Tā-Hā (20:13-14)

Readings:

• Ḥamzah read: (وَإِنَّا اخْتَرْنَاكَ) Wa innā ikhtarnāka (And indeed, We have chosen you).
• Ubayy ibn Ka‘b read: (وَإِنِّي اخْتَرْتُكَ) Wa innī ikhtartuka (And indeed, I have chosen you) here.

Issues (Masā’il)

The meaning is: I have chosen you for prophethood and for the discourse (revelation) with which I have singled you out.

This verse indicates that prophethood is not attained through merit or deservingness. The statement (وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ) Wa anā ikhtartuka (And I have chosen you) shows that this high station was attained because God Almighty chose him initially, not because he had earned it from God.

The phrase (فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَى) Fastami‘ limā yūḥā (So listen to what is revealed) conveys the utmost awe and majesty. It is as if He is saying: A great and tremendous matter has come to you, so prepare for it and direct all your intellect and focus toward it.

The statement (وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ) implies the utmost grace and mercy, while the command (فَاسْتَمِعْ) implies the utmost awe. Thus, the Prophet receives from the first part the highest degree of hope, and from the second part, the highest degree of fear.

The statement (إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي) Innani anā Allāhu lā ilāha illā anā fa‘budnī (Indeed, I am God; there is no deity except Me, so worship Me) indicates that the principles of religion (Uṣūl al-Dīn) take precedence over the secondary matters (Furū‘ al-Dīn).

This is because Monotheism is in the principles, while worship is from the secondary matters. Furthermore, the conjunction Fā’ (فـ) in (فَاعْبُدْنِي) indicates that the obligation of worship is necessitated by His Divinity. This confirms the scholars' assertion that God is the only One truly deserving of worship.

After commanding Monotheism first, and then worship second, He commanded prayer third. Our companions (the Shāfi‘īs) use this verse to argue that delaying clarification beyond the time of need is permissible in two ways:

1. He commanded worship (فَاعْبُدْنِي) without specifying the manner of that worship, proving that a general command can be issued without immediate clarification.
2. He said (إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ) without explaining the manner of prayer.

The Qāḍī’s View: It is not impossible that Moses (peace be upon him) already knew the prayer that God commanded Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) and other prophets to perform, so the address was directed toward that known practice. Alternatively, God might have explained it to him at that moment, even if the Qur’an does not explicitly mention it.

The Response:

1. The first excuse is not valid concerning (فَاعْبُدْنِي) (Worship Me).
2. It is preferable to attribute such a great address to a new benefit rather than to a known matter, because Moses (PBUH) did not doubt the obligation of the prayer brought by Shu‘ayb. If we interpret the command (اتْلُ مَا) Utlu mā (Recite what...) in that way, this great address yields no additional benefit. However, if we interpret it as referring to a different prayer, a new benefit is gained.
3. Regarding the possibility that God explained it at that moment but it was not narrated in the Qur’an: We do not doubt that explicit clarification is more beneficial than a general statement. If it had been mentioned, it would have been more worthy of narration.

There are several interpretations for the phrase (لِذِكْرِي) li-dhikrī:

1. To remember Me: Meaning, that your remembrance of Me should be through worshipping Me and praying to Me.
2. In which you remember Me: Because prayer encompasses acts of remembrance (according to Mujāhid).
3. Because I have mentioned it in the Books and commanded it.
4. So that I may remember you with praise and commendation, and grant you a truthful tongue.
5. For My remembrance exclusively, without mixing it with the remembrance of anyone else.
6. For the sincerity of your remembrance and seeking My countenance, so you do not perform it for show or for any other worldly purpose.
7. So that you become one who remembers Me and does not forget, like the action of the sincere ones who keep the remembrance of their Lord in mind, as God says: (لَا تَلْهُيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ) Lā talhīhim tijāratun wa lā bay‘un ‘an dhikri Allāh (Neither business nor trade diverts them from the remembrance of God) (An-Nūr: 37).
8. For the times of My remembrance, which are the prescribed times for prayer, based on God’s saying: (فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا) Fa-idhā qaḍaytum aṣ-ṣalāta fa-dhkurū Allāha qiyāman wa qu‘ūdan (And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah while standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides) (An-Nisā’: 103).
9. Establish the prayer when you remember it: Meaning, if you forget a prayer, perform it when you remember it. It is narrated from Anas (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Whoever forgets a prayer, let him pray it when he remembers it; there is no expiation for it other than that." Then he recited: (إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ). Al-Khaṭṭābī suggested two meanings for this Ḥadīth:
   • That nothing expiates it except making it up.
   • That there is no penalty or expiation required for forgetting it, unlike the expiation required for breaking the fast of Ramaḍān without excuse, or the penalty required for a pilgrim who omits a rite of Hajj (feeding or sacrifice). He only needs to pray what he missed.

If one asks: Why did the expression use (أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ) Aqimi aṣ-ṣalāh (Establish the prayer) for its remembrance, rather than saying, "Pray it when you remember it," as the Prophet (PBUH) said, "let him pray it when he remembers it"? The Answer: The phrase (لِذِكْرِي) means for the remembrance resulting from My command, or by assuming a deleted possessive noun, meaning "for the remembrance of my prayer."

If one misses several prayers, it is recommended to make them up in the order they were due (the order of performance). However, if one omits this order in making them up, it is permissible according to Imām Shāfi‘ī (RA).

If the time for a current obligatory prayer arrives, one should consider:

• If there is ample time remaining, it is recommended to start with the missed prayer. If one starts with the current prayer, it is permissible.
• If time is so short that starting with the missed prayer would cause the time for the current prayer to expire, one must start with the current prayer so it is not missed.
• If one starts the current prayer and then remembers a missed prayer, one should complete the current prayer, then make up the missed one. It is recommended, but not obligatory, to repeat the current prayer afterward.

Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (RA) held that the order must be maintained when making up missed prayers, unless the missed prayers do not exceed those of one day and one night. He even stated that if someone remembers a missed prayer from that day during the performance of the current prayer, the current obligatory prayer becomes void; he must make up the missed prayer first, then repeat the current prayer, unless the time is too short, in which case the current prayer is not voided.

Arguments for Abū Ḥanīfah (Order is obligatory): The verse, the Ḥadīth, the tradition (Athar), and analogy (Qiyās).

1. The Verse: (أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي) Aqimi aṣ-ṣalāh li-dhikrī (Establish the prayer for My remembrance). The Lām (لـ) here means "at the time of," similar to (لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ) li-dulūki ash-shams (at the declining of the sun) (Al-Isrā’: 78). Thus, the meaning is: Establish the prayer upon remembering it, which necessitates observing the order.
2. The Ḥadīth: The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever forgets a prayer, let him pray it when he remembers it," where the Fā’ (فـ) implies immediate succession.
3. The Tradition (Athar): Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA) came to the Prophet (PBUH) on the day of the Trench, cursing the disbelievers of Quraysh, saying, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not prayed the Asr prayer until the sun was about to set." The Prophet (PBUH) replied, "By Allah, I have not prayed it either." So, he went down to the valley floor and prayed Asr after the sun had set, then prayed Maghrib immediately after. This Ḥadīth is in the Ṣaḥīḥayn. The Ḥanafīs argue from this in two ways:
   • The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Pray as you have seen me pray." Since he prayed the missed prayers consecutively, we must do the same.
   • The action of the Prophet (PBUH) serves as a clarification for a general statement, making it authoritative. This action clarified the general command (وَأَن أَقِيمُوا) wa an aqīmū (and that you establish prayer) (An-Nūr: 56). This is why we say that if missed prayers are few, the order must be observed, but if they become numerous, the order is dropped.
4. Analogy (Qiyās): They are two obligatory prayers combined into one time slot within the day and night, making them similar to the two prayers combined at ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah. Since the order is not dropped in those two instances, it should not be dropped for missed prayers within the span of a day and night.

Argument for Shāfi‘ī (Order is not obligatory): It is narrated in the Ḥadīth of Abū Qatādah that when they slept through the Fajr prayer and woke up after sunrise, the Prophet (PBUH) ordered them to lead their mounts and then prayed it. If the time of remembrance were fixed for the prayer itself, this would not be permissible. Therefore, we know that time is for the obligation to be established upon them, but as a matter of flexibility, not restriction.

If this is established, then we say: The obligation to make up missed prayers and the obligation to perform the current obligatory prayer are like a choice between two obligations. Therefore, the person is free to present whichever one he wishes first. Moreover, if the order in making up missed prayers were a condition, it would not be dropped due to forgetfulness. Do you not see that if someone prays Ẓuhr and ‘Asr at ‘Arafah on a cloudy day, and it later becomes clear that he prayed Ẓuhr before noon and ‘Asr after noon, he must repeat both? The order was not dropped due to forgetfulness because it was a condition for them. Similarly, if the order were a condition here, it would not be dropped due to forgetfulness.

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