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Knowledge Of The Book

Friday, January 16th, 2009

I have been going through some Quraanic translations lately. Consider the following translations of Surah Al-Qalam, 1-6:

Ahmed Raza Khan: Mohammed Aqib Qadri:

Nuun* – by oath of the pen and by oath of what is written by it. (Alphabet of the Arabic language; Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.) You are not insane, by the munificence of your Lord. And indeed for you is an unlimited reward. And indeed you possess an exemplary character. So very soon, you will see and they too will realise – That who among you was insane.

Yusuf Ali:

Nun. By the Pen and the (Record) which (men) write,- Thou art not, by the Grace of thy Lord, mad or possessed. Nay, verily for thee is a Reward unfailing: And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character. Soon wilt thou see, and they will see, – Which of you is afflicted with madness.

Pickthal:

Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith), Thou art not, for thy Lord’s favour unto thee, a madman. And lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing. And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature. And thou wilt see and they will see Which of you is the demented.

Do you find a difference in translation?

Anyone who has studied the Arabic language can see that every word has multiple meanings. Hell, even in Urdu there are words with multiple meanings, not to mention English (try learning words for GRE, you’ll go mad!) I’m not a scholar on Arabic but I’ve seen and heard examples of such words. I’ll share one with you on an upcoming post: Rasool-e-Ummi.

So which of the above translations is correct? I mean, in which meaning did Allah reveal the Quraan?

Scholars can gather on one specific translation and declare it to be authentic. What if some scholars gather on one translation and some gather on another? Which is correct? Is the level of knowledge of these translators and scholars enough to decipher the words and intention of God?

Qayaas, as it is popularly known, or unified human opinion on a subject (”unified” might be wrong but “human opinion” isn’t), is spread widely in the Muslim world. Different problems are solved in this way by Muslims. Religion has become the thought of humans, rather than something from God.

And now we have Qayaas on the Quraan. People gather and say “Hey I think this verse means this!”

Notice the word think.

Surely when the Quraan wasn’t here, humans were thinking about idol worship (Laat, Manaat, Uzza, etc). And about Jesus and the Trinity. And Yahweh. And Rama, Krishna, Seeta, etc. They still are. Now that the Quraan is here, would Allah trust humans with thinking about the meaning of the Quraan?

And now that they have thought about it, you can see the result above.

Some will say “the Quraan says it’s an easy book to understand”. But we already see that above, don’t we? There are countless more examples that I’m too lazy to post.

In Surah-e-Namal, the tale of Suleiman and Bilquees is told in which Asif Bine Barkhia promises to bring the throne of Bilquees to Suleiman before he can bat his eyelids, just because he possesses a “little knowledge of the book”. Uh-oh, is the name Asif Bine Barkhia even in the Quraan? Whoops!

Doesn’t matter. What matters is the following verse (it’s actually not the whole verse, only the end part):

Qul Kafa Billahi Shaheedam Bayeni Wa Bayenakum Waman Indahu Ilm-ul-Kitab!

“(O’ Prophet) say: Enough for witness between me and you, is Allah and he who possesses the Knowledge of the Book.”

(Thunder: 43)

Oh-kaayy…..I know Allah and the Prophet. Someone know the third guy?

Asif Bine Barkhia can move a throne in a jiffy if he possesses some of the knowledge of the Book. And then there’s this ‘third guy’ who possesses knowledge of the whole Book. Imagine what he must be able to do. Who is he?

He must know what the Quraan means then. If the above translators could understand the Quraan, they would be moving thrones too, starting with Bush. Bring his desk, throw a shoe, send back. Repeat procedure. Make an infinite loop. America would’ve been in a load of crap…sorry, shoes by now.

So…who’s this guy I’m asking about? Does anyone know here please?

You must be wanting to ask me “Why not consult the Prophet himself?” Well, he must indeed know the knowledge in the Book as he got the Book. And he used it too. Shaq-qul-Qamar, anyone? But since he was an Ummi, I’d rather go for this third guy. Imagine having Knowledge of the Whole Book yet not being able to read and write. Must be pretty hard on the Prophet.

Don’t ask me whether this guy came to this planet or not. If he didn’t, why would Allah use his name as witness to the Holy Prophet’s prophethood in front of the non-believers?

It CANNOT be Gabriel, he couldn’t even go beyond the point of Sidra during the Prophet’s Mairaj. This guy has to be wayyy better!

But sadly, the question remains who?

16.01.2009 Amazing, General Knowledge, Muhammad(S.A.W.W.), Reflections, Religious, Women 105 Comments

Wake Up, We Are Already At War

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

Prime Minister Gilani spent U.S. $ 1 million to meet Mr. Bush but had no stomach to protest a foreign attack inside his country that killed innocent civilians. The priorities remain limited to a party leader who was killed more than nine months ago. The Prime Minister’s microscopic vision only allows him to see the PPP flag. In a country where Party leaders are bigger than political parties and political parties are bigger than Pakistan, what more can we expect from this distorted figure of democracy?

By Laila Sohail

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan —

11 June 2008: U.S. strike killed 11 Pakistan soldiers along the border with Afghanistan.
28 July 2008 – Wana: At least 6 people killed in a U.S. strike inside Pakistan.
4 September 2008 – Angoor Adda – Waziristan: At least 4 people killed in a U.S. strike inside Pakistan.
5 September 2008 – Goorweck Baipali: At least 5 people, including three children killed due to U.S. strike inside Pakistan
8 September 2008 – Wana: At least 21 people killed and 14 injured in a U.S. missile strike inside Pakistan borders. This was the third strike in less than a week.

The number of missile attacks by pilot-less Predator drones in Pakistan have more than tripled in the past year. Pakistani officials reported 11 such strikes this year, compared to three strikes in 2007 [The Washington Post, Sept. 10]

U.S. President Bush, said in his address at the U.S. National Defense University that parts of Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan were “all theatres in the same overall struggle”.

On Monday, July 28, the Prime Minster of Pakistan was on his first visit to the U.S. to show the importance of Pak-U.S. relations. Washington’s response? A strike inside Pakistan killing six. While meeting Mr. Gilani, U.S. President’s praise for Pakistan’s role in the War against Terror was nothing short of mockery.

It was an audacious attempt to show just how helpless and unimportant the Prime Minister and his visit actually were. Unfortunately, it was successful. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani continued to follow his timetable, posing for the camera with President Bush to show how close and respectfully they were working, oblivious to the lives that were lost back home. “We talked about the need for us to make sure that the Afghan border is secure, as best as possible,” Mr. Bush said before the leaders continued their discussions. “Pakistan has made a very strong commitment to that.”

The missile strikes were not important enough to be discussed in their ‘talks’ over a cup of tea. The cost of this friendly call was an alleged U.S. $1 million, paid by Pakistan.

The White House press secretary, Dana M. Perino, admitted that the issues on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan were “complex” but she said the differences were over rated. “It’s tense in that we are working together to try to fight counterterrorism,” she said, “but I think that we are much more on the same page than some people would like to paint”.

Looking at the performance of the latest government in Pakistan, this statement might actually hold true. While Pakistan is definitely not ‘on the same page’ with Washington, the Government of Pakistan is very well “on the same page” with the U.S.

The strikes continue, and all we get is a grin from the President, or a statement from the Prime Minister that goes like this, “This is a war which is Pakistan’s war. And we’ll fight for our own interest. And that is because I have lost my own leader, Benazir Bhutto, because of the militants.”

Nothing about the homes that will never see light again. Nothing about the sovereignty of Pakistan. The priorities remain limited to a party leader who was killed more than nine months ago.

The Prime Minister’s microscopic vision only allows him to see the PPP flag. In a country where Party leaders are bigger than political parties and political parties are bigger than Pakistan, what more can we expect from this distorted figure of democracy?

The U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen wants to attack Pakistan? When are we going to acknowledge the extent of the threat that we face? Are not our western cities as much a part of Pakistan as our central provinces, or are we waiting for a strike more near our homes before we realize what is happening?

To the Media: Play your role as a watchdog now, when we need it. Where are the analysts, the superstar anchors? Where is the intelligentsia that is supposed to enlighten the common man?

To the President: No Mr. Zardari, please spare us your noble advice and wisdom. What we need is an honest leader who can stand up for Pakistan, not a remote controlled U.S. moppet.

To Gen. Ashfaq Kayani: We have no faith in the government. Please retaliate to the threats. Save us from our own, and save us from the enemies outside. We can not compromise on our sovereignty. We stand united with you. May you protect Pakistan always.

Pakistan Paindabad!

Ms. Sohail is a young Pakistani commentator. She can be contacted at blabbersboo@gmail.com

To Bloggers: Use this medium to record your protest! This is the time to be patriotic and show that WE ARE A NATION!