The Calls of Faith in the Noble Qur'an: Sūrat al-Māʾida and the Call to Justice

Occasion: Transcription of an ʿIshāʾ khatira delivered on 20 September 2026 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

O Allah, grant us a share of the spoils of every righteous deed, safety from every sin, the winning of Paradise, and salvation from the Fire. O Allah, be for us and not against us, make our affairs easy, and enable us to do good deeds and the means to them, O Lord of the worlds.

Al-Māʾida: A Sūra Full of What Souls Desire

Sūrat al-Māʾida was given this name because there is something on that table to be desired. We have mentioned before that the māʾida differs in its signification from the ṭāwila (table); the ṭāwila may be empty, whereas the māʾida is full of good things that attract people in soul, eye and stomach.

The commentators say it was named so because of the occurrence of the word māʾida near its end: ﴿أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ﴾ (Send down upon us a table from heaven, to be a festival for us, for the first of us and the last of us, and a sign from You; and provide for us, for You are the best of providers).^[1] Yet whoever looks into the significations of words, and the dimensions and aims of sentences, and who investigates all of the commands that occur in this blessed sūra, sees that it contains a good that suits this naming: what draws the hearts, minds and souls of the believers to take provision from it with the utmost effort they possess.

Three Calls of Faith at the Opening of the Sūra

The sūra commands us with three calls of faith:^[2] ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا﴾ (O you who believe, fulfill), ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحِلُّوا﴾ (O you who believe, do not violate), ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ﴾ (O you who believe, when you rise).

The first call: ﴿أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ﴾ (fulfill the contracts). And "contracts" is general in the signification of the word, but the context rules that they are here the contracts with Allah first, for there follows it: ﴿أُحِلَّتْ لَكُم بَهِيمَةُ الْأَنْعَامِ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ غَيْرَ مُحِلِّي الصَّيْدِ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ﴾ (Lawful to you are the grazing livestock, except what is recited to you, not permitting hunting while you are in a state of iḥrām). All of this does not speak of dealings with people, but of adherence to the law of Allah, blessed and exalted, and adherence to the covenant.

And the second call: ﴿لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ وَلَا الشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَلَا الْهَدْيَ وَلَا الْقَلَائِدَ وَلَا آمِّينَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ﴾ (Do not violate the rites of Allah, nor the sacred month, nor the sacrificial animals, nor the garlands, nor those heading to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord) ﴿وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوا﴾ (and when you have left iḥrām, then hunt) ﴿وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ﴾ (and let not … incite you). All that shows you a renewed page of dealing with the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, exalted is He.

And the third call: ﴿إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ﴾ (When you rise to prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows and wipe your heads). And this is dealing with whom? With Allah too.

The Fourth Call: ﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ﴾ (Be Steadfast)

Then you see the fourth call in the blessed verse, in which the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, exalted is He, says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ (O you who believe, be steadfast for Allah, witnesses in justice, and let not the hatred of a people incite you to be unjust. Be just; that is nearer to taqwā. And fear Allah; indeed Allah is All-Aware of what you do).^[3]

And with this verse we remind you of another verse in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: ﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ﴾ (Be steadfast in justice, witnesses for Allah). Here it is "steadfast for Allah, witnesses in justice," and there "steadfast in justice, witnesses for Allah." So what is the point of difference? And why this change in the order in the eyes of one who does not understand?

In Sūrat al-Nisāʾ the discourse suited talk about justice in dealings, and about injustice and wrongdoing and so on, so it suited that justice (qisṭ) be placed first, in keeping with the subject. And there is another interpretation for one who looks at the context of the verse in itself, not at the context of the verses around it: ﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ﴾ (Be steadfast in justice, witnesses for Allah, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives). It is as though the Lord of Might, glory be to Him, exalted is He, is telling me that the self transgresses justice even when it is attached to Allah. If the dealing is with oneself, or with parents and relatives, a person may be a believer, devout, humble before Allah, but before his father and mother, or before himself, whatever the case, he transgresses justice. So the order came: be steadfast in justice, and be alert that the One watching over this justice is Allah, even if you are dealing with yourself or your father or your mother or your maternal aunt or your paternal aunt.

In al-Māʾida, however, the matter is as we laid out at the beginning of the talk: the dealings from the beginning of the sūra up to this point are all with Allah, so it suited that the speech be: be steadfast for Allah; the One for whom, when you rise to prayer, you perform ablution, the One whose rites you do not violate in what He has made lawful and what He has forbidden, the One for whom you fulfill the contracts He has concluded for you between you and Him, glory be to Him, majestic is He in His height.

Al-Māʾida Addresses Society, Not Individuals

Sūrat al-Māʾida does not speak with individuals, but with society. And perhaps we pointed out before that if we look at the Noble Qur'an as a whole, the last third of it is mostly Meccan, speaking of individual issues, personal matters, human formation, moral data, components of creed, and behaviors among individuals, so it builds that person individually, every child of Adam and every soul: ﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ﴾ (Every soul is held in pledge for what it has earned).

In the first third, however, or in part of the first third of the Noble Qur'an, you see that Allah, blessed and exalted, builds societies; He builds the Islamic society, founds it and safeguards it, gives it the landmarks for dealing with other parties, and establishes the society with its pillars. So He does not speak with individuals; the speaking with individuals ended in Mecca, and we came to Medina to see how we establish. And the picture is very wondrous, for you see in it for example: ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ﴾ (Today I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you),^[4] the matter is complete and perfected.

And what about the middle third? You find that the Noble Qur'an speaks in it about the landmarks of civilization and the future, and gives us examples of those before with which we build the future: ʿĀd and Thamūd and Ṣāliḥ. So it shows you the works of those who came before so that you may take precautions for what remains, and prepare for what is to follow, and look at what you are arranging for tomorrow. It is talk about the future, and I do not say it is confined to it, but it includes a worldly future and an otherworldly future.

Why Qisṭ? The Difference Between ʿAdl and Qisṭ

The point is that here we are not speaking with individuals; so when He, exalted is He, says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (O you who believe, be steadfast for Allah, witnesses in justice), why does this emphasis on the matter of qisṭ come?

We agreed before that there is a difference between ʿadl and qisṭ. ʿAdl is setting things in their places, whether it continues or does not continue. Qisṭ, however, is setting things in their places and the continuation of their remaining in their places. So it is as though qisṭ makes for me an equation that continues with me into the future; it is not limited to a scene, nor to a snapshot, nor to a single situation, but lays the foundation of a principle that takes root in people's minds and continues with them until the Day of Resurrection. Send blessings upon the Guide, the Bearer of glad tidings, peace and blessings be upon him.

A Point Without an Answer: «كونوا» (Be)

So our Lord says: ﴿شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (witnesses in justice). And I have here a point to which I have no answer, and we will think about it together. The word «كونوا» (be) came in a third place besides these two, which is His saying, exalted is He: ﴿كُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ﴾ (Be with the truthful). Here He says to me: ﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (be steadfast in justice), and there ﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (be steadfast for Allah, witnesses in justice).

So the word «كونوا» expresses a being (kaynūna) that is realized on the ground, and it suits truthfulness. It is as though I am not acting an act that passes with the situations. You know this: you meet someone and smile at him a tax-like smile: How are you, uncle, we've missed you so much, you've lit up the place, may Allah open for you, and we want to visit you... Then you leave his hand, you greeted him and went on. And there is another who remains accompanying you in your heart, you take him with you to your home, he accompanies your thought and feelings and conscience. This is what is represented in your being. So it is as though the qisṭ intended by the Lord of the worlds is not meant to be a situation that passes, but is meant to be the making of a generation that bears this principle and lives it, until it carries it across into the future.

Shuhadāʾ (Witnesses): Corruption Has Become the Norm

﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (Be steadfast for Allah, witnesses in justice): witnesses for whom? And why «شهداء»? Reflect today: someone deals with you truthfully and you are surprised. And you find a person who deals with you with courtesy and trustworthiness, and care for you and your feelings, and religion, and you say: Uncle, where did you come from? Aren't you one of us? So the norm has become corruption, not righteousness, alas.

And behold, my Lord, glory be to Him, exalted is He, says: the believers must never lose sight of observing the paths of justice in society, it must not be lost for a moment. For every situation that passes before you in which there is a wrong, you are a witness to it. It is as though the tools of reform in our hands must cross the situations and dive into them, and reform with everything they possess. So a lie must not pass before you from a child in the house, nor from a husband, nor from yourself, nor from a business partner, nor from one in a position of responsibility, nor from the employee you have. You are a steward over establishing the principle in your life and the lives of others; not by force of course, nor by hitting, nor by fights, but by presenting the model, and observing people's conduct and following up on their conditions, and so on.

﴿وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ﴾ (And Let Not the Hatred of a People Incite You)

People, when they dislike one another, lie in wait for one another and stand against one another, one on one; and this is the natural thing in the feelings of created beings. But is it the natural thing in the law of Allah? No. And we mentioned earlier, when we were at the second verse, that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah, exalted is He, be pleased with him, said to a man who had killed his brother: I do not like to see you. He said: Does that diminish anything of my right? Meaning you do not love me, so will you harm me in something? He said to him: No. He said: Then it is only women who weep over love; and what have I to do with your love, whether you love or do not love, that is your affair. Shall I weep because you do not love me? No. And the point of the saying is that with dislike or lack of love, nothing of his right would be diminished.

So Allah says: ﴿وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا﴾ (And let not the hatred of a people incite you to be unjust). Can you imagine the amount of conflicts that occur between spouses if they separate? The fights and the plots and the raids and the courts and the cases, and the falsehood in claims, and circumventing the law so as to get such and such from it, and false testimony. And imagine a woman taking revenge on her husband through his children, taking them and traveling with them, crushing his heart and darkening his life and living; or a man deliberately afflicting his wife... Allahu akbar, what is this! ﴿وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ﴾ (And let not the hatred of a people incite you to be unjust. Be just; that is nearer to taqwā).

Taqwā, the Greatest of Aims

Can you imagine that the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, exalted is He, drives toward you the causes that lead to taqwā and the causes that bring one near to it? And you have no greater aim than that in the Noble Qur'an; there is no aim in the Qur'an greater in station or loftier in rank than taqwā, for it includes the three patterns of relationship: my relationship with Allah in tawḥīd and devotion, and my relationship with myself in purification and nurture, and my relationship with creation in conduct and character; and, on that basis, my relationship with the universe in cultivation and benefit.

Then the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, exalted is He, says: ﴿وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ (And fear Allah; indeed Allah is All-Aware of what you do). By Allah, other than whom there is no god, when you hear the word «خبير» (All-Aware), you must tremble. For He, glory be to Him, is not only All-Knowing, but All-Aware, so He knows the hidden things. So do not try to play the part, and do not pretend to be a person of religion and devotion and taqwā and sincerity and love, while in our hearts there is something else concealed. Make what is inside apparent, brother, and by Allah no one will harm you in anything. Show what is in your soul and be as the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, exalted is He, wants to see you: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ (indeed Allah is All-Aware of what you do).

Forgiveness and the Great Reward

And we end with the verse that follows, we just say it: ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾ (Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds that for them is forgiveness and a great reward). It is as though forgiveness and the great reward are not realized except from faith, and faith is not complete except by establishing the truth and upholding justice, even at the expense of oneself, one's parents and relatives.

I ask Allah, mighty and majestic, to nurture us upon the Qur'an, to teach us His intent in it, and to extend to us of the provision of understanding that which we may enjoy in our world and our Hereafter. O Allah, amen, O Lord of the worlds.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Māʾida, verse 114. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The verses have been set down to the extent that the speaker uttered them or clearly alluded to them, and the verse and sūra numbers are from the editor. The speaker said "three calls" and then counted four, and I kept his words as they came. The locations: al-Māʾida: 1, 2, 6; then al-Nisāʾ: 135; al-Muddaththir: 38; al-Tawba: 119; al-Māʾida: 9. And the report of ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, with the killer of his brother was cited by the speaker by meaning without attribution, and its wording was not verified here. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Māʾida, verse 8. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Māʾida, verse 3, and the speaker uttered it up to «ورضيت لكم».