The Holy Quran And The Third Entity

Introduction

One of the attributes of the Holy Quran is that it is a descriptive book. It contains descriptions of Allah's attributes and of his creations. Some of the descriptions are direct while others are abstract. There are abundant and clear undisputed references to Allah and the holy prophet throughout the holy Quran.  On some occasions, there are captivating descriptions of someone / something that don't (necessarily) refer to Allah and his prophet, yet are noteworthy in their own right. Such descriptions are of what we may refer to a "third entity". Depending on the description, the third entity may be the holy Quran, an individual, a group of people, or something entirely different. 

The purpose of this article is not to provide detailed exegesis of Quranic verse. Rather, we will be listing and where required, briefly commenting on the specific aspects of the descriptions.

The Third Entity 

For the purpose of this article, we will define the third entity as follows:

It is a specific, positive reference to an entity or entities which appears in the verses of the holy Quran in the same spirit as the mentioning of Allah and the holy prophet. 

When we say specific, we exclude general descriptions such as Al-Mumineen (The believers), or Al-Malaika (The Angels). 

By "spirit" we imply that the third entity has something in common with the holy prophet and Allah.  This will become clear once we examine the context in which the entities are mentioned.

When Al-Rasul is mentioned in the Quran, Allah's mentioning is also implied without explicit reference since the prophet by definition is Rasul Allah (Prophet of Allah). In spite of this, in several cases there is an explicit mention of a trilogy - Allah, Al-Rasul and the third entity. 

Why is The Third Entity Important?

One may question why we are undertaking this activity? One answer is that Allah Himself says in the Quran to ponder over its verses. No doubt, every word of this holy book has originated from the infinite wisdom of Allah and deserves our deep attention.

Food for thought: Is it not redundant to mention the prophet in the following manner?:

"Obey Allah and his Prophet".

"Those who are hostile towards Allah and his Prophet".

"Your guardians are Allah and his Prophet".

No doubt, a true friend of Allah is by definition a true friend of the prophet. And one who obeys Allah like Allah deserves, also obeys the prophet, by definition.

Perhaps the explicit mentioning of the prophet implies that merely believing in Allah does not guarantee Allah's pleasure. One must submit to Allah's prophet as well in order to be a true believer. 

From this point of view, the third entity gains additional significance. Explicit descriptions of the third entities may imply that mere belief in Allah and his prophet is not sufficient. Attention to the third entity (or entities) is equally important.

A study of the verses of the Quran suggests that the third entity / entities may well form the last link in a chain that originates with Allah. 

The Verses

We will now list some of the verses where the third entity appears. The order in which the verses are listed is arbitrary.

Description 1:  أُولو الْأَمْرِ (The possessors of authority)

This description has occurred twice in the Quran, in the same surah and in the same context. We will present one of the verses.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا

"O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you; then if you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the Apostle, if you believe in Allah and the last day; this is better and very good in the end." [Al-Nisa - 4:59]

Description 2: مَنْ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ (The one who has the knowledge of the book)

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَسْتَ مُرْسَلًا ۚ قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِاللَّـهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَمَنْ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ

"And those who disbelieve say: You are not a messenger. Say: Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you and whoever has knowledge of the Book." [Al-Ra'd - 13:43]

Description 3:  أَهْل الذِّكْرِ  (The people of  remembrance)

The verse below appears twice in the Holy Quran.

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

"We did not send before you, except men to whom We revealed. So Ask the people of Remembrance, if you do not know" [Al-Nahl - 16:43, Al-Anbiya - 21:7]

Description 4: صَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (The righteous among the believers)

إِن تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللَّـهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا ۖ وَإِن تَظَاهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ هُوَ مَوْلَاهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ 

"If you both turn to Allah, then indeed your hearts are already inclined ; and if you back up each other against him, then surely Allah it is Who is his Guardian, and Jibreel and the Righteous among the believers, and the angels after that are the aiders" [Al-Tahrim - 66:4]

Description 5: أَهْل الْبَيْتِ (The People of the House)

وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

"Stay in your houses and do not flaunt your finery like the former [days of pagan] ignorance. Maintain the prayer and pay the zakah, and obey Allah and His Apostle. Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the House, and purify you with a thorough purification." [Al-Ahzab - 33:33]

Description 6: الْقُرْبَىٰ (The Near Relatives)

ذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يُبَشِّرُ اللَّـهُ عِبَادَهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ ۗ قُل لَّا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَىٰ ۗ وَمَن يَقْتَرِفْ حَسَنَةً نَّزِدْ لَهُ فِيهَا حُسْنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ

"Such is the good news that Allah gives to His servants who have faith and do righteous deeds! Say, ‘I do not ask you any reward for it except the love of the near relatives.’ Whoever performs a good deed, We shall enhance its goodness for him. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-appreciative." [Al-Shura - 42:23]

Description 7: أَبْنَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَنَا وَأَنفُسَنَا (Our Sons, Our Women and Our Selves)

فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وَأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتَ اللَّـهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ

"Should anyone argue with you concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our selves and your selves, then let us pray earnestly, and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.’" [Al Imran - 3:61]

Description 8: الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ (Those who establish prayer, and give Zakah while bowing)

إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ

"Only Allah is your Guardian and His Apostle and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and give zakah while they bow." [Al-Maida - 5:55]

It should be noted that some translators translate this verse as "and they bow". Yet others translate it as "and they are those who bow". Finally, there is a third translation - "while they bow".

The main difference arises from the interpretation of the waw. If the waw is considered as alwaw haaliyah (The waw of state) then it must be translated as "while". But if we consider it to be alwaw 'atifiyah (The waw of inclination) then the waw would be translated as "and".

The simplistic translation "and they bow" raises questions. If a simple mention of "bowing" was the intended meaning, then why is there a deviation in the style of the verse? It could simply have been  و يركعون which is consistent with the pattern of the verse. There was no need to introduce the detached pronounهُمْ   (they) .  

The translation "and they are those who bow" is more plausible. It recognizes that the introduction of هُمْ is for a purpose - to put emphasis on the Fa'il (one who is performing the act, i.e. bowing). However, if emphasis was the intention, then a  more appropriate sentence formation would have been وَهُمْ الراكِعُونَ (with an "Al" prefixed to رَاكِعُونَ ) which could be translated as "and they are the ones who bow". However, this is not the case. From this point of view, the هُمْ  may not be for emphasis.

By elimination of the first two possibilities which raised questions, we arrive at another possible function of هُمْ - It points to the ذوالحال  (The possessor of the state i.e. Those who are bowing). In this case the waw is alwaw haaliyah and the translation would be "while they bow".

It is quite amusing to note what one discovers, if they consult one of the most comprehensive online resources for Quranic grammar (Quran Corpus). The waw in question is identified as alwaw haaliyah but it is translated incorrectly as "and".

Description 9: طَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ (A group of those with you)

The verse is long so we will only present the initial sentence of it.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَيِ اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ

"Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you" [Al-Muzzammil - 73:20]

Description 10: النُّور (The light)

This word has appeared 43 times in the Holy Quran. On several occasions the usage clearly points to the literal meaning. But on other occasions the meaning is undoubtedly abstract. And within these verses, there is clearly room for various interpretations. One such verse, which is consistent with our topic is presented below.

فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنزَلْنَا ۚ وَاللَّـهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

"So believe in Allah and his prophet, and the light which we sent down. And Allah is aware of what you do" [Al-Taghabun 64:8] 

According to some interpretations this light refers to the holy Quran. However, this is one of several possible interpretations. It is best to leave this translated as "the light" without any additions. However, there are some translations where one finds the word light followed by an explanation, such as "This Quran" in parenthesis (See English Translation by Hilali & Khan). Such practice indicates biased towards one interpretation. 

What is worse, is when some translations actually translate nur as "Quran" without any parenthesis (See English Translation - Saheeh International). This could be considered deliberate distortion of the message of Allah.

Description 11:  النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ (The Satisfied Soul)

يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ

"O The satisfied soul!" [Al Fajr - 89:30]

Description 12: إِمَام (Imam)

The word "Imam" appears 12 times in the Holy Quran. We will present two of the verses here.

يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَابَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

"The day We shall summon every group of people along with their leader, then whoever is given his book in his right hand—they will read it, and they will not be wronged so much as a single date thread." [Al-Isra - 17:71] 

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ

Indeed it is We who revive the dead and write what they have sent ahead and their effects [which they left behind], and We have figured everything in a clear guide. [YaSin - 36:12]

Of the 12 occasions where this word appears, 9 times it is unanimously translated as "Leader / Guide". On one occasion it is unanimously translated as Highway / Path.  However, for the above two verses there is significant variation in the translations, possibly stemming from interpretational bias. We find translations such as : 

Book (Ahmed Raza), Record (Itani), Register (Saheeh), and Writing (Shakir). If a translator is uncomfortable translating it as Leader / Guide, an acceptable alternative would be to leave it un-translated. Some translators have taken this approach (Mubarakpuri). 

Description 13: مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّـهِ (One who sells himself desiring Allah's pleasure)

The phrase وَمِنَ النَّاسِ (And among people) appears on 12 occasions within the Quran. On each occasion, a specific description of a type of person is given in the verse. Nine of the descriptions are of a clearly negative nature - i.e. of people who are hostile towards the truth or are weak in faith. One of the descriptions appears to be of neutral nature (See 35:28). 

Out of the remaining two descriptions, one refers to the prophets chosen by Allah from among people (See 22:75). And the last remaining verse is what we will present here. The description is very  strange, extremely lofty and does not specify a particular individual within the verse. This is why we felt appropriate to list it here.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ

"And among the people is he who sells himself seeking the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is most kind to [His] servants." [Al Baqarah - 2:207]

Description 14: الْكَوْثَر (The Abundance)

إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ

"Indeed, we have granted you Al-Kawthar" [Al Kawthar - 108:1]

The issue of specific interpretations appearing within parenthesis is quite common with this verse. We believe this verse would be best left un-translated because it is a unique word used nowhere else in the Quran. If one must translate, they could use the word "abundance" and leave the rest to the research of the reader, and scholarly interpretations.