qur’an, tafsir, tadabbur
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Read Through Tafsir or Just Ponder the Qur’an?
I RECENTLY MET A brother who I’d not seen since the late ’90s. He was eager to remind me of an incident I’d more or less forgotten about. I was working in an Islamic bookshop at the time. He came in to buy the ten volume translation of Tafsir Ibn Kathir Abridged. At the time Continue reading
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Satan’s Deceit, Adam’s Slip & the Tree of Immortality
This read starts with the question: Does it matter how one sins? To answer it, it explores the deeper layers of the story of Adam, Satan and the divine command to not eat from the Tree of Immortality, in order to understand why it is that at the end of the story Adam is bathed Continue reading
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Preparations for Pilgrimage & Piety
The Qur’an says of itself: [This is] a Book that We have sent down to you, full of blessings, that they may meditate upon its signs, and that those possessed of understanding may take heed. [38:29] The Quranic insistence on tadabbur (to ‘meditate’, ‘reflect’, ‘ponder’ upon the Qur’an) is one of the three essential states our hearts should be in for them to be enriched, Continue reading
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Time Waits for None: Reflections on Surat al-‘Asr
In one of the shortest chapters or surahs of the Qur’an, we read: By Time! Verily man is in [a state of] loss; except those who believe and perform righteous deeds, and enjoin one another to [follow] the truth, and enjoin one another to patience. [103:1-3] This chapter, or surah, is known as Surat al-‘Asr. I hope to Continue reading
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By this Book We Rise or Fall
Recently, it seems that a number of pious people and a few eminent Muslim spiritual leaders have had premonitions and dreams about the quickening of the Hour and the imminent appearance of the Dajjal. Every generation has its warners proclaiming the End of Days being nigh and the doors of Dajjal, the Antichrist, being flung Continue reading
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The Qur’an & the Soul’s Alchemy
The Prophet, peace be upon him, remarked, ‘The best of you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it to others.’1 For Muslims, not withstanding the sheer beauty of its composition and its cadences, the Qur’an is a repository of revealed teachings, a roadmap for the journey through life, and a fountain of Continue reading
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How the Qur’an Justifies Itself
In a previous posting about Islam’s rational monotheism (which can be read here), we saw how the Qur’an utilises a rationalist discourse to substantiate some of its main theological doctrines. As for how the Qur’an vindicates itself and rationalises its claim of truly being the Word of God, it deploys the following line of argument: ♦ Firstly, Continue reading
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Reading Qur’an for the Deceased
Question: Is it permitted to donate the reward of one’s recitation of the Qur’an to a deceased person, and will they benefit by such recitation? Or is this an innovation (bid‘ah) that opposes orthodox Islam, as claimed by certain people? Answer: Unfortunately, this issue has become a cause of great controversy and fiery disputes between Muslims in Continue reading
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Have You Parted Company With the Qur’an?
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it to others.’1 And then there is this hadith: ‘Verily God elevates a people by this Book and debases others by it.’2 These hadiths probably go some way in explaining why Muslims – and what some still call the Muslim world Continue reading
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The Qur’an & Science: Match Made in Heaven?
Muslims are quick to point out that the Qur’an is remarkably free of the scientific inaccuracies found in other religious texts. Many go one step further and point out how astonishingly in tune the Qur’an actually is with modern science. And while it is true that some believers have thrown caution to the wind in their Continue reading