Fast 23 (Q – The Holy Quran)
Fast 22 (P – Prophets)
Fast 21 (P – Prayer)
Fast 20 (N – Nature, the natural environment)
Fast 19 (M – Muhammad, the Holy Prophet)
Fast 18 (M – Morals required of a Muslim)
Fast 17 (L – Light)
Fast 16 (K – Knowledge, Part 2)
Fast 15 (K – Knowledge, Part 1)
Fast 14 (J – Jihad)
Fast 13 (I – Islam)
Fast 12 (H- Humanity)
Fast 11 (G- Goodness)
Fast 10 (F – Forgiveness)
Fast 9 (F- Faith)
Fast 8 (E- Evidence)
Fast 7 (D – Day)
Fast 6 (C – Charity)
Fast 5 (B – Belief)
Fast 4 (A – Allah)
Fast 3 (A – Allah. A- Abraham)
Fast 2 (A – Allah. A- Abraham)
Fast 1 (A – Allah. A- Abraham)
This year, each day’s topic will correspond to a letter of the alphabet in sequence. Some letters may spread over more than one day, and some letters may be omitted, to fit 30 days.
Zahid Aziz
Submitted by Ikram.
Quran identifies its Source:
10:37. This Qur’ân is not such as could have been devised (by anyone), besides Allâh. On the contrary (Allâh has revealed it as) a confirmation of all the previous Scriptures and is a clear and detailed explanation of the divine Law. It is wanting in nought, containing nothing doubtful, disturbing, harmful or destructive and there is no false charge in it. (It proceeds) from the Lord of the worlds.
Quran assures its Divine arrangement:
25:3. … We have arranged it in an excellent (form and order of) arrangement (and free of all contradictions) so that We may thereby lend strength to your heart.
39:1. The orderly arrangement and authentic compilation of this wonderfully perfect Book is from Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
41:2. The compilation and orderly arrangement (of this Qur’ân) proceeds from the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful (God).
75:17. The responsibility of its collection and its arrangement lies on Us.
Quran guarantees its Divine authenticity by challenging its readers as follows:
2:23. And if you have any doubt as to (the truthfulness of the Qur’ân) which We have revealed to Our servant from time to time, produce a single Sûrah (- Qur’ânic chapter) like any of (the chapters of) this, summoning (to your assistance) all your helpers (that you have) beside Allâh, if you are truthful (in your doubts),
4:82. Why do they not ponder over the Qur’ân? Had it been from anyone other than Allâh, they would surely have found a good deal of inconsistency therein.
11:13. Do they say, `He has forged this (Qur’ân)?’ Say (to them in reply), `If you are truthful (in your objection then) bring ten forged chapters like it, calling upon whom you can (for your help) apart from Allâh.’
11:14. But if they do not respond to you, then know that this (Qur’ân) which has been revealed is (replete) with (that which is only within) Allâh’s knowledge and that there is no other, cannot be and will never be One worthy of worship save Him. Will you then be the submitting ones (after knowing all this)?
28:49. Say, `If (Moses and Muhammad are both fraudulent and) you speak the truth, then bring a Book from Allâh which is a better guide than these two (- the Torah and the Qur’ân), that I may follow it.’
29:48. (Prophet!) you read no book, nor did you write one with your own hand before this (Qur’ân was revealed). (Had it been so,) those who declare (it) as false could then (have the cause to) entertain some doubts. [Note: Attention is drawn to the fact that Muhammad was illiterate]
Quran also gurantees its Divine everlasting protection from adulteration:
15:9. Verily, it was We, We Ourself Who have revealed this Reminder (- the Qur’ân); and it is We Who are, most certainly, its Guardian.
The Messenger had no interference in the Message:
10:15. When Our clear verses are recited to them, those who fear not the meeting with Us, nor do they cherish any hope (for the same,) say, `Bring a Qur’ân other than this one or (at least) make some changes in it.’ Say (to them), `It is not for me to introduce changes in it of my own accord. I follow nothing but what is revealed to me. Truly if I disobey my Lord I fear the punishment of a great (dreadful) Day.’
42:52. (Prophet!) just so (as We sent revelations to other Prophets), We revealed to you the Word by Our command. (Before this revelation) you did not know what the Divine Book was nor (which of) the faith (it teaches), but We made it (- Our revelation to you) a light, whereby We guide such of our servants as We will. And truly you are guiding (mankind) on to the straight and right path,
The Messenger is admonished against altering the Message no matter what:
17:73. And they had spared nothing in causing you (the severest) affliction with the purpose to turn you away from the revelations given to you, that you might forge in Our name something different from that which We have revealed to you. In that case they would surely have taken you for a special friend.
17:74. And if We had not made you firm and steadfast, you might have inclined towards them a little.
17:75. In that case (if you had been one to forge a lie against Us) We would have made you taste multiple sufferings in this life and multiple sufferings in death, (and) then you would have found for yourself no helper against Us. (But you remained steadfast).
69:44. Had he (- Muhammad) forged and attributed some saying to Us (and said, `This is what Allâh has revealed to me’).
69:45. We would have certainly seized him strongly by the right hand (and so deprived him of all his power),
69:46. And then surely We would have cut off his jugular vein;
69:47. Then none of you could have stopped (Us) from (punishing) him (and thus stood in Our way of dealing justly).
The Messenger is absolved of allegations of “forgery” of the Message:
46:7. When Our clear Messages are recited to them, these disbelievers say with regard to the Truth when it comes to them, `This is an obvious sorcery.’
46:8. Do they say, `He himself has forged this (Qur’ân)?’ Say, `If I have forged it, you have no power to help me in anyway against Allâh, He knows what nonsensical talk you are indulging in. Sufficient is He for a witness between me and you. And He is the Great Protector, the Ever Merciful.’
[The Holy Quran – translated by Allamah Nooruddin]
Submitted by Bashir.
Chapter 4 Does the sunna abrogate the Koran?
1. Imam Shafi vehemently denied that the Koran had ever abrogated the sunna, or that the sunna had ever abrogated the Koran (see Burton).
2. Imam Shafi argued that the Koran only abrogated the Koran and the sunna only abrogated the sunna (see Burton).
Burton writes: We have heard that the death penalty for adultery allegedly introduced by Muhammad still formed part of the Islamic Law. Shafi’s contemporaries continued to argue, as their teachers had argued, that that is but one instance of the of the abrogation of the Koran by the sunna…..But the stubborn fact remained obvious to everyone with eyes to see : that earlier punishment had been established by the Koran:24:2—
“The adulteress and the adulterer, flog each of them (with) a hundred stripes, and let not pity for them detain you from obedience to Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day, and let a party of believers witness their chastisement.”
Burton writes: Imam shafi was driven to accept the there were some koranic verses that were no longer in the Koran.
Note: In early Islam all the judges(qazis) that were present in Islamic nations, they ruled based on the Koran. Their day to day modus operandi was based on the Koran and the sunna (this is pre-Bukhari).
Submitted by Bashir.
INTRODUCTION
In the light of certain hadith from Muslim and Bukhari I would like to re-open the theory of NASKH. As we all know, ahmadis(q and L) do not believe in this theory. The main reason why ahmadis dont believe in this is in terms of Jihad as well as the theory that the KOran is perfect and without contradictory material.
Muslims have always believed that the tone of language that was used in chapter 9 superseceded all previous announcements on the subject of Jihad. Ahmadis dont believe this at all. Ahmadis believe that the Koran is to be understood collectively and situationally. Again, if the ahmadis believed in the abrogation theory, then they would be forced to believe that the Jihad in Chapter 9, supercedes the level of jihad as written before that.
In this introdution I will only post 1 or 2 traditions from Muslim and Bukhari. I would appreciate it if some scholars would give me their insight on the matter in the light of the data presented. Chapter 1 will be written by me very soon.
Here is the first chunk of data to be examined by all.
Sahih Muslim
Book 003, Number 0675:
Abu al. ‘Ala’ b. al-Shikhkhir said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) abrogated some of his commands by others, just as the Qur’an abrogates some part with the other.
Sahih Muslim
Book 004, Number 1317:
Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib reported: This verse was revealed (in this way):” Guard the prayers and the ‘Asr prayer.” We recited it (in this very way) so long as Allah desired. Allah, then, abrogated it and it was revealed:” Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer.” A person who was sitting with Shaqiq (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: Now it implies the ‘Asr prayer. Upon this al-Bara’ said: I have already informed you how this (verse) was revealed and how Allah abrogated it, and Allah knows best. Imam Muslim said: Ashja’i narrated it from Sufyan al-Thauri, who narrated it from al-Aswad b. Qais, who narrated it from ‘Uqba, who narrated it from al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib who said: We recited with the Prophet (may peace be upon him) (the above-mentioned verse like this, i. e. instead of Salat al- Wusta, Salat al-’Asr
Sahih Bukhari
Volume 6, Book 60, Number 68:
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:
This Verse:–”Whether you show what is in your minds or conceal it..” (2.284) was abrogated.
——————————————————————————–
Volume 6, Book 60, Number 69:
Narrated Marwan Al-Asghar:
A man from the companions of Allah’s Apostle who I think, was Ibn ‘Umar said, “The Verse:–”Whether you show what is in your minds or conceal it….” was abrogated by the Verse following it.”
I thank Allah for enabling me to complete this, and I hope that our visitors benefitted from it.
I have completed 30 articles, even though Ramadan is 29 days in many places this year.
Fast 28
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Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri
FFree Thinker Video ‘Prophets of Islam’
On YouTube a video is posted.
I posted my comments:
According to Holy Quran (HQ), Allah sent His prophets in EVERY GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION and in EVERY ERA.
Yes, Confucius, Buddha, Rama, Krishna, Cyrus etc were all prophets.
Why all such names are not mentioned in HQ?
Because HQ is NOT book of history and genealogy like Bible.
Why HQ has only names of prophets that came in Arabs/ Middle East?
Because HQ was revealed among Arabs and that too among Quraish, so only those names of prophets are mentioned in HQ which were familiar to Arabs of that region.
To answer your question about purity of HQ, I will refer you to read the INTRODUCTION portion of HQ translation done by Allama Noor Ud Din and his son and daughter in-law. This HQ introduction answers ALL of your question that you raised in your video:
You may read its reviews on amazon:
The Holy Quran by Allamah Nooruddin
Link to FFree Thinker Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-LEsEHSji8
Note by Zahid Aziz: Some consider Dhu-l-Kifl (21:85) to be “the one from Kapilvastu”, i.e. Buddha. The lotus is an important symbol of Buddhism. The Quran refers to the lote tree in connection with a high spiritual experience (53:13-17). Quite strangely, the Arabic for Lote tree here is Sidrah, not much different from the name Siddhārtha of Buddha!
Submitted by Ikram.
Islam is a living religion; periodic revival of the Message of Quran through persons who have and will claim to be divines is expected. Any such claimant to divine-hood and those who follow him have to meet the standards set in the Quran, which were originally outlined for Muhammad PBUH and the Umma. The following is a sampler of those standards.
La ilaha ill-Allah, Muhammad-ur rasul-ullah
“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”
The above declaration is the fundamental oath for a Muslim. It identifies the source of belief (Allah) and the messenger (Muhammad PBUH). By referring to Muhammad PBUH as “The Messenger,” the oath precludes any future messengers i.e. prophets. It also prevents a Muslim from alluding to Muhammad PBUH as no more than a human, unlike other religions whose followers over period of time, out of love for their respective messenger coupled with their ancestral and inherent idolatrous traditions, attributed godliness to their messengers. Thus this oath preserves the fundamental monotheistic pristinity of Islam.
33:40. Muhammad is no father to any man among you…
Muhammad PBUH had no male lineage. Irrespective, his descendents have no inherited divine status. However, it does not prevent them from attaining spiritual elevation and leadership through self-refinement.
39:3. Beware! sincere and true obedience is due to Allâh alone. Those who choose others as a patron beside Him (say), `We serve them only that they may bring us near to Allâh in station.’ (It is absolutely wrong.)…
Thus patronizing any person, even Muhammad PBUH, cannot be used as a crutch by anyone for a spiritual uplift. Muhammad PBUH thus cannot be invoked.
2:79. It is not given to a human being that Allâh should give him the Book, the sovereignty and the prophethood and then he should say to the people, `Be servants to me beside Allâh.’ He would rather say, `Be you the sole devotees of (Allâh) the Lord, for you teach the Book and because you study (it).’
2:80. Nor would (it be possible for him that) he bid you take the angels and Prophets as your lords. Would he bid you disbelieve after you have submitted yourselves (to the will of God)?
Despite the colossal personal character of Muhammad PBUH, he is by decree barred from self-exaltation before fellow Muslims, as even an imagination of such an act would defeat the pristinity and the very purpose of the Message. Such hygiene in faith must be followed posthumously as well.
2:151. Just as (the Ka`bah is a means to your guidance so,) We have sent to you a great Messenger from among yourselves who recites to you Our Messages and purifies you and teaches you the Book and the Wisdom and teaches you what you did not know.
And that Muhammad PBUH was just not only a mail carrier of the Message, but an actual living manifestation of the Message and a teacher of the Message, both during his lifetime and afterwards as well. There is no obscurity in Muhammad’s intentions and actions.
6:20. Those whom We have given this perfect Book recognise him (-the Prophet Muhammad) as they recognise their own sons…
10:16. …I had indeed lived among you a (whole) lifetime before this (claim to Prophethood. Was not my truthfulness undisputed?). Will you not then refrain (from opposing me)?’
Muhammad PBUH is just not a stranger riding through a town in history but is a real life figure who lived a “human” life to its fullest, a life that has a very detailed historical record. He showed no disparity between professing, preaching and practicing of the faith.
17:95. Say, `Had there been angels on the earth (in place of human beings) walking about secure and sound We (too) would have invariably sent down an angel from heaven as a Messenger to them.’
46:9. Say, `I am no novel (Apostle) among the Messengers nor do I know what will be done to me (on your behalf) or to you. I simply follow what is revealed to me and I am nought but a plain Warner.’
72:20. Say, `I invoke only my Lord and I associate no one with Him (as His partner).’
72:21. Say, `I have no power to avoid either harm from you or to do some good to you.’
72:22. Say, `Surely, none can grant me shelter against Allâh if I disobey Him, nor can I find any refuge besides Him.
72:23. `(My responsibility is), only to convey what is revealed (to me) from Allâh and complete the mission of Prophethood.’…
And that Muhammad PBUH was just a humble non-super-human Messenger whose duty and burden were deliverance of the Message. Attributing to him any mythological miracles or non-human attributes would be absurd.
7:188. Say, `I have no power over (bringing) any gain or (avoiding) any harm to myself save to the extent that Allâh will. And had I known the unseen I would surely have secured a great deal of good (for myself) and no harm would ever have come to me. I am only a Warner (to the wicked) and a Bearer of good tidings (to the people who believe)
And Muhammad PBUH, despite having succeeded in a momentous and almost a non-human task within his own lifetime, is no more than a mere mortal.
108:1. Verily, We have bestowed upon you (O Muhammad!) abundance of good (both of this life and of the Hereafter).
108:2. Therefore observe Prayer for the sake of your Lord and offer sacrifice (to Him).
108:3. Surely, it is your enemy who is cut off entirely (from all good and prosperity and is deprived of Spiritual issues).
And history is witness to the success of Muhammad PBUH, both during his lifetime and afterwards, and to the failure of his opposition, of both individuals and institutions. And what a success! (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_100&oldid=291047691)
7:157. `Those who follow this perfect Messenger, the Arab Prophet whom they find described in the Torah and the Evangel which are with them, who enjoins upon them that which is right and forbids them that which is wrong, and who makes lawful for them all the pure and good things, and makes unlawful all the impure and bad things, and who relieves them of their heavy burden and shackles that weigh them down. Indeed those who believe in him and honour him and serve him and follow the light that has been sent down with him, it is these who will attain their goal.’
In summary, the purpose of Muhammad (PBUH) and his entrusted Message is simply to unburden the mankind from the idols that are still rampant physically, socially and in the minds.
[The Holy Quran – Translation by Allamah Nooruddin]
Submitted by Ikram.
Quran addresses early life as children, which could be extended to include intrauterine period. As far as killing and maltreatment of children is concerned, Quran is very clearly against it e.g.
17:31. And do not kill your children for fear of want. It is We Who provide for them as well as for you. Indeed, the killing of them is a great sin.
6:137. Just (as their associate-gods turned the polytheists away from Allâh) so did they make (even so monstrous a deed as) the killing of their children seem fair to a large number of the polytheists, with the result that they ruin them and that they obscure for them their religion. And if Allâh had (enforced) His will they would not have done so, so leave them alone and that what they forge.
6:140. Certainly, they suffer a loss (those) who kill their children in folly (and) ignorance, and forbid (themselves) what Allâh has provided for them; forging lies in the name of Allâh. They have indeed gone astray and they are not rightly guided.
And Quran goes even further by decreeing to prevent unwanted children by banning indecencies, which Christian world protects as a right:
6:151. Say, `Come, I will rehearse to you what your Lord has made binding on you; it is that you shall associate not any thing as partner with Him, and that you shall be good to parents, and that you waste not your children because of poverty. It is We Who make provisions for you as well for them too. (Allâh has also enjoined upon you that you) approach not indecencies, whether open or hidden, and that you kill no soul which Allâh has made sacred, except in the cause of justice.’ This has He enjoined you with, so that you may (learn to) abstain (from evil).
But, where Quran differs from Catholic point of view is that it defines start of life after embryo has reached a certain level of maturity and is a separate entity from the mother tissue as follows:
23:12. We create a human being from an extract of clay;
23:13. Then We reduce him to a drop of sperm (and place him) in a safe depository;
23:14. Then We form the sperm into a clot; then We develop the clot into a lump of flesh; then We fashion bones out of this lump of flesh, then We clothe the bones with flesh, thereafter We evolve him into another being. Therefore blessed be Allâh the Best of Creators.
At a molecular level, the Catholic doctrine implicitly defines start of a new separate life when the nucleic acids of both parental gametes mix. But this is a flawed argument. Mixing of different nucleic acids happens all the time e.g. when a virus infects a human cell, it embeds into the host DNA. Viral nucleic acid mixing with the host DNA is commonly called infection. And subsequently as part of host defenses there is constant shedding of such infected cells (with nucleic acids from two different sources) from the body, which cannot be termed as abortion.
As to what is that embryonic stage of another being (23:14) referred above, I would let an embryologist comment on it. By common knowledge it is probably at about a month old embryo.
[The Holy Quran – Translation by Allama Nooruddin]
Submitted by Ikram.
In the religious tradition of the world, we see a repeating pattern where a prophet comes to certain people; a book is revealed; the believers reap success; then there is a gradual decline of the spirit of the message and status of the believers; future generations await the return of the same or similar prophet in the hope that he will return the believers to previous glory and in the process win battle victory over the disbelievers. And when the divine finally arrives, the same people who awaited him in the first place reject him at the door. Why?
If one follows the religious thought, one sees that over the time monotheistic traditions are diluted or distorted; some of the religions turn polytheistic; mythology takes hold; priesthood emerges which solidifies its hierarchy; organized religions take shape which soon spreads its tentacles into the socio-economic-political fabric of the society; there is constant struggle between the secular and religious wings; and then the divine arrives who is rejected. Why?
Besides Mithra for Zoroastrians, Kalki Avtar for Hindus, Meeta for Buddists, for Jews, Christians and Muslims there is a common name of Messiah.
Following quote (http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/363/viewall/) unless interpreted allegorically reflects a mythology no less than those of Greeks or Romans with the only difference that Muslims have not yet carved statues or made paintings of various characters addressed therein:
“God will send the Messiah, son of Mary, who will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus wearing two garments, lightly dyed with saffron, his hands resting on the wings of two Angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises it up, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every non-believer who smells him will die, and his breath will reach as far as he is able to see.” (Saheeh Muslim)
This kind of phenomenon is fully addressed in Quran where it clearly elucidates the metaphysical expectations of the expecting from the expected divine:
17:90. And they say, `We will never believe unless you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth,
17:91. `Or there be a garden of date-palms and vines for you, and you cause the streams to gush forth abundantly in its midst,
17:92. `Or, as you assert (and claim that it shall happen), cause the heaven to fall down upon us in fragments, or bring Allâh and the angels face to face with us,
17:93. `Or, there be a house made of gold for you, or you ascend into the heaven; but we will not believe in your ascending till you bring down to us a book that we can read.’…
But the fact of the matter is that a divine has to come into this world through a natural birth, childhood, adolescence, middle age, reaches his maturity before declaring his revelations in plain words and actions which might seem too simplistic to the onlookers:
17:93. … (Say), `Glory be to my Lord! I am not but a human being (sent as) a Messenger.’
17:94. And nothing has prevented the people from believing when the guidance came to them except their sayings, `Has Allâh raised a human being (like us) as a Messenger?’
Quran ridicules such mythological expectations as follows:
17:95. Say, `Had there been angels on the earth (in place of human beings) walking about secure and sound We (too) would have invariably sent down an angel from heaven as a Messenger to them.’
With the above underpinnings of myth inspired human mind and its counter reaction to a divine, any Messianic advent will naturally suffer such dogmatic rejection. I see the case of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmed as no different. For such a divine rejection:
17:96. Say, `Allâh suffices as a witness between me and you. Surely, He is Ever Aware of and sees His servants full well.’
17:97. He whom Allâh guides (to the straight and right path) is the only one rightly guided, but those whom He abandons to perish, you will find no protecting friends for them apart from Him…
[The Holy Quran – Translation by Nooruddin]
This has been submitted by Ikram.
77:1. I call to witness those (messengers of Truth) who are sent forth to spread goodness (in continual series), [literally – Prophets, Mujaddids]
77:2. Those that drive off forcefully (falsehood and forces of evil as chaff is carried before the wind), [by divine truth and logic]
77:3. And those that spread (the truth) far and wide, [by uplift of the followers/believers in all aspects of life, and their success becomes a global moral force to reckon with and the truth spreads by their example and dialogue]
77:4. And those that fully distinguish (the right from the wrong),
77:5. And those carrying the Message of (rising to) eminence far and wide (- the Qur’ân),
77:6. (And those presenting this source of eminence) in an attempt to purify (some) from the abomination of sin and to warn (others),
77:7. Verily, that which you are promised must come to pass.
77:8. So when the small stars will be made to lose their light, [literally – light pollution in urban centers where most of population lives; allegorically – prominent power centers e.g. British Empire, Lehman Brothers etc.]
77:9. And when the heaven shall be opened, [literally – by science and technology e.g. spaceships, (hubble and chandra) telescopes etc.; allegorically – unveiling of truth by free mind]
77:10. And when the mountains shall be blown down to pieces, [literally – highways; allegorically – dogmas and clergy of any religion]
77:11. And when the Messengers shall be made to appear (in the guise of one person) at the appointed time. (It is after that the Resurrection shall take place).
*** Then who is alluded by 77.11?
*** Is it Prophet Muhammad PBUH? But the verse speaks of the future while it was being revealed to him and that too in context of “end of times”?
*** Is it Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, who claimed to be a Mujaddid and allegorical representation of Jesus, Krishna, Mehdi etc.? But to my knowledge he did not refer to this verse in his claims.
Other comparative translations can be viewed at: www.islamawakened.org/Quran/default.htm