WHO GETS GUIDENCE
2. Surah Al Baqarah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
أُولَـئِكَ
عَلَيْهِمْ
صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن
رَّبِّهِمْ
وَرَحْمَةٌ
...
2: 157. They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy,
... وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٥٧﴾
and they are the ones that receive guidance.
إِنَّ
الصَّفَا
وَالْمَرْوَةَ
مِن شَعَآئِرِ
اللّهِ ...
2: 158. Behold!
Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah.
C160. The virtue of patient perseverance in faith leads to the mention of two symbolic monuments of that virtue.
These are the two little hills of Safa and Marwa now absorbed in the city of Makkah, and close to the well of Zamzam. Here, according to tradition, the lady Hajar, mother of the infant Ismail, prayed for water in the parched desert, and in her eager quest round these hills, she found her prayer answered and saw the Zamzam spring.
Unfortunately the Pagan Arabs had placed a male and a female idol here, and their gross and superstitious rites caused offence to the early Muslims. They felt some hesitation in going round these places during the Pilgrimage. As a matter of fact they should have known that the Ka'bah (the House of Allah) had been itself defiled with idols, and was sanctified again by the purity of Muhammad's life and teaching.
The lesson is that the most sacred things may be turned to the basest uses; that we are not therefore necessarily to ban a thing misused; that if our intentions and life are pure, Allah will recognise them even if the world cast stones at us because of some evil associations which they join with what we do, or with the people we associate with, or with the places which claim our reverence.
... فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا...
So if those who visit the house in the season or at other times, should compass them round, it is no sin in them.
C161. The House: the Sacred Mosque, the Ka'bah.
The Season of regular Hajj culminates in the visit to Arafat on the ninth day of the month of Dhu al Hijjah, followed by the circumambulation of the Ka'bah.
A visit to the Sacred Mosque and the performance of the rites of pilgrimage at any other time is called an Umrah. The symbolic rites are the same in either case, except that the Arafat rites are omitted in the Umrah.
The Safa and Marwa are included among the Monuments, as pointing to one of the highest of Muslim virtues.
... وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٥٨﴾
And if anyone obeyeth his own impulse to good, be sure that Allah is He Who recogniseth and knoweth.
C162. The impulse should be to Good; if once we are sure of this, we must obey it without hesitation, whatever people may say.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
يَكْتُمُونَ
مَا أَنزَلْنَا
مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ
وَالْهُدَى
...
2: 159. Those who conceal the clear (Signs) We have sent down, and the guidance,
... مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ ...
after We have made it clear for the people in the book,
أُولَـئِكَ يَلعَنُهُمُ اللّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ ﴿١٥٩﴾
on them shall be Allah's curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse.
C163. Those entitled to curse: i.e., angels and mankind (see 2:161 below): the cursed ones will deprive themselves of the protection of Allah and of the angels, who are the Powers of Allah, and of the good wishes of mankind, because by contumaciously rejecting Faith, they not only sin against Allah but are false to their own manhood, which Allah created in the "best of moulds" (95:4).
The terrible curses denounced in the Old Testament are set out in Deut. 28:15-68.
There is one difference.
Here it is for the deliberate rejection of Faith, a theological term for the denying of our higher nature.
There it is for a breach of the lease part of the ceremonial Law. (R).
يَا
أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ
...
2: 168. O ye people!
... كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِي الأَرْضِ حَلاَلاً طَيِّباً...
eat of what is on earth, lawful and good;
C169. We now come to the regulations about food.
- First (2:168-71) we have an appeal to all people, Muslims, Pagans, as well as the People of the Book;
- then (2:172-73) to the Muslims specially;
- then (2:174-76) to the sort of men who then (as some do now) either believe in too much formalism or believe in no restrictions at all.
Islam follows the Golden Mean. All well-regulated societies lay down reasonable limitations. These become incumbent on all loyal members of any given society, and show what is "lawful" in that society. But if the limitations are reasonable, as they should be, the "lawful" will also coincide more and more with what is "good".
Good: Tayyub: Pure, Clean, wholesome, pleasing to the taste.
The general principle then would be:
- what is lawful and what is good, should be followed, not what is evil, or shameful, or foisted on by false ascription to divine injections, or
- what rests merely on the usage of ancestors, even though the ancestors were ignorant or foolish.
An example of a shameful custom would be that among the Pagan Arabs of taking congealed blood and eating it fried.
... وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿١٦٨﴾
and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil One, for he is to you an avowed enemy.
إِنَّمَا
يَأْمُرُكُمْ
بِالسُّوءِ
وَالْفَحْشَاء
وَأَن تَقُولُواْ
عَلَى اللّهِ
مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ
﴿١٦٩﴾
2: 169. For he commands you what is evil and shameful, and that ye should say of Allah that of which ye have no knowledge.
Other versions:
2: 156
Asad who, when calamity befalls them, say, “Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return.”
Yusuf Ali Who say when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah we belong and to Him is our return."
Pickthall Who say, when a misfortune strike them: Lo! we are Allah's and Lo! unto Him we are returning.
Transliteration Allazina iza_ asa_bathum musibah(tun), qa_lu_ inna_ lilla_hi wa inna_ ilaihi ra_ji'u_n(a).
.
2: 157
Asad It is they upon whom their Sustainer’s blessings and grace are bestowed , and it is they, they who are on the right path!
Yusuf Ali They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah and Mercy and they are the ones that receive guidance.
Pickthall Such are they on whom are blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Such are the rightly guided.
Transliteration Ula_'ika 'alaihim salawa_tum mir rabbihim wa rahmah(tun), wa ula_'ika humul muhtadu_n(a)
2:257 God is near unto those who have faith, taking them our of deep darkness into the light – whereas near unto those who are bent on denying the truth are the powers of evil that take them our of the light into darkness deep; it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide.
2: 268 ….and God is infinite, all-knowing,
2: 269 granting wisdom unto whom He wills: and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted wealth abundant. But none bears this in mind save those who are endowed with insight.
3. Sura al-Imran
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوَاْ ...
3: 100. O ye who believe!
... إِن تُطِيعُواْ فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ ﴿١٠٠﴾
if ye listen to a faction among the People of the Book, they would (indeed) render you apostates after ye have believed!
Asad’s Version:
3: 100 …But he who holds fast unto God has already been guided onto a straight way.