Sunday, May 3, 2020

A rebuttal to Dan Gibson’s Mecca vs. Petra theory


Lamp of Islam


A rebuttal to Dan Gibson’s Mecca vs. Petra theory

 
Daniel “Dan” Gibson (b 1956) is a self-published Canadian author studying the early history of Arabia and Islam. His Quranic Geography (2011) is an attempt to examine some geographical references made in the Quran. It looks at the people of ‘Ad, the people of Thamud, the Midianites as well as Medina and Mecca.

His claim that the Holy City and the birthplace of Islam is really Petra rather than Mecca drew some interest from a large audience, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

For interested readers who are fascinated by this Mecca vs. Petra theory but haven’t gone through Dan Gibson’s actual arguments, here is a brief review and rebuttal of his book by A. J. Deus:

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Extraordinary Claims require Extraordinary Evidence

In the book Qur’ānic Geography, the author Dan Gibson makes a case that the orientation of early mosques is evidence for Petra playing a major role for the beginnings of Islam. Until the early eighth century, he claims, they all point to Petra and from the time of the Abbasids to Mecca. In between is, what he calls, a time of confusion. In the author’s own words, his case can be summarized as following:

“The only conclusion I come to is that Islam was founded in northern Arabia in the city of Petra. It was there that the first parts of the Qur’ān were revealed before the faithful were forced to flee to Medina. Thus, the prophet Muḥammad never visited Mecca, nor did any of the first four rightly guided caliphs. Mecca was never a centre of worship in ancient times, and was not part of the ancient trade routes in Arabia. All down through history the Arabs made pilgrimages to the holy sites in the city of Petra, which had many ancient temples and churches. It was in Petra that 350 idols were retrieved from the rubble after an earthquake and set up in a central courtyard. It was in Petra that Muḥammad directed the destruction of all the idols except one, the Black Stone. This stone remained in the Ka’ba in Petra until it was later taken by the followers of Ibn al-Zubayr deep into Arabia to the village of Mecca for safe keeping from the Ummayad armies. And today it is to this stone that Muslims face, rather than to their holy city and the qibla that Muḥammad gave them [page 379].”

These are extraordinary claims. It is surprising that their source is a scholar with a literal approach to the Bible, the Koran, and the traditions. However, since the idea of Petra playing any role in Islam is an extreme niche position, this claim requires extraordinary evidence. The author’s research appears to brake with all conventions of the Mecca-Medina narrative of emergent Islam.

In short, within the margin of error that mosques could be oriented at the time, there is no such pattern as the author claims.

The book starts with Geographical Locations in the Koran. In it, he bases a theory that the Koran is different from other ancient scriptures and early writings on the frequency of places named in scripture. I am unable to follow the logic how the word count and the number of geographical locations could lead to any other conclusion than randomness (in a non-random text construct).

Based on his numerology, he builds the history of the Arab people through the Bible. This is supposed to draw the historical path of the relevant tribes that show up at the gates to Islam. However, we have evidence that they adopted linages in Biblical locations when opportune. This is in particular important when it concerns the inheritance of the Promised Land as evidenced from the primary record. In fact, we know that linages were ‘sorted out’ under Nehemiah ben Hushiel, the supposed son of the Exilarch, who was in an alliance with Benjamin of Tiberias, Elijah bar Kobsha and Xosrov under General Shahrbaraz in 614 AD. If the actual progression is ignored in favor of a Biblical narrative, I am wondering how the author would get himself out of an impenetrable maze.

Later in the book, the author tries to reconcile the Biblical view with Muslim traditions, and he even notes that Jewish refugees had spread throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula. With that said, researchers would need to be on the lookout for attempts to reverse-engineer history.

In the author’s promised identification of the locations in the Koran, I do not find myself convinced that the interpretations by the author can be academically duplicated without a strong will to having to find any solution. Granted, the locations could be those, but there are many other theories that sound just as valid. Based on linguistic conjecture, he proposes that ‘Ad is identical with the Biblical ‘Uz. While this could well be so, I am unable to follow the academic argument. So far, academia does not understand the methodology of how the Koran has been written. Without this foundation, every attempt to define a word that is not readily understood can only lead to disputable proposals and wishful thinking. The icing of the cake is that the author is infatuated with the Koran’s Arabic words when we know that much of the original Koran had been written in Aramaic and Syriac. Since we are also void of the methodology of the Biblical construct, the author is building a sand castle upon a mountain of sand.

The author’s Biblical adherence stands in stark contrast to his own research where he writes: ‘As I listened to Arab poets recite the histories of their tribes, I realized that there was a disconnect between a) the modern names for tribes, b) tribal names during the early years of Islam and c) tribal names in antiquity. The poets could recite their tribal lines back many generations, but few of them could go farther than a thousand years, and none of them could connect with ancient groups like the Amalekites, the Midianites, or the Nabataeans, other than those directly related to the prophet Muḥammad (page 187).’ This is troublesome, because it is also a systemic mechanism of religion to reshape the collective memory. Memorizing bogus linages from kindergarten does not validate them, does it?

On the other hand, Gibson does a great job in demonstrating the primary evidence of the Nabateans. However, it should make the Biblical narrative redundant with which he had started out. Yet, he continuously attempts to reconcile the Bible with the real Nabateans. In the face of the primary evidence, this is absolutely unnecessary other than providing for the (wishful) linage background.

In his attempt to identify locations in the Koran, the author walks on a slippery slope by bringing the Khabiri together with the Children of Israel, respectively the Hebrews, for example. As with the Koran, academics have to be careful not to fall into the trap of confirming Biblical stories with archaeology when the possibility is at hand that the stories themselves have been inserted into real history or borrowed from other people’s histories. How they may be related to the Nabateans, we simply do not know. Thus, with the approach of the author, I recommend reading the Bible and taking it at face value rather than following the Biblical tour of the book.

From page 138, the author starts to engage in ‘real’ history. Based on a personal ‘opinion’, he states that Dr. John Healy was convinced that the Thamuds and the Nabateans were one and the same people. ‘They had the same names, the same gods, the same practices, and yet they wrote with different scripts.’ This rests on the idea that the Nabateans may have used two different scripts in parallel, one for (encoded secret) religious purposes (Monumental) and one for clear text proto-‘Arabic’, Safiaitic. These two scripts should have provided Gibson with a decisive clue how to approach the topic more carefully.

He also equates the Arabs with the Nabateans, whereas seventh century primary evidence clearly speaks of two different kinds of Arabs, those friendly with the Christians and the others, the Tayyi, not so much. Finally, the reader ends up in Petra, which is the place around which the author builds his central thesis: Petra as the focal point of early mosques. In order to demonstrate the importance of Petra, he thinks that it is one of five burial cities, whereas two annual festivals (pilgrimages) were held in Petra itself. In addition, Petra was an important gateway to the Nabatean trade routes through the desert, which they controlled (together with the Silk Road and Damascus) with access to (hidden) water holes. However, with all this, the author does not provide the foundation of why Petra would have been singled out as the mosques’ focal point, even though it may have been (at much earlier times) the capital (Rekem) of the Nabateans.

In contrary, he asserts that Medina had been the prophetic focal point (after Mecca) and that the city of the Prophet would have been the capital of the Muslims under Abu Bakr and Umar. Based on primary evidence that Gibson does not provide, this might well be the case. But that Mu’awiyah later took the Muslim capital from Medina to Damascus, as it is said, is mere fancy. During the ‘civil war’ in 685 AD, Mecca may have been destroyed and/or re-founded. All this conflicts with the primary evidence wherein the Umayyads had not only opposed proto-Islam but wherein the Prophet himself does not appear in the historical record until after 632 AD. The issue is that we are unable to draw solid conclusions when the timeline, the locations, and the people are all off. Nothing finds a solid anchor, and the unsuspecting reader risks to be exposed to mere speculation.

The book only starts to be more focused and forceful from page 221. Like others before him, Gibson notes that the Koranic geography about Mecca does neither match the present location nor was it recorded on ancient maps. But then the work of the previous 200 pages kicks in and emerges as a tunnel vision: Mecca (or Medina, perhaps) is impossible; Petra and Petra only can have been the real location of the Mother-City and the Forbidden Sanctuary as if Jerusalem would not have been a far bigger price in the eye of the Muslim conquerors. He does have a point that the Biblical narrative of Ishmael growing up in Paran, the traditional home of the Thamudic or Nabataean people in northern Arabia provides for a thousand kilometer chasm between the Bible and Islam.

The direction of prayer then turns into the main argument. Mosques were initially not oriented toward Mecca. This does not rest on some complex theory but on the simple fact that the Koran itself directs this change in prayer orientation in Sura 2. It is merely logical that early mosques could be oriented toward the Kaaba only after this decree would have been disseminated and universally understood in the same way. But so far, academia has been unable to come forth with a sensible date when this would have been written. At the least, following consensus, this should have been during Muhammad’s lifetime of the traditions, i.e. before 632 AD. Gibson, instead, asserts that this directive has been missing in early Korans that have been recovered. The author takes note of the fact that the orientation was changed much later than the traditional life of Muhammad and thinks that this must have occurred after the civil war under ’Abdallāh ibn Zubayr. He makes a case that 100% of those mosques before 725 AD, of which he could determine the orientation, pointed to Petra.

But before we continue, we must do what Gibson did not do: establish the orientation of the Great Temple of the Nabateans in Petra and also of the Kaaba itself and some of the earliest mosques that he could not determine in order to find a starting point. Also, it needs to be stated that most of the locations of the first ‘mosques’ that are mentioned in the traditions cannot be identified today. The Great Temple in Petra points straight to Baalbek and further north to the ancient city of Ebla. This would require some explanation but could be by mere chance because the orientation is also astral as were several monuments in Petra. The Kaaba, as is well established, rests on pre-Islamic foundations, and its major axis is oriented toward the Canopus. For the early mosques in Medina and China, it needs to be said that they were either built later than claimed, or they were not Muslim. No Muslim mosque could have existed in the absence of Muhammad (who appeared after 632 AD). Fustat is likely also wrongly dated, because it cannot possibly lie before Medina.

We need to establish more fundamentals that Gibson also did not deliver: how precisely were the builders able to orient mosques toward any desired location? It turns out that they were exact to roughly one degree in latitude and longitude (!), even if a building would be located 1500 km away. Thus, deviations that are much larger than one degree need to be dismissed as out of range of a desired destination.

While measuring structural orientations from satellite images is tedious but precise (+/- 0.25°), within a few days, each mosque could have been mapped out precisely by the author. For whichever reason, in a separate table that I obtained from Gibson, he merely states ‘Petra’ as direction with no measurements or deviations provided. After careful re-examination, it appears that any building that sort of looks in the direction of Petra, was taken as evidence. This includes many buildings that are as far off as 10° and more or even 30°. Within the parameters just described, not a single mosque or building on his list points to Petra with one exception in Oman that comes within 1° of Petra (built during the author’s claimed ‘time of confusion’ and attributable to mere chance).

Thus, would Gibson have been just a little bit more careful, or had his work been reviewed by an alert peer, it would have become clear that the evidence provides no grounds to conclude that Petra had a play in Islam. Quite in contrary, one can make a confident case that Petra has nothing to do with the emergence of Islam.

The picture that emerges makes it clear why a similar pattern of one focal point has not shown up long ago. The directions of these structures are fairly precise, and there is not a mistake of 2, 3, or more degrees. As the orientation of later mosques shows, they are pretty much smack on. What we could say so far (if anything) is that a) the earliest known Muslim structures were not oriented toward either Mecca or Petra, and from this follows that b) an orientation toward Petra could only confirm a non-Muslim structure.

On the other end is Gibson’s case that 100% of the mosques from the Abbasid times would be built oriented toward Mecca. However, one of the most important holy sites for the Shi’ites is the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra. This tenth century mosque is not oriented toward Mecca — the hundred-year older Great Mosque of Samarra is. Some traditions indeed suggest that not everybody had made use of the complete Koran. If Sura 2 had been missing for some, or if the related verses were missing, then the orientation of the mosques would not yet have been defined for them. Yet, that would require that they would be oriented toward the ‘old’ focal point, which with certainty is not Petra.

It is not possible to reconcile Gibson’s thesis with the realities on the ground. Neither do many early mosques have been oriented toward Petra (perhaps a few within a broader margin and perhaps by mere chance) nor has the ‘time of confusion’ ended in the middle of the eighth century.

Gibson then delves into the literary evidence, in particular the traditions, the Koran, and again the Bible. I am a little puzzled by the circumstance that the author’s theory defies tradition, but then he has no remorse in serving up questionable evidence from the traditions. Should not his case tell him that there might be something awfully odd with these beliefs that had been sorted out two hundred years after the fact? If they were able to bury Petra, what else were they able to come up with? On the other hand, the author is unable to produce even a single piece of literary evidence that would say something like Petra was the original hub. This would make for a perfect crime on a very grand scale. Something must have been left behind, anything, however little. He offers nothing at all, not even a single foundation stone that could be attributed to the earliest Muslims. After all, it is Gibson’s central thesis that the Kaaba had stood in Petra for several decades, prompting a whole chain of events that must have followed this building without leaving anything behind at all. The author asks: ‘If Petra is the first Islamic Holy City before the Black Stone was moved to Mecca, then would it not make sense that later writers would eliminate every mention of Petra?’ In religion, nothing is impossible. However, with the level of archaeological, numismatic, and literary documentation that we possess today, it seems rather unlikely that this could have been done successfully. It is one thing to insert a non-existing story into the history books or to swap timelines or locations – the level of difficulty is altogether different when it comes to removing an existing story without leaving a trace behind. But the orientations of the mosques constitute the traces, one might object. I just cannot validate this evidence. At every step along the way, I find myself faced with a religiously defended argument: do you not see this? Do you not see that? The more I read, the more it feels like faith.

Frankly, at times, I feel that the author looks down upon his audience, and he is perhaps eligible to doing so. After all, lovers of conspiracy theories with little learning will feast upon a case that sounds so fantastic that it borders to a miracle. I do agree, Mecca rises to be the focal point of the Muslims much later than the traditional view suggests. However, the case for Petra rests on no less real evidence than the one for Mecca. Academia needs hard facts, not arguments.

Finally, Gibson’s chapter about navigation and pre-Islamic poetry is informative, even excellent. In essence, it tells the reader ‘that the Arabs would have no trouble accurately determining the direction of the qibla for their mosques’ – and that is the final nail in the coffin to a theory that rests on an inexact orientation of an arbitrary selection of mosques. (Words highlighted by the author S. I.)

A. J. Deus is specialized in history in economics of organized religion. He is also an expert in religious frauds.

 

Further reading:

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/History/Islam/Dome_Of_The_Rock/qibla.html

http://www.exploring-islam.com/geography-of-islam-was-mecca-really-the-holy-city-of-the-first-muslims.html

https://understandingislam.today/is-mecca-or-petra-islams-true-birthplace/

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feisalkamil 5mon

I’m not sure of A. J. Deus’s position with respect to Islam; he seems to believe ISIS represents Islam

http://www.ajdeus.org/taggon_cmd.php?_taggon_cmd=popup&aid=496

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Siraj Islam 5mon

On one hand, A. J. Deus makes some good observations about Dan Gibson’s book.

On the other hand, his reading of the Quranic texts, and the ‘fight verses’ in particular, is detached from their local and global contexts, and therefore incorrect. Deus appears to believe that people with a plain approach will easily read in the Quran and the Sharia laws “the straight forward jihadist commands”. Then he also thinks that, “to defend” these commands “one would have to put jihad into the greater historical context, an undertaking that would rewrite the story of Prophet Muhammad and the rise of Islam.” This would describe “a call to jihad” as “an act of self-defense”. Thus, in his words, “A historical view of jihad would bring about the hope that the wars among believers were in the past.” http://www.ajdeus.org/taggon_cmd.php?_taggon_cmd=popup&aid=478. His position with respect to religions, including Islam, is probably summarized here: “The single biggest problem of modern humanity is religion. However, it is also the greatest potential problem solver if the positive energies could be directed toward a common goal that serves humanity rather than the vested interests of religious kings. Before this would happen, Jews seize to be Jews, Christians to be Christians, and Muslims seize to be Muslims.” http://www.ajdeus.org/taggon_cmd.php?_taggon_cmd=popup&aid=481. This is his website: http://www.ajdeus.org/

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An answer to Jay Smith’s “Examining the Newest Historical Research on Islam …” | Lamp of Islam 5mon

[…] This line of reasoning was originally started by Patricia Crone and Michael Cook, though they themselves later retracted from their hypotheses considering them as unfounded. These have been further refuted by the latest historical scholarship like Donner, Neuwirth and Schoeler. Then came Dan Gibson’s Quranic Geography (2011) with the claim that the Holy City and the birthplace of Islam is really Petra rather than Mecca. To be precise, we do not find in his arguments any real substance to reject the traditional Muslim understanding about the centrality of Mecca which is consistently based on evidences from numerous sources, including the historical works, the marks in the city of Mecca and those indicated in the Quran itself. For example, as Joseph Islam observes, http://quransmessage.com/articles/original%20sanctuary%20FM3.htm. While it is possible that Mecca used to be less important in the earlier Islamic centuries than it is today, we do not think Petra – which lay in ruins in 7th century since it had declined fast after the Roman occupation – had really anything to do with the emergence of Islam. Moreover, we note that the tenets of Islam as found in the Quran are universal and therefore not bound or affected by whether any city or direction is accepted as holy or not (Quran 2:177). For interested readers who are fascinated by Gibson’s Mecca vs. Petra theory but haven’t gone through his actual arguments, here is a brief review and rebuttal of his book: https://lampofislam.wordpress.com/2019/12/01/a-rebuttal-to-dan-gibsons-quranic-geography/. […]

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Adeel A 4mon

Can you list some good sources/articles on what you think is the likely candidate for being the correct Qibla? Is it Mecca, Jerusalem, or some other place?

Or does the word Qibla mean something entirely different?

Or is the history of the Arabs different than what we see in literature and modern research today?

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Siraj Islam 4mon

Thanks. I am still trying to improve my understanding on qibla. Here are a few related links with a range of perspectives:

http://quransmessage.com/articles/qibla%20FM3.htm

http://quransmessage.com/articles/makkah%20bakkah%20FM3.htm

http://quransmessage.com/articles/original%20sanctuary%20FM3.htm

https://www.islamic-awareness.org/history/islam/dome_of_the_rock/qibla

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LiberalMuslimsUnited/permalink/858984377547376/

https://mentalbondageinthenameofgod.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/2142-152-%E2%80%93-the-wider-context/

https://mentalbondageinthenameofgod.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/the-prescribed-sanctions-revealed/

http://mypercept.co.uk/articles/meaning-masjid-al-haram-Quran.html

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islam researcher 4mon

http://mypercept.co.uk/articles/meaning-masjid-al-haram-Quran.html

Quote:
change of qiblah – an understanding based on Quran
The information we can extract about the meaning of “qiblah”, and the change, from these verses is as follows:
this new change is in some way related to guiding to a straight/establishing path, and making the believers a balanced/moderate community
the qiblah which they were on was a great test (i.e. difficult), except those God guided, and their belief in such was not going to be for nothing, hence this new qiblah pleased the messenger (i.e. less hardship/difficulty)
in this case the qiblah happens to be AMAH, but there are potentially many other qiblah, as individuals could have their own qiblah
in 2:148 the usage of “wherever” is the ONLY time it appears without a close link to “turn+wajh+AMAH” therefore likens “wijhatun (direction/course/goal/motive)” with “qiblah” and consequently likens AMAH to “race to the good” or at least we can say AMAH involves this. Furthermore, AQ implies each person may have their own “qiblah” in 2:145 then later in 2:148 says “for each is a wijhatun he turns towards it”, strongly suggesting “qiblah” and “wijhatun” are being related as similar terms/concepts. Please re-read these verses as this is a key finding.
those who have been given the kitab/book/decree know that it is the truth, and recognise it like they recognise their sons but hide the truth. Their qiblah is likely based on desires
the effects of this change will be less debate from the people (implying the former qiblah produced more debate), lead to God completing His favour, aid guiding, and bringing you all together wherever you are.
wherever one is they should turn their wajh/purpose/consideration in the direction of AMAH, and from wherever they depart, from the contexts that likley involves being oriented towards the truth of your Lord, the good, and uniting of believers
To me, “turning one’s wajh in the sky” in 2:144 comes across as an idiom, so whilst it could be literally translated as “turning one’s face IN the sky” it is implying one is directionless, aimless, floating/blowing in the wind, i.e. no plan/goal to progress, looking/searching for a way/resolution. Interestingly it is listed in ‘Verbal Idioms of Quran’ by Mustansir Mir but explained as he turned his face towards the heaven so often that it is added emphasis to say his face was IN the heaven, even though it literally is not. Perhaps, but that does not change the fact that it is taken by all to mean he was seeking guidance. The new qiblah resolves this, and is also pleasing, implying a possible easing of argumentation/hostility for the believers, which would tie in with “no debate against you”.
As a side note, the only other use of “wly/turn” in these verses other than “turn+wajh” is 2:148 “…he turns towards it (wijhatun/course/goal)”, which is primarily figurative and not taken physical-directional by anyone. This may help indicate the type of turning being referred to in these verses.

Based on the above, usage of the root QBL in AQ, CAD meanings, and the only other occurrence of “qiblah” in 10:87, in terms of likelihood for the meaning of “qiblah”, in my view, are:
1) focal-point – focus of interest/attention or activity
2) direction – general aim or purpose; a general way in which someone/something is developing
3) point-of-approach – a way in which to approaching something
4) counteraction – to oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary action

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About Quran and it's Authenticity.comp.raf

🔴About Quran and it's Authenticity.
.

The Quran: A Complete and fully detailed Book


Belief in the Quran can be called genuine only if a person believes and upholds six prime attributes of the Book:

.

🔵FIRST: The Quran is the word of God.( 6:155-157).

🔵SECOND: The Quran is perfect with no contradictions.(11:1)

🔵THIRD: The Quran is clear and with no ambiguity.((12:1 and 44:58),( 72:21),( 3:7),(4:40),( 5:6).

🔵FOURTH: The Quran is straightforward with no crookedness.(39:28),(2:197),( 9:36),

🔵FIFTH: The Quran is complete.(6:115),( It is also in violation of 17:73-75 and 69:43-47 where God warns the Prophet not to attribute to God anything other than the Quran),(69:43-47),(Throughout the Quran, we are told that the only revelation received by Muhammad from God was the Quran (see 4:105, 5:48, 6:19, 6:92, 6:155, 29:47, 16:89, 39:2, 76:23).

🔵SIXTH: The Quran is fully detailed.( 6:38),(6:114-115),(12:111),(16:89).

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All Muslims will certainly testify to the first condition, that the Quran is the word of God. It is in connection to the other five conditions that they will have lots of 'ifs and buts'! Sadly the great majority of Muslims will fall short on some, or on all of the other five attributes.
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God promised that the Quran will be preserved (15:9). What this means is that we should concentrate on obeying the law of God given in the Quran, and let God worry about the preservation of the Quran.

When we stand in front of God on the Day of Judgement, He will not ask us about the Sana or Samarkand Qurans, but we will be accountable to whether we obeyed and followed the Quran in our hands or not.

In the Quran, we are given clear instructions to follow the Quran as the only source of religious guidance and law. All the rituals, practices, prohibitions, and instructions are fully detailed in the Quran.
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How do you utter your Shahada? How do you observe your Salat, and how many times a day? How do you observe your Zakat, to whom and when? The Quranic law provides every little detail about all those.and all other religious matters.

Those are some of the things you should be worrying about if you wish to attain an honourable judgement on the important Day.
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🥀comp.edi🥀syedraf🥀
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http://www.quran-islam.org/faq/quranic_laws/how_authentic_is_quran_(P1563).html/

RAMADAN, SAUM AND MUTAQ-Ahle Aqal

Ahle Aqal

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Saturday, 30 April 2016

RAMADAN, SAUM AND MUTAQI

                   RAMADAN, SAUM AND MUTAQI

Please understand that the lexicon meaning of Ramadan is intense heat or something which is thoroughly cooked. The root word of رَمَضَانَ is رمض - it basically means which becomes vehemently heated by the sun, became intensely hot, burnt. The Quranic context of the verse suggests that ramadan is not an ordinary effect of heat but a kindle of notable manifestation (shahr) of valuable knowledge which acts like a criterion for the progress of agitated mind and its a source of guidance and healing for the agitated minds [Al-Naas]. According to Lexicon, Ramadan also signifies heaving of the soul, tendency to vomit, internal fever, spread or purveying of an idea or sharpening the blades / knives. In short the context of the book Quran signifies that the term Ramadan connotes a combustion process that yearns to ignites or illuminate the knowledge that is burning inside us. 

A bright shining full moon or a month is one of the modern meaning of shahr, that all are familiar with. Mashoor is also one of the derivatives of shahr. The stage of conceiving any idea or notion which settles in the mind to guide and act as a criterion [Furqan] for the agitated minds [An-Naas] appears as a notable manifestation [Shahr] that Kindles [Ramadan] revelation in us [2:185]. Ramadan is a pressure cooker type situation where the dish is cooked [in the mind] due to continuous heated arguments going inside the brain, between different types of inquisitive thoughts. We must ponder what Ramadan [intense inner heat] has to do with the revelation of the Quran [our expression] in which there is guidance, criterion and wisdom for Al-Naas [agitated minds]Please check the meaning of Naas in lexicon EWL page 2866. Rameez name of a boy in Arabic - رمیض it is one of the derivative of Ramadan; it means learned / dignified / wise / organised / spear / javelin - one of the meaning of رمض is to consumed by grief and sorrow.

Ramadan is a very critical stage of understanding; one cannot go back from this evolutionary state or stage. If anyone among us attains / witness / experience such notable manifestation [shahr], where the noble Quran is being revealed on us or whoever experiences / witnesses [shahadah] such type of a situation of Ramadan he/she has to suppress or restrain / abstain [saum] from talking or disclosing until total clarity or breakthrough [Fajr] of thoughts are achieved. It is like you are pregnant with an idea, but you are told in the situation not to deliver the baby. In this delicate phase of Ramadan the inherent flame kindles up the mind to deliver or impart the knowledge given by the teacher Rehman. But after conceiving the brilliant idea or an expression (Quran), an individual is instructed to suppress or practice restrain (Saum) from openly propagating it. The restrain or suppressing of an idea within ourselves creates a tremendous urge within to deliver the message. Whosoever experiences or witnesses such symptoms or signs is going through a very prominent situation or period called Ramadan and he / she should restrain from exposing those ideas immediately. 

What an individual should do in the situation like Ramadan when the understanding is at its peak, is explained in the following verses (2:185-187) while the subsequent verses discuss about the final journey towards the evolutionary level of Hajj where hidaya and taqwa is achieved -  (2:196-197).

Saum of 'Maryam' is restrained to communicate while allowed to “eat and drink” means to consume intelligence and imbibe the guidance by the Rabb. Silence, control and steadiness is a "must" criterion for the Teacher Rehman to act - (19:26) (78:38) – Rehman is the faculty which teaches and explains the Quran – (55: 1-4). Maryam is depicted as an urge [nisa] to seek knowledge [3:42] one who is pregnant with knowledge or carry the unconventional thoughts / sense (Bashar) of her Rabb, she then delivers the word (Kalimat) of Rabb known as Isa Masih (3:45) (4:171), that's why he / it is called Isa ibn Maryam

These Quranic names or personified as characters are all senses / sensors depicted in human forms and framed or molded in parables for the purpose of our understanding. But unfortunately we treat them as holy personalities and begin to either revere or hate them. All these names are not proper nouns or biologically related to each other, but they have their particular functions according to their meanings and they are psychologically related / ingrained with our psyche [Nafs]. They reflect a peculiar form of characteristic and each one holds an important value that we have to understand or heed to understand / feel how their behavior and the behavior / conduct / ways / habits of their allies / communities affects us.  

Now we will discuss the word shahru [شَهْرُ] in detail. Shahru is traditionally understood as month, but its nominative masculine noun which indicates it is a state / condition rather than a month. Linguistically Ramadan simply is a object which kindles the fire within, which is manifested [shahr], so the word shahr cannot be perceived as month. The basic derivatives of shahr according to classical denotation are famous (mashoor), banner (ashaar), fame (shaurat), celebrity (ishtehaar), publicity (Ashaar). I can understand the reverence attached to Ramadan by Muslims around the world. Note we don't have to understand the meaning of this denotation according to the popular notions, feelings or the holy tales attached to this word. According to the Quranic context the word Ramadan signifies one of the highest period of contemplation, guidance and criterion. The word Ramadan and the chain of derived words must carry the core essence of its meaning which correlates with the context of the subject of the Quranic verse. 

Breaking the methodology of classical thematic meanings and choosing an odd meaning is injustice to the classical language, context and the overall message of the book Quran. Therefore I completely reject the meaning of shahr as month, figured 21 times in the entire context of the Quran. The philosophy of Islam is against giving reverence to any month, year or day or night. It is against the spirit of Islam to revere anything, be it a month or a book or any person or any language or any specific place. It is against the human dignity to revere anything except his / her own self. Reverence or attachment to things block our invaluable faculty to think.    

Now we will see the relationship of the book Quran with the reference to these two words (Shahru and Ramadan). What this magnificent book has to do with the "9th Islamic month"? What is so special about Ramadan that revelation of notable manifestation [shahr] occurs in this period? Why Ramadan is so important for the revelation of Al Quran? Why the book Quran is not revealed in any other "Month"? 

The state of notable manifestation (shahru) and the revelation of Al Quran are the part of mental journey one takes in his/her lifetime and not because of some specific night or month. The terms RamadanAl Quran and Saum are the essential characteristics for accomplishing the mental journey called Al Hajj. The persistent effort of an individual to ponder over his own embedded script [Al-Kitab] makes the revelation of the Quran possible from our own script [Al-Kitab]. When the Quran is fully downloaded in oneself, one of its main characteristics is that whatever is settled in the mind in the form of Quran, has to come out of mind for articulation. The author of the book Quran cautions us that when you experience or witness the advent of such rousing inspiration in you then you should control your urge of sharing the information with others for some stipulated period. The time / moment of sharing of information is fixed when you complete / attain or reach the zenith of evolutionary stage of Hajj, not before that.

When the Quran is installed in the mind, it rejects all types of ignorance / traditions / customs and simply promotes using of the intellect on the basis of touch stone called Furqaan / Criterion. The revelation of Quran helps in witnessing or realizing and understanding the true / pure Oneness / Harmony / Synchronization of system of consciousness [Allah]. Quran also warns the self from serving many gods and persuades to do righteous deed. These are revolutionary ideas that are produced by the process of regular thinking. These sudden occurrences of new ideas should be curbed until we reach the evolutionary stage of Hajj. It is foolishness to understand Saum, Ramadan and Hajj in isolation or picking selected verses and breaking the order of sequence of the verses to understand them. Unless we understand the overall basic terms like kitab, mutaqi, gayab, salat, zakat, Allah, rasul, Rabb, Rehman, Naas...in a completely new dimension we cannot understand Islam and the book Quran. 

The revelation of the Quran occurs due to critical thinking, which is revealed in the form of unique expression, and this is recognized in Quranic terminology as Al-Quran. The Shahru-Ramadan is a condition which occurs by diligently observing and pondering over our own inherent script [Al-Kitabu]. Man is not capable of understanding even 1% of the outside world. If man endeavors to understand his own script that is the pathway to understand the outside realm. In Quranic context Al-Kitab is a script inside all of us which we have to follow, read and understand. Each one of us have their own unique script and role which they should learn to read, follow and act.

The unique expression (Quran) enlightens the period of ignorance or darkness or uncertainty (Lailth) in which agitated minds [Al-Naas] suffered due to lack of understanding and education. So we are instructed by the book Quran to feed the agitated minds with knowledge for advancement of the mental journey to know our Rabb [consciousness]. The journey through the period of ignorance or darkness or anxiety is called lailth [لَيْلَةِ] in classical Arabic. In this period of anxiety, path breaking ideas or expressions are conceived by individuals which are considered very valuable (Qadar) because it brings dawn / breakthrough (fajr) of peace/soundness (salam) to the agitated minds of specific individuals. This revelation of expressions [Quran] can happen to any person or individuals who have questions in their mind and are sensitive to the needs of others and are committed to find the solutions to difficulties or problems faced by them. Such notable manifestations happen when we reach the evolutionary stage of Ramadan. The situation of Ramadan can occur to any individual who ponders or is anxious to remove the hindrance of  darkness. This revelation of the Quran is not dependent on any season or any "holy month" but on man's own endeavor.

The process of thinking / contemplating is done by many committed personalities and will continue in the future. The Author of book Quran was one of them, though his expression failed to reach the present masses due to misinterpretation done in translations. Nevertheless history has witnessed the Arab conquest in the field of science. I am not saying that it happened because of the book Al Quran but it certainly has to do with mental development which the eloquence of the book Quran provides to its readers. The 7th and 8th centuries Arabs knew the actual message of the book Quran. They knew the book Quran is against all religions, it was never the purpose of Quran to introduce a new religion. The main purpose of the book Quran is to bring peace / soundness to the agitated minds. The thought provoking philosophy of Quran had made a great impact on the minds of medieval Arabs and then subsequently passed to Europeans who were going through "Dark Ages" due to the shroud of mindless religious rituals impose upon them by the clergy.

Those whose thoughts have contributed to the society, their works are manifested (shahr) like a shining moon and no one can deny its existence. This is what shahr is, it is the manifestation of a higher level of understanding which can be clearly seen as the full moon is and there is no space for further argument or debates. Shahr is the clear manifestation of evident knowledge with proofs. The shining manifestation of enlightened knowledge compels the agitated mind to reveal the expression (Quran) to mankind through articulate expression in our mother tongue [Arabic]. The expressive speech pours out is the result of intense thinking process undertaken by an individual or individuals. The results of unique expressions or speech (Al-Quran) are the manifestation (Shahr) due to the intense kindle (Ramadan) in us.

According to the lexicon and root word shahru ramadan is an intense process in which temperature rises due to certain internal or external factors like heating of earth due to sun or burning of the eyes because of extensive concentration while studying or lack of sleep. But what does it have to do in the context of revelation of Al-Quran? When the intensity or conviction of the thoughts pile up layer upon layer, the individual begins to feel the burden of pain / sorrow of carrying such phenomenal thoughts in his mind without sharing with others. The person becomes restless as he is no longer able to hold back the flame which is kindled inside him due to his ripe and valuable thoughts, same situation as of the 9th month pregnant lady who is impatient to deliver the baby. I consider Ramadan as the 9th evolutionary stage of one's own self study that becomes matured. 

Information for history lovers, in the period of Mohammed [pbuh] Ramadan was not even considered as a month, the name of the ninth month was 'Nātiq', nor the month of Hajj was called Zil Hajj at that time, the twelfth month was called burak / maymūn or an-nasīʾ. It is said that during the reign of Hazrat Umar [R] in 17 A.H, the present "Islamic Calendar" was introduced. Don't know how far this information is true nevertheless it has nothing to do with the message of the book Quran and Islam. I never link historical events with the message of Al Quran.

Coming back to shahr, at the time of dawn of valuable manifestations that are revealed ahead of its time to any individuals who sincerely contemplates. But at the same time society is not prepared to receive / conceive such unusual thoughts that are ahead of its time. The people may begin to react in a negative manner and may humiliate the person on whom the breakthrough of thinking [Quran] is revealed. To protect such overzealous persons from exposing their ideas to those who are not yet ready to understand, it is instructed by the Quran that they should refrain / abstain (Saum) from talking or discussing or disclosing their ideas with others. Rather they should further commit themselves to perfect the idea by concentrating more on the subject until they convert their thought process into reality. When the idea or expression becomes a reality, it does not need any explanation, as it becomes a self-explanatory expression (Al-Quran) that can be proclaimed on the occasion of Hajj, the twelfth evolutionary cycle of man. 

Saum is the prescription to become cautious / diligent / thoughtful (Mutaqi) (2:183). Mutaqi is the one who has faith in the unseen system of consciousness (2:3) and works within that system (2:177). One who is a strong believer in the phrase “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap.” Saum - in short it means - to take a strategic pause or practice before you preach. This practice can be of any nature which rehabilitates or disciplines a person to achieve higher goals. The dictionary meaning of Saum is to stop, pause, refrain, control, abstain, but in this context it means to refrain from talking openly unless the person is seeking to know [miskeen]. Here in this context of Ramadan, saum means to give a break from external influences and let the faculty of autonomous thinking (Rehman) activate itself to teach us (55:1-2) the Quran so that we are able to explain to others. 

UNDERSTANDING AL-SIYAAM, RAMADAN AND TAQWA :

2:183

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

O those who have faith/trust/belief [in themselves], decreed/ written/ scripted/ registered upon you is the abstinence, same as what was decreed/written upon those who were accepting you [like minded], so that you persistently become diligent / thoughtful [Conscious about your Rabb].

This is the direct address to those who have faith/trust and self belief to take note that the abstinence or al-saum [الصِّيَامُ] is decreed upon them. It is very important to restrain our confuse urges, remain calm and quite for personal peace, safety and security [Aman] in order that you become cautious / thoughtful / diligent [mutaqi]. The essence of the word saum generally used in practice of restraining oneself from indulging in all the bad habits. The actual function of saum is to preserve our originality and remove the layers of artificiality so that we can return to our originally inherent script [Al-Kitab]. It is important to believe and trust the content of our script in order to preserve our original state. In an atmosphere of any kind of fear and insecurity it is difficult to maintain or preserve the original stateNo doubt the inherent script [Al-Kitab], has guidance written in it for those who ponder, think, contemplate and are cautious [mutaqi]. Mutaqis are the ones who guard their thoughts, careful, take precaution and are diligent about what thoughts they are entertaining - they are those who understand the importance of understanding their own script [Al-Kitab] and strive to achieve it and live by it - To follow the script one should have tremendous faith and trust in the unseen potentials [bil-gayab] and wisdom of the natural script [Al-Kitab], for that they should establish the 24x7 process of connection [salat] with the script [Al-Kitab] but it is not easy. To establish the process of connection [salat] is not easy, it requires lot of patience and discipline.

The purpose of Al-Siyaam is TAQWA, that means self restrain is precaution. It is dictated upon us the guidance to follow the inherent script [Al-Kitab] or at least recognize our true destiny. But we have been piled with layers upon layers with false information, thus the true script of our life is hidden as a result we be covered in ignorance [Kafir]. So through the exercise of patience, humbleness and restrain [Al-Siyaam] we have to retain our ignored script back. For that one has to continuously remain cautious/diligent/ thoughtful [Mutaqi]. To become Mutaqi one should believe in unseen [Bil-gayab 2:2-3]-  Allah, Yaumul Akhira, Malaikah, Al-Kitab, Al-Nabiyeen, Al-Rasuls, Iblees, Shaitaan, Jannah, Jahannum all come under the ambit of Bil-Gayab. There are 18 points that we are instructed in verse 2:177 for becoming Mutaqi out of which top 5 points come under the ambit of bil-gayab. Out of these 18 points there is no mention of Saum and Hajj because it is discuss in detail between 2:183-200. The best provision for performing Hajj is Taqwa [2:197] - Al-Hajj is inside our own agitated mind [Al-Naas] - [22:27] and not a pilgrimage to Mecca.

تَتَّقُونَ - second person masculine plural (form VIII) imperfect verb - the basic essence of Taqwa according to the over all Quranic context is one who preserve or guard himself against bad thoughts or influences. Al-Siyaam is the exercise to develop self control so that one becomes mutaqi. Trusting in our hidden potentials [bil-gayab] is important in knowing our script. We cannot witness [مَشْهُودًا] the part of the script [Quran] if we don't believe in bil-gayab. The entire message of the Quran is based on unseen forces which controls human behaviour. To become Mutaqi is to be diligent, cautious, thoughtful or observant of the unseen forces [Allah, Malaikah, Iblees, shaitaan, Al-Nabiyeen, Rasul etc...]

2:184

أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۚ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

This is for those who are determined/prepared for the moment / time, but any from you fall short [of knowledge] or get carried away [by the knowledge], then determine from later moments, And for those who can afford it, they can fulfill it by educating / nourishing those who ceased to think [miskeen]. But those who do on his own accord, it is better for him. Abstinence is better for you if only you know.

Al-Siyaam is for those who want to raise themselves for the moment of evolutionary stage of Ramadan, if some who are not prepared and are short of knowledge but are carried away by the effect of knowledge, for them they must delay the presentation of their views on their own accord.

Now 2:185 - SHAHRU RAMADAN

 شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

State of notable manifestation (shahru) is the kindle (ramadan), revealed in that the Expression (Al-Quran), which is the guidance for the agitated minds and clear explanation (bayanati) from the guidance and the Criterion (Al-Furqan). So whoever among you experiences / witnesses such a notable manifestation, should control / restrain (saum) himself (from talking or discussing with others who are not like-minded) or whoever fall short [of knowledge], or is carried away and experiences such a phenomena may postpone the abstention period to later date because Allah [the system of consciousness] does not want to make things difficult for you. So complete the determination and take into account the guidance which Allah has given you and magnify [make the expression a reality which crept into your mind] Allah upon what He has guided you so that you may be grateful.

The verse does not discuss about sighting of the moon or month of fasting. It describe the condition in which “Quran” is revealed and when the revelation of wahi is experienced by anyone among us, what he/she should do or abstain from doing or take a pause, think over it once again before sharing the details with others..

2:186

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

And when My servant ask you concerning Me (Rehman), then indeed I am near. I respond to the calling when the caller calls Me. So let them respond to Me and trust Me, so that they be rightly guided.

The revelation and guidance of Al-Quran occurs with the help of the Rehman (55:1-2). The Teacher is closer to those who are obedient and seeker of knowledge. He is closer than his jugular vein. This verse confirms that the theme of saum is about closeness with Allah / Rabb / Rehman

2:187

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَائِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ ۖ فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۗ كَذَ‌ٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

It is allowed for you the process of anxiety [Lail], the abstinence [Al-siyaam] is the state of vying / fighting [Al-Rafas] towards your urges [Nisa], they are state of confusion [libas] for you and you are confusion for them, Allah [System of consciousness] knew that you are depriving your psyche [nafs] so He turned upon you and completely changed you. So now make sense [Baashir] to them [let not your urges become a hindrance] and seek what is scripted [Kataba] by the system of consciousness [Allah] for you - use intellectual curiosity [Kulu] and imbibe [Ashribu], until it becomes clearly distinct to you as the black thread easily distinguishable from the white thread from the breakthrough thinking [Al-Fajr]. Then complete abstinence [Al-Siyaam] till the period of anxiety remains and refrain from indulging with them (urges) while you are devoting yourself in acquiring state of humbleness / submissiveness [Al-Masjid]. These are the utmost level by which one can understand the system of consciousness [Allah], so do not go near them (urges), thus the system of consciousness makes clear His signs for the restless / agitated minds [Naas] that they continuously strive to return to the original state of God consciousness [yataqun].

Please try to grasp the spirit and sense of the message fairly and with an open mind. The message is for all of us. So understand carefully without prejudice. Meanings of the words are mainly derived according to the context and lexicons so that the reader may verify easily.

According to 2:187 Al-Siyaam is basically a battle [al-rafas] with our urges [nisa] to become Mutaqi. It has nothing to do with dirty talks for the purpose of cohabiting with our women. Abstinence is actually a fight with our urge [nisa] and nafs [psyche]. The urges are always disguised in nature and are ingrained with our psyche. Al-Siyaam or becoming Mutaqi is not at all easy unless he/she is a firm believer in his/her own script, it is all about not easily giving in to our urges[Nisa] and imitating others scripts. Imitating or following other's script will only bring in rivalry and aggression."To be yourself, but first know yourself."

Laith - period of anxiety, dark period - EWL page: 3015

الرَّفَثُ - to talk or engage or vied in enticing manner, fight, struggle, in 2:187 context it is a conversation or engagement with our urges. - رافث صاحبه means he joined with his companions or vied with each other - ترافثا - They two joined mutually or vied with one another ...

نِسَائِكُمْ - Nisa - Root word is ن س ا and not ن س و Nisakum means your urges and not your women...Quran gives utmost importance to urges as it(urges) can motivate or divert our focus or concentration from the subject or from the progress...Please check EWL page no. 2785 for Nisa [Urge].

لِبَاسٌ - to put on or wore the garment, protect himself from pudency / confusion, feign himself, inattentive to him - تَلْبِسُوا means mix up [2:42] - يَلْبِسَكُمْ signifies confuse [6:65] [6:137], the essence of the word libas in the context of the book Quran is one who is in doubt, confusion, in a state of disagreement, discordance . 

 الْمَسَاجِدِ - Masjid - Place / Humble state of acceptance or understanding - our body is a temple let not any impure thoughts enter in enshrined state of humbleness (9:28)

كُلُوا - Use intelligence - Actually it is a derivative of اكيل which means intelligent and ميكائيل the source of intelligence who provides food for thought is also one of the derivative of اكل it also signifies something going into the body without chewing. Intelligence goes into the body without going through chewing process.

أُشْرِبُوا - Ashribo -  absorb / implement / imbibe (2:93)

ابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا - And seek what is scripted by Allah and then suddenly changing the topic to eating and drinking, does it make any sense...? It actually signifies to use intellect and absorb its reasoning until the idea becomes clear to you…

The word اكل and its derivatives have occurred in the Quran 119 times and it is interpreted as eating or swallowing all the time as if the book Quran is all about eating and drinking. Translators have portrayed Islam as if achieving peace is all about eating, drinking, sex and then starving for the sake of Allah. These people with their wrong interpretations have brought the standard of Allah very low as if Allah is interested in all such activities. The food for agitated or restless mind is good intelligence but our theologians are more concerned about the food habits of the people.

There many examples where meaning of اكل as eating does not make sense in Quranic context, one such example is 2:168.

2:168 - يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy. [traditional translation]

Does the above translation of 2:168 makes sense. What eating good things from the earth has to do with following Satan's footsteps? If one follows the intelligence he won't follow the food steps of Satan [falsehood/away from truth] and that will make sense to the message - 

The actual translation of 2:168 will be:

O Restless / Agitated mind, use intellectual curiosity from whatever is in the lower consciousness that is lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of falsehood [Satan]. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.

CONCLUSION:

The conclusion is that Shahru Ramdhan and Al-Siyaam are exercises towards understanding our own inner script [Al-Kitab] by controlling / wrestling with our urges. Al-Quran is the part of Al-Kitab through which one develops Taqwa/diligence. 

The crux of the Al-Siyaam self control. Take a pause, don't be in hurry, understand the topic thoroughly before making it public. Also take precaution before disclosing new concepts or ideas to the general public, as new ideas are not for the general public. New ideas are always ahead of its time and usually the masses would not accept it. So to guard the Mutaqi from unnecessary harassment, the Quran instructs them to take a pause or restrain from revealing as its the trait of a Muttaqi to take precaution. Mutaqi are those who believe in their own script, read and understand it without doubt, for them there is guidance in it.

Shahru Ramdan and Al-Siyaam are actually the precursor of Al-Hajj the final stage of evolution in man [22:27]. But without understanding our own Al-Kitab no one can reach there.

In brief everyone of us is bestowed with their own unique script. Mutaqi's are those who diligently connect to their own script, without imitating or copying others.

The purpose of Al-Siyam is to become Mutaqi. Through the exercise of Al-Siyam one curbs his/her urges in order to work towards their script as nobody can play their script better than their own selves.







Ahle Aqal at 11:13


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Saturday, May 2, 2020

Tariq Jameel,Hadith contradicts the Quran

আপুনি মৌলানা তাৰিক জামান চাহাবৰ ভক্ত নেকি?
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তেওঁ কিচ্ছা কাহিনী আৰু মানব ৰচিত হাদিচেৰে লেকচাৰ দিয়ে। যিবোৰ কোৰআনৰ লগত contradiction.
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তেওঁ আগতিয়া জন্মত জাহান্নামৰ হাদিচ ক‌য়, যিবোৰ ভুৱা।
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চাওক তাৰিক জামানৰ ভিদিঅ' আৰু কোৰআনে কি ক‌য়।
👇
Molana Tariq Jameel:-
https://youtu.be/ywheOhFNnr0
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Quran:-
Hadith contradicts the Quranic truth which states that prophet Muhammad does not know the future:
"Say (O Muhammad), "I am not a novelty among the messengers, nor do I know what will happen to me or to you. I follow nothing other than what is revealed to me. I am no more than a clear warner." Qur'an-46:9.

For other verses that confirm that Prophet Muhammad does not know the future please see (6:50, 7:188, 10:20, 11:31, 27:65).

Friday, May 1, 2020

Quran explain itself all

🔵Quran explains every thing.
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١١١:١٢
لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ۗ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَٰكِنْ تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
১২:১১১
সিহঁতৰ বৃত্তান্তত অৱশ্যে বোধশক্তি সম্পন্ন ব্যক্তিসকলৰ বাবে আছে শিক্ষা। এইটো কোনো মনে সজা ৰচনা নহয়। বৰং এইটো আগৰ গ্ৰন্থবোৰত যি আছে তাৰেই সমৰ্থক আৰু 📌সকলো বিষয়ৰ বিশদ বিৱৰণ, লগতে মুমিন সম্প্ৰদায়ৰ বাবে ই হিদায়ত আৰু ৰহমত।
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٨٩:١٦
وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ شَهِيدًا عَلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ ۚ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ
১৬:৮৯
আৰু স্মৰণ কৰা, যেতিয়া আমি প্ৰত্যেক উম্মতৰ পৰা, সিহঁতৰ মাজৰ পৰাই সিহঁতৰ বিৰুদ্ধে একোজনকৈ সাক্ষী উত্থিত কৰিম আৰু তোমাক আমি তেওঁলোকৰ ওপৰত সাক্ষীৰূপে লৈ আহিম; কাৰণ আমি তোমাৰ প্ৰতি কিতাব অৱতীৰ্ণ কৰিছো 📌প্ৰত্যেক বিষয়ৰ স্পষ্ট ব্যাখ্যাস্বৰূপ, পথ নিৰ্দেশ, ৰহমত আৰু মুছলিমসকলৰ বাবে সুসংবাদস্বৰূপ।
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١٢:١٧
وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا
১৭:১২
আৰু আমি ৰাতি আৰু দিনক দুটা নিদৰ্শন বনাইছো, তাৰ পিছত ৰাতিৰ নিদৰ্শনক মচি দিছো আৰু দিনৰ নিদৰ্শনক আলোকপ্ৰদ কৰিছো; যাতে তোমালোকে তোমালোকৰ প্ৰতিপালকৰ অনুগ্ৰহ সন্ধান কৰিব পাৰা আৰু যাতে তোমালোকে বছৰৰ সংখ্যা আৰু হিচাপ স্থিৰ কৰিব পাৰা; আৰু আমি 📌সকলো বিষয় বিশদভাৱে বৰ্ণনা কৰিছো।
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🌐Quran is Protected and Guarded by Lord 15:9.
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٩:١٥
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
১৫:৯
নিশ্চয় আমিয়েই কোৰআন অৱতীৰ্ণ কৰিছো আৰু অৱশ্যে আমিয়েই ইয়াৰ সংৰক্ষক।
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🔴But
❓Did Prophet leave behind any book of hadith sunna sira contexts fiqa Nazools Tafsirs?
Ans:- No.
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That all Books were fabricated centuries after the death of Prophet.
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❓Did prophet certify any of book that are mentioned above.
Ans:-No.
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🌍Sharia law is valid only and only from BOOK of Allah.(16:116, 6:114, 6:19, 50:45).
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١١٦:١٦
وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَٰذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ
১৬:১১৬
আৰু তোমালোকৰ জিভাৰ দ্বাৰা বনাই মিছাৰ ওপৰত নিৰ্ভৰ কৰি ‘এইটো হালাল আৰু এইটো হাৰাম’ বুলি নক’বা। নিশ্চয় যিসকলে আল্লাহৰ প্ৰতি মিছা কথা আৰোপ কৰে সিহঁতে কেতিয়াও সফল নহব।
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١١٤:٦
أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْتَغِي حَكَمًا وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكِتَابَ مُفَصَّلًا ۚ وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُنَزَّلٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ
৬:১১৪
(কোৱা) ‘মই আল্লাহৰ বাহিৰে আন কাৰোবাক ফয়চালাকাৰী হিচাপে অন্বেষণ কৰিম নেকি? অথচ তেৱেঁই তোমালোকৰ প্ৰতি বিস্তাৰিত কিতাব অৱতীৰ্ণ কৰিছে’! আৰু আমি যিসকলক কিতাব প্ৰদান কৰিছো সিহঁতে জানে যে, নিশ্চয় এইটো তোমাৰ প্ৰতিপালকৰ তৰফৰ পৰা যথাযথভাৱে নাযিলকৃত। গতিকে তুমি সন্দেহ পোষণকাৰী সকলৰ অন্তৰ্ভুক্ত নহ’বা।
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١٩:٦
قُلْ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَادَةً ۖ قُلِ اللَّهُ ۖ شَهِيدٌ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنُ لِأُنْذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَنْ بَلَغَ ۚ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً أُخْرَىٰ ۚ قُلْ لَا أَشْهَدُ ۚ قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنَّنِي بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ
৬:১৯
কোৱা, ‘কোনটো বস্তু আটাইতকৈ ডাঙৰ সাক্ষী’? কোৱা, ‘আল্লাহ, মোৰ আৰু তোমালোকৰ মাজত সাক্ষ্যদাতা, আৰু এই কোৰআন মোৰ ওচৰত অহী কৰা হৈছে যাতে তোমালোকক আৰু যাৰ ওচৰলৈকে ই গৈ পাব সিহঁতক ইয়াৰ দ্বাৰা সতৰ্ক কৰিব পাৰো। তোমালোকে এই সাক্ষী বহন কৰা নেকি যে, আল্লাহৰ লগত আন কোনোবা ইলাহ আছে’? কোৱা, ‘মই এই সাক্ষ্য নিদিওঁ’। কোৱা, ‘তেৱেঁই হৈছে একমাত্ৰ প্ৰকৃত ইলাহ আৰু তোমালোকে যি অংশীদাৰ স্থাপন কৰা তাৰ পৰা মই নিশ্চয় বিমুক্ত’।
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٤٥:٥٠
نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ ۖ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِجَبَّارٍ ۖ فَذَكِّرْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَنْ يَخَافُ وَعِيدِ
৫০:৪৫
সিহঁতে যি কয় সেয়া আমি ভালকৈয়ে জানো, আৰু সিহঁতক বাধ্য কৰোৱা তোমাৰ কাম নহয়; সেয়ে যিয়ে আমাৰ শাস্তিক ভয় কৰে তাক তুমি কোৰআনৰ সহায়ত উপদেশ দিয়া।
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🌐Quran 5:44 makes clear that who make Islamic laws from any other book except Quran, are Kaafirs Kafiroon.
⬇️⬇️
٤٤:٥
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ ۚ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ ۚ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۚ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
৫:৪৪
নিশ্চয় আমিয়েই তাওৰাত অৱতীৰ্ণ কৰিছিলো, তাত আছিল হিদায়ত আৰু জ্যোতি, ইয়াৰ মাধ্যমত ইয়াহুদিসকলৰ বাবে ফয়চালা প্ৰদান কৰিছিল অনুগত নবীসকলে আৰু ৰাব্বানীসকলে লগতে বিদ্বানসকলেও। কাৰণ তেওঁলোকক আল্লাহৰ কিতাবৰ ৰক্ষক হিচাপে দায়িত্ব দিয়া হৈছিল আৰু তেওঁলোক আছিল ইয়াৰ ওপৰত সাক্ষী। সেয়ে তোমালোকে মানুহক ভয় নকৰিবা কেৱল মোকেই ভয় কৰা আৰু মোৰ আয়াতসমূহৰ বিনিময়ত তুচ্ছ মূল্য কিনি নলবা। 📌আল্লাহে যি অৱতীৰ্ণ কৰিছে সেই অনুযায়ী যিসকলে বিধান নিদিয়ে সিহঁতেই কাফিৰ।
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👉Quran 28:56 tells; Mohammad cannot guide but only Allah guides.
👉So how Mohammad could guide Shia and Sunni sects thru books of Hadith and sunna that he never certified
⬇️⬇️
٥٦:٢٨
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
২৮:৫৬
নিশ্চয় তুমি যাক ভালপোৱা ইচ্ছা কৰিলেই তাক সৎপথত আনিব নোৱাৰা। বৰং আল্লাহে যাক ইচ্ছা কৰে সৎপথ দেখুৱায় আৰু সৎপথ অনুসাৰীসকলৰ বিষয়ে তেৱেঁই ভালকৈ জানে।
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🥀comp.edi🥀syedraf🥀