The exegesis of verse 153 of Surah Al-Baqarah, centred on the concepts of patience (abr) and alh (prayer), opens a window to a profound understanding of the relationship between human beings and the Divine within the spiritual system of the Holy Quran. This verse addresses the believers and emphasises the Divine companionship with the patient, introducing patience as the distributor of perfections and alh as the spiritual ascension. This treatise, by consolidating the content of the lecture and specialised analyses, presents a precise explanation of these concepts in a scientific and systematic manner. The structure of the work, consisting of main sections with specialised subheadings, is organised to meet the needs of researchers and educated audiences in the field of Quranic studies. By employing refined metaphors and lucid language, efforts have been made to preserve scientific authenticity while endowing the text with literary attractiveness.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
O you who have believed, seek help through patience and alh; indeed, Allah is with the patient.
This verse, addressing the believers, introduces patience and alh as two fundamental tools for seeking assistance on the path of spiritual elevation. The Divine companionship with the patient signifies the exalted status of patience in the Quranic value system.
Key Point: Verse 153, in comparison to verse 45, holds greater magnitude, as its addressees are the believers and it explicitly links Divine companionship with the patient.
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
And seek help through patience and alh, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humble.
This verse, situated in the context of addressing the Children of Israel, portrays alh as a burdensome act due to their lack of humility. The principal difference between these two verses lies in the audience and emphasis: verse 45 focuses on the difficulty of alh for the non-humble, whereas verse 153, addressing the believers, highlights patience as the key to Divine companionship.
The address O you who have believed indicates the exalted position of believers within the Quranic framework. Faith is a prerequisite for benefiting from patience and alh, guiding believers towards a profound comprehension of these two spiritual instruments. This address introduces the believers as those who, by virtue of their faith, are capable of enduring hardships and attaining Divine companionship.
Verse 45, linked to verse 44 (Do you order the people to righteousness and forget yourselves?), critiques the hypocritical behaviour of the Children of Israel. Due to their obstinacy and absence of humility, they found alh burdensome. The Holy Quran, by excepting the humble, demonstrates that humility is the key to understanding and performing alh, a quality attainable by any human being beyond any particular community.
Verse 153, by addressing the believers and emphasising Divine companionship, illustrates the exalted status of patience in the Quranic spiritual system. The comparison with verse 45 reveals differences in audience and focus: verse 45 underscores the difficulty of alh for the Children of Israel, while verse 153 introduces patience as the distributor of perfections and Divine companionship as a grace bestowed upon the patient.
Patience is mentioned in 103 verses of the Holy Quran, yet only in verses 45 and 153 of Surah Al-Baqarah is it paired explicitly with alh. Some narrations interpret patience in these two verses as fasting; however, this interpretation limits the comprehensive meaning of patience. Verses such as "For whoever is patient and forgives" or "So be patient as the resolute ones were patient" introduce patience as a general and foundational attribute that permeates all righteous deeds.
Key Point: Patience is the distributor of all perfections and is necessary not only in fasting but in all acts, including alh. This inner attribute underlies the actualisation of righteous deeds and attainment of spiritual elevation.
Contrary to some misconceptions, patience is an essential existential attribute, not a negation. Restraint in fasting is also existential, requiring active will. Just as holding a horses reins demands volition, patience is a volitional act that strengthens a person against challenges. This perspective introduces patience as an active force on the path to perfection.
Patience operates in three main domains:
This categorisation presents patience as a comprehensive principle active across all aspects of life.
Interpreting patience as fasting, though mentioned in some narrations, narrows its comprehensive meaning. Patience, like a word encompassing noun, verb, and particle, distributes across all human deeds. Just as a river contains multiple sources, patience flows through all good actions. Limiting it to fasting diminishes the depth of this concept.
Impatience leads to haste and incapacity to perform deeds properly. In psychology, impulsive individuals lack skills such as calligraphy, painting, or memorisation. Patience resembles fertile soil in which the seeds of perfections grow. Without patience, no act bears fruit.
Certain psychological theories, such as the difference between left-handed and right-handed individuals, have colonial roots and lack scientific foundation. These theories, by imposing prejudices, lead to division and exploitation. Religious science must free itself from such assumptions and rely on the pure truth of Quranic knowledge.
Geographical divisions, such as urban versus rural distinctions or regional characteristics, often have colonial foundations. No intrinsic trait exists in regions; a city can become a village and vice versa. As the Quran states: "He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth" (Al-Jathiya: 13), humanity is capable of altering the environment.
Patience, as the distributor of perfections, plays a role in all human actions. This inner attribute resembles a light illuminating the path of elevation. The critique of limiting patience to fasting highlights the necessity of comprehensive understanding. Patience underpins obedience, abstinence from sin, and management of lifes challenges, forming the foundation of success.
alh derives from the root -l-w and -l-y (with the incomplete letters ww and y), meaning heat, attention, and awareness. This root introduces alh as an act that, by generating spiritual heat, guides a person towards God. Just as fire attracts human attention, alh creates a connection with the Divine, propelling the heart towards elevation.
Key Point: alh, imbued with the content of attention and spiritual heat, rescues a person from spiritual coldness and leads to Divine ascension.
Some have interpreted alh as merely supplication, but alh means attention and turning. Although supplication is present within alh, alh transcends it, encompassing standing, sitting, and profound connection with God. This perspective introduces alh as a comprehensive act that includes elevated attention (towards God) and humble devotion (towards the fire).
alh performed without patience becomes superficial and devoid of meaning. The Holy Quran likens inattentive alh to the cawing of the crow hurried and senseless. True alh requires presence of heart and serenity, akin to a gentle stream that tranquilly irrigates the earth.
Superficial alh, performed either hastily or excessively long without content, lacks spiritual value. Unnaturally prolonging alh may lead to obsession or psychological harm. alh is like a flower that only flourishes with care and attention; without substance, it becomes a dry branch.
True alh liberates a person from temporal constraints. By uttering Allhu Akbar, the worshipper enters a timeless space where only Divine presence flows. This experience is akin to the souls flight in the sky of knowledge, bringing a person close to Divine proximity.
In congregational alh, consideration must be given to the weakest participant, such as children or the elderly. Congregational alh resembles a garden where each flower is nurtured according to its condition. This approach reinforces social balance and cohesion within worship.
alh, as the spiritual ascension, guides a person towards God by creating heat and attention. Critiques of superficial and obsessive alh emphasise the necessity of presence of heart and moderation in this act. The timeless alh frees the human being from material constraints, transforming the experience into a transcendent one.
Interpretive narrations of the Quran, due to historical obstacles such as the restrictions imposed by the Umayyads and Abbasids, are scant (approximately 200 to 300 narrations). This number is negligible compared to over 6,000 verses of the Holy Quran. The Quran itself, as the book of vocabulary and meaning, is the best interpreter of itself.
Enemies, by limiting the Imams, prevented the full elucidation of the Quran. The claim "Sufficient for us is the Book of Allah" without the guidance of the infallibles led to incomplete understanding of the Quran. These limitations highlight the necessity of relying on the text of the Quran itself.
Key Point: The Holy Quran, as the primary source of knowledge, is its own best interpreter. The scarcity of narrations emphasises the necessity of direct comprehension from the Quranic text.
The limitations of narrations and historical obstacles underline the importance of reliance on the text of the Holy Quran. The Quran is like a clear spring, offering Divine knowledge directly to the believers without intermediaries.
