A Ray of the Qur’ān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani Volume II

Advance praise for A Ray of the Qurʾān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani, Volume II

A Ray of the Qurʾān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani

Volume II

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah the Gracious, the Merciful

Contents

1. Descriptive Table of Contents

2. Acknowledgments

3. Foreword by Abbas Mirakhor

4. Transliteration of Arabic Letters

5. Translator’s Introduction

6. Editor’s Introduction

7. Author’s Biography by Abdolali Bazargan

8. Introduction

9. Sūrah al-Baqarah (The Cow), 2:144–286

10. Author’s Notes

11. Translator’s Notes

12. Bibliography

13. Index

14. Translator and Editor biographies

Descriptive Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgments

2. Foreword by Abbas Mirakhor

3. Transliteration of Arabic Letters

4. Translator’s Introduction

5. Editor’s Introduction

6. Author’s Biography by Abdolali Bazargan

7. Introduction

8. Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow), 2:144–286

9. Āyāt 144–150

   The restlessness and expectation of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to change the qiblah; the commandment to turn toward Masjid al-Ḥarām [The Sacred Mosque/Kaʿbah in Mecca, Arabian Peninsula] and the expansion of this qiblah to every place and state of being; the People of the Book consider this qiblah to be right but are prejudiced toward their own qiblah; knowing this fact, their whims should not be followed; the People of the Book know it with all its descriptions, and one group disclaims it; there is a qiblah for every group and nation toward which they should turn, by the will of Allah [swt]; thus, strive hard in competing to do good; in every situation, turn toward the Sacred Mosque, so you have no quarrel or need of anything when completing the favor [of Allah (swt)].

10. Āyāt 151–158

    The completion of qiblah and turning toward it [Masjid al-Ḥarām] is along with the completion of the Messengership [from Allah (swt)], which is to read to you His āyāt, purify you and teach you what you yourself did not know; therefore, you must be thankful for this favor and remember Allah [swt] so that His favor becomes complete; in this act of choosing a direction and a front, you must acquire strength from patience and [regular] prayer; and do not use the word “death” for the martyrs but consider them as splendid living ones; you must be tested by fear, hunger, and the loss of wealth and life, so that those who are patient and constant appear with the faces of glad tidings, the very people who see themselves as from Allah [swt] and turn to Him at the time of calamity; they are the recipients of the Almighty nurturer’s greetings and mercy, and they are the guided ones; Ṣafā and Marwah are rites; whoever sets out for the Ḥajj [obligatory pilgrimage] or ʿumrah [non-obligatory pilgrimage] should circumambulate and prepare oneself for doing good and for acceptance.

11. Āyāt 159–164

    Those who deny the descended proofs and the [Qurʾān’s] guidance are driven off by Allah [swt]; if they repent, reform, and clarify, Allah [swt] forgives them; and if they die in the state of covering the truth [disbelief], they will be driven away permanently from Allah [swt], the angels, and the believers, and their punishment does not lessen; your Almighty is One and Unique, the One Who is the headspring of mercy; the signs of tawḥīd [“oneness”] include the creation of heaven and earth, the alternation of night and day, the rain that enlivens the earth, living phenomena that He had scattered, winds that He turns in every direction, and controlled clouds—all within an interconnected system.

12. Āyāt 165–171

    Some narrow-minded people choose likenesses for Allah [swt], and they make a covenant of friendship with them; the union of the love of those who believe with Allah [swt] is stronger and more constant; the day comes when idol-carving oppressors will see that all powers belong to Allah [swt], the One Whose chastisement is very severe; that is the time when those who were followed shall avoid those who followed them; they will see punishment with their own eyes, and every means and connection between them will be cut off; and the followers will wish to return in order to avoid those whom they followed; such deeds by them bring regret and punishment, and nothing comes out of it; all people must eat and enjoy whatever has been purified and permitted on earth, and they must not follow the steps of Satan, for he is a clear enemy; this is the same Satan who incites to do evil to the point that people attribute things they do not know to Allah [swt]; when the followers of Satan are told to follow what had been sent down from Allah [swt], they say: “We follow what our fathers followed”; but their fathers had neither intellect nor guidance; the story of these—the mindless, blind, and deaf—is akin to that of animals which do not hear anything except reading and noise.

13. Āyāt 172–177

    Believers who worship only Allah [swt] must enjoy [only] purified sustenance, pay thanks to Allah [swt], and know that what has become forbidden is what dies by itself—blood and flesh of swine, as well as what has been sacrificed in the name of any other [deity besides] Allah [swt]; exception exists for the one who is driven to necessity and does not exceed the limit; those who deny [try to conceal] the laws of Allah [swt] for a little benefit fully consume fire into their bellies, and Allah [swt] will not say a word to them on the day of resurrection, and He will not purify them; they will have a severe punishment; they purchase error in place of right guidance and punishment instead of forgiveness, and their punishment is unbearably painful; Allah [swt] has sent down the Book in truth, and those who cause discord about the Book live in a state of isolation from others; righteousness does not reside in turning to the East or to the West; the one who has goodness and increases it is the one who believes in Allah [swt], the last day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets; and it is the one who gives wealth to the kindred, the orphans, the poor, the wayfarer, the needy, and for the emancipation of slaves; it is also the one who establishes the regular prayer, gives the poor tax, fulfills promises, is patient at the times of hardship, losses, and conflict; this is the righteous one.

14. Āyāt 178–185

    This command is final, namely that when a slaying takes place there should be retribution whoever the slayer and the slain may be: a free person or a slave, a man or a woman; if a faith connection and brotherly compassion lead to a pardon, a fine according to common practice and goodness is to be paid; this is for the reason of nurturance and mercy, unless a crime is repeated; retribution is to the benefit of all and itself is a source of life; making a will at the time of death is obligatory for the parents and relatives, and there are certain rights for the righteous; when the will is recorded and registered, it must not be changed, and if any inappropriateness and/or violation against any right are felt to have been done by the person who makes the will, they must be corrected; an obligatory fasting has [now] been prescribed, as it had been prescribed for the people who came before; it must be practiced on a certain number of specific days, and if someone is sick and/or traveling on those days, then one must fast on other days; those who are not able to fast should pay redemption as much as that which satisfies one needy person; and the more the obedience, the greater its good results; fasting is good and it is one source of goodness; the month of Ramaḍān is the month in which the Holy Qurʾān descended, and the latter is the guidance, the clear evidence, and the criterion for all; anyone who recognizes this month must fast during its period, unless one is sick and/or traveling; Allah [swt] does not want hardship and, therefore, you must fulfill the wish of Allah [swt] by fasting during this month, becoming thankful, and remembering Him in abundance.

15. Āyāt 186–189

    [Allah (swt) states]: “Those among My servants who are seeking Me should know that I am near, and as soon as they themselves want Me, I answer their prayers. Thus, they should be obedient and fulfill My expectations from them so that they may grow. It is permitted to lie with your wives, for they are your garments for you and you [are their garments] for them. And if it was not permissible, you would have betrayed yourselves. Allah [swt] has extended mercy toward you and He has accepted your repentance. Thus, you consort with them, and seek what Allah [swt] has ordained for you. Eat and drink until the white streak becomes manifest to you from the dark streak at the crack of dawn, then complete the fast until nightfall. But do not associate with your wives while you are in retreat in the mosques. Those are limits stated by Allah [swt]. Do not approach them so that you may choose the way of taqwā [self-restraint with awareness]. Do not consume your wealth among yourselves for vanities, nor proffer it to the rulers [judges/authorities] in order to reach a part of the people’s wealth wrongfully, while you know [that it is immoral to do so]. They ask you about the new moons. Tell them they are for knowing the time in the affairs of people and for the Ḥajj pilgrimage. Virtue does not reside in entering your houses from the back. It exists when you are mindful of Allah [swt]. And you must enter your houses through the proper doors so that you may prosper.”

16. Āyāt 190–199

    The commandment to struggle in the way of Allah [swt] [is a commandment to struggle] to free people from the bonds and chains of customs and laws made by human beings and to recognize and actualize the divine laws; it is fighting against those who fight the true believers; in this sacred struggle, the believers must not violate the truth, for Allah [swt] does not have friendship and cooperation with violators of the truth [and/or the rights of others whoever they may be, believers or others]; thoser who are seditious and want to fight must be killed and driven out in the same way they drove out the believers, wherever they establish themselves, and if they remain at reach; for the harm caused by sedition is more difficult [to bear] than killing; they must not be killed in the sanctuary of the Sacred Mosque [the Kaʿbah, in Mecca] unless they kill Muslims; then they must be killed, and this is the punishment of those who cover the truth; and if they stop fighting, then Muslims must also stop fighting and cease any aggression and demonstrate the attributes of forgiveness and mercifulness of Allah [swt]; Muslims should continue fighting until sedition is removed and the rule of Allah [swt] and [His] religion are established; this fight is only against the oppressors; your fight in the forbidden month is against their fight in the forbidden month, and sanctities and sanctuaries have requitals; thus, whoever violates you, you retaliate at the limit of their violation [against you], and you safeguard yourselves with full awareness and responsively before Allah [swt] and know that Allah [swt] is the helper of those who do so; spend in the way of Allah [swt], and do not destroy yourselves with your own hands by not spending [in His way], and do good, for Allah [swt] loves the doers of goodness; complete the Ḥajj and the ʿUmrah for the sake of Allah [swt], and if you are prevented from doing so, sacrifice as much as you possibly can; do not shave the hair of your head until your sacrifice is fulfilled; and if, in this case, someone is sick or there is harm to one’s head, then one must pay a ransom by fasting or spending or sacrificing; and, in the state of security and openness of the way of the Ḥajj, perform whatever sacrifice you can during ʿUmrah and Ḥajj; those who do not find (any offering) must fast three days during Ḥajj and seven days after returning from Ḥajj until 10 days are completed; this rule is for those who do not dwell and reside near the Sacred Mosque; Ḥajj is in well-known months, and those who undertake the pilgrimage in these months should stay away from sexual intercourse, wrongdoing, and quarreling; they should take provision as much as possible, and the best provision is safeguarding oneself with full awareness; and those with understanding should safeguard themselves responsively with full awareness before Allah [swt] and try as much as they can to understand the providence of the Almighty Nurturer; as soon as they leave ʿArafāt, they should celebrate the remembrance of Allah [swt] as He has instructed, while before that there was misguidance; they must at once and together hasten on from there and all march as one and seek forgiveness.

17. Āyāt 200–210

    As soon as the worshippers at Ḥajj complete their rites, they must remember Allah [swt] with awareness, in the same way that they remember their fathers and/or those before them; in that state, some people ask of their Almighty Nurturer for goods in this world, and they have no benefit in the hereafter; and some groups want the goods of this world and the hereafter, and protection from punishment; those have a share of their portion of what they have earned, and their reckoning is with Allah [swt]; and they must remember Allah [swt] during the numbered [appointed] days, and whoever hastens during these days and/or delays will not be blamed if they safeguard themselves and if they focus on Allah [swt] and the hereafter; there are people whose words about this would appear wonderful, but they are deceptive; they claim the Almighty as their witness so that people would believe they have no other thought than that of goodness and of doing good while, in actuality, they are hateful and hostile toward other people; even though Allah [swt] does not like corruption, as soon as such people become in charge their efforts cause corruption on earth and they destroy cultivation and generation; such oppressive transgressors think about nothing except to expand their own power; and if someone wants to give them advice and warn them of Allah [swt] and the end result and their conduct, their transgression increases; Hell has been prepared for people who are moving toward it and it is enough for them; there are people on the opposite side of such transgressors who sell their lives in order to purchase Allah’s [swt] pleasure; they are signs and channels of Allah’s [swt] affection, and Allah [swt] is affectionate toward His servants; those who believe in Ḥaqq [the Truth/Allah (swt)] must enter with awareness into the environment of submission and safety; they must not follow the steps of Satan whose face is hidden and whose hostility is evident; and if they slip after coming upon and receiving clear signs, the Mighty and Wise Allah [swt] will not forgive them; thus after these clarifying signs what else do they want? Life in this world will end and matters decreed by Allah [swt] will emerge under the shadow of clouds and natural dust, and the angels and every creature also return to Him.