Friday, 23 July 2021

Q Blog

 

 

 

(36:68) Whomsoever We grant a long life, We reverse him in his constitution.57 Do they still not understand?

57. “Reverse him in creation,” means that in old age Allah turns him back to the state of childhood. He becomes unable to stand and walk without the help and support of others; he is fed by others; he urinates and defecates in bed; talks childishly and is laughed at by others. In short, towards the end of life he returns to the same state of weakness with which he had started life in this world.

முதுமை இன்னொரு குழந்தைப் பருவம்!

முதுமை இளமையின் கண்ணாடி

முதுமை குழந்தையின் மறுஉருவம்!

 

PICKTHALL

He whom we bring unto old age, We reverse him in creation (making him go back to weakness after strength). Have ye then no sense?

JAN TRUST FOUNDATION

மேலும், எவரை நாம் வயோதிகமாக்குகிறோமோ, அவருடைய நிலைமையைப் படைப்பில் (பலஹீனமான நிலைக்கு) மாற்றிவிடுகிறோம்; அவர்கள் (இதை) அறிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டாமா?L

 

 

 

And he to whom We grant long life We reverse in creation; so will they not understand?

Al Quran 36:68

மேலும் நாம் எவருக்கேனும் நீண்ட ஆயுளைக் கொடுத்தால் அவருடைய அமைப்பை அடியோடு மாற்றி விடுவோம்

11032020wed

 

 

37:123) Surely, Elias too was among the Messengers

See EN for story of ELIAS

 

BIRDS

 

 (2:155) We shall certainly test you by afflicting you with fear, hunger, loss of properties and lives and fruits. Give glad tidings, then, to those who remain patient;

 ۙ قَالُوۡٓا اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّـآ اِلَيۡهِ رٰجِعُوۡنَؕ‏الَّذِيۡنَ اِذَآ اَصَابَتۡهُمۡ مُّصِيۡبَةٌ 

(2:156) those who when any affliction smites them, they say: “Verily, we belong to Allah, and it is to Him that we are destined to return.”156

156. 'Saying' does not signify the mere making of a statement. It means a statement which is accompanied by a deep conviction in one's heart: 'To Allah do we belong.' This being so, a man is bound to think that whatever has been sacrificed for God has in fact attained its legitimate end, for it has been spent in the way of the One to whom all things truly belong. 

'And it is to Him that we are destined to return' refers to the fact that man will not stay forever in this world and will return, sooner or later, to God. And if man is indeed destined to return to God why should he not return to Him having spent his all, having staked his life for His sake? This alternative is preferable to the pursuit of self-aggrandizement and then meeting death either by sickness or accident.

 

(2:205) Whenever he attains authority,225 he goes about the earth spreading mischief and laying to waste crops and human life, even though Allah (whose testimony he invokes) does not love mischief.

225. The expression idha tawalla can be translated in two ways. First, in the manner of our translation of the text. It can also be translated to make the verse mean that when such people return from sweet and apparently genuine talk, they engage in arrogant and destructive action.            02 22 08 2018

 

 

SPENDING IN CHARITY

  The example of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Almighty 2 is like that of a grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, and in every ear there are a hundred grains. Thus Almighty multiplies the action of whomsoever He wills. Almighty is Munificent, All-Knowing

Al-Quran 2:261

ஏக இறைவனின்  பாதையில் தங்கள் செல்வத்தைச் செலவிடுபவர்களுக்கு உவமையாவது ஒவ்வொரு கதிரிலும் நூறு தானிய மணிகளைக் கொண்ட ஏழு கதிர்களை முளைப்பிக்கும் ஒரு வித்தைப் போன்றது. ஏக இறைவன்  தான் நாடியவர்களுக்கு (இதை மேலும்) இரட்டிப்பாக்குகின்றான்; இன்னும் இறைவன்  விசாலமான (கொடையுடைய)வன்; யாவற்றையும் நன்கறிபவன்.+

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40 10-20 A scene from the Day of Judgement and Furtive looks and the secret thoughts(11032020)

 

 

 

(41:11) Then He turned to the heaven while it was all smoke.14 He said to the heaven and the earth: “Come (into being), willingly or unwillingly.” They said: “Here we come (into being) in willing obeisance.”15

14. Three things need to be explained here:

First, by heaven is meant the whole universe, as becomes obvious from the following sentences. In other words, turning to the heaven means that Allah turned to the creation of the universe.

Second, by smoke is implied the initial and primary stage of matter, in which it lay diffused in space in a shapeless, dust like condition before the formation of the universe. Scientists of the modern age describe the same thing as nebulae, and the same also is their view about the beginning of the universe: that is, before creation the matter of which the universe was built lay diffused in smoke-like nebulous form.

 

Thus, everything in the universe has been created beautiful, with purpose and in proportion and measure, both qualitatively and quantitatively (al-Qamar 54:49)

Lo! We have created every thing by measure.

SAHIH INTERNATIONAL

Indeed, all things We created with predestination.

TRANSLITERATION

Inna kulla shay-in khalaqnahubiqadar

JAN TRUST FOUNDATION

நாம் ஒவ்வொரு பொருளையும் நிச்சயமாக (குறிப்பான) அளவின்படியே படைத்திருக்கின்றோம்.

2 – Surat Al-Teen: “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds.” [95:4]

PICKTHALL

Surely We created man of the best stature

SAHIH INTERNATIONAL

We have certainly created man in the best of stature;

TRANSLITERATION

Laqad khalaqna al-insana fee ahsanitaqweem

JAN TRUST FOUNDATION

திடமாக, நாம் மனிதனை மிகவும் அழகிய அமைப்பில் படைத்தோம்.

(95:4) surely We created man in the best mould;3

3. This is the truth for which the oath has been sworn by the lands of the fig and the olive (i.e. Syria and Palestine) and Mt. Sinai and Makkah, the city of peace. Man’s having been created in the most excellent of molds means that he has been given the finest body which no other living being has been given, and he has been blessed with the noblest faculties of thought, knowledge and intellect which no other creature has been blessed with. Then, since the most sublime model these excellencies and unique merits of mankind’s are the Prophets and no creation can have a higher rank than them, so that Allah may choose it for appointment to the office of Prophethood, an oath has been sworn by the places associated with the Prophets of God to bear testimony to man’s having been created in the finest of molds. The land of Syria and Palestine is the land where a large number of Prophets, from the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) to the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), were raised. Mt. Toor is the place where the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was blessed with Prophethood. As for Makkah, it was founded by the Prophets Abraham and Ishmael (peace be upon them) themselves. It was on account of their association with it that it became the holiest central place of Arabia. It was the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) who had prayed: O my Lord, make this city a city of peace and security. ( Surah Al- Baqarah, Ayat 126); and it was because of this prayer that in the midst of chaos and confusion prevailing everywhere in Arabia only this city continued to remain an island of peace for some 2500 years or more. Thus, the verse means to say: We created mankind in such an excellent mold that it produced men who attained to the most sublime rank of Prophethood.

 

 

“He is the One Who has made perfectly everything He has created: He began the creation of human beings with clay, And made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised: But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His spirit…”
Quran 32:7-9 (As-Sajdah, the Prostration)

 

(43:10) He it is Who made this earth for you a cradle7 and made in it pathways8 for you that you may find the way to your destination;9

(43:54) He incited his people to levity and they obeyed him. Surely they were an iniquitous people.50

50. A tremendous reality has been expressed in this brief sentence. When a person wishes to become autocratic in a country and contrives every plan openly to achieve his object, he practices every deception and trick. He buys and sells consciences and persecutes and crushes ruthlessly those who cannot be purchased. He, in fact, shows by his actions, whatever he may say to the contrary, that he takes the people of the country to be light as regards to their intellect, morals and manliness, and has formed the impression that he can drive the foolish, unscrupulous and cowardly people wherever he likes. Then, when he has succeeded in his designs and the people have become his obedient servants, they prove by their conduct and behavior that they are actually what the wicked man had taken them to be, and the main cause of their depravity is that they are basically a sinful people. They are not in the least concerned as to what is the truth and what is falsehood, what is justice and what is injustice, whether the noble traits of character are truthfulness and honesty or falsehood and dishonesty and meanness. Instead of this, only their personal interests are of real importance to them, for the sake of which they remain ever ready to cooperate with every wicked person, to yield to every tyrant, to accept every falsehood and to suppress every protest that is voiced in favor of the truth.

(36 :71)Have they not seen how We have created for them of Our handiwork the cattle, so that they are their owners,

TRANSLITERATION

Awa lam yaraw anna khalaqnalahum mimma AAamilat aydeena anAAaman fahumlaha malikoon

SAHIH INTERNATIONAL

Do they not see that We have created for them from what Our hands have made, grazing livestock, and [then] they are their owners?

JAN TRUST FOUNDATION

நிச்சயமாக நாம் அவர்களுக்காக நம்முடைய கைகள் செய்தவற்றிலிருந்து கால்நடைகளைபபடைத்திருக்கின்றோம் என்பதை அவர்கள் பார்க்கவில்லையா? அவற்றின் மீது அவர்கள் உரிமை பாராட்டுகிறார்கள்.

 


   55

55 19

PICKTHALL

He hath loosed the two seas. They meet.

JAN TRUST FOUNDATION

அவனே, இரண்டு கடல்களையும் ஒன்றோடொன்று சந்திக்கச் செய்தான்.

TRANSLITERATION

Maraja albahrayni yaltaqiyan

SAHIH INTERNATIONAL

He released the two seas, meeting [side by side];

 

(36:39) We have appointed stages for the moon till it returns in the shape of a dry old branch of palm-tree

The likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allah's way is as the likeness of a grain which groweth seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. Allah giveth increase manifold to whom He will. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.

(44:37) Are these better or the people of Tubba32 and those who went before them? We destroyed them for they were a criminal people.33

32. Tubba was the title of the kings of the Himyarites, like the titles of Khosroes, Caesar, Pharaoh etc. which have been associated with the kings of different countries. They were a branch of the Sabaeans, who attained domination over Saba in 115 B.C. and ruled it until 300 A.D. They have been a well known people of Arabia for centuries. (For details, see (E.N. 37 of Surah Saba).

 

 

7. To understand fully the allusions made in the Quran to the history of the Sabaeans, one should also keep in view the information that has been obtained through other historical sources about this nation.

Historically, Saba was a great nation of Southern Arabia. which comprised some large tribes. Imam Ahmad, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Abd al-Barr and Tirmidhi have related from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Saba was the name of an Arab, from whose race issued the following tribes of Arabia: Kindah. Himyar, Azd, Ash ariyyin, Madhhij, Anmar (with its two branches: Khatham and Bajilah), Amilah, Judham, Lakhm and Ghassan.

Since antiquity this Arabian nation has been well known to the rest of the world. Ur inscriptions of 2500 B.C. mention it by the name of Sabom. Then in the Babylonian and Assyrian inscriptions and also in the Bible it has been mentioned several times. (See, for instance, Psalms 72:15; Jeremiah 6: 20; Ezekiel 27:22, 38: 13; Job 6: 19). The Greek and Roman historians and the geographer Theophrastus (288 B.C.) have mentioned it continuously for many centuries of the Christian era since before Jesus (peace be upon him).

Its home was the south-western corner of the Arabian peninsula, now called al-Yaman. Its rise to prominence started in 1100 B.C. In the time of the Prophets David and Solomon (peace be upon them) the Sabaeans had become world famous as a wealthy people. In the beginning they were a sun-worshipping nation. Then, when their queen affirmed faith at the hand of the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) 965-926 B.C., probably most of them became Muslims. But then in some unknown later period they again began to worship gods and goddesses tike Almaqah (the moon-god), Athtar (Venus), Dhat Hamim, Dhat Badan (the sun-god), Harmatam or Harimat and many others. Almaqah was their chief deity, and the kings made claim to the people's obedience as representatives of this deity. Many inscriptions have been unearthed in the Yaman, which show that the whole land abounded in the temples of these gods, especially of Almaqah, and thanks giving services for them were held at every important event.

As a result of the modern archaeological researches about 3,000 inscriptions have been discovered, which throw a good deal of light on the history of this nation. Besides these, if the information yielded by the Arabian traditionists and the Roman and Greek historians is compiled, a detailed history of this nation can be prepared. According to this information the following are the important periods of its history:

(1) The Pre-mid-seventh Century Period: In this period Mukarrib was the title of the Sabaean kings. Probably a synonym of Muqarrib, it signified that the kings regarded themselves as the link between men and gods; or, in other words, they were the priest-kings. Their capital was Sirwah, whose ruins are found at a day’s journey to the west of Maarib, and are now called al-Kharibah. The foundations of the great Maarib dam were laid in this period: then the different kings extended it from time to time.

(2) 650 B. C. to 115 B. C.: In this period the Sabaean kings discarded Mukarrib and adopted the title of Malik (king), which signified that theocracy was replaced by secular kingship. They left Sirwah and made Maarib their capital and extended it in every way. This place lay 3900 feet above the sea, and is some 60 miles east of Sana. Even today its ruins bear evidence that it was once the centre of a highly civilized nation.

(3) 115 B.C. to 300 A.D: In this period the Sabaean kingdom fell under the domination of the tribe of Himyar, a more numerous tribe of Saba. They discarded Maarib and made their central place Raydan their capital, which later became known as Zafar. Its ruins can still be seen on a circular hill near the modern city of Yarim. Close by it there resides a small tribe by the name of Hinmar, perhaps the remnant of the great nation which was once well known throughout the world for its glory and grandeur. In the same period the word Yamanat and Yamanaat began to be used for the first time for a part of the kingdom, which gradually became Yaman and the name of the entire land, which extends from Asir to Aden and from Bab al-Mandab to Hadramaut. During this very period the decline of the Sabaean began.

(4) 300 A.D. to the rise of Islam: This is the period of the Sabaea’s destruction. They started fighting civil wars, which provided occasion for external intervention. This resulted in the decline in their trade and their agriculture and even loss of political freedom. Taking advantage of the internal conflicts between the Himyarites and other tribes, the Abyssinians occupied the Yaman and ruled it briefly from 340 A.D. to 378 A.D. Then, though political freedom was restored, breaches began to appear in the great dam of Maarib, which in 450 or 451 A.D. led to the catastrophe occasioned by the bursting of the dam as has been referred to in verse 16 above. Although after it till the time of Abraha the dam was extensively repaired, the population that had dispersed could not be brought back, nor could the ruined system of irrigation and agriculture be restored. In 523 A.D., dhu-Nuwas, the Jewish king of the Yaman, carried out the great massacre of the Christians of Najran, which has been referred to in the Quran under ashab alukhdud (Surah Al-Burooj, Ayat 4). In retaliation, the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia invaded Yaman and occupied the entire land. Later the Abyssinian governor of Yaman, Abrahah, in a bid to put an end to the central position of the Kabah and to bring the entire western Arabia into the sphere of the Byzantine Abyssinian influence invaded Makkah in 570 or 571 A.D., a few days before the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Abyssinian army was completely destroyed as alluded to under ashab il-feel (Surah Al-Feel, Ayat 1) in the Quran. At last, in 575 A.D. Yaman fell to the Iranians; their rule came to an end in 628 A.D. when their governor Badhan embraced Islam.

The Sabaeans owed their prosperity to two main factors: agriculture and commerce. They had developed their agriculture by means of a wonderful irrigation system unknown in the ancient world except in Babylon. There were no natural rivers in their land; in the rainy season small hill-torrents rose on which they had built dams every where in the country and collected water in small lakes from which they had taken out canals to water their lands. This had virtually turned the whole country into a vast garden as mentioned in the Quran. The largest reservoir was the lake which had been formed by the construction of a dam on the opening in the Jabal Balaq near Maarib. But when Allah caused His favors to be turned away from them, the great dam burst in the mid-fifth century A.D. and the resulting floods went on breaking one dam after the other on the way, destroying the entire irrigation system, which could never again be restored.

For commerce the Sabaeans had been blessed by God with the most favorable geographical position of which they took full advantage. For more than a thousand years they monopolized the means of trade between the East and the West. On the one hand, they received silk from China, spices from Indonesia and Malabar, fabrics and swords from India, negro slaves, monkeys, ostrich feathers and ivory from East Africa at their ports, and on the other, they transported this merchandise to the Egyptian and Syrian marts, to be supplied onward to Rome and Greece. Besides, they themselves were great producers of frankincense and myrrh and other perfumes, which were in great demand in Egypt and Syria and in Rome and Greece.

Two great routes existed for this international trade: the sea route and the land route. The maritime trade remained in the Sabaeans’ control for more than a thousand years for they alone knew the mysteries of the Red Sea monsoons, breakers and rocks and the anchorages, and no other nation could risk navigation through these dangerous waters. Through this maritime route they took their trade goods to the harbors of Jordan and Egypt. The land routes from Aden and Hadramaut joined at Maarib, from where a highway led to Petra through Makkah, Jeddah, Yathrib, Al-Ula, Tabuk and Aylah, forking at the northern end to Egypt and Syria. Along this land route, a number of Sabaean colonies had been established right from the Yaman to the borders of Syria, as mentioned in the Quran, and trade caravans passed by these day and night. The signs of many of these colonies still exist on this route from which the Sabaean and the Himyarite inscriptions are being discovered.

After the first century after Jesus (peace be upon him) Sabaean trade began to suffer a decline. When the Greek, and then the Roman, kingdoms were established in the Middle East, the citizens began complaining of the high prices that the Arabian traders were charging for the oriental goods because of their monopoly, and urged their governments to take the initiative to break their supremacy in the sea trade. Thus, in the beginning, Ptolemy II (985- 246 B.C.), the Greek ruler of Egypt, reopened the Nile-Red Sea canal originally dug by Pharaoh Sesostris some seventeen centuries ago. Consequently, it was through this canal that the Egyptian fleet entered the Red Sea for the first time, but it could not succeed much against the Sabaeans. When Egypt fell to the Romans they brought a stronger merchant marine into the Red Sea and put a naval fleet at its back. The Sabaeans could not withstand this force. Consequently, the Romans set up their trade colonies at every seaport, arranged supplies for the ships and also stationed their military troops wherever possible. At last, the time came when Aden passed under the military occupation of the Romans. In this connection, the Roman and the Abyssinian kingdoms also entered secret pacts against the Sabaeans, which ultimately deprived this nation of its political freedom as well.

After losing control over maritime trade the Sabaeans were left with trade over the land route only, but many factors combined to gradually break its back too. First, the Nabataeans ousted them from all the colonies of the upper Hejaz and Jordan, from Petra to Al-Ula. Then in 106 A.D. the Romans put an end to the Nabataean kingdom and captured all the Syrian and Jordanian territories up to the Hejaz. After this Abyssinia and Rome jointly tried to ruin the Sabaean trade completely by taking advantage of their internal conflicts. That is why the Abyssinians intervened in the Yaman again and again, till at last they brought the entire land under their occupation.

Thus, Allah’s wrath caused this nation to be toppled from the heights of glory and prosperity into oblivion from which they were never able to rise again. There was a time when the Greeks and the Romans felt tempted when they heard of the legendary wealth of these people. Strabo writes, “The Sabaeans use gold and silver utensils and even the ceilings, walls and doors of their houses are bedecked with ivory, gold, silver and jewels.” Pliny says, “The entire wealth of Rome and Persia is flowing into Sabaean hands. They are the richest people of the world today, and their fertile land abounds in gardens, crops and cattle.” Artemidorus says, “These people roll in luxury. They burn cinnamon, sandalwood and other sweet smelling wood as fuel.” Likewise, other Greek historians relate that the passengers passing by their shores can smell the perfumes of their land in the merchant ships at sea. For the first time in history they built a skyscraper, called the castle of Ghumdan, on the hill top in Sana. This citadel, according to the Arab historians, a twenty storey building, each storey being 36 feet high. Thus did they prosper and enjoy life as long as Allah favored them with His bounties. At last, when they transgressed all limits in their ingratitude, the Almighty Allah also withdrew His attention, and they were so utterly destroyed as if they had never existed at all.

 

(46:15) We have enjoined man to be kind to his parents. In pain did his mother bear him and in pain did she give birth to him. The carrying of the child to his weaning is a period of thirty months.19 And when he is grown to full maturity and reaches the age of forty, he prays: “My Lord, dispose me that I may give thanks for the bounty that You have bestowed upon me and my parents, and dispose me that I may do righteous deeds that would please You,20 and also make my descendants righteous. I repent to You, and I am one of those who surrender themselves to You.”

19. This verse tells that although the children should serve both the mother and the father, the mother’s right is greater in importance on the ground that she undergoes greater hardships for the sake of the children. The same is borne out by a Hadith, which has been related with a little variation in wording in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad, and in Adab al- Mufrad of Imam Bukhari, to the effect that a person asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): Who has got a greater right to my service? The Prophet replied (peace be upon him): Your mother. He asked: Who after her? He replied: Your mother. He asked: Who after her? He replied: Your mother. He asked: Who after her? He replied: Your father. This Hadith precisely explains this verse, for in it also allusion has been made to the triple right of the mother: (1) His mother bore him with hardship. (2) She gave him birth with hardship. (3) His bearing and his weaning took thirty months.

Another legal point also is derived from this verse and ( verse 14 of Surah Luqman) and( verse 233 of Surah Al- Baqarah), which was pointed out by Ali and Ibn Abbas in a law case and made Uthman change his decision. The story goes that during the caliphate of Uthman, a person married a woman from the Juhainah tribe, and just six months after the marriage she gave birth to a healthy and sound child. The man took the case before Uthman, who declared the woman to be an adulteress and ordered that she be stoned to death. On hearing this Ali immediately came to Uthman and asked: What sort of a decision have you given? He replied: She has given birth to a sound child six months after marriage. Is it not a clear proof of her being an adulteress? Ali did not agree, and recited the three above mentioned verses in their sequence. In Surah Al-Baqarah Allah says: The mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years, if the fathers desire the suckling to be completed. In Surah Luqman it is said: And his weaning took two years, and in Surah Al-Ahqaf: And his bearing and his weaning took thirty months. Now, if two years of suckling are taken away from 30 months, six months of bearing remain. This shows that the minimum period of pregnancy in which a sound child can be born is six months. Therefore, the woman who has given birth to a child six months after the marriage cannot be declared an adulteress. On hearing this reasoning of Ali, Uthman admitted that he had not considered that thing at all. Then he recalled the woman and changed his decision. According to another tradition, Ibn Abbas also supported the reasoning of Ali and then Uthman changed his decision. (Ibn Jarir, Ahkam al-Qur an by al-Jassas Ibn Kathir).

The following legal injunctions are derived from the three verses when they are read together: The woman who gives birth to a sound and complete child in less than six months after marriage (i.e. in a proper delivery and not abortion) will be declared an adulteress and her child’s lineage from her husband will not be established.

(2) The woman who delivers a sound and complete child six months or more after marriage, cannot be accused of adultery only on the basis of the child birth, nor can her husband have the right to slander her, nor can he refuse to acknowledge fatherhood of the child. The child will certainly be recognized as his, and the woman will not be punished.

(3) The maximum period for fosterage is two years. If a woman has suckled a child after this age, she will not be regarded as his foster mother, nor will the injunctions pertaining to fosterage ( Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 23) be applicable to her. In this regard, Imam Abu Hanifah has out of caution proposed the period of two and a half years instead of two years so that there remains no chance of error in a delicate matter like the prohibition of the foster relations. (For explanation, see ( E. N. 23 of Surah Luqman).

Here, it would be useful to know that according to the latest medical research a child needs at least 28 weeks to remain in the mother’s womb to be developed and delivered as a living baby. This period amounts to a little more than 6 months. The Islamic law has allowed a concession of about half a month, because a woman’s being declared an adulteress and a child’s being deprived of lineage is a grave matter, and its gravity demands that maximum period be allowed to save both the mother and the child from its legal consequences. Furthermore, no physician and no judge, not even the pregnant woman herself and the man impregnating her, can know as to when exactly did the conception take place. This thing also demands that a few more days be allowed in determining the minimum legal period of pregnancy.

20. That is, O Lord, grant me the grace of such righteous deeds as may conform to Your law in the apparent form as well as be acceptable to You in their actual worth. If an action, however good in the sight of the people, does not conform to obedience to Allah’s law, it cannot have any value in the sight of Allah, no matter how highly it is praised by the people. On the contrary, another action which conforms to the Shariah exactly and has no flaw or deficiency in its apparent form, becomes hollow from within, on account of an evil intention, conceit, arrogance and greed of the world, is worthless in the sight of Allah.

 

(46:21) Recount to them the story of (Hud), the brother of (the tribe of) 'Ad. Hud warned his people beside the sand-dunes25  and there have been other warners before him and since his time saying: “Serve none but Allah. Verily I fear that the chastisement of an awesome day shall come upon you.”

25. As the chiefs of the Quraish had a false pride of their superiority and exulted in their wealth and prosperity, the story of Aad is being related to them about whom it was well known that they had been the mightiest people in Arabia.

Literally, Ahqaf (pl. of hiqf) are long dunes of sand less in height than mountains, but technically it is a name given to the southern-western part of the Arabian desert (Ar- Rubul-khali) which is wholly un-inhabited.

Ibn Ishaq says that the territory of Aad extended from Oman to Yaman, and the Quran tells us that they actually belonged to Al- Ahqaf from where they spread to the adjoining lands and subdued weak nations. 125 miles to the north of the present-day city of Makkah there is a place in Hadramaut, where the people have built a tomb to the Prophet Houd, and the place is well known as the grave of Houd. A religious festival is held there on the 15th of Shaban and thousands of people from different parts of Arabia gather there annually. Although it is not historically established, the grave’s being built there and the southern Arabs’ visiting it in large numbers is at least a proof that local tradition regards this very territory as the land of Aad. Besides, there are several ruins in Hadramaut which the natives still call by the name of Dar-Aad (Abode of Aad).

From the present condition of Al-Ahqaf, no one can even imagine that this land might have been the home of a mighty people boasting of magnificent civilization. Probably it was a green and fertile land thousands of years ago, and then the change of climate might have turned it into a sandy desert. Today it is a vast, wind-swept desert, and no one can dare go into its interior. In 1843 A.D. a Bavarian soldier was able to reach its southern edge. He says that if one looks down from the northern plateau of Hadramaut one can see this desert about a thousand feet in the depression. Here and there in it there are white areas where if a thing falls it goes on sinking into the sand and decays. The Arab Beduins fear this land and are never willing to step into it at any cost. Once when the Bedouins were not ready to take him there, he went by himself. He says that the sand there is very fine powder, and when he threw a plummet into it from a distance, it sank into it within five minutes and the end of the line to which it was attached, also decayed.

For detailed information, see:

Arabia and The Isles, Harold Ingrams, London, 1946.

The Unveiling of Arabia, R H. Kirnan, London, 1937.

The Empty Quarter. Philby. London, 1933.

 

(51:36) – and We did not find there any, apart from a single house of Muslims 34 –

 

Mumin and Muslim

 (3) That the words Mumin and Muslim have been used as synonyms in this verse. If this verse is read with (verse 14 of Surah Al-Hujurat), the error of the thinking of those people becomes obvious, who regard Mumin and Muslim as two independent terms of the Quran, which have been used in one and the same meaning every where, and Muslim is necessarily used for the person who might have entered the fold of Islam by professing the faith only verbally, without true faith. (For further explanation, see (E.N. 31 of Surah Al-Hujurat).(surah 49:14)

(49:14) The Bedouins say: “We believe.”(O Prophet),30 say to them: “You do not believe; you should rather say: 'We have submitted'”;31 for belief has not yet entered your hearts. If you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not diminish anything from the reward of any of your deeds. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Compassionate.

 


Notes

30. This does not imply all the desert Arabs but only a few particular groups of the Bedouins who had become Muslims, seeing the increasing power of Islam, thinking that they would not only remain safe from any attack by the Muslims but would also gain materially from the Islamic conquests. These people had not embraced Islam sincerely but had professed faith only verbally in order to be counted among the Muslims, and their inner state became exposed whenever they would come before the Prophet (peace be upon him) with different sorts of demands and would enumerate and mention their rights as if they had done him a great favor by accepting Islam. Traditions mention several of such tribal groups, e.g. Muzainah, Juhainah, Aslam, Ashja, Ghifar, etc. About the Bani Asad bin Khuzaimah in particular. Ibn Abbas and Saeed bin Jubair have stated that once during a drought they came to Madinah and making a demand for financial help, they said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) again and again: We became Muslims without any conflict, we did not fight against you as have such and such other tribes fought. By this they clearly meant to point out that their refraining from fighting against the Messenger (peace be upon him) of Allah and their accepting Islam was a favor for which they must be rewarded by the Messenger (peace be upon him) and the Muslims. It was this same attitude and conduct of the Bedouin group living around Al- Madinah, which has been commented upon in these verses. One can understand this appraisal better if one reads it together with verses( 90-110 of Surah At-Taubah )and (verses 11-17 of Surah Al-Fatha).

31. Another translation of the words qulu aslamna can be; Say: We have become Muslims. From these words some people have concluded that in the language of the Quran, Mumin and Muslim are two opposite terms. A Mumin is he who has believed sincerely and a Muslim he who might have accepted Islam only verbally without true faith. But, in fact, this is an absolutely wrong idea. No doubt the word iman here has been used for sincere affirmation by the heart and the word Islam for only outward and external submission but to understand them as two independent and mutually contradictory terms of the Quran is not correct. A study of the Quranic verses in which the words Islam and Muslim have been used, shows that in the Quranic terminology of Islam is the name of the Faith, which Allah has sent down for mankind. It comprehends the faith and obedience both, and a Muslim is he who believes with a sincere heart and obeys the commands practically. This is borne out by the following verses:

Indeed, Islam is the only right way of life in the sight of Allah. (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 19).

And whoever adopts any other than this way of submission (Islam), that way shall not be accepted from him. (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 85).

And I have approved Islam as the way of life for you. (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 3).

Whomever Allah wills to guide aright, He makes his breast wide open to Islam. (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 125).

Obviously, in these verses Islam does not imply obedience without the faith. Here are some other verses: Say (O Prophet): I have been enjoined to be the first one to affirm (faith in) Islam. (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 14).

If they have surrendered (to Islam), they are rightly guided. (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 20).

All the Prophets, who were Muslims, judged the cases according to the Torah. (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 44).

Here, and at scores of other places, acceptance of Islam cannot mean adopting obedience without the faith. Likewise, here are a few verses in which the word Muslim has occurred signifying the meaning in which it has been used repeatedly in the Quran: O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should truly be feared and see that you do not die save as true Muslim. (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 102).

Allah had called you Muslims before this and has called you (by the same name) in this Quran, too. (Surah Al-Hajj, Ayat 78).

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Muslim, sound in the faith. (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 67).

And remember that when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the walls of this House, they prayed: Lord, make us Thy Muslims and also raise from our offspring a community which should be Muslim. (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 128).

(The Prophet Jacob’s will for his children): O my children, Allah has chosen the same way of life for you, hence remain Muslims up to your last breath. (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 132).

After a study of these verses who can say that in these the word Muslim implies a person who does not believe sincerely but has accepted Islam only outwardly? Therefore, to make the claim that in the Quranic terminology Islam implies obedience without the faith and the Muslim in the language of the Quran is he who accepts Islam only outwardly is absolutely wrong. Likewise, this claim also is wrong that the words iman and mumin have been used in the Quran necessarily in the sense of believing sincerely. No doubt, at most places these words have occurred to express the same meaning, but there are many places where these words have also been used for outward affirmation of the faith, and all those who might have entered the Muslim community with verbal profession have been addressed with, “O you who have believed”, no matter whether they are the true believers, or people with a weak faith, or mere hypocrites. For a few instances of this, see (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 156); (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 135); (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 54); (Surah Al-Anfaal, Ayats 20-27); (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 38), (Surah Al-Hadid, Ayat 28); (Surah As-Saff, Ayat 2).

 

 

 

(81:8) and when the girl-child buried alive shall be asked

(81:9) for what offence was she killed? See EN

 

 

 

ர்ப்புகள் ஈர்க்கும் தன்மை, தகைமை உடையதாக அமைவது சிறப்பு. சிறப்பான தீர்ப்புகள் நீர்த்து போகாமல் நிலைத்து நின்று எக்காலத்திற்கும் ஏற்றதாக முக்காலமும் முன்னுதாரணம் காட்டுவதாக அமைவது அதனினும் உயர்ந்தது. நான்காம் கலீபா அலி (ரலி) அவர்களின் தீர்ப்புகள் அத்தகையன. முஹம்மது நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களின் காலத்தில் இருந்து நான்காம் கலீபாவாக பொறுப்பு ஏற்று ஆட்சி செய்த வரை அலி (ரலி) அவர்களின் தீர்ப்புகள் திருத்தமானதாக குர்ஆனின் கூற்றுக்குப் பொருத்தமானதாக அண்ணல் நபி (ஸல்) அறிவுறுத்தலை அடிப்படையாக கொண்டதாக அமைந்தன. 

அண்ணல் நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் இளைஞர் அலி (ரலி) அவர்களை ஏமன் நாட்டிற்கு நீதிபதியாக நியமித்து வழியனுப்பும் பொழுது, "இரு மனிதர்களுக்கு இடையே உள்ள வழக்கில் தீர்ப்பு கூறுவதற்கு முன்னர் இருவரும் இரு தரப்பினர் சார்பில் வந்துள்ளவர்களும் கூறுவதைக் கேட்பது சரியான முடிவு எடுக்க அடித்தளமாகும்'' என்று அறிவுறுத்தினார்கள்.

வாய்மை நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களிடம் வழக்கு ஒன்று வந்தது. பிரதிவாதியின் மாடு முட்டி மோதியதில் வாதியின் கழுதை செத்துவிட்டது என்று செப்பினார் வாதி. செம்மல் நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் அலி (ரலி) அவர்களைப் பார்த்தார்கள். வாதி, பிரதிவாதி இருவரும் விசாரணையில் இருந்தனர். அலி (ரலி) மாடும் கழுதையும் கட்டப்பட்டு இருந்தனவா? என்று கேட்டார்கள். கழுதை கட்டப்பட்டு இருந்தது. மாடு கட்டப்படவில்லை என்பதை வாதி, பிரதிவாதி இருவரும் உறுதி செய்தனர். அலி (ரலி) பிரதிவாதி மாட்டுக்காரர் வாதியான கழுதைகாரருக்கு ஒரு கழுதை கொடுக்க வேண்டும் என்று பழுதிலாது தீர்ப்பு வழங்கினார்கள். 

அண்ணல் நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களின் காலத்தில் வழக்குகளுக்குத் தீர்ப்பளித்த அலி (ரலி) முதற்கலீபா அபூபக்கர் (ரலி) இரண்டாம் கலீபா உமர் (ரலி) ஆட்சியிலும் பிரதம காஜியாக, அமர்ந்து அரிய தீர்ப்புகள் வழங்கினார்கள். 

"அல்லாஹ்வை தவிர்த்து வேறெவருக்கும் அஞ்சாதே'' என்ற கொள்கையை அவர்களின் நீதி வழுவாமையை நிலைக்க வைத்தது. அதனால்தான் உமர் (ரலி) "அக்துனா அலி'' (நம் எல்லோரிலும் நீதி வழுவாதவர் அலி) என்று உரைத்தார்கள்.

இருவர் ஒரு பெண்ணிடம் பொருள்களைக் கொடுத்து பாதுகாத்து வைக்கும்படியும் இருவரும் சேர்ந்து வந்து கேட்டால் மட்டும் திருப்பி கொடுக்கும்படியும் கூறிச் சென்றனர். சில ஆண்டுகள் கடந்து அவர்களில் ஒருவர் அப்பெண்ணிடம் வந்து நண்பர் இறந்துவிட்டார் என்றும் அதனால் கொடுத்த பொருள்களை அவரிடம் தருமாறும் வேண்டினார். அப்பெண் அப்பொருள்களைத் திருப்பித் தர மறுத்தாள். அக்கம்பக்கத்தில் இருந்தவர்கள் கூடி கலந்தாலோசித்து இருவரில் ஒருவர் இறந்து விட்டார் என்று கூறுவதால் உயிருடன் உள்ள மற்றொருவரிடம் கொடுத்த பொருளைத் திருப்பி கொடுக்க கூறினர். அப்பெண் வந்தவரிடம் தந்த பொருள்களைக் கொடுத்து விட்டார். சில நாள்கள் சென்றன. மற்றொருவர் வந்து அப்பெண்ணிடம் கொடுத்த பொருளைக் கேட்டார். அப்பெண் நடந்ததை நவின்றாள்.

வழக்கு இரண்டாம் கலீபா உமர் (ரலி) அவர்களிடம் வந்தது. இருவரும் சேர்ந்து வந்து கேட்டால்தான் பொருள்களைத் திருப்பி கொடுக்க வேண்டும் என்ற நிபந்தனையை மீறி அப்பெண் ஒருவரிடம் அப்பொருளைத் திருப்பி கொடுத்தது தவறென்று அப்பெண்ணிடம் உமர் (ரலி) கூறினார்கள். அப்பெண்ணோ நடந்ததை நடந்தபடி கூறி நிரபராதி என்று வாதிட்டாள்.

வழக்கு அலி (ரலி) அவர்களிடம் சென்றது. அலி (ரலி) பொருள் கேட்டு வந்தவரிடம் அந்த அமானித பொருளை இருவரும் சேர்ந்து வந்து கேட்கும் பொழுது கொடுக்க வேண்டும் என்பதுதானே நிபந்தனை? என்று கேட்டார். ஆம் என்று ஆமோதித்தார் பொருளைக் கோரியவர். ஒருவர் தனியாக வந்து கேட்டால் கொடுக்கக் கூடாது அல்லவா? என்றார் அலி (ரலி). ஆம் என்று தலையசைத்தார் தடுமாற்றத்தில் நின்ற தரம் தாழ்ந்த அந்த மனிதர். உங்கள் கூட்டாளியை அழைத்து கொண்டு வாருங்கள். உங்கள் இருவரிடமும் அப்பொருள் ஒப்படைக்கப்படும் என்றார் அலி (ரலி). மறுமொழி கூற முடியாத அந்த மாறாட்டக்காரர் ஓட்டம் பிடித்தார்.

இரு பயணிகள் வழியில் உண்ண முறையே 5,3 ரொட்டிகள் வைத்து இருந்தனர். உண்ண உட்கார்ந்த பொழுது இன்னொரு பயணியும் இணைந்தார். எட்டு ரொட்டிகளையும் சம துண்டுகளாக்கி மூவரும் உண்டனர். மூன்றாமவர் உண்ட உணவிற்கு 8 திர்ஹங்கள் கொடுத்தார். 5 ரொட்டிகளை வைத்திருந்தவர் 5 திர்ஹங்களை எடுத்துக்கொண்டு மற்றொருவருக்கு 3 திர்ஹங்கள் கொடுத்தார். இரண்டாமவர் 4 திர்ஹங்கள் கேட்டார். வழக்கு அலி (ரலி) அவர்களிடம் வந்தது. 8 ரொட்டிகளைச் சமமாக பங்கிட்டதில் 24 துண்டுகள் கிடைத்தன. மூவரும் தலா 8 துண்டுகள் உண்டனர். மூன்றாமவர் துண்டு ஒன்றுக்கு ஒரு திர்ஹம் வீதம் 8 திர்ஹங்கள் கொடுத்தார். முதலாம் பயணியின் 5 ரொட்டிகளில் 15 துண்டுகள் போடப்பட்டன. அதில் முதலாமவர் தின்றது 8 துண்டுகள். மீதம் ஏழு துண்டுகளை மூன்றாம் பயணி தின்றார். இரண்டாம் பயணியின் 3 ரொட்டிகளில் 9 துண்டுகள் விழுந்தன. அவற்றில் 8 துண்டுகளை இரண்டாம் பயணி சாப்பிட்டார். எனவே 5 ரொட்டிகாரருக்கு ஏழு திர்ஹங்களும் 3 ரொட்டி காரருக்கு ஒரு திர்ஹமும் வழங்கிட தீர்ப்பளித்தார்கள்.

ஒருமுறை மூன்று பேர் 17 ஒட்டகங்களுடன் வந்து அலி (ரலி) அவர்களிடம் இரண்டில் ஒரு பங்கை முதலாமவருக்கும்; மூன்றில் ஒரு பங்கை இரண்டாமவருக்கும், ஒன்பதில் ஒரு பங்கை மூன்றாமவருக்கும் பங்கிட்டு தருமாறு வேண்டினர். ஒட்டகங்களை வெட்டி கூறு போட வேண்டாம் என்றும் கூறினர். அலி (ரலி) அரசு பண்ணையிலிருந்து ஓர் ஒட்டகம் கொண்டு வர சொல்லி  18 ஒட்டகங்களில் முதலாமவருக்கு இரண்டில் ஒரு பங்கு 9 ஒட்டகங்களையும்; இரண்டாமவருக்கு மூன்றில் ஒரு பங்கு 6 ஒட்டகங்களையும்; மூன்றாமவருக்கு ஒன்பதில் ஒரு பங்கு 2 ஒட்டகங்களையும் கொடுத்தார்கள். அரசு பண்ணையிலிருந்து வந்த ஒட்டகம் அரசு பண்ணைக்குத் திருப்பி அனுப்பப்பட்டது.

இரு பெண்களுக்கு ஒரே நேரத்தில் குழந்தைகள் பிறந்தன. இருவரும் ஆண் குழந்தை பெற்றதாக ஆண் குழந்தைக்குச் சொந்தம் கொண்டாடினர். வழக்கினை விசாரித்த அலி (ரலி) இரு பெண்களையும் தனியே சென்று தனித்தனி பாத்திரங்களில் பால் பீய்ச்சி எடுத்து வர பணித்தார்கள். எவருடைய பால் கெட்டியாக இருந்ததோ அப்பெண் பெற்றதே ஆண் குழந்தை என்றும் எவருடைய பால் சற்று இளகியதாக இருந்ததோ அப்பெண்ணின் குழந்தை பெண் குழந்தை என்று தீர்ப்பளித்தார்கள்.

ஒரு பெண் அவளின் சக கிழத்தி மீது அபாண்டமாக குற்றம் சுமத்தினாள். அதற்கு ஆதாரமாய் சக கிழத்தியின் ஆடையிலிருந்து பிசுபிசுப்பைக் காட்டினாள். அலி (ரலி) ஆடையின் பிசுபிசுத்த பகுதியைக் கழுவ கட்டளை இட்டார்கள். கழுவியதும் சுத்தமானதா? அல்லது கசக்கி பிழிந்து துவைத்தபின் தூய்மை ஆனதா? என்று கேட்டார்கள். அலி (ரலி) கழுவியதுமே கறை கரைந்ததாக முறையிட்டவள் சொன்னாள். அது முட்டை பசை. கழுவியதும் மறைந்தது. விந்தாக இருந்தால் பலமுறை கசக்கி பிழிந்து கழுவினால்தான் சுத்தமாகும் என்று பொய்வழக்கைப் புறந்தள்ளினார்கள்.

அல்லாஹ்வையன்றி வேறெவருக்கும் அஞ்சாத நெஞ்சம் உடையவர்களால் நாமும் அவனியில் அன்றாடம் அனைத்து செயல்களிலும் நீதி நெறியோடு நேர்மை பிறழாது ஓர்மையுடன் ஓரிறையை வழங்கி வாழ்வோம்.
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மு..அபுல் அமீன்

மேலும் செய்திகளை உடனுக்குடன் படிக்க, தினமணி மொபைல் ஆப்-ஐ இங்

(2:40) Children of Israel!56 Recall My favour which I had bestowed on you, and fulfil your covenant with Me and I shall fulfil My covenant with you, and fear Me alone.

56. 'Israel' means the slave of God. This was the title conferred on Jacob (Ya'qub) by God Himself. He was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. His progeny are styled the 'Children of Israel'.(23062029_

இஸ்ராயீலின் சந்ததியனரே

يٰبَنِىۡٓ اِسۡرَ

Ya banee isra-eela 

யா பணீ இஸ்ராயீல

இஸ்ராயீலின் சந்ததியினரே என்ற பொருள்படும் இந்தச் சொற்றொடரை புனித குர்ஆனில் பல இடங்களில் பார்க்கலாம்

எத்தனை முறை இது குர்ஆனில் வருகிறது ?

இஸ்ராயீல என்ற சொல்லுக்கு என்ன பொருள் ?

இருபது முறை குர்ஆனில் பணீ இஸ்ராயீல என்று வருகிறது

இறைவனின் அடிமை என்று பொருள் படும்  இஸ்ராயீல என்ற பட்டம் யாகூப் நபி (ஜாகப் ) அவர்களுக்கு இறைவனே சூட்டியதாகும் .அவரின் சந்ததிகள் பணீ இஸ்ராயீல என்று அழைக்கபடுகிறார்கள்.

நபி இப்ராஹீமின் மகன் நபி இஷ்ஹாக்கின் மகன் நபி யாகூப் .நபி யாகூபின் மகன் நபி யூசுப் உலகின் ஒரே நான்காம் தலைமுறை நபி

சரியான விடை அனுப்பிய அண்ணன் சிக்கந்தர் அவர்களுக்கு பாராட்டுகள, வாழ்த்துகள், நன்றி

இறைவன் நாடினால் மீண்டும் இது போன்ற பதிவில்   சிந்திப்போம் ..

(Source –Towards understanding Quran (2:40 :EN 56)

 

29062020mon

sherfuddinp.blogspot.com

 

The Banu Isra’il (Children of Israel, a term connoting the Jewish people) are mentioned

 20 times in the Quran. I

يٰبَنِىۡٓ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ

2:102

அவர்கள் ஸுலைமானின் ஆட்சிக்கு எதிராக ஷைத்தான்கள் ஓதியவற்றையே பின்பற்றினார்கள்;. ஆனால் ஸுலைமான் ஒருபோதும் நிராகரித்தவர் அல்லர். ஷைத்தான்கள் தாம் நிராகரிப்பவர்கள். அவர்கள்தாம் மனிதர்களுக்குச் சூனியத்தைக் கற்றுக்கொடுத்தார்கள்; இன்னும், பாபில் (பாபிலோன் என்னும் ஊரில்) ஹாருத், மாருத் என்ற இரண்டு மலக்குகளுக்கு இறக்கப்பட்டதையும் (தவறான வழியில் பிரயோகிக்கக் கற்றுக்கொடுத்தார்கள்). ஆனால் அவர்கள் (மலக்குகள்) இருவரும்; "நிச்சயமாக நாங்கள் சோதனையாக இருக்கிறோம்; (இதைக் கற்று) நீங்கள் நிராகரிக்கும் காஃபிர்கள் ஆகிவிடாதீர்கள்" என்று சொல்லி எச்சரிக்காத வரையில், எவருக்கும் இ(ந்த சூனியத்)தைக் கற்றுக் கொடுக்கவில்லை, அப்படியிருந்தும் கணவன் - மனைவியிடையே பிரிவை உண்டாக்கும் செயலை அவர்களிடமிருந்து கற்றுக்கொண்டார்கள். எனினும் அல்லாஹ்வின் கட்டளையின்றி அவர்கள் எவருக்கும் எத்தகைய தீங்கும் இதன் மூலம் இழைக்க முடியாது. தங்களுக்குத் தீங்கிழைப்பதையும், எந்த வித நன்மையும் தராததையுமே - கற்றுக் கொண்டார்கள். (சூனியத்தை) விலை கொடுத்து வாங்கிக் கொண்டவர்களுக்கு, மறுமையில் யாதொரு பாக்கியமும் இல்லை என்பதை அவர்கள் நன்கறிந்துள்ளார்கள். அவர்கள் தங்கள் ஆத்மாக்களை விற்றுப்பெற்றுக்கொண்டது கெட்டதாகும். இதை அவர்கள் அறிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டாமா?(09022020)

(2:104) O you who believe!107 Do not say (to the Prophet): Ra'ina (Lend ear to us), but say Unzurna (Favour us with your attention) and pay heed (to him).108 A painful chastisement awaits the unbelievers.

107. This and the following verses inform the followers of the Prophet (peace be on him) of the machinations of the Jews against Islam and the Muslims, and dispel any doubts and misgivings they tried to create in their minds. Special attention is paid to the points raised during controversial discussions between Muslims and Jews. It is useful to note here that when the Prophet (peace be on him) arrived in Madina and the message of Islam began to spread the Jews tried to engage Muslims in controversial religious discussions. They raised all kinds of involved and suspicion-provoking problems so as to contaminate the simple and pure-hearted Muslims with the spiritual diseases from which they themselves suffered. Not only that, they resorted to sly and deceptive talk in the presence of the Prophet.

108. When the Jews visited the Prophet they tried to vent their spite by using ambiguous expressions in their greetings and conversation. They, used words which had double meanings, one innocent and the other offensive. After using quite proper expressions they would then whisper some malicious words. Ostensibly they maintained the decorum of respect and courtesy while sparing no underhand means to insult the Prophet. Later we shall encounter several examples of this kind of behaviour. The particular expression referred to here, and which the Muslims were asked to avoid using since it lent itself to abuse, was employed by the Jews when in conversation with the Prophet, whenever they wanted to request a short pause in which to finish whatever they wanted to say. They, used the expression ra'ina, which meant 'kindly indulge us' or ' kindly lend ear to us'.

It was possible, however, for the expression to be used with quite a different shade of meaning. In Hebrew, for instance, there is a word similar to it which means: 'Listen, may you become deaf.' In the same language it also means arrogant, ignorant and fool. In actual conversation it was also used on occasions when one wanted to say: 'If you listen to me, 1 will listen to you.' When it was pronounced with a slight twist of the tongue it turned into ra'ina, meaning 'our shepherd'.

It is because of the possibility of the word being used in these different senses that Muslims were asked to avoid it and to use instead the straightforward expression unzurna, meaning 'kindly favour us with your attention' or 'kindly grant us a while to follow (what you are saying)'. This advice was followed by the admonition to listen attentively to what the Prophet said, for the Jews used to ask for the same thing to be repeated merely because they did not pay proper attention to what the Prophet said but instead were engrossed in their own thoughts. If the Muslims were to heed what the Prophet said, they would scarcely need to make such requests.(
10072020)

 

 

 

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