Sūratu’l-Fath (Victory) PDF

Sūratu’l-Fath (Victory) 279 blessings on them. They sought and pursued God’s approval and good pleasure. Their description continues, “Their marks are on their faces, traced by prostration.” The verse concludes this very description of the Prophet’s Companions in the Old Testament with: “This is t...

Sūratu’l-Fath (Victory) 279 blessings on them. They sought and pursued God’s approval and good pleasure. Their description continues, “Their marks are on their faces, traced by prostration.” The verse concludes this very description of the Prophet’s Companions in the Old Testament with: “This is their description in the Torah.” The Torah, which had been given to Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, describes the Companions of God’s Messenger mostly according to their spiritual or metaphysical features. After these features, the verse continues with, “their description in the Gospel,” as follows: The description of the Prophet Muhammad’s Companions is given this time with a parable: they are “like a seed.” Any crop grows from a seed and something material. A seed is something that has physical existence and in which was installed a life program like in a nucleus or a sperm. This is a seed “that has sprouted its shoot.” A “shoot” is also something physical. It can be said that the pronunciation or melody of many words the Qur’ān uses is completely suited to their meaning. The sound of the word “shat’a” (shoot), for example, resembles the sprouting up of a seed that is just beginning to appear above the ground. Therefore, it implies the emergence of a material structure from beneath the surface. All the words comprising the verse are like wefts or threads of a lacework. The parable of the “growing seed” is further emphasized with the expression, “then, it has strengthened (thickened) it.” Here, the description is completely physical and applies to something physical. The expression that follows, “and then risen firmly,” again refers to this physical growth and standing of the seed “on its stem.” Here, the stem of crop can be likened to the legs of a human being and the standing of the seed “on its stem” to the firm standing of a person. Also, the growth of the small seed is so phenomenal that it “delights the sowers;” that is, those who sow the seeds wonder at and are delighted with what they see. So, this small grain of seed sown on soil and producing a fruitful crop “fills the unbelievers with rage at them (the believers).” Therefore, this entire description in the Gospel is related to the physical process in which the seed sown emerged, grew, and produced in the head of its firmly risen stem a plentiful crop. And this causes awe and fear in its disbelieving enemies. It is explicit in the verse that the description in the Gospel is from physical point of view and reflects physical attributes, while the description of the Torah is purely spiritual. The concepts are used take the read- 280 Reflections on the Qur’ān er through the spiritual realm. This is very important to understand the position of Jesus, upon him be peace. Jesus came to balance the materialistic tendencies of his people with spiritual profundity. One who came with this mission was expected to be created with the necessary equipment in his nature. Accordingly, he came to the world in a family where there was pure spirituality. No woman other than Mary could bring him up. As described in the Qur’ān, holy Mary was so pure and chaste that she shivered with fear even in front of the angel that appeared to her in the perfect form of a man. Mary’s mother vowed that if God gave her a child, she would dedicate him to the service of the Temple in expectation of a son.114 When she gave birth to a female child, that noble mother uttered in a sad voice as follows: “My Lord, I have given birth to a female” (Al ‘Imrān 3:36). Nevertheless, since the baby had already been dedicated to the Temple before her birth, she was put in the service of the Temple. The noble Mary was brought up in such a spiritual environment in which she absorbed the Divine gifts and blessings deep in her bones and finally, in an extraordinary way became pregnant with Jesus the Messiah, who would come with a very important mission. In short, Jesus the Messiah, upon him be peace, was born of a mother who had an extraordinary life and was brought up as a man of spirituality under the protection of God. He would fulfill his mission in a refractory community which had nearly adopted a materialistic worldview as its religion. While he was charged with the mission of Prophethood, he was equipped with the necessary capacity to satisfy his people. Having come to the world without a father, he would balance their materialistic tendencies with profound spirituality and accordingly work many miracles, as he said to his people: “I fashion for you out of clay something in the shape of a bird, then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind from birth and the leper, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you of what things you eat, and what you store up in your houses” (Al ‘Imrān 3:49). Thus, he paved the way to profound spirituality and built bridges along the way to lead to God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. 114 See Sūrah Al ‘Imrān 3:35. Sūratu’l-Fath (Victory) 281 Having come after these two great Prophets, namely Moses and Jesus, upon them be peace, Prophet Muhammad, who is the owner of the maqāmu’l-jam, or the rank of combining, combined all the basic truths represented by them in his Religion in a balanced way and to the degree of perfection. In the course of perfecting the Religion, he balanced the spiritual and material and adapted some truths or rules of secondary degree that existed in the religions of Moses and Jesus with certain changes in a way that they would be able to address all times and places until the end of time, thus laying down the Straight, Middle Path. Indeed, these truths which exist in the Book revealed to God’s Messenger were expressed in the Books of his two predecessors in a style appropriate to their times and communities and the basic characters of their missions. That is, although Prophet Jesus’ mission was basically spiritual, those truths were described in the Gospel in physical terms as in this verse with the parable of the growing seed while they were described in the Torah in a purely spiritual style as in this verse. God knows the best. 282 Reflections on the Qur’ān ِ ‫َ َ ْ ر ٰأى ِ ٰا‬ ‫אت َر ِّ ِ ا ْ ُכ ى‬ َ َ ْ ْٰ Indeed, he saw (one or some among) the supreme signs of His Lord. (An-Najm 53:18) Sūratu’n-Najm (The Star) T his verse is in the sūrah that describes our master Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension, and it relates to the Ascension. In addition to its particular relation to the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, it contains many other truths. It is a favor and result of the Prophet’s Ascension that he saw the signs and proofs of God’s existence and Unity and of all other truths of faith in the universe and in humanity and observed and perceived them in his heart and spirit. Since that most illustrious person had a universal vision and observation, he saw and observed those signs and proofs, which the verse under discussion calls the “supreme signs.” He saw or observed Divine manifestations explicitly without any veils. Other people cannot say anything in opposition to the sayings and description of one who had such universal vision and observation. Even the vision and observation of those who observe the heavens from the earth and those of the people who cannot detect even what is before them will be utterly different. The verse has a structure which can give rise to two meanings. The preposition “min” may either be used in the meaning of “from among,” or it functions as an explanatory word. In the first case the meaning is, “Indeed, he saw (one or some among) the supreme signs of His Lord.” In the second case, the meaning is, “Indeed, he saw the supreme signs of His Lord.” No matter which meaning is preferable, the truth in either case is that during his Ascension or travel through and beyond time and place, that matchless person with a universal vision and hearing saw such supreme signs, proofs, and miracles of God Almighty’s Lordship and Sūratu’n-Najm (The Star) 283 such marvels of creation that it is not possible to express or describe the Divine manifestations he saw in the realms through which he traveled. Only he saw, heard, and felt the mysteries and lights in the horizons that he traveled, and it is not possible for anyone else to be able to achieve such a universal vision and observation. For one who is not as great as that person, namely Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, cannot see or observe the “supreme signs,” for this observation is exclusive to his matchless rank. What is meant by the “supreme sign” is not the Divine Being, the Unique and Eternally Besought One. Therefore our Prophet did not see the Divine Himself, but he saw His supreme signs—the most comprehensive and universal signs and proofs of His existence and Unity and other truths of faith. He observed the whole creation in its physical and metaphysical dimensions and its dimension of time and place. Even though it is absolutely impossible to comprehend the Divine Being, as it is stated in, “The eyes cannot comprehend and perceive Him” (Al-An‘ām 6:103), in one respect it is possible to “see” God with the eye of the heart or have vision of God. However, what our Prophet saw or observed during his Ascension was not Him but His supreme or the greatest or most comprehensive signs. The vision and observation of God’s Messenger can also be viewed as his reading of his own truth as if a book or observation of the roots, trunk, branches, blossoms, leaves, and fruit of his universally developed nature. For his nature or truth is the ink in which the book of the universe has been written, and his Light is the seed of creation. This miraculous travel continued as far as the point beyond time and space where he heard the sounds given by the Pen of Destiny, passing through the shadow of the Divine Supreme Throne. At its final point the blessed traveler, upon him be peace and blessings, was crowned with God’s eternal good pleasure with and approval of him. O God! Show us the truth as being true and enable us to follow it; and show us falsehood as being false and enable us to refrain from it. Reflections on the Qur’ān 284 ِ ْ َ ِ ْ َ ْ ‫َر ُّب ا ْ َ ْ ِ َ ْ ِ َو َر ُّب ا‬ He is the Lord of the two easts and the Lord of the two wests. (Ar-Rahmān 55:17) Sūratu’r-Rahmān (The All-Merciful) T his verse denotes the final two points or limits of east and west. For instance, the sun rises and sets at different points in winter and summer. On the longest day of the year in summer, the sun rises and sets at the farthest points while it rises and sets at the two nearest points on the shortest day of the year in winter. Thus, when the year is divided into two marked by the beginning of spring on March 21st and the beginning of fall on September 23rd in the northern hemisphere, these beginnings are also the beginnings of the earth’s movements around the sun with the result that the former is the beginning of day’s being longer than night, and the latter is the beginning of night’s being longer than day. Between these two points of beginning are many other points where the sun rises and sets at different times. Referring to this fact, the Qur’ān says: “He is the Lord of the two easts and the Lord of the two wests.” Indeed, considering all these points of the sun’s rising and setting, the Qur’ān declares: “So, I swear by the Lord of the points of sunrise and sunset…” (Al-Ma‘ārij 70:40). When considering the two easts and the two wests, we can also refer to the fact that every point of the sun’s rise in a hemisphere is the point of its setting in the other, and every point of the sun’s setting is the point of its rise. In addition, there are many other celestial bodies which rise and set, the positions and movements of which are connected or related to the earth. Also, the earth rotates around the sun, and together with its system, the sun moves in the Milky Way toward a final point appointed or destined for it. These movements also present to us two different easts and wests. The movements of the earth in the solar system and the sun in the Sūratu’r-Rahmān (The All-Merciful) 285 Milky Way remind us of God’s Power and bounties. The Power is a guarantor of the existence of Paradise and eternal happiness, and bounties refer to God’s answering and meeting our physical and spiritual needs; therefore, we should always be thankful to God Almighty. From this perspective, the easts and wests or the sun’s repeated rise and setting always remind us of God’s Power and bounties and our duty of thankfulness. Aware of this, we fill with gratitude and are fully alert to the reality of, “Then, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” (Ar-Rahmān 55:18). God knows best and to Him is the return and homecoming. Reflections on the Qur’ān 286 ِ ‫ۙ۝و ِإ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ُ َن‬ َ ‫ِ ا ُّ ُ م‬ ٌ ‫ۙ۝ ِإ‬ ۪ ‫ان כ‬ ٌ َ ٌ ٰ ْ ُ َ ُ َّ ٌ ۪ ِ ‫َ أُ ْ ِ ِ ا‬ ََ ُ َ I swear by the locations of the stars (and their falling). It is indeed a very great oath, if you but knew. Most certainly it is a Qur’ān (recited) most honorable. (Al-Wāqi‘ah 56:75–77) Sūratu’l-Wāqi‘ah (The Event to Happen) A las for humanity whose heart has been hardened and covered with rust! Almighty God, Who is the All-Knowing, knows this state of humanity and reveals His Message to them by a tremendous oath. A human being should feel ashamed at this and shudder while reading the verses with this meaning and message. The Lord of humanity swears and speaks emphatically and repeatedly in order to awake man to the truth of the Qur’ān and make them believe that the Qur’ān is His most honorable Book or Message. There are many such oaths throughout the Qur’ān. God Almighty swears by the sun, moon, stars, the heavens, and many other things. He swears by His bounties on the earth such as the olive and fig. Mount Sinai, day and night are also among the things by which God swears. There are many mysteries and instances of wisdom in all of these oaths. In the initial verse of Sūratu’n-Najm (The Star), God Almighty swears by a star: “By the star when it rises or goes down (after its rise).” This oath is extraordinarily suited to the subject of the sūrah in which it is found and in which the Ascension of our Prophet is mentioned. From this perspective, it is possible that what is meant by the star is our Prophet himself, upon him be peace and blessings. Just like a star, he first rose from Sūratu’l-Wāqi‘ah (The Event to Happen) 287 the created and ascended to the Creator and then returned from the Creator to the created again. Indeed, without being confused and dazzled in the face of all the most exquisite scenes and beauties he was shown during the Ascension, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, returned to this realm of formations and deformations (or creation and decline) so that he introduces the blessings and bounties bestowed on him to everyone else, taking us toward the horizons to which he traveled. For this reason, interpreting the star by which God swears in the verse as our Prophet is quite appropriate. In addition to his matchless virtues and excellencies, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, returned to creation with many new blessings with which he had been favored during his Ascension. Thus God swears by him in the name of the virtues and excellencies he possesses and the new blessings conferred on him during his Ascension. Just as, according to some interpreters of the Qur’ān, God mentions His noble Prophet with the Attributes particular to Him as “as-Samī‘” (the Hearing) and “al-Basīr” (the Seeing) in the verse, “Surely he is the one who hears and sees” (Al-Isrā’ 17:1), He also gives him the same value in the first verse of the Sūratu’n-Najm, in which He swears by him, saying: “By the star when it rises and goes down (after its rise),” and thus alluding to the Ascension of the star of humanity, peace and blessings be upon him, and then his return back to our realm in order to raise us upwards to the horizons to which he traveled. In the verse, “By the sun and its brightness” (Ash-Shams 91:1), God Almighty swears by the sun and the brightness of the forenoon. In the verse, “And by the night when it has grown dark and most still” (Ad-Duhā 93:2), God Almighty swears by the night and its darkness as it is the resting time; and in the verse, “And the day as it reveals it (the sun)” (Ash-Shams 91:3), He swears by the removal of darkness and the appearance of the brightness of day and, therefore, by Divine bounties and favors coming through such changes succeeding each other. In another place of the Qur’ān, the fig, the olive, and the Mount Sinai115 are sworn by. Mount Sinai (at-Tūr) is an important location where Prophet Moses was favored with God’s speech and certain other kinds of manifestations. This favor of God to Moses at Mount Sinai 115 See Sūratu’t-Tīn 95:1–2. 288 Reflections on the Qur’ān marked the beginning of the revival of a community. Prophet Moses was receiving God’s commands through Revelation, and a community began on the path to awakening to the true life. Thus, God honored Mount Sinai with swearing by it. As stated above, there are many such kinds of oaths in the Qur’ān. In the verse under discussion, God Almighty swears by “the locations of the stars.” The following interpretations have been made concerning this oath: First: The stars have always been important for human beings because there has always been a relationship between human beings and stars. The minimum of this relationship has been that human beings can determine directions through the stars. The following verse points to this fact, saying: “And (other) way-marks, and they (people) find their way by the stars” (An-Nahl 16:16). In addition, like the verses of the Qur’ān, there are explicit or implicit connections among stars. Through the tongue of their natural order, harmony, functions and appearance, they move our feelings and whisper things related to the truths behind their existence, order, and the general order of the universe. This is another way they function as “way-marks” and provide “guidance” for us. Therefore, by swearing by “the locations of stars,” God Almighty draws our attention to the order, harmony, and magnificent scenes they display. If they were not located where they are, if they had not been established by God in these locations, there would not have been order and harmony in both the heavens and the universe as a whole, and human beings would not have been able to benefit from them. Second: The present position of the solar system and the universe as a whole and the present formation of the world are the result of the existence of uncountable conditions and their co-existence and cooperation according to extremely sensitive measures. For example, the escape of air molecules and atoms from the atmosphere and the destruction of the balance between the gases forming air destroy the structure of the atmosphere with the result that life extinguishes on the earth. In fact, the cooperation between the earth and sky is very difficult. The molecules and atoms in the atmosphere try to escape into space while the earth tries to attract and hold them. It is God Who holds them together, and they act in obedience to God’s laws. It is said in the Qur’ān concerning this: “And He directed (His Knowledge, Will, Power, and Favor) to the heaven when it Sūratu’l-Wāqi‘ah (The Event to Happen) 289 was as a cloud (of gases), and ordered it and the earth, ‘Come both of you, willingly or unwillingly!’ They said: ‘We have come in willing obedience’” (Fussilat 41:11). Behind this gravitational attraction and other laws is Divine Power. Indeed, it is very meaningful and apt to swear by the stars and their locations in the heavens, all of which point to the existence and Unity of God. Indeed, the solar system and all other star systems that exist in the universe are all in order, and everything is exactly in its place. Considering the fact that even the clash and split of tiny atoms cause an extremely large explosion, the idea of great celestial bodies running into each other is enough to make one shiver with fear. Though this abundance of star systems appears to be chaotic and disorderly, they are all in a dazzling harmony and order. Behind all this order and harmony in the universe and the laws of attraction and repulsion between the celestial bodies is the disposal of the eternally All-Powerful One. Here, our attention is turned toward this Divine disposal by means of the tremendous oath by “the locations of the stars.” Third: Another meaning or reality which can be derived from God’s swearing by the locations of stars is that the stars are exactly in their proper places, so much so that studying one particular system will give firm views about other systems in the universe. Moreover, it will be possible to establish dialogue with the systems and found dwelling places there. All of the systems have so properly and harmoniously been established and there are such sensitive connections among them that there is not the least irregularity and disaccord in and among them. Instead, we find a magnificent and perfect order, accord and harmony. In Sūratu’rRahmān (55), God Almighty expresses His quality of ar-Rahmān (the AllMerciful) with this order and accord. Besides the Name Allāh (God), ar-Rahmān (the All-Merciful) is another proper Name of the Divine Being. No one can be named after and called by these two Names. In the Basmalah, which is repeated 114 times in the Qur’ān, ar-Rahmān is mentioned right after the Name Allāh. In Sūratu’r-Rahmān, which derives its name from its initial verse: “ar-Rahmān” (The All-Merciful), all God’s bounties are related to His quality of ar-Rahmān. The greatest of these bounties is God’s teaching humankind the Qur’ān: “The All-Merciful. He has taught the Qur’ān” (Ar-Rahmān 55:1–2). 290 Reflections on the Qur’ān If the messages of the Qur’ān had not enlightened our eyes and worlds, the universe would have remained a common mourning place for us. Then we would have been in horror at the sight of all the creatures in their deadly images. We would never have been able to see the truth of anything, nor would we have been able to understand anything properly. It is through the guiding lights of the Qur’ān that we have come to comprehend the meaning of everything in the universe with the instances of wisdom in it, and we have realized that we are the best pattern and summary of creation. We have been able to understand through the light of the Qur’ān what modern scientific approach and sciences leave in darkness, and we have been saved from bewilderment and horror. Having penetrated the essence of the Qur’ān, we have examined existence and come to realize such things that others are either unaware of their existence or do not recognize them. Indeed, we have detected bright tunnels leading to the realms beyond even through the black holes (in the sky), and we have begun seeing illuminated wherever and whatever we look at with its light. The All-Merciful God shows us another aspect of His Mercifulness in the following verse, when he says, “He has created human; He has taught him speech” (Ar-Rahmān 55:3–4). If we had been dumb, in other words, if we had been unable to translate the articulate language of the universe, which speaks loudly, and, if we had been unable to understand the Divine Speech and instruct each other in it—if we had not been able to see the universe illuminated through His Attribute of Speech and describe it in its brightness, then we would have remained unable to understand and teach anything of the deep meanings and intricacies of the universe. “The sun and the moon are by an exact calculation (of the All-Merciful)” (Ar-Rahmān 55:5). The sun and the moon have been placed in locations with such exact, delicate, and precise calculation, and they have such a position with each other that a magnificent Will-power explicitly displays in their formation, functions, and positions. This is another manifestation of God’s Mercifulness in a different wavelength. If Divine Mercy had not established this order with the most exact calculations, we would have been devastated and lost among the objects colliding with each other. Even though some meteors occasionally fall down the earth, none of them has ever caused a serious problem. These meteors have so far Sūratu’l-Wāqi‘ah (The Event to Happen) 291 injured neither somebody’s head nor eyes. Therefore, these meteors hit the shield of God’s Grace and are smashed. You may attempt to explain this with the atmosphere or the mass of the dense gases. Whatever physical causes you put forward, they are only the embodiment of God’s Grace. God has established everything in its proper place with the most exact calculations in so marvelous order and harmony that “the locations of the stars” also imply this. Fourth: The North Star, its place among stars and showing us our direction; the solar system and its position in the Milky Way; the Milky Way and its place among other heavenly systems, splendid in itself but humble in proportion to others; the position of these systems among other bigger systems; the precisely calculated distances between the stars and between the satellites of each star—everything in the universe is a part of the universal harmony and is itself harmoniously established in the sky and works in precise relationship with everything else. “The locations of the stars” also point to these facts. Fifth: The locations of the stars are approached differently in the West and the East. For instance, Russian scientists call them the locations where the stars have been established. As for the West, they regard the locations of the stars as black holes or white holes. In fact, in addition to the matters that sciences have established and solved, there are so many mysteries or matters that wait to be answered. When an issue is clarified, many new matters emerge. For example, there is an opposition between the atmosphere of the earth and the earth itself. Astrophysicists assert that this opposition or contrast is a complementary factor of the balance on the earth and in space, even in the whole universe. Black holes and white holes are also two opposite elements which are also very important for the general balance in the universe. According to contemporary commentators, “the locations of the stars” also point to quasars and pulsars. White holes are extremely intense sources of light and energy. Today, these can easily be observed and established. Scientists say that white holes are like fields where other stars and systems will grow and develop. Truly, these holes have such strong and magnificent energy that even if the Milky Way disappears all of a sudden, one white hole can be the source where another Milky Way will grow by God’s Will and Power. These have been estab- 292 Reflections on the Qur’ān lished at the heart of the universe in such harmony that they perform their tremendous duties in the most exact or precise fashion. Indeed, one of the apparent influential elements in the order of the universe is “the locations of the stars.” Russian scientists regard these as the places where starlets are grown and develop. Their view is important as it shows that the Qur’ān points to a fact fourteen centuries before it was established by science, and, therefore, it is the Word of Him Who is the All-Knowing and Whose Power is able to do everything He wills. Sixth: Black holes are formed when heavy stars collapse as a result of electrons losing their energy. After a black hole has formed, it can still absorb mass from its surroundings. They absorb other stars and merge with other black holes, thus super-massive black holes are formed. Even though the stars that collapse do not lose anything of their mass and weight, their bodies shrink and turn into gigantic black holes. They absorb but do not give light. Time accelerates at that point. Just as some puzzling things happen when the objects caught by a whirlpool are lost, certain mysterious things occur in black holes. For example, if the solar system approached one of these black holes, it would be swallowed up like a morsel and disappear. Thus, some of the astrophysicists call these black holes “locations of the stars.” Seventh: We come across in the Qur’ān that Prophets are also meant by the term “star.” For example, in Sūratu’t-Tāriq (86:3) the term, “an-Najmu’th-Thāqib,” which means “the bright, piercing star,” is interpreted as referring to Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, who pierces into hardened hearts and opens the closed doors to penetrate inside. Each Prophet was the star of the heavens of his time that enlightened it. Those who follow their lights rise to the heavens of happiness and come into contact with God Almighty. So by swearing by “the locations of the stars,” God Almighty may be drawing the attention to the dazzling positions of, for example, Prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus and our Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Eighth: I would like to point out another aspect of this expression. The Qur’anic verses are called “stars” as well. The interpreters of the Qur’ān say that the Qur’ān was revealed “in stars after stars.” Each Qur’anic verse has its own place both in the Qur’ān and in God’s sight. Since we are unable to perceive the power and comprehensiveness of the Divine Speech in the Qur’ān, God Almighty swears by the position Sūratu’l-Wāqi‘ah (The Event to Happen) 293 and place of the Qur’ān in His Attribute of Speech due to its matchless value and importance. So swearing by “the locations of the stars” has almost the same meaning as “Qāf. By the Qur’ān most sublime” (Qāf 50:1). Moreover, there is a special place for the Qur’ān in the Supreme Preserved Tablet (al-Lawhu’l-Mahfūz) as well. For it was in the Supreme Preserved Tablet until it was sent down on the Night of Power (Laylatu’lQadr) to the heaven of the world. Only those whose sight could reach it could be aware of it. From this perspective, “the locations of the stars” point to the locations of the stars (verses) of the Qur’ān, which is the translator of the book of the universe and the work of God’s Will and Power. Hence, the Qur’ān is regarded as another cluster of stars—a cluster of stars that makes the stars in the universe known. Indeed, there is a similarity between the Qur’ān and the universe. God declares: “We have surely sent the Qur’ān down on the Night of (Destiny and) Power” (Al-Qadr 97:1). Every friend of God (walī) who is able to observe the Supreme Preserved Tablet of Truth can observe and study the Qur’ān there as a whole. In sum, by swearing by “the locations of the stars,” God Almighty swears by this lofty position and location of the Qur’ān. Ninth: Another location of the Qur’ān, which caused Archangel Gabriel to gain the designation of trustworthiness, is the trustworthy heart of Gabriel. Therefore, swearing by “the locations of the stars” may also be swearing by the heart of Gabriel and other trustworthy hearts. Tenth: It may well be that “the locations of the stars” refer to the pure heart of our master Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, and those of his sincere followers. Eleventh: The pure hearts and consciences of believers who adopt the Qur’ān as the essence of everything and of their lives and feel that God speaks to them anytime they recite it may be among the locations by which God swears. May God purify our hearts, too, as He purified the hearts of our pure, sincere predecessors, making them the hearts by which God may swear. It is due to all these and many other similar meanings or realities that God Almighty swears by “the locations of the stars.” And He declares that this oath is a very great, important oath. We believe in the mysteries unknown to us, too, as we believe in the known ones, and we affirm the Divine declaration, “It is indeed a very great oath, if you but knew,” with all our hearts. Reflections on the Qur’ān 294 ۪ ‫אوِ ِ اِאا‬ ِ ۪ ْ ‫ُ َא ِא‬ ‫אن‬ َ َ َ َ َّ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ‫َ ْ َ ْ ۪ ُ ُ ِ َא ِ ًّ ِ َّ ۪ َ ٰا َ ُ ا‬ ِ ‫ر אا‬ ْ ْ َ َّ َ َ ‫َو‬ O Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers (and sisters) in Religion who have preceded us in faith, and let not our hearts entertain any ill-feeling against any of the believers. (Al-Hashr 59:10) Sūratu’l-Hashr (The Gathering) F irst of all, we should point out that the real place where “the human heart” will be free of ill-feelings is Paradise in the Hereafter. If these ill-feelings, which are an important element of humankind’s trial or testing, had been taken from “the heart of human beings” when they are in this world, human beings would have been angels in nature. God Almighty has created human beings and sent them to this world with a nature predisposed to both good and evil. For this reason, even if the ill-feelings were taken out of the human heart in this world, like the cut nails and hair growing anew, they would re-appear. It is because of this reality that God Almighty does not order us to remove illfeelings from our hearts; instead, in order to teach us that only God is able to remove such feelings from our hearts, He orders us here in this verse to pray to Him, saying, “O Our Lord! Let not our hearts entertain any illfeeling against any of the believers.” Therefore, what we need to do is to try to remove these feelings, which may be regarded as spiritual thorns that hurt our hearts, through verbal and active prayers. That is, while we do what falls to our will-power in order to be able to remove them from our hearts, knowing that it is God Almighty Who will enable us to do that, we should pray to Him to take them out of our hearts. By doing so, we will Sūratu’l-Hashr (The Gathering) 295 be purified from them to be qualified for Paradise, and we hope that God Almighty will be pleased with us. This verse has a message for us. We should be respectful of our Muslim predecessors. We should neither entertain ill-feelings about them nor remember them with their faults. We should be respectful especially for the earliest generations of Islam, just as the generation following our Prophet’s Companions was respectful for the Companions and the second generation after the Companions was for their predecessors. We should always be respectful for the generations that left us a massive Islamic legacy in Qur’anic interpretation, Islamic jurisprudence and theology, and Hadı̄th. Another point presented to us in this verse is that everybody gets pleasure and feels pain according to the development their feelings. For instance, if the perceptiveness of a sensitive person is developed well, he or she derives different meanings from every behavior of the person before him or her. That would sometimes cause pain and sometimes be a blessing for that person. From this perspective, we may say that everyone will receive delight and pleasure from Paradise in accordance with the extent of the development of their senses and feelings. It is possible that those people of Paradise whose senses and feelings were not so developed will wish they had developed them while in the world. Or they will ask God to send them back to the world so that their senses and feelings may develop. Therefore, in order to benefit from Paradise perfectly, it is important that ill-feelings such as rancor, jealousy, and enmity are removed from the heart. This verse should be viewed from this perspective as well. In fact, the verses, “The believers are but brothers” (Al-Hujurāt 49:10), and “The believers, both men and women, are guardians, confidants, and helpers of one another” (At-Tawbah 9:71), declare that due to their bonds of belief and their brotherhood in faith, the believers should love each other, be respectful especially toward their predecessors, and ask God for their forgiveness by disregarding some of their possible shortcomings. And they should never feel enmity, hatred, and jealousy toward all other believers, especially toward their predecessors. Those who claim to be the followers of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, should always think well of other Muslims, speak to and 296 Reflections on the Qur’ān act gently toward them, and always act with feelings of good, as commanded in the verses, “Help one another in virtue, goodness, righteousness, and piety, and do not help one another in sinful, iniquitous acts, and hostility” (Al-Māedah 5:2). How much we need such consideration and state of mind especially in these days! O Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers (and sisters) in Religion who have preceded us in faith, and let not our hearts entertain any ill-feeling against any of the believers. O Our Lord, surely You are All-Pitying, All-Compassionate! Amen! Sūratu’l-Hashr (The Gathering) 297 ۪ ِ ْ ِ ْ ِ ‫אن ِإ ْذ َ َאل‬ ِ َ َّ ‫َכ َ ِ ا‬ ‫يء‬ ْ ‫אن‬ ٌ ۤ ۪ َ ّ ‫اכ ُ ْ ۚ َ َ َّ א َכ َ َ َ َאل ِإ‬ َ َ ْ ۪ ُ َ َ‫ِ ْ َכ ِإ ۪ ّۤ أ‬ َ َ ‫אف ا ّٰ َ َر َّب ا ْ َ א‬ (The hypocrites have deceived them) just like Satan, when he says to human, “Disbelieve in God!” Then when he disbelieves, he says (to human): “Surely I am quit of you, for surely I fear God, the Lord of the worlds!” (Al-Hashr 59:16) O ne can draw a parallel between hypocrites and Satan. According to this verse, fearing God exists in the nature of Satan. This means that Satan knows God. Nevertheless, he always disobeys and rebels against God despite his knowledge. The exalted words of God warn us against the rebelliousness of Satan in various verses of the Qur’ān. Since Satan’s standing in rebellion and disobedience against his Lord’s commands implies his knowledge of obedience and submission to God, this shows that Satan is aware of both what obedience and submission mean as well as his duty of obedience and submission and that Satan rebels against God knowingly and intentionally. In fact, God Almighty states in Sūratu’l-Kahf that, “He (Satan) was of the jinn and transgressed against his Lord’s command” (18:50). Thus, Satan is one of the jinn, who have been created from some sort of fire. It is likely that he was apparently in obedience to God until he was commanded to prostrate before Adam along with the angels. Like the angels, Satan, who belongs to the species of the jinn, was in a position to prostrate before Adam. However, in his nature he had an aspect vulnerable to disobedience, rebellion, and deviation. This aspect of his nature showed itself in the face of the command of “Prostrate before Adam!” immediately, and consequently Satan failed the test and has been lost as a result of opposing the command. To summarize the realities about Satan and his nature, Satan deviated by not obeying God’s command of prostrating before Adam and was utterly defeated by the rebellious aspect of his nature. The same is always 298 Reflections on the Qur’ān possible for human beings. There are such moments or cases when a human being, that noblest and most honorable of creatures, is defeated by their feelings or impulses such as anger, jealousy, hatred, and lusts that have been inserted in their nature as the elements of their trials and perfectibility, enters upon a way opposite to their conscience and almost deviates from humanity or being truly human. For instance, the feeling of jealousy caused many among the People of the Book to reject Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, and blinded their eyes to him, for they had been expecting that the Last Prophet would appear from among their own nation. The same or similar sort of attitudes may also dominate us momentarily or—may God forbid—continually. Truly, there are lots of cases where feelings or emotions lead us to the wrong way in spite of reason and logic and where we find ourselves in a delirium unawares. Like this, Satan incessantly lives full of jealousy, hatred, and anger toward humankind. As Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, declared, Satan has never been able to free himself from thinking and remembering: “Humankind was commanded to prostrate before God, and they did and gained. I was also commanded to prostrate, but I did not and I have been lost.”116 It is likely that he utters screams of rebellion each time he sees human beings prostrate before God, which is the most explicit sign of their obedience and submission to God, and he finds himself in delirium. When the call to the Prayer is recited and the believers move and advance toward mosques to worship and bow down in prostration, Satan runs around in craziness so as not to hear the call to the Prayer. Every act of human beings which means their obedience to and reinforces their connection with their Lord increases Satan in jealousy, hatred, anger, and delirium. Just imagine a person who is told that his son has been killed by a gang; this leads him to anger with that gang, and his anger increases when he hears that his wife has been kidnapped, and as a result, that person is full of the feelings of vengeance and can be expected to do everything in his power against the gang. Just like this person’s psychology, Satan feels continuous and increasing anger, hatred, and grudges against humankind, and this will continue until the Last Day. 116 Muslim, Imān, 133; Sunan Ibn Mājah, Iqāmah, 70; Musnad Ahmad, 2/443.