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Quran Talk Blog2:124 – 2:141Study notes on Quran 2:124 to 2:141 ask which commands God tested Abraham with, and separate God's tests through His commands from Satan's admission tests, including the dream to sacrifice Ismail. The notes trace Submission as Abraham's religion, the purifying and history of the Ka'aba in Mecca, the station of Abraham, and what it means to conceal a testimony from God.December 29, 2014

Quran Talk BlogWeekly Activity – Sharing The Miracles In Our LivesEveryday miracles, and how a believer recognizes them as coming from God rather than coincidence, opening with verse 2:118. Members of the community share stories from their own lives: a wrong turn that led to a charity, a passport that survived a highway drive, a lost wallet found after reciting the key, and a license plate showing 114, a multiple of 19.December 29, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:105 – Jealousy CondemnedJealousy, drawn from verse 2:105, is presented as the mistaken belief that God's blessings are a zero sum game, rooted in the ego, distrust of God, and questioning His wisdom. The story of Qaaroon, Satan's claim to be better, and Taloot's appointment illustrate it. Competing in righteousness is offered as the remedy, since another's gain is not our loss, and jealousy is cleansed from hearts in Heaven.December 22, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:97 – 2:123A study of Quran 2:97 to 2:123 that begins with the angel Michael and the other angels the Quran names. It treats witchcraft and the two angels of Babel as knowledge people abuse, then asks whether customs with pagan roots such as birthday candles and Christmas are acceptable. It closes on submission to God alone as the only religion and on God's command Be.December 22, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:77 – 2:96Verse by verse commentary on 2:77 through 2:96 argues that ummy means gentile, not illiterate, citing 3:75 and the first revelations commanding Muhammad to read. It rejects temporary Hell and intercession, criticizes professional religionists, and explains God's covenant, ego, and selective following of scripture. It also proposes a Gospel of Truth passage as foretelling the Quran and asks why believers do not fear death.December 15, 2014

Quran Talk BlogWeekly Exercise – Honoring Our ParentsHonoring parents as a commandment, starting from verse 2:83 and God's covenant with the Children of Israel. The weekly exercise asks readers to appreciate God's system of bringing each child into life through a mother and a father, and to recognize the sacrifices parents make in raising their children. It also notes how having children of one's own deepens that appreciation.December 15, 2014

Quran Talk BlogMore Mathematical Proofs from Chapter 74Word and letter counts in Sura 74 are presented as further evidence of the Quran's common denominator, nineteen, the number named in 74:30. The counts run from 74:1 through 74:31, including the letters before the word nineteen and the words and letters of verse 74:31 itself, each a multiple of 19. A spreadsheet is offered so readers can verify the counts themselves.December 12, 2014

Quran Talk BlogHow to Increase our Level of AppreciationAppreciation of God's blessings as a path to higher levels of submission, grounded in verse 14:7: the more you thank God, the more He gives. Two exercises follow, listing what we are thankful for and imagining life without one blessing, such as feelings, oxygen, teeth, optimism, rain, or a spouse. The aim is to keep looking at God's creation in awe and never turn unappreciative.December 10, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:63 – 2:76Study notes on 2:63 through 2:76 read the heifer story as a lesson in reluctance to obey God's commandments, alongside the Sabbath breakers of 7:163 to 166. Most of the notes then ask how we know the Quran is from God, presenting the mathematical code of 19, the Quranic Initials, sura 74, and a comparison with cryptography, where sincerity is the key to understanding.December 8, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:62Verse 2:62 serves as a summary of Sura 1 and its three conditions: believing in God, believing in the Hereafter, and leading a righteous life. Believing in the Hereafter is tied to accepting the Quran as complete and being satisfied with God alone. Happiness, contentment, and freedom from fear and grief serve as gauges of the soul's growth, with appreciation of God as the key.December 1, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:1 – 2:22A study session on Quran 2:1 through 2:22 raises questions about labeling others, whether being judgmental is Quranic, and how to check ourselves for righteousness. It also asks how we know we are being tested and what the admission test is. The group watches video clips on charity experiments and a speech from the film Scent of a Woman.November 25, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:22 – 2:40Questions from a group study of Quran 2:22 to 2:40, beginning with God's allegory of the mosquito compared with the fly parable of 22:73, and a count based on 19 linking 2:26 and 74:31. Further topics include the two deaths, severing what God commanded to be joined, the representative on earth, and a submitting ruler's duties under 22:41. The group also discusses the problem of evil and the caterpillar's metamorphosis.November 25, 2014

Quran Talk Blog2:41 – 2:61Study notes on verses 2:41 through 2:61 center on sincerity: honesty with oneself, fixing one's own shortcomings, and recognizing truth in unexpected forms. They also take up God's favor to the Children of Israel, the calf as a false intermediary, supplication, manna, and the killing of prophets, with Bible passages and a comparison of translations of 2:54, read as killing the ego.November 25, 2014

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