Author: quranperspective

 

The pilgrimage to Mecca had been the subject of a prayer from Abraham, the father of Ishmael and the Arabs, addressed to Allah, and reported in 14:37 “My Lord, I made some of my people inhabit an arid valley, by Your Sacred Shrine, for them to perform (maintain) the ritual prayer, so let the hearts of people lean towards them, and bestow your provisions (fruits) on them, that they may be grateful“.

Here also, the inhabitants of Mecca have to eat all year long. Quran tells us that of the 12 months of the lunar year, 4 are considered holy. No fighting is usually allowed during those months, even among enemies, except in self defense. Those months are also used for traveling in safety to and from Mecca to fulfill the pilgrimage obligation Allah has entrusted the Moslems with.

Restricting the pilgrimage to once a year defeats the purpose of delivering provisions to the Mekkans. The animals that the pilgrims have to sacrifice (slaughter) as part of their rituals are meant to feed the poor (22:28). Allah says in 22:37 that “the animals’ meat and blood do not reach Allah, but what reaches Him is the devotion deriving from them”. Sacrificing an enormous number of animals, and throwing their meat away-as it used to be done until freezing capabilities were provided recently- is not what Allah meant by recommending an animal sacrifice, when millions of Moslems were suffering from hunger and malnutrition.  Besides, even if we consider that in the beginning of the Islamic period, the devotees’ numbers made it easy  to assemble them in one shot to have a show of force, doing the same today poses very hard logistical problems that create catastrophic situations at almost every pilgrimage.

The Hajj performance, as it is practiced, includes visiting Medine, place of the tomb of the prophet Mohammed.  That was certainly not established by the prophet.  Besides, there is nowhere in Quran where it mentions that there is more than one holy shrine in Allah’s book and vision. In fact, creating rules and religious rituals not sanctioned by Allah may fall in what is described by verse 42:21, “Or do they have partners (that they associated to Allah) who decreed for them what Allah has not authorized?”

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Le “Hajj”, ou Pelerinage a La Mecque

 

The month of “Ramadhan”, the 9th month of the lunar year, in which Quran started being revealed to the prophet Mohammed, has been decreed by Allah as a month of fasting for Moslems (2:183, 2:185).  Although fasting has been prescribed as expiation in some other circumstances for “improper” acts (2:192, 4:92, 5:89, 5:95, 58:4), the fasting of Ramadhan is intended for “beneficial” reasons: physical (body purification, toxin elimination, shedding weight, etc…) as well as psychological (learning patience, perseverance, sense of accomplishment, contentment in obedience to our Creator, …). There is a huge sense of satisfaction denying the flesh its desires or needs in the course of accomplishing Allah’s will.

Among all the religious obligations, the fasting of Ramadhan seems to be the only one that could be substituted for, in case one is in the impossibility of performing it, by feeding someone else (or more than one if possible) instead (2:184).

The fasting is decreed from just before dawn, -when at the horizon line we can distinguish the separation between the darkness in the landscape and the beginning clarity of the sky-, and continue until night time (2:187).

Moslems decided to break the fast at sunset, which is not what Allah requested. Night time does not occur, or even begin, at sunset. Normally, the period between dawn and sunrise is transposed between sunset and night, marking the separation between day and night. And that period varies according to the time of year.

During the day, there are activities which are required from Moslems to do, and some to refrain from. Moslems abstain from eating, drinking, indulging in sexual behaviour, and now smoking. Instead, they are supposed to spend more time commemorating Allah, doing good deeds and charitable acts, exercise patience and good thoughts. There seems to be a special period (the last ten nights of ramadhan) when Moslems are to frequent mosques for longer periods of time, and do more meditating.

Moslems are supposed to be coming out of Ramadhan reinvigorated, in better shape, and in a more strengthened psychological condition.

Whatever their reasons are, Moslems splurge at night, and for many of them their food consumption cancels the benefits they are supposed to draw from fasting, and tradition, not religion, make them wave Ramadhan away with a big celebration, where sweets have a commanding presence.

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Le JEÛNE du mois de RAMADHAN

Le mois de Ramadhan, 9ème mois de l’année lunaire, et durant lequel  la révélation du Coran au prophète Mohammed a commençé, a été décrétée comme mois de jeûne pour les Musulmans (2:183, 2:185). Bien que le jeûne ait été prescrit en d’autres circonstances comme expiation pour des actes “inappropriés”(2:192, 4:92, 5:89, 5:95, 58:4), le jeûne du Ramadhan a été établi pour des raisons bénéfiques: physiques (purification du corps, élimination de toxines, perte de poids, etc…, aussi bien que psychiques (apprendre la patience, la persévérance, gagner un sens d’accomplissement, contentement à travers l’obéissance à notre Createur,…Il y’a une énorme satisfaction à nier les désirs ou besoins de notre chair en accomplissant la volonté d’Allah.

Parmi toutes les obligations religieuses , le jeûne du Ramadhan semble être la seule qui puisse être remplaçée, au cas où un individu est dans l’ìmpossibilité de le faire, par nourrir quelqu’ un d’autre (ou plus d’un si possible) à sa place (2:184).

Le jeûne est décrété à partir d’un peu avant l’aube-quand à la ligne d’horizon, on peut commençer à distinguer la séparation  entre l’obscurité du paysage terrestre et la clarté naissante du ciel- et doit continuer jusqu’à la nuit. (2:187).

Les Musulmans ont décidé de stopper le jeûne au coucher du soleil, ce qui n’est pas ce qu’Allah a demandé. La nuit n’arrive pas, ou même commence, au coucher du soleil. Ce qui est logique, c’est que la péeriode entre l’aube et le lever du soleil soit transposée entre le coucher du soleil et la nuit, ce qui marque la séparation entre jour et nuit.

Durant le jour, il y’a des activités qui sont requises d’être faites par les Musulmans, et certaines qui doivent être évitées. Les Musulmans s’abstiennent de manger, boire, s’adonner à des activités d’ordre sexuel, et maintenant de fumer. Par contre, ils sont supposés de passer plus de temps à commémorer Allah, faire de bonnes actions et d’actes charitables, et pratiquer patience, bonnes pensées et bon comportement. Il semble qu’il y’a une période spéciale (les dix dernières nuits du Ramadhan) durant laquelle les croyants doivent fréquenter les mosquées  pour des périodes de temps plus longues, et méditer plus longtemps.

Les Musulmans sont supposés finir le Ramadhan revigorés, en meilleur état physique, et dans une condition psychologique renforcée.

Quelles que soient leurs raisons, les Musulmans s’adonnent à des excèes la nuit, et pour une bonne partie d’entre eux, leur consommation de nourriture annule beaucoup des bienfaits que le jeûne est supposé leur apporter, et la tradition, non pas la religion, leur fait terminer le Ramadahan par une grande célébration de “Eid” où les sucreries assument une importante présence.

 

 

The word “Zakka” means to purify. It is not a charity (the Arabic name for that is “Sadaqah”), and it is a specified portion of the wealth acquired during a cycle of economic activity that is due to Allah or to those to whom Allah indicates it should be given, in order to “cleanse” the rest of our wealth.

Quran does not specify the amount to remit, but previous scriptures indicate it as 10%. Allah encourages people to spend in His cause, and he considers what people spend as a loan to Him that He will return at the rate of 7000%. Quran mentions to give away “the excess”, what is beyond our needs (      ).

Zakat is designed as a safety net to eradicate poverty and dire needs. Allah indicates that Zakat should be given “on the day of its harvest” (or acquisition) (   ). Poor people in distress experience needs all year long, not only once a year. Yet, Moslems give Zakat once a year, and they created a complicated and elaborate system for calculating the portion to be given, depending upon what the revenue consists of (currency, gold, livestock, agricultural products, etc…), and reduced it mainly to 2.5% (that they call the ¼ of the 10%).

 

The Ritual Prayer (distinct from the supplication prayer, “dua’a” in Arabic) is one of the most important elements of a Moslem’s daily life. Yet, it differs somewhat among the various sects and groups. The Salat is divided into several segments, in applying to individuals or groups:

• “Adhan”, sometimes called “Iqamah”
• “Wudhu”, or ablutions
• Performance of the prayer
• Frequency of prayers during the day

Some of the details regarding the elements above are not readily evident in Quran, and that opens the door for Moslems to claim that there is a need for “hadith” to explain to the people how to do the ritual prayer. Yet, there is nowhere in the books of hadith where the prophet is telling anyone how to perform the ritual prayer. There are several reports -sometimes different- from people who saw the prophet doing them in a certain way, or giving his agreement, or not issuing his disagreement about.

• The “Adhan”. Stories about how it was arrived at, the inclusion of the sentence “prayer is better than sleep’ (assalatu khairun mina ennaoum) at least for the dawn prayer, and who did it the first time inject some difference, but the big difference is in the shia adding the sentence “Alyun walyou Allah” (Ali is a supporter of Allah).
• “Wudhu” is the symbolic cleansing prior to the prayer. It is found in Sura 5 verse 6 of Quran. It is written with a very precise specification in its spelling declination, to enumerate the necessary sequence of the 4 actions the wudhu has to follow. Yet, Moslems in general do it in a different way, according to how the prophet was reported seen doing it. It is worth noting that sura 5 was one of the last suras revealed in Medine (order of revelation  /114). That means that for at least 12 years in Mecca, and probably another 10 in Medine, the prophet as well as the rest of the Moslems were doing their ablutions in a way different from the one prescribed by Allah. Allah changed it, as He did for the “Qiblah”, the direction to face for the prayer. That means that all the “ahadith” reporting how the prophet was doing his ablutions for all those years are null and void. But that did not deter Moslems from continuing to do it that way for 14 centuries.
• Some differences found also their way into the prayer when it comes to our stance and what needs to be recited or said. Everyone agrees that the “fatihah”, the opening sura of quran, should be recited at every prayer unit, but some people (as well as some imams) do not consider the first verse as part of the sura. Most people recite a short sura or short segments of a longer sura in addition to the “Fatihah”. Some people do some prayer units silently and others loud. Some people hold their hands in a certain way when standing and when they do “takbir” (when they proffer the words “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Greater). Allah says He gave the rituals of Islam to the children of Abraham ( )

 

• The number of prayer times is indicated throughout the text of Quran, but some people join some prayers together (particularly the second and third). And some people claim that The number of units for each particular prayer is not indicated in Quran, but it seems to have been indicated in the numerical and mathematical structure that supports the text.

 

 

Besides the purely spiritual beliefs looked at in the preceding topics, a set of actions are an integral part of the fact of being a Moslem, of which the “Shahadah”, or declaration of faith constitutes the cornerstone of the religion.

The declaration of faith consists in “bearing witness” of our admission that we believe in Allah only, and that there is no other god except Him. Moslems need to see the meaning of certain words, such as “god”, in the sense and intent Allah gives them in Quran, because He is going to judge us according to His ways, not ours.

Despite its importance, the Declaration of faith is not clearly spelled out as such in Quran. The closest instance where we can find something in that regard is Allah Himself bearing witness to something that all Moslems should subscribe to, in 3:18 “Allah bore witness that there is no other god but Him, in charge of justice, there is no god but Him, the High, the Wise”. But it all meshes with what Quran is about: the recognition that Allah is the most important thing in the life of the believer, well above anything else.

Moslems generally claim that there is a dual declaration of faith, stating that:

• There is no other god but Allah, and that
• Mohammed is the messenger of Allah.

Although the second statement is true, mentioning it could contravene two of Allah’s crucial commandments to the validity of the faith:

• The situation of associating someone else with Allah ( When Allah alone is mentioned, you disbelieved, but when others are mentioned with Him, you believe), and
• The interdiction of making a distinction between messengers and between prophets. ( 4150:151 “Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and want to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers, and say ‘we believe in some and disbelieve in some’, and want to adopt a way in between, those are the real disbelievers, and We prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating suffering”).

Allah completes the two verses above with 4:153: “And those who believed in Allah and His messengers, and did not make a distinction among any of them, to those he will them their recompense…”

 

 

 

After the occurrence of the “Hour” and the Resurrection, we will appear before our Judge. Every soul will give an account of its sojourn on earth, and will be rewarded for its good deeds, or judged equitably for its misdeeds.

On that day, we will realize, and we will be told, how we fared in our test in life. Some of us will be elated, and some will be saddened to exasperation. The extent of our errors, misbehaviour, and rejection of Allah’s commandments and guidance will become clear, and the disbelievers’ excuses, wishes and pleas will make a long list. The arguments between those who claim they were misled and those who misled them will take place. In many cases, those accused of misleading were not even aware  of those who were following their lead.

The people will be led by angels to one of these locations:

• The humans who fared well in life will be directed towards one of two gardens of Paradise. In fact, there are 4 gardens, but it is assumed that two of them are reserved to the Jinns, who are a different category of creatures
• Those who rebelled against Allah’s rule, or disbelieved in His commandments, will be directed towards Hell
• There seems to be also a “purgatory”, but there is no indication as to how long people will remain there, or what their release conditions would be.

We will then understand what some concepts such as eternity, and whatever was hidden will be unveiled, at least to those who passed the test.

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L’Au-Dela, le Paradis et l’Enfer

 

 

Many a generation, culture, civilisation, or community did Allah end in the past, usually because of their iniquity and repeated transgressions. He said that He will never bring annihilation without prior sending warners. He wiped almost all of mankind during Noah’s time, and tells us that every community has a given duration, then its time will end. But there will come a specific time when the whole of mankind, without any exception, will be recalled to face Judgement from Allah. That time is already set, and the clock is ticking.

That time bears many names in Quran: the day of Gathering, of Assembly, of reckoning,

79:42-45. “They ask you about the Hour, ‘when will it occur?’. How are you to know? Its decision is your Lord’s. You are (only) a warner to those who fear it”.

83:12.“Denying it (the Hour) is only every transgressor, excessive sinner”

Although only Allah can bring about that event (7:187), He said that He almost “hides it” (20:15). He also said that its parameters or coordinates, although they do not appear in Quran, they have already been given (47:18). In Quran, we find only scant indications of what will happen when the Hour arrives, but no clear mention of its coordinates are given. If they are not in Quran, then they must be in the previous scriptures, as Quran is not, as most people presume, a separate scripture, but a continuation of what was revealed prior to it.

Quran tells us only about the events that will occur during that day. The previous scriptures tell us about the conditions on earth about the time of the “Hour”. That is done for the benefit of believers, so they can get some warnings and take some precautions.

Other entities may be aware of the Hour’s timing. One of them is Satan, as indicated in a conversation Quran relays between him and Allah, who tells him that he has a reprieve until the “known time”. It is more likely the reason why he is working so hard these days, as the time seems to be drawing near.

The scriptures previous to Quran give us a fairly detailed information about the situation on earth around the time of the Hour, and Quran gives us a description of the events related to the Hour, but none gives us its exact timing.

The “end of the world” has been predicted many, many times. One indication and prerequisite for its occurrence comes in 17:104, and is related to the return of the Children of Israel to the land Allah had given them: “Inhabit the earth, and when the promise of the Hereafter will occur, We will gather you from all around”.

Among the major events of the “Hour”, Quran cites the following:

• “Cracking” of the moon when the Hour draws near (54:1).
• The “smoke” on earth , in sura 44, a prelude to a bigger “suffering”.
• Seas will “explode” (81:6, 82:3)
• Stars will be darkened (81:2)
• The earth will crack
• Sky will be split
• Angels will come down to Earth

How far in time are those events? Some of them may have occurred, and some seem to be happening right now. The last warning may have been given with the unveiling of Quran’s numerical and mathematical structure. The rest of the predicted events may not be far away.

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L’ “Heure”

 

Besides using angels to accomplish some tasks, Allah uses human beings to perform activities taking place strictly among humans (If there were angels walking peacefully on earth, We would have sent down to them from heaven an angel messenger, 17:95). Although Allah sends angels as messengers, but in a human form: “If We made (the messenger) an angel, We would have made him a man, ….6:9. Usually, when Allah sends an angel to iniquitous people, it doesn’t end well for those people (6:8).

There are two categories of messengers: messengers strictly, and prophets. Prophets are entrusted with the duty of conveying a scripture (2:213, 3:81). There seems to be a confusion in many minds between the functions of a messenger and that of a prophet, but Quran brings us some clarifying statements. Anyone sent by Allah is a messenger, but any messenger delivering a scripture is a prophet.

Two verses carry strong commandments not to make a distinction between prophets (2:136          ), or between messengers (2:285). Making a distinction is giving undue importance to a prophet or a messenger at the expense of others. That is a prerogative reserved exclusively to Allah.

Once Allah has chosen as a prophet or messenger, the only choice left for humans is to accept or reject that choice. The believers are under obligation to accept all of them, without exclusion or distinction. “Those who make a distinction between Allah and His messengers, 4:150, 4:152

Those who dare making a difference between the prophets or between the messengers are breaking a powerful commandment and are stepping on Allah’s privileges. “Those who say: We believe in some, and disbelieve in some, those are the real disbelievers “(4:151).

Yet, wouldn’t the insistence of Moslems of naming the prophet Mohammed every time they pronounce the declaration of faith, or call for the prayers, constitute not only singling him out from among all prophets and messengers, thereby contravening Allah’s command, but also cross the boundary of associating him with Allah? “When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter shrink in aversion, but when other(s) are mentioned besides Him, they then rejoice” 39:45.

That is that when Allah alone is called upon, you disbelieve, and if it is associated with Him, then you believe (40:12).

Allah Himself makes a distinction among prophets and messengers (2:253, 17:21, 17:55), but that is a prerogative reserved exclusively to Him. Humans are not granted such privilege or latitude. Even the prophet who brings a scripture to a people and leads them, or the messenger who delivers a message to them, should be, according to Quran, entitled to obedience, but not be the object of favoritism.

Humans have to be extremely careful not to confer any special status on any particular messenger, or to reject any one of them that we happen to know of. Rejecting even one messenger may annul all of our deeds on earth.

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Les Messagers d’ALLAH

 

 

Right from the start of Quran (2:4), Allah tells us that the believers have to believe in Quran as well as in the divine scriptures which preceded it. On the other hand, He tells us that the scriptures previous to Quran have been altered.

We can ask ourselves why Allah, the All-Knowing, would ask in the 7^th century CE to believe in scriptures that were sealed and canonized many centuries before Quran’s revelation. The Old Testament was reconstituted from memory under Ezra’s direction in the 8^th century BCE, after the return of the Hebrews from captivity in Persia, the old documents having been burned in the sack of the Temple. As for the New Testament, it was compiled by the Church in the 4^th century CE. In fact, of the “Injeel”, the scripture Allah says He gave to Jesus, we have only accounts by four writers (the “Gospels”) of whom many scholars think that none of them knew Jesus directly.

Yet, Allah’s commandment is that we are required to believe in those scriptures. We know that Allah points to certain information in the previous scriptures that has seen some human “contribution”. Allah insists that Jesus is no son to Him, and that he was not crucified or killed (Jesus’ Resurrection is not even addressed in Quran), which are the claims on which a large portion of what the Christian faith is built upon. And Quran attempts to correct some positions that the Jews stand for.

Contrarily to what most people believe, Islam is not, in its core, a different religion from the ones which preceded it, and Quran is not a stand-alone scripture. They are a continuation of the divine revelation, carrying the same message that Allah has been blessing mankind with, but sent this time to the older son of Abraham, Ishmael. Until then, the revelation had remained in the lineage of Isaac, Abraham’s younger son.

Quran is not only the latest, but also the last scripture bringing a written divine guidance to mankind. In that sense, it encompasses all previous revelations, and is supposed to confirm and supersede them (5:48). Islam puts forward the idea of the substitution of a religion by another, and not of religions running parallel to each other. That coincides with the divine principle of having mankind united in the same faith, under one God. The humans thwarted that plan, and stuck to what they were once given. No one knows the human beings better than the One who created them. Allah surely knows that having several religions run side by side is a sure recipe for conflicts and for disaster.

From Quran, we deduce that when a new revelation comes, the believers in the already existing one have to switch to the new one, and that the Jews and Christians have to believe in the last scripture, Quran, in the same way as Moslems are under obligation to believe in the original Old Testament and the “Injeel”.

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Les Ecritures Saintes d’Allah

Dès le début du Coran (2:4), Allah nous dit que les croyants doivent croire au Coran aussi bien qu’aux Ecritures Saintes qui l’ont précédé. D’un autre côté, Il nous dit que les Ecritures Saintes précédentes ont été altérées.

Nous pouvons nous demander pourquoi Allah, l’Omniscient, nous demanderait au 7ème siècle EC de croire en des Ecritures Saintes qui ont été scellées et canonisées bien des siècles avant la révélation du Coran. L’Ancien Testament a été reconstitué de mémoire au 8ème siècle AC sous la direction d’Ezra, après le retour des Juifs de leur captivité en Perse, les anciens texts ayant été brûlés lors de la destruction du Temple. Le Nouveau Testament a été compilé par l’Eglise au 4ème siècle AC. En fait, de l’ “Injeel”, l’Ecriture Saine qu’Allah dit qu’Il a donnée à Jésus, nous avons seulement les récits attribués à 4 écrivains au sujet desquels beaucoup d’exégètes pensent qu’aucun d’entre eux n’a connu Jésus directement.

Cependant, le commandement d’Allah est que nous sommes requis de croire en ces Ecritures Saintes. Nous savons qu’Allah indique que certaines informations dans les Ecritures Saintes précédant le Coran ont reçu une “contribution” humaine. Allah insiste que Jésus n’est pas Son fils, et qu’il n’a pas été crucifié ou tué (la Résurrection de Jésus n’est même pas considérée), éléments qui constituent une large part de la base sur laquelle la foi Chrétienne est bâtie. Et le Coran essaie de corriger certaines positions soutenues par  les Juifs.

Contrairement à ce que la plupart des gens croient, l’Islam n’est pas, dans son fond, une religion différente de celles qui l’ont précédé, et le Coran n’est pas une Ecriture Sainte à part. Ils sont la continuation de la révélation divine, portant le même message qu’Allah avait béni les humains avec, mais envoyé cette fois-ci aux descendants du fils aîné d’Abraham, Ismael. Jusqu’à ce moment-là, la révélation était restée dans la lignée d’Isaac, le plus jeune des deux fils.

Le Coran n’est pas seulement le plus récent, mais aussi la dernière Ecriture Sainte amenant une guidance divine a l’humanité. Dans ce sens, il couvre toutes les révélations précédentes, et est supposé de les confirmer et les supplanter (5:48). L’Islam croît en la substitution d’une religion par une autre, et non pas en religions existant parallèlement l’une à l’autre. Cela coïncide avec le principe divin d’avoir l’humanité unie dans la même foi, sous un seul Dieu. Les humains ont fait échouer ce plan, et se sont accrochés jâlousement à ce qui leur a été donné. Personne ne connaît l’être humain mieux que celui qui l’a créé. Allah sait certainement qu’avoir plusieurs religions côte à côte est une recette certaine pour des conflits et pour un désastre.

On déduit du Coran que losqu’une nouvelle révélation survient, les croyants dans la religion qui existe déjà doivent adopter la nouvelle religion, et que les Juifs et les Chrétiens doivent croire en la dernière Ecriture Sainte révélée, le Coran, de la même façon que les Musulmans doivent croire dans l’Ancien Testament et l’”Injeel” originaux.

Angels are entities that Allah says He has created and who are devoted to Him. He uses them to accomplish specific tasks, some of which involve and affect humans. They are part of Allah’s entourage, the “mala el’a’la” (the Highest Community, or Court, 37:8, 38:69). Whether they are relevant to our normal life or not, we are under obligation to believe in their existence, as we are under obligation to believe in Allah although we do not see Him in this life (we can see only His handiwork).

Allah charges them with a variety of missions that are better suited to their capabilities:

• Serve as intermediaries between Allah and some people
• Delivering scriptures and messages from Allah
• Recording human activities
• Recalling the humans whose interim in life came to an end
• In charge of receiving humans souls at death
• In charge of running the sections of the Hereafter
• Helping the believers in battle (3000 of them in the battle of Uhud, 3:124)
• Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
• etc…

Although angels might look sometimes like humans (Abraham did not immediately recognize them as different when they visited him before they went to see Lot who dealt with them as guests), they have a different set of needs and capabilities:

• They are equipped with flying capabilities (wings, 35:1)
• They affect humans (blinded the dwellers of Sodom and Gomorrah, 54:37)
• They can communicate with humans in those humans` language(or is-it telepathy?)
• They do not seem to eat, at least not humans` food (Abraham`s veal meal, 11:70, 51:27)

Whether humans were angels before, who were subsequently demoted, and are here on earth on a test to prove that they are worthy of regaining their original abode and a status in heaven is an interesting theory that some clues in Quran seem to point to.

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Les ANGES d`ALLAH

Les anges sont des entités qu’Allah dit qu’Il a créés, et qui Lui sont totalement devoués. Il les utilise pour accomplir des tâches spécifiques, dont certaines affectent les êtres humains. Ils font part de l’entourage divin, “el-mala-el-a’la” (la plus haute Communauté, ou Cour, 37:8, 38:69). Que les anges aient une certaine pertinence pour notre vie aujourd’hui ou pas, nous sommes dans l’obligation de croire en leur existence et en leur fonction, comme nous sommes sous obligation de croire en Allah, bien que nous ne le voyons pas dans cette vie (nous pouvons seulement voir Ses accomplissements).

Allah nous donne les noms de quelques uns parmi les anges: Jibril (Gabriel), Mikel (Michel), 2:98,  Harout, Marout (2:102), et ils semblent avoir différentes fonctions.

Allah charge les anges avec une variété de missions qui sont plus adaptées à leurs capabilités qu’elles ne le sont pour les humains:

• Voyages de longue distance dans l’espace (50,000 ans, 70:4)
• Transmettre des messages de la part d’Allah
• Aider les croyants sur le champ de bataille (3000 à la bataille d’Uhud, 3:124)
• Destruction de Sodome et Gomorre

Bien que les anges peuvent quelques fois apparaître comme des êtres humains (Ibrahim ne les a pas reconnus immédiatement comme différents avant qu’ils aillent visiter Lot qui les a reçus comme invités, Marie pensait que c’était un être humain quand l’ange lui a apparu pour lui announcer qu’elle porterait l’enfant Jesus), ils ont des besoins et des capacités différents:

• Ils sont capables de voler (dotés d’ailes, 35:1)
• Ils affectent les humains (aveugler les habitants de Sodome et Gomorre, 54:37)
• Ils communiquent avec les humains dans leur propre langue (ou est-ce de la télépathie?)
• Ils ne semblent pas manger, ou du moins pas la nourriture terrestre (11:70, 51:27).

L’être humain a souvent le sentiment d’un paradis perdu. Que les humains aient été des anges auparavant, qui ont été par la suite rabaissées, et qui sont ici sur terre pour un test afin de prouver qu’ils méritent de regagner leur place originelle et un statut honorable au ciel est une théorie intéressante à laquelle certains indices dans le Coran semblent faire allusion.