The Story of Jesus in the Quran – part 6
The Story of Jesus – part 6
Continuing our study on the verses mentioning prophet Jesus, we last discussed the life of prophet Jesus where some people claim that his nature was different from other ordinary people by having divine qualities. The Quran refutes such a claim of divine qualities belonging to any created being by stating that it is a terrible claim that comes out of their mouth. How can a created person in need of existing that eats, walks, sleeps be of a divine nature? It is an obvious lie that comes out of their mouth, not a conviction from their mind, heart, their reasoning or feelings.
Let’s continue with the following verse from section Maryam:
إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّآ ءَاتِى ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَبْدًۭا
19:93 There is none in the heavens or the earth who will not return to the Most Compassionate in full submission.
Let’s pay attention to the structure of the verse using “man fi assamawat”. Depending on the context the Quran sometimes uses “ma” meaning “what” in English for this structure to refer to unconscious beings but can have other meanings on other grammatical structures. Whereas, “man”( مَن) means “who” in English and is used for conscious beings. “Man” is used for human beings, rational and conscious beings, etc. Whatever or whoever beings in this world that are conscious, they can question and are aware of what they are doing. This conscious aspect of the universe is referred to as the angelic side of the universe (“malakutiyat”). The conscious meaningful side of creation communicates with us just like when reading a book. In the example of reading a book, we get the knowledge the author wants to convey and we receive and communicate with the knowledge of the author.
Although the pages of the book don’t seem to be conscious. For example, a dead human body cannot communicate with anything, but as a living being I can communicate with the creation and thus am conscious. When one dies, materially the body looks the same but there is no longer consciousness. Looking at a book is like a dead body but when I communicate with the book, it becomes conscious with the communication from the book to my human side. Similarly, the universe communicates and becomes conscious by conveying the meaning (angelic side) to me.
The verse states that: Those who are in the universe (“kullu”), everything in the heavens and the earth, they return, i.e. come back to the Merciful One as a worshiper (“abd”).
“Abd” (عَبْدًۭا) and “Aati” (ءَاتِى) need to be looked into:
The Arabic word “Aata” means “to come” in English. The form “Aati” is an active participle, meaning “continuously coming”, the one who comes. For example, an engineer is the one that functions or does engineering. The verse mentions “return to the Most Compassionate “, which is not like going and coming back but “Aati” means continuously going to the Most Merciful One. The creation is merciful, a result of Mercy, whatever is created, is out of His mercy. We are coming from a Merciful One, our existence is out of His mercy. As the source that gives existence is mercy, death is also given existence as a merciful act.
Most translations translate such verses to some event taking place in the future, but the Arabic rule of active participle also means to start from now and continue. Everything in the universe will return to the Most Compassionate as an “Abd” is to be seen as from now as my existence is changing in this world, I am going to my Most Compassionate Creator. My yesterday’s existence has already returned. Now also, my existence is declaring the Absoluteness of the Creator. The qualities I find in me are declaring the glory of their Creator, His infiniteness, and going back to Him.
An example to understand the return to the Most Merciful: a mother gives birth to a baby and the nurse/midwife helps with the delivery of the baby. The mother then asks the nurse to hand over the baby to her, and return to the mother. The baby now is caressed to the breasts of her mother. That is the reality of the creation of death. Yes, our heart feels the pain of separation but our consciousness should feel satisfied/happy for the place of return. The mother is physically feeding the baby, when she takes the baby to her breasts with compassion. That is the analogy that we are returning to a Merciful Creator.
Returning to the Merciful Creator as an “abd”, i.e. full submission. The Arabic word “abd” is translated as bondsman, slave, servant, etc. In the verse the word is “abdan”. The root meaning of “A-B-D” is related to “ibadah” translated as worship or “aabid”, the one that worships God. None of the English translated meanings convey what the Quran explains.
Worship is not only what we commonly understand as ritual prayers, fasting, etc. “abd” means fully being aware of the Creator, just declaring His glory, His Supreme Being. Look at the creation and see how each of the beings come into existence showing that they must be the result of an Absolute One. For example, each letter in the book is located in the word, each word in a sentence, in a paragraph, in chapters and form the whole book. The one that placed a letter in one word is the one who wrote the whole book and consciously placed the letters there in that word, forming the sentence, the paragraph, and the whole book. The Author of the book must know what is declared in the whole book. That is what the universe is, every being declares the knowledge, power, will, wisdom, mercy, beauty, etc., every quality of a One who knows and creates, i.e. cannot be referring to any other than the One who creates the whole universe. This functioning of each being as manifesting qualities is called worship, we have to do the same thing.
Our body automatically worships but my human side must perform conscious worship. I am given free will to decide on things, to choose things. Using free will, some may say my sense is a function of my brain. I have to investigate and see that matter cannot be the source of existence of the qualities manifested in me. Matter cannot know me to prepare things for me as I need. Everything in the universe is an “abd” – worships by declaring the qualities of their Creator.
We are created as a result of His mercy. We may corrupt our being by misusing ourselves via the options we exercise via free will. When I don’t follow my nature with my free will, I torture myself, hell is the result of that. I have to bear the consequence of my arrogance when I go against my nature. The Quran mentions that hell and punishment is the choice of human beings; He creates whatever I choose. The Truth is out there and I should work on confirming it.
لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ ٱلْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْدًۭا لِّلَّهِ وَلَا ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَسْتَنكِفْ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَيَسْتَكْبِرْ فَسَيَحْشُرُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ جَمِيعًۭا
4:172 The Christ would never be too proud to be a servant of God, nor would the angels nearest to God. Those who are too proud and arrogant to worship Him will be brought before Him all together.
Christ, as a part and parcel of this world, is also an “Abd”, a created being who in his life is declaring the qualities of his Creator and is going back to his Creator. The same word “abd” is translated as servant here but we understand what “abd” means as studied above, declaring the qualities, glory of the Creator. We see in the life of the prophet performing many glorifications such as “Subhan Allah”, “Alhamdulillah”, “Allah hu Akbar”, “la ila ha illalAllah”, etc. Praying, fasting, not telling lies, not cheating other people, not wasting my time, helping someone, sitting, walking, pain, pleasure, joy and sorrow are all physical performances of worship. Worship of one’s mind, one’s feelings, consciousness etc are also other aspects of human worship.
Everything is performing their functions/duties. Those employed as teachers such as prophets teach to address the most essential needs of human beings. Respect every creation, respect the plumber who came to fix my bathroom, the teacher who teaches me the purpose of my existence. This content that the prophets teach makes my life meaningful, I become happy as I listen to him. If I have arrogance and do not listen to the prophets, I will suffer.
All teachers are created beings, performing their functions. The prophets are the teachers for human beings to let them know their purpose in living is to worship God. Are the prophets different in their created nature? We have to be careful not to take prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as if out of ordinary existence in order to elevate his position. For example, when people were sitting in a place and the prophet entered among them, the people started standing up so he asked what are you doing? I am only a human being like you. The mission I have is to convey to you that God is Absolute, worship nothing besides Him. There are two verses that refer to this as follows:
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا
18: 110 “Say, ‘I am only a man like you, but it has been revealed to me that your God is only One God. So whoever hopes for the meeting with their Lord, let them do good deeds and let him not ascribe unto anyone or anything a share in the worship due to his Lord.”
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ فَٱسْتَقِيمُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ۗ وَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلْمُشْرِكِينَ
41:6 “Say, ‘I am only a man like you, but it has been revealed to me that your God is only One God. So take the Straight Way towards Him, and seek His forgiveness. And woe to the polytheists.”
A famous narration of the prophet related to the verses above:
“Do not exaggerate my status as the Christians have done with the son of Mary. Verily, I am only a servant, so refer to me as the servant of Allah and His Messenger.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3445
Comment: how does one reconcile the regret we feel and understand it is God’s will?
There is nothing to blame either myself or anything else on what is created. An example, when the prophets die, is it because of the sin or when plants die, is it because of a sin? Illness and death are given. Sometimes events are related to our wrongful choices. For example, when I cut my finger, the pain is a reminder and good news to be careful and not do it again. The pain is a merciful teaching, not a punishment. Can we know the plan of the Creator, His wisdom? We experience His mercy all the time, everything is created to make my life better. Pain is created to let me know where my attitude is wrong. Everybody is given according to the plan and wisdom of the Creator. When something good is given I may think I was a good person so being rewarded. However, it has nothing to do with me being a good or bad person, it is purely the will of the Creator to teach each individual on how to behave in the right way. Direct our needs to our Creator; everything created is a result of mercy and a means of my education.
Referring to section Najm, 53:24 أَمْ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ – Whatever I wish in this world according to concepts injected by society, customs, caprices, egoistic desires will I be granted?
I am a created being, I have to know my position and realize that only He can fulfill whatever I need in a humble way but do what I am expected to do without being arrogant.
The following verse 53:25 فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ وَٱلْأُولَىٰ – The beginning and end of everything directly belongs to God. He will decide and I will only ask. I should not get nervous, I have to acknowledge my status in this world. He will decide, we only ask. I wanted this but it didn’t happen – who am I? Come back to know my status in the world. I should say that I am doing my job and I need your help, my Lord. We are worshippers of God in every sense. My Creator asks me to practice this to acknowledge Him. We are not paying anything to what we get in creation. For example, farmers are not the creators of the food on the farmland. They just take care of the crops, the rights to use the land given temporarily while living here, land is relinquished upon death. Everything will be inherited by its Creator; the end will be with its Creator.
Tags: Christ, Compassion, Creation, Human Life, Jesus, Mercy, Return, Worshipper