Quran Means Recitation, an Experience

The video below is of a Quran recitation in a stadium in Tanzania, showing just how Quran recitation is an experience. (Try doing that with the Bible. It’s just not the same.)

The word Quran means “The Recitation,” and it was sent to prophet Mohammad to his heart as an audible message.

26:192 This is certainly a revelation from the Lord of all worlds, 26:193 which the trustworthy spirit ˹Jibreel˺ brought down 26:194 into your heart—so that you may be one of the warners—26:195 in a clear Arabic tongue.

Recitation involves direct audience participation and is thus an experience. Its sound has a preternatural effect. It can take you out of this world for a moment and connect you to Allah, to remember your higher calling. Below is a recitation by AbdulBasit Abdussamad (transliterations vary), a famous Egyptian reciter, of Surat Al-Duha 93 and Surat Al-Sharh 94, often read as a pair as he does here.

Note: a reciter of the Quran is a Qari, the Arabic word for reciter. Although it is read with intonation, it is not considered “music” per se because he exclusively reads Quran, although in this recitation he inserted a separate dhikr (mentioning of Allah) in between the surahs at one point. He also repeats the words occasionally, a common practice among reciters. Wikipedia refers to him as a “musician” which is utterly erroneous. The intonations are spontaneous, inspired by the words, not “musical compositions” in any sense.

Video Explains Israeli Cruelty, Similar to How the Quran Describes Satan

In this video, an Israeli who is against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the siege of Gaza tells us “How Israelis Live so Easily with Occupation.” He explains why they commit atrocities and are comfortable with the occupation, as well as the current war crimes in Gaza and now Rafah, where they can hear children’s screams of agony from starvation and fear. His answers show us a mindset like Satan’s as described in the Quran, although that was not his observation. How can people commit these evil, unconscionable atrocities against mothers and children and celebrate them? Why do they dehumanize Palestinians, who welcomed the first refugees in the aftermath of WWII, and in return were massacred?

Satan’s “original” sin which condemned him to hell was arrogance. We may have wondered if that’s enough to warrant hell. But this arrogance is the root cause of all evil.

The Quran’s Astronomical Accuracy in One Small Detail, and More

The Bible, The Quran and Science, by Maurice Bucaille (Seghers, 1976), a French physician, famously correlates a number of significant and relatively recent scientific discoveries with the Quran’s text. It spawned a great deal of interest, leading to people finding many similar correlations. While recently rereading it, I found mention of the distance of the sun from our galactic center at the time of the book’s writing. It was in reference to an aya (31:29) which states “He has subjected the sun and the moon, each orbiting for an appointed term,” which corresponds to the orbit of the sun around the center of our galaxy, a detail that was unknown even long after the Quran was sent. Note that such correspondences are not intended to “prove” a scientific fact but rather to show Allah’s power and knowledge as Creator. Being curious, I looked up the most recent and accurate estimate of that distance and discovered a fascinating connection.

Why Does Allah Allow the Genocide in Gaza?

This is an important question, and Nouman Ali Khan gives us a fantastic and true answer to it.

The genocide in Gaza is an extreme example of fitnah, a test – not to be confused with fitrah which refers to the basic sense of right/wrong and true/false installed in all humans by God – of both the aggressor-oppressor and the victim. The oppressor has already failed his test by the oppression and the more it continues the greater the failure and Allah’s wrath; the victim, however, is also being tested.

The disbelievers support one another. If you do not do the same, there will be persecution in the land and great corruption. (8:73)

The Palestinians have supported one another, and persevered in their faith beyond most people’s imagination! They are an example to the world. And no matter how horrible the test, it is temporary – this life itself is temporary – but the reward in Paradise is everlasting and absolute bliss.

So their Lord answered them, “I shall not let the work of any worker among you, male or female, be in vain; each of you is like the other. So those who emigrated, and were expelled from their homes, and were hurt in My way, and fought and were slain—I shall absolve them of their sins and shall make them enter Gardens with rivers running below, a reward from God. And God, with Him is the most beautiful reward. (3:195)

CIA Predicts Hamas Defeat in Gaza & Arab Victory Over Israel

Here, C.J. Werleman speaks about how not only the CIA but even the Israeli top brass say Israel will lose to Hamas, even saying that the Arabs in the region, such as Jordan, will likely join the fight if provoked. Of course, the CIA is not an authoritative source on the future or Allah’s plans, but it’s worth mentioning because they have a vested interest in this situation, usually siding with Israel. What we know from the Quran is because the Palestinians are fighting for the sacred human right to live without the constant threat of persecution and killing, especially for precious children, they are obviously on the right side to whom Allah has promised victory. And they’re fighting for their very religion, to worship God in their sacred mosques without being desecrated by violence while praying, or prevented from praying in their own sacred places, invaded by those who seek to destroy the them, calling them “human animals.”

Whereas the Israelis are fighting for their own greed for the lands and properties of others without right, according to an ideology (Zionism) claiming Jews are a master race over all other people whom they consider worthless animals, falsely using obscure and irrelevant Biblical passages (while they are atheists) to commit genocide against all Palestinians. Of course Allah will never give victory to those who deliberately massacre of thousands of women and children, targeting whole families, destroying everything: men, women, children, animals, plants, with utter, stupid, arrogant cruelty.

Zakat – Purification of Worldly Wealth

Allah’s command to give zakat* is equal to His command to establish the daily practice of salat, so much so that they are frequently mentioned together – in fact, 25 times (matching the number of prophets named in the Quran). Our worldly income, if not shared with others (if we can), turns into a burden on our souls, weighing them down and even can nullify our salat prayers. Everything, and I mean everything, interrelates. Money and other forms of wealth form a most powerful “heavy” relationship to people, for whom it is felt as a primary essential benefit. It’s quite easy for money to dominate our direction in life, making us forget Allah the Exalted, the Source of all resources and all wealth, and Who alone controls all these complex interrelated “worlds.” His name Lord of all worlds (Rabb Al-‘Alameen) expresses this comprehensive authority, and Allah’s all-encompassing generosity. When we don’t spend in His Way, we violate this generosity and our gains can become worthless. When we do give, Allah increases His giving to us as a reward.

*(Alternate spelling zakah, but I prefer zakat as it’s closer to the original Arabic.)

Israeli Jews (and others) Converting to Islam in Record Numbers

This video by C.J. Werleman below gives us an overview of the recent phenomenon of Jews converting to Islam, including in Israel itself, where they must remain silent and hide their Islam to avoid persecution and punishment by the extremist Israeli government that commits the most heinous, brutal, and sadistic nonstop genocide of Palestinians. Jews in Israel do not have freedom of religion, nor are they allowed to marry or even befriend Palestinians. It’s an extremely racist state that is only increasing in excessive violence against even its own people.

Below is the video of a former IDF soldier converting to Islam after telling his story of how IDF soldiers had to take drugs in order to commit the atrocities their government ordered them to do, which gave him and many other such soldiers PTSD and unbearable guilt and traumatic memories.