"BE and IT IS".
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Salaam,
kun fayakoonu means be and it is, not becoming. The fa though connects it to to the next verse
"the truth from your lord"
So it says " be" and it is the truth from your lord, so be not of those who doubt"
The truth from your lord is closely connected to fa yakoonu, they should should not be translated as 2 separate sentences.
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peace,
Salaam,
kun fayakoonu means be and it is, not becoming. The fa though connects it to to the next verse
"the truth from your lord"
So it says " be" and it is the truth from your lord, so be not of those who doubt"
The truth from your lord is closely connected to fa yakoonu, they should should not be translated as 2 separate sentences.
that doesn't establish it as "be and it is" rather as "be and it becomes",
349 And as a messenger to the Children of Israel ?I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; that I create for you from clay the form of a bird, then I blow into it and fayakoonu (it becomes) a bird by God?s leave, and I heal the blind and the leapers, and give life to the dead by God?s leave, and I prophesize for you what you shall eat and what to store in your homes. In that is a sign for you if you are believers.?
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Salaam,
Idris, Arabic dictionaries define it as "is" Check lane, check abdul mannan omar. They both define it to mean "is" The fa in fa yakuunu is not the equivalent of our "and" It is more properly translated as whereupon. The translation should be" whereupon it is a bird". The fa gives the cause and effect, it is inherent to the meaning of the word.
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..
May Allah increase our wisdom
It is inappropriate to have God in our mind, as if HE is like one among us and atribute to Him as His abilities based on our dictionary meanings and our gramamtical applications and on the rotten knowledge of humankind. Praise His attributes in the manner most fitting to HIM and dignify HIM for, He is above all of the crerations bundled together, supreme in Wisdom!
Allah gives you an indication as to how to recite His verses deep in the mind that has no need for dictionary, nor vocabulary, nor grammar nor verbatims and wordyness. Believe in the EVEN unseen and EVEN unheard of. If you are fearful for Him, believe in the UNSEEN and UNHEARD OF !
BE and IT IS ! is one and the same; and never two separate events for, choice has never been granted for the time for it to lapse.
Unless we believe in this there is NO hope for survival with IMAN, i.e., as a MUMIN. If we are living without believing in this "Be and It IS", it is because Allah is patient on you; because of His grant of Mercy upon you, until a time appointed.
dr fazlur rahman
...
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Peace be upon you 2 Pac,
Sorry for the long delay, I forgot about this thread.
Here's a question for you to think about. Can anything that exists in our mind like a thought become reality then?? Or is the BE AND ITS BECOMING limited for us as humans but not God i.e a monster with 10 arms is a thought in our mind can it exist in the physical realm or only in the astral(thought realm)??
Leave you to ponder
My answer is that the human is limited. We are indeed creators, but the God says that HE is BEST of Creators. We have to work with what He has already provided and "create" from that using our intellect.
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Peace be upon you Danish,
I am well aware that the verse speaks about the God. We are manifest from the God. We have the same potentials just in a smaller scale which does not even come close to the God's, but still we have them.
We are creators, but the God is the BEST of Creators.
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..
May Allah increase our wisdom
It is inappropriate to have God in our mind, as if HE is like one among us and atribute to Him as His abilities based on our dictionary meanings and our gramamtical applications and on the rotten knowledge of humankind. Praise His attributes in the manner most fitting to HIM and dignify HIM for, He is above all of the crerations bundled together, supreme in Wisdom!
Allah gives you an indication as to how to recite His verses deep in the mind that has no need for dictionary, nor vocabulary, nor grammar nor verbatims and wordyness. Believe in the EVEN unseen and EVEN unheard of. If you are fearful for Him, believe in the UNSEEN and UNHEARD OF !
BE and IT IS ! is one and the same; and never two separate events for, choice has never been granted for the time for it to lapse.
Unless we believe in this there is NO hope for survival with IMAN, i.e., as a MUMIN. If we are living without believing in this "Be and It IS", it is because Allah is patient on you; because of His grant of Mercy upon you, until a time appointed.
dr fazlur rahman
...
Peace,
May I add
297 Tell them, ?Whoever becomes the opponent for Gabriel - thus indeed he transmits them over your heart with God?s permission ? truthfully - for whatever in between his hands - and the guidance and good news for the true believers.
2949 Nay, it is clear messages in the
hearts of those who are granted
knowledge And none deny Our
messages except the iniquitous. -
May I add
297 Tell them, Whoever becomes the opponent for Gabriel - thus indeed he transmits them over your heart with Gods permission truthfully - for whatever in between his hands - and the guidance and good news for the true believers.
Grourself, Quote more please! May Allah Guide Us to the Throne Nearest to His Throne!
drfazl
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Salams all,
I am going to post an excerpt from an article by Dr. Mansoor Alam about the "Concept of God." The first part of this excerpt is about Allah's will in the world of "amr," which pertains to the discussion of be and it is.
Concept of God
Somehow, there is a notion in our minds that God, having absolute authority, does not have to follow any rules or regulations, any principles or system of laws. We feel that if God is subject to any laws, then His power will be restricted?and of course God cannot be imagined without absolute, unrestricted power over the universe and everything in it, including human beings. So, is God a Dictator?
For ages human beings have considered God as a glorified and magnified king having absolute power and authority. They thought His actions were like a dictator. God could punish or reward arbitrarily whomever He willed; He could give wealth or poverty to whomever He willed; or give dignity or disgrace to whomever He willed. He guided whomever He willed and misguided whomever He willed. And finally, He could send to Heaven whomever (lucky ones!) He willed and He could send to Hell whomever (unlucky ones!) He willed. And these things are decided by God even before the person is born. No one can question Him and there is nothing that human beings can do about it. Earlier, even in this century in our respective mother countries, people thought that using reason and intellect to improve the conditions and the way of life was against the Will of God since reason had no importance or influence over His actions (as emphasized by the Maulvis, Mullahs and Maulanas). This old idea of God as an absolute dictator still lingers in the minds of many religious people and totally obscures their vision.
With the increase in knowledge and growth of mental power, we have been able to subdue the forces of nature. We have gradually discovered the laws which govern natural phenomena in the external world. This has given us confidence to achieve new and improved ways of life, and in fact we cannot imagine what life would be like without these things. Thus, the idea of mankind having power, freedom, and a role in the world became prominent, slowly infringing upon the idea of God being a dictator and we His bound slaves, unable to change anything.
The old idea of God as a dictator should be cast aside from our minds and the idea of God presented by the Qur?an must be accepted. Allah is the true source of freedom, not slavery. Allah, according to the Qur?an, is all-powerful (618, 1799, 5158, 5923) but is also all-wise (111, 6139); He has the most severe grip (8512) but is also merciful and compassionate (13, 756); He is the Master of the day of judgement (14) but is also just and fair (46, 486, 2147). So God is not a dictator, but neither is He a helpless observer.
Allah?s Will According To The Qur?an
According to the Qur?an, there are two distinct domains in which God?s Will operates. These are
the domain of "Amr"
the domain of "Khalq" which can be further divided into
the world of nature
the world of human beings.
Let us take a deeper look at Allah?s Will operating in these different domains.(i) Allah?s Will in the Domain of "Amr"
This domain is exclusive to Allah and is Allah?s alone. No human being can understand it let alone have a share in it because it is beyond space and time. God?s will in this domain is law unto itself. It cannot be influenced by external criteria
"Verily, when He intends a thing, His command is ?Be,? and it is." (3682)
"Allah does what He wills" (1427)
"Allah does what He intends." (2214)
God?s Will is the fountain-head of creative power which releases its directive energy in the form of law. It is accountable to no one outside of itself
"He will not be questioned as to that which He does, but they (everything in the universe including the human beings) will be questioned." (2123)
When the Divine directive energy released by the Divine Will in the domain of "Amr" enters the realm of space and time, it becomes manifest as "Khalq". The universe and all the things in it are, therefore, in direct and intimate contact with the Divine Will every moment of their existence. The universe contains two different categories of beings?one self-conscious and possessing a free will (mankind), the other without self- consciousness and not possessing a free will (animate and inanimate matter). The Divine Will is related in different ways to these two categories of beings as each needs a different kind of sustenance and support. Allama Iqbal explains very clearly the Qur?anic distinction between "Khalq" and "Amr"
"In order to understand the meaning of the word ?Amr?, we must remember the distinction which the Qur?an draws between ?Amr? and ?Khalq?. Pringle-Pattison deplores that the English language possesses only one word?creation?to express the relation of God and the universe of extension on the one hand, and the relation of God and the human ego on the other. The Arabic language is, however, more fortunate in this respect. It has two words??Khalq? and ?Amr??to express the two ways in which the creative activity of God reveals itself to us. ?Khalq? is creation; ?Amr? is direction."
(Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, 2nd ed. Jointly published by Iqbal Academy and Institute of Islamic Culture, 1989, page 82.)
An analogy to further illustrate this concept is that of an architect developing the idea for a building. This process is called Amr, and when the idea is used and enters the physical world outside of the architects mind, it enters the world of Khalq and eventually will manifest itself in the world of Khalq as the building. Of course, the architect?s Amr is limited whereas Allah?s is not, but this is just an example to illustrate the relationship between Amr and Khalq.
(ii-a) Allah?s Will in the World of Nature
All the laws of nature flow from the Divine Will and are at the heart of the constant order found in nature. Nothing can cross the limits of natural laws in this world and every object?s behavior is completely determined by these laws. These laws are completely preordained (or foreordained or predetermined) by Allah (via His Divine Will) and are, therefore, unalterable. This is a world in which freedom has no meaning. Be they planets or electrons, they must move in their prescribed orbits. Be they apples, or rain drops, they must fall to the ground. Fire must burn and ice must cool, and so on. Everything behaves in conformity with its natural properties in obedience to the laws which govern it. In several verses, our attention is drawn in the Qur?an to the rule of law and the order exhibited by nature. We are constantly exhorted by Allah to ponder the regularity of natural phenomena. This regularity is the reflection of the Divine Will which is free from any trace of internal conflict or contradictions
"And unto Allah maketh prostration (submits to His rule/laws) whatever is in the heavens and in the earth of living creatures." (1649)
There is no object in the heavens or the earth that is not subject to His Will (i.e. to His Unchangeable Laws). Therefore, no human has the authority to change these laws and God does not change any of these natural laws for anyone (1064, 3030). Human beings can only discover the natural laws and make use of them.
"And He has constrained the night and the day and the sun and the moon to be of service unto you, and the stars are made subservient to His command." (1612)
(ii-b) Allah?s Will and Human Beings
Now, we come to the most important aspect of Allah?s Will, that is, Allah?s Will in relation to the world of human beings. How does Allah?s Will function in the world of human beings? This is the critical question as far as human beings are concerned. Without a proper understanding of this question, it is not possible to find the straight path, the "Siraat-al-Mustaqeem," we so earnestly seek and so eagerly want, that we ask Allah to help us find in every raka?a of every prayer. And how does Allah respond to this request? By sending His guidance as a free gift to us in the form of Wahi or Revelation which is more valuable than anything else in the universe. Can there be any better gift to humanity from the Lord of all the worlds? Not only has He given this priceless gift (of the Qur?an) but God has also, in this process, raised the status of human beings in the universe to the level of "Ashraful Makhlooqat." But this elevated status is not free, we have to earn it.
Thus human beings occupy a unique place in the universe. By virtue of possessing a human body, man is part of the material world. Thus, he is as much subject to natural laws as is any other object in the universe. Birth, growth, decay, and death of the human body are natural processes and so are governed by the laws of nature. But man is also endowed with a self or ego which expresses itself as free will, and freedom of choice is inherent in the self. Since the self is a special gift given to mankind by God, it is not part of the material body of man. Although it uses the body as a vehicle for its expression, it is not bound by space and time and, therefore, not subject to any physical laws. Since the essence of self is freedom of choice, the Divine Will in the sphere of man performs this function as guidance and not control, and human beings are free to accept or reject His guidance. The Qur?an is very clear on this point
"The Truth has come from Allah. Then whoever will, let him accept, and whoever will, let him reject." (1829)
But this freedom of choice brings with it the responsibility of making that choice. No one can escape this responsibility and evade the results of his own actions. The Qur?an says
"Verily, the grip of thy Rabb is severe." (8512)
No one can bear the responsibility of someone else
"Whoever accepts guidance, it is only for his own self, and whoever goes astray, does so to his own loss. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another." (1715)
"Whoever commits wrong, commits it only against himself." (4111)
"Every soul draws the consequences of its acts on none but itself. No bearer of burdens can bear the burdens of another." (6164)
"Then guard yourselves against a day when no self shall avail another, nor shall intercession be accepted for it, nor shall compensation be taken for it, nor shall anyone be helped." (24
Therefore, according to these verses of the Qur?an, there is no place for the concept of intercession in Islam and there can be no intermediary between a man and God. People who believe in intercession are doing so in clear violation of the above verses of the Qur?an.
It is also important to note that the results of one?s actions cannot be wiped out or washed away. They are entered on the credit and debit side of the ledger kept by Him
"And on every man We have fastened his record around his neck; and We will bring forth to him, on the day of judgement, a book which he will see wide open." (1713)
We can easily see from this verse that sins cannot be washed away no matter how much one tries. The whole idea of washing sins away is contrary to the fundamental principle of the Qur?an?the law of requital and accountability. A negative deed (i.e., sin) can only be countered by a positive (i.e., righteous) deed.
"Verily, good deeds annul ill deeds." (11114)
That is, sins can only be compensated by good deeds and not washed away by rituals. Remember the debit and credit sides of everyone?s ledger (as mentioned in the verse 1713). So sins are entered on the debit side and can only be annulled by balancing them with good deeds on the credit side.
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Peace,
Excellent post Shuaib.
Few years ago, I came across Dr. Alam's very thought provoking messages, but again, I believe, he is more of a Sunni rather than a "free-thinker", i.e. Quarn ALONE, if I am not mistaken.
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salam danish,
actually i know him well and i am not sure what exactly it means to be a free-thinker/quran aloner. I have to say myself that it seems some people in the name of adhering to the Quran alone appear to go to the other extreme.. complete elimination of the ritual aspects of islam even the ones ordered in the Quran, and turn everything into mind-games and philosophy.
but anyway, his articles are published in a local magazine published by the masjid, and are read by the community. the same magazine has completely traditional articles as well, so obviously it must be written in a palatable manner. but regardless of this, whether articles are written by a sunni/shia or anyone else, if the message is the truth then it is right.
wassalam