Surah Al Mujadila: Be Respectful | Divine Reminders with Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Surah Al-Mujadila: Be Respectful

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Alhamdulillah, we recite the entire 28th Juz' of the Qur'an. And it's full of surahs, various surahs, different lessons that we can take from each surah.

Very enjoyable recitation, very enjoyable just to listen to, to hear, to take in. One of my favorite ajza' in regards to the themes of the surahs is the 27th and the 28th. The challenge becomes that what do we spend time speaking about because everything is equally important.

Introduction to Surah Al-Mujadila

So I'll begin with Surah Al-Mujadila. There's a famous story of Khawla radiyaAllahu anha when she came to complain to the Prophet ﷺ and Allah sent wahi down for her. I will not speak about that because that's a story that you can find perhaps all over the internet.

I will speak more about some of the qualities that Allah uses here to describe the believers and, in contrast, to describe the munafiqun. And one thing that we can take throughout this Juz', the 28th Juz', is the discussion of the munafiqun. This begins in Surah Al-Hadid and it just continues. Surah Al-Hadid is the last surah of the 27th Juz' and then the 28th starts with Surah Al-Mujadila. This discussion continues all the way till Surah Al-Munafiqun, which actually exposes the munafiqun completely. There's a lecture on our YouTube page which refers to our Hidden Treasures of the Qur'an series — I think it was a lecture that I gave about Surah Al-Munafiqun, the story behind that. You can perhaps watch that for more details.

The Three Adabs the Munafiqun Struggled With

1. Secret Conversations and Secretive Speech (Al-Najwa)

Going back into some of the adab and the etiquettes that were prevalent within the believers but were not prevalent within the munafiqun — Allah says that when you start speaking to each other and you're having a conversation, do not be a person that is speaking to each other while keeping the third person out. Don't speak in secretive manners and whispering to each other. Allah reveals five verses back to back just about this concept of when you are a person that is speaking to hide something and keeping the third person out of the conversation — even if it's not for hiding something, but it may look like that.

So the goal is, in this surah, that Allah talks about one of the qualities of the munafiqun:

Tell them: do not let them think that they are alone when they're talking and having these secret conversations. Let them know that Allah is actually with them. If they are three, Allah is the fourth. If they are five, Allah is the sixth. If they are less, Allah is the one that is with them. They are not alone.

And then Allah tells them:

That they shouldn't be talking in a manner that looks doubtful — it looks wrong and it looks as if they're scheming behind the scenes. And this is something which is important for us as well. When we're talking to each other and there's someone else around us, sometimes we're not saying something about the person or speaking ill of the person. But just the way we're speaking — if we're looking at the individual, if we're speaking in a different language, or if we're speaking in a very low tone — this might come off in a manner that the other person may take in a negative way. So Allah is telling them they can't do that.

And Allah says we know that when they're speaking they're talking about wrong things — they're talking about how to plot against you. Let them know:

That very soon they will be held accountable for that which they say. And Allah continues and says it a third time:

And this happened because there were some Sahabas who were walking on the path and they saw these people sitting down and talking. They tried to enter, they walked there and were trying to say salam, and those people just kind of shooed them away and ignored them completely. And that was because they were having their own private conversation about something to do with plotting against the Prophet ﷺ, and the Sahabas realized that.

So, as the saying goes: اتَّقِ مَوَاضِعَ الشُّبُهَاتِ — we should be people that avoid places of doubt. Avoid situations where people can feel negative because of us, or people can have negative impressions because of us.

And then Allah says that generally when this happens:

When this happens — when people are talking and they're hiding the conversation or being very secretive about their conversation in a public forum — not if you're in your home alone with your family, no, but in a place where there are people around you. And this is a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ: if there are three people, the two should not speak to themselves because the third may feel left out and may think that you are speaking about him or her. So include the third in the conversation as well. If a fourth person enters, then they can speak to each other. But if it is a public forum, we should be careful that we don't exclude people from a private conversation — rather, try to have that conversation when there are more people around so they can also be engaged in their own conversations.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6290; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2183)

Allah says: وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا — and these munafiqun, it doesn't matter how much they speak against you, they won't harm you.

2. Giving Respect to Others

Then Allah mentions another adab that the munafiqun struggled with. There are three adabs they struggle with in this surah. The second thing they struggled with is giving respect to people around them. And one of the ways Allah depicts this is:

When the Prophet ﷺ tells you to open up — meaning, give space to people to sit — the munafiqun would overcompensate. You know, when a child does something wrong and they're extremely kind to their parent, or when a student does something wrong and they become extremely kind to their teacher, they're overcompensating at times. These munafiqun would overcompensate by always sitting in the front.

Allah speaks about this in Surah Al-Munafiqun:

There were people — when you would see them, you would be amazed by their build. Their build was very powerful, very beautiful. They were very good-looking people. They had very nice clothes. And when they would speak, it would be heard. This is in the tafsir of Surah Al-Munafiqun — they actually had their maqaa'id, their sitting places, slightly raised above the ground level like pillows. They would have their spots along the front wall of the masjid and they would sit against it. And when the Prophet would speak, they would look up at him ﷺ. So then the Prophet said: make space for everyone. And they didn't make space. So Allah is saying: when the Prophet tells you to make space and give respect to those that deserve respect, give them respect.

And who are these people that the Prophet is telling you to give respect to? Allah says:

They are the ones that are knowledgeable about Allah. They know who Allah is. The whole goal of knowledge and 'ilm is to understand who Allah is and to recognize the ma'rifah and the greatness of Allah. As the Qur'an says:

So the second thing they struggle with is giving respect to each other. And that is also an extension of arrogance — of pride. Just because you recognize someone's skill or talent or something good they did where they deserve credit, that doesn't make them better than you. The Prophet ﷺ recognized multiple Sahabas. He recognized the generosity of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and Uthman ibn Affan r.a. He recognized the bravery of Khalid ibn al-Walid. He recognized the intellect of Zayd ibn Thabit. He recognized Sahabas at different levels. Did that make them better than Abu Bakr r.a. and Umar r.a.? No, it didn't make them better. But he recognized them for the traits that they had, and he gave them honor.

One of the qualities of the Prophet ﷺ is described in the hadith:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3638 — description of the Prophet ﷺ)

The Prophet ﷺ was naturally honorable. He didn't have to force it upon people. And he was also a person that would honor others — he would make them feel honorable. So this is something which is innate within believers: that we know how to give each other credit, we know how to show respect to one another. Not for the sake of worldly affairs, because everyone knows how to do that. Everyone knows how to rub shoulders with those that have wealth and luxury. But how about those people that don't have luxury and wealth — just ordinary people that are trying to earn their Jannah in this world?

3. Giving in the Path of Allah — Generosity

The third thing they struggled with in this surah is the fact that they struggled with giving their wealth in the path of Allah. So Allah says:

Since they didn't give space to the Sahabas, Allah is not exposing them here — Allah is just saying: hey, give space. But this ayah says: since you're not giving space, the rule now is that when you come forth to meet the Prophet ﷺ you should come with some charity for the religion. Imagine if the condition of walking into a masjid were that every time you walk in, you have to bring some money — it's equivalent to that. So every time you come to see the Prophet ﷺ, bring some charity for the deen.

Since these people were extremely miserly, this is why the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1962)

Two qualities: being a miser — stingy — and being arrogant, because both of these are qualities of the munafiqun. Allah says about those who deny the religion:

These were qualities of the munafiqun — their arrogance and their miserliness. So because of this, when this ayah was revealed, the munafiqun took a step back. They wouldn't come to the front anymore — they would start finding the gaps at the back. And the only Sahabi that actually implemented this command was Ali ibn Abi Talib r.a. He heard the ayah and he had some dates on him. As soon as he heard it, he came directly to the Prophet ﷺ — in some narrations he had other things on him — and he gave them to the Prophet ﷺ. And after he did this, the ayah's ruling became abrogated. The recitation is obviously still a part of the Qur'an, but the hukm of it became abrogated. And that's very interesting.

So why did the munafiqun not start coming forward again? Because they were scared — what if the ayah came back? That's why the Qur'an says:

Whenever there was a surah revealed with commandments and injunctions regarding striving in the path of Allah, those that had a sickness in their heart — meaning the munafiqun — they would start looking away. And it was as if death had come to them. It was as if someone told them they were going to die. "Oh my God, I have to give money? No way." That's how hard it was for them.

Summary: Three Qualities to Avoid and Embrace

The three qualities:

Number one: Let's not become cliquey. Let's not become people who are only caring about our own people. If we're only around our own people, it's okay — but we should care for everyone. We should have a heart that beats for anyone that is struggling in the world. We should have a heart that beats for anyone that is going through hardship. We should have an eye that tears for any child that is suffering in this world. We should have a tongue that knows how to pray for any struggling mother or father in this world. Let's not be cliquey.

Number two: Give credit where it's due. Give respect — not just based upon the worldly things people possess, but rather based upon what they hold internally in front of Allah. Hence, give respect to everyone, because we don't know who is close to Allah. We don't know who the most God-conscious, righteous individuals are. To be safe, give it to everyone. Be generous with your respect and your smile.

Number three: Be people of generosity. Be people of giving. The upper hand is better than the hand that is below. Be people that are ready to serve and are using their skills. As Ibn al-Qayyim says: the greatest usage of any talent or skill that we possess is that that talent or skill is being used to bring someone closer to Allah.

The Three Qualities of a Munafiq

The qualities of a munafiq are three. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 33; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 59)

Number one: When they speak, they are pathological liars. They can never tell the truth because they're always scared that they're going to get caught.

Number two: When they are given a trust, or when someone believes that they're loyal, they break that trust, they break that loyalty, they break that covenant, they break that vow. This is not a quality of a believer. When we give our word to someone, that should stay. We complete our vows, complete our covenants — whatever it may be. Whether it's husbands that give vows to their wives of mahr, or mothers who give vows to their children, or children that give vows to their parents, or friends that give promises to each other — fulfill your promises. Don't be people who, if they have a loan that they owe someone, neglect it. Make an effort, pay that loan back — that should be a priority. Whatever it may be, fulfill your covenant, fulfill your vow. This is a quality of a believer.

Number three: When they would fight, when they would argue with each other, they would get extremely vulgar because they don't know how to control their anger. They don't know how to control that which is inside of them. Getting angry is normal — it's natural. But what we do with that anger denotes whether or not we have qualities of a believer or qualities of a hypocrite.

Closing Advice

May Allah protect us from being amongst those that have qualities of a hypocrite, and make us amongst those that have the qualities of a believer. And if we sense that we have any of those qualities, don't cave in. Let's work on those qualities and make them better. Let's hone them, let's nourish them, let's nurture them so that they can light up the world inshaAllah.

This is just from Surah Al-Mujadila. Surah Al-Munafiqun speaks about this, and the other surahs also speak about these depictions and qualities of the munafiqun. May Allah protect us from being amongst them. JazakAllah khair.