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Part 62
Sura A'la 87:14-19
14.
"Indeed, he (alone) who has purified (himself) shall succeed",
15. "And
remembers the name of his Lord and prays."
16.
"Nay, you prefer the life of this world,"
17.
"While the world to come is better and more lasting,"
18.
"Surely this is in the earlier Scriptures,"
19.
"The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses."
Commentary:
All
Divine Books Contained A Definite law.
The former
verses point to the dreadful penalty of the enemies of Truth while the next
verses touch on the salvation of the believers and also the effective causes
for this felicity. It begins:
"Indeed, he (alone) who has purified
(himself) shall succeed".
"And remembers the name of his Lord
and prays."
Thus, the
causes of salvation, felicity and success are counted as three: 'purification',
'remembrance of the Name of Allah', and 'prayers'.
Various
commentaries have been cited for the meaning of the term / tazkiyah/ 'purification'.
First of
all, it means 'purification of the soul from polytheism', in comparison
with the former verses, and also that this is the most important purification.
Another
meaning is 'purification of the heart from vices' by doing righteous
deeds according to the verses of felicity in the Holy Qur'an, such as the
beginning verses of Sura Mo'minun, No.23 which says that salvation is a
pledge for righteous deeds; or Sura Shams, No. 91, verse 9 which,
according to the questions of righteousness and impiety, says: "Truly he
succeeds that purifies it".
Also, the
term means 'alms of the fast-breaking feast' which would be paid first
and, then, the special two rak'ah prayer of the day may be said, as this
meaning has been cited in several narrations from Imam Sadiq (p.h.u.h.).
[1]
The same
idea is narrated from Hazrat Ali (p.b.u.h.) in other Muslim texts.
A question
may arise, here, as to is this Sura a Meccan Sura or not because there was
nothing said, in Mecca, about fasting in the fasting month, alms of the
fast-breaking feast, or the special two rak'ah prayer of the day. ('id-i-Fitr)
The answer
to this question may be that some have said that the first part of the Sura was
revealed in Mecca and the last part of it was revealed in Medina.
It is also
probable that the above commentary expresses one clear example, out of many,
and is conforming the verse with a vivid example of the above meaning.
Some have
also said that the term / tazkiyah /, here, means 'alms-giving'. It is
important to know that / tazkiyah / has such a vast meaning that can involve
all of the following: the purification of the soul from polytheism,
purification of the heart from inquities, purification of deeds from prohibited
ones and from hypocrisy, and purifying the soul and property by alms-giving in
the path of Allah, because based on verse "Of their goods take aims, that so
thou mightest purify and sanctify them", (Sura Taubah, No.9, verse
103) alms-giving causes the soul and spirit to be purified.
Therefore,
all the above commentaries can be concentrated in the broad meaning of the
verse.
It is worth
mentioning that in these verses, at first, purification is mentioned and, then,
the Name of Allah and prayer are pointed out.
It is also
noteworthy that 'prayer' is mentioned secondary to the Name of Allah.
This is for the reason that one will not stand for prayers unless he remembers
Allah and the light of Faith has enlightened his heart. Besides, prayer is
worthy and acceptable when it is said wholly with the Name of Allah and His
remembrance. And that some have commented on 'the remembrance of Allah' only
by 'Allah-u-akbar' or / bism -il -lah - ir - rahman - ir - rahim / (In
the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful) which is said at the beginning
of the prayers, are, indeed, examples of this.
Pointing to
the main cause of disobedience on the path of salvation, it says:
"Nay, you prefer the life of this
world,"
"While the world to come is better
and more lasting".
And this is
the very fact that is, also, stated in traditions: "The love for this
world is the prime origin of all vice"href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title="">[3]
There is no
sound reason that lets man exchange the everlasting next world for this
fleeting world and prefer these short low desires, which are often mingled with
different kinds of pain and sorrow, to those tremendous eternal blessings which
are free from any unbecoming harmful vice.
And it
should not be forgotten that:
"Surely this is in the earlier
Scriptures,"
"The Scriptures of Abraham and
Moses."
Opinions are
divided as to what the demonstrative / haDa / 'this' points to. Some
have said that it points to the last instruction about 'purification',
'prayer', and 'consider the life of this world superior to the Next
World', because these have been the most basic teachings of all the
prophets and are found in all of the Divine books.
Some others
believe that it denotes to the whole Sura, because the Sura begins with
monotheism, continues with prophecy and ends with practiced programs of
religion.
In any case,
this structure shows that the splendid content of this Sura, or its last verses
in particular, are in the principles of all religions and among the basic
teachings of all prophets; that which is a sign of greatness for the Sura and
the importance of these teachings.
The term
/suhuf/ is the plural form of / sahifah / which, here, means 'a tablet or a
page on which something is written.'
The above
verses show that Abraham and Moses did, indeed, have Divine books.
A narration
from Abuthar says that he asked the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) how many prophets
(Nabi) there were and he answered that there were one hundred and twenty four
thousand (124,000). Then he asked about the number of their messengers (Rasul),
and the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) answered him: "They were three hundred and
thirteen and the rest were only prophets (Nabi)." He asked whether Adam was
a prophet, and he (p.b.u.h.) agreed and said that Allah spoke to Adam
and it was He Who created him, Himself. Then the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) added:
"O Abuthar, four prophets were Arabs: Hud, Salih, Shu'ayb, and your
prophet."
Also,
Abuthar asked the Messenger of Allah how many books Allah revealed, and he
replied: "One hundred and four books were revealed; ten books to Adam, fifty
books to Shith, thirty books to Okhnukh (Enoch) and he is the first one who
wrote by pen, ten books to Abraham, and Torah to Moses, Ingeel to Jesus, Zaboor
to David, and Qur'an to Mohammad, (the Prophet of Islam)".
The words /
al - suhuf - il - ula/ 'the earlier Scriptures' refer to the books of
Abraham and Moses that are compared with the latter books which were revealed
to Jesus and the Holy Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.th.).
Explanation:
An analysis
on the tradition: 'The love of this world is the prime origin of all vice'.
The Qur'anic
calculation, in the aforementioned verses, for comparing this world with the
Next World, saying: "While the world to come is better and more lasting,"
is surely quite clear for the believing persons, but, regarding it, how does a
believing person neglect his knowledge and commit sin and crimes?
The answer
to the question is 'the predominance of desires on Man's entity', whose
main origin is also the love for the world. Love of this world is irrespective
of the love of wealth, ambitions, sensuality (lusts), self-indulgence,
vengefulness, mammonism, and the like. They may sometimes be so forceful and
violent, in Man, as to cause him to set aside all his knowledge and wisdom
which removes his sense of recognition and, consequently, he gives priority to
this world rather than the Next World.
In Islamic
traditions and narrations love of this world is repeatedly considered as the
source of all sins and it is, in fact, an experienced truth that has been
examined frequently in our own lives as well as in that of others.
Therefore,
for eradicating sins from our lives, there is no other way but, to quell the
love we have for this world.
We should
know that this world is a probationary place and it is considered as a means, a
passage, a bridge or as a farm through which we pass.
It is
impossible for a lover of this world, when he is to choose either the property
of this world or attaining Allah's contentment, to accept the second idea.
The files of
criminal persons in courts prove, clearly, the truthfulness of the above
tradition.
When fights
(even between brothers and friends), wars or murders are deeply examined, the hand of the love for this world is seen.
But, how can
we get rid of the love of this world when we are born and raised as the
children of this world; and the love of a child for its mother is a natural
phenomena?
To
accomplish this task, mental, cultural and ideological training is needed and,
then, purification of the soul is necessary.
The most helpful
thing in this process, for those who have decided to travel this path, is the
contemplation on the outcome of the lovers of this world.
What did the
Pharaohs finally do with that abundant wealth that they had? What happened to
Qarun whose "Treasures were such that their very keys would have been a
burden to the body of a strong man?" (Sura Qasas, No. 28, verse 76)
And how much could he finally take with him from the coffers?
The present
great forceful powers of our time, whose lives and authority have easily
vanished and their kingdoms have changed into nothing after a single night or
only over a short time, are the best examples for us to learn from.
We conclude
this long and vast theme with an expressive tradition from Imam
Ali-ibn-al-Hosain (p.b.u.h.) who was asked what act Allah considers the
best, and he answered: "Next to having the knowledge and consciousness
about the Messenger of Allah, no act is better than having enmity for the
world". Then he added: "Because there are many paths on the road to
the love of the world, and there are numerous ways of committing sin. The first
thing, by which sin against Allah began, was lblis (Satan) when 'he refused and
was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith'", (Sura Baqarah, No. 2.
verse 34). "The second thing was 'greed' which caused Adam and Eve to leave the
better when the Almighty Allah told them: 'O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in
the Garden, and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) you
will; but approach not this tree, or you ran into harm and transgression', (Sura Baqarah. No. 2,
verse 35). But they went to something that they aid not need and (the result
of) that very action remained and will be for his children until the Day of
Judgement, since most things that man demands he does not need".
(Necessities are not often the source of sin, what is the origin of vice is
vain desires and those things which are extra to the main necessities). "Then
it was 'envy' which was the cause of sin in Adam's son who envied his brother
and killed him".
Some other
forms of love of the world are:
1. lust for women,
2. coveting this world (length of life,
having all wishes fulfilled),
3. love for position; (prestige, status),
4. love for comfort (no responsibility:
always wanting to be merry),
5. love to be superior,
6. love of speech, and
7. love for wealth.
All these
seven characteristics are found in the love of this world. The prophets and
learned men, having considered this fact, say: Love of this world is the
prime origin of all vice."name="_ftnref5" title="">[5]
Supplication:
O Lord!
Clear our hearts from 'the love of the world', the source of all vice.
O Lord!
Always guide us on all routes to the path of development.
O Lord! You
know the manifest and what is hidden, forgive us of our apparent and hidden
sins with your Grace.
The End
Sura A'la
(The Most High)
title="">[1] Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 556,
Traditions 19 and 20.
name="_ftn2" title="">[2] Ruh-al-Maali,
vol. 30, p. 110, Kashshaf Commentary, vol. 4, p. 740.
name="_ftn3" title="">[3] This tradition, with a little
difference, is narrated from Imam Sadiq, which Ali-ibn-Hosain and the prophets (p.b.u.th)
shows its extreme importance (Nur-uth-Thaqaiayn, vol. 5, p. 556-557.)
name="_ftn4" title="">[4] Majma'-al-Bayan, vol. 10, p. 476.
name="_ftn5" title="">[5] Usul-i-Kafi, vol. 2, Chapter 'Love
For The World', Tradition No. 8
