Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Congratulations are in order:
Our page-count tells us that we’ve just covered ONE THIRD of the entire Qur’an, AlHamdulil-Lah; all Praise to God!
Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter.
COMMENTS:
1. The following verses continue to speak of the Hypocrites/ Al Munafiqoon (given the title in Verse 73).
In our last Reading we went through the lexical definition of ‘nifaaq’ which gave us many of the Hypocrites’ characteristics, one of which is that they are escape-artists!
Verse 86 refers to their attitude and behavior: When faced by Qur’anic commands to have Faith and Trust in God and to exert themselves with His Messenger, even those who were fully capable among them would ask to be exempted, going further and telling him to leave them (alone) so they could be with those who are staying behind, literally ‘sitting back.’
Verse 87 tells us that it contented/pleased them to be among the laggards, and God sealed their hearts/minds due to the fact that they had belied/denied, and were unwilling to have Faith in God and his Messenger, and they do not ‘yafqahoon/comprehend.’
We find this ‘sealing’ of hearts/minds ten times in the Qur’an.[1]
2. Verse 88 and 89 provide contrast by showing us the characteristics of the Messenger and ‘Those who had Faith WITH him,’ and tell us of the gardens prepared for them, indeed THE great deliverance.
Here we note firstly that they had exerted themselves in their wealth and in their selves which is the recipe for ‘FalaaH/Prevalence/Success,[2] hence it is they who are Al-MufliHoon/THE Successful (title-holders).
We also note the togetherness of the word ‘with’ him in this instance! (May WE be with him!) This phrase, ‘Those who had Faith with him’ appears in 7 instances where we notice three things:
· In 5 instances it refers to previous Prophets/Messengers and their followers.
· In 2 instances it refers to Muhammad, peace upon him:
-Once –related to this life- referring to him under his title as ‘Messenger.’
-Once –related to the Hereafter- referring to him under his title as ‘Prophet.’
We should understand by now that reason for inferring different titles/designations upon the same person, Muhammad, peace upon him, is Qur’anic precision.
In the Hereafter, there will be no humans bearing messages, hence none of them is ‘Messenger.’ As for those who had been God’s Messengers in life, they will be referred to by the title which differentiates them from ordinary humans, and that title is ‘Prophet.’ This relates to what we spoke about on Day 101, that the Prophet, highlighted by his designation, is a man prominent among people, interacting with them in daily life, whereas the ‘Messenger,’ highlighted by his designation is the bearer of God’s Message.
“And whoever obeys God and the Messenger, such people shall be with those upon whom God has bestowed His Blessings: of the Prophets, the Truthful, the Witnesses, and the Righteous, and how goodly are such for company!”
We noted when we studied this verse that ‘Messengers’ are NOT mentioned in this Blessed company in the Hereafter, whereas Prophets are. This proves that all God’s Messengers were Prophets first and foremost, although not all the Prophets were delegated to deliver His Messages. Hence, ‘Prophets’ is their everlasting title.
I disagree with Ali and Asad’s usage of the non-descriptive term ‘Apostle.’ Although both our translators have done a wonderful job, it is because of imprecise translation/explanation that so much of Qur’anic precision has been lost on us!
3. Verse 90 mentions the (a’raab- أعراب) the ‘desert Arabs.’ Well explained by both Ali and Asad.
In verses 91–92 we find the criteria for exemption, encouragement to supporters, and compassion for those who could not join him simply because they had no transportation, and had to turn away, shedding tears of sorrow.
Verse 93 again reproaches those who purposefully lagged behind despite their riches (offering neither wealth nor self in God’s Way). However, while verse 87 ended by stating that (having denied Faith and Trust in God) their hearts/minds were sealed and they do not have ‘fiqh/comprehension,’ this verse ends by stating that their hearts/minds were sealed and they do not have ‘3ilm/knowledge.’
These two verses show us that the seat of comprehension and knowledge is the ‘qalb,’ the heart/mind unit, which does not refer to the heart and brain as organs, but as one unit -an interactive faculty of ours- that sends messages back and forth.[3]
4. Verse 94 is well-explained by Asad. Here the Prophet, peace upon him, is commanded to announce to those who stayed behind that he will not listen to their excuses, that he and Those Who Attained Faith (named in Verse 88) have already been informed by God about them, and that neither he nor they would ever believe their feigned sincerity or trust them again.
Notice the word “nu’min” which is about ‘eman,’ but here it is about faith and trust in people, which might be surprising to anyone who doesn’t know Arabic. The difference is obvious when the word is a verb, due to the preposition after it.
Eman or aamana + bi/in = is about having faith in & trusting IN (the deity etc.. )
Eman or aamana + li/to = is about entrusting oneself (without doubts) TO the sincerity and truthfulness of someone.[4]
This was explained in detail in Blog Post Day 47 where it impacted another very important verse where we learnt that a mu’min -although most often used as a title for a Faithful person in God– could also be used to speak of a person who trusts and believes in someone else’s sincerity.
5. Verse 95 calls such hypocritical persons ‘rijs-رجس’ which, as we know, denotes ‘turmoil.’
Remember this excerpt:[5]
“Rijs: Taking the word ‘rijs’ in context – and cross-referencing it in our search engine– we find it appears 10 times in 9 verses, indicating an opposition to, or a Disconnect in, Faith, as in HQ10:100 and in our ‘scientific marvel’ 6:125. That is how God brings about Turmoil upon those who do not have Faith and Trust.”….
In verse 95 the Qur’an does not simply accuse them of committing an act of ‘rijs,’ but actually states that they ARE ‘rijs.’ Wow. They are the embodiment of Turmoil. Rereading HQ2: 8-20 helps us understand this stormy connotation, especially since ‘rijs [6]’ is related to the sound of thunder, as we see in the definition which I have reattached below. The Qur’an’s eloquence AND precision are truly astounding!
6. After Verse 95 told us that they had sworn with the intention of being left alone, verse 96 tells us that they also swore in the hope that the Prophet and Those Who Attained Faith would not be displeased with them. But here God delivers a severe statement to the effect that, regardless of whether the latter are pleased with them or not, indeed God is not pleased with the pledge-breakers/deserters فاسقين! (By now we have grown accustomed to Asad’s use of the word ‘iniquitous.’)
7. Verses 97–98–99 are about the A’raab-الأعراب , the ‘Bedouin Arabs, during the time of revelation. I find these verses well-explained by Muhammad Asad -except for the term ‘Salawaat il Rasool.’
Aside:
Asad had travelled Arabia with the Bedouins until he almost became one of them!
If you haven’t yet read his masterpiece ‘The Road to Mecca’ please do so; it is a must for anyone who wishes to understand Middle East history, Arab culture, and Islam. It is also a highly entertaining adventure story for anyone who loves a good book and it makes a great gift.
The A’raab got their name from the verb ‘araba-عرب’ which denotes eloquent self-expression (yu’rib-يعرب means to express, and arabi-عربي means eloquently self-expressive). Desert Arabs were the most eloquent in the Arabic language, and city-folk used to send their children out to the desert in their early years to learn proper uncorrupted Arabic from them. But Desert Arabs were also less likely to be versed in the knowledge of limits set by God in His Revelation.
In their relationship to the Qur’an, Desert Arabs were of three groups, just like everyone else: Those who were openly hostile, those who were hypocritical, and those who were faithful.
It is interesting to note the term ‘Salawaatil Rasool-صلوات الرسول’ in verse 99. Although it is usually explained to show that ‘they sought the Messenger’s prayers’ (Salawaat being plural of Salaat), Regular Readers will recognize that the word ‘Salaat’ from ‘Silah’ or connection, also denotes relationships.
The Desert Arabs, and indeed everyone at this point, even the open Hypocrites, were seeking a good relationship with the Prophet, as the preceding verses had so clearly shown! Remember, the hypocrites had sworn in their own defense, and sought to regain his pleasure.
This is why the term ‘Salawaatil Rasool-صلوات الرسول’ should be explained differently:
As I understand it, the verse 99 says:
“And of The A’raab are those who have Faith and Trust in God and the Last Day and take what they spend as means of closeness to God and connections/relationship/communion to the Messenger. Behold, it is indeed a means of closeness for them; God will admit them into His Mercy. Indeed, God is The Oft-Forgiving The Unceasingly Merciful.”
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 9: 100-111.
Peace unto all!
[1] See Blog Post Day 83 for the word ‘to seal’ Tab3/طبع
[2] FalaaH: Defined on Day 32
[3] We spoke earlier about the study published by the National Library of Medicine:
“Dr. Armour, in 1991, discovered that the heart has its “little brain” or “intrinsic cardiac nervous system.” This “heart brain” is composed of approximately 40,000 neurons that are alike neurons in the brain, meaning that the heart has its own nervous system. In addition, the heart communicates with the brain in many methods: neurologically, biochemically, biophysically, and energetically. The vagus nerve, which is 80% afferent, carries information from the heart and other internal organs to the brain. Signals from the “heart brain” redirect to the medulla, hypothalamus, thalamus, and amygdala and the cerebral cortex. Thus, the heart sends more signals to the brain than vice versa.”
[4] See how Prophet Lot ‘aamana li’ Prophet Abraham (Q.29:26) trusting him completely, and how the brothers of Joseph (Q.12:17) blamed their father for not trusting them ‘maa anta bi mu’minin lana (saying that even as they were lying to him!!).
[5] From Blog Post Day 75
[6] رجس: يدل على اختلاطٍ. يقال هُمْ في مَرْجُوسَةٍ مِن أمرِهم، أي اختِلاط. والرَّجْس: صوت الرَّعد، وذلك أنه يتردَّد. ومن الباب الرِّجْس: القَذَر؛ لأنّه لَطْخٌ وخَلْط.