Asalaam
alaikum waRahmatulah waBarakatuh.
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حُنَفَاءَ
لِلَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ
ۚ وَمَن
يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا
خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ
فَتَخْطَفُهُ
الطَّيْرُ
أَوْ
تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ
سَحِيقٍ
(Be)
Inclining [only] to Allah , not associating [anything] with Him.
And
he who associates with Allah
- it is as though he had fallen from the sky
and
was snatched by the birds
or
the wind carried him down into a remote place.
[Surah Hajj
22:31]
"This
Saying doesn't make Sense.."
A
famous Orientalist who critiqued the Qur'an said that the example
given should make sense to the audience
(i.e. He was saying this example of the Qur'an does not make sense.)
However, he did not know Ancient Arabic. He only used his claim from
the 'Proper Modern Standard Arabic' perspective. However, Ancient
Classical Arabic had it's own sayings and idioms.
The
Qur'an used expressions [idioms/figures of speech] of the ancient
Arabs, who meant by this example the following;
Allah
compares the Polytheist to the Example given above. But what
did He mean by it?
The
Average Polytheist 'Arab:
The
average 'Arab at the time of Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (sal Allah
alayhi wasalam) never believed in an Afterlife, so Allah
related their polytheism to Death - which
they thought was the End of everything.
The
Arabs took pride in their death and honor. The
worst kind of death
they could have is the death of a coward.
كَأَنَّمَا
خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ
..Like
he fell from the Sky...
'Falling
from the sky'
meant by the polytheist arabs that;
If
there are 2 groups in war, one group on a cliff and the other lower
on the ground - the group on the top seemed to be on the
advantage.
1
- If they were on
the cliff and they still lost the battle, the arabs who won would
throw the dead bodies of the enemy off the cliff.
2
- Or if
they were fleeing
in
fear from the enemy, and tripped
and fell off the cliff - they would also be humiliated.
These
are the worst type of Legacies the arabs would want to leave
behind.
The
ugliest thing you can imagine - that is like falling from the
sky.
فَتَخْطَفُهُ
الطَّيْرُ
..and
was snatched by the birds...
When
you die in battle, each side takes their side and gives them a proper
burial.
Unless
you
think your soldier was a coward - you do not bury him. So what takes
you instead? Birds. Especially birds like Vultures - who eat your
meat.
So
again, Allah is comparing their polytheism to a humiliating death,
with no-one to bury you except birds eat your body.
Disgustings
Birds eating from your humiliating corpse after falling from a
cliff.
أَوْ
تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ
سَحِيقٍ
or
the wind carried him down into a remote place.
Then
even these disgusting birds do not finish your meat off, so
the remainder of you left/some of your meat - is blown away with the
wind - to a far off unknown place.
- You have no honour or sign of good reputation left except
humiliation and hatred and curses against you by the people of future
generations.
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