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ArticleWeekly 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

Article2:174 – 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

ArticleBeing 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

ArticleCapital 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

ArticleCorruption (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

ArticleFasting (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

ArticleForgiveness (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

ArticlePraying 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

ArticleRighteousness (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

ArticleWeekly 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

ArticleWrite 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

Article2:158 – 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

ArticleCondemnation 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

ArticleDietary 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

ArticleLove 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

ArticleThe 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

ArticleVolunteering 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

ArticleWeekly 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

ArticleWhat 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

Article2:142 – 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

ArticleAdmission 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

ArticleFear (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

ArticleQiblah 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

ArticleSteadfastness (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

Article2:124 – 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

ArticleWeekly 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

Article2:105 – 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

Article2:97 – 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

Article2:77 – 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

ArticleWeekly 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

ArticleMore 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

ArticleHow 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

Article2:63 – 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

Article2:62Verse 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

Article2:1 – 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

Article2:22 – 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

Article2:41 – 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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