The Illuminating Lantern An exposition of subtleties from the Qurʾān Part Thirty Shaykh Ḥabīb al-Kāḍhimī Translated by Alexander Khaleeli ISBN: 9780986295140 Copyright © 2016 by Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (I.M.A.M.) All rights reserved. I.M.A.M. allows the reproduction of any part of this booklet in case of fair use away of any commercial profi t. Published by: Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (I.M.A.M.) 22000 Garrison St. Dearborn, MI 48124 Tel: 313 - 562 - IMAM (4626) www.imam-us.org Layout by Taqwa Media, LLC www.taqwamedia.com Contents I.M.A.M’s Foreword . .vii Preface ................................................. xiii Sūrat al-Nabaʾ (no. 78: The Tiding) ...........................1 Sūrat al-Nāziʿāt (no. 79: Those Who Wrest Violently) .........25 Sūrat ʿAbasa (no. 80: He Frowned) ..........................47 Sūrat al-Takwīr (no. 81: The Winding) .......................63 Sūrat al-Infiṭār (no. 82: The Sundering)......................77 Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn (no. 83: The Defrauders)..................89 Sūrat al-Inshiqāq (no. 84: The Splitting) ....................103 Sūrat al-Burūj (no. 85: The Houses of the Zodiac) ............121 Sūrat al-Tāriq (no. 86: The Morning Star) ...................133 Sūrat al-Aʿlā (no. 87: The Most High) .......................141 Sūrat al-Ghāshiyah (no. 88: The Enveloper) .................155 Sūrat al-Fajr (no. 89: The Daybreak) ........................165 Sūrat al-Balad (no. 90: The Town) ..........................183 Sūrat al-Shams (no. 91: The Sun)...........................197 Sūrat al-Layl (no. 92: The Night) ...........................211 Sūrat al-Ḍuḥā (no. 93: The Morning Brightness) . 227 Sūrat al-Sharḥ (no. 94: The Opening-Up) ...................239 Sūrat al-Tīn (no. 95: The Fig) ..............................249 Sūrat al-ʿAlaq (no. 96: The Clinging Mass)...................257 Sūrat al-Qadr (no. 97: The Ordainment).....................273 Sūrat al-Bayyinah (no. 98: The Manifest Proof) . 287 Sūrat al-Zalzalah (no. 99: The Quaking).....................299 Sūrat al-ʿĀdiyāt (no. 100: The Chargers) ....................307 Sūrat al-Qāriʿah (no. 101: The Catastrophe) .................315 Sūrat al-Takāthur (no. 102: Rivalry) ........................321 Sūrat al-ʿAṣr (no. 103: Time)...............................329 Sūrat al-Humazah (no. 104: The Scandal-Monger) ...........337 Sūrat al-Fīl (no. 105: The Elephant) ........................345 Sūrat Quraysh (no. 106: The Quraysh) ......................353 Sūrat al-Māʿūn (no. 107: Aid) ..............................361 Sūrat al-Kawthar (no. 108: Kawthar) .......................371 Sūrat al-Kāfirūn (no. 109: The Faithless Ones) ...............383 Sūrat al-Naṣr (no. 110: Divine Help) ........................391 Sūrat al-Masad (no. 111: The Palm Fiber) ...................401 Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (no. 112: Devotion) .........................409 Sūrat al-Falaq (no. 113: The Dawn) . .417 Sūrat al-Nās (no. 114: Mankind) ...........................425 I.M.A.M’s Foreword In the Name of Allāh, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful All praise belongs to God, Lord of all the worlds, and may the best of blessings and peace be upon the mercy sent to all nations, the seal of the prophets and messengers, Muḥammad, son of ʿAbd Allāh, and on his pure and infallible progeny from whom God repelled all impurity and purified with a thorough purification. God, the Exalted, says, “Indeed this Qurʾān guides to what is most upright and gives the good news to the faithful who do righteous deeds that there is a great reward for them” (17:9). Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (I.M.A.M.) is glad to present its readers with another kind of knowledge and learning. It is indeed the source of all knowledge and learning for anybody who is searching for happiness, provided he really grasps it and acts upon it. This is testified to by all those specialized in knowledge and science who possess a free spirit and sound judgment. It is the gracious Qurʾān, the heavenly book that was revealed to the seal of the prophets and messengers, Muḥammad, son of ʿAbd Allāh, may Allāh shower him and his progeny with mercy (who was born in the year 53 before Hijrah and departed this world in 11 AH, 570– 632 AD). In the 1,400 years separating us from the revelation of the Qurʾān, numerous books have been written about it. Some spoke of its value, meaning, and fruitage. Others spoke of knowledge about it, such as knowing the Meccan and Medinan, miracle and revelation, infallibility, distortion and abrogation, definitive and metaphorical, and other issues known as the Qurʾānic sciences. Still others, and they are the majority, undertook the task of explicating and constructing it. This reflects another aspect of vii The Illuminating Lantern its eternal transcendence. Throughout history, there have been a great number of singular compositions by exceptional authors that compelled scholars to dissect them and comment on them over and over. Although they commanded a great amount of analysis and interpretation, they faded as time passed. This is because the state of any composition mirrors the state of its author, and as long as the author is still learning and growing, human knowledge and its products throughout the ages remain open to criticism and to further integration. Allāh, the Exalted, says, “O man! You are laboring toward your Lord laboriously, and you will encounter Him” (84:6). However, since its revelation, this book has remained a rich banquet for admirers of knowledge and a field where scholars of diverse specialties have been tussling eagerly and relentlessly throughout the ages, whether they were believers in it, neutral prospectors, or opponents searching for stumbles and errors. It is the gracious Qurʾān, the eternal miracle of the seal of the prophets, Muḥammad, son of ʿAbd Allāh, may Allāh shower him and his progeny with mercy. Today, we live in an age in which various fields and branches of knowledge have advanced greatly. Some thinkers even went to the extreme and proposed the theory of the end of history, claiming that humans have reached the peak in knowledge and progress. This theory was annulled in less than a decade, and the Qurʾān had already invalidated it as it states, “And say, ‘My Lord! Increase me in knowledge’” (20:114) and declares, “And you have not been given of knowledge except a little” (17:85). Despite all the progress we see in various sciences and fields, reality imposes itself again and again. Any prospector can tour the vast online libraries from around the world to face the glory of the Qurʾān with its elegant look and in-depth content. The mind is baffled again and again and one is filled with pride when reading the words and descriptions some great scholars from different religions, schools, faiths, and beliefs have written about this singular book. Some characteristics that distinguish this divine book and make it peerless and matchless are briefly as follows: viii I.M.A.M’s Foreword • Generality and inclusiveness: The Qurʾān is an extensive book that speaks about many aspects of human life. It echoes and emulates humans’ instinct, inner conscience, and internal call. It tells about the unseen and eliminates human fear and anxiety about the metaphysical and supernatural world. It also satisfies the human mind with comforting and calming faith and provides him with frameworks and regulations that enhance and protect his individual and social relations. • Transcendence and defiance: The Qurʾān is the only book that defies finding any flaw or imperfection in itself. It challenges everybody to come up with one verse that resembles its 6,666 verses. It also challenges humanity to prove one thought or idea presented by it to be void or ineffective. Instead, we notice a unique transcendence that manifests itself in the confirmation of its prophecies throughout the ages. • Perpetuity and endurance: Every idea, vision, or law has a limited duration. In contrast, the principles, resolutions, and laws presented by the Qurʾān are eternal, as it is in accordance with human nature. • Universality and internationality: The gracious Qurʾān is God’s book. It is God’s word to all of His creatures with no exception. No wonder we find that only a small part of the Qurʾān contains teachings and instructions to believers while the majority of its verses speak to humanity as a whole and address the two main pillars of human thought which are beliefs and ethics. It presents them with a uniquely woven set of principles, standards, and laws that ensure a prosperous life for them. • Progress and futurism: No matter how much the human mind advances and progresses with new inventions and discoveries, we see the Qurʾān keeping pace with it and find no conflicts whatsoever. Instead, we see the Qurʾān spur, support, and affirm any notion, research, or logical thought that could benefit humanity. ix The Illuminating Lantern I would like to invite all my brothers and sisters in humanity, regardless of their religious, sectarian, racial, or ethnic affiliations, and regardless of any belief they have, as a brother or sister to observe the Qurʾān and have a neutral reading of it at least once. Let’s read the Qurʾān with our mind, with our conscience, with our instinct as it is, without regard to any presuppositions, prejudgments, or indoctrinations, and let’s see the latitude we can reach. I, personally, have tried this, and I would like to share this feeling with my brothers and sisters in humanity. I would also like for my brothers and sisters in religion to not settle for just reciting the Qurʾān or simply being proud of it, but to examine it daily to replenish their spirituality and to act upon its teachings in their daily conduct. God, the Exalted, has chosen the Arabic language for His holy book because, on one hand, it is accurate and precise and can express the meaning perfectly and, on the other hand, it can express one meaning in several ways without changing the original content, thus suiting the Qurʾān as a permanent message that can meet different needs in different times, places, and domains.