Engaging the Quran as Revelation
What I understand
no to rational sacrifice, no to “enchantment”
“The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization, intellectualization and the disenchantment of the world…” said Weber in the beginning of the 20th century. Many today think that he was correct in this claim. People today speak of disenchantment and possible re-enchantment of the world. Weber puts rationalization, intellectualization and disenchantment in one box.Continue reading “no to rational sacrifice, no to “enchantment””
ill-spending property
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللّهِ فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ Behold, those who cover up are spending their properties in order to turn away from the path of God; and they will go on spending them until they become a regret for them; andContinue reading “ill-spending property”
whose burden is it? 35:18
وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَإِن تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَى حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى إِنَّمَا تُنذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالغَيْبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَمَن تَزَكَّى فَإِنَّمَا يَتَزَكَّى لِنَفْسِهِ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ (35:18) AND NO BEARER of burdens bears another’s burden; and if one weighed down by his load calls to help him carry it,Continue reading “whose burden is it? 35:18”
afraid 27:10-11
Whatever I see that I need and then see that it is not in my control, it takes a life of its own in my eyes. It scares me. I don’t know what will happen to it, or because of it, to me. I fear things will go wrong. I will get hurt. Someone IContinue reading “afraid 27:10-11”
beauty of/in the pair
وَمِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ And in everything have We created pairs, so that you might find/remember (Me, your Lord) It is an act of mercy and wisdom that associates, in my mind, smoke with fire. When i see smoke, I can be, mercifully, alerted to the possibility of fire. This pairing, this association,Continue reading “beauty of/in the pair”
“serving people” as god
أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ لاَ يَسْتَوُونَ عِندَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ Do you, perchance, regard the giving of water to pilgrims and the tending of the sacred place of prostration as being equal to one who finds safety with God and theContinue reading ““serving people” as god”
overcoming self-harm and finding peace II 27:20-44
وَتَفَقَّدَ الطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِيَ لَا أَرَى الْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ الْغَائِبِينَ And he tried to find the [particular] bird; and so he said: What is it with me? I do not see the hudhud? Is it among those that disappear/are absent/lost/not to be found? لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا أَوْ لَأَذْبَحَنَّهُ أَوْ لَيَأْتِيَنِّي بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ IContinue reading “overcoming self-harm and finding peace II 27:20-44”
overcoming self-harm and finding peace I 27:20-44
Now remember this: i am the one in need of guidance because i am hurting. the “guidance” is, the Quran claims, is the messenger’s perspective that, again the Quran claims, I need to have/follow to stop hurting myself and to find peace and security. Solomon is the messenger here. Where is Solomon? It is aContinue reading “overcoming self-harm and finding peace I 27:20-44”
let it be known
my blog is not my search for subtlety and originality. it is not my goal to find an obscure, novel reading of some text. my goal here is to return myself to freedom, to liberate myself from my unfounded worries, to find the meaning of my life and the meaning of reality, to find truthContinue reading “let it be known”
the earth, the self and the heavens are witnesses 51:15-23
what is my proper end or goal as a human being? how can be sure that it is my real goal or purpose? I expect whoever made me in the way that he did, i expect whoever made the world as he did, to respond to me. I want him to tell me why iContinue reading “the earth, the self and the heavens are witnesses 51:15-23”
an issue of note 14:4-5
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ فَيُضِلُّ اللّهُ مَن يَشَاء وَيَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ AND we did not send one of the messengers otherwise than in the language of his people, so that he might make clear unto them; but God misguides whom He wills and [then] guides him that willsContinue reading “an issue of note 14:4-5”
offerings
Boredom is a euphemism for intense discontentment with whatever one sought joy and contentment (aware or unaware) FROM but failed to find it therein/therewith to one’s contentment. This failure to provide satisfaction is a feature of those objects of our hopes and adoration (my life, my achievements, my friends, my understanding, my travels etc) that,Continue reading “offerings”
“do what you are instructed/commanded to do” (37:99-111)
Perhaps I should start by saying this: what burdens I bear when I imagine/dream that I have to give of myself (i am “sacrificing”), my love, my time, my energy, my compassion to the world!!! The poverty and death demand and solicit from me, without waiting for me to choose, indignation and sadness. Beauty solicitsContinue reading ““do what you are instructed/commanded to do” (37:99-111)”
guide us to the sirat-al-mustaqim
So says the Quran. Not for me to repeat it without trying to understand the truth, the reminder, in it. I can’t be reminded of what I do not already know and I don’t need to be reminded of something that is neither true nor beautiful. So my first response to such a claim “asContinue reading “guide us to the sirat-al-mustaqim”
10:25 (a supplicant’s will is the answerer’s willing)
“God guides whomever He wills towards the path that human beings can walk steadfastly (without wronging themselves and without losing their heart’s peace etc) When I feed my child, when I want to feed my child, when i find myself wanting that my child is fed, when I find in me a “will to feed”Continue reading “10:25 (a supplicant’s will is the answerer’s willing)”
ideology vs. conviction
Ideology does not need to be affirmed or demonstrated as being “true” in order for a human being to pledge loyalty to it. One is loyal to an ideology in proportion to one’s intensity and zeal for it. No conviction about the truth of ideological claims is needed to ground one’s endorsement of the ideology.Continue reading “ideology vs. conviction”
enclosed in incompleteness & its wrongs
48:1-2 إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا VERILY We have opened for you an opening manifest/clear لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا so that God might erases/covers the wrongs of your past and that come after, and complete his blessing on you and (thus) guide you onto aContinue reading “enclosed in incompleteness & its wrongs”
what the maker says, not what you say
If a person does not have an interest in finding out what the maker has to say about how to understand reality, what to think, how to feel, what meaning to give to things, how to respond to what “is”, then I do not have an interest in what this person has to say. BecauseContinue reading “what the maker says, not what you say”
Weariness & consciousness
Although I have discussed some of what I say here in my first blog “Before Revelation I”, I just read a quote from Camut and felt the urge to share it here. I find it expressing an important truth about the human being, that resonates with what I read in the Quran. “Weariness comes atContinue reading “Weariness & consciousness”
Science, naturalism and divine guidance
56:58-74 أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تُمْنُونَHave you ever considered that which you emit? أَأَنتُمْ تَخْلُقُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْخَالِقُونَ Is it you who create it – or are We the source of its creation? (asad) نَحْنُ قَدَّرْنَا بَيْنَكُمُ الْمَوْتَ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقِينَ We have [indeed] decreed that death shall be among you: but there is nothing to prevent Us Continue reading “Science, naturalism and divine guidance”
The recurring feast
قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَآئِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاء تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيداً لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ Said Jesus, the son of Mary: “O God, our Sustainer! Send down upon us table [of provisions] from heaven: make it an ever-recurring thing [Eid] for us – for the first and theContinue reading “The recurring feast”
remembering God in congregation (fi yawm al-jumua)
So in my view, the “masjid” I read about in the Quran is not a physical building built with someone’s money or endowment and then run by some leadership or caretakers and where people get on pulpits to talk at others and where people gather to enjoy community and where “knowledge” is imparted by “scholars/ulama”Continue reading “remembering God in congregation (fi yawm al-jumua)”
riba/increase that is not a purifying exchange
30:39 says, وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًا لِّيَرْبُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُو عِندَ اللَّهِ وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَاةٍ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ And whatever “extra/additional” you give so that it might increase through people’s possessions brings no increase with God whereas what you give of purification, seeking God’s countenance, it is they who get theContinue reading “riba/increase that is not a purifying exchange”
20:99-103 [the tragedy of the proverbial starving saying to food: touch me not!]
Is there a moment of reckoning, a gathering of “criminals”, a heavy burden? Am I going to see myself confined to a life with a time-stamp of a few years (how do these years feel to me? long?) and what or who makes me feel that my life has a time-stamp and an expiration date?Continue reading “20:99-103 [the tragedy of the proverbial starving saying to food: touch me not!]”
Maryam and pregnant with Isa-I [19:16]
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]”
the truth of ghusl/tahara for me
5:6 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُواْ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مَّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لاَمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاء فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَاء فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍContinue reading “the truth of ghusl/tahara for me”
all that glitters…is God
Consider the following verses. As I understand them, they describe my reality and the choice that is good for me to make. The choice here is a fundamental one, a choice about which attitude or perspective I will have as I approach anything that I am inclined to approach or that appears attractive for anyContinue reading “all that glitters…is God”
surrender that is light from my Lord
3:102 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ O you who have attained security! Be conscious of God with all the consciousness that is due to Him, and do not die except that you are surrendering 3:84-85 قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَقَContinue reading “surrender that is light from my Lord”
Surah 56:1-7 – the occurrence
إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ When occurred the occurrence لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ There was not, of its occurrence, any denying خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ abasing, elevating إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأَرْضُ رَجًّا When the earth is shaken with a severe shaking وَبُسَّتِ الْجِبَالُ بَسًّا And the mountains shattered into shards فَكَانَتْ هَبَاء مُّنبَثًّا so that they become as scattered dust وَكُنتُمْContinue reading “Surah 56:1-7 – the occurrence”
Surah al-nisa III (updated so posting again)
وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلاَّ تُقْسِطُواْ فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانكِحُواْ مَا طَابَ لَكُم مِّنَ النِّسَاء مَثْنَى وَثُلاَثَ وَرُبَاعَ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلاَّ تَعْدِلُواْ فَوَاحِدَةً أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَلاَّ تَعُولُواْ And if you have reason to fear that you might not act equitably towards orphans, then marry what is agreeable or likeable to you from women, twoContinue reading “Surah al-nisa III (updated so posting again)”
surah al-nisa II (finding the One in exchanges & relationships)
A short methodological point/reminder before we begin. People sometimes rely on “history” to make sense of “hard” verses of the Quran, thinking this is the solution to their disturbance about verses of the Quran. In so doing, they make divine speech distant and irrelevant to them. They lose a consistent approach to making sense ofContinue reading “surah al-nisa II (finding the One in exchanges & relationships)”
six ayyam & the meeting with my Sustainer: Surah Sajdah I
I find that chapter 32 of the Quran starts in an interesting way. It starts by telling that the sustainer of all realms is sending this book down and it is the truth even as some may have doubts about what it says. The truth of the message, it is suggested, ought to put theContinue reading “six ayyam & the meeting with my Sustainer: Surah Sajdah I”
If Musa & Isa are messengers, bani Israel is me
Who or what is my Pharoh? What detains and enslaves me? What seas drown me? What kind of loyalty and what vision of strength and power enchants me and makes me feel secure? Can I count on my powers, my leaders, my knowledge, my tradition, my “joining forces against some common enemy” to provide meContinue reading “If Musa & Isa are messengers, bani Israel is me”
worship of beings & the practice of “no-deity”
28:88 وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ and dont call upon any other deity side by side with God. There is no deity save Him. Everything is bound to perish, save His face. With Him rests all determinations and unto Him you areContinue reading “worship of beings & the practice of “no-deity””
Wrongdoing
What is the wrong and what is right? What is a transgression? Who does it harm? What is a crime? What is a “sin”? I can either listen to others or I can ask my maker. I am never was satisfied with what people say about such things. They sometimes speak on God’s behalf: GodContinue reading “Wrongdoing”
Hell & Paradise I
The Quran mentions hell a lot – as unbearable fire, a terrible place where one neither dies nor lives, a painful destination/abode for the wrongdoers and so on. It is a place that is, par excellence, the place a human being like me, one who is averse to pain and suffering and who loves pleasureContinue reading “Hell & Paradise I”
Enjoyment and the notion of “blessing”
The truth of the matter is, either I eat and breathe as an adorer of the One who is giving me life and sustenance or I am reduced to animalistic enjoyment of the food and my life itself, a decision that is absurd and hurtful to the heart and mind in light of the limitedContinue reading “Enjoyment and the notion of “blessing””
Is zeal/reverence enough? (13:19 & 25:72-73)
I understand from the Quran that I get from it what I ask for and I ask for what I need to understand and I need to understand only that which I can acknowledge I don’t already understand and acknowledging I don’t understand is like acknowledging one does not see what one wants to seeContinue reading “Is zeal/reverence enough? (13:19 & 25:72-73)”
Rock or Fruit-bearing Garden?
The “Hard but barren” Rock vs. the “ Receptive & Firmly Responsive and fruitful Garden” I read 2:264-265 and here is what was given to me: My maker uses a pair of easily understandable yet profound metaphors to help me understand that the glorious, divine qualities that rain down on me and strike me allContinue reading “Rock or Fruit-bearing Garden?”
Religious Identities & labels
To say that a child can be a Muslim child, a Christian child, a Hindu child etc etc. – this is speech devoid of meaning and yet so common in our world. It is mostly atheists and anti-religious folks who rightly note that to speak of children or anyone having this or that religion byContinue reading “Religious Identities & labels”
Abstaining, being aware of the bestower & gratitude
In this blog post, I want to share what I understand as guidance and truth in some verses related to what is called fasting, and which I call abstention because I do not take it to be some kind of legal or ritual duty. I take it to be a truth claim about my realityContinue reading “Abstaining, being aware of the bestower & gratitude”
loss & security – Surah al-asr
Loss is mine. I know it like the back of my hand. I find myself in loss. No amount of cheap optimism and self-care positivity (even if temporarily numbing and soothing) helps me resolve the problem of loss, mine and everything else’s. Security and perfection and lasting compassion and abundance are what I seek andContinue reading “loss & security – Surah al-asr”
Surah al-Nisa I
I am excited and pleased to share with you the signs I am given to contemplate, and the meaning and guidance I receive from my maker, in a chapter of the Quran called surah al-nisa. This is the first in a series of perhaps hundreds of blog posts that I would need to go throughContinue reading “Surah al-Nisa I”
from existence of purpose to purpose of existence
This post, perhaps a bit more than others, is a “to whom it may concern.” I am going to enumerate the points that are relevant here. To have security about the existence of something is not the same as knowing what that thing is. In this post, I am going to focus on how IContinue reading “from existence of purpose to purpose of existence”
Refuge, Evil & Envy – chapter 113
What is evil? So much seems to be and feels like evil. When I read the Quran and think that the creator of this universe is asking me to seek refuge with him from the evil of what he has created, I find myself puzzled. Now I can, if i so choose (and so manyContinue reading “Refuge, Evil & Envy – chapter 113”
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”
The night of power (Laylatul Qadar)
When I am engaging with my maker and seeking guidance from him, there aren’t any shallow and deep ends really. Concepts are connected and its only deep – Lord/sustainer, resurrection, angels, spirit. The order in which I present my engagements in this blog or in other blogs is not the same order in which IContinue reading “The night of power (Laylatul Qadar)”
Made from a clot
This is a general, overall reflection on chapter 96 of the Quran. Not a verse by verse translation but an overall response to the signs mentioned therein. As someone made but so often not aware of his own contingent, created and dependent existence, I come to realize I am far…far from being able to meetContinue reading “Made from a clot”
Ownership, theft and the cutting of hands
(Read 2:284, 16:49, 4:131 and many others of similar nature. Then read 5:35-40 and if you want also read 2:85, 2:175, 3:177, 16:95 and 9:111) Two considerations that make sense to me: One, revelation from the maker of this universe should speak to my humanity. Material things are not, in themselves, valued by me asContinue reading “Ownership, theft and the cutting of hands”
salah and deen/din – 1
These are big concepts. They are connected with much else in the Quran. What do they mean to me? Do I assume that I know what they are based on what I have heard from others or based on what people do? Or should I expect my maker to tell me their meaning? Should IContinue reading “salah and deen/din – 1”
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”
What’s the big deal with ‘Bismillah’
The big deal with bismillah is that it demolishes, if and when I adopt it as a practice, a perspective, all the self-injuring prisons and groundless illusions that I take from others or that I have manufactured for myself in order to feel things are meaningful and everything is fine. It proposes a new perspective,Continue reading “What’s the big deal with ‘Bismillah’”
The Dunya/Akhira Conundrum
Dunya is not the entire reality of this world. Akhira is not some “otherworld” disconnected from the dunya. To see and approach the world in a certain way, enamored of its beauties as conveying no message or news about other than itself, makes it lowly (dunya) for me. So claims the Quran and, as IContinue reading “The Dunya/Akhira Conundrum”
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”
