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All in the Quran

After listening to Taylor’s beautiful song from the other day, I was totally inspired to have a go at getting back into doing a bit of singing! Thank you Taylor if you are reading this! Alhamdulillah it’s been a fun experience! It’s been a long time since I used to sing, and not at all in a professional capacity, but I used to really enjoy it and thought I’d like to try to use the backing track from one of my recent favourite tunes “Just a dream” (the version by Sam Tsui and Christina Grimmie) and adapt the lyrics with my own words… well this is how my humble effort  turned out LOL – the lyrics are below and the mp3 is here – you have to right click and press “save link as” to download – I don’t know how to make it play online. It’s on youtube as well but the audio quality on there is quite muffled.

All in the Quran (lyrics)

Thinking ’bout life,
Thinking ’bout love,
Thinking ’bout God
All of the above
Opened my eyes
It’s all in the Quran

So I come back
To the Word of God
His Noble Words
Are all I’ve got
I realized
It’s all in the Quran

When I’m working I swear
I get reminded all the time
I’m trying to concentrate
I hear these words that rhyme
God knows I’m thinking and I’m hearing Him loud and clear

I been doubting in myself
And wondering where this path will take me
Now I got no doubt cos I feel it all just lately
Here in my heart
It was easy once I tried
But Why
Did I wait this long to try?

People tell me sister don’t give up hadith
And don’t reject the sunnah cos we got these set beliefs
But I tried and I know that somethin just ain’t right
And I feel that I’m living in a double life, A lie

(Thinking ’bout) life,
Thinking ’bout love
Thinking ’bout God
All of the above
Opened my eyes
It’s all in the Quran
So I come back
To the Word of God
His Noble Words
Are all I’ve got
All this time
It’s all in the Quran

When I’m praying I beg for a double dose of patience
Guidance and strength and forgiveness for my conscience
Mmmm
It’s peaceful to my soul
I know
I got no other way to go

The people that I know from my past are gonna hate me
Maybe not all of them
And some of them gonn’ pray for me
But wait, 
I gotta do this thing
It’s my life, it’s my struggle
So I’ll strive

Prophetic examples needn’t be so hard to find
If you know just where to look
It’s easy to combine
Your reason and your logic and
To ponder and reflect
And please don’t tell me
That it’s just another sect!

Thinking ’bout life,
Thinking ’bout love,
Thinking ’bout God
All of the above
Open your eyes
It’s all in the Quran!
So come back
To the Word of God!
His Noble Words
Are all we’ve got
All this time
it’s all in the Quran!

If you’ve ever been confused put your hands up
If you’ve ever been bemused put your hands up
Now it’s clear and you feel you wanna start over again

If you’ve ever been confused put your hands up
If you’ve ever been bemused put your hands up
Now it’s clear and you feel you wanna start ALL over again

(Thinking bout life,) thinking bout love, thinking bout God
All of the above
Open your eyes
It’s all in the Quran!
So come back
To the Word of God!
His Noble Words
Are all we’ve got
All this time
It’s all in the Quran!

If you can relate to these lyrics, please join QRAC – Quranists Reverts and Converts Support Network on Facebook

Original backing music info for copyright purposes: (from Wikipedia) “Just a Dream” is a song performed by American recording artist Nelly, taken from his sixth studio album 5.0 (2010). The song was written by Nelly, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin and Frank Romano with Jonsin and Love producing the song.[1] No copyright infringement intended.

“All in the Quran” lyrics adapted by Asfora Safarina based on the rhythm and style as per the version by Sam Tsui and Christina Grimmie.

copyright disclaimer:

Discussions about headgear

Here is a discussion in QRAC about the Hijab

Here is a discussion in QRAC about the Kufi (Skullcap)

A thread on Free-Minds about taking off the hijab

Three or Five prayers in the Quran?

A good question in QRAC

Three or Five prayers in the Qur’an? Tell me what you all think and why. How many prayers do you observe, what times, and where does the Qur’an support your thought? Please be polite to each other because this is a touchy and personal subject. Thanks!

my reply:

What does Salat mean?

In Traditional Islam “Salat” means the Ritual Prayer which I am guessing most ppl here are familiar with – apologies if that is not the case.

In Quranism, some Quranists agree that “Salat” means ritual prayer. The ritual prayer may look similar but certain speech parts may be omitted from this, such as the “Tashahhud” . Some ppl question the number of Rakats and the strict sequence of standing bowing and prostrations.

Other Quranists believe that Salat means something else – maybe their own personal interpretation based on how the concept of Salat is described in context in the Quran and how the Quranic Arabic uses the verbs and nouns of words coming from the root of “Salat”. There are neverending discussions about this in QD and people are researching and contributing to discussions about it all the time.

The salats mention by name in the Quran are Salat al Fajr, and Salat al Isha, Which are commonly taken to mean Dawn Prayer and Isha Prayer or Dawn Salat and Isha Salat. Some do not even take Fajr to mean Dawn as a time of day – more of a metaphorical interpretation based on what the root word of the FAJR suggests. Each question raises new questions. It can be as in depth or as easy as you want, really! The easy way is to let someone else interpret for you!

There is also a Salat al wusta mentioned – again some people take this to be a time of day (wusta being often translated as the Middle Prayer) and others take it in a more metaphorical sense (“the prayer from the midmost of your soul” for example) or the “salat from within” .

24:58 ṣalati l-fajri,
24:58 ṣalati l-ʿishāi.

2:238 wal-ṣalati l-wus’ṭā,

Times of day in Quran: http://search.quranaddict.co.uk/search/label/timings

Hope that helps, inshaaAllah. Not my intention to confuse or mislead – we all should verify everything ourselves. (see 17:36)

Here is the link to QD for more indepth discussions about Salat http://www.facebook.com/groups/quranology/

This link is very interesting: http://mypercept.co.uk/articles/disproved_traditional_salat.htm

Some Dua’s:
http://quranistvoices.wordpress.com/tag/dua/

When something gets complicated it’s probably because we are trying too hard! The answer is probably really obvious, it’s just that we can’t see for looking! It does not help that the traditions and hadiths have clouded our judgement and perceptions.

Update: This page is a list of different Quranist’s perspectives / articles about Salat

Six types of Hypocrisy

New Question in QRAC

“Ok this was on a wall I joined for New Reverts. I asked if this was in the Qur’an and have gotten No reply. Is this just someones belief?…..

Hypocrisy is of Two Types: With Respect to Belief and with Respect to Actions

Hypocrisy with respect to beliefs is of six types. The one who is guilty of any of them will be in the lowest pit of the Hellfire. These are:

(1) Denying or disbelieving the Messenger (peace be upon him).
… (2) Denying something that the Messenger (peace be upon him) presented or taught.
(3) Having hatred for the Messenger (peace be upon him).
(4) Having hatred for something the Messenger (peace be upon him) presented.
(5) Being pleased if the religion of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is diminished or weakened.
(6) Being displeased if the religion of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is strengthened or victorious.”

My reply: Here are some ayats which basically could be used to justify the list of 6 points , though I doubt the Quran limits “hypocrisy” or “disbelief/rejection/ingratitude” to only 6 types. I think it’s a nice idea to try to learn what kind of things are good things to do and bad things to avoid from the Quran but oversimplifying it to say there are 3 things that guarantee heaven and 6 that guarantee hell and things like that can be misleading and inaccurate (but I’m known to be picky and I over-analyse stuff so I’m bound to say that, but it is quite common to hear people saying things like this in Trad Islam (ironically, oversimplifying how easy it is to get into heaven – 3 things to guarantee no punishment in the grave, 1 thing to do at a certain time to make it as though you did it all your life, 2 words you can say 70 times to make your wishes come true etc etc and then all the other things that are completely the other extreme to over-complicate everything and make it so you will go directly to hell if you die with 1 drop of urine on your clothes, none of your prayers get accepted cos you pronounce it wrongly, having to become OCD about counting, rituals and making a conscious effort at all times to know which hand or foot you are doing what with, and even when you are asleep to know what side you are sleeping on so the shaytan cannot urinate in the wrong ear and all that mumbo jumbo!!).

If you do any one of the things on this list for example (and inshaaAllah you won’t!) of the supposed 6 types then (according to that list) you will automatically go to the lowest pit of the hell fire if the statement is true. What if 1 person broke 1 rule and another broke all 6? Allah is the Best Judge. (10:109) so you would expect that if there are higher pits and lower pits of hellfire then the one who broke all 6 rules would be in a lower pit than the one who only broke one rule and that’s not even taking into account good deeds which cancel out bad deeds, Allah’s abundant fountain of mercy and forgiveness and the subjectivity of the phrase “the religion of the messenger” (did he really teach Traditional Islam as we know it (Quran plus hadiths), or did he only recite what is revealed to him (18:27 and 7:203 and 10:15 and 11:12 ). I’m just thinking out loud on this!

Number 2 on the list is also subjective, depending on how you interpret a verse. Like if I say I understand “Ayat” to mean “sign” , am I rejecting that it means “verse”?! (told you, I’m picky about these things!) And there is a HUGE difference between denying the messenger’s authority to deliver the Quran and denying Other People’s interpretation of the recited Noble Words

I think the point I would like to make here is that if you say you think the hadith collections are dodgy, then ppl might assume you are automatically rejecting the messenger and call you a hypocrite (munafiq) or rejector (kafir) and give you this list (or something like it) to scare you. This article is good to clear up the misconception that being skeptical of the hadith collections authored by mortal man Bukhari and co is NOT the same as rejecting the messengers and the messages and examples contained in ALL the ayats in the Whole Quran. : http://www.quranists.net/2011/04/29/prophetic-examples-from-the-quran/

I have just put the Quran refs and some notes I made. These are just from my own understanding to re-iterate that these verses could be used to back up the sentiment of the list and indeed the things on the list are things to be avoided inshaaAllah (from my understanding anyway)

4:42 about rejecting and disobeying the messenger

38:14 consequence of disbelieving the messenger

33:21 messenger as an example

59:8 wayanṣurūna = helping

58:22 ḥādda = oppose

57:25 yanṣuruhu = helps him

7:157 yattabiʿūna = follow wanaṣarūhu = and help him

33:56-33:57 (the difference between supporting and reaching out to help the messenger and annoying/hurting him)

58:5 yuḥāddūna = oppose

57:19 (note it says “ayats” which are in the Quran not hadith collections)

48:13

47:32 washāqqū = oppose

40:22

4:150 – 4:152 (about making a distinction between messengers – why say Mohammad has a hadith collection and not allow the other messengers to have hadith collections? – isn’t that making a distinction?)

4:136 – the perfect place to say “whoever rejects the hadiths that Bukhari collected” (but it doesn’t)

10:104 shakkin = doubt dīnī = my deen

Coping with being “condemned to hell”

from QRAC (Quranists Reverts and Converts Support Network on Facebook)

Let the accusations roll

It’s certainly toughened me up, since “coming out” as a Quranist ! I’ve been accused of all sorts and been called all sorts! Kafir, munafiq, arrogant, misguided, ignorant, sectarian, satanic, cultist, and even polytheist! Before, I was always very keen to want to be liked and loved by all and I did like to think I would be able to make lots of friends and get along with people – I used to be quite the social butterfly you know, before by conversion to Islam (well getting married and having kids can take its toll and factor in of course!) – but after my conversion to Islam is when I started becoming more self-conscious and worried about offending other people and THEIR beliefs and feeling odd about not fitting in with cultural stuff or making social faux pas etc, and I lost my sense of humour for quite a while too.

When I say toughened up – I don’t think I mean that I’ve become harder in my heart or hold any grudges or have any hatred for anybody, nothing like that – I’m still soft as brush and just as daft!

What I mean is that the insults or nasty comments seem to roll a lot easier off me like water off a duck’s back now seeing as day in day out listening to the same kind of thing it is easier to tune it out and just smile and say Peace be upon you, or WATDIP! (Someone once said “you gotta get through the NO’s to get to the YES’s !!” ) LOL but tbh that was for a pyramid scheme so I don’t know if that will work in this case.

Shirk from a different angle

In all seriousness though the Trust and Faith in Allah as our protector and Sustainer made me so much stronger and more patient alhamdulillah! I think one of the most insulting suggestions to a Traditionalist or any muslim for that matter, quranists included, is to accuse them of Shirk. It is normal to feel a duty to remind people so that they don’t commit shirk, and I used to act upon that. More recently I have come to believe that there are so many situations / conditions / factors involved in the “act of Shirk” that I cannot in all confidence try to make someone else feel as though they might be commiting shirk (for whatever reason – asking for blessings on the Prophet in Salat or by going to ask a scholar for advice etc which is a common attack/accusation about Tradtionalists from Quranist Fundamentalists ) when quite equally, I myself might be committing shirk by letting my own ego take over from humbleness, and not saying maashaaAllah in situations like 18:32-18:42.

Common ground

I would say the key is to remember that the Quran unites us all and we all believe in 1 God . Maybe try to find common ground wherever possible. We all believe in doing good deeds and charity and helping others and acts of worship and living good, honest lives caring for families and parents etc etc I am sure you can think of many more things. I know it is natural, for new converts/reverts to Quranism, with your enthusiasm and the excitement and the emotions of this spiritual roller coaster ride to want to engage in dialogue with people and I think that’s wonderful!

Turn every negative into a positive

If I have learned anything it is that sometimes I would be a little “full on” and not give people room to breathe or chance to think or digest. I am probably doing that now and apologies if I am! But what I mean is, don’t be afraid to keep things simple and maybe just “sow the seeds”. Keep studying Quran and ponder and reflect and refer to it at every appropriate opportunity in discussions – not to attack people with verses to show they are wrong of course, I know you wouldn’t do that, rather to suggest / brainstorm WITH them how they can apply the verse. Turn every negative into a positive, wherever possible inshaaAllah!

Don’t force, lead the horse

And you may like to simply accept that they have their approach to islam and are entitled to it, just as YOU have your approach to islam and are entitled to it. Not everyone has to have the same approach and not everyone has to agree with you and you don’t have to agree with them! They already have the Quran so the onus is on them to read and apply it. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink! They probably think that about you! But that’s fine! Just smile and never give up – Trust in Allah And when they use 59:7 on you just send them the link to the QNet TV episode “responses to Critics- refuting Sheikh Faiz !

See also Multiple Paths to Salvation

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more notes

Pharaoh calls Musa a liar in 28:38; 40:24; and 40:37; and he calls him bewitched in 17:101 Noah was threatened with being stoned in 26:116 . 49:11 says we should not be ridiculing others or calling names. in 40:26 Pharaoh accuses Musa of spreading evil/corruption in the land 40:29 Pharaoh claims he is the one guiding to the right path

Coping with being called “not a proper Muslim”

There seems to be a tendency in Traditional Islam to be called “not a proper Muslim” if you disagree over any minor point of dogmatic doctrine. But to be fair, it is not really whether People think you are a true Muslim that counts. What counts is whether God judges you to be “muslim” – a characteristic that is described in the Quran. I should also say at this point that there are also people within the Quranist community (Quranist Fundamentalists) that will also hold fundamentalist views that THEY are the only true muslims and you are not (again because you don’t agree with their exact interpretation on a certain point) So whilst it is an undesirable thing that people like to do to each other and afaics not sanctioned by the Quran (see 4:94), it does happen and you really shouldn’t take it personally if that happens to you, just try to deal with it in patience and peace and overlook vain talk and ignorance ( 25:63 and 28:55) and debate in the best way (16:125) or agree to disagree in peace (42:15). It is a very common thing for Quranists to be called “not a proper muslim / kafir / munafiq / hadith rejector ” etc at some point. It is supposed to be an insult but the main thing is to have faith in Allah and let Him guide you and be in Awe of Him and not be discouraged or unsettled by the people. InshaaAllah.

Support:
QRAC Quranists Reverts and Converts Support Network on Facebook

Further reading

more like this
A Quranist’s response the the term “Hadith Rejector”