Chapter 5: Surah Al-Maidah (The Repast)
91. aqd (covenant)—commitment, treaty, relationship, promises, and so on—anything that binds a human being to another human being is to be respected and carried out, and we must be faithful to it. Having faith in God has implications with regard to God and to His creations. We are to fulfill all covenants and commitments that we bound by to God, to fellow human beings, and to the natural world that is created to sustain our lives on this planet and in this universe. True faith in God as defined in the Qur’an is a profoundly expansive notion of being faithful to each and every aspect of our existence in terms of the spiritual, the mental, and the physical. We have to be true to our spirit, as God had constructed in His image. We need to be true in the mental model of the world and our existence in that we exist to serve God and to serve people. Our physical needs and the competing needs of others have to be harmonized and shared without injustice or malice.
92. hujuan wa layiban (mockery and sport)—the way some people who do not have faith in God regard faith with mockery and jest to trivialize such faith and to make fun of those who proclaim faith. The same is, unfortunately, true of many people who claim to have faith but make mockery of one another’s faith within their own religion and at times across religions, something that we witness in every generation but more so in our current world condition, where there is a persistent effort by Muslims, Jews, and Christians, for example, to pit the faithful against one another and to make fun of one another’s faith rather than uniting based on our common faith in God and the faith that Abraham professed, which we all claim to subscribe to. This notion of mockery and sport also extends to conservative people who confine themselves to rituals and literal interpretations of their faith and make fun of those who do not accept their ways; similarly, there are people who claim faith but are not willing to commit to its tenets making fun of those who are ritual bound and unwilling to think for themselves. Such divisions have weakened the faith community in all religions and have diminished the good that comes from true faith that is steeped in humility, wisdom, and constant awareness of our responsibilities to one another and to our Creator. We are advised to steer clear of such people, no matter what faith they might claim, and not to take life as a sport without purpose or meaning, as God said (21:16): “We did not create the sky and the earth and all in between for mere play.”
93. esmi wal wudwan (sin and tyranny)— Sin is a moral transgression and a transgression against divine (natural) laws, while tyranny implies trespassing against the boundaries of the rule of law in a society, denying human freedom, oppressing others without measure and with deliberation, denying human beings that which naturally belongs to them such as natural resources, income equality or fairness in income distribution, and so on. The concept of sin and what is considered tyranny is somewhat universal, in the sense that each human being is endowed with understanding and intuitively feels what these are and when such sin or tyranny occurs, although there have been arguments put forth at various times and in various societies to justify such acts. The Ten Commandments from the Old Testament, which are accepted by people of Abrahamic faiths and human societies in general, define the boundary of sins that one can commit. The acceptance and abundance of promiscuous behavior in today’s world, especially in developed countries, has been identified with modernity, goes directly against the Ten Commandments, and is fundamentally at odds with the teachings found in the Bible and the Qur’an. All forms of tyranny, which deprive human beings of their rights to exercise free expression and to freely seek means for survival and income and of their rights to safety, privacy, security, social justice in the form of political will, financial dealings, and natural resources, are being perpetrated on a large scale all over the world through corrupt rulers, the faulty pursuit of democracy, financial greed, and unholy alliances between politicians and their financiers.
The Qur’an talk about this race for sin and tyranny, which existed at the time of the Prophet and continues even today. While the new faithful have been cautioned against such acts and excesses by their predecessors, in today’s world people of all faiths—Muslims, Christians, and Jews—are succumbing to the same things that Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad so adamantly cautioned against to their respective followers. The prophet in his last sermon reflected on the same themes that are in the Ten Commandments and provided further clarification regarding our relationships among human beings, trust, accountability to God and to one another, and equality of gender (see appendix B of volume 2)
94. kaulihimul esmi wa aklihimus suhta (uttering sinful things and amassing wealth and power through illegal means)— This is in reference to the rabbis and doctors of law in the Jewish faith at the time of the Prophet Mohammad. This was also true at the time of the Prophet Jesus, as he also encountered the corruption and tyranny of the clerics and priests and those who claimed to be in charge of the religious practices of the Jewish faith. The Prophet Moses encountered similar tendency among his people at the time of his tenure as the Prophet when he saved the Children of Israel from the tyranny of the Pharaoh.
Those of us living in the twenty-first century, looking at the history of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim successes and failures over the last three thousand years, have witnessed the excess of the clerics and so-called scholars in all three religions and of other religions as well. Reformed Judaism came about because the Jewish clerics were consolidating their hold on the masses and enforcing things in the name of the religion that did not make sense. The papal institution and its tyranny on the Catholics is well documented, and it forced Christians to divide into a large number of denominations such as Protestant, Methodist, Baptist, and so on, to name a few. The lack of transparency in the governance of the Catholic Church and control of the rigid hierarchy in priesthood had turned it into an old men’s club. The endorsement of slavery, sexual abuse of minors in the churches by priests, and placing barriers between God and His worshippers are some examples of the many things that have caused many followers to turn away from Christianity.
Even though the concept of priesthood is absent in Islam, there are too many imams and so-called sheikhs (self-proclaimed religious scholars) who have carved out positions and have influence on Muslims. Some of these people encourage extremism, including endorsing terrorism, proclaiming fatwas to create rigidity in religious and social practices, and condemning anyone who challenges their hegemony and ill-informed interpretations of faith in God. There are times when they are aligned with rulers and leaders who are corrupt and aid in their corruption by saying sinful things and amassing wealth for themselves and their sponsors through illegal means to the detriment of the average citizens and followers of faith.
This is an unfortunate situation. Such excess in sinful conduct and amassing wealth is also witnessed in ideologies that are devoid of faith, such as communism, whose leaders have committed crimes against their own citizens on a large scale in China, Russia, Afghanistan, and other countries in Eastern Europe.
95. al-adawat wal baghdhaa (enmity and hatred)— These two words or attributes are used in two different places: 5:14 and 5:64 with respect to Christians and Jews, and they aptly apply to Muslims as well, signifying a human condition that is the result of our own actions and disposition toward one another within the same faith group and across faith groups that leads to dire consequences such as global conflicts and the deaths of untold numbers of human beings throughout the human history, more so in the recent past (the last one hundred years) than ever before. When we lose our humanity; forget where we come from; willfully neglect to follow the guidance from God, as in the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an; and marginalize the voices of reason, intellect, morals, and truth, then our own evil inclinations—enmity, hatred, jealousy, greed, injustice, oppression, exploitation, and so on—take the better of us, and we see the results in large-scale colonial injustice, the practice of slavery, apartheid, world wars, ethnic cleansing, ever-expanding violence, terrorism, and counterterrorism against innocent human beings.
This is a serious situation, and it is creating havoc in world peace and the peaceful coexistence of human beings on this planet of ours. Each one of us have to reflect on his or her own actions and reactions that amplify such conditions and work individually and collectively to extinguish the wide spiral of such fire in our societies and in our world.
96. siddiqat (woman of great virtue and truthfulness—in reference to Mary, Mother of Jesus)— The honor and dignity conferred to Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, in Islamic faith and in the Qur’an is of towering proportions compared to other women in human history. Her chastity, dignity, faithfulness, humility, and forbearance against all claims of misdeeds by Jews of the time and the suffering that Jesus underwent for his commitment to truth and justice in the face of overwhelming injustice by religious leaders and the ruling class inspire millions of Christians and Muslims to dignify and honor Jesus and his mother.
History also tells us that we humans, in our zeal to honor someone, can exaggerate claims of Godhead regarding human beings such as Jesus and Mary, as prevalent in certain sects of Christianity, whereas the Qur’an reminds us that they were humans who lived among humans, ate just like other humans, and died like human. Such humanity in no way diminishes their stature among the greatest of human creations by God to serve fellow human beings, to stand up for truth and justice in their own times, and to inspire generations since their times.
97. al-khamru, al-maisiru, al-ansabu, al-ajlamu (intoxicant, gambling, idolatrous practices, and fortune-telling)— These substances or practices, also partially mentioned in 2:219 and 5:3, are considered acts of the Devil or evil acts that negate human intelligence and God-given faculties that should be used for personal and collective benefit. The use of any form of intoxicants such as alcohol or drugs that affect the mind and consciousness is considered unacceptable behavior. So is gambling or any gaming or decision-making based on random chance and not on the rational and deliberate use of human intelligence. And so is any kind of practice or sacrifice in the name of a false god and on an altar set aside for such gods when such sacrifice results in a lost life without any benefit to anyone. In a similar vein, any attempt to tell the future by reading someone’s palm or using astrology or other types of symbols from the natural world without due reasoning is a practice of deception and conjecture.
Islam calls for the full use of one’s intelligence and the exercise of full consciousness in our daily activities and in our pursuits of physical and spiritual upliftment with a full view to express thanks for our God-gifted intelligence and intuition and to make full use of the resources from the natural world for our individual and collective benefits in fair and equitable ways and by ethical means.
98. qiyam lin nas (support or mainstay for mankind)— The Kabah—the simple cube-shaped house of worship built by Abraham and subsequently maintained by generations of his followers and Muslims is declared a support or mainstay for mankind. The symbolism of the Kabah as a simple but grand structure, also known as the Inviolable House or the First House of Worship (some even say that it was built by Adam and Eve), without much ornamentation or pretense, is similar to the essence of God, who is grand yet invisible. His grandeur is reflected through the created world—human beings, the abundance and flora and fauna on our planet, all living beings and creatures, the wonders of nature as we see and experience them, and the vast ocean of the universe in which our planet is a tiny sand particle. The Kabah is a place that is considered sacred ground where all goods are encouraged and all evils are forbidden, where only God is worshipped, where all creatures are safe from the harms of others, and where everyone is equal irrespective of color, race, gender, wealth, or intellectual endowment.
In a physical sense, it provides security and a means for income from trading and visitations, and it is a gathering place to reaffirm our common heritage as servants and creatures of God drawn to a common call to acknowledge Him as God and our Creator. Like all practices in Islam—whether it is daily prayer or daily work—it has a dual purpose, a physical aspect and a spiritual aspect, a duality that permeates the Kabah as it stands to support both physical and spiritual needs of those who care to come to visit and perform Hajj (pilgrimage), a one-time obligation for people who have faith in God, our Creator.
99. wasiaat (will)— Anyone who has a reasonable amount of wealth (perhaps according to his or her own assessment or available financial and wealth management guidelines) that will need to be distributed among heirs in an equitable manner and who wishes to bequeath a part of the wealth to general and societal benefits or to specific individuals or institutions are strongly encouraged to have a will. In the United States, less than 45 percent have wills, and among minorities, the number is much larger—less than 32 percent among African American and less than 26 percent among Hispanics, two of the largest minorities in the United States. It is remarkable that while the will is a relatively recent phenomenon and has become a recommended legal document in developed countries, Islam had such a recommendation more than 1,500 years ago, and it has been in wide practice in that society.
The reason any society or ideology gets entrenched and flourishes is because it inspires its members and followers with ideas, tools, approaches, and social norms that bring harmony and peaceful coexistence to its members and is able to secure commitment to such ideas on a larger scale than ever before, above any other societies or ideologies. That ideologies such as Islam and Christianity have a billion-plus followers and have survived and progressed over more than a thousand years and other ideologies such as communism did not survive more than a hundred years is a testimony to the enduring values in these faith ideologies and shows the moral, financial, and ethical bankruptcies of other ideologies such as communism.
Chapter 6: Surah Al-Anam (The Cattle)
100. sur (trumpet or event that exposes reality of Afterlife; 6:73)— Sur has traditionally been interpreted as a trumpet that can be heard over a long distance or in crowded places so that attention can be drawn over other distractions and preoccupations. In modern times, a siren is used in case of natural calamity or impending man-made destruction such as an aerial attack by enemy fighters in residential and populated areas. Traditional commentary also makes reference to the blowing of a trumpet on the eve of the annihilation of the earth as we know it to prepare for the Day of Judgment and get all dead people out of their graves and back into life (resurrection) to face the consequences of their lifelong pursuits and actions as God will take on the role of the ultimate judge, and we will lose all our previous freedom to choose or make course corrections.
Another meaning of sur comes from the notion that it is the plural of surat, which implies forms; in other words, the reality of Afterlife that has been a cornerstone of our faith; we all will be resurrected to a second life, perhaps more in spirit or in a physical form that might be different from our current form on this planet. And this blowing of the trumpet could also mean God breathing His essence a second time to bring us back to life where reality will be apparent and all filters of the hidden realities (Al-Ghaib) will be removed. Some of the traditions (hadith—the Prophet’s sayings) describe a series of trumpet blasts to unfold the reality of the Day of Judgment in a step-by-step process.
101. takdir (measurement, determination, outcome; 6:96)— This word occurs in multiple places in the Qur’an, and classical commentaries have focused on two different meanings for this word, the root of which, qdr, implies measurements or the precision with which natural phenomena such as the germination of a seedling or the amount of rainfall or the movement of the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies, which points to the complex relationships in the natural world and the underlying natural laws while at the same time pointing to the awesome elegance of nature that God has put in place (see also 25:2, 54:49, 15:21, 23:18, 43:11).
Another meaning that has caused a significant amount of debate among Muslim scholars and various schools of thought in the past is the notion of predetermination, where all outcomes are predetermined, including one’s life and its success or failure, which then leads to some unintended consequences, raising serious questions and doubts about what life is all about and its intended purpose. This concept can also lead to fatalism and resignation to one’s fate as opposed to constantly striving to be better and to do good. While there is clear indication that each individual’s life and its provisioning on this planet is set according to a measure as ordained by God (see also 6:60, 7:24–25), there is clear freedom of choice that one is allowed to make and shape his or her life and its conduct (see 76:3, 76:30, 10:49).
It is important to understand this difference in interpretation on this fundamental aspect of human life and the natural world we are part of. The natural world is constructed with a set of natural laws that human sciences and philosophical discourse try to uncover. While the physical sciences are more deterministic in the sense of, say, the laws of physics, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction—in other words, the current state of the universe is determined by its previous states, but given the immense scale of the universe, where billions of stars are constantly forming and evolving in a manner no different from, perhaps, the billions of cells in our bodies or the billions of neurons in our brains, there are relationships, pathways, and interactions that are deterministic on one level, like Newtonian mechanics, but they could also be undefinable under the principles of uncertainty or Brownian motion, for example, at one level, but are more definable at a macro level, which is also the case in economics. Where the microeconomic theories may have wide variations and uncertainly, the macro behavior is more predictable and has become a boon for many tech companies, and they exploit (without necessary guidance or policies) such random and micro-level behaviors to extract patterns in more macro-level behaviors.
At a spiritual level of human growth, where intent, moral judgment, the search for truth, and so on are fundamentally important and we are constantly being challenged by our consciences, societal norms, unfolding events, and deliberate actions, any form of predetermination would be fundamentally flawed and could lead to fatalism that would sometimes find a common currency across various forms of religious discourse in our rich human history.
102. qawme yalamuna, qawme yafqahuna, qawme yu’minuna (people of knowledge, people of insight, people of faith; 6:97–99)— The verses from 95 through 99 point to the grandeur of the world that God has created, its inner workings, and how our human lives are intertwined with its consistent, measured natural laws that govern the universe and our human lives. The germination of a seedling from an apparent lifeless seed, the emergence of life on this planet, the reproductive system and cross-pollination through which living beings and plants evolve, the cycle of life and death that we experience each day, the constant cycle of day and night, the placement of our earth and the moon in our solar system to facilitate the measurement of our lives and our day-to-day living, the stars that help us navigate, and the technological mastery that has given us ways to navigate that which was impossible in the past.
All of these poignant reminders from God are then followed by the statement in verse 97 that those who have secured knowledge, both physical and spiritual, as well as those who wish to gain knowledge, will find these aspects and workings of the natural world as definitive markers and signposts for developing faith, improving human conditions, and becoming worthy of God’s creation, an opportunity and a responsibility that have been gifted to humanity.
Verse 98 then follows, with God pointing to our human existence, our creation from a single soul—Adam, and then from Adam and Eve, a reproductive process that has led to the current seven billion-plus people on this planet, which provides us sustenance, a place to work and rest, and ultimately a place to die and wait for resurrection. These realities of life and the purposefulness of our existence are exposed to people who have insight, who are thoughtful, and who wish to connect the dots and find meaning in our existence. Some of these realities we can observe as we live and some will unfold after our death, but God has given us some access through revelations such as the Qur’an, the Bible, the Torah, and so on.
Verse 99 then delves into the cycle of rain and the revival of earth with its foliage and plants—seedlings that peek their faces out of the soil, trees that sprout buds, vegetation that comes to life with its fine greenery and foliage; how God produces grains and a variety of fruits, fruits that look alike and different, how they ripen over time, and our delight at such provisions coming in abundance to support our lives and our enjoyment. These workings of God are evident in front of us and should lead us to establish our faith in God and commit to support life and its supporting natural world. Such knowledge, understanding, and insight should also continue to deepen our faith in God and our commitment to life and its purposefulness. The development of true faith only comes from a deep level of knowledge seeking, gaining insight, and a commitment to find the truth about God and our lives.
103. mustaquarrun (term limit) and mustawda’un (resting place; 6:98)—As part of the narrative defining the origin and existence of human lives that came from one single soul (i.e., Adam, and eventually from Adam and Eve), God defines two other attributes or realities that have given rise to various interpretations or meanings over the course of Qur’anic commentaries in the past. Qur’anic text certainly added to Arabic words, advanced ideas, concepts, and realities that required discussion and interpretation among people and guidance from the Prophet himself, as some of the words were not necessarily in common use and the ideas were not in vogue or fully appreciated or acknowledged in the contemporary society and the world at large.
Mustaqarrun comes from the root qarra, which implies the act of settlement, coming to rest, or remaining in one place, while mustawda’un is derived from wadu’a, an act of being quiet, coming to terms, or settling or entrusting to safe custody. Another interpretation of mustaqarrun has been the span of a course or an activity or existence itself, implying that life has a “fixed term limit” as defined by God, while mustawda’un has been interpreted as a “place or consignment,” as if awaiting further processing or evaluation—that is, a place of waiting for transit or of temporary rest. Verse 11:6 is very explicit in that it declares that there is no living being on earth whose provision for life is not with God, Who knows everyone’s terms of existence and final return (to God). Verse 67 in this chapter and other verses throughout the Qur’an also imply that just like individuals, every community, nation, course of human activity, and natural process has an eventual outcome or resolution that comes back to God as He wills.
104. basaayiru (proof, enlightenment, insight; 6:104)— This word and this verse echo the central message of revelations and the relentless effort of all the prophets and people of goodwill throughout human history. That is to comprehend and to internalize the realities of life and of our world and to act responsibly. The root word bsr relates to the act of seeing, comprehending, understanding insightfully, coming to informed realities of things, and so on. Basaayiru points to an instrument or mechanism by which one can develop deep insight, understanding, and perception of realities that are important for our existence and our sustenance, both physical and spiritual.
This word implies that the Qur’an (and by implication all Books of Revelations that have maintained the purity of their original forms and intents) contains instrument or proof or composite knowledge that has been gifted to humanity by God through the prophets. We have a responsibility to see into it or the freedom to remain blind to it, though we need to be mindful of the various consequences that result from such interest or lack thereof. We are accountable for what we do and how we see the world and the inevitable consequences that emerge. We cannot be immune to that, much as we are not immune to gravity, given our physical mass. This is part of the natural construct of our world and our human existence as God has willed, and it should not be construed as God’s wrath or dislike of humanity. As the saying goes, we harvest what we sow; that is the underlying causality here.
105. a’ridh (turn away, unaffected; 6:106)—In contrast to the notion of coming to God, one is asked to move away from or be unaffected by any false notion of polytheism or compromising doubts about the unity of the Godhead. The root word a’rdh conveys various meanings ranging from widening the gap through critical examination or analysis to resisting or avoiding or remaining unaffected by something. It is a call from God that we need to harken to God, and that also implies that we need to be uncompromising against the false notion of polytheism, as God continues to affirm by the ever-present declaration in the Qur’an “There is no god but God,” as is evident in the natural world that we interact with every day.
106. kitaba mufassalan (book full of explanations, details to make distinct; 6:114)— The Qur’an here is described as a book of that which has been detailed—detailed with explanation, clarity, poignant questioning to uncover realities of the world and our own creation. The root of mufassalan is fsl, which means to set out, to separate, or to depart, while its derivative fassala, means detailed—detailed in explanation, clarity, exposition with sufficiency and conclusive arguments. One of the formats used in the Qur’an is a question-and-answer session that postulates certain facts about God, realities of life, moral values, or ethical positions. It then provides answers directly by giving detailed and reasoned explanations, sometimes with a poignant question back so as to jolt the reader to dare to consider the possibilities of there being no god or a life that has no purpose or a natural world that is full of chaos or a world where there is no accountability or a life in which one is not free to choose, and so on. Sometimes there is the storytelling of prophets, historical narratives, and common observations to increase our awareness of life and to extract lessons learned.
A good portion of the Qur’an is devoted to the workings of the natural world, our own creation, and our evolution into beings from birth to death—but also the evolution of species of plants and animals to draw attention to the creative and evolutive process of the world that God has made us part of and put to us work in to understand ourselves, God, and the natural world around us with a sense of truth, justice, and accountability as part of our evolving faith in God.
Chapter 7: Surah Al-Araf (The Elevation)
107. khalaqnakum summa sawwarnakum (created and shaped you; 7:11)—The Qur’an has frequently added various dimensions to the very act of creation and specifically to the creation of human beings. While this particular verse mentions the fact that God created the first humans (Adam and Eve), it is immediately followed by a subsequent process or step that attests to the fact that the act of creation then led to evolutionary forms that we see in our present condition. Those who are engineers and wish a physical device or mechanism always start with an intention of what to create or make and then develop a set of functions to transform that intention. Those functions are then given physical existence in the forms of components that are integrated into a form to bring out the final product or artifact. While khalaka represents the essence of creation, sawwara represents the transformation of that creative process into a physical form that has internal organs, arms and legs, eyes, ears, nose, and so on, aesthetically and harmoniously put together, that is at one level a physical entity while maintaining its spiritual existence as well.
In the Qur’an God expresses himself through various attributes such as the Creator, the Fashioner, the Originator, the Maker, the Shaper, the Expander, the Restorer, the Giver of Life and Death, the Enricher, the Innovator, the Teacher, and so on, pertaining to the complex art and science of His creative power and its manifested presence in our lives and in the natural world we live in. For complete list and explanations, see God’s ninety-nine names in volume 1 (pages 243–268)
108. aghwaitani (fall from grace, life made evil, or to be disappointed; 7:16)—Aghwa implies falling into error or accusing someone else of your own error. In a similar vein, it could also mean to punish someone for his or her evils or failure to uphold the truth (11:34). Finally, this could also mean to be disappointed in one’s failure (20:121). The current verse refers to the Devil’s realization that he made a serious error in not obeying God to honor to Adam. Instead of accepting responsibility for his failure and mistake, he took God’s rebuke as a form of punishment or unfair treatment to him and vowed instead to do further harm to Adam and Eve.
To that end he sought God’s permission to allow him to continue to deceive and mislead human beings while being invisible or visible to human beings, as stated in the following verse (7:17). While God has made human beings with the sublime nature of God, the Devil’s presence also makes us vulnerable, and his persistent and hidden attempts to lead us from the sublime nature of God is something we need to be constantly aware of and guard against. Otherwise we will continue to fall prey to his machinations, as did our first parents—Adam and Eve. As some say, the Devil is in all of us, and this is literally true if we reflect on verse 17, and we should set up barriers in our minds, in our psyches and in our consciousnesses against the Devil, as he will tempt us on our good days and on our bad days as an equal opportunist.
Too many people also act like the Devil while they sow dissent among people; do evil; justify the evil acts of others; and perpetuate corruption, mischief, and anarchy in our societies instead of accepting temporary failure and correcting their conduct for the future. To commit more evils in the face of first evil is the Devil’s way, whereas God wants us to reflect, repent, and correct our behavior so that we can improve our lives and the lives of others while securing God’s forgiveness and mercy, which is ever present.
109. Sawatihima (of their shame or nakedness; 7:20)—“Sawat” implies a sense of shame as it pertains to certain parts of the body, but it could also mean acts or conduct that if exposed might be shameful or any evil act, custom, or practice that might be contrary to social, ethical, or moral norms and God’s guidance. In this instance, the Devil through deception was able to persuade Adam and Eve to act contrary to God’s guidance and eat from the forbidden tree. As a consequence, instead of finding immortality and becoming Angels, they suddenly realized their own sense of shame in their failure to follow God’s command and came to realize their need and urge to cover their physical bodies and were suddenly aware of the evil potential that resided in them, all of which they had been unaware of.
As also stated in 20:121, their failure was the beginning of their mindfulness for differentiating good from evil, realizing the purity as well as the ugliness of their physical bodies and the potential to do evil and good. This realization also propelled them to seek forgiveness, unlike the Devil, and to develop means of knowledge, awareness, and tools to fight evil and move toward good and God. In verse 7:76 God gives an example of such effort—of clothing for human beings (see key concept note 112 below).
110. khasirin (loser or be lost; 7:23)—This verse is the famous prayer of Adam and Eve on the event of their first failure to be truthful to their own nature (i.e., the nature of God) by ignoring God’s guidance and being deceived by the Devil with an enticement that was not true. In their repentance and affirmation of their true human character, they turned to God over and over again, which I am sure they did throughout their long lives on this planet, constantly being deceived by the Devil and helping their children and grandchildren stay true to the course of going back to God. The root khsr implies to lose, to suffer loss or damage, to lose direction, to be cheated. The moment they realized that they had disobeyed God by eating from the forbidden tree, they became immediately awareness of their own failure and shortcoming, evil inclinations, and disregard for God’s directives. Their awareness was also aided by their sudden recognition of their own nakedness which was unknown to them prior to their disobedience to God. They first and foremost acknowledged that they had done wrong to themselves instead of wasting time blaming the Devil as the Devil had done when he disobeyed God (i.e, showed arrogance and tried to claim his superiority over Adam), and their second thought was to turn to God and plead for His forgiveness and mercy so that they would not lose their way and diminish their human stature in the eyes of God and in their own eyes.
This is a classic case of how one should deal with failure—a lifelong lesson that is pertinent to every human being, since we all are subject to failure at one time or another in our lives, without exception. Step number one of is to recognize the failure, analyze the root causes, and take personal responsibility. Step number two is to chalk out a path of recovery and exert yourself with due earnestness while seeking God’s forgiveness and mercy so that you can overcome the loss of dignity, character, and negative physical and spiritual consequences, which are part of the natural laws of cause and effect in a world governed by God, Who wants us to seek the truth and establish justice for all.
111. rishan (bird’s plumage, feathers that beautify; 7:26)— This word is part of an expression of the purpose of clothing in a physical sense and in a spiritual sense. God sent down clothing—in other words, gave humanity the ability to find materials and make clothing, first to cover their shame in a physical sense. The second purpose of clothing is compared to the feathers or plumage of birds (rish), which exhibits exquisite beauty, such as that of the peacock, the puffin, and almost all birds such that human beings also use clothing to beautify and to symbolize richness or abundance.
The Qur’an then continues to define another type of clothing that is spiritual in nature and is about this human sense of responsibility (taqwa), which is a fundamental part of our alliance with God and our stewardship of our natural world (especially the earth that we inhabit). This spiritual clothing is declared to be best form of clothing that we should aspire to while making good and appropriate use of our physical clothing. This fundamental attribute of a responsible human being who seeks truth and strives to bring justice is like an invisible cloth that protects our dignity, our sustainability as a human race, and our relationship with our Creator.
112. quist (what is right, what is just; 7:29)— The root word qst appears in the Qur’an multiple times to denote a sense of intense “fairness and justice” in the way the world is created and the way the world operates. Fairness and justice require a system that is based on truth, that establishes rule of law, and that encourages equitable treatment of all. This implies balance and a system in which all parts are consonant with one another, and the human race is part of that larger whole—the earth, the universe, the rubrics of life. This also applies to our own bodies and existence; every cell in a person’s body has to find its unique role and be in harmony with every other cell, and every one of us has to find his or her unique role and be in harmony with every other human being.
This verse asks the Prophet to declare that God commands that justice and fairness should spread and prevail as the foundation of our existence, that we be committed and constant to fairness and justice, and that we demonstrate genuineness in our conviction of fairness and justice. The sentence ends with a reminder that God is the Creator, and God will gather us back to Him to take account of how we demonstrated our commitment to this fundamental aspect of our life and our existence.
113. fawahisha (shameful, indecent), bag’ye (rebellion, unjustified chaos), tushriku (any divine association with God; 7:33)— Whereas in verse 29 God issues commands about justice and fairness (quist), here God commands against three things that we see happening in regular frequency in the world today. The first is all types of acts or social norms that are indecent, such as corruption; morally and ethically inappropriate conduct at the personal and social levels; acts of persistent injustice to individuals and groups of people; structural income inequality; racism; misogyny; religious persecution; and coercion and gross negligence to the health and well-being of our air, water, and soil, which then impacts our own health. Second is any type of anarchy or rebellion in societies where peaceful and amicable means are not given priority and expressions such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, frequent terror attacks, unjustified counterterrorism that adds fuel to the fire, wanton disregard of human dignity and human rights, large-scale exploitation of natural resources, and corporate profiteering by a few people at the expense of many that disrupts the natural order of things in human societies and in our natural world.
Lastly, failing to acknowledge God and His guidance for human societies creates a vacuum that is filled by corrupt leaders and self-serving clerics, unjust systems of governance, deviant ethical and moral standards, and constantly changing rules of games that favor a few at the expense of many.
114. ajalun (appointment, period of performance or test; 7:34)— The root word ajal refers to postponement or delays, whereas ajalun here indicates an appointment, a time when certain things will happen or when a certain outcome will manifest itself or a term or period of performance in which one has to demonstrate certain commitments and achievements. We all are very familiar with such events as the birth of child about ten months after conception, the life span of a person at about sixty to eighty years, the life span of a tree or a bird, as well as other natural phenomena. In our daily lives and professional lives, we have annual plans to be achieved, payments to be made, houses to build—all with a timeline that we set ourselves or are imposed by others.
This particular verse states that God defines certain timelines for every group of people (ummah—a community or group of people with certain unified affiliations, be it ethnic, religious, political, or social—however it is defined) in which they are given opportunity and leeway to pursue their goals and objectives as they see fit, whether influenced by God’s guidance or not. We are bound by those terms and timing, whether we like it or not, and whether we are prepared or not, God will bring those outcomes at such appropriate times as part of the natural order of things.
We certainly do not know exactly what those term limits might be, but it is important to recognize such realities and prepare ourselves to do our best to do the right things, have the right thoughts, and aim for the right goals in our pursuits to improve our human conditions and our human existence before death comes to each one of us or large scale extinction comes to our own species.
115. sittati iyyamin (six days, periods, stages; 7:54)— The notion of the creation of the solar system (Heaven) and the earth in six days or periods or stages is repeated several times in the Qur’an (41:9–12, 10:3, 13:2, 25:59, 32:4, 57:4) and also corroborated in the Bible and the Torah. Iyyam is the plural of yoom, which means a day. Sometimes this word is used to imply a particular day or any moment in time (1:3, 55:29), and at other times, it implies a span of time or a stage of a certain process (70:4, 32:5) where a day in the measure of God is considered fifty thousand years or a thousand years of earthly days.
As we know now from Einstein’s explanation of time and space, time is relative and not constant, and days have different lengths, depending on where we are in the solar system. A day on the moon is different from a day on Mars, and so on. Even a day on our own planet has different meanings if you are in Japan versus the United States; between the two countries, there is a fourteen-hour time difference. So if a child is born on Sunday at 2:00 a.m. in Japan, it will be noon Saturday in the United States—not Sunday yet.
We do not even know if the notion of a day makes any sense outside the solar system with respect to other such systems in our enormous Milky Way galaxy and how time is measured from different points in our universe. The Qur’an was revealed about 1,500 years ago, when our understanding of the solar system and natural laws were limited; yet ideas about natural phenomena and the evolution of our earth and solar system had to be expressed in a way that were comprehensible at that time, and the fundamental ideas expressed have to continue to be consistent with our expanding, but not perfect or complete, understanding of our world in the twenty-first century. As the Qur’an says, if all the oceans of the earth were to turn into ink and all the trees into pens, they could not exhaust writing about God—or, in other words, gain full knowledge of the universe. So the Qur’an used simpler but conceptual notions of how the earth evolved and how life evolved on it in verses such as these and others sprinkled throughout the Qur’an to confirm our faith in God and purposefulness of our existence.
116. astawa alal a’rsh (took possession, power or control of its affairs; 7:54)— Following the conversation about the creation of our solar system (Heaven) and the earth in it and before giving some of its implications that manifest themselves in the constant alternation of day and night, the sun, the stars, and the moon being bound to one another and to the natural laws created by God, God mentions that He not only created these celestial bodies and the living beings that inhabit planets such as Earth, but He established (astawa) His Seat of Eminence (arsh), which in classical Qur’anic commentaries has been described as the “Throne of Power,” drawing a parallel to the court and seat of a king or emperor.
There are a number of instances where the Qur’an repeats this statement (10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4–5, 57:4) using same or similar language, each time adding further nuances and elaborations to the concept of active control of the world and its affairs by God. Some of these verses draw attention to the fact that the earth is in place and steady without any visible support that eyes can see; there are on it mountains and oceans to benefit mankind; there is not a leaf that falls but God does not know about it; the sun, the moon, and the stars are subservient to God’s will and laws, and, by implication, human beings are given knowledge and capabilities to extract benefit, but this is to be done in a measured and fair way without being arrogant or extravagant; and that God regulates the water, the wind, life, and death to remind people of their vulnerabilities and limitations.
The notion of God’s Seat of Eminence (a metaphor for God’s encompassing presence in the universe, exercising active control and regulation) is further corroborated in verses 40:15 and 40:7, where Angels and spirits are considered participants in celebrating God’s eminence and control and selected human beings (spirits, prophets and God’s messengers, endowed humans) are given the light as He pleases so that they can in turn can remind us (the rest of humanity) what purpose we need to fulfill.
117. fahishat (despicable, shameful; 7:80)—The word fahish implies a sense of excess, something out of the norm, shameful, and detestable. The word is used in the context of Lot and his visitors (who were Angels), who were being forced to engage in homosexual conduct without their consent or acceptance of such conduct. To the Prophet Lot, it was unacceptable that a male should have lust for another man instead of a woman, especially when such an act was forced, without mutual consent. The first impulse of lust toward a man by a man was not normal, as the verse explains that this was never done before his time, and the second impulse of coercion and a general societal acceptance of such coercion was strongly condemned by the Prophet Lot. He was a man of impeccable character, although the biblical narratives imply some flaws in him that are unacceptable by the Qur’anic standard of a prophet’s moral and social conduct.
Our understanding of homosexual behavior has evolved over time, to the extent that some men or women being attracted to their own gender for lust or sex as a biological predisposition and that a person’s sexual orientation is different from his or her physical orientation are things that we are uncovering as a society. While we may not agree with this orientation as a societal norm and may even find such acts unacceptable, the universal notion of human freedom to choose and act as granted by God and accepted by all human societies dictates that we do not discriminate against anyone of the basis of such conduct as long as it is done without any coercion and with mutual consent. Some clerics, imams, and rabbis have taken strong positions in opposing such conduct based on stories from the Qur’an, the Bible, and the Torah, which is understandable, but to condemn such people to Hell fire and to incite physical violence against them is without any justification. In the same vein, our political, legal, and financial systems should not discriminate people based on such orientation and should not interfere with their rights to exercise their freedom as long as it does not violate the freedom of others.
The Qur’an also condemns acts of adultery and fornication even if they are done with mutual consent and prescribes moral and, if needed, legal deterrents. Through the stories of the Prophet Lot, homosexuality was also condemned, as it was against the prevailing social norm, but more due to its coercive nature of compelling people and travelers throughout the land without their consent or safely or morality and justice. It was this widespread corruption of morality, human freedom, safe passage for strangers, and scorn for moral purity, justice, and truth that were behind the strong opposition by the Prophet Lot to such conducts rather than the mere display of homosexual behavior among the population, as evidenced from several verses in the Qur’an - 7:81—social excess in their conduct and behavior has been questioned and warned against; 11:77, 29:33—the inability of the Prophet Lot to protect his visitors and give them safe passage; 15:68–72—imposing on Lot who can entertain or not, and their frenzy in satisfying their lust without respecting other people’s choices and freedom; 21:74, 51:34—committing evils and transgressions against God’s guidance; 26:167—threatening Lot with exile if he does not conform to their ways; 25:56—threatening Lot’s followers with driving them out from their land for their adherence to truth and moral purity; 37:137–138, 11:69–83—making their case an example for future generations as to why excess leads to destruction [as a natural course of event and as God wills]; 54:33, 66:10—ignored all guidance and did not take the warning seriously for evils, demonstrated treacherous behavior, etc.
118. muslehin (reformers; 7:170)—The root world salah implies goodness, purity, proper order, peacefulness, and making amends, and the word muslehin refers to someone who strives to bring peace, purity in conduct, order, and the rule of law into society—that is , a reformer, a doer of good, one who encourages what is right and just and strives against all that is evil and unjust. This verse appears in the context of a discussion of the followers of Prophet Moses, who went through many trials at the time of the Prophet and afterward for their own doings. This verse reminds them as well as the current readers of all Books of Revelations that if they were to follow the guidance given in the Book (the Torah) and remain faithful to God, God would reward them, as He does not waste the work of any reformer for truth and justice in any generation or any faith group.
This verse has semblance to verse 2:2, where it is categorically stated that the book of God (the Qur’an, the Bible, the Torah) will be useful only to those who are constantly striving to achieve and practice taqwa, which is a constant reformation of our beings to be aligned with God and to restore our pristine state as beings whose nature parallels God’s nature, to uphold truth and justice (7:181), and to fight against evil and injustice (3:110)—that is, we need to reform from inside and to the outside.
Reformation starts with pure and deliberate intentions, which become the driver for reformation. And then persistent and consistent follow-through using the guidance of God and our own best and informed understanding of how things work and how to propagate and encourage truth and justice in society. The outcome of our reformation is based on our intention and our exertion. As God said: “Mankind can have only what s/he strives for” (53:39).