๏ Never are those who concealed – those from the people of the book and those who associate – abandoned until clear evidence is produced for them. (1) A messenger from God! Reflecting purified pages, (2) wherein are established books. (3) And they did not become divided – those who were brought the book – except after clear evidence had come to them. (4) They were not commanded except to worship God, being sincere in these moral obligations, inclining to truth, to establish the connection and to produce the betterment. That is the upright philosophy. (5) Indeed, those who concealed from the people of the book and those who associate, are in a fire of hell, remaining therein. Those – they are evil creatures. (6) Those who believe and work the corrective deeds, those – they are good creatures. (7) Their reward is with their lord; a garden abode, flowing from underneath them are rivers; will remain therein evermore. God is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is for whoever reveres his lord. (8)
— al-bayinat, 98/1-8
Regarding the word ḥunafāa (ḥā nūn fā) in verse 5, Lane includes the following as meanings:
- inclining to a right state or tendency; inclining from one religion to another; inclining from any false religion to the true religion
The sense of the word is of being open-minded, flexible, possessing the ability to abandon one opinion for a better one where possible. The upright moral philosophy – dīnu l-qayimat – is malleable, its adherents should accommodate truth wherever it manifests.
Two groups are mentioned here. The first being those who do kufr from ahla l-kitāb, the second being al-mush’rikīn. Their fate is the same, which shows merely being exposed to God’s system is no guarantee for success, it still requires conviction and working al-ṣāliḥāt – corrective deeds.
The chapter ends with positive imagery, which sets up a strong contrast with the start of the next chapter. Revolutions and social upheaval expose which groups people really belong to.
◆◆
Tagged: #chapter-098 #annotations #hha-nun-fa