Miracles, Myths, Mistakes and Matters — See Title Page and List of Contents
See: Project Rebuttal: What the West needs to know about Islam
Refuting the gross distortion and misrepresentation of the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad and Islam, made by the critics of Islam
Read: Background to the Project
List of all Issues | Summary 1 | Summary 2 | Summary 3
Welcome to the Ramadan Daily Quran Studies for 2014
This year we will be studying the fundamental teachings of Islam, based on the treatment in the renowned book The Religion of Islam by Maulana Muhammad Ali. I will be presenting edited and abridged extracts from this book under various topics, along with additions by myself. The book itself is firmly based on the Holy Quran, from which it quotes extensively.
Ramadan Message by Head of Lahore Ahmadiyya, Hazrat Ameer, Dr A.K. Saeed
I wish all of you a very happy and blessed Eid-ul-Fitr.
Submitted by Ikram.
If one casts a glance on the recently transpired Valentine’s Day, a few things come to light. It is a day usually associated with love that is primarily focused, besides others, on the bonds between couples, married or otherwise. Based upon this ‘love’ the ever present commercialism comes into full gear with its special candy, flowers, attire, jewelry, gift wraps, songs, movies and numerous other trappings. The undertones of sin, sensuality and sexuality on that day are almost synonymous with the very term Valentine, the name and title of various early Christian Martyrs and Saints. The love on a Valentine Day somewhat reflects the God of Christianity which is summed up by Khwaja Kamaluddin:
“we read of God as the Possessor of love. But love has got its wicked side too, if we yield to the dictates of lust.”
(GOD AND HIS ATTRIBUTES by Khawaja Kamal-ud-din, The Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust, The Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking, England, 1936.)
If Christmas is a Christened Pagan festival of birth of a Sun God at winter solstice, so is the Valentine Day, a reliving of Hellenistic festival of Lupercalia, a drunken revel of fertility and love, though with a religious twist after the slaying of two separate men with similar name, three years apart by the same emperor, at least one of whom was later made into a Saint (see link).
While keeping the dynamics of Valentine Day in mind it becomes difficult to understand Christianity as to where does it’s doctored love in the name of the Son ends and when does its unbridled lust takes off and is there even a separation between the two? It thus behooves to read Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s (HMGA) reply to a Padre who raised objections against Islam. In his discourse HMGA shines with his mastery of the Scriptures – Quran and Bible, the life and works of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Christian myths ascribed to Jesus of Bible, Islam as a religion and Christianity as a formulated doctrine. He compares and contrasts these from angles that, unbeknownst to him, intersect with the above enumerated themes of a Valentine Day for their inherent insinuations that seem naturally embedded in the general Christian doctrine. In HMGA’s analysis, Christianity, which if from God, instead of acting as a bulwark against paganism, itself becomes the root cause of a dogma that is not too holy.
Read extract from Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's book Nur-ul-Quran
"O you who are unaware and indifferent, gird up your loins to serve the Quran
before the call is sounded that your turn has come (to depart from the world)."
— From poem by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
This year's Quran studies will be on the topic of the how the Quran presents itself and its qualities:
Submitted by Ikram
While perusing the web site http://www.abdulhaq.info/ dedicated to late Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi sahib I came across an article by him – “70 or 72 followers of Jesus in Gospels?” He wrote it in 1964 as a reply to an accusation by a Christian missionary against HMGA. The missionary wanted to prove HMGA wrong as the latter had mentioned 72 disciples of Jesus (PBUH) in his writings, instead of 70 as claimed by the former based upon his bible sources. Vidyarthi sahib on the premise alone that Imam of age cannot be wrong, sought original Greek Bible and proved that 72 was the original number and the translated versions, the sources of the missionary were wrong. An interesting read that brings to forth the truthfulness of Divine sourced HMGA and the conviction of one of his humble follower who believed in the ilham of the Imam – “We shall not leave behind you anything which can humiliate you”
With the above in mind, in Quran we come across 9 commandments not 10 as commonly believed. The pertinent verses below are bracketed by other verses with reference to Jews and Moses. Therefore, can we say Moses was given 9 commandments, provided the verses below refer to him to begin with?
6:151. Say: Come! I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you: [1] Set up no partner with Him, [2] and do good to parents, [3] nor kill your children for (fear of) poverty — We provide for you and for them, [4] nor go near to indecencies, open or secret, [5] nor kill the soul which Allah has made sacred except in the course of justice. This He enjoins upon you that you may understand.
6:152. [6] And do not approach the property of the orphan except in the best manner, until he attains his maturity. [7] And give full measure and weight with equity — We do not impose on any soul a duty beyond its ability. [8] And when you speak, be just, even (against) a relative. [9] And fulfill Allah’s covenant. This He enjoins on you that you may be mindful;
6:153. and (know) that this is My path, the right one, so follow it, and do not follow (other) ways, for they will lead you away from His way. This He enjoins on you that you may keep your duty.It seems that after the initial moral priming of the followers of Moses with the above 9 commandments, full Torah was subsequently given to Moses:
6:154. Again, We gave the Book to Moses to complete (Our blessings) on him who would do good, and making plain all things and a guidance and a mercy, so that they might believe in the meeting with their Lord.
The above is just an academic exercise, as the Message irrespective of being given to Prophet Moses or Prophet Muhammad, it is the same Islam.
Note: [text enclosed in square brackets above is not part of the original quoted sources]
Holy Quran – Muhammad Ali, edited by Zahid Aziz
The subject of the amazing capabilities of the honey bee has been discussed by Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi in his writings and speeches while explaining verses 16:68-69 of the Holy Quran:
“And your Lord revealed to the bee: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build, then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. From their bellies comes forth a beverage of many colours, in which there is healing for man. Surely in this there is a sign for a people who reflect.”
From time to time, news appears from the world of science and technology about these remarkable abilities. There is one such recent news item: “Bee brains help to make robots smarter”. Please see this link.
During this Ramadan, we will consider verses of the Quran which tell us about the mission and qualities of the Holy Prophet.
Fast 1 — an excellent exemplar with most sublime morals
Fast 2 — His mission
Fast 3 — brings people from darkness into light
Fast 4 — does not ask for any personal reward, return or gain
Fast 5 — is a mortal like other humans
Fast 6 — raised as a warner and giver of good news
Fast 7 — must deliver the message, and that is all he must do
Fast 8 — His great concern for humanity
Fast 9 — Steadfastness and patience in difficulties
Fast 10 — Seeking comfort in, and strength through, prayer
Fast 11 — Obedience to the Holy Prophet
Fast 12 — Holy Prophet attained the highest position of sinlessness and knowledge of God, and closeness to God and to humanity
Fast 13 — Orphan raised to greatness
Fast 14 — Breast expanded with Divine light and knowledge
Fast 15 — Prophet granted abundance of good of all kinds
Fast 16 — Prophet’s message is for all nations and entire humanity
Fast 17 — Prophet follows only his revelation and does so faithfully
Fast 18 — Holy Prophet’s extraordinary gentleness towards his followers-1
Fast 19 — Holy Prophet’s extraordinary gentleness towards his followers-2
Fast 20 — Simplicity of his personal and domestic life
Fast 21 — Holy Prophet’s concern for the most ordinary of people
Fast 22 — Courage in the face of the gravest danger – 1
Fast 23 — Courage in the face of the gravest danger – 2
Fast 24 — Holy Prophet’s generous treatment of the enemy
Brief comments about the moon’s phase as on 12 August with photo
Fast 25 — Holy Prophet does justice to his enemies
Fast 26 — Manners to be observed towards the Holy Prophet
Fast 27 — Final triumph of the Holy Prophet
Extra: An article about Lailat-ul-Qadr
Fast 28 — Mortality of the Holy Prophet
Fast 29 — Darood or Salat-un-Nabi
Fast 30 — The Last and Final Prophet
Sometimes one reads words uttered by someone, not in any Islamic context, which are reminiscent of a passage in the Holy Quran. A German soldier describes the ferocious battle of Stalingard between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1942 as follows:
“We have fought during fifteen days for a single house. The front is a corridor between burnt-out rooms; it is the thin ceiling between two floors … The street is no longer measured by meters but by corpses … Stalingrad is no longer a town. By day it is an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke; it is a vast furnace lit by the reflection of the flames. And when night arrives, one of those scorching howling bleeding nights, the dogs plunge into the Volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. The nights of Stalingrad are a terror for them. Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.”
See: www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_stalingrad.html and many other references.
Compare this with the following words in the Quran:
“…be on your guard against the fire whose fuel is men and stones; it is prepared for the disbelievers” (2:24).
Submitted by Dil Sooz.
This past week two important things happened in my life. Steve Jobs died and I listened to his famous Stanford speech on you tube. Here is the link http://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc .
Secondly, I came across these Quranic verses- explained below. Mr. Jobs in his speech emphasized his earnest desire to do extraordinary good in technology, he believed in his “inner truth”. He endured extreme opposition – even getting fired from company he created. Then almost getting bankrupt and finally did not compromise on quality of his product -even if it meant overtaking the norm with extra effort. He also said `death is best invention” for success of man. This means every day we live is on borrowed time. (Islam tells that every prayer we offer should be considered as last—to encourage more good/success in short time span)
(Disclaimer: Holy Quran is NOT a textbook of Business Administration or Sciences. However it inspires man to seek out excellence in all areas of human development)
In Holy Quran Chapter 79 (Al Naziat) “Those Who Yearn”, first five verses give a description of the spiritual characteristics of the faithful who are destined to bring about a transformation in the world: (Interpretation by Maulana Muhammad Ali)
1. By those yearning vehemently! (There was a vehement yearning in the hearts of believers for their Maker. Be it developing technology or commerce, Mullah generally does not emphasize these aspects of Quranic inspiration as they are under-educated and cannot go against dictates of their neo colonial puppet masters template of angry foaming mouth Muslims, which in turn are needed for war industry )
2. And those going forth cheerfully! (It was this ardent desire that made them go forth in the way of Allah cheerfully in spite of the severest opposition)
3. And those running swiftly! (Early Muslims ran swiftly so that they traversed eastern and western lands in an incredibly short time; they were thus ahead of all those who ever carried the message of Truth to their fellow-man-just imagine short span of time in which Islam spread)
4. And those that are foremost going ahead!
5. And those regulating the Affair! (They regulated the affair of the spread of Truth in the world, so that the farthest east (China) and farthest west (Morocco and Spain) were lit with the light of Islam within a hundred years.)
In summary: Taking the words in a general sense, they indicate the various stages through which an affair is brought to a successful issue. The first stage is that of an ardent desire or yearning for it; the second is that of going forth cheerfully to accomplish it; the third is that of running swiftly for its accomplishment; the fourth is that of going ahead of others; and the fifth that of regulating it in the best possible way.
If I can make essence of these verses understandable to my own self in a simple way then I would say: During my high schools days I liked to participate in 1500 meters race. It required an earnest desire to get up from the chair and run for long haul. In contrast to many others who would sit on side and cheer. Then there has to be `cheerfulness” about running otherwise it becomes torture.Then keep running fast. Soon one finds majority of runners form a pack along inner most circle-as it is easiest. But the winners breakaway from them and go ahead. And finally they regulate their affair of running (energy,time, style: sprint versus long steps) and finish the race appropriately.
Read: Our inspiration for Quran Study
(Note: Here is the original Urdu article by Maulana Muhammad Ali, from which the extract about Sura Fatiha is given in the above Study.)
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Extra: An article about Lailat-ul-Qadr
Thank you for reading, and sending encouraging comments.
Eid-ul-Fitr Message from Dr A.K. Saeed, Head of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart (ashidda’u) against the disbelievers, compassionate among themselves.” (48:29)
See here the Urdu text of a speech on this verse by Maulana Muhammad Ali in December 1924.
What Maulana Muhammad Ali has translated as “firm of heart” is variously translated as “hard”, “stern”, “harsh”. As the Maulana points out in his speech, classical commentaries of the Quran have given interpretations along the lines that this teaches that Muslims must degrade and crush non-Muslims, or that when they see a non-Muslim they should give him a very angry, frowned look “as a lion views its prey”. Some have gone as far as to say that a Muslim’s body must not touch that of a non-Muslim, nor his clothing touch the clothing worn by a non-Muslim.
I myself have read in a history book by a Pakistani scholar that the ulama of the Moghul emperors of India advised them that, according to Islam, when they see a non-Muslim they are required to turn their face away in displeasure.
The Maulana says that surely the true meaning of being ashidda’u against the disbelievers would have been illustrated in the practice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad towards the unbelievers. He then gives examples from his life of how he dealt with them, and says: Those meanings which are in the minds or are expressed by the commentators are totally wrong.
This speech seems very relevant to Muslims today, as in the modern world they have an increasing daily interacting with non-Muslims. I, for one, found this speech to be a remarkable illustration of how the Ahmadiyya Movement has corrected wrong and harmful conceptions of Islam held by Muslims themselves.
According to an article published by BBC Urdu the total number of Ahmadiyya community in India is One hundred thousand.…
----Jul 27, 18:49