Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
So far this has been great, considering that my internet broke down yesterday. All I could think of was, “What am I going to do now?” But things eventually worked out after hours on the phone getting busy signals, and then talking to answering machines, and finally to the provider, who adjusted things from her end and guided me how to fix the problem. The first question she asked me was, “Which COUNTRY?” Honestly!
Anyway, I believe our Iqra project has arrived at the global community just in time. Who in his right mind would want to be considered a dinosaur? We must try to keep up with our kids- seriously.
I have started receiving feedback, and know that many of you have completed yesterday’s challenge. Thank you for your thought-provoking comments
It was such pleasure comparing Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad’s explanations, both so beautiful. Sometimes I lean more towards Asad, but today Ali’s explanation seemed to flow more easily. Didn’t you stumble over the word ‘iniquitous’?
COMMENTS:
- Having faith AND doing good deeds (Verse 25): These two characteristics ALWAYS come together in the Qur’an. Believers can only be considered such AFTER their deeds bear witness to what is in their hearts and minds. That’s understandable: what is hidden can be of no use unless it becomes a source of service to oneself and others.
- I like Muhammad Asad’s explanation in his commentary about those who ‘break their bond with God’ (yanqudduna ‘ahdal-Lahi), and that it refers to a person’s ‘moral obligation’ to use his inborn intellectual and physical gifts (Verse 27).
For Asad’s full commentary go to this link on altafsir.
What Asad calls ‘bond,’Ali calls ‘covenant.’ This could relate to HQ:7:171, the covenant between God and Humanity:
Y. Ali: “When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?”- They said: “Yea! We do testify!” (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: “Of this we were never mindful”: (172) Or lest ye should say: “Our fathers before us may have taken false gods, but we are (their) descendants after them: wilt Thou then destroy us because of the deeds of men who were futile?” (173)
It seems to be echoed in the concept Chopra speaks about when he says in his book How to know God, that the brain is hard-wired to seek Him.
- The informative exchange which took place between God and the angels is interesting, but does not concern us much except in what it informs us. The angels’ question makes us think that they found it incredible that God would allow Humans to inherit this earth, seeing that we could spread corruption and shed blood. It is a valid question, and the angels were able to ask their Creator freely why we, of all creatures, would NOT become extinct one day. (By the way, this question gave Jeffrey Lang the title to his book, “Even Angels Ask.” His books ask many questions related to Qur’an as they seek a path for lost American Muslim youth.)
- It is wondrous to be peering in -from our point in existence- to the first Cognizant Human’s foremost steps on this earth! His lack of knowledge until God ingrained it in him (‘allama means to imprint, impress), and as the knowledge of his surroundings and their attributes were impressed upon him, he certainly did impress the angels! Then his being deceived until he slipped, and finally God’s deliverance of him even BEFORE he asked for forgiveness. The very fact that Adam asked for forgiveness could not have taken place had he not felt repentant and received God’s guidance on what to do in such circumstances. It is no coincidence that the words he said AND God’s forgiveness together in one Qur’anic verse. God is indeed closer to us than our jugular vein (HQ 50:16).
Tomorrow will begin to get tougher, as we will do Verses 38-57, mostly about the ‘children of Israel.’ A reminder: We shall NOT associate the Qur’an with politics or unrelated history! Enough said.
Peace unto all!