The Scope of Difference

#QuranReflections by Talha Ghannam

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يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًۭا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَـٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءًۭ فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًۭا طَيِّبًۭا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍۢ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ٦ 

O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of ˹full˺ impurity,1 then take a bath. But if you are ill, on a journey, or have relieved yourselves, or have been intimate with your wives and cannot find water, then purify yourselves with clean earth by wiping your faces and hands.2 It is not Allah’s Will to burden you, but to purify you and complete His favour upon you, so perhaps you will be grateful. (5:6)

Islamic civilisation is unique; since its inception at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, multiple truths have always coexisted within the religion. It’s a strange concept, but a critical one, especially in modern society. Let me explain.

Islam, and more specifically Muslim Scholars, have always recognised the validity of different opinions on a single issue. Indeed, the broad principles of the practice – its foundations – are one and the same, but the differences within the details are evident in many issues.  Two seemingly conflicting opinions can be widely practiced by many different individuals, yet are recognised and accepted by each party. This principle; the existence of firm parameters of truth and a scope for difference within it, is one of the most crucial things to understand, and offers a solution to a world plagued by conflict.

No example is clearer than the verse I recited outlining the performance of wudu – a ritual purification required as a prerequisite to prayer. All Muslims agree on the broad outline of what wudu entails, layin

Just Justice

#QuranReflections by Talha Ghannam

Video: https://youtu.be/KxmbDpx1R74

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/quranclub

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۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ ٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًۭا فَٱللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعْدِلُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُۥٓا۟ أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًۭا ١٣٥ 

O believers! Stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or close relatives. Be they rich or poor, Allah is best to ensure their interests. So do not let your desires cause you to deviate ˹from justice˺. If you distort the testimony or refuse to give it, then ˹know that˺ Allah is certainly All-Aware of what you do.

(4:135)

It’s another world cup, but unlike any before. Hosted in Qatar, it’s been surrounded by controversy since they were first declared its hosts. Human rights abuses, alcohol bans and LGBT laws have been just some of the issues raised against the country, leading both the BBC and ITV to boycott the opening ceremony.

As Muslims, it’s easy to feel under attack. Why so much attention on Qatar compared to other countries? Haven’t other countries done far worse which has gone ignored? Isn’t this blatant hypocrisy? Whilst these may be valid objections, they are not the way we should respond as Muslims. Allah ﷻ demanded a higher standard than a moral tit-for-tat. He said:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ ٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ

O believers! Stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or close relatives. (4:135)

Taste of Death

Quran Reflections by Talha Ghannam

Video: https://youtu.be/LCqhENDsiwo

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كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ ٥٧

Every soul will taste death, then to Us you will ˹all˺ be returned. (29:57)

Taste. It’s a curiously common word to describe an experience, both in Arabic and English; we “taste” victory, success and even death. In these contexts, the literal meaning of the word cannot be taken as the object often has no physical body, yet the verb perfectly invokes the emotions it intends to produce. So why does Allah ﷻ use it here? Here are just a few reflections for why this word was chosen for this verse.

The Inconvenient Truth

Quran Reflections by Talha Ghannam

Video: https://youtu.be/EvR03U-JNOI

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يَسْـَٔلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَـٰبًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰٓ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةًۭ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَـٰنًۭا مُّبِينًۭا ١٥٣

The People of Moses demand that you ˹O Prophet˺ bring down for them a revelation in writing from heaven. They demanded what is even greater than this from Moses, saying, “Make Allah visible to us!” So a thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf for worship after receiving clear signs. Still We forgave them for that ˹after their repentance˺ and gave Moses compelling proof.

(4:153)

Have you ever come across a statement you knew to be true, but accepting it would be too inconvenient? All around us, we see an increasingly polarised world. Groups become entrenched in their world view blinded to the realities around them as they only seek that which validates their conclusions. Elections are “stolen”, immigrants are “swarming” and Muslims are “scheming” are just some of the “facts” peddled to justify world views. We live in an era of alternative facts; where truth is no longer objective, but something to explore relative to each individual. “Find your truth” is a phrase you will often hear encouraging you to explore your own feelings to find what fits you. So long as you can justify your practise, anything is game.

This reality is not too dissimilar to the situation the Jews found themselves in Madinah. Upon the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ to the city, they had to consider whether he was indeed the Messenger from God they had been foretold about in their books. To do this, they made a claim: “bring down a revelation in writing from heaven [and we will believe]”. This was after all how every revelation beforehand had been received. The Quran, unlike all previous revelations, was revealed gradually over 23 years, often for specific situ

 (122:1-4) Know Your Lord

Quran Reflections by guest author Dr. Shadee Elmasry

Video: https://youtu.be/SyRj4bsMkC4

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112:1

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١

Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺;

112:2

ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ٢

Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺.

112:3

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ٣

He has never had offspring, nor was He born.

112:4

وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ٤

And there is none comparable to Him.”

Guest podcast: Dr. Shadee Elmasry

You’ll never view Surat al-Ikhlas the same again. 

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ 

وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

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As-salaamu Alaykum warahmat Allah!

This is Talha again from the Quran Club

We'll edit it and review it and perhaps we'll produce it into a podcast as well.

Jizak Allah Khair please continue to share these podcasts and the Quran reflections with others and we'll see you in the next one.

As-salaamu Alaykum warahmat Allah!

Proactive Patience

Quran Reflections by guest author Jinan Yousef

Video: https://youtu.be/Q-j3JEEHXLE

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قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱصۡبِرُوٓاْۖ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَٱلۡعَٰقِبَةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ

Moses reassured his people, ‘Seek Allah help and be patient: indeed the earth belongs to Allah alone- He grants it to whichever He chooses of His servants – the ultimate outcome belongs only to the righteous.

(Surat al-A’raf, 7:128) 

Today's reflection is by Jinan Yousef.

The context of this verse is important; the Children of Israel were being oppressed. Moses (as) gave them the solution: Seeking help through Allah ﷻ and patiently persevering. 

Goodly Commands

Video: https://youtu.be/ZaVZibbK5Hs

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وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُواْ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنۡ خَيۡرٖ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ

Establish prayer, and pay zakah. Whatever good you send forth for yourselves, you will ˹certainly˺ find ˹its reward˺ with Allah. Surely Allah is All-Seeing of what you do. (2:110)

God’s commandments benefit us. When Allah ﷻ orders us to do something, it is because that thing will be good for us, even if we don’t see it. God’s rewards for doing them are His gifts on top of the benefit you already received intrinsically by performing what He commanded. Simply put; the benefit of the commandment is not just reward from God. The benefit of the commandment is within the act itself!

In fact, scholars have described the sole purpose of Islamic Law to be precisely this! Al-Izz ibn Abd Al-Salaam, a great Egyptian scholar in the 7th century, described the essence of every ruling as being either to “bring forth good and avert harm”. 

For many, this statement may not be so self-evident; how can I benefit from following something I may disagree with or seemingly harmed by? What's interesting is Allah ﷻ implicitly addresses this through the choice of examples He chose within the verse; prayer and charity. 

Language of the Soul

#FridayReminders 21: Language of the Soul

Quran Reflections by Talha Ghannam

Video: https://youtu.be/d91SjPby7eA

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/quranclub

App: www.quranclub.org

Website: www.otpok.com

ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ١

The Most Compassionate

عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ ٢

taught the Quran,

خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ ٣

created humanity,

عَلَّمَهُ ٱلْبَيَانَ ٤

˹and˺ taught them speech.

55:1-4

My dear beloved son

I’ve heard these verses many times, but never did they resonate in the way they do today.

As I pick you up in the early hours of the morning hearing your cri

Your Humble Beginnings

يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ضَعِيفًۭا ٢٨

And it is Allah’s Will to lighten your burdens, for humankind was created weak. (4:28)

My dear beloved son

I remember once sitting with your namesake – your grandfather – watching a nature documentary; a camera captured the moment a horse went into labour alone in a stable. There were no midwifes or doctors; the horse just lay on its side and birthed its young foal, alone. Once the baby emerged, within minutes it was up on its feet around its mother, walking! It did not need anyone to clothe it, carry it, clean it or feed it; it immediately had the strength to rise and find its own way to its mother to drink from its milk. At that moment, your grandfather turned to me and said:

وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ضَعِيفًۭا ٢٨

for humankind was created weak. (4:28)

The comparison could not be more stark to the creation of you and I. From the moment the midwives handed you to me, I was told to support your head as your neck was too weak to keep it upright. Your warmth was preserved by the care of your mother as she held you close and wrapped you in your new clothes. Your feeds required us to bring the food to you, with your only ability being the reflexes Allah ﷻ blessed you with to suckle and swallow. Once the milk passed through you, you depended on others to clean you up before the sting of your own defecation became too uncomfortable. And you are not unique in this; every human being, rich or poor, black or white, country or creed, is exactly the same way. Throughout Allah’s ﷻ creation, you will not find a creature more helpless than human beings.

This process does not end here. In modern societies, our children are not independent of us until at least the age of 18 where they begin to leave the nest. From our food and shelter, to our education and entertainment, we are completely dependent on our families if we are to survive, let alone thrive. For that, we need healthy environments to educate our minds and nurture our souls as any abuse or neglect can cause a lifetime of psychological trauma. Without our mother and father – or someone to fill their place – we simply would not exist. Even Tarzan needed apes to raise him!

Selfless Nurture

وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۖ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا ۖ وَحَمْلُهُۥ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ ثَلَـٰثُونَ شَهْرًا ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ ۖ إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

We have commanded people to honour their parents. Their mothers bore them in hardship and delivered them in hardship. Their ˹period of˺ bearing and weaning is thirty months. In time, when the child reaches their prime at the age of forty, they pray, “My Lord! Inspire me to ˹always˺ be thankful for Your favours which You blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please You. And instil righteousness in my offspring. I truly repent to You, and I truly submit ˹to Your Will˺.”

(46:15)

My dear beloved son

Imagine there was a way to have a child without going through any of the pains; no months of pregnancy for your mother, no pains of labour to endure, no sleepless nights to wake through, no anxiety about your well-being, no worry about finances to raise you. Imagine Allah ﷻ had decreed that the way we have children was a painless process as easy as ordering a gift from Amazon, arriving as an independent, fully grown adult for whom you are genetically connected with and share a lifelong bond with.

If you asked any mother or father, you will not find many who would trade this for the role of raising a new-born baby, regardless of how difficult and exhausting it may be. This is not for any sadism or love of pain. No parent enjoys the sacrifices that they have to make. They simply endure them lovingly with the understanding that it’s the required investment to nurture something far greater in return; Love.

You see, raising a child is almost entirely a selfless act, requiring almost continuous sacrifice on behalf of the parents in order to raise and nurture the child. Whether it be time, money, sleep or ambition, every parent must sacrifice something in order to give to their children. The result? Love; an unquantifiable, intangible human experience universal to us all brought about in a moments smile from a new born child after endless sacrifice for their sake. It is not that the parents enjoy the pain; they endure it knowing it is the currency through which they obtain the reward it nurtures