Tafsir of Al-Hujurat 49:7

Tafsir of Surah Al-Hujurat (49:7)

We will discuss what has been said regarding the interpretation of this verse, and we will select the best opinion.

Al-Zamakhshari engaged in a lengthy discussion concerning the interpretation of this verse.

Regarding the phrase: {If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be caused distress} (49:7):

• This is not a new, disconnected statement, as that would disrupt the coherence (munasabah) between the preceding command {And know} and this conditional clause.
• The connection is established by interpreting the conditional clause as a circumstantial clause (ḥāl) modifying the pronoun in {in you} (referring to the Prophet ﷺ being among them).
• The implied meaning is: "Know that the Messenger of Allah is among you, in a state where, if he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be caused distress or fall into hardship." This situation is undesirable.

Regarding the phrase: {But Allah has endeared faith to you} (49:7):

• Al-Zamakhshari suggests this addresses some of the believers who were not the ones addressed by {If he were to obey you}.
• He notes that the difference in description (the first group wanting obedience, the second group being addressed with the endearment of faith) is sufficient without explicitly stating, "But Allah endeared faith to some of you."
• Al-Zamakhshari also argues that using the conditional {If he were to obey} (instead of the past tense {If he obeyed}) indicates that the first group desired the continuation and permanence of the Prophet ﷺ acting according to their opinions.
• The subsequent clause {But Allah has endeared faith to you} contrasts with the preceding one, even if the contradiction isn't explicit in the wording. The difference in the description of the addressees signals this:
  • The first group wanted the Prophet ﷺ to act according to their desires.
  • The second group (addressed by {But Allah has endeared faith to you}) are those who desired their actions to align with the Prophet ﷺ's guidance.
• Al-Zamakhshari’s view is considered sound and is preferred by the author.

The author finds a potentially stronger interpretation:

• After Allah commanded, {So ascertain the truth if a disobedient person brings you a report} (49:6), He immediately followed with: {And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah}.
• The meaning is: Ascertaining the truth becomes easy for you by referring back to the Prophet ﷺ, because he is among you, clarifying and guiding.
• This is analogous to someone saying when students disagree on an issue: "This scholar is present." The intent is not merely to state his presence, but to command them to refer back to him.
• If the scholar relied on the students' opinions, their hearts would not find reassurance in referring to him. But if he relies only on sound transmission and strong evidence, everyone will refer to him.
• Similarly here, Allah commands: "Seek guidance from him, for he knows and does not obey anyone [out of mere compliance], so there is no bias or falsehood accepted from him."
• The evidence that {If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be caused distress} means he does not obey you is that conditional sentences often serve to negate the consequence by negating the condition, as in: {If there were therein other deities besides Allah, there would have been ruin in both} (21:22), and {If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction} (4:82). This negates the existence of other deities and that the Book is from other than Allah.

Regarding the phrase: {But Allah has endeared faith to you and has made it pleasing in your hearts} (49:7):

• This addresses a potential objection to the command {So ascertain the truth}: Someone might think, "I do not need to refer back; my own intellect is sufficient for me to grasp faith and abandon sin, so I will use my own judgment in all matters."
• Allah responds: Grasping faith is not achieved by mere personal judgment (ijtihād). Rather, Allah demonstrated the proof (burhān) and adorned faith so that certainty (yaqīn) was achieved.
• Once certainty is attained, hesitation is impermissible. Allah only commanded hesitation when following the report of a disobedient person (a doubtful matter). He did not command stubbornness after the proof has become clear.
• Therefore, Allah is saying: Hesitate concerning what is doubtful, but faith has been endeared to you through certain proof, so do not hesitate in accepting it.
• Under this interpretation (the author's preferred one), the addressee of {But Allah has endeared faith to you} is the same as the addressee of {If he were to obey you}.

If the meaning of the verse is understood holistically, let us detail it in several issues:

Issue 1: Why use metaphor instead of explicit command?

If the meaning of {And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah} is to refer to him and rely on his word, why did Allah not explicitly say: "So ascertain the truth and refer to the Messenger ﷺ"? What is the benefit of this metaphor?

Answer: The benefit is increased emphasis (ta’kīd).

In the analogy mentioned earlier (the student referring to the scholar), saying, "This scholar is present," is more emphatic regarding the necessity of referral than saying, "Refer to your scholar."

• The first statement implies that the necessity of referring to the scholar is agreed upon; the only reason for not referring is perhaps ignorance of his presence/availability. It suggests: "You do not doubt that the one who clarifies is the scholar and that referring to him is obligatory. If you are unaware of his presence, then know he is present." The desirability of referring to him is made more evident than the mere fact of his presence.
• If Allah had said, "Refer to him," it would imply that the people were unaware that referring to him was the correct path.
• Thus, saying {And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah} implies: "The obligation to refer to him is not hidden from you. If what is hidden is his presence among you, then know he is present." This elevates the importance of the necessity of referral above the physical fact of his presence, which is a subtle meaning found in metaphors but not in explicit statements.

Issue 2: Why use the conditional negation instead of direct negation?

If the intent of {If he were to obey you} is to state that he does not obey anyone but follows revelation, why was this not stated directly?

Answer: Stating a negation along with the proof for that negation is more complete than stating the negation alone. The conditional sentence provides the negation along with its proof.

• As seen in {If there were therein other deities besides Allah, there would have been ruin in both} (21:22), if someone asked why there are no other deities, the proof is given: because if there were, ruin would follow.
• Similarly here, if Allah had said, "He does not obey you," someone might ask why. The answer is provided: "If he obeyed you, he would do so for your benefit. But obeying you involves hardship for you (you become distressed) and brings him no benefit, as Allah says, {Grievous to him is what you suffer} (9:128). Therefore, he does not obey you." This is a negation of obedience supported by evidence. There is a great difference between negating something with proof and negating it without proof.

Issue 3: The meaning of "in much of the matter" (fī kathīr min al-amr)

The phrase {in much of the matter} is used to indicate that sometimes he might agree with them and act according to their interests, confirming the benefit of the command: {and consult them in the matter} (3:159).

Issue 4: Why not explicitly say "Do not hesitate"?

If the meaning of {But Allah has endeared faith to you} is "Do not hesitate," why was this not stated explicitly?

Answer: This relates to the point made about the obviousness of the matter. You all know that certainty (yaqīn) is not a matter for hesitation; there is no higher rank to wait for. A person hesitates when moving from conjecture (ẓann) to certainty. Since the lack of hesitation in the face of certainty is known and agreed upon, Allah did not say, "Do not hesitate." Instead, He said, {But Allah has endeared faith to you}, meaning He clarified it and adorned it with certain proof.

Issue 5: The meaning of {endeared... and made it pleasing}

What is the meaning of {But Allah has endeared faith to you and has made it pleasing in your hearts}?

Answer:

1. {Endeared to you} (ḥabbaba ilaykum): He brought it near to you and placed it in your hearts.
2. {And made it pleasing in your hearts} (zayyanahu fī qulūbikum): He established it firmly within your hearts so that you do not separate from it, nor does it leave your hearts.

This distinction is made because a person might love something initially but grow tired of it after possessing it for a long time. Faith, however, increases in beauty daily. Furthermore, the one whose worship is greater and whose endurance of the burdens of obligation is more complete finds the worship and obligations sweeter and more perfect. Therefore, He first said {endeared to you} (bringing it close) and then {made it pleasing in your hearts} (establishing it firmly within them).

Issue 6: The difference between Disbelief, Immorality (Fisq), and Disobedience ('Iṣyān)

What is the difference between these three terms, which stand in opposition to perfect faith?

Perfect faith involves: Affirmation in the heart (belief), Confession by the tongue (declaration), and Action by the limbs.

1. Disbelief (al-Kufr): This corresponds to denial (takdhīb), which opposes affirmation in the heart. This is the greatest matter, as Allah says, {Indeed, association with Allah is a great injustice} (31:13).
2. Immorality (al-Fisq): This corresponds to falsehood/lying (al-kadhib). This is mentioned earlier in the verse: {If a disobedient person (fāsiq) brings you a report...} (49:6). Lying constitutes fisq.
3. Disobedience (al-'Iṣyān): This is less severe than the previous two. This is mentioned later in the Surah: {Evil indeed is the name of immorality after faith} (49:11), which indicates that fisq is primarily a verbal matter because it is linked to the name (label).

A Rational Perspective on Fisq:

• Fisq linguistically means "to exit" (e.g., a date exiting its husk). In usage, it means exiting obedience.
• However, exiting obedience is not clearly manifested by matters of the heart, as only Allah knows what is in the hearts.
• It is not clearly manifested by actions, because one might neglect an order due to forgetfulness or error, making it unclear if the person is intentionally wrong or mistaken.
• Speech/Words, however, reveal the state of the speaker with certainty. Entering or exiting faith is manifested through speech. Therefore, restricting fisq primarily to verbal matters is more appropriate.
• Disobedience ('Iṣyān) is more fittingly associated with action (the leaving of an order).

The Order: If this is understood, there is a beautiful ordering:

1. Allah first made Disbelief hateful to you (the greatest matter).
2. Then Immorality (al-Fisq) (what your tongues utter).
3. Then Disobedience (al-'Iṣyān) (the lesser matter, the failure to act).

Some people say Disbelief is overt, Fisq is a major sin, and 'Iṣyān is a minor sin. However, what we have detailed is stronger.

Final Verse: {Those are the ones who are rightly guided} (49:7)

This is addressed to the Prophet ﷺ and carries a subtle meaning:

• At the beginning, Allah said, {And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah}, meaning: He is the guide for you. This addresses the believers to alert them to His compassion for them.
• In the end, He says, {Those are the rightly guided} (al-rushdūn). This means they are those who conform to righteousness; they accept what comes to them from the Prophet ﷺ and refrain from what he forbids.

Verse 8: {As a bounty from Allah and a grace. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.} (49:8)