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 .....