Surah Al-Jumu'a (62) — Ayah 2

(Ayah 2) ➊ { هُوَ الَّذِيْ بَعَثَ فِي الْاُمِّيّٖنَ رَسُوْلًا مِّنْهُمْ:} Using this verse as evidence, some People of the Book say that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was only a messenger for the Arabs, because {’’ الْاُمِّيّٖنَ ‘‘} refers to the Arab nation, therefore he was not a messenger for non-Arabs and Jews and Christians. But their statement is not correct, because in the Noble Qur’an, the word {’’ الْاُمِّيّٖنَ ‘‘} does not have only one meaning, rather, it has been used for different meanings in different contexts. Sometimes it is used for those people who do not have any heavenly book, in contrast to the People of the Book, as He said: «وَ قُلْ لِّلَّذِيْنَ اُوْتُوا الْكِتٰبَ وَ الْاُمِّيّٖنَ ءَاَسْلَمْتُمْ» [ آل عمران : ۲۰ ] “And say to those who have been given the Book and to the unlettered (illiterate people), ‘Have you submitted?’” Here, the unlettered refers to the polytheist Arabs, who are considered a separate group from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians). Sometimes this word is used for the illiterate among the People of the Book themselves, as He said: «وَ مِنْهُمْ اُمِّيُّوْنَ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ الْكِتٰبَ اِلَّاۤ اَمَانِيَّ » [ البقرۃ : ۷۸ ] “And among them are unlettered (illiterate) ones who do not know the Book except for wishful thinking.” And in some places, this word is used as a purely Jewish term, according to which it refers to all those who are not Jews, as He said: « ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمْ قَالُوْا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْاُمِّيّٖنَ سَبِيْلٌ» [ آل عمران : ۷۵ ] “That is because they said, ‘There is no way (of blame) upon us concerning the unlettered.’” That is, the reason for the dishonesty that developed among them in consuming the wealth of non-Jews is that they said there is no way (of blame) upon us concerning the unlettered. The background of this Jewish term is that they were not ready to accept about anyone other than themselves that a prophet could be sent among them, or that they could receive a heavenly book. (See Aal-e-Imran: 73) They considered all nations other than themselves to be uncivilized, irreligious, and lowly and despicable.

In the verses under commentary, {’’ الْاُمِّيّٖنَ ‘‘} does not refer only to Arabs, but according to the Jewish term, it refers to all those who are not Jews, because here under {’’ الْاُمِّيّٖنَ ‘‘} two types of people are mentioned, that is, in {’’ هُوَ الَّذِيْ بَعَثَ فِي الْاُمِّيّٖنَ رَسُوْلًا مِّنْهُمْ ‘‘} the Arabs “unlettered” are mentioned, who have the honor that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was from among them by lineage, and in the next verse, the non-Arab unlettered are mentioned who were to accept Islam later, as He said: « وَ اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ وَ هُوَ الْعَزِيْزُ الْحَكِيْمُ» “And (He has sent him) among others of them who have not yet joined them, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.” The evidence that these unlettered refer to non-Arabs is the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: [ كُنَّا جُلُوْسًا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ سُوْرَةُ الْجُمُعَةِ : « وَ اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ» قَالَ قُلْتُ مَنْ هُمْ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللَّهِ!؟ فَلَمْ يُرَاجِعْهُ حَتّٰی سَأَلَ ثَلاَثًا، وَفِيْنَا سَلْمَانُ الْفَارِسِيُّ، وَضَعَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدَهُ عَلٰی سَلْمَانَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَوْ كَانَ الْإِيْمَانُ عِنْدَ الثُّرَيَّا لَنَالَهُ رِجَالٌ أَوْ رَجُلٌ مِنْ هٰؤُلاَءِ ] [بخاري، التفسیر، سورۃ الجمعۃ : ۴۸۹۷ ] “We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when Surah Al-Jumu’ah was revealed: « وَ اٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوْا بِهِمْ » I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Who are these people?’ He did not answer me, until I asked three times. Among us was Salman Al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) placed his hand on Salman, then said: ‘If faith were at the Pleiades, some men from these people—or (he said) one man—would surely attain it.’” In fact, in this surah, there is a rebuke to the Jews that those whom you call unlettered and consider lowly and despicable compared to yourselves, it is among them that Allah has sent a messenger who is {’’ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوْسِ ‘‘} and {’’ الْعَزِيْزِ الْحَكِيْمِ ‘‘}, and this is Allah’s grace, which He gives to whom He wills. Tell us, who made you the contractor of this, and when, that you may give this grace to whomever you wish and not to others?

As for the claim that even if it is accepted that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sent to the unlettered of both Arabs and non-Arabs, it does not prove that he was sent to the Jews and Christians. The answer is that the words of the verse indicate that he is a messenger to all people except the Jews, but it is not explicitly stated that you are not a messenger to the Jews and Christians. This meaning is the opposite implication of the verse, which is not a valid argument. For example, Allah Almighty said: « وَ مَا كُنْتَ تَتْلُوْا مِنْ قَبْلِهٖ مِنْ كِتٰبٍ وَّ لَا تَخُطُّهٗ بِيَمِيْنِكَ » [ العنکبوت : ۴۸ ] “And you did not recite any book before it, nor did you write it with your right hand.” Now, if it is taken to mean that you (peace be upon him) did not write with your right hand but wrote with your left hand, this is incorrect. Especially here, the opposite implication cannot be intended, because Allah Himself has explicitly stated in many places in the Noble Qur’an that you have been sent as a messenger to all people, as He said: « وَ مَاۤ اَرْسَلْنٰكَ اِلَّا كَآفَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيْرًا وَّ نَذِيْرًا وَّ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ » [ سبا : ۲۸ ] “And We have not sent you except to all mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner, but most of the people do not know.” And He said: « قُلْ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنِّيْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ اِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيْعًا» [ الأعراف : ۱۵۸ ] “Say, ‘O mankind! Indeed, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all.’” See further evidence in the commentary of these two verses.

➋ The connection between the attributes of Allah mentioned in the first verse of the surah {’’ يُسَبِّحُ لِلّٰهِ مَا فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَا فِي الْاَرْضِ ‘‘} and the attributes of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned in this verse is that everything in the universe is glorifying Allah and bearing witness to His being free from every defect and shortcoming, who is {’’ الْمَلِكِ ‘‘} (the Sovereign). (See Al-Hashr: 23) He is the one who manages His kingdom, sends His commands in it, and selects whomever He wills to convey His commands. By His sovereign authority, instead of sending a messenger from among those who considered themselves People of the Book, educated, and civilized, and looked down upon others, He sent a messenger from among the unlettered people themselves. {’’ يَتْلُوْا عَلَيْهِمْ اٰيٰتِهٖ ‘‘} who recites to them His verses containing His commands continuously. {’’ الْقُدُّوْسِ ‘‘} He is the Sovereign, the Holy (see Al-Hashr: 23), He sent among them a messenger who purifies them from every kind of disbelief, polytheism, and all evils and impurities. {’’ الْعَزِيْزِ ‘‘} (the All-Mighty), His messenger teaches them His Book, which is the proof and interpreter of His perfect might. {’’ الْحَكِيْمِ ‘‘} (the All-Wise), His messenger teaches them the wisdom granted by Him.

➌ In the Noble Qur’an, these attributes of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) are mentioned in four places. In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse (129), reminding the Arabs of His favor, He said that the prophet with these attributes is the one for whom Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) kept praying to Allah Almighty to send him among their descendants, so you should value him. In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse (151), He said that by granting you a prophet with these attributes, recognize My favor, remember Me, thank Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me. In Surah Aal-e-Imran (164), He reminded them of this favor that He Himself sent among them a messenger with such high attributes, who goes through all the conditions that, as a human, all of them go through. At Uhud and other places, he too suffered wounds like others, so he is a perfect example for them. The fourth place is this verse, in which the aim is to invalidate the Jews’ presumption, so later He mentioned their incompetence with {’’ مَثَلُ الَّذِيْنَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرٰىةَ ‘‘}.

➍ Although the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sent for all mankind, there was perfect wisdom of Allah Almighty in creating him among the Arab unlettered and making them the first addressees of the call to Islam. In Tafsir Qasimi, this has been stated in very beautiful and comprehensive words, he writes: {’’ وَ إِنَّمَا أُوْثِرَتْ بِعْثَتُهُ صَلَوَاتُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْأُمِّيِّيْنَ، لِأَنَّهُمْ أَحَدُّ النَّاسِ أَذْهَانًا، وَأَقْوَاهُمْ جَنَانًا، وَ أَصْفَاهُمْ فِطْرَةً، وَأَفْصَحُهُمْ بَيَانًا، لَمْ تَفْسُدْ فِطْرَتُهُمْ بِغَوَاشِي الْمُتَحَضِّرِيْنَ وَلَا بِأَفَانِيْنِ تَلَاعُبِ اُولٰئِكَ الْمُتَمَدِّنِيْنَ، وَلِذَا اِنْقَلَبُوْا إِلٰي النَّاسِ بَعْدَ الإِْسْلَامِ بِعِلْمٍ عَظِيْمٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ بَاهِرَةٍ، وَسِيَاسَةٍ عَادِلَةٍ، قَادُوْا بِهَا مُعَظَّمَ الْاُمَمِ وَدَوَّخُوْا بِهَا أَعْظَمَ الْمَمَالِكِ ‘‘} “The reason for preferring your (peace be upon him) sending among the unlettered people is that they were the sharpest in mind among all people, the strongest in heart, the purest in nature, and the most eloquent in speech. Their nature was not corrupted by the impurities of urban life, nor was it spoiled by the various amusements of those so-called civilized people. That is why, after accepting Islam, they brought to people such great knowledge, astonishing wisdom, and justice-based governance, with which they led the greatest nations of the world and left the greatest countries under their command.”

➍ { وَ اِنْ كَانُوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِيْ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيْنٍ:’’ اِنْ ‘‘} is originally {’’إِنَّهُمْ‘‘}, for lightness {’’إِنَّ‘‘} was changed to {’’إِنْ‘‘} and its pronoun {’’هُمْ‘‘} was omitted, and the evidence that this is not a negative or conditional {’’ اِنْ ‘‘} is the “lam” that has come on {’’ لَفِيْ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيْنٍ ‘‘}. The state of the unlettered people before the advent of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was described by his cousin Ja’far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) in the court of Najashi, when that king summoned him and his companions upon the complaint of the delegation of the Quraysh disbelievers and inquired about the reality. He said: [ أَيُّهَا الْمَلِكُ ! كُنَّا قَوْمًا أَهْلَ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ نَعْبُدُ الْأَصْنَامَ، وَنَأْكُلُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَنَأْتِي الْفَوَاحِشَ، وَنَقْطَعُ الأَرْحَامَ، وَنُسِيْءُ الْجِوَارَ، يَأْكُلُ الْقَوِيُّ مِنَّا الضَّعِيْفَ، فَكُنَّا عَلٰی ذٰلِكَ حَتّٰی بَعَثَ اللّٰهُ إِلَيْنَا رَسُوْلاً مِّنَّا نَعْرِفُ نَسَبَهُ، وَصِدْقَهُ ، وَأَمَانَتَهُ ، وَعَفَافَهُ، فَدَعَانَا إِلَی اللّٰهِ لِنُوَحِّدَهُ، وَنَعْبُدَهُ، وَنَخْلَعَ مَا كُنَّا نَعْبُدُ نَحْنُ وَآبَاؤُنَا مِنْ دُوْنِهِ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ وَالْأَوْثَانِ ] [مسند أحمد : 202/1، ح : ۱۷۴۰، قال المحقق إسنادہ حسن ] “O King! We were a people of ignorance, we used to worship idols, eat carrion, commit immoralities, sever ties of kinship, mistreat neighbors, and the strong among us would consume the weak. We were in this state when Allah Almighty sent among us a messenger whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity we knew. He invited us to Allah, that we should believe in Him alone, worship Him, and completely abandon the stones and idols that our forefathers used to worship besides Allah (after this, Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) described to them the commands of Islam).”