A personal view regarding salat
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Peace CNB,
If the Quran is so easy to understand, why isn't it easy to understand? Are we over-complicating it?
This is a myth. I have not seen a single passage that says that the great reading is easy to understand. There is a passage saying that the great reading was made easy for rememberance. This is quite different from understanding.
Peace,
Ayman
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Thank you for the links! After reading many of the articles on this site, as well as browsing through the forums, one thing has been bothering me.
Allah says his Quran is complete and he has made it easy to believe. Also that he does not wish for his way to be difficult, yet no one seems to agree or are able to really explain what is expected from believers. Some feel that they pray twice, and only read the Quran, while others believe it is 3 times a day and that physical prostration is important.
I wonder how much confusion is caused because we have preconceived notions caused by generations of assumptions of what islamic prayer and daily obligations should be as taught by Sunnis.
If the Quran is so easy to understand, why isn't it easy to understand? Are we over-complicating it?
Peace,
if you make the effort nothing is difficult...still people does not make the effort to understand it.
A simple example
for me chineese language is difficult (nearly impossible) to understand yet 5 years old chineese childrens can speak and maybe read/write!
Peace
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Peace CNB,
This is a myth. I have not seen a single passage that says that the great reading is easy to understand. There is a passage saying that the great reading was made easy for rememberance. This is quite different from understanding.
Peace,
Ayman
Peace Ayman,
In Surah 54. Al-Qamar (The Moon) (Yusuf Ali Translation)
It quotes the same passage 4 times
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And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
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But We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
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And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
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And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
The context of these passages seem to be an admonition towards the Quraish and 4 examples were given of different peoples who were given warnings by God and rejected. So it seems it should still apply today, the Quran *Must be easy to understand AND remember if we are to understand the warnings and heed Gods commands.
I know no arabic but Al-Fatiha so I'm not in a place to perform exegesis on these 4 ayats, so could someone possibly help and explain? Can the phrase understand and remember be translated differently? ???
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Peace CNB,
In Surah 54. Al-Qamar (The Moon) (Yusuf Ali Translation)
It quotes the same passage 4 times
17. And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
22. But We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
32. And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
40. And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
The context of these passages seem to be an admonition towards the Quraish and 4 examples were given of different peoples who were given warnings by God and rejected. So it seems it should still apply today, the Quran *Must be easy to understand AND remember if we are to understand the warnings and heed Gods commands.
I know no arabic but Al-Fatiha so I'm not in a place to perform exegesis on these 4 ayats, so could someone possibly help and explain? Can the phrase understand and remember be translated differently? ???The word "understand" doesn't occur in those passages. The exact word used is "rememberance".
Peace,
Ayman
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Salaam Ayman
I have nothing against physical prostration but then if you really believe that it is physical you have to do it to the chin and not the forehead. It is quite telling that the god uses this particular idiom (which fabricators of poetry later borrowed) since one cannot prostrate physically to the chin and the forehead at the same time. It is either or. So what the god is essentially telling us is that whether we interpret "sujud" physically or non physically, what sectarians are doing is not correct.
Verses 17107 and 17109 relate to falling prostrate to the chin by those who have been given knowledge before - probably the people of the book (i.e.Torah, Gospel), they are described as falling on their chins crying when verses of the Koran are recited to them.
These verses are not normative in the sense that all believers who prostrate during the -salaat- should fall on the chin. Since a special group of people is mentioned here - the people of the book. Furthermore, the recitation to them of verses of the Koran in this context is different from the regular daily -salaat-. Verse 17108 relates that the people who hear the recitation, say glory be to our Lord. Surely, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled.
During regular -salaat- there is normally not such an audible reaction from the several participants.
Recitation of Koranic verses can also be done at another occasion than the regular -salaat-.Verse 4829 mentions the ones who are with the messenger who have the marks of prostration on their faces.
If this verse is read in a literal way, as is done with verses 17107 and 17109 - then one can conclude that the prostration is not to the chin within this context of prostration by the compagnions of the messenger. In general the beard could hinder the formation of marks on the face as a result of prostration to the chin, rather a prostration to the forehead would cause a (temporary) mark on the face.
Hereby is assumed that having a beard was a rather common feature amongst the male believers during the time-frame of the life of the last messenger-prophet.Anyway in the Koran there is not found a normative ruling that the physical prostration of the believers during -salaat- should only be to the chin.
Truthseeker171
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Thank you for the links! After reading many of the articles on this site, as well as browsing through the forums, one thing has been bothering me.
Allah says his Quran is complete and he has made it easy to believe. Also that he does not wish for his way to be difficult, yet no one seems to agree or are able to really explain what is expected from believers. Some feel that they pray twice, and only read the Quran, while others believe it is 3 times a day and that physical prostration is important.
I wonder how much confusion is caused because we have preconceived notions caused by generations of assumptions of what islamic prayer and daily obligations should be as taught by Sunnis.
If the Quran is so easy to understand, why isn't it easy to understand? Are we over-complicating it?
Preconceptions do/can play a large role, IMO.
You have to walk before you start running
Check out this article on the difference between muslims & mumins http//free-minds.org/node/10Yes, we do over-complicate things sometimes, but know that you don't have to perform salat etc. It's not a requirement per se. All that is 'required' is what's stated in chapter 103. Short, simple and sweet. I find it quiet powerful.
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Quote from captainneckbeard on November 18, 2010, 073743 AM
In Surah 54. Al-Qamar (The Moon) (Yusuf Ali Translation)
It quotes the same passage 4 times
17. And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
22. But We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
32. And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
40. And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember then is there any that will receive admonition?
The context of these passages seem to be an admonition towards the Quraish and 4 examples were given of different peoples who were given warnings by God and rejected. So it seems it should still apply today, the Quran *Must be easy to understand AND remember if we are to understand the warnings and heed Gods commands.
I know no arabic but Al-Fatiha so I'm not in a place to perform exegesis on these 4 ayats, so could someone possibly help and explain? Can the phrase understand and remember be translated differently?The word "understand" doesn't occur in those passages. The exact word used is "rememberance".
Peace,
Ayman
Peace Ayman,
And how do you remember? Do you know the process involved in remembering? Can you remember anything without first understanding/perceiving or conceiving it?
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Peace Mazhar,
And how do you remember? Do you know the process involved in remembering? Can you remember anything without first understanding/perceiving or conceiving it?
One can remember the god without understanding the god. We can understand a little bit by remembering and keeping in mind the attributes he told us about himself. You can remember that we will all eventually die but you don't understand death. Remembering helps us understand. But understanding is a deeper level than just remembering. If you remember correctly than you will gradually reach a better understanding. Reminders are hints that help us understand better. They are not understanding. To understand a little bit better you need to connect a lot of reminders together.
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace Mazhar,
One can remember the god without understanding the god. We can understand a little bit by remembering and keeping in mind the attributes he told us about himself. You can remember that we will all eventually die but you don't understand death. Remembering helps us understand. But understanding is a deeper level than just remembering. If you remember correctly than you will gradually reach a better understanding. Reminders are hints that help us understand better. They are not understanding. To understand a little bit better you need to connect a lot of reminders together.
Peace,
Ayman
Peace Ayman,
"Zikr" its basic/primary perception-meaning is to save. Nothing can be saved in long term memory until you have reached some level of perception/understanding whereafter one will be able to recall/retrieve it from the memory which is termed as rememberance.
