OCCASION OF THE REVELATION

   Commentators have narrated that the verse (NO.62) was revealed about the incident of HANZALIH, whom angels bathed.

      He was a young true believer who had a date for his marriage with the girl he loved just when the battle of OHUD began.

      The young man asked for prophet's permission in order to attend his marriage ceremony, when the prophet was in a military council for war. The Messenger of God gave him the permission, and he left the battle-field of Ohud to join his marriage festival.

      In the next day, he anxiously and urgently left his bride alone, and joined the prophet in the battle field. He needed ceremonial ablution for sexual intercourse with his bride but had no time to find water and wash out his body. He fought bravely and was at last martyred. The prophet said that he had seen the angels bathing him and hence his famous Islamic title of GHASIL-AL-MALÄEKEH which means the, ``bathed by angels.''

DON'T LEAVE THE PROPHET ALONE

      Now the verses will teach us how to behave in the presence of the prophet and before his successors in general. When calling the prophet or even the religious leaders who at present may lead us to the way of our prophet, we should be of characteristics of highly cultivated and refined, and in addressing them we must use proper terms of respect:ِ

      ``Do not call the Messenger among you as you call each other.''

      The first of the above verses (NO.62) which was revealed on the above mentioned occasion, implies that we should not leave the prophet (or his successor) alone, and go away when he is occupied with a comprehensive and important social matter, in which our presence is needed:ِ

      ``The true believers are those who believe in Allah and his Messenger, and when they are with him for a comprehensive matter, they do not go away until they have his permission.''

      Comprehensive matters could have been those common and important matters which pertain to the whole community, such as declaring a sacred war against enemy's intrusion, as it was the case with the incident of Ohud.

      Other reason too, such as the congregational prayers have also been mentioned, but all these are only parts of the whole meaning, which drives at a joint consultation with a view to a joint venture.

      As a matter of fact, this is a disciplinary order that no one should ever neglect it. Sometimes it will be essential to sacrifice a personal benefit to save a more important social profit, for the whole community.

      Then comes the ending of this passage that:ِ

      ``....Then when they ask your permission for some of their personal affairs, permit those of them that you will, and ask for Allah's forgiveness for them, that Allah is All-forgiving, Compassionate.''

      In such emergency cases, even those who would leave the field of war or the site of work, they still have some shortcomings, and defects, in doing their duty because of their absence or leave. Therefore, they still need the prophet to pardon them and to ask God to forgive them for their defect.

MORE ABOUT HANZALIH, THE BATHED BY ANGELS

      HANZALIH, one of the famous companions of our prophet, was a very sincere and truthful young believer who was in love with a girl. The couple had an appointment for their wedding ceremony, which became coincident at the arrival of GHORAISH for the battle of OHUD.

      HANZALIH was wavering and in unsettled state of mind, as what was the right to do in that critical condition concerning whether to fight and die, or to marry and live. In one side, he had his dearly loved fiancee waiting for him in her marriage ceremony. On the other hand, he had the Messenger of God involved in a defensive war with unequal forces, and also the sabotages of the Jews and hypocrites. So he could not decide what was the best thing to be done. After a long contemplation, he went to prophet and asked his opinion about that? In answer, the prophet told him:ِ ``Go and do the marriage, for the marriage will save half of the religion of a young man or woman.''

      When HANZALIH got the prophet's permission, he happily left OHUD, and came to his bride, and the marriage ceremony was performed, and the young couple became husband and wife.

      Soon the nuptial night sleep elapsed; so sweet and so quick. When it dawned, HANZALIH woke up to perform his morning prayer. Then he looked through the window and saw the bright Arabian stars in the sky, and he said to himself: ``No! I must go! I should not leave the Messenger of God with his cruel enemies, and lay down here.'' Hearing that, his bride was waken up, and she anxiously asked:ِ ``What did you say my dear? Where you want to go which is a must!?'' He gazed at the bewitching beauty of his bride, and said after a pause:ِ ``I must go to the battle-field, where the prophet and my Muslim brothers are in danger. I must join them as soon as possible.''

      ``But you said that the prophet has given you permission to marry and live with your bride. Didn't you?'' asked his bride. ``Yes my dear! It was really so.'' Said HANZALIH, ``But I can't consent and satisfy my heart to leave the prophet with our enemies, and enjoy the company of my bride in peace.''

      ``But you are just married'', said the bride, ``And you have every right to live with your bride, if not for a month, at least for a honey-week- a bride that you have frequently said that you are in love with her!''

      ``It is true that I do love you but if the heathens win to slay the prophet in my absence, and I lose the opportunity of defending him and die in his cause, I can never pardon myself, and even with a sweet heart as you are, life will seem deadly bitter to me.''

      He then wore his armour, and wavered his sword, and kissed his dearest for good-bye! She burst into hot bitter tears and said:ِ ``O, you my husband! If so do not hasten then! Wait a minute for I have something very important to tell you!'' She then drew her tucker over her bosom to conceal her adornment and quickly went out of the house. After a few minutes, she returned with two men from the neighbouring friends! Then in the presence of the two men she asked her husband, saying:ِ ``Please tell the truth! Did you have intercourse with me as your legal wife last night?'' ``Yes of course'', said HANZALIH, ``But why do you ask that?'' The bride said:ِ ``I want the two gentlemen to bear witness when necessary, perhaps I bear a child after you''ِand then she burst into bitter tears. Then she tried hard to hold her control and at last she said:ِ

      ``My dear HANZALIH! I do not hope to see you again, for last night I dreamt a curious dream! I dreamt that the door of heavens opened at once, and several angels came down on the ground! The angels then took you up in the skies with themselves. I take my dream to mean that you shall be martyred in this sacred fight.''

      HANZALIH smiled and said:ِ ``What a good news!'' He then hastened to the battle-field. It was just the time when Muslim had been defeated and scattered round about, and there was the strong rumour that Mohammad (SA) had been killed!

follow him, for life is only faith, and strive for that faith. He then roared like a lion, but his roar was nothing than; ``ALLAH-HO-AKBAR'', and attacked the enemy fearlessly and lonely, and bold enough not to fear death. He killed two of the enemies and wounded many and he was then martyred. Some of the pagans went to mutilate him but one of them shouted:ِ ``Don't mutilate him for he is HANZALIH the son of ABU-ÄMIR!'' So they left the bridegroom drowned in his sacred blood.

      After the war was over, it was found that most of the Muslim martyrs like HAZRAT HAMZIH had been mutilated. The prophet prayed on his body and buried him and then said to his companions:ِ

      ``I saw that the angels bathed HANZALIH and gave him his necessary cleansing ablution.''

      HANZALIH was therefore nicknamed, ``GHASILATOL-MALÄ,EKEH'', which means the one who got ablution by the angels, or we may take it as the one babtized by the angels.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE