Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
It is indeed such a privilege to have one’s mind occupied by the Qur’an; reading, researching….and praying… asking God’s Guidance to the Truth, to the best that we can understand. You will find much to think about today, dear Friends, and much motivation.
Thank you, dear Readers, for this partnership!
COMMENTS:
1. Although Verse 41 is addressed to the Messenger Muhammad, peace upon him, it is also intended for all who might grieve over people around them who are rushing into Denial. In this verse, the individuals who seemed to be causing the Messenger grief by rushing into denial belonged to two groups, to the group that claimed faith and trust while having neither (the Hypocrites), and to the Jews. They caused him grief/Huznحُزن/ by doing two things, by oft-listening to lies even when far-fetched,[1] and by altering the words (of God). The verse ends by asserting that those who rush into Denial will be disgraced in this world, and suffer severely in the Hereafter.
Well-explained by both Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad.
- A DETOUR here for TADABBUR on the root-verb ‘Hazanحَزَنَ/’ what a definition![2]
We already encountered the word 10 times in the previous chapters (see Tanzil); often to tell the listener(s) not to have fear nor to grieve. Here, Verse 41, seems most similar to HQ3:176.[3]
‘Hazan’ is when something is rough and severe; hence ‘Hazn’ is ‘rough terrain,’ and ‘Huzn’ is grief (with the entire spectrum of changes suffered by the grieving mind and body).
What I found amazing is a word the Arabs haven’t used in centuries:
One’s ‘Huzaana:’ One’s family for whose sake one would suffer the insufferable!
Harm to loved ones, loss to them and loss OF them is what causes us utmost grief in our lives.
Now, back to our verses: (يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ لَا يَحْزُنكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ…..)
“O Messenger, do not grieve for those who are rushing into Denial….”
Could we even fathom how the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was feeling?
Having suffered loss after loss and Kufr/Denial in his family, uncles he had once looked up to, cousins and friends he had played with as a child, having undergone more than a decade of trials and tribulations in Mecca, from his own tribe who had once respected and loved him, having had to escape them to Medina.. How would he be feeling now?
Being maligned by ‘people of faith’ who pray behind him and mingle with his nearest and dearest but are actually hypocrites, and by the Jews who are a large part of Medina population, whom he had been counting on -and everyone had indeed expected- would be his supporters in aiding and spreading God’s final Message to mankind.
‘Huzaana:’
Because he was God’s Messenger to mankind, every single person was part of his ‘Huzaana.’
He would grieve for very single person choosing Kufr over Eman, and they were many.
He would grieve for them when they maligned the Message, and they maligned it plenty.
But he was God’s Messenger, peace upon him, so although he grieved for them, God would not let grief cause him to lose competence as His Messenger, consoling and strengthening him all the time (SIX TIMES that God tells him not to grieve).
As for us; how do WE gain consolation from God and His Message so that our grief does not disable us?
The short answer is in the question itself: God and His Message ARE consolation.
And if one would like to research, an entire book could be written about this, both from Qur’an and from Prophetic advice.
When we search the Qur’an we find 15 verses which speak of situations where the listeners will have no grief, and although many verses are speaking of the Hereafter, quite a few verses tell us about how not to grieve in life, such as by following God’s gifted Guidance/huda (HQ2:38), His Messengers (HQ6:48), and perhaps the most telling is HQ10:62,[4] about exceptional people, ‘Awliyaa’ul-Lah-أولياء الله-’- ‘Those with a close relationship to God.’
Theirs is the ‘bushraa/glad tiding’ in this immediate life and in the Hereafter, and we wonder: What does it mean that such persons will get glad tidings in life? How will they be consoled away from grief?
HQ 41:30 informs us HOW:
With angels oft-descending upon them, bearing comfort and encouragement!
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾
Oh, how wondrous this is!!
A ‘wali’[5] of God is someone with Faith and Awareness, who grows in oneself, gaining closeness to Him by their actions (which we could list, by using the first link we opened above in Tanzil). If we do our best, this closeness will bring us God’s angels, oft-descending upon us! Their presence will reinforce us, and lead to heightened protection from fear, grief, and the dread of Death!
Now, when we think back to the Messenger, peace upon him, we can better understand much about him, his character, his behavior, his worship, and his love for worship, and perhaps even gain a little insight into how strongly he was reinforced by the angels, and how immeasurably consoled he must have been in his closeness to God Himself. .. لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله …
Verse 42 describes those who rush into Denial, in that they are oft-listeners to falsehood, oft-consumers of ‘suHt,’ [6] literally ‘that which depletes and dishonors,’ here referring to their wrongful gains.
How eloquent is ‘Arabi!
Here we note the word ‘akkaal,’ oft-eater/oft-consumer, in a noun-form which is similar to what we read in the last two Postings about sammaa’ سمّاع who is an oft-listener, unlike sami’ سامع ; Here it is akkaal أكّال rather than aakil آكل).
The Messenger Muhammad, peace upon him, was told that if they (the Jews) came to him for judgment, he could judge between them or turn away (leaving them to their own judgment depending on their own scriptures and laws), and that, if he chose to turn away, they would never harm him in the slightest (which seems to say that God would never allow that), but that if he judged between them, he should do so equitably, for God loves the equitable.
Here too, we get a glimpse of what seems to be the Messenger’s apprehension, peace upon him. As worshippers who have faith and trust in him and in the Message he delivered, it would do us well to ponder -whenever he is mentioned- upon what the Only Witness of his -and our- every moment in life is telling us! The Qur’an is the narrative of the Only Ever-Living Witness, God Himself, and therefore is the only direct link between Him, His Messenger who delivered His Message to us, and our Selves as Cognizant Humans. It is through this link that we can ascend to Him in the way that is best for us in life and the hereafter, God-willing.[7]
The next verse, Verse 43, asks a rhetorical question: How is it that they would even come to him for judgment (in the first place), despite having the Torah, in which is God’s judgment (which they have received and supposedly have faith in)?
The verse asserts that those very persons in no way fit the criteria of ‘The Faithful!’
In his note Muhammad Asad describes the mentality of this group, saying that “they are not really prepared to submit to the judgment of the Torah…nor the judgment of the Qur’an..”
Again, although this might be discussing People of (earlier) Compilation, it serves as a lesson for all time, especially for us who have faith and trust in the Qur’an: We must NOT look elsewhere for God’s Judgment!
2. Verse 44 begins by praising the Torah, revealed by God, containing both Guidance and Light, and considered the standard by which Prophets who were pure of direction (towards God) offered judgment unto the Jews, the ‘Rabbani/people of the Rabb,’ and the Scribes.[8]
Muhammad Asad tells us in his note that this implies that the Torah was intended only for the Jews “and was never meant to have universal validity.”
The verse ends by stating that those who do not judge according to what God has revealed are indeed Deniers.
3. Verse 45 tells us that of the judgments in the Torah (which they obviously were attempting to avoid by bringing their grievances to the Messenger to judge), were compiled/brought together UPON them كتبنا عليهم: A life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and the wounds (also) by retribution, AND that they could forego retribution as a ‘Sadaqa/genuine heartfelt gift’ to others, in which case it would be an atonement of their past misdeeds.
This is important! God is telling us that forgoing legal retribution against others is an atonement!
The verse ends by stating that those who do not judge according to what God has revealed are indeed wrongdoers.
4. Muhammad Asad (our Torah expert) tells us something VERY interesting in this regard: After telling us (note 61) to check out these severe retributions in Exodus 21:23 (see link[9]), Asad adds that the option of Forgiveness (shown in italics above) is nowhere to be found in the five books currently considered the Torah! He says that the Pentateuch (with its five books) “does not contain this call to forgiveness which is brought out with great clarity not only in the Qur’an but also in the teachings of Jesus..” and he continues, explaining that this may have been part of the original message to Bani Isra-eel, and was either corrupted with time, or deliberately abandoned by its followers, whom the Qur’an accuses of ‘distorting the meaning of the revealed words.’
Isn’t it strange that forgiveness and foregoing legal retribution is NOWHERE to be found in the Pentateuch?
That is food for thought.
Now let us reflect and learn a lesson of our own.
The Qur’an gift-guides to ‘that which is straightest/ most upright,’ aqwam أقوم-,[10] offering glad tidings to Those who attain Faith and do Good Deeds (HQ17:9) [11] May we be of them.
The wrongdoings which the Qur’an speaks of were not mentioned solely to serve the occasion of their revelation, but indeed, for our benefit as well, warning us what to beware of, what to avoid, and what never to do. Corrupting His Message is one of the Inviolables/Haraam!
Saying ‘God says’ something when He indeed did not, is a grievous Inviolable/Haraam!
This is stated clearly in HQ7:33[12] where, after starting with “Say: My Lord-Sustainer has indeed made Inviolable” we find a short list of ‘muHarramaat/Inviolables,’ ending with “and that you say, ‘over/about’ God, what you do not know“ (Q.7: 33) There are six other verses that warn of the same thing!
So, if the option of forgiveness was removed from the Torah, according toMuhammad Asad:
What about the Qur’an?
Many Muslim scholars are finally speaking up, showing how damaging similar acts have been to our faith and to our existence. Anyone who announces faith and trust in the Qur’an MUST keep His instructions of forgiveness in their mind; anyone who abrogates such forgiving verses (considering them null and void), would be doing exactly what they were warned not to do through the many examples given in the Qur’an.
The famous scholar Yusuf Qardawi, for example, has protested quite plainly that we have zealots who have ‘abrogated’ or rendered ‘null and void’ what they count as between140-200 Qur’anic verses! [13] What are these verses mostly about? Fair treatment and forgiveness (!!!).
No wonder the Qur’an stresses this again and again, speaking about the People of (earlier) Compilation and how their Revelations were corrupted.
5. Verses 46-47 discuss Jesus Son of Mary, who followed in the footsteps of the earlier prophets, confirming the truth of what (was existing at the time) of the Torah, and receiving the Evangel in which was Guidance and Illumination, as well as Admonition for the Aware. Therefore, the People of the Evangel are told to judge by its standards, and those who do not, they indeed are the deserters who breached the faith (iniquitous/those who rebel-Ali/Asad). Perhaps now we can better understand the complications of – and the many reasons for – Jesus’ ‘corrective’ mission!
6. Verse 48 discusses THIS Compilation, addressing its Deliverer, Muhammad, peace upon him, telling him that God revealed it to him in Truth and as a DETERMINANT of the truth of earlier Compilation (notice that the Compilation always is singular), and that he should judge between people with what has been revealed by God and not follow anyone’s desires.
An interesting statement in the center of the verse says that:
“…to each of you have We rendered an ‘Approach opened wide/shir’a’ and a System, and if God had willed He would have indeed made of you a single ‘people/community,’ but (He willed it otherwise) to test (each of) you with what He has granted you, therefore compete towards all ‘virtues/good works,’ unto God will you all return then He will inform you of the matters in which you were (constantly) differing.”
Each of us has a different approach شرعة[14] and a different system منهاج – and that’s how God willed it, to see who accomplishes best with what they are given! Isn’t that a totally new way to look at it?
‘Shareeعa’ in Arabic, the variations of its root-verb mentioned in five verses, is defined as the wide-open, well-trodden approach or path to the water source. Arabs use the word ‘sharaعa’ to indicate starting, or ‘opening up’ something, and the sails of a ship are called ‘shiraaع.’ The word ‘Sharia’ later came to mean ‘Islamic canonical law.’
7. The last two verses tell the Messenger, peace upon him, again to judge as per what he had received (read full verses), and asks eloquently at the end: …
“…Do they then seek judgment by the standards of Ignorance (جاهلية Jaahiliyyah)?’
And Who could be of better Judgment than God, for- لقوم يوقنون Liqawmin Yooqinoon – For People of Inner Certainty?”
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ5: 51-64
Peace unto all!
[1] Notice the difference between the noun-form ‘faaعil /فاعِل ‘ and ‘faعaal/… فعَّالthe latter being superlative:
Here, the root-verb to listen/hear (something) is: samiعa/ سَمِعَ; a listener (to something) is saamiع/ سامِع (following the first noun-form) ; an oft-listener to something is sammaaسَمَّاع/ ع (following the second noun-form).
Now, someone who listens, without being related to what he may or may not listen to, is sameeع; one of God’s beautiful attributes is ‘Al Sameeع.’
[2] حَزَنَ: خُشُونَةُ الشَّيْءِ وَشِدَّةٌ فِيهِ. فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ الْحَزْنِ، وَهُوَ مَا غَلُظَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ.
وَالْحُزْنُ مَعْرُوفٌ، يُقَالُ حَزَنَنِي الشَّيْءُ يَحْزُنُنِي؛ وَقَدْ قَالُوا أَحْزَنَنِي. وَحُزَانَتُكَ: أَهْلُكَ وَمَنْ تَتَحَزَّنُ لَهُ
[3] وَلَا يَحْزُنكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ إِنَّهُمْ لَن يَضُرُّوا اللَّـهَ شَيْئًا يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ أَلَّا يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ حَظًّا فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿آل عمران: ١٧٦﴾
[4] لَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّـهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿٦٢﴾ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٦٣﴾ لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿٦٤﴾
[5] ولي: يدلُّ على قرب. يقال: تَباعَدَ بعد وَلْي، أي قُرْبٍ. وجَلَسَ ممّا يَلِيني، أي يُقارِبُني…..ومن الباب المَوْلَى: المُعْتِقُ والمُعْتَق، والصَّاحب، والحليف، وابن العَمّ، والنَّاصر، والجار؛ كلُّ هؤلاءِ من الوَلْيِ وهو القُرْب…. وكلُّ مَن ولِيَ أمرَ آخرَ فهو وليُّه.
[6](suHt; appears four times in the Qur’an; 3-as a noun, and once as a verb)
سَحَتَ: يُقَالُ سُحِتَ الشَّيْءُ، إِذَا اسْتُؤْصِلَ، وَأُسْحِتَ. يُقَالُ سَحَتَ اللَّهُ الْكَافِرَ بِعَذَابٍ، إِذَا اسْتَأْصَلَهُ. وَمَالٌ مَسْحُوتٌ وَمُسْحَتٌ…
وَمِنَ الْبَابِ: رَجُلٌ مَسْحُوتُ الْجَوْفِ، إِذَا كَانَ لَا يَشْبَعُ، كَأَنَّ الَّذِي يَبْلَعُهُ يُسْتَأْصَلُ مِنْ جَوْفِهِ، فَلَا يَبْقَى. الْمَالُ السُّحْتُ: كُلُّ حَرَامٍ يَلْزَمُ آكِلَهُ الْعَارُ ; وَسُمِّيَ سُحْتًا لِأَنَّهُ لَا بَقَاءَ لَهُ. وَيُقَالُ أَسْحَتَ فِي تِجَارَتِهِ، إِذَا كَسَبَ السُّحْتَ. وَأَسْحَتَ مَالَهُ: أَفْسَدَهُ.
[7] We shall dive deeper into this blessed relationship when we reach Suratul RaHmaan; HQ55:1-3>
[8] Arabic-readers will be interested to find out that the meaning of ‘aHbaar’ relates to the verb ‘Habara’ which is about inscribing something beautifully and brilliantly, from which comes a word they know very well: Hibr = ink!! (Scribes use ink to inscribe.)
حَبَرَ: الْأَثَرُ فِي حُسْنٍ وَبَهَاءٍ. فَالْحَبَارُ: الْأَثَرُ. …ثُمَّ يَتَشَعَّبُ هَذَا فَيُقَالُ لِلَّذِي يُكْتَبُ بِهِ حِبْرٌ، وَلِلَّذِي يَكْتُبُ بِالْحِبْرِ حِبْرٌ وَحَبْرٌ، وَهُوَ الْعَالِمُ، وَجَمْعُهُ أَحْبَارٌ. وَالْحَبْرُ: الْجَمَالُ وَالْبَهَاءُ.
[9] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+21&version=KJV
[10] Same root verb as ‘mustaqeem.’
[11] إِنَّ هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا ﴿الإسراء: ٩﴾
[12] قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿الأعراف: ٣٣﴾
“Say: My Lord-Sustainer has indeed made Inviolable the pervasive (sexual) atrocities, what is overt of them and what is covert, and the ‘ithm/hindrance,’ and the (self-seeking) unjustifiable ‘beghi/offensive,’ and that you shirk God with anything in which He has not sent down authorization, and that you say, ‘upon/over’ God, what you do not know” (HQ.7: 33
[13] “ووصل الأمر إلى أنهم قالوا إن آية السيف نسخت مائة وأربعين آية في كتاب الله، بل بعضهم قال نسخت مائتي آية، وإن هذه الآيات موجودة في المصحف خطًا ولفظًا ومعدومة المعنى:
[14] شرع: شيءٌ يُفتَح في امتدادٍ يكون فيه. من ذلك الشّريعة، وهي مورد الشَّارِبة الماء.
واشتُقّ من ذلك الشِّرْعة في الدِّين، والشَّريعة. قال الله تعالى: {لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجَاً} [المائدة 48]، وقال سبحانه: {ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَى شَرِيعَةٍ مِنَ الأَمْرِ} [الجاثية 18]. ويُقال أشرعْتُ طريقاً، إِذا أنفذتَه وفتحتَه، وشرعت أيضاً. وشَرَعْت الإِبلَ، إِذا أمكنتَها من الشّريعة. هذا هو الأصل ثم حُمِل عليه كلُّ شيءٍ يُمدُّ في رفعةٍ وغير رفعة. من ذلك الشِّرَع، وهي الأوتار، واحدتها شِرْعة، والشراع جمع الجمع ومن ذلك شِرَاع السَّفينة، وهو ممدودٌ في علوٍّ.