PIECEMEAL ANALYSIS OF THE PASSAGE
Who are
the Ulul Albaab?
The passage we are trying to explain
deals with the subject matter of iman in reference to a particular type of human individuals viz, the ulul albaab. Naturally, the question arises as to
what is meant by ulul albaab? In Arabic, albaab is the plural of lubb which means “core”, “essence”, and “innermost”. This means that
the real essence of something is called its lubb. The lubb of the human being is consciousness, intellect, and intelligence.
For this reason the philosophers have defined man as an “intelligent and
rational being” (Haiwan-e-aqil), pointing to the fact that the essence of man
is his intellect and reasoning capacity. Ulul albaab, therefore, are the people of deep reflection and
contemplation who follow their intellect and not their vain desires or the
carnal promptings of their baser self.
A golden rule of Qur'anic comprehension
is that one part of the Qur’an is supported or explained by other parts.
Inspecting the Qur’an, we find a similar discourse in ayah 164 of surah Al-Baqarah:
“Behold! In the creation of the
heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing
of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah
sends down from the skies and the life which He gives therewith to an earth
that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in
the change of the winds and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between
the sky and the earth; (here) indeed are signs for a people that are wise
(qaumun ya`qiloon).”
[al-Qur’an
2:164]
Note that the above ayah ends with the term “qaumun ya`qiloon” (the people of intelligence), whereas
the passage of surah Al-e-`Imran under discussion used the term ulul albaab. Consequently, qaumun ya`qiloon and ulul albab are one and the same; that is, they
are the people of intellect, deep thought and reasoning whose vision of reality
has not been beclouded by prejudices and pursuit of purely carnal desires.
One should keep in mind that the vast
majority of mankind does not comprise of people who utilize their intellect and
reasoning faculty. It would not be too far fetched to term such people as “two legged
animals”. They follow their society’s conventional trends and simply mimic the
behavior of those around them. They swim in the direction of the social current
and tide of their time and only change their direction as the current changes.
They never question as to who they are, where have they come from or where they
are going?
Contrary to such a character, there
always exists, in each society, a minority group who is never satisfied with
the practices and beliefs prevalent in their society. They demand rational
arguments and logical proofs for the validity of all beliefs and practices.
They want to discover for themselves the realities of life via their own
intellect and reasoning. This group comprises a society’s intelligentsia (the
intellectual elite or the brain trust). These are the people whom the Qur’an
calls qaumun ya`qiloon or ulul albaab. When these people study the universal, natural phenomena, they
find them laden with the signs of the Creator-Lord (SWT) – His Creativity,
Wisdom and Power. Hence, the universal, natural phenomena lead them to the
gnosis of Allah (SWT).
Meaning of “ayah”
Both quoted passages (of Al-Baqarah and
Al-e-`Imran) use the word “ayaat”. What exactly is meant by this term? ayaat is plural of ayah which literally means: “sign”,
“signpost”, and “memento.” An ayah then is something that reminds you of something else. For
example, a handkerchief of an old friend, whom you have forgotten, may serve as
a memento to remind you of him. This implies that the memory of the friend had
always been in your subconscious mind; the memento simply helped to activate it
and bring it to the plain of your consciousness. In this way, the objective of
an ayah is thus identified – to remind one of a forgotten truth or
reality. From the Qur'anic perspective, the two universes – the outer universe
of nature and the inner universe of the self – are replete with the signs (ayaat) that serve as mementos and reminders
of the Creator (SWT). Qur'an distinctly points to this reality:
“Soon shall We show them Our signs
in the universe and within themselves, until it becomes clear to them that this
Qur'an is indeed the truth.”
[al-Qur'an
41:53]
The creativity in the universe should
remind the thoughtful person of the Creator who created the universe. The
artistry of the universe should point to the Artist who painted the universe.
The unity of laws and regulations working in all constituents of the universe,
both at microcosmic and macrocosmic levels, should indicate the Ultimate Unity
responsible for the presence of such laws. The presence of moral law within
should direct one’s attention towards the moral being who embedded these laws
deep within the human psyche. In this manner, everything in the universe is an ayah (sign) of the Creator’s existence (SWT).
To be continued....
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