Aurangzaib Yousufzai – June 2017
Thematic Quranic Translation Series Installment 4
(In English Language)
Crucial Themes of “MASJID & MASAAJID-ALLAH”
(MOSQUE AND ALLAH’S MOSQUES)
Defined in the True Light of the Quran
PRELUDE
A Mosque or Masjid in the Quran is always defined throughout the length of the Quran and in all the early and most of the modern translations and exegeses as a “Muslim place of worship." And so it is construed all over the world by people of other faith groups.
However, very few people know that no act of WORSHIP has been ordained for Muslims in the Quran. In fact, the words meaning “Obedience” or “pursuit” or “surrender” are mischievously converted into “Worship” under the vicious agenda of the despotic Arab Kings.
The Quran as per its own absolute verdict is a “timeless mode of conduct” (Hudan – ھدی – Verse 2/2) ordained for the entire humanity to follow. And there is not a single place in the Quran where an act of worship or a place, site or Center of worship for the Muslims might have been asserted, implied or inferred in its text.
Hence the question as to what in the real rational sense this widely accepted Worship or Place of Worship (Masjid) academically represents?
A careful analysis of the Root Word S J D ( س ج د), where Masjid is derived from as the Noun of time, place, mode, practice and source, reveals that the verb SAJADA has two kinds of meanings – a literal, commonplace one, and a metaphorical or allegorical one. The scope of the literal definition is like this:
worship, prostrate, make obeisance, lower/bend oneself down towards the ground, lower the head, etc.
The metaphorical one is defined like this: lowly, humble, submissive, salute/honour/magnify, to pay respect, to adore, to stand up, to look continually and tranquilly.
MASJID: MSJD – According to the metaphorical definition given above, a Masjid is a place to submit to, to be humble and lowly towards, to salute, honor, magnify, to pay respect to, to look up to for obeying. Hence, the offices of the ruling government, the center of authority, and the commandments to be obeyed, the source of law, rule and command, all are covered under the scope of a MASJID. AND this is the definition that is employed in the Quran for a Masjid as is fully substantiated by the context of its narrations presented hereunder, and by the deeper philosophy and loftier ideals the Quranic texts embody.
Since the despotic Arab kingdoms of the Umayyad and Abbaside dynasties are known and proved to be the major corrupting elements of the Quranic Doctrine, it is surmised, as a result of widespread research into history, that it was they who, after moving in to Forts and luxurious palaces, abandoned the real down to earth ruling centers called Masaajid (Mosques) in the age of Mohammad pbuh and his Pious Caliphs. After they had corrupted the “obedience of Divine Commandments” into the “Worship of Allah”, they already had those empty Masajid available for converting into places of worship, which they carried out forthwith. After which they immediately created a creed and order of religious clergy, called Mullahs, which was suitably installed to lead those prayers in those Masajid. The form of prayers called Salaat or Namaaz had been in practice among pagan Arabs, and it was re-installed too with necessary amendments/alterations. This is how and why the places of worship called Masajid came into existence throughout the Muslim empire.
After this background information, let us start checking the references to prove our point from Quran itself with the most up to date rational translation of its relevant verses with a strong back up of most authentic lexicons. All Verses mentioning the words Masjid and Masaajid Allah have been taken into account.
Chapter 2, Verse 114
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ أَن يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعَىٰ فِي خَرَابِهَا ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ أَن يَدْخُلُوهَا إِلَّا خَائِفِينَ ۚ لَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
2:114 “Hence, who could be more wicked than those who obstructed the process of taking advice and guidance from Allah’s attributes (يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ) in the Divine Centers of Submission (مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ ) and strove to ruin and corrupt them. Those are the ones who have no right to enter these centers except in a state of awe. For them, in this world, there is ignominy in store; and for them, in the Hereafter, a great suffering”
Siin-Miim-Waw =I s m : to be high/lofty, raised, name, attribute. samawat - heights/heavens/rain, raining clouds. ismun - mark of identification by which one is recognised. It is a derivation of wsm (pl. asma). ism - stands for a distinguishing mark of a thing, sometimes said to signify its reality
Chapter al-A’raaf (7): Verses 29 & 31
قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾
7:29 “Tell them: "My Sustainer has [but] enjoined the doing of justice; Therefore, fix your direction towards all of His commandments (كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ ) keeping sincere in your faith in Him. Just as He has brought you into being in the first instance, so he makes you return a second time (تعُودُون ).”
Ayn-Ya-Dal/Ayn-Waw-Dal = to return, come back, to go back, be traceable, to revert, to refer, relate, to be due, to give up, abandon, relinquish, withdraw, resign, tobring back, to take back, return, reduce; He repeated, did a second time. ever-occurring, periodical, festival
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿٣١﴾
7:31 “O Human kind! Acquire the beauty of your conduct by submission to every commandment (كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ ) and learn (كُلُوا) and get inspired (اشْرَبُوا), and do not commit transgression. Verily He doesn’t love the transgressors.”
Siin-Ra-Fa = to eat away, excess, suckle (a child), be ignorant, be unmindful/heedless, exceed the undue bounds or just limits, commit many faults/offences/crimes/sins. asrafa - to squander one's wealth, act immoderately, be prodigal, extravagant, transgress. musrif - one who is wasteful.
Chapter At-Taubah – Verses 9:17-18
مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُوا مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ شَاهِدِينَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِم بِالْكُفْرِ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ وَفِي النَّارِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ ﴿١٧﴾ إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا اللَّـهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰ أُولَـٰئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ ﴿١٨﴾
9:17 “IT IS NOT for the polytheists to promote and cultivate (أَن يَعْمُرُوا ) Allah’s commandments (مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ ) while they bear witness against themselves by denying the truth. It is they whose acts and deeds shall come to naught, and in the fire they shall abide
9:18 Only he should tend to and cultivate God's commandments who believed in God and the Last stage of life and enforced pursuit thereof (وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ ), and provided means of sustenance and growth (وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ ), and stands in awe of none but God: for such ones may hope to be among the right-guided!”
Aitmara; ‘Umrah; ع م ر; 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.
Chapter At-Tawbah, Verses 9:107-108
وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مَسْجِدًا ضِرَارًا وَكُفْرًا وَتَفْرِيقًا بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِرْصَادًا لِّمَنْ حَارَبَ اللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَلَيَحْلِفُنَّ إِنْ أَرَدْنَا إِلَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَاللَّـهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ ﴿١٠٧﴾ لَا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ۚ لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَىٰ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ ۚفِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا ۚ وَاللَّـهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ ﴿١٠٨﴾
9:107 “And there are those who have acquired (اتَّخَذُوا ) a center of authority (مَسْجِدًا ) for the sake of mischief and denial of truth and creating rifts among the faithful, and working as a station for those who wage war against the Divine Kingdom since early times, and they keep asserting their resolute intentions towards righteousness; but Allah is witness that they are confirmed liars.
9:108 Do not stand in its support ever. A Centre of command & submission established from the first day on the basis of God consciousness has the right and first preference that you should stay in its support. In it are those stalwarts who love to get purified. And Allah also loves those who purify themselves”.
Chapter Al-Asraa – Verse 17:7
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ الْآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوءُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيرًا ﴿٧﴾
The address here is to the Israelites :
17:7 "If you persevere in doing good, you will but be doing good to yourselves; and if you do evil, it will be done to yourselves." And so, when the prediction of the second period came true, they came to disgrace you utterly, and to enter your Centre of authority (الْمَسْجِدَ ) as they had entered it once before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that they had conquered.
Chapter Al-Hajj – Verse 22:40
الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِم بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّا أَن يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ۗ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّـهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّـهِ كَثِيرًا ۗ وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّـهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ ﴿٤٠﴾
22:40 “There are those who have been driven from their homelands unjustifiably for the only reason that they proclaimed Allah their Sustainer.” And the fact is, if God had not enabled people to defend themselves against one another, demolition/destruction would have been the fate of monasteries (tall buildings with tapered roof tops), powerful bargaining and trading houses, synagogues and centers of authority (وَمَسَاجِدُ ) - in all of which God’s attributes are abundantly concentrated upon / kept in view. And God will most certainly succour him who suc¬cours His cause: for, verily, God is most powerful, almighty.”
S M Ayn: Sawameh: Sharp, acute, vigilent, intelligent, prudent, discreet, firm and sound of mind. A Christian chamber, cell, for retirement, or seclusion, having a high and slender head. Cell of a recluse; a monk’s cell. High tapering building; to be courageous.
ب ي ع = Ba-Ya-Ayn = Selling or buying; Exchanging or exchange of property; Gaining mastery over someone, superceding or occupying their place also by superior power or force. Making a covenant, an engagement, a contract (e.g. promising allegiance, swearing, oaths), Hire or hiring of land, Sealing the deal, also striking together hand of two contracting parties in token of the ratification of sale, An article of merchandise.
ص ل و = Sad-Lam-Waw = prayer, supplication, petition, oration, eulogy, benediction, commendation, blessing, honour, magnify, bring forth, follow closely, walk/follow behind closely, to remain attached. Salawaat: Jews places of worship are also called Salawaat.
Chapter Al-JINN . Verse 72:18
وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّـهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّـهِ أَحَدًا ﴿١٨﴾
72:18 And [know] that all the authority and submission (الْمَسَاجِدَ ) is reserved for Allah alone: hence, do not invoke anyone side by side with God!