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Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Today we learn more about the End of our lives on earth by showing the important difference between the two words, ‘wafaat’ and ‘mawt’ (وفاة- موت), both usually translated as ‘Death.’
But first, let the Iqra Challenge ask each of us: Have you claimed God’s Message as YOURS? ......... (Readers of our last Postings will recognize this method as one which elicits interaction, regardless of response!)
COMMENTS:
1. Today we discuss the story of ‘The Table-spread/Repast,’ and conclude the Chapter by that name.
After we were introduced in our last Reading to the questioning of Messengers in the Hereafter, peace upon them all, our focus was brought to Jesus. God reminded him of His many Favors to him and to his mother, in a long list in verse 110.
Verse 111 says that God conveyed instruction to the Disciples of Jesus (awha-أوحى) to believe in Him in His Messenger; Ali and Asad translate the word as ‘inspired.’
They responded in acknowledgment that they indeed, had believed, and were ‘Pure of Faith in God’- ‘Muslimoon.’ They also asked Jesus to bear witness to that assertion.
2. But then verse 112 tells us what these Disciples asked Jesus, peace upon him, and our ears prick to the detachment in their word, ‘Your Rabb’ (YOUR Lord- ربّك, reminding us of their forefathers who had frustrated Moses, peace upon him, generations ago, and used the same word in saying: “..Go forth, you and your Lord and fight (both of you). We shall right here stay (put).” See Posting March 10th).
Anyway, they said “O Jesus, Son of Mary, could ‘your’ Lord send down unto us a ‘Table-spread/Repast’ from heaven?” Jesus, peace upon him, immediately responded with: “..Be Aware of God, if you are indeed Faithful!”
In verse 113 they explain their 4 reasons to him: To eat of it; to rest their hearts/minds; to ascertain that Jesus was indeed true to them; to be witnesses of such (a miracle).
3. Verse 114 is a request made by Jesus, peace upon him, standing in beautiful contrast to the Disciples’ earlier wordings. He does not ask God as ‘My’ Lord, but rather says, ‘O Allah, Our Lord!’ (اللهم ربنا). He also gives other beautiful reasons, such as for this to become a festive occasion for them, to be oft-commemorated (a Eid -(عيداً by the first and last of them, a Sign from God Himself, and then he asks God to provide them of His Bounty, for He is the Best of Providers.
Verse 115 contains God’s response to the Disciples’ request, which comes at a high price: He says that he will indeed send it unto them, but that whoever denies after this shall receive a suffering never received by any other human/ any other creature in all the worlds!
Some commentators indicate that the Disciples may have pulled back their request after this warning, but most seem to think that it was indeed granted (Zamakhshari).
See Yusuf Ali’s note 825. He sees in the disciples’ request a ‘want of faith,’ and quotes from the Canonical Gospels. Asad’s notes 137-138 go into greater detail, explaining almost every word.
4. Verses 116-118 offer the most eloquent conclusion to a Chapter which discusses Christian belief: In a glimpse into the Hereafter where God addresses each Messenger as to the response of his followers. Listen to verse 116:
“And Lo! God said, O Jesus son of Mary is it You who told people, ‘Take me and my mother as two gods instead of God’? He said, “Glory to You, it is not for me to say what is not mine by right! If I had said it, You would already know it; You know what is in my Self and I do not know what is in Your Self, You, Alone, are the Knower of all matters beyond perception!”
Jesus’ response this time too, is as full of awareness, as beautiful, and as inclusive as ever. In the next verses he assures of having in fact, told them ONLY what God had commanded him to say, and that his knowledge is limited to the response of the people he lived with, not knowing what they may have done after God had taken him consummately (in his entirety- from the verb ‘waffa’ (وفّى- meaning to render something ‘in full,’ as in a debt, a term, etc, see comment 7.
He ends (verse 118) by acknowledging that his followers, whatever they may have done after his departure, are in the end God’s ‘worshippers’ (عباد), and God Alone can cause them to suffer or He can forgive them. Interestingly though, after mentioning the word ‘forgive’ he does NOT end by saying (what we have learned to expect in the Qur’an) that ‘God is Oft-Forgiving and most Merciful, but rather that God Is Almighty, Wise. This ending indicates the seriousness of their allegation, and Jesus’ realization of that fact, peace upon him!
(Do listen to these verses in Arabic on Tanzil -click topmost image- your heart will melt at the purity and deference in Jesus’ words, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him and all God’s Messengers. Then, when it strikes us that this is God Himself conveying to us –OUT OF TIME- a conversation yet to be held between Himself and Jesus…. no words can express the honor bestowed upon us, or the humbleness we feel!)
5. Verses 119-120 conclude this scene at the Hereafter, with God Himself announcing that this is a Day when the Truth shall be of benefit to the Truthful, for whom there are gardens beneath which rivers flow eternally, Pleased Is God with them and PLEASED ARE THEY WITH HIM, and THAT is the supreme Deliverance/Salvation. (Asad translates ‘fawz’ (فوز) as triumph, which is the common understanding of the word, but Ali’s translation is correct*.)
This beautiful description of the Hereafter, where some of us shall be ‘pleased with God’ is truly unbelievable (also in HQ9:100; 58:22; 98:8)!
سورة الأنعام
6. After finishing the four longest chapters in the Qur’an, all of which were of the Medina Period, we now start on a chapter of the Mecca Period. Readers will soon notice the different tone and subject-matter, and will recall the hostile atmosphere of Idolatrous Qureish and the different challenges facing the Faithful at this earlier stage of Revelation. Al An’aam is translated as ‘the Cattle.’
The Chapter starts by acknowledging that praise is due to God for the creation of the Heavens, the earth, the darkness-es and the Light, immediately pointing out the short-sightedness of ‘Those who Denied’ in their associating partners with The Creator.
Verse 2 speaks of His creation of mankind from earth-matter, decreeing a term known to Him, yet you doubt (notice transfer of address from third to second person).
Verse 3 continues its address in second person, saying that He is God in the Heavens and in the earth, He knows your secret and your revealed and He knows what you earn.
Verses 5 and 6 go back to the third person address, well-explained by both Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad, these verses warn those who belie the Truth and mock it, telling them to look at previous generations that walked this earth, and although they were stronger than they are, they were destroyed for their ‘sins,’ (Ali/Asad) as others took their place.
Our next reading will continue this new chapter.
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7. In the Qur’an we have two words that are commonly understood as ‘death,’ the first is ‘mawt’ (موت), and the second is ‘wafaat’ (وفاة). But having activated the IQRA Dynamic dear Readers, we know that these two are NOT synonymous!
Everything alive tastes death ‘mawt’, as in HQ39:42, and there are plentiful verses describing the earth being brought to life after it was ‘dead.’ Also, as in HQ35:22, those who pay no heed to warning or revelation are considered ‘dead.’ ‘Mawt’ is the demise of physical bodies, human as well as others.
On the other hand, ‘wafaat,’ indicates the end of this life for human consciousness/spirits alone, ie: the full deliverance of each spirit by the Angel/s of Death, or by God, into another level of existence. It is quite interesting to find out that the process of ‘wafaat’ is related to what goes on spiritually after the body is discarded- with all the connotations of the word ‘waffa- وفّى’ which denotes the completion, or rendering of a complete sum of something. So while ‘mawt’ for humans describes one part of the equation (physical), ‘wafaat’ describes the sum, rendered in its entirety, the physical to its earthly source, and the spiritual to its Divine Source, its Creator! لا إله إلا الله!
(P.S: It is also worthwhile to mention that the persons who were 'raised from the dead' by Jesus were 'mawtaa,' and they are described below from two vantage points:
Jesus, from his point of view, says in HQ3:49, "..I enliven (bring life to- أحيي-) the dead by God's leave..."
Whereas God says about the same occurrence (HQ5:110), "...and you draw out (تُخرِج) the dead by My leave..."
This shows us Jesus' miracle in a new light, peace upon him. Talk about Qur'anic precision!)
Enough said.
Have a Blessed Weekend!
Our next Reading is from HQ6: 7- 26
Peace unto all!
(وفي) تدلُّ على إكمالٍ وإتمام. منه الوَفاء: إتمام العَهْد وإكمال الشَّرط. ووَفَى: أوْفَى، فهو وفِيٌّ. ويقولون: أوْفَيْتُكَ الشَّيءَ، إذا قَضَيْتَه إيّاهُ وافياً. وتوفَّيْتُ الشَّيءَ واستَوْفَيْته؛ [إذا أخذتَه كُلّه حتَّى لم تتركْ منه شيئاً. ومنه يقال للميِّت: تَوفَّاه الله.
(فوز) النّجاة. فازَ يفوز، إذا نجا، وهو فائز. وفاز بالأمر، إذا ذهب به وخلَص. ويقال لمن ظَفِر بخيرٍ وذهب به. قال الله تعالى: {فَمَنْ زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وأُدْخِلَ الجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ} [آل عمران 185]. ثم اختُلِف في المَفَازَة، فقال قومٌ: سمِّيَتْ بذلك تفاؤلاً لراكبها بالسَّلامة والنَّجاة. والمَفَازَة: المَنْجَاة. قال الله عزّ وعلا: {بِمَفَازَةٍ مِنَ العَذَابِ} [آل عمران 188].
