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KITAB, QURAN & ARABIC

CHAPTER 1     KITAB, QURAN & ARABIC –     IS "ARABIC" THE NAME OF A LANGUAGE OF MIDDLE EAST AND THE BOOK QURAN ...

Tuesday 8 July 2014

SURAH 111 AL- MASAD

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Surah 111- سورة المسد


AL-Masad - Long tedious mental journey


The entire book Quran is about following our own script [Al-Kitab] and this surah is not an  exception.

As the name of this Surah suggests, it’s about a long tiresome and tedious mental journey one has to undergo. The reason being - man gets deviated from his intense field of interest in order to achieve some livelihood or earnings. As a result, he is not satisfied with what he has achieved. He continuously burns in his own anger that it would have been much better if he had followed his instincts / inner script. If a man does not enjoy his work it feels like he is carrying a unnecessary burden on his head. The ultimate result is that he perishes under this continuous mental burden because of his obstinate nature.

Man is naturally bestowed with a typically fixed pattern of behavior called instinct in the form of a script (Kitab). The innate script continuously remind him of his original role he has perform in order to live a satisfactory life. The burden of not following his instinct or the script (Kitab) always lingers in his mind and the journey of life becomes boring, full of burden and disinterests him.

The traditional translation portrays "Allah" as a powerless / helpless God, who curses Abu Lahab for his misdeeds, caused by him against the "Messenger of Islam". According to traditional translators this surah is supposed to have been revealed in order to console the "messenger" that his opponents would face hardship in the future. This is a direct insult to those who believe in the philosophy of animate omnipotent God. Why an "Omnipotent God" would curse a local mischief-maker.

So if we believe in the theory of circumstances of revelation (Shaan-e-Nazool) pertaining to this surah, the timeless message becomes defunct for the present as well as the future generations. According to general understanding the addressor here is Rabbul Aalamin, who seems to cater to only the "messenger's" personal consolation, whereas "Quran" claims that it is a guidance for the entire Mankind. 

By following the traditional translation we fail to grasp the message from this surah. The timeless message of the "Quran" becomes time bound/limited. The readers fail to understand the logic behind "Curse from the Almighty" which is actually the nature of the weak people and it does not behove the persona of the "Almighty God." The traditional translations have degraded the Omnipotent Almighty by their interpretation.  

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم        
      
      With the identification of the System of consciousness, The Rehman, The Rahim.

      Interpretation:

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ

State of resources/ability [yada] diminishes/perishes one who adopts / nourishes rage [Abi lahab], thus he is perished,

In short the verse is conveying that the person who nurture/harbor grudges, rivalry, anger, jealousy, greed his ability, capability, resources diminishes/perishes and his entire mind body and soul engulfs in flames, burn in rage...


مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ   2
     
    He is not satisfied concerning his accumulation and what he has achieved.

سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ  

      Soon he will be burnt in the fire of intense rage, {the fire within}

وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ   4. 
    
     And his obstinate state has to carry the burden, {for his decision}

فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ   5. 
   
      Affected in its long entrapped desire from continuous tedious / tiresome journey.

Meanings:

مَّسَدٍ = Pursued a journey laboriously, continued the journey day and night [thinking], continuous travel, mentally boring journey, tedious journey, etc - genitive masculine indefinite noun

تَبَّتْ = Suffered loss, diminutive, became lost or perished or died or dying, in a state of being in loss, punish, imprecated loss, became beaten, cause loss, suffer to himself or whole person, loss of youth, old man, destroyed him, traveled along it (furrowed by passengers), etc - 3rd person feminine singular perfect verb

يَدَا = Hand, power, resources, money, means, benefits, agency- nominative feminine dual noun

أَبِي
The word ابو means father and أَبِي is my father, one who adopts is also a father, nourisher, rears or upbrings - genitive masculine singular noun

لَهَبٍ = Thirsty, fiercely, intensely, fire without smoke, ardent, impetuous, violent, burned, rage, wrath, hungry, inflamed with anger, passion - genitive masculine indefinite noun/adjective

أَغْنَىٰ = Free from want, in a state or condition having no wants or having few wants, rich, wealthy, no needs, content, sufficient, satisfy.- 3rd person masculine singular perfect verb

مَالُهُ = His inclination, love it inimical, accumulation, vacillated deviated from his course, inclined his heart, attracted.- nominative masculine noun - 3rd person masculine singular possessive pronoun

كَسَبَ = He collected, he gained, acquired, or earned, achieved - 3rd person masculine singular perfect verb

سَيَصْلَىٰ = He will face the heat, destruction, wheedled, roasted, burned, suffered the heat, endured the heat - prefixed future particle sa - 3rd person masculine singular imperfect verb

امْرَأَتُهُ = Obstinate nature, disputing, contending - root word م ر ى - any system or mechanism is feminine in Arabic grammar. - nominative feminine noun - 3rd person masculine singular possessive pronoun

الْحَطَبِ = The collectively, The aid, assistance, ones incites, urges, instigates against such a one, calumniation, slander, became lean, or meager, he took upon himself the burden or responsibility, enmity is like fuel which kindles fire, he who confuses in speech, who acts unjust towards himself, like collector of wood by night and bitten by viper, someone who does not restrain his tongue. - genitive masculine noun

حَمَّالَةَ = Carry, pregnant, to bear the load - accusative feminine singular active participle

جِيدِهَا = Became affected by thirst, thirsted vehemently or was at point of death or destruction as though destruction rained upon him, affected by longing desire hence long neck ( beauty sign for females) - genitive masculine noun/adjective - 3rd person feminine singular possessive pronoun



حَبْلٌ = Bound, tied, making a covenant, promise, entrapped, captivated, bond, union, link of connection, mutual connection - nominative masculine indefinite noun


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MORAL OF THIS SURAH:

Holding on to anger is like drinking poison.

One must do what he loves, or - Love what he is doing.

Don’t curb your inner voice.

Man is a creation of desire and not a creation of need.


Your aspirations are nature's design, follow it and you won't be disappointed.

Obstinate nature is harmful.

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Why I have interpreted أَبِي as my father / one who adopts - references from traditional translations:


First Reason:


(12:80:30) abī My father فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ الْأَرْضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْذَنَ لِي أَبِي أَوْ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ لِ - Here Abi means my father

(26:86:2) li-abī My father - وَاغْفِرْ لِأَبِي إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ - Here Abi means my father

(111:1:3) abī (of) Abu - تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ - Here also Abi must mean my father or one who adopts, rears...


Second reason:

 أَبِي لَهَبٍ is a indefinite article. The tanween indicates lahab is an indefinite article and there is no ال prefix to Lahab as well. Abu means father - the root word being ابؤ. It is not a proper name of a person.


(28:23:25) wa-abūnā and our father -  قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّىٰ يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاءُ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ

(111:1:3) abu-al-Lahab father (of) Lahab تبت ىدا ابؤ اللهب ؤ تب  could have written like this. 

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مَالُهُ - ًWhy I have not interpreted مَالُهُ  as his wealth:


The traditionalist have taken the root word of مال  as مؤل whereas I have taken as مال. Maal means inclination, affection, fondness, accumulation, purposeful deviation from his course. 
مؤل - means wealth, property etc.

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