Thirty-Ninth Assembly (Khawn-Pur-Nemat)

Very many of the people of the town had come to extend their good wishes for the new month. Qazi Khan asked: What is the meaning of fixing on six days, as we find in the verse, 'in six days'? The Venerable Master replied: I have not come across anything, and I too have been searching for it in various commentaries. I have not found anything anywhere, but I have seen it mentioned in the commentary of Imam Zahid that it is an 'instruction for his followers, but this has not proved very helpful, because this meaning can be drawn from one hour or one day, for God Most High is Almighty and can create in the twinkling of an eye. 'Instruction for his followers' would mean that He creates in one day or in one hour. Therefore, what wisdom is contained in the fact that He took six days to create the universe?

After this he said: I had borrowed the Tafsir-i-Kabir' (The Great Commentary) from Qazi Mu'inuddin in order to study it. I began to study the first volume. What is there for me to study? Each point is proved with arguments, and each point is also answered with arguments. I said: 'So many arguments are above the capacity of a man like me! I studied the work for a while, and then sent it back. On the other hand, this commentary has proved to be an astonishing one. That great sage has brought in whatever was needed according to the exigencies of the faith. He added nothing that could be considered excessive and prove fatiguing for the mind.

Afterwards he told this story: Qazi Badruddin, the Qazi of Arwal, had come here. He was saying that whenever a Qur'anic verse cropped up in class and Maulana Shamsuddin Yahya felt the need of consulting a commentary about it then, in spite of the fact that he had many commentaries in Arabic, he used to tell his servant to bring the commentary of Zahid, volume two or volume three. He would bring the particular

volume that had been requested. The Maulana would glance at it. Each time this difficulty would occur to me: 'How is it that the Maulana can pass over so many commentaries in Arabic and ask for this one by Zahid, which is in Persian? One day I had an opportunity to ask for an explanation. I said: Master, you have so many commentaries in Arabic. This being so, why do you have recourse to this commentary in Persian? There- upon Maulana Shamsuddin gave this reply: 'The reason is that, in the commentaries in Arabic there is much eloquence, endless rhetoric and innumerable meanings. I have not found the taste and sweetness in any other commentary to match what I have found in this Persian one.

Afterwards the Venerable Master said: When Imam Zahid finished writing his commentary he kept it inside his house for some days. All of his disciples and companions said: 'Such an authentic work has been produced. If the Revered Master brings it out each of us will transcribe it. That sage would not give it to anyone. After much entreaty he brought the work out one day. This took place in Baghdad. He beckoned to one of his companions and said: 'Take each of these four volumes and throw them into the Tigris. The companion brought the four volumes outside, and the others followed him. They said: 'By no means can you throw them into the Tigris! What condition was it that led this sage to speak in this fashion? It is not advisable to throw them into the Tigris. We shall keep them somewhere for the moment. They told their companion that he was to say that he had thrown them into the river if the Master enquired about the matter.

The next day he went to the Master. He said: 'Did you throw them away? He replied, 'Yes'. Again, he enquired: 'What did you see? He answered: 'I didn't see anything. Then you didn't throw them away. Go now and do so!' Thereupon the companions said that there was something at the bottom of this. The man went off and threw all four volumes into the Tigris. As soon as he did so the water was cleft asunder, and he saw a box appear into which all the four volumes fell. Then the water settled back again. The man returned to the sage. Once again, he enquired if he had thrown the volumes. He said he had. Upon being asked what he had seen he related how the water had parted, and a box appeared into which the volumes had

fallen, and then the water had returned to its original position. Thereupon the sage said: 'Now you have thrown it.'

Thus, the day passed. Next morning he called the man and said: 'Go and bring back such of the four volumes.' The man went off. He found all four volumes on the bank of the Tigris. He picked them up and brought them to the Master. He opened them up and saw, here and there, lines had been drawn. He said: 'Don't copy out the positions where a line has been drawn but copy out the portions where you find no line.' The companions were perplexed by what had taken place. They all gathered together. They told the Master that it was very difficult for them to understand what had taken place. If the whole affair was explained to them, it would remove a thorny problem from their minds.

After that the Master paused for a while and said: 'I'll tell you. When I finished writing I sent the work to my brother, Khizr, with the request that I had undertaken this venture. I said: 'Please go through this work and cross out anything you find fault with. So, these lines which you see here and there were drawn by Khwaja Khizr.

When the Venerable Master reached this point, he said: Wherever a difficult verse occurs, Imam Zahid has begun his commentary on it by stating that its explanation is difficult. Each person has written something different about the verse. Errors have arisen which are beyond the principles and rules of the Law. First of all, those errors have to be eliminated so that the explanation of the verse may be given in a fitting manner. He has marshalled the errors one by one and written that they are errors. He has said that he will write what is correct and worthy of credence. Underneath he has added: 'Believe this! I shall stand as surety for it on the Day of Resurrection.

At this juncture those present in the assembly said: Master, give us some examples of the errors that he has mentioned in order to help our understanding. He replied: There are many. One is that it is said that the Apostle had fallen in love with Zainab, the wife of his adopted son, Zaid, and he kept his love concealed within his heart. Zainab was

from a noble family and was extremely beautiful while Zaid was a client. She was not submissive to him. An estrangement had grown up between them. Zaid repeatedly approached the Apostle and requested his permission to divorce her because she showed no compatibility with him and persisted in her hostility and animosity. The Apostle, in his heart, wanted him to divorce her, but told him not to divorce her. Both of these are errors. In this commentary we read: 'You and I are forbidden to keep in our heart love for the wife of another. How then could there be any suspicion that a prophet could have love for the wife of another in his heart? How much more, with respect to our Prophet, could anyone have such a suspicion regarding such a king?

Again, it is said that his heart wanted the divorce, but he told Zaid not to divorce her. This is also wrong for, if we have something in our heart yet we speak out something contrary to that then this is hypocrisy. This is not permitted for you or me, so how could such a fault proceed from a prophet?

Afterwards he has written under this: 'The correct version is that God Almighty, in the Qur'an, has announced, 'God will bring it to light' (Q 33:37), namely, 'The Lord will make known whatever is in your heart. What was in the heart of the Apostle was that, in the era of ignorance, it was unlawful to desire the wife of one's adopted son, just as it was to desire the wives of the sons of one's loins. God Almighty sent word to our Apostle: 'Zaid will divorce Zainab. We shall make her lawful for you.' It occurred to the Apostle's heart that the prohibition would be abrogated by his action, not what was said in those stories, 'Muhammad has fallen in love with Zainab and hopes that Zaid will divorce her, even though he was telling him not to divorce her. This is a great fault.

He has also mentioned the error of those who say that the prophet Solomon suffered a decline of his kingdom for forty days and the reason was that his wife had brought an idol into his house. She worshipped it for forty days. On account of this misfortune Solomon's kingdom suffered for forty days. This is also an error because it is not allowed for you or me to keep an infidel woman in our houses. Since Solomon's wife

worshipped an idol she was an infidel. How is it possible for a prophet to keep an infidel woman in his home? Again, it is said that, if someone's wife does something bad in his own home and her husband is ignorant that 'he was a transgressor' (Q 32:18) then, since he was ignorant of his own family, yet if a prophet's wife worships an idol, he will certainly find out about it.

And again, it is said that the glance of the prophet David fell upon the wife of Uriah. He was attracted towards her. Afterwards he sent Uriah to a certain place so that he might be killed there and thus he would be able to marry his wife. It should be known that this also is an error, for you and I are forbidden to send anyone anywhere for the purpose of having him killed, so how could a prophet of God do so?

It can be said that these and other similar errors have been cut out in that sage's commentaries on difficult verses, while that which is correct, and worthy of credence has been brought forward.

Very many of the people of the town had come to extend their good wishes for the new month. Qazi Khan asked: What is the meaning of fixing on six days, as we find in the verse, 'in six days'? The Venerable Master replied: I have not come across anything, and I too have been searching for it in various commentaries. I have not found anything anywhere, but I have seen it mentioned in the commentary of Imam Zahid that it is an 'instruction for his followers, but this has not proved very helpful, because this meaning can be drawn from one hour or one day, for God Most High is Almighty and can create in the twinkling of an eye. 'Instruction for his followers' would mean that He creates in one day or in one hour. Therefore, what wisdom is contained in the fact that He took six days to create the universe?

After this he said: I had borrowed the Tafsir-i-Kabir' (The Great Commentary) from Qazi Mu'inuddin in order to study it. I began to study the first volume. What is there for me to study? Each point is proved with arguments, and each point is also answered with arguments. I said: 'So many arguments are above the capacity of a man like me! I studied the work for a while, and then sent it back. On the other hand, this commentary has proved to be an astonishing one. That great sage has brought in whatever was needed according to the exigencies of the faith. He added nothing that could be considered excessive and prove fatiguing for the mind.

Afterwards he told this story: Qazi Badruddin, the Qazi of Arwal, had come here. He was saying that whenever a Qur'anic verse cropped up in class and Maulana Shamsuddin Yahya felt the need of consulting a commentary about it then, in spite of the fact that he had many commentaries in Arabic, he used to tell his servant to bring the commentary of Zahid, volume two or volume three. He would bring the particular

volume that had been requested. The Maulana would glance at it. Each time this difficulty would occur to me: 'How is it that the Maulana can pass over so many commentaries in Arabic and ask for this one by Zahid, which is in Persian? One day I had an opportunity to ask for an explanation. I said: Master, you have so many commentaries in Arabic. This being so, why do you have recourse to this commentary in Persian? There- upon Maulana Shamsuddin gave this reply: 'The reason is that, in the commentaries in Arabic there is much eloquence, endless rhetoric and innumerable meanings. I have not found the taste and sweetness in any other commentary to match what I have found in this Persian one.

Afterwards the Venerable Master said: When Imam Zahid finished writing his commentary he kept it inside his house for some days. All of his disciples and companions said: 'Such an authentic work has been produced. If the Revered Master brings it out each of us will transcribe it. That sage would not give it to anyone. After much entreaty he brought the work out one day. This took place in Baghdad. He beckoned to one of his companions and said: 'Take each of these four volumes and throw them into the Tigris. The companion brought the four volumes outside, and the others followed him. They said: 'By no means can you throw them into the Tigris! What condition was it that led this sage to speak in this fashion? It is not advisable to throw them into the Tigris. We shall keep them somewhere for the moment. They told their companion that he was to say that he had thrown them into the river if the Master enquired about the matter.

The next day he went to the Master. He said: 'Did you throw them away? He replied, 'Yes'. Again, he enquired: 'What did you see? He answered: 'I didn't see anything. Then you didn't throw them away. Go now and do so!' Thereupon the companions said that there was something at the bottom of this. The man went off and threw all four volumes into the Tigris. As soon as he did so the water was cleft asunder, and he saw a box appear into which all the four volumes fell. Then the water settled back again. The man returned to the sage. Once again, he enquired if he had thrown the volumes. He said he had. Upon being asked what he had seen he related how the water had parted, and a box appeared into which the volumes had

fallen, and then the water had returned to its original position. Thereupon the sage said: 'Now you have thrown it.'

Thus, the day passed. Next morning he called the man and said: 'Go and bring back such of the four volumes.' The man went off. He found all four volumes on the bank of the Tigris. He picked them up and brought them to the Master. He opened them up and saw, here and there, lines had been drawn. He said: 'Don't copy out the positions where a line has been drawn but copy out the portions where you find no line.' The companions were perplexed by what had taken place. They all gathered together. They told the Master that it was very difficult for them to understand what had taken place. If the whole affair was explained to them, it would remove a thorny problem from their minds.

After that the Master paused for a while and said: 'I'll tell you. When I finished writing I sent the work to my brother, Khizr, with the request that I had undertaken this venture. I said: 'Please go through this work and cross out anything you find fault with. So, these lines which you see here and there were drawn by Khwaja Khizr.

When the Venerable Master reached this point, he said: Wherever a difficult verse occurs, Imam Zahid has begun his commentary on it by stating that its explanation is difficult. Each person has written something different about the verse. Errors have arisen which are beyond the principles and rules of the Law. First of all, those errors have to be eliminated so that the explanation of the verse may be given in a fitting manner. He has marshalled the errors one by one and written that they are errors. He has said that he will write what is correct and worthy of credence. Underneath he has added: 'Believe this! I shall stand as surety for it on the Day of Resurrection.

At this juncture those present in the assembly said: Master, give us some examples of the errors that he has mentioned in order to help our understanding. He replied: There are many. One is that it is said that the Apostle had fallen in love with Zainab, the wife of his adopted son, Zaid, and he kept his love concealed within his heart. Zainab was

from a noble family and was extremely beautiful while Zaid was a client. She was not submissive to him. An estrangement had grown up between them. Zaid repeatedly approached the Apostle and requested his permission to divorce her because she showed no compatibility with him and persisted in her hostility and animosity. The Apostle, in his heart, wanted him to divorce her, but told him not to divorce her. Both of these are errors. In this commentary we read: 'You and I are forbidden to keep in our heart love for the wife of another. How then could there be any suspicion that a prophet could have love for the wife of another in his heart? How much more, with respect to our Prophet, could anyone have such a suspicion regarding such a king?

Again, it is said that his heart wanted the divorce, but he told Zaid not to divorce her. This is also wrong for, if we have something in our heart yet we speak out something contrary to that then this is hypocrisy. This is not permitted for you or me, so how could such a fault proceed from a prophet?

Afterwards he has written under this: 'The correct version is that God Almighty, in the Qur'an, has announced, 'God will bring it to light' (Q 33:37), namely, 'The Lord will make known whatever is in your heart. What was in the heart of the Apostle was that, in the era of ignorance, it was unlawful to desire the wife of one's adopted son, just as it was to desire the wives of the sons of one's loins. God Almighty sent word to our Apostle: 'Zaid will divorce Zainab. We shall make her lawful for you.' It occurred to the Apostle's heart that the prohibition would be abrogated by his action, not what was said in those stories, 'Muhammad has fallen in love with Zainab and hopes that Zaid will divorce her, even though he was telling him not to divorce her. This is a great fault.

He has also mentioned the error of those who say that the prophet Solomon suffered a decline of his kingdom for forty days and the reason was that his wife had brought an idol into his house. She worshipped it for forty days. On account of this misfortune Solomon's kingdom suffered for forty days. This is also an error because it is not allowed for you or me to keep an infidel woman in our houses. Since Solomon's wife

worshipped an idol she was an infidel. How is it possible for a prophet to keep an infidel woman in his home? Again, it is said that, if someone's wife does something bad in his own home and her husband is ignorant that 'he was a transgressor' (Q 32:18) then, since he was ignorant of his own family, yet if a prophet's wife worships an idol, he will certainly find out about it.

And again, it is said that the glance of the prophet David fell upon the wife of Uriah. He was attracted towards her. Afterwards he sent Uriah to a certain place so that he might be killed there and thus he would be able to marry his wife. It should be known that this also is an error, for you and I are forbidden to send anyone anywhere for the purpose of having him killed, so how could a prophet of God do so?

It can be said that these and other similar errors have been cut out in that sage's commentaries on difficult verses, while that which is correct, and worthy of credence has been brought forward.