Day 19 - The Duty of Humankind

 *Day 19 - The Duty of Humankind*

﴿یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعۡبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِی خَلَقَكُمۡ وَٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ [البقرة ٢١]

“O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, so that you may become mindful of him.

———

*Themes of Makkah and Madinah Surah’s*

قَالَ عَلْقَمَةُ وَمُجَاهِدٌ: كُلُّ آيَةٍ أَوَّلُهَا "يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ" فَإِنَّمَا نَزَلَتْ بِمَكَّةَ، وَكُلِّ آيَةٍ أَوَّلُهَا "يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا" فَإِنَّمَا نَزَلَتْ بِالْمَدِينَةِ. قُلْتُ: وَهَذَا يَرُدُّهُ أَنَّ هَذِهِ السُّورَةَ وَالنِّسَاءَ مَدَنِيَّتَانِ وَفِيهِمَا يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ. وَأَمَّا قولهما في ﴿يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا﴾ [النساء: ١٩] فَصَحِيحٌ.

Imam Alqamah and Imam Mujāhid (rahimallahu anhuma) said: “Every verse that begins with ‘O mankind’ was revealed in Makkah, and every verse that begins with ‘O you who believe’ was revealed in Madinah.” Imam Qurtubi (rahimallahu) states: this is refuted by the fact that this surah and al-Nisāʾ are Madinan, yet they contain ‘O mankind’. As for their statement regarding ‘O you who believe’ [al-Nisāʾ: 19], it is correct.

وَقَالَ عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ: مَا كَانَ مِنْ حَدٍّ أَوْ فَرِيضَةٍ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَلَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، وَمَا كَانَ مِنْ ذِكْرِ الْأُمَمِ وَالْعَذَابِ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَلَ بِمَكَّةَ. وَهَذَا وَاضِحٌ.

Imam Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (rahimallahu) said: “Whatever concerns a legal ruling or an obligation was revealed in Madinah, and whatever concerns the mention of nations and punishment was revealed in Makkah. And this is clear.”

Note: This is the general theme of the Qur’an. The divine laws were revealed in Madinah, and reminders, stories of past nations and warnings are found in makkah surah’s. 

*The Seven types of Harf al-Nida*

حَرْفُ النِّدَاء (ḥarf al-nidāʾ) in the Qur’an is of seven types:

• Praise: for example the statement of Allah: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ

• Warning: for example the statement of Allah: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ

• Attribution: for example the statement of Allah: يَا بَنِي آدَمَ

• Rebuke: for example the statement of Allah: يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ

• Condemnation: for example the statement of Allah: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوٓا۟

• Association (iḍāfah): for example the statement of Allah: يَا عِبَادِي

• Naming (التَّسْمِيَة): for example the statement of Allah: يَا دَاوُودُ

*Lessons from Those Before You*

قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ﴾ فَيُقَالُ إِذَا ثَبَتَ عِنْدَهُمْ خَلْقُهُمْ ثَبَتَ عِنْدَهُمْ خَلْقُ غَيْرِهِمْ، فَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يَجْرِي الْكَلَامُ عَلَى التَّنْبِيهِ وَالتَّذْكِيرِ لِيَكُونَ أَبْلَغَ فِي الْعِظَةِ، فَذَكَّرَهُمْ مَنْ قَبْلَهُمْ لِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الَّذِي أَمَاتَ مَنْ قَبْلَهُمْ وَهُوَ خَلَقَهُمْ يُمِيتُهُمْ، وَلِيُفَكِّرُوا فِيمَنْ مَضَى قَبْلَهُمْ كَيْفَ كَانُوا، وَعَلَى أَيِّ الْأُمُورِ مَضَوْا مِنْ إِهْلَاكِ مَنْ أَهْلَكَ، وَلِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ يُبْتَلَوْنَ كَمَا ابْتُلُوا. وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.

His statement, Exalted is He: “And those before you” — it is said that when the creation of previous peoples is established for them, the creation of others is also established. The answer is that the speech is intended for admonition and reminder, to be most effective in instruction. 

Thus, they are reminded of those before them so that they know that He who caused the death of those before them—and who created them—will also cause their death, and so they reflect on how those who passed before them lived, on what matters they perished, and to know that they too will be tested as others were tested. And Allah knows best.

*The three usages of the "لَعَلَّ"*

الْأَوَّلُ: أَنَّ "لَعَلَّ" عَلَى بَابِهَا مِنَ التَّرَجِّي وَالتَّوَقُّعِ، وَالتَّرَجِّي وَالتَّوَقُّعُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ فِي حَيِّزِ الْبَشَرِ

The first point: that “laʿalla” (لَعَلَّ) belongs to the category of hope and expectation, and hope and expectation pertain only to human beings.

For example the verse: "اذْهَبا إِلى فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغى. فَقُولا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَيِّناً لَعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشى "(٤) [طه: ٤٤ ٤٣]

الثَّانِي أَنَّ الْعَرَبَ اسْتَعْمَلَتْ "لَعَلَّ" مُجَرَّدَةً مِنَ الشَّكِّ بِمَعْنَى لَامِ كَيْ. فَالْمَعْنَى لِتَعْقِلُوا وَلِتَذَكَّرُوا وَلِتَتَّقُوا،

The second point: the Arabs used “laʿalla” (لَعَلَّ) without any doubt, in the sense of “so that”. The meaning is: “so that you may understand, so that you may remember, and so that you may be mindful [of Allah].”

لثَّالِثُ أَنْ تَكُونَ "لَعَلَّ" بِمَعْنَى التَّعَرُّضِ لِلشَّيْءِ، كَأَنَّهُ قِيلَ: افْعَلُوا ذَلِكَ مُتَعَرِّضِينَ لِأَنْ تَعْقِلُوا، أَوْ لِأَنْ تَذَّكَّرُوا أَوْ لِأَنْ تَتَّقُوا.

The third point: that “laʿalla” (لَعَلَّ) can carry the meaning of bringing something within reach, as if it were said: “Do that (أَمر) so that you may understand, or so that you may remember, or so that you may be mindful [of Allah].”

وَالْمَعْنَى فِي قَوْلِهِ "لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ" أَيْ لَعَلَّكُمْ أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا بِقَبُولِ مَا أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ وِقَايَةً بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ النَّارِ

The meaning of His statement “so that you become mindful of him” is: “so that you may make, by obeying what Allah has commanded you, a protection between yourselves and the Fire.”

Note: In this verse, the second meaning (“so that”) is intended, which is the position of Imam Ṭabarī (rahimallāhu). The first meaning (“hope”) is unsuitable here, as it implies ignorance and lack of firm belief (yaqīn) in the Ākhirah—something impossible for Allah, Who has complete knowledge of all things.