Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
In yesterday’s Reading, God’s Word was fulfilled upon Bani Isra-eel for their patient forbearance, while Pharaoh and his people, and everything they had fabricated and constructed, was destroyed.
COMMENTS:
1. Verses 138-140 see the deliverance of Bani Isra-eel across the ‘wide body of water’ the ‘baHr- بحر1’– which as our 1,000 year old Lexicon tells us, refers to both sea and river.
(Arabs today use the word ‘buHeyrah بحيرة- ’ for lake -which literally means a small body of water- while ‘baHrah بحرة- ‘ is a fountain.)
Please note that placing these incidents in a Biblical context leads us out of its Qur’anic context. In trying to understand the Qur’an AS IT WAS REVEALED, it is counterproductive to deviate from the Qur’anic information into what might be found in other sources. It is misleading to label or name what the Qur’an mentions without a name or label, as many have done at times.
These verses show us how, after crossing the water and arriving at a place where people were worshipping idols, they asked Moses to make a ‘god’ for them, similar to these ‘gods,’ for them to worship (!). As we said previously:
“In studying the effects of slavery, one must note that persons who have never been free, will not only be lacking qualities of leadership, but they usually find difficulty in accepting any kind of change -even when it’s for the better. This seems to be one of the main reasons behind the lack of positivity which Moses’ followers were notorious for and…” (Read full posting Blog Post Day 5)
He responded that they were people who were being ignorant قوم تجهلون /qawm tajhaloon, and showed them the worthlessness of such deeds, and asked how he could even seek for them a deity other than God who had given them more/an extra measure2 of His Bounty than he had given all others (see Blog Day 27 for the meaning of faDl).
To understand the verb ‘faDdala’ as ‘to prefer’ is inaccurate (that’s the modern Arabic usage of the word). Bani Isra-eel are believed by some to be ‘the chosen people,’ which is neither true of them nor of any other groups in the Qur’an; see HQ 3:73-74. God did not ‘choose’ any nation or race above others, although He did choose persons and their families for certain responsibilities, such as Mary, Abraham and his family, Imraan and his family (see the word اصطفى in Tanzil).
As for our translators, I find Yusuf Ali’s closer to the Arabic because Asad’s choice of the word ‘favored’ sounds preferential:
Yusuf Ali: “.. endowed you with gifts above the nations..”
Muhammad Asad: “.. favored you above all other people (ie: by having raised so many prophets out of their midst).”
Verse 141 mentions the most recent of God’s bounties to them: Deliverance after bondage.
2. Verses 142-143 discuss Moses’ appointed time with his Lord-Sustainer, and how Moses, after his Lord had spoken to him, couldn’t help but ask to see Him/look at Him. Commentators tell us that this was a natural consequence to having literally been spoken to by God; a bequest no other Messenger before -or since- had ever received! Verse 143 is the response to his request- to which Moses responded with repentance: See Yusuf Ali’s and Muhammad Asad’s explanations.
3. Verse 144 quite clearly shows us that Moses was chosen by God اصطفيتك /iStafaytuka above people to deliver God’s Messages AND to be spoken to… the verse is well-explained by both Ali and Asad, except for the ending كن من الشاكرين /kun min al shaakireen which they translated as: Ali: “..give thanks.”; Asad: “…grateful.”
Our Regular Readers would know (from Blog Post Day 12) that:
“The word ‘shukr’ in Arabic does not denote simple gratitude or thanks, although that may be how the word is understood today. ‘Shukr’ means APPRECIATION (opposite of depreciation); accepting what is little and making the most of it until it achieves abundance (as in the example of a ‘shakoor’ horse or tree in the definition).[1]
4. Verse 145 mentions the ‘alwaaH/tablets’ upon which admonition was compiled for Moses, peace upon him. It is interesting to note here that while God commanded Moses to FIRMLY/with strength ‘take/hold onto’ the tablets, he told him to instruct his people to ‘take/hold onto’ the BEST/most beautiful of them. What does that mean?
It means that God’s instructions are all good/beautiful.
It means that within these instructions there is good and there is better.
It means that one should try to do the better deed whenever possible.
An example for that is that when scripture permits people a just retribution against others. In that case, if there is room for forgiveness, then forgiveness would be the aHsan/better and more beautiful.
What amazing instruction this is!
The Qur’an TELLS US something similar in HQ 39:55, that we should follow the better/best/most beautiful of what has been revealed to us by our Lord-Sustainer.
It is clear that we always have choices, some better than others!
5. Verses 146-147 give us two statements:
· The first is related to those who ‘behave arrogantly on earth in defiance of right;’ they suffer the consequences of their heedlessness; if they were to see the Signs, they would not have faith and trust in them, and if they were to see the way of right conduct they would not adopt it, choosing error instead (see Ali and Asad).
· The second is related to those who belie God’s Signs/consider them false, and the meeting in the hereafter; they will have their efforts/labor painfully voided/desolated (see Blog Post Day 26 for the word ‘HabaTa’), being recompensed for what they had done.
6. Verses 148-149 are related to Moses’ people making out of their jewelry a calf that was ‘jasad’[2] جسد a lifeless figure which had ‘khuwaar’ (commentators tell us that this figure was hollow, so that air passed through, making a sound, ‘khuwaar’- a term which although it does refer to the lowing of cattle, it also refers to being ‘weak/feeble’- a term we still use today when we say that someone is weak from hunger (خار من الجوع) or his strength is ‘khaarat’ خارت قوته ) see definition. [3]
They worshipped it, wronging their own Selves, but when they realized that they had strayed and lost their way, they sought their Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.
Although their supplication somewhat echoes the supplication of Adam and his spouse after they ate of the forbidden tree, we note the difference in the splendor of the couple’s direct address ‘OUR Lord-Sustainer,’ in their firm acknowledgment of wrongdoing, and the humility of their repentance. That is why HQ7:23 is one of the supplications we should memorize!
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 7:150-159.
Peace unto all!
1بحر: قال الخليل سمِّي البَحر بحراً لاستبحارِه وهو انبساطُه وسَعَتُه. واستبحر فلانٌ في العلم، وتبَحَّر الرّاعي في رِعْيٍ كثير. . ورجلٌ بَحْرٌ، إذا كان سخيّاً، سمَّوْه لفَيضِ كفِّه بالعطاءِ كما يَفيض البحر. قال العامريّ: أبحرَ القومُ إذا ركبوا البحر، وأبَرُّوا أخَذُوا في البَرّ. قال: والأنهار كلُّها بِحارٌ. ويقال هذه بَحْرَتُنا قال بعضهم: البَحْرة الفَجْوة من الأرض تتسع.
2 فضل: يدلُّ على زيادةٍ في شيء من ذلك الفَضْل: الزِّيادة والخير. والإفضال: الإحسان.
[1] Ibn Faris’ lexicon below indicates that Shukr is (on one hand) to show appreciation as in, to a person who bestowed a kindness, and (on the other hand) to make something plentiful and abundant.
Note how the lexicon says that the REALITY of ‘shukr’ is the acceptance of whatever little is given and making the most out of it, giving the example of a ‘shakoor’ that gets fat on just a little fodder, and a ‘shakoorah’ tree that gives abundant shade. To help us understand this better we can simply say that Shukr is Appreciation, not simply gratitude, but LITERAL Appreciation, the opposite of Depreciation.
شَكَرَ: الشُّكْرُ: الثَّنَاءُ عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ بِمَعْرُوفٍ يُولِيكَهُ. وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ حَقِيقَةَ الشُّكْرِ الرِّضَا بِالْيَسِيرِ. يَقُولُونَ: فَرَسٌ شَكُورٌ، إِذَا كَفَاهُ لِسِمَنِهِ الْعَلَفُ الْقَلِيلُ. وَالْأَصْلُ الثَّانِي: الِامْتِلَاءُ وَالْغُزْرُ فِي الشَّيْءِ. وَمِنْ هَذَا الْبَابِ: شَكِرَتِ الشَّجَرَةُ، إِذَا كَثُرَ فَيْئُهَا.
[2] جسد: تَجَمُّع الشيء أيضاً واشتدادِه. من ذلك جَسَدُ الإنسان. والجَسَدُ والجَسِد من الدم: ما يَبِسَ، فهو جَسَدٌ وجاسد.
وقال قوم: الجسَد الدّمُ نفسُه، والجَسِد اليابس.
لسان العرب: وقال بعضهم في قوله عجلاً جسداً، قال: أَحمر من ذهب؛ وقال أَبو إِسحق في تفسير الآية: الجسد هو الذي لا يعقل ولا يميز إِنما معنى الجسد معنى الجثة. فقط.
[3] خور: أصلان: أحدهما يدلُّ على صوت، والآخَر على ضَعْف.
فالأوّل قولُهم خار الثَّور يخور…وأمّا الآخر فالخَوَّار: الضعيفُ مِن كلِّ شيء. يقال رُمْحٌ خوّارٌ، وأرضٌ خَوّارةٌ، وجمعه خُورٌ