February 2004: Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Submitters Perspective

Page 3

Some Thoughts and Selected Verses on

Symmetry and Equality in the Quran

The meaning of “symmetry” in Webster’s dictionary is:

Balanced proportion, beauty of form arising from balanced proportions, the property of remaining invariant under certain changes.”

The meaning of equality is: “like in quality, nature, or status.” There is equality and symmetry all through the Quran. There is symmetry between the flies and the humans, among messengers, messengers and their followers, male and female, heaven and hell etc. When God speaks of Heaven, usually the next verse is balanced with discussion of Hell and vice versa. The same is true of day and night, the sun and the moon and so on.
God puts the believers and the messengers on the same level:

“The messenger has believed in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and so did the believers. They believe in God, His Angels, His scripture, and His messengers: They make no distinction among any of His messengers” [2:285].

Abraham is on the same level as the other believers:

“Peace be upon Abraham… we thus reward the righteous… He is one of our believing servants” [37:109, 110, 111].

Moses and Aaron are also put on the same level as the other righteous believers:

“Peace be upon Moses and Aaron…. We thus reward the righteous…. Both of them were among our righteous servants” [37:120, 121, 122].

Muhammad is put on the same level as other Messengers:

Muhammad was no more than a messenger like the messengers before him… [3:144].

God puts Muhammad and his followers on the same level. God tells Muhammad: Say, ‘This is my path: I invite to God, on the basis of a clear proof, and so do those who follow me…’ [12:108]. We too must not elevate the messengers above righteous believers.

Jesus is put on the same level as the righteous: He will speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult; he will be one of the righteous [3:46]. The following verses put husband and wife on the same level: …You commit no error by mutually agreeing to any adjustments to the dowry. God is Omniscient, Most Wise [4:24]. Note that the dowry adjustment is made after mutual agreement.

The following verse demonstrate equality between male and female: “Their Lord responded to them: ‘I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female—you are equal to one another….” [3:195]. There is also a parallel between the bad men and bad women and the good men and the good women: The bad woman for the bad men and the bad men for the bad women, the good women for the good men, and the good men for the good women. [24:26]. The following verse shows the parallel between men and women: The submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men,

the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate God frequently, and the commemorating women; God has prepared for them forgiveness and a great recompense [33:35].

God spreads human beings through joining male and female; they are equally responsible:

O people observe your Lord; the One who created you from one being, and created from it its mate, then spread from the two many men and women…. [4:1].

On the subject of idol worship, God brings the idol to the level of a fly, telling us that both are helpless.

O people, here is a parable that you must ponder carefully: the idols you set up beside God can never create a fly, even if they banded together to do so. Furthermore, if the fly steals anything from them, they cannot recover it; weak is the pursuer and the pursued [22:73].

God tells us that the believers and those who are well founded in knowledge believe in the Quran and what was revealed before the Quran, putting both groups on the same level:

As for those among them who are well founded in knowledge and the believers, they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you… [4:162].

God in His infinite grace has made Submission a symmetrical state.

"You shall remember Me, that I may remember you, and be thankful to Me; do not be unappreciative" [2:152].

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