the Lectures of Nekounam, May His Secret Be Sacred, Session (1902)
This treatise examines selected verses from the Holy Quran that focus on profound psychological and ethical concepts. These verses, through an exploration of human behaviours and characteristics such as fear, envy, weakness of the self, and the impact of faith on security and guidance, invite humanity to reflect upon their own nature. Crafted in an exalted style and scientific approach, this work is designed for erudite audiences and academic settings. Its structure is systematically organised so that each section, while maintaining semantic coherence with preceding parts, elucidates a key theme. The use of allegories and literary references vividly and precisely reveals the depths of Quranic meanings.
Verse:
قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَى سَبِيلًا
Say: Everyone acts according to their own psychological and physical constitution, and your Lord is most knowledgeable of who is best guided.
(Surah Al-Isra, Ayah 84)
This verse, like a clear mirror, demonstrates that human actions reflect their psychological and physical structure. Just as the lines on ones palm signify destiny, outward behaviours can reveal the inner nature and essence of a person. In psychological sciences, the principle that the exterior can serve as a window into the interior is well-recognised. God, as the omniscient, is aware of the guided and evaluates human deeds according to their inherent nature. At a higher level, understanding the inner self without reliance on appearances is possible; this elevated station, akin to a lofty summit, is accessible only to the saints of God.
Verse:
أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ، فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْخَوْفُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ، تَدُورُ أَعْيُنُهُمْ كَالَّذِي يُغْشَى عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُمْ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ، أَشِحَّةً عَلَى الْخَيْرِ، أُولَئِكَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا، فَأَحْبَطَ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ، وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا
They are stingy towards you, but when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling like one overcome by death. Yet when the fear passes, they attack you with sharp tongues, stingy towards good. They have not believed; therefore God has nullified their deeds, and that is easy for God.
(Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayah 19)
This verse, akin to a precise painting, portrays the psychology of cowardly individuals. The fearful, at the moment of danger, resemble a bird trapped in a snare, losing their composure and anxiously seeking a saviour with their eyes. However, once the peril subsides, like a wounded snake, they speak with a sharp and harsh tongue. Due to selfishness and miserliness, such individuals are deprived of good and their faith remains incomplete. God nullifies the deeds of these people because genuine faith is incompatible with fearfulness and selfishness.
Verse:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ: كُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ، وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ، وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ، فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ، أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً، وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ، لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ، قُلْ: مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ، وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِمَنِ اتَّقَى، وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا
Have you not seen those to whom it was said: Restrain your hands, establish prayer, and give zakah? But when fighting was prescribed for them, a group among them feared people as they fear God or even more severely, and they said: Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting upon us? Would You delay us until a near term? Say: The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for the one who fears God. And you will not be wronged even to the weight of a thread.
(Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 77)
This verse introduces weakness of self as a fragile root that causes a person to fear others and to protest against divine commandments. Individuals with weak selves, instead of seeking refuge in God, fear humanity and even object to divine laws. This fear acts like a chain, imprisoning a person within selfishness and comfort-seeking. God, with wise expression, describes worldly enjoyment as brief and insignificant, inviting humans to adopt piety and perseverance in the face of hardships.
Verse:
أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ، فَقَدْ آتَيْنَا آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ، وَآتَيْنَاهُمْ مُلْكًا عَظِيمًا
Do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.
(Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 54)
Envy, like a burning fire, ignites in the hearts of weak individuals. This verse indicates that envy is the result of inner weakness and incapacity to confront the perfections of others. The envious person, akin to a barren and leafless tree, suffers from witnessing the blossoming of others and resorts to envy instead of admiration, which is a commendable attribute. This spiritual ailment acts as an infection leading to sins such as backbiting and slander. Conversely, a strong individual attains perfections through effort rather than envy.
Verse:
وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلِهَا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ نَصِيرًا
And what is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and for the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, Our Lord, take us out of this city whose people are oppressors and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?
(Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 75)
This verse describes the oppressed as birds trapped in a cage who, instead of resisting hardships, resort to flight and dependency.
