JUZ EIGHTEEN
The eighteenth juz of the Qur’an begins with Surah Muʾminun, contains all of Surah Nur, and ends at verse twenty of Surah Furqan. This juz focuses on the qualities of the true believer. All three surahs emphasize the qualities and characteristics that are expected from Muslims. The closing verse of Surah al-Ḥajj was the first verse to refer to this nation as Muslims;113 the next surah begins with a description of the true believers.
Successful are the believers. Those who are humble in their prayers. Those who avoid nonsense. Those who work for charity. Those who safeguard their chastity. Except from their spouses, or their women, for they are free from blame. But whoever seeks anything beyond that—these are the transgressors. Those who are faithful to their trusts and pledges. Those who safeguard their prayers. These are the inheritors, who will inherit Paradise, wherein they will dwell forever.
The qualities of the believer are all interconnected. Someone who concentrates on their salah will avoid vain talk. Those who avoid vain talk also avoid the paths to fornication. Abstaining from fornication is a way of fulfilling one’s contract with Allah, which leads us to fulfill our contracts with people. All of these qualities are connected and flow together to form the personality of the true believer. The surah ends with a beautiful duʿa, “And say, My Lord, forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of the merciful.”
Surah Nur takes its name from the verse of light found in this surah. This is a deep powerful verse that would require another book to explain. It is a parable of the greatness of Allah and how He guides the hearts of the believers through the message of Islam. Surah al-Muʾminun described the primary characteristics of the believer; Surah Nur teaches us the practical ways of living by these characteristics and how we are tested in these areas.
A primary focus of this surah is sexual morality. This surah contains the prohibition of fornication and adultery, the obligation of covering the ʿawrah, the prohibition of slander, the command to lower the gaze, the command to seek permission before entering someone’s home, and the prohibition of listening to gossip and slander. All of these rules work
towards the same primary purpose: the establishment of a community that is morally pure.
Surah Nur was revealed due to the incident of the slander. This is a well-known incident in which hypocrites started a slanderous rumor against the prophet’s wife ʿAʾishah (Allah be pleased with her), so Allah revealed verses in this surah clarifying her innocence, as well as rules to prevent such incidents from becoming common. The majority of people who spread the slander were not evil hypocrites, they were believers who had a bad habit
of gossiping. This incident should serve as a firm warning against spreading gossip and unverified information, a habit that has become even more common with social media.
An additional lesson from this story is the importance of maintaining family ties and forgiving our relatives for their slip-ups. One of the primary gossipers who spread the slander was a relative of ʿAʾishah (Allah be pleased with her) who was being supported financially by her father. When Abu Bakr learned about this, he decided to cut off all monetary support to the man who had slandered his daughter. In response, Allah revealed this powerful verse.
Those of you who have affluence and means should not refuse to give to the relatives, and the needy, and the emigrants for the sake of God. And let them pardon and let them overlook. Do you not love for God to pardon you? God is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful
One of the primary methods of protecting ourselves from spreading slander is to keep our tongues and minds focused on remembering Allah. This message is repeated throughout this surah, especially in the following passage.
In houses [homes or masjids] which God has permitted to be raised, and His name is celebrated therein. He is glorified therein, morning and evening. By men who neither trading nor commerce distracts them from God’s remembrance, and from performing the prayers, and from giving alms [the same qualities that were mentioned in Surah Muʾminun]. They fear a Day when hearts and sights are overturned. God will reward them according to the best of what they did, and He will increase them from His bounty. God provides for whomever He wills without reckoning.
Surah Furqan contains another powerful description of the true believers, herein referred to as the true worshippers of the Most Merciful. This description will be discussed in the next chapter.
By Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ismail Kamdar
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.