Sūratu’l-Qasas (The Narrative) PDF

Sūratu’l-Qasas (The Narrative) ‫َ ۪ َכ ِ َ ا ُّ ْ א‬ َ َ 239 ِ َ َ ‫َوا ْ َ ِ ۪ א ٰا‬ َ ْ َ َ ‫אك ا ّٰ ُ ا َّ َار ا ْ ٰ َ َة َو‬ But seek, by means of what God has granted you, the abode of the Hereafter (by spending in alms and other good causes), without forgetting your share (which God has ap...

Sūratu’l-Qasas (The Narrative) ‫َ ۪ َכ ِ َ ا ُّ ْ א‬ َ َ 239 ِ َ َ ‫َوا ْ َ ِ ۪ א ٰا‬ َ ْ َ َ ‫אك ا ّٰ ُ ا َّ َار ا ْ ٰ َ َة َو‬ But seek, by means of what God has granted you, the abode of the Hereafter (by spending in alms and other good causes), without forgetting your share (which God has appointed) in this world. (Al-Qasas 28:77) S ome have interpreted this verse as calling people to seek the world or a happy worldly life. However, as those who have some knowledge of Arabic will admit, the verse orders to seek the afterlife. The verb “ibtaghi,” which is translated as “seek,” means to pursue an aim with all one’s being and capacity as well as with all one’s faculties, such as the mind, heart, feelings, consciousness, comprehension, health, wealth, and offspring. The second part of the verse— “without forgetting (or do not forget) your share (which God has appointed) in this world”—balances this “seeking.” That is, we must pursue “the abode of the Hereafter” with all our capacity and faculties; gaining eternal happiness must be our goal in this life, but we should attend to this life as well. We should not beg from others, nor should we live dependent on others. By working and earning in lawful ways, we must meet our essential needs, as well as the needs of those for whose livelihood we are responsible. If we neglect the main order in the verse and understand it as calling us to work only for our worldly life and calling others to worldliness, this will be a great error. Such an understanding also contradicts with the verse, “God has bought from the believers their selves and wealth because Paradise is for them” (At-Tawbah 9:111), and reduces the Qur’ān to a book that contains contradictions. The verse gives us this criterion: Seek the world in proportion to its value, and seek the Hereafter proportionately to its value. The world is like the “Plain of ‘Arafat” (where the pilgrims stay for some time on the Eve of the Festive Day of Sacrifice) for the people whose souls are content and at rest with the Divine Religion. And the life-span spent in this fleeting world is but like the Eve of the Festive Day spent on the Plain of ‘Arafat. We will, therefore, reach the Festive Day beyond this world. 240 Reflections on the Qur’ān Thus, our criterion must be sound, and we must live this short life-span in this world without wasting even a single minute. If a pilgrim misses the time of staying on the Plain ‘Arafat on the Eve of the Festive Day, he or she will miss the pilgrimage that year but can compensate for it the next year. But if we waste our worldly life on trivialities or miss living our worldly ‘Arafat—that is, miss the opportunity of living our worldly life in a profitable way—we will not be given a second chance or second life in the world as a means of compensation. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “What business can I have with the world! I am but a traveler who takes a rest under the shadow of a tree and then goes on his way leaving it.”90 This hadı̄th does not mean renouncing the world totally, but it teaches us our position in the world. In another hadı̄th our Prophet said, “If the world had had as much value in God’s sight as the gnat of a fly, He would not have given an unbeliever even a sip of water from it.”91 While it is God Who has created the world with whatever is in it, those who deny God should have no right in benefiting from the world. But purely out of His infinite Mercy, God Almighty allows unbelievers to live in the world and provides for them. However, since there is an eternal realm beyond this world where unbelievers will find no happiness, God does not disturb their enjoyment in this world out of His Mercy. As Said Nursi states, “A thousands years of happy life of this world is not equal to even one hour of the Hereafter. Likewise, a thousands years of happy life in the Hereafter is not equal to even one minute of seeing the Beauty of God.”92 Accordingly, we are seeking such a life described above. Thus, how much value can this world have in comparison to the Hereafter so that we can attempt to compare it with Hereafter? We have in average sixty-year lifespan in this world, half of which passes in sleeping. Hence, what value can such a life have? Therefore, to overvalue this world by transgressing the limits of balanced thinking and to compare the world and the Hereafter in equal terms mean a lack of true understanding of the Qur’ān and the essentials of the religion. 90 91 92 Tirmidhī, Zuhd, 44; Ibn Mājah, Zuhd, 2; Musnad Ahmad, 1/201. Tirmidhī, Zuhd, 13; Ibn Mājah, Zuhd, 3. Nursi, The Words (Trans.), 2010, p. 663. Sūratu’l-Qasas (The Narrative) 241 In addition, Bediüzzaman Said Nursi has a very meaningful approach to the world, which I have not seen in another. He says that the world has three facets: one looking to the All-Beautiful Names of God, the second looking to the fact that it is the field of the Hereafter, and the third relating to human desires and lusts.93 In regard to being a polished mirror of God’s All-Beautiful Names, this world is an invaluable realm. We love it very much in respect of this. It is an arable field to be sown with the seeds of the Hereafter, and we could not have been candidates for the Hereafter if we had not been sent to this fleeting world. The world has an exceptional value in respect to this as well. As for the third aspect of the world, which allures our desires and lusts, it is worse than it seems to be. In other words, if people are caught up in their personal pleasures and forget the afterlife, then this world is despicable and deserving of contempt. Nursi also says that the world should be renounced at heart, not by way of working and earning one’s life.94 If we approach the world from these viewpoints of Nursi, we will have no problem with the world. One who deals with the world and has relations with it from these perspectives can work, earn as much money as possible in the lawful ways, and become rich. For such people can donate all their earnings in God’s cause and for the needy. Among the Companions of God’s Messenger, ‘AbdurRahman ibn ‘Awf was very wealthy. Once he spent in charity seven hundred camels’ load of wealth. God’s Messenger said nothing negative to him because of his richness; he only warned him to carry out what fell to him as a duty in return for it and encouraged him to spend a good portion out of his wealth in God’s cause and for the needy by giving him the glad tidings of Paradise in return.95 As recorded in some books on the merits of Prophets and other virtuous, saintly people, angels once said to God: “Our Lord! You are calling Prophet Abraham ‘My Close Friend.’ How can he prove worthy of such a position despite his wealth?” God Almighty sent a few angels to test Abraham. The angels came to Abraham pretending to be long-road travelers in shabby clothes and messy looking, and they told him that they were hungry. Abraham, upon him be peace, immediately slaughtered a 93 94 95 Ibid, 2010, pp. 366, 640–641. Nursi, al-Mathnawi an-Nuri (Trans.), 2007, p. 178. Ibnu’l-Athı̄r, Usdu’l-Ghābah, 3/276–381. 242 Reflections on the Qur’ān sheep, cooked it, and served his guests. Before starting to eat, the angels said the supplication particular to them: “All-Glorified and All-Holy, the Lord of the angels and the Spirit” instead of saying “In the name of God.” This supplication fascinated the pure soul of Abraham to the extent that he begged them to repeat it, saying: “Take one-fourth of my sheep, please repeat what you said.” When the angels repeated the supplication, Abraham requested them to repeat once more, saying: “Take half of my sheep, please one more time.” Finally, he gave all of his sheep to the angels in return for this supplication. This means that that great Messenger of God, upon him be peace, renounced the world at heart, not by way of working and earning his living. Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, said nothing condemning richness and earning. Even though some hadı̄ths imply this, they are concerning particular cases. If it is asked why he did not become rich, the answer will be as follows: he descended from a poor family. Besides, if he had become rich, since he was the chief representative of a lofty cause, there might be some speculations about both his wealth and his cause. For this reason, God’s Messenger preferred remaining poor knowingly and intentionally. We should also view scholars, saints, and saintly scholars who have preferred poverty in the footsteps of God’s Messenger from the same perspective. In consequence, we should remember once more that what is essential in the religion is renouncing the world at heart, not by way of working to earn one’s life. The world should have no place in our hearts and should not cause us to forget the Hereafter. Otherwise, the world will dominate us, and all the seconds of our life lived for the sake of a “better” worldly life will go in vain. In order to be able to be protected against such an end, we should have recourse to the dynamics which will increase our will-power. For example, accurate and sound knowledge of God reinforces our will-power and faith. If you desire and make plans to live an easy, luxurious life and begin making efforts to raise your standard of life, knowledge of God comes to your aid at just this point. One of our friends visited a house. As he was sitting up in the balcony which oversees the sea, a desire to live in such a lovely house arose in his heart. That friend, who felt a desire to live a long, easy life, immediately left the house. The thought coming from knowledge of God that even a thousand years of life in Paradise would not be Sūratu’l-Qasas (The Narrative) 243 equal to a minute’s view of God’s Beauty saved him from that ambition and caused him to leave the house. In short, understanding the part of the verse, “without forgetting your share in this world,” as a call to the world is not a true understanding based on the Qur’ān. In my opinion, a human being can desire a long life so long as they live it like Bediüzzaman without wasting even a minute of it. One should desire life in order to make others live and strive for the guidance and perfection of humanity. One should desire wealth to spend it in God’s cause and for the well-being of others and live life in the direction of gaining the eternal happiness. This direction should urge one to earn in lawful ways and spend for lawful goals and licit pleasures. Earning in unlawful ways and spending for illicit pleasures bring pain upon pain. Let me conclude this discussion with a saying of the pride of humankind, upon him be peace and blessings: “Everyone should reserve something from his own self for his own self, from his world for his afterlife, from his youth for his old age, and from his life for his death. I swear by God in Whose hand is my life that no excuse will be accepted after death, and no place will exist except Paradise and Hell after this world.”96 May God bestow blessings and peace on him and his brothers from among the Messengers and Prophets, and on the angels near-stationed to God, and on God’s good, righteous servants. 96 Al-Qurtubı̄, al-Jāmiu li Ahkami’l-Qur’ān, 18/116. Reflections on the Qur’ān 244 ‫َ َ ٍאد‬ ٰ ‫إ َِّن ا َّ ۪ ي َ َ َض َ َ ْ َכ ا ْ ُ ْ ٰا َن َ َ ا ۤ ُّد َك ِإ‬ Surely, He Who has entrusted you (O Messenger) with the (duty of following and conveying) the Qur’ān, will certainly bring you round to the fulfillment of the promise of returning (in victory to the home you were compelled to leave). (Al-Qasas 28:85) T his verse has been interpreted in two ways. One is that it reminds our Prophet of the things most pleasing to him such as the afterlife and “reunion” with God, for which he yearned most sincerely from the bottom of his heart. At a time when God’s most beloved servant and Messenger, upon him be the most perfect of blessings and peace, was in indescribable sorrow due to the fact that he was compelled to leave his hometown of Makkah and the Ka‘bah, which he loved so much beyond any description, God Almighty consoled him with the promise of reunion with Him and His approval and good pleasure, which was the greatest of glad tidings for him. We cannot comprehend to what extent these good tidings pleased him and made him rejoice. Thus, his All-Compassionate Lord changed his sorrow to rejoicing. The other meaning of this verse is that God Almighty draws our attention to His Divine practice in recurrent events throughout the human history. That is, from the beginning of Sūratu’l-Qasas up to this verse, God Almighty relates the significant incidents and experiences in Moses’ life from his birth to his struggle against the Pharaoh in Egypt and reminds our Messenger that these are not meaningless historical events. They are repeated in the history of humankind, and, therefore, God’s Messenger will live them or their likes. Like Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, he will also be compelled to leave his hometown to live in another place. While this sūrah was revealed in Makkah, according to a report, this verse was sent down during our Prophet’s emigration to Madı̄nah. With this verse, God both breathes peace and assurance into the spirit of His Prophet, who is suffering the sorrow of leaving Makkah, and gives him the glad tidings that he will Sūratu’l-Qasas (The Narrative) 245 return to his hometown after eight and so years. This interpretation is more acceptable than the former and refers to the mission of Prophethood in giving news from the Unseen. When the time was due, Makkah was conquered, and the enemies of Muslims suffered humiliation. The pride of humankind, peace and blessings be upon him, “returned” to that glorious town with his dignified Companions through a victory beyond description. As the very word “return” (ma‘ād) implies being in the same place as one was before, this interpretation sounds more accurate. God knows the best and to Him is the return and homecoming. 246 Reflections on the Qur’ān ِ ِ ‫אء َوا ْ ُ ْ َכ‬ ْ َ ْ‫َ ِ ا‬ ٰ ْ َ ‫إ َِّن ا َّ ٰ َة‬ Surely, the Prayer restrains from all that is indecent and shameful, and all that is evil. (Al-‘Ankabūt 29:45) Sūratu’l-‘Ankabūt (The Spider) A lthough people perform the Prayer, and the Prayer restrains them from all that are indecent and evil, it is always possible that they can make some errors. The following hadı̄th of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is quite significant to express this reality: “All human beings commit errors, and the best of those who commit errors are those who repent.”97 If people perform the Prayer perfectly, the luminous periods of time in their lives expand widely while their dark and obscure periods of time narrow. Their spiritual expansion increases, occurs more frequently and lasts longer while their distressful moments almost disappear. The openings that give way to carnality and devilishness in their inner world become narrow while the doors opening unto spirituality and angelic nature and manners become wide open. However, all of these are dependent upon the performance of the Prayer consciously and with a vigilant heart and boiling feelings. Therefore, the Prayer described in the verse above is the Prayer performed perfectly. It is inevitable for those who cannot achieve such state of mind during the Prayer to commit errors. A Prayer’s restraining people from indecencies and evils and urging them good and virtues is also dependent on a serious concentration during it. For instance, at the moment of the breaking the fast of Ramadan after a long, hot day of summer, we feel the water we drink in each cell of our bodies. Like this, we should feel every word that we recite and 97 Tirmidhī, Qiyāmah, 49; Ibn Mājah, Zuhd, 30; Dārimī, Riqāq, 18. Sūratu’l-‘Ankabūt (The Spider) 247 every act that we do during the Prayer in our consciences in the same fashion. Every word and every act of the Prayer should generate a shiver within us and remind us that we are in the presence of God so that the Prayer can restrain us from indecencies and evils. Thus, we can say that we can be far from evil to the extent of the level or degree of spirituality and consciousness that we acquire through the Prayer. In other words, the profundity in performing the Prayer can in time become an important factor in determining our behavior. Off the topic, I should note the following point: people should always question themselves about the soundness of their way of living and worship, provided that they do not lose their determination and fall into despair. They should always worry if their Prayers and other devotions will be refused in the Hereafter. Yet, they should worry only for their own selves and refrain from thinking ill of others. Ill-suspicion of others without any substantiated proof is forbidden by Islam. It is useful here to repeat a truth: a person should act like a public prosecutor and plaintiff in their own name and like a lawyer in the name of others. A person should see even their minor faults as dangerous as snakes on their own behalf, but they should forgive and be compassionate like a mother with respect to even the biggest errors of others. While warning others because of their wrong, they should speak sincerely and purely for the sake of the reform of their addressee. This is the manner and style of the Qur’ān, and God Almighty calls us to follow the guidance of the Qur’ān in all of our thoughts and behavior, as follows: “Recite and convey to them what is revealed to you of the Book, and establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions” (Al-‘Ankabūt 29:45). Back to the topic, so long as the Prayer is performed purely with the intention of fulfilling an important order of God and pleasing Him and as long as it is performed regularly without missing any time, then the Prayer will definitely prevent one from committing evils and indecencies sooner or later. A Prayer which prevents one from evils and indecencies will certainly keep one from association of partners with God and other types of misguidance and the errors and sins that lead to them. For the Prayer is the kind of worship composed of verbal and active remembrance, glorification, praise, and exaltation of God. It is the greatest of the acts or types of worship, as stated in the verse: “Surely God’s remembrance is the greatest (of all types of worship). God knows all that you do” (Al-‘Ankabūt 29:45). Reflections on the Qur’ān 248 ِ ‫َ ِ ا ْ ُ ْ َכ‬ ِ‫ْ ِم ا ْ ُ ُ ر‬ ِ ِِ َ ْ ‫أَ ا َّ ٰ َة َو ْا ُ ْ ِא ْ َ ْ ُ وف َوا‬ ِ ِ ۘ َ َ ‫ِ َ ٰ א أَ َ א‬ َ ْ ‫כ إ َِّن ٰذ َכ‬ ْ ‫א‬ َّ َ ُ َ ْ ‫َوا‬ (Luqmān said to his son:) “My dear son! Establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions, enjoin and promote what is right and good and forbid and try to prevent evil, and bear patiently whatever may befall you. Surely (all of) that is among greatly meritorious things requiring great resolution to fulfill.” (Luqmān 31:17) Sūrah Luqmān I n the verse above, the Qur’ān mentions four important points one after another: establishing the Prayer,98 enjoining and promoting what is right and good, forbidding and trying to prevent evil, and bearing hardships patiently. The Prayer (Salāh) is the greatest of all kinds of worship and the main pillar of Islam. Enjoining and promoting what is right and forbidding and trying to prevent evil are among the strongholds of Islam. It is inevitable for a believer who transcends his or her individual responsibilities and tries to prevent evil in society to face various difficulties and hardships. All those who see themselves in a position to have to give up their years-old habits and feel that their personal interests will be damaged will oppose them and exert pressure on them. However, believers are expected to resist any pressure and preserve their stance. There are many examples of this in history. First of 98 Here, the term “establish” (iqâma) is used instead of the word “perform.” The former indicates observing or leading the Prayers in exact conformity with its conditions, offering it perfectly with body and soul. The Prayer, which is the greatest of all acts of worship, is also the first manifestation of faith in daily life. In the words of the Prophet, it is “the main pillar” of the establishment of Religion, holding up the great, exalted dome of Religion over the foundation of faith. (Tr.) Sūrah Luqmān 249 all, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, although he began his mission alone and was sometimes left only with a few people in his big strenuous struggle, he was never shaken in the face of all obstacles and continued his way with patience and determination. It is a fact that whenever and wherever some attempt to live Islam truly and convey it to others, the first necessity becomes showing patience. This is emphasized in another verse in a clearer way: “Seek help through patience and the Prayer” (Al-Baqarah 2:45). That is: Go your way by seeking God’s help through all kinds of patience and through all kinds of the Prayer. In fact, performing five daily Prayers, which have forty units, without abandoning any of them is a good example of patience. This most important kind of worship must be very hard and heavy for anyone except those whose hearts tremble respectfully in the presence of God. The following verse expresses this fact: “Indeed the Prayer is burdensome, but not for those humbled by their reverence of God” (Al-Baqarah 2:45). The verse under discussion also stresses the fact that “establishing the Prayer” as well as “enjoining and promoting what is right and good,” and “forbidding and trying to prevent evil” were also ordered to the communities prior of the Muslim Community. They are presented in the verse in a style addressing believers. After having warned his son against the most heinous and monstrous of evils, saying, “My dear son! Do not associate partners with God. Surely associating partners with God is a tremendous wrong” (31:13), Luqmān calls him to the greatest of the acts or kinds of worship—the Prayer—and the most indispensable dimension of jihād, namely enjoining and promoting what is right and good and forbidding and trying to prevent evil. He concludes his calls with both what is necessary for the fulfillment of these essential duties, which is also another important duty in itself, and with the emphasis on the value and importance on these duties, saying: “Bear patiently whatever may befall you. Surely (all of) that is among greatly meritorious things requiring great resolution to fulfill.” Reflections on the Qur’ān 250 ‫ِ ْ َ ْ ِ ۪ َ ْ ِ ۪ ۚ َو َ א َ َ َ أَ ْز َوا َ ُכ ا َّ ۤ ۪ئ‬ َْ ُ ‫כ‬ ‫أَد ِ אءכ أَ אءכ ۘ ذ ِכ‬ ‫א ِכ ۚ و א‬ ُْ ُ َْ ُْ ٰ ُْ َ ْ ُْ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َ ُْ َ َ ۪ َّ ‫ۘ َوا ّٰ ُ َ ُ ُل ا ْ َ َّ َو ُ َ َ ْ ِ ي ا‬ ْ ٍ ُ َ ِ ُ ّٰ ‫َ א َ َ َ ا‬ ِ َ ِ ‫ُ َא‬ ُ َّ ‫ون ْ ُ َّ أ‬ ُ ‫ِ َ ْ َ ا ِ ُכ‬ God has not made for any man two hearts within his body. Nor has He made your wives whom you declare to be (unlawful to you) as your mothers’ back (to mean that you divorce them) your mothers (in fact). Nor has He made your adopted sons your sons (in fact). Those are only expressions you utter with your mouths. Whereas God speaks the truth and He guides to the right way. (Al-Ahzāb 33:4) Sūratu’l-Ahzāb (The Confederates) Z ayd ibn Harı̄thah, may God be pleased with him, was a freed slave of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Since Zayd preferred staying with the Prophet to staying with his biological father, the Prophet adopted him, and after that Zayd was called Zayd ibn Muhammad (i.e. Zayd, son of Muhammad) for a while. With the verse above, the Qur’ān prohibited calling him in attribution to the Prophet, also emphasizing that no one other than the biological parents can be regarded as the parents of someone and everyone’s identity should be attributed to his or her own parents. After the revelation of this verse, Zayd began to be called as Zayd ibn Harı̄thah. As for those who converted to Islam through Muslims, they were called as “Mawlā so and so” (i.e. the freed slave of so and so), like in the example of Sālim Mawlā Hudayfa. The second point indicated in the verse above is as follows: a) The Arabs of the pre-Islamic age used to believe that intelligent and efficient people had two hearts; and Sūratu’l-Ahzāb (The Confederates) 251 b) when a husband said to his wife, “You are henceforth as my mother’s back to me,” which is called zihār, that wife was believed to be like the husband’s mother and regarded as divorced. Thus, the verse abolished these two wrong assertions and practices at once. The expression, “God has not made for any man two hearts within his body,” also has a metaphorical meaning. The heart mentioned here is not the biological heart; it is what the Muslim Sufis call the Divine faculty in a human being although it has some relationship with the biological heart. Just as the biological heart is the most vital organ of a human being as it pumps blood throughout the body causing death when it stops, so too the spiritual heart or the Divine faculty is the most vital mechanism of human spiritual and moral life. Everybody has both a biological and spiritual heart, not two. No one has two hearts one for believing in God’s Unity, the other for polytheism, one for sincerity, the other for ostentation and hypocrisy, one for the truth, the other for lies and falsehood. In short, the verse means: White is white and black is black. Neither your wives whom you declare to be your mothers are your mothers, nor are your adopted children your real children. Neither do intelligent, efficient people have two hearts. Likewise, you have only one heart, and neither belief in Divine Unity and polytheism, nor sincerity and hypocrisy, nor the truth and falsehood can co-exist in it. Approaching the verse from another perspective, a human being can be or can be seen in duality because of different conditions in different periods of time. Nevertheless, Islam never permits such an attitude, which is considered to be the beginning point of a vicious cycle because such a position or attitudes make a human being more dangerous than aggressive unbelievers. The Qur’ān calls this attitude hypocrisy and declares that hypocrites are in the deepest pit of Hell. If a person claims to be following the way of God and have close relationship with God although he or she travels along the crooked, deviating ways, it means that such a person is carrying two hearts in his or her breast. The verse under discussion rejects such a position. In fact, God pronounces in two different verses that, “The (true) religion with God is Islam” (Al ‘Imrān 3:19), and “Whoever seeks as religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him” (Al ‘Imrān 3:85). 252 Reflections on the Qur’ān Truly, if the way is one, then the heart should be one, too. Those who deviate into different ways will not be able to free from disarray in their thoughts, vision, and hearts. Their claims of belief are no more than mere utterances with their mouths, as stated in the verse. If a person who claims to be a Muslim insults Islam and its values, such a person can only be a hypocrite. In consequence, nobody carries two hearts and two consciences in their heart. With its sense of reliance and seeking help, that is, the needs of relying on a source of supreme power and seeking help from a supreme source of help that every human being feels in his or her heart, everyone has a single heart, and the heart is a most powerful, undeniable witness of God’s existence and Unity. Just as everyone can have a single spiritual heart, everyone has also a single biological heart, and a single real mother and father. No one can have another mother and father by claiming someone to be his or her mother or father, and no one can have a real child by claiming someone to be his or her child. The Qur’ān refutes and abolishes these dualities and establishes the unity of the truth with its manifestation in the outer world. Sūratu’s-Saba’ (Sheba) ‫َ َ َ َ ْ ِ ِ ِ ْذ ِن َر ِّ ۪ ۘ َو َ ْ َ ِ ْغ‬ ْ ِ ۪ َّ ‫اب ا‬ ِ َ َ ْ ِ ُُِْ 253 ُ َ ْ َ ْ َ ِّ ِ ْ ‫َو ِ َ ا‬ ‫ِ ْ ُ َ ْ أ َ ْ ِ َא‬ ْ Among the jinn were some who, by the leave of his Lord, worked under him (Solomon). Whoever of them swerved away from Our command (by disobeying him), We would make him taste the punishment of a fiery blaze. (As-Saba’ 34:12) Sūratu’s-Saba’ (Sheba) P rophet Solomon, upon him be peace, knew some prayers and certain Divine Names to govern the jinn and make them work under him. By God’s leave, when Solomon recited them, the jinn came under his command. In fact, God’s Names do not consist only in the 99 Names which Abū Hurayra reported. In one of his prayers, God’s Messenger says: “O God! I ask for the sake of Your Names by Which You named Yourself or You revealed in Your Book or You taught one of Your creatures or You allocated to Yourself in Your knowledge of the Unseen (without informing anybody about it).”99 This prayer of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, implies that God may have taught each Prophet one or some of His Names Which He did not teach others. Thus, Prophet Solomon was possibly controlling the jinn by reciting the Names Which he was taught. In reality, it was God Who put the jinn and devils under Solomon’s command. This is clear in the Qur’anic chapter of Al-Anbiyā’ (Prophets).100 According to certain reports from the Israelite sources which are not found in any authentic Islamic sources, Prophet Solomon hid those 99 100 Musnad Ahmad, 1/391, 452. See Sūratu’l-Anbiyā’ 21: 79–82. 254 Reflections on the Qur’ān Names in a corner of his throne so that they might not be misused after him. Nonetheless, the Jews of the time found them and used them for their interests. Some approaches in the Old Testament can be understood to be implying this assertion. Some of the recent movements and trends have added some ultra meanings and functions to Prophet Solomon’s use of the Divine Names taught to him. For example, some claim that pleasing evil forces or powers is enough to set things right, and, therefore, there is no need to pray to God. Others assert that evil powers are superior to powers of good; therefore, they should be pleased. These assertions and certain similar Masonic approaches, many of which are based on Kabala, as well as certain statements that we especially encounter in cartoons, such as “In the name of the grey skull, I have the power!” or “In the name of the power of shadows or darkness,” are falsehoods that have no place in our creeds and terminology. Such assertions and statements wound the minds and spirits of children and distort the true metaphysical or spiritual realities. It seems that such falsehoods and distortions will continue until our true conceptions of metaphysics and spirituality are established. Another point worthy of mention in this verse is that both David and Solomon were favored with employing some sections of existence in their service. Mountains used to participate in David’s prayers and invocations, and he used iron and copper to make many things, such as armor. As for Solomon, whom God praises in the Qur’ān saying, “How excellent a servant Solomon was! Surely he was one ever-turning (to God) in penitence” (Sād 38:30), not only jinn and the devil but also wind was put under his service. Prophets David and Solomon represented, respectively, the inner or metaphysical and outer or physical dimensions of the Truth of Ahmad—the truth represented by Prophet Muhammad before his coming into the world. It can lastly be said that Prophet David was a seed in the name of the inner dimension of the Truth of Muhammad, while Solomon was a seed in the name of its outer dimension. When the time was due, both were united in that most illustrious person of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. God knows the best. Sūratu’s-Saba’ (Sheba) ُ َّ ‫َ ٰ َ ْ ِ ۪ ۤ ِإ َّ َد ۤا‬ ‫ِ ا ْ ِ ُّ أَ ْن َ ْ َכא ُ ا‬ 255 ِ َ ‫َ َ א َ َ َא‬ َّ ْ َ ْ ِ ْ ِ َ َ ْ ُ ‫ا ْ ْرض َ ُכ‬ ِ َ َ ْ ‫َ ْ َ ُ َن ا ْ َ َ َ א َ ِ ُ ا ِ ا‬ ِ ۪ ُ ْ ‫اب ا‬ ْ ‫ا ت אد‬ ْ ُ َّ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َّ َ َ َّ َ ‫َ َ ُ ۚ َ َ َّ א‬ Then, when We executed Our decree for his death, nothing showed them that he (Solomon) was dead, except that a termite had been gnawing away his staff (until it broke). Then when he fell to the ground, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in the tormenting toil that humiliated them. (As-Saba’ 34:14) F irst of all, what the Qur’ān wills to teach in this verse is the fact that the jinn do not know the Unseen. Since the jinn do not know the Unseen, those who claim to get information about the Unseen from the jinn do not and will never know the Unseen. Therefore, it has been judged that those who accept what soothsayers tell about the future leave the sphere of the Religion—may God save us from such misguidance.101 Secondly, some modern interpreters assert that the Qur’anic descriptions concerning the issue that jinn worked under the command of Prophet Solomon are figurative. However, there is no ground for such an assertion. These and other similar descriptions of the Qur’ān are about realities. What falls to us is to try to understand the lessons intended by them. For instance, let us try to see what the Qur’ān means by the verse above: The universe is a collection of systems, one within the other, that was built and continues to exist by the Divine Knowledge, Will, and Power. There is no room for chance in any system and any movement within the universe. Thus, the fact that Solomon’s staff’s was gnawed away by a termite (or termites) is not something that occurred by chance. What this incident might have meant is that Solomon’s king101 See Tirmidhī, Tahārah, 102; Ibn Mājah, Tahārah, 122; Abū Dāwūd, Tibb, 1. 256 Reflections on the Qur’ān dom would one day disintegrate and collapse. As a matter of fact, the chaotic atmosphere that had dominated before his father Prophet David returned in the years following the death of Prophet Solomon, peace be upon him, and clashes and divisions appeared once again in his kingdom. Indeed, even the most powerful states and empires unexpectedly collapse and become things of the past. And those who held fast to them find themselves in a new process. Sūrah Yā-Sīn َ ۪ ِ َ ْ ُ ْ ‫َ َאل َא َ ْ م ا َّ ِ ُ ا ا‬ ِ ۪ ٰ ْ َ ٌ ُ ‫ا ْ َ َ َر‬ 257 َ ِ َ ْ ‫َو َאء ْ أ‬ A man came running from the farthest end of the city and said: ‘O my people! Follow those who have been sent (to you as Messengers). (Yā-Sı̄n 36:20) Sūrah Yā-Sīn T he first point of attention in here concerns the phrase, “Ashāba’l Qaryah” (People of the township), which is used in the 13th verse of the same sūrah. Therefore, we understand that the Messengers to whom “the man came running from the farthest end of the city” in order to protect them came to a “civilized” land in order to convey God’s Religion, not to a desert or uncivilized place. When the people of this land rejected the first two Messengers who came to them, God Almighty sent a third one to confirm them. Nevertheless, those people were so obstinate in not accepting the truth that they went so far as to kill their fellow townsman—“the man who came running from the farthest end of the city.” This man mentioned in the verse under discussion was from among the people to whom the Messengers were sent. At a critical point, he emerged in order to confirm and protect the Messengers. The verse relates that he came running from “the farthest end of the city.” The interpreters of the Qur’ān have generally interpreted the expression of “the farthest end of the city” in the following three ways: 1. This expression means the other side or part of the city. That is, that man resided in the farthest end in one of its suburbs. 2. The word “aqsā,” which is used in this expression and is translated as “the farthest,” also means the highest, the most important, or valuable. For example, in a supplication called the Salātu’l-Munjiya (the call for blessings and peace upon our Prophet recited in praying to God for salvation), this same word is used in this meaning as a modifier in 258 Reflections on the Qur’ān the phrase of “aqsā’l-qhāyāt,” which means “the farthest (highest) of goals.” Therefore, according to this usage, the expression, “the farthest end of the city” denotes the elite or the highest class of people (who are very much like the people of today’s high society that live in secluded mansions in a very luxurious residential area at “the farthest end of the city” without mixing much with the public and the ordinary life). So the man who came running to support the Messengers belonged to the highest class of people of the city. 3. The expression, “rajulun min aqsā’l-madīnati” (a man from the farthest end of the city), describes a meritorious, virtuous person whose mindset and way of life was far from that of his community. In fact, his call to his people, “Follow those who ask of you no wage (for their service) and are themselves rightly guided” (Yā-Sı̄n 36:21), demonstrates his different way of thought and belief. According to the last two viewpoints, we can describe that person as a sincere, virtuous, and trustworthy man who had a lifestyle and mentality different from those of his people and whom people had recourse to when they were in a dilemma or had difficulties. As the Qur’anic commentator Hamdi Yazir states, when his people attempted to kill or killed him, God relates that he said: “I wish my people knew that my Lord has forgiven me and made me one of those honored (with particular favors)!” (Yā-Sı̄n 36:26–27). We understand from this that he always desired the best for his people and never had the feelings of hatred nor a grudge against them. Conversely, he showed mercy even for his enemies and wished everyone the same happiness he had. In fact, this voice has always been the voice of those who sacrifice themselves for the happiness of others. Here is Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings: he did not curse his enemies even when his tooth was broken and his face was in blood during the battle of Uhud. On the contrary, he prayed for those who inflicted that brutality on him, saying: “O my Lord! Guide my people, because they do not know.”102 By the way, I should point out that Prophet Noah’s prayer for his obstinate, disbelieving, and tyrannical people, “My Lord! Do not leave on the earth any from among the unbelievers dwelling therein” (Nūh 71:26), may at first sight be seen as contrary to what I have just said. Actually, it is not so. According to the principle of “drawing the conclusion based on 102 Bukhārī, Anbiyā’, 54; Istitāba, 5; Muslim, Jihād, 104; Ibn Mājah, Fitan, 23.