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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    183 views79 pages

    Father of Flame - Ahmad Zaki Hammad

    Uploaded by

    Ardit Kraja
    Commentary of the surah Massad

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    ~ Father of the Flame ASHES pc (ks OS ag Ct Say, "Whether oe cna what iin your bes oF yo date it, God knows it. And He he whi fn the hevens nd what inthe eat, And God is poweil overall ings “There hal ody whew oer sud wl find whatever god it had done Boaght fond, Ad ahtee ei it had done—it wil wich tha thre wold be avery an” of tie beter it id that‘ aweome dey. And God wort yout bevte of Him. And God i alk to" He reat 32930) THE QURAN: INTERPRETATION IN CONTEXT Father of the Flame Commentary and Vocabulary Reference of Sinatol-Masad AHMAD ZAKI HAMMAD w 14 Hy 7 Copyright 1997 Quraie Literacy tatu (QLD AllRights Reserves rat ain 'No part this pusication may be reprodsce, sore or ranted in yer by any mea tron or oserwin acading photocopy lng recording Internet by any indormation tage and Feral jo ve, without wot poison ro QL Printed in the United Sates of Amin Pubishedby: Quantity Intute QLD 2, Bow Wr © bragvi iis 045 {7058-1991 + ag) 4501982 Fa) Book Eaton Amer A Halo de Sbrehitn N.Abushant Cover design by A. Whiteman, under commision of the Quranic Liters (lost: Cover ates smpleof the ealigeaphic genius of Yat “Abdullih a Mustasimly (698 1/1208 CL), whopetected Arabic or- tography. His style remain the basis for contemporary calligraphy ae tenting orp nthe ngeth a hal cpa wel sn tho Tesnaeripion af the Quran. See Fon a Kt Tira or Nera mi Head's by the Research Carne for tani History, At {and Culture The cover art, pened i he matsp in 90H. in Baghdad, include tho conelasing verses of SOratn-Masad and the thre losing ‘srs ofthe Quran The atine! lhminaton wa drat ol ink ISBN (cen ses4e-t1 Fate he ore printed on prin ai re paper tsi compbance ‘eth stndarde set forlealine papers y the Ameean Nasional Sena instar, se. The pape’ permenence stint at more han 30 yar, “The binding materials were chosen for suengih,durablty, longevity and ‘cologlal concerns. The txt see in Plating Diner, specs typo faite Arabic Wansiteraton an thee of featre spect name rte suchas "<5" and" "TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: QU, Quranic Literacy Insite, Advancing Islamic Literacy, The Quran Project and The Qura Interpretation in Contest ze eademarh of he ‘QurieLitercy Iota (QLD. % FOR 3 Allin the English-speaking word who may deri from ‘his work, enn ithe smallest degre, the impulse to seok dine guidance fora manvingfl ie, here and i the erster AND FOR Too of my tacos, he te SHAYKH MUHAMMAD AL-GHAZALI & SHAYKH SAYMID AHMAD SAQR, ao et us before sing this fut of ther encouragement and support ‘Av thre of my students AMER HALEEM, IBRAUIIM. ARUSHARIF, & JAMAL SAWAF ‘who are the fre ena ofthis tor ‘TRANSLITERATION NOTE The anelterton of Arabic name and tz into English ows 2 well ‘abled sche shown below. ‘ls, neacy every menon ofthe oame of Prophet Mua i fl- Iowa th rb hh ny ead hs i sd {Behn pene prayer of endourment rating Main Veneration fot {re ropes i Likdne, st of venemtion 2 "appons aftr he names of (ther prophelsmentond (5 wll as Angol Gabel and it asteally snean-plce bo upon hi ° Bout ook po moe cmap = — Covel Souk t ba a aa V Poo eon or ae a — sg ees & yim ‘QURANIG CITATION NOTE ‘The werd “Quran” (amore phonetically accurate rention of the mame of the haa script) i use througout the tet nto ofthe popu pling "Kora Neszyeach he more than 3 erences to the ars ‘ome cnt Salen an abcd name sytem For example the {Mfeene ofthe Quran's fat ut (or chap) ate as (esura nue {bowel by the noraber fhe verse, separated by clon BRACKETS NOTE ‘Withi sever aaa ext ane half brake ~~ hat contain dating {ext ha shouldbe ree af were par of tee or example 2 Fe ‘slo send perf asings down apo yn [sa The fll brs prcen information tat onl explanaioy apd is ot meant be read 23 Prot the txt For esampi:Uie Ppl aS or Rc Fe Cals ont gn [eFC re il te tel” CONTENTS & ‘Rage Aqainst Revelation: Early Opposition tothe Propet & and iam INTRODUCTION 1 INTERPRETATION Arabic Tet and Engi interpretation ovis the Hands: The Spr of Sat ak Masa 2 OVERVIEW ‘Dae Sura ofthe al ier The Ties ht Bint “The Meaning of Sarat al Masa in Brief. ‘The Names of Sarat al-Masad The Context of Revelation The Major Theme of Strat al Mase 3 COMMENTARY The Lessons and Limit of Kinship 4 VOCABULARY REFERENCE ‘The Revealed Word: The Teme of Strat a- Masel. 1 Tabbst(¢ PRIS the hans of Aba Lah) 28 0 3 3 u 36 a 8 48 2, Yad (15 ): (Perish he) Hans 23. Abt of: Amd EATER othe Flame) 4 Lahab (5) FAbA] Lavan FLAME) 5. ghd: tint shall at) AAT 6. Math (4: HIS WEALTH sal not hn) 7. Kasab (es What es) FARNED {Saya (252 } ME SHALL ENTER ong red 9 Ne (EDA fling RE 10. tvaatu is wore 11 Hammalat (SES. THE CARRIER of fread) 14, Habl (5): ROPE of in fier] 15, Masa (22 A rope off PAIAGFTBER 5 NOTES. 6 BIBLIOGRAPHY 7 HADITH INDEX 8 QURANIC VERSE INDEX 9 SUBJECT INDEX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 101 105 ng 5 18 INTRODUCTION Rage Against Revelation: Early Opposition to the Prophet # and Islam (ONE OF THE primary objectives of revealed religion is to remind people that life on earth has a purpose and that Jhuman beings have a central role withia this puspose, As bearers of the heavenly message, the prophets and mes- sengers of God came forth with a vision of existence founded on belief in one God as the Creator and the Sus- tainer ofall being, and dedicated to the elevation of life through good works and moral conduct, Figures like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them all, taught that choosing faith and doing righteous deeds open the gates to an eternal life of bliss and fulillment lying beyond the barrier of death. [Nowhere in substantiated history is there to be found a single instance of a prophet forcing belief upon someone or preventing one from expressing his or her thoughts or com Vietions. What is recorded in the credible accounts of their missions is their resolve to publicly proclaim the message revealed to them and their dim to the inalienable human 2 / INTRODUCTION sight to live in accordance with the imperatives of faith. Be cause oftheir exercise of these rights, the prophets of God became focal points of fiercely violent opposition ‘The way of revealed religion, then, runs directly counter to that of the opponents of faith, Revelation forbids the im- postion of faith upon people—There is mo compulsion in re ligion, for traly rectitude is clearly distinct from perversity (2.256)—as it renounces aggression and injustice—And do not kill one another Indeed, Allah is eer merciful to you. And tahoever does this with aggression and injustice, We sal surely ust him in the Five (429-30, ‘The opponents of faith breached the ramparts of civi- lized life and resorted to intimidation, assault, and brutality against the prophets and those who followed them —espe- cially against the weak. In many cases, the adversaries of the prophets despaired of their obstructionist measures to quell he call to faith and thus tied to kill them. In some in- stances, they succeeded. Obviously, the benefit for human ty that resides in the natural exchange of ideas between ‘people was lot on the antagonists tothe emissaries of God. Indeed, it could be argued that if the proponents of dsbe- lief had contented themselves with the ways of civil dis- course and not descended tothe level of teror and oppres- sion, the human legacy would be very diferent. To be sue, the past is unalterable; but its lessons remain ‘enduring and its consequences permanent. Theit wisdom provides us with an insight by which we can properly in- terpret the present and conceive a rightly guiding vision for the future. The Quran gives account after account of the prophets and the believers suffering violence and ridicule at the hands oftheir people. Even more vividly, t INTRODUCTION 1 3 shows that brute force fails to subdue human nature, for no society oF polity can successfully be insulated against the thoughts and realizations that are inherently part of zhuman reflection on its earthly condition. The ultimate les- son here is that ifdeas are to be confronted, they are chal- lenges best by other ideas, for unlike the men and women who send them forth and receive them, beliefs cannot be put to the sword, but they largely live or die in accordance With their veracity and integrity, Accordingly, the Quran asserts that while truth endures, falsehood is like the foam fon the surface of water: As for the foom, i goes mony as cast scum; and as for thal which benefits people, it remains on cath (13:17). In recounting crimes against the prophets and be- lievers, the Quran occasionally identifies the perpetrators by name, though generally it highlights one or more of their wicked characteristics. Tn the campaign waged against Muhammad &, howev- er the Quran specifies his uncle Abd Lahab and his uncle's Wife as two of his most relentless opponents. They thrust themselves into the lead role among the Makan elite in their persecution ofthe Prophet &, and they pursued their l-treatment of him with unnatural zeal. Ab@ Lahab fo: cused all his energy on tormenting the Prophet &, and he directed is family and considerable influence toward this end. Moreover, he took it upon himself to deny the Prophet & the freedom to convey his message publicly; he even tried to physically obstruct the Prophet & from his personal worship of God. Abd Lahab remained forthe rest of his Life a central figure in the opposition to the Prophet ‘& among Makkab’s chief clan of Quraysh. He died as a principal catalyst of the repression conducted against 4) INTRODUCTION Islam in Arabia that lasted more than twenty years ‘AbG Lahab and the Quraysh elite were not haphazard in ‘heir opposition to Islam. Clear-cut motives galvanized their hostility toward the message of the Qurast and the Person ofits Messenger 2 and set them on an unambigu ‘ous course in their strategy to eradicate the new religion. It is of indispensable value in the study of the Qurast to un derstand the forces that governed the thinking of those ‘who directly opposed its revelation, the broad outlines of ‘which can be discerned in the actions the Quraysh took and the tactics they pursued in their bid to extinguish the ‘Quran's light. This line of inquiry, of course, is worthy of scrutiny also forthe purpose suggested atthe outset ofthis introduction: To remind us that life has a purpose and that Juma beings lave thelr own special charge inthe context ofthat purpose. This reminder is heralded clearly in the many vers 8 of the Quran that expose the impetus behind the Makan idolaters' attacks on the Quran and the Prophet &. Having said this, it may be added tha itis most instruc- tive to touch on the motives, strategies, and means of the (Qurayshite opposition to Islam in the context of Sarat ale Mased (111), fori is the only sura of the Quran that men- tions by name an antagonist of the Prophet &&, for which the student of the Quran must suspect a much deeper rea- son than mere condemnation ofthe suras villains. Not sur prisingly, inthe person and personality of Ab@ Lahab (and ‘of his wife) one finds unfolded certain essential aspects of the larger Makkan opposition exemplified for closer exami- nation. Also, one cannot fil to note that ultimately its this ‘opposition to the godly way of life that the Quran holds {forth as the paradigm of human hostility to faith INTRODUCTION 1 5 ‘The Motives of the Quraysh ‘The open call of Prophet Mubammad & to shun idolatry and to worship the one, true God was met with almost i- ‘mediate opposition by the powerful in Makkah, the reli sglous center of Arabia since the time of Abraham #3. For the first three years ofthe Prophet’ mission, he proceeded discreetly. Thereafter, the Prophet i advanced into the ‘public forums with great resolve to convey the message God had revealed to him and to invite people to Islam, With heightened energy and a broad sense of inclusive- ness, the Prophet & presented Islam to the Makkans and to anyone who came to the city for Pilgrimage or com- ‘merce. In calling to the one, rue God, he made no distinc- tion between men and women, the poor and the affluent, cr the powerless and the wellborn. Islam had but one re- ‘quirement; To believe in and worship the true and only God, disofirming the existence of any deity or divine authority other than Him. Thus the Prophet's message exposed the idols that the Arabs worshipped as nothing more than deaf, dumb, and blind molds of earthly elements—utterly inca- pable of benefiting or harming anyone, causing life, death, ‘or resurtection, oF intereeding with God. ‘The Prophet's call to godliness naturally involved seri~ ‘ous personal and social consequences, He summoned peo- ple to adhere to high level of morality and to hold them- selves to an elevated manner of life. They were to purify their transactions of decelt and fraud and to forsake the avarice and blood pride that underpinned their pagan so- cietal norms. In contrast to the inequity of Makkan life the Prophet & called them to harmony and a common hu- 6 1 INTRODUCTION ‘manity. He reaffirmed the indivisbility of the one God and the unity of His revelation (all the authentic scriptures having come from Him). The Prophet & exhorted humani- ty, moreover, to respect its own natural unity—its single- souled origin and cominon destiny—and to uphold its cok lective responsibility to be virtuous and to cast off evil ‘These ideas diffused rapidly through every stratum of Makkan society because oftheir intrinsic truth thei eapac- ity to refresh the human sou], and their obvious superiority over the crippling patterns of life thatthe idolaters inherit ed from their forefathers and to which they clung and grimly imposed upon Makkan society. The emerging gen- eration, women, and the oppressed were the most receptive to this unique inspiration. However, the Qurayshite nobles Who modulated the ehythms of Makan life immediately sensed in this message a grave danger to thelr established social order because it posed a serious threat to the idola- trous belief system ofthe Arabs, at the core of which lay the central status of Makkah and the patronage of Quraysh in ‘Arabia and, therefore, their vital economic interests. When they understood that Muhammad would not wane in his determination to impart his message and that the coher- ence of his call would not of itself dissolve and that the peo- ple who followed him would not become disaffected with it, the Qurayshite cite adopted a policy of systematic and categorical rejection of Islam. The Makkan aristocracy determined to quell the message of the Quran, to silence its messenger, and to pressure its earliest adherents into renouncing thelr faith. Their deci- sion was ireversible and their implementation of it ruth less. INTRODUCTION 1 7 ‘The enmity that the Makkan lesdership bore against Islam and its adhezents never diminished. On the contrary, it steadily heightened in intensity and widened in scope, ‘expressing itself in hateful acts of aggression against the person of the Prophet & and in the often savage persecu tion of the most vulnerable of his followers. The destitute, the orphaned, and the enslaved suffered dearly for an- swering the Prophet's call to faith, As weak members of tribal society subsisting at the very fringes of Makan life, they had virtually no recourse to protection; therefore, the elite risked no backlash in tormenting them, which they did with impunity Yet none endured what Muhammad && himself did. The (Qurayshite response included widespread dissemination of false propaganda against him, in addition to a social and economic boycott of the Prophet's familial clan of ‘Abd Mana. The Prophet i persevered in his nonviolent preaching under these intolerable conditions for thirteen years. An assassination attempt against his life that drew ‘the main families of Quraysh into collusion closed out the Makkan period of the birth of Islam and occasioned the most consequential migration in human history, when “Muhammad i and his followers emigrated from Makkah to Yathrib. With the Prophet é and the Muslims no longer contained in Makkah, the communal antagonism of the (Qurayshites for the Muslims changed to military co: {rontation with the newly formed Muslim community ‘The Strategies of the Quraysh Against the Prophet & ‘Though itis obvious that the Quraysh sought to stem the tide of Islam in Makkah, it is important in the study of the a, eeEEoEeEeEeEeE—— 8 / INTRODUCTION (Quran—especially the early revealed suras that allude to the chief antagonists of tne Prophet to understand the strategies that the Makkans adopted in their designs to obliterate the message of Islam. ‘The Quraysh moved against Islam at multiple levels s- multaneously, challenging in the name of tradition the nascent fith’s principal beliefs the credibility ofits mes- senger, and the right ofits growing number of adherents to freely adopt and publically practice their religion, Their strategy can be viewed as sevenfold: (1) They sought to impugn the character of the Prophet & and to intimidate ‘him physically; (2) they assailed the veracity of the Quran's divine origin; (9) they disputed Islatn’s founda- tional articles of faith, most particularly its central creed that affirmed the oneness of God, along with its belief in the Day of Resurrection; (4) they persecuted and repressed Musims in order to divert them from faith and to discour- age others from joining them; (5) they exalted tribal chat- vinism and the ways of their forefathers above individual self-worth and truth; (6) they attempted to divert public at- tention from Islam’s cardinal issues of belief and socal jus- tice to the sensational by calling upon the Prophet & to perform miraculous or supernatural feats; and (7) they conspired to expel, imprison, or kill God's Messenger What is most noteworthy in the Quran's response to these several schemes of the Quraysh against the Prophet & in Makkah is, fest, ts careful management of the inner attitude of the Prophet 2 in the face of such an onslaught ‘of personal opposition, and, second, the deliberate way in which the Quran preserved the entire experience—inciud- ing the opposition to itself—and how it guided the INTRODUCTION 1 9 Prophet's actions and those of his followers through to tri- tumph against what 1400 years hence still scem insur- ‘mountable odds I is against this backérop that the verses of the Quran revealed in Makkah burst into life and that the content of Strat alMasad reveals its deep meaning. 1. Ipugning the Prophet & and the Threat of Violence ‘Makkah was the birthplace of Mubammad #, and apart from the period when he had been fostered outside the city in childhood (a common practice among the families of (Quraysh), he lived among the Makkans until his fortieth year without any record of even minor criticism of his character having ever been leveled against him. On the contrary, Muhammad & had won the admiration and re spect of his people. Not only was he heir to the renowned prestige of the Hashimite clan of Quraysh, but he was sidely acknowledged for his personal uprightness,epito- mized in the honesty for which he had become well known. The elite and the common of Makkah alike, long before the advent of his prophethood, conferred upon Muhammad & the title “al-Amin” (the Trustworthy) in recognition of this fact. The high estimation and honor that Mubammad && en- Joyed among his people underwent an abrupt shift when he received his call to prophethood. Without having com mitted a single violent act, obscenity, or breach of trust, he instantly became the focus of intense hostility based solely ‘on the message that he carried from God to humanity. Ine tially, Muhammad & did no more than rate to the people (of Makkah that he bore a heavenly message summoning ‘them—and humankind—to belief in the one true God and 1 / INTRODUCTION to excellence in moral conduct. Since this conflicted with the norms of idolatrous society, the elders of the Quraysh resolved to oppose the Prophet &&, by aggression if neces- sary! ‘The notables ofthe Quraysh wished (perhaps asa reflex of the commerce-minded) to reach @ compromise with the Prophet &, promising him wealth and position if only he would abandon the message he had brought. His uncle, Aba Lahab, offered to persuade him to abandon his call. But when Abé Laab failed in his efforts, the chiefs of the Quraysh adopted more traditional means. They went to the Prophet's guardian-uncle, Abd Talib, to convey theit ‘inal proposition. They sai: © Abs Talib, surly you hold seniority, honor, and an eevat- cf place among us Thus we sought your consent in restrain ing your nephow, but you have filed to restrain him from af fronting us. And, by God, we do not have the patience to withstand this—especially when it comes tothe insulting of cour forefathers, the imputation of foolmindednes to us, and the disgracing of our gods. Nor shall we find patience usless you stop him from this. Either this, or we shall confront fim—and yout—over this ‘matter; uni indeed one of the two partes perishes? ‘Aba Talib took their threat seriously and proposed to his nephew that in the interest of peace he desist from ‘communicating his message. It is reported in an authentic tradition, or hadith (a saying or act of the Prophet &), that ‘upon hearing Aba Talib’s appeal, the Prophet & pointed tothe sun and said, “By God, Lam no more able to forsake this message’ with which Thave been sent than any one of you ‘of Quraysh’ is able to bring a pieee of fire from this sun.” When the Prophet & made it clear that he would INTRODUCTION / 1 ‘never desert God's call the Quraysh beset him witha viru Tent onslaught directed at impugning his character and, eroding his will. The Quraysh spread maliciously false comments throughout Makkah about the Prophet's integrity and soundness. They accused him of insanity brought on by an. evil spirit And they said, “O you upon whom the Reminder tthe Quran] has been sent down, indeed, you are possessed!” (15:6) ‘They dismissed him as a mere poet For whenever i was said to them, "There sno God but Alla,” they woul grow arrogant, and say, “Shall we forsake our gods fora possessed poet?” (675-36). They spread rumors that he was an oracle sent to frighten people away: Nor ifthe word of soothsayer. But litte do you remember (69:42). And they declared him to bea magician and lr: And the diselicwers said, "This isa sorcerer! Aliar!” (8:4), ‘The Prophet & was deeply distressed by the response of the Quraysh to his call. The Quran’s revelations, however, continued to come to the Prophet & to reassure him and to calm his heart. The Quran reminded him, moreover, ofthe motives ofthe Quraysh’s hateful rumor-moagering and of the effect they hoped to achieve by it all the while encour- aging him to proceed with his mission: So remind them’ for you are not, by the grace of your Lord, a soothsayer nor pos~ sessed (52:28), The Quran also made plain to the Prophet & the intensity of their hostility toward him: And those who disbelieve would nearly strike you down” with their hostile lances when they hear the Reminder; and they say, “Surely, he Is possessed!” (6851), ‘Thus did the revelation of the Quran provide the Prophet with continuous moral support, reminding him 12 / INTRODUCTION repeatedly that what he was encountering at the hands of his people was what the messengers who preceded him had faced among theirs, and that like them he must en- ure, remain tenacious, and even withstand injury, for God was ever with His righteous servants, The Quran wanted the Prophet & to recognize the limitations of the Aisbelievers’ rejection of him and to see theit opposition for what i truly was: Not so much a personal rebuff of him asi was a denial of God, Tray We know that what they say grisces you, Buti isnot yous ‘hom they are denying. Rather, tthe signs of Allah that the turomgioersdisoow, And truly messengers before you wer de ied —but they endured patio agains! what thy were denied — ‘nd wre harmed, wil Our el cars to them, Ad here is none soho cam replace te words of Aleh, And taly te tidings of the ‘messengers have come lo you (633-34) 2, The Disbelievers' Repudiation ofthe Quran ‘The thetorical power of the Quran, and the inescapable is sues itaises regarding life on earth and the destiny of hu- ranity astonished the Makkans, and, indeed, al of Arabia ‘Many of Islam's earliest converts embraced the new reli gion because of the effect the Quran had on their hearts The Makkan leaders, themselves confounded by its revela- tion, realized at once that they would have to disparage the (Quran to suppress the growth of Islam. Hence, from the very beginning of the Prophet's mission, the Makkan lead- ership determined to reject the Quran asa revelation from God, alleging that this man, Mubammad &&—whether alone or conspiring with outsiders—surreptitiously au- thored its verses and attributed them to God. The Quran INTRODUCTION #13, records the accusations ofthe polytheists and attributes to them the grave sin of faithleseness: ‘And hase who disbeliened sad, “edec, this nothing but a fibri- tation he has forged, and other people have helped him with i Thus truly'‘the disbelieve come with wrongdoing ad fele- ho. And hey said "These ave ut fables of the ancien hich he Fd sought wort don, so hey ae dite to him morning and evening.” O55) The Qurayshite antagonists tried through ruse to sup- port these accusations. For example, they contrived argu- ‘ments with the Prophet & about particular verses of the Quran that he had recited to them, saying that if he altered them they would believe in him. Their real intent was © Ire him into changing a verse or a part of one so that they right then broadcast that Mubammad & himself authored the Quran and that he changed it to suit his purposes. [ts to this absurd proposal of theirs thatthe Quran states: And when Our verses were rected to the ae clear prof, those ‘oho are not hopeful of Our “destined” meeting ‘withthe 2x, Bring to usa Quran other tan tio replace.” Sey, “Ie isnot {or me to replace of my ot accord. donot follow ecep what i= reve te. den, fr, soe my Lor the torment of @ ret day” Say, “Yf Allah had wild, Foould not hae recite it You, and He ould not hve onus you to kw oft For tray 1 Fc sey among you a fein bore it eas ead.” WH you ot hen sndrstand?(He15-16) ‘The Makkan polytheists also tried to discredi of the Quran by making false claims about prophethood. More audacious, they claimed at times to have the capacity to impart divine revelation as God did. For this, the Quran utterly condemned them, depicting to the Prophet & in haunting scenes the fateful moment of their deaths 14 / INTRODUCTION ‘Ao sho does «greater rong than ane who forges ies arin ‘Allo o sae, "Ih bor een oe we ohn as be ‘ead thi, Or one who sys, "Taal send down revelation ‘ie tht hick lo as ent do.” fon you co se whe th corngcers are nthe ovrwhining rigors of death an the anges ‘tend thir nde saying, "Bring forth your sole! Today you Shale recompene with the torment of iano for wha ou ted io ay abou Al other he rath, Ad you ge to gant regurding Hens" (653) The Makkan leadership also sought to discredit the ‘Quran's divine origin by exploiting the deeply entrenched ‘mores of trbalism that accorded rank and prestige to sleet clans and to the senior members ofthese clans. Had God revealed the Quran to an esteemed elder, they contended, or to. man of superior stature to that of Muhammad 2, they would have been ready to accept it. And they sy, "f cnly this Quran hd been sent doen toa great mart of the Fo ‘ous [Malakand Tai” (331). The Qurayshite leader is sued such statements hoping to deter the repressed from ever envisioning a more equitable society, one in which knowledge and piety were more valued than lineage. Further, they determined to cast the revelation ofthe Quran in controversy by forbidding its public recitation, even in the sanctuary ofthe Kavba, And thse who dsbeline say, “Do not listen to this Quran, ard ae ie alk therein 50 ‘hat you may prevail” (41.26). The Muslims challenged this prohibition on the grounds that they had a right to freely exercise ther flth. ‘Abdullth ibn Mast, an early adher- ent to slam known for his persistence, publicly recited from Strat al- Rabin (ura 38) tthe Kaba one day inthe late morning hours; the Qurayshites then promptly sprang ‘upon him and severely purnmeled his face! INTRODUCTION / 15 ‘The Makkan notables were unyielding in their stand against the Quran: And those who disbelieve say, “We shal never believe in this Quran nor in that which preceded it (431), Al-Waltd ibn al-Mughira, renowned for his appre- ciation of Arabic (and despite his professed admiration for the language of the Quran) suggested an approach to the (Qurayshite leadership to dissuade pilgrims and merchants from responding to the Quran’s magnetic appeel. He said The closest ‘statement tothe truth that one may say about “Mubammnad’ i to say that he fea magician sorcerer who has come with a word of magic. With t,he divides a man from his father, a man from his brother, aman from his wife, and rman from his clan ‘Taking more absurd measures, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith traveled to al-Hira, Iraq, to learn the tales of the Persian, kings and conquerors in order to speak of them in Makkah to compete with the narratives and admonitions of the (Quran. Whenever ts recitation commenced, he would say, “By God, dear Quraysh, I have a word that is fairer than Muhammad's. Come to me, and I shal tll you of things superior to what he says” Then he would tell them ofthe kings of Persia, and the warriors Rustum and Isfandiar® Clearly, the Quraysh’s opposition to the Quran reached level of hysteria, 3. Disputing Islam's Articles of Faith The message of Islam repudiated the worship of anything other than the one God. Moreover, it gave this tenet of faith eternal relevance by proclaiming that God would resurrect people after their death and then reward or punish them according to their beliefs and dceds. The polythelsts soon found themselves in need of justifying their idolatry to a 16 / INTRODUCTION public increasingly captivated by the truth God's Messen: ‘ger £& conveyed. The chiefs of Quraysh responded with an offensive against Islam's most central belief, that God is ‘one, with whorn none shares divinity. Such a truth, they understood, would sweep away their false gods and col- lapse the altars of tibalism. They surmised that the estab- lished ideology of a multiplicity of gods would be more ap- pealing to the Makkan and Arab public than would the be- liefin only one God. Thus, if they could undermine the con- tral tenet of the new message, the Prophet 4 would lose credibility and his message would die away: ‘Ani hey wonder that a same has come othe from among the ‘Ad the dibelives said, “This is a soverer! A ir! Has he made the suds one Ga? Tent hs is mst wondrous ting!” Ard the redler from among them pron “Go on, and be pation with sour gos. deed, hs is something intended We hve nt heard Of this othe ays ofthe others. This is othing bu fiction." 384-7) ‘At the same time, the Makkan aristocracy conjured up paracloxes andl sophistry designed to beclouad the thinking of Islam's growing audience. They argued that the Arab ‘worship of idols was the will of God, for certainly the Cre- ator ofall being was perfectly capable of altering their reli- gion by an act of divine wall if it displeased Him. The fact that He did not do so, their logic went, demonstrated God's tacit approval of thei practices “And those wh commit idolatry say, "Hed God so willed we would ‘ot have worshipped anything apart from Hi, nether oe nor our® fathers, and we would not have proibited anything apart fom Him” 0538) But the Quran refuted the arguments of disbelief eviscerat- ing their logic, by stating an essential Isiamic theme: Its INTRODUCTION / 17 the will of God that each soul bear full responsibility forts beliefs and actions. Thus, God raised prophets and messen- gers from every community to help peaple believe and per severe on the straight path. Indoed, We sent forth in every commeaity « messenger, “saying, “Worship Allak and shun false deities (ghat" (1636). ‘As bitterly as the Quraysh fought the spread of belief in the one, true God, they trained their sharpest attacks on the notion of life after death and resurrection. The Quran's ex plication of the events ofthe Hereafter (especially the Day of Judgment), and the spectacular magnitude ofits event and consequences, roused the souls of ts listeners and im- ‘bued them with a tremencious sense of urgency to respond to this new call of faith, whick, conversely, gave the (Quraysh heightened cause for alarm. Nevertheless, the (Quraysh perceived in the Islamic tenet of resurrection after death an opportunity to offer an effective argument to dis- suade the Maklan and Arabian populace from following the Prophet & and heeding his admonition, The Quran cites numerous examples of ther statements inthis regard, And thy soore ty Allok, with the utmost of hr wows, ht lak ‘will nat cet ie ane who dies. (1638) And they sid, "Eoen when toe become ones end remains, shall we ‘be broughe forts to @ mes eration?” Say, “Be stones orion! or ‘ay creation tat you conser grein your chest!” Then they ‘al xy, "Woe estore?” Say, “He who originated you the {ist He." ha hey ager ade at yuan they sey, * When ‘wl i x2” Say, “I gy wl tht perp isa.” (1749-51) Inded, they have sd just what the ancients hae sai. They si, “When ware dnd and we have econ dst aed bones, shal en doc be alse to life? Truly we have eleauy bon promised his 1 / INTRODUCTION we avd ou orators from fore. ade, Hiss mong but ables ofthe ancients" (2381-89) ‘The polythelsts chose the public arena as the forum in which to confront the Prophet é, for they intended to ridieule him ane his message. Hence, it was the Qurayshite elite who themselves carried the issue of the resurrection and the Hereafter into all the homes of Makkah. On one such occasion, al~‘As ibn Wa'il al-Sahmi,’ one of the Prophet's chief opponents, picked up a decayed bone, crushed it in his hands, and said to the Prophet && in deri- sion, “Will God ease this to come back to life aftr its de composition?” The Prophet & said, “Yes. God shall cause ‘you to die, then cause you to come back to lif, then cause you to enter Hellfire." Without mentioning his name, the (Quran records the statement of aA ibm Wi: ‘And he has pa forth to Us an example, having forgotten his un ‘ration, He sid, “Who wl give life lo bones whan they are de aye?” Say, “He who made them te frst time wil ge life 10 them. And Fe icallkncwing of eer eenton.” G678=79) ‘The Quran relentlessly pursued the idolaters to bring them to consider how eminently sound was belief in the resurrection and the Hereafter—how effortlessly, in fact, the Almighty, who originated all being from nothing and sustains it, Would accomplish this, Have they not seer that Allah, oho created the heavens and the earth and was no! fa tigued by their craton, is able to give life to the dend? Yes, in- deed! He is porerful over all things (46:38). The Quran com- ‘manded the Prophet & to controvert the disbelievers’ de- ial ofthe coming judgment. ‘And thse who dsblioe say, “The Hour shall not come tous” Sry, "Ys, indo! By my Lod, it ball uly caret you; He i the INTRODUCHION + 1 Aenower ofthe wasn and the set; thet wot een an tom's eh the Rr or the ext tha ees li. And tere tating smaller than that nor ager except that 8 a clear Book (85) 4. The Persecution and Repression of the Muslims ‘The elaboration of Islam's main tenets of faith regarding the unscen—belif in one God andthe Last Day—threw the Quraysh off balance. The Quran's challenge to the intelee- ‘tual basis for the polytheists’ opposition to these beliefs stripped away thir composure. Unwilling to relinquish the advantage thatthe idolatrous way of if afforded them, the ‘Malekan elite tured to less artful means of persuasion. The dolaters began the systematic persecution of the new faith’s adherents—particularly the socially weak among them, thats, women, the poor, and slaves. While the way and words ofthe Prophet & nurtured a purty of faith in the hearts of his early followers that remains the epitome of godliness, he could not provide them with pro- tection against affliction. One day, he passed by a young ‘man named ‘Armas, and his parents Yasir and Sumayya— a poor family being persecuted by the Makan idolaters “The Prophet & said fo them, “Good nev, family of Yaset ‘The Garden is promised you”” ‘Abdullah bn Mas'td, the prominent Companion ofthe Prophet who had been beaten for reciting the Quran inthe precincts of the Kaba, men tioned ‘Ammér, Yast, and Sumayya (elong with Bia bn Rabih and al-Migddd ibn al-Aswad, slaves of Abyssinian origin) as among the fist victims ofthe Qurayshite policy ‘of publicly terorizing and torturing those who accepted Islam, Ibn Mas‘ sai 20 / INTRODUCTION ‘The idolatrs seized them and dressed them in metal armor and cast them into the heat of the sun, Theze was not one among them who didnot cede to their demands, except Bla. He was ready to sacrifice himself forthe sake of God, and he ‘wae worth nothing to his people So they turned him over the children, who dragged him through the alleyways of “Makialy 2s he repeated all he while, “One God! One God!” 5. The Exaltation of Tribal Chawevinism The Arabian tribal system hinged on the sanctity of the ‘ways ofthe forefathers—the fundamental ethic of Arabian life that the Makkans exploited in their assault on Islam. They sought to define the new religion as an aberrant creed in conflict with the hallowed traditions and religions practices of their forebears, the revered patriarchs of the clans and tribes, When the champions of Makkan idolatry attempted to dissuade the Prophet d& from his call and to affirm the heritage and religion of ignorance prevalent among the idolatrous masses, it was to the chauvinistic ideology of the Arab tribe that they harked back. The (Quraysh commissioned their most eloquent spokesman to deter the Prophet & from further promulgating his mes- sage by appealing to tribal continuity and solidarity. AbO al-Walid ‘Utba ibn Rabra once disputed the Prophet & in this manner: He said, “O Muhammad, who is beter, you or your father "Abdllit2” The Prophet did not respond. He said, “Who, thon is better, you or ‘Your grandfather ‘Abd ab- Muttalib” ‘The Prophet & did not respond. “Utba said,“ you claim to be better than them, speak up, so that we may hear shat you say! For, by God, we ‘Quraysht have never witnessed a more cembittering cll baring illomen than that which you eu. ‘You have ent our unity, introduced disaray into our cond INTRODUCTION / 21 tion, ridiculed our religion, and brought shame upon us among the Arabs, to the extent that it is now ‘rumored’ among ‘Hhemn that there Isa magician-sorcerer among the Quraysh nd that theres soothsayer among the Quraysh. We avait nothing but the war cry Me that ofa shrieking woman at the rmoment of childbirth, when swords shall be drawn and we fightone another until we all perish” ‘The Makan elite employed! much the same argument in their endeavor to confirm the practice of idl worship among the city’s inhabitants and to bolster their resolve against Islam. The Quran cite thei positon, stating: ‘Ad whe Our clear verses wore eit ther, they said "Ti is nothing Buta rae oho intends to tur you uy frome wht your forefathers usd to wos.” Ad they sid, "Tis nating bu forged fabrication.” And those who disbelieve sid of th truth ‘when i came to them, “This is nothing but manifest sorcery.” G44) ‘The proponents of polytheism cleaved to the ways oftheir forefathers even when it became obvious tha Islam offered a better moral and social order than that of the tribal ideal. Moreover, they justified their indulgence in obscenity by invoking tribal tradition that they alleged God had sanc: tioned—but which the Quran refutes. ‘nd when they commit lewdness, hey say, “We found our fra ‘hers doing i aed Aah commanded us to it Say, “Surely Allah oes not command leadess. Do you say about Alla what you do rot oto?” Say, "My Lords commanded astice ad ht ou set your faces "toward Alla a every site af worship and all upon “Him, making religion sincere for im. As He fist made you, 80 hall ou rt Yo Hi (28-29) ‘The Quran, moreover, exposed the Qurayshite strategy. of paying lip-service to the traditions of their forefathers, 22 / INTRODUCTION laying bare ther true motives, ether those whe disbelieve hae forged lis against Allah. And ‘most of them do not understand. Ard when # ssid to Ham “Come t that sohich Ala has sent den ond tothe Messenger, they say, *Suficent for us i what we fxd our fathers following” Een f heir fathers dd not know engi and werent ued? 105-4 ‘And from among the people are those tho argue about Allah with ‘out any knorledge nor guidance nor on illuminating book. And soho it is aud other, "Follow ta! which Alek haesent don,” 2hay say, "No! We shall follow that o which we ound or fr ‘hers adhering” Even if Stan beckons Whe to the torment of he Alancng fie? (1-20-20) ‘The Quran consistently took the Makan elite to task for pprosenting their exploitive grip on Makan society as if it ‘were grounded in some revered and sanctified tradition of| their forefathers, In doing so, the Quran called into ques- tion the validity of tribal institutional authority and its so- cially and morally abhorrent results: Have We given them @ Book before the Quran’ to which they hold firm? Rather, they say, “Indeed, oe found our fathers adhering toa certain religion, anid upon their traces we shall be guided” (4321-22). All the while, the Quran reassured the Prophet & and enjoined on him constancy and patience. Do mot Be in doubt concerning woh these ‘pope worship. They do ot worship except as i orefers have worshipped Before. Arad fndod, We sal fll render to them tir portion without esen- sng #11100) ‘Again, the Quran reiterated to the Prophet é the unifor- rity ofthe human experience through the ages. Disbeliev’ ing generations before the Quraysh had sanctified their own resistance to truth on the flimsy authority oftheir an- | | INTRODUCTION 1 25 cestors' customs, trying to justify their rejection of revealed guidance, What they truly loved, however, was the opu- lence and excess that these corrupt systems afforded them at the expense of social justice for all “Ana thus, We have neoer sent a warner before you to any tx ‘without ts people of tury saying, “Indeed, we fund our ft adhering 108 certain religion, and ee shall surely follow afer ther traces.” The warner sai, “Even fTbring you a mare guided may than what you bio oun you ears upon?” They sai “Idd, suv ore dislieers in wha you hoe ben ser with,” (3:23-26) ‘The Makkan elite chose to completely close their minds to the message ofthe Prophet: thus no demand or strate 4 of theirs seemed too preposterous or irreverent in their attempt to stil 6. The Quraysh’s Demand for Miracles ‘The Quraysh desperately tried to seize back the initiative from Islam and its community, and continued to strike at the publie perception ofthe Prophet's truthfulness. In the face of their failute to embroil the Prophet & in scandal, they hurled provocations calculated to put his genuineness in question and to divert people from reflecting on the great tidings he conveyed. The idolaters insisted that “this prophet” prove himself by performing an array of supernatural feats and miracles ‘They sai,” "Let hm ther bring tous a sign like hat with ohh the ancient ‘prophets’ were cent” (21:8). IF he did not meet thelr demands upon command, the Makkan polytheists contended, his claim to messengership from God would be Void and all that the Makkans had been saying against him should be conceded. Then the Quraysh would proclaim their willingness to believe inthe Prophet 2 by saying, “If call. 24 / INTRODUCTION only signs rere sent down to him from his Lord!” (250). ‘The Quraysh made absurd demands upon the Prophet & to be done at will. These requests for miracles aimed to jumble the substance of his message inthe public mind and to confound people as to why he would not immediately camry out these deeds to vindicate his cause. The polytheists ‘once said to the Prophet & “Call upon your Lord to turn this mountain of Saf into gold for us. Then we will believe in you" At other times, they arrogantly commanded the Prophet & to make good on his threats of divine punish- ‘ment: They ask you to hasten the punishment. Yet Allah will never fil is promise 22:47). Tue Quran records the vain de- mands ofthe idolaters: ‘Ad they sid, “We shal never belize in you until you ose 10 urs forth rom the sath fountain, or unl you havea gen of ate palms ad grapes, and you use fo burst forth rivers tag ita mighty busting or unl ou cause the Beaver drop upon us in pices a5 you haw alleged or wl you bring Ak ard the angels grouped before, unt you hae Bos of ol, you ascend 0 Fanon. And we shal never teen your ascension until you bring own apo uv ook that my ro” (1790-99) God instructed the Prophet & to respond to such irrever cence: Say, “Glory be to my Lord! Am Inot but a human, 0 mes- senger?” (17:93) Indeed, the Quran exposed the ill-bred de- signs behind the demand for such miracles, It explained, moreover, to the Prophet & and to the early Muslims how utterly disingenuous were the idolaters in seeking what they claimed would secure their belief in the message of Islam: And had We sent down to you a Book in a parchment, ‘hey would thus feo! it with their hands; those toho disbelieve ‘would surely say, “This is nothing but manifest sorcery” (6:7). INTRODUCTION 1 25 Such had been the way with previous messengers and pro- phets and their communities. The Quran revealed that the believers believed and the dishelievers persisted in their demand for miracles and supernatural feats. Yet when God's signs came to them, they still disbelieved in them: ‘And nothing prevents Us from sending the signs excep thatthe ‘aley generations hve ded them. And We hid sen Thane the sheer, an evident sgn, Yet they wronged her And We do ot send signs exept intl far of Go (1758) An hey the Makan dsbelioes] swore by Allah, uth the mast of their ous, that surely if sig comes to them they would blewe Ini. Soy,'O Muha, “Signs ae only with Allah” And what sell ake you are tat even if ey te sigs] come, they ‘stl tl no blione? (6108) The Quran spoke in clear terms to the Prophet && and dhs small band of followers. The Messenger A was a man chosen and guided by God. The power, the signs, the knowledge of what lay hidden in the human breast—all were with God, 7. The Conspiracy to Eliminate the Prophet & Neither the elevated social satus that Muhammad & en- joyed as a member of the Band ‘Abd Manaf nor the Makkan tribal code of protection could save the Prophet & from the animosity that welled up in the hearts of his oppo- nents. The Prophet & once described the harm thatthe elite ff Makkah continually tried to inflict upon him, saying, “T have been wounded for the sake of God as no other has beet wounded. And [have been intimidated for the sake of God as no other has been intimidated.” ‘Authentic reports verify a variety of violent assaults against the person of the Prophet &. One witness stated: 26 / INTRODUCTION ‘The idolaters beat the Messenger of Allah & until he lost com slousness. And Ab Bakr stood up and began to shout, say Ing, "Woe to you! Will you ills man for saying My Lord is God’? The idolaters sd, “Who is thi?” And it wa sad fo them by one of them, “is Aba Bakr, the madman.” In another report about this incident, i s stated thatthe assailants then left the Prophet & and began beating AbO Bakr, severely injuring him. In the thirteenth year of the Prophet's mission, the Quran exposed the idolaters’ plot to curtail his activities: Ande ‘member then those who disbelieve plotted against you to con- {me you, oF fo il you, orto expel you, And they planned such But Allah planned, and Allah i the bes of those whe plan (830) The Prophet & could no longer continue his call among them. Thus God delivered the Prophet & from his adver saries, fr it was the idolaters themselves who had brought about the end ofthis phase of their kinsman’s mission, Dis- possessed like his followers who had preceded him, the Prophet & was forced from the city he dearly loved and compelled by persecution to emigrate north to Yathib, which soon after came to be known as al-Madinah, “the ity” of the Prophet &, which God had chosen as a light to the world. Summary Abii Lahab and his wife played crucial roles in stoking the rage ofthe Qurayshite pagans against Islam, and especially against the Prophet Muharnmad && and the early Muslim comununity. They epitomized the Makkan nobility (and, in ‘many ways, the opponents of faith in every age), fighting bitterly to maintain the samerited social privilege con- | INTRODUCTION / 27 ferred on them by a culture of disbelief, irespective of ‘auth, To consider the Quraysh’s rejection of divine guid ance as merely reactionary is simplistic at best.On the com trary, they resolutely pursued a strategy to crush religious freedoms and curtail public discourse forthe sake of per- petuating a social order that served their personal and fa milial interests; moreover, they did so with no regard for fairness and litle estimation of individual human worth and aspirations. In this light, the Quran's firm stance against Abd Lahab and the evil for which he stood is commensurate with his tenacious efforts to deny a messenger of God and the weak- ‘est members of society the liberty to express their faith. AS- suredly, this is the worst of crimes; for not only does it de- prive one of personal and social freedoms, but it dispos- sesses one of the ultimate human right: The right to know God and to live by His guidance. This is the woeful reality with which AbG Lahab identified himself—and with which he shall be justly identified forall time. The five short verses of Sarat al Masad can properly be understood in this the historical context oftheir revelation: namely, thirteen years of bigotry burning hostility, and bra- tal persecution of the Prophet af and the faithful at the hands of the Makkan idolaters. In this sense, the sura is a amilestone inthe revelation of the Quran, in that it reminds tus of the seemingly insurmountable odds that the Prophet ‘& faced in conveying his heavenly message and against ‘which Islam was established on earth. Indeed, this sura ‘echoes the tral by fire that believers have cornmonly Us dergone in their resolve to uphold faith in God and wor- ship Him freely 1 INTERPRETATION Arabic Text and English Interpretation Bea cpuiz ge Po INTERPRETATION ‘SURA ON# HUNDRED ELEVEN AL-MASAD ‘THE PALM-FIBER Revol in Makiah. Five ores. nth name Ala, the All Mei he Moy Ging | @ Perish the hands of Aba Lahab! And perish he! © His wealth shall not avail him, nor what he has earned. @® He shall enter a flaming fire, © as shall his wife, the carrier of firewood, @ On her neck shall be a rope of palm-fiber. Perish the Hands: The Spirit of Stirat al-Masad Aba Laheb's arrogance blinded him tothe Creator's ‘guidance, nd his avarice incited him toa intractable ‘fens ofa syste of cruel triaiom. He repentely e- tiled God's Messenger and extended his had not to rp ut to har te Prophet an those wh Bleved fn hiro he cursed, hoping ardently fr eatamity teagan SBA we 1. Perish the hands of Aba Lakab! And perish het ‘Aba Lahab’s imprecations against the Prophet a, like his ill-will toward him, revert back only to himself, his vile plots ambushing him for what he has wrought. For the hands that unrepententty sowed evil against divine truth are more deserving of destnaction than the hands of guid- ance that Aba Lahab dearly wished would fall to ruin. This verse isa divine judgment that tells of the recom- pense awaiting Ab@ Lahab forthe injuries he caused the innocent, a declaration announcing his final ran for obs nately forging lies against the Messenger of God &. OxHacicisgte 2. His wealth shall nt avail hi, nor eohat he has eae. IF Abd Lahab supposed that his ices and wordy posss- sions would protect him from God's punishment, how great his disappointment willbe on the Day of Judgment [Nothing that one possesses or gains willbe of any benefit INTERPRETATION / 31 before the Maker, except that which has been forwarded for the advancement of good. Oeste 3. shall entra laing fre, ‘And Lahab's en, ike that of every persisting, arrogant de- ner of God and profgate, wil be severe cheetizement in Heli. ew O casts has Ae thal is ui he carer of firewood ‘Abd at's we Unmon Jil wax his psn and ac esreenee aa naae ee nreererueeTrnTTETIE

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