Chapter 7
Conviction No. 2
“Quran is the Secrets Of Nature –
Not Divine Revelation”
“The Quran, in fact, is the "Secrets of Nature‟ which Nature reveals to a genius – a certain man of wisdom and knowledge. This is the reality of “WAHI” – the Divine Revelation.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Before proceeding with our discussions on this subject, it may be noted with interesting concern that this theory is totally opposed or contradictory to the learned translator's Conviction No. 1, discussed above. On the one hand, the Quran is “A Book of Human Rights”, but simultaneously, on the other hand, the Quran becomes “the Secrets of Nature” too? This straightaway brings us to the conclusion that “Human Rights” actually are “the Secrets of Nature”, viz,
Quran = Human Rights; Quran = Secrets of Nature;
Therefore,
Human Rights = Secrets of Nature.
I apologize for exercising this simple mathematical formula here! However, what else can one do when faced with such a manifest contradiction? Looking at both theories in combination with each other, one can reach only one and the same inevitable conclusion, as just explained. The fault, if any, lies in the blatant inconsistency of thought, and sheer lack of coherence and concordance in the philosophy, which appears as a unique quality of the learned translator's writings. Let us march forward. The reality of WAHI – the Divine Revelation – in the words of the learned translator, is as copy/pasted from his writing here-below :-
(copy/paste)…………..
“3. You are neither sleeping nor doing things reflexly but you are interpreting your experiences, knowledge, observations and actions of your past and of others and you are senceing the laws of nature then you are a genius and you can predict the fate of a nation. You can warn a nation against the disaster they are heading to or you can predict their bright and prosperous future.
This faculty to learn from the nature is, when nature comes so close to a human being that all hidden secrets start opening up.The person and nature becomes like two bows together (Sura 53 Verse 9). At this stage Nature starts revealing himself and THIS IS WAHI. 6.2.2010 “
Very clearly, he is declaring here openly that Islam or the Quran is not the result of some Divine or Allodial transmission of Guidance. It is not a Divine philosophy, but a discipline manufactured as a result of deliberations by a man of wisdom and foresight. It is obvious that this viewpoint is tantamount to a manifest denial of WAHI's metaphysical phenomenon. And, in a certain disguise, it also is the preamble to a denial of God's existence.
As a matter of fact, the denial of WAHI is rooted in the materialistic philosophy of the western civilization; materialism does not recognize the existence of a supernatural power; according to its theory, whatever event takes place in this world, is due to a co-relation or interaction of nature's elements. Allama Iqbal had commented on this monkeying of the west like this :-
“FASAAD-E-QALB-O-NAZAR HAY FARANG KI TEHZEEB
KEH ROOH IS MADNIYYAT KI REH SAKI NA „AFEEF
REHAY NA ROOH MEN PAKEEZGI TO HAY NAPAID
ZAMEER-E-PAAK-O-KHAYAAL-E-BULAND-O-ZAUQ-E-LATEEF”
عفیفنہسکیہرکینیتمدساحورکہ
لطیف ؼوذ و بلند ؽ وکپا
ۍتہذکینگفرہےنظروقلبدفسا
پیدنا ہےتوگیکیزپامیںحورنہہےر
As concluded earlier, in the absence of any Quranic reference, or a clear supportive text, this theory too may be construed an invention, superstition, fabrication, personal conviction or, most probably, an AGENDA. In the above copy/paste, the learned translator is seen twisting the meaning of Verse No.53/9 to fabricate a meaning of “The person and nature becomes like two bows together", whereas the very next Verse, No.53/10, clarifies that nothing like that has happened – no “nature” is mentioned in the original text (FA KAANA QAABA QAWSAINI AOU ADNAA) – but ― Fa ouha ilaa „Abdi-hi maa ouhaa” – Allah swt revealed to His subject what He had to Reveal.
Let us analyze here the Verse No.53/9, referred to by the learned translator, to check his deduction of the word “Nature” here. We have below this verse in its proper context:-
53/4: “Allama-hu shadeedul-quwaa”: TAUGHT TO HIM BY THE ONE EXTREMELY POWERFUL,,,,
53/5: “Zoo mirratin, fa-astawaa”: ONE OF SOUNDNESS. HENCE HE ROSE TO TRUE FORM;
53/6: “Wa huwa bil-ufuqil-a‟alaa”: AND HE ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST
HORIZON (OF KNOWLEDGE – ref:53/4);
53/7: “Thumma danaa, fa-tadallaa”: THEN HE APPROACHED NEARER, THEN LET HIMSELF COME DOWN;
53/8: “Fa kaana qaaba qawsaini aou adnaa”: SO HE WAS AT A CLOSE
DISTANCE OF TWO BOWS LENGTH OR NEARER;
53/9: “Fa ouhaa ilaa „abdi-hi maa ouhaa”: THEN HE REVEALED TO HIS SERVANT WHAT HE REVEALED.
No mention of “Nature” as any one can see! Neither in the context, nor in the text of Verse 53/8! It is decidedly a matter of direct teaching by the Creator to his Messenger as proved by the context in Verse 53/4 – the teaching that raised his level of wisdom to the highest horizon of knowledge. So he was elevated to the status of acquisition and full comprehension of the essence and substance of Divine Guidance.
It is obvious that the mention of “Nature” here by the learned translator was an absolute invention. A wishful, but unauthorized
"induction‟ into the Quranic text. You will kindly appreciate here the fact as to why this humble student finds himself compelled to use the particular term “AGENDA” to define the “strategy” being employed by the learned translator. This strategy is manifest in emphasizing a deliberate denial of Allah's existence and His indirect relationship with, and guidance for, human conduct. Whereas, contrary to his theory, we witness an open affirmation of this relationship, as well as its prescribed mandatory modus operandi, via three different mediums, as detailed in Verse No.42/51, like this:-
“Wa maa kaana li-basharin an-yukallimu-hul-laahu illa Wahyan, aou in waraa‟I hijaabin, aou yursila rasoolan, fa-yoohiya bi-izni-hi maa yashaa‟u; Inna-Hu „Aliyyun Hakeem.”
And here, to the utter astonishment of all, I give the translation as well as interpretation of the above text by the learned translator HIMSELF, from his forum Blog :-
(copy/paste)
“In this verse you can see that :
No human being can talk to the creator on his own . So all those who claim that they can talk to Allah either in dreams during sleep or while awake is totally wrong .Categorically no human being can dare to talk to Allah.But Allah talks to human beings by three ways:
1..Revelation
2..behind a veil . Now what behind the veil means .To understand this you have to consider yourself to be behind a veil and trying to look through that veil .The objects I other sides are not clear ,so you make efforts to have a clear vision .
So behind the veil means you have to put effort to understand the meanings of Wahi .These efforts include learning the languge and the basics of Wahi ( $ ssence and the purpose)
3..,Someone delivers the message of Wahi ,as most of our learned scholars are doing and they are all messengers ..“
Kindly take note of this open inconsistency or duplicity of thought. On the one hand, under the influence of pure western philosophy, WAHI is defined as „those secrets of Nature that man discovers by applying his knowledge and wisdom……. And ……on the other hand, when encountered with Quran‟s revealing text, the same WAHI is re-defined, at once, as a revelation via contact with God? And subsequently, all the three modes of Divine contact had also to be explained?
As a matter of fact, this confusing state of affairs forces one to the hypothesis made by this humble student that the learned translator here is finding himself unable to venture into denial of clear Divine text for, at this point, a twist in the meanings was perhaps not possible.
Nevertheless, to keep adhering with the AGENDA was a compulsion too. Who knows, how compulsory it was to abide by the points of AGENDA and what temptations it had involved? In this process, it apparently has not mattered much if the contender became a target of ridicule, trying to make two opposing and conflicting theories meet together, or trying to step in two boats at once!
Please check another proof of this dual-directional or paradoxical policy in the learned translator's own words :-
(copy/paste)
“How to know clearly what this way of conveying message is we have to put ourselves in a situation where God wants us to know his message . The only way to make us understand his message is only through his Book .
So in my opinion the message of God conveyed to us behind the veil is through His Book. We cant see him for us He is behind a veil . So Prophets gets message directly through Wahee .
People of his time got message through him i.e. through Messenger . People of later era get message through His Book i.e. behind a veil .
I can't imagine any other way of getting message from God. 10.7.10”
See another time a u-turn. Once again WAHI is recognized as God's revelation. Perhaps a compromise or perhaps a fear of too much public exposure! The learned translator's mutually conflicting theories and inconsistency once highlighted, it won't be out of place here now to humbly present some academic explanations pertaining to his Conviction, or AGENDA, in order to alleviate a big misunderstanding on his part.
The Truth of “ NATURE” and its SECRETS or LAWS, through Science.
On completion of the stellar system and having organized in the symbols of basic elements, LIFE took a new start at the second plan of creation. This second plan of life started with the formation of Earth and comes to an end on the completion of the PHYSICAL LAWS often called LAWS OF NATURE. Physical laws are in fact the great system through which the formation of Earth passed. The earth, after having separated from the sun, continued to revolve around the sun in gaseous form and during this period it went through many upheavals and changes, and as a result, it artificially split up into two charges of attraction in the shape of North and South poles. From its gaseous state to the state of its solidification, it struggled hard to dig, develop and harmonize unlimited properties of various elements in one unified order.
This was a great task as it involved an infinite series of actions and reactions caused by infinite situations through which the elements had to discipline their behavior as a single order or system of laws. All the valleys and hills, streams and rivers, seas and clouds came into existence as a result of making these laws, which we call physical laws. These physical laws are so linked with each other in unlimited series of causes and effects, that if we reduce them into mathematical equations and apply them to earth, they can reveal a whole train of events with which the earth completed its formation. By applying these laws we can even penetrate deep into the initial stage of the formation of the universe and discover the behavior of celestial bodies as well as the organization of atoms as basic elements of the universe. This shows that the whole material world is a creation of a mind like our own and that that mind must not be a mathematician only, but it must have all the qualities of consciousness which are found in the human mind as well as in the whole universe. Physical laws are thus the manifestation of the living earth.
Although life started with the creation of the cosmic particles, yet with the completion of physical laws on earth, life for the first time achieved all the fundamental ingredients which served as a complete framework for developing the creation and building new values of the Ideal as willed by the Creator. At these two initial stages of universe, life had simply completed its structural form.
The physical laws which the earthly life dug up during the creation of this stage reveal the basic attributes of life. The right proportions, rigidity, coordination and discipline which are the fundamental attributes of these laws fashioned the material shape of the earth. Crystallization of matter into beautiful patterns, formation of valleys, undulating vast plains, flow of streams and rivers, rising hills, rain laden clouds, change of seasons, fascinating views of sunrise and sunset, harmonious atmosphere, which we call the “art” of nature were fashioned through these physical laws.
Nature is defined through its manifestations and laws, and represents one of the initial stages of God's overall, diversified and integrated creative plan. Nature is an integral part of planet earth's structural and evolutionary process after its creation. All its laws are formulated and completed on the planet earth in sequence. Its purpose was to provide in abundance the means and sources of sustenance and nourishment for all the forms and species of life programmed to come into physical existence according to the later successive stages of the creative process. Thus nature is a spectacular manifestation on the planet earth of mountains and valleys, streams, rivers and oceans, plains and deserts, ever changing weathers, many protective atmospheric layers, gravity, water cycle and various other physical laws. Planet earth, and the fully evolved laws of nature thereon, have a life of their own having lower conscious values. In this kind of life the dominant element is that of matter. Therefore, to expect, derive or acquire, through the study of nature, the ethical values, the saner emotions and the guiding principles for a lofty character required for a much higher level of self-conscious and spiritual degree of life, is a theory that may not be worth more than a deceptive perception, a meaningless flight of thought and a far-fetched superstition. The said ethical and spiritual values cannot simply grow out of a much lower stage of life. The said guiding principles of an ethical and spiritual nature belong solely to man's higher, self-conscious part of existence and are communicated by the Creator Himself to his Ideal, the man, still languishing in preliminary stages of his journey of evolution and maturity, through his selected servants by the medium of WAHI.
Accordingly, WAHI and SECRETS OF NATURE are two elements of fundamentally different nature, different levels and different values. Laws/Secrets of Nature belong to a much lower stage of life and are destined to cater for the needs and requirements of life's organic and physical aspects exclusively, whereas WAHI, the Divine mode of communication with man, represents a comprehensive manifesto that provides guidance for the nourishment and evolution of man's higher, spiritual aspects of life.
It was also noted from the learned translator's writings that according to his perception, “Secrets of Nature” open up only to particular geniuses (Messengers), whereas the factual position is quite the opposite. We notice, in the current times, in the fields of physics and sciences countless people are busy days and nights in the study and exploration of Secrets of Nature, viz., its manifestations and laws. With the acquisition of more and more knowledge in these fields, human life is being improved to a better and easier level. Persistent advances are being made towards generation of new resources and the conquest of universe.
Hence, dear Readers, Can we equate “Secrets of Nature”…… with
…….”Divine Revelation” by any possible measure or criterion?
This type of speculation eventually takes us back to this humble student's earlier suggestion of a cautious collective policy obstructing the indiscriminate handling of the Quran by contenders, and adopting a more far-sighted approach in this field. As more and more translators are cropping up here and there, there is a dire need now, more than ever before, of a standard criterion for contenders, based on a broad mental horizon, a particular pre-determined degree of thought and intellect, a history of academic achievements, a certain depth of perception and a perfect consistency or coherence in previous written work.
Before we reach the end of the present Chapter, we must also glance through the most important aspect of Authority. Let us see what the Quran decides about the nature of WAHI, as without Quranic authority our presentation is fruitless.
Kindly check :
Verse 53/3-4: “WA MAA YANTIQU „ANIL-HAWAA, IN HUWA ILLA
WAHYUN YOOHAA, „ALLAMA-HU SHADEED-UL-QAWAA”
Translation: And he (This Messenger) does not converse of his inner inclination/desire; that (Quran) is not but a Revelation revealed; communicated to him by the one with extreme powers.
Verse 39/17: “ZAALIKA MIM-MAA OUHAA ILAYIKA RABBU-KA MIN AL-
HIKMAH”.
Translation: This (issue) also belongs to what your Rabb has revealed to you from “THE WISDOM” (= divine wisdom).
Verse 29/45: “UTLU MAA OOHIYA ILAYIKA MIN AL-KITAAB WA AQIMIS-SALAAT”.
Translation: Pursue what is revealed to you of the BOOK and establish its following/obedience.
Verse 31/35: “WAL-LAZI OUHAYINA ILAYIKA MIN AL-KITAAB HUWA AL-HAQQ”.
Translation: And what we have revealed to you of the Book, that‟s the Truth.
Verse 42/3: “KA-ZAALIIKA YOUHIYA ILAYIKA WA ILAL-LAZINA MIN QABLI-KA-ALLAH-UL-„AZEEZ-UL-HAKEEM”.
Translation: This is the way He Reveals to you and to the ones before you, He is Allah, the Dominant, the Wise.
Dear Readers, dozens of other similar verses can be referred to which provide proof of the phenomenon of Revelation by direct intervention from Allah swt. However, taking note of the increasing volume of this writing, only a few to-the-point references are quoted. This material, though in small amount, seems sufficient for an effective rebuttal of the learned translator‟s theory. Nevertheless, if he offers solid Quranic texts substantiating his theories, clearly describing WAHI with the words “Fitrat kay Israar” (Secrets of Nature) which some very special human alone can open up by employing his own intellect and imagination, and if he can overrule the above-quoted Verses by some other valid authority, this humble student would not hesitate to revise his standpoint. However, as the learned translator is already proved to be engaged in blatant contradictions and discordance in his writings, to expect a clarification from him may seem futile. But, you never know! Options must be kept open!
At the end of the Chapter, a quote from Allama Pervaiz‟ Quranic inspiration:
(Translation from Urdu)
“The knowledge of WAHI was neither the outcome of human senses, nor the creation of human thought; it did not even contain a fraction of human sentiments. Therefore, it is called a Divine Revelation, viz, an objective knowledge from the outer source. Since it had no contribution of human labor, endeavor or expertise, it is called a “Gifted Knowledge” rather than an “Achieved Knowledge”. According to Verse 26/195, this Book was revealed by God in the “Arabi-e- Mubeen (the vivid Arabic language). It means that through the medium of WAHI not only ideas were communicated in the mind of the Messenger but Quran‟s words too were revealed by God.”