Quran Garden

Session 433

Chapter 3

Verse 103

Hold fast to God's rope altogether; do not split into factions.  Remember God's favor to you: you were enemies, and then He brought your hearts together, and you became brothers by His grace; you were about to fall into a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.  In this way, God makes His revelations clear to you so that you may be rightly guided.

(Chapter 3: Verse 103)

Before Islam, the two Arab tribes of Medina fought on and off for over one hundred years.  There was much bloodshed and resentment between the Aws and the Khazraj.  Each used to recite poems boasting about their victories and say, "From our tribe is so and so: he is a great warrior." Islam changed everything, instilled love and cooperation, and extinguished the urges for revenge.  Verse 103 of Al Imran was revealed to remind the believers that boasting before Islam was for worldly matters, and such behavior is no longer acceptable. 

There is a story behind this verse.  One day the companions of Medina were boasting about their achievements.  A man from the Aws tribe said, "Khuzaymah is from us." And a person from the Khazraj replied, "And among us is Obay ibn Kaab and Zaid bin Thabit." Then one of the Aws said, "We have Hanzalah whom the angels cleansed.  And Khuzaymah, whose testimony carries the weight of two men."  He was referring to the time when Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, made a deal to buy a horse from a Bedouin and agreed on the price.  The Prophet went back to get the money and arranged to meet the seller later to collect the horse.  Meanwhile, a buyer offered the Bedouin a higher price, not knowing that the horse was already sold. 

When the Bedouin met with Muhammad, he said, "If you really want this horse, you have to buy it." He, peace be upon him, replied, "Have I not bought it from you earlier today?  We had a deal!" The Bedouin said, "No, you did not.  Did anyone witness a deal?" The man seized on the fact that the Prophet was alone when the arrangement was made.  Khuzaymah, who was sitting next to the Prophet, said, "I was there, and I saw you and Muhammad make a deal with my own eyes!" Because the Bedouin was a liar, he thought, "Maybe Khuzaymah was around when I was not paying attention, and he saw me making a deal with Muhammad." So he stayed quiet, delivered the horse, and left.  Our beloved Muhammad turned to Khuzaymah and said, "You were not with me when I dealt with this man.  No one was.  How do you bear witness to something you did not see?" Khuzaymah replied, "Messenger of God, I trust you with all the revelations you brought from the heavens; how can I doubt you about a few coins?  I know that you speak nothing but the truth."  When the Prophet saw Khuzaymah's deep faith and understanding, he was delighted and said, "Whomever Khuzaymah testifies for, it should suffice."  In other words, the testimony of Khuzaymah alone should be enough in any matter which legally requires two witnesses or more.  It was a great honor that Prophet Muhammad gave to Khuzaymah.

When the time came to collect the verses of the Quran in its written book form, Zaid bin Thabit said, "I took an oath not to write down any verse unless I find it written by a companion, and then two people who memorized the verse come forth as witnesses." These two conditions were met for each and every verse in the Quran except for one, the last verse in Surah Al-Tawbah.  This particular Aya was found written down; however, only one companion who memorized it was present.  So, according to the rules, this verse should have been excluded from the Quran.  Zaid tells us, "I had found this aya transcribed, but only one companion, Khuzaymah, had testified for its authenticity.  Then I remembered that our beloved Muhammad said, 'Whomever Khuzaymah testifies for, it should suffice.'"

Allah brought Zaid from the Khazraj tribe and Khuzaymah from the Aws together as brothers in Islam to complete the collection of the Quran.  Some Muslims from each tribe took pride in this and used to say, "Khuzaymah is from us," and then heard the reply, "But Zaid is from us!" Allah is teaching us that such boasting is no longer acceptable.  The only thing that matters is faith and humility.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "O People, your Lord is One.  There is no preference for an Arab over a non-Arab, a white over black, or black over white except with piety.  Indeed the most honorable among you is the one most mindful of God." God says:

And do not turn your nose up at people, nor walk about the place arrogantly, for God does not love arrogant or boastful people.  (31:18)

Muslim men from the Aws and Khazraj worked together in the collection of the Qur'an, and this is how we adhere to God's rope.  He says, "Hold fast to God's rope all together; do not split into factions.  Remember God's favor to you: you were enemies, and then He brought your hearts together, and you became brothers by His grace." This verse referenced the never-ending war between the two tribes that lasted for one hundred and twenty years, although they were related by marriage and blood.  

The phrase "brought your hearts together" teaches us that both love and ill feelings start in the heart.  You do not hit another person or start a war unless your heart is filled with hatred, and such feelings can bring you to the brink of Hellfire.  The word "brink" is translated from the Arabic origin شَفَا (Shafa), which means "edge." It is a dangerous place where the slightest mistake or accident can throw you off-balance into the abyss. 

Allah continues, "In this way, God makes His revelations clear to you so that you may be rightly guided." This is the grace of Islam to humanity because it shows you the road away from Hellfire and into Paradise.  Before Islam, the Arab tribes were immersed in conflicts and ruled by the patriarchal system of clans.  When Islam came, everyone became equal regardless of their heritage, skin color, or wealth.