Daraja (Monotonically Increasing Gradation)


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Mufradat
Isfahani

Daraja: Daraja is a station (to place/reside within during a voyage/motion) however it has elevation without expansive stretch e.g. steps of the ladder or roofs. (Dara: Phrase 'lofty station' can apply to Daraja.)

Remark: Gradations mean to go from one to a higher one, the traveller must traverse all the grades in between i.e. there are no jumps.


مفردات ألفاظ القرآن.- للأصفهاني
كتاب الدال
درج
-الدرجة نحو المنزلة، لكن يقال للمنزلة: درجة إذا اعتبرت بالصعود دون الامتداد على البسيطة، كدرجة السطح والسلم،



40:15. Rafi' (Glider, the one elevates) Al-Darajat (Gradations, pl) Dhu (Possessor) Al-'Arsh (Divine Throne)

رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ


Rafi' based upon the template Fa'il is actually the Agent-Doer Noun Rāfi' i.e. the one elevates or increases the height, namely Glider. In the form Rafi' (Fa'il template) its action of elevating is intensified and highly particularized to be discerned from any other elevator or glider of any sort.


 تفسير تفسير القرآن/ التستري (ت 283 هـ)
{ رَفِيعُ ٱلدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ يُلْقِي ٱلرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ ٱلتَّلاَقِ }
قوله تعالى: { رَفِيعُ ٱلدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ يُلْقِي ٱلرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ } [15] أي رافع الدرجات يرفع درجات من يشاء بالمعرفة به،


Dhu indicates that this act of elevating and gliding is actually the nature and characteristic of the agent-doer i.e. it is an intrinsic proclivity of the agent-doer i.e. Allah. In other words, anything that comes close to Allah is elevated or it is away at a far distance.

Hussein (Hallaj?)
"Al-'Arsh (Divine Throne) is the utter-limit of what any member of the creation can make Ishara (Point) at."


 تفسير حقائق التفسير/ السلمي (ت 412 هـ)
وقال الحسين: العرش غاية ما أشار إليه الخلق

In other words the furthest limit away an entity can point at is Al-Arsh.

Allah is Rafi', the grammar of the sentence is verb-less i.e. Allah needs no action to elevate anything and Allah is Rafi' even if nothing is elevated ever. Similarly Allah is Rafi's whether there is transience of passage of time or there is no passages of time.

Remark: Daraka is monotonically decreasing gradation and it is used for gradation away from Allah.



كنز العمال - للمتقي الهندي
المجلد الثالث >> الإكمال من العقل
7051- إن لله خواص يسكنهم رفيع الدرجات، لأنهم كانوا في الدنيا أعقل الناس، كانت همتهم المسابقة إلى الطاعة، وهانت عليهم فضول الدنيا وزينتها.
الخطيب في المتفق والمفترق وابن النجار عن البراء.





Q: Where are all these Darajat stored?
A:

3:163. (for) them/they Darajat 'Ind (closely with) Allah

هُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ


Mufradat
Isfahani
'Ind is a phrase with the semantics for closeness or nearness, sometimes in the form of spatial proximity and other times in the form of belief or what is within the person's mind or behaviour or considerations.


مفردات ألفاظ القرآن. - للأصفهاني
كتاب العين
عند
-عند: لفظ موضوع للقرب، فتارة يستعمل في المكان، وتارة في الاعتقاد، نحو أن يقال: عندي كذا، وتارة في الزلفى والمنزلة،




Nun (Nexus) Modality of Presence: Darajat in Present Tense

Nexus (Nun) or (US, WE) allows for nearness/farness or distance gradation, and the act or verb of lofting is felt during the Nexus-Modality of Divine presence.

6:83. Na (We) elevate Darjat (Gradations, pl) for whom Na (We) wish

نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَنْ نَشَاءُ


Kitab Al-Ya 
by Ibn Arabi 

50:16. And Nahnu (We) are nearer to him than the artery cord. 

وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ 

“For Na-h-Nu (We) there is measure of proximity and nearness but for Huwa (IT, He) there is only distance; since Na-h-Nu (We) is represented by the proxy of artery cord, where cord deals with connectivity; Huwa (IT, He) is opposite of the latter.” 

In this modality of Daraja there is a concept of being close to Allah and being far from Allah. Moreover the individual could participate in these elevations of the gradations by acts of charity or worship or good  behaviour or refined speech and so on.

The present tense indicates that these traversal of gradations are indeed subject to potentialities or probabilities.


Nun (Nexus) Modality of Presence: Darajat in Past Tense

43:32. Wa (While/And, Emergence Operator) elevate Nā (We) some of you over others (in) Darajat (Gradations, pl)

وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ

The past tense indicates that these traversal of gradations by the individuals are indeed actualities free of all potentials i.e. realities.


Hu (IT) Modality of Presence: Absolute Absence Darajat in Past Tense Free of Any Distance Near or Far

6:165. Wa (While/And, Emergence Operator) elevated (Hu, IT omission) some of you over others (in) Darajat (Gradations, pl)

وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ

The Hu (IT) Modality indicates that these gradations are created and assigned in absence of all creation or in absence of all their efforts and thoughts and spirits. The past tense indicates that these elevations of gradations occurred in deep past i.e. Qidam the realm of actualities free of all potentialities.



Intrinsic Darajat (Gradations)

Razi
Tafsir Kabir

3:163. (for) them/they Darajat 'Ind (closely with) Allah

هُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ

"Actually should have been La-Hum (For them) but La ('L' sound in Arabic) was omitted i.e. their varying deeds and behaviours made their essences as if totally different entities. This omission is more reaching to deliver the meaning than the explicit mention with La-Hum. Peace be upon him said: The people are unto mines of gold and silver; meaning of different nature as if different substances. Or said: The souls are like the soldiers of the same army, meaning so close in purpose and behaviour. And all these establish the fact that the people's Nafs (Self) have different Darajat (Gradations), and not that "for them" there are different Darajat."


 تفسير مفاتيح الغيب ، التفسير الكبير/ الرازي (ت 606 هـ)
{ هُمْ دَرَجَـٰتٌ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ }
وفيه مسائل.
المسألة الأولى: تقدير الكلام: لهم درجات عند الله، إلا أنه حسن هذا الحذف، لان اختلاف أعمالهم قد صيرتهم بمنزلة الأشياء المختلفة في ذواتها. فكان هذا المجاز أبلغ من الحقيقة والحكماء يقولون: إن النفوس الانسانية مختلفة بالماهية والحقيقة، فبعضها ذكية وبعضها بليدة، وبعضها مشرقة نورانية، وبعضها كدرة ظلمانية، وبعضها خيرة وبعضها نذلة، واختلاف هذه الصفات ليس لاختلاف الامزجة البدنية، بل لاختلاف ماهيات النفوس، ولذلك قال عليه الصلاة والسلام: " الناس معادن كمعادن الذهب والفضة " وقال: " الأرواح جنود مجندة " واذا كان كذلك ثبت أن الناس في أنفسهم درجات، لا أن لهم درجات.


Qurtubi agreed with Razi and interpreted the Hum as Dhu-Darajat i.e. their nature and characteristics intrinsically are Darajat in and of themselves.

 تفسير الجامع لاحكام القرآن/ القرطبي (ت 671 هـ)
 ومعنى «هُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ». أي ذَوُو دَرَجاتٍ.



Society of Al-Darajat (Gradations)

'Al' (the, all) might serve as a definitive pointing to a collection of gradations, and therefore the Al-Darajat is a society of all Daraj which are all with Allah:


40:15. Rafi' (Glider, the one elevates) Al-Darajat (Gradations, pl) Dhu (Possessor) Al-'Arsh (Divine Throne)

رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ


20:75. For Them Al-Darajat (Gradatrions, pl) most lofty

لَهُمُ الدَّرَجَاتُ الْعُلَا

Q: What is the difference between just a plural of gradations vs. society of gradations?
A: 'plural of gradations' is a human mental concept i.e. more than one, issue of arithmatic. Society of Gradations is an entity existing in and of itself more than just the sum of its parts, and it is with Allah i.e. quite close. Referring to the Nun (Nexus) above, this society as an entity allows for nearness and fairness and traversal within.



Upward Glide for Knowledge: Perpetual

58:11. Allah elevates those who believed from them and those given knowledge (are, for them there are) Darajat (Gradations, pl)

يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ 

Here there is no Al (The) and therefore in present tense it indicates that the upwards glide i.e. voyage is transient and perpetual subject to the understanding and concepts of motion of gliding or upwards motion.


"Between the scholar and the worshipper there are seventy Daraja", said the Prophet

Seventy means many in the language of the Arab, and this Prophetic Narration (Hadith) teaches us the superiority of the voyage of the scholar vs. a worshipper.


الجامع الصغير.  - لجلال الدين السيوطي
المجلد الثالث >> باب: حرف الباء
3177 - بين العالم والعابد سبعون درجة
التخريج (مفصلا): الديلمي في مسند الفردوس عن أبي هريرة
تصحيح السيوطي: ضعيف





Daraja in Singular Form Regarding Men's Affairs With Women

2:228. And for the men over them (women) a/some Daraja (Gradation)

وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌ


Remark: In Singular form it was used for Jihad as well. 

Allah endowed the men a Daraja (Gradation) of spirituality and blessing for being unwavering (Qawwāmun) over the women as their care takers not just to put food on their table or protect them physically, more than often women do all that for themselves, but to be there for them spiritually in times of need and weakness and old age to honour them and provide a household that promotes spiritually of the Dhikr (Remembrence) for Allah. The Daraja by no means indicates the superiority of men over women as has been misinterpreted by the Arab male for their own worldly benefits and lusts.

4:34. The men are (to) stand firm (unwavering) for/over women with what Allah bestowed (more) upon some (over) others and with what they spent from their belongings Fa (Consequently, inexorably linked consequence) (for the women) to be good doers fearful of Allah preserving …

الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَبِمَا أَنْفَقُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ فَالصَّالِحَاتُ قَانِتَاتٌ حَافِظَاتٌ لِلْغَيْبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ اللَّهُ

Clearly the verse talks about the Fadhl of Allah (Allah's generosity and virtues given) to men, some more than the others, this Rahi (Author) believes that this refers to the spiritual issues. Since the next part of the verse discusses the household matters of spending from men's belongings. Therefore it is clear that there two attributes of the standing firm for women i.e. one of spiritual nature and one of the material nature and both for sure are not form the men but originated from Fadhl (Generosity and virtues) of Allah as gifts to men.


A: What does 'standing firm' or 'Unwavering' mean?
Q: Like unto a strong tree that does not bend with any wind no matter how strong:

5:8. O you who believed (all) be stand firm (unwavering) witness for justice for Allah (in presence of Allah)  


يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ


Again the word Qawwāmun is used in the state of Nasb i.e. Qawwāmin due to the action of the verb 'be' (Kunu). Here again you can see the word has certain sense of preserving and being unwavering (like a tree resisting the forces of gales) as opposed to the sense of superiority of one over another.

From the perspective of Sufism, based upon the Hadith (Prophetic Narration), Sheikh Attar taught us that women were/are Divine Secrets hidden deep within the core existence of the male and of course men are left with the responsibility (Daraja) of preserving such grand secret and devout their lives to, in an unwavering fashion (Qawwāmun) to cherish the treasures of this hidden secret.

Remark: Allah needs no man to feed the women and their children. Therefore the verse cannot solely refer to the men feeding and clothing women, in occasions if necessary and the generality and scope of the verse is about the male's endowment to be unwavering and steadfast for the female to provide her with environment for her to nurture her spiritualities and transmit them to her offsprings.


May Allah free us all from the sexism of the Arab and their intellectual stagnation:

1. The verse is not for a singular man, it reads for all men i.e. no individual man has such gradation it is a collective endowment of Daraja (Gradation) for them as all men.

2. Endowment of Daraja (Gradation) does not mean superiority or upper handedness! For example there are Hadith (Prophetic Narrations) dealing with the Daraja for scholars over the worshippers. This does not mean that scholars have any worldly power over the worshippers. But the Arab exegetes interpreted this usage of Daraja as a form of masculine superiority over the female inferiority, we seek refuge to Allah.

3. All the references in the Qur'an and Hadith with regards to the Daraja that have been in male form are indeed applicable to the female as well since the language of the Arab provides economy of expressions for Khitab (Address) i.e. addressing male includes both male and female.

4. As shown below in 'Ajulani's lost Hadith collection that there were Hadith (Prophetic Narrations) with regards to the Daraja of women in households but of course we all know that the narrator was a liar!!! So the Arab sanitized the books of Hadith thus euthanized our thirsting intellect. For example, the Prophet told the congregation of female worshippers to repeat after the Ethiopian (Bilal) when called to the prayers to gain unnumbered (Alf Alf) Daraja (Gradation). And this reference of the Prophet was firmly directed towards the women to the point that Umar had to ask the Prophet 'what about the men?'. In other accounts, Prophet talked about the Daraja of women/girls remaining in the households or doing choirs.




مجمع الزوائد.  - للحافظ الهيثمي
المجلد الثاني. >> 4.كتاب الصلاة. >> 24. باب إجابة المؤذن وما يقول عند الأذان والإقامة.
1871-وعن ميمونة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قام بين صف الرجال والنساء فقال:
"يا معشر النساء إذا سمعتن أذان هذا الحبشي وإقامته فقلن كما يقول فإن لكن بكل حرف ألف ألف درجة" قال عمر: هذا للنساء فماذا للرجال؟ قال: "ضعفان يا عمر".
قلت: ويأتي بتمامه في حق الزوج على المرأة في النكاح.
رواه الطبراني في الكبير بإسنادين في أحدهما عبد الله الجزري عن ميمونة ولم أعرفه. وعباد بن كثير وفيه ضعف وقد وثقه جماعة، وبقية رجاله ثقات، والإسناد الآخر فيه جماعة لم أعرفهم.



كشف الخفاء،  - للإمام العجلوني
حرف الهمزة. >> الهمزة مع الذال المعجمة
300 - إذا غسلت المرأة ثياب زوجها كتب الله لها ألفي حسنة وغفر لها ألفي سيئة، واستغفر لها كل شيء طلعت عليه الشمس، ورفع لها ألفي درجة.
قال ابن حجر المكي في فتاواه الحديثية نقلا عن الحافظ السيوطي أنه كذب موضوع لا يحل روايته إلا لبيان أنه كذب مفترى على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال وكذا ما نسب لعائشة رضي الله عنها من أنها قالت ضِرْسُ مغزل المرأة يعدل التكبير في سبيل الله، والتكبير في سبيل الله أثقل من السماوات والأرض، وأيما امرأة كست زوجها من غزلها كان لها بكل سدىً أو لُحمةً مائة ألف حسنة، < صفحة 121> وكذا حديث من اشترى لعياله شيئا ثم حمله بيده إليهم حط الله عنه ذنب سبعين سنة، وكذا حديث من فرَّح أنثى فكأنما بكي من خشية الله تعالى، وكذا حديث البيت الذي فيه البنات ينزل فيه كل يوم ثنتا عشرة رحمة من السماء ولا تُقطعُ زيادة الملائكة من ذلك البيت يكتبون لأبويها كل يوم عبادة سنة، قال فكل ذلك كذب وموضوع، انتهى.

"(There are) Tertiary Darajat (Gradations): to feed with food, to spread the peace, night prayers while people asleep." said the Prophet peace be upon him.

Therefore there are Darajat (Gradations) for women when they feed their families, when they bring peace and tranquility and with their highly private worships. And as such the same applies to men as well.  
الجامع الصغير. - لجلال الدين السيوطي
المجلد الثالث >> باب: حرف الثاء
3472- ثلاث مهلكات، وثلاث منجيات، وثلاث كفارات، وثلاث درجات: فأما المهلكات: فشح مطاع، وهوى متبع، وإعجاب المرء بنفسه. وأما المنجيات: فالعدل في الغضب والرضا، والقصد في الفقر والغنى، وخشية الله تعالى في السر والعلانية. وأما الكفارات: فانتظار الصلاة بعد الصلاة، وإسباغ الوضوء في السبرات، نقل الأقدام إلى الجماعات. وأما الدرجات: فإطعام الطعام، وإفشاء السلام، والصلاة بالليل والناس نيام
["سبرات" (بفتح السين والباء والراء)، جمع "سبرة" (بسكون الباء): شدة البرد]ـ
التخريج (مفصلا): الطبراني في الأوسط عن ابن عمر
تصحيح السيوطي: ضعيف





Ishara:  Y Chromosomes Remarkable Divergence 

Amr44 had alluded towards the fact that XX Chromosomes is found in female while YX found in male. Adding to this fact the recent genome discovery that Y Chromosomes are innovating and changing themselves rapidly during the past 6 million years, serve as an Ishara (Vector Pointing) at the word Daraja (Gradation) i.e. appearance of the male Chromosome Y is necessary for the anti-Carnal safeguarding of all humanity i.e. it is a key innovation of this part of the genome that keeps us away from become apes and monkeys (there are others as well). This molecular innovation and its incessant variations keep the female and her children away from becoming beasts.  

NICHOLAS WADE
Ny Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/science/14gene.html?_r=2 
"The chimpanzee and human lineages shared a common ancestor just six million years ago, a short slice of evolutionary time. Over all, the genomes of the two species are very similar and differ in less than 1 percent of their DNA. But the Y chromosomes differ in 30 percent of their DNA, meaning that these chromosomes are changing far faster in both species than the rest of the genome."

Jennifer F. Hughes
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7280/full/nature08700.html 
"We suggest that the extraordinary divergence of the chimpanzee and human MSYs was driven by four synergistic factors: the prominent role of the MSY in sperm production, ‘genetic hitchhiking’ effects in the absence of meiotic crossing over, frequent ectopic recombination within the MSY, and species differences in mating behaviour. Although genetic decay may be the principal dynamic in the evolution of newly emergent Y chromosomes, wholesale renovation is the paramount theme in the continuing evolution of chimpanzee, human and perhaps other older MSYs."


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