Err…log meri kaafi waat laga rahay hain kuch na likhnay per so I thought kuch to likh doon.
Two questions:
1) Woh kya hai jo Allah mian nahin dekh saktay per insaan dekh leta hai?
2) Woh kya cheez hai jisay aagay se Allah mian ne banaya hai aur peechhay se insaan ne?
NOTE: Pachaas comment maro tab answer bataoon ga!
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? 
I’ve been facing a dilemma. I want to ask some questions but I’m apprehensive w.r.t. the consequences.
I’ve decided to cancel the third Zakir Naik post about Karbala and the Quraan when I saw the comments in my first Zakir Naik post [I still might do one on Yazeed(L.A.) and another on Muawiyah(L.A.)]. People do not understand the Quraan and still act like they were the ones it was revealed to. No offense, but our “Ummah” is immature to the core.
They refuse to question their beliefs, ignoring that the only thing capable of making them learn more is the question “Why?”
One of my elders, Syed Fayyaz Haider Zaidi, said to me:
“The beliefs of your parents are not religion!”
And when I pondered over it, I realized how true it was. You should too. I’ve questioned my beliefs before, and am happy to say that each “Why?” strengthens my faith in Allah and his Prophet (S.A.W.W.). Their have been times when I was baffled beyond measure but when I thought about those things I realized how great Allah was. I now stand proud of my God!
Some of these things, I’ve shared with you. Most, I haven’t. I don’t think people can take the burden and not go crazy. And when they go crazy, I become the heretic.
I must say, I didn’t think on my own. I was helped all along. Allah made me lucky that I was born at the right time to receive that help. By whom, some of you know. Some do not. But I don’t think anyone is interested, so I’m not naming that helper.
My concept of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) differs greatly from that of people I meet. To such an extent that I fear being declared a heretic by others. Because no one tries to understand how great he truly is! People are hell bent on declaring him a common man with mistakes, using the same Quraan that they do not understand, under the slogan “Quraan kaafi hai!”
Well it’s not, for your information. (There is a better answer but it’s not good for people with bloated egos and pea-sized brains who refuse to think. So just keep in mind the hadees: “I’m leaving behind with you two things…“)
This also brings me back to my dilemma. Should I pose those questions here or not? Should I be brave and not give a crap what the world thinks?
I’m currently neither in the emotional state nor the mood to bear the burden of long and stupid comments but there is a part of me that wants to tick the world off. To say things that no one wants to believe but are actually true.
I remember my old office, listening to Nauhas in Muharram with my Sunni colleagues. They had respect for the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) family and for that I respected them a lot. They actually used to ask me to put on certain Nauhas that they liked and I had sort of become a “Nauha Jockey”. But good times don’t last long, do they?
Today, I see people interested in the Gaza crisis, bashing Israel and all, yet they get thorns in their tongues when it comes to the massacre of the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) own family. They can’t bear the mention of what happened then. Well let me tell you something: the Gaza massacre is nothing compared to the Yazeedi brutality (read Muslim brutality) of that time. Read and think about Karbala, if not from a Muslim’s point of view then do it as a human. Otherwise all this cry over Gaza is sheer hypocrisy, nothing else. What’s happening in Gaza is happening to the whole population. Imagine if it all happened to just one family.
Done that?
Welcome to Karbala, 61 AH!
Back to my dilemma, should I transfer some of the burden to your brain? Are you ready for it? It won’t be easy, trust me on this and it will require a lot of thinking, and research if you want to investigate.
Hmmm?
And do remember that behind every smile, there are a thousand secret sorrows! 
(Man, I’m getting good at philosophy. Maybe I should quit trying to be a software engineer and become a philosopher or writer? Am I good enough?)
Anyone in the mood to listen to Nadeem Sarwar’s “Kya Muhammad Ka Pyara Nahin Hoon?” vintage version?
P.S. Sorry if this post disturbed you. Following posts may go several steps ahead.
Four signs you may be a Taliban:
- You have more wives than teeth.
- You own a $5000 Rocket Launcher but can’t afford shoes.
- You refine Heroin but have a moral objection to Beer.
And most significantly,
- You think vests come in two styles: Bulletproof and Suicide.
Disclaimer: The above text may not be factually correct or even if it is, what can I do! It is only meant to satiate the human need for the phenomenon called laughter and is in no way designed or constructed to hurt the feelings of people, and consequentially lead to the deaths of 35 or so people in a mosque or military area somewhere. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, is merely coincidental and entirely God’s fault.
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