What is the Quran 2

 The Quran is a book sent down to us by God to provide guidance to those who fear Him.

 

You can find this definition in chapter two verse two (Q2:2) of the Quran. The next three verses that follow further explain who those people who fear God are. They are: Those who believe in the unseen, and are steadfast in the prayer, and they spend of what God has provided them. They are also those who believe in what has been sent to Prophet Muhammad and what was sent down before Prophet Muhammad, and these people are sure of the hereafter. These are the people who are on guidance from their Lord and those people, they are the prosperous.

Please read Quran 2:1-5 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

The people who fear God can also be further defined as the pious or those who are dutiful to God. The Arabic word used in Quran chapter two verse two (Q2:2) encompasses these meanings.

Perhaps you know that what was sent down to Prophet Muhammad is the Quran, but you are not sure of what was sent before Prophet Muhammad. If you continue reading the Quran, you will read about some of the other books God has sent down. For example you will read about the Torah and the Gospel and the Psalms. The Torah was given to Prophet Moses, The Gospel was given to Prophet Jesus and The Psalms were given to Prophet David. 

I encourage you to continue reading the Quran to find out more.

The first three verses of chapter twenty-seven of the Quran (Q27:1-3) provide more information about what the Quran is, I encourage you to read them. The verses tell us that the Quran is a clear book that provides guidance for the believers. Then it goes on to tell us who the believers are. They are: Those who are steadfast in the prayer, and give alms, and they are those who are sure of the hereafter.

Please read Quran 27:1-3 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

Did you notice that in the first three verses of chapter twenty-seven there is a name given to those whom the Quran is for? They are called "The Believers" If you are not a believer, then you are a disbeliever. And if you are a disbeliever, you will not be guided by the Quran. Please read Quran chapter two verses six to twenty (Q2:6-20) to understand better.

Why not continue reading chapter two till you get to verse thirty-nine (Q2:1-39)? This way you will understand how it all began.

Even more details about what the Quran is can be found in chapter two verse ninety-seven (Q2:97). In this verse we are told that the Quran is a verification of what was before it, and that it is a guidance and glad tidings to believers. This verse also tells us that Gabriel revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad's heart by God's permission.

Please read Quran 2:97 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

Hopefully, you now know what the Quran is.

Below are some other details about the Quran: 

1. The Quran contains one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters. Generally speaking, the chapters close to the end of the book are quite short, having as little as three verses. While the chapters close to the beginning of the book are much longer, having more than a hundred verses.
2. The Quran is not chronological. However, you are advised to read it from the beginning to the end. 
3. Some of its chapters are long while others are short. Also, some verses have many words while others have very few words. For example chapter one (1) is only seven verses long, while chapter two (2), which is the longest chapter, is two hundred and eighty six verses long. Also, chapter thirty-seven (37) may seem long because it has one hundred and eighty-two verses, but it is actually not so long because most of its verses contain very few words compared to other chapters of the Quran.
4. Some chapters focus on one main topic. For example: Chapter twelve (12) which tells the story of Prophet Joseph and chapter seventy-one (71) which tells the story of Prophet Noah. Many of the chapters touch on several topics.
5. Prophet Moses is by far the most mentioned messenger of God in the Quran. Some of those mentioned by name in the Quran include: Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Saul, Lot, Hud, Jonah, Mary, Zachariah, John, Jesus, Pharaoh, Korah, Haman, Shuayb, Salih, Job, David, Solomon, Muhammad, Joseph, Luqman, …
6. The Quran is a book that provides details then repeats or expands on the information given in the chapters that follow. You have already seen an example of this in the write-up above where information was provided in chapter two (2), then more details were provided in chapter twenty-seven (27).
7. God constantly tells the reader to think and use reason. He does not approve of guessing or conjecture.
8. The Quran has what I call hidden treasures. For example God might be discussing one topic then embedded in the discussion of that topic will be a piece of salient information that may be seemingly unrelated to the topic being discussed. For example: 2:152 and 2:186.
9. There are certain phrases that are repeated in the Quran. Some of them are: "God is swift in the reckoning", "God is severe in punishment", "God is powerful over all things", "God knows all things", "God is witness over all things", "Fear God", "God's promise is true", … 
10. You can find God's names scattered all over the Quran. For example in chapter eighty-seven (87) and ninety-two (92) God says He is The Most High.

I hope I have made you curious enough to start reading the Quran. Please make haste to read the Quran. This is because reading the Quran is just the beginning of the journey... Let us say you are trying to get to Ghana, and someone gave you a map that shows you how to get from your location to Ghana. First you will read the map to make sure that it is a true map, then you begin the journey to Ghana while consulting the map periodically. Here, you are trying to get to the Garden, God has sent down a map to you. The Quran is the map that provides guidance to believers. First you read the Quran, then you have to act according to the guidance in the map. This is how you will get to your promised destination, which is the Garden. Please note that the promised destination of those who do not believe and therefore are not guided by the Quran is Hell.

Remember, the Quran is a message from God to you for your guidance. Please read the Quran.

Get a free e-copy of The Wise Quran at JustReadTheQuran.com

Names For Pig And Pig Meat In English That Muslims Should Know

Notes From Atlanta 

Names For Pig And Pig Meat In English That Muslims Should Know

By Farooq Kperogi 

(Published in Saturday Tribune on 16th March 2024) 

In the spirit of Ramadan, I am republishing a revised version of an article I wrote in June 2017 in my defunct “Politics of Grammar” column about pig-based meats and foods that Muslims are forbidden from eating but which many of them who visit the West unwittingly eat on occasion because of their poly-appellativeness (my coinage for multiple names.)

The column was inspired by an encounter I had in 2015. A Muslim high court judge from Osun State nearly ate pepperoni pizza (pepperoni is a mixture of beef and pork) at a workshop for Nigerian judges that I facilitated here in the United States. I knew he was an observant Muslim because we’d prayed together, and he’d shared concerns about the ubiquity of pork in Western culinary choices.

During lunch break, I saw him with slices of pepperoni pizza amid several people. I beckoned to him to come immediately, but he was really hungry, so he said I should give him a few minutes to finish his food. 

I know enough Yoruba to know that pig is called “alede” and eat is “je.” I combined the words to make a sentence that I didn’t think made much sense. He jumped out of his seat instinctively and asked me in English if what he was about to eat contained pork. I answered in the affirmative.

He went straight to the bathroom and vomited, even though he hadn’t eaten anything. I felt sorry for him. He refused to eat or drink anything thereafter. 

Another inspiration for this column derives from the tales of distress and guilt I’ve heard from many Muslim visitors to the West who consumed pig meat or who were awfully close to doing so out of ignorance of the deceptive appellative trappings of many pork-based gastronomic products.

For instance, at least five Muslims have told me that they either ate or almost ate a pig-based meat product called “salami” because they were deceived by the lexical similarities between “salami” and “salam” (Arabic for “peace”) and were misled into thinking they were eating halal meat. 

What could be more halal, they thought, than a meat that shares lexical and phonological similarities with “salam,” the short form of the Muslim, Arabic-derived greeting, As-salamu alaykum, and the root word of Islam itself?

In fact, many African Muslims bear the name Salami as the short form of Abdulsalam or “Abdus Salam (which stands for servant of the Peaceful, “salam” being one of the 99 names of Allah.) (Africans typically add a terminal vowel to every word or name. Thus, “Salam” becomes “Salami.”)

So how did pig meat come to share lexical similarities with the name of Allah and/or the short form of the most common greeting among Muslims, especially given that pork is prohibited in Islam? 

A northern Nigerian Muslim who ate salami in London in ignorance told me he was sure that the choice of the name was a deliberate “Zionist plot to make Muslims eat pork.” That’s not true. First, Jews, like Muslims, are forbidden from eating pork. Second, the phonemic similarity between “salami” to “salaam” is actually accidental.

Salami is salted Italian pork sausage (more about this later.) “Salami” is derived from the Latin name for salt, which is “sal.” The Italian suffix “ame” is used to form collective nouns. For example, foglia, which means “leaf,” ‎becomes ‎fogliame when used as a collective noun. So salame actually literally means “salts,” but specifically salted meats. (“Salami” is the plural form of salame). The association of salami with salted pork came later.

Interestingly, this pork-based meat is called “salam” in Romanian, Bulgarian, and Turkish!

Well, there are few animals in the English language that trump “pig” in abundance of alternative names for it. 

This includes names that indicate gender (such as “boar” for male pig and “sow” and “gilt” for female pig) and names that indicate age (such as “piglet,” “farrow,” or “shoat/shote” for young pigs).

A pig is also called a “hog,” a “swine,” a “grunter,” a “squealer,” a “sus scrofa,” a “porker,” and a “cobb roller.” 

Most people know “pork” as the culinary noun for meat from pig, but there are way more pig-based foods and meats than “pork” that several people, especially Muslims who are prohibited from eating pork, are not familiar with. I list 14 more below as a public service.

1. “Bacon”: This is usually served during breakfast at homes and in hotels—along with eggs and sausage. It’s thin, sliced, salted, fried and brownish pork. It’s one of the most traditional culinary treats in the West. It’s so central to the gastronomy of the West that it appears in idioms such as “bring home the bacon,” which means to be the breadwinner, to be responsible for one’s family’s material wellbeing.

Most people know that bacon is derived from pig, but I have met many Muslim visitors to America, especially from Nigeria, who don’t know this. It’s also less commonly called “flitch.”

2. “Banger”: This is chiefly British English. Banger is pork cut into tiny pieces, seasoned, and stuffed in casings. The usual name for this elsewhere is “sausage” (see 3 below). It appears in collocations such as “banger and beans,” “bangers and mash,” etc.

3. “Bratwurst (or just brat)”: Just like “banger” is chiefly British, “bratwurst” is mostly German. It’s a popular German pork sausage, although it’s often mixed with beef. In America bratwursts are called “brats.” (Sausage is any type of minced meat, mostly pork, that is seasoned and stuffed in casings).

4. “Chitlings” or “chitlins” or “chitterlings”: It is the intestines of a pig, which American blacks ate as food during slavery because it was one of the few sources of protein available to them. 

Several decades after slavery, chitlins (also spelled chitlings and chitterlings) are still an African-American delicacy. If you are a Muslim who wants to experience African-American culinary delights, often called “soul food,” be sure to avoid “chitlings.” It’s just a cute word for the intestines of pigs.

5. “Chops” or “pork chops”: I know “chop” means “eat” in West African Pidgin English. But in Standard English it can mean a small cut of meat. It usually, though, is a small cut of meat from cooked pig. That’s why the usual phrase is pork chops, but it is also frequently rendered as “chops,” and that’s where people unfamiliar with the culinary vocabularies of the West might be misled into thinking they are eating a small cut of beef or mutton, etc.

6. “Frank” or “Frankfurter”: This is a type of smooth, minced, smoked pork often served in a bread roll. It is sometimes made of beef or a mixture of beef and pork. It’s generally called “hot dog,” especially in American English, and it’s so named because some people suspected, without any proof, that in Germany, where it was invented in the city of Frankfurt, dog meat was surreptitiously inserted into the meat since Germans ate dogs up until the 20th century. 

Other names for franks or Frankfurters are “dog,” “weenie,” “wiener,” “wienie,” and “wienerwurst.” Although hot dogs or Franks started in Germany, they have become a staple of American street cuisine.

Thankfully, there are now turkey hot dogs, beef hot dogs, and chicken hot dogs, but the most popular ones are the pork-based ones. It’s always good to ask before you buy.

7. “Gammon”: This is pork taken from the thighs of a pig. It’s derived from the Latin word “gamba,” which means leg. It’s also called jambon or, more commonly, ham.

8. “Kielbasa”: This is the Polish word for pork-based sausage, which has achieved widespread acceptance in American English, especially in northeastern United States. It’s also called “Polish sausage” because it’s originally from Poland.

9. “Liverwurst”: Sometimes people in the West grind the liver of pigs and stuff them in casings. Germans call it leberwurst, which has been Anglicized to liverwurst. It’s also called “liver pudding” or “liver sausage.” Wurst, as you’ve probably guessed, is German for sausage.

10. “Rasher”: This is another name for bacon. Note that because of increasing pressure from Muslims and Jews, there's now bacon or rasher made entirely from beef, turkey, chicken, or goat. If in doubt, ask.

11. “Ribs (or baby back ribs)”: This is meat from the ribs of a pig. But the term can seem like a generic reference to the ribs of any animal. It is also called back ribs or loin ribs.

12. “Pancetta”: It is Italian pork, derived from the belly of the pig. It is dried, salted, and chemically processed.

13. “Prosciutto”: As you’ve probably guessed, it’s also an Italian word. It is ham (see number 7 above) that has been dried and salted.

14. “Sowbelly”: It is salted pork cut from the belly. Other obvious names are “pork bellies” and “pork slab.”

JustReadTheQuran

A memorable website address to help you with sharing the Quran.

JustReadTheQuran.com

Please give the gift of the Quran.

EPUB and PDF files of The Wise Quran, a modern English translation of the Quran, are available at JustReadTheQuran.com

Whenever I meet people I try to give them the gift of the Quran. I hereby invite you to join me in this endeavour. 

The Devil

Read about the devil in the Quran. Learn how he became our enemy and what he said he would do to us. Please read the verses below to find out more.

2:30-39

7:11-27

15:26-50

17:61-65

20:116-127

38:71-85

18:50-51

The Ungrateful One

Me: Have you started reading the Quran?

You: To be honest, no.

Me: You have to make time for God. He is the one giving you everything. Not making time for Him is ingratitude. Another meaning of the word "Disbeliever" is "The Ungrateful One"

Make effort to turn to God now while everything is fine with you.

If something goes wrong and you are facing death then you decide that you want to turn to God, it will be too late then. That is what happened to Pharaoh (Q10:90).

I think you think that you believe in God and you want to worship God your own way but if you really think about it, that is actually a form of disbelief. Please think clearly about it. 

Let me explain. These are the things we are required to believe in: 

1. God, 

2. The Last Day, 

3. God's messengers,

4. God's Books,

5. The angels.

If you really believe in God and you heard that He sent a book down to you, you will search for the book and study it intensely. Just like if you see a snake, you will run.

The disbeliever has no hope of going to heaven. That is the difference. The believer has hope. On Judgment Day, the weight of our deeds will be measured. For the disbelievers, their deeds will have no weight. Because they did not believe, so their works are in vain. This is explained clearly in the Quran (Q18:103-106, Q14:18, Q7:147, Q25:22-23). 

As for the believers, belief alone will not make them successful on Judgment Day. We have to believe AND do good works.

One example of good works mentioned in the Quran, is the daily prayers; the ones we do after performing ablution. Another example is feeding the poor. 

To reiterate, doing good works without believing will not help the doer on Judgment Day. This is one of the reasons why we need to read God's books. There is salient information in them.

Please make haste to read God's books starting with the Quran because your study will be more efficient that way.

Remember, the first step in discovering if the Quran is from God is to read it.

The Religion of Truth

There is something I need to explain to you. I do not want you to think that you are choosing between Islam, Christianity or Judaism. God's religion is only one and it is Islam, the Religion of Truth. 

Let me explain the point of divergence of Jews and Christians from Islam. God sent prophets and messengers to us. For example Moses and Jesus were sent to the Israelites (This information can be found in the Torah, the Gospel and in the Quran). Other messengers were sent to their people too. Some of them are mentioned in the Quran. For example, Hud was sent to the people of 'Ad. Muhammad was sent to ALL mankind not just to his people. This is stated in the Quran.

All the prophets of God preached the same message. That God is one and that we should serve God, seek His forgiveness and obey the prophet. The point of divergence is in accepting the messengers of God and the books they came with. 

Jews do not believe that Jesus and Muhammad were sent by God. So they don't believe the Gospel and the Quran are God's Books.

Christians do not believe that Muhammad was sent by God so they don't believe the Quran is a book of God. 

Muslims believe in all the messengers of God, so Muslims accept all the books of God.

It would be a grave mistake to become a Jew or a Christian because the evidence that Muhammad is a messenger of God is very clear in the Torah. Please read Deuteronomy 18:15-22. The evidence is also in the Gospel but I choose not to comment on that here.

Actually, I believe that simply reading the Quran is enough for one to decide if it is from God. The Quran is not such as can be produced by man. As you read the Quran, you will quickly discover that a human being could not have written it.

Anyone who disbelieves in any of God's Prophets or Books falls into the category of a "Disbeliever" this means that his works are vain and they will not carry the right weight on Judgment Day. The end of a disbeliever is Hell.

Please start your journey to God. Do careful research. Start by reading God's books. I advise you to read the Quran first because it verifies the books that came before it. And also because it has not been corrupted. It is not long. When you are done with the Quran, you can probably read the Torah next and continue from there. If God wills, you will be guided.

As you do your research, keep your focus on discovering what the truth is. Many a time people believe something but it is not the truth. Islam is the Religion of Truth.

Not a Lie

Imagine if you wrote a book on Electrical Engineering and a primary school boy who has not read the book starts telling people that the book is false and that it is rubbish and that it contains lies...What would you think?

The boy is a tad unwise right? Even if he is a genius, he has not read your book so how does he know what he is claiming?

So also, you are being unwise when you claim God's books are lies without reading them. 

Imagine if Bill Gates wrote a book about how to be rich and a poor man who has not read the book says that the book is rubbish and that Bill Gates is lying. What would you think? 

The author of the Quran is not Bill Gates, it is God. Imagine what will happen to you if you are wrong.

Just read the Quran.

Questions & Answers 3

Question 3:

Can I ask why God stopped sending books and prophets? Like did he get tired?

Answer 3:

No. God can never get tired.

God wrote in the Quran that Prophet Muhammad is the seal of the prophets. The best thing for you to do to answer your question would be to read ALL God's books.

If you study the Quran you should come to the conclusion that there is no need for a new messenger. Every information has been detailed in the Quran (This was also true for the Torah).

Another reason is because unlike the other prophets of God who were sent to their people. Prophet Muhammad was sent to ALL mankind as a whole.

Another reason is that the Quran cannot be corrupted like God's other books which He sent down, which have been corrupted;  Some things have been removed from them and some things added. God said in the Quran that He will protect the Quran. Since there is no problem with the Quran, there could be no need for a new book or prophet.

The quick way for you to answer your question is to read the part of the Quran where God talks about the creation of man (Q2:30-39).

When Adam was being sent out of the Garden, God told him that He will send guidance; that whoever follows the guidance there will be no fear on them and they will not grieve. And those who disbelieve and call the signs lies will be companions of the fire and they will dwell in it forever.

That was a promise that God made to us. And God will definitely keep his promise. If there are no more messengers it could mean that we are running out of time. The world must end one day and Judgment Day must come.

Also, there is a part of the Quran (Q77:50, Q7:185, see also Q45:6) where God said, 

"In what story after it will they believe?"

This means if someone does not believe in the Quran there is nothing after it that they will believe in...

I think the most important reason is that God does what He desires. If He says there will be no more prophets, who are we to question that?

What is the Quran?

The Quran is a book sent down to us by God to provide guidance to those who fear Him.

 

You can find this definition in chapter two verse two (Q2:2) of the Quran. The next three verses that follow further explain who those people who fear God are. They are: Those who believe in the unseen, and are steadfast in the prayer, and they spend of what God has provided them. They are also those who believe in what has been sent to Prophet Muhammad and what was sent down before Prophet Muhammad, and these people are sure of the hereafter. These are the people who are on guidance from their Lord and those people, they are the prosperous.

Please read Quran 2:1-5 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

The people who fear God can also be further defined as the pious or those who are dutiful to God. The Arabic word used in Quran chapter two verse two (Q2:2) encompasses these meanings.

Perhaps you know that what was sent down to Prophet Muhammad is the Quran, but you are not sure of what was sent before Prophet Muhammad. If you continue reading the Quran, you will read about some of the other books God has sent down. For example you will read about the Torah and the Gospel and the Psalms. The Torah was given to Prophet Moses, The Gospel was given to Prophet Jesus and The Psalms were given to Prophet David. 

I encourage you to continue reading the Quran to find out more. You can download a free e-copy of the English translation of the Quran by clicking this text.

The first three verses of chapter twenty-seven of the Quran (Q27:1-3) provide more information about what the Quran is, I encourage you to read them. The verses tell us that the Quran is a clear book that provides guidance for the believers. Then it goes on to tell us who the believers are. They are: Those who are steadfast in the prayer, and give alms, and they are those who are sure of the hereafter.

Please read Quran 27:1-3 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

Did you notice that in the first three verses of chapter twenty-seven there is a name given to those whom the Quran is for? They are called "The Believers" If you are not a believer, then you are a disbeliever. And if you are a disbeliever, you will not be guided by the Quran. Please read Quran chapter two verses six to twenty (Q2:6-20) to understand better.

Why not continue reading chapter two till you get to verse thirty-nine (Q2:1-39)? This way you will understand how it all began.

Even more details about what the Quran is can be found in chapter two verse ninety-seven (Q2:97). In this verse we are told that the Quran is a verification of what was before it, and that it is a guidance and glad tidings to believers. This verse also tells us that Gabriel revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad's heart by God's permission.

Please read Quran 2:97 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

Hopefully, you now know what the Quran is.

Below are some other details about the Quran: 

1. The Quran contains one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters. Generally speaking, the chapters close to the end of the book are quite short, having as little as three verses. While the chapters close to the beginning of the book are much longer, having more than a hundred verses.
2. The Quran is not chronological. However, you are advised to read it from the beginning to the end. 
3. Some of its chapters are long while others are short. Also, some verses have many words while others have very few words. For example chapter one (1) is only seven verses long, while chapter two (2), which is the longest chapter, is two hundred and eighty six verses long. Also, chapter thirty-seven (37) may seem long because it has one hundred and eighty-two verses, but it is actually not so long because most of its verses contain very few words compared to other chapters of the Quran.
4. Some chapters focus on one main topic. For example: Chapter twelve (12) which tells the story of Prophet Joseph and chapter seventy-one (71) which tells the story of Prophet Noah. Many of the chapters touch on several topics.
5. Prophet Moses is by far the most mentioned messenger of God in the Quran. Some of those mentioned by name in the Quran include: Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Saul, Lot, Hud, Jonah, Mary, Zachariah, John, Jesus, Pharaoh, Korah, Haman, Shuayb, Salih, Job, David, Solomon, Muhammad, Joseph, Luqman, …
6. The Quran is a book that provides details then repeats or expands on the information given in the chapters that follow. You have already seen an example of this in the write-up above where information was provided in chapter two (2), then then more details were provided in chapter twenty-seven (27).
7. God constantly tells the reader to think and use reason. He does not approve of guessing, assumption, suspicion or conjecture.
8. The Quran has what I call hidden treasures. For example God might be discussing one topic then embedded in the discussion of that topic will be a piece of salient information that may be seemingly unrelated to the topic being discussed. For example: 2:152 and 2:186.
9. There are certain phrases that are repeated in the Quran. Some of them are: "God is swift in the reckoning", "God is severe in punishment", "God is powerful over all things", "God is knower of all things", "God is witness over all things", "Fear God", … 
10. You can find God's names scattered all over the Quran. For example in chapter eighty-seven (87) and ninety-two (92) God says He is The Most High.

I hope I have made you curious enough to start reading the Quran. Please make haste to read the Quran. This is because reading the Quran is just the beginning of the journey... Let us say you are trying to get to Ghana, and someone gave you a map that shows you how to get from your location to Ghana. First you will read the map to make sure that it is a true map, then you begin the journey to Ghana while consulting the map periodically. Here, you are trying to get to Paradise, God has sent down a map to you. The Quran is the map that provides guidance to believers. First you read the Quran, then you have to act according to the guidance in the map. This is how you will get to your promised destination, which is Paradise. Please note that the promised destination of those who do not believe and therefore are not guided by the Quran is Hell.

Remember, the Quran is a message from God to you for your guidance. Please read the Quran.

 You can download a free e-copy of the English translation of the Quran by clicking this text.

Glory be to God

Spend a lot of time saying " سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " That is "Glory be to God" (Subhanallahi)

To understand why I am saying this please read Quran Chapter 37 verses 139 to 148 especially verse 143. Jonah was saved from the fish because he was one of the Musabbihin " ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ " that is, "Those who glorify" the word has the same root as " سُبْحَٰنَ " from "  سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " as you know "Subhanallahi" means "Glory be to God" 

Not only that, but the instructions about how and when to glorify God are stated more than eleven times in the Quran. I have listed the verses I found that mention it below. Please review all of them the instructions vary.

15:98

20:130

30:17*, 18

50:39, 40

52:48, 49

56:74, 96 and 69:52

76:25, 26

87:1

110:3

7:205

29:45**

*This verse specifically tells us to say "  سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " that is: "Glory be to God"

** This verse tells us that remembering God is greater than even prayer.

I hope I have been able to pass a clear message. Saying "  سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " "Glory be to God" is very important. Remember the story of Jonah. 

Not Music

People who are content to sing the Quran need to contemplate the meaning of Quran chapter two verse one.

How can you obtain guidance from the Quran if you don't know the meaning of what you are reading/reciting?

This needs to be repeated till it is clearly understood.

There are so many stories of converts to Islam who simply read the Quran. Nobody preached to them, they just read the Quran...

And on the other hand, we have people who are born into Islam who refuse to read and study the Quran. They prefer to sing it...

The Quran is not music. Please let's stop treating it like music.

#JustReadTheQuran

Questions & Answers 2

Question 2:

Reading Quran without knowing its meaning is tantamount to music and reader has no rewards, someone said! Please any clarification on this?

Answer 2:

The purpose of a book is to be read and understood. The Quran is a book sent down to us by our Lord. 

If someone who doesn't understand Yoruba is singing a song that goes like this 🎵 Mi o ni mu omi tutu, mi o gbodo mu omi tutu, ani mi o ni mu omi tutu se 🎶 And as the person is singing, He takes a break and goes to the freezer then takes out a bottle of cold water and starts drinking it. Was the song he was singing useful to him?

Whether reciting the Quran without knowing the meaning has reward. I have no knowledge of this. However, what I know is that the Quran is a book. Its purpose is to guide us. How can you be guided if you are not making any effort to know the meaning of what is in the Book? You are content to just make your voice beautiful and sing its words in a melodious voice.

Know that the people who are reciting the Quran who understand Arabic, they are not on the same plane as one who does not understand Arabic but is reciting the Quran. The difference is that the former understand what they are saying so they can benefit from the wisdom in the Quran. 

If you don't understand Arabic you have to make the effort to read many translations as well as start learning Arabic. You can do it, if God will.

I urge you to worry less about your reward. God will definitely not cheat you of your reward. Worry more about how you can be conversant with the guidance that God has sent down for you - The Quran. Both the reading and the recitation of it.

Translation of lyrics: 

 🎵 I will not drink cold water, I must not drink cold water, I say I will not drink cold water 🎶

Hen Story

Hen Story

Some years ago, I went to live with some relatives in a small city. They had a big compound and I noticed a solitary hen, parading. I asked my relatives about the hen and they said that one day it just came into their compound and it never left. They said that it was sick when it came but it had recovered from its sickness. And that it goes out of the compound from time to time, but it always comes back. They also said that they do not feed it.

I was quite excited about the hen. I would buy guinea corn and millet, and sprinkle it around the compound for it to eat. It was not long before it started to recognize me and run to me whenever I came out of the house.

Other birds used to fly into the compound and eat the grain as well. Even a cock came to live in the compound and it too ran to me whenever I came out.

My relatives commented that the hen had found a benefactor. You might find this strange, but I thought I detected a note of disapproval in their statement.

In any case, I began to feel something in my heart. I cannot describe what it was or whether it was positive or negative. However, there was a feeling whenever the birds ran towards me.

Now, sometimes I would travel back home to my parents house and return after some days or weeks.

One time, I returned and the hen had chicks! And they all ran to me for food.

Everything was going well until one day, I came out of the house to fetch some water at the well. The hen saw me and ran to me. But I had no grains. She followed me, loudly clucking along and suddenly I felt a sharp pain on my left foot. She pecked me!

What!

I was livid.

She was doing well fending for herself before I came to live with my relatives. I was under no obligation to feed her. I was just doing it because it gave me a good feeling. How dare she peck me when I show up without food? 

Nevertheless, I did not want to stop feeding her because I was still counting on being paid [by God] my wages for doing a good deed.

My anger turned to puzzlement. Why did she peck me? 

Finally, I deciphered the situation.

I was the problem. 

I let her see me delivering the grain. I enjoyed it when she and her brood ran to me. I was basking in the attention of being noticed as a provider, a benefactor. Where was my lowly subject? Let her run to me and let me give her food. Let her know that it is I, who is supplying her sustenance…How arrogant! The hen pecked me because once lordship has been feigned it must be maintained. I must continue to provide her with food. Was I not the lord?

What did I do?

I continued to feed her but this time I made sure she did not see me pouring out the grain. I stealthily scattered grain in different places all over the compound. All she and her chicks had to do was wander a little and they would find food.

Problem solved.

The hen no longer ran to me clucking like she used to do. Methinks it mattered not to her who the deliverer of her food was but that she had food. Most importantly, I no longer had that interesting feeling in my heart. I had learnt something profound. I now understood why giving charity in secret is the preferred choice (Matthew 6:3, Quran 2:271)? It is for our own good.

Can you perceive the connection between the different parties involved?

1- The giver 

Who secretly wants to be appreciated or admired or thanked for what he did not do (Quran 3:188). 

2- The fawning receiver of charity. 

The receiver who can and will change the game on the 'visible' giver, if given the opportunity.

3- The irked witnesses.

Do you also see that the witnesses cannot be happy with either party. Why were they not given something?

Do you see that the giver is not the owner of what he is giving. The True Benefactor is God. We are just trustees of the wealth (Quran 57:7). 

If one is truly giving in order to seek the countenance of God, one will be comfortable with knowing that only oneself and God know that charity has been given. One will have no need for thanks. And one will keep one's ego under control (I believe that odd feeling I experienced, has something to do with an inflated ego).

Do you also see that the receiver would have no choice but to be excessively polite or indifferent to ALL if he does not know who supplied him with provision. Lest he offend his provider unknowingly. And he will thank God.

What happened to the hen and her brood?

I took a long trip back home. When I returned, I was told that one day, the hen went out with some of her brood and never returned.