Al-Furqan: (45–49) Have you not seen...

Introduction

After Allah the Exalted clarified the ignorance of those who turn away from His signs and the corruption of their path, He subsequently mentioned various types of proofs indicating the existence of the Creator.

The First Type: Inference from the State of the Shadow

This involves examining the shadow's increase, decrease, and transformation, which raises several issues:

There are two interpretations:

1. Visual Sight: Seeing with the eye. If taken this way, the meaning is: "Have you not seen how your Lord has extended the shadow?" (Though applying the word to sight in this context is less eloquent according to common Arabic usage.)
2. Intellectual Sight (Knowledge): This is preferred, as chosen by Al-Zajjaj. The meaning is: "Have you not known?" This is superior because the extension of the shadow, if considered a visible object, is undeniably an effect of God's power, yet the extension itself is not visually perceived. Rather, it is known through the principle that everything mutable must have an agent. Thus, interpreting the word as intellectual sight is more appropriate.

Although the literal address is to the Messenger (peace be upon him), the meaning is general. The purpose of the verse is to clarify Allah's blessings concerning the shadow, and all accountable persons must be alerted to this blessing so they can use it as proof for the Creator's existence.

The interpretations generally converge on two main points:

First Interpretation: The shadow (الظل) is the intermediate state between pure light and pure darkness, such as the time between the appearance of dawn and sunrise, or the conditions within ceilings and courtyards. This state is the most pleasant because pure darkness is naturally disliked, and pure light (from the sun) is harsh, blinding the eye and causing intense heat, which is harmful. Therefore, the shadow is the best state, which is why the Garden is described with it: {and a spreading shade} (Al-Waqi'ah: 30).

If this is established, we say that Allah mentioned this as one of the greatest blessings and clear benefits. When one observes a colored object in the shadow, they seem to see only the object and its color; the shadow itself is not perceived as a third entity. The shadow is only known when the sun rises and its light falls upon the object, causing the shadow to vanish. If the sun did not exist, the shadow's existence and essence would not be known, as things are known by their opposites (e.g., light by darkness, shadow by sun).

Thus, when the sun rises over the earth and the shadow disappears, it becomes clear to the intellect that the shadow is an additional quality beyond the object and its color. This explains why Allah says: {Then We made the sun its guide} (ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَلِيلًا). This means: First, He created the shadow with its benefits and pleasures. Then, He guided the intellects to know its existence by making the sun appear, thus making the sun a proof for this blessing.

Then, {Then We withdrew it to Us by an easy withdrawal} (ثُمَّ قَبَضْنَاهُ إِلَيْنَا قَبْضًا يَسِيرًا). This means He removed the shadow gradually, not suddenly. As the sun rises higher, the shadow decreases in the western direction. Since spatial movements occur gradually, the removal of the shadow also occurs gradually. Furthermore, if the shadow were removed suddenly, the world's interests would be disrupted. Its gradual removal brings various benefits to the world. "Withdrawal" (القبض) here means removal and annihilation. This is one interpretation.

Second Interpretation: After Allah created the heavens, the earth, the stars, the sun, and the moon, the shadow fell upon the earth. Then, Allah made the sun a guide to it because shadows move according to the movements of lights; they are successive and inseparable, one decreasing as the other increases. Just as the guided one follows the guide, the shadows seem to follow and accompany the lights, which is why the sun is made a guide to them.

As for {Then We withdrew it to Us by an easy withdrawal}, this could mean:

1. The shadows gradually reach their minimum extent, and the removal of shadows is termed "withdrawal."
2. It means the withdrawal of shadows at the Hour of Resurrection by withdrawing the causes of shadows (the celestial bodies). The word {easy} (يسيرًا) is like His saying: {That is an easy matter for Us} (Qaf: 44). This is the summarized interpretation.

The shadow is a beneficial phenomenon for the living and the rational. Pure light or pure darkness are not inherently beneficial in the same way. The existence of this beneficial shadow must stem from either a necessary being or a contingent being. The former is false, as a necessary being does not change, but the shadow changes. Therefore, it must be contingent, requiring an agent who brings it into existence after non-existence and causes it to cease after existence—a capable, managing, benevolent Creator who determines it in a beneficial manner. This can only be Allah, who is capable of moving the celestial bodies, managing the spherical bodies, and arranging them in the most excellent and perfect order.

Objection: The shadow is merely the absence of light. How can a non-existent thing be used as proof for a Being, and how is it counted as a blessing? Reply: The shadow is not pure nothingness; rather, it is a mixture of light and darkness. The reality is that the shadow is the "second light," an existing entity. Its precise definition requires detailed discussion found in our rational works.

The Second Type: {And He it is Who made the night a covering for you, and sleep a repose, and made the day a time of rising}

Allah likened the night, because it covers everything, to a garment covering the body. He pointed out the benefit therein by saying: {and sleep a repose} (وَنَوْمًا سُبَاتًا). Sabāt means rest. Sleep is called sabāt because it is the cause of rest. Abu Muslim said sabāt is rest, hence the name Saturday (Yawm al-Sabt) due to the custom of resting on that day. A sick person resting from illness is called masbūt.

The author of Al-Kashshaf said sabāt means death, and masbūt means the dead, as life is cut off. This aligns with His saying: {And He it is Who causes you to die at night} (Al-An'am: 60). The interpretation of sabāt as death is preferred over rest because nashr (rising/resurrection) in opposition to it contradicts the meaning of mere rest.

Abu Muslim said: {and made the day a time of rising} (وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا) means spreading out and movement, just as Allah called human sleep death: {Allah takes the souls at the time of their death} (Az-Zumar: 42), and those that do not die (in sleep). Thus, the rising from sleep is aligned in nomenclature with the rising from death (nashr).

This verse, besides indicating the Creator's power, shows His favor upon His creation. The concealment by the night holds many religious and worldly benefits for people. Sleep and wakefulness are likened to death and life. Luqman advised his son: "Just as you sleep and are awakened, so too you will die and be resurrected."

The Third Type: {And He it is Who sends the winds as glad tidings before the mercy of His hand}

This has been previously explained in Surah Al-A'raf. Here are some related issues:

The word for winds (الرِّيَاح) is read both as singular (الرِّيح) and plural (الرِّيَاح). Al-Zajjaj mentioned five readings for (بُشْرًا): with fath on the bā' and shīn, with ḍamm on the bā' and shīn, with fath on the bā' and ḍamm on the shīn, with bā' and alif (pluralizing the bā'), and with tanwīn.

Abu Muslim interpreted (بُشْرًا) as the plural of bashīr (bringer of good tidings), like His saying: {And among His signs is that He sends the winds bearing good news} (Ar-Rum: 46). As for the reading with nūn (نُشُرًا), it relates to His saying: {and the scattering winds} (Al-Mursalat: 3), which are the winds. The "mercy" (رَحْمَتِهِ) refers to rain and water.

This explicitly states that Allah sends water down from the sky, not from the clouds. The view that clouds are the sky is weak, as it relies only on etymology, whereas linguistically, samā' (sky) is the name for the known ceiling above us, so diverting it from this meaning is abandoning the apparent sense.

Scholars differed on what ṭahūr means:

1. That which purifies (Instrumental Noun): Many scholars hold that ṭahūr is what is used for purification (like fuṭūr for breaking the fast, and suḥūr for the pre-dawn meal). This is supported by the Prophet's saying: "The dust is ṭahūr for the Muslim even if he does not find water for ten prayers." If ṭahūr meant "pure," the statement would mean "dust is pure for the Muslim," which doesn't fit the context. Similarly, the saying: "The ṭahūr of one of your vessels if a dog licks it is to wash it seven times." If ṭahūr meant "pure," it would mean "the purity of your vessel," which is incoherent. Furthermore, Allah says: {and sends down upon you water from the sky to purify you therewith} (Al-Anfal: 11), clarifying that the purpose of the water is purification. Thus, ṭahūr must mean "that by which one is purified," as this is the most complete description in the context of blessing.

2. Pure (Adjective): The author of Al-Kashshaf rejected the first view, arguing that the pattern fa'ūl does not derive from taf'īl (the pattern for instrumental nouns). Ṭahūr in Arabic can be an adjective (like ṭāhir—pure) or a noun (like wuḍū'—ablution, or waqūd—fuel).

The evidence for the first view (instrumental noun) is stronger based on the Hadith and the context of purification.

Allah mentioned two benefits of water: one related to plants and one to animals.

Regarding Plants: {that We may give life thereby to a dead land} (لِنُحْيِيَ بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا).

• Question 1: Why "a land" (بَلْدَةً) instead of "a dead thing" (مَّيْتَةً)?
  • Answer: Balda (land/town) is used here in the sense of balad (land), as in {then We drove it to a dead land} (Fatir: 9).
• Question 2: What is meant by the life and death of the land?
  • Answer: People call uncultivated land "dead" (mawāt), and watering it, which leads to cultivation, is reviving it.
• Question 3: Naturalists and Al-Ka'bi (Mu'tazilite) claim that plants arise from the nature of the earth, water, and the sun's influence, citing the bā' in {thereby} (بِهِ) as proof of water's effect.
  • Answer: Although the apparent meaning suggests this, the theologians abandoned this view due to conclusive evidence against the doctrine of inherent natural effects.

Regarding Animals: {and give it to drink of what We have created—livestock and many humans} (وَنُسْقِيَهُ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَا أَنْعَامًا وَإِنَاسًا كَثِيرًا).

• Question 1: Why are humans and livestock specified, excluding birds and wild beasts, all of whom need water?
  • Answer: Birds and wild beasts can travel far to find water, so they are rarely without it. Livestock, however, are possessions of humans, and most human welfare depends on them. Thus, watering their livestock is like watering humans themselves.
• Question 2: What is the meaning of the indefinite pluralization (أَنْعَامًا وَإِنَاسًا كَثِيرًا)?
  • Answer: It means most people live near valleys and rivers where water is abundant, making them independent of rain for drinking. Many others live in deserts and only find water when rain falls, which relates to {that We may give life thereby to a dead land} (referring to the distant lands). Alternatively, kathīran (many) might relate to {We give it to drink}, as living beings need water constantly, unlike plants which need a specific amount, after which more water becomes harmful.
• Question 3: Why was the revival of the land and the watering of livestock mentioned before the watering of humans?
  • Answer: Human life depends on the life of their land and their livestock. Therefore, the cause of their sustenance is mentioned before their direct drinking. If they secure water for their land and animals, they secure it for themselves. Furthermore, {And We have distributed it among them} (Al-Furqan: 50) means the rain is diverted annually to different regions, so not everyone receives it every year; rather, many people receive it in some years.
• Question 4: What are Anāsī (أَنَاسًا)?
  • Answer: Al-Farrā' and Al-Zajjaj said Insī and Anāsī are like kursī and karāsī (plural forms). The singular form Anāsī is used to denote a multitude, similar to {and many generations before them} (Al-Furqan: 38) and {and how excellent a companion} (An-Nisa': 69).

Jurists have derived rulings from {And We send down from the sky water that is pure}. We address two main points: (1) Water is purifying, and (2) Is non-water purifying?

Point 1: Water is Purifying

Water is either unchanged or changed. Unchanged Water: It is inherently pure and purifying. Used Water (الماء المستعمل):

• Al-Shafi'i: Pure but not purifying.
• Malik and Ath-Thawri: Ablution with it is permissible.
• Abu Hanifa (via Abu Yusuf): Impure.

Issue 1: Evidence that Used Water is Not Purifying (Shafi'i's view)

1. Hadith: {No one among you should perform ghusl (ritual bath) in stagnant water while in a state of janābah (major impurity)}. If the water remained pure and purifying, this prohibition would be meaningless.
2. Analogy (Qiyās): The Companions used to perform ablution while traveling and did not collect the used water, despite knowing their need for it later. If it were purifying, they would have carried it.

Malik's Counter-Evidence (for permissibility):

1. Qur'an: {And We send down from the sky water that is pure} and {and sends down upon you water from the sky to purify you therewith} (Al-Anfal: 11). These verses establish the quality of purification for water. The principle is that what is established remains, so this quality should persist in used water. Also, ṭahūr implies repeated permissibility of purification.
2. Qur'an (General Command): {Then wash your faces} (Al-Ma'idah: 6) commands washing in general. Using any liquid is washing, as washing means passing water over the limb. If one washes with used water, they have performed the required washing and fulfilled the obligation.
3. Sunnah: Hadith stating the Prophet (PBUH) wiped his head with the leftover water in his hand, or the moisture from his beard. Also, Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet (PBUH) washed himself and saw a spot untouched by water, took a hair with moisture on it, and passed it over that spot.
4. Analogy: Used water touched a pure body, similar to water touching pure stones or iron. This applies to water used for cooling or cleaning as well. Furthermore, if water is poured over the upper part of the face, fulfilling the obligation there, and then runs down to the rest of the face, it is valid, even though that water became used on the upper part.

Issue 2: Evidence that Used Water is Pure (Malik's view)

1. Qur'an: {And We send down from the sky water that is pure}.
2. Sunnah: The Prophet (PBUH) used the moisture from his beard. He said: "Allah created water ṭahūr (purifying); nothing pollutes it except what changes its taste, smell, or color."
3. Analogy: The Prophet (PBUH) performed wuḍū' (ablution), and water inevitably dripped onto his clothes. It is not reported that he washed his clothes, nor did any Muslim do so. Thus, they agreed it is not impure. It is pure water touching a pure body, like water touching stones.

Issue 3: Classification of Used Water (Shafi'i's perspective on degrees)

Used water is either from ablution limbs or washing clothes.

A. Water used for ablution limbs:

1. Used in an obligatory act of worship (Fard and 'Ibādah): Not purifying by consensus of Shafi'i's school.
2. Used in an obligation but not worship (Fard, not 'Ibādah): E.g., water used by a non-Muslim wife to wash her hayd (menstruation) to permit her husband's intimacy.
3. Used in worship but not obligatory ('Ibādah, not Fard): E.g., water used for the second or third rinsing in wuḍū', or water used for recommended ghusls. Shafi'i's school has two opinions on these two categories.
4. Neither obligatory nor worship: E.g., water used for the fourth rinse or for cooling/cleaning. This is pure and purifying by consensus.

B. Water used for washing clothes: If washing away impurity, the water from the second and third rinses is purifying according to the sounder opinion, even if the garment required three rinses for purification.

Point 2: Water that has Changed

Water changes either by itself or by something else.

1. Changed by itself (e.g., stagnation): Ablution is permissible, as the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform wuḍū' from the well of Qudā'ah, whose water was like henna dye.
2. Changed by an external factor:
   • External factor not touching the water: E.g., a carcass near the water makes it foul-smelling. It remains purifying.
   • External factor touching the water: This factor is either pure or impure.
     • If Pure:
       • If it doesn't mix: E.g., oil, perfume, camphor, or solid musk added. It remains purifying, based on the principle that what is established by the verse {water that is pure} remains unless proven otherwise.
       • If it mixes: If the mixing cannot be avoided (e.g., soil, silt, algae), it remains purifying. This is due to the principle of removing hardship: {He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion} (Al-Hajj: 78). This also applies if water flows over arsenic, lime, or kohl deposits.
       • If the change is slight and the water is still called "water" (e.g., slightly yellowed by saffron or slightly whitened by flour), ablution is valid according to the sounder view of the Madhhab, as the name "water" is not lost. If the change is significant and creates a new name (like broth), ablution is invalid by consensus. If no new name is formed, Shafi'i says it's invalid, while Abu Hanifa says it's valid.

Shafi'i's Arguments (for invalidity if significantly changed but no new name):

1. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Allah does not accept prayer except with this wuḍū'." If this wuḍū' were performed with changed water, it should only be accepted with that specific changed water, which is not the case. Thus, the original water must have been used.
2. If rosewater mixes with water, some limbs might be washed only by rosewater, creating doubt about the validity of wuḍū'. Doubt does not override certainty (the established state of impurity). This is not the case if the change is minor, as it is treated as non-existent.
3. Wuḍū' is a ritual act whose meaning cannot be grasped by analogy (e.g., rosewater wuḍū' is invalid, but wuḍū' with foul, stagnant water might be valid). Therefore, one must stick strictly to the text and abandon analogy.

Abu Hanifa's Arguments (for validity if no new name):

1. The verse {water that is pure} establishes the quality of purification, and the principle is that what is established remains, even after mixing.
2. The command {Then wash your faces} (Al-Ma'idah: 6) is general; having washed, the obligation is fulfilled.
3. The verse {And if you find no water, then seek clean earth} (An-Nisa': 43) makes tayammum obligatory only upon the absence of water. One who finds this changed water still finds water, so tayammum is not permitted.
4. The Prophet (PBUH) said regarding the sea: "Its water is ṭahūr," implying permissibility even if mixed with something else, as the Prophet (PBUH) stated this absolutely.
5. The Prophet (PBUH) permitted drinking the leftover water of a cat and a menstruating woman, even though their saliva mixed with it.
6. There is consensus on performing wuḍū' with water from floods and streams, whose color changes due to mud and vegetation (sometimes black, red, or yellow). This sets a precedent that water mixed with something is permissible unless the mixing completely strips it of the name "water."

If the mixing agent is impure: Some scholars (Hasan al-Basri, Al-Nakha'i, Malik, Dawud, and Al-Ghazali in Ihya') hold that water is not polluted unless its taste, smell, or color changes, regardless of quantity. Abu Bakr Al-Razi states that if a part of impurity is certainly or probably present, it cannot be used, whether the water is sea, well, stagnant, or flowing.

Others differentiated between small and large quantities:

• Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas: If water is forty qullāh (large containers), nothing pollutes it.
• Masruq and Ibn Sirin: Large amounts of water are not polluted by anything.
• Al-Shafi'i: If water is two qullatayn (of Hajar), it is not polluted unless its taste, smell, or color changes. If less, it is polluted if the impurity is apparent.

Arguments supporting Malik's view (purity unless changed):

1. The verse {water that is pure} is only set aside when color, taste, or smell changes due to apparent impurity; otherwise, the original ruling stands.
2. The Hadith: "Allah created water ṭahūr; nothing pollutes it except what changes its taste, smell, or color." This is explicit.
3. The command {wash your faces} implies that using this water fulfills the command.
4. In mixtures, the dominant quality prevails. If the impurity's taste, color, or smell appears, the impurity is dominant, and the water is consumed by it. If nothing appears, the water is dominant, and the impurity is consumed by it, thus the ruling of purity prevails.
5. Umar (RA) performed wuḍū' from a Christian jar, whose impurity was strongly suspected, indicating he relied only on the absence of change.
6. If a specific measure (like two qullatayn) were the standard, the water in Mecca and Medina would be the purest, yet no report exists from the early generations specifying measures or asking how to guard water from impurities, despite children and servants handling their water vessels without extreme caution.
7. The Prophet's (PBUH) allowing the cat to drink from vessels, despite knowing it eats mice and doesn't use dedicated basins, suggests reliance on the absence of change.
8. Al-Shafi'i himself ruled that water used to wash away impurities is pure if unchanged, and impure if changed. What is the difference between impurity falling into water or water falling onto impurity?
9. They used water from small, flowing streams for istinjā' (cleansing after relieving oneself). Al-Shafi'i permits wuḍū' in flowing water even if urine falls into it and doesn't change it, regardless of quantity. Why differentiate between flowing and stagnant water?
10. If urine falls into two qullatayn and is then distributed, every cup taken is pure according to Al-Shafi'i, even though the urine is present and spread. Why differentiate between initial mixing and subsequent mixing?
11. Public baths (ḥammāmāt) have always been used by ascetics, who dipped hands and vessels into small pools, knowing that both pure and impure hands entered them. If the two-qullatayn measure were binding, this practice would be widely known, reaching the level of tawātur (mass transmission). Since it is not, the measure is not binding.
12. If we rule that water becomes impure, we must agree that extremely large bodies of water (great valleys, large ponds) are pure by consensus. This necessitates a specific measure, but since different measures are reported, they conflict and cancel each other out. Abu Hanifa's measure (ten by ten) is arbitrary. Al-Shafi'i's measure of two qullatayn based on the Hadith "If water reaches two qullatayn, it does not carry filth" is weak because: (a) The narrator is unknown (Mursal), and (b) Many scholars hold it is a saying of Ibn Umar (Mawqūf). Furthermore, qullah is an unknown measure (it can mean a jug or a mountain peak). Even if known, the text is contradictory (some narrations say two qullatayn, others forty qullatayn, others two kīzān). If the text is contradictory, it cannot be used to restrict the general, clear texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Point 4: Is Non-Water Purifying? (Second Consideration)

Al-Aṣamm and Al-Awza'i permitted wuḍū' with all liquids. Abu Hanifa permitted nabīdh (date infusion) in travel, and permitted using all liquids to remove physical impurities.

Al-Shafi'i's View: Purification is exclusive to water in all cases (major impurity and filth).

• In case of major impurity: {And if you find no water, then seek clean earth} (An-Nisa': 43) mandates tayammum upon the absence of water. If vinegar or date infusion were permissible, tayammum would not be mandated upon the absence of water.
• In case of filth: If vinegar purified filth, it would be ṭahūr (purifying). If it were ṭahūr, it should permit purification from major impurity, based on the Hadith: "Allah does not accept the prayer of one of you until he places the ṭahūr in its proper places." The word ḥattā (until) implies the cessation of non-acceptance upon using the ṭahūr. Since prayer acceptance is not achieved by using vinegar, we know that purification is exclusive to water even for filth.

Conclusion of the Section

{And We have distributed it among them so that they may remember, but most people refuse except disbelief. And if We had willed, We would have sent to every town a warner. So do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them therewith a great striving.} (Verses 50–52)