Religion & Belief (Alor Pothay) > Allah: My belief

STORIES IN THE HOLY QURAN

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Shamim Ansary:

THE stories in the Qur'an consist of the state of previous nations, past prophets, and the events that took place while the Qur'an was being revealed. The Qur'an relates many incidents of the past, mentions different lands and ruins.

Types of Stories in the Qur'an:

a) The Qur'an relates the stories of previous prophets and messengers. Allah mentions stories of the miracles with which these prophets were sent, their da'wah to their people, the resistance of their opponents, the stages of da'wah and its evolution, the reward of the believers, and the fate of the disbelievers. These includes the accounts of Prophets Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), 'Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

b) The Qur'an contains stories about what happened to previous nations, and some pious individuals who were not prophets such as Jallut (Goliath), Talut, Dwellers of the Cave, Dhul Qarnayn, Maryam (Mary),
Aasiya (Pharaoh's wife), and the people who were burnt in the pit (as-habul ukhdud).

c) Stories related to incidents which took place in the life of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam like his Night Journey to Jerusalem (al-Isra') and Ascension to the heavens (al-Mi'raj), the migration to Madinah, the Battles of Badr, Uhud, Hunayn, and others.

Shamim Ansary:
Goals of the Qur'anic Stories:

1) Giving exhortation and warning by providing examples and lessons: Allah has narrated in the Noble Qur'an the stories of the past nations and the severe punishments that were sent upon them, and their excruciating doom. Also, how they were destroyed, and what their recompense was for belying their prophets because of their arrogance and resistance to the Truth. This is followed by reminders of the Power of Allah to uproot the lying transgressors. These stories in the Qur'an became lessons for those who came after them. In another verse, Allah says: "These are some of the news of the (population of) towns which We relate unto you (O Muhammad); of them, some are standing, and some have already been reaped. We wronged them not but they wronged themselves. So their gods, other than Allah, whom they invoked, profited them naught when there came the Command of your Lord, nor did they add ought to their lot but destruction. Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the population of towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His punishment is painful and severe," (Hud, 11:100-102).

2) Explaining that the mission of all the prophets was one: All of them called their people towards the Tawheed of Allah, asking them to single Him out in all their acts of worship without associating any partners with Him. There are numerous examples of this in the Qur'an like surahs Al-Anbiya', Maryam, and Al-A'raf. He says: "Before your time We never sent any Messenger without having revealed to him that none has the right to the worshipped but I, so worship Me (alone)," (Al-Anbiya', 21:25). "And to the people of 'Ad, We sent their brother Hud. He said: 'O my people, worship Allah Alone, you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then, fear Him?'" (Al-A'raf, 7:65).

3) Consoling the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, and strengthening his heart to perform da'wah: Allah gave him patience over the harm that was inflicted upon him from his people. Allah clarifies that He gives victory to His Messengers and protects them from His punishment. Along with this, the Qur'an makes the believers firm and strengthens them by giving them assurance that Allah will make them victorious, no matter what. "And all that We relate to you (O Muhammad) of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart
hereby. And in this, (chapter of the Qur'an) has come to you the truth, as well as an admonition and a reminder for the believers," (Hud, 11:20). Allah also says: "Therefore, be patient (O Muhammad) as did the Messengers endowed with firmness of heart, bore themselves with patience. And be in no haste about them (the disbelievers)," (Al-Ahqaf, 46:35).

4) Showing the truthfulness of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam in his da'wah and that he is a prophet who receives revelation from Allah. Allah points towards this fact after ending the story by cautioning that all this information that he receives could not possibly have been obtained from elsewhere as he did not visit the Jewish rabbis or Christian monks to learn the accounts of previous nations and their prophets from the Torah and the Gospels: "This account of something which was beyond the reach of your perception We now reveal unto you: for you were not with them when they drew lots as to which of them should be Mary's guardian, and you were not with them when they contended about it with one another," (Al-i-'Imran, 3:114). Another verse says: "This account of something that was beyond the reach of your perception We now reveal unto you, (O Prophet): for you were not with Joseph's brothers when they arranged their plan together, and also, while they were plotting," (Yusuf, 12:102).

5) The Prophet's arguing with the People of the Book with clear proofs and guidance which they had kept hidden and his challenging them with what was in their books before they were distorted and changed. Allah says: "All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Israel made unlawful for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say (O
Muhammad). "Bring here the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful," (Al-i-'Imran), 3:93).

Shamim Ansary:
The Qur'anic manner of presenting stories is a very special one:

1) Repetition:

The surah repeats a single account several times, like that of Musa (Moses) and Fir'awn (Pharaoh); Nuh (Noah); and Adam's creation. This is done to connect and reconcile the subject with the details. This might also be to bring out the miraculous nature of the Qur'an and its eloquence. Knowledge of Arabic is required to fully appreciate this aspect of the Qur'an. All the stories come in a setting which differs from one place to another, according to the demands of the situation. This repetition has several important wisdoms:

a) To explain the importance and significance of the subject which the story deals with in order to firmly settle their lessons in the souls, e.g. the account of Moses and Pharaoh revolves around the clash between truth and falsehood, light and darkness, the allies of the most Merciful and the allies of the Devil.

b) To bring out and establish the miraculous nature of the Qur'an, as well as its peak of eloquence by bringing forth the same meaning in different ways and styles, such that the repetition does not seem repetitious! It requires a sound grasp of the Arabic language to fully understand this point. Consequently, all translations fail to convey the miraculous nature and the eloquence of the Qur'an.

c) The stories are narrated for a specific purpose. Some relevant details are mentioned at one place while some others are added or subtracted at other places. An example of this can be seen in the stories of the prophets in surah Hud which are repeated again in surah Al-Qamar, but with a new and different style and manner such that the reader might think that the stories and the events were not known to him before!

2) Summarising the Relevant Events of the Story to Achieve Its Aim:

One finds that the Qur'an neither presents the stories as narrative history nor brings the chronological orders of events because it is far from the objective the Qur'an is trying to achieve. An example of this is the story of the Dwellers of the Cave (As-habul Kahf) which the Qur'an narrates to us in surah Al-Kahf. It is about a group of young men whom Allah guided to faith and who escaped from their enemies because they might have forced them to revert to disbelief. The Qur'an does not mention their names, how many they were, or what was their nation or tribe.

3) The Qur'an Puts Forth the True Story as It Occurred:

The stories in the Qur'an are not based upon imagination, rather they are the actual state of affairs in which the people lived. It is a revelation from the All-Knowledgeable, the All-Wise. Allah does not mention something unless it occurred exactly as He states it in the Qur'an. The stories in the Qur'an are drawn from actual historical events and put in an eloquent, beautiful style with the most appropriate choice of Arabic words.

4) Insertion of Advice an Warnings in the Stories of the Qur'an:
 
It is an apparent fact that the Qur'an does not amalgamate all the subjects, rather it calls for reflection. It inserts lessons from which to take heed and this is the object of the whole discussion. This is done in order to fill the hearts with the fear of Allah and to have His consciousness when one reads the Qur'an and contemplates about it. "Pharaoh said: 'Who then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?'Moses said: 'Our Lord is He who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.'(Pharaoh said): 'What about the generations of old?'(Moses) said: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a Record. My Lord is neither unaware nor he forgets! Who has made earth for you like a bed (spreadout); and has opened roads for you therein; and has sent down water (rain) from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation. Eat and pasture your cattle; Truly, in this are proofs and signs for men of understanding. Thereof (of earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again," (Ta-Ha, 20:49-54).

There is a transition from the story of Moses and Pharaoh to the reminder of the greatness of Allah and the manifestations of His being the only deity and proofs of His existence. Furthermore, the pronoun changes from addressing Moses and Pharaoh to a general one to all of humanity.


By Kamil Mufti

Shamim Ansary:
Building the Ark

Prophet Nooh (Noah) may Allaah exalt his mention chose a place outside the city, far from the sea. He collected wood and tools and began working day and night to build the ark. The people's mockery continued: "O Nooh! Does carpentry appeal to you more than prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from the sea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going to carry it for you?" Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention replied: "You will come to know who will be put to shame and suffer."

Allaah, the Almighty, Says (what means): "And He [Nooh] constructed the ship, and whenever an assembly of the people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He said: 'If you ridicule us, then we will ridicule you just as you ridicule. And you are going to know who will get a punishment that will disgrace him [on earth] and upon whom will descend an enduring punishment [in the Hereafter].'" [Quran: 11:38-39]

The ship was constructed, and Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention sat, awaiting Allaah's command. Allaah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushed forth from the oven at Nooh's house, that would be the sign of the start of the flood, and the sign for Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention to act.

The Flood

The terrible day arrived when the oven at Nooh's house, overflowed. Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention hurried to open the ark and summon the believers. He also took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal, bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to the ark, the people laughed loudly: "Nooh must have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?" Almighty Allaah narrates in the Quran (what means): "[So it was], until when Our command came and the oven overflowed, We said: 'Load upon it [i.e., the Ark] of each [creature] two mates and your family, except those about whom the word [i.e., decree] has preceded, and [include] whoever has believed.' But none had believed with him, except a few." [Quran: 11:40]

Nooh's wife was not a believer, so she did not join him; neither did one of Nooh's sons, who was secretly a disbeliever but had feigned faith in front of Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention. Likewise most of the people were disbelievers and therefore did not go on board.

A Description of the Flood

Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was not a crack from which water did not rise. Rain poured from the sky in quantities never seen before on earth. Water continued pouring from the sky and rising from the cracks; hour after hour the level rose. The high waves flooded the land. The interior of the earth moved in a strange way, and the ocean floors lifted suddenly, flooding the dry land. The earth, for the first time was submerged.

The Quran records this story in these verses (which mean): "And [Nooh] said: 'Embark therein; in the Name of Allaah is its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.' And it sailed with them through waves like mountains, and Nooh called to his son who was apart [from them]: 'O my son! Come aboard with us and be not with the disbelievers.' [But] he said: 'I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the water.' [Nooh] said: 'There is no protector today from the decree of Allaah, except for whom He gives mercy.' And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned." [Quran: 11:41-43]

The Flood Ends

Allaah Almighty Says in the Quran (what means): "And it was said: 'O Earth! Swallow up your water, and O sky! Withhold your rain.' And the water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and it [i.e., the ship] came to rest on the [mountain of] Joodiyy. And it was said: 'Away with the wrongdoing people'. And Nooh called to his Lord and said: 'My Lord! Indeed my son is of my family; and indeed, Your promise is true; and You are the most just of judges!' He [Allaah] said: 'O Nooh! Indeed he is not of your family; indeed, he is [one whose] work was other than righteous, so ask Me not for that about which you have no knowledge. Indeed, I advise you, lest you be among the ignorant.' [Nooh] said: 'My Lord! I seek refuge in You from asking that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have Mercy upon me, I will be among the losers.' It was said: 'O Nooh! Disembark in security from Us and blessings upon you and upon nations [descending] from those with you. But other nations [of them] We will grant enjoyment; then there will touch them from Us a painful punishment.'" [Quran: 11:44-48]

With the issue of the divine command, calm returned to the earth, the water retreated, and the dry land shone once again in the rays of the sun. The flood had cleansed the earth of the disbelievers and polytheists.

Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention released the birds and the beasts which scattered over the earth. After that, the believers disembarked. Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention put his forehead to the ground in prostration. The survivors kindled a fire and sat around it. Lighting a fire had been prohibited on board so as not to ignite the ship's wood and burn it up. None of them had eaten hot food during the entire period of the flood. Following the disembarkation, there was a day of fasting in thanks to Allaah.

Nooh's Death

The Quran draws the curtain on the story of Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention. We do not know how his affairs with his people continued. All we know or can ascertain is that on his deathbed he requested his son to worship Allaah alone, and then passed away.

'Abdullaah Ibn 'Amr Ibn Al-'Aas may Allaah be pleased with him narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "When the death of the Messenger of Allaah Nooh approached, he admonished his sons: 'Indeed I give you far-reaching advice, commanding you to do two things, and warning you against two others: I beseech you to believe that there is no deity except Allaah, and that if the seven heavens and the seven earths were put on one side of a scale and the words 'There is no deity but Allaah' were put on the other, the latter would outweigh the former. I warn you against associating partners with Allaah in worship and against pride.'" [Al-Bukhaari]

Source: Sheikh Muhammad Gemeiah's translation of 'Stories of the Prophets', by Imaam Ibn Katheer

Shamim Ansary:
The story of Prophet Nooh -II

The disbelievers remain ignorant


Prophet Nooh (Noah) may Allaah exalt his mention firmly continued his efforts in calling his people to the way of Allaah Almighty. The rulers were tired of Nooh's arguments. Allaah, the Exalted, related their attitude in the following verses (which mean): "They said: 'O Nooh! You have disputed [i.e., opposed] us and been frequent in dispute of us. So bring us what you threaten us with, if you should be of the truthful.' He said: 'Allaah will only bring it to you if He wills, and you will not cause [Him] failure. And my advice will not benefit you – although I wished to advise you – if Allaah should intend to put you in error. He is your Lord, and to Him you will be returned.'" [Quran: 11:32-34]
The battle continued; the arguments between the disbelievers and Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention became prolonged. When all the refutations of the disbelievers collapsed and they had no more to say, they began to be offensive and insulted Allaah's prophet as in the verse (which means): "Said the eminent among his people: 'Indeed, we see you in clear error.'" [Quran: 7:60]
Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention responded in the manner of the prophets; he said (what means): "…'O my people! There is not error in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds. I convey to you the messages of my Lord and advise you; and I know from Allaah what you do not know.'" [7: 61-62]
Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention continued appealing to his people to believe in Allaah hour after hour, day after day and year after year. He admonished his people and called them to Allaah day and night, in secret and openly. He gave them examples, explained Allaah's signs and illustrated Allaah's ability in the formation of His creatures. But whenever he called them to Allaah, they ran away from him. Whenever he urged them to ask Allaah to forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and became too proud to listen to the truth.
Allaah, the Almighty, relates what Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention faced, Saying (what means): "Indeed, We sent Nooh to his people, [saying]: 'Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment.' He said: 'O my people! Indeed I am to you a clear warner, [Saying]: 'Worship Allaah, fear Him and obey me. He [i.e. Allaah] will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed, the time [set by] Allaah, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew.'' He said: 'My Lord! Indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day. But my invitation increased them not except in flight [i.e. aversion]. And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments [in refusal], persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance. Then I invited them publicly. Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them secretly. And said: 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers. And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers. What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allaah [due] grandeur, while He has created you in stages? Do you not consider how Allaah has created seven heavens in layers, and made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp? And Allaah has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth. Then He will return you into it and extract you [another] extraction. And Allaah has made for you the earth an expanse. That you may follow therein roads of passage.'' Nooh said: 'My Lord! Indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss. And they conspired an immense conspiracy, and said: ‘Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwaa’ or Yaghooth and Ya’ooq and Nasr [i.e., the names of their idols]' And already they have misled many. And, [my Lord], do not increase the wrongdoers except in error.' Because of their sins they were drowned and put into the Fire, and they found not for themselves besides Allaah [any] helpers." [Quran: 71:1-25]
Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention continued to call his people to believe in Allaah for nine hundred and fifty years. Allaah, the Almighty, Says (what means): "And We certainly sent Nooh to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years…" [Quran: 29:14]
Insistence on disbelief
It happened that every passing generation admonished the succeeding one not to believe Nooh and to wage war against him. The father would teach his child about the matter that was between himself and Nooh and counsel him to reject his call when he reached adulthood. Their inclination rejected believing and following the truth.
Nooh saw that the number of believers was not increasing, while that of the disbelievers was. He was sad for his people, but he never reached the point of despair.
There came a day when Allaah revealed to Nooh that no others would believe. Allaah inspired him not to grieve for them, at which point Nooh prayed that the disbelievers be destroyed, saying (which means): "…'My Lord! Do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant. Indeed, if you leave them, they will mislead Your servants and not beget except [every] wicked one and [confirmed] disbeliever.'" [Quran: 71:26-27]
Allaah accepted the prayer of Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention . The case was closed, and He passed His judgment on the disbelievers in the form of a flood. Allaah the Exalted ordered His worshipper, Nooh may Allaah exalt his mention to build an ark with His knowledge and instructions and with the help of angels. Almighty Allaah commanded (what means): "And construct the ship under Our Eyes and Our inspiration and do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are [to be] drowned." [Quran: 11:37]

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