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Aal `Imran (The Household of `Imran)
Name
This Surah takes its name from v. 33. Aal `Imran, like the names of many
other surahs, is merely a name to distinguish it from other surahs and
does not imply that the family of `Imran has been discussed in it.
The Period of Revelation
This Surah consists of four discourses The first discourses :-
The first discourse (vv. 1-32) was probably revealed soon after the Battle
of Badr.
The second discourse (vv. 33-63) was revealed in 9 A. H. on the occasion
of the visit of the deputation from the Christians of Najran.
The third discourse (vv. 64-120) appears to have been revealed immediately
after the first one.
The fourth discourse (vv. 121-200) was revealed after the Battle of Uhd.
Subject
Though these discourses were revealed at different periods and on different
occasions, they are so inter-linked and so inter-connected iii regard
to their aim, object and central theme that they make together one continuous
whole. This Surah has been especially addressed to two groups-the people
of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) and the followers of Muhammad
(Allah's peace be upon him).
The message has been extended to the Jews and the Christians in continuation
of the invitation in Al-Baqarah, in which they have been admonished for
their erroneous beliefs and evil morals and advised to accept, as a remedy,
the Truth of the Quran. They have been told here that Muhammad (Allah's
peace be, upon him) taught the same right way of life that had been preached
by their own Prophets; that it alone was the Right Way, the way of Allah;
hence any deviation from it will be wrong even according to their own
Scriptures.
The second group, the Muslims, who had been declared to be the best Community
in Al-Baqarah and appointed torch-bearers of the Truth and entrusted with
the responsibility of reforming the world, have been given additional
instructions in continuation of those given in the preceding Surah. The
Muslims have been warned to learn a lesson from the religious and moral
degeneration of the former communities and to refrain from treading in
their footsteps. Instructions have also been given about the reformative
work they had to perform. Besides this, they have been taught how to deal
with the people of the Book and the hypocrites who were putting different
kinds of hindrances in the way of Allah. Above all, they have been warned
to guard against those weaknesses which had come to the surface in the
Battle Uhd.
Background
The following is the background of the Surah:
- The Believers had met with all sorts of trials and hardships about
which they had been forewarned in Al- Baqarah. Though they had come
out victorious in the Battle of Badr, they were not out of danger yet.
Their victory had aroused the enmity of all those powers in Arabia which
were opposed to the Islamic Movement. Signs of threatening storms had
begun to appear on all sides and the Muslims were in a perpetual state
of fear and anxiety. It looked as if the whole Arabian world around
the tiny state of Al- Madinah -- which was no more than a village state
at that time -- was bent upon blotting out its very existence. This
state of war was also adversely affecting its economy, which had already
been badly disturbed by the influx of the Muslim refugees from Makkah.
- Then there was the disturbing problem of the Jewish clans who lived
in the suburbs of Al-Madinah. They were discarding the treaties of alliance
they had made with the Holy Prophet after his migration from Makkah.
So much so that on the occasion of the Battle of Badr, these people
of the Book sympathized with the evil aims of the idolaters, in spite
of the fact that their fundamental articles of the Faith -- Oneness
of Allah, Prophethood, Life-after- death -- were the same as those of
the Muslims. After the Battle of Badr, they openly began to incite the
Quraish and other Arab clans to wreak their vengeance on the Muslims.
Thus those Jewish clans set aside their centuries-old friendly and neighborly
relations with the people of Al-Madinah. At last when their mischievous
actions and breaches of treaties became unbearable, the Holy Prophet
attacked the Bani- Qainu-qa'a, the most mischievous of all the other
Jewish clans who had conspired with the hypocrites of Al-Madinah and
the idolatrous Arab clans to encircle the Believers on all sides. The
magnitude of the peril might be judged from the fact that even the life
of the Holy Prophet himself was always in danger. Therefore his Companions
slept in their armors during that period and kept watch at night to
guard against any sudden attack, and whenever the Holy Prophet happened
to be out of sight even for a short while, they would at once set out
in search of him.
- This incitement by the Jews added fuel to the fire which was burning
in the hearts of the Quraish and they began to make preparations to
avenge the defeat they had suffered at Bad. A year after this an army
of 3,000 strong marched out of Makkah to invade Al-Madinah and a battle
took place at the foot of Mount Uhd. The Holy Prophet came out of Al-Madinah
with one thousand men to meet the enemy. While they were marching to
the battle-field, three hundred hypocrites deserted the army and returned
to Al- Madinah, but there still remained a small band of hypocrites
among the seven hundred who accompanied the Holy Prophet. They played
their part and did their worst to create mischief and chaos in the ranks
of the Believers during the Battle. This was the first clear indication
of the fact that within the fold of the Muslim Community there was quite
a large number of saboteurs who were always ready to conspire with the
external enemies to harm their own brethren.
- Though the devices of the hypocrites had played a great part in the
set-back at Uhd, the weaknesses of the Muslims themselves contributed
no less to it. And it was but natural that the Muslims should show signs
of moral weakness for they were a new community which had only recently
been formed on a new ideology and had not as yet got a thorough moral
training. Naturally in this second hard test of their physical and moral
strength, some weaknesses came to the surface. That is why a detailed
review of the Battle of Uhd was needed to warn the Muslims of their
shortcomings and to issue instructions for their reform. It should also
be noted that this review of the Battle is quite different from the
reviews that are usually made by generals on similar occasions.
Subject: Guidance
This Surah is the sequel to, Al-Baqarah and the invitation therein
is continued to the people of the Book. In Al- Baqarah the Jews were pointedly
invited to accept the Guidance and in this Surah the Christians have particularly
been admonished to give up their erroneous beliefs and accept the Guidance
of the Quran. At the same time, the Muslims have been instructed to nourish
the virtues that may enable them to carry out their obligations and spread
the Divine Guidance.
Topics and their Interconnection
In these introductory verses, the fundamental truths about Allah, Revelation
and Life-after-death have been reiterated to serve as fitting preliminaries,
leading to the main topics discussed in the Surah. 1 - 32
This discourse is particularly addressed to the Christians and invites
them to accept Islam. It clears Jesus and his mother not only from the
stigma maliciously set upon them by the Jews, but also refutes the erroneous
Christian creed of the Divinity of Jesus which had been formulated because
of his miraculous birth. For this purpose the instances of John the Baptist
to a barren woman and an extremely aged man and that of Adam without father
and mother have been cited to show that there is nothing in the birth
of Jesus without a father to entitle him to Divinity. 33 - 65
In these verses the people of the Book, the Jews, have been invited to
give up their sinister ways and accept the divine Guidance. At the same
time the Muslims have been warned to be on their guard against their malicious
intentions, erroneous ways and absurd objections. 66 - 101
The Muslims have been instructed to learn lessons from the history of
the people of the Book and also to guard themselves against their machinations,
and to prepare and train themselves to establish virtue and eradicate
evil. 102 - 120
In this portion, a review of the Battle of Uhd has been mad to teach and
reassure the Muslims that the machinations of their enemies could do them
no harm, if they would practise restraint and fortitude and have fear
of Allah. It has been pointed out that the set-back they had suffered
was due to the lack of some moral qualities and the existence of some
evils. Since the main cause of the defeat was the greed of the archers,
guarding the pass, the taking of interest has been prohibited to eradicate
this evil. 121-175
The main theme of the verses 109 - 120 has been resumed to reassure
and encourage the Muslims against the dangerous plots of their enemies.
175 - 189
This is the conclusion of the Surah and is not directly connected with
the verses immediately preceding it but with the theme of the Surah as
a whole. 190 - 200
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