seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 29:14. We sent Noah to his people, and He stayed among them for a thousand years minus fifty years. Then the Deluge swept them; for they were wrongdoers.
15. But We saved him, together with the company of the Ark, and We made it a sign for all peoples.
16. And Abraham, when he said to his people, “Worship God, and fear Him. That is better for you, if you only knew.
17. You worship idols besides God, and you fabricate falsehoods. Those you worship, instead of God, cannot provide you with livelihood. So seek your livelihood from God, and worship Him, and thank Him. To Him you will be returned.”
18. If you disbelieve, communities before you have also disbelieved. The Messenger is only responsible for clear transmission.
19. Have they not seen how God originates the creation, and then reproduces it? This is easy for God.
20. Say, “Roam the earth, and observe how He originated the creation.” Then God will bring about the next existence. God has power over all things.”
21. He punishes whom He wills, and He grants mercy to whom He wills, and to Him you will be restored.
22. You cannot escape, on earth or in the heaven; and you have no protector and no savior besides God.
23. Those who disbelieved in God’s signs and His encounter—these have despaired of My mercy. For them is a painful torment.
24. But the only response from his people was their saying, “Kill him, or burn him.” But God saved him from the fire. Surely in that are signs for people who believe.
25. And he said, “You have chosen idols instead of God, out of affection for one another in the worldly life. But then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will disown one another, and curse one another. Your destiny is Hell, and you will have no saviors.”
26. Then Lot believed in him, and said, “I am emigrating to my Lord. He is the Noble, the Wise.”
27. And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and conferred on his descendants the Prophethood and the Book, and gave him his reward in this life; and in the Hereafter he will be among the upright.
28. And Lot, when he said to his people, “You are committing an obscenity not perpetrated before you by anyone in the whole world.
29. You approach men, and cut off the way, and commit lewdness in your gatherings.” But the only response from his people was to say, “Bring upon us God’s punishment, if you are truthful.”
30. He said, “My Lord, help me against the people of corruption.”
Here's the commentary.
The Bible gives 950 years to be the age of Noah. It is not improbable that the span of man’s life may have been greater in his earlier history than at present, and Noah may have attained an extraordinary age among his compatriots. But there are indications that the reference here is to the abiding for 950 years of the law preached by Noah, his place then being taken by Abraham, and the reference may be to these 950 years, as the mention of Abraham immediately afterwards shows.
The law of creation and destruction of things, which is constantly working in nature, finds an expression in the lives of nations: a nation is brought into existence, then it is swept away and a new nation raised in its stead. It is to this law that the verse refers as a warning to the idolatrous Makkans that the time had now come when their place would be taken by another nation. This is made clear in the verses that follow.
Elsewhere, the words travel in the earth are always followed by then see what was the end of the rejectors, instead of which we have here how He makes the first creation, then Allåh creates the latter creation. The apparent identity of the significance of these two statements is thus made clearer by the comparison, which shows that what is meant is the disappearance of one nation to give place to another.
As in 21:69, so here, it is not stated that Abraham was actually cast into the fire. On the other hand, the plan was either to slay or to burn him, and therefore the fire may only stand for the opposition which these plans involved.
Three evils are ascribed to Lot’s people — unnatural crime, highway robbery, and openly committing evil deeds in their assemblies. Therefore it is a mistake to explain all incidents in connection with Lot’s story only with reference to unnatural crime as the sole evil of which they were guilty. Qa∆‘ al-sabßl is, according to Kf, “the work of robbers, killing men and seizing their property”. JB adds after the words taq∆a‘∂n al-sabßl by way of explaining them, “for they used to murder the passers-by and rob them of their property”. Other commentators give similar explanations.
I see a couple of things in these verses. Of course I see the "rise and fall of nations".... it's really pronounced. Every time I think of "the fall of Nations" I think of the "fall of Rome". it was kind of sad actually. The Romans were so very proud when they were at the top. They built a ton of infrastructure. The Romans really knew how to run a building project.
When I think of Abraham.... and fire..... I think of Isaac. Abraham almost threw his kid on a rock and set fire to him! Sarah had already run his other son off, along with the mother of the boy. Maybe Isaac did something to make Abraham miss Ishmael. Maybe it wasn't God who wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Maybe Abraham wanted his other son back.... so Isaac was going to have to go.... and God stopped Abraham.... Maybe that's what really happened. We weren't there. We only know there was an attempted sacrifice that ended in a more reasonable sacrifice.
When I think of Rome.... and it's fall.... I also think of Greece and it's fall. I think of the law as coming from Greece. Who needs law more? Do we need laws for good and honorable men to act civil? Or is it more common to make laws to stop something that is already happening. I think of the Greeks and the Greco-Roman fighting... naked.... as sport..... and I think "how were the Greeks so innocent?" Do Romans or Hebrews have a lower testosterone count? Is that why they are more "civilized"?
Another topic in these verses.... is the mindset of the people of Sodom. It says here they were robbers and murderers who used to murder passers-by and rob their corpses. These are scoundrels who take over the town in the Westerns. In the Westerns someone like Paladin or Josh Randal or the drovers on the Favor crew would have to go in and clean up the town. These are the scoundrels who run women out. Women are inconvenient to some men. In the Westerns.... women are really good at leaving town before the scoundrels take over. It's only the barmaids and dance hall girls who are stuck with the scoundrels.
It's not just the gay men that have no use for women. Men who have tasted blood have no need for women. Women only get in the way when what you are after is the gold in another man's pockets. Maybe the humans in Sodom had such ridiculous testosterone levels.... they didn't need women.... or they abused women.... maybe they were just over juiced.... who knows what happens in the minds of men.
The point here is..... don't be so interested in the things of this world.... that you forget God.
This is the Quran.... same humans.... same God.
