In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Whenever We sent forth a messenger or a prophet before you, and he was hoping for something, Satan would throw some aspersion on his wishes. But God renders null and void whatever aspersion Satan may cast; and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves. God is all-knowing, wise.
He may cause whatever aspersion Satan may cast to become a trial for all in whose hearts is disease and all whose hearts are hardened. Indeed, all who are thus sinning are most deeply in the wrong.
And those who are endowed with knowledge may realize that this (Qur’an) is the truth from your Lord, and thus they may believe in it, and their hearts may humbly submit to Him. God will surely guide those who believe to a straight path. (The Pilgrimage, Al-Haj: 22: 52-54)
We discussed these verses at length over the last two weeks. We first mentioned in full the false report suggesting that when the Prophet first read Surah 53, The Star, Satan inserted some words praising the idols of the unbelievers. These, it is alleged, were heard only by the unbelievers. But all this is false, and the report cannot stand to any careful examination. It was invented by unbelievers to try to justify their action when they prostrated themselves to God, with the Muslims, as the Prophet concluded his recitation. We also explained that these verses refer to the hopes and desires that a prophet may entertain, for his people to recognize the truth and favorably respond to his call. Satan tries to exploit such hopes in order to try to swerve the course followed by the divine message so that it could overlook some of its essential principles.
We find some examples during the life of the Prophet and in Islamic history to confirm this, making the sort of interpretation reported by some scholars totally unnecessary.
One such example is that of the incident involving Ibn Umm Maktoom, a poor and blind companion of the Prophet. He went once to the Prophet and asked him repeatedly to teach him something of what he had been taught by God. The Prophet was very busy speaking to Al-Waleed ibn Al-Mugheerah and a number of the Quraysh notables, and entertaining hopes that they might accept Islam. Ibn Umm Maktoom did not know that the Prophet was busy. But the Prophet felt unhappy about his repeated request, and this was clear in his face. This was the subject of a strong reproach by God to the Prophet: “He frowned and turned his back when the blind man came to him. How could you tell? He might have sought to purify himself. He might have been forewarned and the reminder might have profited him. But to the one who considered himself self-sufficient you were all attention. Yet the fault would not be yours if he remained uncleansed. As to him who comes to you with zeal and with a feeling of fear in his heart – him you ignore and busy yourself with trifles. No indeed! This is an admonition; let him who will bear it in mind.” (80: 1-12)
Thus, God set the message back on its right course, holding on to its proper standard and appropriate values. The Prophet’s behavior in this incident was also corrected. His motive was his keen desire that those notables should become Muslims, because that would have ensured that large numbers of their followers would do likewise. But God explained to the Prophet that maintaining the proper Islamic values in addressing the message to people is far more important than gaining a few notable. Satan’s scheming to try to divert the advocacy of the message through the Prophet’s hopes was thus rendered futile. God made His message clear, and the believers were reassured.
Subsequently, the Prophet treated Ibn Umm Maktoom very kindly, welcomed him whenever he saw him, saying: “Welcome to the man on whose account God had reproached me.” He would ask him if he could help him in any way. Furthermore, the Prophet chose Ibn Umm Maktoom to deputize for him in Madinah when he was away on a journey or expedition.
Another incident is related by Muslim in his collection of authentic Hadiths. “Saad ibn Abu Waqqas reports: Six of us were with the Prophet when some unbelievers asked him to turn us away so that they could have his full attention. With me was Abdullah ibn Masoud, a man from the Huthayl tribe, Bilal and two other men whose names I have forgotten. The Prophet felt whatever he might have felt, and thoughts occurred to him. But God revealed to him the verse that says: Do not drive away those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking only to win His pleasure.” (6: 52)
Again in this incident, God sets the message back on its proper course, rending futile Satan’s attempts to divert it by agreeing to the wishes of the elders of the Quraysh. They wanted to retain their position of distinction and not to mix with poor and weak individuals. To maintain proper Islamic values is far more important than those notables, even though they might have accepted Islam, together with thousands others of their followers. God knows best the source of strength for His message. Such strength is derived from maintaining proper values that make no compromise based on personal preferences or social traditions.
A third example may be seen in the case of Zainab bint Jahsh, a cousin of the Prophet whom he had married to Zaid ibn Harithah. Prior to Islam, Zaid was the Prophet’s adopted son. But God wanted to stop adoption altogether, giving Qur’anic orders that forbid calling a person as the son or daughter of anyone other than their own parents: “He never made your adopted sons truly your sons … Call them by their real fathers’ names: this is more equitable in God’s sight.” (33: 4-5) Zaid was very dear to the Prophet. This is why he chose his own cousin to be Zaid’s wife, but their life together was not smooth.
Prior to Islam, the Arabs did not approve of a man marrying the divorcee of his adopted son. But God wanted to put an end to this, as He stopped calling a son or a daughter after anyone other than their real fathers. He told His messenger to marry Zainab after Zaid has divorced her, so that his marriage may be the practical action that puts an end to the effects of adoption. But the Prophet concealed this when Zaid complained to him that his life with Zainab could not go on. He told him to hold on to his wife, thinking of what people would say when he would marry her after Zaid has divorced her. He continued to keep this whole thing to himself, until Zaid divorced his wife. God then revealed in the Qur’an what thoughts were in the Prophet’s mind, making clear the rules He wished to put in place on this whole issue: “You said to the one to whom God had shown favor and to whom you had shown favor, ‘Hold on to your wife, and remain God-fearing!’ Thus would you hide within yourself something that God was about to bring to light – for you feared (what) people (might think), whereas it was God alone of whom you should stand in awe! Then, when Zaid had come to the end of his union with her, We gave her to you in marriage, so that no blame should attach to the believers for (marrying) the spouses of their adopted children when the latter have come to the end of their union with them. Thus, God’s will was done.” (33: 37)
Aishah was right when she said: “Had Muhammad concealed anything God revealed to him in His book, he would have suppressed the statement: “Thus would you hide within yourself something that God was about to bring to light – for you feared (what) people (might think), whereas it was God alone of whom you should stand in awe!”
Thus God made His law very clear, exposing the thoughts entertained by His messenger, concerning people’s dislike of his marriage to the divorcee of his former adopted son. But Satan’s attempts to achieve a gain in this way were brought to nothing. Yet those with sick or hardened hearts will continue to exploit this event in their attempts to show Islam in bad light.
