A Very Exciting Project: The Art of Tadabbur and Tafakkur

Assalamu 'alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

At one of the prominent institutions that I was teaching, I was asked by the Director to teach a module on Qur'anic Vocabulary (Mufradat al-Qur'an) - may Allah reward him for affording me the opportunity to explore a whole new world. The course materials that I had at my disposal proved inadequate at the time, and I decided to devise my own. The result was astonishing. Never had I developed such an appreciation for the Qur'an as I did then. I was forced to make use of my then current linguistic skills and develop new ones to deal with the task at hand. These skills I used in conjunction with the tafsir literature that I had access to. For me it was if an entirely different world was opening up - a world that I'd never experienced before. For the first time I began to understand why the Quran was talking about itself in such majestic terms [Furthermore I call to witness the Places of the Stars - and that is indeed a mighty oath if you but knew - that this is indeed a Qur'an Most Honourable in a Book well-guarded which none shall touch save the purified, a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds (Surah al-Waqi'ah verses: 75 - 80)]. For the first time did I understand why the Qur'an urges us to constantly reflect, contemplate and ponder. It is as if you had stopped breathing air and in its place you are breathing the Qur'an that goes into your whole system like oxygen flows into your blood bringing about rejuvenation of the body. The Qur'an on the other hand brings about the rejuvenation of the soul. When the Qur'an touches you it touches you very deeply, and makes you shiver inside, and for the first time you undertsand the meaning of the Qur'anic verse in Surah al-Hashr: [Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah. Such are the similitudes which We propound to men, that they may reflect. (Surah al-Hashr verse: 21)]. There are numerous verses in the Qur'an that refer to the impact of the Qur'an on its listeners.

Realising what it is that I had discovered, I decided to pursue it further even after I had left the institution. I had in the process added another component to the study that deals with contemplation of the ayat (signs) in the Universe as well in addition to the ayat (verses) in the Qur'an. Al-Hamdulillah, I have managed to collect some really valuable materials along the way, and managed to develop a skill which I had not hitherto known about. I then thought of how it might be possible for others to develop this skill which I have meanwhile called "Fann al-Tadabbur wa al-Tafakkur" (The Art of Contemplation of the Qur'an and the Universe) or "Fiqh al-Ayat Fil-Qur'an wa Fil-Kawn" (A Deep Understanding of the Ayat in Both the Qur'an and the Universe). I thought that the best way would be to lay out its components to see how this can be developed into a course outline for a course that can be offered as a module. I have meanwhile also thought about writing a complete manual or textbook on "Fann al-Tadabbur wa al-Tafakkur". Insha Allah, I hope all this can materialise soon, and then maybe others can develop and refine it further.

What follows is a tentative structure or outline that I've come up with which is posted on the Lisanularab Discussion Forum, and which I'm importing here. Insha Allah, I hope to develop this topic in this blog from now onwards. This format of the envisaged course was before I introduced the al-Tafakkur component. So, insha Allah, aspects of the al-Tafakkur component will be brought in as separate posts. Your comments will be appreciated.

Introduction:

(a) Definition of al-Tadabbur, lughatan and shar'an
(b) Defining related terms such as tafakkur, i'tibar, tadhakkur, nathar, sayr fil-ard, etc. also terms denoting other human activities vis-à-vis the Qur'an, e.g. qira’ah, tilawah, tartil, sam’ & istima’ and so on. Moreover, these human activities can be divided into two groups: positive activities and negative activities. The aforementioned activities are all positive. Negative activities include kufr (both in the sense of "rejection / denial" and "being ungrateful"), juhuud (rejection), taktheeb (rejection, belying), istikbaar (haughtiness and arrogance), i'raadh (turning away, ignoring), nisyaan (forgetting), etc.
(c) Excellence of al-Tadabbur from Qur'an & Sunnah, and scholarly opinions.
(d) Aim and Benefits of al-Tadabbur
(e) Keywords: al-Tadabbur, Qalb, Aqfal, Qur'an, al-Fafakkur, al-I'tibar, Ayat, 'Ibrah, etc.

Exploring al-Tadabbur, al-Tafakkur, & other related concepts in the Qur'an:

Components / Elements of al-Tadabbur:

(a) the Object of al-Tadabbur (i.e. the Qur'an) – verbal / written Qur’an & visual Qur'an (i.e. ayat quraniyyah & ayat kawniyyah)
(b) the Subject (al-Mutadabbir)
(c) the Method of al-Tadabbur

Types of al-Tadabbur:

Linguistic Aspects (Grammatical & Rhetorical Devices)
Scientific Aspects
Historical Aspects
Divine Aspects (e.g. Divine Attributes, Beautiful Names)
Prophetic Aspects
Narrative Aspects
Eschatological Aspects (e.g. Final Day, Hereafter, Resurrection, Different Names & Attributes for Last Hour / Day, Death, Grave, etc.)
Etc.

Instrument(s) of al-Tadabbur:

The Heart
The Mind / Intellect

Factors that Enhance / Curtail al-Tadabbur:

(a) presence or absence of locks (aqfal) on the heart [i.e. locks that are specific to hearts (aqfaluha)]
(b) subject’s spiritual level
(c) time of day or night (early hours of the day)
(d) setting / environment
(e) mental state / condition (motivated, tired, etc.)
(f) etc.

Al-Tadabbur & the Organizational Structure of the Qur'an & its Surahs:

Rules of al-Tadabbur:

Examing Instances & Examples of al-Tadabbur from the Qur'an & Tafsir literature:

Use of Modern Media, Tools and Aids for Enhancing the Activity of al-Tadabbur:

(a) Recordings of selected Qur'anic portions recited by renowned Qur'anic readers (e.g. Muhammad Siddiq al-Minshawi, Mustafa Ismail, AbdulBasit Muhammad AbdulSamad), recordings of Tarawih renditions, recordings of whole Qur'an by renowned Qur'anic readers, etc.
(b) The Qur'anic reader's use of musicality and variation of maqamat in highlighting particular Qur'anic meanings for the purpose of creating heightened spiritual effect

Key Readings & Studies for Developing the Skill of al-Tadabbur:

(1) ‘Ilm Ma’rifat Fawatih al-Suwar wa Khawatimiha
(2) ‘Ilm Tanasub al-Ayat wa –al-Suwar
(3) ‘Ilm Ma’rifat Aqsam al-Qur'an wa Amthalihi
(4) ‘Ilm Binyat al-Suwar
(5) ‘Ulum al-Balaghah
(6) ‘Ilm Ma’rifat Mufradat al-Qur'an
(7) Al-Furuq al-Lughawiyyah
(8) ‘Ilm Ma’rifat Dala-il al-I’jaz
(9) ‘Ilm al-Sarf (‘Ilm al-Ishtiqaq), ‘Ilm al-Nahw, ‘Ilm al-Lughah (Fiqh al-Lughah)
(10) Some Tafasir that deal with the aforementioned subjects

The True Meaning of "Ahlan Wa Sahlan (Wa Marhaban)"

Assalamu 'alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Arabs, when they had visitors (or even just strangers) coming to visit them, used to say to them (and they still do): أهلاَ وسَهْلاَ . In those days, people traveled by land and over long stretches of often rugged and steep terrain – over hills and down mountain passes, etc. – and with not a single soul in sight. Often when they did find people these people might prove hostile, and so on. Therefore, the two most yearned-after words that you would like hear as a traveler were: أهلاَ وسَهْلاَ which actually means: أَتَيْتَ / صَادَفْتَ أَهْلاَ ووَطِئْتَ سَهْلاَ [You came upon / found hospitable people (i.e. people that are almost if they are family to you) and are treading smooth and flat terrain]. Often they would add أهلا وسهلا ومَرْحَباً . The word "مرحبا" is often translated as “welcome” but this translation does not do justice to the word. The root form which is also used in the Qur’an, namely, رَحُبَ (rahuba) has the meaning of “being spacious and wide” as opposed to “being narrow and constricted”. The Qur’anic expression وضاقت عليهم الأرض بما رحبت (and the earth became narrow and constricted for them despite being wide and spacious) refers to how in a battle when you are surrounded by the enemy with no where to run, you are literally constrained and narrowed down to that area despite the land being so wide and stretched out. So the addition, مرحباَ which also occurs in the Qur’an (See Surah Sad verse: 59) means that not only have you found a smoothed-out stretch of terrain but also an open and spacious place so as not to feel constrained. Anyone who lives in places like the Gulf would know how much the Arabs love their space. So, the last thing they want is to be constricted and confined to a small area.

This also brings to mind the word الْفُسْحَة and التفسّح (spaciousness, width, roominess) in verse 11 of Surah al-Mujadilah or al-Mujadalah in the part which reads:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَافْسَحُوا يَفْسَحِ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ، سورة المجادلة: 11

[O you who believe! When it is said to you: Make room in the assemblies, (spread out and) make room: (ample) room will Allah provide for you.]

[By the way, Surah al-Mujadilah or al-Mujadalah, which comprises 22 verses, is the only surah in the Qur'an where each of its verses contains the Name الله ]

One scholar and exegete (Fakhr al-Din al-Razi) in explaining this verse starts by saying: After Allah Almighty has ordered you to refrain from doing things that will breed hatred and animosity among you, He orders you to do things that will bring about love and compassion among you.

He then goes on to explain an alternative reading to تفسَّحوا (tafassahu) namely, تفاسحوا (tafaasahu) and quotes Ibn Jinni (d. 392 AH = 1001 AD) as saying that the latter reading is more apt since the first one only means “let there be space (tafassuh) between you” where as the second reading (tafaasahu) means that everybody must share and co-operate in the act of making space and room for each other.

He then mentions an alternative reading for المجالس (al-majaalis = assemblies) which is the singular form المجلِس (al-majlis = assembly). He says that the singular reading refers to the Majlis of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and plural reading refers to the sum of individual places of sitting i.e. the places where individual companions might be sitting.

Al-Razi then goes into the various views as to what is meant by المجالس or المجلس in this context. The part, though, that I found most fascinating and very relevant for our times is where he says and I quote:

واعلم أن هذه الآية دلت على أن كل من وسع على عباد الله أبواب الخير والراحة، وسع الله عليه خيرات الدنيا والآخرة، ولا ينبغي للعاقل أن يقيد الآية بالتفسح في المجلس، بل المراد منه إيصال الخير إلى المسلم، وإدخال السرور في قلبه، ولذلك قال عليه السلام: "لا يزال الله في عون العبد ما زال العبد في عون أخيه المسلم".

[Know that this verse indicates that everyone and anyone who makes available for Allah’s servants in abundant and “spacious” fashion the avenues and doors of goodness and comfort, then Allah will make available for him also in abundant fashion the goodness of this World and the Next. It is not for a rationally-minded person to restrict this verse to merely “making room for someone in an assembly”, but what is really intended by this action is that one must allow and want khayr (goodness) to reach a fellow-Muslim, and have happiness and joy occupy his or her heart. It is for this reason that he (the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah continues to provide assistance to a servant for as long as the servant continues to provide assistance to his fellow-Muslim brother”]

The significance of this for me is that we are living in a world where we can ill-afford to make life difficult for one another. For me if you have not made space and room for your Muslim brother or sister IN YOUR HEART, then you will not make space and room for him or her anywhere, and in any world (whether real or virtual). The expression “Ahlan Wa Sahlan Wa Marhaban” should not only be used in the physical sense but in all senses and on all levels. Then and only then will we see an improvement in our condition. I ask Allah to forgive us our shortcomings and increase the spaciousness of our hearts for one another and to remove the ghill (malice) that is occupying our hearts. In saying this, I’m reminding myself first and foremost, since it is easy for one to see the faults in others and be blinded to his / her own.

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلّاً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Ameen!

Three Classics on I'rab al-Hadith

Assalamu 'alaykum warahatullahi wabarakatuh

While there are many books that deal with the i'rab (syntactic analysis) of the Qur'an, there are not as many that deal with the i'rab of Hadith. The primary reason for this is the claim that much of what was transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in terms of sayings was done so on the basis of its meaning rather than its actual form and wording. In other words, preference was given to preserving the overall meaning rather than the actual form and wording of the hadith, such that narrators and transmitters could (and would) supply their own wording as long as the meaning and message of the hadith were kept intact. This also accounts for the often multiple but slightly different narrations of the same hadith. Often you will hear that a particular hadith was narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim but that the wording of the hadith is that of Muslim.

This also raised another very important question - question of which a great deal has been written classically as well as in modern times. This question pertains to the admissibility or inadmissibility of the Hadith as evidence and proof for linguistic rules. In other words, can a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) be used in support of and as evidence for a particular grammatical rule just as the Qur'an and the speech of reliable Arab informants was used in support of and as evidence for grammatical rules? Obviously, if the hadith contained the exact words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then there would have been absolutely no problem since the Prophet himself was an Arab (in addition to being the most eloquent of Arabs) and his speech automatically qualified as evidence and proof. However, this appears not have been the case, and a number of hadith scholars and transmitters that were involved in the transmission of hadith were themselves non-Arabs. One only has to consider their names to know that a great many of them were non-Arab.

So the fact that very few Arabic scholars ascribed any evidentiary value to Hadith in terms of whether or not it could establish a grammatical rule, is the primary cause for Arabic scholars not paying much attention to singling out or targeting Hadith for independent linguistic study. This does not mean that ahadith were not linguistically analysed in the huge hadith commentaries. However, this was more for purpose of establishing and determining the meaning and message of the hadith. In other words, Arabic and Arabic study served as a kind of hermeneutical tool wherewith to decipher and interpret the text. As for independent linguistic studies or autonomous i'rab works on the huge corpus of Hadith literature there exist very little in the form of works dedicated to this genre of Arabic linguistic study. In fact, only three classical works in the category of i'rab al-hadith have been identified, all of them by renowned and famous Arabic grammarians: the first by Abul-Baqa' al-'Ukbari (d. 616 AH - 1219 AD), the second by Muhammad ibn Malik (d. 672 AH - 1273 AD), and the third by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH - 1505 AD). What follows is a brief description of each of these works, insha Allah.

Arabic Around The World

Assalamu 'alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

It has always been a goal of mine to one day do a survey of all the Arabic institutions and centers around the world - whether traditional or modern, with a view to learning more about:

• When the institution was founded, and how long it has been in existence?
• Whether it follows a traditional or modern system, and which particular traditional or modern system?
• What the focus is on - grammar, communication, holistic, Classical or Modern Standard Arabic, or both, etc.?
• What their syllabus or curriculum is like
• What textbooks it is using?
• Who the most prominent teachers are?
• What the medium of instruction is
• What challenges it is facing?
• and so on.

I've always been interested in how Arabic is taught in the Arab countries, Turkey, Indo-Pak Subcontinent (esp. the traditional Darul-Ulum), Malaysia, Indonesia, some African countries, and the systems that they are following, and the textsbooks that they are using. For example, in Turkey, Indo-Pak Subcontinent, and Iran they are all big on the al-Kafiyah of Ibn al-Hajib on Nahw, as a sort of end book. To get to the al-Kafiyah, though, they might follow different routes. In Turkey, for example, they start with al-Birgwi's Kitab al-'Awamil al-Jadid, followed by his Ith-har al-Asrar, and the al-Kafiyah. Along the away, I assume, students might do a commentary or two so as to prepare them adequately for the next book in the ladder or hierarchy of Arabic Nahw books. In Indo-Pak (esp. the Darul-Ulum) they do, for example, Nahw Mir, and the Mi-at 'Amil of Abdul-Qahir al-Jurjani together with a Sharh. This is followed by Hidayah al-Nahw, which is sort of equivalent to the Ith-har al-Asrar of al-Birgwi in Turkey. Aftr the Ith-har al-Asrar in Turkey, and the Hidayah al-Nahw in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent the students direct themselves to Ibn al-Hajib's al-Kafiyah. The Matn of the al-Kafiyah is further augmented by the commentaries of Radhiyyud-Din al-Astarabadhi and Mulla al-Jami. In both traditions, the Nahw is taught hand-in-hand with a very elaborate focus on Sarf esp. the patterns, where students are required to memorise these patterns.

What is interesting in my brief observations of the various systems and approaches (the Arab, Turkish and Indo-Pak) is that there exist slight differences in the way they do their analysis (i'rab) of sentences, and so on. It was rather refreshing for me to know that, for example, the Turkish system of doing I'rab highlighted aspects of the sentence that is being analysed not highlighted in the other systems. In fact, you most probably wouldn't understand a Turkish I'rab text unless you have been through their system or have done some of their books. Likewise, Turkish students who have been through the Turkish system find it equally confusing when confronted by another system of I'rab. However, if you are familiar with all three systems you are all the more enriched.

These, then, are just some of my observations and thoughts on a project that I would like to attempt some time in the future, insha Allah. Make du'a that it comes to fruition.

من صامَ رمضانَ، وأَتْبعَهُ سِتًا من شوّالٍ : a question posed by a student to his teacher

Assalamu 'alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

We are all familiar with the hadith: من صامَ رمضانَ، وأتبعَهُ سِتًا من شوّالٍ كَانَ كَصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ (Whosoever fasts Ramadan, and follows it up with the six (days / nights) of Shawwal, then his fasting is like the fasting of a whole year) which has been documented by Muslim in his Compilation of Authentic Hadiths.

Apart from the significance of this hadith because of the month that we find ourselves in - the month of Shawwal - the hadith also contains a special Nahw question. At the same time it is also a lesson in for us in student-teacher relationships.

The special grammatical question or query in the hadith is why is it سِتَّا and not سِتَّةً on the basis that what is implied is 'six days' in which case we say: سِتَّةَ أيَّام , and not سِتَّ أَيَّامٍ , such that the implied structure of the hadith should read: من صامَ رمضانَ، وأتبعَهُ سِتَّةَ أَيَّامٍ من شوّالٍ ?

This was the exact question that one student asked his teacher in a series of questions concerning a number of ahadith in Sahih Muslim. The student was no other than the great Imam al-Nawawi, the author of numerous works including the highly popular Forty Hadith and Riyadh al-Salihin, and the teacher no other than the great Ibn Malik, also the author of numerous works and was especially famed for his Alfiyyah (thousand verse didactic poem on grammar). Imam al-Nawawi could not have asked for a better Nahw teacher and Ibn Malik could not have asked for a better student. It is said that it was Imam al-Nawawi that Ibn Malik referred to in the second half of line 126 of his Alfiyyah when he gave examples of a mubtada' occurring as an indefinite (nakirah) noun: وَرَجُلٌ مِنَ الْكِرَامِ عِنْدَنَا (... and there is a man from amongst the honourable men in our midst). What a student! and, What a teacher! May Allah reward both them with only the best for the tremendous services that these two giants have rendered to Islam.

Ibn Malik's Response to Imam al-Nawawi's Question:

Since the first of the month is a night (i.e. it starts from sunset) and the last of the month is a day (i.e. it ends with sunset), the Arabs calculated their dating using the nights, and by mentioning the nights they did not need to mention the days.Therefore, they would say: كُتِبَ لِخَمْسٍ [it was written after five (nights have passed)]. This is also not case of التغليب (giving the one preference and precedence over the other), because التغليب obtains when both categories are mentioned, and then both of them is given the treatment of one of them as though it was mentioned alone, e.g. رأَيْتُ رِجالاً ونِسَاءً يَتَحَدَّثُوْنَ (I saw men and women talking) [here يتحدثون is in reference to both men and women but is conjugated according to the gender of رجال (men)]. This is not the case with كُتِبَ لِخَمْسٍ , because what is mentioned does not cover nights and days, rather the mentioning of الليالي obviates the need to mention الأيام .So when this system was became sort of the standard for dating, it became also adopted for other things, on condition there was no confusion or ambiguity, like the Statement of the Most High: يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرا، البقرة: 234 (they should keep themselves in waiting for four months and ten days) and يَتَخَافَتُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنْ لَبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا عَشْراً ، طـه:103 [they should keep themselves in waiting for four months and ten (days)].Falling in this category would be the following: وأتْبَعَهُ ستّاً مِنْ شَوَّال . Al-Zamakhshari says in the al-Kash-shaf: “You say: صُمْتُ عَشْراً (I fasted ten), and were you to have made it agree with the masculine, you would most certainly have strayed and deviated from their way of speaking (i.e. the way of the Arabs)”.

Ibn Uthman’s comment: This last point that al-Zamakhshari makes is interesting because the whole purpose of the study of al-Nahw is to emulate and follow the Speech or Lisan of the Arabs. This is clearly stated by Abu Bakr Ibn al-Sarraj when he says in his highly acclaimed al-Usul Fi al-Nahw (the Foundations of Grammar): : النحو إنما أريد به أن ينحو المتكلم إذا تعلمه كلام العرب [(Nahw: its purpose is for the speaker – when he learns it (i.e. Nahw) – to emulate and follow the Speech of the Arabs]. The Arabic word for “emulate and follow” in Ibn al-Sarraj’s text is يَنْحُوْ from whence the term النحو (al-Nahw). In other words, Nahw is all about emulating and following the (classical) Arabs in their Speech.

والله أعلم

Keeping Up with the Times: Arabic and the Challenges of Postmodernity

Assalamu 'alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

As Muslims it is important that we understand the times that we live in. Now, the times that we live in can be variously interpreted and have been variously interpreted by different social scientists. We might all agree that certain things have been happening, but how we view the significance and importance of these events, and whether or not we have to change accordingly is entirely a different issue. What follows is a brief discussion on the times in which we live based on a particular view thereof, and where Arabic (in the traditional sense) features in these times. The discussion that follows is in part based on a particular reading of the times (which is not necessarily my own reading thereof). The idea is basically to take Arabic into hitherto unchartered territories in the current Muslim discourse especially vis-a-vis Arabic, and to see what Arabic is up against in the modern age, and how we can successfully navigate its way through these troubled waters and stormy seas.

We are living in times where socio-economic changes have been fast and furious - fast in that never in history have changes been at the highly accelerated pace that we witness them today, and furious in that never in history did people have to change their lifestyles and the way they view things so drastically as they have done in this day and age. Already under modernity did we witness severe pressures been exerted on societies to make the change from a traditional lifestyle to that of a modern one. Tradition was a vestige of the past and therefore not commensurate with modern scientific, technological and political developments. The situation under modernity required large-scale adjustment of society and culture in the form of making a clean break with tradition, and in the process adopting the forward-looking attitude of modern and progressive societies rather than the backward-looking of traditional and static societies.

The arrival of postmodernity meant that even the modernist movement of modernity had become outdated and outmoded. The solidity of modernism melted under postmodernity, and hopes and promises of modernism vanished into thin air with the advent of postmodernity. People were now entering and experiencing what was called the "Postmodern Condition". The certainity and self-assuredness of modernity have given way to the doubt and ambivalence of postmodernity. In fact, according to postmodernism (the movement sparked by postmodernity) even modernity was never on any sure ground or foundation, as there was never any ground or foundation in the first place - it only appeared solid to us at the time but in reality it was melting. In other words, modernism was always meant to self-destruct, it is just that we did not know that at the time, but now that we know it in hindsight we also know that it never really was. What I have just raised forms part of what is called "Postmodern Speak".

The question is that if tradition already had it tough under modernity how much more tougher would'nt the situation be under postmodernity? As Muslims, and as Muslims who are very attached to our Tradition, we are most certainly feeling the strains and pressures of the times. Those who do not value our Tradition and do not share it with us view it as a burden and unwanted baggage that is slowing us down from making any progress in the modern age, and have therefore called for its total abandonment. Others with even more sinister agendas have called for the total abandonment if not annihilisation of Islam as a religion, not just its tradition. At this stage you might want to ask also how all of this affects or ties in with Arabic? Well, my response to that is that a great deal of Arabic as we know it is part and parcel of the Arabic and Islamic Tradition. The two Primary Sources of Islam are in Arabic. The studies that we depend on for understanding these Primary Sources have themselves been conducted and written in Arabic and according rules and principles that have been formulated quite early on in the Tradition, and then continued to develop and mature in that Tradition. Some contemporary Muslim scholars classify Arabic as being an integral component in the structure that makes up the Tradition.

My own Islamic Traditional response to the above is that Islam and Muslims, masha Allah, have proven to be extremely resilient in the face of the challenges of the Modern Age. Muslims all over the world - from the simplest to the most educated - continue to be inspired by Islam and the Qur'an. While in the West many have relinquished their religions, Muslims have held fast to theirs and we find Islam even gaining more Muslims in the process.

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ ، سورة الصف: 8

[Their intention is to extinguish Allah's Light (by blowing) with their mouths: But Allah will complete (the revelation of) His Light, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it). ]

We are definitely living in very trying times, and the challenges are mounting by the day, yet, Muslims all over the world pray their five daily prayers, fast the Month of Ramadhan, and perform the Holy Pilgrimage. It is almost as if Islam has become their life-blood and the oxygen that they breathe, and that is despite the negative portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the media. There is no doubt that in these trying times Muslims have to stand together and support each other and encourage each other to hang in there and persevere through the trials and tribulations of the times in which we live:

وَالْعَصْرِ، إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ، إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ، سورة العصر: 1 - 3

[(I swear) by the time. Most surely man is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. ]

As for Arabic, we need not fear, as Allah Himself has undertaken to protect the Qur'an of which Arabic is an indivisible part. Arabic cannot be separated from the Qur'an, nor can the Qur'an be separated from its Arabic.

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآناً عَرَبِيّاً لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ، سورة يوسف: 2

[We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an, in order that ye may understand.]

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ ، سورة الحجر: 9

[We have, without doubt, sent down the Reminder; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).]

Islam Will Eventually Prevail

ولباس التقوى ذلك خير (... and the Garment / Covering of Taqwa, that is better ...)

Assalamu 'alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Allah, the Almighty, says in the Holy Qur'an addressing the Children of Adam:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْءَاتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىَ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ، سورة الأعراف: 26

[O children of Adam! We have indeed sent down to you clothing to cover your shame, and (clothing) for beauty. But the clothing that guards (against evil), that is the best. This is of the communications of Allah that they may be mindful.]

A short exploration into the word لباس (and other related words):

The word "لِباس" (libas) can be traced to one of two roots:

(1) لبِس - يلْبَس (labisa - yalbasu) - to cover yourself with or get dressed in a garment
The nouns لِباس (libas), لَبُوس (labus), and لُبْس (lubs) all refer to any clothing or garment that you cover yourself with. The verb لبِس (labisa) is almost always used in relation to clothing and garments

(2) لبَس - يلْبِس (labasa - yalbisu) - to cover, conceal, hide, confound, obfuscate, etc, and does not necessarily involve garments or clothing. In fact, all the times the verb لبَس or one of its cognates is used in the Qur'an it is used in the sense of covering up or concealing in general, and almost always in a perjorative sense, as the following verses illustrate:


- وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ، سورة البقرة: 42

[And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is)]


- الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُواْ إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمُ الأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ ، سورة الأنعام: 82

[It is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrongdoing / oppression - that are (truly) in security, for they are on (right) guidance]

Thus, in the first sense لباس (which appears to be the more common sense in which it is used) refers to a garment or raiment that you cover yourself with, whereas in the second sense it refers to any form of covering that is not necessarily a garment or a piece of clothing.

Now, a garment ( لباس ) serves two essential functions: (a) it covers one's nakedness, and (b) it protects one's body from the elements such as heat and cold. There is also a third but not so essential function which is that a garment can also serve as a form of adornment. In fact, it is this function of garments that is referred to by the Qur'anic expression رِيْشاً which literally means' feathers' but because feathers also serve as a adornment for birds, it is often used metaphorically to refer to beauty and adornment in other objects. The famous exegete, linguist and lexicographer, al-Zamakhshari, states in his "Asas al-Balaghah" (a dictionary dealing with Arabic metaphorical usages) that: "Allah has made garments into "rish" (lit. feathers): adornment and beauty قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْءَاتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا [We have indeed sent down to you clothing to cover your shame, and (clothing) for beauty], and this usage is borrowed from feathers which serve to cover and adorn birds". It is this same adornment and beauty that Allah refers to one verse later: يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ ، سورة الأعراف: 31 [O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer].

Subsequently, the word لباس has come to be used for anything that covers and conceals a person from what is ugly and abominable. Thus, married partners or spouses are referred to as garments unto each other not only because they are allowed to cover each other like garments but also because they protect and safeguard each other from falling into sin by being there for each other.

Insha Allah, we will also see later on, the significance of describing or referring to التقوى in terms of لباس .

Different interpretations of التقوى in لباس التقوى :

التقوى as we know has the meaning of 'protection, safeguarding, etc.' whether in the physical sense of protecting against physical harm or injury or in the spiritual sense of protecting against evil and sinfulness. That لباس التقوى can refer to some type of protective garment or even coat of arms / armour, is borne out by the following two verses:

وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ سَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ الْحَرَّ وَسَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُم بَأْسَكُمْ سورة النحل: 81

[He made you garments to protect you from heat, and coats of mail /arms to protect you from your (mutual) violence]

(Here even a verb bearing the same root letters of التقوى is used to mean "to protect", namely, تَقِيْ )

وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ صَنْعَةَ لَبُوسٍ لَّكُمْ لِتُحْصِنَكُم مِّن بَأْسِكُمْ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ شَاكِرُونَ ، سورة الأنبياء: 80

[It was We Who taught him the making of coats of mail / arms for your benefit, to guard you from each other's violence: will ye then be grateful?]

As for التقوى referring to a covering or barrier that protects against evil and sinfulness is a common enough meaning and has already been discussed at length in a previous post. We will shortly discuss the connection between التقوى and اللباس and the significance of this connection and comparison.

Grammatical Analysis of لباس التقوى based on the Raf' and Nasb readings of لباس :

There exist basically two primary Quranic readings in terms of how لباس of لباس التقوى is read. These two readings will now be discussed together with the grammatical justifications for these readings.

(A) the Raf' reading of لباسُ (Hamzah, Ibn Kathir, 'Asim & Abu 'Amr):

This is by far the more popular of the two readings, and 4 explanations have been forwarded as to its grammatical validity:

(a) لباسُ التقوى - is the mubtada',

ذلك - is tab'i (appositive) of لباس , (a sifah, badal or 'atf bayan),

خيرٌ - is the khabar of the mubtada' لباسُ التقوى

(b) لباسُ التقوى - is the first mubtada'
ذلك - is the second mubtada'
خيرٌ - is the khabar of the second mubtada' which together constitute a nominal clause serving as the khabar of the first mubtada'

(c) لباسُ التقوى - is the khabar of an elided mubtada', with the structure assumed as: وساترُ عوراتكم لباس التقوى (... and that which covers your nakedness is the covering / garment of Taqwa)

(d) لباسُ التقوى - is the mubtada' of an elided khabar, with the structure assumed as: ولباسُ التقوى ساترُ عوراتكم (... and the covering / garment of Taqwa is that which covers your nakedness)


(B) the Nasb reading of لباسَ (the rest of the Renowned Qur'anic Readers):

The explanation put forward for the Nasb-reading of لباسَ is that it is ma'tuf (conjoined via the conjunctive particle waw) to
لباساً يواري سوآتكم وريشاً in which case they all fall under both the grammatical and semantic force of the verb أنزلْنا .

What is the significance of comparing التقوى to a لباس , and why is the لباس التقوى better?

By comparing التقوى to a لباس it implies that التقوى serves all those functions normally associated with garments and clothing, like protecting one's body, covering one's nakedness, and adorning oneself. By then stating that the لباس التقوى is better, it implies that the لباس التقوى is even superior to an regular garment in these three respects or functions. Here is why I think the لباس التقوى is superior to a regular garment:

(1) The garment of Taqwa safeguards the soul and protects it from the destructive forces of evil and disobedience, and we all know that the soul is more important than the body. At the same we are taught that are bodies also have rights over us, and that we need to look after them and care for them. It is our Taqwa that ensures that we give our bodies adequate protection by eating and drinking properly, not inflicting punishments on ourselves, etc.

(2) The garment of Taqwa covers more than just our nakedness. It preserves also our modesty. It is what prevents us from dressing inappropriately and immodestly when it is scorching hot, and the temperatures are soaring. By covering up our bodies we turn our focus from the outside to the inside, from our bodies to our souls. Thus, while a regular garment only covers our nakedness and the secrets of our bodies except from our spouses, the Garment of Taqwa covers the nakedness of souls and the secrets of our hearts except from Allah. While our bodies are meant for our spouses, our souls and hearts are meant for Allah.

(3) The garment of Taqwa focuses on inner beauty rather than outer beauty. By wearing the garment of Taqwa we cover ourselves in a wide range and great variety of beautiful and coulourful character traits. It is significant that the word used for acquiring and developing virtuous character traits is التحلِّي (al-tahalli), that is, 'to adorn, beautify or dress yourself up', and the word used for shunning bad and undesirable character traits is التخلِّي (al-takhalli), that is, 'to abandon, shun, get rid off, empty out, etc.'

This also brings to mind the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that states: "A believer is a mirror unto his brother". There is none of us that leaves the house except that he or she has looked into the mirror to see if his or her appearance is acceptable and presentable to the public eye. The mirror that your believing brother or sister holds up to you is to ensure that you look acceptable and presentable in the Presence of Allah on the Day of Judgement, because He does not look at your physical bodies and forms, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds. In another hadith it is stated that: "Iman is what occurs in the heart and is verified by the deeds". In other words, the deeds reflect what is on the inside. Just as you accept the advice of a mirror and are more than ready to do the necessary adjustments to your appearance based on what the mirror tells you, you should be even more accepting of the advice of the mirror that your believing brother or sister holds up to you and more ready to do the necessary adjustments to your siritual appearance, since in the final analysis, it is your spiritual appearance that counts rather than your physical appearance:

وَلَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ، يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ ، إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ، سورة الشعراء: 87 - 89

[And let me not be in disgrace on the Day when (men) will be raised up - The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail - but only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart ]

والله أعلم