Tafsir of Surah Al-Hajj - Verse 78

The Command to worship Allah and engage in Jihad

It was reported from `Uqbah bin `Amir that the Prophet said:

«فُضِّلَتْ سُورَةُ الْحَجِّ بِسَجْدَتَيْنِ، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْجُدْهُمَا فَلَا يَقْرَأْهُمَا»

(Surat Al-Hajj has been blessed with two Sajdahs, so whoever does not prostrate them should not read them.)

وَجَـهِدُوا فِى اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَـدِهِ

(And strive hard in Allah's cause as you ought to strive.) means, with your wealth and your tongues and your bodies. This is like the Ayah:

اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ

(Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due.) 3:102

هُوَ اجْتَبَـكُمْ

(He has chosen you,) means, `O Ummah of Islam, Allah has selected you and chosen you over all other nations, and has favored you and blessed you and honored you with the noblest of Messengers and the noblest of Laws.'

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكمْ فِى الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

(and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship) He has not given you more than you can bear and He has not obliged you to do anything that will cause you difficulty except that He has created for you a way out. So the Salah, which is the most important pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith, is obligatory, four Rak`ahs when one is settled, which are shortened to two Rak`ah when one is traveling. According to some Imams, only one Rak`ahs is obligatory at times of fear, as was recorded in the Hadith. A person may pray while walking or riding, facing the Qiblah or otherwise. When praying optional prayers while traveling, one may face the Qiblah or not. A person is not obliged to stand during the prayer if he is sick; the sick person may pray sitting down, and if he is not able to do that then he may pray lying on his side. And there are other exemptions and dispensations which may apply to the obligatory prayers and other duties. So the Prophet said:

«بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة»

(I have been sent with the easy Hanifi way.) And he said to Mu`adh and Abu Musa, when he sent them as governors to Yemen:

«بَشِّرَا وَلَا تُنَفِّرا وَيَسِّرَا وَلَا تُعَسِّرَا»

(Give good news and do not repel them. Make things easy for the people and do not make the things difficult for them.) And there are many similar Hadiths. Ibn `Abbas said concerning the Ayah,

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكمْ فِى الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

(and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship), "This means difficulty."

مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَهِيمَ

(It is the religion of your father Ibrahim. ) Ibn Jarir said, "This refers back to the Ayah,

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكمْ فِى الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

(and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship) meaning, any difficulty." On the contrary, He has made it easy for you, like the religion of your father Ibrahim. He said, "It may be that it means: adhere to the religion of your father Ibrahim." I say: This interpretation of the Ayah is like the Ayah:

قُلْ إِنَّنِى هَدَانِى رَبِّى إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا

(Say: "Truly, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, a right religion, the religion of Ibrahim, a Hanif) 6:161

هُوَ سَمَّـكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِى هَـذَا

(He has named you Muslims both before and in this (Qur'an),) Imam `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said, narrating from Ibn Jurayj, from `Ata', from Ibn `Abbas: concerning Allah's saying,

هُوَ سَمَّـكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ

(He has named you Muslims before) "This refers to Allah, may He be glorified." This was also the view of Mujahid, `Ata', Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, Muqatil bin Hayyan and Qatadah. Mujahid said, "Allah named you Muslims before, in the previous Books and in Adh-Dhikr,

وَفِى هَـذَا

(and in this) means, the Qur'an." This was also the view of others, because Allah says:

هُوَ اجْتَبَـكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكمْ فِى الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

(He has chosen you, and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship) Then He urged them to follow the Message which His Messenger brought, by reminding them that this was the religion of their father Ibrahim. Then He mentioned His blessings to this Ummah, whereby He mentioned them and praised them long ago in the Books of the Prophets which were recited to the rabbis and monks. Allah says:

هُوَ سَمَّـكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ

(He has named you Muslims both before) meaning, before the Qur'an,

وَفِى هَـذَا

(and in this.) Under the explanation of this Ayah, An-Nasa'i recorded from Al-Harith Al-Ash`ari from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said:

«مَنْ دَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ جِثِيِّ جَهَنَّم»

(Whoever adopts the call of Jahiliyyah, will be one of those who will crawl on their knees in Hell.) A man said, "O Messenger of Allah, even if he fasts and performs Salah" He said,

«نَعَمْ وَإِنْ صَامَ وَصَلَّى ، فَادْعُوا بِدَعْوَةِ اللهِ الَّتِي سَمَّاكُمْ بِهَا الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِبَادَ الله»

(Yes, even if he fasts and performs Salah. So adopt the call of Allah whereby He called you Muslims and believers and servants of Allah.)

لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيداً عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُواْ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ

(that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind!) means, `thus We have made you a just and fair nation, the best of nations, and all other nations will testify to your justice. On the Day of Resurrection you will be,

شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ

(witnesses over mankind),' because on that Day all the nations will acknowledge its leadership and its precedence over all others. Therefore, on the Day of Resurrection the testimony of the members of this community will be accepted as proof that the Messengers ﷺ conveyed the Message of their Lord to them, and the Messenger will testify that he conveyed the Message to them.

فَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلوةَ وَءَاتُواْ الزَّكَوةَ

(So perform the Salah, give Zakah) means, respond to this great blessing with gratitude by fulfilling your duties towards Allah, doing that which He has enjoined upon you and avoiding that which He had forbidden. Among the most important duties are establishing regular prayer and giving Zakah. Zakah is a form of beneficence towards Allah's creatures, whereby He has enjoined upon the rich to give a little of their wealth to the poor each year, to help the weak and needy. We have already mentioned its explanation in the Ayah of Zakah in Surat At-Tawbah (9:5).

وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِاللَّهِ

(and hold fast to Allah.) means, seek the help and support of Allah and put your trust in Him, and get strength from Him.

هُوَ مَوْلَـكُمْ

(He is your Mawla,) meaning, He is your Protector and your Helper, He is the One Who will cause you to prevail against your enemies.

فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ

(what an Excellent Mawla and what an Excellent Helper!) He is the best Mawla and the best Helper against your enemies. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Hajj. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his family and Companions, and grant them peace; may Allah honor and be pleased with the Companions and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Resurrection.

وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّـهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ (And struggle for (seeking the pleasure of) Allah, a struggle that is due to him - 22:78) The words جِھَاد - (jihad) and مُجَاھِدہ (mujahadah) mean to exert one's utmost effort to achieve an objective and to take pains for it. (That is why the word is translated above as 'struggle' ). While waging war against the infidels the Muslims make supreme efforts, and for this reason it is called jihad, and حَقّ جِھَادہٖ struggle that is due to Him) means that all these efforts and sacrifices should aim solely at winning the favours and goodwill of Allah Ta’ ala, and be free from all considerations of worldly reward, such as fame or spoils of war.

Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has explained the phrase 'that is due to Him' by saying that it is to strive to the utmost, If one's capacity in the course of jihad, unmindful of all criticism. Some other commentators have explained the word jihad in this verse to mean that one exerts his utmost effort in carrying out the acts of worship and full obedience to rules of Shari` ah in all sincerity. Dahhak and Muqatil have said that a struggle that is due to Him means to act in Allah's obedience and His worship as due to Him. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Mubarak ؓ thinks that Jihad means to strive against the temptations (nafs) and its baser desires. Imam Baghawi supports this view on the basis of a hadith which he has from Jabir Ibn ` Abdullah ؓ to the effect that when a group of companions returned from Jihad, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said قدمتم خیر مقدم من الجھاد الاصغرالی الجھاد الاکبر قال : مجاددۃ العبد لھواہ (رواہ البیھقی وقال ھذا اسناد فیہ ضعف) (You have returned from a smaller Jihad to a greater Jihad) meaning thereby that the fight against the temptations of self and baser desires never ceases. Baihaqi has also related this hadith but he is of the opinion that it has some weak narrators, Tafsir Mazhari has adopted this latter interpretation and proceeded to say that the Muslims were in fact fighting against the coarse desires of Self even when they were engaged in jihad against the infidels, but the hadith places it after their return from the jihad, The suggestion here is that though the fight against temptations continued even on the battlefield, it could by tradition and usage be brought to fruition only under the watchful eye of a perfect spiritual guide, that is the Holy Prophet ﷺ .

The Ummah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the chosen Ummah of Allah Ta’ ala

هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ (He has chosen you - 22:78) Sayyidna Wathilah Ibn Asqa' ؓ has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said, ` Allah chose the Kinanah from the children of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) ، then He chose the Quraish from the Kinanah, then the Bani Hashim from the Quraish and from amongst the Bani Hashim He chose me'. (Muslim - Mazhari).

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَ‌جٍ (And did not impose any hardship on you in the religion - 22:78) It means that Allah Ta’ ala has not imposed any hardship upon you in matters of religion. From this some scholars have concluded that in Islam there is no sin which cannot be forgiven and save a person from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection if he repents for it truly. On the other hand, among the earlier nations there were certain sins which could not be forgiven even by offering repentance.

According to Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ' ؓ hardship' refers to those rigid and harsh laws which applied to the Bani Isra'il and for which the Qur'an uses the words اِصر (burden) and اِغلَال (shackles). Others have interpreted the word haraj (hardship) to mean a hardship which is beyond human endurance. In Islam there are no such laws and rules which are unbearable in themselves, though there are some rules which entail strenuous effort. But such efforts have always been regarded as pre-requisites to success in all human activities. Education, commerce, industry etc. are fields where success depends on unremitting labour but that would not make these tasks impossible to achieve. Sometimes difficulties are experienced due to unfavorable environments or lack of familiarity with the task in hand, but these too cannot be described as hardships and can be overcome by sustained hard work.

Another interpretation given by Qadi Thanaullah in Tafsir Mazhari is that Allah Ta’ ala having chosen the Muslims for His favours from amongst all other nations, they too willingly opt for the severest hardship in the service of Allah and His religion. In such a situation even hardships and difficulties do not deter their resilience and they endure them willingly and happily. There is a hadith related by Sayyidna Anas ؓ in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ said جعلت قرۃ عینی فی الصّلٰوۃ (the coolness of my eyes lies in prayers). (Abmad and Nasai).

مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ (The faith of your father Ibrahim - 22:78). It means that this is the nation of your father Ibrahim. These words are addressed to the Quraish who are descended from Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and all other people following them become entitled to the favours which Allah Ta’ ala has granted to the Quraish. There is a hadith which says:

الناس تبع لقریش فی ھٰذا الشان، مسلمھم تبع لمسلمھم، وکافرھم تبع لکافرھم (رواہ البخاری و مسلم)

All people follow Quraish in this faith; the believers follow the believers among the Quraish, and the infidels follow the infidels among them. (Mazhari).

Others say that the words أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ (your father Ibrahim) are addressed to all Muslims in the sense that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was the spiritual father of All Muslims and had himself descended from Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) .

هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِي هَـٰذَا (He (Allah) named you as Muslims both before and in this Qur'an - 22:78) Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had named the followers of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and all other believers as Muslims even before the Qur'an, and later in the Qur'an itself, as is evident from his prayer which is recorded in the Qur'an: رَ‌بَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّ‌يَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّک (0 our Lord, make us both submissive to you, and of our progeny a people submissive to you - 2:128)

And the name "Muslim" given by the Qur'an to the believers, was, though, not given directly by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، yet since he had suggested this name even before the revelation of the Qur'an, the Holy Qur'an has adopted this name. That is why it is attributed to Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) .

لِيَكُونَ الرَّ‌سُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ (So that the Messenger becomes a witness to you and you become witnesses to (other) people - 22:78) On the Day of Resurrection the Holy Prophet ﷺ will depose that he had conveyed the commands of Allah Ta’ ala to his Ummah and the Ummah will acknowledge this fact. But when other prophets will make similar depositions, their Ummahs will deny their claims and at that time the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ will come forward and bear witness to the fact that all the prophets had indeed conveyed the commands of Allah Ta’ ala to their respective Ummahs. This evidence will be challenged on the ground that since the Muslim Ummah did not even exist in those earlier times it carried no weight, to which the Muslims will reply that they learned about these matters from their own Prophet ﷺ ، whose truthfulness and integrity was admitted by all. This is the gist of a hadith which Bukhari and others have related on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ .

فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ (So establish salah and pay zakah - 22:78) It means that since Allah Ta’ ala has showered on you unlimited benefits, it is your duty also to show your gratitude to Him by striving hard to obey His commands. The two commands relating to prayers and zakah have been specifically mentioned because prayer is the most important among the obligations performed by human body, while zakah is the most important among the commands about wealth, otherwise the idea is that all commands enjoined by Allah Ta’ ala be obeyed and followed.

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّـهِ (And hold fast to Allah - 22:78). It means that pious Muslims should place their trust in Allah alone in all their affairs and seek help from none but Him. According to Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ the sense of these words is that pious Muslims should seek Allah's protection from all things which are loathsome in this world and in the Hereafter. Others have interpreted these words to mean that good Muslims should hold fast to the Qur'an and Sunnah, and have quoted the following hadith:

ترکت فیکم امرین لن تضلّوا ما تمسّکتم بھما، کتاب اللہ و سُنّۃ رسولہ (رواہ مالک فی المؤطاء مرسلاأ مظھری)

"I have left behind two things with you and if you hold fast to them you will never go astray: one is the Book of Allah and the second is the Sunnah of His Rasul." (Mazhari)

Al-Hamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah AI-Hajj

Ends here.

The addressees of this verse were directly the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, and indirectly all the believers in the Quran. God chose this group for the special task of making all communities and nations aware of the true and eternal religion of God. The task of bearing witness was performed by the Prophet Muhammad for the people of his own times, and his followers were required to perform this same task for their contemporaries uptill Doomsday. This obligation is a very delicate one. For this purpose, a vigorous and persevering struggle is required. It can be properly performed only by those who bow down before God in the real sense; who are well-wishers of others to the extent that they derive pleasure from spending their time and money on them; who rely on the one and only God; who rise above everything else; who fulfil in the real sense the requirement of the term ‘Muslim’, which term has been specially devised for them by God. However, God has made a special dispensation in relation to the work of bearing witness, i.e. He has removed forever all the external hurdles in the way of this work. A revolution has been brought about through the Prophet Muhammad, which has resulted in the permanent abolition of such hurdles as once constricted the ways of the prophets of the past and their followers. Now there is absolutely no real obstacle to performing this work, unless the bearers of the Quran themselves create self-made difficulties out of ignorance, and thus make an easy task unnecessarily difficult.