Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Our daily reading is taking us places: Yesterday we ‘went’ to Hajj, prayed for a ‘hasanah’ both in Life and in the Afterlife, dodged those who dazzle us with idle talk, turned our back on the Deviant and his missteps, and entered wholeheartedly and thoroughly into Peace. What a wonderful journey! And now we continue, after Verse 211 which speaks for itself:
COMMENTS:
1. Verse 212speaks of this lowly Life in proximity/ الحياة الدنيا which has been embellished for the Deniers (who deny God and the Hereafter). It is actually over-rated by them, seeing that it is all they believe in. In HQ 11:15 we are told that they shall be given their rightful earnings, ultimately getting -in life- all that they worked for. However, since they rejected Faith in God and did NOT believe in- or send any good deeds towards- the Hereafter, they will find nothing good there, awaiting them when they arrive, in a simple equation of reaping what you sow. As Muhammad Asad explains:
AS FOR THOSE who care for [no more than] the life of this world and its bounties -We shall repay them in full for all that they did in this [life], and they, shall not be deprived of their just due therein: (15) [yet] it is they who, in the life to come, shall have nothing but the fire -for in vain shall be all that they wrought in this [world], and worthless all that they ever did! (16)
2. Verse 213 is also well-explained by Asad; note 197. The verse ends by saying what could be understood in two different ways, depending on whether the implied pronoun ‘(he) wills,’ is taken to relate to God or to the person himself; M. Asad seems inclined to refer the pronoun to the person, as in: “God guides onto a straight way him that wills (to be guided),” rather than: “God guides onto a straight way whom He wills (to guide).” He does offer both translations however; they are both valid.
This is the 3rd time ‘Siraat Mustaqeem/Straightened Path’ is mentioned in the Qur’an (HQ 1:6; 2:142), here indicating it as a universal course for all Cognizant Humans.
3. Verse 214 is directly addressed to its First Recipients, the Messenger Muhammad ﷺand his companions, but its lessons apply to all people of faith in times of severe hardship: Persevere, for Prominence (NaSr) is near. It is in times of suffering and adversity that people differentiate themselves, for only then do we recognize true sincerity, as only a few of us will remain on course at any expense.
NaSr is about prominence that delivers goodness and generosity. It is the name for the rain that quenches the earth, fills it with goodness, and is generous to all. Although the word is used to indicate ‘victory,’ it is not about being victorious over others through weaponry or power, but rather about prominence that helps one bring others generosity and goodness.[1]
What a beautiful word when understood in all its dimensions!
4. The latter part of Verse 216 is often partially quoted, “…it may be well that you hate a thing while it is good for you..” (..عسى أن تكرهوا شيئاً وهو خير لكم..). People tend to forget the rest of the verse, that we also might like a thing while it is bad for us, and very few among us realize that this statement indicates that the Faithful at that time in fact DISLIKED going to battle (as opposed to the negative propaganda about early Muslims being bloodthirsty etc..).
5. Verses 217 and 218 continue along the same vein, ending on a note of promise to those who have Attained faith, and others who have forsaken (their homes) striving hard in God’s cause.
M. Asad’s translation regarding the word ‘haajaru’ (هاجروا) is broad; he says it is “they who have forsaken the domain of evil.” Are they the only ones who ‘emigrated?’ We know about the great accomplishments of the early Muslims, and feel inadequate in comparison… or we might not even dare compare ourselves to them. But many people of faith today DO forsake THEIR ‘havens,’ their comfort-zones, again and again, to do the right thing. We should not belittle anyone’s struggle for self-improvement. Haven’t we all performed some kind of a mental and spiritual ‘Hijra’ (emigration) to be where we are in our Faith today?
6. In Verse 219 we read ‘They ask you…’ for the 4th time (HQ 2:189; 2:215; 2:217). The companions’ question here is related to Intoxicants and Easy Gain/Gambling (Meyssir/ ميسر from the root word ya-sa-ra/ يسر which we can take to mean the easy money that comes from gambling, amongst other things). This is also mentioned in HQ 5:90, in Muhamad Asad’s words:
O YOU who have attained to faith! Intoxicants, and games of chance, and idolatrous practices, and the divining of the future are but a loathsome evil of Satan’s doing:’ shun it, then, so that you might attain to a happy state! (90) By means of intoxicants and games of chance Satan seeks only to sow enmity and hatred among you, and to turn you away from the remembrance of God and from prayer. Will you not, then, desist?’ (91) Hence, pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle, and be ever on your guard [against evil]; and if you turn away, then know that Our Apostle’s only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to him]. (92)
Verses related to Intoxicants are commonly understood to be in a progressive sequence (HQ 4:43, then 2:19, and finally 5:90) which culminates in outright prohibition. Muhammad Asad explains that well, in HQ 5:90-91 and their corresponding notes.
Despite that, some people today (mostly those who would not mind a drink or two), compare the verses here with the verses on pork and say that, whereas the latter indeed is clearly prohibited with the use of the words ‘Hurrima aleykum’ حُرِّمَ عليكم) HQ:2:173; 5:3; 16:115), intoxicants do not have these words of prohibition linked to them, but rather have the words (اجتنبوه) ijtanibubuh, which means ‘shun, evade, avoid, step away from.. (HQ 5:90).
To seek a response from the Qur’an itself, we must first get our definitions straight, and our correlation of Qur’anic text. We must list what we know from Qur’an, together with what our lexicon says about ‘khamr’ and ‘ithm.’ In brief:
The Qur’an says in 2:219 that in ‘khamr’ there IS indeed great ‘ithm.’
–‘Khamr’ is that which covers and unnoticeably intermingles* (in this instance, probably relating to our awareness, judgment, inhibition, behavior, dependence and addiction).
–‘Ithm’ is that which hinders, delays, impedes (in this instance, probably relates to physical/psychological health, negative influence on relationships, and the emotional and socio-economic ramifications of dependency/addiction).
But then we find that the Qur’an saying in 7:33 says that ‘ithm’ IS indeed ‘muharram!’
See it in Asad’s words, where I’ve only put in the Arabic word ‘Ithm:’
Say: “Verily, my Lord has PROHIBITED (harrama) only shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and ITHM, and unjustified envy, and the ascribing of divinity to aught beside Him – since He has never bestowed any warrant from on high- and the attributing unto God of aught of which you have no knowledge.” (33)
Therefore there is great ‘ithm’ in ‘khamr’- and ‘ithm’ IS, in fact, ‘muharram’. We should thank God for this fact, for had He said outright that ‘khamr’ is ‘Hurrima aleykum’ حُرِّمَ عليكم)) -like Pork- we, as Those who Attained Faith, would neither have been able to use ‘khamr’ in the medicines or pain-killers we take NOR (more importantly) as anesthesia! Imagine surgery without anesthesia, which is quite a potent ‘khamr.’
A person of faith would obey the instruction, steering clear of Khamr at all times, perhaps seeing it this way: What is ‘muharram’ in fact, is the Addictive Potential of Khamr, THE HARM in khamr, THE EFFECTS of khamr, but we should steer clear of all Khamr anyway because even one shot is a step in harm’s way, opening up a gateway to heavier use and abuse. This is especially important for our youth, who do not realize the effects Khamr has on their developing brains.[2]
There is still a lot to be said on this subject, including the other instances of ‘ijtanibu’- ‘steer clear of’ which show, in comparison, the seriousness of this command. There also is an interesting parallel to be drawn between the very little which God had made ‘muHarram/forbidden/inviolable,’ for us on this earth, and the story of Adam, with the single, forbidden tree, in the entire Garden.
Enough said!
Tomorrow’s reading is from verse 220-230.
Peace unto all!
[1] نَصَر: يَدُلُّ عَلَى إِتْيَانِ خَيْرٍ وَإِيتَائِهِ. وَنَصَرَ اللَّهُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ: آتَاهُمُ الظَّفَرَ عَلَى عَدُوِّهِمْ، يَنْصُرُهُمْ نَصْرًا. وَأَمَّا الْإِتْيَانُ فَالْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: نَصَرْتُ بَلَدَ كَذَا، إِذَا أَتَيْتَهُ. …وَلِذَلِكَ يُسَمَّى الْمَطَرُ نَصْرًا. وَنُصِرَتِ الْأَرْضُ، فَهِيَ مَنْصُورَةٌ. وَالنَّصْرُ: الْعَطَاءُ.
[2] “Individuals who first used alcohol at age 14 or younger have a >5 time increased risk of lifetime alcohol use disorder as compared to those who first used alcohol after the U.S. legal limit of the 21st birthday” (SAMSHA 2009)
Results from the 2008 national survey on drug use and health: national findings. Rockville: Office of Applied Studies, DHHS; 2009.