Al-Hujuraat (The Inner Apartments)
Verse 1
Section (juz’): 26
Number of Verses: 18
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Chapter in question has eighteen Verses and it was revealed in Medina. The Arabic word hujurat is the plural form of hujra. The fourth Verse of the Chapter treats of the rooms of the Noble Prophet’s (S) house, hence the designation Hujurat (“rooms”).
The Merits of the Recitation of the Chapter
According to a tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as):
“One who recites Surah al-Hujurat every night or every day, shall be regarded as one of the visitors of Prophet Muhammad (S).”
It goes without saying that visiting the Noble Prophet (S) stands second to acting upon the rules mentioned herein concerning the Noble Prophet of Islam (S), since recitation is at all times a prelude to practice.
Surah al-Hujurat - Verse 1
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ وَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (1)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
1. O you who believe! Make not [a decision] in advance before Allah and His Messenger and fear Allah. Indeed! Allah is All-Hearing, Omniscient.
The three Chapters titled Ma’ida, Hujurat, and Mumtahana, opening with the clause:
“O you who believe!”
treat of social and political issues.
The blessed Verse in question intends to educate believers like angels, since the Holy Qur’an says regarding them:
“They speak not until He has spoken, and they act upon His Command”1 .
The instances of making decisions in advance before the Noble Prophet (S) are not attested in the Holy Qur’an so that it includes prohibitions of making decisions in advance in doctrinal, socio-political, economic, and other issues in words and deeds.
God Almighty strictly forbids making decisions in advance before the leader of the Islamic community, since one who makes decisions in advance before God Almighty and His Messenger (S), causes disorder in the management of the Islamic system, leads the society to chaos, and in fact plays with the legislative system through his personal inclinations.
Acting upon the blessed Verse in question prevents from the emergence of many a flaw, since following surmises , inclination toward innovation, hasty judgment, and so-called liberal thoughts may at times lead man to making decisions that involuntarily does so in advance before God Almighty and His Messenger (S).
In like manner, some people aspiring to worship God Almighty, be decisive, revolutionary, pious, and leading a simple life make decisions in advance before God Almighty and His Messenger (S) and became more catholic than the Pope.
Therefore, acknowledging and acting upon social customs or secular laws and regulations which are not based upon the Holy Qur’an, traditions of the Noble Prophet (S) and the Infallible Imams (as), and human intellect and his natural and innate disposition (fitra) are all instances of making decisions in advance before God Almighty and His Messenger (S).
At any rate, God Almighty addresses believers in the blessed Verse in question saying:
“O you who believe! Make not [a decision] in advance before Allah and His Messenger (S).”
Believers are hereby asked not to obey anyone besides God Almighty and His Messenger (S). They are supposed not to say anything against the Book and Prophetic traditions (sunna).
“Fear Allah”
and withhold from disobeying Divine Commands and know that:
“Indeed! Allah is All-Hearing, Omniscient.”
He hears your words and He is All-Aware of your deeds.
It is worthy of note that a number of Qur’anic exegets concerning the occasion of the revelation of the blessed Verse in question have said that it makes a reference to the deeds of some Muslims who performed some of their devotion rituals prior to their due time; as a consequence of which the blessed Verse in question was revealed to forbid them from embarking upon the same.1 For the sake of brevity, other views are not mentioned herein.
Footnotes
Tafsir Qurtubi, vol. 9, p. 6121; Majma’ al-Bayan; Burhan, under the blessed Verse in question. ↩