The Muslim, the Christian and the Jew today yearn to lead and subjugate the servants of Allah under the banner of their religion or byproducts of their societies e.g. democracy or capitalism or racial supremacy. None of that is in congruence with Abrahamic faith and traditions of their prophets.

 

28:83 As for Ka(you) La(that, distant) realm in the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do not seek to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for the future belongs to the God-conscious.

تِلْكَ الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

Lexicon:

عُلُوًّا

To have the upper-hand over the people and over the planet (since the verse  mentions to be exalted over the earth).

Examples:

Yearning to be the boss: being the Imam in the mosque, desiring to be the leader, being a governor, a politician.

Wearing a beard or a gown-uniform, ceremonial to create prestige for people to follow you, to listen to you, to do your bidding.

As for the planet, to change her ecological equilibrium and modify her biological systems in order to provide luxuries and excessive consumption or to gain control over people e.g. diverting rivers.

Subjugating people: forcing people to believe or behave certain ways, your ways, under the auspicious of religious guidelines or  democratic ideals but in reality it is nothing but subjugating people to your will.

Fame: yearning to be popular and loved and under the limelight in front of the microphone, rubbing shoulders with the governors and the rich, yearning to be heard and followed.

Supremacy: believing that you are better than others, by your race or religious beliefs or nationality or ethnicity.

Imam Ali said:

Indeed a man is conceited (‘Ujb) even about his shoelace being better than his companion’s shoelace (Translation?)

تفسير تفسير الهدايه إلى بلوغ النهايه/ مكي بن أبي طالب (ت 437 هـ)

وروي عن علي رضي الله عنه أنه قال: إن الرجل ليعجبه من شراك نعله أن يكون أجود من شراك صاحبه، فيدخل في قوله: { تِلْكَ ٱلدَّارُ ٱلآخِرَةُ }.

 

فَسَادًا

Unlawful wealth/provision obtained by hoarding other people’s belongings.

Examples:

Stock Markets: to create phony corporations and securities to cheat the public to invest in paper companies with little economic value.

Military threat to remove the natural resources of other nations:  under the democratic sentiments, or non-existing religious obligations.

Limiting access to natural resources: waging wars for oil or water or sea ports or access to mines.

Limiting access to education: destroying educational infrastructure of nations in order to rob their wealth by easier subjugation.

Nepotism: Under the banner of race or religion or democracy or ideology of any kind to form closed societies to ban others from gaining their fair share.

 

Ti-L-Ka

تِلْكَ

Ti: “This” pointing at something

L: Distance making Ti (This) into That over there or afar

Ka: You i.e. Muhammad (peace be upon).

This verse does not read:

The realm in the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do not..

الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا

It has that Ti-L-Ka at the very beginning because the Prophet is SEEING that realm and her inhabitants, the Arabic verse is rendering an image of that seeing. For that matter some of us could view a visual-sliver of that seeing.

This is not about knowledge this is about seeing.

Ka (you, Muhammad) is a residual presence shared with some of you, in this case a Seer Residual Presence to see the other realm and her inhabitants.

To see to report back to others: subjugating people and taking their wealth for sure divert your voyage to that habitation in the other realm.

You could believe and cover your face and head any which way or say some Arabic words here and there, or chant something or make claims to be the chosen of the God, but you will not have any place in Hereafter, since you subjugate people to your will to have the upper-hand over them.

 

© 2016-2002,  Dara O Shayda