Al-Mujadilah (The Pleading Woman): Verse 8...

Then, the Almighty clarified the state of those who were forbidden from secret consultation, saying:

{ Have you not seen those who were forbidden from secret consultation, then they return to what they were forbidden from? }

There is a difference of opinion regarding who these people are:

• The majority said: They are the Jews.
• Some said: They are the hypocrites.
• Some said: A group of disbelievers.

The first opinion is closer, because the Almighty recounted about them: { And when they come to you, they greet you with that by which Allah has not greeted you }. This type of behavior is reported to have occurred from the Jews. They used to greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) by saying, As-Sām 'alayk (Death be upon you), meaning death. Reports concerning this are abundant, and the story involving 'A'ishah regarding this is famous.

Then the Almighty said:

{ And they conspire in sin and transgression and disobedience to the Messenger, and when they come to you, they greet you with that by which Allah has not greeted you, and they say within themselves, "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?" }

There are two issues concerning this:

The commentators said that it is established that those people used to hold secret consultations among themselves and make the believers think they were consulting about matters that would distress them, causing them sadness. When they did this frequently, the Muslims complained about it to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), so he commanded them not to hold secret consultations excluding the Muslims. They did not cease this and returned to their consultations, so Allah revealed this verse.

The phrase { And they conspire in sin and transgression } admits of two interpretations:

1. That sin (al-ithm) and transgression (al-'udwān) refer to their opposition to the Messengers in forbidding secret consultation, because engaging in what is forbidden incurs sin and transgression, especially if this engagement is for the purpose of opposition and showing rebellion.
2. That sin and transgression refer to the secret matter they were discussing among themselves, as it was either a plot or deceit against the Muslims, or something that would distress them.

Hamzah alone recited it as { wa yatanajjawna } (without the alif), while the rest recited { wa yatanājawna }.

Abu 'Ali said: Yatanajjawna is from the pattern tafa'ala derived from al-najwā (secret consultation), and al-najwā is a verbal noun like al-da'wā and al-'adwā. Thus, yantajūna and yatanājawna are synonymous, as the patterns tafa'ala and tafā'ala can sometimes carry the same meaning, just as one says izdawaja and i'tawara, and tazāwaja and ta'āwara. Also, the Almighty's saying: { until when they had overtaken each other in it } (Al-A'rāf: 38) – idārakū is on the pattern ifta'alu, and adrakū is on the pattern tafā'alu.

The evidence for those who recite { yatanājawna } is the Almighty's saying: { O you who have believed, when you [wish to] consult the Messenger... } (Al-Mujadilah: 12) and { and consult together in righteousness and piety } (Al-Mujadilah: 9). This is the reciprocal form of nājaytum (consulted privately). This does not refute Hamzah's recitation of yantajūna, because this form is also permissible here.

Regarding the Almighty's saying { Have you not seen... }, the author of Al-Kashshāf said that it was also read as { wa ma'siyāti ar-rasūl } (and disobedience of the Messenger, using the plural form). The two interpretations here are as we mentioned regarding al-ithm and al-'udwān.

The phrase { and when they come to you, they greet you with that by which Allah has not greeted you } means that in their greeting to you, they say: As-Sām 'alayka yā Muhammad (Death be upon you, O Muhammad), and al-Sām means death. Whereas Allah the Almighty says: { And peace be upon His chosen servants } (An-Naml: 59), and { Obey Allah and obey the Messenger }, and { O Prophet... }.

Then the Almighty mentioned that they { say within themselves, "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?" } This means they say to themselves: If he were truly a Messenger, why does Allah not punish us for this mockery?

Then the Almighty said:

{ Sufficient for them is Hell; they will burn therein - and wretched is the destination.}

The meaning is that the hastening of punishment occurs according to the Divine Will, or according to what is beneficial (for the sake of admonition). If the Divine Will does not necessitate hastening the punishment, and if expediency does not require it either, then the punishment in the Hereafter is sufficient for them as a deterrent from their current state.