Um- Al Ketab ام الکتاب, Lawh Mahfouz لوح محفوظ , Al Masani المثانی
By In-House Scholar
We believe God has certain decrees for his creations in existence,
.and we are obliged to act in accordance to it
These decrees are called “ Shariat.”
The word “ Shariat شریعت ” means lawfulness,
and “ Shar شرع” means Law.
Every series of creation of God have laws specifically for them.
All these laws are in Lawh Mahfouz لوح محفوظ ( the protected Tablet)
Those parts from this collection, according to Asra:106
has been compartmentalized according to Allah’s decision,
قُرْآنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ
So it can be read for the people in segments,
لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَىٰ مُكْثٍ
And in a specific way, gradually came to the earth.
وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنزِيلًا
What came for the prophet
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْآنَهُ –Qiyamat 17
Was gathered and read by Allah, and those with him,
and got the name Quran,
meaning “Readable- what is to be Read.”
Afterwards he was ordered, after he had finished reading,
to follow from what he has read.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَاهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْآنَهُ -Qiyamat 18
And why was it kept in Lawh Mahfouz ( protected tablet)?
فِي لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ –Burooj 22
Because, Laws need to be protected/preserved,
so it can be safe from any sort of damage/flaw.
When a book is called Mother book,
then it is not possible that any book would exist prior to it,
other wise, the name of “ Um- al-Ketab” ( The mother book ) is useless.
Um- al- Ketab, ام الکتاب (The mother Book), as it is obvious from its name,
is the Mother of all books.
At the same time, God has registered everything with the most
precise details- Naba 29.
Hence, all things, apart from the existence it has,
Is registered with all the details in a form of a book,
and all of these books are in the Mother book
No book can be like The mother book,
in completeness of archived information,
otherwise the title would be not appropriate.
But from a sequence point of view
It does not necessarily have to be primitive قدیم
The Index and details of creatures,
can be codified billions of years after it is created,
similar to an index of a volume of a book,
which is written after its’ completion.
In short, names and details of everything,
without considering the sequence of creation,
is available in The mother book.
In relation to Books
Their names and time of creation,
not necessarily causes it to be higher or lower in position,
but it is the content of a thing, which gives it status of honor or degradation.
Like humans, in both states of Ahsan Taqweem احسن تقریم(Highest stature)
and Asfal as Safeleen اسفل اسافلین(Lowest of the low),
their exterior is similar ,
but the difference in interior is beyond imagination.
Was the prophet any different physically before and after Meraj
( The ascension to the Heavens)?
From the law point of view,
there is nothing higher than the Quran,
because God has described Quran with the adjective, Azeem الْعَظِيمَ (Great)
وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ –Hijr 87
and has precedented and prefered it amongst all religions,
لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ – Tubah 33
and the goal of the mission of the prophet who had the Great Quran,
was Mercy for all Universes.
And from another point,
God points out to something called Masani مثانی
That the seven verses of it precede over that of the Great Quran الْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ.
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ – Hijr 87
According to this aya,
the descending of this seven context ( seven verse),
is an Extra Bounty separate from the Magnificent Quran ( Quran Azeem),
which was not given to any prophet but Suleiman (a.s),
that also, only one verse.
Meaning , Bismillah Ar rahman Ar Rahim.
The same verse, that the letter was given to Bilquis( Queen of Sheba),
and when Bilquis read the verse, and told those around her,
an Honorable book has been induced/inspired to me,
قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ –Naml 29
from Suliman’s side,
and that is بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم (Bismillah Ar Rahman Ar Rahim),
إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ –Naml 30
Pay attention to the above verse,
the sentence “ بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم -Bismillah Ar Rahman Ar Rahim” has been called a book.
A book that contains four words,
and in reality,these 4 words, is the initiator and reason and Implementer and completer of everything,
and includes the foremost and main meanings (concepts),
and the original mother for all the meanings(concepts) of the infinite existence of God.
Do we not believe that all 114 Books of God are in this verse?
But when it is the time to archive the contents of existence,
the contents also include negative cases,
because it is supposed to include everything.
Hence, it cannot be in a collection which contains,
the greatest and highest meanings in them.
As a result, it is kept in a section of the main book (Um- Al- Ketab/mother book),
a section which can be accessible to everyone.
But that part which is related to the Quran,
Is in a specific part which is hidden,
فِي كِتَابٍ مَّكْنُونٍ –Waqiyeh 78
and except those who are purified,
nobody else can gain access to it.
لَّا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ –Waqiyeh 79
As we mentioned,
Um- Al- Ketab does not mean the best book,
the honor of Al Masani المثانی ( seven verses/surah fatiha) is higher than all.
Um Al- Ketab, includes the index of everything,
but is the index of a book ,meant to be the best part of the book?
The word al- ketab الْكِتَابِ (the book) in the phrase Tafseel Al-ketab, تَفْصِيلَ الْكِتَابِ of the verse,
تَفْصِيلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ –Yunus 37
is pointing to the origin of the Quran,
which is in the Lawh Mahfouz ( protected tablet).
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَّجِيدٌ فِي لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ – 21وBurooj 22
God, separated the general text of the Quran from Lawh Mahfouz,
That means, the main meanings were totally specified.
This act is called “Ahkam”
كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ –Hud 1
Then, all the meanings of the verses, plus the letters and words and its arrangement,
were specified according to God’s wisdom,
this act is called “ Tafseel.”
ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ –Hud 1
After that,
all the meanings and knowledge of every verse was specified,
فَصَّلْنَاهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ –Aaraf 52
and eventually all the meanings,
from its original form, which was in the Lawh Mahfouz (preserved/protected tablet),
according to the laws of Arabic language, was:
-Regulated/Adjusted ,فصلت ( Foselat)
-Converted, جعلناه ( Ja- Al-na)
-Verbalized/Expressed بیان للناس ( Bayan le-nas)
كِتَابٌ فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا –Fuslat 3
قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا –Zumar 28
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ –Zukhraf 3
هَٰذَا بَيَانٌ لِّلنَّاسِ –Al Imran 138
The Initial verses which shape the overall meaning of the Quran,
is called “ Ayat Mohkam” ( Definite verses),
and another name for it is Um- Al- Ketab,
آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ -Al Imran 7
but it does not mean/refer to the main Um- Al- Ketab ( mother book).
The overall content of the Quran,
because of the method of descension, God had in mind for it,
developed into diverse subjects,
وَقُرْآنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ –Asra 106
and was inspired to the Prophet in a time frame of 23 years,
so it could cause intellectual stability for the prophet (pbuh)
Forqan 32- كَذَٰلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ
The real content of the Quran is very heavy,
إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا -Muzamil 5
for this reason God did something,
that it would be easy for the prophet to verbalize/express it,
for those who are God conscious ( motaqi).
فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَاهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ –Maryam 97
And did as such, that the remembering of the meaning of Quran,
would be easy for those who have understood it.
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
Qamar- 17-22-32-40
Remember Quran is a means, thru which God and those with him,
provide mercy and healing for those who are believers,
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ –Asra 82
and for those who,for any reason,
have committed or are a cause of oppression,
is nothing, but summation of loss
وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا –Asra 82