Al Naba: The Great News
Concerning what are they disputing?
Concerning the Great News. [5889]
About which they cannot agree.
Verily, they shall soon (come to) know!
Verily, verily they shall soon (come to) know!
surah 78:1-5 Al Naba' (The Great News)
"5889. Great News: usually understood to mean the News or Message of
the Resurrection."
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'n
Amana Corporation, 1989.
Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi
Tafhim al-Qur'n - The Meaning of the Qur'n
78. Surah An Naba (The News)
Name
The Surah derived its name from the word an-Naba in the second verse. This is not only a name but also a title of its subject matter, for Naba implies the news of Resurrection and Hereafter and the whole Surah is devoted to the same theme.
Period of Revelation
As we have explained in the introduction to Surah Al-Mursalat, the theme of all the Surahs, from Al-Qiyamah to An-Naziat, closely resembles one another's, and all these seem to have been revealed in the earliest period at Makkah.
Theme and Subject Matter
Its theme also is the same as of Surah Al-Mursalat, i. e. to affirm the Resurrection and Hereafter, and to warn the people of the consequences of acknowledging or disacknowledging it.
www.englishtafsir.com/Quran/78/index.html
Web August 30, 2012
"Surah al-Naba' (78) 'The Announcement'
This surah has been named al-Naba', and also Amma, on account of the prominence within it of the words al-naba', meaning 'the announcement', and amma, meaning 'about what'. While the previous surah (al-Mursalat) concluded by mentioning the resurrection and by warning those who deny it, this surah opens on the same theme."
www.imamshirazi.com/
Chapter 78 : Surah Al-Naba
Date of Revelation and Context
"The Surah is entitled Al-Naba' because it deals with subjects of exceptional importance i.e., certainty of Resurrection, predominance of the Qur'n over all other revealed Scriptures, and of Islam over all other Faiths. The Day of Decision, i.e., the day when this Quranic claim will become an established fact, is mentioned twice in the preceding Surah and is repeated here. According to Muslim Commentators the Surah was revealed very early in the Holy Prophet's ministry at Mecca. Noldeke agrees with this Muslim scholarly opinion. It opens with enumerating the great Divine gifts bestowed upon man, and directs his attention to the implied suggestions that he has been placed upon this earth to serve a certain object and his life here is the seed-bed of an eternal future and it will be followed by a Day of Reckoning.
The Surah then gives a brief but an awe-inspiring picture of that Day, and a graphic description of the heavenly blessings that await the righteous and of the terrible punishment which will be meted out to the rejectors of Truth in this life and in the next."
www.alquran-karim.com/alNaba.html
"The Surah derived its name from the word an-Naba in the second verse. This is not only a name but also a title of its subject matter, for Naba implies the news of Resurrection and Hereafter and the whole Surah is devoted to the same theme."
www.islamcity.com
AAani-nnaba-i al 'atheem
Concerning the Great News,
Then Allah continues: "Are they really asking about naba' ul adheem?" An Naba means "news." There are two words in Arabic for news: naba' and khabr. What is the difference? First of all, naba' is a greater kind of news. If the store closes at seven, that is khabr. If someone won the election or a war started, that would be naba'.
khabr is used twice in the Qur'an; both in the same context. When Musa 'alay his salaam is with his family in the dark and he sees a light from a distance, he tells them, “Maybe I'll get some khabr from there.” He doesn't know what the news will be. When Allah speaks of nations that were destroyed in the past, Allah speaks of the naba' - news - of those who came before.
The second difference is that naba' always has some benefit for the person receiving it.
naba' demands a reaction/action. When you hear it, it demands that you change something about yourself. For example, if you get the naba' of a fire in the building, it demands that you get out and also let others know that they should get out.
Finally, naba' has bahool in it, as the linguists argue. What that means is that it is a manifest event. There are abstract ideas and actual physical events. naba' is a tangible thing. When Allah speaks of the resurrection as naba', He is referring to its tangible nature. Some religions believe that the afterlife is just spiritual. We know that the akhirah [hereafter] is physical and real; it is not a state of mind. Jannah and Naar are actual places; they are not figments of the imagination.
"Are they really asking about this enormous naba'?" Even though naba' is already something important and big - the word adheem is still added as an adjective. Allah is asking them, in that sarcastic nature, are they really asking about this enormous event. And instead of preparing for it, they are ridiculing it.
http://www.linguisticmiracle.com/tafsir/naba
Web (September 23, 2014)
The Tafsir of Surah An-Naba'
1. "What are they asking (one another)?
2. "About the Great News.
The disbelievers question the occurence of the Day of Reckoning. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) describes this Day as the one that brings Great News. Ibn Kathir (The eminent scholar of Tafsir) said that most likely this News refers to the Resurrection, based upon the fact that Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says about it in the next ayah (verse):
3. "About which they are in disagreement.
Mankind are divided to believers and disbelievers regarding the occurence of this Day. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) warns those who deny it, saying:
4. "Nay, they will come to know!
5. "Nay, again, they will come to know!
An emphasised and a confirmed warning for those who deny this Day that they will certainly come to know that the Day of Resurrection is true. Allah shows His abilities to produce the Signs of this Day and He tells about its magnitude in the following verses so that the people contemplate and realise that Allah, Who is able to bring about these Signs, is All-Able to bring life to the Dead as well as Resurrection. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) tells mankind about many aspects of His Ability and Power to create what He wishes.
http://sunnahonline.com/library/the-majestic-quran/435-tasfir-of-chapter-078-surah-an-naba-the-great-news
Web (September 23, 2014)
Sura Nabaa 78:1-5
In the Name of Allah. the Beneficent. the Merciful.
1."O what do they ask (one another)?"
2."Of the Great News,"
3."That in which they differ".
4."Nay! they shall soon (come to) know,"
5."Nay indeed! they shall soon (come to) know".
Commentary: The Great News!
In the first verse, it astonishingly questions: "O what do they ask (one another)?" Then, without expecting them to reply, the Qur'n answers: "Of the Great News".
"That in which they differ".
For the meaning of / naba'-in-'azim /, the commentators have put forth different ideas. Some of them say it means: 'the Day of Resurrection' while some others have meant it as 'the revelation of the Holy Qur'n' and still others have said it means: 'The whole Islamic Principles'. In some narrations it has been commented on to mean 'vicegerency and guardianship'; which will be dealt with later.
Paying careful attention to all verses of the Sura, especially to some points in the following verses and specifically to the sentence: "Verily The Day of Sorting out is (a day) appointed", which has come after mentioning some Signs of Allah's Power in the heavens and on the Earth, and also paying attention to the fact that the most intensive opposition of the Unbelievers was about the existence of 'Resurrection'; all in all most commentators approve of the first idea, that is, in the sense of 'Resurrection' for the phrase / naba'-in-'azim /.
As Raqib says in his book, Mufradat, the term /naba'/ means: ' great news which is useful and man is acquainted with it or has a strong conviction to it; and these three things are the conditions of /naba'/'.
Therefore, the term /'zim / 'great' is more emphatic and, on the whole, indicates that this news, about which some were doubtful, has been a known fact, great and full of importance, and therefore, its most appropriate meaning is 'Resurrection'.
www.al-islam.org/enlightening/16.htm
Web August 31, 2012
Al-Qiyamah: A Cosmic Eschatological Event
"As for the Day of Resurrection (yawm al-qiyamah), one must distinguish
here between the individual experience of eschatological realities and
the eschatological events concerning the whole of humanity. Usually the
Day of Resurrection or Yawm al-qiyamah refers in fact not to the death
of the individual but to the final end of present humanity not the
eschatological experience which every individual must understand at the
moment of his or her death, but that of the world of the present
humanity itself. The Islamic teachings reserve the term al-qiyamah for
cosmic eschatological event crowned by the resurrection of creation as
well as the resurrection of the individual. More specifically these
sources distinguish between the greater resurrection, al-qiyamat al
kubra which is that of the cosmos followed by the resurrection of the
whole of humanity and the individual death and resurrection al-qiyamat
al-sughra which the soul undergoes following upon the event of death.
What takes place between the death of the individual and the
resurrection of the whole of humanity has been debated by various
schools of Islamic thought and cannot be discussed in this work because
it involves very complicated theological and philosophical issues.
The Qur'n also refers to eschatological events which concern the whole
of humanity. As already mentioned Islam believes that this world in
which we live is not eternal. It has a beginning and an end after which
Allah will create other worlds. For He is always the Creator, al-khaliq.
But this present world was created with a definite beginning and will
have a definite end marked by eschatological events. According to
traditional sources, these events involve, first of all, the appearance
of a figure whose name is Muhammad al-Mahdi. This appearance is
anticipated on the basis of the hadith of the Prophet who said that
where oppression and iniquity cover the earth "a member of my tribe
shall appear whose name will be the same as mine." Therefore, throughout
the centuries, Muslims, both Sunni and Shi'ite, have believed that a
figure will appear one day who will be the Mahdi, the Guided One, who
will destroy iniquity, reestablish the rule of Islam and bring back
justice and peace to the world. His rule, however, will be fairly short
and it will followed by the return of Christ.
Islam and Christianity share the same vision concerning the second
coming of Christ because Christians also believe in his return.
Moreover, the Muslims also accept, as do the Christians, that Christ's
return will occur in Jerusalem and that this city will be the place
where final eschatological events will take place. Islam in contrast to
Christianity, however, sees the function of the Mahdi and Christ as
being associated with each other and their coming as part of the same
major eschatological events. While the Mahdi will rule for some years on
earth, the coming of Christ will coincide with the termination of the
present history of mankind and of time as we ordinarily experience it.
Historical time comes to an end and is followed by the Day Resurrection,
the final judgment of all human beings, the weighing of the good and
evil acts, the determination of the inhabitants of heaven, purgatory and
hell and the coming to end of the history of the cosmos. These very
complicated events have been described in Islam in such a way that no
man, no matter what claims he makes, can predict exactly when the Hour
will arrive. In fact, there is a hadith of the Prophet which says that
all those who predict the time of the coming of the Hour are liars.
Nevertheless, all Muslims believe that the Hour will come, that is,
there is an end to human history, that Allah intervenes finally like
lightning upon the stage of ordinary time/space consciousness, that
there is the final death and resurrection of humanity and that there is
an accounting for all that men have done in this world.
Most of the details of these teachings are usually put aside in every
day life by ordinary Muslims who are not given to meditating and
thinking about them. It is for theologians, philosophers and other
authorities in the religious sciences to deal with their ultimate
significance. But as their consequences are concerned, they are meant
for all Muslims to think about them. First of all, we all die whether we
are illiterate or great religious scholars, kings or beggars;
therefore, the reality of death and what happens to the human soul after
death are the concern of every human being. Not only every Muslim, but
every human being whether Muslim, Christian, Jew or other thinks
naturally of his or her end. The consequences of the eschatological
teachings of Islam are there for the benefit of all Muslims and they
have been thought about by all types of people and in very different
forms ranging all the way from popular stories and old wives' tales to
the most scholarly and intellectual expositions in which these realities
have been presented in metaphysical and theological terms."
www.lankarani.org/
Web (July 15, 2001)
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji "But the Muslims do not want to talk about Resurrection at all because they want to frighten people with the Doomsday. They don't want to talk about the Resurrection Time which is going to come, which is the intermediary time (Al Qadr: The Night of Power), because they want to use the time which will frighten people (Al Qariah: Day of Noise and Clamor) by saying that"Now your Doomsday is coming! Now your Doomsday is coming!" "
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji
"And even in Koran, Muhammed Sahib says that all the Heavens lie at the Lotus Feet of the Mother. Among them, among Muslims there are Sufis who are realized souls and also accepted in the society. The other day I met something in Paris, a very high person in the Islamic world and he accepted Sahaja Yoga. He said it is described in Koran that there has to be Qiyamah, the Resurrection - we believe in Resurrection.
Also it is for Christians or Hindus, everybody, they have to be resurrected to a higher state. It is just for money and power are some people, who are trying to mislead others, keeping them away from Resurrection. I must say they are committing the greatest sin against the Holy Ghost... There is a very big chapter on Resurrection, but the fundamentalists don't want to look at it. They believe their religion is the best. But what would it has done to anyone? It is so much misinterpreted... so much misinterpreted."
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji
Public Program, Brussels, Belgium — 1 July 1993
Types of Kufr (Disbelief) — Adapted from 'Tafseer ibn Katheer'
1. Kufrul-'Inaad: Disbelief out of stubbornness;
2. Kufrul-Inkaar: Disbelief out of denial;
3. Kufrul-Kibr: Disbelief out of arrogance and pride;
4. Kufrul-Juhood: Disbelief out of rejection;
5. Kufrul-Nifaaq: Disbelief out of hypocrisy;
6. Kufrul-Kurh: Disbelief out of detesting any of Allah's commands;
7. Kufrul-Istihzaha: Disbelief due to mockery and derision;
8. Kufrul-I'raadh: Disbelief due to avoidance;
In Abdullah Yusuf Ali's commentary Kufr, Kafara, Kafir, and derivative forms of the word imply a deliberate rejection of faith, revelation and truth of the Holy Qur'n: "The culmination of Allah's Revelation is in the Qur'n, which confirms previous scriptures, corrects the errors which men introduced into them, and explains many points in detail for all who seek right worship and service to Allah—whether they inherit the previous Books or not. It is a universal Message ... The worst and most hardened sinner is the man to whom Allah's Signs are actually brought home and who yet prefers Evil and turns away from the Light of Allah. The Signs may be in the words and guidance of a great Teacher or in some sorrow or warning, but from which he deliberately refuses to profit. The penalty—the Nemesis—must necessary come eventually."
According to Ibn Taymiyah (1263 — 1328)"kufr is the attribute of everyone who rejects something that God has commanded us to believe in, after news of that has reached him, whether he rejects it in his heart without uttering it, or he speaks those words of rejection without believing it in his heart, or he does both; or he does an action which is described in the texts as putting one beyond the pale of faith."
However, this explanation of kufr is most lucid and applicable to the sheer gravity, importance, and dire consequences of this universal Message of Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection): "Just as faith for Muslims has to do not with believing but with knowing, so kufr, rejection, is not a lack of belief, not an intellectual position that holds that something is otherwise than is the case, and certainly it is not mere ignorance. Rather it, too, like its correlative iman, presupposes knowledge; for it is an active repudiation of what one knows to be true. This is why it is a sin, and indeed a (the) monstrous sin. It is the one final, cosmic (or some would say, the one final human) wrong; the deliberate saying of 'no' to what one knows to be right." (Wilfred Cantwell Smith, On Understanding Islam: Selected Studies, 1981, page 154)
Therefore most of the Al-Kufr ul Akbar (major disbeliefs) are applicable to those rejecting or disbelieving Allah's (SWT) Signs and surahs upholding the collection, promulgation, recital, explanation and warning of the following:
i) His Call to witness Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection);
ii) His Call to witness His Ruh (self-reproaching Spirit);
iii) His Call to heed Al Naba (The Great News);
iv) His Call to participate in Al Qadr (The Night of Power and Destiny);
v) His Call to confirm His Revelations, Signs, and Warnings (of i-iv).
Thus kaffir (non-believer) here is applied to all humankind, both Muslim and non-Muslim, who reject the Call that God has commanded us to believe in after His Revelations, Signs and Warnings have reached us. The Qur'n clearly warns that many will disbelief, even mock, the Great News and Sure Signs of Al-Qiyamah.
So be forewarned, and in the Hereafter never deny deliverance of this clear Warning: "O ye assembly of Jinns and men! came there not unto you messengers from amongst you, setting forth unto you My signs, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" Qur'n 6.130
And to those still rejecting, hesitant or unable to make up their minds even after hearing the Great News and shown the Signs, Allah (SWT) questions: "Are they waiting until the Hour comes to them suddenly? All the Signs thereof have already come. Once the Hour comes to them, how will they benefit from their message?" "Why do they not study the Quran carefully? Do they have locks on their minds?" Qur'n 47:18-24
The last paragraph is yet another warning from Allah (SWT) that prior to the Wrath of the End (Al Qariah) humans are offered the Mercy of the Resurrection (Al Qadr). And once the Hour of Al Qariah comes to them, how will they benefit from their contemporary message of Al Qadr i.e., from the Great News of the messengers from amongst you? How will those reading these lines benefit if they continue to doubt and wait, and the Striking Day comes suddenly? What use then will be the Mercy and Compassion of Al Qadr (Night of Destiny) if the morn of the Al Qariah (Striking Day) ends His Peace? Why doesn't the Ummah then not study the Quran with painstaking effort to avoid the errors, mistranslation and ignorance of the ulema that have presently paralyzed their minds from believing the Great News? Why don't they use their own mental faculties and intelligence to understand Al- Qiyamah, the heart and soul of the living, breathing Quran? Living and breathing because God Almighty is now talking directly to you through His Holy Book! After all, it is Allah (SWT) who has now called out to all Believers with this Decree: "I do call to witness the Resurrection Day; And I do call to witness the self-reproaching Spirit." He is specifically addressing you in particular (and Believers is general) to do so!
Only now in this modern age of universal education, mass media and publishing technology—after 14 centuries and unlike the illiterate past—is it possible to own and be sufficiently literate to "study the Quran carefully" in languages they understand best.* And just in case the Believers start studying the entire Qur'n, it must be stressed that Allah (SWT) is referring specifically to those eschatological Signs and surahs upholding His Call to bear witness of the Resurrection! They must thoroughly examine and understand the Signs that have already manifested, and set forth by messengers from amongst themselves.
Without question, to "study the Quran carefully" means using one's own mental faculties, not those of the ulema (Muslim clergy) who have for centuries put "locks on their minds" and are the very reason for the Ummah's present predicament i.e., their unprecedented kaffir-like mindset, reaction, rejection and mocking of His Call, Signs and Great News of the Resurrection. They must know that during Al Qadr no 'graves are going to open up' as this is His Night of Compassion and Mercy. So "Peace!... This until the rise of the morn!" (Quran 97:5)
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji "But the Muslims do not want to talk about Resurrection at all because they want to frighten people with the Doomsday. They don't want to talk about the Resurrection Time which is going to come, which is the intermediary time (Al Qadr: The Night of Power), because they want to use the time which will frighten people (Al Qariah: Day of Noise and Clamor) by saying that: 'Now your Doomsday is coming! Now your Doomsday is coming!'"
The Paraclete sent by Allah (SWT) to announce Al Naba (The Great News) of Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection) to all humanity.
"Even in the Judaism or when they believe in the coming of the Saviour for their salvation, even they have talked about. So it is all described in Koran. There's a complete Surah describing about 'The Sent One', means 'The Avatar', means 'The Incarnation'. And also said that 'you won't believe', 'you won't accept' and all those things."
The Spirit-Paraclete, January 7, 1990
"O ye assembly of Jinns and men! came there not unto you messengers from amongst you, setting forth unto you My signs, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" Qur'n 6.130
"These are the facts from which Muslims and their imams, mullahs, shaikhs, ulema, and ayatollahs will flee. For 1400 years no one challenged their collective ignorance...... until the advent of His Ruh Shri Mataji who repeatedly announced the Great News of the Resurrection for the last 40 years, ripping apart centuries of Islamic falsehood. The Ummah is reacting to the Great News exactly as the Quran predicted! But then who can tell these ignorant Muslims rejecting Al Naba that they, too, are kafirs?"
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji "We are now in the Blossom Time, as I call it, because many flowers are born and they are to become the fruits. This is the Resurrection Time, which is described in all the scriptures. But it's not like this, the way they had described us. Something wrong with them that all the dead bodies who are in the graves will come out of the graves. I mean, how much is left out of them, God knows. Must be some bones or maybe some skulls there. So they'll come out of the graves and they will get their Resurrection!!!? This is a very wrong idea.
Once I happened to meet a fellow, a Muslim from Bosnia and he told Me," I want to die for my religion, for God's sake." I said," But why? Who told you to die?" He said," Now, if I die in the name of God, I'll be resurrected." I said," It's all wrong. That's not the way it is going to work out. Resurrection is going to work out this way that at this time, all these souls will take their birth. All these souls will take their birth and they will be resurrected. As human beings they'll have to come."
That's why we find all kinds of funny people these days, all kinds of cruel, criminal, all kinds of idiotic, stupid, I mean very queer, weird, funny ideas which find such, such a variety of people and such a tremendous population that we should understand they have to have their chance of Resurrection. But how many will come? That's the point. How many are going to come?"
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji
Philadelphia, USA — October 15, 1993
So Peace to all Believers bearing witness to the Resurrection (Al-Qiyamah)! So Peace to all Believers bearing witness to His self-reproaching Spirit (Ruh)! So Peace to all Believers resurrecting themselves during this blessed Night of Power and Destiny (Al Qadr)! So Peace to all Believers of the Great News (Al Naba)! So Peace until the dreadful morn of the Great Calamity, the Striking Day (Al Qariah) against the Unbelievers (Al-Kafirun)!
Last, but not the least, the Qur'n insists that ample warning of impending calamity must be always delivered by His messengers:
"That is because thy Lord would never destroy the cities unjustly, while their inhabitants were heedless." (Quran 6.131);
"Never did We destroy a population, but had its warners - By way of reminder; and We never are unjust." (Quran 26:208-209);
"And never did Thy Lord destroy the townships, till He had raised up in their mother-town a messenger reciting unto them Our revelations." (Quran 27:59);
This cardinal rule has been expressly complied with and Warning of the impending Great Calamity repeatedly announced and fearlessly upheld by the incarnation of His Ruh for more than three decades until Her retirement in 2008 at the age of 85. (Since Jesus is the mandatory Sign of the Hour [Quran 43:61], and as the Comforter promised and sent by God Almighty in Jesus' name, She has also ceaselessly glorified Christ and His Message of the Last Judgment.)
"I should do something to bring sense to these people (humanity). Something should happen to them otherwise what I see is a complete disaster. It is going to happen. I do not want to frighten you like Mrs Thatcher does about the Russians. That might be imaginary. But this is real. I am warning you that the Disaster is going to come as destruction itself."
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji
London, UK, 6 June 1983
"The Last Judgment has started. We are facing the Last Judgment today. We are not aware of it. And all the satanic forces have come out like the wolves in sheep's clothes. And they are trying to attract you and you do not judge them. You only sit down and judge the Reality. It has started! It is a fact! It has started!"
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji
Kingston, UK, 6 November 1980
"I have such respect for so many of them (Muslims). I wish they could accept that this is not Jihad time anymore but Qiyamah Time, the Resurrection Time, the Blossom Time. Are they going to miss it?"
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji
"Move not thy tongue concerning the (Resurrection), to make haste therewith.
It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it:
But when We have promulgated it, follow thou its recital:
Nay more, it is for Us to explain it (and make it clear)." surah 75:16-19 Al Qiyamah
On 28th February 1990, while on Her way to Australia, Shri Mataji
stopped at Changi Airport, Singapore. The Paraclete/Messiah/Ruh informed
those who had gathered to meet Her that in Islam there is a complete
surah written about Her.
The chapter in the Qur'n She is referring to is Surah 75 Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection), explained in depth at www.al-qiyamah.org.
A number of Muslim nations, unable to challenge it despite being based
entirely on the Qur'n, have instead resorted to blocking the site as it
not only reveals that Al Qadr (The Night of Power) precedes Al Qariah
(The Day of Noise and Clamor), but also confirms the preordained Sure
Signs to back this Great News. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has openly
challenged and clearly exposed centuries of absolutely misguided Islamic
dogma and conditioning regarding Al-Qiyamah, the heart and soul of Islam. Both the Divine Feminine (Ruh/Spirit) and Her incarnation, Shri Mataji, give irrefutable evidence and Sure Signs that the Resurrection is the promised Al Qadr (The Night of Power) that precedes Al Qariah (Day of Noise and Clamour). Shri Mataji has spent four decades spreading the Great News (Al-Naba) by collecting, promulgating, reciting and explaining the message and means to take part in the Resurrection (Al-Qiyamah).
Move not thy tongue concerning the (Resurrection):
Absolutely no human was to start 'moving their tongue' ('wagging their
tongue') or rumoring about this particular surah concerning Qiyamah.
After all, the entire surah is about Qiyamah and nothing else! Prophet
Muhammad was informed that only this Revelation of Qiyamah was never to
be speculated upon because humans would have kept demanding answers to
numerous questions: "Who is going to explain the Resurrection?" "When
will Allah send His Emissary to explain the Resurrection?" "What proof
will His Emissary bring?" (That would have set the stage for hundreds of
false prophets claiming to be His emissary sent to explain the
Resurrection, bringing chaos and pandemonium. The rest of the Qur'n has
no such restrictions.)
To make haste therewith.
Absolutely no human was to be hasty in declaring that the day Qiyamah
has commenced, or will commence, after a particular solar eclipse.
Imagine the terror, mayhem and utter social chaos if every solar eclipse
had the potential of commencing Qiyamah and, if the interpretation of
the Muslim scholars believed, the horrifying End of the world!
It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it:
Allah made it crystal clear that this extremely important revelation was
exclusively for them. Allah and His Ruh (Spirit) will first manifest
various Qiyamah-specific Signs and surahs before collecting,
promulgating, reciting and explaining them to humankind. Put simply,
Allah and His Ruh would be solely responsible for the manifestation,
revelation, knowledge and declaration of the Resurrection! Humans were
absolutely excluded from any interference whatsoever.
"collect:
1 a : to bring together into one body or place b : to gather or exact from a number of persons or sources
intransitive verb
1 : to come together in a band, group, or mass : gather
2 : to collect objects"
"promulgate: 1 to publish or make known officially (a decree)
2 a) to make known the terms of (a new or proposed law or statute) b) to put (a law) into effect by publishing its terms
3 to make widespread"
Webster New World Dictionary, Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1988.
But when We have promulgated it, follow thou its recital:
And after Allah and His Ruh have promulgated this Revelation of Qiyamah, humankind must follow Their recital.
"recital: 1 a) a reciting, specifically, a telling of facts, events, etc. in detail b) what is so told; account, story, or description
2 a detailed statement, as of facts or events"
Webster New World Dictionary, Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1988.
Allah and His Ruh would make the Resurrection comprehensible to all
humankind by giving a detailed account of facts, descriptions and events
relating to Qiyamah!
Nay more, it is for Us to explain it (and make it clear)
And that this Revelation of Qiyamah was, nay more, for Them to explain:
i.e. this Revelation of Qiyamah was, nay more, for Them to explain -
Allah and His Ruh would clarify it in detail!
"explain: 1 to make clear, plain, or understandable
2 to give the meaning or interpretation of; expound
3 to account for; state reasons for - vi. to give an explanation -
explain away to state reasons for so as to justify, often by minimizing,
or make understandable - explain implies a making clear or intelligible
of something that is not known or understood"
Webster New World Dictionary, Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1988.
"Thus we can say, based particularly on Islamic sources but also on
the Old Testament and the New Testament, that we are living in the End
Times." - Harun Yahya
"As the above verse indicates, God has revealed some of Doomsday's signs in the Qur'n. In Surat az-Zukhruf 43:61, God informs us that 'He [Jesus] is a Sign of the Hour. Have no doubt about it...' Thus we can say, based particularly on Islamic sources but also on the Old Testament and the New Testament, that we are living in the End Times." - Harun Yahya
"But, it must be pointed out that there are many verses that tell of the Hour, and when we examine them we encounter a great truth. The Qur'n does not indicate the time of the Hour, but it describes those events that will happen prior to it. One verse related that there are several signs of the Hour: What are they awaiting but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? Its Signs have already come. What good will their Reminder be to them when it does arrive? (Surah Muhammad: 47:18)
From this verse we learn that the Qur'n describes signs that announce the coming of the Last Day. In order to understand the signs of this "great announcement" we must reflect upon these verses. Otherwise, as the verse indicates, our thinking will be of no use when the Last Day is suddenly upon us.
Some of that which was said by the Prophet (saas) which has reached to us deals with the signs of the Hour. In these hadiths of the Prophet (saas), there are both signs of the Hour and detailed information about the period just preceding it. This period, in which the signs of the Hour will occur, is called the "End Times." The matter of the End Times and of the signs of the Hour have attracted much interest throughout the history of Islam; it has been the subject of many works of Islamic scholars and researchers." - Harun Yahya
Only now can this surah (verse) 47:18 be precisely understood as a clear Warning, prior to the appointed Hour:
"What are they awaiting but for the Hour (Al Qariah: The Day of Noise and Clamor) to come upon them suddenly? Its Signs (Al Qadr: The Night of Power) have already come. What good will their Reminder (of Al Qadr: The Night of Power) be to them when it (Al Qariah: The Day of Noise and Clamor) does arrive? (Qur'n, 47:18)
Those Muslims who defy this Divine Decree are assured of the dire consequences of rejecting the message of the Resurrection: "We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Peace!...This until the rise of morn! (Quran 97: 1-5). The Qur'n warns, and Muslims better note, that this Peace of the Night of Power will last only till the rise of the morn that commences the Day of Noise and Clamor!
So in the Hereafter never ever deny that you were not amply warned: "O ye assembly of Jinns and men! came there not unto you messengers from amongst you, setting forth unto you My signs, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" Qur'n 6.130
Concerning what are they disputing?
Concerning the Great News. [5889]
About which they cannot agree.
Verily, they shall soon (come to) know!
Verily, verily they shall soon (come to) know!
surah 78:1-5 Al Naba' (The Great News)
"5889. Great News: usually understood to mean the News or Message of the Resurrection."
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'n, Amana Corporation, 1989.
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji "We have had enough of fights, we have had enough of nonsense... We don't have to challenge any scriptures, we have to see the inner light in all what is described... I hope you have understood what I am saying.
But arguments are not going to give you realisation. It has to happen. It doesn't matter; you may be the crown prince or you may be the king or you may be anything. Makes no difference. It's your individual happening that has to take place. This is your individual mother within you, this is the Ruh I am talking about. Just by ritualism you cannot achieve God. You have to be connected with God.
For all the people of the world who understand and who came, it is important to know that there must be a truth which we can actualize. It has been promised in all the religions and scriptures, and it has to happen!"
The Messiah-Paraclete Shri Mataji, Confusion: the Subtle Slavery,
Dr. Johnson's house, Birmingham, England — July 9, 1982
Fatimah, Mary and the Divine Feminine in Islam
At the very core of Islamic philosophy there is evidence of what can be called a vision of the Motherhood of God.
In the first Sura of the Koran, the Fatiha that is recited by millions of Muslims in their daily devotions, God is called Al Rahmin, the merciful and compassionate one. “Ramin” is derived from the Arabic for “womb” or “matrix”, mercy is also a feminine attribute, and so Muslims are reminded that God can be either woman or man. Every day God is compared to a mother and woman.
While the Muslim vision is often perceived to be authoritarian and punitive the Koran, on close inspection, is filled with descriptions and vision of God’s more feminine attributes such as gentleness, providence, love, universal compassion and tender-heartedness.
Muhammad was himself a living example of the Divine’s infinite capacity for forgiveness: many times he forgave enemies who had committed unspeakable atrocities against him and his brethren.
The religious intolerance that characterises the behaviour of many Muslim communities today is inconsistent with the heritage of tolerance that is professed by the Islamic tradition. For example, the Koran clearly states in several passages that any person who lives a life of holy reverence is welcomed into paradise regardless of their religion. Muhammad openly praises both Judaism (Abraham is deeply respected within the Koran) and Christianity (Muhammad frequently praises Jesus and Mary in the Koran).
Even more surprising is the Koran’s reverence for Mary, mother of Christ. Muhammad (and also in later Islamic theological scriptures) regarded Mary as the most marvellous of all women, a high adept and living example of the pure and holy life. Later Koranic commentaries describe Mary as an intervening force between God (Allah) and humanity. This intervening force is characterised by Allah’s mercy, forgiveness, sweetness and humility- the embodiment of Allah’s love for creation.
When Muhammad retook Mecca he began a programme of removing the pagan influences from the Kaaba, the most holy of Muslim sites. He removed many frescoes and images that he considered inauspicious but he specifically left on the walls a fresco of the Virgin Mary and her child.
In one of the most powerful Hadiths ( prophetic sayings of Muhammad) it is reported that Muhammad said, “Paradise is at the feet of the Mother”. Does this suggest that the feminine aspect of God is an important and essential pathway to the attainment of supreme consciousness?
Muhammad’s peak defining experience, called the Meraj, saw him elevated through the seven heavens to the realm of God Almighty at the resplendant Sidrath where he communed with God, received his divine visions and instructions and was placed on the inexorable course of his life-mission to establish Islam. Muhammad was escorted by the archangel Gabriel (a masculine force) but the vehicle upon which Muhammad rode was the beautiful “Buraq”. The Buraq was a white horse with wings and the face of a woman! Clearly suggesting that the great power by which Muhammad was elevated to the level of supreme consciousness was ultimately feminine in nature! Some scholars say that the Buraq is an Islamic symbol of the Kundalini, a force that Eastern Yogis describe as the Goddess or Divine Mother.
Fatimah is another prominent female in the Islamic tradition. Muhammad revered Fatimah as if she were a divine being, saying "Allah, The Most High; is pleased when Fatimah is pleased. He is angered; whenever Fatimah is angered!"
Whenever Fatimah would go to the house of Muhammad, he would stand up out of respect for her and honour her by giving her a special place to seat herself in his house. He regarded her as a sort of primordial woman, a symbol of divine womanhood giving her many holy names, such as: Siddiqah; The Honest, The Righteous; Al-Batool, Pure Virgin; Al-Mubarakah, The Blessed One; .Al-Tahirah, The Virtuous, The Pure, Al-Zakiyah ;The Chaste, The Unblemished ;Al-Radhiatul Mardhiah, She who is gratified and who shall be satisfied; Al-Muhaddathah, A person other than a Prophet, that the angels speak to; Al-Zahra, The Splendid; Al-Zahirah, The Luminous.
Shias revere the person of Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter and mother of the line of inspired imams who embodied the divine truth for their generation. As such, Fatimah is associated with Sophia, the divine wisdom, which gives birth to all knowledge of God. She has thus become another symbolic equivalent of the Great Mother.
Sunni Islam has also drawn inspiration from the female. The philosopher Muid ad-Din ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240) saw a young girl in Mecca surrounded by light and realised that, for him, she was an incarnation of the divine Sophia. He believed that women were the most potent icons of the sacred, because they inspired a love in men which must ultimately be directed to God, the only true object of love.
More generally speaking Muslims are reminded in the Koran that humans can experience and speak about God only in symbols. Everything in the world is a sign (aya) of God; so women can also be a revelation of the divine. Ibn al-Arabi argued that humans have a duty to create theophanies for themselves, by means of the creative imagination that pierces the imperfect exterior of mundane reality and glimpses the divine within. The faculty of imagination is commonly associated with the Divine Feminine.
While official Islam may not consistently describe the role of the Divine Feminine, this principle has been described and explored at length in the more esoteric Islamic tradition of Sufism. Sufism emphasises passionate, mystical adoration of God. Many Sufis (and other mystics in other religions) seek a spiritual union between themselves and the divine principle not unlike that between a child (the Sufi) and his mother (God) or a bride (Sufi) and the husband (God).
The Sufi poetry teaches the feminine qualities of joy, love, tenderness and self sacrifice on a path of true knowledge derived from the spiritual heart. The spiritual rebirth of the individual is not unlike the trial and tribulation of physical childbirth, according to the Sufis. They take the principle of divine love and use it to facilitate the process of alchemical transformation from mundane human to spiritual being.
The fanaticism that we see in modern Islam is a new development in a religion that, in its early history, was famous for its tolerance and respect for other religions. In Islam’s classical period in medieval Spain and Egypt perhaps only Buddhism rivalled Islam’s tolerance. The fundamentalism that characterises the behaviour of many of today’s Muslims is in fact anti-Koranic.
A Sufi Ode to the Divine Mother
On the face of the earth there is no one more beautiful than You
Wherever I go I wear your image in my heart
Whenever I fall in a despondent mood I remember your image
And my spirit rises a thousand fold
Your advent is the blossom time of the Universe
O Mother you have showered your choicest blessings upon me
Also remember me on the Day of Judgement
I don’t know if I will go to heaven or hell
But wherever I go, please always abide in me.
http://www.sol.com.au/kor/22_02.htm
Web (11 December 2014)
Disclaimer: This non-profit site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the education and research provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better comprehension of controversial religious, spiritual and inter-faith issues. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.
