The Holy Quran, akin to a radiant lamp on the path of guidance, delineates the way to felicity for mankind through systematic and profound verses. Verse 43 of Surah Al-Baqarah, with an emphasis on the establishment of prayer, giving of zakat, and bowing with those who bow, elucidates the practical and spiritual pillars of Islam. This verse not only clarifies the actionable duties of the believers but also highlights perseverance, sincere intention, and connection with the community of the faithful as fundamental axes of religious life. This treatise, relying upon the content of the lecture and scientific analyses, examines the meaning of establishment (Iqama), the status of the Quran as a reference for knowledge, and the necessity to redefine divine cognition. The aim is to provide an academic and systematic framework, serving as a rich and practical resource for researchers in religious sciences and educated audiences.
Verse 43 of Surah Al-Baqarah outlines three fundamental obligations for the believers:
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
Translation: "And establish prayer, give zakat, and bow with those who bow." (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 43)
Verse 43, by setting forth three dutiesestablishment of prayer, giving zakat, and bowing with the bowersdemonstrates the comprehensiveness of Islams educational system. Establishing prayer strengthens the connection with divinity; giving zakat guarantees economic justice; and bowing with those who bow signifies social solidarity in worship.
Verse 43 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by explaining three fundamental obligations, provides a comprehensive framework for religious life. These duties not only specify the behavioural responsibilities of believers but also, by emphasising perseverance and solidarity, open a path towards spiritual and social transcendence.
Establishment (Iqama) signifies standing firm and practical perseverance, and it is considered an action rather than mere speech. This meaning transforms prayer into a dynamic and impactful act.
Prayer, unlike supplication which pertains to speech, is an actionable practice encompassing intention, movement, and attention.
Numerous verses confirm the meaning of perseverance in establishment:
إِذَا أَضَاءَ لَهُمْ مَشَوْا فِيهِ وَإِذَا أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا
Translation: "When it is illuminated for them, they walk therein; and when darkness covers them, they stand still." (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 20)
إِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَى
Translation: "When they stand for prayer, they stand lazily." (Surah An-Nisa, Verse 142)
These verses portray establishment as practical steadfastness, even under difficult conditions or with sluggishness.
Associating the terms لِذِكْرَى or لِلنَّعِيم with the establishment of prayer is incorrect due to the difference between the goal (purpose) and the agent (doer).
The establishment of prayer is akin to a spiritual exercise performed on the prayer mat, which acts as a gymnasium for strengthening the soul and attaining nearness to God.
Establishment, as practical perseverance, transforms prayer into a dynamic and spiritual act incompatible with laxity or evasion. Quranic evidences and the analogy of spiritual exercise confirm this meaning and emphasise the importance of intention and attention in worship.
The Holy Quran fully elucidates the meanings of its words and concepts, negating the need for dictionaries.
Dictionaries must be presented to the Quran in order to extract correct meanings, rather than the Quran being dependent on them.
The Quran must be the reference and imam of all sciences, as mentioned in Nahj al-Balagha:
"Appoint the Quran as your leader, not yourselves as leaders over the Quran."
This principle demonstrates the exalted status of the Quran as the principal source of knowledge.
When direct understanding from the Quran is not feasible, consulting other sources is permissible, but the Quran remains the principal reference.
Correct comprehension of the verses requires the study of logic, which was more extensively taught in religious sciences in the past but has recently diminished.
In 1973 (1352 AH), during the clashes in Feyziyeh, a colonel was unable to debate with the seminary students due to his weak logic and was astonished by their strong logical reasoning. The students demonstrated their perseverance through logic:
اقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ عِنْدَ بَارِئِكُمْ
Translation: "Kill yourselves; that is better for you in the sight of your Creator." (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 54)
This memory exemplifies the perseverance of the seminary students as a manifestation of establishment.
The Holy Quran, as a self-sufficient source and scientific authority, elucidates its own meanings and requires dictionaries to be presented to it. Logic, as a crucial tool in exegesis, aids in precise understanding of verses. The Feyziyeh anecdote demonstrates practical perseverance as an example of establishment, consistent with the spirit of Verse 43.
Incomplete understanding of God hinders the efficacy of prayer and its deterrent effect against sin.
God must be recognised as a dynamic, loving, and efficacious being, not as a static or terrifying deity.
The Quranic phrase indicates the continual manifestation of the divine essence:
كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ
Translation: "Every day He is engaged in a matter." (Surah Ar-Rahman, Verse 29)
This verse reflects the dynamism of divine affairs.
Defining "هو" as a pronoun of "affair" is erroneous; "هو" is the proper noun of essence, whereas "affair" refers to divine manifestations.
Even the prophets and angels do not possess complete knowledge of God due to His vastness:
مَا عَرَفْنَاكَ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِكَ
Translation: "We have not known You as You ought to be known."
This narration signifies the infinite greatness of God.
Poems such as "Whenever you advance an inch, He flees a mile," which portray God as fleeing, contradict Quranic teachings.