49: The [Inner] Apartments
This important chapter tells a
great deal about the Prophet's private life and
his growing concerns of state.
It was revealed during the so-called Year of
Delegations in 9 / 630, when all of Arabia was finally united in
a political
federation, and some sort of protocol had to be set up. Muhammad's own
house
in Madina where he had apartments for his numerous family. was becoming
the
center for this activity, and his household had to be protected from unexpected
incidents and intruders. (It is now the site of the great mosque with the
green
dome in Madina.)
The chapter consists of only 18 longest Madinese verses arranged in two
sections. They were all revealed after The Pleading Woman 58 and before
Prohibition 66. Here we meet the Prophet as a man with great cares of state
and
clearly in need of privacy.
The chapter also deals with social relationships between individual Muslims,
and how to handle gossip and rumor, and to patch up quarrels (I). The next
section furnishes more rules on social behavior and etiquette (II). Finally
we
receive recommendations on budding foreign policy and international law,
which
at this stage were quite embryonic. Nevertheless these details are important.