Surah Mujadilah Ayah
12: “O You who believe! When you intend to hold confidential talks with the
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), spend something in charity before your private counsel.
That will be better and purer for you. But if you failed to afford it, then indeed,
Allah is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful.”
It is reported by Tabrisi in “Majma’ul Bayan” and other
famous narrators of Hadees that a group of wealthy people used to consult the
Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) in private, completely depriving other Muslims to
have conversations with the Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). On the one hand it was a
waste of time of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) and on the other hand it was
problematic to poor Muslims. As the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) was a symbol
of kindness and culture, he would not complain about it. The above-mentioned
Ayah was revealed to address the problem stated above and also to assist the
poor. It was better for the wealthy in that when they spend in the way of Allah
(s.w.t.) it will purify their hearts.
Majority of Sunni and
Shia exegetes (narrators of traditions) maintain that the Infallible Commander
of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.) was the only one who acted on this Commandment.
According to Tabrisi, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam
Ali (a.s.) himself said: “There is an Ayah in Qur’an upon which no one but me
has acted or will act. I had a dinar which I converted to ten dirham and
whenever I intended to hold private counsel with the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), I expended a dirham before
meeting with him.” It was also reported, to name a few exegeses, by
Shawkani, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn abi Iatim, Ibn Marduya, Majma’alBayan, Sayyib
Qutub’s Fi Halal al-Qur’an, and Suyuti’s Durr al-Manthur, Fakhr ad-Din Razi and
al-Tabari.
Abdullah ibn Umar ibn
al-Khattab said in “Tafsir-e-Ruhul Bayan” as, “Hazrat Ali have three superior
qualities that if I would have possessed only one of them it would have been
better than the red-haired camels; the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) married his
beloved daughter Hazrat Fatima (s.a.), he (s.a.w.a.s.) gave the Standard of
Islam on the day of Khyber, Ayah of charity before consultation.”
The last part of the Ayah, “But if you failed to afford it,
then indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful” enabled the poor to hold
private counsels with the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)
After the revelation
of this Ayah, people slowly stopped the counsel and Allah (s.w.t.) abrogated
this commandment by the next Ayah 13: “Were you afraid that giving in charity
before your consultation would make you poor? Since you did not offer this
charity, Allah forgave you for this. At least be steadfast in prayer, pay the
religious tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger .Allah is well-aware of what
you do.”
It is clear that loving worldly possessions was stronger
than that of holding private consultations with the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.). It is further evident that no significant issues were raised in
these consultations, as they could have paid any amount of charity to resolve
any important matter as no amount was fixed as charity!
Sources used:
The Glorious Qur’an (English translation) by S.V.Mir Ahmed
Ali and Ayatollah Agha H.M.M.Pooya
The Glorious Qur’an (English translation) by Mohammad Sarwar
The Glorious Qur’an (Urdu translation) by Ayatollah Nasir
Makarem Shirazi
An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur’an
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