Bismillāh ir Raḥmān ir Raḥīm
First Fourth
While today marks the first quarter of the moon, with the addition of Sūrat al Ḥij’r ~ the Rocky Place,
as of today over one quarter of all the ayāt al Qur’ān are now posted on the Qur’ān in Plain English website.
Insha’allāh, God giving the life and breath and the ability to do so, keeping the current pace, all of
the rest will be completed by April or May 2023, during Ramaḍān 1444.
Though it contains 99 ayāt, al Ḥij’r is nevertheless a short sūrah. Each ayah is brief, telegraphic,
direct and pithy, as is the case with the majority of verses in the other early Makkan sūrāt.
The opening verses of al Ḥij’r express that one day the faithless will wish they had surrendered to God.
It goes on to discuss the maltreatment of prophets throuhout history, while highlighting, as always,
the miraculous aspects of existence, the miracles of nature. The creation of jinn and of humanity
is described, followed by the rebellion of Iblīs against God’s command to prostrate before Adam,
before mankind, and the consequences for humanity of that rebellion.
The exercise of free will is emphasized. Who choses not to follow evil will not be overtaken by it.
For those who chose to stray, however, we see that even those who live in stone houses are not safe from
recompense, from the consequences that await them for their chosen actions. Humanity and the world
were created in truth, we are reminded. We are once again directed to the seven verses of al Fātiha,
and encouraged to practice the truth until we achieve certainty in it.
May we each be blessed to be guided by truth, and to witness the truth manifest in our own lives,
and in the countless miracles of creation, of existence itself. Indeed, in that there are signs
for those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear.
~ Rasheed al Ḥajj abū Muṭahhar, 7 Dhūl Qa‘dah 1442