Al-Mujaadila (The Pleading Woman)

13. Are you afraid of spending in charity before your private consultation? If then you do it not and Allah has forgiven you, then establish prayers and pay alms-tax and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.

The Injunction mentioned in the preceding Verse served as an interesting trial and engendered a wondrous effect such that except the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (as), no one acted upon it. Muslims took a clear lesson out of the Injunction.

Thus, the blessed Verse in question abrogated the Injunction by saying:

“Are you afraid of spending in charity before you private counsel?”

It is then clear that loving worldly possessions is stronger than that for holding private consultations with the Noble Prophet (S). It also reflects that significant issues were not raised in such private consultations, otherwise such people could pay alms before holding such private counsels as no specific amount had been specified for paying alms and they could conveniently afford a meager amount to solve the problem.

The blessed Verse proceeds to say that now that you failed to act upon the Injunction and noticed you negligence and God Almighty is Oft-Forgiving and accepted your repentance, establish prayers, pay alms-tax, obey God Almighty and His Messenger (S), and know that He is All-Aware of what you do.

It is worthy of note that the word repentance (tawba) reflects that they had committed sins in holding their private consultations either through dissimulation and hypocrisy or hurting the Noble Prophet (S) and poor believers.

Although there is no explicit permission in holding private counsels, but the contextual meaning of the blessed Verse reflects that the former Injunction was abrogated, but owing to their significance, people were called to establish prayers, pay alms-tax, and obey God Almighty and His Messenger (S). It also alludes that such private consultations should aim at the exalted goals of the Islamic faith and obedience to God Almighty and His Messenger (S).

The Arabic word ishfaq denotes concern for some loss.¹ The blessed Verse reflects that paying alms before holding private consultation with the Noble Prophet (S) served as a test to distinguish sincere and loving believers from others rather than a retreat through the abrogation of the Divine Injunction.

The Arabic particle wa (“and”) in “and Allah has forgiven you”

reflects that abrogation of the Injunctions was not due to people's failure to act upon it. Since some of the Companions of the Noble Prophet (S) abandoned holding private counsels with him owing to their fear of expending in Allah's Cause, they were censured by God Almighty though holding private consultations with the Noble Prophet (S) was neither obligatory nor supererogatory.