58. Surah Al-Mujadalah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نُهُوا عَنِ النَّجْوَى ...

58:8.     Turnest thou not thy sight towards those who were forbidden secret counsels ...

C5342. When the Muslim Brotherhood was acquiring strength in Madinah and the forces of disruption were being discomfited in open fight against the Messenger of Righteousness, the wicked resorted to duplicity and secret intrigues, in which the ringleaders were the disaffected Jews and the Hypocrites, whose machinations have been frequently referred to in the Quran. e.g. see 2:8-16; and 4:142-145.

... ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ...

... yet revert to that which they were forbidden (to do)?

...وَيَتَنَاجَوْنَ بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ الرَّسُولِ...

And they hold secret counsels among themselves for iniquity and hostility, and disobedience to the Messenger.

...وَإِذَا جَاؤُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ اللَّهُ...

And when they come to thee, they salute thee, not as Allah salutes thee, (but in crooked ways):

C5343. The salutation of Allah was (and is) "Peace!" But the enemies, who had not the courage to fight openly often twisted the words, and by using a word like "Sam", which meant "Death!" or "Destruction!" instead of "Salam!" (Peace!), they thought they were secretly venting their spite and yet apparently using a polite form of salutation.

Cf. 2:106, and n. 107, where another similar trick is exposed.

...وَيَقُولُونَ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ لَوْلَا يُعَذِّبُنَا اللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ...

and they say to themselves, "Why does not Allah punish us for our words?"

C5344. The enemies derisively enjoyed their trick (see last note) according to their own perverted mentality. They asked blasphemously, "Why does not Allah punish us?"

The answer is given: there is a Punishment, far greater than they imagine: it will come in good time: it will be the final Punishment after Judgment: it is delayed in order to give them a chance of repentance and reformation.

...حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا فَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿٨﴾

Enough for them is Hell: in it will they burn, and evil is that destination!

Asad’s Version:

58:8 Art thou not aware of such as have been forbidden [to intrigue through] secret confabulations," and yet [always] revert to that which they have been forbidden, and conspire with one another with a view to sinful doings, and aggressive conduct, and disobedience to the Apostle? 12 Now whenever such [people] approach thee, [O Muhammad,] 13 they salute thee with a greeting which God has never countenanced;" and they say to themselves, "Why does not God chastise us for what we are saying?" 15 Hell shall be their allotted portion: they shall [indeed] enter it - and how vile a journey's end!

[[Asad’s notes - 12 I.e., in the wider sense, disobedience to the Apostle's ethical teachings.

13 The reference to "approaching" the Prophet has here a twofold meaning, relating literally to his unbelieving contemporaries, and figuratively to an intellectual "approach" to his person and his teachings by hostile critics of all later times. The same observation is valid with regard to the next clause as well.

14 Lit., "with which God has never saluted thee". Historically, this is an allusion to the hostile attitude of the Jews of Medina towards the Prophet. It is recorded that instead of pronouncing the traditional greeting "Peace be upon thee" when encountering him, some of them used to mumble the word salam ("peace") in such a way as to make it indistinguishable from Sam ("death"); and they employed the same scurrilous play of words with regard to the Prophet's companions as well. (The relevant ahadith are quoted in full, with indication of the sources, by Tabari and Ibn Kathir in their commentaries on the above verse.) But see also the preceding note.

15 Sc, "if Muhammad is truly a prophet". ]]