Arabic
Guardian of Heavenly Truth
السلام عليكم
As-salāmu ʿalaykum
Arabic…Guardian of Heavenly Truth
As-salamu’ Alaykum!
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you!
Arabic has been described as ‘The language of Angels.’ It’s beauty, it’s rhythm, and it’s musicality, is well known throughout the world. Arabic is the official language in 22 countries, and is spoken by over 300 million people worldwide! Wow! It is actually the fifth most spoken language in the world. Indeed, the Arabic language is also like buried treasure, waiting to be discovered. It has a richness to it, more precious than gold. For example, one of the Arabic words for ‘love’ is HUBB. What is truly wonderful about this word is that it is rooted in the Arabic word HABB, which means ‘seed.’ Isn’t that beautiful! Just as life grows and flourishes from a seed, so love gives birth and grows, and spreads from Allah to family, friends and inshallah to the communities around us. How thankful we are, for the gift of love, and the giver of love “Al’- Wadud”, the loving One. “He is the oft-forgiving, full of loving kindness.”- Surah 85:14.
Just as a flower consists of many sweet fragrant petals, so too does Allah’s great love for us reveal itself in many different forms. One of the sweet petals of love shown towards us is compassion and mercy. This compassionate, merciful love for us is beautifully explained when we understand the Arabic language, a language that is truly a guardian of heavenly truth. RAHMAAN and RAHEEM are normally translated ‘compassion’ and ‘mercy’, and they are derived from the word RAHAM, an Arabic word which refers to the womb of a woman who is pregnant. Just as a child is protected and nurtured inside its mother’s womb, so Allah’s incredible compassion and mercy nurture and protect us.
Does this not help us to appreciate Allah more and more? Truly he is al-Rahmaan al-Raheem! Another fragrant petal of Allah’s love for us is the gift of rest. Interestingly, the Arabic word for Saturday is SABT, which means ‘stagnant’ or ‘hibernation’. Both definitions imply a resting or inactivity. Again, the Arabic language has become a guardian of heavenly truth. In what way? In the beginning of creation, Allah appointed the seventh day, the Sabbath (‘Shabbat’ in the Hebrew language) as a special day, set apart for remembering and for worshipping our Creator. We are to remember the ‘Sabt’ by putting aside all business and worldly affairs, and all that distracts us from remembering Allah. Just as stagnant water is still and at rest, and not ‘busy’ like a flowing river, so we are to use the ‘Sabt’ day for rest and remembrance of God. We are to stop rushing around working, cleaning, and shopping. Instead we need to slow down, rest, and spend time with our families and think upon Allah in much zikr (remembrance) and worship. In Allah’s laws we read the fourth commandment: Taurat Exodus 20:8-11 says: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day [Sabt] is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God [Allah]; in it thou shalt not do any work.” Many have substituted Allah’s appointed Sabbath day of worship and rest for a Sunday the first day of the week, but this is a grievous error. Thankfully, like a truth carved into eternal stone, the Arabic language has guarded the precious truth of the seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath, calling the correct day ‘SABT’.
We read in Taurat Genesis 2:2-3: “And on the seventh day God ended the work which he had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Here, we understand that Allah set an example for us to follow, an example of six days of work, and then a day of rest, the Sabbath [Sabt]. Allah didn’t need a day of rest from physical exertion, for as the Honoured Qur’an rightly points out, “We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in six days, NOR DID ANY SENSE OF WEARINESS TOUCH US.”- Surah 50:53.
This is exactly what the Bible scriptures teach. In Zaboor Psalm 121:4 we read that Allah “shall neither slumber nor sleep” and from the ancient Nabi Isaiah 40:28 we are reminded that Allah “fainteth not, nor is he weary.” But Allah the merciful knows that WE need a day of rest. So he set an example for us, like footprints in the sand, forming a trail for us to follow. Allah has given us the seventh day Sabbath as a blessing. Will we receive it? The Honoured Qur’an has much to say about the Sabbath commandment. Allah tells us plainly: “Transgress not in the matter of the Sabbath.”- Surah 4:154. We see here that the seventh day Sabbath is endorsed by the Honoured Qur’an, and we are told ‘not to transgress’, or break it. This beautiful Sabbath commandment is part of the Sharia Law of Allah contained in Taurat Exodus chapter 20. And the Qur’an reminds us “ and We ordained laws for him [Moses] in the tablets [of stone] in all matters both commanding and explaining all things, (and said): “Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts.”-Surah 7:145. Rather than viewing Allah’s commandments as a ‘burden’, may we see them as a ‘blessing’! They are ‘the best of precepts.’ We need to ‘take hold of them with firmness’ including the seventh day Sabbath. How important must the Sabbath day be, that Allah has wonderfully preserved it in the Arabic language! May keeping the SABT be our allegiance of love to our Creator! Injeel 1 John 5:3 reminds us that “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” The Sabbath is a day to be joyfully kept by all of Allah’s righteous servants. It displeases Allah when we disregard His Sharia. “And you had already known about those who transgressed among you concerning the Sabbath, and we said to them, “be ye apes, despised. And we made it a deterrent punishment for those who succeeded them AND A LESSON FOR THOSE THAT FEAR ALLAH.”- Surah 2:65-66. The Sabbath is a day to be kept by all who fear Allah. Indeed, we read in Taurat Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13.
Allah’s laws are not to be viewed as restrictive or as a burden, rather they are like an oasis in a desert land. They bring refreshment to our lives, purpose, protection, and freedom. We are instructed to “call the Sabbath a DELIGHT.”- Taurat Isaiah 58:13. This special 24 hour rest period enables us to focus on Allah undistracted. Allah is indeed Al-Wadud, the one full of loving kindness. Love desires relationship, and because of His love for us, Allah created the Sabbath as a special part of each week so we can cultivate our relationship with Him. Just as a palm tree flourishes in a barren desert by having its roots digging deep into a water source, so we can flourish spiritually by using the Sabbath day as a time to ‘dig our roots’ deeply into relationship with Allah, through worship and scripture study, or simply going for a walk in nature with our families, seeing the wonderful things Allah has made! This time of reflection in nature can only do us good. Indeed Zabur Psalms 104:24 tells us “ O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” And the Honoured Qur’an reminds us, “And we send down from the sky rain charged with blessing. And We produce therewith Gardens, and Grain for harvests; and tall (and stately) Palm trees, with shoots of fruit stalks, piled one over another as sustenance for Allah’s servants.”- Surah 50:9-11. May the Sabbath day be used to reflect on Allah’s wonderful creation and His glorious provision for us! The “Sabt” day, constantly helps us to remember that Allah is our Creator. We have not evolved from an inferior species such as apes, or come about by chance. The Honoured Qur’an reminds us that, “Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days.”- Surah 7:54. And Taurat Genesis 2:1-2 tells us: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh [Sabt] day God ended his work.” Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day [read Taurat Genesis 1:1-31] then came the Sabbath! Not only was the Sabbath given as a gift to mankind, but it would forever be a memorial of the One who made us! Nabi Isaiah 64:8 reminds us “But now, O LORD…
we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we are the work of thy hand.” And the Honoured Qur’an confirms this by saying: “He it is who created you from clay.”- Surah 6:2. How masterful and wise Allah is! Not only has He provided us with a day to rest and worship, He has also given us a weekly reminder that each one of us is His special creation. We are unique and precious, not some accident of an evolutionary process! May we learn to treasure the SABT, and keep it as a sign/seal of our love for Allah. May we always be thankful for the Arabic language that has been a precious guardian of this heavenly truth. And as we keep the Sabbath day holy, may we forever remember “Praise be to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth.”- Surah 6:1. The same One who created you and me! Alhamdulillah!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more information on keeping the Sabbath Day:
www.rememberthesabbathday.org.UK
For a free download of the Bible in your language:
e-sword.com
Text Copied from DivineIslam’s Qur’an Viewer software v2.910
To study the Taurat, Injeel, Zabur and the previous Prophets in your language view:
Phil Taylor / R. M. Harnisch
