The development of God's message in Surah Hud - addendum

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.

After all the stories of the prophets a.s. and their people...communities in which God destroyed, God had something else to add to His message:

(116-119)  But, alas, among those generations [whom We destroyed] before your time there were no people endowed with any virtue - [people] who would speak out against [the spread of] corruption on earth - except the few of them whom We saved [because of their righteousness], whereas those who were bent on evildoing only pursued pleasures which corrupted their whole being, and so lost themselves in sinning.

For never would thy Sustainer destroy a community for wrong [beliefs alone] so long as its people behave righteously [towards one another].  And had thy Sustainer so willed, He could surely have mankind one single community: but [He willed it otherwise, and so] they continue to hold divergent views - [all of them,] save those upon whom thy Sustainer has bestowed His grace.

And to this end has He created them[all].

But [as for those who refuse to avail themselves of divine guidance,] that word of thy Sustainer shall be fulfilled: "Most certainly will I fill hell with invisible beings as well as humans, all together!"

Here, the 'moral of the story' is revealed:
- these communities were not destroyed due to their holding to wrong beliefs but due to their appalling behaviour towards God's creatures.  In Note 149 of Chapter 11...

...Explaining the above verse in this sense, Razi says: "God chastisement does not afflict any people merely on account of their holding beliefs amounting to shirk and kufr, but afflicts them only if they persistently commit evil in their mutual dealings, and deliberately hurt [other human beings] and act tyranically [towards them].  Hence, those who are learned in Islamic Law (al-fuqaha) hold that men's obligations towards God rest on the principle of [His] forgiveness and liberality, whereas the rights of man are of a stringent nature and must always be strictly observed" - the obvious reason being that God is almighty and needs no defender, whereas man is weak and needs protection.

- that diversity in our thoughts, beliefs etc are a part of God's plan that makes us moral creatures with relative free will.  This freedom of choice (free will) is God's gift to us.  In Note 150 of Chapter 11...

Thus, the Quran stresses once again that the unceasing differentiation in men's views and ideas is not incidental but represents a God-willed, basic factor of human existence.  If God had willed that all human beings should be of one persuasion, all intellectual progress would have been ruled out, and "they would have been similar in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their spiritual life they would have been like the angels, constrained by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to obey God" (Manar XII, 193) - that is to say, devoid of that relative free will which enables man to choose between right and wrong and this endows his life - in distinction from all other sentient beings - with a moral meaning and a unique spiritual potential.

 And in Note 152...

According to Zamakhshari, it refers to the freedom of moral choice which characterises man and is spoken of in the preceding passages: and since it is this freedom which constitutes God's special gift to man and raises him above all other created beings (c.f. the parable of Adam and the angels in 2:30-34), Zamakshari's interpretation is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive of all.

- therefore, the message is there for guidance to those who choose to be guided.  

God knows best.

The development of God's Message in Surah Hud (Chapter 11 of the Qur'an) Part 2

In the Name Of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.

Earlier the stories of Noah, Hud and Salih a.s. showed how the central core message remains the same - the worship of God alone - while the concept of who God is and the social aspects of the message is being developed slowly through each subsequent 'story'.  Truly, a most beautiful story ever told.  In this next section, we are introduced to a few new 'players'.

The Story of Abraham a.s. and his wife

(69-70)  And, indeed, there came unto Abraham Our [heavenly] messengers, bearing a glad tiding.  They bade him peace; [and] he answered, "[And upon you be] peace!" - and made haste to place before them a roasted calf.  But when he saw that their hands did not reach out towards it, he deemed their conduct strange and became apprehensive of them.  [But] they said: "Fear not!  Behold, we are sent to the people of Lot."

(71-72)  And his wife, standing [nearby], laughed [with happiness]; whereupon We gave her the glad tiding of [the birth of] Isaac and, after Isaac, of [his son] Jacob.  Said she: "Oh, woe is me!  Shall I bear a child, now that I am an old woman and this husband of mine is an old man?  Verily, that would be strange thing indeed!"

(73)  Answered [the messengers]: "Dost thou deem it strange that God should decree what He wills?  The grace of God and His blessings be upon you, O people of this house!  Verily, ever to be praised, sublime is He!"

When I read this 'story' of the announcement of the birth of Isaac a.s., I asked myself how this fits into the evolving story of the message.  The contrast here are as follows:
1.  The messengers here are angels rather than human.
2.  They bring glad tidings rather than warnings.
3.  For the first time, a woman is introduced in this Surah.

My thoughts on how this fits into the development of the Message is:
- It is significant that Sarah, the wife of Abraham a.s., was the one directly given the glad tiding and conversed with the angels.  It showed that the message is inclusive of all - the weak, the strays (animals), the women etc.
- the concept of God being able to intervene in the natural process/laws that He has ordained in this world.  The concept that "When God wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, 'Be' and it is."
- the contrast between this 'scene' and the forthcoming 'scene' of a loving husband wife relationship as compared to the aggression/abominations of the people of Sodom.  
             
Note: I was reading earlier this month about the higher objectives of Islamic Law and one of its 'essential' objectives is the protection of the progeny.  Therefore, there is an emphasis on marriage and proper conduct in marriage to protect the progeny.  

The Story of Lot a.s.

(77)  And when Our messengers came unto Lot, he was sorely grieved on their account, seeing that it was beyond his power to shield them; and he exclaimed: "This is a woeful day!"

(78)  And his people came running to him, impelled towards his house [by their desire]: for they had ever been wont to commit [such] abominations.

Said [Lot]: "O my people! [Take instead] these daughters of mine: they are purer for you [than men]!  Be, then, conscious of God, and disgrace me not by [assaulting] my guests.  Is there not among you even one right-minded man?"

(79)  They answered: "Thou hast always known that we have no use whatever for thy daughters; and, verily, well dost thou know what we want!"

(80)  Exclaimed [Lot]: "Would that I had the strength to defeat you, or that I could lean upon some mightier support!"

(81)  [Whereupon the angels] said: "O Lot!  Behold, we are messengers from thy Sustainer!  Never shall [thy enemies] attain to thee!  Depart, then, with thy household while it is yet night, and let none of you look back...

For this story, I will side step the issue of homosexuality till the end of this blog.  It is an issue that I have been grappling with for many years since I met and knew friends and acquaintances who are homosexuals.  For now, let us look at the text and how the message evolved...

Again, like the story of Abraham a.s. and his wife, the story of Lot does not fit into the 'formulaic' story telling of the previous prophets nor of that of Shu'ayb a.s. which is coming.  Here are a people lost to their desires that they would commit such an abominable act - that of sexual assault and rape!  They were demanding Lot to turn his innocent visitors over to them to gratify their base desires.  The contrast of such base desires to the loving relationship of Abraham and his wife, sharing in the glad tidings of their progeny, is quite stark.  

So, I ask myself if there is a link to how God's  message evolves and these are my thoughts:
- God's is the mightiest of support as in Note 111 of Chapter 11 that said '...for the Prophet Muhammad, referring to this Qur'anic passage, is reported to have said, "God bestowed His grace upon Lot, for he betook himself indeed unto a mighty support!" '
- the idea of restraining from one's desires through the consciousness of God; that was the appeal of Lot to his people.


The Story of Shu'ayb a.s.

(84-86)  And unto [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb.  He said: "O my people! Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him; and do not give short measure and weight [in any of your dealings with men].  Behold, I see you [now] in a happy state; but, verily, I dread lest suffering befall you on a Day that will encompass [you with doom]!  Hence, O my people, [always] give full measure and weight, with equity, and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs, and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption.  That which rests with God is best for you, if you but believe [in Him]!  However, I am not your keeper."

(87)  Said they: "O Shu'ayb!  Does thy [habit of] praying compel thee to demand of us that we give up all our forefathers were wont to worship, or that we refrain from doing what we please with our possessions?  Behold, [thou wouldst have us believe that] thou art indeed the only clement, the only right-minded man!"

(88-90)  He answered: "O my people!  What do you think?  If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouchsafed me goodly sustenance [as a gift] from Himself - [how could I speak to you otherwise than I do]?  And yet, I have no desire to do, out of opposition to you, what I am asking you not to do.  I desire no more than to set things to rights in so far as it lies within my power; but the achievement of my aim depends on God alone.  In Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him do I always turn!  And O my people, let not [your] dissent from me drive you into sin, lest there befall you the like of what befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih: and [remember that] the people of Lot lived not very far from you!  Hence, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance - for, verily, my Sustainer is a dispenser of grace, a fount of love!"

(91)  [But his people] said: "O Shu'ayb!  We cannot grasp the purport of much of what thou sayest; on the other hand, behold, we do see clearly how weak thou art in our midst: and were it not for thy family, we would have most certainly  stoned thee to death, considering that thou hast no power over us!"

(92-93)  Said he: "O my people!  Do you hold my family in greater esteem than God? - for, Him you regard as something that may be cast behind you and be forgotten!  Verily, my Sustainer encompasses [with His might] all that you do!  Hence, O my people, do [to me] anything that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labour [in God's way]; in time you will come to know which [of us] shall be visited by suffering that will cover him with ignominy, and which [of us] is a liar.  Watch, then, [for what is coming] behold, I shall watch with you!"

Here the development of the message goes another step:
- justice and equity in dealing with others goes hand in hand with the belief in God [alone].
- admonishment not to spread corruption
- sustenance is a gift from God and therefore, not one's possession per say to do as one wish
- admonishment not to follow one's ancestors blindly
- trust in God
- should learn from history for in history are signposts for those who think.


These are just some insights I gleaned in my reading of the Surah.  Allah knows best if I am correct.




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On Homosexuality:


My first encounter with homosexuality is, typically, in books.  But then, I met a friend of a friend who was a homosexual.  He was a sweet man.  Since then, I have met and known several others who are just as kind and lovely.  It therefore troubled me regarding the stand of the various religions, particularly in my own religion, against homosexuality.  It also troubled me when I find around me people who are homophobic.  To my mind, there is little engagement within the Muslim community regarding this issue...we seem to prefer burying our heads in the sand than to acknowledge that there is an issue to be resolved.

It is quite a coincidence that while I am grappling to put down my thoughts in this blog, I read a statement by Pope Francis regarding homosexuals.  Let me quote them here:

Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not.

"If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?"

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well," Pope Francis said in a wide-ranging 80-minute long interview with Vatican journalists.

"It says they should not be marginalised because of this but that they must be integrated into society."

Many years ago, I attended a talk in Darul Arqam in Singapore and the speaker said something similar - that there must be a separation between the act and the person.  Based on my memory, he said that the person should not be ostracised but should be befriended and guided while in Islam, it is the act that is forbidden.

While we don't want to acknowledge it, but homosexuality and transgender issues have been there since time immemorial.  It is interesting to note that Muslim scholars in the past have tackled the issue as this paper suggested.  More than that, this paper discusses the nurture vs nature arguments put for in terms of homosexuality.
http://www.lamppostproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Islam-Homosexuality1.pdf

These are other writings from the Islamic perspective.

http://mohamedghilan.com/2013/05/06/religion-homosexuality-same-sex-marriage/

http://www.tariqramadan.com/spip.php?article10683&lang=fr

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-studies/homosexual-wanting-to-embrace-islam-advice-from-ust-suhaib-webb/

I am still grappling with the issue...but for me, one thing is clear.  People, whether they are hetero- or homo-sexuals, women or men, disabled or otherwise, which ever religion or race, should be given equal rights in society - that of the basic human rights and should be treated with respect and compassion.

I will end with a quote from the first paper I cited above:

That being so, as a Muslim who has and will continue to encounter other Muslims
struggling with homosexual thoughts and urges, it is important for the Muslim
community to approach this topic with much more empathy and less prejudgment. Our
children are now growing up in a culture where homosexual encounters and public
discourse about gay acceptance is more normative. Though we try our best to insulate
them from what we deem to be corruptive forces, there is no doubt that we won’t be
able to protect them all the time. For that reason, it is important for us to understand
homosexual psychology and the theories surrounding its genesis. It is also important to
know this information, because many of us are expected to pastor to very diverse
populations. Imams, scholars, and jurists alike have and will continue to be visited by
Muslims who seek to become whole and/or to at least figure out ways to understand
their predicament. Just as harshness with alcoholics and drug addicts can alienate and
send them deeper into their addiction, it is important that those who know we have the
capacity for an uncustomary amount of compassion to be available for our brethren,
listen with an empathetic ear, and guard their secrets so they are able to achieve a
sense of fulfillment and fullness in their lives.

The development of God's Message in Surah Hud (Chapter 11 of the Quran) part 1

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace

In Surah Hud (11), we have the stories of the prophets a.s. and their messages to their people...lessons for us to learn.  But more than that, I was struck by the beauty in which the story of the Message that God entrusted to His Messengers developed.  The translation used here is that of Muhammad Asad's.

The Story of Noah a.s.:
(25-26)  And indeed, [it was with the same message that] We sent forth Noah unto his people: "Behold, I come unto you with the plain warning that you may worship none but God - for verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on a grievous Day!"

(27)  But the great ones among his people, who refused to acknowledge the truth, answered: "We do not see in thee anything but a mortal man like ourselves; and we do not see that any follow thee save those who are quite obviously the most abject among us; and we do not see that you could be in any way superior to us: on the contrary, we think you are liars!"

(28-31) Said [Noah]: "O my people! What do you think?  If [it is true that] I am taking my stand on a clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouchsafed unto me grace from Himself - [a revelation] to which you have remained blind - : [if this be true,] can we force it on you even though it be hateful to you?  And, O my people, no benefit do I ask of you for this [message]: my reward rests with none but God.  And I shall not repulse [any of] those who have attained to faith.  Verily, they [know that they] are destined to meet their Sustainer, whereas in you I see people without any awareness [of right and wrong]!  And, O my people, who would shield me from God were I to repulse them?  Will you not then, keep this in mind?  And I do not say unto you, 'God's treasures are with me'; nor [do I say], 'I know the reality which is beyond the reach of human perception'; nor do I say, 'Behold I am an angel'; nor do I say of those whom your eyes hold in contempt, 'Never will God grant them any good' - for God is fully aware of what is in their hearts. [Were I to speak thus,] verily, I would indeed be among the evildoers."

Here, the message/warnings given by Noah to his people were:
- worship none but God
- concept of God as Sustainer
- concept of God as the One granting grace
- concept of the meeting with God
- concept of God's knowledge
- not repulse those they think are beneath them
- there was no way for him to force them to accept the message

Clearly, his followers were from the lowest of classes in society and looked down upon.  Yet, these were the people who saw the most clearly the truth while most of his people who felt superior to these low classes were blind to it.

The Story of Hud a.s.:
(50-52)  And unto [the tribe of] 'Ad [We sent] their brother Hud.  He said: "O my people!  Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him.  [As it is,] you are but inventors of falsehood!  O my people!  No reward do I ask of you for this [message]: my reward rests with none but Him who brought me into being.  Will you not, then, use your reason?  Hence, O my people, ask Your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance - [whereupon] He will shower upon you heavenly blessings abundant, and will add strength to your strength: only do not turn away [from me] as people lost in sin!"

(53-54) Said they: "O Hud!  Thou hast brought us no clear evidence [that thou art a prophet]; and we are not going to forsake our gods on thy mere word, the more so as we do not believe thee.  We can say no more than that one of our gods may have smitten thee with something evil!"

(54-57)  Answered [Hud]: "Behold, I call God to witness - and you, too, be [my] witnesses - that, verily, it is not in me to ascribe divinity, as you do, to aught beside Him! Contrive, then, [anything that you may wish] against me, all of you, and give me no respite!  Behold, I have placed my trust in God, [who is] my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer: for there is no living creature which He does not hold by its forelock.  Verily, straight is my Sustainer's way!  But if you choose to turn away, then [know] I have delivered to you the message with which I was sent unto you, and [that] my Sustainer may cause another people to take your place, whereas you will in no wise harm Him.  Verily, my Sustainer watches over all things!"

Here, the same message is repeated and added.  The additions are:
- not to invent falsehood, i.e. 'the attribution of divine qualities to any concrete or imaginary object or person, and the making of false statements about God, His attributes, or the contents of His messages.' (Note 119 of Surah 7 in Muhammad Asad's translation).
- the concept of repentance
- the concept of God as the One who forgives
- the concept of God as the One who everything is dependent on. I.e. 'there is no living being over which He has not complete control and which is not entirely dependent on Him.' (Note 80 of Surah 11)
- the concept of God's straight way
- bearing the consequence of turning away from the message/warnings.

The Story of Salih a.s.:

(61)  And unto [the tribe of] Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih.  He said: "O my people! Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him.  He brought you into being out of the earth, and make you thrive thereon.  Ask Him, therefore, to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance - for, verily, my Sustainer is ever-near, responding [to the call of whoever calls unto Him]!"

(62)  They answered: "O Salih!  Great hopes did we place in thee ere this!  Wouldst thou forbid us to worship what our forefathers were wont to worship?  Because [of this], behold, we are in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about [the meaning of] thy call to us!"

(63-64)  He retorted: "O my people!  What do you think?  If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouchsafed unto me grace from Himself - [if this be true,] who would shield me from God were I to rebel against Him?  Hence what you are offering me is no more than perdition!" And [then he said]: "O my people!  This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for you: so leave her alone to pasture on God's earth, and do her no harm, lest speedy chastisement befall you!"

Again, the same message with more development:
- the concept of God being ever near and responding to those who call unto Him
- the concept of caring for ownerless (possibly stray) animals as quoted in Note 57 of Surah 7:
'The commentators cite various legends to the effect that this she-camel was of miraculous origin.  Since neither the Qur'an nor any authentic Tradition provides the least support for these legends, we must assume that they are based on the expression of naqat Allah (God's she-camel), which has led some pious Muslims to fantastic conjectures.  However, as Rashid Rida points out (Manar VIII, 502), this expression denotes merely the fact that the animal in question was not owned by any one person, and was therefore to be protected by the whole tribe; a further, analogous expression is found in the words 'God's earth' in the same verse: an illustration of the fact that everything belongs to God.  The particular stress by Salih on good treatment of this ownerless animal - referred to in several places in the Qur'an - was obviously due to the cruel high-handedness displayed by the tribe...'

Which of your Sustainer's favours will you deny? Part 2

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace

In the last post, I wrote about the reasons I felt that make us take nature for granted.  In this post, I hope to write about what I think we can do to address this issue and increase our gratefulness.

Recently, a friend sent me a talk by Seyyed Hossein Nasr which I am attaching here.  Something he said touched me - we should give everything its due rights.  Nature has rights upon us that we have so far neglected.  But even before we talk about rights, we should talk about relationship.

What is our relationship with Nature?  Today, especially for city folks, this relationship is tenuous.  We don't seem to miss the almost non-existent contact with Nature.  This is because we don't know Nature because what we don't know, we don't love and can even fear.  Seyyed Hossein Nasr in the preface to the new edition of his book 'Man and Nature' says:

'...the creation of a science whose function, according to Francis Bacon, one of its leading proponents, was to gain power over nature, dominate her and force her to reveal her secrets not for the Glory of God but for the sake of gaining worldly power and wealth.'

So what should be our relationship with Nature?  It goes back to our understanding of ourselves, our relationship with the Creator of both us and Nature.  Seyyed Hossein Nasr further said:

'Man is made absolute, his "rights" dominating over both God's rights and the rights of His creation.'

That is, by removing God from the centre around which our lives revolve, we have lost the awareness of God being the absolute and us the relative.  We no longer feels the sense of accountability that we should as God's appointed deputy/administrator on this earth.  Instead we have usurped the position of kingship, forgetting that we will one day return to God and our actions be accounted for.

Part of the problem is, as identified by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, the scientific/materialistic worldview upon which the modern world is based on.  This worldview has desacralised nature.  It has given importance to the material and the quantitative but has lost the qualitative and spiritual aspect, the metaphysics of science and nature.  Nature is no longer seen as a sign or sign post leading to the Creator but purely utilitarian.  So even if we are religious, whatever our religion might be, the worldview in which we and the global community live in today is this scientific/materialistic worldview.

We need to go back and redevelop a metaphysical connection with Nature, a metaphysical worldview which will govern modern science.  We need to relearn to tread as lightly as the American Indians and the Oborigines of Australia did...I love this description of the American Indians in 'Man and Nature':

'The Indians, especially of the Plains, did not develop an articulated metaphysics, but nevertheless they possess the profoundest metaphysical doctrines expressed in the most concrete and primordial symbols.  The Indian, who is something of a primordial monotheist, saw in virgin nature, in forests, trees, streams and the sky, in birds and buffalos, direct symbols of the spiritual world.  With the strong symbolist spirit with which he was endowed he saw everywhere images of celestial realities.  For him, as for other nomads, nature was sacred and there was a definite disdain of the artificialities of sedentary life.  Virgin nature was for the Indian the cathedral in which he lived and worshipped....When one sees the tracks of the Indian high in the Rocky Mountains, tracks which he crossed for millenia without disturbing the ambiance about him, one feels so strongly that the Indian was one who really walked gently upon the earth.'

Now, that encapsulates to me the very essence of the metaphysical aspect of nature which we need to rediscover in order to fulfill our role as administrators of God's creations and therefore, by fulfilling the purpose that God created us for, we will stop denying God's favours upon us...especially that of the special relationship we have with our sister, Nature.