A question was asked to me on a forum:

“2:59 But, the transgressors altered the meaning of the word they had been given, and changed their attitude of humility and perseverance. So, We brought down upon the transgressors consequences from the heaven for, they infringed repeatedly (drifted away from the commandments).

Arnold Yasin,

To me it seems like God sent down punishment right from the heavens; something like meteors or stones etc. How does this fit in with your position:
* God never intervenes (although He can) with the universe other than revelations/intuitions.
If your theory in true then meteors did not simply came down because people disobeyed God. Meteors were suppose to come down any way; irrespective of how people behaved. We cannot label this catastrophic event as “punishment”. There are tons of past events that needs to be explained in the light of this new paradigm. This is just one example that came up while doing my regular reading. I have read your complete article “Evolution of Thinking”. I found it interesting and refreshing. Peace Rover”

To begin with: This is NOT a new concept or paradigm. Scholars as the Mutazilli, Allama Mashriqi, Muhammed Asad, Muhammed Ali, Syed Ahmed Khan, GA Parwez, Dr. Shabbir, Ahmed Ali, Muhammed Abduh, Rashid Rida, Abu Fazl, Abd Al-Jabbar and many more express the same thoughts and feelings over the last 1200 years.

You can call it opinions and ideas not upheld by the majority of Muslims, but it is not a new concept.

When it comes to Qur’ an interpretation, we mostly think in short term effects, while for example, a day for God is a thousand years. Also it is important to both use nature (3:191) and the whole Qur’anic message to understand each verse.

What is Revelation? It is an explanation of the workings of the universe, so we will know the laws that make a society succesful (3:110, 6:11, 6:165, 22:48), when a society deviates and becomes oppressors, only then will the laws of cause and effect turn against a nation (11:117). This is God’s Sunnah, His way of handling nations.

18:27 Convey to them whatever of this Book is revealed
to you from your Lord. None can alter His Words. And you will find
no refuge other than Him. [His laws in Theory (Kalimaatillah), and His
laws in Practice as implemented in the Universe (Sunnatillah), never
change. 6:34, 6:116, 10:64, 17:77, 18:27, 33:38, 33:62, 40:85, 48:23]

33:38 There could be no difficulty to any prophet in what God has
assigned to him as a duty. That was God’s law for those who passed on
before. And the commandment of God is a determined decree.

As 11:117 clearly states that God will not punish a people as long as they are Muslihoon, reformers in their society, the Zulm refered to in 2:59 clearly means they were violators of human rights. Oppression will eventually ALWAYS turn against them. We can see that with any nation that oppresses people.

The Qur’an orders us to investigate nature so we can understand God and His System (3:191), He also says there are no flaws in His Design (50:6), and that there is no change in His Kalimaat, Decrees and Blueprint of the Universe (18:27). In 30:30 He clearly states He will not change or replace the current Universe, as this is of the best design, لا تبديل la tabdeela means no substitute/replacement. And we know through studying the universe that it has fixed laws running it.

Bringing all these together shows God works through the laws of the universe, and not simply with direct interference, breaking His own rules. As in the words of Paul Davies:

“There is no doubt that, even in the crude form, the hypothesis of an intelligent designer
applied to the laws of nature is far superior then the designer considered in the previous
section (of his book red.), who violates the laws of nature from time to time by working
miracles in evolutionary history. Design-by-laws is incomparably more intelligent than
design-by-miracles. If I were an omnipotent being who wanted to make an inhabited
universe like ours, and I could achieve this simply by conjuring up what I wanted when I
wanted it, I wouldn’t regard my activities as very clever. But to select a set of laws that,
without nay periodic fixing up and micromanagment, can bring a universe into being and
bring about self-organisation, self-complexification and self-assembly of life and
conciousness-well, that looks very clever indeed! So the ‘intelligent’design beloved of the
Intelligent Design movement strikes me as not very intelligent at all, in contrast to a
designer of laws of nature which by themselves have such astonishing creative ability
without the need for intervention and miracles. Intelligent design of the laws does not
conflict with science, because it accepts that the whole universe runs itself according to
physical laws, and that everything that happens in the universe has a natural
explanation. There are no miracles other than the miracle of nature itself.“
[Page 226. The Goldilocks Enigma by Paul Davies, 2006]

So God’s reaction towards Zulm, oppression, is already laid out in the laws of the universe. This does not mean God already pre-destined the punishment for this specific people at the beginning of the universe. God gave us freewill and endless possibilities to choose from, and He will fix not these choices for us. These are just simple laws of cause and effect that will react to any violation of human rights.

You put your hand in the fire and you will burn it. Cause=hand in fire, effect=burned hand. This same law applies to society at large. When a society oppresses people, it will eventually fall. Cause=oppression, effect=fall of nation.

When a nation deviates from human rights as portrayed in the Revelation they were given, the universe responses to this, which will eventually cause the fall of the nation.

Verse 2:59 says رجزا من السماء Rijsan min as-SamaA. Rijs main meaning is polution or disease. It was used for a disease which caused shaky legs on a camel. It also means calamity, scourge, punishment as a consequence of a bad deed. Min SamaA, from the SamaA. SamaA comes from Ism, that which defines a thing. SamaA refers to the sky, space, the universe in total.

So we end up with 2 conclusions:

1. Rijsan min as-SamaA means Punishment from the Universe. Meaning the universal laws of Cause and Effect turned against them and caused the fall of their nation. This could be for example by a disease that broke out due to their lack of hygene, an invasion by another people because their defense had become weak due to their Zulm. Thus Rijsan min as-SamaA refers to the blueprint of the universe which directs its Laws.

2. Rijsan min as-SamaA has a direct meaning, the laws of cause and effect reacted by attracting a storm towards them which destroyed their nation. The understanding that it could refer to meteors is possible, but not likely as a meteor storm has never destroyed a whole nation, and a large meteor would destroy more then just them. A natural storm as a cyclone is far more likely. SamaA also refers to storm clouds.

Both meanings are possible without referring to God intervening with the universe as this is not necessary. The universe is such a perfect system (50:6), there is no need to intervene within its workings to get something done. The universe has an already built-in reaction system of cause and effect. What the Qur’an tells us is that the system of cause-and-effect also reacts to human deeds.

This also happens gradually. We have the bad habit to believe things happened in the timespan it is needed to read the verse. Become Zalimeen–>direct punishment. This is not how it works as God always leaves space open so a society can reform itself. A punishment can only come if people persist in the oppression, and thus gradually built up the consequence till it floods over them.

This also counts for many things that are seen as miracles in the Qur’an. Or they are mistranslated, or are metaphorical or they are possibilities we do not understand yet in the universe. But they never violate the laws of nature.

A socio-scientific analysis of verses 2:35-36

Normally these two verses are approached in an almost Biblical style and create a mythological story which has to be approached metaphorically to get a meaningful message from it, but when the Arabic words used are carefully looked at, a whole different message is emerging.

One that is very literal and very important in all ages. God says here clearly to mankind that we may never fight over which race is better then the other as then we will become oppressors of another. And not only on the matter of race, but also certain families who believed they were better then others. This directly refers to monarchical families who believe they stand above other people and were destined to rule.

Any belief that one person, family or race is better then the other will create tyranny, oppression, slavery and discrimination as we have seen in history and in present times were for example discrimination is still present in Western countries. The old Apartheid regime in South-Africa. Genocides have and are occuring in for example Joegaslavia and Sudan. Minorities are oppressed in for example Egypt where the original Coptic people are oppressed by the Arab Egyptians. And the list goes on and on.

The Quran is very clear, all humans, no matter what race, sex, colour, religion, no matter what, they all have been created in honour and dignitity and all must be treated as such.

17:70 Now indeed, We have conferred dignity on the children of Adam (as a birth right, regardless of where the child is born), and provided them with transport on land and sea and given them decent things of life. And We have favored the humans far above a great many of Our creation.

وقلنا يا ادم اسكن انت وزوجك الجنة وكلا منها رغدا حيث شئتما ولا تقربا هذه الشجرة فتكونا من الظالمين
2:35  “And We told early Mankind/Adam and all by which it is united/Azwaj [adama=Mankind, Azwaj=That in which individuals are united/mingle, meaning their culture, language, traditions and goals], Reside in this existence where you can find everything for your nourishment and development [Jannah=Garden with such extensive growth the ground is hidden by the foilage representing development and nourishment] and partake the fruit (results) thereof as you please. But do not go near the dispute of who is of better origins [Al-Shajara=matter of controversy, dispute, to fight, stock or origin of a person, tree]. Or, you will become those that displace your goals and equality from its rightful place and will become oppressors/Zalimeen.”ادم[ Adam=Human skin, Human being, Man, Person, Intelligent Person, Brown Man, Human Race, Mankind, Civilized Person, Person who is created from different substances, Person in possession of different powers, One who has heirs, One who enjoys the conforts of Life, One who is by nature social and hard.

زوج Azwaj= That in which individuals are united/mingle, mate, companion, individual when consorting with one another, kind, species, class of sex, pair, couple, each of a pair.

الجنة Jannah= Garden with such extensive growth the ground is hidden by the foilage, coming from the root JNN= hidden/covered.

الشجرة Al-Shajara= Matter of controversy, dispute, to fight, stock or origin of a person, genealogical tree, tree, plant having a trunk.

الظالمين Zalimeen= Those that displace something from its rightful place, Those that replace good with evil, Those that oppress, Those that do wrong against Mankind. Coming from Zulm = To displace something from its rightful place = Replace good with evil = Relegate the truth = Transgression = Oppression = Violation of human rights = Wrongdoing.

If you branch off into casts, sects, and rivalry, you shall replace your paradise with hell. 2:213, 4:65 10:19, 20:117-118. ]

2:36 But Selfishness (Shaitan=Shaat=long rope=that which creates distance between one another) caused them both (men as well as women) to stumble therein (Azalla=to slip by accident with your foot or tongue/ to make a mistake) and got them out of the state (of Oneness 2:213 and progression) they were in. And so We said, “Degraded (habt=to be degraded/go from a high level to a low level/ to be weakened/to transgress into evil/to be dispised) you have become with wedges of discord among yourselves! There shall be for you habitation and livelihood on earth for a while (compared to the Next Stage of Existence (11:108).”

Umrah

See how Mankind is following the Quran without knowing it:

Will we ever send humans to Mars?

I was researching the root meanings of the word Umrah, which gave some interresting insights:

Umrah comes from the root Ayn-Miim-Ra = to inhabit, dwell, mend, repair/revive, tend, build, promote, cultivate, make habitable, to make better, to develop, populate, to serve/uphold/observe/regard, to visit, to colonize, aimed at it, frequently visit, a visit in which is the cultivation of love/affection, repairing to an inhabited place.
perform a sacred visitation, minor pilgrimmage, pilgrimmage with fewer rites.
to remain alive (save life), to live, life, age, long-life, old-age.

And together with the Hajj meanings:

Hajj comes from the root Haa-Jiim-Jiim = to intend to a certain target, aim at, repair, undertake, repaired/betook himself to or towards a person / place / object of veneration/respect/honour, went/visit frequently/repeatedly, pilgrimage.
Overcome another by/in argument/evidences/proofs/testimonies, plead, contend/argue/dispute.
Refrain/abstain. Year/ to probe a head wound to cure it.

This creates such large definitions of the two words, so I made a small attempt to contruct a good one for both of them:

• Umrah = Visit to a place on Earth or other planets which is unhabited to colonize it, develop it, populate it and to build the System in such a way so it can survive till the end of time.

• Hajj = A yearly Gathering to undertake a Debate between the people on Earth, where the problems of the people are researched to solve these issues so the aim of positive development of Mankind is attained.

The understanding I get from Umrah is very interresting as it refers to establishing societies and it promotes the concept of inhabiting other planets, to cultivate uninhabited places as Mars and the Moon.

As the Quran is a Book that takes Mankind into the future, this is a very logical observation.

2:196 (Peace cannot defend itself. Mankind have to guard it.) Therefore, observe the Hajj:

-A yearly Gathering to undertake a Debate between the people on Earth, where the problems of the people are researched to solve these issues so the aim of positive development of Mankind is attained.

And ‘Umrah for God:

- Visit to a place on Earth or other planets which is unhabited to colonize it, develop it, populate it and to build the System in such a way so it can survive till the end of time.

If you are stranded, send in gifts that the congregation would utilize.

Do not consider that by doing so you have relieved yourself of duty. Be with them at heart until the gifts have reached their destination. If someone is sick or has other compelling burdens preventing him from sending any contribution, then Abstinence for a few days at convenience, or an act of charity or fulfilling someone’s need shall be in order.

If a person is present at the Convention but cannot afford to contribute, he should exercise Abstinence for a total number of ten days, three days there and seven days after coming home. This is for him whose folk do not live in the vicinity of the Convention. Be mindful of God, remembering the noble objective. And know that God (His law) is Strict in grasping.