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Versification of the Qur’an

Muslims, stop the poeticization of the Qur’an.

The Urdu-speaking Muslims did a great job when they retained that almost untranslatable expression Aayaat in their own language. Thus they kept the original divine expression intact and in the process enriched the Urdu language and culture.

English translators of the Qur’an – Allah bless them – on the other hand, got carried away by what the Biblical tradition and standard English usage handed them. And what the earlier non-Muslim translators of the Qur’an handed them.

They naively borrowed from the West the expression “verses” to describe what the Urdu and Farsi translators would often describe as Aayaat-e-Kareemah of the Qur’an.

This unfortunately resulted in the “versification” of the Qur’an in English, rather than in highlighting the miraculous nature of the Aayaat of the Qur’an and the enrichment of the English language and Western culture.

Islam, Thy Name Is Freedom!

And Islam, thy name is modernity. Even though I don’t know what modernity really means and I have trouble with some of the key definitions and measures of that expression or concept.

But if one reasonable measure of this mythical concept of modernity is freedom for the human mind and spirit and the freedom of belief, conscience and expression that goes along with it, then, no other system has a greater claim to modernity than Islam.

And if modernity means the alacrity, resilience and resourcefulness of the human intellect to reinvent a new future of inquiry, achievement and freedom in every age, and the powerful theoretical framework that makes it all possible, then the teachings of Islam and the Qur’an have a near-lock on the concept of modernity.

In any case, those were their days. Those were the days of the former English translators of the Qur’an. And, may Allah bless them, the Muslim English translators of the Qur’an did their best in their own days and in their own ways.

Now these are our days.

Let us now forever change that expression “verse” to Aayat (or Aayah) and proceed to enrich the English language. A language that has now become mother tongue to entire new generations of Muslims in many parts of the world – and enrich Western culture that Allah has now made home to so many of us.

As some Muslim scholars – ‘Ulamaa’ – used to say a long, long time ago: Hoom rijaalun wa nahnu rijaal!

Subhanallah, what an expression! They were men, and we are men. They were people and so are we. That is what those Arabic words mean: Hoom rijaalun wa nahnu rijaal!

Meaning: They played their innings and left the wicket; we must play our innings now. They did their job and now it is we who must do our job. They were then; we are the ones now. Earlier, it was their turn; now, it is our turn.

That means other than to Allah and his beloved Rasul, Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, human beings cannot be in permanent thrall to any other mortal. They should respect their elders and their aslaaf – the blessed generations that came before them. But they should not blindly follow everything they did or uncritically accept everything they said.

What a message of intellectual freedom, human dignity and personal empowerment these great Ulamaa’ (scholars) of Islam laid down in a few words – Hoom rijaalun wa nahnu rijaal.

Thank you Islam, for, thy name is freedom.

And thank you, God Almighty, for the blessing of Islam – and what a blessing it is indeed!

And thank you, great and sincere and selfless scholars (Ulamaa’), champions, advocates and defenders of Islam, for your service to God Almighty in heaven and to God’s creation right here on earth. May Allah forgive your shortcomings and fill your graves with his beautiful light that floods heavens and earth!

Internal vs. External Boundaries

Let me talk a bit more about Allah’s boundaries – Hudoodullah – before I move on. Not that I can do justice to a vast and important topic like this or in any sense really leave it behind. For this topic envelops every aspect of human life.

The first thing I want to point out is that in life there are boundaries and then there are boundaries. And among the most important boundaries to observe in life are the ones that lie within our own selves. Our own internal boundaries as it were. I am talking about all the checks and limitations that must exist within ourselves.

These are boundaries that are mostly determined by factors and considerations inside a person’s head and heart – their spirits, minds and souls as it were. At the top of this list is the all-too-common human tendency to commit excess, aggression and then finally violence against others – especially against those over whom we may have a measure of power or control.

Avoiding Excess Even in War

As an antidote, Islam places a high premium on forgiveness, generosity, kindness and compassion. At the same time, Islam permits people to defend themselves when attacked by others.

But the interesting thing is the way in which Islam wants people to fight back.

Fight back without committing any excesses, says the Qur’an. And here is where and how the Qur’an says it:

Qaatiloo fee sabeelillahilladheena yuqaatiloonakum wa laa ta’tadoo.

And here is a paraphrase of that magnificent aayat – in several parts:

1. First of all, you are forced to defend yourself because someone else started the fight. So, what viable option do you have now but to fight those who fight you?
2. Even in the most defensive of situations make sure you are fighting purely for God’s sake and in his path – and not for the sake of your own name, fame, power, gain, wealth and passions.
3. That means fight those who fight you, but do so for the sake of justice, fairness, equality and opportunity for all and not just for your own favored few. For, that is what it means to fight in the name of and for the sake of and in the path of God.
4. That means don’t fight to conquer, control, dominate, subordinate, exploit, humiliate, plunder or exterminate others but to liberate, elevate, empower everyone.
5. That means, while some others may fight in the name of king, country, tribe, color, race, religion, political party, pet cause, personal ego, vengeance, hate, mercenary gain or some other selfish reason, and perpetrate all kinds of atrocities along the way, make sure your fight – even when you are only defending yourself against those who fight you – is always for a higher, nobler and more just, equal, humane and inclusive cause and undertaken in the most civilized and compassionate way.
6. So, according to this formulation, even the most defensive wars by those who believe in God must be fought in the most humane, civilized and compassionate manner, setting the stage for the Geneva Conventions, preparing the world for them and taking them to a whole new level, which the world has not been able to reach to this day.
7. And finally – how can anyone say “finally” when they are talking about an Aayat of the Qur’an? – even when you are only fighting those who fight you, and you are doing it for the sake of and in the name and path of God and for the highest goals and purposes, you should not commit excesses and transgressions and atrocities of any kind.

If all this is not proof that the Qur’an is from God Almighty – and Islam is directly from the creator of the universe himself – what is?