2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says

And He it is who out of this [very] water has created man,* and has endowed him with [the conscious of] descent and marriage-tie:** for thy Sustainer is ever infinite in His power. -- Q.25:54
*See second half of 21:30 where the creation of “every living thing out of water” is spoken of, as well as 24;45, which mentions in this connection the entire animal world (including, of course, man)
** I.e., has enabled him to attribute spiritual value to, and to derive strength from, his organic and social relationship.

….until such time as they [who gave the lie to God’s messages] shall come [to be judged. And] He will say: “Did you give the lie to My messages even though you failed to encompass them with [your] knowledge?* Or what was it that [you thought] you were doing?”-- Q.27:84
*I.e., without having understood them or made any attempt to understand them.
This verse will be addressed to non-believers after resurrection. However, is it not something to think about today for those of us who though believe in God’s massages but do not try to understand them!? Have we ever done this to any message?
(Re study of the Quran refer to the Friday Post of May 14, 2010).


….were they [who gave the lie to God’s messages] not aware that it is We who had made the night for them, so that they might rest therein, and the day, to make [them] see?* -- Q.27:86
* In the present context (as in 10:67 or 40:61) the reference to “night” and “day” has a symbolic significance: namely, man’s God-given ability to gain insight through conscious reasoning (“the day that makes them see”) as well as through the intuition that comes from a restful surrender to the voice of one’s own heart (“the night made for rest”) – both of which tell us that the existence of God is a logical necessity, and a rejection of messages is a sin against ourselves.


Prophet said

Consider this reward for a little effort:
“When you get up in the morning charity is due from every part of your body: All glorification of God (to say subhan-Allah) is charity; all praise of God (to say Al Hamdo Lillah) is charity; there is no god but God (to say La ilaha illal lah) is charity; God is the Greatest (to say Allaho Akbar ) is charity; enjoining the doing of good and forbidding the doing of evil is charity. Two Raka’t of prayer* offered early after sunrise equal all this”-- H: Muslim. N: ABU Zarr.
*This is Ishraq prayer. Time to do this begins 20 minutes after sunrise. Just in case one happens to perform Fajir prayer after sunrise, then the Ishraq prayer will be after the Fajir prayer.

“He who keeps silence will be safe* ” -- H: Ahmed and Tirmizi. N: Abdullah-b-Amr.
* As it is in silence that one reflects and also is saved from frivolous talk.

2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says

Are, then, they who are bent in denying the truth not aware that the heavens and the earth were [once] one single entity, which We then parted asunder?*—and [that] We made out of water every living thing? Will they not [begin to] believe?** -- Q.21:30
* It is, as a rule, futile to make an explanation of the Quran dependent on “scientific findings” which may appear true today, but may equally well disapproved tomorrow by new findings. Nevertheless, the above unmistakable reference to the unitary origin of the universe – metonymically described in the Quran as “the heavens and the earth” – strikingly anticipates the view of almost all astrophysicists that the universe has originated as on entity from one single element, namely, hydrogen, which became subsequently consolidated through gravity and then separated into individual nebulae, galaxies and solar systems, with further individual parts progressively breaking away to form new entities in the shape of stars, planets and the latters’ satellites.
** The statement that “God made out of water every living thing” expresses a most concisely a truth that is nowadays universally accepted by science. It has threefold meaning: (1) Water – and, specifically, the sea -- was the environment within which the prototype of all living matter originated; (2) among all the innumerable – existing or conceivable – liquids, only water has the peculiar properties for the emergence and development of life; and (3) the protoplasm, which is the physical basis of every living cell – whether in plants or in animals – and represents the only form of matter in which the phenomena of life are manifested, consists overwhelmingly of water and is, thus, utterly dependent on it. Read together with the preceding statement, which alludes to the unitary origin of the physical universe, the emergence of life from and within an equally unitary element points to the existence of a unitary plan underlying all creation and hence, to the existence and oneness of the Creator.

Did you, then, think that We created you in mere idle play, and that you would not have to return to Us?* -- Q.23:115
*Lit., “that you would not be brought back to Us”, i.e., for judgment.
On the Day of Judgment, God will say this to the doomed sinners.
We are continuously returning to God is the truth we should recall every day. The only way to prepare ourselves for the Day of Judgment is to be concerned about it! Then, simply to follow God’s guidance: the Quran, that guides throughout this life into afterlife.
“Will they not ponder over this Quran? – or are there locks upon their hearts” God says in 47:24 about those ‘in whose hearts is disease’.
Study of the Quran has to be taken seriously. Doing it every day (so many things we do every day, don’t we?); pondering over even if it is just one verse. Using commentary/explanatory notes will prove helpful.
(Please also refer to the Friday Post of May 14, 2010).


Prophet said

“Recite the Qur’an morning and evening,* recite in a good voice and reflect upon it,** so that you may be rewarded” – H: Mishkat. N: Ubaidah.
* This seems reference to morning prayer, after-sunset and night prayers in which recitation is voiced, as noon and afternoon prayers are offered in silence. (Al- Hadis)
**The Tradition is directing us to learn the meanings of what we say when we perform our prayer because it is only then we can “reflect” upon it. This will be in the direction of performing the prayer in communion with Him.

2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says


Thus, step by step, We bestow from on high through this Quran all that gives health [to the spirit] and is a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the ruin of evildoers. – Q.17:82

Are, then, they who are bent in denying the truth not aware that the heavens and the earth were [once] one single entity, which We then parted asunder?*—and [that] We made out of water every living thing? Will they not [begin to] believe?** -- Q.21:30
*It is, as a rule, futile to make an explanation of the Quran dependent on “scientific findings” which may appear true today, but may equally well disapproved tomorrow by new findings. Nevertheless, the above unmistakable reference to the unitary origin of the universe – metonymically described in the Quran as “the heavens and the earth” – strikingly anticipates the view of almost all astrophysicists that the universe has originated as on entity from one single element, namely, hydrogen, which became subsequently consolidated through gravity and then separated into individual nebulae, galaxies and solar systems, with further individual parts progressively breaking away to form new entities in the shape of stars, planets and the latter’s’ satellites.
** The statement that “God made out of water every living thing” expresses a most concisely a truth that is nowadays universally accepted by science. It has threefold meaning: (1) Water – and, specifically, the sea -- was the environment within which the prototype of all living matter originated; (2) among all the innumerable – existing or conceivable – liquids, only water has the peculiar properties for the emergence and development of life; and (3) the protoplasm, which is the physical basis of every living cell – whether in plants or in animals – and represents the only form of matter in which the phenomena of life are manifested, consists overwhelmingly of water and is, thus, utterly dependent on it. Read together with the preceding statement, which alludes to the unitary origin of the physical universe, the emergence of life from and within an equally unitary element points to the existence of a unitary plan underlying all creation and hence, to the existence and oneness of the Creator.


And, indeed, many times have we repeated [all this] unto men* so that they might take it to heart: but most men refuse to be aught but ingrate. -- Q.25:50
*A reference to the frequent many-faceted reiteration, in the Quran as well as earlier revelations of all the evidence of unmistakably pointing to the existence of a conscious Creator (Zamakhshari).



Prophet said

“Whoever wants to have the pleasure of making his reliance on God (Tawakkul)* effective let him stick to silence” – H: Baihaqi. N: Anas.
*Tawakkul means to have full faith and trust in God.
Hence, if you undertake any work, start it with complete planning and determination. Then, be willing to accept whatever be the outcome. Because of your trust, God will certainly help if the work is good for us.

2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says

And nothing has prevented Us from sending [this message, like the earlier ones,] with miraculous signs [in its wake] save [Our knowledge] that the people of olden times [only too often] gave the lie to them:* thus We provided for [the tribe of] Thamud the she camel as a light-giving portent, and they signed against it.** And never did We send those signs for any other purpose than to convey a warning -- Q.17:59
*This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Quran as a whole. In many places the Quran stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite of being the last and greatest of God’s apostles, was not empowered to perform miracles, similar to those the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Quran itself – a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not only to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed their own community and their own time alone, their teachings were of necessity, were circumscribed by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time; and since the people to whom they addressed themselves had not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles in order to make the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Quran, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and in particular, that part of it which inhabited the region marked by the earlier, Judaeo-Cristian religious development) had reached a degree of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, as the above verse points out, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions.

Prophet said

“It is part of the excellence of a person’s Islam that he should discard what is of no benefit to him either in this world or the hereafter” – H: Tirmizi. N: Abu Hurairah.

2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says


Whenever He sends down water from the sky, and [once dry] river-beds are running high according to their measure, the stream carries scum on its surface;* and, likewise, from that [metal] which they smelt in the fire in order to make ornaments or utensils, [there rises] scum.

In this way does God set forth the parable of truth and falsehood: for as for as the scum is concerned, it passes away as [does all] dross; but that which is of benefit to man abides on earth.

In this way does God set forth the parables of those who have responded to their Sustainer with a goodly response, and of those who did not respond to Him. [As for the latter,] if they possessed all that is on earth, and twice as much, they would surely offer it as ransom [on the Day of Judgment]: a most evil reckoning awaits them, and their goal is hell: and how evil a resting place! -- Q.13:17,18

*Sc., “while the water beneath remains clear”.


And never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people’s tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them; but God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides him that wills [to be guided] – for He alone is almighty, truly wise.* -- Q.14:4

*Or: “God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills”. All Quranic references to God’s “letting man go astray” must be understood against the background of 2 : 26-27 – “none does He cause to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God”: that is to say man’s “going astray” is a consequence of his own attitudes and inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary “predestination”. In his commentary on the above verse, Zamakhshari stresses this aspect of free choice on the part of man and points out “[God] forsakes him who, as He knows will (consciously) choose to deny the truth and will persevere in this (denial); and… He bestows His favour upon him who, as He knows, will choose faith: which means that He makes the issue dependent on (man’s) free choice (al-ikhtiyar), and thus deserving either [God’s] favour or the withdrawal of [His] aid … and does not make it dependant on compulsion [i.e., predestination], which would rule out [man’s] deserving anything of the above.”


Reminder to use the honorific given below.
After name or title of the Prophet say: “Sal-lal- lahu ‘Alaihi wa Sal-lam”;
(peace and blessings be upon him)
After the name or the title of every prophet (nabi) and apostle (rasul) say:
“ ‘Alai hissalaam” (peace be upon him or them)
After the name of their family member, as well as a companion, say:
“Radi Allahu ‘Anhu—or ‘Anha—or ‘Anhum ”
(may God be pleased with him--or her--or them)
And for others, say: “Rahmat-Allah-e-‘Alaih”
(God’s mercy be upon him)



Prophet said


“Invocation* of a Muslim is accepted for another Muslim who is away from him. When he invokes for him, the commissioned angel near his head says: Be it so (Aameen); and for you be the like rewards.” -- H: Muslim N: Abu Darda’a.

*To call for help with earnest desire.

2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says

He creates man out of a [mere] drop of sperm: and lo! this same being shows himself endowed with the power to think and to argue!* -- Q.16:4
* Lit., “he becomes an open contender in argument”. According to Zamakhshari, the above phrase is liable to two interpretations. “One interpretation is that after having been a [mere] drop of sperm, a particle of matter without consciousness or motion, man becomes highly articulate, able to argue on his own [for or against a proposition], courageously facing disputes, and clearly formulating his arguments: [and here lies] an indication of God’s creative power. The other [interpretation] is that man is [prone to become] a contender in argument against his Sustainer, refusing to acknowledge his [very] Creator.” However, ( in Muhammad Asad’s opinion), “in view of 36:77-78 (revealed at a considerably earlier period) the above two interpretations are not mutually exclusive but, rather, complementary, inasmuch as this passage is meant to bring out man’s unique quality as a rational being – a quality that may lead him to great heights of achievement, but may equally well lead him utterly astray: hence, my free rendering of this profound, elliptic phrase”.

… We have established the night and the day as two symbols;* and thereupon We have effaced the symbol of night and set up [in its place] the light-giving symbols of day,** so that you might seek to obtain your Sustainer’s bounty and be aware of the passing years*** and of the reckoning [that is bound to come]. For clearly, have We spelt out everything!**** -- Q.17:12
*The expression aayatayn (“two symbols”) refers – as the subsequent clause shows, to the spiritual darkness and light.
** I.e., the message of the Quran, which is to lead man out of spiritual ignorance and error into the light of faith and reason.
*** Lit., “the count of years). Since this phrase denotes also “the years of [a person’s] life, which he counts”, it also implies here a call to spiritual self-criticism in view of the ephemeral nature of one’s worldly life.
**** I.e., everything that man may be in need of in the domain of ethics and religion.


Prophet said

“If you put your faith completely in God, He will arrange your sustenance in the same way as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning with the stomachs empty and return filled in the evening.” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Umer Bin Khattab.

2.38. SILENCE AND REFLECTION (to be continued)

God says

The parable of the life of this world is but that of rain which We send down from the sky, and which is absorbed by the plants of the earth whereof men and animals draw nourishment, until – when the earth has assumed its artful adornment and has been embellished, and they who dwell on it believe that they have gained mastery over it* -- there comes down upon it Our judgment, by night or by day, and We cause it to become [like] a field mown down, as if there had been no yesterday.**
Thus, clearly do We spell out these messages unto people who think -- Q.10:24
*I.e., they come to believe that they have gained “mastery over nature”, with no conceivable limits to what they may yet achieve…. Thus, the whole of the above parabolic sentence may be understood as alluding to the artificial, illusionary “adornment” brought about by man’s technological efforts, not in collaboration with nature but, rather, in hostile “confrontation” with it.
** I.e., “as if it had not been in existence yesterday”: a paraphrase used in classical Arabic to describe something that has entirely disappeared or perished.

And it is He who has spread the earth wide and placed on it firm mountains and running waters, and created thereon two sexes of every [kind
of] plant;* [and it is He who] causes the night to cover the day. Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for those who think! -- Q13:3
*The above phrase states that there are two sexes to every plant: a statement fully in accord with botanical science. (Usually, the male and female organs of reproduction exist together in one and the same flower of a particular plant, e.g., cotton; alternatively they are placed in separate flowers of one and the same plant, e.g., in most of the cucurbitaceae; and, in some rare cases, e.g., the date-palm, in entirely separate, uni-sexual plants of the same species.)



Prophet said

“Anyone who commits a sin and (on realization) makes ablution, prays and seeks forgiveness is forgiven” -- H: Tirmizi, Ibn Majah. Narrator: Ali.

Think of the verse 35 : 37 : (God will say to those destined for fire) : “Did We not grant you a life, long enough so that whoever was willing to reflect could bethink of himself?*….”
* According to Ibn-i-Abbas and other scholars “long life” means the age of 60 years. Some have assed it 18 years. Imams: Hasan, Kalabi and Masrooq have taken it as 40 years. In Madina it is said that when a person reached the age of 40 years, he used to dedicate himself to prayer. (Riyadh-us-Saleheen)

Let us guard ourselves from sinning in the future, and do Astaghfaar over hundred times for forgiveness of the past sins. Here is the small Astaghfaar: Subhan Allah wa Bihamdehi, Astaghfirullah wa Aatoobo elayh thus complying with the Qur’an: “extol thy Sustainer’s limitless glory, and praise Him, and seek His forgiveness”(110:3). The Prophet used to recite this Astaghfaar after the revelation of surat-un-Nasr.