Sūratu’l-Kahf (The Cave) PDF

Sūratu’l-Kahf (The Cave) 179 ‫أَ َ َ َّ ِ ُ و َ ُ َو ُذ ِّر َّ َ ُ ۤ أَ ْو ِ َאء ِ ْ ُدو ۪ و‬ ُْ َ ً َ َ َ ۪ ِ ‫َ ُכ ْ َ ُ ٌّو ۘ ِْئ َ ِ َّא‬ Will you, then, take him (Satan) and his offspring for guardians (to rely on and refer your affairs to) rather than Me, when they are an enemy to you? How e...

Sūratu’l-Kahf (The Cave) 179 ‫أَ َ َ َّ ِ ُ و َ ُ َو ُذ ِّر َّ َ ُ ۤ أَ ْو ِ َאء ِ ْ ُدو ۪ و‬ ُْ َ ً َ َ َ ۪ ِ ‫َ ُכ ْ َ ُ ٌّو ۘ ِْئ َ ِ َّא‬ Will you, then, take him (Satan) and his offspring for guardians (to rely on and refer your affairs to) rather than Me, when they are an enemy to you? How evil an exchange for the wrongdoers! (Al-Kahf 18:50) B ased on the expression of “Satan’s offspring” in the verse, some commentators have opined that Satan has wife(s) and children. It is worth mentioning the following two points concerning the matter: 1. Even though Satan is married and has wife(s) and children, this can be related to a different dimension of existence or a different realm. It is similar to the way we eat, drink, get married, or get sick in our dreams—all of these happen in a different dimension. Presumably, we should evaluate Satan’s having wife(s) and children from this perspective. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was reported to say: “Bones are the food of the jinn.”69 This also points to one of these different dimensions or realms of existence. 2. It is not necessary to understand the word of “offspring” in its literal meaning. Satan can really have offspring of his kind; however, the verse may be referring to Satan-like people among humankind. There are reports from our Prophet confirming the second meaning, and certain historical examples suggest it as well. For instance, while Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was teaching the prayer to be said at the time of sexual intercourse between the married couples, he added: “If a woman conceives a child as a result of the intercourse during which this prayer is said, Satan will not touch the child.” It may be that during the centuries when believers recited this prayer, many good, pure generations that served Islam were brought up. Later on, devilish generations emerged as a result of the neglect in or even the 69 Muslim, Salāh, 150; Tirmidhī, Tahārah, 14. 180 Reflections on the Qur’ān abandonment of Islamic way of life. More than that, generations which outwitted Satan in wickedness appeared. In conclusion, it is possible to take the term “Satan’s offspring” both literally and metaphorically. Certain other expressions of the Qur’ān such as “satans of humankind and jinn” (Al-An‘ām 6:112) and “brothers/ sisters of satans” (Al-Isrā’ 17:27) may be referring to satanic people among humankind. Sūratu’l-Kahf (The Cave) 181 ‫َ َْ َ َ א‬ ًَ َ One such way he (Dhu’l-Qarnayn) followed. (Al-Kahf 18:85) D hu’l-Qarnayn was granted both the power and ability of accomplishment and the power and ability to surmount hardships with consummate ease. He was favored with all the means and possibilities to overcome easily the hardships and obstacles invented and caused by his opponents. As it is understood from the Qur’anic verses about Dhu’l-Qarnayn, he was one who represented Islam in the world power-balance, interfered with any disorder and confusion to arise in any part of the world he could march to with his armies, reinstated peace and order, and built barriers before anarchy and dissension to ensure or preserve safety and security. In order that he could fulfill his duties or mission perfectly, God Almighty equipped him with whatever was necessary. The verse, “We surely established him with power in the land, and for everything (that he rightly purposed), We granted him a way (the just means appropriate to just ends)” (Al-Kahf 18:84), confirms this. In short, Dhu’l-Qarnayn was a hero who committed himself to a lofty ideal and used whatever God granted him to carry out whatever God willed and for the sake of world peace and with an awareness of why God had equipped him with the power of accomplishment and the power of ease. Reflections on the Qur’ān 182 ٰ َ ُ ُ ْ َ ‫َ ّٰ ۤ ِإ َذا َ َ َ َ ْ ِ َ ا َّ ْ ِ َو َ َ َ א‬ ‫َ ْ ٍم َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ُ ِ ْ ُدو ِ َ א ِ ْ ا‬ ْ ْ ً Then he (Dhu’l-Qarnayn) followed another way until, when he reached the rising-place of the sun and found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no shelter against it. (Al-Kahf 18:89–90) D hu’l-Qarnayn went in the direction of east and reached a point where he found a people who had no houses to live in and were even unaware of covering the body, deprived of even the smallest signs of civilization. The verse may also suggest the following: In his campaign towards the east, Dhu’l-Qarnayn reached such a place with neither a mountain or a hill nor even a tree to shade them from the heat of the sun. Because of this, when the sun rose every day, the people came face to face with the sun and its heat. Or they did not have clothes to be protected from the heat of the sun. They were almost naked, as people around the Equator and in hot deserts are today. They had neither natural covers, nor buildings, nor did they have clothes. They lived in primitive conditions. Sūratu’l-Kahf (The Cave) ْ َ َ ‫ون ِ ا ْ َ ْر ِض‬ َ ُ ِ ْ ‫َ َ َא َو َ َ ُ َ ًّ ا‬ ْ ْ ْ ْ ُ ‫َج َو َ ُ َج‬ َ َ ْ َ ‫َ ٰۤ أَ ْن‬ 183 ُ ْ َ ‫َ א ُ ا َא َذا ا ْ َ ْ َ ْ ِ إ َِّن‬ ‫َ ْ َ ُ َ َכ َ ً א‬ ْ They (a people who lived in a place before two mountainbarriers) said: “O Dhu’l-Qarnayn! Gog and Magog are causing disorder in this land. May we pay you a tribute so that you set a barrier between us and them.” (Al-Kahf 18:94) T his “barrier” could be the Chinese Wall or Demirkapi in the Caucasus or in any other place. However, considering the descriptions in the verses to follow, it is very difficult to identify it exactly. It would require hard, serious research to do so. For this reason, we need to pay attention more to the people before the barrier than the barrier itself. Indeed, as long as the people for whom Dhu’l-Qarnayn built a barrier to separate them from Gog and Magog are able to remain spiritually firm and powerful, the disorder and seditions that Gog and Magog may cause can be prevented or at least rendered harmless. In my opinion, certain general meanings or rules are to be searched for in the Qur’anic narrative of Dhu’l-Qarnayn. We should study it from the perspective of the characteristics of a just, powerful state; a just, righteous, and powerful ruler or government; and the imperatives for the maintenance of such a state and government. Otherwise, we would be relating only a story from the depths of history, and our benefit from the Qur’ān would therefore be either very limited or none at all. Another point in the verse worth discussing is the fact that Dhu’lQarnayn, who was the representative of justice and righteousness in the world, supported the weak and downtrodden, who could not even express themselves. Those who were suppressed or downtrodden at that time were some oppressed peoples. Those who oppressed them were Gog and Magog, who caused disorder in the region. During one of their wild and crazy insurgencies, Dhu’l-Qarnayn was able to stop those two tyrannical tribes who did not care about honor, religion, and 184 Reflections on the Qur’ān morality and whose true lineage and identity was unknown. Later on, they will be prevented by the just and righteous “inheritors of the earth” every time they attempt a new insurgency or cause great havoc, destruction, and corruption in the world, and this will continue until what is indicated by the following verse occurs: “Eventually, a day will come when Gog and Magog will be let loose, and they will rush down from every mound” (Al-Anbiyā’ 21:96). Sūratu’l-Kahf (The Cave) 185 ٌ ِ ‫ُ ْ ِإ َّ א أَ َ ۨא َ َ ٌ ِ ْ ُ ُכ ْ ُ ٰۤ ِإ َ َّ أَ َّ א ِإ ٰ ُ ُכ ْ ِإ ٰ ٌ َوا‬ Say: “I am but a mortal like you, but it is revealed to me that your God is the One and Only God…” (Al-Kahf 18:110) T here is no difference between human beings in their having been created by God and in their servanthood to Him. He is equally dominant over all of us, and we are equally under His rule or sovereignty. Nobody is great and exceptional enough to be a Lord or Deity to be worshipped nor is anyone so little or despicable enough to take any being other than God as Lord or Deity to worship. As Bediüzzaman Said Nursi aptly states, “All creatures are equal in regard to their distance from being worshipped, as well as in respect of being created.”70 The verse above also rejects deification of some great persons such as Jesus and Ezra, upon them be peace. It is true that some among people, especially the Prophets, have a certain degree of nearness to God Almighty. However, this nearness, which comes from belief in and worshipping Him, can never be a reason for deification. They have no place on God’s Throne (of Deity, Lordship and absolute Sovereignty) next to God. Thus, in order emphasize this important point, despite his exceptional greatness, our Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, declared, “I am a mortal human being like you.” He added, “It is revealed to me that your God is the One and Only God,” pointing to the difference between other human beings and himself as the receiver of God’s Revelation. It is of great significance that this difference also marks the basic reality that both he and all other human beings are God’s creatures who must worship Him, and it is only God, the One and Only God, Who deserves worship exclusively. To sum up, the verse under discussion both rejects the extreme considerations about some such as Jesus and Ezra and draws the attention of Muslims to the actual position of our Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. 70 Nursi, The Gleams (Trans.), The Seventeenth Gleam, 2008, p. 160. 186 Reflections on the Qur’ān ۪ َ‫َ َ ا ِ ِ ْ َورا ۪ئ َو َכא َ ِ ا ْ أ‬ َ َ ‫َ َ ْ ۪ ِ ْ َ ُ ْ َכ َو ِ ًّא‬ ْ‫ِ ْ ُ ا‬ ‫َא ِ ا‬ ً ّ ۪ ‫َو ِإ‬ (Zachariah invoked his Lord,) “I have fears in regard to my kinsmen after me, and my wife is barren. So bestow upon me a successor out of Your grace!” (Maryam 19:5) Sūrah Maryam (Mary) I t is not accurate to interpret Zachariah’s asking his Lord for a son as his being displeased with the Divine Destiny. For his desire for a son was due to certain significant aims. First of all, Zachariah, upon him be peace, was a Prophet sent to the Children of Israel, who had hitherto been guided and governed by Prophets. With respect to his grave concern for the guidance of his people, we can, as an example, remember the attitude of the Children of Israel when Saul was appointed as a commander over them by their Prophet (Samuel) at that time.71 Thus, Prophet Zachariah, who grew old and did not yet have any children, prayed to God for a son, worrying that his people would possibly fail to acknowledge and pay heed to the one who would succeed him, and the unity of the Children of Israel would be destroyed. This verse can also be viewed from a different perspective as follows: Human beings are tested with any worldly thing they desire. We can cite the examples of the Prophets Abraham and Zachariah, upon them be peace. Abraham had a secret desire to have a son, as it can be under71 “Their Prophet said to them: ‘God has set up Saul for you as king.’ They said: ‘How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of kingdom than him?’…” (Al-Baqarah 2:247). Sūrah Maryam (Mary) 187 stood from the fact that he rejoiced when the angel gave the good news of a child to him and his wife. As for Zachariah, he asked for a child explicitly. In accordance with Divine Wisdom, both Prophets were tested with their children. Since Abraham had not voiced his inner desire, he was tested with the Divine command to slaughter his elder son Ishmael as a sacrifice, but God sent a ram in place of Ishmael before Abraham fulfilled the command in obedience to it. However, since Zachariah voiced his desire, he was tested with the slaughter of himself and his son by his people. They were put to severe tests although these tests brought positive results as well. Everybody is tested according to their level. The Prophets Abraham and Zachariah, upon them be peace, were among those who are the nearest to God. The test of those near-stationed to God is extremely difficult. Zachariah’s fear or worry was that he would be deprived of one who would succeed him in both his religious and worldly duties. It is because of this that he prayed to God for a good, upright son, who would be an heir to him in both the mission of Prophethood and in representing the House of Jacob. He thus said, “My Lord! Do not let me leave the world without an heir, for You are the Best of the inheritors” (Al-Anbiyā’ 21:89), and, “My Lord, bestow upon me out of Your grace a good, upright offspring” (Al ‘Imrān 3:38). As stated in the hadı̄th, “We, the community of Prophets, do not bequeath; whatever we leave is charity,”72 no Prophet worried about bequeathing anything worldly to their inheritors. Therefore, Zachariah’s plea for a son to succeed him was in regards to his mission among his people and as the representative of the House of Jacob. God, the Best of the inheritors, accepted his prayer and in order to stress that His bestowing on him a son was purely out of His grace, He granted him John, upon him be peace, despite the fact that Zachariah was too old to have a son, and his wife was barren. However, He took John back after he performed his mission of, “confirming a Word (Jesus) from God” (Al ‘Imrān 3:39), and after setting a good example by “holding fast to the Book” and “being dutiful to parents” (Maryam 19:12–14). Thus we are reminded that it is He Himself Who is the True Inheritor. 72 Bukhārī, I’tisam, 5; Khumus, 1; Nafaqat, 3; Fadāil Ashabi’n-Nabı̄, 12; Farāid, 3; Muslim, Jihād, 51–52, 54, 56; al-Asbahānı̄, Dalāilu’n-Nubuwwah, 1/138. Reflections on the Qur’ān 188 ‫ْ א ِإ َ َ א‬ ْ ‫ًّא‬ ِ ِ َ َ ‫ْ ُدو ِ ْ َ א ًא َ ْر‬ ِ َ ‫َא َ َ َ َّ َ َ َ א َ َ ا‬ ً ِ ‫َ א َّ َ َ ْت‬ َ ‫ُرو‬ Thus, she (Mary) kept herself in seclusion from people. Then, We sent to her Our spirit, and it appeared before her in the form of a perfect man. (Maryam 19:17) M ary, may God be pleased with her, withdrew from her family to a chamber in the Temple facing east or to the east from her house. Furthermore, she kept herself in seclusion from her family and others. This she did in order that others should not be aware of her womanly state and so that she would be able to fully dedicate herself to worship of God and the service of the Temple. Mary was so sensitive about her both physical and spiritual purity that as if, according to the principle, “Pure women are for good, pure men” (An-Nūr 24:26), the Spirit (Rūhu’l-Quds), who came with the good news of a new Spirit, took the form of a man in that transcendental and spiritual atmosphere. Humanity would be revived once more with this transformation, and the similar instances of revival would continue until the end of time. What or who was “the Spirit” who appeared in front of Mary? Most of the Qur’anic commentators opined that the Spirit was the Archangel Gabriel, upon him be peace. However, the Qur’ān uses the word “Spirit,” without specification, and there is no agreement on the identity of the Spirit. Therefore, different views can be put forward concerning his identity provided it should not exceed the limits of the concept and should remain within the framework of the basic principles of Islam. Sūrah Maryam (Mary) ‫ِ ُّ َ َ ٰ َ ا َو ُכ ْ ُ َ ْ א َ ْ ِ ًّא‬ ْ ً 189 ۪ َ ‫א‬ َْ َ She (Mary) said: “Would that I had died before this, and had become a thing forgotten, completely forgotten!” (Maryam 19:23) E verybody uses particular expressions for the things that they overly emphasize. For instance, Abū Bakr is reported—even though not so reliably—to have said: “My Lord! In the Hereafter enlarge my body to the extent that I would fill the whole Hell and nobody else would enter it!” Similarly, Said Nursi says: “If I see the faith of my nation secured, I am ready to be burned in the flames of Hell, for while my body is being burned, my heart becomes like a rose garden.”73 Belief and altruism were so ingrained in their consciousness. As for Mary, chastity was so important to her that even though she was completely pure and sinless, her worries about the possible reactions of people to her giving birth to a child without a father were so unbearable that this heroine of chastity wished she would have died and become forgotten. Truly, Mary was such a heroine of chastity that her purity would not have been able to tolerate any criticism, even though it was like throwing a rose at her purity in the sense of criticism. For this reason, without being able to manage the first shock of the incident at the first moment, she voiced this wish, which also implied her desire to meet with the Divine Being immediately. In fact, there have been many who have felt doubled up under the heavy responsibility of being human. When Abū Bakr saw a bird pecking at a fruit in a tree, he wished he would have been that fruit.74 ‘Umar wished he would have been a chip of wood like the one he once held in his hand;75 and another one wished he would have been a tree to be cut into pieces.76 These are examples of certain momentary considerations coming from the unbearable heavy responsibility of being truly human. 73 74 75 76 Nursi, Tarihçe-i Hayat (Said Nursi’s Official Biography), 1996, Vol II, p. 2206. Al-Bayhaqı̄, Shu‘abu’l-Īmān, 1/485. Ibid, 1/486. Tirmidhī, “Zuhd,” 9; Ibn Mājah, “Zuhd,” 19. Reflections on the Qur’ān 190 ِ ِ ‫إ َِّن ا َّ ۪ ٰا ُ ا و ِ ُ ا ا א‬ ‫אت َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ ا ْ ٰ ُ ُو ًّدا‬ َ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َّ ُ “Surely those who believe and do good, righteous deeds, the All-Merciful will assign for them love…” (Maryam 19:96) T hose for whom God the All-Merciful has promised to assign love among the inhabitants of the earth and heavens need not to do extra things to be loved by others beyond believing and doing good deeds purely for God’s sake. Verbs in Arabic imply repetition and renewal. Therefore, the infinite verb “āmanū” (they believe) in the verse suggests that those who believe do not remain content with simply coming to belief. Instead, they constantly deepen their belief and pursue further and further horizons by self-renewal through continuous research, meditation, and new discoveries. They not only believe but also spend their lives doing good, righteous deeds. Hence, those who have such a belief and fulfill the requirements of belief in accordance with how God wants them to be fulfilled attain God’s love and regard first, and then they receive people’s welcome. That is, God the All-Merciful assigns for them love among humankind, angels, and jinn. The following hadı̄th explains this clearly: “When God loves a person, He declares, ‘I love that person, so you, too, love him!’ (Archangel) Gabriel, too, loves him and announces among the inhabitants of the heaven, ‘God loves that person and you, too, love him!’ and the inhabitants of the heaven also love him.”77 In fact, the love between God and human beings begins with God’s loving them. Those who feel God’s love for them love God in return. This interaction occurs either by God’s creating the causes of His love in those He will love or by loving them in advance due to their future deeds and virtues and awakening their consciences to what is good and virtuous. 77 Bukhārī, Badu’l-Khalq, 6; Adab, 41; Tawhı̄d, 33; Muslim, Birr, 157; Tirmidhī, Tafsīru Sūrah 19:6. Sūrah Maryam (Mary) 191 The main source or dynamics of both of these attainments on the part of human beings is God’s special regard and favor and His love for them. One’s voicing that they have been honored with such a favor can be regarded as a boastful claim, but it is a fact that those who serve God’s cause and humanity in different parts of the world receive this favor. Today, in almost every corner of the world from the Central Asian steppes to the inmost parts of America, from the midst of Europe to Africa and from there to Australia, the voices of those heroes of service are heard. Time will show what their activities and sacrifices mean for their local community and the whole humankind. When one considers them only from the perspective of the area where they are active, one cannot help but say, “If God had not assigned love and acceptance for those volunteers in the hearts of the people of this world, how would they be able to do that service?” Indeed, those friends know that serving God’s Religion, their society, and the whole of humanity is the goal of their life, and they live accordingly at a time when calamities follow each other in the world. Thinking constantly of God, they pursue only God’s good pleasure even while resting, walking, eating, or drinking. Once various people from different levels of society—men and women, young and old—come together for this sacred ideal and action—or in the words of the verse, once they “believe and do good, righteous deeds”—God assigns love and acceptance for them on the earth. Personally, I can explain the quality and the dimensions that those activities for God’s sake have attained despite all adversities only in this way and bow down in humbleness and gratitude, saying: “My Lord! All of this is only out of Your pure grace!” God Almighty says, following the verse under discussion: “We make it (this Qur’ān) in your tongue easy (to recite and understand) so that you may thereby give glad tidings to the God-revering, pious ones, and warn thereby a people given to contention” (Maryam 19:97). The verse mentions “a mysterious easiness” as a favor of God. When the matter is considered within the framework of the entire context of this verse, the Qur’ān actually refers to some work which is very difficult to perform: indeed, giving glad tidings on behalf of God’s cause is difficult, and so is warning against the possible consequences of misguidance. Conquering hearts is the hardest of all. Moreover, if the conditions that affect the fulfillment of services are inappropriate and the numbers of the 192 Reflections on the Qur’ān qualified persons are few, then it becomes extremely difficult to achieve any purpose. Indeed, to start mobilizing people and the means one has available is too difficult considering especially the fact that setting something stationary in motion or activating something passive requires great effort and energy. For example, when an airplane is taking off, the sole aim is the take-off, and everything is concentrated on the action of takeoff. Likewise, while a vehicle is being turned on, the lights, radio, and music players are turned off in order to conserve energy. But once the plane has taken off and the vehicle has been turned on, everything goes back to its normal condition, and they almost move by themselves. Similarly, serving God’s cause, regardless of how we approach it, comes with many difficulties in its initial steps. However, once things begin to go well, what we can call “a productive circle” appears. We observe this process all over the world, concerning which the following verse can also be considered: “Those who strive hard for Our sake, We will most certainly guide them to Our ways. Most assuredly, God is with those devoted to doing good, aware that God is seeing them” (‘Ankabūt 29:69). Truly, the services done in God’s cause and the peoples or communities that have been honored with God’s nearness and company due to their service over the course of history have been facilitated by God. If we observe history from this perspective, we can see innumerable examples of this. The Prophet’s Companions, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Seljuks, the Ottomans, and today’s heroes of the second, promising awakening are only a few, most visible examples. It is also possible to look at the issue from the following point of view. Almighty God says in Sūratu’l-Layl: “Then, as for him who gives (out of his wealth for God’s good pleasure), and keeps from disobedience to Him in reverence for Him and piety, and affirms the best (in creed, action, and the reward to be given), We will make easy for him the path to the state of ease (salvation after an easy reckoning)” (92:5–7). According to these verses, giving for God’s sake, keeping from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and in piety (at-taqwā), and affirming all that is good in creed, word, and action—all of which are among good, righteous deeds—lead people to finding any responsibility easy. Consider what the Turkish volunteers do all over the world! They work incessantly, emigrate from their homeland to foreign lands, frequently encounter financial shortcomings, and strive in improper condi- Sūrah Maryam (Mary) 193 tions even without aiming at any spiritual pleasures, but they do all these lovingly and willingly and without deeming any of them difficult. All of the good, righteous deeds they do have become an inseparable part of their nature and lives. This means that God’s favor of making difficulties easy comes to them in this way. May our souls be sacrificed for Him Who favors us so greatly! 194 Reflections on the Qur’ān ِ ِ ٰ ُ ‫َوأَ َא ا ْ َ ْ ُ َכ َ א ْ َ ْ َ א‬ I have chosen you (to be My Messenger), so listen to what is revealed (to you). (Tā-Hā 20:13) Sūrah Tā-Hā M oses’ being chosen as a Messenger to the Children of Israel was both a great honor and a trial for him. He received this noble position as an early reward in return for his future devoutness and firmness, and he eternalized this otherworldly capital with his consciousness of responsibility, Prophetic determination, humbleness, modesty, and straightforwardness. Actually, Moses, peace be upon him, had been raised up in Pharaoh’s palace with great care, treated like a prince, and held in great honor. In reality, returning among the people who were despised, enslaved, and exposed to frequent killings by the Pharaoh was not an easy problem to overcome for someone like him. However, Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, overcame this difficulty and became one of the few who have reached the summit of human values and perfection. These fine and meaningful lines of his character explain the meaning and reason of God’s choosing him to be His Messenger. Moses was chosen not by the Pharaoh’s palace or the Children of Israel but directly by God to be an addressee and representative of the Divine Speech and then convey it to others in order to found a new world with Its directives. So, by addressing him, “I have chosen you (to be My Messenger), so listen to what is revealed (to you),” God did not only do him a special favor, but He also showed him the horizon of developing into a whole nation (while Moses himself was an individual) according to the profundity of his goal, intention, and effort. This address contained both glad tidings of a Divine selection and appointment as well as a reminder of a responsibility. It is quite normal that the address was so fine because the speech belonged to God Almighty, and the addressee was the one who had the ability of receiving God’s speech. Sūrah Tā-Hā ُ َ َ ُ َ ‫َ ْ َن ِإ َّ ُ َ ٰ ۚ۝‬ ٰ ْ َ ‫َ َ َّ ُ َ َ َ َّכ ُ أَ ْو‬ ْ 195 ِ ٰ ‫ِا ْذ َ א ِإ‬ ‫َ ْ ً َ ِ ًא‬ ّ Go, both of you, to the Pharaoh, for he has exceedingly rebelled. But speak to him with gentle words, so that he might reflect and be mindful or feel some awe (of Me, and behave with humility). (Tā-Hā 20:43–44) H ere, it is revealed to a Prophet with a style appropriate for Prophethood that even if those to whom the Divine Message will be delivered are people like the Pharaoh, Nimrud, or Shaddad, whose hearts and minds are utterly closed to belief and conditioned to unbelief, they should be addressed with “gentle words.” There is another important point here: if “speaking with gentle words” has become an essential attribute of the conveyor of the Message or the guide, he will be effective as this attribute has become integrated into his feelings and thoughts. Otherwise, if “speaking with gentle words” or gentleness has not become integrated in the personality of the guide, in other words, if the guide does not act naturally and from the bottom of his heart, then many errors will be inevitable. In case of an irritation, the main character of the guide will appear itself and cause destruction instead of improvement or reformation. And those who encounter such harshness will move away from the thought and mission he represents. Thus, it is very important for a guide who conveys the Divine Message to appropriate gentleness or make gentleness a part of his nature. This is only possible through gentleness in behavior and manners and through kindheartedness. If one has a question about “hatred towards unbelief,” the Divine rule about it is evident. Loving for God’s sake and hating for God’s sake are principles in Islam. Therefore, a person is loved for his virtues and perfections and is disliked because of his vices and evils. So our hate is directed toward attributes and deeds, rather than the persons themselves. The Qur’ān describes those who sin and do wrong as those who 196 Reflections on the Qur’ān wrong themselves. Therefore, we pity those who wrong themselves and desire their reformation. In any event, we should be gentle and kindhearted and act gently in conveying Islam to others. Even if our addressees do not accept Islam, we have done our duty. Another point worth mentioning is that God ordered Moses to go to Pharaoh together with his brother Aaron, peace be upon them both. This indicates that mutual help or collective behavior is more effective in some affairs. It is especially important to give moral support and bear witness to each other in the presence of haughty persons. Although the opponent of Moses was a rebellious one, God’s ordering His Messenger to speak gentle words also reminds us that a guide cannot change his style because of temporary reasons and should always act in a manner befitting him and not cause aversion in the addressees with rude and sharp words. Moses had to act especially gently and “speak with gentle words” because he had been brought up in the Pharaoh’s palace and treated kindly. It was his duty to awaken them to spirituality, otherworldliness, and to eternity. If one acts in this way, there might appear some who, as stated in the verse, would “reflect and be mindful or feel some awe of God” and behave with humility. Sūrah Tā-Hā 197 ‫َ َ َ ْ ِ َّ َכ ِ ِ ْ ٍ ِ ْ ِ ۪ َ א ْ َ ْ َ َ َא َو َ َ َכ َ ْ ِ ً ا َ ُ ْ ِ ُ ُ َ ْ ُ َو‬ ْ ْ َ ِ َ ِ َ ً ُ ‫אس‬ ُ َّ ‫أ ْ َ َ َכא ًא ُ ً ى۝ َ َאل َ ْ ُ ُכ ْ َ ْ ُم ا ۪ ّ َ َوأ ْن ُ ْ َ َ ا‬ (The Pharaoh said,) “Then, we will most certainly produce before you sorcery like it. So appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we nor you will fail to keep, in an open, level place convenient (to both of us).” (Moses) said: “The meeting will be on the Day of the Festival, and let the people assemble in the forenoon.” (Tā-Hā 20:58–59) H ow many dazzling lights and mysteries flow into our spirits from the verses above, the first addressee of which was Prophet Moses, peace be upon him. Having had a mysterious experience of speaking to God in the valley of Tuwa in the Sinai, having seen his staff change into a snake and his right hand become a shining hand, and having felt his theoretical certainty transformed into experienced certainty, this exalted Prophet had perfect confidence in and reliance on his Lord. Therefore, when the Pharaoh challenged Moses to a contest against the sorcerers of Egypt, Moses was perfectly sure that he would defeat the Pharaoh’s sorcerers regardless of what they would do. Hence, based on his Prophetic insight, Moses made the offer, “The meeting will be on the Day of the Festival, and let the people assemble in the forenoon.” Through this counterchallenge, Moses meant the following: 1. The competition which would distinguish right from wrong or truth from falsehood should not take place behind walls; rather, it should occur in an open, level place where people would be able to watch and witness. 2. The competition should take place on a festive day so that whoever wanted to watch it could come. 3. Forenoon was the most convenient time for such an encounter. It is a time when people are free from exhaustion and drowsiness Reflections on the Qur’ān 198 and feel energetic and vigorous. Also, it is the best time for minds to think and judge. Thus, in order to watch the competition between Moses and the sorcerers, the people of Egypt came to the meeting area in crowds in the early morning on the Day of Festival. Sorcery was a popular and esteemed occupation in Egypt at that time. Sorcerers were not ordinary people; they were the intellectual elite of the time, who could contact jinn and who had certain knowledge of spiritism or spiritualism and parapsychology. Therefore, their defeat in the face of Moses and their possible conversion would mark the beginning of a revolution in the country in favor of belief. And so it came to pass. Having understood that the miracles God created at the hand of Moses were not magic or sorcery, the sorcerers believed in Moses’ Message immediately despite the Pharaoh’s threats that he would hang them and cut off their hands and feet alternately.78 Many among the common people who witnessed the submission of the elite to Moses came to belief, and doubts about their own religion appeared in the hearts of many others. The goal was achieved and absolute unbelief was broken. People in general came to the point where they felt hesitant to choose between Moses and the Pharaoh, who had made his subjects ascribe Divine power to him, telling them that he knew no god for them but himself. The most significant point drawing our attention in this verse is the time and place which Moses chose for that important encounter. There are important lessons in this event that today’s Muslims will learn. First of all, a believer should never despair because of the lack of or shortage in material necessities. They should use the credit that God granted them carefully without wasting it. As the proverb says, “killing two birds with one stone,” a Muslim should always plan to be able to achieve not only two but hundreds of results with one action and search for the ways to succeed in doing so. Consider how, according to God’s usual practice, a seed buried in the earth grows into an ear containing hundreds of seeds of the same kind or into a tree producing hundreds of fruits. Thus should we try to act in a way that we sow one grain but harvest seven, seventy, or even seven hundred in return and in the name of serving belief, the Qur’ān, our nation, and the whole of humanity. This was what Moses did. 78 See Sūrah Tā-Hā 20:71.