Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
COMMENTS:
1. Although Verse 80 may seem like another call to support and obey the Messenger, it is much more than that. This verse is a statement, a warning, and a solace.
· It is a general statement of fact, that any who obey and support the Messenger of God will be doing so as part of the obedience they owe God, while he is not to be concerned with people who turn away.
· It holds a grave warning to ALL those interacting with the Messenger, that it is God Himself they will be answering to in their hidden intentions and decisions, as well as in their outward actions.
· It is a Solace to the Messenger Muhammad, peace upon him:
People obeying the Messenger would be obeying God, but whatever they choose is their own responsibility, for you are not their keeper.
How troubling it must have been for the Messenger of God, and indeed any of His Messengers, to find some people simply turning their backs on God’s Message! But the Qur’an teaches us that this is part of the diversity that is Humanity.
Readers who remember our posting of Blog Post Day 31 will note that here too, obedience is owed Muhammad ﷺ in his capacity as God’s Messenger (remember, the title ‘Messenger’ relates to the Message itself, while the title ‘Prophet’ relates to his prominence among people. As a Prophet, he would relate to the normal everyday issues of life, and would be addressed as such regarding such matters, peace upon him).
Verse 81 continues in its discussion of Hypocrites; here their lips voice the words of obedience while they hide their true sentiments and, furthermore, devise corruptive strategies by night (Asad’s note 96 explains the word ‘baata’ -”بات”) BUT God is compiling ALL they devise and attempt to hide “يكتب ما يبيتون-. (Another warning for any who listen!)
Let them be, rely on God and He will suffice.
2. Verse 82 poses a question and presents a statement of fact. WE should be fully aware of the significance of the word ‘tadabbara’ تدبّر,[1] which means to ‘follow through to the end result,’ realizing the consequences and full implications of something.
Do they not then ‘recognize the full implications’ of the Qur’an? For had it been from any (source) other than God they would have found in it much discrepancy.
In HQ47:24 we find the same verb:
Do they not then ‘recognize the full implications’ of the Qur’an? Or are, upon certain hearts/minds, their locks (clamping them shut)?
3. Verse 83 is about the actions of hypocrites who spread false rumor. People should verify reports that are vital to a community’s well-being by asking responsible persons. Here we are introduced to the contrast of ‘amn’ -أمن versus ‘khawf’ خوف – the opposing concepts of ‘security, or feeling of safety, versus ‘fear, or sense of alarm.’ Our realization that these two are ‘opposites’ will help us understand other verses (Tanzil: امن خوف –).
In verse 84, the encouragement to ‘Fight then in God’s cause; you are only responsible for yourself…and inspire/rouse the The Faithful is not an ‘incitement’ to war, as explained by Asad’s notes 101-102. The final part of the verse makes it quite clear, that they are fighting to ‘curb the Deniers might’ (Asad); to ‘restrain the Unbelievers’ fury’ (Ali).
4. Verse 85 makes us ‘shareholders’ in any deeds we facilitate, whether good or bad! M. Asad:
“Whoever rallies to a good cause shall have a share in its blessings; and whoever rallies to an evil cause shall be answerable for his part in it: for, indeed, God watches over everything.”
Yusuf Ali considers the person a ‘partner’ in the first and a sharer of ‘burden’ in the second.
5. Verse 86 is oft-quoted, show the best etiquette regarding greetings of Peace. We should always return in kind, or better than what we are offered. The final part of the verse is one we should pay close attention to: “….indeed God Is of everything, One Who Holds to Account حسيبا…. According to Muhammad Asad:
“Lit., “greet with better than it, or return it”. In the above context, this obviously refers to an offer of peace by people with whom the believers are at war as well as to individual persons who, while possibly belonging to the enemy, have, to all outward appearances, peaceful intentions. In accordance with the injunctions, “if they incline to peace, incline thou to it as well” (8:61), and “if they desist (from fighting), then all hostility shall cease” (2:193), the believers are obliged to make peace with an enemy who makes it clear that he wants to come to an equitable understanding; similarly, they must show every consideration to individual persons from among the enemies who do not actively participate in the hostilities (see also verse 94 of this surah).(Quran Ref: 4:86)”
6. Verse 87: “Allah, no god but He” is an affirmation we are already familiar with (HQ2:255; 3:2).
(If you wish to read them all in Tanzil). Remember our first post, where we said that “Allah is NOT an uncommon word for God.”
The latter part of verse 87 asks: “…and who is more truthful of ‘Hadeeth’ than God?
Although we mostly relate the word ‘Hadeeth’ to Prophet Muhammad’s Sayings, peace upon him, the word means something ‘that was not there before,’[2] the opposite of ‘old’ or قديم ‘qadeem.’ It also means something that is being announced in real time “خبر” ‘khabar.’ In this context it refers to the Qur’an as being the latest communication from God. In that context we can take the Prophet’s Hadeeth to be his communication.
See the verse which mentions the Qur’an as the ‘best’ of Hadeeth (HQ39:23) أحسن الحديث, and the four verses which call the Qur’an ‘this Hadeeth هذا الحديث (HQ18:6; 53:59; 56:81; 68:44).
7. Verses 88-89-90 discuss those who fluctuate between seeking protection from Those Who Attained Faith on one hand, and from their own people on the other: The hopes of Those Who Attained Faith are shown to be futile, in that such persons would never join their ranks. Rather, their aim is to make them deny God and His Messenger (as they themselves have done). Such persons could never be considered to have joined the ranks of Those Who Attained Faith until they have completely disarmed themselves, extended Peace to them, and pulled back from any attack. Otherwise, IF they did revert to open enmity (bearing arms against them), Those Who Attained Faith could put a firm stop to them, even if that led to killing them.
These enemies would actually be safe were they to attach themselves to a community with whom the Faithful have a covenant or peaceful agreement (which means they won’t fight any more), or abstained from fighting and offered Peace, in which cases God does NOT allow Those Who Attained Faith any way against them (in harming them).
Parts of these verses are famously taken out of context (“..slay them wherever you may find them”..), to validate a mindset that goes against the ever-present thread of Justice that flows through the entire Qur’an.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ4:91-101.
Peace unto all!
[1] دبر: هو آخِر الشَّيء وخَلْفُه خلافُ قُبُلِه… والتدبير: أنْ يُدبِّر الإنسانُ أمرَه، وذلك أنَّه يَنظُر إلى ما تصير عاقبتُه وآخرُه، وهو دُبُره.
[2] حدث:
معجم المقاييس: كونُ الشيء لم يكُنْ. يقال حدثَ أمرٌ بَعْد أن لم يكُن. والرجُل الحَدَثُ: الطريُّ السّن. والحديثُ مِنْ هذا؛ لأنّه كلامٌ يحْدُثُ منه الشيءُ بعدَ الشيء.
لسان العرب: الحَدِيثُ: نقيضُ القديم. والحُدُوث: نقيضُ القُدْمةِ. حَدَثَ الشيءُ يَحْدُثُ حُدُوثاً وحَداثةً،وأَحْدَثه هو، فهو مُحْدَثٌ وحَديث، وكذلك اسْتَحدثه. والحديثُ: الجديدُ من الأَشياء. والحديث: الخَبَرُ يأْتي على القليل والكثير، والجمع: أَحاديثُ.