Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

CHAPTER 4, VERSES 15 - 16

وَاللَّاتِي يَأْتِينَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَائِكُمْ فَاسْتَشْهِدُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنكُمْۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِي الْبُيُوتِ حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَفَّاهُنَّ الْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّـهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا ﴿١٥﴾ وَاللَّذَانِ يَأْتِيَانِهَا مِنكُمْ فَآذُوهُمَاۖ فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمَاۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا ﴿١٦﴾

And as for those who are guilty of indecency from among your women, call to witness against them four (witnesses) from among you, then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death takes them away or Allah makes some way for them (15). And as for the two who are guilty of it from among you, afflict them both; then if they repent and amend, turn aside from them; surely Allāh is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful (16).

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COMMENTARY

QUR’ĀN: And as for those who are guilty from among you: Atāh and atā bihi (اَتَاهُ،اَتي بِه = translated here as being guilty) actually means ‘‘doing it’’. al-Fāhishah (اَلْفَاحِشَةُ ) is derived from al-fuhsh (اَلْفُحْشُ = indecency); thus al-fāhishah means indecent behaviour ; it is generally used in the meaning of fornication; it has also been used in the Qur’ān for sodomy or for sodomy and lesbianism both, as Allāh quotes Lūt (a.s.) as saying: Most surely you are guilty of an indecency which none of the nations has ever done before you (29:28).

Apparently this word refers here to fornication, as explained by all the exegetes. They have narrated that when the verse of flogging was revealed, the Prophet said that the flogging is the way Allāh has opened for them when they are guilty of fornication. It is also supported by the style of the verse which clearly shows that this order was to be abrogated soon, as Allāh says: or Allāh makes some way for them; and nobody has said that the penalty of lesbianism was abrogated by any succeeding order, nor that this penalty [of flogging] was meted out to anyone guilty of lesbianism; [all this together shows that this verse is not concerned with sodomy or lesbianism]. The phrase, ‘‘four (witnesses) from among you’’, indicates that the witnesses should be males [because the pronoun used for ‘you’ is of masculine gender].

QUR’ĀN: then if they bear witness confine them some way for them: The confinement, that is, perpetual imprisonment, depends on the evidence, not on actual guilt without the required evidence - although it might be known; it is one of the mercies of Allāh on the ummah showing His magnanimity and forbearance.

The punishment is perpetual confinement; it is clearly indicated by the prescribed limit, ‘‘until death takes them away’’. But Allāh has not used the word, imprisonment or internment; instead He has said, fa-amsikūhunna (فَاَمْسِكُوهُنَّ ) which literally means, then restrain them; the use of this mild word is another clear indication of His indulgence and tolerance.

The clause, ‘‘until death takes them away or Allāh makes some way for them’’, means: or Allāh opens a way for them to be free from perpetual confinement. The alternative indicates probable abrogation of the order; and it happened when the rule of flogging replaced this order. Everyone knows that the penalty given to fornicating women - since the later period of the Prophet and in practice among the Muslims after him - is the flogging, not confinement to the houses. The verse, supposing that it contains the rule about the fornicating women, has been abrogated by the verse of flogging; and the way mentioned in this verse undoubtedly refers to flogging.

QUR’ĀN: And as for the two who are guilty of it from among you, afflict them both: The two verses are inter-related, and certainly the pronoun ‘it’ refers to ‘indecency’. It supports the view that both verses deal with punishment of fornication. The second verse therefore completes the order given in the first one; the first one had explained the law only to the extent it affected the women, while the second one describes the rule as it affects both parties - and it is the ‘affliction’. So the two verses together explain the rule of fornicating man and fornicating woman both - that both should be afflicted and the confinement of the women to the houses.

But this explanation does not agree with the following clause: then if they repent and amend, turn aside from them; obviously it does not fit in with the order of confining the women for the life. Therefore, it is necessary to say that turning aside from them refers to discontinuation of their punishment while the confinement continues as before.

That is why sometimes it is said - following some traditions which shall be quoted later - that the first verse speaks about those women who are not virgin while the second one gives the order about the virgins; accordingly the virgins who commit fornication should be punished by confining them to the houses until they repent and amend their behaviour, and then they may be released from the confinement. But this explanation leaves two problems unsolved:

First: Why should the first verse be reserved for non-virgins and the second one to virgins when there is nothing in the wordings to support this differentiation?

Second: Why does the first verse speak about the fornicating women only, while the second one talks about both parties: ‘‘And as for the two who are guilty of it from among you ...’’?

It has been said that according to the exegete, Abū Muslim, the first verse ordains the law about lesbianism, and the second one about sodomy, and that both verses are un-abrogated.

But that view too is obviously wrong. As for the first verse, the explanation given by us earlier (for the words, As for those who are guilty of indecency from among your women ...), proves untenability of Abū Muslim’s interpretation. As for his explanation of the second verse, it is rejected by the well-established sunnah that the penalty of sodomy is death. The correct hadīth of the Prophet says: ‘‘Whoever among you commits the sin of the people of Lūt, kill (both) the doer and (the man) done to.’’ This law is either from the beginning (which has not been abrogated); or is a subsequent law which has abrogated the verse; in any case, it refutes Abū Muslim’s views.

Looking at the apparent meaning of the two verses (which come to the mind at once), and at the associations found with them; and keeping in view the difficulties arising out of the given explanations, we may interpret the verses as follows - and Allāh knows better:

The verse lays down the law concerning adultery by married women. Also the fact that the verse mentions only women, and not men, indicates this meaning; the word, ‘women’, is commonly used for ‘wives’ and especially when it appears as first construct of a genitive case where the second construct is ‘men’, as is the position in this verse: ‘‘you [i.e., you men’s] women’’; also Allāh says: And give women their dowries as a free gift (4:4); ...of your women to whom you have gone in (4:23).

Accordingly, the first and temporary order was to confine them to the houses; then stoning was ordained for them. al-Jubbā’ī has used this example to prove that the Book may be abrogated by the sunnah; but it is not so. Abrogation repeals an order which was apprently meant to continue for ever; while this order of confinement contains a clause that points to its temporariness, and it is the words: or Allāh makes some way for them. These words clearly show that there was another order that would be promulgated later. Even if it were called ‘abrogation’, there would be no trouble; because it would not contain those difficulties which were inherent in abrogating the Book with the sunnah - the Qur’ān itself indicates here that this order was to be repealed after sometime; and the Prophet is the one who explains the meaning of the honoured Qur’ān.

The second verse promulgates the rule about fornication (other than adultery), that the parties should be afflicted; that punishment includes confinement, hitting them with shoes, admonishing and shaming them by harsh words or other such ways of hurting them. Accordingly this verse stands abrogated by the verse of flogging in the chapter of ‘The Light’. As for a tradition that this verse speaks about virgin girls who commit fornication, it is a khabaru ’l-wāhid5 , apart from being al-mursalah6 , and therefore weak. And Allāh knows better. (However, this interpretation is not free from weakness, because prior indication that a certain rule would be abrogated later, does not water down the abrogation.)

QUR’ĀN: then if they repent and amend, turn aside from them: Repentance is qualified by amendment; it is to establish the reality of repentance, to make it clear that repentance is not mere utterance of some words or just to be carried away by some pangs of conscience; [it requires definite improvement of behaviour and character].

TRADITIONS

It is narrated in at-Tafsīr of al-‘Ayyāshī from as-Sādiq (a.s.) that he said about the word of Allāh: And as for those who are guilty of indecency from among your women ..., that it was abrogated and that the ‘way’ [referred to here] was the laid down penal code. (al-Kāfī)

al-Bāqir (a.s.) was asked about this verse and he said: ‘‘It is abrogated.’’ He was asked: ‘‘How was it?’’ He said: ‘‘When a woman committed indecency [i.e., fornication], and four witnesses stood (to give evidence) against her, she was confined to a house; no one spoke to or talked with her, nor anyone sat with her; she was provided her food and drink - [this was to continue] until she died or Allāh made some way for her.’’ Then he said: ‘‘Making way (for her) is the flogging and stoning.’’ It was said: ‘‘(And what is the meaning of the words of Allāh:) And as for the two who are guilty of it ...?’’ He said: ‘‘It means, when a virgin is guilty of the indecency which was done by this non-virgin.’’ [He was asked the import of the words:] afflict them both. He said: ‘‘She will be confined.’’ (ibid.)

The author says: The story that the rule in the early days of Islam was to confine them into the houses until death, has been narrated by the Sunnīs through many chains of narrators, from Ibn ‘Abbās, Qatādah, Mujāhid and others. It has been narrated from as-Suddī that confinement into the houses was the rule for non-virgins, and the affliction mentioned in the second verse was the order for unmarried girls and boys.

But you have seen what is to be said in this context.

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The Believer' Status Before,After and at the Time of the Prophets' Appearance

In another sermon of theNahj-ul-Balagha known as "al-Khutbah al-Qasi'ah " (The Sermon of Disparagement),the Commander of the Faithful lays down and explains some of the matters which were quoted in previous from Sermon No. 1, concerning the status of the people during the Age of Ignorance, conditions of the time of the appearance of the Prophets and the situation of the people after the appointment of the Prophets to prophet hood. He portrays, in effect, the conditions andcircumstances which had naturally cast shadows over the people's lives in the Age of Ignorance as well as the victorious status the people gained after the appearance of the Prophets under the light of their efforts, struggles and endeavors.

A study of some of the statements of this Sermon (alqasrah ) which adds to our mind concerning what we learned about the background to prophet hood, the Prophets' responsibilities, etc., in previous lessons, would bring us to a sound conclusion for this book. In a part of this Sermon weread: "Think about the condition of people from among the believers who passed before you. What distress and trials they underwent:"8

It means that we should look deep into the circumstances of the believers who lived before us, not treating them in a perfunctory manner because we cannot learn much from the formal appearance of the past events.Only when one traces the causes of these events and contemplates them deeply will one perceive that the believers of the past have been under severe pressure' and that they have been subjected to such hardships as hunger, torture, imprisonment and so forth and greater hardships than those we suffer today, i.e. facing political problems and happenings and recognizing the true character of different groups and fronts and the stance they take.

The Commander of the Faithful continues with the following statements, "were they the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most straightened circumstances in the whole world?"

The true believers have always been the most overburdened, the most pain-suffering and the poorest creatures of God before the advent of the Prophets and the realization of Islamic revolutions (all the revolutions led by the Prophets have been Islamic in the sense that they have all been primarily aimed at submission to God).Why?

First, because the believers have to provide for their ownsustainance . In fact, the true believers, those who have touched the spirit of the belief in God, never compromise with oppressive powers. They usually refuse to enter their service and to help them should they not be able to fight them." Thus, under tyrannical governments, the believers are constantly face to face with hardships and inconveniences as far as their economic affairs are concerned. Thiscan be traced in Islamic traditions. On the contrary, disbelievers compromise with the oppressors very easily, enter theservice and thus enjoy a comfortable life.

Second, in addition to providing for their own living, the believers are usually obliged torhoulder the burden of the oppressors' impositions concerning their luxurious life. As an example, we all know that the overthrown regime (of Pahlavi) faced exorbitantexpenses which had to be paid by those who did not compromise with it. Those who compromised with that regimewere not subjected to such burdens and impositions. They themselves took advantage of the prevailing situations as well.

Third, the believers have to tolerate the political impositions of the oppressive ruling powers with whom they fight. Such powers do not let them express their beliefs and have their own free thoughts and opinions. They force the believers to accept their own oppressive thoughts. Thus, the prevailing strangulation in a society is a great burden on the shoulder of the believers who refuse to adhere to the thoughts and opinions imposed by the oppressive ruling powers. They are, in effect, the most combative people, always fighting the oppressors in order to eradicate calamities and corruptions.

Itis narrated that the believer is always in a state of struggling in some way or other. Under unlawful and corruptive governments, he involves himself in organized hidden and underground battles and lives in a precautionary, dissimulative manner, and under lawful, legitimate governments, he deals with political, ideological and military involvements or fights the enemy to safeguard the way of God. Thus, the believer is always in a fightingstate which is very troublesome. Fighting does not necessarily mean receiving wounds and bearing distress.

It includes, in addition to these, fears and failures, worries and anxieties. The true fighter is thus the one who does not surrender to these and who only fights for the sake of God and duty, not for the sake of victory. Accordingly, fighting is more troublesome and difficult than all the trials of life.

Finally the Commander of the Faithful says, that are the poorest and the most straightened people because they have to live in a state of strangulation, poverty, force and precautionary silence.

He continues to explain the believers' status in the following statements: "The Pharaohs took them as slaves. They inflicted the worst punishments and bitter sufferings on them. They continuously remained in this state of (spiritual) ruinous disgrace and severe subjugation. They found no method for escape and no way for protection."

The first statement implies that the believerswere forcefully made to obey Pharaohs (holders of tyrannical power) or deities other than the One God, although they were servants of God by nature. Sometimes, of course, such deities or objects of worship believe in God themselves and, therefore submission to them is submission to God.But when they induce people to the worship of their own selves, submission to them is submission to non-gods. It has beennarrated that "he who listens to a speaker, becomes his servant. If the speaker speaks of God, that person will be the servant of God and if he speaks of Satan that person will be the servant of Satan."

And Satan is sometimes the very human 'self' and 'concupiscence' to whose obedience the Pharaohs forced the believers in God, who knew no way of defending their human dignity and getting rid of such servitude.

Such was the status of the believers in God and followers of the Prophets who dealt with satanic ruling powers before thevictory.spect to

The Three-Act Play of people's Status

The status of the people before,during and after the Prophets' appointment can be likened to a three-act play, the first act of which shows hardship and distress, the second speaks of resistance and perseverance and the third pictures, victory and freedom. In fact, the believers will never gain victory without resisting hardships and struggling for their aim.

The Commander of the Faithful continues, "Till when God, the Glorified, noticed that they were enduring troubles in His love and bearing distress and of fear for Him, He provided escape from the distress of trials. So, He changed their disgrace into honor and fear into safety."

In these statements, the Imam shows that the direction of the believers' struggles is towards God and they tolerate hardships and undesirable problems such as hunger, torture, imprisonment, cudgel-punishments and so forth upon His way and for the sake of His love so that God, seeing their patience and perseverance, would reveal to them the ways of escape from nuisances and calamities, maintain their convenience andtranquillity , change their disgrace into honor and fear into security and finally their defeat into victory.

Itshould be added here that honor (i.e. not submitting to contempt) and safety (i.e. not fearing any enemy) are the most important things the oppressed people are concerned about. Under the rule ofsatans (tyrannical powers) the people are not immune concerning their lives, properties, morality and so forth, whereas under the rule of God and the oppressed people such worries and anxieties do not exist at all.

The Commander of the Faithful continues his discussion with these statements, "Consequently, they became ruling authorities and conspicuous leaders, and God's favors over them reached limits to which their own wishes had not reached," meaning that the whole community of believers, after God, bestowed victory upon them, became leaders (Imams, guides and patterns) and objects of imitation for other oppressed people and nations who followed their ways and manners and made movements.

This is clearly observable in the world of today in which a nation of believers (i.e. Iranians), after having struggled for a long time and gaining victory over a tyrannical regime, has now become the leader of the whole world of the oppressed, and achievement which had never been imagined by Iranians.

They thought, in fact, about victory but they never imaginedto become leaders and guiding patterns for all of the oppressed people of the world such as those of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Persian Gulf countries, Africa and America, who have been greatly influenced and motivated by Iranians' achievements.And this is nothing but God's favor as he says.

Conclusion (Two General Points in the Sermon)

First, in this Sermon (No. 191) the emphasis is mostly on the spiritual aspects of the people's calamities and adversities.. In fact, such factors as strangulation, lack of security, the burden of mental impositions and the burden of providing for the satanic wishes of illegitimate governments, all of which cause humanity to suffer spiritually and invoke one to campaign, are more emphasized than such material misfortunes (or trials) as hunger for which the people rarely campaign. To say the least, human beings' honor and dignity are the dearest things to them, which stimulate them to seriously struggle and campaign. Hunger and the likecan be removed in other ways. These are the points of emphasis in this Sermon.

Secondly, the Imam emphasizes here that in a community of believers, when the arrogant government isoverthrown, it is the oppressed who take it over another arrogant group. As an example, after the revolution of Moses and destruction of Pharaoh, it was the believers themselves and the masseswho became rulers and established a true government.Also , during the lifetime of the Last Prophet, as well as during the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs, the people themselves were masters of their own affairs and played significant roles in resolving thernatters which came about.

They loved the Prophet and accepted what he said but not blindly and underpropagandic pressures. They freely accepted his decisions and they themselves made minor decisions. Unfortunately, as time has passed, people's participation in and contribution to the ruling affairs of the Islamic communities have gradually decreased and these communities have turned out to be, like the communities predominated by ignorance, consisting of two classes of people - the arrogant and the deprived; whereas a true Islamic community .

FOOTNOTES

1)When Damascus was conquered by 'Umar , the second Caliph, he appointedYazid bin AbuSufyan the governor of that region and whenYazid died, his brotherMu'awiya took over. Thus, the people of the region came to know onlyMu'awiya and his family from the very beginning when they embraced Islam.

2) This titleis still found in many books of our Sunni brethren.

3) Ash-SharifAr-Radi ,the of Ali (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic Services, 1979), part one, page 19.

4) Ibid. p. 20.

5) Ibid. p. 30.

6) Ibid. part two, page 406.parenthesis is the translator's.

7) For a better understanding of this matter, refer to MartyrMurtada Mutahhari's The End of Prophecy

8)Nahj-ul-Balagha of Ali, part two, page 410.

9) In the terminology of the Qur'an and in Islamic usage "trial" (bala ) comes to mean a bittera and severe incident. Through these incidents, the human heroeshave always been tried in the course of history and one cannot claim to be a perfect human being unless one exposes.

10)Akhavan-i-Thalith , one of the forerunners of modern Persian poetry, wrote a poem entitled "Wolves and Dogs" in which he pictures the status of rebellious believers with all hardships and calamities they suffer and their battle against oppressors as well as the status of the peace-seeking disbelievers and hypocrites who compromise with tyrants and do not refuse tohe subjected torneanness .

Akhvan likens the believers towolves which keep distance with the affluent and expose themselves to great sufferings for a loaf of bread, and compares the disbelievers with dogs which always serve faithfully, collar on the neck, in order to receive what is left over the master's table.ple and they are the believers.circumstances of time and place.

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The Believer' Status Before,After and at the Time of the Prophets' Appearance

In another sermon of theNahj-ul-Balagha known as "al-Khutbah al-Qasi'ah " (The Sermon of Disparagement),the Commander of the Faithful lays down and explains some of the matters which were quoted in previous from Sermon No. 1, concerning the status of the people during the Age of Ignorance, conditions of the time of the appearance of the Prophets and the situation of the people after the appointment of the Prophets to prophet hood. He portrays, in effect, the conditions andcircumstances which had naturally cast shadows over the people's lives in the Age of Ignorance as well as the victorious status the people gained after the appearance of the Prophets under the light of their efforts, struggles and endeavors.

A study of some of the statements of this Sermon (alqasrah ) which adds to our mind concerning what we learned about the background to prophet hood, the Prophets' responsibilities, etc., in previous lessons, would bring us to a sound conclusion for this book. In a part of this Sermon weread: "Think about the condition of people from among the believers who passed before you. What distress and trials they underwent:"8

It means that we should look deep into the circumstances of the believers who lived before us, not treating them in a perfunctory manner because we cannot learn much from the formal appearance of the past events.Only when one traces the causes of these events and contemplates them deeply will one perceive that the believers of the past have been under severe pressure' and that they have been subjected to such hardships as hunger, torture, imprisonment and so forth and greater hardships than those we suffer today, i.e. facing political problems and happenings and recognizing the true character of different groups and fronts and the stance they take.

The Commander of the Faithful continues with the following statements, "were they the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most straightened circumstances in the whole world?"

The true believers have always been the most overburdened, the most pain-suffering and the poorest creatures of God before the advent of the Prophets and the realization of Islamic revolutions (all the revolutions led by the Prophets have been Islamic in the sense that they have all been primarily aimed at submission to God).Why?

First, because the believers have to provide for their ownsustainance . In fact, the true believers, those who have touched the spirit of the belief in God, never compromise with oppressive powers. They usually refuse to enter their service and to help them should they not be able to fight them." Thus, under tyrannical governments, the believers are constantly face to face with hardships and inconveniences as far as their economic affairs are concerned. Thiscan be traced in Islamic traditions. On the contrary, disbelievers compromise with the oppressors very easily, enter theservice and thus enjoy a comfortable life.

Second, in addition to providing for their own living, the believers are usually obliged torhoulder the burden of the oppressors' impositions concerning their luxurious life. As an example, we all know that the overthrown regime (of Pahlavi) faced exorbitantexpenses which had to be paid by those who did not compromise with it. Those who compromised with that regimewere not subjected to such burdens and impositions. They themselves took advantage of the prevailing situations as well.

Third, the believers have to tolerate the political impositions of the oppressive ruling powers with whom they fight. Such powers do not let them express their beliefs and have their own free thoughts and opinions. They force the believers to accept their own oppressive thoughts. Thus, the prevailing strangulation in a society is a great burden on the shoulder of the believers who refuse to adhere to the thoughts and opinions imposed by the oppressive ruling powers. They are, in effect, the most combative people, always fighting the oppressors in order to eradicate calamities and corruptions.

Itis narrated that the believer is always in a state of struggling in some way or other. Under unlawful and corruptive governments, he involves himself in organized hidden and underground battles and lives in a precautionary, dissimulative manner, and under lawful, legitimate governments, he deals with political, ideological and military involvements or fights the enemy to safeguard the way of God. Thus, the believer is always in a fightingstate which is very troublesome. Fighting does not necessarily mean receiving wounds and bearing distress.

It includes, in addition to these, fears and failures, worries and anxieties. The true fighter is thus the one who does not surrender to these and who only fights for the sake of God and duty, not for the sake of victory. Accordingly, fighting is more troublesome and difficult than all the trials of life.

Finally the Commander of the Faithful says, that are the poorest and the most straightened people because they have to live in a state of strangulation, poverty, force and precautionary silence.

He continues to explain the believers' status in the following statements: "The Pharaohs took them as slaves. They inflicted the worst punishments and bitter sufferings on them. They continuously remained in this state of (spiritual) ruinous disgrace and severe subjugation. They found no method for escape and no way for protection."

The first statement implies that the believerswere forcefully made to obey Pharaohs (holders of tyrannical power) or deities other than the One God, although they were servants of God by nature. Sometimes, of course, such deities or objects of worship believe in God themselves and, therefore submission to them is submission to God.But when they induce people to the worship of their own selves, submission to them is submission to non-gods. It has beennarrated that "he who listens to a speaker, becomes his servant. If the speaker speaks of God, that person will be the servant of God and if he speaks of Satan that person will be the servant of Satan."

And Satan is sometimes the very human 'self' and 'concupiscence' to whose obedience the Pharaohs forced the believers in God, who knew no way of defending their human dignity and getting rid of such servitude.

Such was the status of the believers in God and followers of the Prophets who dealt with satanic ruling powers before thevictory.spect to

The Three-Act Play of people's Status

The status of the people before,during and after the Prophets' appointment can be likened to a three-act play, the first act of which shows hardship and distress, the second speaks of resistance and perseverance and the third pictures, victory and freedom. In fact, the believers will never gain victory without resisting hardships and struggling for their aim.

The Commander of the Faithful continues, "Till when God, the Glorified, noticed that they were enduring troubles in His love and bearing distress and of fear for Him, He provided escape from the distress of trials. So, He changed their disgrace into honor and fear into safety."

In these statements, the Imam shows that the direction of the believers' struggles is towards God and they tolerate hardships and undesirable problems such as hunger, torture, imprisonment, cudgel-punishments and so forth upon His way and for the sake of His love so that God, seeing their patience and perseverance, would reveal to them the ways of escape from nuisances and calamities, maintain their convenience andtranquillity , change their disgrace into honor and fear into security and finally their defeat into victory.

Itshould be added here that honor (i.e. not submitting to contempt) and safety (i.e. not fearing any enemy) are the most important things the oppressed people are concerned about. Under the rule ofsatans (tyrannical powers) the people are not immune concerning their lives, properties, morality and so forth, whereas under the rule of God and the oppressed people such worries and anxieties do not exist at all.

The Commander of the Faithful continues his discussion with these statements, "Consequently, they became ruling authorities and conspicuous leaders, and God's favors over them reached limits to which their own wishes had not reached," meaning that the whole community of believers, after God, bestowed victory upon them, became leaders (Imams, guides and patterns) and objects of imitation for other oppressed people and nations who followed their ways and manners and made movements.

This is clearly observable in the world of today in which a nation of believers (i.e. Iranians), after having struggled for a long time and gaining victory over a tyrannical regime, has now become the leader of the whole world of the oppressed, and achievement which had never been imagined by Iranians.

They thought, in fact, about victory but they never imaginedto become leaders and guiding patterns for all of the oppressed people of the world such as those of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Persian Gulf countries, Africa and America, who have been greatly influenced and motivated by Iranians' achievements.And this is nothing but God's favor as he says.

Conclusion (Two General Points in the Sermon)

First, in this Sermon (No. 191) the emphasis is mostly on the spiritual aspects of the people's calamities and adversities.. In fact, such factors as strangulation, lack of security, the burden of mental impositions and the burden of providing for the satanic wishes of illegitimate governments, all of which cause humanity to suffer spiritually and invoke one to campaign, are more emphasized than such material misfortunes (or trials) as hunger for which the people rarely campaign. To say the least, human beings' honor and dignity are the dearest things to them, which stimulate them to seriously struggle and campaign. Hunger and the likecan be removed in other ways. These are the points of emphasis in this Sermon.

Secondly, the Imam emphasizes here that in a community of believers, when the arrogant government isoverthrown, it is the oppressed who take it over another arrogant group. As an example, after the revolution of Moses and destruction of Pharaoh, it was the believers themselves and the masseswho became rulers and established a true government.Also , during the lifetime of the Last Prophet, as well as during the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs, the people themselves were masters of their own affairs and played significant roles in resolving thernatters which came about.

They loved the Prophet and accepted what he said but not blindly and underpropagandic pressures. They freely accepted his decisions and they themselves made minor decisions. Unfortunately, as time has passed, people's participation in and contribution to the ruling affairs of the Islamic communities have gradually decreased and these communities have turned out to be, like the communities predominated by ignorance, consisting of two classes of people - the arrogant and the deprived; whereas a true Islamic community .

FOOTNOTES

1)When Damascus was conquered by 'Umar , the second Caliph, he appointedYazid bin AbuSufyan the governor of that region and whenYazid died, his brotherMu'awiya took over. Thus, the people of the region came to know onlyMu'awiya and his family from the very beginning when they embraced Islam.

2) This titleis still found in many books of our Sunni brethren.

3) Ash-SharifAr-Radi ,the of Ali (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic Services, 1979), part one, page 19.

4) Ibid. p. 20.

5) Ibid. p. 30.

6) Ibid. part two, page 406.parenthesis is the translator's.

7) For a better understanding of this matter, refer to MartyrMurtada Mutahhari's The End of Prophecy

8)Nahj-ul-Balagha of Ali, part two, page 410.

9) In the terminology of the Qur'an and in Islamic usage "trial" (bala ) comes to mean a bittera and severe incident. Through these incidents, the human heroeshave always been tried in the course of history and one cannot claim to be a perfect human being unless one exposes.

10)Akhavan-i-Thalith , one of the forerunners of modern Persian poetry, wrote a poem entitled "Wolves and Dogs" in which he pictures the status of rebellious believers with all hardships and calamities they suffer and their battle against oppressors as well as the status of the peace-seeking disbelievers and hypocrites who compromise with tyrants and do not refuse tohe subjected torneanness .

Akhvan likens the believers towolves which keep distance with the affluent and expose themselves to great sufferings for a loaf of bread, and compares the disbelievers with dogs which always serve faithfully, collar on the neck, in order to receive what is left over the master's table.ple and they are the believers.circumstances of time and place.

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The Believer' Status Before,After and at the Time of the Prophets' Appearance

In another sermon of theNahj-ul-Balagha known as "al-Khutbah al-Qasi'ah " (The Sermon of Disparagement),the Commander of the Faithful lays down and explains some of the matters which were quoted in previous from Sermon No. 1, concerning the status of the people during the Age of Ignorance, conditions of the time of the appearance of the Prophets and the situation of the people after the appointment of the Prophets to prophet hood. He portrays, in effect, the conditions andcircumstances which had naturally cast shadows over the people's lives in the Age of Ignorance as well as the victorious status the people gained after the appearance of the Prophets under the light of their efforts, struggles and endeavors.

A study of some of the statements of this Sermon (alqasrah ) which adds to our mind concerning what we learned about the background to prophet hood, the Prophets' responsibilities, etc., in previous lessons, would bring us to a sound conclusion for this book. In a part of this Sermon weread: "Think about the condition of people from among the believers who passed before you. What distress and trials they underwent:"8

It means that we should look deep into the circumstances of the believers who lived before us, not treating them in a perfunctory manner because we cannot learn much from the formal appearance of the past events.Only when one traces the causes of these events and contemplates them deeply will one perceive that the believers of the past have been under severe pressure' and that they have been subjected to such hardships as hunger, torture, imprisonment and so forth and greater hardships than those we suffer today, i.e. facing political problems and happenings and recognizing the true character of different groups and fronts and the stance they take.

The Commander of the Faithful continues with the following statements, "were they the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most straightened circumstances in the whole world?"

The true believers have always been the most overburdened, the most pain-suffering and the poorest creatures of God before the advent of the Prophets and the realization of Islamic revolutions (all the revolutions led by the Prophets have been Islamic in the sense that they have all been primarily aimed at submission to God).Why?

First, because the believers have to provide for their ownsustainance . In fact, the true believers, those who have touched the spirit of the belief in God, never compromise with oppressive powers. They usually refuse to enter their service and to help them should they not be able to fight them." Thus, under tyrannical governments, the believers are constantly face to face with hardships and inconveniences as far as their economic affairs are concerned. Thiscan be traced in Islamic traditions. On the contrary, disbelievers compromise with the oppressors very easily, enter theservice and thus enjoy a comfortable life.

Second, in addition to providing for their own living, the believers are usually obliged torhoulder the burden of the oppressors' impositions concerning their luxurious life. As an example, we all know that the overthrown regime (of Pahlavi) faced exorbitantexpenses which had to be paid by those who did not compromise with it. Those who compromised with that regimewere not subjected to such burdens and impositions. They themselves took advantage of the prevailing situations as well.

Third, the believers have to tolerate the political impositions of the oppressive ruling powers with whom they fight. Such powers do not let them express their beliefs and have their own free thoughts and opinions. They force the believers to accept their own oppressive thoughts. Thus, the prevailing strangulation in a society is a great burden on the shoulder of the believers who refuse to adhere to the thoughts and opinions imposed by the oppressive ruling powers. They are, in effect, the most combative people, always fighting the oppressors in order to eradicate calamities and corruptions.

Itis narrated that the believer is always in a state of struggling in some way or other. Under unlawful and corruptive governments, he involves himself in organized hidden and underground battles and lives in a precautionary, dissimulative manner, and under lawful, legitimate governments, he deals with political, ideological and military involvements or fights the enemy to safeguard the way of God. Thus, the believer is always in a fightingstate which is very troublesome. Fighting does not necessarily mean receiving wounds and bearing distress.

It includes, in addition to these, fears and failures, worries and anxieties. The true fighter is thus the one who does not surrender to these and who only fights for the sake of God and duty, not for the sake of victory. Accordingly, fighting is more troublesome and difficult than all the trials of life.

Finally the Commander of the Faithful says, that are the poorest and the most straightened people because they have to live in a state of strangulation, poverty, force and precautionary silence.

He continues to explain the believers' status in the following statements: "The Pharaohs took them as slaves. They inflicted the worst punishments and bitter sufferings on them. They continuously remained in this state of (spiritual) ruinous disgrace and severe subjugation. They found no method for escape and no way for protection."

The first statement implies that the believerswere forcefully made to obey Pharaohs (holders of tyrannical power) or deities other than the One God, although they were servants of God by nature. Sometimes, of course, such deities or objects of worship believe in God themselves and, therefore submission to them is submission to God.But when they induce people to the worship of their own selves, submission to them is submission to non-gods. It has beennarrated that "he who listens to a speaker, becomes his servant. If the speaker speaks of God, that person will be the servant of God and if he speaks of Satan that person will be the servant of Satan."

And Satan is sometimes the very human 'self' and 'concupiscence' to whose obedience the Pharaohs forced the believers in God, who knew no way of defending their human dignity and getting rid of such servitude.

Such was the status of the believers in God and followers of the Prophets who dealt with satanic ruling powers before thevictory.spect to

The Three-Act Play of people's Status

The status of the people before,during and after the Prophets' appointment can be likened to a three-act play, the first act of which shows hardship and distress, the second speaks of resistance and perseverance and the third pictures, victory and freedom. In fact, the believers will never gain victory without resisting hardships and struggling for their aim.

The Commander of the Faithful continues, "Till when God, the Glorified, noticed that they were enduring troubles in His love and bearing distress and of fear for Him, He provided escape from the distress of trials. So, He changed their disgrace into honor and fear into safety."

In these statements, the Imam shows that the direction of the believers' struggles is towards God and they tolerate hardships and undesirable problems such as hunger, torture, imprisonment, cudgel-punishments and so forth upon His way and for the sake of His love so that God, seeing their patience and perseverance, would reveal to them the ways of escape from nuisances and calamities, maintain their convenience andtranquillity , change their disgrace into honor and fear into security and finally their defeat into victory.

Itshould be added here that honor (i.e. not submitting to contempt) and safety (i.e. not fearing any enemy) are the most important things the oppressed people are concerned about. Under the rule ofsatans (tyrannical powers) the people are not immune concerning their lives, properties, morality and so forth, whereas under the rule of God and the oppressed people such worries and anxieties do not exist at all.

The Commander of the Faithful continues his discussion with these statements, "Consequently, they became ruling authorities and conspicuous leaders, and God's favors over them reached limits to which their own wishes had not reached," meaning that the whole community of believers, after God, bestowed victory upon them, became leaders (Imams, guides and patterns) and objects of imitation for other oppressed people and nations who followed their ways and manners and made movements.

This is clearly observable in the world of today in which a nation of believers (i.e. Iranians), after having struggled for a long time and gaining victory over a tyrannical regime, has now become the leader of the whole world of the oppressed, and achievement which had never been imagined by Iranians.

They thought, in fact, about victory but they never imaginedto become leaders and guiding patterns for all of the oppressed people of the world such as those of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Persian Gulf countries, Africa and America, who have been greatly influenced and motivated by Iranians' achievements.And this is nothing but God's favor as he says.

Conclusion (Two General Points in the Sermon)

First, in this Sermon (No. 191) the emphasis is mostly on the spiritual aspects of the people's calamities and adversities.. In fact, such factors as strangulation, lack of security, the burden of mental impositions and the burden of providing for the satanic wishes of illegitimate governments, all of which cause humanity to suffer spiritually and invoke one to campaign, are more emphasized than such material misfortunes (or trials) as hunger for which the people rarely campaign. To say the least, human beings' honor and dignity are the dearest things to them, which stimulate them to seriously struggle and campaign. Hunger and the likecan be removed in other ways. These are the points of emphasis in this Sermon.

Secondly, the Imam emphasizes here that in a community of believers, when the arrogant government isoverthrown, it is the oppressed who take it over another arrogant group. As an example, after the revolution of Moses and destruction of Pharaoh, it was the believers themselves and the masseswho became rulers and established a true government.Also , during the lifetime of the Last Prophet, as well as during the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs, the people themselves were masters of their own affairs and played significant roles in resolving thernatters which came about.

They loved the Prophet and accepted what he said but not blindly and underpropagandic pressures. They freely accepted his decisions and they themselves made minor decisions. Unfortunately, as time has passed, people's participation in and contribution to the ruling affairs of the Islamic communities have gradually decreased and these communities have turned out to be, like the communities predominated by ignorance, consisting of two classes of people - the arrogant and the deprived; whereas a true Islamic community .

FOOTNOTES

1)When Damascus was conquered by 'Umar , the second Caliph, he appointedYazid bin AbuSufyan the governor of that region and whenYazid died, his brotherMu'awiya took over. Thus, the people of the region came to know onlyMu'awiya and his family from the very beginning when they embraced Islam.

2) This titleis still found in many books of our Sunni brethren.

3) Ash-SharifAr-Radi ,the of Ali (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic Services, 1979), part one, page 19.

4) Ibid. p. 20.

5) Ibid. p. 30.

6) Ibid. part two, page 406.parenthesis is the translator's.

7) For a better understanding of this matter, refer to MartyrMurtada Mutahhari's The End of Prophecy

8)Nahj-ul-Balagha of Ali, part two, page 410.

9) In the terminology of the Qur'an and in Islamic usage "trial" (bala ) comes to mean a bittera and severe incident. Through these incidents, the human heroeshave always been tried in the course of history and one cannot claim to be a perfect human being unless one exposes.

10)Akhavan-i-Thalith , one of the forerunners of modern Persian poetry, wrote a poem entitled "Wolves and Dogs" in which he pictures the status of rebellious believers with all hardships and calamities they suffer and their battle against oppressors as well as the status of the peace-seeking disbelievers and hypocrites who compromise with tyrants and do not refuse tohe subjected torneanness .

Akhvan likens the believers towolves which keep distance with the affluent and expose themselves to great sufferings for a loaf of bread, and compares the disbelievers with dogs which always serve faithfully, collar on the neck, in order to receive what is left over the master's table.ple and they are the believers.circumstances of time and place.

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