of , may his sanctity be preserved (Session 1684)
The Holy Qur'an, like a pure and inexhaustible spring, conceals divine knowledge within the depth of its verses, each verse serving as a gateway to truth and guidance. Verses 78 to 96 of Surah Al-A'raf, by recounting the stories of prophets such as li and L and elucidating concepts such as immorality, extravagance, and the characteristics of a faithful society, invite us to profound reflection on human behaviour and social responsibilities. This treatise, with a comprehensive perspective on these verses, endeavours to present their lofty meanings in a clear and firm language within a scholarly and systematic framework. Like a garden whose every branch bears fruit of wisdom, this text utilises metaphors and semantic connections to instil the spirit of the verses within the readers heart.
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ
Then a severe earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless in their homes.
This verse, like an impression of divine justice, depicts the end of the Thamd people. The term rajfah refers to a great earthquake and a sign of Gods wrath, which rendered lifeless in their homes a people who rejected their prophets invitation. This punishment is not only the consequence of denying the divine message but also a symbol of Gods lawfulness in chastising societies that turn away from benevolence. Like a tree uprooted from the soil, the Thamd people, through disobedience, deprived themselves of spiritual life.
فَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّي وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَكِنْ لَا تُحِبُّونَ النَّاصِحِينَ
Then he turned away from them and said: O my people, truly I have conveyed to you the message of my Lord and have advised you, but you do not love the advisers.
Prophet li, like a burning torch, fulfilled his mission and called his people towards guidance with benevolence. Yet, his people, trapped in the darkness of ignorance and prejudice, refused to accept the truth. This verse, like a mirror, reveals the responsibility of the prophets in delivering the message and benevolence, and simultaneously points to the peoples ingratitude in disliking the well-wishers. This ingratitude is rooted in ignorance, which acts as a barrier to guidance.
Verses 78 and 79 of Surah Al-A'raf, by recounting the punishment of the Thamd and the benevolence of Prophet li, offer profound lessons on divine lawfulness and the responsibility of prophets. The punishment of rajfah is a sign of Gods justice that does not leave disobedience unpunished. lis benevolence was presented to his people like a pure stream, but their ignorance and prejudice rendered this blessing fruitless. These verses invite us to reflect on accepting benevolence and avoiding denial.
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ أَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُمْ بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ
And L, when he said to his people: Do you commit an immoral act that no one among the worlds has preceded you in?
This verse, like a warning from the depths of history, narrates the story of Prophet L who reproached his people for committing immorality. In the Holy Qur'an, immorality is not an intrinsic attribute but a description of a vile and reprehensible act. This act was so abominable that no people in the world before Ls had engaged in it. Its unprecedented nature signifies a profound deviation into which the people of L had fallen, as though they traversed a path on which no caravan had ever set foot before.
إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِنْ دُونِ النِّسَاءِ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُسْرِفُونَ
You indeed approach men with desire instead of women. Nay, you are a people transgressing all bounds.
This verse, like a mirror revealing the truth, identifies the action of Ls people as extravagance in divine blessings. The sperm, the alchemy of life and essence of creation, must be employed in the legitimate process of reproduction. However, the people of L, by lustfully turning to men, misused this blessing and committed extravagance. Extravagance here is not merely wasting sperm, but violating the divine order in creation. Like a farmer scattering his precious seeds on barren soil, the people of L wasted this gem in a wrong path.
The Holy Qur'an, avoiding the use of the term liw (sodomy), emphasises the description of the vile act (immorality) and extravagance within it. The term liw, which gained prevalence in jurisprudential literature after the Qur'an, is derived from the name of Prophet L; however, the Qur'an describes the act with the phrase you approach men with desire. This choice reflects divine wisdom focusing not on naming but on the nature and abomination of the act. Immorality, mentioned 24 times in the Qur'an (7 times as fahsha, 13 as fahisha, 4 as fawahish), always refers to a reprehensible act and not to an inherent human attribute. This emphasis appears to be an invitation to reform behaviour rather than ostracise individuals.
Extravagance, described in verse 81 regarding Ls people, stems from ignorance. In Surah An-Naml (verse 55), this people are called tajahhaln (ignorant), indicating that practical ignorance led them to squander divine blessings. Sperm, like a precious jewel, is the substance of human life. Wasting it is akin to pouring pure water into a barren desert. This extravagance is not only applicable to the behaviour of Ls people but also to any act that senselessly wastes divine blessings.
Ls people, in response to their prophets prohibition, mocked him and his followers due to their purity (yataahharn) and demanded their expulsion. This response, like a veil of ignorance, reveals the moral impurity of the people. Here, purity means being free from sin and abstaining from immorality. By rejecting the pure ones, Ls people plunged themselves into moral corruption as if deliberately extinguishing a guiding light.
Sperm, as the alchemy of life, holds a high value in the Qur'an. The question of its non-reproductive uses is a matter requiring scientific and jurisprudential reflection. Is sperm solely for reproduction, or can it be utilised in other fields such as medicine? This inquiry is like a key opening new scientific horizons. Extravagance in sperm is akin to wasting a rare jewel that could serve good purposes. Religious knowledge must, through
