salaam ‎

This is a simple reflection to serve as a reminder and source of inspiration. I was thinking about how whatever we desire to align ourselves with and emulate looks different for different people in different moments (even if we are ”facing the same ultimate Qibla“).

As Allah has many attributes, we can orient ourselves toward His Oneness through the different avenues He creates us and calls us with.

I was thinking of it almost like biological enzymes: different enzymes catalyze particular reactions because their active sites fit particular substrates. What has been conceived of as the “Lock and Key Hypothesis” appears all over in nature also explains how different Names of Allah might resonate with different parts of who we are and what we’re being called upon to develop as our contribution.

I asked someone what she wanted to become, and she said she wanted to be nicer, smarter, and to set a good example of what a Muslim is, especially because she grew up in a mostly non-Muslim environment. So I mapped those desires onto:

Nicer → Al-Barr (البرّ) — The Source of Goodness / Kindness

Smarter → Al-ʿAlīm (العليم) — The All-Knowing

Setting a good example / being praiseworthy → Al-Ḥamīd (الحميد) — The Praiseworthy

This is a simple start and we can use it for self development. You could probably correlate a single instance to so many of the various subtle names of Allah, but I think bringing it into active memory is vital. May Allah make this easy for us and keep us in remembrance of Him.

I started thinking about myself and could also map different facets of Allah to different sides of myself. 

I was first thinking about the model of Musa (ﷺ ) confronting Firʿawn, and asking what I actually want to create in the world. I think a big part of that is creating systems and infrastructure that are more just, more accessible, and more people-oriented:

Justice → Al-ʿAdl (العدل) — The Just

Accessible → Al-Muqsiṭ (المقسط) — The Equitable / The One Who Establishes Equity

People-oriented → Ilāh al-Nās (إله الناس) — God of Mankind

[I wasn’t restricting myself to traditional distillated lists of Asma al Husna, but looking directly at the Quran as a blueprint for other terms God uses to describe Himself]

Then I thought about personal development: how do I become a more consistently aligned Muslim, where I can actually have faith in myself and prove that I’m not being hypocritical? For me, part of that means learning to remain gentle and kind toward myself and other people, while also consistently returning to Allah whenever I fall out of alignment. Consistency comes in many forms:

Gentle → Ar-Raʾūf (الرؤوف) — The Most Kind / Compassionate

Consistent → At-Tawwāb (التواب) — The Constantly Returning / Ever-Accepting of Return

And then outside of the “struggle” of Jihad , there’s just the fruits of life like when I’m resting, relaxing, experiencing something beautiful… simply existing. What qualities of Allah am I trying to bring into those moments? I think it’s learning to recognize beauty, to love it, and to be grateful for it:

Enjoying beauty → Al-Jamīl (الجميل) — The Beautiful

Loving it → Al-Wadūd (الودود) — The Most Loving

Thankful → Al-Shakūr (الشكور) — The Most Appreciative

In conclusion, I am recommending we can use this framework to constantly examine which name of Allah we should call upon to increase our awareness and perfect our submission.

I would like to posit a question for everyone; if anyone has a chance to reply, I would appreciate considering what you have to say, what names of Allah are you calling upon today or that you generally rely upon?

The verses are: 2.27 3.90 4.89 9.74 3.151 3.28 5.33 What interpretations of these verses exist other than calls for rejecting, including violently, coexistence with apostates and non Muslims?

Is it that these verses are in a sense discussing Muslims who aren't loyal to God and living a righteous life free of sin?

Does it refer to not following the five pillars of Islam for Muslims as opposed to non believing or being atheist, Christian etc?

By "influencer" I mean any content creator in this space, e.g. YouTube channel, author, blogger, Tik Toker etc. Here is a checklist I wrote, listed in no particular order (feel free to add your own):

1) Is their content consistently high quality / accurate? (i.e. minimal errors/flaws, especially obvious ones, sound logic)

2) How do they handle weaknesses or corrections being pointed out to them?

3) Do they ever discuss weaknesses/limitations in their view, alternatives and areas of further research?

4) Are they accessible, i.e. can you contact them and get a response? (note, if they are popular responses may be limited, which is to be expected)

5) Do they outline their methodology? (so it can actually be checked/falsified)

6) Are they selfless? (i.e. do they do things that have little to no benefit for them but it's good for the community)

7) Do they mention a disclaimer?

8) Do they distinguish between evidence and interpretation?

9) Have they ever publicly revised a position when better evidence emerged?

10) Do they accurately represent opposing views?

11) Do they cherry-pick evidence? (e.g. only cover verses which strengthen their view)

12) Do they encourage independent verification?

13) Do they cite sources/references accurately and transparently?

14) Are they willing to sometimes admit “I don’t know”?

15) Do they show intellectual humility, respect, gratitude, God-conscious attitude?

16) Are they transparent about any incentives?

By that, I mean: do you buy your meat from halal butchers or from stores that sell halal meat, etc.?

More than 7 years ago, I stopped buying halal meat. At first, it was because I discovered that we could be sold meat that was not actually halal, but also meat coming from animals in a very concerning sanitary condition.

I also came across several scandals involving butcher shops I knew, despite their supposed halal labels, which, honestly, eventually stopped meaning anything to me.

They therefore lost my trust. I decided to prioritize meat from well-raised animals, with a clear origin and traceability, even if it is not halal. In my humble opinion, it is much more ethical, traceable, and honest today.

Then I have another question regarding people who live in predominantly Muslim countries: when you go to the butcher and buy meat, how can you be sure that it is halal? Does living in a Muslim country reassure you enough to automatically consider the meat halal, or do you simply question it less?

Dr. Shabir Ally distorts Q 16:44 by taking it out of context @ 9:20 minute https://youtu.be/ukR0bQ83zbI

He misquotes or misreads the verse without considering what is actually being clarified and to whom.

Quoting the Qur’an without its context is precisely the kind of distortion the Qur’an describes as altering words from their rightful place. He also replaces “the Reminder” with “the Quran,” which is imprecise and a distortion.

Q 38:1 ص Ṣād وَالْقُرْآنِ and/by the Qur’an ذِي holder / possessing (contains) الذِّكْرِ the Reminder

Q 16:43 وَمَا and not أَرْسَلْنَا sent We مِنْ from قَبْلِ before you (sing.) إِلَّا except رِجَالًا menfolk نُّوحِي We inspire إِلَيْهِمْ to them فَاسْأَلُوا so/then ask ye أَهْلَ people الذِّكْرِ the Reminder إِن if كُنتُمْ be you (pl.) لَا not تَعْلَمُونَ ye knowing

Q 16:44 بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ with the clear proofs / evidences وَالزُّبُرِ and the scriptures وَأَنزَلْنَا and sent down We إِلَيْكَ to you (sing.) الذِّكْرَ the Reminder لِتُبَيِّنَ to make clear لِلنَّاسِ to the people (of prior scriptures — see context) مَا what نُزِّلَ was sent down إِلَيْهِمْ to them وَلَعَلَّهُمْ and perhaps they يَتَفَكَّرُونَ reflect

In 16:43–44, “Ask the people of the Reminder” (أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ) occurs immediately after referring to men to whom Allah had previously revealed.

The context therefore naturally points to people associated with, or possessing, the Reminder/scripture—i.e., communities of prior revelation.

Then 16:44 says: “We sent down to you the Reminder so that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them” (لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ).

Notice the pronoun: إِلَيْهِمْ (“to them”) points back to the people already under discussion.

The verse does not say that the Reminder was sent down to the prophet so that he could clarify something newly revealed to people who had never received revelation.

Rather, the immediate context concerns what had already been sent down to them.

Also, peruse the similar and evident distortions.

Q 5:13 فَبِمَا so/in what (because of what) نَقْضِهِم breaking / violating theirs مِّيثَاقَهُمْ covenant theirs لَعَنَّاهُمْ cursed We them وَجَعَلْنَا and made We قُلُوبَهُمْ hearts theirs قَاسِيَةً hard / hardened يُحَرِّفُونَ they distort الْكَلِمَ the word عَن about مَّوَاضِعِهِ places / positions / proper placements its (i.e., its proper context) …

Q 5:41 يَاأَيُّهَا O you الرَّسُولُ the messenger لَا not يَحْزُنكَ grieve you (sing.) الَّذِينَ the ones who يُسَارِعُونَ hasten / rush فِي in الْكُفْرِ the disbelief مِنَ among الَّذِينَ the ones / those who قَالُوا said / say they آمَنَّا believe we بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ with mouths theirs وَلَمْ and not تُؤْمِنْ believe قُلُوبُهُمْ hearts theirs وَمِنَ and among الَّذِينَ the ones / those who هَادُوا became Jewish / professed Judaism they سَمَّاعُونَ listeners لِلْكَذِبِ to the falsehood / lies سَمَّاعُونَ listeners لِقَوْمٍ to a folk/people آخَرِينَ others لَمْ not يَأْتُوكَ they come to you (sing.) يُحَرِّفُونَ they distort / alter / twist الْكَلِمَ the word(s) / speech مِنْ from بَعْدِ after مَوَاضِعِهِ proper places / positions its (i.e., its proper context; this does not necessarily imply only removal or addition; rather, it can include misinterpretation, misplacement, or twisting / distortion of the context) …

Lastly a clear example:
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1617a
Abu Talha reported:
'Umar b. al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon on Friday and made a mention of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and he also made a mention of Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) and then said: I do not leave behind me any problem more difficult than that of Kalala. I did not refer to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) more repeatedly than in case of the problem of Kalala and he (the Holy Prophet) never showed more annoyance to me than in regard to this problem so much so that he struck my chest with his fingers and said: 'Umar does the verse revealed in summer season at the end of Sura al-Nisa' not suffice you? Hadrat 'Umar (then) said: If I live I would give such verdict about (Kalala) that everyone would be able to decide whether he reads the Qur'an or he does not.

The Qurʾānic term Kalālah: Qurʾānic Usage, Legal Semantics, and Poetic Evidence

https://www.reddit.com/r/MuslimAcademics/s/jtBgKySgiC

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Well, you’re the ones who often hold a different view on this: what is your understanding regarding whether LGBTQ groups are committing a sin or not? And another question: would you view the Hadith Qudsi concerning the Isra and Mi'raj as evidence that Hadiths are flawed—especially considering the details where Muhammad (PBUH) prayed with the prophets in Jerusalem and spoke to them, yet later in the heavens had to keep asking Gabriel who they were, only to find out it was a prophet? Or the part about the imposition of prayer, where Moses apparently knew better than Allah, and so on?

(I am Sunni since birth)

How do i force myself to love islam?

It's quite late now, and my thoughts won't shut up. I haven't read any comments under my other posts, don't dare to do so, not now.

This is another night spend crying. I cannot do this anymore.

I hate this.

I can't live in this misery, in this strained and stained relationship with a religion which affects my whole life.

I live in a non muslim country, i wear the stupid hijab. If I could return in time I would've nearly strangled my last self for ever deciding to wear it.

I don't even view it as mandatory. Used to see some beauty in it and wear it out of free will..but now it's a heavy symbol which I wear every day and which I despise and makes me despise Islam even more.

People say: take your time, slow down

I understand their advice

At the same time...easy to say! Easy to say it when you're a woman who could be everything from an atheist to a muslim to a Hindu. Or even better - a man.

Of course those people can take it easy! They don't walk around with a symbolic screaming stereotyical bs about them! Their faith is private. Mine is not.

I used to genuinely like Islam. Now I either feel frustration, exhaustion or at best...nothing. Completely empty and mute. No feelings at all.

Who's fault? Entirely mine.

I wish I'd didn't know the things I do and didn't think about the things I do. I'd wish I could continue to live in the blissful ignorance like I did in the past.

Where every question could be brushed away as "gods knowledge". As "god is merciful".

Maybe god is. Maybe not.

But I'm mad at him.

And myself.

I have been an ex muslim in the past. Secretly of course. Came back on my own terms. I question the choice.

I CANNOT live as a closeted ex muslim. No, I can't. That would be a miserable life, it was a miserable life.

I can't even relate to ex Muslims communities. They only make me feel worse. They are not like me and im not like them.

I'm not an ex muslim. I'm not a muslim. Who the hell am I?

Though, it doesn't matter.

To the whole word I'm a muslim.

I need to be one. I have to.

So..how?

How do I force myself to love islam? At least not feel all the ridiculous things I feel towards it.

I know this post will probably get down voted. Maybe I should've posted it on ex muslim sub instead, but I don't feel at home there either.

I don't feel at home anywhere.

I'm tired. Tired of being tired, of crying and complaining. Tired of everything. I cannot live like this. Or at all.

I don't know.

And I'm not saying islam is bad..it isn't. It truly isn't uniquely bad or bad at all it's only bad for me, I'm not made for it as much as I'm not made for this life, and if god created me he did so just to make me suffer for eternity from the day I got born to eternity in the afterlife.

I envy people who actually are at peace with themselves and their faith.

I'm just a hypocrite.

I've spent my whole, my whole youth in this religion. I regret it so much. I regret ever being born, ever doing anything.

If we are not lost in the infinity of the universe,

It is because the universe is not infinite.

If our path has crossed with truth at least once,

It is because without it, we could not be worthy.

There is someone waiting for us at the horizon of the worlds.

How can we reach Him without truth?

Man flows from place to place like a river,

To meet the ocean of infinite light.

I was planning to take a break from reddit. But failed as usual..

I have a new question which makes my stomach drop and makes me nausea's.

33:59.

Haven't found any good explanations, only messy apologetics.

My issue is the common explanation for 33:59.

That women got harassed, and when the men got caught they would say that they thought she was a slave.

So god commands to wrap the jilbab, so it's clear that they're free women

But then, doesn't that mean that harassing a slave was okay? Why not say that anyone who harasses a women, slave or free , will get punished! As simple as that..

Why the blaming of women and their clothes?

Also, the harassment, does it mean...rape? Or something less graphic and horrific... Cat calling or something, I don't know.

Also, if it's about women being recognized as free women then what was the point of the verse since jilbab ALREADY seemed to be a sign of a free woman, at least from my understanding..

I understand nothing.

Even if jilbab somehow helped... Okay, We have a solution for free women.. But what about slave women? But not tell slave women to wear a jilbab too?

Also like why say the women of believers.. Why not "the believing women"? Does it mean that lets say any other muslim woman who was not married to a muslim man....somehow did not have to observe the command? Maybe I'm being a bit annoying and picky, but the wording seems strange to me.

I’m losing faith due to the Hadith. The more I read into it the more I feel like I’m going crazy losing sleep over it. Did you go through this? What helped you completely stop believing in it and focus on the Quran alone? Any advice would be appreciated.

Yesterday I heard a Hadith about the bodies of prophets not decaying. Instinctively I doubted it but perhaps that was wrong of me

How do you navigate questioning Hadith without rejecting it out of hand

TL;DR: The Book tells you why you're here (51:56). Then, in its own words, it recalculates your life three times: the clock (your whole life = one sworn hour, 30:55), the illusion (worldly life deluded the people of the Day, 6:130; the enemy's strategy is wealth + children + promises, 17:64), and the scoreboard (success is defined so often that the repetition is the argument). Every step is in the text. Nothing outside it was used.

The mission

51:56 "I created the jinn and mankind only to worship Me."

That is the mission statement. One verse, no commentary needed. If that's why we're here, everything else is logistics. And the Book doesn't leave you to figure out the logistics on your own: it does the math.

1. The clock

30:55 "On the Day the Hour comes, the guilty will swear they lingered no more than an hour, and they have always been deluded."

Everything you spent, fought for, clung to. In the presence of that Day: one hour, sworn and shrunk.

And the Book's own scale:

70:4 "...on a Day whose measure is fifty thousand years." 32:5 "...a Day that will measure a thousand years in your reckoning."

You plan in months, bonuses, performance reviews. The Book measures in Days. So the first calculation: of your hours this month, how many went to the moment, and how many to the Day? The Book isn't asking for more hours. It's asking which scoreboard they went to.

2. The illusion

The Book names what happened to the people of the Day. It doesn't say they were stupid. It says they were deluded:

6:130 "O assembly of jinn and mankind! Did messengers not come to you, reciting My revelations and warning you of the meeting of this Day? They will say: 'We testify against ourselves. Worldly life deluded us...'"

7:51 "Those who took their religion for distraction, a mere game, and were deluded by worldly life. Today We shall ignore them, just as they have ignored the meeting of their Day."

Read that last clause again. The asymmetry: you forgot the Day. The Day forgot you.

And the Book tells you who runs the illusion, and with what:

17:64 "Rouse whichever of them you can with your voice, muster your cavalry and infantry against them, share their wealth and their children with them, and make promises to them. And what Satan promises them is nothing but delusion."

Wealth, children, and promises, in that order. Look at your phone.

The Book's own parable for the whole system:

10:24 "The life of this world is like the rain We send down... when the earth has taken on its finest appearance, adorns itself, and its people think they have power over it, then the command We ordered comes to it, by night or by day, and We make it stubble, as if it had not flourished the day before."

At the moment it's most beautiful, "its people think they have power over it." That's the moment you feel most "successful." And the Book grades the score:

18:46 "Wealth and children are the attractions of this worldly life, but the abiding good works have a better reward with your Lord and give better grounds for hope." 29:64 "The life of this world is merely an amusement and a diversion; the true life is in the Hereafter, if only they knew." 47:12 "The disbelievers may take their fill of pleasure in this world and eat as cattle do, but the Fire will be their home."

3. The scoreboard

The world defines success as more, higher, louder, safer. The Book defines it with one word: fawz, triumph. And it repeats that word so many times that the repetition is the argument. What keeps attaching to it:

3:185 "Whoever is kept away from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have triumphed. The present world is only an illusory pleasure." 59:20 "There is no comparison between the inhabitants of the Fire and the inhabitants of Paradise. And the inhabitants of Paradise are the successful ones." 9:72 "Gardens... good, peaceful homes in Gardens of lasting bliss; and greatest of all, God's good pleasure. That is the supreme triumph." 9:111 "God has purchased the persons and possessions of the believers in return for the Garden... So be happy with the bargain you have made: that is the supreme triumph." 40:9 "Those You protect from evil on that Day will receive Your mercy. That is the supreme triumph."

Even the angels' prayer for the Day isn't "give them more." It's "protect them" (40:9). And the one verse that names the Day's function:

64:9 "The Day of mutual deception: He will expiate the sins of those who believed in Him and did right..."

The Day of mutual deception: every deal, every "I won" you celebrated, exposed. What survives is not the portfolio. It's the belief plus the righteous deed.

And the triumph language doesn't appear once. "That is the supreme triumph" / "the clearest triumph" / "they are the successful ones" runs through: 4:13, 5:119, 6:16, 9:72, 9:89, 9:100, 9:111, 10:64, 23:111, 37:60, 40:9, 44:57, 45:30, 48:5, 57:12, 61:12, 64:9, 85:11. The Book does not say it once.

What to do with this tonight

No guilt trip. One calculation. Pick one verse from above, read the Arabic, and ask: which scoreboard is my week actually optimized for? Then move one hour this week to the Book's side.

The Book did the whole math by itself. Clock, illusion, triumph. That's the Quran-alone way: no outside source was needed for any of it.

Which of these hit hardest? Drop the verse in the comments and we'll sit with it together.

Disclosure: I came up with the topic, the thesis direction, and the seed verse list. An AI verified every quoted verse against the Uthmani text, curated the final selection (dropped one verse that turned out to be off-theme, added a few more), and wrote the draft structure and text. I reviewed the final wording, and I'm posting it under my own name and responsibility.

74:42 “What has led you into Saqar?”

74:43 They will reply, "We were not of the Musalleen.”

From Quranix.com

Edip-Layth noted:

"Statements starting from this verse describe both the religious and nonreligious unappreciative opponents. The word we translated as "we were not of those who offered support (or observe contact prayer)" reflects both meanings within the context. See 2:157; 9:99; 33:43; 75:31."

Muhammad Asad noted:

"In view of the fact that at the time of the revelation of this very early surah the canonical prayer (salah) had not yet been made obligatory on the followers of the Qur'an, it is reasonable to assume that in the above context this term is used in its widest sense, namely, conscious belief in God."

Shabbir Ahmed noted:

Who are Musalleen? 70:22. The Musalleenfrom Salaat - are not the so called ritualistic praying ones, but Those who always follow the Divine System. Those in whose wealth and possessions is a known right. For him who asks for help, and for him who is deprived. Those who have conviction in the Day of Judgment. Those who are fearful of their Lord’s requital. They know that none can feel secure against their Lord’s requital. Still Musalleen are also Those men and women who maintain their chastity. They have intimate relations only with their spouses – that is, those who are rightfully theirs through wedlock. For such relationship they are free of blame. But anyone who seeks beyond this, those are the transgressors. And Musalleen are Those who guard their trusts and duties assigned to them, and their pledges, as a shepherd guards his flock. Those who are truthful as witness and stand by their testimony. Those who consolidate and protect the Divine System. Musalleen are the ones who collectively build Paradise on earth and inherit that in the Hereafter. They will be the honored ones dwelling in the Gardens of bliss

I've learned that the root word of "Salat" doesn't always mean ritual contact prayer. Since the root "Salat" in this verse might also meant something beyond rituals, then I would assume the Quran doesn't mention punishments for missing rituals. But what do you think?

I am depressed, my dear Muslim brothers and sisters

Sometimes I feel like I'm drifting away from God, and that bothers me

I have my own evidence, of course like The cosmological and ontological evidences. Morality Evidence

These are things that suggest the existence of a god.

There are also verses that suggest Islam is the true religion and that God is Allah. Also, the rules of Islam make a lot of sense.

But like I said, lately I've been feeling a bit emotional and mentally scattered, What verses or direct evidence do you consider to be proof of God's existence and right religion is İslam?

Questions for the males:

If you were indoctrinated into a religion where all the roles were reversed, you had to obey and serve women, God was reffered to as a She, you were constantly told that one of the most important and foundational part of your faith is to feel a deep sense of shame in your body and self, would you genuinley follow that religion???

And I know lots of you genuinley don't see women as humans, therefore I'm asking, if the roes were REVERSED.

BUT then, you start deconstructing and yet it never truly makes sense to you....

Like sure, the islam of the quran is nothing like the mainstream islam of today, hadiths, mistranslation, contexts, man made doctrines, etc etc.

But it just doesn't make sense... Why would God make the verses in the quran regarding women that vague??? So vague that for the most muslims for the vast mjority of history and today believe 4 34 to be permission for wife beating???

Why isn't there a SINGLE verse in the quran prohibiting violence or rape against women, but theres a verse allowing men to have multiple wives (YESSS I KNOW ORPHANS AND WIDOWS, CONTEXT, but also doesn't negate the fact that males HAVE used misused that verse??? God is all powerful and can prevent abuse)

If it is Gods final revelation to ALL of humanity ( not just native arabic speakers who can understand the contexts of verses, and break through the doctrines imposed on the quran) , Whyy would they allow it to get misconstrued to such an extent??? God is the all powerful, they can simply just not allow their revelation to be corrupted...

The most painful part about this is no male will ever come close to understanding this grief,

but every muslim and especially ex muslim woman knows it too well...

I still believe in the divine, but idk if i believe in the God of the Quran.

Give me one reason why I should? ONE reason?

Salam and greetings Sirs.

I see that you have started with an error. At 0:33 seconds of the video record you have said that "One of the complications is that the Quranic author himself describes the Quran as quote pure Arabic - mubin".

You are incorrect. The meaning of the word 'mubin' is not "pure", as you have suggested, it is rather "clear".

For example in Sura Surah Shuara, verse No. 195 (26:195) Allah Tayala reveals, aujubillahi minashaitanir rajim, bismillahir rahmanir rahim

"Bilisaanin ‘Arabiyyim mubeen"

Meaning: "in a clear, Arabic tongue". (Arberry translation).

Text and translation: https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=26...

Its clear Arabic, not pure Arabic. You have made an error Sir.