Need to locate ‘system of meaning’
In order to correctly interpret the meaning of mutashabihat verses, learned servants of Allah Most High must employ a methodology which recognizes the ‘totality’ of the Qur’anic guidance on any subject to be from Allah Most High. And it is precisely for this reason that they declare in the above verse, “the whole (of the Book, or the whole of the divine guidance on a particular subject) is from our Lord-God”. As a consequence, understanding of the ‘part’ would be possible only when they have a grasp of the ‘whole’ (i.e. both muhkamat and mutashabihat).
Indeed the Qur’an has itself delivered a subtle warning of the danger inherent in the use of a deficient methodology of focusing attention on a single stand-alone verse of the Holy Book or a single stand-alone Hadith and deriving there-from conclusion concerning meaning. It has done so in the passage which describes the Divine announcement to the angels that a Khalifah (i.e. viceregent or a person who acts in the place of a ruler, governor, or sovereign) would be placed on earth (Qur’an, al-Baqarah, 2:30). The Qur’an then informed us that Allah Most High ordered the angels to prostrate before Adam (‘alaihi al-Salam) “and they (all) did so, illa Iblis”. Here is the verse with Muhammad Asad’s translation:
And when We told the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam!" – they all prostrated themselves, save Iblis, who refused and gloried in his arrogance: and thus he became one of those who deny the truth. (Qur’an, al-Baqarah, 2:34)
There is great wisdom indeed in the Divine choice of words and subtle construction of this sentence informing of that command to the angels to prostrate before Adam (‘alaihi al-Salam) fa sajadu illa Iblis.
The Arabic word illa has many different meanings such as, “unless”, “except”, “save”, “only”, “not until”, "certainly not," "but," "but ... not," "on the other hand ...did not...," a conditional "if not," etc. A deficient methodology which focuses on the study of a single stand-alone Qur’anic verse in isolation and without reference to a system of meaning (or in other similar cases to a single Hadith) can lead in this case to illa being understood as ‘exception’, and hence to the conclusion that at the time of the command Iblis was an angel. His refusal to obey the command led to him becoming a fallen angel. There is absolutely nothing in the stand-alone verse indicating that he was not an angel!
When, on the other hand, the subject is studied with a methodology (i.e. Usul al-Tafsir) that seeks to grasp the totality of the subject or its system of meaning, that false conclusion is soon exposed. Angels do not have a free will. They do not have ‘choice’ and so, when ordered by Allah Most High, they have to obey. There are no exceptions! (see Qur’an, al-Nahl, 16:50, al-Anbiyah’, 21:27). Had Iblis been an angel he would have had no choice in the matter. He would have had to obey the Divine command to prostrate before Adam (‘alaihi al-Salam). The fact that he disobeyed very clearly indicated the presence of ‘free will’ and ‘choice’, hence he could not have been an angel. Sure enough the Qur’an elsewhere repeated the same divine command to the angels to prostrate before Adam “and they (all) did – but not Iblis”, but then went on to declare that “he was a Jinn!” (Qur’an, al-Kahf, 18:50). Iblis could never have been an angel who became a fallen angel, and then a Jinn, since Allah’s creation does not change la tabdeela li khalq Allah (Qur’an, Rum, 30:30)
Our conclusion is that the Divine wisdom ordained the subtle construction of the verse 2:34 above in order to direct attention to the proper methodology for study of the Holy Qur’an, i.e. never to study any verse or Hadith stand-alone in isolation, but rather to study the whole of which it is a part, and only then to derive meaning.
Maulana Dr Ansari has described that grasp of the ‘whole’ as the system of meaning which binds and integrates the totality of a subject into a harmonious and integrated whole:
“Now, besides consistency, the conformability of the Holy Qur’an in its various parts . . . brings us to the logic of theoretic consciousness, which too is inherent in the holy book, even as the logic of religious consciousness is enshrined therein. The conformability however, signifies in the estimation of the best Qur’anic authorities, not only uniformity of teaching but also the principle that all the verses of the holy book are inter-related as parts of an intelligible system whereby the existence of a system of meaning in the Holy Qur’an is positively established as also the technique of the exposition of that system.”
(Ansari, FR: ‘Qur’anic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society’, www.fazlurrahmanansari.org, Volume 1, p. 192)
A grasp of the system of meaning of the entire Qur’an is not possible without a prolonged and dedicated struggle in the path of knowledge and without internal intuitive spiritual insight; and that in turn is not possible unless one sees with the Nur (i.e. light) of Allah Most High. Thus Allah Most High keeps with Himself the keys of such understanding which He delivers to those of His learned servants whom He chooses to bless with Nur and with capacity to correctly interpret certain verses of the Qur’an. When such explanation is given, regardless of whether or not it is given for the very first time, it is naturally recognized as Truth.
Very few scholars of Islam in this age can, perhaps, qualify to be among those who have grasped the system of meaning of the entire Qur’an and this writer is most certainly not one of them. We have struggled rather, to grasp the system of meaning in the Qur’an as it pertains to this subject.
Our methodology of study requires us to locate the system of meaning which binds the totality of our data pertaining to the subject of ‘Signs of the Last Day’ into a harmonious and integrated whole. That system of meaning, in turn, would allow us to identify those Ahadith which are, or appear to be, in conflict or discord with the main body of data of the subject as derived from the Qur’an and the Ahadith. Since the Qur’an has proclaimed that discrepancies, contradictions and discord would have been found in abundance within its text had it come from a source other than divine, the implication is that no contradictions (external or internal) exist in the text.
Our method is therefore one of incrementally expanding on the system of meaning of the subject as derived from the Qur’an by integrating into it those Ahadith pertaining to ‘Signs of the Last Hour’ that are in harmony with the Qur’an. We then exclude from our study such Ahadith or interpretations of Ahadith that are in contradiction or discord with that expanded system of meaning.
Others who adopt a different methodology of study than the one here explained, and who may not wish to exclude such a Hadith (or interpretation thereof) from their study, would perhaps arrive at conclusions different from ours.
We found one such Hadith in our study of this subject i.e. the Hadith which has been understood to imply that Gog and Magog would be released only after Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salam) returns and only after he kills Dajjal:
“. . . It will be under such conditions that Allah will reveal to Jesus these words: I have brought forth from among My servants such people against whom none will be able to fight; you take these people safely to the mountain, fa yab’athullahu Y’ajuja wa M’ajuj (and then Allah Most High will send or raise Gog and Magog) and they will spread out in every direction or occupy every place of advantage. The first of them will pass by Lake Tiberias (i.e. the Sea of Galilee) drink out of it, and when the last of them passes, he will say: ‘There was once water here . . . .’” (Sahih Muslim)
A deficient methodology which focused on this solitary standalone Hadith led many to conclude that Allah Most High would release Gog and Magog into the world (and hence destroy or level the barrier built by Dhul Qarnain) only after Jesus (’alaihi al-Salam) returns and kills Dajjal. But the Hadith uses the word send or raise. It does not use the word ‘release’.
A methodology which seeks to grasp the system of meaning of the subject has led us, on the other hand, to recognize that the release of Gog and Magog commenced when, in the Prophet’s lifetime, Allah Most High destroyed the barrier built by Dhul Qarnain. Their gradual release since then has continued, and still continues, in batches in different periods of history connected to and leading up to the return of Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salam) and to final release (see above Hadith) when the Sea of Galilee would be dry. The world would then witness an eventual Gog vs Magog ‘star wars’ climax in and around the Holy Land. How else do we explain:-
• The return of the Jews to the ‘town’ of Jerusalem to reclaim it as their own and to restore a State of Israel in that Holy Land,
• The water level in Sea of Galilee is now so low that it is only a matter of time before the Sea dries up,
• There is absolutely no physical evidence whatsoever that Dhul Qarnain’s iron barrier is still standing somewhere on earth,
• Numerous Ahadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim which record the extraordinary vision in the life of the blessed Prophet (sallalahu ‘alahi wa salaam) in which he was informed that “a hole was made in the barrier built by Dhul Qarnain” and hence that the divine destruction of that barrier was taking place and the release of Gog and Magog has commenced, and finally
• The universal Fasad (i.e.,
that which corrupts and destroys) with ‘war on Islam’ and growing enslavement
and slaughter of Muslims that has now overtaken the world of Islam as well as
those parts of the non-Mulsim world which dares to resist those who rule the world?
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