Saturday 30 November 2013

Beware!

Qur'aanic Verse 82:19:







Transliteration:

19. Yawma la tamliku nafsun linafsin shay-an waal-amru yawma-ithin lillahi


Translation:

19. That Day no creature shall be of any avail to another. And Allah’s shall be the sole command that Day!2


Study Note:

2. Christians, who are sure their Christ [peace on him] will take them to Paradise, beware! And Muslims, who claim that whatever their deeds here in this world their Muhammad [peace on him] will ensure their entry into Jannah, beware!


An extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Thursday 28 November 2013

The Worlds

Qur'aanic Verse 1:2:






Transliteration:

2. Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameena


Translation:

2. The praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds5


Study Note:

5.  This is the dictionary meaning of the Arabic word aalameen. It is in plural: worlds, and not world. In most of the places where this word has been used in the Qur'aan, it is accompanied by the word Rabb, as in this place. But there are a few places where it isn't, as in Verses 2:47, 3:97, 6:86, 6:90, 21:107 and 29:6. A close study of these latter Verses would show that the word is used in the same sense as in the sentence, "My world is different from yours." Every individual life is one's own individual world in the sense that his/her environment, conditions of living, circle of contacts etc. are different from others'. One's own world is, in other words, one's own individual life. It is to these millions of individual worlds that the Qur'aan refers to as aalameen. Allah thus declares that He is the Rabb of every individual life. If every individual would but submit completely to His will and obey His commands as given in the Qur'aan, the Lord will surely nourish and lead the individual's life to Success and Salvation! In the phrase Rabbulaalameen, however, Aalameen would include jinns, angels, all living things (besides human) and all inanimate things in the entire universe as well. Refer in this context Moses’ reply to Pharaoh in Verses 24, 26 and 28 of Chapter 32 (Manzil V). Rabbulaalameen could as well be translated as the Lord of the Universe.

An extract from Qur'aanic Studies Manzil I.

Saturday 23 November 2013

He Frowned

Qur'aanic Verse 80:1:






Transliteration:

1. AAabasa watawalla


Translation:

1. He1 frowned and turned away


Study Note:

1. A study of the Verses that follow reveal the identity of ‘He’ here to be the Prophet (peace on him) himself. The use of the third person pronoun instead of the direct ‘You’ is obviously a subtle divine way to mitigate the embarrassment of a direct accusation. But, nevertheless, the accusation is there in the public domain! It shows that Allah Almighty had kept a close watch on even the minutest thing that the Prophet did, to steer him away from any wrong move on his part. It also shows up the transparency in which the Prophet truthfully conveyed the divine Message, even when it contained something disparaging to his own person.

An extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Thursday 14 November 2013

The Spirit

Qur'aanic Verse 2:87:










Transliteration:

87. Walaqad atayna moosa alkitaba waqaffayna min baAAdihi bialrrusuli waatayna AAeesa ibna maryama albayyinati waayyadnahu biroohi alqudusi afakullama jaakum rasoolun bima la tahwa anfusukumu istakbartum fafareeqan kaththabtum wafareeqan taqtuloona


Translation:

87. And We did give Moses the Book; and, after him, We caused a succession of Messengers to follow him in his track. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear signs and fortified him with the Holy Spirit113-116. Didn't you become arrogant and behave haughtily whenever a messenger came to you with what wasn't in accord with your carnal desires? You then accused some of being false; and some, you killed!


Study Notes:

113. In Verses 2.253 and 5.110 too, it is similarly stated that Jesus was fortified with the Holy Spirit. And in Verse 16.102, it is stated that the Holy Spirit (Roohul Qudus) brought the Qur'aan down from the Lord in Truth. In Verses 26.192-194, the Trustworthy Spirit (Roohul Ameen) is stated to have brought the Qur'aan down upon Prophet Muhammad's mind/consciousness. In Verse 58.22, it is stated that the Believers too are fortified with the Spirit (Rooh) from Him.
114. In Verses 59.23 and 62.1, one of Allah's attributes mentioned is Quddoos (Holy). Besides, the Qur'aan states: (i) when Allah fashioned Adam from clay, He breathed into it His Spirit (15.29 & 38.71-72), (ii) when He fashioned Adam's progeny from 'contemptible water', He breathed into it from His Spirit (32.9), (iii) "We sent to her (Mary) Our Spirit", who appeared before her as a real man (19.17), whereafter, miraculously, without the agency of a man, Mary gave birth to Jesus, who was Allah's Word and a Spirit from Him (4.171), (iv) the Angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a period of time, the measure whereof is fifty thousand years (70.4); and they (the Spirit and the Angels) would stand in attention, in rows, on the Resurrections Day (78.38), (v) the Spirit is one of Allah's Commands, and  mankind has been given but little knowledge (17.85)!
115. From the Qur'aan thus, what we know, for certain, is that the Spirit or the Holy Spirit is an entity very close to Allah - so close that He calls it My or Our Spirit. This Spirit it is with which are all human lives kindled. Prophet Jesus (peace upon him) was especially fortified with it so that he could talk to people even while in his cradle and perform many miraculous deeds. All believers are also additionally fortified with it so that they keep to the right path. It was through this Spirit that Allah revealed the Qur'aan to Prophet Muhammad (peace and Allah's blessings be upon him). The Spirit nevertheless is subservient to Allah and would be standing in respectful attention, on the Resurrection Day, before Him!
116. We should be content with the info that the Qur'aan gives us on the Rooh, the Roohul Qudus or the Roohul Ameen. These Qur'aanic terms are beyond the scope of our human understanding (mutashabihaat). We should not therefore speculate over their meanings further with our own human opinions. See Verse 3.7 and also study note 2.17, in this context.

An extract from Qur'aanic Studies Manzil I.

Saturday 9 November 2013

Hadeeth

Qur'aanic Verse 7:185:











Transliteration:

185. Awalam yanthuroo fee malakooti alssamawati waal-ardi wama khalaqa Allahu min shay-in waan AAasa an yakoona qadi iqtaraba ajaluhum fabi-ayyi hadeethin baAAdahu yu/minoona


Translation:

185. Do they not ponder over the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever things Allah has created, and over the likelihood of their own death being near? What hadeeth74 would they then believe in after this?


Study Note:

74. This Arabic word has been used in the Qur’aan variously in the meanings of (i) story, (ii) discourse, (iii) speech, or (iv) the Qur’aan itself. In the context of the preceding sentence, in this very Verse, the word here could connote the broad statement as under:
The orderly behaviour of the entire universe gives enough proof of the existence of a super-intelligent Being faultlessly governing it. When that Being can so control such a gigantic thing, He can obviously do the far less complex task of managing and controlling, inter alia, every human life. It is this Being – Whom we call Allah – that is guiding mankind in the proper conduct of their lives, through this Qur’aan. Every human being should grasp this Reality before it is too late. No one knows when death would come. It may be just round the corner.
But the word hadeeth came to acquire another meaning after the completion of the revelation of the Qur’aan, and the departure of the Prophet from this world. Centuries after the death of the Prophet, his orally reported sayings, and those of his companions, came to be recorded in writing. And these recorded sayings came to be known as ahaadeeth (plural of hadeeth). Allah Almighty knows all about the future. And at the time of the revelation of this Verse, He was aware of this future meaning of the term hadeeth. He (Allah), in that sense, is disapprovingly hinting here at future generations of the Muslim Ummah believing in such man-influenced, error-prone ahaadeeth in preference to the well-explained teachings in the Qur’aan, which can also be taken as referred to by the pronoun hu in baAAdahu of the Arabic text. The Verse is thus telling us categorically that the Qur’aan is the best hadeeth; one need not go after other ahaadeeth.

An extract from the e-book Qur'aanic Studies Manzil II