Qur’an 10: 71-88, page 217 + 218
Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
I don’t know about you, dear Reader, but reading the last few verses I felt utterly humbled thinking about the great honor bequeathed to Humanity in that some among us would be considered ‘Awliyaa’ul-Lah- أولياء الله-’- ‘Those with a close relationship to God’? And by Whom!
Goes to show the role of constant Awareness in helping us maintain a straight path to our Lord.
Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter.
COMMENTS:
1. Today’s Reading begins with Verse 71 in which Prophet Muhammad is told to narrate the story of Prophet Noah, peace upon them both, and his address to his people.
From what Prophet Noah is telling his people we understand four things:
-That he had been constantly reminding them of God’s Signs.
-That he knows that they had had enough of him upon that platform!
-That he was completely reliant upon God.
-That he was giving them the green light to get together and get rid of him in any way they choose!
As we said earlier, Noah’s mission, being the first among all Prophet-Messengers, was to tell his people to worship God Alone. This might seem a basic for us today, but it was well-suited to the mental capacity and levels of human advancement at the time. It is truly mind-boggling to try and pair the elaborateness of Revelation with human advancement, but each Messenger did, in fact, raise the bar, teach new skills, and bring about a leap in both knowledge and responsibility by instructing his people to fulfill what they were lacking. Nevertheless, the CORE message in all the Prophets’ missions was the same:
Worship God Alone (with pure reverence and accountability) AND do good deeds.
We had spoken of Prophet Noah’s mission earlier, and of the vessel he built; the ‘fulk- فلك’ -a circular Arc (with a ‘c’).[1]
In Verse 72, Prophet Noah tells his people that he had never asked them for any recompense, a statement made by several Prophets, including Prophet Muhammad peace upon him.
He states that he was commanded to be among those who are ‘Muslimeen/pure in reverence and accountability’ to God.
Now, Noah being the first Prophet-Messenger to mankind, and Muhammad being the last, with the Qur’an mentioning that they both told their people that they had never asked for recompense, and then both being commanded to give identical statements:
“…and I was commanded to be of the Muslimeen”…. we now see both ends of ONE thread that ties together all the missions that appeared between them!
In Verse 73 we note that Noah’s people belied him and were drowned, while he and those with him in the Arc were saved and rendered ‘successors,’ which is about generations succeeding one another. We discussed ‘khalaa’ifخلائف -’ earlier when we covered HQ.6:165. This word appears four times in the Qur’an.
2. Verse 74 is well-explained by both Ali and Asad, except for the word ‘apostles’ which is not the best translation for ‘rusul,’ or Messengers.
This verse shows us that once people belie or deny the EVIDENCE presented to them, they will not have faith and trust in it later. This is how people who -despite receiving a clear message- refuse to open up to it or give it a chance to touch their hearts. They literally close their hearts/minds end up, ‘sealing’ them. We spoke earlier about habituation, and the meaning of ‘Tab3/طبع’.[2]
Habituation has a natural progression; a habituated person becomes someone who does not change, and that is in accordance with human nature -which is created by God. However, they do so against what God would have approved for them, thus earning the title ‘the Aggressors/Al Muعtadeen/’المعتدين.
The Qur’an tells us three times that God does NOT love the Aggressors!
3. Verse 75 mentions Moses and Aaron, discussed earlier.[3]
Here we remember that this is a Meccan Chapter, and that the mention of arrogance in this verse would be directed at arrogant listeners in Mecca, as well as for all time.
Verses 76– 77– 78 continue the narrative.
We notice in Verse 76 Prophet Moses being accused of ‘siHr/sorcery,’ to which he responds in Verse 77 with a rhetorical question indicating that what has come to them from God -and which they are calling sorcery is- in fact, ‘Al Haqq,’ THE Truth; nothing can be more real or true than God’s Signs and His Message. This is The Just and True Reality!
He also announces that sorcerers never gain ‘falaaH,’ never prevail or succeed, forewarning them of what is to come.
In this verse we noted that the words ‘When came to them ‘The Haqq’ from Us /فلما جاءهم الحق من عندنا’ related here to Moses’ Message, also appear in HQ.28:48 where the Qur’an addresses its listeners who were asking for a Message like that of Moses, which God said they had denied anyway! The resemblance among such verses gives an indication of why the Qur’an often mentions previous Messengers and their people, both for the benefit of the Messenger Muhammad and as a lesson to all who listen.[4]
Verse 78 shows us the mindset of those who, in fact, have shirked God by simply hanging on to their status quo and beliefs.
How adamantly the message of Moses and Aaron was refused by those who could not conceive of forsaking the ways of their forefathers, even though these ways were wrong! All the above is a reminder initially to listeners in Mecca at the time, and after them, for all time.
Their excuse for not believing God’s Message is ‘aabaa’ana/ آباءنا’ our parents/forefathers, a bias mentioned again and again in the Qur’an, something the idolators of Qureish were guilty of, and humanity is constantly guilty of as we already know from Verses 5:104 and 7:28.
Even as Muslims, we should be careful of blindly following anyone.
Then they speak of what leaving the ways of their fathers would lead to, which is the loss of status and power.
THAT is THE main reason for people clinging to the status quo; remember that the first to embrace Islam were the poor, the servants, and the children of the Meccan elders, but not the elders themselves.
4. The narrative on Prophet Moses continues in Verses 79– 80– 81, as Pharoah calls for the magicians, and Moses tells them to throw what they would throw. After they’d thrown their rods and staffs, he asks a rhetoric question that belittles the mere magic they have come with, telling them that God will unsettle and void it (see root-verb: baTala), certainly God does not set aright/ rectify/ bring to good[5] or let prevail the work of the Corruptors![6]
Let us pause a little here:
“…indeed God does not set aright/rectify/bring to good the work of Corrupters.”
This statement is so interesting because it informs us -albeit indirectly- that God DOES set aright/rectify the work of others! But who could these O so fortunate people be?
Let us find out:
We put two words in our Qur’an search engine, the word for ‘set aright/صلح’ and the word for ‘worksأعمال/’… and find it in HQ 33:71! [7] There we see that the words are calling upon Those Who Attained Faith, calling upon us, to make ourselves eligible so that He would set aright/ rectify/ bring to good our deeds! How amazing is that?
Imagine, knowing that -being human- even when you do your best, your deeds would fall short of perfection, but:
IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE, you would have your Lord-Sustainer not just watching (for He is always with you)[8] but He would be setting aright/ rectifying/ bringing to good your deeds as you go along!
God knows best- الله أعلم- in what manner He would do that, bearing in mind the diversity of deeds and complexity of results, for it only is for us to trust that He does, while trying to be among such fortunate people!
Who among us is not aching for God to rectify our deeds?
So, let’s pause tom study HQ 33: 70–71– where God addresses Those who have Attained Faith, calling for two more requirements.[9] Attaining Faith -and Trust- is the basis, but so as to have God rectify their/our deeds, they/we are required to fulfil the second requirement, Taqwa Allah/ Awareness of God, and the third, which is about one’s speech:
Our speech should be ‘sadeed,’ integrous, sound, righteous (from root-verb ‘sadda’).[10]
So, these are the requirements after which God rectifies one’s deeds:
- Attaining Faith and Trust
The result is that God not only rectifies their works/deeds for them, but He also ‘forgives their ‘thunoob/misdeeds/wrongs’ (committed between them and God),[11] for whoever obeys God and His Messenger has had a great salvation/deliverance.
How wonderful is that?
ASIDE:
If the call to “be Aware of God and speak ‘sadeed’ speech (integrous/sound/righteous)” seems familiar, it is because we have already encountered a similar command in HQ 4:9, although we hadn’t elaborated upon it.
In HQ 4:9, after God had told those who were distributing a deceased person’s inheritance to give something to the less fortunate who would not naturally inherit, He told them to fear for them as they would fear for their own children had they been the deceased with children now left alone. Amazing! At this somber occasion -distributing inheritance- one could bring relief to those who need it, or simple joy. Even if little, it is still a heart-warming gesture of thoughtfulness to give something to the less fortunate.
Be the one to say something ‘sadeed’ to the inheritors that they might agree to!
When we study the definition of ‘qawl sadeed,’ we find that it is not only about sound speech of integrity and righteousness… but also of speech that ‘fills the gaps’ in something to deliver integrity to it. It is about honesty and truth, making up for something (a wrong?), mending what was compromised (an injustice; a relationship?) and delivering integrity to it. This is something to think about as well, because God often recompenses according to the deed itself, and here the reward for Those who attained Faith directing thier speech towards ‘mending/ repairing/ putting straight’ is that God rectifies their deeds!
May we be among them!
Back to the verses at hand. After the statement in Verse 81:
“…indeed God does not set aright/rectify/bring to good the work of Corrupters.”
Verse 82 is another strong statement where God, with His words and commands, makes Haqq THE Haqq, implements/realizes Truth and Justice, even if the Evil-Earners were loathe/averse to that!
5. Verse 83 shows us the effect of fear and intimidation:
People can be mentally restrained (by those of higher authority) into NOT taking the action they really want to take. Here, we understand that only some offspring from the people of Moses had faith in him; most were fearing they would suffer ‘fitnah/ trial by fire’ at the hands of Pharoah and their peers, for Pharoah had indeed risen/domineered upon the land and was indeed of the Excessive.
In Verse 84 Moses advises his people (who feared Pharaoh) to rely on God, if indeed they are pure in Reverence to Him (Muslimeen). They announce their reliance on God (in Verse 85). asking Him -as their Lord-Sustainer- not to make of them a trial by fire/ a burning, consuming distraction (fitnah-فتنة) to The Wrong-doers.
We spoke of the word ‘fatana- فتن’[12] earlier at HQ 2: 187-196, denoting ‘trial by fire,’ a word which originated in the context of “trying metal by fire to extract its gold.”
6. Muhammad Asad had already explained to us the word ‘fitnahفتنة-’ earlier saying that it is impossible in any language but Arabic to reproduce all the shades of meaning which this word carries, which is the why its translation tends to vary, depending on context.
We must remember that humans first fell prey to ‘fitnah’ when the Deviant/Satan seduced the first Cognizant Humans with two unattainable concepts that would become Humanity’s most debasing, yet burning -and indeed dividing- goals:
Perpetuity/eternal life and unfaltering Possession/Power.
These two concepts continue to lead us away from our Spirituality, and from our higher Achievements.
‘Fitnah’ is a VERY important topic, especially these days, and I don’t think many of us, as yet, realize what it means:
Moses’ followers asked God not to make of them a ‘fitnah’ for the wrong-doers, although, perhaps, they already were a ‘fitnah’ to Pharaoh, a burning obsession that separated him from his better judgement. As we see in other verses, he was so distracted from his own best interests, that he could not stay put, and followed them even after they had already left!
But the prayers of Moses’ followers were answered, in that their period of ‘fitnah’ was short-lived, ending quickly with Pharaoh’s complete destruction. This was the result of their reliance on God.
Let’s look at any age group, or ethnic group. At any community, nation, or group of nations on this earth.
What is the ‘consuming distraction,’ the ‘burning urgency which is guaranteed to separate them from what is truly important, hindering them from achieving their potential as productive and spiritual Human Beings?
That is their ‘fitnah!’
It could be in the shape of an adversary or a need, whether real or imagined. It could be a pastime or a sport. It could masquerade as religion or secularism, morality or liberalism. It could be a quagmire of historic proportion, bringing perpetual guilt upon some and victimhood upon others. Whatever shape it takes, it gets hyped up until it consumes people’s thoughts and is perceived to threaten their sense of self and way of life, limiting their focus to short-term goals while ultimately hindering them from achieving their full potential as productive and spiritual Human Beings.
Whether it is real, an exaggeration of reality, or a figment of imagination… THAT is their ‘fitnah.’
I believe that if people of all faiths refocused on God and relied on Him, if Peace-lovers of all nations unmasked the war-mongers in their midst, we would begin to see the best in our fellow humans. Then perhaps, the ‘fitnah’ which we have all indeed become to each other, would gradually burn out, to the benefit of all.
7. After having announced their reliance on God and asked Him -as their Lord-Sustainer- not to make of them a trial by fire to The Wrong-doers, Moses’ followers continue their prayer in Verse 86, asking God to deliver them, by His Mercy, from the Denying people.
Actually, it would benefit us to oft-repeat their entire prayer:
“..عَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ () وَنَجِّنَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ”
“..Upon Allah/God we do rely. Rabbana/Our Lord-Sustainer! Make us not a trial for the Wrongdoing People!
And save us, by Your Mercy, from The Denying People.”
Verse 87 continues, as God informs Moses and his brother to settle their people in ‘miSr/a bordered land/ Egypt’[13] and have dwellings there, putting emphasis on transforming these homes into a ‘qiblah’ a direction of communion/prayer, and to establish regular communion/prayer. They are told to give glad tidings to The Faithful (who followed them and obeyed what God had asked).
In Verse 88, we notice the implications behind Moses saying that his Lord had given Pharoah and his people embellishments/adornments and wealth in this lowly/ immediate life, ‘so as to misguide from the path of God.’ Here we should realize the power of life’s adornments (control; fame, etc..) and wealth in causing one to both be misguided, AND to have the means to misguide others.
At the end we feel Moses’ frustration in his heartfelt, severe, prayer against Pharaoh and his chieftains.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 10: 89-106.
Peace unto all!
[1] ‘Fulk’ فُلك’ -in Arabic- is a circular shape without sharp corners, a ‘curved, rounded’ vessel… ‘fulk’ are also celestial bodies (such as planets and stars)..“..similar to the ‘felkeh’ of a spinning-wheel…. so sea-vessels are called because they turn around in the water..”
This is akin to the English ‘Arc,’ which etymologically is about something “bowed, curved,” rather than ‘Ark.’
من ذلك فَلْكة المِغزل، سمِّيت لاستدارتها ومن هذا القياس فَلَك السماء.
[2] When a person belies something outright, calling it false again and again, it becomes difficult to change one’s heart/mind, and when one is older (or arrogant), it becomes very difficult to admit one was wrong.
In the end, there comes a time, after all the opportunities have been missed, that the ‘qalb,’ the ‘heart/mind’ earns the ‘Tab3/طبع’ upon it, becoming ‘sealed’ due to the person’s repeated performance of the same habit, (in Arabic we use the word ‘Tab3/ طبع’ for habit).
[3] When we did HQ 7: 96-116, pages 163+164.
[4] It surprises many to know that Prophet Moses is actually mentioned in the Qur’an by name 129 times, in 124 Qur’anic verses!
بطل: هو ذَهاب الشيء وقِلَّة مُكثه ولُبْثه. يقال بَطَلَ الشيءُ يَبطُل بُطْلاً وبُطُولاً. وسُمِّي الشيطانُ الباطلَ لأنه لا حقيقةَ لأفعاله، وكلُّ شيءٍ منه فلا مَرْجُوعَ لـه ولا مُعَوَّلَ عليه. والبَطَل الشُّجاع.
[6]
Exegetes have explained the last part of the verse to mean that the work of corruptors would never gain ground, but rather, would be seen for what it is, and they would get no reward for it.
الزمخشري: “وقرىء «آلسحر» على الاستفهام. فعلى هذه القراءة «ما» استفهامية، أي أيّ شيء جئتم به، أهو السحر؟”
والمعنى ..{ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَيُبْطِلُهُ } سيمحقه أو يظهر بطلانه بإظهار المعجزة على الشعوذة { لاَ يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ} لا يثبته ولا يديمه، ولكن يسلط عليه الدمار
ابن عجيبة: “وقرأ البصري: ” آلسحر” أي: أيّ شيء جئتم به السحر هو؟ { إن الله سيُبْطلُه }: سيمحقه، أو سيظهر بطلانه، { إن الله لا يُصلح عملَ المفسدين } لا يثيبه ولا يديمُه، وفيه دليل على أن السحر تمويه لا حقيقة له…”
[7] يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ آذَوْا مُوسَىٰ فَبَرَّأَهُ اللَّهُ مِمَّا قَالُوا ۚ وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهًا ﴿٦٩﴾ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا ﴿٧٠﴾ يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا ﴿الأحزاب: ٧١﴾
[8] God is with each of us, the One we do not see, listening to every conversation! See HQ 58:7.
[9] الزمخشري: والمعنى راقبوا الله في حفظ ألسنتكم، وتسديد قولكم، فإنكم إن فعلتم ذلك أعطاكم الله ما هو غاية الطلبة من تقبل حسناتكم والإثابة عليها، ومن مغفرة سيآتكم وتكفيرها. وقيل إصلاح الأعمال التوفيق في المجيء بها صالحة مرضية..
الرازي: ثم قال تعالى: { يأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوْلاً سَدِيداً، يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ } أرشدهم إلى ما ينبغي أن يصدر منهم من الأفعال والأقوال، أما الأفعال فالخير، وأما الأقوال فالحق لأن من أتى بالخير وترك الشر فقد اتقى الله ومن قال الصدق قال قولاً سديداً، ثم وعدهم على الأمرين بأمرين: على الخيرات بإصلاح الأعمال فإن بتقوى الله يصلح العمل والعمل الصالح يرفع ويبقى فيبقى فاعله خالداً في الجنة، وعلى القول السديد بمغفرة الذنوب.
[10] “Sadda: Denotes filling-in something and making it level… ‘sadda’ as if there is no notch or deficiency in it. And every block between two things is a ‘sadd,’ a ‘dam/barricade.’ From that they say, “I ‘sadadtu’ the gap (to restore integrity to something, making it sound). And from that they say, ‘the sadeed,’ the person of ‘sadaad,’ the person of righteousness/sound morals/ integrity.”
سَدَّ: يَدُلُّ عَلَى رَدْمِ شَيْءٍ وَمُلَاءَمَتِهِ. مِنْ ذَلِكَ سَدَدْتُ الثُّلْمَةَ سَدًّا. وَكُلُّ حَاجِزٍ بَيْنَ الشَّيْئَيْنِ سَدٌّ. وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ السَّدِيدُ، ذُو السَّدَادِ، أَيِ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ كَأَنَّهُ لَا ثُلْمَةَ فِيهِ.
[11] There are many words in Arabic which are commonly translated into ‘sin,’ but each is different. Today we mentioned ‘thunoob’ (from the singular ‘thanb’). Exegetes have said that the ‘thanb’ is the deadly sin, whereas the ‘sayyi’ah’ is the smaller one. That is because, after repentance, God forgives/ghafara the first and covers/kafara the latter.
Also, ‘Thanb’ seems to be the misdeeds and failings which are between us and God. We shall note later that the ‘sayyi’ah/سيئة’ seems more like a misdeed against others.
فتن: يدلُّ على ابتلاء واختبار. من ذلك الفِتْنة. يقال: فتَنْتُ أفتِنُ فَتْناً. وفَتَنْتُ الذّهبَ بالنّار، إذا امتحنتَه. وهو مفتونٌ وفَتِين [12] والفَتَّان: الشَّيطان. ويقال: فتنه وأفْتَنَه. قال الخليل: الفَتْن: الإحراق. وشيءٌ فتين: أي مُحْرَق. ويقال للحَرَّة: فَتين، كأنَّ حجارتَها مُحرَقة
[13] The word ‘miSr,’ known mostly as the Arabic name for ‘Egypt,’ appears in the lexicon as ‘a bordered area of land,’ plural ‘amSaar.’ Ibn Faris’(d.1004) does not mention Egypt at all in his lexicon, while Al Isfahani (d. 1109) does, as we see below. Most think it refers to Egypt, but there are those who say the land was not specified and therefore isn’t necessarily about Egypt.
الراغب الأصفهاني:
“مصر: المِصْرُ اسم لكلّ بلد ممصور، أي: محدود، يقال: مَصَرْتُ مَصْراً. أي: بنيته، والمِصْرُ:الحدُّ….وقوله تعالى: اهْبِطُوا مِصْراً [البقرة/ 61] فهو البلد المعروف، وصرفه لخفّته، وقيل: بل عنى بلدا من البلدان.”