Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
This section is full of important lessons and insight, quite relevant to our own circumstances!
COMMENTS:
- Today we discuss the story of ‘The Table-spread/Repast,’ and conclude the Chapter by that name.
After we were introduced in our last Reading to the questioning of Messengers in the Hereafter, peace upon them all, our focus was brought to Jesus. God reminded him of His many Favors to him and to his mother, in a long list in verse 110.
Verse 111 says that God conveyed exclusive information to the Disciples of Jesus (awHa-أوحى), instructing them to have faith in Him in His Messenger; Ali and Asad translate the word as ‘inspired.’
They responded in acknowledgment that they had attained faith and trust, and were indeed ‘Muslimoon,’ asking Jesus to bear witness to their assertion. (Here we recall that being ‘Muslim’ refers both to conviction and conduct.)
- But then verse 112 tells us what these Disciples asked Jesus, peace upon him, and our ears prick to the unconcerned detachment in the words, ‘Your Rabb’ (YOUR Lord- ربّك, reminding us of their forefathers who had frustrated Moses, peace upon him, generations ago, and used the same words in Q 5:24 when they said:
“..Go forth, you and your Lord and fight (both of you). We shall right here stay (put).”
See Blog Post Day 56
Here, the disciples said “O Jesus, Son of Mary, could ‘your’ Lord send down unto us a ‘Table-spread/Repast’ from heaven?” Jesus, peace upon him, immediately responded with: “..Be Aware of God, if you are indeed Faithful!”
In verse 113 they explain their 4 reasons to him: They want to eat of it; to rest/reassure their hearts/minds; to ascertain that Jesus was indeed true to them; to be witnesses of such (a miracle).
- Verse 114 showcases Jesus’ beautiful request, peace upon him, standing in amazing contrast to his disciples’ earlier wording. He does not ask God as ‘Allah,’ or ‘My’ Lord, but rather says, ‘Allaahumma, Rabbana, Our Lord!’ (اللهم ربنا).
It is helpful for us to try addressing our Lord as He addresses Himself in the Qur’an in the voices of those who have gained His Redha/His ‘Good pleasure.’ Doing so, we note that when worshippers praise God in the Qur’an, they call upon Him as Allaahumma, whereas when they ask Him for anything (beseeching or pleading), they say ‘Rabbana/our Lord.
This detail is quite telling:
When He is beseeched in the Qur’an, it is by invoking the relationship one has with Him as one’s ‘Rabb’ (Sustainer and provider from inception to completion), rather than by calling upon Him by the Divine Utterance, ‘Allah,’ or by one of His Attributes/Asmaa.
We are of course free to call upon God as Allah or Al RaHmaan to Whom belong all the beautiful Attributes (Q.17:110),[1] but in the Qur’an we don’t see anyone beseeching Him like that, perhaps because He is showing us that He responds to our plea simply because He is THE Rabb Who takes care of all who are under His care (even the Custodians/Angels (Q.40:7) when beseeching Him on our behalf call him ‘Rabbana’).
In the verses we’re studying now we noted that Jesus, peace upon him, does not ask God as ‘Allah,’ or ‘My’ Lord, but rather combines both together beautifully, saying Allaahumma Rabbana.
We also note the beautiful reasons he gives for such a plea, with no mention at all of the reasons his disciples had put forward.
He asks this so that the table-spread would become a festive occasion for them, to be oft-commemorated (a Eid -(عيداً for the first and last of them, a Sign from God Himself, and then he asks God to provide them of His Bounty, for He is the Best of Providers.
How well-stated.
Verse 115 contains God’s response to the Disciples’ request, which comes at a high price: He says that He will indeed send it unto them, but that whoever denies after this shall receive a suffering never received by any other human/ any other creature in all the worlds!
Some commentators indicate that the Disciples may have pulled back their request after this warning, but most seem to think that it was indeed granted (Zamakhshari). This seems to tell us that the more Signs we are given the more responsible we are!
See Yusuf Ali’s note related to Verse 112. He sees in the disciples’ request a ‘want of faith,’ and quotes from the Canonical Gospels. Asad’s related notes go into greater detail, explaining almost every word.
- Verses 116-118 offer the most eloquent conclusion to a Chapter which discusses Christian belief: In a glimpse into the Hereafter where God addresses each Messenger as to how his followers responded to him.
Listen to verse 116:
“And Lo! God said, O Jesus son of Mary is it You who told people, ‘Take me and my mother as two Gods instead of God’? He said, “Glory to You, it is not for me to say what is not mine by right! If I had said it, You would already know it; You know what is in my Self and I do not know what is in Your Self, You, Alone, are the Knower of all matters beyond perception!”
Jesus’ response, this time too, is as full of awareness, and is as beautiful and as inclusive as ever. In the next verses he asserts that he in fact, had told them ONLY what God had commanded him to say, and that his knowledge is limited to the response he witnessed from the people he lived with, and that he does not know what they may have done after God had taken him consummately (in his entirety- from the verb ‘waffa’ (وفّى- meaning to render something ‘in full,’ as in a debt, a term, etc.[2]
ASIDE:
In the Qur’an we have two words that are commonly understood as ‘death,’ the first is ‘mawt’ (موت), and the second is ‘wafaat’ (وفاة). But having activated the IQRA Principle dear Readers, we know that these two are NOT synonymous!
Everything that is alive shall taste death ‘mawt’, as in HQ39:42, and there are many verses describing the earth being brought to life after it was ‘dead.’ Also, as in HQ35:22, those who pay no heed to warning or revelation are considered ‘dead.’ ‘Mawt/death’ has ‘Hayaat/life’ as its opposite, and seems to indicate the demise of physical entities.
‘Wafaat,’ on the other hand, is not about ‘death’ the opposite of ‘life,’ but rather about something ‘consumed/returned’ in full. When we borrow money, we do the ‘wafaa’ of that loan, perhaps in stages, until finally that loan has been ‘consummated’ in full.
We do have some clues regarding ‘wafaat’ in HQ. 39:42, where sleep seems to represent a certain degree/stage of that journey:
Our bodies are not only alive when we sleep, but they are fully alive, even regenerating on the cellular level, reinforcing our cardiovascular and immune systems and helping regulate metabolism When we sleep it is our consciousness/cognizance/the Self ‘nafs,’ which has been partially -not fully- separated from the body and ‘taken’ to God in partial consummation.
Now, there will come a time for all Cognizant Humans when our Selves (‘anfus,’ plural of ‘nafs’) will be rendered in full to God. That is the time of consummate deliverance of each nafs by the Angel/s of Death, or by God, into our higher level of existence.
All the connotations of the word ‘waffa- وفّى’ denote complete consummation, returning the complete sum of something.
So while ‘mawt’ describes the physical part, ‘wafaat’ seems to describe the sum, returned in its entirety.
This piece of information helps us better understand ‘near-death’ experiences, and even perhaps how Jesus -by ‘God’s ithn/declaration’- raised the ‘mawtaa/dead.’ The person he revived had been ‘dead’ physically, then when brought back to life had a chance to finish his days on earth until God brings about his ‘wafaat.’ With ‘wafaat’ a ‘Self’ would be consummated/returned to God, and nothing would ever bring it back to this lowly life.
Allaahu-a’lam… God knows best.
Perhaps ‘wafaat’ consists of both the consummation of our bodies to their earthly foundation, together with the consummation of our cognizant Selves to their Divine Source, their Creator.
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون We are God’s and unto Him we shall return.
- At any rate, Jesus peace upon him, ends (verse 118) by acknowledging that his followers, whatever they may have done after his departure, are in the end God’s ‘worshippers’ (عباد), and God Alone can cause them to suffer or He can forgive them.
Interestingly though, after mentioning the word ‘forgive’ he does NOT end by saying (what we have learned to expect in the Qur’an) that ‘God is Oft-Forgiving and most Merciful, but rather that God Is Almighty, Wise. This finale points to the gravity of their allegation, and to Jesus’ full realization of its significance, peace upon him!
Do listen to these verses in Arabic; your heart will melt at the purity and reverence in Jesus’ words, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him and all God’s Messengers. Also, when we realize that this is God Himself conveying a narrative to us regarding a conversation between Himself and Jesus, no words can express the humbleness we feel at being recipients of God’s Final Message on one hand, and the trepidation at one day having to face God ourselves for questioning on the other.
- Verses 119-120 conclude this scene at the Hereafter, with God Himself announcing that this is a Day when the power of genuineness[3] (in Faith, in Honesty etc..) shall be of benefit to the strongly Genuine,[4] for whom there are gardens beneath which rivers flow eternally, well-pleased Is God with them and WELL-PLEASED ARE THEY WITH HIM, and THAT is the supreme Deliverance/Salvation. (Asad translates ‘fawz’ (فوز) as triumph, which is the common understanding of the word, but Ali’s translation is better.) [5]
This beautiful description of the Hereafter, where those who were Genuine shall be ‘well-pleased with God’ is truly unbelievable (also in HQ9:100; 58:22; 98:8)!
The Chapter/Sura concludes with the assertion that to God belongs absolutely everything, and His is all power over it.
سورة الأنعام
- After finishing the four longest chapters in the Qur’an, all of which were of the Medina Period, we now start on a chapter of the Mecca Period. Readers will soon notice the different tone and subject-matter, and will recall the hostile atmosphere of Idolatrous Qureish and the different challenges facing the Faithful at this earlier stage of Revelation. Al An’aam is translated as ‘the Cattle.’
The Chapter starts by acknowledging that praise is due to God for the creation of the Heavens, the earth, the darkness-es and the Light, immediately pointing out the short-sightedness of ‘Those who Denied’ in their associating partners with The Creator.
Verse 2 speaks of His creation of mankind from earth-matter, decreeing a term known to Him, yet you doubt (notice transfer of address from third to second person).
Verse 3 continues its address in second person, saying that He is God in the Exalted Expanses and in the earth, He knows your secret and your revealed and He knows what you earn.
Verses 5 and 6 are timeless. They speak to people of falsehood and injustice, warning those who belie Truth & Justice and even mock it, telling them to look back at previous generations that had walked this earth: Although many such generations were better established in the earth than they are, with skies that had rained generously upon them, and rivers that had swelled and flowed beneath them, despite their power and wealth, it was by their own misdeeds that God broke them down.[6] After that, He let others rise to take their place.
These verses seem to spell out how the strongest of empires on this earth inevitably fall, giving us a clue as to our own past and serving as a warning to all the ‘powers’ that be today to be aware of committing aggression whatever form it might take:
You shall be broken down by your own misdeeds!
Enough said.
Our next Reading is from HQ6: 7- 26
Peace unto all!
قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَـٰنَ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا ﴿الإسراء: ١١٠﴾ [1]
[2] It is interesting to learn a little more about the word ‘wafaat’ (وفاة) usually translated as ‘death,’ similar to the word ‘mawt’ (موت). Although there must be some difference, issues of ‘gheyb’ are impossible to grasp: We can only touch upon them, sticking to what little information we gain through language and context while trying not to be carried away by imagination.
وفي: تدلُّ على إكمالٍ وإتمام. منه الوَفاء: إتمام العَهْد وإكمال الشَّرط. ووَفَى: أوْفَى، فهو وفِيٌّ. ويقولون: أوْفَيْتُكَ الشَّيءَ، إذا قَضَيْتَه إيّاهُ وافياً. وتوفَّيْتُ الشَّيءَ واستَوْفَيْته؛ [إذا أخذتَه كُلّه حتَّى لم تتركْ منه شيئاً. ومنه يقال للميِّت: تَوفَّاه الله.
[3] صَدَقَ: يَدُلُّ عَلَى قُوَّةٍ فِي الشَّيْءِ قَوْلًا وَغَيْرَهُ. مِنْ ذَلِكَ الصِّدْقُ: خِلَافُ الْكَذِبِ، سُمِّيَ لِقُوَّتِهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ، وَلِأَنَّ الْكَذِبَ لَا قُوَّةَ لَهُ، هُوَ بَاطِلٌ.
وَأَصْلُ هَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ شَيْءٌ صَدْقٌ، أَيْ صُلْبٌ. وَرُمْحٌ صَدْقٌ. وَيُقَالُ: صَدَقُوهُمُ الْقِتَالَ، وَفِي خِلَافِ ذَلِكَ كَذَبُوهُمْ. وَالصِّدِّيقُ: الْمُلَازِمُ لِلصِّدْقِ. وَالصَّدَاقُ: صَدَاقُ الْمَرْأَةِ، سُمِّيَ بِذَلِكَ لِقُوَّتِهِ وَأَنَّهُ حَقٌّ يَلْزَمُ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً} [النساء: 4] . وَقُرِئَتْ: ” صدقَاتِهِنَّ”. وَ [مِنَ] الْبَابِ الصَّدَقَةُ: مَا يَتَصَدَّقُ بِهِ الْمَرْءُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ. ..الْمُتَصَدِّقَ الْمُعْطِي. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي قِصَّةِ مَنْ قَالَ: {وَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْنَا} [يوسف: 88] .
وَالصَّدَاقَةُ مُشْتَقَّةٌ مِنَ الصِّدْقِ فِي الْمَوَدَّةِ.
[4] There is power in the Sidq/Genuineness of something, as the Lexicon just told us in above definition in footnote.
This understanding would now reflect on a previous verse (Q.3:17) which we might want to revisit to better understand.
الصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْمُنفِقِينَ وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحَارِ ﴿آل عمران: ١٧﴾
[5] فوز: النّجاة. فازَ يفوز، إذا نجا، وهو فائز. وفاز بالأمر، إذا ذهب به وخلَص. ويقال لمن ظَفِر بخيرٍ وذهب به. قال الله تعالى: {فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وأُدْخِلَ الجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ} [آل عمران 185]. ثم اختُلِف في المَفَازَة، فقال قومٌ: سمِّيَتْ بذلك تفاؤلاً لراكبها بالسَّلامة والنَّجاة. والمَفَازَة: المَنْجَاة. قال الله عزّ وعلا: {بِمَفَازَةٍ مِنَ العَذَابِ} [آل عمران 188].
[6] هَلَكَ: يَدُلُّ عَلَى كَسْرٍ وَسُقُوطٍ. مِنْهُ الْهَلَاكُ: السُّقُوطُ، وَلِذَلِكَ يُقَالُ لِلْمَيِّتِ هَلَكَ.