11:119 reason for God creating us
-
Salam,
The root rahm has had the same meanings through out the semitic languages.
Here is a word study on the root.Hebrew
From Strong's Concordance and Hebrew and Greek Lexicon and The Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
H7355
racham
raw-kham'
A primitive root; to fondle; by implication to love, especially to compassionate - have compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy (-
iful, on, upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, X surely.
BDB Definition- to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion
1a) (Qal) to love
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to have compassion, be compassionate
1b1a) of God, man
1c) (Pual) to be shown compassion, be compassionate
Part of Speech verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong?s Number a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number 2146
H7356
racham
rakh'-am
From H7355; compassion (in the plural); by extension the womb (as cherishing the foetus); by implication a maiden - bowels, compassion, damsel,
tender love, (great, tender) mercy, pity, womb.
BDB Definition- womb (noun masculine)
- compassion (noun masculine absolute plural intensive)
Part of Speech see above in Definition
A Related Word by BDB/Strong?s Number from H7355
Same Word by TWOT Number 2146a
H7357
racham
rakh'-am
The same as H7356; pity; Racham, an Israelite - Raham.
BDB Definition
Raham = ?belly?- a Judaite, son of Shema, father of Jorkoam, and of the descendants of Caleb
Part of Speech noun proper masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong?s Number the same as H7356
H7358
rechem
rekh'-em
From H7355; the womb (compare H7356) - matrix, womb.
BDB Definition- womb
1a) womb
1b) womb-man, woman-slave, woman, two women
Part of Speech noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong?s Number from H7355
Same Word by TWOT Number 2146a
From the Theological Word Book of the Old Testament
2146 - raham
Hebrew Word raham
Strong's Cross Reference 7355
Definition I, love deeply; have mercy, be compassionate. Denominative verb.Derivative TWOT Number 2146a
Derivative Transliteration rehem, raham
Derivative Strong's Cross Reference 7356
Derivative Definition womb.Derivative TWOT Number 2146b
Derivative Transliteration rahamim
Derivative Strong's Cross Reference 7358
Derivative Definition tender mercy.Derivative TWOT Number 2146c
Derivative Transliteration rahum
Derivative Strong's Cross Reference 7361
Derivative Definition compassionate.Derivative TWOT Number 2146d
Derivative Transliteration rahamani
Derivative Strong's Cross Reference 7362
Derivative Definition compassionate women (Lam_410).This root refers to deep love (usually of a "superior" for an "inferior" rooted in some "natural" bond. In the Piel it is used for the deep inward feeling
we know variously as compassion, pity, mercy. Probably raham is related to Akkadian remu (cf. Ugaritic rhm, G. Schmuttermayr, "RHM----Eine
lexikalische Studie," Bib 51499ff). This root is to be distinguished in emphasis from hus and hamal. Sometimes hanen is rendered "mercy" with
emphasis on the graciousness with which such is extended. This verb and its derivatives occur 133 times.
raham is used infrequently (twelve of forty- seven times) of men. It is used only once in the Qal when the Psalmist confesses his love for Jehovah
(Psa_181 ). The depth of this love is shown by the connection of this word with rehem/raham. Compare, Isaiah (Isa_4915) who uses it of a
mother's love toward her nursing baby. It can also refer to a father's love (Psa_10313). Apparently, this verb connotes the feeling of mercy which
men have for each other by virtue of the fact that they are human beings (Jer_5042) and which is most easily prompted by small babies (Isa_131
or other helpless people. It is this natural mercy for the helpless that Israel's and Babylon's enemies will lack in their cruelty (Isa_1318; Jer_623),
although God may give Israel's enemies such feeling (compassion) (1Ki_850; Jer_4212). Indeed, the prophets (Isa_131 conjoin hus (the feeling
which flows from one to another), hamal (the strength of feeling which leads one to action in behalf of another, i.e. to spare them some difficulty), and
raham (the deep inner feeling based on some "natural" bond) when describing what Babylon (Jer_217) and God (Jer_1314) will lack toward Israel.
This root is frequently used of God. It incorporates two concepts first, the strong tie God has with those whom he has called as his children
(Psa_10313). God looks upon his own as a father looks upon his children; he has pity on them (cf. Mic_717). The second concept is that of God's
unconditioned choice (hanen, grace). God tells Moses that he is gracious and merciful to whomever he chooses (Exo_3319).
There are several ideas attached to God's deep, tender love first, the unconditional election of God (Exo_3319); next, his mercy and forgiveness
toward his people in the face of deserved judgment and upon the condition of their repentance (Deu_1317 ); also, God's continuing mercy and
grace in preserving his unrepentant people from judgment (2Ki_1323) Thus this attribute becomes the basis in part of an eschatological hope (cf.
Isa_141; Isa_4913; Isa_547; Jer_1215; Jer_3326; Eze_3425; Mic_719; Zec_116). It is noteworthy that Deuteronomy (Deu_303) prophesies
the exile because of Israel's sin, stipulating that repentance will meet with God's tender compassion. So we read of the withdrawal of God's merey
resulting in harsh judgment at the hands of Babylon (Isa_917 ; Isa_2711; Hos_24 . During the exile Israel's leaders encouraged the
people with God's electing love and tender-mercy (Lam_332), and led them in humbling themselves in repentance, calling upon God to reinstate his
fatherlike compassion (Zec_112). The restitution of the father-son relation ship and the return from the exile witnesses this accompanying loving care
(Hos_223 ). Scripture makes it certain that the exile was brought by God and terminated by God (Eze_3925) according to his sovereign
providence (Isa_3018; cf. E. J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 11, p. 353f.). Finally, the prophets' message regarding the return from the exile opens
onto a permanent state where the father-son relationship will never be broken (Hos_223 ; Isa_548, Isa_5410).
rehem, raham. Womb, maiden. The latter usage occurs in Jdg_530 and is attested in Ugaritic (Jug 4911,27) where btlt 'nt (Maiden Anat) is called
rhm 'nt (Maiden Anat) (UT 19 no. 2321). 19 no. 2321).
rehem/raham is to be distinguished from beten "belly." (Cf. Jdg_530 where pars pro toto it refers w a woman.) Hence beten and rehem/ raham are
used as parallels only when speaking of conception and birth.
That rehem/raham designates the womb is clear from passages like Jer_2017 where the prophet bemoans his birth. He wishes that he had been
slain in the womb and thus his mother's womb would always have been great. Job (Job_101 says that had he not been brought forth from the
womb, no eye would have seen him. Even clearer is God's analogy depicting his sovereign cutting of the flood waters of Noah's day which broke
forth "as if it had issued out of the womb" (Job_388 ).
It is clear that birth and conception are controlled by God who opens (Gen_2931) or closes (Gen_201 the womb at will (cf. Num_816 where
"firstborn" is the one who opens the womb). Consequently, birth is not merely a product of natural law, but a blessing from God (Gen_4925). The
rebellious sinner, however, bears no children ("the womb shall forget him, " Job_2420) or is to be cursed with a miscarrying womb (Hos_914). Israel
is to confess that having and keeping children is God's doing. They do this by setting apart all the firstborn (human or beast) to God. God is a
covenant God who requires a "covering" or "atonement" (see kipper), a blood sacrifice. Because of the blood, God passed over the firstborn of
"believers" in Egypt. Hence all firstborn of those under the covenant belong to God and are to be sacrificed to him. He does direct, however, that
children (and unclean animals) are to be redeemed (Num_1815). He claims the Levites in their place (Num_312). Israel's idolaters recognized
God's claim on their firstborn children but wrongly sacrificed them to him (Eze_2026).
All men (righteous and wicked) owe their birth to God and are responsible to serve him (Job_3115). God's people Israel were recipients of his
special care (election) from conception to death. He sustained them in all of life (Isa_463). God encourages them by reminding them of this during
the affliction of the exile. God applies this principle to an individual when he tells Jeremiah (Jer_15) that before he was formed in the womb, he had
designated and appointed him a prophet to the nations. David, a type of the Messiah, find solace in this thought when he freely confessed his
dependence on God since his birth (cast forth from the womb, Psa_2210 . This is also true of the Servant, the messianic King, whose ever
step reflected his dependence on the Father (cf. Isa_491). The elect are sustained by God from birth. It is their responsibility to confess and submit
to that calling (Jer_15). God so works in life to bring them to that confession and submission (Isa_463, cf. 'ana, III, "affliction". Contrariwise, from
birth the wicked are estrange from God and go astray (Psa_483 ).
rahamim. Tender mercy, compassion. This word shows the link between rabam, "to have compassion" (Piel) and rehem/raham, "womb, ' for rahamim
can refer to the seat of one's emotions (Gen_4330) or the expression of one's deep emotion (1Ki_326); cf. J. Pedersen, Israel, 1936, pp. 309,
525).
rahamim recalls in various situations that God's tender-mercy is rooted in his free love and grace. Hence, God's punishment is more desirable than
man's wrath (2Sa_2414). God's mercy is often combined with his hesed "love, " "kindness" and hen, in "grace, " "unmerited favor." God's anger and
wrath are the opposite of his loving mercy (Deu_1318; Zec_112; Psa_779). In times of captivity (esp. the exile, Dan_91 Israel is summoned to
repentance on the grounds of God's fatherlike compassion (2Ch_309), and God responds (Isa_547). The Psalmist often beseeches God for
expressions of his tender mercies to relieve his distress (Psa_511 ) or confesses that undeserved relief is due to God's tender mercies and
grace (Psa_1034). The eschaton is to witness God's unconditional and unbroken love and care (Hos_219 ); when Israel repents (Deu_303;
Isa_557; Zec_1210).
rahum. Compassionate, merciful- This adjective is used only of God (with the possible exception of Psa_1124) setting forth one of his attributes, i.e.
what God gives forth in raham he has in rahum.
rahamani. compassionate. This adjective describes the depth of feeling a mother's love can reach. Women who so loved their children boiled them
for food during the siege by the Babylonians (Lam_410).
Bibliography Dahood, M., "Denominative rihham, 'to conceive, enwomb', " Bib 44204- 205. THAT, II, pp. 761-67. L.J.C.
From Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old Testament Words
Compassion, Be Merciful
A. Verb.
racham (H7355), "to have compassion, be merciful, pity." The words from this root are found 125 times in all parts of the Old Testament. The root isalso found in Assyrian, Ethiopic, and Aramaic.
The verb is translated "love" once "I will love thee, O Lord..." (Psa_181). Racham is also used in God's promise to declare His name to Moses "Iwill make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and
will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exo_3319). So men pray "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses"
(Psa_256); and Isaiah prophesies messianic restoration "...With great mercies will I gather thee.... But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer" (Isa_547-. This is the heart of salvation by the suffering Servant-Messiah.
B. Nouns.
rechem (H735, "bowels; womb; mercy." The first use of rechem is in its primary meaning of "womb" "The Lord had fast closed up all the wombs ofthe house of Abimelech" (Gen_201. The word is personified in Jdg_530 "Have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two...?" In
another figurative sense, the KJV reads in 1Ki_326 "Her bowels yearned upon her son," which the NIV translates more idiomatically " was
filled with compassion for her son." The greatest frequency is in this figurative sense of "tender love," such as a mother has for the child she has
borne.
rachamim (H7356), "bowels; mercies; compassion." This noun, always used in the plural intensive, occurs in Gen_4314 "And God Almighty giveyou mercy ." In Gen_4330, it is used of Joseph's feelings toward Benjamin "His bowels did yearn upon his brother." (NIV,
"He was deeply moved at the sight of his brother." Rachamim is most often used of God, as by David in 2Sa_2414 "Let us fall now into the hand of
the Lord; for his mercies are great...." We have the equivalent Aramaic word in Daniel's request to his friends "That they would desire mercies of the
God of heaven concerning this secret..." (Dan_21.
The Greek version of the Old Testament racham consists chiefly of three groups of words that come into the New Testament. Eleos is the mostimportant, and it is used to translate several Hebrew words. Mary's song recalls the promise in Psa_10311, Psa_10317, where eleos translates both
rechem and chesed as "mercy" "His mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation" (Luk_150). Racham is probably behind the often
-heard plea "Thou son of David, have mercy on us" (Mat_927).
C. Adjective.
rachum (H7349), "compassionate; merciful." The adjective is used in that important proclamation of God's name to Moses "The Lord, The Lord God,merciful and gracious..." (Exo_346, NASB, NIV, "compassionate".
Aramaic
From Strong's Concordance and Hebrew and Greek Lexicon and The Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
H7359
rechem
rekh-ame'
(Chaldee); corresponding to H7356; (plural) pity - mercy.
BDB Definition- compassion
Part of Speech noun masculine plural intensive
A Related Word by BDB/Strong?s Number corresponding to H7356
Same Word by TWOT Number 2995
From the Theological Word Book of the Old Testament
2995 - rahamin
Aramaic Word rahamin
Strong's Cross Reference 7359
Definition compassion. Used in the plural to express intensity. Common in Hebrew, which also uses the root raham.Arabic
From Project Root List / Edward Lane's Arabic English Lexicon
http//www.studyquran.co.uk/PRLonline.htmRa-Ha-Miim =
Rahima - He favored, benefited, pardoned, or forgave him. To love, have tenderness, mercy, pity, forgiveness, have all that is required for exercisingbeneficence.
Tarhamu - He had mercy, pity, or compassion on him; he pitied or compassionated him much.
Arham - Wombs (singular) womb, i.e. place of origin. The receptacle of the young in the belly.
Ruhmun - Relationship, i.e. nearness of kin, connection by birth; relationship connecting with an ancestor. A connection or tie of relationship.
Rahman - it is active participle noun in the measure of fa'lan which conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness.
Rahim - it is in the measure of fa'il which denotes the idea of constant repetition and giving.rahima vb. (1)
perf. act. 616, 1143, 11119, 1253, 2375, 409, 4442, 6728
impf. act. 723, 7149, 971, 1147, 178, 1754, 2921
impv. 2286, 7155, 1724, 23109, 23118
impf. pass. 3132, 6155, 763, 7204, 2456, 2746, 3645, 4910
n.vb. 264, 2105, 2157, 2178, 2218, 38, 374, 3107, 3157, 3159, 483, 496, 4113, 4175, 612, 654, 6133, 6147, 6154, 6157, 749, 752,756, 757, 772, 7151, 7154, 7156, 7203, 921, 961, 999, 1021, 1057, 1058, 1086, 119, 1117, 1128, 1158, 1163, 1166, 1173, 1194,
1256, 12111, 1256, 1664, 1689, 1724, 1728, 1757, 1782, 1787, 17100, 1810, 1816, 1858, 1865, 1882, 1898, 192, 1921, 1950, 1953,
2175, 2184, 2186, 21107, 2410, 2414, 2420, 2421, 2548, 2719, 2763, 2777, 2843, 2846, 2873, 2886, 2923, 2951, 3021, 3033, 3036,
3046, 3050, 313, 3317, 352, 3644, 389, 3843, 399, 3938, 3938, 3953, 407, 4150, 428, 4228, 4248, 4332, 4332, 446, 4520, 4530,
4612, 4825, 5713, 5727, 5728, 7631
pcple. act. 7151, 7151, 1264, 1264, 1292, 1292, 2183, 2183, 23109, 23118arham n.m. (pl. of rahim or rihm) 2228, 36, 41, 6143, 6144, 875, 138, 225, 3134, 336, 4722, 603
marhamah n.f. 9017
rahim n.m. (pl. ruhama) 11, 13, 237, 254, 2128, 2143, 2160, 2163, 2173, 2182, 2192, 2199, 2218, 2226, 331, 389, 3129, 416, 423,
425, 429, 464, 496, 4100, 4106, 4110, 4129, 4152, 53, 534, 539, 574, 598, 654, 6145, 6165, 7153, 7167, 869, 870, 95, 927, 991,
999, 9102, 9104, 9117, 9118, 9128, 10107, 1141, 1190, 1253, 1298, 1436, 1549, 167, 1618, 1647, 16110, 16115, 16119, 1766,
2265, 245, 2420, 2422, 2433, 2462, 256, 2570, 269, 2668, 26104, 26122, 26140, 26159, 26175, 26191, 26217, 2711, 2730, 2816,
305, 326, 335, 3324, 3343, 3350, 3359, 3373, 342, 365, 3658, 3953, 412, 4132, 425, 4442, 468, 4814, 4829, 495, 4912, 4914,
5228, 579, 5728, 5812, 5910, 5922, 607, 6012, 6414, 661, 7320
rahman n.m. (always with the definite article)11, 13, 2163, 1330, 17110, 1918, 1926, 1944, 1945, 1958, 1961, 1969, 1975, 1978, 1985,
1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 205, 2090, 20108, 20109, 2126, 2136, 2142, 21112, 2526, 2359, 2560, 2560, 2563, 265, 2730,
3611, 3615, 3623, 3652, 412, 4317, 4319, 4320, 4333, 4336, 4345, 4381, 5033, 551, 5922, 673, 6719, 6720, 6729, 7837, 7838
ruhm n.m. 1881
LL, V3, p 221, 222, 223
From Hans Wehr
http//www.ghazali.org/books/wehr-cowan-76.pdf- to have mercy, have compassion,
- uterus, womb, relationship, kinship
Salam,
Arnab - to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion
-
Salaam,
Are you sure you want to make this statement?
A 100%. The Qur'an does not uphold the concept of religious mercy as displayed in Christianity. You can come with the ENGLISH definition but this is NOT the Arabic defintion of Rahima. Rahima means a womb, and so the "mercy" displayed by a womb is that of non-discriminating nourishment and protection until the foetus is completed into perfection. This has nothing to do with sin or being "merciful" in judgement.
For example
mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it <threw himself on the mercy of the court>.
996-8 On that Day will all people come forth as separate entities, to be shown their deeds.
Then whoever has done an atom's
weight of good, will see it. And whoever has done an atom's weight of evil, will see it.2147 We will set up the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection,
and no person will be wronged in the least. Though the good or evil be
of the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. We are Sufficient
for reckoning and none can take account as We do.EVERY deed will have an effect on your evolution, the above verses are clear on this.
From "Qur'anic Cosmology a modern introduction"
Many religions use the word sin for certain acts they claim are wrong and for
which you will be punished by their deity. The Quran is very clear, God cannot be
offended or harmed in any way. So any deed will only be judged on its beneficence
towards humanity (1317), or how it harms and corrupts your own personality. The
consequences of any harmful deed will be experienced over time if they are not
compensated by contributing to humanity. But the consequences, or effects of a persons
deeds are not present immediately. A delay is made in them so every person has the time
to gain more knowledge and understand the wrong they have done, the delay gives time
for the persons to reform themselves and compensate the damage done.
Mankind has created several concepts on how to redeem its sins they believe they will be
punished for by the deity. It is a mythological concept of how their deeds effect their
environment and the universe. The main concept man has created is the concept of
salvation. Salvation is based on the concept of pleasing or acknowledging a god or gods
through rituals, good deeds and/or faith and thus hope to have his sins forgiven by the
deity to be rewarded by a mythological paradise or easy rewards on earth. The Quran
breaks away this man-made belief by saying not even a deed smaller than an atom will be
neglected (997- and thus completely rejecting the concept of salvation.996-8 On that Day will all people come forth as separate entities, to be shown their deeds.
Then whoever has done an atom's
weight of good, will see it. And whoever has done an atom's weight of evil, will see it.I am in agreement with scholar Muhammed Ali and Dr. Sayed Abdul Wadud37 that
Maliki Yauwme AldDeen (verse 14), refers to a sort of Quranic karma as it can be
understood as He that controls the Realm of Existence (Malik) through the System of
Judgement (Deen) that is present in this period of the Universe (Yauwme)38. Whereby aFootnote
37 Page 4-5. Quran translation and commentary by Muhammed Ali, 2004 2nd edition. And Gateway to the
Quran by Dr. Sayed Abdul Wadud where on page 137 he says verse 14 means The sustenance of
human body is a gift from Allah but the nourishment and development of his Personality is subject to the
deeds he performs, the results of which are under complete control of Allah's law of requital, in this world
and in the hereafter.constant system of cause and effect creates the outcomes of your deeds and the effects of
them on your further evolution in the Universe.The Quran gives thus a far more practical concept then salvation, that of compensation.
To attain salvation is many times very vague within religions, and people will always just
hope for it, by performing rituals and be good and the rest depends on the mood or the
mercy of their deity. It creates a very uncertain situation where man doesnt know the
outcome. The Quran presents a more logical and fair system, where mankind know
exactly what to do to redress and how to correct their mistakes.
When a person has done a deed which has hurt his fellow men, or when a person has
done deeds which corrupts its own character, the Quran gives a simple solution. The
person must first understand what he has done wrong, and then take action by not
adopting that path again, this is called Tauba in the Quran. Tauba means To return to
the correct point on a path after it is discovered the wrong path had been taken39. After
this, another action must be taken, not that of rituals, but of humanistic action.11114 Strive to establish and consolidate the Divine System, day and night.
Actions that create balance in the society, Al-Hassanat 40remove the ill effects of inequities,
Al-Sayyi41.Good deeds remove bad deeds. This is a Reminder for those who pay attention.Footnotes
38 Exposition of Surah Al-Fatiha by Arnold Yasin Mol, 2007. Explanation of the words usedMalik means
ruler, king, the one who is control and authority of a realm, former of Rules and Laws and the one who
also executes them. It doesn't refer to a human king in this verse, as the Alif makes the word and its
definitions in an absolute form and thus makes it refer to the Universal Force. Thus Malik means the
Divine Appointer and Executer of Laws and Rules. Yauwme doesn't mean Day in its original sense, but
Time, Era or Period. It was used for day but also for long periods as can be seen for example in the
Quran where it is used for a moment , 1000 years and 50.000 years . Yauwme in this verse
and some other verses in the Quran refers to this phase of existence, the first Era of Life. Deen has many
meanings. System of law, Debt, Cause and Effect, Judgment, Order, Way of Life, Requital, Outcome of an
Affair. To translate it with Religion is wrong, as Islam covers all fields of Life, from Economics to State to
Individual affairs. Religions mostly only control personal affairs and moral. In 933 it is foretold that Islam
will overcome all other Deen, this thus also refer to Communism, Capitalistic Secularism and all other
systems of life on Earth. Again, to translate it only with 'judgment' or 'requital' cuts out the other meanings
of Deen and Malik. Thus all definitions must be given to have the correct understanding of this verse and
the wide meanings it creates through the combinations of these 3 definitions.39 Page 77-78 under the root Taba. Dictionary of the Holy Quran by Abdul Mannar Omar, 2006 4th
edition. To return; repent; turn one's self in a repentant manner (with ila or without it), turn with mercy
(with ala), adapt And page 84-87. Exposition of the Quran, Mafhum Al-Quran by G.A. Parwez. 1990.
Page 358 Volume 1. Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003 2nd
reprint. It gives To return to obedience to God.40 Page 206-208 Volume 2, Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003
2nd reprint. Make good, seem good/beautiful/comely/pleasing, be excellent, make or render a thing good
or goodly, to beautify/embellish/adorn a thing, strive or compete in goodness, to do good or act well, act or
behave with goodness or in a pleasing manner towards a person, confer a benefit or benefits upon a
person, act graciously with a person.The system of compensation is fair, practical and clear. Your further progress of
evolution is not based on rituals or belief, but on your actions to benefit mankind. Al-
Hassanat can only be done towards other humans, not to God. And Al-Sayyi can only be
done to other humans, not to God. The concept of sin is not present in the Quran. Words
as Ithm, although many times translated as sin in the majority of Quran translations, have
a far more clearer meaning. Ithm , for example, refers to being weak and slow, to be the
last camel in the caravan42. It gives an idea that persons committing Ithm do not commit
a sin towards God, but harm themselves and their environment, so that it becomes
weak. It describes that harmful deeds can weaken the persons position within the cosmic
evolutionary scale as the person has done things which has not contributed society, but
even weakened its potential and slows its progress. If the damage done to ones Self or
their environment is not compensated, the compensation, the requital of the damage will
be experienced in this life or in the next phase of the universe. One way or another, if
man doesnt compensate the damage he may have done, then the universe will
compensate it with you.The word Ghafara has also been presented in a very wrong way. Ghafara means to
protect against dirt or harm43, it does not mean forgiveness in the Qur'an, as 996-7 and
2147 clearly point out is not present in the universal system. But this doesnt mean God
has not created any ease or exceptions within this system of compensation. God is also
called Al-Afaa, Afaa means to remit previous deeds, it also means the surplus of
something (see 2219). It is used around 7 times for God who remitted those that upheld
their present life above the better one. He is Al-Afaa because people are given time to
remit their wrongdoing and because He gives more (surplus) for every good deed
(6160)44. In the Quran, forgiveness stands for giving room to compensate for wrong
deeds done. The Quran An Encyclopedia says Forgiveness involves a change of heart
that may advocate that the wrongdoer receives punishment or be considered accountable
for redressing the wrong. 45Footnotes
41Page 181-183 Volume 4, Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003
2nd reprint. To treat badly, do evil to disgrace, be evil/wicked/vicious, ill, anything that makes a person
sad and sorrowful, bad action, mischief and corruption42 Page 58-59 Volume 1 under the root Athima. Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on
Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003 2nd reprint. It explains on page 59 she-camel, (S,) and she-camels, slow, or tardy;
meary, fatigued, or jaded. That is slack, or ldo, in pace, or going.43 Page 405-406 under the root Ghafara. Dictionary of the Holy Quran by Abdul Mannar Omar, 2006 4th
edition.It says To give protect, to cover over, shield, suppress the defect, set the affairs right. Ghafar al-
Mataa means He put the goods in the bag and covered and protected them. Mighafar is a shield and
helmet. Ghafr means covering with that which protects a thing from dirt. Ghafour, name of God The
Protector. Page 15-16, Exposition of the Quran, Mafhum Al-Quran by G.A. Parwez. 1990. Page 57-59
Volume 6, Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003 2nd reprint.44 Page 379-380 under the root Afa. Dictionary of the Holy Quran by Abdul Mannar Omar, 2006 4th
edition45 Page 213-216 under Forgiveness,by Bahar Davary. The Quran An Encyclopedia edited by Oliver
Leaman, 2008 Paperback.The effects of their deeds on their own Self will be judged according to these factors
The persons is judged on intention (2225, 589).
Has no knowledge of the law or the Divine Law or doesnt understand it
correctly (6131).
Is minor or insane and not capable of understanding (1736).
Is forced to do a thing (16106).The above mentioned factors that will determine the recompense of the persons deeds,
and these are also used in almost all courts of law in the world.
The system of compensation have been made in a merciful way, whereby the benefiting
deeds have more weight on the universal scale then the harming ones.- He who does a good deed will receive ten times its worth; and he who does evil will
be requited to an equal degree; and no one will be wronged.
4146 Whoever does good to others, does good to his own self, and whoever causes
imbalance in the lives of others, hurts his own self. Your Lord is never unjust to His
servants.This system of compensation is thus not a religious one, but takes on the form of a
natural law that determines the fall and rise of nations and the development of human
personality.Robert Briffault
In the natural scale, that action is good which contributes to the process of human
development, that act is evil which tends to impede, retard, oppose that process that
individual life is well deserving which is in the direct line of that evolution, that is futile
which lies outside the course of its advance; that is Condemned which endeavours to
oppose the current. That is the natural, the absolute and actual standard of moral values.
Nature does not value the most saintly and charitable life which brings no contribution to
human growth, as much as a single act which permanently promotes the evolution of the
race. The only measure of worth of which nature takes any account by perpetuating it
is the contribution offered towards the building tip of a higher humanity. 46Footnote
46 Page 352. The Making of Humanity by Robert Briffault, 1919.As we can see in the above verses it is clear not one
single deed will be ignored and forgotten. The Quran gives these laws which operate the
judgment system which will determine if a person is fit for further evolutionEvery human action affects his own Self (6164). His deeds are recorded by the
Universal Forces, Malikah, constantly into the Umm Al-Kitaab, the Divine
datebase which is called the Quantum Field/Vacuum by scientists (2147, 997-6,
7829, 8210-12).
The Self is also affected by hidden and unfulfilled desires or intentions as these
are the foundations for further actions not committed (4019).
Only Allah knows how much credit or discredit is to be given to a particular act.
(5332), but the benefiting deeds outweigh the harmful ones by 10 to 1 (6160).
And Gods Rahma, all the resources for further development, is the reason for our
creation, and this will also weigh, He has created us for further development, this
is His driving thought behind our creation, and this will decide how His law of
judgment will work
11119 Save him on whom your Developer of all your stages of evolution has given
His Rahma, His continuous nourishment; and for that He did create them.
When the new universe is created, to determine the level of evolution (Jannah), or
non-evolution (Jahannam), all the actions will be weighed. Those whose balance
of good and constructive deeds are in the majority (is heavier) will evolve further,
but those whose balance goes against them (is lighter) are the ones who have
harmed themselves by their willful rejection of Allah's Message and will be in a
state of non-evolution (78-9).
As the system is fair and based on your personal development, no one would be
able to help any other, nor any intercession is allowed (2123).
No action would go un-recompensated (325).
Everyone will get the consequence of his own deeds. (7147, 5216, 3739,
452.
Absolute and full justice will be done, and no one will be dealt with unjustly, as
the selection is made by laws and not by emotions (16111, 4017, 3970).
No one will be able to transfer his good or bad deeds to others every person will
be judged on their own contributions or harm to ones Self or others (2286,
6105, 6165, 10108, 1317, 177, 1715, 2740, 2792, 296, 3112, 3518, 3941,
4515).http//deenrc.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/quranic-cosmology-a-short-introduction-by-ay-mol-f.pdf
- He who does a good deed will receive ten times its worth; and he who does evil will
-
The root rahm has had the same meanings through out the semitic languages.
- The root is Rahima NOT rahma.
- Arabic was created in a different enviroment and by a different culture.
- The Qur'an is in a clear Arabic language, NOT in Hebrew or Aramaic.
- Although the languages are related and it is always good to see how they display the roots they can NEVER stand above the Arabic meaning since they were formed in DIFFERENT enviroments and by different cultures.
- Both Hebrew and Aramaic were languages created under monarchy rule. Arabic was created by a FREE nomadic people. This has a very different effect on the language.
-
Salam,
When you will understand that Rahima stands for nourishment, protection and further development, then the verses are very clear
- Noahs son replied I shall not accompany you but you need not worry about me. I will climb upon the mountain which shall protect me from the flood. Noah said None is saved this day from the decree of Allah except those who take refuge in His Rahmat, protection.
God's Rahmat at that moment was that He had warned Noah to built the boat, and if the son had joined Noah in the boat, he would have fallen into God's protection.
And this is a closer rendition of the verse
407-9 Those who carry (yahmiluna) the Throne and those around it strive to (yusabbihuna=to strive/swim) manifest the Glory of their Rabb, Developer towards perfection; Have trust in Him (aminua= to have trust) ; and seek protection (yastaghfiruna=to protect as a helmet, mighfar=helmet) for those who acknowledge their trust(aminua)
"Our Rabb, Developer towards perfection! You encompass (wasi'ta) everything with your sustaining nourishment, protection (Rahmat) and Knowledge. Protect (faGhafir), then, those who turn back towards the right path (tabu=to return to obedience), and follow Your Way and protect (qi=to protect or guard) them from the obstacle (A3dhaba=obstacle/hindrance) of Jahim, state of receding (jahima, to stop or recede).
"Our Rabb, Developer towards perfection, that they enter the Gardens of Eternity, which You have promised to them, and to the ones who were righteous and good to society (salaha=to reform society) among their fathers, their spouses (wives or husbands) and their posterity!
For You are the Exalted in Might, Full of Wisdom. "And guard (qi=to guard/protect) them from oppression by other people (sayyi'at=to oppress, hurt other people); and any whom You protect (taqi=you protect/guard) against oppression (sayyi'at=oppression/harm) in that Period (yauwme=period/time/era) on them You you give constant nourishment and protection (rahmatahu) and that will be truly (for them) the highest Achievement.
The translation you presented mistranslated many Arabic defintions.
615-16 Say "I indeed am afraid (akhafu=to fear), if I rebelled against (asaytu=to rebell/defy/disobey) my Rabb, Developer towards perfection, the obstacle (A3budhu=obstacles/hindrance) in that Period (yauwme=period/era/time) would be immense (azim=big/immense/great etc.).
"From whoever it is diverted (yusrafu) that Period, that person has received Allah's protection and nourishment as that of a womb (Rahima); and that would be the succes (fawz=succes/triumph/victory), the most manifest (mubin=manifest/obvious).
3107-108 And as those whose faces became bright (abyaddat=to brighten up/shine) they will be in Allah's constant nourishment and protection (rahmati), They in there shall remain forever existing (khalidun=to live forever).
These are the evidences (ayat=evidence/sign) of Allah, We recite them out loud to you in truth and Allah does not have in mind (yuridu=intend/have in mind) to do injustice and displace (zulm=injustice/oppression/to displace something) to all creation (alamin=all beings and objects that point towards being created).
Rahima means to provide, nourish and protect a creation to develop it further as a womb does to a foetus.
Rizq comes from Razaqa which means to provide, supply and to bestow. This is thus PART of the Rahima, nourishment, it is only 1 part of Rahima, which is much more then just providing. -
- The root is Rahima NOT rahma.
Perhaps my transliteration was unclear...ra-ha-meem....and yes...we are speaking of the same root.
- Arabic was created in a different enviroment and by a different culture.
This is absolutely untrue.
Arabic evolved from Aramaic/Hebrew. And, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic are all dialects of the Semitic Language.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic#History
Modern Arabic is considered to be part of the Arabo-Canaanite sub-branch of the central group of West Semitic languages. While Arabic is not the oldest of the Semitic languages, it shares many features with the common ancestor for all Semitic languages in the Afro-Asiatic group of languages, Proto-Semitic whose phonological, morphological, and syntactic features have been determined by linguists. Many linguists consider Arabic to be the most conservative of the modern Semitic languages because of how completely it preserves the features of Proto-Semitic.
The earliest texts in Proto-Arabic, or Ancient North Arabian, are the Hasaean inscriptions of eastern Saudi Arabia, from the 8th century BC, written not in the modern Arabic alphabet, nor in its Nabataean ancestor, but in variants of the epigraphic South Arabian musnad. These are followed by 6th-century BC Lihyanite texts from southeastern Saudi Arabia and the Thamudic texts found throughout Arabia and the Sinai, and not actually connected with Thamud. Later come the Safaitic inscriptions beginning in the 1st century BC, and the many Arabic personal names attested in Nabataean inscriptions (which are, however, written in Aramaic). From about the 2nd century BC, a few inscriptions from Qaryat al-Faw (near Sulayyil) reveal a dialect which is no longer considered "Proto-Arabic", but Pre-Classical Arabic.
Another Wikipedia entry http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_alphabet#History
The Arabic alphabet can be traced back to the Nabatean alphabet used to write the Nabataean dialect of Aramaic. The first known text in the Arabic alphabet is a late fourth-century inscription from Jabal Ramm (50 km east of Aqaba), but the first dated one is a trilingual inscription at Zebed in Syria from 512. However, the epigraphic record is extremely sparse, with only five certainly pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions surviving, though some others may be pre-Islamic. Later, dots were added above and below the letters to differentiate them (the Aramaic model had fewer phonemes than the Arabic, and some originally distinct Aramaic letters had become indistinguishable in shape, so in the early writings 15 distinct letter-shapes had to do duty for 28 sounds!) The first surviving document that definitely uses these dots is also the first surviving Arabic papyrus (PERF 55, dated April 643, although they did not become obligatory until much later. Important texts like the Qur?an were frequently memorized; this practice, which is still widespread among many Muslim communities today, probably arose partially from a desire to avoid the great ambiguity of the script.
Later still, vowel marks and the hamza were introduced, beginning some time in the latter half of the seventh century, preceedign the first invention of Syriac and Hebrew vocalization. Initially, this was done by a system of red dots, said to have been commissioned by an Umayyad governor of Iraq, Hajjaj ibn Yusuf a dot above = a, a dot below = i, a dot on the line = u, and doubled dots indicated nunation. However, this was cumbersome and easily confusable with the letter-distinguishing dots, so about 100 years later, the modern system was adopted. The system was finalized around 786 by al-Farahidi.
- The Qur'an is in a clear Arabic language, NOT in Hebrew or Aramaic.
That is a subject of debate for another thread.....
- Although the languages are related and it is always good to see how they display the roots they can NEVER stand above the Arabic meaning since they were formed in DIFFERENT enviroments and by different cultures.
- Both Hebrew and Aramaic were languages created under monarchy rule. Arabic was created by a FREE nomadic people. This has a very different effect on the language.
see my above statements...
Salam,
Arnab -
Salaam,
Quote from Arnab on Yesterday at 042046 PM
Are you sure you want to make this statement?A 100%. The Qur'an does not uphold the concept of religious mercy as displayed in Christianity.
Your statement was in English "The concept of mercy is un-quranic." You did not say "The concept of mercy AS SEEN BY CHRISTIANS is un-quranic. You made an ABSOLUTE statement using the English language with out any qualifying remarks.
The Christian concept of Mercy (ie Jesus dying for their sins and thereby being merciful to all who simply believe in him) is not the ENGLISH definition of mercy.
You can come with the ENGLISH definition but this is NOT the Arabic defintion of Rahima.
I was not comparing the Arabic and English....You made a statement in English and I responded to that English statement.
As for the definition of rahm. I have posted referrences and evidence that indicates its definition.
Rahima means a womb, and so the "mercy" displayed by a womb is that of non-discriminating nourishment and protection until the foetus is completed into perfection.
Yes, that is one of the definitions of the root. But it cannot be limited to that definition.
This has nothing to do with sin or being "merciful" in judgement.
For example
Quote from Arnab on Yesterday at 042046 PM
mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it <threw himself on the mercy of the court>.996-8 On that Day will all people come forth as separate entities, to be shown their deeds.
Then whoever has done an atom's
weight of good, will see it. And whoever has done an atom's weight of evil, will see it.2147 We will set up the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection,
and no person will be wronged in the least. Though the good or evil be
of the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. We are Sufficient
for reckoning and none can take account as We do.EVERY deed will have an effect on your evolution, the above verses are clear on this.
First of all you are taking just ONE of the examples of definitions of mercy out of the many definitions that are available in English. This is not an adequate evaluation of the word.
Second, Yes, I am familiar with the above verses....however, are you forgetting that one has a lifetime of God's mercy where we can repent and amend our ways and are forgiven if we walk the straight path?
With all due respect, you may want to consider ALL the verses and ALL the definitions and not try to limit them.
From "Qur'anic Cosmology a modern introduction"
Many religions use the word ?sin? for certain acts they claim are wrong and for
which you will be punished by their deity. The Qur?an is very clear, God cannot be
offended or harmed in any way.The author is comparing punishment with harming God which is not a logical comparison. Just because one believes that he will be punished for his transgressions does not mean that he thinks that in transgressing he has harmed God.
Mankind has created several concepts on how to redeem its sins they believe they will be
punished for by the deity. It is a mythological concept of how their deeds effect their
environment and the universe.This is completely untrue.
Are you saying that if person A murders person B that it does not affect the WHOLE environment that these people live in?IF person A murders person B....it affects a whole group of people beyond the scope of comprehension.
Especially if such an incident were reported by the news.Just as some limited brief examples that can help one understand how this crime would ripple through the environment....
person B's family and friends to be saddened which may result in
loosing time off work (affecting the bosses, workplace and by extention the community),
may cause extremes in emotion ie depression or anger or the like which can last for months or years....especially in close relatives (ie spouse, children, parents) which at the very least affects their performance in school or work activitiesmay cause anyone living in the area where the crime was committed to feel unsafe in their homes or workplace thereby shaping their concept of the world they live in.
Also affects the life of person A since this person would most likely end up in prison and person A's family in that they may experience shock, shame, or distrust.
The affects can go beyond imagination on this scenerio.
I would NOT say that the the deeds of a person affecting their environment/universe are merely Mythological.The main concept man has created is the concept of
salvation. Salvation is based on the concept of pleasing or acknowledging a god or gods
through rituals, good deeds and/or faith and thus hope to have his sins forgiven by the
deity to be rewarded by a mythological paradise or easy rewards on earth.Let's look at the word salvation
1
a deliverance from the power and effects of sin
b the agent or means that effects salvation cChristian Science the realization of the supremacy of infinite Mind over all bringing with it the destruction of the illusion of sin, sickness, and death
2 liberation from ignorance or illusion3
a preservation from destruction or failure
b deliverance from danger or difficultyThe Quran supports salvation (as defined by the English language and not by Christianity) in that if a person repents and ceases from commiting the transgression...and all other applicable Quranic responcibilities....that the person attains salvation. IE deliverance from the power of sin/transgression.
OR I have to ask these questions....
Are you saying that one who has sinned cannot repent and correct his ways and walk in the path of Allah?
Are you saying that you are WITHOUT any transgression whatsoever? IF you are not..then by your definition you will not be given Allah's forgiveness and achieve life in the hereafter.
Are you calling the hereafter mythological?
The Qur?an
breaks away this man-made belief by saying not even a deed smaller than an atom will be
neglected (997- and thus completely rejecting the concept of salvation.996-8 On that Day will all people come forth as separate entities, to be shown their deeds.
Then whoever has done an atom's
weight of good, will see it. And whoever has done an atom's weight of evil, will see it.When one dies....yes. But when one is ALIVE we are granted the chance to amend our ways and we are granted forgiveness if we walk away from these transgressions.
When a person has done a deed which has hurt his fellow men, or when a person has
done deeds which corrupts its own character, the Qur?an gives a simple solution.I would say that when a transgression has occured the Quran gives different solutions depending on the transgression.
The concept of sin is not present in the Qur?an.
It would seem that the problem is that you or the author is using Christianity as a dictionary....What I mean by this is you seem to be using the Christian concept of words such as mercy and sin to define their meaning. This is not helpful. Their are clear cut ENGLISH definitions for the words you are using. I would suggest clarifying statements...
Instead of saying...
"The concept of sin is not present in the Quran."
Clarify it as such...
"The Christian concept of sin is not present in the Quran."Please keep in mind that in defining the English terms you are using in your English statements I am not referring to your translations of Arabic words. We'll save that for another post.
When explaining something in English one must give the English words the same respect as the Arabic words. Why do I say this? Because one can come away with misunderstandings if the use of the English word is not true to its definition.The word sin simply means....(from Merrium Websters Online Dictionary http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sin)
1
a an offense against religious or moral law
b an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible <it's a sin to waste food>
c an often serious shortcoming fault
2
a transgression of the law of God
b a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from GodThe word sin IS NOT just a Christian word. This is a misconception. Yes, the word is used in Christianity but its not exclusively a Christian religious word.
Words
as Ithm, although many times translated as sin in the majority of Qur?an translations, have
a far more clearer meaning. Ithm , for example, refers to being weak and slow, to be the
last camel in the caravan42. It gives an idea that persons committing Ithm do not commit
a ?sin? towards God, but harm themselves and their environment, so that it becomes
weak. It describes that harmful deeds can weaken the person?s position within the cosmic
evolutionary scale as the person has done things which has not contributed society, but
even weakened its potential and slows its progress. If the damage done to one?s Self or
their environment is not compensated, the compensation, the requital of the damage will
be experienced in this life or in the next phase of the universe. One way or another, if
man doesn?t compensate the damage he may have done, then the universe will
compensate it with you.The word Ghafara has also been presented in a very wrong way. Ghafara means to
protect against dirt or harm43, it does not mean forgiveness in the Qur'an, as 996-7 and
2147 clearly point out is not present in the universal system. But this doesn?t mean God
has not created any ease or exceptions within this system of compensation. God is also
called Al-Afaa, Afaa means to remit previous deeds, it also means the surplus of
something (see 2219). It is used around 7 times for God who remitted those that upheld
their present life above the better one. He is Al-Afaa because people are given time to
remit their wrongdoing and because He gives more (surplus) for every good deed
(6160)44. In the Qur?an, forgiveness stands for giving room to compensate for wrong
deeds done. The Quran An Encyclopedia says ?Forgiveness involves a change of heart
that may advocate that the wrongdoer receives punishment or be considered accountable
for redressing the wrong.? 45Insha Allah, at some point we may study these words in depth. At this point I have no comment.
I want to clarify further....so that there is no misunderstanding.....my statement above about the English word "sin" was not in referrence to any Arabic word or translation. It is simply an assessment of the English definition and its usage.Salam,
Arnab -
Perhaps my transliteration was unclear...ra-ha-meem....and yes...we are speaking of the same root.
This is absolutely untrue.
Arabic evolved from Aramaic/Hebrew. And, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic are all dialects of the Semitic Language.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic#History
Modern Arabic is considered to be part of the Arabo-Canaanite sub-branch of the central group of West Semitic languages. While Arabic is not the oldest of the Semitic languages, it shares many features with the common ancestor for all Semitic languages in the Afro-Asiatic group of languages, Proto-Semitic whose phonological, morphological, and syntactic features have been determined by linguists. Many linguists consider Arabic to be the most conservative of the modern Semitic languages because of how completely it preserves the features of Proto-Semitic.
The earliest texts in Proto-Arabic, or Ancient North Arabian, are the Hasaean inscriptions of eastern Saudi Arabia, from the 8th century BC, written not in the modern Arabic alphabet, nor in its Nabataean ancestor, but in variants of the epigraphic South Arabian musnad. These are followed by 6th-century BC Lihyanite texts from southeastern Saudi Arabia and the Thamudic texts found throughout Arabia and the Sinai, and not actually connected with Thamud. Later come the Safaitic inscriptions beginning in the 1st century BC, and the many Arabic personal names attested in Nabataean inscriptions (which are, however, written in Aramaic). From about the 2nd century BC, a few inscriptions from Qaryat al-Faw (near Sulayyil) reveal a dialect which is no longer considered "Proto-Arabic", but Pre-Classical Arabic.
Another Wikipedia entry http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_alphabet#History
The Arabic alphabet can be traced back to the Nabatean alphabet used to write the Nabataean dialect of Aramaic. The first known text in the Arabic alphabet is a late fourth-century inscription from Jabal Ramm (50 km east of Aqaba), but the first dated one is a trilingual inscription at Zebed in Syria from 512. However, the epigraphic record is extremely sparse, with only five certainly pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions surviving, though some others may be pre-Islamic. Later, dots were added above and below the letters to differentiate them (the Aramaic model had fewer phonemes than the Arabic, and some originally distinct Aramaic letters had become indistinguishable in shape, so in the early writings 15 distinct letter-shapes had to do duty for 28 sounds!) The first surviving document that definitely uses these dots is also the first surviving Arabic papyrus (PERF 55, dated April 643, although they did not become obligatory until much later. Important texts like the Quran were frequently memorized; this practice, which is still widespread among many Muslim communities today, probably arose partially from a desire to avoid the great ambiguity of the script.
Later still, vowel marks and the hamza were introduced, beginning some time in the latter half of the seventh century, preceedign the first invention of Syriac and Hebrew vocalization. Initially, this was done by a system of red dots, said to have been commissioned by an Umayyad governor of Iraq, Hajjaj ibn Yusuf a dot above = a, a dot below = i, a dot on the line = u, and doubled dots indicated nunation. However, this was cumbersome and easily confusable with the letter-distinguishing dots, so about 100 years later, the modern system was adopted. The system was finalized around 786 by al-Farahidi.
That is a subject of debate for another thread.....
see my above statements...
Salam,
ArnabSalaam,
I know the development of the Arabic language, and still have the 3 languages a gap of enviromental and culture differences which have certain key effects on the language. This is why languages DEVELOP in writings, meanings and defintions. Just as you confessed above.
-
Salam,
I know the development of the Arabic language, and still have the 3 languages a gap of enviromental and culture differences which have certain key effects on the language. This is why languages DEVELOP in writings, meanings and defintions. Just as you confessed above.
There are not differences in the three dialects of the Semitic languages in terms of their scriptural usage. This is plainly evident.
The only gaps are the one's created by MODERN interpretations of Arabic. And the everyday usage. This does not apply to scripture/God's laws and writings.Which is why we differentiate between Modern and Classical Arabic.
Salam,
Arnab -
Salaam,
Your statement was IN ENGLISH "The concept of mercy is un-quranic." You did not say "The concept of mercy AS SEEN BY CHRISTIANS is un-quranic. You made an ABSOLUTE statement using the English language with out any qualifying remarks.
Well, if you have paid attention you would have read it was Parwez's statement, but I agree with him. And he refers to the common religious understanding of sin.
As for the definition of rahm. I have posted referrences and evidence that indicates its definition.
I rather stick to the clear Arabic definition, although it is interested to see how the word has developed differently in details.
Yes, that is one of the definitions of the root. But it cannot be limited to that definition.
The key 1st meaning of the word is a womb. Thus the "mercy" must be understood in how a womb is "merciful" to a foetus. This is how Arabic roots work.
First of all you are taking just ONE of the examples of definitions of mercy out of the many definitions that are available in English. This is not an adequate evaluation of the word.
As said, it was ONE example. Mercy in english was an elite word, where a lord was merciful to its subjects by showing his power to punish or not to punish if it pleased him. God is not like this. And this definition is what people have mostly in mind when they read the word "mercy". And thus this is what I addressed.
Second, Yes, I am familiar with the above verses....however, are you forgetting that one has a lifetime of God's mercy where we can repent and amend our ways and are forgiven if we walk the straight path?
Yes, this is called Tauba, to return. The above verses refer to the Afterlife where no deed will be neglected, thus no "mercy". And we are not "forgiven", returning to the right path means to compensate for the wrong deeds (sayyi) you have done by doing good to society (hassanat), see 11114. And this falls under God's Afwa, to give room to His creation by always allowing a person to redress his behaviour during his lifetime. Because God has created us to develop further (11119), so it is not His "mercy", but His will to develop us further.
I do see clear differences in defintions and idioms here.
With all due respect, you may want to consider ALL the verses and ALL the definitions and not try to limit them.
The author is comparing punishment with harming God which is not a logical comparison. Just because one believes that he will be punished for his transgressions does not mean that he thinks that in transgressing he has harmed God. This is completely untrue.I am the author, and this is not what is said. People view sins as offending God, making Him angry with you. They are more concerned with how God "feels" and by thus not understanding that their deeds determine their evolution. They view still as a tyrant king that can be "merciful" to you if it pleases Him just a human king would act. This is the main view the majority of religions have on God. This cannot be denied.
Are you saying that if person A murders person B that it does not affect the WHOLE environment that these people live in?
IF person A murders person B....it causes a whole group of person B's family and friends to be saddened which may result in
loosing time off work (affecting the bosses, workplace and by extention the community),
may cause extremes in emotion ie depression or anger or the like which can last for months or years....especially in close relatives (ie spouse, children, parents) which at the very least affects their performance in school or work activities
may cause the community to feel unsafe in their homes or workplace thereby shaping their concept of the world they live in
Also affects the life of person A and person A's family in that they may experience shock, shame, or distrust.
The affects can go beyond imagination on this scenerio.
I would NOT say that the the deeds of a person affecting their environment/universe are merely Mythological.Dear Arnab, please do not act ignorant of that fact that the majority of religious people on earth view the consequences of their deeds in a mythological way and not in the direct logical way as you have stated above. Your example above is also how I view it IF you have really read my article you would have know this.
Are you saying that one who has sinned cannot repent and correct his ways and walk in the path of Allah?
Are you saying that you are WITHOUT any transgression whatsoever?
Are you calling the hereafter mythological?
When one dies....yes. But when one is ALIVE we are granted the chance to amend our ways and we are granted forgiveness if we walk away from these transgressions.Oh my God! Do you really only read 2 words or something? The above article clearly states we must COMPENSATE our wrong deeds by doing good. This thus clearly state that as long as we live we can create a good result in the Hereafter. Please read things like 4 times before responding...
It would seem that the problem is that you or the author is using Christianity as a dictionary....What I mean by this is you seem to be using the Christian concept of words such as mercy and sin to define their meaning. This is not helpful. Their are clear cut ENGLISH definitions for the words you are using. I would suggest clarifying statements...
People ARE using the Christian defintions when reading these words in English, please do not make a fool of yourself by stating otherwise. Also the english definitions still differ completely from the Arabic definitions.
Instead of saying...
"The concept of sin is not present in the Quran."
Clarify it as such...
"The Christian concept of sin is not present in the Quran."The concept of religious sin is not present in the Qur'an. As even the English definitions refers to the religious understanding of it. The Qur'an addresses that you harm your evolution be doing bad to others, this is a more scientifical view on cause and effect your personality then the religious words as sin which can give a very deceptive misunderstanding of the meanings. It is good you try to seperate the English definitions from the Christian ones, but the majority do not do this, plus I believe the English definitions do not really define the Arabci definitions.
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Salam,
There are not differences in the three dialects of the Semitic languages in terms of their scriptural usage. This is plainly evident.
The only gaps are the one's created by MODERN interpretations of Arabic. And the everyday usage. This does not apply to scripture/God's laws and writings.Which is why we differentiate between Modern and Classical Arabic.
Salam,
I disagree as I see clear differences in development of the details of the languages. I have given already some key points why. If we disagree then let's do so.
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I am the author, and this is not what is said. People view sins as offending God, making Him angry with you. They are more concerned with how God "feels" and by thus not understanding that their deeds determine their evolution. They view still as a tyrant king that can be "merciful" to you if it pleases Him just a human king would act. This is the main view the majority of religions have on God. This cannot be denied.
Actually, I have not found this to be a common belief in most religions especially modern ones....Unless one is speaking of Greek Mythology or Ancient Egyptian beliefs or some other ancient belief system.
Oh my God! Do you really only read 2 words or something? The above article clearly states we must COMPENSATE our wrong deeds by doing good. This thus clearly state that as long as we live we can create a good result in the Hereafter. Please read things like 4 times before responding...
Arnold, you have a habit of making ABSOLUTE statements that contradict each other. To your mind, they may compliment each other.
But the fact is you say one thing IS THIS and ONLY THIS
and then in another paragraph you say something is ABSOLUTELY THUS and ONLY THUS...Have you considered the possibility that the error may not be on the part of the reader but may in fact be on the part of the author?
People ARE using the Christian defintions when reading these words in English, please do not make a fool of yourself by stating otherwise.
Relax Arnold. One does not make a fool of one's self by disagreeing especially when the one disagreeing is basing their statements on fact. ;D
This statement you made is a matter of your opinion.
My disagreement is due to the fact that a good number of the English speaking population is
either
A. Not Christian
or
B. Considers themselves Christian but they are not religious and therefore they don't use Christian definitions.
and
C. We have an English Dictionary not a Christian Dictionary
The concept of religious sin is not present in the Qur'an. As even the English definitions refers to the religious understanding of it.
If you are using the English definition of sin, then I would say that the concept of sin is definitely in the Quran.
Salam,
Arnab -
Salam,
I disagree as I see clear differences in development of the details of the languages. I have given already some key points why. If we disagree then let's do so.
Salam,
Fair enough. peace
Salam,
Arnab -
Salam,
When you will understand that Rahima stands for nourishment, protection and further development, then the verses are very clear
Rahima means to provide, nourish and protect a creation to develop it further as a womb does to a foetus.
Rizq comes from Razaqa which means to provide, supply and to bestow. This is thus PART of the Rahima, nourishment, it is only 1 part of Rahima, which is much more then just providing.Then, is forgiving the sin (Gafer) would be part of Rahama?
(٦
Allah forgiveth not (the sin of) to associate with him (lies), but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this; one who associate with Allah (lies), hath strayed far, far away (from the Right). (4-116)
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salaam,
Actually, I have not found this to be a common belief in most religions especially modern ones....Unless one is speaking of Greek Mythology or Ancient Egyptian beliefs or some other ancient belief system.
This is part in almost all religions to some degree, and especially in the mind of the followers.
Arnold, you have a habit of making ABSOLUTE statements that contradict each other. To your mind, they may compliment each other.
But the fact is you say one thing IS THIS and ONLY THIS
and then in another paragraph you say something is ABSOLUTELY THUS and ONLY THUS...Have you considered the possibility that the error may not be on the part of the reader but may in fact be on the part of the author?
Relax Arnold. One does not make a fool of one's self by disagreeing especially when the one disagreeing is basing their statements on fact. ;D
sorry, but any reader would see you are mixing up things. But please give the alleged contradictions in my essay.
My disagreement is due to the fact that a good number of the English speaking population is
either
A. Not Christian
or
B. Considers themselves Christian but they are not religious and therefore they don't use Christian definitions.
and
C. We have an English Dictionary not a Christian Dictionary
If you are using the English definition of sin, then I would say that the concept of sin is definitely in the Quran.
The majority of people will approach the words in religious terms as even if they are non-religious themselves they still approach the Quran as a religious text and so automatically approach the words religiously. It is good you try to seperate them but hardly any people will do that.
This is why I avoid religious terms as
- I believe the Arabic terms are different from them and more precise.
- The majority of people will approach them religiously and thus would misunderstand the Quranic message.
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In my eyes a clearer rendition would be
Allah will not protect you against the consequences of to associate with Him , but He protects you against the consequences of other harmful things by His Will. ; one who associate with Allah (lies), hath strayed far, far away (from the Right). (4-116)
If you follow other authorities next to Gods Authority as displayed in the Quran, He cannot help you since we must decide with our own free will what to believe. And since other authorities can give false understandings of the workings of the universe, ie Divine laws, we can rather harm ourselves then protect ourselves.
But if we hold on to the Quran, we can be protect ourselves against harm by following it.
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In my eyes a clearer rendition would be
Allah will not protect you against the consequences of to associate with Him , but He protects you against the consequences of other harmful things by His Will. ; one who associate with Allah (lies), hath strayed far, far away (from the Right). (4-116)
If you follow other authorities next to Gods Authority as displayed in the Quran, He cannot help you since we must decide with our own free will what to believe. And since other authorities can give false understandings of the workings of the universe, ie Divine laws, we can rather harm ourselves then protect ourselves.
But if we hold on to the Quran, we can be protect ourselves against harm by following it.
So, you are saying that the Arabic Word "Ghafer" means "Protact" instead of "Forgive" and "Zanoob" "Harmful Things" instead of "Sins". hypno
I think your understanding is very strange, and I do not know how I can comment. But, after our long debates in this thread and the others, I can say that both of us believe in two different books; and therefore, we do not follow the same religion.
Thus, you have your Deen and I have my Deen, and God will judge between us in the Judgment Day.
Salam -
Salam Arnold,
I want to start out by saying that I have a deep respect for your research and all the work you do to help others understand the Quran and Arabic.
Even though I disagree with you about as often as I agree with you. LOL
My critisism is meant to be constructive. It is not personal. It is because I respect your intelligence that I critique your work. Please keep this in mind as you read.
Here are examples of what I am seeing....
You argue that there is NO affect of a person's deeds on the environment/universe.....
...It is a mythological concept of how their deeds effect their
environment and the universe.You also argue that there IS an affect of a person's deeds on the environment/universe....
...So any deed will only be judged on its beneficence
towards humanity (1317), or how it harms and corrupts your own personality....constant system of cause and effect creates the outcomes of your deeds and the effects of
them on your further evolution in the Universe....When a person has done a deed which has hurt his fellow men, or when a person has
done deeds which corrupts its own character....
You argue that there is NO such thing as salvation....
The main concept man has created is the concept of
salvation.The Qur?an
breaks away this man-made belief by saying not even a deed smaller than an atom will be
neglected (997- and thus completely rejecting the concept of salvation.You also argue that there IS salvation...
The Qur?an gives thus a far more practical concept then salvation, that of compensation.
When one makes a compensation....
(definition of compensation to make an appropriate and usually counterbalancing payment/deed to something/someone...in this case the counterbalance would be to one's own soul)
One achieves salvation....
(definition of salvation deliverance from the power and effects of sin)
The Qur?an presents a more logical and fair system, where mankind know
exactly what to do to redress and how to correct their mistakes.correcting one's mistakes leads to salvation or erasing the mistake....The good takes away the bad.
In the Qur?an, forgiveness stands for giving room to compensate for wrong
deeds done.Again compensation leads to salvation. (not using a Christian definition of salvation)
You state that there is NO mercy...
The concept of mercy is un-quranic.
Then you indicate Yes there is mercy....
The system of compensation have been made in a merciful way, whereby the benefiting
deeds have more weight on the universal scale then the harming ones.If there is no concept of mercy in the Quran...compensation cannot be made in a "merciful" way....
The fact is this....
I understand that what you are saying.
I can look at the overall picture and ignore the statements that negate the general message.
But then your writing would still be misunderstood by some.Here is an observation. I notice you are making "absolute" statements and then going on to disagree with these statements.
Or you make an absolute statement and then neglect to inform the reader of the definition of the word you are using in the absolute statement.An "absolute" statement is a statement that has no qualifier or exception in the statement.....
Let me give you some examples...These examples are paraphrased quotes from you.
So, instead of someone saying....an absolute statement such as....
"There is no concept of mercy in the Quran."
One would say....
"The concept of mercy in the Quran differs from a Christian concept of mercy."
The qualifier is the word "Christian." This takes away any ambiguity. And, when you go into your explanation the reader has a CLEAR concept of the idea you are presenting.
As we have discussed.... your assumption is that the English language is based on Christianity and the words have a Christian definition.
I have not found this to be true.
In fact, I have never been Christian...so to be honest there is a lot about Christianity that I am not familiar with.I'm actually learning some of these Christian beliefs from you.....LOL.
Another example....
If one says....
"The Quran completely rejects the idea of salvation."
This statement indicates the Quran rejects salvation COMPLETELY....meaning there is no trace of the idea of salvation in any of its definitive forms.
This is not true.
So one would say...
"The Christian concept of salvation is rejected in the Quran."
OR
"Salvation as it is understood by many popular belief systems is not present in the Quran."By adding qualifiers you tell the reader exactly what you mean. You basically indicate which definition of the word you are using when you use a qualifier.
Let me give you an example of why this is so important.....
If I say to you...
"There is no God but Allah, but there are many other gods."
and I ask you to agree with my statement....you cannot because in that statement I have said two conflicting things.
- There is no God but Allah. This you can agree to.
I also said...
- There are many other gods.
This you cannot agree to.
But wait...
What if I said...
"There is no God but Allah. But there are many people who think there are other gods."This you can agree to....why?
Because I qualified and identified what I meant by "there are other gods." It is not my belief to which I was referring but it is the belief of some people.
Yet, one more reason why this is important (last one lol)....
You are setting yourself up to be accurately quoted in ways that are not intended by your general message.
For instance someone who wants to debate with you on a subject (or worse an actual enemy to the Quran) can accurately quote you in ways that you did not intend.
Here is an example based on your quotes
Arnold Yasin says "There is no concept of mercy in the Quran. The concept of sin is not present in the Quran. The Quran rejects the concept of salvation."
Suppose someone new to the Quran reads this....or worse someone who is an enemy to PEACE....one can only imagine what their impression would be.
However, I have read enough of your posts and thoughts on the Quran to know that was not your intention or the general message you were trying to convey (or maybe I'm completely wrong and YOU DO mean those things in their absolute statements).
When I point out inconsistencies it is actually an attempt to try to encourage you to write in ways that cannot be misunderstood (or at least when someone quotes you out of context the quote cannot be misconstrued).
Please note I am not saying that you would be responsible for every person who misunderstands your statements or mis-uses information.
That would be ridiculous.
There will always be people who don't understand no matter what literary precautions you take.However if you qualify your statements, you can avoid many honest mis communications.
So in the example above if you had qualified your statements the only quotes someone could take from you would be...
Arnold Yasin says "The Christian concept of mercy is not in the Quran. The concept of sin as defined by Christians is not present in the Quran. The Quran rejects the concept of salvation as understood by Christianity."
And therefore no one would be able to present quotes that you did not intend because the quotes do not negate the message you were trying to convey.
Salam,
Arnab -
So, you are saying that the Arabic Word "Ghafer" means "Protact" instead of "Forgive" and "Zanoob" "Harmful Things" instead of "Sins". hypno
I think your understanding is very strange, and I do not know how I can comment. But, after our long debates in this thread and the others, I can say that both of us believe in two different books; and therefore, we do not follow the same religion.
Thus, you have your Deen and I have my Deen, and God will judge between us in the Judgment Day.
SalamGhafour comes from Mighfar, helmet. Please see the Arabic definitions
Page 405-406 under the root Ghafara. Dictionary of the Holy Quran by Abdul Mannar Omar, 2006 4th edition.It says To give protect, to cover over, shield, suppress the defect, set the affairs right. Ghafar al-Mataa means He put the goods in the bag and covered and protected them. Mighafar is a shield and helmet. Ghafr means covering with that which protects a thing from dirt. Ghafour, name of God The Protector. Page 15-16, Exposition of the Quran, Mafhum Al-Quran by G.A. Parwez. 1990. Page 57-59 Volume 6, Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane, based on Taj-Ul-Roos, 2003 2nd reprint.
Where is the word "zanoob" in verse 4116? The word I had translated with harmful things is the word which means other than/inferior to/other/ exclusively from/besides/without, and I had translated it because it interacts with Ghafara/protection. You are protected against other things which are harmful to you.
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Salaam Arnab,
You argue that there is NO affect of a person's deeds on the environment/universe.....
No, I say that their understanding of cause and effect is a mythological interpretation of cause and effect. It does not say there is NO effect, it says THEIR understanding of cause and effect is wrong/mythological/fairytale like. I am here reffering to that their understanding is flawed as they do not grasp the real understanding of cause and effect. It surprises me you misunderstand this, but ok.
You argue that there is NO such thing as salvation....
You also argue that there IS salvation...
No, it says the Qur'an contains a far BETTER system then salvation, that of compensation. So it still rejects salvation as salvation is believed by 90% of the people on earth to be attained through rituals and pleasing God. This has nothing to do with Christianity alone. Almost all religions believe this in their own way. When using the word salvation 90% of the world population will not believe this is done by compensation of deeds, but by belief and worship.
Your so-called these "are English definitions" are useless since it matters what people have in their heads of definitions.
You state that there is NO mercy...
Then you indicate Yes there is mercy....
If there is no concept of mercy in the Quran...compensation cannot be made in a "merciful" way....
There is a big difference between mercy of neglecting sins (as is the definition in all religious understandings) as meant in the first sentence, and something made with ease as how I used the concept here in the second sentence. )
Dear Arnab, I thank you for your comments but I always lay out my understandings in full detail, your examples and suggestions are not needed when people use their brain and read the whole text with footnotes, then it all becomes very clear since I explain what I mean step by step. If you think I should write better or more clearer, then please write your own articles and essays instead of commenting on others about stupid little strawman arguments as this. I do not mean to offend or be ungrateful to your intentions as I do appreciate it, but I think this is a very childish discussion since we are talking here about YOUR opinion that I am not clear enough in your eyes and believe people will misunderstand while till now I never had any real complaints or seen such things as your proclaim, it is even the opposite where I get many mails and calls how easy and clear I write!
Also I believe your argument of saying we must use "English terms" is pointless as 90% of ALL people will use the religious understandings of the terms whatever the dictionaries say. So I refuse to use those terms since they are exactly the ones who create the misunderstandings! Plus, the Arabic definitions do not mean "forgivenes, sin etc", they have a far more interesting and secular meanings as layed out again and again.
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Interesting thread. I think the article lays out the authors' reasoning and premises as well as can be expected to an audience thinking in depth. I can also see Arnab's points, and her suggestions might be used in a summarised/condensed version of the article if and when it's updated. Peace.