quraninplainenglish

Bismillāh ir Raḥmān ir Raḥīm

Sūrat ar Ra‘d ~ Thunder, presents many natural phenomena in the world as signs of God, from the prescribed courses

of the sun and the moon, to light and shade, rain, and the growth of food. It even mentions plants that grow as clones from

the same root and those which do not. The root of the Arabic word used, ṣinwān, means twin.

We are exhorted to use reason and to reflect upon these signs to foster the development of our consciousness of God as being

the ultimate source of all of these blessings, as a support for the cultivation of virtuous deeds.

As in much of the Qur’ān, in this 13th sūrah, humanity is also offered many vivid examples of reward and punishment in

the hereafter, the akhira, as goads to virtuous behavior in the life of the world, the dunyā. Of note is the mentioning

that these examples are parables, and not necessarily to be understood as literal descriptions.

More than twelve centuries ago, Rābi‘a al ‘Adawiyya, also known as Rābi‘a al Basrī, or simply Sister Rābi‘a, prayed

that she never act with a desire for heavenly reward, nor in fear or avoidance of punishment, as her motivation.

She prayed that she always act only out of love for God. This is certainly evidence of a higher wisdom, and surely

anyone who can live up to such an elevated standard is indeed blessed.

Regardless of how literally or how allegorically we understand any particular passage of the Qur’ān, including

those which describe specific rewards or punishments, the moral standards it sets for everyday human behavior are sound.

They are practical, merciful and sublime, up to and including even rules of war that specify certain acts as forbidden,

ones that in the western world did not come to be considered war crimes until the middle of the twentieth century.

The Qur’ān also specifies many standards for commercial activites, chief among them the prohibition of usury.

It is an issue addressed in many sūrahs. Sūrat al Muṭaffifin ~ the Dealers in Fraud, deals with the issue of simple

honesty in weights and measures. Some more cynical people might consider this 83rd sūrah of the Qur’ān to be quaint

as to what it states with regard to business transactions, since it is at odds with the modern corporate amorality that

seems so commonplace today. Obviously, however, the problem of business ethics is not a new one, or it would

not have been discussed in the Qur’ān fourteen hundred years ago.

Sijjeen is mentioned as an ultimate destination for such trangressors in the Dealers in Fraud. The name comes from

the root of the word sijin, which means prison. And this sijjeen in jahannam, a prison within a prison, has its name

formed from the word for prison by doubling the central consonant and lengthening the second vowel, both being forms

of emphasis. This is one example of the kinds of structurally and sonically resonant beauty that is inherent to Arabic

and which cannot be mirrored in the English language. Nevertheless, the message delivered is clear.

May we avoid the states of mind and transgressing behaviors which are indeed their own prison. May we develop

and increase in taqwa, and like sister Rābi‘a, avoid transgression and be motivated to the good by our love of God.

The Prayer of Rābi‘a al Basrī

O Rabb, if I serve You for fear of the fire, then burn me in the blaze.

If I serve You because I desire the garden, then exclude me from paradise.

But if I serve You out of love for You, then grace me with Your eternal beauty.

~ Rasheed al Ḥajj abū Muṭahhar, 5 Shawwal 1442