6. Surah Al-An'aam

Commentary Mentioned in the previous verses was one manifestation of the knowledge and power of Allah Almighty that He alone can remove human distress and whoever calls on Him while in difficulty shall find His help before his eyes. The reason is that He is perfectly powerful over the whole universe and He is also perfectly merciful to His entire creation. No one else has that perfect power and universal mercy. Mentioned in the present verses is another side of His perfect power - that He can punish any individual or group for its contumacy if He wills to do so. And doing so is easy for Him. To punish a criminal, He needs no police or army or helper like the rulers of the mortal world. This aspect was stated by saying: هُوَ الْقَادِرُ‌ عَلَىٰ أَن يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِن تَحْتِ أَرْ‌جُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا (He is fully capable that He should send a punishment from above you or from beneath your feet, or to put you in confusion through divisions). Three Kinds of Divine Punishment Identified here are three kinds of Divine Punishment: (1) That which comes from above, (2) that which comes from beneath, and (3) that which spreads out from within. Then, by bringing the word, ` عَذَابَاً ' with nunnation (tanwin تنوین) on an indefinite noun (nakirah), a warning - as admitted by the rules of Arabic grammar - has been served that there could be different sub-divisions and forms within these three kind. According to commentators of the Qur'an, there have been many examples of punishment coming from above among past communities as the flood which came upon the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) the wind storm which overtook the people of ` Ad, the raining of stones on the people of Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) - the raining of blood and frogs upon the Bani Isra'il and the pelting of pebbles by flights of birds on the People of the Elephant اَصحَاب الفِیل (ashab al-fil) when they invaded Makkah which left all of them reduced to chaff chewed out. Similarly, various forms of the coming of punishment from beneath have also appeared among past communities. For the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) there already was the punishment from above in the form of rainstorm, then they were also caught up in the punishment from beneath when the water under the ground started forcing out whereby they came into the grip of two punishments at the same time, that is, the punishment from above and the punishment from beneath. The people of the Pharaoh were drowned in the punishment from beneath their feet. Qarun قارون (Korah) fell a victim to this very punishment when he, along with his legendary treasures, sank down into the earth as if swallowed by it. Early Tafsir authorities, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ and Mujahid have said that the punishment from above means that cruel rulers and merciless officials come to rule over a people while the punishment from beneath means that one's own subordinates and servants turn into traitors, idlers and thieves. Some sayings of the Holy Prophet also confirm the Tafsir of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas given above. The saying of the Holy Prophet ﷺ which follows has been reported in Mishkat with reference to Shu` abul-Iman of Al-Baihaqi: کما تکونونَ کَذٰلکَ یُؤمَّرُ علیکم ، that is, ` as are your deeds, good or bad, so shall be your rulers and officials set upon you.' It means : If you are good, and obedient to Allah Ta` ala, your rulers and officials will also be merciful and just. And if your deeds are evil, you will find that merciless and unjust rulers and officials have been set upon you.' The well-known saying: اَعمَالُکُم عُمَّالُکُم (Your deeds : your rulers) means just the same. According to a narration from Abi Nu` aym in his Hilyah appearing in Mishkat, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: Allah Ta` ala says: I am Allah. There is no god worthy of worship but Me. I am the Master of kings. And I am the Sovereign. The hearts of kings are in My hands. When My servants obey Me, I pour mercy in the hearts of their kings and officials. And when My servants disobey Me, I harden the hearts of their rulers against them. They make them taste all kinds of evil punishments. Therefore, do not waste your energy in speaking ill of the rulers and officials. Turn to Allah and correct your deeds so that I may put your affairs right. Similarly, there is a narration from Sayyidah ` A'ishah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہا in Abu Dawud and Nasa'i in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: When Allah Ta` ala wishes well for a ruler, He gives them a good minister and deputy so that he may remind the ruler if he forgets something, and who helps the ruler when he acts right. And when some evil is destined for a ruler, evil people are made his ministers and deputies. In the light of these Hadith narrations and the explanation of related verses, the outcome is that hardships faced by people at the hands of their rulers are a punishment which comes from above - and that which is inflicted through servants and subordinates is a punishment which comes from beneath. They are no stray accidents. In fact, they are a punishment of one's deeds under a Divine law. Imam Sufyan Ath-Thawri said: When a sin gets to be committed by me, I see its effect on my servant, even on my horse I ride and the donkey I use to carry my things. I can feel the change in their temper because all of them start disobeying me. Maulana Rumi, in his famous Mathnawi, says that Allah Ta` ala, by putting you under the apparent punishment which causes pain to you through ill-treatment at the hands of your cruel rulers or faithless subordinates in this mortal world, actually wishes to turn your attention towards Himself, so that you get alerted and start trying to make your deeds good, and as a result of which, you may save yourself from the much greater punishment of the Hereafter. To sum up, we can say that, according to the Tafsir of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، the oppression of rulers is the punishment which comes from above, and the dishonesty, idling and treachery of subordinates is the punishment which comes from beneath, and the remedy for both is the same - that everyone should look back and examine what each one has done, leave paths of error, avoid being disobedient to Allah, then, nature will be commanded to take its desired course creating conditions which would remove the hardship. Otherwise, trying to remove them and correct the situation through material ways and means alone will be nothing but self-deception, an experience we have been having all the time. The different explanations of the punishment from above and from beneath which you have heard just now are really no different from each other - because the word, عَذَاباً (` adhaban) meaning ` punishment,' which appears in this verse , in fact, embraces all these explanations. Punishments coming from the skies like the rocks, pebbles, blood, fire, flood, and the oppression of rulers, are all included under the punishment from above. As for the parting of the earth and the sinking of a people in it, or being drowned in water forcing out from the earth, or becoming a victim of problems at the hands of subordinates, all these are punishments from beneath. There is a third kind of punishment mentioned in this verse, and that is: أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا (or put you in confusion through divisions ...). It means that you may be split into parties confronting each other and it becomes a punishment from within. The word, يَلْبِسَكُمْ (yalbisakum translated as ` put you in confusion' ) used here comes from the root: (labasa) which basically means to hide or cover up. It is in that sense it is used to refer to clothes which cover the human body. And for this reason, its derivation: التباس (iltibas) is used in the sense of doubt, where the meaning of what is said remains hidden, that is, it is not open and clear. As for the word: شِیَع (shiya' ), it is the plural form of: شِیَعۃ hi'ah) which means to be a follower, adherent or partisan of someone. It appears in the Holy Qur'an: وَإِنَّ مِن شِيعَتِهِ لَإِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ ﴿83﴾ that is, ` following in the footsteps of Nuh (علیہ السلام) is Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) 37:83.' Therefore, in common usage, the word: شِیَعۃ (shi'ah) is used to denote a group which gets together for a particular purpose, and its members help each other in achieving that purpose. In the current idiom, it would mean a faction or party. So, the verse could be translated in the sense that one kind of ` Adhab' (punishment) is that a nation or community breaks up into factions and parties and starts confronting each other. Therefore, when this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ addressed Muslims and told them: لَا تَرجِعُوا بَعدِی کّفَّاراً یَّضرِبُ بَعدضُکُم رِقَابَ بَعضِ Do not renege after me becoming like disbelievers striking at the necks of each other. (Deduced by Ibn Abi Hatim from Zayd ibn Aslam as in Mazhari) Sayyidna Sa'd ibn Abi Waggas ؓ says: Once we were going with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . When we reached Masjid Bani Mu` awiyah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went into the Masjid and offered two raka'ah of Salah. We too offered two raka'ah. After that, he became busy with Du` a, and kept praying for a fairly long time. After that, he said: ` I asked my Rabb for three things: (1) My Ummah may not be destroyed by drowning: Allah Ta` ala answered this prayer; (2) My Ummah may not be destroyed by famine and hunger: This too was answered; (3) My Ummah may not be destroyed by infighting: I was stopped from making this prayer.' (Mazhari with reference to Baghawi) Another Hadith on the same subject has been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ where one of the three prayers is that ` may Allah not set an enemy upon my Ummah who destroys all of them.' This prayer was answered. As for infighting and mutual confrontation, he was forbidden from making the prayer. These narrations prove that, though the kind of punishments which visited earlier communities from above them and from beneath them and which destroyed all of them, will not visit the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ - but, there is one ` Adhab' (punishment) which will keep visiting this Ummah too during their life in the present world. That ` Adhab' is their infighting and the mutual confrontation between their factions and parties. It was for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has emphatically forbidden his Ummah from becoming divided in sects, factions and parties and from challenging and fighting each other among themselves. Actually, he has, on every possible occasion, tried to put the fear of Allah in every heart by warning that the Divine punishment, if it has to come upon Muslims within their life in this mortal world, it will come because of nothing else but their mutual confrontation and infighting. This subject has been further clarified in a verse of Surah Hid where it is said: وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ ﴿118﴾ إِلَّا مَن رَّ‌حِمَ رَ‌بُّكَ But they wi11 continue in their differences, except those whom Allah has blessed with mercy - 11:118 In this light, it becomes all the more clear that those who differ with each other (without a valid Islamic legal justification) are either deprived of Divine mercy, or far-removed from it. Before we move on to analyse the subject, quoted below are two verses from Surah 'Al-` Imran which would make the problem easier to understand: وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّ‌قُوا And hold on to the cord of Allah, all of you, and be not divided - 3:103 وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّ‌قُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا And do not be like those who became divided and fell into disputes ... - 3:105 The Anatomy and Rationale of Differences The essence of all Ayat and Riwayat (Verses and Hadith Narrations, presented here is that difference is ill-fated and blameworthy. If we were to ponder over the causes of the decline and Muslims materially and spiritually, we will see that the root of most troubles lies in this very mutual difference and discord we are talking about. Unfortunately, as a result of our own misdeeds, this ` Adhab' has come to sit on our heads like an octopus. Otherwise, we were a people whose pivot of unity was one single Kalimah of لا إله إلا اللہ محمد رسول اللہ (There no god worthy of worship but Allah, Muhammad is Messenger of Allah). All men and women having faith in this Kalimah, anywhere on this earth, speaking any language, of any colour, of any race, any lineage, were brothers and sisters to each other. Mountains and rivers were no handicap in their unity. The difference of race, family, colour and language were no hurdles in their way. Their unity was tied with this Kalimah irrespective of their nationality. That they were Arabs or Egyptians or Syrians or Turks or Indian or Chinese did not matter. These divisions were simply for the sake of identity and introduction, and that was it, no more. The poet of neo-Islamic Renaissance, Muhammad Iqbal summarized it by saying: درویشِ خدا مست نہ شرقی ہے نہ غربی گھر اس کا نہ دِلِّی ہے نہ صفاہان سمرقند The dervish of Allah cares not For he is neither of the East, nor of the West For him there is no home Neither Delhi, nor Isfahan, nor Samarqand ... In our day, intrigues backed by constantly concerted efforts have succeeded in dividing them once again into racial, linguistic and regional nationalities. Worse came to happen when these very entities, hit by internal disruption and chaos, ended up splitting themselves into many more additional factions. The people whose hallmark was en they would forgive, forego and sacrifice even in the case of others readily surrender their most just rights for the sake of avoiding confrontation now have many individuals within their fold who would not hesitate to sacrifice even the most precious This is the difference born out the cheapest and the meanest of gains. This is the difference born out of self-interest, wanton desires and fancies which is a bad omen for any community or nation, and certainly a cash punishment for them right here in the present world. However, it is necessary to understand at this point the difference which has been declared in the Qur'an as Divine punishment, and deprivation from Divine mercy, is that particular difference which either appears in Principles and Beliefs or is because of self-interest, wanton desires and fancies. Not included here is the particular difference of opinion which was based on the Principles of Ijtihad carried out in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah, and it was under these Principles that the difference of opinion in subsidiary matters and masa'il has continued being there among the jurists (Fuqaha' ) of the Muslim Ummah from the early period of Sahabah (Companions) and Tabi` in. (Successors to Companions). It should be borne in mind that in these subsidiary matters, the frame of reference under which such difference of opinion may show up is restricted to Qur'an, Sunnah and Ijma` (consensus). Here, the intention of everyone is to obey and act in ac-cordance with the injunctions of Qur'an and Sunnah. But, the difference which emerges here is that of Ijtihad and opinion in the duduction of solutions to subsidiary problems as interpreted from words left condensed or ambiguous in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Such difference has been called Rahmah or mercy in Hadith. The following narration has been reported in Al-Jami` Al-Saghir [ with reference to Nasr Maqdisi, Baihaqi Imam al-Haramayn ]: اِختلافُ اُمَّتی رحمَۃُ (The difference of my Ummah is mercy). It has been made particular to the community of the Holy Prophet ﷺ because any difference which arises among the ` Ulama', who uphold nothing but the truth, and Muslim jurists who are unalienably God-fearing, shall always be governed by the principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah. Then, this would be with an intention which is absolutely true and with an approach which is inevitably for the good pleasure of Allah. This difference will never be motivated by any self-interest or desire for recognition, office or money. Therefore, that difference will never become the cause of confrontations. Instead of that, as determined by ` Allama ` Abdur-Rauf al-Munawi, the commentator of Al-Jami` Al-Saghir, the different approaches (Maslak) of the jurists of Muslim community will have the same status which was given to different religious law systems of the blessed prophets in past periods of time - in that they all were, despite being different, nothing but the very injunctions of Allah. Thus, the different approaches (Maslak مَسلَک) credited to the great Mujtahid Imams of the Muslim Ummah shall be called, because of their being under the principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah, nothing but the commandments and injunctions of Allah and Rasul. An example of such difference based on Ijtihad can be readily seen on the main streets of our cities where the streets are demarcated into various sections or lanes for the convenience of those who move on them. A section would be used by buses while another by cars and vans. Similarly, a section of the street may be reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. Though this division of one main street into several lanes is outwardly a form of difference but, since everyone is headed in one single direction and everyone moving through each lane will ultimately reach one desired destination. Therefore, this difference of routes or approaches, rather than being harmful, is functionally useful for all movers - a lot of space and mercy indeed. This is the reason why leading Mujtahid Imams and the Jurists of the Muslim Community agree that the Maslak or approach taken by any of them is not false, and it is not permissible for anyone to call those who follow it as being sinners. The essence of the difference in مَذھَب Madhab or approaches or schools of thought represented by Mujtahid Imams and Jurists has a limited frame of reference. The approach taken by one Mujtahid happens to be weightier in his sight, but he himself would not call the approach of another Mujtahid as false. In fact, they pay due regard and respect to each other. A look into the mutual relationships of the jurists (Fuqaha' ) among the Sahabah and Tabiin and the four leading Mujtahid Imams and the events and happenings surrounding them are open testimony to the fact that, despite their differences in technical, intellectual and juristic approaches, they had excellent mutual working relationships, giving each other full respect and recognition. That they would be arrayed against each other in rancour, hostility and infighting was absolutely out of question in their case. The same spirit and modus operandi continued with those who later on came as followers of the main juristic schools - as far as they remained adhering to sound knowledge and honest attitude, their mutual relationships remained based on cordiality and respect like their predecessors. This is the difference we are talking about. This difference is mercy indeed, for people a source of myriad openings and conveniences and leaves, and certainly a reservoir of beneficial results. As far as subsidiary questions are concerned, the truth is that the difference of proponents in them is not harmful, if it remains within its proper bounds. In fact, it serves as an aid in enlarging and identifying different aspects of a question which makes it possible to arrive at a sound resolution of the problem. It goes without saying that in a meeting of honest minds, the absence of some difference of opinion about a question is just not conceivable. Something like this can happen among a set of people who cannot or do not understand the problem at all, or among pragmatic secular people who would not hesitate to agree to an opinion, even though against their conscience, just to accommodate some party, pressure group or interest lobby. So, difference of opinion which is within its bounds, that is, not in the categorical imperatives of the Qur'an and Sunnah concerning articles of faith and decisive injunctions, and which is only in subsidiary questions requiring Ijtihad , and that too where the definitive texts of Qur'an and Sunnah are either silent or ambiguous, and again if the effort so made does not go to the outer limit of name calling, blame throwing and infighting, then, that difference of opinion will, instead of being harmful, be beneficial - a blessing and mercy. Think of this universe of our experience. Things differ in shape, form, colour, smell, property and functional benefits. There are countless living organisms. They differ, so do human beings, different temperaments, occupations, skills, ways of living - these differences are the charm of living which provides open avenues of countless benefits. Many people, who are not aware of this reality, would look down even upon the normal differences in the legal solution of problems (fatawa) credited to great Jurists and true ` Ulama.' They are heard complaining: When ` Ulama' differ, where do we go? Frankly, this is a simple matter. Take the example of a sick person about whose condition physicians differ. Naturally everyone tries to find out a physician who has the desired experience and technical expertise and he is the one entrusted with the charge of treating the patient. No one goes out speaking ill of other doctors in town. The same thing happens in legal cases. Lawyers may differ in their opinions. Naturally people entrust their case to a lawyer who is efficient and experienced in their estimation, and act on his advice. They do not run around maligning others in that profession. This principle should be operative here too. When the Fatwa given by ` Ulama' about a problem turn out to be different (reasons to be investigated in the parameters of the original inquiry), then, one should make his best efforts to locate an ` Alim who, in their judgment, is better than others in ` Ilm (expertise in religious knowl-edge) and Taqwa (fear of Allah, fear of being responsible before Him) and follow the advice given by him. There is no need for them to waste their time in finding fault with other ` Ulama.' In I` lam Al-Muwwaqqi` in, ` Allamah Hafiz ibn al-Qaiyyim has reported that the choice of an expert Mufti - and in case of a difference of opinion, the giving of preference to the Fatwa of an ` Alim who, in the opinion of the seeker, is the best of all in ` Ilm and Taqwa- - is the duty of every Muslim himself who has such a problem on hand. That he starts giving preference to one of the different Fatawa of ` Ulama is certainly not his job. But, it is no one's job but his own that he should act according to the Fatwa of anyone from among the Muftis and ` Alims whom he considers the best in knowledge and honesty. After that, he should not go about denouncing other Muftis and ` Alims. Once a person has done what is required of him, he is totally free of blame in the sight of Allah. In case, the giver of Fatwa did make a mistake in the real sense, then, he himself will be responsible for it. In short, not every difference is absolutely blameworthy, nor every agreement absolutely praiseworthy and desirable. If thieves, robbers and rebels were to join hands and form a union of their own, who would not take this union of theirs blameworthy and fatal for the society. Contrary to this, police action or public protest against such groups is considered praiseworthy and beneficial by all reasonable people. This tells us that the problem does not lie in difference of opinion, nor does it lie in acting according to a particular opinion, instead, all problems show up when others are suspected and slandered - which is an outcome of lack of knowledge and honesty and plenty of self-serving desires and fancies. When a nation or country stoops to that level, this merciful difference is changed into punishing difference. Of all the people, Muslims themselves split into parties, fight among themselves, even do the impossible by killing each other. Hurling insults on others is taken to be a defence of religious position, although, religion has nothing to do with such excess and aggression. In fact, this is the confrontation and fighting which has been sternly prohibited by the Holy Prophet ﷺ . In authentic Ahadith, it has been cited as the cause of peoples and nations going astray. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

In the second verse (66), after mentioning the anti-truth stand taken by the Quraysh of Makkah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ also from the same tribe, has been instructed that he should tell those people asking about the precise time when the promised punishment will come that he has not been appointed to do that for them. The truth is that for everything there is a point of time as determined in Divine knowledge. It will come at its own time, and they will see for themselves what happens when it does.

Commentary Avoid Gatherings of False People In the present verses, Muslims have been instructed that they should, as a matter of principle, abstain from being a part of the gatherings frequented by those who prefer to follow the false - because a sin is a sin, whether you do it yourself or watch others doing it. Details follow. The word: يَخُوضُونَ (translated here as ` indulge' ) in the first verse (68) is from: خَوض (khawd) which basically means to enter into water and wade through it. Then, it also denotes entering into activities which are vain, absurd or futile. This word has been used in the Qur'an usually in this very sense. Verses such as: وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ ﴿45﴾ ` we used to indulge (in vain discourse) with those indulging - 74:45' and: فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ playing with what they are indulged in - 6:91' are some examples. Therefore, the Qur'anic expression referring to: خَوض فی الآیاتِ has been translated by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi and Shaykh al-Hind, Maulana Mahmud al-Hasan in the sense of fault-finding and disputing, which means: ` when you see those people meddling in the Ayat of Allah just for fun and ridicule, or trying to find faults in them, turn away from them.' The address in this verse is general, to everyone - which includes the Holy Prophet s, and the members of his community as well. The truth of the matter is that the address to the Holy Prophet is there only to let Muslims at large hear it, otherwise he never participated in any such gatherings even during his childhood days. Therefore, he needed no prohibition. Then, ` turning away' from the gatherings of false people could take many forms. For example, leave the gathering or get busy doing something else while being there without paying any attention to them. But, at the end of the verse, it was made clear that the first form is what is desirable, that is, one should not keep sitting in their gathering; one should rise and leave from there. Said at the end of the verse was ` if Satan makes you forget', that is, if one went into their gathering unmindfully - whether while not remembering the prohibition of participating in such gatherings, or while not recalling that these people talk against the Ayat of Allah and the Rasul of Allah in their gatherings - then, in either situation, once it is remembered, one should leave that gathering immediately. To keep sitting there after having remembered is a sin. The same subject appears in another verse where, at the end, it has been said: If you kept sitting there, you will be like them (إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ : 4:140). In Tafsir Kabir, Imam al-Razi has said that the real intent in this verse is to abstain from such sinful gatherings and their participants. The best course is to rise and depart from there. But, should leaving the gathering pose a danger to one's life, property or honour, it is permissible for common people to "turn away" in some other manner, for instance, they could make themselves busy with something else and pay no attention to them. But, the case is different with particular people who are followed in religious matters - for them, the only appropriate way is to rise and leave the gathering. Going a little further in our understanding of the sentence: وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ (And if Satan makes you forget) mentioned above, let us consider its implications. If this is addressed to Muslims at large, it is clear that to forget is human - and if the address is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، the question arises: If forgetfulness comes to affect a prophet and messenger of Allah as well, how can their teachings be trusted? The answer is: It is possible that prophets too forget some-thing under particular circumstances where the divine wisdom decides to make it so happen to achieve a particular purpose, but they are immediately alerted by Allah Ta` ala through Way which helps them not to let it last. Therefore, their teachings ultimately become free of any doubts of forgetfulness. However, this sentence of the verse does tell us that should a person fall into an error inadvertently, that will stand forgiven. In a Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ it has been said: رُفِعَ عَن اُمَّتِی الخطاءُ وَالنِّسیانُ وما استکرِھُوا عَلَیہ Removed from my Ummah is (the sin of) error and forgetting and that which one has been compelled to do. In Ahkam al-Qur'an, Imam al-Jassas has said: This verse tells that Muslims should abstain from every such gathering where things are being said against Allah Ta` ala, His Rasul ﷺ and the Shari’ ah of Islam and where it is not within one's power and control to stop or have it stopped, or, at the least, be able to say what is true and right. However, participating in such a gathering with the intention to reform and to carry the message of truth to them does not matter. As for the statement: فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَ‌ىٰ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ which prohibits sitting with unjust people after the recollection, Imam al-Jassas has deduced the ruling that participating in the gathering of such unjust, irreligious and big-mouthed people is an absolute sin, whether or not, at that time, they are engaged in talking about what would be considered impermissible - because people of such nature could be expected to start their ridiculous rantings all of a sudden. This rule is deduced from this verse on the basis that sitting in the company of unjust people has been prohibited in this verse in an absolute sense. It does not have the condition that they be busy with their act of injustice at that time too. The same subject has been taken up in another verse of the Holy Qur'an more explicitly where it is said: وَلَا تَرْ‌كَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ‌ (And do not incline towards the wrong doers, lest the Fire should catch you ... 11:113).

When the verse cited above was revealed, the noble Companions submitted: Ya Rasul Allah, if this absolute prohibition of going in their gatherings remained in force, we shall be deprived of offering Salah and Tawaf in al-Masjid al-Haram because these people keep sitting there all the time (before Hijrah and the Conquest of Makkah) doing nothing but fault-finding and ill-speaking. Thereupon, revealed was the next verse (69): وَمَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ وَلَـٰكِن ذِكْرَ‌ىٰ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿69﴾. It means when people who observe restraint go to al-Masjid al-Haram for their own rightful purpose, then, they are not responsible for the evil deeds of those wicked people present there. However, it does remain their duty that they should tell them what is right and true which may perhaps help them take the right path.

In the third verse (70), nearly the same subject has been stressed upon in the following words: وَذَرِ‌ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا (And avoid those who have taken their faith as game and play ...). The word: ذر (dhar) here is a derivation from: وَذَرِ‌ (wadhara) which means being displeased with something and leaving it. Thus, the verse can be taken either in the sense of leaving people who have turned the true religion, that is, Islam which has been sent for them, into a plaything and a laughing stock; or in the sense that they have left their real faith and taken to fun and play as their very own religion and purpose of life. The outcome of both meanings is nearly the same. After that, it was said: وَغَرَّ‌تْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا that is, the transitory life of the present world has deceived them. This is a true diagnosis of their real problem. They are so disobedient and wicked because they are be-witched by the glamour of their mortal life totally forgetting that they have another state of life ahead of them. If they had believed in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Qiyamah (The Last Day), they would have never acted so recklessly. In this verse, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Muslims at large have been given two orders that they should not only avoid the people identified, but that they should also act positively and continue preaching through the Qur'an and keep putting the fear of Allah's punishment in their hearts. The detail of this punishment was pointed out at the end of the verse by saying that, should they continue doing what they were doing, they are bound to fall a victim to their own evil conduct. The word used at this place is: تُبسَلَ which means to be detained or be entrapped. Since man in this world is accustomed to rely on three kinds of sources to escape the punishment of his own error or injustice inflicted on someone. When convenient, he would use the power and influence of his party or group to stay safe against the consequences of his injustice. Then, should he become helpless, he would use recommendations from the influential people. When that too does not work, he would try to secure his freedom from punishment by spending money. Allah Ta` ala says in this verse that His criminal cannot be saved from punishment by any friend or relative, nor can an intercession by anyone succeed without the permission of Allah, nor can wealth of any kind be accepted - even if the criminal were to possess the wealth of the whole world and wished to give it all in exchange for his freedom from punishment, even then this fidyah will not be accepted from him. Finally, at the close of the verse, it was said: أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَ‌ابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُ‌ونَ ﴿70﴾ that is, these are the people who have been detained in the punishment of their evil deeds. They will have boiling water to drink in the Jahannam about which it has been said in an-other verse that it will shatter their entrails apart (47:15) and that there will be painful punishments other than that of the boiling water in return for their disbelief and denial. This verse also tells us that the very company of people who are heedless to the 'Akhirah and are content with their life in the mortal world is fatal for everyone. Its ultimate consequence is that whoever sits in their company shall be subject to the same punishment in which they have been caught up. The essential objective in these three verses (68-70) is to save Muslims from evil environment and bad company which can be as deadly as poison. Many clear, definite and conclusive statements (Nusus) of the Qur'an and Hadith as well as repeated observation and experience prove that the root of all evils and crimes in which human beings get involved is the evil society and environment in which they grow up. Once snared into it, one slides into evils against personal grain and conscience. Then, comes the stage when, once habituated, the sense of evil dies away - reaching the limit when one starts taking evil as good and good as evil. In al Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ۔ is reported to have said: When a person gets involved in a sin for the first time, there appears a dot on his heart. This is like a black dot on a white dress which everyone dislikes and gets disturbed with. So, this person too feels the distaste in his heart. But when he, after having done the first one, goes on doing the second and the third sin - and does not re-pent from the past sin - black dots, one after the other, keep appearing on the heart, so much so that the radiant tablet of the heart turns jet black. The outcome is that this person is deprived of the very ability to distinguish between good and bad. The Holy Qur'an identifies it with the word: "ra'n" (rust, stain) when it says: كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَ‌انَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿14﴾(83:14), that is, there is rust on their hearts because of their evil deeds (which has taken away their ability to receive good). When you come to think of it, wrong environment and bad company really hurt all human beings. They push people into the abyss. May Allah keep all of us protected from them. Therefore, everyone who is responsible for raising children must do their best to keep children safe from such society and environment. As for the next three verses (71-73), they too deal with the refutation of Shirk (the attribution of partners to Allah) and the affirmation of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) and 'Akhirah (the Hereafter, the life to come) as fairly evident from the translation itself.