New Groundbreaking Arabic Book: Peacemaking from the Quran
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Peace brother Abdelilah,
May the god reward you for all your efforts.
I've already read it twice, except for the last chapter which wasn't uploaded yet. I like it very much. Each and every chapter surprised me, although I'm fairly familiar with your work. Just flat-out amazing!
Me personally I like the structure of the book and the order of chapters, but I don't know if that is the best way to go. I like the first two chapters and it's very easy to agree with them, even for sectarians; they do explain the "what" and "why" sufficiently. But the following chapters will be too much of a shock for most people I believe, that they won't even finish reading the book. Even though it's hard to disagree with, anything actually. So I think you took a "risk" with putting the last chapter last and not as one of the first chapters.
I already gave a copy of the first 6 chapters to an Iraqi woman and she was excited about the first two chapters and she told me the author is absolutely right. When I saw her the next day she read the third chapter, and let's say she wasn't that excited anymore. And I get the impression that, if it wasn't for me, she'd never finish reading the book.
The format is perfect for me. So I guess for someone who already rejects the ahadith this won't be an issue. I see you sort of combined "How did it come to this Part II" and "Know Thy Enemy" in the last chapter. I just skimmed through it, and now I'm actually going to read it.You are spot on with all your comments.
I agree that the 3rd chapter may be shocking to most people, even those who already reject Hadiths. This is because most people believe that the "method" of "salat" is more important than its purpose. This is deeply rooted in the ritualistic culture that is ingrained in the sectarians? mindset even after they abolish Hadiths. I actually don't believe that the method is important and this is why I focus on the purpose instead. If someone's present method allows them to accomplish the purpose of remembering the god and correctly obeying him then I don't have any problem with it. Each person deep inside knows what reminds them of the god
This ritualistic culture is probably the main reason why the so-called Islamic world has fallen behind in terms of development. The problem with ritual-based Islamic culture is that its rituals serve what is known in psychology as Compartmentalization. This is an unconscious psychological mechanism used to avoid the mental discomfort and anxiety caused by a person having conflicting values, cognitions, emotions, beliefs, etc. within themselves. Compartmentalization allows these conflicting ideas to co-exist by inhibiting direct or explicit acknowledgement and interaction between separate compartmentalized self states. Therefore, you find many social ills in these societies such as low work ethic and dishonesty despite them being religiously ultra conservative. Therefore it is common in places such as Egypt, for example, to find even hardcore criminals performing the rituals and then going back to doing their crimes. Of course for those who still cling to Hadiths, the Compartmentalization is maximized. For example, I know this guy in Egypt who used to take a long road to the local Mosque next door to him because apparently there is a Hadith that says you get more points with each step. He even used to count the number of steps he walked to the Mosque! After a while, people who are deeply absorbed into this ritualistic culture, lose touch with both reason and conscious.
The order of chapters is such because ?salat? (learning connection) introduces the concept of ?sujud? (obedience) and ?masjid? (institution of obedience). I am open to any suggestions on a better flow. I am interested in all your feedback and particularly your feedback on the last chapter that you hadn?t read yet as of writing your comments.
As for everyone asking about the English version, I am working on it but I am getting sidetracked every now and then by the political upheaval going on in Egypt. Such unprecedented upheaval against the so-called Islamists indicates that the time may be coming for a reformist religious revolution. If this happens in Egypt, the Arab spring may very well turn into the sectarian Islamists fall.
Peace and best wishes,
Ayman
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Salam warahamah Bro Ayman...
so this is what you were up to with your long silence, lol!
I am interested on your takes which can be taboo challenging... which can be a good thing...
still the area of contention remains the existence of Jinns as physical entities... lol!
doesn't matter to me if you have budged on this or not... just saying...Salam
Nabil
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Salam dear brother Nabil,
so this is what you were up to with your long silence, lol!
I am interested on your takes which can be taboo challenging... which can be a good thing...
still the area of contention remains the existence of Jinns as physical entities... lol!
doesn't matter to me if you have budged on this or not... just saying...I am very interested in your feedback on the book.
As for the "jinn", I hope that the book will make it clear how they connect in the big picture. I hope that in Arabic the arguments based on the great reading will be more convincing.
Peace and best wishes,
Ayman
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Peace Ayman,
I have just finished reading your book, and I have to thank you for your efforts in compiling all that information in a simple and accessible format for everyone.
As for the content, I don't see any problems up to now.
Thank you again brother peace
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Salam dear brother Nabil,
I am very interested in your feedback on the book.
As for the "jinn", I hope that the book will make it clear how they connect in the big picture. I hope that in Arabic the arguments based on the great reading will be more convincing.
Peace and best wishes,
Ayman
Peace ayman,
Hope you are well ). I was curious as to how the English version was coming along ). I'm still plodding along with learning certain parts of the quran and studying hard.
May God continue to bless you for your efforts )
peace
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Peace everyone,
The book is now available on estore, Amazon, and Amazon Europe
http//www.createspace.com/4106236
http//www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481813870/
http//www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1481813870/
http//i50.tinypic.com/2drfibs.jpg
Thanks everyone for your excellent help, encouragement and support to bring this project to light. I am working on the English version and I will be done soon, unless the god wills otherwise.
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace everyone,
The book is now available on estore, Amazon, and Amazon Europe
....
Thanks everyone for your excellent help, encouragement and support to bring this project to light.
Peace,Ayman
Peace Ayman
By confirming that you received help towards this project from members here you have given them rights to claim royality from this book
All the best
Salaam -
Peace everyone,
The book is now available on estore, Amazon, and Amazon Europe
http//www.createspace.com/4106236
http//www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481813870/
http//www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1481813870/
http//i50.tinypic.com/2drfibs.jpg
Thanks everyone for your excellent help, encouragement and support to bring this project to light. I am working on the English version and I will be done soon, unless the god wills otherwise.
Peace,
Ayman
The caption denotes "Islam as derived from Qur'aan". If Min is replaced by Fee, perhaps it will be better because then it will denote, "Islam as is prescribed-defined-explained within Qur'aan".
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The caption denotes "Islam as derived from Qur'aan". If Min is replaced by Fee, perhaps it will be better because then it will denote, "Islam as is prescribed-defined-explained within Qur'aan".
Thank you for your suggestion. I think that either titles are fine. From the point of view of people on this forum who already know that the term "islam/peacemaking" in the great reading is different than what Sunnis believe such as "it is built on five pillars", etc. then the title with Fee or Min would be fine. However, from the point of view of people who are not familiar with the difference, the title with Fee will not give the impression that it is presenting something different to what they already know from other sources. On the other hand, using Min indicates that the meaning is derived from the great reading and not from other sources. This is an idea that it is novel to them and therefore the book would immediately strike them as presenting something new that they are not familar with.
I would be interested in other comments you and other people here who know Arabic may have relating to the actual content and not just the title.
Peace,
Ayman
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Thanks. "derived from Qur'aan" connotes subjective understanding as is the case with who are termed Sunnis. "Islam within the Qur'aan" is the true Islam.
And Islam within the Qur'aan is just that what the Verbal Noun Islam signifies. The day people understand what it signifies they will realize that it encompases even actions like rightly parking the car and leaving the wash room in a state that it does not create uneasiness for next visitor.
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Peace Dr. Ayman,
I take my words back. There's nothing wrong with the order of chapters. It's the perfect ending. I'm just amazed that you were able to contain that much information in so few pages and explain such difficult and complex issues in easy to understand words.
This book has the perfect ingredients to go viral.
Abdelilah
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I too am looking forward to the English version... with great anticipation.
For those that are easily shocked, meaning they have invested alot of identity in their current beliefs, one can make a sort of "disclaimer" chapter/paragraph in the beginning that would make people more prone to start or keep reading.
Just some examples and thoughts
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Asking rhetorical question whether or not the reader thinks he/she knows all, for sure, and that there is no possibility that there is something they don't know, and that they consequently think they have the knowledge of Allah. Can they swear in front of Allah that their particular set of beliefs is correct and final, and if not then why not give the full book a chance, they can always reject it when having read the last page.
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Asking whether Allah is wrong in pointing out that the forefathers just might have been mistaken in some or many of their beliefs.
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Pointing out that one does not have to agree with everything you read, but you can still read it form information sake, perhaps there is some small bit to learn.
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Stating that if the reader fears ideas that don't agree to their current ideas, or that they have no wish to read about anything that they already do not know or about something that doesn't agree with what they already believe, then they should NOT read the book. The book is not for fearful people who are afraid to even read about unorthodox ideas. (Ego might now make them read it)
You get the point.
Perhaps some sort of introduction could be made in the spirit of this.... unless you already have, that is.Peace!
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Peace Zulf,
I too am looking forward to the English version... with great anticipation.
For those that are easily shocked, meaning they have invested alot of identity in their current beliefs, one can make a sort of "disclaimer" chapter/paragraph in the beginning that would make people more prone to start or keep reading.I agree that at the beginning there needs to be a sort of introduction to prepare people for what is coming. I have seen the reaction of several people who read it and for some it was like their entire world was shaken. Here is the first paragraph, which is followed by a couple of simple clear examples that no one can argue with.
"This book deals with learning about the concept of ?islam? from the Quran. It is important to make this clear from the beginning because this book addresses the reader who is interested in studying the concept of ?islam? in the Quran. It is important to make a distinction because many people may think that they already know all there is to know about the Quran and the concept of islam. Therefore some brief examples will be provided to quickly prove that the vast majority of people, and even so-called Islamic scholars, do not know about the Quran as much as they think."
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace brother Abdelilah,
I take my words back. There's nothing wrong with the order of chapters. It's the perfect ending. I'm just amazed that you were able to contain that much information in so few pages and explain such difficult and complex issues in easy to understand words.
This book has the perfect ingredients to go viral.This is exactly the idea. Keep it simple and easily accessible. Also, focus on the so-called "pillars" because if we show that even those basic tenets have been grossly distorted and we can demonstrate how the truth in the great reading is vastly different to the traditional practices then we do not even need to waste any time in endless arguments about traditions. If something as big as "hagg"/feast has been so much distorted and turned into a pagan ritual then small potatoes such as Bukahri Hadiths and Ibn Hisham Sira are already destroyed.
I would greatly appreciate your help and everyone's help in sharing ideas on how to spread the word about the book.
Peace and best regards,
Ayman
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Peace Dr. Ayman
I would greatly appreciate your help and everyone's help in sharing ideas on how to spread the word about the book.
I received 10 copies last week and I'm planning to give them away to anyone that is interested. But I don't think that's your idea of spreading the word.
I'd make a video trailer (5-15min) highlighting the pagan origins of the circus going on in Mecca. Lots of images of goddesses, sunrises, half-naked people, circumambulations, cubes, stones, obelisks, footprints, flowers, vulvas, etc. Use voice-over to explain the pagan origins step by step, or simply read from the last pages of chapter 4. Explicitly mention the book as source in the video.
Upload to YouTube.Maybe tryingtofindtruth is interested or someone with experience in video editing.
Abdelilah
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Peace brother Abdelilah,
I received 10 copies last week and I'm planning to give them away to anyone that is interested. But I don't think that's your idea of spreading the word. )
Thank you for your excellent help. Every word through any channel can help if the god willed. Many people prefer a hard copy in their hands to an electronic one but of course it is easier to distribute electronically.
I'd make a video trailer (5-15min) highlighting the pagan origins of the circus going on in Mecca. Lots of images of goddesses, sunrises, half-naked people, circumambulations, cubes, stones, obelisks, footprints, flowers, vulvas, etc. Use voice-over to explain the pagan origins step by step, or simply read from the last pages of chapter 4. Explicitly mention the book as source in the video.
Upload to YouTube.
)
Maybe tryingtofindtruth is interested or someone with experience in video editing.The video is a good idea. I will try to find someone who can help create it since this is not my skill. It would help if they have read the book and can express the contents creatively. Not sure of Tryingtofindtruth has read it.
Peace and best regards,
Ayman
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Thank you for your suggestion. I think that either titles are fine. From the point of view of people on this forum who already know that the term "islam/peacemaking" in the great reading is different than what Sunnis believe such as "it is built on five pillars", etc. then the title with Fee or Min would be fine. However, from the point of view of people who are not familiar with the difference, the title with Fee will not give the impression that it is presenting something different to what they already know from other sources. On the other hand, using Min indicates that the meaning is derived from the great reading and not from other sources. This is an idea that it is novel to them and therefore the book would immediately strike them as presenting something new that they are not familar with.
I would be interested in other comments you and other people here who know Arabic may have relating to the actual content and not just the title.
Peace,
Ayman
I will give my opinion even though I have yet to read it. But i can tell it may have to do with the rituals like salat etc.
I think you should approach this subject with other Quranist understanding in your mind and not just how you interpret it. Many Quranist perform rituals like Sunnis do. So this must be explained clearly. With the other way to pray outlined as an alternative. The more alternative the better. I say this because I have noticed here in the forum that many Quranist have a hard time seperating themselves from the Quranist movement meaning they seem to only accept their way rather than look for the common denominator. Its the Quranist community, and not individuals, who determine what the Quran says. I think this is a very good start but we must not make the same mistake other Quranist did by only highlighting their personal interpretation without exoplaining the various interpretation other Quranist have.
The question is this book about the Quranist movement or is it about Ayman?
Also I believe it wrong to ask people here what they think without first presenting this to mostly Sunni audiences. Thats my beliefe depending on what your target audience is.
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***** A MUST-READ for anyone who holds the Quran in high regard!
"Islam from the Quran" is a thought-provoking book that examines the widely accepted "five pillars" of
Islam in light of the Quran.It starts off with some clear and actual examples demonstrating the level of ignorance about the
Quran, especially by its self-proclaimed most ardent followers. After this brief introduction it takes you
by the hand while examining the word "islam" itself, and you feel like an elementary school kid when it
reveals through the simplest and clearest approach its true meaning.The following chapters are an in-depth analysis of "salaat", "masjid", "hajj" and "ramadan" as found in
the Quran and unveil some mind-boggling revelations. The last chapter feels like the last puzzle piece
when it discusses the "jinn" and makes you understand, somehow appreciate, how everything fits in
the big scheme of things.The book ends on a practical note and lays down a strategy from the Quran on how to seek and stay
on the straight path. It explains "zakaat" and invites everyone to reflect on the verses of the Quran. It
aspires to re-open the door of "ijtihad", and will hopefully be the first real attempt to succeed, unless
the god wills otherwise.http//www.amazon.com/Quran-Peace-Arabic-Ayman-Mohamed/
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Peace Bigmo,
I will give my opinion even though I have yet to read it. But i can tell it may have to do with the rituals like salat etc.
I think you should approach this subject with other Quranist understanding in your mind and not just how you interpret it. Many Quranist perform rituals like Sunnis do. So this must be explained clearly. With the other way to pray outlined as an alternative. The more alternative the better. I say this because I have noticed here in the forum that many Quranist have a hard time seperating themselves from the Quranist movement meaning they seem to only accept their way rather than look for the common denominator. Its the Quranist community, and not individuals, who determine what the Quran says. I think this is a very good start but we must not make the same mistake other Quranist did by only highlighting their personal interpretation without exoplaining the various interpretation other Quranist have.
The question is this book about the Quranist movement or is it about Ayman?
Also I believe it wrong to ask people here what they think without first presenting this to mostly Sunni audiences. Thats my beliefe depending on what your target audience is.I hope that by now you had a chance to read the book and saw the fact that it is not about Quranists at all. It is about the quran.
Peace,
Ayman