#quran translation different language

[quran-translation]

Introduction to Al_Falaq Which was revealed in Makkah The Position of Ibn Mas`ud concerning Al-Mu`awwidhatayn Imam Ahmad recorded from Zirr bin Hubaysh that Ubayy bin Ka`b told him that Ibn Mas`ud did not record the Mu`awwidhatayn in his Mushaf (copy of the Qur'an). So Ubayy said, "I testify that the Messenger of Allah informed me that Jibril said to him, ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴾ (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.'')(113:1) So he said it. And Jibril said to him, ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ﴾ (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.'') (114:1) So he said it. Therefore, we say what the Prophet said.'' The Virtues of Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas In his Sahih, Muslim recorded on the authority of `Uqbah bin `Amir that the Messenger of Allah said, «أَلَمْ تَرَ آيَاتٍ أُنْزِلَتْ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ لَمْ يُرَ مِثْلُهُنَّ قَطُّ: (Do you not see that there have been Ayat revealed to me tonight the like of which has not been seen before) They are ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴾» (Say: "I seek refuge with, the Lord of Al-Falaq.'')(113:1) and; ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ﴾ (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.'') (114:1)) This Hadith was recorded by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i. At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.'' Another Narration Imam Ahmad recorded from `Uqbah bin `Amir that he said, "While I was leading the Messenger of Allah along one of these paths he said, «يَا عُقْبَةُ أَلَا تَرْكَبُ؟» (O `Uqbah! Will you not ride) I was afraid that this might be considered an act of disobedience. So the Messenger of Allah got down and I rode for a while. Then he rode. Then he said, «يَا عُقْبَةُ، أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ سُورَتَيْنِ مِنْ خَيْرِ سُورَتَيْنِ قَرَأَ بِهِمَا النَّاسُ؟» (O `Uqbah! Should I not teach you two Surahs that are of the best two Surahs that the people recite) I said, `Of course, O Messenger of Allah.' So he taught me to recite ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴾ (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.'') (113:1) and ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ﴾ (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.'') (114:1) Then the call was given to begin the prayer and the Messenger of Allah went forward (to lead the people), and he recited them in the prayer. Afterwards he passed by me and said, (What do you think, O `Uqayb Recite these two Surahs whenever you go to sleep and whenever you get up.)'' Another Narration «إِنَّ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَتَعَوَّذُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَيْنِ: (Verily, the people do not seek protection with anything like these two: ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴾ (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.'')(113:1) and; ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ﴾» (Say: "I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of mankind.'')) (114:1) Another Narration An-Nasa'i recorded that `Uqbah bin `Amir said, "I was walking with the Messenger of Allah when he said, (O `Uqbah! Say!) I replied, `What should I say' So he was silent and did not respond to me. Then he said, «قُلْ» (Say!) I replied, `What should I say, O Messenger of Allah' He said, «﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴾» (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.'') So, I recited it until I reached its end. Then he said, «قُلْ» (Say!) I replied, `What should I say O Messenger of Allah' He said, «﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ﴾» (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.'') So, I recited it until I reached its end. Then the Messenger of Allah said, «مَا سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِمِثْلِهَا، وَلَا اسْتَعَاذَ مُسْتَعِيذٌ بِمِثْلِهَا» (No person beseeches with anything like these, and no person seeks refuge with anything like these.)'' Another Hadith An-Nasa'i recorded that Ibn `Abis Al-Juhani said that the Prophet said to him, (O Ibn `Abis! Shall I guide you to -- or inform you -- of the best thing that those who seek protection use for protection) He replied, "Of course, O Messenger of Allah!'' The Prophet said, «﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴾ ﴿قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ﴾ هَاتَانِ السُّورَتَانِ» (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of Al-Falaq.'')( and (Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.'')( These two Surahs (are the best protectio

[tamamita]

it's māori language week here in aotearoa, and I discovered that there does exist a te reo māori translation of the Quran, but after doing some digging I found it was produced by an Ahmadiyya org, which I'd heard from various muslim friends as being not islam at all, or somewhat analogous to mormonism's relation to christianity.

I'd been somewhat interested in getting a copy, but knowing about it being produced by an ahmadiyya org, I'm unsure as to whether I should bother getting it, lest they have some specific interpretations that discolour the meaning of the original text; would it be wise of me to avoid it?

The Ahmadiyyas are a movement within Sunni Islam, which means that their transliterations of the Qur'an are just as valid as any other Qur'an. We all share the same unchanged text. The only difference is in HOW we interpret Scripture. However, they're a persecuted religious group and a lot of Muslims will excommunicate them, so there is gonna be a bias against them. I have personally never read their transliteration of the Qur'an, but since they follow the Hanafi school of thought, I'd assume their transliteration is fundamentally similar to the Sunnis with some of their own theology. Anyways, comparing them to the LDS is not correct, since the Ahmadis are not part of a cult and is just considered a revivalist/reformist movement that follow Sunni Islam in terms of fiqh (jurisprudence) and aqeedah (theology)

You do what you wanna do. Personally, as a Shi'a, any transliteration of Qur'an is valid, however, the way we extrapolate the esoteric and exoteric meaning from the verses differ fundamentally, which means that I wouldn't rely on any non-Shi'i interpretation of scripture for obvious reasons.

[givemearmstopraywith]

This may be a bit of a dump question but I've always wondered about this and I thought I could ask this from you since you seem to know more about it. I hope that's okay! Are the translations of the bible and their differences very important? Are the messages that the writings send us that different from each other depending on the translation?

it's very important. translation is an art, like anything else. from a semitic language like hebrew or arabic, it's difficult and often impossible to fully capture the meaning of a word in the original text using english (or any other language). in judaism every stroke of every letter is thought to be an emanation of God: he is the words themselves. the quran is the word of God exactly as it was transmitted to the prophet. so abrahamic religions, bar christianity, place extraordinary important in literal meaning, because you encounter God not only in the meaning of the words but in their very essence, their form and shape.

scriptural translation has always, always been fraught with problems. for instance jerome, developing the vulgate, encountered exodus 34, where moses encounters God face to face and is transformed with rays of light. the hebrew word for this transformation is קָרַ֛ן, and jerome translate it to "cornuta," horns: for centuries afterward moses is depicted in art as having horns, like a goat, because of this mistranslation. it may be that jerome meant "glorified" rather than "horned," based off his later commentaries and use of the term by previous exegetes, but the fact remains that outside of the theological sphere this single word, translated to a western language, stripped back meaning tragically. even to the extent that it propagated harmful stereotypes about jews.

or consider the use of the word "atonement" in english translations of the new testament: katallage, used in romans 5:11, is translated as atonement, but it actually means "reconciliation" or "restitution." in fact, jesus never speaks of atonement. in the old testament the word translated to atonement is כָּפַר, "kaphar", which means "covering." in 1 peter 4:8 we are told, "love covers over a great number of sins." how different would christian understandings of atonement be if we translated "kaphar" as "covering" and not atonement? forgiveness for wrongdoing becomes not something we offer to or beg from God, but something to which we submit, because the action is removed from us, humble as we are, to the great forgiver- the great lover.

i say all this to contextualize the difficulty of translation to begin with. but in the sense of critical pedagogy, every translation of any religious text is subject to the bias of the translator. a good translator is conscious of their bias and seeks to remove it from their work. but christian scripture has an agenda. it is not only something we read for a personal relationship to God but something that is used to dictate right behaviour, as a means of social control, something that develops culture. if a person translating a text has this in mind, they can construct the meaning of the text towards what version of a society or culture they feel is "right," based on their personal and invariably biased understanding of a text. this is why i dislike the kjv translation and never recommend it. the kjv is a product of its time. it is not a good translation of the bible: it is old, but it is not the oldest english translation, and its meaning is absolutely skewed. this is difficult, because many evangelical christians believe the kjv is the absolute word of God, and they are already wrong, because no translation will ever be absolute truth: it is only translation.

words are a limiting system. when we try to capture the essence of something like a god, we are limiting him to our vocabulary.

i always recommend the nrsv because it is version i use for scholarly work. it isn't beautiful but it is as close to a "correct" translation as you can get. but i always supplement my reading with other tools: the jewish annotated new testament is wonderful, for instance, and biblehub has detailed interlinear translations of different translations and the original text. but i am also aware i will never be able to fully comprehend the depth and beautiful of scripture until i learn hebrew and greek, at minimum. but this should not discourage anyone: scripture is meant to be read. but it has to be read actively, critically. God wants you to swallow his words, but he needs you to chew them first.

[walkswithmyfather]

This is fascinating! By Stefan Hager (FB)

“We currently have 5,800 plus Greek New Testaments manuscripts, 10,000 plus Latin manuscripts, and 9,300 plus manuscripts in various languages). if we were to stack the manuscripts we have found today it would reach more than a mile high). Beating all other historical records of the ancient world. for example, no one doubts the historical person “Homer” as we have 1.800 plus manuscripts of his life, yet we have 25,000 plus manuscripts of the life of Jesus, and that doesn’t include secular sources). And considering that the earliest copies of the New Testament are written within 25 years after the death of Jesus, but the earliest copies of Homers works are written 400 years after the death of Homer. Jesus is the gold standard for historians. If we’re going to doubt Jesus. We might as well doubt all ancient history.

Comparing these manuscripts we find that the teaching, stories, doctrines of the bible are all surprisingly the same. reading a bible in English vs reading a bible in Russian. It may be worded differently but you get the same story/biblical doctrine).

Tho no one manuscript is perfect. Through the centuries, minor differences arose in the various copies of the Scriptures. The vast majority of these differences are simple spelling variants, inverted words (one manuscript says “Christ Jesus” while another says “Jesus Christ” or different ways people have spelled names). or an easily identified missing word. In short, over 99 percent of the biblical text is not questioned. Of the less than 1 percent of the text that is in question, no doctrinal teaching or command is jeopardized. In other words, the copies of the Bible we have today are pure. The Bible has not been corrupted, altered, edited, revised, or tampered with.

“The early books of the bible” were so vastly copied and wide spread that if one group in Africa wanted to change any part, believers in Israel, Rome, Alexandria would have easily identified the change to the wide spread text/message.

This is also evidenced by the Dead Sea scrolls (large portions of Old Testament) which were found in 1947. These scrolls are dated 200BC. So Jesus would have those as scripture during his earthly time, and the content of those scrolls match. If we look at any bible in any chapter and we look at the Hebrew and the same chapter it’s going to read the same way we have today, now it is true there are variations in reading/wording or translation. Every book prior to the printing press has variations. The Quran has variations, The point is, variations don’t give you a different text, a different theology, a different meaning.

Here’s a scaled down example. using textual criticism and cross checking manuscripts. We can pretty much reconstruct what the original said. How does this work?.

Consider the following example. Suppose we have four different manuscripts that have different errors in the same verse, such as Philippians 4:13:

1.I can do all t#ings through Christ

2.I can do all th#ngs through Christ

3.I can do all thi#gs through Christ

4.I can do all thin#s through Christ

Is there any mystery of what the original said?. None whatsoever. By comparing and cross checking manuscripts. the original can be reconstructed with great accuracy and the reconstruction of the New Testament is easier than this, because there are far fewer errors in the actual New Testament manuscripts than there are represented by this example. Plus a vast amount of material to work with.

Any unbiased document scholar will agree that the Bible has been remarkably well-preserved over the centuries. Even many hardened skeptics and critics of the Bible admit that the Bible has been transmitted over the centuries far more accurately than any other ancient document.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Bible has been revised, edited, or tampered with in any systematic manner. No one group has ever had control over the biblical text. The sheer volume of biblical manuscripts makes it simple to recognize any attempt to distort God’s Word. There is no major doctrine of the Bible that is put in doubt as a result of the inconsequential differences among the manuscripts.

Ancient scribes often copied books letter by letter (one by one). not sentence by sentence. It was a long process but they assured Accuracy. And they would count the letters of the copies and count the letters of the original. if the original had 500 letters and the copy had 497 letters, they would destroy the copy and restart.”

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Wadood— The Affectionate, The Most-Loving, The Beloved— twice in the Quran. Al-Wadood is the One who is the source of all affection, love, and kindness. Even though He does not need us in any way Al-Wadood wishes the best for us. He has a special form of love for His righteous servants who love Him because of their knowledge of His perfection and His readiness to forgive. Al-Wadood is the Affectionate and the Beloved!

The Most Loving, the Ever-Affectionate, and the Beloved

Wadood comes from the root waw-daal-daal, which carries three main meanings: to love, to be affectionate and to long, wish or desire for.

This root appears 29 times in the Quran in five derived forms. Examples of these forms are yawaddu (like, will wish), al mawaddata (the love), and wuddan (affection).

The concept of love in the Arabic language is decribed by different words, hubb and wudd are examples of them. Hubb is the inner-feeling of love for someone whereas Wudd is an intense, consistent affection as it is expressed in actions and conduct.

Wadood is from the fa’ool pattern which in Arabic grammar points to intensity and continuity. Allah is Al-Wadood; His love is intense, continuous and translates into the blessings, favours, mercy, guidance and forgiveness He gives to His slaves.

Al-Wadood Himself says: . . . Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds, The Most Merciful will appoint for them affection. [Quran, 19:96] ..And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Affectionate. [Quran, 11:90] . . . And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate [Quran, 85:14]

How Do We Gain the Love of Allah?

In a beautiful, comprehensive hadith you will find the formula on how to gain the love of Al-Wadood. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: … And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing voluntary acts of worship until I love him.. Most beloved to Al-Wadood are you doing your obligatory acts of worship, then by doing your voluntary acts of worship you come closer and closer to Him.

Then what happens next? The Prophet continued about the amazing reward: …(so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him. [Al-Bukharee]

Al-Wadood then becomes your special Helper, protecting your limbs and organs by not letting them work for anything He dislikes and a heart-melting seal: Al-Wadood will grant your wishes and keep you safe. Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi!

How Can We Live By This Name?

1. Have a close relationship with Al-Wadood.

Telling Al-Wadood about your concerns is a beautiful type of ‘ibaadah (worship) in itself. He wants you to turn to Him and tell him about your problems while remembering how close He is to you and how much you love Him. The mother of Maryam ‘alayha sallam said: ..My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing..[Quran, 3:35] This pious woman is a beautiful example of someone with a close relationship with Allah and Al-Wadood answered her dua’.

2. Love Al-Wadood above everything and anyone.

Al-Wadood says: Say, [O Muhammad], If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people. This ayah is a great reminder pinpointing all the things we tend to love over Allah and His messenger.

3. Let your love be for the sake of Al-Wadood.

Ask yourself for what reasons you love people? Love people for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala so Al-Wadood, His angels and the people of the earth love you! What an amazing deal. The Prophet sallallahu ’alayhi wa sallam said, When Allah loves a slave, calls out Jibril and says: `I love so-and-so; so love him’. Then Jibril loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; and the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him. [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] So mind who you love and love those who fear Allah, love Him and who strive for the good and forbid evil. This is the most beautiful kind of love you can have for another human being, even if you don’t know them.

4. Follow the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Proof your love for Al-Wadood by sticking to the sunnah of His messenger. The reward: Allah will love and forgive you your sins. Another lucrative deal! Say: If you love Allah then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Quran, 3:31]

5. Love to recite Suratul Ikhlaas.

If you want Allah’s love, love talking about Him. Surah Al-Ikhlaas is one of the most comprehensive surahs describing Allah. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in prayer. He always concluded his recitation with Surah Al-Ikhlaas. Upon their return to Al-Madinah, they mentioned this to Messenger of Allah who said, “Ask him why he does so?” He was asked and he said, “This Surah contains the Attributes of Allah, the Gracious, and I love to recite it. Messenger of Allah then told them, “Tell him that Allah loves him”. [Al-Bukharee , Muslim]. So increase in reciting Surah Al-Ikhlaas with love!

6. Love for others what you love for yourself.

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi said: None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself. [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] If someone just got married and you can’t find someone, someone got that new job and you didn’t, even though it might be hard, be happy for them. Strive to control your nafs (ego) and know it is Al-Wadood Who gives and takes. You will notice the peace it gives you inside when you love for others what you love for yourself, in stead of being jealous and anxious over others’ happiness. Live by this golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated!

Wallahu ta’alaa ‘alem.

O Allah, Al-Wadood, we know that You are the One Who is Most Affectionate. Make us of those who love You and Your Messenger above all, bless us with Your love and protection. Bring righteous people on our path and make us love them and them love us for Your sake only. Guide us in following the sunnah and in fulfilling our obligations towards You and give us the tawfeeq to perform many voluntary deeds of worship, ameen!

[questionsonislam]

Why do we worship in Arabic? What if we do that in our own language?

When considered first, it seems more sensible for a believer to worship his Sustainer in his own language. However, when contemplated thoroughly, there appear different outcomes:

First, we need to make a clear distinction between prayers and stated prayers (namaz). In prayers, a believer presents his needs and wishes to his Sustainer in any language he wants. This is a personal matter and has to do with a servants presenting his own needs and wishes to his Creator directly without a means. In prayer, everyone can supplicate from Allah in his own language.

The stated prayer (namaz) is quite different from that. In Namaz, all Muslims regardless of languages and races gather as if to form a single body and worship Him collectively. In this worship, like hearts, the language also needs to be in unison. What is more, worship must be performed in the way in which Allah (SWT) commanded and how His Messenger (PBUH) described to.

If Islam were the religion of a particular region, race, or nation, no doubt only the language of this region, race, or nation could be used. However, there are Muslims who live in various places of the world, of various races, and speaks different languages. In order for them to perform stated prayers and to say prayers in the same language, they need to agree on the language of worship.

In international congresses and meetings, people speak an international language, which everyone may understand rather than their own languages.

Another aspect of the issue is that: No translation can ever replace the original form. The Quran is the word of Allah (SWT) and has been revealed in the Arabic language. Just as the creatures that come from the attribute of Power of Allah cannot be imitated, the Holy Quran cannot be imitated either, which comes from His attribute of Speech? And the translation of the Quran is not exactly the Quran Itself. That each letter yields at least ten merits is a Divine bounty to servants in exchange of repeating the words of Allah (SWT). For the translation of the Quran is no more the words of Allah (SWT), this significance disappears there. Man receives merits of not reading the Quran but of learning some things in terms of knowledge in the Quran.

Most of the words in stated prayers have also passed to our daily language. Most of Muslims know what Allah-u Akbar (Allah is most great), hamd (glorification to Allah), Rabb-ul Alemin (Allah of all beings), Ahad (The One), Samed (The Only) mean.

Although we learn by heart some foreign words such as inflation, deflation, economy, foreign exchange, could we ever be justified in not learning a few words, which are vital for worship?

[thejewitches]

So I kinda grew up in an evangelical environment, and I'm just now able to expose myself to and learn about other religions. The only things I learned about Judaism growing up were likely very twisted to suit the teachings of the pastors. I heard a lot about "messianic Jews" (which I now know is very much not a thing) and how "a lot" of Jewish people converted because they began to believe that Jesus was the messiah (yeah it was bad, really bad)

Anyways since I'm trying to educate myself, I'm trying to not just read about other religions, but if possible, I'm trying to read the holy books of the religions as well. I talked to a Muslim friend I had at work and he told me I could read the Quran (I guess I felt weird about reading it because I wasn't looking to convert to Islam). In the same vein, could I read the Talmud to learn more? I was told that the Bible and the Talmud were the same growing up (so there was no point in reading it, according to my elders, also incorrect information). Is there a particular translation that would be better to read?

Very sorry for all the parenthetical statements I was trying to keep it brief but I have severe adhd so thoughts just come at they please. Love your blog, and I'm very happy to be learning a lot from you already, and unlearning a lot in the process, so thank you for posting resources and the like. Very appreciated.

Could I read the Talmud to learn more?

The short answer is: Reading the Talmud without knowing how or what you are reading will not give you the information you are looking for. The sentiment of reading to learn more is wonderful, but on your own without any prior learning, it is tantamount to reading a book in a language you don't speak to understand the poetry of the language better. You can do it, but you won't have the tools to decipher it in any meaningful way. If you want to learn more about Judaism, studying Talmud is definitely not the place to start.

There is something called Daf Yomi where Jews study one single page of Talmud every single day. With 2,711 pages in the Talmud, one Daf Yomi cycle takes about 7 years, 5 months--and it takes this long because studying the Talmud to understand the Talmud is not just reading a book. There are ways you can just read it, sure, but that doesn't mean you will be learning or understanding what you are reading in the way that Jews do (just as you can read a series of random words without actually comprehending what is in front of you).

If you're looking to study Talmud, have you studied Torah with Jews? Begun to understand the Jewish perspective on the Torah? How we approach our texts with a completely different eye than Christians? How the Old Testament you grew up with may look nothing like what we know and love?

If you're certain that the answer to those questions is yes, and you feel ready to start learning Talmud, see if there is a local rabbi in your area who offers a class or a seminar. Many are free. It is meant to be a community activity. But chances are, that isn't the case.

But frankly: you don't need to study Talmud to learn about Jews and Judaism. There is no need for that. The best way to learn about Judaism is always going to be listening to Jews. Listen to our conversations, hear us, and read the resources we create to share about Judaism. One of the greatest barriers that people often face is shedding the unrealized paradigm and perspective that is left from an evangelical upbringing. Challenging those perspectives is paramount.

If you feel more than a small draw to know, you can go ahead and study Torah, and maybe eventually study Talmud, but if all you want is to know more about Judaism, studying Talmud is not step one.

This is the layout of a Talmud page in Hebrew--it is much more than just a straightforward reading, especially if you want to genuinely engage with the text.

This is, of course, but the opinion of one. The Jewish community is made up of more opinions than individuals and all deserve to be heard.

[rotzaprachim]

Author: 

Melonie Schmierer-Lee and Alan Elbaum

Wed 22 Jun 2022

Alan, which fragment are you looking at today?

My job description at the Princeton Geniza Project is to look at uncatalogued or minimally catalogued documentary fragments, and while looking for these I came across T-S NS J479, a single page covered with strange symbols written in all directions. I’ve probably glanced at around 50,000 Genizah fragments by now, and I’ve never seen anything that looks like this.

What is it? Which language is it?

Most of it is written in what I think is a made-up code, though whether it was invented or borrowed by the writer, I don’t know. There’s also some Arabic and Hebrew script (the Arabic is a petition formula). At first glance one of the symbols reminded me of one from the Voynich manuscript, so that set me wondering whether the symbols were meaningful. I noticed the same set of around 22 symbols all in a row, written a number of times, and wondered if the letters could be assigned to an alphabet. As there are roughly 22, the Hebrew alphabet fits better than Arabic. The language seems to be Judaeo-Arabic though. I’ve annotated an image of the fragment showing the ‘translation’ of the cipher into Hebrew script.

Why do you think he wrote out the alphabet several times?

Maybe he was trying to work out his alphabet. Towards the end he’s a bit inconsistent with some of the symbols assigned to each Hebrew letter, so perhaps he was refining it. He also writes the cipher alphabet from left to right at one point, which was interesting to me.

We keep saying ‘he’ – do we know who the author was?

He writes his name – ‘al-faqīr Isḥāq al-Yahūdī’ – as well as two verses from the revered Sufi poem known as Qaṣīdat al-Burda by Al-Būṣīrī (fl. 13th century), so that helps to date the fragment somewhat. Here are the lines in Stetkevych's translation (Suzanne Pinckney Stetkevych, The Mantle Odes: Arabic Praise Poems to the Prophet Muhammad (Bloomington, IN, 2010), p. 92.):Was it the memory of those you loved at Dhū Salam / That made you weep so hard your tears were mixed with blood? Or was it the wind that stirred from the direction of Kāẓimah / And the lightning that flashed in the darkness of Iḍam?

It’s Mamluk or perhaps Ottoman era. There’s also some pornography. I’ve learned two different words for penis and all sorts of other terms while studying the text. It’s fairly graphic. It ends ‘all of this is lies’, so perhaps Isḥāq was covering his tracks in case his parents cracked his code! Kind of frivolous but also kind of interesting.

Do you know of any other ciphers that have been found in the Cairo Genizah?

Gideon Bohak has written about at least one cipher that he’s found in the Genizah, and Oded Zinger has found a letter in Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic with a portion in an incomprehensible cipher. Almost all the words begin with alef, which makes us think it’s not a straightforward substitution cipher. Amir Ashur pointed out that some merchants in the India Book use Coptic numerals to create a secret code that hasn’t yet been cracked. I put this fragment up on social media after I started working on it, and people offered up all sorts of interesting parallels. Arianna D’Ottone-Rambach shared her article on an encrypted Quran manuscript that I hadn’t known about, for example. I’m so excited to join the field when this spirit of collaboration is recognised and valued. If I can make a discovery that lets someone else discover something further, then that’s all the better.

Thanks, Alan!

Alan Elbaum is a Senior Researcher at the Princeton Geniza Project.

[techmomma]

Bitty Baby Arabic Lessons

If you’re just tuning in, I want to make simple, informal posts for those who know very little about MENA and SWANA cultures, to help give people a jumping off point in their own research. See here for details.

1. Al or el (depending on where you live):

it's an article. It's literally just "the."

Examples:

Al-Quds: THE Holy (the Arabic name for Jerusalem)

Al-kitaab: THE book

Al-Jazeera: THE island

Funfact! "Algebra" comes from the Arabic word "al-jabr," which means "the operation" or "the equation" ("the equation to restore or to balance," in full).

"Al" is also incredibly common to find in last names in Arabic. For example, "masri" means "(an) Egyptian." So the name "Ahmed Al-masri" translates to "Ahmed the Egyptian." You can also find last names derived from an ancestor's job, much like you can in English. "Yakob al-Jarrah" translates to "Yakob (Jacob) the Surgeon."

There is also another variation of "al," pronounced more like "awl," that denotes a clan or tribe or family. So "Al-Saud" can mean "of the Saud family."

2. Arabic is written right-to-left.

You weebs should be familiar with this.

To use Al-Quds from earlier, written in Arabic it looks like this

القدس <- and you start from this end and work to the left. sduQ-La, if we translate it letter for letter.

3. Arabic letters change form depending on if they're in the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

Before you worry, just remember that we have a very similar thing in cursive. For example, if you are writing the letter F in cursive, it will look just a little different depending on where it's positioned in the word (and if it's capitalized).

Farm. offer. brief. f

See what I mean? It's the same letter, but how exactly it's written depends on where it is, and if it's alone. Same thing in Arabic.

This can look a little drastic to someone not used to looking at it, but I mean. Look at the difference in English between a capital F and a lowercase f. Or worse, capital G and lowercase g.

4. Misc. notes I didn't know where to put

Quranic or Classic Arabic (Fushya Arabic) is the standardized form you will see taught in school. There are hundreds of regional dialects and variations though. Please look up any map of "Arabic speaking countries" and you will see how fucking enormous the range is.

Arabic is a sister language to Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician, Syric, Akkadian, and Sumerian. All are thought to descend from an early proto-Semitic language.

Arabic has gendered nouns, but also gendered verbs! This is one of the myriad of reasons Arabic is so incredibly nuanced. What can seem like a very easy, simple two-word sentence can have volumes of meaning behind it just by changing the verb gender.

In fact you can have the subject, object, verb, tense, pronoun, quantity, and gender of a sentence easily understood in a SINGLE WORD. For example, يلاعبونهما (Youlaebounahouma) means "They are playing with both of them." One word!! ISN'T THAT COOL??

Egyptian Arabic is sort of considered the Hollywood Accent of the Arabic world, since many popular movies are produced in Egypt. In the same way that a lot of Californians sound like people in Hollywood movies, because Hollywood is in, you guessed it, California.

English (and many other Western languages, ESPECIALLY Spanish) have so, so, so, so, so, SO, SOOOOO many loanwords from Arabic. "Algebra" was mentioned already, but the list includes but is not limited to: Albatross, chemistry (alchemy), admiral, apricot, artichoke, average, borax, candy, caravan, caraway, checkers, chess, coffee, cotton, elixir, garble, gauze, gazelle, ghoul, jar, jasmine, jumper, kohl, lacquer, lemon, lime, macrame, magazine, mattress, mummy, muslin, nadir, orange, popinjay, reem, rook, safari, saffron, sash, sequin, serendipity, spinach, sugar, syrup, sorbet, talc, talisman, tamarind, tariff, tuna, typhoon, vizier, zero, to name a few of thousands more.

Words are written right to left, but numbers are written left to right!

One of the reasons there are so many variations in spelling is because Arabic developed primarily as a verbal language and was only codified (turned into a written language) later, with some of the earliest examples being poetry. Arabic poetry as a tradition dates back at least 1600 years! (And of this, love poems are the most popular!!)

Classical Arabic is most often what Arabic is written in rather than spoken. Modern Standard Arabic is the version you will hear most often spoken.

Arabic does not use capitalization or contractions!

There are seven main styles of Arabica calligraphy: Kufic, Dewani, Thuluth, Naskh, Rayhani, Muhaqqaq, and Reqa. There are many regional variants and forms of calligraphy as well, including the tughra, which is a calligraphic monogram/seal/signature.

Hope you enjoyed this infodump and learned some things! Arabic is an incredibly beautiful and underrated language! I highly recommend learning even the smallest bit about it!

[dandelionh3art]

I would like to write a thread. I have never really done this, so bare with me. In the last few weeks I have done a lot of research and read a lot of information, and I have also consulted with a Muslim friend.

I feel like people have a complete misconception about Islam.

Of course there are extremists in every nation, but you can't put every person of a certain religion, ethnic group in the same category.

Let's start with the Quran. The Quran can't just be translated into English, the meaning of the words and phrases it all gets lost in translation.

Linguistic problems include the lexicon, morphology, syntax, text differences, rhetorical differences, and pragmatic factors. Human translation of Arabic into English is difficult enough, but machine translation presents even more problems when translating between these two languages. The translation must be faithful to the original text in terms of both meaning and style. The translation should mirror the original meaning.

In saying this, I think if you really want to learn anything, you need to dig and do proper research, google is not a good source, I have found that Google has a lot of misinformation.

Talking to someone who is in fact Muslim. Talking to people will teach you way more than anything else.

https://www.fairobserver.com/region/europe/fake-news-islamophobia-racism-muslims-islam-british-uk-latest-news-54784/#

Let's start with the prophet Muhammad.

A lot of people think that he married a 6 year old girl. That is not true.

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet about this subject.

This is what I learned.

Let's get straight to the point.

Firstly, the Quran indicates that there is an “age of marriage” (4:6) when both consenting partners are mature physically and mentally to enter into the legal contract of marriage.

We all know that

The bigots and haters who bring up this issue in

Debates again and again, are not interested in knowing the facts about Aisha and her age at the time of marriage,

But their agenda is to

Desperately, "prove" that

Prophet Muhammad was a lust-driven, sinful and

Unethical person.

But I am hoping to share some information that will help.

I find the explanation of

Myriam Francois-Cerrah

Most apt on this issue. So I quote her directly from her article in The Guardian (17th Sep 2012).

"Since the early Christians heralded Christ as a model of celibate virtue,

Muhammad - who had

Married several times-

Deemed to be driven by

Sinful lust.

This portrayal ignored the fact that before

His marriage to Aisha,

Muhammad had been

Married to Khadija, a

Powerful businesswoman 15 years his senior, for 25

Years.

When she died, he was devastated and friends

Encouraged him to remarry.

"What the records are clear on is that Muhammad and

Aisha had a loving and

Egalitarian relationship,

Which set the standard for reciprocity,

Tenderness and

Respect enjoined by the

Quran. Insights into theirs

Relationship, such as the fact they liked to drink out of the same cup or race one another, is indicative of a deep connection which

Belies any misrepresentation

Of their relationship."

To paint Aisha as a victim is completely at odds with the person she was. During a controversial battle in Muslim history, she emerged

Riding a camel to lead the

Troops.

She was known for her assertive temperament

And mischievous sense of

Humor – with Muhammad.

Sometimes bearing the brunt Of the jokes. During his Lifetime, he established her

Authority by telling Muslims To consult her in his absence. After his death, she went to be become one of the most prolific and distinguished scholars of her time."

Which means she was definitely not a 6 year old girl. She was of adult mind. I have reached the conclusion that she was anything between 16 and 19 years old when she got married.

I will post some articles from Muslim scholars who are trying to rectify some of the misinformation.

https://www.counterview.net/2022/06/hazrat-aishas-age-was-16-not-6-weak.html?m=1

https://www.islamicity.org/11238/10-misconceptions-about-islam/

May Jesus have been Palestinian? He may very well be.

"Most religious scholars and historians agree with that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C. and would become the lingua franca in much of the

Middle East."

Who still speak this language? This is what I found.

"Jewish Palestinian Aramaic is the term most frequently used today to describe the Aramaic written and spoken by Jews in Palestine during the Byzantine Period."

Historical records as well as genetic studies indicate that modern Palestinians, mostly descend from local ancient Levantines who converted from Judaism and other Levantine mythologies to Christianity and later to Islam. The researchers also determined that the Canaanites - who frequently appear in ancient sources, including the Bible - descended from a mixture of an earlier Levantine population and migrants coming from the Caucasus region or modern-day Iran.

So my question is, are the Palestinians the Jews from the Bible?

Can't say for sure.

But what I have learned is that Muslims are a peaceful religion.

They fight back only when they are being attacked, they have morality, integrity and most people's hate is due to brainwashing and ignorance.

I find it ironic that the people who are always going on about their rights to make their own decisions and literally have lost most of their morals want to tell others how wrong and evil they are. You have the right to choose. But every decision has consequences.

I hope you make the right choice.

[mightyoctopus]

Accessibility Review: Quran Apps

[ID: A banner reading, "Accessibility Review" next to the app logos for Quran, Quranic and QuranMajeed. /end ID]

Today I will be reviewing three iOS Quran apps for accessibility for the visually impaired and blind, especially large text support and screen reader accessibility. The apps are Quran, QuranMajeed and Quranic.

Quran

Let's start with Quran from quran.com -- if you want a straightforward app that offers the Quran in both Arabic and translated, as well as recordings of recitations, I would recommend this app. It has overall good accessibility and is completely accessible via screen reader (VoiceOver). All buttons are labelled and clickable, and both the Arabic text and translations are accessible. This app gains a full score on this metric. Alhamdulillah!

Quran also offers different font sizes, and the option to separately change the size of the Arabic and translated text. (So you can have one larger than the other.) While there is a good selection of font sizes, I would have still preferred if they had even larger Arabic.

Below you can see two screenshots, one with the smallest possible font and one with the biggest.

(All screenshots in this post were taken on my tablet, not my phone. The square "play" button in the bottom right corner is an accessibility widget and not part of the app.)

Dark mode is available.

QuranMajeed

Full disclosure, I don't really like this app, but I will try to stay objective. QuranMajeed is a very commercialized app with ads, a paid version, and lots of gadgets such as E-cards, Halal shop finder, and buttons that appear to be in-app but actually open your browser and redirect you somewhere else. It is a bit cluttered and not easy to navigate. However, it also has it's upsides. QuranMajeed supports very large fonts and even has the option to change to different fonts entirely. Dark mode and different background colors are available.

Below you can see two screenshots, one with the smallest possible font size and one with the biggest. (I chose a font that uses differently colored letters, but there is also uniform black.)

(Again, all screenshots in this post were taken on my tablet, not my phone. The square "play" button in the bottom right corner is an accessibility widget and not part of the app.)

The large text support is very nice and vital for accessibility, and I applaud QuranMajeed for giving this much support. I would have liked if it was possible to independently change the size of the Arabic and translation, though.

Now, onto the bad: QuranMajeed doesn't have screen reader support. At all. Many buttons are unlabeled and both the Arabic and translated text are invisible to VoiceOver.

There is an option called "Visual Quran" that pairs aesthetic images with Quran verses, and those verses are screen reader accessible, but it's not possible to turn the page with a screen reader, because you need to click and drag the page to turn it. So you can only ever read one verse. You'd have to turn your screen reader on and off constantly. (If anyone uses VoiceOver and knows how else to do this, please correct me.) The images also don't have alt text, and the text doesn't have different font size options.

[ID: A screenshot of the visual Quran option. One verse is shown in both Arabic and English, underneath a picture of a tulip. /end ID]

Personally, I don't really like QuranMajeed, but if you need larger font than what Quran has to offer and are fine with watching adds, you might want to check it out.

Quranic

Quranic isn't primarily a Quran reading app -- it's actually a language learning app for Quranic Arabic, but I'm putting it on this list because the latest update might be of interest for fellow VI people. It has three main options: lessons, exercises, and Quran. The latest update has brought dynamic text to the Quran section, and it's really really big.

I will put two screenshots below, one with the smallest and one with the biggest option:

Yes, you heard that right. That's the smallest font. I put it lower than 100%, and it's still larger than Quran's biggest font. It also shows a direct translation for each word, and then an overall translation for each verse. Darkmode is also available. If you want to sight-read the Quran using an app, this might be your best bet. It is, however, not screen reader accessible.

Conclusion

There are many Quran apps on the market with varying levels of accessibility. If you need screen reader access or only need moderately large text, check out Quran. If you need larger text, try Quranic. If you need large text but also want a recording of a recitation, you can give QuranMajeed a try.

Is there any other Quran app you'd like me to check out? Let me know!

[quran-translation]

Introduction Name Although these two Surahs of the Qur'an are separate entities and are written in the Mushaf also under separate names, yet they are so deeply related mutually and their contents so closely resemble each other's that they have been designated by a common name Mu'awwidhatayn (the two Surahs in which refuge with Allah has been sought). Imam Baihaqi in Dala'il an-Nubuwwat has written that these Surahs were revealed together, that is why the combined name of both is Mu'awwidhatayn. We are writing the same one Introduction to both, for they discuss and deal with just the same matters and topics. However, they will be explained and commented on separately below. Period of Revelation Hadrat Hasan Basri, 'Ikrimah, 'Ata' and Jabir bin Zaid say that these Surahs are Makki. A tradition from Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas also supports the same view. However, according to another tradition from him, it is Madani and the same view is held also by Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Zubair and Qatadah. One of the traditions which strengthens this second view is the Hadith which Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal have related on the authority of Hadrat 'Uqbah bin 'Amir. He says that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peach) one day said to him: "Do you know what kind of verses have been revealed to me tonight? These matchless verses are A'udhu bi-Rabbil-falaq and A'udhu bi-Rabbin-nas. This Hadith is used as an argument for these Surahs to be Madani because Hadrat 'Uqbah bin 'Amir had become a Muslim in Madinah after the hijrah, as related by Abu Da'ud and Nasa'i on the basis of his own statement. Other traditions which have lent strength to this view are those related by Ibn Sa'd, Muhiyy-us-Sunnah Baghawi, Imam Nasafi, Imam Baihaqi, Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Hafiz Badr-uddin 'Ayni, 'Abd bin Humaid and others to the effect that these Surahs were revealed when the Jews had worked magic on the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) in Madinah and he had fallen ill under its effect. Ibn Sa'd has related on the authority of Waqidi that this happened in A.H. 7. On this very basis Sufyan bin Uyainah also has described these Surah as Madani. But as we have explained in the Introduction to Surah Al-Ikhlas, when it is said about a certain Surah or verse that it was revealed on this or that particular occasion, it does not necessarily mean that it was revealed for the first time on that very occasion. Rather it sometimes so happened that a Surah or a verse had previously been revealed, then on the occurrence or appearance of a particular incident or situation, the Holy Prophet's attention was drawn to it by Allah for the second time, or even again and again. In our opinion the same also was the case with the Mu'awwidhatayn. The subject matter of these Surahs is explicit that these were sent down at Makkah in the first instance when opposition to the Holy Prophet there had grown very intense. Later, when at Madinah storms of opposition were raised by the hypocrites, Jews and polytheists, the Holy Prophet was instructed to recite these very Surahs, as has been mentioned in the above cited tradition from Hadrat Uqbah bin Amir. After this, when magic was worked on him, and his illness grew intense, Gabriel came and instructed him by Allah's command to recite these very Surahs. Therefore, in our opinion, the view held by the commentators who describe both these Surahs as Makki is more reliable. Regarding them as connected exclusively with the incident of magic is difficult, for to this incident related only one verse (v.4), the remaining verses of Surah al Falaq and the whole of Surah An-Nas have nothing to do with it directly. Theme and Subject-Matter The conditions under which these two Surahs were sent down in Makkah were as follows. As soon as the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) began to preach the message of Islam, it seemed as though he had provoked all classes of the people around him. As his message spread the opposition of the disbelieving Quraish also became more and more intense. As long as they had any hope that they would be abl

[learnarabiconline]

Introduction:

One such phrase is "Insha'Allah," which is commonly used by Muslims around the world. In this blog post, we will explore the meaning of "Insha'Allah" and discuss the appropriate ways to use it in different contexts.

Insha'Allah Meaning:

What does "Insha'Allah" mean? The term "Insha'Allah" is an Arabic phrase that translates to "if Allah wills" or "God willing." It reflects a belief in the divine will and acknowledges that all actions are ultimately subject to Allah's approval and control. When using this phrase, Muslims express their humility and recognition of Allah's sovereignty.

How to Write Insha'Allah:

To write "Insha'Allah," it is essential to understand the correct spelling and usage. The phrase is commonly written in different variations, including "Insha'Allah," "Inshallah," or "Insha Allah." It is often preferred to write it with the apostrophe (') between "Insha" and "Allah" to signify the omission of certain letters. This serves as a mark of respect for the name of Allah.

How to Write Insha'Allah in Arabic:

For those interested in learning Arabic and writing "Insha'Allah" in its original script, it is written as إن شاء الله. Studying Arabic can provide a deeper understanding of Islamic teachings and enable individuals to communicate effectively in various Arabic-speaking communities. Platforms like Studio Arabiya (studioarabiya.com) offer online courses to help individuals learn the Arabic language, including Arabic for adults and Quranic Arabic.

A Misused and Misunderstood Phrase:

Unfortunately, "Insha'Allah" is sometimes misused or misunderstood, leading to misconceptions about its meaning. While it is commonly used to express intentions or make future plans, it should not be used as a vague promise or an excuse for procrastination. True adherence to the phrase involves sincerity and a genuine intention to fulfill the stated action, coupled with an acknowledgment of Allah's ultimate authority.

When NOT to Say "Insha'Allah":

While "Insha'Allah" is generally a respectful and appropriate phrase, there are specific contexts where it should be used with caution or avoided altogether. For example, in situations where a clear commitment or deadline is required, it is more appropriate to give a definite response rather than relying on the phrase as a means to evade responsibility.

Daily Progress Tracking:

To enhance your learning experience and track your progress effectively, Studio Arabiya provides user-friendly tools and features. These tools allow you to monitor your achievements, review lessons, and access additional resources to strengthen your understanding of the Arabic language and Quranic studies. By utilizing these tools, you can ensure steady progress in your Arabic language journey.

Manage Your Classes Easily:

Studio Arabiya's online platform offers a seamless experience for managing your Arabic language or Quranic studies classes. With flexible scheduling options, experienced instructors, and personalized attention, you can tailor your learning experience according to your preferences and needs. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, Studio Arabiya's courses cater to individuals of all levels.

Conclusion:

"Insha'Allah" is a phrase deeply rooted in Islamic tradition and serves as a reminder of Allah's sovereignty and control over all matters. Understanding its meaning and proper usage is crucial for Muslims and those interested in Arabic language and culture. By learning Arabic and embracing the true essence of "Insha'Allah," we can foster better communication, strengthen our faith, and show reverence for Allah's will.

To explore further and embark on your Arabic language or Quranic studies journey, visit Studio Arabiya's website (studioarabiya.com) and discover the courses they offer, including online Arabic language courses for adults and Quranic Arabic studies. Start your learning journey today and deepen your understanding of the beautiful language of the Quran.

[salam-fm2]

Read Holy Quran Online

It is incredibly valuable for Muslims, despite their sects, to learn as well as get an understanding of the Holy Quran. Quran is shown to a number of us from the very beginning. The majority of us are taught Quran in our childhood. However, there are some individuals who have actually not yet studied the Holy Quran. One of the main factors for this problem is the absence of ideal educators to tutor such individuals. Moms and dads encounter numerous problems in finding a respectable instructor near your home. This ultimately results in them giving up looking, as well as the youngster never involves understand the virtuous expertise.

There are many people amongst us that have actually been incapable to read the Quran as well as intend to do so. The development of the internet has made it possible for all such people to check out the Holy Book. You can only scan as well as look the net for E-Quran. Yes you read it right, E-Quran. It is an online version of the Holy Book. There are several sites that provide this facility. They likewise provide certified teachers who will help you in understanding the Quran. Unlike an institution, individual focus is paid on each and every trainee. This allows you to find out at the rate that is most fit to you. You not only comprehend the Quran, but make command on it. Within no time you can get this understanding with the advantage of ideal advice. موقع اذاعة القران الكريم

There are many advantages of learning Quran online, especially for youngsters that must learn it as early as feasible. Not only is on-line coaching better suited for parents, however it also provides the youngster the worth of an individual instructor that can aid him in evaluating the knowledgeables of Quran. The instructor might additionally remedy him when it involves errors in pronunciation. In addition to youngsters, on the internet Quran discovering is additionally helpful for the grownups. With the hard and also busy schedules nowadays, it becomes tremendously difficult to discover time to go to Quran learning centers. Additionally, because of the social restraints, you might not find a substantial variety of locations to tutor adults solely. For these reasons, it is best to research Quran via an online resource.

A large advantage of on-line Quran discovering is that in addition to examining the Quran itself, you can also research different descriptions given by different scholars. This enables to obtain varied perspectives. Likewise, you have the ability to obtain translations in different languages. You might select the favored language in order to get a far better insight of the Quran. موقع سلام

The value of Quran can not be expressed far more than this. The Prophet (S.A.W) said, "One of the most exceptional among you (Muslims) is the one who learns the Quran as well as instructs it" (Sahih Bukhari, Publication # 61, Hadith # 546). It is the Book that not only contains trainings of how to live your lives according to God's Will, yet additionally all information that has actually ever before been uncovered by mankind. It likewise has information that is yet to be or will never be located by clinical looks into. Such is the power of this Holy Publication. As soon as you get a grip on its understanding, you will have the ability to change your point of view in the direction of life. You will recognize that all these life things are just temporary. There is a much more relaxed and also happier life waiting for you. تطبيق سلام

https://www.youtube.com/c/SalamFMcomhttps://www.instagram.com/salamfmcomhttps://twitter.com/SalamFM_Radiohttps://www.facebook.com/Salamfmcom

[mr-culper]

Honestly, I don’t know where this tradition came from, but in Christianity, regardless of denomination, it is customary to address a priests calling him “father”. Abba, for example. This is an Aramaic word with the same meaning. In the Middle East, that's what abbots of monasteries were called in ancient times, and now that's what it is customary to call the ascetic writers of the Middle Eastern geography — Abba Dorotheus, for example. This saint's name is Dorotheus, but this “abba” means “father”. From this word came the well-known English “abbot”.

In Middle Eastern Christian churches, a priest or monk is addressed by saying “abūnā” (أَبُونَا). “Ab” (أَبٌ) is Arabic for “father”, this “ū” that is heard is the harf “wāw” (ﻭ), which marks the nominative case. Usually this is done through vowel marks, diacritical marks, but due to the fact that “father” in Arabic is a two-harf word, everything works a little differently when words are inflected; in such situations, another harf is added.

Harf is a unit of Arabic writing. This is something between a letter and a syllable. Every harf consists of two components: consonant and vowel mark. In writing, only consonants are usually written. Vowel marks are used in the Quran, poetry and educational literature. The Arabic alphabet consists of harfs, not letters (in the European sense of the word). In “abūnā” this “nā” (نا) that is heard at the end is a fused pronoun for the first person plural, meaning “our”. So, “abūnā” is translated as “our father.” In Arabic it is written together, in one graphic word — أبونا. But there are two semantic words here. It's important to keep in mind, learning Arabic.  

— Tea & Rum. Ep. 5.

That's an excerpt from the fifth episode of the Tea & Rum podcast. I have no idea why I post it here, but let it be. I just truly like to tell about Arabic. That's such a beautiful language.

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Wadood— The Affectionate, The Most-Loving, The Beloved— twice  in the Quran. Al-Wadood is the One who is the source of all affection, love, and kindness. Even though He does not need us in any way Al-Wadood wishes the best for us. He has a special form of love for His righteous servants who love Him because of their knowledge of His perfection and His readiness to forgive. Al-Wadood is the Affectionate and the Beloved!

The Most Loving, the Ever-Affectionate, and the Beloved

Wadood comes from the root waw-daal-daal, which carries three main meanings: to love, to be affectionate and to long, wish or desire for.
This root appears 29 times in the Quran in five derived forms. Examples of these forms are yawaddu (like, will wish), al mawaddata (the love), and wuddan (affection).

The concept of love in the Arabic language is decribed by different words, hubb and wudd are examples of them. Hubb is the inner-feeling of love for someone whereas Wudd is an intense, consistent affection as it is expressed in actions and conduct.

Wadood is from the fa’ool pattern which in Arabic grammar points to intensity and continuity. Allah is Al-Wadood; His love is intense, continuous and translates into the blessings, favours, mercy, guidance and forgiveness He gives to His slaves.

Al-Wadood Himself says: . . . Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds, The Most Merciful will appoint for them affection. [Quran, 19:96] ..And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Affectionate. [Quran, 11:90] . . . And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate[Quran, 85:14]

How Do We Gain the Love of Allah?

In a beautiful, comprehensive hadith you will find the formula on how to gain the love of Al-Wadood. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: … And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing voluntary acts of worship until I love him..Most beloved to Al-Wadood are you doing your obligatory acts of worship, then by doing your voluntary acts of worship you come closer and closer to Him.

Then what happens next? The Prophet continued about the amazing reward: …(so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him. [Al-Bukharee]
Al-Wadood then becomes your special Helper, protecting your limbs and organs by not letting them work for anything He dislikes and a heart-melting seal: Al-Wadood will grant your wishes and keep you safe. Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi!

How Can We Live By This Name?

1.      Have a close relationship with Al-Wadood.
Telling Al-Wadood about your concerns is a beautiful type of ‘ibaadah (worship) in itself. He wants you to turn to Him and tell him about your problems while remembering how close He is to you and how much you love Him. The mother of Maryam ‘alayha sallam said: ..My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing..[Quran, 3:35] This pious woman is a beautiful example of someone with a close relationship with Allah and Al-Wadood answered her dua’.

2.      Love Al-Wadood above everything and anyone.
Al-Wadood says: Say, [O Muhammad], If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people. This ayah is a great reminder pinpointing all the things we tend to love over Allah and His messenger.

3.      Let your love be for the sake of Al-Wadood.
Ask yourself for what reasons you love people? Love people for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala so Al-Wadood, His angels and the people of the earth love you! What an amazing deal. The Prophet sallallahu ’alayhi wa sallam said, When Allah loves a slave, calls out Jibril and says: `I love so-and-so; so love him’. Then Jibril loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; and the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him. [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] So mind who you love and love those who fear Allah, love Him and who strive for the good and forbid evil. This is the most beautiful kind of love you can have for another human being, even if you don’t know them.

4.      Follow the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Proof your love for Al-Wadood by sticking to the sunnah of His messenger. The reward: Allah will love and forgive you your sins. Another lucrative deal! Say: If you love Allah then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Quran, 3:31]

5.      Love to recite Suratul Ikhlaas.
If you want Allah’s love, love talking about Him. Surah Al-Ikhlaas is one of the most comprehensive surahs describing Allah. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in prayer.  He always concluded his recitation with Surah Al-Ikhlaas. Upon their return to Al-Madinah, they mentioned this to Messenger of Allah who said, “Ask him why he does so?” He was asked and he said, “This Surah contains the Attributes of Allah, the Gracious, and I love to recite it. Messenger of Allah then told them, “Tell him that Allah loves him”. [Al-Bukharee , Muslim]. So increase in reciting Surah Al-Ikhlaas with love!

6. Love for others what you love for yourself.
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi said: None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself. [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] If someone just got married and you can’t find someone, someone got that new job and you didn’t, even though it might  be hard, be happy for them. Strive to control your nafs (ego) and know it is Al-Wadood Who gives and takes. You will notice the peace it gives you inside when you love for others what you love for yourself, in stead of being jealous and anxious over others’ happiness. Live by this golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated!

Wallahu ta’alaa ‘alem.

O Allah, Al-Wadood, we know that You are the One Who is Most Affectionate. Make us of those who love You and Your Messenger above all, bless us with Your love and protection. Bring righteous people on our path and make us love them and them love us for Your sake only. Guide us in following the sunnah and in fulfilling our obligations towards You and give us the tawfeeq to perform many voluntary deeds of worship, ameen!