Topics

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/altmuslim/2014/07/ramadan-2014-the-quran-and-the-recitation/

Salam all,

Here is a brief article by Amina Wadud that I would like to share with you


http://feminismandreligion.com/2014/07/03/papa-dont-preach-ted-like-talks-at-malmo-nordic-womens-forum-may-2014/

Salam all,

"3 Things You Should Avoid This Ramadan To Make It More Spiritually Meaningful!

As I sit here writing this, I am exuberated with joy that Ramadan is almost here! We, Pakistanis, are always fashionably late; so that should explain why we start fasting a day after most other countries.

Anyhow! Personally speaking, Ramadan is my favorite time of the year. A month I exclusively dedicate to my relationship with God, focusing on spiritual growth and reflections. It would be great if every Muslim tried to make a conscious effort in changing some part of their personality that needs to be improved during Ramadan, but this, unfortunately, is not the case. It is sad to note how each year Ramadan is wasted, and so the primary purpose of this blog is to address those issues.

As Ramadan approaches, Muslims suddenly change character. They fast, read the Quran, give away in charities, and try to avoid all the detrimental things they've become accustomed to. But as soon as it is over, they revert back to their ways of old, happily content that they've performed their religious rights and have pleased God. It's almost as if Eid liberates them from their moral responsibilities they so fervently upheld in Ramadan!

So, here are the three things you should try to avoid in this Ramadan:

Don't Take Fasting As An End In Itself
I've always thought of Ramadan as a training program, and this really helps me keep things in perspective. To convey my point, let's take the example of an intensive revision class set up by your university to help you achieve your goal: passing the exam.

Now here's what happens: The students make it incumbent upon themselves to attend every class, but pay no attention whatsoever to what they're doing. Having sat in these classes for a month, they expect the professor to be pleased with them for attending all his classes, hoping that he would pass them in the exam because of their dedication. Unprepared as they were, they miserably fail the exam, and thus repeat the year. For many, this becomes an on-going process. But, any sign of progress is nowhere to be found!

You probably understand the analogy. A major factor of why this happens, though, is because religious people tend to take their rituals and rights as an end in themselves, rather than taking them as a means to an end. They think, albeit naively, that performing these rituals somehow pleases God, and so they have no incentive to make an effort and derive any values from the rituals they perform.

The mere act of fasting, in no way, pleases God. This is an idea alien to the Quran. Rather, the purpose of fasting is that it should teach us self-control, make us more conscious of God (2:183), and develop an attitude of gratitude (2:185)! It is by these values that we attain during Ramadan, that boosts our relationship with God and helps us in connecting with It.

Otherwise, what's the point?

Don't Read The Quran In A Language You Don't Understand
This is something that needs to be stressed a lot, before we come out of the Arab supremacy complex.

I realize how hard it is to pick up the Quran and read it, for the first time. So, for those of you that have never read the Quran, the month of Ramadan provides an excellent platform. Presumably, your family members would already be reading the Quran this month, so the environment is all set up for action! However, I implore you not to make the mistake of reading the Quran in Arabic if you don't understand it. Indeed, that defeats the whole purpose of sending down revelation!



"A book we have revealed to you so that it may bring people out of ignorance, towards enlightenment." Quran, 14:2

The purpose of the Quran has never been to encourage people to read it for the sake of it, or to attain rewards! Needless to say, you don't become enlightened by reading it in a foreign language.

As I wrote in a previous blog,

"What was supposed to be a book with a revolutionary message, you revolve around it, not understanding a word of what it says.

What was supposed to be a book that was meant to transform your heart, you don't even let it cross your brain." (I encourage you to read the entire blog here)

[Side note: You'd probably have a translation of the Quran in your home, but if not, you should download this translation here.]

If you're looking to read the entire Quran this month, then let me do the math for you. There are 30 Juz (parts) in the Quran, each Juz consisting of roughly 20 pages. So, 30 days and 30 Juz. Still with me? Good. 1 juz every day. 20 pages. Yeah, not so much, is it? Of course, there is no "rule" that you have to read the entire Quran. Read whatever is easy to read. Quality over quantity, always!

Moreover, if you intend to attend Taraweeh, do realize that although these are optional, they're a great way of reviewing the message of the Quran in Ramadan. I'll repeat this again: Please don't just stand there for the sake of it, having no idea of what is being recited. It defeats the purpose. Take your translation with you to the mosque, or if you don't have one, you could always download it on your cell phone and take that instead. Whatever you do, make good use of it!


Don't spend in charities to accumulate rewards
As per popular opinion, spending in the month of Ramadan supposedly earns more rewards as it is deemed to be a "blessed" month. But to donate money in hopes of accumulating rewards is very paradoxical indeed!

The purpose of giving is just that: giving! No more, no less. We should help others, not only in Ramadan but all year round, simply because it is the right thing to do. It is what the soul yearns for! Expecting "rewards" for our service makes the whole process unnatural. It's no more about benefiting others anymore, it becomes self centered. The ego comes in: "What can I get from this?"

Spend, because the other person deserves it. Understand his condition, and give selflessly. Suppress the ego, and boost your soul! Be altruistic!

In the famous words of Rumi: "When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy!"

Final Thoughts

It's always best to maintain a balance, and Ramadan is no exception. Don't burn yourself, but don't waste it either. What are the goals you wish to achieve this Ramadan? Jot them down, now! Written goals are easier to review and evaluate progress.

A major theme of the Quran is that of accountability, self-control, and being conscious of God. If you think about it, these are the values that fasting should help us internalize. And if one internalizes these values from the core of their being, then nothing could steer you towards wrong-doing.

This Ramadan, re-gain control of yourself!

Ro "


       RAMADAN MUBARAK !  May God accept your fast and may you be a better, committed person in 30 days.

Peace and greetings,

These are the main ideas from Prophet Muhammad's Sunna, compiled by Dr. Vladimir Antonov, that we can live by


Good education is the best legacy that can be handed down to children.
Speak always the truth, even if it is not profitable for you!
Share what you know with others and teach them!
Him, who pitied no one, no one will pity.
Be not a burden to people!
Do not sit down between two sitting people without first asking their permission.
Be economical and do not bring yourself to destitution!
Do not do things which then make you conscience-stricken!
The riches consist not in quantity of goods but in the breadth of the soul.
The knowledge is a treasure, the key to which is inquiry.
Step away from a fool!
Avoid intoxicating drinks!...
Calmness is a gain; disarray is a loss.
Do not be in a hurry in taking decisions and provide for consequences!
Do not judge anyone on assumptions or if you have doubts.
Exhort every one to do no evil!
If you have to punish the guilty never strike him in the face!
He who wakes up lately closes for himself the door to prosperity.
Any bribe is a sin and an odious source of income!
He who has flared up should stop speaking immediately!
An inhospitable person is an inferior person!
Repay to those who made good to you!
It is a virtuous deed — to forgive those who offended you, to give to those who refused to give to you, to stretch a hand of peace to those who quarrel with you!
O man! If you are not satisfied with the small, the great can satisfy you neither!
Do good deeds without creating buzz.
Do not wish death to yourself or to others.
He who does not thank people will not thank Allah also.
Everything created by Allah is fine, though people do not always understand it!
Allah created diseases, but He also created medicines for them.
Allah is generous and likes generous people.
For everything there is a way. The way to paradise is opened by knowledge.
Do not be lazy to go for knowledge even to distant China, because gaining knowledge is the main duty of a Muslim!
Panhandling is an indecent occupation!
Begin a meal with remembering about Allah and be not choosy with food!
The gate to well-being is locked, and work is the key to it.
To divine and to believe the words of diviners, foretellers, and sorcerers is meanness.
A bad person is characterized by the following features: he lies in conversation, does not keep his promises, and, feeling impunity, commits base deeds.
Pay a worker for his work before his sweat dries up!
He who is mild, who behaves well, and does not harm others will never be touched by the fires of hell!
An hour spent for gaining useful knowledge is more pleasing to Allah than a whole night spent for praying.
In any time try to be pure!...

Specially for men:

Be kind to women!...
A noble one is kind to women; a low one is guileful to them.
Respect women!...
If you are called by the father and the mother at the same time, come first to the mother!

Peace to all,

""If one reads and interprets the Koran as a kind of information medium – as many contemporary Koranic researchers do – one does not do justice to it. The Koran is heavily poetic and contains a whole range of messages that it imparts at a semantic level – not at all explicitly, not at all unambiguously; it gets these messages across through poetic structures; if it didn't, it wouldn't be as vivid as it is. What makes the Koran unique is its complexity, its multiple layers, the fact that it speaks at different levels. On the one hand, of course, that is the huge aesthetic attraction. However, it is also, if you like, hugely attractive in rhetorical terms or in terms of its power of conviction.


While it might be possible to sum up the mere information in the Koran in a short newspaper article, the effect would not have been the same. It really is about enchantment through language. Language itself is also praised in the Koran as the highest gift that humankind received from God. Naturally, this is related to knowledge. Language is the medium of knowledge. This is why one should never on top of everything else accuse the Islamic culture of being averse to knowledge. The entire Koran is basically a paean to knowledge, the knowledge that is articulated through speech."

- Angelika Neuwirth

Peace to all,

Quran: The Book That Weeps, Hidden Inside Its Shelf!
by Ro

The Quran is truly an amazing book. If there is one investment I have made that I will never regret in my life, it is the time I invested in understanding the Quran. The thing about the Quran is that it speaks to me like no other book I've read. Such is the magnificence of the book that there is never a hollow reading session; each time I walk away with some truly amazing insights I overlooked before. What makes this possible is that there are, at least in my opinion, infinite layers to the Quran. The more time you spend with it, the more it seems to give you. And so, as I went deeper into the Quran, I was just mesmerized by its structure, cohesiveness, and the metaphors it employs that reflect my being so precisely.



What's heartbreaking for me, though, is how Muslims have abandoned the Quran, turning it into an object of service. You don't pay reverence to the Quran by kissing it and keeping it on the top shelf, covering it with beautiful cloths. No, that would be akin to showering your parents with hugs and kisses, but not paying any heed to what they ask of you. Would you not call such a relationship hypocritical and selfish? Indeed, you would. But that's what our relationship with the Quran is: one of hypocrisy and selfishness. It is used as a tool to gain rewards by reading it in a language that most Muslims don't even understand, and comes out of its fancy covering only at "blessed" times such as Ramadan, or at times of need – when someone has passed away.



As Ramadan is just around the corner, I implore you to read the Quran in a language you understand this time around, so that you could start disassociating cultural Islam from Quranic Islam.

Here is a passionate response I wrote, outlining all that is wrong with the way we approach the Quran:

What was supposed to be a book that would bring mankind out of ignorance towards enlightenment--bringing with it a revolutionary message--you revolve around it, not understanding a word of what it says.

What was supposed to be a book that was meant to transform your heart, you don't even let it cross your brain.

What was supposed to be a book with a universal message, you utter religious statements in Arabic, somehow supposing that Arabic language is holy and advocate Arab supremacy.



What was supposed to be a book that discouraged dogmas, you drink from a glass of water that you blew Quranic verses in, expecting it to heal you.

What was supposed to be a book advocating skepticism and critical thinking, you fear that thinking in matters of faith may lead you away from Islam.



What was supposed to be a book discouraging sectarianism and promoting unity, you kill your fellow Muslims in its name, and yell "Allahu Akbar!"

What was supposed to be a book advocating freedom of belief, you disregard it and demand blasphemers and apostates to be killed.

What was supposed to be a book advocating pluralism, you feel threatened by differences and push for uniformity.



What was supposed to be a book prohibiting child and forced marriages, you justify them through fabricated accounts of the messenger and sometimes, your culture.

What was supposed to be a book that advocated self-control, you partially blame the women who are raped and hasten to cover your women from head to toe.

What was supposed to be a book that encouraged you to follow the character of the messenger, you have twisted it to imply following the cultural norms that were prevalent in the time of the messenger.



What was supposed to be a book that advocated activism, you remain passive and pray for divine intervention to happen.

What was supposed to be a book that was fully detailed, you attach numerous books to it – claiming, without these books, the Quran is incomplete and hard to understand.



What was supposed to be a book that asked you to be weary of religious leaders, you have changed it into a book that can only be interpreted by these religious leaders.

What was supposed to be a book of values, you have changed it into a book of hollow rituals and shortcuts to heaven.

What was supposed to be a book advocating accountability for your actions, you have changed it into a book that will intercede on your behalf.

Salam to all,

"What makes the Quran's core message spiritual?

Spiritual gurus such as Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra think that spirituality is different from, and outside of, the structures of institutionalized religions or belief systems with fixed ideas. They recognize at the same time that there are pockets of spirituality in religions also. Most Muslims prefer to steer clear of spiritual-like practices such as those of Sufis. Sufi Muslims have often been the target of persecution and torture from ultra-conservative Salafi and Wahhabi Muslims.

However, when we come across verses in the Quran such as those that say, for example, that the Quran's inherent purpose is to purify or civilize humankind and make it wise (62:2), or that it is not the eyes that are blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that are blind (22:46), or that turning to the East or the West is not righteousness (2:177), or that it is not the flesh or blood of sacrificed animals that reaches God (22:37), or that they think that they are deceiving God and believers; nay, they are deceiving none but themselves, but they do not realize (2:9), we cannot but conclude that the Quran's central message for us is spiritual. We need to care about the inner meanings, the kernel and essence of things, not the outward and superficial structures and forms. We need to ask about the deeper, more fundamental, questions: Why are we here, what is the meaning and significance of our life's existence, how can we make our life worth living, how can we make it more enriched and blissful? And so on. We need to concentrate on things that make for our real progress on earth in terms of piety, knowledge, creativity, benevolence, and real contentment and happiness." An excerpt from the book "Rediscovering Genuine Islam... ," pp. 25-26.

Peace,

Lo and behold! A fatwa has been passed by His Holiness Sheikh Abdullah that a man chatting with a woman is HARAAM! Given the fact that this comes from a "senior scholar", his opinion must be right. I mean, surely you weren't thinking of using your brains for once? BECAUSE THAT IS HARAAM TOO! After all, these folks dedicate their lives to spread the word of Allah and His messenger! We must listen and obey.

Except, maybe not!

What's rather ironic is that this mainstream thought is exactly what the Quran challenges. Reasoning for yourselves is advocated in numerous verses, and blindly following the customs of your forefathers and the opinions of scholars, discouraged.

Now, when it comes to matters on modesty, we have an excellent example in Yousuf (salutes and respect to him). He was sexually approached by the lady of the house in which he was brought up in, but being the man of character that he was, he immediately sought refuge with God and resisted that weak moment (12:23). He didn't try to "justify" the situation; he simply refused and walked away. This unapologetic and sincere devotion to God's commandments on morality is what demonstrates true faith!

And, by the way, God does not seek to alienate men and women. After all, the peaceful men and the peaceful women are ALLIES of one another who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong (9:71)

Therefore, the problem I have with these short-sighted superficial attempts at maintaining cordial relationships between men and women is that they fail to look at the bigger picture, which of course is the battle of de-objectifying women as sexual objects and treating them with dignity and respect.

Alienating men and women is not the solution; rather it fuels the problem it's supposed to solve. In the society I live in, there is no free mixing of unrelated men and women, and no co-education, except for the elites. This does not make men more "moral". Quite the opposite! You need only go out in a public space, and observe the heinous stares at women! Absolutely loathful! I believe this is so, because there remains a sense of wonder and unfamiliarity. To some extent, dialogue overcomes this. Exposure does wonders!

This is what all of us need to be focusing on, especially the influential people who have a huge fan following. For once, please make use of your popularity for something good and worthwhile!

Ro

Salutes and peace,


Lubna Of Cordoba

Lubna was raised in the palace of the Sultan Abd al -Rahman III and despite humble beginnings she quickly became one of the most important figures in the Andalusian palace at the time, she became the Khalifa secretary and scribe as well as a secretary to his son Hakam II Ibn Abd al- Rahman.

Lubna was quite the extraordinary figure; one of her roles was presiding over the royal library. The library, which at the time included 500 thousand books, was one of the most important libraries in the world.

As for being a scribe, she was not merely a writer and a translator, the level she reached had to "be most intimately aware of the books they transcribed and many of them were annotators of and commentators of those texts."

Her love and knowledge of math was great and it is told that while walking in the roads of Andalusia she would teach children the principles of math and the multiplication tables.

As if that was not enough she was also a philosopher a poet, and a calligrapher who left behind "beautiful works of calligraphy"
The historian Ibn Bashkvl said " she (Lubna) mastered the writing and science of poetry, and her knowledge of mathematics was broad and great, and she has mastered many other sciences and there was no one nobler then her in the ummayad palace" She died in the year 984 ad
Sources: Muslim women a biographical dictionary Aisha Bewley – an article in the BBC by Kamila Shamsie- Ibn Bashkaval Al Silah p 323

Peace,

"In January 2011, the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was gunned down by one of his own security guards over a controversial move — opposing the blasphemy law in Pakistan. Although thousands of Pakistanis condemned this by attending his funeral and showing support on social media, religious fanatics hailed his murderer as a hero, recently naming a mosque after him.

As a Muslim, I stand firmly against blasphemy laws. My faith demands that I do so, for it repeatedly asks me to stand for justice and fight oppression.

The Quran shows us that even though God's prophets were mocked and threatened, they never killed their accusers for hurting their "religious sentiments." In fact, the Quran opposes any laws that restrain freedom of speech or would have someone killed over differences in belief. Rather, Quran 73:10 says, "Be patient over what they say, and leave them graciously."

So how did these blasphemy and apostasy laws come to be associated with Islam?

The blasphemy and apostasy laws are found in the Hadeeth, sayings attributed to Prophet Mohammad, which were compiled two-three centuries after his death. Muslims know that no Hadeeth should contradict the Quran if they are to be accepted, given their subjective nature and reliance on the Quran for authenticity.

But early scholars intentionally overlooked this to protect the interests of clergymen and political leaders. These oppressive laws allow them to exercise complete control over people, punishing anyone who threatens their position by declaring them apostates — enemies of Islam. To so many clergymen, religion is nothing but a means to gain power and control people. To keep out competition and force their monopoly, they invent laws in the name of God so "consumers" have no choice but to keep buying their "product." Or face persecution.

Religious leaders like Tahir-ul-Qadri, a staunch proponent of blasphemy laws, rule people by fear. Add to that the fact that the average Muslim is unaware of the Quran's teachings, which makes them likely to believe whatever the clergy tells them about Islam. Of these leaders, the Qur'an asks us to be weary: "O You who have believed! A great many religious leaders: rabbis, priests, monks, Mullahs, yogis, and mystics devour the wealth of people in falsehood, and bar them from the path of God" (Quran 9:34).

So what exactly does the Quran say about blasphemy and apostasy?

Quite frankly, blasphemy and apostasy laws are themselves blasphemous to the teachings of the Qur'an. Not in the traditional sense, but because they violate the very instructions the scripture gives regarding freedom of belief.

Regarding apostasy, in Quran 2:256 God says, "There is no compulsion in matters of faith. The right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces false authorities and becomes at peace with God has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. God is Hearer, Knower."

In a similar vein, verse 109:6 instructs adherents to end a debate by saying: "To you, your belief system. And to me, mine."

If all that isn't convincing enough, Quran 10:99 should seal the deal: "If your Lord willed, all who are on earth, would have believed (by not providing free will). Would you then, compel people to become believers?"

When it comes to blasphemy, I often hear some version of, "Hold on. If someone mocks my religion, it prompts me to act violently. You see, it makes me very emotional."

But this statement only shows an ignorance of the Quran, which says in verse 6:68, "When you see them engaged in vain discourse about Our verses, turn away from them unless they engage in a different subject. If Satan ever makes you forget (i.e. your mind gets engrossed in their discourse,) then as soon as you recollect, no longer sit in the company of the people who confound the truth with falsehood."

Here, Muslims are instructed to engage with these people if they change the topic. Certainly that means we're not to have enmity towards them, let alone kill them!

And, again, Quran 28:55 instructs, "Whenever they (believers) hear vain talk of ridicule, they withdraw from it decently and say, '"To us our deeds and to you yours; Peace be upon you, we do not seek to join the ignorant."

Those verses are practically shouting freedom of expression at the top of their lungs! Islam is a very progressive path to God, one in which differences in opinions and beliefs are accepted, not punished (Quran 39:18). On the other hand, blasphemy and apostasy laws lead to negative misconceptions about Islam being an oppressive faith.

But what are we Muslims to do? By not voicing our disapproval, we stand for these anti-Quranic laws and call them Islam. Is that not like setting your own house on fire? There is not a single verse that encourages Muslims to act violently toward those who leave Islam, or even mock the Quran. After all, shouldn't truth be able to defend itself on its own merit? What good is a forced belief?

We can even take it a step further by noting how rejecters treated the prophets.

Of Prophet Nooh: "They said, 'If you do not desist, O Noah, you will surely be of those who are stoned'" (Quran 26:116).

Prophet Ibrahim's father said, "Do you dislike my gods, O Abraham? If you cease not, I will certainly cause you to be stoned to death! Now get away from me for good" (Quran 19:46). Similarly, the priesthood said of Ibrahim, "Burn him alive and uphold your gods if you are going to take any action" (Quran 21:68).

Regarding Prophet Musa, "[Pharaoh] said, 'If you take a god/authority other than me, I will surely place you among those imprisoned'" (Quran 26:29). To Musa's followers, Pharaoh also said, "I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you all" (Quran 26:49)."

These verses should reveal to us a different perspective: all prophets were seen as blasphemers and apostates to the prevalent religion of their time. To condone the oppressive laws of religious leaders today is to support ill treatment of the prophets. After all, you would've done the same!

And that's the most ironic part. If a messenger were to come today, these clergymen and their ardent followers would utter the same threats to him. They have fabricated their own laws in the name of God, so when you ask them to reform, they either consider you a blasphemer or an apostate and have a fatwa issued to kill you.  That's the scary thing about truth: it doesn't warrant aggression but is always met with it.

This is not a matter of interpretation, as some would call it. The Quran condemns forced belief in numerous verses. Rather, this is a matter of giving preference to the Hadeeth over the Quran to justify bigotry and extremism in the name of Islam. Having said that, it's up to you whether you want to rethink your stance or keep blindly following what you have been taught — whether you want to follow Islam or Hislam. Because unlike misguided religious fanatics, sincere believers never force their beliefs on others.

What's the Golden Rule, again? "Any secondary source on Islam that goes against the Quran should be rejected."

Often said, but seldom followed.

Ro Waseem

Peace to all,

"Every year (approx) 1000 women are killed in Pakistan in the name of honor. Most cases are reported in the country's most prosperous, populous and developed region i.e. the Punjab province which partly rules out the argument that this is primarily an education issue prevalent in under-developed regions. Women have been killed outside court rooms and Darulamaans in broad daylight in urban capitals like Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Multan.
The same Muslims who boast about mistreatment of women in the so called Jahiliyya and how Islam emancipated women, do not take a moment before killing their own flesh and blood. All it takes for a father to shoot his daughter is for her to choose a man of her choice; a brother to beat his sister to death for marrying in court a man she loved; a husband to kill his wife over an accusation of being unfaithful.
Why don't we simply bury newborn girls alive and keep it simple? Why make this modern state which has an atomic bomb and motorways and shopping malls look like a stone-age society which kills and dumps in broad daylight? Why not have specialized dumping areas where we silently dump all newborn girls because they appear to be the cause of all evil in this land of the pure. Our Islamic Studies text books taught us Arabs used to do this before the advent of Islam - so this policy will align with our Arabisation as well." - Ale Natiq

 
Peace to all,

In a mother's womb were two babies. One asked the other: "Do you believe in life after delivery?" The other replies, "why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later. "Nonsense," says the other. "There is no life after delivery. What would that life be?" "I don't know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths." The other says "This is absurd! Walking is impossible. And eat with our mouths? Ridiculous. The umbilical cord supplies nutrition. Life after delivery is to be excluded. The umbilical cord is too short." "I think there is something and maybe it's different than it is here." the other replies, "No one has ever come back from there. Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery it is nothing but darkness and anxiety and it takes us nowhere." "Well, I don't know," says the other, "but certainly we will see mother and she will take care of us." "Mother??" You believe in mother? Where is she now? "She is all around us. It is in her that we live. Without her there would not be this world." "I don't see her, so it's only logical that she doesn't exist." To which the other replied, "sometimes when you're in silence you can hear her, you can perceive her." I believe there is a reality after delivery and we are here to prepare ourselves for that reality.... ~Unknown

Salaam all,

Another good read
http://quranalyzeit.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/united-sects-of-islam-a-different-perspective-on-unity-and-sectarianism/

Salaam all,

So what is a fatwa?  Another good read
http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2014/02/25/how-mars-became-haram-a-guide-to-freaky-fatwa-news/

Salaam all,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhOJPm4RwpM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvwHHMEDdT0


Peace to all,

I stand corrected regarding the Quranic verses concerning Solomon.  After all Mr. Hudhud was not a human for constructing value judgments!

 Salam brother Joseph,

Enjoyed reading your FB post but I need further elaboration on the subject in light of the verses: 6:61; 16:28; 39:42.  Under which conditions does the Almighty delegate this task to the Angel of Death?

Thank you,

Peace and greetings to all,

How do we celebrate prophet Muhammad's birthday?

The best way to honor Muhammad is by learning, living and teaching the Quran he has conveyed to us.

We are trying . . . yet we could try harder!

Salaam all,

This is the best tafsir of salat, for me so far.


"Our five daily prayers are a way to curb over-attachment to anything material. The five prayers regulate our lives with their specific timings to teach us that indeed Allah is greater than anything else that we might be occupied in at that moment. The dawn prayer teaches us that the most beloved thing to us, comfort and sleep, should not control us – so we rise up in the cold morning, wash ourselves and pray in an acknowledgement that Allah is greater than our love of comfort and sleep. The midday and afternoon prayer teaches us that no matter how engrossed we are with work or the short lunch hour that we so highly value, it's not the purpose of our existence. So we leave it for a few minutes and stand and pray testifying that Allah is indeed greater. On Friday, we dedicate most, if not all of our lunch hour to attend the Friday sermon and prayer. The dusk prayer, that time when we're finally home and about to spend time with our family, eat dinner or simply relax – we get up and pray together to confirm that Allah is Greater than any of that. Finally the night prayer, Isha' – when we're tired after a long day of work and responsibilities ready to fall into bed and sleep, we pray again proving that submitting to Allah is greater than falling into the warm bed. All these serve as constant reminders to us that as much as we love life, we live for a higher purpose."


(Mansoor Ahmed)

[What Is 'True Piety' According to the Qur'an?]

Peace to you all,

What Is 'True Piety' According to the Qur'an?

Editor's Note: Huffington Post Religion has launched a scripture commentary/reflection series, which will bring together leading voices from different religious traditions to offer their wisdom on selected religious texts. We are pleased to announce a series of reflections for the Holy Month of Ramadan featuring posts by HM Queen Noor, Dalia Mogahed, Eboo Patel, Kabir Helminski, and Rami Nashashibi. They will all be reflecting on a passage from the Qur'an, Sura 2:177, which appears below. Last month we featured Christian reflections on the Gospel by Rev. Jim Wallis, Dr. Serene Jones, Dr. Emilie Townes, Sister Joan Chittister, and Rev. James Martin, S.J. Coming in September we will feature Jewish commentaries for the High Holidays and in October Hindu commentary for Diwali. We hope all readers, Muslim and non-Muslim, will gain wisdom from the insights of our writers on the Holy Qur'an:

True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west -- but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance -- however much he himself may cherish -- it -- upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God. (2:177 [Asad])

The Qur'an is the record of 23 years of messages given to the Prophet Muhammad by a source which he believed to be the very same God who addressed all previous human communities, as well as the Prophets Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (among others). From the Muslim perspective, the verses (ayats) of the Qur'an are both an intimate dialog between God and Muhammad and a source of guidance for human beings in general. Non-Muslims, and especially Westerners, bring their own expectations, and sometimes their own prejudices, to their attempts at understanding this "book." The great American classicist Norman O. Brown began a study of Islam late in his life and offered some extraordinary insights in a series of lectures which have been recently published as The Challenge of Islam. Brown once reflected that the West was not ready to appreciate the Qur'an before James Joyce's avant-garde Finnegan's Wake was published.

Both texts are many-layered, non-linear language events. Just as Ulysses is not quite a novel about Ireland but an experiment that probes the very possibilities and limits of language, so, too, the Qur'an challenges human sensibilities. It describes itself as "a sublime Book. No falsehood can ever enter it from in front or behind. It is a bestowal from on high by the One who is All-Wise, and to whom belongs all praise" (41:41-42). It does not, however, claim a monopoly on the truth, but rather "sets forth the Truth, confirming the Truth of whatever remains of earlier revelations" (5:48), affirming, for instance, that the Torah of the Jews is "a guidance and a light" (5:44).
Some of what gets in the way of Westerners reading it for the first time includes:
A tendency to project meanings from our own religious conditioning onto the Qur'an.

Numerous unspoken assumptions about how we think the Divine should speak and what it should say.


A tendency to absolutize statements out of context, while willfully ignoring the comprehensive meaning derived from a broad knowledge of the text.

Needless to say, all of these things can get in the way of an openhearted, sensitive reading of the text. Since most English translations have adopted Biblical terms to translate the Qur'an, the linguistic originality and uniqueness has been obscured. In some translations we encounter the terms "believers" and "unbelievers" and we think of those who do or do not subscribe to an exclusive doctrine or dogma dictated to them by a religious authority. The root meanings of these words are not about "belief" at all, but about a perception of spiritual reality, a trust that life has meaning and purpose, a certainty of the heart that has little to do with theology. The Arabic term which has been translated as unbeliever is kafir which would better be understood as someone in denial, someone who willfully "covers" (i.e., denies) the spiritual dimension of life -- no matter what their nominal, purported religion or lack thereof.

For reference, the most respected translation and the most comprehensive linguistic analysis and commentary on the Qur'an is The Message of the Qur'an by Muhammad Asad. Asad was born Leopold Weiss, son of a Rabbi in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who was, among other things, Pakistan's first Ambassador to the United Nations.
Much of the Qur'an is about getting beyond man-made beliefs and dogmas, about becoming vigilant about the ways spirituality degenerates into self-serving orthodoxies and power structures, about returning us to the simple awe and wonder of a pure heart, about doing the work that supports human dignity and well-being. I know what some people are now thinking: what this really means is setting up a religious dictatorship. History shows otherwise. Islamic societies were typically multi-cultural and multi-religious, as witnessed by the Ottoman world, Spain in the Middle Ages, and Jerusalem over 12 centuries of Muslim rule.

The quotation we are looking at here is a good example of this valuing of essential goodness over religious doctrine and form, because it tells us that true and sincere goodness is not the result of merely conforming to the outer forms of religious rituals, but consists of doing good to others, living a life of service, bearing suffering with patience, and overcoming fear. To say that "piety" (Arabic birr, literally "goodness") is not about facing east or west is significant in the Islamic context, where the direction of Mecca is always kept in mind for establishing the direction in which one will prostrate during the five-times-per-day ritual prayer. As important as that is, it is not as important as being a good person, "sharing one's substance" with those who are near to us, with wayfarers, with anyone needing refuge, and the freeing of other people from all sorts of "bondage." It is to embody the essence of religion, which includes not "believing in" but being "faithful to" God, His angels, His Prophets (without distinguishing some as more important than others), and recognizing an external accountability for our actions.