Surah Al-Muddathir 74:5
ﲦ ﲧ
And uncleanliness avoid
Tafsir of Al-Muddathir 74:5
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 74:5
Al-Muddaththir: (5) And the Rujz, forsake it.
There are issues concerning this:
The First Issue:
They mentioned several interpretations for al-Rujz (الرجز):
The First View: Al-'Utbi said that al-Rujz means punishment (العذاب). Allah the Exalted says: {If you remove the punishment from us} (Al-A'raf: 134), meaning the punishment. The plotting of Satan is also named Rujz because it is a cause of punishment, and idols are also named Rujz for this same reason.
According to this view, the verse indicates the obligation to guard against all sins. Furthermore, under this view, there are two possibilities:
- That His saying, {And the Rujz, forsake it} means: Forsake everything that leads to punishment (al-Rujz). The implied structure is: "And that which leads to punishment, forsake it," meaning that which leads to punishment. Thus, the object being referred to is omitted.
- That something leading to punishment is named punishment itself, by naming a thing by what is adjacent to it and connected to it.
The Second View: Al-Rujz is a name for what is ugly and repulsive, which is the meaning of al-Rijs (الرجس). Therefore, His saying {And the Rujz, forsake it} is a comprehensive statement regarding noble character traits (makārim al-akhlāq). It is as if he was told: Forsake harshness, foolishness, and everything ugly, and do not adopt the character traits of these polytheists who practice al-Rujz. This aligns with the interpretation of those who explained His saying {And your garments, purify them} (Al-Muddaththir: 4) as referring to improving character and purifying the soul from sins and ugliness.
The Second Issue:
Those who permit the possibility of prophets committing sins used this verse as evidence. They argue that if the Prophet (PBUH) were not engaged in sins, there would be no need for the command to forsake them by saying {And the Rujz, forsake it}.
The Reply: What is intended here is the command for perseverance in that forsaking. Just as when a Muslim says, "Guide us" (in Al-Fatiha), it does not mean that we are not guided, but rather it means: Establish us upon this guidance. Similarly, here, the command is for continuous abandonment.
The Third Issue:
'Asim, in the narration of Hafs, recited al-Rujz with a ḍammah (Ru) in this Sura, but with a kasrah (Ri) in the rest of the Qur'an. The rest of the reciters, and 'Asim in the narration of Abu Bakr, recited it with a kasrah. Ya'qub recited it with a ḍammah.
Al-Farrā' said: They are two linguistic variations, and the meaning is the same. In the book of Al-Khalil, al-Rujz (with ḍammah) means idolatry (worship of idols), while al-Rijz (with kasrah) means punishment, and the whisperings of Satan are also rijz. Abu 'Ubaydah said: The kasrah recitation is the more widespread and common of the two linguistic forms.