Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter.
COMMENTS:
1. After we discussed ‘shirk/associating partners with God’ last time, and the dire recompense of those who were committing wrongs, our Reading now starts with Verse 54 which speaks of EACH wrongdoing Self harboring its regret.[1] The Qur’an (here and in Q.34:33) does not use the more common noun ‘nadam’ for ‘regret,’ but rather ‘nadaamah,’ which is much stronger.[2]
Each Self would gladly give the entire earth and everything upon it -had it been theirs- in return for being saved from suffering the consequence of its actions!
We already encountered such grim situations in Q.3:91 and 5:36 and shall encounter similar ones again in Q.13:18 and 39:47. Perhaps the most memorable verses describing what -or rather WHOM- a guilty person would give in exchange for being saved are Q.70:11-14, which show us that when the suffering of the ‘mujrim/evil-earner’ becomes intense, no loved one is dearer than oneself!
We’ve spoken about regret before (search ‘regret’ in this site), and we have probably suffered instances of regret in our lives, some deeper than others, but:
Nothing can compare to the irreparable regret of the Hereafter, shown clearly in the word-form ‘nadaamah.’
The verse ends by asserting that they shall be judged with QisT (where what each person owes is fully delivered) and they shall not be wronged.
Verse 55 is about God’s Command over everything in the Exalted Expanses and the Earth (His ‘proprietorship,’ in that everything belongs to Him), and that His promise is Truth and Justice, although most do not have cognition of that.
Notice the first two words ‘Alaa inna/ألا إنَّ’ which are extremely decisive:
‘Alaa’ is a part of speech used to alert; what follows is an important notification.
‘Inna’ is a part of speech used to assert; what follows is a firm confirmation.
Together these two words alert and assert that God’s Command is over everything in creation, and they are repeated again to assert the truth of His promise.
Verse 56: He is Commander of Life and Death (an oft-mentioned reality),and that to Him is our ultimate Return (another oft-mentioned reality).
2. Verse 57 is an announcement to all Cognizant Humans, telling them that THIS is an Admonition from their Lord-Sustainer to them all, and a Healing[3] for what is in the heads/chests/Sudoor.[4] Furthermore, to The Faithful, it will also be Gift-Guidance and Mercy.
Verse 58 tells the Messenger to inform them that all the previously mentioned (admonition with healing, gifted-guidance and mercy) is of the bounty and mercy of God, and is something in which they should rejoice: It is of greater benefit than anything which they are gathering (for themselves in life)!
3. Verse 59 bids him ask everyone a question of the utmost seriousness -seeing that God has given NO ONE the right to render ‘Halaal/unbound/lawful’ or ‘Haraam/bound/unlawful’ ANY of the sustenance He has provided: Has God permitted them to do that, or were they forging[5] on God’s behalf (their own lies)?
This rhetorical question is in fact a challenge to us all.
Verse 60 continues along that line: What do those who forge lies ‘upon/in the name of’ God think (they would deserve) at the time of Resurrection? The verse ends by showing us God’s limitless bounty which most people tend not to appreciate.[6]
4. Verse 61 awakens us to a reality which we should never forget, that even our smallest, most insignificant deeds, are being witnessed and compiled!
This verse, dear Reader, should make us stop in our tracks!
What is striking about this verse is that it speaks first in the singular addressing the listener/the Messenger, telling him that (God is Witness to) whatever matter ‘you’ (singular) are occupied with and any Qur’an you (singular) are reciting… then continues addressing everyone saying that whatever labor/work/deeds you all are doing, God is Witness even as you all immerse yourselves in them, be it the weight of an atom, or bigger or smaller, everything is in a self-evident/clear compilation.
The singular address -which then continues in the plural- made me think of two things:
Firstly, that when it was revealed, it gave the Messenger solace in that God was Witness to both his being occupied with his duty as well as his recital of Qur’an, while, at the same time being Witness to what everyone else was doing, whether they worked in support of the Message or in opposition to it.
Secondly, speaking to us now, this verse reminds us God that God is Witness of everything, placing our duties and our recital of Qur’an at the forefront of all the other work we might be immersed in. SubHaanAllah!
5. Verses 62–63 inform us (by way of alerting and asserting- ‘Alaa inna/ألا إنَّ’) regarding a category of people who are indeed exceptional: ‘Awliyaa’ul-Lah-أولياء الله-’- ‘Those with a close relationship to God.’
It is amazing how God alerts us, drawing our attention to them, asserting that upon them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
A ‘wali ولي-’ of God is a title only He can grant, yet it is what every true worshipper aspires to!
The general description of ‘Awliyaa’ul-Lah-أولياء الله-’ is that:
· They had Attained Faith and Trust آمنوا/’aamanoo .
· They were consistently Aware كانوا يتقون/kaanoo yattaqoon.
Verse 64 tells us that, theirs (for ‘Awliyaa’ul-Lah-أولياء الله-’) are the Glad Tidings in this immediate/lowly life and in the Hereafter. No alteration is there to God’s words. That is the supreme Salvation/Deliverance.
We might wonder how one gets glad tidings in life.
Perhaps these glad tidings are carried to them by Custodian-Angels, oft-descending upon them, bearing comfort and encouragement:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾
Note the beauty of these heart-warming verses (Q.41:30 to 35) which show us that striving to ‘straighten’ ourselves, inviting to God, doing good deeds, actually announcing by word and deed that we are of The Muslimeen/The Pure in Reverence to God, would lead to our being reinforced by Custodian-Angels, oft-descending upon us, comforting us. Perhaps it is their descent upon us that prevents fear and grief -and, as it seems, would also help us NOT to dread Death, that uncharted part of our life journey. This seems alluded to in HQ 62:6 where the Qur’an challenges those who claim that they are ‘Awliyaa’ul-Lah أولياء الله-’ showing them clearly that death is the last thing they desire!
Becoming a ‘wali’ of God means beginning with the general criteria of attaining Faith and Awareness mentioned in Verse 63, while growing in our Selves and gaining closeness to Him by our actions ACCORDING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS HE GAVE us in the Qur’an:
There is much benefit in reading and putting to action what is in the 14 verses which mention ‘Those upon whom shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.’
In HQ 46:13 we are told a description of such persons:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿١٣﴾
· They acknowledge that their Rightful Lord-Sustainer is God (and therefore worship none but Him).
· They straighten themselves as they go along (so as to keep to the Straightened Path. Keeping in line is absolutely necessary because life is full of crossroads, curves, barriers, and pitfalls… each forcing a loss of balance or a deviation off course).
Acknowledging God Alone as our rightful Rabb will constantly require us to straighten and restraighten ourselves as per that conviction, in the quest to become of those upon whom shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
It is heartwarming to remember that God is The Wali/Protector -not only of The Aware and The Faithful but also- of Those Who Attained Faith, as we noted earlier in 2:257, taking them/us out of the darkness-es into the light!
May we grow in faith, good deeds and all that would help us deserve one day to be among Awliyaa’Allah!
6. Verse 65 relieves the Messenger of his grief, peace upon him, a grief brought on by his people and what they were saying. Here we clearly hear the ‘voice’ of God comforting His Messenger -similar to other verses- and as God comforts him, we find ourselves feeling comforted as well, knowing that that ALL supremacy belongs to God, The All-Hearing, All-Seeing; we are never alone.
Then Verse 66 continues after it alerts and asserts- ‘Alaa inna/ألا إنَّ’ that -in fact- everyone belongs to God!
Notice that while Verse 55 told us that God’s ‘proprietorship’ was over every THING (maa/ما), this verse tells us that it is over every ONE (mann/مَنْ).[7]
So God’s Command is over everything AND EVERYONE in creation, and people who shirk God/associate partners with Him only follow conjecture (thann).
Here again we encounter the word ‘yakhruSoon,’ variations of which appear five times in the Qur’an. The verb ‘kharaSa’ is about conjecture, but it is the conjecture that is more like speculating on -or ‘guesstimating’- something while falsifying results, lying to one’s own benefit; the word relates to speculating on the quantity of dates in a harvest (defined earlier when we read HQ. 6:148).
Verse 67 reminds us of the blessings of night and day which God rendered for us; we repose in tranquility by night and find wondrous visibility by day as we go about our lives.
7. Verses 68–69–70 address the serious allegation that God has a child, subHaanahu; God Who is completely Self-Sufficient and to Whom belongs all that is in The Exalted Expanses and the Earth…?
This allegation is then challenged by asking such persons whether they have any absolute, authoritative, timeless evidence/ sulTaan[8] in this regard, or are they saying about/against God that which they have no cognizance of… ??!!
The last two verses in today’s Reading present a warning of dire consequence for those who deny the truth and fabricate lies about God: They shall not be successful. They shall have only a brief use/mataaع during this lowly, immediate life/ dunya, after which their return shall be to God, after which He shall let them taste severe suffering regarding that which they had been denying.
See all ten verses which speak of the allegation that God has a child, three in which the allegation gets promptly refuted by simply speaking of God as ‘Al RaHmaan,’ the Most Compassionate CREATOR. By simply identifying Him as THE Creator, the mere thought that any of His creation could be ‘His child’ becomes both absurd and outrageous.
Also notice that -after speaking about people who shirk God- many Qur’anic verses are followed by the exclamation ‘subHaanahu/glory to Him.’
In our common daily use, we tend to say SubHaanAllah with regard to anything in creation that is extraordinary or amazingly beautiful, as we marvel and glorify God.
We know that SubHaan Allah is about glorifying God and acknowledging His perfection; God is free from any fallibility, none can be likened to Him; perfection and majesty are His alone. That is how we see the expression SubHaanAllah in the Qur’an.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 10: 71-88.
Peace unto all!
[1] See all instances of the root-verb ‘nadama/ندم’ in the Qur’an.
[2] There is a rule in Arabic grammar stating that ‘Added construct indicates added significance/ زيادة في المبنى يدل على زيادة في المعنى . Many of us know the simple noun ‘nadam,’ yet the noun mentioned here is ‘nadaamah,’ which grammatically indicates a stronger ‘nadam/regret.’ Also, the meaning of sounds here with both the returning, reverberating ‘aa’ sound and the breathlessness of ‘h’ at the end serves to describe the feeling and heighten its significance: ‘Regret’ rises to a different plane!
[3] We should always remember that the Qur’an IS a healing!
[4] This word is usually understood to mean ‘chest/breast,’ but in common usage it has also pointed to the most elevated (noble) part of something, which is why Arabs give their guests the ‘Sadr’ of any seating arrangement. The lexicon does tell us that the ‘Sidaar’ was a garment covering both head and chest, so God knows best, but I think we should not exclude the head from this understanding. فَالصِّدَارُ: ثَوْبٌ يُغَطِّي الرَّأْسَ وَالصَّدْرَ.
[5] ‘Faraa, yafree’ is about chopping something (we do say يفري اللحم/ لحم مفري about chopped/minced/ground meat) but here it is yaftaree/يفتري which is always negative, as if one is chopping away at the truth to suit one’s desires. I tried to find the closest word in English to the concept of ‘reshaping’ the truth, hence I used ‘forge.’
الفَرْيُ: قطع الجلد للخرز والإصلاح، والْإِفْرَاءُ للإفساد، والِافْتِرَاءُ فيهما، وفي الإفساد أكثر، وكذلك استعمل في القرآن في الكذب والشّرك والظّلم. نحو: وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرى إِثْماً عَظِيماً
[6] We already know that ‘shukr’ in Arabic does not denote simple gratitude or thanks, but rather ‘shukr’ means accepting what is little and making the most of it until it achieves abundance. Shukr literally is ‘appreciation’ as in the opposite of depreciation.
When we fail to appreciate and make the most of whatever we may have been given, it inevitably depreciates. It decreases in amount or simply loses its worth. Let us remember that when we try to count our blessings!
[7] While ‘maa’ is for things and incognizant creatures, ‘mann’ is for cognizant beings (“مَنْ” للعاقِل); here the verses indicate that God’s ‘proprietorship’ encompasses everyone.
[8] Timeless, in the Now. SulTaan is a noun of the grammatical form ‘fa’laan/فعلان’ which conveys something superlative and current; active, in the now ‘aan.’ Challenging Shirkers that their allegations have no authoritative evidence sent in the now from God -sulTaan- appears often in the Qur’an.