Qxpiv May, 2007 By Shabbir Ahmed, M. D., Florida Chief Adviser and Editor: Hossein Kowsari, California Reviewed by: Abdullah Ali Bashoeb, Hijaz

QXPiv May, 2007

By Shabbir Ahmed, M.D., Florida

Chief Adviser and Editor: Hossein Kowsari, California

Reviewed by: Abdullah Ali Bashoeb, Hijaz

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Respected readers, Peace and Blessings unto you!

I will remain profoundly grateful to my honorable brother in Islam, Hossein Kowsari of California, for carefully reviewing this humble work of mine. He has very kindly edited the entire document and given numerous ideas and precious suggestions.

His ideas and suggestions have been so valuable and convincing that they have been incorporated into the text almost in their entirety after due reflection.

A very widely read gentleman, Brother Kowsari, is an outstanding Islamic scholar and exponent of the Qur’an in his own right. He has the honor of having translated the Glorious Book into Persian. Primarily a scientist, throughout his life, he has delved into very diverse areas of scholarship, such as Astronomy, Philosophy and World History.

His command over the English language reminds me of the legendary figure, ‘Maulana’ Muhammad Ali Jauhar (d.1931) of the British India. As most of the educated people from the Indo-Pak subcontinent know, he was a living legend as the editor of the most revolutionary and popular daily newspapers of his times, “Hamdard” (Urdu) and “Comrade” (English).

Khwaja Hasan Nizami once wrote, “Jauhar knows more English than all the Indians combined together.” Brother Kowsari seems to know more English than all men and women I know, combined together.

Brother Abdullah Ali Bashoeb is a remarkable scholar of the Qur’an from the blessed Hijaz Sharif. A gentleman with profound knowledge of the Arabic linguistics, Islamic Theology and English, he has thoroughly reviewed the entire document and given me some extremely useful input.

Without brother Kowsari’s precious advice and editing, and brother Bashoeb’s input, I and the reader would have missed much of the quality of this rendition.

May God reward them in both lives!

Finally, I must take the responsibility. All that is good and correct in QXPiv (The Qur’an As It Explains Itself, fourth edition) derives from the Grace of Allah. Any errors or faults belong to this life-long student, and for that, he sincerely seeks the protection of forgiveness from his Sustainer.

Sincerely,

Shabbir Ahmed, M.D.

PREFACE

The author of the Qur’an is none but Almighty God. Before the reader is an English rendition of the Glorious Book by Shabbir Ahmed (1947 to ?) an ordinary servant of God.

The work although close to translation, is more of an understanding from within the Qur’an itself. This Divine Writ calls itself An-Noor (the Light) and light needs no extrinsic sources to show itself. Therefore, I have based my presentation on two principles:

1. Focusing on the language in which the Qur’an was revealed.

2. Making use of Tasreef, that is, how the Qur’an repeats its messages from very diverse vantage points.

A diligent study of the Book using Tasreef helps us look at the Qur’an in its Big Picture, and this method gives us a phenomenal advantage toward its understanding.

I have rendered the terms and linguistics of the Qur’an using the Quraish (Quresh) dialect of Makkah since it is the Arabic dialect in which the Qur’an was revealed to the exalted Muhammad bin Abdullah, the Final Prophet, Messenger and Apostle of God. [570-632 CE]

19:97 And only to this end We have made this (Qur’an) easy to understand in your own tongue (O Prophet). That you might convey thereby glad news to the righteous and warn people given to futile disputation.

Being a young member of the Saudi royal medical staff, I had the good fortune of learning the Quraish dialect in the 1970s under the auspices of Malik Faisal bin Abdul Aziz and Malik Khalid bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia. I was blessed with the opportunity to learn Islamic theology (as Fazil Deeniyat) in the University of Madinah after having learnt the subject under the guidance of the celebrated names of Qari Baqaullah and ‘Maulana’ Ehtishamul Haq Thanwi in Karachi during my college days in the 1960s.

In addition, the opportunity to socialize with the Bedouins was certainly a great advantage since even today they frequently speak the Quraish dialect. Learning the dialect, by no means, amounts to absorbing the Saudi theology.

Some of the well-known western scholars who learned Arabic by socializing with the Bedouins:

• 
  In the 1810s - The Swiss Muslim traveler-explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (Sheikh Ibrahim bin Abdullah 1784-1817).
  
• 
  1850s - The British Muslim Sir Richard F. Burton (1821-1890), adventurer-explorer-soldier-writer, famous for the first ever English translation of “The Arabian Nights”.
  
• 
  1860s - The German non-Muslim scholar-traveler-explorer, Heinrich von Maltzan (1826-1874). Unfortunately, upon his return from Arabia, much furor was raised by his fellow men and the dejected von Maltzan went to Italy and committed suicide by throwing himself from the Tower of Pisa!
  
• 
  1920s - The Austrian Muslim Leopold Weiss (Muhammad Asad 1900-1992), traveler-explorer, journalist-author, exponent of the Qur’an.
  
• 
  1960s - The French, not widely announced, Muslim surgeon-scholar-author, Maurice Bucaille. (1920-?)
  

The first ever commentaries of the Qur’an were written in the third and fourth centuries after the exalted Messenger during the Abbasid Dynasty when Zoroastrian influence held sway in Islamic politics, society and even in the Arabic literature. The commentators of the Qur’an, historians, Muhadditheen (the Hadith/Tradition collectors) and Fuqaha (‘Islamic’ Jurists) overwhelmingly originated from among the non-Arab Persians.

The late Allama Ahmad Amin Al-Masri sums up the resulting chaos in his excellent work Fajril Islam:

“Very certainly, the reader will agree with me that the Persian literature gave an entirely alien complexion to the Arabic linguistics.”

Many celebrated thinkers and authors in the Islamic world strongly agree with the Egyptian scholar on this score. We need not go into details since the point will become sufficiently clear soon, when we cite some examples.

How was mankind robbed of God’s Final Revelation? He Himself extols this Revelation, “And this Grace of your Lord is better than all the treasures that they may amass.” [43:32]

By robbing I mean giving alien, erroneous and misleading meanings and concepts to the original matchless, powerful and glorious Qur’anic terms. Here is how it happened:

The First Dilemma: While the language of the Qur’an remained untouched, its words and terms were made to lose the splendor they so beautifully conveyed in the original, revealed Arabic. So much so, that the Qur’anic terms were dressed up with the erroneous philosophies prevalent in the once Zoroastrian culture of Persia, and they became widely accepted even among the Arabs!

This staggering tragedy explains why, how and where, even the Arabic speaking people lose their touch with the Qur’an! The Book describes this staggering tragedy very clearly,

25:30 And the Messenger will say, “O My Lord! These are my people, the ones who had disabled this Qur’an making it of no account." [They had immobilized it like villagers who bind a cow by tying her front foot to her horn. Mahjoor = A cow thus immobilized]

This ill treatment of the Divine Message and the subsequent filling of the void with conjecture is THE cause of the Muslim downfall on a Global scale.

Any nation that holds on to this Divine Writ in letter and spirit can build a Paradise on earth. The early Islamic history is a great testimonial to this claim, but we will explore this point a little further.

How, then, do the others continue to make progress?

Naturally, a very important question arises here. In the last several centuries, the West and many other non-Muslim nations have been making spellbinding advances in education, science and technology and in their governmental systems without the Qur’an! The short answer is that they have been using well their faculties of reason and intellectual inquiry.

Another very significant factor has been quietly playing its role in this regard. The Qur’an has been, perceptibly and imperceptibly, making a Universal impact on human civilization during the last fourteen centuries. The celebrated French surgeon, thinker and historian, Robert Briffault (1876-1978) has very convincingly elaborated this fact in his remarkable work, "The Making of Humanity."

Muslims, on the other hand, after disabling the Divine Revelation, have also allowed their intellect to paralyze. They have fallen easy prey to the utterly senseless dogmas fabricated centuries after the exalted Prophet and his noble companions.

However, the rule stands for all nations that the Last Revelation of God economizes human effort (Sir Allama Iqbal). It can give them eminence they have never imagined before, scientific and moral achievements side by side, in a short span of time without having to go through the prolonged ordeal of learning through trial and error. And thus, they can adopt a progressive system of life that embraces all that is good, promoting the well-being of humanity, while avoiding all that is evil and harmful. Furthermore, this Revealed System of Life is fully sustainable and durable.

How Does The Current Arabic Rob The Qur’an?

44:58 Certainly, (O Prophet) We have made this Qur’an easy in your tongue, in order that they might take it to their hearts.

69:40 Certainly, this is the utterance of a noble Messenger.

81:19 Indeed, this is the revealed Word in the dialect of a noble Messenger. [44:58, 69:40]

It is of paramount importance to know that the mentioned dialect is not extinct. It is very much alive and well in the Pre-Islamic and ‘Para-Islamic’ poetry and well preserved in some good dictionaries such as Tajil ‘Uroos, Lisanil ‘Arab, Qamoos, Lane’s Lexicon, Al-Mufridaat Fi Ghareebil Qur’an and Lughaatil Qur’an. The first of these practically embraces the next two and the last one is from Arabic to Urdu. Edward Lane’s Lexicon is primarily based on Tajil ‘Uroos. The role of the desert nomads, especially in the Empty Quarter, has already been mentioned.

I will keep this discourse brief since nothing is more convincing than citing relevant examples. Plenty of such examples are given throughout the rendition for the reader to see for himself how the Ajami (Non-Arab, and more specifically, non-Qur’anic) concepts rob the Qur’anic terms of their clarity, power and grandeur.

Herein are given only a few of those examples:

• 
  Taqwa is usually translated as: Righteousness, goodness, avoiding evil, God-consciousness, warding off evil, piety, fearing God, doing good etc.
  
  

Now a non-Muslim, or even a bright Muslim youngster may ask, “Well, the Qur’an in the very beginning claims that it is a Guidance for the righteous, the God-conscious, he who wards off evil, the pious, he who fears God, one who does good works. But, why should such people need any Guidance?”

The answer lies in the Quraish dialect that describes Taqwa as walking in security, like someone who strolls through a garden but watches his garment against getting entangled in bushes and thorns. All of a sudden the verse now makes beautiful sense, that the Qur’an is a Guide to those who wish to journey through life in honor and security.

- Manyyasha is almost invariably translated as ‘whatever God wills.’ Since this term appears in the Qur’an very frequently, its wrong translation lays down the foundation of ‘Fatalism’ in Islam. Such erroneous translations can only convey abject messages and results like this: ‘God honors whomever He wills and humiliates whomever He wills.’ Or, ‘God sends astray whomever He wills and guides whomever He wills.’ An intelligent reader has every right to ask, "Why then did God reveal His Message in the first place?"

The original Qur’anic meaning of Manyyasha is, ‘according to His Laws’. God has appointed Laws for success vs failure, and for guidance vs straying. [And these Laws are given in the Qur’an. See 4:88]

- Such terms as Sayyeh, Ithm, Zanb, Fisq, ‘Udwaan and the like are all blanketed together as the vague term ‘SIN’. I have let the Qur’an explain the true meanings of each term repeatedly in the text, at times in parentheses.

- Zulm has almost always been given a very vague meaning, ‘wrongdoing’. But the Qur’anic concept of Zulm is extremely clear and appealing: To displace something from its rightful place – to harm one’s own self – violation of human rights – oppression – relegating the Truth – to hurt anyone. These meanings become crystal clear in their context in every single related verse.

- Hasanah, Khair, Saalehat, ‘Amal-e-Saaleh, Birr etc are all blanketed together as the vague 'good deeds'. The correct Qur’anic meanings I have incorporated in the text at the relevant places.

- In addition, the true Qur’anic understanding of terms such as Adam, Angels, Satan, Jinn, Salaat, Zakaat, Saum, Hajj, The Unseen, The Occult Phenomena, Belief, Kufr, Resurrection, The Law of Requital, Duniya, The Hereafter, Haraam, Halaal, Jihad, Islam, Iman, and many more will repeatedly be found in the text just as the Qur’an explains them.

A brief glossary has been included in the Introduction of QXPiv.

The Second Dilemma: It occurred when the commentators of the Qur’an, centuries after its Revelation, tried to connect every verse with a certain historical event, calling the process Shaan-e-Nuzool (Circumstances of a Revelation.) Here the words and terms of the Qur’an were given tailor-made meanings to fit the supposed story, with total disregard to their original vibrant meanings, concepts and messages.

This deplorable practice only serves to bind the verses of the Timeless Qur’an to some supposed incidents and chain the Word of God in another set of shackles!

A very significant Islamic jurist, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (d. 241 AH) in those early times saw the chaos and raised a very strong voice against this awful practice, "Three kinds of books are absolutely unfounded, Maghaazi, Malaahem and Tafseer.” (The exalted Prophet's battles, dreams and prophecies, and expositions of the Qur’an]). [Ref: Tazkarah-til-Maudhua’at by Ash-Shaikh Muhammad Tahir Al-Makki and Maudhu’aat-e-Kabeer by Mulla Ali Qari]

Worst of all, and inevitably so, this conjecture of Shaan-e-Nuzool was attributed to the exalted Prophet and his noble companions. This led people into believing that this was how they (the Prophet and his companions) used to understand the Qur’an! Hence, the foundation of an Islamic decline was laid down and mankind was robbed of the Supreme Gift of Guidance bestowed upon them by the Creator!

Now The Third Dilemma: The later generations of translators and commentators have uncritically followed the men of old and this tendency has been consistently taking its noxious toll. They have been thinking of the Ajami Arabic as the known Language of the Qur’an. By Ajami Arabic I mean applying the Zoro-Persian or any alien concepts to the Arabic words and terms of the Qur’an.

Please recall that this deplorable practice of “Shaan-e-Nuzool” was given legitimacy during the Abbasid Dynasty to the extent that the alien, empty and erroneous concepts given to the Qur’anic terms became widely known and well accepted. The Mighty Word of God, the great Equalizer of humanity, threatened the personal interests of the elite, whereas a ‘disabled’ Qur’an very well suited the ulterior motives of the Royalty, the Elite and the Islamic priesthood. A formidable coalition of this ‘eternally’ sinister TRIO thus made inroads into Islam and supported each other toward a common goal, that is, exploitation and enrichment at the expense of the masses who, in turn, violated one another’s, and particularly women’s rights.

The later commentators whether Arabs or non-Arabs, have since looked at the Qur’an with the tinted glasses of the earlier Mufassireen (commentators or exponents.) This dilemma has only helped perpetuate the pathetic state of mental slavery of the “Islamic” world to this day.

The Bewilderment: Muslims, then, keep wondering: What went wrong? What has happened to us? How can we stand up? Which way should we go? What brought upon us the current, in fact, the last many centuries of global humiliation? Is a Renaissance possible? If yes, how is it possible?

The answer is one word, Al-Qur’an, in its true meanings as the companions of the Prophet understood and strove to apply it and, thereupon, success embraced their feet at every step and in every walk of life.

Respected reader! Right before you is my sincere effort to break free of those "time-honored" shackles of mental slavery, and to breathe in some fresh air – (QXP) The Qur’an As It Explains Itself.

A Project Done In Full Public View:

“The Qur’an As It Explains Itself”, with its first edition completed in April 2003, is the first ever rendition of the Qur’an into any language that has been done in full public view. From the very first letter in Dec 2001, it had been made available on the Internet. This proved to be a great blessing since it helped me improve the clarity of expression whenever a viewer thought it was warranted. Furthermore, input from some great scholars of the Qur’an and of the Arabic linguistics, as well as criticism and questions from the viewers helped the author to make this exposition as clear and accurate as possible.

Respectfully, here is the fourth edition, and God willing, I hope to continue working for another improved edition.

Thanks!
Shabbir Ahmed, M.D.

Florida, 10 March 2007

INTRODUCTION

QXP is a Tasreef-based understanding of the Qur’an presented in contemporary English that is easy enough even for teen-agers. It is not a literal translation.

Tasreef is the Qur’anic process where verses in one part of the Qur’an explain or provide deeper understanding of the verses in other parts of the Book. Concisely, it means looking at the Qur’an in its Big Picture. The Qur’an, thus, lets us look at its terms and concepts from very diverse vantage points. This is how special care has been taken to explain every verse from within the Qur’an itself.

The respected reader should expect to find “The Qur’an As It Explains Itself” different from the prevalent translations and explanations because of the use of Tasreef and the Quraish dialect, and for rejecting extrinsic sources.

I have purposely refrained from explaining the Qur’an through extrinsic sources such as Hadith and a very questionable History. Hadith means the supposed sayings of the exalted Prophet collected through hearsay centuries after him. Using these two ‘sources’ for translating or explaining the Qur’an in the distant and recent past has only served to confound the Word of God with manmade traditions and it takes away the profound Glory of the Divine Message.

In QXP, relevant historical accounts have been given only sparingly for the interested reader and they have no bearing on the Pristine Divine Message.

The following three principles applied in this rendition are derived from the Qur’an itself:

One: The Qur’an explains itself. [6:115, 10:37, 75:17-19]
Two: It repeats its verses from diverse angles for clear understanding. [17:41, 17:89, 18:54, and quite a few other verses]
Three: It has been revealed in the Plain Arabic of its times. [12:2, 19:97, 20:113, 39:28, 44:58]

The Prophet (S), who was born and raised in Makkah (Mecca), belonged to the prominent Quraish tribe. Since the Makkans were the first audience, the Qur’an was revealed in their dialect.

19:97 And only to this end We have made this (Qur’an) easy to understand in your own tongue (O Prophet). That you might convey thereby glad news to the righteous and warn people given to futile disputation.

44:58 Certainly, (O Prophet) We have made this Qur’an easy in your tongue, in order that they might take it to their hearts.

Surah means a fence and thus it implies a Chapter that encircles some ayahs (verses). There are 114 Chapters (Surahs) in the Qur’an with just over 6,200 verses in all. By volume, the Qur’an is a much smaller Book than the Bible.

Notes: The reader should not expect the Qur’an to follow a historical time-line as the Bible does. It presents its Guidance in an apparently random manner, but a close examination reveals a definite arrangement of the messages as we go along. As usual, the Surah and verse numbers in this rendition are kept simple. 2:101 will mean Surah 2 verse 101 and so on.

About the use of parentheses ( ) and brackets [ ] … Whenever the reader finds a sentence that is not seen in the original Arabic verse, it will be representing another verse found elsewhere in the Qur’an and, where appropriate, the proper reference will be given right there. In this effort, no meanings will be imported from outside of the Qur’an.

A conscious effort will be made to keep the brackets after the verses whenever possible. Historical notes, author’s comments and linguistic explanations too will be given in brackets or parentheses.

The use of (S) after the name of Prophet Muhammad should be read as ‘Our salutes to him’.

The verse numbering in different copies of the Qur’an may vary by one. For example, 6:142 may be 6:143 and vice versa in different publications. Rarely, the reader may have to check one verse before and one after the given reference, which in itself a good practice to get the context. But, leading publishers of the Qur’an must unify the numbering of the verses.

Glossary - Some Terminology: It will help the reader to become familiar with some important terminology frequently used in the Qur’an, right in the beginning.

• 
  Deen = The System of Life = The Divinely Prescribed Way of Life = In a loose sense, ‘religion’, a ritualistic way of life = Any system of life = ‘Religion’ even with a capital R may scarcely come close in meaning to the term Deen.
  
• 
  Salaat = To follow closely, like a runners-up (Musalli) follows the winning horse (Saabiq) = To follow Divine Commands closely.
  
• 
  Aqimussallat = Establish the System that facilitates the following of Divine Commands.
  
• 
  Zakaat = The Just Economic Order where everyone works according to one’s capacity and is compensated according to the needs. People spend on others or give to the Central Authority (Islamic government) whatever is surplus (2:219). And they do so whenever they earn any income (6:141). The System of Zakaat is managed by the Central Authority that ensures the development of the individuals and the society. The 2.5 percent annual mandatory charity is a non-Qur’anic concept that trivializes the comprehensive Qur’anic System of Zakaat.
  
• 
  Sadaqaat = Charity or alms is meant only for the interim period whenever and wherever the Divinely Prescribed System of Life is not yet in place.
  
• 
  Allah wa Rasool = For Central Authority, the Qur’an uses the terms Allah and Rasool (3:32, 4:59). After the exalted Messenger, it is obligatory upon the believers to elect their leadership through a consultative process in a manner suitable for the times.
  
• 
  Tilawah = Reciting and studying with reflection.
  
• 
  Awliya = Protecting friends = Allies = Masters.
  
• 
  Maula = The True Master = Lord Supreme. The extremely common practice of calling a religious leader as Maulana (Our Master) is a frank, deplorable form of Shirk (associating others with God). But the clergy take pride in it! Many verses in the Qur’an tell us that there is no Maulana but God (2:286, 9:51, 10:30, 34:31). It is amazing to note that the Muslim clergy write Maulana with their names, and with their own hands.
  
• 
  ‘Ibadah = Obeying God by serving His creation = Worship? - Applies in the sense of ‘worship’ to idols only.
  
• 
  Israaf = Wasting resources or one’s own ‘self’ = Crossing limits = Moving away from moderation = Committing excesses in any aspect of life including Religion = Defying Moral Values given in the Quran = Using intoxicants that waste the human ‘self’.
  
• 
  M’asiah = Rebelling against God and the rightly guided Central Authority = Disobeying the Law = Disruptive behavior = Disobedience of the Word of God and the Messenger as embodied in the Quran = Gambling and usury.
  
• 
  Zulm = Relegating the Truth or displacing anything from its rightful place = Oppressing people = Violating human rights = Hurting others or one’s own ‘self’ = Doing wrong to God's creatures and environment = Enslaving bodies and minds.
  
• 
  Ifk = Backbiting = Evil scheming = Defaming = Undue criticism = Fault finding = Slander = Presenting the 'heard' as 'seen' = Alarmist behavior.
  
• 
  Zann = False assumptions about people = Condemnation without investigation = Slander = Falling for superstitions = Belittling the Truth = Following conjecture = Staying out of touch with reality.
  
• 
  Jurm = Stealing the fruit of others’ labor = Violating human rights = Being guilty of living subhuman life = Witnessing for falsehood = Depriving others from their rights = Devouring others' possessions = Not giving share where it is due.
  
• 
  Takabbur = False pride = Arrogance = Self-glorification = Holding others in contempt = Refusing to learn and unlearn = Insisting on blind following = Refusing to admit fault = Being forward before the Divine Message = Mocking the Truth = Deeming to ‘know it all' = Considering material goods higher than moral virtue.
  
• 
  Ghill = Harboring malice in the heart = Failing to forgive people = Looking forward to take revenge = Plotting to hurt physically, financially or emotionally = Being hateful = Opposition for the sake of opposition = Incriminating others for personal grudge.
  
• 
  Ghadhab = Anger. Letting loose virulent emotions = Succumbing to desire = Yelling at people = Intimidating the weak = Losing self-control = Impulsive attitude.
  
• 
  Bhukhl = Stinginess = Hoarding = Withholding own wealth and person from serving humanity = Apathy toward the needy = Being greedy.
  
• 
  Laghw = Wasting precious time = Idle talk = Meaningless assemblies = Conspiring = Senseless play and pastime.
  
• 
  Sadd = Barring oneself or others from the Path of God = Putting forward human thoughts above the Divine Revelation = Hindering immigration from the domain of evil = Antagonizing the Word of God = Presenting falsehood as Truth = Misleading people with conjecture = Hindering the way to the Divinely ordained System of Life.
  
• 
  Jadal = Disputation = Argument for the sake of argument = Opposing Divine Revelation = Confusing human thought = Confounding the Truth with rhetoric.
  
• 
  Jinn = Something hidden, rarely seen. Hence, after using Tasreef, Al-Jinn = The nomads. Jannah from the same root means a garden hidden in foliage. When the Jinns or nomads move to dwell in towns and become civilized, they are referred to as Ins.
  
• 
  Ins = Urbanites = Humans including the nomads.
  
• 
  Faasiqoon (singular, Faasiq) = Those who drift away = Who slip out of discipline = Those who cross the bounds of what is right = Fruit whose seed slips out = One who transgresses Divine Laws and thus becomes vulnerable to desire and extrinsic challenge.
  
• 
  Fisq = Drifting away from the Commands or from discipline = ‘Sin’ = Disregarding moral values.
  
• 
  Zanb = Tail = Trailing behind = ‘Sin’.
  
• 
  Sharr = Harming others or one’s own self. Hurting the good potential in others. Injuring people by any means. Harming the society. Bad conduct = ‘Evil’ = ‘Sin’.
  
• 
  Sayyeh = Harming others = Disrupting people’s lives = Treating them unfairly = Destabilizing the lives of others = Failing to fulfill their rights = Injustice = Iniquity = Deceiving in business or other dealings = Falling short in discharging duties = Favoritism = ‘Sin’.
  
• 
  'Amal Su = Any action that disrupts the lives of others = ‘Sin’
  
• 
  ‘Amal Saaleh = An act of social welfare = Helping others = Increasing the societal potential = Fulfilling needs = ‘Good work’.
  
• 
  Saalehaat = Actions that increase the capabilities of a person or the society = Setting things right = Helping others.
  
• 
  Saaliheen = The righteous ones = Those who actualize their ‘selves’ = Who increase human potential = Who set things right = They help others = Create balance in the society = Fulfill others’ needs.
  
• 
  Birr = Works that lead to exponential growth of the ‘self’ = Creating room for advancement of all = ‘Good’.
  
• 
  Abraar = Those who create room for others = Those who create opportunities for others to make progress.
  
• 
  Khair = A deed or act that endows a person and others with true inner happiness = ‘Good’.
  
• 
  Hasanah = Creating balance = Any benevolent action = ‘Good’.
  
• 
  Muhsineen = Doers of good = Benefactors of humanity = Those who create balance in the society.
  
• 
  Tasbeeh from Sabah = Swim with long strides = Strive hard = Apply oneself to a mission = The non-Qur’anic ‘Rosary beads’.
  
• 
  Nafs = ‘Self’ = 'I', ‘Ego’, ‘Personality’, ‘I-amness', ‘Me’.
  
• 
  Imaan = Belief = Conviction = Acceptance = Acknowledgement = Embracing the Truth.
  
• 
  Haraj = Difficulty = Burden = Doubt = Hardship = Blame = Tightness in chest.
  
• 
  Kufr = Denial or rejection of the Truth = Concealing the Truth = Ingratitude = Choosing to live in the darkness of ignorance = Hiding or covering something = Closing eyes to the light of Truth = Stubborn denial of the Truth = Concealing the Truth = Knowingly oppose the Truth = Uncritical adherence to ancestral views = Trying to be with the majority without discernment.
  
• 
  Kafir = One given to Kufr = One who adamantly denies the truth = Commonly translated as ‘infidel’ = Derivatively and positively, a farmer who hides the seed under the soil (57:20). Therefore, Kufr or Kafir does not apply to the unaware, anyone to whom the Message has not been conveyed or reached.
  
• 
  Mushrik = Idolater = Pagan = Anyone who ascribes divinity to other than the One True God = Who associates partners with Him = Who prefers manmade tenets = Who worships idols in any form such as statues, own desire, forces of Nature, any of God’s creation = One who uncritically follows what others do = A blind follower = One who considers men as authorities instead of the Divine Revelation = Anyone who makes lists of Halaal (Permissible) and Haraam (Forbidden) from outside the Qur’an = One who believes in clergy against the Divine Revelation = Who adores saints, political or religious leaders in lieu of God = Who bows or prostrates physically or mentally before any creation = Who promotes themes, dogmas and tenets contrary to the Qur’an.
  
• 
  Shirk = The act of being a Mushrik = Associating others with God = Accepting human authorities parallel to Divine Revelation = Sectarianism = Idol worship in any form = Being content with manmade systems = Worshiping graves, saints, ancestors or one's own desire = Blind following or accepting religious information without discernment = Failing to use the Divine Word as the Criterion.
  
• 
  Taqwa = Seeking to journey through life in security = Protect oneself from disintegration of the personality = Journeying in security = Being careful = Getting empowered against evil = Avoid overstepping the Laws = Exercising caution = Preserving oneself against deterioration = Good conduct = Building character = Live a life upright = Fear the consequences of violating Divine Commands = Being mindful of the Creator = Remaining conscious of the Divinely ordained Values = Taking precaution = Being watchful against error.
  

• 
  Muttaqeen = Those who walk on a secure path = Those who seek to journey through life in security = Those who live upright = Those watchful against error.
  
• 
  Mukazzibeen = Rejecters of the Truth = Those who deny the Truth in practice = Those who deny the Truth = Who live by conjecture instead of the unalterable Divine Laws.
  
• 
  Zulm = To displace something from its rightful place = Replace good with evil = Relegate the truth = Transgression = Oppression = Violation of human rights = Wrongdoing.
  
• 
  Zaalimeen = Oppressors = Those who hurt themselves or others = Who displace something from its rightful place = Who relegate the Truth = Violators of human rights = Those who prefer to live in the darkness of ignorance = Commonly translated as wrongdoers.
  
• 
  Aadam = Adam = Man. His wife = Woman. Udma = Ability to live together as a community. Aadam from Udma thus, indicates humankind. The word “Eve” or Hawwa is not mentioned in the Qur’an. She is described with dignity as Mer’a-til-Aadam = Adam’s Zaujah = Wife, Consort, Mate of Adam = Mrs. Adam.
  
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  Sajdah = Prostration = Complete submission = Willful obedience = Utter humility = Adoration = Utmost commitment to Divine Cause = Humbling one's own self.
  
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  Rukoo’ (Bowing) and Sajdah (Prostration) are not confined to the ritualistic physical motions. They convey a more sublime message of being humble and submitting to God’s Commands.
  
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  Khauf = Fear from without. Huzn = Intrinsic depression or grief = Unhappiness = Regret.
  
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  Khushoo’ = Being humbly compliant = Sincerely committed = Being devoted to a noble cause.
  
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  Sabr = Patience = Facing adversity with courage = Steadfastness = Resolve = Perseverance in hardship as well as ease.
  
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  A’raaf = The Heights = Heights of intellect = Stature of those endowed with faculty of discernment = The high degrees of those who are better able to distinguish between right and wrong. Singular, ‘Urf = The most elevated part of anything = Easily discernible.
  
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  Shi'ra = Sha'oor = Intellect. Shi'ra is also the Arabic name of the brightest star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major. It was widely worshiped in ancient Middle East. (53:49)
  
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  Shafa'ah = Stand up as witness to the Truth = Intercession = Clearing a falsehood assigned to someone = Defending the truthful.
  
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  Shukr = Thankfulness = Gratitude in word and action = Bring Divine Bounties to the most fruitful use = Sharing one's wealth and resources with fellow humans = Opposite of Kufr (ingratitude) when the context demands it.
  
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  Hudan = Hidayah = Guidance = Right guidance = A lighted road = Journey with prominent landmarks = A sincere gift = A high rock of identification in the sea = Lighthouse = A fixed sign in the desert.
  
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  Zall = Shade.
  
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  Ghamam = Clouds. Shade of Grace = Being shaded with clouds in the desert is a blessing, hence, Grace.
  
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  Manna-wus-Salwa = God’s sustenance that reaches all members of the community equitably. Literally, it also means delicious fruit (Manna) and fowl or quail meat (Salwa).
  
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  Tayyab = Decent and clean = Of one's liking = Not forbidden in the Qur’an = Good for mind and body = Pleasant.
  
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  Rijz = Weak, shaky legs = Loss of determination and resolve = Losing individual and collective strength = Becoming lazy = Replacing action with word.
  
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  Rijs = Unclean = Disapproved = Contaminated = Foul = A barrier to moral development.
  
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  ‘Asa = Staff = Force = Conviction = Support = A united community holding on to a mission as the five fingers hold on to a cane.
  
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  Ihsan = An act of balance = Restoring symmetry and beauty = Social and individual equity = Selfless service = An act of equity.
  
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  Yateem = Orphan = Who is left alone in the society = Lonely = Without immediate family = Helpless = Derivatively, a widow.
  
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  Miskeen = The needy poor = One with no means to earn livelihood = The disabled = One whose life has stalled for any reason = Jobless = Bankrupt of finances = One whose running business has stalled.
  
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  Ibn-is-Sabeel = The needy wayfarer, son of the street, the homeless, the one who travels for assistance, one who seeks asylum against persecution.
  
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  La’nah = Curse = Deprivation of God’s Grace = God’s rejection = Condemnation = Losing citizenship of the Islamic State = To be downgraded = Abasement = Lasting humiliation
  
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  Qat’a yadd = Cutting off the ability. For the so-called cutting of hand, please see 12:31. Yadd = Hand = Ability = Power.
  
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  Ithm = Any action that depletes individual or communal energy = Actions that deplete individual and collective potential = Harming human lives = Lewd behavior = Discouraging productive work = Causing fear or grief by any means = Indulgence in pursuit of pleasure.
  
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  ‘Udwaan and its derivatives = Wedge = Creating distance between hearts = Discord = Crossing the bounds of Law = Committing excesses = Deeds beyond decency = Transgressing moral values. Creating wedges of discord between people = Causing dissension = Spreading disorder and corruption = Promoting racial, sectarian and nationalistic hatred.
  
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  ‘Adu and its derivatives = Enemy = Wedge = Opponent = Causing remoteness = Divider = Bearer of grudge.
  
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  Duniya = This world = Immediate gains = Short term benefits = Short-sightedness = Disregarding the Law of Cause and Effect = Forsaking the Future.
  
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  Aakhirah = Hereafter = Life to come = Eternity = Long term = Far-sightedness = Future = Logical outcome = Tomorrow as built on today.
  
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  ‘Uqba = The Life to come = Ultimate destination = The End = Hereafter.
  
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  Maseer = Destination = Journey’s end = Homecoming.
  
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  Ghadhab = Opposite of Blessing = Bitter consequences of misdeeds = Logical results of defying Divine Laws = Physical and mental destitution for defying God = Suffering loss = Incorrectly translated as anger or wrath in relation to God.
  
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  Ya ayyuhallazeena aamanu is generally, but inaccurately, translated as “O You who believe!”, “O Believers!”, “O You of faith! O Faithfuls!” etc. Firstly, aamanu is a verb. Secondly, attaining belief must be an act consciously undertaken after due reflection and with free will. ‘Passive’ faith such as claiming to be a ‘believer by birth’ has no merit in the Sight of God. See 4:136, 12:108. Also, choosing to believe in Truth is a great blessing of God. Hence, my rendition: O You who have chosen to be graced with belief!
  
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  Qadeer or Qaadir = The Appointer of Laws = Supreme Controller = Able to do all things = Powerful = Almighty = One Who sets due measure for all things.
  
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  Shayi = Thing = Derived meaning, event.
  
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  Qaul = Utterance = Thought = Assertion = Tenet = Attitude = Expression.
  
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  Hubb = Love = Full support = Having a common mission. Loving the Almighty = Following His Commands = Loving His creation = Benefiting others. God’s love = His blessings in both lives.
  
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  Ghafarah = Helmet and armor = Protection = Preservation against deterioration = Forgiveness.
  
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  Wakeel = Advocate, guardian, warder, warden, defender, custodian, responsible for the outcome.
  
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  ‘Ilm = Knowledge = Science.
  
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  Yasha in reference to God = Through His Laws = Common mistranslation, ‘as He pleases’.
  
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  Bahl = To leave alone = Let someone hold on to his views = Let others do as they will = Erroneous, but common non-Qur’anic term from Bahl, Mubahila = A contest of mutual cursing!
  
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  Taair = Omen = Destiny = Registration of deeds = Fleet-footed horse = Bird.
  
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  'Azaab = Torment = Chastisement = Punishment = Suffering, as a natural consequence of transgressions according to the Law of Cause and Effect.
  
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  Ma'roof = Virtue = Kindness = All that is good = Declared Ma’roof by the Qur’an.
  
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  Munkar = Vice = Evil = All that is wrong = Declared Munkar by the Qur’an.
  
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  Shuhada = Witnesses = Those who uphold the Truth even with their lives = Those slain in the Cause of God = Commonly translated as martyrs.
  
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  Azwaaj = Spouses, Zaujah is wife and Zauj means husband.
  
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  Hoor = Houri = Modest, intelligent companions, male or female. Unfortunately, this word has been almost invariably translated as ‘gorgeous women with big eyes’. Hoor applies to men and women both. The male gender is Ahwar and the female is Hawra. Again, Hoor = Men and women of vision who are modest and delightful companions.
  
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  Khiyaam = Blessed shady environment, instead of the literal 'tents or pavilions'.
  
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  Shaqq and derivatives = To split = Fall apart = Schism = Fall into disputes = Opposition = Oppose one another = Splitting of personality = Break apart the unity = Enmity.
  
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  Haml = Pregnancy = Accept = Bear = Interestingly also the opposite meaning: Betraying the trust (33:72).
  
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  Haraam = The above can compare well with Haraam = Forbidden = And the opposite, Sacred. A good example in English is the word CLIP meaning cutting as well as joining.
  
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  Halaal = Permissible.
  
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  Jibt = Baseless mysteries, magic, future-telling, astrology, clairvoyance, evil eye, good and bad omens, ‘occult’ sciences, amulets, interpretation of dreams and prophecies (except by a prophet), palm-reading, soothsaying, superstitions of all kind, demon or jinn-possession of people, exorcism, blowing verses and senseless words on people or in food and drink, counting names on rosaries.
  
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  Taaghoot = Those who, in rebellion to the One True God, claim to have Divine powers or try to portray themselves as His representatives, Sufis, mystics, deceptive priesthood, clergy, tyrants = Those who try to play god.
  
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  Tagha = Rebellion. Idols of stones cannot rebel, hence, they cannot be Taaghoot.
  
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  Bayyinaat = Clear evidences.
  
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  Lillah = For God = For the sake of God = In the Cause of God = Belonging to God = Being subservient to Him = Working to fulfill the Divine Plan.
  
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  Saabir = Steadfast = Persevering = Determined = Patient in ease and adversity.
  
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  Qisaas = The duty of tracing an offender for just recompense.
  
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  Baheema-tul-An’aam = The herbivorous cattle = Plant-eating quadrupeds = Livestock.
  
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  Azlaam = Divining arrows = The conjecture of foretelling the future = Raffle = Lottery = Clairvoyance = Dividing things or time for one another through randomly picking up slips of paper.
  
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  Fasaad = Bloody crimes = Spreading corruption in the land = Creating disorder.
  
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  Waseelah = Seeking earnestly = Applying the mind and heart to reach a noble goal.
  
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  Zikr = Reflection = Remembrance = Observation = Reminder = Remembrance = Commemoration = Raise in degrees = Celebrate = Magnify = Give eminence = Taking to heart = Keeping in mind.
  

Let us begin with the Name of Allah.