Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
COMMENTS:
1. Our Reading today starts with a call to worship God Alone, without association-Shirk.
Interestingly, ‘shirk’ is an English word first used in 1633, which (according to Etymology) came “perhaps from the German word schurke” (notice how in English it is pronounced identical to Arabic) and means ‘to practice fraud… in the sense of ‘evade one’s work or duty’ (the meaning is also similar and yet no mention of the word being of Arabic origin).
We will notice in this verse the exalted status of parents which the Qur’an upholds. They are not simply ‘first’ on the list here, but IN the ‘headline,’ which is not clear in translation. God says ‘wa bil waalideyni iHsaanan’ meaning ‘and in parents (do) the best of deeds beyond the call of duty/ultimate Goodness,’ the conjunction ‘and’ -joining ‘parents’ to the preceding words- gives them emphasis and priority in this call, right after the call to worship God.
‘And (you all) worship God and do not associate (shirk) with Him in any way (anything), and in parents (do) Ultimate Goodness, and in the next of kin (one of closeness/proximity), and the orphans, and the incapacitated, and the neighbor of proximity(closeness), and the adjacent neighbor, and the companion at one’s side, and the son of the open road (stranded traveler/ homeless/ refugee) and what your tenures hold/right hands possess, indeed God does not love one who is who is Swaggering, Arrogant.”
The call to IHsaan is consistent in the Qur’an. We already encountered a verse similar to the above in HQ2:83, which was taken as a pledge from those who failed to uphold it.
Y. Ali’s note 554 says that a superior condescension is not what kind service is all about; he calls it the ‘White Man’s Burden.’
Muhammad Asad tells us in note 48 that the reference to ‘saahib bil janb,’ or ‘the companion by your side’ is one’s spouse. Also that in the past, when ‘those in your tenure’ referred to slaves, this verse was a call to free them, since that is the best deed of ‘Goodness’ one can perform towards them!
Note: Before we leave this verse thinking blissfully that ‘Shirk’ does not apply to us, let us stop for a moment and do a reality check.
Do we truly worship God Alone without ANY shirk?
How are we in general, as Muslims?
2. Verse 37 discusses miserliness and suppressing or concealing God’s Bounty (Fadl), the extra measure of which He has graced us with, whether in talents, capabilities or wealth. There shall be suffering for the Deniers.
Then, in verse 38 we are given description of people who do spend, but only to be seen and praised by others, without faith and trust in their hearts. Muhammad Asad reminds us in note 49 that the allusion to Satan here is related to HQ2:268.
In verse 39 there seems to be an informal, conversational-style invitation unto Faith. We get the sense of: What is stopping them? Why don’t they just go ahead and have Faith, trust in God, and spend of what He has provided? But at the end we realize that it is by no means casual conversation, as it concludes on a solemn note of warning: God has full Knowledge of them!
3. Verse 40 is a statement of Fact by which we understand that we should do good, be generous and not worry because:
God does not wrong by even an atom’s weight,
and multiplies the reward of good deeds manifold.
This reminds us of HQ99:7-8:
Then whosoever does an atom’s weight of good, shall behold it (7)
and whosoever does an atom’s weight of evil, shall behold it. (8)
4. Verses 41-42 discuss Judgment Day.
Yusuf Ali’s note 560 “Each Prophet and leader is a witness for his people and his contemporaries- for those who accept God and against those who reject Him.
5. Verse 43 is the verse of ‘tayammum’ or ‘symbolic ablution’ which Those Who Attained Faith resort to, in the absence of water. It has several important points to discuss.
First, the initial part of the verse which says that approaching prayer must always be done with a clear head so that we KNOW what we are saying. Although it is understood that this is one of the Qur’anic verses that led up to the command to ‘steer clear’ of the effects of intoxicants ‘khamr’ (discussed in Blog Post Days 17 and 18), its wisdom is for all time (see Asad’s note 54). We may feel groggy in everyday situations not related to intoxicants, such as being sleepy, tired, medicated .. etc.
Secondly, Those Who Attained Faith must not approach prayer after a marital (sexual) encounter until they have bathed- unless travelling and unable to do so (Asad) in which case they would follow the ritual ablution to be mentioned. If Worshippers happen to be ill, travelling, or returning from the toilet, or had a sexual encounter and no water can be found, they can resort to pure dust, passing some of it lightly over their faces and hands, for God overlooks our failings and is Much-Forgiving.
Needless to say, this verse is a Blessing!
It made Prayer so much more accessible, as water is not always available, and is contra-indicated in certain cases (when patients should not wash). This also goes to show us that although cleanliness is one goal in ritual Ablution وضوء (& ritual Bathing غسل), it is not the only goal. Another goal is ‘mental and spiritual’ preparedness for Prayer, which is an encounter with Divinity, that cannot be attained unless we have already risen above the mundane!
6. Verses 44-47 are about the People of Earlier Compilations and are self-explanatory (Assad’s notes 58-62).
7. Verse 48 (and a similar verse in 4:116) are oft-quoted; they are two of the most important verses on Shirk/Associating with God in the Qur’an. This verse warns us that God does NOT forgive Shirk (associating anything with Him), although he forgives what is lesser than that, to whomever He wills. It also tells us that anyone who shirks with God has devised/contrived (Ali/Asad) a great Hindrance.
Research shows us that ‘ithm,’ from the root-verb ‘athama’ means delay, or hindrance. This is very important because shirking God hinders a person from grasping His message, and failing to grasp God’s Message hinders that person from all the lasting benefit to be gained from this existence!
(Remember our many discussions on ‘ithm,’ defined on Day 15).
Verses 49-50 continue with something we can relate to, but first let us define the term ‘zaka,’ which is about ‘cultivating something which is by nature uncontaminated, and making it grow. It will then generate pure proceeds and will continue to provide new growth.’ In other words, the term ‘zaka’ زكا- زكي bears two connotations, growth and purity.[1]
We did not explain this term when we came across it earlier, in Blog Posts Days 16 and 23 (HQ3:164) where it was generally understood from context (referring to wealth),[2] while here it demands explanation as it refers to people.
The verses here (49-50) speak of people we see around us, who يزكون ‘yuzakkoona’ themselves:
They are full of self-praise, ‘expanding upon’ their own worth and ‘purging’ their records of any wrongdoing, painting themselves in a most favorable light. It is not their right to bestow ‘tazkiyah/ commendation/approval’ upon themselves; it is God Who commends/approves of whomever He wills, and no one will ever be wronged a ‘hair’s breadth/in the least little thing’ (Asad/Ali).[3] Their lies suffice as manifest, EVIDENT HINDRANCE!
These verses add to the urgency that we do a ‘Reality Check,’ if only to make sure we aren’t among such people!
Have we been committing Shirk, whether subtly at times or more obviously?
Have we allowed preconception to cloud our judgment?
Have we been promoting teachings over the Qur’an?
Do we commend ourselves?
Let us look inward here please.
Let us not look at others or be judgmental of them, as that is the opposite of what we need to be doing. Tazkiyah/Self-purification is contagious; it grows and flows from one person to the next, and we all share the responsibility to first perform ‘tazkiyah’ of our Selves so as to have a community of Zakaat.
To those who think that all is well and that we have not contrived any shirking of God I pose ONE question:
The Qur’an tells us that anyone who shirks with God has contrived a great Hindrance, so:
Are we today hindered or advanced?
Enough said.
Our next Reading is from HQ4:49-65.
Peace unto all!
[1]معجم المقاييس: زكي: “أصلٌ يدل على نَمَاءٍ وزيادة.
يقال الطَّهارة زكاة المال. قال بعضهم: سُمِّيت بذلك لأنَّها مما يُرجَى به زَكاءُ المال، وهو زيادتهُ ونماؤه. وقال بعضُهم:سمِّيت زكاةً لأنّها طهارة. قالوا: وحُجّة ذلك قولُهُ جلَّ ثناؤُه: {خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا} [التوبة 103]. والأصل في ذلك كلِّه راجع إلى هذين المعنيين، وهما النَّماء والطهارة”.
لسان العرب: “زكا: الزَّكاء: النَّماء والرَّيْعُ، زَكا يَزْكو زَكاء وزُكُوّاً. والزَّكاء: ما أَخرجه الله من الثمر. وأَرضٌ زَكِيَّةٌ: طيِّبةٌ سمينة…وأَزْكاه الله، وكلُّ شيء يزداد ويَنْمي فهو يَزْكو زكاء.
والزَّكاةُ: الصلاحُ. ورجل تقيٌّ زَكِيٌّ أَي زاكٍ من قوم أَتْقياء أَزْكِياء….
وزَكَّى نفسَه تَزْكِيةً: مدَحها. وزَكَّى الرجل نفسَه إِذا وصفها وأَثنى عليها.
والزَّكاةُ: زَكاةُ المال معروفة، وهو تطهيره…الزَّكاة ما أَخرجته من مالك لتهطره به، وقد زَكَّى المالَ… وقال تعالى: خيراً منه زَكاةً؛ أَي خيراً منه عملاً صالحاً، وقال الفراء: زَكاةً صلاحاً، وكذلك قوله عز وجل: وحناناً من لدُنَّا وزَكاةً؛ قال: صلاحاً. أَبو زيد النحوي في قوله عز وجل: ولولا فضل الله عليكم ورحمتُه ما زَكا منكم من أَحد أَبداً ولكن الله يُزَكِّي من يشاء؛ وقرئ ما زَكَّى منكم، فمن قرأَ ما زَكا فمعناه ما صلح منكم، ومن قرأَ ما زَكَّى فمعناه ما أَصلح..”
[2] It is advisable to go back to that verse where we would find ourselves understanding it a lot better, now that we have the definition!
[3] Fateel: Ali: “Literally, the small skin in the groove of a date stone, a thing of no value.”