وَما أُمِروا إِلّا لِيَعبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخلِصينَ لَهُ الدّينَ حُنَفاءَ وَيُقيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَيُؤتُوا الزَّكاةَ ۚ وَذٰلِكَ دينُ القَيِّمَةِ
Yet they were not commanded except to worship Allah, dedicating their faith to Him as men of pure faith, and to maintain the prayer and pay the zakat. That is the upright religion.
EXEGESIS
Li (for) in li-yaʿbudū (to worship) serves the function of the Arabic an (to), like in the verse, yurīd allāhu li-yubayyina lakum (4:26), or yurīdūna li-yuṭfiʾū (61:8). It could also be understood in the meaning of: they were only commanded for the sake of worshipping God, in the sense that the intention of all commands of God are to instil the spirit of ʿubūdiyyah (servitude) in man; but if we accept this, it should only be considered a secondary layer of meaning for the verse.
Mukhliṣīn (sincere) comes from the root of khalaṣa, which means to purify something by removing all impurities and deviations from it. Here it means to have a faith that is dedicated to God and God alone, free from the impurities of associating partners with Him.
Ḥunafāʾ (men of pure faith) is the plural of ḥanīf, derived from ḥanafa, which means to incline away from both extremes of excess (ifrāṭ) and neglect (tafrīṭ), towards the exact middle point of moderation. Arab philologists often pair ḥanafa (positive inclination) with janafa (negative deviation), since both mean ‘bending’. The former means bending towards rectitude, while the latter means bending away from rectitude.
Islam is called the ḥanīf religion because it takes the middle path of moderation. It has also been claimed that ḥanīf means a person who turns away from any religion that is not Islam. However, that can only be a meaning acquired later on, since the term was already widely used amongst the Arabs before the coming of Prophet Muhammad (s).
Qayyimah (upright) was discussed in verse 3. Dīn al-qayyimah might initially seem like a possessive construct, but al-qayyimah is actually an adjective describing an omitted word. That word has been suggested to be millah (nation/religion), or sharīʿah, or kutub (books). In other words, dhālika dīn al-millah/al-sharīʿah/al-kutub al-qayyimah (that is the religion of the upright nation/shariah/books).
Others have said that the feminine form is used in an emphatic sense. Another claim is that it is the plural of qayyim used in the sense of qāʾīm – the one who is upright – which would work out to mean: that is the religion of those who uphold Your oneness; but these options are unlikely.
EXPOSITION
Naturally, every sect thinks that they are upon the true religion of God. The various sects of the People of the Book each rejoiced in its own faith, thinking they were right to the exclusion of others, But they fragmented their religion among themselves, each party exulting in what it had (23:53). Yet the religion of God is one and its core message is simple and inclusive rather than exclusive, as laid out in this verse. This verse is in reality a challenge to the People of the Book, calling them out for rejecting Prophet Muhammad (s), who was inviting them to the same basic principle that every prophet of God had invited people towards. Instead of the tafrīq (division to sects) that the People of the Book had instituted, the Quran invites them to unify around the core message declared by all prophets of God, Say: ‘O People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that we will worship no one but Allah, and that we will not ascribe any partner to Him, and that we will not take each other as lords besides Allah’ (3:64).
Yet they were not commanded by the prophets who had come to them, or in the Tawrāt and Injīl, or by Prophet Muhammad (s). In reality, all three opinions are the same, as all prophets of God and all divine scriptures invite to the same thing; Certainly We raised an apostle in every nation [to preach:] ‘Worship Allah, and keep away from the rebels’ (16:36).
Except to worship Allah: they should not worship anyone besides Him. Worship is the act of humbling oneself whilst praising the one who is worshipped.
The usage of the negative formulation they were not commanded except is meant to highlight the simplicity and ease of the religion that they were invited to, and to remind them that Islam is inviting them to the very same thing that their own prophets had invited them to.
It is especially surprising that nations should persistently seek to ascribe partners to God and associate others with Him, even though every prophet has emphasised the importance of monotheism (tawḥīd). Perhaps the main reason for this is that polytheism gives a person an avenue to escape from the constraints of duty (taklīf) towards God. When gods are reduced to lesser beings, they become flawed creatures more akin to peers, and do not require any significant form of obedience nor impose any moral boundaries. This allows a person to continue satisfying their innate need for worship whilst still being free to follow their desires. This is probably the reason why many western agnostics and atheists who are suddenly intrigued by eastern mysticism find themselves being attracted to polytheistic religions (despite the inherent difficulty in accepting fantastic tales of mythical deities), rather than the rigour of monotheism.
Dedicating their faith to Him: ikhlāṣ, or sincere dedication in faith, means to perform an action in religion purely for the sake of God, and not for any other consideration or motivation. What God demands of us is to first and foremost avoid ascribing partners to Him, submitting to Him and only Him. Part of this submission to Him alone is that in our acts of worship we should not succumb to ostentation and display, giving importance to the opinions of others, but rather dedicate that worship to Him alone. This is supremely important, because the one who manages this will usually find that this attitude then influences his other decisions and actions as well, so that in his interactions with other people, he also gives foremost consideration to what God has demanded of him. In this way, the spirit of ʿubūdiyyah or servitude is instilled in him and he is constantly guided by God-consciousness (taqwā) in his actions, and thus always strives to be honest, just, and moral in his dealings, since this is the essence of the Islamic behaviour that God has instructed all of His prophets to teach us: Indeed Allah enjoins justice and kindness and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrong, and aggression. He advises you, so that you may take admonition (16:90).
The term ḥanīf is associated in the Quran with Prophet Abraham (a), who is singled out because he is the prophet that unites all three religions, since they all agree on his great station and that his religion was the religion of God. Similarly, Abraham (a) was known to the Arab polytheists as the founder of the Kaaba and, significantly, a monotheist. Indeed, the ḥanīf religion seems to have been the faith practiced by some Arab monotheists who were neither Jews nor Christians, especially the father and forefathers of Prophet Muhammad (s). They probably observed certain rites and rituals which set them apart from polytheist Arabs.
And to maintain the prayer: to maintain prayer as it is prescribed and not abandoning it for any excuses.
And pay the zakat: although these two are instances of worship, they are mentioned after worship Allah to highlight two of the most important forms of worshipping God and pillars of the Islamic faith. They are also two expressions of sincere dedication, one with regards to man’s connection with God, the other with regards to his dealings with people. To pray is the primary means of expressing sincere dedication in worship to God. To give charity is the selfless act of parting with one’s wealth for the sake of God and to help His servants.
That is the upright religion: That (dhālika) refers to faith (dīn), since it is referring to religion as it was brought by previous prophets to the People of the Book. As mentioned before, dīn al‑qayyimah may mean dīn al‑kutub al‑qayyimah, which means the religion of all heavenly books, including the book of Prophet Noah (a) and those of the prophets after him. Thus the meaning is that this very religion, which they were commanded to follow and to which they were invited in the new call, is the same religion they had already been obliged to uphold in their own upright books. It is not something novel or unprecedented.
The religion of all prophets sent by God is the religion of monotheism and submission to God with which every human being has been granted a connection in their innate nature (fiṭrah). The upright religion is simply to act upon that which the human fiṭrah inclines towards. It is the values of righteousness, sincerity, honesty, altruism, and decency, So set your heart on the religion as a people of pure faith (ḥanīfan), the origination (fiṭrah) of Allah according to which He originated mankind (30:30).
In short, this verse is not introducing a new command but recovering the forgotten core of every revealed religion; the true religion of God that was later distorted by sectarian excess.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Ṭūsī points out that the verse is clear proof that the claim of the mujbirah (those who denied free will) is false. They claimed that God has created the kuffār for kufr, whereas in this verse He clearly demands of man to worship and obey Him. God commands us to obedience, but does not force us to it, granting us the free will to choose.
Rāzī points out that those who subscribe to the principle of ‘the rationality of good and evil (al-ḥusn wa al-qubḥ al-ʿaqliyayn)’ have argued that the usage of the passive they were not commanded can be taken as indication that it is not only God who commands man to what this verse has mentioned, but his reason as well dictates that to him.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- ‘“The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals (…) When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? (…) Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”’
- ‘With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’
In his commentary on this verse, Rāzī quotes a statement he claims is from the Torah: ‘That which is done for My sake, its little is much; and that which is done not for My sake, its much is little.’ Ghazālī attributes this statement as being in the Torah on the authority of Abū Hurayrah, whom he quotes without giving a chain of narration. In reality, this seems to be a homiletic aphorism rather than an actual quote or report. Seemingly, the only hadith that includes this sentiment is an extremely long unreliable ḥadīth al-qudsī that al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī reports in his less known work via a broken chain of narration that does not extend to an Infallible, where God supposedly advises Prophet Moses (a) with various things, including this sentiment. The closest thing resembling this sentiment in the Bible is probably the passage that was quoted from the Book of Isaiah earlier.
- ‘“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”’
TOPICAL ARTICLES
Sincerity and Social Life
It is often mistakenly thought that sincere dedication to God means that worship should be only done in private. This matter is especially relevant to this surah as this belief has been quite prevalent amongst the People of the Book: ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’
Yes, ostentation should be avoided and sincerity is vital, however, worshipping in congregation is important as well. Islamic law is full of instructions regarding this matter. In addition to the obligatory Friday prayers, the great merit and significance of congregational prayer is emphasised in countless narrations that extoll its reward and value. By praying in congregation, the believers strengthen their bonds and their sense of community and belonging to the same ummah. The uniformity of the Arabic recitation and movements in prayer, ensures that no matter what part of the world a believer may hail from and no matter their language and culture, by joining the prayers in the mosque they will immediately find a sense of belonging.
While such congregational prayers might lead to ostentation on the part of some individuals, their benefits far outweigh that risk. Furthermore, those who are wont to give into ostentatious tendencies will always find a way to do that, be it through dress, speech, mannerisms, and so on. It would then be most unwise to proscribe or avoid such a beneficial thing as congregational prayer simply because it might lead to ostentation for some individuals.
Like always, Islam takes the middle path and emphasises the importance of both aspects of worship: that which is done in public and that which is done in private. This ensures both the fostering of sincerity, as well as the relevance of religion in human society. Hence, the Quran for example invites the believers to give charity both privately and in public view: Tell My servants who have faith to maintain the prayer and to spend out of what We have provided them with, secretly and openly (14:31). Giving in public encourages others to give and promotes charitability. By giving in private, sincerity is ensured and harboured.
Not only prayer and charity, but many other practices in Islam (such as pilgrimage) also contribute to this sense of community and uniformity; how Muslims greet each other, dress, eat, fast, and so on. That their religion can be publicly displayed in such a manner helps foster that sense of community and belonging.
Some have wished that worship should be removed from public life altogether, like those who subscribe to laïcité have argued. However, to eliminate religion from public life is to effectively eliminate its relevance altogether, and practically ensures that it will not endure in any meaningful form for the next generations; and this does in fact seem to be the true motivation of many who argue for such measures.
Sincere dedication also does not mean removing oneself from society and worldly life altogether either, like the monks and nuns of Christianity: Then We followed them up with Our apostles and We followed [them] with Jesus son of Mary, and We gave him the Evangel, and We put in the hearts of those who followed him kindness and mercy. But as for monasticism, they innovated it – We had not prescribed it for them – only seeking Allah’s pleasure. Yet they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave to the faithful among them their [due] reward, but many of them are transgressors (57:27).
While asceticism (zuhd) and sincere and complete devotion to God is highly encouraged and of supreme importance in Islam, they are not defined as divesting from worldly possessions and relationships altogether, but rather as maintaining the correct view and attitude within one’s heart. According to a famous report, when the wife of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn came to the Prophet to complain that her husband was ignoring her and spending all his time dedicated to prayer and fasting, the Prophet immediately grabbed his sandals and went to ʿUthmān’s house and said to him: ‘O ʿUthmān, God the exalted did not send me [to preach] monasticism (rahbāniyyah) but rather the pure (al-ḥanīfiyyah), simple, and permissive faith. I fast and I pray, and I also approach my wife. Whoever loves my pure nature (fiṭrah), let them follow my tradition (sunnah); and of my tradition is marriage.’
True asceticism is not to cut oneself off from such things, but to engage in them while at the same time remaining completely devoted to God. In other words, worldly possessions and relations should not make one forget God and should never become a person’s priority or preoccupation. Such a sincere servant of God will then travel through the various stages of life – harm and gain, pleasure and pain, love and loss – without ever being too affected by them, manifesting within them the instruction of the verse, that you may not grieve for what escapes you, nor exult for what comes your way (57:23). It is reported from Imam Ali (a) that the true meaning of zuhd is found in this verse, adding: ‘Whoever does not grieve for the past, nor rejoice for what is to come, has taken hold of asceticism from both ends.’
[1] Razi, 32/242.
[2] See Alusi, 15/428. See also the discussion in Razi, 32/243.
[3] Tibyan, 8/571.
[4] See Tibyan, 10/390.
[5] Mizan, 20/339.
[6] See Raghib, p. 260, ḥ-n-f; Tantawi, 15/472; Munyah, 30/210.
[7] Mizan, 20/339.
[8] Tabrisi, 10/794.
[9] Munyah, 30/211.
[10] Tabari, 24/554; Zamakhshari, 4/782.
[11] Thalabi, 10/261.
[12] Alusi, 15/429; Mizan, 20/339; related in Thalabi, 10/261. In reference to the writings mentioned in verse 3.
[13] Related in Thalabi, 10/261.
[14] Wa dhālika dīn al-qāʾimīna laka bil-tawḥīd (Thalabi, 10/261).
[15] Related in Razi, 32/241.
[16] Razi, 32/241.
[17] Tabrisi, 10/794; Baghawi, 5/291.
[18] See Razi, 32/243.
[19] See Tibyan, 10/390.
[20] Mizan, 20/339.
[21] Tibyan, 10/390. In other words, dhālika al-dīn al-ḥanīf, huwa dīn al-qayyimah.
[22] Mizan, 20/339.
[23] Tibyan, 10/390.
[24] Related in Razi, 32/242.
[25] Isaiah 1:11-17.
[26] Micah 6:6-8.
[27] Razi, 32/243.
[28] Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī, Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, n.d.), 14/159.
[29] Al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, al-Jawāhir al-Saniyyah (Qum: Maktabat al-Mufīd, 1964), pp. 31-40.
[30] Joel 2:12.
[31] Matthew 6:5-6.
[32] Kafi, 5/494; Wasail, 20/106.
[33] Nahj, saying 439; Wasail, 16/19.