|
* Allah's commandment not to compromise in
the matters of religion.
This S�rah was not revealed to preach
religious tolerance as some people of today seem to think, but
was revealed in order to exonerate the Muslims from the
disbelievers' religion, their rites of worship, and their gods;
to express their total disgust and unconcern with them; to tell
them that Islam and Kufr (unbelief) had nothing in common and
that there was no possibility of their ever being combined and
mixed into one entity. Although it was initially addressed to
the disbelieving Qureysh in response to their proposals of
compromise, it is not confined to them only. Having made it a
part of the Qur'an, Allah gave the Muslims the eternal teaching
stating that they should exonerate themselves by word and deed
from the creed of Kufr, wherever and in whatever form it may be,
and that they should declare without any reservation that they
cannot make any compromise with the disbelievers in matters of
Faith.
Sayyidun� Khabb�b says: �The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said to me;
'when you lie down in bed to sleep, recite Qul y�-ayyuhal
K�fir�n, this was the Prophet�s own practice when he lay down to
sleep.'" - (Reported by Bazzar, Tabarani, Ibn Marduyah).
According to Ibn 'Abb�s, the Prophet (pbuh) said to the people:
�Should I tell you the word which will protect you from
polytheism? It is that you should recite Qul y�-ayyuhal K�fir�n
when you go to bed.� (Reported by Abu Ya�la, Tabarani).
Sayyidun� Anas says that the Prophet said to Sayyidun� Mu�adh
bin Jabal: �Recite Qul y�-ayyuhal-K�fir�n at the time you go to
bed, for this is immunity from polytheism.� (Reported by Baihaqi
in Ash-Shu�aib).
The Issue of Belief and Disbelief
There was a time in Makkah when although a storm of
opposition had arisen in the pagan society of Qureysh against
the message of Islam preached by the Prophet (upon whom be
peace), the Qureysh chiefs had not yet lost hope that they would
reach some sort of a compromise with him. Therefore, from time
to time they would visit him with different proposals of
compromise so that he may accept compromise and the dispute
between them may end. In this connection, different traditions
have been related in the Hadith.
According to Sayyidun� Abdullah bin 'Abb�s, the Qureysh proposed
to the Prophet: �We shall give you so much wealth that you will
become the richest man of Makkah. Further, we shall give you
whichever woman you like in marriage and are prepared to follow
and obey you as our leader on the condition that you will not
speak ill of our gods. If you do not agree to this, we present
another proposal which is to your and our advantage.� When the
Prophet asked what it was, they said that if he would worship
their gods, L�t and Uzza, for a year, they would worship his God
for the same span of time. The Holy Prophet said: �Wait awhile
let me see what my Rabb commands in this regard.� Thereupon this
revelation came down. According to another tradition from Ibn 'Abb�s,
the Qureysh said to the Prophet: �O Muhammad, if you kiss our
gods (idols), we shall worship your God.� Thereupon, this S�rah
was sent down. Yet in another tradition Said bin Mina (the freed
slave of Abul Bakhtari) has related that Wal�d bin Mughirah, As
bin Wail, Aswad bin Al-Muttalib and Umayyah bin Khalaf met the
Prophet (pbuh) and said to him: "O Muhammad (pbuh), let us agree
that we would worship your God and you would worship our gods,
and we would make you a partner in all our works. If what you
have brought was better than what we possess, we would be
partners in it with You, and have our share in it, and if what
we possess is better than what you have brought, you would be
partner in it with us and have your share of it.� At this Allah
sent down: Qul y�-ayyuhal-K�fir�n (Ibn Jar�r, Ibn Abi H�tim, Ibn
Hish�m also has related this incident in the Seerah).
Because of these repeated dialogues, there was a need that the
Qureysh be given a definite, decisive reply so that their hope
of Muhammad ( pbuh) coming to terms with them on the principle
of �give and take� would be frustrated for ever.
|
To read only 
