Verses 73 and 74 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as part of the narrative concerning the sacrifice of the cow in the Holy Quran, address profound and multifaceted themes within the realms of theology, philosophy, and psychology. These verses, by elucidating the process of reviving the dead through Divine power and warning about the hardening of the heart, offer profound lessons for contemplation and self-purification. The phrase
"كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى"
(Thus Allah gives life to the dead) alludes to the scientific regularity and feasibility of resurrection, while
"ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ"
(Then your hearts became hardened) warns against the spiritual death of the heart due to heedlessness towards Divine signs. This treatise, adopting a refined scientific approach, integrates the main lectures content with detailed analyses, employing language befitting a scholarly audience. It examines the linguistic, exegetical, and social dimensions of these verses, enriched with elevated metaphors and allegories, thereby preserving the academic essence while ensuring literary appeal.
Verses 73 and 74 of Surah Al-Baqarah, articulated in a rhetorically precise and eloquent manner, refer to a miraculous event and its spiritual consequences:
فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
Translation: Then We said: Strike it with a part of it. Thus Allah gives life to the dead and shows you His signs, so that you may understand.
ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً
Translation: Then your hearts became hardened after that, so they are like stones or even harder in hardness.
These verses embody profound and latent meanings that necessitate meticulous exploration within scientific and philosophical domains. Like a gem embedded within an oyster, these verses contain multiple layers of knowledge, ranging from the manifestation of miracles to admonitions regarding the spiritual demise of the heart. Their analysis not only facilitates a better comprehension of the Divine system governing life and death but also invites humanity to reflect on the condition of their hearts and the imperative of reason.
The phrase "كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى" in verse 73, structured as a declarative statement rather than an imperative, refers to the scientifically comprehensible method of reviving the dead. The word "كَذَلِكَ", composed of the elements لام بعید (the Lm of remoteness), كاف تشبيه (the Kf of similitude), and كاف خطاب (the Kf of address), emphasises the feasibility and rule-governed nature of this process. This construction functions like a key turning in the lock of knowledge, opening the path to scientific understanding of Divine phenomena. In verse 74, the simile "فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً" (it is like stones or harder) likens the heart to stone, symbolising spiritual death and the absence of vital spirit. This simile, akin to a painting rendered by Divine hand, illustrates the ugliness of hardness and estrangement from knowledge.
The phrase "كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى" indicates the scientific possibility of reviving the dead under regulated principles. Life and death operate akin to states of sleep and wakefulness or negligence and attention, functioning within systems of disconnection and connection. These systems, like interwoven threads in the fabric of the universe, manifest an orderly scientific possibility. Humans, through will, can regulate certain processes (such as sleep and awakening), and this conditional possibility extends to life and death as well. Cardiac, spiritual, or temperamental cessation all fall within the realm of the possible and are not impossible.
All Divine acts, from creation to miracles, reside within the bounds of possibility. Just as learning the alphabet leads to sentence construction, uncovering scientific laws can facilitate the realisation of complex phenomena such as resurrection. This process resembles a gardener who, understanding the soil and seed, harvests precious fruit. Individuals, depending on their authority and conditions, differ in their capacity to actualise such matters. God, prophets, saints, and scholars each possess, in their respective degrees, the ability to perform these deeds, contingent upon knowledge leading to power.
Humanity has discovered some vital processes, will discover others in the future, and some remain beyond current comprehension. This limitation resembles a distant horizon that expands with every step but never ends. Although the method of resurrection remains unknown to humans, it is intelligible through contemplation and research. This fact underscores the necessity of scientific inquiry into Quranic verses and the dynamism of human knowledge.
Within the Quranic system, knowledge is defined by its capacity to lead to power and competence. Knowledge that is confined to memorisation of concepts and expressions is like a buried treasure that yields no benefit. Power in Islam denotes scientific authority, not oppression or dictatorship. This authority is like a light radiating from the heart of the cosmos, guiding society towards progress. Religious knowledge must culminate in the generation of power that manifests in the world and serves society.
Religious knowledge, in certain instances, has been deprived of scientific authority due to focus on obsolete and fruitless topics. This condition resembles a tree with withered branches that bears no fruit. Wasting time on futile discussions impedes the production of powerful knowledge and societal service. Religious scholarship must deliver services beneficial to the system, society, and families. The isolation of religious knowledge is comparable to a city situated on the margins, disconnected from the social lifeblood.
Religious scholars, as inheritors of the prophets, must inherit the scientific authority and dignity of the messengers. This responsibility is akin to a banner that must be proudly raised. Scholars should be active in family life, assisting their spouses and children, and influential in society through the production of powerful knowledge. Inability to perform practical tasks, such as cutting a melon, symbolises intellectual and practical weakness that must be rectified.
Hardening of the heart means coagulation and drying of the heart, akin to blood that clots and loses vitality. This state resembles a tree whose roots have dried and can no longer blossom. Hardness deprives the heart of spiritual life and separates the individual from God, religion, and values. In the Holy Quran, hardness is attributed only to stones and human hearts, indicating the profoundness of this affliction.
The verses establish a dual relationship between reasoning and hardness: either a person reasons and benefits from Divine signs, or the heart hardens. This dichotomy resembles two opposing paths, one leading to life and the other to the death of the heart. Satan, by embellishing acts of hardness, leads humans into pride and misguidance. Hardness is more severe than heart disease and more difficult to cure.
A person must test their heart to see if it responds to oppression, victimhood, or hardship. This test is like a mirror revealing the hearts truth. If the heart remains unmoved by the pain of others, it is a sign of hardness, and one must endeavour to revive its spiritual vitality.
Some traditional exegeses, relying on Israiliyyat or baseless narrations, have ascribed unnecessary details (such as dismembering the cow) to the miracle. These interpretations, like redundant branches on the tree of truth, must be refined. The miracle of resurrection is simple and devoid of unnecessary complexities and must not be polluted by superstition.
Past scholars suffered oppression due to despotism and tyranny, preventing them from acquiring scientific authority. This oppression resembled a cage restraining the wings of scientific flight. However, in the present era, religious scholars must, through perseverance and nocturnal vigils, engage in self-purification and acquire powerful knowledge.
The verse "كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ" should be the subject of scientific seminars to investigate its modality. These seminars are like lamps illuminating the path of knowledge. Quranic verses, particularly those of power, possess vast potential for academic research and must be explored by scholars.
Without scientific authority, religious knowledge will become antiquities, isolated from society. This isolation is like a city engulfed in darkness, deprived of the light of progress
