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Quran Talk BlogIntoxicants and Gambling Prohibited & What to Give to Charity (2:219)Verse 2:219 on intoxicants and gambling, whose sinfulness far outweighs their benefit, is read alongside 5:90 to 91, where the devil uses them to distract from God and the Contact Prayers. Studies on casino crime, suicide in Las Vegas, and alcohol's social costs support the prohibition. The excess to give to charity is explained as provisions beyond our own needs, such as money spent on wasted food.February 2, 2015

Quran Talk BlogLessons From Mr. Miyagi (2:216)Verse 2:216 frames a reflection on how God trains believers through hardships they dislike, using the Karate Kid scene where Mr. Miyagi teaches karate through chores. Everyday frustrations such as traffic or a disappointing grade become lessons in patience and humility, since God knows what is good for us while we do not.February 2, 2015

Quran Talk BlogOppression is Condemned in All it’s Forms (2:217)Oppression is worse than murder, according to 2:217, and the Quran permits fighting only in self-defense or to end oppression when leaving is not possible (2:190 to 2:193). The article sets these verses beside the non aggression principle and the philosophy of liberty. It also notes that God raises oppression just before the verses on divorce.February 2, 2015

Quran Talk Blog2:196 – 2:215Hajj and the Sacred Months open a study of verses 2:196 through 2:215, followed by the benefits of commerce and commemorating God as one commemorates one's own parents. Other topics include delayed gratification, disbelievers ridiculing the believers, and the meaning of community. The study closes with charity and Zakat, asking what to give and to whom.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCharity and Zakat – What to give and to whom? (2:215)Zakat, the second pillar, and voluntary charity are explained through 2:215, which names the recipients: parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, and the traveling alien. Zakat is fixed at 2.5 percent and given on the day of harvest, read today as payday (6:141), while anything beyond it is charity. Following 2:219, one gives the excess, helping others without extravagance or financial self harm.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCommemorate GOD as you commemorate your own parents (2:200)Verse 2:200 directs pilgrims, once they complete the rites of Hajj, to commemorate God as they commemorate their parents, or even better. The discussion defines commemoration as remembering, honoring, and tending to, links it to honoring parents in 31:14, and asks whether we still attend to parents once we no longer need them. Whatever occupies most of the day becomes one's god, so God must come first.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCommemorating God at Hajj (2:198-199)Reflections on verses 2:198 and 2:199 about commemorating God during Hajj, filing from Arafaat to Muzdalifah, and asking God for forgiveness. The writer describes seeking provisions differently while on pilgrimage, looking for what God wants one to have rather than the best deal, and how the state of Ihram turns everything found into a gift that inspires gratitude and giving.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDelayed Gratification (2:201 – 2:202)Verses 2:201 and 2:202 are read alongside the marshmallow experiment on delayed gratification and time preference. Those who ask God only for this life receive its share now, while those who ask for righteousness in this world and the Hereafter receive both. Links to talks on the marshmallow test accompany the reflection.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogHajj (2:196)Hajj and Umrah as commanded in 2:196, including the offering when prevented, expiation for cutting hair, and breaking Ihraam. Personal reflections from Hajj follow: going with good intentions, giving to charity, appreciation, and making the state of Ihram second nature. Also covers the messenger's recommendation to wait about ten years before going to Hajj, linked to Malcolm Gladwell's ideas on practice.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Four Sacred MonthsThe Quran's twelve months and four Sacred Months, read through 9:36, 9:37, 2:197 and the opening verses of Sura 9. The article argues that the Sacred Months are consecutive and identical with the months of Hajj, beginning with Dhū al-Ḥijjah and running through Rabīʿ al-Awwal, against the traditional Hadith list. It concludes that Hajj may be observed anytime in those four months.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Meaning of Community (2:213)Verse 2:213 says the people were once one community, and jealousy led recipients of scripture to reject new scripture. Community is defined as people who think alike or share an interest, and the many communities today are traced to following men rather than God. Worshiping God alone unites believers, men and women are equal, and only faith separates people.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWeekly Activity – The Benefits of Commerce (2:198)A group activity on the benefits of commerce, tied to verse 2:198, where participants rate randomly chosen candies and snacks, trade for one minute, and rate again to see how satisfaction changes. Discussion questions then turn to charity, asking whether it is better to give people what they actually need or what we think is best for them.January 27, 2015

Quran Talk Blog2:174 – 2:195A weekly study of Quran 2:174 through 2:195 covers the attributes of the righteous, capital punishment and forgiveness, and praying to God with supplication. It also addresses illicit earnings and corruption and the virtue of being straightforward. A closing activity draws a lesson on the rules of war and compassion from 2:190 to 2:195.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogBeing Straight Forward (2:189)Righteousness as being straightforward, drawn from verse 2:189, where the question about the phases of the moon illustrates beating around the bush with ulterior motives. The article urges clear thinking over speech with double meanings, points to Forrest Gump's candor as an example, and connects verse 3:7 on straightforward and multiple-meaning verses pursued by those with doubts.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCapital Punishment (2:178)Verse 2:178 and its footnote show that the Quran discourages capital punishment, allowing the victim's kin to pardon a murderer for equitable compensation and ruling it out when a woman kills a man or vice versa. God's advocacy of sparing lives is contrasted with the stoning, lashing, and executions of so called Muslim countries, including a recent public beheading of a woman in Mecca by Saudi Arabia.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCorruption (2:188)Bribery and corruption stand condemned in verse 2:188 of the Quran, which forbids taking each other's money illicitly or bribing officials to deprive others of their rights. Illicit earnings are defined as gains from sinful activity, including taking advantage of others, payday loans, usury, gambling, stealing, and fear mongering through insurance. A Transparency International video is referenced.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogFasting (2:183)Fasting as decreed in the Quran, presented through verses 2:183 to 2:185 with Dr. Khalifa's footnote that it came through Abraham and that 2:187 modifies the old ban on intercourse during the nights of Ramadan. The verses cover substitute days for the ill or traveling, feeding the poor, and Ramadan as the month the Quran was revealed. Links on intermittent fasting and health follow.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogForgiveness (2:179)Forgiveness as a strength that serves the one who forgives, prompted by an Iranian mother who spared her son's murderer. Drawing on 2:179 and 42:37 to 42:43, it weighs equivalent retribution against pardon and standing up for one's rights. Since God records every injustice and holds everyone to account, believers can let go of anger and leave justice to Him.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPraying to God (2:186)God's promise in 2:186 to be near and answer the prayers of His servants, and whether that answer depends on our wants matching God's will. Drawing on 17:11 and 40:60, the article explains that God sometimes answers no for our own good, and treats supplication as worship that acknowledges God's omnipotence, since no request is too small or too great.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRighteousness (2:177)Righteousness as the Quran defines it in 2:177: belief in God, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets, cheerful giving, the Contact Prayers, keeping promises, and perseverance in hardship. Verses from Suras 2, 25, 31, and 42 add further traits of the righteous and the believers, among them moderation in giving, forgiveness when angered, consultation, and standing up against injustice.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWeekly Activity: Lesson Regarding The Rules of War and Compassion (2:190 – 2:195)The Quran's rules of war in 2:190 to 2:195 permit fighting strictly in self-defense and condemn aggression, with 60:8 to 9 as the governing rule. Verse 5:32 on the gravity of murder and the worth of sparing one life follows. A reflection on our shared descent from one mother and father urges compassion for all people as family, since saving one life affects every descendant.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWrite a Will (2:180 – 2:182)Writing a will is a duty God decrees for the righteous in verses 2:180 through 2:182, which also address altering a will and correcting an unjust one. The article urges planning for death to spare loved ones hardship, explains why a will may benefit parents one supports, and cites La Crosse, Wisconsin, where most residents have an end of life plan.January 19, 2015

Quran Talk Blog2:158 – 2:173Study notes on Quran 2:158 through 2:173 cover Hajj and doing more righteous works, condemnation on the Day of Judgment, and the First Commandment that there is no other god beside God. Further topics include the signs of God in creation, loving God the most, what we truly know about God, following the status quo, and the dietary prohibitions.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCondemnation on the Day of Judgment (2:161)Addresses why disbelievers incur the condemnation of all the people on the Day of Judgment (2:161) when most people end up in Hell. Drawing on verses about mutual blaming, it shows the residents of Hell cursing the groups who misled them, each human being judging himself, and the majority doomed despite their great numbers and arrogance.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDietary Prohibitions (2:172 – 2:173)The four foods the Quran prohibits, carrion, running blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than God, drawn from 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, 16:115 and Appendix 16. Prompted by whether to eat a cake made for Muhammad's birthday, it weighs two views of the fourth prohibition and warns that prohibitions beyond these four are tantamount to idol worship.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogLove God The Most (2:165)Loving God the most, drawn from 2:165, is explained as the source of joy in everyday life and a response to God's mercy in giving us another chance at redemption. Moses rushing to God and the command to hasten to Friday Prayer illustrate it, and the Contact Prayers serve as a daily barometer of whether we love God the most, compared to Van Halen's brown M&Ms clause.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe First Commandment: Laa Elaaha Ellaa Allah – There is no other god beside GOD (2:163)The Shahada, according to 2:163 and 47:19, is Laa Elaaha Ellaa Allah alone, with no mention of Muhammad. The article presents this as the first commandment and argues that the Muslim masses hold the prophet higher than God. It points to the recent incident in Paris, where people were ready to kill over ridicule of Muhammad while mockery of God draws no uproar.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogVolunteering More Righteous Works during Hajj (2:158)Verse 2:158 and its phrase about volunteering more righteous works during Hajj or Umrah, read as a general encouragement beyond traversing the knolls of Safa and Marwah. Examples include praying more and giving more charity during Hajj. The article also notes that God does not give the history behind traversing Safa and Marwah in the Quran.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWeekly Activity – Overwhelming Signs of God (2:164)Verse 2:164 opens a group discussion on which of God's overwhelming signs strikes each participant most. Answers include the sun, the creation of the human being, a newborn's instinct to nurse, resurrection pictured in revived barren land, the stars, dreaming, sleep, the changing seasons and flocking birds, and the conviction that God runs every event. Linked videos cover water, the beginning of the universe, and swarms.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWhat do we really know about God? (2:168 – 2:169)Saying about God what we do not know, which 2:168 and 2:169 attribute to Satan's command, and the human habit of extrapolating beyond the Quran, illustrated by debates over the fate of the magicians who believed with Moses. Verses such as 6:102 and 6:103 support the point that what we know about God is what is in the Quran, and 18:109 and 31:27 frame it as everything we need.January 12, 2015

Quran Talk Blog2:142 – 2:157A weekly reading of verses 2:142 through 2:157 covers the change of the Qiblah, the direction of prayer, and fear in 2:150. It also discusses steadfastness in 2:153 and the admission test of 2:155.January 5, 2015

Quran Talk BlogAdmission Test (2:155)Hardship as a test from God, starting from 2:155 and the proper response of 2:156, We belong to God, and to Him we are returning. Four kinds of disaster are distinguished: the admission test, the educational disaster, the blessing in disguise, and retribution. Purification for believers is set against retribution for disbelievers, along with repentance, Jacob's loss of Joseph, and annihilation.January 5, 2015

Quran Talk BlogFear (2:150)Fear of God versus fear of people, drawn from 2:150, where God commands believers to fear Him instead and promises to perfect His blessings. Quran verses sit beside Proverbs and Isaiah, with the observation that commands to fear God are consistently followed by blessings. The article asks whether we fear the disapproval of others or of God, and traces fear to ambiguity and disapproval.January 5, 2015

Quran Talk BlogQiblah 2:142 – 2:150The Qiblah, the direction faced during the contact prayer, as set out in verses 2:142 through 2:150, with the test of changing it to Jerusalem and its restoration to the Sacred Masjid in Mecca. The article explains why the Qiblah from the US and Canada is east slightly south rather than northeast, rejecting the shortest path reasoning, and notes the Quran names only one Sacred Masjid.January 5, 2015

Quran Talk BlogSteadfastness (2:153)Steadfastness, as commanded in verse 2:153 alongside the contact prayers, is defined as resolute, unwavering firmness that requires action rather than mere mentality. The article links steadfastness to grit and antifragility and distinguishes it from patience, which it describes as a passive state of mind, while steadfastness is a proactive approach to life.January 5, 2015

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