prophet rather than addressing them directly, refusing to address them directly in order to exaggerate the contemptible and debased nature of their deed, and to distance them from the honor of a direct address.
And hence the meaning obtained is: ‘do you not see those who were forbidden from engaging in secret conversations and counsels among themselves regarding what saddens and grieves the believers? And yet they return to engaging in what they were prohibited from, returning to it again and again!’ The masculine third person plural present tense verb yaʿūdūna in this verse (meaning: they return) indicates sustained continuity (of this misdeed on their part), while the verse’s abstention from using a pronoun to refer to the act of secret counsel and using a relative pronoun and relative clause to refer to it instead, where the verse says yaʿūdūna limā nuhū ʿanhu—they return to what they were forbidden from—rather than simply stating yaʿūdūna ilayhā—they return to it (hā (it) being the relevant (feminine) pronoun in reference to al-najwā)—indicates the cause of blame and censure and the evilness of their return to the despicable deed, for it was a deed prohibited.
The statement ...and they hold secret counsels for sin, enmity and hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger... contains a comparison between the three (mis)deeds, al-ithm (sin), al-ʿudwān (enmity and hostility) and maʿṣiyat al-rasūl (disobedience to the Messenger) which signifies that the word al-ithm (sin) refers to a deed which has an evil effect but whose evil effect does not extend to beyond the perpetrator of the deed such as drinking intoxicants, gambling, and the abandoning of the ritual prayers, which are from the deeds that relate to God’s rights on man. As for the word al-ʿudwān (enmity and hostility), this refers to a deed whose effect extends beyond the perpetrator and on to others; deeds by which mankind is negatively affected and harmed; these are disobedient deeds that relate to the rights of man on man. Both these types of misdeeds (al-ithm (sin) and al-ʿudwān (enmity and hostility)) fall within the purview of God’s disobedience. As for the phrase maʿṣiyat al-rasūl (disobedience to the Messenger) it refers to disobeying and opposing the Messenger in matters which are permissible in and of themselves, having no instruction in favor or against them from God, however the Messenger instructs in favor of it or against it for the welfare and benefit of the Muslim community. This is in light of his leadership and guardianship responsibilities over their affairs, and the Messenger has greater right over the believers than they have over themselves. An example of such maʿṣiyat al-rasūl (disobedience to the Messenger) is his prohibition to them from secret conversations and counsels even if that did not involve sin and disobedience.
The previous clause, Have you not seen those who are forbidden secret counsels, then they return to what they are forbidden... consists of blame and censure for the self-same secret counsels in light of it being prohibited, regardless of it being disobedience or otherwise. Then, this clause...and they hold secret counsels for sin, enmity and hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger... consists of blame and censure for them in light of their secret counsels and whispered conversations consisting of disobedience in its various types. These people were the hypocrites and the sick of heart. They used to engage in a lot of secret conversations between themselves in order to cause anxiety and sadness to the believers so that the latter may be aggrieved and hurt.
It is suggested that the hypocrites and the Jews used to confer privately with each other in order to hurt and cause anxiety to the believers and in order to spread fear and alarm among them, and to weaken their resolve; however the inclusion of the Jews in this verse is not explicit.
...and when they come to you (jāʾūka) they greet you (ḥayyawka) with a greeting with which Allah does not greet you: This part refers to their (the hypocrites’ and the diseased heart’s) misbehavior with the Prophet. God greeted him with the greetings of peace and had laid it down as a greeting for him from Himself; a pure, blessed greeting, however they (the hypocrites and the diseased heart) used to greet him with other than the laid down formula. They (the exegetes) say that this refers to the Jews. When they would come to the Prophet they would say al-sāmu ʿalayka where the word al-sāmu means death, and they would delude others into thinking that they were actually saying al-salāmu ʿalayka. This is not improbable, however the masculine third person plural pronoun ‘they’, which occurs (twice) in this part of the verse, refers to the relative noun alladhī—those who—which occurs at the beginning of this very verse ...those who are forbidden secret counsels... (and so the same group of people is referred to throughout this verse) and you know now that the inclusion of the Jews in it is not explicit (and hence it is better to limit the consideration of those rebuked in this verse to the hypocrites and the sick of heart).
The statement ...and they say within themselves (or within their hearts): Why does not Allah punish us for what we say occurs either as a statement conjoined (al-ʿaṭf) to the clause ...and when they come to you they greet you.... or it occurs in relation to it in the grammatical sense of al-ḥāl.
The apparent meaning of this statement is that what they say is from their selves; from the speech of their souls (and hearts) (wa yaqūlūna fī anfusihim), which they conceal in their hearts and it incites them to rebellion and sarcasm. Thus, ensuing from the hypocrites, such speech results in denial of the Messengership of the Prophet in a figurative sense, and the meaning thus obtained is: ‘they greet you with what God has not greeted you and they ask their hearts for the proof of their speech, which is—why does God not punish us for it?—in that it means you are not a messenger from God for had you been His messenger, He would have punished them for their utterance.’
It is also suggested that the meaning of the phrase ...and they say within themselves (or within their hearts)... (wa yaqūlūna fī anfusihim) means what they say among themselves in conversation with each other, however that is far from valid.
God then refutes their aspersion which was ...Why does not Allah punish us for what we say? He does this by Hell is enough for them; they shall burn in it, and evil is the resort, meaning: ‘they are surely mistaken in assuming that they will not be punished, for they shall surely be punished with what God has prepared for them of punishment, which is hell, which they would enter and whose heat they shall experience, which would be sufficient for them as punishment.’
And when the hypocrites and those who followed them did not cease their nefarious deeds despite the prohibitions and severe reprimands, the following verses descended If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not desist, We shall most certainly set you over them, then they shall not be your neighbors in it but for a little while (); Cursed: wherever they are found they shall be seized and killed, a (horrible) killing ().
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا تَنَاجَيْتُمْ فَلَا تَتَنَاجَوْا بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ الرَّسُولِ وَتَنَاجَوْا بِالْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ٩
(58:9) O you who believe! When you hold secret counsel, do it not for sin, enmity and hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger, rather do it for righteousness and guarding (against evil); and be careful or conscious of (your duty to) Allah, to Whom you shall be gathered together.
The content of these verses indicates that this verse was revealed in order to remove the risk and peril (in holding secret counsels). In this verse, the believers were addressed and permission was granted to them to engage in secret counsels with the condition that it should not be one in favor of sin, enmity, hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger, rather it should be one in favor of righteousness (birr) and God-consciousness (taqwā). The former, which means extensiveness in good deeds, contrasts with enmity and hostility (al-ʿudwān), while the latter contrasts with sin (al-ithm). Thereafter, the verse terminates with an emphasis on absolute God-consciousness by warning the believers of the day of the gathering of souls where it says ...and be careful or conscious of (your duty to) Allah, to Whom you shall be gathered together.
إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَىٰ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ١٠
(58:10) Secret counsels are only (the work) of the Satan that he may cause to grieve those who believe, and he (the Satan) cannot harm them in the least except with Allah’s permission, and on Allah let the believers rely.
The ‘secret counsels’ (al-najwā) mentioned in this verse, on the basis of the literary context, indicates that it is a reference to the secret counsels prevalent during those days between the hypocrites and the sick of heart, which was from the handiwork of the Satan. This is because it was Satan who made secret counsels alluring and attractive to the hearts of the hypocrites so that he could use these secret counsels as a means to cause grief to the believers, to confuse their hearts by rendering them anxious, and to deceive them into believing that the secret counsels were in regards to a calamity that was to befall them and a misfortune that was to afflict them.
Then, God soothed and pacified the hearts of the believers by reminding them that all matters lay in God’s control and that the Satan or the secret counsels would not harm them at all save by God’s permission. Therefore, they needed to place their trust in Him and not fear Satan’s harm. Indeed, God has explicitly stated in the verse ... and whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him () in that He surely suffices whoever trusts Him. Furthermore, God motivates and encourages them to trust Him for that is from the requisites of the faith of the believers, and so if they were believers then let them place their trust in Him, and He would suffice them. This is the meaning of the part of this verse that says ...and he (the Satan) cannot harm them in the least except with Allah’s permission, and on Allah let the believers rely.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَافْسَحُوا يَفْسَحِ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا قِيلَ انْشُزُوا فَانْشُزُوا يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ١١
(58:11) O you who believe! When it is said to you, make (ample) room in (your) assemblies, then make ample room, Allah will provide ample room for you, and when it is said: Rise up, then rise up. Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, in high degrees; and Allah is Aware of what you do.
The word al-tafassuḥ means ‘extensiveness, spaciousness, wideness, and ampleness.’ The word al-fasḥ has the same meaning. The word al-majālis (assemblies/sitting places/gatherings) is the plural of al-majlis which is a noun of place (ism al-makān). The imperative in favor of making ample room in an assembly or place of sitting (al-tafassuḥ fī al-majlis) that occurs in this verse means an attendee making ample room in an assembly so that the place becomes wide, spacious, and ample for another, while the mention of God making ample room for such an attendee means God making ample room for him/her in paradise.
This verse contains a specific etiquette from the etiquettes of social intercourse while the verse’s content and context suggests that the Muslims at the time of the Prophet used to attend his assembly and sit close together, in a collected heap so to speak, piling up close to each other such that there would be no room to sit for others who came to attend the same assembly. Consequently, they were disciplined by the words ...When it is said to you, make (ample) room in (your) assemblies, then make ample room... However, the directive in this verse is general in import even though the initial purport of its descent was the Prophet’s assembly.
Hence the meaning obtained is: ‘O believers, when you are told to make ample room for others in the assemblies or sitting places so that the sitting space becomes extensive for others as well as for yourselves, then comply, and God shall make extensive room for you in paradise.’
The statement ...and when it is said: Rise up, then rise up... contains yet another etiquette of social intercourse. The word al-nushūz—as it is said—means ‘rising up, going away from something by moving away from it.’ Here, ‘rising up from a gathering’ means ‘a person getting up from his place so that another may sit there; to give up one’s place.’ The former does this for the latter in order to honor and respect him/her and in deference to the latter’s merit and excellence. Hence the meaning obtained is: ‘when you are told to rise and give up your place in an assembly so that one who is better than you in knowledge and piety may sit there then do so.’
The verse mentioning that Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, in high degrees unmistakably suggests that when God elevates the status of a servant, it signifies bringing them closer to Himself. Logically, the phrase and those who are given knowledge refers to the learned individuals among the believers. Therefore, this verse delineates believers into two distinct groups: a general believer and a learned believer. The learned believer holds a higher status. This is in line with God’s declaration in the Qur’an: Say: Are those who know and those who do not know alike? ().
From this verse, it is evident that the phrase ‘exalting in high degrees’ (degrees in plural) specifically refers to those endowed with knowledge, whereas other believers are exalted by a degree (degree in the singular). The verse implies: ‘God shall exalt those who believe from among you, a high degree, while He will exalt those who are given knowledge from among you, in high degrees.’ This distinction underlines the exalted status and increased honor bestowed upon scholars, acknowledging their elevated position and significance. Thereafter, God affirms and emphasizes His directives in this verse by closing the verse with the words ...and Allah is Aware of what you do.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نَاجَيْتُمُ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ نَجْوَاكُمْ صَدَقَةً ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَأَطْهَرُ ۚ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ١٢
(58:12) O you who believe! When you consult the Messenger in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be best for you (all), and most conducive to purity (of conduct). But if you find not (the wherewithal), then Allah is surely Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
This verse means: ‘if you intend to hold a private consultation with the Messenger of God then give something in charity before it.’ The part of this verse that says That will be best for you, and most conducive to purity (of conduct) is in order to explain the purpose and justification (al-taʿlīl) for the legislation of this ordinance, akin to the verse ...and that you fast (which) is best for you...(). Undoubtedly, the meaning of charity being best and most conducive to purity is that the verse aims to say that it is best for your selves and most conducive to purity for your hearts. Perhaps the reason for this ordinance was that the rich from among the Muslims at that time used to often engage in private consultations with the Prophet, (monopolizing his time and) attempting to manifest by that a kind of closeness and affinity to him and a kind of special relationship with him while the poor among them used to be aggrieved and saddened by such behavior and their hearts would break.
Hence, the wealthy were ordered to give in charity to the poor before their private consultations with the Prophet since the act of giving has a positive effect among humans such as it creates a bond between souls, arouses mercy, compassion, and love between them, and creates close ties between hearts by the removal of anger and rancor.
The masculine singular demonstrative pronoun—dhālika—(translated as ‘that’ in That will be best...) which occurs here (in the middle of this verse’s narrative) is a brief and sudden shift in address (al-iltifāṭ) to the Prophet between the two addresses made to the believers (that is, the addresses before and after this pronoun). This has the effect of conveying a delicate and gentle mode of exalting and honoring the Prophet since the ordinance of charity was related to private consultations with him and therefore the sudden, brief shift in address to him was a way of demonstrating additional care and attention on him.
But if you find not (the wherewithal), then Allah is surely Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful: Meaning, that if you do not find anything which you may give in charity then it is not obligatory on you to do so for God has turned to you in lenience and has permitted you to confer privately with the Prophet (without giving charity). He has pardoned you for ... Allah is surely Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. This end part of the verse which says ... Allah is surely Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful is an example of stating the cause (God being forgiving and merciful) in place of the effect (which is maghfira—forgiveness, and raḥma—mercy), and in addition, this part of the verse contains the evidence that the obligation of charity was removed from the poor just as this part of the verse serves as contextual evidence that the intent of the earlier part of this verse which contains the imperative ...spend something in charity before your private consultation... was an obligation; an obligation for the rich.
أَأَشْفَقْتُمْ أَنْ تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ نَجْوَاكُمْ صَدَقَاتٍ ۚ فَإِذْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَتَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ١٣
(58:13) Do you fear giving charity before your consultation? So when you did not do it, Allah has turned to you (with forgiveness), then keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and obey Allah and His Messenger; and Allah is well-Aware of what you do.
This verse abrogates the ordinance in favor of charity mentioned in the previous verse. This verse contains a severe reproof for the companions of the Prophet and the believers since they forsook private consultations with the Prophet for fear of the need to spend wealth in the form of charity before it. Consequently, none consulted the Prophet in private save ʿAlī who held ten private consultations with him. Every time he sought to have a private meeting with the Prophet, he offered charity before it. Thereafter, this verse descended and cancelled the ordinance.
The word al-ishfāq means ‘fear, anxiety, apprehension’, while the rest of the question occurs as the grammatical object of the masculine second person plural past tense verb ashfaqtum. Hence the meaning obtained is: ‘do you all fear giving in charity and spending your wealth for the sake of private consultations with the Prophet?’ It is also possible that the grammatical object of the verb ashfaqa is elided and the implied meaning is: ‘do you all fear poverty (a-ashfaqtum al-faqr an...) due to the need to spend of your wealth?’ Some scholars have opined that the occurrence of the word al-ṣadaqāt (charities), which is the plural form of the word al-ṣadaqa (charity), suggests that the fear was not in fact due to the offering of charity once for that is not the cause of poverty but rather the continuous nature of the ordinance and consequently that of giving charity continuously; that is, every time a private consultation was sought from the Prophet.
The statement ...So when you did not do it, Allah has turned to you (with forgiveness), then keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and obey Allah and His Messenger; and Allah is well-Aware of what you do means: ‘so when you did not do what you were charged with, God has retracted His ordinance and turned to you with pardon and forgiveness, hence, resolve to comply with the totality of the divine instructions laid on you such as keeping up the ritual prayer and paying the poor-rate.’ The clause ...Allah has turned to you (with forgiveness)... is proof that their disinclination to give charity prior to engaging in private consultations with the Prophet was a sin and an act of disobedience on their part although God forgave them for that.
This is while the phrase then keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and obey Allah and His Messenger; and Allah is well-Aware of what you do is presented as a natural follow-up to So when you did not do it, Allah has turned to you (with forgiveness), indicating the abrogation of the rule requiring charity before private consultations with the Prophet. The directive and obey Allah and His Messenger serves as a broad mandate for adhering to all divine commands, emphasizing unwavering obedience. The concluding part, and Allah is well-Aware of what you do, adds an element of severity, reinforcing the importance of obeying God and the Prophet (with the understanding that God is fully aware of all actions).
Examining Narrations
- Ḥamza and Ruways, transmitting from Yaʿqūb, recited the verb yatanājawna (in Q) as yantajawna while the rest recited it as yatanājawna. The following statement of the Prophet, in favor of ʿAlī, attests to Ḥamza’s recital. The Prophet said the following when some of his companions asked him: (atunājīhi dūnanā)—‘do you secretly converse with him (ʿAlī) excluding us?’ He replied: (mā ana antajaytuhu)—‘I do not secretly converse with him, (bal allāhu intajāhu)—rather God secretly converses with him!’
- ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar: ‘the Jews used to greet the Messenger of God with “sāmu ʿalayka,” intending to insult and curse him by that. Then they would say within themselves (or within their hearts) ...Why does not Allah punish us for what we say? (). Whereupon this verse was revealed ...and when they come to you they greet you with a greeting with which Allah does not greet you, and/while they say within themselves (or within their hearts): Why does not Allah punish us for what we say? Hell is enough for them; they shall burn in it, and evil is the resort ().’
- Ibn ʿAbbās regarding Q58:8: ‘the hypocrites used to greet the Messenger of God with “sāmu ʿalayka” whereupon this verse was revealed.’
Author’s comment: This report is more credible than the previous one on the basis of what has been presented in the commentary of the (relevant) verse. ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm al-Qummī has transmitted a report in his Qur’an commentary which says that they (the hypocrites) used to greet him (the Prophet) by the words anʿama ṣabāḥan—good morning, and anʿama masāʾan—good evening, which were pre-Islamic jāhili greetings.
- Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh has transmitted the following Prophetic report in regards to ...Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, in high degrees... () that the Prophet said: ‘the merit of the scholar over the martyr is that of a degree while the merit of the martyr over the worshipper is a degree. The merit of the Prophet over the scholar is a degree while the merit of the Qur’an over all speech is as the merit of God over the entirety of His creation. This is while the merit of the scholar over all mankind is as my merit over (adnāhum)—the lowest of them (the mankind)’.
Author’s comment: The end part of the report is suspect. This is because the apparent identification of the masculine plural suffix pronoun hum (them) in the phrase adnāhum—lowest of them—to ‘mankind’ suggests that there are grades and degrees to mankind where some from among them are superior, and others average in degree or rank. This would therefore mean that if the merit of the scholar over all mankind (which contains people of varying degrees: superior, moderate and inferior in rank or degree) is as the merit of the Prophet over the lowest of them then that would mean that the scholar is superior to the Prophet, which is not possible! This is unless the meaning of the superlative word adnā is understood to mean ‘the closest of’ (rather than ‘the lowest of’) in which case the meaning of the phrase adnāhum would be ‘closest of them (mankind)’ and consequently the latter part of the report above would say: ‘This is while the merit of the scholar over all mankind is as my merit over (adnāhum)—the closest of them (the mankind) to me’ meaning, closest of the people or mankind to the Prophet, which is the scholar just as this is suggested in this very same report where it says ‘the merit of the Prophet over the scholar is a degree’. Thus the meaning that comes across is that the Prophet intended to say that the merit of the scholar over all mankind is as my merit over the closest of mankind to me, which is the scholar.
- ʿAlī said: ‘There is certainly a verse in the book of God which none acted on before me and none shall act on it after me too. This is the verse of al-najwā—private consultation (with the Prophet)—O you who believe! When you consult the Messenger in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be best for you (all), and most conducive to purity (of conduct) (). I had a dīnār which I exchanged for ten dirhams. Thus, whenever I sought a private audience with the Prophet and held a private consultation with him, I would spend a dirham in charity before it. Then the verse was rescinded and none acted on it. The following verse was revealed Do you fear giving charity before your consultation? So when you did not do it, Allah has turned to you (with forgiveness)... ().’
- Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir replied as follows to Abū Baṣīr when the latter asked him about O you who believe! When you consult the Messenger in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be best for you (all), and most conducive to purity (of conduct) (). He said: ‘ʿAlī in Abī Ṭālib spent in charity before seeking a private audience with the Prophet. Thereafter, He (God) rescinded it (the ordinance) by Do you fear giving charity before your consultation? So when you did not do it, Allah has turned to you (with forgiveness).... ()’
Author’s comment: There are many reports with this meaning, transmitted via Shiʿa and Sunni chains of transmission.
Translator's note: This is because the present tense stresses unfinished action or an ongoing activity, and therefore its continuity. ↩︎
Translator's note: (mā (in limā) translated as ‘what’ being the relative pronoun, nuhū ʿanhu translated as ‘they were forbidden from’, being the relative clause–(altogether becoming—(yaʿūdūna) they return (limā) to what (nuhū ʿanhu) they were forbidden from). ↩︎
Translator’s note: The noun of place (ism al-makān), which in this case is al-majlis, expresses the place where the action of the verb jalasa (he sat/to sit) is committed. ↩︎
Translator’s note: This verb is in the sixth form of Arabic verbal forms. It means 'to whisper to each other; to carry on a whispered conversation; to converse intimately; to exchange secrets.' ↩︎
Translator’s note: This verb is in the eighth form of Arabic verbal forms. It means 'to whisper something into each other’s ear.' ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Aḥmad, ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd, al-Bazzār, Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Ṭabarāni, and Ibn Mardawayhi while al-Bayhaqī transmits it in Shuʿb al-Īmān via a good chain of transmission, from him. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, and Ibn Mardawayhi from him. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Saʿd ibn Manṣūr, Ibn Rāhawayhi, Ibn Abī Shayba, ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Mardawayhi and al-Ḥākim who authenticated it, from him. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, by means of his chain of transmission terminating at Abū Baṣīr from him. ↩︎