Introduction to the Tafsir of Surah Al Hujurat
(The Private Apartments — Surah 49)
Introduction
This sürah is Madinan and it has 18 ayats.
1. Madudi
Name
The Surah takes its name from verse 4 in which the word hujurat has occurred.
Period of Revelation
Traditions show and the subject matter of the Surah also supports the same that this Surah is a collection of the commandments and instructions sent down on different occasions, which have been put together because of the relevancy of the theme. Moreover, the traditions also show that most of these commandments were sent down during the final stage of the Holy Prophet’s life at Madinah. For instance, about verse 4 the commentators state that it was sent down concerning the Bani Tamim whose deputation had arrived in Madinah and started calling out to the Holy Prophet from outside the apartments (hujurat) of his wives, and according to all biographical books on the Holy Prophet’s life this deputation had visited Madinah in A. H. 9. Likewise, about verse 6 a large number of the traditions of Hadith confirm that it was sent down concerning Walid bin Uqbah whom the Holy Prophet had sent to collect the zakat from the Bani al-Mustaliq, and it is well known that Walid bin Uqabah had become a Muslim on the conquest of Makkah.
Subject Matter and Topics
The subject matter of this Surah is to teach the Muslims the manners worthy of true believers.
In the first five verses they have been taught the manners they should observe with regard to Allah and His Messenger.
Then, they have been given the instruction that it is not right to believe in every news blindly and to act according to it, without due thought. If information is received about a person, a group or a community, it should be seen carefully whether the means of the information is reliable or not. If the means is not reliable, it should be tested and examined to see whether the news is authentic or not before taking any action on it.
Then, it has been told what attitude should the other Muslims adopt in case two groups of the Muslims fall to mutual fighting.
Then the Muslims have been exhorted to safeguard against the evils that corrupt collective life and spoil mutual relationships. Mocking and taunting each other, calling others by nicknames, creating suspicions, prying into other people’s affairs and back biting are the evils which are not only sins in themselves but they also corrupt society. Allah has mentioned all these evils separately and forbidden them as unlawful.
After this, the national and racial distinctions that cause universal corruption in the world have been condemned. Nations and tribes and families pride of Ancestry and their looking down upon others as inferior to themselves and their pulling down others only for the sake of establishing their own superiority is an important factor that has filled the world with injustices and tyranny. Allah in a brief verse has cut at the root of this evil by stating that all men are descendants of the same one pair and their division into tribes and communities is only for the sake of recognition, not for boasting and pride, and there is no lawful basis of one man’s superiority over the other except on the basis of moral excellence.
In conclusion, the people have been told that the real thing is not the verbal Profession of the Faith but to believe in Allah and His messenger truly, to obey them in practical life and to exert sincerely with one’s self and wealth in the cause of Allah. True believers are only those who adopt this attitude. As for those who profess Islam merely orally without affirmation by the heart and then adopt an attitude as if they had done someone a favor by accepting Islam, may be counted among the Muslims in the world, may even be treated as Muslims in society, but they cannot be counted as believers in the sight of Allah.
2. The Study Quran — Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Al Hujurat is from the late Madinan period, although a minority maintain that v.13 is from the Makkan period. It derives its name from the reference to the private apartments of the Prophet’s wives in v. 4. The Surah was most likely revealed in the year 9/630 after the Muslims had captured Makkah and most of Arabia had come under the Prophet’s rule. As such, it addresses the complexities of ruling over this larger and more diverse community and instructs more recent members in proper conduct toward the Prophet. This is most evident in the first part of the surah (vv. 1 -5), which instructs the Muslim community in the proper etiquette for their encounters with the Prophet.
The second section (vv. 6-i2) focuses upon the ties of brotherhood within the community and the forms behaviour that should be avoided in order to facilitate it. This unifying theme can be seen as following directly upon the description of those who are with the Prophet at the end of the previous Surah(see 48:29). As Ibn Ajibah states, “After giving them the good news of forgiveness [see 48:29], God instructed the companions in proper conduct (adab) because it is among the greatest means for obtaining forgiveness and proximity [to God].” The last part of the surah (vv. 13–18) clarifies the true nature of faith and belief, providing one of the most famous lines of the Quran: Surely the most noble of you before God are the most reverent of you (v. 13).
3. The Quran — M.A.S Abdal Haleem
This Medinan sura takes its title from the reference to the Prophet’s private rooms in verse 4. It guides the believers on how to behave with proper respect towards their leader (verses 1–5), and with mutual respect and trust towards each other (verses 9–12). The sura stresses the unity of mankind and God’s intention that people should live together in harmony (verse 13). It criticizes the desert Arabs for their presumptuous attitude to their faith and to God (verses 14–18).
4. Message of the Quran — Muhammad Asad
REVEALED, in the consensus of most of the authorities, in the year 9 H., this surah deals predominantly with social ethics. Beginning with the reverence due to the Prophet and — by implication — to the righteous leaders of the community after him, the discourse culminates in the principle of the brotherhood of all believers (verse 10) and, in its widest sense, the brotherhood of all mankind (verse 13). The concluding passage (verses 14 ff.) points out the difference between true faith and a mere outward observance of religious formalities.
The title is derived from the mention of the word al-hujurat in verse 4.
5. In the Shade of the Quran — Sayyid Qutb
This surah, composed of no more than 18 verses, is majestic, indeed superior. It includes a number of basic facts of faith, Islamic law and human existence. It opens up before our hearts and minds wide horizons and gives rise to a host of important thoughts. It refers to systems of formation and organization, principles of education and upbringing, fundamentals o f legislation and essential directives which could take a hundred times its length. It puts before our eyes two great issues for reflection and deliberation.
