The Quran’s Words for Thinking and States of Mind

In Surah 55 (Al-Rahman), Allah the Exalted refers to both humans and jinn (a species of creature created from fire) as thaqalān, which means “heavy/weighty” in the dual form used when addressing two. The “heavyweight” here refers to that both humans and jinn have free will plus intellect. Humans identify themselves as thinking creatures, and that faculty is indeed “heavy,” especially when combined with free will, as intellect must have autonomy, hence choice, in order to develop higher/heavier powers. And with weightier powers comes heavier responsibility.

These powers of intellect are described in the Quran as different ways of thinking and gaining knowledge, and the way in which one uses these ways of thinking results in different states of mind/heart. In the Quran, what we call “the mind” is in the heart, as described in a previous post. So what we call a state of mind is really a state of heart, with all the qualitative meanings associated with it. But studying the Quran more closely, we find that there are many ways of thinking, and these produce different states of mind.

Surat Al-Humaza 104

This sura’s power lies in its sounds, and it’s message. Of course, those sounds can only be heard in Arabic; but before presenting how that works, notice how the message is described in a series of unexpected connections. The first unexpected element is how a “fault-finding backbiter” is not found fault with because of his backbiting, but rather from his amassing of wealth and counting it. Backbiters are not associated with wealth, but rather with gossip. And this guy’s big sin is counting his wealth? Nowadays, one might ask, “well, shouldn’t someone with money count it to know how much he has? What’s wrong with that? And who thinks having money will make them immortal? So ok, backbiting is bad, and I suppose greed is bad too, but fire? Aren’t these guys the supply side who get the economy going? Reserve hell for the murderers and rapists.” But let’s look a little deeper.

Salat in the Heart of the Quran

Salat is more than ”prayer,” but in its root term means ”connection” or ”to connect.” The Quran speaks of it as to be ”established,” to build or establish being the common translation of iqama, thus one establishes or erects a ”connection” to Allah within one’s heart by doing this daily. This could even be thought of in the modern sense of establishing a “connection” in a phone or with the internet, in a real sense to ”keep in touch” in this case with our Creator and Sustainer. The Quran has “built-in” such a connection in its very architecture, connecting the last 3 suras with the first sura, Al-Fatiha. This forms a visual dhikr Allah you can see, showing in the Quran a kind of circulatory system that brings us back to connect with Allah and His words. The chart with explanation in PDF form is downloadable below.

salatintheheartofthequran1649072725

Interview with a 700-Year-Old Scholar — How to Interpret the Quran

Ring Composition Quran 3:7

The Quran itself has been miraculously preserved, but its interpretation has remained a source of disagreement, even partly contributing to divisions between Muslims, by definition believers in the Quran. The aya above, a ring composition analysis from Surat Al-Imran 3:7, shows us a path to a middle ground, a guide to interpretation based on the two different kinds of ayat/verses described in sections 1 and 2 above in yellow and bluegreen. Because the scholar Ibn Kathir (c.1300-1373) wrote the explanation, translated into English, that helped me understand its analysis, I interviewed him — remotely, of course — to share with you in his own words. 

Quran Interpretation and the Meanings of the Word “Ayat”

Ancient ammonite fossil resembling the chambered nautilus

What is the Meaning of the word ayat? How one interprets this word can make a huge difference in how one understands major issues in the Quran, because although it is a short word, relatively confined in meaning, it is used extensively used in the Quran. It has two basic meanings, two major purposes, and four distinct applications interpreted according to context. 

Allah’s Name Al-Samad: a Beautiful Elucidation

From Surat Al-Ikhlas 112:2 “Allah is Al-Samad”

The name Al-Samad is mentioned only once in the entire Quran, in Surat Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity) 112. Below is the link to a beautiful and very thorough explanation of its meaning, significance, roots in the Arabic language, application in our lives, and more, including an answer to the question “why is this name mentioned only once in the Quran?” To which I would also add: its placement in the Quran is also expressive of its meaning, right in the center or “heart” of the Quran. (Article below by Sheikh Mohammad Elshinawy on the Yaqeen Institute website.)

Allah’s Name As-Samad

The Chambered Nautilus and Its Connection to the Quran

X-Ray of a chambered nautilus shell

What is the connection between the Quran and the chambered nautilus shell? The shape fits the gradually descending size of the Quranic surahs, which, unlike chapters in most human-authored books, are each separate self-contained “enclosures” of text — the word “surah” means “enclosure”—, each containing words found only in that surah and nowhere else, yet adjacent surahs are connected by small shared references, all of this being similar to the chambers of the nautilus shell.

For the living nautilus, a cephalopod or “head-foot”, it provides both protection and a system of propulsion capable of “neutral buoyancy,” the same property that keeps the human brain, our “head-foot,” safe from gravity which would otherwise have pulled the brain’s delicate tissue against the skull, damaging our uvery-much-essential neurons. Herein lies a metaphor on many levels.

The downloadable PDF below gives more details of the amazing connections between the Quran and this ancient creature’s shell, long noted for its beauty and inspiring sacred geometry. Beyond that are Quranic and scientific connections which ultimately make this shape the perfect way to present the Quran as a whole, giving us a way to envision and interpret its multiple depths of meaning.

chambered-nautilus-sectionDownload

Also, this link gives a discussion among mathematics and science professors/ scholars on whether or not the chambered nautilus shell is an example of a golden spiral. To which the answer is not precise, but then, life is more complicated than it is precise.

https://114chambers.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/chambered-nautilus-section.docx

For Ramadan: 30 by 30 Quran Series

Last year I posted this series and it is indeed a wonderful way to get the most meaning out of Ramadan, the month of fasting and repentance which also commemorates the sending down or revelation of the Quran. As a part of the Yaqeen Institute’s programs and content, in this series each night of Ramadan explores one juz’ or “section” of the Quran, of which there are 30, giving us a chance to study one section per night, completing the entire Quran in Ramadan.

Host Imam Omar Suleiman along with co-host Sheikh Abdullah Oduro have a different guest each night, all of whom have some area of expertise from which they share their insights on each juz’.

Major Islamic Scholar’s Book: No Stoning in Islam

One of the major stumbling blocks to the presentation of Islam as a religion promoting compassion, human rights, and justice, has been the notion that the Islamic punishment for adultery in the case of married people is stoning to death. Despite the fact that the Quran never mentions stoning as a punishment at all, let alone mandating it in such a specific application, this idea has been propagated widely and appears to have been considered accepted Islamic practice. The scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi had already expressed the opinion that this practice is not mandated at all in Islam, and now his student, the Egyptian scholar Sheikh Isam Talimah has written a book, just published on March 29, 2021, entitled No Stoning in Islam.

Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem: The Dynamic Pair of Names

At the very beginning of the Quran, in Surat Al-Fatiha “The Opening”, we are introduced to three great Names for God/ Allah in the Bismallah or Invocation which states “In the Name of Allah, Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem”. The meaning and significance of these two Divine names Al-Rahman — The Almighty — and Al-Raheem — The All-Merciful, reflect the polarity of Yang (might and majesty) and Yin (receptivity and mercy), dynamically interrelated in the context of the One who alone encompasses these names altogether in one Singularity, Indivisible and Eternal, Allah the Exalted.

Fantastic and Meaningful Video Series for Ramadan

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.

Allah in the Quran and Abstract Thought

As mentioned frequently on this website, “thinking” is mentioned in the Quran itself so often that its significance as an imperative is indisputable. Thinking, in Arabic the verb form of ‘aql  which in modern Arabic means “mind” or intellect, is used in parallel with “faith” or “to have faith in/ believe”, implying that without thinking there can be no faith. This stands in direct opposition to the Christian concept of a “leap of faith” in which the believer accepts “absurdity” — precepts that contradict one’s own logic — and therefore “leaps” over or sidesteps the intellect in favor of a particular belief, such as the confounding of human with divine in the deification of Jesus. Some Islamic movements such as the salafi,  reject the use of the mind in favor of unquestioning adherence to a dogma based on certain hadeeths or sayings of Prophet Mohammad, and narrow interpretations of Quranic text, in effect creating an Islam much like “evangelical” Christianity: dogmatic, rigid, and hostile to logic or scientific or abstract thought, which are viewed as dangerous.

The Quran clearly admonishes the exact opposite: freedom of thought and faith arrived at by one’s own inquiry and inherent logic, based on a clearly elucidated tenet that faith in Allah is the logical conclusion of deep and unadulterated (by compulsion) meditation and intellect-based thinking which at its core is reverence for Allah. Thinking, in the Quran, takes place in the heart, where it sorts out intuition, experience, emotions, ideas, and uses logic.

Ramadan: Purification and Emptying Out

As this most sacred of months, Ramadan, continues, we think about what its true meaning is. It’s about more than fasting from food and drink, because one must also abstain from bad behaviors, such as lying, slander or profanity, and obviously from committing any crimes, or from acting with cruelty to others such as bullying or mocking others, in person or online, openly or in secret. Not only must one abstain from sexual activity of any kind (and one considers that for Muslims this will be marital, lawful), but refrain oneself from any sexual thoughts or innuendos or behaviors that approach this area, including viewing sexually explicit materials online or elsewhere. Even excess anger is prohibited. One strives, in other words, to be a truly good person, thinking about it, being aware of Allah. So it is a kind of emptying out of those things of this world that lead us away from thikr Allah, actively remembering Allah and calling upon Him and invoking His name while alert. It is a kind of purification of the heart. We also strive to be compassionate and kind and thoughtful to others. So it is an emptying out of the selfish part, our tendency to be driven and moved by our selfish desires.

Meaning vs Meaninglessness: How Islam Connects Us to Meaning

The mathematical constants of our universe and their evidence that the universe is fine-tuned for life has been considered proof that the most reasonable explanation for the creation of the universe is not random events or necessity but design. And design means, essentially, God. Christians have taken this up and added further embellishments to support beliefs unrelated to the physics. The Quran however teaches that God “has no similitude”, the meaning of God defined as unlike anything or anyone else. This is the one fact that is revealed in the “fine-tuning” discovery. Truth-seekers would do well to consider that such a God would also communicate with the life God created: with divine revelation such as the Quran. 

The Qur’an as a Whole

Although we may read from any part of the Quran we wish and take from it wisdom, the Quran is an inviolable whole in a more profound sense, which is important to take into account in trying to understand it. The Quran is unique in being utterly comprehensive in scope, free of contradictions or confusion, presented with great clarity for ordinary people to understand, easy to remember, and of the utmost integrity, both in the sense of being well-integrated and in the sense of being unimpeachable. If one thinks about it, these qualities are mind-boggling. But how can all this fit into a relatively small book, commonly printed at slightly over 600 pages of Arabic text?

A Picture of Time, a Calendar, a Guide

After looking at Al-Fatiha, the first Sura of the Qur’an, it’s time to go back to the overall structure, to see if we can find meaning and purpose in it.

Day One: Introduction to al-Fatiha

The first Sura of the Qur’an is al-Fatiha, or “the Opening.” It is short, consisting of 30 words arranged in seven ayat. Note the word for “verse,” when referring to the Qur’an, is aya (singular) or ayat (plural), and means “sign” or “signs.” This also carries the sense of “miracle” as it does in English.

Introducing 114 Chambers, Ramadan

Surat Al-Qamar (The Moon): 54:17
“And We have made the Qur’an easy to remember; so are there any that will study it?” (17)

وَلَقَدۡ يَسَّرۡنَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ لِلذِّكۡرِ فَهَلۡ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ۬ (١٧)

Note on 114 chambers: this stands for the 114 Suras of the Qur’an, which we shall see, during the course of this study, are arranged in the Qur’an in a very meaningful way. One can think of them, roughly, as chambers such as one sees in the chambered nautilus shell. This graphic comparison can be used as an aid to memorization as well as a gateway to comprehension and appreciation of the meaning and magnificence of this revelation, this message.

For Ramadan, I’ve decided to write an entry every day from my analysis of what I call Qur’anic architecture, that is, the structure and “design,” as well as what one could call “style,” of the Qur’an. As a revelation from Allah in Arabic to all humankind, the approach to this subject shall be one of reverence, but also intense interest in the deeper meaning of its content. Because for a book of this nature, style and content are necessarily closely related, this study is important, especially as I haven’t seen it done before.

The study will begin with some overall, general observations about which there is no issue or controversy, such as the general (and not strictly regular) decrease in length of the Suras from beginning to end, and the repetition of certain words and phrases. We will examine the significance of these and other structural elements carefully, bearing in mind that in this book, all elements are significant, especially the most prominent structural features. And where this will take us can only be, as we shall see, breathtaking.