of Nokounam, (Session 1112)
Verse 76 of Surah Al-Maidah, like a radiant beacon in the celestial realm of divine knowledge, emphatically underscores the fundamental principle of worship monotheism and categorically condemns any deviation from this path with clear and decisive expression. This verse, continuing the critique of polytheism and exaggeration in religious personalities found in preceding verses, delineates the status of the prophets and divine saints as righteous servants of God and directs humanity towards the worship of the One God alone. In this treatise, through a profound examination of the content of the lectures and the presented analyses, an endeavour has been made to present the profound meanings of this verse in a coherent form and with a lucid and solemn language. This writing, structured systematically and enriched with allegories and spiritual references, seeks to articulate the Quranic concepts in a manner that is both enlightening for scholars of religious sciences and vivifies the monotheistic spirit of the verse in the hearts of readers.
قُلْ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا ۚ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Say: Do you worship besides Allah that which neither harms you nor benefits you? And Allah is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
Verse 76 of Surah Al-Maidah, like a clear mirror, reflects the reality of worship monotheism and cautions humanity against the worship of entities devoid of the power to harm or benefit. This verse commences with the command "Say" addressed to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), instructing him to negate worship of any but God with resolute expression. This address not only emphasises the role of the Prophet as the messenger of revelation but also signifies the authenticity of the divine message, which admits no alteration or interference. Prophets, like trustworthy heralds, bear only the duty of conveying the truth and possess no status beyond servitude to God.
Key Point: Worship monotheism, the central theme of verse 76 of Surah Al-Maidah, insists upon the repudiation of all forms of worship of entities other than God and clarifies the status of the prophets as righteous servants of God.
The Holy Quran in this verse explicitly criticises worship polytheism and condemns the veneration of entities devoid of any capacity to harm or benefit. This critique primarily addresses some adherents of previous religions who, by ascribing divine status to prophets, deviated from the path of monotheism. For example, some Christians have elevated Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and his mother Mary (peace be upon her) beyond their status as servants of God, engaging in their worship. This deviation, described in the lecture series as religious distortion, has its roots in historical and political factors, including colonial influences, which aimed to weaken religious communities by propagating erroneous beliefs.
The first section of this treatise, focusing on the concept of worship monotheism, elucidated the exalted status of this principle in the Holy Quran. Verse 76 of Surah Al-Maidah, with clear and decisive language, invites humanity to worship the One God and rejects any form of polytheism or exaggeration in religious figures. The verse, by emphasising the role of prophets as conveyors of revelation, underscores the authenticity of the divine word and the necessity of adhering to it.
The Holy Quran introduces the prophets as righteous servants of God (ibdullh a-lin) who possess no independent power. This status, explicated in the verse under discussion by the phrase "that which neither harms you nor benefits you," indicates that prophets such as Jesus (peace be upon him) and Moses (peace be upon him) are merely intermediaries of divine guidance and hold no divine status themselves. This point, like a breeze that clears the dust of ignorance from hearts, invites humanity to reconsider their beliefs and guards against any exaggeration regarding the status of the prophets.
Key Point: Prophets and divine saints are righteous servants of God whose sole duty is guidance, and they possess no independent power to harm or benefit.
The lecture series employs a beautiful analogy, likening the prophets to teachers whose duty is education and guidance. Just as a teacher in a school directs the student towards knowledge, the prophets guide humanity towards divine truth. This analogy, like a bridge between the tangible and the intellectual realms, clarifies the status of the prophets in a tangible and clear manner, negating any incorrect interpretation of their position.
One of the prominent points in the verse is the emphasis on the harmlessness of the prophets. The sequence of the phrase "harm nor benefit" in the verse, initially referring to incapacity to cause harm followed by incapacity to confer benefit, illustrates the purity and benevolence of the prophets. They are like pure springs, never causing harm to humanity, even if they do not directly benefit them. This attribute signifies the moral greatness of the prophets and their commitment to the well-being of humanity.
The second section, focusing on the status of the prophets and divine saints, emphasised their servitude and guidance roles. Prophets, as righteous servants of God, hold no independent power and are solely charged with delivering the divine message. This section, using allegories, clarified the role of the prophets as guiding teachers and underscored their purity and harmlessness.
The Holy Quran, by stressing the absolute power of God, attributes all matters in the universe to His will. The lecture, referring to the invocation "There is no power nor might except with Allah, the Exalted, the Great," elucidates the principle that no force other than the divine operates effectively in the world. This invocation, like a flame that burns away the darkness of polytheism, guides humanity towards the monotheism of actions and negates any independent power from others than God.
Key Point: The invocation "There is no power nor might except with Allah, the Exalted, the Great" emphasises absolute divine power and denies any independent capability to others besides God.
Verse 76 of Surah Al-Maidah, by mentioning the attributes "All-Hearing" (As-Sam) and "All-Knowing" (Al-Alm) of God, highlights the comprehensive divine oversight of all human actions and speech. The attribute "All-Hearing" denotes hearing everything, and "All-Knowing" refers to the precise awareness and recording of deeds. These two attributes, like two wings enabling a person to soar towards piety, invite humanity to vigilance in behaviour and speech.
The lecture employs a beautiful analogy, likening God's recording of deeds to the filming of a movie in which no detail escapes divine observation. This record, to be presented to a person on the Day of Judgment, acts as a credible document that manifests divine justice in the reckoning of deeds. This perspective calls humanity to accountability for their actions and deters denial before God.
The third section, focusing on divine power and oversight, emphasised the monotheism of actions and God's comprehensive knowledge. The attributes All-Hearing and All-Knowing invite humanity to vigilance in conduct, and the precise recording of deeds underscores human responsibility. This section, through allegories, presented divine greatness in a tangible and profound manner.
The lecture, with a critical outlook, addresses deviations characterised by ascribing divine status to individuals, thereby distancing from monotheism. This deviation, observed in certain religious movements, contradicts the principle of worship monotheism. The Holy Quran, condemning such exaggeration, calls humanity to worship the One God alone and regards all forms of polytheism as causes of divine wrath.
Key Point: Exaggeration in religious figures is a deviation that conflicts with worship monotheism and provokes divine wrath.
The lecture points to the influence of historical and political factors in promoting doctrinal deviations. These factors, aiming to weaken religious communities, propagated false beliefs. This critique, like a mirror reflecting truth, invites humanity to reconsider their convictions and abstain from blind imitation.
The fourth section, through critique of doctrinal deviations, emphasised the necessity of preserving monotheism and avoiding exaggeration. This section, by highlighting the impact of historical and political influences on deviations, urged reflection and ijtihd in religious matters and warned against erroneous imitation.
The lecture regards the virtuous person as one who causes no harm to others. This characteristic, exemplified at its zenith in the prophets, signifies the importance of ethics in religious life. The virtuous person, like a tree whose shade shelters others, attains the certainty that he or she inflicts no harm upon others.
Faith in God's attributes of All-Hearing and All-Knowing leads a person towards relative infallibility. This faith, like a light illuminating the path of piety, restrains from sin and invites carefulness in deeds. The lecture, by emphasising this principle, considers faith the key to behavioural reform and attainment of piety.
Key Point: Faith in divine oversight and the attributes All-Hearing and All-Knowing guides a person towards piety and relative infallibility.
The Holy Quran, by the principle "As you sow, so shall you reap," emphasises the direct relationship between actions and their outcomes. This principle, like an immutable law in the universe, invites responsibility for ones deeds and manifests divine justice in reward and punishment.
The fifth section, focusing on ethics and piety, elucidated the characteristics of the virtuous person and regarded faith in divine oversight as a cause of relative infallibility. This section, stressing the principle of "As you sow, so shall you reap," invited care in actions and commitment to piety.
The lecture regards fear as humanitys chief enemy and a cause of sin and misery. This perspective, like a key unlocking closed hearts, invites overcoming fear of anything but God. Fear acts as a barrier that prevents righteous deeds and leads to sin.
The lecture distinguishes between fear and prudence and stresses the necessity of balance in behaviour. Prudence, like a shield protecting a person from dangers, is rational; whereas fear, like chains binding the hands and feet of reason, obstructs righteous deeds. Through reliance on God, a person can establish this balance in conduct.
Key Point: Overcoming fear and establishing balance between prudence and reliance on God guides humanity towards piety and righteous action.
The sixth section, focusing on overcoming fear and establishing balance, invited reliance on God and avoidance of fear beyond Him. This section, by differentiating fear from prudence
