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17. THE AMAZING QUR’ᾹN (3)

Allah revealed to the Prophet s.a.w. the following verse:

التوب وقابل الذنب غافر .العليم العزيز للا من الكتاب تنزيل .حم

و إل إله ل الطول ذي العقاب شديد (3-1)غافر: صير الم إليه ه

Hā.Mīn [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. The revelation of

the Book (this Qur’an) is from Allah, the Almighty, the All Knower. The forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours). None has the right to be worshipped but He, to Him is the final return (Q. 40:1-3)

This verse contains good news for sinners among Muslims as Allah is Forgiver of sin. But this verse is also a threat for sinners who do not repent, for Allah is the Severe in punishment. In addition, the revelation of the Qur’an is to urge people to believe in the tawḥīd (Oneness of Allah), the Judgment day, and sincerity in their action, and to devote themselves to Him. There is here balance between expecting Allah’s mercy and fearing His punishment which is found in many Qur’anic verses, such as follows:

و عذابي وأن .الرحيم الغف ور أنا أني عبادي نبئ (05-94. )الحجر:الليم العذاب ه

Declare (O Muhammad) My slaves, that truly I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. And that My torment

is indeed the most painful torment. (Q. 15:49-50)

When ‘Umar r.a. missed a man from Syria he was told that he was a heavy drinker. ‘Umar r.a. told to his secretary to write a letter to him, containing the verse mentioned above. He asked the courier not to hand him his letter until he became sober, and asked people with him to pray for him.

When the man received the letter he wept and kept saying, “Allah has promised me to forgive me, and has warned me against His punishment.” He repented and stopped drinking. When ‘Umar heard the news he said, “This is what you should do if you see anyone one of you is committing sin, try to stop him and pray for him, and do not become the devils’ helpers against him.”

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While the Prophet s.a.w. was citing the above verse in his prayer in the Mosque, al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, one of the leaders of the Quraysh tribe, was near him listening to his recitation. When the Prophet noticed that he was listening to him he repeated the verses to him. Then al-Walīd came to the court of his people Banī Makhzῡm, saying:

I have heard from Muhammad a while ago a speech which is neither of human beings nor of the jinn. Verily,

there is beauty and elegance in it; its upward is very fruitful, and is downward is abundant. And verily,

it is very elevated ,and nothing excels it.

The Quraysh people said that al-Walīd had become a Sabean, namely, he had abandoned their religion, and that they would follow him to become Sabeans. Abῡ Jahl told them that he would deal with him. Then he came to al-Walīd, sitting beside him sadly.

“You look sad, my nephew!,” said al-Walīd.

“What makes me sad is that the Quraysh people want to help you for your basic necessity of your life and for your old age, and yet they think that you have appreciated the speech of Muhammad and have visited Abū Kabshah [al-Ḥārith ibn al-‘Uzzā, the husband of Ḥalīmah al-Sa‘diyyah, who breastfed the Prophet breastfed in his babyhood] and Abῡ Quḥāfah [Abu Bakr’s father], to be fed by them,” said Abῡ Jahl.

Al-Walīd became angry and said, “Do not the Quraysh people know that I have the most wealth and children, more than what they have?”

Then he went to the court of his people with Abῡ Jahl. He asked them: “You think Muhammad is mad, then have you seen him throttle?” When they said “No,” he asked: “You think Muhammad is a fortune-teller, then have you seen him telling fortune?” When they said, “No,” he asked them, “You think Muhammad is a poet, then have you seen him citing poetry?” When they said, “No,” he asked

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them: “You think Muhammad is a liar, then have you seen him lying?” When they said, “No,” they asked him, “Then what is he?”

Then al-Walīd thought to himself, then frowned and said, “He is no more than a magician; don’t you see him separating man from his family, his servants and children? He is then a magician.”

To this, Allah informed the Prophet s.a.w. with the following verses:

أدبر ث م .وبسر عبس ث م .نظر ث م .قدر كيف ق تل ث م .قدر كيف فق تل .وقدر فكر إنه

(50-11المدثر") البشر قول إل هذا إن .ي ؤثر سحر إل هذا إن فقال . واستكبر

Verily, he thought and plotted [meaning: he thought about the Prophet and the Qur’an, and plotted what he could say about him and the Qur’an]. So let him be cursed, how he

plotted! Then he hought. Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way. Then he turned back, and was

proud. Then he said: “This is nothing but the word of a human being!” (Q. 74:18-25)

In another tradition from ‘Ikrimah, he said that al-Walīd came to the Prophet s.a.w. who cited to him some verses of the Qur’an which softened his heart. When Abῡ Jahl heard about it, he asked him to tell his people that he rejected and hated what the Prophet had cited. He did and said that nobody knew poetry, its rajaz meter, its qaṣīdah [ancient poems], not even the poems of jinn more than himself, and yet, he admired what he heard from the Prophet.

The Arabs before Islam were proud of the beauty of their language. Every year poets cited their poetry in the ‘Ukāz market, and the best of which was hung on the wall of the Ka‘bah. Among the best poets at that time were: ‘Antarah ibn Shaddād (d. 22bH/6010), the fierce warrior, al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī (d. ca. 18 bH/605), the eulogist who spent most of his time at the courts of Ḥirah and Ghassān, and whose poems consist largely of eulogies and satires, and ’Imru’ al-Qays, who died as an exile in Ancyra (modern Ankara, d. ca. 550). The philologists of the Basrah school regarded him the greatest of the poets of the Muʿallaqāt as well as the inventor of the form of the classical ode, or qaṣīdah.

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Like any other poetry, Arabic poetry has also meters, which are ordinarily reckoned to be sixteen in number. Khalīl ibn Aḥmad (d. 170/786) in the 8th century codified the normally used metres, and since then have little change. Some examples of the commonly used metres of the classical and modern poetry with some verses of the Qur’an are as follows:

1. In the “long meter” لوي ط البحر ال , namely, ول ن مفاعيل ن ول ن فع عل نمفا فع [the “.” is short, and the “-” is stressed and long] (.-- .--- .-- .-..) in the poetry of ’Imru’ al-Qays, as follows:

ك من ذكرى حبيب و منزل قفا نب Halt, you two companions, and let us weep

for the memory of a beloved and an abode…

This poetry was one of the seven Mu‘allaqāt.

The example from the Qur’an is as follows: ل وا ول (33، اإلسراء:101)النعام: للا حرم التي النفس تقت

And do not kill the soul which has been prohibited by Allah (Q. 6:151 and 17:33)

2. In the “complete meter, البحر الكامل , namely, تفاعل ن تفاعل ن م تفاعل ن م م (..-.- ..-.- ..-.-) in the poetry of ‘Antarah ibn Shaddād as follows:

تردم عراء من م هل غادر الش

Have the poets left in the garment a place for a patch to be patched by me

This poetry was also one of the seven Mu‘allaqāt.

The example in the Qur’an is as follows: (05:الحزاب) تسليما وسلم وا عليه صلوا

Ask Allah’s blessing on him and greet him with salutation (Q. 33:56)

3. In the rajaz meter البحر الرجز, namely, ستفعل ن ستفعل ن م ستفعل ن م -.--) م --.- --.-) in poetry of the Egyptian poet Aḥmad Shawqī (d. 1932) who was nicknamed عراء (”the Prince of the Poets“) أمير الشpraising the town of Zahle )الزحلة( in Lebanon as the neighbour of the valley, as follows:

عادني * ما ي شبه الحالم من ذكراك ياجرة الوادي طربت و

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O neighbour of the valley, I am deliriously happy and what has come to me is portrayed like

a dream of your memories The example from the Qur’an is as follows:

ها يا وااص آمن وا الذين أي (555:عمران آل... ) بر

O you who believe! Endure… (Q. 3:200) 4. In the “fast meter” البحر السريع, namely, ستفعل ن ستفعل ن م فاعل ن م (--.- --.-

-.-) in the poetry of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam (d. 1131) as follows:

سمعت صوتا هاتفا في السحر

I heard a voice calling at dawn The example in the Qur’an is as follows:

(45) العليم العزيز تقدير ذلك

Such is the measuring of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing (Q. 6:96)

5. In the “abundant meter” الوافر البحر , namely, فاعلت ن فاعلت ن م ول ن م فع (.-..- .-..- .--) as in the poem of an unidentified poet as follows:

اء ف لو ا و ة اح م الس ك ت م ي ش و ** اد ل ج ال و ه ل ا لى ع ال ج ر ن ك و Be a steadfast man in facing terror, and make

tolerance and loyalty your innate quality The example in the Qur’an is as follows:

ود قوم لعاد ب عدا أل (55هود:) ه

So away with ‘Ᾱd, the people of Hῡd (Q. 11:60) This verse is about the people of ‘Ᾱd who disbelieved in Allah and disobeyed their Prophet Hῡd a.s. They lived in Southern Arabia, the area al-Aḥqāf in the present Ḥaḍramawt.

6. In the “song meter” البحر الهزج, namely, (---. ---.) مفاعيل ن مفاعيل ن as in the following poetry:

ـو ومن هـاد ** رب إلـى يدع ـبــاد كـز وع

… and who prays to a Lord, like ascetic and a pious people

The example in the Qur’an is the following verse: (59)يونس: بالمس تغن لم كأن

… as if it had not flourished yesterday!

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This verse is about the crops that have just flourished, but were destroyed by Allah for the growers’ arrogance ignoring His power over everything, including their crops. It is a moral lesson for us that everything is belongs to Him.

7. In the “consecutive meter” تقارب الم ,namely , البحر ول ن ول ن فع ول ن ف فع ع

ول ن as in the poem ,(--. --. --. --.) فع

ارر لف ا ن ي أ و ـاة ج الن ن ي أ ف ** ـياص ع لم ا و ىو له ا س ي ب ح ل ظ ت You persists to be controlled by passion and disobedience,

where is, then, salvation and escape?

The example in the Qur’an is the following verse: ( 55. المزمل:05. النور:77. النساء:115، 13)البقرة: الزكاة وآت وا الصالة أقيم وا

… perform prayer and give zakat (Q. 2:83,110; 4:77; 24:56; 73:20)

8. In the “uprooted meter” جتث الم ستفعل ن ,namely , البحر فاعالت ن م (--.- -.--) as in the poem of the “poet of the Nile river,” Ḥafiẓ Ibrāhīm (d. 1932) as follows:

يت م اأن ل و ىج ي ر *** ي ح اأن ام الي ي ل

O my Layla, I am not alive with hope, nor am I dead

The poet expressed his frustration in life, but he was still alive. He had not done his duty to his country for being helpless. This reminds us of the Indonesian expression Hidup segan mati tak mau (“He is reluctant to live, but he does not want to die either”)

The example in the Qur’an is the following verse: (73طه:) وأبقى خير وللا ...

… and Allah is better and more lasting (Q. 20:73)

This was the statement of the magicians who believed in Allah and Prophet Moses a.s. after their magic had been defeated by Prophet Moses’s staff which turned into a real snake and swallowed their ropes which looked like snakes. They said, “Allah is better [as regards reward in comparison to your (Fir‘awn – Pharaoh) reward], and more lasting (as regards punishment in comparison to your punishment.”

9. In the ramal meter البحر الرمل, namely, آلت ن فاعل ن فاع آلت ن ع فا (-.-- -.-- -.-),

as in the poem of “the emir of poets” Aḥmad Shawqī, as follows

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يف ك ام ه ن م ت ي ق ل م ال ظ *** اف ج ف وف ج ي ف ي ك ه و م ل ع They taught him how to turn away, so he turned away

I have found enough mistreatment from him The example in the Qur’an is the following verse:

(15... )الشعراء: لي يغفر أن أطمع والذي

And Who I hope will forgive me (Q. 26:82)

This was the statement of Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) a.s. to his father and his people who worshiped idols in calling them to worship Allah, the Creator, and the Guide to the right path.

10. The last example of the 16 poetical meters in Arabic poetry is the “simple meter” البحر البسيط, namely, ستفعل ن ستفعل ن فعل ن م فاعل ن م (--.- -.- --.- ..-), as in the Qaṣīdat al-Burdah. The burdah is the mantle of the Prophet. This poetry was composed by al-Imām Sharaf al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Bῡṣīrī in praising the Prophet. He was born in Egypt in 608/1212 and died in 695/1296 at the age of 84. He composed this qaṣīdah after suffering from a stroke caused him partially paralysed. He prayed to Allah to cure him. He dreamed that he cited the qaṣīdah to the Prophet. The Prophet touched the paralysed part of his body and threw his mantle (burdah) over him. Upon awakening he found out that he h ad been cured of his paralysis.

The qaṣīdah was originally entitled ية في مدح خير البري ر ةالكواكب الد (“The Resplendent Stars in the Praise of the Best of Creation”), later called Qaṣīdat al-Burdah in ten parts consisting of more than 160 verses, all ending with letter mīm (م). They are read, memorized, and cited in many Islamic schools all over the Muslim world. The qaṣīdah has been translated into many languages, such as Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, French, and German. Here are some verses of the qaṣīdah:

د الكونين والثقلــ 39 حمد سي رب و *** ــــي. م من عجم ـــن و الفريقين من ع

34. Muhammad – Master of the Two Worlds, and the Two Dense Kinds [human and jinn], and of the Two

Groups, Arabs and non-Arabs. . يا رب بالم صطفى بلغ مقاصدنا * واغفر لنا ما مضى يا واسع الكرم 153

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163. O my Lord! With the Elect One (namely, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.] make us attain our goals, and forgive

us for what has passed, O Most Munificent One!

The example of this “simple” meter in the Qur’an is as follows: وا (50)الحقاف: مساكن ه م إل ي رى ل فأصبح

…so, they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings (Q. 46:25)

This verse was about Allah’s punishment on the ‘Ᾱd people who did not want to listen to their Prophet Hῡd to worship Allah. Then strong wind destroyed everything except their houses.

Dr. Ṭāhā Ḥusayn (d. 1973) of Egypt nicknamed “the foremost representative of Arabic literature” ميد الدب العربي()ع was reported to have said that Arabic literature is divided into three kinds: prose, poetry, and the Qur’ān. As the Qur’ān is not poetry, but the very words of Allah, we treat it with full respect, and read it with its own rules, called علم التجويد (“The art of reciting the Qur’ān”), i.e., the Qur’ān reciting according to the established rules on pronunciation and intonation. (CIVIC, 04.04.14)

المصادر: المكتبة الشاملة تفسير الطبري

سير القرطبيفت

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