Qur'an

The Quran (القرآن‎, romanized: al-Qurʼān, literally meaning "the recitation"), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God (Allah). It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. The Quran is divided into chapters (Arabic: سورة sūrah, plural سور suwar), which are subdivided into verses (Arabic: آية āyah, plural آيات āyāt).

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Qur'an . Imamah

Why are there only indirect references to Imamat in the Quran instead of having a direct command, such as a verse that could have asked the Muslims to follow the 12 successors of Rasoolullah?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 days ago

There is very clear evidence in Quran to follow The Twelve Imams after the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). Allah (SWT) says: Obey whatever the Prophet tells you, and avoid whatever he orders you to avoid. (Sura 59, Verse 7). This order includes everything. That is why we don't find in Quran the mention of number of Rak'ats of our obligatory prayers (two for morning, 4 for Dhuhr, 4 for ASR, 3 four Maghrib and 4 for Esha) , but we took it from the Prophet (SAWA).

The Prophet (SAWA) has clearly stated that his successors will be twelve in Authentic Hadeeths narrated in Sunni and Shia books.

Wassalam.

86785

Qur'an . God (Allah)

According to Quran 95:4 Allah creates us in a perfect shape. Why then are some of us physically crippled? Similarly, in Quran 51:49 Allah says that He creates everything in a pair. When then do we see transgender people?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 1 week ago

Individual human beings are not born identical, whether or not we have an obvious physical disability. We all have our own uniquenesses, characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses; often, some people will consider a characteristic a merit while others will consider it a flaw. (For instance, one person will consider someone who talks a lot to be friendly and social, and another might find them annoying. In some cultures it is good to be tall and in others it is strange. Etc.)

In any case, there is a lot of variety in our appearance, character, personality, etc, and usually some things are not as perfect as we would like them to be. (In fact, it is usually our imperfections that make us interesting! If all people were perfect, the world would be very boring.) (Note that for the sake of simplicity I am not speaking about the masoumeen (A) but rather the vast majority of human beings.)

What can be understood from this verse is that God created the archetype or "model" of the human being in a perfect form. That is, the model for the human being is designed in a perfect manner, both in terms of our ideal physique and our ideal attributes. However, when we are born into this world, we have a lot of individual variety. This is similar to how a world-class artist might paint a painting, and then other artists might copy it; they are all copying the same model, but each copy has its own unique ways in which it differs from the main model.

In this day and age, many people strive to perfect their physical bodies (for instance, through plastic surgery). Sometimes this is possible, and sometimes it is not. However, almost everyone can strive to perfect their ethics and character and to come closer to the ideal that Allah has set forth for us.

Similarly, the idea that things are created in pairs is a general, archetypal rule for the universe. (For instance, there is night and day, male and female, up and down, etc) It doesn't mean that there is absolutely never any individual variation or that males and females need to be completely opposite each other. It was also understood during the era of revelation that some people are not clearly identified as males or females physically.

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ADDENDUM:

It is narrated in al-Durr al-Manthūr (one of the Sunni tafāsir) that the Prophet caught sight of a man who had let his wrapper (izār) hang low. He told him: ‘Lift up your wrapper!’ He said: ‘O Messenger of God! I have a deformity in my foot that causes my knees to knock together.’ He replied: ‘Lift up your wrapper! All that God creates is beautiful (ḥasan).’

It is also related from Imam al-Baqir from Luqman: 'Every beast loves its likeness, but the son of Adam does not love his.'

Just some thoughts!

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Imamah . Qur'an . Sunni-Shi'a

Why is Imamah of the Imams after the Prophet not mentioned in the Quran if it is the central point of Shi'ism?

The Imamah is the legitimate succession of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). No prophet left his Ummah with out informing them clearly about his legitimate successors who should lead people on the right path and prevent deviation. Quran has mentioned the Imamah in many verses e.g.

(And We made them Imams who call people by Our Order) (Sura 21, verse 73).

(And We made from them Imams who call by Our order) ( Sura 32, verse 24).

Allah (SWT) ordered all Muslims to obey Allah, the messenger and the divine leaders ( the Infallible Imams) (Sura 4, verse 59).

Many books were compiled by prominent scholars in Quranic verses related to Ahlul Bayt (AS) e.g.

Sunni Muslims have no evidence in Quran or authentic Hadeeths to justify the leaders whom they follow from Saqeefa, Bani Umayyad, Bani Abbas and till now.

The names of the Infallible Imams are not mentioned in Quran for a great wisdom known by Allah (SWT) as Allah (SWT) did not openly mentioned many other important matters like the number of Rak'ats of Obligatory Salah. He knows the reason behind that. He ordered in Quran all Muslims to obey the Prophet (SAWA) and the Prophet informed the Muslims about the number of Rak'ats of every obligatory Salah, and informed the names of the Infallible Imams as well.

Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) was asked: Why the names of the Infallible Imams were not mentioned in Quran? He reportedly replied: Ask those who put this question: Where did Allah mention in Quran the numbers of Rak'ats of Salah?

The Prophet (SAWA) only informed about the numbers of Rak'ats and the names of Infallible Imams.

Wassalam.

86568

Imamah . Prophets . Qur'an

Where is the proof of Imamah in the Quran directly referring to the 12 Imams and not the Prophets?

Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answer updated 2 weeks ago

The speech of Imam al-Ridha (as) in Usul al-Kafi Vol. 1 helps to outline how Imama is established by the Qur'an.

This is a link to it, plus some other extracts from other volumes:

https://onlineshiastudies.com/imamateinquran/

The appointment of a successor was entirely in keeping with 'Allah's Sunna':

There are several verses in the Holy Qur’an that mention the Sunnah, or the Way of Allah, as follows:‘That was the Sunnah of Allah in the case of those who lived before and there will never be any change in the Sunnah of Allah.’ (Surah al-Ahzab, 33:62); ‘{Such was Our) Sunnah in the case of those whom We sent before you {to mankind), and you will never find change in Our Sunnah.’ (Surah BaniIsrail, 17:77); ‘Had the disbelievers fought against you, they would take to flight and would have found no guardian or helper. This is the Sunnah of Allah which existed before you, and you will never find any change in Allah's system’ (Surah al-Fath, 48:23); ‘[Due to] arrogance in the land and plotting of evil; but the evil plot does not encompass except its own people. Then do they await except the way of the former peoples? But you will never find in the Sunnah of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.’ (35:43); ‘Their faith could not avail against Our punishment. Such is Allah's prevailing Sunnah (law) among His servants in the past. Thus the disbelievers are ruined.’ (Surah Mumin, 40:85).

As Dr Ibrahim Ayati explains in regard to these verses, ‘Whenever the word Sunnah has been used in the Holy Qur'an it has been used in this very literal meaning i.e. the manner in which Allah has treated the past nations. And whenever Allah says that His Sunnah is unalterable it means that there is a path for attaining to dignity and honor and He does not change it, and there is also a path and ground which leads to adversity and helplessness and that, too, is unalterable.’

The path for attaining dignity and honour is that revealed by the prophets and supported and explained by the Imams of the prophets. This Sunnah, the sending of prophets accompanied by their supporters and successors, can be seen going all the way back to Adam [whose supporter and successor would have been Habil/Abel]. If we take a look at the prophetic lineage, we can see this.
Scholars provide an approximate outline of this lineage: ‘Adam [and his wasiy] Seth/Abel/Hibat Allah; then Noah and [his wasiy] Shem; Solomon and [his wasiy] Asaf ibn Barakhiya; Ibrahim and his succeeding awsiya Isma’il and Ishaq; Moses and his awsiya Harun and Joshua; Isa and his awsiya Simon; John and the apostles; Prophet Muhammad and his awsiya Imam 'Ali (as) and the other eleven Imams.’ (Amir-Moezzi, Shi‘ i Spirituality, p. 289).

At no time in prophetic history has a prophet not clearly stipulated his successor, and the appointment of a successor is an unchanging part of the prophetic sunnah and the Sunnah of Allah (swt).

Seth means "placed; appointed". In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, he was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel. According to Genesis 4:25, Seth was born after Abel's murder, and Eve believed God had appointed him as a replacement for Abel.]

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Word . Christianity . Scholars . Qur'an . God (Allah)

What would our response be to a Christian scholar who accuses the Quran of not being the original word of God?

Quran has challenged all those who claimed what this person is claiming, to bring like Quran. ( Say: If the human beings and the Jinn join together to bring like this Quran, they will never bring like Quran even if all of them support each other.( Sura 17, Verse88).

If Quran is not the original word of God, then it should be possible for the enemies of Quran to produce like Quran. When they failed to do that, it means that Quran is the word of God.

After failing to bring like Quran which is from 114 chapters , Quran challenged the enemies to bring just ten chapters like Quran.( Or they say: He (Prophet Muhammad) fabricated it (Quran). Say: Then you bring ten fabricated chapters like its chapters, and seek help from whom you want apart from Allah, if you are truthful. (Sura 11, verse 13).

They again failed to face this challenge, which proved that Quran is not from any human source but from God.

Quran challenged them again to bring just one chapter like Quran.

(And if you are in doubt about what we revealed (Quran) on Our servant (Muhammad), then bring one chapter like Quran's chapters, and call all your partners and supporters besides Allah if you are truthful). (Sura 2, verse 23)

All these challenges were since over 1400 years, against all the enemies of Quran, but not a single response has come from them. This fact itself stands as a living evidence that Quran is The True Word of God and all claims of the enemies are false.

We put this fact in front of all enemies of Islam and ask them to produce even one chapter like Quran if their claims are right.

Last note for the person who claims to be a Christian yet accuses Quran, to deal with enemies of Jesus and his mother Mary who accuse Mary with false allegations with out any evidence. They are in fact doing wrong and misleading themselves and others. He is in fact doing the same by accusing Quran, The True and Original word of God.

We also invite him to read what the great scientists stated about Quranic verses including scientific facts which were impossible to be known before 1400 years but mentioned in Quran. Many books were written in this subject. Just search for: scientific miracles in Quran. You read and think between you and God and decide whether you really want to follow the Truth?

Wassalam.

84726

Science . Qur'an . Procreation

According to the Quran, the creation of man is from clay but in another place it says from a clot of congealed blood and yet again in another place it says by water. How can one understand these explanations and how do they comply with modern science?

All these statements ( human beings are created from clay, from water, from congealed blood) are absolutely correct. The creation of human being has stages; the clay is one of them, the water is also a stage and semen fluid is from water, while the congealed blood is a stage after the formation of the zygote.

Modern science confirms all these stages as you can see the books of embryology.

Wassalam.

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Heaven . Earth . Meaning . Qur'an

What do the terms for heaven and earth specifically mean in the Qur'an? How should we understand the idea of seven heavens?

Heaven and earth means sky and earth. Seven heavens means seven skies and seven earths.

Seven heavens are the seven skies above us starting from the first heaven which we can see then other skies above it which are out of our sight.

Wassalam.

82297

Sunni-Shi'a . Qur'an . Tahrif

I have read in Wikipedia that some Shia Muslims disputed the canonical validity of the Uthmanic codex of the Quran. Is this true? If so, can you tell me who they were?

Shia believe that Quranic text is intact and no one can change it as Allah (SWT) promised in Quran (We Have revealed the Thikr (Quran) and We Are keeping it intact) Sura 15, Verse 9.

Uthman removed he Tafseer which was mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) on some verses and written by Imam Ali (AS). The Quranic text remains the same.

Wassalam.

82681

Ghusl . Qur'an . Wudu (Ablution)

Is it allowed to buy a Quran in a bookstore when you don't have Wudu or have not performed a mandatory Ghusl?

Seyed Saied Alavi, Seyed Saied Alavi is a researcher based in Qom who has studied from the Howzah of Qom and also completed a Pastoral studies program. He is currently a university lecturer in the fields of Shia... Answered 1 month ago

In the name of Allah

Touching the words of the Quran without Wudhu or Ghusl is Haram.
However, Touching other parts of the Quran, like the cover, page margins, etc. without Wudhu or Ghusl, is not Haram, but it's Makrooh.

WasSalaam.

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Surah . Qur'an . Wudu (Ablution)

Can we recite any Surah from the Quran without Wuddu?

Yes, it is permissible to recite Quran with out Wudhu, though it is recommended to be with Wudhu when reciting Quran. In fact,nit is recommended to be with Wudhu all the time.

Wassalam.

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Tajweed . Qur'an . Qur'anic Exegesis (Tafsir)

Is it permissible to buy a Quran with translation and Tafseer or any other Tajweed books from Amazon or other online stores?

Yes, it is permissible to buy Quran with translation but you need to be sure about the accuracy of the translations as many translations available online and in book shops are wrong and misleading. Tajweed books and materials are always permissible.

Wassalam.

Tajweed . Qur'an . Qur'anic Exegesis (Tafsir)

Is it permissible to buy a Quran with translation and Tafseer or any other Tajweed books from Amazon or other online stores?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 2 months ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. There is no problem in buying these online.

May you always be successful.