Section Al A’raf – Part 1

Al- A’raf (The Cognizant), the 39th Revealed Section of the Quran

The derivation of the word a’raf comes from ‘A-R-F, which has something to do with recognizing the truth and the reality.  We will see here that human consciousness can easily recognize what the reality is, depending on the facilities the person has been given.  That is why, recognition, i.e. the tools of recognizing the truth have already been given to human beings so we have no excuse claiming that I was not able to understand the reality of this world.  However, we must be careful not to confuse two different matters:

1. The human potentiality 
2. The human capacity

We have been given the motivation to turn our human potentiality into capacity, but the tools for it may be decided by our Creator depending on our living conditions.  Everyone is given perfect potential which refers to the ability to get to know what the truth is, especially, who I am, who made me and for what purpose He/She/It made me.  These questions can be perceived through already installed human potentialities, which is named as “Rooh”, or spirit.  This spirit’s capacity is given to human beings from God to be able to understand Him.  God is the One who is the Absolute Truth that human potentiality can easily understand that this universe must have a Creator, a Source of Existence.  Anybody without any sort of education and training can easily understand that the universe, the human beings, and everything in creation witnesses the qualities of its Creator, and the human mind easily understands and grasp what can be the Cause of Existence of these things?  Afterwards, everyone is given the free will.  This free will gives us the opportunity to realize whether I will choose one way or another way.  That is, I will look for a cause of existence, which is inevitable, i.e. I can refer to a conscious being who has given existence to this world, or I can refer to matter itself or some unknown source in the universe itself (interpretations pertaining to randomness).  Some people claim that matter itself has the potentiality to develop itself in a way of perfection, and when it reaches perfection, it stops there, or continues, and this takes millions of years.  People are free to interpret whichever way they like, however, can they find any quality to choose, to know, to decide and get to know the environment in the essence of matter?  How do creatures (living and non-living beings) know how to preserve their life to survive?  They say it is instinctively looking to survive.  What is this “instinct” in living beings?  They say it is in the cell.  What is this cell?  Ultimately, it consists of particles.  Do the particles have any qualities of wanting to preserve its life?  No one can show that.  If you look at a creature, you see that it is acting in a certain way.  If you look at an object such as a laptop, it is inevitable to say that it is made (that is in our experience), hence looking for a cause is inevitable for everyone, that is the cognition side of the human being that cannot be denied.  However, they play the game saying that the matter by itself is moving.  Also, when it comes to any part of the universe, we don’t see any human interference and arrangement, we just see an already set order and everything is given existence within this order.  They say that the parts of the universe instinctively adapt themselves and try to survive.  When I look at the laptop, I can say the same thing, that it is either made by an Engineer so that it functions, or it is acting on its own so when I click something, it functions.  Therefore, we must bear in mind that it is always within our conscience to understand what is told in this section of the Quran.

Every human being is given the spirit but not every human being is given the knowledge of how the universe is working.  Depending on the age and environment, people may hear some things here and there, but they experience it within their capacity that things are wonderfully given existence in such a way that they themselves cannot do it.  Example: when you look at a bird that is so beautifully decorated with symmetry and color with a perfectly functioning body structure and loaded with unimaginable feelings, you cannot really attribute it to the bird itself or as it happens to be.  Can a rational mind really conclude such?!  Never!  Similarly, when you go to a forest, you see various plants and creatures living in the same environment, and each of them have different colors, texture, symmetry and lifestyle.  Where did this symmetry (zawjain, two pairs as per the Quran) come from?  Similar to these colors is the attire of the war soldiers that are earth brown and green, used as a camouflage to hide from the enemy.  Now that soldier pattern is man-made and designed by conscious human beings.  Who is arranging all these colors, smell, patterns, symmetry that we observe in creation?  Just looking at the feathers of a bird that has two symmetrical wings, each feather is finely crafted with fine string and strand.  Every creature has its own design, form of life and unique characteristics (feeding, reproduction, survival mechanisms) for centuries.   Similarly, the human body also has a unique design, unique to each human being.  How can we say that things happen by itself, or we happen to be like this under the influence of the environment, and developed with a different instinct by ourselves within the same environment?  Anyone without any formal education can recognize the truth that they must be designed by a Conscious Being, created by this Conscious Being, and their life arranged by this Conscious Being.  He is aware of what He is doing, He has Absolute freedom and choice to create anything unlimited that we cannot get to the end of.  These conclusions do not need an education.  As people grow in this world, their potentialities slowly develop after they reach a certain age, they can reason.  They are responsible for their own potentialities, as much as they improve it into capacity.  If you study creation in a deeper sense, you become aware of this reality even more with certainty.  The human capacity and the communication with the universe are general for everyone, but the levels are different.  Does it matter?  Not much, as far as you get the right conclusion.  The levels are not that essential but making the progress in your conclusions and developing a sense of certainty depends on your choice, whether you prefer to concentrate on this side of existence or not, you are free.  Also, it depends on whether you are given the opportunity or not.  Those people who are not created in such an atmosphere, for example, the internet age that brings a plethora of information at your fingertips, will only know what they are given the facility for.  We can all understand this.

When it comes to revelation, as far as human responsibility of the content of the revelation is concerned it needs to be studied and educated.  If someone hears about the religion of Buddhism for example, then s/he is responsible to search for it.  That is, s/he needs to be introduced to it, because it does not mean that s/he is aware of it.  That is why the Quran says that we do not question or take to task those people who are not sent the Speech of God, an explanation of the reality of our existence and the existence of the universe, by the guidance of God.  The Speech of God is a kind of psychological analysis of the human being and introducing the human being to themselves.  Example: you have this side, this capacity, and this potentiality, you must use it in this way, guiding the human being on how they should use themselves so that they should benefit from the creation as well.  However, if I do not educate myself under the guidance of the revelation, verbal speech of God, then I cannot really use it and apply it to this world.  In other words, how should I understand the details of creation out there that needs training?  If someone is introduced to the message, then they must investigate it.  The Quran says that if you understand what I am teaching you, then you will not need anything else because this is the top and final level of understanding the truth.  This does not mean that it is prohibiting its readers from studying or investigating the other scriptures.  The Quran says that it is the final level of understanding the truth or the highest description of the truth that human beings can grasp.  

The Qur’an says that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the final one who received the revelation, because he must have top human characteristics fitting to the mission to be chosen by God.  “And you are certainly of an excellent character.” (Qur’an, 68: 4) From here we understand that human beings do not need more than this, for this is the ultimate explanation of the reality to human beings according to the capacity of human potentiality.  If the human potential tries to understand this, then it is the highest level of realization of the truth.  If we find out that it is the highest level of realization then there is no need for another one, because it is already there.  Only after this confirmation that we can say that the Prophet Muhammad was the final Messenger.

What is my responsibility now?  I must study and see how the Quran teaches me with full confidence what the truth is.  We must read and study the Quran in such a way that we will be fully satisfied. The more you study the Quran, the more you will admire the message.  If you don’t study the Quran, just claim that our religion and Prophet are the final ones, you just speak, but don’t benefit from it personally.  That is human choices. When it comes to revelation, it becomes recognition, or cognizance (al-A’raf) which depends so much on how you have received the message and investigated it.  Example: A person living in a village out of civilization, just following any traditional life, farming or doing industrial work, they are trying to survive and have no time to study.  They are hungry to feed themselves.  You cannot say that if they don’t study the Quran, they will go to Hell and they will be punished.  Leave it to God, don’t speak on behalf of God about for He knows who has been given what type of opportunity.  Take care of yourself and your responsibility, of what you have to do.

The ability to recognize the truth is with us. The universe is what we are observing, how much we study, how it works, how much we are benefiting from its witnessing and signs to the qualities of its Creator, depends on my endeavor and effort.  How about the revelation?  That depends on how much I have been introduced to it, and if I have been introduced to it, then how much effort have I spent on it and made an effort to understand it?  That is our responsibility, and we are going to take the same method for these verses as we take for studying the Quran.  I am the criteria within myself, that is how I am created.  If I was not given the potentiality and ability, I would not be able to understand the universe, the Quran or the Speech of God because I have no tools for it.  The first responsibility comes from the human conscience, it is there with you, depending on how much you utilize it.  The rest, the understanding and benefitting from the Speech of God, depends on our free will, how much we are consistent within our claims.  The Quran says that I am the Speech of God.  I don’t know.  Where did you get this? Almost 1400 years ago, an uneducated person from the Arabian Peninsula received this. The most important question is: “Have you studied it?”  It says that I am the most perfect form of the Speech of God presented to human beings to correspond and satisfy the capacity of human potentiality.  So, see what it says: There is nothing in this world who can create anything or be the Source of anything, everything is made and in need to be created.  They have no potentiality and capacity to give existence to anything and be the source of existence of their qualities (like a machine).  Example: I can look at the parts of a machine and I can easily understand that these parts cannot be the Engineer of the machine because each of them is a part of it, and they are subject to the whole system of the machine, how it works, and the whole program loaded on it. Also, matter cannot be the Source of Existence of the program because the program is in the form of knowledge and matter has no capacity to think about it and have knowledge by itself and from itself.  Matter cannot learn, only intelligent creatures can learn, it is so obvious.  That is the fundamental teachings of the Quran, start from here, and we can do that.  Human beings can understand with no difficulty.  One does not need a pre-accepted identity to be a Muslim in order to benefit from the Qur’an. Anyone can study and benefit from it, we must make a comparison here while studying these verses.

7:1 “Alif, Lam, Meem, Sad

These are letters, for many purposes, some say it is attracting our attention and also interpreted in different ways by scholars, these are all different possibilities of the meaning. It is the introduction of a speech reminding us to be careful (any type of exclamation). We are studying the Quran for practical purposes in order to benefit from it for our practical life. We are not after information and looking into the details of grammar (people who specialize in that, may the Lord be pleased with them, are doing great job in those respects).

7:2 “This book has been sent down to you [Prophet]–let there be no anxiety in your heart because of it–so that you may use it to give warnings and remind the believers.”

This is addressed to anyone who is reading this book, not only the Prophet (pbuh).  As a revelation from God to the Prophet, and from the Prophet to be disseminated to other people.  The revelation through his teaching and through the generations of the students of the Prophets. I am not personally exposed to the message by my Creator but I have received it through a great number of narrators unanimously narrating the same text.  

“Anxiety” may be the results of doubts, difficulty, and problems (it has many layers of meanings).  You will have no difficulty in grasping its meaning, so it should not cause you any burden because it perfectly fits your human potentiality. Someone may say: “How can I really understand this message, it is so difficult for me?”   We must make a clear distinction between capacity, and potentiality.  Potentiality, as it is claimed by the Quran, can grasp anything that it is taught in the form of addressing to human beings, not exactly the knowledge of God, rather as much as He reveals to human beings that they need this much.  That is the full capacity, nothing more than this that they can grasp.  That is why belief is called “belief in ghaib”.  It means that within your potentiality you understand that this must be true, but you cannot know the essence of it, so you are not responsible for the essence of the truth.  I am responsible to confirm the existence of the truth.  From the very beginning, when a child is 2-3 years old, they question how something happens, why it happens, it means human nature searches for anything to exist for its cause and reason.  Automatically, they question this, no one mentions that to them. That is within the mechanism of creation.  The Qur’an claims that doesn’t cause any trouble and doubt for you. “It is a big claim that I can satisfy all the capacities that you develop and answer all your inquiries for the truth.”  In order to benefit from the teachings of such a speech, we must clean ourselves, and put aside all our previous knowledge, information and previous conclusions that we learned, don’t deny them but don’t take it for granted that they are your criteria.  We should become like a white sheet, let me see what you say?  When you hear this, you will have no anxiety, difficulty in your heart (not material).  Why? So, you can give a reminder to those who are open to the truth with no prejiduce.  If you already claim to believe, then you will accept no matter what because you are already believing?  This understanding goes against the teachings of the Quran that says that human beings are free to choose.  That is, when I don’t have a biased and pre-accepted attitude (already accepted attitude, such that the Quran is the best or this is just a story sent to the Bedouins or the forefathers/people of the ancient).  However, the foundational teaching of the Quran never contradicts your nature, the way you are created and equipped, i.e., your potentiality.  With a free and open attitude, you can easily confirm what the Quran says with an open mind (i.e., no denial or pre-accepted notion).

The Quran says that before reading the Quran, you must take refuge with God, that is, you must have a free attitude, completely open-mindedness, and seeking refuge with God means not attributing these potentialities (as much as you develop your capacity) to yourself.  That is, you cannot claim that it is what I am going to understand because that is your capacity.  No!  First, you must define yourself.  Can you be the Source of your own existence?  Every human being says no. That is why they look for the cause of the existence of human beings, saying it is evolving and developing by itself, accidentally or previously created, these are the claims of people.  Now, come to yourself, you are made!  Look at yourself, your body and your feelings are important.  The existence of the feelings, how  they exist is beyond imagination because no one can show and demonstrate its source of existence within the universe.  People can claim that it is the production of the brain, and that every animal has a different instinct and that they have learned from their ancestors how to live in a liquid atmosphere for example or learn how to fly.  They speak in a nonsensical way, and say that every fish adapts to the environment, and turns out to be perfectly fitting the environment by the unconscious components of the body, and thus accidentally become conscious of themselves. What is more is that thousands of different species of fish live within the same environment, and all of them are  differrernt from any other and each perfect within themselves. And also, human beings are exceptionally amazing.  

We must first admit that we ourselves and any part of the universe is impossible to be the source of existence of anything, in the language of the Quran, first you must declare lailaha, there is no source of existence in the universe.  Without starting reading and exposing yourself to the Quran, you must first define yourself, (i.e. there is no Divine being within the universe, you must come to the conclusion as a human being without any guidance from revelation, that the human beings can conclude lailaha, and we must question it, whether this is possible or not to have a source of existence within the universe. If we understand that it is not, then  I must have a source of existence not within the universe. But since I am given existence within the universe in harmony with the rest of the universe, all my human qualities are directly related with the creation out there, I can communicate with them, here I am, I have my nose, sense of smell, brain, nervous system… that lets me know to run away from bad and try to get the good ones for example, just like from the very first day of being created in this world, and as you start looking for food, or when the baby is introduced to the food, and starts learning anything, do you think that they learned it from the environment?  What a comedy?!  That is within their potential, it is already there (as a manufacturer setting).  You must understand that from the very beginning, I am prepared to be a believer, but a believer in what?  I and nothing in this universe can be the source of my existence, there must be something, in the language of the Quran, “huwa, Allah“.  The Quran introduces, “hey did you come to realize that there must be something not of the nature of the universe?”  That is “huwa“, “He,” let me introduce this to your innate conclusion, inevitable conclusion, “It/She/He or huwa”.  It means nothing of this universe but something.  Do you know?  No, that is what I am looking for. That is why the Quran says to seek refuge with God, which means, don’t claim that your own existence belongs to you and any part of this universe, then if you have this “He” as an unknown, the definition of He at that level is only an “unknown” within the universe.  That is, He is not here, but everything here is perfectly arranged, and I do not have to be a Physicist to know that everything is perfectly related to each other, and the matter has no quality to do that, but there must be something.  it is so obvious to see that.  “There must be something” is a prerequisite to sit in front of the Quran and listen to it.  If someone says that I created myself, then the Quran has nothing to offer to this person, because if you created yourself then what are you looking for then?  When you realize “there must be something”, the next question is what it is and who it is?  Now, the Quran says come.

When you start reading and understanding the Quran, you must have with you your “He” or Huwa.  If you do not have it, there will be nothing working for you.  You will say I know God exists, and when I do something, it is my success.  In the area where we claim that it is my work, for example, the milk is the production or work of the animal, then the Quran does not speak to you.  You already have your Source of Existence of your milk to be the body of the animal/sheep/cow.  You have already decided, and I am not going to introduce to you anything that you need to be guided about.  Seeking refuge with God before sitting in front of the Quran and studying it, the Quran uses the language “reading”, but read for what?  To understand what it says because it is a meaningful book we must study.  The Quran uses “yadrusoon” which means “study” literally.  The Prophets says that whoever recites some words, it does not mean that the tongue will say it, rather the tongue will transform it into a verbal speech.  Transform what one’s mind and intelligence concluded, what one’s feelings confirmed, now it is the tongue that brings out what is within you and your spirit.  Your mind, feelings, consciousness, and potentialities that you have used, the tongue will utter some words about it.  Unfortunately, if you read and repeat it not because of what you have in your mind, spirit, feelings, conclusions, convictions, then that is being a “parrot”, hears it and says it.  Sadly, the Quran is reduced to memorizing the words and saying it with our tongue.  How about the internal confirmation, which one must say with the tongue as a result?  That is lost.  When we read a verse for the first time, the tongue will say it to understand, if it is true, confirm it; if it is wrong, reject it.  Then when you turn to God while praying: “please God give us the best things of this world and the best things of the hereafter, I need it!”  While I am speaking to God, it should not come to my tongue and then get out of my tongue, because we are not parrots, rather we are human beings.  We must act as a human being.  To seek refuge with God, communicate with the Quran, and benefit from the teachings and guidance of the Prophetic exemplary life, we must have the right understanding of reading.  We cannot blame people who cannot understand the Arabic structure of the Quran, they can benefit as much as they can, they must do some sort of effort to understand.  The point is not to reduce the Source of our Existence to the same lectures repeated in the Friday sermons.  We should not be simplistic!  Take the study of the Quran seriously!  Don’t you have 50 minutes to read and understand the tafseer/interpretation of how people are explaining the Quran!? 

We cannot behave like the people who do not know the value of the Quran, and the responsibilities of our life.  We must be extremely careful, look for every opportunity to think, reflect and learn, and try to adapt the Quran to yourself, analyze it within your feelings.  We must try to benefit from the Quran as much as possible, then we will see the combination of the universe, revelation and our consciousness working hand in hand, and confirming each other.  As the Quran describes the Names of God to be “shahid” (the one witnessing) and “mashood” (the witnessed), these names are reflected in us.  My consciousness will be shahid/witness of the universe and the universe will reflect its message in my consciousness (mashood).  The universe will be the witness to my consciousness, i.e., the truthfulness of the Quran, and at the same time, the Quran will be the witness to the truth explaining the side of the universe.  That is, explaining the truth within human nature, the way human beings are created.  In other words, every being is “shahid” and “mashood” at the same time.  Example:  A dog is shahid and mashood, witnesses that the rest of the universe is created by its Creator.  And is also witnessed by creation that says that whoever is the Creator of this dog must be my Creator as well.  We must be shahid and mashood just like creation.  Although everything is continuously changing, that does not disturb the reality of a Conscious Agent behind this change that we are witnessing together.  As a shahid, the Quran will make me mashood, i.e., my reality will be shahid to the Quran.  Similarly, the Quran will be mashood because my reality will see the witnessing side of the Quran, communicating together, from me to the universe and from the universe to me.  

The quality of being a believer is always an attribute to the human being.  Some orientalists (political propagandists) mock that the Quran speaks to the already believing people, that is a reactionary attitude to the message of the Quran because they are already disturbed about its message.  From the verse we understand that believers mean not conditioning oneself but being open-minded.  A believer mean a free approach to themselves, the creation and use their ready ability to question what is the cause of existence of this universe, search for the cause of existence of this universe, and you will understand that everything witnesses just being matter, saying that I cannot be the source of existence of myself,  like each part of the laptop says that I cannot be the Creator of myself and the Creator of other parts, someone consciously has put me here to do some functions, I am employed.  What or who decided the parts of the universe/laptop to be here?  If someone does not have their huwa/It/He/She, as introduced in section ikhlas (Sincerity), there must be something, then that person is stuck there, the Quran and the universe cannot not speak to this person. “If you are not ready to listen to Me, then I am not going to communicate any message to you.”  That is the meaning of the believer in this context of the verse.  Because we are used to hearing certain vocabulary in the Quran, we don’t question what do you mean by believer, for example?  Are you prejudiced?  Do you read and then believe in the Quran if you are convinced about what it presents to you?  Or do you read the Quran as an already believer in it?!  How do you know God?  If you already know God, why do you read the Quran?  If you do not know God, who is the Real Creator, the Reality of beings, and the reality side of the universe and my existence, then the Quran speaks to you to guide you how to get to know God.  However, if you already accept that, then you are at the end then, all finished, there is no way to go beyond anymore.  The Quran is zikraa, so what is it going to remind you of, because you are already believing and declaring that you already know?  That is why we must question what does it mean to be a believer rather than accepting any concepts without evidence?