Landing on Moon

Qur'aanic Verse 54:1:

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Transliteration:

1. Iqtarabati alssaAAatu wainshaqqa alqamaru


Translation:

1. The Hour (the time when the present world will end and the Hereafter begin) has drawn near and the moon is visited.

Study Note:

1. The Arabic word shaqqa has a number of meanings. Most translators have given it here the meaning of ‘split’ and thus attributed to Prophet Muhammad [peace on him] the performing of the miracle of splitting the moon in two and then rejoining the two parts. Such a miracle – if it did happen – would have indeed been a unique one! The Qur’aan does say that the earlier Prophets were endowed with the gifts of performing various miracles. But none of such miracles involved moon or any other heavenly body! All those miracles were restricted to things of this mundane world. This miracle attributed to Prophet Muhammad is preposterous on another count as well. Nowhere else in the Holy Book does Allah Almighty mention performance of any miracle – on mundane things or otherwise – as performed by earlier Prophets like Moses and Jesus. The Book, on the other hand, points out the fact that the earlier peoples had failed to follow their Prophets despite the latter showing them the miracles! The stress was therefore laid on Prophet Muhammad’s Ummah to look for miracles in the natural creation of their own selves and of all things around them, and thus attain to faith in Allah Ta’ala. That being the unmistakable tenor throughout in the Qur’aan, it was indeed preposterous for the Prophet to come up suudenly with such an unlikely miracle. Moreover, shaqqa alqamar is meant in this Verse to be the Sign for the approaching end of this world.  There were definitely no signs of the approaching Doom over 1400 years ago when this Verse was revealed. But there definitely are such signs now when nation after nation is engaged in piling up weapons of mass destruction [WMD]. And this piling up was preceded by Man’s first visit to the moon in the late sixties [Watch the Video]. This Verse foretells that visit.

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Aayatul Kursi - Verse of Power

Qur'aanic Verse 2:255:

Transliteration:

255. Allahu la ilaha illa huwa alhayyu alqayyoomu la ta/khuthuhu sinatun wala nawmun lahu ma fee alssamawati wama fee al-ardi man tha allathee yashfaAAu AAindahu illa bi-ithnihi yaAAlamu ma bayna aydeehim wama khalfahum wala yuheetoona bishay-in min AAilmihi illa bima shaa wasiAAa kursiyyuhu alssamawati waal-arda wala yaooduhu hifthuhuma wahuwa alAAaliyyu alAAatheemu

Translation:

255. Allah! None besides Him is worthy of worship. HE is for ever living, abiding. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him ever. To Him belongs whatever there is in the heavens and in/on the earth. Who could intercede with Him, except by His leave? ^{482, 483} HE knows what is in their hands and what is behind them.⁴⁸⁴ And none can take anything of His knowledge except for what He wills. His seat of authority encompasses the heavens and the earth, and their upkeep tires Him not. And He is the One High above anything, the One Immensely Great.⁴⁸⁵

^{Study Notes:}

482. In the light of the very categorical statement in the preceding Verse that there shall be no intercession on the Day of Judgment, this statement here in the form of an interrogation could only mean emphatic reiteration of that earlier statement. In Allah's presence, no one – not even a Prophet – can dare intercede on one's own initiative, against His Judgment or Will. That is what the interrogative statement here signifies. And if Allah gives permission for any Prophet or Angel to intercede, it means that it is, first of all, Allah's Own Will to pardon the person concerned.

483. It is absolutely important to understand this matter of intercession correctly. In the absence of this understanding, we're likely to fall into a satanic trap, and commit the abominable sin of shirk. Most Christians have already fallen into this trap. They have come to believe, absolutely, that whatever sins they commit here in this world, their Jesus is sure to intercede with God on their behalf and give them an assured entry into Paradise. See now what has happened to the Christians. They have forgotten God almost entirely, and have taken to the worship of Jesus and his mother, Mary. This happening, in front of us all, has provided enough proof that if any group of persons considers any Prophet – or anyone else for that matter – as endowed with the power of intercession, that group is sure to raise that Prophet/person to divinity, and thus commit shirk. Most Muslims today are, I am afraid, dangerously close to following in the Christians' footsteps.

484. Verse 34.9 tells us, "Do they not then consider what is in their hands and what is behind them of the heaven and the earth? ..." This sentence in that Verse gives us a pretty good idea of the divine meaning of the Arabic term maa bayna aydihim wa maa khalfahum, translated literally here as 'what is in their hands and what is behind them'. The context there of the heaven and the earth indicates that 'what is in their hands' means 'what is in their knowledge' or 'what they are capable of knowing'. And 'what is behind them' means 'what is not in their knowledge' or 'what they are not capable of knowing'. The same divine meaning has to be made applicable here to the very same phrase used in Verse 2.255 that we are presently studying.

485. This beautiful Verse is generally known as 'aayatul kursi' because of the word kursi (seat of authority) occurring therein. Along with Chapter 112 of the Qur'aan, this Verse gives us a comprehensive divine description of Allah, our Creator, and our Lord.

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The above is extracted from Qur'aanic Studies Manzil I.

Mohammad Shafi

A Star does Perish

Qur'aanic Verse 53:1:

Transliteration:

1. Waalnnajmi itha hawa

Translation:

1. By the star when it perishes!¹

^{Study Note:}

1. The Arabic word hawa has been used in Verse 20:81in the sense of something getting perished. But, here, the people living at the time the Qur’aan was revealed – and for centuries thereafter – had  difficulty in understanding a star getting perished or destroyed. So those people rendered the said Arabic word as ‘sets’ or ‘disappears’. And they understood the Verse as alluding to a star that disappears from the sky as day breaks. But this obviously is a contrived rendering. At day-break, not one, but all stars [other than the Sun of course] disappear to the naked human eye. It is but an illusion. Now, when human knowledge has taken a quantum jump, we know for a fact that stars do get destroyed! Take a look at this video. Qur’aan is a living Book valid for all times till the Last Day. We cannot hold it hostage to the limited understanding of any people in the past.

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur;aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Fascinating!

Qur'aanic Verses 52:2 & 52:3:

Transliterations:

2. Wakitabin mastoorin

3. Fee raqqin manshoorin


Translations:

2. And by Record inscribed

3. On a writing material widely published.³

^{Study Note:}

3. And Verses 2 & 3 above together may as well refer to the Qur’aan! The modern publishing industry had got a boost with the invention of paper. Although paper had been invented in China around the time Prophet Jesus was born, it got world-wide attention during the time the Qur’aan was being revealed. So, along with revelation of His last Book of Guidance for mankind, Allah Almighty was preparing the ground, in another part of the world, for its wide publicity. Readers may like to go through the fascinating History of Paper. In the middle of the eighth century A.D., the Muslims defeated the Chinese and learnt the art of paper-making from the prisoners of war. The Muslims in turn taught the art to the then Wild West. And then we have this amazing facility of internet now! The Qur’aan can be accessed easily and cheaply in any nook and corner of the world!! It’s indeed now ‘on a writing material widely published.’ This could not have been known to the Arabs when the Qur’aan was revealed to them. But this was known even then to Allah Almighty, its Author. Here is yet another proof that the Qur’aan is divine. The prophecy indicated in these two Verses has been fulfilled!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Earth Surface

Qur'aanic Verse 51:48:

Transliteration:

48. Waal-arda farashnaha faniAAma almahidoona

Translation:

48. And the earth - We prepared its crust, and how well have We prepared it!⁸

^{Study Note:}

8. Imagine what would happen if the earth surface had not its ups and downs: we would not have any land; water would envelope it entirely!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Mind-boggling

Qur'aanic Verse 51:7:

Transliteration:

7. Waalssama-i thati alhubuki

Translation:

7. By the heaven full of perfectly defined pathways²

^{Study Note:}

2. One might well have seen a circus artiste keeping onlookers spellbound with his artistry of playing with 3 or 4 balls with his two hands continuously for a few minutes without the balls crashing against one another or without their being floored. But the artiste is a human being after all. He can sustain the show only for a limited period of time and with imited number of balls. But consider the superhuman Artiste Who has been sustaining such a Show for an infinitely long time now and with innumerable balls [heavenly bodies] billions of times bigger than the poor circus artiste can ever handle. We are witness to this Show day in and day out without being ever spellbound by it or without ever giving recognition to the Great Artiste! The Show is brought about by the interplay of innumerable centripetal and centrifugal forces. The mathematical precision with which this is done is simply mind-boggling.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Role of Dust Particles in Cloud Formation

Qur'aanic Verses 51:1 to 51:4:

Transliterations:

1. Waalththariyati tharwan

2. Faalhamilati wiqran

3. Faaljariyati yusran

4. Faalmuqassimati amran


Transations:

1. By the scattering [winds] that scatter [dust particles]

2. Then bear a load [of tiny water globues condensing around the dust particles]

3. Then sail smoothly along

4. And then execute given task of apportioning [rainfall].<sup>1


Study Note:</sup>

1. You may like to see blogpost Cloud Formation & Rainfall in this context. The role of dust particles in this natural process has been discovered very recently, as late as in 2011 [source], while it was hinted at in the Qur’aan over 1400 years ago!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Proscribed!

Qur'aanic Verses 50:39 & 50:40:

Transliterations:

39. Faisbir AAala ma yaqooloona wasabbih bihamdi rabbika qabla tulooAAi alshshamsi waqabla alghuroobi

40. Wamina allayli fasabbihhu waadbara alssujoodi

Translations:

39. Have patience, then, over what they say, and glorify your Lord with praise, before the rising of the sun and before its setting.⁶

40. And glorify Him during parts of the night, and post prostrations!⁶

^{Study Note:}

6. These two Verses tell us that we should keep remembering Allah, with all His Glory, constantly throughout the time we are awake while doing our mundane work. That is, besides our Salah timings as prescribed in Verses 17:78, 11:114 & 2:238. During Salah, of course, all mundane work – and even thought – are proscribed!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Conflicting Voices Within

Qur'aanic Verse 50:17:

Transliteration:

17. Ith yatalaqqa almutalaqqiyani AAani alyameeni waAAani alshshimali qaAAeedun


Translation:

17. When the two frequently confronting voices, one located on the right and one on the left, confront each other⁵

^{Study Note:}

5. Man has frequently to make a choice between two conflicting urges arising in his mind. To give an example from real life published in newspapers a few years ago, a woman found out that her young son had committed a crime. Her natural instinct was to hide this fact and save her son from punishment he was liable to under the law. But she was an Allah-fearing woman. And her conscience told her that this world’s punishment is better than the punishment in the Hereafter. So she herself took her son to the authorities that day! It is such conflicting views arising in a human mind that this Verse is alluding to here.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Mountains

Qur'aanic Verse 15:19:

Transliteration:

19. Waal-arda madadnaha waalqayna feeha rawasiya waanbatna feeha min kulli shay-in mawzoonin

Translation:

19. And We have spread out the earth and cast⁴ mountains into it. And We have caused every appropriate thing to grow in it.

Study Note:

4. Science does not yet seem to have come to definite conclusions about the formation of mountains. And this word used here appears to suggest that mountains were thrown or bombarded on to the surface of the earth from outer space. Maybe, eons ago, during the formation of the earth, parts from an exploding star impounded the earth and the mountains were formed. Remember that mountains have deep roots inside the earth. Otherwise they should be flattened out because of the tremendous speed at which the earth rotates.

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Above is an extract from Qur'aanic Studies Manzil III

Mohammad Shafi

Treaty of Hudaibiah

Qur'aanic Verse 48:1:

Transliteration:

1. Inna fatahna laka fathan mubeenan

Translation:

1. We have indeed granted you a clear victory.¹

^{Study Note:}

1. Verses occurring later in this Chapter indicate that the victory mentioned here is neither that at the battle of Badr nor the conquest of Mecca. In between those two events, Prophet Muhammad [peace on him] had set off from Medina, with some of his companions, to perform Umrah at Mecca which was still in the hands of the polytheists. On their way, the party was stopped at a place called Hudaibiah and not allowed to proceed further. Negotiations between the party and the Meccans followed, wherein, the Muslims agreed to return to Medina that year, and the Meccans agree to allow them to come for the pilgrimage next year. Although the treaty enabled peace for the future propagation of Islam, certain terms therein were apparently humiliating for the Musims. Therefore, most of the Muslims could not then understand why it was being called a victory. They nevertheless reiterated there their oath of allegiance to the Prophet. Only later on did they realize that the extended period of peace they gained was the real victory; for, Islam spread rapidly therein.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi

Portends of the End

Qur'aanic Verse 47:18:

Transliteration:

18. Fahal yanthuroona illa alssaAAata an ta/tiyahum baghtatan faqad jaa ashratuha faanna lahum ithajaat-hum thikrahum

Translation:

18. Are they, then, waiting for the Hour (the time when the present world will end and the Hereafter begin) to come upon them of a sudden? Portends² of it have verily come! And what will mention of these [portends] avail them, once it [the Hour] has come upon them?

Study Note:

2. Calamities suffered by ancient peoples like those of Noah and Lot, the Aad, the Samood etc. were but portends of what would happen when the Hour comes affecting the entire earth. Such portends do come even now in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis etc. But people now hardly take them as portends. They dismiss them as just natural phenomena!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-pubished Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi

The Qur'aan

Qur'aanic Verse 47:24:

Transiteration:

24. Afala yatadabbaroona alqur-ana am AAala quloobin aqfaluha

Transation:

24. Why do they not, then, ponder over this Qur’aan? Or are there locks upon their minds to keep it [Qur’aan] out? ³

^{Study Note:}

3. Pease view this video in this context – or another. There are many more such videos availabe on youtube.com. You may also go through my article wherein it is explained how the Qur’aan virtually mentions blood circulation by means of which human body is grown and maintained. The Qur’aan discloses this hundreds of years before scientists discovered it!

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi