58 Al-Mujadalah (The Pleading)

Medina Period [105]

Asad’s Version:

58:9 [Hence,] O you who have attained to faith, when you do hold secret confabulations, do not conspire with one another with a view to sinful doings, and aggressive conduct, and disobedience to the Apostle, 16 but [rather] hold counsel in the cause of virtue and God- consciousness: and [always] remain conscious of God, unto whom you all shall be gathered.

 The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا تَنَاجَيْتُمْ فَلَا تَتَنَاجَوْا بِالْإِثْمِ...

58:9.     O ye who believe!

when ye hold secret counsel, do it not for iniquity

...وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ الرَّسُولِ وَتَنَاجَوْا بِالْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى...

and hostility, and disobedience to the Prophet; but do it for righteousness and self-restraint;

C5345. Ordinarily secrecy implies deeds of darkness, something which men have to hide; see the next verse.

But there are good deeds which may be concerted and done in secret: e.g., charity, or the prevention of mischief, or the defeat of the dark plots of evil. The determining factor is the motive.

Is the man doing some wrong or venting his spite, or trying to disobey a lawful command?

Or is he doing some good, which out of modesty or self-renunciation he does not want known, or is he in a righteous cause defeating the machinations of Evil, which may involve great sacrifice of himself?

...وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ﴿٩﴾

and fear Allah, to whom ye shall be brought back.

إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا...

58:10.  Secret counsels are only (inspired) by the Evil One, in order that he may cause grief to the Believers;

...وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ...

but he cannot harm them in the least, except as Allah permits;

C5346. Evil can harm no one who is good, except in so far as

• there is some question of trial in Allah's Universal Plan, or

• what appears to be harm may be real good.

Nothing happens without Allah's will and permission. And we must always trust Him, and not our cleverness or any adventitious circumstances that draw us the least bit from the path of rectitude.

...وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١٠﴾

and on Allah let the Believers put their trust.

 [[Asad’s notes - 16 See note 12.

12 I.e., in the wider sense, disobedience to the Apostle's ethical teachings. ]]