LEADERSHIP OF THE WORLD ! QURAN AL FAJR: “121. Those to whom We have sent the book study it as it should be studied; they are the ones that believe therein;... وَمن يَكْفُرْ بِهِ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ لْخَاسِرُونَ ﴿١٢١﴾ those who reject faith therein, the loss is their own. (2:122-141) If the people of the Book rely Upon Abraham, let them study His history. His posterity included Both Israel and Ismail. Abraham Was a righteous man of Allah, A Muslim, and so were his children. Abraham and Ismail built the Ka’bah as the house of Allah, and purified it, to be a centre of worship for the entire world; for Allah is the God of all peoples. THE QURAN ILLUSTRATED 19TH NOVEMBER 2013: “Those to whom We have sent the book study it as it should be studied; they are the ones that believe therein”. The argument now proceeds on another line. Ye People of the Book who go back to Abraham! not only is your claim to exclusive knowledge of Allah false and derogatory to the Lord of All the Worlds. If you must appeal to Abraham, he was also the progenitor of the Arab race through Ismail. Indeed Abraham and Ismail together built the House of Allah in Makkah (long before the Temple of Jerusalem was built). They purified it and laid the foundation of the universal religion, which is summed up in word Islam, or complete submission to the Will of Allah. Abraham and Ismail were thus true Muslims. Whence then your rancour against Islam? Historically the House of Allah at Makkah must have been far more ancient place of worship than the Temple of Jerusalem. Arab tradition connects various places in and around Makkah with the name of Abraham and identifies the well of Zam-Zam with the well in the story of the child Ismail. Arab tradition also refers the story of the Sacrifice to Ismail and not to Isaac, therein differing from the Jewish tradition in Geneseis , 22:1-19. يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ ... 122. O Children of Israel! Call to mind the special favour which I bestowed upon you, وَأَنِّي فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ and that I preferred you to all others (for my message). وَاتَّقُواْ يَوْماً لاَّ تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئاً... 123. Then guard yourselves against a day when one soul shall not avail another, ... وَلاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلاَ تَنفَعُهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ Nor shall compensation be accepted from her, nor shall intercession profit her,Nor shall anyone be helped (from outside). “O Children of Israel! call to mind the special favour which I bestowed upon you”. Verses 122-123 repeat verses 47-48 (except for a slight verbal variation in ii. 123 which does not affect the sense). The argument about the favours to Israel is thus beautifully rounded off, and we now proceed to the argument in favour of the Arabs as succeeding to the spiritual inheritance of Abraham. وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ ... 124. And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord, with certain commands, which he fulfilled”; Kalimat: literally words here used in the mystic sense of Allahs Will or Decree or Purpose. This verse may be taken to be the sum of the verses following. In everything Abraham fulfilled Allahs wish: he purified Allahs house; - he built the sacred refuge of the Ka’bah; he submitted his will to Allahs, and thus became the type of Islam. He was promised the leadership of the world; he pleaded for his progeny, and his prayer was granted, with the limitation that if his progeny was false to Allah, Allahs promise did not reach the people who proved themselves false. ... قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ... He said: I will make thee an Imam to the nations.“Imam; the primary sense is that of being foremost: hence it may mean: 1. Leader in religion; 2. Leader in congregational prayer; 3. model, pattern, example; 4. A book of guidance and instruction (11:17); 5. A book of evidence or record (36:12). Here, meaning 1 and 3 are implied. In 9:12 the word is applied to leaders of Unbelief or Blasphemy. ... قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي ... He pleaded: And also (Imams) from my offspring! ... قَالَ لاَ يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ He answered: But my promise is not within the reach of evildoers. وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْناً ... 125. Remember We made the house a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; “The Kabah, the House of Allah. Its foundation goes back by Arab tradition to Abraham. Its fourfold character is here referred to: 1. It was the centre to which all the Arab tribes resorted for trade, for poetic contests, and for worship, 2. It was sacred territory and was respected by friend and foe alike. At certain seasons, all fighting was and is forbidden within it limits, and even arms are not allowed to be carried and no game or other thing is allowed to be killed. Like the Cities of Refuge under the Mosaic Dispensation to which manslayers could flee (Num. 35:6) or the Sanctuaries in Mediaeval Europe, to which criminals could not be pursued. Makkah was recognized by Arab custom as inviolable for the pursuit of revenge or violence. 3. It was a place of prayer; Even today there is a Station of Abraham within the enclosure. Where Abraham was supposed to have prayed. 4. It must be held pure and sacred for all purposes. Though the verse as a whole is expressed in the First Person Plural, the House is called My House to emphasize the personal relation of Allah, the One True God, to it, and repudiate the Polytheism which defiled it before it was purified again by Muhammad. . ... وَاتَّخِذُواْ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى ... And take ye the station of Abraham as a place of prayer; . وَعَهِدْنَا إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ أَن طَهِّرَا... And We covenanted with Abraham and Ismail, that they should sanctify ... بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer). “Four rites are here enumerated, which have now acquired a technical meaning. 1. Compassing the sacred territory, or going round the Kabah: Tawaf. There are special guides who take pilgrims and visitors round. 2. Retiring to the place as a spiritual retreat, for contemplation and prayer: I’tikaf. 3. The posture of bending the back in prayer: Ruku. 4. The posture of prostrating oneself on the ground in prayer: Sujud. The protection of the holy territory is for all, but special cleanliness and purity is required for the sake of the devotees who undertake these rites. (R). وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَـَذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا... 126. And remember Abraham said: My Lord, make this a City of Peace, “The root salama in the word Islam implies (among other ideas) the idea of Peace, and therefore when Makkah is the city of Islam, it is also the City of Peace. The same root occurs in the latter part of the name Jerusalem, the Jewish City of Peace. When the day of Jerusalem passed (see verse 134 or 141 below). Makkah became the New Jerusalem - or rather the old and original City of Peace restored and made universal. ... وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ... and feed its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day. “The territory of Makkah is barren and rocky, compared with, say Taif, a city 70-75 miles east of Makkah. A prayer for the prosperity of Makkah therefore includes a prayer for the good things of material life.” ... قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلاً ... He said: (Yea), and such as reject faith, for a while will I grant them their pleasure, ... ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَى عَذَابِ النَّارِ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ But will soon drive them to the torment of fire, an evil destination (indeed)! وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا... 127. And remember Abraham and Ismail raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer):Our Lord! accept (this service) from us, ... إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ for thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ... 128. Our Lord! Make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (Will), ... وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَآ... And show us our places for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in mercy); ... إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most-Merciful. رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْهُمْ ... 129. Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, ... يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ... Who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom, and sanctify them; ... إِنَّكَ أَنتَ العَزِيزُ الحَكِيمُ ﴿١٢٩﴾ For Thou art the Exalted in Might, the Wise. “How beautiful this prayer is, and how aptly it comes in here in the argument! Such Paganism or star-worship or planet-worship as there was in Abrahams time was first cleared out of Makkah by Abraham. This is the chief meaning of sanctification or purification in 2:125, although of course physical cleanliness is (in physical conditions) a necessary element of purification in the higher sense. Abraham and his elder son Ismail then built the Kabah and established the rites and usages of the sacred city. He was thus the founder of the original Islam (which is as old as mankind) in Arabia. As becomes a devout man, he offers and dedicates the work to Allah in humble supplication, addressing Him as the All-Hearing and the All-Knowing. He then asks for a blessing on himself and his progeny generally, both the children of his eldest-born Ismail and his younger son Isaac. With prophetic vision he foresees that there will be corruption and backsliding in both branches of his family: Makkah will house 360 idols, and Jerusalem will become a harlot city (Ezekiel 16:15), a city of abomination. But the light of Islam will shine, and reclaim the lost people in both branches and indeed in the entire world. So he prays for Allahs mercy, addressing Him as the Oft-Returning Most Merciful. And finally he foresees in Makkah a Prophet teaching the people as one of their own, and in their own beautiful Arabic language; he asks for a blessing on Muhammads ministry, appealing to the Power and Wisdom of Allah. َمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلاَّ مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ... 130. And who turns away from the religion of Abraham but such as debase their souls with folly? ... وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا ... Him We chose and rendered pure in this world: “Istafa: chose; chose because of purity; chose and purified. It is the same root from which Mustafa is derived, one of the titles of Muhammad. ... وَإِنَّهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿١٣٠﴾ and he will be in the Hereafter in the ranks of the righteous.”(Source Abdullah Yusuf Ali)
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 03:09:58 +0000
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