Dr Osama Al-Azhari
Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments)
To the esteemed readers in Egypt, Arab and Muslim nations, to every human, and to every atom in this universe: May you be divinely blessed with all goodness, your souls with serenity, and your minds with enlightened understanding.
I am delighted to join you on this extended journey, during which we will delve into the Ever-Glorious Qur’an and draw upon its lights, seeking to glean from it pearls and coral). Let us recall the words of Almighty Allah: “He released the two seas, meeting one another Between them is a barrier so neither of them transgresses (20) So which of the favours of your Lord would you deny (21) From both of them emerge pearl and coral.” [Qur’an 55: 22]. If pearls, corals, and these treasures and jewels emerge when the water of the two seas meet, then how about the pearls and treasures that continually arise from the lights of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an and the oceans of its knowledge?
Qur’an is a divine programme for guidance
Every moral virtue in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an is a hidden pearl, and every value in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an is a jewel; a treasure. Consequently, there is an immense quantity of pearls, corals, and latent treasures within the Ever-Glorious Qur’an, and it is incumbent upon us to strive to bring them to light and adorn ourselves with them.
This journey begins at Dar Al-Qur’ān Al-Karīm (The House of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an), bearing in mind that its very concept was to dedicate the entire space to Qur’an. It thus consists of thirty ’iwān (a vaulted hall open on one side), or thirty halls, which walls are inscribed with the Ever-Glorious Qur’an. Each hall represents one complete juz’ (part) of Qur’an. Thus, we have thirty halls which represent the thirty ajzāʾ (parts of Qur’an), with every juzʾ representing a hall upon which walls its verses are engraved. This gives the person the feeling of living within the very heart of that particular part of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an. Accordingly, each week, we will address one juz’ of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an to explore the general meanings it contains and pause briefly at some of its values and virtues. Thus, these values and meanings are the pearls and corals derived from the Ever-Glorious Qur’an.
Today, we begin with the First Juz’ of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an, specifically with Surah al-Fātiḥah:
“In The Name of Allah, The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful. (1) Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (2) The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful. (3) The Possessor of the Day of Doom. (4) You only do we worship, and You only do we beseech for help. (5) Guide us in the straight Path. (6) The Path of one whom You have favoured, other than that of the ones against whom You are angered, and not (that of) the erring (7).” [Qur’an 1:1-7].
Our Lord – exalted be His Majesty – has used the word “al-῾ālamīn” (“the worlds”) to teach us to respect the whole universe and to be mindful of the existence of all worlds around us. Thus, profound and lofty meanings emerge from surah al-Fātiḥah, among them: honouring all created realms, honouring the human being, safeguarding homelands, fostering flourishing and development, and deepening faith.
How beautiful are the treasures, jewels, values, guidance, legislation, and modes of worship contained in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an… It is the word of Allah, majestic is His Glory, addressed to humankind. It is the greatest gate to guidance and the divine programme for guiding humanity across time and space.
The First juz’ of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an speaks about the Book (the Qur’an), guidance, and piety. It describes the believers in four verses, the disbelievers in two verses, and the hypocrites in thirteen verses. It therefore issues a strong and most severe warning against hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy means that the hypocrite, when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust. The First juz’ then moves on to discuss the creation of the heavens and the earth. It is followed by the creation of Adam and how Allah adorned him with knowledge. It then turns to Allah’s command to the angels to prostrate before Adam, and how Iblīs refused and was arrogant.
The juz’ then proceeds to the accounts of the Children of Israel with Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). Here, one finds wonders, narratives, and astonishing situations of the Children of Israel with prophet Moses (peace be upon him), describing how they wearied him and even unjustly killed Prophets.
After that, the Juz’ takes us to the story of the two angels Hārūt and Marūt, and to the account of their descent in Babylon. It continues with a flood of meanings and light until the First Juz’ concludes with the story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) as he raises the foundations of the House (the Ka῾bah) together with his son Ismael, praying to Allah at that very moment for the emergence of the bright light of guidance: “Our Lord, and send forth among them a Messenger, (one) of them, who (will) recite to them Your ayat (Signs verses) and teach them the Book, and (the) Wisdom, and cleanse them; surely You, Ever You, are The Ever-Mighty, The Ever-Wise.” [Qur’an 2: 129]. Now, let us take a selected set of values from the First juz’ of the Ever-Glorious Qur’an.
Knowledge is the first door to honour, dignity, building of civilisations
The first value is found in Allah’s words: “And He taught Adam the names – all of them.” [Qur’an 2:31].
The very first door of honour, perfection, glory, and light that Allah bestowed upon mankind was the garment of Knowledge. When the angels said, “Will You make therein one who will corrupt in it and shed blood (Literally: bloods)?” [Qur’an 2: 30], Allah clarified to them that the cure for this problem lies in knowledge. Thus, humankind is honoured through knowledge because the greatest law for building civilisations, nations, states, and peoples is knowledge.
Arrogance and stubbornness: Barriers to true understanding
Allah thus mentions, in this First juz’, the story of the Children of Israel with Prophet Moses when he said to them, “Surely Allah commands you to slay a cow.” [Qur’an 2: 67]. They responded with questions marked by obstinacy, in contrast to the angels of the All-Merciful, whose question was for the sake of learning. The question of the Children of Israel, by contrast, was driven by stubbornness. They put forward excuses and illusory questions in order to escape and slip away from carrying out Allah’s command. For this reason, Allah chose for this surah the name ‘Surah al-Baqarah’ (The Cow).
The story of the cow is not merely an incident confined to a particular moment in time; it is in fact the story of all humanity. The story of the Children of Israel is the greatest example of the human being when he becomes obstinate and arrogant, refuses to attain knowledge, and then generates, one day, the problems that prevent him from learning.
Knowledge is the greatest gateway to honour and glory. The first value we derive from this juz’ is the value of knowledge, coupled with a severe warning against arrogance and stubbornness, like the arrogance of Iblīs when he refused to prostrate before Adam (peace be upon him). Thus, the primary value is an intense commitment to seeking knowledge, for crises are resolved through knowledge, as the genius Aḥmed Zewail observes. In short: “Knowledge is the solution. So, beware of arrogance, and beware of stubbornness.”
Truthfulness, dignity and respect in communications
The second value is derived from Allah’s words: “and speak fair to mankind.” [Qur’an 2: 83]. This is one of the most astonishing maxims and treasures. It is Allah’s discourse to every human being on the face of the earth, commanding that one should speak to people in the most beautiful manner. That is to say: beware of lying; thus Allah commanded truthfulness. Beware of vulgar speech. Beware of using ugly language, fierce attacks, bullying, or exposing people’s faults in the world of social media.
Furthermore, this command – “and speak fair to mankind” – does not mean that kind speech is limited to those you love, nor is it confined to relatives, family, or next of kin. Rather, speaking well is addressed to all people: address every human being on the face of the earth with beautiful words, and never allow yourself to be, even for a single day, someone whose speech and expressions are ugly. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The believer is not a backbiter, nor a curser, nor one who is vulgar, nor one who is obscene” [Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī].
The third value appears in the words of Allah Almighty: “And they closely followed what the Ash-Shayatîn (the all-vicious (ones), i.e., the devils) recited over Sulayman’s (Soloman’s) kingdom.” [Qur’an 2: 102].
Here the Qur’an issues a strong and severe warning against a person’s moving among people sowing discord; engaging in slander, backbiting, tale-bearing, spreading gossip, and corrupting social relations. So, beware of cutting off ties of kinship or destroying friendships. Beware of falling into this trap into which previous nations fell.
The fourth value is drawn from Allah’s words: “And as Ibrahîm said, “Lord! Make this a secure land,’” [Qur’an 2: 126]. Here is the father of prophets, Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) supplicating to Allah, exalted is He, asking Him to make Mecca a safe and secure city. This is the reason why it is named as “the Secure City.” Allah Almighty says: “And (by) the fig and the olive, (1) And (by) Tûr Sînîn (Mount Sinai) (2) And (by) this devoted (Or: secure, i.e., the city of Makkah) Country! (3).” [Qur’an 95: 1-3]. Thus, whoever reads the Qur’an anywhere on the face of the earth learns to supplicate to Allah for the safety and security of his own homeland.
In this way, the Qur’an teaches us the great value of knowledge. So, beware of arrogance, speak to all people kindly, avoid sowing discord among them, and always strive to pray for the safety of the land in which you live.
Until we meet again, stay noble; stay safe.
The post Pearls and Coral: Treasures from the Qur’an (1) appeared first on Egyptian Gazette.
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