Artery and Vein
in Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān OnlineSearch for other papers by Earle H. Waugh in
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The only qurʾānic reference to these vessels which carry blood away from and to the heart is the word warīd, usually translated as “jugular vein:” “We are nearer to him than his jugular vein” ( q 50:16 ). The critical nature of the jugular heightens the import of the message: Just as human life is dependent upon this vein, so human existence is dependent upon God. Exegetes have observed four constellations of meaning in the verse: the closeness of God to the believer, the protection afforded the believer by God, God's control of and oversight of the individual and the profound relationship which demands caution in all of one's activities. Al-Bayḍāwī (d. ca. 716/1317) stresses that God knows ¶everything about humans and this knowledge encompasses all details about the individual. Thus, God is closer to the individual than even the most intimate living person. This knowledge has immediate spiritual benefit because the believer can thus be assured that he is “closer to God because of his knowledge of humans.” Al-Qurṭubī (d. 671/1272), on the other hand, finds significance in the blood flowing through the vein and sees this as symbolizing that God is “in control of and oversees everything the individual does or thinks.” Hence, one becomes aware of God's closeness and lives in cautious awareness. He concludes that if one “knew the meaning of the verse, one would never do anything against God” ( Jāmiʿ, iv, 4, no. 3362). For Ṣūfī commentators (see ṣūfism and the qurʾān ), the divine watchfulness is a key factor in interpreting this verse. They see it as indicating a spiritual relationship between God and the believer that transcends ordinary language. They hold that this closeness is the confirmation of the special spiritual states, namely “intimacy” (uns) and “nearness” (qurb), that a true believer moves through in his spiritual quest. Thus, these words are held to denote experiential levels of religious attainment and the verse is a scriptural validation of the metaphysical system that the Ṣūfīs practice in their spiritual exercises. The Ṣūfī commentator al-Qushayrī (d. 465/1072), for example, elaborates a complex system of meanings based on nearness to God that ends with an exploration of self-identity. The Pakistani savant ʿAbdullāh Yūsuf ʿAlī (1872-1948), in the commentary on his translation of the Qurʾān, combines these notions when he argues that just as the blood vessel is the vehicle of life and consciousness, so God “knows more truly the innermost state of our feeling and consciousness than does our own ego” (The ¶holy Qurʾān, 1412 n. 4952). In short, the word is universally interpreted by commentators to indicate the depth of God's relationship with human beings.
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Artery and Vein
in Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān OnlineSearch for other papers by Earle H. Waugh in
Current site
Google Scholar
(944 words)
