Chapter Qadar – Part 1

Chapter Qadar (Power) part 1

Chronologically considered to be the 25th revealed chapter of the Quran.  The word “Qadar” is defined with different variations and meanings, mostly defined as power, measure, or decree.  We can notice from the sequences of the revealed chapters, how the minds of the people who expose themselves to the Quran got shaped and we must go through the same stages to benefit from that incremental guidance as human beings.  As far as the human spirit is concerned, every human being is endowed with the same qualities potentially.  We are expected to improve and develop our human potentialities by doing lots of exercises and learning activities.  Human potentialities do not change but our social environment changes.  According to the social environments, human interactions, reaction to his/her environment varies.  But the Quran provides necessary guidance for human beings. How am I going to improve my qualities, acquire these qualities and become a practicing human being?  Potentially, it is there but practicing needs training.  Example: a seed of a tree potentially has all the qualities of the tree recorded in it.  Can we say: “since the seed has the potentiality, there is no need to wait for the tree to grow”.  No.  If we do not cultivate the seed and adjust the condition of the seed to its environment, then the tree does not grow and the seed is nothing by itself (just like a nut when you eat it, it is gone without bearing any tree.)

Human potentialities are like the seed of the tree, they need to be fed, trained, and taught in order to grow into a tree of their real-life conditions.  Quran uses this analogy of the seed and the tree in a lot of places in order to help explain and develop the human seed (potentiality).  The conditions of growing a seed into a tree vary immensely on the level of certain known variables such as season, minerals in the soil, climates of the region, amount of sunlight and water…  All of these variables are taken into consideration for the seed to grow.

The Quran has not been revealed all at once, but it has been revealed throughout 23 years and adjusted according to the conditions of the people of that time around the Prophet’s life.  Those people were given examples according to their living conditions.  However, human beings are the same as far as potentialities, and so only the environment (or living conditions) change. We see in the Quran how human beings adapted to the conditions around them within their time-space limitations.  Similarly, we have the seed and we look at our environment and see the similarities of how the Quran was instructing the people around the Prophetic time within their living conditions.  So, we should try to apply the teachings within our living conditions as much as we can.   The environmental variables (sun, water, soil…) are the same. Historically, when the Quran was revealed to the people at the time of the Prophet, they had their own custom, habitual lives, political and socio-economic conditions.  Now, we will try to take the examples from that time (when the Quran was revealed first) and apply it to our conditions, see the similarities, how the conditions changed and how the revelation (sequence of the revelation) applies to our living conditions. And how the people at the time of revelation who accepted the revelation tried to understand it and acted accordingly to the revelation and tried to live by it.  Even those who opposed it, how did they react and how different is the opposing attitude in our time conditions now.  We will take notice of all this and see what was revealed within our specific human condition. 

This chapter was revealed during the second year of the Prophetic mission, people were very new and slowly receiving the message.  The previous 24 chapters were short and condensed.  At this stage, people are now introduced to chapter Qadar’s teachings.

97:1 “Truly We have revealed it down in the Night of Power”

What does “it” refer to?  Guidance, message, Quran, Angels (meaning)…

When I say to you, I spoke to him last night.  You ask: “Who are you talking about?” In grammar, a pronoun such as “him” in the example is used for a known object.  When I say: “Adam came to my house and I spoke to him.” I have specified what that pronoun “him” refers to.  However, in the verse above, the pronoun “it” is ambiguous. It is as if the Speaker in the Quran is telling me: “don’t you know it”?  When a pronoun is used and it is hidden from the audience, then I question who it is.  If the Quran specifies something with a pronoun, then it is for a purpose because the one who speaks is aiming at teaching human beings that He is the Creator of human beings and He knows the human conditions and He is speaking for my benefit to provide me with guidance about something that I did not know and cannot learn from the universe.  If the Creator of the universe does not teach me, I cannot learn about it from the universe.  This Speaker must be the One who creates everything with wisdom.  He must be speaking every letter with wisdom.  When the pronoun is not explained clearly and kept ambiguous, it means that the meaning needs to be in the right way of application.  You can apply the case to yourself that something you need is sent.  The ambiguity of the language is a purposeful one according to my need and according to my need I will take it.  Most people say that “anzala” is referred to the “Quran” usually.  Some people may refer it to the “rain”.  None of the suggestions made by the scholars are wrong but “ambiguity” is there.

Why night? Why not daytime? What is the Night of Power?  Why Power?  Why decree?  Why measurement?

• There must be a reason, we must think about it.

Why is the “Night of Power” mentioned as a specific day?  Do we know it?  Which day is it?  We mostly hear about the last 10 days of Ramadan.  Why isn’t the “Night of Power” specified to a certain day?   Even the Prophet (phub) recommends to us to look for it.  Why?  Doesn’t the Prophet (phub) know which night he received it in?  Also, since revelation has been received through 23 years, we cannot talk about a specific night.  Some people say that Angel Gabriel used to come and recite to him the Quran once/twice a year.  Ok, but what should I do with it?  Again, why isn’t the Night of Power specified by God or the Prophet or anyone else?  Also, when it is night here, in another part of the world, it is daytime.  This is left vague and there is important wisdom in its being vague.   The night of Power varies from person to person.

Why is this ambiguous?  God says that there is a night of power, but it is not known.  It means that I must look for it and strive for it.  That is, I have to be awake and conscious of this precious news that God sent.  I must always be in expectation of it.  By not explaining it to me, He wants me to be in search of this very important event.  

• By not explaining it straightly, my Creator makes me in expectation of that very important event.

The Prophet (phub) says to look for it during the last 10 days of Ramadan.  This is a specific recommendation from the Prophet.  While fasting, you will take into consideration your heartfelt concern from the worldly affairs or worldly aspects of things.  During Ramadan, all the companions of the Prophet (including the Prophet pbuh) were engaged in worldly affairs.   While I am dealing with worldly affairs, my heart also goes with them.  Most of the time, we are lost in dealing with worldly affairs and our hearts go away with the temporary aspect of the transactions that we are doing.  

Ramadan means to change the face of interest of our relationship with worldly affairs i.e. from the transient aspect to concentrate on the permanent aspect. That is fasting from losing ourselves in the worldly transient aspect of the affairs that we are interested in or are engaged with, to focus on the permanent aspect of our transactions.  Fasting does not mean that we should stop our commercial activities.  Example: Aaron is a farmer and he cannot leave the animals on their own to starvation.  

What is expected of my fasting?  Fasting does not mean to stop living activities, rather stop certain aspects of your activities and practice it in your physical terms (by not eating, drinking…) so that you can understand that your main focus will be something else.  

• What is the main focus?  During the heavy concentration of the eternal aspect of our interaction with the world, our interest in the world, while doing the same activities, now we are taking notice of the eternal side of it.  That is, I am going to use them not for the sake of gaining material things but at the same time for the sake of gaining the meaning in the material things:

• Who provides this for me?

• What is the message that I receive from this material thing?

• How can I communicate with the Creator of the material things while I am receiving them?

This shift of focus puts me in connection with the Creator of the material things that I am interacting with.  This is an opportunity to take considerations of my feelings, manage them and direct them to the Source of my feelings and the Source of the qualities of the things that I am interacting with and combining them to one central point i.e. God- The One who has created me with the needs for the things which are useful and purposefully arranged to satisfy my needs.  That is why I am interacting with them. Therefore, I must unite my interest together with my feelings directed to God alone, that is “tahweed”– making God a Unique One and no other object can attract my attention.  That is a challenging endeavor to concentrate solely on the Object of worship, impossible to be consistent with.  That is why, during Ramadan, I am given the opportunity to practice it and build on the consistency.  The Prophet (pbuh) says that when you are at this concentration stage of practicing this for 20 days, now you are approaching the night of power, that moment because you are ready for it.  That is the message we receive from the Prophetic narrations to search for Ramadan during the last 10 days of Ramadan.

If we experience this type of fasting, then (as per hadith narrations), that is the state to be in, that I am ready now to get this night turned into a peaceful one for my being.  That is the main message of this chapter: “Turn the night into peace so you can feel serenity in your life”.  Whatever you receive from this static state of awareness (as if you do not live in this world), your main focus is “God” who is the One who owns the whole universe (including yourself).  At that moment, what you receive is what God sends to you.  We do not have to objectify the thing, but as far as I am concerned, I can read this verse as: “at the moment of darkness, I received light and now I feel secure in my existence”. That is, through the darkness, your darkness turned into light and you started not feeling alone and fearing the things, rather now you feel secure in the meaning of yourself, your existence, your situation- why am I living in this world?

Everything is precisely measured according to the needs that I feel and satisfies me as much as I am ready.  That is the Power of Night for me which depends on my state.  We should not turn this into a physical event but why does the Muslim community generally celebrate certain nights because of various customs/cultures?   (The customary celebration is not to be rejected especially if you are part of that community.  Example: if the community agrees on something, you join them, but your spiritual status will pertain to you).  My spiritual status pertains to me and we all experience the Power of Night within our capacity.)  How much am I ready to receive the One which turns my night into peace?  All my anxieties disappear, the purpose of my life is clear, all my hopes are clear.  I am joining the community as an individual because what is happening is happening with my own mind, heart, consciousness and spirit.  Again, everyone has their unique existence (state of heart and feelings) and you are experiencing what is coming down to you, otherwise, if you are not ready to receive or expecting it, then it does not reach you.  Just when you open a mail with excitement, you see the result, but if you are not expecting any mail, then receiving it means nothing.

• How much ready am I to receive whatever I need, to come (in measurement) in a powerful way? 

First, I must be aware of what I need i.e. what am I expecting?  If you perform some prayers, then that is not wrong but essentially, what are you looking for?  Some reward, where?  In the hereafter?  What did you receive now so that you will sow the seed?  Just as the analogy on page 1, did you receive sunlight, water or minerals that you will sow now?  Whatever you received now, accordingly you will grow.  As you grow, you will be taken away from this world and given another existence according to your growth. In other words, you will be given existence according to the growth you realized in this world.  But if I never developed and grow my seed into something which gives me hope, then what am I going to have in the hereafter, second creation?  We are not accustomed to any type of second creation here so we can expect that type of life to be given to us and extended into eternity.  Just as if I have not learned anything in school (an analogy), then what am I expecting to practice in my practical life after graduation (extreme example)?  As much as I experience the thing (guidance) that I receive through the Quran and teachings of the Prophets, students of the Prophets, and how much I am enlightened with the guidance,  that much my seed (human potentiality) grows into a small shoot (at least).  This small shoot will be transferred into eternal life i.e. second creation.

Otherwise, worldly living means nothing if we are not going to continue our existence after death. If there is no afterlife after death, then we are reduced to worthless creatures in our existence. Today or tomorrow I will die.  Example: what I have in life till death = 0, I get nothing.  Non-existence is zero.  This makes life completely meaningless and horrible!  There must be eternal life and how much I experience here, that much should be realized then.

• Which kind of air have you introduced to the seed so it will grow? Which kind of water have you put?  We cannot judge anyone’s state.  Only you can judge yourself.  We are all responsible for our own lives; I will be left alone with what I have learned, that is I will be left with whatever I gained.  I will be treated according to my level of gain.

Whenever you feel in the darkness, under stress, despair, look for what you need and what you need will be sent to you.  You can get it from the Quran or the universe because your Creator tells in this verse that He will provide it for you, just search for it, run after it and strive for it.  That endeavor is up to you.

If you have received the Quran like a letter, did you open the envelope? Did you read the message in that letter?  Did you start practicing it in your life?  That matters, otherwise receiving the letter (although necessary) is not enough for me.  It is interesting how I can read the Speech of God, appreciate it but do not STUDY it as I should.  I must try to read it, but read for what?  That is, follow it, get the instructions, and apply it to my living routines.  Assume it on your shoulders and try to see how you can benefit from it in your practical living?  Have a strong determination that I will submit myself to this teaching because it fits my human nature.   Now you can join the celebration of the revelation of the Quran with the group of people, BUT do not lose yourself in the day without opening the letter. Try to understand what is written in it and have the intention to apply the message in your life.  There are degrees to communicating with the Quran.  

If you are thirsty for the guidance from your Creator at any moment, as soon as you receive a glass of water, you gulp on it immediately and say Alhamdulillah.  But God is generous that whoever asks for the right path, He guides accordingly.  Don’t just ask for a right path without knowing what the right path is?  What is the right path?  Where are you going?  You have to know the destination.  

• You can only know God by knowing Him and acquiring knowledge of Him and acquainting yourself with Him with your own feelings: “You and I can become very intimate heartfelt warm friends (wali) that I can trust”. These are levels of getting closer to God.  In order to be successful in this target, we must be on the right path and know what the right path means which starts with defining and acknowledging what do I need? 

What do I need?

Some say: Please ask God to pray for me.  Ok, but what do you want?  We must mean something i.e. I have to express my needs first and then I ask God as to what I need?  In order to specify your needs, first, check yourself- what side of you is in darkness?  Are you aware of your side which is in darkness?  That darkness in me needs light.  What are the essential needs that I need?

Whatever my immediate concern is at that moment, I present it to God because my relationship with God can only happen with the awareness of my need.  I must be ready to specify what I need. But if my heart is sunk into worldly affairs, then that is what I ask for and am given. For example, George asks for a car. Ten years later, the car is gone, or George is gone.  

I have to be aware of my needs first and foremost and say: What is my aim and what do I want?  Whenever I ask God to give me something, I say please give me this one, I need to see, know your Mercy.  I want to see how do you manifest your sense of Ghaffar (Forgiveness) here?  Please demonstrate it to me.  An example in the Quran where the prophet Moses asked to see God. The Quran presents it as: If you want to see me (as per Prophet Moses pbuh), then I will reflect on the mountain (tajalla) and the mountains crumble down.  If you consider the mountain without referring its existence to the Creator God, then you cannot talk about mountains because mountains cannot exist by themselves. That is, you cannot see the essence (whatever it is) in terms of this world, it cannot be air, energy, power… not anything of this world.  Rather, the necessary existence of the essence, my conclusion is manifested through air, energy, and all the endless qualities.  But we have to be ready to receive the manifestation of His Justice, Mercy, Love…  Let’s say you are struggling with injustice, so you ask: “Please help me with your Name of Just, you are the Just, and You are the Creator of the sense of justice”.  If you are in need of help: “Please God help me with your name of Muin, you are the Helper (Muin, Naasir).  You are the aid for me. I want to get to know you through the qualities manifested in this world”.

From our observation, we see that things are purposeful and understand that God does not do anything without wisdom and justice, God must be wise.  Example: As far as we see in this world, if we do not feed the animal, the animal dies, that is how the order in creation is.  Similarly, God’s treatment of the people does not change.  

• That is, if I never ask God to treat me with His Mercy and follow the order i.e. if I never feel the need of God’s Mercy for my salvation, then that is God’s wisdom where I will not be treated with Mercy.

Question: How does the love of Allah relate to our needs? Can we know Allah out of our needs?

I need to be loved and taken care of.  Can you love without knowing? I do not want anyone to hate me, I need the love of some people which makes me feel loved.  Spirit is my feeling; don’t you want to be loved by your friends? Would you like people to hate you by being nasty?  No.  We are created with the need to gain the sympathy, interest and love of people so we can live peacefully.  

Love cannot be physically described and measured i.e. you cannot make a picture of love.  Love is mostly described in red color expressing warmth and heart shape.  Do you need to be loved?  Yes.  If only the Creator of the universe loves me in my practical life, everything will love me because I will love them.  That is, “God is loving me” means that through His action, I will have loving relations with them.  I do not want to hate any creation. We can all reflect on that.  Let’s reflect on God’s love reaching me: “I can receive the love of God in terms of this world as much as I love His creation.”  If I hate one of his creation, then, in that object, I see no love of God for me.  I should ask God: “Please God open the way to get closer to You through creation so that I can decipher and recover the meaning in their existence which refers to Your qualities, names and attributes”.  

• As much as we are aware of this reality of the conditions of existence of this world, we can communicate with God through His creating act.  

• Example: I love mangoes, I receive the mangoes and I enjoyed eating them. I did not enjoy the atoms but the taste which is nothing of this world and only the manifestation of the Creator’s pleasure put into it and I am only tasting the manifestation of the qualities of the Creator manifested in that mango. 

• While eating the mango, I am communicating with the Creator of the mango, the way it is wrapped, color, texture, taste…everything conveys the message from its Creator to me.

Comment: Am I supposed to love non-believers as creation?

We do not like “unbelief”, but we like every kind of creation.  The Prophet did not like the pagans’ (mushrik) ideology.  However, why was the Prophet trying to save them from shirk?  If he did not love them why was he striving to save them?  Can people convey a message to someone they hate?  Can you imagine a doctor hating the patient?  Is there any way the doctor will be helpful to patients?  If the pagans were on the right understanding, then why should God send a Prophet to a people who are already spiritually healthy?  Is there any Prophet who did not have any struggle with the people who were sent to guide them?  All the Prophets start from scratch and some could not manage to convey the message to their family members.  But the Prophets always strove to convey the message to save all people.

Comment: What is creation?

Creation is whatever exists that needs to be created by God. Unbelief is non-existence. Falsehoods and lies are non-existence.  If you love someone, only then you try to help them.  Otherwise, you do not try. We are created with these feelings: “My God is telling me that I treat people like this”.  “That is how I am teaching you who I am through your own senses.  Be honest with your manufacturer settings i.e. Your original potentialities”.  

97:2 “What will explain to you what night of power is?”

The speaker God is saying in a way “I will explain it to you what the Night of Power is, otherwise you would have no way to know it.”  That is, through the way I have created you, you have to go back to your original factory settings.  Think of your own feelings, understanding and capacity here, what do you want, what are you searching for, looking forward to receiving? I will explain to you in the following verse and you will understand it. 

What is your ultimate aim in this world?  Everyone wants eternal happiness in everything.  I do not want to lose my happiness anytime or at any moment.  In any sense, although I cannot get eternal happiness in this world, I look forward to it.  That is why I look at creation as I am experiencing the universe in order to see the aspect of the creation which points to eternity i.e. the Absolute qualities of the Creator.  That is why I have to seriously closely study the universe carefully (that is my responsibility) and see the qualities manifested in them so that I will ask the Maker of the universe that “You are the Originator of these qualities and so I want you Now, not the things.”  Example: when you look at a piece of art, you see the quality of art there.  You do not see the paper and canvas; you look at it to see the qualities of art there so you can see those qualities of art there.

“Now, what will explain to you what the Night of Power is, I will explain it to you through my creation, my revelation to you and your feelings through yourself i.e. the spirit that I breathed into you from My own Spirit.  So, My representation in the created form is already reflected (not a piece of it), is a reflection in your spirit.  Now, you can find the answer there”.  

• But how am I going to decipher it?  God says that “I will teach you how to decipher the content of your own spirit” and then the revelation comes.

If I do not know who I am and do not pay attention to my spiritual qualities, then I will never know God, the Creator, and receive any message from It, i.e. I will not receive the Night of Power. I will remain in the Night (darkness) with no Power.  

Right now I understand that there is something that will explain to me what the Night of Power is, but I have to take care of my own responsibility. In the next verses, we will try to understand the figurative way of descriptions regarding the Night of Power where that Night of Power is better than a thousand months.