Islamic Garden

Islamic Garden
Islamic Garden in Lausanne, Switzerland

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Jewels and Pearls of Al-Fatiha

To quote al-Ghazali's "The Jewels of the Qur'an" again, it is important to read the final chapter of the first part of the book entitled "The Reason for Stringing the Jewels and the Pearls of the Qur'an on Two Separate Strings" within the context of the famous hadith transmitted by Muslim, Sahih, Sala, 38, which is as follows:

"The Messenger of God (may God bless him and greet him!) has declared that God (may He be exalted!) said, "I have divided ritual prayer (in which the Opening Sura is read) into two halves between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks. When the servant says, 'All types of perfect praise belong to God alone, the Lord of all the worlds', God (may He be exalted!) says, 'My servant has praised Me.' When he says, 'The Most Gracious, Ever Merciful', God (may He be exalted!) says, 'My servant has lauded Me.' When he says, 'Master of the Day of Judgement', God says, "My servant has glorified Me.' When he says, 'You alone do we worship and You alone do we implore for help', God says, 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks.' Then when he says, 'Guide us along the straight path - the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your favours, those who have not incurred Your displeasure, and those who have not gone astray', God says, 'This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks'."

It is within the context of this hadith that al-Ghazali offers the following:

"We shall now string the jewels of the Qur'an on one thread and its pearls / on another. Both may sometime be found strung in one verse by chance, and since it is impossible to divide it we shall consider the greater part of its meaning. The first half of the Sura of Opening belongs to the jewels, and the second half to the pearls, and this is why God (may He be exalted!) said, "I have divided the Sura of Opening between Me and My servants..." (to the end of the Tradition). We (should like to) remind you that the purpose of the string of jewels is only to gather the light of knowledge (of God, His attributes and His works), and the purpose of the pearls is steadfastness on the straight path by action. Thus the first is cognitive and the second is practical, and the basis of faith (iman) lies in both cognition and action.

~ Excerpted from "The Jewels of the Qur'an" (1977, p. 87).

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