Episodes
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Muhammad, like an overwhelmed parent, tires of the constant questions... particularly those asked in bad faith.
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Muhammad marries Zaynab, and we discuss the legacy of this action from several different perspectives.
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Episodes manquant?
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He frowned and turned his attention away,
simply because the blind man came to him interrupting
You never know O Prophet, perhaps he may be purified,
or he may be mindful, benefitting from the reminder.
As for the one who was indifferent,
you gave him your undivided attention,
even though you are not to blame if he would not be purified.
But as for the one who came to you, eager to learn,
being in awe of Allah,
you were inattentive to him.
But no! This revelation is truly a reminder.
So let whoever wills be mindful of it.
It is written on pages held in honour—
highly esteemed, purified—
by the hands of angel-scribes,
honourable and virtuous.
Condemned are disbelieving humans! How ungrateful they are to Allah!
From what substance did He create them?
He created them from a sperm-drop, and ordained their development.
Then He makes the way easy for them,
then causes them to die and be buried.
Then when He wills, He will resurrect them.
But no! They have failed to comply with what He ordered.
Let people then consider their food:
how We pour down rain in abundance
and meticulously split the earth open for sprouts,
causing grain to grow in it,
as well as grapes and greens,
and olives and palm trees,
and dense orchards,
and fruit and fodder—
all as a means of sustenance for you and your animals.
Then, when the Deafening Blast comes to pass—
on that Day every person will flee from their own siblings,
and even their mother and father,
and even their spouse and children.
For then everyone will have enough concern of their own.
On that Day some faces will be bright,
laughing and rejoicing,
while other faces will be dusty,
cast in gloom—
those are the disbelievers, the wicked sinners.
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Allah's Messenger said, "If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected."
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Muhammad marries his son's ex-wife and the community erupts in scandal. This is his fifth wife and a major break from Arab tradition -- some in the community call it incest. This is what we know about how this situation came to be.
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When the sun is overthrown,
And when the stars fall,
And when the hills are moved,
And when the camels big with young are abandoned,
And when the wild beasts are herded together,
And when the seas rise,
And when souls are reunited,
And when the girl-child that was buried alive is asked
For what sin she was slain,
And when the pages are laid open,
And when the sky is torn away,
And when hell is lighted,
And when the Garden is brought nigh,
(Then) every soul will know what it hath made ready.
Oh, but I call to witness the planets,
The stars which rise and set,
And the close of night,
And the breath of morning
That this is in truth the word of an honoured messenger,
Mighty, established in the presence of the Lord of the Throne,
(One) to be obeyed, and trustworthy;
And your comrade is not mad.
Surely he beheld Him on the clear horizon.
And he is not avid of the Unseen.
Nor is this the utterance of a devil worthy to be stoned.
Whither then go ye ?
This is naught else than a reminder unto creation,
Unto whomsoever of you willeth to walk straight.
And ye will not, unless (it be) that Allah willeth, the Lord of Creation.
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Episodes will now be released twice a month rather than the four you may be used to...
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For two years after Uhud, both sides avoid major battles and fight on the outskirts of Arabia. A second Battle of Badr is planned but never happens, but it becomes obvious that these sides will fight, and only one can be master of the peninsula.
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When the sky splits open,
and when the stars fall away,
and when the seas burst forth,
and when the graves spill out,
then each soul will know what it has sent forth or left behind.
O humanity! What has emboldened you against your Lord, the Most Generous,
Who created you, fashioned you, and perfected your design,
moulding you in whatever form He willed?
But no! In fact, you deny the ˹final˺ Judgment,
while you are certainly observed by vigilant,
honourable angels, recording ˹everything.
They know whatever you do.
Indeed, the virtuous will be in bliss,
and the wicked will be in Hell,
burning in it on Judgment Day,
and they will have no escape from it.
What will make you realize what Judgment Day is?
Again, what will make you realize what Judgment Day is?
˹It is˺ the Day no soul will be of ˹any˺ benefit to another whatsoever, for all authority on that Day belongs to Allah entirely.
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He who gets back his charity is like a dog which vomits, and then returns to that and eats it.
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The seeds for 1400 years of Jewish-Muslim enmity are planted as Muhammad takes action against a tribe he sees as disloyal and dangerous. This was a first in Muslim history, but for the Jews it was just another in a countless number of expulsions through out time. From Assyria to Babylon to Rome to Spain to Russia to Uganda... this is a familiar pattern - with an ironic twist from the conflict in modern Israel.
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Surah 83 continued, focusing in a few more words unique in the Quran.
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The Messenger of Allah said: "The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe, and the believer is the one from whom the people's lives and wealth are safe."
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Wrapping up the Battle of Uhud. Who won? The Quran gives one answer, and also downgrades the expected strength of a Muslim warrior.
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Woe unto the defrauders:
Those who when they take the measure from mankind demand it full,
But if they measure unto them or weight for them, they cause them loss.
Do such (men) not consider that they will be raised again
Unto an Awful Day,
The day when (all) mankind stand before the Lord of the Worlds?
Nay, but the record of the vile is in Sijjin
Ah! what will convey unto thee what Sijjin is!
A written record.
Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
Those who deny the Day of Judgment
Which none denieth save each criminal transgressor,
Who, when thou readest unto him Our revelations, saith: (Mere) fables of the men of old.
Nay, but that which they have earned is rust upon their hearts.
Nay, but surely on that day they will be covered from (the mercy of) their Lord.
Then lo! they verily will burn in hell,
And it will be said (unto them): This is that which ye used to deny.
Nay, but the record of the righteous is in 'Illiyin
Ah, what will convey unto thee what 'Illiyin is!
A written record,
Attested by those who are brought near (unto their Lord).
Lo! the righteous verily are in delight,
On couches, gazing,
Thou wilt know in their faces the radiance of delight.
They are given to drink of a pure wine, sealed,
Whose seal is musk - for this let (all) those strive who strive for bliss –
And mixed with water of Tasnim,
A spring whence those brought near (to Allah) drink.
Lo! the guilty used to laugh at those who believed,
And wink one to another when they passed them;
And when they returned to their own folk, they returned jesting;
And when they saw them they said: Lo! these have gone astray.
Yet they were not sent as guardians over them.
This day it is those who believe who have the laugh of disbelievers,
On high couches, gazing.
Are not the disbelievers paid for what they used to do?
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The difficulty of the cross has spouted different non-Christian interpretations throughout the years... including a very old heresy called Docetism. Muslims, as believers in the holiness of Jesus, need a much more detailed accounting for Jesus and the cross than Jews.... however, the Quran has little to say on the subject.
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