English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Mujadilah Ayah 12-13
Etiquette for Making Secret Counsel with Messenger Muhammad
58:12 O you who believe, when you want to make a secret counsel with the Messenger, then offer charity before your counsel. That is better for you and purer. But if you do not find means, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
58:13 Are you afraid of giving charity before your secret counsel? If you do not do so, and Allah has forgiven you, then perform the prayer, give the zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is aware of what you do.
Relationship with the Previous Part
The previous part mentions the conditions of the Jews and the hypocrites concerning making evil secret counsel against Messenger Muhammad and the believers. It also mentions the proper manner that should be followed when making secret counsel. Then, this part mentions etiquette for making secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad. It says that the believers should offer charity before making secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad. That is because the believers used to compete with one another to speak to him and listen to his conversation. Their love for Messenger Muhammad motivated them to make frequent secret counsel with him, which caused him inconvenience. Therefore, Allah, Exalted be He, commanded the believers to offer charity before making secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad as an act of reverence to Messenger Muhammad and to help the poor by such charity.
Tafsir
58:12 O you who believe, when you want to make a secret counsel with the Messenger, then offer charity before your counsel. That is better for you and purer. But if you do not find means, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
Qatada, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘The people used to make secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad frequently until it caused him difficulty. Thus, Allah made an end to such behavior. [58:12 O you who believe, when you want to make a secret counsel with the Messenger, then offer charity before your counsel.] Thus, any person, who wanted something from Messenger Muhammad, would not fulfil his need unless he offered charity before making secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad; however, this was hard for the believers. Therefore, Allah, Exalted be, revealed, [But if you do not find means, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.]
58:12 O you who believe, when you want to make a secret counsel with the Messenger, then offer charity before your counsel.
O you who believe, when you want to make a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad about any matter that concerns you, then you should offer charity before your counsel as an act of reverence for Messenger Muhammad and a means of helping the needy.
Some scholars believe that commanding to offer charity before making secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad has many advantages, among which the following: 1) Making things easy for Messenger Muhammad by decreasing secret counsels with him so that he could devote himself to the great responsibilities that Allah commanded him to carry out. 2) Alleviating the worries of the poor, who may be unhappy when the wealthy can make secret counsels with Messenger Muhammad. When the poor know that the wealthy should give charity before making secret counsels with Messenger Muhammad, they would not be bored. 3) Not distracting Messenger Muhammad with trivial matters and enabling him to dedicate himself to conveying Islam. 4) Distinguishing those who love the life of this world from those who love the Hereafter, as giving wealth without taking anything in return for it is a test revealing what is in the inner souls.
That is better for you and purer. But if you do not find means, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
The ayah mentions why the believers should offer charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad.
O you who believe, offering charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad is better for you, as it is an act of obedience to Allah, Exalted be He. In addition, it is a means for purifying your souls from stinginess and love of wealth, helping the poor, and strengthening unity among the members of the Muslim community. However, if one of you cannot find the means for offering charity, then he should not be sad, as Allah is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful. Allah forgives the sins of those who ask His forgiveness and bestows His mercy on whomever He wants. Allah is All-Merciful, and He will not punish you if you make secret counsels with Messenger Muhammad without giving charity.
58:13 Are you afraid of giving charity before your secret counsel? If you do not do so, and Allah has forgiven you, then perform the prayer, give the zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is aware of what you do.
O you who believe, are you afraid of giving charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad lest you should become poor?
If you do not do so, and Allah has forgiven you, then perform the prayer, give the zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is aware of what you do.
O you who believe, if you do not offer charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad, and Allah has forgiven you for not doing so by allowing you to make a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad without giving charity, then you must perform the obligations that Allah has commanded you to do. You must perform the prayer, give the zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger by complying with their commands and avoiding their prohibitions. Allah, Exalted be He, is aware of what you do. Allah fully knows all your deeds and statements, and He will recompense you according to your deeds.
It should be noted that ayah [13] does not mention explicitly that the companions of Messenger Muhammad failed to comply with the command to offer charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad. They might not offer charity because they did not make a secret counsel. Moreover, [If you do not do so, and Allah has forgiven you…] does not denote that they did not comply with the command. That is because the meaning of the ayah is that Allah has forgiven them by abrogating the command to give charity to make the matter easier for them. And Allah knows best.
The Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Mujadilah Ayah 12-13
• The believers were commanded to offer charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad, but it was hard for them to do so. Then, Allah, out of His generosity and mercy, forgave them, and they were allowed to make a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad without giving charity. It appears from the context of the ayah that the rule to give charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad was abrogated after the companions of Messenger Muhammad carried it out, but it was hard for some of them; therefore, it was abrogated.
• The rule of giving charity before making a secret counsel with Messenger Muhammad was abrogated, and the companions of Messenger Muhammad were commanded to perform the prayer, give the zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger.
