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Volume 3: Surah Baqarah, Verse
187
It is made lawful to you on
the night of the fast to go in unto your wives; they are an apparel for
you and you are an apparel for them; Allah knew that you were acting
unfaithfully to yourselves, so He has turned to you (mercifully) and forgiven you. Wherefore, now be in contact with
them and seek what Allah has written for you, and eat and drink until the
white thread becomes distinct unto you from the black thread (of
night) at dawn‑break, then complete the fast until night. And
associate not with them while you are confined in the mosque. These are
the limits (prescribed by) Allah; therefore,
draw not yourselves near them. Thus does Allah make clear His signs for
the people, so that they may guard themselves (against evil). (187)
COMMENTARY
Qur'an: It is made lawful to you on the night
of the fast to go in unto your wives:
Ihlal means to allow; its root is hall (to
open, which is opposite of aqd (to tie) Rafath literally means
to say clearly such words, which are generally unmentionable, which are
normally only hinted at; such words
are usually uttered during sexual intercourse. Now, this "uttering
unmentionable words" has been used as metaphor of the sexual intercourse;
and this is the nobility of the exalted Qur'an. And all words used for
this meaning in the Qur'an are of the same type; none were made for
copulation, all are used as a metaphor, like mubashirah (to be in
contact with each other, dukhul (to enter), mass or lams
(to touch), ityan (to come to), qurb (to be near), etc. The same is the
case of the words, wa 't' (to press down) and jima'(to come
together) which are used in Islamic books other than the Qur’an, although
some of these words have been so much used for this meaning that now they
are no longer metaphoric. The words, farj (an opening), and
gla'it (the depth) which are, now commonly used for "vulva" and
"excrement" respectively, are the other examples of this type. It is said
that the preposition ila
coming here after rafath gives the meaning of entering into.
Qur’an: they are
apparel for you and you are apparel for them:
Libas means what a man
uses to cover his body. The two sentences are used figuratively, because
each spouse restrains the other from unchastity, and protects society from
debauchery. Thus each one is like apparel for the other with which he/she
covers his/her shame and protects his/her privacy.
It is a very fine metaphor, and its literary value has
been increased by putting it after the sentence, It is made lawful to
you . . . to go in unto your wives. A man hides his private parts from
others with his dress, but there is no hiding from the dress itself.
Likewise, each spouse protects the other one from having sexual relations
with others; but there is no restriction on them against such relations
with each other.
Qu’ran Allah knew
that you were acting unfaithfully to yourselves, so He has turned to you
(mercifully) and forgiven
you.
Ikhtiyan and
khiyanah are synonymous; and it is said that they convey the
meaning of defect, decrease. You were acting unfaithfully conveys
the meaning of continuity; and it shows that this unfaithfulness commonly
continued among the Muslims after the command of the fast had been
promulgated; and they were sinning against Allah secretly by being
unfaithful to their own souls. Had not this unfaithfulness been a sin,
there would have been no need to mention turning to them mercifully
and forgiving; and although these two words do not say openly
that a sin had already been committed, still their most obvious meaning
shows a preceding sin, especially when both are mentioned
together.
Accordingly, the verse proves that before its
revelation, sexual intercourse in the nights of the fast was forbidden;
and that it was this verse which made it lawful and abrogated its
prohibition, as has been stated by a group of the commentators of the
Qur’an. As a further proof, look at the words, It is made lawful to
you. You were acting unfaithfully, so He has turned to you
(mercifully) and forgiven you and Wherefore, now be in
contact with them. Had there been no previous prohibition, such words
would have been out of context; instead there would have come the words
like "there is no blame on you that you be in contact with
them".
Some people say: "This verse does not abrogate any
rule, because the verse of fasting mentioned earlier did not prohibit
intercourse or food or drink in the night. Apparently, according to some
Sunni traditions, when the fast was prescribed and the words were
revealed, Fast has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for
those before you refers to the fast per se, and not meant total
conformity in all the details of fast. It is said that the Christians used
to eat, drink and go to their women during the early period of the night,
then abstained from it. So the Muslims adopted the same system. But it
proved difficult. Many youths could not restrain themselves from secret
sexual intercourse, but they thought that they were committing a sin and
acting unfaithfully to themselves. Likewise, aged persons found it a heavy
burden to abstain from eating and drinking once they began their sleep.
Sometimes someone could not keep his eyes open before eating and drinking
and then thought that food and drink was unlawful for him. It was to
remove this misunderstanding that this verse was revealed; it made it
clear that sexual intercourse, food and drink was not unlawful for them
during the night of Ramadan. This verse also made it clear that the
comparison in as it was prescribed for those before you refers to
the fast per se, and not to its details. The words It is made lawful to
you do not necessarily mean that 'this was unlawful before that; it
simply declares legality of this action. See, for example, the words:
The game of the sea is made lawful to you (5:96); as it is
known that the game of the sea was not unlawful to the pilgrims before the
revelation of this verse, Likewise, the words Allah knew that you were
acting unfaithfully to yourselves means that they were doing wrong
according to their own view only. That is why Allah said "unfaithfully to
yourselves". Had He said "unfaithfully to Allah", it would have conveyed
the meaning of prohibition, as, for example, in the verse:
Be you not unfaithful to Allah and the Apostle
(8:27). Also the word ikhtiyan maybe taken to mean "curtail" or
"decrease" and the sentence may be translated, as "Allah knew that you
were curtailing your desires". The words He has turned to you
(mercifully) and has forgiven you do not clearly convey the
idea that sexual intercourse was a sin before that.
But this argument is not conclusive, because it goes
against the clear meaning of the verse. We have already said that the
words like It is made lawful to you; you were acting unfaithfully to
yourselves, He has turned toward you (mercifully) and forgiven you
do not say openly that a sin had already been committed; still, this
is their most obvious implication. Add to it the words now be in
contact with them which would be inappropriate if there were no
previous prohibition, as I have explained earlier.
The argument, that "this verse
does not abrogate any rule because the verse of fasting did not prohibit
sexual intercourse in the night", is not valid because that verse did not
prohibit it clearly for the day time also. It is known that the Messenger
of Allah had explained the rules of fasting before this verse was
revealed, Perhaps the prohibition of sexual relations during the night was
one of those rules; and the verse abrogated it. So this
verse cancels not another verse, but
a tradition of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
Someone may object: The words they are an apparel for you and you are an apparel for
them have been used as the reason for this permission. Now, the
husband and wife were the apparel to each other when, supposedly,
copulation at night was forbidden and they remained like the apparel when
that prohibition was supposedly lifted. So where, in these words, is the
reason for the supposed abrogation if they are equally true in both
conditions before abrogation and after abrogation? We know that the reason
given for a rule of the shari'ah is mostly its benefit, and not
necessarily its real causes. And as a benefit, it need not be fully
comprehensive. Still, in a supposedly abrogating verse at least it should
not be common to both conditions.
But
deep consideration of the verse does not sustain this objection. It is not
acceptable that this sentence is the reason of this permission, The
permission in this verse is limited to the night of the fast, while
the simile of apparel is as much true during the day as in the night. So,
it cannot be the reason of that permission.
The fact is that the three clauses in this verse coming one after
the other, and all taken together, give us the reason for this abrogation.
They are on the night of
the fast, they are an apparel for you .... and you were acting unfaithfully to
yourselves.
As the
spouses are like apparel to each other they should be allowed to establish
sexual relations together without any restriction. Then came the
commandment of the fast, without demanded self‑denial and abstention from
desires, like food, drink and sexual relations. But the servants of Allah
found it difficult to abstain for a full month from copulation, and this
unfaithfulness was common and continued. Therefore, Allah in His mercy
eased the conditions and lightened their burden by allowing it during the
night.
In
this way, the general implication of the sentence of apparel is
made subordinate to the fast; and thus is limited to the
nighttime only (when there is no fast).
In
short, the sentence of apparel is not a reason for this permission; rather
it is the reason or benefit of copulation per se. The main aim of the
whole verse is to explain why copulation was allowed in the night of fast.
And the sentence beginning with they are an apparel and ending on
forgiven you taken together show this reason, not any single
sentence alone. And this reason is not found in the rule which was
followed before this permission.
Qur’an: Wherefore, now be in contact
with them and seek what Allah has written for you:
This
is an order preceded by prohibition; thus it means permission. The verse
begins with the words, It is made lawful to you. The meaning,
therefore, is, "from now on you are allowed to establish sexual relations
with them". Ibtigha means 'to seek', 'to desire'. Seek what Allah has written for you
means seeking the children which Allah has written to give to the
mankind. Allah created in human being the desire to copulate and made it
the means of that gift (of children) and to some extent put them under the
pressure of that desire. When a couple engages in that action, they are in
reality seeking what Allah has written for them, even if at that time
their only aim is to satisfy their sexual desire or lust. It is like
taking food and drink. Allah had written that their lives, growth and
health depend on food and drink, and that remains the goal of nature even
when they, at that particular time, do not look further than satisfying
their hunger and thirst or to pamper their gustatory pleasure. This is the
compulsion put on them by Allah in all such matters.
It has been said: What Allah has written
for you means "what Allah has allowed to you"; and
the implication is that they should take advantage of this permission.
Allah likes His servants to take advantage of His permission, as He likes
them to obey His compulsory commandments.
But
his view is not acceptable, because we have not seen a single instance in
the Qur’an where "writing" is used for 'permission'.
Qur’an: and eat and drink until the
white thread becomes distinct unto you from the black thread
(of night) at
dawn‑break:
There
are two dawns: the first is called the 'false' dawn because it vanishes in
a short time. It is also called the tail of the wolf because it looks as
if a tail is raised. This false dawn is a beam of light like‑a vertical
column; it appears at the end of the night on the eastern horizon when the
sun reaches an angle of 18 degrees below the horizon. Then it gives way to
a horizontal line of light which looks as if a white thread has been
stretched on the horizon. This is the second dawn. It is called 'true'
dawn because it truthfully announces the arrival of day‑time and is
connected with sunrise.
Obviously, the white thread in this verse means the "true
dawn"; and "at" (min), in "at dawn‑break" (mina’l‑fafri),
is explanatory so as to clarify this phrase. This sentence is
metaphorical and it likens the streak of light, stretched across the
horizon, to a white thread and the darkness of night adjoining that light
to a black thread.
This
shows that the limit of the given permission is exactly the beginning of
the true dawn; because soon after, when the sun comes nearer to the
horizon, both threads disappear. There remains neither the white thread
nor the black.
Qur'an: Then complete the fast until
night:
As the start of the fast was from the
dawn‑break, there was no need to say, 'keep the fast during daytime'.
Instead its other limit is now mentioned in these words.
Complete the fast shows that the fast of
one day is one unit, a single act of worship which is not made up of a
various parts. There is a difference between completion (tamam) and
perfection (kamal). Completion (tamam) the word used in this
verse, means that a single thing (which is not made of such parts which
may have separate functions) finally comes into being. Perfection
(kamal), means that a single thing (which has various parts and
every part has a separate function) finally comes into being. Allah says:
This day I perfected (akmaltu) for you your religion and completed
(atmamtu) My favor on you (5:4). The religion is a collection of
various things like prayer, fast, hajj etc. and all these have a
separate effect; therefore, the religion was "perfected", But the favor of
Allah is the one thing without any parts (as I will explain under that
verse); therefore, it was "completed".
Qur'an: And associate not with them while you are
confined in the mosques:
ukuf and I’tikaf both mean "to keep close
to". When used with the name of a place, they mean to remain continuously
in that place. I’takaf is an act of worship. When in i'tikaf one must remain inside a
mosque, not going out without a genuine reason (e.g. to relieve oneself);
and fasting is an essential part of this act of worship.
As the
Muslims were given permission to have sexual relations with their wives in
the night of fast, there was a possibility that they might think that that
permission extended to the nights of i'tikaf also, when they were
inside a mosque. This sentence removed the chance of any such
misunderstanding.
Qur'an: These are the limits
(prescribed by) Allah;
therefore, draw not near them:
Hadd (limit) literally means "to keep from", "to restrict". All its uses
carry this meaning; for example, haddu 'ssayf (edge of
sword), Waddu 'd‑dar (boundary of the house), haddu l‑fuilir (punishment of
immorality) etc. Therefore the phrase, huddu ‘l-fujur mentioned in
the verse, means, the "restrictive ordinances of Allah" and the command
not to go near them figuratively means not to commit that sin. In short,
it says: you should not commit the sins mentioned here, i.e., eating,
drinking and copulating during the prohibited hours; you should not
trespass beyond the limits ordained for you; you should not neglect the
fast or the guarding of yourselves against evil in the period of that
special worship.
TRADITIONS
As Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Food and copulation were unlawful in the
month of Ramadan at night after sleeping." (That is, if one prayed the
prayer of al‑'Isha' and slept without breaking one's fast, then, he
was not allowed to eat or drink even if he awoke later in the night. And
sexual intercourse was unlawful in the month of Ramadan both in the day
and in the night.) There was a companion of the Messenger of Allah,
Khawwat ibn Jubayr al‑Ansari. Be was brother of Abdullah ibn Jubayr, who
in the battle of Uhud, was deputed by the Messenger of Allah at the mouth
of the mountain‑pass with fifty archers; most of them left him, but he
remained at this station with only twelve soldiers and was martyred there.
His brother Khawwat ibn Jubayr, was an aged and weak person, and was
fasting with the Messenger of Allah in the battle of the Khandaq (Trench).
In the evening he came to his house and asked: "Do you have an~ food?'
They said: "Do not go to sleep; we shall prepare some food for you." There
was some delay in cooking and he was overcome with sleep before breaking
his fast. When he woke up he said to his family: "Now eating is forbidden
to me tonight." Next day, he presented himself at the Khandaq and fainted.
The Messenger of Allah looked at him and felt pity for him. Also, there
were some youths who had secretly indulged in sexual relations at night in
the month of Ramadan. Therefore Allah sent down (the verse);
It is made lawful to you on the night of fast to go
in unto your wives ... Thus Allah allowed sexual
relations during the nights of the month of Ramadan, and eating after
going to sleep up to the dawn‑break, as He said, until the white thread
becomes distinct from the black thread (of night) at dawn‑break.
The Imam said: "It means the whiteness of the day from the darkness of
the night." [at-Tafsir, al‑Qummi]
The author says: The sentences (given in
bracket), starting with "That is" and ending upto "both in the day and in
the night", are explanatory notes of the narrator of this
tradition.
This
episode is narrated in other traditions also, by al‑Kulayni, a1‑'Ayyashi
and others. All these traditions say that the words, eat and drink ...
were revealed because of the event of Khawwat ibn Jubayr al‑Ansari;
and the words It is made lawful to you … were revealed because of
the secret doings of some Muslim youths.
There is another tradition in ad‑Durru l‑manthur from
various commentators and traditionalists from Bara ibn 'Azib who said: "It
was the custom among the companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that if
someone fasted and the time of Iftar (breaking the fast) came but he went
to sleep before breaking his fast, he did not eat that night and fasted
the next day without eating anything, till the next evening came. Once
Qays ibn Sarmah al-Ansari fasted, and that day he had been working in the
field. The time came for breaking the fast and he came to his wife and
asked: 'Do you have any food? He could not keep awake and went to sleep.
When his wife returned and found him sleeping she said: 'Woe unto you! Did
you go to sleep? In the noon of the next day, he fainted. This was
reported to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Then this verse was sent down: It is
made lawful to you on the night of the fast . . . at dawn‑break.
And the Muslims were extremely happy at it."
The
author says: This story is narrated by other chains also. In some of
them the name is given as Abu Qubays ibn Sarmah; in others, Sarmah ibn
Malik al‑Ansari. There is some variation in the story also.
Ibn
Jarir and Ibn al‑Mundhir have narrated from Ibn 'Abbas, as follows:‑ "The
Muslims were forbidden (sexual relations with) women and food in the month
of Ramadan once they had prayed the prayer of al‑'isha', fill the next
evening. But some of them ate food and had sexual intercourse with women
after the al-isha one Ramadan; one of them was 'Umar ibn
al‑Khattab. Then they complained about it to the Messenger of Allah.
Therefore Allah sent down the verse, It is made lawful to you‑ be in
contact with them. [ad‑Durru l‑manthur]
The
author says: There are numerous traditions from Sunni chains about
this matter; most of them mention the name of 'Umar. All say with one
voice that the rule about sexual intercourse in the night of Ramadan was
the same as that about food and drink: All of these were allowed before
the sleep, forbidden after it. But the obvious meaning of the first
tradition is that the sexual intercourse was completely forbidden in the
month of Ramadan, during the night as well as in the daytime; and the food
and drink were allowed before sleeping, forbidden after that. And the
context of the verse supports this tradition. Had the sexual relation been
like food and drink (allowed before sleeping an forbidden after) it would
have been necessary to mention here the farthest limit of the permission,
as was done about food and drink (eat and drink until the white thread
becomes distinct... ) But it only says: It is made lawful to
you on the night of the fast to go in unto your wives, without putting
any limit to it. It shows that previously they were forbidden to
indulge in this act the whole "night of the fast".
Some
traditions say (and the one quoted last is one of them) that the Muslims
were acting unfaithfully not only in the matter of sexual relations, but
also in food and drink. But the sequence of the sentences of the
verse does not support it. The sentence, Allah knew that you were
acting unfaithfully... is put in the middle of the permission for
sexual relations and the words eat and drink appear after this
topic has ended, Therefore the "acting unfaithfully" cannot be connected
with eating and drinking.
Verily, the Messenger of Allah said: "The dawn is of two kinds. The
one which looks like the tail of the wolf does not allow anything, nor
prohibits anything. But the long one which covers the horizon allows the
prayer (of dawn) and prohibits food." [ad‑Durru
l‑manthur]
The author says: The traditions of this
meaning are nearly mutawatir from Sunni and Shi'ah sources; as are
the ones about i’tikaf and prohibition of sexual intercourse
in that period.
* * * * *
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