Part 42

with other concepts, as in the following verses. Allah says: “. .. And whosoever fears Allah will make a way for him to get out. He will provide him from [sources] he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him . . .” (65:2-3); and “. . . Indeed, he who fears Allah with obedience to Him, and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the good-doers to be lost” (12:90); He also says: “. .. And fear Allah through Whom you claim your mutual [rights], and the wombs [that bore you] . ..” (4:1); and “. .. Fear Allah and speak always the Truth” (33:70); and “. . . Fear Allah and be with those who are true [in words and deeds]” (9:119); and “. . . Fear Allah as He should be feared and die not except in a state of being Muslims” (3:102); and so forth.

Thus Allah’s saying: “. .. Fear Allah and be with those who are true [in words and deeds]” (9:119) is similar to His saying: “Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend of that which He has made you trustees of. ..” (57:7). Allah also says: “The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of belief. Each one [of them] believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. We make no distinction [they say] between one and another of His Messengers. And they say: ‘We hear, and we obey” (2:285), [shameful deeds] are implied in unjust deeds. Their saying, ‘we hear, and we obey’ is conjoined with Iman [each one of the believers believes in Allah and His Angels] as well as the phrase “directed to the right,” associated with fearing Allah in the previous verse, and it is well known that the phrase “fear of Allah,” if used alone, implies the “word directed to the right.” Likewise, the word Iman, if used alone, implies hearing and obeying Allah and His Messenger. Similarly Allah says: “Believe in Allah and His Messenger . . . :” (57:7). If the term “belief in Allah” is used in an absolute sense in connection with Muhammad’s community of belief, then it includes belief in Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah, based on the verse that reads: “. . . Each one [of them] believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. . .” (2:285). We may conclude that if we speak in an absolute manner of belief in Allah, it implies within it belief in such subordinate realities as those mentioned here [namely, Allah’s Angels, His Books and His Messengers]. The same truth is affirmed in the following verses. Allah says: “And those who believe in that which has been revealed to you [Oh, Muhammad], and in that which was revealed before you . . .” (2:4); and Allah also says: “Say [Oh, Muslims], “we believe in Allah and that which has been revealed to us and that which has been revealed to Abraham . . .”” (2:136).

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We may conclude, based on the following saying of Allah: “. . . So believe in Allah and His Messenger [Muhammad], the Prophet who could neither read or write . . .” (7:158), that belief in Allah’s Messenger includes belief in all His Books and Prophets. Similarly, Allah says: “. .. And believe too in His Messenger, He will give you a double portion of His Mercy . . .” (57:28). He also says: “Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend of that whereof he has made you trustees. . :” (57:7). This indicates that belief in Allah and His Messenger implies belief in all these related promises and commands. The command to spend one’s wealth as Allah’s stewards is also found in another verse. Allah says: “Believe in Allah and His Messenger . . .” (57:7), just as the command to speak rightly is implied in the verse which reads: “. .. And indeed, We have recommended the people of the Scripture before you . . .” (4:131).

The same applies to the word al-birr, righteousness, which, if used in an absolute sense, implies all of what Allah commands, as illustrated in the following verses. Allah says: “As for the righteous ones, they will be blessed; and the wicked, they will be in the Fire” (82:13-14); and“. . . It is a virtue if you fear Allah. . .” (2:189); and“. . . But it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Prophets; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for the orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts you have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain [or suffering] and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of piety” (2:177). The word al-birr, righteousness, if used in an absolute sense, implies al-taqwa, fearing Allah. Likewise, al-taqwa, fearing Allah, if used in an absolute sense, implies righteousness. But it is no longer the case if they are used in conjunction with each other, as in Allah’s saying: “. . . Help you one another in righteousness and fearing Allah . . .” (5:2).

Likewise, the word ithm, sin, when used in an absolute sense, encompasses all sins and misdeeds. At times this term is associated with the concept of al-‘udwan, aggression, as in the verse: “. .. And do help one another in sin and aggression ...” (5:2). The term dhunib, sins, when used in an absolute sense, includes the neglect of any duty and the commission of any forbidden act, as may be seen in Allah’s saying, “. .. Oh, My slaves who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, indeed Allah forgives all sins . . .” (39:53). The same word may be found in conjunction with other related concepts. For example,

Allah says: “. .. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions . . .” (3:147). With respect to the term al-huda, guidance, when used in an absolute sense, it includes both the knowledge with which Allah sent His Messenger, as well as acting on the basis of such knowledge. For this reason it comprises everything that Allah has commanded, as Allah says: “Guide us to the Straight Way” (1:6), which is a prayer both to know the truth with certainty and to be enabled to act on it. Similarly, what is meant in the following verse: “. .. Guidance belongs to the Godfearing” (2:2), is that such individuals both have knowledge of what Allah’s guidance consists of and act based on that knowledge, on account of which they have prospered spiritually. The concept of guidance appears also in the words spoken by those in Paradise. Allah says: “. . . Praise be to Allah Who guides us for this . . .” (7:43), for Allah has guided them by inspiring them with beneficial knowledge and.the wherewithal to do good works. The notion of guidance may also be linked with that of al-ijtiba’, choosing or election. Allah says: “. .. We chose them, and We guided them to a straight path” (6:87); and “[He was] thankful for His Graces. He chose him and guided him . . .” (16:121); and “. . . Allah chooses for Himself whom He will, and guides unto Himself who turns to Him in repentance and obedience” (42:13); and “He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth [Islam] . . .” (48:28). In this last verse, “guidance” refers to belief, while “the religion of truth” refers to Islam. And if the term “guidance” is used in an absolute sense, then the term “belief” is used in a similar fashion; it includes both true guidance and adherence to Islam.

As for the word al-dalal, error (i.e., to go astray), when used in an absolute sense, it refers to anyone who has strayed from right guidance, whether deliberately or out of ignorance. Moreover, such a person must suffer torment. Allah says: “Indeed, they found their fathers on the wrong path, so they [too] made haste to follow in their footsteps” (37:69—70); and He also says: “. . . And they will say: ‘Our Lord! Indeed, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones and they mislead us from the [right] way. Our Lord! Give them double torment and curse them with a mighty curse!” (33:67-68). Allah also says: “. . . Then whoever follows My guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery” (20:123). This term may also be associated with the concepts of al-ghayy, transgression, and alghadab, wrath. Allah says: “Your companion [Muhammad] has neither gone astray nor has erred” (53:2); and “The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not(the way) of those who earned Your anger nor of those who went

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astray” (1:7); and “Indeed the criminals are in error and will burn in the Hellfire in the Hereafter” (54:47). The word ghayy, likewise, if used in an absolute manner, includes any act of disobedience against Allah. This may be seen in Allah’s saying concerning Satan: “. . . I shall mislead them all. Except Your chosen, slaves among them” (15:39-40). Moreover, it may also be paired with the word dalal, to go astray, as in the verse: “Your companion [Muhammad] has neither gone astray nor has erred” (53:2).

Similarly, if the word faqir, poor, is used in an absolute way, implies miskin, needy, which in tum, if it is applied in an absolute sense, it implies “poor,” as in the following sayings of Allah: “. .. But if you conceal them [acts of charity], and make them reach those [really] in need, that is best for you...” (2:271); and“... For expiation, feed ten needy persons . . .” (5:89). But if both words are joined together, they have distinct meanings, as illustrated in Allah’s saying: “Alms are for the poor and the needy . . .” (9:60).

With regard to those nouns whose significations differ according to whether they are used in a mugayyad, qualified, versus a mutlaq, absolute, manner, or in tajrid, isolation, versus in igtiran, conjunction, with another word, one finds at times, when one of two words that were previously paired is used in isolation from the other, it takes on a more inclusive meaning than it did when it was paired. Examples of words thus used in context with one another are: Iman, belief, and ma‘rif, commendable work; al-‘amal, work, and al-sidg, truthfulness, or almunkar, bad act, al-fahsha’, abomination, and al-baghi, injustice; and so on. At other times, however, two or more words are equally general or specific, as are Iman, belief, birt, piety, and taqwa, righteousness; or the words faqir, poor, and miskin, needy. Any of these sets of words, when employed in an absolute sense, take on whatever meaning is borne by the other. The same applies to the term tilawah, recitation, if this word is used in an absolute sense, as in the following verse. Allah says: “Those to whom We gave the Book recite it as it should be recited . ..” (2:121). This verse includes the sense of carrying out the recitation. This is how it has been interpreted by the Companions of the Prophet and their Successors, among them Ibn Mas‘id, [bn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, and others, who said “The clause yatliinahu haqgqa tilawatihi, recited is as it should be recited, means that they follow it [the Book] as it ought to be followed, allowing that which it permits and banning what it forbids, obeying those commands whose meanings