Day 312; Qur’an 109; 110; 111

Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan!

Page 603 Arabic Qur’an

سورة الكافرون

'The Deniers’

 

From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:

"This is another early Makkan Surah. It defines the right attitude to those who reject Faith; in matters of Truth we can make no compromise, but there is no need to prosecute or abuse anyone for his faith or belief."

From Introduction of Muhammad Asad:

"REVEALED shortly after surah 107."

COMMENTS:

This Chapter calls upon Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, to openly declare his complete and unequivocal DISASSOCIATION from the belief-system of his people (remember that Prophet Abraham disassociated himself from his father and his people in HQ 43: 26 ⁱ.... Also see the many similar clearly announced disassociations in the Qur'an).

Here the Messenger is told to announce his disassociation from them, for all time:

"Say/ Call: 'O you Deniers!

I DO NOT worship what you are worshipping.
And neither shall you worship what I worship.
And neither SHALL I worship what you worshipped.

And neither shall you worship what I worship.

To you your Accountability and to me my Accountability!"

Note that:

The two verses which speak from the Messenger's pont of view speak of total disassociation; present and future.

The two verses which speak from the Deniers' point of view are of the future, repeated twice... indicating that those who have earned the title 'Denier' shall never change course or be guided by God.

The final verse asserts that each is ACCOUNTABLE, separately. Each has their own Accountability.

Indeed, this Chapter is not about worship at all; it is about WHOM we worship... about the Purity of Deen/ Accountability, which should be to God Alone, and to NONE beside Him (ⁱⁱ). When we put the word 'I worship/ أعبد and the word 'Deen' together, in our Search Engine, we see this clearly, through these three verses.

Anyway, what does it mean to 'worship/عبد Godⁱⁱⁱ?

It means to acknowledge Him and call upon Him... to be humble to Him in heart and demeanor... to follow His instruction. And here we are told to do so with PURE ACCOUNTABILITY to Him (put 'pure accountability' in 'Search').

Of the sixteen times (^iv) in which the Qur'an had directly commanded the Messenger to address someone by telling him to say: "O …. (so-&-so)..." this is the ONLY time he is told to address 'The Deniers/ al Kafiroon'; those who have been so 'labelled,' having earned the title.

We already know a lot about Deniers/ 'Kafiroon/ Kafireen.'

We've read that they intentionally discredit a Messenger of God, having drawn their own self-serving path of who/what to believe in (see HQ 4: 151). We saw other traits in HQ 19: 77- 84 (^v), where we found that they deny God's Signs/ Ayaat seeing themselves as self-sufficient without God, and that when they do adopt a deity, they do so for the sole purpose of gaining self-importance and being 'honored' by their peers.

Indeed, to them their Accountability, and to the Messenger, his.

After which was to come his call (in HQ 10: 104- 106 and other verses) to the general public.. to Humanity at large:

“Say: "O Cognizant Humans, If you are in doubt regarding my Standard of Accountability, then (know that) I do not worship those whom you are worshipping other than (and beneath) God, but I worship God Who takes you unto Him consummately (in death),

and I have been commanded to be of the Faithful.

And set your direction to the Self-correcting Standard of Accountability,

and make sure not to be of the Associaters (who ascribe partners to God).

And do not call other than God, unto what can neither benefit you nor harm you:

for if you do, you will then indeed be among the Wrongdoers!”

Peace unto all!

سورة النصر

'Succor/ Relief/ Assistance’

 

From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:

"This beautiful Surah was the last of the Surahs to be revealed as a whole, though the portion of the verse 5:4 "This day I perfected your religion for you" etc., contains probably the last words of Quran to be revealed.

The date of this Surah was only a few months before the passing way of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) from this world, Rabi 1, A.H. 11. The place was either the precincts of Makkah at his Farewell Pilgrimage, Dhul al Hijjah, A.H. 10, or Madinah after his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage.

Victory is the crown of service, not an occasion for exultation. All victory comes from the help of God."

From Introduction of Muhammad Asad:

"REVEALED at Mina during the Prophet's Farewell Pilgrimage in the month of Dhu 'l-Hijjah, 10 H. - that is, a little over two months before his death - this is unquestionably the last complete surah conveyed by him to the world. It was preceded one day earlier (on Friday, the 9th of Dhu 'l-Hijjah) by the revelation of the words, "Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me (al-islam) shall be your religion'" (5:3); and since those words were almost immediately followed by the present surah, some of the Prophet's Companions concluded that his mission was fulfilled, and that he was about to die (Bukhari). As a matter of fact, the only revelation which the Prophet received after An-Nasr was verse 281 of Al-Baqarah."

COMMENTS:

This Chapter addresses the listener/ the Messenger, peace upon him, telling him of a long-awaited time of Relief and Opportunity, when both 'NasSr' from God, and 'Fat-H,' shall finally arrive to the Community of the Faithful.

• NasSr-al-Lah: Godsent Relief.
  Literally ‘the dispersal of goodness/ bounty/ succor/ relief’ from God, which is why rain used to be called ‘naSsr’ at the time of Revelation (^vi). 

Although today we might understand ‘naSsr’ as ‘triumph’ or ‘victory,’ our Lexicon shows us that the word gains that meaning when followed by an object (someone having ‘naSsr/ victory’ over -‘alaa-على- someone/ something  else).  With no object, it is more about succor/ assistance (think of the 'AnSaar,' the people of Yathrib who offered 'succor/ relief/ help' to the Meccan Emigrants).

• Al Fat-H: 'The Opening/ Opportunity.'
  Regular Readers will remember that 'fatH' meant 'opening/ break/ opportunity,' and referred in Chapter 48 (also called 'Al Fat-H') to the Peace Treaty, and the opportunity it presented to spread the Message.
  When we put these two key words together in our Qur'an search-engine, Tanzil, look what we find:

In HQ 61:13 we find a promise from God, that He shall grant 'The Faithful' (note the title) many bounties in the Hereafter, as well as His 'Succor/ Relief' and the 'Opening/ Opportunity' IN LIFE... but first:

There are efforts to be made on their part.

Regular Readers will remember these verses as the all-important TRANSACTION of Chapter 61. At the time, we found that HQ 61: 10-13 adressed 'those who have attained faith,' and asked them (and us) whether they would like to be shown a transaction which would save them from painful suffering. After that, they were told what they would have to offer in return (see complete 'Transaction' below ^vii).

  

Back to today's verses:

So this is it!

This Chapter speaks of the time when everything shall come together; when you find all your hard efforts being rewarded by success, bountifulness, opportunity, and ALSO by countless people entering, in multitudes, into God's 'Deen/ Accountability Standard' (Verse 2).

At THAT time of great success, what are we to do?

Verse 3 tells each of us to 'motivate yourself, glorify your Lord/ Sustainer (for His Worthiness), and ask His Forgiveness,' asserting that He is indeed Oft-returning in Forgiveness.

So that's all we are to do in rejoicing.

(See all 14 verses سبح- حمد- remember distinction between 'hamada' and 'madaHa' ^viii).

Our exultation is to be shown by motivation, humbleness and gratitude... by a desire for absolution and forgiveness.

What better than that is there?

Forgive us, Dear Lord.

Accept our efforts.

Render us worthy of Your 'naSsr' and Your 'fat-H,' and lead us to such a humble day of Rejoicing.

Amen.

Peace unto all!

سورة المسد

'Twisted bristles’

From Introduction of Yusuf Ali:

"This very early Makkan Surah, though it referred in the first instance to a particular incidence in a cruel and relentless persecution, carries the general lesson that cruelty ultimately ruins itself. The man who rages against holy things is burned up in his own rage. His hands, which are the instruments of his actions, perish, and he perishes himself. No boasted wealth or position will save him.

The woman, who are made for nobler emotions, may, if they go wrong, feed unholy rage with fiercer feel---to their own loss. For they may twist the torturing rope round their own neck. It is a common experience that people perish by the very means by which they seek to destroy others."

From Introduction of Muhammad Asad:

"THIS very early surah - the sixth in the order of revelation - derives its name from its last word. It relates to the bitter hostility always shown to the Prophet's message by his uncle Abu Lahab: a hostility rooted in his inborn arrogance, pride in his great wealth, and a dislike of the idea, propounded by Muhammad, that all human beings are equal before God and will be judged by Him on their merits alone... (^ix)"

COMMENTS:

To get the full impact of this chapter, we should first disregard all the commentary and 'scene-setting' which has, for many centuries, been propped-up around it.

The link between this chapter and Chapter 85 (about the Ditch of Fire' الأخدود ^x) is unmistakable unless one's mind is clouded by preconception (please reread the important evidence presented in Chapter 85 before you go on).

Today's Chapter tells us:

‘Perished be both hands of the Father of Flame, and perished be he!

Of no avail was his wealth, and what he had earned

He shall be bonded (yaSlaa) to a Fire of Blazing Flame!
And his wife, the carrier of firewood

Around her neck is a tight-twisted-rope of bristle (^xi)!”

'Abu Lahab/ Father of Flame' is the Qur'anic title given to someone who quite clearly earned it due to what his hands had wrought and his wealth had played a part in. It is obvously about Fire... blazing flames... for which his wife had evidently supplied the fire-wood.

Historians assert that this person was the Prophet’s uncle BUT the reason they give for the Qur’an calling him ‘Father of Flame’ has nothing to do with actual fire. They say the 'nickname' seems to have been a reference to a red beard OR perhaps a bright face. They also say that his wife, whom the Qur’an called ‘the carrier of firewood,’ was given this description because of some thorns she carried to throw at the Prophet.

Think. How is it that:

-The Qur’an says 'Father of FLAME' yet they say that was because of the COLOR of his face or beard..?

-The Qur'an says ‘FIREWOOD’ yet they say that was merely ‘THORNS'..?

isn't it obvious that these descriptions were related to some kind of violent persecution going on at the time in Mecca, and mentioned clearly in Chapter 85..? Early on, within the first few generations after Revelation, the narrative must have been changed. Future generations merely kept repeating what they'd been told (^xii), and the truth got buried beneath their elaborations.

If we seek the Divine, this trend of repetition should stop with us:

We should NOT let anything override Qur'anic evidence!

There seem to be a few Commentators who were pulled to the conclusion of an actual fire-pit, although they did not say it in so many words -see the posting on Chapter 85 and read this Arabic explanation by 'Tantawi,' which comes close.

Peace unto all!

i

Didn't you find it interesting that even the 'SheyTaan/ Deviant' disassociates himself from wrongdoers?

ii

قلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ ﴿١١﴾ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿١٢﴾ قُلْ إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴿١٣﴾ قُلِ اللَّـهَ أَعْبُدُ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ دِينِي ﴿١٤﴾ فَاعْبُدُوا مَا شِئْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ الْخَاسِرِينَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ أَلَا ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ ﴿١٥﴾

HQ 39: 11- 15

iii

عبد: أصلانِ صحيحان، كأنَّهما متضادَّان، والأول يدلُّ على لِين وذُلّ، والآخر على شِدّة وغِلَظ.

فالأوّل العَبد، وهو المملوك، والجماعةُ العبيدُ، وثلاثةُ يقال هذا عبدٌ بيِّن العُبُودَة. ولم نسمَعْهم يشتقُّون منه فعلاً، ولو اشتق لقيل عَبُد، أي صار عبداً وأقرَّ بالعُبُودة، ولكنّه أُمِيت الفعلُ فلم يُستعمل. قال: وأمّا عَبَدَ يُعبُد عِبادةً فلا يقال إلاّ لمن يُعبُد اللهَ تعالى. يقال منه عَبَد يعبُد عبادة، وتعبَّد يتعبّد تعبّداً. فالمتعبِّد: المتفرِّد بالعبادة. واستعبدتُ فلاناً: اتخذتُه عبداً. وأمّا عَبْد في معنى خَدَم مولاه فلا يقال عبَدَه، ولا يقال يعبُد مَولاه. وتعبَّدَ فلانٌ فلاناً، إذا صيَّره كالعبد له وإن كان حُرَّاً. ويقال: أعْبَدَ فلانٌ فلاناً، أي جعله عبداً. ويقال للمشركين: عَبَدة الطّاغوتِ والأوثان، وللمسلمين: عُبّادٌ يعبدون الله تعالى.

ومن الباب البعير المعبَّد، أي المهنُوء بالقَطِران. وهذا أيضاً يدلُّ على ما قلناه لأنّ ذلك يُذِلُّه ويَخفِض منه. والمعبّد: الذلول، يوصَف به البعير أيضاً.

ومن الباب: الطريق المُعَبَّد، وهو المسلوك المذلَّل.

والأصل الآخَر العَبَدة، وهي القُوّة والصَّلابة؛ يقال هذا ثوبٌ له عَبَدة، إذا كان صَفيقاً قويَّاً . ومنهُ علقمة بن عَبَدَة، بفتح الباء.

ومن هذا القياس العَبَد، مثل الأنَف والحميّة. يقال: هو يَعْبَدُ لهذا الأمر. وفسِّر قوله تعالى: {قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحمنِ وَلدٌ فَأنَا أوَّلُ العابِدِينَ} [الزخرف81]، أي أوَّلُ مَن غَضِبَ عَنْ هذا وأنِف من قولِه. وذُكر عن عليٍّ عليه السلامُ أنّه قال: "عَبِدتُ فصَمَتُّ"، أي أنِفْتُ فسكَتّ.

وقال آخر:”وأعبَدُ أن تُهجَى كليبٌ بدارِمِ” أي آنف من ذلك وأغضبُ منه.

iv

He was told to address Cognizant Humans 4 times; People of the (Earlier) Compilation, meaning Jews & Christians, 6 times; Those who 'Hadu/ the Jews' once; his own 'Qawm/ people' twice; God's worshippers/ Ibaad' twice; and the Deniers/ al Kafiroon once.

v

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا ﴿٧٧﴾ أَطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَهْدًا ﴿٧٨﴾ كَلَّا ۚ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ مَدًّا ﴿٧٩﴾ وَنَرِثُهُ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًا ﴿٨٠﴾ وَاتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ آلِهَةً لِّيَكُونُوا لَهُمْ عِزًّا ﴿٨١﴾ كَلَّا ۚ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدًّا ﴿٨٢﴾ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا ﴿

٨٣﴾ فَلَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدًّا ﴿٨٤﴾

HQ 19: 77-84 

vi

نصر: يدلُّ على إتيان خَيرٍ وإيتائه. ونَصَر اللهُ المسلمين: آتاهمُ الظّفرَ على عدوِّهم، ينصرهم نَصْراً.

وأمَّا الإتيانُ فالعرب تقول: نصرت بَلَدَ كذا، إذا أتيتَه.

ولذلك يسمَّى المطرُ نَصْراً. ونُصِرت الأرضُ، فهي منصورة. والنَّصْر: العَطاء.

vii

THE TRANSACTION

FROM THEIR SIDE:

An article of faith, and its confirmation.

o  To have Faith (with Trust and Security) in God and His Messenger (put ‘imaan’ in ‘Search’).

o  To exert themselves financially and physically in God’s way (put ‘jahadada jihaad’ in ‘Search’).

Notice, dear Reader, that in the 9 times ‘self-exertion’ is mentioned, financial ‘jihaad/ exertion’ ALWAYS comes before the physical… so, once again, this is NOT about what people mistakenly call a ‘Holy War.’

FROM GOD’S SIDE:

Forgiveness, guarantee for the Hereafter, preceded by glad tidings in Life

o   God shall absolve them of all the wrongs they committed against themselves.

(Put ‘thanb’ in ‘Search.’)

o  God shall admit them into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, with fine residences of tranquility in Perpetual Gardens… and that is the Great Deliverance!

(Put ‘eden’ in ‘Search.  Also ‘fawz.’)

o   And another which they love, Victory from God and an imminent ‘Opening,’ given as glad tidings by the Messenger to Those who Had Attained Faith.

What a precious, worthwhile transaction: 

An article of Faith and its CONSISTENT, active confirmation from the side of the Faithful… for all the Good imaginable in this life and the next, from God’s side.  

viii

Today's Arabs commonly miss out on the important distinction between Hamada and madaHa.  We commonly understand the word ‘hamada’ to indicate showing gratitude for something given or done for us, whereas that word should be 'madaha.' ‘Hamada’ is not related to bounties that might be given, but rather, to the inherent characteristics in someone… characteristics that are all deserving of acknowledgement on their own. Therefore, when we say 'Al Hamdulil-Lah' we announce that it is only rightful that God be glorified for WHO He Is.

ix

Muhammad Asad continued:

"As reported by several unimpeachable authorities - Bukhari and Muslim among them - the Prophet ascended one day the hillock of As-Safa in Mecca and called together all who could hear him from among his tribe, the Quraysh, When they had assembled, he asked them: "O sons of Abd al-Muttalib! O sons of Fihr! If I were to inform you that enemy warriors are about to fall upon you from behind that hill, would you believe me?" They answered: "Yes, we would." Thereupon he said: "Behold, then, I am here to warn you of the coming of the Last Hour!" At that, Abu Lahab exclaimed: "Was it for this purpose that thou hast summoned us? May thou be doomed!" And shortly afterwards this surah was revealed."

x

‘Khadda’ means to ‘make an indentation/ to dig-out,’ while ‘ukhdood’ is the 'dug-out' itself.

xi

حبل: يدل على امتداد الشيء. ثمّ يحمل عليه، ومَرْجِع الفروع مرجعٌ واحد. فالحبل الرَّسَن، معروف، والجمع حِبال. والحبل: حبل العاتق. والحِبالة:حِبالة

الصائد. ويقال احتَبَلَ الصّيدَ، إذا صادَهُ بالحبالة. ويقال للواقف مكانَه لا يفرّ. “حَبِيلُ بَرَاحٍ“، كأنّه محبولٌ، أي قد شُدّ بالحِبال.

مسد: يدل على  جَدْل شَيءٍ وطَيِّه. فالمَسَد: لِيفٌ يُتَّخذ من جريد النَّخل. والمَسَدُ: حبلٌ يتَّخذ من أوبار الإبل

xii

Excerpted from our earlier post:

'Why did the earliest commentators whitewash this issue, speaking of only a few incidents of persecution and killing? Did they divert people’s attention elsewhere, and not mention that the ditch of fire was one of the ‘punishments’ Qureish had devised for less influential members of the faith, probably heralding the Faithful’s mass exodus out of town to the barren valleys, where they had to live on grubs and tree-bark, as some of them fled to Ethiopia?

Was the whitewash an intentional political move, since the Abbasids were direct descendants of al-Abbas Ib Abd-al Muttalib, brother to ‘Abd al Uzza b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib, a.k.a. ‘Abu Lahab?’ Or was it to make the Prophet’s story ‘child-friendly,’ as we mentioned earlier.

If people had dared question ‘tradition,’ this would have been dealt with a long time ago.

I THINK TODAY IS THE TIME.'