Q&A Episode 1: Is Islam/Qur'an perfect?

There have been interesting discussions so far that I'm enjoying immensely! The concept of God and scripture reappears quite often. I would like to comment on views of my commentators but also present my own perspective.

There are a lot of issues that are being discussed at the same time. I would like to concentrate on ONE point at a time and discuss it in details.

As different people make different assertions I will try to present the points of view I came across so far and my thoughts on them. I want to break it down into small chunks. I will also use dictionary definitions to make sure that we are talking about the same thing.

When I think of Islam, Qur'an immediately comes to my mind. Qur'an is the foundation of what Islam is about. Later come hadiths and sira of Muhammad.

Let us take a look at Qur'an as a scripture, as a book of guidance, as a divine revelation.

1. Qur'an is considered to be the verbatim word of God.

32:2 Sahih International

[This is] the revelation of the Book about which there is no doubt from the Lord of the worlds.

hence:

1a. We can assume that the Qur'an is perfect i.e. not having any mistakes, faults, or damage as we would expect from God – an omnipotent and omniscient being.

1b. It also says about itself:

2:2 Sahih International

This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah -

Yusuf Ali

This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah;

16:89 Sahih International

And [mention] the Day when We will resurrect among every nation a witness over them from themselves. And We will bring you, [O Muhammad], as a witness over your nation. And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.

17:9 Sahih International

Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.

There are two assertions being made that Qur'an is:

a) without doubt (dict. doubt = a feeling of being not sure whether sth is true or right)

b) guidance [I also often hear that Qur'an is like a manual for life]

(guidance = help and advice given to someone about their work/education etc;

manual = a book that gives instructions about how to do sth.)

There is also verse 5:19

Sahih International

O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger to make clear to you [the religion] after a period [of suspension] of messengers, lest you say, "There came not to us any bringer of good tidings or a warner." But there has come to you a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And Allah is over all things competent.

The Qur’an says that it makes CLEAR what is expected of believers in:

9:115 Sahih International

And Allah would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.

24:34 Yusuf Ali

We have already sent down to you verses making things clear, an illustration from (the story of) people who passed away before you, and an admonition for those who fear (Allah).

[please note this time I used Ali’s translation cause Sahih says: sent down to you distinct verses while Khan, Pickthall and Ali translate it as making things plain]

24: 46 Yusuf Ali

We have indeed sent down signs that make things manifest: and Allah guides whom He wills to a way that is straight.

36:69 Sahih International

And We did not give Prophet Muhammad, knowledge of poetry, nor is it befitting for him. It is not but a message and a clear Qur'an.

5:3 Sahih International

(…) This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.

I think we established enough that the Qur’an claims to be clear (mubeen) and provides guidance to believers.

The Qur’an also claims that falsehood cannot creep into its text in:

41:41-42 Sahih International

Indeed, those who disbelieve in the message after it has come to them... And indeed, it is a mighty Book.

Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy.

15:9 Sahih International

Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.

While in 4:82 it says it is free from discrepancy:

Sahih International

Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction.

Right, so we got that out of the way :-)

It seems that I’m in agreement with Usagi, who wrote a post as a reply to my questions here, that the Qur’an has been protected and as a word of God should be flawless.

I will write about the issue of Arabic and translation in another post. As I said, one topic at a time.

However, I didn’t extract a satisfying answer to the following questions:

If the Qur’an is perfect, flawless and CLEAR why:

1) do we have so much disagreement over what its verses mean?

2) do we have different schools of Islamic thought that not necessarily agree on the details (which shouldn’t be the case if the book is plain and clear in the first place)

3) what about:

12:1 Sahih International

Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the clear Book.

15:1 Sahih International

Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur'an.

26_1-2 Sahih International

Ta, Seen, Meem. These are the verses of the clear Book.

Where is the clarity in those abbreviated letters? What do they mean? 

Commentators on that post disagree whether translations are good enough and convey an accurate meaning (next post so please refrain from comments on this one just yet :-) ). There also comes an issue of Arabic language as such.

3) Is Qur’an easy to understand or not? Views seem to be divided on this one. And it is an extremely important issue as we are talking about eternal punishment in hellfire.

4) Stephi said that the Qur’an is not easy to understand but the Qur’an says otherwise… If the book is clear then I believe easy understanding would follow.

On the other hand, If it is easy then why am I often advised to supplement reading of the Qur’an with hadiths and tafsirs to understand THE TRUE meaning?

5) One commenter says that the current Qur’an is probably filled with a few flaws, which I believe goes against the Islamic tradition. Could a perfect and omnipotent God send a book of guidance with flaws?

Uff, I think I'm done! I would like to add so many things but wanted to keep it short and stick to one topic which proved to be very difficult :-)

Thank you for reading and well done if you got through until the end :-)

Fragile life

I have known this song for quite a while and found it today again when browsing my youtube fav.
As before it made me cry... It's a beautiful song which reminds me that I should try not to get caught up in  petty things but concentrate on actually LIVING my life to the fullest and savouring every single second of it... It's so precious and I've been extremely blessed to be living life that I have, and I should make sure that I don't waste it away...

Thank you readers :-)

I would simply like to say thank you to my handful of readers and commenters :-)

You already posted some interesting thoughts, made some good points that I would definitely like to write about or reply to them in more detail :-) I love this platform of sharing my thoughts, my conclusions and having them confronted with different points of view on the same subject. I feel it's a very good learning experience and I've learned a lot already! I don't think I could ask for more than that :-)

So a BIG THANK YOU to all :-)

Have a lovely day!

Wild animals should stay in the jungle!

I feel like a wild animal. At least I behave like one! It's sad really.
I have always been rather shy, only had a handful of very very good friends rather than a big circle of them. I'm more of a "stay at home read a book" kind of a girl. To hide my social awkwardness I would try to be funny or silly.


Anyways... so with my ex, we used to spend time at home mostly (due to our relationship being secret) either talking, watching various stuff or simply studying together. I felt so comfortable with him I could pretty much tell him anything I felt embarrassed about and we would just have a chat, laugh off my/his silliness and hug.
Being with him felt as being with an old friend around whom you can just be yourself. What a wonderful feeling! He LOVED me without make up, in pyjamas, saw me crying many many times (also because of him), saw me happy, upset and angry. We've done it all. I didn't have to pretend anything. I could be myself with him, with my depression, ups and downs, but also jumping into his arms when he came to see me...
Will I ever get that again? Will I ever feel this way about somebody else? He hurt me so many times, and vice versa, but we could never be angry at each other for long. We would come back, apologise, kiss and hug and be so happy that everything was good again :)


So there is this guy from work who is handsome and nice. I like him. I don't want to get involved with him for many reasons but I guess some conversational practice wouldn't hurt. I need to get back on the 'meeting people' scene! We already had coffee together and he asked me out for dinner but whenever I am with him I just don't know what to say, where to look or what to do with my hands! So I came up with an excuse just not to go out for dinner with him cause I'm scared my mind would go blank! Then he came to my office for a chat and dropped casual: so do you wanna do sth together tonight? Uhh, how about no cause the very thought scares me?
I feel like an animal let out of the jungle not knowing how to behave. I should have stayed in there!
Uhh, what happened to me? I'm so longing for my ex when conversation was easy and natural with instant connection...
This is what I should print myself off in bulk and use it all the time :D

Don't be selfish in love!

If you are a Western girl in a relationship with a guy from the Gulf, please do your research on laws of the country he lives in but most importantly about family dynamics, which is so so much different than in the West. It goes without saying that you should do extensive research about religion as well.


If you are a guy from the Gulf in a relationship with a Western non-muslim girl - for the love of God! Be honest with the her. I believe honesty is the best policy. Don't promise things you can't deliver. Don't give false hopes!

If you know you can't follow through with your promises and things you say at the very moment of saying them, don't say them at all! Keep your big mouth shut! You are not doing anyone any favours. Do you think that giving another person false hopes is cool? Think again! It's cruel and disrespectful to lead someone on.


How selfish and inconsiderate is it for a man to tell the girl he's been seeing for some time that he loves her and wants to be with her as a husband and wife, share his life with, if he KNOWS that his parents, mother in particular, will not love her as the girls that she already picked for him. He also knows that he does NOT have the strength or desire to stand up for her in front of his family. 
The wish of his parents means EVERYTHING to him. His pleased parents mean more than his own dreams. What his community/strangers think about him and his family is far more important than his own happiness. If he needs to leave you behind, make both of you miserable to please his parents, society - this is what is going to happen. 
If you are not going to compromise to help a relationship work out, say so. Show an ounce of decency respect to the other person's time and feelings by letting them know the above. / rant

Dear Allah...

I found this video in my youtube feed and I wanted to share it with you:




I love Nessrriinn, her voice and the quality of her videos. I also like very much CEMBadmins vids:

http://www.youtube.com/user/CEMBadmins

Not feeling it today...

It's been one of those bleh/meh days :(


My family came over for a few days and we went to Amsterdam. Throughout the entire time we were there I kept recalling things me and him did or said when we spent there our weekend back in January, how much fun we had and how perfect that weekend was. He came to talk. But we ended up being so happy to be together again that we didn't do much serious talking. It was just old us, having fun, talking about what happened in the previous months, laughing, joking, fooling around but most importantly - being together. Savouring every single second.


He got me a beautiful charm bracelet with angel's wing charm. I wear it every day and it reminds me of him. I often wonder if he thinks of me at all... 
I miss him terribly today and I wonder if he misses me at all... He probably already found his perfect Muslim girl and forgot about me. I can't say it doesn't bother me cause a thought of him being with someone else causes me physical pain.


Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow I will miss him less. I hope...

One text, thousands meanings.

It doesn't cease to amaze me that people can read exactly the same text and derive a completely different understanding of a given text.


Qur'an is a case in point. I didn't read the Qur'an in Arabic but in English. Different translations may I add. And tafseers. And I read some hadiths too. 
When I first found out about chapter 4 verse 34 I was so surprised I quickly dismissed it as anti-Islam propaganda. For those who are not familiar, here is the verse:

Sahih International

Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance - [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand.

Muhsin Khan

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allah orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property, etc.). As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most Great.

Pickthall

Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.

Yusuf Ali

Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).

Being me, I had to cross-check everything and I didn't find the answer I was hoping for. 
I used 4:34 because it's a perfect example of how different people interpret the Qur'an. 
Here are the interpretations I came across:


1) the verse means what it means i.e beat them


2) slightly apologetic but still true to the original version is 'beat them lightly'


3) for some Muslims it means 'leave them' 


Having had an Arab boyfriend who happens to be a native Arabic speaker I asked for clarification and I received one. It means 'beat them [lightly]". He said that the beating should be light but that's indicated in the hadith while the Qur'an simply says 'beat them'.


So what am I getting at? On one hand I like the flexibility of interpretation that Qur'an seems to give but on the other hand I can't help but wonder whether God couldn't have been more clear while passing down his message? 
Qur'an is supposed to be like a guide book. What kind of guidance is it when different people arrive at different conclusions? For example if you belong to group 3 you will probably say that those in group 1 are not following the 'real Islam' and vice versa.
What's the point then if you cannot be 110% sure that your interpretation is the correct one? Bear in mind that everyone claims they have done their research and have proofs to support their arguments. 
How do you find out the truth? After all we are not talking here about petty stuff, it's a matter of heaven or hell.


Qur'an claims to be the final revelation and to be honest I would expect Allah to be far far more clear on how he wants me to behave. I really think Allah could have done better (if it was Allah in the first place).

(2:256) There is no compulsion in religion.

I've heard this verse from the Qur'an so many times that now it makes me roll my eyes every single time I hear it. My ex-bf cited it to me on at least four different occasions and I read it on blogs and forums over and over again. It became like a flagship verse from the Qur'an. To me it means that you not only cannot force anyone to become a Muslim but also what stems from this lack of force - tolerance and acceptance of the other.


Is it practiced though? Let's see. I heard it from my ex but at the end of the day he just couldn't fathom being with a non-Muslim. Where is this lack of compulsion? You will say: he didn't force me to convert. 
True, he didn't drag me to the mosque and made me say shahada. But wouldn't you call compulsion or at least emotional blackmail when someone you love dearly tells you they cannot get over the fact that you are a non-believer? My conversion became compulsory in order for our relationship to last.
His behaviour had also nothing to do with tolerance and acceptance. He told me very clearly that he can accept me in a short relationship but he cannot imagine spending his lifetime with a non-believer. His family would get over his decision of being with a non-Muslim but would never love me.
Tolerance and acceptance? Zilch, zero, nada.


I know there are women out there who are in relationships with Muslim men who don't pressure them into converting. Very well, it's a good start. Try this: ask him whether he will allow his children to choose their own path. I'm pretty sure that 99,99% of Muslim men will say "no!"
Mine said just that and I quote: noooooo, this is sooo wrong! they have to be Muslim! being non-Muslim is sooo wrong!


So there you have it. Seem there is no compulsion, just pure tolerance and acceptance of the other. Ekhm... Nope.

Sandy feet :-)

At the end of June last year we went to Scarborough in the UK for a weekend away. Just the two of us. Without hiding from his friends. Out in the open like any other couple, holding hands and walking along the beach...


It was my last week in UK before coming back to my home country for some time.
The weather was gorgeous that week, it was relatively warm and most of the time very sunny. It was perfect. I managed to find us a double room in a guest house despite the fact that pretty much everything was booked. The room was small but cosy, owners very nice and helpful. 
I remember clearly everything during those two days we spent together. It was like a fairytale that I didn't want to end... 


Just yesterday I went to the beach by bicycle with my housemate. When I sat down to clean my feet and put my shoes back on one year old memory came back to me. After walking on the beach for some time we decided to grab something to eat. I sat on the stairs to clean my feet. He asked me to wait. He quickly went to a vendor to get some water. He squatted next to me, washed my feet with bottled water, dried them with tissues, put on my socks and Converses, which I got a few months earlier from him...


I know it's silly, just one little memory. I MUST stop with this self-pity but atm I am really not sure if I will ever have capacity to love anyone as much as I loved him...

My Fellow American

I saw fellow bloggers posting the vid and it tended to generate interesting discussions. I think the subject touches a sore spot with many people that's why I decided to write a post about it.


here is the vid:





I don't live in the USA, hence I'm not familiar with how extensive discrimination there is. I believe discrimination exists everywhere. I faced discrimination myself and I know how it feels. 
If a vid/project like above would make people discriminate less, I'm all up for it. Really.
However, I feel that said vid pictures non-Muslims as bigoted, full of hate or ignorant at best. And we all know that's not the case with 100% of population. Yes, there are people as those presented in this short video but there are also people who are tolerant and approach everyone on an individual basis. I also dare to say that the latter group is much much larger. 
It's exactly the same with Muslims. There will be few extreme ones who usually have big mouths and speak for all Muslims consequently painting all Muslims as extremists and terrorists. We all know that's not the case!


Now. I believe a lot of non-Muslims are concerned with Islam for a reason. Non-Muslims have legitimate questions about Islam that are very often brushed off as hate. 
Please point me to a moment in the vid that addresses any of concerns that a non-Muslim person might have. I didn't see it. 
Do you think that simply presenting Muslims and Islam as misunderstood is going to remove suspicion and in some cases fear of Islam? As if repeating "Islam is peace" often enough will make people believe that Islam IS peace. I don't think so.


Personally, I would much rather see an open debate about Islam between Islamic scholars and non-Muslims who are really knowledgable in the Qur'an, have studied Islam for a long time and preferably speak Arabic. They could discuss commonly brought up point or concerns supporting their arguments with scripture. They should take questions from audience or get them sent in advance to see which themes reoccur the most often. 
I would even throw an ex-Muslim to the panel just to spice things up ;-)


THAT I think would be far more efficient in clearing misunderstandings, fears and concerns non-Muslims might have. What do YOU think? 

Ahh...

I was the person who introduced my ex-bf to Sade and Norah Jones. He would always put it on when he came to my place and it was playing subtly in the background. He had songs he loved, I had mine and we had OUR songs. He doesn't dance but we danced once to "Flow" by Sade ;-(

Her songs mean so much to me cause they remind me of precious moments I spent with him... Because of this I couldn't listen to her songs for about a year as they would always bring tears to my eyes... And today is no different ;-( 

Here is one of her songs that speaks what's on my mind right now:

and lyrics:

"Still In Love With You"
(originally by Thin Lizzy)

Think I'll just fall to pieces
If I don't find something else to do
This sadness never ceases
I'm still in love with you

My head, it keeps on reeling
It's got me in a crazy spin
Darling, darling, darling
Is this the end?

Still in love with you

They say time has a way of healing
Dries all the tears from your eyes
But darling it's this empty feeling
My heart can't disguise

After all that we've been through
I try my best but it's no use
I guess I'll keep on loving you
Is this the end?

Now that it's all over, woman
There's something I think you should know
Baby, baby, think it over
Just one more time before you go

Call on me baby
If there's anything I can do for you
Call on me baby
Help me see it through

I'm still in love with you...

_____________________

There are so many things that I would still like to say or questions I would like to ask... But maybe it wouldn't change anything anyway...

Is Islam misunderstood?

I remember a winter night when I was discussing Islam with my ex. He said that Islam was easy to follow because Allah loves his creation and He wouldn't want to make it difficult for us. I think there is also a hadith saying that you should take a middle path, when it comes to practicing, rather than go to extremes.


Anyways, I have been frequenting various blogs since January 2010 and in all honesty I must say that there are as many Islams as there are Muslims. One Muslim will tell you that Islam is easy to follow, the other one will tell you it is not. The same person will tell you that the Qur'an is simple to understand but at the same time it contains meanings that we as humans cannot possibly understand (go figure!).


Every single place I go, be it youtube, blogs, islamic forums etc. I read or hear that Islam is misunderstood. But is it really? Muslims don't seem to have good understanding of Islam themselves but they are first to point out ignorance of others. They can't even agree on a simple issue of hijab, let alone terrorism or jihad, or other important aspects of their faith. However, non-Muslims still should take the beating for their "ignorance" and/or "hatred". As if when you call somebody ignorant and full of hate, it will change his/her perception of Islam (quite to the contrary cause it only indicates that you are not able to prove them wrong or support your own argument). It happened to me many many times when talking to my ex or people online and I'm sick and tired of it... 


So... What IS Islam?

Introduction to Islam part 2

As far as I remember wikipedia was the first search result that I skimmed through. Other search results on the first page were islamic websites, not anti-islam ones.
A week after our first conversation about the subject I wanted to meet him and break this relationship off. It wasn't anything in particular about Islam that threw me off but the fact that I had to be Muslim for him to accept me.
There was also another factor. He knew he would be coming back to Saudi and it was hardly negotiable. Saudi seemed to me as a land of scorching hot, men in white cloaks while women draped in meters of black looking as non-entities. It certainly didn't give me warm fuzzy feelings.


I met up with him and said that I can't be with him because he doesn't accept me for who I am. It wasn't a matter of an annoying habit or behaviour that he wanted me to change. It was my religion, my faith and my outlook on life. And I wasn't even a practicing Catholic! I wasn't going to church, reading the Bible, proclaiming Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. None of these things!


My intuition was right but even 2 weeks didn't pass and we were back together as if nothing happened... Man, I was stupid! I told him that I will continue reading about Islam, Qur'an and life in Saudi. And so I did. There are plenty of websites on which you can read the Qur'an in many different translations but since I had to do lots of reading online for my studies I was sick and tired of pdf or online resources. I wanted a book. I asked him to bring me a copy of the Qur'an from our local mosque, after all he was there at least once a week. It took him FIVE months to bring me the Qur'an!!! I can't remember who translated it but it was one of those printed or sponsored by Saudi. By the time I received it, I already read excerpts online and well... I didn't like what I read... It does show, however, how involved he was in teaching me about Islam and introducing me to his faith. He considered it so important for me to be a Muslim, yet couldn't find time to read the Qur'an with me and do research... Tbc...