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Quran Talk BlogGod Gives the Holy Land to Israel (5:21 – 5:23)Moses commands the Children of Israel to enter the holy land God decreed for them, and they refuse out of fear of its powerful people despite the miracles they witnessed. Verses from Sura 17 address whether the land is theirs forever, with prophecies of two transgressions and defeats. Their lack of trust is compared to leaving business for the Friday Prayer, trusting God as provider.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod’s Blessings (5:20)Verse 5:20, where Moses reminds his people of God's blessings, raises the question of how the Jews were made kings. Linked videos suggest that people today all live as kings and queens, urge remembering God's blessings through gratitude as the key to happiness, and show people in Kenya who live off trash.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod’s Messenger to the Jews, Christians and Muslims (5:18 – 5:19)Verses 5:18 and 5:19 answer the claim of Jews and Christians to be God's children and announce a messenger sent to the people of the scripture. Drawing on Appendix Two, the article presents Rashad Khalifa as God's Messenger of the Covenant, citing the gematrical total of his name with the verse numbers as a multiple of 19. It also explains his mission to unify all religions into Submission.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPagan Influence in Christianity (5:17)Quran verse 5:17 declares pagan those who say God is the Messiah, son of Mary, affirming that God holds sovereignty over everything and could annihilate the Messiah, his mother, and everyone on earth. The post asks how Jesus became regarded as God if he never called himself God, pointing to outside videos and a book on that question and on the Sabbath.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogQuran: God’s Message to the Jews and Christians (5:15 – 5:16)Verses 5:15 and 5:16 are studied as God's message to the Jews and Christians, with a focus on what it means to seek God's approval and how a believer knows it has been attained. Happiness is presented as a quality of the soul that comes from worshiping God alone. One concealed matter is examined: the Bible naming Isaac, not Ismail, as the son Abraham nearly sacrificed.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogTaking the Words out of Context (5:13)Verse 5:13 links violating God's covenant to hardened hearts and to taking the words of scripture out of context, and notes that hearts harden through lack of appreciation. Distortion of the Bible, as discussed by Bart Ehrman, is contrasted with the Quran's preservation, shown by the oldest Quran manuscript found in Birmingham and by the Quran's mathematical miracle, which exposes any distortion of its text.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogAblution (5:6 – 5:7)Ablution before the contact prayer as commanded in 5:6, including bathing and the dry ablution, with God's wish not to make the religion difficult. The article answers related questions: whether prayers may be made up after their time window passes, using Solomon's example, where the five prayer times appear in the Quran, and why ablution is not required to read the Quran, citing 56:79 on sincerity.September 22, 2015

Quran Talk BlogYou Shall Not Bear False Witness – Do Not Be Bias (5:8 – 5:10)Verses 5:8 to 5:10 ground a study of honest, unbiased witness, even against oneself or one's relatives, and of refusing to let conflict provoke injustice. Examples include Nelson Mandela, Barbara Lee's lone stand after September 11, and Joseph, imprisoned despite clear proofs. It also asks how to stay truthful when a lawyer presses for a certain answer, holding that our duty is honesty and God determines the outcome.September 22, 2015

Quran Talk BlogHunting Using Trained Animals (5:4)Verse 5:4 of the Quran declares lawful all good things, including what trained dogs and falcons catch, provided they are trained according to God's teachings and God's name is mentioned. The article draws from the verse that dogs are not prohibited, so their saliva touching food is acceptable. A linked video shows a golden eagle hunting a fox.September 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogOnly Four Meats Prohibited (5:3)Verse 5:3 limits prohibited meats to four: animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than God. Animals that die of themselves are defined as those not killed with the intent of being food, and dividing meat through a game of chance is shown to forbid the act, not the meat. Decomposition and pork parasites are offered as reasons behind the prohibitions.September 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPeople of The Scripture (5:5)Verse 5:5 permits the food of the people of the scripture and marriage to their chaste women, raising the question of who counts as a believer across religions. The answer given is anyone who worships God alone, with idol worship, including calling the Messiah God, as the dividing line. It also asks whether Jews and Christians must follow the Quran, citing 5:48 on the Quran as the ultimate reference.September 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogSura 5: The Feast (5:1 – 5:2)Verses 5:1 and 5:2 of the Quran command believers to fulfill their covenants, permit livestock for food, and forbid hunting during Hajj pilgrimage. They uphold the rites of God, the Sacred Months, and the offerings, and warn against aggression toward those who once barred access to the Sacred Masjid. A footnote explains the hunting ban as conservation of natural resources for converging pilgrims.September 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod’s Messengers (4:163 – 4:170)A study of verses 4:163 to 4:170 on God's messengers, asking why the prophets named in 4:163 do not appear in chronological order. It considers who the Patriarchs are, whether God spoke directly to anyone besides Moses, and Abraham's request in 2:260 to see how God revives the dead, drawing on 6:84 to 6:86 and 2:253.September 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogQuran’s Mathematical Code and Inheritance (4:174 – 4:176)The Quran's mathematical code as tangible, irrefutable proof from God, presented through verses 4:174 and 4:175 on the profound beacon sent down to people and the mercy promised to those who hold fast to Him. Verse 4:176 then gives God's rules of inheritance for a person who dies without children, setting the shares due to sisters and brothers.September 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogTrinity (4:171 – 4:173)The Quran's rejection of the Trinity in 4:171 to 4:173 opens a study affirming that GOD is only one god and that Jesus, the son of Mary, was His messenger and servant. The article then asks how God communicates with humans through inspiration, contrasts it with the inspiration of the devils, and closes with refuge from Satan and the teaching that good comes from GOD while bad comes from ourselves.September 12, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCrucifying “the Body” of JesusVerses 4:157 to 4:162 of the Quran state that Jesus, son of Mary, was never killed or crucified, and that GOD raised him. Dr. Khalifa's footnote explains that the soul of Jesus was raised as in the death of any righteous person, while his enemies crucified his living but empty body. The passage also covers the prohibitions placed on the Jews and the reward for believers who observe the Contact Prayers.September 6, 2015

Quran Talk BlogLessons From IsraelThe Children of Israel and the lessons their history holds, drawn from Sura 4:153 to 4:156. These verses recount the demand to see God physically, the worship of the calf despite Moses' miracles, the covenant taken at Mount Sinai, and the condemnation that followed for violating it, rejecting God's revelations, killing the prophets, and uttering a gross lie about Mary.September 6, 2015

Quran Talk BlogFreedom of Speech (4:140)Verse 4:140 instructs believers who hear God's revelations mocked to get up and leave rather than retaliate, a response that shows submission as a religion of peace. Related verses (6:68, 6:69, 88:21, 88:22) teach respect for the word of God, the duty only to remind, and that believers have no power over those who mock, linking the teaching to freedom of speech.August 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod’s Psychology – Bad Language (4:148 – 4:149)Verses 4:148 and 4:149 on God's dislike of bad language, except when one suffers gross injustice, open a study of what gross injustice means in the Quran, drawing on related verses about orphans, wills, idolatry, and standing up for one's rights. Whether negative comments count as bad language is raised, and righteous anger is rejected as a loss of control. God's anger is read as a human way of describing Him.August 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPunishment (4:145 – 4:147)Reflection on Quran 4:145 to 4:147 and whether God punishes believers who are appreciative. Drawing on Joseph's adversities and 42:37 to 42:43, it argues that hardship befalling believers is for their own good, while those who knowingly sin or turn from belief to disbelief incur retribution, citing Jesus's feast from the sky and the smaller retribution of this world.August 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Hypocrites (4:141 – 4:144)The hypocrites of 4:141 to 4:144 waver between believers and disbelievers, show off at the Contact Prayer, and rarely think of GOD. Related verses command believers to be absolutely sure before striking, equitable as witnesses, and wary of outsiders who wish them harm. The basic law of 60:8 and 60:9 permits befriending unbelievers who do not fight believers over religion or evict them.August 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogAbraham – God’s Beloved Friend (4:125)Abraham's standing as God's beloved friend in verse 4:125, explained as total devotion to God alone, including his willingness to sacrifice his son. Verses from the Quran present him as the original messenger of Submission who named the believers Submitters, and passages from 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, and James show the Bible also calling him God's friend.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogBearing False Witness (4:135 – 4:139)God's command in 4:135 to be absolutely equitable as witnesses, even against oneself, one's parents, or relatives, alongside 4:136 to 4:139 on believing in God, His messenger, and His scriptures, and on hypocrites who ally with disbelievers. The verse's display at Harvard Law School is noted, with links to cases where false or mistaken testimony led to wrongful convictions.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDivorce (4:128)Verse 4:128 of the Quran teaches that when a wife senses oppression or desertion from her husband, the couple should try to reconcile, since conciliation is best. Questions follow about the ways a woman can sense oppression in a marriage and whether it must be physical. Links to videos on the impact of divorce on children accompany the verse.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogOrphan Rights (4:126 – 4:127)Verses 4:126 and 4:127 of the Quran command restoring the rights of orphaned girls cheated of their dowries, protecting orphaned boys, and treating all orphans equitably. Poor, homeless orphans are described as among the most vulnerable members of society, whom God singles out for protection, with only the unborn child having fewer rights. Links to videos on orphans worldwide and in Kashmir follow.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPolygamy (4:129)Polygamy under the Quran, presented through verse 4:129 and Appendix 30. The Quran permits it only under strict conditions and warns that no man can be equitable among wives. The prophet Muhammad's marriages illustrate this: one wife for twenty five years, then widowed mothers of orphans and political unions. Closing criteria hold that polygamy must relieve suffering and is an abuse with a young family or to substitute a younger wife.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Law (4:123 – 4:124)God's law of recompense, set out through Quran verses 4:123 and 4:124 with supporting passages from 6:160, 42:30 and 42:34. Reward and punishment follow one's own deeds rather than anyone's wishes, righteous believers of either gender enter Paradise, a good work counts tenfold while a sin counts once, and God overlooks many sins without the slightest injustice.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogTo God Belongs Everything in the Heavens and The Earth (4:130 – 4:134) + (4:126)God's ownership of everything in the heavens and the earth, a phrase repeated across verses 4:126 and 4:130 to 4:134. The verses promise that God provides for a couple who part, command reverence of God for those who received earlier scripture and for believers, and remind anyone seeking worldly materials that God possesses both this world and the Hereafter and can replace people with others.August 17, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDevil Will Mislead (4:119)The devil's vow in 4:119 to mislead people, from marking the ears of livestock to distorting the creation of God. Verses on invented dietary prohibitions show these as lies attributed to God. Distorting creation is read as using God's good creation for evil, with intoxicants, sorcery, and the point that bad things follow from our own deeds though God is the doer of everything.August 3, 2015

Quran Talk BlogFemale Idols (4:117 – 4:118)Verses 4:117 and 4:118 describe worshiping female gods besides God as worship of a rebellious devil, who vowed to recruit a share of God's worshipers. Khalifa's footnote holds that most believers in God fall into idolatry (12:106). The article sets these verses beside 53:19 to 53:22 on the idols Allaat, Al-Uzzah, and Manaat, and lists related verses on idolizing angels as God's daughters.August 3, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Devil’s Promise (4:120 – 4:122)Reading 4:120 alongside 2:268, the devil's promise of poverty is treated as an illusion born of failing to trust God, who calculated every creature's provision and sends it precisely measured. Verses on reverencing God, the stories of Joseph, David and Moses, and the call to give to charity in good times and bad show that God supplies whatever we need to do righteous work.August 3, 2015

Quran Talk BlogUnforgivable Sin (4:116)Idol worship maintained until death is the one sin God does not forgive (4:116), with idolatry defined as believing anything beside God can help you. Drawing on Appendix 27, the article holds that your god is whatever occupies your mind most, such as children, spouse, business, or ego. Verses show that messengers and idols are powerless to benefit or harm and do not know the future.August 3, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDo Not Defend the Transgressors (4:107 – 4:115)Verses 4:107 to 4:115 forbid arguing on behalf of those who wrong their own souls, and the article asks whether that rules out defending someone in court. It separates fair legal representation from supporting open disbelievers, warns against falsely accusing the innocent, citing wrongful conviction cases, and draws on Abraham pleading for Lot's people and David's careful judgment to urge certainty before condemning anyone.July 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogJudging By Means of the Quran (4:104 – 4:106)Verses 4:104 to 4:106 and 38:26 ground the point that believers may judge among people only by means of the Quran, never by personal opinion. The rule of law of the Quran stands above any majority, and consultation follows 42:38. Voting is permissible when all parties agree, but winners carry greater responsibility to act equitably and not victimize others.July 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRemember God Always – The Contact Prayers (4:103)Remembering God always, drawn from 4:103, with the argument that the contact prayers are decreed at specific times and cannot be made up later. Supplication is treated as a form of worship, and asking God even for material things is permitted. The article warns against imploring God only in distress and then reverting, and contrasts pilgrims who ask for this world with those who ask for righteousness.July 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWar Precautions (4:102)Verse 4:102, on standing guard and holding weapons during the contact prayer in wartime, illustrates that God's system requires believers to carry out their part through action. Although God is doing everything, as 8:17 shows, people remain instruments who must show their faith, implore God for their needs, and not use His power as an excuse for inaction, as in 36:47 and 4:77.July 27, 2015

Quran Talk BlogApathy Condemned 4:97 – 4:101Verses 4:97 to 4:101 condemn those who claim oppression yet never emigrate, while exempting the truly weak and promising reward to those who emigrate in the cause of God. The article reads apathy as the affected person's own victim mentality and links it to personal responsibility, learned helplessness, 65:2, and the healing at the pool of Bethesda in John 5, with videos on overcoming hopelessness.July 20, 2015

Quran Talk BlogHigher Ranks for the Strivers (4:95 – 4:96)Verses 4:95 and 4:96 of the Quran distinguish believers who strive in the cause of God with their money and their lives from the sedentary, promising salvation to both but higher ranks, forgiveness, and mercy to the strivers. A companion verse, 49:17, reminds those embracing Submission that God does them the favor by guiding them to the faith.July 20, 2015

Quran Talk BlogHow to Deal With the Hypocrites (4:88-89)How believers should treat hypocrites, read through 4:88 to 4:91 and the basic rule of 60:8 to 9: refrain from befriending those who fight you because of religion and wish you harm, while staying kind and equitable toward others. Fighting is allowed strictly in self-defense, and the company we keep shapes our character. Steadfast trust in God turns persecution into growth.July 20, 2015

Quran Talk BlogYou Shall Not Kill (4:92 – 4:94)Verses 4:92 through 4:94 of the Quran on killing a believer: atonement for accidental killing, Hell for deliberate killing, and the command to be absolutely sure before striking. Drawing on 2:62, the article holds that people deserve the benefit of the doubt as believers, and it reflects on the curse of knowledge and applying the verses to oneself through steadfastness and the contact prayers.July 20, 2015

Quran Talk BlogMediating Good Deeds (4:85)Verse 4:85 teaches that whoever mediates a good deed shares its credit, and whoever mediates an evil work shares its burden, with God controlling all things and enabling our good deeds. Verse 58:11 on making room for one another accompanies it, along with the example of John Riordan, who saved 105 Vietnamese lives during the Vietnam War.July 6, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRumors (4:83 – 4:84)Rumors, gossip, and unproven accusations, read through 4:83 and passages from Suras 49, 24, and 66. The article distinguishes gossip from rumor, warns against suspicion, spying, and backbiting, and shows from 24:11 to 24:21 how believers should respond to a big lie. It also asks what a listener owes when hearing a rumor and when correcting inaccurate talk is worth it.July 6, 2015

Quran Talk BlogYou Shall Be Courteous (4:86 – 4:87)Returning every greeting with a better or at least an equal one, as 4:86 commands, and opening with peace to set a positive tone between people. The article draws on 41:33 to 41:35 to urge the nicest possible response, separates personal disputes from firmness toward enemies of God using Abraham's example in 60:4 to 60:7, and advises community members to lead by example when greetings are neglected.July 6, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCharity WaterMasjid Tucson's 2015 fundraiser for Charity Water, which helps people around the world gain access to clean water, runs through September 30. After raising over $50,000 the previous year, the community aims for $38,000 and shares a donation link, citing Quran 2:195 that God loves the charitable.June 29, 2015

Quran Talk BlogEquality of Believers (4:69 – 4:74)Equality among believers, drawn from 4:69 through 4:74 and related verses on men and women and on righteousness as the only criterion God uses to distinguish people. The article asks whether everyone who believes in God and His messengers counts as a saint or martyr, or only some. It traces the Quran's uses of saint, close to truthful friend, and martyr, one killed in the cause of God.June 29, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod is Doer of Everything (4:78)God as the doer of everything, with verses and Dr. Khalifa's footnotes explaining how bad things still follow from our own deeds under God's laws. The fire analogy, the provisions of 16:67, and 10:44 show that people wrong their own souls. Believing any power exists independently of God is idol worship, and the commandment of 18:39 is to say no one possesses power except God.June 29, 2015

Quran Talk BlogNothing Bad Comes From God (4:79 – 4:81)Verses 4:79 to 4:81 teach that anything good comes from God and anything bad comes from our own deeds, supported by 42:30, 16:33, 34:50 and 3:108. Personal accountability is the focus, with Job and Joseph showing that apparent misfortune can serve our good and that consequences of sin correct us. The gematrical value of Muhammad and God as sufficient witness are also noted.June 29, 2015

Quran Talk BlogProof of Divine Authorship (4:82)The Quran's divine authorship, argued from its freedom from contradiction and nonsense though revealed in the dark ages, with verses 4:82, 10:37, 27:84 and 41:53. The piece then turns to the Quran's mathematical code from Appendix One, whose coding of suras, verses, words and letters immediately exposes the slightest distortion of the text.June 29, 2015

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