Questions/Comments on the Quran

see Tay-Ra-Qaf in PRL for more info.

And I have to thank you for bringing this to my attention. I didn't even notice the word saafirah before you brought it up but this completes a lot of things for me. So shukran jazeelan for that! Mquran I think my english has failed me again, here is the sentence revised "I also disagree that the action of carrying the Quran and delievring it to other tribes and nations is mentioned in the whole sura either" I removed the word "Not" from it, would it make sense to you now? sorry for that

Peace, Someone sended me this also, plus i got the mail from Ayman through personal contact. Mutashabihaat , Mukimaat 003.007 YUSUFALI He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding. PICKTHAL He it is Who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein are clear revelations - they are the substance of the Book - and others (which are) allegorical. But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knoweth its explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruction say We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really heed. SHAKIR He it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive, they are the basis of the Book, and others are allegorical; then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity they follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation. but none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding. This ayah explains that there are two different kind of ayah in Quran, one Muhkimaat and the other Mutashabihaat. Generally speaking all the ayah which have guidelines mandatory to live in a harmonious way in a society are in the category of Mukimaat and one does not get confused and there are no other meaning which one could invent such as ?atee uz zakaat?, halal and haram things, treatment of POW?s, treatment with parents , neighbors , orphans and others, and the list goes on. At this point I would like to take you back to the beginning of Surah Al-Baqrah ayah 2 22 This Book is the Guidance you asked for! There is absolutely no doubt concerning its authority and authenticity. This Divine Writ, Al-Qur?an, is a Monograph that finds its own way from your mind to your heart. And you will soon notice, as you proceed, that this Scripture leaves no lingering doubts in a sincere, seeking heart or mind. If you remember that this is a Book of Guidance, and hence, consult with it as such, the glittering reality will dawn upon you that this is a Beacon of Light! It is a Guide for all those who wish to journey through life in true honor and security. -------QXP ?La?raib? makes it clear that there is no physical or psychological doubt in this book. It?s a thing of common observation that in all the civilizations not all the human beings possessed same level of intellect and this applies not only to men of different era but also to the people who lived on the face of earth at the same time. Just look around you will see kids sitting in the same class room, being taught same syllabus by the same teacher end up in different ways, some achieve highest degrees of knowledge and some are left behind. The same phenomenon is observed towards the understanding of Quran. Quran was not meant to be only for certain time period but for all the generations and civilizations to come. This is why the Permanent values are described in easy and plain language. However the Abstract thoughts are explained in a language which is more complex and beautiful and this could be the only way to explain them. Did you ever come across any book of philosophy which could be understood equally by everyone and did not the author use allegorical language to explain certain things? Quran is a message for the human beings and the language was especially picked to make it easy to understand and last forever. Just for an example the literature produced by human is also not understood fully and uniformly by all the humans. There is an other aspect to this issue. Only Allah is ?Alimul Ghaib Washahadah?, His example is like someone sitting on the top of a hill able to see things on both sides of the hill but the people on the ground can see only whats visible to them. Therefore limitation of knowledge come to play and make certain ayah ?mutashabihaat? for us because we do not possess appropriate knowledge to understand them and with the advancement of knowledge those ayah which were ?mutashabihaat? first become ?muhkimaat? such as the scientific facts mentioned in Quran were hard to understand for the men of those times. Before Quran the design of solar system thought out by Greek philosophers and scientists was totally different, they thought Earth was at the center of the system and rest of planets were revolving around it including the sun. QXP 3638 And the sun it runs its appointed course. That is the measure of the Almighty, the Knower. (The sun along with its system is moving to the Solar Apex, Constellation of Hercules, at a speed 150 miles per second, according to the current science). 3639 And the moon We have measured for it phases until it becomes (a crescent) like an old curved date-stalk. 3640 It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day. All of them swim along in their orbits. (The sun cannot cause the moon to gravitate towards itself and the night and the day cannot lengthen or shorten other than the appointed measure 2133, 2261, 2562, 3129, 4137, 576). 3641 Another Sign for them is that We carry the Children of Adam on the loaded ship. 3642 And We have created for them similar things to ride on. (And will create things of which you have no knowledge yet 16. These scientific facts could not be understood by the people of ancient times and hence these ayah were mutashabihaat for them but for us have become muhkimaat. Even now these ayah are muhkimaat for only ?Rasikhoon fil Ilm and there are many who are unable to understand because they have not acquired enough scientific knowledge. Therefore an ayah can be a muhkim and mutashabih at the same time for people of different intellectual level. See the example below QXP 4229 And among His Signs is the creative design of the Heavens and the Earth, and the living creatures which He has dispersed throughout them. And He is Able to gather them together when He will. (Herein is an allusion to the existence of life in other celestial bodies, and to man meeting with the 'aliens' some day 1649). This ayah was in the category of Mutashabih when science had not probed into the outer space but for ?rasikhoon fil ilm? of today has become a muhkim ayah. This helps conclude that one meaning of mutashabihaat is a category of ayah whose understanding depends on the level of knowledge and advancement of knowledge puts them in the category of muhkimaat. There is an other category of Mutashabihaat which is purely allegorical such as QXP 423 The following women are prohibited for you in marriage Your mothers, daughters, sisters, father's sisters, mother's sisters, brother's daughters, sister's daughters, foster-mothers who have ever nursed you, foster-sisters, your wives' mothers, your step-daughters unless you have divorced their mother without being intimate with her. Also forbidden are women who have ever been the wives of your sons. You are not allowed to keep two sisters in wedlock at one time except what has already happened in the past. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Here in this ayah the word ?ummahaatukum? is used in its literal meaning but in 3/6 ?hunna ummul kitbay? is used allegorically. Similarly 754 Verily, your Sustainer is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth in six stages, and is established on the Throne of His Almightiness (103, 132). He draws the night over the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession. The sun, the moon, the stars are committed to serve by His Command. Listen and remember, to Him belongs the World of Creation, and to Him belongs the World of Command. Exalted, He is the Lord of the Worlds. This ?THRONE? and Allah sitting on His throne is not like a Mughal or Roman king sitting on his throne. Throne is the symbol of Power or Authority and it would be interpreted as Allah has the authority over everything. 2130 Are the unbelievers not aware (after this proclamation) that the heavens and the earth used to be one solid mass that We exploded into parting? And that out of water We made every living thing? Will they not, then, acknowledge the Truth? This is another example of Mutashabihaat for those who are not ?Rasikhoon fil ilm? or those who are not ?allazeen ootul kitaab? or ?oolilalbaab?. But for those men of knowledge this ayah is muhkim?.We still know a little about how the life came into being and how Allah exercised his Power to create life, so that part is still not very much understood and will be considered as Mutashabihah. We either don?t know at this level of intellect or have little knowledge and there are certain things which will remain un-understood even to the last man of this system because its not possible for human beings to have a full understanding of something what?s not material. 1785 (O Messenger) They ask you about the (Spirit, the Soul), the Revelation. Tell them, ?Revelation is from your Lord's World of Command, of which you have been given little knowledge.? The Spirit is the Divine Energy, something from which has been given to humans in the form of free will. The Soul is your "Self". Therefore, Mutashabihah are of two kinds 1-Those which are purely allegorical like Hand of Allah, Throne of Allah, Ummul kitaab etc 2-Those for which you need ample knowledge to understand the reality such life in outer space, solar system, creation of first life etc etc. Lets see few more ayah which tells us that Quran is all ?muhkimaat? and also at an other point all ? mutashabihaat?. Continued I will explain it further in the next post Regards taseer

Shirk according to Bashir Abid (2) EANING OF 'SHIRK' CHANGED 'Shirk' is a comprehensive term. Idol worship is its simplest form. In fact, people worship idols because they think these got the power to changes their destiny. However, it is an inferior thinking of man. God has created man as superior being among many of His creatures (1770). It is not proper for him to submit to anyone who are either inferior to him (idols or his lowly desires) or who are mortal beings like him self (priest and rulers). Man should submit himself to the authority of God alone. He is the creator and He knows what the purpose of man's creation is? (6714). Therefore, no one could think better than God what is best for man. When Quran says; " authority belongs to God..." (657) or when God condemn 'Shirk' as the biggest and un-pardonable crime (3113;44, it does not mean that God dislikes deities and asserts Himself as a sovereign. He is far above emotions and far above what we associate with Him. If man associates hundreds of deities, it does not affect God's sovereignty in the universe. Secondly, He Himself has condemned compulsion in 'Al-Deen' (2256). So, how could He threat or force human beings against their will, to follow a particular path? Actually, these admonitions are meant to inculcate the truth that man can accomplish his goals by no other means except God's laws. He can reach his destination by following God's path alone. Therefore, the real 'shirk' is not the worship of idols or deities but it is the following of paths other than the one, which God has recommended. These paths (in other words, various man-made systems) misguide man and take him far away from his destination (4116). Values and principles in man-made systems are not enough to guide man in the right direction. By following man-made systems, he cannot emancipate from animal-instincts and lowly desires; He cannot rise to become a noble and dignified human being. It is possible only by following the value system of the Quran (2885). It is stated in the Quran "God wants to raise man to the exalted ranks of humanity through the value system of the Quran. But, man follows the earthly desires which eventually brings him low to the position of beasts and worse." (7176). This downfall is exclusively attributed to 'Shirk' in another verse, which reads as follow; "Hunafaa lillahe ghaira Mushrikeena beh - Being true in faith to God, and never assigning partners to Him - Wa manyushrik billahe - if anyone assigns partners to God - Fa ka ann ma kharra minusamai - he is as if he had fallen from heavens - Fa takhtafh-o-tairo au tahvee behir reeho fi makanin saheeq - and been snatched up by birds, or the wind had swooped and thrown him into a far-distant place." (2231) God's given value system grooms human personality. It imparts enlightenment, and excellence of taste through intellectual and aesthetic training. It provides him protection against the spontaneous forces of nature and the society. Accordingly, we conclude that real 'Shirk' is to follow values and principles, which are against the Quran. The real 'Shirk' is to follow the systems, which are based on non-Quranic values and principles. Quran has emphatically stated "La yushrik fi hukmehee ahada - God does not share His Command (values & principles) with anyone whatsoever". (1826) This definition of 'Shirk' is much more important and practically related with the welfare of the society. If understood rightly and taken care of, it would have liberated the masses from the evil's systems, which exploit national resources and man's labor to safeguard the interests of privileged classes against the common man's interests. The masses would have never submitted to such systems because submission to these man-made systems is no less a big crime than 'Shirk'. But the religious scholars did not pay due attention on this concept and laid undeserved emphasis in condemning idol's worship as a form of 'Shirk'. They diverted the focus of attention of the people from a dangerous and fatal form of 'Shirk' towards a simple and harmless form of 'Shirk'. Consequently, as earlier said, the Muslim masses can tolerate and bow their heads before any evil ruler no matter how much his rule is against the rule of God's Will; they can live in any man-made system no matter how much its values and principles are degraded and against the noble values of the glorious Quran, but they would never tolerate bowing before an idol. They hated idol's worship like they hate pigs whereas idols has no power either to harm or to benefit them. The religion's opium has worked rightly on them. They forgot their primary obligations to strive hard against ignorance, poverty, and undemocratic values. They never realized that idols of human desires are worst than stone's idols. These noble ideas never touched them but they dream to be known as 'Butshikan'. They have become the true embodiment of what the Quran said in this verse "And most of them believe not in God without associating (others as partners) with Him". (12106) http//www.galaxydastak.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?read=314123119137264

peace not necessarily, we live in a world where the 'truth' has become just a point of view for example, to the sunnis the hadeeth are authentic and they are 'the truth' Truth can only be known by knowing ALL facts, but most people do not want all the facts because they want to follow their way of life regardless. God Bless

Ahmedbahgat wrote Sister samia please be aware the verse about the Ruh was a reply to the ones who asked the prophet "WHAT THE RUH IS" therefore they were asking about somthing they realize that leaves the body, on the other hand non of these humans who asked the prophet saw Gebril therfore the Ruh mentioned in the question rasied to the prophet by his people is a general question about the soul and what it is eactly Salam My response Salam Nor had any of them seen a (spirit)!! It is interesting that you quoted Ibn Katheer's tafseer, which confirms my point of view The Jews asked some Arabs to ask the Prophet about al-Ruh. Questions by the Jews are deeper than meer vocabulary. If they understood it as meaning (spirit), why then is the question? They did not understand it that way because they did not use it in that sense. Moreover, those who asked him might have referred to the word being mentioned in previous verses, like where the Qur'aan says that the Ruh of Allah blew onto the (bashar) and by this action the (bashar) merited prostration by the Angels. Wouldn't such a word call for an explanation? So, the word was not alien to them. Arabs were not known to use the term (Ruh) for spirit, but used the term (nafs) just as is used in the Qur'aan. And as noted by Myr later, the term is used in the Qur'aan in one meaning. Nowhere in the Qur'aan is (ruh) used to mean (spirit); so why would this be an exception? wassalam

Salaam TG Very interesting debate.

Good post Oracle. I've found a few more (others should verify for accuracy) Marrying women previously married to fathers Do not marry the women who were previously married to your fathers - existing marriages are exempted and shall not be broken - for it is a gross offense, and an abominable act. Saying lies about God Note how they fabricate lies about GOD; what a gross offense this is! Accusing someone else of a crime that you have committed Anyone who earns a sin, then accuses an innocent person thereof, has committed a blasphemy and a gross offense. Shirk is obviously implied to be one in the following verse GOD does not forgive idolatry, but He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who sets up idols beside GOD, has forged a horrendous offense. Zina You shall not commit adultery; it is a gross sin, and an evil behavior. Persecuting believers who did nothing wrong Those who persecute the believing men and the believing women, who did not do anything wrong, have committed not only a falsehood, but also a gross sin.

Salaams, 17107 Proclaim, "Believe in it, or do not believe in it." Those who possess knowledge from the previous scriptures, when it is recited to them, they fall down to their chins, prostrating. 17108 They say, "Glory be to our Lord. This fulfills our Lord's prophecy." 17109 They fall down on their chins, prostrating and weeping, for it augments their reverence. I think its just nodding your head in acceptance or something? God Bless.

Salam Compulsion or Force can Never be a Deterrence to People from doing what they think is Good or Right for them . Recent example in South Africa , despite the constant Show of Force by the then Apartheid Administration , was not sufficient to stop the Oppressed People from Dis-Obeying the System prevailing at the time . Today we see in Iraq The Resistance against the Invading Forces who tries to Impose their Way and Will against the Iraqi People. God in His Infinite Wisdom informs The Believers and Mankind that We should not Force our Way upon other People. People will and can only Judge by our Actions . this is my understanding of "No Compulsion in Deen ". Peace almarh0m "He who Created me , It is He who Guide me ".

Peace What I'm trying to say is the Quran is taking about the day to day life even in our time 1400 years after revelation I donlt think it is ok for a husband to pimp his wife thanks

Dear Ahmed Peace What is a "Heart that is not sick" ? Obviouslyyou did not mean it from the health/medical point of view. How is the root method involved here . Does not the Quraan translate salim and its variations as peace in other places. Peace bro Salim is commonly used as the opposite to something that is sick, broken or have a fault for example my car is Salimah i.e. my car is not broken down (the two letters ah at the end is because the car is feminine in arabic) my heart is Salim means (my heart is not sick) if I fall on the ground, someone may ask me "Inta Salim?", which means "if I'm hurt?" or "If I got an injury?" if you drop a vase and it is broken then you say the vase is not Salimah "again the vase in arabic is feminine" anything bro that does not have a fault, we described it as Salim or Salimah even the food if we suspect that it is off and we discover that it is not, then the food is Salim I hope this will clear it out Cheers

2 useful links http//www.quranicteachings.co.uk/deen.htm http//www.quranicteachings.co.uk/Ad_Deen.pdf

salaam my husband and i are very fortunate. we have a wonderful quran viewer program that has many translations, including transliterations. my husband prefers R.Khalifa's translation (not included in the software) my favorite is al-muntakhab tasfir - though it is an incomplete translation. any thoughts on this particular translation ? (al-muntakhab tasfir) peace and blessings sis goldust sun

Peace be upon you, Wakas I did use the search function. Unfortunately, if you don't have exact spelling of an arabic word transliterated into English, you may not get what you're looking for. Thanks for the articles I'll be sure to read them.

Peace be upon you, so really,my interpretaton is that allah is making an allegory which means fire for the transgressors and water for the righteous Not exactly. Moderate "water" is beneficial, is rain, but then we have to think about the Flood of Noah. Similarly, Hellfire is punishment, but a small fire like burning bush is a good thing. Moderation is what we seek, not EXCESS (flood, hellfire). I dont want to go into the other symbolisms because this thread is about rain. I do believe that mankind plays a part in the weather.

Peace Apple Pie, The Quran specifically states that Jesus was the son of Maryam and that he commanded his people to follow GOD ALONE. That's a really big jump you made to believe that because the Book of Revelations spoke of the Word as being God then the Quran would mean the same thing too. As mentioned in 4171, Jesus is mentioned as the word of God, but that doesn't make him God. You're coming from a standpoint where the Bible IS the anchor to which all other books must fit their meanings into, which is fine, if that's what you believe. But that's not gonna work with the Quran, specifically if you're trying to prove Jesus is God. There is no Muslim on the face of this earth that believes that Jesus was more than just a servent of the One True God. That's built into our shahada and if you don't believe in the shahada - La Ilaha Illa Allah Wahdaho LA SHAREEKA LAHO - then Islam is not your faith, period.

For Br virtual, you said "Now I need to know the elaboration of Surah Fil/feel." For Referance only. Elephants.????? Ashaab = companions ,7439,9018,9019 and all over the quran.and in lanes. Feil = incorrect in judgment and opinions/low ignoble and MEAN. =but also elephants. (lanes) Tarmee = He shot or cast. Tair(an) = moved in the air or flew. ababeel = a company in a state of dispersion. 105 Have not you seen how dealt your lord with the companions of low ignoble did not he make their plot go astray and he sent against them flying company ,in atate of dispersion shot at them of stones of baked clay.And made them like stubble,stalks devoured. Who where the people stoned to death??? Falamma jaa amrunajaAAalna AAaliyaha safilahawaamtarna AAalayha hijaratanmin sijjeelin mandoodin When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer,- 2. FajaAAalna AAaliyaha safilahawaamtarna AAalayhim hijaratan minsijjeelin And We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay. Salaams.

Salaam idolfree Is the word "salaat" mentioned in those verses? Or are you referring to "Glorify"? Ok so you dont believe 5 prayers are mentioned in the quran because the word glorify is used. What do you think the word glorify signifies and why does have to be at a specific time? regards

Peace Ahmed, Sorry, I forgot you're a native Arab speaker! So, if maysir is commonly understood as 'gambling' then we can be sure that the traditional interpretation is still correct. How about 'games of chance' then? CavemanDoctor has shown us 590 in which there is 'arrows', al-adzlam , translated as 'games of chance'. Is this correct? Peace bro Regarding Al Azlam, I have to say that this is a tough arabic word and is not common at all, at least in my time, unlike Maysir, i believe it was sort of a game they played back then and was based on throwing arrows or picking small stones from a bag, the bottom line is this, if money is involved then it is forbidden, in fact verse 53 mentioned Al Azlam and the action associated with it "Tastaqsimo Bi Al Azlam" which means, usingthis sort of chance games to try to know the future, Tastaqsimo here can mean two things, it can mean seeking the rain, and it can also mean dividing the Rizq of Allah, in fact this was a habit back then where they used to divide the favours of Allah "Rizq" via "Istiqsam Al Azlam" but please forgive my ignorance if i made a mistake regarding this tough word as i really can't figure out for ceratin what it means, but it sounds like looking for chances based on luck and totally ignoring that Allah is the one that everything in this world is under his mighty control Allah knows best Peace