Quranic Texts Essay 3

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 HEYTHROP COLLEGE University of London Undergraduate Programmes: Coursework/Essay Cover Sheet Student ID Number 080414 Word Count 2246 Full Name MOHAMMAD HAMID MAHMOOD ASSALEH Degree/Diploma Title BA ABRA HAMIC RELIGIONS  Year of Degree 3 Extension Granted? N / A Deadline N / A  Deferred Assessment? N / A Deadline N / A Specific Learning Difficulty inc. Dyslexia? * No  *A learning difficulty that you have notified to the College and needs to be taken into account for marking  Subject knowledge and understanding  Needs Attention Satisfactory Good Excellent Breadth of knowledge Depth of k nowled ge Awareness of range of interpretatio ns Intellectual skills Identification of key issues Focus on key issues Selection of relevant material Use of sources to provide critical analysis Evidence of own assessment Argument running t hrougho ut, summarised in conclusion Transferable skills Overall structure Structure within paragraphs Balanced treatment of opposing views Complete and consistent referencing Clarity and fluency of style Grammar Accuracy – typographica l/spelling General comments: Mark before deduction: Reason: Provisional Mark: Marker: SEL/NA/SSC 2009

Transcript of Quranic Texts Essay 3

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HEYTHROP COLLEGEUniversity of London

Undergraduate Programmes: Coursework/Essay Cover Sheet

Student ID Number 080414 Word Count 2246

Full Name MOHAMMAD HAMID MAHMOOD ASSALEH

Degree/Diploma Title BA ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS  Year of Degree 3

Extension Granted? N / A Deadline N / A 

Deferred Assessment? N / A  Deadline N / A 

Specific Learning Difficulty inc. Dyslexia? * No *A learning difficulty that you have notified to the College and needs to be taken into account for marking  

Subject knowledge and understanding  NeedsAttention

Satisfactory Good Excellent

Breadth of knowledge

Depth of knowledge

Awareness of range of interpretations

Intellectual skills

Identification of key issues

Focus on key issues

Selection of relevant material

Use of sources to provide critical analysis

Evidence of own assessment

Argument running throughout,summarised in conclusion

Transferable skills

Overall structure

Structure within paragraphs

Balanced treatment of opposing views

Complete and consistent referencing

Clarity and fluency of style

Grammar 

Accuracy – typographical/spelling

General comments:

Mark before deduction: Reason:

Provisional Mark: Marker:

SEL/NA/SSC 2009

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Analyse Sūra al-‘Qalam (Chapter 68) showing the structure and

organic unity of the sūra.

ہادی  توص ات  ھ اكڑک اك ىلجب ەو

عرىك ب زم جس سارہ یالدی)ىلا الوم(  

Exploring organic unities and structures within sūras is a new phenomenon, as I believe the early Muslims ( ṣaḥāba and tābi’īn), when analysing verses and sūras could‘organically unify and structure each verse with the lived experience of ProphetMuhammad. Hence they sought no need of understanding structures and organicunities. However, now the need intensifies, as even on grassroots level yearn tounderstand the organic unity of the Sacred Text. I will therefore analyse andexperiment with Amin Ahsan Islahi’s idea of  ’umūd , by using his basic principlesalongside Marwān Nūr al-dīn Sawār’s innovative notion of colour coding versesgrouped under specific contexts. I will also aid my analysis with illustrations anddiagrams marked on pages 5 and 6.

I will initiate by elucidating Islahi’s notion of the ’umūd and how it functions withineach  sūra between the verses, knitting together all the sūras of the Qur’ān to form astructured organic unity. Mustansir Mīr explains the notion in four parts:

‘(1) Each Qur’ānic  sūrah has a dominant idea, called the axis of the  sūrah, aroundwhich all the verses of that  sūrah revolve. Thus no verse, or no group of verses,stands alone but has a direct relation with the axis of the  sūrah and is part of thecoherent scheme of the  sūrah. (2) The  sūrahs of the Qur’ān exist in pairs, the two

 sūrahs of any pair being complementary to each other and, together constituting a

unit. There are a few exceptions, however. The first sūrah, Fatihah, does not have acompliment, because it is a kind of preface to the whole of the Qur’ān. All the other exceptions too are not exceptions in the real sense of the word since each of them is anappendix to one or the other  sūrah. (3) The 114 sūrahs of the Qur’ān fall into sevengroups. The first group comes to an end at sūrah 5, the second at sūrah 9, the third at

 sūrah 24, the fourth at  sūrah 33, the fifth at  sūrah 49, the sixth at  sūrah 66, and theseventh at sūrah 114. Each group contains one or more Makkan sūrahs followed byone or more Madīnan sūrahs of the same cast. Like individual sūrahs or each pair of 

 sūrahs, each group has a central theme which runs through all its  sūrahs, knittingthem into a distinct body. In each group, the themes of the other groups also occur butas subsidiary themes. (4) Each group logically leads to the next, and thus all thegroups become variations on the basic theme of the Qur’ān, which is: ‘Allah’s call to

man to adopt the right path’.2   Now, keeping in mind Mir’s concern regarding the difference between‘connectedness’ and ‘organic unity’, ‘a connection, howsoever weird and farfetched,can be established between any two objects of the universe. But organic unity impliesthe presence of a harmonious interrelationship between the components of a body or entity which produces a unified whole, a whole which is over and above the sum total

1 Islahi, A. A. (2009). Tadabbur-e-Qur’an (     ). Vol. 8 , p. 479اان 2 Mir, M. (1999). ‘Is the Qur’an a Shapeless Book?’ . Accessed online [25.01.2011]:http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Q_Studies/Mirshape.html

Also for a detailed exploration see. Islahi, A. A. (2009). Tadabbur-e-Qur’an (   اان    ). Vol. 1 , pp.13-42 [Urdu]. See also Campanini, M. (2010). The Qur’an: Modern Muslim Interpretations. Trans. byHiggitt, C. – Under Chapter IV ‘The Qur’an and Nazm’, pp. 85-88.

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or the components of and has worth and meaning in itself’,3 I have sought to depictIslahi’s idea through a diagram (see fig. 1.1, p.5) to then project this notion upon each

 sūrah and in this case, particularly   sūra al-qalam. I will explore, through Islahi’stadabbr-e-qur’ān, the  sūrah’s organic unity within itself; with its pair; within it’sgroup amongst the seven other groups and finally its unity within the Qur’ān.

According to Islahi’s understanding, the seventh and final group of  suwar  (pl. of  sūrah) begins from sūrah 67 (al-mulk) till the end of the Qur’ān and Islahi believesthat the Axis of this group is indhār (   اراذن ),4 hence, all the suwar in this group have the

notion of  indhār  flowing through them knitting them all together in harmony. Theapproach to indhār in this group is reminiscent to the Prophet’s indhār on mount ṣafā.This indhār  therefore includes vivid images of  qiyāmah; the aḥwāl of qiyāmah; theconsequence of denying this indhār for the Quraysh and the power of language andkalām used in delivering this indhār is as described by Molana Ḥālī in his Urdu poem:

ہادی جس سارہ یالدیعرىك ب زمواكڑک اك ىلجب ە ت  ھا صوت

Was it a thunderbolt or the voice of a guide (hādī)That shook the entire Arabian Peninsula

The state was such after the revelation of these  suwar  that Arabia changed in itsentirety: one was either for this call, or on the contrary ardently opposed to it.

However, it is now fitting to analyse the ’umūd  (Axis) of   sūra al-mulk and  sūra al-qalam, as Islahi describes them to be pairs in this final group and believes that they

 both have the same ’umūd - ‘indhār’ despite the differing style of deliverance. It isalso interesting to note that Ashraf ’Ali Thānwī too, portrays in his exegesissimilarities between the sūras and marks the slight difference in both:

م  کرن  توح  ىك د طرف زدە روخس ےن اور اس سورت م طاع  ىف نين ال  ن  بوت (ىلا  اخرە) م ہقباس تروس  ربطربطربطربط:6

 Interconnection (rabṭ ): The previous  sūra (al-mulk ) covers the narratives of munkirīn-e-tawḥīd  (those opposed to monotheism), on the contrary this  sūra (al-

qalam) deals with ṭā’inīn fī al-nubuwwa (those who reproach and taunt theProphethood of Muhammad ◌), and because denying Prophethood is kufr , hence theearthly (dunyawiyya) and heavenly (ukhrawiyya) punishments have been the axis of certain verses.7 Hence, it is also possible to see how both the exegetes explain asimilar notion from differing perspectives, as for Islahi, he views the axis of the  sūra to be indhār , whereas for Thānwī a response to those who reject notions of tawḥīd andnubuwwa.

3 ibid.4  ارا : (را) Andhara (prf. 3rd.p.m.sing.IV.): War ned; Called attention to; Showed the danger to come(Omar, ‘A. M. (2008).  Dictionary of the Holy Qur’ān.  pp. 557-558) – hence,  Indhār would mean‘warning of an approaching danger’.5

Islahi, A. A. (2009). Tadabbur-e-Qur’ān (     ). Vol. 8 , p. 4796اان  Thanwi, A. A. (1424 A.H.). Bayanul Qur’ān ( ناا ن  ). Vol. 3, p. 571.7 Translation of the Urdu text of  Bayānul Qur’ān.  ن اان ) ). Vol. 3, p. 571

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Hence, I will now experiment with Islahi’s basic concept to structure  sūra al-qalam and explore whether the āyāt  flow amid the ’umūd  –  indhār, as apposed to theatomistic approaches. In doing so I will now introduce an innovative idea ongrassroots level edited and researched by Marwān Nūr al-dīn Sawār and his team, whohave produced a ‘colour coded verse contextualised Qur’ān’, in which all the verses of 

the same context are colour coded together and a further specific verse basedexplanation of the text is given at the foot of the page (see Fig. 2.1 on p. 6).8 Sawār forms six groups of verses in this  sūra as shown in Fig. 2.0 : (1) verses 1-4; (2) verses5-16; (3) 17-33; (4) 34-41; (5) 42-47; and (6) 48-52. Keeping in mind Sawār’scategorization I will now merge Islahi’ṣ idea and axis (’umūd ).

Verses’ 1-4, I opine, to be the Qur’ān’s response to the allegations laid down by theQuraysh, who were responding to the indhār of the Prophet by declaring him majnūn.These set of verses in their response play a major role in reassuring the Prophet of his‘ajr  and status, and in doing so hint towards the endeavour of previous Prophets,especially Yūnus (Jonah). Despite the mainstream cognisance of ḥurūf al-muqaṭṭa’āt ,

that their true meaning is only in the mind of the Author, to understand the relationshipof  nūn with the ’umūd  Ḥamīd al-dīn Farāhī presents  sūra al-nūn in support of histheory regarding these letters: “the letter nūn still denotes its ancient meaning of fish.In this sūra, the Prophet Jonah (sws) has been addressed as ṣāḥib al-ḥūt (he is alsoaddressed as   ṣaḥib al-nūn in  sūra 21:87) that is he who is swallowed by awhale. Farahi opines that it is because of this reference that the sūra is called ‘nūn’ .He goes on to say that if one keeps in consideration the example given above, it isquite likely that the abbreviated letters by which other Surahs commence are placed atthe beginning of the Surahs to symbolize a relation between the topics of a

 particular  sūra and their own ancient connotations”.9 Therefore the Prophet has beenreminded at the very beginning of the  sūra that patience is incumbent once the call(indhār ) has been given, by reminding him of the incident of Yūnus in the whale (nūn)which is linked to verse 48 – and be not like the man of the fish. Finally, according toIslahi the purpose of the oath was to give a three fold response to the Quryash; (1)rejection of their claim of the Prophet’s  junūn; (2) rejection of their claim that theProphet’s endeavour is for a limited period, and it would soon fade away with theturning pages of history; and finally (3) that the Prophet is the beholder of highcharacter, therefore the Quraysh call upon themselves grave torment.10 All purposesfor the oath are linked to the axis (indhār ) as the response of the Quraysh was a directresult of the Prophet’s indhār to them.

This first set of verses (1-4) then move onto the second, verses 5-16. I believe group 2to be a follow on of the reassurance to the Prophet by instructing him not to give inand follow or become sympathetic in his call (indhār ) ( ن  ھ    ھ     اود و) towardssuch a people, whom the Qur’ān describes as al-mukadhibīn, ḥallāf mahīn, hammāz  etc. Thereafter, the theme moves onto a parable of the people of the garden (Group 3:verses 17 – 33). I view this parable from two distinct perspectives, both of which areintertwined with the ’umūd . The first being that of Thānwī mentioned earlier, the

8  Al-Qur’ān al-Karīm:  ا نآا :     ةءا او ا     ام اا ة ا    ا اام    ا جر ۔

Edited and researched by Sawār, M. N (1st ed. 2007)9

Adapted from Islahi’s ‘Tadabbur-i-Qur’an’ and translated by Shehzad Saleem. ‘Ḥurūf-e-Muqaṭṭa’āt: Farahi’s View’ . Accessed Online [18.03.2011]: http://www.amin-ahsan-islahi.com/?=6510 Islahi, A. A. (2009). Tadabbur-e-Qur’ān (  .   ). Vol. 8, p.512اان 

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earthly (dunyawiyya) torment upon those who reproach nubuwwa, hence reject theindhār  foretold to them. The second perspective, I opine, in the midst of all chaos akind of glad tiding to the Prophet of an ultimate spread of Islam within the Quraysh.For the former notion the Quraysh are warned to beware of similar consequences tothose who had all the wealth and the latter to the Prophet, working on the theme of 

 patience, that the Quraysh will not accept in the initial stage of the indhār , but willultimately embrace once the power of God can no longer be rejected: similar to thesaying of one of them ‘Did I not say to you, ‘why do you not pronounce Allah’s

  purity?”, they said “we pronounce the purity of our Lord. No doubt, we werewrongdoers” (68:28-29) is reminiscent to the attitude of the Quraysh following theconquest of Makkah.

Group 4 of the verses (34-41) sets out an immensely significant ethical principle inIslam: the one who opposes the indhār  and on the contrary the one whowholeheartedly accepts it cannot be equal, they will be rewarded accordingly. After illustrating the punishment for those who reject the call, the Qur’ān portrays the

awaited rewards for those who take heed of the warning and clearly draws the line,‘shall We make the obedient like the sinners? What has happened to you? How do you

  judge? (68:35-36), I believe this also reflects the message of verse 68:9. Group 5(Verses 42-47) draws vivid images of the resurrection and verse 44 ( ا ـ   ب     و   ر       ا) could also be taken as clear indication towards the significant unity with the’umūd. And finally, group 6 (48-52) comes back to what was mentioned earlier:instructing the Prophet to be patient upon his people’s attitude towards the indhār ,unlike ṣāḥib al-ḥūt (dhu al-nūn).

In conclusion I believe that if the verses in the  suwar ‘seem’ to be disconnected, andthere is no logical unity from one verse to the next, then it may in accordance withIslahi’s understanding be organically united with its ’umūd . Hence, unlike modern

  books which flow from one sentence, paragraph, page and chapter to the next, theQur’ān’s each verse or grouped verses orbit around the ’umūd ; and each groupconnects to its own axis; and then the seven groups outlined by Islahi encircle the’umūd  of the Qur’ān11 - ‘Allah’s call to man to adopt the right path’, which manconstantly pleads for in the preface to the Qur’ān (        ا  طا  ا    ھا). Therefore, whentrying to reconstruct the unity in verses and within the Qur’ān as a whole, specificallyhere in the seventh group: I see the Prophet returning from his first message;enshrouded in his blanket commanded to stand and warn (indhār – qum fa’andhir warabbaka fa kabbir ); I see his struggle at dār al-arqam and then standing at  ṣafā 

ridiculed, God responding; at times he (the Prophet) warns (indhār ) his people of al-qāri’ah, illustrating the unlit sun, the falling stars, the shattering of the earth. Ienvision him warning the jinn, alongside insān, and his golden promise the ’umūd of which flows through the last group of  suwar ,

‘if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left… I would not abandon it (the indhār).

11 all reminiscent to the orbit of the moon around their planets and the planets their sun, all existing inabsolute harmony

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 د:

ااراارااراارThe Axis

GROUP 1 (Verses 1-4)

The Qur’ān’s response to thereaction of the Quryash

towards the indhār .

GROUP 2 (Verses 5-16)

Instructs the Prophet to refrainfrom being sympathetic

towards the Quraysh as theydesire to be unmindful towards

the indhār .

GROUP 3 (Verses 17-33)

Parable of the people of theGarden.

(1)  Reminiscent toQuraysh’s attitudetowards wealth

(2)  Glad tiding to theProphet of the Quraysh’sinitial reproach followed by ultimate acceptance of the indhār (after conquestof Makkah)

GROUP 4 (Verses 34-41)

Immensely Significant ethical principle:that the ones who accept the indhār of the Prophet and those who take no heedcannot be alike.

GROUP 6 (Verses 48-52 )

The Prophet instructed on being firm following the

indhār and the onslaught of his people.

GROUP 5 (Verses 42-47 )

ا ـ   ب     و   ر      ا

The significance of taking heed from theindhār of the Prophet 

Fig. 1.2

Fig. 1.1

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| Verses of the same context are colour coded,and every colour represents its own theme (given below in the key

Fig. 2.0

| Specific group and contextual explanations.

| Key for the colours

Pages taken from: Al-Qur’ān al-Karīm:  ا نآا :      ةءا او ا      

     رج ا ة ا ا ااماا ما ۔

Edited and researched by Sawār, M. N (1st ed. 2007)

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 Al-Qur’ān al-Karīm:  ا نآا :  او ا   ةءا         ام اا ة ا    ا اام    ا جر ۔

Edited and researched by Sawār, M. N (1st ed. 2007). Dār al-Fajr al-Islāmī:Damascus, Syria.

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‘Omar, ‘A. M. (2008).   Dictionary of the Holy Qur’ān – (Arabic-English). 5th ed. NOOR Foundation – International Inc: USA and Germany.

Thanwi, A. A. (1424 A.H.).  Bayānul Qur’an ( ناا ن  ). Volume 3. Idārah Taleefat-e-Ashrafia: Multan, Pakistan

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