A Commentary On the Holy Qur'an

28 Killing of Even One Believer

And whosoever killeth a believer intentionally, his recompense shall be Hell, he shall abide therein and God's wrath shall be on him and His curse, and (there) is prepared for him a great torment (4:93)

For this reason did we prescribe unto the children of Israel that he who slayeth any one (man) without (that being for) murder or for mischief in the land, (it shall be as though he hath slain mankind as a whole; and he who saveth it (a human life) shall be as though he hath saved mankind as a whole; and certainly our Apostles came unto them with clear evidences, and yet verily many of them even after that certainly did commit excesses in the land. (5:31) Man must judge in the light of the above ordinances, the position of those who killed the very beloved ones of God, the Holy Ahiul- Bait. History testifies that none but the Fourteenth of the Holy Ones did escape murder at the hands of those who called themselves Muslims and as rulers of States, called themselves Caliphs.

29 The Dead in the Way of the Lord are Alive

The following declaration of God through His Final Word, the Holy Qur'an, says that those who lay their lives in God's way are alive, and must not be counted as dead. Thus the Shias believe that the martyrs are alive and continue to revere their memory:

And say not of those who are slain in the path of God that they are dead; Nay (they are) living, but ye perceive it not (2:154)

Reckon not those who are slain in the way of God to be dead; Nay! alive are they with their Lord being sustained (3:168)

30 Reverence and Respect for the Signs of God

Everything in the Universe is a Sign of God, particularly those associated with godly objects and the men of God:

Verily "Safa" and "Morwa" among the signs of God; whoever therefore maketh a pilgrimage to the House or performeth "Umra"; therefore it shall be no blame on him to go round them both; and whoever of his own accord doeth anything good in deed, verily God is Gracious, All-Knowing. (2:158) (As for the Camels) We have made them for you of the Signs of God. (22:36) That shall be so, and whosoever respecteth the Signs of God, then that verily is the outcome of the piety of heart. (22:32)

It is obvious that if the mounds of Safa and Marwa and animals of sacrifice are worthy to be Signs of God, the Standard of Islam with which Husain fought and established the Truth will be the greatest sign of God, the Sign of the Religion revealed by the Lord, and respect and reverence for it must be the Sign of the piety of the individual. The Shias, the followers of the Qur'anic faith, the Islam-Original, are more careful against Shirk than any other school. They regard the Alam-e-Husainy neither as God, nor as Husain, but as a token of the Standard of Islam.

31 Mourning for the Martyrs

So wept not on them the heavens and the earth nor were they respited (44:29)

The Holy Qur'an declares that heaven and earth also mourn When they do not mourn for the wicked, it means that they mourn for the righteous.

Mourning for the righteous, particularly for those who have laid down their lives for the Lord, is godly behaviour.

There are authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet shedding tears for the prophesied martyrdom of Husain even before the event had taken place.

There is Qur'anic evidence of Jacob's weeping for his son Joseph who had disappeared, even though, as an Apostle, he knew that his son was not dead.

Thus mourning for Husain or for any other martyr of the House of the Holy Prophet is in accordance with the apostolic tradition.

32 Breast-Beating for the Martyrs

Breast-beating, which is generally done by the Shias for the martyrs of the House of the Holy Prophet, the Ahlul-Bait, is not a part of the Shia faith. It is an active expression of sorrow for the holy ones and identification with their suffering in serving the Lord. History records similar conduct by Owais Qarani, who hurt himself, breaking his own teeth in grief for the suffering of the Holy Prophet in Ohad. This is known by the Muslim world and was recognised by the Holy Prophet Himself. Though breast-beating is not a part of the religion, it is tolerated.

The violent expression of feeling on the part of Shias for the martyrdom of the Holy Ones of the House of the Holy Prophet represents a natural attachment to the Holy Ones. People do not Condemn one who weeps and mourns when a close relative dies, and the Shias actually regard the Holy Ones as their spiritual parents. The Holy Prophet said, "I and Ali are the two fathers of this people."

33 Reverential Prostrations

Reverential prostration before any sacred object is not prohibited in Islam. People who misunderstand it may wrongly term it Shirk. But Iblees or Lucifer was cast out for not prostrating himself before Adam:

And when said We unto the angels, "Prostrate ye before Adam!", they all prostrated themselves save Iblees, who refrained and was puffed up with pride and was turned into one of the disbelievers. (2:34)

And indeed We did create you, then We did fashion you, then said We unto the angels, "Prostrate yourselves unto Adam!" So they all did prostrate themselves except Iblees; he was not of the prostrating ones. (7:11)

Jacob, being the Apostle of God, prostrated himself; along with his sons, before his own son on the throne of authority:

And raised he his parents to the throne, and they fell down unto him, prostrating themselves, and he said, "O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of aforetime! Indeed my Lord hath made it come true; and indeed He was kind unto me when He took me out of the prison and hath sown Satanic dissension between me and my brothers. Verily my Lord is Beneficent unto whomsoever He willeth; verily He is All-Knowing, All-wise."

34 Every Muslim is not a Mo'min ie. a Genuine Believer

The Qur'an clearly gives the actual position of a Muslim and a Mo'min. The word, Muslim, refers to one who submits himself to the faith of Islam, whether forced by circumstances or sincerely. The word, Mo'min, means a believer who has an earnest and genuine conviction about the Truth: Say the desert Arabs "We believe." Say thou (unto them), "Ye believed not, but say ye, We submit, for faith hath not yet entered your hearts; and if ye obey God and His Apostle, He will deny none of your deeds. Verily God is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful (49:14)

35 Respite Given to Disbelievers

The respite given to disbelievers is not, in fact, good for them. Let not those who disbelieve think that Our giving them respite is good for their selves; We only give respite to them that they may increase in sins, and for them it is a terrible punishment (3:77)

36 Hoarding of Wealth

These verses concern those who heard wealth and do not spend it in God's way:

And as for those who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of the Lord announce unto them a painful punishment.

On the day when the fire of hell shall be heated, their foreheads and their sides and their backs shall be branded with the words: "This is what ye hoarded up for yourselves, so taste ye what ye hoarded" (9:34,35)

37 A Goodly Loan to God has a Multiple Return

Spending in the way of God is lending to God, which earns not only a multiple return, but forgiveness of sins: If ye lend God a goodly loan, He will double it unto you and will forgive you; And God is Most Gracious and Most Forbearing. (64:17) Let him with abundance spend of his abundance and he who is straitened let him spend of what God hath given him; (for) God layeth not on any soul a burden save to the extent to which He hath given it; God will soon bring ease after difficulty. (65:7)

38 Self-Defence Prescribed

Islam is not an impractical ideal. Man must resist evil as best he can by all good means. But when the aggressor goes beyond the reasonable limit and exploits the goodness of the one who is resisting, then he must defend himself with an equal measure of strength, but he himself must not go beyond the reasonable limit.

O ye who believe! Retaliation is prescribed for you in the matter of (unlawful) murder freeman for freeman, bondman for bondman, woman for woman; but if any remission is made (in any case) by his (aggrieved) brother, then the recognised course be adopted and payment made to him in handsome manner. This is a dispensation and a mercy from your Lord, and whosoever transgresseth the limit after this, then for him shall be a painful punishment. (2:178)

This is an ordinance of the Holy Qur'an. The Bible teaches that one should turn the other cheek if one is smitten, and to surrender the coat if the cloak is taken away. This is not practical, and could never be practised even by the staunchest Christian. It is clear which ordinance will help to maintain peace, security, safety and order, and which will let loose mischievous elements through the practice of self-surrender preached by the Christian Church, which in fact is not, and cannot be, practised.

39 A Believer Described

Indeed successful are the believers, Those who in their prayers are humble, And those who, from what is vain keep (themselves) aloof And those who act for purification, And those who guard their private parts, Except from their wives or those whom their right hands possess, for then verily they are not blameable. (23:1-6)

40 Sex Segregation or Purdah for Women

Let those who advocate the modern social freedom and individual liberty which leads to immorality hear what Mrs Annie Besant says about the state of womanhood:

You can find others stating that the religion (Islam) is evil because it sanctions a limited polygamy But you do not hear as a rule the criticism which I spoke about one d~ in a London hall where I knew that the audience was entirely uninstructed. I pointed out to them that monogamy with a blended mass of prostitution was an hypocrisy and more degrading than a limited polygamy Naturally a statement like that gives offence, but it has to be made because it must be remembered that the law of Islam in relation to women was until lately,

when parts of it have been imitated in England, the most just law as far as women are concerned to be found in the world. Dealing with property, dealing with rights of succession and so on, dealing with cases of divorce, it was far beyond the law of the West, in the respect which was paid to the rights of women. Those things are forgotten while people are hypnotised by the words monogamy and polygamy and do not look at what lies behind it in the West - the frightful degradation of women who are thrown into the street when their first protectors, weary of them, no longer give them any assistance.

I often think that woman is more free in Islam than in Christianity. Woman is more protected by Islam than by the faith which preaches monogamy In Al-Qur'an the law about women is more just and liberal. It is only in the last twenty years that Christian England has recognised the right of women to property, while Islam has allowed this right from all times. It is slander to say that Islam preaches that women have no souls. (Annie Besant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras, June 1932, page 3)

Islam aims at keeping men and women separate to keep them safe against sexual attractions and contact, and to protect them from modern lifestyles which permit pre-marital and free sex.

41 The Veil for the Believing Woman

And say unto the believing women that they cast down their gaze and guard their private parts and they display not their adornment save what is apparent of it; and to draw their veils over their bosoms and display not their adornment save to their husbands or their fathers or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the male servants void of sexual stimulant, or the children who have not yet attained the carnal knowledge of women's nakedness, and let them not strike their feet (while walking) that what they hide of their adornment becomes apparent; and turn ye (repentant) unto God all of you, O ye believers, that ye may prosper. The believing ladies who faithfully follow the Holy Lady Fatema Zahra need no directions beyond that godly model of chaste womanhood.

43 Marriage: Man told to Marry

There is no celibacy or monasticism in Islam Man must marry. The Holy Prophet declared, Marriage is my "Sunnat" (tradition) and he who turns away from my Sunnat is not of me. Wed and meet and multiply yourselves, for on the Day of Judgment I shall be proud of the number of my followers compared to those of other peoples.

The First Holy Imam, Amirul Momineen Ali ibne Abi Taleb says:

A prayer (Namaz) consisting of (the minimum of) only Two Rak'ats (units) offered by a wedded pair is better than seventy Rak'ats offered by single ones.

44 "Muta": Temporary Marriage

What the Holy Prophet validated shall remain valid and none shall invalidate it. Muta, or temporary marriage, is valid 160 according to the Qur'an and was valid during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and in the time of the first Caliph, Abu-Bakr. But later Omar chose to invalidate it. The Shias, who follow the Holy Qur'an, hold Muta as valid:

And (all) protected (married) ones of the women (are forbidden unto you) save those whom your right hands possess. (This is) God's written ordinance unto you; And it is allowed for you (all women) besides these that ye may seek (them) by means of your wealth taking (them) into marriage and not committing fornication; and as such of them that "ye have Muta" with them, give them their dowries as a fixed reward; and it shall not be a sin on you in whatever you mutually agree (to vary) after the fixed reward; Verily God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

45 Polygamy and Islam

People, without knowing what Islam says about polygamy, criticise it Islam did not start Polygamy, but controlled it. No religion has protected women as much as has Islam. The verse permitting polygamy does not order a Muslim to be polygamous; in fact, it warns man that if he has more than one wife he must observe total equality among them. Islam permits man to marry up to four wives, but warns that if he cannot maintain justice he should have only one:

Then marry those who seem good to you, two, or three, or four, and if ye fear that, ye shall not deal justly (with so many) then (marry) only one. (4:3)

The earlier quotation from Annie Besant commends Islam for its treatment of women. And James Michener writes: Western writers have based their charges of voluptuousness mainly on the question of women. Before Muhammad, however, men were encouraged to take innumerable wives; he limited them to four only, and the Koran is explicit that husbands who are unable to maintain strict equality between two or more wives, must confine themselves to one. (James A. Michener, "Islam: The Misunderstood Religion" Readers Digest, American Edition, May 1955, pages 68-70)

Suppose the wife of a man becomes incurably ill, or she is proved barren, or she becomes incurably insane, without discarding his wife or himself living a miserable life, Islam allows him to take another wife.

46 Birth Control

Slay not your children for fear of poverty (6:152)

47 Reward for Shunning the Greater Evils Shunning the greater evils makes up for other sins:

And (as for) those who believe and do good, certainly blot out from them their evil deeds, and certainly we will reward them the best of what they are doing. (29:7)