No change should there be in the creation of Allah [Quran 30:30]
Mission of the Messengers - XI
Abstract
Examples of Believers and Non-Believers
The Quran presents the example of four women: two distinguished Believers and two non-Believers:
[Al-Quran 66:10-12] God sets forth, for an example to the Unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were (respectively) under two of our righteous servants, but they were false to their (husbands), and they profited nothing before God on their account, but were told: "Enter ye the Fire along with (others) that enter!"
And God sets forth, as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh: Behold she said: "O my Lord! Build for me, in nearness to Thee, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong" ;
And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).
For the possible sin(s) of the wife of Noah and wife of Lut, please read World History and Future Implications.
As regards Pharaoh's doings, the Quran 89:11-12 informs us that he was transgressing and spread much corruption. Mythological hybrids appear in ancient drawings and most probably were actual creatures as a result of crossbreeding.
For an explanation of ' We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit', please read Virgin Birth.
While Satan commands us to change creation (Q4:119), we have been duly warned to not to tinker with Creation:
[Al-Quran 30:30] So set your face to the religion upright. Nature (made by) Allah (upon) which He has created mankind [on it]. No change (should there be) in the creation (of) Allah. That (is) the religion the correct, but most men (do) not know.
[Al-Quran 30:41-43] Has appeared the corruption in the land and the sea for what have earned (the) hands (of) people, so that He may let them taste a part (of) that which they have done so that they may return. Say, "Travel in the earth and see how was (the) end (of) those who (were) before. Most of them were polytheists." So set your face to the religion right, before [that] comes a Day not (can be) averted [it] from Allah. That Day, they will be divided.
Warning the Unbelievers:
[Al-Quran 47:22-24] Then would you perhaps, if you are given* that you cause corruption in the earth and cut off your wombs. Those, (are) the ones Allah has cursed them, so He made them deaf and blinded their vision. Then do not they ponder (over) the Quran or upon (their) hearts (are) locks?
* variously translated as given a chance, command, knowledge, authority, turned away ...
C-sections? Abortions? Hysterectomy? Though we may think of these as modern medical techniques, we discover that such procedures were performed even as far back as at least 50BC, or even earlier!
Corruption is a theme that is addressed early on in The Quran 2:11-12. The people who indulge in corruption claim to be reformers who think they are correcting... The Quran warns us that they are the corrupters but they perceive it not! The Quran 7:189 reiterates that we have been created from a single nafs which divided and mated, and touches upon the possibility of the progeny not being صَالِحً (not perfect?): quoting the parents' prayer to Allah for an offspring who is صَالِحًا, and the parents' subsequent shirk after being blessed with a صَالِحًا offspring.
These days, scientists are employing womb-invasive techniques attempting to, and claiming success in, editing out harmful diseases and disabilities! Surrogacy as one of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies has been around for a while; tinkering with the mitochondria, again involves three-parent babies; gene-editing babies in the womb; ... While we await the long-term consequences of such interventions, as Muslims we must become cautious and heed to the ayaat of The Quran commanding us to guard the womb; and the pledge of the believing women that 'not they bring slander, they invent it between their hands and their feet', if such interventions is what it is referring to. As mentioned above, there are historical narratives of womb-related innovations. The Quran claims that the ancients were mightier and thus it should not be surprising if they also indulged in transgressions regarding the womb, as and when the transgressors found the opportunity to do so. To quote from The Quran, the people who were surprised to see Mary carrying a baby (Jesus) said:
And Allah knows best!
Abstract
The Womb plays a central role in creation. Allah shapes us in the wombs however He wills. Satan hopes to destroy humans. One of his tactics is to command us to change creation. We have been duly warned to not to change the creation of Allah. Believers have also been warned to guard the womb.
Full
Text
هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
[Al-Quran 3:6] He (is) the One Who shapes you in the wombs how(ever) He wills. (There is) no god except Him, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
The Quran repeatedly draws attention towards the wonders of creation! The womb is especially mentioned in a number of ayaat across the Quran. Its triliteral root rā ḥā mīm (ر ح م) occurs 339 times, out of which the noun arḥām (أَرْحَام) occurs 12 times. In some translations, the word is sometimes not translated as womb, which completely changes the meaning and makes us miss the point. In the ayaat I have quoted here, I have edited any translation which translates it differently.
The uterus or womb is the specially designed organ in the female human and mammalian body capable of conceiving, developing and carrying a baby till birth.
The uterus or womb is the specially designed organ in the female human and mammalian body capable of conceiving, developing and carrying a baby till birth.
اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ الْأَرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ
وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ
[Al-Quran 13:8] Allah knows what carries every female, and what fall short the womb, and what they exceed. And every thing with Him (is) in due proportion.
Surah an-Nisaa begins with a warning to be fearful and keep our duty towards Allah, with special emphasis on the womb:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ
الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا
وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا
الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا
وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا
[Al-Quran
4:1] O
mankind! Be conscious your Rab (Lord/Sustainer), the One Who
created you from a single nafs, and created from her her mate, and dispersed
from both of them many men and women. And be conscious of Allah Whom you ask, with
it, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is over you Ever-Watchful.
The Surah goes on to mention special cases,
detailing the guidance for each such situation. Then the Surah informs us that the rebellious Satan, when
cursed by God, swore to take a portion of humans and said that:
وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ
وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ
وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ
فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا
[Al-Quran 4:116-121] ‘… And I will mislead
them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so
they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change
the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally
instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss. …’
The most effective way to corrupt and destroy is from within. Satan aims to cause us to corrupt our very genome. To protect the Believers from being misled by the deception of Satan, great emphasis is thus placed on guarding the womb:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا جَاءَكَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلَىٰ
أَن لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا
وَلَا يَسْرِقْنَ
وَلَا يَزْنِينَ
وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ
وَلَا يَأْتِينَ بِبُهْتَانٍ يَفْتَرِينَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ
وَلَا يَعْصِينَكَ فِي مَعْرُوفٍ
فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
أَن لَّا يُشْرِكْنَ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا
وَلَا يَسْرِقْنَ
وَلَا يَزْنِينَ
وَلَا يَقْتُلْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ
وَلَا يَأْتِينَ بِبُهْتَانٍ يَفْتَرِينَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِنَّ وَأَرْجُلِهِنَّ
وَلَا يَعْصِينَكَ فِي مَعْرُوفٍ
فَبَايِعْهُنَّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُنَّ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
[Al-Quran
60:12] O
Prophet! When come to you the believing women pledging to you [on]
that not
they will associate with Allah anything, and not they will steal, and not they will
commit adultery, and not they will kill their children, and not they bring
slander, they invent it between their hands and their feet, and not they will
disobey you in (the) right, then accept their pledge and ask forgiveness for them
(from) Allah. Indeed, Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And God sets forth, as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh: Behold she said: "O my Lord! Build for me, in nearness to Thee, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong" ;
While Satan commands us to change creation (Q4:119), we have been duly warned to not to tinker with Creation:
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا
فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا
لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ
ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
[Al-Quran 30:30] So set your face to the religion upright. Nature (made by) Allah (upon) which He has created mankind [on it]. No change (should there be) in the creation (of) Allah. That (is) the religion the correct, but most men (do) not know.
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ
لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلُ
كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّشْرِكِينَ
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ الْقَيِّمِ
مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ
Warning the Unbelievers:
فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ
أَن تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ
أَن تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ
أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمَىٰ أَبْصَارَهُمْ
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا
[Al-Quran 47:22-24] Then would you perhaps, if you are given* that you cause corruption in the earth and cut off your wombs. Those, (are) the ones Allah has cursed them, so He made them deaf and blinded their vision. Then do not they ponder (over) the Quran or upon (their) hearts (are) locks?
* variously translated as given a chance, command, knowledge, authority, turned away ...
C-sections? Abortions? Hysterectomy? Though we may think of these as modern medical techniques, we discover that such procedures were performed even as far back as at least 50BC, or even earlier!
Corruption is a theme that is addressed early on in The Quran 2:11-12. The people who indulge in corruption claim to be reformers who think they are correcting... The Quran warns us that they are the corrupters but they perceive it not! The Quran 7:189 reiterates that we have been created from a single nafs which divided and mated, and touches upon the possibility of the progeny not being صَالِحً (not perfect?): quoting the parents' prayer to Allah for an offspring who is صَالِحًا, and the parents' subsequent shirk after being blessed with a صَالِحًا offspring.
These days, scientists are employing womb-invasive techniques attempting to, and claiming success in, editing out harmful diseases and disabilities! Surrogacy as one of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies has been around for a while; tinkering with the mitochondria, again involves three-parent babies; gene-editing babies in the womb; ... While we await the long-term consequences of such interventions, as Muslims we must become cautious and heed to the ayaat of The Quran commanding us to guard the womb; and the pledge of the believing women that 'not they bring slander, they invent it between their hands and their feet', if such interventions is what it is referring to. As mentioned above, there are historical narratives of womb-related innovations. The Quran claims that the ancients were mightier and thus it should not be surprising if they also indulged in transgressions regarding the womb, as and when the transgressors found the opportunity to do so. To quote from The Quran, the people who were surprised to see Mary carrying a baby (Jesus) said:
فَأَتَتْ بِهِ قَوْمَهَا تَحْمِلُهُ
قَالُوا يَا مَرْيَمُ لَقَدْ جِئْتِ شَيْئًا فَرِيًّا
يَا أُخْتَ هَارُونَ مَا كَانَ أَبُوكِ امْرَأَ سَوْءٍ وَمَا كَانَتْ أُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا
Then she came to her people carrying him (Isa).
They (her people) said, "O Maryam !you have come with a strange thing.
O sister of Harun ! your father was not a bad man nor your mother was one who exceeded the limits."
[Al-Quran 19:27-28, Translator: Mir Aneesuddin]
قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنكَ إِن كُنتَ تَقِيًّا
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا
قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا
قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِّنَّا وَكَانَ أَمْرًا مَّقْضِيًّا
فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانتَبَذَتْ بِهِ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا
She said, "Indeed, I [I] seek refuge with the Most Gracious from you if you are God fearing."
He said, "Only I am a Messenger (from) your Lord, that I (may) bestow on you a son pure."
She said, "How can be for me a son, when not has touched me a man, and not I am unchaste?"
He said, "Thus; said your Lord, 'It (is) for Me easy, and so that We will make him a sign for the mankind and a Mercy from Us. And (it) is a matter decreed.'"
So she conceived and she withdrew with him (to) a place remote.
[Al-Quran 19:18-22]
Also noteworthy is the dialogue between Mary and the Messenger of Allah when her body was commanded to conceive Jesus:
قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنكَ إِن كُنتَ تَقِيًّا
قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا
قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا
قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِّنَّا وَكَانَ أَمْرًا مَّقْضِيًّا
فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانتَبَذَتْ بِهِ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا
She said, "Indeed, I [I] seek refuge with the Most Gracious from you if you are God fearing."
He said, "Only I am a Messenger (from) your Lord, that I (may) bestow on you a son pure."
She said, "How can be for me a son, when not has touched me a man, and not I am unchaste?"
He said, "Thus; said your Lord, 'It (is) for Me easy, and so that We will make him a sign for the mankind and a Mercy from Us. And (it) is a matter decreed.'"
So she conceived and she withdrew with him (to) a place remote.
[Al-Quran 19:18-22]
Both Mary and her mother were neither unchaste nor ones who exceeded the limits! Notice that in arabic, its the same word: بَغِيًّا
And Allah knows best!
Related posts:
Post related to Mission of the Messengers:
Presentation: Rethink Genetic Engineering in the Light of the Quran
Last updated on November 22, 2019
