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REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūrah Yūnus (Jonah): Part 5

If only there had been a community that believed (just when God’s decree of punishment was issued) and profited by their belief—there was none except the people of Jonah. When they came to believe, We withdrew from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and We allowed them to enjoy life for a term. (Yūnus 10:98)

The withdrawal of the decreed punishment mentioned in this verse about the people of Jonah can be interpreted in the following ways:

First, this can be a treatment of God particular to them and the likes of which has never happened in history, neither before nor after it.

Second, it sometimes occurs that the signs of a disaster appear, but a good deed like sincere repentance, prayer, or charity performed just at that time attracts God’s pardoning and causes the withdrawal of the disaster. Although individual cases of this can be witnessed many times, the withdrawal of punishment from a whole people occurred only once. When Prophet Jonah, upon him be peace, left his people, they came to their senses, turned towards God with belief, and sincerely repented. According to some reports, they began expressing their repentance and belief, saying: “All-Glorified are You (in the sense that You are absolutely free from and exalted above having partners). There is no Deity but You. Surely we have wronged ourselves (by associating partners with You).” According to other more reliable reports, they turned to God with an encompassing supplication containing the acknowledgement and proclamation of God’s Unity and His glorification, exaltation, and praise. They exclaimed: “All-Glorified is Allāh, and all praise is for Allāh, and there is no deity but Allāh. Allāh is the All-Great. There is no power and no strength save with Allāh.” In return, God withdrew His punishment from them out of His special mercy and forgiveness and allowed them to remain in the world for some time more in submission to Him.

Third, according to the Divine Law, when God willed to punish a community, He always commanded His Messenger among that community to leave it before the punishment came. As for Prophet Jonah, he left the land of his community before he received the command. Therefore, God judged that he would be swallowed by a fish while he was voyaging in the sea. Prophet Jonah, peace be upon him, turned to God in the belly of the fish, saying: “There is no deity but You, All-Glorified You are (in that You are absolutely above having any defect). Surely, I have been one of the wrongdoers (who have wronged themselves)” (Al-Anbiyā’ 21:87). The sincere prayers of both Prophet Jonah and his people attracted God’s particular forgiveness and favor.

Considering the fact that “falaw-lā”—the first word of the verse under discussion—means “if only” like its synonym of “hal-lā,” the verse is interpreted as, “If only there had been a community that believed (just when God’s decree of punishment was issued) and profited by their belief.” Therefore, it encourages believers to turn to God, repent, and atone for their sins sincerely in order to be protected against God’s punishment, which sometimes comes in the form of disasters in the world. We should approach whatever takes place in life and history from the perspective that the Qur’ān provides for us and take the necessary lesson, living carefully in submission to God in the face of any possible disaster.

Our Lord! Show us the truth as true and enable us to follow it, and show us falsehood as false and enable us to refrain from it.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūrah Yūnus (Jonah): Part 4

When the drowning overtook the Pharaoh, he exclaimed: “I have come to believe that there is no deity save Him in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims (those who have surrendered).” (Yūnus 10:90)

As some hadīths inform us, everyone sees the truth clearly right before their death.[1] Hence, it can be said that there is no person who goes to the other world without believing. However, as discussed in the interpretation of 4:18 above, believing during the state of despair right before the moment of death is of no use. Pharaoh declared faith at just that time, when believing would not benefit him. Before this, however, he was always in rebellion, even while riding his horse in pursuit of Prophet Moses and his community. When he declared, “I have come to believe,” he was about to drown and had no time to do even one single thing according to his belief. In fact, the expression of “Now?” in the following verse emphasizes the point in a quite concise way. The verse continues:

Now – (You surrender now) when before this you always rebelled? (Yūnus 10:91)

If he had declared faith while riding after Moses and his community, it would not have been too late, and he would have been able to find an opportunity to do some good. But he declared faith when it was too late for his declaration to be accepted.

In conclusion, God Almighty did not prevent one who attempted to believe. On the contrary, the one who attempted to believe did so when it was too late for his attempt to be accepted.

Did Pharaoh really utter that he believed while he was drowning, or did he intend to believe and believe without uttering it? According to Ahlu’s-Sunnah (The people of the Sunnah; that is, the vast majority of Mus-lims, who follow the way of the Prophet and his Companions), if one makes a sound intention to say something when one can do it, it is not important whether one utters it or not. Such an intention is regarded as the utterance. The utterance is only the physical form of the content formed in one’s mind. Whether the Pharaoh made the utterance of belief or sincerely intended to believe, as stated in the verse,

But their faith when they actually saw (the coming of) Our mighty punishment could not avail them. (Al-Mu’min 40:85)

the Pharaoh had missed the opportunity to believe.

Here, we should also inquire whether the Pharaoh uttered those words only to escape drowning and rotting away in the sea. The Egyptians during the time of the Pharaohs believed that the spirits of the dead continued to live after death and had their dead bodies mummified so that they might serve their spirits. Answering the Pharaoh’s prayer, God saved only his body so that it might become a lesson for humankind. Additionally, instead of saying “(I have come to believe in) the All-Exalted God, in Whom Moses and Aaron believe,” the Pharaoh said: “in whom the Children of Israel believe.” That is, rather than aiming at the Prophetic horizon in belief, he turned to the misty horizon of the perception of the Children of Israel, whose minds were confused and hazy. As a consequence, the Pharaoh made a tortuous attempt to repent and believe due to the misconceptions he had. By doing so, he did not declare belief in the Messengership of Moses and Aaron either. When we consider that belief in God and His Unity requires also believing in the Messengership of the Messenger sent by God with His Message, the Pharaoh’s belief implied some sort of unbelief.

According to historical record, although the Pharaoh had some conceptions of deity, albeit not the right sort, he was a truly materialist-oriented person. It was not easy for such a materialistic person to promptly believe in every branch of faith, especially the existence and Unity of God and His Messengers.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūrah Yūnus (Jonah): Part 3

Moses prayed to God: “Our Lord! Surely You have granted the Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches in the life of this world, and so, our Lord, they lead people astray from Your way. Our Lord! Destroy their riches, and press upon their hearts, for they do not believe until they see the painful punishment.” (Yūnus 10:88)

Some interpret the expression, “and so, our Lord, they lead people astray from Your way” in the following way: “Our Lord! You have granted the Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches in this world. Have You, our Lord, granted them so that they may lead people astray from Your way?” It is difficult to accept this meaning as accurate. The letter ل (lām) in the expression, “liyudillū ‘an-sabīlik” is the lām al-‘āqibah (the lām indicating the consequence), and the verse therefore means, “You have granted the Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches in the life of this world, and so, our Lord, they lead people astray from Your way.” Knowing well why God had granted the Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches and to what end they would lead them, Moses could not have asked God, “Have You, our Lord, granted them so that they may lead people astray from Your way?” Furthermore, God never likes and approves of unbelief and disobedience to Him, and therefore He wills misguidance for no one, nor does He give people riches to lead them astray. If He gives people riches to lead them astray and people go astray, then they have obeyed Him. Therefore, God did not give Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches so that they might go astray. There are similar verses in the Qur’ān in which the letter ل (lām) is used and some have misinterpreted it as lām at-ta‘lil (the lām which indicates reason) although it is lām al-‘āqibah (the lām indicating consequence). The following verse is one of them: “Then the family of Pharaoh picked him (Moses) up only to be an adversary and a source of grief for them (as a consequence)” (Al-Qasas 28:8). In this verse, when the “lām” in the expression of “liyakūn” is taken as the lām indicating reason, as some do so, an absurd meaning appears: the family of Pharaoh picked him up so that he might be an adversary and a source of grief for them. Whereas the verse means, the family of Pharaoh picked him up only to be an adversary and a source of grief for them.

Secondly, Destiny considers or relates to cause and effect together. That is, it is evident in the view of Destiny that this cause will engender that effect. There are no different “Destinies”—one for the cause and the other for the effect. The verse under discussion mentions God’s judgment, and this judgment is the result of the errors and misguidance of Pharaoh and his chiefs. That is, although they could gain Paradise with God’s bounties on them and were expected to do so, they made their children and riches as the cause of their unbelief and barred others from God’s way. Instead of asking for right guidance in return for God’s bounties on them, they misused them in the sense of asking for misguidance, and this was why God led them astray. Moses’ poverty and belonging to the Children of Israel, whom the wealthy ruler of Egypt, the Pharaoh, and his chiefs had enslaved for a long period, increased the latter in arrogance, insolence, wrongdoing, and deviation. Thus, such arrogance, presumptuousness, and deviation impeded them from believing in one Creator and made the path of heresy the forced, compulsory way for them. Thus, by praying to God, “Our Lord! Surely You have granted the Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches in the life of this world, and so, our Lord, they lead people astray from Your way. Our Lord! Destroy their riches, and press upon their hearts, for they do not believe until they see the painful punishment,” Moses meant that riches, splendor, and children will cause such people’s misguidance unless God favors them with guidance through His special compassion and treatment.

Moses’ prayer was accepted, and the Pharaoh and his chiefs were subjected to consecutive disasters, and their wealth proved useless to them. Finally, they were destroyed utterly in the sea.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūrah Yūnus (Jonah): Part 2

We revealed to Moses and his brother: “Appoint houses for your people in Egypt (as places of refuge and coming together in God’s cause), and (as a whole community) make your homes places to turn to God, and establish the Prescribed Prayer in conformity with its conditions. And, (O Moses,) give glad tidings to the believers!” (Yūnus 10:87)

The command, “Make your homes places to turn to God!” in this verse has various meanings, as follows:

First of all, houses should be built to face the direction of qiblah—the south-east in Egypt, where Moses and his nation lived when this command was revealed to them—so that they can get enough sunlight.

Second, houses should have the characteristics of functioning as places of worship as well. The following verse also confirms this idea and points to the similar houses that fulfill the same function:

(This light can best be obtained and those guided to it are found) in some houses (that are usually concealed from people’s eyes and) for which God has provided a way for them to be built and appreciated, and for His Name to be mentioned and invoked therein; in them glorify Him in the morning and evening. (An-Nūr 24:36)

Third, God commands that each and every house should function as a place of worship as well. The people of each house should worship and perform their Prayer in their house and prevent it from becoming like a lifeless grave. Although the command is addressed to Prophets Moses and Aaron, upon them be peace, it is directed to every believer, especially when it is impossible to worship God in the open. Therefore, it has the following meanings:

When it is impossible for you to worship God in the open, adopt your houses as places of worship and perform your worship in them.

When your places of worship are banned from fulfilling their functions, convert your houses into places of worship to perform your duty of worship.

Regardless of all the impediments, do your best in order to be able to build places of worship where you will worship your Lord without negligence.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūrah Yūnus (Jonah): Part 1

If God were to hasten for human beings the ill (which they have earned) in the same manner as they hasten (what they consider to be) the good, their term would indeed have been decreed over for them. But We leave those who do not expect to encounter Us in their rebellion blindly wandering. (Yūnus 10:11)

Truly, the fact that God does not accept our prayers for evil instantly is a favor of God upon us. In fact, we may utter evil prayers, such as cursing words, for us and for others, at any moment. However, the All-Kind and All-Clement God does not “hasten,” like us, to accept those prayers. If God accepted each prayer, everybody would perish immediately, especially considering that the prayer may be done at the moment for which God may have declared: “I will give whatever people ask for.” That is, that moment may be the moment when prayers are accepted unconditionally.

Besides, the prayer done at the moment of acceptance may be a prayer done through action. That is, one may do something acceptable to God and which may be treated as a prayer. Therefore, we must be careful of the prayers we invoke. Reminding us of this fact, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, says: “Do not call maledictions upon yourselves, your children, and your wealth. If that malediction coincides with the hour when any prayer is accepted, God accepts it.” Despite this fact, some people may challenge a Prophet or his true successors, saying: “O God! If this is indeed the truth from You, rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring upon us another painful punishment!” (Al-Anfāl 8:32). Or they may utter words like, “When will this promise be fulfilled if you (O believers) are truthful?”

There may be some others who ask for evil for evildoers or tyrannical ones during a temporary impatience or without being able to tolerate the aggressions to which they are subjected. This is not necessary either because if they deserve punishment, God will punish them when the time is due. Therefore, believers should show patience in times of distress and troubles and pray for the prevention or removal of the disasters or wrongful actions they are made to suffer. Additionally, they should refer the aggressions and assaults of the enemies of the Religion to God, Who is All-Knowing of all Unseen, without showing haste about His punishment, which is sure to come. For if God wills, He punishes promptly; and if He wills, He delays the punishment according to the seriousness of the crime and punishes the wrongdoing people in the Hereafter. It may also happen that if He wills, He may guide them to the truth and make them your brothers or sisters.

Hence, a believer should never pray for evil. Believers should be cautious and respectful of God’s judgments. When they are exposed to unendurable hardships, they should complain about their conditions and inability to show becoming patience to God, as in the following prayer: “O He Who satisfies needs and repels and removes evils and troubles! Satisfy our needs and repel and remove evils and troubles from us!”

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’t-Tawbah (Repentance): Part 3

“God has bought from the believers their selves and wealth because Paradise is for them.” (At-Tawbah 9:111)

The verse above means that God will buy the transient lives and wealth of the believers in return for their eternal rewards in Paradise. Indeed, God wills to buy their souls or lives and wealth to bestow on them Paradise in the Hereafter in return. There is a significant point here worth mentioning. Although, as stated above in interpreting verse 9:20, the Qur’ān usually mentions wealth prior to life or the soul, in this verse life comes before wealth. This is because life is more important than the wealth for human beings in the Hereafter. Wealth that has gained value by being used in God’s cause comes after the life or soul sacrificed for God’s sake. Clearly, if one cannot enter Paradise, what significance will the wealth, which will be a simple ornament of Paradise, have for them? Thus, unlike the other, similar verses in the Qur’ān, the soul or life is mentioned in this verse prior to wealth in order to express this truth.

In fact, everything that human beings seem to own temporarily, including their selves, is God’s property. Everything from coming into existence to whatever is necessary for maintaining life is an essential gift from God. Second, God allows human beings, who are in fact the trustees of God’s gifts, to own and use them according to certain rules. This is another favor of God. We are unable to preserve our possessions, and when we die, they will be left in the world. Although it is God Who really possesses them and has bestowed them on us together with our life, God wills to eternalize them—His Own property—by buying them from us in return for thousands of times a greater price. This is the greatest of favors. This is so great a favor that if we do not accept it, either we waste our property given to us as a trust on fleeting and harmful desires and fancies and so betray its Real Owner and thus deserve His punishment, or our property will eventually and we will eternally be deprived of a most beneficial trading.

However, if we accept this contract, which is one hundred percent in our favor, we will die to live eternally in a blessed, much more beautiful world, with our property eternalized to give ever-fresh, eternal fruits. Our world of a few days will perish in the soil like a seed, but it will grow into an eternal world of Paradise. We will satisfy our carnal desires not as we wish but according to certain standards that are to our benefit and acquire God’s good pleasure in return. We are not forced to enter all these transactions, but we enter them with our free will, to which God Almighty gives extremely great value. Since the acceptance of this contract will be made dependent on our free will, the Qur’ān presents it in terms of trading.

Since this contract was made with all human beings in pre-eternity, it was renewed in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’ān, emphasized in different styles.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’t-Tawbah (Repentance): Part 2

“God has promised the believers, both men and women, Gardens through which rivers flow, therein to abide, and blessed dwellings in Gardens of perpetual bliss; and greater (than those) is God’s being pleased with them. That indeed is the supreme triumph.” (At-Tawbah 9:72)

“Gardens of perpetual bliss” (Jannātu ‘Adn), according to the above verse and several hadīths,[1] are the place where mostly material and partially spiritual pleasures will be tasted. Indeed, there are people whose physical desires outweigh their spiritual desires and whose carnal desires are dominant. “Gardens of perpetual bliss,” which include every kind of physical pleasure in it, mean a lot to such kind of people as a reward. While there are others whose spiritual faculties are developed to such degree that pleasures of eating, drinking, and maidens of Paradise mean little to them. They always pursue spiritual pleasures to satisfy their souls. Therefore, the Highest Abode or Floor of Paradise (Jannātu’l-Firdaws) is for them. The part of the verse, “and greater (than those) is God’s being pleased with them,” must be indicative of this.

It is because of the superiority of Firdaws over other abodes or floors of Paradise that God’s Messenger said in one of his hadīths: “When you pray for Paradise, ask for Firdaws, for it is the highest of the abodes of Paradise.”[2] First of all, as we understand from the relevant hadīths, Paradise has a conical shape and the Firdaws is such a superior place in this Paradise that those who dwell there will be able to observe all the layers of Paradise. Second, since belief in the Unseen did not develop much among ancient communities, they were not able to deepen their knowledge in matters concerning the Unseen and of metaphysical import. As for the ummah, or community, of Prophet Muhammad, as its members have deepened in belief in the Unseen and the related issues much more than the previous communities and can therefore be satisfied with spiritual pleasures rather than physical ones, the Prophet advised his ummah to ask for Firdaws, which is full of spiritual pleasures. It can be said that while the “Gardens of perpetual bliss” (Jannātu ‘Adn) mark the horizon of the bliss of the other communities or the followers of the previous Prophets to certain extents, Firdaws is the Garden of Prophet Muhammad’s ummah.

Actually, God will be pleased with all the people of Paradise, but “God’s greater or particular good pleasure” is the greatest of the bounties of Paradise, one so profound and exceptional that one favored with it no longer needs another bounty and pleasure. Therefore, the Community of God’s Messenger, who is the owner of the Maqām al-Mahmūd, or the Station of Being Praised, which symbolizes the reward of being the most grateful to God, will be rewarded with it. In fact, the name Muhammad itself (meaning the One Who is Praised) is exactly consistent with the Station of Being Praised and the Flag of Praising. Since Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is he who praised and thanked God and called people to thanking and praising Him much more than everybody else, he will be honored with the Station of Being Praised and carrying the Flag of Praise in the other world. Therefore, the abode of his Community will be Firdaws, which signifies God’s greater or particular good pleasure, or His being more pleased with some of His servants.

O God, we ask You for forgiveness, wellbeing, and good pleasure!

O God, guide us to what You love and are pleased with.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’t-Tawbah (Repentance): Part 1

“Those who believe and have emigrated (to the home of Islam in God’s cause), and strive in God’s cause with their wealth and persons are greater in rank in God’s sight, and those are the ones who are the triumphant.” (At-Tawbah 9:20)

While the Qur’ān talks about jihād (striving in God’s cause) and the sacrifice for jihād, except in a few verses, it always mentions sacrificing with “wealth” prior to sacrificing life. It seems to me that human beings tend to revere wealth more than life throughout their lives in this transient world. The hadīth, “Whoever is killed while defending his wealth is a martyr” refers to this inborn tendency of humanity; in addition to that, it expresses a legal conclusion. The Turkish proverb, “Wealth is the fire of life,” expresses the same fact.

Nevertheless, there are some people who renounce the world in spirit, rather than renouncing it by way of working and earning one’s living. That is, without setting their heart on the world and adopting it as the goal of their life, they work and earn with lawful ways and spend in God’s cause and for the needy. Among the Prophet’s Companions, Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn ‘Awf were such kind of people. There are also others who possess nothing in the name of the world except their lives. Therefore, they are ready to sacrifice it, especially if they are fully aware of the worth of life.

Truly, to believe and change sides because of belief and fulfill what is required by belief are not easy and simple things to do. Changing sides and embracing a new faith after having lived a long life in adherence to certain habits or creeds or ideologies is very difficult. When human nature is considered in addition to this, it can be understood more easily how diffi-cult this is. It must be much more difficult for one who has accepted a new faith to be able to sacrifice wealth and life so easily. Hamza, may God be pleased with him, hesitated for a couple of days before he converted to Islam even though he was the uncle and foster-brother of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. Instead of being angry, we should come to the aid with prayer and close concern when we see people who linger between belief and unbelief and hesitate about sacrificing their wealth and life in God’s cause after they have come to belief.

Indeed, if “believing” means overcoming the first obstacle of Satan, “leaving one’s tribe, community, and relatives in order to immigrate to a different land for the sake of belief” is surmounting another obstacle which is as powerful as the other. Without being content with leaving one’s native land and relatives, “striving in order to exalt God’s Word in the new land to which one has immigrated” means destroying a third, great barrier. One who has overcome all of these obstacles or barriers has conquered his or her own carnal self and attained salvation.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-Anfāl (Gains of War): Part 4

“Those who disbelieve—they are friends and protectors of one another (especially against you). Unless you do it also (i.e. maintain solidarity among yourselves as believers) there will be unrest on the earth and great corruption.” (Al-Anfāl 8:73)

The verse prior to the one above, “Those who have believed and emi-grated (to the home of Islam), and striven hard with their wealth and persons in God’s cause, and those who give refuge (to them) and help (them)—those (illustrious ones) are friends and protectors of one another (and can inherit from one another),” decreed that those who emigrated to Madīnah (Muhājirūn) and those who gave refuge to and helped them (Ansār) could inherit from one another although they were not relatives. As for the verse under discussion, it was decreed in it that the Muslims and unbelievers could not inherit from one another; unbelievers can inherit from unbelievers only. In interpreting this verse, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, says: “I am distant from every Muslim who keeps living among unbelievers. Their fire does not give light.” In other words, the fire they kindle is not felt as a light despite their beliefs; as a result, the two different worlds cannot be distinguished from each other. This matter can be interpreted in the fol-lowing ways:

1. Fire has a great importance in deserts as a means of direction and warm. The hadīth above may be interpreted as an inability to distin-guish between the fire of the friend and that of the enemy.

2. If the sources of light or fireplaces of believers and unbelievers exist side by side, they cannot be differentiated from each other. The sources of light of believers and unbelievers should be separate so that each may not be deceived and confused.

3. The most important point is that if unbelievers and believers are mixed with one another, neglecting the basic differences of creed, morality, and goals, they may not be able to observe and preserve their metaphysical intensity and spiritual alertness against one another. They may be tolerant towards each other and live in peace, but belief and unbelief cannot be reconciled.

4. Another point is that according to the Islamic Law of Heritage, ikhtilāfu’d-dīn (the difference of religion) and ikhtilāfu’d-dārr (the differ-ence of worlds) prevent mutual inheritance. That is, both Muslims and the followers of other religions as well as the Muslim citizens of Islamic world and the citizens of non-Muslim countries that are at war with Muslims can-not inherit from each other. Apart from humanly relationships, if the basic principles of belief and practice and certain legal disciplines cannot be observed and preserved, we may cause corruption and disorder by the affairs and acts from which we hope improvement and reform. The greatest disturbance, abuse, and corruption are those caused by good intention and the acts done with the purpose of improvement. For the harm caused by good intentions is liable to be continuous. Once the masses are directed to this kind of conduct unconsciously, it will be very difficult for them to turn back to normality.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-Anfāl (Gains of War): Part 3

“O you who believe! When you meet a host in battle, stand firm and remember and mention God much, that you may triumph.” (Al-Anfāl 8:45)

“Remembering and mentioning God” in the above verse can be understood as follows:

Firstly, it is emphasized that there should be no place for heedlessness in a believer’s heart in their everyday life and especially during a battle. Everyone who is oblivious to God should be reminded of this. Believers should be warned against heedlessness, especially during a “battle,” and encouraged to “remember and mention God” both by heart and tongue so that even the fields of fighting should be places of worship.

Secondly, remembrance of God at the battlefield is also a resounding proclamation of God’s Name—Allah, Allah, Allah. This behavior is very important particularly in dissuading the enemy side and encouraging the Muslims. If uttering “Allah, Allah” in the normal course of events even with the tip of the tongue inspires spiritual tension in us and fear in the enemy—it definitely does—then we should think about how much one may gain through the remembrance of God (dhikr) done enthusiastically and in awareness.

Thirdly, as for the relationship between “triumph” and persistence in “remembering and mentioning God,” this is a separate subject which needs to be elaborated on later.

In the verse above there are two important and complementary points for believers who meet an enemy:

First, when believers meet an enemy in battle, regardless of how powerful or weak the enemy is, they should be encouraged to have patience and perseverance, and the morale of the enemy should be destroyed through courage and vigilance.

Second, believers should be high-spirited, spiritually powerful, and determined through “remembering and mentioning God” and acting in unity. They should be so fearless and energetic that the enemy should be shocked and discouraged.

These are the important keys to success. One cannot be successful without patience and steadfastness according to the Divine laws of life. Likewise, believers cannot attain victory by fighting heedless of God. Even if they are victorious, such a victory does not bring reward with respect to the Hereafter.

Thus, Muslim warriors or those who strive in God’s cause, no matter what the circumstances are, should be determined and eager on one hand, and always turn to God in remembrance of Him on the other. Even at times when believers are at the zenith of their power and strength, they should never rely on their power; instead, they should always seek refuge in Him and rely on His Power. They should continue to repeat the following supplication: “O God, we admit that we have no power and strength, and we seek refuge in Your Power and Strength.”

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-Anfāl (Gains of War): Part 2

“And when He made them appear as few in your eyes when you met them in the battle just as He lessened you in their eyes, so that God might accomplish a thing that He had already decreed.” (Al-Anfāl 8:44)

The incident mentioned in the verse happened in the Battle of Badr as well. The great majority of those who fought in the lines of Muslims had not participated in a serious battle until that time. Moreover, we should not disregard the fact that when the Muslims left Madīnah, their intention was not fighting but pursuing the caravan which was full of their assets seized by the polytheist Makkans. If the Muslims had seen the other side with all their actual forces, instead of seeing them “as few,” they would have worried and panicked. However, when they came face to face with an unavoidable situation after the battle began, God showed the Muslims the actual conditions of unbelievers so that they might rely on God and take refuge in Him. If they had continued to see them as fewer than their actual numbers, they would have shown neglect and acted carelessly, without even considering that it is always God Who would bestow victory. For human beings tend to act obliviously of God’s grace and help at the time of ease and softness.

There is another point worth mentioning: the angels who were sent to help the Muslims in the Battle of Badr did not fight like the human fighters, nor did they use swords or kill any unbelievers. They came only to disappoint and frustrate the enemy side and to add to the spiritual power of Muslims. If the angels had fought in the battle, the veil of causality over events would have been rent to a certain extent, the Muslim warriors would not have gained the designation of ghāzī, or warrior in God’s cause, and everybody would have been in expectation of God’s help in any affairs whereas God’s help comes veiled or in an indistinct form in this world of testing and trial.

Indeed, it was the first grace and help of God in the Battle of Badr that He made the unbelievers appear as few in believers’ eyes. By doing so, God preserved some of the inexperienced believers from intimidation before the fighting began and encouraged them to fight. Another help of God to Muslims was that the enemy army saw the Muslims as fewer as well, which caused them to be disdainful of the force of the Muslims and act indifferently. As a result, God bestowed a decisive victory on the Muslims and also caused them to gain great reward. It was when the fighting began and the Muslims found themselves in the middle of fighting that the two sides saw the actual power of the other side. The Divine Will had put Its decree in force, and whatever God willed did occur. The Muslims were on their way to triumph through God’s help and grace along with their valor and heroic fighting under the eminent command of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, while the aggressive unbelievers and transgressors were brought to ruin, deprived of every sort of support and succor, falling down to the hollow of their inevitable end.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-Anfāl (Gains of War): Part 1

“But (God caused you to meet for battle in such circumstances) so that God might accomplish a thing that He had already decreed in order that he who was to perish should perish by a clear evidence (of his deserving perishing because he followed falsehood), and he who survived might survive by a clear evidence (of his deserving survival because of his devotion to the truth). Surely God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Al-Anfāl 8:42)

Life could have been organized according to what is stated in the verse, “If your Lord had so willed, all who are on the earth would surely have believed, all of them” (Yūnus 10:99). However, the Divine Will has bound the existence of belief and unbelief dependent upon a struggle which will continue until the end of the world. It is possible to see this reality clearly when we look at the history of humankind since the time of Prophet Adam, upon him be peace. So if we want to live as believers, we should not forget that we may always be the target of the transgression, betrayal, tyranny, and enmity of the people of unbelief. While the natural hostility of unbelief towards belief brings the unbelievers to aggression, the front of belief should not cause unbelievers to feel as if they are walking among the corpses. Those who die should die knowing clearly for which cause they die while those who survive should know clearly for which cause they strive and survive so that no one may have any excuses or questions in God’s Presence on the Day of Judgment.

Whether it is the believers or unbelievers who are victorious, the result does not change: no side will have excuses before God, for both the believers and unbelievers deserve the result of their striving.

To explain the matter further, the verse under discussion was re-vealed in regard with the Battle of Badr. As stated in the first part of the verse, God Almighty organized the battle in such circumstances that even if the two sides—the Muslim army under the command of God’s Messenger and the Makkan army—had made a mutual appointment to meet for battle in such circumstances, they would have failed to keep the appointment. However, the divinely sanctioned incident brought the two sides face to face for battle without the forethought and planning of either of the two parties. Those who would “survive” would do so because they deserved it. In fact, this is the truth of the entire human history. Those who have “perished” with respect to the eternal life as well as their worldly life have perished or lost because they have been closed to the truth and thus defeated by their grudges, hatred or deviations while those who have survived have survived and earned eternal life in high-spiritedness and happiness due to their courage, altruism, and struggle with wrongdoing and injustices, as well as their dedication to lofty ideals, and right-eousness.

To sum up, neither those who have died nor those who have sur-vived in the Battle of Badr and all other battles, neither those who are victorious nor those who are defeated, and neither the believers nor unbelievers who have lived throughout history can do anything but admit that whatever happens is right and pure justice. This is so because everything occurs in the knowledge of the “All-Knowing” and “All-Hearing” and within a framework He has established.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-A‘rāf (The Heights): Part 2

“It is He Who created you from a single human self, and made from it its mate, so that he (inclining with love towards his mate) may find rest in her. And so, when he has covered her, she conceives a light burden, and continues to bear it. Then, when she grows heavy (with child), both (feel the need to) turn to God, their Lord, with prayer: “If You indeed grant us a righteous child, we will most certainly be among the thankful.” Then when He grants the couple a righteous child, they begin to associate partners with God in respect of what He has granted them. Infinitely is He exalted above their association of partners with Him and whatever they associate with Him as partners.” (Al-A‘rāf 7:189–190)

It is a fact that although they do not do so as clearly as polytheists do, peo-ple of faith can also commit the sin of “associating partners with God.” As mentioned in the verse under discussion, excessive love of child is one of the different ways of “associating partners with God.” Today, instead of con-sidering our children as God’s trust to and gifts or bounties on us, we think and behave as if we were the true owners of our children and grandchil-dren. Moreover, we can sometimes neglect our prescribed Prayers for the sake of them. It is as if our love for them was greater than our love of God. While we must consider them as trust to us and love them in the name of God and for His sake, we are attached to them so deeply without thinking of God that we are probably involved in implicit association of partners with God Almighty. Therefore, we must behave according to the principle, “There cannot be two genuine loves in a heart,” and have a firm stand against association of partners with God. I admit that it is easy to say, but it is extremely difficult to put it into practice. Even so, we should strive to purify ourselves of “associating partners with God” and keep distant from the cases which include even a slight sign of it. Added to these efforts, the following prayer of God’s Messenger may be considered as a prescription: “My God! I take refuge in You from being involved in any kind of associating partners with You knowingly, and I ask for Your forgiveness for the things that I do unknowingly.”

Love for children can be approached from another perspective: Human beings may not be accountable for their uncontrollable emotions. However, they are charged with balancing their natural feelings with religious principles and attitudes. For instance, people may feel the desire of over-eating and drinking, or they may desire an aristocratic lifestyle. Even becoming so passionate, they may behave without thinking of the end. Human beings are created stingy, hasty, and addicted to their desires. In other words, these characteristics exist in human nature. In addition, other contrasting characteristics such as vengeance, hatred, and enmity as well as love, affection, and humanity exist in human nature as well. These two kinds of feelings and tendencies are two different hallways leading to goodness and evil. Therefore, human beings should close the doors to the evil in their nature and control their evil thoughts and passions through religious thoughts and feelings so that they are able to attain the perfection for which they are created in accordance with their endowed capacity or potential to attain it. This is called “attaining the second nature” in religious terminology. In other words, human beings can direct their nature—which is potentially capable of being the lowest of the low—towards having a towering character (or a second nature) with all the good characteristics and thus have closer relationship with God.

To turn to the topic of love of children, this, too, exists in human nature. Parents cannot look after and bring up their children without this love; the result of such is that countries and humanity cannot progress. Indeed, there are many rebellious children around us, yet their parents still take care of them. If there was not this natural love and affection in parents’ hearts, the streets would be full of abandoned people. However, this natural love and affection, like other feelings, need to be amended with love of God, so that righteousness may be attained. Unless life is lived according to the principles laid by God and in connection with Him, deviation is inevitable. Because of this, love of God should develop and be rooted in every heart, primarily. This is dependent on practice. If a person says, “O God, I am sacrificing my property and children in Your cause,” without feeling it in their heart after spiritual education and experience, this can sometimes be hypocrisy or even a lie. All evil habits should be removed from the soul and all good characteristics should be repeatedly experienced so that Islam may be deeply rooted in our personality and becomes a part of our nature and so that our behavior may become natural. Otherwise, it will be impossible for us to get rid of dual thinking and dual living.

The verse under discussion shifts from Adam in person to the children of Adam (humankind), extending through time as individuals and communities. Being many in one, and having as much meaning and value as all beings, humanity has the potential to move past angels with respect to doing good deeds, on one hand, and to cause even Satan the accursed to regret his existence when it comes to destruction, on the other. Thus, the verse tells about one of the links of the chain of humanity in a style that describes the whole of humanity. When this point is understood, it becomes meaningless to ask which couple or family the verse refers to.

Humankind was created from a “self” that can be considered human nature and from which “its mate” was also created. Therefore, all human beings descended from a pair of “selves” identical to each other in terms of being human in character, contents, capacity, and value. In other words, the pairs were formed from the same elements, which compose the very substance of humankind. The Creator created the pairs as the two sides of a single entity that are in need of each other, complete each other, attain peace and contentment by means of each other, and feel and understand each other as they share the same life. Therefore, He returns the “seemingly plural” to the “singular” in content; thus, He reminds us of the principle of tawhīd (God’s Unity and unity in existence coming from It). Furthermore, reminding us of our creation, He prompts the feeling of gratitude in our consciousness, at the same time as He excites our minds with gratitude as well.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-A‘rāf (The Heights): Part 1

“They (the sorcerers) said: “Moses! Either you throw first or we will be the first to throw!” He answered: “Throw!” And when they threw (whatever they held in their hands to make spells) they cast a spell upon the people’s eyes (i.e. overawed and deluded them), and produced a mighty sorcery.” (Al-A‘rāf 7:115–116)

There is a point in this verse which should not be overlooked: it is the fact that sorcery was the most popular phenomenon among the people in the years when Moses, upon him be peace, was charged with Divine Messengership. Performance of sorcery in a crowded area on a festive day also proves this. Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, let the people of Pharaoh demonstrate their sorcery. When the most well-known sorcerers of Pharaoh’s country performed the best of their sorcery in the view of the folk, everybody was entranced. However, when Moses invalidated their sorcery, both the sorcerers and people were astonished. The sorcerers, who were ingeniously adept in sorcery, immediately submitted to Moses’ Message in spite of Pharaoh, realizing that what Moses did was not sorcery. They actually did a great service on behalf of the Message by their immediate submission.

Think about a crowd of magicians whose lives were based on deception, a despotic elite class that impelled these magicians to this, and the masses who usually followed these two classes. They saw some thick ropes and huge poles as piled up snakes and dragons, and no matter if it was magic or the sun’s heat that made pieces of tree and leather stuffed with mercury appear as such, a stick from a dried tree, which had temporary extraordinariness in Moses’ hands, swallowed up all of those false devices. The people, who had been astonished in the face of the huge rods conducted by deception shortly before, encountered both the truth and the defeat of falsehood. It was the time for the sorcerers to declare, “We have come to believe in the Lord of the worlds” (Al-A‘rāf 7:121). When the apparent representatives of falsehood made this declaration, the same action was expected from those following them.

The Qur’ān describes what happened between Moses and sorcerers in various places, approaching the events from different perspectives and in a distinct way or style appropriate for each place. Their messages reveal themselves in many different ways in these various places in the Qur’ān. Through the doors of history opened ajar, they draw our attention to recurring occurrences in history, allowing us to draw lessons from these events according to our capacities as there is always more to be found in the narratives of Prophet Moses and the despotic elites who used various people and mediums of illusion to mask the truth.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-An‘ām (Cattle): Part 2

2. Spatial aspect of Divine Messengership

The verse, “God knows best upon whom (and where) to place His Message” is full of wisdom with respect to Divine Messengership that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, appeared in Makkah. As it is well known, Makkah surrounds the navel (center) of the earth. The Ka‘bah is the navel or central point of the earth and the heart of all existence. According to the people of spiritual unveiling, the Ka‘bah was created together with the Beloved Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings. The Truth of the Ka‘bah is identical to the Truth of (Prophet Muhammad as) Ahmad, upon him be peace and blessings. Since the person of Prophet Muhammad was apparently a worldly being, some saints went wrong by asserting that the truth of the Ka‘bah is ahead of the Truth of Muhammad. However, the fact is that the Truth of Muhammad is never secondary to the Truth of the Ka‘bah. These are like the two sides to one coin. Therefore, if a universal Divine Message is to be represented in any place on the earth, it is certain that the place should be the Ka‘bah, which mothered Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. It must be because of this that the Qur’ān calls Makkah as “Ummu’l Qurā” (The Mother of Towns).[3] Truly, Makkah became the native town of the Prophet, raising him in it like a womb. Similarly, Moses received the Divine Message concerning the Children of Israel not at Aykah in Midian, where he spent many years after he fled from Egypt, or any other place, but at the holy site of Mount Sinai, which would resonate with Judaism. Thus, a universal Message for all humankind like the Qur’ān would be manifested in and spread throughout the world from the town where the Ka‘bah is located, and it happened so.

Another aspect of this point is as follows: Makkah is a quite strategic and significant town. Especially with respect to the time when it was honored with the Divine Message, it was a place where or around which the waves rising from the countries around and the superpowers of the time met and collided. Besides, both Makkah and Madīnah are among the cities which became cradles for many ancient civilizations such as Sheba (Saba’) and Ahqaf. According to what history tells us, a person who set off from Yemen would arrive in the Hijaz (where Makkah and Madīnah are) without seeing the sun. The region was utterly green and full of forests. The Qur’ān mentions the dwelling places of the civilization of Sheba as surrounded by paradisiacal gardens.

While being cradles for some ancient civilizations, Makkah and Madīnah were also open to the two great civilizations of the Sassanid and Roman Empires. The Roman culture met with the ancient Egyptian culture through the channel of Antioch (Antakya) and the historical city of Alexandria came out. Rome was the superpower of that time. Sūratu’r-Rūm, the thirtieth Qur’anic chapter, was revealed during the fighting years of the Byzantine Romans and the Sassanids and told about the phases of this war in its initial verses. During the years when our Prophet was born, the Sassanid Empire ruled in Yemen. Provoked by the Sassanid government, its Abyssinian governor Abrahah ibn Sabāh attacked Makkah in an attempt to destroy the Ka‘bah. His army had a number of war elephants. Abrahah had erected a great temple in San‘a, hoping to attract the Arab pilgrims from Makkah to his own territory. But his army was utterly defeated through the extraordinary help of God Almighty, Who has made this sacred city of Makkah al-baladi’l-‘amīn—“the city of security,” and thus protected its dwellers from fear.

It can be said from this perspective that the Arabian Peninsula was the most suitable place for conveying the universal message of Islam. Truly, a Message which would address the whole world would be delivered from such a place so that it could spread to the entire world as soon as its existence was realized. Makkah and Madīnah had all these advantages. As soon as the truth of Messengership stood on its feet, it immediately came across the two greatest cultures and civilizations of the time (the Romans and the Sassanids), and through them it encountered a variety of nations. Then, it reached the doors of Europe through one of them and as far as inland of the Asian continent through the other in a very short time. Thus, it fulfilled its mission universally and swiftly.

Makkah was also a big trade center during that time. Traders from different parts of the world used to visit Makkah frequently for trading or importing or exporting. As it is stated in the Qur’ān as well, Makkah was pretty convenient for organizing trading caravans to the regions of Damascus and Yemen in each season.[6] Furthermore, Makkah was like the heart of that region in terms of trading. Even the Jews, who controlled the trade in Madīnah until then, could no longer do business there when the Muslims of Makkah immigrated to Madīnah. This fact indicates that the people of Makkah knew the social and cultural structure of the superpowers of the time very well owing to their trading relationship with the world. We understand more clearly today that knowing the general and social characteristics of a people and becoming aware of their interests and concerns are very important in order to identify their economic and financial structures and to enter into relations with them. Therefore, it was by means of their commercial relations that the Makkan people had recognized the culture of the surrounding peoples and the states very well. This fact provided a suitable basis for the Messengership of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, which would appear later on.

The emergence of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, with a universal message around the Ka‘bah, the projection of Sidrah upon the earth, and its surrounding Makkah was so important that if it had emerged in another place, the entire order would have been corrupted and all the advantages provided by Makkah and Madīnah would have been lost.

Additionally, I should point out that the emergence of the Message in the middle of a scorching desert had another advantage. That desert had consumed and terminated many Napoleons, Hitlers, Rommels, and the like. The first Muslim warriors, who had become used to the boiling heat and hardships of the desert, won each war they fought and became victorious. Those warriors crossed the passages by running while others crept across. For example, if the fighters of the Battle of Tabuk, which took place in the ninth year of the Madīnah period of the Messengership of the Prophet, had been from Turkey or Damascus, most probably, they could not have breathed in the hot air of the desert and would have been ruined.

Another point to mention concerning the spatial dimension of the Divine Messengership is that since the Arab Peninsula is a dry desert, the then grand states did not have their eyes on that area. Petroleum and other precious elements had not been known yet either. Greens were rare. Because of all these and similar other reasons, Makkah and Madīnah were not lands appealing for discovery or occupation, except trading, and remained safe from the exploitation of other states.

Actually, general governors, at times, were sent by the superpowers of the time to these blessed places. However, there could be neither gains nor losses for them in those regions. Therefore, the cultures of other areas were not able to blur the uncontaminated ideas of their people. Hence, Islam was able to keep its own creeds pure and uninfluenced by other civilizations and cultures, and it spread them easily and in their pristine purity. If, conversely, Makkah and Madīnah had been influenced by the foreign cultures and ideologies of the time, the conveying of Islam to other peoples would have encountered many difficulties. Indeed, the Islamic culture flowed through the civilized areas of the time and accumulated like a pure water source. Neither the Sassanid’s nor Rome’s pagan creeds could leak into the pure and crystal clear wellspring of Divine Messengership. As the Arabic expression says, “Buckets do not make it dirty,” the buckets dipped into that pure water could not make turbid this Revelation-based wellspring, which comes from a blessed source, and is preserved under absolute quarantine and security.

To sum up, both having in it the projection of Sidrah on the earth (i.e., the Ka‘bah), and being important in terms of its geographical location among the old world continents, Makkah was unique to host and entertain the universal Divine Messengership. Even though the Divine Message spread through other areas and found different centers for strategic reasons in the succeeding periods, Makkah and Madīnah enjoyed the uniqueness of being the places where it first emerged and was established. Other cities such as Damascus and especially Baghdad and Istanbul were capitals of the Islamic civilization for long periods and centers for its proliferation for a long time. Istanbul, in particular, played the greatest role in inheriting the mission of Messengership and preserving the legacy of the Islamic Message. Nonetheless, Makkah and Madīnah always kept their supremacy as blessed and beloved places, even during the years when Islam was represented by Istanbul.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-An‘ām (Cattle): Part 3

3. Linguistic aspect of the Divine Message

Just like the verse, “God knows best upon whom (and in what language) to place His Message,” there exists many verses throughout the Qur’ān stating clearly that the Qur’ān was revealed in Arabic. This fact proves the exceptional position of the Arabic language, especially in that era. Arabic was living its golden age when the Qur’ān was revealed. Actually, there is a golden age for every language. For instance, the Elizabethan era or the present age can be considered to be the golden age of English. They did not commit the error that we did in language by alienating ourselves against our past and narrowing down our vocabulary. English has remained open to borrowing words from other languages and interaction with various other cultures. The English people have always been respectful of the Elizabethan era. Likewise, the era of Qur’anic revelation may be considered the golden age of the Arabic language, when its grammatical, semantic, lexical, and stylistic dimensions were established, and even the simplest expressions were almost wonders of art. The Qur’ān was revealed in the dialects of the Mudar Clan and the Quraysh Tribe. Yet, it was open to various other dialects as well.

A great number of people to date have worked on the literary aspect of the Qur’ān. Also, many great scholars have come out in this area. Abdu’l-Qāhir al-Jurjāni, as-Sakkāki, az-Zamakhshārī, Muhammad Sādiq ar-Rāfi‘ī, Sayyed Qutb, and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi—the author of Ishārātu’l I‘jāz (Signs of Miraculousness)—are only a few among those great scholars.

Since the time of its revelation, the Qur’ān has always challenged its opponents with its eloquence and miraculousness. Many litterateurs and people of eloquence have tried to imitate the Qur’ān, yet all of them have been bitterly frustrated. On the other hand, many friends of the Qur’ān have beautified their words, poems, and articles with its verses, yet those people have never achieved the exact beauty of the Qur’ān. Recited today by hundreds of millions, the Qur’ān smiles at us from the highest point of the heaven of Revelation like a most shiny star and tells us the inimitability of its way of expression. A lot of poets and litterateurs during the years of its Revelation were enchanted by the words of the Qur’ān and submitted to it by listening to it only once. Many others such as Walid ibn Mughīrah, Utba ibn Walid, and Abū Jahl were charmed by it despite their severe antagonism, and they could not attempt to compete with even one of its verses. ‘Umar, who once said, “I can read a thousand couplets from memory from the literary legacy of the (pre-Islamic) Age of Ignorance without stopping,” was fascinated by the Qur’ān when he heard Sūrah Tā-Hā recited in his sister’s house when he was on his way to kill the Prophet, and he went to the Prophet ready to believe. According to the reports, everyone in Makkah was so familiar with poetry that if one stopped any person on a street and asked them, they could recite poems from memory for hours.

While the Qur’ān was being sent down as the Book of a new Religion, it was being revealed in such an immensely rich language with literary beauty and profundity. It had such a literary style and layers of meaning that it satisfied everyone with all levels of knowledge and understanding from an ordinary desert person to the experts of literature and sciences. Together with a desert person pasturing their camels, the most outstanding people of literature and sciences used to recite the Qur’ān with an indescribable enthusiasm and pleasure.

As it is stated in the verse under discussion, it is absolutely true that God is He Who knows best upon whom and in what language to place His Message. The Qur’ān was revealed in such a language and literary style that if a jurist refers to it, they suffer no troubles in achieving their goal. Likewise, an administrator, a theologian, or a commentator can easily find the fine points of their own specialized area in the Qur’ān and are enlightened. This is so despite the fact that each science—whether it is law or literature or theology or physics or the Qur’anic commentary and exegesis—has its own language. The Qur’ān considers all of these at the same time without injuring even their finest points, principles, and rules. Here we find the history of Islam, Islamic jurisprudence, schools of law, schools of literature, schools of thought, schools of the Qur’anic commentary and exegesis, and schools of other sciences, which have brought up thousands of specialists and experts. All of these schools have had their sources in the Qur’ān and have produced plenty of works because of it.

Indeed, God, the Almighty, is He Who “knows best upon whom, where, and in what language, to place His Message.” Actually it is most fitting here to say, “God is the only One Who knows upon whom, where, and in what language, to place His Message.” Besides Him nobody has the right to decide on this matter. It is, as the verse continues, abasement in this world and a severe punishment in the Hereafter that await those who want to interfere in God’s choice.

#islam #allah #quran #muslim #revert #god #help #convert #religion #ayat

[wisdomrays]

REFLECTIONS ON THE QUR'AN: Sūratu’l-An‘ām (Cattle): Part 1

God knows best upon whom (and where, when and in what language) to place His Message. (Al-An‘ām 6:124)

There are many instances of wisdom in the rise of Islam in Makkah and its spread through the world from this blessed city. The verse above, “God knows best upon whom to place His Message,” may be understood from the perspective of Divine appointment of the Messengers as well as with respect to the geological, anthropological, historical, human, spatial and linguistic dimensions of Divine Messengership. Indeed, God Almighty knows best upon whom to place His Message and in which community the Messenger will appear. It is also He Who knows best at what point during religious conflicts and clashes among nations the new religion will emerge. Let us review these points:

1. Human aspect or dimension of Divine Messengership

According to this aspect, the verse means: God the Almighty knows best on whom to bestow the Divine Message or whom to appoint as His Messenger. Many Makkan polytheists regarded those like Walid ibn Mughīrah and Urwa ibn Mas‘ūd ath-Thaqafī as more appropriate for the mission of Messengership. According to their standards of importance, they did not perceive of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as being equal to them in wealth or status and claimed:

If only this Qur’ān had been sent down on a man of leading position of the two cities (of Makkah and Tā’if—the major cities of the region)! (Az-Zukhruf 43:31)

The Qur’ān responds to their considerations as follows:

Is it they who distribute the mercy of your Lord (so that they may appoint whom they wish as Messenger to receive the Book)? (Moreover, how do they presume to value some above others only because of their wealth or status, when) it is also We Who distribute their means of livelihood among them in the life of this world, and raise some of them above others in degree, so that they may avail themselves of one another’s help? (Az-Zukhruf 43:32)

If everything in human life including the means of livelihood is dependent on the Divine distribution, Divine Messengership, which is the most important matter of human existence, cannot surely be dependent on the opinion of human beings. Since it is God Who wills the spiritual and intellectual revival of human beings and knows with what means they will be revived, He definitely knows who can bear His Message to them in the best way. Therefore, whoever God has appointed for His Messengership, surely he is the one most appropriate for this mission. Those who, like Walid ibn Mughīrah, gossiped about Divine Messengership, had committed the biggest crime intentionally as they belittled our Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Since their crime meant insulting and disparaging the Prophet, they were condemned to be humiliated the most in God’s sight. Thus, the rest of the verse under discussion refers to their evil end, saying:

Soon will an abasement from God’s Presence befall these criminals and a severe punishment for their scheming. (Al-An‘ām 6:124)

This is so because the selection of Prophets belongs to God Almighty exclusively:

God chooses Messengers from among the angels as well as from among human beings. (Al-Hajj 22:75)

If it is God Who chooses and appoints, then what falls upon us is to respect and obey this preference. Otherwise, even a slight dissatisfaction at God’s preference reduces human beings to a despicable level. Also, such people are deprived of the blessings coming through the Prophets; saints; saintly, purified scholars; the godly; and those near-stationed to God. Whoever disrespects God’s choice degrades himself into a position of indignity and becomes deaf and blind to all Divine messages.

The matchless greatness and competence of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, have been admitted through ages. Even all the Makkans admitted his superiority and exceptional moral excellencies before his Prophethood. Moreover, there were many indications and good news about his advent. Indeed, despite all kinds of alterations, according to the study and research of many Islamic scholars, such as Allāmah al-Hindī and Hussayn al-Jisrī, there were as many as 114 signs and glad tidings about Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, in the earlier Divine Scriptures or Books. All of the Prophets from David, Solomon, Moses, John the Baptist, Zachariah to Jesus, peace be upon them all, unanimously gave the good news of the coming of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as the Last Prophet and told their communities that he would encompass all the excellencies they possessed. With respect to this supreme position of God’s Messenger over all the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, received “the station of full possession of all excellencies.”

Indeed, each of God’s Messengers before Prophet Muhammad had superiority over others in one or some respects. Being the Last Messenger and due to the universality of his Message and Messengership, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, had all these superiorities in his person and mission in the highest degree. There were many aspects in his mission. He was an establisher as he established whatever had to be established in the name of Divine Messengership. He was a corrector as he explained the truth of whatever had been distorted in the Religion. And he became a complete renovator or reviver who revived whatever of the Religion had been lost. No Messenger will come after Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. For once the Divine Religion and Messengership was completed and perfected in universal dimensions, whoever would come after him would only disunite and destroy. Hence, Prophet Muhammad was the final Messenger. Through him, humanity attained the basic points for all aspects of life in thought, feelings, creed, practice, and ways of living. There is no longer a need for a new Messenger and Messengership. Henceforth, all humankind would design and carry out all their vital affairs according to the final standards laid out by this last Messengership.

Another dimension of the matter is as follows: Originally, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was both Prophet and Messenger before all the other Prophets and Messengers. He says, “The first thing that God created was my Light.” In another hadīth, he declares, “I was a Prophet while Adam was between clay and water.” Therefore, in respect to the essence of Prophethood and Messengership from the perspective of Divine Will and Destiny, he existed before anyone in the universe. The Sufi scholars have dealt with this subject under the title of the Haqīqah Ahmadiyah (The Truth of Muhammad as Ahmad) as his name before his coming into the world was Ahmad, and it has been elaborated on at length. The Sufis have also considered this Truth as the truth of the universe, and they have meant by this the exceptional greatness of our Prophet and his being favored with the greatest Messengership.

The following issue is also worth discussing: Nobody has ever been and will ever be able to reach the point that the Beloved Prophet reached in respect to the quality and quantity of the light he has ceaselessly spread, and we have received the Message of the Prophet without the slightest change. This is the most manifest sign of his and his Message’s exceptional greatness. For there are many religions throughout the globe, and in all of these religions, the Divine Message has been distorted and altered to certain extents in the course of time. It is only in Islam that the Divine Message preserves itself with all its truth and with all its dimensions.

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