1 00:00:01,176 --> 00:00:03,966 Meezan - Tadabbur-e Quran (Understanding the Quran) 2 00:00:05,450 --> 00:00:08,830 Meezan and Furqan, Muhkam and Mutashaabih. Lecture. 16 A. 03-05-2002 3 00:00:10,350 --> 00:00:12,860 Scholar. Javed Ahmed Ghamidi 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,320 [Javed Ahmed Ghamidi] Alhumdulillah All Praise is due to Allah, 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,040 Peace and Blessings be upon His Trustworthy Prophet Muhammad. 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,060 I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. 7 00:00:26,060 --> 00:00:28,680 In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent and Ever Merciful. 8 00:00:30,510 --> 00:00:32,660 Ladies and gentlemen, 9 00:00:35,154 --> 00:00:40,684 what is the meaning of muhkam and mutashaabih verses, 10 00:00:40,684 --> 00:00:45,464 and when it is said that some verses of the Quran are muhkam 11 00:00:45,464 --> 00:00:48,244 and some are mutashaabih, 12 00:00:49,442 --> 00:00:52,677 then does this have any affect on the Quran being 13 00:00:52,677 --> 00:00:56,297 a Meezan (scale) and Furqan (separator of truth and falsehood)? 14 00:00:56,297 --> 00:00:59,537 We have discussed about this in detail. 15 00:01:01,386 --> 00:01:09,746 The fundamental position in this was given to two words, as I had said. 16 00:01:09,746 --> 00:01:15,966 One was the meaning of mutashaabih, and the second was the meaning of taweel. 17 00:01:15,966 --> 00:01:20,896 I had said that the source of the mistake occurred precisely in these two words. 18 00:01:21,927 --> 00:01:24,957 What is the correct point of view in this matter, 19 00:01:24,957 --> 00:01:27,657 is also something we have already studied. 20 00:01:28,700 --> 00:01:37,270 There was only one last paragraph in this topic which we had to read still. 21 00:01:38,517 --> 00:01:42,517 After reading that, I will begin with the next discussion. 22 00:01:44,286 --> 00:01:47,916 In the verse of the Quran from which people have mistakenly deduced 23 00:01:47,916 --> 00:01:53,256 that no one can understand the meaning of the mutashabihaat verses, 24 00:01:53,256 --> 00:01:56,386 the Almighty does not say that no one except Him 25 00:01:56,386 --> 00:01:59,696 knows the meaning of the mutashabihaat verses. 26 00:01:59,696 --> 00:02:02,516 On the contrary, He says that no one other than Allah knows the reality 27 00:02:02,516 --> 00:02:04,056 of what is conveyed by these verses. 28 00:02:04,056 --> 00:02:08,676 So the mistake which has been made has come from the word 'taweel'. 29 00:02:08,676 --> 00:02:13,538 Because the word 'taweel' came to be used in the later ages 30 00:02:13,538 --> 00:02:20,586 to mean explanation, commentary, or meaning. 31 00:02:20,586 --> 00:02:24,586 As I had said, this is a meaning adopted in the later ages. 32 00:02:24,586 --> 00:02:29,496 So the word has come to be used in this meaning in the later eras. 33 00:02:29,496 --> 00:02:33,654 The word 'taweel' in reality is not used to mean the things I mentioned. 34 00:02:33,654 --> 00:02:37,654 In the Quran, this word has not been used in just one place. 35 00:02:37,654 --> 00:02:40,804 It has been used in many places. 36 00:02:40,804 --> 00:02:47,244 One of the more prominent usages out of those, I have quoted here. 37 00:02:47,244 --> 00:02:51,244 But we will look at the other places too where it has been used. 38 00:02:52,784 --> 00:02:58,494 Since this is a very fundamental word, and the whole misunderstanding has arisen 39 00:02:58,494 --> 00:03:00,874 from it. And by not understanding it correctly, 40 00:03:00,874 --> 00:03:04,874 the matter has become so complex, which we have already commented upon. 41 00:03:04,874 --> 00:03:10,534 Therefore, we must have a look at the uses of this word in the Quran. 42 00:03:11,940 --> 00:03:15,240 In the Quran, this word has been used 43 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:23,267 in the mention of the events related to Joseph (AS) quite frequently. 44 00:03:24,443 --> 00:03:28,653 And it has been used exactly in the sense in which we use 45 00:03:28,653 --> 00:03:32,563 the word 'haqeeqat' (reality) or 'taabiir' (interpretation). 46 00:03:32,563 --> 00:03:38,913 When we say that I saw this dream. We often say this right? 47 00:03:38,913 --> 00:03:41,713 And we ask, what is its interpretation? 48 00:03:41,713 --> 00:03:44,683 That does not imply the meaning of the dream. 49 00:03:44,683 --> 00:03:47,763 While narrating a dream, one uses certain words right? 50 00:03:47,763 --> 00:03:52,163 We say that we saw a river, in which a boat was rowing. 51 00:03:52,163 --> 00:03:56,163 I too was sitting in it and the boatman was rowing the boat. 52 00:03:56,163 --> 00:03:58,983 All of a sudden the rain started. 53 00:03:58,983 --> 00:04:02,783 Then I saw that somehow, we had reached the banks of the river. 54 00:04:02,783 --> 00:04:04,873 Now this is the narration of a dream. 55 00:04:04,873 --> 00:04:10,043 Or for instance, the dream of Syedna Abraham. 56 00:04:10,043 --> 00:04:17,863 In which he mentioned before his son, 'Inni ara fil manami anni azbahuka'. 57 00:04:17,863 --> 00:04:23,003 Which means that I see in a dream that I am slaughtering you. 58 00:04:23,003 --> 00:04:25,433 Now the words which have been used of the Arabic language, 59 00:04:25,433 --> 00:04:29,883 'Inni ara fil manaam', there is no issue in understanding them. 60 00:04:29,883 --> 00:04:34,823 These are clear words, 'Inni ara fil manaam', is very clear Arabic. 61 00:04:34,823 --> 00:04:39,793 'I see in a dream'. Just like we say it in Urdu too, that I saw it in a dream. 62 00:04:39,793 --> 00:04:42,513 'Anni azbahuka'. 'I am slaughtering you.' 63 00:04:42,513 --> 00:04:45,813 The word 'slaughtering' too is very intentional, we use it every day 64 00:04:45,813 --> 00:04:47,533 and we are aware of its meaning too. 65 00:04:47,533 --> 00:04:51,333 Understanding this word too was not at all difficult for Ishmael. 66 00:04:51,333 --> 00:04:53,703 And even now when these words are spoken, 67 00:04:53,703 --> 00:04:56,533 there is no doubt about their meaning. 68 00:04:56,533 --> 00:05:00,403 But it is a dream, and when you will relate this dream, 69 00:05:00,403 --> 00:05:03,053 you will say, 'what is its interpretation?' 70 00:05:03,053 --> 00:05:07,168 So its meaning is not a point of debate; meanings belong to the words. 71 00:05:07,168 --> 00:05:13,728 The word or the sentence which we choose to express an issue or a matter, 72 00:05:13,728 --> 00:05:15,788 there the debate is about the meaning. 73 00:05:15,788 --> 00:05:18,919 Meaning implies a discussion about what 'inni' means or what 'ara' means, 74 00:05:18,919 --> 00:05:21,819 what 'manaam' means. This is concerned with their meanings. 75 00:05:21,819 --> 00:05:27,299 But to say that I have seen I am floating down a river, 76 00:05:27,299 --> 00:05:33,179 in this we know the meaning of the words river, floating, and downstream as well. 77 00:05:33,179 --> 00:05:37,019 But what is their reality? What is the implication of what I have seen? 78 00:05:37,019 --> 00:05:40,289 This reality or this interpretation of the dream, 79 00:05:40,289 --> 00:05:45,548 because in Surah Yusuf, as the people who have read the Quran would know, 80 00:05:45,548 --> 00:05:48,473 that dreams were continuously coming under discussion. 81 00:05:48,473 --> 00:05:52,833 A dream was seen by the King, another was seen by Prophet Joseph, 82 00:05:52,833 --> 00:05:56,843 after that his cellmates in the prison also saw some dreams. 83 00:05:56,843 --> 00:05:59,483 So the Surah is talking about a lot of dreams. 84 00:05:59,483 --> 00:06:03,213 You can see that the Quran has used this word again and again. 85 00:06:03,213 --> 00:06:06,113 Surah Yusuf is the twelfth Surah of the Quran. 86 00:06:06,113 --> 00:06:10,113 In its sixth verse, it says 'Wa kazaalika yajtabeeka rabbuka 87 00:06:10,113 --> 00:06:12,463 wa yu'allimuka min ta'weelil ahaadees.' 88 00:06:12,463 --> 00:06:15,233 'Wa yu'allimuka min ta'weelil ahaadees.' 89 00:06:15,233 --> 00:06:22,893 It means that your Lord will teach you how to reach the truth of things. 90 00:06:22,893 --> 00:06:26,213 It does not say that He will tell you the meanings of the sentences. 91 00:06:26,213 --> 00:06:30,373 When a narrative will be presented, then what is the truth behind it, 92 00:06:30,373 --> 00:06:36,013 that is what your Lord will teach you. Or this is what God has taught you, 93 00:06:36,013 --> 00:06:37,843 this is what you have learned from Him. 94 00:06:37,843 --> 00:06:42,219 So 'taweel' is used in the exact same meaning in which we use the word 'reality' 95 00:06:42,219 --> 00:06:46,939 Then at another place, this same word has been used 96 00:06:46,939 --> 00:06:51,669 where the King has narrated his dream and has asked his Courtiers, 97 00:06:51,669 --> 00:06:54,339 what do you have to say about my dream? 98 00:06:54,339 --> 00:06:57,929 So there is no trouble for anyone in understanding the words 99 00:06:57,929 --> 00:07:00,199 which have been used in that dream. 100 00:07:00,199 --> 00:07:04,199 There are seven fat cows who are being eaten, and there are ears of corn. 101 00:07:04,199 --> 00:07:08,199 The dream which has been narrated, there was no trouble in its meaning. 102 00:07:08,199 --> 00:07:13,159 But see what he says in response. He says: wa ma nahnu betaweelil ahlame be'aalameen 103 00:07:13,159 --> 00:07:18,069 We are not scholars of the reality and interpretations of dreams. 104 00:07:18,677 --> 00:07:21,137 So it is that same word which has been used here. 105 00:07:21,137 --> 00:07:26,267 We are not learned in it, we are not aware about the things that are seen in dreams 106 00:07:26,267 --> 00:07:28,347 and what their reality is. 107 00:07:28,347 --> 00:07:32,347 What do those things denote? Or we can borrow the same word 108 00:07:32,347 --> 00:07:34,907 which I had explained in my previous lecture. 109 00:07:34,907 --> 00:07:38,957 That it is not the meaning, but the referent of the dream I have seen. 110 00:07:38,957 --> 00:07:41,657 So what is it for which it stands as a true testament? 111 00:07:41,657 --> 00:07:44,367 What is it that would manifest in reality from it? 112 00:07:44,367 --> 00:07:47,517 So here too this word has been used. 113 00:07:47,517 --> 00:07:50,597 Then there is the famous dream of Prophet Joseph, 114 00:07:50,597 --> 00:07:54,597 which led to the whole incident of Surah Yusuf. 115 00:07:54,597 --> 00:08:00,887 He said, I dreamt of eleven stars, and the sun and the moon, prostrating before me. 116 00:08:00,887 --> 00:08:06,377 This was his dream, right? Now here, the word used for 'eleven', 'ahada 'ashara', 117 00:08:06,377 --> 00:08:10,047 no person fluent in the Arabic language has any issue in grasping its meaning. 118 00:08:10,047 --> 00:08:13,137 In fact even a student of the Arabic language knows its meaning. 119 00:08:13,137 --> 00:08:16,177 Or the statement that I dreamt of eleven stars, 120 00:08:16,177 --> 00:08:20,177 so the word used for stars in it, i.e. 'kawkaba', 121 00:08:20,177 --> 00:08:23,097 this too is understood easily by everyone. 122 00:08:23,097 --> 00:08:24,987 So there is no doubt in its meaning. 123 00:08:24,987 --> 00:08:28,297 The words used for the sun and the moon are also the ones prevalent in Arabic. 124 00:08:28,297 --> 00:08:33,127 'Al shamsa wal qamar'. And after that, 'ra aytuhum lee sajideen', 125 00:08:33,127 --> 00:08:35,267 this too is eloquent Arabic, clear Arabic. 126 00:08:35,267 --> 00:08:38,147 I dreamt that they were prostrating before me. 127 00:08:38,147 --> 00:08:40,837 I dreamt that they are bowing to me. 128 00:08:40,837 --> 00:08:43,237 So there is no difficulty in understanding the meaning of these words. 129 00:08:43,237 --> 00:08:47,737 But when the interpretation of this dream was put before us, 130 00:08:47,737 --> 00:08:53,897 when you read Surah Yusuf, towards the end of it, its interpretation is revealed. 131 00:08:53,897 --> 00:08:58,127 That event really comes true, that his brothers and his parents, 132 00:08:58,127 --> 00:09:01,877 they all bow their heads in reverence to him, seeing his greatness and glory. 133 00:09:01,877 --> 00:09:03,947 This incident has come at the end of the Surah right? 134 00:09:03,947 --> 00:09:06,407 Now at that point, he says to his father, 135 00:09:06,407 --> 00:09:10,577 'qala ya abati haaza taweelu ru'yaaya min qabl.' 136 00:09:10,577 --> 00:09:15,305 'O my dear father! This is the interpretation of that dream of mine.' 137 00:09:15,305 --> 00:09:18,155 He does not say this is the meaning of my dream. 138 00:09:18,155 --> 00:09:20,085 The meaning was clear even earlier. 139 00:09:20,085 --> 00:09:23,755 This is the interpretation of my old dream which has been revealed. 140 00:09:25,229 --> 00:09:29,707 Then at another place too, Quran has used this word. 141 00:09:29,707 --> 00:09:33,637 In Surah Al-Kahf, which is the eighteenth Surah. 142 00:09:33,637 --> 00:09:37,747 In Surah Al-Kahf, that incident has been narrated in which 143 00:09:37,747 --> 00:09:42,657 Prophet Moses was travelling with a young companion of his. 144 00:09:42,657 --> 00:09:47,018 And in that journey, he was faced with some mystifying incidents. 145 00:09:47,018 --> 00:09:52,448 Which people have usually called the story of Moses and Khizr. 146 00:09:52,448 --> 00:09:57,948 So in that, Moses is looking at the situation. 147 00:09:57,948 --> 00:10:03,248 There is a boat going by, and Khizr destroyed it. 148 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:08,085 When he saw a collapsed wall, even when people of the tribe did not offer him food 149 00:10:08,085 --> 00:10:14,045 he fixed that wall up. He saw a young man, and killed him. 150 00:10:14,045 --> 00:10:16,615 Now these incidents which have been narrated here, 151 00:10:16,615 --> 00:10:20,815 if you convey them in words, there is no difficulty in understanding their meanings 152 00:10:20,815 --> 00:10:23,115 But what is the reality behind them? 153 00:10:23,115 --> 00:10:26,385 So there too, this same word has been used in Surah al-Kahf. 154 00:10:26,385 --> 00:10:30,855 When Prophet Moses kept asking questions of Khizr, 155 00:10:30,855 --> 00:10:34,855 and Khizr commanded him not to ask him anything but only to watch, 156 00:10:34,855 --> 00:10:39,965 but he did not stop asking, then Khizr decided on parting ways with him. 157 00:10:39,965 --> 00:10:45,295 'Haza firaqu bainee wa bainak.' Because you could not be patient, 158 00:10:45,295 --> 00:10:50,265 so we must part ways. At that point he further added, 159 00:10:50,265 --> 00:10:54,695 'sa unabi 'uka bitaweeli ma lam tastati' 'alaihi sabraa.' 160 00:10:54,695 --> 00:10:58,122 Now I will inform you of the interpretation of that 161 00:10:58,122 --> 00:11:00,632 about which you could not have patience. 162 00:11:01,002 --> 00:11:03,362 So the Quran has again used the word 'taweel'. 163 00:11:03,362 --> 00:11:05,442 It means what is the reality of the incidents. 164 00:11:05,442 --> 00:11:07,362 So here again that word was used. 165 00:11:07,362 --> 00:11:09,862 After that, when he had narrated the whole explanation, 166 00:11:09,862 --> 00:11:13,862 he said, 'zalika taaweelu ma lam tastati' 'alaihi sabra.' 167 00:11:13,862 --> 00:11:18,852 This is the reality, or interpretation, about which you could not have patience. 168 00:11:18,852 --> 00:11:21,862 Now I have explained it to you. 169 00:11:22,688 --> 00:11:26,671 Similarly, this word has been used at other places in the Quran as well. 170 00:11:26,671 --> 00:11:29,621 And you will see that it is used each time in this same meaning. 171 00:11:29,621 --> 00:11:33,621 The word 'taweel' came to be used to imply 'meaning' later on. 172 00:11:33,621 --> 00:11:38,561 As I have said before, it happened much later and it is a later meaning. 173 00:11:38,561 --> 00:11:42,561 In the ancient Arabic language, in the language of the Quran, 174 00:11:42,561 --> 00:11:48,741 this word was actually used to mean uncovering the true meaning of something, 175 00:11:48,741 --> 00:11:52,741 to reach back into its source, and from that it has come to be used now 176 00:11:52,741 --> 00:11:55,411 to mean 'truth' and 'example'. 177 00:11:55,411 --> 00:11:59,811 Hence in verses such as these, it is used like 'zaalika ahsanu taaweela'. 178 00:11:59,811 --> 00:12:04,191 There we translate it as, 'this is a beautiful thing for what it led to'. 179 00:12:04,191 --> 00:12:09,481 It means that the conclusion it arrives at, that is its ultimate end. 180 00:12:09,481 --> 00:12:12,081 We use the word in that sense too. 181 00:12:12,081 --> 00:12:17,181 So as I had said, there are actually two words who are fundamental in this case. 182 00:12:17,181 --> 00:12:19,831 The whole error has actually arisen because of these words. 183 00:12:19,831 --> 00:12:25,181 The word 'mutashaabih', when going by its conclusion the meaning that it gives, 184 00:12:25,181 --> 00:12:27,981 and then the meaning which is then ascribed to it, 185 00:12:27,981 --> 00:12:30,061 people have adopted that meaning for that word. 186 00:12:30,061 --> 00:12:34,061 And this word 'taweel', was taken to mean 'meaning'. 187 00:12:34,061 --> 00:12:38,341 So the result of both these errors was that the purport of the verse became, 188 00:12:38,341 --> 00:12:42,971 that in the Quran there are some verses whose meaning is ambiguous. 189 00:12:44,828 --> 00:12:48,128 This was the inference drawn as a result of the first error. 190 00:12:48,128 --> 00:12:53,148 And the second error led to the conclusion that their meaning is known only to Allah. 191 00:12:54,409 --> 00:12:57,919 Naturally if this is the situation, then that third objection is valid. 192 00:12:57,919 --> 00:13:00,819 So I have already discussed about muhkam and mutashaabih. 193 00:13:00,819 --> 00:13:05,779 Now I have told you in what sense the word 'taweel' is used. 194 00:13:05,779 --> 00:13:08,309 In light of this, let us read the following. 195 00:13:08,309 --> 00:13:11,709 In the verse of the Quran from which people have deduced the fact 196 00:13:11,709 --> 00:13:15,159 that no one can understand the meaning of the mutashabihaat verses, 197 00:13:15,159 --> 00:13:19,159 the Almighty does not say that no one except Him knows the meaning 198 00:13:19,159 --> 00:13:21,979 of the mutashabihaat verses. On the contrary, He says that 199 00:13:21,979 --> 00:13:24,849 no one knows the reality of what is conveyed by these verses. 200 00:13:24,849 --> 00:13:28,979 So that is not what Allah said. He says their reality is known only to Him. 201 00:13:28,979 --> 00:13:35,849 When Allah says that in Paradise, you will find such gardens 202 00:13:35,849 --> 00:13:38,519 underneath which streams will be flowing, 203 00:13:38,519 --> 00:13:42,049 then in this we know the meaning of a garden, of streams, 204 00:13:42,049 --> 00:13:44,709 and there is no doubt in this verse in terms of its meaning. 205 00:13:44,709 --> 00:13:47,679 This is eloquent Arabic, clear Arabic. 206 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,569 But what will those streams be like? 207 00:13:50,569 --> 00:13:55,659 What will those gardens be like? The reality of these is known only to Allah. 208 00:13:55,659 --> 00:13:58,219 This stands true even today. Yes, go on. 209 00:14:03,361 --> 00:14:04,801 [Student] Hello. 210 00:14:04,801 --> 00:14:07,321 [Ghamidi] I thought you are going to strangle me. 211 00:14:09,458 --> 00:14:12,048 [Student] These mutashabihaat verses are those verses 212 00:14:12,048 --> 00:14:16,048 which have been conveyed by drawing parallels with some other thing. 213 00:14:16,048 --> 00:14:18,678 But there are some other kinds of verses which are harder. 214 00:14:18,678 --> 00:14:23,409 Like it is said about Sulaiman (as) that a mere body was cast on this throne. 215 00:14:23,409 --> 00:14:26,479 What would we say about these verses? 216 00:14:27,685 --> 00:14:29,315 [Ghamidi] I have understood your question. 217 00:14:29,315 --> 00:14:31,555 What is the meaning of a difficult verse? 218 00:14:31,555 --> 00:14:34,275 It is possible that a scholar might have been mistaken 219 00:14:34,275 --> 00:14:37,435 in determining the intention of a verse, that's all. 220 00:14:37,435 --> 00:14:39,385 What is the meaning of a difficult verse? 221 00:14:39,385 --> 00:14:42,305 [Student] But we do not know their reality. 222 00:14:42,305 --> 00:14:46,305 [Ghamidi] That is dependent on what is understood by the verse. 223 00:14:46,305 --> 00:14:50,525 It is quite possible that a word was used in a verse 224 00:14:50,525 --> 00:14:54,525 which people had misunderstood. The way we just discussed. 225 00:14:54,525 --> 00:14:57,282 One is the mutashabihaat verses 226 00:14:57,282 --> 00:14:59,902 And the other is what the verse itself is conveying. 227 00:14:59,902 --> 00:15:02,872 So here there was an error in determining the meaning of mutashabihaat, 228 00:15:02,872 --> 00:15:05,632 as well as in the meaning of taweel. 229 00:15:05,632 --> 00:15:08,122 So when you will correct and clarify the meanings, 230 00:15:08,122 --> 00:15:10,432 there would be no further difficulty in this verse at all. 231 00:15:10,432 --> 00:15:13,772 The verse there says, 'walqayna 'alaa kursiyyihi jasada', 232 00:15:13,772 --> 00:15:17,772 and when its correct meaning will be conveyed, what its intention is, 233 00:15:17,772 --> 00:15:20,576 what is being said therein, and that will be conveyed based on 234 00:15:20,576 --> 00:15:25,556 those same linguistic principles which are needed to understand any good discourse. 235 00:15:25,556 --> 00:15:28,616 So that verse is not difficult in itself. It has been made difficult because 236 00:15:28,616 --> 00:15:32,616 outwardly the supposed intent of that verse does not make sense. 237 00:15:32,616 --> 00:15:35,476 That difficulty had arisen here as well, but you see it has been resolved. 238 00:15:35,476 --> 00:15:37,606 So it does not mean the verse was ambigious. 239 00:15:37,606 --> 00:15:41,606 The verse in fact was very clear. There was an error in determining its meaning. 240 00:15:41,606 --> 00:15:47,256 And when that error occurred, did we go back fourteen centuries to correct it? 241 00:15:47,256 --> 00:15:51,726 The knowledge we have with us, based on which argumentation is made, 242 00:15:51,726 --> 00:15:55,636 it is based on that only that we have deduced its correct meaning. 243 00:15:55,636 --> 00:16:00,456 We took the word 'mutashaabih', and delved into it to understand what it means 244 00:16:00,456 --> 00:16:03,336 and how did it originate, in which sense is it used? 245 00:16:03,336 --> 00:16:05,886 And even in that we did not have to look outside of the Quran, 246 00:16:05,886 --> 00:16:09,776 for Quran itself has used it at different places with such mastery, 247 00:16:09,776 --> 00:16:12,766 that we have been able to establish its intent and meaning. 248 00:16:12,766 --> 00:16:16,358 The exact same situation you have seen in the word 'taweel'. 249 00:16:16,358 --> 00:16:22,026 We took the word 'taweel', and we pursued it back through history, 250 00:16:22,026 --> 00:16:24,126 so that its correct meaning can be established. 251 00:16:24,126 --> 00:16:26,816 When the meaning was clear, then this verse, which was difficult before, right? 252 00:16:26,816 --> 00:16:31,386 This became easy. So a difficult verse is a relative thing. 253 00:16:31,386 --> 00:16:34,836 One person is unable to understand a verse. It becomes difficult for him. 254 00:16:34,836 --> 00:16:37,806 If you find someone who can explain it, then it would become easy. 255 00:16:37,806 --> 00:16:40,466 This is relative. It is the same as if you were to say, 256 00:16:40,466 --> 00:16:43,166 I cannot understand this couplet by Ghalib at all. 257 00:16:45,005 --> 00:16:48,485 'Qumri kaf-e-khakistar o bulbul qafas-e-rang 258 00:16:48,485 --> 00:16:51,555 ai naala nishan-e-jigar-e-sokhta kya hai?' 259 00:16:51,555 --> 00:16:53,205 You tell me what is it? 260 00:16:59,932 --> 00:17:03,932 'The ring-dove is just a handful of dust, the nightingale merely a cage of colors, 261 00:17:03,932 --> 00:17:07,932 O their mournful lament! Where is the mark of their burning passion?' 262 00:17:07,932 --> 00:17:11,932 So if this is explained to you, you will be very impressed. 263 00:17:11,932 --> 00:17:16,822 The difficulty or ease actually relate to a person's knowledge and understanding, 264 00:17:16,822 --> 00:17:19,992 and not to any complication within the verse itself. 265 00:17:19,992 --> 00:17:22,232 This couplet too is an extremely simple one, 266 00:17:22,232 --> 00:17:27,022 on the condition that one is aware of the style in which Ghalib has written it. 267 00:17:27,022 --> 00:17:32,722 And the words which have been used in it, their correct meanings should be taken. 268 00:17:34,519 --> 00:17:39,077 So do not call any verse difficult. 'Difficulty' is a relative attribute. 269 00:17:39,077 --> 00:17:41,327 A couplet might be difficult for one person, 270 00:17:41,327 --> 00:17:43,297 a linguistic style might be difficult for another, 271 00:17:43,297 --> 00:17:47,947 but when a scholar explains these things to them, it becomes absolutely clear. 272 00:17:47,947 --> 00:17:52,827 So these kinds of verses of the Quran, about which some people think that 273 00:17:52,827 --> 00:17:58,777 they are difficult verses. Such as that verse is there, in which it is said that 274 00:17:58,777 --> 00:18:03,977 now you must put a patch of land on the sky, 'summa li yaqta'. 275 00:18:03,977 --> 00:18:06,140 Now that has become an issue hasn't it? 276 00:18:06,140 --> 00:18:08,675 What does 'summa li yaqta' mean? 277 00:18:08,675 --> 00:18:12,650 But I can explain it to you as per the common Arabic style. 278 00:18:12,650 --> 00:18:15,490 After that you will say, there is no easier verse than this! 279 00:18:15,490 --> 00:18:19,210 But when one struggles with it, he thinks it must be a very difficult one. 280 00:18:21,427 --> 00:18:27,057 When one's liver burns with the pain of separation, and one sighs and cries, 281 00:18:27,057 --> 00:18:31,057 when a person's heart is aflame with passion, 282 00:18:31,057 --> 00:18:35,837 what happens then? He is consumed and pained with love isn't he? 283 00:18:35,837 --> 00:18:39,627 When his liver is consumed with passion, this has happened inside him. 284 00:18:39,627 --> 00:18:42,537 How would it manifest outwardly? 285 00:18:42,537 --> 00:18:45,647 We saw that even the ring-dove is also burning with passion, 286 00:18:45,647 --> 00:18:50,507 as is the nightingale. Both of them lament and sing mournfully. 287 00:18:50,507 --> 00:18:53,937 This has been established, both of them are burning in passion. 288 00:18:53,937 --> 00:19:01,070 But that liver which is aflame, that heart which is burning in anguish, 289 00:19:01,070 --> 00:19:04,550 where is its scar? What is the mark it has given? 290 00:19:04,550 --> 00:19:06,700 There must be an outward mark of it too right? 291 00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:10,700 As we say, when the heart is crying, the eyes reflect it. 292 00:19:10,700 --> 00:19:12,760 So there must be some outward sign of it. 293 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,330 So Ghalib says that I can't understand that when both of them are burning in pain 294 00:19:16,330 --> 00:19:19,660 but when I see them, then 'qumri kaf-e-khakistar'. 295 00:19:19,660 --> 00:19:22,775 It seems that the ring-dove is just a handful of ashes. 296 00:19:22,775 --> 00:19:26,775 If you have ever seen a ring-dove, it is the same ashen color as dust. 297 00:19:26,775 --> 00:19:29,785 'Bulbul qafas-e-rang'. And what is the nightingale? 298 00:19:29,785 --> 00:19:34,885 It appears to be a cage made out of beautiful and colorful sticks. 299 00:19:34,885 --> 00:19:38,885 'Ai naala nishan-e-jigar-e-sokhta kya hai?' 300 00:19:38,885 --> 00:19:42,375 So I can hear the lament, but O lament, let me ask you, 301 00:19:42,375 --> 00:19:45,595 that the liver that is burning inside, is there a visible mark of it too? 302 00:19:45,595 --> 00:19:49,595 And where is it? So there is nothing difficult in the couplet per se. 303 00:19:49,595 --> 00:19:52,795 But when I read it, you see I asked, what is it? 304 00:19:52,795 --> 00:19:57,945 So that 'what' is indicative of the relative difficulty of the couplet. 305 00:19:57,945 --> 00:20:01,025 This is why, thanks be to God there is nothing difficult in this verse. 306 00:20:01,025 --> 00:20:06,025 Why does the difficulty arise sometimes? I will explain it later as we go on, 307 00:20:06,025 --> 00:20:08,865 as to where do people face difficulty in understanding the Quran. 308 00:20:08,865 --> 00:20:10,425 Why do people struggle with it? 309 00:20:10,425 --> 00:20:12,435 There are causes for that difficulty. 310 00:20:12,435 --> 00:20:15,385 For instance, what did we just see right now? 311 00:20:15,385 --> 00:20:19,105 The word was in use in its actual meaning too, 312 00:20:19,105 --> 00:20:23,105 and it was also being used according to the implication it reflected. 313 00:20:23,105 --> 00:20:26,945 But it was the latter meaning which was taken mistakenly. 314 00:20:26,945 --> 00:20:29,065 And the first meaning was not considered. 315 00:20:29,065 --> 00:20:33,065 There was dominance of the latter meaning on the word 'taweel'. 316 00:20:33,065 --> 00:20:35,995 And since that one became dominant, it created some dilemma. 317 00:20:35,995 --> 00:20:38,745 But I have just presented before you many verses, 318 00:20:38,745 --> 00:20:40,335 where you see no dilemma or difficulty. 319 00:20:40,335 --> 00:20:44,675 The moment we see the word 'taweel', we come to know what its true meaning is. 320 00:20:44,675 --> 00:20:48,295 So this is why, put aside the idea of it being difficult. 321 00:20:48,295 --> 00:20:51,925 One thing is difficult for you, another would be hard for me, 322 00:20:51,925 --> 00:20:54,345 but it might not be difficult for a third person, a scholar, 323 00:20:54,345 --> 00:20:55,775 when he would explain it. 324 00:20:56,805 --> 00:21:01,615 In fact it says that their reality is not known to anyone but Allah. 325 00:21:01,615 --> 00:21:06,535 The word used for that in the Quran is 'taweel', 326 00:21:06,535 --> 00:21:11,535 and it is used in the exact same meaning as it has been used in Surah Yusuf. 327 00:21:11,535 --> 00:21:17,275 'Qaala ya abati haaza taweelu ru'yaaya min qablu qad ja'alaha Rabbee haqqa.' 328 00:21:17,275 --> 00:21:21,015 The reason I have chosen this verse is because it conveys the meaning clearly. 329 00:21:21,015 --> 00:21:24,125 Prophet Joseph's dream has been narrated at the beginning of the Surah. 330 00:21:24,125 --> 00:21:30,005 After that comes the event in which his eleven brothers and his parents 331 00:21:30,005 --> 00:21:32,895 prostrate before him in reverence. 332 00:21:32,895 --> 00:21:39,045 At that moment he says, 'Father, this is the meaning of that dream of mine, 333 00:21:39,045 --> 00:21:41,945 my Lord has made it a reality.' 334 00:21:43,114 --> 00:21:47,374 So the dream he had seen was real, but at that time its reality was not clear. 335 00:21:47,374 --> 00:21:50,524 Its interpretation was not known. It was not clear what it really represented. 336 00:21:50,524 --> 00:21:53,384 I think I had mentioned it here before, 337 00:21:53,874 --> 00:21:56,634 about the reality of the dreams. 338 00:21:56,634 --> 00:22:00,014 Dreams are a very good example of this issue, 339 00:22:00,014 --> 00:22:02,844 the problem which is faced in the mutashabihaat verses. 340 00:22:02,844 --> 00:22:06,664 When something is conveyed in an allegorical manner, 341 00:22:06,664 --> 00:22:10,149 then naturally given that it is mentioned in the style similitude, 342 00:22:10,149 --> 00:22:14,649 then before its referent and reality is revealed, 343 00:22:14,649 --> 00:22:17,839 it is hard to say categorically what its reality is. 344 00:22:17,839 --> 00:22:20,459 Just like I had told you about the blessings of the Paradise, 345 00:22:20,459 --> 00:22:23,439 that they have been mentioned in the Quran through similitudes. 346 00:22:23,439 --> 00:22:27,640 So the blessings of our world have been pointed at, and by comparison with them, 347 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,540 the blessings of Paradise have been traced to some extent. 348 00:22:30,540 --> 00:22:32,970 Now when their reality will be revealed to us, 349 00:22:32,970 --> 00:22:37,580 every one of us will say, and may every one have the good fortune of seeing them, 350 00:22:37,580 --> 00:22:40,720 then all of us will say that yes, this is that same thing 351 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,110 the form of which we had been shown in the world here. 352 00:22:43,110 --> 00:22:46,710 In fact, our great esteemed teacher Amin Ahsan Islahi, 353 00:22:46,710 --> 00:22:49,000 took that famous verse 'haaz allazee ruziqnaa min qablu 354 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:53,000 wa utoo bihee mutashaabihaa'. and interpreted it as this only, 355 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,130 that when those blessings will be revealed, 356 00:22:55,130 --> 00:22:59,450 they will be similar to the picture that is painted of them in this world. 357 00:22:59,450 --> 00:23:02,780 So people will say upon looking at them that haaz allazee ruziqnaa min qablu'. 358 00:23:02,780 --> 00:23:05,640 We have been given a flavor of them earlier itself, 359 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,990 that is, in this world itself. 360 00:23:07,990 --> 00:23:10,940 I am not debating right now about whether this interpretation is correct or not. 361 00:23:10,940 --> 00:23:13,330 But it says that this will be the situation with every human being. 362 00:23:13,330 --> 00:23:16,125 Whether this is what has been said in this verse or not is a separate issue. 363 00:23:16,125 --> 00:23:18,785 But the situation there will be exactly like this. 364 00:23:18,785 --> 00:23:22,785 I think I had told you about the dream of Syeda. 365 00:23:23,278 --> 00:23:28,809 The dream of Syeda Ayesha. She told her father Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA), 366 00:23:28,809 --> 00:23:34,217 that I have seen a beautiful dream. He asked her what it was. 367 00:23:34,217 --> 00:23:39,955 She replied that I saw in a dream that in my room, in my lap, 368 00:23:39,955 --> 00:23:41,965 three moons have descended. 369 00:23:43,141 --> 00:23:47,941 I am sitting in my room, and three moons have come down in my lap. 370 00:23:48,875 --> 00:23:52,325 So her father asked her, what do you think is the interpretation of this dream? 371 00:23:52,325 --> 00:23:57,825 She replied that I think I will bear three sons by the Prophet (pbuh). 372 00:23:57,825 --> 00:24:00,245 Now this is seems a very plausible understanding of the dream. 373 00:24:00,245 --> 00:24:01,864 Three moons have descended. 374 00:24:02,725 --> 00:24:07,411 Syedna Abu Bakr Siddiq heard this, and smiled and remained silent. 375 00:24:07,411 --> 00:24:10,882 When the Prophet (pbuh) died and he was buried in Ayesha's room, 376 00:24:10,882 --> 00:24:13,212 and after the funeral Abu Bakr told her, 377 00:24:13,212 --> 00:24:16,502 this is your first moon that has descended in your room. 378 00:24:17,579 --> 00:24:21,224 So you see what the reality of that dream was. 379 00:24:21,224 --> 00:24:25,224 But from the words, a different conception was being conveyed of that dream. 380 00:24:25,224 --> 00:24:31,604 So this is a very good example of how a reality is conveyed before us 381 00:24:31,604 --> 00:24:35,184 in an allegorical style, and from that we conceive of an idea. 382 00:24:35,184 --> 00:24:37,774 We create an imagination of a blessings of Paradise, right? 383 00:24:37,774 --> 00:24:42,984 If you ever notice, when one reads the Quran, an image in created in our minds. 384 00:24:42,984 --> 00:24:45,694 You may create as glorious an image as you possibly can, 385 00:24:45,694 --> 00:24:48,754 it nevertheless would find resemblance from this world itself. 386 00:24:48,754 --> 00:24:50,914 But when its reality would be unveiled for us, 387 00:24:50,914 --> 00:24:54,444 it is possible ours would be the same condition as happened with Syeda Ayesha. 388 00:24:54,444 --> 00:24:57,344 But you see that soon as the reality of her dream was revealed, 389 00:24:57,344 --> 00:25:00,964 then those words which she said, that three moons have descended in my room, 390 00:25:00,964 --> 00:25:03,534 it is not that those words do not conform to this interpretation. 391 00:25:03,534 --> 00:25:07,074 They would conform to the other assumed meaning and they fulfill this meaning too. 392 00:25:07,074 --> 00:25:10,644 So had the reality been what she imagined, the words would conform to it then too. 393 00:25:10,644 --> 00:25:13,864 Now that this was the reality, even then the words satisfy the interpretation. 394 00:25:13,864 --> 00:25:18,054 So you must understand this. Hence Prophet Joseph had at that point said, 395 00:25:18,054 --> 00:25:23,554 'ya abati haaza taweelu ru'yaaya min qablu qad ja'alaha Rabbee haqqa.' 396 00:25:23,554 --> 00:25:28,324 Everyone knows the meanings of the words in which this dream is stated in the Quran 397 00:25:29,128 --> 00:25:32,088 So the words which the Quran has used to convey this dream, 398 00:25:32,088 --> 00:25:34,378 the dream upon which this comment is being made, 399 00:25:34,378 --> 00:25:39,678 there is no debate about its meanings. Everyone can understand it. 400 00:25:39,678 --> 00:25:43,678 Even an ordinary student of Arabic language understands without any issue 401 00:25:43,678 --> 00:25:46,628 the meaning of the Quranic verse in which this dream is mentioned. 402 00:25:46,628 --> 00:25:49,238 So with regards to its meaning, there is absolutely no difficulty in it. 403 00:25:49,238 --> 00:25:52,698 It is a simple phrase, a straightforward sentence, 404 00:25:52,698 --> 00:25:55,618 if you are taught some preliminary Arabic, and this sentence is put before you, 405 00:25:55,618 --> 00:25:57,368 you yourself will do the correct translation. 406 00:25:57,368 --> 00:26:00,008 So there is nothing difficult in its language or expression. 407 00:26:00,008 --> 00:26:01,728 It is a very simple sentence. 408 00:26:02,818 --> 00:26:06,758 But what was the true manifestation of the sun, the moon and the eleven stars 409 00:26:06,758 --> 00:26:09,858 which Joseph saw bowing before him? 410 00:26:09,858 --> 00:26:14,039 When he was stating this dream, not by any stretch of the imagination 411 00:26:14,039 --> 00:26:17,958 could he have thought that one day the brothers who, right now, 412 00:26:17,958 --> 00:26:21,766 are trying to kill me and my esteemed father, and my beloved mother, 413 00:26:21,766 --> 00:26:24,516 they all would bow their heads before me in reverence. 414 00:26:24,516 --> 00:26:27,906 He could not have imagined this at that time at all. 415 00:26:27,906 --> 00:26:31,466 No person could have ascertained this interpretation 416 00:26:31,466 --> 00:26:35,466 till these words manifested themselves in reality. 417 00:26:36,375 --> 00:26:41,225 Even now if you think about it, Joseph was only a young boy at that time, 418 00:26:41,225 --> 00:26:44,925 he was the apple of his father's eye, his father loved him deeply. 419 00:26:44,925 --> 00:26:47,575 And his brothers envied him a little as well. 420 00:26:47,575 --> 00:26:51,915 But despite all of that, no one could have imagined the way this dream manifested. 421 00:26:51,915 --> 00:26:55,915 No one could have guessed it, that it would come to pass this way. 422 00:26:55,915 --> 00:27:00,465 These are the things the Quran calls mutashaabih. 423 00:27:00,465 --> 00:27:03,835 So the word mutashaabih which has been used in the Quran, 424 00:27:03,835 --> 00:27:05,815 has been used for these kinds of verses. 425 00:27:05,815 --> 00:27:10,751 One world which exists in our past, Allah's world which was there 426 00:27:10,751 --> 00:27:13,061 before this world of ours came into being. 427 00:27:13,061 --> 00:27:16,251 The Quran relates some facts about that too. 428 00:27:16,251 --> 00:27:19,701 And there is the world which is unseen right now, 429 00:27:19,701 --> 00:27:23,701 and then there is a world which would be unveiled in the Hereafter. 430 00:27:23,701 --> 00:27:26,461 The Quran refers to all three by 'mutashaabih'. 431 00:27:26,461 --> 00:27:30,011 It says that when we created Adam, what were the conditions then, 432 00:27:30,011 --> 00:27:33,451 and the Angels bowed to him and so on. And whatever happened after that. 433 00:27:33,451 --> 00:27:36,791 So there is no difficulty in understanding the meanings of these verses. 434 00:27:36,791 --> 00:27:40,331 But what are they referring to in reality? 435 00:27:40,331 --> 00:27:43,541 Those things will be known to us only when we are able to observe them. 436 00:27:43,541 --> 00:27:46,371 We can imagine somewhat about what the Quran says, 437 00:27:46,371 --> 00:27:51,391 that we released all the evil spirits and then asked them, 'alastu birabbikum'. 438 00:27:52,276 --> 00:27:54,346 There is no difficulty in these words is there? 439 00:27:54,346 --> 00:27:56,316 But what is the real referent and manifestation of this, 440 00:27:56,316 --> 00:27:58,026 how did this event come to pass? 441 00:27:58,026 --> 00:28:00,873 At this time, it is not possible for us to even imagine it. 442 00:28:00,873 --> 00:28:03,953 The few recent investigations and discoveries which have happened, 443 00:28:03,953 --> 00:28:07,953 they have made some things possible to imagine to some extent. 444 00:28:07,953 --> 00:28:10,183 But that is true only of a few things. 445 00:28:10,183 --> 00:28:14,183 We cannot say what is the reality of the many things which will manifest. 446 00:28:16,361 --> 00:28:18,691 These are the things the Quran calls mutashaabih, 447 00:28:18,691 --> 00:28:22,961 and as people contend, they do not mean something which is ambiguous and vague. 448 00:28:22,961 --> 00:28:27,335 Thus the mutashabihaat in no way undermine the status of the Quran 449 00:28:27,335 --> 00:28:33,187 as Furqan and Meezan. So the case which I had to argue is this one. 450 00:28:33,187 --> 00:28:35,417 That the Quran is a Meezan and Furqan. 451 00:28:35,417 --> 00:28:38,627 It conveys its intention which complete clarity, 452 00:28:38,627 --> 00:28:42,207 and nothing can make suspect the meaning it wants to convey. 453 00:28:42,207 --> 00:28:44,167 Nothing can have an affect over it. 454 00:28:44,167 --> 00:28:46,267 Some questions had been raised about this aspect, 455 00:28:46,267 --> 00:28:49,897 and one of those questions related to muhkam and mutashaabih. 456 00:28:49,897 --> 00:28:53,057 After discussing about this, I have quoted that verse here. 457 00:28:53,057 --> 00:28:54,667 This is the verse. 458 00:28:54,667 --> 00:28:59,901 'Huwal lazee anzala 'alaikal Kitaaba minhu Aayatum muhkamaatun hunna Ummul Kitaabi 459 00:28:59,901 --> 00:29:04,071 wa ukharu Mutashaabihaat.' 'It is He who has revealed to you the Book. 460 00:29:04,071 --> 00:29:07,321 Some of its verses are muhkam, which are the foundation of the Book. 461 00:29:07,321 --> 00:29:11,321 And others are mutashaabih.' So Allah says that 462 00:29:11,321 --> 00:29:16,941 your focus should be on those verses in which I have given the articles of faith, 463 00:29:16,941 --> 00:29:21,561 the rules of etiquette, My Shariah, or have given warnings, 464 00:29:21,561 --> 00:29:23,881 they form the real foundation of the Book. 465 00:29:23,881 --> 00:29:26,791 The others only represent the outcome of these. 466 00:29:26,791 --> 00:29:29,941 Such as rewards and punishments. Now these in themselves are muhkam. 467 00:29:29,941 --> 00:29:33,671 A judgement will be given, and it will have a Paradise which will have gardens 468 00:29:33,671 --> 00:29:36,021 and streams of milk and honey will flow. 469 00:29:36,021 --> 00:29:41,141 These are the things about which only a vague conception can be formed, 470 00:29:41,141 --> 00:29:44,931 nothing more than that. Now it has further commented on it. 471 00:29:44,931 --> 00:29:49,653 'Fa'ammal lazeena fii quloobihim zaiyghun fa yattabi'oona ma tashaabaha minh'. 472 00:29:49,653 --> 00:29:55,139 Then those whose hearts are warped go after the mutashaabih among them. 473 00:29:55,139 --> 00:30:00,089 So their interest is not in those realities which Quran brings to attention. 474 00:30:00,089 --> 00:30:04,999 The interest of those people is, say, in that Thuhar tree in Hell, 475 00:30:04,999 --> 00:30:07,230 about what would it be like. 476 00:30:07,230 --> 00:30:11,230 And this thing that is being said, that when Judgement Day will come, 477 00:30:11,230 --> 00:30:15,680 Allah will manifest Himself with eight angels who will be carrying His throne. 478 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,230 So why only eight? Why not nine? 479 00:30:19,230 --> 00:30:21,780 You will say, who would ask such a foolish question? 480 00:30:21,780 --> 00:30:23,980 But there are lengthy debates about this in our tradition. 481 00:30:23,980 --> 00:30:25,570 People have filled books with these. 482 00:30:25,570 --> 00:30:29,810 When a person uses his mind focusing on the wrong thing, 483 00:30:29,810 --> 00:30:32,010 that is what the Quran has commented upon. 484 00:30:32,010 --> 00:30:35,610 Then those whose hearts are warped go after the mutashaabih among them. 485 00:30:35,610 --> 00:30:37,950 And the Quran has given two reasons for that. 486 00:30:37,950 --> 00:30:41,950 One is to create dissension, so when one has the wrong intentions. 487 00:30:41,950 --> 00:30:45,950 A person wants to deviate from the true teachings of the book. 488 00:30:45,950 --> 00:30:48,560 He wants to make it a target of ridicule. 489 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:53,540 He prefers to go towards those aspects from where some discord may be created. 490 00:30:53,540 --> 00:30:57,000 Hence we see that we too read the Quran, 491 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,770 and oftentimes it happens that others are reading too, 492 00:30:59,770 --> 00:31:02,113 but the entire Quranic teaching will be sidelined 493 00:31:02,113 --> 00:31:06,340 and they would suddenly stop at a place where they pick this kind of an issue. 494 00:31:06,340 --> 00:31:10,668 So this is one reason. The second reason is to know their reality. 495 00:31:10,668 --> 00:31:14,908 So the second reason is that human beings have a natural curiosity in them. 496 00:31:14,908 --> 00:31:17,348 The Quran has given an example for this too, 497 00:31:17,348 --> 00:31:23,078 that when people asked about Allah's revelation to His Prophet. 498 00:31:23,078 --> 00:31:25,934 And he was Allah's Messenger. This is among the muhkam things. 499 00:31:25,934 --> 00:31:28,754 One can present evidence for this based on knowledge and reasoning. 500 00:31:28,754 --> 00:31:32,754 The question people asked was, what exactly is this revelation? 501 00:31:32,754 --> 00:31:37,204 Naturally this matter belongs to the unseen world of Allah. 502 00:31:37,204 --> 00:31:38,854 What is revelation? 503 00:31:38,854 --> 00:31:42,694 How is that message communicated and transferred to the Prophet? 504 00:31:42,694 --> 00:31:46,634 Now we understand a lot more, many more things about the Cosmos Allah has created 505 00:31:46,634 --> 00:31:48,884 has been discovered and come into our knowledge. 506 00:31:48,884 --> 00:31:52,124 But this question was raised at the time. 'Yasalunaka 'anir Ruh'. 507 00:31:52,124 --> 00:31:56,124 They ask, what is revelation? The reply was 'Quli l ruhu min amri rabbi.' 508 00:31:56,124 --> 00:31:58,964 That this is a command of your Lord, it is issued by Him. 509 00:31:58,964 --> 00:32:02,344 And after that it reaches the Prophet. 510 00:32:02,344 --> 00:32:04,754 And about that, the Quran has made a beautiful comment. 511 00:32:04,754 --> 00:32:07,694 After stating this and answering the question, the Quran comments further, 512 00:32:07,694 --> 00:32:11,484 'wa ma ooteetum minal 'ilmi illa qaleela'. 513 00:32:11,484 --> 00:32:15,484 Humankind has been given only a little knowledge of it. 514 00:32:15,484 --> 00:32:19,602 It is not as if you have been given the ability to understand every thing. 515 00:32:19,602 --> 00:32:24,062 This is what some enlightened people call 'laa adri nisful ilm'. 516 00:32:24,062 --> 00:32:29,202 Half the wisdom is knowing that you do not know. 517 00:32:30,269 --> 00:32:31,869 This is not an ordinary statement. 518 00:32:31,869 --> 00:32:34,189 It means you know the limits of your knowledge. 519 00:32:34,189 --> 00:32:37,479 You have come to know that I do not know this. 520 00:32:37,479 --> 00:32:39,579 That this is beyond my intellectual capability. 521 00:32:39,579 --> 00:32:43,749 I had briefly referred to it, and this is not the place to get into this debate, 522 00:32:43,749 --> 00:32:48,269 that in our tradition, all the debates about philosophy and theology, 523 00:32:48,269 --> 00:32:50,309 whether it is about free will and determinism, 524 00:32:50,309 --> 00:32:52,519 and many other ones such as the attributes of God, 525 00:32:52,519 --> 00:32:54,969 .... and attributes and their connection with each other, 526 00:32:54,969 --> 00:32:58,969 if put before you, you will wonder what kind of things people wasted their time on 527 00:32:58,969 --> 00:33:05,219 When all those debates are made clear, some complex questions really do emerge. 528 00:33:06,743 --> 00:33:13,075 For example, how do God's omnipotence and omniscience both work at the same time? 529 00:33:14,952 --> 00:33:19,682 Because if you believe in one, then apparently you have to negate the other. 530 00:33:19,682 --> 00:33:22,762 And if you believe the latter attribute, you have to negate the first one. 531 00:33:22,762 --> 00:33:24,212 So this is a complicated matter, isn't it? 532 00:33:24,212 --> 00:33:25,790 Where is the fallacy in this? 533 00:33:25,790 --> 00:33:30,462 The mistake is that from our perspective, if you try to understand this issue, 534 00:33:30,462 --> 00:33:33,582 then we are able to understand both free will and determinism. 535 00:33:33,582 --> 00:33:38,392 But if you try and imagine it from Allah's perspective, about how He works, 536 00:33:38,392 --> 00:33:40,772 then this is something about which Allah will again say 537 00:33:40,772 --> 00:33:43,522 'wa ma ooteetum minal 'ilmi illa qaleela'. 538 00:33:43,522 --> 00:33:46,142 That is, it is very easy for human beings to question things, 539 00:33:46,142 --> 00:33:48,457 they can raise questions about every thing. 540 00:33:48,457 --> 00:33:51,777 But then they must know what their limits are. 541 00:33:52,369 --> 00:33:57,909 And you can see that the journey in human knowledge from philosophy to science, 542 00:33:57,909 --> 00:34:01,049 the fundamental step in it is precisely this. 543 00:34:01,049 --> 00:34:05,749 This was the concern of philosophy for two thousand years, 544 00:34:05,749 --> 00:34:08,269 the question, 'why does anything exist?' 545 00:34:09,576 --> 00:34:13,576 And it could not come up with any answer for this 546 00:34:13,576 --> 00:34:17,086 Ibaaraatuna shaqqa 547 00:34:17,086 --> 00:34:21,086 Whichever way a person turned, he found that the matter just became more complex. 548 00:34:21,086 --> 00:34:24,906 Resolving one problem only created another, and on it went. 549 00:34:24,906 --> 00:34:28,046 After that, there came a great revolution in the world. 550 00:34:28,046 --> 00:34:32,446 And the most intelligent people of the world said that the things we cannot know, 551 00:34:32,446 --> 00:34:34,566 why should we waste our time pursuing them? 552 00:34:34,566 --> 00:34:36,766 We are putting aside the metaphysical concern of 'why', 553 00:34:36,766 --> 00:34:39,616 and we are starting with the question of 'how'. 554 00:34:39,616 --> 00:34:41,766 If you read the classical books of science, 555 00:34:41,766 --> 00:34:44,126 this will be the first sentence you see therein. 556 00:34:44,126 --> 00:34:50,066 Science began its journey when philosophy was concerned with the 'why' of being, 557 00:34:50,066 --> 00:34:53,556 and we realized that that cannot be answered and put it aside, 558 00:34:53,556 --> 00:34:56,776 and now we are looking at the question of 'how' based on observation. 559 00:34:56,776 --> 00:34:59,956 So when you delve into it, what exactly is this first statement saying? 560 00:34:59,956 --> 00:35:02,566 This is an acknowledgement of one's limits. 561 00:35:02,566 --> 00:35:06,566 And along with an admission of humility, it is also a great knowledge discovery. 562 00:35:06,566 --> 00:35:09,706 For now we came to know this is not something that falls within human domain. 563 00:35:09,706 --> 00:35:13,706 And soon as we left it aside, then Allah gave us knowledge of numerous things 564 00:35:13,706 --> 00:35:16,146 that were within our intellectual capabilities. 565 00:35:16,146 --> 00:35:20,716 So this is a turning point in the history of human civilization, which began here. 566 00:35:20,716 --> 00:35:24,286 And this same thing is the cause of error in our understanding here, 567 00:35:24,286 --> 00:35:27,966 for what people do is 'ibtegha alfitnati waibtighaa taweelihi.' 568 00:35:27,966 --> 00:35:31,966 Either their intention is not right, or it is a natural curiosity, 569 00:35:31,966 --> 00:35:34,676 to find out at any cost what the streams of Paradise will look like. 570 00:35:34,676 --> 00:35:38,896 They start pursuing it. 'Wama ya'lamu taweelahu illa Allah'. 571 00:35:38,896 --> 00:35:40,846 Then it says, what is the situation here? 572 00:35:40,846 --> 00:35:44,846 The fact of the matter is that the knowledge of these things 573 00:35:44,846 --> 00:35:47,716 has not been given by Allah even to any Messenger. 574 00:35:47,716 --> 00:35:50,036 Only Allah has the knowledge of these things. 575 00:35:50,036 --> 00:35:54,516 Now after that, the next comment is, 'Warraasikhoona fil 'ilm'. 576 00:35:54,516 --> 00:35:59,136 So those people ... naturally people wanted to know the reality 577 00:35:59,136 --> 00:36:02,786 mistakenly believing that it will increase my knowledge. 578 00:36:02,786 --> 00:36:07,526 The Quran said that no, here knowing and accepting that you cannot know, 579 00:36:07,526 --> 00:36:11,086 this is the purest form of knowledge. 580 00:36:11,086 --> 00:36:13,826 Those people, 'Warraasikhoona fil 'ilm'. 581 00:36:13,826 --> 00:36:16,556 Those people who are sincere in their knowledge, whose intellect is not shallow, 582 00:36:16,556 --> 00:36:20,966 who are aware of the truth of knowledge, who are conscious of their own limitations 583 00:36:20,966 --> 00:36:22,816 and are aware of their intellectual constraints, 584 00:36:22,816 --> 00:36:26,096 what do they say? When they read this verse, 'yaqooloona', 585 00:36:26,096 --> 00:36:29,696 they say, 'aamannaa bihee'. That we believe in these things. 586 00:36:29,696 --> 00:36:33,696 So this is actually a details of the fundamental truths. 587 00:36:33,696 --> 00:36:37,116 It is one of its branches. And this is not our concern. 588 00:36:37,116 --> 00:36:39,506 This has been clear through rational and logical arguments 589 00:36:39,506 --> 00:36:42,566 that the Judgment Day must happen. These are just its details. 590 00:36:42,566 --> 00:36:46,668 Therefore we believe in them. 'Kullum min 'indi Rabbina.' 591 00:36:46,668 --> 00:36:51,507 It is all from our Lord. 'Wa ma yazzakkaru illaa ulul albaab.' 592 00:36:51,507 --> 00:36:56,177 And it says that none will be mindful of this except those Allah has given reason. 593 00:36:56,177 --> 00:36:58,247 So if you see these two words, intellect and knowledge, 594 00:36:58,247 --> 00:37:01,547 and how the Quran has made them a subject of concern and told us that 595 00:37:01,547 --> 00:37:04,117 if a person possesses intellect and reason, then what should be his attitude 596 00:37:04,117 --> 00:37:06,787 about these things. And if he is constant in his pursuit of knowledge, 597 00:37:06,787 --> 00:37:08,407 then what should his disposition be? 598 00:37:08,407 --> 00:37:10,837 So this is what has been conveyed in this verse. 599 00:37:10,837 --> 00:37:15,830 Hence, if you see this you will know, that in the world of religion, 600 00:37:15,830 --> 00:37:19,830 whatever issues and discords have arisen, have come up because of these two reasons. 601 00:37:19,830 --> 00:37:22,600 Which the Quran has mentioned. Either the urge to spread discord, 602 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:25,000 or to seek the reality behind such things. 603 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:29,380 It is the most comprehensive commentary on the entire religious life and knowledge 604 00:37:29,380 --> 00:37:31,750 which the Quran has done here. 605 00:37:31,750 --> 00:37:36,370 When religion is on its absolute correct path, what does it do then? 606 00:37:36,370 --> 00:37:39,800 It lays its foundations on categorical and clear principles and rules. 607 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:42,080 What an eloquent response Imam Malik had given 608 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:46,700 when he was asked that Allah says in the Quran that He created the Earth and skies, 609 00:37:46,700 --> 00:37:51,470 and after that He ascended His Throne over the skies. He stood firm on it. 610 00:37:52,590 --> 00:37:56,610 So Imam Malik was asked, what does it mean? How did Allah ascend His Throne? 611 00:37:56,610 --> 00:37:59,700 This does create a lot of questions right? Does Allah have a material body? 612 00:37:59,700 --> 00:38:02,080 Does He have a throne over which He sits? 613 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,450 So Imam Malik replied, and it is a very historic statement of his, 614 00:38:05,450 --> 00:38:11,700 'al istawa maloom wal kayf majhool Wal suwaal 'anhu bid'ah.' 615 00:38:11,700 --> 00:38:15,980 The ascending of Allah upon His Throne is known. 616 00:38:15,980 --> 00:38:20,160 The Quran has told me this. What is the nature and state of this? I do not know. 617 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:26,985 I am not aware. And to become too inquisitive about it and to ask its nature 618 00:38:26,985 --> 00:38:29,835 is akin to an blameworthy innovation in the religion. 619 00:38:31,532 --> 00:38:34,652 So this is the response of one of our early righteous scholars. 620 00:38:34,652 --> 00:38:36,772 But there was no adherence of it. 621 00:38:36,772 --> 00:38:40,532 In our tradition, an entire sect of scholastic philosophers which came up, 622 00:38:40,532 --> 00:38:42,882 if you ever look at Imam Razi's exegesis, 623 00:38:42,882 --> 00:38:47,234 because we study it anyway whenever we have to establish an opinion about a verse 624 00:38:47,234 --> 00:38:50,644 so it seems that it is an entirely different world in which one ventures. 625 00:38:50,644 --> 00:38:54,014 It has these argumentations, these debates. 626 00:38:54,014 --> 00:38:58,194 And in the end there is his confession which he made on his deathbed, 627 00:38:58,194 --> 00:39:03,674 that in this matter, I read that God is ascended upon his Throne. 628 00:39:03,674 --> 00:39:07,844 This is his last sentence before he died right? Which has been recorded. 629 00:39:07,844 --> 00:39:14,319 And I also humbly accepted that there is nothing equivalent to God. 630 00:39:14,319 --> 00:39:16,013 'Laysaka misal'yi shay'. 631 00:39:16,013 --> 00:39:19,845 And O people, testify to this that this is my last confession before my death. 632 00:39:19,845 --> 00:39:22,745 So what is this acknowledgement about? It recognizes that 633 00:39:22,745 --> 00:39:27,185 these are the things which are not concerned with me. 634 00:39:27,185 --> 00:39:30,895 To establish something like what would be the stature or build 635 00:39:30,895 --> 00:39:33,825 of the virgins of Paradise, what would they be made of? 636 00:39:33,825 --> 00:39:37,285 This is not my concern. My concern is that Allah is telling me that 637 00:39:37,285 --> 00:39:40,965 there would be a Judgement Day, and all the blessings you can possibly imagine, 638 00:39:40,965 --> 00:39:43,065 they would be given to you. 639 00:39:43,065 --> 00:39:45,775 So understanding the meaning of a verse is one thing, 640 00:39:45,775 --> 00:39:49,255 and to pursue their real manifestation, that is an entirely separate thing. 641 00:39:49,255 --> 00:39:50,695 Is our time up? 642 00:39:53,113 --> 00:39:55,653 [Student] We have ten minutes. [Ghamidi] Ok ten more minutes. 643 00:39:55,653 --> 00:39:59,653 So we have come to the end of this debate. 644 00:39:59,653 --> 00:40:02,463 And the verse of the Quran given here, I have translated that too, 645 00:40:02,463 --> 00:40:07,353 and I have told you how Allah is bringing our attention to extraordinary things. 646 00:40:07,353 --> 00:40:12,013 He is telling us what attitude we must adopt as we approach the Quran. 647 00:40:12,013 --> 00:40:14,503 Yes? [Shehzad Saleem] My question is that 648 00:40:14,503 --> 00:40:19,763 you said that the word 'taweel' in this verse was taken in its later meaning 649 00:40:19,763 --> 00:40:22,143 which became dominant among the exegetes. 650 00:40:22,143 --> 00:40:25,938 And its real meaning was sidelined. So can we say with certainty that 651 00:40:25,938 --> 00:40:28,978 the four epochs for instance which Khateeb (al-Baghdadi) has listed out, 652 00:40:28,978 --> 00:40:32,138 wherein he says that evidence will be taken from the Arabic poetry. 653 00:40:32,138 --> 00:40:35,688 Has there ever been any change in the latter dominant meaning 654 00:40:35,688 --> 00:40:38,658 after the pre-islamic period? Or through that entire epoch? 655 00:40:38,658 --> 00:40:41,448 [Ghamidi] In the literature of the second and third centuries of Islam, 656 00:40:41,448 --> 00:40:44,928 it began to be used in the sense of 'meaning' and 'commentary'. 657 00:40:44,928 --> 00:40:48,928 And that too with some emphasis. And then its usage increased as well. 658 00:40:48,928 --> 00:40:51,718 In the literature of the second and third centuries, 659 00:40:51,718 --> 00:40:56,148 its usage in its actual meaning started decreasing. 660 00:40:56,148 --> 00:40:58,928 And the latter meaning gained prominence. 661 00:40:58,928 --> 00:41:01,368 [Saleem] The second question was that the literal meaning of 'tashabah', 662 00:41:01,368 --> 00:41:04,448 that is, to be similar to each other, for instance it is used in the Quran, 663 00:41:04,448 --> 00:41:09,728 'Kitaabam mutashabiham masaani'. So does it imply the same meaning? 664 00:41:12,641 --> 00:41:16,261 [Ghamidi] I have written a note here. [Student] Like you have written here, 665 00:41:16,261 --> 00:41:19,941 is it not used in its original meaning? The other meaning, 'ambiguity', 666 00:41:19,941 --> 00:41:22,381 is its necessary meaning. [Ghamidi] It is as per the consequence. 667 00:41:22,381 --> 00:41:24,161 [Student] Yes by virtue of the conclusion it leads to. 668 00:41:24,161 --> 00:41:26,191 This meaning of similarity, the meaning of 'tashabah', 669 00:41:26,191 --> 00:41:27,971 is it also its original meaning? Or is this too a later one? 670 00:41:27,971 --> 00:41:30,491 [Ghamidi] This is the original meaning. To be similar is the actual meaning of it. 671 00:41:30,491 --> 00:41:31,981 [Student] This meaning of being of the same nature. 672 00:41:31,981 --> 00:41:34,351 [Ghamidi] Yes, to be of the same nature or to be similar. It is the same thing. 673 00:41:34,351 --> 00:41:36,091 Being of the same nature is what it means. 674 00:41:36,091 --> 00:41:38,262 Having the same nature or being of the same kind. 675 00:41:38,262 --> 00:41:41,662 Like 'kund ham jins baa ham jins parvaaz' (the birds of a feather flock together). 676 00:41:41,662 --> 00:41:44,282 So to be a similar nature or of the same kind, 677 00:41:44,282 --> 00:41:47,152 all of us human beings are of the same species. 678 00:41:47,152 --> 00:41:49,412 But we still differ from each other. 679 00:41:49,412 --> 00:41:53,042 In our human traits, we are all similar to each other. 680 00:41:53,042 --> 00:41:54,762 This is what it means. 681 00:41:54,762 --> 00:41:57,572 Hence I have written here that the words muhkam and mutashaabih 682 00:41:57,572 --> 00:42:01,212 are used in this verse to refer to those specific technical meanings 683 00:42:01,212 --> 00:42:05,212 which we have already explained above. So what the Quran has done is, 684 00:42:05,212 --> 00:42:07,782 it has taken the words from their actual meanings 685 00:42:07,782 --> 00:42:09,922 and elevated them further. 686 00:42:09,922 --> 00:42:12,672 And it has then used them in their unique shades. 687 00:42:12,672 --> 00:42:15,372 So in this way the words became specific terminologies, 688 00:42:15,372 --> 00:42:18,752 such as the mutashabihaat verses, and muhkam verses. 689 00:42:18,752 --> 00:42:22,085 And at certain places in the Quran, these words have been used 690 00:42:22,085 --> 00:42:24,865 in a different meaning too. The word muhkam has been used 691 00:42:24,865 --> 00:42:27,515 to connote concise and comprehensive verses, 692 00:42:27,515 --> 00:42:29,735 and the word mutashaabih means verses which are similar to 693 00:42:29,735 --> 00:42:31,725 and in harmony with one another. 694 00:42:31,725 --> 00:42:34,645 And since you have raised this question and we have a few minutes left 695 00:42:34,645 --> 00:42:37,045 and we will begin with the next topic in the next session. 696 00:42:37,045 --> 00:42:42,375 Let me also tell you here that the issues faced in understanding the Quran, 697 00:42:42,375 --> 00:42:46,675 like I just mentioned to you, that what happens at times is that 698 00:42:46,675 --> 00:42:51,363 a word is used in its real and literal meaning. 699 00:42:51,363 --> 00:42:56,203 When that word is used with that meaning, it is altered into another meaning. 700 00:42:56,203 --> 00:43:01,463 I had explained this word. I had told you how this word 'tashaboh' was used. 701 00:43:01,463 --> 00:43:06,073 Then, after that, there is an consequence in meaning by virtue of its particular use 702 00:43:06,073 --> 00:43:09,483 and after some time, that word begins to be used as per that new meaning. 703 00:43:09,483 --> 00:43:12,813 So this is how the word goes through these different stages. 704 00:43:12,813 --> 00:43:15,603 If a person is not entirely familiar with that, 705 00:43:15,603 --> 00:43:18,913 then at times he is mistaken in understanding a verse. 706 00:43:18,913 --> 00:43:21,993 Another difficulty with the Quran, like I had referred to it, 707 00:43:21,993 --> 00:43:24,723 that the latter meaning of the word is the one that 708 00:43:24,723 --> 00:43:26,233 becomes dominant in our minds. 709 00:43:26,233 --> 00:43:29,323 That is, the meaning which that word has now donned, 710 00:43:29,323 --> 00:43:31,303 and is now used much more prominently. 711 00:43:31,303 --> 00:43:35,303 So I had given an example of this, that both the kinds of things happen here. 712 00:43:35,303 --> 00:43:41,463 One is that that word is now used by us as a specific terminology. 713 00:43:41,463 --> 00:43:44,533 An example of this is the word 'jihaad'. 714 00:43:44,533 --> 00:43:49,503 Nowhere in the Quran is it used purely in the meaning of 'fighting'. 715 00:43:49,503 --> 00:43:54,093 Not at all. 'fighting' has been called 'jihaad', yes, 716 00:43:54,093 --> 00:43:56,623 but 'jihaad' has not been used to mean 'fighting'. 717 00:43:56,623 --> 00:43:58,943 There is a significant difference between these two things. 718 00:43:58,943 --> 00:44:01,873 For instance, you have gone into the battleground for war. 719 00:44:01,873 --> 00:44:05,313 So the word in Arabic for war is 'qitaal'. 720 00:44:05,313 --> 00:44:07,463 That is the word which will be used for it. 721 00:44:07,463 --> 00:44:09,973 But if you have to convey the spirit of warfare, 722 00:44:09,973 --> 00:44:11,963 if you have to use a word by virtue of its purpose, 723 00:44:11,963 --> 00:44:15,663 then you will say that this person is striving exceptionally hard 724 00:44:15,663 --> 00:44:20,173 to achieve his objective. And that can be done in the arena of the battle too. 725 00:44:20,173 --> 00:44:24,533 So earlier you mentioned a war, and then the people who strive in such a way, 726 00:44:24,533 --> 00:44:27,683 then here the word 'jihaad' has been used for 'fighting (in war)', 727 00:44:27,683 --> 00:44:30,773 but not to mean 'warfare' in itself! This is what happens. 728 00:44:30,773 --> 00:44:33,813 For instance, we had covered this debate in the beginning, 729 00:44:33,813 --> 00:44:37,973 that the word 'kitaab' is used for example, 730 00:44:37,973 --> 00:44:40,735 the word 'kitaab' has multiple meanings. 731 00:44:40,735 --> 00:44:44,235 When we go back to ancient classical Arabic, we know it immediately. 732 00:44:44,235 --> 00:44:46,665 After having gone through this intellectual journey, we know 733 00:44:46,665 --> 00:44:49,155 whether it is being used to mean letters, or law. 734 00:44:49,155 --> 00:44:51,865 And it is was so widely used to mean law, 735 00:44:51,865 --> 00:44:55,135 but now what has happened? The word 'kitaab' has come into our Urdu as well, 736 00:44:55,135 --> 00:44:57,375 and it is there in the Persian vocabulary too. 737 00:44:57,375 --> 00:45:00,095 After its entire journey, today when one reads the word 'kitaab' in the Quran, 738 00:45:00,095 --> 00:45:02,185 he just thinks it means a book. 739 00:45:02,185 --> 00:45:08,455 So the meaning that came in the later era, has become dominant over the word for me. 740 00:45:08,455 --> 00:45:12,805 This is how it happens. Similarly, another difficulty with Quran is, 741 00:45:12,805 --> 00:45:16,485 and this is a whole separate chapter on these difficulties with the Quran. 742 00:45:16,485 --> 00:45:18,595 The issues with the language which are there. 743 00:45:18,595 --> 00:45:23,805 Another thing is that for us, a word has become a terminology. 744 00:45:23,805 --> 00:45:28,645 But in the time of the Quran, it was being used the same way 745 00:45:28,645 --> 00:45:31,619 as the Quran picked it and made it into a specific term. 746 00:45:31,619 --> 00:45:33,945 Look at the word 'Salaat' for instance. 747 00:45:33,945 --> 00:45:37,415 The word salaat is used in the Quran to refer to the prayers we offer. 748 00:45:37,415 --> 00:45:39,295 But it has become a terminology now. 749 00:45:39,295 --> 00:45:43,285 It has a specific referent. But it has been used to mean civility by the Quran, 750 00:45:43,285 --> 00:45:45,715 it has used it is that sense with complete ease. 751 00:45:45,715 --> 00:45:49,585 It has also been used for mercy, blessing, and kindness. 752 00:45:49,585 --> 00:45:52,535 That is because that word does have these meanings. And it is used as such. 753 00:45:52,535 --> 00:45:55,765 Now if someone for instance is unaware of this, 754 00:45:55,765 --> 00:45:59,099 then he would translate it as 'prayer' everywhere he comes across it. 755 00:45:59,099 --> 00:46:01,629 When he will read the verse of the Quran that says, 756 00:46:01,629 --> 00:46:03,709 those people who when faced with tribulations say 757 00:46:03,709 --> 00:46:06,649 'Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un Ula'ika 'alaihim salawaatun 758 00:46:06,649 --> 00:46:09,979 mir Rabbihim wa rahma.' Allah prays Salaat for them! 759 00:46:09,979 --> 00:46:12,499 The word used here is that very same one. 760 00:46:13,115 --> 00:46:16,285 Similarly the word 'rasool' is there, or 'nabi'. 761 00:46:16,285 --> 00:46:19,465 Some words have become terminologies, but they are common words in Arabic. 762 00:46:19,465 --> 00:46:23,469 You see in contemporary Arabic, the case of Nehru 763 00:46:23,469 --> 00:46:27,179 when he proposed the Panchsheel Agreement (Principles of Peaceful coexistence), 764 00:46:27,179 --> 00:46:30,719 and he came up as a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement. 765 00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:34,190 So when he went to Egypt he said, 'Ya Rasool Assalam'. 766 00:46:34,190 --> 00:46:36,640 An Ambassador of Peace has come. 767 00:46:38,213 --> 00:46:40,963 Arabic language will have no qualms in this. 768 00:46:40,963 --> 00:46:43,503 But when you use this same word in Urdu, 769 00:46:43,503 --> 00:46:46,943 we are actually aware of the word only as a specific term. 770 00:46:46,943 --> 00:46:49,993 In our language, it is not used prominently in its general meaning. 771 00:46:49,993 --> 00:46:52,753 It is not used to mean a messenger or an ambassador. 772 00:46:52,753 --> 00:46:55,383 Arabs will without hesitance call the ambassador of Pakistan as 773 00:46:55,383 --> 00:46:58,783 Rasool ul Pakistan. For it just means the Ambassador of Pakistan. 774 00:46:58,783 --> 00:47:03,116 And in Urdu, if we were to use this to say that these days 775 00:47:03,116 --> 00:47:05,046 the Minister of External Affairs, Abdul Sattar, 776 00:47:05,046 --> 00:47:08,696 is appointing Rasools for various places. 777 00:47:08,696 --> 00:47:11,866 So this is a difficulty with the Quranic language. 778 00:47:11,866 --> 00:47:15,426 You have to rise above the meaning of words as specific terminologies, 779 00:47:15,426 --> 00:47:17,016 and then you approach the text. 780 00:47:17,016 --> 00:47:18,936 It is not like a lot of difficulty is faced, 781 00:47:18,936 --> 00:47:22,696 for the context makes it clear in what sense the word has been used. 782 00:47:22,696 --> 00:47:25,366 So these are some of the difficulties and they will always be there. 783 00:47:25,366 --> 00:47:28,126 Along with these issues, like I had pointed out, 784 00:47:28,126 --> 00:47:30,856 are the difficulties of the linguistic styles. 785 00:47:30,856 --> 00:47:34,856 So for instance a style of expression has become obsolete. 786 00:47:34,856 --> 00:47:38,856 We do not use that way of expression which is used in the Quran. 787 00:47:38,856 --> 00:47:42,106 So you can recall those initial discussions about classical Arabic, 788 00:47:42,106 --> 00:47:45,076 in which I had told you about the issues of Quranic linguistic styles, 789 00:47:45,076 --> 00:47:47,866 what are the things which must be kept in consideration. 790 00:47:47,866 --> 00:47:53,016 So we have come to the end of the debate about muhkam and mutashaabih. 791 00:47:53,016 --> 00:47:58,336 After this, InshaAllah in the next session, we shall discuss about 792 00:47:58,336 --> 00:48:01,306 the mutual relationship between the Hadith and the Quran. 793 00:48:01,306 --> 00:48:03,510 That will be under discussion next. So how much time is there?