The Debate between the Might and the Truth within a Quranist Vision (21)

Quranic Terminology: Holy and Blessed

Published in January 13, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

 In search of the meaning of the Blessed, Holy land in the Quran, we examine and trace in the points below the Quranic terms "Blessed" and ''Holy'' in different Quranic contexts.

Firstly: (Blessed) in relation to Almighty God:

1- To sanctify Almighty God means to glorify His Holy Name, to remember it as an act of worship, and to regard God as high above all false qualities and descriptions, ascribed to Him by human beings, that do not suit His Holiness. This is why the sanctification of the Lord God is directly linked to glorification of His Name in this verse that quotes the words of the angels: "...while we declare Your praises and sanctify Your Blessed Being?..." (2:30). 

2- In the same meaning shown in the abovementioned point, the Lord is the Blessed God, and this is linked to the following points.

2/1: God is Blessed as the Creator: "...Most Blessed is God, the Best of Creators." (23:14); "Blessed is He who placed constellations in the sky, and placed in it a lamp, and an illuminating moon." (25:61); "Blessed is He who, if He wills, can provide you with better than that - gardens beneath which rivers flow - and He will give you palaces." (25:10); "Such is God, your Lord, Creator of all things. There is no God except Him; so how could you turn away? Thus are turned away those who deny the Verses of God. It is God who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure. And He designed you, and designed you well; and He provided you with the good things. Such is God, your Lord; so Blessed is God, Lord of the Worlds." (40:62-64).

2/2: God is Blessed as the Sovereign and the Owner of all things and decrees: "Blessed is He in whose hand is the sovereignty, and Who has power over everything." (67:1); "And Blessed is He Who has sovereignty over the heavens and the earth and what is between them. He alone has knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you will be returned." (43:85); "...His is the creation, and His is the command. Blessed is God, Lord of all beings." (7:54).

2/3: God is Blessed as the Lord who descended the Quran: "Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant, to be a warning to humanity." (25:1).

2/4: God is Blessed as the Majestic Lord and the Controller of all things in the universe: "Blessed be the name of your Lord, Full of Majesty and Splendor." (55:78); "...Such is God, your Lord; so Blessed is God, Lord of the Worlds." (40:64).

2/5: God is Blessed within using His Name in blessed greetings: "...But when you enter any home, greet one another with a greeting from God, blessed and good. God thus explains the verses for you, so that you may understand." (24:61).

Secondly: (Holy) in relation to archangel Gabriel:

1- The archangel Gabriel is known as the Holy Spirit; Gabriel carried the divine command/decree of (Be!), and this way, Adam and Jesus were created. Gabriel carries annually, with other angels, the fates of human beings within the Night of Decree every Ramadan, and these fates are time/place of birth of new people, death of some people, and earnings and calamities ordained for the living people.

2- One of the missions of Gabriel was to carry the divine revelation to prophets/messengers of God; Gabriel inscribed the Quran into the heart/soul of Muhammad during the Night-Journey within the Night of Decree: "Say, "The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord, truthfully, in order to stabilize those who believe, and as guidance and good news for those who submit."" (16:102).

3- One of the missions of Gabriel was to support the Lord God's messengers/prophets, such as Jesus Christ. "...And We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear proofs, and We supported him with the Holy Spirit..." (2:87 & 2:253).

4- Thus, Gabriel's support to Jesus enabled him to show tangible miracles to the Israelites: "When God will say, "O Jesus son of Mary, recall My favor upon you and upon your mother, how I supported you with the Holy Spirit. You spoke to the people from the crib, and in maturity. How I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. And recall that you molded from clay the shape of a bird, by My leave, and then you breathed into it, and it became a bird, by My leave. And you healed the blind and the leprous, by My leave; and you revived the dead, by My leave. And recall that I restrained the Israelites from you when you brought them the clear miracles. But those who disbelieved among them said, 'This is nothing but obvious sorcery.'"" (5:110).

Thirdly: (Blessed) in relation to the Quran as God's revelation or His Word:

1- The descriptions of the Quran include the term (Blessed). "This too is a Book that We revealed - Blessed - verifying what preceded it..." (6:92); "This too is a Blessed Book that We revealed; so follow it, and be pious, that you may receive mercy." (6:155); "A Blessed Book that We sent down to you, that they may ponder its Verses..." (38:29); "This too is a Blessed Message that We revealed. Are you going to deny it?" (21:50).

2- The Night of Decree (when the Night-Journey occurred) is a Blessed Night: "By the Enlightening Book. We have revealed it on a Blessed Night..." (44:2-3).

3- Messengers and prophets who received God's revelation are blessed; i.e., they are purified in the figurative sense of the term. God says the following bout Jesus: "So she pointed to him. They said, "How can we speak to an infant in the crib?" He said, "I am the servant of God. He has given me the Book, and made me a prophet. And has made me blessed wherever I may be; and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, so long as I live." (19:29-31); God says the following about Abraham and his progeny: "Peace be upon Abraham. Thus We reward the doers of good. He was one of Our believing servants. And We gave him good news of Isaac, a prophet, one of the righteous. And We blessed him, and Isaac. But among their descendants are some who are righteous, and some who are clearly unjust to themselves." (37:109-113).

Fourthly: any location linked to the descent of the divine revelation is (Blessed) and (Holy); i.e., a pure spot in the figurative sense of the term:

1- A location is regarded as Blessed, Holy, Sanctified, and Pure only if the divine revelation took place in it; this applies to Mount Al-Tur, where God has talked to Moses: "Has the story of Moses reached you? When His Lord called out to him in the Sacred Valley of Tuwa." (79:15-16); "Then, when he reached it, he was called, "O Moses. I - I am your Lord. Take off your shoes. You are in the Sacred Valley of Tuwa." (20:11-12); "When Moses had completed the term, and departed with his family, he noticed a fire by the side of Mount Al-Tur. He said to his family, "Stay here, I have glimpsed a fire. Perhaps I can bring you some information from there, or an ember from the fire, that you may warm yourselves." When he reached it, he was called from the right side of the valley, at the Blessed Spot, from the bush: "O Moses, it is I, God, the Lord of the Worlds." (28:29-30).

2- Mount Al-Tur, which is the Farthest Mosque, is described many times by God in the Quran as Blessed. "Glory to Him who journeyed His servant by night, from the Sacred Mosque, to the Farthest Mosque, whose areas We have blessed..." (17:1).

3- God's revelation has been received by many prophets/messengers in the south of the Levantine region; Abraham and Lot went to this region, and Isaac, Jacob/Israel, David, and Solomon lived in it; this is why it is deemed as the Blessed, Holy Land. "O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has assigned for you..." (5:21); "And We delivered him, and Lot, to the land that We blessed for all people." (21:71); "And to Solomon the stormy wind, blowing at His command towards the land that We have blessed. We are aware of everything." (21:81).

4- God describes the Sacred Kaaba Mosque as Blessed: "The first House established for the humankind is the one at Bacca; Blessed, and guidance for all people." (3:96).

5- The land of Egypt, and its east and west, is blessed by God as well: "And We made the oppressed people inherit the eastern and western parts of the land, which We had blessed..." (7:137).

6- God has blessed the spot where the ark of Noah landed: "Then, when you and those with you are settled in the Ark, say, "Praise be to God, who has saved us from the unjust people." And say, "My Lord, land me within a blessed spot, as you are the best of transporters."" (23:28-29).

Fifthly: (Blessed) means plentiful and growing:

1- God says the following about blessing the Earth and its natural resources that carry bounties to human beings: "He placed stabilizers over it; and blessed it; and planned its provisions in four days, equally to the seekers." (41:10).

2- God says the following about water, the blessed basis of life, growth, and property on Earth: "And We brought down from the sky blessed water, and produced with it gardens and grain to harvest." (50:9).

3- God says the following about the blessed the land of Sheba and its villages: "In Sheba's homeland there used to be a wonder: two gardens, on the right, and on the left. "Eat of your Lord's provision, and give thanks to Him." A good land, and a forgiving Lord. But they turned away, so We unleashed against them the flood of the dam; and We substituted their two gardens with two gardens of bitter fruits, thorny shrubs, and meager harvest. We thus punished  them for their disbelief. Would We punish any but the disbelievers?Between them and the towns We had blessed, We placed prominent towns, and We made the travel between them easy. "Travel between them by night and day, in safety."" (34:15-18).

Lastly:

  God has sent prophets/messengers everywhere on Earth, until He sent Muhammad with the Last Message: the Quran. God has not told us in the Quran about all His prophets/messengers: "Some messengers We have already told you about, while some messengers We have not told you about. And God spoke to Moses directly. Messengers delivering good news, and bringing warnings; so that people may have no excuse before God after the coming of the messengers. God is Powerful and Wise." (4:164-165). This means that blessedness and holiness linked to the divine revelation is NOT confined to Egypt, and its Mount Al-Tur, the Levantine region, and the Kaaba in Mecca.