(Look, I am not posing as any of them, I am merely interpreting the text based on my understanding of it as of 2012 CE and the prism of my personal life experience).
- Only certain humans while alive can fathom it (truly understand it and clearly distinguish a call coming through the veiled existence (be it coming over/through the heavenly, earthly or hell levels). The two cases being Prophets and Enlightened Ones (like the Dalai Lama)...a marginal third case, the contemporary 'Men In Black'.
Surah 35 Fatir (The Originator)
وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَحْيَاء وَلَا الْأَمْوَاتُ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَن يَشَاء
وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِي الْقُبُورِ (35:22
(35:22) They are not equal (the same), the Dead and the Living.
Indeed, God Makes to Hear (Listen) whomever He Wills;
and You (the Prophet, the Messenger) cannot make to hear those who are in their graves.
- And those who can hear, must be open or receptive to the Message:
Surah 27 Naml (Ants)
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَى وَلَا تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَاء إِذَا وَلَّوْا مُدْبِرِينَ (27:80
27:80 Truly, You (the Prophet, the Caller) cannot make the dead hear nor make the deaf to listen
(the deaf being those refusing to hear the message, not merely unable to hear with their ears)
to the call while they are fleeing from You.
(lit, have their backs turned to you, oppose you,
var. while they are 'being played'~orchestrated/contrived)
- Only those with the faculty of discernment are valid callers:
Surah 7 Al.A3raf (The Heights)
وَنَادَى أَصْحَابُ الأَعْرَافِ
رِجَالاً يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ
قَالُواْ
مَا أَغْنَى عَنكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ( 7:48
7:48 And the inhabitants of al.a3raf call ( الأَعْرَافِ , rt عْ رَ فِ literally, 'knowing'--those possessed with the faculty of discernment/understanding/knowing).
Men who know them (those being called) by their names (marks).
Saying,
"Of what benefit to you is all you have amassed, or your arrogance?"
- And, again, there is no mistaking Who is Calling and Via what Agents (Agency).
Surah 14 Ibrahim (Abraham)
قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِي اللّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ
يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَـمًّى
قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا
تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَآؤُنَا
فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ (14:10
(14:10) Their Messenger said to them (his people),
"Do you doubt that God, the Originator of Heaven and Earth, Is Calling you to forgive you (shield you) from your sins (wrongs) and to grant you a reprieve (delay/defer) for a named (determined) term (period of time).
They say, "Indeed, you are merely a man like us who wants us to repulse that which our forefathers worshipped (held dear), so show us a Clear Authority (your valid authorization to do so)."
{And I been hearing it and I beg to differ, I never made any representation of my being God, since a middle aged old lady with asthma and shin splints and a spotty period, is none such...interpretive dance (barzalch) as provided.}
7. To Determine the Validity of the Caller (Who Is Calling) and why the Call:
Surah 19 Maryam (Mary)
فَنَادَاهَا مِن تَحْتِهَا
أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي
قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا (19:24
"Do not grieve (dispair),
Your Sustainer Has Made a Rivulet run beneath you (under your feet)."
- Those compelled to call on God are given relief (He both Calls and Hears His Servant's Calls):
Surah 27 Naml (Ants)
أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ
وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ
وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاء الْأَرْضِ
أَإِلَهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ
قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ (27:62
(27:62) Or (Who Is It) Answers (Responds) to the Call of the one compelled (coerced, forced) to call on Him;
And Uncovers (Reveals) Misdeeds (var. Rids them of evil, ills, maladies that beset them);
And Made you viceroys upon the Earth?
Is there a god other than The One True God (Allah)?
How little you consider (remember)!"
- The Caller (In this case, God) Clearly Identifies Himself to Moses, whom He calls by name:
Surah 28 Qasas (Stories)
فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا
نُودِي مِن شَاطِئِ الْوَادِي الْأَيْمَنِ
فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبَارَكَةِ مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ
أَن يَا مُوسَى
إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (28:30
(28:30) As He (Moses) neared it (the fire in the desert),
He Was Called, from the Right Bank of the Wadi (dry river bed)
In the Hallowed Valley from the Tree,
"Truly, Moses, I Am God--The Sustainer (Lord) of the Worlds."
Surah 28 Qasas (Stories)
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ الطُّورِ
إِذْ نَادَيْنَا
وَلَكِن رَّحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ
لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّا أَتَاهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ
لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (28:46
(28:46) And You (Muhammed pbuh) were not present on the side of The Tur (Mount Sinai)
When We Called (Moses)
Yet it is a Mercy from Your Sustainer
That You Warn A Community (People) Not Given a Warner Before,
So That They May Bethink Themselves (Use Their Reason).
- One reason for the renewed call is for clarity/illucidation, to benefit the living (like technological advancement) and to allow it to be broadcast among those who never heard it before, again, meant to be of some benefit to them.
- It is never the case that it is a New Message, it can be text as Torah, Testament (Injeel) or Quran or some other Holy Scripture, the Message Originates from One Source, so no surprise here.
Surah 36 Ya.Seen
وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ
وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُ
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ
وَقُرْآنٌ مُّبِينٌ (36:69
nor does He (the Messenger) excel in it (it is not proper/meet for Him) ....
لِيُنذِرَ مَن كَانَ حَيًّا
وَيَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ (36:70
36:70 To Warn those who are Living
and to Renew (Verify) the Message (the Call) to the Unfaithful
(Non Believers--those not having heard the Message before).
- To inform the one being called of God's Forgiveness (or Displeasure, serve to check someone's behavior):
Surah 2 Al.Baqara (COW, Calf, Heifer)
فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ
فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ
إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ (2:37
(2:37) And Adam Received Words from His Sustainer (Lord)
That He Forgave Him (God Relented toward Adam);
- If the reason for the Call is not immediately obvious, it only means that it may have come a little too early (or in one isolated case, I think the information got destroyed in transit).
Surah 10 Yunus (Jonah)
وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ
فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا الْغَيْبُ لِلّهِ
فَانْتَظِرُواْ إِنِّي مَعَكُم مِّنَ الْمُنتَظِرِينَ (10:20
(10:20) And they say, "Why has there not been sent a (grand/spectacular) Omen from His Lord?"
Say, "Only God Knows the Unseen (Or, basically, 'Here it is, you all just don't get it!); so, be patient (wait for it), I, too, anticipate it (I'll wait right along with you)."
8. There are Proper Times to Hear/Respond to the Valid Call and/or Caller.
- Valid Callers know the Propriety/Protocol when calling; they Do Not call if someone is in their 'private' apartments 49:4.
Surah 49 Hujurat
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِن وَرَاء الْحُجُرَاتِ
أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ (49:4
49:4 Indeed, those calling You from behind the Hujurat (Your private apartments),
most of them are childish (ill-behaved, not sensible, unreasonable).
9. The Consequences of Making a Pretense of either
Being a Legitimate Caller (either God or a Prophet) or posing as having heard a valid call, or
falsifying the validity to a Sanctified Message, just may be
worse than death.
Surah 11 Hud
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللّهِ كَذِبًا
أُوْلَـئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الأَشْهَادُ هَـؤُلاء
الَّذِينَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ
أَلاَ لَعْنَةُ اللّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ (11:18
(11:18) And who can be more in the dark/oppressive (lost) than those who invent a lie about God; and when they are brought before their Lord and the Witnesses say, "These are they who lied about God, and such oppressors incur God's Condemnation."
Surah 6 Cattle (Al.An3am)
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللّهِ كَذِبًا
أَوْ قَالَ أُوْحِيَ إِلَيَّ
وَلَمْ يُوحَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ
وَمَن قَالَ سَأُنزِلُ مِثْلَ مَا أَنَزلَ اللّهُ
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ
وَالْمَلآئِكَةُ بَاسِطُواْ أَيْدِيهِمْ
أَخْرِجُواْ أَنفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ
وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهِ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ (6:93
(6:93) Who can be more lost/in the dark/oppressive than someone who ascribes to God a lie,
or claims, "This has been Revealed to me (from on High),"
and nothing has been revealed to them.
To whomever says this, Say, "Perpetuate (Reveal) anything the like of what God Reveals!"
And if You can only see these lost (souls) during the throws of death,
when the Angels shackle their hands/restrain them by their hands,
(Saying), "Out with your souls (this may be an idiom for 'they will make them confess)! Today you will earn (what you merit), severe punishment (chastisement) for that which you were ascribing to God without sanction,
and were derisive of His Signs (Messages)!"
Surah 40 Ghaffir
الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِالْكِتَابِ
وَبِمَا أَرْسَلْنَا بِهِ رُسُلَنَا
فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ (40:70
(40:70) Those who belie Our Book (falsify the Quran, or disbelieve Sacred Scripture) and that which We Send with Our Messenger...they shall soon Know It (to be the Evident Truth and despair for not having learned during life, read in context 40:68-40:72).
- Just so there is no misunderstanding as to what it is we consider The God around here & clearly it is not some guy or gal in a coma!
Surah 14 Ibrahim (Abraham)
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللّهَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِالْحقِّ
إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ (14:19)
14:19 Can you not see that God Created the Heavens and the Earth in Truth (with an Inner Truth); indeed, If He Wills He Can Replace you (Trades you in) to Bring About A New Creation.
وَمَا ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ (14:20
(14:20) And this is not any difficulty for God.
- Satan calls, too--can't help anyone and cannot harm the faithful (those who believe the Truth), and in general, doesn't have any real information to share (like the code to my Swiss bank account or the address to my new house next door to Yours (Nice is nice).
Surah 114 An,Nas (People, Communities, Creation)
مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ (114:4
(114:4) (I seek refuge in God) From the Evil of the Whisperer who subdues
(with what he is heard to whisper~a psychotronic weapon of a sort?
don't know my name?
thinks I'm pretty?
sneaks up on me in the restroom to demonstrate the cloaking device I gave him;
my kids knew better and stopped doing that the minute they could bus themselves.
--Okay, to be fair, it was the kitchen and He did thank me for the cloak.)
Surah 14 Ibrahim (Abraham)
وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ لَمَّا قُضِيَ الأَمْرُ
إِنَّ اللّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ
وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ
وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن سُلْطَانٍ
إِلاَّ أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي
فَلاَ تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُواْ أَنفُسَكُم
مَّا أَنَاْ بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَا أَنتُمْ بِمُصْرِخِيَّ
إِنِّي كَفَرْتُ بِمَآ أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ
إِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (14:22
(14:22) And Satan says, once the order is carried out (God Decides-- the matter is decided/order is executed), "Truly, God Promised you a Truthful promise, and I promised you and deceived you (var. to oppose you, supplant you, fell back on my promise to you); and I had no power over you except that I called you and you answered/responded to me. So, do not blame me, but blame yourselves (your own selves/souls). I didn't cry out to you and it's not for you to cry out to me.
I do not believe in (reject) whatever you associate with me from before (that you espouse to me previously that I have any share in God's Dominion).
Indeed, the (real) oppressors have earned a severe punishment (to be tortured)."
(On a personal note, I do not condone torture).
Surah 11 Hud
فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُواْ لَكُمْ
فَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّمَا أُنزِلِ بِعِلْمِ اللّهِ
وَأَن لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ
فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ (11:14
(11:14) And when (your false gods) fail to respond to you (cannot answer you), then know that this (Quran) is Revealed to you with God's Sanction (Knowledge); and that, Truly, there is no other deity except for Him.
So, when will you submit (to Him)?
- Why my confusion about this sad state of affairs...41:44 why in the Arabic language--(See Not Much of a Poker Face):
- While I can no longer feign being clueless, the fact remains that I really don't understand how an unfortunate 'industrial accident' evolved into this much clarity, but initially, the writing did help take my mind off the monstrous headache.
- But, I now think the grievous suffering that caused was the coercive force that made this come about, and that's why I still think it was never intended for me to publish this--but I never got to say good-bye to my kids and was hoping somehow Word would get back to them.
- All that and Arabic is not my primary spoken language.
- And, I am not a Man--Hu-man, Wom(b)-man, but not a guy.
Surah 41 Fussilat
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا
لَّقَالُوا لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ
قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاء
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ
وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى
أُوْلَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ (41:44
(41:44) Had We Made (Brought) the Quran in a foreign language (Farsi, African, alien language);
they would say, "Why have the Signs been imparted in a foreign (alien) language, and He (the Prophet) is an Arab?
Say, "It (the Quran/Recitation) is for the Believers (serves) as a Guidance and a Source of Health (Well-being).
As for those who do not believe, there is a deafness in their ears;
and to them it's obscure (they are blind to it)."
It's like calling them from a far away place (remote place--like the Planet Seddna!).