Friday 24 June 2011

Why Does The Qur'an Seem Incoherent?

"Many people must have bought a translation of the Qur'an in the hope of gaining a better understanding of Islam, only to abandon it in desperation after reading at most a few dozen pages. It is for them that this book has been written. It is in three parts. ... The third is about the structure and coherence of the Qur'an, showing how there is in fact structure to material which often seems random and arbitrary..." - Professor Neal Robinson, Author of Discovering The Qur'an, 1996

Qur'an is no ordinary book and therefore it does not conform to the style, format or the structure of any ordinary book. When people start reading The Qur'an (especially a translation) with the framework of an ordinary book in mind (which often has a sequential structure) they may be confused by this non-conformance and stop reading. This is the case with even Muslims although many would not admit it. That is one major reason why the vast majority of Muslims remain ignorant of the meanings of the Qur'an except for a few short surahs.

The Qur'an has its own divine arrangement - unique style, format and structure. The arrangement is not chronological in order. Sometimes latter surahs come before earlier surahs and even the ayahs within a surah are not chronological. Also the Qur'an seems to jump from one theme to another and one story to another within the same surah. This is very puzzling for many people.

Knowing the style, format and structure of the Qur'an is the key to understanding the Qur'an. There is no better way to study this than with The Opening (Al-Fatiha) itself. It is as if Surah Al-Fatiha has been placed in the beginning of The Qur'an for us to acquire the key skills necessary to understand the rest of the Qur'an. Perhaps it is another reason why Al-Fatiha is called Umm-al-Qur'an or The Mother of The Qur'an. But can these skills be acquired by reading a translation or referring to a particular Tafsir or reading any other book? Sadly not because this requires a competent teacher to explain the details in a way which books by themselves will not be able to do justice.

So this your unique opportunity to undertake this lifetime journey with a seminar on the detailed study of Al-Fatiha conducted by one of the most competent and respected teachers today - Shaykh Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi. The seminar will explore in detail the internal and external coherences of Al-Fatiha in addition to its meaning, message and implications. It will then explore the last ten surahs to identify the amazing relationships and patterns between surahs which often go unnoticed because of lack knowledge and training. You will come out of the seminar with a brilliant framework to study and understand the Qur'an in a way that may have seemed impossible before. So please don't miss this absolutely vital seminar that will shape your relationship with the Qur'an for the rest of your life. This is also your opportunity to connect to the Qur'an with a chain linking all the way back to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) then Jibreel (AS) to Allah (SWT) Himself.

You have only one day to register so do it now.

Exploring The Pearls of The Qur'an 
Detailed Study of Al-Fatiha & The Last Ten Surahs - Their Coherence, Meaning & Universal Message

Instructor: Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi (Oxford University)

Date: Saturday 25th June 2011      Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Venue: Cambridge University - Lady Mitchell Hall - Sidgwick Site

Facilities & Features: crèche/childcare, free 2 nights accommodation for travellers, free parking

Special Offers: Buy One Get One Free, Group of 5 Discount, Scholarships, Free Non-Muslim Friend Pass

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

"Of all the scholars I have had the opportunity to study with, I have found Shaikh Akram Nadwi to be the closest, in knowledge, manners and teaching, to how I would imagine some of the great Hadith scholars of the past would have been. He has a vast knowledge of Qur'an, Hadith and Fiqh, a down-to-earth, humble, approachable style, and great teaching ability. His classes are not just beneficial from a learning perspective, but also to marvel at the awe-inspiring wealth of knowledge of our scholars masha Allah. His 40 volume work going through the biographies of some 8,000 women scholars of Hadith is a monumental endeavour. The mere fact of its existence can be a major talking point in discussion with Muslims and non-Muslims, and is almost a stand-alone proof of Islam's unparalleled wealth of female scholarship." - Dr Omar Mahroo, Cambridge/London

More Testimonials: http://courses.meoc.org.uk/p/testimonials.html

Related Posts:

How To Solve Any Problem With 100% Confidence?

How To Think Through The Qur'an?

How To Study The Entire Qur'an In One Day?

Pearls of The Qur'an - Registrations Open

Tuesday 21 June 2011

How To Solve Any Problem With 100% Confidence?

"Everyone has problems. People may FIND solutions. But Allah CREATES solutions when no solution exist. So why don't we turn to THE ONE WHO CAN CREATE SOLUTIONS?" - Shaykh Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi

We all have problems - big or small - whether they be personal, family, social, national or global in nature. Sometimes they are simple and easily solvable and at other times they are complex and seems unsolvable. However wouldn't it be wonderful to know a way to solve any problem - simple or complex - with 100% confidence? There is actually a way and it is through Prayer (Salah). The Qur'an states <<Seek help through Patience and Prayer>> [Qur'an 2:45]. This is the reason why whenever the Prophet (SAW) had difficulty he would turn to Allah through Prayer.

What is Prayer? Prayer has many aspects to it but the most fundamental part of the Prayer is Surah Al-Fatiha. In fact the Prophet (SAW) referred to Al-Fatiha as The Prayer in a Hadith (read the full hadith here) emphasizing the importance of it in the Prayer. So if anyone wishes to access divine solutions through Prayer they should first examine their level of understanding of Al-Fatiha because that is the essence of Prayer. Sadly many Muslims have no understanding of Al-Fatiha except its basic translated meaning. So no wonder that our Prayer is lifeless and devoid of its potential.

But it is never too late. A unique one-day seminar titled Exploring The Pearls of The Qur'an is coming up this Saturday which explores the most often recited surahs in the Prayer - Al-Fatiha and The Last Ten Surahs. This is your best and perhaps the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elevate your Prayer to heights that you have never seen before. So why wait, register now for the last few places available to begin your journey of accessing divine blessing, aid and solutions through Al-Fatiha - The Prayer.

Exploring The Pearls of The Qur'an 
Detailed Study of Al-Fatiha & The Last Ten Surahs - Their Coherence, Meaning & Universal Message

Instructor: Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi (Oxford University)

Date: Saturday 25th June 2011      Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Venue: Cambridge University - Lady Mitchell Hall - Sidgwick Site

Facilities & Features: crèche/childcare, free 2 nights accommodation for travellers, free parking

Special Offers: Buy One Get One Free, Group of 5 Discount, Scholarships, Free Non-Muslim Friend Pass

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

"Shaykh Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a great asset to the Muslims in the UK and his 57 volume work on al-Muhaddithaat (The Women Scholars of Islam) is no doubt going to be a lasting legacy of this great man. I had the blessed opportunity of spending a day with him recently; he is one of those few individuals who in a short period of time can change your entire thinking. May Allah bless the brothers and sisters in Cambridge and those in Oxford who organise and help the Shaykh in his works." - Nasar Ishfaq, Manchester

More Testimonials: http://courses.meoc.org.uk/p/testimonials.html

Related Posts:

How To Think Through The Qur'an?

How To Study The Entire Qur'an In One Day?

Pearls of The Qur'an - Registrations Open

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Thursday 16 June 2011

How To Think Through The Qur'an?

"Allah has given us various faculties for various purposes - for example eyes to see, ears to hear and mouth to speak. Allah has also given us a mind to think. But unfortunately many people do not think or worse they want other people to think for them in both worldly matters and religious matters. This is a serious abuse of the blessing that Allah has given us." - Dr Mohammed Akram Nadwi

Muslims are supposed to be thinkers! One of the greatest thinkers in the history of mankind is our father Ibrahim (AS) who our own Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his followers have been commanded to emulate. The whole of the story of Ibrahim (AS) - from his childhood to old age - is about his quest to think and to search for answers. So deep is his thinking that he asked Allah the ultimate question of how He resurrects the dead because he wanted to understand to strengthen and satisfy his conviction. This is the powerful example of the beloved of Allah -
Khalilullah - who used the mind the way it should be used. On the contrary people are misguided and misled because they do not use their mind to think. <<And they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered (used the mind or 'aql), we should not have been among the inmates of the burning fire.>> [Qur'an 67:10]

The whole of the Qur'an urges humankind to think, to understand, to reflect, to explore, to ponder and to use their intelligence. It also teaches us how to do that. So there is no better way to develop the use of our mind than to use the Qur'an itself.
<<(This is) a Scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its revelations, and that people of understanding may reflect.>> [Qur'an 38:29].  <<Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction.>> [Qur'an 4:82]

So how do you do this? This is your opportunity to learn how to think for yourself using the most fundamental part of the Qur'an - Surah Al-Fatiha along with the last few surahs. You will discover the amazing depth and the breadth of these short surahs along with the secrets of how to arrive at this level of understanding in this first-of-its-kind one-day seminar by Shaykh Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi. This is not something to be missed if you are serious about using your mind upon the way of Ibrahim (AS) as you will not find these in books of Tafsir. This is something that is transmitted and developed through chains of scholars.


Exploring The Pearls of The Qur'an 
Detailed Study of Al-Fatiha & The Last Ten Surahs - Their Coherence, Meaning & Universal Message

Instructor: Dr Mohammed Akram Nadwi (Oxford University)

Date: Saturday 25th June 2011      Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Venue: Cambridge University - Lady Mitchell Hall - Sidgwick Site

Facilities & Features: crèche/childcare, free 2 nights accommodation for travellers, free parking

Special Offers: Buy One Get One Free, Group of 5 Discount, Scholarships, Free Non-Muslim Friend Pass

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

"Jazak'Allah khair for a fabulous seminar. I truly enjoyed it and it was very much worth the trek from London to Cambridge"  - Antti Kangaslahti, London

"The Fiqh of Love was the most amazing Islamic seminar I have ever attended. I have told all my friends and family about Sheikh Nadwi and his inspiring talk. All in all, I want to say that everything was brilliant. The food arrangements, prayer arrangements, book stall...everything. Thank you so much for making it a possibility" - Anosha Saleem, LLM Student, Cambridge University

"The course was simply amazing, it was a lot of information to take in but was definitely worthwhile. As for Dr Mohammed Akram Nadwi, words cannot serve justice for explaining how humble yet knowledgeable he is. Alhamdulillah I went with my whole family and intend to attend all of his future courses InshaAllah"  - Rahee Ahmed, Law Student, Kent University

"Of all the scholars I have had the opportunity to study with, I have found Shaikh Akram Nadwi to be the closest, in knowledge, manners and teaching, to how I would imagine some of the great Hadith scholars of the past would have been. He has a vast knowledge of Qur'an, Hadith and Fiqh, a down-to-earth, humble, approachable style, and great teaching ability. His classes are not just beneficial from a learning perspective, but also to marvel at the awe-inspiring wealth of knowledge of our scholars masha Allah. His 40 volume work going through the biographies of some 8,000 women scholars of Hadith is a monumental endeavour. The mere fact of its existence can be a major talking point in discussion with Muslims and non-Muslims, and is almost a stand-alone proof of Islam's unparalleled wealth of female scholarship." - Dr Omar Mahroo, Cambridge/London

More Testimonials: http://courses.meoc.org.uk/p/testimonials.html

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Related Posts:
How To Study The Entire Qur'an In One Day?
Peals of The Qur'an - Registrations Open

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Sunday 12 June 2011

How To Study The Entire Qur'an In One Day?

Isn't this an impossible task? Doesn't the Qur'an take a lifetime of study? The answer to both these questions is "yes" and "no".

The Qur'an is an amazing book and it can be studied at different levels from just studying the literal (or superficial) meanings of the words from a translation to an in-depth multidisciplinary study of a single ayah for many decades. No doubt even studying the meanings from a translation can be very beneficial although this would take quite a long time to complete. But is there a way to have an in-depth overall understanding of the entire Qur'an in just one day?

Fortunately there is because we have been given a short yet powerful introduction to the entire Qur'an in just seven verses in Surah Al-Fatiha. Whoever studies these seven verses in-depth will have the key to understanding the entire Qur'an in detail. The Prophet (SAW) called Al-Fatiha "Umm Al-Qur'an" or "The Mother of The Qur'an" indicating that the crux of Qur'an is contained in Al-Fatiha (and that the rest of Qur'an is a detailed explanation of it). This is the reasons why Al-Fatiha is included right in the beginning of the Qur'an although all the other shorter surahs are at the end. This is the the same reason why Al-Fatiha has been made compulsory reading in every Prayer (salah) while none of the other surahs are not. This is also the reason why Al-Fatiha has a different structure and format to it than the other surahs. There is no other surah more important to study in detail than Surah Al Fatiha - the key to the entire Qur'an.

Now this your opportunity to take up this first-of-its-kind one-day seminar by Shaykh Dr Mohammed Akram Nadwi on the detailed study of Al-Fatiha probably as has never been done before (in this part of the world), InshaAllah. You will be amazed to see the layers of complexity, subtlety and detail in such a seemingly simple looking surah with only seven verses. In addition to Surah Fathiha you will also study the "Summary of the Qur'an" which is contained in the last few short surahs. Thereby completing the study of the key to entire Qu'ran in just one day.

Exploring The Pearls of The Qur'an 
Detailed Study of Al-Fatiha & The Last Ten Surahs - Their Coherence, Meaning & Universal Message

Instructor: Dr Mohammed Akram Nadwi (Oxford University)

Date: Saturday 25th June 2011      Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Venue: Cambridge University - Lady Mitchell Hall - Sidgwick Site

Facilities & Features: crèche/childcare, free 2 nights accommodation for travellers, free parking

Special Offers: Buy One Get One Free, Group of 5 Discount, Scholarships, Free Non-Muslim Friend Pass

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

"If you only had the time and resources to attend just one seminar on Qur'an then this is definitely the one to attend. It will change your attitude to the Qur'an like never before and will transform your Prayer to amazing new heights. So how can you afford to miss this one? Put all your distracting thoughts aside and register now without delay"

These are some of the testimonials from the previous seminars...

"The sheikh explained with such elegant simplicity the duties and rights of wife and husband, and even of children.  The fact that he stressed the Islamic responsibilities helped cast away many of the cultural shackles that often imprison Muslims in less than pleasant marriages.  If everyone took this course before they got married, they would truly appreciate their spouses all the greater, and they would be better Muslims for doing so, raising stronger families.  This would then reflect itself in the state of our Ummah. I also enjoyed the wisdom with which he regarded divorce. A solution provided by Allah, so that no one becomes an oppressor....MashaAllah, beautiful!" - Sarah Elgazzar, Cambridge

"The course by Shaykh Nadwi lived up to its billing and the course splendidly drove home just how crucial and relevant lessons from Ibrahim’s (as) life are to us today. Ibrahim's (as) life is not covered enough in Muslim circles or public discourse, which made the course very interesting. The stories of Ibrahim (as) particularly that of him and his two sons Ismail and Ishaq (as) are endlessly rich and fruitful and understanding them will go a long way in helping us make some sense of our reality. Shaykh Nadwi mashAllah demonstrated in-depth knowledge of Ibrahim's (as) story as narrated in the Quran and also the Biblical account as he taught us the Abrahamic foundations. His passion and the layout of the course were engaging and I left with a strong attachment to the 'intellectual & moral courage' of Ibrahim (as); a principle myself and every Muslim should be implementing in our lives.JazakAllahu Khair" - Mohamed Abdalla, Cambridge

"I want to thank your organisation for arranging these series of lectures by Dr Nadwi. I have attended many of these lectures and have found them immensely enlightening. Dr Nadwi is a rare scholar of our times and although he is knowledgeable enough to talk at length on issues of philosophy, literacy or poetry, he is always keen to emphasise the practical implications of his teachings - that Islam in essence is a religion to be practiced with real actions and not confined to theory written in textbooks. MEOC has done an excellent job in the way they have taken care of all the details required of organising such events. I pray that Allah rewards all those involved in all aspects of these courses." - Dr Atiqul Baree, Portsmouth

"Jazakumullah khair for the efforts of the MEOC for arranging these blessed gatherings of knowledge. The seminars I've attended so far have several elements that make them very special, starting from the choice of topics themselves which cater to the more profound needs of the people rather than addressing some superficial issues that seem to be more fashionable today. Even the content of the seminars and the manner of teaching by Shaikh Akram Nadwi are directly focussed towards developing a deeper understanding of these issues. In these seminars, one gets a glimpse of the years of learning that have gone into the brilliant scholarship of Shaikh Nadwi. Furthermore his knowledge seems to be blessed by an acute understanding of the needs of the Ummah. The seminar on the 'Legacy of Ibrahim (a.s.)' was exceptionally beautiful, wherein, the Shaikh in his own words confessed that he was attempting to transmit, not knowledge, but the state of his heart, to the others present. While the knowledge and the insight that one gains into the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the history of Muslims through these seminars is invaluable, I personally feel that these sessions are more than just one-day courses. I am inclined to call them gatherings of Remembrance of Allah, and we all know the blessings of such gatherings!" - Mohini Verma, PhD Student, Cambridge University

More Testimonials: http://courses.meoc.org.uk/p/testimonials.html

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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