Commentary on the Koran: Surah 62 “The Congregation” (No. Q062)

Pickthall Translation; Bible Quotes are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Introduction

Al-Jumaah “The Congregation” is the commanded assembly of the faith for the worship on the Sabbath Day which is tied to the faith and the covenant from Surah 4:154.

The reference is to verse 9. The Prophet was preaching in the Mosque according to the tradition. However, the emphasis was removed from the Sabbath to the preparation period on the afternoon of the Sixth Day of the week and this was named the Jumaah rather than the congregation of the Sabbath on the Seventh Day of the Week as called for in Surah 4 and elsewhere. This aspect is covered in the paper The Jumaah: Preparing for the Sabbath (No. 285)

This was the same evil sin as perpetrated by the Trinitarians in moving to the Sunday worship of Baal. In this regard the Hadith was only able to bring it forward to the preparation period for the Sabbath and only in the Eighth century.

They applied the tradition that the Prophet and the congregation were praying in the Mosque and a caravan entered Al-Madinah with the beating of drums. The congregation broke away to look at it except for the twelve of the core faith which were probably the council of the church. According to Pickthall on one tradition, he says that tradition held it to have been a caravan of Dahyah al-Kalbi who is reported to have become a Muslim in the Fifth year after the Hijrah and thus it must have occurred before 227 CE. Pickthall allocates it to between 2 and 4 AH or 624-626 CE.

However, the application to the Friday as the Jumaah did not occur until well after the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs and the murder of Ali and Hussein and the suppression of the true faith in Arabia and Persia.

The replacement of the Sabbath with Friday afternoon prayers is a heresy and will prevent all who follow it and do not keep the Sabbath from entering the First Resurrection.

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62.1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, the Mighty, the Wise.

In Psalm 148 all the creation is urged to praise the Almighty God.

See Revelation 5:13; Jeremiah 10:6 and Job 12:13 in Surah 61.1 above.

Refer also to Revelation 4:11 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 39 (No. Q039) at ayat 4.

1Samuel 2:2 There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Isaiah 6:3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

62.2. He it is Who hath sent among the unlettered ones a messenger of their own, to recite unto them His revelations and to make them grow, and to teach them the Scripture and wisdom, though heretofore they were indeed in error manifest,

So God sent the Prophet and the church council of Muhammad to teach the illiterate Arabs the Scriptures and the Revelations of God in their own language so that they might be given wisdom and correction so that they might achieve salvation.

Refer to 2Timothy 3:16 and Deuteronomy 29:29 Commentary on the Koran: Surah 20 (No. Q020) at ayat 6; and Matthew 5:17 Commentary on the Koran: Surah 44 (No. Q044) at ayat 2.

1Corinthians 3:19-20 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” ²⁰and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.

Acts 3:26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Education in this world is inadequate without the understanding that comes from God through the Holy Spirit or the Ahmad as we saw in Surah 61 above. Humanity without that understanding is like the beasts that perish.

62.3. Along with others of them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.

Here the text refers to those who are predestined to be called but not yet called to the faith (Romans 8:29-30) (see the paper Predestination (No. 296)).

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

See Job 12:13 at ayat 61.1 in Surah 61 above.

62.4. That is the bounty of Allah; which He giveth unto whom He will. Allah is of Infinite Bounty.

It is through the calling that God confers the Holy Spirit and the blessing of the First Resurrection (cf. Baptism and Repentance (No. 052)).

Romans 9:18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Isaiah 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Ephesians 1:7-11 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Romans 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

The calling of God and the understanding that comes as a result is priceless. God is our heavenly supplier of all things.

62.5. The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books. Wretched is the likeness of folk who deny the revelations of Allah. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.

Surah 2:63-66 states:

“63.And (remember, O Children of Israel) when We made a covenant with you and caused the mount to tower above you, (saying): Hold fast that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may ward off (evil). 64.Then, even after that, ye turned away, and if it had not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy ye had been among the losers. 65.And ye know of those of you who broke the Sabbath, how We said unto them: Be ye apes, despised and hated! 66.And We made it an example to their own and to succeeding generations, and an admonition to the God-fearing.

The Law of God was given to the faith and those who do not keep the Commandments of God and the Testimony of the Christ (Rev 12:17; 14:12) are in the Second Resurrection along with all who teach them lies.

See Psalm 81:11-12 at Surah 61 at ayat 5 above and refer also to Revelation 21:8 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 10.

Psalm 49:20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Romans 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Proverbs 1:30-31 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, ³¹therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

62.6. Say (O Muhammad): O ye who are Jews! If ye claim that ye are favoured of Allah apart from (all) mankind, then long for death if ye are truthful.

62.7. But they will never long for it because of all that their own hands have sent before, and Allah is Aware of evil-doers.

62.8. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Lo! the death from which ye shrink will surely meet you, and afterward ye will be returned unto the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, and He will tell you what ye used to do.

This is a direct warning of the Second Resurrection applied to rabbinical Judaism.

Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 14:2 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

1Timothy 5:24-25 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. ²⁵So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Refer to Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) for Revelation 20:12 at ayat 15; 2Corinthians 5:10 at ayat 36; and Psalm 33:13-15 at ayat 60; and Ecclesiastes 12:7 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 19 (No. Q019) at ayat 40.

The faithful elect of God will attain unto the First Resurrection and the rest will be consigned to the Second Resurrection to face corrective training and right education and have all things fully explained to them.

62.9. O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.

62.10. And when the prayer is ended, then disperse in the land and seek of Allah's bounty, and remember Allah much, that ye may be successful.

62.11. But when they spy some merchandise or pastime they break away to it and leave thee standing. Say: That which Allah hath is better than pastime and than merchandise, and Allah is the Best of providers.

The faithful are obligated under the Law to cease trading on the preparation day afternoon and prepare for the Sabbath after what is now incorrectly termed Juma’ah prayers. There must be no trading on the Sabbaths or the New Moons (Amos 8:5)

Exodus 20:9-10 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

Exodus 16:22-23 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’”

They were given a double portion on the sixth day so that they could prepare the extra for their needs on the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is to be kept holy and no trading is allowed. All trading is to commence on the first day of the week. The whole of the Sabbath time is reserved for prayer and remembrance of Allah and the study of His word.

Amos 8:4-6 Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, ⁵saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, ⁶that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?”

Mainstream Islam does not prepare for the Sabbath and have turned the preparation day into prayer time and after prayers go back to work and trading and work on the Sabbath against the expressed commands of God in the Bible and the Koran (S. 4:154).

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 145:15-16 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. ¹⁶You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

God provides our needs. And we are to obey Him.

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