Today we start a new Chapter, The Heights- ‘Al A’raaf,’ so-named because of this word’s recurrence الأعراف in verses 46, 48. This chapter was also revealed in Mecca (it is the longest Meccan Surah).
By now Readers would have noted the importance of our COMPARATIVE approach, reading from both Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad’s interpretations, enlightened by LINGUISTIC truths, so as to arrive at what might be a closer understanding of original intent.
This is such an interesting and exciting quest!!
Here, in their chosen explanation of this Sura’s title we get a chance to study their different approaches.
I’ll add here a little of what they both said (remembering later to note their different positions on HQ 7:46-48; the part about Al ‘A’raf/الأعراف ).
MUHAMMAD ASAD titled this Sura: AL-A`RAF (THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT) saying in his introduction:
“The title of this surah is based on an expression which occurs in verses 46 and 48; its meaning is explained in note 37.”
Then, in note 37 we read:
“On the basis of this idiomatic usage, many commentators assume that the a‘rāf referred to here are “elevated places,” like the heights of a wall or its ramparts and identify it with the “barrier” (hijāb) mentioned at the end of the preceding sentence. A far more likely interpretation, however, is forthcoming from the primary significance of the word ‘urf and its plural a‘rāf: namely, “discernment” and “the faculty of discernment,” respectively. This interpretation has been adopted by some of the great, early commentators of the Qur’ān, like Al-Hasan al-Basrī and Az-Zajjāj, whose views Rāzī quotes with evident approval. They state emphatically that the expression ‘alā ’l-a‘rāf is synonymous with ‘alā ma‘rifah, that is, “possessing knowledge” or “endowed with the faculty of discernment” (i.e., between right and wrong), and that the persons thus described are those who in their lifetime were able to discern between right and wrong (“recognizing each by its mark”), but did not definitely incline to either: in brief, the indifferent ones. Their lukewarm attitude has prevented them from doing either much good or much wrong – with the result that, as the next sentence shows, they deserve neither paradise nor hell. (Several Traditions to this effect are quoted by Tabarī as well as by Ibn Kathīr in their commentaries on this verse.)”
YUSUF ALI titled this Sura: A’raf or ‘THE HEIGHTS,’ saying:
“This Surah is closely connected, both chronologically and in respect of the argument, with the previous Surah. But it expounds the doctrine of revelation and man’s spiritual history by illustrations from Adam onwards, through various Prophets, and the details of Moses’ struggles, to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, in whom God’s revelation is completed.
He then offers us his summary (Asad does too, but I couldn’t add that for brevity):
Summary- The note “learn from the past,” is struck from the very beginning. The opposition of Evil to Good is illustrated by the story of Adam and Iblis. Arrogance leads to rebellion; the rebel is jealous and tempts the natural man, who is warned against deceit and all excess (7:1-31).
If the warning is not heeded, the future penalties are indicated, while the privileges and the bliss and peace of the righteous are shown in a picture of the Hereafter, as well as in the power and goodness of God in the world that we see around us (7:32-58).
The story of Noah and the Flood, and the stories of Hud, Salih, Lut, and Shu’ayb, all point to the lesson that the Prophets were resisted and rejected, but truth triumphed in the end, and evil was humbled, for God’s Plan never fails (7:59-99).
The story of Moses is told in greater detail, not only in his struggles with Pharaoh, but in his preparations for his mission, and his struggles with his own rebellious people. Even from the time of Moses, the coming of the unlettered Prophet was foreshadowed (7:100-157).
But the people of Moses frequently lapsed from God’s Law as promulgated to them, and transgressed God’s Covenant, and they were scattered through the earth in sections (7:158-171).
The children of Adam have multiplied, but many of them have rejected truth and go by degrees to destruction in ways that they do not realise. The righteous listen to the Message of God, and serve Him in humility (7:172-206).
COMMENTS:
PAGE 151: Click for Arabic: [7:1]
1. Alif. Lām. Mīm. Sād.
Whenever disjointed ‘letters’ مقطّعات /muqaTa’عaat appear at the beginning of Qur’anic chapters (as we saw in HQ 2 and 3), they are usually followed by mention of the Compilation. These letters have also been called ‘Chapter Openers’ فواتح السور /fawaateH alsuwar. Yusuf Ali discusses the matter at length in his Appendix I, and Muhammad Asad in his Appendix II.
Indeed, scholars throughout the ages have pondered and offered suggested meanings and reasons for these, most notable is that the Compilation, in all its perfection, is made up of such letters, and since no one can use the same ‘building blocks’ to create anything even close in standard, the letters will always stand as a challenge to all.
They have also suggested that each letter is linked to the specific Chapter which it introduces, both by meaning and by number of recurrences; ie.. each letter is indicative of subject-matter, and is also necessary to maintain numeric balance (as to the number of recurrences of that specific letter within this chapter).
All these suggestions are valid, and there is no doubt that these letters are of similar value to other letters in the Qur’an. But what many people have missed is that: These are not letters: they are sounds! The Qur’an, as its name denotes, is ‘articulated,’ recited, voiced and listened to. Therefore, although these letters/sounds may be written as one letter each, when read and articulated, each one of them becomes two letters or more as in…ي = ya = (2) يا, and as for الم– we have to say الف = ا = alif = 3 letters…. لام = ل = laam = 3 letters…. ميم = م = meem = 3 letters. That is the only way to read them. Compare this with the letters of the first word ألم in HQ 94:1:
ألم نشرح لك صدرك-
We pronounce that ألم as ‘alam;’ 3 letters only. So, the so-called ‘disjointed letters’ with which many Chapters start, are not letters at all, but human sounds.
I see this as an indication that the Qur’an is on an interactive level of its own- unlike any other compilation. Just as simple human interaction with the three ‘letters’–الم- inevitably makes them nine, whenever we read and attempt to understand the Qur’an, each word, each statement, each concept, becomes so much more!
We will soon be discussing a little-known aspect of the Arabic language: the fact that each of its letters/sounds has a distinct meaning that can be traced back to the initial stages of speech development in early Humans.
2. Verse 2 addresses Messenger Muhammad regarding the Compilation which was sent down to him, telling him that he shouldn’t feel constricted with regard to delivering it, both as a warning and a reminder to The Faithful.
‘Tightness of chest’: By this description Arabs usually indicate unease; even today you’d hear us say ‘ضاق صدري … or sometimes …ضاق قلبي‘ the opposite of that would be for the chest to feel expanded/ munshariH/مُنْشَرِح’ from the root-verb ‘sharaHa/ ’.شَرَحَ
Obviously, the Messenger initially felt a tightness of his chest when given the Message which he had to deliver, and we can only begin to imagine how difficult his task would have been; conveying his Message to people who suddenly switched from being appreciative family and friends to dire enemies. His Lord-Sustainer didn’t leave him in that state though! In HQ 94:1, God asks him, “Haven’t we expanded for you your chest?” ألم نشرح لك صدرك- and the verses continue, giving us clear indication that God had not only ‘expanded the chest’ of His Messenger, but had also relieved him of his load and brought him ease.
This ‘expansion’ or ‘constriction’ of the chest is something we all feel at times; in HQ 6:125 (see Blog Post Day 73 where we understood it from our point of view.
Now, these feelings seem to have characterized the initial stages of the Messenger Moses’ mission as well; in HQ 20:25 we learn -from the beautiful supplication/du’aa- of Prophet Moses, peace upon him, that he had actually asked God to ‘expand for him his chest’ رب اشرح لي صدري among other requests.
3. In short, Verses 3-5 tell listeners to follow what was sent down to them from their Lord-Sustainer, reminding them of previous townships that were consistent in their wrong-doing, and how they were destroyed when they least expected. Only when too late -as they were being destroyed- did their people admit to having been Wrongdoers; ‘Thaalimeen/ظالمين’.
4. Verses 6-9 take us to the Hereafter, where everyone – Recipients AND Messengers – are questioned, obtaining a knowledgeable account of all that had transpired because God had never been absent (see Yusuf Ali’s note).
In these Meccan verses, Qureish, a tribe expert at trade and its dealings, is given a reckoning, as in a ‘scale’ whereby good/heavy and bad/light deeds are measured… at a Time when balance/weight will be in Truth (Ali/Asad).
Those with deeds heavy in the balance will be The Successful/Al MufliHoon (People of FalaaH/Success), whereas those with deeds light in the balance will be ‘Those Who Have Lost Themselves’- because of their wrong-doing with regard to God’s Signs.
Verse 10 is a statement to listeners, in that God has ‘placed us with authority/ given us a bountiful place’ on this earth (Ali/Asad) with means of livelihood- yet we are rarely productive in appreciation!
5. Verse 11 takes us all the way back…. to the time of creation, when humans –as a species- were first created, then after a length of time, formed, then after a length of time, presented to the angels who showed respect when commanded to do so, except for Iblees, ‘the Despairing’ (see Blog Post Day 66). The conjunction ‘thumma’-ثم – indicates an interval of time,2 perhaps in reference to ‘successive stages/ATwaar/أطوار ’ of creation mentioned in HQ 71:14, detailed a little in HQ 80:19-22.
‘Adam,’ as we now know having researched this on Day 4, is a noun representing someone of ‘adaptability and compatibility موافقة وملاءمة’- ‘Adam’ being physically created from superficial earth-matter (the soil beneath the top layers of earth), or ‘the adamat al ard/ the earth-أدمة الأرض 3 throughout stages or intervals of time.[1]
PAGE 152: Click for Arabic: [7:12]
6. In Verses 12-15 Iblees is asked why he did not show respect to the Adaptable Earth-Being/Adam,[2] to which he responded, “I am better than he…” seeing that he was created of ‘superior matter’ – fire which, in his opinion, was superior to wet earth طين /Teen.
We have more on this in HQ18:50: Iblees had so far been of the jinn, the hidden/concealed (although some understand this to indicate a distinct creature called ‘Jinn’, others say he was a ‘jinn,’ ‘in hiding,’ so-named for having well-hidden his arrogance from all creatures). At any rate, he breached/deserted faith ‘fasaqa’ at that point in time by disobeying God’s command and refusing to show respect to Adam; it is Iblees’ arrogance that led him to disobey, for which he was demoted and commanded to get out, abased and humiliated. But he asked for the postponement of his sentence, till the day when humans will be resurrected, and his request was granted.
To note the difference, put the two words إبليس آدم into the Tanzil search-engine, and then put the two words شيطان آدم into Tanzil where you can readily compare: In the initial stage of Adam’s creation (when the Deviant/ Sheytaan was not yet active) he was called ‘Iblees,’ whereas later -at the very point of becoming active against Adam– he was given the title ‘Al SheyTaan!’
(We must keep in mind that whenever the Qur’an adds the definite article ‘The/Al’ as in Al SheyTaan, the intended can only be Iblees; those who follow his deviance are called ‘shayaTeen’ in plural. Interestingly, the actively deviant and aggressive being could be a human, who would be called a ‘sheytaan’ as we saw in HQ 2:14; 6:12; 121.)
Verses 16-18 narrate an exchange between Iblees and the Creator, in which he vows to lie ‘in wait/in ambush’ (Ali/Asad) for humans on the Straightened Path, approaching them from the four directions.
There are four interesting points to be mentioned here:
· Iblees is not reported to have mentioned the possibility of approaching them from the top or the bottom- both directions reserved for worship!
· His exchange indicates the importance of the Straightened Path, which is where he knows God’s worshippers would be. Look back to our last Posting and see the countless temptations which committing to the Straightened Path would save us from.
· No wonder the ‘Opener’ Al Faatiha is an integral part (rukn ركن) of our Prayers! We ask God in every single unit ‘rak’ah’ ركعة of our 17 daily units (in 5 daily prayers) to gift-guide us (اهدنا ) The Straightened Path. There’s no ‘to’ in that plea!
‘Ihdina’ means both ‘guide us’ and ‘gift/grant’ us, but since the ‘Opener’ Faatiha does NOT include the preposition ‘to’ إلى between the words ‘ihdina’ اهدنا and the ‘SiraaT al mustaqeem’ -this further highlights that it intends both, ‘gifting us’ AND ‘guiding us!’اهدنا الصراط المستقيم
· The fourth point of interest here, is that Iblees states his expectations, namely that most among humans will be found unappreciative, hence unproductive, to which he is told to get out disgraced and ‘expelled/disowned’ (Ali/Asad).
- Verses 19-22 tell us about Adam/ the Adaptable Earth-Being and his mate (unnamed in the Qur’an).
If we let go of our preconceptions and the influence of traditional theological narratives (Judeo-Christian and Islamic) we’d better understand this according to the Qur’an.
The Adam and Mate story, in brief, as attested by Arabic Linguistics and Qur’anic context:
They were given the Garden to live in, finding protection and sustenance everywhere; where all within it was theirs to pick except one tree, which they were told not to approach. ‘Al Sheytaan’ (who prior to that was known as Iblees) insinuated to them to disobey, imperceptibly prompting them to do wrong, addressing the two major human aspirations: Perpetuity/eternal life and unfaltering Possession/Power.
Below is HQ20:120, which is similar to Verse 20, in Ali’s interpretation.[3]
“But Satan whispered evil to him: he said, “O Adam! shall I lead thee to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?”
Notice the SheyTaan’s vow to them, in Verse 21, that he was (sincerely) advising them!
The result was that by disobeying God, they came face to face with what had hitherto been concealed from them of their own fallibility/ vulnerability سوءة. In the Lexicon of Al Isfahani (deceased 503 A.H.) the word4سوأ is the opposite of “hassana” – حسن and denotes “Everything that causes us physical or psychological injury or distress..”!! The couple’s distress/injury was both:
· Physical (possibly related to discovering human needs, including the need for protection from the elements).
· Psychological/ spiritual (possibly related to discovering the importance of maintaining Trust, coupled with guilt and feelings of loss).
As we have seen, the Arabic word “saw’ah” denotes human fallibility, and is unrelated to the traditional concept of ‘private-parts’ (as we saw in the story of Adam’s two sons, when the same word was mentioned HQ 5:31- Blog Post Day 56). We also noticed that, unlike the Biblical version, in the Qur’an the Female is not responsible for initiating wrongdoing, nor is the tree named (the Bible calls it the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil).
It would be wrong of anyone who has faith in God and in the Qur’an to repeat an elaborated version of His concise and precise narrative.
The last two verses in today’s Reading tell us that Iblees/ Al Sheytaan actually ‘promised’ them that he was offering sound advice, after which we see the pair thatching some of the garden’s foliage upon their Selves (NOT upon their privates), and we hear their Lord-Sustainer’s call upon them as He questions them.
The narrative continues in our next Reading.
Our next Reading is from HQ7:23-37.
Peace unto all!
ثم: تفيد المهلة- مجيء الثاني بعد الأول بفاصل زمني. 2
3 أدم: الموافقة والملاءمة، وذلك قول النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم للمُغيرةِ بن شُعْبة- وخَطَب المَرْأَةَ-: “لو نظَرْتَ إليها، فإنّه أحْرَى أن يُؤْدَمَ بينكما”. يقال طعام مَأْدوم. قال أبو عبيد: ويقال آدَم اللهُ بينهما يُؤْدِم إيداماً فهو مُؤْدَمٌ بينهما. والأدَمَةُ الوسيلة إلى الشيء. وناس تقول: أديم الأرض وأَدَمَتُها وجهها.
[1] In the earlier stages of creation, the Qur’an calls this Being ‘bashar,’ and at the final stage of creation it calls it ‘insaan’ (after the Bashar had received cognizance, when God ‘quickened in him of His RooH’).
We will be discussing this as we progress.
[2] We could say the word literally means ‘Earthling!’
[3] Asad’s notes are interesting.
الراغب الأصفهاني: سوأ- السوء: كل ما يغم الإنسان من الأمور الدنيوية، والأخروية، ومن الأحوال النفسية، والبدنية، والخارجة، من فوات مال، وجاه، وفقد حميم، وقوله: } بيضاء من غير سوء{ [طه/22]، أي: من غير آفة بها، وعبر عن كل ما يقبح بالسوأى، ولذلك قوبل بالحسنى، قال: }ثم كان عاقبة الذين أساءوا السوأى{ [الروم/10]، كما قال: }للذين أحسنوا الحسنى{ [يونس/26]، والسيئة: الفعلة القبيحة، وهي ضد الحسنة، قال: }بلى من كسب سيئة{ [البقرة/81]، قال: }لم تستعجلون بالسيئة{ [النمل/46]، }يذهبن السيئات{ [هود/114]، }ما أصابك من حسنة فمن الله وما أصابك من سيئة فمن نفسك{ [النساء/79].