Tziporah:
This passage in the Quran
jumped off the page at me, first and foremost because it mentions two of the
seven species of the Land of Israel that are also mentioned in the Hebrew
Bible. Figs and olives are known to be especially nutritious foods for humans,
and are regarded by some as having healing properties. In these verses, the fruits seem to represent witnesses to an oath about humanity’s connection to
the land and to God. I was also struck by the juxtaposition of Mount Sinai—where God bestowed the Torah (law)
upon Moses—with the land which God promised the people they would inhabit. Since the remainder of the sura discusses morality and divine
justice, it seems to me that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings be upon him] is
reminding us that human beings must be attuned to the natural world in order to
be attuned to the supernatural Presence.
Yasmina:
Tziporah, several Surats in the Quran contain oaths. Since
the Quran is the word of God revealed to the Prophet [Peace and Blessings be
upon him], there is an emphasis on the oaths, which are considered to be of
great importance. Humans—including all prophets—may not swear by any creation;
only God can do that. Scholars agree that here God is swearing by the olive and
fig trees due to their benefits to humans and some add that these trees are
mentioned as a symbol of the Bayt al
Maqdis where Jesus [Peace and Blessings be upon him] received his message
from God. The first three segments of the oath are correctly translated, but
the fourth should read “and by this secure city,” not “trustworthy land.” This refers to Mecca where the Quran was
first revealed. Consequently, I view the meaning of this text from a different
perspective. The Surat is a humble
reminder of the greatness of God’s wisdom and justice in creating humans and
holding them accountable for their actions.
Grace:
The poetic
imagery of this beautiful quotation conjures for me an Eden, where God the
Creator proclaimed all of creation good. Of course, the Creation story embraced
by my faith tradition shows also that sin came into the world and that Adam,
archetype of all humanity, hid his shame with a fig leaf! I think our spiritual
journeys are about rediscovering Eden as we learn to view creation—including
ourselves and other humans—with eyes trained to see through what we may
otherwise be tempted to call deformed, grotesque, dirty or spoiled. Beauty must
reside too in the “eye of the beholder” to recognize beauty in all. God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate, the supreme Beholder, sees human beings, even with
all our flaws, as an extension of all that is good. Our challenge is to go to the Mount, descend
to the valley and, as the Psalmist recommends, “taste and see that the Lord is
good.”
