New here, and with some questions

[Hijabi_hannah]

Hello,

I'm new, which you may have guessed from the title. I'm so sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place, please feel free to move it if needed. I found your site while looking for information on reading thee Quran and it' been amazingly helpful, but I have a couple of questions if somebody can please help me?

I'm actually a Christian hijabi (I also studied world religion at uni) and recently I've been struck with the dilemma of the trinity and not being able to consolidate Jesus as being part of God. I have always been concerned by his worship, and I was walking one day and just realized that the way the bible was written made no sense and that I couldn't see Jesus as more than a prophet.

I've started to fear that my heart is more Muslim than Christian, and started reading bits of the Quran and trying to learn more.

I have a couple of questions though, and I apologize if they seem uninformed or misleading:

My first main question is the Kaaba. By praying towards it and circling it on pilgrimage - is that idolatry? I know there are a lot of methods put in place to prevent idolatry in Islam (I read on here about prayer times not corresponding with the sun rise etc) and I was just wondering what methods were put in place to prevent the Kaaba being viewed that way?

My second question is whether there is an ideal way to read the Quran. I'm worried that I'll not find good sources if I just google it. I read on here before that you recommended to just read the whole Quran cover to cover with a highlighter and I'm currently doing that, but I wasn't sure if there were recommended first verses to read or anything.

I probably have a hundred more questions, although I'm finding the QA section really helpful and I've probably read half of that already!

Thank you

Hannah

 

[ahmad]

Dear Hannah,
Welcome to the Forum 

I believe that the following speech might be of great value to you as it was to me.  Most probably it will answer some of the questions you might be having in mind. Here's the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifllgTA2pmY (The Purpose of Life - By Jeffrey Lang)*.


I hope it helps in some way.
Peace 


*Thank you brother Joseph for sharing the video on your website.

[Hamzeh]

Peace be with you Hannah

Welcome to the forum

I thought about a couple articles that hopefully could be of some help to your first question

PROPHET ABRAHAM'S (pbuh) ORIGINAL SANCTUARY - AT MAKKAH (MECCA) OR BAKKAH (BACA)?
http://quransmessage.com/articles/makkah%20bakkah%20FM3.htm

THE QIBLA CHANGE
http://quransmessage.com/articles/qibla%20FM3.htm

IS MAKKAH THE ORIGINAL LOCATION FOR THE MASJID AL-HARAM?
http://quransmessage.com/articles/original%20sanctuary%20FM3.htm

THE HAJJ AND UMRAH ACCORDING TO THE QURAN
http://quransmessage.com/articles/hajj%20FM3.htm

And if you have time read this thread below. It can get a little confusing by different ideas people have. To be honest I would read the above articles first and see how they make sense as the Quran should remain consistent within itself. Any concept that goes against any verses of the Quran to contradict itself cannot be valid.

Why should we face towards the Kaaba(mecca) while praying ?
http://quransmessage.com/forum/index.php?topic=571.45


And regarding your second Question. From what I noticed recently, it is very important to understand to whom God is talking to in any verse when reading the Quran. At times you might have to back track many verses before to understand certain concepts. So context is key when reading for sure. Also at times God is speaking with the prophet Muhammad alone through the Quran. At times reminding the Children of Israel(Jews). Some times speaking to both Jews and Christians(people of the Book). At times to all humanity( Children of Adam) etc. There is also at times many supporting verses other places throughout the Quran to clarify a certain topic.

Also checking with other learned people who study the Quran deeply and you find them honest and not seeking something could be an avenue God has directed a truth seeker to find the truth. Thank God I have found this site to be of great help. And I hope you find the same God Willing.

Peace and Blessings

[Hamzeh]

Peace Hannah

And I forgot to mention, Surah 2 verses 142-148 might be of some help also regarding to Kabba.

That to each people God has prescribed a direction. Although to all directions belong to God. But its the commands of God that people who believe they say "we hear, and we obey".
There probably is no reason why to face in the direction or to visit it. As its a simple instruction. Just like maybe how we are ordered not to eat swine. People could be eating it for 1000's of years. Buts its the command for the people who believe. That they hear and they obey after receiving clear proof and are convinced of the truth.

A couple things to keep in mind is that the people who were receiving the Quran(The Quraish) had a place of worship and a religion of their own. They worshiped there own gods, and they were a people who never received  guidance before from God.  Now what God did was send them a guidance and favour from Him to transform there religion to a way that was complete and perfect and in accordance with Islam(monotheism).

Here is a article

WAS THE 'FAVOUR' ONLY COMPLETED FOR MUSLIMS?
http://quransmessage.com/articles/was%20the%20favour%20only%20completed%20for%20muslims%20FM3.htm

Peace

[Wakas]

peace/salaam,

My first main question is the Kaaba. By praying towards it and circling it on pilgrimage - is that idolatry? I know there are a lot of methods put in place to prevent idolatry in Islam (I read on here about prayer times not corresponding with the sun rise etc) and I was just wondering what methods were put in place to prevent the Kaaba being viewed that way?

It is understandable struggling to reconcile the Quran's strong anti-idolatry stance and the practices/beliefs associated with the Kaabah.

I recommend the following article:

2:140-150

The following is a list of the problems regarding this traditional explanation:

1) It is entirely an interpretation based on external sources (i.e. traditions). The terms "kaabah", "mecca", "AMAH", "turn your wajh/face/consideration", "masjid" etc are NEVER discussed elsewhere in AQ involving a specific physical direction, nor is an example given of anyone performing salat in a particular direction. Some cite 4:102 but please see part 1 of this series for its analysis.
2) The word "qiblah", and its root (QBL), cannot be shown to clearly mean "prayer direction" in any AQ occurrence.
3) All traditional commentators translate the only other occurrence of the specifc noun "qiblah" (apart from these verses) in 10:87 as "oratories / places of worship" not "prayer direction". The likely reason is that to do so would make little sense as 10:87 says "...and make your houses a qiblah...". Further, they turn it into a plural here, whilst elsewhere it is singular.
4) In addition to 2:142, the following verses also clearly imply turning to a specific direction is irrelevant, e.g. 2:115 says "for God is the east and the west so wherever you turn so there is God's wajh/presence/consideration...", 2:177 "...it is not righteousness that you turn your wujuh/faces/considerations towards/qibala the east and the west...". Note the similar words used "turn/walla", "wherever/ayna", "wajh/face/consideration", and these messages (the only ones of their kind) are only found in chapter 2, and the only times verb form 2 of "turn" is used in chapter 2 are 2:115, 2:142-150, 2:177. Some commentators explain this away by saying there was no prayer direction initially, and later this was abrogated, and so on. However, note that in terms of sequence, this same message is given prior to AND after the "change of qiblah" verses. Interestingly, some traditional commentators accept that any direction is not special, and the only thing that makes it special is God having imposed it, no other reason.
5) The verses do not say turn in the direction of the "Kaabah", but AMAH. One may ask then, what does one do once inside AMAH or next to it.
6) The verses do not say turn your wajh DURING salat, this is an inserted interpretation. In fact, it explicitly says "wherever you are" / "wherever thou start or come forth", implying no limitation, and if so, this would make it impossible to face one direction all the time.
7) Technically, it is impossible to face an object on a spheroid (i.e. earth) if you are a long distance away from it. One actually faces a random point in space, and even if one were to draw a line on the earth's surface in a direction towards the intended object being even one degree off can result in being many miles away from the object. Thus, it is actually near impossible to do, unless in close proximity to the object, so if one wishes to take this interpretation, one must accept facing one direction is symbolic only.
Note how 2:141 clearly implies the past is the past, but according to the traditional understanding the verses which follow are about resuming the qiblah of Abraham et al. Seems a mixed message.
9) The reason given for the apparent change in qiblah is "not will be for the people against you debate", and "that I may complete My favour upon you and so that you may be guided". The traditional commentators try to explain these away using traditions, see Al Jalalayn (altafsir.com), ibn Kathir (qtafsir.com), Asad (quranix.net). Interestingly, traditional Islamic history shows that their relations with the Jewish tribes of Medina only worsened after this point - potentially contradicting the reasoning offered in AQ.
10) 2:145 says "...nor will they follow each other's qiblah..." - a much missed point is the fact that the traditional understanding of "qiblah" as "prayer direction" requires the people of the book to have a minimum of TWO different "qiblah" or "prayer directions" in order to make sense logically, i.e. Jews pray one direction, Christians pray another. I did not find a commentator who explained this away. It is possible they did not realise this. However, there is apparently some evidence to suggest early Christians prayed facing east, and Jews faced Jerusalem, thus satisfying the two-minimum criteria. To me the context of this suggests people can have many qiblah, even their own individual qiblah, i.e. more than two.
11) If these verses were revealed in Medina, as alleged, then the direction of Jerusalem from there is clearly north-west, not west. Further, there may be some evidence Christians prayed to the east, but Jews do not pray to the west, thus the use of "east" and "west" in 2:142 are unlikely meant to be taken as discussing prayer directions, as some claim. Most traditional commentators do not claim this however.
12) If facing the cuboid called "Kaabah" pleased the messenger, as implied in 2:144, then it should be noted it was full of idols at the time, as even accepted in traditional sources. They allege that since it was the first house dedicated to worship, built by Abraham, this was more important than the fact it was filled with idols and a pagan symbol, hence "pleased".
13) IF the cuboid called "Kaabah" was also the qiblah of Abraham, as agreed upon by traditionalists, then it should be noted prophets Moses and Jesus (who came after Abraham) were NEVER recorded, in any source, as visiting it nor facing it during prayer. This would be extremely unusual. Thus, the explanation sometimes given is that Jerusalem was the legitimate qiblah for Moses/Jesus, and then the original qiblah (i.e. cuboid called Kaabah) was restored with the final revelation, i.e. Quran. This requires us to believe for some reason God changed it, then restored it, and now seemingly assigns blame to the people of the book for not accepting this change. Can we really blame them for not changing, as this explanation is tantamount to God being the source of confusion, which is unacceptable in my view. Further, it is implied in 2:146 that some of the people of the kitab/book know that this change is the truth, implying somewhere in their own scriptures this qiblah is mentioned or that their qiblah will be superseded by a future messenger etc - if so, where is this information? Perhaps further research needs to be done in this area.
14) AMAH as a building likely did not exist at the time, as admitted by traditional sources, and refers to the area/site (see Encyclopaedia of Quran, volume 3, p77). How this was delineated is anyone's guess. Please note some commentators regard AMAH as Mecca in some verses, e.g. 9:28.
15) As is clear from the last part of 2:144, the only requirement for knowing the true "qiblah" is to be given the decree/scripture from our Lord. There is no requirement to have a compass or to consult a geographical map to know the true "qiblah" from our Lord.
16) IF the Jerusalem qiblah was appointed by God, then this indirectly implies the messenger was dissatisfied with such a qiblah when 2:144 says "...We see thy face/consideration shifting in the sky..." and "...that will please thee...", i.e. was the messenger dissatisfied with a command from God?
17) The use of masculine suffix pronoun "hu/it" in these verses is somewhat problematic (see bold blue in the above translation), as IF "it" refers to AMAH as a physical building then it seems odd (e.g. they recognise it/AMAH as they recognise their sons). Tafsir Al Jalalayn states the "it" in 2:146 refers to Muhammad, Ibn Kathir says it could be Muhammad or Kaabah but unfortunately for him the latter is a feminine noun so it cannot be that. Perhaps Ibn Kathir meant AMAH. Some translators imply the "it" refers to the qiblah but again, this is a feminine noun (see the use of feminine "ha/it" in 2:143 for confirmation of this). For me, the variance is telling. It should be strongly noted that in AQ Abraham is never said to have built AMAH, nor is it explicitly mentioned in his presence, thus for the people of the writ/decree to link this to Abraham and recognise AMAH as the truth is somewhat difficult.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to state with certainty what the masculine pronoun "hu" refers to, but in my humble opinion, the flow and logic of the verses suggest it=AMAH, especially considering the usage of "it is the truth from your Lord" in 2:144, 2:147 and 2:149. Alternatively it scould refer to "kitab/decree".
18) 2:145 would imply that if the messenger were to follow their qiblah after these revelations then he would be a wrongdoer and following their desires, yet he was apparently following it previously. Is there a precedent for this in AQ, i.e. doing X is allowed then a future revelation clearly changes doing X to desires/wrongdoing? Not to my knowledge.
19) The expression "turn + wajh", is used in 6:79 and rendered as "I shall turn my face to the One who created the heavens and the earth..." but explained as "making his religion and works sincere" (e.g. Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abbas), likely because this was prior to the alleged building of the cuboid called "Kaaba", thus to render it as a physical direction when such a place did not exist would be problematic for Traditionalists, yet they take this same phrase to mean physical directional command here. Also see "wajh" in 'Verbal Idioms of Quran' by Mustansir Mir. This shows that this phrase does have a link to mindset/sincerity/intention/approach/etc even in traditional sources. The phrase is also used in 28:22 (albeit "turn" is verb form 5 not 2) and likely denotes an actual physical turning of one's face, but uses the Arabic word "tilq'aa" for "towards" not "shatra (in the direction)" like these verses. Perhaps "til'qaa" is more appropriate for a physical turning towards, also see 7:47.  It is somewhat peculiar "shatra" is used in 2:144-150, rather than the more common "ila/to" for example, IF it did mean a physical face turning towards/to something.
As a side note, also recall how in part 2 it was shown the phrase "aqim wajh" had no link to a physical face or directional command.
20) IF it was a reference to turning towards another direction in prayer, then to me, it seems odd that in 2:142 it states the foolish (al sufahau) will ask "what has turned them from..." when this seems like a reasonable question to ask. Think about it, if you were there as an observer, and a group prayed towards X then Y for about 18 months (as the traditional story goes) then back to X again, wouldn't you also ask "why"? If so, you are of the foolish ones according to the traditional understanding.

My second question is whether there is an ideal way to read the Quran. I'm worried that I'll not find good sources if I just google it. I read on here before that you recommended to just read the whole Quran cover to cover with a highlighter and I'm currently doing that, but I wasn't sure if there were recommended first verses to read or anything.

I recommend the following article: http://www.quran434.com/study-method.html
It has many Quran references specific to your question.

And also use resources/tools at: www.StudyQuran.org