Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
The subject-matter in our last Reading was tough, but I do hope that I have well-illustrated the necessity of keeping Qur’anic verses -indeed everything we report – in context.
Also, since many people around the world (due to media bias and disinformation) do NOT realize that Islam is historically known for having been the most tolerant towards others, I think that they need to discover this fact, but not in our writings as much as in our persons. We must re-establish our tradition of respecting other people’s faiths and cultures. Unfortunately, many of us have lost sight of that.
It is no coincidence that, the most convincing arguments today, and therefore those most likely to change mind-sets, are coming from scholars who have embraced Islam, rather than being born into it. I believe that one of the reasons for this is that when they look out, they see people, rather than a ‘Muslim’ versus ‘non-Muslim’ divide. And because people can feel this acceptance, they naturally soften to them.
Among such scholars are Sheykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, both of whom speak eloquently about Islam’s uniqueness.
Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah shows us how, even as Islam spread to other cultures, it kept them intact:
“Historically, Islamic jurists have upheld the Prophet’s legal precedent for respecting non-Arabs’ ethnic and cultural differences, as long as they did not contravene his teaching. Islam’s spread and triumphant past reflects this glorious global culture. Like a crystal-clear river, Islam and sacred law are pure but colorless, until they reflect the Chinese, African, & other bedrock over which they flow.” Read complete article.
Yusuf Ali’s Translation of our new Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of our new Chapter.
سورة يونس / Surat Yunus
COMMENTS:
1. This is the ‘Chapter of Jonah,’ of the late Meccan period and considered to be closely connected to the five that follow.
According to Asad:
“The central theme of Yunus is revelation – in particular, the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad, and the impossibility of its having been “composed” by the latter and fraudulently attributed by him to God, as the deniers of the truth assert (verses 15-17, 37-38 and 94). Woven around this theme are references to earlier prophets – all of whom were given the lie by the majority of their people – as well as a many-sided exposition of the fundamental tenets of Islam: the oneness, uniqueness and omnipotence of God, the continuity of His revelation to man, the certainty, of resurrection and of God’s final judgment – culminating in the reminder (in verse 108) that “whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good: and whoever chooses to go astray, goes but astray to his own hurt.”
2. Verse 1 begins with the ‘disjointed letters (A-L-R) which introduce us to this Chapter of the Qur’an. We already discussed such beginnings on Blog Post Day 77. As our regular Readers know, such letters usually introduce the ‘Compilation’ as seen here.
–Verse 2 announces that the exclusive information ‘waHi-وحي’ which is sent to ‘warn’ people (in general) on one hand, gives glad tidings to Those Who Attained Faith, telling them of the ‘qadam’[1] -advantage or head-start- they have with their Lord-Sustainer, and that this advantage is one of ‘Sincerity’(qadam Sidq)! How beautiful this is, may we be among them!
–Verse 3 is somewhat similar to HQ 7: 54, encountered in our Posting of Blog Post Day 80, asserting Who our Lord-Sustainer is; Creator, Maintainer of the Arch (of Creation
3. The concept of ‘istawaa’ upon the Arch’ appears here for the second time (seven times total in the Qur’an). Both Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad consider it metaphorical, while I believe it isn’t, because God does tell us ‘Qawluhu al Haqq;’ His Word/His Saying is the True and the Just/Truth and Justice. So -Allahu a3lam/God knows Best- but I think that what might seem incomprehensible to us IS IN FACT VERY REAL, and we need to look to the original meaning of the Arabi words to get as close to the truth of the ambiguous word as we can.
-Let us look at the word ‘istawaa/استوى’ from the root verb ‘sawaya/ سوي’ [2]
Sawaya: Is about balance and moderation between two things; as in “this does not ‘yusaawi’ that,” i.e. not equivalent to it. Or that “so and so are on the same ‘sawiyyah/level.” ‘Sawaa
/ سواء is the center, so named because in houses and others, that is the part of it that is level.
Derivatives of ‘sawaya’ appear in 80 verse of the Qur’an, all related to the same concept of making something level, equal, balanced, even, proportional…etc.
We already read Q2:29 where two derivatives of the word appeared, first saying that God ‘istawaa’ to the Exalted Expanse (singular), then that He ‘sawwa’ them into seven Exalted Expanses.
GENERAL RULE:
We cannot fathom how God Himself ‘istawaa,’ therefore we should never ever elaborate in our own words with regard to God, Jalla jalaaluh/Exalted is He! This goes for everything related to God or to the unseen/ gheyb which He Himself had not elaborated upon. We can only use His exact words as they are given to us and look to their original definitions as understood when the Qur’an was revealed, without any elaboration. People naturally commit ‘shaTan/deviation’ when they elaborate, hence we are told to seek refuge in God from the Deviant whenever we read the Qur’an.
Now, looking at Verse 3 we note that, similar to other verses, [3] it tells us that it is God Who ‘istawaa;’ rightfully proportioning, ‘balancing’ the Arch.
We spoke of this earlier and noted that the word ‘arch/’عرش in Arabic (near-identical pronunciation and meaning to the English)[4] expresses BUILDING, complete with raising and fortifying what is built. The ‘arch’ which the Qur’an ALWAYS mentions with regard to God’s Creation, is directly related to the form and function of this universe, as the receptacle of LIFE.
Kudos to our Muhammad Asad for the correct translation of ‘ayyam- أيام’ as aeons!
In this verse we find mention of another ‘gheyb’ matter, that of ‘shafaa3ah’ or intercession, where someone petitions on behalf of another. This concept is mentioned several times in the Qur’an where we note that it is mostly to say that THERE IS NO intercessor, and when there might be, it is with God’s authorization.
The verse ends by asserting that God is our Rabb/Lord-Sustainer and calls us to worship him, indicating that there is something we should remember:
This seems to be referring to our primordial testimony.
Remembering our primordial testimony we also remember that we belong to God and, as seen in the next verse, unto Him we shall return.
4. Verse 4 tells us of God’s promise in truth that to Him we shall all return, mentioning how creation begins and then starts anew for people to get recompensed for their actions positive for positive and negative for the same.
Notice the term ‘qisT-قسط’ translated by Ali as ‘justice’ and by Asad as ‘equity.’
QisT- قسط’ is about ‘equity,’ as in a provider meting out to a recipient what is rightfully owed; it is therefore between two parties only, provider and recipient (unlike justice/3adl which is among many parties).
5. Verse 5 contains a ‘scientific marvel’ in that it differentiates between what we perceive as sunlight and moonlight; while the sun shines and is radiant, the moon just gives off light.[5] Here, we learn that God had projected the moon’s cycles so that we would be able to mark out time and take count, all created in Truth and Justice; Signs distinguished and identified for people who know.
Verse 6 speaks of the alternation of night and day, and of all that God had created in the heavens and earth which constitute signs for those who are aware
Both these verses speak of the wonders of creation being signs to us!
6. Verses 7-10 offer an example of what is termed ‘targheeb and tarheeb-ترغيب وترهيب ’ or ‘persuasion and dissuasion,’ which we spoke of in Blog Post Day 79 when we discussed HQ 7:41-42.
Dissuasion here comes before persuasion:
Verses 7 and 8 speak of those who do not anticipate meeting God (الذين لا يرجون لقاءنا).
It is SO interesting to see them mentioned 4 times in the Qur’an, three out of four in this Surah! While this verse shows us how heedlessly content they are with the lowly/dunya life, other verses speak of their arrogant, challenging attitude (‘bring us another Qur’an,’ ‘bring down upon us the custodians/angels,’ and ‘let us see our Lord!’).
Their recompense in Verse 8 is short and clear: Their abode is the Fire due to what they had been earning.
(P.S. The present continuous tense is interesting in these verses!)
7. Now comes persuasion at its most beautiful in Verses 9 and 10, speaking of Those who have Attained Faith AND done good deeds, both in life and in the Afterlife!
Firstly, in life, THEIR Rabb/Lord-Sustainer shall gift-guide them BY their faith and trust:
Notice the nurturing, intimate choice of words in God calling Himself THEIR Rabb.
Notice how having faith and trust in God is designed to provide guidance.
Secondly, in the Afterlife, they shall be praising God ‘SubHaanakAllahum’ and receiving greetings of ‘Peace/Salaam,’ with rivers flowing beneath them in gardens of bliss. Their final invocation takes them full circle to the first call they made to their Creator in life, to the words that had never left their lips: ‘AlHamdulil-Lahi Rabbil-AAlameen.’
Ali: ‘Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!’
Asad: “All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”
These two invocations are worth memorizing and saying in full.
The scenes of dissuasion and persuasion offer listeners contrasting ends with a choice to make; it is ultimately up to them!
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 10: 11-21.
Peace unto all!
[1] قدم: يدلُّ على سَبْق .. يقولون: القِدَم: خلاف الحُدوث. ويقال: شيءٌ قديم، إذا كان زمانُهُ سالفاً. وقادِمَة الرَّحْلِ: خلاف آخِرَته. … ولفلانٍ قدمُ صدقٍ، أي شيءٌ متقدِّم من أثَر حسَن.
ومن الباب: قَدِم من سفره قُدوماً، وأقْدَم على الشيء إقداماً… ومُقدِّمَة الجيش: أوّله.
[2] سوي: أصلٌ يدلُّ على استقامةٍ واعتدالٍ بين شيئين. يقال هذا لا يساوي كذا، أي لا يعادله. وفلانٌ وفلانٌ على سَوِيّةٍ من هذا الأمر، أي سواءٍ. عن الكسائيّ قال: يقال كيف أمسيتم؟ فيقال: مَستوُون صالحون. يريدون أولادُنا ماشيتُنا سَوِيَّةٌ صالحة.
والسِّيّ: المِثْل. وقولهم سِيّانِ، أي مِثلان. ومن ذلك قولهم: لا سيّما، أي لا مثلَ ما….كما يقال ولا سَواء.
ومن الباب السَّواء: وسَط الدَّارِ وغَيرِها، وسمِّي بذلك لاستوائه. قال الله جلَّ ثناؤه: {فاطَّلَعَ فَرَآهُ فِي سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ} [الصافات 55].
[3] Other verses give us examples of a person who ‘istawaa’ as in Q.23:18 about Prophet Noah, and in Q43:13 about a traveler: Please note that this is when that person is IN CONTROL and COMMAND of a mount or vehicle.
The main problem which exegetes encountered when explaining verses mentioning the phrase “istawaa ‘alal ‘arch” is exacerbated by the ‘arch’ being understood by its secondary meaning ‘throne.’ Similar to their understanding of ‘yad’ as the limb we call ‘hand’ rather than its primary meaning of ‘power.’
Hence so many verses came to be explained allegorically, rather than being seen as ‘Haqq.’
[4] Etymology: ARCH: “structure (in a building, bridge, etc.) in the shape of a curve that stands when supported only at the extremities,” c. 1300, from Old French arche “and they link it to ‘arc.’
So the word entered English in the early 14th century, bearing in mind that, in Europe, Arabic was the language of the sciences and the arts (including archaeology) from the 8th to the 15th century during Muslim rule in Andalusia. After that, it was through Arabic works that the rest of Europe gradually came out of what they have termed ‘the dark ages.’
If I can, I would help anyone who takes it upon themselves to dig deeper into this issue: The UNACKNOWLEDGED TRUTH on the hundreds (if not thousands) of European words with Arabic roots.
عرش: يدلُّ على ارتفاعٍ في شيء مبنيّ، ثم يستعارُ في غير ذلك. من ذلك العَرْش، قال الخليل: العرش: سرير الملِك. وهذا صحيحٌ، قال الله تعالى: {وَرَفَعَ أبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ} [يوسف 100]، ثم استُعير ذلك فقيل لأمر الرّجُل وقِوامه: عرش. وإذا زال ذلك عنه قيل: ثُلَّ عَرشُه. ومن الباب: تعريش الكَرْم، لأنّه رفعه والتوثُّق منه. والعريش: بناءٌ من قُضبانٍ يُرفَع ويوثَّق حتَّى يظلّل. ويقال لسَقْف البَيْت عَرْش. قال الله تعالى: {فَهي خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِها} [الحج 45]، والمعنى أنَّ السَّقف يسقُط ثم يتَهافت عليه الجُدرانُ ساقطةً.
[5] In Q.71:16 the distinction is even clearer, where the sun is an actual fiery torch while the moon is light.