of Nokounam (May his secret be sanctified) - Session 933
The Holy Qur'an is a book that transcends the boundaries of time and place, placing humanity within the cosmic system through a profound perspective on existence. This divine scripture is not merely a guide for individual and social life; it also presents a comprehensive worldview that invites mankind to reflect on their position vis--vis creation and the Creator. Verses 186, 188, and 189 of Surah Al-Imran, with eloquent and profound expression, address themes such as human trial, patience and piety, ostentation and arrogance, and absolute divine ownership. This treatise, relying on the lectures of religious scholars, elucidates these verses and presents their exalted meanings in a clear and cohesive scholarly framework. The goal is to attain a deeper understanding of these verses and to connect them with human life within a spiritual and mystical context.
The Holy Qur'an is a book that, with a holistic outlook, addresses not only humanity but the entire cosmosfrom the heavens and the earth to animals and other beings. Contrary to the limited perception that confines it to domestic or personal matters, it offers a comprehensive worldview that situates humans within the existential system. The discussed verses, by emphasising the universality of human trial, demonstrate that divine challenges and tests have not been restricted solely to present believers but encompass all human beings throughout history.
لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ
"Certainly, you shall be tested in your wealth and your selves."
This verse explicitly stresses a divine test in the two fundamental pillars of human life, namely wealth and souls. Wealth symbolises material attachments, while souls represent spiritual and existential life. This trial, manifesting through hardships, losses, or challenges, serves as a tool for self-purification. Just as a furnace purifies metal from impurities, divine trial guides humans towards spiritual elevation. This test is universal; no human being, from past to present, is exempt.
وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا
"And certainly you shall hear much hurt from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others (with Allah)."
The term لَتَسْمَعُنَّ points to the oral transmission of historical knowledge, which at the time of the Qur'ans revelation was mainly carried out through oral tradition. This verse informs the believers of the persecutions faced by their predecessors, including the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and the polytheists. These afflictions, part of divine testing, are evident throughout the history of previous nations, including prophets such as Jesus and Moses (peace be upon them). History, like a mirror, offers lessons to the faithful so that, by reflecting on the hardships of predecessors, they are called to patience and perseverance in the face of their own trials.
By referencing مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ, this verse emphasises the historical continuity of these persecutions. The several centuries preceding the Qur'anic revelation testify to the persistence of these challenges. This historical continuity points to a cosmological principle that views trial as an inseparable part of human existence. Believers, aware of this pattern, are invited to prepare themselves for facing adversities.
The Holy Qur'an, by stressing the universality of trial, reveals that hardships and persecutions have not been limited to believers alone but have befallen all nations throughout history, including the People of the Book and the polytheists. This universality liberates humans from feelings of isolation in adversity and guides them to a deeper understanding of their position within the cosmic order.
وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ
"And if you are patient and fear Allah, then indeed, that is of the matters requiring determination."
This verse presents patience and piety as the two steadfast pillars for success in the face of divine trials. Patience acts as a shield protecting humans against the storms of hardship, while piety serves as a torch illuminating the path in the darkness of sin. The combination of these two forms a resolve termed عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ. Unlike absolute certainty (جزم), which is an unwavering and resolute will, عزم is a will that can be vulnerable to weakness, lethargy, or fear. However, patience and piety fortify this resolve into steadfastness.
Patience without piety is an incomplete perseverance lacking divine direction. Piety, by connecting patience to faith and God-consciousness, transforms it into purposeful and valuable endurance. This principle, like a clear river, guides humans toward eternal felicity. The example of the Battle of Uhud, where believers faced defeat and hardship, illustrates this very trial which can be overcome through patience and piety.
The Qur'anic worldview, with a comprehensive outlook, situates humanity within the cosmic system and considers divine trial an intrinsic part of human life. Verse 186 of Surah Al-Imran, by emphasising tests in wealth and souls and historical persecutions, calls believers to patience and piety. These verses, by recalling the hardships of predecessors, rescue humans from psychological isolation and invite perseverance in the face of challenges. Patience and piety, like two wings, enable humans to soar towards firmness in affairs and eternal felicity.
لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْرَحُونَ بِمَا أَتَوْا وَيُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يُحْمَدُوا بِمَا لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا فَلَا تَحْسَبَهُمْ بِمَفَازَةٍ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
"Do not think those who rejoice in what they have done and love to be praised for what they did not do are safe from punishment; for them is a painful punishment."
Verse 188 of Surah Al-Imran, in decisive language, censures ostentation and arrogance. Those who delight in their achievementswhether wealth, status, or knowledgeand seek to display themselves are afflicted with psychological and spiritual maladies. Such joy is like a fire that warms outwardly but reduces the soul
