Wednesday, January 22, 2020

What It Means - Day 310

"Strain not thine eyes toward the enjoyments We have bestowed upon certain classes of them, and grieve not for them, and lower thy wings unto the believers, and say, 'Truly I am the clear warner.'"
Quran 15:88-89

I think this is the first time I've drawn something from al-Hijr, the fifteenth surah.  We've seen the metaphor of "lower[ing] thy wings" before. In the commentary Nasr reminds us, "Lower thy wing unto the believers means that the Prophet should be humble and gentle toward them." (p. 652) Earlier, the Prophet is reminded "not to desire the things of the world that have been given to the Makkans who are rejecting him." Of course, it's easier to remember to show humility and kindness to those who believe as we believe, and much harder to show compassion and patience in relation to those who don't believe what we believe. In the end, of course, that's the bigger and more important challenge.


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