Pax Qarnain – the enigmatic third journey

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Pax Qarnain – the enigmatic third journey

After describing the two journeys to West and East, and thus answering the question overtly posed by the Jewish Rabbis, the Qur’ān then proceeded to describe a third journey which was the real target of the question, although it had not been overtly posed by the Rabbis. It was while describing the third journey that Sūrah al-Kahf mentioned, for the first time, the names of Gog and Magog. Their release into the world would herald a major Sign of the Last Day. Knowledge of the Signs of the Last Day is a subject that lies beyond the reach of human intellect. Indeed such knowledge cannot but be the exclusive preserve of the Prophets of Allah Most High. The Sūrah informs us that, in his third journey, Dhūl Qarnain came upon a people living in a pass between two mountain ranges. This has to be a pass in-between the Caucasus range of mountains which stretch from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. (See my book entitled An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World for a detailed exposition of this subject).  

They complained to him about Gog and Magog’s Fasād in their territory. They requested him to build a barrier that could contain Gog and Magog and thus protect them. They were prepared to pay Dhūl Qarnain to build the barrier for them.  

Gog and Magog are two communities of human beings who, according to Nabī Muhammad (s) are descended from Nabī Nūh (i.e., Noah (a)). As mentioned above, they are agents of Fasād. But the blessed Prophet went on to disclose a communication from Allah Most High reported in His direct speech (Hadīth al-Qudsi) to the effect that, “I have created creatures of Mine (i.e., Gog and Magog) so powerful that none but I can destroy them.” (Sahih Muslim). With their invincible power they can thus destroy peace on earth. Hence their conduct is the opposite to that of Dhūl Qarnain.  

Dhūl Qarnain built a barrier of blocks of iron and coated it with molten copper. The barrier blocked the entire pass like a dam, and as a consequence, Gog and Magog were contained since they could neither penetrate nor scale the barrier. He then declared the construction of the barrier, and the consequent containment of Gog and Magog, to be a manifestation of Divine Mercy. But he went on to disclose that Allah Himself would destroy the wall and release Gog and Magog into the world at a time of the Last Age. The Sūrah concluded with a description of what the world would witness when Gog and Magog are released into the world: 

“On that day We shall leave them to surge l ike waves on one another; the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. And We shall present Hell that day for Unbelievers to see, all spread out, (Unbelievers) whose eyes had been under a veil from Remembrance of Me, and who had been unable even to hear.” 

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf,18:99-101)  

When Gog and Magog are eventually released into the world (in the Last Age) mankind would witness the emergence of a world-order that would be the opposite of what Truth would have delivered to mankind. Mankind would witness power in the hands of those who have no faith in Allah Most High. Instead of using power to liberate the oppressed and to punish the oppressor, that essentially godless age would witness power used to oppress (in particular) those who have faith in Allah Most High and whose conduct is righteous. We have argued in our book entitled ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’ān’ (see Ch. 10) that Allah Most High released Gog and Magog into the world during the lifetime of Nabī Muhammad (s). The Qur’ān provided believers with a momentous sign by which they would not only have concrete evidence of the release of Gog and Magog, but more than that, they would have the evidence that the world was now in the control of Gog and Magog. They would thus be able to identify Gog and Magog as the ruling power in the world. This is located in the reference to Gog and Magog in Sūrah al-Anbiyāh: 
“But there is a ban on a town which We have destroyed: that they (the residents) shall not return – until Gog and Magog are let through (their barrier) and they swiftly spread out in every direction.” 

(Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh, 21:956).

When Gog and Magog have been released and, in addition, “have spread out in every direction”, then at that time the people of the town who were punished by Allah Most High, and had been banished from their town (which was destroyed by Allah Most High), would be brought back to that town. There is only one such town (which was destroyed by Allah Most High) which is mentioned in the Ahādīth pertaining to Gog and Magog, and it is Jerusalem. (See pp. 91-92 for the Hadīth). Since no other town (destroyed by Allah Most High) other than Jerusalem is mentioned in the Ahādīth pertaining to Gog and Magog, we have come to the conclusion that the town mentioned in Sūrah al-Anbiyāh (verse 95 and 96) above can only be Jerusalem. From this conclusion and identification of the town, now emerges the implication that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land was made possible through the intervention of Gog and Magog. In other words, the Judeo-Christian Zionist Euro-world order that now rules the world from Washington is the world-order of Gog and Magog.  

The Qur’ān proceeded to warn that when these events take place the world would witness the countdown to the Last Day: 

“Then will the true warning (of the Day of Accounts) draw close (to fulfillment): then behold! (on that day) the eyes of the Kuffār will stare in horror: Ah! Woe to us!  We were indeed heedless of this; nay, we were truly wicked!” 

(Qur’ān, al Anbiyāh, 21:98)

(NB: A Kāfir is not someone who declines to accept Islam. Rather he is someone who knowingly rejects the claim of the Qur’ān to be the Word of the One God, and rejects the claim of Muhammad (s) to be His Prophet, and then adopts a posture of hostility to the Qur’ān, to the Prophet and to his message.)  

When Gog and Magog are released they would ‘spread out in every direction’. This indicates that with their invincible power they will take control of the whole world and that, for the first time in history, one set of people would rule all of mankind. That is precisely our present world. The world order of Gog and Magog would be one of Fasād (i.e., oppression and wickedness). Sūrah al-Kahf has described the two defining characteristics of the Fasād of that world order as being the opposite of the two defining characteristics of the world order of Dhūl Qarnain. 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Pax Qarnain – the journey to the East

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Pax Qarnain –  the journey to the East

After describing the journey to the West, Sūrah al-Kahf then proceeded to describe Dhūl Qarnain’s journey to the East, or to the ‘rising of the sun’. Since he travelled to two ends of the land, and the first journey ended at a body of water, the implication would be that the second journey also ended the same way. If the first journey ended at the Black Sea, it would be clear that the second journey in the opposite direction would have to end at the Caspian Sea.  

There he found a people concerning whom Allah Most High declared, “We did not provide for them, as a covering, other than it.” The Qur’anic narrative described Dhūl Qarnain’s response to those people in language that is extremely difficult to interpret. “Kadhālika” was the first part of the response. And this could mean: thus did he find them and thus did he leave them (undisturbed).

The second part of the response described Allah’s response to Dhūl Qarnain’s conduct with those people. Allah Most High recognized (and approved of) Dhūl Qarnain’s wise and compassionate treatment of those people.  

What was that ‘covering’ provided to the people by Allah Most High, other than which they had no other ‘covering’? And how do we interpret Dhūl Qarnain’s enigmatic response to their situation? Our view, which we venture to explain with the proviso that Allah Knows best, is that Sūrah al-Kahf is here preparing the believers for the age of Fitan, when the modern world’s hunger for exploitation of all resources of the earth and, in particular, oil, would result in callous disregard for human life and suffering. Primitive people, whose only possessions are land and homes, but whose territory is oil-rich (for example), would find themselves dispossessed of both land and homes. This blatant rape of innocent people who lived in wondrous harmony with the natural order had to take place in order for North America and Australia for example, to become a modern paradise.  

Dhūl Qarnain recognized the human person and human rights to be superior to resources, and so he left those people undisturbed in their possession of their land and homes. When the Last Age comes, and the masses are reduced through Ribā to biting poverty, the second of the two Qarns would be recognized through its respect for the human person and human rights while it seeks to exploit (for example) resources of the earth. 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Pax Qarnain – the journey to the West

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Pax Qarnain –  the journey to the West

The Qur’ān informed us that Dhūl Qarnain traveled westwards until he reached a point in his travels where he came upon a body of dark, murky water and saw the sun go down beneath that sea of water (in the poetic sense ofcourse). The implication was that this was the farthest point westwards that he could travel. It was perhaps for this reason that the Rabbis had described him as someone who travelled to the two ends of the land. The famous commentator of the Qur’ān, Ibn Kathīr, recognized that body of dark murky water to be the Black Sea. We have also come to the same conclusion using a different method of analysis (See my book entitled An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World).  

He came across a community of people at that place and Allah Most High gave him the choice of using his power either to punish or to reward them. Dhūl Qarnain’s reply delivered the heart and substance of a world-order based on revealed Truth. He declared that he would use his power and authority to punish the oppressor, and that when he was finished with punishing him, the oppressor would then face additional punishment from his Lord-God when he returned to Him. This is the kind of world-order that the Lord-God wants mankind to establish and sustain. 

Such a world-order, established by those who possess faith in Allah Most High, would witness an essential harmony between the heavenly order above and the world-order below. The implication is that whenever oppression is banished and justice is established, mankind would enjoy a blessed state in which peace and happiness would prevail. It is for this reason that true religion has zero tolerance for oppression. The greatest of all oppression is, of course, the monetary oppression of the bogus Zionist-created monetary system which has been imposed on mankind by brute force.   

Dhūl Qarnain also declared that whoever had faith (in the One God), and was righteous in conduct, he would be rewarded, and easy would be such a person’s task as ordered by his Command. 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Ayah Mutashabiha Pax Qarnain (i.e., the world-order of Dhul Qarnain)

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Āyah Mutashabiha: Pax Qarnain (i.e., the world-order of Dhul Qarnain)

The polytheist Arabs of the tribe of Quraish, resident in Makkah, were astonished when an Arab named Muhammad (s), who was born, and had lived all his life in their midst, and was so well-known for his truthfulness that they called him Al-Amīn (the truthful and trustworthy one), suddenly declared, at the age of 40, that he was a Prophet of One God, and that beside Him there was no other God. The Arabs in Makkah were familiar with monotheist Jews who lived not far away from Makkah in the northern city of Yathrib (now renamed Madīna). They were also aware that the Jews claimed to have a special status with their One God Who continuously sent Prophets in their midst.  They therefore decided to send a delegation to meet with the Rabbis in Madīna and to consult with them how to determine the validity of Al-Amīn’s claim to prophethood.

The Rabbis gave the Arab delegation three questions to put before Nabī Muhammad (s) in order to test whether or not he was indeed a true Prophet of Allah Most High. They declared of the questions, that only a true Prophet of the One God could possibly answer them. One of the three questions concerned a great traveler who traveled to the two ends of the land. When the answer to that question was revealed in the Qur’ān, we were informed of a third journey, in addition to the two concerning which the Rabbis had questioned, and that third journey led to Gog and Magog. Since Gog and Magog are a major sign of the Last Day, of which only a Prophet would have knowledge, it was clear that the Rabbis posed the question to determine whether or not Nabī Muhammad (s) knew about that major Sign of the Last Day, namely, Gog and Magog. Before we attempt an interpretation of the verses of the Qur’ān pertaining to the subject, let us first review the Qur’anic response to the question posed by the Rabbis concerning the great traveler. The answer commences with verse 83 of Sūrah al-Kahf and continues until verse 101: 

They ask you concerning Dhūl-Qarnain. Say, “I will provide you  with some information concerning him.” (18:83)  

Verily We established him with power in the land, and We gave him the capacity to pursue whatever goal he chose. (18:84)

He then decided (to travel) on a way (18:85)  

until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a spring/lake/sea of dark/murky water. Near it he found a people, and We said to him:  “O Dhūl-Qarnain! (you have the authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.” (18:86)  

He replied: “Whoever acts unjustly/wickedly, we will punish him, and when he returns to his Lord-God, He will also punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before). (18:87)  

But whoever has faith (in the One God), and is righteous in conduct, he will be rewarded, and easy will be his task as We order it by our Command.” (18:88)  

He then decided to travel on another way (18:89)  

until, when he came to the rising of the sun,  he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering (that could offer protection against the sun). (18:90)  

He (wisely and compassionately respected their indigenous way of life and) left them as they were, and We completely understood his response. (18:91) 

He then decided to travel on (a third) way (18:92) 

until, when he reached (a pass) between two mountains, he found, at that pass, a people who could scarcely understand a word (he spoke) (because their language was completely different and unrelated to all other languages in that geographical region). (18:93)  

They said: “O Dhūl-Qarnain! Gog and Magog are (wickedly) perpetrating corruption and destruction in (our) land: can we pay you to erect a barrier between us and them (to protect us from their wickedness)? 18:94 

He replied: “(The power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than what you offer): Help me therefore with man-power: I will erect a strong barrier (in the form of a dam) between you and them (and you will be safe from their wickedness) 18:95  

“Bring me blocks of iron.” At length, when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain-sides, He said, “Blow (with your bellows)” Then, when he had made it (red) as fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper that I might pour over it.” 18:96  

Thus were they (Gog and Magog) made powerless to scale (over) it or to dig through it. 18:97  

He (Dhūl Qarnain) said:  “The (construction of this barrier) is a mercy from my Lord-God. But when that time comes, of which my Lord-God has warned (i.e., the End-time) He will reduce this (iron barrier) to dust; and the warning of my Lord-God will come to pass.” 18:98  

At that time We will cause them (i.e., Gog and Magog) to surge like waves on one another (as they wreak havoc in the world): the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together (in one godless global society). 18:99   

And We shall present Hell that day for Kuffār (i.e., those who reject the truth and its righteous way of life) to see, all spread out, (i.e., the godless global society will live the way of the people of the hell-fire) 18:100  

(That global society will be comprised of people) whose eyes had been under a veil from remembrance of Me, and who had been unable even to hear (the cries, for example, of the oppressed).  

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:83-101)  

Dhūl Qarnain in Arabic refers to someone who possesses two Qarns. This can mean either two ‘horns’ or two ‘ages’. But since the Qur’ān has always used the word Qarn to refer to an age, epoch, or page of the book of history (see, for example, Qur’ān, al-An’ām, 6:6; Maryam, 19:74; Sād, 38:3; Qāf, 50:36; al-Mu’minūn, 23:31 etc.) and never as ‘horn’, we choose to translate Dhūl Qarnain as one who impacts on two different pages of the book of history.

And since we locate the true target of the question posed by the Jewish Rabbis in that major Sign of the Last Day, namely, Gog and Magog, we are of the view that Qarnain, i.e., the two ages, refer to an age in the distant past, and to an age which is to come, which would be the Last Age or the Age of Fitan. We hold the view that we now live in that Last Age, and hence, that this event in the Qur’ān has direct relevance to the world today.  

Those, on the other hand, who choose to believe that Dhūl Qarnain refers to someone who possesses two horns, would explain this subject differently from us. This writer cannot, for obvious reasons, offer any assistance to the reader in respect of such an explanation of the subject. 

Who was Dhūl Qarnain? This writer has not found any compelling necessity to devote attention to identifying Dhūl Qarnain, the historical personality. Rather we believe that attention should be directed to the conduct displayed by Dhūl Qarnain in his exercise of power and authority, for therein lies the very substance of the divine guidance being conveyed in the narrative, and therein lies the hidden message through which the discerning student of the Qur’ān can recognize the second of the two ages in the Qarnain. Those who insist on locating the identity of Dhūl Qarnain would therefore have to seek guidance and assistance elsewhere.  

Sūrah al-Kahf has introduced us in this story to the subject of power and its relation to faith in Allah Most High. Dhūl Qarnain possessed faith in the One God, and this is something common to believing Muslims as well as to those described in the Qur’ān as Ahl al-Kitāb (i.e., believing Christians and believing Jews), although there are Muslims today (and may Allah protect this writer from such people) who dismiss the possibility that a Christian or a Jew can have faith in the One God.  

He was endowed by Allah with the power to pursue whatever objective he chose. He therefore had the capacity to establish what may be described as Pax Qarnain (i.e., Dhūl Qarnain’s world-order). At the heart of this allegorical narrative is a description of a world order constructed once upon a time by one who possessed faith in the One God. We are presented with a critically important description of that world-order. It is one in which power rests on the foundations of faith in the One God, and is used to respond to oppression by punishing the oppressor and by protecting, assisting and rewarding those who have faith and whose conduct is righteous.  

The Qur’ān then warned of the emergence of a Gog and Magog world-order that would witness power resting on foundations that would be essentially godless, and power being wickedly used to oppress in exactly the opposite way from that of Dhūl Qarnain. Finally the promise was delivered that history would not end without that page of history being revisited in the second of the two Qarns, and a world-order being restored in which power would be used as it was used by Dhūl Qarnain.

When will the second of two Qarns come to pass? 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Ayah Mutashabiha: The Dream of Nabi Ibrahim, i.e., Abraham

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Āyah Mutashābih: The Dream of Nabī Ibrāhīm, i.e., Abraham (a)

Nabī Ibrāhīm (a) once had a dream in which he saw himself sacrificing his son (i.e., the way an animal is sacrificed through cutting the throat). Here is the passage of the Qur’ān which describes the event. Our readers should kindly note that it was only after the conclusion of this event that the Lord-God conveyed to Nabī Ibrāhīm (a) the glad tidings that he would have another son whose name would be Ishāq i.e., Isaac. Hence it is quite clear from the Qur’ān that the son of the sacrifice had to be his son whose name was Ismāīl i.e., Ishmael. So long as a Christian or a Jew rejects this view from the Qur’ān, and holds on to the contrary view that the son of the sacrifice was Nabī Ishāq (i.e., Isaac (a)), he will never succeed in penetrating eschatology, and, as a consequence, never be able to read the world correctly in the End-time. 

And [Abraham] said: “Verily, I shall [leave this land and] go wherever my Lord-God will guide me!” 37:99  

[And he prayed:] “O my Lord-God!  Bestow upon me the gift of [a son who shall be] one of the righteous!” 37:100  

Whereupon We gave him the glad tiding of a boy-child gentle [like himself]? 37:101  

And [one day,] when [the son] had become old enough to share in his [father’s] endeavors, the latter said: “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you: consider, then, what would be your view!” He (the son) answered: “O my father! Do as you are ordered: you will find me, if Allah so wills, among those who are patient (in such a trial)!”  37:102  

But as soon as the two had surrendered themselves to [what they understood to be] the will of Allah, and [Abraham] had laid him down on his face, 37:103  

We called out to him: “O Abraham, 37:104  

You have already fulfilled (what was required of you in) that vision (which came as a dream)!” Thus, verily,  do We reward the doers of good. 37:105  

For, behold, all this was indeed a trial, clear in itself. 37:106 

And We ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice, 37: 107  

And left this (i.e.,  the sacrifice) to occur in a later time: 37:108  

“Peace be upon Abraham!” 37:109 

Thus do We reward the doers of good 37:110   

For he was truly one of our believing servants. 37:111 

And We (then) gave him the glad tiding of Isaac, [who, too, would be] a prophet, one of the righteous. 37:112  

(Qur’ān, al-Saffāt, 37:99-112) 

In analyzing this event we must carefully note that Allah Most Just, is never unjust to anyone! Since the son did nothing for which death would have been a just punishment, it would have been an act of injustice for Allah Most High to give an order for his life to be literally taken. In addition, the Qur’ān came to put an end to all forms of pagan sacrifice, and this most certainly included human sacrifice. Instead, sacrifice is always of an animal. It would therefore have been a contradiction for Allah Most High to order a human sacrifice.  Finally, although Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham (a) never actually sacrificed his son, yet Allah Most High declared to him that he had already fulfilled what was required of him in the vision. The implication is that Allah Most High never ordered a literal sacrifice of the son, nor did he ever order a human sacrifice for any reason whatsoever.  

Our methodology has led us to the conclusion that the vision conveyed to Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham (a) a sign that was Mutashābih i.e., something that had to be interpreted, and that the interpretation of the Sign was linked to Ākhir al-Zamān. What, then, is the interpretation of this sign?  

There can be only one such interpretation, and it is that Allah Most High wanted Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham a) to accept the sacrifice of his son, in the form of his son’s seed, for some momentous Divine plan. Who, then, are his seed (i.e., his progeny), and what is that Divine plan? 

Nabī Muhammad (s) traced his lineage directly to Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael (a), who was the son of the sacrifice: Wathīla bin al-Asqa reported: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying:  Verily Allah granted eminence to Kināna from amongst the descendants of Ishmael; and He granted eminence to the Quraish amongst the Kināna; and He granted eminence to Banū Hāshim amongst the Quraish; and He granted me eminence from amongst the tribe of Banū Hāshim.”  

(Sahīh Muslim: Kitāb al-Fadāil) 

The conclusion is that the Arabs are from the seed of Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael (a), and hence the dream indicated that a sacrifice of the Arabs was to come in Ākhir al-Zamān (the End-time) in order for a Divine plan to be fulfilled, and Allah Most High wanted Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham (a) to accept that sacrifice. When he did so, Allah Most Knowing then declared that he had left the event to occur in a later time (see 37:108 above). 

We have specific information concerning that momentous sacrifice of the Arabs that is to come, and it was conveyed to Nabī Muhammad (s) in a vision. We know when it will occur. The blessed Prophet was asleep at the home of his wife Zainab (r) when he woke from his sleep with his face flushed red. He had seen a terrible vision and it affected him tremendously and he then spoke those ominous words which were connected to the fulfillment of Abraham’s dream: “Woe unto the Arabs because of an evil which now draws close” and then went on to confirm the destruction of the Arabs in Ākhir al-Zamān: 

“Narrated Zainab bint Jahsh: The Prophet got up from his sleep with a flushed red face and said:  None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, from the great evil that is close and is approaching them. Today a hole has been made in the Radm (structure built like a dam) of Gog and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated by this forming the number 90 or 100 with his fingers.) She asked: Shall we be destroyed though there are righteous people among us?” The Prophet said: Yes! (it will occur) when Khabath (i.e., rubbish) has increased (i.e. prevails).”  

(Sahīh Bukhārī) 

This writer is of the view that Khabath or rubbish now prevails everywhere – the political system, economy, market, monetary system, sexual relations, feminism, etc., and that the destruction of the seed of Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael  (a) (i.e., the Arabs) that was conveyed in the vision, is now taking place incrementally even as this book is being written. However there is a time-line for that destruction to be completed – and it is the succession of Pax Americana by Pax Judaica.   

It is now not difficult to understand why the destruction of the Arabs has to take place. Through our understanding of Islamic eschatology, we anticipate that a so-called Pax Judaica will seek to replace Pax Americana, in the same way that Pax Americana replaced Pax Britanica. It should be obvious that Pax Judaica – or Jewish Israeli rule over the world, will not be possible without: 

1. Destruction of the Islamic Caliphate; 

2. Abandonment of the Hajj; 

3. Destruction of the Arabs.  

However, Allah Most Kind, has sent a message to His believing servants amongst the Arabs that should console them. The message is that their father Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham (a)) has himself consented to, or accepted, the destruction of those who will be from the seed of his son Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael (a), in order that the Divine response to Jewish oppression in the Holy Land might one day culminate with trees and stones speaking and calling for the punishment of those oppressors.  And Allah Knows best! 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Ayah Mutashabiha Pharaoh’s body

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Āyah Mutashābih: Pharaoh’s body

When Pharaoh was drowning, something very dramatic occurred underneath the water which remained unknown for thousands of years until it was revealed in the Qur’ān: 

When We took the Children of Israel across the sea, Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. But when he was drowning he (realized that he was not God and declared:  “I (now) believe that there is no God except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to their God).”  

 (Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:90) 

Allah Most High, responded to that declaration of faith as follows: 

“Ah  now! But a little while before,  you were in rebellion! – and you were engaged in acts of destructive corruption!”

“This day We (have decided to) preserve your (physical) body, so that you (i.e., your physical body, when it is discovered,  or when it resurfaces in the historical process) may (function as) a Sign for a people who will come after you. But verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!”  

(Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:90-92)  

The Qur’ān has repeated this information that the matter concerning Pharaoh’s end constitutes an End-time Sign for mankind: 

“So, when they angered Us,  We punished them and drowned them every one. And We made them a thing past, and an example for those after (them).”  

(Qur’ān, Zukhruf, 43:55-56) 

There is conclusive evidence that the body of the Pharaoh who died by drowning, was discovered in 1898, and this confirmed the amazing Divine declaration in the Qur’ān concerning the preservation of his body. But the Qur’ān did not simply say that his body will be preserved; rather it said that when his body is discovered it would function as a Sign for a people to come after him. It then concluded with the sad recognition that most people are negligent concerning Allah’s Signs. 

The world of Islamic scholarship has responded to the discovery of the body in 1898, and to its subsequent positive identification by the most eminent of French scientists in the 1980’s, with in the precise way which `Allah Most High lamented. Their response has never ventured beyond a recognition that a Divine prophecy in the Qur’ān was fulfilled, and that this has further validated its claim to Truth. Rather, this is an Āyah Mutashābiha which requires an interpretation, and that interpretation cannot be discovered without proper methodology of studying the Qur’ān as a whole to locate the system of meaning of the subject.  

I published my book entitled Jerusalem in the Qur’ān in 2002 with the following analysis and interpretation of the event of the discovery of Pharaoh’s body: 

“The body of Pharaoh (of the Exodus) would be recovered and that would indicate that the Jews would now suffer the same fate that Pharaoh suffered”

The Qur’ān provided yet another sign to show that the final countdown for Banū Isrāīl in the Last Age had now arrived and that the worst possible punishment would now be unleashed upon them by Allah Most High. That divine sign was the recovery of the body of the Pharaoh who was drowned when he attempted to cross the sea in pursuit of Moses. Allah Most High had parted the sea in order to save Banū Isrāīl. And after they had crossed over to safety He brought down the waters on Pharaoh and his army and they were all destroyed. The Qur’ān refers to this: 
“And remember We parted the Sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people before your very sight.” 

(Qur’ān, alBaqarah, 2:50). 

Banū Isrāīl did not know, and still do not recognize, that they would themselves one day be destroyed (as Pharaoh was destroyed), and in the same manner as Pharaoh, if they betrayed Allah Most High and committed certain sins. How did Pharaoh die? The gentle reader would be astonished when he reads of the Qur’anic account of Pharaoh’s death: 

“We took Banū Isrāīl across the sea: then Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. At length, when overwhelmed with the flood, he said: I (now) believe that there is no God except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to the God of the Israelites). “(It was said to him: Ah now! But a little while before, you were in (a state of) rebellion! And you were inflicting oppression (and violence)! “And so this day (We have decided that) We shall save you in your body (i.e. We shall preserve your dead body), so that you (i.e., your dead body when it reappears in history) may be a Sign for those who come after you! But verily, most among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!” 

(Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:90-92)

“But when they continued to challenge Us We inflicted Our retribution on them and drowned them all. And We made them a thing of the past and an (ominous) example for those to come after them. ” 

(Qur’ān, al-Zukhruf, 43:55-6) 

And so the Qur’ān made the amazing prophecy that the dead body of the Pharaoh of the exodus would one day be discovered, and that when it was discovered that would constitute a most ominous divine sign. Amazingly the body of that Pharaoh was discovered close to the end of the last century. It was an even more ominous sign for the Jews that the Zionist Movement was also established at just about the same time that the body of Pharaoh was discovered. It is clear that Dajjāl, the False Messiah, was the mastermind behind the creation of the Zionist Movement. And so the age of Gog and Magog was also the age of Dajjāl. The implication of the above is that the Jews were now being led by Dajjāl, the False Messiah, and by Gog and Magog,  on a path which would witness the worst possible punishment being unleashed against them and which would culminate with divinely ordained destruction. But the end would come upon them in the same way that the end came to Pharaoh. What would be that end? The discovery of the body of Pharaoh was a momentous Sign from Allah Most High that the world would now witness the greatest drama ever enacted in human history. Time was now up for the Jews in particular, and for all of mankind in general. Those who lived like Pharaoh did, would now die the way Pharaoh died.” 

(Jerusalem in the Qur’ān, 2nd. Edition. pp. 164-167) 

More than 13 years have passed since this best-selling book was published, and despite the fact that it has been read by very large numbers of people, reprinted more than a dozen times, and translated into many different languages, yet no prominent scholar of Islam in the modern age has as yet come forth to even comment on the above interpretation of the verse of the Qur’ān; nor is it likely that they will ever do so, since so many of them appear to be imprisoned by the false punctuation of the verse concerning the interpretation of an Āyah Mutashābiha of the Qur’ān.  

This writer urges a research student to take up the subject of an Islamic eschatological analysis of events, including most of all, World Wars, which have occurred since the body of Pharaoh was discovered in 1898. Such a research work would certainly confirm that the world is now experiencing the last count-down to the end of history. History, in turn, will end with the Jews who support Israel, experiencing exactly the same fate which Pharaoh experienced while drowning. 

  

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Ayat Mutashabihat The Muqatta’at

 METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

Āyāt Mutashābihāt: the Muqatta’āt

The most prominent of all Āyāt Mutashābihāt of the Qur’ān are certain letters of the Arabic alphabet with which some Sūrahs of the Qur’ān commence. Indeed, the Qur’ān itself commences, after the Opening Chapter (i.e., Sūrah al-Fātihah) with three letters of the Arabic alphabet Alif, Laam, Meem – which are located at the very beginning of the second chapter (i.e., Sūrah al-Baqarah). Other letters of the Arabic alphabet appear at the commencement of other Sūrahs of the Qur’ān.  

It was not by accident, but by Divine design, that the text of the Qur’ān commenced with three letters of the Arabic alphabet, nor was it by accident but, rather, by Divine design, that he who was sent to teach the Qur’ān, never taught the interpretation of these letters of the alphabet in the Qur’ān. Rather the divine plan appears to have been designed to challenge those who would study the Qur’ān, to locate a methodology of study through which they could eventually attempt an explanation for the Muqatta’āt.  

A proper effort to locate the system of meaning which would allow for a possible interpretation of the Muqatta’āt must be based on recognition of the fact that we have no evidence of Allah Most High, or the blessed Prophet, or any previous Prophet, ever previously employing a letter of an alphabet to symbolize a meaning or message being conveyed allegorically. In recognition of the theory of consistency in the Divine literary method, we can dismiss the view that these letters symbolize some meaning which was being symbolically conveyed, such as an interpretation that , (i.e., Alif).

We do find in the Qur’ān, however, evidence of a numerological system which protects and guards the Qur’ān from forces of evil which may seek to penetrate and corrupt it. How else can we explain the anomaly that all Sūrahs of the Qur’ān commence with the phrase “with the Name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” except Sūrah al-Taubah? Since the Qur’ān itself declares that it has no defect or inconsistency, how do we explain this anomaly other than by recognizing the existence of a numerical system which binds together, in an interlocking foolproof security-system, all the verses and even letters of the Book? There are 114 Sūrahs in the Qur’ān and this number seems to have a numerical significance. 

As a consequence of the fact that there are 114 Sūrahs in the Qur’ān, it appears that the phrase “with the Name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” must also occur 114 times. Had this phrase appeared at the beginning of Sūrah al-Taubah, the number of occurrences in the Qur’ān would have been 115 instead of 114 because the phrase also occurs once within the text of Sūrah al-Naml: 

“Behold, it is from Solomon, and it says ‘with the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful’.”  

(Qur’ān, al-Naml, 27:30)  

If letters of the Arabic alphabet used in the Qur’ān have a numerical value, then the Muqatta’āt can be recognized to have a function of guarding or protecting the Qur’ān and to therefore constitute a part of that security-system of the Qur’ān. And Allah Knows best!  

It would also appear that the second Sūrah of the Qur’ān was chosen to commence with the Muqatta’āt, and not the first, since the function of Sūrah al-Fātihah is to open or unlock the security system of the Qur’ān, and hence it was given the name The Sūrah which Opens. And Allah Knows best!  

It is therefore advisable never to recite the Qur’ān without first reciting Sūrah al-Fātihah, and to do so with the consciousness in the heart that with this recitation the Qur’ān can be unlocked for those who possess faith in it.  

We now offer three more examples of Āyāt Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān and go on to offer an interpretation of all three based on methodology taught in this book. The first is the verse concerning the preservation of Pharaoh’s body, the second is Abraham’s dream in which he saw himself sacrificing his son, and the third is the narrative concerning Dhūl Qarnain.   

 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....

Ayat Mutashabihat (Verses To Be Interpreted)

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN 

by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

www.imranhosein.org

CHAPTER NINE

Ayāt Mutashābihāt

(Verses to be Interpreted)

“He it is who has bestowed upon you from on high this divine scripture, containing verses that are Muhkam, i.e., plain and clear in and by themselves – and these are the essence of the Book – as well as others that are Mutashābih, i.e., allegorical. Now those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the scripture which is allegorical, seeking to confuse, and seeking to interpret them [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save Allah, as well as those who are firmly-grounded in knowledge, know their final meaning. They (the learned) say: “We believe in it; the whole [of the Book] is from our Lord-God – albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with insight.”  

(Qur’ān, Āle ‘Imrān, 3:7)

The Qur’ān declares (above) that it contains two kinds of verses – the first being Āyāt Muhkamāt, or verses which are plain and clear, and require only to be explained (i.e., Tafsīr), and they are described as Umm alKitāb, or the heart of the book. This would clearly include all verses with legal injunctions concerning Halāl, or legally permissible, and Harām, or legally prohibited, etc. 

The second kind of verses are Ayāt Mutashābihāt, or verses which have to be subjected to T’awīl (i.e., interpretation) in order for their meaning to be discovered. This is the most direct and basic explanation of the term Mutashābih since this explanation is taken directly from the verse of the Qur’ān which introduces the subject. When the Qur’ān goes on to declare that the only ones who know the meaning of the Āyāt Mutashābihāt are Allah, as well as those who are Rāsikhūnā fī al-’Ilm (i.e., firmly grounded in knowledge), and when the verse concludes with the declaration that none receive this message other than Ulul Albāb (i.e., men of insight and understanding), the implication is that a scholar not only has to devote a life-time of effort to study the Qur’ān with both proper methodology as well as Basīrah (spiritual insight), but he also has to receive knowledge directly from Allah Most High (as did Khidr (a) hence, as Muhammad Asad describes it in his commentary to the verse below, he penetrates the utmost depth of mystic insight accessible to man: 

“And found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed grace from Ourselves and unto whom We had imparted knowledge [issuing directly] from Our (Divine) presence.”  

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:65)

A classic example of Ayāt Mutashābihāt can be found in the revelation of the Qur’ān in Sūrah al-Baqarah (verses 183 to 187) which replaced the previous law of fasting in the Torah (i.e., the law of fasting from sunset to sunset with no food, drink or sex during the hours of fasting), with a new law of fasting in which one is allowed to eat and drink and engage in sexual relations during the nights of fasting until the white thread of dawn is distinct from the black thread, at which time the fast would commence, and then continue until nightfall (i.e., until the day has ended): 

“… and eat and drink until you can distinguish the ‘white thread’ of dawn from the ‘black thread’, and then commence the fast (which should continue) until nightfall (i.e., until the day has ended) …” 

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:187) 

A companion of the Prophet (s), who understood the command to be literally applied, took two pieces of thread, one white and the other black, and then struggled with them at a time close to dawn to determine the time at which the fast would commence. Since he had difficulties with that process, he took his problem to the Prophet (s) who promptly responded with a T’awīl or interpretation of the ‘white’ and ‘black’ threads (i.e., in the verse) to mean that the fast would commence when the light of the day became distinct from the darkness of the night.  By virtue of the fact that the blessed Prophet interpreted the verse, it was confirmed to be Mutashābih (i.e., a verse which has to be subjected to T’awīl or interpretation). 

Had this interpretation of the verse not been provided, all Muslims, to this day, would have had to arm themselves with two pieces of thread – one white and one black – and would have had to struggle with them every morning of the blessed month of Ramadān to determine the time when the fast began.  

It was not by accident, despite the above, that the verse was revealed by Allah Most High and was transmitted by the Prophet without an interpretation. 

Allah Most High wanted to do three things: 

1. He wanted to provide an unambiguous example of an Āyah Mutashābiha; 

2. He wanted to provoke a clear event in which the blessed Prophet would interpret an Ayah Mutashābih; 

3. He wanted to thus refute a false punctuation of the verse which He knew would eventually be inserted into the Qur’ān by human beings.  

Here is the verse with the (false) punctuation: 

This false punctuation has delivered a meaning to the effect that no one knows the interpretation of these Mutashābihāt verses except Allah (i.e., not even Nabī Muhammad (s). Hence we are left with the ridiculous and obviously false conclusion that Allah Most Wise sent down His last scripture to the last of His Prophets, and appointed him to teach the Book, but there is one part of the Book whose meaning even he, the teacher, does not know, and no one can ever know until the end of the world. What then is the use of such revelation? How can it function as guidance? Can a Wise God do such a foolish thing? 

Allah Most High has knowledge of all things, and so He knew that this false punctuation would be put into the Qur’ān, and hence He created a situation in which Nabī Muhammad (s) could refute the falsehood by himself interpreting an Āyah Mutashābiha of the Qur’ān. 

There are other Ayāt Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān, i.e., verses which have to be interpreted in order for their meaning to be discovered, and we have discovered that many of them belong to the subject of Ākhir al-Zamān. 

Let us, however, turn our attention to the most difficult and challenging of the Ayāt Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān, i.e., the Muqatta’āt. 

Source: Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein

to be continued .....