1. The previous sūrah (al-Fath) deals with the rulings related to struggling against the kuffar (disbelievers) and this sūrah (al-Hujuraat) deals with the ruling of struggling against those who transgress against the authority in the Islaamic society.
   
   
2. Sūrah al-Fath concluded with the speech of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى
   
   وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
   {… Allaah has promised those among them who believe …} [al-Fath 48:29]
   
   And sūrah al-Hujuraat begins with:
   
   يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
   {O you who believe!...} [al-Hujuraat 49:1]
   
   Reminding them (the Believers) of their sanctity with Allaah when He سبحانه و تعالى described them as being stern (against the disbelievers) and merciful (amongst themselves), necessitating that they preserve this status by their obedience to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم.
   
   
3. These two sūrahs honour and pay tribute to the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم especially in the opening aayaat of both of them. Legislating necessitates from the Believers that they are contented with what pleases the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم and that they do not abandon anything from speech or action in honouring him صلى الله عليه و سلم.

• This is what concerns the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and his Ummah.
  
  
• Allaah سبحانه و تعالى obligates obedience to Himself سبحانه و تعالى and the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم and admonishes against transgression. Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم begins:
  
  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُقَدِّمُوا
  {O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance ...} [al-Hujuraat 49:1]
  
  This particular verse shows the importance of the Believers adhering to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.
  
  
• It also mentions that they should not raise their voices above that of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم as Allaah سبحانه و تعالى addresses the Believers:
  
  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ
  {O you who believe! Raise not your voices …} [al-Hujuraat 49:2]
  
  This is because the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم should be addressed by his attribute of being a prophet and by his risaalah (message that he has brought to the people for their guidance), not by his name or his kunya.This is in order to dignify and honour him صلى الله عليه و سلم. It is from taqwa, unlike those who called him from behind the apartments of his wives – ‘Uyaynah ibn Husnin and those similar to him.
  
  
• At the end of this sūrah there is mention of a criticism against those who say that Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and his Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم are indebted to them because of their believing (i.e. their having accepted Islaam).
  
  يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُم بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
  {They regard as favour to you ( O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم ) that they have embraced Islâm. Say: "Count not your Islâm as a favour to me.
  Nay, but Allaah has conferred a favour upon you that He has guided you to the Faith if you indeed are true.} [al-Hujuraat 49:17]

1. From Bukharee, Tirmidhee and other than them that Ibn Abi Mulaykah from Abdullaah ibn Az-Zubayr رضى الله عنه informed us that:
   “A caravan from Bani Tameem came to the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم and Abu Bakr رضى الله عنه said to appoint as the Amir Qa’qaa’ bin Ma’bad and ‘Umar رضى الله عنه said to appoint as the Amir al-Aqra’ bin Haabis. Abu Bakr said ‘you always wanted to oppose me’ and ‘Umar said ‘I did not want to oppose you’ and they disputed until their voices raised. So Allaah تعالى revealed: ‘O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم, and fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing …’ until ‘And if they had had patience till you could come out to them, it would have been better for them. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’.”[2]
   
   i.e. the first five aayaat were revealed due to the argument between Abu Bakr and ‘Umar رضى الله عنهما in the presence of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم over the appointment of Qa’qaa’ bin Ma’bad or al-Aqra’ bin Haabis.
   
   
2. It is narrated from Abu Mundhir from Hassan al-Basri that: “people slaughtered before the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم on day of ‘Eid. He صلى الله عليه و سلم ordered them to slaughter again. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى revealed the aayah: “O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance…”
   It is narrated from Ibn Abi Duniya in his book of al-Adaahee with the wording: “the people slaughtered before the salaah so (the aayah) was revealed…”
   
   
3. Tabaraani narrated from Ayesha رضى الله عنها that: “Some people would fast a whole month before the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم so Allaah revealed the aayah: “O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم”.

1. Ibn Jareer narrated from Qatadah that: “People would raise their voice above the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم before the verse was revealed and Allaah سبحانه و تعالى revealed the aayah: “Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم”
   
   
2. It has been related that the aayah was revealed concerning Thaabit bin Qays bin ash-Shammas who had some deafness in his ear and he had a loud voice and when he spoke to people he would raise his voice, possibly when speaking in the presence of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and Allaah revealed the aayah.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
{O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم, and fear Allaah.
Verily, Allaah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.} [al-Hujuraat 49:1]

This verse addresses those who have correct eemaan ordering that they should not precede Allaah سبحانه و تعالى or His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم with any statement or regulation before understanding or recognizing what Allaah’s Judgment is and what the Prophet’s judgement صلى الله عليه و سلم is. If they precede either Allaah or His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم, perhaps the judgement will not be correct and according to the truth. They should observe what Allaah سبحانه و تعالى has commanded and what the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم has allowed and legislated, before proceeding.

In this aayah Allaah mentions that He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing. He hears every utterance that comes from us and He is knowledgeable of all the deeds that we perform.

In this is a prohibition for all Believers who go against the Qur’aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. We have a statement from Ibn Abbas رضى الله عنه that says that “this aayah means that you should not say anything in opposition to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.”

According to Ad-Dahaak, “in every affair that you judge you should never go against the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.”

Abu Daawood and Tirmidhi and ibn Maajah narrated from Muadh ibn Jabal رضى الله عنه that: “The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said to him when he صلى الله عليه و سلم sent him out ‘what are you going to use when you judge?’ he said ‘the Book of Allaah’ he صلى الله عليه و سلم said ‘and if you do not find it in the Book of Allaah?’ he said ‘then in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم’, he صلى الله عليه و سلم said ‘and if you don’t find it in any of those two?’ he said: ‘then I will exert myself to find out what is correct’.” This narration says that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم hit him in his chest and said ‘All praise is due to Allaah who has given the Messenger of the Messenger of Allaah his correct understanding or directed him to that which is correct’.

This particular act of his and the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه و سلم acceptance of it was so because he placed his opinion after the Book and the Sunnah. Thus, his response was considered praiseworthy, if he did otherwise he would have been going ahead of the Book and the Sunnah, and this is doing something that is not correct.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لا تَشْعُرُونَ
{O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم, nor speak aloud to him in talk
as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.} [al-Hujuraat 49:2]

Allaah سبحانه و تعالى addresses the Believers saying “O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم” i.e. if you speak to the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم do not raise your voice above his voice because raising the voice indicates a lack of manners and showing disrespect. Lowering the voice and refraining from raising it is from glorification and good manners. It is a praiseworthy mannerism with all of the people as well.

His Speech “nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another” i.e. if they speak to him, then address him صلى الله عليه و سلم with tranquillity and respect as opposed to what He سبحانه و تعالى has prohibited from raising the voice in speech occurring between them.

Do not say ‘O Muhammad’ or ‘O Ahmad’ but say ‘O Prophet of Allaah’ and ‘O Messenger of Allaah’ without any disrespect. This is the third aspect of good manners mentioned.

And Allaah’s Speech: “lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not” – Allaah has prohibited them from raising their voices as was their custom. The Believers are commanded to stay away from those acts for fear of the reward of their deeds being rendered of no consequence. This may even lead to disbelief if one does not implement the commands in these aayaat, as comes in the authentic hadith from Imaam Maalik, Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaa’ee and others from Bilaal ibn al-Haarith that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم said: “A man speaks a word of Allaah’s Pleasure and does not think of it as any consequence but Allaah is pleased with it and allows him to enter Jannah and another says a word of displeasure to Allaah and doesn’t think of it as any worth but it takes him into the Fire a distance that is more that what is between the heavens and the earth.”

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِندَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَى لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
{Verily, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allaah's Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم, they are the ones whose hearts Allaah has tested for piety. For them is forgiveness and a great reward.} [al-Hujuraat 49:3]

They honour the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم and will have this reward. Here Allaah mentions “those who lower their voices in the presence of Allaah's Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم, they are the ones whose hearts Allaah has tested for piety” i.e. those who lower their voices during their conversations with the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم and in his sittings, Allaah has tested their hearts with taqwa like gold is tested with fire and the good of it is separated from the undesirable things which are removed. For these individuals Allaah سبحانه و تعالى has purified their hearts from all undesirable things and “For them is forgiveness and a great reward” because of their manners in lowering their voices and being obedient as in the aayah:

لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ
{In order that you (O mankind) may believe in Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم,
and that you assist and honour him صلى الله عليه و سلم…} [al-Fath 48:9]

So those who believe in Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم and they honour him صلى الله عليه و سلم would receive this type of reward.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَاء الْحُجُرَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْقِلُونَ
{Verily, those who call you from behind the dwellings, most of them have no sense.} [al-Hujuraat 49:4]

Here Allaah سبحانه و تعالى mentions that most of those who call out to the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم from behind the hujuraat from a distance, they have no understanding. Here ‘hujuraat’ refers to the chambers of the wives of Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. Most of the people of Bani Tameem were ignorant of this type of regulation, and due to their ignorance they conducted themselves in this manner as they did not know what is required of them from manners and respect.

In Allaah’s سبحانه و تعالى statement ‘most of them’ what can be understood is ‘all of them’ because the Arab may mention ‘most’ when they want to say ‘all’. Or, the intent is that in most of their conditions they do not understand.

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْراً لَّهُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
{And if they had had patience till you could come out to them, it would have been better for them.
And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [al-Hujuraat 49:5]

Meaning وَ لَيْتَهُمْ لَوْ صَبَرُوا –If only! They had been patient.

Here what is intended is that if they were patient until he صلى الله عليه و سلم came out to them then it would have been better for them in this life and in the life to come i.e. honouring the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and speaking to him in a manner that is appropriate.

However, the verse points out that Allaah سبحانه و تعالى when He mentions that He is ‘Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ (indicates) that He would not hold these people accountable for the mistakes that they made because of their condition. In the aayah there is also an encouragement for all Believers to turn to Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and seek repentance.

1. It is compulsory to obey Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم and one should not precede the Book and the Sunnah.
   
   
2. Teaching the Bedouin and other than them high moral standards and the virtues of manners if the Bedouin has bad manners in addressing the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and calling out to the people.
   
   
3. Qurtobi and ibn Arabee رحمهما الله say about the aayah: ‘O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم’ they say that this is a foundation to leave off opposing the statements of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and that it is compulsory to follow him صلى الله عليه و سلم.
   In this verse there is no evidence for those who deny qiyaas (analogical deduction) because that is not preceding Allaah سبحانه و تعالى or the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. What is intended by Qiyaas that is used by the scholars is what is called ‘Qiyaas al-‘usoolee’ which is a tool used for the deduction of law and it does not enter into the foundations or the principles of faith i.e. tawheed, eemaan, pillars of Islaam – salaah, siyaam, hajj etc. It is in no way in opposition to this verse.
   
   
4. The aayaat command taqwa in all the affairs of the Believers and not just in a particular circumstance. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى hears the speech of everyone and is aware of all actions.
   
   
5. It is compulsory to lower the voice in the presence of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. By not doing this, one has not really actualised the order to lower one’s voice. It does not imply that one should whisper such that he is not heard, but rather to refrain from speaking in a way that is unbecoming.
   
   
6. Do not call out to him صلى الله عليه و سلم in the way that you call out to one another i.e. do not say “Yaa Muhammad”. You should call him صلى الله عليه و سلم in a manner that is respectful e.g. “Yaa Rasulallaah” or “Yaa Nabeeyallaah”.
   
   
7. Abu Bakr ibn Arabee mentions that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم should be honoured after his passing away, the same way he was honoured when he صلى الله عليه و سلم was alive. The sanctity of his words which are recited and read has the same sanctity after he passed away that they had when he صلى الله عليه و سلم was alive. This is so because Allaah سبحانه و تعالى mentions:
   
   وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُواْ لَهُ وَأَنصِتُواْ
   {So, when the Qur'ân is recited, listen to it, and be silent…} [al-A'raaf 7:204]
   The Qur’aan is revelation and the Sunnah is also a form of revelation which you are supposed to listen to and show respect for when it is recited.
   
   
8. The voices should not be raised in an unacceptable manner or when inappropriate. Sometimes it becomes necessary to raise the voice e.g. in war, or arguments or intimidating the enemy – here it is not prohibited as there is a purpose.
   There is a hadith where the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said to Abbas ibn al-Muttallib on the day of Hunayn to shout and raise his voice to the people and Abbas had the loudest voice. One time he raised his voice so loudly that a pregnant lady aborted due to the strength of his voice.
   
   
9. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى mentioning ‘lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless’ refers to the reduction of reward and not that the person will be considered a disbeliever or goes into a state of kufr. However, the deeds may be rendered less than they are, and an individual may not even realize this.
   
   
10. Where Allaah سبحانه و تعالى mentions ‘Verily, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allaah's Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم, they are the ones whose hearts Allaah has tested for piety’ He has tested the hearts of the people for taqwa and eemaan just as gold is cleansed and purified from impurities which accompany it.
    
    
11. When the Bedouins of Bani Tameem came and said that their praise is honourable and to criticize them is disgraceful, one of those amongst them who was boisterous and called out was al-Aqra’ ibn Haabis as narrated by at-Tirmidhi. They came whilst the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم was taking his midday rest and they wanted some people to be freed. This act of theirs is something that is uncharacteristic and should not be done by the Believers.
    
    
12. If they had waited it would have been better for them in this life and the life to come. If they would have waited, they would have found that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم had set aside time for them to deal with the issues of the people.
    When Allaah سبحانه و تعالى concludes this aayah ‘And if they had had patience till you could come out to them, it would have been better for them. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’, His mentioning ‘Allaah is Most Merciful’ is an encouragement for the Believers to seek repentance at all times.