how to memorise the

Last week’s question was on the claim by the Orientalists that there is contradiction in the Qur’aan regarding prophet ‘Eesa (‘alayhis Salaam) and he is in fact dead, and they used the following verse as evidence:

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا

“And Salaam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (Maryam 19:33)

The answer is:

Once again the Orientalists’ claim is flawed and prophet ‘Eesa (‘alayhis-Salaam) isn’t dead rather he is alive as has been mentioned in numerous other verses including the verse they use to support their claim. The following:

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا

“And Salaam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (Maryam 19:33)

The day that ‘Eesa (‘alayhis-Salaam) is referring to (regarding his death) is when he will eventually die (in the future) after he comes down and rules on the Earth. How do we know this? Well, the verb amootu (I die) is given in this aayah in the present-future tense whereas wulidtu (I was born) is given in the past tense form.

Also from their ignorance of the Qur’aan and the Arabic language, they did not read or purposely ignored the aayah in soorah az-Zumar where Allaah states:

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It is Allâh Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply. (Az-Zumar 39:42)

The verb used for ‘take away’ in this verse is the same as those used in the aayaat concerning ‘Eesaa being raised up to the Heavens. And Allaah mentions in this aayah that He, subhaanahu wa ta’aala, takes away the souls of His slaves not only at the time of death but everytime they lie down to sleep! And it is by His Mercy and Favour upon us that He returns our souls back to us when we wake up and this is why the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, would supplicate after waking up saying:

‘All praise is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.‘

This week’s question:

Let’s look at another contradiction that the Orientalists say is in the Qur’aan.  We all know that the Qur’aan has been revealed in the Arabic language and the following verses emphasize that:

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ لِّسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَـذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ

And indeed We know that they (polytheists and pagans) say: “It is only a human being who teaches him (Muhammad SAW).” The tongue of the man they refer to is foreign, while this (the Qur’aan) is a clear Arabic tongue. (An-Nahl 16:103)

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ

In the plain Arabic language. (Ash-Shu’ara 26:195)

وَمِن قَبْلِهِ كِتَابُ مُوسَى إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّسَانًا عَرَبِيًّا لِّيُنذِرَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ

And before this was the Scripture of Moosa (Moses) as a guide and a mercy. And this is a confirming Book (the Qur’aan) in the Arabic language, to warn those who do wrong, and as glad tidings to the Muhsinoon (good-doers – see V.2:112). (Al-Ahqaf 46:12)

The Orientalists use the above aayat as evidence for their claim that the Qur’aan is full of mistakes. Why? Because they have said that there are over 118 ‘foreign’ words in the Qur’aan that originate from Persian, Turkish and Ethiopian amongst others. And they use many aayaat as evidences for this such as:

Mount (Toor) (Qur’aan 95:2) borrowed from Syriac
Heavy (Istabraq) (Qur’aan 18:31) from Persian
Sinai (Seeneen) (Qur’aan 95:2) from Nabatean
The Inscription (Ar-Raqeem) (Qur’aan 18:9) from Greek
The Sea (Al-Yamm) (Qur’aan 7:136) from Coptic
Brilliant (Durriyy) (Qur’aan 24:35) from Abyssinian
To turn onto someone (Hudnaa) (Qur’aan 7:156) from Hebrew

The question is:

How would you respond to these claims from the Orientalists that the Qur’aan contradicts itself by saying it has been revealed in the Arabic language yet contains ‘foreign’ words?

Reciting the Qur’aan, as it is understood by our Noble and Pious Predecessors, means to act upon it and to follow it and to adhere to the lawful and abandon the unlawful – and not merely recite it with one’s tongue.

Ibn Katheer (rh) said in his Tafseer Qur’an il-Adheem, regarding the saying of Allaah:

“Those to whom We have given the Book recite it as it truly should be recited, they are the ones who (truly) believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it, then they are the losers.“[1]

“Qataadah said: “They are the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam).”

Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radiallaahu anhu) said: “When he comes across the mentioning of Paradise, he asks Allaah for Paradise and when he comes across the mentioning of the Fire, he seeks refuge in Allaah from the Fire.”

Ibn Mas’ood said: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, verily its truthful recitation is that a person treats as lawful what is lawful therein, treats as unlawful what is unlawful therein, that he recites it just as Allaah had revealed it, that he does not give its words other than their proper meanings and does not give an interpretation to any part of it which is not its proper interpretation.”

Al-Hasan al-Basree (rh) said: “They act according to and upon its clear and manifest verses (whose meanings are clear and apparent) and they believe in its allegorical verses (whose meanings are unclear) and they entrust whatever is difficult for them (to know) to its Knower.”

Ibn Abbaas (radiallaahu anhu) said regarding “as it truly should be recited…“: “They follow it as it truly should be followed.[2]” And then he recited the verse: And by the Moon when it follows it (the Sun)[3]. He said: “Follows it.”

Ibn Mas’ood (radiallaahu anhu) said about the same verse: “They follow it as it truly should be followed.”

Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radiallaahu anhu) said: “They are the ones who when they pass by a verse mentioning mercy, they ask for it from Allaah and when they pass by a verse mentioning punishment, they seek refuge from it.”

And His saying: “They are the ones who (truly) believe in it”: is a description of the ones ‘to whom We have given the Book’ and who “..recite it as it (truly) should be recited..“[4]“

So dear reader, the meaning of reciting the Book of Allaah (Tilaawah) is to memorise it, to recite it as it was revealed to the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), to study it and to follow it, acting upon its clear and explicit verses (following its orders and refraining from its prohibition), to believe in its allegorical verses avoiding false interpretations of such verses and to submit the knowledge of their meanings to their Knower in truth, Allaah the Exalted. If you do that then you are guaranteed Paradise as Ibn Abbaas (radiallaahu anhu) has said: “Allaah guarantees the one who reads the Qur’aan and acts upon whatever is contained within it that he will not go astray in this life and will not be wretched in the Hereafter.”

NOTES

1 Soorah Baqarah 2:121
2 “Yattabi’oonahu haqqa ittibaa’ihi” So the meaning of Tilaawah in this verse as Ibn Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ood explain is Ittibaa’
3 Soorah Shams 91:2
4 Tafseer Ibn Katheer (1/168-169)

Original Source: http://www.thenoblequran.com/sps