THE THREAD - THE VERSES - THE UNDERSTADINGS - THE CONCLUSION
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Peace,
Can't this possibly mean preserve/uphold/support the meaning/laws/way of God?
The Book tells us about the things we must commit ourselves to, therefore Aididsafar.com usage of salat=commitements works better, that site would say the meaning of what was traditionally translated as 'observe contact prayers/ritual prayer/detailed method of linking and pay the zakat' is actually 'uphold the commitents and keep them pure'.
Personally imho this is the best meaning so far and it is a very important thing that must be done for Islam to prosper and for sucess and peace to come.
Natu- that verse you quoted does not support a physical prayer, if the promotores of physical salat are using that sort of 'evidence' then their argement is very weak.
Nural
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Preserve/protect/guard/maintain (hafithoo) the salawati, and (wa) the wusta salati, and stand/persist (qoomoo) devoutly to GOD.
But if you are in a state of fear, then you may do so while walking or riding. If you become secure/safe (amintum), then remember/mention God as He Has taught you what you did not know.My understanding of verse as of today is the following
"Maintain the commitments (to obey the commands of God, like the ones in the preceding verses about marriage and divorce), and (especially) the central commitment (to remember God, like it is said in the following verse), and stand devoutly to God."
That is, I think aims to remind people they have to remember God to muster the motivation to comply to God's exigencies as expressed in the preceding (and following) verses about marriage and divorce.
How should we remember God ?
Imho, is detailed in , where it seems salat can be translated as prayer (commitment to pray in congregation).And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you if you shorten the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress, surely the unbelievers are your open enemy.
And when you are among them and keep up the prayer for them, let a party of them stand up with you, and let them take their arms; then when they have prostrated themselves let them go to your rear, and let another party who have not prayed come forward and pray with you, and let them take their precautions and their arms; (for) those who disbelieve desire that you may be careless of your arms and your luggage, so that they may then turn upon you with a sudden united attack, and there is no blame on you, if you are annoyed with rain or if you are sick, that you lay down your arms, and take your precautions; surely Allah has prepared a disgraceful chastisement for the unbelievers.
Then when you have finished the prayer, remember Allah standing and sitting and reclining; but when you are secure (from danger) keep up prayer; surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers.See also this verse
Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men who understand. Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fire
(translations are from Shakir)
Peace to all
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peace All,
If the highlighted bit of the translation is possible, then we can safely say that this verse doesn't neccessarily support physical salat. is this agreed upon?
if an 'oration / learning connection / enlightening process' is taking place, it is obviously done best stationary. its no coincidence that when most people undertake important study they remain stationary, e.g. sit at a desk or whatever. especially if done in a group, thus stand could be taken literally. "persist" was included because the word 'qoomoo/stand' is often used in its non-literal meaning, just like in English, "stand for justice" etc. thus, in my opinion 'qoomoo' can also be taken in its non-literal meaning, hence its inclusion in my trans. i am not attempting to force my view on others and i know i do not know enough about al quran to choose conclusively, thus i left it open. it says what it says. one cannot choose one over the other without a strong argument. i dont see any strong argument being put forth, thus how can agreement be sought?
Aididsafar.com usage of salat=commitements works better, that site would say the meaning of what was traditionally translated as 'observe contact prayers/ritual prayer/detailed method of linking and pay the zakat' is actually 'uphold the commitents and keep them pure'.
Personally imho this is the best meaning so far and it is a very important thing that must be done for Islam to prosper and for sucess and peace to come.
The best meaning is often the most accurate, thus... if you feel that this is the best meaning, perhaps you can show us out of about 450 times usage of the word "atoo/atawoo" in al quran, how many is used as " keep / keep them"?
http//www.free-minds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=840Wakas
edited numerical error
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The best meaning is often the most accurate, thus... if you feel that this is the best meaning, perhaps you can show us out of about 450 times usage of the word "atoo/atawoo" in al quran, how many is used as " keep / keep them"?
Peace Wakas,
I've been thinking, would it not be possible, that atoo.atawoo your commitments is telling us to be comittem to the commitments,whichare the beliefs we are to hold (e.g. belief in one God) - I myself used to have difficulty in staying away from traditional prayer, so could it be a commandment to maintain these beliefs?
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peace Natu,
What I was alluding to with my statement/challenge, that you referenced, was that atoo/atawoo DOES NOT and CANNOT and NEVER WILL mean "keep them". Not only is A.S's translation in this example grammatically incorrect, the word meaning is COMPLETE and UTTER distortion. Whoever undertakes such a challenge will be hard pushed to find clear examples out of about 450, or evidence via a dictionary.
What I personally find annoying about A.S's work is that often its quite brilliant, but sometimes its just completely wrong. Its no coincidence that no-one (as far as I'm aware) who knows Arabic on this forum actually thinks A.S's work is solid or consistantly accurate. Dont get me wrong, overall, I like his work, but not all of it.
the commonly occurring phrase we are referring to is similar to
aqimoo (uphold) al (the) salat wa (and) atoo/atawoo (bring/show/produce/give) al (the) zakatWakas
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Peace,
What I was alluding to with my statement/challenge, that you referenced, was that atoo/atawoo DOES NOT and CANNOT and NEVER WILL mean "keep them". Not only is A.S's translation in this example grammatically incorrect, the word meaning is COMPLETE and UTTER distortion. Whoever undertakes such a challenge will be hard pushed to find clear examples out of about 450, or evidence via a dictionary.
What I personally find annoying about A.S's work is that often its quite brilliant, but sometimes its just completely wrong. Its no coincidence that no-one (as far as I'm aware) who knows Arabic on this forum actually thinks A.S's work is solid or consistantly accurate. Dont get me wrong, overall, I like his work, but not all of it.
the commonly occurring phrase we are referring to is similar to
aqimoo (uphold) al (the) salat wa (and) atoo/atawoo (bring/show/produce/give) al (the) zakatA.S. translation is a very, very rough draft and was never meant to be taken as quotable ?gospel?. His decision to post it was based solely for the purpose of breaking specific idols and pointing out the fact the English translations, globally, are full of corruptions and wrong concepts. He is working on finding better English to convey the concepts. As you probably already know, translating is not as simple as looking up the words and transcribing them. God has used ?words? in a specific manner and after studying His use (which is how He teaches) tasreef, and pondering over these connections will we find a better English word or phrase. It is a slow process and often requires revisions. A perfect example akala is rendered as ?eat?. Perhaps when one ?eats? it is also ?akala? but akala is to ?use/consume or utilize?. The meaning does not change with context. The meaning should always be mutashabiha and a dictionary is of limited use.
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peace,
A.S. translation is a very, very rough draft and was never meant to be taken as quotable ?gospel?.
I agree "atoo/atawoo" into "keep them" is very very rough indeed.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, is it your point that you can't 'uphold' 'commitments'?
No, that is not my point at all. I dont know how you came to this deduction.
the commonly occurring phrase we are referring to is similar to
aqimoo (uphold) al (the) salat wa (and) atoo/atawoo (bring/show/produce/give) al (the) zakatThe above was my point.
Wakas
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Salaamun alaikum all,
IMHO Salat is both physical and non-physical and I would request everyone to view my post in the following thread for the proofs from Al-Quran for the physical part of Salat
http//www.free-minds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3183&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25
I believe that brother Natu is doing a commendable job moderating the analysis of all the pertinent verses one by one but IMO we will be able to reach a better understanding if we analyse all the pertinent verses at the same time and to present all the proofs simultaneously to arrive at our understanding of the nature of Salat. Allah advises in Al-Quran
3918 The ones who listen to what is being said, and then follow the best of it. These are the ones whom God has guided, and these are the ones who possess intelligence.
1699 So, when you study the Quran, you shall seek refuge with God from Satan the outcast.
16100 He has no authority over those who believe, and who put their trust in their Lord.May Allah guide us all,
Peace,
Tanveer
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Peace,
It appears that whatever thread we lookat, when we don't look at each verse independantly (with thorough cross referncing), the debate loses all objectivity, and people just end up oposing eahco hters 'interpreations' of the Quran ollectively, and in some we even see people being called idol worshippers. This approach, in my opinion eradicates the problem. it may not be as 'fun' as the usual method, and it may not be as quick to reach conclusions, but it is definitely getting there. All we need really is people who strongly accept physical salat, so that we can have a more balanaced debate. Thanks for your support.
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Peace brothers Wakas, Natu, all
IMHO if we uphold a Salat with both the physical and non-physical elements in accordance with Al-Quran, only then we will be able to achieve the WASAT/balance/best or the ALSALAAT ALWUSTA. I think that will be the only way to unite all of us and prevent sects.
Brother Wakas thank you for the welcome and your excellent comments on my post in the other thread. Can you please comment on my response at that thread.
http//www.free-minds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3183&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25
Regards,
Tanveer
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Peace be upon you,
Have you considered that Bacca and Baytullah is the same place as Samaritans call Beth El? Most of them lived in the valley of Shechem between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.
Their belief is that Abraham built in Shechem the very first altar for the one God and archeological excavations at the Mount Gerizim supports this affirmation.
I think these webpages are really interesting.
http//www.ourfatherlutheran.net/biblehomelands/palestine/nablus.htm
http//www.netours.com/2003/balata.htmHere are some pictures
http//www.ourfatherlutheran.net/biblehomelands/palestine/palestinepix/gerizimexc.gif
http//www.ourfatherlutheran.net/biblehomelands/palestine/palestinepix/geriz-ebal.jpg
http//www.netours.com/2003/shechem_files/balata.jpg
And this information about Samaritans beliefs I found it useful
http//www.the-samaritans.com/articles8.html
Take care brothers and sisters and may Allah guide us to the truth.
Ma'a salama,
nur
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Peace.
Before we put up a conclusion on this verse, let me elaborate o my current position this far in the discussion. I have now come to understand that we cant just lay it all off as commitments, becuase the times are there. "Orations" seems to fit, but I still have a few issues.
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What is the difference between reading and Oration?
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Is oration enough? I mean, I'm not too convinced that reciting the Quran in a moderate tone would be of much benefit, but then again perhaps that is how it is supposed to be a happiness for the heart. And would it have the same effect if translations are oratd insetad for those who cant read arabic at all?
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Peace be upon you,
Just wanted to offer agin my understanding, not sure which verse we are up to, but it really does not matter because my position fits all of the verses, not just a few here and there, nor does it contradict anything as "commitments" does.
Salaat = Process. We are to maintain the process and bring forth purification. It is the process of meditation(contemplation of the Universe) that brings the conscious and subconscious in union (merging of day and night).
It only takes one to do a good study of meditation to see the connection. Indeed this is a confirmation of what came before it!
It is the state of TRANCE that I urge you all to study, realize that all of our conditionings we have are in us because we took them in while in TRANCE. Trance is something we go into everyday (day dreaming, very emotional, etc) and the way to CAHNGE BEHAVIOR is to reprogram your self. Salaat is the process. The process by which we reprogram ourselves and remove all wrong programs (bring forth purification).
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Peace idolfree.
If I'm not mistaken, you discussed this in a thread earlier, referring to all the verses, which thread is this? Could you please provide a link so we cancheck it out?
BTW, i remember when I first joined free-minds forum and I used to read the threads, but I was always reluctant to answer to your becuase your avatar was so intimidating! (Remember the golden statue of the falcon?) - but now I feel a lot more comfortable talking to you. Thanks for working in this thread, you efforts are much appreciated.
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Peace be upon you Natu,
If I'm not mistaken, you discussed this in a thread earlier, referring to all the verses, which thread is this? Could you please provide a link so we cancheck it out?
I have not updated this in a while, but here is the thread listing the verses. PLEASE give me any and all feedback, especially any concerns/disagreements.
http//www.free-minds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1695
BTW, i remember when I first joined free-minds forum and I used to read the threads, but I was always reluctant to answer to your becuase your avatar was so intimidating! (Remember the golden statue of the falcon?) - but now I feel a lot more comfortable talking to you. Thanks for working in this thread, you efforts are much appreciated.
Intimidated?? shock No, no need to feel that way with me brother. I strive for Peace through righteousness. D The Bird was "Heru" of the Kemetic Philosophy. It represents the WILL of man. Man is born weak, imitating everything, then the WILL is BORN, this is the virgin birth. This is what Isa, son of Marium signifies, and is also what that Bird signifies. It is when you are able to truly SEE, remember it is not blindness of the eyes, but the heart we are talking about here. Coming from the African American tradition, I feel at home using African symbolisms, especially when they are in agreement and confirmed by this great reading(quran).
I actually did not intend for my avatar to disappear, that was not my doing. D
Lastly, thank you for keeping the WILL of this forum alive with your focused energy. I hope I can , THIS TIME, help to keep it going.
