Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Our last post was full of thought-provoking scenes and important information which we pondered upon, and wished the whole world knew:
There we found that the single ‘Kitaab’ which God had sent was Gift-Guidance and Mercy for A People (Qawm/قوم) Who have Faith and Trust. We realized that Those Who have Faith and Trust the Compilation are considered one People, together with the Messengers of God who delivered one Message, and all those who followed them; one brotherhood.
If only everyone could realize that.
Let us who are doing tadabbur own this Brotherhood now so that it can make a real difference for future generations: If we ALL treated each other with awareness and understanding we’d be paving the road to a lasting Peace.
We are fast approaching the 1/3rd Mark: today we finish the eighth of 30 sections (Juz’u – جزء) of the Qur’an- so do stay with us- it is worth it!
Yusuf Ali’s Explanation
Muhammad Asad’s Explanation
COMMENTS:
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1. Today’s reading starts with Prophet Hud, peace upon him (long u sound; this is the first time he is mentioned). He was sent to the tribe of ‘Aad,’ and (as we can see of what the Qur’an quotes him saying) his message was almost identical to Noah’s. They both said:
“…Worship God; you have no other god….!”
But where Noah ended his call by telling them of his fears for them, Hud ended his call by asking them to be Aware. Further comparison shows us the difference in their people’s accusations of them; Noah was considered ‘wandering in his mind/in error’ (Ali/Asad), while Hud was considered a liar.
Obviously, their tribe had succeeded Noah’s:
See Ali’s note, Asad’s note for both their thoughts on Hud’s identity.
Verse 69 says they were ‘inheritors after the People of Noah/heirs to Noah’s people’ (Ali/Asad).
2. Hud’s people pose him a question in Verse 70, which is a recurrent one, consistently posed by idolatrous tribes to God’s Messengers, as we learn from HQ 16:35. To see more such rhetoric, check Tanzil.
This too, was the Messenger Muhammad’s experience with his people, as we see in HQ 34:43.
Hud responds to his people eloquently in verse 71. Remember the definition of ‘rijs’ (in Blog Day 62). He ends by telling them to await (what shall happen) as he too awaits. The concept of ‘awaiting’ is a statement echoed by other Messengers.
Verse 72 brings to an end the short introduction to Hud’s story by telling us that he was saved while they -who belied God’s Signs- were obliterated. We will encounter longer versions as we go along, but for now let’s just note that only their houses remained (HQ 46:25)
3. Verse 73 takes us to the story of Prophet Saleh peace upon him, with his people, the tribe of Thamood/Thamud. See commentaries of Ali and Asad for their thoughts on this.
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4. Verse 74 tells us more on the distinctive traits of the tribe of Thamood/Thamud. They had made enclosures of the plains which they farmed and held their livestock within, carving their dwellings into rock-mountains or hillsides. The verb ‘qasara’ which originally meant ‘limited (as in size) or enclosed (as in structure)’1 became related to ‘palaces and castles’ in our current understanding of the word, which is why both Ali and Asad said that they were building palaces and castles.
5. We notice these details being given as signs of God’s Bounty. Why is that?
Because each Messenger had an impact relative to Human Progress at the time of his appearance. Hadn’t God promised to send Guidance when the first two Cognizant Humans were sent out of the Garden to live their natural lives on this earth (HQ 2:38)?
If we read these verses recognizing humanity’s background, we would better understand them. When did people who lived inland first learn about flotation? Obviously, Noah’s people did not know anything about that, which is the more reason for them to ridicule his Arc. Furthermore, they could never imagine that a human could float above water or swim in it, as was clear in the response of Noah’s son to his invitation in HQ 11:43.
When did humanity evolve, from the nomadic hunter-gatherer into an agricultural society? Perhaps when they had the tools by which they could build permanent homes that were safe from the elements AND had the means to yield their own produce from the land. Such was Prophet Saleh’s time, one of agriculture and elaborate stone-carved dwellings. They also seemed to hold power over their contemporaries (see Asad’s note).
6. Verses 75-77 tell of a verbal exchange between the ‘Arrogant’ and the ‘Weakened,’ after which the Arrogant disobeyed Prophet Saleh’s directions and hamstrung the she-camel الناقة/al-naaqah.
They also defied Prophet Saleh, telling him to ‘bring on’ whatever it is he was warning them about!
7. Verses 78-79 bring this narrative to a conclusion; they were hit with exactly what they had been warned, and Prophet Saleh sadly put in the last word:
“…. and I gave you good ‘counsel/advice’ but you do not love ‘good counselors/those who give you good advice’ (Ali/Asad).
The word naaSiHeen/ناصِحين, plural of naaSiH/ناصِح (usually translated as ‘counselor/adviser’) was originally used to mean ‘tailor,’ seeing that tailors stitch material together to create a whole, or mend something that was torn (root-verb ‘naSaHa/نَصَحَ).[2]
What this means is that a naaSiH is someone who counsels or advises BUT WITH THE AIM OF RESTORING what was torn or broken.
In this case, Prophet Saleh had been attempting to restore -for the Arrogant among his people- their inborn relationship with their Creator, the relationship they had later torn to irreparable shreds by word and by deed (first declaring themselves ‘Kaafiroon/Deniers’ and then disobeying God and hamstringing she-camel).
May God’s Peace and Blessings be upon all His Messengers and Prophets.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 7:80-95
Peace unto all!
1 ابن فارس:
قصر: أصلانِ صحيحان، أحدهما يدلُّ على ألا يبلُغَ الشّيءُ مدَاه ونهايتَه، والآخر على الحَبْس. والأصلان متقاربان.
فالأوّل القِصَر: خلافُ الطُّول. يقول: هو قَصيرٌ بيِّن القِصَر. ويقال: قصَّرتُ الثَّوبَ والحبلَ تَقصيراً…وكل هذا قياسُه واحد، وهو ألاّ يبلُغَ مدَى الشّيء ونهايتَه.والأصل الآخر، وقد قلنا إنهما متقاربان: القَصْر: الحبس، يقال: قَصَرْتُه، إذا حبستَه، وهو مقصور، أي محبوس، والمقاصر: جمع مقصورة، وكلُّ ناحيةٍ من الدار الكبيرة إذا أحيط عليها فهي مقصورة. وهذا جائزٌ أن يكون من القياس الأوَّل.
الأصفهاني:
قَصَرْتُ كذا: ضممت بعضه إلى بعض، ومنه سمّي الْقَصْرُ، وجمعه: قُصُورٌ. قال تعالى: وَقَصْرٍ مَشِيدٍ [الحج/ 45] ، وَيَجْعَلْ لَكَ قُصُوراً [الفرقان/ 10]
[2] نَصَحَ: أَصْلٌ يَدُلُّ عَلَى مُلَاءَمَةٍ بَيْنَ شَيْئَيْنِ وَإِصْلَاحٍ لَهُمَا. أَصْلُ ذَلِكَ النَّاصِحُ: الْخَيَّاطُ. وَالنِّصَاحُ: الْخَيْطُ يُخَاطُ بِهِ، وَالْجَمْعُ نِصَاحَاتٌ