Who is Maryam? Who is Isa? Why does my maker tell me about them? What is the guidance and truth that is revealed to me in the mention of Maryam and Isa in revelation? You probably already know the cultural-historical answer to who is Maryam and who is Isa/Jesus. And if you don’t, you canContinue reading “Maryam and pregnant with Isa-I [19:16]”
Category Archives: Methodological Issues & Choices
A messenger, if its a message
It is a simple truth that a person can only be deemed a messenger of God if one can first ascertain that the message he or she brings is a message from God. Like I have noted before, being open to considering something a message from my maker and the maker of the universe isContinue reading “A messenger, if its a message”
Closer than ‘this’ to what is right
18:23-24 (kahf) I can only act on what I understand – whether I am aware of this understanding or not. My sense of what the best thing for me to do, thus, includes what I understand at “this” time i.e. at a given moment, as the best understanding or apprehension of truth. This attitude allowsContinue reading “Closer than ‘this’ to what is right”
Relationships & Surah al-nisa
What is a human relationship? How shall I think about my relationship with something else? The Quran asks me to ask this question in 4:1. I take it to be telling me that I am one party to the relation. The Quran makes me one party to a “pair”. I am always one party toContinue reading “Relationships & Surah al-nisa”
The language of revelation & the meaning of existence.
I want to share some things on the question of language. First, I read the Quran in English, mostly (when it is not my own translation, it is almost always Muhammad Asad’s translation). I do consult Lane lexicon regularly. In my view, knowledge of the Arabic language and knowledge of the meaning of the rootsContinue reading “The language of revelation & the meaning of existence.”
Understanding prophets as prophetic perspectives
Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Unsplash What I find mentioned in a revelatory text, for instance the idea of of prophets and the idea of believing in prophets, I should expect and ask the text to explain. I should not rush outside the text towards tradition or culture to understand the concept. In my view, a fundamental choiceContinue reading “Understanding prophets as prophetic perspectives”
Before Revelation II
What should I understand myself to be doing when I set about reading or interpreting a text? Well there are several things one ought to attend to, such as who is the speaker/author, who is the addressee, in what capacity does the speaker speak and for what purpose or purposes. Choices need to be madeContinue reading “Before Revelation II”
Before Revelation I
I came to the Quran looking for help, help with answering life’s big questions. And you are well-advised to read on only if you find yourself interested in the same. Otherwise it will be tortuous even as you may love me as a friend or family member. Why the Quran? It was what was onContinue reading “Before Revelation I”
The Quran as Revelation 