| The Trust
Ayman (e-mail: drayman@fast-email.com)
Introduction
In the previous study (see “FREE
CHOICE”), a basic and straightforward logical analysis
was conducted on the Quranic verses relating to The GOD’s
will. Various logical propositions and their present and past
tense occurrences were examined. The conclusion derived from
the analysis is that we each have the freedom to choose the
path to take but have no control over what outcome this path
will lead to.
When scientists study the universe, the more
they understand of it, the more questions arise. I found the
same to be true for the Quran. I will try here to answer some
of the questions that arose out of the previous study, namely:
- Is freedom of choice unique to humans?
- What is the trust mentioned in 33:72?
- What is the forbidden tree?
As always, only The GOD knows the absolute
true answer to those questions as well as all other questions.
We will remember the 100% true interpretation only on judgment
day (see 7:53). Thus, I am simply hoping that The GOD guides
me to get closer to the straight path.
Is Freedom of Choice Unique to Humans?
After developing a clearer understanding
of human freedom of choice from the Quran, this is one of
the first questions that came to my mind: “is this freedom
of choice unique to humans?” What can we understand
from the Quran in that regards?
Verses such as 2:34 indicate that angels
have freedom of choice. In this case, to prostrate or not
to prostrate:
And when We said to the angels: "Prostrate
to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis, he refused
and became arrogant, and he was from the rejecters. [2:34]
The jinn also have freedom of choice as indicated
by verse 72:11:
“And that we from us (the jinn) are
the correct/righteous, and from us are other/lesser than that,
we were on fragmented ways.” [72:11]
So the jinn too can choose their way, either
the correct/righteous way or the wrong way. In fact, perhaps
everything in the skies and the earth has freedom of choice
as implied by the following verse:
We displayed/presented the trust on the
skies/space and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused
that they bear it, and they were cautious/afraid from it,
and the human bore it, that he truly was unjust/oppressive,
ignorant [33:72]
It seems that everything in the skies and
the earth, including mountains, could have chosen to accept
or refuse the “trust” so they already had freedom
of choice.
What is the Trust?
(Part 1)
Some people have speculated that the trust
(“Amana”) mentioned in verse 33:72 is free will.
As we saw earlier, humans have freedom to choose which path
to take, but it seems that other creatures, including the
humans, had freedom of choice from before the “trust”
was presented. So clearly this cannot be the “trust”
that the humans accepted. So let’s clear our minds from
any preconceived ideas about what the trust is and listen
to what is said in the Quran.
We displayed/presented the trust on the
skies/space and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused
that they bear it, and they were cautious/afraid from it,
and the human bore it, that he truly was unjust/oppressive,
ignorant [33:72]
This verse raises an interesting issue and
resolving it could give us an important first clue about the
trust. How can the skies/space, the earth, and even the mountains
have freedom of choice to refuse or accept the trust? It seems
that what we normally perceive as a lifeless thing, such as
the mountains, has a “hidden” side that we are
unaware of. The hidden side of those creatures had access
to information that made them cautious/afraid from accepting
the trust.
Another clue is that trust (“amana”)
is closely related to a concept called “a’hd”
or covenant/contract. This is clear from verses such as 23:8
and 70:32.
And those whom to their trusts and their
covenant they are protecting/observing [23:8]
I believe that a covenant is the contract/promise
that results, for example, from accepting a trust. What is
the covenant that the descendants of Adam have with The GOD?
The answer is clearly given in the following verses:
Did I not make a covenant to you, Adam's
descendants, that you do not serve the devil, he truly is
for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve Me, that
is a straight path? [36:60-61]
The contract/covenant that we committed to
when we accepted the trust is to not serve the devil and serve
The GOD alone. But when did we make this covenant and why
do we, in this life, not remember that we committed to this
beforehand? Perhaps, we too have a “hidden” side
that we are unaware of, just like we are unaware of the mountains’
hidden side.
Another concept that “a’hd”
and thus “amana” are closely related to is “mythaq”
or pledge. For example, see 2:27, 13:20, and 13:25:
Those who fulfill/complete the covenant
to The GOD, and do not break/undo the pledge/binding. [13:20]
While the “a’hd” or covenant
applies to all people, the “mythaq” or pledge
seems to be a subset that applies to certain people. Also,
while we may not remember the covenant, we certainly know
about the pledge since we implicitly gave it in this life.
For example, here is the “mythaq” of people who
are given the book:
And as The GOD took/received the pledge
(“mythaq”) of those who were given The Book, to
clarify/show/explain it to the people, and do not hide/conceal
it, so they discarded/rejected it behind their backs and bought/exchanged
with it a small price, so how bad is what they buy/exchange?
[3:187]
Once the Quran was given to a certain group,
they too became “those who were given the book”
and by accepting the Quran, they accepted the pledge in verse
3:187. In order not to break this pledge, they should try
to clarify/show/explain it to the people (such as what I am
trying to do right now). Did the people who were given the
Quran fulfill their pledge? Or did many of them practically
discarded the book of The GOD and exchanged it for something
less worthy such as the book of Bukhari? If so, then the majority
is breaching the pledge (“mythaq”), thereby breaking
the covenant (“a’hd”) and violating the
trust (“amana”). Indeed, what bad exchange!
Another question that arises out of 33:72
and 36:60-61 is that the covenant resulting from the trust,
“not serving an enemy and serving The GOD”, sounds
straightforward and logical, so why did everybody refuse to
bear the trust except the human? Does the fact that we are
now unaware of the “hidden” side of things, including
our own hidden side, have something to do with it? Was this
constraint part of the trust? It seems that the trust is not
merely a privilege but may have significant constraints associated
with it.
The story of Adam can help shed some light
on this because Adam too made a covenant with The GOD and
he too forgot about it:
And We had entrusted/made a covenant to
Adam from before so he forgot, and We did not find decisiveness/determination
in him. [20:115]
The story of Adam is recited in several places
in the Quran such as: 2:30-39, 7:10-25, 15:26-40, 17:61-65,
18:50, 20:115-124, and 38:69-85. The following is the story
as told in Chapter 20:
And as We said to the angels: "Prostrate
to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis refused/hated.
[20:116]
So We said: "Adam, that is an enemy
for you and your spouse, so let him not bring you both out
from the Paradise, so you will be miserable/unhappy."
[20:117]
"In it for you, that you do not be
hungry, nor exposed" [20:118]
"And that you do not be thirsty in
it, nor heat stricken " [20:119]
So the devil inspired and talked to him,
he said: "O Adam, do I guide you to the immortality's/eternity's
tree, and possession/kingdom that does not wear out?"
[20:120]
Perhaps another clue about the trust can
be found in the forbidden tree that Iblis fabricated a nice
sounding lie about to lure them into eating from.
What is the Forbidden Tree?
A better understanding of the effect of the
tree would help in understanding its meaning.
Traditionally, it is thought that Adam and
spouse became naked or their private parts showed when they
ate from the tree and that is why they expressed shame. This
interpretation doesn’t make logical sense because The
Creator knows “the creation”. In other words,
The GOD created them and their private parts and knows what
they look like naked. Let us continue with the subsequent
verse in Chapter 20:
So they ate from it, so their physical bodies
(“saw’a-tahoma”) appeared to them, and they
started to stick on them from the Paradise's leaves, and Adam
disobeyed his Lord, so he was misguided/failed. [20:121]
Some people have interpreted (“saw’a-tahoma”)
as “evil intentions”. Obviously, it doesn’t
make sense that they would try to cover their “evil
intentions” with the paradise’s leaves. This is
again confirmed in Chapter 7:
"And you Adam, reside you and your
mate/spouse the Paradise, so you eat from it where/when you
willed, and do not approach/near this tree, so you will become
from the unjust/oppressive." [7:19]
So the devil suggested to them to show to
them what was hidden/concealed from them of their physical
body (“saw’a-tahoma”), and he said: "Your
Lord did not prevent you from this tree except that you become
two angels or you become from the eternals" [7:20]
And he made oath to them: "I am to
you from the advisors/counselors." [7:21]
So he lured/attracted and lowered them,
with deceit/temptation/arrogance so when they tasted/experienced
the tree, their physical body (“saw’a-tahoma”)
appeared to them, and they started to stick on them from the
Paradise's leaves, and their Lord called them: "Did I
not forbid/prevent you from that tree, and I said to you that
the devil is for you an evident enemy?" [7:22]
The Sunni clergy were and continue to be
heavily influenced by Paulian (the rogue Nazarene sect that
hijacked the name of Christ) and Talmudic traditions and thus
they interpreted the Arabic word (“saw’a”)
as “private parts”. However, that interpretation
is not consistent with the following verse:
So The GOD sent a crow digging in the earth,
to show him how to cover his brother's physical body (“saw’a”),
he said: "Oh my calamity, have I been unable to be like
that crow, so I cover/bury my brother's physical body (“saw’a”)?"
So he became from the remorseful. [5:31]
Clearly the crow showed the son of Adam how
to cover/bury his murdered brother’s physical body,
not how to cover/bury his private parts or his evil intentions.
Therefore, I believe that it is not shame of nakedness but
the surprise of seeing their “physical” selves
that prompted them to try to cover themselves.
This may confirm that we have a dual nature,
“sensed/physical” and “hidden”. In
this world, the “physical” side is apparent while
the other side is hidden from us. Perhaps in heaven, it was
the other way around, until eating from the tree made the
“physical” side apparent to Adam and spouse.
In the same way that when Iblis disobeyed
the Lord’s command he became a jinn and lost touch with
the "angel" side, when Adam and spouse ate from
the tree they lost touch with the "hidden" side.
Also, according to verses such as 69:17 and
89:22, the angels will come with our Lord on judgment day.
Perhaps that is why the devil tempted Adam and mate using
the lie of the tree having the power to turn them into two
angels. Maybe Adam and spouse thought that this way they would
escape being judged on judgment day.
Why Don’t We Remember Accepting
the Trust?
There are many verses in the Quran indicating
that there is a hidden side to the universe that we are part
of (see 32:17, 7:27, 69:38-39, 50:22, 21:97, 30:7).
They know (what is) apparent/visible from
the low life, and they, about the ending, are unaware/oblivious
[30:7]
In fact, the “hidden” side of
the universe provides access to information that may enable
other creatures to make choices that are in line with The
GOD’s natural system. It seems from verse 8:48 that
even the devil, who unlike us, has access to this hidden side
doesn’t dare to do actions that violate The GOD’s
natural system, he merely suggests/tells others to do so.
And when the devil decorated/beautified
for them their works/deeds, and he said: "No defeater/conqueror
from the people for you today and that I am a savior/rescuer
for you." So when the two groups saw each other, he returned/withdrew
on his two heels, and he said: "That I am innocent/renouncing/separating
from you, I see/understand what you do not see/understand,
I fear The GOD, and The GOD (is) strong (severe) in the punishment."
[8:48]
As we saw earlier, the fact that we can’t
detect or see the hidden side of the universe may explain
why we don’t remember accepting the trust. Could this
be why we are constantly asked to remember in the Quran and
the Quran itself is described as a reminder?
It seems that the people who will go to heaven
will remember that the provisions provided for them were also
provided in their previous existence as indicated in 2:25:
And announce good news to those who have
faith and did/made the correct/righteous deeds, that to them
are treed gardens the rivers flow from beneath it. Whenever
they were provided from it a fruit of provision, they said:
"This is what we were provided from before." And
they were given with it similar, and for them in it are purified
mates/pairs and they are in it immortally/eternally. [2:25]
Also it seems that on the day where people
see the greatest disaster they will remember, as indicated
by verses such as 7:53, 79:34-35, and 89:23.
So if/when the greatest/biggest calamity/disaster
came. That day/time the human/mankind remembers what he strived/endeavored.
[79:34-35]
And on that day hell was brought. On that
day the human/mankind remembers, and from where is for him
the remembrance/reminder? [89:23]
Why would the bringing of hell remind people?
Have we all seen hell before? If so, since hell is not here
yet, how could we have seen a future outcome? The following
verse may provide an indication:
And when your Lord said to the angels: "That
I am making/creating/putting in the earth a successor/appointee/leader/replacement
(“khalifa”)." They said: "Do you make/put
in it, who corrupts in it and sheds the bloods, and/(while)
we praise/glorify with Your praise and we (continue to admit
Your) holiness/sanctity to You." He said: "I know
what you do not know." [2:30]
It seems from the Quran that perhaps some
creatures such as the angels are able to see some of the future
outcomes. Verses such as 37:8 confirm that those in the highest
group/elite (“al-mala’a al-a’ala”)
may have at least some ability to see future outcomes. In
verse 2:30, they were able to see that a successor/appointee
in the earth would corrupt in it and kill senselessly. In
fact, the angels seem to be so confident about the future
outcomes of that action that they question The GOD’s
decision.
Who is the Khalifa?
The word “khalifa” comes from
the root “KhaLaF”, which has some of the following
connotations that are relevant to verse 2:30:
Successor (7:169, 19:59, ...)
Appointee/leader (43:60, 24:55, ...)
Different (30:22, 16:13, ...)
Replacement (7:150, 6:133, 11:57, ...)
The clear answer to who the “khalifa”
really is can be found in verses such as 6:165 and 35:39:
And He is who made you the earth’s
successors/appointees/leaders/replacement (“khalaif”),
and He raised some of you above some by degrees, to test you
in what He gave you, indeed your Lord is quick in the punishment
and He is forgiving, merciful. [6:165]
Also verse 7:10, which like 2:30 also comes
right before the story of Adam confirms that humankind is
the empowered successor/appointee/leader/replacement in the
earth:
And We had empowered you in the earth, and
We made for you in it livelihood/sustenance, little (is) what
you thank/be grateful. [7:10]
Thus it is humankind (us) who is the earth’s
“khalifa”. This is a unique feature of humankind
that makes us different and may help us in getting closer
to what the trust is.
What is the Trust?
(Part 2)
Before we continue, it is worth noting that
the angels are not part of the skies and the earth as indicated
by 16:49:
And to The GOD prostrates what is in the
skies/space and what is in the earth from a walker/creeper/crawler,
and the angels, and they are not being arrogant. [16:49]
Consequently, we can deduce that the angels
were not among the creatures that were offered the trust in
33:72. On the other hand, The GOD told the angels alone about
putting a successor/appointee/leader/replacement (“khalifa”)
on earth. So, was being a test for the angels part of the
trust? As we saw, one of the connotations of “khalifa”
is “replacement”, so perhaps humankind was to
replace the angels as leaders of the earth. This may explain
the following reaction from the angels:
...They said: "Do you make/put in it,
who corrupts in it and sheds the bloods, and/(while) we praise/glorify
with Your praise and we (continue to admit Your) holiness/sanctity
to You."... [2:30]
So now, back to our original question. Perhaps
one of the ways to approach the 'trust' is to think about
what makes us different from other creatures since we are
the only ones who accepted the trust. From the Quran, we can
find several features that are unique to humankind:
As we saw above, humankind is the earth’s
successor/appointee/leader/replacement (“khalifa”).
Our Lord taught Adam all the names (see
2:31).
As we saw earlier, we are currently unaware/ignorant
of the “hidden” side of the universe.
Also, humankind may be part of a test for the angels.
Also another feature that maybe unique to the human is that
The GOD’s spirit was blown into the human (see 32:9,
15:29, 38:72). However, so far I couldn’t find more
evidence to confirm whether this is a unique feature of humankind
or not.
Hence the trust may entail all of those features
that are unique to humankind. Another important clue about
the trust can be found at the end of 33:72:
We displayed/presented the trust on the
skies/space and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused
that they bear it, and they were cautious/afraid from it,
and the human bore it, that he truly was unjust/oppressive,
ignorant [33:72]
Why is the human called unjust/oppressive
and ignorant for accepting the trust? Accepting the first
two privileges (the “khalifa” and “knowledge
of all the names”) does not seem like a bad decision.
However, accepting those privileges along with the constraint
of not having access to the “hidden” side that
as we saw earlier provides crucial information helping other
creatures make choices that are in line with The GOD’s
natural system does seem risky. This is especially an unjust/oppressive
and ignorant decision, given that it was known in advance
that any “khalifa” would corrupt in the earth.
Also, it is a known fact that The GOD’s punishment is
severe (see verses such as 8:48) and that The GOD will punish
the hypocrites and takers of partners as indicated in 33:73
immediately following the verse about the trust.
I believe that this is maybe why everybody
in the skies and the earth did not want to bear the trust
and why the human is called unjust/oppressive and ignorant
for accepting it.
Now add an angel who became a vengeful jinn
that is bent on diverting us from the only path that leads
to heaven among a very large number of paths that all lead
to hell and the outlook for humankind does seem gloomy indeed.
Also, while still in the highest group/elite and perhaps was
able to see some future outcomes, this vengeful jinn confidently
said that the majority of the humans will follow him (see
7:17).
In summary, the trust entails being a successor/appointee/leader/replacement
in the earth while knowing the names but being unaware of
the “hidden” side of the universe.
How Can We Fulfill the Trust?
Verses 2:27 and 13:25 talk about the people
who break the covenant and thereby corrupt in the earth as
the angels in verse 2:30 knew the “khalifa” would:
Those who break The GOD's covenant (“a’hd”)
from after its binding/pledging, and they cut/sever what The
GOD ordered connected, and they corrupt in the earth, those
are the losers. [2:27]
Since we now know that being a “khalifa”
maybe the major component of the trust, it seems that to fulfill
the Trust, we must not corrupt in the earth. In turn, in order
not to corrupt in the earth, we must fulfill The GOD’s
covenant and not cut what The GOD ordered connected as indicated
by 2:27.
As we saw earlier, this is The GOD’s
covenant that we must not break:
Did I not entrust/make a covenant (“a’hd”)
to you, Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil,
he truly is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve
Me, that is a straight path? [36:60-61]
Our purpose in life is to fulfill this covenant
with The GOD:
And I did not create the Jinns and the humankind
except to serve Me. [51:56]
To fulfill the covenant and thus accomplish
our purpose in life to serve The GOD alone, everything we
do in life should be for The GOD (see 6:162-163):
Say: "That my “Salat” and
my methods, and my life, and my death, (is) to the Lord of
the universes. No partner to Him, and with that I was ordered/commanded,
and I am first (of) the Muslims." [6:162-163]
See also 20:14:
"I am The GOD; there is no other god
but Me. So you shall serve Me, and establish the “Salat”
for My Remembrance." [20:14]
So it seems that “Salat” is closely
related to fulfilling our covenant and our purpose in life.
So the next question is how does Salat relate to our covenant?
How Do Salat and Zakat Relate to Our
Covenant?
Verses 9:1-13 confirm that both “Salat
and Zakat” concepts are related to the “covenant”
concept. Those who broke their covenant with the faithful
are to bring forth Salat and Zakat to be forgiven. Verses
9:11 and 9:12 indicate two opposite paths (courses of action)
that the people who fought to kill the faithful after making
a covenant with them can take:
Path 1:
"If they repent, and they uphold the
"Salat", and they bring forth the "Zakat",
then they are your brothers in the system, and We explain
the revelations for a people who know. " [9:11]
Path 2:
"And if they break their oaths after
their covenant, and they distort your system, then you may
kill the chiefs of rejection. Their oaths are nothing to them,
perhaps they will cease." [9:12]
Thus, the opposite of "breaking their
oaths after their covenant, and distorting your system"
is "upholding the Salat, and bringing forth the Zakat".
This means that "Salat" is equivalent to “committing
to their oaths and covenant” and "Zakat" is
equivalent to “purifying the system from their deliberate
distortions”.
In our case, here are our covenant and pledge
with The GOD, which as we saw earlier are connected:
Did I not entrust/make a covenant (“a’hd”)
to you, Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil,
he truly is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve
Me, that is a straight path? [36:60-61]
And as The GOD took/received the pledge
(“mythaq”) of those who were given The Book, to
clarify/show/explain it to the people, and do not hide/conceal
it, so they discarded/rejected it behind their backs and bought/exchanged
with it a small price, so how bad is what they buy/exchange?
[3:187]
From other verses in the Quran, we can see
that Salat’s purpose is:
Remembering The GOD (20:14) by remembering
His favor and the pledge (“mythaq”) that we made
with Him (5:7) and "hearing and obeying" Him (i.e.
prostration/”sujood”).
Fulfilling our pledge by reciting the book
(29:45, 17:78) and explaining it (3:187), including explaining
its application to our system of laws and community.
Verses 4:101-103 describe the shortening
of Salat in case of fear by performing only process number
1 above and ending the Salat with the “sujood”.
Now it is clear that Salat helps us in serving
The GOD by connecting our covenant and pledge with their actual
fulfillment in our system while Zakat helps us in not serving
the devil by purifying our system from his distortions.
The “Salat” puts those who have
faith in contrast to the rejecters. The rejecters betray/break
their covenant, cut what The GOD ordered connected (see 2:27,
13:25), and disconnect their words from their deeds (see 26:226-227).
On the other hand, those who have faith connect their covenant
and pledge (words) with the fulfillment of their covenant
and pledge (deeds) by upholding the Allegiance/Connection
Assembly = “Salat” (see 13:19-22).
Purifying our system from the devil’s
distortions (“Zakat”) is done by convincing people
to reject the devil’s lies as clear from Chapter 80:
How do you know? He may “yazaka”.
[80:3]
Thus, everyone who wants to give Purification
(“Zakat”) is required to make an effort to purify
others by exposing the devil’s lies, such as the Hadiths,
that distort our system.
Those who if We empowered them in the earth
they upheld the Allegiance/Connection Assembly (“Salat”)
and brought purification (“Zakat”) and they ordered/commanded
with the kindness, and they forbade disguised-obscenity, and
to The GOD (are) the matters' end (results). [22:41]
Conclusion And Directions For Future
Research
That it truly is an honorable messenger's
utterance [69:40]
That it truly is an honorable messenger's
utterance [81:19]
And We had connected for them the utterance,
perhaps they remember [28:51]
Interestingly, we are finding that the concepts
we covered so far from the Quran such as Free Choice, Trust,
Covenant, Pledge, Forbidden Tree, Khalifa, Salat, Zakat, our
purpose in life, and serving The GOD are all interconnected
as was indicated in 28:51.
Here is the verse immediately following verse
33:72 that talks about the trust:
For The GOD to punish the (male and female)
hypocrites, and the (male and female) sharers/takers of partners
(with The GOD), and for The GOD to forgive the (male and female)
who have faith, and The GOD was forgiving, merciful. [33:73]
Remember the test that we are going through
in this low life:
Did the people assume/suppose that they
be left to say "we had faith" and they are not being
tested? And We had tested those who were before them, so The
GOD will know those who were truthful, and He will know the
liars/deniers/falsifiers. [29:2-3]
And The GOD will know those who have faith,
and He will know the hypocrites. [29:11]
Perhaps the test of this low life is an assessment
of whether we will betray or observe the trust. Also, continue
to read the story of Adam in chapter 20:
Then His Lord chose/purified him, so He
forgave him, and guided. [20:122]
He said: "You descend/drop from it
all together, some of you to some an enemy, so when guidance
from Me comes to you, so who followed My guidance, so he does
not become misguided nor become miserable/unhappy. [20:123]
"And who objected/turned away from
My remembrance/reminder, so then for him is a narrow/tight/weak
life/livelihood, and We gather him on the Resurrection Day
blind/confused" [20:124]
What is that “guidance” 20:123
that we are to follow?
“This is the book, no doubt, in it
guidance for the prudent/forethoughtful.” [2:2]
The Quran helps us with the our purpose in
life by, for example, talking about the outcomes that we are
going to face in the afterlife and providing knowledge that
help us connect all the information we have together to determine
our purpose in life. It is simply a reminder to help us choose
the right path that will lead to a desirable outcome in the
afterlife and warn us about the other paths and the miserable
outcome that they will certainly lead to.
As I mentioned in the introduction, when
scientists study the universe, the more they understand of
it, the more questions arise and I found the same to be true
for the Quran. One word that was repeated many times in this
article is “why”. Children have this natural instinct
to keep asking “why”. Unfortunately, many education
systems, especially in Sunni and Shia nations, have been an
agent for suppressing this inquisitive nature so that by the
time the child grows into an adult, they are a tamed blind
follower. A more natural education system that attempts to
harness this inquisitive nature to promote the revival of
scientific discovery and civilization is desperately needed.
Meanwhile, please coach your children to continue to ask “why”.
Remember our purpose in life:
And I did not create the Jinns and the humankind
except to serve Me. [51:56]
Also,
And had your Lord willed He would have made
the people one nation, and they still/continue differing/disagreeing.
[11:118]
Except who your Lord had mercy upon and
for that He created them, and your Lord's word/expression
(is) completed: "I will fill Hell from the Jinns and
the people all together." [11:119]
By putting 51:56 and 11:118-119 together,
we can see that despite all people differences/disagreements,
what unites those who our Lord has mercy on is the serving
of The GOD alone. So even though we may occasionally disagree
on some Quranic interpretations, what is really important
is that we agree to serve The GOD alone and not the devil
and his lies.
Many new questions arose while writing this
article, for example:
Now that we understand from the Quran that
the universe has a sensed/physical side and a “hidden”
side, what more can we find out about that “hidden”
side from the Quran?
How do our findings relate to new scientific theories that
try to explain the universe such as string theory, m-theory,
and f-theory? All those theories suggest that there are indeed
“hidden” dimensions in the universe.
Also, what else can we find out about the straight path?
Did I not entrust/make a covenant to you,
Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil, he truly
is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve Me, that
is a straight path? [36:60-61]
Those are just some more questions that I
am putting out for people to think about and I will try to
answer some of them in the near future, except if The GOD
wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:
“This is the book, no doubt, in it
guidance for the prudent/forethoughtful.” [2:2]
Tomorrow, I will try to improve my understanding
of the Quran and the universe, except if The GOD wills and
perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality.
This article reflects my personal interpretation of the Quranic
verses as of December 31st, 2002. Please be humble by following
the example set by the angels in 2:32, verify all information
within for yourself as commanded in 17:36, and remember that
simply “none” is the prudent/forethoughtful answer
to 45:6.
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