WORD BY WORD AL-SIYAAM VERSES

 

Why as-siyaam is one of the most important pillars of Islam (Peace of mind)?

Can we become mutaqi (extremely cautious) by being hungry and feeding the poor?

What is as-siyaam and what is the purpose and need of it in the context of the book Quran?

Why the Quran / Furqan and Guidance are revealed to mankind in shahru Ramadan? Why not in Muharrum or in any other "Islamic month"? What is so exceptional about Ramadan?

What eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset has to do with as-siyaam?

What is Lail in relation with as-siyaam? Why cohabiting with wives in night needs permission from Allah?  

2:183 - Whatever happens is due to our acceptance, nothing happens without our will or desire. Acceptance is the key to learning.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ – Addressed only to those who want to become believer who believe in their own script (Al-Kitab) – In other words believing in our own selves, looking inside not imitating or copying others. In the context of the book Quran believers are not the blind followers or imitators but those who are knowledgeable and have full conviction.

كُتِبَ - Written

عَلَيْكُمُ - Upon you all

الصِّيَامُ - In the state of abstinence, Control of senses, balanced state of mind

كَمَا - As what

كُتِبَ - Written

عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن - On those from

قَبْلِكُمْ - Your acceptance - Genitive noun – 2nd person masculine plural possessive pronoun - traditionalists take it as preposition. The subject of the book Quran is about self and not about what happened to our ancestors or predecessors. 


لَعَلَّكُمْ - So that you may

تَتَّقُونَ - remain conscious, cautious, diligent, mindful, careful, thoughtful - The essence of taqwa can be inferred by correct understanding of 2:177

2:184 – The objective of as-sayaam is self assessment

أَيَّامًا – Period, moments, days

مَّعْدُودَاتٍ – of self assessment, self analysis, reckoning

فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم - Whoever from you all

مَّرِيضًا - possess lack of knowledge

أَوْ عَلَى - Or on

سَفَرٍ - Journey of self assessment in every direction

فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ - One can procrastinate from the period through self assessment

وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ- And those who are

يُطِيقُونَهُ - Finds inconvenience in it, / uncomfortable

فِدْيَةٌ - So he can compensate by

طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ - Open to or remaining in the state to educate his own static soul

فَمَن - Whoever

تَطَوَّعَ – does willingly

خَيْرًا - is better

فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ - then it is better

لَّهُ - for him

وَأَن - And that

تَصُومُواْ خَيْرٌ - Continue to remain abstinence is better

لَّكُمْ - For you

إِن كُنتُمْ - If you always want to remain

تَعْلَمُونَ - In the state of knowing

2:185

شَهْرُ – It is a state of manifestation, popular, in demand, notable, well known, full moon – mashoor, shaurat, musheer, ishtehaar, Mushaheer are some of its derivatives

رَمَضَانَ - of febrile, heated, passionate atmosphere, kindling of fire due to waiting, sharpness, heaving of soul ( irteqaa e nafs), nafs ki taraqi - the situation when Sun of knowledge on you, facing the heat, boiling point

الَّذِيْ - Is that

أُنزِلَ - Downloaded

فِيهِ - In it

الْقُرْآنُ - The compilation / accumulation of thoughts and expression settled in mind

هُدًى - A guidance

لِّلنَّاسِ - For the agitated mind

وَبَيِّنَاتٍ - And clear explanation

مِّنَ الْهُدَى - From the guidance

وَالْفُرْقَانِ - And the Criterion

فَمَن - So whoever

شَهِدَ - Witnesses / feels / experiences

مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ - From you the manifestation

فَلْيَصُمْهُ - So he / she must practice abstinence in it

وَمَن كَانَ - And whoever suffering from

مَرِيضًا - Lack of knowledge

أَوْ عَلَى - Or still on

سَفَرٍ - Mental journey, searching in every direction

فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ – So one can procrastinate from the period of self assessment

يُرِيدُ اللّهُ – Allah wants

بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ - with you ease

وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ – And not intends with you hardship

وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ - And you can complete the self assessment process

وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ - And that you might magnify Allah

عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ - On what he guided you

وَلَعَلَّكُمْ - That you may be

تَشْكُرُونَ - Grateful

2:186 - 

Dua or call in the context of the book Quran is inner call and always for right guidance and not for material gains.

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ – And when ask you

عِبَادِي-  My server, My obedient

عَنِّي - About Me

فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ - Then indeed I am accessible

أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ - I respond the call

الدَّاعِ - Of the caller

إِذَا دَعَانِ - When he calls Me

فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ – So let them respond

لِي – to Me

وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ - And let them believe

بِي - With Me

لَعَلَّهُمْ - So that they may be

يَرْشُدُونَ - Rightly guided

2:187


أُحِلَّ – Relax / loosen up / allowed / permitted

لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ - For you the process of anxiety

الصِّيَامِ - The Abstinence

ا لرَّفَثُ- The state of fighting / vying - Thinking mind is always in the state of war with its own self. The self assessing questions, queries and interrogations within don't let him relax - nominative masculine noun

إِلَى - Towards

نِسَآئِكُمْ - Your compelling urges - root word is ن س أ please check the classical lexicon for correct meaning. Traditionally root word of النِّسَاءَ is taken ن س و and this is the root cause of all mistranslation and interpretation. In 34:14 one of the derivative of النِّسَاءَ is present, the word is  مِنْسَأَتَهُ - the thing which drives. Here مِنْسَأَ is translated as stick or staff because it drives cattle. Our urge (النِّسَاءَ) drives our life so it is important to strike, beat, control, give it right direction, keep it balanced, take care of it. This is the essence of the infamous verse 4:34 ("wife beating")

هُنَّ - They are (Nisa)

لِبَاسٌ -  / natural cover / disposition - compound / nature of human beings is the mixture of hope and doubt - 2:42, 3:71 - the word libasun describes the nature of human beings which is represented. 

لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ - For you and you are / natural cover / mixture / disposition / consort

لَّهُنَّ - For them

عَلِمَ اللّهُ - Allah knows

أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ - That you were

تَخْتَانُونَ - Unfaithful

أَنفُسَكُمْ - To your soul / psyche (Nafs)

فَتَابَ - So He returned

عَلَيْكُمْ- Upon you

وَعَفَا - And removed

عَنكُمْ - Concerning you

فَالْآنَ - So now

بَاشِرُوهُنَّ - Make sense to them

وَابْتَغُواْ - And seek

مَا كَتَبَ - What is written

اللّهُ لَكُمْ - By Allah for you

وَكُلُواْ - And be thoughtful, consume intelligence

وَاشْرَبُواْ – And imbibe

حَتَّى – Until

يَتَبَيَّنَ - It becomes clear / distinct

لَكُمُ - For you

الْخَيْطُ - The true and continuous journey (without taking rest even if the hair turns white)

الْأَبْيَضُ - The apparent / crystal clear / white

مِنَ - From the

الْخَيْطِ - Journey of

الْأَسْوَدِ - The honor, dignity, eminence - traditionalist translate as black

مِنَ - From / towards

الْفَجْرِ - The breakthrough / dawn

ثُمَّ - Then

أَتِمُّواْ - Complete

الصِّيَامَ - The Abstinence

إِلَى الَّيْلِ - Till the anxiety remains

وَلاَ- And refrain

تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ - Be sensible with them

وَأَنتُمْ - While you are

عَاكِفُونَ- In seclusion / state of pondering / devoted / dwell

فِي - In

الْمَسَاجِدِ - The state of humbleness (without any ego)

تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللّهِ - These are the limits of Allah

فَلاَ - So do not

تَقْرَبُوهَا - Come near it (Urges / Nisa)

ذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ آيَاتِهِ – Thus Allah makes clear His signs

لِلنَّاسِ - For the agitated mind

لَعَلَّهُمْ - So that you may

يَتَّقُونَ - Remain cautious / conscious / thoughtful / careful / mindful

PLEASE VERIFY ALL THE MEANINGS FROM CLASSICAL LEXICONS.