Overview (Verses 17 - 23)

Instilling a New Value
 
Since then the values attached to this great principle have become supreme. Their ascendancy, however, was by no means easy, neither in the Arabian society, nor in the minds of the Muslims themselves. Through his actions and directives, coloured by the profound effect the divine instructions in this surah left on him, the Prophet was able to implant this basic Islamic principle into his Companions’ consciences and into the life of the Islamic society he had established. He looked after his new plant with unfailing care until it had established deep roots and spread its branches wide. Hence why this principle remained for centuries the guiding principle of the Muslim community.
 
After this incident the Prophet always welcomed Ibn Umm Maktum warmly. Whenever he met him, he said: “Welcome to the man for whose sake my Lord reproved me.” Twice, he appointed him as his deputy governor in Madinah when he himself had to be away.
 
The Prophet married his own cousin Zaynab bint Jahsh of the Asad clan to his former slave Zayd ibn Harithah. Marriage has always been a very delicate issue, and it was particularly so in the Arabian Peninsula at that time. The Prophet’s motive was to deal a deadly blow to all the social values and standards based on worldly considerations.
 
Soon after the Makkan Muslims settled in Madinah the Prophet established a bond of brotherhood between every two Muslims. He made his own uncle, Hamzah, a brother to his former slave, Zayd; and Khalid ibn Ruwayhah of the Khatham tribe and Bilal, the former slave, were made brothers.
 
He appointed Zayd as Commander-in-Chief of the Muslim army which fought the Battle of Mu’tah. Zayd’s first deputy was the Prophet’s own cousin Ja`far ibn Abi Talib. The second deputy was `Abdullah ibn Rawahah of the Ansar. A number of well-known personalities from Makkah and Madinah were in that army of three thousand men, including the most famous Muslim commander of all time, Khalid ibn al-Walid. The Prophet himself went out to bid them farewell. It is also worth mentioning that Zayd and his two deputies were killed during that battle.
 
The Prophet’s last action was to appoint Usamah ibn Zayd, a young man, as commander of an army he had raised to fight the Byzantines. A large number of early Muslims, from both the Muhajirin (Makkans) and the Ansar (Madinans), including his two most distinguished Companions and immediate successors, Abu Bakr and `Umar, as well as his own relative Sa ‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, one of the very earliest people to embrace Islam, were in that army. Some people, however, grumbled about the fact that Usamah had been made commander, young as he was. `Abdullah ibn `Umar takes up the story: “When some people complained about giving the army command to Usamah, the Prophet said: ‘You are deprecating his appointment as commander in the same way as you previously deprecated his father’s appointment. By God, his father was a worthy commander, and one of the dearest people to me. Usamah is also one of the dearest people to me.” [Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.]
 
Some people spoke in derogatory terms about the Prophet’s Companion, Salman, the Persian. They took a narrow nationalistic view and spoke of the inferiority of the Persians in relation to the Arabs. The Prophet took a decisive step to eradicate such narrow tendencies. He declared: “Salman belongs to the Prophet’s family.” [Related by al-Tabarani and al-Hakim.] This statement transcends all lineage, tribal and national considerations, which carried immense weight in Arabia.
 
Furthermore a disagreement occurred between Abu Dharr and Bilal, two of the Prophet’s highly esteemed Companions. In a fit of temper, Abu Dharr called Bilal “the son of a black woman”. The Prophet was extremely upset at this. He rebuked Abu Dharr saying: “That is too much, Abu Dharr. He who has a white mother has no advantage which makes him better than the son of a black mother.” [Related by Ibn al-Mubarak with slightly different wording.] Thus the Prophet put the dispute into its proper perspective. What distinguishes people is their faith, not their colour. This is the Islamic criterion, which is so unlike the worldly criteria of jahiliyyah societies. The Prophet’s rebuke had a profound effect on Abu Dharr, who was very sensitive. He wanted to atone for his mistake, so he put his head on the ground swearing that he would not raise it until Bilal had put his foot over it.
 
Bilal achieved a position of great distinction in Islamic society. What made his achievement possible was the application of heaven’s values. Abu Hurayrah related that the Prophet once said to Bilal: “Tell me, which of your actions do you hope to be the most rewarding for you, for last night I heard your footsteps as you drew near to me in heaven?” Bill answered: “I do not think that since becoming a Muslim I have ever done anything which I hope to be more rewarding than that every time I perform ablution at any time of the day or night I pray whatever I can.” [Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]
 
Once `Ammar ibn Yasir asked for permission to see the Prophet. The Prophet said: “Let him come in. Welcome to the cleansed, good man.” [Related by al-Tirmidhi.] He also said of him: “Ammar is full of faith to the top of his head.” [Related by al` Nasa’i.] Hudhayfah related that the Prophet said: “I do not know how long I shall be with you, so accept the leadership of the two who will follow me [and he pointed to Abu Bakr and `Umar], and follow `Ammar’s guidance. Believe whatever Ibn Mas`ud tells you.” [Related by al-Tirmidhi.]
 
Ibn Mas`ud was so close to the Prophet that any stranger in Madinah would have thought him a member of the Prophet’s household. Abu Musa said: “I came to Madinah from the Yemen with my brother. For quite some time we were under the impression that Ibn Mas`ud and his mother belonged to the Prophet’s household, an impression we had formed because of the frequency of their comings and goings from the Prophet’s homes, and their long companionship with him.” [Related by al- Bukhari and Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.]
 
The Prophet himself sought the hand of an Ansari woman in marriage for Julaybib, a former slave. “Her parents were reluctant to sanction such a marriage. She, however, said to them: ‘Do you mean to reject the Prophet’s suit? If the Prophet thinks that this man is suitable for us, then let this marriage go through.’ So they gave their consent.” [Related by Ahmad.]
 
Soon after his marriage, Julaybib took part in an armed expedition. After the battle, which resulted in a victory for the Muslims, the Prophet asked his Companions: “Is anybody missing?” They named a few people. He repeated the question and they named a few others. He asked the same question for the third time and they answered in the negative. He said: “I think Julaybib is missing.” They looked for him and found his body next to seven enemy soldiers whom he had killed. The Prophet went over, stood near him, and said: “He killed seven before he himself was slain. This man belongs to me and I belong to him.” He lifted him into his arms until a grave had been dug. He then put him in his grave. The tradition does not say whether Julaybib was given a death wash or not. [Related by Muslim.]
 
The Principle in Practice
 
With this divine instruction and the Prophet’s guidance, the rebirth of humanity was accomplished in a unique manner. Thus a new society came into existence, which imported its values and standards from heaven, and lived on earth, unhampered by earthly restrictions. This is the greatest miracle of Islam; a miracle which could not have happened except by God’s will, and through the Prophet’s actions. This miracle is, in itself, proof that Islam is a religion revealed by God, and that the man who conveyed it to us was His Messenger.
 
It was divine will that leadership of the Islamic society, after the Prophet’s death, should be assigned successively to Abu Bakr and `Umar, the two who were most keenly aware of the true nature of Islam and most vividly impressed by the Prophet’s guidance. Indeed, Abu Bakr and `Umar surpassed everyone else in their love for the Prophet and determination to follow very closely in his footsteps.
 
Abu Bakr was well aware of the Prophet’s object in assigning the army’s command to Usamah. His first action after he became Caliph was to send the army raised by the Prophet and commanded by Usamah on its original mission. Abu Bakr, the Caliph, went along with the army to the outskirts of Madinah to bid it farewell. It was a strange scene: ‘Usamah on his horse while Abu Bakr walked. Usamah, the young commander, felt embarrassed that he should ride while the Caliph, an old man, should walk. He begged Abu Bakr to ride, or else he would walk alongside him. Abu Bakr refused, saying: “You shall not walk and I shall not ride. It will do me no harm to walk for an hour if my walking is for God’s cause.”
 
Abu Bakr felt that he needed `Umar to help him shoulder the responsibilities of government. `Umar, however, was a soldier in Usamah’s army, so he had to ask Usamah’s permission to discharge him. Hence, the Caliph, the Head of State, said to his army commander: “If you think you can spare `Umar to help me, then please do so!” What a request! It is the height of magnanimity, attainable only with God’s will, by individuals well taught by God’s Messenger.
 
A few years later `Umar assumed the leadership of the Muslim community, as its second Caliph. One of his actions was to appoint Ammar ibn Yasir, who formerly belonged to the lower classes of Makkah, as governor of the Kufah region in Iraq.
 
One day a number of dignitaries from the Quraysh, including Suhayl ibn `Amr and Abu Sufyan, sought to see `Umar. He let them wait and admitted first Suhayb and Bilal, two former slaves, on the grounds of their early acceptance of Islam and their taking part at the Battle of Badr. Abu Sufyan was angry and said: “I have never seen a day like this. These slaves are admitted and we are kept waiting!” Suhayl, who was more keenly aware of the true nature of Islam, said: “Gentlemen! I see in your faces an expression of what you feel, but I say to you that if you are angry you should be angry with yourselves. Both they and you were called upon to accept Islam at the same time. They were quick to respond but you were slow. What will you do if on the Day of Judgement you find that they are included among the chosen and you are left behind?”
 
`Umar allotted Usamah ibn Zayd a larger share of the spoils of war than he allotted his own son Abdullah. When `Abdullah queried his father’s decision `Umar said: “Son, the Prophet used to love Zayd more than he loved your father, and he loved Usamah more than he loved you. What I did was simply to attach to the Prophet’s love higher value than I attached to my own love.” As he said this `Umar was, of course, fully aware that the Prophet measured his love by divine standards.
 
`Umar sent Ammar to question Khalid ibn al-Walid, the victorious commander of the Muslim army who belonged to a noble family, about certain charges. `Ammar tied Khalid’s robes round his neck. Some reports add that he tied Khalid’s hands throughout the interrogation with his own turban. When the investigation proved Khalid’s innocence, `Ammar untied him and put Khalid’s turban back on his head with his own hands. Khalid did not object to this treatment. He knew that `Ammar was one of the Prophet’s early Companions. Khalid also knew what the Prophet used to say about `Ammar, which we have already quoted.
 
It was `Umar himself who used to say about Abu Bakr and Bilal: “Abu Bakr is our master and he freed our master.” This refers to the days when Bilal was Umayyah ibn Khalaf’s slave, who tortured him mercilessly in order to turn him away from Islam. Abu Bakr bought Bilal from Umayyah and set him free. This former slave, Bilal, is described by `Umar, the Caliph, as “our master”.
 
`Umar was the one who said, “Had Salim, the former slave of Abu Hudhayfah, been alive I would have nominated him to succeed me.” This statement must be taken against the background that `Umar did not nominate anyone to succeed him, not even `Uthman, `Ali, Talhah or al-Zubayr. He only appointed a consultative committee of six, so that the next Caliph should be chosen from among them.
 
`Ali ibn Abi Talib sent `Ammar and al-Hasan, his own son, to Kufah to seek its people’s support against `A’ishah [may God be pleased with her]. His message said, “I know that she is your Prophet’s wife in this life and in the life to come. You are, however, faced with a test which will prove whether you follow your Prophet or his wife.” [Related by al-Bukhari.] The people of Kufah accepted his case against `A’ishah, mother of the believers and Abu Bakr’s daughter, [may God be pleased with them all].
 
Bilal was asked by his brother in Islam, Abu Ruwayhah of Khatham, to speak on his behalf to the family of a Yemeni woman he wished to marry. Bilal did so, saying: “I am Bilal ibn Rabah and this is my brother, Abu Ruwayhah. He lacks good manners and firm belief. You may please yourselves whether you give him your daughter in marriage or not.” He did not deceive them by hiding the truth, nor did he behave as a mediator, unmindful of his accountability to God. The family concerned were pleased with such honesty. They married their daughter to Abu Ruwayhah, the noble Arab whose advocate was Bilal, a former slave from Abyssinia.
 
This fundamental principle remained firmly entrenched throughout Islamic society for centuries, despite the various factors working for a setback. `Abdullah ibn `Abbas was always remembered with his slave `Ikrimah, while `Abdullah ibn `Umar was remembered with his slave Nafi`. Anas ibn Malik was always associated with his slave Ibn Sirin, as was Abu Hurayrah with his slave `Abd al-Rahman ibn
 
Hurmuz. In the generation that followed, the most distinguished men of learning were al-Hasan in Basrah, Mujahid ibn Jabr, `Ata’ ibn Rabah and Tawus ibn Kaysan. In Egypt, Yazid ibn Abi Habib, a black slave from Dengla, was the grand Mufti [holder of the highest position of religious authority] during the reign of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz.
 
This divine standard continued to win great respect for the pious and God-fearing, even when they were deprived of all things to which worldly considerations attached great value. It is only in comparatively recent times that this divine standard has ceased to operate. For now the whole world is overwhelmed by a tide of jahiliyyah, wherein there is a total disregard for divine values. In the United States, the leading Western country, a man is valued according to the size of his bank balance. In the Soviet Union, where Communism, the ruling philosophy, looks at life as no more than matter, and a man is worth less than a machine. The land of Islam, on the other hand, has sunk back into jahiliyyah. The creeds of jahiliyyah, which Islam had rooted out, have now been revived. The divine standard has been abandoned in favour of materialistic values which are completely alien to Islam.
 
The only hope that remains is that the Islamic revivalist movement will rescue mankind once again from the clutches of jahiliyyah and bring about humanity’s second rebirth, similar to the one announced by the decisive verses at the opening of this surah.
 
Man’s Arrogant Attitude
 
The second part of the surah wonders at man’s conceit as he turns his back on the true faith. It wonders at how man forgets his humble origins, and how he remains totally oblivious of the care God has taken of him and His complete power over every stage of his existence, both in this life and in the hereafter. In his ingratitude man fulfils nothing of his duties towards his Lord, who has created and sustained him and who will hold him to account for his actions: “Perish man! How ungrateful he is! Of what did God create him? Of a drop of sperm. He created him and proportioned him. He makes his path smooth for him. He then causes him to die and puts him in his grave. He will surely bring him back to life when He pleases. But by no means has man fulfilled His bidding.” (Verses 17-23)
 
“Perish man!” He deserves to die. The mode of expression employed also adds to the sense of horror excited by this abominable attitude. “How ungrateful he is!” He strongly denies the claims of his creation. Had he been mindful of these claims he would have been humbly grateful to his Lord who created him. He would not have shown such conceit and he would have remembered the end he is certain to meet.
 
Indeed, how can man be so arrogant and conceited? What are his origins: “Of what did God create him?” (Verse 18) His is a very humble origin, worthless indeed except for God’s grace. “Of a drop of sperm. He created him and proportioned him.” (Verse 19) A drop of sperm of no significance; that is man’s beginning. God, the Creator, then proportioned him. The Arabic verb used here qaddara denotes precise and meticulous proportioning. It also denotes bestowing weight and value. This is how man has been created, honoured and raised from his humble origins to a high position in which the whole world has been put at his disposal.
 
“He makes his path smooth for him.” (Verse 20) The path of life has been smoothed for him. He has also been given the ability to recognize and follow the right path.
 
When the journey of life is over, when every living being meets its inevitable end, “He then causes him to die and puts him in his grave.” (Verse 21) So in the end the case is just the same as in the beginning: man submits to his Lord who brings him to life when He wills and ends his life when He wills. He honours him by making the earth his last abode, rather than leaving him as food for wild animals. He has made it part of human nature to bury the dead. When the time He has appointed arrives, He brings him back to life for the reckoning: “He will surely bring him back to life when He pleases.” (Verse 22) So man will not be left without reward or retribution.
 
But has man prepared himself for this reckoning? It would seem that “by no means has man fulfilled His bidding.” (Verse 23) Mankind as a whole, from the very first to the very last, will not have fulfilled God’s bidding. This is the inference of the Arabic expression used here, lamma Yaqdi ma amarah. Man will always remain negligent of his duties. He will never remember his origins and creation as he should, nor will he thank and praise his Creator who has guided and looked after him as He should be thanked and praised. Man does not prepare himself in this life for the day of reward and retribution. This applies to humanity as a whole. In addition, the great majority of people arrogantly turn their backs on divine guidance.