By Ismaeel Ghouse
This article is inspired by the Sunday Tafsir delivered by Shaykh Amin Kholwadia on October 2, 2022, regarding the first few verses of Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt. The translations of verses mentioned in the paper are based on Dr. Ahmad Zaki Hammad’s ‘The Gracious Quran,’ with modifications made as needed.
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The fig. The olive. The sun. The scattering winds. Even a cursory glance at the tapestry of the Qurʾanic composition reveals a landscape dotted with oaths. Although the placement of these oaths and the things by which they are taken may seem random and arbitrary, there is a deep undercurrent of deliberateness and purpose that lies beneath them. Allah uses them to highlight His Knowledge and Omnipotence, which are manifested in the creation we observe around us. Our duty, in turn, is to ponder over the perfection of creation, upon the pristine order found in nature, and, as a result, arrive at the only possible conclusion: the existence of a Creator.
Allah begins select chapters of His Book with eloquently worded oaths, using impeccably arranged language to describe an impeccable universe. This, in addition to drawing attention to the perfection of the cosmos, serves to baffle the initial audience of the Qur’an by presenting familiar concepts in a language with which they are intimately acquainted, yet in such a way that they are able to replicate neither the description nor the language. This is the miraculous inimitability of the Qur’an.
In Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt, Allah establishes the ontological order by which the universe is administered:
By the scattering winds, scattering far and wide, and clouds laden with moisture, and ships sailing with ease, and angels dispensing every divinely measured decree. (al-Dhāriyāt 51:1-4)
In the first three verses, He describes the mundane, empirical layer, consisting of scattering winds (dhāriyāt), clouds laden with moisture (ḥāmilāt), and ships (jāriyāt): all worldly occasions through which the Divine Order is executed. The second layer is that of the angels (muqassimāt), who distribute and carry out the divine command by the aforementioned means. This is described in the fourth verse. The ultimate layer is the divine layer, the only layer that has any real impact. All the other layers are subservient to this layer, serving as either emissaries for its commands or as mere tools through which these commands are implemented. These descriptions dispel the misconception that the forces of nature are random and unorganized, when, in reality, they are very much ordered and regimented.
These verses create an imagery of movement that reflects the dynamic, ever-changing nature of this earthly realm. Winds move the rains across oceans and continents. Ships move the resulting crops across civilizations. People move across borders and boundaries. Then, Allah says: Indeed, what you have been promised will certainly occur (al-Dhāriyāt 51:5), referring to the realities of death and the Hereafter. This is yet another movement, from the temporal abode of this world to the eternal life of reward or punishment. This last movement exists in a realm yet unseen, one whose realities will be uncovered upon death. Yet, man is expected to believe in it just the same. It is as if he is being told that just as the movements of the winds and other worldly entities are undoubtedly real, so too is the final movement into the eternal reality of the Hereafter. The only way he knows this is by taking heed to what his Lord is telling him. These verses subtly indicate that just as human beings are eager to seek the provision that comes to them through the various means described previously, they should similarly aspire to obtain the spiritual and eschatological sustenance provided by divine revelation regarding realities that cannot be empirically observed.
The Qur’an informs us of realities in realms beyond our perception. Some of these realms, by design, elude human comprehension. Others may eventually reveal themselves through scientific advancements. While there is no inherent problem in seeking to discover new realities through science, it is important to remember that the ultimate reality is that of the Divine, and science and empiricism are mere speculative means of perceiving but a sliver of that reality. In truth, scientific realities are simply manifestations of the underlying Divine Order. Thus, worship is the ultimate tool of discovery. Being blinded by empiricism drowns one in ignorance, while embracing the command of revelation produces blinding luminance.
