Reading the Quran Here and Now: Chapter Muzammil – Part 2

The Enwrapped one or Chapter Muzzamil is the 3^rd revealed chapter of the Quran

73:4 “Or a little more; and recite the Qur’an calmly and distinctly, with your mind attuned to its meaning.”

distinctly: knowing exactly what the verse is offering you.

Calmly and distinctly means to pay attention to the meaning of what is being conveyed by referencing it to the reality that we experience here. When one reads the Quran, one is really concerned with its meaning and its relevance to her/his life here and now. And so, attuning the mind to its meaning means that one has to follow what s/he understands from the meaning. If we are not assimilating the meaning within our human feelings, then we are not benefitting from guidance. We cannot read revelation if our mind is not in agreement to receiving guidance. Are you ready to understand the Eternal Speech of the Absolute Creator? That is, what exactly it is saying to you and I, not in its literal sense but how it resonates with our human qualities.

73:5 “Behold, We shall bestow upon you a weighty message”.

What does weighty message mean?

• Something significant which carries value.
• Something that shifts one’s thoughts.
• Something that has an impact on one’s humanity.

A weighty message refers to a radical change in one’s worldview. When revelation speaks to us, it resonates to our human intellect and being from a completely different perspective. That is why it is heavy for us. The Speech of the Creator should bring us light i.e. a joyful life experience rather than a heavy load or responsibility. Ultimately, what we expect from the Speech of the Creator is to relieve us from anxiety and problems and make us feel comfortable in our lives.

If we were left alone to ourselves, if we did not have any revelations giving us guidance, we will continue to relate events to ourselves or themselves. Example: It rains and the soil received moisture. In fact, rain is sent and employed for the soil to receive moisture. This is only the order in creation. Can nature really create? Revelation makes us think about “nature” and help us find another way of thinking about things that we have never imagined before. That is, the Creator of the universe is operating over all things. All the actions are the result of the will of the Creator. We should be very careful analyzing the apparent causes i.e. the chains of causes are not acting by themselves. We need to reflect on the matter, analyze it, and if necessary reject the apparent idea and get into the option that revelation proposes. Revelation’s proposal: “there is a Creator who is the Absolute one and these are Its doing”.

The responsibility to think about the proposal remains on us. In other words, implementing a new worldview into our practical life is heavy. Is it easy to return everything back to Its Creator? It is not easy to make every event of your life consciously relate to the Creator of the event, yourself and the whole universe. However, once we start implementing revelation into our practical life, we feel at peace within ourselves.

Satisfaction of one’s humanity is different than satisfaction of the physical side. One’s humanity cannot get satisfaction from a temporary thing. Belief means that one is convinced about an Eternal Source that provides satisfaction. The conclusions: “I am sure that It (an Eternal Source) must exist” is the source of hope here in this temporary abode. This realization makes you get up in the morning and thank the Creator of the universe. This habit should become a source of pleasure, a source of happiness to interact with the Creator, God. If someone feels burdened by the rules provided by revelation, then they do not understand what revelation meant to humanity. In reality, in each event, one should see manifestation of the Creator and one’s humanity should be satisfied with it. Example: you do not like to steal. You do not own this sense. It is given to you. That is, if you listen to your own consciousness, you realize that you do not like to steal. (Rather than having a horizontal way of thinking, revelation helps you with a vertical understanding. These verses prepares one’s mind to undergo a fundamental radical change in one’s understanding of the universe i.e. worldview. However, it is not as easy as learning a language or so.).

Conviction (i.e. belief) is a continuous process. At each level, you feel more comfortable. Every new creation is a new opportunity for us to redefine our understanding. “I have to make my own mind up. Message in the revelation is going to take me to a radical change but I need to prepare myself to receive the offer to change.” We have to be ready and open. We have to change our priorities.

How can I connect every human sense to the Creator? Since it is hard and you do not like it, so you block looking at how the Creator is educating you. In other words, you do not think of the message which educates you. We have to be open to the teachings of the Quran at every stage of life. It’s a lifelong process. “I have to be open and adapt myself to the last source (scripture) that helps with establishing a personal conviction.” Next generation will have more sources to support their convictions. Our convictions must be personal and shared by human identity, not Muslim identity.

73:6 “Verily the vigil of the night is more effective and speech more certain.”

Certain= only after acknowledging the Source of your existence do you feel that you belong to an Eternal Source.

• Only when you are certain about an Eternal Source do you conclude that after death, you must be given Eternal existence as your human qualities expect it. The idea of being resurrected refreshes and illuminates you to a higher level of understanding existence.

Night= you are alone with yourself; there is no distraction from others. When you become aware that within this universe you are alone. Nothing can respond to your human needs. Everything is created like you, and totally dependent on the Will and Choice of the Creator of the universe. Qur’anic “night” means this realization.

Human side needs to connect its being to an Absolute Source that takes care of its sustenance. These are the questions plaguing our minds:

• “How am I going to feel this happiness while I am in this world?”
• “How am I going to satisfy my expectations while I am living here?”
• Nothing can satisfy me here. When you are in darkness and looking for light, you conclude such and then you go on in your conclusion by realizing that everything in this physical world refers to the Absolute Being. Now, you feel secure.

If one is not happy in their existence while here, how can they be happy afterwards? You were not living in Paradise while here. In order to live in Paradise, we have to start feeling Absolute Infinite happiness in this world through connection of each human feeling to its Creator.

Question: How come I have the sense of compassion towards others?

We usually do not question the Source of existence of anything including the particles. Think: How the fetus grows? We do not see the connection of things with an Absolute Being.

When you question, you will come to an answer and conviction that “everything must be created by an Absolute Source, Creator. If you do not question, then you block the possibility that there must be a Creator.

When you understand that nothing in this world satisfies your human qualities (lailaha), which is the “vigil of the night”. That vigil of the night requires a conviction of an Eternal Being beyond this universe i.e. Lord of all creation.