Abstract
Q13:11 is
famously quoted to encourage people to change their condition. According to the
context, it is a warning to not to make changes in the
Nafs. Understanding the harm we may suffer
as a consequence of making changes in the creation of Allah.
Full Text
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا
وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
[Al-Quran
7:23] Both of them said "
Our
Lord we have wronged our nafs,
and if not You forgive
[for] us and have mercy (on) us, surely, we will be among the losers."
Note: in the Arabic ayaat and its translations quoted in this post, I have highlighted the word نفُسَ in blue bold letters, and edited the translations to retain the Arabic word.
To Wrong the Nafs
Adam and his wife cried out that they had wronged their
nafs (
أَنفُسَنَا). The Qur’an
informs us that the creation of Allah should not be changed, and warns us that
changing what is within will result in Allah changing our condition. When Adam
was placed in the Garden, he was warned to not to let Satan get him out of the
state he was in:
[Al-Quran
20:117 –
20:119] Then We said, "
O Adam! Indeed, this (is) an enemy to you and to your wife.
So not (let) him drive you both from Paradise so (that) you would suffer. Indeed, for you
that not you will be hungry therein and not you will be unclothed. And that you
not will suffer from thirst therein and not exposed to the sun's heat."
Obeying Satan made them slip from the wonderfully comfortable state they were
in:
[Al-Quran
2:36]
Then made [both of] them slip the Shaitaan from it, and
he got [both of] them out from what they [both] were in [it]. And We said, "Go down (all of you), some of
you to others (as) enemy; and for you in the earth (is) a dwelling place and a
provision for a period."
We, the progeny of Adam, have also been forewarned to not to let Satan get us
out as he got Adam and his wife out of the Garden:
[Al-Quran
7:27]
O Children (of) Adam! (Let) not tempt you [the] Shaitaan as
he drove out your parents from Paradise, stripping
from both of them their clothing to show both of them their
shame. Indeed, he sees you - he and his tribe from where not you see them.
Indeed, We have made the devils friends of those who (do) not believe.
[Related Post: Satan's Enmity: Origin & Objective || Adam's Attempt to Improve upon Allah's Creation]
The Nafs in Pledge
[Al-Quran
7:172-
174]
And when your
Lord took from (the) Children (of) Adam - from their loins -
their descendants and made them testify over
their Nafs, "Am I not your Lord?"
They said,
"Yes we have testified."
Lest you say (on the) Day (of) the Resurrection, "Indeed, we were about
this unaware." Or you say, "Only our forefathers associated partners
(with Allah) before (us) and we are descendants after them. So will You destroy
us for what did the falsifiers?" And thus We explain the ayaat (signs) so
that they may return.
Since we have witnessed our creation and testified, now our Nafs is
in pledge:
[Al-Quran
5:105]
O you who believe! Upon you (is to guard) your Nafs. Will not harm you (those) who (have gone) astray when you have been guided. To Allah (is) your return - all; then He will inform you of what you used to do.
[Al-Quran
39:15] So
worship what you will besides Him." Say, "
Indeed,
the losers (are) those who (will) lose their Nafs and
their families (on the) Day (of) the Resurrection. Unquestionably, that
- it (is) the loss the clear.”
[Related Post: Rethink Genetic Engineering in the Light of the Quran (a presentation)]
The Nafs
Nafs,
generally (mis)translated as self or soul, is something the body can survive
without:
az-Zumar 39:42
Allah takes the Nafs (at the) time (of)
their
death, and the one who (does) not die in their
sleep.
Then He keeps the one whom, He has decreed for them the death, and sends the
others for a term specified. Indeed, in that surely (are) signs for a people
who ponder.
Human: Body or Soul? explores the concept in some detail.
The Quran states that the people in Hell will be neither alive nor dead.
However, the
Nafs can
not be assumed to be consciousness, as the Quran also describes the condition
of the people in Hell: it describes their food and drink; how they will try to
escape, and how they will beg for mercy.
Perhaps the
Nafs is or contains the master-copy of our genome. The Quran informs us that our entire record and our consequent fate is tied to our necks. There is a free-floating hyoid bone in our neck. Our speech and actions are being recorded, and everything that happens to us is decreed by Allah, and recorded in a decree (كِتَابٍ) before it happens. As far as the biological consequences are concerned, the entire field of genetics is discovering how detailed the information is in our genomes.
As far as other external events are concerned, they are also decreed by Allah and are in a record. Which record? That remains to be revealed, if Allah wills.
While we may
still be unclear about what exactly the
Nafs is, we need to
heed to the warnings in the Quran about wronging the
Nafs, especially the wrongs which involve causing changes in the
Nafs...
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ
The root (غ ي ر) is used for verbs denoting change, and for nouns ranging in meaning from
not, never, other, without, etc. The following screenshots lists its use as verbs and active particles:
Advances in Genetic Engineering promise revolutionary
changes in health and longevity, if not immortality. It is tempting to get
swayed by them, just as Adam, a bashr (بَشَرًا), got tempted by the possibility of becoming an angel (مَلَكٌ) or an immortal (مِنَ الْخَالِدِينَ). Perhaps the best way to cause enduring changes is to cause changes in the genome, however it is caused: technologically or through some other means, for example Adam's eating from the forbidden tree, a case in point. When
we change what is in our Nafs, we earn the harm and cause ourselves to be removed
from the state we are in into a worse state of being. Satan has vowed to mislead Bani Adam. He is quoted in
Surah an-Nisa ayat 119. One of the commands that is quoted is: (... وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ
فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ ...) translation: '... and surely I will order them
so they will surely change (the) creation (of) Allah ...' In Surah ar-Ra`d, we read:
سَوَاءٌ مِّنكُم مَّنْ أَسَرَّ الْقَوْلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍ بِاللَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌ بِالنَّهَارِ
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ
وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ
(It is) same (to Him)
[of you] (one) who conceals the speech or (one) who publicizes it and (one) who
[he] (is) hidden by night or goes freely by day.
For him (are) successive
(Angels) before him and behind him, who guard him by (the) Command of
Allah.
Indeed,
Allah (does) not change the condition of a people, until they change what (is)
in their Nafs.
And when Allah wills for a people misfortune,
then (there is) no turning away of it, and not for them besides Him any
protector.
There are many examples of nations who suffered the consequence:
أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَبْلُ فَذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوا وَّاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ
Has not come to you
(the) news (of) those who disbelieved before? So they tasted (the bad) consequence (of) their affair command, and
for them (is) a punishment painful.
That (is) because had come to them their Messengers with clear proofs,
but they said, "Shall human beings guide us?" So they
disbelieved and turned away. And Allah can do without them.
And Allah (is) Self-sufficient, Praiseworthy.
[Al-Quran
64:5 -
64:6; Translation edited in
italics]
The Ancients were punished for similar crimes:
كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِّعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ
وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Like (the) way (of)
people of Firaun and those who (were) before them. They disbelieved in (the)
Signs (of) Allah, so Allah seized them for their
sins. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Strong (and) severe (in) the
penalty.
That (is)
because Allah is not One Who changes a favor which He had bestowed on a people
until they change what (is) in their Nafs.
And indeed, Allah (is) All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
When the People of the Book Wronged
The Quran informs us that our judgement is being delayed until a fixed time: [
Q3:178,
Q11:110,
Q14:42,
Q16:61,
Q18:58,
Q19:84,
Q20:129,
Q35:45]. Therefore, when the
People of the Book defiantly disobeyed, they were not annihilated. However,
they did suffer the consequence of defiant disobedience, and insights into the
genomes of apes and pigs, and the fossil evidence from Ardi, are confirming what The Quran states. In The Torah, they are warned:
לוְכָל־הַנֶּ֗פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂה֙ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְהַֽאֲבַדְתִּ֛י אֶת־הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמָּֽהּ:
And any person who performs any work on that very day I will destroy that person from amidst its people.
[The Torah, Vayikra - Leviticus
23:30]
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ
فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ
فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
And indeed, you knew
those who transgressed among you in the (matter of) Sabbath.
So We said to them, "Be apes, despised."
So We made it a
deterrent punishment for those (in) front (of) them and those after them and an
admonition for those who fear (Allah).
------------------------------
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ هَلْ تَنقِمُونَ مِنَّا إِلَّا أَنْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلُ وَأَنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُم بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذَٰلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِندَ اللَّهِ
مَن لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ وَعَبَدَ الطَّاغُوتَ أُولَٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ عَن سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ
وَإِذَا جَاءُوكُمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَقَد دَّخَلُوا بِالْكُفْرِ وَهُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُوا بِهِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْتُمُونَ
Say, "O People (of)
the Book! Do you resent [of] us except that we believe in Allah and what has
been revealed to us and what was revealed before, and that most of you (are)
defiantly disobedient." Say, "Shall I inform you (of) worse than that
(as) recompense from Allah?
Whom Allah has
cursed and He became angry with him and made of them [the] apes and
[the] swines, and (who) worshipped the false deities. Those (are) worse (in) position and farthest astray
from (the) even way."
And when they come to you they say,
"We believe." But certainly they entered with disbelief and they
certainly went out with it. And Allah knows best [of] what they were hiding.
------------------------------
وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ أَنجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ السُّوءِ وَأَخَذْنَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا بِعَذَابٍ بَئِيسٍ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ
فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا عَن مَّا نُهُوا عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ
And when said a
community among them, "Why (do) you preach a people, (whom) Allah (is
going to) destroy them or punish them (with) a punishment severe?" They
said, "To be absolved before your Lord and that they may become
righteous." So when they forgot what they had been reminded with [it], We
saved those who forbade [from] the evil, and We seized those who wronged with a
punishment wretched, because they were defiantly disobeying.
So when they exceeded all bounds about what they were
forbidden from it, We said to them, "Be apes, despised."
The Correct Religion
We have been commanded and warned:
[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.
Though generally translated as religion, the word لِلدِّينِ can also be translated as law. The Quran defines three laws, terming them as الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ, of which Q30:30 is the third:
The Quran further informs us that:
[Al-Quran
30:41]
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.
A Message of Hope
To those who wish to keep their duty and follow the guidance, The Quran offers hope:
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
أُولَٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ
قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ سُنَنٌ فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ
هَٰذَا بَيَانٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
And those when they did immorality or wronged their NAFS - they remember Allah then ask forgiveness for their sins - and who (can) forgive the sins except Allah? And not they persist on what they did while they know.
Those - their reward (is) forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens flows from underneath it the rivers, abiding forever in it. And an excellent reward (for) the (righteous) workers.
Verily passed before you situations, then travel in the earth and see how was (the) end (of) the deniers.
This (is) a declaration for the people and guidance and admonition for the God-fearing.
Scientific Experiments, Findings and on-going
Research
Apes
The
science
journal Nature reported:
"The bonobo genome shows that
more
than 3% of the human genome is more closely related to either bonobos or
chimpanzees than these are to each other. This can be used to illuminate
the population history and selective events that affected the ancestor of
bonobos and chimpanzees. In addition,
about
25% of human genes contain parts that are more closely related to one of the
two apes than the other. Such regions can now be identified and will
hopefully contribute to the unravelling of the genetic background of phenotypic
similarities among humans, bonobos and chimpanzees."
The
Kent-State University reported:
"People often think we evolved from ancestors that look like apes, but no,
apes in some ways evolved from ancestors that look like us," Lovejoy said. "It has been a popular idea to think humans are modified chimpanzees. From studying Ardipithecus ramidus, or 'Ardi,' we learn that we cannot understand or model human evolution from chimps and gorillas."
Pigs
In
Genome-wide
characterization of PRE-1 reveals a hidden evolutionary relationship between
suidae and primates, the authors write:
"Although mammals share most of the same genes, the pig has always been
thought to be a better biomedical model to humans than rodents due to its
similar biochemical and physiological functions. The pig genome has been
decoded, providing an necessary resource for mining similar genomic elements in
non-coding regions. The SINE composition, being the second most abundant in
terms of genome coverage, was the first to be considered for genomic mining.
In
this report, we described a parallel
world of porcine PRE-1 that almost copies all of the genomic performance of the
human Alu element in the genome. In addition, we further explained that the
formation of PRE-1 fragments of different lengths is based on a mutation hot
spot-dependent fracture mechanism. Lastly, we compared the evolutionary
behavior of porcine PRE-1 with that of human Alus and concluded that they are
both descended from 7SL RNA and generated by different, independent
evolutionary pathways. Therefore, all of the genomic evidence for a closer
taxonomic relationship between the suidae and primate are not limited to the
genes but also extended to the SINEs."
Gene Editing
Technology
It's not hyperbolic to say that the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing
technique has been a revolutionary breakthrough, allowing scientists the
ability to quickly, easily and precisely edit sections of DNA. But questions
over how precise the CRISPR tool is have been raised in a new study from
Columbia University Medical Center, which shows this gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds
of unintended mutations into the genome.
Chimeras
In a remarkable—if likely controversial—feat, scientists
announced today that they have created the first successful human-animal
hybrids. The project proves that human
cells can be introduced into a non-human organism, survive, and even grow
inside a host animal, in this case, pigs.
…
That’s now one step closer to reality, an international team
of researchers led by the Salk Institute
reports
in the journal Cell. The team created what’s known
scientifically as a chimera: an organism that contains cells from two different
species.
…
There are two ways to make a chimera. The first is to
introduce the organs of one animal into another—a risky proposition, because
the host’s immune system may cause the organ to be rejected.
The other method is to begin at the embryonic level,
introducing one animal’s cells into the embryo of another and letting them grow
together into a hybrid.
…
Transhumanism
… movement that
advocates for the transformation of humanity through embracing technology.
…
With the pace of
technological advancement dramatically accelerating into the 21st century,
transhumanist thinking began to manifest in more specific futurist visions. Cryonics
and life extension technology was one focus of transhumanists, while
others looked to body modification, gender transitioning and general
biohacking as a way of transcending the limits of our physical bodies.
Lest we get carried
away by the false promises of technology, the Quran warns us:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ
ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ
O mankind! Is
set forth an example, so listen to it.
Indeed,
those whom you invoke besides Allah will never create a fly even if they
gathered together for it.
And
if snatched away from them the fly a thing not they (could) take it back from
it.
So weak (are)
the seeker and the one who is sought.
Last updated on: April 26, 2021
