بسم
الله الرحمن الرحيم
لا
اله الا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم
صلى على سيدنا ونبينا محمد
A
theophany is a manifestation of God to humankind. The archetypal
theophany is what occurred at Mount Sinai, as described in the Torah:
And
it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were
thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the
mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that
all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth
the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the
nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke,
because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke
thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount
quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded
long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him
by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of
the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and
Moses went up. (Exodus 19:16-20)
And
Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the
glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it
six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst
of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like
devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of
Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up
into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty
nights. (Exodus 24:15-18)
In
the theophany at Mount Sinai, the following phenomena occurred:
Thunder
and lightning
Cloud
Blast
of the trumpet
Smoke
and fire
Quake
The
association of these terrifying and glorious phenomena with the
theophany of our God is what sets Him apart from many of the false
gods and idols. Each of the five phenomenon that occurred during the
theophany at Mount Sinai are mentioned in the Quran, particularly
with regard to the theophany that shall occur on Judgment Day:
Lightning,
Thunder
He
it is Who shows you the lightning [to inspire] fear and hope, and He
raises the heavy clouds
وَیُسَبِّحُ
الرَّعۡدُ بِحَمۡدِہٖ وَالۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ
مِنۡ خِیۡفَتِہٖ
And
the thunder glorifies Him with His praise and [likewise do] the
Angels for awe of Him
(Surah
13, Ayah 12 & 13)
Cloud
ہَلۡ
یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَہُمُ
اللّٰہُ فِیۡ ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الۡغَمَامِ
وَالۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ وَقُضِیَ الۡاَمۡرُ
Are
they waiting for anything but that Allah should come to them in the
coverings of the clouds with Angels, and the matter be decided?
(Surah
2, Ayah 210)
*Commentary:
The Ayah is referring to what shall occur at the final Judgment when
Allah Himself shall come, and His glorious theophany shall bring with
it clouds and Angels
وَیَوۡمَ
تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَآءُ بِالۡغَمَامِ
وَنُزِّلَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ تَنۡزِیۡلًا
And
the Day when the Heaven shall be rent asunder with the clouds, and
the Angels shall be sent down with a descending
(Surah
25, Ayah 25)
*Commentary:
This Ayah too is referring to the final Judgment when the theophany
of Allah shall result in the sky splitting open and the appearance of
glorious clouds along with the Angels descending in a grand fashion.
وَظَلَّلْنَا
عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ
And
We shaded you [Children of Israel] with clouds
(Surah
2, Ayah 57)
وَظَلَّلۡنَا
عَلَیۡہِمُ الۡغَمَامَ
And
We shaded them [Children of Israel] with clouds
(Surah
7, Ayah 160)
*Commentary:
These passages are referring to how the divine presence of Allah was
with the Children of Israel as they wandered toward the Holy Land
during the Exodus. His presence was manifested in clouds shading the
people: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a
cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to
give them light; to go by day and night’ (Exodus 13:21). The
descending of a cloud with the divine presence (Sakinah) was likewise
experienced by some of the Prophet Muhammad’s (sall Allahu alaihi
wasallam) companions: Sayyidina Usaid bin Hudair (radi Allahu anhu)
narrates that he was reciting Surat al-Baqarah at night, when
suddenly his horse became startled. When he paused his recitation the
horse calmed down and became silent, but when he resumed it the horse
would act up again. He says:
فَرَفَعْتُ
رَأْسِي إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَإِذَا مِثْلُ
الظُّلَّةِ فِيهَا أَمْثَالُ الْمَصَابِيحِ
'I
raised my head to the sky and behold there was something like a cloud
containing what looked like lamps’
After
explaining what he saw to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam),
the Prophet informed him:
تِلْكَ
الْمَلاَئِكَةُ دَنَتْ لِصَوْتِكَ وَلَوْ
قَرَأْتَ لأَصْبَحَتْ يَنْظُرُ النَّاسُ
إِلَيْهَا لاَ تَتَوَارَى مِنْهُمْ
'Those
were Angels who came near to you for your voice and if you had kept
on reciting till dawn, it would have remained there till morning when
people would have seen it as it would not have disappeared’ (Sahih
al-Bukhari: Kitab Fada’il al-Quran; Bab Nuzulis-Sakinati
wal-Mala’ikati ainda Qira’atil-Quran)
And
in the wording reported by Imam Muslim:
تِلْكَ
الْمَلاَئِكَةُ كَانَتْ تَسْتَمِعُ لَكَ
وَلَوْ قَرَأْتَ لأَصْبَحَتْ يَرَاهَا
النَّاسُ مَا تَسْتَتِرُ مِنْهُمْ
'Those
were the Angels who listened to you; and if you had continued
reciting, the people would have seen them in the morning and they
would not have concealed themselves from them’ (Sahih Muslim: Bab
Nuzulis-Sakinati li-Qira’atil-Quran)
Sayyidina
al-Bara bin Azib (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that once a man was
reciting Surat al-Kahf, when a cloud overshadowed him and came nearer
and nearer, causing his horse to be startled. When the man explained
what happened in the morning to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi
wasallam) he informed him:
تِلْكَ
السَّكِينَةُ تَنَزَّلَتْ بِالْقُرْآنِ
'That
was the Sakinah [Shekhinah] which came down [because of the
recitation of] the Quran’ (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)
Blast
of the Trumpet
وَیَوۡمَ
یُنۡفَخُ فِی الصُّوۡرِ فَفَزِعَ مَنۡ
فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَنۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ
اِلَّا مَنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ
And
on the day when the trumpet will be blown, whoever is in the heavens
and whoever is in the earth will be struck with terror, save him whom
Allah pleases.
(Surah
27, Ayah 87)
وَنُفِخَ
فِی الصُّوۡرِ فَصَعِقَ مَنۡ فِی
السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَنۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا
مَنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ
And
the trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who
are in the earth will fall down in a swoon, except those whom Allah
will please to exempt
(Surah
39, Ayah 68)
Smoke
ثُمَّ
اسۡتَوٰۤی اِلَی السَّمَآءِ وَہِیَ
دُخَانٌ
Then
He turned to the heaven while it was smoke
(Surah
41, Ayah 11)
فَارۡتَقِبۡ
یَوۡمَ تَاۡتِی السَّمَآءُ بِدُخَانٍ
مُّبِیۡنٍ
But
watch you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke
(Surah
44, Ayah 10)
*Commentary:
It is the smoke of the theophany of the divine presence, that
manifests as a consequence of the glory and holiness of Allah Most
High
Fire
اِذۡ
قَالَ مُوۡسٰی لِاَہۡلِہٖۤ اِنِّیۡۤ
اٰنَسۡتُ نَارًا
When
Moses said to his family, ‘I perceive a fire.’
فَلَمَّا
جَآءَہَا نُوۡدِیَ اَنۡۢ بُوۡرِکَ مَنۡ
فِی النَّارِ وَمَنۡ حَوۡلَہَا ؕ وَسُبۡحٰنَ
اللّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ
So
when he came to it, he was called: ‘Blessed is he who is in the
fire and also those around it; and glorified be Allah, the Lord of
the worlds.’
یٰمُوۡسٰۤی
اِنَّہٗۤ اَنَا اللّٰہُ الۡعَزِیۡزُ
الۡحَکِیۡمُ
‘O
Moses, verily it is I, Allah, the Mighty, the Wise’
(Surah
27, Ayat 7-9)
Quake
یَوۡمَ
تَرۡجُفُ الرَّاجِفَۃُ
On
the Day when the quaking shall quake
(Surah
79, Ayah 6)
یَوۡمَ
تَرۡجُفُ الۡاَرۡضُ وَالۡجِبَالُ
وَکَانَتِ الۡجِبَالُ کَثِیۡبًا مَّہِیۡلًا
On
the Day when the Earth and the mountains shall quake, and the
mountains will become like crumbling sand hills
(Surah
73, Ayah 14)
اِنَّ
زَلۡزَلَۃَ السَّاعَۃِ شَیۡءٌ عَظِیۡمٌ
Verily
the earthquake of the Hour is a tremendous thing
(Surah
22, Ayah 1)
اِذَا
زُلۡزِلَتِ الۡاَرۡضُ زِلۡزَالَہَا
When
the Earth is shaken with her violent shaking
(Surah
99, Ayah 1)
The
Seventy Elders
Allah
Most High speaks of the quake associated with His theophany when
Moses came to him with seventy elders of the Children of Israel:
وَاخۡتَارَ
مُوۡسٰی قَوۡمَہٗ سَبۡعِیۡنَ رَجُلًا
لِّمِیۡقَاتِنَا ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَخَذَتۡہُمُ
الرَّجۡفَۃُ قَالَ رَبِّ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ
اَہۡلَکۡتَہُمۡ مِّنۡ قَبۡلُ وَاِیَّایَ
And
Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointment. But when
the earthquake overtook them, he said, ‘My Lord, if You had
pleased, You could have destroyed them before this, and me also’
(Surah
7, Ayah 155)
The
Ayah does not explicitly state that the quake killed the seventy men,
only that Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) pleaded with Allah to the
effect that they should not be killed by the terrifying atmosphere
associated with the theophany. It says in the Torah:
And
he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab,
and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar
off...Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of
the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was
under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it
were the body of heaven in his clearness. (Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11)
And
the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of
Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and
officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the
congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come
down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is
upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden
of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone...And
Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and
gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them
round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and
spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it
unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit
rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. (Numbers
11:16-17, 24-25)
Amir
ul-Mu’minin Ali bin Abi Talib (radi Allahu anhu) says that the
Seventy Elders were made into Prophets, as indicated in the eleventh
chapter of the Book of Numbers in the Torah:
فَدَعَا
اللَّهَ فَأَحْيَاهُمْ وَجَعَلَهُمْ
أَنْبِيَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ
‘So
he (Moses) called upon Allah, so He (Allah) revived them and made
them all Prophets’ (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah; v.6, p.333, #31841)
حَدَّثَنَا
أَبِي ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ ثنا
يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ
عَنْ أَبِي إسحاق عن عمارة عن علي قال
فأخذتهم الرَّجْفَةُ فَجَعَلَ مُوسَى
يَرْجِعُ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالا قَالَ رَبِّ
لَوْ شِئْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ
وَإِيَّايَ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ
السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَّا إِنْ هِيَ إِلا
فِتْنَتُكَ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَنْ تَشَاءُ
وَتَهْدِي مَنْ تشاء فَأَحْيَاهُمُ
اللَّهُ وَجَعَلَهُمْ أَنْبِيَاءَ
(Tafsir
Ibn Abi Hatim; v.5, p.1575, #9024)
Allah
speaks of another incident in those days:
وَاِذۡ
قُلۡتُمۡ یٰمُوۡسٰی لَنۡ نُّؤۡمِنَ لَکَ
حَتّٰی نَرَی اللّٰہَ جَہۡرَۃً
فَاَخَذَتۡکُمُ الصّٰعِقَۃُ وَاَنۡتُمۡ
تَنۡظُرُوۡنَ
And
remember when you said: ‘O Moses, we will by no means believe you
until we see Allah plainly;’ then the thunderbolt overtook you,
while you gazed
ثُمَّ
بَعَثۡنٰکُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَوۡتِکُمۡ
لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ
Then
We raised you up after your death, that you might be grateful
(Surah
2, Ayah 55 & 56)
فَقَدۡ
سَاَلُوۡا مُوۡسٰۤی اَکۡبَرَ مِنۡ ذٰلِکَ
فَقَالُوۡۤا اَرِنَا اللّٰہَ جَہۡرَۃً
فَاَخَذَتۡہُمُ الصّٰعِقَۃُ بِظُلۡمِہِمۡ
They
asked Moses a greater thing than this: they said, ‘Show us Allah
openly.’ Then the thunderbolt seized them because of their
transgression.
(Surah
4, Ayah 153)
This
appears to be related to what is explained in the Torah:
And
when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord
heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt
among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the
camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the
Lord, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place
Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them (Numbers
11:1-3)
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