The Sharing Group Discussion on Surah al-Fath:29

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Brother Hamayoon Sultan Qurayshi posted this, on The Sharing Group, on the 21^st November 2015: “Another verse to discuss: 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَتْح

مُّحَمَّدٌ۬ رَّسُولُ ٱللَّهِ‌ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُ ۥۤ أَشِدَّآءُ عَلَى ٱلۡكُفَّارِ رُحَمَآءُ بَيۡنَہُمۡ‌ۖ تَرَٮٰهُمۡ رُكَّعً۬ا سُجَّدً۬ا يَبۡتَغُونَ فَضۡلاً۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَٲنً۬ا‌ۖ سِيمَاهُمۡ فِى وُجُوهِهِم مِّنۡ أَثَرِ ٱلسُّجُودِ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ مَثَلُهُمۡ فِى ٱلتَّوۡرَٮٰةِ‌ۚ وَمَثَلُهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡإِنجِيلِ كَزَرۡعٍ أَخۡرَجَ شَطۡـَٔهُ ۥ فَـَٔازَرَهُ ۥ فَٱسۡتَغۡلَظَ فَٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِۦ يُعۡجِبُ ٱلزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِہِمُ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ‌ۗ وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ مِنۡہُم مَّغۡفِرَةً۬ وَأَجۡرًا عَظِيمَۢا (٢٩) 

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against disbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other.  You will see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer) seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure.  On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration.  This is their similitude in the Torah; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick and it stands on its own stem (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight.  As a result, it fills the disbelievers with rage at him.  Allah has Promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds Forgiveness and a great Reward. (Surah al-Fath:29)” 

Brother Terence Helikaon Nunis: The marks of prostration do not refer to physical marks such as the black marks that some people, especially Wahhabis have.  According to our mufassirin, they refer to the nur of the believers.  People taking it literally go to extraordinary lengths to deface their foreheads for sign of piety and this is nifaq. 

Brother Hamayoon Sultan Qurayshi: That is one of the things I was hoping would come out of this discussion; I have always found it difficult to believe that something like that black mark could be what was being referred to. 

Brother Terence Helikaon Nunis: If the Prophet (s.a.w.) had no such mark, and he was a man of sajdah, then what sort of sujud are these people performing? 

Brother William Voller: The ‘ulama say it may refer to the dust from prostration also.  The point being that those committed to a life of prayer are discernibly different. 

Brother Hamayoon Sultan Qurayshi: This verse is also the final in Surah al-Fath.  In this surah, Allah (s.w.t.) uses the first 28 verses to convey a sense of His Majesty, but right at the end, in the final verse, says, “Muhammadur Rasulullah.”  This surah is the shahadah: Laa Ilaha Illallah, Muhammadur Rasulullah. 

Brother Terence Helikaon Nunis: Yes.  That is the other significance of this verse.  It is from here that we get the second portion of the shahadah. 

Brother Abdulkareem C Stone: Also, “and those who are with him”, with the Prophet (s.a.w.), refers to the swahabah, who knew who the kuffar were.  Many take this verse as permission to harsh against the non-Muslims, which is so wrong.  Maybe many swahabah had marks on their foreheads from excessive prostration and if they did it would not have been through nifaq.  Like so many verses of the Qur’an, these refer to a particular time, people and place as is clear here in this verse.  It has to be made clear that we should not let these Khwarij in any way muddy our perception of the swahabah.  We are required to love them as is clear from the praise that Allah (s.w.t.) has Bestowed on them through this verse. 

Brother William Voller: This verse is also often linked to the hadits: “God is not merciful to one who is not merciful.”  Also, another hadits states: “The merciful are shown Mercy by the Merciful.  Be merciful to those on Earth, and He who is in Heaven will be Merciful unto you.”  There is no mercy to those who show no mercy, which is why ISIS are of the Khwarij, and must be destroyed utterly, until they recant remember their humanity and show some mercy once more.  To use this verse as an excuse to rein vicious cruelty on the innocent who have shown no aggression is a contradiction in terms and shows one to have no Islam and contradict God. 

Brother Hamayoon Sultan Qurayshi, it may be worth mentioning that the Greatest of Creation (s.a.w.) said, of the Khwarij, “They recite Qur’an and consider It in their favour but it is against them.” 

Brother Hamayoon Sultan Qurayshi: That is why I have never trusted people who claim to be absolutely certain of their own destiny, Brother William; those who claim in arrogance that they will forever reside in heaven.  It claims a knowledge of things that cannot be known by we mere mortals. 

Brother William Voller: It is to place oneself in the place of God; the definition of mushrik. 

Brother Hamayoon Sultan Qurayshi: That is rather ironic given the stated mission of the khwarij to challenge shirk, that they should be guilty of it. 

Brother William Voller: They are deaf blind and dumb and perceive it not. 

Brother Terence Helikaon Nunis: The verse: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى يَنۡعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسۡمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَآءً۬ وَنِدَآءً۬‌ۚ صُمُّۢ بُكۡمٌ عُمۡىٌ۬ فَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ (١٧١) 

The parable of those who reject faith is as if one were to shout like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries; deaf, dumb, and blind.  They are void of wisdom. (Surah al-Baqarah:171) 

It should also be pointed out that this ayat, like the many in the Qur’an is one of the foundations of our ‘aqidah, in that it States Explicitly that it is not enough to believe without good works.  The Murji’ah, a heretical sect of the early days of Islam, separated iman and amal such that they contended that belief alone was sufficient and the acts did not matter since they belonged to God, so a person could pray to an idol, and conform to shari'ah in any way or engage in any act of ‘ibadah, but the mere testification of belief was sufficient to be considered a Muslim.  That is nifaq to us.