In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Truly, successful shall be the believers,
Who humble themselves in their prayer,
Who turn away from all that is frivolous,
Who are active in deeds of charity,
Who refrain from sex
Except with those joined to them in marriage, or those whom they rightfully
possess – for then, they are free of all blame,
Whereas those who seek to go beyond that (limit) are indeed transgressors,
Who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges,
And who are diligent in their prayers.
These shall be the heirs
That will inherit the paradise; therein shall they abide.
(The Believers, Al-Mu’minoon: 23: 1-11)
Over the last two weeks we discussed several qualities that delineate the character of true believers as they are listed at the beginning of this surah. We mentioned that Islam has a very serious moral approach, which acknowledges the need to satisfy the sexual desire God has planted in the human constitution. This is done through legitimate relationships only. The normal relationship is that of marriage, which is strongly encouraged by Islam. We also mentioned the permission to have a relationship with one’s slave girl, outlining the compelling circumstances that necessitated the continuation of the slavery system for sometime, pointing out that Islam took strong measures to ensure the abolition of slavery within a reasonable period of time. It stopped all slavery sources with the exception of captives of war, because the enslavement of captives was a universal system that Islam could not stop unilaterally. Since women slaves were present in Muslim society, their status had to be regulated as we have discussed. To pick up our commentary at this point, we may add the following comments:
We see also in this permission a way to satisfy the natural needs of the women slaves themselves, so that they do not resort to immorality. We see this happening today, despite the international treaties prohibiting slavery, when women are taken captive in war. Islam does not condone any such promiscuity. But Islam opens several ways for women slaves to gain their freedom: one of these comes automatically into operation when the slave woman gives birth to a child by her master. In this case, she becomes free on her master’s death. Alternatively, her master may give her her freedom, either voluntarily or in atonement for some offense he might have committed. Or, she may choose to buy her own freedom. A different situation applies if her master hits her on her face. He is, then, required to free her in compensation. There are further ways as well.
Anyway, allowing slavery through war was a temporary necessity in order to maintain equal treatment in a world where all war captives became slaves. It was not a part of the Islamic social system.
“Whereas those who seek to go beyond that (limit) are indeed transgressors.” The limit is that of wives and women rightly possessed. There can be no other legitimate way. Whoever tries to go beyond this limit actually breaks through the boundaries of permissibility and falls in sin. He becomes an assailant of human honor. There can be no lawful relationship except through marriage or jihad. When transgression beyond these well defined limits takes place, the individual concerned becomes corrupt because he feels like sheep grazing out of bounds, the family is undermined because of the lack of security felt by its members, and the whole community is endangered because its wolves are set loose. Islam is keen to avoid all that.
“Who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges.” They, individuals and community, honor their pledges and discharge their trust. Both individual and community have many types of trust, the first of which is the trust of their nature, created by God in an upright fashion so as to be in harmony with the rest of the universe to which it belongs. It testifies to God’s oneness by its natural feeling of the unity of the law that governs the universe as well as its own existence, and the unity of the will that has chosen this law and remains in full control of the universe. Believers are faithful to this great trust, and they protect their nature from deviation so that it continues to testify to God’s oneness. Other trusts are derived from this basic one.
The first pledge is also that of human nature. It is the one God has taken from human nature committing it to believe in His existence and His oneness. All other pledges, covenants and treaties are derived from this first one. When a believer commits himself to something, he makes God his witness. Honoring his commitments is, to a believer, part of being God-fearing, or taqwa.
The Muslim community is also responsible for honoring its public trust, and for the fulfillment of its pledges to God and the duties that result from these pledges. The surah gives its statement in very general terms so as to include every type of trust and pledge. Believers are faithful to all these, at all times. Being faithful is part of their character. No community can hope to have a straightforward life unless pledges and trusts are fulfilled, so that every individual and group in this community are certain of this basic rule of community life. It is the rule that gives everyone a sense of trust and security.
“And who are diligent in their prayers.” They do not neglect their prayers or miss them through laziness. Nor do they fail to attend to them as prayer should be attended to. They offer them on time, attending to obligatory and recommended parts, making them complete, omitting nothing essential. Their prayer is alive, filling their hearts and interacting with conscience. Prayer maintains a bond between God and human hearts. Therefore, a person who does not attend regularly to his prayer is unlikely to attend diligently and conscientiously to his bonds with other people. The qualities of believers outlined in this surah start with prayer and finish with it, to stress the unrivaled importance of prayer in the structure of faith. After all, prayer is the most perfect form of worship addressed to God.
These characteristics delineate the character of believers who are certain to be successful. While they are characteristics of individuals, they are decisive in giving the Muslim community its collective characteristics and shaping the type of life it lives. It is an honorable life that befits man, the creature God has honored and allowed to move up on the way to perfection. It is clear that God does not like that man should live like animals, merely eating and indulging in pleasures.
Since life on earth does not achieve the perfection God wants for mankind, He has willed that believers who follow His way should attain their goal in paradise, where they live forever, in complete security, and where they have no fear: “These shall be the heirs that will inherit the paradise; therein shall they abide.” This is the ultimate success God has determined for believers. There can be no goal beyond it.
Arab News Islam 21 February 2003