Verse 56 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as part of the Quranic narrative related to the Children of Israel, provides a gateway to profound epistemological, theological, and philosophical concepts encompassing life, death, and resurrection. This verse, by addressing topics within the realm of Divine Names and Attributes, the connection between well-being and felicity, and the necessity for the scientific reconstruction of religious domains, holds a distinctive position in Quranic sciences. In this treatise, through a systematic and scholarly approach, the lecture content has been cohesively rewritten and enriched with comprehensive explanations to present a coherent and exalted interpretation for an erudite audience. The objective is to delve into the depths of Quranic knowledge with a dignified language befitting a research environment, whilst preserving all essential details and embellishing the discourse with refined Persian metaphors and allegories.
Life, both in the essence of the Almighty Creator (intrinsic life) and in created beings (derived life), manifests as a substance that crystallises existence within itself. In philosophical and Quranic systems, life is not only the basis for the actualisation of existence but is regarded as synonymous with the concept of existence in philosophy. Without life, no form of actualisation or manifestation is possible, and this principle encompasses all Divine Attributes and Names. Life is akin to a flowing river that irrigates all branches of existence.
The Divine Names Ya Hayy and Ya Qayyum shine like two luminous stars in the firmament of Divine knowledge in the Noble Quran. Ya Hayy refers to the endless life of God, while Ya Qayyum signifies Gods sustaining and upholding nature, encompassing all attributes including knowledge, power, and health. The Qayyum is like the central pillar of the tent of existence that maintains all Divine attributes firmly, and life makes the manifestation of these attributes possible.
Salam (Peace), contrary to the views of the ancients who did not categorise it among the active Names, is an intrinsic attribute that permeates all Divine Names. Health and peace are like a light emanating from the Divine essence, encompassing all attributes from Hayy (Life) to Sami (All-Hearing) and Basir (All-Seeing). This characteristic holds a profound epistemological foundation in the Noble Quran, which introduces Salam as a fundamental Divine attribute.
Life, as the principle of existence, is the basis of all Divine Names and Attributes. The Names Ya Hayy and Ya Qayyum, like two wings of Divine knowledge, encompass all attributes and manifest Salam as an intrinsic attribute within all Names. These concepts provide a foundational understanding of the relationship between the Divine essence and creation.
Health in the realm of the corporeal world is like a seed that bears the fruit of felicity in the Hereafter. The Noble Quran, through a clear verse, unveils this connection:
Man kana fi hadhihi ama fahuwa fi al-akhirati ama
Translation: Whoever is blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter as well.
This verse illustrates the profound continuity between this world and the Hereafter. Whoever is deprived of physical, psychological, or spiritual health in this world will likewise be deprived of felicity in the Hereafter.
The Noble Quran considers this world as the farm of the Hereafter, as is narrated in a Hadith:
Ad-dunya mazraat al-akhirah
Translation: The world is the farm of the Hereafter.
Whatever a person cultivates in this world, from ugliness and poverty to purity and justice, will be harvested in the Hereafter. This principle highlights human responsibility in determining their eternal destiny.
If a person sows waste such as ugliness, poverty, and weakness in this world, they will likewise reap waste in the Hereafter. Conversely, if one cultivates purity, knowledge, and piety, the harvest will be felicity. This metaphor demonstrates the causal law within the Quranic system.
The Noble Quran, with the principle Kama tadinu tudan, demonstrates Divine justice in recompense and reward:
Kama tadinu tudan
Translation: As you act, so shall you be recompensed.
This principle is an important ethical and epistemological basis that emphasises human responsibility regarding their deeds.
The Hereafter is like a garden that blossoms from the seeds planted in this world. This epistemological continuum unites this world and the Hereafter within a single system and stresses the direct influence of worldly actions on eternal destiny.
Health in this world is like a root that produces the tree of felicity in the Hereafter. The world is a farm whose produce is reaped in the Hereafter, and by planting purity, knowledge, and piety, a person can obtain eternal felicity. This section emphasises the profound connection between this world and the Hereafter and the human responsibility in determining their destiny.
Deficiencies such as blindness or poverty are the results of a persons own actions or those of their parents, as stated in the Noble Quran:
Bima kasabat aydihim
Translation: Because of what their own hands have earned.
This verse emphasises human accountability regarding deficiencies and demonstrates that God does not wrong anyone.
The culture of viewing poverty and weakness as virtues is like a chain placed by colonialism on societies to portray poverty and helplessness as merits. This culture, by distorting religious values, impedes human growth and falsely glorifies poverty instead of effort and strength.
Khumus and Zakat in Islam act as bridges for empowering the needy, not merely as aid to beggars. These ordinances are designed to provide for housing, transportation, and life necessities, enabling individuals to achieve self-respect and independence.
Deficiencies result from the actions of individuals or their parents, and colonial culture, by praising poverty, hampers human development. Islamic ordinances such as Khumus and Zakat are designed to empower and elevate society and emphasise self-respect.
Despite hardships, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) led a pure, beautiful, and dignified life. The use of perfume, tidy clothing, and observance of cleanliness serve as a mirror reflecting faith and beauty in his conduct.
The belief in the virtue of ugliness, poverty, and impurity is a superstition incompatible with the Quranic teachings and the Prophets (PBUH) conduct. Such beliefs require reconsideration and a return to Quranic standards.
Following the Islamic Revolution, health developments in Iran have blossomed like a flower, reducing diseases and improving quality of life. This progress aligns with the Quranic emphasis on health.
The belief that poverty, ugliness, and disease confer reward in the Hereafter is a fog that must be removed from the mirror of Quranic knowledge. This belief contradicts the spirit of Quranic teachings which emphasise strength and health.
In the discourse of religious scholars, poverty is a jewel referring to contentment and avoidance of unlawful wealth (such as Khumus and the Imams share), not material deprivation. This interpretation introduces financial modesty as a moral virtue.
The biography of the Prophet (PBUH) constitutes a model of a pure and worthy life, incompatible with superstitions such as the glorification of poverty and ugliness. Health advancements following the Islamic Revolution signify an alignment with Quranic teachings, while poverty, according to scholars, denotes contentment and chastity.
The Holy Quran, mentioning approximately 164 instances of death, primarily refers to natural death (of humans and the earth), but also includes temporary and metaphorical deaths. This diversity demonstrates the conceptual richness of the Quran in analysing the phenomenon of death.
Key Point: Death in the Quran appears in natural, temporary, and metaphorical forms, reflecting the profound epistemological depth of this concept.
Verse 56 of Surah Al-Baqarah refers to the temporary death of the Children of Israel:
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Translation: Then We raised you up after your death, that you might be grateful.
This death was caused by a punitive thunderbolt, accompanied by a voluntary resurrection intended to guide the Children of Israel towards enlightenment.
Key Point: The temporary death of the Children of Israel was a punitive and epistemological tool for guidance.
The term bath (resurrection) in verse 56 signifies a voluntary rising that encompasses not only revival but also mission, motivation, and movement towards perfection. This concept reflects divine dynamism and will within the Quranic framework.
Key Point: Resurrection is a voluntary rising that extends beyond revival to include mission and motivation.
The Holy Quran, by presenting various categories of death and resurrection, manifests its epistemological depth in analysing existential phenomena. The temporary death of the Children of Israel served as a means of guidance, and resurrection represents a voluntary rising towards perfection.
Religious knowledge, due to historical obstacles such as the dominance of tyrants and colonialism, has failed to fully explore the capacities of the Quranic sciences. These limitations have acted as barriers that halted the flow of knowledge.
Key Point: The dominance of tyrants and colonialism obstructed the flourishing of scientific religious knowledge.
Compared to jurisprudence, principles, and literature, rational sciences within religious knowledge appear as a frail branch in need of reinforcement and reconstruction. This weakness underscores the necessity for a novel approach to religious sciences.
Key Point: Rational sciences in religious knowledge require strengthening to confront modern challenges.
Unsubstantiated claims such as fortune-telling and sorcery are like weeds that must be uprooted from the garden of religious knowledge. Such claims often originate from charlatans who exploit the simplicity of the people.
Key Point: Superstition and fraudulence hinder the growth of religious rationality and require purification.
Tyrants and despots, like heavy shadows, impeded the growth of religious sciences such as alchemy, symia, and logic. These obstacles regarded rationality as heretical and prevented scientific flourishing.
Key Point: Tyranny, by prohibiting logic and rational sciences, obstructed scientific growth.
Historically, religious sciences were confined to morphology, syntax, jurisprudence, and theology, while rational sciences like philosophy and mathematics were considered contraband treasures.
Key Point: The limitation of religious sciences to jurisprudence and literature impeded the comprehensive development of Quranic knowledge.
Scholars such as Sheikh Bahai, Ibn Sina, and Sadra, like shining stars in the sky of religious sciences, worked to a limited extent in mathematical and astronomical sciences. These exceptions reveal the latent potential of religious knowledge.
Key Point: The limited activities of great scholars indicate the vast potential of religious sciences.
Every academic lesson in religious domains is like a seed requiring a laboratory to flourish. Without experience and experimentation, knowledge degenerates into mere speculation.
Key Point: Religious knowledge without laboratories turns into speculation, distancing itself from truth.
Analysing the categories of resurrection and death is akin to mining precious ore, requiring scientific and laboratory tools to clarify their distinctions.
Key Point: Analysis of resurrection and death requires an empirical and scientific approach to uncover Quranic knowledge.
Understanding Quranic concepts such as resurrection and death is like flying in the sky of knowledge, necessitating an epistemological eye that operates beyond mere sensory perception.
Key Point: The epistemological eye is the key to deep understanding of Quranic knowledge.
Religious knowledge must be a vigilant, sceptical, and precise investigator, examining unsubstantiated claims with doubt. Such scepticism prevents acceptance of superstition.
Key Point: Scientific skepticism serves as a shield against superstition and is the key to religious rationality.
Religious knowledge, due to historical obstacles, has been deprived of full flourishing. Strengthening rational sciences, purifying superstition, and establishing scientific laboratories pave the way for discovering Quranic capacities.
Religious scholars should live dignified lives like vigilant gardeners, refraining from using Khums and Imams shares for personal expenses. This financial chastity preserves the scholars dignity.
Key Point: A religious scholar preserves dignity through dignified living and financial chastity.
Scholars, like other people, should maintain a balanced life, marry, and fulfil their material needs, while avoiding excess and deficiency.
Key Point: Scholarly life is a balance between material and spiritual realms, avoiding excess and deficiency.
Poverty and incapacity among scholars act like a thorn in the foot of knowledge, hindering the production of knowledge. Providing dignified living for scholars is a prerequisite for scientific flourishing.
Key Point: Poverty among scholars obstructs knowledge production and leadership.
Religious knowledge must design a structure that protects students from poverty and humiliation, enabling them to lead dignified lives. This structure forms the foundation that strengthens knowledge.
Key Point: The structure of religious knowledge must safeguard students from poverty and humiliation.
Historical problems such as tyranny and financial limitations have acted as barriers preventing deep research in Quranic sciences.
Key Point: Historical obstacles have hindered the discovery of scientific capacities of the Holy Quran.
The Holy Quran, like an infinite ocean, possesses scientific foundations and directions which religious knowledge, due to limitations, has not fully uncovered.
Key Point: The Holy Quran is a treasure trove of scientific knowledge requiring profound exploration.
Scholars such as Sheikh Ansari, Akhound Khorasani, Sheikh Mufid, and Mulla Sadra, despite limitations, were torchbearers in the path of religious knowledge and followers of divine saints.
Key Point: Prominent scholars are exemplary figures for scientific endeavour under difficult conditions.
Mulla Sadra, due to social and political restrictions, fled from caravanserai to caravanserai like a bird in a cage, which impeded his complete research.
Key Point: Social limitations prevented the full scientific flourishing of scholars like Mulla Sadra.
Religious knowledge must be freed from financial and social problems to flourish freely like a sapling, engaging in scientific research and uncovering Quranic capacities.
Key Point: Removing financial and social obstacles is essential for scientific flourishing in religious knowledge.
Scholarly life requires balance between material and spiritual realms and avoidance of poverty and humiliation. Removing historical obstacles and reconstructing the structure of religious knowledge paves the way for uncovering Quranic capacities.
The analysis of verse 56 of Surah Al-Baqarah serves as a window into the profound Quranic knowledge concerning life, death, and resurrection in connection with Divine Names and the relationship between this world and the Hereafter. Life, as the essence of existence, encompasses all Divine attributes and manifests health as an intrinsic quality. This world is the farm of the Hereafter, where human deeds determine the ultimate destiny. Criticism of poverty culture and superstition highlights the necessity to return to Quranic standards. Due to historical impediments, religious knowledge has been unable to fully realise the Quranic potentials and requires structural reconstruction with a scientific and empirical approach. Religious scholars, through dignified living and financial chastity, can illuminate this path. This treatise, integrating comprehensive lecture content and supplementary analysis, endeavours to present a lofty and holistic interpretation, facilitating future research in the realm of Quranic knowledge.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
