Lesson 6 Saturday, December 19, 2009 9:33 PM Surah Al-Baqarah Ayaat 21-23 Word Analysis Ayah 21: Allah is Al Khaaliq Ya: Oh. 'Ya' is called harf nidaa'--a word used to call out to someone. Also used to address someone or to get their attention. Ayyuha: Oh You all. To further emphasize the address. Make the address more powerful. Attached to yaa because we see that Ya Ayyuha is followed by Annansu. Yannasu would not sound right so Ayyuha is put in the middle. Annasu: All people, the people. Root: noon-wow-seen. Previous notes. Nows and Nisyan. The 'Al' at the beginning of Annaas shows the address to ALL of mankind. All ages, backgrounds, races, tribe, etc. Another word is Uns. Root: Hamza-noon-see: Uns--the ability to socialize. Sociability. To develop friendship and love with others. U'budu: You all worship. Root: 'Ayn-baa-daal: Ibada--to show humility to someone out of love and respect. Ibada of two kinds i. Specific: Rituals ii. General: Doing that which Allah likes and refraining from what he does not life. Rabbakum: Your Rubb. Be like an adb to your Rabb. Three meaning of rabb: Khaliq, Maalik, Mudabbir. Your creator, master, planner. Allathi: Who Khalaqakum: He created you all. Root: Kha-laam-qaf: to create something, make something. 1. To bring something into existence. 2. To create something from another thing. Khalq is only used for Allah. Allah is the Only One who creates things. Wallathina: And those who. 'Min: From. Qab'likum: Before you. Qabl--to be before in time and place. Here it means before in time. From Adam to the last person, Allah created all. La'allakum: So that you all. La'allakum connected to U'budu--worship your Rabb so that you La'alla gives the meaning of hope and expectation. A chance of something happening in the future. Not impossible, rather this is a possible hope, expectation. Tattaqoon: You may become righteous. So, worship your Rabb because there is a possibility, a chance that you may attain righteousness. Root: Wow-qaf-yaa: Wiqaya--to take a shield. To protect oneself, to be on ones guard. Two meanings: 1. You develop taqwa. Worship, Ibada leads to righteousness. 2. You save yourselves. From what? Utter loss in the hereafter. Ayah 22: Allah is the Mudabbir Allathi: The One who. Allathi is connected with Rabbakum. Ja'ala: He made. (to put or to make; to change the state of something). Lakum: You all. Al Ardha: The earth. He made the earth for you all. Firashan: A bed. He made the earth for you as a bed. Root: Faa-raa-sheen: Firaash--that which is spread out. Laid out so one can rest on it, be comfortable. The earth is like a mattress for you; a couch. Not too hard to too soft, it's habitable. Wassama'a: And the sky. 1. sky 2. height. Binaa'an: As a ceiling, canopy. Root: Ba-noon-yaa: Binaa'an--something that is built, constructed. Also used for a part of a building. Used here for roof or ceiling. Allah made the sky like a ceiling above you. Wa'anzala: And He sent down. Nazala--to descend; to come down from above. Mina: From. Assamai: The sky. Maa'an: Water. The clouds are up in the heights, so the Assamaa' is referring to the clouds in the sky. Water in the form of rain, snow, hail. It comes down in different forms, that's why a specific word is not used. No matter what form it comes down in, Allah is the One who sends it down. Fa'akhraja: Then He brought out. 'Fa' gives the meaning of 'as a result of' the water coming out Root: Khaa-raa-jeem: Kharaja--to go out, to leave. Khuruj--exit. Bihi: With it. 'hi' refers to the water. Minathamarati: The fruits. From the earth comes out fruits, plants, etc. Root: Thaa-meem-raa: Thamar (ah)--fruit. Also used for the product of any plant. Rizqallakum: As a provision for you all. Root--raa-zaa-qaf. Rizq. All of this produce is sustenance, rizq for you. Plural form is used to give the meaning of variety in the rizq. Al Huda Lessons Page 1
Fala: So do not. Taj'alu lillahi: You all set up for Allah. Andadow: Partners, equals. Root: Noon-daal-daal: Nidd--One who is equal to another. One who shares with someone their work or their characteristics, position, etc. 'Nidd' is the singular of 'andaad'. I Wa antun: While you all. We did Nahnu-we. Antum-you all. Ta'lamoon: You all know. Tha and wow noon at the end gives the meaning of 'you all'. Ya and wow noon at end would be 'they all'. Ayah 23 Wain: And if Kuntum: You all were. Fi: In. Raybim: In any doubt. Doubt that causes mental unrest. Also, the kind of doubt that is clarified later. Ex: you don't know who cooked the food. You will find out when you ask. It's not impossible to remove that doubt. Mimma: From what. About. Nazzalna: We gradually sent down. 'Na' gives the meaning of 'We'. Anzala vs. Nazzala--Sending something down gradually. Qur'an was sent down over 23 years. 'Ala: Upon. 'Abdina: Our servant. Referring to Rasulullah (S). When someone is the slave of the One who is of the highest status, this itself is an honor. Allah calls him Our servant in order to honor Him and defend him. Fa'tu: You all come. Root: Hamza-taa-yaa: 'Ata--to come. Followed by 'bi' gives the meaning of 'to bring something'. Bisuratin: A surah. (at least three ayaat). The tanween at the end of 'a' 'any', even one. Mithlihi: It s like. The like of the Qur'an. Mithl--similar to, like. Mathal--example. Wad'u: And you all call. Root: Daal-'ayn-wow: du'a--invoke, call. Shuhadaa'akum: Your witnesses. Plural of Shaheed. Shaheed also means a witness. Referring to the other gods these people worship. Call them to help you in producing something like the Qur'an. Duni: Besides. Duni--other than. Allahi: Allah. Inkuntum: If you were Saudiqeen: Truthful. (plural of Saudiq) Root: Saud-daal-qaf: Sidq--truthfulness. Kathib is the opposite (to lie). Ayah 24 Fain: Then if. 'Fa' gives the meaning of a sequence of events. Lam: Not. Taf'alu: You all do. The 'Ta' at the beginning indicates 'you all'. You all do not. Meaning that because of your incapability, you are not able to do this. Like what? To bring something like this Qur'an. Walan: And never. 'lan'--never, ever. Impossible. Taf'alu: You will never be able to do so. Fattqu: Then you all fear, then you all save yourselves. Ittaqu--comes from taqwa. Root: Wow-qaf-yaa: Wiqaya-to take a shield. Two meanings: 1. Fear 2. Save yourselves. Annara: Fire. The fire of hell. Allati: Which. Feminine of 'Allathi'. Waquduha: It's fuel, or her fuel. 'ha' is feminine. Root: Wow-qaf-daal: Waqud--fuel. That which keeps the fire burning. Annasu: People Walhijarah: Stones. Plural of 'hajar'. (*hajar aswad*) U'iddat: It was prepared. This fire was prepared and kept ready. Root: 'Ayn-daal-daal: 'Adad--to count, numbers. To prepare something in such a way that it can be counted. (ie: the levels of hell fire, how many people, the temperature. Indicated complete preparation. Prepared fully.) Lil Kaafireen: For the disbelievers. Ayah 25 Wabashiri: And give good news. Based on the structure of the sentence, the "you" is understood. You refers to the Prophet (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Root: Ba-sheen-ra: Basaahra--good news. The word 'bashar' means man, human being. A human is called bashar because of the bashara (human skin) he has. Unique skin. Why is good news called bishara? Because you feel it on your skin. Glowing, blushing, smiling, goose bumps, jumping, visible happiness. Not an ordinary news. Al Huda Lessons Page 2
Allathina: Those people. Amanu: Who have believed. In that which one must believe in (ie Allah, Prophet, Message, etc.) Wa'amilu: And they did. Root: 'Ayn-meem-laam: 'Amal--action. Difference between 'Fi'l' and 'Amal': F'il refers to any action that is done whether it is done consciously or unconsciously and 'Amal refers to an action a person does deliberately. 'And they did actions that are righteous'--they did these good deeds on purpose. Asaulihaati: The righteous deeds. Plural of 'Sauliha'. Salih--one who is good, proper, as he should be. Islah--to reform, put things properly. How do you define good deeds? According to Qur'an and Sunnah and sincerity. Sincerity and conformity. For these people, give them good news. Anna: That indeed. Lahum: For them. These people. Jannatin: Gardens. Plural of Jannah. Root: Jeem-noon-noon: Jannah--to hide, be invisible. Jinn from the same root. What's the connection? We can't see Jannah right now. Linguistically: such a garden or orchard who's ground cannot be seen, it is hidden by either a lot of vegetation o r because there are so many trees that they block the sunlight. Jannah is not a forest but we understand that Jannah is full of lush vegetation, greenery. Every time you do dhikr, you grow a tree. Why is the plural being used? There are many Jannaat, there are many many gardens, levels. There are as many jannat as ayaat of Qur'an. Tajri: It flows. Root: Jeem-ra-yaa: Jari--to flow with speed, to proceed, move on. It flows with speed. Tahtiha: Underneath it (Jannat). Thati is the opposite of Fowq (above). Al-anhar: The rivers. The rivers flow from underneath it. Underneath? Tahtiha has been understood in two ways. 1. Underneath the trees. Streams at the foot of the trees. 2. Under the command/control of the people of Jannah. If they want the stream to go a certain way, it will go that way. Living in buildings that will be very high, and beneath them will be rivers. Root: Noon-haa-ra: Nahr--rivers, streams. Literally means to make one's way. Nahr is a body of water that makes it's way through. Kullama: Whenever. Gives the meaning of each and every time. Ruziqu: They were provided (they--the people of Jannah) Root: Ra-zaa-qaf: Rizq--blessings, provision. The food of Jannah will be from Jannah. Minha: In. The food will be from Jannah.. Thamaratin: Any fruit. Rizqan: As provision. Fruit as sustenance. Every time they are given something to eat... Qalu: They will say Hadhallathi: This (fruit) which. *Hatha-this; Thalika-that* Ruziq'na: We were provided. Min qabl: From before. We were given this before as well. Qabl-before in time and place. 1. Given this before. 2. Given before in Jannah. In dunya or Jannah but it is not the same thing. Wautu: And they are given. Root: Hamza-taa-yaa: 'utu--they are given with it. It is given to them. Bihi: With it. Mutashaabiha: One like, or resembling. Similar. Root: Sheen-baa-haa: Shibh'--to resemble. Similar to the other in nature or in appearance. Walahum: And for them. Fiha: In it. Azwajun: There are spouses. Plural of Zawj--one of a pair. Wife only: Zawjah. Mutah'harah: One completely pure, clean. Root: Thaa-haa-raa: Mutah'harah--one that is completely clean. Spiritual and physical. Wahum fiha khalidun: And they (people of Jannah) will be in it for eternity. Root: Khaa-laam-daal: Khulud--to remain permanently in one's original form, to never change. In dunya people become old, disease, die. Khulud--1. permanently 2. always in their perfect state, they will never ever grow old. The original form of people in Jannah will be young and beautiful, in their best form. Tafseer Ayah 21: Allah is calling all of mankind to one message of Tawheed. Same message of all Prophets. Purpose of life: to worship Allah alone. What is worship? To Love, Honor, Respect Him. Show servitude, submissiveness. Matloob: We need Allah. Maqsood: All our actions should be for Allah. Mahboob: We love Allah more than anybody else and this is his right. Allah is the One who brought you from nothing, into nothing. Allah is the Khaliq. You and those before you. Al Huda Lessons Page 3
This is mentioned here to make one reflect upon the fact those before us have died. Just like Allah created them and then took their life away, the same will be with us. So before that time comes, we should submit and worship. Will this worship benefit Allah? No, only us 'La'allakum tattaqoon'--so that we may protect ourselves. Allah created us so He wants what is best for us. Think: when you make something from scratch, or cook a meal, what you made is special to you. If you go to a store to buy something, that item isn't as significant. Allah is Khaliq and Maalik, He does not want loss for His creation so we should obey his ahkaam because it is best for us. What is the benefit of worshiping Allah? La'allakum tattaqoon--so we protect ourselves from utter loss in al akhirah. When one attains taqwa, he befriends Allah and Allah befriends him. Allah's help is the with the Muttaeen and he gets Jannah in the hereafter (Surah Al-e-Imran:133). Whoever fears Allah, Allah will make a way out for him. Allah created man and sent us all here for a test. As part of these tests, Allah sends trials and tribulations upon him. At that time, the muttaqi will turn to Allah for help and no one else. He will help you. When you attain taqwa, Allah guides you, shows you the way. Allah does not need our worship but why do we worship? We are blessed because Allah has shown us the way and removed us from the darkness. We worship for our own benefit, we willingly submit to Allah knowing that it is good for us. We should be thankful to the One who created us and is guiding us. You need Allah, He does not need you. He depends on no one, we depend on him. The entire universe is praising Allah, He does not need our worship but we gain out of this. Salah cleans and clears our sins. Salah burns away our sins so we can be saved from burning in akhirah. We worship Allah on His terms, not ours. Ayah 22 He who made for you the earth as a bed and the sky as a canopy. Surah An-Naziat [27-28] Are you more difficult to create or the heavens and the earth? Why worship someone else when Allah has created all these signs. Surah An-Naba [6] The earth is a place of rest. The earth is moving but we can still stand still and live normally. We see the earth and the sky every day, but how many times do we reflect.. Surah Ra'ad [2] Allah erected the heavens without any pillars. Anything man creates needs something to hold it up. Surah Anbiya [32] We made the sky a protected ceiling. There's meteors that pass by the earth every day but rarely are we hurt. He has created everything for us. And send down from the sky, rain. And brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. Surah 'Abasa [25-32] Water Cycle. So what should we do? Do not equate anyone with him while you know that Allah created everything. Worship Him alone. We see the blessing and favors of Allah upon him. Imagine if we only had one ear or no nose. Would we be able to do anything about it? No. But SubhanAllah, Allah created us, fashioned us so we should show our gratitude by worshiping Him. So to reject after knowing is a greater sin. They eat from what Allah has provided, the walk and sleep on this earth, they benefit from Allah's creation but they worship other people. Ayah 23 Or do they say [about the Prophet], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a surah like it [Yunus: 38] Or do they say, "He invented it"? Say, "Then bring ten surahs like it that have been invented [Hud: 13] Then let them produce a statement like it, if they should be truthful. [At-Tur: 34] Say, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur an, [al-isra: 88] Ayah 24 They could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants." [al-isra: 88] An oath is taken by the Quran that the Prophet (saw) is indeed of those who are sent by Allah as a messenger. [Yaseen] Ayah 25 Abu Sa'id reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Death would be brought on the Day of Resurrection. in the form of a white-coloured ram. Abu Kuraib made this addition: Then it would be made to stand between the Paradise and the Hell. So far as the rest of the hadith is concerned there is perfect agreement (between the two narrators) and it would be said to the inmates of Paradise: Do you recognise this? They would raise up their necks and look towards it and say: Yes, ' it is death. Then it would be said to the inmates of Hell-Fire.. Do you recognise this? And they would raise up their necks and look and say: Yes, it is death. Then command would be given for slaughtering that and then it would be said: inmates of Paradise,, there is an everlasting life for you and no death. And then (addressing) to the inmates of the Hell-Fire, it would be said: 0 inmates of Hell-Fire, there is an everlasting living for you and no death. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) then recited this verse pointing with his hand to this (material) world:" Warn them, this Day of dismay, and when their affairs would be decided and they would be un- mindful and they believe not" (xix. 39). Abdullah reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Allah would admit the inmates of Paradise into Paradise and the inmates of Hell into Hell. Then the announcer would stand between them and say: inmates of Paradise, there is no death for you, inmates of Hell, there is no death for you. You would live for ever therein. The Prophet (saw) said: Whoever enters Paradise is blessed with a life of joy; he will never feel miserable, his clothes will never war out and his youth will never fade away. Al Huda Lessons Page 4
Al Huda Lessons Page 5