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Quran Talk BlogAlmighty God (6:59) & Death and Resurrection: Every Day (6:59 – 6:67)God's complete knowledge of every secret and His nightly taking of souls in sleep, with resurrection each morning, frame a reading of verses 6:59 to 6:67 and the footnote that the righteous never really die. Passages from Proverbs, a talk calling sleep the minor death, and 2:28 on two deaths and two lives follow, along with the point that disbelievers implore God only when in distress.December 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod Alone Worthy of Worship (6:46 – 6:47)Verses 6:46 and 6:47 ask which god other than God could restore hearing, eyesight, and minds He took away, and warn that His retribution strikes the wicked. Alongside the verses are links to Daniel chapter 4 on Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the tree, a video of two blind sisters seeing for the first time, and a charity giving sight to twenty million people.December 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRole of the Messengers (6:48 – 6:58)Verses 6:48 to 6:58 present the messengers as bearers of good news and warners who simply follow what is revealed, preach with the Quran alone, and leave judgment to God. Commentary asks whether the greeting Salamun Alaykum may be offered to non-believers, citing Abraham's greeting to strangers, and stresses that each person is responsible only for his or her own neck.December 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe System (6:44 – 6:45)God's system of leading on those who disregard His message, opening for them the gates of everything before sudden punishment, as described in 6:44 and 6:45. Supporting verses show that the disbelievers' prosperity only confirms their sinfulness. The story of Qaaroon, whose treasures and arrogance ended when the earth swallowed him and his mansion, illustrates the inevitable fate of tyrants and the real wealth of the righteous.December 24, 2015

Quran Talk BlogAnimals and Birds: Submitting Creatures 6:38Animals and birds as communities like us, drawing on 6:38 and Dr. Khalifa's Introduction, which explains that they repented after the original sin and now perform a submissive role without ego. Also addressed are whether animals are held responsible for their deeds, the hoopoe's report to Solomon (27:20), and the freedom of choice that humans accepted (33:72).December 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogOverwhelming Miracle of the Quran (6:39 – 6:43)Reflections on Quran 6:39 through 6:43, where God tests communities with adversity and hardship so they may implore Him, yet hardened hearts turn away. The article pairs these verses with 7:94 and 3:186 on recognizing tests and blessings in disguise, and draws on Plato's Allegory of the Cave and Sebastian Junger's account of how disasters bind people together.December 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRearranging Our Priorities (6:32 – 6:37)Worldly life as illusion and vanity, set against the Hereafter, through verses 6:32 to 6:37 and related passages. Vanity is defined as anything done in this world only for this world. The study also covers why rejection of God's revelations is expected, why guidance comes only from God, the duty to listen with heart and ears, our response to the messengers, and failing to see God's signs.December 15, 2015

Quran Talk BlogIdol Worshipers Deny Their Idolatry (6:22 – 6:31)Verses 6:22 to 6:31 describe idol worshipers denying their idolatry on the Day of Judgment, raising the question of how we can recognize idol worship in ourselves. Studies on cognitive dissonance, conformity, and negative word of mouth sit alongside Appendix 27's teaching that your god is whatever occupies your mind most, with habits like the contact prayers for remembering God, and idol worship defined as believing anything independent of God can harm or benefit us.December 7, 2015

Quran Talk BlogOnly God Control Happiness (6:17 – 6:18)God alone controls adversity and blessing, as verses 6:17 and 6:18 of the Quran state. The article answers why 6:17 calls God Omnipotent when He grants a blessing, reading the verse as a statement of fact alongside 10:107. It also draws on 6:42 and 7:94 to present hardship as a test sent so that people may implore God.December 7, 2015

Quran Talk BlogQuran, the Whole Quran, and Nothing But the Quran (6:19 – 6:21)The Quran as the only source of religious guidance, drawn from 6:19 to 6:21 and verses calling it complete and fully detailed, with Hadith and Sunna rejected. The piece also asks whether those who reverted after the messenger departed would have stayed believers had he remained, and holds that God alone guides while messengers deliver the message that brings believers out of darkness.December 7, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRequirement of the Test (6:9 – 6:16)A study of Quran 6:9 to 6:16 on the conditions of the test: why God does not send angels to convince disbelievers, the fate of those who mocked earlier messengers, and God's decree that mercy is His attribute. It stresses that anyone spared from Hell is saved only by God's mercy, presents God as the Initiator of creation, and links the command to worship God alone with Luke 4:8.December 7, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDead Messengers Totally Unaware (5:109 – 5:111)Verses 5:109 to 5:111 show the messengers summoned by God on the Day of Judgment and saying they have no knowledge of how people responded. Jesus as a baby and making a live bird from clay appear in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, not the four Gospels. Jesus could not grasp his impact on mankind, and 4:85 and 34:40 to 34:42 address shared credit and the worship of angels.November 30, 2015

Quran Talk BlogLivestock (6:00 – 6:8)A study of Sura 6, verses 1 through 8, on God as Creator of the heavens and the earth and on disbelievers who turn away from every proof. It asks why 6:3 says heavens in the plural, citing the seven universes, and why disbelievers are not shown an angel, explaining that such a sign would end the test, as 2:210 and 6:158 describe.November 30, 2015

Quran Talk BlogOn The Day of Resurrection (5:116 – 5:120)Jesus, son of Mary, answers God on the Day of Resurrection in 5:116 to 5:120, denying that he told people to idolize him and his mother. The article links this exchange to verses on one God, one message and one religion, and on never questioning God's wisdom. It explains that God asks questions whose answers He already knows so that the rest of us can understand.November 30, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Feast + Greater Miracles Bring Greater Responsibility (5:112 – 5:115)The feast Jesus requested from the sky for his disciples (5:112 to 5:115) shows that greater miracles bring greater responsibility, and that God tests our claims of belief. Abraham's request to see the dead revived illustrates every believer's need for reassurance. Jesus' miracle was limited to its time and place, while the mathematical miracle of the Quran is perpetual, and God expects righteousness from us.November 30, 2015

Quran Talk BlogAll Creatures of the Sea Lawful to Eat (5:96 – 5:97)All creatures of the sea, including shellfish, are lawful to eat according to 5:96, which places no prohibition on any sea animal. The article sets this beside 6:145, which limits prohibited food to carrion, running blood, the meat of pigs, and meat dedicated to other than God. It also covers the ban on hunting during pilgrimage and the one Sacred Masjid of 5:97.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogAllying With Disbelievers (5:80 – 5:81)Quran verses 5:80 and 5:81 describe people who ally themselves with disbelievers, incur God's anger, and abide forever in retribution. The verses say that had they believed in God, the prophet, and what was revealed to him, they would not have befriended them. The verses are paired with a linked video titled The Bystander Affect.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogApathy Condemned (5:79)Apathy toward evil is condemned in 5:79, and believers are called to uphold the truth and remind one another with compassion. Group think and peer pressure are presented as sources of apathy, against the reminder that one with God is the majority and each person is accountable for his or her own actions. Verses 16:78, 3:110, and 29:25 support the call to use the mind God gave us and trust in God.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogChoose Your Friends Carefully (5:77 – 5:78)Peer pressure and the pull to conform, read through Quran 5:77 and 5:78, which warn against following those who have gone astray. Choosing friends carefully, thinking for oneself, and following what is best in the Quran are urged. Using 6:68, the article answers what to do when a friend mocks your religion or insults you, and links videos on conformity experiments.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDo Not Follow Your Parents’ Religion Blindly (5:104 – 5:105)Inherited religion and the Quran's call to examine faith rather than follow parents blindly, drawing on 5:104 to 5:105 and 2:170 to 2:171. Worrying about one's own neck is presented as consistent with no compulsion in religion and the absence of hierarchy in Submission, since each person is responsible for himself. Verses on avoiding those who mock God's revelations close the discussion.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDo Not Prohibit Lawful Things (5:87 – 5:88)Verses 5:87 and 5:88 warn believers not to prohibit good things that GOD made lawful, and the article argues that personal preference is not prohibition and that adding rules does not make anyone more righteous. It draws on 10:59, 7:32 and 2:61 to examine human-made dietary prohibitions, the difference between good and lawful, moderation in eating, and how prohibition can become aggression.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDo Not Take God’s Name in Vain (5:89)Oaths and intentions according to verse 5:89, where God holds people responsible for their actual intentions rather than the mere utterance of oaths. The atonement for a broken oath is feeding or clothing ten poor people, freeing a slave, or fasting three days. Moses's killing of a man illustrates unintended acts, and the article notes that intention matters in the contact prayer as well.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDon’t Be Impressed by the Abundance of Bad (5:98-5:100)Verses 5:98 to 5:100 teach that the bad and the good are not the same, even when the abundance of the bad impresses people. Qaaroon's wealth, arrogance, and destruction show how those who prefer this worldly life are misled. Abraham breaking the idols and surviving the fire illustrates that one who stands with God is the majority.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGame Conservation (5:94 – 5:95)Quran 5:94 and 5:95 forbid killing game during pilgrimage, set the fine of equivalent livestock judged by two equitable people, and allow feeding the poor or fasting as expiation. Reverencing God in privacy is presented as proof of worship done strictly to please God. Links follow on the tragedy of the commons and on birds circling the Ka`bah.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogIntoxicants and Gambling Prohibited (5:90 – 5:93)Quran 5:90 to 5:93 commands believers to avoid intoxicants and gambling as tools of the devil that stir hatred and distract from remembering God and observing the contact prayers. The article explains how the obsession of gambling, as in casinos without clocks or windows, makes people forget their prayers. It also points to the economic cost of binge drinking in the United States.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogStatement of Fact (5:82 – 5:86)Quran 5:82 through 5:86 describe Christians as the closest in friendship to the believers and the Jews and idol worshipers as their worst enemies. The discussion asks why priests and monks make Christians friendly, concludes that the absence of arrogance refers to the Christians themselves, and stresses humility in religion. It applies the verses to Christians of all times and asks how they relate to 5:14.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogTrust in God (5:101 – 5:103)Trusting God and resisting the human tendency to invent laws He never authorized, drawn from Quran 5:101 to 5:103 and its warning against asking about matters God has deliberately overlooked. Livestock prohibitions invented by disbelievers serve as the example. Believers are urged to be patient, since God reveals information at the right time when it is best for us.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogWitnessing A Will and Being Trustworthy (5:106 – 5:108)Witnessing a will under 5:106 to 5:108 is explained: two equitable people, of any gender, swear by God after the contact prayer to testify without bias, and are replaced if found biased. The article draws on 2:180 to 2:182 on the duty to write a will and 2:282 on recording loans, and notes that the contact prayer prohibits evil and vice.November 23, 2015

Quran Talk BlogMinimum Requirement for Salvation (5:69 – 5:71)Verses 5:69 to 5:71 name three requirements for salvation open to believers, Jews, Christians, and converts alike: belief in God, belief in the Last Day, and a righteous life. The study asks what freedom from fear and grief means, drawing on Jacob, Mary, and Moses' mother, and holds that bad things come from our own deeds though God is the doer of everything. It closes on God's repeated chances to redeem people.November 10, 2015

Quran Talk BlogSalvation for Jews and Christians (5:65 – 5:66)Salvation for the people of the scripture is presented through verses 5:65 and 5:66, which promise remission of sins and gardens of bliss to Jews and Christians who believe and lead a righteous life. The verses add that they must uphold the Torah, the Gospel, and what is sent down to them in the Quran, noting that some of them are righteous while many are evildoers.November 10, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Messenger Must Deliver (5:67 – 5:68)Verses 5:67 and 5:68 command the messenger to deliver everything revealed to him, with God's promise of protection from the people. The article asks whether a messenger could fail to deliver the entire message, drawing on 5:101 and 20:114 about premature questions and not rushing the Quran before its revelation. It also addresses the people of the scripture and their need to uphold the Torah and the Gospel.November 10, 2015

Quran Talk BlogToday’s Christianity Not Jesus’ Religion (5:72 – 5:76)Verses 5:72 through 5:76 reject the deification of Jesus and the trinity, presenting the Messiah as a messenger like those before him who called people to worship God alone. The footnote cites John 20:17 and scholarship arguing that Paul, not Jesus, founded today's Christianity. Links to videos on Paul's role and the historical Jesus follow.November 10, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod’s Hands Are Wide Open (5:64)Verse 5:64 frames a rebuttal of the claim that God is limited, illustrated by Rabbi Harold Kushner's statements that God cannot prevent suffering. Citing 10:61, 4:78 and 4:79, the article holds that God is the doer of everything while bad things result from our own deeds. It also explains that our sole decision is whether to believe in God alone, and that God changes no people's condition unless they change.November 2, 2015

Quran Talk BlogRecipients of the Scriptures Transgress – Knowing vs. Understanding (5:58 – 5:63)Verses 5:58 to 5:63 describe recipients of the scriptures who mock the call to the contact prayer, profess belief while concealing disbelief, and live on illicit earnings unchecked by their rabbis and priests. The article asks whether God literally turned them into monkeys and pigs, citing 7:166, and contrasts knowing with understanding through two videos.November 2, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPeople We Shouldn’t Befriend (5:51 – 5:57)Which Jews and Christians believers may not take as allies, read through Quran 5:51 to 5:57 and the basic rule of 60:8 and 60:9. Only those who mock and ridicule the believers' religion, fight them because of religion, or evict them from their homes are excluded, while God and His messenger and those who observe the contact prayers remain the real allies.October 26, 2015

Quran Talk BlogQuran: The Ultimate Reference / Compete on Righteousness (5:48 – 5:50)Verses 5:48 to 5:50 present the Quran as confirming and superseding previous scriptures and as the law by which to rule, and they command believers to compete in righteousness. Competing in righteousness means striving to do better rather than competing for wealth or looks, illustrated through sportsmanship stories of Mitchell Marcus, Sara Tucholsky, and Shaya, alongside 42:40 on pardoning injustice.October 26, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Gospel of Jesus: Guidance and Light (5:46 – 5:47)Verses 5:46 and 5:47 describe the Gospel given to Jesus as guidance and light confirming the Torah, and the article explains that people without the Quran should follow their own scripture. It cites 22:52 and 6:112 on the devil interfering with every prophet's message while GOD perfects His revelations, and notes the New Testament's mention of Jesus' brothers.October 26, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDistorting God’s Words (5:41-5:43)Verses 5:41 to 5:43 frame a study of people who distort God's words out of context, a pattern traced through Jesus, Muhammad's fabricated hadith, and now the messenger of the covenant. It links lies to illicit earnings and explains how God augments whatever belief a person chooses. Seeking judgment beyond one's own scripture is compared to people today looking past the Quran, and to David's careful judgment between two feuding men.October 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogDo Not Reverence Human Beings (5:44)Verse 5:44 commands believers to reverence God rather than human beings and to rule by His revelations, with a note that the Torah comprises all scriptures given to the prophets of Israel before Jesus. Celebrity worship, Muhammad worship, and the veneration of popes, Mary, and saints serve as examples. Trading away God's revelations for a cheap price is explained as sinning for quick worldly gain.October 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe Law of Equivalence (5:45)The Quranic law of equivalence in 5:45, an eye for an eye with forgiveness as an atoning charity, is set beside the tit for tat strategy studied by social psychologists for reducing conflict. Links to a judge known for creative punishments and a Robert Sapolsky lecture accompany 8:58 and 8:59 on answering betrayal in the same manner.October 19, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCapital Punishment: When is it Justified? (5:33 – 5:35)Capital punishment in the Quran, read through 5:33 to 5:35, which reserves it for those who fight God and His messenger and exempts those who repent before being overcome. The article argues the Quran brings out true convictions, letting the cruel and the merciful each find justification. Related verses cover the rules of war, relations with unbelievers, spreading God's message with patience, and the unforgivable offense of killing a believer.October 13, 2015

Quran Talk BlogCost of Disbelief (5:36 – 5:37)Verses 5:36 and 5:37 of the Quran on the fate of those who disbelieve. Even twice the wealth of the whole earth, offered as ransom on the Day of Resurrection, would not be accepted to spare them the retribution. They will want to exit Hell but never can, for their retribution is eternal.October 13, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGrossness of Murder (5:32)Verse 5:32 teaches that murdering one innocent person is like murdering all the people, and sparing one life is like sparing all. Linked videos on how mass shootings spread and on Sir Nicholas Winton saving children accompany the verse. Verses 2:178 and 2:179, with the footnote, show the Quran discouraging capital punishment through pardon by the victim's kin and equitable compensation.October 13, 2015

Quran Talk BlogPunishment for Stealing (5:38 – 5:40)The Quran's punishment for theft in 5:38 means marking the thief's hand, not cutting it off, a reading the article supports with a mathematical link to 12:31, where the women cut their hands on seeing Joseph. It treats the mark as public exposure, compares the symbolic lashes of 24:2, and notes that God sets marking as the limit while leaving its depth and kind to human judgment.October 13, 2015

Quran Talk BlogThe First Murder (5:27 – 5-31)Quran 5:27 to 5:31 on Adam's two sons and the first murder, read alongside Genesis 4. The article asks why one offering was accepted, what bearing my sin and your sin means, how ego drove the killing, and why the righteous brother did not strike back, citing the traits of believers in 42:37 to 43. It closes on burial and cremation, arguing God did not prohibit cremation.October 5, 2015

Quran Talk BlogTrust in God (5:24 – 5:26)Trust in God before seeing the miracle is the theme of these study notes on Quran 5:24 to 5:26, where the Children of Israel refuse to enter the promised land despite the miracles they saw. The notes compare 2:58 and Numbers 13 and 14, use the story of Blondin as an illustration, and ask why Moses speaks of controlling his brother, citing 61:4 on standing like bricks in one wall.October 5, 2015

Quran Talk BlogChristianity and Quran (5:14)Christians, according to 5:14, made a covenant with God and are bound to obey His messenger, yet disregarded some commandments and were condemned to animosity among themselves. Verses 2:62 and 5:69 set belief in God, the Last Day, and righteous living as the criteria for salvation, and 2:146 and 6:20 say scripture holders recognize the Quran's truth like their own children. Etymologies of Christian and Christ follow.September 28, 2015

Quran Talk BlogGod Defends and Protects the Believers (5:11 – 5:12)God's protection of the believers against those who aggress against them, drawn from verses 5:11 and 5:12. The conditions for remaining under that protection follow from the covenant with the Children of Israel: observing the contact prayers, giving the obligatory charity, believing in and respecting God's messengers, and lending God a loan of righteousness. Verses 3:173 and 3:174 show believers trusting God as the best Protector.September 28, 2015

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