CHAPTER XXIV. ENTITLED SURAT-UN-NÚR (THE LIGHT). Revealed at Madína. INTRODUCTION. THE principal point of interest in this chapter is the reference to the adventure of Ayesha during the return of the Muslim army from the expedition against the Bani Mustaliq (for a full account of which see Muir's Life of Mahomet, vol. iii. pp. 244–254). This event is alluded to in vers. 4, 5, 11-26, revealed to clear Ayesha of the calumnies raised against her by her enemies. Connected with this same event is the milder law relating to adultery, which abrogates the stern requirements of chap. iv. 14. This scandal seems to have made clear the need of stricter laws to regulate the social intercourse of the Muslims, which should have for their end the preservation of good morals. These laws occupy a considerable portion of the chapter. They relate principally to proprieties in calling upon friends and neighbours at their homes, proprieties of dress and personal adornment, and proprieties to be observed by larger children, and domestic servants, and slaves. One remarkable rule is laid down in ver. 32, which requires all marriageable women to be married if possible Closely connected with this is the requirement that women should only appear in public when closely veiled, while at home they must remain in seclusion. Degrading as most of these regulations to Muslim women are, none can fail to see their necessity. The low state of morality among Muslims consequent upon the system of polygamy and concubinage, sanctioned by the Qurán and the example of Muhammad, and that facility of divorce which enables men to put away their wives whenever they please, renders that freedom of social intercourse among men and women prevalent in Christian countries an impossibility. Probable Date of the Revelations. The expedition to attack the Bani Mustaliq was successfully accomplished in the month of Shabán A.H. 5, and as Ayesha's adventure occurred on the return, near Madína, and as the revelation clearing her character was made one month afterwards, the date of this portion of the chapter (vers. 4, 5, 11-26) may be fixed with a good deal of certainty. Vers. 6-10 seem to have been added at a later date. Vers. 1-3, 27-34, and 57-61, which relate to the proprieties of social life, were very probably connected with, if they did not grow out of, Ayesha's affair, and may therefore be relegated to the latter part of A.H. 5. As to vers. 35-45, there is nothing to indicate their date beyond their style and a possible connection in sense with ver. 46 following. As, however, this connection is very doubtful, I think the passage probably Makkan. Vers. 46-56 and 62-64 belong to a period when Muhammad was in trouble and the zeal of his followers was lukewarm. Such a period might be found almost anywhere between Ohod and the end of the battle of the Ditch; but as ver. 62 seems clearly to point to the latter event, we may fairly say these verses belong to the latter part of A.H. 5. Principal Subjects. This chapter revealed from heaven Law relating to fornication Punishment for defaming virtuous women Law relating to charge of adultery when made by a husband Ayesha's slanderers reproved, and their punishment VERSE I 2,3 4, 5 . 6-10 . II-20 21 22 23-25 26 27-29 30, 31 32 32 33 33 34 35 36-38 The rich to forgive the poor, and bestow charity upon them. The conduct of true believers described Infidelity likened to a desert mirage or the darkness of a VERSE God praised by all his creatures God revealed in all the phenomena of nature Regulations relating to personal and family privacy Exception in case of aged women, blind, lame, and sick True believers exhorted to implicit obedience to the Apostle The Omniscient God will judge all men 40, 41 42-45 IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. || (1) This Sura have we sent down from heaven; and R 4. have ratified the same; and we have revealed evident signs, that ye may be warned. (2) The whore and the whoremonger shall ye scourge with a hundred stripes. And let not compassion towards them prevent you from executing the judgment of GOD, if ye believe in GOD and the last day and let some of the true believers be wit (1) Sura. See Introduction to chap. i. (2) A hundred stripes. "This law is not to be understood to relate to married people who are of free condition, because adultery in such, according to the Sunnat, is to be punished by stoning (see chap. iv. 15)." This verse certainly abrogates the law of chap. iv. 14. The law of stoning rests upon a verse of the Qurán now nowhere to be found in it (see note on chap. iii. 23), and it is fair to infer that the law was abrogated with the erasure of the letter; but the Sunnat still awards it, accounting the spirit of the law to be in force. As a matter of fact, we do not find that stoning is now generally practised among Muslims; nor does it appear to have ever been generally executed. The same is true of the law enunciated in this verse. Indeed, the state of morality in Muslim countries is so low as to make it difficult to find any one to cast the first stone or inflict the first stripe. Let not compassion, &c., i.e., “be not moved by pity, either to forgive the offenders or to mitigate their punishment. Muhammad was for so strict and impartial an execution of the laws that he is reported to have said, 'If Fátima, the daughter of Muhammad, steal, let her hand be struck off.”—Sale, Baidhawi. True believers . . . witnesses. "That is, let the punishment be inflicted in public, and not in private, because the ignominy of it is more intolerable than the smart, and more likely to work a reformation on the offender. Some say there ought to be three persons nesses of their punishment. (3) The whoremonger shall not marry any other than a harlot or an idolatress. And a harlot shall no man take in marriage, except a whoremonger or an idolater. And this kind of marriage is forbidden the true believers. (4) But as to those who accuse women of reputation of whoredom, and produce not four witnesses of the fact, scourge them with fourscore stripes, and receive not their testimony for ever; for such are infamous prevaricators; (5) excepting those who shall afterwards repent, and amend; for present at the least, but others think two or even one to be sufficient."-Sale, Baidhawi. (3) This is forbidden, &c. "The preceding passage was revealed on account of the meaner and more indigent Muhájjaríns or refugees, who sought to marry the whores of the infidels taken captives in war for the sake of the gain which they made by prostituting themselves. Some think the prohibition was special, and regarded only the Muhájjarins before mentioned, and others were of opinion it was general, but it is agreed to have been abrogated by the words which follow in this chapter, 'Marry the single women among you,' harlots being comprised under the appellation of single women. "It is supposed by some that not marriage but unlawful commerce with such women is here forbidden.”—Sale, Baidháwi, Jaláluddín. Abdul Qadir says the purport of the law is that neither a whore nor a whoremonger should be permitted to marry the pure so long as they continue their evil courses. But it is clear that the command was intended to restrain vice by making honourable marriage impossible to the criminals mentioned here. (4) Women of reputation. "The Arabic word muhsinát properly signifies 'women of unblamable conduct;' but, to bring the chastisement after mentioned on the calumniator, it is also requisite that they be free women of ripe age, having their understandings perfect, and of the Muhammadan religion. Though the word be of the feminine gender, yet men are also supposed to be comprised in this law. "Abu Hanifa was of opinion that the slanderer ought to be scourged in public as well as the fornicator, but the generality are against him."-Sale, Baidhawi, Jalaluddin. The person said to be referred to here, according to Muslim, i. 886, Tirmuzi, 523, and others, was Hilal Bin Umaiya, who had accused his wife of adultery. Others say it refers to Uwainir Ibn Al Harith al Ajláni. Four witnesses. See note on chap. iv. 14. (5) Excepting those who repent. Muhammad was not in a position to punish all the guilty in this case, especially in the case of Abdullah Ibn Ubbai (see below on ver. 11). unto such will GOD be gracious and merciful. (6) They who shall accuse their wives of adultery, and shall have no witnesses thereof besides themselves, the testimony which shall be required of one of them shall be, that he swear four times by GOD that he speaketh the truth; (7) and the fifth time that he imprecate the curse of GOD on him if he be a liar. (8) And it shall avert the punishment from the wife if she swear four times by GOD that he is a liar; (9) and if the fifth time she imprecate the wrath of GOD on her if he speaketh the truth. (10) If it were not for the indulgence of GOD towards you, and his mercy, and that GOD is easy to be reconciled, and wise, he would immediately discover your crimes. (11) As to the party among you who have published R 3. the falsehood concerning Ayesha, think it not to be an evil (6-10) These verses seem to have been inserted here at some later period, perhaps by the compilers. They break the continuity of the subject begun in ver. 4 and continued in ver. II. He shall swear, &c. "In case both swear, the man's oath discharges him from the imputation and penalty of slander, and the woman's oath frees her from the imputation and penalty of adultery; but, though the woman do swear to her innocence, yet the marriage is actually void, or ought to be declared void by the judge, because it is not fit they should continue together after they have come to these extremities."-Sale, Baidhawi. No provision is made for the wife to convict her husband of adultery by this swearing process in case she should bring such a charge. Rodwell thinks Muhammad must have been acquainted with Numb. v. 11-31. (11) The falsehood concerning Ayesha. "For the understanding of this passage it is necessary to relate the following story:-Muhammad having undertaken an expedition against the tribe of Mustaliq, in the sixth year of the Hijra, took his wife Ayesha with him to accompany him. In their return, when they were not far from Madina, the army removing by night, Ayesha, on her return, alighted from her camel and stepped aside on a private occasion, but on her return, perceiving she had dropped her necklace, which was of onyxes of Dhafár, she went back to look for it, and in the meantime her attendants, taking it for granted that she was got into her pavilion (or little tent surrounded with curtains, wherein women are carried in the East), set it again on the camel, and led it away. When she came back to the road and saw her camel was gone, she sat down there, expecting that when she was missed some would be sent back to fetch her, and in a little time she fell asleep. Early in the morning Safwan Ibn al Muattil, who had stayed behind to rest himself, |