May 2003: Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Submitters Perspective

Page 2

Questions

Cont’d from page 1

In 2:245 and 57:11, God asks: Who would like to loan God a loan of righteousness, to have it multiplied for him manifold, and end up with a generous recompense? This is very amazing when we take the time to think about it. God is the One who gives us our righteousness (47:17 & 74:56), yet He’s offering us the opportunity to lend to Him something that was always His to begin with, AND He will reward us for it! Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of a deal like that?

God asks: Have you seen the one whose god is his own ego? Will you be his advocate? Do you think that most of them hear, or understand? They are just like animals; no, they are far worse. (25:43-4) This is God’s reminder of how important it is for us to kill our egos.

He goes on in 45:23 to give us more to reflect upon. Have you noted the one whose god is his ego? Consequently, God sends him astray, despite his knowledge, seals his hearing and his mind, and places a veil on his eyes. Who then can guide him, after such a decision by God? Would you not take heed? This final question is perhaps the most important: Would you not take heed?

In Sura 56, God asks a series of questions that bear looking at.

56:58-59: Have you noted the semen that you produce? Did you create it, or did we? In God’s system, humans produce the semen which allows for the creation of new life. But do we have any control over how that semen is produced, how much, how active? It all comes from God.

56:63-64: Have you noted the crops you reap? Did you grow them, or did we? God allows us to plant seeds and work the soil and water the crops and reap the harvest. But do we really have any control over whether the plants grow strong or die? It’s a miracle

and a gift from God that we stick a little dried up seed into the ground and from that grows a tree bearing delicious fruit for us to enjoy.

56:68-69: Have you noted the water you drink? Did you send it down from the clouds, or did we? Part of our ability to grow the plants comes from the water that God sends down. We can’t make water from nothing. We can seed the clouds and sometimes produce rain, but if there are no clouds, we can’t create them. God drives the winds which bring the clouds which produce the rain. Without that water all living things on earth would die. Yet we turn on a faucet and take for granted that water will come out—cold when we want it, hot when we want it. We need to remember to appreciate the true source of that water.

56:71-72: Have you noted the fire you ignite? Did you initiate its tree, or did we? When we want a fire for warmth or light, we can just strike a match and start that fire burning. But isn’t it amazing that the green tree becomes the fuel for that fire, but not until it dies and dries up. Without the tree and its cycle of life, we would have nothing to burn.

Finally, the very important questions in verses 56:81-82: Are you disregarding this narration? Do you make it your business that you disbelieve? How important it is to carefully consider all the things God has put into the Quran and study and learn from them. Why do they not study the Quran carefully? Do they have locks on their minds? (47:24) We made the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn? (54:17)

Many of the questions God poses are negative, such as 61:2 O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? and 71:13 Why should you not strive to reverence God? and 6:21 Who is more evil than one who lies about God, or rejects His revelations? This is a common way to make someone think about a topic, to present it in

the negative. It clearly shows the wisdom of the positive. And if the student is too dense to understand the difference, the teacher will frequently pose increasingly negative questions, perhaps finally throwing up his hands and asking, “Why can’t you see? Are you crazy?” In His own way, God does this too. In 74:49 God asks: Why are they so averse to this reminder? Ending many verses, God asks: Do you not understand? And finally, because we seem so hopelessly wrapped up in idol worship and our own opinions, God challenges: What is wrong with your logic? Do you have another book to uphold? In it, do you find anything you want? (68:36-38)

In many cases God asks a question and then provides the answer. Again, this is a valuable teaching tool for students to learn from. In 83:8 God asks: Do you know what Sijjeen is? followed in verse 9 with A numerically structured book. 86:2 asks: Do you know what Al-Taareq is? with the answer in the next verse: The bright star. In 104:5 we read: Do you know what the Devastator is? and the answer is in verse 6: God’s blazing Hellfire. These are terms or phrases that we would not be able to understand without God’s clarification. More important for our consideration is 7:99: Have they taken God’s plans for granted? None takes God’s plans for granted except the losers. We need to ask ourselves whether we’re sincere in our worship and our appreciation or if we’re just giving lip service to submission. Then God leaves no room for doubt about the correct answer.

Sura 27, starting with verse 60, has a series of verses that begin with the question: Who is the One…? When I read these verses I always comment on how beautiful they are and how much I enjoy reading them. It’s also important to reflect on the questions. Is it another god with God?

Cont’d on page 3