Counting the Letter waw as a Word When Used to Mean “and” Confirmed in Birmingham MS + “wild cards” in the Quran

This may seem like a small point, but when counting words and letters and extrapolating meanings and possible miraculous connections, it makes a difference because waw can be a word when used by itself to mean “and” (a one-letter “word” like “a” as an article in English), but waw is also a letter when used only to form a word. This makes a great difference, for example, in the usage of waw regarding the Balance Scales, as well as the connection to the genetic code found in Surat Al-Ikhlas. My understanding of this usage is thanks to the work of the Quran researcher (and engineer) Abduldaem Al-Kaheel. But comparing waw as used in the Birmingham manuscript with its use in the same page in a modern typeset mus’haf (written Quran), the difference is clear.

The Elephant in the Room – as Caretakers of Earth, Muslims Must Oppose its Destroyers

Pollution has appeared on land and at sea because of what man’s hands have accomplished, so he may let them taste something of what they have earned, in order that they will turn back [in repentance]. (30:41)

Although many translators translate fasad as “corruption,” it can definitely also refer to “pollution” which is indeed a kind of corruption that conveys to modern understanding that this isn’t about leaders getting kickbacks or bribes, it’s about directly destroying the earth and its resources.

It is both dereliction of our duty and a threat to our survival as a species to harm the earth. The Quran warns us not to commit fasad (corruption of any kind) upon the earth many times (around 60x including non-environmental corruption). And our mandate from the Almighty as humans is to be caretakers of the earth. Thus we must also struggle against those who cause the pollution and destruction of the resources of our planet, its water, living things, minerals, air, everything. But now the earth is horribly polluted and made toxic at the hands of humans, and who is the biggest criminal? The U.S. military.

Isa/Jesus and Maryam in the Quran – their Names and Message

The name of Isa/Jesus is frequently mentioned in the Quran as the son of Maryam/Mary, and so their mentions are linked. This aspect is not often discussed, so I will do it here, as well as analyzing how and where their names are expressed and placed in Quranic architecture. Jesus is referred as “Word” in the Quran, as well as in the Bible, for example in this significant aya, which also mentions the name of prophet Jesus in full:

˹Remember˺ when the angels proclaimed, “O Mary! Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him, his name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; honored in this world and the Hereafter, and he will be one of those nearest ˹to Allah˺. (3:45)

Allah/God is our only Ballast

Many people who think themselves modern or of a superior worldview disparage religion (although with the ongoing genocide by Israel is changing people’s outlook), and in particular disparage the “idea” of God, as if God was nothing more than an idea. Although this contradicts the narrative of Jewish faith one thinks of in the public sphere, where God is One, ineffable, and interacts with humanity in a very real and tangible way, more or less like Islam, if one examines how the rabbinical and general interpretive stream goes, it tends toward muddying the waters between human and Divine.  As per below:

God is not a static being, but a dynamic becoming. Without human participation, God remains incomplete, unrealized. It is up to us to actualize the divine potential in the world. God needs us.

As for the “dynamic,” this is very true and I’ve often argued that very point, that “God is not a static Being,” as shown in the Quran. But “becoming” can be understood as “not yet realized” whereas Allah the Exalted is completely and fully realized. The problem with this is “realized” in the next sentence in bold which uses the word “becoming” to imply an insufficiency on God’s part which humans supposedly fulfill. This is false and totally contradicts truth. God/Allah is free of need, and does not “need” us at all. The Quran repeatedly tells us this!

O mankind, you are the ones in need of Allah. Indeed, Allah is the Free of Need, the Praiseworthy. (35:15)

Indeed, Allah is our only true Ballast. Without Him, we have neither true north nor south, nor any direction whatsoever, and truth becomes an invention, something anyone can make up, a fantasy, and thus we lose both balance and direction, rendering life itself pointless and meaningless. Which is where the “modern” mindset, denying God/Allah outright, has taken us. Yet many still have their conscience, their innate Fitrah.

Mentions of Ships in the Quran Reveal Connection to Quranic Initials and Amazing Ship Graphic

The Quran mentions ships rather frequently, considering the subject matter, and some have wondered why. These mentions refer to how the use of ships for trade and more is a gift from Allah the Exalted, and a few mentions refer to Noah’s ark/ship, and fewer to the boat in the story of Moses and Al-Khidr. There’s an interesting correspondence between these mentions and the Quranic Initials (QIs) or muqatta’at, which in turn points us to the clear and also metaphorical connection between ships and the Quran as a message, especially emphasized in the story of Noah and his ship. Allah protects and elevates the lives of those who follow His guidance, saving them from the greater catastrophe of the Last Day, as He saved prophet Noah and the faithful believers who boarded the ark with him from the flood. In fact, the very nautilus design of the Quran correlates with that symbolic message. The placements of ship mentions in our spiral chart also reveals, using the classical elements symbolized in the chart, a graphic illustration of ship design and how it utilizes the Divine gift of buoyancy.

Some thoughts on Free Will, Faith, and Allah’s Wisdom

Recently I attended a class discussing such things as the Islamic view of free will, guidance, and the “problem of evil” – why is there is evil in the world if God is good – and other related subjects no single title could really cover. It was well-presented, so I will try to bring some of those insights here. I believe this is “standard” Islamic theology, and mostly conforms to the Quranic text, although the terms used are modern English, and there’s a difference between the two.

Two immediate things: the “problem of evil” does not exist in Islam, but exists in Christianity (and probably Judaism although it wasn’t named), which now poses this question to Muslims, many of whom don’t understand their own theology, thus clarification is needed. “Free will” (in the sense of “I can do whatever I want”) also doesn’t exist in Islam, but that definition doesn’t sound plausible in any philosophy or rational understanding. “Free will” in my former definition meant a limited measure of autonomy and choice, whose confines are unique to each person, and for which one can be held accountable. Otherwise, what is Judgment Day, where by definition God is absolutely Just?

Light and Darknesses in the Quran

This is a huge and meaningful subject, so we will touch on some basic ideas as well the locations of these mentions in the Quran, whose binary theme it graphically illustrates.

LIGHT نور is associated with: day, illumination, truth, eternity, wholeness, healing, goodness, the Quran, guidance, opening, peace, straight path (note that light rays follow a straight path), love, hope, trust, faith, sincerity, guarding the sacred, eternal values vision بصير (inner light which is a separate word).

DARKNESSES ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ is associated with ignorance, concealment, hiding, closure, sickness of the soul, evil, tearing apart, falsehood, crooked path, crime, loss and misleading, oppression and injustice, misery, hopelessness, despair, hate, hypocrisy, betrayal, violence, violating what is sacred, worldly values.

Why is light mentioned as singular but darknesses plural? Because light, as used in the Quran, is One and Whole, but darknesses are scattered and plural, dispersing and separating.

Quranic Rhetoric Matches Its Structure

How the Quranic text conveys its message could be referred to as its “rhetoric.” The basis of a language involves principles of how language is used to convey ideas to an audience. But different languages use fundamentally different techniques and this affects how one interprets any text, including the Quran. The scholar Michel Cuypers argues that some of the confusion among Western and even modern Arabic-speaking scholars results from their misunderstanding of the linguistic basis of the Quran and how it differs from European logic. The rhetorical basis of the Quran is semitic (also the basis for Hebrew and Aramaic) rather than Greek or Latin (basis for European languages), whose approach is linear. The basis of a language is its logical core; the word for “language” in Arabic is the same word used for logic: mantaq. Thus it requires a different mindset – non-Western, which means non-linear – to appreciate the Quran’s magnificence. As Cuypers said:

“Semitic rhetoric is…entirely founded on the principle of symmetry, which confers on the text’s composition a form that is, in a way, more geometrical or spatial than linear.”

Michel Cuypers, The composition of the Quran, Bloomsbury Academic 2015

The “geometrical” aspect takes on another layer of meaning considering the Quran’s architecture as spiral, expressed on a larger scale in the Chambered Nautilus shell, itself a prime example of sacred geometry. This indicates how closely aligned the Quran’s rhetoric (its basic style and expression in words) is with its structure.

Why Don’t Muslim Countries Help Palestinians or Stop the Genocide?

The video above answers this question in about ten minutes. I would add that among the “leaders” he mentions as having been the target of the U.S. and Israel is Bashar Al-Assad, himself is a tyrant who was waging a war on his own people when they came out in peaceful demonstrations against his Nazi-style rule in the wake of the Arab Spring. Israel had no problem with Assad or his father Hafez whom they once said “did even more than us” in terms of brutality against “rebels” among his own people. Many of the leaders taken out in coups were themselves dictators, but all the Israel-US alignment did was replace them when they got problematic. But it may be the genocide itself shows these puppet regimes that Israel does not hesitate to kill anyone – and these are not the sort of guys to sacrifice themselves for a cause other than themselves.

Celestial Realm (19) vs Earthly (7) Realm Graphics

This graphic compares the upper (celestial) and lower (earthly/ dunya) hemispheres of the Quranic Architectural Chart. If we add the house (pie section/ month/ first 12 suras’) numbers as “opposite side” adjacent pairs, as shown by connecting lines in the illustration below, we find an interesting pattern that highlights the significant numbers 7 and 19 in the Quran. The dark line separates the two hemispheres, the upper half representing the “celestial timeless realm” and the lower half representing the “earthly/dunya realm of time,” a central theme in the Quran.

The large numbers of the first 12 suras are also the house or pie section numbers. A darker line divides the upper and lower hemispheres. Note the sums of the connected house numbers are highlighted in yellow to show the 7’s in the lower and the 19’s in the upper hemispheres.

The sums in the lower half all added to 7 (highlighted in yellow), and sums in the upper half all added to 19 (also highlighted in yellow), indicating the significance of these two numbers may relate to the two realms these hemispheres represent. The two realms are discussed at length in a previous post as the Unseen Al-Ghaib, which points out: “The ‘seven heavens’ likely involve ‘dimensions’ or worlds/realms’ between which are partitions (the word hijab), an example being the jinn, creatures normally invisible to humans.” But these seven heavens are likely not all in the Unseen realm; the stars we see at night are in the “lower heaven” which we can see (37:6). And although we cannot see the jinn, they are nonetheless part of the dunya, the lower realm (34:14, 72:8). Below we examine the numbers 7 and 19, and what they could mean in light of the graphic above. The number 7 is repeated more often (27x) than 19 (1x), and there may be a reason for this.

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.

Islamic Salat – Physical and Spiritual Connection

One unique characteristic of salat, the obligatory form of prayer in Islam, is that it incorporates “spiritual” (faith, mindfulness) with physical elements – the body language of bowing and prostration + the time/space elements of astronomical prayer times and a very specific geophysical direction of prayer. This prayer form grounds the believer’s worship, making a connection between this temporary earthly life and Allah’s Divine eternal presence. This key connection in our lives is in that sense like the Quran: a timeless message sent down in time. So our salat connects our time/space “world” – in this case the “world” of our lives – to the timeless and unbounded “NOW” of Allah. Below is an aya referring to time, 55:26, followed by an aya referring to eternity or timelessness, 55:27.

55:26 All that lives on earth or in the heavens is bound to pass away

55:27 but forever will abide the Face of your Lord, full of majesty and glory

“The people of Gaza have become a living miracle”

While looking for another article I’d read before on Yaqeen Institute’s website (whose founder is Dr. Omar Suleiman), I discovered this headline: “How Gaza is Restoring Faith in God and Saving the World” by Dr. Ovamir Anjum. The title alone expresses what I’ve been noticing on every platform of social media, notably TikTok but also X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, even LinkedIn. And others. The title of this post is the first sentence of that article. Another great sentence from the article: “Hope for a new world, it has become evident, has come not from the shining capitals, technological feats, or trillion-dollar schemes, but from the rubble of Gaza.” In difference ways and from seemingly every corner of the globe, variations on this theme are being expressed by a vast array of people, united by this one astounding thing. At a time of unimaginable agony for people of conscience watching the unending horror of a genocide and extreme atrocities committed against innocent civilians, especially children, this is a much-needed positive take on the meaning and Divine purpose that transforms the evil demented deeds and goals of the perpetrators into a saving grace for the entire world. This is an article well-worth your time to read.

Videos on the Wisdom of the Quran and the Destruction of Israel’s PR War on Truth

Looking at videos on various platforms, I’ve found some that bring quite insightful studies and interpretations of the Quran from “ordinary people,” even new converts/reverts. Here’s one, whose interpretation of Surat Al-Nahl (the Bee), after studying an amazing book on the subject of bees, is quite impressive:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8gT6fK1/

Many of those videos are from people who were so impressed by Palestinians’ faith, endurance, and patience through unimaginable horrors and suffering, that they were moved to read the Quran and find out about Islam. This video by CJ Werleman gives us an overview of this phenomenon as well as the consequences for Israel of their genocide.

The Four Great Suras of Salat (Prayer)

(Note: New Improved Post, removed the excess for a different post.) The four suras (like chapters/sections) of the Quran most frequently recited in the canonical Islamic prayer called salat are the first sura, Al-Fatiha “The Opening” (1), the quintessential prayer of salat, and the final 3 suras, Al-Ikhlas “Sincerity” (112), Al-Falaq “Daybreak/ Breaking-open” (113), and An-Nass “The People” (114). They are all short suras, making them easy to recite. Allah the All-Merciful wants this prayer to be easy for us, and at the same time a powerful and effective “connection” to Him, to His all-encompassing power and mercy. These four suras form a {2,3,4} set, with three (3) together at the end, and the fourth (4) in the very beginning, and two of these suras form a pair (2) in the “middle.” Thus the end of the Quran re-connects us to the beginning, analogous to how Resurrection and Judgment Day reconnect us to Allah in paradise where Adam was created at the beginning of humanity – if we had faith in Allah, and made a genuine effort in Allah’s path of justice and compassion.

On Gratitude, Thanksgiving, and Islam

This Yaqeen Institute article entitled “Does Thanksgiving Make a Mockery of Gratitude?” gives us a brilliant and insightful discussion, with examples, of what gratitude is and is not, notably showing the distinct difference between how the Islamic empire grew and how European-style settler-colonial empires or projects grew. His examples include the horrors in Palestine now as well with America’s dubious relationship with the many indigenous peoples (actually nations but not organized as “modern nation-states”) whose lands the European settlers violently usurped. But he also helps us find the way forward.

We can easily see how true this is! Everything Israel accuses Hamas of doing is what Israel actually does and is continuously doing.

An article well-worth reading with historical background and some startling facts! This Smithsonian article also gives more on the more disturbing and accurate history of Thanksgiving.

Inspired by Palestinians, Many Now Read the Quran, Turn to Islam

This is such a big thing, especially on TikTok, that Zionists are trying to ban the social media site used by millions, a large number of whom are young people. Meanwhile, Israelis have humiliated themselves on TikTok with videos displaying the utmost arrogance and lack of humanity, so out of touch are they with moral values or actual compassion for people. Their dances are often explicitly sexual, showing the depraved nature of this genocide. On the other hand, the faith and resilience of Palestinians under the most dire of circumstances has inspired untold numbers of people around the world to read the Quran and find out more about Islam, often reverting/converting. But they, and all people of conscience, face an international movement to ban free speech, targeting anyone who opposes the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This is in opposition to democratic principles to circumvent those very principles for the despicable and greedy goals of destroying Palestinians entirely in a total genocide and usurping the oil off their coast.

“Invest your energy in one thing; Erasing Gaza from the face of the earth,” the Likud MK and former public diplomacy minister Galit Distel Atbaryan said. (The Times of Israel)

What Are the Sacred Months in Islam, and Their Significance?

There are four sacred months in Islam. Sacredness is usually upheld by specific kinds of prohibition. In this case, fighting is prohibited in these four months. But also, it can be said “injustice in The 4 Sacred Months in Islam is the greatest sin.” Notably there is often much injustice and irreparable damage in war. Also, good deeds such as charity and kindness, piety expressed in mindfulness, prayer, and dhikr (remembering by invoking Allah) are especially encouraged during these months, with the promise of a greater reward. Three of these months – Thul-Qa’da, Thul-Hijja, and Muharram – are related to the Hajj pilgrimage, as they are adjacent months, with Thul-Hijja, the month of the Hajj, in the middle, surrounded by the other two months. This creates a protective barrier of time during which people can travel safely to and from the Hajj in peace. Before the modern era, the trip could take a month or more each way. Since the Hajj itself takes place between the 8th and 12th days of Thul-Hijja, safe travel time would be even longer. The fourth sacred month, Rajab, occurs six months after Muharram, thus preventing prolonged wars. Even a half-year’s fighting is therefore prohibited. No “forever wars” in Islam! Note also that these months form a {3,4} set: 3 adjacent months relating to Hajj, and one, the 4th, on the other side of the calendar, cutting the year in half. One can think of these months as a kind of sanctuary in time, a way to secure peace.

Lies Mined from the Bible Used to Promote Genocide

I’ve been in a state of dread since Israel began its declaration of “war” – a euphemism for genocide, mass murder, slaughter, sadistic systematic killing of children, women, and men – on an entire region of 2.2 million civilians, not soldiers, kept in an open-air prison surrounded by barbed wire and soldiers with shoot-to-kill orders. Easy targets for an IDF whose conscience has been excised. They are openly and with intent ethnically cleansing all Palestinians including those who have nothing to do with Hamas. Death toll: over 10,000 civilians plus journalists, doctors, and international aid workers, and of course, over 4,000 children. Israeli Zionists are atheists who use selectively interpret Biblical references to promote their war crimes to their ardently blind supporters among Christian Zionist “evangelicals,” a group with an international reach. Meanwhile the real reason for the genocide is oil off the coast of Gaza, technically belonging to the Gazan people. Israel is willing to kill or displace over 2 million human beings in an epic Holocaust for that oil. It’s all about greed and religion is merely a pretext.

This article explains exactly what this biblical reference is all about, making an arbitrary mythological connection between Palestinians and an ancient group of people long gone, and how they invoke this to lure Christians to join the Zionist genocide brigade.