علم الزمن والوقت
(A search for a unit of measurement, in the context of inability and submission to Allah)
Measurement standards differ depending on the measured objects; for instance, if we are measuring a room or a wall: we use “meters” for a distance between cities and countries, we use “kilometers”. However, if we measure a distance between planets and galaxies then “the light year” is the standard measurement. Measuring short distances requires “Nanometers” which is a one billionth of meter and it is usually employed in the atomic field.
Chronologically, day, week, month, year and century” are used as measurement units of time at the level of movement of man and nature. “Time machine” has been a core unit divided into parts according to the need or field; starting from minute then second, millisecond and microsecond, until we get to “the femtosecond” (which is a discovery carried out by Ahmed Zouil) and can be expressed as a second divided into 1000000000000000; i.e. one of million billion of a second (the time distance between a second and femtosecond is the same distance between one second and 32 million years).
Now, if we try to look at a literature text written by a famous writer, when we exert our mental efforts to move throughout the time of its context, we will certainly find no difficulty, as we can travel thousands of years back to the past or even to the future, which does not require much mental and mathematical exercises, knowing that physics and cosmology at a higher level are mathematical and imaginary exercises before they can be considered as calculations and field experiments. Therefore, they are regarded as theories, not as established scientific facts.
However, If we look at the book of the Almighty Allah; i.e. the Holy Qur’an (which is the thing I have experienced frequently and I highly recommend this unique experience), we then try to track by our minds “the consecutive time distances) throughout the verse, but here I don’t mean of course “the language tenses” (like past, present and future) but I mean the times expressed and described by the Qur’anic scripts, which we were asked to contemplate, if we do, what will be the unit of measurement of this time distance throughout the Qur’anic script ?
Although this question is a mere scientific assumption, which requires extensive research, however some examples can be enough to demonstrate the purpose and make the answer closer.
Take for example a text from the novel of “Coming Up For Air” by George Orwell,
“…. next day, the gang decided that I wasn’t really a member yet that I’d got to go through the ‘ordeal’ (a word they’d got of the Red Indian stories) after all. They were very strict in insisting …..”
In fact, you do not need more than just a simple unit of measurement, which is the day “Next day”. In the future “I’d go through the ordeal” which can be measured by “month” or “year”, however, when referring to the Red Indians and their traditions, “century” can be enough to indicate their history, even if it dates back to tens of centuries ago, then the text is ending up here.
If you take a verse from the Almighty Allah’s book, from any chapter or any topic you want, even if your choice is made randomly, you will realize that it is open to “the endless time” using various forms, which makes you unable to process the simple measurement units of physics, and that you need the units of measurement based on revelation with unlimited dimension, we can read for instance the Almighty Allah’s saying:
“To thee have We granted the fount (of abundance), Therefore to your Lord turn in Prayer and Sacrifice, For he who hates you, he will be cut off (from future hoe)”
It is the smallest chapter in the Almighty Allah’s book, here we ask: how far is the time distance occupied by this chapter ? Even if we travel across the verses and their time dimensions, what unit shall we implement ? Can this distance be measureable ?
According to the prophet peace be upon him, who was addressed by this verse, we need “centuries” to go back to his age; i.e. the golden era. In the statement about the man who hates him and whose name is Al-As ibn Wa’il as-Sahmi, the standard unit is “centuries” to go back to his age. If we focus on the time dating to the chapter of Al-Kawtar “The abundance”; the prophet peace be upon him explains: verily, it is a river that my Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, has promised me and it has abundant goodness. It is a pond where my Ummah will be brought to on the Day of Judgment…” Time on earth is not appropriate to this verse, so we need the time that simulates the perishing and everlasting conditions. A simple unit of measurement, no matter how it is, will not be useful to measure the time distance between us and this “case”: Al-Kawtar chapter.
If we follow the prophet’s prayers (peace be upon him) in this chapter “in prayer” and his sacrifice “and sacrifice”; if we analyze the whole time of these actions; the verbs will apparently seem to take place in the worldly life (prayer and sacrifice), which can be achieved within “hours or days” or even more or less than that. However, if we focus on the content of the prayer, its signification and its impacts on “punishment, hereafter and eternity” then the unit of measurement will also surpass the context of earth and the time being into endless contexts.
The personal pronoun of the Majesty “We” indicating the Glorified and the Exalted One and His Nobel name “Your Lord”, which is beyond time, space and all restrictions, boundaries and measurements, though He was referred in the verse with letters, words and meanings. It is up to the mind to contemplate its dimensions and its extent, then it will ultimately end up realizing that He cannot be truly grasped, because He is the Glorified and the Almighty who “no vision can grasp” nor auditory, mind, distance, measures nor any other means of grasping, but he is over all recognitions 1.
The only applicable unit of measurement is “inability” because inability to grasp Him is a true kind of recognition. Whereas getting involved with this topic is a kind of mistake and error; i.e. “Disbelief”. The unit of measurement is a kindness of the Almighty Allah that He comes down to the spirit of the believer to fill his mind, in order to upgrade him to the level of “submission”, therefore, the absolute surrender to Allah is the ultimate level of grasping the time distances around the verse.
If we look at the letters of the verse 2, its words and signification… how they remained protected in the preserved tablet whose source is from the Glorified Lord of Glory, who brought (the Qur’an) down to the heart of His beloved prophet peace be upon him. If we contemplate this meaning and follow the track of time distance operated by the verse, we will openly declare “Glory Be To You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us”.. and invoke him upon two states: “inability” and “submission”.
If an interpretation of the Holy Qur’an does not take the mental aspect into consideration, including the semantic indication and what can be lexically and semantically understood, but followed “what cannot be mentally grasped” and what is not semantically indicated and surpassed time and space before referring it to the broad field of “the unknown” or the infinity “and of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little” “yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted” if it happens, the daring human mind will pay attention to “limits” and the truth will reveal about the boundaries that must not be transcended by this mind, the daring human mind will then address to Him (Allah) Glorified be the One, and will declare before Him “its inability and submission” ”Glory Be To You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us”.
If the interpretation was made this way, it will open wide horizons for possible realization and many assumptions for possible discoveries; i.e. it will liberate the mind from “relative submission“, which is not a spirit of faith, into the state of submission, which requires thinking, research and reasoning. From relative inability, which is prohibited by the Glorified Law-Giver (Allah), to the state of trusting in Allah and adopting means within the limits of what He commanded, in addition to seeking glory and highness in the name of God only “O assembly of jins and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allah)!”
Can we liberate ourselves from our tighten and naked minds into the open and supportive ones, as well as to the levels of satisfaction and trust, in the name of Allah, His support, His companionship and His pleasure?.
It is noted that the Almighty’s saying “no vision can grasp” does not only include the disability of our vision, but also all other organs, measuring instruments and means etc…
– Such contemplation brings us out of the argument over “the creation of the Qur’an” and about how old is the Qur’an”, which has ruined Muslim’s mind and made him lose his efficiency.
Translated by: Toufik Achour
The article in Arabic: المسافة الزمنية للآية القرآنية لـ: د محمد باباعمي
