A Thematic Discussion

Al-Ḥujurāt is the 49th chapter of the Qur’ān. Thematically, it is said to be centred on:

“Nurturing the behaviour of the Muslim Ummah.”²²

Although it speaks of general behaviours and ethics, the essential caveat is that these values can only be embraced and realised with the prerequisite Īmān; a wholesome term comprising inner cognisance and conviction, verbal validation of that conviction, and its manifestation through action. In English texts, Īmān is often translated as 'belief' and those who have Īmān as 'believers'. Clearly, this rendering is restrictive and misrepresents the comprehensiveness of the term. Thus, if English references are made to belief or believers in place of the Arabic Īmān or Mu’minūn, the reader is encouraged to recall the more nuanced definition of this vital designation.

Many of the ethics directed by al-Ḥujurāt can only be appreciated with Īmān. Consider, first of all, that societies lacking in Īmān defy physical, outer regulation as a concept,²³ and thus, naturally, elide dogmatic regulation of their inner selves as well. And now consider that al-Ḥujurāt’s outer ethics are inextricably linked to inner presuppositions and regulations. Without Īmān, most will only regulate their manners in the presence of others, in conformance to perceived societal sensibilities or as subjects to the law if the law can ‘see’ them. Unless one is conscious of Allāh – who is ever-watchful over our hearts and secrets – why would one assume ethics in secret?

Similarly, a person who rejects Allāh altogether, or Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him), will most assuredly not put them both ahead of their own ideas and beliefs, which is the first instruction and premise of al-Ḥujurāt’s ethics. Therefore, we can state that the main theme of Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt is to nurture and perfect the mannerisms of believers (Mu’minūn).

In this chapter alone, Allāh addresses the believers through ‘You who have Īmān’ (yā ayyuha alladhīna āmanū) five times. On only one occasion He addresses all people generally with ‘Mankind’ (yā ayyuha al-nās) in conjunction with the concept of God-consciousness

(Taqwā). Taqwā is the deep cognisance of God which encourages good action and prevents one from doing evil. The level of Taqwā represents a person’s honour by Allāh’s measurement. Disclosure of the ultimate benchmark of selection and distinction known as Taqwā must be expressed to every human being, irrespective of whether they are Mu’min or Kāfir and irrespective of creed, colour or nationality.

Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt pays particular emphasis on the perfection of characteristics and manners towards the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings be upon him), as well as between one another, both in one another’s presence and in one another’s absence. It speaks of such manners in times of reconciliation and peace; in times of dispute and argumentation, and with those ‘less practicing’ or possessing lower levels of Īmān.²⁴ In each of these circumstances, Allāh reminds us of His ultimate awareness of the most secret matters and thoughts hidden in and among people’s hearts and subtle actions. Al-Ḥujurāt, therefore, addresses mannerisms towards:

• Allāh
• His Messenger
• The Fussāq (rebellious, deviants or sinners)²⁵
• The present believer
• The absent believer

Each interaction above is preceded and introduced with ‘yā ayyuha alladhīna āmanū’.²⁶ We will discuss how each individual section of the Sūrah serves its overall theme or purpose. ‘Perfecting’ good manners must make provision for dispelling their opposite, namely, the characteristics that some had retained from their days of pre-Islāmic ignorance (Jāhiliyyah). The bad manners of the Jāhiliyyah included:

• Harshness
• Bluntness
• Hearsay
• Argumentation
• Mockery
• Evil suspicion
• Spying
• Backbiting
• Showing off
• Counting one’s favours on their recipient (Mann)

Each one of these bad manners is individually remedied by al-Ḥujurāt, reinstating them with upright ethics brought by the pure religion of Islām that had spread throughout the precincts of Arabia. Such remedies and ethics are imperative for each and every one of us on our journey to Allāh and the Hereafter.

Subjects of Al-Ḥujurāt

Our journey through al-Ḥujurāt will consist of a a multidimensional study with relation to the wider context of the Sūrah, how they relate to one another, the implied messages, applications and reflections. With the tools of Tafsīr and Tadabbur, we can elucidate and apply the central theme of the Sūrah. Later we will explore the intricateness of the style, structure, and content of the Sūrah, highlighting how its name and structural features are all assimilated and connected.

For the sake of structuring this text and facilitating both learning and delivery, we will go by a suggestive sectioning of the Sūrah into the following five parts:²⁷

• Mannerisms with Allāh and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), verses 1-5
• Verifying news and obeying righteous leadership, verses 6-8
• Conflict resolution and reconciling between Muslims, verses 9-10
• A general collection of manners and ethics, verses 11-13
• The reality of Īmān in Allāh, verses 14-18

The Meanings of its Name

The Sūrah is only known by the name ‘al-Ḥujurāt’. Unlike many other chapters in the Qur’ān, the vast majority – if not all – of the scholars of Tafsīr (Mufassirūn) refer to it by this name. Later exegetes such as Ibn ʿĀshūr and others report a consensus on this.

The term ‘Ḥujurāt’ specifically refers to the apartments of the Prophet’s wives. There were nine of them in total, built around the Prophet’s Masjid and separated with palm leaf stalks. Most were situated on the eastern side of the now green carpeted Rawdah. Since Makkah sits to the south of Madīnah, the Ḥujrah (singular of Ḥujurāt) of ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha) in which our beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is buried, is positioned to the worshipper’s left when facing the Qiblah. Each Ḥujrah was originally a small, squared room, with a ceiling around 2.5m high and with a door that led directly into the Masjid of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Connecting the Name with the Theme

The fact that the Sūrah has only this name indicates that it is one that is restricted and regulated (Tawqīfi), accepting no suggestive change. In all likelihood, it reflects Prophetic stipulation – consensus usually does. With this in mind, the name deserves a pause and some reflection. Why is a Sūrah that primarily addresses mannerisms named “The Prophet’s Apartments”? This discussion does not escape the best efforts of deduction and is by no means exhaustive or absolute. However, returning to the root of the word and referencing its occurrence in the actual Sūrah may give us a good indication of the association. Allāh says:

As for those who call out to you from outside your private quarters, most of them do not use their intellect.²⁸

We already appreciate that the main message of this Sūrah is to perfect character with Allāh, His Messenger and with one another. A precondition to the perfection of that character is to acknowledge and accept the position of Allāh and His Messenger; this is to exhibit sound Īmān and Taqwā. Those who called out the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) were a group of Bedouins from the tribe Banī Tamīm.²⁹ They had gathered around the Ḥujurāt of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), raising their voices and making statements unbefitting of him and his due veneration. They behaved out of character.

To tie this behaviour with the name, it is necessary to return to the name’s Arabic origin. Though Ḥujurāt refers specifically to the apartments of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it comes from the trilateral root Ḥa Ja Ra. This root word literally means: to prevent or to seclude, usually a piece of land using bricks or stone in order to demarcate it or to bar access.

The name of the Sūrah, therefore, suggests that in their careless treatment of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), their hearts exhibited the hardness of stone used to build the Ḥujurāt. In English, hard-heartedness is used to highlight a cold brashness, and emotional or spiritual indifference. As for the Bedouins, their hard-heartedness barred their hearts from engaging in better comportment befitting the eminence of he whom they addressed: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Recall what Allāh says regarding the hearts of some of the Banī Isrāʿīl:

Then your hearts became hardened after that, so they were like rocks (Ḥijārah) or even harder still. There are some rocks from which rivers gush out, and others which split open and water pours out, and others which crash down from fear of Allāh. Allāh is not unaware of what you do.³⁰

There is an inseparable correlation between their limited experience with the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings be upon him), or their newness to Islām, and their engagement in the bad manners alluded to earlier. Harshness, bluntness, argumentation, and backbiting had been fostered by their hardened, indifferent hearts. Their hearts were prevented (taḥajjarat) from emotionally and spiritually softening to his eminence and presence (peace and blessings be upon him), and correspondingly to the inviolability of their siblings in Islām. The name al-Ḥujurāt revokes the humanity of those who do not appropriately revere the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by likening them to the inanimate stone.³¹,³² This is yet another interconnection between the name of the Sūrah and its namesake substance.

Time of Revelation

There is more or less agreement that al-Ḥujurāt was revealed in the Madani era. A minority of scholars have suggested that verse 13 (concerning Taqwā) was revealed before the Hijrah. Others have attempted to reconcile this difference by stating that verse 13 was revealed in Makkah but after the conquest of Makkah. Thus, the verse could be Makki by way of where it was revealed, but Madani by its nature.

Expounding briefly on this, every verse revealed after the Hijrah can be considered Madani regardless of where it was physically revealed. Scholars of Tafsīr thus reason that the differentiation of Makki and Madani is based on time of revelation, rather than place of revelation. More precisely, the Sūrah was revealed in what is known as the Year of the Delegates (‘Ām al-Wufūd) in the 9th year of the Hijrah, and is therefore one of the last chapters of the Qur’ān to be revealed.

An obvious question poses itself here. People have been Muslim for a long period of time and al-Ḥujurāt, without doubt, covers certain matters pertaining to this reality. But how is it that certain rudimentary manners and ethics are being discussed in the very latter part of the Sīrah? Surely many instructions in the Qur’ān had already been revealed and implemented; did the companions need such elementary character building?

To answer this question, one must first explore the Year of the Delegates. During this phase of the Sīrah it had been several years since the Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq) during which Muslims had repelled an Arab-wide coalition against Madīnah. Makkah was likewise conquered, and the Muslims had recently returned from the Expedition of Tabūk in which the Roman superpower failed to turn up and put up a fight. The Arabs surrounding Madīnah were naturally in awe of the Prophetic community. It had now established itself as the power bloc of Arabia, fearless in the face of the empires the Arabs had traditionally cowered before. By Allāh’s grace, political ties began to turn in favour of the Muslims.

Naturally, many tribes began sending delegations to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), renouncing their traditional beliefs and embracing the religion of Allāh in droves. Many, however, still carried pre-Islāmic tendencies and ignorant habits. Many had only accepted Islām because of its new political dominance, while others did so for other motives. Al-Ḥujurāt would cultivate true Īmān in the hearts of this new cohort of Muslims and nurture their character (Akhlāq) to fall in line with the teachings of Islām, and as embodied by the earliest Mu’minūn.

Link to Surrounding Chapters

The ordering of the Qur’ān is not haphazard. It is divinely inspired and full of wisdom. Let us take a moment to contemplate the placement of al-Ḥujurāt. Towards the end of Sūrat al-Fatḥ, the 48th chapter placed before al- Ḥujurāt, Allāh says:

Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh, and those who are with him are fierce to the disbelievers, merciful to one another. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Allāh’s good favour and His pleasure.³³

Just before the commencement of al-Ḥujurāt, we find that Allāh praises the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and those with him who supported him and his cause. Accordingly, the beginning of al-Ḥujurāt outlines the sublime manners due to Allāh and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that will enable the Muslim populace, or ‘those who have Īmān’ (alladhīna āmanū), to resemble that category mentioned at the end of al-Fatḥ.³⁴ In fact, al-Ḥujurāt contrasts the behaviour of Islām’s new entrants with the companions outlined at the end of al- Fatḥ providing them with the role-models to emulate.

What then is the connection between al-Ḥujurāt and

Chapter 50, ‘Qāf’? Consider the last verse of al-Ḥujurāt:

Allāh knows the unseen things of the Heavens and the Earth. Allāh sees what you do.³⁵

In a demonstration of perfect harmony, Qāf then begins with ‘Qāf’, one of the Qur’ān’s separated letters (al-Ḥurūf al-Muqaṭa’ah), the definitive and full meanings of which are reserved with Allāh. That is, their elaborate meanings are of the unseen things (Ghayb) that emphasise man’s limited knowledge.

How, then, do the themes of the two chapters of al- Ḥujurāt and Qāf compare? Revisit Qāf and find it focuses on the terrifying episodes of the Day of Reckoning. Allāh says:

The throes of death come revealing the truth. That is what you were trying to evade!³⁶

The Trumpet will be blown. That is the Day of the Threat.³⁷

Every self will come together with a driver and a witness.³⁸ You were heedless of this so We have stripped you of your covering and today your sight is sharp.³⁹

Until Allāh says:

On the Day He says to Hell, “Are you full?” it will ask, “Are there no more to come?”⁴⁰

If al-Ḥujurāt is centred on the importance of good manners, or the encouragement and enticement (Targhīb) towards embracing them, Qāf is centred on the severe repercussions (Tarhīb) of their negligence. Qāf underlines that neglectful behaviour towards Allāh, His Messenger, and the believers is a serious matter as there are punishing and horrifying days ahead of us. It is on that Day that we will, most assuredly, see the fruits of our manners and actions.

The Beginning and the End

Of note is that the first verse begins by mentioning the knowledge of Allāh:

... and have Taqwā of Allāh. Allāh is All Hearing, All-Knowing.⁴¹

And likewise, the last verse of al-Ḥujurāt outlines the all- encompassing knowledge of Allāh:

Allāh knows the unseen things of the Heavens and the Earth. Allāh sees what you do.⁴²

The chapter is therefore bracketed between two reminders of Allāh’s knowledge. The latter of which is of His knowledge of the open and the secret, which is the greatest threat for those mentioned in the former; those who put themselves forward of Allāh and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), even in their inner dimension.⁴³

The fact that the Sūrah is encapsulated in Allāh’s knowledge should come as no surprise as it is full of commandments. Submitting to commandments, without doubt, is taxing. The opposite is also true. Self-serving behaviours such as gossip are easy, and even entertaining. Backbiting and ostracising others, too, create the feeling of dominance and favourability. Mistreating others is easier than sacrificing or restraining our tongues in pursuit of their comfort and good reputation. It is difficult to honour our seniors and challenging to lower our voices, particularly when the propensity to make our opinions heard makes us loud and entitled. Preserving the reputation of others in their presence and absence is trying enough.

What then can be said about regulating our inward thoughts and suspicions? A person may question why they should carry such a heavy burden. The answer is because it is borne out of Allāh’s divine knowledge and infallible legislation. Allāh knows, undoubtedly, that these instructions will benefit rather than stifle us. And a load that will definitely benefit us is a load worth bearing.

‘You who have Īmān’ coupled with the command to ‘do such and such’ contains a call that anticipates a person’s response based on their Īmān. Your proactivity or, conversely, your hesitation or resentment towards obeying illustrates your level of Īmān. May Allāh increase our Īmān.

The Importance of al-Ḥujurāt’s General Message

Humans are natured upon loving good character. A person of great character is the recognised master of their community. No religion has delved into the importance of great manners more than Islām, the religion of the natural disposition (Fitrah). The uniqueness of Islām, moreover, is that it has firmly tied mannerisms to eternal salvation, as well as emphasising their worldly benefits. Nothing improves a person’s morality and ethics quite like believing in accountability after death or to have Īmān.

Let us consider, for example, that a gesture of good happens to bring a person no satisfaction, no financial reward, and no appreciation. Consider if the recipient of your gesture is an orphan, too young to thank you and even less likely to pay you back, with no parents to do so on their behalf. A Mu’min will hope for Allāh’s recognition in the afterlife, even if it never comes from the vulnerable recipient, and thus persevere for them, never rebuffing them, because of their Īmān. With this perspective, revisit the oft-recited verses in which Allāh says:

Have you seen him who denies the recompense [in the Last Day]?

He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan...⁴⁴

Al-Ḥujurāt’s general message, as discussed in ‘A Thematic Discussion’, is to nurture the behaviour of the Muslim Ummah. It begins with the necessity of revering Allāh and His Prophet and appreciating the structure of a Muslim civilisation. This becomes the premise for what follows – objectively verifying news; obeying leadership; dispelling differences; resolving conflict, and reconciling between believers. The Sūrah thus becomes almost an elaboration of the verse in another chapter:

You who have Īmān! Obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and those in command among you. If you have a dispute about something, refer it back to Allāh and the Messenger, if you have Īmān in Allāh and the Last Day. That is the best thing to do and gives the best result.⁴⁵

The Sūrah then extrapolates on general etiquettes and mannerisms, many of which concern the hidden dimension, such as suspicion, back-biting and spying. Most conflicts occur by revealing unseen matters, such as suspecting the worst, spying on what was otherwise hidden, and revealing what was otherwise unknown to others. However, this Sūrah emphasises that knowledge of such unseen matters must be returned to Allāh and can never stand as a basis for judgement.

“Nations are Manners, So Long as They Remain”⁴⁶

Al-Ḥujurāt’s mannerisms are timeless, and it is through them that Islām prevailed across the globe. Oppressive empires barred the message from reaching their subjects, but with the sacrifice of Islām’s adherents, who fought and toiled, the message took charge, giving those same subjects the choice of entering the fold. It led nations by example and attracted scores of others to accept that sublime way of life.

Supreme manners, besides other exclusivities, are the hallmark of Islāmic empires. Many Muslim nations were, in fact, created without a fight, including the largest present-day nations of East Asia. Despite being archetypically known for their excellent social ethics (before Islām), they embraced Islām after being impressed by the superior ethics exhibited by the companions. One could only imagine what they saw. Many have thus associated this Sūrah with building the Muslim civilisation. Its message can be understood beyond the individual level to a global political one.

Internal strife and conflict that bring down a nation, after first separating families and friends, begin with either the external misbehaviour of either party or due to internal blemished ideas and suspicions about one another. All the while, conflict is exacerbated when the concept of Islāmic brotherhood (Ukhuwwah) is undermined. Al-Ḥujurāt unpicks every one of these issues, one after the other, and in so doing fortifies families, friends, the community and nations. The Egyptian poet Aḥmed Shawqī famously said:

“Nations are nothing but manners, so long as they remain. If their manners depart, so too will those nations.”

Your Manners are Perceived as Islām

According to the Syrian scholar Prof. Moḥammed Rāteb al-Nabulsi, the Muslim living in the Muslim world is recognised as an individual. His ill manners fall against his individuality, exclusively by name. In the West, however, the Muslim is perceived as Islām itself, irrespective of how much we try to emphasise the separation between Islām and Muslims. One’s colleagues have not read the Qur’ān or Sunnah, nor are they likely to read the Sīrah. You are the manifestation of Islām as far as they are concerned. For one, manners speak much louder than words. And as the representatives of Islām in the West, this is both a considerable burden but also a huge opportunity.

Consider a cloudy and rainy Sunday afternoon. A lonely student sits in their tiny apartment asking themselves if there is more to life than this materialistic rat race. His or her disposition is finally knocking on their conscience. Suddenly, they get a message on their phone. It is a video of Muslims brawling, or fighting with the police. They are left saying, “I would never do anything like that and I am not even religious.” This is one of the connotations of Allāh’s words:

“Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the disbelievers, and forgive us, Our Lord! Verily, You, only You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”⁴⁷

Through our poor conduct we become a trial for the non-Muslims. Our disgraceful circumstances assure them that by rejecting Islām they must be doing the right thing! In this respect, our actions fuel a fervent rejection of Īmān rather than a hungry inclination towards it.

Our separation of ‘religiosity’ and manners is, in fact, also becoming a fitnah for Muslims, particularly as some practicing Muslims become known for nothing but rigidness, argumentation, and refutation. I recall a beloved brother insisting I read a book about the deviances of a particular Sunni movement to which I asked, “Do you instead have a book that can save me from Hell and enter me into Paradise?” To his credit, he replied, “You have none other than the Book of Allāh – the Qur’ān” and gave a genuinely warm laugh.

In our locality, a marriage between two practicing individuals was hampered after the brother refused to meet the father of the sister (her legal guardian – waliy) since he perceived him an innovator. Regardless of his incorrect assessment, imagine if that father was faint-hearted; what would become of his perception of practicing young brothers the next time they proposed? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in fact, makes manners one of two conditions women and their legal guardians should seek out in marriage, hand-in-hand with religiosity. He says:

“When someone whose religion and character you are pleased with proposes to [someone under the care] of one of you, then marry [her] to him. If you do not do so, then there will be turmoil (Fitnah) in the land and abounding discord (Fasād).”⁴⁸

Those who perceive manners and religiosity as separable play a contributory role in the fitnah that ensues from families electing to marry their daughters to non-practicing men who happen to be well-mannered, fearing the mercilessness and harshness of the opposite. But more importantly, what value do our prescribed acts of worship or our external attire carry if we behave without any Islamic regulation? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Nothing is heavier on the believer’s scale on the Day of Judgement than good character. For indeed Allāh, Most High, is angered by the shameless obscene person.”⁴⁹

And he said:

“The most beloved among you to me, and the nearest to sit with me on the Day of Judgement, is the best of you in character.”⁵⁰

And he said:

“A believer will reach through good manners the rank of one who prays during the night and observes fasting during the day.”⁵¹

By Allāh’s permission we will extrapolate further on this in later parts. All praise and thanks are due to Allāh alone.