Indexed OCR Text

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Surah 'Al-Imran 3: 97
posits of pebbles are not visible there after the passage of three days of
Hajj, except some scattered pebbles the cause of which is, as stated by
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , that angels pick up these pebbles and
the pebbles left there belong to people whose Hajj is not accepted for
some reason. This is why it is forbidden to pick up pebbles lying near
the Jamarat and throw them on the pillars, as part of Hajj rites, since
they are from the unaccepted ones.
In his comments on this phenomenon, Shaykh Jalal al-Din al-
Suyuți has said in al-Khaşa'is al-Kubra that there are some miracles of
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم which still live and stand, and shall con-
tinue right through to the Day of judgement and everyone shall see
them. One of these, of course, is the unmatched presence of the Holy
Qur'an itself which cannot be matched even if the whole world joined
its forces. This inability persists all the same as it was during the
blessed days of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and shall continue to
persist like that right through to the Day of Judgement. Every Mus-
lim, no matter of what period of time, shall be able to challenge the
whole world : ◌ٍفَاتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِّنٌ مِثْلِم (Then, produce a Surah like it -10:38).
So is the miracle of Jamarat as stated above. Similarly there is the
statement of the Prophet WILL in respect of Jamarat. He has stated
that pebbles thrown on these pillars are picked up by the angels in a
manner invisible to mankind. The few pebbles left belong to those un-
fortunate people whose pilgrimage is not accepted by Allah. The
Prophet's statement has stood the test of time for centuries in a row
and it will continue upto the Great Day. This is one of the continuing
miracles of the Prophet MI ale and a major sign of Allah in respect of
the revered house of Ka'bah.
The Station of Ibrahim :
From among the signs associated with the Ka'bah there is the
great sign - The 'Magamu Ibrahim' which has been mentioned separ-
ately in its own right. The Station of Ibrahim is the name of the stone
on which Sayyidna Ibrahim MI ale stood while building the edifice of
Baytullah (the Ka'bah). There are narrations reporting that the stone
raised itself along with the rising level of construction and came down
automatically when so required. The footprints of Sayyidna Ibrahim le
> are still there on this stone. Obviously, that an inert and

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unconscious stone is invested with sudden intelligent volition to re-
spond to functional needs and elevate itself, or come down, or that it is
given the ability to assume the plasticity of wax and let a perfect print
of feet appear on its surface, are all signs of the most perfect power of
Allah reflecting the superior merit of Baytullah.
This stone used to be on the ground close to the door of the Baytul-
lah. When came the Qur'anic command: وَاتَّخِذُوا مِن ◌َّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلّى (And make
the station of Ibrahim a place of prayer - 2:125), this stone was removed
from there, considering the convenience of those who made tawaf, and
placed in front of the Baytullah, but at some distance outside the ma-
taf (the area where taw af is made) close to Bi'r Zamzam (the well of
Zamzam, the original site of which is now marked with a black marble
circle on the floor of the Baytullah with the legend inlaid in Arabic).
Later, it was secured in a small structure behind which the two post-
taw af raka'at were offered. The present position is that the station of
Ibrahim has been placed securely in a strong metal-crystal casing, but
it is the particular stone inside it which is the 'Maqamu Ibrahim'. Of-
fering the post-tawaf salah comprising two raka at behind or close to it
is more merit-worthy. But the appellation, 'Maqamu Ibrahim' taken in
a literal sense, covers the entire al-Masjid al-Haram, the Sacred
Mosque. Therefore, Muslim jurists have ruled that offering the two
raka at after tawaf anywhere within the Sacred Mosque would satisfy
one's obligation.
'Whoever enters Baytullah is secure':
The second peculiarity of the Ka'bah mentioned in the verse is that
'whoever enters it is secure'. This statement has different aspects.
Firstly, it is true in the legal sense, for Allah Almighty has ordained
that one who enters there should not be molested or killed; even if a
person kills someone or commits some other crime and goes into the
sanctuary, he too should not be punished in there. Instead of that, he
should be compelled to come out of the Haram and when he does come
out of the Haram, the punishment due will then be given. This is how
an entrant to Haram gets the protection of Divine law.
The second form of security provided to the entrants of Haram is
factual. In the very design of Divine creation, Allah Almighty has
caused awe and reverence for Baytullah to take roots in the hearts of

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people. Even the Arab tribes of Jahiliyyah, inspite of all their evil prac-
tices, were ready to sacrifice their lives to uphold the honour of Baytul-
lah. That they were all too wild and warring is well-known, yet they
held the Haram in such esteem that a son whose father was killed
would say nothing to the killer and quietly move away from him in-
spite of his burning rage for revenge.
The only time fighting was allowed within the Haram area was for
a few hours through a revelation from Allah Almighty. The occasion
was the conquest of Makkah and the permission was restricted to the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in order that he could cleanse the Baytullah
and serve an important objective of faith. Soon after the conquest, the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم made an express announcement to this ef-
fect and stressed that the original unlawfulness of fighting in the Har-
am continues to be valid for ever.
As far as the case of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf is concerned who, after the
time of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,took armed action against
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Zubayr as Ul y», in Makkah, resorting to kill-
ings and terror. Since his action was a grave sin and a flagrant viola-
tion of law and Ka'bah's sanctity, in the sight of the entire community
which hated him for what he did, therefore, it does not affect the
divine declaration of Ka'bah's sanctity. It is also difficult to say that he
violated the built-in sanctity of Baytullah as such intentionally, for
Hajjaj himself did not believe in the lawfulness of this action of his; he
knew that he was committing a serious crime but he became over-
whelmed by political and administrative considerations.
However, the truth is that the Muslim community at large has al-
ways held the Haram and Baytullah in the highest possible esteem
and has always regarded fighting or quarrelling in the sacred pre-
cincts as one of the most ugly sins. This is a unique mark of Baytullah,
universally and exclusively.
The obligation of Hajj: A Distinction of Baytullah
Allah Almighty has made the Hajj of Baytullah an obligation sub-
ject to the condition that one has the necessary means and ability to
reach there. Having 'means' can be explained by saying that one
should have resources surplus to his basic needs which could help him
take care of the cost of travel, to Baytullah and back home, and the

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expenses incurred during stay in the Holy Land. It is also necessary
that his 'means' should be good enough to cover the expenses of his
family until his return, for this is an standing obligation on him. Then,
one should not be physically handicapped, being unable to see, or use
hands and feet, for a handicapped person would not have the ability to
go that far and complete the many requirements of the Hajj.
As women are not legally permitted to travel without a Mahram
(marriage with whom is prohibited), they would be considered 'able' to
embark on their Hajj if they are travelling with a Mahram making his
Hajj whether the Mahram is bearing his own expenses or the woman
pays for his expenses as well. Similarly, the route taken to reach the
Hajj site should also be secure since this too is part of the condition of
'ability'. If peaceful conditions do not exist on the Hajj route and there
is an acute danger to life and property, then, it would mean an ab-
sence of the 'ability' to perform Hajj.
Literally, Hajj means 'to intend'. What it means in terms of pre-
scribed religious observance is already stated in the Holy Qur'an it-
self, that is, the tawaf of the Ka'bah, the stay in 'Arafat, and in Muzda-
lifah. Remaining details have been made clear by the Holy Prophet
through his words and deeds. So, after the announcement that the
Hajj of Baytullah is an obligation, it was said:
وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ الْعُلَمِيْنَ
And if one disbelieves, then Allah is independent of all the
worlds.
Included here, undoubtedly, is the person who intentionally rejects
the belief that Hajj is obligatory. It is obvious that such a person can-
not be considered a Muslim. He is a disbeliever indeed, for the descrip-
tion: "And if one disbelieves" fits him clearly and comprehensively.
Then, comes the case of one who does believe that Hajj is an obligation,
yet he does not, inspite of having the means and the ability, perform
it. He too, in a way, is no less a denier of the Divine command. In his
case, the words: "and if one disbelieves" will apply in the form of admo-
nition and warning since this person is acting like disbelievers who do
not perform Hajj. In the process, such a person acts just like one of
them.

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Surah 'Al-‘Imran 3 : 98-101
This is why Muslim jurists, JI +,, have said that this is a severe
warning to those who do not perform Hajj inspite of having the means
and the ability to do so and thus, by this heedless act of theirs, they
become the likes of disbelievers. Let us seek refuge with Allah from
such a fate.
Verses 98 - 101
قُلُ يَآَهُلَ الْكِتْبِ لِمَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِالتِ اللَّهِّ وَاللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلى
مَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٩٨) قُلُ يَهُلَ الْكِتْبِ لِمَ تَصُدُّونَ عَنُ ◌َبِيْلِ اللهِ
مَنْ آمَنَ تَبْغُونَهَا ◌ِوَجًا وَ أَنْهُمُ شُهَدَاءُ، وَ مَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ
عََّا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٩٩٩ ◌َيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا إِنْ تُطِيْعُوا فَرِيقًّا مِنَ
الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتُبَ يَرُدُّوُكُمُ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفِرِيْنَ ﴿١٠)
وَكَيْفَ تَكْفُرُوُنَ وَأَنْهُمُ تُقْلَى عَلَيُكُمُ الْتُّ اللَّهِ وَفِيُكُمُ
رَسُوْلُهُ، وَمَنْ يَّعْتَهِمْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدُ هُدِىَ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيْمٍ
Say, "O people of the Book, why do you disbelieve the
signs of Allah while Allah is witness to what you
do?"[98]
Say, "O people of the Book, why do you prevent those
who believe from the way of Allah seeking crookedness
in it while you are witnesses (of the truth)? And Allah
is not unaware of what you do." [99]
G those who believe, if you obey a group from those
who have been given the Book, (before you) they will
turn you infidels after your having believed. [100] And
how do you disbelieve while it is to you that the verses
of Allah are recited, and present amidst you is His Mes-
senger? And whoever holds on to Allah, he is surely
guided to the straight path. [101]
Commentary
Several verses earlier, the text was dealing with the people of the
Book, their false beliefs and their doubts. Then, appeared the mention

129
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of Baytullah and Hajj. Now once again, the people of the Book are the
addressees. These verses relate to a particular event. There was a Jew,
Shammas ibn Qays, who harboured a chronic malice against Muslims.
Once, when he saw two Ansar tribes, Aws and Khazraj, gathered to-
gether amiably at one place, his malevolence got the better of him and
he went about looking for ways to sow seeds of discord between them.
Finally, he set up a man suggesting to him that these two tribes have
fought a much long-drawn war in pre-Islam days and both parties had
recited poetical compositions highlighting their tribal pride. So why
not recite these self-congratulating poetical compositions while both
sit together. The moment these poems were recited there, emotions
rose high, there were charges and counter-charges to the limit that the
place and time of a fresh war was all set. When the Holy Prophet
heard about this, he came to them and said: 'What is all this? Here I
am present amidst you and you are doing this after having become
Muslims and after having become united and friendly with each other.
This is sheer ignorance. Do you want, in this state of yours, to revert
to kufr?'
They took the warning to their heart. They knew this was a slip
caused by Satan. They embraced each other, wept and repented. These
verses were revealed in the background of this event.
This event appears in Ruh al-Ma'ani as narrated by Ibn Ishaq while
there are others who narrate it from Zaid ibn Aslam. This subject con-
tinues through several verses after this. Here, the verses begin with
an admonition to the people of the Book who had engineered this in-
trigue, and this admonition has been done with great eloquence when,
before admonishing them for what they did, they were taken to task
for their disbelief as well, which meant that it would have made better
sense if they themselves had taken to the right path, and become Mus-
lims, rather than devoting themselves to distract others to the wrong
track. Following this, Muslims have been addressed, and served with a
word of caution, specially when they have by their side, the Book and
the Messenger of Allah, two powerful, never-failing sources, which
would help them stay firm in their belief.
The expression duff 3; translated as 'And whoever holds on to
Allah' means one who stays firm in, and totally committed to, his 'iman

130
Surah 'Al-Imran 3 : 102-103
or faith, for 'i'tisam', the act of holding on to Allah firmly, denotes that
one should affirm His Being and His Attributes, be staunchly faithful
to what He has ordained, and in the process, be sure not to be lured
into supporting the position of any adversary whoever that may be.
One who acts in this manner 'is surely guided to the straight path'. It
means that such a person is on the 'straight path', and being on the
'straight path' is the key to all that is good and beneficial which the
Word of Allah promises to him.
Verses 102 - 103
يَّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقْتِمٍ وَلَا تَمْوُنَّ إِلَّ وَاَنْهُمْ
مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿١٠٢) وَاعْتَصِمُوْا بِحَبْلِ اللهِ جَمِيْعًا وَّلَا تَفَرَّفُوَاس
وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيُّكُمْ إِذْكُتُمْ أَعْدَاءٌ فَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُؤُبِكُمْ
فَاَصُبَكُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهَ إِخْوَانًا، وَكُتُهُمُ عَلَى شَفَا حُفُرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ
فَانْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَاء كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْتِهْ لَعَلَّكُمْ
تَهُتَدُونَ ﴿١٠٣﴾
O those who believe, fear Allah, a fear which is His
due, and let not yourself die save as Muslims. [102]
And hold on to the cord of Allah, all of you, and be not
divided. And remember the blessing of Allah upon you:
When you were enemies to each other, and He brought
your hearts together, then you, with His grace, became
brothers. And you were at the brink of a pit of Fire,
then, He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes His
signs clear to you, so that you may take the right path.
[103]
Commentary
In the previous verses, Muslims were warned that the people of the
Book, and others, want them to go astray from the right path so
Muslims must remain vigilant of their moves and take steps to
counter their anti-Muslim activities.
In the two verses appearing here, two important principles have
. .

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Surah 'Al-'Imran 3 : 102-103
been given which go to make the collective strength of Muslims
impregnable. These are:
1. Taqwa
2. Unity
The first principle appears in the first of the two verses. The
second principle follows in the second verse. The first principle stated
in the said verse is that one must 'fear Allah', that is, one should orga-
nize and manage his life with a full sense of responsibility before
Allah, avoiding all that is forbidden or undesirable, doing so in a
manner 'which is His due'.
What Taqwa is?
In Arabic, the word, 'Taqwa' is used to denote avoidance and absti-
nence. It is translated as 'fear' in the sense that things one is asked to
abstain from are nothing but things that cause fear, or alert one to the
danger of Divine retribution.
Taqwa has its own degrees, the lowest is to avoid Kufr and Shirk,
that is, disbelieving in Allah and His Message and attributing part-
ners to His Divinity. In this sense, every Muslim can be counted as
Muttaqi (one who has the quality of Taqwa), even if he is involved in
sins. At several places in the Holy Qur'an, the words, 'Muttaqin'
(plural of Muttaqi) and 'Taqwa' have been used in that sense as well.
What is really desirable falls under the second degree of Taqwa, that
is, to avoid that which is disliked by Allah and His Messenger. The
merits and blessings of Taqwa enumerated in the Qur'an and Hadith
have been promised on this degree of avoidance and abstinence.
As far as the third degree of Taqwa is concerned, this is a high
station destined for prophets, JI+de , their devoted deputies and
men of Allah, for it is not within the grasp of everybody. To stand
guard over one's heart against the onslaught of what does not relate to
Allah, and to keep it filled with the remembrance of Allah and the
desire to seek His pleasure, are great assignments.
The meaning of Taqwa 'as due'
While giving a directive to attain 'Taqwa' the Holy Qur'an has qual
ified the word of Taqwa with ah (a fear which is His due) which means
that one should seek to attain a degree of Taqwa which it inherently

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deserves.
This has been explained by the blessed Companions, 'Abdullah ibn
Mas'ud, Rabi', Qatadah and Hasan al-Basri As JIyo, in the following
words:
حَقَّ تُقْتِهٍ هو ان تُّطاع فلا يُعصى ويذكر فلايُنسى ويُشكر فلايُكفر (البحر
المحيط)
'A fear which is His due' means that one obeys, then does not
disobey; remembers then does not forget; and is grateful, then
does not become ungrateful.' (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
The above explanation has also been reported with its chain of
authorities ascending to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself.
Major commentators have explained the sense of the above report
differently. For instance, some say that the due fear of Allah means
that, in obedience to Allah, one should dismiss all derogatory criticism,
no matter where it comes from, always standing firm on what is just,
even if, by being just, he has to hurt his own self, or his children, or his
parents. Some say, that one can never hope to achieve 'Taqwa as due'
unless he protects his tongue.
There is another verse in the Holy Qur'an where it is said:
◌ِتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعُهُمْ
Fear Allah as much as you can. (64:16)
According to the blessed Companions, Ibn 'Abbas and Tawus, this
is really nothing but an explanation of us (a fear which is His due).
It means that should one be doing his best, using all his attention and
energy to guard against evil, the obligation of Taqwa shall stand
fulfilled. If one, who has already done everything he could, happens to
fall a victim to something impermissible, that would not be considered
being against 'Taqwa as due'.
The statement which follows immediately: 325 31 1 s (and let
not yourself die save as Muslims) tells us that Taqwa is, in reality, the
whole of Islam since the total obedience to Allah and His Messenger,
and the total avoidance of disobedience both to Allah and His
Messenger is what Taqwa is all about; and this is what Islam is.

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Surah'Al-‘Imran 3 : 102-103
The command in the verse, 'and let not yourself die save as
Muslims' raises a possible doubt as man does not control death, it may
come anytime, anywhere. This doubt is removed when we consider the
hadith:
..
كُمَا تُحُوْنَ تَمْتُوُنَ وَكَمَا تَمْتُوْنَ تُحْتَكُوْنَ
'As you live, so shall you die; and as you die, so shall you be
raised.'
Therefore, anyone who is determined to live his entire life by the
tenets of Islam, and to the best of his determination and ability, acts
accordingly, his death will definitely come, God willing, on a state of
Islam. Now, about some hadith narrations where it is said that there
will be people who may have spent a life-time of good deeds, yet the
entire roster of such deeds shall go waste because of something awful
they did later. Such fate can befall those people only who did not act
with sincerity and steadfastness from the very beginning. And Allah
knows best.
UNITY: The second principle of collective Muslim strength:
In the second verse, 103:وَاعْتَصِمُوْا بِحَبُلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعًا (And hold on to the cord
of Allah, all of you), the golden principle of unity has been presented
with great eloquence and wisdom, for the principle, being the only
effective binding factor, has been identified before the command to
unite was given, following which, came the prohibition of disunity and
chaos.
Elaborating this a little, it can be said that unity is something good
and desirable, a premise generally approved by all human beings, no
matter what place, time, religion or life style they adhere to. A person
who considers fights and disputes as something useful, and good in
themselves, would be hard to find anywhere. This is why all groups
and parties around the world invariably ask people to unite, but expe-
rience shows that all is not well in world affairs. No doubt, everybody
agrees that unity is useful, and necessary, yet humanity is divided
apart in sects, groups and parties. Then, there is a whole chain of sects
within sects and parties within parties, reaching the limits of absur-
dity where even the unity of two people, in the real sense, has become
a myth. A few people get together, agree on something under the

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driving force of temporary objectives; then, no sooner do interests get
served, or remain unrealized, unity evaporates in thin air, and
instead, there remains the fall-out of mutual bickering and hostility.
With a little deliberation, it will become clear that every group,
every sect, almost every person would like to unite people on some
self-made programme, while the position is that other people have
their own self-made programmes. So, rather than agree with them,
they invite others to line up under their programme. Therefore, all
calls for unity end up in break-ups and chaos among parties and
persons. Thus, stuck in this quagmire of differences, humanity at large
is the loser.
Therefore, the Holy Qur'an has not stopped at giving sermons on
unity and order, instead, it has also come forward with a just principle
which would help achieve and sustain the desired state of affairs in
the world, something in which no group should find a ground for
differences. The truth of the matter is that imposing a system or
programme conceived by one or some members of the human race on
other human beings, and hoping that all of them will accept it unani-
mously, is simply against commonsense, and justice, and is nothing
but cheeky self-deception. However, the system and the programme
given by the Creator-Sustainer of all the worlds, the Rabb al-'Alam in,
is something all human beings should naturally agree upon. No
rational human being can deny it on principle. Now, the only possible
inroad to difference here can show up in the actual identification of the
system given by the Sovereign of Sovereigns, the Rabb, the Lord.
Which is it? The Jews say it is the system of the Torah, the Christians
say it is the system of the Evangile; both say it was sent by God and it
is necessary to act upon it. The approach goes as far as even the poly-
theists, who have groups among them attributing their respective
religious rites to none but god.
But, if man could rise a little above his group prejudice and the
blind following of forefathers, using his own God-given reason, he
would stand face to face with the reality without any frills; the reality
that the Last of the Prophets, صلى الله عليه وسلم, has come with the last
message of Allah Almighty in the form of the Holy Qur'an and that, at
this point of time, there is no other system or living pattern acceptable

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in the sight of Allah Almighty. Leaving this wider focus aside, we can
turn to the first and present addressees of the Qur'an, the Muslims
who believe that in the world as we have found it, the Holy Qur'an is
the only way of life revealed by Allah Almighty without any shadow of
doubt in it, and since Allah Almighty has Himself taken the responsi-
bility of protecting it, there is just no possibility of interpolation or
change in it right through to the Day of Judgement. With this position
in view, I leave the part of the subject dealing with non-Muslim
groups for some other occasion and say to Muslims alone who, being
believers in the Qur'an, have no other alternative line of action except
this. If different parties among Muslims were to unite on the system of
the Holy Qur'an, thousands of their differences based on group, race
and country would be resolved instantly, which block the road to
human progress. Whatever difference may remain among Muslims,
would possibly be in the understanding and the interpretation of the
Qur'an. If such difference stays within limits, it is neither blame-
worthy nor harmful to collective human living. In fact, the existence of
such difference of opinion among the learned is natural. Therefore,
exercising restraint and observing limits should not be so difficult to
manage. Contrary to this, if our parties, were to go on fighting in
complete disregard to the Qur'an then, they would not be left with any
possibility of correction. It is this chronic dissension and disorder
which the Holy Qur'an has sternly forbidden, and it is because of this
abandonment of a great Qur'anic principle that our community at
large is wasting its potential by succumbing to chaos and factionalism.
The Holy Qur'an, in the present verse, shows us the way as to how we
can eliminate this tendency to become divided when it says:
وَاعْتَصِمُوْا بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيْعًا
And hold on to the cord of Allah, all of you.
Here, JI J. (the cord of Allah) means the Holy Qur'an. The blessed
Companion, 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud is the narrator of the hadith in which
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been reported to have said:
كتاب الله هو حبل الله الممدود من السماء الى الارض
The Book of Allah is the cord of Allah, extended from the
heavens to the earth.

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In another narration of the hadith by the noble Companion, Zayd
ibn Arqam, the words are: حبل الله هو القرآن : The cord of Allah is the Qur'an
· (Ibn Kathir).
In Arabic usage, the word, 'habl' also means 'covenant' and, in an
absolute sense, it covers everything that can be used as a connecting
link. The metaphor of 'cord' has been used for the Qur'an or the Faith
to suggest that this is the connecting link which, on one side, estab-
lishes the lines of communion between those who believe and their
Lord, while, on the other side, it brings all those who believe close
together, forming one group.
In short, this one statement of the Qur'an is full of wise rules of
conduct. To begin with, it can be said that man must firmly act in
accordance with the way of life revealed by Allah Almighty, that is,
the Holy Qur'an. Then comes the unity of action, that is, all Muslims
should join hands to act in accordance with it. The result will be that
Muslims will become united and organized as if they were a group
holding on to the same cord firmly, turning the whole group into a
powerful single body. The Holy Qur'an has explained this mystique of
Muslim unity more clearly in another verse where it was said:
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحْتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمُنُ ودَّاء
Surely, those who believe and do good deeds, among them the
All-Merciful Allah shall create (mutual) affection. (19:96)
Also present here is a subtle analogy focused on Muslims holding
fast to the Book of Allah. Their effort resembles the effort of those who
would grip a strong rope while climbing and thus remain protected
against a fall. So, the hint is: If Muslims keep holding on to the Book
of Allah with their total strength, all in unison, no satan will ever
succeed in dividing them. As a result, like their individual life, the
collective strength of the Muslim community as well shall become
stable and impregnable. Keeping a firm grip on the Qur'an is some-
thing which helps in uniting scattered forces through which a dead
nation gets new life. God forbid, if Muslims break away from it, it is
certain that their national and collective life will be ruined, and when
this happens, their individual life is not likely to fare any better.

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Islam is the only source of the Muslim Unity
Unity and agreement need a centre of attraction or a common idea.
This idea of a centre has been different with different peoples of the
world. Somewhere it was race and tribal affinity. For instance, among
the tribal complex of Arabia, Quraysh was one nation and Banu
Tamim another. There were other places where colour was the
criterion, with black people taken as one nation, and the white people
as another. There were still other places where the geographical or
lingual factor was the centre of unity making Indian one nation and
the Arab, another. Then there were areas where people rallied around
ancestral customs drawing a line between those who follow these
customs and those who do not, for instance, the Arya Samajists in
India.
The Holy Qur'an, bypassing all these, made the Book of Allah basis
of unity, that is, the system revealed by Allah Almighty. In a single
stroke, it declared that Muslims are a nation attached to 'Hablillah',
the cord of Allah, and those who disbelieve are another nation, not
خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنْكُمْ كَافِرٌ وَمِنْكُمْ : attached to this strong 'cord' or 'rope'. The statement
(It is He who created you. So, some of you are infidels and some of
you are believers) means just this. So, the unifying factors of geog-
raphy, race, tribe or language do not deserve to be the centre of
affinity for man generally has no control over them. One cannot have
them by personal effort or choice. Black cannot become white, a
Qurayshi cannot become a Tamimi, an Indian cannot become an Arab.
Such unities can exist in a very limited frame; they can never claim to
have assembled the whole humanity under their umbrella hoping to
have the entire world gathered on a united platform. This is why the
Holy Qur'an has made the Divinely revealed way of life as the centre
of unity, something one can elect to have for himself. Everyone from
the East or the West, black or white, speaking Arabic or English or
any other language, coming from any family, any tribe, any human
group, can freely make this centre of unity his own as the most
rational and correct choice available. Then, humankind can come close
together around this centre and become brothers and sisters to one
another.
What is needed is a little impartial thinking, a slight rising above

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custom, prejudice and habit, as a result of which, the seeker shall be
striking the best bargain of his life. Hopefully, he will discover for
himself the way of life revealed by Allah Almighty, understand it, and
follow it holding fast on to this strong medium of communion with
Allah. As a result of this, the whole humanity will become beneficially
concentric, having the centre of God-given guidance in common.
Consequently, every individual member of this great brotherhood will
be able to tune his deeds, material and spiritual, to the jointly
accepted way of life from Allah.
Here is the principle, wise and correct, of which Muslims can be
proud, and confident when inviting others to join in. Unfortunately,
conspiracies hatched by the Europeans, for centuries to crush the
Muslim unity have succeeded in dividing the ranks of those who claim
to be Muslims.
Now they have themselves accepted the differences of race,
language and nationalities as the dividing forces, and the link of
Muslim unity stands severed by the concept of Arabs and Non-Arabs,
Indians and non-Indians etc. The Holy Qur'an proclaims a universal
reality, loudly and openly, time and again, that these distinctions are
ill-founded and divisive and any unity based on them shall remain
irrational and false. Acentericity is not the solution for Muslims who
have no choice but to 'hold on to the cord of Allah', all of them, as a
way of life. This has given them a place of honour earlier, and if there
is yet another success destined for them, this is how it would come
again.
Before we move on to the second part of the verse, let us remember
the two distinct instructions given to Muslims in this verse, that is,
they should first live by the system prescribed for them by Allah
Almighty, then, they should hold fast to 'the cord of Allah' all together.
This is how the Muslim ummah gained ascendance in the past and
there is no reason why, it will not rise again.
This far the discussion revolved around the positive aspect of unity
among Muslims. The text now takes up the negative aspect when it
says: pef ý; (And be not divided). This is another example of the pecu-
liarly wise style of the Holy Qur'an when it would highlight the posi-
tive aspect first, then identify the negative, and forbid the later. In

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another verse, it was said:
وَأَنَّ هُذَا صِرَاطِئْ مُسْتَقِيْمًا فَاتَّبِعُؤْهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِئْلِمٍ
Surely, this is the straight path, so, follow it. And do not
follow (other) ways which will cause you to become separated
from His way. (6:153)
Since disunity is the first and the last reason behind the destruction of
a nation, therefore, the Holy Qur'an has repeatedly forbidden it in
various ways. It has been said in another verse:
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ فَرَّقُوا دِيْتَهُمْ وَكَانُوْا شِيَعًا لَّشْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِىُ شَىْءٍ
Those who have made divisions in their religion and become
sects, you have nothing to do with them. (6:159)
Also narrated in the Holy Qur'an are events concerning communi-
ties led by their prophet's >JI +Je, communities which fell into
temporal and eternal disgrace because of their mutual disputes and
disunity which turned them away from the honest pursuit of their
central purpose of life.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said that there are three things
Allah Almighty has liked for you while there are three others He has
disliked. The ones He has liked are as follows:
1. That your worship should be for Allah alone and that you
should not attribute partners to His divinity.
2. That you should hold on to the Book of Allah firmly and avoid
disunity.
3. That you should have goodwill for those in authority from
among you.
The three things which cause Allah's displeasure are:
1. Unnecessary argumentation.
2. Needless asking.
3. Wastage of resources.
(Ibn Kathir from Abī Hurairah)
Differences and their Limits
A question that remains unanswered is: Is every difference to be

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despised or is there a sort of difference which can be called unblame-
worthy? The answer is: Every difference is not blameworthy or despi-
cable. A blameworthy difference is one in which individuals and
groups stay away from the Qur'an and think in terms of their whims
and wishes. But, should it be that everyone stays united in and around
the Qur'an and at the same time, continues to accept the explanation
and detail coming from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , and then, on
the basis of God-given natural ability and intellectual quality,
expresses differences in opinion about subsidiaries of religion, in
which case, this difference will be natural and Islam does not forbid it.
The difference among the blessed Companions and their Successors,
and among leading juristic authorities was of this nature. It was
nothing but this difference that was called a 'mercy' for the commu-
nity. However, if these very subsidiary debates were to be invested
with the status of the mainstream of religion, and differences arising
out of them were to become a cause of controversy, confrontation,
insult and vilification, then, this too will be considered blameworthy.
The Blessing of Brotherhood
The text, after making the two aspects of unity clear, points out to
the conditions prevailing among pre-Islam Arabs. Because of tribal
rivalries, incessant warfare and long-drawn blood feuds, the entire
nation was on the brink of total ruin. What saved them from the fire of
hatred was nothing but this blessings of Islam. So, it was said:
وَاذْكُوا نِعْمَةَ اللّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنُهُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُؤُبِكُمْ فَاصْبَحْتُمُ
بِنِعُمَتِهَ إِخْوَانًا ﴿ وَكُنْهُمُ عَلَى شَفًا مُفْرَةٍ إِنَ النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَّكُمْ مِنْهَا
And remember the blessing of Allah upon you: When you were
enemies to each other, and He brought your hearts together,
then you, with His grace, became brothers. And you were at
the brink of a pit of the Fire, then, He saved you from it. (103)
In other words, by erasing out deep-seated enmities going back to
centuries, Allah Almighty made them brothers to each other through
the benediction of Islam and the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . This
made their life worth living, materially and spiritually, establishing
between them such exemplary friendship that even their enemies
found it awesome. Where in the whole wide world would they have

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found this brotherly unity, this enormous blessing of Allah, even if
they were to spend the combined treasures of the world?
If we recollect what was said in the opening remarks under these
verses, we can see very clearly that the present verse helps eliminate
the mischief engineered by the wicked when they tried to disunite the
tribes of Aws and Khazraj by reminding them of their past feuds. The
lesson is: Once in Islam, division is unthinkable.
Unity among Muslims depends on obedience to Allah:
The above statement of the Holy Qur'an unravels yet another
mystery. We now know that, in reality, Allah Almighty is the Master
of hearts. Activating mutual love and consideration in the hearts of a
people is purely a Divine blessing. Obvious alongwith it is the fact that
one can become deserving of the blessings of Allah only through obedi-
ence to Him. With disobedience and sin, one cannot hope to have this
reward.
It also follows from here that for Muslims, if they desire to have a
stable organization among them, and unity, the only alternative open
is that they should make obedience to Allah their life style. This point
has been hinted at towards the end of the verse where it was said:
كَذَلِكَ مُبِيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ايَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُوْنَ
This is how Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that you
may take the right path. (103)
Verses 104 - 105
وَلُتَكُنُ قِنْكُمْ أُمَّةُ تَدْعُوْنَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَ يَأْمُرُوُنَ بِالْمَعْرُوُفِ
وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُكِ، وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٠٤) وَلَ تَكُنُوْا
كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُؤْا مِنُ بَعْدِ مَاجَآ ءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنْتُ، وَأُولَئِكَ
لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٠٥)
And there has to be a group of people from among you
who call towards the good, and bid the Fair and forbid
the Unfair. And it is these who are successful. [104] And
do not be like those who became divided and fell into
disputes after the clear signs had come to them. And
for them there is grave punishment. [105]

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Commentary
In the previous verses (102 - 103), Muslims were given two principles
which guarantee their collective well-being. If everyone practiced
Taqwa, and made Islam his linkage with Allah, the result will be that
individual life will be corrected and the collective strength of Muslims
will come in its wake.
In the present verses 3 33, (104 - 105), yet another dimension of
the proposed system has been added. It has been said here that
Muslims are not to rest at the correction of what they think and do
individually; but they should, alongwith that, be affectionately
concerned with the good of other brothers and sisters in faith. By
doing so, the whole community shall have the benefit of keeping its
stance correct at all times, and at the same time, this will guarantee
closer mutual cooperation and unity.
Collective well-being of Muslims depends on two things:
These are:
1. Self-correction through Taqwa and a firm hold on the 'cord of
Allah' through the Qur'an and the Faith.
2. The correction of others through call (da wah) and positive
propagation.
The second article of guidance appears in the opening verse which
says: 'and there has to be a group of people from among you ... ' So, the
gist of the previous and the present verses is that one must correct his
or her deeds and morals in the light of what Allah Almighty has sent
as the Law, and with it, one must be concerned that other Muslim
brothers and sisters do the same. The subject appears in Surah al-‘Aşr:
إِلَّ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحُتِ وَتَوَاصَُوا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
Except those who believe and do good deeds and invite each
other to truth and invite each other to patience. (103:2,3)
In order that Muslims have a firm bond of unity, they must relate
to Allah, and in order that this bond stays firm through the ages, it is
necessary that Muslims consider it their obligation to enjoin what is
good in accordance with the dictates of the Qur'an and the Sunnah on
their brothers and sisters in faith, and to stop them from what is not

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good. The purpose is that 'the cord of Allah' should not slip out of one's
hands. This was succinctly illustrated by my well-known teacher,
Shaykh al-Islam, Maulana Shabbir Ahmad 'Uthmani _L dias, who
said:
"There is no way this 'cord of Allah' can break. That one loses
his hand-hold on it is, of course, possible."
It is to offset this danger that the Holy Qur'an asks Muslims to go
on educating other brothers and sisters in faith exhorting them to good
deeds and holding them back from the bad ones. This will become a
collective effort to stay with Allah and His commands and collective
will be their gains in this mortal world and in the Hereafter. There are
other proofs in the Holy Qur'an which show that the responsibility of
mutual self-correction has been placed on the shoulders of each
Muslim.
Cited above, you have seen the statement made in Surah al-'Aşr.
Elsewhere, in this very Surah 'Al-'Imran, it is said:
كُتْهُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأَمُرُونَ بِالْعُرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوُنَ عَنِ المُكِرِ
You are the best Ummah raised for mankind. You bid the Fair
and forbid the Unfair. (3:110)
As is clear, here too, the obligation - 'to bid the Fair and forbid the
Unfair' - has been assigned to the whole community. That they
discharge this responsibility is the reason that they are placed higher
over other communities. Similarly, there are a large number of sayings
of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in this connection. As narrated in
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:
والذى نفسى بيده لتأمرن بالمعروف ولتنهون عن المنكر اوليوشكن الله ان
یبعث علیکم عقابا من عنده ثم لتدعنه فلا يستجيب لكم
By Him in whose hands is my life, you must bid the Fair and
forbid the Unfair lest Allah inflicts upon you a severe punish-
ment; you shall then pray to Him (for mercy) but your prayer
shall not be answered.
In another hadith, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
من رأى منكم منكرا فليغيره بيده، فإن لم يستطع فبلسانه، وان لم يستطع