Day 137; Qur’an 15:90-99; 16:1-14, page 267 + 268

Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan!

Yusuf Ali’s Translation of our new Chapter.

Muhammad Asad’s Translation of our new Chapter.

Their commentaries can only be read in verse by verse view.

COMMENTS:

PAGE 267 Arabic Qur’an.

 

1.  When we concluded our last Reading, Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, was addressed as having received the ‘Seven-Mathaani’ and the Great Qur’an, and was told to announce that he was the Clear/Evident Warner.

    Today, four VERY IMPORTANT verses continue, bearing an accusation related to certain persons' inappropriate handling of the ‘Qur’an’ in verses 90-91, and then promising them dire consequence:

“Therefore, by your Lord, indeed, We will surely call them to account altogether (92) concerning what they were doing! (93)

So, who are these persons called altogether to account, and what exactly, had they been doing to the Qur'an?

The accusation is in Verse (90) which tells us that, similarly, God delivered/sent down to the ‘Partitioners/ Dividers’ those who (literally, in Verse 91) rendered the Qur’an ‘torn apart’ (‘iddeen(عضين- [i].
After that we read: "Therefore, by your Lord, indeed, We will surely call them to account altogether (92) concerning what they were doing!" (93)

This IS a serious accusation, people ‘tearing limbs off’ the Qur’anic whole!  But, who are these ‘Partitioners/ Dividers,' and how did they take the Qur'an apart?

Zamakhshari and others have offered two explanations, stating that these verses could refer to:

·   People of (earlier) Compilation having believed in certain parts of their ‘Qur’an,’ or Scriptures, and belied/ denied others.

·   The Meccans who used to spread out amongst newcomers and pilgrims, forming groups they would confer with, taking the Qur’an apart and discrediting it.

Dear Reader:  Do you see what I see? 

Regarding the first explanation: 

It is true that they mishandled their Scriptures (HQ 2:75, 85; 4:46; 5:13, 41) however, using the term ‘Qur’an’ to describe the earlier Compilation is unlikely.  On the other hand, IF it indeed refers here to the original Torah and Evangel, it would only prove that the People of (earlier) Compilation had also started out with something interactive.

As for the second explanation:

It is a possibility, but we cannot limit it to that understanding, especially since the verse ends with the word ‘altogether ‘)‘ajma’een(أجمعين- denoting a larger number of incidents or groups.

I see this verse as TIMELESS: 

The ‘Dividers’ probably include both groups mentioned above, as well as any who do the same today.  However, more importantly FOR US, the term also includes anyone and everyone who tampers verbally with the Qur’an- detaching parts of it from the whole, as one would detach limbs from a body.  This also applies to those who explain its verses subjectively, either to serve their own interests or to follow their forefathers, who have put to use only the bits they like or understand, and have called the other bits: ‘Abrogated.’ 

It is the ‘Qur’an’ we tamper with when we stick to certain explanations, and blind ourselves to its replenishing wonders, and by so doing, the Qur’an to us, becomes a ‘static’ Compilation.  A most serious matter, indeed!

 

2. Verses 94- 95- 96 tell the Messenger to ‘expound / proclaim’ openly what he has been commanded (Ali/Asad) even as he turns away from the Associaters/ Idolaters, for God suffices him against the ‘Taunters’ who ascribe partners to God, and will come to know (the seriousness of their deeds).

Historical narratives say that the Prophet had been keeping a low profile until these verses were revealed, peace upon him.

Verse 97 consoles the Prophet on one hand, and shows us his heartfelt distress at their words!  We already read of such feelings in HQ 7:2; 11:12.

The balm/cure/remedy to such feelings is in Verse 98- 99:

To get into spiritual/ mental action such as ‘tasbeeh,’ AND physical action such as ‘sujood,’ AND to worship our Lord until the arrival of Certitude )yaqeen(يقين- .  
Note:  
This 'Certitude' is mostly explained as 'Death.' 
(See HQ 74:46-47, which is similarly explained).  


However, research seems to provide a second explanation:  Although humans shall have 'certainty' at the time of death, it seems that the Messenger's 'certainty/ yaqeen' came to him at the time of 'Israa' (one reason why it was such an epic in itself)!  See post on Chapter 53; 'The Star.'  

سورة النحل

The Bee

Yusuf Ali :

“In subject-matter it sums up, from a new point of view, the arguments on the great questions of God’s dealings with Man.. the new point of view is that Nature points to Nature’s God.”

Muhammad Asad:

“…this Surah was revealed a few months before the Prophet's emigration to Medina. …

The title….. is based on the reference, in verses 68-69, to the marvelous instance of God's creativeness manifested in the instincts with which He has endowed the bee. Indeed, it is the evidence of the Creator's purposeful activity that provides the subject-matter of most of this surah - an activity that culminates in the guidance which He offers man through His revealed messages, summed up, as it were, in verse 90: "Behold, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good, and generosity towards [one's] fellow-men; and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs counter to reason, as well as envy."

3.  This Chapter is often referred to as the Chapter of Blessings, or ‘Ni’am’ (سورة النِعَم) because of the many Blessings it recounts, as we shall see.

Verses 1- 2 announce the arrival of God’s Command -which the Associaters were in denial of- and tell of the Angels delivering the ‘spirit’ of God’s Command to whomever God chooses of His worshippers, to warn that:

“…There is no God but I, so be conscious of Me!”

After that, the verses begin to describe God’s Creation:

The Heavens and the Earth, in Truth (3).

The Cognizant Human –an evident ‘Contester’ (4).

And our animals:

·  Cattle and beasts of burden- providing us with warmth, benefit, food (5).

· And also objects of admiration as we take them out and bring them in (6).

PAGE 268 Arabic Qur’an.

·  Carrying our burdens to faraway places we couldn’t easily reach without them.. our Lord is ‘Ra’oof’ and Unceasingly Compassionate (will continue to search for good explanation of رؤوف ) (7(.

·  Horses, mules, donkeys.. both to RIDE and as ‘zeenah,’ or ‘ADORNMENT,’ and He creates what you do not know (8).  (All manners of transportation fall into this category as they afford us a ride AND prestige.)

4. Having mentioned ‘transportation,’ Verse 9 discusses the Path we should pursue of our own free will towards God, forsaking any paths that deviate.  This is by our choice, for had God willed, He could have put us all on the right path (in spite of ourselves).

5. Then the verses turn to the rain which quenches our thirst and waters our vegetation (10), to the different produce in which are Signs for People who Reflect (11), to the night and day, the sun, moon, and stars… all in our service under His command; Signs for People who Secure Knowledge (12).

6.  All that is created for us, on earth, in varying hues and colors… in these are Signs for People who Remember (13).

7. And the final verse in today’s Reading (14) tells us that it is He Who made the sea ‘of service,’ so we can eat, of it, tender meat, wear its ornaments, and observe the ships plough through its waves as we seek God’s Bounty (even in travel!).. all that..  so that we might be Appreciative, by working and being productive in appreciation (which is the opposite of depreciation, as understood from the meaning of ‘shukr!’).  

Enough said!

 

Our next Reading is from HQ 16:15-34.

Peace unto all!

---

[i] المقاييس: (عضو) يدلُّ على تجزئةِ الشَّيء. من ذلك العِضْو والعُضْو. والتَّعضية: أن يُعَضِّيَ الذّبيحة أعضاء. والعِضَةُ: القِطعة من الشيء، تقول: عَضّيْتُ الشيء أي وزَّعته. قال الخليل: وقوله تعالى: {الَّذِينَ جَعَلُوا القُرْآنَ عِضِينَ}  [الحجر 91]، أي عِضَة عِضة، ففرَّقوه، آمنوا ببعضه وكَفَرُوا ببعضه. والاسم منه التَّعضية. ومنه الحديث: "لا تَعْضِيَةَ في ميراث" أي لا تَقسِموا ما [لا] يحتمل القَسْم كالسَّيف والدّرَّة وما أشبَهَ ذلك.

الراغب الأصفهاني: عضه- قال تعالى: }جعلوا القرآن عضين{ [الحجر/91]، أي: مفرقا، فقالوا: كهانة، وقالوا أساطير الأولين إلى غير ذلك مما وصفوه به. وقيل: معنى: }عضين{ ما قال تعالى: }أفتؤمنون ببعض الكتاب وتكفرون ببعض{ [البقرة/ 85]، خلاف من قال فيه: }وتؤمنون بالكتاب كله{ [آل عمران/119]. والتعضية: تجزئة الأعضاء، وقد عضيته. قال الكسائي: هو من العضو أو من العضه، وهي شجر، وأصل عضة في لغة عضهة.

Day 136; Qur’an 15: 51-89, page 265 + 266

Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan!

Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.

Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter.

Their commentaries can only be read in verse by verse view.

COMMENTS:

PAGE 265 Arabic Qur’an.

 

1.   Today’s Reading begins as the Qur’an asks Prophet Muhammad to recount to his people the story of the ‘visitors’ of Prophet Abraham’s peace upon both God’s Messengers (Verse 51).  We soon realize that these ‘visitors’ were angels, sent to bring him glad-tidings of a son, a Prophet to carry his mission forward to the next generation, as shown by their description of him as, ‘a knowledgeable boy’ (Verses 52- 53- 54).  There are more details in Posting of May 23^rd.

2.    In Verses 55- 56 we listen to a beautiful exchange between the angels and Abraham, where we learn from him that guided persons never despair of God’s Mercy- an inner certainty in some of us, which those who deny God will never understand.

Then, in Verses 57- 58- 59- 60, they tell him of their mission to Prophet Lot’s People, and the next verses take us there, where we witness the exchange between Prophet Lot, peace upon him, and the angels (61- 62- 63- 64- 65- 66).  Prophet Lot tries to fend his people off, but his pleas fall on deaf ears; (67- 68- 69- 70- 71).

For details of this story, as well as information on their ‘violating one of the Inviolables of the Straight Path,’ see Posting of April 12^th.    

 

PAGE 266 Arabic Qur’an.

3.    Verse 72 tells us that their obsession has blinded them to the immorality of their assault, so their own end is brought about by their own doing  (73- 74), in which are Signs for the Discerning, and for the Faithful (75- 76- 77). 

It is interesting to note that Verse 76 seems to indicate that the ruins of their townships still exist on a road which is still in use.

4.    In Verses 78- 79 we find quick reference to another narrative, that of the tribe of Madyan, which we discussed earlier (put ‘Madyan Shu’ayb’ in ‘Search this site).

Then, Verses 80- 81- 82- 83- 84 also refer quickly to the tribe of Thamud (put ‘Thamud Saleh’ in ‘Search this site).  Here however, they are called the Companions of al ‘Hijr,’ from which this Chapter derives its Title.

5.    After Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, was told to recount to his people all these narratives, we find the final verses in today’s Reading, specifically addressed to him.

Verse 85 seems to put the Truth of his Message (compared to his people’s reluctance to believe in him), added to the experiences of all the previous Messengers with their reluctant people, all together into the framework of Creation and the Final Hour.  But here we find him receiving a VERY important command: 

In the face of everything his people have done to him and to the Believers, he is asked to graciously overlook their failings; he is asked for THE Exemplary Disregard [i] (not ‘an exemplary disregard).  The word (صفح)’safh’ does not mean ‘forgiveness,’ since, as we can see, it is mentioned together with ‘forgiveness’ 4 times (see Qur’an 2:109; 5:13). 

We are already familiar with the term (jameel (جميل- ‘Exemplary,’ but when we read it earlier it was coupled with ‘Forbearance,’ as portrayed by Prophet Jacob (see May 28^th).  Now, before we think that ‘Exemplary Forbearance’ as a trait was Prophet Jacob’s alone, we’ll put (صبر جميل) in Tanzil, where we find that Prophet Muhammad was asked to show his people the same (70:5), peace upon both God’s Messengers.  Perhaps all these parallels help us better understand why the Qur’an mentions the experiences of previous Messengers so often.

Verse 86 speaks of ‘Your Lord the Master-Creator.’

6.    Verse 87 mentions the ‘seven folds’ or ‘oft-repeated’ parts of Revelation (both meanings apply to the verb ‘thana-ثنى.’)

“And We have bestowed upon thee the Seven Folds/ Oft-repeated (verses) and the Grand Qur’an.”

Opinions differ as to the meaning of السبع المثاني.  Some say this term refers to the Opening chapter of the Qur’an, while others say it refers to the first seven Chapters (the longest), while yet others say they are the ‘disjointed letters’ at the beginning of certain chapters (Zamakhshari).  In other words, no one is certain what unit of ‘seven’ this refers to.

I don’t think we can find a full explanation today, but we can begin to research this issue, and perhaps return to it later with a better understanding, so here goes:

Remember our definition of ‘Compilation’ and ‘Qur’an?’

The term ‘mathaani’ in this verse is already mentioned IN CONJUNCTION WITH ‘the Qur’an’ (‘X’ AND ‘Y’) so they can only be TWO distinct entities.  Furthermore, we cross-reference with HQ 39:23 where it says, in part:

“God has sent down the best of Hadeeth,

an allegorical Compilation Mathaani….”

Here we notice that the term ‘mathaani’ describes the Compilation specifically.

Furthermore, since ‘mathaani’ does not describe the Qur’an, it might not be related to the six components of IQRA (information processing: learning and dissemination).  In other words, ‘mathaani’ could simply be the ‘repetitive utterances of the static’ Compilation that are not necessarily related to something we can understand. 

Now, if we searched for a pattern of ‘Seven’ related to ‘repetitive utterances,’ or even ‘folds,’ the first thing we will find are the disjointed letters (sounds) that form seven patterns of stand-alone introductory verses after which their corresponding Chapters unfold (see footnote[ii]).  There are other combinations, but they do not stand alone.

So, it is quite likely that these are the Seven ‘mathaani,’ but God knows best... and we’ll leave it at that for now. 

7.    The final verses in today’s Reading (88- 89) continue to address Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him. 

One of the most beautiful commands he is given in the Qur’an, is this:

“….and lower your wing to the Faithful.”

We see a similar command in HQ 26:215.

Readers who wish to understand this expression of utter tenderness as well as the Prophet’s leniency and compassion, can refer to the subject in the paragraph discussing our treatment of elderly parents, in ‘The Marriage Union.’

Enough said!

 

Our next Reading is from HQ 15:90-99; 16:1-14:.

Peace unto all!

---

[i] (صفح) يدلُّ على عَرْض وعِرَض. من ذلك صُفْح الشَّيء: عُرْضُهُ. ويقال رأس مُصْفَحٌ: عريض. والصفيحة: كلُّ سيفٍ عريض. وصَفْحَتا السَّيف: وَجْهاه. وكلُّ حجرٍ عريضٍ صفيحةٌ، والجمع صَفائِح.

ومن الباب: المُصافحةُ باليد، كأنَّه ألصقَ يدَه بصَفحةِ يدِ ذاك. والصَّفْح: الجنْب. وصَفحا كلِّ شيء: جانباه. فأمَّا قولهم: صَفَح عنه، وذلك إِعْراضُهُ عن ذنْبِهِ، فهو من البابِ؛ لأنَّه إِذا أعرضَ عنه فكأنَّه قد ولاَّه صَفْحتَه وصُفحه، أي عُرضه وجانِبَه، وهو مَثَلٌ.

[ii]

·         2:1, 3:1, 29:1, 30:1, 31:1, 32:1 ( الم-A. L. M.)

·         7:1 (- المصA. L. M. Ss.)

·         19:1 (- كهيعصK.H.Y.3.Ss)

·         20:1 (- طهTt.H)

·         26:1, 28:1 (- طسمTt.S.M.)

·         36:1 (- يسY.S.)

·         40:1, 41:1, 42:1, 43:1, 44:1, 45:1, 46:1 (- حمHh.M.)   

Note that there are 11 different sounds.