Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Today we can look back at the Chapter of ‘Nisaa’ and say, “We’ve done that, Thank God…!”
The benefit each of us gets out of this project is parallel to the effort put into it. Those who worked hard will heave a long sigh of relief and will feel good about their accomplishment, alHamdulilLah!
Although there still is a lot to go through, we are now dealing with quite a few of the basic concepts and subject matters that make up this compilation. This would make our future studies a little easier.
I urge newcomers to put in the search-box (bottom left) whatever word they would like to read more about.
So come on dear Readers, let’s wrap-up the final verses and embark on the next part of our journey together!
COMMENTS:
1. Today’s Reading continues its discussion of earlier Prophets, addressing the People of (earlier) Compilation in Verse 171, namely the Christians this time, asking them not to ‘commit excesses in their religion/overstep the bounds of truth in their religious beliefs’ (Ali/Asad) by making the Messenger of God, Jesus, into something that he is not.
As Readers might know, we prefer to translate the word ‘Deen’ as ‘Standard of Accountability,’ seeing that the term ‘religion’ as usually defined, is quite different, referring to one’s belief and worship of a ‘superhuman controlling power,’ or a particular ‘system of faith and worship,’ and today has become watered down to ‘a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.’[1] We know that ‘Yawm il Deen’ can only be understood as the Day of Accountability.
2. It is important to note that belief in the ‘Trinity,’ or that Jesus is ‘Son of God’ was already part of certain Christians’ belief when these verses were revealed, yet the Qur’an called them all ‘People of the Compilation.’ When certain Muslims call Christians ‘kufaar/ infidels,’ it is out of ignorance in the Qur’an, for the Qur’an does not make such a sweeping statement about them, nor does it list such persons under the title of ‘Deniers’ كفار. Qur’anic terminology is precise; it mentions the denial of such persons as a VERB, saying that those ‘who say God is Jesus have indeed denied’كفروا (HQ5:17, 72).
Some might ask, “What’s the difference?” Try it on yourself and see the difference between calling all your siblings, children, or students ‘unintelligent, stupid, imbeciles’ or showing the one who did something stupid that s/he is not stupid, but rather, has ‘done something stupid.’ It is a huge difference indeed.
Unwarranted labels are not only wrong, prejudicial, and cause widespread revulsion, but they also hold the accused in a mental box of our making, which renders their future growth and improvement worthless to us -and sometimes to them as well (in family relationships, we should NEVER use labels unless we want them to come true. Labeling is what psychologists call ‘self-fulfilling prophecies!’).
And so, verses 171-172 discuss Jesus, peace upon him, stating that he is God’s worshipper, as are the Custodians/Angels, and warns that God shall drive and assemble unto Himself[2] all those who are too arrogant to worship Him!
3. Verse 173 shows us two contrasting pictures; this is what we call ‘Targheeb/Persuasion and Tarheeb/ Dissuasion,’ both in this one verse. We see the recompense of Those Who Attained Faith and performed good deeds, versus those who are too arrogant (to worship God). This also tells us that worshipping God is by means of Faith AND good deeds.
4. Verses 174-175 call upon all Cognizant Humans ‘Naas,’ drawing their attention to this Evidence from their Lord, the manifest Illumination that is this Qur’an. Those Who Attain Faith and hold fast onto God, He will enfold within His Mercy and Grace, and guide to a Straightened Path.
5. The final verse in the Chapter of Nisaa is about inheritance when the deceased leaves behind no direct heir… and ends by saying that God makes these matters clear lest we go astray, for God is of all things Knowing.
And so we start on our next Sura!
ســـــورة المائدة
The Repast
Today we begin the fifth chapter of the Qur’an, The ‘Repast/Table-spread’ (Ali/Asad), so named after Jesus’ Last Supper.
From Yusuf Ali’s Introduction:
“This Surah deals, by way of recapitulation, with the backsliding of the Jews and Christians from their pure religions, to which the coping stone was placed by Islam. It refers particularly to the Christians, and to their solemn Sacrament of the Last Supper, to whose true meaning they are declared to have been false.
As a logical corollary to the corruption of the earlier religions of God, the practical precepts of Islam, about food, cleanliness, justice, and fidelity are recapitulated.
The fourth verse contains the memorable declaration;
“This day have I perfected your religion for you” which was promulgated in 10 H., during the Prophet’s last Pilgrimage to Makkah. Chronologically it was the last verse to be revealed.”
From Muhammad Asad’s Introduction:
“It takes its title from the request for a “repast from heaven” made by the disciples of Jesus (verse 112), and from Jesus’ prayer in this connection (verse 114).
The surah begins with a call to the believers to fulfil their spiritual and social responsibilities, and ends with a reminder, of man’s utter dependence on God, whose is “the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that they contain.”
Being one of the last revelations vouchsafed to the Prophet, it lays down a series of ordinances relating to religious rites and to various social obligations; but, at the same time, it warns the followers of the Qur’an not to enlarge the area of divine ordinances by means of subjective deduction (verse 101), since this might make it difficult for them to act in accordance with God’s Law, and might ultimately lead them to denying the truth of revelation as such (verse 102). They are also warned not to take the Jews and the Christians for their “allies” in the moral sense of the word: that is, not to imitate their way of life and their social concepts at the expense of the principles of Islam (verses 51 ff.)…..
…….The crowning statement of the whole surah is found in verse 3, which was revealed to the Prophet shortly before his death: “Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me (alislam) shall be your religion.”
6. Our new Chapter starts by calling “O you Who Attained Faith,” telling them to fully comply with and honor their contracts/uqood (plural of ‘aqd).[3]
According to Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad: “fulfill (all) Obligations/be true to your covenants..”… and the verse continues by saying that all hoofed animals (cattle and similar herbivores) are lawful for them to eat of, except for what will be (later) mentioned. The verse seems to indicate that, due to the abundance of such livestock, worshippers need not infringe upon their state of ‘Ihraam’ and resort to hunting.
Note: This is because, as soon as a worshipper has made the intention and begun the journey for (lesser or greater) Pilgrimage, s/he is in a state of ‘Ihraam,’ a state of worship in which many common acts of daily life are not permitted, one of which is hunting.
(Muhammad Asad refers us to his notes and translations of verses 94-96 of this Chapter.)
The first verse ends with the statement: “Indeed God ordains يحكم what He wills.
7. The second verse again calls on all Those Who Attained Faith, telling them more specifically this time:
﴾O you Who have attained Faith, do not violate the rites pertaining to God, nor the Inviolable month, nor the (sacrificial animals) gifted, nor the garlands (marking them), nor Those (pilgrims) directed to the Inviolable House seeking the bounty of their Lord and His approval, and when you are not in the inviolable (state of pilgrimage/time of year), you can hunt….”
But then the verse commands us something of great importance IN EVERY SITUATION:
“….. and do not let your resentment/outrage of a people –in that they prevented you from the Inviolable Mosque- detract you, making you commit aggression, but (rather) be mutually supportive in authentic, forthcoming Goodness/Birr, and in Awareness/Taqwa, and do not support one another in Hindrance and Aggression, and be aware of God, indeed God is severe in (delivering) Consequence﴿ (HQ.5:2)
Here we encounter the word shana’aan[4] which is about someone feeling resentment ‘shanaشنأ’ which has become actively and superlatively outrageous ‘shana’aan,’ at its highest degrees, in the ‘aan/ in the now.
Aside:
Arabic grammar[5] indicates that any noun -were it to follow the “fa’laan” form- would become emergent (emerging in this instant) in meaning and superlative (at the highest of its degrees), the usual examples being someone who is merely thirsty ‘aTish/عَطِش’ becoming ‘aTshaan/عطشان’ exceedingly thirsty, right now.
Keep the the noun form “fa’laan” in mind; it is highly important.
We will discuss the word ‘shana’aan’ further when it appears again in Verse 8. Reread the above verse and note -for now- how resentment, when it reaches its superlative outrageous active state -in the aan, takes over and causes a person to commit aggression.
Also note that Those Who Attained Faith should be SUPPORTIVE of one another in the Hastening/Forthcoming of Goodness البر and in Awareness التقوى, and NON-SUPPORTIVE of one another in Hindrance الإثم and Aggression العدوان. Finally, Those Who Attained Faith are called upon to be aware of God, for God is indeed severe in delivering consequence!
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ5: 3-8.
Peace unto all!
[1] Although Etymologically it is suspected to be based on the Latin ‘religare,’ meaning ‘to bind.’
[2] حَشَرَ: السُّوقُ وَالْبَعْثُ وَالِانْبِعَاثُ.وَأَهْلُ اللُّغَةِ يَقُولُونَ: الْحَشْرُ الْجَمْعُ مَعَ سَوْقٍ.
[3] ’ Remember at the beginning of the previous Chapter, ‘Women,’ (Day 39), we pointed out that marriage is not a ‘aqd/عقد/contract’ akin to other contracts عقود one might draw, but rather it is unique; it is a ‘uqdah/عُقدة/knot’ (2:235, 237) plural ‘uqad/ عُقَد’ which helps us see marriage at a higher level than an ‘agreement between parties.’
[4] اسم على وزن فعلان، فيه معنى المبالغة لصفة آنيةٍ طارئة هي شنأ -يشنأ- شنأً وشنآناً (وتوجد لها قراءة متفق عليها -شنْآن). والشنآن هو الضغينة الشديدة الانفعال (في “الآن”) وإنها أقوى دافع إلى العدوان.
[5] ’صيغة فعلان في اللغة تدل على وصف فعليّ فيه معنى المبالغة للصفات الطارئة‘ ..(هي صيغة حيّة، آنيّة، تفاعليّة)