i

S E L E C T E D

K H U T. A B II

(FRIDAY SERMONS)

–

BY

MUHAMMAD AMIN A. SAMAD

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. iv 1. Allah’s Justice and Compassion ....................................................... 1 2. Forgiveness ......................................................................................... 7 3. Forbearance ........................................................................................ 9 4. Repentance ....................................................................................... 12 5. Those Who Lose Most ...................................................................... 16 6. Commentary of Sūrat al-Baqarah :1-3............................................ 19 7. The Bad and the Good ..................................................................... 23 8. Commentary of Sūrat al-Kawthar (Q. Chap. 108) ...................... 26 9. Commentary of Sūrat al-Isrā’ (Q. 17):15-17 ................................ 29 10. BID‘AH (INNOVATION) ............................................................. 33 11. TAFSĪR AND TA’WĪL .................................................................... 36 12. CATEGORIES OF TAFSĪR (1) ...................................................... 39

(2). Rational commentary. ..................................................................... 41 13. CATEGORIES OF TAFS.ĪR (2) .................................................... 42

(3). Symbolic (Allegorical) Commentary. .............................................. 45

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INTRODUCTION

This booklet is intended for the readers who are interested in learning

more about Islam. It contains a collection of some of my khubahs

(sermons) delivered at the Canberra Islamic Centre, 221 Clive Steele

Avenue, Monash, ACT, Australia, from May to August 2003. Earlier

khubahs are unfortunately not available for this collection.

I admit that this booklet is far from being perfect. The Arabic texts

are without vowel signs, so that it would be difficult to read by people who are not familiar with Arabic language and scripts.

Finally, as I am leaving Canberra on 21st and Australia on 25

th

October 2003 (in shā’Allāh), I take this opportunity to say “good bye” to all my friends whose companionship I enjoyed. I shall miss you all, but

you will remain in my heart.

One of the benefits of travelling mentioned by Imām al-Shāfi‘ī (d. 204/820) is being in the company of noble people, and I admit that I have

many of them here in Australia in general and in Canberra in particular.

They have been wonderful personalities, and leaving such people for good would be really painful. But life must go on, and I have to keep proceeding

whatever my Creator had decreed for me and in seeking His pleasure.

May Allah the Almighty reward you, dear brothers and sisters in faith as well as in humanity, for your kindness, compassion, understanding and

sympathy to me during my stay in this beautiful Canberra, and in this

beautiful capital territory of Australia.

May Allah accept this humble service to Islam, āmīn!!!

Canberra, October, 2003

Muhammad Amin Abdul-Samad

PS. For those who wish to remain in touch with me, my e-mails are:

muhamine@hotmail.com and muhamine@yahoo.com.au

Al-lāh (praise be to Allah), in this new edition (Oct. 2011)

vowel signs have been given to the Arabic texts to help readers who are

not familiar with the Arabic language to read them properly.

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1. Allah’s Justice and Compassion

(30 May, 2003)

” “

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day

of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in

anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed,

We will bring it. And sufficient are We

to take account.” (Q. 21:47)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s commentary on this verse is this:

“What is meant is that when Allah takes account, His accounting will be

perfect: there will be no flaw in it, as there may be in earthly accountants,

who require other people’s help in some matters of account which they do

not understand for want of knowledge of that particular department they are

dealing with. Allah’s knowledge is perfect, and therefore His justice will be

perfect also; for He will not fail to take into account all the most intangible

things that determine conduct and character.”

In this verse the term is in plural rather than the singular

meaning “balance” or “scale”. Different persons have different

balances of deed. If we look at how balance is used in this world, we

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have a special balance (scale) for weighing gold or diamonds, for weighing fruit, for example, bananas. We even have special scales for

weighing our weight, used for humans only. For heavier things, such as

cars, there is also a special scale. In this world, different scales are used for different objects, depending on size and weight.

In the Hereafter, are there different balances (scales) for weighing

different objects? In the Hereafter there will be only one thing to be

weighed, our deeds from this world. Yet, Allah mentions the term

(balances, scales) in plural rather than in the singular (a balance,

a scale). Apparently, every one of us will have his/her own balance, weighing deeds, good or evil. Why? Because of Allah’s justice, He will

consider our personal circumstances.

For example, a person may be born into a pious family, with a father who is a shaykh, a great scholar of Islam, his mother a practising

Muslim and raises him in Islamic way, teaching him from an early age of what is wrong and what is right. His account of deeds would be

different from a person who was born in an isolated place from poor

and uneducated parents who worked hard just to survive. Family environment has strong influences on an individual. Even the

neighbourhood, the village, the city, or the country an individual lives

in has a strong influence on the development of the person. For example, a person born in Makkah (Mecca) and raised there would

have a different scale from a person born in Paris. Even the poor will

have different scales from the rich; everything is according to their circumstances.

The other aspect of judgement of deeds using the differentiation of

scale is the concept of time (era). In weighing our deeds, Allah in the Hereafter will also consider the time a person lives in and his social

circumstances. A person living in the time of the Prophet as opposed to

a person living in present times will have different scales. These are the balances of justice by Allah the Just. Allah has ninety-nine names

(attributes), and one of them is (the Just).

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Another name of Allah is (the Most Gracious). There are eight

characteristics of (the faithful slaves of the Most Gracious,

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Allah) mentioned in the Qur’ān, surah al-Furqān (chapter 25) verse 63-77. The first one is as follows:

“And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah)

are those who walk of the earth in humility and sedateness,

and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they

reply back with mild words of gentleness” (Q. 25:63)

The last characteristic of the faithful slaves of the Most Gracious is that

they pray and make supplication to Him, as mentioned in surah al-Furqān (chapter 25) verse 74, as follows:

“And those who say ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us from

our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes

and make us leaders of the pious.” (Q. 25:74)

In surah al-Qas.as. (chapter 28) verse 9 the term (comfort for the

eye) is also mentioned. When Pharaoh knew that in the future, a man from the children of Israel would conquer his kingdom and power, he

ordered to kill every baby born by Jewish women in Egypt. But when

the baby Moses was brought to him, his wife says as mentioned in the Qur’ān as follows:

“And the wife of Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) said: ‘A comfort

for the eye for me and for you. Kill him not, perhaps he may

be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son’ And

they perceived not (the result of that)” (Q. 28:9)

How could he kill every Jewish baby in his kingdom for fear of being a threat for his kingdom, and at the same time agreed to adopt a baby of

unknown origin who became a comfort for their eyes? Amazing!

The term qurrat al-‘ayn means “consolation for the eye, delight of the eye; joy, pleasure, delight; darling”. It literally means “settlement of

the eye”. If you like something beautiful and attractive, you fix and

settle your eyes on it. It gives delight to the eyes. The Pharaoh and his wife, as well as those who had seen the baby Moses became delighted,

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and nobody had intentions to harm him, let alone kill him, despite Pharaoh’s order to kill every baby of Jewish women in Egypt. The

secret of this is that Allah had promised to protect Moses, to make any

person who saw him, love him. Allah says

“(Allah said): ‘And indeed We conferred a favour on you

another time (before). When We inspired your mother with that

which We inspired. Saying: “Put him (the child) into the Tabut

(a box or a case or a chest) and put it into the river (Nile);

then the river shall cast it up on the bank, and there ,an

enemy of Mine and an enemy of his shall take him”. And

I endued you with love from Me, in order that youmay

be brought up under My Eye.’” (Q. 20:37-39)

Speaking about Allah’s love, a Prophetic tradition runs as follows:

Abū Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah

s.a.w. said: “Whenever Allah loves a servant of Him he calls

Gabriel, and says, ‘O Gabriel, verily I love so-and-so, so love him

(too)’; so, Gabriel loves him; then he calls the angels (the heavenly

host) and says, ‘O angels, verily Allah loves so-and-so, so love

him (too),’ then he becomes well accepted in the earth.”

(Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, and Amad)

It means people love him.

We pray that the Most Gracious Allah may include us among His pious obedient servants and make our spouses and our offspring the

comfort of our eyes and make us leaders of the pious. Now let us pray

together.

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Conclusion: In the day of Resurrection Allah will take into account perfectly of what we did on this earth. Allah the Just is also the

Merciful. When He loves His obedient servants, the angles and people

also love them.

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us pray together in this second khut.bah.

O Allah! Forgive the Muslims, males and females, the believers,

males and females, the living among them as well as the dead! Verily,

You are, O our Lord, the All-Hearing and Near, Who answer (our)

prayers, and fulfil (our) needs, O the Lord of all creatures.

“O Allah! Lighten the graves of the dead, O Allah,

forgive the living and facilitate their affairs.”

أ

“O Allah! Forgive the repentant, forgive the sins of the

sinners, heal the sick among the Muslims, prescribe well-being,

vitality, prosperity and guidance for us and for the

entire community of Muhammad.”

“O Lord! Forgive us as well as our parents and bestow on them

Your mercy as they did bring us up when we were young.”

O Allah! Bring prosperity to our affairs in this world that is the

preservation of our lives, and in the next world to which we shall

return, and increase our good deeds in our lives,

and make our death repose from evil.

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O Allah! Show us the truth as truth, and guide to follow it, and

show us the falsehood as falsehood, and guide us to avoid it.

Or Lord! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. Our

Lord! Do not lay on us such a burden as You placed on those before

us. Our Lord! Do not lay on us a burden that which we have not the

strength to bear! Forgive us, have mercy on us. You are our

protector, help us against the unbelievers.(Q. 2:286)

O Allah, unite the Muslims and assist them against their enemies.

Our Lord! Bestow on us, our spouses and our offspring the

comfort of our eyes and make us leaders of the pious.

O Allah! Make us love each other in Your Majesty and agree on

Your sayings, and shade us with Your Throne on the day there will

be no shade except its shade, and make us die as Muslims, and

join us with pious people, and make our best deed its last

one, and our best day the day we meet You.

Our Lord! Give us the goodness, both in this world and in the

Hereafter and save us from the torment of Hellfire.

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2. Forgiveness

(6 June 03)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān:

If anyone does evil or wrongs his own soul, but

afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful (Q. al-Nisa’ 4:110).

Ibn ‘Abbas says that Allah offered repentance to Banī Ubayriq.

T.u‘mah ibn Ubayriq converted to Islam, then stole a coat of arm,

became apostate and joined the idolaters. So, the verse means, if anyone (like T.u‘mah ibn Ubayariq) does evil, namely steals, or wrongs

his own soul, namely, associates Allah with idols, then afterwards seeks forgiveness, repents, then Allah will forgive him.

Al-D.ah.h.āk says that the verse was revealed for the case of Wah.shī

who had killed H.amzah, the Prophet’s uncle in the battle of Uh.ud,

when he was still an idolater. Then he came to the Prophet, saying,

“Verily, I regret. Is there any chance for forgiveness for me?” Then the

above verse was revealed.

These incidents are called (the occasions which led to the

revelation) of this verse. However, the meaning is general. Whoever

commits any evil or wrong doing, (except shirk, then afterwards, the

next hour, the next day, next year, next twenty years, associating Allah with anything else), disregarding how many and how big, no limit any

time, while he is still alive, repents, the door of repentance is always

open without waiting, Allah always forgives Whenever we make any mistake, we repent to Allah. The Prophet himself who was protected by

Allah from sin ( , infallible) repented one hundred times a day. He

also used to say, “I ask your forgiveness of what I know and of what

You know better.

A person came to the Prophet complaining about his abusing his

family. The Prophet advised him to keep repenting and asking Allah’s

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forgiveness, because this is a kind of treatment will soon change his behaviour.

In another verse, Allah says,

“Those who fear Allah, when a thought of evil from

Satan assault them, bring Allah to remembrance, when lo!

They see (aright)!” [namely, stop it] (Q. 7:201).

A man called cIs.ām ibn al-Mus.t.aliq told the following story. “I came to

Madinah and saw al-H.asan ibn cAlī [ibn Abū T.ālib] and I admired his

good behaviour and pleasing appearance. Then the envy against him

enraged, like the hatred that I had hidden against his father. So, I said:

‘You are the son of [cAlī ibn] Abū T.ālib!’ and he said ‘yes’. Then I

abused him, as much as I could, he and his father. He looked at me tenderly and kindly and said, reciting the Qur’anic verses,

(

‘I asked Allah’s protection from the accursed Satan.

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.

Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; but turn away

from the ignorant.’ (Q. al-A’raf 7:199) “If anyone does

evil or wrongs his own soul, but afterwards seeks

Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah

Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”

(Q. al-Nisa’ 4:110).

“Then he (al- H.asan) told me, ’Take it easy! Ask Allah’s

forgiveness for you and for me. Verily, if you ask for our help, we would help you. If you ask for our support, we would support you. If

you ask for our advice, we would advise you.’ I felt remorse. Then he

recited the verse,

He [i.e. Joseph] said “This day let no reproach be (cast)

on you: Allah will forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful

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of those who show mercy” (Q. Yusuf 12:92).

[This was what Prophet Joseph said to his brothers when he forgave them.].

“Are you coming from Syria?”, asked al- H.asan. When he said ‘yes’ he

was warmly welcomed. He said that at that time there were no people

on the earth he loved so much more than al- H.asan and his father cAlī

ibn Abū T.ālib.

Conclusion: With good character we turn people who hate us for any

reason into friend and allies.

3. Forbearance

(13 June 3003)

Brothers & Sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the

patients (al-s.ābirīn). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly!

To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.’ They are

those on whom are blessing and mercy from their Lord, and it

is they who are the guided ones.” (Q. 2:155-157)

Allah will not test us in all of these in one time. He will test us

according to our condition. A person who has no farm will not be tested with loss of fruits. A person who loves people may be tested with the

loss of one or more of his loved ones. One day we shall lose our loved one: our father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, son or daughter. When

we hear or see someone dies, returning to his/her Creator, we say

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(innā lillāh wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn), meaning, “Truly! To

Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” Allah’s blessing and mercy on them include His forgiveness, and honour in this world as

well as in the Hereafter.

These guided and patient people would never complain of what befalls on them, and would never say, “Oh God! Why does this happen to me?

Why me? I have always been a good person.” Such expressions are an

indication of protest, complaint, and ignorance of His wisdom and free will and determination. We cannot question what Allah is planning for

this universe, let alone for this planet earth and ourselves. He said,

“He cannot be questioned as to what

He does, while they will be questioned.” (Q. 21:23).

Those who are patients (al-s.ābirīn) when tested with calamity would

say, “Truly, to Allah we belong,” an acknowledgment that they are

servants to Him, “and to Him we shall return”, an acknowledging that

they themselves will perish, and return to Him, and therefore, they would return the whole matters to Him.

Allah’s qad.ā’ (divine decree) cannot be reasoned and analyzed, as the

wisdom behind it is hidden and incomprehensible. However, Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him) gives us good news that no matter what happens, it is always good for the Muslims. If it is good, he will

thank Allah, and Allah will reward him. If it is bad, he will be patient,

and Allah will reward him.

This is one kind of patience, namely, in going through Allah’s test with

disaster or with blessing. Another kind of patience is in obeying Allah

in what He orders and in what He prohibits. It has to be in balance, and neglecting one of them is sin, wrongdoing, and disobedience.

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

“And strain not your eyes in longing for the thing We

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have given for enjoyment to various groups of them the

splendour of the life of this world, that We my test them thereby.

But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord

is better and more lasting. And enjoin the prayer (al-salāh) on

your family, and be patient in offering them [i.e., the prayers].

We ask not of you provision. We provide for you. And the

good end [i.e., Paradise] is for the pious

(muttaqīn)” (Q. 20:131-312).

The above verses mention two kinds of good things:

(a) of this life, and they are but a test for all people, disregarding whether they are good or bad, and will pass away;

(b) only for devoted servant of Allah, and this provision is better and

will last through eternity. It also mentions about sustenance where pious people should not worry about, because Allah provides it for

every creature. However, the good end will be for the pious people

only.

The verse also warns us against wishing for what other people

have. Allah tests people according to their levels, physically and

spiritually. Allah tests you with what you have and what you are. If you have much money and are rich, Allah will test you with richness, not

with poverty, and vice versa. Otherwise, you will fail in the test.

Imagine, a law student mistakenly is taking a test in medicine, economy or psychology. He will definitely fail. There is no guarantee

that he will pass the test in law, let alone in other subjects.

Then Allah told us to pay more attention to our family, especially with their prayer, ordering them to perform it and to be patient with it.

The expression “We ask not of you provision” has two meanings:

(a) We (Allah) do not ask you to give Us provision in return; (b) We do not ask you to be distracted by seeking provision to

yourself and your family from performing your prayers. Instead,

Allah says, “We provide for you”.

In other verses Allah mentions again that He does not ask provision

from His ‘abd (servant, slave). He says,

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they

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should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e.,

provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor did I ask they should

feed Me (i.e., feed themselves or My creatures); Verily, Allah is the All -

Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong” (al-Dhāriyāt 51: 56-58).

Conclusion:

(1) There are three kinds of people in their reaction to Allah’s test:

(a) those who are impatient, and they are those who fail in the

test, (b) those who are patient, and they are those who pass the test,

(c) those who are not only patient, but also content with any of

Allah’s divine decrees and tests, and this is the highest level of those who pass the test, namely, pass with distinction.

(2) Allah refers to Himself with I , We or He throughout

the Qur’ān.

4. Repentance

(20 June 2003)

Brothers & Sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’an,

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your

hands have earned. And He pardons much.” (Qur’ān, 42:30).

‘Alī ibn Abī T.ālib (may Allah be pleased with him) is reported to

have said that the Prophet told him about the above verse as follows:

“O ‘Alī, what ever befalls you, such as sickness, punishment, or

misfortune in this world, it is because of what your hands have earned. Allah is more noble-minded than punishing you again in the Hereafter.

And what Allah has forgiven you in this world He would be gentler

than punishing you after He has forgiven you.” What the Prophet means is that if Allah has punished you in this world for the sin you

have done, He would not punish you again for this sin in the Hereafter,

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and once Allah has forgiven you for your sin in this world, He would not punish you for this very sin in this world or in the Hereafter.

Commenting the above verse the early Qur’ān commentator

‘Ikrimah said that any misfortune befalls a servant of Allah it is because of a sin which Allah does not forgive except through this

punishment, or because He wants to raise him to a higher position

which he cannot reach except through inflicting him with this misfortune. One example is that a person asked Prophet Moses, saying:

“O Moses, to pray to Allah to give me what He knows Himself what I am asking for.” He did, and he found out later that the man had been

killed by a lion (or a beast of prey); his flesh was torn to pieces. So,

Prophet Moses asked Allah, “What happened to this man, O Lord?” Allah said, “O Moses, he asked me for a high position which I knew he

would not be able to reach with his own good deeds only, so I inflicted

upon him with what you have seen, so that I shall make it a means for him to reach this high position.” The great and early scholar Abū

Sulaymān al-Dārānī, whenever he mentioned this story, said, “Glory to

Allah Who is able to grant him with this high position without inflicting him with misfortune! However, He does whatever He intends

to do”

The expression in the above verse has two meanings:

(a) Allah forgives many more sins and disobedience without any

limit, and this is the interpretation of the great and early Qur’ān commentator al-H.asan.

(b) Allah forgives many more sinful and disobedient people by

delaying punishment. This means that they will have more chance

to repent, and the door of repentance in Islam remains open twenty-four hours a day without any intermediary for many years as long

as one is still alive. It is a life long open door of repentance.

Speaking about the first interpretation Allah might punish us as

atonement for one sin we commit, but forgives many more sins

and could reach thousands in number, although not all of them. A man on his way to the mosque to perform the Friday congregational

obligatory prayer had an accident. He should not complain and say, for

example, “Oh God, why such accident did happen to me? I was going to the mosque to worship You, not to a casino for gambling which You

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have prohibited.” Allah might punish him as atonement for his sin and the money spent for repairing the car was to purify his remaining

wealth by taking away the impure (h.arām) one.

Despite Allah’s generosity by forgiving many of our sins, and that

is definitely very good news, there is no guarantee for the remaining sins which will be forgiven only by Him through repentance. Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us to keep repenting by saying,

“O Allah, forgive my sins what I know, what I do not know, and what

You know better” and to ask

forgiveness immediately after committing sin. In another verse Allah says,

“And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah’s

forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful” (Q. 4:110).

The term literally means “he finds” in the present tense

indicating Allah’s quick response that any moment we ask forgiveness,

Allah is already there to forgive us without delay. The verse does not

say, for example, or indicating the future (lit. “he will

find”), although it is translated into English with this English sense.

Speaking about the second interpretation of the expression

in the above verse, that Allah forgives many more sinful and

disobedient people by delaying punishment, He said in another verse,

as follows:

“And if Allah were to punish men for which they earned,

He would not leave a moving (living) creature on the surface

of the earth; but He gives the respite to an appointed term:

and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever

All-Seer of His slaves.” (Q. 35:45).

It means that if Allah wanted to punish the whole people in this

world for all of their sins once for all, the whole earth would have been wiped out where not any single living being would remain on it.

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd, the companion of the Prophet, said that the dung

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beetle would almost suffer punishment in its den because of the sin of the son of Adam. When a man enjoined to do good thing, and to avoid

evil, a man told him to mind his own business, because the wrong-doer

would harm only himself. On hearing this, Abū Hurayrah, the companion of the Prophet, said, “It is not so, by Allah Who has no

other god beside Him, by Allah in Whose hand is my soul, verily, the

bustard (a large, swift-running bird) would have died by losing weight in its nest because of the wrong-doing of the wrong-doer.” People are

so sinful that they are no longer ashamed of committing sins. They even keep inventing more kinds of sins, increasing the number of sins

in the list of sins, turning abnormal things into normal, giving new

names, such as sex industry.

The above verse continues with the following verse,

“And you cannot escape from Allah (i.e., His punishment)

in the earth, and besides Allah you have neither any walī

(guardian or protector) nor any helper” (Q. :31).

Since there is no escape from Allah’s punishment if He does not forgive, then the only solution is to take refuge to Him from His

punishment. The Prophet used to ask forgiveness from Allah, and in a

long tradition narrated by al-Barrā’ ibn ‘Āzib and reported by Bukhārī

and Muslim, he used to say while he was in his bed

meaning, “O Allah, there is no refuge nor escape from You except

to You.” We should ask His protection from His punishment. If you want to spank you child for his mistake, and instead of running away

from you, he comes to you asking your protection and tightly clinging

to you, crying, “forgive me, ma!” or “forgive me, pa!, I repent” then, what would you feel?

Conclusion: Although Allah forgives the majority of our sins, yet we

should repent immediately after committing sin.

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5. Those Who Lose Most (27 June 03)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

People who lose most are mentioned in three surahs (chapters) of

the Qur’an: surah Hūd (chapter 11), surah al-Naml (chapter 27), and

surah al-Kahf (chapter 18). They are all people who lose most in the Hereafter. The most disappointing and frustrating among them are

those who lose most in respect of their deeds; they think they are doing good deeds, but in the Hereafter their deed will not be acknowledged.

Instead, they will be punished.

Allah says in the Qur’an,

“Say: ‘Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect

of their deeds?—Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life,

while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?’

They are those who deny the signs of their Lord and the fact of their

having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works,

nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.

That is their reward, Hell; because they rejected faith,

and took My signs and My messengers

by way of jest.” (Q. 18:103-106).

The verses start with an order from Allah to Prophet Muhammad

(peace be upon him) to say and ask a rhetorical question to attract

attention to the listeners. Since the word (“say”) is included in the

revelation, it remains also included in the Qur’ān. There are many other

Qur’anic verses starting with Allah’s command to the Prophet, i.e.,

“say!” and included in the Qur’ān as parts of revelation, for

example, in the beginning of chapter 112 , 113

and 114

This surah al-Kahf (chapter 18) contains 110 verses; all were Makkan (revealed before the Prophet’s migration to Madinah), except

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verse 38 and from 83 to 101. Therefore, the verses mentioned above were originally directed to the Makkan people who worshipped idols.

However, the verses also include people of earlier and later generations

till the Doomsday, with the following characteristics: deny the signs of Allah, deny the Hereafter where they will meet their Lord, reject the

faith, and took Allah’s signs and His messengers (such as David,

Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them) by way of jest. In the Hereafter, their good deeds will worth nothing. What a

disappointment!

The above verses are also a warning to the Muslims, as good

deeds without sincerity and good faith will end up with nothing, will

even nullify their merits. Outward show, selfishness (seeking worldly advantage or hidden gain), hypocrisy, and good deeds accompanied

with bad words, can reduce or nullify their merits. Allah has warned the

Muslim with the following verse:

“O ye who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders

of your generosity or by injury—like those who spend their

wealth to be seen of men, but believe neither in Allah nor in the

Last Day. They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on

which is a little soil: on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it

(just) a bare stone. They will be able to do nothing with

aught they have earned. And Allah guideth not

those who reject faith.” (Q. 2:264).

Allah says in surah Hūd (chapter 11) as follows:

.

18

“Who doth more wrong than those who forge a lie

against Allah? They will be brought before their Lord,

and the witnesses [e.g., angels, prophets and scholars who

reach the messages] will say: ‘These are the ones who lied

against their Lord! Behold! The curse of Allah is on those who

do wrong—Those who hinder (men) from the path of Allah and

wish it to be crooked: these were they who denied the Hereafter’.

They will not escape in earth, nor have they protectors besides

Allah! Their chastisement will be doubled! They could not

hear, nor they could see! They are the ones who lost their

own souls: and the (fancies) they forged have left them

in the lurch. Without a doubt, these are the very

ones who will lose most in the Hereafter.”

(Q. 11: 18-22).

This surah Hūd (chapter 11) is also a Makkan one, containing 123 verse, all were revealed before the hijrah (the Prophet’s migration to

Madinah), except verse 12, 17 and 114 which are Madinian. The verses

mention that the people who lost most in the Hereafter (although not necessarily the lose most in this world) are those who lie against Allah,

hinder people from His path and deny the Hereafter.

The other surah mentioning the people who will lose most in the Hereafter is surah al-Naml (chapter 27) as follows:

“As to those who believe not in the Hereafter,

We have made their deeds pleasing in their eyes;

and so they wonder blindly. Such are they for whom

a grievous chastisement is (waiting):and in the

Hereafter theirs will be the greatest

loss.” (Q. 27:4-5).

This surah al-Naml (chapter 27) was also a Makkan surah,

containing 93 verses. It explains that those who will lose most in the Hereafter are those who do not believe in it and are pleased with their

condition and with their wrong doings.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says that the most bankrupt person in the Hereafter is the one who has to pay those he had

19

wronged with (the merits of) his good deeds, and if he has no more good deeds left, he has to take the (demerits) of the bad deeds of the

persons he had wronged in this world, and therefore he will end up with

Hell

Conclusion: Disbelief, dishonesty, show off, selfishness, hypocrisy,

absence of good intention, swearing, cursing, backbiting, slandering

and many other bad deeds will risk and even eliminate the merits of good deeds.

6. Commentary of Sūrat al-Baqarah :1-3

(4 July 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

I would like to introduce to you briefly one example of the way early commentators of the Qur’ān commented the verses of the Qur’ān.

When we open the Qur’ān, after the introductory chapter called Sūrah

al-Fātih.ah., meaning “the Opening Chapter”. This is its most common

name. The early commentator al-Qurtubī (d. 671/1272), for example,

used this name in his tafsīr (commentary of the Qur’ān). It is also called surat al-H.amd meaning “the Chapter of Praise”, as it starts with

praising Allah. The earlier commentator Ibn Qutaybah (d. 276/889)

used this name in his book.

If we go the second chapter, sūrat al-Baqarah we find that it

starts with the mysterious letters A.L.M. the meaning of which, like

letters in the beginning of many other chapters of the Qur’ān are unknown. This is the view of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, ‘Alī, Ibn

Mas‘ūd, and others. However, there are many different views

concerning these letters: (1) They are the names of the sūrah, in this

case, Sūrah (A.L.M. al-Baqarah). This is the view of Zayd ibn

Aslam (d. 136/754) (2) They are Allah’s oaths. The letters represent

the whole letters of the alphabet, and therefore here means “by the

20

letters of the alphabet…” (3) They are a symbol of challenge; with them Allah challenged the Arab idolaters to a chapter similar to that of

the Qur’ān. This is the view of the contemporary scholar Dr. Mustafa

Zayd. This three letters constitute one verse in this chapter of the Qur’ān. Then the verse continues with verse no. 2:

“This is the Book whereof there is no doubt,

a guidance to the muttaqīn (those

who fear Allah)” (Q. 2:2)

The term literally means “that book”, where “that” means

“something absent or hidden”, but here is translated as “this

book”, because the term (“that”) also means (“this”) in Arabic

language. Many expressions in the Qur’ān where the term “that” means

“this”, such as ... “…that is the

judgment of Allah, He judges between you…” (Q. 60:10), meaning “this is the judgment of Allah...” However, scholars who insist in the literal

meaning “that book” have different interpretations, such as, “that book

in the Preserved Tablet” , “that book with which the

Muslims implored Allah for victory”, and so on.

The term can be read in three ways, by stopping either

before or after فيه or without stopping. The first reading means “(This book) is no doubt, in it there is guidance”, whereas the second reading

means “(This book) there is no doubt in it (as) guidance”. If we read

without stopping, then the meaning includes both first and second readings.

There is another interpretation of the term . The term

instead of being (“no” indicating negation) as translated above,

it is also (“no” indicating prohibition, namely, “don’t!”), so that

the verse Qmeans “do not doubt that this book is guidance”.

The term is originally (lilmūtaqiyīn) then becomes

(lilmūtaqīn), then (lilmuttaqīn) with double , and

finally (lilmuttaqīn) with one stressed . The term

21

according the early philologist Ibn Fāris originally means

“speaking very little” as protection. It is a kind of protec tion against

accident or mishap , such as in the poem of the classical poet

al-Nābighah as follows:

“The veil fell but she did not intend to drop it, then

she picked it up with (her) hand and protected

(herself) [from us by covering herself]”

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb asked Ubayy ibn Ka‘b about the meaning of

al-taqwā. Ubayy asked him: ”Have you ever taken a path where there

were many thorns on it?” “Yes,” said ‘Umar. “Then what did you do?,” asked Ubayy. “I prepared myself and took care [not to step on

them]”, said ‘Umar. “That is taqwā,” said Ubayy. For this meaning of

“self protection” the poet Ibn al-Muctazz said his poems as follows: *

*

*

*

“Abstain from sins, either small or big, and that is taqwā

(self protection). And do like a person walking on a thorny piece

of land taking care of what he is seeing. Do not look down

a minor sin, verily, the mountains are made of pebbles”.

The term is originally from in the pattern of and

the letter is replaced with letter and becomes meaning

“prevention”, and a person who is is a person who is “afraid” of

doing something, as an act of self protection.

The verse is translated as “those who believe in the

unseen”. It includes believing in Allah, His angels, etc. However, the

term has also another interpretation. It is “being absent from

people, being alone”. Therefore, the verse

means “Those who fear their Lord without seeing Him” (Q. 21:49) as

well as “Those who fear their Lord without being seen by people”,

namely, being alone. Therefore, the verse above also

22

means “those who believe while being unseen by people”, and this is translated into actions, so that a believer will not commit sin when he is

alone, not seen by people. This interpretation is in line with the

character of the hypocrites mentioned later, namely,

“And when they [i.e., the hypocrites] meet those who

believe, they say, ‘we believe’, but when they are alone

with their evil ones, they say, ‘we are really

with you, we were only jesting”

(Q. 2 :14)

Although surah al-Baqarah was Madinian (revealed in Madinah after

Hijrah), it is put right after the introductory surah. There are wisdoms behind it. From the very beginning the reader will know whether this

Qur’ān is a guidance or not for him. It divides human beings into three

categories:

1. believers where their characteristics are mentioned will be guided by

this Book, it is guidance for him/her;

2. non believers, who reject faith, will not get benefit from this Book, and their characteristics are mentioned briefly in two verses;

3. hypocrites, those who pretend to believe, and their characteristics are

elaborately mentioned in twelve verses. They are the worst enemies, enemies in disguise, and their place in the Hereafter is the bottom of

the Hell, as mentioned in the Qur’ān (al-Nisā’ 4:145).

Conclusion: Early commentators give their interpretation of the verses of the Qur’ān through philological analyses, the expression of the

Prophet, of the ancient Arabs and classical poetry, as well as scrutinizing other verses which could explain the verse in question, as

the verses of the Qur’ān explain each other.

23

7. The Bad and the Good

(11 July 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

“And of mankind there is he whose speech may

please you [O Muhammad] in this worldly life, and

he calls Allah to witness as to that which is in his heart,

yet he is the most quarrelsome of the opponents. And when

he turns away [from you, O Muhammad], his effort in the land

is to make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle,

and Allah likes not mischief. And when it is said to him, ‘Fear Allah’,

he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. So enough for him in Hell,

and worst indeed is that place to rest! And of mankind is he

who would sell himself, seeking the Pleasure of Allah. And

Allah is full of kindness to (His) slaves.” (Q. 2:204-7).

In these verses Allah talked to the Prophet about a person who

talks nicely, and says that Allah knows that he is telling the truth, whereas in fact is “most contentious of enemies” (a. Yusuf Ali), “most

quarrelsome of the opponents” (M. Taqiuddin al-Hilali etal.), “very

skilful in argument” (Asad). He is a very good speaker and debater on worldly matters, able to defeat his opponents often with misleading

arguments. But when he turns away he makes mischief in the land,

destroying the crops and the cattle.

Who was this mischievous person? According to al-Suddī and

others, he was Ubayy ibn Sharīq, a handsome and eloquent person, who

came to the Prophet to falsely proclaim his faith as a Muslim, swearing by Allah that he was telling the truth, but later on fled away. When he

passed the crops and donkeys of the Muslims, he destroyed the crops

and slaughtered the donkeys. However, according to other

24

commentators, such as Mujāhid and Qatādah these verses are concerning the hypocrites (munāfiqīn) in general.

The verse mentions the example of mischief, namely, destroying

the crops and the cattle. Nowadays, instead of crops and cattle, we have factories, schools, hospitals, oil wells, and many other sources of

people’s income where they earn their living.

Here, Allah talked to the Prophet, warning him of the presence of such person in his time. The case does not stop there. It continues to

happen. Now, Allah is talking to us and warning us with this verse of the presence of such a person, called a hypocrite. There is a special

chapter in the Qur’ān dealing with the hypocrites, called surah al-

Munāfiqūn.

There are two readings of “and he calls Allah to

witness as to that which is in his heart”, meaning “Allah knows that I am telling the truth”. This is the reading of the vast majority of

scholars. The other reading, namely, of Ibn Muh.ays.in who read

meaning “Allah bears witness of what is in his heart”,

meaning that “Allah knows that he is not telling the truth”. This reading

is similar to the reading in surah al- Munāfiqūn َواهلُل َيْشَهٌد instead of َواهلُل

. ُيْشِهٌد

The term “Allah does not like mischief” means that

Allah does not like any kind mischief, and that Allah never orders

mischief.

The verse means that when you tell this

hypocrite to fear Allah, he would tend more towards committing sin.

Such a person would say, “mind your own business!” “who are you telling me to fear Allah?” If you tell him to fear Allah he would

become proud of his crime and infidelity. There is an interpretation

where the letter is in place of in so that the term means and

the verse means “he becomes arrogant because of the sin in his heart, namely, the hypocrisy, so that he will not accept the advice to fear

Allah.

It is reported that a Jew had a request from the caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd, but the caliph rejected his request. The Jew insisted, and one

25

day he stood at the caliph’s door. When he came out, the Jew confronted him and said: “Fear Allah, O Prince of the Believers!”

Hārūn al-Rashīd descended from his riding animal and fell in

prostration. Then he asked him what he wanted and he gave it to him. When the caliph returned home, he was asked: “O Prince of the

Believers, did you descend from your riding animal because of the

Jew?”. “No,” the caliph said, “but I remembered the verse,

‘When it is said to him ‘Fear Allah’

he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. Enough for him is Hell; and

evil bed indeed (to lie on)’ (Ali’s translation).

Then Allah told the Prophet about a person of the opposite

character: a person who is ready to sell himself for the pleasure of

Allah. It is reported that the verse was revealed in the case of S.uhayb

who was on his way to the Prophet and migrating to Madinah. When a group of people among the Quraysh tribe followed him, he descended

from his riding animal, took his bow and his arrows from his quiver,

saying to them, “You know that I am one of your best arrow shooters; by Allah, I would shoot you until no more arrow left and I would hit

you with my sword, and that you may come to me and do whatever you

like.” They said, “We would not let you go away from us as a rich man, when you came to us as destitute man. But tell us the way to

Mālik, then we let you go” which he did. In another report, S.uhayb had

been tortured in Makkah before he left to Madinah. He told the

torturers that it was all the same whether he was with them or not, since he was an old man, and to take all his possessions except his riding

animal and provision, and let him go, and they did. At the outskirt of

Madinah he was welcomed by people, among them Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. Abū Bakr said to him: “You are getting profit from your trade,

O Abu Yah.yā!” “May your trade gain profit, too! What is the matter?”

Abū Bakr said, “Allah has revealed (a verse) about you,” and then read

the verse above.

The term originally means “to buy” but also means the

opposite, “to sell”, i.e., “to trade”. It is one of the words in Arabic that has an opposite meaning. The Arabic language is called “the language

of the opposite meaning” .

26

Conclusion: Allah talked to the Prophet and to us directly or indirectly through the Prophet. Allah often put the believers and non-believers in

juxtaposition and side by side.

8. Commentary of Sūrat al-Kawthar (Q. Chap. 108)

(18 July 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Many people since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) until now do not want to accept the Qur’ān as revelation

from Allah. Some say that he got information from the Jews and

Christians and made it a book. Others think that it comes from his imagination and whims. The Orientalist W. Montgomery Watt, for

example, says that the Qur’ān is the product of the Prophet’s own

“creative imagination” and mistakenly thought that it was from Allah. However, Watt admits that the first revelation might be genuine, but

the remaining revelations are merely the product of his “creative

imagination” mistaking them as revelation.

Allah challenges this allegation. He says,

“And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians)

are in doubt concerning that which We had sent down

(i.e., the Qur’ān) to Our slave (Muhammad), then produce

a surah (chapter) of the like thereof and call your

witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides

Allah, if you are truthful”. (Q. 2:23).

The shortest surah (chapter) of the Qur’ān is surah al-Kawthar. It

is an early Makkan surah according to the majority of scholars. It consists of three verses only. Then Allah challenges the doubters and

rejecters of the Qur’ān to produce a chapter consisting of at least three

verses. These verses run as follows:

27

“We have granted you (O Muhammad) al-Kawthar.” The

term kawthar literally means in the Arabic expression “anything which is great in number, value and significance”, and is translated into

English as “multitude, abundance, copiousness,”. When an old woman

whose son had just arrived from traveling was asked: “What has your son brought with him?”, she answered, bi kawthar, meaning “many

goods, much money”

The commentator al-Qurt.ubī mentions sixteen interpretations of

the term al-kawthar (abundance) given to the Prophet: (1) the name of

a river in Heaven (Paradise). Anas narrated that when the Prophet was

made to ascend to the heavens, he said that he came upon a river, and when he asked Gabriel, he told him “This is the Kawthar” (reported by

Bukhārī). Ibn ‘Umar also narrated a hadīth stating the name of the river

as Kawthar (reported by al-Tirmidhī). (2) the name of a fountain. Anas narrated in a hadīth reported by Muslim that while the Prophet was

among them suddenly he dozed off then raised his head smiling. When

we asked him what had happened, he said that a surah of the Qur’ān was just revealed to him, then he read this surah al-Kawthar. Then he

explained that the kawthar is a fountain where his followers would

drink in the Hereafter. This river or fountain could be called kawthar because of the multitude of the Prophet’s followers would drink its

water, and the multitude of water and good things in it. These two

interpretations are more appropriate according to al-Qurt.ubī as they are

supported by the statements of the Prophet mentioned above. However, in general, all that is good in spiritual sense are, such as wisdom,

knowledge, revelation and doing good are included in this term as

related to the abundant bestowal on the Prophet, such as the other interpretations given by other commentators, as follows: (3) the

Prophethood and the Holy Book, according to ‘Ikrimah. (4) the Qur’ān,

according to al-H.asan. (5) the religion of Islam, according to al-

Mughīrah. (6) facilitation of (memorizing) the Qur’ān and the easing of

laws, according to al-H.usayn ibn al-Fad.l; (7) the multitude of

companions, followers and adherents, according to Abū Bar ibn ‘Iyās and Yamān ibn Ri’āb; ((8) affection, according to Ibn Kīsān; (9) the

high raising of his renown, according to al-Māwardī; (10) light in the

Prophet’s heart directing to Allah and cutting him off from anything

28

other than Him; (11) the Prophet’s intercession, also according to al-Māwardī; (12) Allah’s miracles given to people who answer the

Prophet’s call to Islam, according to al-Tha‘labī; (13) the testimony

formula, “there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’, according to Hilāl ibn Yisāf; (14) understanding religion

(Islam); (15) the five daily obligatory prayers; and (16) a great thing,

according to Ibn Ish.āq. All these had been bestowed upon the Prophet,

in addition to the river and the fountain.

“Therefore, turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to

Him only)”. There are many interpretations as to the meaning of “prayer” in this verse, as follows: (1) the five obligatory prayers,

according to Ibn ‘Abbās as reported by al-D.ah.h.āk; (2) dawn prayer in

Muzdalifah, according to Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, (3) ‘Id prayer on the

sacrifice day, according to Qatādah, ‘At.ā’ and ‘Ikrimah, for people who

say that this surah is Madinian. In general, Allah orders us to pray for Him alone.

There are two meanings of : (1) sacrifice (slaughtering animal

fter performing the ‘Īd prayer), and (2) putting the right hand on the top

of the left hand at the upper portion of the chest in prayer, according to

‘Ali and Muhammad, Ibn ‘Abbās and Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Quraz.ī.

It has been proven that the Prophet did it in prayer as a recommended act. However, the term nah.r has three meanings: slaughter(ing), the

throat, and the upper portion of the chest as translated above.

“For he who hates you (O Muhammad) he will be cut off

(from posterity and every good thing in this world and in the Hereafter ,

Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddin al-Hilali) (from all that is good, Asad) (from

future hope, A.Y. Ali).

The literal meaning of abtar is “to be cut off”. The linguists say

that a man who has no son, and an animal that has no tail are called

abtar. The Arabs used to call a person who has sons and daughters and the sons died abtar. The pagan Quraysh asked al-‘Ās. ibn Wā’il one

day: “Whom have you talked to?” He answered: “With the abtar”,

meaning the Prophet whose son ‘Abdullah had just passed away, and

had no longer son at that time. Then the above verse was revealed, indicating that the real abtar is the one who is cut off from the good

29

thing. When the Prophet’s son al-Qāsim in Makkah and Ibrāhīm in Madinah passed away, they said that Muhammad had become abtar.

Also when the Prophet called the pagan Quraysh tribe to Islam, they

rejected him and said, “He had become abtar from us , meaning

“he had disagreed with us and had distanced himself from us”

.

Conclusion.

This short surah consisting of three verses only contains:

(1) a promise of abundance,

(2) an order to pray and sacrifice as well as to put the right hand on the

top of the left hand on the upper chest in prayer, and

(3) a warning to people who called him abtar. Qur’ānic commentators

give their diverse interpretations on it. Any challenger to produce the

like of it in its eloquence and deep meanings?

9. Commentary of Sūrat al-Isrā’ (Q. 17):15-17

(25 July 03)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

-

“Whoever goes right, then he goes right only for the

benefit of his ownself. And whoever goes astray, then he

goes astray to his own loss. No one laden with burdens can

bear another’s burden. And We never punish until We have sent

a Messenger (to give warning). And when We decide to destroy a

town (population), We (first) send a definite order (to obey Allah and

30

be righteous) to those among them [or We (first) increase in number

those of its population] who are given the good things of this life (A.Y.

Ali), [or live in luxury (Dr. M.T. al-Hilali etal.)] [or have lost them-

selves entirely in the pursuit of pleasure (Asad)]. Then, they transgress

therein, and thus the word (of torment) is justified against it (them).

Then We destroy it with complete destruction. And how many

generations have We destroyed after Nuh (Noah)! And

sufficient is your Lord as a n All-Knower and All-

Beholder of the sins of His slaves.” (Q. 17:16-17).

Allah says that every person is accounted for what he has done,

and is not responsible of the other’s deed. A person will not bear the burden of another. The Prophet’s cousin Ibn ‘Abbās related that when

al-Walīd ibn Mughīrah told the Makkan pagans to follow him instead

of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and promised to bear their burdens (sins), the above verse was revealed to state that al-Walīd would never

be able to bear their sins. The verb wazara, yaziru, (meaning “to

commit sin”), and wazran and wizratan (meaning “sin”), whereas wizr means “burden”. The expression wazīr al-sult.ān (vizier or minister of

the Sultan) means “the person who bears the burden of his state”).

Abdullah Yusuf Ali gives his comment as follows: “The doctrine

of vicarious atonement is condemned. Salvation for the wicked cannot be attained by the punishment of the innocent. One man cannot bear

the burden of another: that would be unjust. Every man must bear his

own personal responsibility. There is a threat of punishment here, as the verse continues with the statement that Allah would not punish

people until He sent them a messenger and disobey him, and a

messenger has been sent to this Makkan pagans. As this messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent not only to the

Makkan pagans, but also to the whole mankind. This warning is also

applicable to us, and to those who reject him. Apart from worldly punishment, there will be another and severe punishment in the

Hereafter. Allah said:

31

“… Every time a group is cast therein, its keeper will ask:

‘Did no warner come to you?’ They will say: ‘Yes, indeed a warner

did come to us, but we belied him’ and said: ‘Allah never sent down

anything (of revelation); you are only in great error.’ And they will

say: ‘Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not

have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!’ Then they

will confess their sin. So, away with the dwellers of

the blazing Fire!” (Q. 67:8-11).

(mutrafhīā). The verb tarifa means “he enjoys a life of ease and

plenty”, and the term mutraf means “one who enjoys a life of ease and

plenty,” “one who indulges in the pleasures of life (to the exclusion of

moral consideration)”. Asad’s commentary on the term

(mutrafīhā) is as follows: “The people referred to here are those who,

by virtue of their wealth and social position, embody the real leadership of their community and are, therefore, morally responsible for the

behaviour of their followers.”

(“amarnā). The various interpretations revolve around the various

readings of the term (“amarnā), as follows:

(1) The first and common reading, (amarnā), as above, meaning,

“We ordered (those who live in luxury to obey Him); this is the

reading of the majority of scholars;

(2) (ammarnā) meaning “We make rulers” (the evil people

among them, so that they disobey Him, and then We destroy them); this is the reading of al-Rabī’, Mujāhid, al-H.asan, Abū’l-

Āliyah, Abū Rajā’, Abū ‘Uthmān al-Nahdī, as well as ‘Alī (may

Allah be pleased with him);

(3) (āmarnā), meaning “We increase the number of its tyrants

and rulers living in luxury”; this is the reading of Qatādah, Ibn ‘Abbās, and in another report, ‘Ali and al-H.asan;

(4) (āmirnā), also means “We increase in number”; this is the

reading of Yah.yā ibn Ya‘mar, and in another report, also al-

H.asan and Ibn ‘Abbās. However, according to Abū ‘Ubayd the

first reading (amarnā) includes the meanings of the other

three readings in Arabic expression.

32

Then Allah continues the verse indicating that He does not make an empty threat for the Makkan pagans and those who reject the

messenger sent to them. He makes Noah’s Flood as a new start ing point

of history. Since then, hundreds of generations, empires and towns have perished for their evilness. For example, the ‘Ād who was the

fourth generation from Noah, his descendants lived in Southern Arabia.

They disobeyed Prophet Hūd and oppressed their people. Despite of three years of famine as punishment from Allah, they did not take the

warning. Finally, Allah destroyed them and their land with a terrible blast of violent wind for seven nights and eight days in succession

(Qur’an 69:6-7). The other example is the Thamūd who oppressed the

poor and disobeyed Prophet Sālih. Allah punished them with terrible storm of thunder and lightning (Qur’an 69:5).

When Allah mentioned (qaryah, a village, a hamlet, a small

town), He meant the community living in it. However, destroying this

community could also include destroying the qaryah itself, like the ‘Ād

and the Thamūd mentioned above. The world’s population keeps increasing despite the loss of human lives here and there through

human hands and natural disasters. A village develops into a town, a

town into a city, a city into a city-state, and finally into a state. Could it be that “a town” meant by Allah in the above verse is what we call “a

state” in a large scale?

Conclusion:

1. Everyone is accountable of one’s own deeds.

2. If Allah wanted to destroy a town, community or a state, He let evil

people rule over it, and would commit injustice, corruption and oppression.

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10. BID‘AH (INNOVATION)

(1st

August 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam

Allah says in the Qur’ān,

“Say (O Muhammad), ‘I am not a new thing among

the Messengers (of Allah, i.e. I am not the first Messenger)

nor do I know what will be done with me or with you.

I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I

am but a plain warner.’” (Q. 46:9)

The term bid‘ or bid‘ah means “something which has never been

before” “something that has never made before”, “something invented which has never any previous example”. The term bida‘ min al-rusul

means “a messenger where no messengers have been sent before”.

Allah Who created the heavens and the earth is called badīc al-samāwāt

wa ’l-ard.. “The Originator of the heavens and the earth” (Qur’ān, al-

Baqarah 2:117 and al-Ancām 6:101). Allah is the Inventor of this

universe, as no one had ever created a universe before.

This verse was revealed in Makkan where Allah told the Prophet to say to his people that he was not the first messenger. Allah had sent many

messengers before. He says,

...

“And indeed, We sent Nūh (Noah) and Ibrāhīm (Abraham),

and placed in their offspring Prophethood and Scripture. And

among them there are some who are guided; but many of them are

rebellious (disobedient to Allah). Then We sent after them Our

Messengers, and We sent ‘Īsā” (Jesus) – son of Maryam (Mary),

and gave him the Gospel. And We ordained in the hearts

of those who followed him compassion and mercy…”

(Q. 57:26-27)

Technically, the term bid‘ah (innovation) according to Shaykh

‘Alī Mah.fūz. is “an invented way in religion made equal to Islamic law,

34

and is intended to follow in worshiping Allah in exaggeration”. According to al-Shāt.ibī, it is “an invented way in religion made equal

to Islamic law, and is intended to follow in the same way as in

following the Islamic law”. In general, the definition of bid‘ah is as

follows: “It is a belief or practice for which there is no precedent in the time of the Prophet. It is a synonym of muh.dath (an invented thing),

and is the opposite of sunnah.

Dr. ‘Izzat ‘Alī ‘At.iyyah in his book al-Bid‘ah mentions five

categories of bid‘ah as follows:

1. Bid‘ah Wājibah, Compulsory Innovation. It is intended to preserve and protect the religion of Islam from lost and corruption,

such as the collection of the verses of the Qur’ān in one book in the

time of Abu Bakr, and teaching various branches of knowledge as a means to understand Islam. It includes learning Arabic grammar to

further understand the Qur’ān, investigating the reliability of men

whose authority is quoted for traditions, distinguishing sound from weak and invented traditions. This is what the Prophet meant when

he said that seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim

male and female.

2. Bid‘ah Muh.arramah, Prohibited Innovation. This is what the

Prophet meant when he said that every innovation is error (straying

from the right path), and every error leads to hellfire. It is a matter

in disagreement with the Qur’ān and the Sunnah of the Prophet, such as performing the obligatory prayers twice a day (instead of

five), and praying by remembering Allah alone (without standing,

bowing and prostrating, etc.).

3. Bid‘ah Mandūbah, Recommended Innovation. It is something that

is not disagreeing with the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, such as praying

tarāwīh prayers in congregation in the mosque during the month of Ramadan. It includes the establishment of schools, orphanages and

hospitals. It includes remembrance of isrā (the Prophet’s night

journey from Makkah to Jerusalem) and mi‘rāj (the Prophet’s ascension to heavens) and the Prophet’s birthday with the intention

to awaken the Muslims and to remind them to return to their

religion, Islam.

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4. Bid‘ah Makrūhah, Disaproved Innovation, such as saying the dhikr more than 33 times after performing the obligatory prayers.

(Muslims are recommended to say after prayer subh.ānallāh 33

times, alh.amdu lillāh 33 times, and allāhu akbar 33 times), and

saying the dhikr together in congregation which disturbs people

who are praying.

5. Bid‘ah Mubāh.ah, Permitted Innovation. It is something that has

nothing to do with prohibited and disproved things, towards which

the law is indifferent, such as choosing one’s food, drink and dress, as long is it is h.alāl and modest. In this sense, everything is

permitted as long as there is no law that prohibits it. We choose our

food and dress based on our tradition, location and season.

However, scholars have different opinions on what belongs to what category of bid‘ah due to their difference in their ijtihād (the

exertion of a scholar in finding his independent judgment of a legal

issue based on one’s interpretation and application of the Qur’ān and Sunnah).

Scholars also divide bid‘ah into different categories, as

follows:

1. Bid‘ah ‘Ādiyah (normal innovation which has nothing to do with

worship), such as driving a car and wearing an underwear, and

Bid‘ah Ta‘abbudiyyah (innovation dealing with worship), such as start fasting after sunrise.

2. Bid‘ah H.aqīqiyyah (real innovation), such as making h.arām

(prohibited) what is h.alāl (permitted), and vice versa, and Bid‘ah

Id.āfiyyah (supplementary innovation), namely, doing something

which is not available in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, such as

commemorating isrā’ and mi‘rāj

3. Bid‘ah H.asanah (good innovation) or Bid‘ah Mah.mūdah

(praiseworthy innovation) and Bid‘ah Sayyi’ah (bad innovation) 4. Bid‘ah Fi‘liyyah (innovation in doing something) and Bid‘ah

Tarkiyyah (innovation in not doing something)

5. Bid‘ah I‘tiqādiyyah (innovation in belief) and Bid‘ah ‘Amaliyyah (innovation in practice)

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6. Bid‘ah Kulliyyah (general innovation), and Bid‘ah Juz’iyyah (specific innovation), and

7. Bid‘ah Basīt.ah (simple innovation) and Bid‘ah Murakkabah

(complex innovation).

People who make bid‘ah is called ahl al- bid‘ah (innovators) and ahl al-ahwā’ (dissenters). They introduce matters that are in

disagreement with what has been brought by the Prophet, although not

necessarily with the intention of rebelling against him. They may introduce something on an arbitrary principle that has no basis in the

recognized foundation of Islam.

Modern inventions in many fields of knowledge that have never been known in the time of the Prophet are all included in the category

of bid‘ah, such as blood transfusion, artificial insemination, the

introduction of radio, television, radar, even the introduction of coffee and tobacco and football and tennis. They are all under one of the

categories of bid’ah mentioned above. Different scholars may have

different opinions on these matters in their ijtihād.

Conclusion: We have to be careful with prohibited innovation. It may

lead us to hellfire.

11. TAFSĪR AND TA’WĪL

(8 August 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam

Today I would like to talk about the historical perspective on the early

development of Qur’ānic Exegesis (tafsīr). In dealing with the commentary

of the Qur’ān, the mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’ān) have different views on two important terms, namely, tafsīr and ta’wīl.

The word tafsīr is the mas.dar (verbal noun) from the second form of the

verb fasara, namely, fassara which means “to explain”, “to expound”, “to

interpret”, or “to comment”. Tafsīr is “the explanation, revealing and

exposing the sensible meaning” . It is also said

that the word fasara is the inversion (maqlūb) of the word safara which

37

means “unveiling” or “uncovering”. For example, the expression

(the woman uncovered) means “she revealed her face”, and the expression

(the dawn uncovered) means “it unveiled the sky of the darkness of

night with its light”. Tafsīr, then, is the meanings of the verses of the Qur’ān which need explanation. According to Muh.ammad Fu’ād ‘Abd al-Bāqī, the

word tafsīr is mentioned once only in the Qur’ān, as follows:

.

“And no question do they bring to thee but We reveal to thee

the truth and the best explanation (tafsīr).” (Q. 25:33).

Technically, the definition of tafsīr as given by al-Zarkashī (d.

794/1392) is as follows: “It is a knowledge through which the Book of Allah

revealed to His Prophet Muh.ammad, peace be upon him, may be

understood, its meaning may be clear, and its legal judgements and wisdom may be discovered..."

The word ta’wīl is the mas.dar from the second form of the verb āla

(which means “returning”), namely, awwala which means “returning

(something)”, as if the commentators return the verse to its various possible meanings. It is “the act of reducing of (two or more) senses or interpretations

which an expression can have or allow to one that which suits the apparent meaning”. The Arabic expression āla ilayh means “he returned to him”,

while awwala (or ta’awwala) ’l-kalām means “he arranged, evaluated and

explained the statement” .

The word ta’wīl according to Muh.ammad Fu’ād ‘Abd al-Bāqī is

mentioned 17 times in the Qur’ān, eight times in surah Yūsuf, dealing with

the interpretation of dreams in general, and his dream in particular (see surah Yūsuf 12:6, 21, 36, 37, 44, 45, 100, 101), and two in surah al-Kahf, dealing

with the interpretation, the meaning and the motive of the behaviour and

deeds of the wise man called Khidr by commentators of the Qur’ān; he damaged the ship in which he was allowed to go aboard without payment,

killed a boy without any apparent reason, and voluntarily erected a wall on

the point of falling (surah al-Kahf 18:78 and 82). The term ta’wīl in surah al-A‘rāf 7:53 literally means “the interpretation (or the meaning) of the

warnings in the Qur’ān” and translated as “the fulfilment, or the final

meaning of the warning (in the Hereafter). The term ta’wīl in surah Āl ‘Imrān 3:7 deals with the interpretation of ambiguous verses in the Qur’ān.

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Technically, according to early commentators in general, such as Abū ‘Ubaydah and al-T.abarī, ta’wīl has the same meaning as tafsīr, so that ta’wīl

al-Qur’ān has the same meaning as tafsīr al-Qur’ān. However, Muqātil ibn

Sulaymān states on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbās that tafsīr is what is known

by the ‘ulama’, while ta’wīl by Allah alone. But Ibn ‘Abbās was also reported to have said that some tafsīrs are known to man, and others to Allah

alone. Later commentators, however, make the distinction between the two terms with divergent opinions:

(1) tafsīr belongs to the s.ahābah, while ta’wīl belongs to the fuqahā’

(legists);

(2) tafsīr, as mentioned by al-Māturīdī (d. 333/944), has a single interpretation, while ta’wīl has many interpretations;

(3) tafsīr, according to al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī (d. 502/1109), is more

common than ta’wīl, as the former is used mostly for words and their

synonyms, while the latter mostly for meanings and sentences;

(4) tafsīr is used for both divine and secular books, ta’wīl for divine

books only;

(5) tafsīr is based on riwāyah (transmission of tradition), while ta’wīl involves dirāyah (comprehension), namely, research and

investigation;

(6) tafsīr is the obvious meaning of the verses, while ta’wīl is the deep meaning derived from the verses through research and investigation.

The commentators give the preponderance--which is neither definite

nor final to avoid giving final interpretation to what is really meant by Allah in the Qur’ān--to what they think the most suitable meaning

over other meanings.

Conclusion: Tafsīr and ta’wīl are the same but different in deeper meaning.

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12. CATEGORIES OF TAFSĪR (1)

(22 August 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

In this khut.bah I would like to talk briefly about the categories of

tafsīr. Based on its sources there are three main categories of tafsīr, namely:

(1) traditional commentary , also called and

, (2) rational commentary ) , also called and

and (3) symbolic or allegorical commentary . They

will be dealt with briefly as follows:

(1). Traditional Commentary.

It is either the commentary of the Qur’ān by the Qur’ān itself, by the

Sunnah of the Prophet, or by the s.ahābah. An example of the commentary

of the Qur’ān by itself is as follows: One Qur’ānic verse mentions that cattle

are lawful to Muslims for food, but not without exception. It says:

... … “... Lawful to you is the [flesh of every]

beast that feeds on plants, save what is mentioned to you [hereafter]: ...” (Q.

5:1, Asad). The commentary of the expression ”save what is mentioned to

you [hereafter]” is given in another verse, as follows:

“Forbidden to you is carrion, and blood, and the flesh

of swine, and that over which any name other than God’s has

been invoked, and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to

death, or killed by a fall, or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of

prey, save that which you [yourselves] may have slaughtered

while it was still alive; and [forbidden to you is] all

that has been slaughtered on idolatrous

altars.” (Q. 5:3, Asad).

This is the strongest commentary of this category of tafsīr, since it comes

from the Qur’ān itself. It is Allah Who explains what He means in the Qur’ān.

The example of the commentary of the Qur’ān by the Sunnah of the

Prophet is as follows: When the verse

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“Those who have attained to faith, and who have not

obscured their faith by wrongdoing - it is they who shall be secure, since it is they who have found the right path!” (Q. 6:82, Asad) was revealed, it

distressed the s.ah.ābah. They asked the Prophet, saying: “O Messenger of

Allah, is there any of us who has not obscured his faith by wrongdoing?”

The Prophet answered: “Its meaning is not what you think. Haven’t you heard what the pious servant of Allah [i.e., Luqmān the sage] said to his

son? He said: ‘O my dear son! Do

not ascribe divine powers to aught beside God: for, behold, such [a false]

ascribing divinity is indeed an awesome wrong!.’ (Q. 31:13, Asad). It [i.e.,

the word z.ulm in the verse] means shirk (polytheism).” This Prophetic

commentary of the Qur’ān is also strong, since it is the duty of the Prophet to explain what has been revealed to the people, as mentioned in the Qur’ān,

as follows: “And

upon thee [too] have We bestowed from on high this reminder, so that thou

might make clear unto mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed upon them, and that they might take thought.” (Q. 16:44, Asad). However, the

acceptance of this Prophetic commentary is also on condition that it is

reported by reliable authorities.

With regard to the commentary of the s.ah.ābah, although not so strong

as the two commentaries mentioned earlier, it is also accepted by the

Muslims. This is because the s.ah.ābah were people who met the Prophet,

witnessed the revelation, knew the asbāb al-nuzūl and knew more of the

Arabic language and its eloquence which enabled them to better understand the divine texts.

Although the traditionist al-H.ākim accepted the commentary of the

s.ah.ābah and raised it to the same level of the Prophetic commentary, one

has to be careful in accepting this commentary of the s.ah.ābah or the tābi‘īn

for the following reasons: There are many commentaries attributed to the

s.ah.ābah or tābi‘īn without isnād (chains of authority), so that we cannot

make a distinction between the genuine and the fabricated ones. Moreover, many isrā’ilīyāt (Jewish legends) were spread among Muslims, some of

which contained legends and beliefs contradictory to the teachings of Islam.

There were also some extremists who fabricated sayings and attributed them to the s.ah.ābah to support their views, or to flatter the rulers. There is also

41

the possibility that the atheists (zanādiqah) fabricated sayings and attributed them to the s.ah.ābah or the tābi‘īn in order to destroy Islam.

(2). Rational commentary.

It is a commentary based exclusively on the commentator’s ability to

grasp the meanings of the Qur’ānic verses due to the absence of traditional commentary on the verses in question. This can be accomplished only if he

possesses and exercises the knowledge of the sciences of the Qur’ān and the

Arabic language, such as naskh (abrogation of legal passages of the Qur’ān), asbāb al-nuzūl, ah.kām (laws contained in the Qur’ān), i‘rāb (desinential

inflection), balāghah (eloquence), and classical Arabic poetry.

The commentary of this genre, however, was opposed by a group of

Muslim scholars for the following reasons: (a) They said that rational commentary was a statement concerning Allah without knowledge, an act

which was prohibited by Allah, as mentioned in Q. 2:169 and 7:33. (b) They

contended that it was the duty of the Prophet to explain the Qur’ān as mentioned in Q. 16:44, and this duty was exclusively the Prophet’s

privilege. (c) The Prophet warned people from giving interpretation of the

Qur’ān based on their personal opinion. In a tradition on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbās the Prophet said: “Whoever speaks on the Qur’ān without

knowledge (‘ilm) let him make his place in Hell.”(d) The s.ah.ābah and the

tābi‘īn refrained from giving their interpretation of the Qur’ān with their

personal opinion. Abū Bakr, for example, was reported to have said: “Any land may carry me, and any sky may overshadow me if I spoke on the

Qur’ān with my personal opinion or with what I have no knowledge.”

On the other hand, Muslim scholars en masse accept the rational interpretation for the following reasons: (a) Allah urges Muslims to

contemplate the contents of the Qur’ān when He said:

“[All this have We expounded in this]

blessed divine writ which We have revealed unto thee, [O Muhammad,] so

that men may ponder over its messages, and that those who are endowed

with insight may take them to heart.” (Q. 38:29, Asad). They maintain that pondering over the Qur’ān can be achieved only be searching its deeper

meanings and mysteries, and therefore, giving one’s personal opinion in the

interpretation of the Qur'an is justified. (b) Muslim scholars are urged to discover the laws in the Qur'an by searching and finding its deeper

42

meanings, based on Q. 4:83, and this can only be carried out by giving one’s independent judgement. (c) If rational interpretation were prohibited

because it is based on independent judgement, then the use of independent

judgement in Islamic laws would also have been prohibited. Consequently, many of these Islamic laws would have been ineffective. This is contrary to

what has been established among Muslim scholars that a mujtahid (a legist

who exercises ijtihād, i.e., independent judgement in a legal question based upon the interpretation of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah) is always rewarded,

whether his judgement is right or wrong. (d) The s.ah.ābah themselves have

different interpretations on some Qur’anic verses, as the Prophet did not

explain all the verses of the Qur’ān. He explained only those that needed explanation, leaving the rest to be understood by the s.ah.ābah themselves.

If personal opinion was not allowed on the Qur’ān, the Prophet would have

explained the whole Qur’ān, and the s.ah.ābah would not have given their

personal opinion. (e) The Prophet prayed for his cousin Ibn ‘Abbās that

Allah would teach him the ta’wīl of the Qur’ān. If the term ta’wīl here

means the interpretation based on what have been reported from the Prophet rather than Ibn ‘Abbās’ own personal opinion, then singling him out with

this prayer would have been futile.

Conclusion: There are three main categories of tafsīr: traditional, rational and symbolic or allegorical commentaries.

13. CATEGORIES OF TAFS.ĪR (2)

(29 August 2003)

Brothers and sisters in Islam,

When we perform Friday khut.bah it should contain tah.mīd

(praise), praising Allah (except in the Mālikī school that considered it

mustah.abbah, recommended only), such as saying (praise be to

Allah). It is recommended to pronounce the shahādatayn, namely,

saying meaning “I

bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that

43

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. It is salso necessary to recite the s.alāwah, namely, asking the blessing of Allah on Prophet

Muhammad s.a.w., by saying “O Allah, give your

blessing on Prophet Muhammad” (recommended only in the Mīlikī

school). This is to indicate our love for him and appreciation for what

he did for Islam. Usually, we say these together more completely, for example,

“Praise be to Allah, we praise him, we ask His help, forgiveness

and guidance, we believe in Him and place our trust in Him, and we

ask His protection from the evilness of our souls and deeds. Whomever

Allah guides will be rightly guided, and whoever is made astray,

Will have no guidance. And I bear witness that there is no god

but Allah, no partner with Him, and I bear witness that

Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O Allah,

give grace, peace, and blessing to our master

Muhammad, his household, and

all of his companions”

The khut.bah should also contain at least one Qur’ānic verse and

advice for people to do good deeds, such as obeying or fearing Allah.

For example, we say

It means, “O Muslims, I advise you and myself to fear Allah,

for those who fear Him will prosper. Allah said, ‘O ye who

believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not

except in a state of Islam’” (Q. 3:102).

Then we come to the topic of the khut.bah.

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The topic of the khut.bah today is the continuation of the

discussion about rational commentary of the Qur’an . A group of Muslims oppose it, as they accept the interpretation only from the

Qur’an itself and from the Prophet whose duty, among others, was to

explain it. But the Muslims in the mass accept it.

The arguments of scholars who opposed rational commentary

were countered by other scholars with the following arguments: (a) Giving one's interpretation on the Qur’ān with ijtihād (lit., exertion,

namely, independent judgement) is not a statement concerning Allah

without knowledge, but rather with knowledge and which is permitted in religion, since a mujtahid according to a h.adīth will be rewarded

with two merits if he is right, and one merit if he is wrong in his ijtihād.

Since ijtihād is a meritorious act, it cannot be also a prohibited one at

the same time. (b) With regard to the Prophet’s warning against practising tafsīr without knowledge, Ibn al-Naqīb gives us five views

which constitute five types of prohibited tafsīr, namely, tafsīr without

having the sciences required for it; tafsīr of ambiguous passages which are known by Allah alone; tafsīr intended to support a straying sect,

and in so doing, making the tafsīr subordinate to the sect; stating with

certainty the meaning intended by Allah without proof; and lastly, tafsīr based on one’s own discretion (istih.sān) and whim (hawā).

(c)

That the Prophet was appointed to explain the Qur’ān does not mean

that nobody else was allowed to do it. This is apparent as the verse

mentioned in the earlier khubah ends with “and

that they might take thought”. (Q.16:44, Asad). Many verses in the

Qur’ān were not explained by the Prophet, and it is the duty of Muslim scholars to find their meanings and interpretations. (d) The s.ah.ābah’s

restraint from giving their own tafsīr was a precaution against stating

what may not have been meant by Allah. Abū Bakr himself gave his

personal opinion concerning the kalālah (a deceased person who has left as heir neither a descendant nor an ascendant)

in the Qur’ān 4:176

and said: “I say it with my opinion; if it is right it is from Allah, and if

it is not, it is from Satan.” Kalālah is one of the three terms which

‘Umar wished the Prophet had defined in his lifetime, the other two

being the khilāfah (caliphate, succession) and the ribā (usury), see A.Y.

Ali, The Holy Qur’ān (Doha: Qatar National Printing Press, n.d.), p. 182, n. 520.

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Among the exponents of the rational commentary, to mention a few, were al-Ghazālī, al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, and al-Qurt.ubī.

(3). Symbolic (Allegorical) Commentary.

It is a commentary of the Qur’an that is different from its apparent

meaning due to some hints that appeared through inspiration to some dedicated people endowed with knowledge. Contrary to the acquired

knowledge known as , this type of knowledge known as

comes directly from Allah, as mentioned in the Qur’an, as follows:

“…and unto whom We had imparted knowledge

[issuing] from Ourselves.” )Q. 18:65, Asad).

There is a great difference between the esoterical commentary

claimed by the Bāt.inīs (adherents of inner meanings of the Qur’ān)

and the symbolic commentary . To the Bāt.inīs, the only

acceptable meaning is the esoterical one, whereas the Sūfīs accept both the ostensible and the symbolic meanings. The Sūfīs urge people to learn the

ostensible meaning before they learn the symbolic meaning. They say that

whoever claims to have understood the mysteries of the Qur’ān--through mystical interpretation--without knowing the ostensible meaning is like a

man who claims to have reached the roof of the house without passing

through the door.

Muslim scholars have different views on this symbolic tafsīr. Those

who reject it associate it with the esoterical tafsīr which, in their view,

distorts the meaning of the Qur’ān. However, the exponents of this type of tafsīr give conditions for its validity, as follows:

(a) it is not contrary to its obvious meaning;

(b) it is not considered the only valid meaning by rejecting the obvious one;

(c) it is not a remote meaning which is beyond the context of its words, such as interpreting the term lama‘a as a verb meaning “to shine”

rather than “indeed with” in the verse ( :

“For, behold, God is indeed with the doers of good.” (Q. 29: 69,

Asad);

46

(d) it is not contrary to Islamic teachings and to reason; and finally,

(e) it does not contain a view which might confuse people.

One example of the symbolic commentary is Ibn ‘Abbās’

interpretation of the verse: “When God’s succour

comes, and victory,” (Q. 110:1, Asad). The caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khat.t.āb

one day asked the sah.ābah the meaning of this verse. They said that it

meant that Islam would be victorious in Arabia. This is true, of course, as its

ostensible meaning. Ibn ‘Abbās was present, and ‘Umar asked him his

opinion, although he was still young (between 16 and 26 years old) among the elders of the companions of the Prophet. He said that the verse was a

sign of the Prophet’s approaching death. It means that the Prophet’s duty has

been done, and his mission has been accomplished, and it is time for him to go and meet his Lord. This deep and allegorical interpretation fulfils the

above conditions.

Conclusion: Rational interpretation can be given only be experts who possess sufficient knowledge of Qur’ānic sciences and the topics they are

dealing with; allegorical interpretation has to fulfil certain conditions: not

contrary to obvious meanings, not the only valid meaning, not contrary to Islam and not confusing people.

*******

TO BE CONTINUED WITH

KHUAB III

إن شاء اهلل