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Sūrah Yā-Sīn 259 what has happened,” Prophet Noah, who knew his community very well during the long years he served as Prophet, must have prayed so after he knew the Divine will or judgment about his people. When we take the way and practice of the Prophets into consideration, we will come to this...

Sūrah Yā-Sīn 259 what has happened,” Prophet Noah, who knew his community very well during the long years he served as Prophet, must have prayed so after he knew the Divine will or judgment about his people. When we take the way and practice of the Prophets into consideration, we will come to this clear conclusion. In addition, there are some who claim that the stories in the Qur’ān are symbolic stories which the Qur’ān narrates to teach lessons. This is absolutely wrong, for they are historic events which took place as the Qur’ān relates. By narrating these events, God shows us the tips of some universal truths or laws which will be valid until the end of time. In other words, these kinds of events began with Adam and will continue to happen until no human beings remain on the earth. In fact, if we view their contents, we realize that the Qur’ān does not relate them to any specific time or place. This must be what is expected from a Universal Book. Furthermore, in order to benefit from the Qur’ān sufficiently, we should never miss this important point. We should view the verses in which such events are narrated in connection with the lessons they intend to give. Another point is that whether a verse was revealed concerning a specific occasion or a specific event or a specific group of people, such as the Jews or Christians or unbelievers or hypocrites, everyone who reads the Qur’ān should assume that the Qur’ān addresses him or herself directly. Besides, readers of the Qur’ān should try to make the connection between the time, place, conditions, and the figures mentioned in the verses and their own time and place and the very conditions surrounding them. The Qur’ān is not a book addressing only a specific time and place and specific conditions; rather, it addresses everyone regardless of time, place, and conditions. Therefore, a reader should think: “With the exception of the fact that I am not a Prophet, the Qur’ān addresses me directly,” and if one views the Qur’ān and reads it from this perspective, one will see that the Qur’ān addresses him or her. How can God and the truths about Him be restricted to a specific time and place? Therefore, having issued from the All-Eternal God’s Attribute of Speech, the Qur’ān addresses everybody regardless of time and space; at the same time it addresses God’s Messenger and his Companions. Despite this fundamental reality, if we view the narratives in the Qur’ān as certain stories about certain bygone peoples, our benefit from it will be little. 260 Reflections on the Qur’ān Back to the verse under discussion once again, the incident mentioned in it will continue in a similar form, if not the exact same form, until the end of time. As for the heroes of such incidents, one may count many similar heroes ever ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the Ultimate Truth, from the believer of the clan of the Pharaoh who emerged at a most critical point to support Prophet Moses to the hero mentioned in this verse, from Abū Bakr to many similar others who have exhibited the same heroism throughout history. The contemporary hero, who came from one of the farthest corners of Anatolia to Istanbul to present solutions to the contemporary problems of Muslims without expecting anything in return such as wealth, position, and fame, and who declared, “If I see the faith of my nation secured, I agree to burn in the flames of Hell, for while my body is burning, my soul will feel itself in a rose garden,” is one of them. As referred to above, the Qur’ān mentions another of these heroes. He belonged to the clan of the Pharaoh and emerged at a most critical point to support Moses and prevent the attempts to kill him, saying: “Would you kill a man only because he declares, ‘My Lord is God!’” (Al-Mu’min 40:28). If someone from the lower classes of the society had done the same, he would not have been able to avert the plans to kill Moses. The same heroism was exhibited by Abū Bakr in Makkah. At a time when Muslims were severely persecuted to the extent that they would nearly be killed, Abū Bakr, who belonged to the Makkan aristocracy, came out with the same exclamation: “Would you kill a man only because he declares, ‘My Lord is God!”103 All this means that the events narrated in the Qur’ān are the foundational building-blocks of human history. They are repeated in all times and in all places. 103 Bukhārī, Fadā’ilu’s-Sahābah, 5; Manāqibu’l-Ansār, 29; Tafsı̄ru Sūrah 40:1; Musnad Ahmad, 2/204. Sūrah Sād 261 ‫אب‬ ِ َ ِ ْ ‫َو َ َ ْد َא ُ ْ َכ ُ َو ٰا َ َ ُאه ا ْ ِ ْכ َ َ َو َ ْ َ ا‬ ْ We strengthened his kingdom, and granted him (David) wisdom and decisive speech (to inform, and convince, and lead). (Sād 38:20) Sūrah Sād R ight before this verse, God Almighty reminds our Prophet and everyone else through him what an excellent servant Prophet David, upon him be peace, was and mentions him with some of his other excellencies, as follows: And remember Our servant David, powerful (in his glorification of God, in knowledge, in kingdom, and in fighting). Surely he was one ever turning to God in penitence. We subdued the mountains to glorify (their Lord) along with him in the afternoon and bright morning; and the birds assembled; all were turned to Him (in devotion and glorification). (Sād 38:17–19) Following these two verses, God Almighty emphasizes that David set a praiseworthy example for combining kingdom with nearness to Him. Here, He draws the attention to the following three favors bestowed on David, upon him be peace: “We strengthened his kingdom,” expresses that having suffered many afflictions, hardships, and calamities, Prophet David was made a Caliph in addition to his Messengership, and his administration was confirmed and strengthened. This also gives the implicit glad tidings that the future of Prophet Muhammad’s mission will be very bright. “And We granted him wisdom,” which is an expression of a profound dimension of David’s Prophethood, implies that Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, would be favored with perfect wisdom. “And (We granted him) decisive speech,” suggests that Prophet Muhammad, that leader of both humankind and jinn and the preacher of 262 Reflections on the Qur’ān all times and places, upon him be peace and blessings, would be exceptional in effective and decisive speech. Just as the invocations and psalms of David echoed through mountains, the Qur’anic tunes of the Nightingale of Prophets, upon him be peace and blessings, would one day resonate through almost all breasts. Many of the classical commentaries on the Qur’ān based on reports from the Prophet, Companions, and earliest scholars interpreted the expression of “fasla’l-khitāb” (decisive speech) as “ammā ba‘du” (after this); that is, the ability to separate two speeches from each other and pass from the former to the latter. However, almost everyone has this ability; therefore, it does not suit the eloquence of the Qur’ān and the status of Prophethood to mention such an ordinary ability as a great favor on a Prophet. So it means the ability to analyze and describe matters or truths so systematically and persuasively that everyone is satisfied and enlightened regarding the subject. It is also the ability to analyze and clarify a matter down to the minutest detail without causing any objections or further questions. Sūratu’l-Mu’min (The Believer) ‫אف أَ ْن‬ ُ َ َ‫أَ ْ ُ ْ ُ ٰ َو ْ َ ْ ُع َر َّ ُ ۚ ِإ ۪ ّ ۤ أ‬ ِ ِ ‫אد‬ َ َ َ ْ ‫أَ ْو أَ ْن ُ ْ ِ َ ا ْ َ ْرض ا‬ 263 ۤ ۪ ‫َو َ َאل ِ ْ َ ْ ُن َذ ُرو‬ ‫ِ ل ۪د כ‬ ْ ُ َ َ ّ َُ The Pharaoh said (to his chiefs): “Let me kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord! I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.” (Al-Mu’min 40:26) Sūratu’l-Mu’min (The Believer) T his verse exists in the chapter of the Qur’ān which is named after a “mu’min,” or “believer,” who belonged to the clan of the Pharaoh and came out at the most critical moment to support Prophet Moses, upon him be peace. The Pharaoh says: “Let me kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord! I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.” In order to fully understand the verse, it is of use to remember the incidents that finally caused the Pharaoh to utter these words. The Pharaoh had been defeated before Moses in all his attempts to falsify, invalidate, and render ineffective his Message. Finally, he felt obliged to consult with his clan to kill Moses. His words displayed his helplessness, defeat, and despair before Prophet Moses, peace be upon him. Having been defeated before Moses in thought, belief, and intellectual struggle, the Pharaoh seemed to be asking his clan in a weak and despairing voice for permission to kill Moses. This style and manner of speech cannot belong to a powerful, despotic king who had self-confidence. They can only belong to a despot who has lost all his sources of power and support one by one and is cruel when he is powerful but humiliated, despicable, and quasi democrat when he is powerless. This kind of a despot who used his people, and particularly the Children of Israel, as if mud, cement, and straw in the construction of pyramids can only be called 264 Reflections on the Qur’ān withering contempt and hypocrisy. This means one’s drawing in one’s horns and taking refuge in the public. By doing so, he would take advantage of the customs and religion that the people had long been following and get their support. He would use for his interest the masses that he had oppressed in his powerful days. Just as the unbelievers of Makkah claimed that Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was “splitting families and trying to dissuade them from the way of their ancestors,”104 the Pharaoh addressed his people, saying: “I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.” That is, the Pharaoh was acting in the same way as all dictators have done and was trying to conceal his injustices and mischief. Like all other arrogant tyrants who have recourse to force and demagogy when they are defeated before the truth, the Pharaoh attempted to present himself as powerful and appealed to the people to form a public opinion in his favor through demagogy. As if everything had been in right order in his country until then and the people had been pleased with him and as if Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, had caused disorder and confusion in the country, he said: “I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.” At just this point, the believing man whom the Qur’ān mentioned in Sūratu’l-Mu’min (“The Believer”) came out to support Moses. He belonged to the clan of the Pharaoh and, according to some reports, was the brother-in-law of the Pharaoh and commander of his armies. He had concealed his belief until that point. However, it is not conceivable that an insightful, discerning one like Prophet Moses was unable to detect him. He must have discovered him and acted in awareness of the existence of such a secret, powerful support. When the Pharaoh felt almost powerless and appealed to his people for help and support in order to be able to kill Moses and put an end to his activities, that believer came out to support Moses and warn the people against rejecting Moses’ Message and about the plots staged against him. Prophet Moses must have made use of his support very well. The Qur’ān assigns more room to that believing man than even some of the Prophets. He began with a democratic attitude in the face of the Pharaoh’s show of democracy, and said: “Would you kill a man 104 Ibn Kathı̄r, al-Bidāyah, 3/60. Sūratu’l-Mu’min (The Believer) 265 only because he declares, ‘My Lord is God!” (Al-Mu’min 40:28). He asked them whether they had no respect for others’ beliefs and thoughts, and with a gradually higher tone he declared his belief in the Hereafter, saying: “O my people! I do indeed fear for you the Day of the Summons (the Day when people will vainly be calling out to one another for help and cursing one another in distress)—the Day when you will (strive in vain desperation to) turn and flee (from the Fire), having none to protect you from (the punishment of) God. Whomever God leads astray, there is no guide” (Al-Mu’min 40:32–33). In the face of his convincing speeches, the Pharaoh felt more helpless and sought refuge in new demagogies: “I would show you only what I see, and I guide you only to the right way” (Al-Mu’min 40:29). He attempted to seem as an advocate of the truth. While the Pharaoh was advancing to the point of failure, Prophet Moses was very calm and at rest. He paid no heed to the threats of the Pharaoh. Hence, he delivered his reply promptly, saying: “Indeed, I seek refuge in my Lord, Who is your Lord as well, from every haughty one who disbelieves in the Day of Reckoning” (Al-Mu’min 40:27). Thus, while Moses expressed his trust in God, he reminded people, once more, that God is the only Lord of everyone. In short, there are two scenes during one of which the Pharaoh’s threats, apprehensions, and uneasiness in awareness of his logical, intellectual, and emotional inconsistencies causes him to appeal to his people to support him and to attempt to make use of their religious beliefs. He accuses Moses of making mischief while he is one who always causes corruption and makes mischief and claims that Moses will change others’ religion while he himself does not show the least respect for Moses’ and his people’s religion. The other scene shows Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, with his solemnity, self-possession, reliance on nobody but God, and his reproach of the Pharaoh for haughtiness and arrogance to his face. To sum up, the whole description can be summed up as the struggle of the people or followers of God and the followers of Satan. Reflections on the Qur’ān 266 ‫ا َر ُّ َא ا ّٰ ُ ُ ا ْ َ َ א ُ ا َ َ َ َّ ُل َ َ ِ ا ْ َ ٰۤ ِئ َכ ُ أَ َّ َ َ א ُ ا‬ ُ ْ َّ ‫ون‬ َ ُ َ ُ ْ ُ ْ ‫َ ْ َ ُ ا َوأَ ْ ِ ُ وا ِא ْ َ َّ ِ ا َّ ۪ ُכ‬ ُ ‫إ َِّن ا َّ ۪ َ َ א‬ َ ‫َو‬ As for those who say, “Our Lord is God,” and then follow the Straight Path (in their belief, thought, and actions) without deviation, the angels descend upon them from time to time (in the world as protecting comrades and in the Hereafter, with the message): “Do not fear or grieve, but rejoice in the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised.” (Fussilat 41:30) Sūrah Fussilat (Distincly Spelled Out) “ F ollowing the Straight Path” means to maintain a straight life, and to always pursue the truth in one’s life. When the Qur’ān says, “fāstaqīmū” (be straightforward, follow the Straight Path),105 it commands us to keep a straight path during our lives. The verse under discussion gives glad tidings to these straight people. As a matter of fact, Prophet Muhammad, who is the straightest of creation, was commanded to keep the straight path, in the following verse, “Pursue, then, what is exactly right (in every matter of the Religion) as you are commanded (by God).”106 God commands him to practice the straightness which he has in his primordial nature. In fact, it is quite difficult for us to comprehend and pursue the straight path in the way it is in God’s sight. This is why the command of God was revealed without specifying what following the Straight Path or standing straight and steadfast means. Therefore, we are warned as follows: “Be as steadfast and upright as you can in obeying the commands 105 106 See sūrahs at-Tawbah 9:7; Fussilat 41:6. See sūrahs Hud 11:112; ash-Shūrā 42:15. Sūrah Fussilat (Distincly Spelled Out) 267 and prohibitions of God.” This is what God wants us to do. Actually, God’s Messenger clarifies this in his hadı̄th: “Avoid God’s prohibitions and fulfill God’s commands as much as you can.”107 The hadı̄th does not say avoid God’s prohibitions such as adultery, theft, drinking alcohol, and so on, as much as possible. Since we are not allowed to commit these sins to certain degrees, they are categorically forbidden. But we are ordered to fulfill the Divine commands as much as possible. Following the Straight Path or standing straight and steadfast yields good results about which God gives glad tidings to the believers in the Qur’ān. Referring the reader to another book for these results,108 we mention only a few points below: 1. Standing straight and steadfast is an important “food” for a person in his or her travelling toward God, or for a community or a state along their journey of life. Those who set off without the “food” of straight living and steadfastness get hung up in their ways and never achieve their aim. However, what is essential for a believer is to be able to attain to the goal that God has shown us. It does not matter if this goal is concerned with our personal or family or social life. Indeed, following the Straight Path is an indispensable pillar in both our personal and national life. There may always be some who achieve some kind of success with lies and falsehoods, but such successes can never be lasting, and when the truth reveals itself, they lose them one after the other. They will also lose their credit in the name of restoring what they have lost. Being steadfast on the Straight Path is such a credit that when you lose it, those who contribute to your success will take back their contributions, leaving you with nothing. It is this immense significance of continuing in the right way (which causes gain while the opposite brings loss) that prompted Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, to say: “Sūrah Hūd has made me old.”109 This sūrah contains the order, “Pursue what is exactly right as you are commanded” (Hūd 11:112). This means that even Prophets were not free from worry about standing straight and steadfast; even a Prophet worries if he is as steadfast as he is required and expected to be. When one of his Companions 107 108 109 Bukhārī, I’tisam, 2; Muslim, Hajj, 412; Fadā’il, 130; Nasāī, Hajj, 1. See Gülen, Emerald Hills of the Heart: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, 2011, Vol. I, pp. 65–68. Tirmidhī, Tafsı̄ru Sūrah 56:6. 268 Reflections on the Qur’ān asked him for advice, that hero of steadfastness said to him: “Believe in God, and then be steadfast.”110 If we remain steadfast on the Straight Path as much as possible, even if our enemies or envious friends slander us, the day will come when Divine Destiny will declare our innocence, and we will take back all that we have lost, one thing after the other. Therefore, we should never abandon keeping the right way in every matter and at all times. 2. If a person does not act with steadfastness along the Straight Path, he or she will never be free from worries. Such people are always afraid of their dishonest acts and misdeeds being revealed. If they have committed these misdeeds or dishonesties with some others, their fear increases. They suffer incessant worries about when they will be stabbed in the back. As the famous proverb says, “When thieves fight, the stolen thing emerges.” They always live in fear and anxiety and try to please everybody through sycophancy and flattering. 3. Let us continue with a consideration of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, who said in explaining the reasons why we, Muslims, have fallen behind the West: “One who follows an unlawful (or wrong) way for a lawful (or rightful) objective generally attains the opposite result of what they intended.” That is, a rightful result cannot be obtained through wrong methods. The means to a rightful result must also be right. For instance, neither the approval or good pleasure of God nor any useful result can be attained through (political) tricks and dishonesty. It is also wrong to try to attain a goal by taking advantage of mass psychology; in the end, we only deceive ourselves. It is also wrong to try to obtain a good result through artificial attempts of recovery. We do not witness any of these methods or attempts either in the life of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, or during the ages when Islam was obeyed and followed strictly. Therefore, any method or way to be followed must be right and straight. Otherwise, all wrong or false efforts will go in vain and wrong ways or methods lead to failure. One day God will call us to account for these efforts, methods, and the resulting failures. Even if our intentions are sincere and sound, people have been led to wrong ways, the image of Islam has been damaged, and the enemies of the Religion have been given excuses to disparage Islam and Muslims. 110 Muslim, Imān, 62; Musnad Ahmad, 3/413; 4/385. Sūrah Fussilat (Distincly Spelled Out) 269 Indeed, the issues that concern the whole community need consultation and exchange of views in broad platforms. If you do not consult or exchange views with anybody, then you have dragged people into certain adventures based on your own desires, and God will definitely call you to account for this. Unfortunately, these kinds of faults are happening in every corner of the Muslim world today. While innumerable people die in chaos and turmoil, many others are left needy of even a slice of bread and a tablet of medicine. What are left behind are destroyed houses, widows, orphans, and a distraught and confused community. Is it possible that God does not hold those who cause this kind of devastation responsible? In short, steadfastness on the Straight Path and honesty in thought, belief, feelings, and action are part of the practice of faith in the daily life. The earliest generations of Islam viewed it from this perspective. They interpreted the expression, “then they follow the Straight Path,” in the following ways: 1) they are steadfast in believing in God’s Unity and acting accordingly without committing sins; 2) they act honestly in obedience to God without any deviance and trickery; 3) they act sincerely in servitude to God; and 4) they perform the religious obligations perfectly and preserve integrity without their inner world and actions contradicting each other. Angels always visit those who are steadfast on the Straight Path with the breezes of tranquility, assurance, and contentment. Just as devils and evil spirits visit those who act with satanic or devilish thoughts and feelings, pure spirits and angels make glad those who believe and remain steadfast by visiting them and giving them glad tidings concerning their future: “Do not fear or grieve, but rejoice in the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised” (Fussilat 41:30). According to some, this visit occurs and these good tidings come at their death; according to others, during their resurrection; and according to still others, during both their death and resurrection. Who knows? Perhaps this visit occurs all the time and these good tidings come during their whole lives, and assurance, peace, tranquility, and contentment flow ever into their hearts! Even though they experience this state in the form of thought and feeling during their lives owing to the seed of faith in their hearts, it will develop and become clearer during their death. It will develop and expand more in the Place of Resurrection, and it will expand to its ultimate dimensions through Divine mercy and power when they step in Paradise. God knows the best, and to Him is the return and homecoming. Reflections on the Qur’ān 270 ُّ َ ْ ‫َ َ َ َّ َ َ ُ ْ أَ َّ ُ ا‬ ِ َ ٰ ْ ‫ُ ۪ ِ ٰا א ِ َא ِ ا‬ ّٰ َ ْ ِ ِ ُ ْ َ‫אق َو ۪ ٓ أ‬ َ ْ َ We will show them Our manifest signs (proofs) in the horizons of the universe and within their own selves, until it will become manifest to them that it (the Qur’ān) is indeed the truth. (Fussilat 41:53) T he verse gives the glad tidings to the believers who are experiencing hardships and persecution that they will be shown the “manifest signs” of God’s existence and Oneness and the truth of the Qur’ān and Islam that exist both in the universe and in the inner worlds of human beings themselves in a clearer way one after the other, all proclaiming and pointing to the Ultimate Truth. It also promises that the hearts both within and outside of the sacred precincts of Makkah will welcome faith and the believers, that both the truths in their inner worlds and the outer world will be discovered as proofs of the Qur’ān and Islam, that both the Arabian peninsula and many other regions will embrace Islam and will be illuminated with its light, and that the Muhammadan spirit will be prevalent in all the corners of the world. This promise also implies that peaceful and welcoming climes are waiting for them. With its style and contents this verse opens before us a very wide horizon of reflection and provides us with an observatory to pursue the truth. The signs and proofs of the truth are dealt with in two categories. While the signs and proofs provided by the universe and everything in it as well as all kinds of phenomena and events happening around us are called external proofs, the signs and proofs provided by the inner world of human beings are called the internal proofs. With this verse in Sūrah Fussilat, which was revealed in Makkah, God Almighty gives the glad tidings that the truth of the Qur’ān and that of the Messengership of our master Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, will be manifest through the proofs provided by the universe and the events in the human realm as well as the human inner world within a short time after the beginning of the Qur’anic revelation. This glad tiding has come true through the developments in both physical, Sūrah Fussilat (Distincly Spelled Out) 271 social, and religious sciences and the sciences that focus on different aspects of the human inner world. The proofs provided by sciences are not restricted to those that have already been discovered. There are still so many matters to be studied by sciences such as anatomy, physiology, psychology, biology, physics, and astrophysics that will be clarified in the future and provide numerous new proofs for the truth of all Islamic beliefs, including especially God’s existence and Unity, the Qur’ān as the Word of God, and our master Muhammad as the Messenger of God. The expression, “We will show,” in the verse means that humanity will continue to see and discover more and more truths and admit that the Qur’ān and the universe describe each other—that the Qur’ān translates the universe while the universe “reads” the Qur’ān. Reflections on the Qur’ān 272 ۘ ٍ َّ ۤ ‫َ َّ ۪ ِ َ א ِ ْ َدا‬ ۪ ٌ َ ِ ‫ات َوا ْ َ ْر ِض َو َ א‬ َ ‫َ ْ ِ ِ ِإ َذا َ ُאء‬ ْ ِ۪ ِ ٰ َّ ‫َو ْ ٰا َא َ ْ ُ ا‬ ٰ َ َ ُ ‫َو‬ Among His manifest signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures He has dispersed in both (the heavens and the earth). And He has full power to gather them together when He wills. (Ash-Shūrā 42:29) Sūratu’sh-Shūrā (Consultation) S ince the earliest times, this verse has been taken as a proof for the view that there are living creatures, whether resembling human beings or not, in the places other than the earth. This view may be true. The second part of the verse, “He has full power to gather them together when He wills,” has been understood that these creatures and human beings will possibly come together either in this world or in that of the other creatures. The original of the word translated as “living creatures” is dābbah. Indeed, the word dābbah, which is derived from dabīb (moving), means “something moving.” Even though this word may also be used to refer to the jinn, angels, and spirits, what has usually been meant by it in the language of the Sharı̄’ah is earthly creatures, including human beings. For this reason, it can be asserted that there are creatures in the heavens or other places that resemble human beings or other earthly creatures, and God Almighty is certainly able to bring them together whenever He wills. Just as He will resurrect all beings in the other world, if He wills, He certainly can bring together the creatures that supposedly exist in other corners of the universe with human beings. Some interpreters have opined that “the living creatures” referred to in this verse are birds; this interpretation does not have a meaning worthy of consideration. As birds live on the earth, eating earthly food and liv- Sūratu’sh-Shūrā (Consultation) 273 ing almost together with human beings and other earthly creatures, there is no miracle or an element of reference to God’s Power and His Unity in bringing them together with human beings. Therefore, as Mujāhid, one of the earliest interpreters of the Qur’ān, asserted, it is more reasonable and closer to the meaning of the verse to accept the existence of creatures in other places close or far from the earth that resemble earthly creatures. Referring the determination of the truth of the matter to the believing researchers of the future, we will end the discussion by emphasizing the possibility that there may be earth-like globes in the heaven where creatures resembling earthly ones live. God knows the best. Reflections on the Qur’ān 274 ٍ ۪ ‫َ ْ َכ‬ ُ ْ َ ‫َو א أَ َ א َ ُכ ْ ِ ْ ُ ۪ َ ٍ َ ِ َ א َכ َ َ ْ أَ ْ ۪ ُכ ْ َو‬ Whatever affliction befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned, and yet He overlooks many (of the wrongs you do). (Ash-Shūrā 42:30) I t does not contradict with the essentials of Islam that an affliction which befalls us is a punishment for a sin or evil we have committed. However, if we were punished for every sin we commit in this world, we would never be free from afflictions. We would be punished for every action in our everyday life that is displeasing to God Almighty, and we would never be free from calamities. This means that God Almighty, Whose mercy surpasses His wrath, overlooks many of our misdeeds and forgives us many times in a day. In fact, the conclusive part of the verse expresses this reality: “… yet He overlooks many (of the wrongs you do).” Truly, it is the command of the Qur’ān that people should accept that any affliction that befalls them is because of their own faults. Otherwise, people look for a guilty one other than themselves for their sufferings, and one who thinks like this can never find the real guilty one and get rid of the sin of the ill-suspicion of others. Indeed, the Qur’ān presents us a standard to find the guilty. The guilty one is nobody but our own selves. To illustrate, suppose that you hit a glass carelessly and the hot tea inside it is spilt and burns your foot. In such a case, instead of getting angry and looking for someone to blame such as the one who has put the glass there, you should turn to yourselves and think or say: “My Lord! There is no room for chance in the universe and happenings. This must be a punishment for my heedlessness and some disobedience to You. Forgive my sins.” You should not blame others. Otherwise, if you look for a guilty one other than your own self, then you will act against the command of God, “Do not hold yourselves pure (sinless)” (An-Najm 53:32), and think ill of others in opposition to another Divine command, “Avoid much suspicion” (Al-Hujurāt 49:12). If one considers themselves as guilty for the afflictions that befall them, this leads them to self-interrogation. As a matter of fact, God’s Sūratu’sh-Shūrā (Consultation) 275 Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, turned to God for anything evil which befell him, prayed to God, and asked for His forgiveness. The expression “your hands have earned” in the verse does not only refer to our hands with which we commit evils; it refers to all of our limbs or organs such as our feet, eyes, ears, tongues, and so on. Hence, all the vices from backbiting to adultery are included in the evil deeds from which we—and all parts and organs of our body—are prohibited. Sometimes there may be a correlation between the wrongdoing committed and the nature and size of the afflictions, and sometimes not. Nevertheless, every affliction is like a tap under which a believer is cleaned of their offenses or sins. Thus believers preserve their essential purity. In one of the hadı̄ths related by Ibn Abı̄ Hātim, the pure Prophet said: “Having a thorn in any of the parts of his body or his slipping or getting sweaty in distress is because of a sin or evil that a believer has committed. Yet, God Almighty forgives many of his sins.”111 Whether Almighty God forgives a believer of his sins without any affliction out of His Mercy or by inflicting him with a suffering, as Caliph ‘Ali said, He is both exalted and munificent enough not to call a servant to account and punish in the Hereafter for a sin of them which He forgave them in the world. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and any wasteful act we may have done in our duty, and set our feet firm, and help us to victory over the disbelieving people! 111 Al-Bayhaqı̄, Shuabu’l-Īmān, 7/153; al-Munāwı̄, Faydu’l-Qadīr, 5/492; al-Muttaqı̄, Kanzu’l-Ummal, 3/341, 707. Reflections on the Qur’ān 276 ۪ ‫ر ل ا ِۘ وا‬ ‫ا כ אرِ ر אء‬ ‫ۤ أَ ِ ۤ اء‬ ْ ُ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ َّ ُ ْ َ َ ُ َّ ُ َ َ َ َّ َ ّٰ ُ ُ َ ٌ َّ َ ُ ۪ ‫ً ا ُ َن َ ْ ً ِ ا ّٰ ِ ورِ ْ ا ًא۬ ۪ א‬ َ ْ َ َّ ُ ‫َ ٰ ُ ْ ُر َّכ ً א‬ َ َ َ ُْ َ ِ ِ ِ ُ َ ‫ِ ۘد ٰذ ِ َכ َ ُ ِ ا ر ِ ۚۛ و‬ ُ ُّ ‫ُو ُ ِ ْ ْ أَ َ ِ ا‬ ْ ُ َ َ ٰ ْ َّ ُْ َ ۧ ٰ َ ‫ا ْ ِ ْ ۪ ِ ۗ ۛ َכـ َ ْر ٍع أَ ْ ـ َ َج َ ْ َ ُه َ ـ ٰא َز َر ُه َ א ْ َ ْ َ َ َ א ْ َ ٰ ى‬ ِ۪ ‫אر َو َ َ ا ّٰ ُ ا َّ ۪ َ ٰا َ ُ ا‬ ۘ َ َّ ‫اع ِ ۪ َ ِ ِ ا ْ ُכ‬ ‫ِ ا ر‬ ُ َ َ َّ ُّ ُ ْ ُ ُ ِ ِ‫و ِ ُ ا ا א‬ ‫אت ِ ْ ُ َ ْ ِ ًة َوأَ ْ ا َ ۪ ً א‬ َ َ َ َّ ْ ً َ Muhammad is the Messenger of God; and those who are in his company are firm and unyielding against the unbelievers, and compassionate among themselves. You see them (constant in the Prayer) bowing down and prostrating, seeking favor with God and His approval and good pleasure. Their marks are on their faces, traced by prostration. This is their description in the Torah; and their description in the Gospel: like a seed that has sprouted its shoot, then it has strengthened it, and then risen firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers (with joy and wonder); (thereby) it fills the unbelievers with rage at them (the believers). God has promised all those among them who believe and do good, righteous deeds forgiveness (to bring unforeseen blessings) and a tremendous reward. (Al-Fath 48:29) Sūratu’l-Fath (Victory) B elow is a comparison between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on the basis of the verse above: Jesus, the Messiah, was sent to a community which was extremely materialistic. In order to reform them and balance their materialistic tendencies, Jesus emphasized spirituality. Sūratu’l-Fath (Victory) 277 It is very difficult for a community which bases idol-worship and other kinds of associating partners with God (shirk) on religion or adopts polytheism in the name of religion to abandon it in order to accept or convert into a new religious thought and belief. However, by balancing the materialism of his people with an emphatic spirituality and re-establishing the balance between matter and spirit through the Divine Revelation, Jesus, upon him be peace, overcame this difficulty. Nevertheless, his later followers were not able to preserve this balance and destroyed it in favor of exaggerated spirituality. As the Holy Qur’ān states, they innovated “monasticism,”112 thinking that they would be able to progress spiritually and be much better believers whereas God did not order them monasticism. In order to attain God’s good pleasure, they added to the religion what was not included in it only to lose in the face of the heaviness of their innovations, thus falling distant from the essence of the religion. It is of no harm to benefit from pleasurable things provided they are lawful and acquired in lawful ways. Having a family and children and tasting the pleasures of the world in lawful ways without excesses are among the necessities of life. Some from among the Christians attempted to remain aloof from these pleasures, but many of them contaminated them by not being able to preserve themselves against meeting these necessities with sinful ways. There are similar other misinterpretations in Christianity. For instance, it is said in Gospel John, “But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.”113 This approach may be of the meaning as “being handless to the one who beats and tongueless to the one who curses,” in the words of the 13th century Sufi poet Yunus Emre, and be acceptable in personal relations. However, if this becomes a norm in social relations in a way that causes a lack of reaction to injustices, it encourages oppressors. Many Christians after Jesus adopted remaining silent to whatever occurs in society; keeping distant from worldly plea112 113 “Thereafter, We sent, following in their footsteps, others of Our Messengers, and We sent Jesus son of Mary, and granted him the Gospel, and placed in the hearts of those who followed him tenderness and mercy. And monasticism: they innovated it – We did not prescribe it to them – only to seek God’s good pleasure, but they have not observed it as its observance requires. So We have granted those among them who have truly believed their reward, but many among them have been transgressors.” (Al-Hadı̄d 57:27) See Matthew 5:38–41; Luke 6:27–30. 278 Reflections on the Qur’ān sures, including marriage; and categorically condemning war. However, these attitudes later gave birth to their extreme opposites. That is, unlawful ways to gratify worldly appetites emerged among them, and the bloodiest wars have broken out in Christendom. The reform movement which Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace, started in a materialistic community also opened ways leading to the pride of humankind, upon him be peace and blessings, the glad tidings of whose coming he gave in the Gospel. The verse whose brief meaning was given above is highly interesting in implying the extremes to which the Jews and Christians went. The verse begins with “Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” At its very beginning, the verse emphasizes the Messengership of our Prophet and since this truth, which is the second inseparable essential of Islamic faith, is explained in many other places of the Qur’ān, it is only mentioned here briefly. After this, the verse praises those who were around God’s Messenger with many of their virtues and describes them with their spiritual and material depths. Anyone who was favored with the companionship of the Prophet was also honored with the blessing of “God’s company.” Companionship of the Prophet in the physical realm can be regarded as the projection of God’s company in the spiritual realm. The expression, “And those who are in his company,” means this companionship and company, and the rest of the verse explains the praiseworthy qualities of those who attained this horizon. One of the praiseworthy qualities of those people was their being “firm and unyielding against the unbelievers.” That is, they were firm and unyielding against those who extinguished their inborn capacity to believe, denied innumerable signs and proofs of God and other truths of faith and tried to put out the light which God kindled. Their second quality was being “compassionate among themselves.” This virtue was followed by, “You see them (constant in the Prayer) bowing down and prostrating, seeking favor with God and His approval and good pleasure.” That is, they became a ring or circle by putting their heads where they put their feet—they were so modest and humble that they rose to the highest rank of being the nearest to God. They attributed whatever attainment they had and whatever success they achieved to God, without appropriating anything of God’s bounties and