Sūrat az-Zukhruf (Part 3)

﷽

A note before we begin our 3-months-overdue post. Alḥamdulillah, we launched the Heavenly Order mobile app for iOS a couple weeks back (and thank you to those who have given it a nice rating!). The Android one is also ready, but it needs 12 testers before they let me release it. If you have an Android device and are interested in helping, please provide your email to this form and I’ll get you a link to try the app out. And once 12 of you use it, I’ll be good to publish it.

This is Part 3 of our analysis of Sūrat az-Zukhruf (The Ornaments of Gold). For reference, here is the overall structure we’re discussing.

[G]/[G’] – These two sections distinguish between groups of people who are led to their final destinations. The first is someone who was led by someone close to them, but they are actually led astray and end up in the Fire, lamenting their friendship. On the other end is someone whose companionship was so powerful and positive that it leads them to enter Paradise together. And instead of them saying anything, it is Allah ﷻ who speaks, assuring them, “My servants, no fear will there be concerning you this Day, nor will you grieve…enter Paradise, you and your kinds, delighted.”

[H]/[H’] – The Messenger ﷺ is rhetorically asked if he can “make the deaf hear, or guide the blind or he who is in clear error?” which make seem strange in isolation, but is actually enhanced by the connected section. There, Allah ﷺ reminds us about Prophet Jesus and all the “clear” miraculous signs he showed his people. But, despite the miracles performed before them, they still rejected. The message to the Messenger ﷺ is now complemented. It is as if to say, “Prophet Jesus could not convince the majority of his people, and he had miracle after miracle performed for them. Why would you think your people are any different?”

[I]/[I’] – The simple connection here is that when Allah ﷻ tells us to “adhere to that which is revealed to you,” he makes it clear in the mirrored section that one of the ways we err is when we forget His command, “And never let Satan avert you. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”

This structure is to be concluded in Part 4.
…hopefully it doesn’t take another 3 months this time