"... All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him.
Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave?
He knows what is before them and what is behind them..."
(Abdul Haleem's translation of Ayah 2:255)
Saturday, 14 January 2017
Qur'an: They differed
"... it was only those to whom it was given
who disagreed about it after clear signs had come to them,
because of rivalry between them..."
"... If God had so willed,
they would not have fought each other,
but God does what He will..."
(Abdul Haleem's translation of Ayahs 2:213 and 2:253)
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Book Review: Even Angels Ask, by Jeffrey Lang
I enjoyed reading the author's earlier published book entitled Struggling to Surrender so got straight to this one after finishing that one! This book is similar to the previous book and there is considerable overlap between the two but I'd still highly recommend reading both. Like his previous book, there's a good mix of the author's personal experiences and stories on what it means to be an American and a Muslim together with the author's reflections on the Qur'an. I particularly enjoyed in this book the author's discussions on the relationship between culture and religion: how the two can easily be mixed up over time, how the former can influence the way a person approaches the latter, and so on and so forth. Overall this book will probably be of more interest to Muslims living as a minority in a largely non-Muslim environment but there is much benefit and insight here for all.
Below are some of my favourite short quotes from the book:
"... The question of the purpose of life is fundamental, and we can hardly know a person or a society until we understand how this question is treated..."
"... Repetition is indicative of the importance given to certain topics. It should be observed that the Arabic word for knowledge, 'ilm, and its derivatives appear 854 times in the Qur'an, placing it among the most frequently occurring words..."
"... The Qur'anic God is anything but impartial to mankind's condition. He sends prophets, answers prayers, and intervenes in and manipulates the human drama... All is under His authority, and nothing takes place without His allowing it..."
"... The Qur'an's "most beautiful names" of God imply an intense involvement in the human venture. These names, such as The Merciful, The Compassionate, The Forgiving, The Giving, The Loving, The Creator, etc., reveal a God that creates men and women in order to relate to them on an intensely personal level..."
"... the Qur'an shows that God intends to produce through this earthly experience persons that share a bond of love with Him..."
"... Trial and tribulation are held to be inevitable and essential to human development and both the believer and unbeliever will experience them..."
"... It is not surprising that the Qur'an upholds the so-called golden rule. Many do feel that it is better to give than to recieve, to be truthful rather than to live a lie, to love rather than to hate, to be compassionate rather than to ignore the suffering of others, for such experiences give life depth and beauty..."
"... in the winters of our lives, our past wordly or material achievements will seem less important to us than the relationships we had, loves and friendships that we shared, and times we spent giving of ourselves and doing good to others..."
Saturday, 15 October 2016
Book Review: Struggling to Surrender, by Jeffrey Lang
Here are some quotes from the book:
"... I learned very quickly that no one knows loneliness like an atheist. When an average person feels isolated, he can call through the depths of his soul to One who knows him and sense an answer. An atheist cannot allow himself that luxury, for he has to crush the urge and remind himself of its absurdity..."
"...'I do have one question.' I paused, not sure how to formulate it. 'Can you tell me what it feels like to be a Muslim? I mean, how do you see you relationship with God?'..."
"... To me, praying the dawn prayer in the mosque is one of the most beautiful and moving rituals in Islam. There is something mystical in arising while everyone else sleeps to hear the music of the Qur'an filling the darkness. It is as if you temporarily leave this world and commune with the angels in extolling God's praises at dawn...
"... You cannot simply read the Qur'an, not if you take it seriously. You either have surrendered to it already or you fight it. It attacks tenaciously, directly, personally; it debates, criticizes, shames, and challenges. From the outset it draws the line of battle, and I was on the other side..."
"... the Qur'an has no beginning and or end… its fundamental concepts can be ascertained regardless of the order in which it is read. But for one who is about to respond to its call, the arrangement of the Qur'an is pivotal, for the further you progress through it, in the correct order, the more intense and emotive is its expression. As a result, the closer one comes to conversion, the more magnetic is the summons..."
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Arabic courses in and around the Waltham Forest area
I get asked every few months for suggestions on where to study Arabic in or near the Waltham Forest area and I have to dig around to remind myself of the options. So I thought I'd up a list of options that I'm aware of and I'll add to this list as I become aware of more options...
Tayyibun Institute - Whitechapel
Since Covid-19 hit, all of the above institutes now offer online classes as well as (or instead of) in-person classes. Another institute which offers online classes which I'm aware of and which has a good standard of teaching is Institute of Linguists. Both Arabic Courses and Institute of Linguists also offer private tuition is you prefer that to a class-based format.
Another option altogether is self-study. If you have the discipline and persistence required to study alone, see this post.
Book Summary: Muhammad Man and Prophet, by Adil Salahi
This book — Muhammad: Man and Prophet, by Adil Salahi — is hands down my favourite in the English language. It's just the right level of detail and it's written in good, simple language. I'm going through it with my niece and, in the process, I'm creating a set of slides for each chapter which captures the key points. You can find links below to these slides.
Chapter 3 – From Youth to Maturity (Pre-Prophethood)
Chapter 4 – The Makkan Scene at the Start of Prophethood (Pre-Prophethood)
Chapter 5 – Up There in the Mountain (Beginning of Prophethood)
Chapter 6 – A Community in the Making (1st to 3rd year of Prophethood)
Chapter 7 – The Call to Islam Goes Public (4th year of Prophethood)
Chapter 8 – Objective Containment (4th year of Prophethood)
Chapter 9 – Misrepresentation (5th year of Prophethood)
Chapter 10 – Moving Out (5th year of Prophethood)
Chapter 11 – Hope and Despair (6th to 10th year of Prophethood)
Chapter 12 – Difficulties in Abundance (10th to 11th year of Prophethood)
Chapter 13 – A Major Breakthrough (11th to 13th year of Prophethood)
...
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Qur'an: Be patient
"O you who believe,
be patient,
be more patient than others,
guard your frontiers,
and fear God
so that you may be successful."
(Al-Qur'an, Surah Aal Imran, Verse 200)
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