Messages

Peace sister,

http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=2&verse=187

maybe this can help. laylatan

[14:48 On the Day when the earth is changed into another earth, and the heavens (also), they all appear before God, the One, the All-Overwhelming.]

Salaam Haji,

I've to add "If God wills" - but it sound wrong to me

You do not  know that you would be capable or even alive to accomplish it.

Surah 56 talks about three kinds of classification: people of the right, people of the left and the foremost in faith and virtue.

The universe will not be destructed but transformed into new forms of life and new levels of being.  Current forms will perish except His face 55:26-27
14:48 On the Day when the earth is changed into another earth, and the heavens (also), they all appear before God, the One, the All-Overwhelming.
This is a new level of creation. 56:61 says replacing you by others like yourselves or changing your forms and re-creating you in forms that you know nothing of.

Peace,

18:23 And do not say about anything (you intend), "I will do it tomorrow,"
18:24 Without (adding) "If God wills." And remember and mention Him (straightaway) should you forget (to do so when expressing an intention for the future). And say: "I hope that my Lord will guide me to what is nearer to right conduct than this (forgetfulness of mine)."   Ali Ünal

Tomorrow is entirely in the hands of God.  All we have is the present.  Dwellers of the Cave as well as the Prophet Muhammad taking refuge in a cave without detection show testimony to God's will.

Peace Joseph,

OK I give up, because I really do not understand what you are asking from me.  Are you saying both 3:104 and 110 refer to the Muhammad's ummah?  but in 104, another specific ummah needs to be formed from the general ummah- since it says let there be among you ummatun?  Or there was no general ummah to begin with, only the [let there be] became his ummah and continued until his demise?

Peace Joseph,

Need further help.  Who is [you] in 23:78? Jews, Christians, Muslims?  Their nabis a witness for their respective communities  and Muhammad over his people and by extension us as the middle people 2:143?

49:10  In spite of differences in language, country, color or culture, all mumin are brothers; there is no need to fight on material, political, religious grounds.  There should be a universal mumin ummah embracing all.  As John Lennon says, Imagine all the people living life in peace

and I am not the only dreamer

Peace brother,

I do not know the primary definition of the term 'ummah' . In the collective sense it means the Muslim community throughout the world. 3:110 is in that sense, isn't it?  Birds and bees are ummah like us meaning maybe they have specific duties  like our dawa. 

Please do enlighten me.

Dear Joseph,

Any Quranic evidence (not philosophical inferences) would be most helpful for me to assess your opinion better.

The verse says, "You are the best group that has been brought forth for mankind ....Had the People of the Book believed, it would have surely been better for them; of them (only some) are believers and most of them are perverse." 

I understand the verse as saying the ummah of Muhammad would be the best as long as they firmly keep the faith.  It does not mean they still are as a monolithic community.  Just like God's purpose in assigning the duty of 'khalifa' to mankind, the ummah of the Quran is expected to keep the iman firm; if they dilute it, which they did in my opinion, they lost their excellence as well; now only some are believers and most of them not.

Peace to you all,

In 3:104, it is addressed to the Muslims of the Prophet's time to form a community among themselves to do missionary work to get an understanding of the religion as mentioned in 9:122

In 3:110. it seems to me it is addressing the Muslims including us, too.  A big responsibility on our shoulders as torchbearers because we are the best raised community in guiding the mankind to the real Malik as long as we do not lose our characteristics like the previous people of the Scriptures.

Peace,

Would you say that the Quranic verse amounts to a command to close the prayer in this manner?

I never thought of it as a command!.  10:10.1 starts with "daʿwāhum" translated as prayers, does not say salaat though;  later  "waākhiru daʿwāhum" is translated as last (of) their call.  I had read the article you shared in 2001and discussed it with its author.  Since I do not do salutations at the end, I feel comfortable ending the prayer this way.  You talk to your heart and decide what you want to say.

Salaam Peaceful,

The meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is narrated in Targum Sheni as follows: "Solomon, when merry from wine, used to assemble before him all the kings, his vassals, and at the same time ordered all the other living creatures of the world to dance before them. One day, the king, observing that the mountain-cock or hoopoe was absent, ordered that the bird be summoned forthwith. When it arrived it declared that it had for three months been flying hither and thither seeking to discover some country not yet subjected to Solomon, and had at length found a land in the East, exceedingly rich in gold, silver, and plants, whose capital was called "Kitor" and whose ruler was a woman, known as 'the Queen of Saba [Sheba].' The bird suggested that it should fly to the queen and bring her to Solomon. The king approved this proposal; and Solomon, accordingly, caused a letter to be tied to the hoopoe's wing, which the bird delivered to the queen toward the evening as she was going out to make her devotions to the sun. Having read the letter, which was couched in somewhat severe terms, she immediately convoked a council of her ministers. Then she freighted several vessels with all kinds of treasures, and selected 6,000 boys and girls, all of the same age, stature, and dress, and sent them with a letter to Solomon, acknowledging her submission to him and promising to appear before him within three years from that date. . . . On being informed of her arrival, Solomon sent his chief minister, Benaiah, to meet her, and then seated himself in a glass pavillon. The queen, thinking that the king was sitting in water, lifted her dress, which caused Solomon to smile."

://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13842-solomon

The story narrated in the Quran is not found in the Bible but is contained in the Targum.  There has been myths about Solomon that has crept into the Bible,too like, "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods" 1Kings 11:4

Quran refutes this charge in 2:102

I agree with Islamist that it is unfair to Asad because he is not saying Quran contains myths.  He is saying Quran without  affirming or denying their mythical character,  using them to impart ethical truths. It is not the same thing.

Peace

Salaam Peaceful,

Sorry if I have misunderstood you.  The references ( page numbers) you gave me does not match the 2003 edition I have.  Asad says they are allegorical.  Are you saying, thus, there is no need to argue about the literal interpretations?

Peace,

I personally agree and have been doing it since 2001.

Salaam Peaceful,

I'm confused now, brother. When Our Signs are rehearsed to them, they say: "We have heard this (before): if we wished, we could say (words) like these: these are nothing but tales of the ancients."
  You know this is a Quranic verse, don't you?

Where does Asad say Prophet Muhammad heard these stories and used them for his moral messages?  Asad was a convert and he never questioned the veracity of the divine origin of the Quran.  Please give us exact quotations better yet give me the page numbers of the Asad's Quran translation or commentary of which verse or which footnote.  I have the book  so I can read it myself.

Thanks

Hi,

The reason bird is used metaphorically is that once  the deeds are performed they fly away, only their impress is left on the heart which will become manifest in the hereafter.

 Dear sister,

I'm just thinking loudly, that is all.   Mentioning Mr. Hudhud while inspecting hudhuds can be explained by a mental activity called 'association'.  It is a possibility.
I know one instance of the word 'bird' used metaphorically like  in verse 17:13 Wakulla insanin alzamnahu ta-irahu