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Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan
Our last Reading was
full of surprises!
Remember,
dear Reader, that this project is not a intended as a ‘stand-alone’ Reading,
but rather as commentary and explanation of certain Arabic words and concepts ‘as
revealed’ more than 1,000 years ago. Ideally,
we would be reading both from this page AND the Qur’anic compilation (original
Arabic or explained English).
Their commentaries can only be read in
verse by verse view.
COMMENTS:
1. After Verse 15 had exposed the words and intentions
of ‘Those who lagged behind,’ Verse 16 tells the Messenger to inform them of an
upcoming occasion where they shall be forced to make a decisive move: At that point in time, they can either ‘willingly
comply’ to his call to them, to fight a mighty people (and earn the rewards),
or they can turn away, repeating their past history (and earning painful
suffering).
Note, dear Reader,
that this is a warning as well as a CHANCE to wipe their slate clean; it is an
INVITATION to Forgiveness and a promise of rewards, to top it off! It is Dissuasion AND Persuasion combined.
Verse 17 then addresses
others who might be afraid of being counted amongst those who turn away:
It addresses the
incapacitated, telling them that there is no pressure upon any of them (to heed
a call to battle when it arises). Note
how the verse addresses the singular; the blind, the lame, the unwell, removing
‘Hharaj حرج-’[i]
or ‘pressure/constraint’ from each.
Note, dear
Reader:
Each of us is
accountable ONLY for what is within our capacity; there are no constraints upon
the incapacitated.
The verse concludes by
assuring those who are ‘willingly compliant’ of the Gardens they shall enter,
beneath which rivers flow, and warning those who ‘turn away’ of painful
suffering.
2. In Verses 18- 20 we get a glimpse into the historic
occasion known today as the ‘Bey’a’ /Purchase/ Pledge’ of RiDdwaan which took
place after the Faithful/ Believers were barred by the idol-worshippers from
proceeding to the Inviolable Mosque (Ka’ba) in pilgrimage, and had also
received news that Qureish had killed their emissary!
Note, dear Reader, that this was unheard of at the time, and went against all
known agreements:
Pilgrims were never barred because being a pilgrim meant that one was in a
state of ‘ihraam’ in which ALL negative acts were forbidden, especially the use
of arms. Taking life, even hunting
animals, was out of the question for any pilgrim, and Qureish understood perfectly
that the Faithful were coming in peace.
Therefore, it was in utter sorrow and disappointment that the Faithful
approached the Messenger, especially since he had told them of his vision in
which they all were performing the Pilgrimage. Remember, many of them were Meccans who had
long YEARNED to see the Ka’ba again and worship God freely in its vicinity.
That was how their faith was tested, as we understand from their story and
how they refrained from concluding their ‘ihraam’ until the Prophet himself had
concluded his… and they had placed their lost hopes upon what the Treaty had
allowed for, which was that they could return the following year.
Note that the Qur’an here addresses
the Messenger, announcing God’s ‘acceptance of and pleasure in’ this group, who
had obviously earned the title ‘The Faithful/Believers.’
To understand the history, please see
Martin Lings’ book and read previous post discussing The Peace Treaty of
Hudaybiyya.
Note the connection between God’s ‘riDdwaan’ (acceptance of
/ ‘pleasure’ in someone) and His sending them Tranquility ‘sakeena’ (see ‘SsakhaTt # riDdwaan’ mentioned earlier).
New Readers:
Put ‘sakeena’ in ‘Search this Site.’
Read the previous Post and put ‘peace’ in ‘Search this Site.’
We must pause here to mention an interesting linguistic feature of the
Arabic word ‘bey-3’ "بيع"… This word is one of the few Arabic words which can bear either
of two opposing connotations هي من الأضداد which in this case
are ‘to sell’ and ‘to buy’ (one has to
let go of something to acquire another, so whenever we ‘buy’ we also ‘sell’).
Some of you, dear Readers, may have guessed what comes next:
‘Buy’ means "بيع"
literally; the Arabic and English words being
identical in meaning and almost identical in pronunciation. Furthermore, when we check English Etymology we find that ‘buy’
is ‘of unknown origin,’ just like so many other words which I am now certain
ARE OF ARABIC ORIGIN. Put ‘Etymology’ in
‘Search this Site.’
Dear Reader:
When I started this ‘iqrathechallenge’ project, I had no idea that it
would lead to such a HUGE discovery:
So many European words are of Arabic origin, dating back to the time when
Arabic was the dominant language of science and innovation, much like English
is today. It would be wonderful if this buried issue could be brought to the
forefront today as one way to convey justice and build Peace for the benefit of
future generations:
Let us, as people of conscience, show our children how intermingled the
previous generations were on the human level.
Let them see that much of what we enjoy today is owed to other cultures,
prominent among which is the ‘Arab-Muslim’ culture which is now being unjustly maligned
for political reasons. Let them
understand that the torch of knowledge was, is, and shall always be transported
around the world, with different cultures and communities having the honor, for
a moment in history, of holding it up to enlighten humanity.
Now back to our verses!
In Verse 20, we notice the great bounty/ gain promised to the Faithful, and
the statement that THIS specific ‘gain’ was expedited… it was a ‘Sign’ for them…
and that God guided/gifted them a Path set Straight… and also that they had
earned something else towards which they had not directed their efforts, but which God had ‘encompassed.’
Referring to the ‘Peace Treaty,’ this speaks of its foreseen and
unforeseen benefits (among which was peaceful interaction and the spreading
of faith).
New Readers: Put ‘straight path’ and also ‘siraat’ in ‘Search this Site.’
3. It is interesting to note how verses
20-25 are addressed to the Messenger AND the Faithful/
Believers.
Verses 22-23 tell them/us about the ‘sunna
([ii])'
of God, His Modus Operandi/ His Way which never changes:
Here we note that, with regard to
MUTUAL combat/fighting between The Faithful and Those who Deny:
Deniers cannot stand their ground in
front of the Faithful; they shall turn on their heels and find none to assist
them.
Before we begin questioning the truth
of this general rule, or compare it with real life and groups we might consider
‘Believers,’ please note that this verse is specific to a group of persons who
have EACH earned the label in accordance with the definition of ‘The Faithful’ in
HQ 23:1: ‘The Faithful have indeed
succeeded. Those who…. قد أفلح المؤمنون* الذين هم....-’ (see earlier
post).
Furthermore, in this case, their
advantage over the Deniers is ascertained due to a Messenger of God being present
among them, in line with the statement HQ 58:21:
‘God has
compiled: I shall of a certainty
overcome, I and my Messengers. Indeed God is Strong, Invincible.’
كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَأَغْلِبَنَّ أَنَا وَرُسُلِي إِنَّ اللَّـهَ قَوِيٌّ
عَزِيزٌ ﴿المجادلة: ٢١﴾
But success
is always ours for the taking without a Messenger in our midst, as long
as we follow specific steps in ‘The
Formula for Success’ which God gave us. Our Regular Readers will remember how one Qur’anic
verse showed us where we went wrong and why success has so far been eluding
us.
4. For Verses 24-26 see Ali/
Asad,
and note that in Verse 24, despite the Believers upper hand, God held both
parties back, ‘staying their hands’ from each other. Then in Verse 25
the Meccans are accused of denying and barring the Believers from visiting the
Inviolable Mosque or sending their offerings, yet we are presented with the REASON
behind God preventing the Believers’ march upon Mecca at that point:
This
prevention was so that ‘whoever wills/ whomever God wills’ can enter His Mercy
in time, due to having averted the possibility that the Believers might
inadvertently injure men and women in Mecca who had secretly embraced the faith. Such a deed would discredit the Believers and
‘deal them a lingering blow of disgrace on account of such persons’ فتصيبكم
منهم معرّة-
([iii])…
and then the verse ends by telling us that, had they been differentiated/ set
apart (and been safe from harm), the Deniers would have seen painful suffering.
5. Verse 26 continues, showing us the vast
discrepancy between the two parties:
‘Those who Denied,’ in whose hearts/minds was the ‘turbulent passion/bias
of ignorance’ (حمية الجاهلية -
‘jahl’ -[iv])
on one hand… and the Messenger
and ‘The Faithful,’ upon whom God had sent Tranquility ‘sakeena,’ on the other.
The verse then tells us that God had caused the latter to adhere
/‘alzama’ ([v])
to the word of ‘Awareness’ to which ‘they were most entitled…’
Dear Reader:
What an honor
to have been labeled ‘the Faithful/ Believers’ by God!
What a reward
to have received entitlement to Awareness!
What a
challenge to have to continue at such high standards!
What a
humble, heart-felt request we should ask at this time:
‘Dear God: Grant us their company in the Hereafter….’
6. Verse 27 speaks of the VISION رؤيا the
Messenger had had earlier, where he saw himself entering the Inviolable Mosque
in pilgrimage… and ends by telling the Faithful that God had rendered for them,
before that was to take place, a closer, sooner ‘Fat-Hh,’ which was the Treaty of
Hudaybiyya, a crucial turning point in the history of the Faith.
(Remember, ‘Fat-H’
means ‘Opening,’ ‘break,’ and referred to the OPPORTUNITY to spread the
Message, thanks to the Peace Treaty.)
7. Verse 28 contains an assurance -
with God ‘sufficing as Witness’- that the Messenger (Muhammad) was sent with
Guidance and the ‘Just/ True’ standard of Accountability which shall prevail
over all accountability.
New
Readers: Please put ‘accountability’ in ‘Search
this Site’ and note that in the old Arabic Lexicon, ‘deen’ has no plural since each
of us has only one accountability, and God only accepts one, which is ‘pure’
and free of all faults… ‘unflawed.’
Regular
Readers already know that all Messengers (Abraham, Moses, Jesus..) delivered
the same standard of accountability to their people, which leads us to the final
verse in this chapter, which should be read in its entirety (Ali/
Asad).
Verse
29 not only presents us with the beautiful characteristics of the
Messenger and his Companions, but also says that they have been EXEMPLIFIED IN
THE TORAH, and then describes their example in THE EVANGEL…
This
particular reference to both previous renderings of God’s Message delivered by Prophets
Moses and Jesus, peace upon them, is worthy of our attention!
The
chapter then concludes by promising absolution and great reward to those of
them who have attained Faith and performed good deeds.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 49: 1-18;
a NEW Chapter!
Peace unto all!
[i] حرج: تجمُّع الشيء وضِيقُه. فمنه الحَرَج جمع حَرَجة، وهي مجتمع
شجرٍ. ويقال في الجمع حَرَجات. ويقال حِراجٌ أيضاً.
Note that in matters of Faith and moral behavior we find a statement
within the same verse asserting that this is ‘His way which never changes,’
while in the matter of the Prophet’s marriage to more than one wife (HQ 33:38)
we do NOT find this statement, but rather we are told that this is ‘God’s way’
with PREVIOUSLY BYGONE peoples, which
means that this ‘sunna’ was the Prophet’s alone at the time of Revelation (none
of his companions have license to marry as he did), and this ‘sunna’ is relevant to the past (not
to the future). See earlier post.
[iii] العُرَّة. وإنما
سُمِّيَ بذلك لأنّه كأنَّه لطْخٌ بالجسَد. قال ابنُ الأعرابيّ: العَرُّ الجَرَب.
والعُرّ: تسلّخ جلد البعير. وإنما يُكوَى من العَرّ لا من العُرّ.
[iv] جهل: أصلان: أحدهما خِلاف العِلْم، والآخر الخِفّة وخِلاف الطُّمَأْنِينة.
فالأوّل
الجَهْل نقيض العِلْم. ويقال للمفازة التي لا عَلَمَ بها مَجْهَلٌ.
والثاني قولهم
للخشبة التي يحرك بها الجَمْرُ مِجْهَل ويقال استجهلت الرِّيحُ الغُصْنَ، إذا
حرّكَتْه فاضطَرَب.
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