A Chinese chorus from Taiwan sing this original Islamic song in Arabic. You will recognize La ilaha illa Allah!
Here a children’s choir in the U.S. sing Tala Al-Badr Alayna, inspired by the music of a song sung by the ladies of Medina when prophet Mohammad arrived there in the Hijra. The arrangement of the music is original.
Two very different groups, not particularly Muslim, yet appreciate the spirit of these songs. A sign of hope in a world desperately needing it.
The generally accepted idea in Islam is that Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) could not read or write. However, there is serious discussion among both independent and more traditional scholars as to whether the Arabic word ummi means instead “unlearned in Divine scripture,” or “gentile,” which also implies lacking knowledge of scripture, i.e., Divine revelations sent prior to the Quran. The argument really isn’t immediately clear from the word ummi in particular until one examines it more closely, but rather this one quite striking aya:
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In Surat Al-Fajr “The Dawn” 89, which has 30 ayat, the first words are the oath “By the dawn,/ and the ten nights,/ and the even and the odd,/ and the night when it passes…” (89:1-4) These words reflect the passage of time: dawn and the passing of night on the outer ayat, and numbers on the inside reflecting a kind of urgency, the urgency to spend one’s time in Allah’s path. The ten nights are often interpreted to refer to the first ten days of Thul-Hijja, today being the first of them, during which many Muslims fast and do charitable deeds. This sura is followed by Surat Al-Balad “The City,” where in 90:11-13 we read “But he has not attempted the steep path (90:11)/ “and what can make you know what is the steep path?/ It is the freeing of a slave.” Although other good deeds are mentioned, we will pause on this one, because today the first day of thul-Hijjah, coincides with Juneteenth – a holiday in the US marking the day, June 19th, 1985, when all slaves in the United States were freed. Yet although slavery has been technically abolished in most of the world, human trafficking is the new slave trade, often involves sexual exploitation, often of minors. And the racism that leads to human exploitation still rages on. The Quran has a solution to both.
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“Say: I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed.” (7:188)
“Say: I possess not for myself any harm or benefit except what Allah should will.” (10:49)
And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'” (10:106)
If we put these quotes together, the first two being statements that Allah the Exalted told prophet Mohammad to say, and the last being an admonition to all people, we can see that prophet Mohammad (pbuh) himself should not be invoked besides Allah in any way. But what does this mean in practical application? Of course, we should not call upon prophet Mohammad when we are praying to Allah, nor should we think within ourselves that we need to invoke him to assure that our prayers will be answered by the All-Hearing, All-Knowing. But what are the limits or guidance on this from the Quran?
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This may seem to be an obvious “given” any Muslim would deem true of the Quran. Yet surprisingly other ideas have made their way into “mainstream” Islamic belief. This article addresses the history of compiling and numbering the Quran, an interesting subject indeed, fleshed out here in great detail. But in the process states this:
The order of the surahs was not based on the order the archangel Gabriel gave them to Prophet Muhammad, but on the consensus of the companions. (Emphasis mine.)
With all due respect, this is an assumption based on anecdotal and certainly non-Quranic sources that directly contradicts the Quran, a fact of which the author(s) of this article and possibly also their source(s) may not have been fully aware. Although the order of revelation differs from the final arrangement, this is by Allah’s design, and the final arrangement was given directly through Jibreel (Gabriel) to prophet Mohammad, not a decision made by sahaba after his death. Saying that it was presumes it is somehow out of Allah’s jurisdiction – while we should know that everything is in Allah’s jurisdiction.
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This is the title of the video below, asking what is the difference between an anti-racist and a non-racist? As this video explains, a non-racist is someone who believes it is wrong to discriminate against others based on the color of their skin or their ethnicity, but does nothing to fight against systemic racism. An anti-racist is one who does something about it. This video examines how prophet Mohammad was the first anti-racist as defined this way.
This article covers the same topic in writing for those who may also wish to read it. The author of the article who speaks on the video is Dr. Craig Considine, a practicing Catholic with a surprisingly open mind regarding Islam, and Christianity (he accepts the prophethood of Mohammad as well as Jesus).
Salat as a practice is central in the Quran, but certain aspects of it can cause confusion due to differences between what is understood in English and what the Quran means in Arabic. It is a connection, a two-way street, and as such, involves reciprocity, which itself needs explanation. But it also is something one “establishes” by its regular practice. And what does it mean to “connect with” Prophet Mohammad? These are concepts that people dispute over for issues relating to language as well as concerns over not violating monotheism, yet are absolutely crucial in Islam to understand.
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In Surat Al-Qamar 54:1, the Quran states “The Hour has come near, and the moon has split asunder. 54:2: “And if they see a sign, they turn away and say: ‘Ongoing magic!’” The word “Hour” clearly refers to the Day of Resurrection, the word “sign” being aya which can have multiple meanings per my previous post. Some scholars, such as M.A.S. Abdul-Haleem and Sheikh Mohammed al-Ghazali, say this refers to one of the signs of the Day of Resurrection, others that it actually refers to a physical miracle given to Prophet Mohammad, or perhaps both. Here we discuss how the moon-splitting described in the Quran is clearly a sign of the approach of Judgment Day when studied in context of the surrounding verses and the significance, purpose, and meaning of ayat/“signs” in the Quran as a whole. Does this mean it cannot be Mohammad’s miracle? What is the best evidence for the truth?
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In response to a question as to why Allah the Exalted challenged us to produce a surah like those in the Quran, giving the shortest surah 108 as an example of a simple surah anyone could write, I offer the following analysis of that surah showing a closer look at its inimitable presentation:
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar. (Al-Kawthar 108:1)
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ
So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]. (108:2)
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ
Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off. (108:3)
This surah consists of 3 ayat, but as we shall show, packs much power and meaning into its 11 words and 43 letters.
The sum of the digits of its number, 108, is 9, which is a significant number in itself and represents, in the “infinitive” form of a number, both giving and cutting off, the very dynamic theme of this surah. This number 9 is represented by, in terms of months in the Hijri calendar, the 9th month of Ramadan, the number of repentance and returning to Allah. And returning to Allah can be represented as a circle, whose number is 360, the number of degrees in a circle, and of course this too is divisible by 9.
Surah 109, Al-Kafiroon, is not a straightforward ring composition, but rather takes a form one could describe as “circuitous” that makes a clear point about its subject matter: kafiroon, often translated as “disbelievers,” but the word deniers or denial is closer in meaning to the root word kufr, even in English sounding like “cover” as in “to cover up”: In the Quran, Truth is Reality, not a “point of view” or “opinion.” “Belief” in English is used to mean an assumption of truth, not reality itself. Denial itself can be a kind of “religion” or path with a focus on worldly values, debunking and mocking Divine wisdom, thus closing one’s heart to it.
Surat Al-Nasr 110
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ
وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا
110:1 When the victory of Allah and the conquest comes
110:2 And you see the people entering into the Way of Allah in multitudes
110:3 You shall glorify with praise to your Lord, and seek His forgiveness; for He is the Redeemer.
This at first glance seems like a very clear and easy-to-understand surah that needs minimal explanation, perhaps only a little historical context. And indeed it can be easily understood. But with the Quran, there is always more…
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Tawheed, the bedrock of Islam, is the immutable truth that Allah is ineffably One. It is not enough to say it is “monotheism” because Christians call themselves monotheists, but insofar as they worship Jesus the son of Mary as a god or “incarnation” or God the Almighty, All-Merciful, no, this is not monotheism and it is a violation of tawheed, sometimes translated “oneness.” The Quran is unequivocal and emphatic about this, quintessentially made clear in Surat Al-Ikhlass. In particular one needs to examine the word Al-Samad.
The Yaqeen Institute has produced a truly inspiring series of videos discussing the Quran Al-Kareem, called Quran 30, studying each day a different juz’ from the Quran via zoom. No better way to spend Ramadan, especially for English-speakers who want to understand the Arabic Quran but only know a few words in Arabic.
We all know Ramadan as a sacred month of fasting and worship, of purification, of compassion and contrition. Looking at the meaning of the word “sacred” in English, it is not an exact translation of the Arabic word haram, which means “prohibited” or “protected by prohibitions” in a sense, but also it means “sacred” in the sense of being reverenced, which brings us to another word, taqwa. This word is mentioned frequently in varying grammatical forms, sometimes translated as “fear of God,” or “reverence.” I like the word “reverence,” because although there’s an element of fear and respect in reverence, it is of a particular kind, a willing attitude of one who appreciates the value and power and importance of that which is revered. It acts as fear of God in causing one to avoid doing anything that would incur God’s wrath, so it is a directed fear, and that involves the mind. The Quran also uses the word taqwa in the sense of “beware” or “be aware,” invoking mindfulness, whereas fear itself, expressed in a very different Arabic word khauf, is an emotional reaction that does not involve thinking or the mind. Continue reading
Ramadan is first mentioned in the Quran as the month in which the Quran was sent, literally “sent down.” Thus its significance as a month of fasting (and other forms of abstention) is very closely related to the Quran. After all, the Quran is central to Islam; it is the sourcebook for the religion, for everything from jurisprudence to inspiration to wisdom of a more intellectual nature. It is a guide to life, in essence whose language and presentation is often allegorical or via parables or metaphor, all this being expressed in one Arabic word mathal. Continue reading
A not-infrequent complaint from Christians about Islam is that the Islamic idea of Allah is not personal enough. Another complaint from people in arguments against religion generally is that God is too impersonal. There is this general belief that God created the universe (if they even believe that), then left it alone to fend for itself, retiring into abstract glory to answer, perhaps, a prayer or two. The first idea, of a personal God, seems based on human interpersonal relations. The second on possibly kings or dictators. Neither idea is true of Allah, the Almighty, All-Merciful, who describes Himself in the Quran as being “closer than your jugular vein.” (Surat Qaf 50:16)
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Tafseer, or interpretation of the Qur’an — and translation is a kind of tafseer — can make or break one’s understanding of the Qur’an. For what is understanding but how one interprets something? Misinterpretation causes misunderstanding. Which can lead to wrongful acts based on that misunderstanding. This is a common human error. But its significance is incalculable when we speak of wrong tafseer of the Qur’an, God’s message to the world…
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One of the ideas commonly taught in Islam is the idea of intercession (Shifaa), in which someone (we shall discuss whom) intercedes on behalf of an individual presented before Allah on Judgment Day. But some misconceptions have made this rather simple idea more controversial.
Continue readingNarrations about the prophets are among the most important elements in the Qur’an. We shall examine the characteristics common to all prophets and some of the related themes that graphically illustrate the significance of their lives and roles as recipients of divine revelation. Examination of one of these themes and essential characteristics may blow you away.
Continue readingHow divine revelations are sent to humankind is very clearly elucidated in the Qur’an, and is in stark contrast to the idea of “inspiration.” It begins with the powerful and very physical “sending down,” which is only through the archangel Jibreel (Gabriel), who is also described as “shadeed al-quwa,” meaning “possessing very strong/great powers.” The human recipient of the revelation is always and only a prophet, chosen by Allah, who has certain recognizable characteristics which set him apart from most others.
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114 Chambers 