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...'
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...'
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