Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter.
COMMENTS:
1. Verse 34 asks a question, highlighting the serious topic of ‘shirk’ as it speaks to those who ‘shirk God/associate partners with Him.’ The verses present such people with a challenge, asking them to use their own minds to evaluate:
Who is indeed worthy of being worshipped?
This section is full of interactive questions, and the Qureish/listeners often find the arguments clinched by what Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, is told to say (many of today’s verses are addressed to him: “Say!”).
The first two verses ask about Creation and Guidance.
Although Verse 34 is well-translated by both Asad and Ali -and we DO love their commentaries- Asad has added the words ‘How perverted, then, are your minds!” although there is nothing about ‘minds’ in the Arabic.
As we know, Yusuf Ali is more cautious, putting his own words between brackets:
“…..then how are ye deluded away (from the truth)?”
Asad sees the ‘partners’ that they associate with God related to the topic of intercession, mentioned earlier, and says:
“This rhetorical question is connected with the false belief that those idolatrously worshipped beings are no more than “intercessors” between their followers and God..”
2. Verse 36 states a fact, telling us that misguided people are actually following nothing but presumption or conjecture, which does not discount Truth (and Justice – al Haqq) in any way! [1]
Conjecture/ Thann- ظن is the opposite of ‘yaqeen-يقين’/‘certainty.’
The word yaqeen-يقين appears 8 times in the Qur’an, twice (in Q.56:95; 69:51) related to the Qur’an itself being ‘Haqqul Yaqeen/’Absolute Certainty/ True and Just Certainty.’
Haqq: Truth (and Justice).
Yaqeen: Certainty/Certitude.
‘In Haqq:’ We already know that God created the Exalted Expanses and the Earth in Haqq/بالحق (Truth and Justice) and His Word IS The Haqq -the True and the Just ( قوله الحقQ.6:73).
Let us never take ‘al Haqq’ lightly. Truth is paramount!
In fact, Allah calls Himself ‘Al Haqq,’ that He is Al Haqq; I dare not explain this Attribute, as it belongs to Him and whatever we say will not do the word justice… but we might understand it as THE Truth; THE Ultimate Truth; THE Reality… and other meanings that are beyond our cognition but indicate His uniqueness as the sole Reality….والله أعلم….
Although God’s attribute is beyond us, there are subjects in the Qur’an related to ‘Haqq’ which we should be very aware of:
There is a powerful Chapter called ‘al Haaqqah الحاقَّة-’ (the Implementer of Truth and Justice) where the verses start out by asking us whether we realize what the ‘Implementer of Truth and Justice is. Then the verses pound at us (clearly when you listen to its recitation) notifying us of the fate of bygone Deniers, until we find out that the ‘Implementer of Truth and Justice’ is the Day when ‘the Befalling befalls /the Inevitable Event takes place’ (الواقعة)[2] which is Judgment Day. On that day Truth and Justice shall be implemented for all to behold and experience!
Reading that Surah/Chapter, Suratul Haaqqah, we note how, at the end, we are informed of what the Absolute Truth is; Haqq Al Yaqeen/THE TRUE CERTAINTY:
It is no other than this Revelation![3]
[69:40-52] according to Asad:
Behold, this [Qur’an] is indeed the [inspired] word of a noble apostle, (40) and is not – however little you may [be prepared to] believe it – the word of a poet; (41) and neither is it – however little you may [be prepared to] take it to heart – the word of a soothsayer: (42) [it is] a revelation from the Sustainer of all the worlds. (43) Now if he [whom We have entrusted with it] had dared to attribute some [of his own] sayings unto Us, (44) We would indeed have seized him by his right hand, (45) and would indeed have cut his life-vein. (46) and none of you could have saved him! (47) And, verily, this [Qur’an] is a reminder to all the God-conscious! (48) And, behold, well do We know that among you are such as will give the lie to it: (49) yet, behold, this [rejection] will indeed become a source of bitter regret for all who deny the truth [of God’s revelation] – (50) for, verily, it is truth absolute! (51) Extol, then the limitless glory of thy Sustainer’s mighty name! (52)
3. Verse 37 ties in with what we’ve been saying about the issue of certitude/yaqeen versus conjecture/ thann which related to the Qur’an being discounted by misguided people.
It behooves us here to announce -at least to ourselves- the certainty that we feel in our hearts that the Qur’an is God’s Word!
Personally, I thank God constantly that He has graced me with parents who insisted that I learn Arabic at an early age, so that I now know enough of it to be able to prove -by way of the Qur’an’s context and language- what I had always been certain of in my heart -with no need for proof:
That this Qur’an is God’s Word!
Verse 37 is also very important in that it helps us differentiate between the two words, ‘kitaab’ and ‘Qur’an,’ and brings us closer to defining ‘Qur’an.’
We are now building on what we already know:
We said earlier that Arabic grammar[4] indicates that any noun which follows the “fa’laan” form- would be about something emergent (emerging in this instant) and superlative in its inherent characteristic (its verb at its ultimate, highest degree).[5]
So let us think:
What is the difference between:
-An entity called kitab/ compilation… (material compiled together to form a unit)…
-An entity called Qur’aan/قرآن …(something superlative and emergent, in the Now; in the ‘aan;’ al aan/الآن in Arabic means ‘now’).
The ‘fa’laan noun form is about SOMETHING ‘LIVE’ TAKING PLACE AS WE SPEAK, IN THE NOW.
The Message God calls Qur’an is ALWAYS ‘in the Now,’ speaking most eloquently and timelessly (never ‘dated’ or ‘outdated’), to every living Inssaan/Cognizant Human who approaches it, imparting what Al RaHmaan.,The Most Compassionate Creator had demarcated.
All three nouns, RaHmaan, Qur’aan, Inssaaan follow the Fa’laan noun form.
All three nouns are superlative in their inherent characteristics, emergent in the Now.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الرَّحْمَٰنُ ﴿١﴾ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ ﴿٢﴾ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ ﴿٣﴾
Al RaHmaan, ‘عAllama-al Qur’aan, khalaqa-al Inssaan.
The Most Compassionate Creator, demarcated the Qur’aan, created the Cognizant Human.
We do not wish to get sidetracked here, so for the sake of brevity, let us just say that the Qur’an, being of the noun-form ‘fa’laan, is about a superior LIVE Message, in the now.
This verse adds more information, telling us that the Qur’an is:
· A Confirmation of what had earlier appeared.
· A Defining Exposition تفصيل to the Kitaab/Compilation.
– فصل faSala [6]’ means to distinguish one part from another.
There is more in HQ 11:1 and in 41:3.
As we already know, the Qur’an and the Kitaab are not synonymous; the kitaab can guide us and can be ‘static’ when we treat it as such, however as Qur’an it is alive, in the ‘now.’
It is the Qur’an which defines and distinguishes what the Kitaab contains.[7]
4. Verse 38 presents a challenge (similar to HQ2:23), in full certainty that no one can produce the like of the Qur’an, not even one ‘Surah/Soorah.’ The word ‘Surah,’ which we might translate as ‘chapter’ is related to the ‘soor, the very high, hard to scale wall that surrounds and protects a city. [8]
Here the challenge is to produce any content that would be of such high caliber!
Verse 39 gives us the GENERAL REASON WHY PEOPLE DENY OR BELIE the Qur’an (or any truth for that matter):
They do so because they do not have well-rounded knowledge of it (literally: they have not encompassed the knowledge of it), and therefore, its implication has not yet come across to them!
This offers us amazing insight.
This also highlights our responsibility, as Those Who Attained Faith, to make knowing the Qur’an both desirable and accessible.
Desirable, in that people would seek it because of the good they see in us.
Accessible, in that we welcome and help all those who approach it.
But there is a point that must be mentioned here:
Seeing that one cannot well-understand the Qur’an or grasp its implication without access to its original ‘Arabi, the responsibility of Muslim educators AND parents comes to the forefront, a fleeting opportunity afforded during their dependents’ early formative years:
Every Muslim child should be taught Arabic, regardless of whether or not their parents know it.
As for those of us who do know Arabic:
WE are entrusted to do our best to acquaint ourselves with the Qur’an, to seek a ‘rounded’ knowledge of it and grasp its implication, and then to convey our language and knowledge to others so that they could do the same. I cannot imagine a bigger responsibility than that placed on our shoulders in Verse 39, made even graver at the end:
“..therefore observe the end-result of those who wronged themselves!”
Yet, (as Verse 40 indicates), despite his best efforts the Messenger didn’t succeed with everyone; some people attained Faith and some didn’t; it is God who best knows the Corrupters.
In verse 41 the Messenger, peace upon him, is told to openly revoke the deeds of anyone who belies him (calls him a liar), and denounce them and their labors/deeds. Each is responsible for his own.
5. Verse 42 shows us how people can be ‘listening/yastami’عoon,’ yet register nothing due to their ‘incomprehension’ (literally: laa yaعqiloon/ لا يعقلون/ they do not secure comprehension).[9]
Verse 43 shows us how people can be ‘looking/yanthuroon,’ yet register nothing due to their lack of vision /discernment (literally: laa yubSiroon/ لا يبصرون/ they do not discern).[10]
After mentioning those whose hearing and sight do not register what the Messenger himself is telling them, verse 44 assures us that it is not God who wrongs people in the least, but it is people who wrong their own selves. They do NOT realize this, until too late, when their entire life, in hind-sight, seems like a single hour of a day (Verse 45).
6. Verses 46–47–48–49 are addressed to the Messenger Muhammad, peace upon him, as well as his people who are inquiring about the time when God’s warning shall come to pass.
Read these verses and listen: Here anyone can clearly hear God’s ‘voice’ as He mentions the possible death of His Messenger, and tells him to explain his inability at controlling his own harm or good fortune except as God wills! Verses such as these have convinced many a skeptic that the Qur’an is not of human origin.
7. In answer to his people’s constant challenges[11] come the following verses, 50–51–52–53, continuing the discourse, with commands such as ‘Say!’ and questions such as ‘…what do they rush?’ and ‘What….? NOW?” as well as forewarning scenes and words, which could be avoided if they attained Faith and followed the Messenger.
We encountered here heart-wrenching statements of the Hereafter, foretold in warning: ‘..Taste everlasting suffering!”
It might be amazing to us that -despite the power of such words- to know that many of the older generation continued to deny. But that seems to be human nature. There is a generational gap with regard to ANYTHING that threatens the status quo.
Then, after Verse 52 ends by telling Those Who Wronged to taste the suffering which is but recompense for what they had been earning, we end today with Verse 53 and Qureish’s still skeptical question seeking news of the Hereafter, ‘Is it True?’
The Messenger is told to respond:
“Yes, indeed, by My Lord! It is absolutely true, and you will not be evading/thwarting!
(They cannot evade that truth or thwart God Who is delivering it to them).
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 10: 54-70.
Peace unto all!
[1] (See all instances of following conjecture here).
We already encountered something similar in HQ 6:116,148.
[2] فَيَوْمَئِذٍ وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ ﴿١٥﴾
[3] إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ ﴿٤٠﴾ وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٤١﴾ وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾ تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٤٣﴾ وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ ﴿٤٤﴾ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ﴿٤٥﴾ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾ فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾ وَإِنَّهُ لَتَذْكِرَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾ وَإِنَّا لَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مِنكُم مُّكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾ وَإِنَّهُ لَحَسْرَةٌ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٥٠﴾ وَإِنَّهُ لَحَقُّ الْيَقِينِ ﴿٥١﴾ فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿٥٢﴾
[4] ’صيغة فعلان في اللغة تدل على وصف فعليّ فيه معنى المبالغة للصفات الطارئة‘ ..(هي صيغة حيّة، آنيّة، تفاعليّة)
[5] The common example being of someone who is merely thirsty ‘aTish/عَطِش’ becoming ‘aTshaan/عطشان’ exceedingly thirsty, right now, when the verb reappears in the fa’laan form.
[6] (فصل) تمييز الشَّيء. من الشَّيء وإبانته عنه. يقال: فَصَلْتُ الشَّيءَ فَصْلاً. والفَيْصل: الحاكم. والفَصِيل: ولدُ النَّاقةِ إذا افتُصِلَ عن أُمِّه. والمِفْصَل: اللِّسان، لأنَّ به تُفصَل الأمور وتميَّز. والمفاصل: مَفاصل العِظام. والمَفْصِل: ما بين الجبلَيْن، والجمع مَفاصل. والفَصِيل: حائطٌ دونَ سُور المدينة.
[7] See Posting of Blog Post Day 65.
Ibn Faris:
“Sawara: Indicates elevation and height… ‘Suwar’ is the plural of ‘soorah,’ which is about each level of a building. As for the ‘siwaar/iswaar’ of a woman, it is the (arm/wrist) bands/bracelet which the Persian leaders used to wear”
Al Isfahani:
The ‘Soor’ is the wall which encircles and contains a city, and the ‘Soorah’ of the Qur’an is from that because it contains it. It is said that the young girl ‘suwwirat’ meaning she was adorned with an anklet or a bracelet.”
ابن فارس:
سور: يدلُّ على علوٍّ وارتفاع. … والسُّور: جمع سُورة، وهي كلُّ منْزلةٍ من البناء…وأما سِوار المرأة، والإسوار([12]) من أساورة الفُرس وهم القادة…”
الأصفهاني:
وسور المدينة: حائطها المشتمل عليها، وسورة القرآن تشبيها بها لكونه محاطا بها إحاطة السور بالمدينة… سور… واشتق منه: سورت الجارية، وجارية مسورة ومخلخلة….”
[9] Interesting to note that cattle are said to be ‘better guided’ than such people who also await a dire end!
نَظَرَ: أَصْلٌ صَحِيحٌ يَرْجِعُ فُرُوعُهُ إِلَى مَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ وَهُوَ تَأَمُّلُ الشَّيْءِ وَمُعَايَنَتُهُ.
Nathara: to consider or view something
بَصَرَ: الْعِلْمُ بِالشَّيْءِ; يُقَالُ: هُوَ بَصِيرٌ بِهِ. وَمِنْ هَذِهِ الْبَصِيرَةُ
BaSara: to discern; to become acquainted, from which comes the word ‘baSeerah’ meaning insight.
[11] Six times the same exact question-متى هذا الوعد “When is this promise of suffering?