Al-Mujaadila (The Pleading Woman)

8. Have you not seen those who were forbidden to hold confidential talks, and afterwards returned to that which they had been forbidden and conspired together for sin and wrong doing and disobedience to the Messenger. But when they come to you, they greet you with a greeting wherewith Allah greets you not, and say unto themselves: “Why should Allah chastise us not for what we say?” The Hell will be sufficient for them in which they will enter. And worst indeed is that place and destination.

Two Occasions of Revelation have been transmitted regarding the blessed Verse in question each of which is related to one part of the blessed Verse. According to the former, a group of Jews and hypocrites held confidential talks and at times cast unpleasant glances at believers.

Thus, believers thought that Jews and hypocrites had been informed of unpleasant news about their kith and kin who had joined jihad. Sorrowful, they complained to Allah's Messenger (S) about their unpleasant glances.

The Noble Prophet (S) warned them against holding secret counsels before Muslims, but his warnings fell upon dead ears. Then, the blessed Verse in question was revealed and severely threatened them against holding such counsels.¹

The second Occasion of Revelation is mentioned in Bukhari's and Muslim's Sahihayn and many exegetic sources according to which, a group of Jews came unto the Noble Prophet (S) and instead of greeting him by saying al-salamu ‘alayka they said al-samu ‘alayka ya Aba al-Qasim intending to say death, weariness, and reproach be unto you.

The Noble Prophet (S) replied:

“The same unto you.” “À’isha is reported as saying: “I noticed that they had said may death, God's curse and wrath be upon him. However, the Noble Prophet (S) asked me to be tolerant and refrain from violence and slander. I insisted: “Do you not hear that they said: 'Death unto you’?”

He asked me:

“Did you not hear that I replied by saying 'Unto you’?” Then, the blessed Verse was revealed saying that when such group come unto you, they greet you in a manner by which God Almighty has never greeted you.”2

The blessed Verse in question resumes the discussion on confidential talk by asking:

“Did you not see those who were forbidden from holding confidential talk but they engage themselves in the same thereby committing sins and disobeying Allah's Messenger (S)?”

It is explicitly mentioned that they had been forbidden from holding confidential talk and thereby casing suspicion and concern in others. Nonetheless, they did not act upon Divine Command but committed sins and disobeyed Allah and His Messenger (S).

The Arabic terms ithm, ‘udwan, and ma‘siyat al-rasul are different in semantic terms in that the first denotes sins against oneself, such as drinking alcoholic beverages, the second constitutes instances of transgressing the rights of other people, and the third is concerned with disobeying the commands issued by the Noble Prophet of the Islamic faith as the head of the Islamic state regarding the interests of the Muslim community.

Therefore, they raised any wrong in their secret counsels regarding themselves, others, Muslim state, and the Noble Prophet of Islam (S). The present verbal forms ya‘udun and yatanajun connote the recurrence of their deed thereby aiming to hurt believers. The point is that the blessed Verse disclosed their evil deed as a piece of news from the unseen thus revealing their deviation.

The blessed Verse makes mention of another evil deed committed by hypocrites and Jews, saying:

“When they come unto you, they greet you such that God Almighty has never greeted you.” The Arabic verbal form hayyuka, cognate with tahiyya (“greeting, salutation”) connotes praying for someone else's health and life.

The clauses:

“greeting unto you” (al-salamun ‘alayka)

and,

“God's greeting unto you” (salam Allah ‘alayka)

are intended herein which is also recurrently attested in the Holy Qur’an an instance of which is:

“And peace be on the Messengers”3 .

However, they uttered the sentence:

“Death, censure, and weariness be unto you” (asamun ‘alayka).

The blessed Verse proceeds to say that they not only commit such grave sins but also are they so self-conceited that they say if their deeds are evil and God Almighty is All-Aware of them, how come that He does not chastise us for our words and deeds. Thus, they proved their disbelief in the Prophethood of Allah's Messenger (S) and Divine Omniscience.

Thus the Holy Qur’an replies to them:

“Hell is sufficient for them and there is no need to other chastisements. They will enter Hell before long and what a worst place it is.”

It is worthy of note that the blessed Verse does not negate the torments in store for them in this world, but it is explicitly expressing the truth that even if there will be no other torment for them but Hell, it will be sufficient for them since they will meet the recompense of all their deeds there.