the Lectures of Nekounam, , Session (217)
The Holy Quran, as the Divine Word and an unparalleled source of knowledge, presents profound concepts such as return with subtlety and wisdom, which hold a special place in the realms of philosophy, theology, and Islamic mysticism. This manuscript, relying on valuable lecture notes on the exegesis of a verse from Surah Al-Baqarah, undertakes an analytical and systematic study of the concept of return within a scientific framework. The objective is to provide a comprehensive and academic analysis that, while preserving absolute fidelity to the original content, offers a coherent and applicable framework for scholars and learned audiences in religious and philosophical disciplines. This examination, with a deep focus on Quranic verses and the use of refined allegories and metaphors, seeks to elucidate the existential, philosophical, and mystical dimensions of return within the epistemological system of the Holy Quran.
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 28)
"How can you disbelieve in Allah while you were dead and He brought you to life; then He causes you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned?"
The noble verse, with a coherent structure, consists of three parts: the introduction (adr), the body (matn), and the conclusion (dhil). The introduction of the verse (كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ) begins with reproach for disbelief, the body details the stages of life and death, and the conclusion (ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ) indicates the final return to God. This structure not only expresses the rebuke of disbelief but also represents the existential cycle of human beings within the Divine system.
The verse delineates the stages of human life in five phases: the initial matter (dead), worldly life (فَأَحْيَاكُمْ), Barzakh (intermediate state) (ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ), afterlife (ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ), and the final resurrection (ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ). These stages illustrate an existential cycle through which the human being descends from the Divine origin and, after traversing these stages, returns to Him.
In Islamic philosophy, a doubt is raised that in the realm of existence, return does not mean a restoration to a prior state, as no action or entity repeats (no repetition in manifestation). This principle is viewpoint that each entity and action in existence is unique and determined, and the existential progression is forward-moving, not cyclical.
The Holy Quran defines return not as a physical restoration to the initial state but with respect to the origin and the terminus. The noble verse:
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 156)
"Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
This verse indicates the origin (إِنَّا لِلَّهِ) and the terminus (إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ) and directs return towards God, not the path traversed. This response elucidates the Quranic wisdom, resolving the philosophical doubt.
The Holy Quran employs the words related to return and retracing approximately 105 times with various meanings (creative, real, individual, collective, necessary, and multiple). This diversity reflects the comprehensiveness of the concept of return within the Quranic epistemological system.
The concept of return in the Quran is oriented towards both origin and terminus. Entities descend within the realm of the Divine Names and Attributes and ascend towards these Names. This course is not a return to the initial state but a movement toward Divine perfection.
In the discussed verse, the term اللَّهِ (singular noun) in the introduction and إِلَيْهِ (pronoun representing a collective) in the conclusion demonstrate a rhetorical subtlety alluding to the comprehensiveness of monotheism and the return to all Divine Names and Attributes.
Return to various Divine Names (e.g., Subtle, Glorious, Fierce, Merciful) differs, yet all ultimately refer to إِلَيْهِ. This diversity indicates the manifold Divine manifestations in the ascending journey of entities.
From a philosophical perspective, return as a physical restoration is impossible because each entity changes during its existential progression and has no secondary identical state. This view aligns with the principle of no repetition in Divine manifestations.
Recurrence or return to a prior state does not exist in existence since every new act or sound differs from the previous one. For example, in music or poetry, recurrence pertains to origin and terminus, not physical return.
Conventional return, such as returning home, differs from real return because the person and environment change at every moment. Conventional return is only apparently similar, whereas in reality, the human being is a new entity at every moment.
Movement in existence is neither vertical nor horizontal but rather structural, fluid, and cyclical. This view points to the complexity and dynamism of the existential journey of entities.
Entities descend from the Divine Essence, visit all Divine Names, and enter the realm of creation. In the ascent phase, they return towards the Divine Names; however, this return is voluntary and elective.
Unlike the descent, which is causal and involuntary, the ascent is voluntary and elective. This distinction highlights the role of human free will in the journey toward Divine perfection.
Return to blissful or fierce states both lead towards God (إِلَيْهِ) because both are manifestations of Divine Names. This perspective demonstrates the comprehensiveness of monotheism in Divine manifestations.
The Islamic worldview stresses God as both the origin and the terminus and interprets return within this framework. This view regards existence as a continuous journey towards God.
Some theologians have interpreted return materially or immaterially; however, matter itself is an instance of manifestation, not the principle. This critique reveals the limitations of theological approaches compared to Quranic wisdom.
The universe of existence has no origin or terminus because God is:
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ (Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 3)
"He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden."
This verse alludes to the infinitude and transcendence of the Divine. Existence neither has a beginning nor an end and is in perpetual motion.
The theological and philosophical discussions concerning the world's contingency or eternity have sometimes devolved into commonplace debates due to the absence of a scientific methodology. Religious knowledge necessitates a scientific and modern approach to liberate itself from mental constraints.
Religious knowledge must elucidate Quranic concepts using scientific and modern methods to distance itself from mental limitations and non-scientific debates.
Dhikr:
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 156)
We belong to God and to Him we shall return.
This dhikr protects the individual from fear, obsession, and worldly and hereafter calamities. Repeating it consistently keeps the person in a divine spiritual journey.
The dhikr إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ is lighter than لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ and serves as a prelude to entering monotheism. The dhikr لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, due to the grandeur of monotheism, is the heaviest dhikr.
The dhikrs سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ constitute spiritual protection and must be recited continuously.
The dhikrs إِنَّا لِلَّهِ and tasbihat safeguard the individual from dangers and possess divine guardianship.
Verse:
وَلَمَّا رَجَعَ مُوسَىٰ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ غَضْبَانَ أَسِفًا (Surah Al-Arf, Ayah 150)
And when Moses returned to his people, angry and sorrowful.
This return is foundational rather than episodic, as Moses people changed during this period.
Verse:
فَرَجَعُوا إِلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ (Surah Al-Anbiy, Ayah 53)
So they returned to themselves.
This return signifies a return to ones origin and self-awareness.
Verse:
لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (Surah As-Sajdah, Ayah 8)
Perhaps they will return.
This return indicates turning back from sin to the original innate purity and occurs sixteen times in the Quran.
In Shiite belief, Rajah refers to the return of the infallibles and martyrs, which is philosophically possible but requires scriptural evidence.
Literal and physical Rajah is impossible, but Rajah as scientific manifestation and specification is conceivable.
The Holy Quran speaks in a language compatible with past and future. Verse:
هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ بِلَا أَوَّلٍ وَالْآخِرُ بِلَا آخِرٍ (Surah Al-Hadd, Ayah 3)
He is the First without a beginning and the Last without an end.
This wisdom points to Divine eternity and boundlessness.
God created each entity singly (وَحْدَهُ وَحْدَهُ), and monotheism is manifest in His essence, attributes, and actions.
By comprehending the boundlessness of existence, humans are freed from regret for the past and sorrow for the future, as neither yesterdays joy nor tomorrows grief is limited.
Planting leek can either be a bread condiment or a life-threatening element because the snake loves it and may bite humans. Leek, as the antidote to snakebite, demonstrates Divine wisdom in creation.
Religious science has neglected natural sciences, such as the properties of vegetables, and is confined to words and expressions. The sage must know the effects and characteristics of creation to comprehend the rulings of the verses.
The child, at birth, has visited all Divine Names, but negligence distances him from this knowledge. This innocence refers to innate human purity.
The concept of return in the Holy Quran, as one of the most fundamental epistemological concepts, not only denotes the return to God within the framework of origin and destination but also elucidates the existential journey of humans within the Divine system. This concept, with its diverse manifestations (Nam, Jahm) and the reflections of Divine Names, transcends philosophical ambiguities and, with the wise Quranic responses, demonstrates the comprehensiveness of monotheism. The dhikrs إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ and tasbihat preserve the individual on this divine journey, protecting from negligence and calamities. Religious knowledge requires scientific and modern transformation to elucidate Quranic concepts precisely and profoundly. This analysis provides a comprehensive framework for advanced research in the philosophy of existence, Islamic mysticism, religious psychology, and Quranic exegesis, introducing the Holy Quran as a wise source for understanding the boundlessness of existence.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi
