What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)

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What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/01/01 at 00:51:10
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 25

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[color=Red]In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent[/color]

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[color=Green]They have endeavored to tempt you away from that which We have revealed to you, hoping that you would invent something else in Our name, in which case they would have made you their trusted friend. Indeed, had We not given you strength, you might have inclined to them a little. And in that case We would have made you taste a double punishment in life and a double punishment after death, and you would have none to support you against Us.[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:73-75)[/i]

Attempts to change God's revelations

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

This last passage of the Surah begins with a reference to the attempts of the non-believers to tempt the Prophet away from what has been revealed to him and to persuade him to invent something different and attribute it to God. But God has given him strength of character and faith to forestall all their attempts. He also protected him against their attempts to turn him out of their city. Had they done so, they would have been destroyed altogether.

The Prophet is commanded to stick to his way, offering his prayers to God alone, reciting the Qur'an revealed to him and supplicating that God may allow him to enter and leave whatever he may do in a manner that is true and sincere, and to give him clear support. He is also commanded to declare that the truth has come to be established and that falsehood is certain to be vanquished. It is this support that is granted to him by God which serves him as his best equipment. It protects him against all designs and ensures his ultimate victory.

This is followed by a clear statement of effect of the Qur'an: it is a cure and an aspect of grace for those who believe in it, and a means of punishment and suffering for those who deny it. They suffer on its account in this life and they suffer punishment in the life to come because of denying its truth.

Within the context of grace and punishment, the Surah describes man's reaction to both situations. When he is enjoying God's blessings and grace, man is arrogant, turning away from God's guidance. When he is afflicted with suffering, he is in utter despair. This is followed with an implicit threat, requiring every human being to work in accordance with his or her own nature until they receive their fair reward in the life to come.

The Surah also makes it clear that human knowledge is scanty. This comes in connection with the question the non-believers put about the spirit, which God has chosen to keep the knowledge of its nature to Himself. It is not for any human being to get to know it. Sure knowledge is that which God has given to His messenger as part of His grace. If God so wills, He is able to withdraw that grace and no one would ever be able to bring it back to mankind. However, He bestows His grace on His messenger as He is merciful, compassionate.

The Surah mentions that the Qur'an, which is a miraculous book, the like of which cannot be produced by human beings or jinn, even though they may mobilize all their resources in a single effort, has not been sufficient for the non-believers in Makkah as evidence of God's message. Although God has included in it a whole variety of evidence to the truth of its message and made them suitable to address human reason and human hearts, with all their different leanings, yet the non-believers saw it as inadequate. Thus they have been naively demanding material evidence of miraculous nature, such as springs gushing from the Earth, or a richly decorated home for the Prophet. They carried their arrogance further, demanding things that are beyond the ability of human beings, such as that God's messenger should go up in the sky in front of their eyes and bring them a book to read, or that he should cause some matter to fall on them from the sky to destroy them. They went even beyond that and demanded that God should come to them in person, accompanied by a delegation of the angels!!

At this point the Surah portrays a scene showing the fate that awaits them in the life to come. This is certain to be their lot as a result of their arrogance and denial of the truth of the Day of Judgment or that people will be resurrected after they have become bones and dust.

The Surah ridicules their arrogant demands. Had they been the guardians of God's grace, they would have succumbed to the miserly characteristic of human beings. They would have been in fear lest God's grace should be exhausted, when God's treasures of mercy are indeed inexhaustible. Yet they stop at nothing in their demands.

In connection with their demands of material miracles, the Surah reminds them of the miracles which were given to Moses, but Pharaoh and his people denied that which they were given by God. As a result, God destroyed them according to His law of destroying those who persist with their denial of the truth after clear evidence has been given to them.

The Qur'an remains as the true miracle that shines for all time. It was revealed in parts and portions, in accordance with the needs of the community it was educating and equipping for its great task. Those believers in the truth among earlier communities recognize the truth contained in the Qur'an and submit to it. They believe in it and submit to its authority.

The Surah is concluded with a directive to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to worship none but God, and to glorify and praise Him alone. Thus the Surah ends as it began, calling on believers to glorify God, the only deity in the universe.

"They have endeavored to tempt you away from that which We have revealed to you, hoping that you would invent something else in Our name, in which case they would have made you their trusted friend. Indeed, had We not given you strength, you might have inclined to them a little. And in that case We would have made you taste a double punishment in life and a double punishment after death, and you would have none to support you against Us."

The Surah refers to the attempts of the non-believers to dissuade the Prophet from fulfilling the task entrusted to him. The first attempt was to try to make him turn his back on what God has revealed to him so as to invent some other matter and attribute it falsely to God. They did this when he was known to be most honest and truthful. They have tried this in different ways, such as their offer to worship God in return for a compromise that ensured that he would stop denouncing their deities as false. Some of them tried to persuade him to make their land sacred as the Kaaba which God has sanctified. Their nobility also tried to get him to allocate a special meeting place in which no poor person is admitted.

The reference to these attempts is made in general terms so as to lead to a reminder of the grace God has bestowed on His messenger as He strengthened him in his faith and protected him from yielding to the temptation by the non-believers. Without God's support, he might have responded to them, and they would have made of him an intimate friend. But then he would make himself open to severe punishment by God. Indeed his would be a double punishment in this life and in the life to come, without anyone to support him against God.

Do such attempts happen in later generations? We will find out next, God willinig.

[i]Arab News - 25 February 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi  Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/02/01 at 08:26:01
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 26

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[img]http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/quran/arabic/17_75.gif[/img]
[color=Green]They have endeavored to tempt you away from that which We have revealed to you, hoping that you would invent something else in Our name, in which case they would have made you their trusted friend. Indeed, had We not given you strength, you might have inclined to them a little. And in that case We would have made you taste a double punishment in life and a double punishment after death, and you would have none to support you against Us.
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And they endeavor to scare you off the land with a view to driving you away. Had they succeeded, they would have scarcely stayed there after you have gone. Such was the way with all Our messengers whom We sent before you. No change you shall find in Our ways.[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:73-77)[/i]

Vain endeavors by nonbelievers

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

These verses begin the final passage of the Surah. They refer to the successive attempts by the unbelievers to dissuade the Prophet from insisting on conveying his message. They wanted him even to invent something different from the Qur'an and to attribute it to God. We have mentioned some of these attempts last week. However, the Surah refers to these attempts in general terms, and follows that with a reminder to the Prophet of the grace God has bestowed on him as He strengthened him in his faith and protected him from yielding to the temptation by the nonbelievers. Without God's support, he might have responded to them, and they would have made of him an intimate friend. But then he would make himself open to severe punishment by God. Indeed his would be a double punishment in this life and in the life to come, without anyone to support him against God.

These attempts are always tried by people in power when they deal with the advocates of God's message. They always try to tempt them to deviate, even a little, from the clear and solid line of the message, and to persuade them to accept compromise in return for seemingly substantial gains. Some of these may fall for such temptation, because they do not realize the seriousness of the matter. They are not being asked to abandon their call altogether. The people in power are only asking them to make some minor amendments in order to achieve a compromise. Satan always endeavors to persuade the advocates of God's message in this way, portraying to them that it is better for the achievement of their goals to make such compromises in order to win the rulers over to their faith.

However, a small deviation at the beginning leads to a total turn away at the end. An advocate of God's message who agrees to abandon even a small part of it at the outset cannot maintain his ground. Indeed his willingness to retreat further is greater with every backward step he takes, giving over more and more ground.

The point at issue here is the principle of faith, and the belief in the whole message. A person who gives up even a minute part of it cannot be a true believer in the message itself. To a true believer, every aspect of the message, and every small detail is true like the rest. We cannot judge between its parts, dividing them into essential and optional. There is nothing in God's message that we can leave out or suspend. It is a complete and whole entity, which loses all its characteristics when any of its parts is lost, in the same way as a chemical compound losing all its qualities when any of its components is missing.

The people in power always try to ensnare the advocates of the Divine message. Should the latter give up a small part, they lose their dignity and high standing. Their adversaries realize that more bargaining and a higher price will induce them to give up the whole message.

Indeed seeking a compromise, by making even small concessions, to win over the people in power represents a spiritual defeat of the advocates of the Divine message. That is because they now rely on rulers and people in power, for support when they should rely on God alone. When defeat creeps into people's minds, it can never turn into victory.

Bearing this in mind, we can appreciate the fact that God directs His messenger to the fact that He has granted him a great favor by strengthening his resolve to stick to what He has revealed to him and protected him from the temptation the nonbelievers presented to him. God also favored him with His protection against inclining to the nonbelievers even in a little way. For had he so inclined, God would have inflicted on him double punishment both in this life and in the life to come, and would have left him without help and support.

When the nonbelievers of Quraish found it impossible to persuade the Prophet to accept their offered compromise, they tried to turn him out of their land, i.e. Makkah. But God directed him to leave of his own accord and emigrate to Madinah. God has always known that He would not inflict the punishment of extermination on Quraish. Had they driven the Prophet out of their city by force, they would have been exterminated. "And they endeavor to scare you off the land with a view to driving you away. Had they succeeded, they would have scarcely stayed there after you have gone." This is the way God has set to operate in this life: "Such was the way with all Our messengers whom We sent before you. No change you shall find in Our ways."

God has made this way a law which does not fail. Driving a messenger of God out of his land is a great offense which incurs severe punishment. God has operated certain laws in this universe, which are not altered for individual cases. This universe is not subject to coincidences that influence its existence; it is subject to constant laws. Since God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen not to inflict the punishment of extermination on Quraish, as He did with earlier communities, He did not give His messenger, Prophet Muhammad, miraculous proofs, and did not allow that he should be driven away. Instead, He inspired him to leave voluntarily. God's laws remained in operation, without alteration or modification.

We will continue our discussion of this last passage of the Surah tomorrow, God willing.

[i]Arab News - 03 March 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/03/01 at 03:10:34
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 27

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[color=Green]Keep up prayers when the sun is on its decline and into the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur'an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is indeed witnessed. At night, rise from your sleep to recite it in prayer, as an additional bonus for you. Your Lord may thus raise you to an honorable station. Say, "My Lord, cause me to enter in a true and sincere manner and to leave in a true and sincere manner, and grant me, by Your grace, sustaining power." And say, "The truth has now come about while falsehood has been vanquished. For falsehood is always bound to be vanquished."[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:78-81[/i]

Truth will always triumph

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

At this point in the Surah, the Prophet is directed to remain in contact with his Lord, seeking His support and following His directives, proclaiming the fact that the truth is certain to triumph, while falsehood will inevitably whither away.

"Keep up prayers when the sun is on its decline and into the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur'an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is indeed witnessed. At night, rise from your sleep to recite it in prayer, as an additional bonus for you. Your Lord may thus raise you to an honorable station." This directive applies to the Prophet in particular. It is not related to the obligatory prayers which have their own timings, outlined in several authentic Hadiths and numerous reports of the Prophet's practical Sunnah. Some scholars suggest that the reference here to the decline of the sun means its beginning to move down from its zenith, while they take the reference to the "darkness of the night" to mean the beginning of the night, and the "recitation at dawn" to mean the obligatory prayer at dawn. They thus suggest that the Qur'anic statement here groups together the times of all five obligatory prayers, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha, (when the sun is on its decline to the darkness of the night), and then Fajr at dawn. They consider that only the recitation of the Qur'an in prayer at night is obligatory to the Prophet as a bonus. We, on our part, feel that the first view is more accurate, considering all that these two verses mention to be applicable to the Prophet only. As for the timing of daily prayers, these are properly outlined in the Sunnah, both verbal and practical.

"Keep up prayers when the sun is on its decline and into the darkness of the night." This is an instruction to the Prophet to offer prayers at the time between the sun starting to set and the night creeping in to spread its darkness. He is also ordered to "recite the Qur'an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is indeed witnessed." These two periods when the day and night succeed each other in a continuous cycle have their special significance. Both times mark a change as the light dwindles to give way to the enveloping darkness, and then as the darkness is removed to allow the light to spread. Both times have their effect, softening hearts and inviting people to contemplate how the laws of nature operate without fail. Needless to say that the Qur'an and prayer also have their effects on people's hearts, particularly at dawn with its calmness and its approaching light, leading to another lively day.

"At night, rise from your sleep to recite it in prayer, as an additional bonus for you." The instruction here is to the Prophet to rise after having had some sleep in the early part of the night. The Qur'an is recited in night worship because it is the hard core of prayer and its most important part. "Your Lord may thus raise you to an honorable station." That would be achieved through a constant link with God, manifested by prayer and the recitation of the Qur'an in night worship. This is the way leading to that position. If God's messenger (peace be upon him), in his particular status, is instructed to maintain prayers and rise from his sleep at night to worship and recite the Qur'an, so that he would attain the honorable station that is allowed to him, certainly other people need to follow his suit so that they may attain the good positions to which they may aspire. That is the only way for them to travel. The equipment they need as they go along is thus outlined for them.

"Say, 'My Lord, cause me to enter in a true and sincere manner and to leave in a true and sincere manner, and grant me, by Your grace, sustaining power'." This is a supplication that God has taught to His messenger so that his followers would learn how to pray to God. It is a supplication for true and sincere entrance and exit. That implies a true and sincere journey, from start to finish and throughout the way. Truth and sincerity have their own connotations here in reference to the attempts by the un-believers to persuade the Prophet to invent something different from the Qur'an revealed by God. Moreover, truth and sincerity add an air of steadfastness, reassurance and total dedication. "And grant me, by Your grace, sustaining power." This is a supplication for strength that would enable the Prophet to look down on all earthly powers and all that the unbelievers could muster. The expression, "by Your grace," implies closeness to God and contact with Him, as well as seeking His help and support.

A true advocate of faith derives strength only from God, and acquires a position commanding respect only through God's power. Such an advocate seeks no shelter or support from a ruler or a person of influence unless he first turns to God for help and protection. The Divine message may touch the hearts of people in power, or those occupying positions of influence, and they would then become its soldiers and servants. That will ensure success for them in this life and in the life to come. But the message itself will not prosper if it ranks itself among the servants and soldiers of rulers. It is God's message and, as such, it commands a position higher than that of any ruler.

"And say, The truth has now come about while falsehood has been vanquished. For falsehood is always bound to be vanquished." With an irrefutable authority derived from God Himself it is proclaimed that truth has come to be established with its overpowering might, while falsehood is totally defeated. For it is in the nature of truth to triumph and establish itself with vigor, while it is in the nature of falsehood to wither away and be vanquished.

"For falsehood is always bound to be vanquished." This is a basic truth that is stated here with emphasis. It may appear sometimes that falsehood is equipped with power and influence, but it is all hollow. Falsehood will always try to assume an air of strength, because it has no real strength at its command. It knows that it has to deceive the eyes by an appearance of a large size and physical power. But in reality, it is fragile, easy to destroy. It is no more than the flames of dried straw that goes up high in the air only to subside in no time. By contrast, live coal burns slowly and steadily to give sustained warmth and long lasting heat. Falsehood is like the scum that floats at the surface. It soon disappears while the real water stays.

We will continue this discussion tomorrow, God willing.

[i]Arab News -10 March 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/04/01 at 00:57:02
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 28

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[color=Green]And say, The truth has now come about while falsehood has been vanquished. For falsehood is always bound to be vanquished. We bestow from on high verses of the Qur'an to serve as a healing and a blessing to true believers, while it only adds to the ruin of the evildoers. Yet when We bestow Our blessings on man, he turns his back and draws arrogantly aside, and when he is afflicted by evil he gives himself up to despair. Say, 'Everyone acts according to his own disposition. Your Lord is fully aware who is best guided.'[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:81-84)[/i]

The cure the Qur'an provides

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

As we concluded our last article, we touched on the meaning of the first verse in this passage, stating that the Prophet is instructed to proclaim that truth has come to be established with its overpowering might, while falsehood is totally defeated. "And say, 'The truth has now come about while falsehood has been vanquished. For falsehood is always bound to be vanquished'." For it is in the nature of things that truth will triumph and establish itself with vigor, and for falsehood to wither away.

Indeed falsehood ends in utter loss because it does not carry within itself the elements necessary for survival. It derives its life, which, by nature, is of short duration, from external elements and unnatural support. Should such elements and support weaken or become loose, it will collapse. Truth, by contrast, derives its power of survival from within itself. It may have to face determined opposition, particularly by those in ruling positions, but its inherent strength and reassurance guarantee its eventual triumph. How could it be otherwise when truth comes from the Eternal One who has made Truth an attribute of His own?

"For falsehood is always bound to be vanquished." Falsehood may have behind it all the might of Satan and tyrannical forces which command power, but God's promise will definitely come true and His power is far superior. Every believer who is firm of faith is certain to experience the truth of this promise. "Who could be more faithful to his covenant than God?" (9: 111) "Whose word could be truer than that of God?" (4: 87)

"We bestow from on high verses of the Qur'an to serve as a healing and a blessing to true believers." There is certainly a cure and a blessing for those whose hearts are full of faith. Such hearts brighten up and become ready to receive what the Qur'an imparts of grace, reassurance and security. There is in the Qur'an a healing power that cures from obsession, anxiety and hesitation. It establishes a bond between the believer's heart and God. This bond imparts inner peace to the believer as he experiences a feeling of security in God's protection. He is happy and satisfied with what he receives from God and contented with his lot in life. Anxiety, hesitation and obsession are all terrible to experience. As the Qur'an dispels all these, it is indeed a blessing for true believers.

In the Qur'an we have a cure from carnal desires, greed, envy and evil thoughts. All these cause sickness of heart and mind, leading to debility and utter ruin. As the Qur'an cures these, it is a tool of grace bestowed by God on those who truly believe in Him.

The Qur'an also provides a cure from deviant thoughts and feelings. It protects the human mind from going far astray, while allowing it complete freedom within its fruitful pursuits. It stops the mind from wasting its energy over what is devoid of any use. It lays down for it a sound approach that ensures sound and useful results. The same principle applies to the human body, ensuring that its resources are utilized for what is useful and fruitful, steering human beings away from suppression of natural desires or indulgence without restraint. Thus it ensures a healthy body. In this again we see that the Qur'an is a means of God's grace that is bestowed on believers.

There is also in the Qur'an a cure of social ailments that weaken the structure of society and destroy its peace and security. Under the social system established by the Qur'an human society enjoys perfect justice in peace and security. This is again a further aspect of grace bestowed through the Qur'an.

However, the Qur'an "only adds to the ruin of the evildoers." They make no use of the cure it provides or the blessings it brings about. They look with dismay at the believers as they feel proud to be among the followers of the Qur'an. In their stubborn arrogance, the evildoers persist with their corrupt and unjust methods. Yet in this life, they are defeated by the followers of the Qur'an, which makes them losers. In the life to come, they suffer for their arrogant disbelief and tyranny, and thus they lose again. Hence the Qur'an adds to their ruin.

When man is left to his own devices, without the cure and blessing of the Qur'an, and without consistent restraint of his whims and desires, he moves between two extremes: when he enjoys good fortune, he is arrogant and ungrateful, and when he experiences hardship he is given to despair. "Yet when We bestow Our blessings on man, he turns his back and draws arrogantly aside, and when he is afflicted by evil he gives himself up to despair."

Blessings and good fortune lead to arrogance unless one remembers where they come from and gives thanks to God who has bestowed these on him. On the other hand, when one is afflicted by difficulty and hardship, he is easily lost in despair unless he trusts in God and hopes to receive His grace. It is when one truly relies on God that one feels that hardship will give way to what is better. This makes it clear that faith ensures God's grace in situations of ease and difficulty alike.

The Surah then states that everyone and every camp acts according to the path it follows. The final verdict on methods and actions is left to God alone: "Say, 'Everyone acts according to his own disposition. Your Lord is fully aware who is best guided'." In this statement we have an implicit warning as to the results of approaches and deeds. Hence, everyone needs to heed the warnings and strive to follow the path of Divine guidance which is available to all.

The Surah then refers to the question put by the unbelievers when they asked the Prophet about the spirit. We will discuss that tomorrow, God willing.

[i]Arab News -17 March 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/05/01 at 01:45:04
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 29

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[color=Green]They question you about the Spirit. Say, "The (knowledge of the nature of the) Spirit belongs to my Lord alone. You, (mankind), have been given but little knowledge. Had We so willed, We would have taken away that which We have revealed to you. In that case, you would not find anyone to plead with Us on your behalf, except through the grace of your Lord. Truly His favor toward you has been great indeed. Say, "If all mankind and the jinns were to gather together for the purpose of producing the like of this Qur'an, they would, not produce anything like it, even though they helped one another as best they could."[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:85-88)[/i]

A challenge to all creation

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

We last spoke about the reaction of man to whatever befalls him of hardship or good fortune. We said that in the first case he is easily given to despair, while good fortune leads him to arrogance. Both situations are tempered by faith. A true believer will never behave arrogantly because he knows that whatever he enjoys in life is given by God and he should be grateful to Him. When he experiences hardship, he trusts to God to remove it. In either situation he realizes that he is being put to test. When he places his trust in God, he is certain to prosper.

At this point the Surah mentions how some unbelievers questioned the Prophet about the Spirit and its nature. The consistent approach of the Qur'an, which is indeed the best approach, is to answer people when they ask about matters that they need to know and to give them answers that their human faculties can understand and learn. It does not waste the intellectual faculties God has given them in pursuits that are of no use to them. Nor does it carry them over domains which they cannot comprehend. Hence, when they asked about the Spirit and its nature, the Prophet was instructed to tell them that such knowledge belonged to God alone. None other than Him has such knowledge. "They question you about the Spirit. Say, 'The (knowledge of the nature of the) Spirit belongs to my Lord alone. You, (mankind), have been given but little knowledge'."

Such an answer does not place a barrier preventing the proper working of the human intellect. It simply directs such intellect to concentrate its efforts within the limits of its power and the domain where it can profitably function. It is worthless to roam endlessly in a maze. Similarly, it is pointless to spend one's mental energies pursuing what we are not equipped to comprehend. The spirit is one such pursuit. It belongs to the realm that lies beyond the reach of human perception. It is a secret God has kept to Himself. He has breathed spirit into man and some other creatures whose nature is unknown to us. Compared to God's absolute knowledge, human knowledge is limited. The secrets of existence are too great to be understood by man's finite reason. It is not man's role to manage all the affairs of the universe, and as such, his powers are not limitless. Indeed he has been given such powers as are sufficient for him to control his own world and to fulfill his mission of building the Earth and to bring it to the best standard that is available to him within the limits of his faculties and his knowledge.

Man has been able to achieve high standards with his inventive powers. However, he looked helplessly at the spirit, unable to fathom its secrets, or to comprehend its nature. He does not know how the spirit comes to us and how it departs, where it comes from and to where it eventually goes. He knows nothing of the spirit except the information God has given us in the revelations He has bestowed from on high. That information provides knowledge that is certain beyond doubt. It comes from the one who knows everything. Had it been His will, He would have deprived mankind of such knowledge, taking away what He has revealed to His messenger. But He does not do so as an act of grace: "Had We so willed, We would have taken away that which We have revealed to you. In that case, you would not find anyone to plead with Us on your behalf, except through the grace of your Lord. His favor toward you has been great indeed."

God reminds His messenger of this act of grace. It is undeniable grace that God has chosen to bestow revelations on His messenger, and to keep them intact. This is a great favor granted to mankind, since the Qur'an gives them guidance and blessings, one generation after another.

Just as the spirit is one of the secrets that God keeps to Himself, the Qur'an is God's book that human beings cannot emulate. Indeed, neither human beings nor jinn, representing the visible and invisible types of creation, can produce anything similar to the Qur'an, even though they muster all their powers in a single effort aiming to achieve that task: "Say, 'If all mankind and the jinns were to gather together for the purpose of producing the like of this Qur'an, they would not produce anything like it, even though they helped one another as best they could'."

The Qur'an is not mere words and expressions that humans and jinns may try to emulate. It is but one of God's works, the like of which no creature can produce. It is just like the spirit whose nature is known only to God. Creatures cannot fathom its complete secret, even though they may understand some of its aspects, features and merits.

The Qur'an is indeed a complete and perfect way of life. It provides a method that takes into account all the laws of nature that affect the human soul in all its situations, as well as those affecting human communities in all conditions and stages of development. It provides solutions that apply to a single human being, and others for a closely knit community, providing legislation and rules that suit human nature and its complex bonds, feelings and directions. Its solutions are perfectly coherent and fully consistent. They lose sight of nothing that is relevant, or any possible option. Nor do they ignore any one of the conflicting circumstances that may affect the life of the individual or the community. That is only possible because these laws and legislation are made by God who is fully aware of human nature in all its conditions and its intricate complexity.

We will comment further on this verse tomorrow, God willing.

[i]Arab News -24 March 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/06/01 at 00:21:20
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 30

[img]http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/quran/arabic/17_88.gif[/img]
[color=Green]Say, "If all mankind and the jinns were to gather together for the purpose of producing the like of this Qur'an, they would not produce anything like it, even though they helped one another as best as they could."
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Indeed We have explained to mankind, in this Quran, every kind of lesson. Yet most people refuse to accept anything other than unbelief. They say: "We shall not believe in you till you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the Earth, or (till) you have a garden of date trees and vines, and you cause rivers to flow through it, or till you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you have threatened, or till you bring God and the angels face to face before us, or till you have a house of gold, or you ascend to heaven. Indeed we shall not believe in your ascent to heaven until you bring us a book for us to read. Say, 'All glory belongs to my Lord. Surely I am only a man and a messenger'."[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:88-93)[/i]

Only a man and a messenger

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

Yesterday we began commenting on the first verse in this passage. It is useful to refresh our minds of what we said then, before we continue with the rest of the passage.

The Qur'an is not mere words and expressions that humans and jinns may try to emulate. It is but one of God's works, the like of which no creature can produce. It is just like the spirit whose nature is known only to God. Creatures cannot fathom its complete secret, even though they may understand some of its aspects, features and merits.
The Qur'an is indeed a complete and perfect way of life. It provides a method that takes into account all the laws of nature that affect the human soul in all its situations, as well as those affecting human communities in all conditions and stages of development.

It provides solutions that apply to a single human being, and others for a closely knit community, providing legislation and rules that suit human nature and its complex bonds, feelings and directions. Its solutions are perfectly coherent and fully consistent.

They lose sight of nothing that is relevant, and of no possible option. Nor do they ignore any one of the conflicting circumstances that may affect the life of the individual or the community. That is only possible because these laws and legislation are made by God who is fully aware of human nature in all its conditions and its intricate complexity.

Man-made systems, on the other hand, betray man's limitations and reflect his circumstances. They cannot allow for all eventualities at the same time. They may treat an individual or social aspect with something that could easily lead to a situation requiring some other treatment. The miracle of the Qur'an is far greater than its superb construction and infallible meanings. Indeed the inability of all human beings and jinns to produce anything similar to it includes also their inability to produce any system that encompasses all the areas it tackles.

"Indeed We have explained to mankind, in this Qur'an, every kind of lesson. Yet most people refuse to accept anything other than unbelief. They say: 'We shall not believe in you till you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the Earth, or (till) you have a garden of date trees and vines, and you cause rivers to flow through it, or till you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you have threatened, or till you bring God and the angels face to face before us, or till you have a house of gold, or you ascend to heaven. Indeed we shall not believe in your ascent to heaven until you bring us a book for us to read.' Say, 'All glory belongs to my Lord. Surely I am only a man and a messenger'."

Their limited perception has failed to look up to such profound areas of the inimitability of the Qur'an. Therefore, they started asking for material miracles, enlisting some absurd requests that only betray their childish thinking. Or they would speak with impudence about God Himself. They did not benefit by the expounding of cases and examples in the Qur'an, nor were they satisfied with the wide variety of styles and approaches the Qur'an employs in explaining its concepts, so as to be understood by people of different standards and faculties. Hence, "most people refuse to accept anything other than unbelief." They started to place conditions which they required to be met so that they might believe in the Prophet's message. Such conditions required him to "cause a spring to gush forth from the Earth." Alternatively, they told him that they would not believe in him until "you have a garden of date trees and vines, and you cause rivers to flow through it."

Their conditions were so irresponsible that they would require the Prophet to inflict on them some punishment that is poured over their heads from the sky, involving that the sky should fall upon them in pieces, as he had warned them that this would happen on the Day of Judgment.

A similarly absurd condition they made was that he should bring God and the angels face to face before them, so that they would support him and defend his case, like they themselves used to do in their tribal arguments.

But absurdity knows no limits, for they asked him also to take for himself a house of gold and similarly precious metals. They further suggested to him that he should ascent to heaven as a proof of his special position. But even if he did, his ascension in their full view would not be enough. He should bring back with him a book for them to read.

The childish absurdity of all these requests and conditions is so clearly apparent. They are all arbitrary suggestions and widely different in scope and nature that they cannot be placed at the same level. How could residence in a luxurious house be considered of similar value to a person's ascension to heaven? And how can the digging up of a water spring be treated as equivalent to bringing God and the angels marching in ranks before them? However, to them these are all miraculous matters, so they can be grouped together. Should Muhammad be able to accomplish any of these miraculous events, they would consider believing in him and his message. Yet they overlooked the permanent miracle of the Qur'an when they were totally unable to produce anything similar to it in style, imagery, meaning and philosophy. Such miracle is not physical, defying the senses. Hence they demanded to have before them a clearly physical miracle.

But producing a miracle is something that the Prophet cannot accomplish. It is something determined by God in His wisdom. It is not appropriate for the Prophet to request such a miracle, unless God wishes to give it to him. The Prophet's understanding and appreciation of God's wisdom prevent him from requesting such a miracle. Hence, he is commanded to say in reply to them: "All glory belongs to my Lord. Surely I am only a man and a messenger." He confines himself to the limits of his human status and he works according to the duties outlined for him in his message. He does not suggest to God anything beyond that.

Tomorrow, God willing, we will look into the reasons for people's rejection of Divine guidance.

[i]Arab News -31 March 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/07/01 at 01:08:43
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 31

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[color=Green]Nothing has ever prevented people from believing (in God) whenever guidance has come to them except for their saying: "Can it be that God has sent a human being as His messenger?" Say, "Had there been angels walking about on Earth as their natural abode, We would have sent them an angel messenger from heaven." Say, "Sufficient is God for a witness between me and you. He is indeed fully aware of His servants, and He sees all things."
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He whom God guides is indeed rightly guided; whereas for those whom He leaves to go astray you cannot find anyone to protect them from Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather them together, prone on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf. Hell shall be their abode. Every time it abates We will increase for them its blazing fire. That is their reward, for they disbelieved in Our revelations and said, "When we are bones and dust, shall we be raised to life again as a new creation?" Do they not see that God, who has created the heavens and the Earth, has power to create their like? He has beyond any doubt set a term for their resurrection. But the evildoers refuse to accept anything other than unbelief.[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:94-99[/i]

Different courses for guidance and disbelief

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

A misconception that people held before Prophet Muhammad was sent to them and after he began to preach his message was a main reason for their turning away from Divine guidance. As a result, they rejected God's messengers and the messages He had revealed to them. That misconception considers it improbable that God should send a human being, not an angel, as His messenger: "Nothing has ever prevented people from believing (in God) whenever guidance has come to them except for their saying: 'Can it be that God has sent a human being as His messenger'?"

This misconception results from people's low rating of their own value and the honorable position God has given them. They thought it totally unlikely that a human being should be chosen by God to be His messenger. This betrays a lack of understanding of the nature of the universe, the angels, and how, in their angelic form, they are unsuited to settle on Earth. Hence it would be impossible for human beings to distinguish them as angels.

"Say, Had there been angels walking about on Earth as their natural abode, We would have sent them an angel messenger from heaven." Had God willed that angels should inhabit the Earth, He would have made them in the form of human beings, because it is the form that suits the laws of nature affecting the Earth. He says in another verse, "Had We made him (i.e. God's messenger) an angel, We would have made him in the form of a man." (6: 9)

God is certainly able to accomplish any purpose of His. However, He has willed to set in operation laws of nature and He made His creatures fit for life under the influence of such laws of nature which He, by His own power and choice, has made permanent and unalterable. Through the operation of His laws of nature, His purpose of creation is thus fulfilled. Yet the non-believers understand nothing of this.

Since this is the pattern God has chosen for His creation, He instructs His messenger to end all argument with them and leave the dispute between the two parties to God. He calls on God to be his witness, leaving them entirely to God to do with them whatever He pleases. He is the One who knows everything about everyone. Say, "Sufficient is God for a witness between me and you. He is indeed fully aware of His servants, and He sees all things." This statement carries an implicit warning. The results, however, are painted in a frightening scene of what will happen on the Day of Judgment:

"He whom God guides is indeed rightly guided; whereas for those whom He leaves to go astray you cannot find anyone to protect them from Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather them together, prone on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf. Hell shall be their abode. Every time it abates We will increase for them its blazing fire. That is their reward, for they disbelieved in Our revelations and said, "When we are bones and dust, shall we be raised to life again as a new creation?"

God has operated certain laws concerning His guidance and people's choice of error in preference to that guidance. He has allowed people to conduct their lives as they wish, but they will remain subject to these laws and they will have to face the outcome. One of these laws is that human beings are susceptible to follow God's guidance or turn away from it into error. The choice is made by man himself. Whoever deserves, on the basis of his efforts and actions, to receive God's guidance will definitely be guided aright. He is the one who will be truly guided as a result of his choice. In the other camp we find those who deserve to be left in error because they turn away from God's revelations and blind themselves to all signs pointing the way to follow His guidance. Such people will have no one to protect them against God's punishment: "You cannot find anyone to protect them from Him." On the Day of Judgment they shall suffer humiliation and will be resurrected in a terrible situation, turned "on their faces", lost as they will be "blind, dumb and deaf." They are thus deprived of their senses by which they might have been able to find their way through the great multitude. That is a fitting result, because it was they who chose not to use their senses in life to follow the signs of Divine guidance. The final outcome is that "Hell shall be their abode." It will be made to continue to burn fiercely: "Every time it abates We will increase for them its blazing fire."

It is certainly a horrifying end, but they have earned it through their disbelief in God's signs and revelations, and also through their denial of the resurrection, the reckoning and reward: "That is their reward, for they disbelieved in Our revelations and said, "When we are bones and dust, shall we be raised to life again as a new creation?"

The Surah portrays the scene as though it is taking place now. It shows this life as having already come to an end and become a distant past. This follows the usual Qur'anic method of portraying scenes of the hereafter as if they were taking place now in order to enhance their effect, so that people may take heed.

This is followed by a new argument based on what they see in real life but tend to ignore: "Do they not see that God, who has created the heavens and the Earth, has power to create their like?" Why should the concept of resurrection be difficult to accept when simple logic confirms that God who has created this majestic universe is able to create a similar one? If he is thus able to create, He is also able to bring creatures back to life after they have died. "He has beyond any doubt set a term for their resurrection." He has allowed them a term of life and set a time for their resurrection. However, "The evildoers refuse to accept anything other than unbelief." Hence their punishment will be fair, as they have had all signs, pointers and evidence to show them the path of guidance, but they refused to follow anything except the path of error and unbelief.

[i]Arab News -07 April 2000[/i]

Insha Allah, two more articles to follow, to complete the series.

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/08/01 at 04:54:43
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 32

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[color=Green]Say, "Had you possessed the treasures of my Lord's mercy, you would have been tight-fisted for fear of spending them. For man has always been niggardly."
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To Moses We gave nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel (about what happened). When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, "Indeed, Moses, I think that you are bewitched." (Moses) said, "You know full well that none other than the Lord of the heavens and the Earth has revealed these eye-opening signs. Indeed, Pharaoh, I think that you are utterly lost."
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So he resolved to wipe them off the face of the Earth, but We caused him and all those who were with him to drown. Then We said to the Children of Israel, "Dwell in the land. When the promise of the Last Day shall come to pass, We will bring you all together."[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:100-104[/i]

A threat to exterminate the believers

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

We last referred to the demands the nonbelievers made before they could accept the message of the Prophet. They asked him to bring about some physical miracle so that they would know that he was actually a messenger of God. These physical miracles ranged from causing a water spring to gush forth from the Earth, to having a palace of gold for himself, to bringing God and the angels marching in rank. Alternatively, they asked him to ascend to heaven in front of their eyes and to bring back with him a written record of his message.

Yet those who made such suggestions and demands were themselves misers. Had they been in charge of God's grace, they would have held on to it, fearing to expend it. "Say, Had you possessed the treasures of my Lord's mercy, you would have been tight-fisted for fear of spending them. For man has always been niggardly." This is an image of utter stinginess, because God's grace encompasses everything. It will never be exhausted or diminished. Yet in their miserly attitude, they would have withheld God's grace from being shown to His creation, had they been placed in charge of administering it.

Yet the number of miracles shown to people will not initiate faith in hardened hearts. Moses, for example, was given nine such clear signs, but Pharaoh and his people denied them until they suffered God's punishment. "To Moses We gave nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel (about what happened). When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, Indeed, Moses, I think that you are bewitched." This part of the history of Moses with the Children of Israel is mentioned here because it fits with the context of the Surah. It started with mentioning the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, and it related a part of the history of the Israelites with Moses. This is followed by a mention of the hereafter when Pharaoh and his people will be brought forward. This is fitting with the scene of the hereafter and that showing the end of those who deny resurrection, mentioned a little earlier in the Surah. The nine clear signs to which the Surah refers as having been given to Moses were his hand turning white, his staff, and the tests to which they were subjected, such as drought, shortage of fruits, floods, locusts, ants, frogs and blood. "Ask the Children of Israel about what happened." They were witnesses of what took place between Moses and Pharaoh: "When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, Indeed, Moses, I think that you are bewitched." Thus the word of truth assigning Divinity to God alone, and the call to abandon all injustice and tyranny cannot be uttered, according to the tyrant, except by someone bewitched, unable to realize the meaning of what he says. Indeed tyrants like Pharaoh cannot imagine that anyone in his right senses could ever adopt such an attitude or give expression to such demands.

Moses, on the other hand, realizes that his strength is based on the truth which he preaches. His message stands out as a source of light. He is certain of God's support and that He will inevitably punish the tyrants: "Moses said: You know full well that none other than the Lord of the heavens and the Earth has revealed these eye-opening signs. Indeed, Pharaoh, I think that you are utterly lost." Moses makes it clear to Pharaoh that his attitude of denial of the truth when he is fully aware that none other than God could have accomplished those clear signs will earn him a terrible punishment. These signs were clear for anyone who cared to look. They show the truth in full light, clear as the bright day. Yet Pharaoh chose to deny them all and deny God. Hence, Divine justice will inflict on him a punishment that leaves him utterly ruined.

At this point, the tyrannical Pharaoh resorts to his own material force, threatening to wipe Moses and his followers off the face of the Earth. That is the method to which all tyrants resort when they are faced with the truth. But God's will is triumphant. His law of punishing the oppressors and supporting the oppressed comes into action: "So he resolved to wipe them off the face of the Earth, but We caused him and all those who were with him to drown. Then We said to the Children of Israel, 'Dwell in the land. When the promise of the Last Day shall come to pass, We will bring you all together'."

Thus was the end of those who denied the clear signs which were shown to them as evidence of the truth. God gave the land to the oppressed to rule. When they are in charge, their actions will be the basis of the judgment they have to face. At the beginning of the Surah we have been given a clear idea of their end. Here we are only told that both they and their enemies will be gathered together on the Day of Judgment: "When the promise of the Last Day shall come to pass, We will bring you all together." That was one example of material miracles worked out in past generations. The Surah also tells us how such miracles were received by people bent on denying the truth and how they were doomed to suffer God's punishment. The Qur'an, God's last message, has been revealed with the truth so that it may serve as a permanent sign and basis of guidance. It was bestowed from on high in parts, so that it may be read and reflected upon at length. We will look at this aspect in our final article of commentary on this Surah tomorrow, God willing.

[i]Arab News -14 April 2000[/i]

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff
Re: What the Qur'an teaches - Articles from 25 to 33 (End)
Haniff
09/09/01 at 01:16:07
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

[center]What the Qur'an teaches - 33 (Final article)

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[color=Green]It is with truth that We have bestowed (this Qur'an) from on high, and in truth it has come down. We have sent you only as a herald of good news and a warner. We have divided the Qur'an into parts so that you may recite to people with deliberation. We have indeed bestowed it from on high step by step. Say, "You may believe in it or you may not." Those who were given knowledge before its revelation fall down on their faces in humble prostration when it is recited to them, and say, "Limitless in His glory is our Lord. Truly has the promise of our Lord been fulfilled." And upon their faces they fall down, weeping, and (its recitation) increases their humility.
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Say, "Call upon God or call upon the Most Merciful. By whichever name you invoke Him, (it is the same, for) His are the most gracious names." Do not raise your voice too loud in prayer, nor say it in too low a voice, but follow a middle course in between. And say, "All praise is due to God who has never begotten a son; who has no partner in His dominion; who needs none to support Him against any difficulty." And extol His greatness.[/color]

[i](The Night Journey, Al-Isra', 17:105-111[/i]

All gracious names belong to Him

Commentary by Sayyid Qutb
[/center]

As the Surah comes to its conclusion, it states clearly that the Qur'an is the word of truth bestowed by God in order to serve as a permanent sign pointing to the eternal truth of God's existence and His Oneness. "It is with Truth that We have bestowed (this Qur'an) from on high, and in truth it has come down. We have sent you only as a herald of good news and a warner. We have divided the Qur'an into parts so that you may recite it to people with deliberation. We have indeed bestowed it from on high step by step."

The Qur'an has been revealed in order to educate a community and establish for it a system and code of life. This community would then carry it to all corners of the Earth in order to educate humanity on the basis of this perfect system. Hence, the Qur'an was revealed one part at a time, according to the practical needs of that community and the circumstances attending its first formative period. Education and the molding of a nation and a community require time as well as practical experience. Thus the Qur'an was not revealed as a theoretical doctrine or an abstract vision which may be used for academic study and polemical argument. It was revealed part by part so that it would be implemented gradually in this formative period. That is indeed the reason for its gradual revelation, one part or passage at a time; not a whole scripture or code given at the outset.

The first generation of believers received it in this light. They approached it as directives to be implemented in practice, be they prohibitions, recommendations or obligations. They never approached it as something for moral or intellectual pleasure like poetry and literature, or for amusement like legends and stories. They allowed it to influence their daily lives to the full, bringing their feelings, perceptions and behavior in line with it, and molding their way of life in accordance with its teachings. They discarded whatever was in conflict with it of their values, norms and practices.

Abdullah ibn Massood, a learned companion of the Prophet says: "When one of us leamt ten verses of the Qur'an, one would not try to learn more until one has learnt fully their meaning and how to put them in practice."

God has revealed the Qur'an based on the truth: "It is with truth that We have bestowed (this Qur'an) from on high." And its purpose is to establish the truth on Earth: "And in truth it has come down." Thus the truth is its fabric and ultimate aim, its substance and whole concern. That is the truth as it is ingrained in the constitution of the universe, and forming the foundation of the existence of the heavens and the Earth. The Qur'an is closely linked to the constitution of the universe, always pointing to it. Indeed the truth is the ultimate goal of the Qur'an. The Prophet gives warnings and promises of happiness on the basis of the truth which the Qur'an expounds.

At this point the Prophet is commanded to explain the truth plainly to his people, leaving them free to make their choice to either believe in the Qur'an or to reject it. They will have to bear the consequences of their choice. He puts in front of their eyes an example of its reception by Jewish and Christian people who were given sound knowledge before its revelation. They may feel that they will do well to follow in the footsteps of those learned people when they themselves have not been granted any such knowledge: "Say, you may believe in it or you may not. Those who were given knowledge before its revelation fall down on their faces in humble prostration when it is recited to them, and say, 'Limitless in His glory is our Lord. Truly has the promise of our Lord been fulfilled.' And upon their faces they fall down, weeping, and (its recitation) increases their humility."

That is an inspiring scene showing people endowed with knowledge listening to the Qur'an, touched by its truth and "fall down on their faces in humble prostration." They cannot restrain themselves. So they do not merely prostrate themselves, but fall down on their faces in full humility. They give expression to what they feel in their hearts of God's greatness and the fulfillment of His promise: "Limitless in His glory is our Lord. Truly has the promise of our Lord been fulfilled." But then their feelings are further enhanced and they are deeply touched so that words are insufficient to express their feelings. Tears pour down from their eyes telling of their profound emotions: "And upon their faces they fall down, weeping, and (its recitation) increases their humility." That is a scene of profound feelings of people who receive the Qur'an with open hearts, having learnt from their earlier scriptures of the truth it explains.

This inspiring scene is painted after the Surah has given the Arabs the choice of believing in the Qur'an or rejecting it. It is followed with a statement leaving it up to them to call on God with whatever names they choose. In their days of ignorance they declined to call God as "Rahman", which means, "Most Merciful." Hence they are told that they may call on God with whichever one of His names they choose: "Say: Call upon God or call upon the Most Merciful. By whichever name you invoke Him, (it is the same, for) His are the most gracious names." Their prejudices concerning His names have no basis other than myth that they used to believe in their ignorance. They have no sound basis.

The Prophet is then instructed to recite his prayer in a middle voice. That is because the nonbelievers used to ridicule him whenever they saw him praying. It is also true to say that such a middle pitched voice is the one most suited to prayer: "Do not raise your voice too loud in prayer, nor say it in too low a voice, but follow a middle course in between."

The Surah closes in the same way as it opened, praising God and asserting His Oneness, and reiterating the facts that He has neither son nor partner and is in need of no help or support from anyone. This is indeed the pivot round which the Surah turns: "And say: All praise is due to God who has never begotten a son; who has no partner in His dominion; who needs none to support Him against any difficulty. And extol His greatness."

[i]Arab News -21 April 2000[/i]

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Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Haniff (with 2 f's)


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