Al-Mujadila

O Messenger! Verily Allah has heard the words of the woman (She was Khawlah bint Tha‘labah) who was discussing the issue of her husband with you (who was Aws ibn Al-Ṣāmit) after he had done Ẓihār to her. She was complaining to Allah about what her husband had done to her, and Allah was listening to your exchange of words; nothing is hidden from Him, indeed, He is The Hearing of the speech of His servants and The Seeing of their actions; none of them are hidden from Him.

Those who do Ẓihār to their wives, by saying to them: “You are for me like the back of my mother”, have lied in this statement of theirs. Their wives are not their mothers; their mothers are only those women who gave birth to them, and when they make such statements they are uttering a disgusting, false statement. But indeed, Allah is overlooking and forgiving: He has legislated an atonement for you to free you of the sin.

It is necessary upon those who utter this disgusting statement and then intend to have sexual intercourse with the wife they did Ẓihār to, that they make amends by freeing a slave before they have intercourse. This aforementioned ruling you have been commanded to carry out is a reprimand for you for the Ẓihār. And Allah is aware of your actions; none of your actions are hidden from Him.

So whoever cannot find a slave to free, it is necessary upon him to fast for two months consecutively before he has sexual intercourse with the wife he did Ẓihār to. Then, whoever is incapable of fasting for two months consecutively, should feed sixty poor people. This command I have given is so that you believe that Allah is the one who has commanded you with it and so you carry it out. These rulings that I legislate for you are My limits I have set for My servants, so do not trespass them. As for those who disbelieve in the commands of Allah and the limits He has set, they will face a painful punishment.

Indeed, those who regard Allah and His Messenger to be their enemies will be humiliated and exiled, just as the people of the past who regarded them as enemies were humiliated and exiled. Verily I have revealed clear verses, and those who disbelieve in Allah, His Messenger and His verses will face a humiliating punishment.

On the day when Allah will resurrect them all, not leaving any of them out. He will then inform them of their shameful actions in the world which He recorded against them. He misses none of their actions, yet they themselves will forget them but find them having been recorded in their books of deeds, which leave no small or big deed unrecorded. And Allah is aware of everything; none of their actions remain hidden from Him.

O Messenger! Do you not see that Allah knows everything that is in the heavens and everything on Earth; nothing within them is hidden from Him? No three people talk among themselves except that Allah (may He be glorified) is the fourth among them through His knowledge; nor do five people talk among themselves except that He may He be glorified is the sixth among them through His knowledge; nor any less or any more than these numbers, except that Allah is with them through His knowledge wherever they may be. No speech of theirs remains hidden from Him; He will then inform them of their actions on the Day of Judgement. Indeed, He knows everything; nothing is hidden from Him.

O Messenger! Do you not see the Jews who used to secretly whisper when they would see a believer, then Allah prohibited them from such whispering, but they would return to committing exactly that which Allah prohibited them from: secretly discussing sin among themselves i.e. backbiting the believers, inciting people against them, and disobedience to the Messenger. O Messenger! When they come to they greet you with a greeting Allah has not taught you to greet with, i.e. by saying: ‘As-sāmu ‘alayk’ meaning ‘death be upon you’, and they say, rejecting the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Why does Allah not punish us for what we say? Because if he was truthful in his claim that he is a Prophet, Allah would have punished us for what we say about him!” Hell is enough of a punishment for them for what they say; they will definitely suffer its heat. What an evil outcome they will face!

O those who have faith in Allah and act upon what He has legislated for them! Do not secretly discuss things that incur sin, incite enmity against, or disobedience to the Messenger, in case you become like the Jews. Rather, discuss things that lead to obedience to Allah and refraining from His disobedience. And be mindful of Allah by fulfilling His commands and refraining from the things He has not allowed, because He alone is the one towards whom you will be gathered on the Day of Judgement for accountability and requital.

Secret discussions that contain sin, inciting enmity and disobedience to the Messenger are only the result of Satan adorning and whispering to his associates, so that he can cause grief to the believers that they are being plotted against. However, neither Satan nor his beautification of things will harm the believers in any way, except if Allah wills and intends it. So it is upon Allah that the believers should rely in all their affairs.

After Allah mentioned the etiquette of speech, He mentions the etiquette of gatherings, and says: O those who have faith in Allah and act upon what Allah has legislated for them! When you are told: “Make space in gatherings”, then make space; Allah will create ease for you in your worldly lives and in the afterlife. And when you are told: “Leave from so and so gathering so that people of virtue may take part in them”, leave those gatherings; Allah (may He be glorified) will raise in great stature those who have faith among you and those blessed with knowledge. And Allah is the knower of whatever you do; none of your actions are hidden from Him, and He will requite you for them.

O those who have faith in Allah and act upon what He has legislated for them! When you intend to talk privately with the Messenger, give some charity before you talk in private with him. That giving in charity will be better and purer for you because of being an act of obedience to Allah that purifies the hearts. But if you do not find anything you can give in charity, there is no harm in you talking in private with him, because Allah Forgiving of the sins of His servants and He is merciful towards them by not burdening them except with what they are capable of.

Do you fear poverty by presenting charity before talking privately with the Messenger? So when you do not do that which Allah commanded you to do, and Allah forgave you by allowing you not to give in charity, now perform prayer to perfection, give Zakat on your wealth, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah is aware of your actions; nothing is hidden from Him and He will soon requite you for them.

O Messenger! Do you not see the hypocrites who befriend the Jews whom Allah is angry with due to their disbelief and sins? These hypocrites are neither from the believers nor from the Jews; rather, they are uncertain between the two: neither are they on one side nor the other. Yet they will swear that they are Muslims and that they did not relate information about the Muslims to the Jews, but they are liars despite their oaths.

Allah has prepared a severe punishment for them in the afterlife, where He will enter them into the lowest depths of the hellfire. Indeed, the acts of disbelief they commit in the world are shameful.

They take the oaths they swear as protection against being killed due to disbelief, by outwardly showing Islam to protect their lives and wealth. So they turn the people away from the truth by belittling and hindering the Muslims. Therefore, they will face a humiliating punishment which will humiliate and shame them.

Their wealth and their offspring will not benefit them in the slightest. They are the people of the hellfire who will enter it and reside in it for ever, the punishment never stopping on them.

Remember the day when Allah will resurrect them all for requital, not leaving any of them out. They will swear in front of Allah that they were not upon disbelief nor hypocrisy; rather they were only believers who acted in accordance to the pleasure of Allah. They will take oaths in front of Him in the afterlife just as they would take oaths in front of you, O believers, in the world that they were believers. They will think that by taking these oaths in front of Allah they will be in a position to bring some benefit to themselves or prevent some harm falling upon themselves. Know well that indeed, they are true liars in their oaths in the world and in the afterlife.

Satan has taken control over them and through his whispers, has made them forget the remembrance of Allah, so they do not act to earn His pleasure, but only do those things that incur His wrath. They are the party of Iblīs and his followers. Know well that indeed, the party of Iblīs and his followers are the losers in the world and the afterlife, because they have sold guidance in exchange for deviance, and Paradise for the hellfire.

Indeed, those who regard Allah and His Messenger as enemies are some of the ones whom Allah will humiliate in the world and the afterlife, and the ones who are the most dishonourable from the disbelieving nations.

Allah has decreed in His prevailing knowledge that He and His messengers will definitely be victorious over His enemies with strength and evidence. Indeed, Allah has the power to help His messengers, and is the Almighty who can take retribution from His enemies.

O Messenger! You will not find a people believing in Allah and in the Day of Judgement, who love and befriend those who regard Allah and His Messenger as enemies, even though these enemies of Allah and His messengers happen to be their fathers, sons, brothers, or tribe members they affiliate themselves to. This is because faith prevents them from befriending the enemies of Allah and His Messenger, and because the connection of faith is greater than all connections, so it is to be given priority at times of conflict. Those who do not befriend the enemies of Allah and His Messenger - even if they are their own relatives - are the ones in whose hearts Allah has established faith such that they do not waver, and has strengthened with His proof and light. He will also enter them on the Day of Judgement into everlasting gardens, under the palaces and trees of which rivers flow, and in which they shall live forever, without its luxuries ever finishing or them ever becoming extinct. Allah is pleased with them to a degree that He will never be displeased with them afterwards, and they are also pleased with Him because of Him having given them favours which will never finish, one of which is the ability to see Him may He be glorified. They are the party of Allah that fulfils whatever He commands and refrain from the things He does not allow. Know well that indeed, the party of Allah are the ones who will succeed by achieving their objective and remaining safe from their fears in the world and the afterlife.