Tafseer Art: Every soul shall taste death

“And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.”

Surah Al-Imran, verse 185

Every now and then, we need a stark reminder that this world is only temporary. When we are worrying ourselves about things which will have no importance in the afterlife, we lose sight of the bigger picture, of what really matters. Allah reminds us again and again in the Qur’an that the Day of Judgement is coming, a day when we will all stand trial before our Lord for our actions on earth. In the first verse of Surah An-Nahl, Allah states “The command of Allah is coming, so be not impatient for it.” In the original Arabic, the past tense is used, so the verse translates literally as “The command of Allah has come.” The past tense is used here to express inevitability and nearness, acting as a reminder to the believers of our fate.

While most people are willing to forget their mortality, death will not forget us. Every soul shall taste death. On the other side of death is judgement day, and on that day only safety from the fire and entrance into paradise equals success. Everything in this world that has nothing to do with this truth is an illusion. The earthly results of a man’s actions are often quite different from the ones he will see in the next life. After the life of this world, the stage of receiving the fruit of your good deeds begins. What is of true importance is what will happen in that eternal life rather than in this transient one.

While it may seem disheartening that this world is merely illusory, it is important not to lose hope. Things we do here still matter, and will follow us to the next life. Using the material world and its merits as a means for attaining human development, not only is not blameworthy, but necessary and essential. The most important thing is that the material world and its pleasures do not become the ideal and final goal of Man.

Tafseer Art: Remembrance of Allah

“So remember Me; I will remember you. Be thankful to me and never ungrateful.”

Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 152

Remembrance of Allah is one of the basic concepts of Islam. Being mindful of Allah leads to receiving blessings in everything we do, which is why so many daily actions, from waking up to leaving the house, has a dua (prayer) attached to it. Remembering Allah brings Allah’s attention and favour upon the believer, while heedlessness results in Allah abandoning the believer and his needs. In Surah At-Tawbah, verse 67, Allah states “They [the hypocrites] have ignored God, so He has ignored them.”

The verse from Surah Al-Baqarah indicates a balance in the relationship between Allah and His servant, a give and take relationship. It speaks to Allah’s power and generosity that He bestows such favours on us when all we can do in return is remember Him. On one end of the scale, there is Man with his ignorance, poverty, mortality, and feebleness, while on the other end, there is Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Sufficient, the Eternal, and the All-Mighty, who wants us to remember Him in order to show our gratitude for the great blessings He has given to us. The remembrance of Allah is a prerequisite to being thankful to him, hence the term ‘remember’ has preceded the term ‘thankful’. This is an illustration of the consideration of Allah’s honour for Man as a reflection of His Grace unto his servants.

I’ve done something a little different with this Tafseer Art. Since this verse resonated with me so much, I wanted to express the conflict and resolution that was in me when I read it.

I must find balance in my relationship with Allah. I know He is Al-Karim, The Generous, but first I must remember Him, it is only fair. The verse continues: “Be thankful to Me, and never ungrateful.” In the very structural order of this verse, Allah is showing me how it goes. I must first remember Him, and He promises to remember me back. Then I can be thankful to him for bestowing me with his blessings. In remembering Him, I am saved from arrogance.  Oh, have I learnt that lesson. I give what little I can, and He returns it in abundance.

Tafseer Art: The Qur’an and The Heart

In Surah Yunus, verse 57, Allah says:

“O mankind, there has come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.”

The Arabic term ‘mau’izah’ (preaching) means to restrain intermingled with warning and awakening. The phrase ‘shifa-is-sudur’ refers to the purification of spirit and heart from spiritual evils. The spiritual defects are more grievous than diseases of the body. The Qur’an’s advantage lies in this very healing of spiritual diseases.

This short verse encompasses four great qualities of the Qur’an – instruction, healing, guidance, and mercy. These qualities are listed in that specific order to allude to the four kinds of stages that shape education and development, that is:

1. The preaching stage against visible sins
2. The purification stage for purging the soul from ethical and social evils.
3. The self-guiding stage towards those objectives which signify worldly happiness and the happiness and prosperity in the Hereafter.
4. The stage of receiving divine blessings which is forgiveness and Paradise. Only those groups who seek will be covered by the divine blessings.

This verse is comparable to Surah Al-Isra, verse 82:

“And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.”

And Surah Fussilat, verse 44:

“And if We had made it a non-Arabic Qur’an, they would have said, “Why are its verses not explained in detail [in our language]? Is it a foreign [recitation] and an Arab [messenger]?” Say, “It is, for those who believe, a guidance and cure.” And those who do not believe – in their ears is deafness, and it is upon them blindness. Those are being called from a distant place.”

This is why the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“When afflictions, like a dark and terrible night, invade you, seek refuge in the Qur’an. It is simultaneously full of preaching as well as being a remedy, a source of illumination and blessing all at the same time.”

I am sure many Muslims have experienced a lapse in faith at least once in their lives, which is why Allah reminds us repeatedly to turn to the Qur’an when we feel a sickness of the heart. What I find encouraging is that Allah has addressed this verse to the whole of mankind, which is a reminder that no one is alone in experiencing spiritual ailments, that it is normal. He consoles the believer by explaining that low points are simply part of the journey.

Tafseer Art: Alif, Laam, Meem

“It is better in Ramadan to read less, but read deeply.”

Ramadan is known as the month of the Qur’an, for it was in this month that the Islamic holy book was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). During this month, Muslims strive to connect with their religion and be the best version of themselves.

In my community, there has always been an emphasis on reading the entire Quran as many times as possible in these thirty days. While recitation has its rewards with Allah, for someone who can understand perhaps three words in Arabic, reciting the words does not bring me closer to understanding them. When I read the translation of the Quran, I know that the English language does not convey the subtlety and nuance of the original text, yet some verses still astound me with their beauty and wisdom. This year, I am hoping to connect further with the Qur’an by studying its tafseer (exegesis). True to form though, I feel compelled to put a creative twist on it. In a sort of art journal, I am choosing verses of the Qur’an that I love, and turning them into art.

The first verses I have chosen are the first two of Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow).

1. Alif, Laam, Meem.
2. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah.

The first verse is simply three Arabic letters, yet their true meaning is known only to Allah. Scholars have suggested various interpretations of these letters. They could have acted as an indication to the Arabs who first heard it that the Qur’an consisted of words and letters of their own language, although it was superior to any speech of their own, being of divine origin. Allah challenged the Arabs to bring out something similar, but no one could, not the poets or the linguists. Another suggestion is that they are an exclamatory device intended to arrest the listeners’ attention, similar to the custom of beginning a poem with ‘No!’ or ‘Indeed!’.

The second verse continues the assertion of Allah’s wisdom, assuring the reader that ‘la rayba fihi’. This term carries more than one meaning, including ‘there is nothing dubious about/in it’ and ‘it is not to be doubted’ as regards its origin or contents. The term ‘guidance’ is used to express clarifying the truth (haq) and leading people to it. ‘Those conscious of Allah’ refers to pious and righteous people – the Book is a guidance for them. There is no benefit in the Qur’an for those who do not bother to consider whether their actions are right or wrong, who follow the ways of the world or their own whims and lusts or move aimlessly through life.

Personally, I find comfort in these verses as the first establishes that there is a higher knowledge that we humans can never hope to attain, but the second tells us that the holder of this knowledge is there to help us, and there is absolute truth in His guidance.