Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
How wonderful is this?!
We are getting so much done, and it doesn’t seem too difficult when we do just a little, every day. Gaining a better understanding of the entire Arabic Qur’an is within our reach! But there is a wonderful ‘side-effect’ to that, a Positivity which Readers may have started to notice. You are beginning to share your experience with us and with your own circle, helping to advance this endeavor.
Thank you, and please continue to spread this. We need the energy!
COMMENTS:
1. Today’s Reading (verse 116) begins by telling us that indeed, nothing will ever help Those Who Deny- ‘Allatheena Kafaru’ (see definition Blog Days 12 and 26). Being Those who Deny (God and the Afterlife), what they spend is intended solely for this Present Life (Immediate Life/Lowly Life)– and their rewards will therefore remain here, exactly as they had always intended (verse 117). It is only fair that they get no benefit in the Everlasting Life which they were bent on denying.
Yusuf Ali says in his note 439: The essence of charity is faith and love… you wronged your soul, and it suffered the frost. Your base motive brought you no good..”
Muhammad Asad says in his note 86: “… the tilth of a believer is never completely lost in its entirety, for even if it is seemingly lost, there remains to him the expectation of a reward in the life to come for his patience in adversity.”
2. In verses 118-120 the Qur’an issues another warning to Those Who Attained Faith, NOT to take as their confidantes or ‘Intimates,’ people who do not share their high standards or moral strength. ‘Min doonikum’ means of those ‘lower, or less than you in worth or strength.’
Intimate friendships and confidentiality should only be between us and those whom we can fully trust; those who share our standards (no matter what they call themselves). The verse continues in its description of people whom we should be most wary of, those whose hearts/minds hide resentment, and who desire to see nothing good granted to us (see M. Asad’s note 87).
Although disconcerting, it is helpful to know that any apparent hatred which emanates from people’s mouths is but an indication of greater hatred hidden inside. On the other hand, having faith in God’s entire Compilation revealed in stages to mankind before the Qur’an, as well as in all His Messengers before our own, we would feel love for everyone else. We should be wary however, for not everyone would love us in return. Such one-sided love would bode ill for us.
The last part of verse 120 tells Those Who Attained Faith that the cunning/guile of the resentful people will not harm them in the least –IF they remained indeed patient and aware. We know that the Prophet and his companions heeded those warnings and obeyed those directives. Qur’anic Readings will provide ample proof that his openness to others, and his leniency were unmatched, peace upon him (remember the Christians of Najran conducting their own prayers in his mosque).
3. Other, non-intimate relations with others remain unrestricted. In fact, Those Who Attained Faith should always be making new relationships, keeping the channels of communication and exchange open, and allowing for their own growth as well as that of others.
We will discuss channels of communication a little here: If not for the opening of such channels with strangers, Islam would never have reached the Far East as it did. It is there that we find today the largest gathering of Muslims, where honest and open-minded merchants took their wares and spread their prayer-carpets facing Mecca. It is no secret that such merchants understood their Faith better than we do, and modeled their leniency after the Qur’an’s directives and our Prophet’s behavior in ways we often find hard to emulate today.
Isn’t it reported that Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, said, “The Faithful person who socializes with people and patiently puts up with their injury, is of a higher reward -is a better person- than he who neither socializes with people nor patiently puts up with their injury” (the saying appears in two wordings, see below.[1])
We need to know such details so as to counter the negative portrayals of our beloved Prophet’s Legacy. We need to strengthen ourselves and our families with knowledge and then face the world with confidence.
Living in a bubble is a TRAP for people of faith who often become hermit-like and stunt their growth, many of them losing their children to the world outside their doors. This is a major problem faced by Muslim communities in the west, and is addressed in the writings of Dr. Jeffrey Lang.
4. “Remember that morning…”
Verses 121-127 discuss the Battle of Uhud (historical reference Y. Ali’s note 442; M. Asad’s note 90). Unlike the Battle of Badr, the Faithful were not victorious in this battle due to the archers’ premature departure from their assigned posts. They are told here to be aware of God perchance they can accept what little they have received, and make the most of it until it achieves abundance.
It is amazing how the following verses give them immediate abundance; a reinforcement by Custodian-Angels which -although starting at three thousand numbers- rose to five thousand on condition that they showed awareness of God and patiently persevered! These numbers were more of a psychological reinforcement, because prominence/victory is from God (naSr is about prominence that delivers goodness and generosity, defined on Day 17).[2]
5. Verses 128-129 tell Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him that whom God ultimately forgives or whom He causes to suffer is a matter that does not concern him at all, for they (the Meccan Deniers) are wrongdoers.
Remember when we said on Blog Day 10 that there are verses in the Qur’an where the ‘voice‘ of God is easily identifiable- dutifully received by His Messenger and then transmitted to the world? These are such verses, where God clarifies, encourages and warns, and His Messenger delivers.
To God belong all that is in The Exalted Expanses and all that is on earth, and He is indeed Forgiving and Unceasingly Merciful (Raheem).
- Verses 130-132 mention Usury again. The previous time was in our Posting of Blog Day 24 which began: “Those who devour/gorge themselves on usury …” (Do go back to it.) We discussed ‘riba’ then and said that (HQ3:130) specifies the exorbitance of usury. We spoke of the poor, of Islamic Banking and the Vatican’s opinion on that, and mentioned Professor Muhammad Yunus’ innovative concept of ‘Micro-credit,’ by which he helped millions of poverty-stricken people become self-sufficient.[3]
The Qur’an here tells us quite clearly that if we desired ‘falaah,’ which is to prevail as a community and succeed in life (definition Blog Day 32), we should be Aware of God and NOT devour/gorge on ‘riba,’ doubling and redoubling our wealth at the expense of others.
We should be Aware of the Fire that is prepared for the Deniers.
We should consciously obey God and the Messenger -as pertains to the Message- (see ‘obey’ -طوع- Postings of Blog Post Day 32) if we indeed DO seek God’s Mercy.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 3:133-148.
Peace unto all!
[1] “المؤمن الذي يخالط الناس ويصبر على أذاهم أعظم أجرا من الذي لا يخالطهم ولا يصبر على أذاهم” وقال حجاج “خير من الذي لا يخالطهم..”
الراوي: عبدالله بن عمر؛ المصدر: مسند أحمد – الصفحة أو الرقم: 7/94 . خلاصة حكم المحدث: إسناده صحيح. وبرواية ابن ماجة بسندٍ صحيح عن ابن عمر.
[2] For a not very detailed account of the Battle of Uhud here is an essay written by a student who seems to agree with M. Asad that it wasn’t a defeat for the Faithful. And then of course, there’s Wikipedia, which I skimmed through and seems factual.
[3] Visit his Grameen Foundation; check out the film trailer; watch the full documentary.