the lectures of Nekounam, (Session 56)
The phrase "إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ" from Surah Al-Fatiha, serving as a bridge between knowledge and action, guides humanity towards the oneness of God in worship and reliance upon Him. This phrase, emphasising the exclusivity of worship and seeking aid from God alone, embodies the foundation of both theoretical and practical wisdom. This book, adopting a scholarly and refined approach, provides an in-depth analysis of this phrase and, relying on the concepts of humility, submissiveness, reverence, and fear, elucidates their positions within the Quranic system and social conduct. The structure of this work aims to present a systematic exposition for specialised audiences, conveying all details with dignified and academic language.
The phrase "إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ" represents an aspect of theoretical wisdom that centres on the knowledge and heartfelt belief in God. Worship, in this verse understood as the exclusivity of adoration directed towards God alone, originates from profound recognition of monotheism and divine attributes.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ
Translation: You alone we worship.
This knowledge, as a firm foundation, purifies worship from any trace of polytheism and directs humans towards sincerity in worship.
The phrase "إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ" reflects practical wisdom, which pertains to human behaviour and action within the realm of life. Seeking help (istinah) is a request for assistance from God, arising from knowledge of Him and manifesting in reliance (tawakkul) and submission.
إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
Translation: And You alone we ask for help.
This phrase invites humanity to exclusivity in seeking aid from God and introduces reliance as a practice born of knowledge.
Theoretical wisdom precedes practical wisdom because the value of any action depends on the thought and knowledge that guide it. Thought, like a guiding map, determines the course of action; without correct knowledge, the action loses its authenticity.
The Holy Quran explicitly demonstrates this precedence in two verses:
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ
Translation: The unseen of the heavens and the earth belongs to God, and to Him returns all affairs. So worship Him and rely upon Him.
قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ آمَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا
Translation: Say, He is the Most Merciful; we have believed in Him and upon Him we have relied.
In the verse from Surah Hud, "فَاعْبُدْهُ" (worship) refers to theoretical wisdom, and "وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ" (reliance) to practical wisdom. In the verse from Surah Al-Mulk, "آمَنَّا بِهِ" (faith) signifies theoretical wisdom, and "وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا" (reliance) represents practical wisdom.
The Holy Quran links seeking help to patience and prayer, introducing them as means of obtaining assistance from God.
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
Translation: And seek help through patience and prayer; and indeed, it is difficult except for the humble.
This verse introduces patience and prayer as instruments of seeking aid, and considers humility a prerequisite for the alleviation of their burden.
Prayer, due to its direct connection with divine grandeur, naturally engenders humility in the human heart. This attribute requires no external source and arises from the encounter with God during prayer.
In the verse "وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ", the term "الْخَاشِعِينَ" is used nominally, indicating the stability and permanence of this attribute, in contrast to a verbal adjective which would imply temporality.
In the Holy Quran, the frequency of terms related to spiritual states is as follows: Fear (124 occurrences), Reverence (40 occurrences), Humility (16 occurrences), and Submissiveness (2 occurrences). This statistical distribution reveals Quranic psychology, where fear, due to its universality among humans, is most frequent, while submissiveness, because of its blameworthy nature, is least mentioned.
Some lexicographers, such as Raghib in "Mufradat," consider submissiveness and humility synonymous. This view is erroneous, as synonymy does not exist in the Quranic language. Each word carries a distinct meaning, and the Wise Legislator has selected specific terms for each concept.
فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ
Translation: Do not speak softly (or meekly).
In this verse, submissiveness is used in a blameworthy context, differing from humility, which is a commendable attribute.
Humility is an attribute that spreads from the heart to the limbs, manifesting in behaviour, speech, and gaze. Submissiveness in the Quran is generally blameworthy, referring to outward softness without inner depth. Reverence is a fear intertwined with knowledge, while fear is a more general apprehension common to all humans.
Prayer, as a spiritual arena, places the individual before divine grandeur and produces humility in the heart. This attribute softens the heart and guides the person towards modesty and dignity.
Humility, which extends from the heart to the limbs, must