Nur Posted September 22, 2008 Originally posted December 02, 2003 07:58 AM eNuri Quraan Service Presents The First 4 verses of Suurah Al Racd. . AL RACD ( The Thunder) Bismillah, wa salaatu wa salaamu calal mustafaa, wa calaa aalih wa saxbih wa sallim Al Racd as all other surah's revealed in Makkah are addressed to our inner selves, our baseerah, our sixths sense of perception. Imagine how a an Arab person living in the desert back in the sixth century would have felt when unexpectedly one of their own comes up with a radical view of life and death and beyond! Before we can grasp the profound effect the quraan has marked and left in the Arab mind, we need to visit Arabia circa 600 AD. Today we are going to take a walk in the back alleys of Makkah, its shops, we are going to visits their temples, we are going to listen to their poetry and live their lives in order to see how this man called Mohammed ( the praised one) has changed all of that in mere 23 years. Please do your own imagination and when you are done read on. Socially, Makka was the stronghold of the Quraish, a tribe that prides itself to be the decendants of Ishmael and Abraham, AS. Makkah was known as Ummul Quraa, the mother of all towns. The main attraction in Makkah was the Holy Kaaba, a building erected as a token of gratitude by Abraham and his son Ishmael after they have fulfilled Allah's commandments. Allah accepted their gift and made that place a center of worship for all of mankind for all of time. The years that followed Makkah witnessed gradual changes that led a 360 degree departure of Abrahams's objective of devotion and worship of a single God, ironically, they were close to 360 Gods. Quraish benefited a lot from this shrine as many pilgrims flocked to visit and worship their idols, business could never be better, and the new pilgrims brought with them their habits and ways of life to further corrupt Makkah and its inhabitants. In such a society, prostitution was the norm, consumption of alcohol and gamblin the past time, slavery and oppression of the weak ( laan gaab) . law of the land. Politically, the Arabs were divided among themselves, and every town had its own rulers, if you did not do injustice, you were the receiving side. Suddenly, one day, a man known by Meccans, climbed a hill near a market and called on all Quraish clans by their names to gather for news, a gesture that was known to be like a CNN newsbreak of the times. As they gathered this man would ask them if they have any questiuon about his character and credibility, and the amazed listeners responded that they have always known him as the trustworthy ( al ameen) This man, was Mohammed and this was the beginning of the end of history. Now imagine the revelation of Al Racd verses being revealed in that backdrop of history, with a linguistic elenquence never matched and scientific and historic narrations that are so precsie, no one dared to refute. Imagine the profound effect these verse would have on the social structure, political environment, class relations and business! The stakes were high, so Qurasih bribed this man with beautiful women if he would stop this new radical concept. They would offer to be their king, and even to send him to the psyciatrist if he was possessed by the jinn. He tells them that if they gave him the sun and the moon on his palms, he would not stop his casue. Now we read: 1. Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. These are the Verses of the Book (the Qur'an), and that which has been revealed unto you (Muhammad ) from your Lord is the truth, but most men believe not. 2. Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then, He Istawa (rose above) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course) for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord. 3. And it is He Who spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain Ithnain (two in pairs - may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two sorts, e.g. black and white, sweet and sour, small and big, etc.) He brings the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things, there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) for people who reflect. 4. And in the earth are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops (fields etc.), and date-palms, growing out two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise (one stem root for every palm ), watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent than others to eat. Verily, in these things, there are Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs) for the people who understand. ALIF LAAM MIIM RAA These were the components and letters of the Arabic language, the secret of this code is only known to Allah SWT. These are indeed the verses of the Book, and waht has been revealed to you ( Mohamed) from your Lord are the Truth, but most people do not believe. The author of this written book being the same as the author of the astonishing book of nature around you, the designer and originator of the universe and its captivating flawless structure without any visible columns that support the blue membrane hovering over our heads that gives us the protection from the radiation of outer space. Who made the sun and the moon that we see every day work for us to sustain life on earth creating the tides, rain, seasons, greenery and crops. Imagine if your power company charged you for these services? a power service more reliable than California's energy companies and much cheaper than Kaaraans diesel generator one lamp per house hold rates. What amazes me in these verses is how these seemingly separate verses are well connected if we pay close attention to their structure. As we have noted previously, the beginning of the Surah was the secret code of Alif Laam Miim Raa, letters that only Allah SWT knows what they stand for. Allah SWT tells us that these verses are part of the book that was revealed from Allah SWT, and the fact that this revelation is indeed the truth from Allah SWT yet most people are bent on disbelief about their origin. Interestingly, the same author of this great book happens to be the author of the larger three dimensional book of life and the universe that surrounds us. What a good feeling then to know the awesome wisdom and power of Allah SWT and his kindness to us by honoring us with such words of wisdom to show us how insignificantly small we are compared to the visible universe of some 128 Billion Galaxies, each containing billions of stars of all sizes, planets and satellite clouds, moons and heavenly bodies, not even counting the dark matter suspended between the visible spectrum, possibly containing more matter than our meager telsecopes can capture. The author of this book is so wise that he has separated the canopy of gases that protect us from harmful solar rays , separating it from the surface of the earth on which we are born, grow and die. That beautiful blue membrane filter lets useful Solar rays penetrate to provide heat, rain, rivers, vegetation and food, while the moon provides light and decoration in addition to a guidance milestone and the tides that help the oceans absorb necessary gasses for the living colors beneath, acting as a giant biological filtration system for the biosphere we call home. At the same time, that blue membrane canopy blocks harmful rays while Allah SWT supports this canopy with invisible pillars that keep the gasses float to form a sophisticated roof over our heads. Allah SWT did all of that and more than we can imagine without getting tired and afterwards he was well placed on top of his throne, marking his absolute power and wisdom which dwarfs our meager intelligence and imagination. But today, we can see with our other eyes of science and technology what the Arabs could not see 1400 years ago with their bare eyes, we can see the planet as a whole, As Somalis, we can see the horn of Africa the place where our ancestoral parents called home, grazing their camels, and living their simple life that was so much dependent on the natural elements of sun and moon, a magnificent duo who play the revolving role of day and night " Yughshii al leila nahaara" we can further take off from our homes in Somalia to the ends of the planet, or the edge of the universe with ease from the comfort of our living rooms, watching TV programs like Discovery Channnel, we can visit the rainforest and its exotic biosphere, the savannah and the survival of the fittest, the tundra and the grizzly bears, deserts and the the animals that live in a 50 plus tempreture environment creatures like the camel and snakes, the icy poles and the black tuxedo dressed penguins, oceans and rivers, volcanoes, underneath aquifers and more, all of them testifying unity of Allah with their diversity a non challengeable testaments of the greatness of Allah SWT and a sign post reading : " So You May be certain of your eventual and assured reunion with your ceator" to be questioned of what we have done with the opportunity that was granted to us and the natural furniture we were given as a means of meeting our duties to our maker. Now, that is not all, the surah hits yet on another amazing scientificly natural occurence, the shape of our planet, a fact not well known by Arabs or non Arabs at the time, Allah SWT explains how he sustains life on earth, begining with the ideal shape and spatial location of our planet which is suspended in the milky way, a planet that is so well positioned from the distance of the sun on an elliptical path that provides for a temprature range that sustains life on earth, creatuing the seasons, and the suspension of gasses that are needed like oxygen and nitrogen , just the right mixture to sustain life, yet safe enough for not creating explosions if the 21% oxygen content was surpassed. With the diversity that we have discussed, Allah says " Wa huwa alladee maddal arda" " It is he who had extended the earth", meaning that the extension of the earth to all directions maximizing the surface area requires a quasi spherical shape, but with that extension and expansion, Allah SWT placed on the surface of our planet peaks and valleys so gravity can do its work along with the temprature in creating flowing rivers and pastures necessary for sustaining life on earth, in the form of fruits and the food chain, Allah created pairs, of so that each creature Allah SWT creates finds its allotted Rizq share and play its role and purpose willingly in the case of Muslims, or unwillingly in the case of the unbelievers. Why did I say so much to explain the fisrt three verses of Suratul Al Racd: Becoause they are " La Aayatin liqowmin yatafakaruun" they are milestones or lamp posts for a folk who use their heads to ponder about the meaning of creation and life to home-in to toward their maker in apprecaiation and hence develop immense love ffor Him, enough to worship him as he rightfully deserves. Nur 2003 eNuri Quran Expediction Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
