{"id":355,"date":"2021-02-28T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iqralaan.wordpress.com\/?p=355"},"modified":"2022-12-30T09:27:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T05:27:31","slug":"welcome-friends-day-49-hq4114-126-pages-9798","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iqraprinciple.com\/ar\/welcome-friends-day-49-hq4114-126-pages-9798\/","title":{"rendered":"HQ 4:114-126, pages 97+98"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMENTS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     People who hold \u2018secretive\u2019 conversations usually have something to hide, which indicates that the topics they discuss, or the plans they make, are more likely NOT to be about general welfare!  Although Verse 114 seems to allude to groups other than Those Who Attained Faith, it remains general in its statement: No good is likely to come out of secretive exchanges, unless one is discussing heartfelt charity, or \u201cma\u2019roof\u201d\/commonly commendable deeds,<\/a>[1]<\/sup><\/a> or reconciling people.  Any who hold this type of private exchange will be highly rewarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find Yusuf Ali\u2019s interpretation of \u2018najwa\u2019 [2]<\/sup><\/a>\u0646\u062c\u0648\u0649 as \u2018secret counsel\u2019 easier to understand than Asad\u2019s \u2018confabulations.\u2019  See Ali\u2019s note<\/a> regarding what motivates people into secrecy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Najwa, \u2018 or secret counsel is also mentioned in HQ9:78 and 43:80, and in both cases it is about Hypocrites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know they not that God knows their secret (thoughts) <\/strong>\u0633\u0631\u0647\u0645 <\/strong> and their secret counsels,  <\/strong> \u0646\u062c\u0648\u0627\u0647\u0645<\/strong> and that God knows well all things unseen? (9:78)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets <\/strong>\u0633\u0631\u0647\u0645 <\/strong> and their private counsels <\/strong> \u0646\u062c\u0648\u0627\u0647\u0645<\/strong>? Indeed (We do), and Our messengers are by them, compiling (it all)! (43:80).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.     Verse 115 tells us that anyone who extracts himself from the Messenger and follows a path other than that of the Faithful\u2026 such a person will be left to his own devices, only to find that his chosen path has landed him in Hell, an evil journey\u2019s end.   Muhammad Asad tells us<\/a> that this stresses man\u2019s freedom of choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.     Verse 116 is a statement of fact, similar to HQ4:48, except that today\u2019s verse tells us that whoever commits \u2018Shirk\u2019 has strayed afar and lost his way.  (Remember, HQ4:48 ended by informing us that whoever commits \u2018Shirk\u2019 has indeed conceived a grave Hindrance?  See Blog Post Day 43<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In verses 117-118 the type of \u2018Shirk\u2019 committed by the Meccan idolaters is mentioned, in that they called upon \u2018female\/ lifeless symbols\u2019 instead of God (Ali\/Asad), thereby calling upon the rebellious SheyTaan who was cursed\/rejected (Ali\/Asad). \u2018Shirk\u2019 is discussed with more detail below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verses 119-120 tell us more.  It is enlightening to know the devices by which the Deviant\/Shaytan might mislead the weakest of<\/a> us (in spirit).  \u2018He\u2019 prods us by using what we already have, our base desires, and builds them into nagging \u2018Needs,\u2019 constantly nurtured by false promises. Such promises are nothing but Deception.  Just as Idolaters imagine great benefit in worshipping idols, many perceive great self- advantage in what they commit, regardless of the corruption they cause within Creation.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we are beginning to notice what we,  as humans, have long been doing to our own detriment.  The signs have been there for generations but we -humanity in general- were blinded to them.  We have just begun to realize that our wrongs towards this earth are not a matter of mere \u2018pollution,\u2019  and that our crimes towards its inhabitants and each other were more than the mere words \u2018extinction\u2019 and \u2018genocide;\u2019  words we have long become desensitized to.   All life on earth is connected, and wronging any creature wrongs us all, but we do not see that until our deeds come back to haunt us.  That\u2019s when we realize that, all along, EACH OF US HAS BEEN WRONGING HIS\/HER OWN SELF, as surely as if each negative thought or action was aimed inward, at oneself and at one\u2019s own children.  Actually, we wrong our own children even more than we wrong ourselves.  It is they who ask us before anyone else, \u2018What have you done? What world are you leaving us?\u2019  \u2018How dare you?\u2019<\/em><\/a>\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even then, the lesson will be lost on many\u2026 and most will forget\u2026 while later generations read about our ordeal as part of \u2018history.\u2019  This is only one reason why it is crucial for the people who are insightful to maintain focus and to speak out against the misdeeds of corruptors who are, in fact, \u2018shayaTeen al Inss\u2019\/ Human Deviants, as in HQ6:112<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to our verses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nagging <\/a>\u2018Needs\u2019 we have, our base desires, can all be placed into either of these two general categories expressed in HQ20:120, the desire for Eternal Life, or the desire for Permanent Possession; Self-prevalence or Acquisition.  These are the two desires by which SheyTaan tempts Humanity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Satan whispered unto him, saying: \u201cO Adam! Shall I lead you to the tree of eternal life; and a kingdom that will never decay?\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/strong><\/sup><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we not only learn of some of SheyTaan\u2019s devices against us (extending false hope, feeding superstition, and prodding us to \u2018change\u2019 God\u2019s Creation), but we also note his scorn for us, in that he will \u2018misguide\u2019 us (not some of us).  However, since not everyone will hearken to his every command, he did say he would only take over the portion of Humanity who made him their \u2018wali\/intimate friend\/protector.\u2019[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compare this verse (4:119) in many explanations here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.     Verse 121 tells us what abode such misguided persons can expect -those whose eyes did not rise above their physical existence- in contrast to verse 122 which tells us what Those who attained Faith AND did good deeds should expect. What a different everlasting home each group pursued, and in fact successfully built for itself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.     Before we leave these verses, a few words on \u2018Shirk,\u2019 especially the type hardest to discard<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committing \u2018Shirk\u2019 is by associating anything or anyone with God, holding that entity equal to Him in one way or another, or \u2018heeding its summons\u2019 rather than God\u2019s.  The \u2018traditional\u2019 explanation of \u2018Shirk\u2019 is that it is two kinds: Obvious Shirk is the belief in redemption through anyone other than God (deities, saints, prophets, religious figures), while subtle Shirk is believing in the harm or benefit of anything\/anyone other than God (magic, jinns, talismans, even engravings of God\u2019s name or Qur\u2019an worn for protection).  But if we looked closely at \u2018Shirk\u2019 in our lives today, we\u2019d find \u2018subtle Shirk,\u2019 dressed up as \u2018Innovation,\u2019 gaining access to our youth on one hand, and as \u2018Convention,\u2019 residing with the elders on another.  There is a generational gap in everything, even in Shirk!  And although both are dangerous, which of these two does the Qur\u2019an address?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Qur\u2019an addresses resident Convention.  It is the conditioning force that implants itself in human consciousness and transmits itself from one generation to another, making wrong seem right just by habit.  Rote repetition of the \u2018ways\u2019 of parents or forefathers is viewed negatively in the Qur\u2019an (2:170; 5:104; 6:148; 7:28; 7:28 just to name a few verses- there are many more), and we are asked to re-evaluate everything by the light of Awareness.  It is easy to shrug off responsibility by saying, that we were only following our forefathers or that, \u201cHad God willed, things would have been different..\u201d as in HQ16:35:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd those who Associated (with God-committed Shirk) say, \u201cHad God so willed, we would not have worshipped any other than Him \u2013 neither we nor our forefathers; nor would we have declared anything as forbidden without a commandment from Him.\u201d Even so did speak their predecessors; but then, isn\u2019t it incumbent upon the Messengers only to deliver (the message) clearly?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also easy, as we get older, to be emotionally attached to \u2018social norms,\u2019 in what has come to be called \u2018a status quo bias.\u2019  It is indeed \u2018bias\u2019 when we cannot throw aside something that \u2018feels\u2019 right and has set boundaries to our comfort zone.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comportment of any society -its acceptable versus unacceptable behaviors- is necessarily influenced by its \u2018social norms.\u2019  What the Qur\u2019anic revelation did was challenge and change the harmful social norms of that time, leaving the beneficial unchallenged, even as it guided towards what would be of utmost benefit.  Positive and negative living examples were highlighted and encouraged when verses spoke of events that were taking place and of people who could\/did respond to these verses in real time, the verses often foretelling both the positive and negative outcomes of their behavior.  Role models were established among the best of God\u2019s Worshippers, present and bygone, as well as examples of their trials and triumphs, each offering something people could identify with, the Prophet \ufdfa<\/a> himself being their best example.  Reflection and analytical thinking were encouraged to overcome people\u2019s \u2018status-quo bias,\u2019 and positive action was called for to counter inertia.  Resistance to the call of conscience, to higher values, to positive change that would benefit the disenfranchised in any society\u2026 that kind of resistance was shown to be a form of \u2018shirk.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REGARDING CHANGE, a word of caution must be added:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change is what youth constantly demand, seeing many mistakes in the status quo and in their elders\u2019 clinging to their accepted \u2018default,\u2019 and we are often amazed by our youths\u2019 clarity of vision when they tell us when something is wrong.  Yet not all change is beneficial, and our youth themselves are often influenced by older people -other than their parents- who use them to further their own agendas.  <\/a>Isn\u2019t that how they are pitted to fight the battles of those who watch from a safe distance and then -when it\u2019s time- smugly cash in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positive change is what God advises us through the Qur\u2019an, while negative change is what we are warned of; the Qur\u2019an left many norms unchanged, and so must we:  Change should NOT be sought in every sphere of life.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain actions are clearly commanded in the Qur\u2019an, and must be encouraged by anyone who has both faith and trust in Him who commanded them.  Certain actions are clearly named \u2018forbidden\u2019 in the Qur\u2019an, and must be discouraged by anyone who has both faith and trust in Him who forbade them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God forbade them.  Period.  We can show the harm of something, and then argue with others who have come to see \u2018no harm\u2019 (especially after that previously discouraged act had a \u2018make-over\u2019 and obtained a \u2018name-change\u2019).[5]<\/sup><\/a>  Names do not change what something is, just what one thinks it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever is forbidden by our Creator has been forbidden for our own benefit, on both our physical and spiritual levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps now, having spoken of the sanctity of the womb, we might highlight the necessity to prevent certain pervasive atrocities (which violate its sanctity) from becoming the norm.  Such atrocities are so pervasive (\u0641\u062d\u0634) that their very name is indication of what they are<\/p>\n\n\n\n