This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 24, Episode 25

Transcript

In this episode, I will be going over some of the verses of Surah Hujarat, surah number 49. It’s a very beautiful and instructive surah, in which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala lays out key principles for community building. A lot of social interactions are governed by these principles that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has given to us in this surah, and of course throughout the entire Quran. And these principles are supposed to serve as the foundation of how we build a community.  

 We, as human beings, are social creatures. We live with other people. We live with our families. We live with neighbors. We live in a community and a society. We have certain rights and responsibilities towards each other. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala tells us very specifically what a person has to do to ensure that their relationship with the people around them is sound. This particular surah was revealed in Madinah where the Prophet ﷺ and the Sahaba رضي الله تعالى عنهم were talking about the relationship between the people around them, who were building a new community. And this community was to be the model for all communities that were to come until the end of time.  

 Throughout this surah, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentions seemingly very small things, which can become very big problems within the functioning of a healthy community. For instance, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentions that when a person is presented with a piece of news, then they should verify it. They shouldn’t just take it as is because false information and misinformation can go around very easily and can often lead to devastating circumstances.  

 Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala also instructs the Prophet ﷺ to be someone who resolves conflicts because conflicts cannot be allowed to fester within a community. This is because the believers are ultimately brothers for each other. So when the Prophet ﷺ was presented with a conflict between two parties, the Prophet ﷺ was to be the neutral mediator to ensure that the aggrieved party felt heard, and their concerns were addressed. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala also mentions that we shouldn’t call each other with names that are degrading and demeaning because it shows a sense of arrogance that a person might have towards someone else. 

 Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala also tells us not to backbite, not to spy on each other, nor to have uncharitable assumptions that are sinful. This is because sinful assumptions oftentimes lead to actions such as backbiting, which is one of the slow-acting poisons of a community. It can dissolve the bonds of trust that take so long to build. And the result is that nobody knows who to trust. In Surah Al-Hujuraat ayah 13, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentions the following:  

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۭ ١٣ 

“O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Quran 49:13) 

 That, oh people, we have created you from a man and a woman; and we have placed you in tribes and groups so that you can recognize within each other the greatness of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala because you are the creations of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Allah gives us a very simple standard by which He will judge all of creation on the Day of Judgment, which is: إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ (Quran 49:13). Meaning, the most honorable among you are those who are the most conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. This is a very instructive lesson for us when we think about community formation and community building. 

We, as human beings, have, of course, divided ourselves based on our languages, ethnicities, races and genders, based on social classes, based on our accolades and achievements, based on our money, based on our personalities, and our socio-economics. We have many ways that we have division. But Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala reminds us that ultimately all of that will be for nothing because this is all temporary. The only thing that will allow you to exceed someone else is if you are closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And this very simple principle allows equal footing and equal grounding for every individual. No one is superior to anyone else, other than how much effort they put in their personal relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. 

In a world where we are divided in so many different ways, either consciously or subconsciously, having a very simple principle like that doesn’t make a distinction between how long a person has worshipped Allah; how long a person was Muslim; or where a person is in the world, or what their background is, or what their gender might be, or anything that we might use to think of ourselves as better than others. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that all of you will be judged on this one standard. That is the standard all of us should be aspiring towards so that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has mercy upon us on the day of judgment.  

May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala guide, bless and protect us all and give us the ability to build a community that is healthy, functioning, spiritually uplifting, and creates equal opportunity for all of us for us to connect with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.  

والله أعلم وبالله التوفيق