The exegesis of the opening verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, focusing on the concepts of life, death, and creation, opens a gateway towards a profound understanding of the epistemological system of the Holy Quran in explicating the truth of existence and its relationship with the Creator. These verses, by introducing fundamental philosophical and mystical concepts, invite humanity to contemplate the essence of life and death, the unity of existence, and the avoidance of false dichotomies. This treatise, adopting a scientific and exalted approach, elucidates the key concepts of these versessuch as the non-opposition of life and death, the unity of existence, and the necessity of re-examining religious sciencesusing an eloquent and academic language. The objective is to present a coherent and systematic text that provides intellectual and literary richness for educated and specialised audiences, assisting a deeper comprehension of the Quranic truth through supplementary explanations and semantic linkages.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous.
This verse, by inviting the worship of the Lord on account of the creation of humanity and their predecessors, establishes the centrality of creation as a sign of divine lordship. The focal point of this section is the analysis of the concept of creation and its relation to servitude.
Life and death, contrary to common perception, are not antithetical concepts; rather, death is a degree or state within life. Just as appearance and reality or beginning and end are relative ranks of existence, death is also a level of life that stands opposed to the absolute life of God.
Absolute life is an attribute that exclusively belongs to God. Created beings, including humans, possess varying degrees of life, and death, understood as the relative absence of life, constitutes a part of these gradations.
In Islamic philosophy, non-existence does not possess true reality. Even the concept of non-existence in the mind is itself a mental existence. Therefore, everything, including evil and Ahriman, exists, and nothing is other than existence.
If Yazdan (God) and Ahriman (the adversary) are conceived such that Ahriman is non-existence or mere imagination, it is a conceptual and existent notion. If Ahriman is regarded as an evil and dark reality, it remains a creation of God. This analogy, like a pure spring, elucidates the unity of existence.
The dichotomy between existence and non-existence, like the opposition of life and death, is incorrect within the philosophy of Mulla Sadra and Islamic mysticism. Such dichotomies arise from cognitive limitations and conventional mentalities.
Discussions on non-existence, as found in the works of Haji Sabzevari, are epistemological and mental constructs and have no place in Sadrian philosophy. The container of knowledge is always existence.
فَتَمَنَّوُا ٱلْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
If you should be truthful, wish for death.
وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتٌ
Do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah that they are dead.
These verses introduce death as a degree within life.
The degrees of life vary, ranging from the life of an average animal to that of an ordinary human and to the intermediate life (Barzakh). The Holy Quran depicts life at various levels, such as the revival of the earth after the winters death.
Mundane life pertains to attention directed towards the material world, whereas death represents the transfer of attention to the intermediate (Barzakh) realm. Like sleep, which shifts attention from the outward to the inward, death too is a transfer of attention.
Sleep and wakefulness, akin to life and death, are degrees of attention. In sleep, the human perceives the inner reality, and in wakefulness, the outer appearance. This analogy, like a clear mirror, reveals the unity of life and death.
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَٰتًا فَأَحْيَٰكُمْ
How can you disbelieve in God when you were dead and He gave you life?
This verse, by admonishing the disbelievers, points to divine vivification and considers disbelief as denial of Gods favours.
The conceptual argument employed in this verse uses perceptibles (such as life and death) to prove the existence of God. This method portrays disbelief as ingratitude towards divine blessings.
Traditional religious sciences, due to methodological limitations and conventional concepts such as the dichotomy of existence and non-existence, have at times deviated from Quranic truth. These sciences require reconsideration with modern scientific approaches.
Concepts such as life and death necessitate investigation within philosophy, natural sciences, and mysticism. The integration of Quranic sciences with modern disciplines facilitates a deeper understanding of these concepts.
Scholars and clerics should attract even disbelievers and atheists through compassion and kindness. Violence and harshness in behaviour hinder the transmission of religious truth.
Religious scholars, like a clear spring, must attract others to the faith with purity and affection, not with violence and severity.
The repeated recitation of the verse "How can you disbelieve?" as a daily remembrance invites the individual to self-reflect on their behaviour and deeds, distancing from disbelief and ingratitude.
Remembrance and self-purification, like a clear mirror, guide the individual towards piety and moral reform.
The exegesis of the opening verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, concentrating on the concepts of creation, life, and death, reveals the depth and comprehensiveness of the epistemological system of the Holy Quran in elucidating the truth of existence and its relationship with the Creator. Life and death are not antithetical concepts but degrees of existence that find meaning within the unity of divine existence. The negation of non-existence, critique of false dichotomies, and emphasis on the degrees of life and death transform this interpretation into a philosophical and mystical discourse. The conceptual argument in the verse defines disbelief as ingratitude towards divine blessings, especially life, inviting humanity to servitude and piety. The necessity of re-examining religious sciences with an interdisciplinary approach and the emphasis on compassion and kindness in the conduct of scholars offer practical solutions for understanding and conveying the Quranic truth. Daily remembrance and self-purification distance the individual from disbelief and ingratitude and guide towards piety. This exegesis, while preserving all original content and adding semantic linkages, provides a scientific and sublime discourse for educated audiences, which can serve as a foundation for advanced research in Islamic philosophy, theoretical mysticism, and Quranic sciences.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
