Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
In our last Reading the Qur’an clearly indicated that only God knows the Unseen ‘al gheyb’ الغيب)), referring to what no one has -or perhaps what no one could- observe or perceive. Today’s Reading begins with a most beautiful illustration of that fact, mentioning what some understand as ‘keys’ to the Unseen (مفاتح الغيب)[1] the singular ‘maftah,’(مَفتح) not ‘miftaah’ also explained by some scholars as the Reserves themselves )God’s ‘Resources’), which is why Yusuf Ali added the word ‘treasures.’ It is also interesting to note that -لا رطب ولا يابس literally means neither hydrated nor dehydrated, and is taken to mean neither the living nor the dead. I have tried to offer a literal explanation of verses 59-60 below.
Although these Timeless Verses were speaking to the idol-worshippers of Qureish in their time, they continue to speak to all Humanity for all time, for the Qur’aan is superior in its attribute, delivering its principled Message in every aan (every moment/ ‘in the now’)!
COMMENTS:
1. Verses 59-60:
“And with Him are the Reserves of the Unseen/Unwitnessed, none knows them (marks them out/ defines them) but He. And He knows/defines what is in the land and the sea. And not a single leaf falls but he knows/defines it, nor a seed in the darkness-es of the earth, nor anything tender or stiff but is in an Evident Compilation.”
In this verse, we see a most beautiful illustration of God’s 3ilm/’عِلم “knowledge and demarcation,” where He defines -and knows- the minutest detail of everything in Creation. We spoke on Day 34 about the verb ‘allama’ and posted its meaning.
In this verse we also note the harmony in the Compilation of ‘Life and Death,’ presented in concepts we easily relate to.
Since the beginning of Creation till its end, He knows/marks out the landing-site of every dead leaf that blows off every tree… where it fertilizes the earth, and then coaxes, far below, a tiny seed hidden from all but God….which at that moment is splitting open to release a tender shoot, which still must push through the depths of darkness to reach light.
His are the Resources of all that is Gheyb/Unseen/Unwitnessed (by Creation) and, and He, as their Creator WHO KNOWS their every flutter and murmur… their every need, He will grant them of these reserves!
Dear Reader: Think of the above verse whenever you are in distress or feeling abandoned; it works wonders, especially when you recall Q.6:12; 6:54 in which God has compiled Mercy as an assertion upon Himself to be delivered to us!
Who, other than Our Creator, can sustain our tender shoots during dry patches in our life?
Before continuing onto Verse 60, please read the posting on Day 64 which shows the linguistic difference between the two words, ‘wafaat’ and ‘mawt’ (وفاة- موت), both usually translated as ‘Death.’ Muslim scholars have dubbed human sleep a ‘minor Death/waffaat sughraa,’ the ‘major Death الوفاة الكبرى’ in which the spirit/consciousness is fully delivered unto its Creator.
“And it is He Who delivers you (unto Him) by night and knows what you earn by day, then He rouses you [2](بعث) within it in fulfillment of a designated term, then to Him is your return when He will inform you as to what you had been doing. ”
2. Verses 61-62 continue along the same lines, as the Qur’an declares 4 things, and we notice the full circle of Life, in which God dominates/subdues all creation:
·That He is Subduer (in domination) over His worshippers…
· ..and He sends upon them guardians…
·…until when Death (mawt) arrives to one of you, Our Messengers delivers (tawaffaa) him (his ‘nafs/self’) without omission…
· ..after which they are returned to God, their Rightful Protector/Mawlaahum al-Haqq/ مولاهم الحقّ, to Whom belongs The Judgment, and Who Is the Swiftest of all reckoners.
God’s subduing dominance over His worshippers, as we saw, includes sending them guardians, understood to be ‘angels’ (whom we shouldn’t imagine to be similar to what we see in old paintings). In fact, angels have many positive tasks that relate to humans, and we’ll know more about that as we go along.
It is interesting to note the differences in Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad’s explanations (ie. that God is ‘Irresistible/holds sway,’ and that he sends ‘guardians/heavenly forces’ – Ali/Asad).
There are two attributes of God that share the root-verb ‘qahara/قَهَر’ (to subdue in domination):
-‘Al Qaahir fawqa 3ibaadih: Subduing and Dominant over His worshippers/قاهر فوق عباده
-Al WaaHid Al Qahhaar: ‘The One, The Eternally Subduing and Dominant/الواحد القهّار
(Qahhaar قهّار/ is the superlative form of Qaahir).
See Sheykh Dr. Nabulsi’s explanation of this Attribute here.
Note that God doesn’t give Himself the attribute of ‘Al Qaahir or Al Qahhar’ on its own. When attributes are mentioned in the Qur’an together, each relates to the other. When they always appear together, it is best that we understand them as a combination and try not to separate them.
3. All three Verses 63-65 start with the instruction ‘Say!’ which, being a Meccan Surah, helps us understand to whom they were primarily addressed, although the message itself is applicable for all time.
Every verse has a lesson to be learnt, and here we have quite a few:
Verse 63 is related to the prayers of people in distress, that when faced by the impending prospect of dying in the darkness-es of land and sea, they turn to Him asking for deliverance, promising that -if delivered- they would be ‘of the Appreciative.’
Verse 64 tells us that God Is The One Who delivers from such dangers and from ALL and every distress (كل كرب), after which ‘you’ (people who started out shirking God, then prayed and were saved) would return to shirking Him again!
4. In Verse 65, after the previous verse asserted that it is God Who delivers from distress- we find the listeners being warned that it is God Who is capable of rousing suffering. Notice the contrast between what He does (something we wish for), versus what He is capable of doing (something we fear). If ‘what He is capable of doing’ sounds alarming to those who shirk him, well, perhaps they would rethink their actions and beliefs!
In this verse we notice that God is warning listeners of suffering which is most unsettling to Cognizant Humans, and that it is of three kinds:
- That which falls from above (beyond their span of vision = totally unexpected and overpowering).
- That which rocks the earth beneath their feet (causing them to lose footing = complete loss of control).
- That which they get themselves embroiled in, fighting one another, making each other taste the brutality of conflict (AVOIDABLE!!).
Here we understand that this type of suffering, unlike the first, can be foreseen and therefore avoided with Taqwa/Awareness, or at least controlled. However, we also know that if Udwaan/Aggression sets in, then our warring will cause all kinds of suffering, including what falls from above and rocks the earth beneath our feet!
On Day 15 we spoke about spouses ‘garmenting’ one another. There we understood ‘labasa’ to be about a ‘vestment/garment’ that covers, but the root-verb is also about intermingling. When related to perception/thoughts, the word ‘labasa’ has been used in the Qur’an to mean ‘intermingled thoughts’ or confusion.[3] In this verse it is about becoming ‘adversely vested’[4] against each other as (opposing) supporters (factions) ‘shia3/شِيَع’[5] who start fighting, making each other taste the grim harshness/duress of war/Ba’ss /بأس.
This is what exegetes call ‘targheeb and tarheeb/ persuasion and dissuasion,’ which makes listeners realize God’s Mercy and Compassion on one hand, as well as His Majesty and Omnipotence on the other:
Here listeners should feel it in their hearts: None is akin to Him!
He is Omnipotent. He is God, THE Creator and Sustainer. HE ALONE IS WORTHY OF BEING WORSHIPPED!
Perchance such Signs of God would make them discern and comprehend يفقهون/..![6]
In Verse 66 the Messenger, peace upon him, is being addressed in the words ‘your people’ (قومك)- notice the irony of the situation- affirming that they are already belying the Truth he is presenting them with (!!)[7]
What does this say about them, when they, being ‘his people’ already had a lifetime of evidence to his honesty, and had even called him ‘al Ameen’ before Revelation?
Verse 67 is a powerful warning which, coming from God Himself, should make anyone who denies these verses (which are ‘news’[8] to them) pause to think:
“For every (revealed) account/news there is a predicated station (where it shall come to pass), and you (all) shall come to know (and remark)!”
5. Verse 68 shares some similarities with Verse HQ4:140, discussed in Posting of Day 50. Here we find it ending with an instruction to the listener that, once he remembers/gets a reminder, he should no longer stay with those who take God’s Signs lightly (labelling them ‘al qawm al thaalimeen/the Wrongdoing people).
Verse 69 -being positioned in sequence here- is quite significant: It announces that Those who are being Aware الذين يتَّقون/ cannot be held liable in the least for what such persons (the Wrongdoing people) are doing, but that nevertheless, they should extend to them a Reminder/Thikraa, perchance they too would become aware.
Verse 70 warns with regard to those who do not take their Accountability/Deen seriously, being deceived by the lowly/immediate life. One should part company with such people, but not before reminding them by it/ of it. Here the (masculine singular) pronoun ‘به’ is mostly taken to refer to the Qur’an being used as a reminder, but perhaps it refers to the Deen, which is what such people should be reminded of.
The description of their recompense in the Hereafter should be enough of a warning.
See HQ5:57 and 7:51 (5:57 is discussed in Posting of Day 59).
6. Verse 71 gives us an insight into the mental state of someone whose supplication (and worship) is misdirected towards other than God. Here we understand one’s confusion under the influence of the plummeting desires presented by deviants: Such a person would be going back and forth, tracing and retracing his footsteps, an utterly undecided person in the ‘Now’ /[9]حيران, hearing but not necessarily heeding the call of friends who are guiding him to safety!
Note the command ‘Say’ mentioned twice in this verse:
“Say: “Would we call unto, other than God, what neither benefits us nor harms us, and be spun back on our heels after (the point in time) when God had guided us, like one whom the deviants had enticed with plummeting desire, (so he is utterly and constantly) unstable in the land/earth? He has companions calling/inviting him to Guidance: “Come to us!” Say: “Indeed, God’s (gifted) guidance is The Guidance, and we have been commanded to be Pure in our Reverence[10] to the Lord of the worlds!”
7. Verse 72 gives a clear command to establish communion/prayer and to be aware of God, for unto Him shall all be gathered.
Verse 73 is the fourth time we hear the magnificent statement, when God says to something: ((‘Be!’ And it is… كن فيكون/ فيكون / kun fayakoon)) ))
This verse brings the previous advice, instruction, persuasion and dissuasion to a powerful conclusion, highlighting that whatever God says is REALITY ITSELF.
As we do our dutiful ‘tadabbur’ of this verse, following through, pursuing each denotation as it develops to its end result, we find that the Arabic term ‘nufikha fisSoor-(نفخ في الصور) appears ten times in the Qur’an relating to a precursor to the Day/Term of Resurrection. Although translated by both Ali and Asad as the day when ‘the trumpet shall be blown, where it reflects common[11] understanding and interpretation of the two words ‘nafakha/breathe/blow’ and ‘Ssoor,’ there is another valid interpretation as below, where the verse is telling us:
That it Is God Who created the Exalted Expanses and the Earth in Truth and Justice, at the time when He says to something: ‘Be!’ And it is; His Word itself is Truth and Justice/Reality, and His is all Dominion.
At the time of the (نفخ في الصور)[12] ‘quickening/swelling’ (physical manifestation of the end of Earthly life),[13] He Is Knower of the Unseen/Unwitnessed and the Witnessed, and He Is The Supreme in wisdom (Al Hakeem) and The Supreme in knowledge of every specificity (Al Khabeer)!!
This verse has us in awe of God, Exalted is He in His Greatness- Jalla Jalāluhu[14] -جلَّ جلاله…!
What a conclusion to today’s Reading.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ6:74- HQ 6:90
Peace unto all!
[1] الزمخشري: قيل مفاتح جمع مفتح بفتح الميم وهو المخزن.
[2] بعث: وهو الإثارة. ويقال بعثْتُ النّاقةَ إذا أثَرْتَها.
[3] See all occurrences here.
[4] لَبِسَ: أَصْلٌ صَحِيحٌ وَاحِدٌ، يَدُلُّ عَلَى مُخَالَطَةٍ وَمُدَاخَلَةٍ. مِنْ ذَلِكَ لَبِسْتُ الثَّوْبَ أَلْبَسُهُ، وَهُوَ الْأَصْلُ، وَمِنْهُ تَتَفَرَّعُ الْفُرُوعُ.
وَاللَّبْسُ: اخْتِلَاطُ الْأَمْرِ; يُقَالُ لَبَسْتُ عَلَيْهِ الْأَمْرَ أُلْبِسُهُ بِكَسْرِهَا. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ} [الأنعام: 9]. وَفِي الْأَمْرِ لَبْسَةٌ، أَيْ لَيْسَ بِوَاضِحٍ … وَمِنَ الْبَابِ: اللِّبَاسُ… وَلَابَسْتُ الرَّجُلَ حَتَّى عَرَفْتُ بَاطِنَهُ.. وَلِبْسُ الْهَوْدَجِ وَالْكَعْبَةِ: مَا عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ لِبَاسٍ، بِكَسْرِ اللَّامِ.
[5] This is the first time the word ‘شيع’ is mentioned in the Qur’an. The word has two connotations: ‘Supporting’ on one hand,’ and ‘spreading and extending.’ Al Ragheb al Isfahani (d.1109 CE) tells us that it is about strengthening and spreading, and one’s ‘shee3ah/ شيعة’ is one’s reinforcement; the group which supports a person.
People would naturally have a ‘shee3ah’ they belong to, depending on their persuasion, but Those Who Attained Faith should all be of one united ‘shee3ah.’ In Q.37:79-83 we note that Abraham is of the shee3ah of Noah, despite the time difference between the two, peace upon them both.
Of course, this is all unrelated to the politicized usage of the word. The ‘Shiites’ of later times got their name from being known as ‘Shi3at/Supporters of Ali.’ The political division which took place more than a thousand years ago with its related tragedies (and superlative, active, ‘in the now resentment’ or ‘shana’aan شنآن-’) is arguably one of the main reasons why ‘Muslims’ have not united and are constantly distracted from building their/our best future (we spoke on Day 53 about resentment ‘shanaشنأ’ at its highest degrees, in the ‘aan/ in the now).
This tragic part of ‘Islamic’ history and division is one which all Muslims should have unbiasedly addressed, studied, and learnt from, overcoming it with Taqwa/ Awareness, and hopefully regaining unity (at least unity of purpose if not of mindset). There were, and always will be, powers that serve their own interest by causing division or stoking old fires, but people of faith and trust in God should not fall for that!
In fact, the Qur’an warns listeners against divisiveness in their ‘Deen/ Accountability’ standard, and splitting into different ‘sheeya3.’ I find the pronoun in ‘deenahum/THEIR Deen’ quite telling, because God’s Deen cannot be disjointed, unlike a ‘deen’ which people call ‘theirs!’
الراغب الأصفهاني:
الشِّيَاعُ: الانتشار والتّقوية. يقال: شاع الخبر، أي: كثر وقوي، وشَاعَ القوم: انتشروا وكثروا، وشَيَّعْتُ النّار بالحطب: قوّيتها، والشِّيعَةُ: من يتقوّى بهم الإنسان وينتشرون عنه، ومنه قيل للشّجاع: مَشِيعٌ، يقال: شِيعَةٌ وشِيَعٌ وأَشْيَاعٌ، قال تعالى: وَإِنَّ مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ لَإِبْراهِيمَ [الصافات/ 83] ، هذا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ وَهذا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ [القصص/ 15] ، وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَها شِيَعاً [القصص/ 4] ، فِي شِيَعِ الْأَوَّلِينَ [الحجر/ 10] ، وقال تعالى: وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنا أَشْياعَكُمْ [القمر/ 51]
[6] فقه: يدلُّ على إدراكِ الشَّيء والعِلْمِ به. تقول: فَقِهْتُ الحديث أفْقَهُه. وكلُّ عِلْمٍ بشيءٍ فهو فِقْه. يقولون: لا يَفْقَه ولا يَنْقَه.
ثم اختُصَّ بذلك علمُ الشّريعة، فقيل لكلِّ عالم بالحلال والحرام: فقيه. وأَفْقَهْتُك الشَّيءَ، إذا بَيّنْتُه لك.
[7] Here the (masculine singular) pronoun ‘به’ is mostly taken to refer to the Qur’an, but it could also refer to the suffering/عذاب mentioned in the previous verse.
[8] The word is ‘naba’ (ending with a hamza/نبأ) which shares its root-verb with ‘Nabi/Prophet.’
On Day 45 we said that a ‘Nabi’ is one who would have ‘naba/risen’ from among his people, and was therefore most prominent especially in having received exclusive ‘naba’/news’ from God. So the root-verb is about prominence, here giving the meaning of information; prominent news.
[9] حَيَرَ: أَصْلٌ وَاحِدٌ، وَهُوَ التَّرَدُّدُ فِي الشَّيْءِ. مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْحَيْرَةُ، وَقَدْ حَارَ فِي الْأَمْرِ يَحِيرُ، وَتَحَيَّرَ يَتَحَيَّرُ.
[10] This is about purity both in conviction and in unoffending conduct.
[11] This reflects common Muslim as well as Christian understanding:
In 1 Corinthians 15:52: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Please note that this concept appears 100 times in the Bible. Many of us know that it’s a common motif in art and iconography.
[12] ‘Nafakha’ means ‘to swell, to rise,’ as in the ‘rising day,’ and the ‘nafkha’ of spring, when the earth swells and grasses shoot up.
نفخ: يدلُّ على انتفاخٍ وعلوّ. منه انتفَخَ الشّيءُ انتفاخاً. ويقال انتَفَخَ النَّهار: علا. ونَفْخَة الرَّبيع: إعْشابه؛ لأنَّ الأرضَ تربو فيه وتنتفِخ.
الزمخشري: ” نفخ في النار. ونفخ النار بالمنفاخ وهو الكير…ومن المجاز: انتفخ النهار: علا….نفخة الربيع: أيام إعشابه.
‘Ssoor’ is not a commonly used noun, which is why some think its roots are in ‘Ssayara’ صير * denoting the ‘final destination, مصير’ while others think the roots are in ‘Ssawara ’ صور, denoting ‘physical manifestation,’ . صورة..Ssurah
There also are Hadeeths that seem to point to angels/guardians ‘blowing’ into a horn, but some have considered those Hadeeths weak, and God knows best. At any rate, the term is related to the closing stages of Life on earth, when a rise in physical manifestation brings everything to its finality.
* صير: المآلُ والمرجِع. من ذلك صار يصير صَيْراً وصَيرورة… فإنّ صِير الأمر مَصِيرُهُ وعاقبتُهُ. وصَيُّور الأمرِ: آخِره، وسمِّيَ بذلك لأنّه يُصار إليه.
صور: صوِرَ يَصْوَر، إذا مال. وصُرْت الشَّيءَ أُصُورُهُ، وأَصَرْتُه، إِذا أَمَلته إليك. ويجيء قياسُه تَصَوَّرمن ذلك الصُّورة صُورة كلِّ مخلوق، والجمع صُوَر، وهي هيئةُ خِلْقته. والله تعالى البارئ المُصَوِّر.
ابن كثير: واختلف المفسرون في قوله { يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّوَرِ} فقال بعضهم المراد بالصور هنا، جمع صورة، أي يوم ينفخ فيها، فتحيا. قال ابن جرير كما يقال سور لسور البلد، وهو جمع سورة، والصحيح أن المراد بالصور القرن الذي ينفخ فيه إسرافيل عليه السلام، عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال ” إن إسرافيل قد التقم الصور، وحنى جبهته ينتظر متى يؤمر فينفخ “
وقد ورد ذلك في حديث طويل معروف عند العلماء بـ ( حديث الصور) غير أنه حديث ضعيف ، ضعفه البيهقي في ” شعب الإيمان ” (347) ، وضعفه ابن كثير في تفسيره عند الآية 73 من سورة الأنعام .
[13] Note that ‘nafakha’ is seen in other verses to be about God ‘breathing into Adam (of His RooH/Spirit),’ which we have explained -not as breathe- but rather as ‘quickened.’ That is because the word ‘nafakha’ understood as ‘to breathe/to blow,’ originates in the act of bringing to life -as blowing on embers brings a fire alive, or as spring comes alive after winter. ‘Nafakha’ literally means ‘quickening,’ and the word quicken was used in the old King James Version of the Bible, defined in Biblical lexicons as to “revive or make alive.”
[14] جَلَّ: جَلَّ الشَّيْءُ: عَظُمَ، وَجُلُّ الشَّيْءِ مُعْظَمُهُ. وَجَلَالُ اللَّهِ: عَظَمَتُهُ. وَهُوَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ. وَالْجَلَلُ الْأَمْرُ الْعَظِيمُ.