The Holy Quran, like a clear spring, has presented profound knowledge to humanity in the form of illuminating and guiding verses. This divine book is not only a guide to eternal felicity but also a beacon for organising the individual and social life of human beings. In this treatise, three key conceptsSeparation (Hijr), Intoxication (Sukr), and Warfare (Murabah)are examined, each bearing specific meanings and rulings within the framework of divine verses. These concepts reveal a broad spectrum of Quranic guidance, from reforming familial behaviour to preserving social order and psychological well-being. The objective of this study is to elucidate these concepts precisely, relying on Quranic verses and scholarly analyses to provide guidance for a devout and civilised life.
الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ... فَعِظُوهُنَّ وَاهْجُرُوهُنَّ فِی الْمَضَاجِعِ وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ... (An-Nis: 34)
Translation: Men are the protectors and maintainers of women... So admonish them, and forsake them in bed, and strike them lightly...
In the noble verse An-Nis: 34, Hijr is presented as a disciplinary step in the process of rectifying rebellious behaviour (open disobedience) within familial relations. This concept is articulated in three pedagogical stages: admonition, separation in bed, and light striking. Hijr, meaning to avoid or forsake, is restricted by the phrase f al-maj (in the bed), limiting it to a private setting so as to preserve the womans human dignity and prevent adverse effects on children or other family members.
Admonition, as the initial stage, is a sweet, gentle, and agreeable counsel delivered with wisdom and affection, permissible even in the presence of children. This advice, like a mild breeze, directs hearts towards good. However, unlike admonition, separation is not general but confined to privacy to prevent misleading children or harming the family structure. Light striking, as the final stage, is only allowed under specific circumstances and without violence or humiliation, as mentioned in authoritative commentaries such as Al-Mzn.
The philosophy behind these disciplinary stages is the preservation of the family foundation and the prevention of its collapse. Public separation or humiliating the woman is akin to a dagger piercing the heart of family life and is incompatible with the divine wisdom of the Holy Quran. This verse, like a precise map, offers solutions for behavioural reform, all serving to strengthen family bonds and uphold human dignity.
Separation (Hijr) in the Holy Quran is a disciplinary method performed in privacy and with benevolent intent. This act, alongside admonition and light striking, is designed within a wise framework to reform rebellious behaviour. The phrase f al-maj signifies divine meticulousness in preserving family sanctity and preventing harm to children. Any form of separation or act leading to the humiliation or destruction of the womans personality contradicts the guiding spirit of the Holy Quran.
The words related to intoxication (Sukr, Sukr, Sukrat) appear in five verses of the Holy Quran, each reflecting a facet of this concept:
1. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ (An-Nis: 43)
O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying.
2. قَالُوا إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَسْحُورُونَ (Al-ijr: 15)
They said: Our eyes have only been intoxicated, but we are a people bewitched.
3. لَعَمْرُكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفِي سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ (Al-ijr: 72)
By your life, indeed they are in their intoxication wandering blindly.
4. وَمِنْ ثَمَرَاتِ النَّخِيلِ وَالْأَعْنَابِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْهُ سَكَرًا وَرِزْقًا حَسَنًا (An-Nal: 67)
And from the fruits of the palm trees and grapevines you take intoxicants and good provision.
5. وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَىٰ وَمَا هُمْ بِسُكَارَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ (Al-ajj: 2)
And you see the people intoxicated, but they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allah is severe.
6. وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ (Qf: 19)
And the intoxication of death will bring the truth; that is what you were trying to avoid.
Sukr, derived from the root S-K-R, denotes a disturbance in perception, imbalance, and confusion. In the Holy Quran, this concept is employed in various senses: intoxication from wine, perceptual intoxication (disturbance in vision or understanding), intoxication of misguidance (wandering caused by ignorance or sin), intoxication of death (a state resembling intoxication at the moment of death), and apparent intoxication (a state resembling drunkenness due to severe punishment). Each of these meanings reflects a facet of disruption within the human condition.
In verse An-Nis: 43, sukr refers to drunkenness from wine that obstructs proper understanding and the performance of worship. This condition acts like a fog over the mirror of reason, preventing comprehension of truth. In Al-ijr: 15, intoxication denotes visual or cognitive impairment, and in Al-ijr: 72, it signifies the wandering caused by sin. An-Nal: 67 contrasts intoxicants with good provision, demonstrating that what intoxicates is not good and is considered unlawful. In Al-ajj: 2 and Qf: 19, intoxication refers to apparent or natural states (such as death) that place a person in a condition akin to drunkenness.
Compared to sorcery (sir), sukr occupies a lower level. Sorcery represents a deeper, more deliberate disruption intended to mislead, whereas sukr is like a wave that unconsciously overwhelms the individual. This concept in the Holy Quran is sometimes censured and other times described as a natural state.
Intoxication (Sukr) in the Holy Quran encompasses a broad spectrum of cognitive and psychological disturbances. From wine intoxication, which destroys reason, to the intoxication of death, an unavoidable reality, this concept is articulated with unparalleled precision in the divine verses. The prohibition of wine intoxication, due to its harm to intellect and consciousness, and the permissibility of good provision, such as non-intoxicating juices, exemplify divine wisdom guiding humanity towards physical and spiritual health.
إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا أَنْ يُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ يُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ مِنْ خِلَافٍ أَوْ يُنفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ... (Al-Midah: 33)
Translation: The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land...
Murabah, derived from the root -R-B, means fighting and warfare. In jurisprudential terminology, it refers to an act that instils fear (ikhfah) and causes corruption on earth, thereby disturbing the security of the Islamic society. This concept, like a thorn in the garden of society, disrupts order and peace. A murib (one who commits murabah) is someone who violates the sanctity of divine law concerning wealth, life, and honour through acts such as banditry, armed robbery, or threats to public security.
Ikhfah nawiyyah denotes a fear that is created broadly within the community, not merely the fear of a specific individual. For example, brandishing a weapon in public, even if no one feels fear, constitutes mur
