The Holy Quran, like a guiding lamp, illuminates the path of human felicity across all dimensions of life. Verses 43 to 46 of Surah An-Nis, as a segment of this divine treasury, encompass a collection of jurisprudential rulings, social critiques, and psychological reflections. These verses, articulated with profound expression and cohesive structure, address matters ranging from purification and worship rulings to criticism of religious deviations and self-exaltation. The present writing, relying on the lectures of religious scholars, examines these verses with a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective. The objective is to uncover the meanings and layers of these verses, thereby opening a pathway towards a deeper understanding of divine guidance and avoidance of religious and social deviations.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ وَلَا جُنُبًا إِلَّا عَابِرِي سَبِيلٍ حَتَّىٰ تَغْتَسِلُوا ۚ وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا
O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying, nor in a state of janbah except while passing through, until you have washed. And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from relieving himself or you have touched women and do not find water, then perform tayammum with clean soil and wipe over your faces and your hands. Indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.
Surah An-Nis, like a profound ocean, contains a compilation of jurisprudential, doctrinal, and religious rulings whose density and comprehensiveness are rarely found in other Quranic chapters. This Surah, by presenting injunctions on purification, worship, and social interactions, provides a coherent system for organising the lives of believers. Verse 43, in particular, with its focus on the conditions of valid prayer and purification, demonstrates the religions concern for preserving the sanctity of worship alongside its flexibility in difficult circumstances.
Key Point: Surah An-Nis, by presenting concentrated jurisprudential rulings, acts as a comprehensive map organising the religious and social life of believers.
The Noble Verse explicitly forbids believers from performing prayer in a state of intoxication: "Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated." This prohibition stems from the critical importance of awareness and sincerity in worship. Intoxication, like a dark veil, deprives the mind and heart of conscious presence before the Divine. From a jurisprudential standpoint, this condition invalidates prayer, as worship necessitates pure intention and full alertness.
Intoxication disrupts verbal coherence, leading speech towards incoherence and meaninglessness. The Holy Quran in this verse emphasises "what you say" rather than "what you do," highlighting the significance of conscious speech in prayer. Psychologically, intoxication impairs cognitive functions of the brain, particularly the ability to produce coherent speech. This impairment prevents the believer from employing balanced and meaningful utterances in worship while intoxicated.
Key Point: Speech during prayer, as a mirror of thought, requires awareness and heartfelt presence, which intoxication obliterates.
The Quran, by emphasising "what you say," indicates that conscious speech is more challenging than performing actions while intoxicated. Psychologically, physical actions such as ablution or prayer movements may be feasible in intoxication, but speech, which demands coordination between mind and language, is severely impaired. This distinction underlines the importance of mindful presence in worship.
Conscious speech, like the fruit of the tree of thought, depends on the proper functioning of the mind. Intoxication, by disturbing the mind, deprives humans of the ability to articulate meaningful discourse. Philosophically, speech is the manifestation of thought, and any disturbance in the mind renders speech invalid. This holds special significance in prayer, which requires intention and heartfelt presence.
In old age or states of mental incapacity, performing physical actions such as daily movements is easier than producing coherent speech. This occurs due to diminished cognitive brain functions, especially in the linguistic domain. The Holy Quran, by emphasising awareness in speech, considers this psychological aspect and shows that worship depends not only on the body but also on the soul and mind.
The Noble Verse forbids believers from performing prayer while in a state of janbah: "nor in a state of janbah." From a jurisprudential perspective, janbah precludes the necessary purity for prayer. This prohibition underscores the necessity to preserve the sanctity of worship and introduces ritual washing as the condition for removing janbah.
The phrase "except while passing through" refers to a passerby or one who crosses a place without stopping. Linguistically, "passerby" denotes a transient individual in a route. Jurisprudential
