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Welcome Friends: Ahlan wa sahlan!
Our last Reading ended with a beautiful prayer which we should repeat again and again:
“…. My Lord! Increase me in Knowledge!”
Their commentaries can only be read in verse by verse view
COMMENTS:
1. Verse 115: We begin the story of Adam’s Relapse (encouraged by his enemy, the Deviant/ Sheytaan) from another angle; well-explained by both Muhammad Asad and Yusuf Ali. The following is from Yusuf Ali’s Commentary:
“The spiritual fall of two individual souls, Pharaoh and the Samiri, having been referred to, the one through overweening arrogance, and the other through a spirit of mischief and false harking back to the past, our attention is now called to the prototype of Evil (satan) who tempted Adam, the original Man, and to the fact that though man was clearly warned that satan is his enemy and will only effect his ruin, he showed so little firmness that he succumbed to it at once at the first opportunity.”
What I would like to remind our Readers however, is that Adam’s story was a Lesson from which he EMERGED to start out afresh, strengthened by his experience. Check Postings of January 4th and April 6th.
His was a natural human failing, and NOT something as final as a ‘spiritual fall.’ This is why I am calling it a Relapse.
Verses 116- 122 narrate the main points of this lesson:
· Iblees’ refusal to honor Adam (Verse 116).
· Introducing Adam to his enemy, his enemy’s plan, and the possible outcome (Verse 117).
· The two major Temptations to which Humans succumb (Verse 120):
-Quest for eternal Life.
-Quest for eternal Dominion.
· Their Relapse, which resulted in:
- Recognizing their fallibility/vulnerability.
- Realizing the gravity of what they had done (Verse 121).
· And told to descend physically (هبط) from the Garden to a place of discord, bearing in mind that God will be sending Guidance which will result in a positive state for those who follow it (Verse 123), and in a negative state for those who don’t, plus their blindness in the Hereafter (Verse 124) brought on as a result of their blindness to God’s Signs in Life (Verse 125-126).
Adam and his spouse were unprepared as Iblees cheated them. The Deviant/Sheytaan lied even as he vowed he was advising them of their best interests (HQ 7:21).
Humans are not on earth as ‘punishment’ (there is no such thing as ‘punishment’ in the Qur’an. There only is Outcome, or ‘Consequence.’)
There is no Original Sin to be carried from the first Humans to the last. Each person is responsible for the deeds s/he commits.
2. Verse 127 concludes the narrative, warning of the severity and endlessness of suffering in the Hereafter.
Dear Reader:
No suffering burns deeper than the regret of Chances wasted and Time lost, NEVER to be regained. Regretting what we failed to accomplish- when it was well within our reach- is what Hell is all about!
3. Verse 128 addresses Qureish / us all, to notice the many lessons we could learn as we look back at past generations.
4. Verse 129 is well-explained by both Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad.
As indicated by context, it advises FORBEARANCE (to the Faithful, who were in the throes of suffering at the hands of Qureish).
5. Just as this Chapter began with a direct call to the Messenger, peace upon him, telling him that this Qur’an was not conveyed to him to be a cause for his distress, the last part of the chapter (Verses 130- 131- 132) presents him with ‘The Balm to Distress:’
Note, dear Reader, that this is a balm for us too; one that could relieve us of our distress:
· Forbearance, especially in face of hostile talk.
· Active Worship/Remembrance of our Lord (by which we are fortified) before sunrise, before sunset, during the night and at the ‘margins’ of the day… so as to achieve Self- Contentment and Serenity.
· To maintain Focus on the bounty of Our Lord which is Everlasting, and not to be sidetracked by the fleeting pleasures of life, which He may have granted to certain groups as trials.
· To Command our family to Prayer /maintaining a strong connection to God and each other.
· To be Patient and Forbearing in the aforementioned (which indicates that maintaining this connection- together with family- is not easy!).
· To remember that God is the One who sustains, and that we are not asked for sustenance!
· And finally, to realize that what prevails in the end… is Awareness!
What a Balm, if we only made use of it!
6. Verses 133- 134- 135 conclude this chapter with a warning to Qureish, presenting them with responses to their arguments and stating to them that they shall come to know who are those on the right Path, and who are the guided.
Enough said!
Our next Reading is from HQ 21: 1-35 A New Chapter!
Peace unto all!
