Ep 13 — The Spirit of Tawhid: Negating Servitude to Other Than God

Session 11: The Spirit of Tawhid: Negating Servitude to Other Than God. Sunday, 7 Mehr 1353 / 12 Ramadan al-Mubarak 1394 Surat al-An'am (6:114-116). …Shall I then seek a judge other than God, when it is He who has sent down to you the Book, set out in detail? And those to whom We gave the Book know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth — so do not be among the doubters. And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and justice; there is none who can change His words, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. However much we reflect, it turns out that Tawhid is not something one can pass over so easily. First, it is the foundation of belief. Second, it is the principal practical reality of the individual and of society. Third, the believing, monotheist Muslim community knows very little about it — indeed, one could say that they know nothing of it. In the old maktab schools children were taught that God is one and not two — yet for the most part the monotheists know nothing properly about the various dimensions of Tawhid, right up to the years near their departure from this world. A subject this important, about which our people know so little, is one a person does well to speak about at greater length. As it happens, the verses of the Qur'an too, in keeping with this very importance, have spoken about Tawhid in many places and in various tones. And even if I were to go on speaking about this important principle of belief and practice for several more days, the noble verses of the Qur'an would still yield testimonies and examples to clarify the point we have in view. Now, what we are reading today again draws attention to a fresh aspect of Tawhid, one that was alluded to yesterday as well, and which today will be addressed in fuller detail. That reading closes with they follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but guess. These are from several verses, which of course we have translated here and at the end will explain — briefly. And: And do not eat of that over which the name of God has not been mentioned; that is indeed a transgression. And truly the satans inspire their friends to dispute with you; and if you obey them, you are surely idolaters (mushrikun). The gist of the matter, with respect to today's point of view, is this: at one time, people worship someone in the sense that they regard him as sacred and as possessing powers above the natural world — as, for instance, certain idols, or certain "saints" (qiddisin) have been worshipped by peoples throughout history. From the word "worship," what initially comes to mind is just this. When we say that worshipping God is obligatory, what comes to our minds is this same sanctification, this same state of spiritual and heartfelt reverence — as, for example, Christians ascribe a kind of sanctity to Jesus (peace be upon him) or to his pure and immaculate mother Mary (the blessings of God upon her): before an imagined statue of Christ or Mary they kneel, they weep, they worship him. This is one common, widespread sense of worship. Beyond this sense, there is another meaning — or call it another corner of this same concept — which can also be called worship, and the Qur'an uses "worship" in this sense too. Suppose someone is worshipped in this second manner, which we will now explain; suppose some people worship a being, a human being, in the very manner we will now describe. This too is a kind of worship of other than God. The upshot is that worship is not only that a person, before some being, bends and straightens, prostrates, bows, prays to him, praises him, stretches out his hands toward him in humility, in the form of sanctification, of heartfelt respect, of regarding him as higher. That is not the whole of worship. There are other acts as well that can be called worship — and when we say "can be called," we are not inventing this from ourselves. (Sir! Draw those curtains so you are not sitting in the sun. Sir! I am talking to you — draw the curtains; why are you sitting in the sun? It has gotten worse! Fix it. Please pay attention — that was a parenthetical sentence; we did not want it to take so long and require explanation.) There is another act — I am still continuing that same point; it is not a third matter — which we also call worship. It is not we who say so; the Qur'an says it is worship. So in the culture of the Qur'an there exists a broader sense of "worship," and we must discover that broader sense. Then, if we wish to worship God and not worship other than God — that is, if we wish to be monotheists and followers of the principle of Tawhid — we can take care not to unknowingly perform the second type of worship before something other than the Lord of the worlds. This is precisely the trap most of the world's monotheists fell into. In their own estimation and to all appearances, they were performing no sanctification before other than God, and prostrating before no person or object other than God. Yet in practice, in thought, in heart, in spirit, they have been performing the worship of other than God in this second sense. What is the second meaning of worship? The second meaning of worship is very simple. There is a word for it in Persian; this word is current and on everyone's tongue, and it is "obedience" (ita'at). To obey anyone in an absolute and unconditional manner is to worship him. Take a person who obeys someone — a human being, or a human society — unconditionally, making that one's command the thing to be followed (muttaba') in his own life, in his body and soul, in his deeds. He has worshipped him. From where do we say this? We say it on the authority of the verses of the Qur'an. It is the Qur'an that interprets "worship" for us as "obedience." Consider 'Adi ibn Hatim al-Ta'i — the son of the famous Hatim, though the rank of this 'Adi himself is far higher and more honored than that of his father Hatim. When he entered Medina, the Noble Messenger saw a cross-cord (zunnar) hung around his neck, and on that account began reciting this verse to him: They took their rabbis and their monks as lords besides God, and also the Messiah, son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship none but One God. The meaning of the verse is that the Christians and Jews took their rabbis and their monks — their scholars and their ascetics — and the Messiah son of Mary, as their lords and gods, whereas God Most High had commanded them to worship none but the One God. When this verse reached the ears of 'Adi ibn Hatim, he turned and said: O Prophet of God, this is not correct! When did we ever take our rabbis and monks as God and lord for ourselves? When did we ever worship them? He objected to the Prophet and to the verse of the Qur'an. Why? Because in his mind, "worship" had the very meaning that is now in your minds: the gentlemen are performing worship — meaning supplication, meaning a state coupled with sanctification, whether of the heart, or of the heart and tongue, or of the heart and tongue and body, as in performing the ritual prayer. So when 'Adi ibn Hatim, holding worship in that sense, saw the verse of the Qur'an say these people worshipped their scholars and ascetics, chose and adopted them as their lord and master, it seemed to him objectionable. He said: No, this is not correct. When did we Christians ever worship our rabbis and monks? In answer to this notion of 'Adi ibn Hatim, the Noble Prophet replied: Yes — you did not prostrate before them (I am conveying the substance of the Prophet's words), but whatever they said, you accepted unconditionally. A saying is related: "But they made lawful for you what was forbidden, and forbade you what was lawful." They made God's forbidden things appear lawful in your eyes, and made God's lawful things appear forbidden, and you — without any concern to grasp the reality of the matter — obeyed unconditionally whatever they said. This is worship; this is what it means to take a being as one's lord and master. And indeed, on this same theme, there is also a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (the blessings and peace of God upon him); those who wish may consult Nur al-Thaqalayn under this very verse. According to the culture of the Qur'an, worship of a being other than God is to obey that being. That being may be a political power. It may be a religious power. It may be an inner factor, such as the human soul (nafs) with its carnal and lustful inclinations. It may even be a being outside the human, yet not a power centralized politically or religiously — a woman, a single human for whom one holds an unwarranted reverence, a friend. To obey any of these is to worship them. Anyone who obeys someone or something has worshipped it. Let me read here a narration, so that it may become clear how widespread this Qur'anic culture is throughout the Islamic sources, and especially the Shi'i sources — both Qur'an and Hadith. The narration is from Imam al-Jawad (the blessings and peace of God upon him), who says: A saying is related: "Whoever lends an ear to a speaker has worshipped him." The sphere of worship is far broader; not only obedience, but even giving one's full attention — all six senses — to someone is to worship him. Well, you will say: Then are we not to listen even to correct words? So, continuing the hadith, he says: "And if the speaker speaks on behalf of God, Mighty and Majestic, then he has worshipped God." Suppose the one who speaks, and who has drawn your full attention and faculties toward himself, speaks from the tongue of God. Then you — while you have given your heart to him, given your mind to him, entrusted your thought and spirit to him — are worshipping God. "And if the speaker speaks from the tongue of Iblis, then he has worshipped Iblis." But suppose that speaker is speaking from the tongue of Satan, talking from the tongue of Iblis — arguing and speaking contrary to the logic and the philosophy of divine thought — and you are listening submissively and assentingly. Then in that very state you are engaged in satanic worship and obedience; that is, he himself is Satan, absolutely. The very one who is speaking in that manner is Satan. We do not mean to say he is the representative of Satan or the loudspeaker of Satan — no; he himself is Satan, in the sense in which we defined Satan, which is also the Qur'anic meaning of Satan. To obey a being who is of this sort — who is not even a political power, not even a religious power — to obey him unconditionally, is to worship him. So if someone wishes to worship only God and not to have worshipped other than God — that is, to be a monotheist, a worshipper of the One, oriented to the One — he must reserve his absolute obedience for the Lord of the worlds, the great God. Among the things which, if you follow them, you have worshipped, is the law. Among the things which, if you follow them, you have worshipped, is the social order. Among the things which, if you obey them, you have worshipped, are customs and traditions. So which law are we to act by? Are we not to act by any law? Are we not to act by customs and traditions? Are we not to follow some order and system? Indeed we are — but try to make all this divine, so that you, while obeying, while following, are servants of God and engaged in the worship of God. See how broad a person's horizon becomes. See how the events of history become interpretable for a person. The prophets, when they came, all came with the idea of Tawhid. In the discussion concerning the prophets and specifically prophethood, we will expound this from the Qur'an. All the great divine prophets came to make people monotheists. To make them monotheists — what does that mean? It means to unfasten the chains of obedience to other than God from their hands and necks. And the Qur'an itself explicitly states this meaning in one place: …that He may lift from them their burden and the shackles that were upon them. And when Tawhid is viewed from this perspective — when you look at Tawhid from this standpoint — you see that it is a thought, a principle, fundamentally for living: connected to the social order, connected to the orientation of human beings in every circumstance, connected to the quality of life of human societies. See how greatly this Tawhid differs from the dry, brainless, lifeless, ignorant "God is one and not two." Tawhid means this. Now, I have found many instances of this in the verses of the Qur'an. Had I wanted to bring here all the places where this meaning is clearly to be derived from the Qur'an, I would have needed to prepare for you at least five or six pages of paper. I have brought two of them — two examples of those places that make two things clear: that obedience to other than God is the worship of it, and that pure Tawhid — the spirit of religion, the foundation of religion — consists in a person obeying God exclusively, and obeying the divine program, the divine order, the divine organization. Just two examples, from which this point is derived, are mentioned here, and you can, with this idea, refer to the Qur'an to find this subject. Refer to the Qur'an. Try to become acquainted with the Qur'an; try not to be dependent on my coming and explaining the verses to you. Bring yourselves near to this boundless treasure, this shoreless sea. I have repeatedly given this counsel, and whenever I do not give this counsel I feel that a burden is upon my shoulders. First, I feel it my duty to tell you that you must refer to the Qur'an. This vast sea, this shoreless ocean, is such that "It is the sea — from whatever side you come to it"; this was a line of poetry, one hemistich from a poem. From whichever side you approach, you derive some benefit. Whoever keeps company with the Qur'an derives some benefit. In whatever way, in whatever style — have some foundation, so that you can understand this language at least a little, and you will gain a share; and the more you refer to it, the more illumined and aware you become. The Commander of the Faithful (the blessings and peace of God upon him), with a phrasing similar to this, is reported in the Nahj al-Balagha to have said: "No one has ever sat in the company of this Qur'an without rising from it with an increase or a decrease — an increase in guidance or a decrease in blindness." This is the word of the Commander of the Faithful. He says: No one ever sat in the company and companionship of the Qur'an without, when he rose from beside the Qur'an, an increase appearing in him and a decrease — a gain appearing in him, an increase occurring, and a loss, a diminution occurring. "An increase in guidance" — that increase was in guidance; his way-finding and his guidance increased somewhat, certainly. "A decrease in blindness" — that hard-heartedness, that blindness of his spirit and understanding and inner self, decreased a little and was diminished. See how the sentence of the Commander of the Faithful begins: "No one has ever sat in the company of this Qur'an…" No one — it is general, isn't it? It is absolute. I have said this as a reminder — though it was within parentheses and was a marginal note — in order to draw the attention of you all, all the brothers and sisters, to it. Why have I given this reminder about the Qur'an? So that you may know, you brothers and sisters, that many traps, endless devices, have been prepared over the course of time to keep people away from the Qur'an. And one of these pretexts and traps and devices, which still exists today — still a group of ignorant or ill-intentioned people repeat this claim — is this: "Sir! No one understands the Qur'an except the Infallible Imams (the blessings of God upon them); it is the Infallible Imams who understand the Qur'an." About this statement I can say only one word — the very thing the Commander of the Faithful (the blessings of God upon him) said about the slogan of the Kharijites of Nahrawan, when he declared: "A word of truth by which falsehood is intended." This is a correct statement, but the intent of the one who utters it is a base and malicious intent. Yes! The Imams of guidance have mastery over the Qur'an, such that nothing higher than that is conceivable. They are those lofty, great spirits and minds and thoughts who hold the Qur'an in their grasp; they themselves are each a Qur'an, each one of them a Qur'an — there is no dispute in this. But that the Imam (peace be upon him) knows the Qur'an very well does not mean that I and you, sir, do not understand even a single word of it, cannot understand even a husk of the Qur'an. This statement is correct — that the Imams of guidance (the blessings and peace of God upon them) are the knowers and the learned with respect to the Qur'an. But the intent of the speaker is not to exalt the Imam; the intent of the one who says this is for you to remain far from the Qur'an. He is like that poor fellow whom they told to pray, and he said: O sir, if prayer is what my master 'Ali performed, then why should I pray at all? As it is said: If prayer were what that wronged one performed, then he has deprived others of this act. This logic is the very same logic. If they understand the Qur'an, then why should we and you any longer open the Qur'an? O wretched one! O deprived one! O you deprived of the teachings of the Qur'an — woe to you! Woe to you! Woe to you who do not understand the Qur'an — but greater woe to you if, not understanding it yourself, you also prevent the people from understanding it; if you do not permit the thirsty people, too, to draw from this overflowing, gushing spring. Woe to you! Woe to those who keep people away from the Qur'an, who frighten people off from the Qur'an, who — on various pretexts and excuses — do not let people open the Qur'an with the aim of understanding. Woe to them! And you must know, brothers and sisters, that today we are dealing with the Qur'an, just as the Prophet of God has said: "When tribulations beset you like pieces of the dark night, then keep to the Qur'an." On the day when tribulations cast their shadow over your life like pieces of a black night, hold fast to the Qur'an. When is that day? Do we not see the dark, night-like tribulations? Do we not behold the wrong roads before our blind and short-sighted eyes? Do not the seeing eyes behold the thieves and ogres and highwaymen from every side and in every shape? So when must one turn to the Qur'an? For when is it? For the time when the Imam of the Age (the blessings of God upon him) comes? But he himself is the speaking Qur'an. Today is the day when we must refer to the Qur'an. The first condition of this is that we understand the Qur'an. I have found two portions of the verses related to today's discussion; you search and find ten more portions. I counsel the brothers — those who are able to understand the Qur'an, that is, the outward sense of the Qur'an's sentences, the Arabic-to-Persian translations — to be sure to pay attention; those who cannot, let them create in themselves this possibility, this ability. Study Arabic, learn the Qur'an, take lessons in the Qur'an, make yourselves intimate with the Qur'an, become friends with the Qur'an. Every day and every hour that passes without intimacy with the Qur'an is a cause for regret. The first portion is from Surat al-An'am. Of course, one must attend to the tone of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is not like ordinary books that say, "Chapter so-and-so, on the meaning of obedience and worship" — it is not like that. The level of expression and content of the Qur'an, and the Speaker of the Qur'an, is far above these ordinary levels. For the Lord of the worlds, all created things and all beings are on a single level; that is why, in the manner that the occasion of revelation required, a verse came down regarding a given matter. From the verse's allusions, from the expressions and sentences within the verse, from the manner of its construction (siyaq), you find the point you have in view. Shall I then seek a judge (hakam) other than God? Shall I accept and seek anyone other than God as judge? "Hakam," the commentators have said, means both arbiter and ruler. The one from whom a person seeks judgment — that is, from whom he seeks command, or from whom he seeks arbitration — both are called "hakam." And God Most High is both the best arbiter and the best ruler. The command, too, must be given by God: Surely His are the creation and the command. Know that creation and command belong to God. He Himself has created, and He Himself also commands. "Shall I then seek a judge other than God?" — Shall I seek any ruler, commander, or arbiter other than God? "When it is He who has sent down to you the Book, set out in detail" — whereas it is God who has sent down this collection, the Qur'an, to you in detail, with elucidation, without admixture or commingling. "Set out in detail" (mufassalan) — meaning without any confusion in its discussions, without its matters being jumbled, without the speech of other than God being mixed into it. "Set out in detail" — that is, made clear (mubayyanan), with complete and perfect clarification. "And those to whom We gave the Book" — those to whom We have given the Book — "know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth" — they know that this Qur'an has been sent down from your Lord, in truth; it has truly been sent down from God, has come from God. "So do not be among the doubters." So do not be of the doubters and the wavering ones — the address is to the Prophet — do not be hesitant! Do not be shaken and of two hearts! You who know that this Book has come from your Lord, that God gave the Book to you and you are aware, you are certain — do not be hesitant; be resolute. "And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and justice." It is complete, sealed, irreversible — the command of your Lord, founded upon truth and upon firmness. The command of your Lord was this: that the chain of prophethoods should come, raising the people gradually and step by step to the ultimate degree; then the final prophethood should come, placing human beings before a vast horizon, before a limitless field; bestowing on them the means of journeying, the means of running, the means of ever-greater perfection, so that human beings might travel in this field unto the infinite — "and to Him we shall return" — unto God. This command of the Lord, this measure of the Lord, this word of the Lord, was complete, sealed, irreversible. "There is none who can change His words" — there is no one who can alter or transform His words and commands. "And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing" — and He is the Hearer and the Knower: hearer of the melody of your inner needs, and knower of the way and the manner necessary for you. He is able to design and lay out a program for you. "And if you obey most of those on earth…" — see how it prepares the listener's mind. In the first sentence, in the first verse, the issue is the rule and judgment of God, who is most worthy of all to rule and judge. In the second verse, the issue is the irreversibility of God's religion and command: let the enemy and the disbeliever and the obstinate adversary do whatever wrong they will — God's command is ratified and complete. In the third verse, the point is that one must not obey desires and whims and caprices; one must obey God. "And if you obey most of those on earth, they will lead you astray from the path of God." And if you follow and obey most of the people on earth, the majority, "they will lead you astray from the path of God." "They follow nothing but conjecture" — they follow nothing but supposition, "and they do nothing but guess" — and they are only guessing. With illusion, with estimation, with conjecture, the people act. Those who fabricate and propose ways and methods and systems for people's lives — are they certain of the correctness of these ways? If, out of naivete, they are certain, then one ought to wish them forty or fifty more years in this world, so they may see how their solid blueprints turned out ruined, see how their forecasts turned out wrong. But they are not even certain; "they do nothing but guess." With estimation, with conjecture, with hypothesis and theory, they want to govern the people of the world, the human societies — with theory. But God does not govern anyone by theory; with the very text of reality, with real knowledge and science, He guides human beings to the straight path. "Surely your Lord — He knows best who strays from His path" — surely it is your Lord who knows best the state of those who go astray from His path — "and He knows best the rightly guided" — and He knows best those who are guided and rightly led. "Eat of that over which the name of God has been mentioned, if you are believers in His signs." Here, at first, a person reads it with utter astonishment. These verses have just laid down general matters: that one must not obey the majority of people, that one must not follow conjecture and supposition and theory and hypothesis, that the command of the Lord regarding the final prophethood and regarding religion is complete and unalterable. Then suddenly, after these general statements, He says: eat of that over which the name of God has been pronounced; a sheep slaughtered with the name of God — you have the right to eat of this; a secondary matter! It seems very astonishing to a person — what connection do these have with one another? Of course, whatever I say by way of connection are things I say from my own conception; there is no decisive proof of it. The field is open for understandings and thoughts and perceptions; let people study, find its relevance — but to us, too, some things occur. First: in the sight of the Lord, who is above this world and stands at a level and horizon beyond human conception, as we said, all matters are on a single level. For God, the general matters relating to humankind are no different from the particular matters; it is all one. For God everything is one. For the Lord of the worlds, whatever is a means to a human being's felicity is set forth as a command; it makes no difference whether this command is particular, secondary, relating to one person, or whether it is general, universal, relating to all of humankind — that is the first point. Second: let us properly dissect the matter of slaughter and ritual purification (tadhkiyah). What does it mean that the name of God must be pronounced at the time of slaughtering an animal that a person intends to eat? You know that the polytheists, and the tribes and nations and communities who were deprived of Tawhid, used to invoke the name of their object of worship on every occasion, in every situation, for every act. "In the name of the Messiah," for example, as it is reported regarding the Christians. And we know that worldly idols, worldly powers, too, always try to set their own name at the opening and the outset and the preface of every act. Any act begun in the name of other than God necessarily has a non-divine orientation. Begin a task for the sake of money, for the sake of carnal desire, for the sake of such matters — with that name, with that remembrance — and necessarily its direction too becomes the direction of that very thing, the thing whose name and remembrance you brought upon your tongue or into your mind at the start of the task. A task done with the remembrance of money, and for money, is oriented toward making money. To the very end it proceeds in such a way that money comes out of it. The act, in its orientation, moves in such a way that nothing other than money is of any concern to it. But a task begun in the name of God, with the remembrance of God, has a divine orientation as well; its orientation, too, is in accord with the command of God and in keeping with the order of the Lord. They tell us that even the slaughtered animal, when you slaughter it, slaughter it with the name of God. That is, your most essential, most primary need, which is your food, must be with the name of God, must be for God. Even when you fill your stomach, you must fill it for God. The result of this is that filling the stomach is not the principle — God is the principle. If at some point you sense that, in wishing to fill your stomach, you will fall far from God, then abandon this, do not fill it, let it remain hungry, let it die of hunger, and let no movement issue from you contrary to the divine orientation. Why? Because the stomach, though it is a genuine need, is nevertheless not the principle in your life; in your life the principle is God and the orientation toward God. This is what "Bismillah" — uttered while slaughtering the sheep — teaches us; "Bismillah," uttered while taking a morsel and eating food, teaches us this. Begin with "Bismillah," even eating. Begin with "Bismillah," even the act of mating. Begin with "Bismillah" — even entering, going, coming out, going into the house, the door of the shop — every act. What does this mean? It means that all the orientations of your life, for the meeting of any need, even the primary needs, must be in accord with God's command and in the direction of the path of God (sabil Allah). Indeed my prayer, my rites of devotion, my living and my dying are for God, the Lord of the worlds. My prayer, my worship, my life, my death — yes, even my death — Abraham says: "for God, the Lord of the worlds," for God, that Disposer and Lord of the affairs of all the worlds. "He has no partner" — He has no partner whatsoever. The Lord of the worlds has no partner in any single domain of my life, even in my eating. Not only in my praying — in my movements, in my efforts, in my exertions, I admit no partner alongside God. This realm of my being is wholly at God's disposal and within the domain of His power and command. So when you slaughter the animal, slaughter it in this way. But the Qurayshi disbeliever in one way, and the non-Qurayshi disbeliever in another way, when he slaughters the animal, when he kills the sheep, when he eats food, when he lives, when he opens his shop — not only is it not in the name of God, not with the remembrance of God, but it is in the name of other than God and with the remembrance of other than God. Take this slaughtered animal as a symbol; take the name of God at the time of slaughtering the sheep as a symbol. It is itself a ruling, a juristic ruling — and of course the name of God must definitely be pronounced — yet take it as a symbol too, a symbol of the essential and genuine needs of a human being: the slaughtering of the sheep. This must be with the name of God; what does this mean? It means that even your most essential, most fundamental, most primary, most genuine needs you must regard as for the sake of God, and seek for the sake of God. Even the morsel of bread you eat to relieve your hunger, eat it for the sake of God; for the sake of God relieve your hunger and breathe strength into your body. Well, it is evident that the strength which has come to a person's body for the sake of God must also be expended for the sake of God. This is the logical conclusion, plain as two and two make four. See how precise it is. Eat of that over which the name of God has been mentioned, if you are believers in His signs. "And why should you not eat of that over which the name of God has been mentioned?" — what is the matter with you, that is, for what reason, why "should you not eat" — "of that over which the name of God has been mentioned"? "When He has set out in detail for you what He has forbidden you, except that to which you are compelled" — whereas God has, in detail, by way of explanation, set forth for you what is forbidden to you, except in the state of necessity; apart from that, everything is lawful for you. "And surely many lead astray by their desires, without knowledge" — many lead people astray by their own whims, without any knowledge, without any insight. By the sheer caprice of their own whims and desires they draw people into deviation and error. "Surely your Lord — He knows best the transgressors" — your Lord indeed knows best the transgressors and the aggressors. These who draw people into deviation and error without possessing knowledge and learning are, according to the indication of this verse, transgressors (mu'tadin), aggressors, those committing aggression and enmity. And forsake the outward and inward of sin. Set aside that whose sin is outward and that whose sin is hidden and inward. There are some acts whose flaws, whose evil consequences, are outward: that the killing of a soul is an evil deed is plain; to take the life of a living being, without warrant, is plainly a wrongful act; its being a sin is outward. And there are some acts whose being a sin is not properly evident, manifest, and visible. There are many things a person does not realize how great they are: speaking without knowledge, following other than knowledge, treating the name and remembrance of God lightly and as trivial, obeying other than God, hearing and heeding the command of other than God — these are things a person does not imagine could have such great harms and evil consequences; their being a sin is hidden, concealed. Yet, even so, one must set aside both. Whatever is sin, whether overt or hidden, must be forsaken. "And forsake the outward and inward of sin" — set aside and abandon those things which are outwardly sinful, whose being a sin is outward, and those that are inwardly sinful, whose being a sin is inward and concealed. "Surely those who commit sin will be requited for what they used to perpetrate" — those who make sin their acquisition and earning will be requited for the deeds they used to commit. "And do not eat of that over which the name of God has not been mentioned" — do not eat of that over which the name of God has not been pronounced — "for that is indeed a transgression (fisq)" — this is fisq, a going out from religion. Here He places emphasis on the importance of the remembrance of God and the name of God. "And truly the satans inspire…" — most of our emphasis is on this segment. Of course, from the beginning of these verses we have recited up to here, there were step by step indications useful to us for the point we have set forth here. And of course, the more you ponder, the clearer it becomes. But the principal portion of our argument and citation is this final segment of the verse: And truly the satans inspire their friends to dispute with you — the satans and the poles of wickedness inspire their friends and confederates and allies to dispute with you. The satans and the poles of corruption and decay fill up their agents, their friends, their confederates and adherents, so that they may come and argue with you, contend with you, and dispute with you. What is your duty before these friends of Satan? "And truly the satans inspire their friends to dispute with you" — but as for you — "and if you obey them, you are surely idolaters (mushrikun)" — if you obey them, follow them, you are idolaters. See — an idolater, very plainly. So obedience to Satan — that is, the pole of wickedness, set over against the All-Merciful; Satan over against the All-Merciful; Satan over against God — obedience to Satan, that is, the pole of wickedness, or obedience to the friends of Satan, that is, his hirelings, his instruments, his friends, his confederates, his servants: obedience to these causes you to become an idolater. "And if you obey them" — and if you obey them — "you are surely" — you indeed — "idolaters" — you are certainly idolaters. That is one chapter. The second portion is from Surat al-Shu'ara', which we now do not have much time to translate in full detail; I will give a very brief translation so that we may conclude. The most striking and penetrating expressions on many themes, whether in the Qur'an or in Hadith, are set forth for people in the form of images and scene-settings of the Resurrection. When they wish to vividly portray a matter for the listener — and it is the same in the hadiths — to make it clear so that it may penetrate to the depths of his soul, they depict for him a scene of the Resurrection; that affair is reflected there, and the present passage is of this kind. And Paradise will be brought near for the God-fearing. Paradise was brought near and within reach for the pious. He is speaking of the Day of Resurrection, but He speaks of it in the past tense. The certain-to-occur future, in the Arabic language, can be expressed with the past tense. "The Hour drew near, and the moon was split" — meaning, it will be. "And Paradise will be brought near for the God-fearing" — and Paradise was brought near and within reach, accessible, for the pious. "And the Blazing Fire will be made manifest to those who went astray" — and Hellfire was shown and made apparent to the astray and the deceived. "Ghiwayah" means going astray; "We led them astray" means We deceived them. "Ghawin" means the astray, the deceived, the deluded — these are called "ghawin." "And it will be said to them: Where is that which you used to worship besides God?" — it will be said to them, to these deceived and astray ones: "Where is that which you used to worship besides God?" Where are those things and persons whom you used to worship in place of God? Where are they? Those poles to whom you were attached in life and whose worship you performed — where are they? Here, take note of the word "worship": "that which you used to worship" — you used to worship them. But let us see what they were, those whom these people worshipped, so that the meaning of worship may become clear. "Can they help you, or help themselves?" — can those objects of your worship help you, or are they themselves helped from somewhere? "Or help themselves" — meaning, are they themselves helped? It becomes clear that these objects of worship are ones in need of being helped — evidently they are human beings. These objects of worship were of the human kind, not of the kind of stone and wood and lifeless idols. "Then they will be flung headlong into it — they and those who strayed, and the hosts of Iblis, all together." So they are flung face-down into Hellfire — they, those objects of worship and the deluded and astray and deceived, the followers of corruption — "and the hosts of Iblis, all together." And the hosts of Iblis all together: everyone who in some way did a deed for Iblis, rendered a service to Iblis, took a step on the path of leading God's creatures astray, in whatever manner — in the Resurrection the abode of them all is Hell; their appointment is there. "They will say, while disputing with one another therein…" — then, in the throes of contention with one another, they fall upon each other: these against those, those against these; these cast the blame upon those leaders, and the leaders cast the blame upon these. These say: It was you scoundrels who put the rope around our necks and dragged us behind you, by force, by compulsion; those say: It was you who followed behind us. Each delivers and brings forth a blow, a weapon, against the other group. "They will say" — they say or said — "while disputing with one another therein" — while in Hellfire engaged in contention and combat; they were in dispute and strife. "By God" — they swear by God — "surely we were in manifest error." We were in a manifest error, in a vast error, in an obvious error. Despite its obviousness, we did not realize we were astray, even though if we had come to ourselves even a little, we would have understood what a wrong road, what an evil road, what a dangerous path, and what a deadly, destructive end it was. Even though, if we had thought a little, these things would have become clear — yet, even so, we remained in that error. "By God, surely we were in manifest error" — by God, we were in manifest error. In what way was our deed an error? In this deed of ours: "when we made you equal with the Lord of the worlds" — when we set you on a par with the Lord of the worlds. We ought to have feared God; we feared you. We ought to have been attentive to the command of God; we were attentive to your command. We ought to have striven toward God and for nearness to God; we strove for nearness to you. We ought to have sought our sustenance from God; we sought it from you. "When we made you equal with the Lord of the worlds" — when we set you equal and on a par with the Lord of the worlds. "And none led us astray but the criminals" — none led us astray but the criminals and sinners. "So now we have no intercessors" — today we have no intercessor — "nor any loving friend" — and we have no compassionate friend. "If only we had a return, that we might be among the believers!" — would that there were for us a return to the world, so that we might become believers. "Surely in that there is a sign" — in this affair and scene there is a sign; take heed. "Surely in that there is a sign" — in this saying there is a sign and a token. "But most of them are not believers" — most of them are not believers, not possessed of faith. See here, in these verses, that the discourse was about persons whom the people had worshipped; then, when we look carefully at the words, we see that their worship had this meaning: that they had fallen in behind them, had regarded them as equal to God, had sought from them what should be sought from God, and had observed their regard in matters where, for the sake of God, one ought not to act.