Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

5. “Call them after their (true) fathers, that is more equitable with Allah; but if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brethren in faith and your friends, and there is no blame on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, but what you do with intent of heart (you are responsible), and Allah is forgiving, Merciful.”

In order to lay a more emphasis and making clear the correct and logical line of Islam, the Qur’an says:

“Call them after their (true) fathers, that is more equitable with Allah…”

The Arabic word /’aqsat/ (more equitable) used here means that if you call them by adapted fathers’ names it is just and by their real fathers’ names is more equitable. As we have repeatedly said, this Arabic form of the word is sometimes used for the instances that the quality is not found in the opposite party.

For example, it may be said that: ‘It is preferable that man might be cautious and does not put his life in danger’. This statement does not mean that putting life in danger is good, and to be cautious is better than that, but the purpose is to compare ‘good’ and ‘bad’ with each other.

And, in order to remove the pretexts, the Qur’an adds:

“…but if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brethren in faith and your friends…”

That is, the lack of knowing their fathers is not a reason for this that you put the name of another person as their father, but you can address them as your brethren in religion or as your friends.

The Arabic word /mawali/ is the plural form of /maula/ and the Islamic commentators have mentioned several meanings concerning it.

Some of them have taken it in the sense of ‘friend’ and some others have meant it ‘the slave who has become emancipated’, (because some of the adapted sons were the slaves who were bought and then they were emancipated and since they were in the favour of their possessors they were called as their adapted sons).

This point should also be noted that the application of /maula/ in these instances, that he was an emancipated slave, was for the sake that after emancipation they would keep their relation with the possessor, and, from legal point, this relation might somehow substitute the relationship, and it is called in Arabic /wula’-i-‘itq/.

Some Islamic narrations denote that Ziyd-ibn-Harithah was called as Ziyd-ibn-Muhammad after that the Prophet (S) emancipated him, until when the above verse was sent down and from then on the Prophet (S) told him:

“You are Ziyd-ibn-Harithah”,

and people called him ‘Maula Rasulullah’.¹

Also it is said Abu-Hathifah had a slave by the name of ‘Salim’. He emancipated him and called him as his son. When the above mentioned verse was sent down he was named as Salim-Maula-’Abi-Hathifah.²

But in view of the fact that it happens that, as the result of former custom, or mistake in recognition of individual’s linage, a person may be ascribed to other than his father, and this is out of the realm of his authority, Allah, the Just, the Wise, will not punish such a person.

Therefore, at the end of the verse, the Qur’an says:

“…and there is no blame on you concerning that in which you made a mistake…” “…but what you do with intent of heart (you are responsible), and Allah is forgiving, Merciful.”

Allah will forgive what happened in the past and what you may do by mistake, err, and forgetfulness, but if after the revelation of this ordinance you oppose it intentionally and optionally and call persons by other than the name of their fathers so that you continue the wrong custom of ‘adopted son’ and ‘adopted father’ Allah will not forgive you.

Some commentators have said that ‘mistake’ envelops those instances that someone does call affectionately unto another one ‘son’, or for the sake of reverence he says ‘father’.

Of course, it is correct to say that these meanings are not ‘sin’, but not for the sake of mistake, but for the sake that these meanings are used ironically and metaphorically, and its frame of reference is usually mentioned with them. The Qur’an negates the real applications in this field, not the metaphorical ones.