Qur'an: serious business for believers and a challenge to those who reject [ Reflections on Q 11:10-20] [Part one]

I seek refuge with Allah from Satan,The Rejected Enemy. In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate. The Most Merciful.

Introduction

Weekly, I do a presentation  [perhaps a discussion is a better term] on a handful of Quranic verses. Preparing for this occasion is a recurring process, it allows me to make Tadabbur or deep reflections on the Qur'anic text in general. This reflecting process should never be seen as completed or finished, after all, the text is of Divine Origin and will always have new and fresh relevance as time advances.

Below are some thoughts on ten verses from Soorah Huud. We have generally not shared the translation of all the verses because this will encourage the reader to have a look for themselves. We have only shared translation as where deemed necessary. Unless otherwise stated, the translation is that of this writer.

[Q 11:9-10] These two verses can be read in connection with verse 9. God gives provision, even to the Kuffarr. The Kuffar reject theological points such as the hereafter and resurrection day, but they also are extremely ungrateful to Allah. In fact, for the Kaafir, they think nothing comes from God at all.         [Q 11:11] Believers have a different attitude: "..Those who persevere [Sabaroo] and have righteous conduct.." the Imaan [faith] of believers has taught them Sabr and Shukr, to be able to persevere and have  gratitude. Thus, the Muslims recite Al-Faatihah daily in their prayers, in which they recite "Praise belongs to Allah, The Caretaker of The Universe." [Q 1:2]. In addition, many other expressions of praise and thanks to God are found throughout the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This is to develop a deep sense of gratitude within us.  [Q 11:12-13] The charge that Muhammad-Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, simply made up the claim of revelation is addressed here in a powerful way. That accusation is likewise addressed in other places. They would ask the Prophet to "edit", to change around what was given to him. In a sense, they wanted the Qur'an to suffer the same fate as previous scripture [Q 2:79 and 4:46]. It is relevant here to share the statement : "Among the Jews are those who distort words from their places." [Q 4:46]. These objectors wanted the Prophet Muhammad ['alayhis salaatu was salaam] to act like they have acted. Allah [Soobhaanahu wa ta'alaa] warned the Prophet that had he indeed done that, he would face severe punishment [Q 69:44-47]. Thus, the Qur'an only contains what God wants it to contain. The words of Muhammad are recorded in secondary sources [the Hadeeth corpus] and are themselves subjected to careful examination, which is why even within traditional modes of interpretation, there still exists much debate as to what is authentically from the mouth of Allah's Messenger.This is something that is not from modern times as sometimes imagined, rather, this is from almost the beginning of Muslim history. This is the science of Hadeeth ['ilm ul hadeeth] which seeks to differentiate as much as possible the authentic from the spurious. In terms of the Qur'an, the opposition is given a challenge to forge Ten chapters or units that are similar or that can outdo the power and the majesty of the Quranic revelation.

The truth of the matter is that nothing can outdo or outmatch the Qur'an, particularly in Arabic . This is something recognized even by Non Muslim Arabic writers and has been throughout the ages.  Moreover, The Qur'an became the basis of the organization and structure of Arabic as a literary and scientific language. Non Muslim writers end up having to imitate not only the Quranic style of delivery but also themes and concepts from the sacred text.

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَاء بَعْدَ ضَرَّاء مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ  لاَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ  فَلَعَلَّكَ تَارِكٌ بَعْضَ مَا يُوحَى إِلَيْكَ وَضَآئِقٌ بِهِ صَدْرُكَ أَن يَقُولُواْ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ كَنزٌ أَوْ جَاء مَعَهُ مَلَكٌ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ نَذِيرٌ وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ  مْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ قُلْ فَأْتُواْ بِعَشْرِ سُوَرٍ مِّثْلِهِ مُفْتَرَيَاتٍ وَادْعُواْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ