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SURAH AL-QADR (MEASUREMENT/VALUE)

MECCAN PERIOD

Division: 45

1Indeed, We sent down the Qur’an in the Night of Power.

2And what informs/teaches you what the Night of Power is?

3The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.

4,5Messaging Ayat [Angels?],59 descended with their souls within; with their

revitalizing, animating power60 with the permission/knowledge of their Rabb [the

Lord, the Cherisher, the Nurturer, the Sustainer], until the dawn broke/light came up;

on every task.

-Salam!-61

(25/97, Al-Qadr/1-5)

59 See Footnote No.56

60 The literal meaning of ruh [soul] , as mentioned in the ayah, is “life”. This term may

express “wujuh” i.e. it may be used in its literal as well as metaphorical form. Encyclopedically, ruh

[soul] is defined as the “non-material aspect or essence of the existence”. In compliance with the

literal and encyclopedic meanings , which we mentioned above, ruh [soul] is accepted to be synonym

with “spiritual self” and “life”. Meaning “vitality, emotion” and “life” in general, ruh [soul] has a

metaphorical meaning that represents the “essence, the most important and vital part of an object”.

For instance, the adjective “soulless [lit. without a soul]”, which we use for passive individuals,

constitutes an example for the general meaning of the word while a phrase such as “this is the soul of

the issue” can be given as an example for the metaphorical meaning of the word. In conclusion,

hundreds of idioms have been derived from the abovementioned meanings of the word ruh [soul].

The traditional religious meaning of ruh [soul] can be defined as the “vitality blown into the

body of human by Allah after having created its material shell”.

In the Qur’an, ruh [soul] is used in the meaning of “divine breeze, wahy/knowledge”, thus has

no correlation with the traditional meaning of the word. The ruh [the divine breeze/wahy] , as

mentioned in the Qur’an, is “anything that owns and adapts the soul consciously and voluntarily to its

life; that gives individuals and communities a meaningful vitality; and that protects them from

corruption”.

61 Here, according to the structure of the sentence, Salam means “huzzah(hurrah),

happiness, salvation, prosperity”.

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