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Salaam all,

The circumstances one is born, the community in which one is raised and in the manifestation of some hidden laws of nature which are subtly controlled by God, we have no control.  On the other hand,  man is free to exercise his will, where he can choose between good or bad, right or wrong, and for which he will be held responsible.  Poverty is the most compulsive factor in creating and promoting crime.  There are always more or less fortunate people with relative advantages or disadvantages. Crime may be the same but God being the Most Just will consider the extenuating circumstances and will  judge accordingly.

Peace,

Peace Saba,

You say it is a well known Arabic word for a bird, rose is an English name for a flower but can be a name for a girl also.  Are you saying there is no similarity with the verse when angels were asked to prostrate; they all did except Iblis?  Since I do not know Arabic, I cannot compare them grammatically.  Solomon could realize that Mr. Hudhud was missing when he was reviewing the birds.

Mary's body is designed to give birth to a child growing inside her womb.  Bird brains are not designed to differentiate and express themselves. And it does not say We taught the birds reasoning and the power to chirp their thoughts clearly; only Solomon was given the ability to understand what they are chirping about.

Salaam Saba,

I would still have to ask the question. Why would Allah use the word 'bird' if that is not what Allah wants to say? Especially when Qur'an says it is in clear Arabic speech. Any answers to this particular question will be appreciated.

In either case I have a dilemma.  He wouldn't and if He does I do not know the wisdom behind it. 
Yes, Solomon was gifted with a knowledge of birds' voices.  Understanding their communications is his gift and it does not mean the bird is also gifted with the power to differentiate two meanings and form a thought.  That is al bayan that God taught Adam  (55:4)   The faculty of speech separates man from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Does Quran say Hudhud is a bird?  The idea arises from the fact that his name is mentioned in connection with the birds just like Iblis was mentioned in connection with the angels in Adam's story.

1Kings 20:1: Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together;     
The name of the  king that attacked Samiria is very similar which shows it can be a human name as well.

Salaam all,

Good read
http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/01/22/does-the-quran-say-jews-are-apes-and-pigs/

Dear Saba,

Thanks. I was objecting to the information put on the wall at Harvard under the Quranic verse but on second thought I'm withdrawing my objection because it begins with "according to Islamic tradition."

According to Islamic tradition, this surah (chapter), was revealed in Medina after the Prophet's hijra (migration) from Mecca in 622 CE. As the name of this surah implies, An-Nisa' mainly deals with the obligations and responsibilities of women in Islamic society, but it also touches on inheritance and family law along with slavery and temporary marriage. In this verse, the Qur'an is addressing the importance of truthfulness in testimony.

Peace all,

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/losing-my-religion-for-equality-20090714-dk0v.html


We were created out of the same substance at the same time and by the same Creator.  We are brothers and sisters to each other.

Peace Truth Seeker,

Thanks for the link sister.  Don't know where they got the information but there is no temporary marriage in the Quran.  Am I mistaken?

Salaam Peaceful,

Is he supposed to be a Kafir for rejecting the literal meaning of the verses

That kind of judgment is God's to make.  I do not know of any verse telling me to take only the literal meaning of it.  People can have different interpretations.    Muhammad Ali in his commentary states that the word "naml translated as ant was  also the name of a tribe who occupied the territory that served as a buffer between Solomon and the Queen.  That may be so but the word as given in the verses conveys a different symbolic idea. 

Although the name is mentioned when Solomon reviewed the birds, it is difficult to consider Hudhud as a bird from what it has said about the Queen.  Bird can talk and communicate but can a bird make value judgments; judge what a false belief or a wicked deed is.  Mighty king inflicts a severe punishment on a small bird?  Maybe he was a spy in the army.  In the Bible, there is a king of Syria called Ben-Hudhud.  Just a thought

Peace,

I thought since the root is S L M like in islam, peace  is inherently implied.  Shows how much I know. 

Salaam,

If translated literally, the second meaning of islam is submission, peace being the first.  When one submits, one is in a state of peace.  The soul and spirit of Islam is in peace.   In reality Islam is not only peace in name, but peace pervades all its teachings, and works as the key to its understanding.

Peace is in relation to the Muslim's attitude to his fellow human beings; submission describes the attitude of the Muslim to God.

Salaam Wakas,

Interestingly, almost all translators seemingly neglect certain aspects of this verse:
    Firstly, they imply a physical building was built (worse still, a Mosque) over them (i.e. their graves), as some sort of shrine in their memory, which is completely against the message of The Quran (i.e. no saint/human reverence). Some commentators do not distinguish whether this was a good or bad thing, i.e. do not clarify who "prevailed" in the dispute, the right view or wrong view. The flow and logic of the verse would imply those who prevailed were in the right, otherwise there would be little point ending on this note. It seems most commentators have this view also.
    Secondly, it clearly states there is a dispute and some said "build a building over/upon them" yet it later says those who prevailed said "surely we will take (to ourselves) a maSJD over/upon them" clearly implying there must be a significant difference between each side's position. If traditionally understood, the only difference is one argues for a building, the other argues for a Mosque. What kind of building would have been built by the former side? It would most likely be a communal building, i.e. a Mosque-type building, thus trying to determine the difference in their arguments is difficult going by the traditional understanding. As a side note, Asad makes a reasonable interpretation of the term "over/upon them" as "in their memory", which seems plausible.

My understanding of this verse is different.  When the youth went to the cave, Christianity was not adopted as the religion of the Roman empire.  People knew where they were.  Some suggested to erect a building over the cave to bury them.  309 years later, christianity is accepted and when the story is discovered, people wanted to build a monument or a house of worship in the location.  In Roman Catholics, there is a concept of saint worship
In both instances, there is an activity of building, with different time periods with different purposes.

Peace Peaceful,


Islam awakened site lists several translations on the same page at least which is I'm sure easier than memorizing a concordance.

http://www.islamawakened.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9:quran-index-&catid=4:site&Itemid=2

In Turkish, Yasar Nuri Ozturk translates that way giving all possible meanings for a particular word separated by slashes and you choose the best meaning for that verse yet I find that method very confusing.  You lose the fluidity of the text; it becomes very fragmented.  Maybe it is just me because when I'm reading articles where there are too many PBUH's, I get easily distracted too.  I guess it would be OK for studying rather than just reading.

Salaam all,

The US Harvard University has posted a verse of the Holy Quran at the entrance of its faculty of law, describing the verse as one of the greatest expressions for justice in history, a Saudi newspaper reported on Sunday.

Verse 135 of Sura Al Nisa (women chapter) has been posted at a wall facing the faculty's main entrance, dedicated to the best phrases said about justice.

Peace Islamist,

I stand corrected.  Actually the addressee of my statement were those who claim the stone-kissers as idol-worshippers.  As you said we do not even know if khalifa Umar had actually witnessed the action.

Peace brother Mubashir,

Question: The People of the Book believe in God. Why would they, then, think that they needed protected against God?
One would think  that their strongholds would protect them against their enemies? Or does it mean that their stronghold would protect them against the Muslim God (who they, perhaps, thought was different than theirs)?

I think by opposing the Prophet they were striving against His cause.  59:11 says there were some who have disbelieved among the people of the scripture and they joined forces with the hypocrites breaking their agreement with the prophet to stay neutral.