The Surah Al-Baqarah, as one of the most comprehensive chapters of the Holy Quran, encompasses a collection of divine rulings, knowledge, and guidance, each shining like a jewel within the intricate fabric of the Islamic epistemological system. Verse 189 of this Surah, by addressing a question regarding the ahle (new moons), elucidates the role of temporal markers in life and the rites of Hajj worship, critiques formalism, and emphasises piety and salvation. This verse, with its unparalleled depth, guides humanity towards realism in worship, precedence of substance over form, and purposeful direction on the path to felicity.
The exegesis of this verse, through a jurisprudential, philosophical, and social lens, explores its multifaceted dimensions, and while criticising intellectual sciences and stressing applied knowledge, highlights the necessity of cultivating operational scholars and adherence to the guardianship of the infallibles. This treatise, integrating the content of the lecture and presented analyses, endeavours to provide a comprehensive, systematic, and academic commentary suitable for specialised audiences and academic settings, serving as a guiding beacon.
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرَّ بِأَنْ تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are appointed times for mankind and for Hajj. Righteousness is not that you enter houses from their backs, but righteousness is of one who fears Allah. And enter houses through their doors. And fear Allah that you may succeed.
This verse, with a precise and eloquent structure, addresses three main themes: ahle as appointed times, critique of formalism in worship, and emphasis on piety and salvation. Each of these themes, like branches of a mighty tree, points to various dimensions of religious life.
The verse responds to the inquiry about the ahle (new moons), introducing them as "appointed times for mankind and Hajj". The ahle, as a natural and real phenomenon, are temporal vessels regulating daily life and the worship of Hajj. This connection to nature exemplifies the Qurans realistic perspective that links worship to external realities.
The ahle, through the positional and transitional movements of the moon sometimes resulting in solar or lunar eclipses create temporal variety that prevents stagnation and uniformity.
Sky observers, by sighting the new moons, can easily determine time from the beginning to the middle and end of the month. This skill reduces dependency on artificial calendars and indicates human harmony with the cosmic system. The Qurans emphasis on appointed times, rather than conceptual time, refers to a temporal container that is existential and external. This outlook reflects Islams realism contrasted with intellectual abstraction.
Hajj, as a worship intrinsically connected to the ahle, involves three elements: intention, movement, and action. This triad renders Hajj a dynamic and strenuous worship that transcends alh (prayer), which primarily encompasses attention, movement, and action. Hajj, with its link to time and place, acts like a flowing river guiding humans toward transcendence.
This worship, in contrast to the mental styles of some religions, such as Hinduism which immerse in mental isolation is defined within the context of reality and movement.
alh, with its emphasis on attention (concentration), is epistemologically superior to Hajj; however, practically, Hajj demands greater effort because it involves transfer. This distinction illustrates Islams comprehensiveness in addressing both epistemic and practical dimensions. Without alh, which embodies attention and knowledge, Hajj would devolve into a soulless ritual. Thus, alh forms the foundation for intention and action in Hajj.
The phrase "righteousness is not that you enter houses from their backs" criticises the erroneous customs of the Jews, who considered entering houses from the back as a righteous act. This formalism, devoid of substance, is rejected in Islam. Righteousness lies not in outward form but in piety; a quality that leads a person to self-restraint, willpower, firmness, and strength. Piety, like a steadfast pillar, erects the edifice of worship and deems form without content worthless.
The phrase "and enter houses through their doors" alludes to the guardianship of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them). Entering the religion through its doors signifies accepting the guardianship of the infallibles, who represent the gate of infallibility and leadership. This principle distinguishes the correct path from deviation and demonstrates that Islam is incomplete without the criterion of guardianship.
The phrase "And fear Allah that you may succeed" indicates a distinction between piety and salvation. Piety is a present attribute that may exist momentarily, but salvation (fal) depends on ultimate success in the Hereafter. This distinction, like a guiding light, illuminates the path to felicity and warns that even pious individuals might fail to achieve salvation due to deviation. Conversely, sometimes an individual without prolonged piety attains salvation by divine grace in a moment.
Historical examples demonstrate that some, despite apparent closeness, failed salvation because of arrogance or estrangement from guardianship. This fact warns against egotism and distancing from rightful leadership.
The Holy Quran, with suitable responses to the inquiries of early Islam, shows that its answers are sometimes practical (such as regarding the ahle) and sometimes general (such as concerning the spirit). The response about the ahle, emphasising appointed times for mankind and Hajj, relates to regulating life and worship with natural realities. In contrast, the response about the spirit ("The spirit is from the command of my Lord") is general and non-practical, as the early audience lacked the capacity to comprehend it. This distinction reflects the Qurans attention to the audiences capacity and the necessity of providing applied sciences.
Religious sciences must be operational and workshop-oriented. Intellectual sciences, lacking application, are like a mirage that deceives the thirsty seeker of truth, offering nothing but illusion. The example of "the kings of drums", who spoke of a "pigeon with forty columns and windows" but lacked scientific understanding, illustrates this reality. In contrast, the engineering of the Twin Towers in America and Kish Island symbolizes applied science leading to tangible realities.
Many religious sciences remain at the level of poetry recitation and fantasy due to lack of application. These sciences, mistakenly referred to as encompassing both transmitted and rational knowledge, lack operational power and cannot meet societal needs. The religious scholar must be heroic, operational, and capable in management and execution. Weakness in this field undermines the societal foundation like a destructive worm.
The colonial system, by condemning middle-aged scholars and promoting immature youth or decrepit elders, has deprived society of capable scholars. A religious scholar must guide society at the peak of capability, like a steadfast pillar. Selecting incapable individuals for religious authority, due to lack of operational power, harms society.
Commitment without expertise is like a bird without wings, unable to fly. Expertise without commitment leads to deviation. A religious scholar must combine both to guide society miraculously, like a divinely inspired sage. This principle is embodied in the phrase "enter houses through their doors", indicating the necessity of entering religion via guardianship and expertise.
The phrase "enter houses through their doors" refers to the guardianship of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them), who constitute the gate of infallibility and leadership. Entering religion without guardianship is like attempting to enter a house through the walls, leading to failure. Infallibility and leadership are distinct concepts; leadership in a non-infallible is conditional upon justice and ijtihd, and applying the term leadership to the non-infallible is incorrect.
Religious scholars, unlike Western scientists who are egocentric, are interpreters of the infallibles. They, like skilled divers, extract divine knowledge from the ocean of revelation and present it to the people. Each scholars respect depends on his adherence to the infallibles, and deviation from this path undermines his credibility.
Egotism, like a devastating fire, misleads even pious individuals. History testifies that some, despite apparent proximity, failed salvation due to arrogance or estrangement from guardianship. The verse, emphasising "that you may succeed", warns that piety alone is insufficient and salvation depends on ultimate felicity.
