23. SURAH AL-NAJM [THE AYAT THAT DESCEND GROUP BY GROUP]

 

 

            INTRODUCTION TO SURAH AL-NAJM

Surah Al-Najm was revealed in Mecca in the 23rd chapter. At the time of the Surah’s revelation, the polytheists were still persecuting our Prophet and the small group of believers who followed him, as they refused to abandon the religion of their ancestors and deny the Afterlife. For this reason, according to historical sources, our Prophet sent a group of 16 Muslims to Abyssinia [the First Abyssinian Migration]. At the time, the number of Muslims in Mecca was approximately 20.

Our Prophet recited Surah Al-Najm, revealed under such harsh conditions, in the Kaaba as if delivering a sermon to all the people, despite the risks to his life. The polytheists were so moved by the Surah that they prostrated themselves, with only a few exceptions. As a result, a rumor spread that the people of Mecca had collectively converted to Islam. This rumor reached Abyssinia, and the Muhajir Muslims who had been sent there returned to their homeland with joy.

Surah Al-Najm, contrary to some claims, does not describe the “Miraj” [The Ascension]. Instead, it recounts the first coming of the revelation with historical and geographical details, with the Meccans as witnesses. It contrasts the true God with idols, praises the righteous, condemns the deniers, and declares that everyone will be rewarded or punished according to their deeds. The intelligent and mindful are called to prostrate themselves to Allah and become His servants. In short, the revelations from the first Surah to this one are summarized and reemphasized in Surah Al-Najm concisely and eloquently.

Reason for the Surah’s revelation

 

When analyzing the reasons for the revelation of verses, it is essential to consider the context of the revelation process and the developments occurring during this time. This method is critical for deriving logical conclusions about the messages of the surahs. Using this approach, the reasons for the revelation of Surah Al-Najm will be analyzed while taking into account the preceding revelation process.

Muhammad (pbuh), who lived an ordinary life like other Meccans, suddenly appeared in public one day and announced that he had received divine revelation and had been chosen as a prophet. In response, the Meccans claimed that he had gone mad, been possessed by a jinn, or gone astray. The Meccans did not stop at these allegations; they also accused Muhammad (pbuh) of inventing the words he claimed were revealed, asserting that he had fabricated them based on his own desires, delusions, or aspirations for personal gain.

Surah Al-Najm was revealed during the social and religious turmoil summarized above. The Surah narrates, in the eloquent Arab style, how, where, and when Muhammad (pbuh) began to receive revelation. It also refutes the polytheists’ accusations of fabrication and delusion by presenting evidence and affirming the truth of the Prophet’s mission.

 

 

23 / SURAH AL-NAJM

 

            Meaning of the Verses

 

¹Every descending of the Ayat which have descended group by group is the evidence that, ²your companion has neither gone astray nor has he transgressed. ³And he does not speak of his vain, transitory desire. ⁴What he says to you; those groups of Ayat that have descended, are nothing but the revelations which have been revealed to him. ⁵The One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion⁵² has taught to your companion what he says.

 

^6,7And the One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion is the owner of the highest horizon. ^8,9Then, He; the One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion approached to inform him, to train him, to protect him and for the good of the people, then group by group revelations descended at once one after another. First, He was at a distance of two bows⁵³, then He was closer. ¹⁰He; the One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion and Who is the owner of the highest horizon then revealed to His servant what He revealed ¹⁴by the last cherry tree – next to it there is a resting place worth stopping by-. ¹⁶At that time, the cherry tree was covered by what covered it. ¹¹The mind of the servant did not deny what he saw. ¹²Do you doubt about that which he saw?/Do you dispute with him about that which he saw?

¹³Indeed, he saw it in another descend. ¹⁷The sight did not swerve nor did it transgress. ¹⁸Surely, He saw the greatest of the evidences/signs of His Rabb.

^15,23The condition of those who hide, flee for not listening to the Qur’an, concealing the truth-departure of ignorance, arrival of enlightenment-ability to distinguish between good and evil is the evidence that, indeed this is the word of a noble messenger who is held in honor before the powerful, the owner of the greatest throne and obeyed, trusted. ²²Your companion is not one who is supported by secret forces/who is mad. ²³Indeed, he saw that which he saw while he was very sound and right minded. His mind did not deny, his sight did not swerve not did it transgress.

²⁴And he is not withholder concerning the revelations given to him which nobody sees, hears, feels. ²⁵And this is not the word that his thinking ability produced.

^19,20Despite this, have you ever thought about Lat and Uzza, the third, Manat?

²¹Is the male for you and for Allah the female? ²²That will be a deficient/unjust division if it is like this. ²³These are nothing but names which you and your ancestors gave even thought Allah did not send down any evidence about them. Surely, they only follow assumption and also that which their selves desire even though the guidance of the righteous path has come to them from their Rabb.

²⁴Or is there for man whatever he misses and dreams? ²⁵Akhirat [Afterlife] and the earth belong to Allah. ²⁶There are many angels in the heavens/universe whose help, intercession will not avail at all except when Allah permits for whomever He wills and He is pleased with. ²⁷Those who disbelieve in Akhirat [Afterlife] name the angels female names. ²⁸Yet, they do not have any knowledge about this matter. They only follow assumption. And assumption does not avail against the “truth” at all.

²⁹Keep your distance from whoever turns away from Our reminder/the Qur’an and desires nothing except simple worldly life. ³⁰That is what they will reach of the knowledge. Indeed, your Rabb is the One Who knows better than anyone else the one who has gone astray from His path, is the One Who knows better than anyone else who follows the righteous path he is guided.

^31,32Whatever is in heavens/universe and whatever is on the earth belongs to Allah so that He may recompense those who do evil with what they have done, He may reward those who do good; – except for some minor glitches – those who avoid majority of wasting their time/delaying the good/being reluctant for the good/harming and immoralities with “the best”. Indeed, your Rabb is the One Whose forgiveness is vast. He is the One Who knows you best when He formed you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the womb of your mothers. Then, do not claim yourselves to be pure. He knows better who has entered under the guardianship of Allah.

³³So, have you seen/ever thought about the one who turned away? ³⁴He gave a little and withheld stubbornly. ³⁵Is the knowledge of the past and the future with him, so he sees it? ³⁶Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses? ³⁷And of the scriptures of loyal Abraham; “³⁸The truth is, no sinner bears the sin of another sinner. ³⁹The truth is, there is nothing for man except what he strives for. ⁴⁰And his striving will soon be seen. ⁴¹Then his recompense will be given to him in full. ⁴²No doubt that final destination is only to your Rabb. ⁴³No doubt that He is the One Who makes laugh and weep… ⁴⁴No doubt that He is the One Who takes life and gives life… ^45,46No doubt that when Allah puts creation in plan, it is He Who forms the two mates; male and female from a drop of semen/sperm. ⁴⁷No doubt that other creation is only His work. ⁴⁸No doubt that He is the One Who grants prosperity and gives blessings in abundance. ⁴⁹No doubt that He is Rabb of knowledge, conscience.”

⁵⁰No doubt that your Rabb manipulated, destroyed the Ad that came before. ⁵¹And Thamud as well. So, He left nothing. ⁵²And before that, the people of Noah. Certainly they, yes they, were the ones who did more wrong and were more transgressing than others by accepting that Allah has partners. ⁵³And the overturned cities, it is He Who overthrew them. ⁵⁴So covered there which covered. ⁵⁵Then, which of what your Rabb is capable of; His unique power, unequalled blessings you dispute about?

⁵⁶What is explained in the Qur’an is a warner like the former warners.

⁵⁷What is to approach; the Qiyamat [Resurrection], the death has approached. ⁵⁸There is no one from among those that are inferior to Allah to remove/prevent it.

⁵⁹So, now, at this word do you wonder? ⁶⁰And you laugh, you do not weep. ⁶¹And you are the ones who do not use their reason properly.

• ⁶²Then, submit to Allah and worship

 

 

            Analysis of the Verses

 

Verse 1:

 

¹Every descending of the Ayat which have descended group by group is the evidence that,

 

The surah begins with an oath. From verse 5 of Surah Al-Fajr, we learn that Allah Almighty swears to draw the attention of the wise and knowledgeable and to present them with proof. Allah’s oath indicates: “Pay attention, investigate this event or object to which I have drawn attention. This serves as proof of these matters.”

 

⁵There is a strong-convincing narration which makes believe in these for the one who has reason.

(Al-Fajr/5)

 

The detail about the oath sentence is given in Surah 2 [Surah Qalam].

 

What is shown in the first verse as proof—that Muhammad (pbuh) did not deviate, did not go astray, did not speak arbitrarily, and that the messages he conveyed were revealed to him—are the fragmentary clusters of verses revealed up to this Surah. These verses are divine in their nature, structure, and meaning, such that neither Muhammad nor any human being could have produced them. Even if all of humanity were to unite, they would not be able to create something similar.

There are other examples of Qur’anic verses being presented as evidence. For instance, in verses 2 and 3 of Surah Ya Sin, the “Qur’an of Wisdom” is cited as proof of Muhammad’s prophethood. From these verses, it is clear that the Qur’an itself is intended to convince the Meccans of Muhammad’s (pbuh) role as a messenger, not as a human author of divine revelation.

The original phrase translated as “descending in parts” uses the word “النّجم” (najm). This term is homonymous and has carried different meanings over time. Initially, “najm” referred to “the new shoot that emerges from the soil in the spring” or “the new horn of animals.” Over time, it came to signify grasses, stemless plants, stars, the constellation al-Thurayya (Pleiades), or even prominent societal leaders.^[1]

 

The word “najm” is used in the Qur’an and the Arabic language in several different senses: “grass” in verse 6 of Surah Rahman, meaning “والنّجم والشّجر يسجدان The grass and the tree both prostrate”; “grass” in verse 3 of Surah Tariq. The 3rd verse of Surah Tariq [ النّجم الثّاقب an-Najm al-Sâqib], the 16th verse of Surah An-Nahl [وبالنّجم هم يهتدون Wa bi’n-najmi hum yehtedûn] and the 88th verse of Surah As-Saffat [فنظر نظرة فى النّجوم Fe nazara nazraten fi’n-nujum] refer to “stars”.

 

Just as the star is called “najm” in the Qur’an when it breaks through the darkness and reveals itself, enabling others to find their way, so the verses of the Qur’an are called “najm” when each of them shines like a star, illuminating people and enabling them to find their way. An example of this, apart from verse 1 of Surah Al-Najm, is verse 75 of Surah Al-Va’qiah:

 

⁷⁵Not anymore. I hereby adduce divisions/times and locations of each Ayah sent down with each revelation that – ⁷⁶and it is a substantial evidence if you are aware of this – ⁷⁷surely it is the noble Qur’an. ⁷⁸It is a protected/maintained Scripture. ⁷⁹No other but those who are spiritually purified may touch it. ⁸⁰It is sent down by Rabb [the Lord, the Cherisher, the Nurturer, the Sustainer] of all universes.

(Al-Va’qiah/ 75- 80)

 

For example, verses 1-18 of this Surah are a najm. As you will see later, verses 1-10 of Surah Abasa are also a najm.

 

If the word “النّجم najm” in the first verse of the Surah is translated as “the verses of the Qur’an that descended in pieces”, then the word “hewa” should be translated as “nuzul [descent]”. “Hawa”, like “najm”, is a homophonic word with multiple meanings. Accordingly, it is used in the Qur’an with different meanings. For example, in verses 1 and 53 of this Surah it is used in the sense of “falling down from above” and in verses 3 and 23 it is used in the sense of “passion”. Likewise, the word “hewa” is used in verse 40 of Surah An-Nazi’at and verse 16 of Surah Ta Ha in the sense of “passion”, in verse 43 of Surah Ibrahim it is used in the sense of “keeping something in the air” and in verse 31 of Surah Hajj it is used in the sense of “being blown away by the wind”.

 

In the light of the above information, the following meanings can be given to verse 1 using the different meanings of the word “najm”:

 

– The shooting star is a proof,

 

– The shifting grass is the proof,

 

– The shooting Sureyya star is proof,

 

– The verses that descended group by group so far are proof that,

 

However, the sentence that will be the translation of the verse must also be proof that Muhammad (pbuh) did not stray, did not go astray, did not speak out of his whim, but only transmitted the revelations. Given this requirement, the sentence “The verses that have come down in parts until now are proof that” seems to be the most appropriate translation.

 

However, it can also be argued that “The shooting star is the proof” is a verse that can serve as evidence for verse 2. For, indeed, there may have been a shooting star or a falling meteorite in Mecca at that time, and this may have been shown to the Meccans as evidence. According to this view, just as Moses (pbuh) saw a fire on the mountain and went to it, and was revealed to him from the tree there, so Muhammad (pbuh) was curious about shooting stars or falling meteorites and went towards the light, and was revealed to him from the sidra tree near the last sidra tree. This shooting star or falling meteorite was used to explain to the Meccans, who knew of our Prophet Moses’ adventure in advance, that Muhammad (pbuh) had been revealed to him as Moses (pbuh) had been revealed to him, and was cited as evidence that our Prophet’s discourses were based on revelation. This view is supported by verse 1 of Surah Isra, verse 23 of Surah Taqwir, and verses 7-18 of this Surah.

 

Verses 2-4:

 

Your companion has neither gone astray nor has he transgressed. And he does not speak of his vain, transitory desire. What he says to you; those groups of Ayat that have descended, are nothing but the revelations which have been revealed to him.

 

Muhammad (pbuh), who had led a respectable life among the Meccans for many years as one of them, began to behave differently after he was charged as a prophet by Allah. Muhammad (pbuh), who had been withdrawn for a while [Al-Muzzammil], was educated and trained with the revelations that came during that period, and then he was told that he was ready and commanded to openly warn the people [Al-Muddaththir]. Muhammad (pbuh), who began to warn the people and guide them to the truth with Surah Al-Fatiha, also engaged in social activities. The elders of Mecca, who witnessed Muhammad’s behavior, on the one hand, tried to prevent his social initiatives, and on the other hand, they started ugly and unfounded rumors about Muhammad (pbuh), such as “Muhammad (pbuh) has gone astray, he has gone mad, he has gone insane,” and even further, “Muhammad (pbuh) is following his own desires, he is pretending to be a prophet in order to gain benefits from us, and what he says is actually made up by himself.”

 

The above verses reject these allegations against Muhammad (pbuh) and emphasize that he was not insane, that he did not go astray, that he did not speak for his own benefit, that there was no verse in the revelations that had been intended for his benefit or delusions, and that what he said was revealed by Allah.

 

 

^2-6The Qur’an that contains the laws/that is prevented from corruption which is sent down by the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the possessor of vast mercy so you may warn with it those people whose ancestors were not warned and thus who are apathetic is the evidence that you are among those messengers and indeed you are on a straight path.

(Ya-Sin/2-6)

 

¹⁶⁶But Allah bears witness to that which He has revealed to you –He has revealed it with His knowledge-. And all the Ayat bear witness too. And Allah is sufficient as witness.

(An-Nisa/166)

 

The disbelievers continued to make such allegations in the following periods, and our Lord challenged them throughout the Qur’an, asking them to gather all their intellectuals together and produce a copy of what they claimed Muhammad (pbuh) had fabricated.

 

^33,34Or do they say about what has been revealed, “He has invented and said”? Rather, they do not believe. So let them bring forth a word like it if they should be truthful.

(Tur/ 33, 34)

 

¹³They actually say: “He has invented it himself”. Say: “Then, if you are among those who are truthful, bring forth similar ten independent divisions, even if it is invented and call those whomever you can from among those that are inferior to Allah”.

(Hud/ 13)

 

³⁸Or they say: “He has invented it”. Say: “Then bring forth a similar independent division and call upon whomever you can from among those that are inferior to Allah. If you should be truthful”.

(Yunus/38)

 

⁸⁸Say: “Surely, if the people of today and tomorrow gathered together in order to bring the like of this Qur’an, even if they helped each other, they could definitely not bring the like of it”.

 

(Isra/ 88)

 

²³If you are in doubt about that which We have sent down to Our servant, then bring forth an independent division like independent divisions that We have sent down to Our servant and call upon all your witnesses from among those that are inferior to Allah, if you are truthful.

(Al-Baqara/ 23)

 

Our Lord’s challenge in this regard is, of course, not limited to the period in which the Qur’an was revealed. In light of the explanations provided in the analysis of Surah Al-Muddaththir, it is evident that humanity, which has not been able to create a copy of the Qur’an until today, will not be able to do so in the future.

 

Another proof that the verses revealed to our Prophet were revelations and not the product of his own whims is that the most secret plans of the disbelievers, even what was in their hearts and minds, were revealed in the verses. Such secret plans and insidious thoughts could not have been known to our Prophet. Similarly, the events described in Surah Al-Jinn are accounts of the unseen, which can only be known through the revelation of Allah.

 

 

Verse 5:

 

The One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion has taught to your companion what he says.

 

 

The mentality that has made it a point to take our Prophet up to the sky and place him with Allah has distorted these verses and, unfortunately, attributed to Gabriel qualities that belong to Allah. As seen in verses 5 and 6 of the Surah, the one who taught the Qur’an is described not by name but by attributes. However, narrators attributed these attributes to Gabriel, which, in turn, implied in verse 10 that Muhammad was a servant of Gabriel. To reconcile this implication, they resorted to sophistry, entangling themselves further in misinterpretations.

 

There is no doubt or hesitation about who taught our Prophet the Qur’an. It was not Gabriel who taught him but the Most Merciful, Allah:

 

^1-4Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created] taught the Qur’an/to learn and to teach, formed human, taught him the good and the evil, and how to make distinction between them.

(Rahman/1, 4)

 

This verse explicitly states that Allah is the one who teaches the Qur’an. Therefore, the belief that Gabriel is the teacher of the Qur’an is entirely contrary to the Qur’an.

 

It is helpful to explain the attributes mentioned in the above verses:

 

– The phrase “شديد القوى Shadid al-Quwa” [the one whose forces are very strong] in the verse is a paraphrase of the word “قدير Qadir”, meaning “the one who is very strong.” If this meaning were to be expressed with a term derived from the root of “strength,” the word “قوىّ Qaviyyun” in the superlative form would be used. Indeed, “Qaviyyun” is one of the attributes of Allah, appearing nine times in the Qur’an:

 

⁵²They disbelieved in the Ayat/evidences/signs of Allah just as the people close to Pharaoh and people before them and Allah seized them because of their sins. Indeed, Allah is very powerful, the One Whose recompense/judgement is severe.

(Al-Anfal/ 52)

 

Other verses are: Hud 66, Hajj 40, 74, Mu’min 22, Ash-Shu’ara 19, Al-Hadid 25, Al-Mujadila 21, Al-Ahzab 25.

 

Verse 6-25:

 

^6,7And the One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion is the owner of the highest horizon. ^8,9Then, He; the One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion approached to inform him, to train him, to protect him and for the good of the people, then group by group revelations descended at once one after another. First, He was at a distance of two bows⁵³, then He was closer. ¹⁰He; the One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion and Who is the owner of the highest horizon then revealed to His servant what He revealed ¹⁴by the last cherry tree – next to it there is a resting place worth stopping by-. ¹⁶At that time, the cherry tree was covered by what covered it. ¹¹The mind of the servant did not deny what he saw. ¹²Do you doubt about that which he saw?/Do you dispute with him about that which he saw?

¹³Indeed, he saw it in another descend. ¹⁷The sight did not swerve nor did it transgress. ¹⁸Surely, He saw the greatest of the evidences/signs of His Rabb.

^15,23The condition of those who hide, flee for not listening to the Qur’an, concealing the truth-departure of ignorance, arrival of enlightenment-ability to distinguish between good and evil is the evidence that, indeed this is the word of a noble messenger who is held in honor before the powerful, the owner of the greatest throne and obeyed, trusted. ²²Your companion is not one who is supported by secret forces/who is mad. ²³Indeed, he saw that which he saw while he was very sound and right minded. His mind did not deny, his sight did not swerve not did it transgress.

²⁴And he is not withholder concerning the revelations given to him which nobody sees, hears, feels. ²⁵And this is not the word that his thinking ability produced.

 

If verses 7 of Surah Ali-Imran and 23 of Surah Az-Zumar, which declare the existence of mutashabih (ambiguous) verses in the Qur’an, are ignored, and every expression in the mutashabih verses is interpreted literally without considering their metaphorical and allegorical meanings, this would be contrary to the spirit of the Qur’an. For example, Allah’s coming, descending, approaching, abiding on the Throne, being in the sky, having hands, having a high and open horizon, having a one-on-one dialogue with Adam and Iblis, seeing, and hearing are all mutashabih expressions that are interpreted by competent scholars.

 

Verses 7–10 describe how Allah revealed to Muhammad for the first time (the descent of Surah Alaq), creating an exciting scene. However, the mentality that does not comprehend mutashabih verses and metaphors has distorted the mutashabih expressions in these verses, interpreting the subjects of the verbs as Gabriel. According to this perspective, it is said that our Prophet met Gabriel there, Gabriel descended from the sky like a helicopter, they approached each other, our Prophet became a servant to Gabriel, and Gabriel revealed to him what he had to reveal.

 

It is better to leave the understanding of mutashabih expressions to experts. Over time, there will be specialists in every science, and these experts will interpret these verses accordingly. It is appropriate here to briefly explain some of the terms in this passage:

 

– In verse 6, the phrase “ذو مرّة zû mirra” [the possessor of superior intellect] declares that Allah is the Lord and the Muqaddir (the one who calculates everything in the most minute detail). This phrase does not appear in any other verse.

 

– The phrase “استوى istawā” [the one who invests] in verse 6 also refers to Allah. This is because “istawā” is an attribute of Allah, not an attribute of angels or servants. Figuratively, “istawā” means “He has established sovereignty, He has taken it under His control.” This concept, which is mutatis mutandis, is used metaphorically in the verse. Additionally, the word “istawā” is used in this way in verses 3 of Surah Yunus, 2 of Surah Ar-Ra’d, 59 of Surah Furqan, and 4 of Surah As-Sajdah.

 

⁵Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created] established dominion on the greatest throne.

(Ta Ha/ 5)

 

⁵⁴Indeed, your Rabb is Allah Who formed the heavens/universe and the earth in six phases, then established dominion on the greatest throne, covers the day with the ever pursuing night and created the sun, the moon and the stars as they are under His command. Know well that forming and maintaining systems belongs only to Him. Allah, Who is Rabb of all universes , how generous is He!

(Al-A’raf/ 54)

 

²⁹He is the One Who formed all that is on the earth for you. Then, He established His dominion in the heavens/universe;  He arranged it in thousand pieces. He is the One Who knows all best.

(Al-Baqara/ 29)

 

As can be seen, the word “استوى istivā” in the verses metaphorically expresses Allah’s power and might. In addition to “He has stationed”, expressions such as “He who is in the sky”, “He who sits on a throne”, etc., have figurative meanings and are used in the Qur’an to symbolize Allah’s authority and supremacy. Most of these mutashabih expressions are phrases that were commonly used among the Arabs of that time. Therefore, Allah Almighty expressed His intention through these phrases and expressions that aligned with the linguistic and conceptual understanding of the Arabs during that era.

 

الْاُفُقِ (Ufuk / horizon)

 

In verse 7, the word “افق Ufuk” means “what is exposed and visible around the earth and the heavens; the field of vision.” Its plural is “a’afaq”. The noun-perpetrator form, “آفق âfik”, refers to “a person who has reached the peak in generosity, knowledge, eloquence, and all good things and virtues.” (Sources: Taj, Lisan).

 

The Turkish Language Association (TDK) defines ufuk as “periphery, the reach of the eye.” For example: “to broaden one’s horizon”, meaning to expand one’s knowledge or worldview.

In Turkish, idioms like “narrow horizon” or “wide horizon” refer to a person’s capacity for deep knowledge and vision. When applied to people, “wide horizon” describes someone with profound understanding and foresight.

الْاَعْلٰى (A’lā / highest horizon)

 

The word “Ufuk” in this verse is qualified with the adjective “الأعلى A’lā”, meaning “the highest horizon.” The horizons of this world are not of this nature. The phrase implies “He has the most exalted horizon”, and aligns with the meaning of “آفق âfik”, signifying “He who has reached the peak of generosity, knowledge, eloquence, and all good things and virtues.” These are qualities exclusive to Allah.

Here, as in At-Takwir/23, it does not refer to a physical location but rather a state or quality, as expressed in Majaz al-Mursel (a figure of speech). To interpret it as a literal location would be to ascribe spatial attributes to Allah, which is inconsistent with Islamic theology.

 

دَنَا (Danā)

 

In verse 8, the word “دنا Danā” means “قرب qaruba” (“became close”) in all classical dictionaries. This closeness is, of course, qualitative and not quantitative. Examples of this type of closeness can be seen in verses such as:s: Baqara/ 186, 52, Tawbah/ 99, A’raf/ 56, Hud/ 61, Saba/ 56, Al-Kahf/ 24, 81, Ka’af/ 16, Waqqa/ 85.

 

            CLOSENESS OF ALLAH

 

As we have learned from the statements in the Qur’an up to this point, Allah is not close to His servants in terms of distance. The closeness of Allah in the verse is a figurative expression. What is meant by this expression is “exerting power and influence over man, giving him value and authority, informing him, protecting him, giving him peace, security and assurance. This is explained in detail in Surahs Ad-Duha and Inshirah.

 

 

تَدَلّٰىۙ (Tadallā)

 

The verb “تدلّى tadallā” in verse 8 originates from the root “Delw”. The word “دلو delw” refers to “the sagging or hanging of a bucket.” The form “تدلّى tadallā” (originally “تدلو tadallā”) comes from the root “تقعل tefeu’ul”, which implies “the bucket has continuously sagged or lowered.”

This root form can also be seen in Surah Yusuf (12:19), where it appears as “فَأَدْلَى دَلْوَهُ fa-‘adlā dalwahu”, translated as “and he let down his bucket.”

The continuous lowering or hanging of a bucket metaphorically aligns with the phrase “تنزل tanazzalū” (to descend continuously or gradually) in Surah Al-Qadr, indicating the gradual and orderly descent of revelation. This imagery suggests “bucket after bucket of revelation” being sent down to the Messenger (pbuh) in parts, piece by piece, group by group.

In this case, giving the word the meaning of “descended” and making Allah the subject of the verb is not in accordance with the Qur’an and the belief in tawhid.

For a better understanding of the matter, it is useful to give a brief explanation of revelation

Revelation

 

The literal meaning of the word “وحى (revelation)” is “to inform secretly.” Over time, in accordance with this meaning, it has also been used with meanings such as “secret speaking, pointing, commanding, inspiring, hinting, whispering, writing letters, or sending messengers.”

The literal meaning of “revelation,” on the other hand, is “God Almighty’s secret and swift communication of His commands and judgments to His prophets without any intermediary or through various means.” The word “revelation” is used synonymously with the word “القاء (ilka)” (see Al-Baqara 37, An-Naml 6, and Mu’min 15).

The verses in the Qur’an in which the word “revelation” is used in its literal sense can be categorized into two groups: “related to Allah” and “not related to Allah.”

 

1- In the verses where it is used in relation to Allah, the word “revelation” has expressed the following meanings on the axis of its core meaning:

 

a- “Commanding and making to do something”; Fusilat 12, Zilzal 4 – 5, An-Nahl 68, Al-Anfal 12.

 

b- “Implication, inspiration”; al-Ma’idahh 111.

 

c- “Inspiration and dreams”; Al-Qasas/7.

 

2 – In verses where the word “revelation” is used without referring to Allah, the word “revelation” again expresses the following meanings on the axis of its core meaning:

 

a- “hinting, pointing”; Maryam 11.

 

b- “Whispering, secret speech”; Al-An’am 112.

 

c- “Encouragement, suggestion, telling”; Al-An’am 121.

 

The word “vahy” in its literal sense occurs 68 times in the Qur’an, and in all these verses, it is attributed to Allah alone. This indicates that revelation in its literal sense is solely the work of Allah; it is not possible for an angel, a prophet, or any human being to reveal in this sense.

 

Consequently, since the word “vahy” in verse 10 is also used in its literal sense, it is Allah who reveals to His servant here, and Gabriel cannot be said to bring the revelation.

 

The “length of a bow” in verse 9 refers to a measure of length used at that time and familiar to the people of that era. At the time, standardized international measurements such as the “meter” had not yet been invented, so local measurements were used. “Bow length” was a unit of measurement akin to others like rumh (spear), sevt (hoof), arşın, kulaç (fathom), isbi’ (finger), hatve (step), shibr (inch), zira’ (arm), and “arrow shot.” This system of measurement was also prevalent in Western countries of the time. For instance, “feet,” based on the length of a human foot, and “inches,” based on the width of a thumb, were commonly used in ancient times. Thus, Allah Almighty employed a measurement familiar to the society He addressed.

 

This unit of measurement symbolizes the utmost proximity at which people might approach each other for help and support. It is analogous to Turkish idioms like “back-to-back,” “eating from the same plate,” and “sitting together,” which express intimacy and closeness.

 

The preposition “أووْ aw (or)” in the phrase “in one case it was as close as the length of two bows, and in another case, it was closer” indicates variation in the event. In the thirteenth verse, it states, “And certainly he saw him in another descent,” implying that during the first revelation, the event occurred twice—once at a distance of two bow lengths and, in another case, even closer. Examples of similar phrasing can be seen in Al-Baqara/74, 135, Yunus/24, and As-Saffat/147.

 

Returning to the depiction of how Allah revealed to our Prophet (pbuh), it is crucial to revisit the explanations in verses 7-10 that sketch this composition, as well as the insights in verses 19-25 of Surah At-Takwir. Additionally, the “tree” element in the verses describing the first revelations to both Moses (pbuh) and Muhammad (pbuh) should be considered in our evaluations.

 

^15,23The condition of those who hide, flee for not listening to the Qur’an, concealing the truth-departure of ignorance, arrival of enlightenment-ability to distinguish between good and evil is the evidence that, indeed this is the word of a noble messenger who is held in honor before the powerful, the owner of the greatest throne and obeyed, trusted. ²²Your companion is not one who is supported by secret forces/who is mad. ²³Indeed, he saw that which he saw while he was very sound and right minded. His mind did not deny, his sight did not swerve not did it transgress.

²⁴And he is not withholder concerning the revelations given to him which nobody sees, hears, feels. ²⁵And this is not the word that his thinking ability produced.

(At-Takwir/ 15-25)

 

Verses 7-10 do not give us any clear information about what happened at the moment of revelation.

 

These verses emphasize that what happened at the moment of the first revelation was not a delusion, a dream, an illusion, or a hallucination, and that common sense was certainly not mistaken. They explain that this scene took place twice. From the flow of the first revelation, Surah Al-Alaq, we understand that the first of these descents occurred in verses 1 and 2, beginning with “اقرأ iqra” (“Read”), and the second in verses 3 to 5, also beginning with “iqra.”

 

In these verses, the place of revelation is described, and the location is identified. According to these verses, the revelation of Allah to His servant, as described in verses 7-10, took place near the last sidra tree, a garden worthy of sitting in.

 

The ancient exegetes distorted the meaning of the passage by inserting punctuation marks (keyfiyyeti secavent) in the Qur’an according to their own understanding. It is well known that marks such as “ج cim, م mim, ط tı, and lamalif” placed on the stops in the Qur’an are not part of the Qur’an itself. The Qur’ars (expert readers) and exegetes who later added such signs in the Qur’an placed “lamalif” at the end of verse 13, assuming that the meaning of the verse did not end there but was completed in verse 14. They then connected the adverb of place “عند inda” at the beginning of verse 14 to the phrase “he saw another descent” in verse 13. However, it is more accurate to connect the adverb of place “عند inda” to all the events in the passage. There is no grammatical objection to this interpretation.

 

            Sidrat al-muntaha, paradise al-ma’wah [a promenade in the valley]:

 

The sidra tree mentioned in the verse is a type of tree that grows in that valley and is also known as “sedr tree” or “Arabian cherry”. This tree, which was usually grown to mark borders between borders, was considered as a triangulation point such as stones, rocks, trees, springs for shepherds, farmers and climbers living in the countryside.

 

The cherry tree is also considered to be important for human health in many ways. Considering these properties of cherries, it is conceivable that Rasulullah walked/traveled from Mecca to the valley of Jirane and to Masjid al-Aqsa in order to benefit from cherries due to his distress when his salaat in Mecca was prevented and harassed.

 

As for the location of the “paradise” mentioned in the verse, there are many stories about it. Based on these stories, exegetes believed that the “Paradise of Me’va” was located in one of the seven levels of the heavens and placed it on different levels depending on the situation. Others, who claim that our Prophet ascended to the level of Allah because of this event, have said that it is the heaven in the Afterlife, without taking into account the whole Qur’an.

 

The word “Jannat”, like the word “jinn”, is a noun derived from the root “jann”, and its primary meaning is “to hide, to disappear in darkness”. The pieces of land covered by the branches and leaves of plants are called paradise/orchard and are used in the plural forms of “jannat” and “jinn”.

 

As a religious term, paradise refers to the abode of happiness and reward prepared in the Afterlife for those who follow the invitation of the Prophets, believe in the True Religion from Allah, do righteous deeds, and abstain from Allah. Paradise in this sense is described at length in the Qur’an as a place of complete peace and happiness, with rivers flowing through it, rivers of honey and milk, many fragrant foods that are pleasing to the heart, personal servants waiting at their beck and call, clothes of atlas silk, vessels of gold and silver. Who deserves such a magnificent reward with these qualities is one of the Qur’an’s most emphasized themes. However, it is emphasized that the qualities mentioned above are symbols and examples, and it is implied that the real ones are more magnificent [Ar-Ra’d/ 35, Muhammad/ 15, Al-Insan/ 12-22]. The fact that the abode of happiness in the Afterlife is called “paradise” must be due to the abundance of its trees and shadows.

 

Just as the concept of “Paradise” exists in languages other than Arabic, the “belief in Paradise” is a belief that has a place in religions other than Islam. However, we have to clarify the matter by learning from the Qur’an.

 

The word “Paradise” is used in the Qur’an not only as a religious term but also in its literal meaning. For example, the paradise in the parable of Prophet Adam is paradise in the literal sense. In other words, Prophet Adam was created in a place with plenty of greenery, plants and trees in this world, but while he was there, he disobeyed Allah’s command and was taken out of there and brought down to the desert. Because, as we learn from the Qur’an, the paradise in the Afterlife is a land of grace and bounty, where there is nothing forbidden or sinful, and that paradise is permanent and eternal:

 

²⁵ They do not hear any inane remarks, nonsense and the things causing them to sin there.

(Al-Waqi’ah/ 25)

 

^27-34And the companions of the right; what are the companions of the right? They will be             among thorne-free lote trees, bananas/acacias lined with fruits, extended shadows, gushing water, many fruits that do not end; deplete and are not forbidden and raised mattresses.

 

³⁵Surely, We created the lote, banana, shadows, gushing water with such a creation. ^36-38Then, We           made them attractive and untouched and at the same level for the companions of the right.  

(Al-Waqi’ah/ 27, 38)

 

^71-73 –Trays and cups of gold will be circulated around those who entered under the guardianship of Allah. And there will be whatever the selves desire and delight the eyes.- And you will abide therein eternally. And this is Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] which you are made to inherit for what you did. There are many fruits for you. You will eat from them”.

(Az-Zukhruf/ 71- 73)

 

^51-57Surely, those who entered under the guardianship of Allah will be in a secure place; within gardens and springs as a bounty from your Rabb. They will sit facing each other and wear garments of thin silk and shining atlas. Thus it is! We will pair them with the large, black-eyed ones/the most ideal types. There they will ask every kind of fruit in secure therein. They will not taste any death other than the first death. And Allah will protect them from the punishment of Jahannah [Hell]. This is what the great salvation is.

(Ad-Dukhan/ 51- 57)

 

However, in the paradise where Prophet Adam and his wife lived, there was both prohibition and Satan [Iblis], the evil and mischievous one. Moreover, this paradise is not eternal. As a matter of fact, Iblis gave the temptation to approach the forbidden tree with the promise of immortality.

 

In the Qur’an, the word paradise is used not only in the verses about our Prophet Adam, but also in other verses.

 

²⁶⁵And the example of those who spend their wealth/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others for the appreciation of Allah and to assure themselves are like the example of a garden in the fertile lands, which receives plenty of rain and yields two fold produce. If not a rain in abundance falls in a garden like this, a drizzle… Allah is the One Who sees best what you do.

(Al-Baqara/265)

 

^17-24Indeed, We will test them as We tested the companions of the farm: When they swore that they would definitely harvest the crops of the farm in the morning. And they made no exception. Then, there came a wind from your Rabb over the farm while they were asleep. And by the morning, the farm became as reaped/harvested. They called one another in the morning: “Go early in the morning if you should harvest!”. Then, they set out, they were whispering among themselves: Do not let any poor come among you!

(Qalam/ 17-24)

 

Returning to our subject, “Paradise of Me’wâ”: It is clear from the verse that “جنّة المأوى Jannah al-Ma’wah,” which means “garden mansion,” is not the paradise promised in the Afterlife but rather a specific geographical point on earth. The word “paradise” is used here in its lexical sense, not as a religious term. The ancient scholars, influenced by narrators, did not have the courage to speak the truth and remained in the shadow of these narrators, who placed “paradise” in this verse as being in the Afterlife, in the levels of heaven, or even next to Allah. The matter can be summarized as follows: The events described in verses Najm 7 to 10 took place near the last sidra tree, next to which was the garden mansion (Jannah al-Ma’wah). Verses 14 and 15 provide the location where this first revelation occurred.

 

The Meccans of that time must have been familiar with the sidra trees in the area, as well as the last sidra tree and the garden mansion next to it. None of them questioned where this place was, nor did they claim that this was an event in which our Prophet ascended to heaven and conversed with Allah or Gabriel. The distorted understanding that our Prophet ascended to the sky is the result of the malicious interpretations of narrators living 90-100 years after our Prophet, likely intended to curry favor with the government of the day.

 

            At that time, the cherry tree was covered by what covered it.

 

In the vast majority of existing translations and commentaries, the preposition “iz” at the beginning of the verse has been omitted and translated with additions and parentheses, reflecting the authors’ beliefs and assumptions. However, this preposition plays a crucial role in the verse, indicating the moment of revelation: “Then that which covered the sidra was covering it.” In verses 14 and 15, Allah Almighty specifies the location of the first revelation, and in verse 16, He states that the revelation occurred “when the one covering the sidra was covering it.”

 

We are not told in detail what covered the sidra tree. Perhaps there were manifestations beyond human comprehension and expression. In such cases, our duty is to avoid speculation and to say, “O Allah, we have no knowledge other than what You have given us.” The claims in various stories that the sidra (cherry tree) was covered with fire, light, gold, silver, jewels, butterflies, bees, angels, etc., that its leaves were like elephant ears, its fruits like cubes, and that the tree was located in the Arsh al-A’la’ in Paradise, are non-Qur’anic, imaginary, and unserious rumors. The only relevant consideration in this matter is the Qur’anic verse explaining how Allah speaks to His servants:

 

⁵¹It is not for a human that Allah should speak to him except by a revelation [Wahy] or behind an object or that He sends a messenger to reveal what He wills by His permission/knowledge. Indeed, He is the most sublime and the One Who exalts, the One Who is the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

(Ash-Shu’ara/ 51)

 

In the light of this verse, it is possible to interpret the phrase “that which covered the sidra tree was covering it” as referring to a veil formed through which Allah spoke or revealed. However, the nature of this veil, which was described as a “tree” and “fire” in the first revelation of Prophet Moses, is not explicitly mentioned in the revelation of Prophet Muhammad. The use of the noun “ma” (which means “thing”) suffices.

When the verses in Surah Al-Najm describing the arrival of the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad are compared with the verses describing the first revelation to Prophet Moses, it becomes evident that the manner in which the first revelations arrived to both prophets is similar:

 

^30-32And when he arrived there, he was called from a tree, from the right side of the valley that was located in that fertile piece of land: “O Moses! Indeed, I am Allah, Rabb of all universes! And bring forward your knowledge! – And when he saw his knowledge which moves like an invisible entity, he ran away. – O Moses! Come closer, do not fear. Indeed, you are of those who are safe. Engage the strength you have in your chest, you will definitely come out perfectly. Draw your wing to yourself from your sleeve. These are two evidences from your Rabb against Pharaoh and his men. Indeed they have become a people who have gone astray from the righteous path”.

(Al-Qasas/ 30 -32)

 

⁹Information about Moses has definitely reached to you.

¹⁰When he saw a fire and said to his family, the people close to him: “Indeed, I have perceived a fire. Wait for me so I may bring you a cinder from it or find a guidance at the fire!”.

¹¹Then, when he came to it, he was called: “Moses! ¹²I, it is I Who is your Rabb. So, leave the people who are close to you and your belongings here, indeed, you are in the purified valley, in Tuwa/a valley cleaned twice. ¹³And I have chosen you; then heed that which will be revealed to you; heed the ¹⁴warning of “Surely, I am Allah Himself. There is no deity except Me. Then worship Me and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] to remember Me. ¹⁵Indeed, that hour/the Qiyamat [Resurrection] will come. I will almost conceal it so that everyone may be recompensed for his work.

(Ta Ha/ 9-15

 

These scenes are recorded in the Bible as follows:

 

“And Moses was herding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush, and he saw, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said: Let me turn now, and let me see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. And when the Lord saw that he turned to see, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said: Moses, Moses! And he said: Here am I. And He said: Do not come near here; take off your sandals from your feet, for the ground on which you stand is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”^[2]

 

The eye did not go astray or transgressed.

 

“The eye did not go astray or transgressed” means that there was no physical or psychological error and that our Prophet perceived everything in a healthy way.

 

            He saw the greatest of the evidences/signs of His Rabb.

According to the wording of the verse, the journey referred to in verse 1 of Surah Al-Isra as a “night march” was made to show our Prophet the signs, and this purpose was fulfilled.

This verse is often translated in many commentaries as, “By Allah, he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord,” or “By Allah, he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.” However, such translations fail to convey the proper meaning of the noun of tafdil “الكبرى al-Kubra” accurately. Our translation, Allah willing, faithfully reflects the structure of the verse.

However, the verse does not specify what the greatest of the signs is. When we look at the Qur’an, we find references to the visions experienced by Rasulullah. In our view, these visions include the rooting out of the group of fools mentioned in Surah Al-Fil and the visions of the conquest of Mecca mentioned in Surah Al-Fath (Fath/27).

Unfortunately, the accounts are filled with completely fabricated stories that should not be trusted in this regard either.

Note: Verses At-Takwir/15-25 are the continuation of this paragraph:

 

^15,23The condition of those who hide, flee for not listening to the Qur’an, concealing the truth-departure of ignorance, arrival of enlightenment-ability to distinguish between good and evil is the evidence that, indeed this is the word of a noble messenger who is held in honor before the powerful, the owner of the greatest throne and obeyed, trusted. ²²Your companion is not one who is supported by secret forces/who is mad. ²³Indeed, he saw that which he saw while he was very sound and right minded. His mind did not deny, his sight did not swerve not did it transgress.

²⁴And he is not withholder concerning the revelations given to him which nobody sees, hears, feels. ²⁵And this is not the word that his thinking ability produced.

 

Verses 19-20:

 

^19,20Despite this, have you ever thought about Lat and Uzza, the third, Manat?

 

In Surah Ikhlâs, our Lord introduced Himself to us and gave us the first lesson on tawheed by declaring the characteristics that a deity should have. In the first eighteen verses of Surah Al-Najm [in a new Najm], a parenthesis was opened to the subject of tawheed, and the claims of the polytheists that “Muhammad is making up the Qur’an, he speaks from his whim, he has gone astray, he has transgressed” were rejected by citing the Qur’anic verses that have been revealed and are being revealed as evidence.

From verse 19 onwards, within the scope of the qualities mentioned in Surah Al-Ikhlas, the subject of knowing God [tawheed] is continued, the beliefs of the polytheists of Mecca are discussed, their understanding of gods and angels are analyzed, and the correct form of belief that should be held is determined.

Verses 19 and 20 implicitly say, “Have you seen your gods, Lat, Uzza, and the third, Menat, while the true Lord is Allah, the Elohad, the Samad, the unborn, the unbegotten, to whom nothing is equal? Have you ever thought about them? Think about them. Can they be gods? How can you associate these simple things with Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Samad, the Unborn, the Unbegotten, the One to whom nothing is like?”

While the structure and meanings of the names Lat, Uzza, and Menat can be explained in great detail, we will not go into encyclopedic detail about these names, all three of which are feminine words. The reason for the feminine form of these names is that the Arabs regarded them as angels and angels as the daughters of Allah.

Lat

 

It was a rock covered with a white embroidered cloth in a building in Taif, with guards and caretakers at the door. The people of Taif [the tribe of the Sakif] believed that al-Lat was the most superior temple after the Ka’bah and boasted of it to tribes other than the Quraysh.

The word “al-Lat” is feminine. The letter “ت T” at the end of the word is a sign of muennes [feminine]. Since the letter “ة t,” which is a muennes suffix, turns into the letter “ه h” as a rule in the waqf [pause] states in the sentence, the letter “ة t” is written as a capital letter “ت T” to avoid reading the word “al-Lat” as “Allah” in the pause states.

            Uzza

 

It was a tree in a building in a place called An-Nahle between Mecca and Taif. It is also said to be a stone. This object, which was revered by the Quraysh tribe, was covered. The fact that the Ka’bah is covered today suggests that this ignorant tradition continues.

 

            Menat

 

It was located between Mecca and Madinah in a place called Mushellel. This was a rock [statue]. The tribes of Huzaa, Aws, and Hazraj respected this rock-statue, started their pilgrimage from it, and prayed for rain in front of it.

The polytheists took oaths in the name of these idols, which they considered sacred, and gave their children names such as ‘Abdullat [servant of Lat], ‘Abduzza [servant of Uzza], and ‘Abdümenat [servant of Menat].

In addition to these, various tribes had their own idols and temples, with their own gatekeepers and caretakers. They sacrificed to them as they sacrificed to the Ka’bah. These three idols are especially mentioned in the verse because they were the gods worshipped by many people in the Hijaz region.

 

 

Verses 21, 22:

 

²¹Is the male for you and for Allah the female? ²²That will be a deficient/unjust division if it is like this.

 

In these verses, the pagans are informed of the error of their beliefs: “You believe that girls are incomplete beings and boys are complete beings. Then how is it that you ascribe what is imperfect to Allah, Who is free from imperfection? You are so foolish that you take stones and earth and simple objects as gods for yourselves, and then you consider yourselves more suited to perfection and you find for yourselves boys whom you consider perfect. However, according to your understanding, should not the perfect be for the perfect and the worthless for the weak and insignificant?”

 

Such false beliefs of the polytheists of that day are explained elsewhere in the Qur’an:

 

³⁹Or, are daughters for Him and sons for you?

(Tur/ 39)

 

⁵⁷And they attribute daughters to Allah. –Purified is Allah from this- And for them are sons that they desire.

⁵⁸And when one of them is given the good tidings of a birth of a daughter, his face becomes dark with anger.

⁵⁹He hides himself from his people because of the ill of the good tiding/news he has been given; should he keep the daughter despite humiliation and scorned or should he bury her into the ground? Be careful! How evil is their judgment/tradition!

⁶²And they attribute to Allah that which they dislike. And their tongues continuously say in vain that the best belongs to them. Indeed, there will be only fire for them and they will be thrown first.

(An-Nahl/ 57-59, 62)

 

Verse 23:

 

²³These are nothing but names which you and your ancestors gave even though Allah did not send down any evidence about them. Surely, they only follow assumption and also that which their selves desire even though the guidance of the righteous path has come to them from their Rabb.

 

“ظنّ Zann” means the opposite of “yakin” (certain knowledge), which is unscientific and whose end and result is unknown. For example, the Arabs call a well “bi’ri zanun” when they do not know whether there is water in it or not.^[3]  The best explanation of the word “zann” is given in verse 32 of Surah Al-Jathiya, where it appears together with its antonym, the word yakin:

 

^31,32And as for those infidels; those who consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb, when it was said, “Were My Ayat not recited to you so you acted arrogantly and became a people who commit sin?” And ‘promise of Allah is definitely the truth; and as for the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection], there is no doubt about it’, you said: ‘We do not know what is the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection]; we are only assuming, we have not obtained a certain knowledge.’

(Al-Jathiya/ 31, 32)

 

The second mistake of the polytheists, after “belief”, was to believe what they wanted to believe, that is, what suited them. This changeable belief, which is different today and different tomorrow, is expressed today by the proverb “If you do not live as you believe, you will start believing as you live”.

 

Therefore, this verse states that the reason why idols are taken as gods is because they are subject to belief and the desires of the souls.

 

The “guidance” in the phrase at the end of the verse, “By Allah, guidance came to them from their Lord” is, in our opinion, “the messages sent down, the Prophets sent, and the common sense” that will save people from conjecture and lead them to the truth.

 

Verse 24:

 

²⁴Or is there for man whatever he misses and dreams?

 

The necessary explanation regarding the phrase “unanswered question” has already been given. The same rule applies here.

 

The root of the word “تمنى temenna” in the original verse is “م m ن n ى y”, and its original meaning is “measuring, adjusting.” The words “امنية ümniyye” and “امانى emâniyye”, which are derived from this root, mean “adjustments, measurements, expectations, or beliefs based on one’s desires in accordance with one’s interests without any documented information.” In short, we can call it “personal delusions.”

 

This meaning of the word is explained in detail by our Lord in Surahs Qalam and Al-Muddaththir:

 

³⁶What is the matter with you! How do you judge? ^37,38Do you have a written document that belongs to you in which you learn, in what it has been guaranteed: “whatever you choose/like in this world, it will definitely be yours”? ³⁹Or do you have covenants/oaths; commitments from Us for you which will last until the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection] stating “Whatever you judge will definitely happen”?

⁴⁰Ask those who deny Akhirat [Afterlife], which of them guarantees something like this? ⁴¹Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners, if they are truthful.

(Qalam/36- 41)

 

¹⁵After all that, he desires ambitiously that I should add even more. ¹⁶Certainly not as he thinks! Indeed, he has been obstinate towards Our Ayat/evidences/signs. ¹⁷I will oblige him to a steep ramp. ^18-25Surely, he thought and planned. –He is ruined. How he planned! He is ruined again. How he planned!- Then he looked. Then he scowled, frowned. Then he turned back and acted arrogantly: “This is nothing but a magic coming as a rumor. This is nothing but the word of a human being ”.

(Al-Muddaththir/15-25)

 

Al-Baqara/78, 111; Al-Nisa/119, 120, 122, 123: Hadith/14 and Hajj/52.

 

This expression in the form of a question implies that no one can believe and live as they please, that life must be organized according to the rules set by Allah, and that there is no other way, and that no one can create rules for their own benefit and justify their own preferences.

 

Verse 25:

 

²⁵Akhirat [Afterlife] and the earth belong to Allah.

 

This verse seems to say, “The world and the Afterlife belong to Allah. These idols have nothing in this world or the Afterlife. So how can they be considered partners to Allah!”

 

 

Verse 26:

 

²⁶There are many angels in the heavens/universe whose help, intercession will not avail at all except when Allah permits for whomever He wills and He is pleased with.

 

Unfortunately, there are still misunderstandings and beliefs about the concepts of “angel” and “intercession” mentioned in the verse. The reason for this is that the meanings of these concepts are not learned from the Qur’an but from stories. First of all, Muslims should never forget the principle of “iyyake na’büdu wa iyyake nestain [We serve You alone and seek help only from You]” stated in Surah Al-Fatiha, and they should not serve certain people or powers or seek help from them. But it is sad to see that some people today seek intercession from thousands of people, dead or alive, including prophets, and from countless objects such as shrines and statues, just as the polytheists of the days when these verses were revealed sought intercession from Lat, Uzza, Manat, and angels. Only the Lat, Uzza, and Manat of those days have changed their names, and today they have been transformed into “His Holiness so and so.”

 

In order to prevent these beliefs, which are very important and have obvious bad consequences, from being abandoned or recurring, we will first try to explain these concepts with the Qur’an, and then we will put forward our thoughts on the explanation of the verse.

 

The Concept of “Angel”

 

Arabic linguists have made six different determinations regarding the origin of the word “ملك angel.” Since it would require pages of explanation to mention all of them here, we have taken into account two of them, which we consider to be the most accurate. For those who wish to study the subject in detail, we can only recommend the following sources: Kitab al-Ayn, Tehzib, Jamī, Kashshaf, Majma’, Garaib, Lubab, Rūh, al-Bahri al-Muhīt, and Mufredat.

 

According to the first view, the word “angel” and its singular “malak” are derived from the root “ؤلوك ulûk,” which means “to send messengers.” The original word “مألك me’lek” is a noun tense, a noun place, and an infinitive. Therefore, the “م m [mim]” at the beginning is an affix. Later, the letters “ا hemze” and “ل lam” were replaced, and the word became “ملئك mel’ek.” When the word began to be used as a noun in the sense of “messenger from Allah,” the hemze was removed through abandonment or tahfif, and the word became “angel.”

 

According to the second view, the “م m [mim]” at the beginning of the word, which is derived from the root “ملك melk,” meaning “power, ruling power,” is not an affix but is part of the original word. The words “Al-Mulk, milk, malik, and malik” are also derived from this root and derive their meanings from it.

The older commentators generally adopted the first view. According to our findings, the word derives from both roots and is used in different meanings depending on the context in which it appears. In other words, the word “angelic” is sometimes used in the sense of the first view and sometimes in the sense of the second view. The sense in which the word is used in the Qur’an can be distinguished from the flow of the passage in which it appears.

In line with the above explanations, the word “angel,” which means “power, ruling power, messenger,” also refers to the will-less beings who obey all of Allah’s commands and never rebel against Him. In accordance with this definition, the concept of “angel,” which is present in all religions, is often envisioned in the mind as an innocent [sinless], beautiful child with wings. This conception, however, is far from expressing the concept of “angel” in general. Nevertheless, this conception has entered the literature as the equivalent of the word “angel,” and as a result, every occurrence of the word “angel” has been understood in this limited way, leading to many false beliefs and assumptions in our religion. For this reason, it has become necessary to analyze the usage of the word “angel” in the Qur’an.

What “angels” were created from is not mentioned in the Qur’an. However, an account in Sahih Muslim and Musnad Ahmad b. Hanbal, two highly regarded sources, claims that angels were created from “light,” i.e., rays/energy.

In the Qur’an, the word “angelic” is used in two verses in the singular, in twelve verses in the singular, and in the plural in the other verses in which it occurs. However, it does not always refer to a single being; it is also used for the verses of the Qur’an and various beings, mental functions, and natural forces. In other words, mental functions such as reason, memory, reflexes, conscience, attention, perception, curiosity, preference, fear, hope, intelligence, and forces in nature such as wind, rain, heat, etc., are also expressed within the scope of this word in the Qur’an.

 

Examples of verses in which the word “angel” is used for mental and natural powers:

 

– Verses where it is used for memory: Az-Zukhruf 80, Infitar 11, Tariq 4, Qaf 17, 18, Al-Kahf 49, Al-Jathiya 28, 29, Isra 13, 14.

 

– Verses where it is used for vigilance [guardian angel]: Infitar 10, Qaf 17, 18, Ar-Ra’d 11, Al-An’am 61.

 

– Verses where it is used for spirituality, sobriety, courage and rheumatic pains: Ali-Imran 123-127, Al-Anfal 9-12, 50, Tawbah 25, 26, Al-Ahzab 9, 26, 56.

 

– Verses used for winds, hurricanes, etc. that cause natural disasters: Qamar 34, Al-A’raf 84, Hud 82, Hijr 8, 73, 74, Ash-Shu’ara 173, Baqara 210.

 

– Verse used for beasts of burden [cattle, mules, donkeys…]: Al-Baqara 248.

 

– The verse where it is used for tyrants and dictators: Ali-Imran: 80.

 

The concept of “intercession”

 

The literal meaning of the word “شفاعة intercession,” which is derived from the root “شفع Şef’ı,” is “to add one thing to another similar thing, to support it, to double and spare something.” Over time, the word has come to mean “a person in a high position helping someone in need, protecting him, interceding for his protection, supporting him, and not leaving him alone.”

 

The broader meaning of the word is “to ask for someone’s forgiveness, to ask someone to do good for someone else, to ask someone to desist from actions that are to their detriment, to beg and plead on behalf of someone else, to pray and supplicate on behalf of someone else, or to pray and supplicate for someone to come to their aid.”

 

In short, intercession means “to intercede, help and lead”.

 

In Arabic, the one who makes a request [intercession] on behalf of another is called “الشّافع al-shafi’i” or “الشّفيع al-shafi’i”.

 

In order to understand the concept of “intercession” correctly, we find it useful to examine the subject under the following headings.

 

There is no intercessor except Allah; intercession belongs only to Allah. The first thing to learn about this issue is that the authority of intercession belongs solely to Allah.

 

⁴⁴Say: “All help, support, intercession belongs to Allah. The dominion of the heavens/universe and the earth belongs only to Him. Then only to Him you will be returned”.

(Az-Zumar/ 44)

 

⁴Allah is the One Who formed the heavens/universe and the earth and all that in between in six steps and established dominion upon the greatest throne.³⁰⁹ There is no familiar who helps, guides, protects nor a supporter, intercessor for you from among those that are inferior to Him. Will you still not reason and take lesson?

(As-Sajdah/ 4)

 

Allah Almighty can grant intercession/help to whomever He wills for His servants with whom He is pleased: No one can intercede for anyone without Allah’s permission and command. And those who will intercede with Allah’s permission can intercede only for His servants with whom Allah is pleased.

 

³Surely, your Rabb is Allah, Who formed the heavens/universe and the earth in six steps and then established His dominion over the greatest throne, arranges the matter. Whoever helps, supports on the earth may only do after His permission/knowledge. This is Allah, your Rabb. So, worship Him! Do you not still think and take lesson?

(Yunus/3)

 

^26-28And they said: “Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created] has taken a child”. Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created] is purified from this. Rather, they are servants to whom bounties have been given. They can not precede Him in words; they only act by His command. He knows what is before and what is after whom they assumed to be the children of Rahman. And they can not aid/support other than those with whom He is pleased. And they shake in awe due to their deep respect and love to Him, fearing to be away from Him.

(Al-Anbiya/ 26-28)

 

The point to be noted in this regard is this: Those with whom Allah is pleased cannot intercede, but they can be interceded for.

 

Allah Almighty may allow the intercessor with a good intercession, just as He may allow the intercessor with a bad intercession:

 

⁸⁵And whoever helps by interceding for good and good cause, there is a share for him from this. And whoever helps by being proof for evil and helping it or opening the path of evil, there is a share of sin from it. Allah is the One Who is competent over everything.

(Nisa/85)

 

Intercession for the good and good means to intercede for and help the good and good, to work for the good and benefit of the believers and to protect them from evil and harm, by believing and respecting the rights of Allah and His servants, and to try to protect them from evil and harm they may suffer. On the other hand, “intercession al-sayyie”, which means to mediate and pioneer evil and harm, means to work for the harm and evil of believers and people and to open the paths of evil. The Qur’an states that those who do both “intercession-good” and “intercession-wrong” will share in the consequences of their actions in this world and in the Afterlife.

 

– There will be no intercession on that Day, and no one will be accepted as an intercessor:

 

⁴⁸And enter under the guardianship of Allah against the day when no individual will avail another individual, no one’s help and intercession will be accepted, no ransom/compensation will be received and no individual will be helped.

(Al-Baqara/48)

 

¹²³Enter under the guardianship of Allah against the day when no one will avail another, no ransom will be accepted from anyone, no help, intercession will benefit anyone and the criminals will not be helped.

(Al-Baqara/ 123)

 

As we have seen, no one will be allowed to intercede in the Afterlife. On that Day, only those whom Allah permits can testify to the truth that they know:

 

⁸⁶And the ones whom they invoke from among those that are inferior to Him are not able to possess to help, support, intercede. Except the One Who testifies to the truth. They also know.

(Az-Zukhruf/ 86)

 

In the light of the above Qur’anic verses, we understand that the “intercession of the angels” mentioned in verse 26 is intercession for this world, and this intercession is incompatible with the beliefs of the polytheists, such as the god of luck, the god of fertility, the god of rain and mercy, or their angelic intercessor, the one who brings people closer to Allah. The intercession mentioned in the verse refers to Allah Almighty activating the angels/powers in nature to help His servants whom He is pleased with and for whom He has ordained help. It is possible to see examples of this in the following verses, some of which were also referenced under the heading “Angelic Concept”: Ali-Imran 123-126, Al-Anfal 9-12, 50, At-Tawbah 25, 26, Al-Ahzab 9, 26, Ash-Shu’ara 5, Az-Zumar 43, 44, Al-Muddaththir 48, Baqara 255, Al-An’am 51, Yunus 3, 18, As-Sajdah 4, Saba 23.

 

It should be noted that the popular understanding of intercession, which is commonly defined as “the intercession of our Prophet for the forgiveness of the sins of the sinners among his ummah,” is contrary to the Qur’an. This understanding, which implies that our Prophet supports sinners and uses his favor to secure their salvation—in other words, “pulling strings in the sight of Allah”—is contrary to the 19th verse of Surah Az-Zumar, which states, “… Can you save those in the Fire?” Those who hold this understanding should know that if they do not change their belief, they will be included in the ummah that our Prophet complained about, not interceded for:

 

³⁰And the messenger will say : “O my Rabb! Surely, my people have taken this Qur’an as an isolated/abandoned thing”.

(Furqan/ 30)

 

Verse 27:

 

²⁷Those who disbelieve in Akhirat [Afterlife] name the angels female names.

 

The Meccan polytheists not only gave feminine names to their gods, which they thought brought them closer to Allah, such as Latat, Uzza and Menat, but also believed that the angels were daughters of Allah. This will be emphasized later in Surah al-Az-Zukhruf:

 

¹⁹And they have made the angels, who are servants of Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created], females. Did they witness their formation? Their testimonies will be written and they will be questioned.

(Az-Zukhruf/19)

 

Another heresy of the polytheists is that even if they do not deny it outright, they do not accept the Afterlife in the context of what the Prophets have revealed, and they say, “There is no such thing as the Afterlife, and even if there is, we have intercessors there, and they will solve our problems”. This heresy of theirs is also mentioned in Surah Fussilat:

 

⁵⁰And if We make him taste a mercy from Us after an adversity which has touched him, he will definitely say: “This is my right. And I do not think that the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection] will come. And if I should be returned to my Rabb, surely there will be the best for me with Him”. This is why We will indeed inform the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb about what they did and We will surely make them taste of a harsh punishment.

(Fussilat/ 50)

 

 

 

Verse 28:

 

²⁸Yet, they do not have any knowledge about this matter. They only follow assumption. And assumption does not avail against the “truth” at all.

 

From this, we understand that apart from the lexical meaning of the word “angel,” there is the understanding of angel that the polytheists invented. That is, there is the angel according to God (Lisan al-Arabiyyah), and there is the understanding of angel invented by the Meccan polytheists, which is based on belief and not knowledge. We can see this distinction in the following verses: Al-An’am 5, 8-9; Hud 13, 31; Furqan 7; Najm 27-28.

 

Allah Almighty also warns the believers about the issue of “presumption” in the following verses:

 

¹⁴⁸Those who associate others with Allah will say: “Had Allah willed, we would not have associated, our ancestors would not have either and we would not have forbidden anything”. Those before them were like this until they tasted Our punishment. Say: “Is there a knowledge with you that you can produce for us? You follow only assumption and you only do nonsense”.

(Al-An’am/ 148)

 

  ⁶⁶Open your eyes! Indeed, whoever is in the heavens/universe and whoever is on the earth belong to Allah. And those who invoke those that are inferior to Allah do not follow those that they take as partner. They only follow assumption and they only lie.      

(Yunus/ 66)

 

¹²O you who have believed! Avoid most of assumption. Surely, some assumption is of that which causes to waste time/delaying the good/being reluctant for the good/harming. Do not investigate the faults of each other. Do not let some of you backbite some other/speak out of place when the other one is absent. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest this. And enter under the guardianship of Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Who accepts repentances most, gives many opportunities to repent, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

(Hujurat/12)

 

³⁶And most of them follow nothing but an assumption. No doubt that assumption does not avail against the “truth” at all. Indeed, Allah knows very well what they do.

(Yunus/ 36)

 

In the light of these verses, we can say that serious matters such as “Allah, the Afterlife, and angels” cannot be concluded with zann (conjecture). One can act on the basis of conjecture, but one cannot establish belief.

The main meaning of the word “الحقّ Haqq” in the verse is “conformity and equivalence.” At the same time, the word “Haqq,” which is an attribute of Allah, has also been used with meanings such as “non-false, fulfilled judgment, justice, fixed existence, truthfulness, reality, Islam, property, share, obligation (wajib), faithful, proper, certain thing.”

If these secondary meanings are gathered around a main axis, the concept of “Haqq” can be defined as follows: “That which is fixed and true to the extent that the mind cannot deny it.” This thing is also “true,” “accurate,” “in accordance with the purpose,” “corresponding to what is desired.”

This homophonic word, which has a wide range of meanings, appears in the Qur’an 227 times as “الحقّ al-Haqq,” 17 times as “حقّا Al-Haqqahn,” and 3 times as “حقّه Al-Haqqahhu,” for a total of 247 occurrences.

The “Haqq” referred to in this verse is, in our opinion, “true faith.” Since one cannot have faith through conjecture, people must progress from “conjecture” to “taqqin” (certain knowledge) with guidance from their Lord. Our Lord’s guidance is nothing but the Qur’an, which He revealed to His prophet, and the common sense He has bestowed upon us. Sadly, many of the beliefs of Muslims today, such as the torment of the grave, the appearance of the Messiah, the descent of Jesus, and the understanding of intercession in the Afterlife, are based on conjecture. Unfortunately, these beliefs are no different from the ones mentioned in the verse.

 

 

Verses 29, 30:

 

Keep your distance from whoever turns away from Our reminder/the Qur’an and desires nothing except simple worldly life. That is what they will reach of the knowledge. Indeed, your Rabb is the One Who knows better than anyone else the one who has gone astray from His path, is the One Who knows better than anyone else who follows the righteous path he is guided.

 

The phrase “who desire nothing but the life of this world” in the verse indicates their denial of the “Hashr” (the gathering in the Afterlife). This is because they do not recognize any value or consequence beyond this worldly life for which they will work and strive. As stated in verse 37 of Surah Al-Mu’minun: “This is but our life of this world …”.

In verse 29, we are instructed not to engage too deeply with those of this mentality. The word “اعراض i’raz” in the verse does not mean to struggle with them or to force them but rather to avoid excessive interaction with them, to neglect them temporarily, or to maintain some distance.

In verse 30, the limited level of knowledge attained by those who turn away from the guidance of the Qur’an is belittled, and Allah distinguishes between those who reject the Qur’an and those who remain on the path of guidance.

 

Verses 31, 32:

 

^31,32Whatever is in heavens/universe and whatever is on the earth belongs to Allah so that He may recompense those who do evil with what they have done, He may reward those who do good; – except for some minor glitches – those who avoid majority of wasting their time/delaying the good/being reluctant for the good/harming and immoralities with “the best”. Indeed, your Rabb is the One Whose forgiveness is vast. He is the One Who knows you best when He formed you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the womb of your mothers. Then, do not claim yourselves to be pure. He knows better who has entered under the guardianship of Allah.

 

In verse 32, the characteristics of those who “act well and think well” mentioned in verse 31 are explained. In order for this explanation to be well understood, the concepts of “sin kebair”, “fawahish” and “lemem” mentioned in the verse should be explained.

 

            Gunah-i Kebair (Cardinal Sins)

 

The cardinal sins have been determined as follows in accordance with the ijtihad based on some stories:

– Killing a man unjustly

– Fornication

– Ascribing evil to a chaste woman

– Fleeing from the front in war, during an offensive

– Performing magic

– Eating orphan’s property

– Rebelling against Muslim parents

– Gaining interest

– Theft

– Becoming an alcoholic, rendering the mind useless

– Not doing what is commanded and abandoning the direction towards the family by doing what is forbidden

– All kinds of small sins that are persistently and continuously committed, even though they are considered small.

– Shirk

 

The “shirk” at the end of the above list is not a sin, but blasphemy. Sins are mistakes that people of faith make. Therefore, it is wrong to include “shirk” among sins.

 

In our opinion, the “great sins” are the crimes to which our Lord has added the adjective “great” in the Qur’an. According to our findings, these crimes are as follows:

 

– Fighting in the Haram months.

 

²¹⁷They ask you about the untouchable month and about battling during that untouchable month. Say: “Battling during that untouchable month is a great sin. And averting from the path of Allah, consciously denying/ignoring Him and Masjid al-Haram/theological education center and expulsion of the people of Masjid al-Haram; those who are educated there and those who attend short-term education is greater in the sight of Allah. And averting people from the religion; driving them to associate others with Allah and concealing the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb is greater than killing”. If they are able, they will never cease to fight you to turn you back from your religion. And whoever from among you turns away from his religion and dies as an infidel; a person who consciously denies the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb, all his good deeds have become vain in the world and in Akhirat [Afterlife]. And they are the companions of the fire. They will abide there eternally.

(Al-Baqara/ 217)

 

The Haram months are the months of Hajj, the months of international theological study, and the months in which war is forbidden according to Arab tradition. If we apply this verse to the present day, taking into account the meanings of “sign”, “indication” and “indication”, we can say that the “great sin” is to make unsafe and obstruct the ways of international education, teaching, scientific exchange and trade.

 

– Consuming orphan’s property

 

²And give to the orphans their wealth. Do not exchange pure for impure. Do not consume their wealth, adding it to yours. Doing this is absolutely a great sin.

(An-Nisa/2)

 

One of the directives of this verse in today’s context is “Do not plunder public property and do not evade taxation”. Because today the guardian and protector of the orphan is the public.

 

– Killing children for fear of sustenance.

 

³¹And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. It is We Who provide for them and for you/It is We Who nurture them and you. Killing them is truly a great sin.

(Isra/ 31)

 

This verse has so far been explained in terms of the Arabs burying their daughters alive and sacrificing their sons to idols. However, neither the burial of girls alive nor the sacrifice of boys to idols were acts motivated by the concern for poverty that the verse emphasizes. Considering the emphasis of this verse on the “concern for poverty”, the “great sin” that this verse refers to today is, in our opinion, late-term abortions under the pretext of poverty and the darkening of the future of boys and girls by depriving them of education and training, again under the pretext of poverty.

 

– Saying “I will do” what one will not do.

 

^2,3O you who have believed! Why do you say that which you will not do? Saying that which you will not do has been determined as a great sin/crime that needs to be punished in the sight of Allah.

(Saff/ 2 – 3)

 

Although the directives in this verse seem to be addressed to those who fled the battle of Uhud, the reason for the verses’ descent, they are addressed to all those who make false promises, those who deceive people who believe and trust them by saying they will do something they will not do, and those who disappoint people by not fulfilling their promises. These types, as will be remembered, were characterized in Surah Nass as “Neffasati fi’l-uqad [those who spit on their contracts].

 

             Fawahish

 

” فواحش Fawahish” is the plural of the word “فحشاء fahsha” which means “ugly deed, disgraceful word or behavior, exceeding the limit of what should be, excessive in speech and response”.

 

The words “fuhsh”, “fahsha” and “prostitute” are defined by Ragib al-Isfahani in “al-Mufredat” as “extremely ugly words and deeds”.^[4]

 

According to Ibn al-Jinni, the word “fahise”, which means “anything that does not conform to reality and normal standards”, is a type of ignorance and the opposite of the word “knowledge” (Ibn Menzur, Lisan al-Arab). The word “fahise”, which is described as “evil deed” in verse 135 of Surah Ali-Imran, occurs in thirteen places in the Qur’an and its plural “fawahish” occurs in four places. The word “Fahsha” is used in the Qur’an for “more than one excess”:

 

– It is used in verse 19 of Surah al-Nisa as an allusion to adultery. According to Imam Fakhr al-Dīn Razi, the word “prostitute” in this verse means that a woman torments her husband and his relatives.^[5]

 

– In verses 22 of Surah al-Nisa and 169 of Surah al-Baqara, it is used in the sense of bad behavior and immorality that Satan commands:

 

²²And do not marry those women whom your fathers were married. However, that which happened has passed. Indeed, this is a despicable immorality and a impudicity hated. How an evil way it was!

(Nisa/ 22)

 

– It is used in verse 25 of Surah al-Nisa in the sense of committing adultery after marriage.

 

²⁵And whoever among you is not capable of the wealth to marry free believing women, then for him is to marry your believing young girls/servants who have been given under your protection in accordance with the laws. And Allah knows your faith better. Some of you are from some other. Then, marry those women who do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse, have no secret lovers, who have been given under your protection in accordance with the laws³⁶⁷ by permission/knowledge of their relatives and give them their mehir [life insurance, honor wealth]³⁶⁸ in a way that is acceptable for all. If they commit immorality/unlawful sexual intercourse after they have married, then for them is half of the punishment of free women. –this is for those of you who fear committing sins.- It is better for you to have patience. And Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

(Nisa/ 25)

 

– In verse 28 of Surah Al-A’raf, it is used in the sense of circumambulating the Ka’ba naked and committing polytheism.

 

– In verses 80, 81 of Surah Al-A’raf and 28 of Surah Ankebut, it is used in the sense of the ugly act [homosexuality] committed by the people of Lot.

 

^80,81Surely, We sent Lot as a messenger as well. Then he said his people: “Do you commit such immorality that no people/community did before you? Truly and certainly you approach with lust to men who are inferior to women in terms of sexuality instead of women. Surely you are a transgressing people”.

(Al-A’raf/ 80, 81)

 

– In verse 32 of Surah Isra, the act of adultery is described as “prostitution”.

 

³²And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse/keep away from the ways that may lead you to unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is an immorality and an evil path.

(Isra/ 32)

 

– In verse 19 of Surah al-Nur, it is used in the sense of evil and immorality spreading among people.

 

¹⁹Surely, as for those who like it when transgression, immorality spread among the believers; a painful punishment will be for them in the world and in Akhirat [Afterlife]. And Allah knows but you do not know.

(An-Nur/ 19)

 

The word “fawahish”, which is the plural of “fahise”, is used in the Qur’an to refer to those who are subject to the punishment of hadd [severe punishment] (Al-An’am 151, Al-A’raf 33, Ash-Shu’ara 37, Najm 32) Believers should avoid these crimes and not allow these vices to spread among themselves. Their enemies are working insidiously in this regard.

 

            Lemam

 

The word “اللمم lemam”, which occurs only once in the Qur’an and only in Surah Al-Najm, is derived from the verb “lemme”. The verb “lamme” means “to collect, to accumulate, to do something without persistence and continuity, and to correct.” For example, fixing unkempt hair is expressed by the verb “lamma.” The word “الم elamma”, which comes from the same root, means “a small amount, a mild effect, and standing next to something for a small amount of time.”

 

Therefore, the word “lemam” means that a person does not persistently commit a prohibited act but may approach it, and if they do it, they only do so minimally or unintentionally before turning back.

 

The meaning of the word as it relates to our subject is to come close to doing what Allah has forbidden, to be near sinful deeds but refrain from committing them, or to commit them briefly and then repent. The behaviors encompassed by this word are those that do not rise to the level of “kebair” (major sins) or “fawahish” (shameful deeds) and are generally minor faults committed against oneself. Our Lord has described those who limit themselves to such minor faults as “those who act well and think well” and has praised them.

 

Verse 32 of Surah Al-Najm emphasizes that our Lord’s forgiveness is extensive. It is noteworthy that this verse marks the first instance where believers and their faults are mentioned. The messages conveyed in these verses will be elaborated upon in subsequent surahs. For now, we will limit ourselves to citing just a few relevant verses here:

 

⁵³Say. “O servants who have transgressed against themselves!²⁵⁰ Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is very forgiving, very merciful.

(Az-Zumar/ 53)

 

¹⁶If two males from among you commit sexual abominations, then rehabilitate both of them right away. If they repent and correct themselves, then keep your distance from them. Indeed, Allah is the One Who accepts the repentances most, gives many opportunities to repent, shows great mercy.

¹⁷Repentance which is accepted by Allah is only of those who commit evil deeds in ignorance and then repent right away. Those are the ones whose repentance Allah accepts. Allah is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker.

¹⁸And repentance is not for those who do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them and he says: “I have truly repented now”, and those who die as infidels; those who die as the ones who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. They are the ones for whom We have prepared a painful punishment.

(Nisa/ 16-18)

 

³¹If you avoid the majors of that which you are forbidden, We will remove your evil deeds from you. And We will admit you into the noble entrance.

(Nisa/ 31)

 

⁴⁸Surely, Allah does never forgive association with Him. He forgives the sins less than this for whom He wills. Whoever associates others with Allah, has surely committed a tremendous wasting time/delaying the good/being reluctant for the good/harming. 

(Nisa/48)

 

¹¹⁶No doubt that Allah does not forgive those who associate others with Him. And He may forgive whichever He wills from among those lesser than that. Whoever associates partners with Allah has certainly gone far astray.          

(Nisa/ 116)

^133-135And hasten to forgiveness from your Rabb and Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] that is as wide as the heavens/universe and the earth, which is prepared for those who spend for the cause of Allah in prosperity and hardship, restrain their anger, pardon the people, remember Allah and ask forgiveness right away because of their sins when they treat themselves unjustly or commit an immorality, -and who is it who forgives sins other than Allah?-, do not persist intentionally in that evil which they do, have entered under the guardianship of Allah. And Allah likes those who do good deeds.

¹³⁶Recompense of these is forgiveness from their Rabb and gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally. How excellent is the recompense/reward of those who do!

(Ali-Imran/133-136)

 

Allah Almighty sometimes gives His servants calamities and mischief as a warning:

 

^20,21And as for those who go astray from the righteous path; their final destination will be the Fire. Every time they wish to come out, they will be returned to it and it will be said to them: “Taste the punishment of the Fire that you used to deny”. No doubt, We will make them taste a portion of the great punishment, the closest punishment so perhaps they may return.

(As-Sajdah/ 20, 21)

 

⁴¹Corruption has emerged on the land and at the sea because of that which they have earned with their hands to make them taste some of which they have done so that perhaps the people will return.

(Ar-Rum/ 41)

 

⁴⁷Indeed, there is a punishment which is lesser than this for those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah, but most of them do not know.

(Tur/47)

 

Three other examples are verses 186 in Surah al-A’raf, 40 in Surah Ankebut and 48 in Surah Az-Zukhruf.

 

Conclusion In the light of the above information and verses, it can be said that our Lord will forgive those faults that do not rise to the level of “kebair” and “fawahish” and that harm only oneself, but He will not forgive those offenses that rise to the level of “kebair” and “fawahish” and that one commits with arrogance and audacity in spite of Allah.

 

Verses 33, 34:

 

³³So, have you seen/ever thought about the one who turned away? ³⁴He gave a little and withheld stubbornly.

 

The preposition “ف fe” at the beginning of the verse, which means “okay,” requires the existence of a preceding sentence upon which it relies. In our opinion, the sentence that this preposition refers to is verse 29. This is because the world-loving personality highlighted by the phrase, “Turn away from the one who turns away from Our remembrance [of the Qur’an] and desires nothing but the life of this world,” serves as a concrete example of the personality described in verses 33 and 34.

The narrated sources agree that the personality profile described in verses 33 and 34 belongs to a specific individual. However, they disagree on whether this person was Walid b. Mughīra or our Prophet’s son-in-law, Caliph Uthman.

According to sources claiming it was Walid b. Mughīra, the previously hard and stone-hearted Walid was softened by the message of the Qur’an and began to spend a little of his wealth on social causes. However, when he was on the verge of embracing faith, he was dissuaded by the words of his companions, who said things like, “Don’t leave the religion of your ancestors,” and, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you; we will support you,” or, “We are your guarantors; we will bear your sins in the Afterlife.” As a result, Walid reverted to his ruthless and unrepentant ways.

On the other hand, some sources, such as Zamakhshari’s Kashshaf, claim that the verse refers to ‘Uthman. According to this view, ‘Uthman, who was known for his wealth and generous contributions to social causes, was warned by his half-brother, ‘Abdullah b. Sa’d b. Abi Serh, that his wealth was nearing depletion. Under pressure to reduce his aid, ‘Uthman initially resisted, saying he had sins and hoped Allah would forgive him for his generosity. However, Abi Serh reportedly told ‘Uthman, “I will bear your sins if you give me your camel along with your wealth.” The story goes that ‘Uthman agreed to this and subsequently ceased his social assistance. Those who hold this view argue that later commentators, unwilling to tolerate criticism of a Companion, dismissed this account as slander.

 

Verse 35:

 

³⁵Is the knowledge of the past and the future with him, so he sees it?

 

This verse employs the rhetorical device of istifham-ı inkari (rhetorical questioning for negation). It challenges the absurdity of such beliefs: “How can a worldly man, who thinks he can shift his sins onto others, who believes in intercession by others for his own salvation, fall for such nonsense? Or does he possess some hidden knowledge about the Afterlife that others lack? Of course not—there is no such thing.”

 

 

Verses 36 – 49:

 

³⁶Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses? ³⁷And of the scriptures of loyal Abraham; “³⁸The truth is, no sinner bears the sin of another sinner. ³⁹The truth is, there is nothing for man except what he strives for. ⁴⁰And his striving will soon be seen. ⁴¹Then his recompense will be given to him in full. ⁴²No doubt that final destination is only to your Rabb. ⁴³No doubt that He is the One Who makes laugh and weep… ⁴⁴No doubt that He is the One Who takes life and gives life… ^45,46No doubt that when Allah puts creation in plan, it is He Who forms the two mates; male and female from a drop of semen/sperm. ⁴⁷No doubt that other creation is only His work. ⁴⁸No doubt that He is the One Who grants prosperity and gives blessings in abundance. ⁴⁹No doubt that He is Rabb of knowledge, conscience.”

 

It will be recalled that the phrase “in the scriptures of Abraham and Moses” also appeared in Surah Al-A’la, though no details were provided there about the content of these scriptures. The above verses, however, elaborate on the messages of Prophets Abraham and Moses. These explanations reveal that the divine messages contain consistent principles, demonstrating that the truths revealed to Prophets Abraham and Moses are identical to those in the Qur’an. In essence, the principles of the True Religion are unified and timeless.

An example of this unity of principle is the similarity between the Qur’anic statement, “No one bears the burden of another’s sin,” and the following passage from the Bible, despite its textual corruption:

“Fathers shall not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their fathers. Everyone will be put to death for his own sin.” ^[6]

Verse 36: The phrase “الم ينبّأ elem yunabba” at the beginning of verse 36 is a linguistic expression reserved for significant and serious matters. The word “نباء naba” in the phrase means “news of great importance or benefit.” Such news establishes “certain knowledge” or “presumptive knowledge.” The term “naba” refers to “trustworthy news” delivered by a “reliable informant.” In this context, mutawatir news refers to information conveyed by such a large group of people that they could not unanimously agree on a lie. Muhbir al-Sadiq (the truthful informant) refers to someone whose news is unquestionably true—specifically, Allah. In contrast, news from individuals does not fall under this definition.

In the verse, Prophet Moses is mentioned before Prophet Abraham because he was temporally closer to the audience. In Surah Al-A’la, Prophet Abraham is mentioned first to align with the flow of the sentence.

“No sinner bears the sin of another sinner,” shows us that responsibility is personal. This verse and verses 164 of Surah Al-An’am, 15 of Surah al-Isra, 18 of Surah al-Fatir and 7 of Surah al-Az-Zumar are a rejection of the disbelievers’ absurd beliefs about the Afterlife as described in verse 12 of Surah al-Ankabut, and a serious warning to mankind.

 

¹²And the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb said to the believers: “Follow our path, and we will definitely carry your mistakes/sins”. But, they are not to carry anything from their mistakes/sins no matter what happens. They surely are liars.

(Ankabut/ 12)

 

Verses 39 – 41: “Verily, there is nothing for man but what he strives and toils. And his labor and toil will soon be seen. Then his recompense will be given to him in full.” These verses offer a timeless solution to societal and economic problems. Notably, this principle was also revealed during the time of Prophets Abraham and Moses, making it a universal prescription for all humanity. The central tenet of this solution is “labor,” a concept undervalued in capitalism but foundational in systems like socialism and communism. However, rather than adopting flawed economic systems, we must analyze their shortcomings in light of these verses and work toward building a just global society without oppression or exploitation, based on this divine principle.

 

In verse 42, the word “منتهى muntaha” [the final arrival in time and space] is echoed here, as it was in verse 8 of Surah Al-Alaq. In both instances, Allah’s role as “Rabb” [Lord, Cherisher, Sustainer] is emphasized, underscoring that everything unfolds and concludes according to His divine plan. The proverb “the furrier’s shop is where the fox turns” aptly conveys that no one can escape this divine design or reach an alternative end.

 

Verses 45 and 46 expand on the concept mentioned in Surah Al-Lail regarding the creation of male and female. It was explained there that sex is determined by the chromosome contributed by the father during fertilization. This notion is supported by modern science, which recognizes that the father’s sperm determines the offspring’s sex. The Qur’an uses the term “thing” to describe this process, illustrating the divine precision behind creation. A related explanation can be found in verses 18–20 of Surah Abasa.

 

            Nutfe

 

The word “النّطفة nutfe” refers to a small amount of liquid. In Arabic, it describes the tiny droplets of water left at the bottom of a container. Thus, in this context, “nutfe” signifies a small portion of semen. This conveys that fertilization occurs with a minute amount of semen—specifically, a single or a few cells out of millions.

 

“منى meni” refers to the reproductive secretion produced by the testes, prostate gland, and seminal vesicles. In Arabic, “meni” literally means “that which belongs to providence.” It derives from the root “meny,” which means “to measure, determine, or decree.” The term reflects the divinely ordained nature of human creation. Just as death is decreed by Allah and called “meni” due to its measured timing, so too is the semen, which plays a role in the divine act of creation, referred to as “meni.”

 

It is essential to distinguish between “nutfe” and “meni.” While “meni” is the fluid that nourishes and transports the “nutfe” to the womb, the “nutfe” refers to the sperm cell itself, which is responsible for fertilization. Misinterpreting these terms as interchangeable is inaccurate. For a more detailed understanding of “nutfe” and its biological intricacies, scientific texts on reproduction offer valuable insights.

 

            Tumna

 

This word is a derivative of the verb “منى mana” which means “to ordain” or “to decree,” and it carries the same connotation. Therefore, the phrase “اذا تمنى iza tumna” should be understood as “when it is ordained.” Translations like “when it is expelled” or “when it is poured into the womb” are incorrect. This is because fertilization and creation do not occur with every ejaculation of semen. The translation “when it is decreed” implies that fertilization and creation occur when Allah has willed it. This interpretation is reinforced in verse 19 of Surah Abasa, where the phrase “فقدّره feqadderehu” [He ordained it] is used in place of “tumna.” This meaning should also apply to verses like Surah Al-Qiyamah (75:37) and Surah Al-Waqi’ah (56:57–59), where derivatives of “mana” appear.

 

The “other creation” mentioned in verse 47 refers not only to the re-creation for the Afterlife, but also to the stages of creation after the nutfah described in verse 14 of Surah al-Buminun: “… We created from the nutmah a Al-Alaq, and made from the Al-Alaq a piece of flesh, and from that piece of flesh We created bones; then We clothed those bones with flesh; then We formed from it another being” (Al-Mu’minun /14).

 

The verb “أقنى egnâ” at the end of verse 48 has multiple interpretations within Arabic linguistics. This provides the following possible meanings for the verse, which we have translated as “Surely, He is the giver of wealth and the bestower of blessings”:

 

– He is He who gives wealth and He is He who takes it away.

– It is He who gives wealth and He is He who preserves it.

– He it is Who gives wealth, and He it is Who makes richer.

 

In verse 49, the word “الشّعرى al-Shi’ra” has been traditionally interpreted in classical commentaries as “the star of Shi’ra.” According to these interpretations, this star—believed to bring good fortune—represents a false belief attributed to Abu Jabshah, a member of the ancient Huzaa tribe. Since the verses from 19 onward focus on shirk (associating partners with Allah) and pure monotheism, earlier commentators assumed “Shi’ra” referred to this star, worshipped as part of a superstition.

 

However, this interpretation does not seem appropriate. The passage beginning with verse 36 refers to the revelations given to Prophets Abraham and Moses. Since the tribe of Huzaa did not exist during their times, the verse cannot logically reference the false beliefs of this tribe.

 

The word “shi’ra” originates from the root “شعر sha’ara” which means “to perceive” or “to be conscious,” and it has derivatives such as “poetry (shi’r),” “custom (shi’ar),” and “awareness (sha’ar).” Its primary meaning is “knowledge and consciousness.”

 

In our understanding, “shi’ra” in verse 49 is used in the sense of “knowledge and consciousness.” Accordingly, the verse means: “He is the Lord of knowledge and consciousness,” highlighting that both scientific understanding and human awareness unfold and develop according to Allah’s divine plan and providence.

 

 

Verses 50-54:

 

⁵⁰No doubt that your Rabb manipulated, destroyed the Ad that came before. ⁵¹And Thamud as well. So, He left nothing. ⁵²And before that, the people of Noah. Certainly they, yes they, were the ones who did more wrong and were more transgressing than others by accepting that Allah has partners. ⁵³And the overturned cities, it is He Who overthrew them. ⁵⁴So covered there which covered.

 

In these verses, the destruction of ancient tribes is referenced. Tribes such as Noah’s people and the “mu’tafique” (the upturned place) are added to Ad and Thamud, whose destruction was previously mentioned in Surah Al-Fajr. The brevity with which these events are mentioned indicates that the Arabs of the time were already familiar with these stories. It is likely that they acquired this knowledge from the People of the Book, as similar accounts of these tribes are found in the Bible.

 

To understand why the tribes of Ad and Thamud are cited again as examples and to grasp the parallels between their beliefs and those of the Meccans, it is beneficial to revisit the explanations provided in Surah Al-Fajr regarding these tribes.

 

In conclusion, verses 36–54 highlight that humanity will eventually uncover the knowledge contained in the scriptures of Prophets Abraham and Moses, which are now buried or forgotten. Indeed, the recovered and analyzed Sumerian inscriptions reveal striking parallels with the information in the Qur’an.

 

 

Verse 55:

 

⁵⁵Then, which of what your Rabb is capable of; His unique power, unequalled blessings you dispute about?

 

The address is to each one individually. That is, “How can you think otherwise when Allah is this [the giver of wealth and blessing]!”

 

Verse 56:

 

⁵⁶What is explained in the Qur’an is a warner like the former warners.

 

The demonstrative pronoun “هذا bu” in the verse refers to the “revealed principles [the verses that came down in parts]”, our Prophet, or both.

 

Verses 57, 58:

 

⁵⁷What is to approach; the Qiyamat [Resurrection], the death has approached. ⁵⁸There is no one from among those that are inferior to Allah to remove/prevent it.

 

By “approaching” here is meant death and judgment. That is, “Death has come, but you are still at play. You cannot resist it [death and doomsday]. You are not as strong as Allah …”

 

Verse 59:

 

⁵⁹So, now, at this word do you wonder?

 

That is, “Are you astonished and bewildered by these explanations or by the Qur’ân?”

 

Verse 60:

 

⁶⁰And you laugh, you do not weep.

 

This verse expresses a human condition that happens many times in life. In Turkish, the expression “laughing at a situation to be lamented” is used for those moments when a person is so unconscious and callous that he is not aware of the pitiful and unpleasant situation he is in at that moment.

 

Verse 61:

 

⁶¹And you are the ones who do not use their reason properly.

 

This verse can be translated in the following ways according to the Arabic usage of the word “سامدون sâmidun”:

 

And you are careless!

And you are those who are amused!

And you are the absent-minded!

And you are the bewildered!

And you are the obstinate!

And you are the arrogant!

 

This Surah was recited from beginning to end in the Kaaba as a public proclamation. The different Arab tribes around the Ka’bah also understood this verse according to their own understanding of the meaning we have explained above.

Verse 62:

 

• ⁶²Then, submit to Allah and worship

 

“Since this is so, Muhammad does not speak out of his whim, but what he speaks is revelation, and you have recognized Allah in His truth… Come on then… Leave entertainment, stubbornness, and foolishness and prostrate yourselves…”

            As-Sajdahh

 

The first appearance of the word “prostration” (sajdah), which means surrender and submission, refers to “the bending of a camel’s neck to allow its owner to mount it” or “the bending of palm branches laden with fruit to allow the owner to pick them.” Over time, the word came to signify “the bowing of subjects to relief images on coins issued by kings.”

All this indicates that the term prostration signifies “the conscious submission of one being to another, acknowledging the other’s superior power and authority, without exceeding their bounds.” This is also the meaning behind “the angels prostrating themselves to Adam” as narrated in the Qur’an. In this context, the angels [forces of nature] submitted to Adam [the knowledgeable one], who was stronger than them.

As we can see, the word prostration does not simply mean “falling down.” In Arabic, the act of “falling down” is expressed by the word harur. In some verses, this is rendered as harrû sajjadan, which means “they fell down in prostration [submission].”

 

The verses in which the expression “fell down in submission” appears are as follows:

 

 

 ¹⁰⁰And he exalted his father and mother upon a high throne. And all of them submitted to him. And Joseph said: “My father! This is the interpretation of what I saw. Indeed my Rabb has made it true. My Rabb certainly did favor to me by getting me out of prison and bringing you  through the desert after satan sown enmity between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who gives bounties to whatever He wills. Indeed He is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker”.

(Yusuf/ 100)

 

⁵⁸So those were the prophets whom We guided and chose from the descendants of Adam, from those We carried with Noah, from the lineage of Abraham and Israel; those who were prophets to whom Allah bestowed blessings. When the Ayat of Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy           on the earth to all living beings that He created] were recited to them, they fell in prostration, weeping, submitting .

(Maryam/58)

 

¹⁵Only those who fall in prostration, submitting when they are reminded and those who purify from deficiencies with the praise of their Rabb and who do not act arrogantly believe in Our Ayat.

(As-Sajdah/ 15)

 

^107,108Say: “Whether you believe in the Qur’an or you do not; those who were given knowledge before; when the Qur’an is recited, they fall in prostration, submitting. And they say: “Purified is our Rabb from all deficiencies. And the promise of our Rabb will certainly be fulfilled”.

¹⁰⁹And they fall upon their chins, crying. And the Qur’an increases their respect and humility.

(Isra/ 107-109)

 

And there is also falling down out of fear, which is not prostration:

 

¹⁴³When Moses arrived to the place on the time We had assigned and his Rabb spoke to him. Moses said: “O my Rabb! Show me Yourself so I can look at You!”. And his Rabb said to him: “You can never see me but look at that mountain, if it should remain in its place then you will see Me”. Then when his Rabb manifested Himself to the mountain, it scrambled and then Moses fell unconscious. When he recovered his consciousness, he said: “I purify You, I have turned to You; I have repented and I am the first of the believers”.

(Al-A’raf/ 143)

 

Once the true meaning of the word “As-Sajdahh” is clarified in this way, it becomes even easier to understand the words “As-Sajdahh” in the Qur’an correctly.

 

For example, the words “prostration” in the following verses mean “consciously submitting to another person – because he is powerful – and submitting to him”:

 

⁴When Joseph said to his father: “O my father! Indeed I have seen eleven stars, the sun and the moon; I have seen them submitting to me”

(Yusuf/4)

 

¹⁰⁰And he exalted his father and mother upon a high throne. And all of them submitted to him. And Joseph said: “My father! This is the interpretation of what I saw. Indeed my Rabb has made it true. My Rabb certainly did favor to me by getting me out of prison and bringing you through the desert after satan sown enmity between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who gives bounties to whatever He wills. Indeed He is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker”.

(Yusuf/ 100)

 

The fact that his father and brothers prostrated themselves to Yusuf means that they submitted to him, that they gave their life order to his control and did not go beyond his authority.

 

¹⁶¹They were once told: “Dwell in that city and eat whatever you will from therein and say “Hitta” [forgive our sins]! and enter through the door as submitted. We will forgive your sins and increase to the doers of good”.

(Al-A’raf/ 161)

 

Prostration here does not mean bowing down at the gate of the city, but submission to the authority of that city. The same subject is also mentioned in al-Baqara 58 and al-Nisaa 154.

 

In addition to conscious prostration, there is also a type of prostration in the Qur’an called teshirî [involuntary] prostration, which expresses submission and submission in the sense that other beings other than human beings act in the way they are coded by Allah and fulfill their functions necessarily.

 

¹⁵And those who are in the heavens/universe and on the earth and their shadows submit only to Allah willingly or unwillingly.

(Ar-Ra’d/15)

 

^49,50And living creatures and the forces of nature that are in the heavens/universe and on the earth submit to Allah without arrogance. They fear their Rabb Who is superior to them and do that which they are commanded.

(An-Nahl/ 49, 50)

 

 

¹⁸Have you not seen/thought about that whoever is in the heavens/universe and on the earth, the sun, the moon, stars, mountains, trees, moving creatures and many of the people submit to Allah? And many of them are the ones upon whom the punishment has been justified. And whomever Allah humiliates; there is none to exalt him. Surely, Allah does what He wills.

(Hajj/18)

Ibadet

 

We will not dwell at length on the concept of “ibadet” as it has already been explained. For a brief reminder, the following is sufficient:

 

The word “العبادة ibadet” is an infinitive and in the dictionary it means “to serve, to be a slave, to surrender unconditionally and unconditionally, to obey and submit”.

 

As a religious term, it means “the unconditional acceptance and fulfillment of the duties given by the owner/creator to the owner/creator”.

 

It should be noted that worship is a concept that covers all the duties mentioned in the Qur’an. For this reason, worship, in its popularized sense, does not consist only of a few acts such as fasting, salat, salaat, hajj, and zakat. For example, just as reading the Qur’an with understanding is an act of worship, so is enjoining good and forbidding evil.

 

In conclusion, the clear message of this verse is this: “If you use your intellect according to the information and evidence, you will see the truth. See the truth and surrender, submit, submit, fulfill the duties assigned to you.”

 

Allah is the one who knows best

^[1]    (Lisan al Arab, article “ncm” )

^[2]    Exodus, 3rd Bab, sentences 1-6

^[3]    (Lisan al Arab, article “znn” )

^[4]    (Mufredat; article Fahsha)

^[5]    (Razi; al-Mefatih al-Ghayb)

^[6]    Deuteronomy 24:16