إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِذَا كَانُوا مَعَهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ جَامِعٍ لَمْ يَذْهَبُوا حَتَّى يَسْتَأْذِنُوهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَكَ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَإِذَا اسْتَأْذَنُوكَ لِبَعْضِ شَأْنِهِمْ فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Indeed the faithful are those who have faith in Allah and His Apostle, and when they are with him in a collective affair, they do not leave until they have sought his permission. Indeed those who seek your permission – it is they who have faith in Allah and His Apostle. So when they seek your permission for some work of theirs, give permission to whomever of them you wish and plead with Allah to forgive them. Indeed, Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

EXEGESIS

Shaʾn (work) is used for any important matter or situation of significance.[1] Based on the context, it should here mean some issue that is important and cannot be delayed.[2]

EXPOSITION

The surah ends with two more verses regarding how Muslims should conduct themselves with their Messenger. These two verses instruct the believers that if they are called upon by the Messenger of God to participate in some collective affair, they must not excuse themselves from that without informing the Prophet and asking for his permission first. It is a reflection on the topic raised in verses 47-54 about the position of the Prophet and the duty of Muslims to obey him. Needless to say, this is intimately linked with the surah’s central theme of the ‘clear command’,[3] of God shaping and directing the community of believers. Part and parcel of this is obeying the commands of the Prophet, who as this verse points out, is responsible for the application of the divine command and Islamic law amongst the community.

Indeed the faithful are those who have faith in Allah and His Apostle: this is an emphasis on what was discussed in earlier verses, that a believer should not only believe in God, but should respect and understand the position and authority of the Messenger of God.

And when they are with him in a collective affair: this is an issue which requires people to come together and plan and cooperate, such as planning for war, participating in a battle, or attending Friday prayer.[4]

They do not leave until they have sought his permission: they do not disperse or excuse themselves until they have sought the Prophet’s permission for doing so.[5] This is because in collective affairs everyone’s help is needed and people must work together. Sometimes that one missing person can cause huge disruptions to the whole process or cause it to fail altogether.[6]

Indeed those who seek your permission – it is they who have faith in Allah and His Apostle: the act of seeking permission from the Prophet is in effect evidence of their faith,[7] and is a sign of respect for him and his position.[8]

So when they seek your permission for some work of theirs, give permission to whomever of them you wish: this statement is an example of how the Prophet was free to use his own judgement in many issues.[9] As we pointed out, this was one of the central roles of the Prophet of Islam. He should not only deliver the message of God, he should also teach and explain it, and act as leader of the community, and – as this verse clarifies – apply its commandments in the Muslim community. This is the role delegated to him by God and is therefore an extension of obeying Him.

Nevertheless, even the Prophet must be vigilant and weigh matters carefully when exercising his discretion. In Sūrat al-Tawbah, God advises him: May Allah excuse you! Why did you grant them leave (9:43)? This shows that the Prophet must make such decisions after meticulous consideration and assessing the motivations of people.[10]

It is worth noting that such exercise of judgement should not be equated with ijtihād (legal reasoning), as that has to do with matters of uṣūl (legal principles) and aḥkām (legal rulings). Matters related to mawḍūʿāt (application of the law to various circumstances)[11] is not the same and is something that every person in a decision-making capacity must do, be they the commander of an army, a leader, or anything else.[12]

And plead with Allah to forgive them: the Prophet’s plea is a supplication for the mercy and kindness of God which comes about with forgiveness.[13]

Ṭanṭāwī argues that a true believer should not seek to excuse himself from a collective affair unless it is for a really important reason that cannot be delayed. This is because a collective affair is an issue which relates to the benefit of the whole ummah. This is why God then commands His Prophet to plead for their forgiveness.[14]

By seeking the permission of the Prophet they have acted in humility and with accordance to the command of God, and the Prophet’s act of seeking forgiveness for them is a boon and a blessing.[15]

Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful: He forgives their sins and removes its effects,[16] and does not punish those who have sincerely repented.[17]

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Qummī reports that this verse was revealed about Ḥanẓalah ibn Abī ʿĀmir,[18] who had his wedding night on the eve of the Battle of Uḥud. He asked to be given permission to spend the night with his wife. In the morning he was still in the state of janābah when he attended the battle, where he was subsequently martyred. The Prophet then famously commented that he has seen the angels washing Ḥanẓalah for his ghusl (washing a dead body), whereupon he earned the nickname ghasīl al-malāʾikah (the one who is bathed by the angels).[19] Qummī is the only source that mentions this verse relating to that event.
2. It is reported from Abū Ḥamzah al-Thumālī, that when the Prophet climbed his pulpit on Fridays no one would leave the mosque unless they first stood up in view of the Prophet, so that he could then excuse them.[20] In another report from Kalbī, it is mentioned that the Prophet was giving a sermon criticising the hypocrites and feeling nervous they would glance around, and if no one saw them they would sneak out, and if they could not do that they remained for the prayer out of fear.[21]
3. Others have mentioned that this and the next verse were revealed about the Battle of the Trench, when the hypocrites would sneak away from their duty of manning the trench around Medina (as per the next verse).[22] Another report adds to this that when some Muslims wished to be excused from that for one reason or another, they would find a replacement and ask the Prophet if that was allowed and he would then permit them.[23]

Note: The latter two opinions have been related to the next verse as well. However, all of these seem to be opinions relating to the application of the verse to different situations, rather than its actual cause of revelation.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

It is related that Qatādah claimed this verse has been abrogated by the verse, May Allah excuse you! Why did you grant them leave (9:43).[24] Qurṭubī rejects this, saying that this verse is general in its scope and does not deal with war only.[25] In other words, 9:43 could at best be considered a specification (takhṣīṣ), not an abrogation (naskh).

Subḥānī weighs why the Prophet is allowed to permit whom he wishes to leave in this verse but in Sūrat al-Tawbah he is criticised for permitting them to leave. He says this is because Sūrat al-Nūr is discussing the believers, whereas Sūrat al-Tawbah is discussing the hypocrites: Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day do not ask you for leave [exempting them] from waging jihad with their possessions and their persons, and Allah knows best the God-wary. Only those seek a leave [of exemption] from you who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, and whose hearts are in doubt, so they waver in their doubt (9:44-45). In this sense, Sūrat al-Tawbah is similar to Sūrat al-Aḥzāb where God relates: And when a group of them said: ‘O people of Yathrib! [This is] not a place for you, so go back!’ And a group of them sought the Prophet’s permission, saying: ‘Our homes lie exposed [to the enemy],’ although they were not exposed. They only sought to flee (33:13).[26] In other words, some ask permission to leave because they wish to harm Islam and the Muslims, whereas some believers sometimes had genuine pressing excuses and, in those cases, it was up to the discretion of the Prophet to grant them leave. The difficult task of distinguishing between these various situations fell upon the Prophet, blessings be upon him and his family.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.[27]
2. Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.[28]

Note: Paul, in addressing matters related to marriage, expresses his opinion while acknowledging that he has no direct command from the Lord on that specific issue. He uses his judgement in order to provide guidance to the Corinthian believers.

[1] Raghib, p. 470.
[2] Nemuneh, 14/564.
[3] See the Introduction.
[4] Tibyan, 7/465; Tabari, 18/133.
[5] Tibyan, 7/465-466; Tabari, 18/133-134. Ṭūsī reminds that the same applies to those in the presence of the Imam. Ṭabarī relates these opinions as well, but obviously his understanding from what constitutes an imam differs from Ṭūsī, as he for example speaks of the imam of Friday prayers. Qurṭubī mentions the same, but concludes that the imam here should be the Emir, who is ruling in the stead of the Prophet. As for the Friday prayer imam, he is only in that position as a representative of the Emir (Qurtubi, 12/320). Ālūsī quotes Suhrawardī as applying this verse to the Shaykh and his follower, and that anything the Shaykh decrees about religious matters is to be considered a collective affair (Alusi, 9/412). Makārim Shīrāzī understands this as applying to anyone in a position of leadership (Nemuneh, 14/565).
[6] Nemuneh, 14/563.
[7] Zamakhshari, 3/259.
[8] Razi, 24/424.
[9] Razi, 24/424; Ahkam, 3/1410. See also Munyah, 19/141.
[10] See also Nemuneh, 14/564.
[11] This means for example that a mujtahid might derive the legal ruling that a person who is too sick to fast must not fast in Ramadan. However, application of that law is up to the individual mukallaf (duty-bound Muslim) to decide. In other words, he must weigh and decide whether he is too sick to fast or not.
[12] Nemuneh, 14/565-566.
[13] Tibyan, 7/466.
[14] Tantawi, 10/160.
[15] Nemuneh, 14/565.
[16] Tibyan, 7/466.
[17] Tabari, 18/134.
[18] Tafsīr al-Qummī actually gives the name as Ḥanẓalah ibn Abī ʿAyyāsh, but that is probably a typo.
[19] Qummi, 2/110.
[20] Thalabi, 7/121; Baghawi, 3/432. Ṭabarī mentions a similar thing, but from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd, who speaks not of the Prophet, but in general about the imam of Friday prayers (Tabari, 18/134). See also the commentary on 62:10.
[21] Razi, 24/424, who mentions some other reports as well. The same is reported by Ṭūsī, but attributed to al-Farrāʾ (Tibyan, 7/466).
[22] Related in Ahkam, 3/1410; Qurtubi, 12/321; Muhit, 8/74.
[23] Ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah (Cairo: Maktabat Muḥammad ʿAlī Ṣabīḥ, 1963), 3/701; Suyuti, 5/60.
[24] Related in Razi, 24/424; Qurtubi, 12/321.
[25] Qurtubi, 12/321.
[26] Munyah, 19/141.
[27] Hebrews 13:17.
[28] 1 Corinthians 7:25.