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Quran Talk BlogA simple test to determine if we are monotheists or idol worshipers:A simple test for telling monotheists from idol worshipers, framed by one question: does knowledge gained from the Quran make us more united with the believers or more divided from them? The article invites readers to examine the effect of their own study on their bond with fellow believers.December 31, 2019

Quran Talk BlogBible vs. Quran – Raising of Mount SinaiThe Quran's account of God raising Mount Sinai above the Children of Israel as He took their covenant is compared with Exodus 19 and Deuteronomy 4. The Hebrew words usually translated at the foot of the mountain, tachti and tachath, also mean beneath or underneath. That reading supports the Quranic depiction of the mountain lifted over the people.December 29, 2019

Quran Talk BlogMilat Ibraheem (Religion of Abraham) in the Hebrew BibleThe Quranic expression religion of Abraham, millat Ibraheem, and whether it appears in the Hebrew Bible. The article traces the Arabic root mim lam lam to its Hebrew counterpart, which carries the sense of circumcision, and points to Genesis 17:26 and 21:4, where circumcision follows Abraham's name. It links this to Quran 2:124, where God tests Abraham with commands, and to the Jewish covenant of circumcision.December 29, 2019

Quran Talk BlogBakka vs. Mecca – Why Two Names for The Same Location?Becca in 3:96 and Mecca in 48:24 name the same place, the site of Abraham's shrine and the Sacred Masjid where Hajj is observed. The Quran also gives two names to other places and people, such as Medina and Yathrib, Jacob and Israel. Psalm 84's Valley of Baka, with its single spring, is offered as a surviving biblical mention of Mecca and Hajj.December 14, 2019

Quran Talk BlogWhy do some people think Bakka means weeping?Becca, the name for Mecca in 3:96 of the Quran, comes from the root ب ك ك, meaning crowding, lack of water, and breaking of the neck, each tied to Mecca. The idea that it means weeping traces to an early Greek mistranslation of the valley of Bakka in Psalm 84. Arabic baka, to weep, is likewise a different word that only sounds similar.December 14, 2019

Quran Talk BlogAre Tattoos Prohibited in the Quran?Tattoos are not prohibited, the article concludes, since the Quran alone is the source of religious law and nothing it leaves unprohibited is forbidden. It weighs two arguments against tattoos, the best design of 95:4 and Satan's distortion of God's creation in 4:119, and rejects both. It also separates personal preference from prohibition, warning that calling something forbidden attributes lies to God.December 4, 2019

Quran Talk BlogI speak Arabic therefore I understand the QuranNative Arabic speakers often claim that knowing Arabic means understanding the Quran, and the article answers that claim on two grounds. God makes the Quran accessible only to the sincere, as 56:79 states, a verse often misread as requiring physical cleanliness. The Quran's Arabic also differs in grammar and vocabulary from Arabic spoken today, much as Shakespeare's English differs from modern English.November 23, 2019

Quran Talk BlogSura 19:31 & 19:94; Count of Y: How the Quran’s Mathematical Structure Preserves the Quranic TextThe count of the initials Kaf Ha Ya Ain Saad in Sura 19, totaling 798, or 19×42, is defended against a claim that verses 19:31 and 19:94 should contain three more Ys. An early Berlin manuscript spells both words as modern Qurans do, and the mathematical structure of the Quran serves as the test for which manuscript spelling is correct. Verses 49:6 and 17:36 call for verifying information first.November 23, 2019

Quran Talk BlogAbraham’s Circumcision Covenant with GodAbraham's fulfillment of God's commands in 2:124 and 53:37 is identified here as the covenant of circumcision recorded in Genesis 17. The article rules out the dream of sacrificing his son, which it attributes to Satan and which Abraham did not carry out. It notes that God tests people directly through commands, citing Adam, Satan, and Muhammad as examples.November 6, 2019

Quran Talk BlogDid Abraham recite the Fãtehah in his Salat?Hebrew passages from the Old Testament and Jewish liturgy line up verse by verse with the Fãtehah, raising the question of whether Abraham recited it in his Salat. Drawing on a January 2004 Submitters Perspective article, the HA PATCHAH prayer is set out with transliterations and scripture references, showing how closely Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic resemble one another.October 6, 2019

Quran Talk BlogThe History Behind 9:128 – 9:129The historical case that verses 9:128 and 9:129 were falsely added to the Quran after the prophet's death. It weighs the hadith that these verses were found only with Abu Khuzaima, the Meccan label within a Medinan sura, Ali's protest, the scribes' belief that the sura ended at 9:127, and Umar's remark, then answers counterarguments and notes the missing Bismillah and the mathematical code.October 6, 2019

Quran Talk BlogWhere in Quran does it mention circumcision?Circumcision in the Quran, argued through the root meanings of haneef, linked to the religion of Abraham, and ghulf, the uncircumcised hearts of the Children of Israel in 2:88 and 4:155. Using Rashad Khalifa's explanation of khamr as its method, the article cites Biblical parallels and the practice's universal acceptance to answer submitters who call circumcision a satanic practice.October 6, 2019

Quran Talk BlogHow do we know Zakat is 2.5% since it is not specifically mentioned in Quran?Answers the objection that Zakat cannot be 2.5% because the Quran never states the figure. Drawing on the lesson of the heifer in Sura 2, it argues that practices given to Abraham are purified by starting with existing practice and removing additions, as with the ablution, and holds that Zakat is paid on the day of harvest on any money earned, not yearly on all wealth.September 30, 2019

Quran Talk BlogAnimals Sacrificed On Altars in Sura 5:3 is it part of 1st or 4th Dietary Prohibition?Animals sacrificed on altars in 5:3 fall under the first dietary prohibition, carrion, rather than the fourth, animals dedicated to other than God. The Arabic dhubiha denotes killing not meant for food, as its use in 2:49 and other verses shows, while dhakkaytum denotes slaughter intended for food. A deer struck by a car is therefore prohibited unless it is still alive and then slaughtered as food.September 26, 2019

Quran Talk BlogDo you know what Al-Taareq is?Sura 86 of the Quran, Al-Taareq, which Rashad Khalifa translated as The Bright Star, read against the science of black holes and quasars. The article traces the Arabic roots of Taareq and al-najmu l-thāqibu, compares their use in 37:10, 27:7, and 46:30, and proposes that Al-Taareq describes a quasar, a smashed star forming a hole in space-time with light piercing through it.September 25, 2019

Quran Talk BlogClaiming “Muhammad is The Final Messenger” is Factually Incorrect According to QuranThe distinction between a prophet (nabi) and a messenger (rasool) in the Quran, arguing from 33:40 that Muhammad is the final prophet but not the final messenger. Messengers include humans, jinns, angels, and scripture itself, with the Quran named a messenger in 65:10-11. Verses 7:35 and 40:34 show God continues sending messengers and that claiming otherwise is a recurring human error.September 13, 2019

Quran Talk BlogDo Not Kill Your Children From Fear of PovertyThe Quran twice forbids killing children from fear of poverty, in 17:31 and 6:151, with a different order in God's assurance of provision. The word order and the Arabic word for fear, found only in 17:31, are read as addressing parents who fear future poverty versus parents already poor, with God assuring each that He provides for both.August 27, 2019

Quran Talk BlogClear Mistranslations in The Clear Quran TranslationVerses that both Clear Quran translations, by Mustafa Khattab and Talal Itani, render wrongly are examined word by word against Arabic roots and other verses. Covered are 17:46 on the Quran alone, 22:15 read as suicide, 2:54 on killing egos rather than people, 38:44 on Job striking his wife, 2:106 and abrogation, and ummy meaning gentile rather than illiterate.July 5, 2019

Quran Talk BlogRashad Khalifa Lifespan Mathematically Coded by the QuranDr. Rashad Khalifa's lifespan is shown to be mathematically coded in Sura 19, the sura with the initials K.H.Y.A.S. The gematrical value of his name, the date of his martyrdom on January 31, 1990, and the count of days he lived are matched to initialed verse numbers, letter counts, and verse 19:19. Verse 3:145 on death at a predetermined time closes the case.June 11, 2019

Quran Talk Blog9:28 Hajj – yaqrabū vs. taqrabūSam Garrans's claim that verse 9:28 was mis-transcribed as yaqrabū instead of taqrabū, turning it into a command for believers to abandon Hajj after prophet Muhammad. The article tests the claim against undotted early manuscripts, the verse's grammar, and the chronology of revelation, and shows it would contradict the many Quranic verses commanding the Hajj pilgrimage.June 2, 2019

Quran Talk BlogCircumcision and QuranCircumcision is examined through the Quranic expression our minds are made up, whose Arabic in 2:88 and 4:155 also means uncircumcised, linking it to biblical calls to circumcise the heart. The article connects Abraham's test in 2:124 to the Genesis 17 covenant and argues against submitters who call circumcision a satanic practice, noting that no messenger corrected it and that Rashad Khalifa never challenged it.May 29, 2019

Quran Talk Blog81:15 The Meaning of بِالْخُنَّسِThe Arabic word in Quran 81:15, from a root meaning to recede or retreat, is argued to refer to galaxies moving away from Earth rather than the visible planets. The case runs through Earth's unique perfect solar eclipse, which enabled spectroscopy of the sun and confirmation of general relativity, and on to the expanding universe and the Big Bang as described in Quran 51:47 and 21:30.April 5, 2019

Quran Talk BlogFollow The Word of God [39:18]Verse 39:18 and why Rashad Khalifa's translation heads it Follow the word of God. The article links the Arabic for the best in 92:6 to the scripture, and argues that translating al qawl as the word, as many do, implies choosing among God's words and suits the traditional belief that Hadith abrogates Quranic verses. It closes with God's revelations leading believers out of darkness into the light.April 5, 2019

Quran Talk BlogMore Evidence Muhammad Wrote the Quran with His Own HandMuhammad's literacy and his writing of the original Quran with his own hand, argued from his sole mission of delivering the message in 42:48 and 64:12. A word study of 69:45, where God would have seized him by the right hand, reads the verse as stopping him from writing any other teachings. Verses 17:73 to 75 confirm the Quran reached us without alteration by any intermediary.March 10, 2019

Quran Talk BlogDo messengers receive new scriptures?The distinction between a prophet, who is given a new scripture, and a messenger, who confirms existing scripture, drawn from 3:81. The argument continues with 46:9 and a study of the Arabic root meaning to produce something new, traced through 2:117, 6:101, and 57:27, to show that messengers bring nothing new.March 8, 2019

Quran Talk BlogSura 9 verse 4: يَنقُصوكُم or يَنْقُضُوكُمْSura 9 verse 4 of the Quran and whether its eighth word should read with the root meaning to diminish or the root meaning to violate a treaty, letters differing by a single dot. Eight early manuscripts, translations compared with Rashad Khalifa's rendering of violate, and the related usage in 2:27, 8:56, 13:20 and 13:25 are weighed as evidence for the violate reading.February 25, 2019

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