The Holy Qur'an, as the Divine Book of Guidance, presents profound and multilayered approaches for individual self-purification and the strengthening of the relationship with God. Verses 45 and 46 of Surah Al-Baqarah, emphasising reliance on patience (abr) and prayer (alh) and the role of humility (khush) in facilitating these two, guide man towards inner and spiritual elevation. Addressed to the Children of Israel, these verses constitute a semantic island focusing on self-purification and readiness for meeting the Lord. This discourse, adopting a scientific and systematic approach, analyses these verses through psychological, theological, and Qur'anic lenses, examining key concepts such as patience, prayer, humility, and submission. The objective is to provide a coherent framework for understanding the role of these verses in individual guidance, critique one-dimensional doctrines, and propose methodologies for systematising Qur'anic studies.
"And seek help through patience and prayer; indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive." (Al-Baqarah: 45)
Seek help through patience and prayer, and it is truly arduous except for those who are humble.
"Those who presume that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him." (Al-Baqarah: 46)
Those who are certain that they shall meet their Lord and that to Him they will return.
These verses, by focusing on patience and prayer, invite man to self-reformation and the strengthening of the inner self.
For the exegesis of any verse, it is essential first to determine whether it is necessary (individual and internal) or multiplicative (social and external). Necessary verses, such as the present ones, address man's struggle with his own self, whereas multiplicative verses, like "Do you enjoin righteousness upon the people?" (Al-Baqarah: 44), pertain to social relations.
"Do you enjoin righteousness upon the people?" (Al-Baqarah: 44)
Do you command people to do good?
Necessary verses, by concentrating on self-purification, exempt man from entanglement with others and prioritise self-correction. This characteristic forms the foundation for spiritual and social interactions.
Multiplicative verses, due to their impact on social relations and external contexts, are important from the perspective of reforming collective structures.
Verses 45 and 46 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as necessary verses, stress individual self-purification through patience and prayer. The distinction between necessary and multiplicative verses provides a methodological framework for precise analysis of the Holy Qur'an. These verses, by calling for self-reformation, prepare man for spiritual and social interactions.
It is possible to formulate laws for verse-recognition (yshnsi), lexicology, semantics, and content analysis of the Holy Qur'an, analogous to the systematic laws of Istikhrah (Divine guidance through consultation).
"You should take care of your own selves; no harm will come to you from those who go astray if you are rightly guided." (Al-M'idah: 105)
Attend to your own self-purification, and misguidance of others will not harm you if you are rightly guided.
This verse emphasises self-purification, though its misuse has led to isolationism.
Istikhrah, as a systematic science with codified laws, is learnable and reduces dependency on others.
The divine laws in the Holy Qur'an, encompassing verse-recognition and content analysis, can be introduced to global psychology and sociology.
The implementation of major projects such as Qur'anic legislation faces challenges due to lack of capacity and resources. These limitations highlight the necessity of collective cooperation.
Systematisation of Qur'anic studies through the formulation of laws for verse-recognition and content analysis reveals the capacity of the Holy Qur'an for producing novel knowledge. This approach, by reducing reliance on traditional methods, directs religious science towards efficiency and global impact.
Purely social doctrines, such as certain political sects, neglect spiritual matters and prioritise only social stances. Due to the absence of self-purification, this approach is incomplete.
Introverted doctrines, such as asceticism and Qalandarism, with exclusive emphasis on self-purification, become isolated from society and lead to misguidance.
Islam, by integrating self-purification and social interaction, presents a comprehensive and complete religion attentive both to the human soul and collective relations.
In rational mysticism, the divine journeys include journey to the Truth (Il al-aqq), with the Truth (Bi al-aqq), in the Truth (F al-aqq), and to the creation (Il al-Khalq). Many mystics halt in the initial journeys and fail to reach societal guidance.
The critique of one-dimensional doctrines emphasises the necessity of comprehensiveness in religious outlook. Islam, by combining self-purification and social interaction, protects man from isolationism and superficiality, guiding him towards complete guidance.
Patience, as self-restraint in the face of hardships, is the primary tool of seeking assistance in the discussed verses. Patience protects man from haste and anxiety.
The phrase وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ refers specifically to alh, not to abr (patience) and alh together, because alh, due to its requirement for presence of heart, is a heavy and difficult act.
وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ (بقره: ۴۵)
And this act is only difficult for the humble (those who are truly submissive).
Interpretations that attribute إِنَّهَا to both abr and alh simultaneously are linguistically and psychologically flawed. alh, due to its spiritual difficulty, is indeed great.
awm, unlike alh, is not considered a great act because it becomes easier with habituation and is less prone to error.
abr and alh are the main tools for seeking assistance in self-purification. alh, due to the need for presence of heart, is a great act facilitated by the humility of the truly submissive. Critiquing incorrect interpretations underscores the necessity for precise linguistic and psychological analysis.
Khush is a state of the heart that results in humility before God, whereas Khud is an external display of humility. Khush always includes Khud, but Khud may occur without Khush.
وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ (بقره: ۴۵)
And this act is only difficult for the humble (those who are truly submissive).
Khud without Khush leads to hypocrisy. An example of an individual who outwardly displays humility yet mocks behind others backs illustrates this danger.
The truly submissive in alh perform it calmly and without haste, deriving pleasure from it, with their hearts connected to the Truth.
المؤمن فی المسجد کسمک فی الماء والمنافق فی المسجد کطیر فی القفس
A believer in the mosque is like a fish in water, and a hypocrite in the mosque is like a bird in a cage.
A person must engage in self-reflection during alh to determine whether they are praying with Khush or with haste and anxiety. Haste is indicative of the absence of Khush.
Khush, as the spiritual pillar of alh, distinguishes it from mere outward humility and transforms it into the believers ascension. Critiquing hypocrisy and emphasising self-awareness highlights the necessity of harmony between outward form and inner essence in worship.
alh, as the criterion for the acceptance of deeds, holds a central place in the spiritual system of Islam:
إن قُبِلَتْ قُبِلَ ما سواها وإن رُدَّتْ رُدَّ ما سواها
If alh is accepted, other deeds are accepted, and if rejected, other deeds are rejected.
The term كَبِيرَة for alh is chosen because of its external form and practical difficulty, unlike terms such as عَظِيمَة which refer to spiritual greatness.
Islamic alh, by the command صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي (Pray as you have seen me pray), has been preserved from distortion.
صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي
Pray as you have seen me pray.
alh in Christianity, through the use of music and performative methods, has been emptied of spirituality and distorted.
alh, as the criterion for the acceptance of deeds, holds a pivotal role in Islams spiritual system. The authenticity of Islamic alh, in contrast to distortions in other religions, makes it an unparalleled instrument for drawing closer to God.
Religious knowledge faces challenges due to the discontinuity of generations of students and weak upbringing of children. This passivity has led to a decline in scientific and spiritual quality.
Religious knowledge requires transformation in educational and research methodologies to fulfil its leadership role in knowledge production.
Simple and rural people, without mastery of analysis, comprehend the meaning of alh better.
Excessive analysis of alh may lead to detachment from its meaning.
Passivity in religious knowledge due to educational challenges requires reform of the educational system. The general publics understanding and preservation of alhs spiritual meaning emphasise the balance between scientific analysis and innate sincerity.
Verses 45 and 46 of Surah Al-Baqarah, emphasising reliance on patience and alh, invite humans to self-purification and strengthening their relationship with God. abr, as self-restraint, and alh, as the believers ascension, are facilitated by the humility of the submissive. Distinguishing between necessary and supplementary verses provides a methodological framework for analysing the Holy Qurn. Critiquing unilateral schools and passivity in religious knowledge underscores the necessity of comprehensiveness and transformation in producing religious knowledge. Proposing a systematic approach to Qurnic studies reveals the capacity of this divine book for global humanities sciences. alh, with its Islamic authenticity and central role in evaluating deeds, guides humans toward spiritual elevation.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademii
