the heavens and the earth as well as the grand mountains declined to accept this challenge because it is a trial they found themselves incapable of doing justice to. Of course, we cannot understand the mode of their refusal or maybe this is narrated in the form of a parable. Having accepted this role of Khilāfah (vicegerent), man should be mindful of this amānah otherwise he will be foolhardy.
References
Amānah: 2: 283; 4: 58; 8: 27; 23: 8; 33: 72.
Amr [
Meaning
Amr (pl. Awāmir) means order, command and instruction. When Amr is used for acts of Allah it manifests His supreme inventive power. Allah is the Creator and hence it is He who is Sovereign and His commands are instantaneously executed: “Our command is but a single (act) like the twinkling of an eye” (al-Qamar 54: 50) and “Verily when He intends a thing His Command is ‘Be’ and it is” (al-Baqarah 2: 117; Āl ʿImrān 3: 47 and Yā Sīn 36: 82). All the creations in the universe are under Allah’s command as He is the Creator. It is He who should govern (al-Aʿrāf 7: 54). Some of Allah’s commands are carried out by angels, particularly Jibrīl who is designated as al-Rūḥ and Amr (al-Isrā’ 17: 85); his descent on the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) with Allah’s command is recorded in Sūrah al-Qadr 97: 4.
Amr is also used in the legal sense for an ordinance or decree as well as the sovereign power exercised by a government. Although obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) is paramount, people are also required to obey the commands of those who are in authority – Ulū al-Amr (al-Nisā’ 4: 59). Hence, legislation or a code of law is a collection of al-Awāmir wa al-Nawāhī (commands and interdictions).
See also Ḥukm
al-Amr bi al-Maʿrūf wa al-Nahy ʿan al-Munkar (Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil)
This is one of the most important injunctions imposed on an individual Muslim as well as the Muslim Ummah as a whole. Its importance can be gauged by the fact that it is repeated at least nine times in the Qur’ān.
MAʿRŪF
Maʿrūf’s root is ʿRF, to know, to recognize to perceive. Hence Maʿrūf is something that is well-known, universally recognized and generally accepted. In Qur’ānic terminology it means all good deeds that human beings recognize as wholesome and desirable: for example, helping the poor and destitute, widows and orphans, the sick and infirm, or establishing peace and harmony in society. Muslims are ordered that they should actively get involved in the social betterment of the society in which they live.
MUNKAR
The opposite of Maʿrūf is Munkar. Its root is NKR which means not to know, to have no knowledge, to deny. Hence Munkar means disagreeable, objectionable and detestable acts which human beings abhor. Such acts are abusing others, wrongful acts, misappropriation, pride, miserliness and shameful and lewd acts. Such acts and behaviour should be checked and stopped. If one is not in a position to stop such an act physically then one should verbally condemn it and if even this is not possible then at least feel abhorrence in one’s heart. This, according to a ḥadīth, is the lowest degree of īmān. (Muslim)
References
Amr: 2: 117; 3: 47; 7: 54; 36: 82; 54: 50. al-Amr bi al-Maʿrūf wa al-Nahy ʿan al-Munkar: 3: 104 and 114; 7: 157; 9: 67 and 71.
Anfāl [
Meaning
Anfāl, the plural of Nafl, is specifically used for the booty or spoils of war. (Another word, Nafl or Nāfilah (pl. Nawāfil), means to do more than is required by one’s duty or obligation and it is used for supererogatory performance of ʿIbādah like in prayers, fasting and charity by the believers for the sake of Allah.)
It is instructive to note that after the Battle of Badr, when for the first time questions arose about the distribution of the spoils, the Qur’ān used the word Anfāl instead of Maghānim (sing. Maghnam). This is another word for the booty and spoils of war and is used elsewhere in the Qur’ān (al-Nisā’ 4: 94; al-Fatḥ 48: 15, 19, 20). In Sūrah al-Anfāl its verbal form ghanimtum is used (al-Anfāl 8: 41, 69). What is being conveyed is that there is no point wrangling about the spoils of war since it is entirely for Allah to decide about their distribution, as they are a gift from Him. This was a major conceptual reform because the purpose of jihād fī sabīl Allāh is not to acquire the spoils.
Distribution of Anfāl
Sūrah al-Anfāl (8: 41) lays down the law for distribution of the spoils. All spoils collected by soldiers should be banked with the commander or ruler. One-fifth of the spoils belong to Allah and His Messenger and his relatives, the orphans, the needy and the wayfarer. The other four-fifths is to be distributed among the soldiers taking part in the fighting.
The basic purpose of the share of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) is for promoting Islamic teachings and religion. As the Prophet (peace be upon him), being the Head of State, received no remuneration to support him and his family, this share was for their sustenance.
Distribution of Fay’
The spoils that are obtained without warfare are called Fay’. The Qur’ān uses its verbal form Afā’a as in al-Ḥashr 59: 6–7. It literally means “one that has come back (or returned) on its own”. In Fay’ there is no share for the soldiers as no combat took place. After the expulsion of the Jewish settlements around Madīnah the spoils thus acquired were termed Fay’ and its distribution is laid down in Sūrah al-Ḥashr: “What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger (and taken away) from the people of the townships belongs to Allah, to His Messenger and to kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarer” (al-Ḥashr 59: 7). No specific shares of the beneficiaries are fixed. These depend on the prevailing circumstances and were left for the Head of State to decide.
References
Anfāl: 8: 1. Maghānim: 4: 94; 8: 41 and 69; 48: 15, 19 and 20. Fayʿ: 59: 6 and 7.
ʿArsh [
see Istiwā’
ʿAṣr [
see Ajal
Āyah [
Meanings
The word āyah (pl. āyāt) has many meanings such as: sign, token, mark, miracle, wonder,
