The
Beautiful Message of The Quran:
a guide to some essential teachings of Islam for learners and seekers
This
compendium is a tribute to The Message of The Quran, by Muhammad Asad.
Available
from: honestthinking.org/en/Islam/
For a
non-Muslim, the Quran can be a hard book to approach. Both its structure and
style will at first feel unfamiliar to many in particular to people brought
up in a Western and/or Christian tradition (like myself).
However, I
hope this compendium will help convince you that the Quran is a truly
marvellous book; a source of profound wisdom and beauty. As the Prophet is
reported to have said: God is beautiful and He loves beauty (al-Mujam al-Awsaṭ 6902).
Even though
any attempt at translating the Quran is bound to have its shortcomings, anyone
who is not fluent in Arabic, will need a translation in order to approach the
holy book of Islam. In my own experience, The Message of The Qur'an, by Muhammad
Asad, is an excellent place to start. Its pages are permeated by rational
thinking and profound learning. And unlike many other translations of the
Quran, it comes with an extensive set of explanatory footnotes.
The book is
therefore a treasure trove for anyone interested in something more than just a
superficial understanding of Islam.
I hope this
modest compendium of excerpts will be useful as an initial guide to the Quranic
text, and perhaps also as an easily accessible online reference to Quranic
verses addressing topics of special interest (along with Asads helpful
explanations). In particular, I hope this compendium might be useful to others
who wish to study the Quran deeply (and thus also systematically):
"Become men of God by spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and
by your own deep study [thereof]" (3:79).
Having said
that, any serious student of the Quran should of course read it in its entirety.
Thus, if this compendium wets your appetite, I recommend that you get your own
copy of Asads magnum opus.
The Quran
contains 6236 verses. Approximately 8% of these verses (roughly 500) have been
included in this compendium.
Those
verses have been selected because they have been important in shaping my
understanding of what constitutes the essential message of the Quran, i.e.,
the core Islamic beliefs. If you think I have left out important verses (or if
you find any errors or typos), please use email and contact me via ole at HonestThinking
dot org.
Italics are used as in the original text,
while underlining has been added by me.
For some
more personal thoughts of mine on Islam and the Quran, as well as on Asad
himself, please see Appendix I and Appendix H. Even so, by way of introduction, here
are a few words about Muhammad Asad (1900 1992): He was an
Austro-Hungarian-born Muslim journalist, traveller, writer, linguist, political
theorist, diplomat, and Islamic scholar. Asad was one of the most influential
European Muslims of the 20th century. His translation of the Quran into
English, The Message of The Qur'an, is among his most notable works. (Source:
Wikipedia; emphasis added.)
Table of Contents
2. True Religion
and The Religion of Truth
6. Gods
relationship with mankind
7. The true, the
good, and the beautiful
8. Falsehood and
related evils
10. Christianity
and other faiths based on earlier revelations
11. The doctrine
of the Trinity
12. Relationship
to non-Muslims
Appendix A
Prologue by Gai Eaton
Appendix B
Foreword by Muhammad Asad
Appendix C Asad
on symbolism and allegory in the Qur'an
Appendix D The
classical commentators
Appendix E
Challenging or controversial verses
Appendix F
Tolerance of ambiguity
Appendix G The
crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Alternative view
#1: Jesus was indeed crucified, but not by the Jews
Alternative view
#2: Jesus was not crucified in the full sense of that term
Appendix H Some
reflections on Asads footnotes
Appendix I Some
personal reflections
Appendix K About
this document
The first Surah, Al-Fatihah
(The Opening), is used by Muslims as part of their five daily prayers. Asad writes
the following in his introduction to this Surah.
Quote:
THIS SURAH is also called Fatihat al-Kitab ("The Opening of the
Divine Writ"), Umm al-Kitab ("The Essence of the Divine
Writ"), Surat al-Hamd ("The Surah of
Praise"), Asas al-Qur'an
("The Foundation of the Qur'an"), and is known by several other names
as well. It is mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an as As-Sab' al-Mathani ("The Seven Oft-Repeated [Verses]")
because it is repeated several times in the course of each of the five daily prayers.
According to Bukhari, the designation Umm al-Kitab was given to it by the
Prophet himself, and this in view of the fact that it contains, in a condensed
form, all the fundamental principles laid down in the Qur'an: the principle of
God's oneness and uniqueness, of His being the originator and fosterer of the
universe, the fount of all life-giving grace, the One to whom man is ultimately
responsible, the only power that can really guide and help; the call to
righteous action in the life of this world ("guide us the straight way"); the principle of life after death and
of the organic consequences of man's actions and behaviour (expressed in the
term "Day of Judgment"); the principle of guidance through God's
message-bearers (evident in the reference to "those upon whom God has
bestowed His blessings") and, flowing from it, the principle of the
continuity of all true religions (implied in the allusion to people who have
lived and erred in the past); and, finally, the need for voluntary
self-surrender to the will of the Supreme Being and, thus, for worshipping Him
alone. It is for this reason that this surah has been formulated as a prayer,
to be constantly repeated and reflected upon by the believer.
"The Opening" was one of
the earliest revelations bestowed upon the Prophet. Some authorities (for
instance, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib) were even of the opinion that it was the very
first revelation; but this view is contradicted by authentic Traditions quoted
by both Bukhari and Muslim, which unmistakably show that the first five verses
of surah 96 ("The Germ-Cell") constituted the beginning of
revelation. It is probable, however, that whereas the earlier revelations
consisted of only a few verses each, "The Opening" was the first
surah revealed to the Prophet in its entirety at one time: and this would
explain the view held by 'Ali.
Unquote.
|
Keywords |
Quran quote |
Notes and comments |
|
Al-Fatihah (The Opening) |
1:1 In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace: (1) 1:2 ALL PRAISE is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds,
(2) (1:3) the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace, (1:4) Lord of the Day of
Judgment! 1:5 Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for
aid. 1:6 Guide us the straight way (1:7) the way
of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, (3) not of those who
have been condemned [by Thee], nor of those who go astray! (4) |
1 According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs
at the beginning of every surah with the exception of surah 9) constitutes an
integral part of "The Opening" and is, therefore, numbered as verse
1. In all other instances, the invocation "in the name of God"
precedes the surah as such, and is not counted among its verses. Both the
divine epithets rahman and rahim are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies "mercy",
"compassion", "loving tenderness" and, more comprehensively,
"grace". From the very earliest times, Islamic scholars have
endeavoured to define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two
terms. The best and simplest of these explanations is undoubtedly the one
advanced by Ibn al-Qayyim (as quoted in Manar I,48): the term rahman
circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable
from, the concept of God's Being, whereas rahim
expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His
creation in other words, an aspect of His activity. 2 In this instance, the term "worlds" denotes all categories
of existence both in the physical and the spiritual sense. The Arabic
expression rabb rendered by me as
"Sustainer" embraces a wide complex of meanings not easily
expressed by a single term in another language. It comprises the ideas of
having a just claim to the possession of anything and, consequently,
authority over it, as well as of rearing, sustaining and fostering anything
from its inception to its final completion. Thus, the head of a family is
called rabb ad-dar
("master of the house") because he has authority over it and is
responsible for its maintenance; similarly, his wife is called rabbat ad-dar
("mistress of the house"). Preceded by the definite article al,
the designation rabb is applied, in the
Qur'an, exclusively to God as the sole fosterer and sustainer
of all creation objective as well as conceptual and therefore the
ultimate source of all authority. 3 i.e., by vouchsafing to them prophetic guidance and enabling them to
avail themselves thereof. 4 According to almost all the commentators, God's "condemnation"
(ghadab, lit., "wrath") is
synonymous with the evil consequences which man brings upon himself by
wilfully rejecting God's guidance and acting contrary to His injunctions.
Some commentators (e.g., Zamakhshari) interpret this passage as follows:
"... the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings those
who have not been condemned [by Thee], and who do not go astray": in other
words, they regard the last two expressions as defining "those upon whom
Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings". Other commentators (e.g., Baghawi and Ibn Kathir) do not
subscribe to this interpretation which would imply the use of negative
definitions and understand the last verse of the surah in the manner
rendered by me above. As regards the two categories of people following a
wrong course, some of the greatest Islamic thinkers (e.g., Al-Ghazali or, in
recent times, Muhammad 'Abduh) held the view that
the people described as having incurred "God's condemnation" that
is, having deprived themselves of His grace are those who have become fully
cognizant of God's message and, having understood it, have rejected it; while
by "those who go astray" are meant people whom the truth has either
not reached at all, or to whom it has come in so garbled and corrupted a form
as to make it difficult for them to recognize it as the truth (see 'Abduh in Manar 1,68
ff.). |
This must be so, since all truth is Gods
truth, and any other attitude towards truth would with logical necessity violate
the concept of tawhid, which would amount to polytheism (shirk),
since one would then implicitly be placing some human truth next to or above
Gods truth.
What about
the concept of true religion? According to the Quran, true religion
boils down to one thing, and one thing only; self-surrender unto God
(see e.g., 2:112, 3:19, 5:3, 6:125). Anyone who surrenders to God, is per
definition a Muslim (albeit not necessarily in the "institutionalized"
sense of that term), whether he or she realises it or not. Conversely, anyone
who does not surrender to God, is not a Muslim. All else is
non-essential; possibly interesting or even important, but not essential.
Consider
note 13 of Surah 3, where Asad writes of those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime, pointing out that they at first subscribed to
the doctrine of God's oneness and held that man's self-surrender to Him
(islam in its original connotation) is the
essence of all true religion. (Boldface emphasis added).
Interestingly
enough, this is fully in line with important statements by Jesus and His
apostles. After telling His Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector,
Jesus concludes thus: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and
he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14, NIV). Confer John
5:24-29 where Jesus makes it clear that those who believe in God and do good
will be resurrected by God and granted eternal life. This is echoed in the
following famous sentence: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble (James 4:6, NIV).
These central
teachings of The New Testament do not emphasise holding any particular tenets about
Jesus, but rather tell us that the main essentials are submission to and faith
in God (these two virtues being intimately interrelated, since each one may be
perceived as a fruit of the other). Carefully note that the just mentioned
verses also emphasise humility and good deeds, without which true submission to
God is precluded (confer 23:55-61, 9:67, and 21:90; see also, e.g., 2:148, 2:195,
3:114, 3:172, 5:48, 5:93, 6:154, 10:26, 16:30, 18:30, 39:10).
Finally,
consider what the scholars behind The Study Quran write in their general introduction
(page xxix): The message of the Quran concerning religion is universal. Even
when it speaks of islam, it refers not only to
the religion revealed through the Prophet of Islam, but to submission to God in
general.
|
Keywords |
Quran quote |
Notes and
comments |
|
Religion of truth |
48:28 He it is who has sent forth
His Apostle with the [task of spreading] guidance and the religion of
truth, to the end that He make it prevail over every [false] religion;
and none can bear witness [to the truth] as God does. Confer 61:9, 9:29, 9:32. |
|
|
Religious humility versus the pitfalls of
arrogance and exclusivism |
68:34 For, behold, it is the
God-conscious [alone] whom gardens of bliss await with their Sustainer:
(68:35) or should We, perchance, treat those who surrender themselves unto
Us (17) as [We would treat] those who remain lost in sin? 68:36 What is amiss with you? (18)
On what do you base your judgment [of right and wrong]? |
17 This is the earliest occurrence
of the term muslimun (sing. muslim) in the history of Qur'anic revelation.
Throughout this work, I have translated the terms muslim
and islam in accordance with their original
connotations, namely, "one who surrenders [or "has
surrendered"] himself to God", and "man's self-surrender to
God"; the same holds good of all forms of the verb aslama
occurring in the 'Qur'an. It should be borne in mind that the
"institutionalized" use of these terms that is, their exclusive
application to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad represents a definitely
post-Qur'anic development and, hence, must be avoided in a translation of the
Qur'an. 18 Sc., "O you sinners". |
|
True religion |
Surah 2 2:112 Yea, indeed: everyone who
surrenders his whole being unto God, (91) and is a doer of good withal,
shall have his reward with his Sustainer; and all such need have no fear, and
neither shall they grieve. (92) Confer 4:125. Surah 3:19 3:19 Behold, the only [true]
religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him. Pickthall (3:19): Lo! religion with Allah
(is) the Surrender (to His Will and Guidance). Rashad (3:19): The only religion approved by God is
"Submission." Yusuf Ali (3:19): The Religion before Allah
is Islam (submission to His Will). Surah 3:76 3:76 Nay, but [God is aware of]
those who keep their bond with Him, (59) and are conscious of Him: and,
verily, God loves those who are conscious of Him. Surah 73 73:15 BEHOLD, [O men,] We have
sent unto you an apostle who shall bear witness to the truth before you, even
as We sent an apostle unto Pharaoh: (9) |
Notes on Surah 2 91 Lit., "who surrenders his
face unto God". Since the face of a person is the most expressive part
of his body, it is used in classical Arabic to denote one's whole
personality, or whole being. This expression, repeated in the Qur'an several
times, provides a perfect definition of islam,
which derived from the root-verb aslama,
"he surrendered himself" means "self-surrender [to
God]": and it is in this sense that the terms islam
and muslim are used throughout the Qur'an.
(For a full discussion of this concept, see my note on 68:35 (found in this
compendium under Religious humility versus the pitfalls of
arrogance and exclusivism), where the expression muslim occurs
for the first time in the chronological order of revelation.) 92 Thus, according to the Qur'an,
salvation is not reserved for any particular "denomination", but is
open to everyone who consciously realizes the oneness of God, surrenders
himself to His will and, by living righteously, gives practical effect to
this spiritual attitude. Note on Surah 3:76 59 Some of the commentators relate
the personal pronoun in 'ahdihi to the
person or persons concerned, and therefore take 'ahd
as meaning "promise" thus: "[as for] him who fulfils his
promise ...", etc. It is, however, obvious from the next verse that the
pronoun in 'ahdihi refers to God;
consequently, the phrase must be rendered either as "those who fulfil
their duty towards Him", or "those who keep their bond with
Him" the latter being, in my opinion, preferable. (For the meaning of
man's "bond with God", see surah 2, note 19.) Note on Surah 73 9 This is probably the oldest
Qur'anic reference to the earlier prophets, to the historic, continuity in
mankind's religious experience, and, by implication, to the fact that the
Qur'an does not institute a "new" faith but represents only the
final, most comprehensive statement of religious principle as old as mankind
itself: namely, that "in the sight of God, the only [true] religion
is [man's] self-surrender unto Him" (3:19), and that "if one
goes in search of a religion other than self-surrender unto God, it will
never be accepted from him" (3:85). |
This
section provides several examples of what the Quran says about God.
|
Keywords |
Quran quote |
Notes and
comments |
|
God above and beyond anyone or
anything that could ever be imagined |
59:22 GOD IS HE save whom there is
no deity: the One who knows all that is beyond the
reach of a created being's perception, as well as all that can be witnessed
by a creature's senses or mind: (27) He, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of
Grace. (59:23) God is He save whom there is no deity: the
Sovereign Supreme, the Holy, the One with whom all salvation rests, (28) the
Giver of Faith, the One who determines what is true and false, (29) the
Almighty, the One who subdues wrong and restores right, (30) the One to whom
all greatness belongs! Utterly remote is God, in His
limitless glory, from anything to which men may ascribe a share in His
divinity! 59:24 He is God, the Creator, the
Maker who shapes all forms and appearances! (31) |
27 See note 65 on the second
paragraph of 6:73. 28 Lit., "the Salvation"
(as-salam): see surah 5, note 29. 29 For this rendering of muhaymin, see 5:48 where this term is applied to
the Qur'an and the corresponding note 64. 30 Since the verb jabara from which the noun jabbar
is derived combines the concepts of "setting right" or
"restoring" (e.g., from a state of brokenness, ill-health, or
misfortune) and of "compelling" or "subduing (someone or
something) to one's will", I believe that the term al-jabbar, when applied to God, is best rendered as
above. 31 Thus Baydawi. The two terms al-bari' ("the Maker") and al-musawwir ("the Shaper", i.e., of all forms
and appearances) evidently constitute here one single unit. |
|
Face of God |
Surah 2 2:115 And God's is the east and
the west: and wherever you turn, there is God's countenance. Behold,
God is infinite, all-knowing. Surah 55 (55:26) All that lives on earth or
in the heavens (10) is bound to pass away: (55:27) but forever will abide
thy Sustainer's Self, (11) full of majesty and glory. Arberry: (55:27) yet still abides the
Face of thy Lord, majestic, splendid. Surah 28 (28:88) ... There is no deity save
Him. Everything is bound to perish, save His [eternal] Self. (100) With
Him rests all judgment; and unto Him shall you all be brought back. Alternative translations of 28:88: Sahih International: ... Everything will be destroyed
except His Face. Pickthall: ... Everything will perish save His
countenance. Yusuf Ali: ... Everything (that exists) will
perish except His own Face. Mohsin Khan: ... Everything will perish save His
Face. Arberry: ... All things perish, except His
Face. |
Notes on Surah 55 10 Lit., "Everyone who is
upon it", i.e., on earth and/or, according to Ibn Kathir,
in the heavens since the pronoun in 'alayhd
apparently relates to the whole universe. 11 Lit., "face", or
"countenance", a term used metonymically in classical Arabic to
denote the "self" or "whole being" of a person in this
case, the essential Being, or Reality, of God. Cf. also 28:88, "Everything
is bound to perish, save His [eternal] Self". Note on Surah 28 100 See 55:26-27 and the
corresponding note 11. |
|
God alone is perfect (and freedom from
faults is beyond human reach) |
Surah 48 48:1 VERILY, [O Muhammad,] We have
laid open before thee a manifest victory, (1) (48:2) so that God might
show His forgiveness of all thy faults, past as well as future, (2) and
[thus] bestow upon thee the full measure of His blessings, and guide thee on
a straight way, (3) (48:3) and [show] that God will succour thee with [His]
mighty succour. Surah 55 55:31 [ONE DAY] We shall take you
to task, (13) O you sin-laden two! (14) (55:32) Which, then, of your
Sustainer's powers can you disavow? |
Notes on Surah 48 1 Namely, the moral victory
achieved by the Truce of Hudaybiyyah, which opened
the doors to the subsequent triumph of Islam in Arabia (see introductory
note, which explains many allusions to this historic event found in the
subsequent verses). 2 Lit., "so that God might
forgive thee all that is past of thy sins and all that is yet to come"
thus indicating elliptically that freedom from faults is an exclusive
prerogative of God, and that every human being, however exalted, is bound
to err on occasion. 3 Sc., "to a fulfilment of
thy mission", which the Truce of Hudaybiyyah
clearly presaged. Note on Surah 55 13 Lit., "We shall apply
Ourselves to you". 14 I.e., "you sin-laden men
and women" (see note 4 above). According to an interpretation quoted by
Razi, the designation thaqalan (the dual
form of thaqal, "a thing of
weight") signifies that both these categories of human beings are
liable to, and therefore burdened. with, sinning. |
|
God always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto
Himself) |
44:3 Behold, from on high have We
bestowed [this divine writ] on a blessed night: (3) for, verily, We have always been warning [man]. (4) (44:4) On that [night] was made
clear, in wisdom, the distinction between all things [good and evil] (5)
(44:5) at a behest from Ourselves: for, verily, We
have always been sending [Our messages of guidance] (44:6) in pursuance of
thy Sustainer's grace [unto man]. Verily, He alone is all-hearing,
all-knowing, (44:7) the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that
is between them if you could but grasp it with inner certainty! (6) 44:8 There is no deity save Him:
He grants life and deals death: He is your Sustainer as well as the Sustainer
of your forebears of old. (44:9) Nay, but they [who lack inner certainty] are
but toying with their doubts. (7) See also: |
3 I.e., the night on which the
revelation of the Qur'an began: see surah 97. 4 The revelation of the Qur'an is
but a continuation and, indeed, the climax of all divine revelation
which has been going on since the very dawn of human consciousness. Its
innermost purpose has always been the warning extended by God to man not
to abandon himself to mere material ambitions and pursuits and, thus, to lose
sight of spiritual values. 5 Lit., "was made distinct
everything wise", i.e., "wisely" or "in wisdom": a
metonymical attribution of the adjective "wise" which in reality
relates to God, the maker of that distinction to what has thus been made
distinct (Zamakhshari and Razi). The meaning is that the revelation of the
Qur'an, symbolized by that "blessed night" of its beginning,
provides man with a standard whereby to discern between good and evil,
or between all that leads to spiritual growth through an ever-deepening
realization (ma'rifah) of God's existence,
on the one hand, and all that results in spiritual blindness and
self-destruction, on the other. 6 Lit., "if you had but inner
certainty". According to Abn Muslim al-Isfahani (as quoted by Razi), this means, "you
would know it if you would but truly desire inner certainty and would pray
for it". 7 Lit., "are toying in
doubt": i.e., their half-hearted admission of the possibility that God
exists is compounded of doubt and irony (Zamakhshari) doubt as to the
proposition of God's existence, and an ironical amusement at the idea of
divine revelation. |
|
God and His creation (it all belongs to Him) |
20:6 Unto Him belongs all
that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, as well as all
that is between them and all that is beneath the sod. |
|
|
God beyond description or
definition |
Surah 6 6:100 Limitless is He is His
glory, and sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition:
(88) Surah 30 (30:27) His is the essence of
all that is most sublime in the heavens and on earth, (19) and He alone
is almighty, truly wise. |
Note on Surah 6 88 I.e., utterly remote is He from
all imperfection and from the incompleteness which is implied in the concept
of having progeny. The very concept of "definition" implies the
possibility of a comparison or correlation of an object with other objects;
God, however, is unique, there being "nothing like unto Him"
(42:11) and, therefore, "nothing that could be compared with Him"
(112:4) with the result that any attempt at defining Him or His
"attributes" is a logical impossibility and, from the ethical point
of view, a sin. The fact that He is undefinable makes it clear that the
"attributes" (sifat) of God
mentioned in the Qur'an do not circumscribe His reality but, rather, the
perceptible effect of His activity on and within the universe created by Him. Notes on Surah 30 19 Primarily, the term mathal denotes a "likeness" or
"similitude", and hence is often used in the Qur'an (e.g., in the
next verse) in the sense of "parable". Occasionally, however, it is
synonymous with sifah, which
signifies the intrinsic "attribute", "quality" or
"nature" of a thing, concept or living being (cf. the reference
to "the nature of Jesus" and "the nature of Adam" in
3:59). With reference to God, who is "sublimely exalted above
anything that men may devise by way of definition" (see 6:100 and
the corresponding note 88), the expression mathal
clearly points to a quality of being entirely different from all other
categories of existence, inasmuch as there is "nothing like unto
Him" (42:11) and "nothing that could be compared With Him"
(112:4): hence, the rendering of mathal as
'essence" is most appropriate in this context. |
|
Gods existence, signs of |
51:20 AND ON EARTH there are signs
[of God's existence, visible] to all who are endowed with inner certainty,
(51:21) just as [there are signs thereof] within your own selves: (13)
can you not, then, see? |
13 See note 3 on 45:4. |
|
God sovereign ruler of the
universe |
(39:67) And no true understanding
of God have they [who worship aught beside Him], inasmuch as the whole of the
earth will be as a [mere] handful to Him on Resurrection Day, and the
heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: (66) limitless is He in His
glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share
in His divinity! |
66 I.e., the whole universe is as
nothing before Him: for this specific allegory of God's almightiness, see
21:104. There are many instances, in the Qur'an as well as in authentic ahadith, of the clearly metaphorical use of the
term "hand" in allusions to God's absolute power and dominion.
The particular reference, in the above, to the Day of Resurrection is due to
the fact that it will be only on his own resurrection that a human being
shall fully grasp the concept of God's almightiness; referred to in the
subsequent words, "limitless is He in His glory" (subhanahu)". |
|
God the ultimate reality |
57:1 ALL THAT IS in the heavens
and on earth extols God's limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly
wise! (57:2) His is the dominion over the heavens and the earth;
He grants life and deals death; and He has the power to will anything. 57:3
He is the First and the Last, (1) and the Outward as well as the
Inward: (2) and He has full knowledge of everything. (57:4) He it is who has
created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne
of His almightiness. (3) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that
comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that
ascends to them. (4) And He is with you wherever you may be; and God
sees all that you do. 57:5 His is the dominion over the heavens and the
earth; and all things go back unto God [as their source]. |
1 I.e., His Being is eternal,
without anything preceding His existence and without anything outlasting its
infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in
several well-authenticated Traditions. Thus, "time" itself a concept
beyond man's understanding is but God's creation. 2 I.e., He is the transcendental
Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon
of His creation cf. the oft-repeated Qur'anic phrase (e.g., in verse S),
"all things go back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of
Tabari, "He is closer to everything than anything else could be".
Another perhaps supplementary rendering could be, "He is the Evident
as well as the Hidden": i.e., "His existence is evident (zahir) in the effects of His activity, whereas He
Himself is not perceptible (ghayr mudrak) to
our senses" (Zamakhshari). 3 Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54
and the corresponding note 43. 4 See 4 note 1 on 34:2. |
|
Necessary existence |
3:2 GOD there is no deity save
Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being! Confer 20:111, where the phrase the Ever-Living,
the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being is also found. |
|
Philosopher
Blaise Pascal has said that In faith there is enough light for those who want
to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. Alternatively rendered
as There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough
obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition, or There is enough light
for those who want to see, and enough darkness for those who do not want to.
If you are
searching for formal proofs of Gods existence, youre searching in
vain. If you are willing to observe and take to heart the innumerable signs of
Gods existence, His wisdom, His love, as well as His grace and mercy, you will
be overwhelmed and convinced.
The Quran
recommends that, in order to approach God, we should (1) think,
we should (2) strive to be knowledgeable, and to the best of our
ability we should (3) use our God-given reason (see 30:21-30
below).
And, in all
of this, we must be willing to listen and also willing to receive Gods
gift of faith; see 7:203 below. These are essentials that could help us
move in the direction of wisdom.
Carefully
note that willingness to listen (to the still, small voice of the heart, fitrah;
confer 30:30 below) requires humility, without which true wisdom
cannot be achieved.
|
Keywords |
Quran quote |
Notes and
comments |
|
|
4:162 But as for those from among
them who are deeply rooted in knowledge, (176) and the believers who
believe in that which has been bestowed upon thee from on high as well as
that which was bestowed from on high before thee, and those who are
[especially] constant in prayer, (177) and spend in charity, and all who
believe in God and the Last Day these it is unto whom We shall grant a mighty
reward. See also: Allegory in the Quran. |
176 I.e., those from among the
Jews who do not content themselves with a mere observance of rituals, but
try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith. 177 According to the grammarians
of the Basrah school, and especially Sibawayh, the use of the accusative (mansub)
case in the expression al-muqimin as-salah
("those who are constant in prayer") instead of the nominative al-muqimun is a legitimate grammatical device meant to
stress the special, praiseworthy quality attaching to prayer and to those who
are devoted to it (see Zamakhshari and Razi); hence my interpolation of
"especially" between brackets. |
|
Faith, no coercion in matters of |
2:256 THERE SHALL BE no coercion
in matters of faith. (249) See also: Heart, deafness and blindness of. |
249 The term din denotes both the
contents of and the compliance with a morally binding law; consequently, it
signifies "religion" in the widest sense of this term, extending
over all that pertains to its doctrinal contents and their practical
implications, as well as to man's attitude towards the object of his worship,
thus comprising also the concept of "faith". The rendering of din
as "religion", "faith","religious
law" or "moral law" (see note 3 on 109:6) depends on the
context in which this term is used. On the strength of the above
categorical prohibition of coercion (ikrah)
in anything that pertains to faith or religion, all Islamic jurists (fuqaha),
without any exception, hold that forcible conversion is under all
circumstances null and void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer
to accept the faith of Islam is a grievous sin: a verdict which disposes of the
widespread fallacy that Islam places before the unbelievers the alternative
of "conversion or the sword". |
|
Heart, deafness and blindness of |
Surah 27 27:80 [But,] verily, thou canst
not make the dead hear: and [so, too] thou canst not make the deaf [of
heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away,
(27:81) just as thou canst not lead the blind [of heart] out of their
error; none canst thou make hear save such as [are willing to] believe in Our
messages, and thus surrender themselves unto Us. (72) Confer 30:52-53. Surah 28 28:56 VERILY, thou canst not guide
aright everyone whom thou lovest: but it is God who
guides him that wills [to be guided]; (55) and He is fully aware of all
who would let themselves be guided. (56) Surah 17 (17:72) for whoever is blind
[of heart] in this [world] will be blind in the life to come [as well],
and still farther astray from the path [of truth]. (87) Surah 2 2:272 It is not for thee [O
Prophet] to make people follow the right path, (260) since it is God
[alone] who guides whom He wills. See also: ·
Faith, no coercion in matters of. |
Note on Surah 27 72 This passage corresponds to the
oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that "God guides him that wills [to
be guided] (yahdi man yasha')". Notes on Surah 28 55 Or: "God guides whomever
He wills" either of these two renderings being syntactically correct.
According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse
relates to the Prophet's inability to induce his dying uncle Abu Talib, whom
he loved dearly and who had loved and protected him throughout his life, to
renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God's
oneness. Influenced by Abu Jahl and other Meccan
chieftains, Abu Talib died professing, in his own words, "the creed of
'Abd al-Muttalib" (Bukhari) or, according to
another version (quoted by Tabari), "the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyakh)". However, the Qur'anic statement
"thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest"
has undoubtedly a timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all
human endeavours to "convert" any other person, however loving and
loved, to one's own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one
regards as error, unless that person wills to be so guided. 56 The above rendering of the
expression al-muhtadin conforms to the
interpretations offered in this context by many classical commentators e.g.,
"those who accept guidance" (Zamakhshari), "everyone who in
time would find the right way" (Razi), "those who are prepared (musta'iddin) for it" (Baydawi), "all who
deserve guidance" (Ibn Kathir), and so forth.
Thus, God's guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He rewards
all who desire to be guided. For a further consideration of this problem, the
reader is referred to Zamakhshari's illuminating remarks quoted in note 4 on
14:4 (found in this compendium under Gods guidance I). Note on Surah 17 87 Cf. 20: 124-125. This passage
shows that man's life in the hereafter is not merely conditioned by the
manner of his life on earth, but is also an organic extension of the latter,
manifested in a natural development and intensification of
previously-existing tendencies. Note on Surah 2 260 Lit., "their guidance is
not upon thee" i.e., "thou art responsible only for conveying
God's message to them, and not for their reaction to it": the people
referred to being the needy spoken of in the preceding verses. It appears
that in the early days after his migration to Medina, the Prophet faced by
the great poverty prevalent among his own community advised his Companions
that "charity should be bestowed only on the followers of Islam"
a view that was immediately corrected by the revelation of the above verse (a
number of Traditions to this effect are quoted by Tabari, Razi and Ibn Kathir, as well as in Manar
III, 82 f.). According to several other Traditions (recorded, among others,
by Nasa'i and Abu Da'ud
and quoted by all the classical commentators), the Prophet thereupon explicitly
enjoined upon his followers to disburse charities upon all who needed them,
irrespective of the faith of the person concerned. Consequently, there is
full agreement among all the commentators that the above verse of the Qur'an
athough expressed in the singular and, on the face
of it, addressed to the Prophet lays down an injunction binding upon all
Muslims. Razi, in particular, draws from it the additional conclusion that
charity or the threat to withhold it must never become a means of attracting
unbelievers to Islam: for, in order to be valid, faith must be an outcome of
inner conviction and free choice. This is in consonance with verse 256 of
this surah: "There shall be no coercion in matters of faith." |
|
|
(2:10) In their hearts is disease,
and so God lets their disease increase; and grievous suffering awaits them
because of their persistent lying. (8) See also: ·
Falsehood should be shunned. ·
Suppressing testimony from God. |
8 i.e., before God and man and
to themselves. It is generally assumed that the people to whom this passage
alludes in the first instance are the hypocrites of Medina who, during the
early years after the hijrah, outwardly
professed their adherence to Islam while remaining inwardly unconvinced of
the truth of Muhammad's message. However, as is always the case with Quranic
allusions to contemporary or historical events, the above and the following
verses have a general, timeless import inasmuch as they refer to all
people who are prone to deceive themselves in order to evade a spiritual
commitment. |
|
Knowledge always to be sought after |
20:114 [...] [always] say: "O
my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!" (101) See also: Quran to be read in its entirety. |
101 Although it is very probable
that as most of the classical commentators point out this exhortation was
in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt
that it applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur'an. The idea
underlying the above verse may be summed up thus: Since the Qur'an is the
Word of God, all its component parts phrases, sentences, verses and surahs
form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25:32 and
the corresponding note 27). Hence, if one is really intent on
understanding the Qur'anic message, one must beware of a "hasty
approach" that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from isolated
verses or sentences taken out of their context but should, rather, allow
the whole of the Qur'an to be revealed to one's mind before attempting to
interpret single aspects of its message. (See also 75:16-19 and the
corresponding notes.) |
|
Majority, be not led astray by |
6:116 Now if thou pay heed unto the
majority of those [who live] on earth, they will but lead thee astray from
the path of God: they follow but [other people's] conjectures, and they
themselves do nothing but guess. (103) (6:117) Verily, thy Sustainer knows
best as to who strays from His path, and best knows He as to who are the
right-guided. |
103 Le., regarding the true nature
of human life and its ultimate destiny, the problem of revelation, the
relationship between God and man, the meaning of good and evil, etc. Apart
from leading man astray from spiritual truths, such guesswork gives rise to
the arbitrary rules of conduct and self-imposed inhibitions to which the
Qur'an alludes, by way of example, in verses 118 and 119. |
|
Messages unto people of [innate]
knowledge, people who can grasp the truth, and people who will believe |
Surah 6 (6:96) [He is] the One who causes
the dawn to break; and He has made the night to be [a source of] stillness,
and the sun and the moon to run their appointed courses: (81) [all] this is
laid down by the will of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. 6:97 And He it is who has set up
for you the stars so that you might be guided by them in the midst of the
deep darkness of land and sea: clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these
messages unto people of [innate] knowledge! (6:98) And He it is who has
brought you [all] into being out of one living entity, (82) and [has appointed
for each of you] a time-limit [on earth] and a resting-place [after death]:
(83) clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who
can grasp the truth! 6:99 And He it is who has caused
waters to come down from the sky; and by this means have We brought forth all
living growth, and out of this have We brought forth verdure. (84) Out of
this do We bring forth close-growing grain; and out of the spathe of the palm
tree, dates in thick clusters; and gardens of vines, and the olive tree, and
the pomegranate: [all] so alike, and yet so different! (85) Behold their
fruit when it comes to fruition and ripens! Verily, in all this there are messages
indeed for people who will believe! |
Notes on Surah 6 83 The commentators differ widely
as to the meaning of the terms mustaqarr and
mustawda' in this context. However,
taking into account the primary meaning of musstagarr
as "the limit of a course" i.e., the point at which a thing
reaches its fulfilment or end and of mustawda'
as "a place of consignment" or "repository", we arrive at
the rendering adopted by me above. This rendering finds, moreover, strong
support in 11:6, where God is spoken of as providing sustenance for every
living being and knowing "its time-limit [on
earth] and its resting-place [after death]" (mustagarraha
wa-mustawda'aha), as well as in verse 67 of the
present surah, where mustaqarr is used in
the sense of "a term set for the fulfilment [of God's tiding]". 84 In contrast with its sequence,
which is governed by the present tense, the whole of the above sentence is expressed in the
past tense thus indicating, obliquely, the original, basic aspect of God's creating
life "out of water" (cf. 21:30 and the corresponding note 39). 85 I.e., all so alike in the basic
principles of their life and growth, and yet so different in physiology, appearance and
taste. |
|
Two seas (allegory) |
Surah 18 18:60 AND LO! (67), [In the course
of his wanderings,] Moses said to his servant: "I shall not give up
until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I [have to] spend
untold years [in my quest]!" Surah 55 55:50 In [each of] these two
[gardens (of paradise)] two springs will flow. (24) Confer 18:65. |
Note on Surah 18 67 The subsequent parable of Moses
and his quest for knowledge (verses 60-82) has become, in the course of time,
the nucleus of innumerable legends with which we are not concerned here.
[...] Baydawi offers, in his commentary on verse 60, a purely allegorical
explanation: the "two seas" represent the two sources or streams of
knowledge the one obtainable through the observation and intellectual
coordination of outward phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through intuitive, mystic
insight ('ilm al-batin)
the meeting of which is the real goal of Moses' quest. Note on Surah 55 24 The "two springs" of
paradise call to mind the "two seas" spoken of in 18:60-61, which,
according to Baydawi, symbolize the two sources or streams of knowledge
accessible to man: the one obtained through the observation and intellectual
analysis of external phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through inward, mystic
insight ('ilm al-batin). |
|
Wisdom some essential prerequisites |
Surah 30:21-24, 30:30 30:21 And among His wonders is
this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, (15) so that you might
incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in
this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! (30:22)
And among his wonders is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are messages
indeed for all who are possessed of [innate] knowledge! 30:23 And among
His wonders is your sleep, at night or in daytime, as well as your [ability
to go about in] quest of some of His bounties: in this, behold, there are messages
indeed for people who [are willing to] listen! 30:24 And among His
wonders is this: He displays before you the lightning, giving rise to [both]
fear and hope, (16) and sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby
to the earth after it had been lifeless: in this, behold, there are messages
indeed for people who use their reason! [
] 30:30 AND SO, set thy face (25)
steadfastly towards the [one ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is
false, (26) in accordance with the natural disposition which God has
instilled into man: (27) Confer 6:96-99 Surah 7 7:203 Say [, O Prophet]: "I
only follow whatever is being revealed to me by my Sustainer: this
[revelation] is a means of insight from your Sustainer, and a guidance and
grace unto people who will believe. (7:204) Hence, when the Qur'an is
voiced, hearken unto it, and listen in silence, so that you might be graced
with [God's] mercy." (7:205) And bethink thyself of thy Sustainer humbly
and with awe, and without raising thy voice, at morn and at evening; and
do not allow thyself to be heedless. Alternative endings of 7:203 Yusuf Ali: ... for any who have faith. Shakir: ... for a people who believe. Muhammad Sarwar: ... for those who have faith. Arberry: ... for a people of believers. See also: Fitrah (original disposition, natural
constitution, innate nature). |
Notes on Surah 30 15 Lit., "from among
yourselves" (see surah 4, note 1). 16 I.e., hope of rain an
oft-recurring Qur'anic symbol of faith and spiritual life (cf. 13:12). [
] 25 I.e., "surrender thy whole
being"; the term "face" is often used metonymically in the
sense of one's "whole being". 26 For this rendering of hanif,
see note 110 on 2:135 (found under keyword Hanif in this compendium). 27 See 7:172 and the corresponding
note 139 (found under keyword Fitrah in this compendium). The term fitrah,
rendered by me as "natural disposition", connotes in this
context man's inborn, intuitive ability to discern between right and wrong,
true and false, and, thus, to sense God's existence and oneness. Cf. the
famous saying of the Prophet, quoted by Bukhari and Muslim: "Every child
is born in this natural disposition; it is only his parents that later turn
him into a 'Jew', a 'Christian', or a 'Magian'." These three religious formulations, best known to the contemporaries
of the Prophet, are thus contrasted with the "natural disposition"
which, by definition, consists in man's instinctive cognition of God and
self-surrender (islam) to Him. (The term
"parents" has here the wider meaning of "social influences or
environment"). |
This
section provides several examples of what the Quran says about itself. The entry
labelled Allegory in the Quran may, according to Asad, be regarded as a
key to our understanding of the Qur'an (for a more thorough discussion of the
Qurans use of symbolism and allegory, see Appendix C).
|
Keywords |
Quran quote |
Notes and
comments |
|
|
3:7 He it is who has bestowed upon
thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and
by themselves and these are the essence of the divine writ as well as
others that are allegorical. (5) Now those whose hearts are given to swerving
from the truth go after that part of the divine writ (6) which has been expressed
in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, (7) and
seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none
save God knows its final meaning. (8) Hence, those who are deeply rooted
in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ]
is from our Sustainer albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed
with insight. Confer 4:162 and its corresponding note 176 where
those [from among the Jews] who are deeply rooted in knowledge, are described
by Asad as people who do not content themselves with a mere observance of rituals, but try to penetrate
to the deepest meaning of faith. For a full rendering of 4:162 and
its notes, see: Faith, deepest meaning of. |
5 The above passage may be regarded
as a key to the understanding of the Qur'an. Tabari identifies the ayat muhkamat
("messages that are clear in and by themselves") with what the
philologists and jurists describe as nass namely,
ordinances or statements which are self-evident (zahir)
by virtue of their wording (cf. Lisan al-'Arab,
art. nass). Consequently, Tabari regards as ayat muhkamat
only those statements or ordinances of the Qur'an which do not admit of more
than one interpretation (which does not, of course, preclude differences of
opinion regarding the implications of a particular ayah muhkamah). In my opinion, however, it would be too
dogmatic to regard any passage of the Qur'an which does not conform to the
above definition as mutashabih ("allegorical"):
for there are many statements in the Qur'an which are liable to more than one
interpretation but are, nevertheless, not allegorical just as there are
many expressions and passages which, despite their allegorical formulation,
reveal to the searching intellect only one possible meaning. For this reason,
the ayat mutashabihat
may be defined as those passages of the Qur'an which are expressed in a
figurative manner, with a meaning that is metaphorically implied but not
directly, in so many words, stated. The ayat
muhkamat are described as the "essence of
the divine writ" (umm al-kitab) because they comprise the
fundamental principles underlying its message and, in particular, its ethical
and social teachings: and it is only on the basis of these clearly enunciated
principles that the allegorical passages can be correctly interpreted.
(For a more detailed discussion of symbolism and allegory in the Qur'an. see Appendix
1.) 6 Lit., "that of it". 7 The "confusion" referred
to here is a consequence of interpreting allegorical passages in an "arbitrary
manner" (Zamakhshari). 8 According to most of the early
commentators, this refers to the interpretation of allegorical passages which
deal with metaphysical subjects for instance, God's attributes, the
ultimate meaning of time and eternity, the resurrection of the dead, the Day
of Judgment, paradise and hell, the nature of the beings or forces described
as angels, and so forth all of which fall within the category of al-ghayb, i.e., that sector of reality which is beyond
the reach of human perception and imagination and cannot, therefore, be
conveyed to man in other than allegorical terms. This view of the classical
commentators, however, does not seem to take into account the many Qur'anic
passages which do not deal with metaphysical subjects and yet are,
undoubtedly, allegorical in intent and expression. To my mind, one cannot
arrive at a correct understanding of the above passage without paying due
attention to the nature and function of allegory as such. A true allegory in
contrast with a mere pictorial paraphrase of something that could equally
well be stated in direct terms is always meant to express in a figurative
manner something which, because of its complexity, cannot be adequately
expressed in direct terms or propositions and, because of this very
complexity, can be grasped only intuitively, as a general mental image, and
not as a series of detailed "statements": and this seems to be the
meaning of the phrase, "none save God knows its final meaning". |
|
Divine authorship |
10:37 Now this Qur'an could not
possibly have been devised by anyone save God: nay indeed, it confirms the truth of whatever
there still remains [of earlier revelations] |
|
|
Surah 16 16:2 He causes the angels to
descend with this divine inspiration, (2) [bestowed] at His behest
upon whomever He wills of His servants: "Warn [all human beings] that
there is no deity save Me: be, therefore, conscious of Me!" Surah 34 34:1 ALL PRAISE is due to God, to
whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs; and to Him
will be due all praise in the life to come. For He alone is truly wise,
all-aware: (34:2) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes
out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends
to them. (1) And He alone is a dispenser of grace, truly-forgiving. |
Note on Surah 16 2 The term ruh
(lit., "spirit", "soul" or "breath of life") is
often used in the Qur'an in the sense of "inspiration" and, more
particularly, "divine inspiration" since, as Zamakhshari
points out in connection with the above verse as well as with the first
sentence of 42:52, "it gives life to hearts that were [as] dead
in their ignorance, and has in religion the same function as a soul has in
a body". A very similar explanation is given by Razi in the same
context. The earliest instance in which the term ruh
has been used in this particular sense is 97:4. Note on Surah 34 1 This definition comprises things
physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and reappearing; the
metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal;
traces of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then
reappearing within the sight and consciousness of later generations of men;
the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men into elements of
nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapours towards the skies, and
their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men's
longings, hopes and ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into
the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith and thought and, with it, the
growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the endless
recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God's
creation. |
|
|
21:10 [O MEN!] We have now
bestowed upon you from on high a divine writ containing all that you
ought to bear in mind: (13) will you not, then, use your reason? |
(13) The term dhikr, which
primarily denotes a "reminder" or a "remembrance", or, as
Raghib defines it, the "presence [of something] in the mind", has
also the meaning of "that by which one is remembered", i.e., with
praise in other words, "renown" or "fame" and,
tropically, "honour", "eminence" or "dignity".
Hence, the above phrase contains, apart from the concept of a
"reminder", an indirect allusion to the dignity and happiness to
which man may attain by following the spiritual and social precepts laid down
in the Qur'an. By rendering the expression dhikrukum
as "all that you ought to bear in mind", I have tried to bring out
all these meanings. |
|
|
Message from God (Quran) |
17:59 And nothing has prevented Us
from sending [this message, like the earlier ones,] with miraculous signs [in
its wake], save [Our knowledge] that the people of olden times [only too
often] gave the lie to them: (71) |
71 This highly elliptic sentence
has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur'an as a whole. In many
places the Qur'an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his
being the last and greatest of God's apostles, was not empowered to perform
miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have
reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Qur'an
itself a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness,
destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not
merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone,
whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged
forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own community
and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed
by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and
time; and since the people to whom they addressed themselves had not yet
reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in
need of symbolic portents or miracles (see surah 6, note 94) in order to make
the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The
message of the Qur'an, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind
(and, in particular, that part of it which inhabited the regions marked by
the earlier, Judaeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree
of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such
without the aid of those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations
which in the past, as the above verse points out, only too often gave rise to
new, grave misconceptions. |
|
Nothing new (in Muhammads
message) |
41:43 [And as for thee, O
Prophet,] nothing is being said to thee but what was said to all [of
God's] apostles before thy time. (36) |
36 This is an allusion to the
allegation of the Prophet's opponents that he himself was the
"author" of what he claimed to be a divine revelation, as well as
to their demand that he should "prove" the truth of his prophetic
mission by producing a miracle: a scornful attitude with which all the
earlier prophets had been confronted at one time or another, and which is
epitomized in the "saying" of the unbelievers mentioned in verse 5
of this surah. |
|
Quran appealing to mans reason
and moral sense |
50:1 Qaf.
(1) CONSIDER this sublime Qur'an! (50:2) But nay they deem it strange that
a warner should have come unto them from their own midst; (2) and so these
deniers of the truth are saying, "A strange thing is this! |
1 Chronologically, the above is
the second occurrence (after surah 68) of one of the disjointed letter-symbols
which precede some of the Qur'anic surahs. For the theories relating to these
symbols, see Appendix II. As regards my rendering of the adjurative
particle wa which opens the next sentence as
"Consider", see first half of note 23 on 74:32, where this
adjuration appears for the first time in the chronological order of
revelation. 2 This is the earliest Qur'anic
mention repeated again and again in other places of people's "deeming
it strange" that a purportedly divine message should have been delivered
by someone "from their own midst", i.e., a mortal like themselves.
Although it is undoubtedly, in the first instance, a reference to the
negative attitude of the Meccan pagans to Muhammad's call, its frequent
repetition throughout the Qur'an has obviously an implication going far
beyond that historical reference: it points to the tendency common to many
people, at all stages of human development, to distrust any religious
statement that is devoid of all exoticism inasmuch as it is enunciated by a person
sharing the social and cultural background of those whom he addresses, and
because the message itself relies exclusively as the Qur'an does on an
appeal to man's reason and moral sense. Hence, the Qur'an explicitly
mentions people's "objections" to a prophet "who eats food
[like ordinary mortals] and goes about in the market-places" (25:7; see
also note 16 on 25:20). |
|
Quran consistent (i.e., free of
inner contradictions) |
4:82 Will they not, then, try to
understand this Qur'an? Had it issued from any but God, they would surely
have found in it many an inner contradiction! (97) |
97 I.e., the fact that it is free
of all inner contradictions in spite of its having been revealed
gradually, over a period of twenty-three years should convince them that it
has not been "composed by Muhammad" (an accusation frequently
levelled against him not only by his contemporaries but also by non-believers
of later times), but could only have originated from a supra-human source.
|
|
Quran convincing, and fulfilling
an old promise |
17:107 Behold, those who are
already (130) endowed with [innate] knowledge fall down upon their faces
in prostration as soon as this [divine writ] is conveyed unto them,
(17:108) and say, "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, our
Sustainer's promise has been fulfilled!" (131) |
130 Lit., "before it" i.e.,
before the Qur'an as such has come within their ken. 131 This may be an allusion to the
many Biblical predictions of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, especially
to Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18 (cf. surah 2, note 33). In its wider sense,
however, the "fulfilment of God's promise" relates to His bestowal
of a definitive revelation, the Qur'an, henceforth destined to guide man at
all stages of his spiritual, cultural and social development. |
|
Quran divinely inspired |
16:103 whereas this is Arabic
speech, clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth [of its source]. |
For an explanation of this
composite rendering of the descriptive term mubin,
see surah 12, note 2. 'the term is used here to stress the fact that no
human being and certainly no non-Arab could ever have produced the
flawless, exalted Arabic diction in which the Qur'an is expressed. |
|
Quran full of wisdom |
(36:2) Consider this Qur'an
full of wisdom: (36:3) verily, thou [Muhammad] art indeed one of God's
message-bearers, (2) (36:4) pursuing a straight way (36:5) by [virtue of]
what is being bestowed from on high by the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace,
(3) |
2 This statement explains the adjurative particle wa
(rendered by me as "Consider") at the beginning of the preceding
verse namely: "Let the wisdom apparent in the Qur'an serve as an
evidence of the fact that thou art an apostle of God". As regards my
rendering of al-qur'an al-hakim as
"this Qur'an full of wisdom", see note 2 on 10:1. 3 Cf. 34:50 "if I am on
the right path, it is but by virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto me". |
|
Quran inimitable |
17:88 Say: "If all mankind
and all invisible beings would come together with a view to producing the
like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its
like even though they were to exert all their strength in aiding one
another!" (17:89) For, indeed, many facets have We given in this Qur'an
to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the benefit of] mankind! |
|
|
|
38:29 [All this have We expounded
in this] blessed divine writ which We have revealed unto thee, [O Muhammad,]
so that men may ponder over its messages, and that those who are endowed
with insight may take them to heart. Sahih International: [This is] a blessed Book which
We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its
verses and that those of understanding would be reminded. Pickthall: (This is) a Scripture that We
have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its
revelations, and that men of understanding may reflect. Yusuf Ali: (Here is) a Book which We have
sent down unto thee, full of blessings, that they may mediate on its Signs,
and that men of understanding may receive admonition. Shakir: (It is) a Book We have revealed to you
abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses, and that those
endowed with understanding may be mindful. Muhammad Sarwar: It is a blessed Book which We
have revealed for you so that you will reflect upon its verses and so the
people of understanding will take heed. Mohsin Khan: (This is) a Book (the Quran)
which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over
its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember. Arberry: A Book We have sent down to
thee, Blessed, that men possessed of minds may ponder its signs and so
remember. |
|
|
Quran its truth and purport
will gradually dawn on us |
(38:87) [SAY O Prophet]:
"This [divine writ], behold, is no less than a reminder to all the
worlds (38:88) and you will most certainly grasp its purport after a
lapse of time!" Sahih International: And you will surely know [the
truth of] its information after a time. Pickthall: And ye will come in time to know
the truth thereof. Yusuf Ali: "And ye shall certainly
know the truth of it (all) after a while." Muhammad Sarwar: You will certainly know its
truthfulness after a certain time. Mohsin Khan: "And you shall certainly
know the truth of it after a while." |
|
|
Quran repeating truths in
manifold forms |
39:23 God bestows from on high
(27) the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent
within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms
(28) [a divine writ] whereat shiver the skins of all who of their Sustainer
stand in awe: [but] in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the
remembrance of [the grace of] God. ... Such is God's guidance: He guides
therewith him that wills [to be guided] (29) whereas he whom God lets go
astray can never find any guide. (30) |
27 Lit., "has been bestowing
from on high", i.e., step by step. The verbal form nazzala
indicates both gradualness and continuity in the process of divine revelation
and may, therefore, be appropriately rendered by the use of the present
tense. 28 This is the most acceptable
meaning, in this context, of the term mathani
(pl. of mathna), as explained by Zamakhshari
in his commentary on the above verse. Another possible meaning, preferred by
Razi, is "pairing its statements", i.e., referring to the polarity
stressed in all Qur'anic teachings (e.g., command and prohibition, duties and
rights, reward and punishment, paradise and hell, light and darkness, the
general and the specific, and so forth). As regards the inner consistency of
the Qur'an, see also 4:82 and 25:32, as well as the corresponding notes. 29 Or: "He guides therewith
whomever He wills", either of these two formulations being syntactically
correct. 30 See note 4 on 14:4. |
|
Quran revealed over a long time
period |
25:32 Now they who are bent on
denying the truth are wont to ask, "Why has not the Qur'an been bestowed
on him from on high in one single revelation?" (26) [It has been
revealed] in this manner so that We might strengthen thy heart thereby for
We have so arranged its component parts that they form one consistent whole.
(27) (25:33) and [that] they [who deny the truth] might never taunt thee
with any deceptive half-truth (28) without Our conveying to thee the [full]
truth and [providing thee] with the best explanation. (29) |
26 Lit., "in one piece"
or "as one statement" (jumlatan
wahidatan) implying, in the view of the
opponents of Islam, that the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur'an
points to its having been "composed" by Muhammad to suit his
changing personal and political requirements. 27 I.e., free of all inner
contradictions (cf. 4:82). See also 39:23, where the Qur'an is spoken of as
"fully consistent within itself". The concise phrase rattalnahu tartilan
comprises the parallel concepts of "putting the component parts [of a
thing] together and arranging them well" as well as "endowing it
with inner consistency". Inasmuch as full consistency and freedom from
contradictions in a message spread over twenty-three years of a life as full
of movement and drama as that of the Prophet does give a clear indication of
its God-inspired quality, it is bound to strengthen the faith of every thinking
believer: and herein lies, according to the Qur'an itself, the deepest
reason. for its slow, gradual revelation. (When applied to the reciting of
the Qur'an as in 73:4 the term tartil
refers to the measured diction and the thoughtful manner in which it ought to
be enunciated.) 28 Lit., "come to thee with a
parable (mathal)" i.e., with all
manner of seemingly plausible parabolic objections (exemplified in verses
7-8, 21 and 32 of this surah as well as in many other places in the Qur'an) meant
to throw doubt on Muhammad's claim to prophethood and, hence, on the
God-inspired character of the Qur'anic message. 29 Sc., "of the problem or
problems involved": an allusion to the self-explanatory character of the
Qur'an. Throughout this section (verses 30-34) the personal pronoun
"thou" (in the forms "thy" and "thee") relates
not only to the Prophet but also to every one of his followers at all times. |
|
Quran revealed step by step |
3:3 Step by step has He bestowed
upon thee from on high this divine writ, (2) |
2 The gradualness of the Qur'anic
revelation is stressed here by means of the grammatical form nazzala. |
|
Quran self-evident |
2:185 It was the month of Ramadan
in which the Qur'an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man
and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by
which to discern the true from the false. [
] |
|
|
Quran source of eminence |
43:43 So hold fast to all that has
been revealed to thee: for, behold, thou art on a straight way; (43:44) and,
verily, this [revelation] shall indeed become [a source of] eminence
for thee and thy people: (36) but in time you all will be called to account
[for what you have done with it]. (37) |
36 For the above rendering of
dhikr as "[a source of] eminence", see first half of note 13 on
21:10 (found in this compendium under Divine writ). 37 The meaning is that on the Day
of Judgment all prophets will be asked, metaphorically, as to what response
they received from their people (cf. 5:109), and those who professed to
follow them will be called to account for the spiritual and social use they
made or did not make of the revelation conveyed to them: and thus, the
"eminence" promised to the followers of Muhammad will depend on
their actual behaviour and not on their mere profession of faith. |
|
Quran to be read in its entirety |
20:114 [Know,] then, [that] God is
sublimely exalted. the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: (99) and
[knowing this,] do not approach the Qur'an in haste, (100) ere it has
been revealed unto thee in full, but [always] say: "O my
Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!" (101) See also: Quran to be seen as its own commentary. |
Note 99 is found in this
compendium under Truth, ultimate. 100 Lit., "be not hasty with
the Qur'an" (see next note). 101 Although it is very probable
that as most of the classical commentators point out this exhortation was
in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt
that it applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur'an. The idea
underlying the above verse may be summed up thus: Since the Qur'an is the
Word of God, all its component parts phrases, sentences, verses and surahs
form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25:32
and the corresponding note 27). Hence, if one is really intent on
understanding the Qur'anic message, one must beware of a "hasty
approach" that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from
isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context but should, rather,
allow the whole of the Qur'an to be revealed to one's mind before attempting
to interpret single aspects of its message. (See also 75:16-19 and the
corresponding notes.) |
|
Quran to be seen as its own commentary |
75:16 MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste,
[repeating the words of the revelation:] (6) (75:17) for, behold, it is for
Us to gather it [in thy heart,] and to cause it to be read [as it ought to be
read]. (7) (75:18) Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its wording [with all
thy mind]: (8) (75:19) and then, behold, it will be for Us to make its
meaning clear. (9) See also: Quran to be read in its entirety. |
6 Lit., "Move not thy tongue
therewith so that thou might hasten it" the pronoun undoubtedly
referring to the contents of revelation. In order to understand this
parenthetic passage (verses 16-19) more fully, one should read it side by
side with the related passage in 20:114, together with the corresponding note
101. Both these passages are in the first instance addressed to the Prophet,
who is said to have been afraid that he might forget some of the revealed
words unless he repeated them at the very moment of revelation; but both have
also a wider import inasmuch as they apply to every believer who reads,
listens to or studies the Qur'an. In 20:114 we are told not to draw hasty
and therefore potentially erroneous conclusions from isolated verses or
statements of the Qur'an, since only the study of the whole of its message
can give us a correct insight. The present passage, on the other hand,
lays stress on the need to imbibe the divine writ slowly, patiently, to give
full thought to the meaning of every word and phrase, and to avoid the kind
of haste which is indistinguishable from mechanical glibness, and which,
moreover, induces the person who reads, recites or listens to it to remain
satisfied with the mere beautiful sound of the Qur'anic language without
understanding or even paying adequate attention to its message. 7 I.e., "it is for Us to make
thee remember it and to cause it to be read with mind and heart".
As pointed out in the preceding note, the Qur'an can be understood only if it
is read thoughtfully, as one integral whole, and not as a mere collection
of moral maxims, stories or disjointed laws. 8 Lit., "follow thou its
recitation", i.e., its message as expressed in words. Since it is God
who reveals the Qur'an and bestows upon man the ability to understand it, He
attributes its "recitation" to Himself. 9 I.e., if the Qur'an is read
"as it ought to be read" (see note 7 above), it becomes as
stressed by Muhammad Abduh "its own best
commentary". |
|
Quran to be studied deeply |
3:79 [...] but rather [did he
exhort them], "Become men of God (62) by spreading the knowledge of the
divine writ, and by your own deep study [thereof]." |
62 According to Sibawayh (as quoted by Razi), a rabbani
is "one who devotes himself exclusively to the endeavour to know the
Sustainer (ar-rabb) and to obey Him": a
connotation fairly close to the English expression "a man of God". |
|
Quran versus poetry |
36:69 AND [thus it is:] We have not
imparted to this [Prophet the gift of] poetry, nor would [poetry] have suited
this [message]: (38) it is but a reminder and a [divine] discourse, clear
in itself and clearly showing the truth, (39) (36:70) to the end that it may
warn everyone who is alive [of heart], and that the word [of God] may bear
witness (40) against all who deny the truth. |
38 This passage resumes the theme
enunciated in the opening verses of this surah, namely, the revelation of the
Qur'an. As in 26:224, we have here an allusion to the allegation of
Muhammad's opponents, in his own as well as in later times, that what he
described as divine revelation was in reality an outcome of his own poetic
invention. This the Qur'an refutes by alluding to the fundamental difference
between poetry especially Arabic poetry and divine revelation as exemplified
by the Qur'an: whereas in the former the meaning is often subordinated to the
rhythm and the melody of language, in the Qur'an the exact opposite is the
case, inasmuch as here the choice of words, their sound and their position in
the sentence and, hence, its rhythm and melody are always subordinated to
the meaning intended. (Cf. also 26: 225 and the corresponding note 100.) 39 For this composite rendering of
the adjective mubin, see surah 12, note 2.
Literally, the above phrase reads, "a reminder and a [divine] discourse ...,
etc., with the conjunctive particle wa
("and") being used here, as in 15:1, to point out that the Qur'an
is an integral element in the process of divine revelation. 40 Lit., "may come [or
"be proved"] true", i.e., on the Day of Judgment (cf. verse 7
of this surah). |
|
Qur'an will cease to be of benefit to people
who have lost their moral virtues and their faith |
32:23 AND, INDEED, [O Muhammad,]
We did vouchsafe revelation unto Moses [as well]: so be not in doubt of [thy]
having met with the same [truth in the revelation vouchsafed to thee). (18)
And [just as] We caused that [earlier revelation] to be a guidance for the
children of Israel, (32:24) and [as] We raised among them leaders who, so long
as they bore themselves with patience and had sure faith in Our messages,
guided [their people] in accordance with Our behest (19) [so, too, shall
it be with the divine writ revealed unto thee, O Muhammad]. (20) |
18 With this passage the discourse
returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this surah namely, the
divine origin of the revelation granted to Muhammad, which, as the present
passage points out, proceeds from the same source as that granted to Moses
(the last of the great apostles of God accepted as such by all the three
monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Furthermore, the
identity of the fundamental truths in all divine revelations, stressed
in the above verse, implies an identity of the moral demands made of the
followers of those revelations irrespective of period, race or social
environment. 19 I.e., in accordance with the
divine ordinances enunciated in and for their time in the Torah: an allusion
to the decline of faith, frequently mentioned in the Qur'an, among the
children of Israel of later times, and the tendency among many of their
leaders and learned men to corrupt the text of the Torah and, thus, to
"overlay the truth with falsehood" (see, e.g., 2:42, 75, 79, and
the corresponding notes). 20 This interpolation reflects
Zamakhshari's commentary on the above passage, to the effect that the Qur'an
is destined to provide guidance and light so long as the community's
religious leaders are patient in adversity and steadfast in their faith:
an interpretation which implies that the Qur'an will cease to be of
benefit to people who have lost their moral virtues and their faith. |
|
Revealed words not to be taken
out of context |
4:46 Among those of the Jewish
faith there are some who distort the meaning of the [revealed] words,
taking them out of their context and saying, [as it were,] "We have
heard, but we disobey," and, "Hear without hearkening," (59)
and, "Hearken thou unto us, [O Muhammad]" thus making a play with
their tongues, and implying that the [true] Faith is false. (60) [
] Confer 5:13, 5:41. |
59 Cf. 2:93. figure of speech
"hear without hearkening" addressed, as it were, by the Jews to
themselves, describes their attitude towards both their own scriptures and
the message of the Qur'an. 60 Lit., "making a thrust (ta'n) against the Faith" i.e., attributing
to it a fundamental defect. The saying "Hearken thou unto us" is
meant to convey the conviction of the Jews that they had nothing to learn
from the teaching propounded by the Prophet Muhammad, and that he should
rather defer to their views on religious matters. See, in this
connection, their assertion, "Our hearts are already full of
knowledge", in 2:88. |
God is gracious and merciful. He is
calling us to recognise Him as the ultimate source of all that exists, as well
as the ultimate source of all truth. And therefore, He asks us to surrender
ourselves unto Him. He will lead us on the right path if we allow Him to, but
He will not in any way force us.
|
Keywords |
Quran quote |
Notes and comments |
|
Best conformation |
(95:4) Verily, We create man in the best
conformation; (2) (95:5) and thereafter We reduce him to the lowest of
low (3) (95:6) excepting only such as attain to faith and do good works: and
theirs shall be a reward unending! (95:7) What, then, [O man,] could
henceforth cause thee to give the lie to this moral law? (4) (95:8) Is not
God the most just of judges? |
2 I.e., endowed with all the positive qualities, physical as well as
mental, corresponding to the functions which this particular creature is
meant to perform. The concept of "the best conformation" is
related to the Qur'anic statement that everything which God creates,
including the human being or self (nafs), is
"formed in accordance with what it is meant to be" (see 91:7
and the corresponding note 5, as well as in a more general sense 87:2 and
note 1). This statement does not in any way imply that all human beings have
the same "best conformation" in respect of their bodily or mental
endowments: it implies simply that irrespective of his natural advantages or
disadvantages, each human being is endowed with the ability to make the, for
him, best possible use of his inborn qualities and of the environment to
which he is exposed. (See in this connection 30:30 and the corresponding
notes, especially 27 and 28.) 3 This "reduction to the lowest of low" is a consequence of
man's betrayal in another word, corruption of his original, positive
disposition: that is to say, a consequence of man's own doings and omissions.
Regarding the attribution, by God, of this "reduction" to His Own
doing, see note 7 on 2:7. 4 I.e., to the validity of the moral law which, to my mind, is the
meaning of the term din in this context outlined in the preceding three
verses. (For this specific significance of the concept of din, see note 3 on
109:6.) The above rhetorical question has this implication: Since the moral
law referred to here has been stressed in the teachings of all monotheistic
religions (cf. verses 1-3 and note 1 above), its truth ought to be
self-evident to any unprejudiced person; its negation, moreover, amounts to a
negation of all freedom of moral choice on man's part and, hence, of justice
on the part of God, who, as the next verse points out, is by definition
"the most just of judges". |
|
2:27 [the iniquitous,] who break their bond with God after it
has been established [in their nature], (19) and cut asunder what God has
bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall
be the losers. See also: |
19 The "bond with God" (conventionally translated as
"God's covenant") apparently refers here to man's moral obligation
to use his inborn gifts intellectual as well as physical in the
way intended for them by God. The "establishment" of this bond
arises from the faculty of reason which, if properly used, must lead
man to a realization of his own weakness and dependence on a causative power
and, thus, to a gradual cognition of God's will with reference to his own
behaviour. This interpretation of the "bond with God" seems to be
indicated by the fact that there is no mention of any specific
"covenant" in either the preceding or the subsequent verses of the
passage under consideration. The deliberate omission of any explanatory
reference in this connection suggests that the expression "bond with
God" stands for something that is rooted in the human situation as such,
and can, therefore, be perceived instinctively as well as through conscious
experience: namely, that innate relationship with God which makes Him
"closer to man than his neck-vein"(50:16). For an explanation of
the subsequent reference to "what God has bidden to be joined", see
surah 13, note 43. |
|
|
|
22:11 And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on
the border-line [of faith]: (8) thus, if good befalls him, he is
satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, (9)
losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is
a loss beyond compare. (10) 22:12 [By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God, something that
can neither harm nor benefit him: (11) [and] this is indeed the utmost one
can go astray. (12) (22:13) [And sometimes] he invokes [another human
being ] one that is far more likely to cause harm than benefit: vile,
indeed, is such a patron, and vile the follower! (13) |
8 I.e., wavering between belief and disbelief, and not really
committed to either. 9 Lit., "he turns about on his face" the "face" (wajh) of man signifying metonymically his whole
being. 10 Lit., "the [most] obvious loss". 11 By failing to commit himself unreservedly to the faith which he
professes, man is often inclined to attribute to all manner of extraneous
forces, be they real or imaginary, a decisive "influence" on his
own destiny, and thus invests them, as it were, with divine qualities. 12 Lit., "this, this (dhalika
huwa) is the straying far-away". For an
explanation of my paraphrase, see note 25 on the last sentence of 14:18. 13 The interpolation of "another human being" in the opening
clause of this verse is necessitated by the relative pronoun man ("one
that" or "who"), which almost always relates to an animate
person in this case, a human being who, by allowing himself to be idolized
by those who "worship God on the border-line of faith", causes
infinite spiritual harm to himself and to his followers. |
|
Condition of man, dependent on our inner selves |
13:11 Verily, God does not change men's condition unless they change
their inner selves; (26) See also: Communities that go extinct. |
26 Lit., "that which is in themselves". This statement has
both a positive and a negative connotation: i.e., God does not withdraw
His blessings from men unless their inner selves become depraved (cf.
8:53), just as He does not bestow His blessings upon wilful sinners until
they change their inner disposition and become worthy of His grace. In its
wider sense, this is an illustration of the divine law of cause and effect (sunnat Allah) which dominates the lives
of both individuals and communities, and makes the rise and fall of
civilizations dependent on people's moral qualities and the changes in
"their inner selves". |
|
13:19 CAN, THEN, he who knows that whatever has been bestowed from on
high upon thee by thy Sustainer is the truth, be deemed equal to one who is
blind? Only they who are endowed with insight keep this in mind:
(13:20) they who are true to their bond with God and never break their
covenant; (42) (13:21) and who keep together what God has bidden to be
joined, (43) and stand in awe of their Sustainer and fear the most evil
reckoning [which awaits such as do not respond to Him]; (13:22) and who are patient
in adversity out of a longing for their Sustainer's countenance, and are constant
in prayer, and spend on others, secretly and openly, out of what We
provide for them as sustenance, and [who] repel evil with good. (44) Confer 24:22 and the corresponding note
27. See also: |
42 The "covenant" is, in this context, a general term
embracing the spiritual obligations arising from one's faith in God and the
moral and social obligations, resulting from that faith, towards one's
fellow-men (Zamakhshari) I see in this connection the first sentence of 5:1
(where the term 'aqd is used) and the
corresponding note 1. As regards my rendering of 'ahd
Allah as "bond with God", see surah 2, note 19. 43 This refers to all ties arising from human relationships e.g.,
the bonds of family, responsibility for orphans and the poor, the mutual
rights and duties of neighbours as well as the spiritual and practical
bonds which ought to exist between all who belong to the brotherhood of
Islam (cf. 8:75 and the corresponding notes). In its widest sense, the
phrase "what God has bidden to be joined" applies to the spiritual
obligation, on the part of man, to remain conscious of the unity of purpose
underlying all of God's creation, and hence according to Razi man's moral
duty to treat all living beings with love and compassion. 44 Some of the commentators take this to mean that "if they have
committed a sin, they repel it [i.e., its effect] by repentance" (Ibn Kaysan, as quoted by Zamakhshari), while others think
that the "repelling" connotes the doing of a good deed in atonement
of a presumably unintentional bad deed (Razi), or that it refers to
endeavours to set evil situations to rights by word or deed (an alternative
interpretation mentioned by Zamakhshari). But the great majority of the
classical commentators hold that the meaning is "they repay evil
with good"; thus Al-Hasan al-Basra (as quoted by Baghawi,
Zamakhshari and Razi): "When they are deprived [of anything], they give;
and when they are wronged, they forgive." Tabari's explanation is very
similar: "They repel the evil done to them by doing good to those who
did it"; and "they do not repay evil with evil, but repel it by
[doing] good". See also 41:34-36. |
|
|
Devotion, utter |
73:8 But [whether by night or by day,] remember thy Sustainer's name,
and devote thyself unto Him with utter devotion. |
|
|
|
(44:9) Nay, but they [who lack inner certainty] are but toying with
their doubts. (7) See also: ·
God always warning man (and thus
calling every one of us unto Himself). |
7 Lit., "are toying in doubt": i.e., their half-hearted
admission of the possibility that God exists is compounded of doubt and irony
(Zamakhshari) doubt as to the proposition of God's existence, and an
ironical amusement at the idea of divine revelation. |
|
Ethics, perverted by revelations having sources other than God |
42:21 Is it that they [who care for no more than this world] believe
in forces supposed to have a share in God's divinity, (25) which enjoin
upon them as a moral law something that God has never allowed? (26) Sahih International: Or have they other deities who have
ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented? Muhammad Sarwar: Do they have
idols who have established a religion without the permission of God? |
25 Lit., "Is it that they have partners [of God]" i.e.,
"do they believe that circumstantial phenomena like wealth, power,
'luck', etc.., have something divine about them?" the implication
being that belief in such "forces" is usually at the root of men's
pursuance of exclusively worldly ends. (For my above explanatory rendering of
the term shuraka' lit.,
"partners" or "associates" [of God] see note 15 on
6:22.) 26 I.e., which cause them to abandon themselves with an almost
religious fervour to something of which God disapproves namely, the
striving after purely materialistic goals and a corresponding disregard of
all spiritual and ethical values. For my rendering of din, in this context,
as "moral law", see note 3 on 109:6. |
|
Excuses for not believing |
46:11 But they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of those
who have attained to faith: "If this [message] were any good, these
[people] would not have preceded us in accepting it!" (13) And since
they refuse to be guided by it, they will always say, "This (14) is [but]
an ancient falsehood!" |
13 Lit., "towards it". Almost all of the classical
commentators assume that this refers, specifically, to the contempt with
which the pagan Quraysh looked down upon the early followers of Muhammad,
most of whom came from the poorest, lowliest strata of Meccan society.
However, the above "saying" has undoubtedly a timeless import
inasmuch as the poor and lowly have always been among the first to follow a
prophet. Moreover, it may also have a bearing on our times as well,
inasmuch as the materially powerful nations, whom their technological
progress has blinded to many spiritual verities, are increasingly
contemptuous of the weakness of those civilizations in which religion
still plays an important, albeit largely formalistic, role; and so, not
realizing that this very formalism and the ensuing cultural sterility, and
not religious faith as such, is the innermost cause of that weakness,
they attribute it to the influence of religion per se, saying as it
were, "If religion were any good, we would have been the first in
holding on to it" thus "justifying" their own materialistic
attitude and their refusal to be guided by spiritual considerations. 14 I.e., the concept of divine revelation as such, as is evident from
the subsequent reference to the revelation of Moses. |
|
Faith what it really implies |
42:52 And thus, too, (54) [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving
message, (55) [coming] at Our behest. [Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not know what
revelation is, nor what faith [implies]: (56) but [now] We have caused
this [message] to be a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants,
and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too, shalt guide [men] onto the straight way (42:53) the way that leads to God, to whom
all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs. Oh, verily, with God is the beginning and the end of all things! (57) |
54 I.e., in all the three ways mentioned in the preceding verse. 55 The term ruh (lit.,
"spirit" or "soul") has in the Qur'an often the meaning
of "divine inspiration" (see surah 16, note 2). In the present
context, it evidently denotes the contents of the divine inspiration bestowed
on the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Qur'an (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir), which is meant to lead man to a more intensive
spiritual life: hence my above rendering. 56 I.e., that the very concept of "faith" implies man's
complete self-surrender (islam) to God. 57 Lit., "unto God do all things (al-umur)
pursue their course": i.e., all things go back to Him as their source,
and from His will depends the course which they take (Baydawi). |
|
Empty formalism |
57:27 And thereupon We caused [other of] Our apostles to follow in
their footsteps; and [in the course of time] We caused them to be followed by
Jesus, the son of Mary, upon whom We bestowed the Gospel; (46) and in the
hearts of those who [truly] followed him We engendered compassion and mercy.
But as for monastic asceticism (47) We did not enjoin it upon them: they
invented it themselves out of a desire for God's goodly acceptance. (48) But
then, they did not [always] observe it as it ought to have been observed:
(49) and so We granted their recompense unto such of them as had [truly]
attained to faith, whereas many of them became iniquitous. (50) |
46 See surah 3, note 4. 47 The term rahbaniyyah combines the
concepts of monastic life with an exaggerated asceticism, often amounting to
a denial of any value in the life of this world an attitude characteristic
of early Christianity but disapproved of in Islam (cf. 2:143 "We have
willed you to be a community of the middle way" and the corresponding
note 118). 48 Or: "they invented it themselves, [for] We did not enjoin it
upon them: [We enjoined upon them] only the seeking of God's goodly
acceptance". Both these interpretations are equally legitimate, and are
accepted as such by most of the classical commentators. The rendering adopted
by me corresponds to the interpretation given by Sa'id
ibn Jubayr and Qatadah
(both of them cited by Tabari and Ibn Kathir). 49 I.e., not all of them observed it in the right spirit (Tabari,
Zamakhshari, Iba Kathir),
inasmuch as in the course of time many of them or, rather, many of those
who came after the early ascetics (Tabari) corrupted their devotions by
accepting the ideas of Trinity and of God's incarnation in Jesus, and by lapsing
into empty formalism (Razi). 50 Sc., "and were deprived of Our grace". |
|
Faith, the purpose of |
57:16 IS IT NOT time that the hearts of all who have attained to
faith should feel humble at the remembrance of God and of all the truth
that has been bestowed [on them] from on high, (22) lest they become like
those who were granted revelation aforetime, (23)
and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of time so that many of them
are [now] depraved? (24) 57:17 [But] know that God gives life to the earth
after it has been lifeless! (25) We have indeed made Our messages clear
unto you, so that you might use your reason. |
22 I.e., "Should not the remembrance
of God and His revelation make them humble rather than proud?"
This is an emphatic warning against all smugness, self-righteousness and
false pride at having "attained to faith" a failing which
only too often attains to such as consider themselves "pious". 23 This is apparently an allusion to the
spiritually arrogant among the Jews, who regard themselves as "God's
chosen people" and, therefore, as predestined for His acceptance. 24 I.e., so that now they act contrary to
the ethical precepts of their religion: implying that the purpose of all
true faith is to make man humble and God-conscious rather than self-satisfied,
and that a loss of that spiritual humility invariably results in moral
degeneration. 25 According to most of the commentators and,
particularly, Zamakhshari, Razi and Ibn Kathir this
is a parabolic allusion to the effect of a re-awakening of
God-consciousness in hearts that had become deadened by self-satisfaction
and false pride. |
|
Fitrah (original disposition, natural
constitution, innate nature) |
(7:172) AND WHENEVER thy Sustainer brings forth their offspring from
the loins of the children of Adam, He [thus] calls upon them to bear
witness about themselves: "Am I not your Sustainer?" to which
they answer: "Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!"
(139) |
139 In the original, this passage is in the past tense ("He
brought forth", "He asked them", etc.), thus stressing the
continuous recurrence of the above metaphorical "question" and
"answer": a continuity which is more clearly brought out in
translation by the use of the present tense. According to the Qur'an, the
ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in human
nature (fitrah); and it is this instinctive cognition which may or
may not be subsequently blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental
influences that makes every sane human being "bear witness about
himself" before God. As so often in the Qur'an, God's
"speaking" and man's "answering" is a metonym for the
creative act of God and of man's existential response to it. |
|
|
45:18 And, finally, (17) [O Muhammad,] We have set thee on a
way by which the purpose [of faith] may be fulfilled: (18) so follow thou
this [way], and follow not the likes and dislikes of those who do not know
[the truth]. (19) (45:19) Behold, they could never be of any avail to
thee if thou wert to defy the will of God (20) for, verily, such evildoers
are but friends and protectors of one another, whereas God is the Protector
of all who are conscious of Him. 45:20 This [revelation, then,] (21) is a means of insight for
mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people who are endowed
with inner certainty. See also: ·
God always warning man (and thus
calling every one of us unto Himself). |
17 Lit., "thereafter" or "in the end" (thumma) i.e., after the failure of the earlier
communities to realize the ideal purpose of faith in their actual mode of
life. 18 Lit., "on a way of the purpose [of faith]": see note 15
above. It is to be borne in mind that the literal meaning of the term shari'ah is "the way to a
watering-place", and since water is indispensable for all organic life,
this term has in time come to denote a "system of laws", both moral
and practical, which shows man the way towards spiritual fulfilment and
social welfare: hence, "religious law" in the widest sense of the
term. (See in this connection note 66 on the second part of 5:48.) 19 I.e., who are not or not primarily motivated by
God-consciousness and, hence, are swayed only by what they themselves
regard as "right" in accordance with worldly, changing
circumstances. 20 Lit., "against [i.e., "in defiance of"] God". 21 I.e., the Qur'an, which unfolds to man the purpose of all faith. |
|
Forgiveness |
17:25 Your Sustainer is fully aware of what is in your hearts. If you
are righteous, [He will forgive you your errors]: for, behold, He is much-forgiving
to those who turn unto Him again and again. |
|
|
Free will |
36:67 And had it been Our will [that they should not be free to
choose between right and wrong], We could surely have given them a
different nature (35) [and created them as beings rooted] in their
places, so that they would not be able to move forward, and could not turn
back. (36) |
35 Lit., "transformed [or "transmuted"] them". 36 I.e., if it had been God's will that men should have no freedom
of will or moral choice, He would have endowed them from the very
beginning with a spiritually and morally stationary nature, entirely rooted
in their instincts ("in their places"), devoid of all urge to
advance, and incapable either of positive development or of retreat from a
wrong course. |
|
Fulfilment in life |
20:1 O MAN!(1) (20:2) We did not bestow
the Qur'an on thee from on high to make thee unhappy,(2) (20:3) but only
as an exhortation to all who stand in awe [of God]: (20:4) a revelation from
Him who has created the earth and the high heavens (20:5) the Most
Gracious, established on the throne of His almightiness.(3) |
2 I.e., the ethical discipline imposed upon man by the teachings of
the Qur'an is not meant to narrow down his feel of life, but, on the
contrary, to enhance it by deepening his consciousness of right and wrong. 3 For my rendering of the metaphorical term al-'arsh
as "the throne of His almightiness", see note 43 on 7:54. |
|
Future, (belongs to the God-conscious) |
Surah 11 11:49 Be, then, [like Noah,] patient in adversity for, behold, the
future belongs to the God-conscious! Confer 20:132, 28:83. Surah 6 6:134 Verily, that [reckoning] which you are promised is bound to
come, and you cannot elude it! (6:135) Say: "O my [unbelieving] people!
Do yet all that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labour [in
God's way]; and in time you will come to know to whom the future belongs.
(118) Verily, never will evildoers attain to a happy state!" |
Note on Surah 6 118 Lit., "to whom the [happy] end of the abode shall belong".
The term "abode" (dar) is used in
the Qur'an with reference to both the life of this world (dar
ad-dunya) and the life to come (dar al-akhirah). Most of the commentators
are of the opinion that it refers here to the life to come; Zamakhshari,
however, relates it to life on earth. Since either of these interpretations
is agreeable with the text, I have chosen the above rendering which comprises
both. |
|
Godlessness, consequences of |
(16:26) Those who lived before them did, too, devise many a blasphemy
(19) whereupon God visited with destruction all that they had ever built,
(20) [striking] at its very foundations, so that the roof fell in upon them
from above (21) and suffering befell them without their having perceived
whence it came. |
19 Lit., "schemed" (makara): i.e., they blasphemed by
describing the divine revelations as "fables of ancient times" and
by refusing to admit the truth of God's existence or of His oneness and
uniqueness. 20 Lit., "their building" (see next note). 21 This is obviously a metaphor (Razi) describing the utter
collapse of all endeavours both individual and social rooted in
godlessness and false pride. |
|
God our only source of light and guidance |
24:40 Or [else, their deeds (60) are] like the depths of darkness upon
an abysmal sea, made yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with [black]
clouds above it all: depths of darkness, layer upon layer, (61) [so that when
one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it: for he to whom God gives no
light, no light whatever has he! |
60 I.e., their bad deeds, as contrasted with their good deeds,
which in the preceding verse have been likened to a mirage. 61 Lit., "one above another". The Study Quran comments thus on 24:40 (italics in original): The three kinds of
darkness mentioned here the sea, the waves, the clouds
are interpreted [by some of the classical commentators] to be the darkness
of ones heart, ones sight, and ones hearing (R); see 2:7c for the notion
of hearts and spiritual faculties being sealed or covered. [
] That the
disbeliever can hardly see his hand suggests that human beings
can never be left in total darkness, and the light of guidance is available
as long as they are still alive. |
|
Gods blessings in this life, and in the life to come |
8:2 Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God
is mentioned, and whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are
conveyed unto them,; and who in their Sustainer
place their trust (8:3) those who are constant in prayer and spend on
others out of what We provide for them as sustenance (4) (8:4) it is they,
they who are truly believers! Theirs shall be great dignity in their
Sustainer's sight, and forgiveness of sins, and a most excellent sustenance.
(5) |
4 See surah 2, note 4. 5 I.e., in paradise. According to Razi, however, the "most
excellent sustenance" is a metonym for "the spiritual raptures arising from the knowledge of God,
the love of Him, and the self-immersion (istighraq)
in worshipping Him". In Razi's interpretation, this expression
refers to the spiritual reward of faith in this world. Some
commentators (cf. Manar IX, 597) regard the above
definition of true believers as the most important passage of this surah. The
phrase rendered by me as "theirs shall be great dignity" reads, literally,
"they shall have degrees", namely, of excellence and dignity. |
|
Gods compassion |
2:143 God is most compassionate towards man, a dispenser of
grace. Sahih International: Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind
and Merciful. Pickthall: for Allah is
Full of Pity, Merciful toward mankind. Yusuf Ali: For Allah is
to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful. Mohsin Khan: Truly, Allah
is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind. Arberry: truly, God is All-gentle with the
people, All-compassionate. |
|
|
Gods grace (holding people accountable for conscious wrongdoings
only) |
6:131 And so it is that thy Sustainer would never destroy a community
(116) for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the
meaning of right and wrong]: (6:132) for all shall be judged according to
their [conscious] deeds (117) and thy Sustainer is not unaware of what
they do. |
116 Lit., "communities". The term qaryah
(lit., "town", "village" or "land") denotes
also the people of a town or land in short, a "community" and
it is in this sense that this term is mostly, though not always, used in the
Qur'an. 117 Lit., "all shall have grades out of what they did",
i.e., consciously since God does not take people to task for any wrong they may have committed unless it was done in
conscious contravention of a moral law already made clear to them by the
prophets. |
|
|
Surah 6 6:125 And whomsoever God wills to guide, his bosom He opens wide
with willingness towards self-surrender [unto Him]; and whomsoever He
wills to let go astray, his bosom He causes to be tight and constricted, as
if he were climbing unto the skies: it is thus that God inflicts horror upon
those who will not believe. (6:126) And undeviating is this thy Sustainer's
way. (111) Clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who
[are willing to] take them to heart! (6:127) Theirs shall be an abode of
peace with their Sustainer; and He shall be near unto them in result of
what they have been doing. Surah 14 14:4 AND NEVER have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a
message] in his own people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear
unto them; (3) but God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and
guides him that wills [to be guided] for He alone is almighty, truly
wise. (4) Confer 24:46, 28:56. See also: ·
Christianity
and other faiths based on earlier revelations. ·
Heart, deafness and blindness of. |
Note on Surah 6 111 Lit., "and this thy Sustainer's way is straight" i.e.,
unchanging in its application of the law of cause and effect to man's inner
life as well. The term rijs occurring in
the preceding sentence, and rendered by me as "horror", signifies
anything that is intrinsically loathsome, horrible or abominable; in this
case, it would seem to denote that awesome feeling of utter futility which,
sooner or later, overcomes everyone who does not believe that life has
meaning and purpose. Notes on Surah 14 3 Since every divine writ was meant to be understood by man, it is
obvious that each had to be formulated in the language of the people whom the
particular prophet was addressing in the first instance; and the Qur'an notwithstanding
its universal import (cf. note 126 on 7:158) is no exception in this
respect. 4 Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever
He wills". All Qur'anic references to God's "letting man go
astray" must be understood against the background of 2:26-27 "none
does He cause to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God"
(regarding which latter expression, see surah 2, note 19): that is to say,
man's "going astray" is a consequence of his own attitudes and
inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary "predestination" in
the popular sense of this word (cf. surah 2, note 7). In his commentary on
the above verse, Zamakhshari stresses this aspect of free choice on the part
of man and points out that "God does not cause anyone to
go astray except one who, as He knows, will never attain to faith; and He
does not guide anyone aright except one who, as He knows, will attain to
faith. Hence, the [expression] 'causing to go astray' denotes [God's] leaving
[one] alone (takhliyah) and depriving [him]
of all favour, whereas [the expression] 'guidance' denotes [His] grant of
fulfilment (tawfiq) and favour. ... Thus,
He does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and does
not bestow His favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favoured."
Commenting on the identical phrase occurring in 16:93, Zamakhshari
states: "[God] forsakes him who, as
He knows, will [consciously] choose to deny the truth and will persevere in
this [denial]; and ... He bestows His favour upon him who, as He knows, will
choose faith: which means that He makes the issue dependent on [man's] free
choice (al ikhtiyar), and thus on his
deserving either [God's] favour or the withdrawal of [His] aid ... and does
not make it dependent on compulsion [i.e., predestination], which would rule
out [man's] deserving anything of the above." |
|
Gods guidance II |
19:58 THESE WERE some of the prophets upon whom God bestowed His
blessings [prophets] of the seed of Adam and of those whom We caused to be
borne [in the ark] with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel: and [all
of them were] among those whom We had guided and elected; |
|
|
Gods guidance III |
19:76 And God endows those who avail themselves of [His] guidance
with an ever-deeper consciousness of the right way; (64) and good deeds, the
fruit whereof endures forever, are, in thy Sustainer's sight, of far
greater merit [than any worldly goods], and yield far better returns. |
64 Lit., "God increases in guidance those who ...", etc. |
|
Gods guidance IV |
(20:123) [...] None the less, there shall most certainly come unto you guidance from Me: and he who follows My
guidance will not go astray, and neither will he be unhappy. |
|
|
Gods Light, parable of |
24:35 God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The
parable of His light is, as it were, (50) that of a niche containing a
lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant
star: (51) [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree an olive-tree that is neither
of the east nor of the west (52) the oil whereof [is so bright that it]
would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light
upon light! (53) God guides unto His light him that wills [to be
guided]; (54) and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since
God [alone] has full knowledge of all things. (55) Confer 24:46. |
50 The particle ka ("as if" or "as it were")
prefixed to a noun is called kaf at-tashbih
("the letter kaf pointing to a resemblance [of one thing to
another]" or "indicating a metaphor"). In the above context it
alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a
parable for, since "there is nothing like unto Him" (42:11),
there is also "nothing that could be compared with Him" (112:4).
Hence, the parable of "the light of God" is not meant to express
His reality which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore,
inexpressible in any human language but only to allude to the illumination
which He, who is the Ultimate Truth, bestows upon the mind and the feelings
of all who are willing to be guided. Tabari, Baghawi
and Ibn Kathir quote Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud as saying in this context: "It is the
parable of His light in the heart of a believer." 51 The "lamp" is the revelation which God grants to His
prophets and which is reflected in the believer's heart the
"niche" of the above parable (Ubayy ibn Ka'b, as quoted by Tabari) after being received and
consciously grasped by his reason ("the glass [shining brightly]
like a radiant star"): for it is through reason alone that true faith
can find its way into the heart of man. 52 It would seem that this is an allusion to the organic continuity of
all divine revelation which, starting like a tree from one "root"
or proposition the statement of God's existence and uniqueness grows
steadily throughout man's spiritual history, branching out into a splendid variety
of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man's
perception of the truth. The association of this concept with the olive-tree
apparently arises from the fact that this particular kind of tree is
characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of the
Qur'anic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the Mediterranean:
but since all true revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is
"neither of the east nor of the west" and especially so the
revelation of the Qur'an, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal
in its goal as well. 53 The essence of the Qur'anic message is described elsewhere as
"clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth" (cf. note 2 on
12:1); and it is, I believe, this aspect of the Qur'an that the above
sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God;
but it "would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not
touched it": i.e., even though one may be unaware that it has been
"touched by the fire" of divine revelation, its inner consistency,
truth and wisdom ought to be self-evident to anyone who approaches it in the
light of his reason and without prejudice. 54 Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the
sense of "God guides unto His light whomever He wills",
Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being
syntactically permissible). 55 I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed
to man only by means of parables or allegories: see notes 5 and 8 on 3:7. |
|
Gods messages called into question only by those who are bent on
denying the truth |
40:4 NONE BUT THOSE who are bent on denying the truth would
call God's messages in question. But let it not deceive thee that they seem to
be able to do as they please on earth Yusuf Ali: None can
dispute about the Signs of Allah but the Unbelievers. Let not, then, their
strutting about through the land deceive thee! |
OJA: Asad renders the word "bent"
in italics when quoting verse 4 in his introduction to Surah 40; hence
my use of italics in the heading here. |
|
Gods messages Gods wonders |
(30:46) for among His wonders is this: He sends forth [His
messages as He sends forth] the winds that bear glad tidings, (42)
so that He might give you a taste of His grace [through life-giving rains],
and that ships might sail at His behest, and that you might go about in quest
of some of His bounties, and that you might have cause to be grateful. |
42 The mention of God's messages, interpolated by me between brackets,
is justified by the verses which precede and follow this passage. Moreover,
it is only by means of such an interpolation that the symbolic purport of the
above reference to "the winds that bear glad tidings" can be made
fully obvious. |
|
Gods Own fire Gods own light (which bestows illumination) |
(27:8) But when he (Moses) came close to it, a call was sounded:
"Blessed are all who are within [reach of] this fire, and all who are
near it! (7) And limitless in His glory is God, the Sustainer of all the
worlds!" |
7 Thus Zamakhshari explains the expression hawlaha
(lit., "around it"). According to some of the earliest
commentators, quoted by Tabari, the "fire" (nar)
is in this context synonymous with "light" (nur),
namely, the illumination which God bestows on His prophets, who one
may presume are a priori "near it" by virtue of their inborn
spiritual sensitivity. Alternatively, the phrase man fi 'n-nar wa-man hawlaha
may be understood as referring to God's Own light, which encompasses, and
is the core of, all spiritual illumination. |
|
Gods spirit breathed into man |
32:7 Thus, He begins the creation of man out of clay; (7) (32:8) then
He causes him to be begotten (8) out of the essence of a humble fluid; (32:9)
and then He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be, and breathes
into him of His spirit: (9) and [thus, O men,] He endows you with
hearing, and sight, and feelings as well as minds: (10) |
7 Cf. note 4 on 23:12. In view of the next verse, this
"beginning" of man's creation seems to allude to the basic
composition of the human body as such, as well as to each individual's
pre-natal existence in the separate bodies of his parents. 8 Lit., "He caused [i.e., as pointed out in note 6 above,
"He causes"] his procreation [or "his begetting"] to be
out of ..., etc. 9 As in 15:29 and 38:72, God's "breathing of His spirit into
man" is a metaphor for the divine gift of life and consciousness, or of
a "soul" (which, as pointed out in surah 4, note 181, is one of the
meanings of the term ruh). Consequently,
"the soul of every human being is of the spirit of God"
(Razi). Regarding the verb sawwahu rendered
by me as "He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be"
see note 1 on 87:2 and note 5 on 91:7. 10 Lit., "hearts" (af'idah),
which in classical Arabic is a metonym for both "feelings" and
"minds"; hence my composite rendering of this term. Confer Asads note on Surah 21 87 [
] As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same expression in
three other places with reference to the creation of man in general namely
in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him ... and breathed into him
of My spirit"; and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms [lit.,
"formed"] him fully and breathes lit., "breathed"] into
him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted
phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear
that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being. |
|
God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent |
(70:3) [...] God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent: (3) Pickthall: Lord of the
Ascending Stairways. Yusuf Ali: Lord of the
Ways of Ascent. |
3 Lit., "He of the [many] ascents": a metonymical phrase
implying that there are many ways by which man can "ascend" to a
comprehension of God's existence, and thus to spiritual "nearness"
to Him and that, therefore, it is up to each human being to avail
himself of any of the ways leading towards Him (cf. 76:3). |
|
God with us |
Surah 8 (8:12) Lo! Thy Sustainer inspired the angels [to convey this His
message to the believers]: "I am with you!" (13) Surah 5 5:12 And God said: "Behold, I shall be with you [i.e., the
children of Israel]! If you are constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and
believe in My apostles and aid them, and offer up unto God a goodly loan,
(23) I will surely efface your bad deeds and bring you into gardens through
which running waters flow. But he from among you who, after this, denies the
truth, will indeed have strayed from the right path!" Surah 20 20:45 The two [brothers] said: "O our Sustainer! Verily, we fear
lest he act hastily with regard to us, (29) or lest he [continue to]
transgress all bounds of equity." 20:46 Answered He: "Fear not!
Verily, I shall be with you two, hearing and seeing [all]. (20:47) Go,
then; you two unto him and say, 'Behold, we are apostles sent by thy
Sustainer: let, then, the children of Israel go with us, and cause them
not to suffer [any longer]. (30) We have now come unto thee with a message
from thy Sustainer; and [know that His] peace shall be [only] on those who
follow [His] guidance: (20:48) for, behold, it has been revealed to us
that [in the life to come] suffering shall befall all who give the lie to the
truth and turn away [from it]!'" Surah 26 26:15 Said He: "Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both of you, with
Our messages: verily, We shall be with you,
listening [to your call]! [
] (26:60) And so [the Egyptians] caught up with them at sunrise; (26:61)
and as soon as the two hosts came in sight of one another, the followers of
Moses exclaimed: "Behold, we shall certainly be overtaken [and
defeated]!" 26:62 He replied: "Nay indeed! My Sustainer is with
me, [and] He will guide me!" [
] (26:67) In this [story], behold,
there is a message [unto all men], even though most of them will not
believe [in it]. (26:68) And yet, verily, thy Sustainer He alone is almighty,
a dispenser of grace! Surah 57 57:3 He is the First and the Last, (1) and the Outward as well as the
Inward: (2) and He has full knowledge of everything. (57:4) He it is who has
created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the
throne of His almightiness. (3) He knows all that enters the earth, and all
that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all
that ascends to them. (4) And He is with you wherever you may be; and God
sees all that you do. |
Note on Surah 8 13 The phrase "I am with you" is addressed (through
the angels) to the believers "for, the purport of these words was the
removal of fear, since it was the Muslims, and not the angels, who feared the
deniers of the truth" (Razi). Confer these two Biblical verses: Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and
give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Mathew 1:23 (NIV)
"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call
him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). Note on Surah 5 23 I.e., by doing righteous deeds. Notes on Surah 57 1 I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence
and without anything outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the
Prophet himself, as recorded in several well authenticated Traditions. Thus,
"time" itself a concept beyond man's understanding is but God's
creation. 2 I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and,
at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation cf.
the oft-repeated Qur'anic phrase (e.g., in verse 5), "all things go
back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of Tabari, "He
is closer to everything than anything else could be". Another perhaps
supplementary rendering could be, "He is the Evident as well as the
Hidden": i.e., "His existence is evident (zahir)
in the effects of His activity, whereas He Himself is not perceptible (ghayr
mudrak) to our senses" (Zamakhshari). 3 Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54 and the corresponding note 43. 4 See 4 note 1 on 34:2. |
|
Grace and love |
11:90 Hence, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then
turn towards Him in repentance for, verily, my Sustainer is a dispenser of
grace, a fount of love! |
|
|
10:19 And had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth
from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been settled
[from the outset]. (29) See also: Revelation, step by step. |
29 [
] Since, however, such a uniformity would have precluded men's
intellectual, moral and social development, God has left it to their reason,
aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to the truth. |
|
|
Grieved (be not) |
10:65 And be not grieved by the sayings of those [who deny the
truth]. Behold, all might and glory belong to God alone: He alone is
all-hearing, all-knowing. |
|
|
Guidance (i.e., having received understanding from God) |
2:143 those whom God has guided aright. (120) Shakir: ... those whom Allah has
guided aright Muhammad Sarwar: ... those to
whom God has given guidance. |
120 I.e., "whom He has given understanding" (Razi).
... |
|
Hanif (inclining towards truth and that which is right) |
2:135 Say: "Nay, but [ours is] the creed of Abraham, who
turned away from all that is false, (110) and was not of those who
ascribe divinity to aught beside God." Sahih International: Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists. Pickthall: Abraham, the
upright, and he was not of the idolaters. Yusuf Ali: Abraham the
True, and he joined not gods with Allah. Confer 16:120, 123. See also: Truth, men and women of. |
110 The expression hanif is derived from the verb hanafa, which literally means "he inclined
[towards a right state or tendency]" (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in
pre-Islamic times, this term had a definitely monotheistic connotation, and
was used to describe a man who turned away from sin and worldliness and from
all dubious beliefs, especially idol-worship; and tahannuf
denoted the ardent devotions, mainly consisting of long vigils and prayers, of
the unitarian God-seekers of pre-Islamic times. |
|
|
Surah 26 Said [Abraham]: (26:77) "Now [as for me, I know that,] verily,
these [false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the
Sustainer of all the worlds, (26:78) who has created me and is the One who
guides me, (26:79) and is the One who gives me to eat and to drink, (26:80)
and when I fall ill, is the One who restores me to health, (26:81) and
who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life (26:82) and
who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on Judgment Day! Surah 41 41:44 Say: "Unto all who have attained to faith, this [divine
writ] is a guidance and a source of health; but as for those who will
not believe in their ears is deafness, and so it remains obscure to them:
they are [like people who are] being called from too far away." (38) Confer 16:69. |
Note on Surah 41 38 Lit., "from a far-off place": i.e., they only hear the
sound of the words, but cannot understand their meaning. |
|
Health, spiritual |
Surah 17 17:82 THUS, step by step, We bestow from on
high through this Qur'an all that gives health [to the spirit] and is
a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the
ruin of evildoers: (98) (17:83) for [it often happens that] when We bestow
Our blessings upon man, he turns away and arrogantly keeps aloof [from any
thought of Us]; and when evil fortune touches him, he abandons all hope. Surah 27 (27:77) and, verily, it [i.e., The Quran] is a guidance and a
grace unto all who believe [in it]. See also: Health, physical. |
Note on Surah 17 98 By "evildoers" are meant people who, out of self-conceit
or an excessive "love of this world"; reject out of hand any
suggestion of divine guidance and, with it, any belief in the existence of
absolute moral values and in the end, as the sequence shows, fall prey to
spiritual nihilism. |
|
Hearts peace and rest for the hearts of the believers (as opposed to
those who are bent on denying the truth, and who prefer to go astray) |
13:27-29 NOW THOSE who are bent on denying the truth [of the
Prophet's message] say, "Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed
upon him from on high by his Sustainer?" (49) Say: "Behold, God
lets go astray him who wills [to go astray] (50), So just as He guides
unto Himself all who turn unto Him (13:28) those who believe, and whose
hearts find their rest in the remembrance of God for, verily, in the
remembrance of God [men's] hearts do find their rest : (13:29) [and so it is
that] they who attain to faith and do righteous deeds are destined for
happiness [in this world] and the most beauteous of all goals [in the life to
come]!" |
49 See verse 7 of this surah and the corresponding note 16. The
repetition of this question at this place points to its connection with the
reference to "those who break their bond with God after it has been
established [in their nature]" in verse 25 above (elucidated in note 19
on 2:27). The abandonment of their original, innate faculty to realize the
existence of God and their own dependence on His guidance caused by their
utter immersion in the passing pleasures of this world's life makes it
impossible for "those who are bent on denying the truth" to sense
the breath of the divine in the message propounded to them by Muhammad: and so they refuse to accept it as true unless it is supported
by an outward "miracle". (See in this connection note 94 on 6:109.)
50 Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills". Regarding the
rendering adopted by me, see surah 14, note 4. |
|
Hidden knowledge and understanding |
19:64 ...unto Him belongs all that lies open before us [i.e., the
angels] and all that is hidden from us and all that is in-between.
(50) |
50 I.e., that which even the angels can only glimpse but not fully
understand. |
|
Human soul, illumination of |
17:78 BE CONSTANT in [thy] prayer from the time when the sun has
passed its zenith till the darkness of night, and [be ever mindful of its]
recitation at dawn: (95) for, behold, the recitation [of prayer] at dawn is
indeed witnessed [by all that is holy]. (96) |
96 Most of the classical commentators take this to mean
"witnessed by the angels of night as well as those of day", since
dawn is the time between night and day. Razi, however, is of the opinion that
the "witness" to which the Qur'an refers here is the spark of
God-given illumination in man's own soul the heightening of his inner
perception at the time when the darkness and stillness of night begins to
give way to the life-giving light of day, so that prayer becomes a means of
attaining to deeper insight into the realm of spiritual truths and,
thus, of achieving communion with all that is holy. |
|
Humility and inner purity |
23:1 TRULY, to a happy state shall attain the believers: (23:2) those
who humble themselves in their prayer, (23:3) and who turn away from
all that is frivolous, (23:4) and who are intent on inner purity; (1)
(23:5) and who are mindful of their chastity, (2) (23:6) [not giving way to
their desires] with any but their spouses that is, those whom they
rightfully possess [through wedlock]: (3) for then, behold, they are free
of all blame, (23:7) whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly
transgressors; (23:8) and who are faithful to their trusts and to their
pledges, (23:9) and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent]. 23:10 It is they, they who shall be the inheritors (23:11) that will
inherit the paradise; [and] therein shall they abide. |
1 Lit., "working for" or "active in behalf of [inner]
purity", which is the meaning of zakah in this context
(Zamakhshari; the same interpretation has been advanced by Abu Muslim). 2 Lit., "who guard their private parts" 3 Lit., "or those whom their right hands possess" (aw ma malakat aymanuhum). Most of
the commentators assume unquestioningly that this relates to female slaves,
and that the particle aw ("or") denotes a permissible alternative.
This conventional interpretation is, in my opinion, inadmissible inasmuch as
it is based on the assumption that sexual intercourse with one's female slave
is permitted without marriage: an assumption which is contradicted by the
Qur'an itself (see 4:3, 24, 25 and 24:32, with the corresponding notes). Nor
is this the only objection to the above-mentioned interpretation. [...] |
|
Hypocrites |
29:10 [...] Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of all
creatures? 29:11 [Yea ] and most certainly will God mark out those who have
[truly] attained to faith, and most certainly will He mark out the
hypocrites. (7) Confer 63:1-8. |
7 This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term munafiq
in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived
from the noun nafaq, which denotes an
"underground passage" having an outlet different from the entry,
and signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard,
etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can outwit a
pursuer. Tropically, the term munafiq describes a person who is "two-faced",
inasmuch as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment,
be it spiritual or social, by adapting his course of action to what promises
to be of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he
happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends
to be morally better than he really is, the epithet munafiq may roughly be
rendered as "hypocrite". It should, however, be noted that
whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the
intent to deceive others, the Arabic term munafiq may also be applied
and occasionally is applied in the Qur'an to a person who, being weak or
uncertain in his beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself.
Hence, while using in my rendering of the Qur'anic text the conventional
expression "hypocrite", I have endeavoured to point out the
above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory
notes. |
|
Hypocrisy a sure way to earn Gods wrath |
48:6 And [God has willed] to impose suffering [in the life to come] on
the hypocrites, both men and women, and on those who ascribe divinity to
aught beside Him, both men and women: all who entertain evil thoughts
about God. (6) |
6 I.e., who deny His existence or man's responsibility to Him, or
offend against the concept of His oneness. |
|
Ignorance know and respect your own limitations; be humble |
17:36 And never concern thyself with anything of which thou hast no
knowledge: (45) verily, [thy] hearing and sight and heart all of them will
be called to account for it [on Judgment Day]! |
(45) Or: "do not follow [or "pursue"] anything ...",
etc. This would seem to relate to groundless assertions about events
or people (and hence to slander or false testimony), to statements based on guesswork
unsupported by evidence, or to interfering in social situations which
one is unable to evaluate correctly. |
|
Ignorance followed by repentance |
16:119: And once again: Behold, thy Sustainer [shows mercy] to those who
do evil out of ignorance and afterwards repent and live righteously:
behold, after such [repentance] thy Sustainer is indeed much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace. |
|
|
Inherit the earth |
21:105-106 AND, INDEED, after having exhorted [man], We laid it down in
all the books of divine wisdom that My righteous servants shall inherit
the earth: (101) herein, behold, there is a message for people who
[truly] worship God. |
101 Zabar (lit., "scripture"
or "book") is a generic term denoting any "book of wisdom":
hence, any and all of the divine scriptures revealed by God to the prophets
[Tabari]. The statement that "My righteous servants shall inherit the
earth" is obviously an echo of the promise, "You are bound to
rise high if you are [truly] believers" (3:139) the implication being
that it is only through faith in God and righteous behaviour on earth that
man can reach the heights envisaged for him by his Creator's grace. |
|
|
45:3 Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed
messages for all who [are willing to] believe. (2) (45:4) And in your own
nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth]
there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty.
(3) 45:5 And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of
subsistence (4) which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to
the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all
this] there are messages for people who use their reason. See also: ·
God always warning man (and thus
calling every one of us unto Himself). ·
Insight and inner assurance. |
2 Cf. 2:164, where the term ayat has
been rendered by me in the same way, inasmuch as those visible signs of a
consciously creative Power convey a spiritual message to man. 3 Cf. 7:185 and the corresponding note 151. The intricate structure
of human and animal bodies, and the life-preserving instincts with which all
living creatures have been endowed, make it virtually impossible to assume
that all this has developed "by accident"; and if we assume, as we
must, that a creative purpose underlies this development, we must conclude,
too, that it has been willed by a conscious Power which creates all natural phenomena in accordance with an inner
truth" (see note 11 on 10:5). 4 I.e., rain, with the symbolic connotation of physical and spiritual
grace often attached to it in the Qur'an. |
|
Inner strength and vision |
38:45 AND CALL to mind Our servants Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,
[all of them] endowed with inner strength and vision: (38:46) for,
verily, We purified them by means of a thought most
pure: the remembrance of the life to come. (42) (38:47) And, behold,
in Our sight they were indeed among the elect, the truly good! 38:48
And call to mind Ishmael and Elisha, (43) and every
one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto Us]: (44) for, each of
them was of the truly good! |
42 Lit., "of the [final] abode". 43 Al-Yasa' in Arabic the Biblical
prophet who succeeded Elijah (see surah 37, note 48). 44 For an explanation of this rendering of dhu'l-kifl,
see surah 21, note 81. |
|
|
(6:75) And thus We gave Abraham [his first] insight into [God's]
mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth and [this] to the end
that he might become one of those who are inwardly sure. [
] "[...] (6:79) Behold, unto Him who brought into being the
heavens and the earth have I turned my face, having turned away from all that
is false; and I am not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside
Him." 6:80 And his people argued with him. He said: "Do you argue with
me about God, when it is He who has guided me? But I
do not fear anything to which you ascribe divinity side by side with Him,
[for no evil can befall me] unless my Sustainer so wills. (67) All things does my Sustainer embrace within His knowledge; will you
not, then, keep this in mind? (6:81) And why should I fear anything that you
worship side by side with Him, seeing that you are not afraid of ascribing
divinity to other powers beside God without His ever having bestowed upon you
from on high any warrant therefor? [Tell me,] then, which of the two parties
has a better right to feel secure if you happen to know [the answer]?
(6:82) Those who have attained to faith, and who have not obscured their faith
by wrongdoing it is they who shall be secure, since it is they who have found the right path!" 6:83 And
this was Our argument (68) which We vouchsafed unto Abraham against his
people: [for] We do raise by degrees whom We will. (69) Verily, thy Sustainer
is wise, all-knowing. See also: Inner certainty. |
67 Lit., "unless my Sustainer wills a thing". 68 The description of Abraham's reasoning as God's own argument
implies that it was divinely inspired, and is therefore valid for the
followers of the Qur'an as well. 69 This is evidently an allusion to Abraham's gradual grasp of the
truth, symbolized by his intuitive progress from an adoration of
celestial bodies stars, moon and sun to a full realization of God's transcendental,
all-embracing existence. Alternatively, the expression "by degrees"
may be taken to mean "by many degrees", signifying the great
spiritual dignity to which this forerunner of a long line of prophets was
ultimately raised (see 4:125). |
|
Intellectual approach, differing in |
10:19 And had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth
from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been
settled [from the outset]. (29) |
29 Lit., "it would indeed have been decided between them
regarding all that they were differing in": i.e., had it not been for
God's decree which is the meaning, in this context, of the term kalimah (lit., "word") that men should
differ in their intellectual approach to the problems touched upon by
divine revelation, "they would not have contended with one another after
having received all evidence of the truth", but would all have held from
the very outset, and would continue to hold, the same views (cf. 2:253 and
the corresponding note 245). Since, however, such a uniformity would have
precluded men's intellectual, moral and social development, God has left it
to their reason, aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to
the truth. (See also surah 2, note 198.) The above parenthetic passage
must be read in conjunction with 2:213. |
|
|
19:43 [Abraham spoke [thus] unto his father:] "O my father!
Behold, there has indeed come to me [a ray] of knowledge such as has never
yet come unto thee: (32) follow me, then; I shall guide thee onto a perfect
way." |
32 I.e., a cognition of God's existence and uniqueness through intellectual
insight (cf. 6:74-82). |
|
Intellectual quality and progressive
realization |
21:51 AND, INDEED, long before [the time of Moses] We vouchsafed unto
Abraham his consciousness of what is right; (59) and We were aware of [what
moved] him (21:52) when he said unto his father and his people, "What
are these images to which you are so intensely devoted?" |
59 The possessive pronoun "his" affixed to the noun rushd (which, in this context, has the meaning of
"consciousness of what is right") emphasizes the highly personal,
intellectual quality of Abraham's progressive realization of God's
almightiness and uniqueness (cf. 6:74-79 as well as note 69 on 6:83);
while the expression min qabl rendered by
me as "long before [the time of Moses]" stresses, once again, the
element of continuity in man's religious insight and experience. |
|
Jesus |
Surah 19 19:20 Said she: "How can I have a son when no man has ever
touched me? for, never have I been a loose woman!" (19:21) [The angel]
answered: "Thus it is; [but] thy Sustainer says, 'This is easy for Me;
(15) and [thou shalt have a son,] so that We might make him a symbol unto
mankind and an act of grace from Us.'" (16) Surah 21 21:91 AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We
breathed into her of Our spirit (87) and caused her, together with her son,
to become a symbol [of Our grace] Unto all people. (88) Surah 23: (23:50) And [as We exalted Moses, so, too,] We made the son of Mary
and his mother a symbol [of Our grace], (25) |
Notes on Surah 19 15 (omitted here). 16 One of the several meanings of the term dyah
is "a sign" or, as elaborately defined by Raghib. "a
symbol" (cf. surah 17, note 2). However, the sense in which it is most
frequently used in the Qur'an is "a [divine] message":
hence, its metonymic application to Jesus may mean that he was destined to
become a vehicle of God's message to man i.e., a prophet and, thus, a
symbol of God's grace. As regards the words "thou shalt have a
son" interpolated by me between brackets, a statement to this effect is
implied in the subsequent phrase beginning with "so that" (Zamakhshari
and Razi). Notes to Surah 21 87 This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary's
conception of Jesus, has been widely and erroneously interpreted as
relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same
expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in
general namely in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him ... and breathed
into him of My spirit"; and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms
[lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes lit., "breathed"]
into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the
last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and
explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human
being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhshari states
that "the breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the
endowing it with life": an explanation with which Razi concurs. (In this
connection, see also note 181 on 4:171.) As for the description of Mary as allati ahsanat farjaha; idiomatically denoting "one who guarded
her chastity" (lit., "her private parts"), it is to be borne
in mind that the term ihsan lit.,
"[one's] being fortified [against any danger or evil]" has the
tropical meaning of "abstinence from what is unlawful or
reprehensible" (Taj al-'Arus), and especially
from illicit sexual intercourse, and is applied to a man as well as a woman:
thus, for instance, the terms muhsan and muhsanah are used elsewhere in the Qur'an to
describe, respectively, a man or a woman who is "fortified [by marriage]
against unchastity". Hence, the expression allati
ahsanat farjaha,
occurring in the above verse as well as in 66:12 with reference to Mary, is
but meant to stress her outstanding chastity and complete abstinence, in
thought as well as in deed, from anything unlawful or morally reprehensible:
in other words, a rejection of the calumny (referred to in 4:156 and
obliquely alluded to in 19:27-28) that the birth of Jesus was the result of
an "illicit union". 88 For my rendering of the term ayah as "symbol", see surah
17, note 2, and surah 19, note 16 (the latter is included above, here in this
compilation). Note on Surah 23: 25 For my rendering of ayah, in this instance, as
"symbol", see surah 19, note 16. Jesus and his mother Mary are
mentioned here specifically because they, too, had to suffer persecution
and slander at the hands of "those who were bent on denying the
truth". |
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Judgment according to gravity of sins |
Please refer to: ·
Heart, deafness and blindness of. |
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Judgment belongs to God alone |
Surah 26 (26:112) Said he [i.e., Noah]: "And what knowledge could I have
as to what they were doing [before they came to me]? (26:113) Their
reckoning rests with none but my Sustainer: if you could but understand
[this]! (50) (26:114) Hence, I shall not drive away [any of those [who
profess to be] believers; (26:115) I am nothing but a plain warner." Surah 68 68:44 Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this
tiding. (23) See also: Kafir. |
Note on Surah 26 50 This is obviously a retort to the unbelievers' suggestion
(elliptically implied here) that those "abject" followers of Noah
had declared their faith in him, not out of conviction, but only in order to
gain some material advantages. Noah's answer embodies a cardinal principle
of Qur'anic ethics and, hence, of Islamic Law: No human being has the
right to sit in judgment on another person's faith or hidden motives;
whereas God knows what is in the hearts of men, society may judge only by
external evidence (az-zahir), which
comprises a person's words as well as deeds. Thus, if anyone says, "I
am a believer", and does not act or speak in a manner contradicting
his professed faith, the community must consider him a believer. Note on Surah 68 23 I.e., to divine revelation in general,
and to the tiding of resurrection and judgment, in particular the
implication being that God alone has the right to decide whether or how to
chastise them. |
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Justice, do not deviate from |
5:8 O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your
devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let
hatred of anyone (19) lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be
just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God:
verily, God is aware of all that you do. |
19 Lit., "of people". |
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Surah 2 2:6 BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth (6) it is
all one to them whether thou warnest them or dost
not warn them: they will not believe. (2:7) God; has sealed their
hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil; (7) and awesome
suffering awaits them. See also: ·
Laws of nature Gods way sunnat Allah. ·
Truth. Surah 74 74:8 And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection]
is sounded, (9) that very Day shall be a day of anguish, (10) not of ease,
for all who [now] deny the truth! (4) 74:11 LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone, (5) |
Notes on Surah 2 6 In contrast with the frequently occurring term al-kafirun ("those who deny the truth"), the
use of the past tense in alladhina kafaru indicates conscious intent, and is, therefore,
appropriately rendered as "those who are bent on denying the
truth". This interpretation is supported by many commentators,
especially Zamakhshari (who, in his commentary on this verse, uses the
expression, "those who have deliberately resolved upon their kufr").
Elsewhere in the Qur'an such people are spoken of as having "hearts
with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see,
and ears with which they fail to hear" (7:179). For an explanation
of the terms kufr ("denial of the truth"), kafir
("one who denies the truth"), etc., see note 4 on 74:10, where this
concept appears for the first time in Qur'anic revelation. 7 A reference to the natural law instituted by God, whereby a person
who persistently adheres to false beliefs and refuses to listen to the voice
of truth gradually loses the ability to perceive the truth, "so
that finally, as it were, a seal is set upon his heart" (Raghib). Since
it is God who has instituted all laws of nature which, in their
aggregate, are called sunnat Allah
("the way of God") this "sealing" is attributed to Him:
but it is obviously a consequence of man's free choice and not an act of
"predestination". Similarly, the suffering which, in the life to
come, is in store for those who during their life in this world have wilfully
remained deaf and blind to the truth, is a natural consequence of their free
choice just as happiness in the life to come is the natural consequence of
man's endeavour to attain to righteousness and inner illumination. It is in
this sense that the Qur'anic references to God's "reward" and
"punishment" must be understood. Notes on Surah 74 4 Since this is the earliest Qur'anic occurrence of the expression kafir
(the above surah having been preceded only by the first five verses of surah
96), its use here and, by implication, in the whole of the Qur'an is
obviously determined by the meaning which it had in the speech of the Arabs
before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad: in other words, the term kafir
cannot be simply equated, as many Muslim theologians of post-classical times
and practically all Western translators of the Qur'an have done, with
"unbeliever" or "infidel" in the specific, restricted
sense of one who rejects the system of doctrine and law promulgated in the
Qur'an and amplified by the teachings of the Prophet but must have a
wider, more general meaning. This meaning is easily grasped when we bear
in mind that the root verb of the participial noun kafir (and of the
infinitive noun kufr) is kafara,
"he [or "it"] covered [a thing]": thus, in 57:20 the
tiller of the soil is called (without any pejorative implication) kafir,
"one who covers", i.e., the sown seed with earth, just as the night
is spoken of as having "covered" (kafara)
the earth with darkness. In their abstract sense, both the verb and the nouns
derived from it have a connotation of "concealing" something
that exists or "denying" something that is true. Hence, in the
usage of the Qur'an with the exception of the one instance (in 57:20) where
this participial noun signifies a "tiller of the soil" a kafir
is "one who denies [or "refuses to acknowledge"] the truth"
in the widest, spiritual sense of this latter term: that is, irrespective of
whether it relates to a cognition of the supreme truth namely, the
existence of God or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine
writ, or to a self-evident moral proposition, or to an acknowledgment of, and
therefore gratitude for, favours received. (Regarding the expression alladhina kafaru,
implying conscious intent, see surah 2, note 6.) 5 Or: "...whom I alone have created". The above sentence can
be understood in either of these two senses, depending on whether one relates
the expression "alone" (wahid) to
God thus stressing His uniqueness as Creator or to this particular object
of His creation, man, who begins and ends his life in a state of utter
loneliness (cf. 6:94 and 19:80 and 95). In either case, our attention is
drawn to the fact of man's inescapable dependence on God. Beyond that, the
phrase in question carries a further meaning, namely, "Leave it to Me
alone to decide what to do with him who forgets that I am his Creator and
Sustainer" thus forbidding any human punishment of "those
who deny the truth". |
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Knowledge (innate) |
Surah 29 29:49 Nay, but this [divine writ] consists of messages clear to the
hearts of all who are gifted with [innate] knowledge (48) and none
could knowingly reject Our messages unless it be such as would do wrong [to
themselves]. Confer 41:3. Surah 30 30:21 And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of
your own kind, so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love
and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people
who think! (30:22) And among his wonders is the creation of the heavens
and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this,
behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate]
knowledge! |
Note on Surah 29 48 Lit., "self-evident (bayyinat)
in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge" the term 'ilm having here the connotation of intuitive,
spiritual perception. |
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Life not always easy |
Surah 90 (90:4) Verily, We have created man into [a
life of] pain, toil and trial. (3) Surah 93 93:1 CONSIDER the bright morning hours, (93:2) and the night when it
grows still and dark. (1) (93:3) Thy Sustainer has not forsaken thee, nor
does He scorn thee: (2) (93:4) for, indeed, the life to come will be
better for thee than this earlier part [of thy life]! |
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