“Do you feel secure that He Who is in the Sky or in Heaven will not send against you a violent tornado, so that you will know how terrible My warning is?” 67:17

Note: the word السَّمَاء/as-samaa’ in Quran 67:17 can be translated Sky or Heaven, so I used both.

I think the word “He” in the phrase “He Who is in the Sky or in Heaven” in the verse above is referring to God and not something in nature with the ability to create tornadoes because the phrase “so that you will know how terrible My warning is” is referring to God and because the Quran suggests that a violent tornado, literal or figurative, would not have a place in Heaven (3:136).

So if the verse is in fact referring to God then what does it mean that God is in the Sky or that He is in Heaven?

Since God cannot be confined to a space (not a physical space like the Sky, nor even a “spiritual” space like Heaven),then perhaps “He Who is in the Sky/Heaven” means that God is on a higher level than we are, and that He exist in a higher, more important reality, with a higher purpose than we do. And maybe the phrase reveals the type of Heavenly state God is experiencing. An experience that each time we look at the Sky or think about Heaven reminds us of God’s High Heavenly existence and lets us, is some small way, experience it too.

What do you think? Post a comment.

Quran 39:42

“God takes the souls at death

And those who did not die,

He takes their soul during sleep

He keeps those whom death has chosen,

And He sends the others back for a time to be announced

Indeed in this are signs for those who reflect.”

So God takes us somewhere during sleep, but where? To Himself in heaven (67:17)? finding our sustenance in His presence, rejoicing in the bounty provided by Him (3:169, 3:170)? Maybe, although we should not expect to be alongside those who have passed away; we do not join “the dead” until we ourselves have died (3:170).

Perhaps one way to reason through this verse about God taking our soul during sleep is to reconsider what dreaming is. Perhaps dreaming is not only our mind’s way of taking us where we want to go, but God’s way of taking us where we want to go (or where He wants us to go). So maybe we can go to heaven while we sleep. But even if (for whatever reason) we cannot go to heaven while we asleep, we know that can choose what the space looks like, and what we do there (that sounds a lot like what we can do on earth doesn’t it (2:25)), our experience while asleep would still be at least as good as what we expect paradise to be, for after-all, what do we expect paradise to be other than a place where we can have and do whatever we imagine (36:57)?

So where will you go tonight? And perhaps more importantly, when we get back, can we use what we experience while sleep to make our lives on earth a bit more like paradise?

What do you think? Post a comment.

Painting is titled, “Toto 2″.

“Or do you feel secure that He Who is in the sky will not send against you a violent tornado (a vicious cycle, a destructive habit), so that you will know how terrible My warning is?” 67:17

If you as a believer were warned that a tornado is present, should you take less precaution than a disbeliever? What if you were told that a destructive vice is in present your society, should you take less precaution to avoid it than a disbeliever?

If we as believers are not as mindful of the vicious cycles and destructive habits as we want others to be, then we, just like anyone else, will be destroyed by them.

 What do you think? Post a comment.