Leave the Problem Pending

Leave the Problem Pending A ll the verses revealed in the Quran have some background, a knowledge of which is very often necessary for a full understanding of the Quranic message. Certain verses of this kind appear in the chapter Al-Muddaththir (Wrapped in his Cloak), one of the early revelations of the Quran. This chapter was revealed in about 610 AD when the Prophet was in Makkah. The city was at that time under the domination of idol-worshippers, who had placed 360 idols in the Kaaba—a place of worship of the one God, built by the Prophet Abraham. The Prophet found this situation highly objectionable, but the first thing revealed to him was not the injunction: ‘Purify the Kaaba of idols.’ On the contrary, the Prophet received the following verses in the chapter Al-Muddaththir: You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning! Proclaim the glory of your Lord; purify your garments; shun uncleanness; do not bestow a favour in the expectation of receiving more in return; and for the sake of your Lord, be patient. (74:1-7) The message of these verses was very clear: remain patient regarding the idols in the Kaaba, ignore this problem and spread the message of God by unilaterally keeping the peace. This piece of wisdom can be summed up thus: Avail of the opportunities to perform the task of dawah and leave the problem pending. Here ‘pending’ means waiting for something to happen. In terms of the situation, it meant that although the presence of idols was undesirable, the idols should not be touched. Instead all efforts should be made to peacefully spread the ideology of