Messages

Peace brother ,

God bless you for the webpage quransmessage.com ,

i just want to now your opinion about Rashad Khalifa ,and the mathematical miracle 19, not because Rashad said , but because the Quran said to follow the Quran alone , and because the Quran make it clear that the messengers olso follow only the word of God , the Quran, i try to count for my self the initials of  the suras and i find that in quran uthmani minimum that i take from tanzil,com , this rezults,

(see the photos that i have sent to you, is my searching)

olso..

i cudn't count the for grups of suras that thay have the ALIF , because the pc don't recognizes this letter...in this link are all initials numbered one by one,http://submission.org/QI#/contents the suras with the initial ALIF don't correspod with the counts of Rashad Khalifa , but they are olso multipe of nineteen ,
and all the other suras are multiple of nineteen, however, and in case that if  only the suras without ALIF are multiple of nineteen ...IS THIS A "koencidensce" ?

scuse me for my english , i don't speak so good , my name is [Name removed] and i live ine greece

I agree with you to follow only the quran , and that the messengers can make mistakes,

Peace!

Dear Mr. Joseph Islam, thank you.

Your Quran's Message site is a jewel of understanding, clarity and level-headed guidance, something I so need as I endeavor to understand the true spirit of the Quran vis-a-vis the clutter - yes, I said clutter - of unfounded beliefs, projections, overlays, and harsh forms of social compulsion imposed on Muslims and on the perceptions of non-Muslims from secondary sources.

As I read Asad's "Message of the Quran", I cannot help but notice the number of parenthetical "clarifications" he inserts throughout the verses, making it clear that "THIS" is what the more general statement of the Quran means more "specifically". Where the Quran itself offers a broad statement, the parenthetical insertion narrows it into a decidedly biased point of view. For instance, "adultery" becomes "and all other forms of fornication outside of legal marriage, including ...."

I think it is a crime what secondary sources have done to the purest intent of Islam. Where they have not meddled with the Quran itself (except I feel where they have inserted parenthetical assertions), it is through commentaries and jurisprudence based on commentaries that they have made a mockery of the central message of the revelation. All the emphasis on individual behaviors, and the minutia regarding these behaviors, has really done no more than hang lead weights on the Quran's message and as a result on Islam and Muslims also.

Keep up the good work, and please inform me of updates to the web site as they arise.

As selam aleikum,

A Brother

Assalam alaykum

I read your articles and pdf and i am amazed at the positions you have put forth. If i may explain my intentions.

I have been muslim for about 1 year now and have been taught many different ahadith and fiqh etc. Now I have recently embarked on a a quest of truth and looking to study the quran since it the criterion. Also being appointed by the imaam of my local masjid to assist him and take over from him when he leaves the country. I am also in a few days going to enroll in a madrasah to finish memorization of the entire quran and learn arabic and hadith etc. I find myself doubting a lot the hadith and interpreations of the quran and the associated fiqh derived from it. My emphasis of my study is the practical implementations of the quran to our lives and society as well as transformation of ourselves and characters etc. What i am trying to say is I feel conflicted in continuing with my studies to be a traditional "shaykh or alim" and the imaam or assistant imaam of the masjid because of my doubts. In otherwords, how can I teach and advise people when I am not even sure about what I am actually going to learn.

Hopefully I have made myself clear and I look forward to any guidance or advise you may be willing to offer.

I pray Allah keeps you firm and forgives your sins and rectify your affairs. Ameen

Salamunalikum Brother,

My name is [name removed] from India, currently working in UAE; First of all I would like to appreciate you the way you have explained and researched the Quran.

It's made me to read day and night with full concentration in the subject and become deep thinker Maasha Allah.
You have explained each subject obviously and opened my blind eyes, Alhamdulillah

I am really wants to encourage you to do more research and guide us through the light of Quran

10 years before I came to know about the contradictions, confusions, lies, fabrications etc about the Ahadith but I could not get any guidance and tools to do research in such things.

But now I feel very good when I started studying your "Quran and its Message" website and learned more Alhamdulillah.

Nowadays I am arguing with my friends and trying to pass the God's message with the proof from the Quran.

And I would like to know regarding the prayers that what we can recite while praying in the stages of Rukh, Sajtha, and mainly in sitting position. Usually I will recite what we have in the ahadith but I am not satisfied with that.

We know that Quran is complete and explained in detail but I have to know what to recite in the different stages of prayers. It will be more useful for us

Please send me your answers through this email.

Thank you.

salamunalaikum,.

Brother i have a deeper request about your site should be in urdu so i can understand ,i understand english but not more hard word cant understand please do help me understand quran in urdu language. please please please

Dear Brother,

salamun alaikum

Recently, I came upon your website and have been reading since last three days(2-4hrs/day)

I do not belong to any sect, rather I am a muslim trying to follow quran.

I am 56, Bangldeshi,living in Canada since 1999.

Would you please let me know about yourself ?

Allah Hafiz

Salamunalaykom, I know its random, really enjoyed ur web page on "slave girls". For sooo long I have tried to understand what "those whom your right hand posesses means" as many websites and books ect say different and disgusting things. I follow Allahs words only, so it's quite hard to find a good explaination without opinion of sheiks ect or Hadith, which by the end leave me with a sick feeling. Anyways just wanted say thanks brother.
Salam

Dear Joseph

May the Almighty's blessings be upon you.

I have found your website refreshingly original and welcome in terms of understanding what Islam is really about.

Unlike you perhaps, I am at the very beginning of my journey exploring the Quran and the religion/way of life I profess to follow. I certainly have enthusiasm but lack direction at the moment!

Personally, I think a new translation of the Quran in to English that highlights issues like you deal with on your website is long overdue - have you considered this? Most Quranic translations with commentaries muddy the picture by deriving guidance for interpretation from Hadith which sort of defeats the point.

Either way, thank you again for your fantastic efforts and the very best of wishes

Salaam

I was brought to your website by a friend. I am a believer in the Quran as the divine message from God. However I have some doubts regarding the hadith.

I hope I have come to the right place.

I have read your work with interest, but as a trained scientist I must be able to criticize and still be able to form a strong belief, as a very strong test to a belief is questioning it and breaking it down.

Thank you for your work.

(June 2011)

Peace Joseph,

I browsed some of the pages and I looked at a few articles, and I found your work admirable. Mashallah. The article I looked demonstrated the following qualities:

1. Clear mind
2. Concise language
3. Great presentation and use of Quranic quotes
4. Awareness of important issues

I will inshallah include your site among the few links at 19.org and later I will share with a list of several thousand contacts and readers.

Peace,
Edip

Dear Joseph:

A/A.....I have found your material very very useful.  I want to thank you for sharing this important research.  I hope you can continue to enrich the people with your
analysis and intellectual appeal.
 
Yours brotherly,

Dear Joseph,

Peace be upon you.

You do not know me. But, to some degree, I feel I know you through the articles posted on your website, your forum, and your facebook presence. I have been studying your material for some time now, and while I do not necessarily agree with everything you have posted, I certainly do concur with most of it, if not nearly all of it.

It is for this reason that I now write to you – I am at my wits end and desperately seeking a family in faith. To be sure, not just any family, but specifically a family of committed Qur'an only believers. Ever since I first picked up the Qur'an about six years ago, realized its truth, and earnestly began to reflect upon its verses, ever since then I have been, and continue to be alone in faith. During this period, I have gone through many trials, the full details of which are known only to God. But then, that is to be expected, for does the Qur'an not say, "Do people think they will be left alone after saying 'We believe' without being put to the test? [29:2]

As a result of my sincere efforts, and God is the best of judges, to seek absolute truth – and thus follow the guidance of the Qur'an, and only the Qur'an, and not tradition and cultural practices – I am essentially estranged from my two children (who, after all, are raised by a secularist mom, in a Western education system replete with all its influences, both good and bad), long divorced (that is, according to God's law), and largely a social pariah. My extended family, in various capacities of practice, is Sunni. Amongst other factors these theological differences, as correctly pointed out in one of your facebook entries, have significantly contributed to strife and division within my family; I find myself as 'the odd man out,' standing alone with deeply held convictions. But then, once again, some solace is to be found in the Qur'an when God says, "The love of desirable things is made alluring for men – women, children, gold and silver treasures piled up high, horses with fine markings, livestock, and farmland – these may be the joys of this life, but God has the best place to return to." [3:14]

Joseph, may God bless and reward you for all your efforts and good works in His cause, both in this life and in the hereafter. I look forward to hearing from you soon, God willing.

Your committed brother in faith,

[Comments by Azin Hemila]

Comments by Azin Hemila

Joseph Islam..../Peace b upon you too....Thanks for your kind reply ...I'd like your manner and style of writing .MashaAllah.

Regarding the verse 3:86 that Prophet's contemporaries bore witness I should say the word of messenger in entire Quran bears the message...Mohammad without message wasn't a messenger...Prophet was commanded to obey the messenger/revelation/message too.

33:2-Follow what is revealed to you from your Lord. God is fully Cognizant of everything you all do.

As you would know message of the Quran is dynamic and is not limited to the time and places....3:86 is related to the message not the messngership of Mohammad since he's dead and is not part of teaching of God to bear witness to his messngership too...When God doesn't teach/command us such a thing then going over the board and innovating such a shahada goes against His Will...He knows something that we don't know...Our utterances shouldn't contradict the teachings/commands of God.

3:86 has universal message for all who witness the message of God/Quran as Truth but yet ignore/reject it because of their wishful thinking/egos.
Please consider in 3:85 where we're reminded of Islam as accepted religion...The continuation of that message is 3:86 where strong reminder is for those who witness the message of Islam but reject it after believing it.

We can only bear witness according to 3:86 that Quran/message is Truth since it's messenger too because we witnesses it with our mind/heart/eyes and once recognizing such a Truth but disregarding /ignoring/rejecting it then God wouldn't guide disbelieving after believing

Regarding the verse 63:1 it's hypocrites that bears such a testimony...God calls the hypocrites liars who went to prophet with such a testimony and God says that He knows he is His messenger...Why would God say such a thing that sounds so personal? Hypocrites were bearing witness to Mohammad why then God answer them in such a manner??..It's because God suffices as witness for him and none of hypocrites witnessed the time Mohammad was appointed as messenger and God asked them to believe in him not bearing false shahada.

63:1 is not about sincerity of the hypocrites only, it's about their testimony too creating divisions, distinction among messengers and above that ignoring the command of God believing only not that testifying since God Alone suffices as his witness therefore no need of testimony of others when they never witnessed it....

‎/Regarding the 39:45 the word is ذُكِرَ which means remembering. The word of worship is coming from (ع ب د) as in 51:56 we read. remembering is a kind of worshiping too but in its own context needs to be considered....Therefore remembering anybody beside God for any reason is Shirk....Giving testimony to messngership of Prophet in call for Unity of God is remembering another god beside God which is Shirk.......Those who are not happy to remember God Alone insist on remembering Mohammad or Ali beside God in such an important declaration of Unity of God which is the message to the whole Universe.
My point by quoting 39:45 was for such a gross sin that majority commit .since they're not happy with God Alone they find all kind of excuses to legitimatize such a gross sin/shirk. Every one of us should search deep down in our heart why we get exited by mentioning the name of Mohammad beside God then the rest becomes clear InshaAllah.
That testimony is false...Uttering falsehood is not part of traits of believers.

Regarding the witnessing and then testifying where you mentioned about God there are 2 solid proofs in the Quran teaching us testifying to the Unity of God must be observed.

1-Verse 3:18 where God testifies to His Own Unity by asking Angels and those posses knowledge to testify exactly like Him.

2-verse 7:172 where God took us to testify that He is Our Lord and Master....Based on 2 Quranic proofs we must bear witness to the Unity of God Alone.

We already testified to God that is our Lord and Master .it means the process of witnessing in whatever manner was has happened and God reminds of such a testimony. We shouldn't question God.

None of us witnessed Mohammad to testify to His messngership and God never took us as his witness or commanded us to bear witness....We shouldn't pass the line construe our beliefs in message of God by coming up with testimony of Mohammad's messengership.We should strictly stand by what God is asking us and not doing/saying/uttering anything else ....God is asking us to believe in him we say we hear and we obey....Unfortunately all those kind of interpretations based on none Quranic proofs/command of God have caused confusions and created sects ,innovations and committing shirk is result of it at the end.

God knew we would come up with such an excuse for not seeing Him then why testifying to His Unity that's why He reminds us with those verses but not reminding/commanding us for Mohammad or any other Messengers for such a testimony. Glory be to Him, He is so precise leaving no excuse for creating any sort of innovations.

When God hasn't commanded us something but we innovate it and utter it beside God then Wow that's a gross transgression.
When God hasn't asked us doing/uttering especially when reminded us what our approach should be to that matter then going against His message is falsehood and that shahada is false.

7:172-Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and had them bear witness for themselves: "Am I not your Lord?" They all said, "Yes. We bear witness." Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, "We were not aware of this."

At the end declaration of Unity of God must be absolutely to Him Alone without mentioning anybody beside Him to let the whole world to know that Our God is One and Him Alone is Our Lord and Master...He Alone we worship and remember Him alone without compromising mentioning anybody else's beside Him...Proving that He Alone is the Creator and all messengers are His Servants nothing more nothing less....He Alone is Worthy of to be mentioned, remembered and called....This is strict monotheism.

Sorry for my lengthy response but I had to express myself as much as I could in order to prove my understanding is purely based on God's Teachings in the Quran.

Peace
Azin.

[Comment shared on Joseph Islam's Facebook Page to the following post:]

Comment shared on Joseph Islam's Facebook Page to the following post:

SEEK MUTUAL GROUND

029:046
"And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit"

Beautiful Azaan in a Church

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX3U-BGDedc&feature=player_embedded


Comment by Azin Hemila
Beautiful voice but false Shahada....God never asked us or teaches us to testify to Mohammad's messengership. Why God Alone can not be mentioned?39:45

Comment by Mubashir Inayat
Dear Azin, upon reading the Qur'an and based on what Allah tells us, are we not led to believe that that the blessed Messenger was Allah's Messenger? If we do, then are we not testifying that he was Allah's Messenger?

Comment by Azin Hemila
Mubashir Inayet.....Salam...Is there any verse in the Quran that God is teaching us to testify to Prophet Mohammad messengership? No....Then on what basis we innovate such a Shahda and declaring it alongside with God's own Shahada 3:18?

God is repeatedly asking us to believe in his messengers ...God is teaching us not to make distinction among His messengers....BTW who has witnessed to prophet Messengership?Were we there? Don't we read God is suffices as his witness?

Everything is about God Alone....When calling His unity in the world is associated with one of His servants then God is not Alone ,He has partner that needs to be called beside Him too.....39:45 has all the answers.
Yes Mohammad was God's messenger like any other His messengers.

[Post received by Wakas on Facebook]

Post received by Wakas on Facebook

peace brother Joseph, I read your article on 5 prayers: http://quransmessage.com/articles/the%20five%20prayers%20from%20the%20quran%20FM3.htm

Here are the issues that you may wish to have another look at:

11:114 says "near/proximal parts" (plural – 3 or more) – proximal to what? Two ends of day.

Equates SBH and HMD to salat, however, if doing so, one must equate them in all verses mentioning times, once one does this, the times of SBH/HMD/salat become irreconcilable, or at least no-one I have ever read has done so. Did you analyse all such verses with timings?

5-a-day means no time-ranges given for all salat, or for some only, if so, explanation required.

2:238 – al salat al wusta is not in the same form as "salat al fajr/isha", according to Arabic, the former is a description, the latter a specific.
If one chooses "middle prayer" then why is this singled out and is it this one can be done on the move? Requires explanation.

why in some verses does it mention some salat only, and not others, seemingly missing some out etc.

Other information:
Earliest Islamic sources clearly show it was originally two salat daily, with an optional night vigil.
http://www.urirubin.com/downloads/articles/morning.pdf
Post "night journey" (isra & miraj) it changed to 5, according to tradition.
Only two salat times mentioned by name in Quran - coincidence?
No record of "wusta" ever being a salat.
Examples of a twice daily seemingly in Quran itself: 6:52-53, 18:27-28.

In my humble opinion, the evidence is heavily weighted in favour of a minimum of two daily, for the mumineen - I say minimum as one could do more if one wishes etc.

Please note, I'm not looking for a lengthy discussion, just wanted to highlight issues. If in future, you look into, let me know the update. Thanks.