Al-Mumtaḥanah(Arabic:الممتحنة,translated "She That Is To Be Examined", "Examining Her" ) is the 60th chapter (sura) of theQuran,aMedinan surawith 13verses.
| الممتحنة Al-Mumtaḥanah She That is to be Examined | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Medinan |
| Other names | Al-Imtihan( "The Examining" ),Al-Mawaddah( "The Affection" ) |
| Position | Juzʼ28 |
| No.ofverses | 13 |
| No.ofRukus | 2 |
Summary
editThe first verse warns Muslims not to make alliance with the enemies of God.[1]Verses 4–6 provideAbrahamas a model for this, as he distanced himself from the pagans of his own tribe, including his own father.[1][2]Verses 7 to 9 declare the possibility that Muslims and their erstwhile enemy might have better relations ( "It may be that God will forge affection between you and those of them with whom you are in enmity" )[3]if the former enemy stops fighting the Muslims.[1]These verses provide basis for the relations of Muslims and non-Muslims according to the Quran: the basic relation is peace unless the Muslims are attacked, or when war is justified to stop injustice or protect the religion.[4]
The next following verses (10–12) address some matters of Islamic law.[1]They declare marriages between Muslims andpolytheiststo be no longer valid,[1]and instruct Muslims on how to resolve the question ofmahrwhen dissolving such marriages.[5]The status of inter-religious marriages was very relevant at the time of the revelation of these verses, a time when multiple women from Mecca converted to Islam while their husbands did not, or vice versa.[1]
Verses
edit- 1-3Muslims forbidden to make friends with the enemies of God
- 4-6This precept enforced by the example ofAbraham[6][7]
- 7Enemies of God may become friends of Muslims by conversion
- 8-9Distinction between enemies and mere unbelievers
- 10Female refugees, being true believers, are to be regarded asdivorcedfrom their heathen husbands
- 11How to recoverdowersof Muslim women who apostatise
- 12Theconfession of faithrequired of converts from Arab idolatry
- 13True believers not to make friends with infidels[7]
Revelation history
editAccording to the Islamic tradition, Al-Mumtahanah is aMedinan sura,that is a chapter that is revealed after Muhammad'shijratoMedina.According toThe Study Quran,the revelation likely took place at some point after the 6th yearafter the hijra(AH) or 628 CE. According to some commentators, the first verse was revealed during theconquest of Meccain 8 AH (January 630 CE).[1]Various of scholars of Islam, includedIbn Taymiyyahand Muhammad Sulaiman Al-Ashqar, tafsir expert fromIslamic University of Madinah,has issuedfatwabased onHadith QudsefromHatib ibn Abi Balta'ahand the revelation of first verse of Al-Mumtahanah, that everyCompanions of the Prophetwho attended ofbattle of Badrhas been elevated to the saints status byAllahHimself.[8][9]
The traditional Egyptian chronology puts the chapter as the 91st chapter by the order of revelation (afterAl-Tur), while theNöldeke Chronology(by theorientalistTheodor Nöldeke) puts it as the 110th.[10]
Name
editQuranic commentatorsMahmud al-Alusi(d. 1854) andAbu 'Abdullah Al-Qurtubi(d. 1273) mentioned that this refers toUmm Kulthum bint Uqbahwho was the subject of several of its verses.[1]The chapter is also calledal-Imtihan( "The Examining" ): according to Al-Qurtubi, this is because the chapter examines the fault of mankind. It is also calledal-Mawaddah( "The Affection" ), because the first verse includes the phrase "you offer them affection", and the seventh includes "God will forge affection", and because affection of the Muslims is one of the themes in the chapter.[1]In the 1730s,George Saleopines in his translation footnotes "this chapter bears this title because it directs the women who desert and come over from theinfidelsto the Moslems to be examined, and tried whether they be sincere in their profession of the faith. "[11]
References
edit
Works related toThe Holy Qur'an (Maulana Muhammad Ali)/60. The Woman Who is Examinedat Wikisource
Citations
edit- ^abcdefghiThe Study Quran,p. 1358.
- ^The Study Quran,p. 1360, v.6 commentary.
- ^The Study Quran,p. 1361.
- ^Abdul Kader 1969,p. 98.
- ^The Study Quran,p. 1362, v.10–11 commentary.
- ^Lumbard, Joseph(April 2015).60 She Who Is Examined, al-Mumtaḥanah,The Study Quran.San Francisco:HarperOne.
- ^abWherry, Elwood Morris(1896).A Complete Index toSale's Text,Preliminary Discourse, and Notes.London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^Ibn Taymiyyah, Muhammad(2018)."Salaf's position towards Sahabah: Meaning of Prophet's statement about people of Badr; Fatwa No: 359539".Islamweb.Retrieved18 November2021.
- ^Muhammad Sulaiman Al-Ashqar (2016)."Surat Mumtahanah ayat 1".Tafsirweb(in Indonesian and Arabic).Islamic University of Madinah;Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia);Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.Retrieved30 January2022.
- ^Ernst 2011,p. 40.
- ^Sale, George(1891).The Koran: Commonly Called the Alkoran of Mohammed...New York: John B. Alden.
Bibliography
edit- Ernst, Carl W. (5 December 2011).How to Read the Qur'an: A New Guide, with Select Translations.Univ of North Carolina Press.ISBN978-0-8078-6907-9.
- Nasr, Seyyed Hossein; Dagli, Caner K.; Dakake, Maria Massi; Lumbard, Joseph E.B. (2015).The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary.New York, NY:HarperCollins.ISBN978-0-06-112586-7.
- Abdul Kader, A. H. (1969)."Islamic Involvement in the Process of History".In Edward J. Jurji (ed.).Religious Pluralism and World Community.Leiden,The Netherlands:E. J. Brill.pp. 93–112.