“O you who believe, when you prepare for prayer, wash your faces, hands and arms to the elbows, wipe your heads and feet to the ankles…” 5:6

Perhaps the reason believers who do not have hands, arms, feet, and legs do not need to be able to perform this ritual is because they already understand its lessons.

Submitted by Bilal

“Men and women support one another because God has given each of them more than the others, and because they spend from their wealth, and righteous women, being loyal, maintain in their absence what God would have them maintain…” 4:34.

I chose this picture because I think they are a good example of a man and a woman supporting one another, as verse 4:34 suggests. Their relationship began with Michelle Obama as Barack Obama’s mentor, and now she is his First Lady. Throughout their relationship, she has supported him and he has supported her.

Some translations of this verse encourages the idea that men are to support women and therefore women are to obey their husbands.

I think the above translation/interpretation of Quran 4:34, which was inspired by something a Muslim woman shared with me better reflects the complex dynamics of gender roles in the context of marriage by including the complex word dynamics in the translation itself.

Here’s why I say that…

The first four words of this verse (arrijalu qawwamoona alaa annisa) interpreted literally can be translated as “men are those who stand upon woman” (men (arrijalu) are those who stand (qawwamoona) upon (alaa) women (annisa)). (Note: Since the way God uses words helps us to define them, the translation “protector” or “maintainer” does not work for qawwamoona because of how the word is used in 5:8).

However, if those words “arrijalu qawwamoona alaa annisa” are taken figuratively, it can then be interpreted that men are supported by women, much like when we say, “behind every good man is a good woman” and “my wife is my rock” and “my wife is the rock of the family”.

But like a healthy marriage, this verse is not just one-sided. Those same words “arrijalu qawwamoona alaa annisa” can also be literally translated “men are those who stand up the women” (men (arrijalu) are those who stand (qawwamoona) up (alaa)) the women (annisa) which can be interpreted as “men support women”. (Note: If you do not like my translating “alaa” as “up”, consider that the most prominent translations do not translate “alaa” at all).

Thus, merging the two interpretations together we have, “Men and women support one another.”

Now the phrase “…because God has given some of them more than others, and because they spend from their wealth., so the righteous women are loyal, and save in their absence what God would have them save…”, can help us to better understand why some men and women, especially those with small children, still choose certain gender roles.

Women, especially those with small children, are more economically productive in the home than men with small children. And men, especially those with small children are more economically productive in the work place than woman with small children.

Again, this can help to explain why it remains a viable option for some couples, especially those with small children, to agree that the father works in the work-place providing financial income, while the wife works at home, providing financial savings.

But finally, as the example of Michelle Obama nicely illustrates, the role of a house-wife, including the Whitehouse-wife, has and always will burst far beyond mere brick and mortar into every area of society.

Submitted by Bilal

There are numerous verses in the Qur’an that encourage interfaith exchange and understanding. Here are ten of those two-way bridges:

     1.) “Say: God is One, The Eternal, The Absolute.”        Q.112:1,2

     2.) “Say: Call Him God or call Him The Merciful Benefactor. By whatever name you call Him (it is well), for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.”          Q.17:110

     3.) “And dispute not with other People of Scripture except with means better (than mean disputation) unless it is with those who inflict wrong. Rather say: ‘We believe in the Revelation that has come down to us and in that which came down to you. Our God and your God is One and the Same, and it is to Him that we submit.’ “          Q.29:46

     4.) “Say you (Muhammed): We believe in Allah, and the Revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob,and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no difference between one and another of them, and to God do we submit.”          Q.2:136

     5.) “Let there be no compulsion in religion, for truth stands out clear from error. Whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped a most trustworthy handhold that never breaks, and God hears and knows all things.”      Q.2:256

     6.) “Surely those who believe, and the Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, and any who believe in God and the Last Day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”     Q.2:62

     7.) ” O Mankind! We have created you from a single male and female, and made you into diverse nations and tribes so that you would come to know each other. Surely the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. And God knows and is acquainted with all things.”           Q.49:13

     8.) ” To each is a goal to which God turns you, so strive with one another (as if in a race) towards all that is good. Wheresoever you are, God will bring you together, for God has Power over all things.”          Q.2:148

     9.) ” Be quick in the race for forgiveness from you Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that of both the Heavens and the Earth, prepared for the righteous: those who give whether in prosperity or in adversity, who restrain anger and pardon men. Allah loves those who do good.”  Q.3:133

    10.) ” O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God as witnesses to fairness, and let not the hatred of others towards you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, for that is next to piety, and fear God, for God is well-acquainted with all that you do.”          Q.5:8

submitted by Plemon

“We have honored the children of Adam, provided them with transport on land and sea, provided for them super things, and preferred them above a great part of our creation.” (Quran 17:70)

The next time we are graced by the presence of an automobile or boat, we may enhance the experience by remembering these words from the Creator of its creators, and have a brand-new appreciation for these symbols of success, these honorable yet practical thrones of honor.

Submitted by Bilal Muhammad

“Verily, God never changes the condition of a people until they change it within their own souls.”  Qur’an 13:11 

                    Another tragedy and senseless loss of precious lives through the barrels of guns which have nomenclature  far exceeding any perceived purpose other than killing or maiming human beings. What hunter pursues deer or rabbits with a 17 round Glock handgun? What type of herds do you hunt with a 30 plus round Bushmaster? We need to stop lying to ourselves and each other, we have these types of weapons because we either fear or hate some other human beings, and the gun industry loves us for it. Collective Insanity!

                    Twenty very young children murdered, six teachers killed, a mother’s life taken while probably trying to talk sense into her mentally disturbed 20 year old. Every minister, social worker, and public servant worth their weight in salt, knows 5 or 10 people that are struggling with some aspect of emotional and/or mental infirmity. Yet, when it comes to availability of guns, they are not the problem. They, too, are victims. Victims of our collective insanity to continue to bow to the pressures, persuasions, and ‘the tyranny of collective fantasies and delusions’ of the gun industry, their dupes and lobbyists.

                   There are 300 million guns in American homes. Every year, 100,000 Americans are shot and 30,000 of them die from their wounds. Since Columbine High School in 1999, we have suffered 15 mass shootings, 5 of them this year – the Chardon, Ohio school, the California Christian college, the Aurora, Colo. movie theater, the Wisconsin Sikh Temple, and now the Newtown, Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary School. In spite of it all, we still choose to debate Gun Control with the NRA.

                     Surely, we have lost our minds! May this tragedy be the one that awakens our hearts before we lose our souls as well!

Submitted by Imam Plemon T. El-Amin
 

                                                              

“Do not come near impermissible sex, it is indeed a harmful, painful road.” 17:32

Even though the most frequent mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS is through sexual contact with an infected person, studies have shown that encouraging sexual abstinence does not appear to affect subsequent HIV/AIDS risk (read more).

But one good formula to remain AIDS free is…

1st) Get checked for HIV/AIDS today

2nd) Find a believer with whom you would like to be intimate with (if you have not already found him or her), whom you have good reason to believe will faithfully do steps 1, 3, 4 and 5).

3rd) Remained abstinent for at least six months (the amount of time it take for HIV/AIDS to appear and the suggested minimum for emotional recovery from the last relationship)

4th) Marry that person by following simple Quranic requirements (read more)

5th) Follow verse 17:32 above

 

Above each excerpt from President Obama’s 2012 Veterans’ Day remarks are Quran verse that come to mind.

Not equal are those believers who sit at home and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of God with their goods and their persons. God has granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons, than to those who sit at home. To all has God promised good, but He favors those who strive and fight, above those who sit at home, with a special reward. 4:95

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Each year, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we pause –- as a nation, and as a people –- to pay tribute to you. To thank you. To honor you, the heroes, over the generations, who have served this country of ours with distinction.

On behalf of the American people, I say to you that the memory of your loved one carries on not just in your hearts, but in ours as well. And I assure you that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

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And do not say of those who are slain in the way of God, “They are dead.” No, they are living, though you cannot see them. 2:154

And moments ago, I laid a wreath to remember every service member who has ever worn our nation’s uniform. And this day, first and foremost, belongs to them and their loved ones: to the father and mother, the husband and wife, the brother and sister, the comrade and the friend who, when we leave here today, will continue to walk these quiet hills and kneel before the final resting place of those they cherished most.

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And why should you not fight in the cause of God and for those who, because they are weak, are ill-treated? Men, women, and children whose cry is, “Our Lord, rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors, and raise for us, from you, one who will protect, and raise for us, from you, one who will help.” 4:75

You toppled a dictator (Muammar Gaddafi)…

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Fight in the cause of God, those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for God does not love transgressors. 2:190

O you who believe, if any among you turn back from his faith, soon will God produce a people who He will love, as they will love Him. A people gentle with the believers, hard on the rejecters, fighting in the way of God, and never afraid of the criticism of those who find undue fault. That is the grace of God, which He will bestow on whom He pleases, God encompasses all, and He knows all things. 5:54

…you pushed back the Taliban and decimated al Qaeda in Afghanistan. You delivered justice to Osama bin Laden. Tour after tour, year after year, you and your families have done all that this country has asked –- you’ve done that and more

 ◊

Nor should the believers go forth all together. A contingent from every deployment should remain behind and devote themselves to understanding the ways of life…9:122

For it is in that sacrifice that we see the enduring spirit of America. Since even before our founding, we have been blessed with an unbroken chain of patriots who have always come forward to serve. Whenever America has come under attack, you’ve risen to her defense. Whenever our freedoms have come under assault, you’ve responded with resolve. Time and again, at home and abroad, you and your families have sacrificed to protect that powerful promise that all of us hold so dear –- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

  ◊

Nor should the believers go forth all together. A contingent from every deployment should remain behind and devote themselves to understanding the ways of life that they may advise and assist their troops when they return to them, and so that they may remain current. 9:122

Three years ago, I promised your generation that when your tour comes to an end, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you’ll be welcomed home to an America that will forever fight for you, just as hard as you’ve fought for us. And so long as I have the honor of serving as your Commander-in-Chief, that is the promise that we will never stop working to keep.

As they come home, it falls to us, their fellow citizens, to be there for them and their families — not just now but always; not just for the first few years, but for as long as they walk this Earth.

 ◊

…that they may advise and assist their troops when they return to them, and so that they may remain current. 9:122

That’s what we do in America. We take care of our own. We take care of our veterans. We take care of your families. Not just by saluting you on one day, once a year, but by fighting for you and your families every day of every year. That’s our obligation – a sacred obligation –- to all of you.

 ◊

God has purchased from the believers, their persons and their goods, and for this, the garden is theirs. They fight in His cause, they slay and are slain. A promise binding on Him in reality, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Quran. And who is more faithful to his covenant than God? So rejoice in the transaction, which you have contracted. That is the ultimate achievement. 9:111

God bless you. God bless our veterans. God bless our men and women in uniform. And God bless these United States of America. Thank you very much.

- U.S. President Barack Obama at a Veterans’ Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on November 11, 2012.

Above each excerpt from President Obama’s 2012 victory speech is a Quran verse that comes to mind.

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Within a few years with God is the decision, in the past and in the future. On that day will the believers rejoice. Quran 30: 4

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: (Chanting.) Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

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To each is a goal to which God turns them. So strive together towards all that is good. Wherever you are, God will bring you together. For God has power over all things.  2:148

While each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock, resolve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward.

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Surely your Lord will gather them together, for He is perfect in  wisdom and knowledge. 15:25.

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America.

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To Us are known those of you who hasten forward and those who lag behind. 15: 24

The task of perfecting our union moves forward. It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.

That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go — forward. That’s where we need to go.

◊

With it came down the spirit of faith and truth. 26: 193

It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

 ◊

Have We not expanded your breast? And removed from you your burden, which galled your back? And raised high the esteem you are held. So indeed, with every difficulty there is relief. Indeed, with every difficulty there is relief. Therefore, when you are free, still labor hard. And turn all of your attention to your Lord. 94:1-8

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.

But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us; it’s about what can be done by us together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.

◊

Do you wonder how there has come to you a message from your Lord through a person of your own people, to warn you? Call to mind that He made you inheritors after the people of Noah, and gave you great stature, among the nations. Call to mind the benefits from God, so that you may flourish. 7:69

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores. What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared — that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations, so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.

◊

Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful teaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious, for your Lord knows best who have strayed from His path, and who have received guidance. 16: 125

Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won’t change after tonight. And it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter —  the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

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Or has He only daughters and you have sons? Or is it that you ask for a reward, so that they are burdened with a load of debt? 52:39-40

We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt.

◊

God has promised to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will indeed grant them in the land inheritance of power, as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority, their religion, the one which He has chosen for them, and that He will change their state, after the fear in which they lived, to one of safety and peace. ‘They will  worship Me and not associate anything with Me.’ If any do not  believe after this, they are rebellious and wicked. 24: 55

We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this world has ever known — but also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.

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And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn, which she has spun, after it has become strong, nor take your promises to practice deception between yourselves, lest one party should be more numerous than another, for God will challenge you by this, and on the Day of Accountability He will certainly make clear to you that which you disagree. 16: 92

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock, resolve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward.

◊

“O my sons, go and inquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of God’s mercy. Truly no one despairs of God’s mercy except those who have no faith.” 12: 87

And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

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Now then, for that reason, call them and stand steadfast as you are asked to, and do not follow their vain desires but say, “I believe in the Book which God has sent down, and I am asked to judge justly between you. God is our Lord and your Lord, for us is the responsibility for our deeds, and for you, your deeds. There is no contention between you and us. God will bring us together, and to Him is Our final goal. 42: 15

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America.

◊

O humanity, call to mind the grace of God to you, is there a creator other than God, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth? There is no god but He. How then are you deluded from the truth?35:3

And together, with your help and God’s grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth.  Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.  

-President Barack Obama (Chicago, IL 11.7.12)

“…We afflicted the nations with suffering and devastation to awaken virtue…” 6:42

In Light of Devastation             

Superstorm Sandy resurrected haunting images of Katrina, only  this time upon the most populous region of the U.S., the East Coast. Deaths, havoc, unthinkable destruction and devastation, were left behind after the flood waters receded. Eight million without power, homes and neighborhoods vanquished, and souls strained and severely tested. This could have been any of us, and really it is all of us.

               Yet, in spite of it all, in the midst of adversity, the human spirit finds resiliency and rises to the occasion. Calamity tends to awaken the humanity in all of us. Indiscriminate devastation overwhelms our prejudices and biases, and pulls down our artificial barriers. We navigate around our differences. For a brief period of time, we all become the same: homeless, powerless, and vulnerable. Remarkably, selflessness, generosity, compassion, sacrifice, and humaneness surface above the collective torrents of havoc. Devastation ignites the human spirit to reach across ethic, racial, and class prejudices and divides. Even venomous political party lines and diatribes vanished, at least for a few days.

               Calamity is like lightning, it shines a bright light upon the darkened and suppressed virtues of the human soul. We witness flashes of whom we should be. Calamity often awakens the best of the human spirit, but understand, it can’t and won’t sustain that spirit. Outside stimulus can only generate fleeting images of benevolence. Genuine and lasting humility, civility, generosity, gratefulness, and compassion are born, bred, nurtured, and sustained from within.

               May our prayers, hopes, and help reach those directly affected, and may we all find the strength and determination to reach deeper inside of ourselves to cultivate and radiate the light of  the best of  humanity, in both good and trying times. 

Submitted by Imam Plemon T. El-Amin

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   Commentary  Help Us Refine Our Translations

“Would you really rather give your love to men than to women? No. But you are a people who refuse to acknowledge this.” 27:55

in this verse God lets us in on a little secret kept by men and women who pursue same-sex relationships…

they would rather be in love with someone of the opposite sex.

But even if they refuse to acknowledge that they are not in the relationship they really want, they should, especially in the Unites States of America, have the right to be dissatisfied with whomever they like.

What do you think? Post a comment.

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