Day 104; Qur’an 9: 112-117, page 205 + 206

Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan!

Today we’ll begin by touching upon the BEAUTY of the Arabic Qur’an!

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 205 Arabic Qur’an.

1.  I’d like to introduce our dear Readers to another renowned scholar, Arthur J. Arberry, who, in 1955, first published ‘The Koran Interpreted.’  This book is noteworthy for its lyrical English, and considered by some to be the most beautifully translated meanings of the Qur’an in the English Language.

In his Preface to part one, Arberry highlights the beauty of the Arabic Qur’an and explains that it cannot be translated:

“In choosing to call the present work The Koran Interpreted I have conceded the relevancy of the orthodox Muslim view, of which Pickthall, for one, was so conscious, that the Koran is untranslatable. Some of the implications of that doctrine are sketched out in the preface to my The Holy Koran: an Introduction with Selections (Allen & Unwin, 1955), and it is not proposed to repeat the same argument here. Briefly, the rhetoric and rhythm of the Arabic of the Koran are so characteristic, so powerful, so highly emotive, that any version whatsoever is bound in the nature of things to be but a poor copy of the glittering splendour of the original. Never was it more true than in this instance, that “Traduttore, Traditore!”

In Italian, “Traduttore, Traditore!” means ‘Translator, Traitor!’ because by translating, one ends up betraying the original work.

Since we are trying very hard with our IQRA project NOT to betray Qur’anic intent, we should always consider our Qur’anic explanation as an ongoing project, open to revision at all times.  May God accept and guide this humble effort.

2.  And now we approach Verse 113, which is SO beautiful in Arabic.  Nine characteristics to the Faithful, for which glad tidings are due.  How heart-warming it must have been for those Early Believers who, having fulfilled all these characteristics, heard this verse in a direct command from God to His Messenger, to give them glad tidings! 

Listen to it at Tanzil (‘Recitation’ window Left side-bar.  I like Al-Ghamadi).  As for the meanings, besides Ali and Asad, let’s also look today at Arberry’s explanation.  He tries to emulate Qur’anic rhythm whenever possible:

"Those who repent, those who serve, those who pray, those who journey, those who bow, those who prostrate themselves, those who bid to honour and forbid dishonour, those who keep God’s Bounds -- and give thou good tidings to the believers."

3. Verses 113-114 are a notice of Severance from people who are idol-worshippers or associate partners with God.. total severance of ties.. no matter how related they are by blood or how close.  This severance of all relationship included praying to God for their forgiveness!  The example of Abraham,  peace upon him is given in that, once he had evidence that his father was hostile to God, he absolved (released) himself of that relationship.  Note the two beautiful characteristics of Abraham.

4.  Verse 115 is a statement which I seem to understand differently than most scholars (I think Arberry got it right).  As far as I can tell, this verse seems to show us that ‘Guidance,’ by definition, is ‘to know what you should be aware of.’  Therefore those who might stray after guidance, do so knowing exactly what they are doing and what the consequence to their actions will be.  (That is why the consequences they will suffer are more severe than those who never knew guidance in the first place.  This could refer to Hypocrites who believed then disbelieved.)

Verse 116 banishes from our mind… all… except God.

Verse 117 (Ali and Asad) is related to the ‘hour of Distress’ which took place on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, when some of the Faithful were about to lose heart.

PAGE 206 Arabic Qur’an.

5.  Notice the state of mind of the three Believers who lagged behind (Verse 118).  We are familiar with their story, having discussed it earlier and then posted it in the footnote on April 30^th.  We ended that footnote by saying:

“… Before dawn the next morning Qur’an was revealed HQ9:118 describing their pain and their repentance and declaring that God had indeed ‘forgiven them so that they might repent.’  The entire town rejoiced, a man on horseback was dispatched to give each of them the good news but someone had already climbed a hill and shouted out the good news, and therefore was able to reach them first.  HQ9:43-46; 90; 102-105; 106; 118.  We might be the ones asking for forgiveness, but when we do we must know… that God already has forgiven!”

6.  Verse 119 calls upon those who have attained Faith, to be Aware of God and to be WITH the ‘saadiq’ صادقين.  We uncovered the definition of ‘sadaqa-صدق’ in Posting of May 6^th.  The Arabic footnote, taken from two Lexicons tells us that being ‘true,’ is a word which denotes something strong and solid, because truth is more powerful than falsehood, which is why a sword or spear are described as ‘true,’ and a gift given in all willingness ‘sadaaq’ and ‘sadaqa.’  A friend in Arabic is a ‘sadeeq,’ because if there is no sincerity there is no friendship!

Therefore, as Believers, we should always be WITH the Truthful.  This is something we should all be aware of at a time when hypocrisy seems to be the name of the game.

                                                                                                                                   

The next verses bring to an end the narrative on the Battle of Tabuk and its lessons.  Verse 120 relates the fact that none should have lagged behind or succumbed to selfishness when the Messenger of God called them to him….the fact that every touch of thirst or weariness or need they felt, and every step they took and every advantage they had over their enemy only served to compile good deeds in their favor; God does not let go without reward any deeds of those who do Good. 

7.  Verse 121 seems to depart from the battle-ground, telling us that God took account of their spending, whether small or big, and their travels, to give them their reward AS PER THE BEST OF THEIR DEEDS. 

This is beautiful.. .. Copy + paste أحسن يعملون in Tanzil to see how WE might qualify for this VIP treatment:  If we patiently persevere (HQ 16: 96; 29: 7), if we have faith and do good deeds (HQ 16: 97), and IF WE ARE TRUTHFUL (HQ 39: 33-35).  We have come full circle, back to TRUTH.

The final verse in Today’s reading, Verse 122, is very important, and this is an almost literal explanation:

“It is not for the Believers to go forth all together; but rather, if a traveling-team from every group of them went forth so as to become well-versed in Accountability, and to warn their people when they return to them, so that they may take heed.”

The word ‘taa’ifah -طائفة’ is of the same root-verb as ‘tawaaf’ which is to circumambulate, or go around something, which denotes constant motion, hence my explanation as traveling-team, or perhaps ‘action-team.'

If you can read Arabic, check Zamakhshari's commentary (1074-1143 AD) in which he says (punctuation and words within brackets are mine):

"The letter 'laam' (l) is to emphasize the negative, in that it is neither proper nor possible for everyone to leave their homeland altogether and go forth in pursuit of knowledge.  This implies that, had it been proper, possible, and undamaging, then it would have been obligatory upon everyone to travel in pursuit of knowledge because (according to the Prophet's Saying): 'The pursuit of knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim male and Muslim female.'  Since it is neither possible nor beneficial for everyone to (leave home and) go forth altogether, then it is recommended that, out of every large group, a smaller group would go forth in their stead, so as to bear the responsibility and hardship of learning and gathering knowledge, and that they should set, as the goal and ultimate aim of their efforts:
Delivering to their people (what they have learnt) in guidance, counsel, and cautionary advice."

WOW.

Dear Reader: 

If you looked at TEN side-by-side translations (click 'Translations' box at top right of this page) you can easily tell that this verse is explained in reverse by most commentators! 

·     After reading the Qur’an and noting the many times it urges us to travel the earth, to look and learn (copy + paste سيروا في الأرض in Tanzil)…

·   After departing from the common explanation of ‘deen’ as ‘religion,’ and knowing better than to imagine that all the knowledge we need is at home…

·    This verse urges groups of the Faithful to travel the earth, growing in knowledge and Accountability, studying the wonder that is Creation and meeting other peoples and benefitting from their knowledge  … with the goal of BRINGING THAT KNOWLEDGE HOME.  In other words, what this verse is telling us is what the Early Believers in fact understood and did... BUT it is the exact opposite of what many of our forefathers have believed and done.  First of all, they narrowed down the meaning of the word 'science' or 'knowledge' علم to solely mean 'religious knowledge,'  and the word 'aalim'  عالِم or 'scientist' came to refer to the 'religious scholar' alone.  All other knowledge gradually faded into the background, until it was forgotten.  Our problem is illustrated in the mis-explanation of this verse and the lame thought that we can learn everything by staying home.  This despite evidence to the contrary.  Arabic-readers can see the footnote expressing one understanding of this verse by an early (6th century after Hijra) commentator, Tubrusi, who quoted Al-Qadi in stating quite bluntly that this verse indicated the fact that 'tafaqquh' (which is a combination of knowledge, understanding and experience) CAN ONLY BE OBTAINED ABROAD!  It is amazing that our forefathers, perhaps being ignorant of the variant views out there, ended up limiting themsleves to the narrowest interpretation, resulting in centuries of ignorance and backwardness.  It is no wonder that our youth, after finding little to learn amongst us, went forth in pursuit of knowledge, and it is no wonder that many of them HAVE NOT RETURNED.  Reread this verse and note how important it is that travelers understand the goal for leaving in the first place!  But we cannot blame our youth: our society had not prepared  encouraging circumstances for them to return to, and Muslim communities continue to greatly suffer from this 'Brain-drain.'  

Enough said!

Our next Reading is from
HQ 9:123-129; 10: 1-6.  A new Chapter!

Have a great weekend!

Peace unto all!

الطبرسي: 548 هجري: عن الجبائي قال والمراد بالنفر هنا الخروج لطلب العلم وإنما سمي ذلك نفراً لما فيه من مجاهدة أعداء الدين قال القاضي أبو عاصم وفي هذا دليل على اختصاص الغربة بالتفقه وأن الإنسان يتفقه في الغربة ما لا يمكنه ذلك في الوطن

Day 103; Qur’an 9:100-111; Page 203- 204

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 203 Arabic Qur’an.

1. Today’s Reading begins with the words: ‘Those First and Foremost..’  We prick up our ears to hear who these people are; everybody loves a winner! 

Then we find out that they are the Emigrants and the Helpers, the Meccan and Madanite companions of the Prophet, peace upon him.  But then we read the words: ‘… and those who followed them in Goodness/Righteousness..’ and we think, tentatively: “That could be us, can’t it?”

Asad’s translation is presented below, but do go back to read his comments:

“And as for the first and foremost of those who have forsaken the domain of evil and of those who have sheltered and succoured the Faith, as well as those who follow them in [the way of] righteousness – God is well-pleased with them, and well-pleased are they with Him. And for them has He readied gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time: this is the triumph supreme!”

2. Verse 101 returns to the subject of A’raab, and the Hypocrisy of some amongst them as well as certain hypocrites among the dwellers of Medina.  The Prophet is told that he does not know them, while God knows them and He will take them to account.

3. When we begin reading Verse 102 we hold our breath.  Here too we can’t help thinking: “Is that us?”  Those who acknowledge that their actions are a blend of good and bad deeds?  But then we realize that acknowledgment (which entails feelings of regret and desire for forgiveness) is, in and of itself, THE FIRST STEP in a complete change of course, and that with this step comes Forgiveness, for God is The Oft-Forgiving, The Unceasingly Compassionate.  We can let our breath out.  The doors to God’s forgiveness are open wide.  Always.  

And He has given us treading-stones, on the path to Him.

One of these treading-stones is the remedial value of a genuine, heart-felt, Charitable-gift, or sadaqa [i], as we see in Verse 103.  Readers who know Arabic would notice its root-verb صدق, which denotes honesty and genuineness.  I was amazed to find that it also denotes strength!  Nothing is as powerful a Spiritual-Purifier, as Repentance followed by a genuinely-given Charitable-gift extended to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Actually, when the wealthy support the needy from their side, then the needy, from their side, see the wealth in other people’s hands as a personal blessing to them as well, this impacts positively upon everyone, opening the channels of Purification(تطهرهم)  and Growth(تزكيهم) , not only in the physical, mental, or spiritual sense… but also in the socio-economic sense.

That is why the Prophet is told:

“Take, of their wealth, a ‘genuinely-given gift’ by which you purify them and help them grow, and involve yourself with/pray for them; your involvement/prayer is comfort to them, and God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”

    

You might ask yourself, dear Reader, :

“Doesn’t ‘صلِّ- salli’ mean ‘pray’?” 

Actually, it does…. but that is NOT ALL it means. 

Limiting ourselves to this single understanding has served to ‘minimize’ our responsibility:  As ‘practicing’ Muslims we might do our prayers and think that this is all that ‘salaat’ is about.  We tend to forget the original meaning of the word, which denotes connection and commitment.  In other words, being involved and engaged (AND praying) which brings us closer to God and to each other.

As the Qur’an quite clearly shows us, ‘salla’ is the opposite of ‘tawalla,’ which means to ‘turn away.’ 

The Qur’an presents the two opposites in HQ 75:31 and 32:

فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّىٰ ﴿٣١﴾ وَلَـٰكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿٣٢﴾

Truth versus Falsehood, and Involvement versus Detachment. 

Proper involvement includes prayer, but is not limited to it.  We'll have a chance to go into this in more detail later.

This verse, therefore, is informing Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, of the comforting effect which his hands-on involvement and prayers would have upon the people, especially those who are now repenting after have blended good deeds with bad!

4. Verse 104 is absolutely heart-melting!  Notice the questioning, conversational-style statement listing FOUR of God’s beautiful attributes, all of which are of such great favor to His worshippers.  He accepts from them the combination of Repentance with Heart-felt Charitable-giving.  Note the ending “…God Is indeed The ‘Oft-Returning/Acceptor of Repentance’ (Ali/Asad), The Unceasingly Compassionate.” 

We should always notice the ‘attribute’ of God mentioned in a verse; it helps us understand His relationship to that specific issue (compare with 102).

Verse 105 is a call to all the Believers to WORK, Work, work!

Verse 106 refers to other wavering persons upon whom judgment is deferred for the time being.  It could go either way for them, depending on whether they choose repentance or not.

Verse PAGE 204 Arabic Qur’an.

5. Verses 107-108-109-110 relate to a mosque the Hypocrites had built and hoped the Prophet, peace upon him, would inaugurate by praying in.  For further information, you could also read Yusuf Ali’s explanation.

Although these verses discuss a specific incident, the instructions and advice presented here are timeless, showing us the importance of always building our foundations, from Day One, on Awareness!  Everything else will inevitably crumble.

By the way, dear Reader: 

Verse 108 is what opened my eyes to the full meaning of the word ‘rijaal’ since, having studied Seerah (Prophet’s life), I knew all about the women who frequented his mosque, and I found this verse (as traditionally explained) ‘lacking’ in that it ‘only mentioned men,’ as I had mistakenly thought at the time! 

Little did I know then, that ‘rijaal’ is plural of ‘rajla’ (female) just as much as it is plural of ‘rajul’ (male), and that it denotes active persons on their (arjul) feet!

6.  It is interesting to relate historical narrative to our daily lives, so here is an excerpt from what Imam Zaid Shaker of Zaytuna Institute has written. 

Read it all; it is very interesting:

“One of the functions of the Masjid is the unification of the believers. This unifying function can be gathered from reflecting on the description Allah gives of Masjid al-Dirar, a Masjid the believers have been commanded to never stand in:

“There are those who build a Masjid by way of mischief and unbelief, in order to disunite the believers…” [7]

One of the liguistic implications of this verse is that an acceptable Masjid is one that unifies the believers. That unity is based on a communion fostered by the shared devotion of the believers in the Masjid. Conflicting political agendas tear at the very heart of that unity. In many instances, those conflicting agendas become associated with particular Masjids. We frequently hear terms such as a Salafi Masjid, an Ikhwani Masjid, a Sufi Masjid, and other such aberrations. Although the orientations that form the basis of these appellations may have great benefit for their individual adherents, when they become exclusionary appendages affixed to the Masjid, they can be extremely alienating.”

                                                                                                                                   

7. Read Verse 111 in both Ali and Asad’s translations.   

It presents us with THE Most Beautiful and Most Rewarding transaction that can ever take place!
A very interesting point to be made here, is that God has taken this promise upon Himself in the Torah, the Evangel and the Qur'an.  This serves to show us the accord in what God has revealed to Humanity. 

As for Humanity:
The First Recipients of His Revelations, as seen in HQ 48:29, WERE ALSO IN ACCORD! 

By understanding that parable, dear Reader, we realize how unfortunate it is that so many later believers in the Qur'an, the Evangel and the Torah made enemies of each other.  Perhaps there is no better time than NOW for People of Faith to refocus on their common goal.

Enough said!

Our next Reading is from HQ 9: 112-117.

Peace unto all!

[i]  من معجم المقاييس: (صدق) يدلُّ على قوّةٍ في الشيء قولاً وغيرَه. من ذلك الصِّدْق: خلاف الكَذِبَ، سمِّيَ لقوّته في نفسه، ولأنَّ الكذِبَ لا قُوَّة له، هو باطلٌ. وأصل هذا من قولهم شيءٌ صَدْقٌ، أي صُلْب.  ورُمْح صَدْقٌ.. والصِّدِّيق: الملازم للصِّدْق. والصَّدَاق: صَدَاقَ المرأة، سُمِّيَ بذلك لقوّته وأنَّه حقٌّ يَلزمُ. ويقال صَدَاقٌ وصُدْقة وصَدُقة. قال الله تعالى: {وَآتُوا النِّسَاءَ صَدُقَاتهنَّ نِحْلَةً} [النساء 4]. و[من] الباب الصَّدَقة: ما يتصدَّق به المرءُ عن نفسه وماله.

عن الراغب الأصفهاني: والصدق: مطابقة القول الضمير والمخبر عنه معا، والصدقة: ما يخرجه الإنسان من ماله على وجه القربة كالزكاة، لكن الصدقة في الأصل تقال للمتطوع به، والزكاة للواجب، وقد يسمى الواجب صدقة إذا تحرى صاحبها الصدق في فعله. قال: }خذ من أموالهم صدقة{ [التوبة/103]، وقال: }إنما الصدقات للفقراء{ [التوبة/60].