Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Monday, May 28, 2018
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Early Trump
Early Trump
Trump attended Fordham University in the Bronx for two years. He entered the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, as Wharton then offered one of the few real estate studies departments in U.S. academia.[25] While there, he worked at the family's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, named for his paternal grandmother.[26] Trump graduated from Wharton in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics.[27][28]
Trump was not drafted into the Vietnam War, for several reasons: student deferments, a medical deferment, and then a lucky high number in the draft lottery.[29] While in college, he obtained four student deferments.[29] He was deemed fit for service based upon a military medical examination in 1966, and was briefly classified as fit by a local draft board in 1968, but was then medically disqualified later in 1968.[29] Trump has attributed his medical deferment to "heel spurs" in both feet according to a 2015 biography.[24] Selective Service records from the National Archives confirm that Trump received the medical deferment and eventually received a high selective service lottery number in 1969.[30][nb 2] Trump put it this way in 2011: "I actually got lucky because I had a very high draft number".[30]
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Laurie Anderson, O Superman
"O Superman (For Massenet)" is a 1981 song by experimental performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. Part of the larger work United States Live, "O Superman", a half-sung, half-spoken song rose to #2 on the UK Singles Charts in 1981.[3] Prior to the success of this song, Anderson was little known outside the art world. First released as a single, the song also appeared on her debut album, Big Science.
Laurie Anderson - O Superman [Official Music Video], 8:26
https://youtu.be/Vkfpi2H8tOE
"O Superman," from Laurie Anderson's 1982 debut album, Big Science. Nonesuch released the re-mastered 25th anniversary edition of the album in 2007: http://store.nonesuch.com/artists/lau...
Monday, May 21, 2018
Sunday, May 20, 2018
DISCUSSION: THE RECITATION OF SURAT AL-DUHA AND AL-GHAZALI'S ETIQUETTE
DISCUSSION: THE RECITATION OF SURAT AL-DUHA AND AL-GHAZALI'S ETIQUETTE
Please answer the following questions:
1. How do you think al-Ghazali might respond to the recitation of Surat al-Duha which you have just heard?
2.
How does your reading of the summary of al-Ghazali's 'Etiquette of
Recitation' change to way you think about each recitation of the
Fatihah? Do you evaluate the recitations differently after reading it?
Saturday, May 19, 2018
QURANIC LISTENING EXERCISE: RECITATION OF SURAH (CHAPTER) 93: AD-DUHA (THE MORNING HOURS)
QURANIC LISTENING EXERCISE: RECITATION OF SURAH (CHAPTER) 93: AD-DUHA (THE MORNING HOURS)
Listen to the below recitation carefully. Keep in mind the piece from al-Ghazali you just read.
Quran chapter 93: The Morning Hours (al-Duha) Transliteration and Translation
a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim
Listen to the below recitation carefully. Keep in mind the piece from al-Ghazali you just read.
Quran chapter 93: The Morning Hours (al-Duha) Transliteration and Translation
a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim
I take refuge in God from the accursed Satan
bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
wa ad-duhā
By the morning hours
wa al-layli 'idhā sajā
By the night when it is still
mā wadda`aka rabbuka wa mā qalā
Your Lord has not abandoned you and does not hate you
wa lal'ākhiratu khayrun laka mina al-'ūlā
What will come after will be better than what came before
wa la-sawfa yu'tīka rabbuka fatardā
To you the Lord will be giving (so) you will be content
'alam yajidka yatīmāan fa'āwá
Did He not find you orphaned and give you shelter
wa wajadaka dāllan fahadā
Find you lost and guide you
wa wajadaka `ā'ilan fa'aghnā
Find you in hunger and provide for you
fa'ammā al-yatīma falā taqhar
As for the orphan, do not oppress him
wa 'ammā as-sā'ila falā tanhar
As for the one who asks, do not turn him away
wa 'ammā bini`mati rabbika fahaddith
As for the grace of Your Lord, proclaim it
The Harmony Band
https://youtu.be/e3lYrtZB8GQ
Friday, May 18, 2018
READING: AL-GHAZALI'S ETIQUETTE OF QURAN RECITATION
READING: AL-GHAZALI'S ETIQUETTE OF QURAN RECITATION
Abu
Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is one of the most important scholars of the
entire history of Sunni Islam. He is perhaps most famous for the
spiritual crisis that he underwent whilst holding one of the most
prestigious posts of learning of his times, in the Nizamiyya Madrasa in
Baghdad. As described in his Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min al-Dalāl),
Ghazali left this post and spent 10 years endeavoring to develop
himself spiritually, arguing that Sufism and the illuminative knowledge
of 'unveiling' that it brought about were the most certain sources of
religious knowledge and the surest path to felicity.
The Revival of the Religious Sciences, which he wrote after this period, endeavored to teach scholars and Muslims at large of the spiritual message that lies at the heart of the ritual prescriptions, and the ethical qualities that must be cultivated if the outer observances were to be truly efficacious.
The following is a digest of Muhammad Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s list of Etiquettes of Quran Recitation, from Book 8, ‘The Recitation and Interpretation of the Quran’, of his magnum opus, The Revival of the Religious Sciences, translated by M. Abul Quasem. Many of the ‘rules’ are recommendations about the best way to engage with the Quran, rather than being strict obligations.
The External Rules of Quran Recitation
1. The Conditions of the Quran-Reciter: to be in a state of ritual purity; to adopt a state of politeness or quietness; to face the qibla (the direction of the Ka‘ba in Mecca); to sit humbly as if facing one’s teacher.
2-3. Ghazali suggests different amounts to be recited each day, and that for one who reads slowly, contemplating each verse, it is reasonable to read the entire Quran each month. He then discusses divisions of the Quran into sections, based on the amount one intends to recite each day.
4. The Writing of the Quran: “It is praiseworthy to make the writing of the Quran beautiful and to make its letters clear and distinct.”
5. To Recite in a Slow and Measured Manner (tartīlan): because this assists reflection on the meaning and is “nearer to the reverence and respect [which the Quran deserves] and stronger in its impression on the soul than babbling with haste.” Thus, reading a shorter portion slowly is often preferable to reading a longer portion at great speed.
6. Weeping: One should weep, and if one cannot, one should try to enter the state of one weeping. “The method of bringing grief [to the mind] of the Quran-reader is through reflecting on the threats, warnings, covenants and promises which are contained in the Quran.”
7. To Fulfill the Right (haqq) of the Quranic Verses Recited: There are 14 verses in the Quran that require that the reciter or those following in prayer prostrate when the verse is recited.
8. Supplications Recited Before, During and After the Recitation: Before each recitation the reader will say (in Arabic) ‘I seek refuge with God from Satan the accursed,’ and after each recitation the reader will say (in Arabic) ‘God, the Most Great, has spoken truly.’ During the recitation the reader may make a personal prayer to God, for example asking for forgiveness when a particular verse mentions God’s forgiveness.
9. Recitation Out-Loud: In prayer, the recitation should be at least loud enough that the reciter can hear him or herself. However, outside the canonical prayers, silent recitation is also praiseworthy, because a secret good act is in general superior to one done in public. There are also virtues to loud recitation.
10. To Recite in a Beautiful Voice: The Prophet is reported to have said, ‘Adorn the Quran with your voices.’
The Internal Rules (or ‘Mental Tasks’) of Quran Recitation
1. Understanding that the Quran is Divine Speech: Understanding the majesty of the Divine Word, and cultivating gratitude that God has expressed His Word in a way that humans can understand.
2. Glorifying the Speaker: Reflecting on the Divine Attributes and Works.
3. To Pay Attention: and hence to abandon the inner discourse of the soul. “When the Quran-reader enters into the fields of the Quran, plucks different types of fruits from its gardens, enters into its closets, views the brides, wears the brocades, is relieved of cares, and dwells in the khans, then all these absorb him wholly and keep him from things other than these; consequently his mind cannot be inattentive, nor can his thought be separated.”
4. Pondering over the Verse Recited: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “There is no good in a devotional act which is not understood [by its agent], nor in Quran-reading which is not pondered over.”
5.Understanding the Meaning of the Verses Recited: To seek explanations that befit each verse recited. There are inner meanings that are only disclosed to those whom God favors.
6. Getting Rid of Obstacles to Understanding the Quran: There are four obstacles mentioned – a. Devotion all one’s attention to the exact pronunciation of the letters; b. Being a purely dogmatic follower (muqallid) of a school of thought, without arriving at its teachings by spiritual insight and mystical vision; c. insistence upon sin or being characterized by pride; d. believing that the meaning of the Quran is limited to what is found in works of exegesis of the outward meaning.
7. To Read the Quran as if it were Addressed to Oneself Personally
8. To Feel the Quran: in accordance with the meanings of the verses recited.
9. Gradually Rising to a State in which One Feels as if One is Hearing the Speech of God from God, and not from Oneself.
10. To Rid Oneself of Any Sense of One’s Own Ability and Power: “Whenever a man sees himself with the eye of satisfaction he becomes veiled from God by himself. When, however, he crosses the limit of looking at himself and does not see in his Quran-reading anything except God (exalted is He!), then the secret of the invisible world is revealed to him directly.”
(For your further research you can access the full text of al-Ghazali's 'Etiquettes of the Quran' here.)
Thursday, May 17, 2018
DISCUSSION: FATIHAH RECITATIONS
DISCUSSION: FATIHAH RECITATIONS
Please answer the following questions:
-
Which of the three recitations had the greatest impact on you and why?
- What were some of the noticeable differences in style? How might each recitation convey a different meaning, reaction, or mood?
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
QURANIC LISTENING EXERCISE: THE FATIHAH
QURANIC LISTENING EXERCISE: THE FATIHAH
Sura (Chapter) 1: al-Fātihah 'The Opening', Transliteration and Translation (SQ, Modified):
bismi'llahi'r-Rahman-i'r-Rahim
1 In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
al-hamdu li'Llāhi rabb-i'l-'ālamīn
2 Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds,
ar-Rahman-i'r-Rahim
3 the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Māliki yawm-i'd-din
4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
iyyāka na'budu wa iyyāka nasta'īn
5 You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help.
ihdinā's-sirat al-mustaqim
6 Guide us upon the straight path,
sirāt alladhīna an'amta 'alayhim, ghayri'l-maghdūbi 'alayhim wa lā'd-dāllīn
7 the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those who incur wrath, nor of those who are astray.
Sura (Chapter) 1: al-Fātihah 'The Opening', Transliteration and Translation (SQ, Modified):
bismi'llahi'r-Rahman-i'r-Rahim
1 In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
al-hamdu li'Llāhi rabb-i'l-'ālamīn
2 Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds,
ar-Rahman-i'r-Rahim
3 the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Māliki yawm-i'd-din
4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
iyyāka na'budu wa iyyāka nasta'īn
5 You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help.
ihdinā's-sirat al-mustaqim
6 Guide us upon the straight path,
sirāt alladhīna an'amta 'alayhim, ghayri'l-maghdūbi 'alayhim wa lā'd-dāllīn
7 the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those who incur wrath, nor of those who are astray.
1. Mishary bin Rashid al-Afasy (Kuwait) Murattal Style
https://youtu.be/r3ZZVA_Ea4M
2. Abdul-Basit Abdus-Samad (d. 1988 Egypt) Mujawwad Style
https://youtu.be/jK-mxZC1GFk
3. Maghfirah Husain - Listen until 1:00 (Indonesia) Murattal Style
https://youtu.be/t8y0eyVM68c
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
QURANIC LISTENING EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
QURANIC LISTENING EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
You have now read primary and secondary sources concerning the nature of revelation, the orality of the Quran, and the early responses of the Quran. Now there follows five consecutive sections in which you will have the chance to develop your own responses to the oral recitation of Quranic sections.
First, listen to three different recitations of the opening sūra (chapter) of the Quran, called the Fātiha (or, “The Opening”). We have provided transliterations of the Arabic and translations into English to help you, but please try to focus on the recitation itself. As you listen to these recitations, consider which one has the greatest impact on you? Why? What are some of the differences in style? What meaning, reaction, or mood is each aiming to convey? Take note of your reactions.
Second, respond to discussion questions concerning these recitations. You may have to return to the recitations and listen to them several times (though this is not required).
Third, read the summary of the Etiquettes of Quran Recitation written by Muhammad al-Ghazālī (d. 1111), a formative and influential Muslim theologian, philosopher, jurist and Sufi thinker. After reading it, we encourage you to reflect on the recitations to which you just listened, as you will have the opportunity to respond once more to them in the fifth consecutive section.
Fourth, listen to a modern-day performance of a Quranic recitation. This will differ greatly from the more traditional recitations of the Fātiha. Keep in mind both those recitations and al-Ghazālī’s piece when listening to it.
Fifth, and finally, respond to the discussion questions concerning al-Ghazālī’s piece and the previous, more modern Quranic recitation. You will be asked to evaluate all of the recitations based on al-Ghazālī’s piece, so take some notes as you read the piece and listen to the recitation (and re-listen to the previous ones, if you so choose).
DISCUSSION: EARLY RESPONSES TO THE QURAN
DISCUSSION: EARLY RESPONSES TO THE QURAN
In
light of what you have read so far concerning the orality of the Quran,
why do you think the aural reception of the Quranic recitation was so
powerful in the conversion stories, excerpted from Muslim
historiography, that you have just read?
Based on these conversion stories and what you have read thus far on the orality of the Quran, how do you think all this should influence the way we, as scholars, study the text?
Monday, May 14, 2018
READING: EARLY RESPONSES TO THE QURAN
READING: EARLY RESPONSES TO THE QURAN:
You will now read three selections from Martin Lings’s Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. In this book, Lings reads the sīra, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the prophet’s life, in order to create a biography of the prophet in narrative form. He also translates many sections of the sīra for this book. Lings is as faithful to the original sources as possible, choosing to retell the story of the prophet as the classical tradition received it.
The full book is available in PDF format, but you will be reading only three short sections (feel free to skim or peruse anything else, of course!)
Since we are asking you to read three sections out of context, the following notes may be helpful.
Section One, pp. 52-55 (the story in question begins at the bottom of p. 53): Let us recall that Muhammad was a member of the Banū Hashīm, a distinguished albeit rather poor tribe within the larger clan of the Quraysh. The Quraysh clan, in general, opposed the prophet and his new message for various reasons; it must also be noted that the Banū Umayyah, another tribe within the larger clan of the Quraysh, had most of the money and power and were the effective rulers of Mecca. In this story, you read of the conversion of Abū Dharr, a member of the Banū Kinanah tribe, which was a branch of Quraysh (its complex, we know--but there is no need to memorize all this!). Abū Dharr may well have been the fourth or fifth convert to Islam, in fact. You will then read of the conversion of Tufayl from the Banū Daws, another tribe in Mecca. In both of these stories, take note of the importance of the aural reception of the Quranic verses.
Section Two, pp. 60-63: As background, know that Hamza (ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib) was the paternal uncle of the prophet, and after his conversion, provided the prophet with protection from persecution. In this story, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’ah is sent to the prophet to offer him certain concessions in hopes of stemming--or even ending--the spread of Islam; however, once again, after hearing the recitation of the Quran, he is conveted. Pay attention to how ‘Utbah describes the recitation of the Quran. Other members of the Quraysh tribe then visit the prophet, trying to test him. What are they asking of him and how does the prophet respond?
Section Three, pp. 85-87: This is the story of the conversion of ‘Umar, a figure similar to Paul in Christianity in that both were violent and adamant persecutors of the adherents to the religious tradition to which they both ultimately converted, and in that both later became leaders of their new religious communities. ‘Umar’s encounter with the Quran is different from the other two: how so?
DISCUSSION: THE ORALITY OF THE QURAN
DISCUSSION: THE ORALITY OF THE QURAN
1. Based on both pieces, discuss how form and content are inseparable. Why is this important when it comes to the Quranic revelation in terms of practice, reception, and interpretation? How does this explain the pervasiveness of Quranic recitation in societies of Muslims?
2. Think about the various sounds that you receive on a daily basis. How does the form of the sound--a particular genre of music, ambient noise, mechanical or natural sounds, etc.--shape your experience of being in the world? How might sound affect your psychological, spiritual, and mental states? Give some examples from your daily life. How might this explain the pervasiveness of Quranic recitation in societies of Muslims?
Sunday, May 13, 2018
READING: THE ORALITY OF THE QURAN
READING: THE ORALITY OF THE QURAN
A common thread uniting Muslim societies is the importance accorded to the recited words of the Quran. In the piece by Kristina Nelson, “The Sound of the Divine in Daily Life”, you will come to understand one way the Divine Sound of the Quran is encountered in quotidian life. Click here to read this piece.
Please also listen to the audio interview of Navid Kermani below, in which he discusses his book God is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran.
From Nelson’s article and Kermani’s interview, it becomes apparent that the orality of the Quran is not merely a theoretical statement; rather, there are practical consequences even in the Muslim world today.
“The
Quran is the Speech of God.” This declarative statement, seemingly
straightforward, may well be a shared belief among a vast majority—if
not the totality—of the world’s Muslims throughout time and
space. However, just what this statement means to various individual
Muslims, diverse societies of Muslims, communities of interpretations,
and discursive traditions, and what it means for their daily lives—is an
example of the “unity in diversity” found within the Islamic religious
tradition.
A common thread uniting Muslim societies is the importance accorded to the recited words of the Quran. In the piece by Kristina Nelson, “The Sound of the Divine in Daily Life”, you will come to understand one way the Divine Sound of the Quran is encountered in quotidian life. Click here to read this piece.
Please also listen to the audio interview of Navid Kermani below, in which he discusses his book God is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran.
From Nelson’s article and Kermani’s interview, it becomes apparent that the orality of the Quran is not merely a theoretical statement; rather, there are practical consequences even in the Muslim world today.
You may wish to familiarize yourself with the discussion questions that follow before you engage with this content.
Navid Kermani: "God Is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran" (Free Thinking, 9/12/14)
https://youtu.be/uTPMWZThxwo
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Orality and Islamic Scripture
Orality and Scripture
As we have seen in the readings so far, the early Muslim accounts
provide vivid depictions of the experiential aspect of the revelation
of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad.
If you look at accounts of how the prophet received the first revelation,
he was meditating in a cave when he heard the words, “Recite!
Recite in the name of thy Lord.”
He then found that these words had been inscribed on his heart.
The oral and written forms of the Quran have complemented each other
from the very beginning of its revelation to this day.
Since the prophet is generally considered
to have been illiterate and unable to write,
and since the Quran was most likely compiled only
after the prophet's death, it is undeniably the oral aspect of the Quran
that takes precedence.
In fact, the medium through which most Muslims today
interact with the holy scripture of Islam is still in its recited form.
But why should it be important for us that the Quran is oral?
In the readings and exercises that follow,
we will investigate several approaches to this question.
We usually approach a written text in terms of its meaning alone,
but encountering the Quran through its recitation
is simultaneously an intellectual engagement with meaning,
and an aesthetic and existential encounter with the divine.
Thus, for Muslims, listening to the Quran is a form of communion with God.
This was crucially important for the way early Muslims engaged with the Quran.
So we will read accounts of diverse early reactions
to the sonority of the Quran. But the sonority of the Quran
is as important today as it was 1,400 years ago.
So we will end day two with an exercise in which we
ask you to experience and reflect on the recitation of the Quran.
It is only by experiencing the recitation for yourself
that you can deepen your understanding about what the orality of the Quranic
has meant for Muslims in diverse contexts across the centuries.
As we have seen in the readings so far, the early Muslim accounts
provide vivid depictions of the experiential aspect of the revelation
of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad.
If you look at accounts of how the prophet received the first revelation,
he was meditating in a cave when he heard the words, “Recite!
Recite in the name of thy Lord.”
He then found that these words had been inscribed on his heart.
The oral and written forms of the Quran have complemented each other
from the very beginning of its revelation to this day.
Since the prophet is generally considered
to have been illiterate and unable to write,
and since the Quran was most likely compiled only
after the prophet's death, it is undeniably the oral aspect of the Quran
that takes precedence.
In fact, the medium through which most Muslims today
interact with the holy scripture of Islam is still in its recited form.
But why should it be important for us that the Quran is oral?
In the readings and exercises that follow,
we will investigate several approaches to this question.
We usually approach a written text in terms of its meaning alone,
but encountering the Quran through its recitation
is simultaneously an intellectual engagement with meaning,
and an aesthetic and existential encounter with the divine.
Thus, for Muslims, listening to the Quran is a form of communion with God.
This was crucially important for the way early Muslims engaged with the Quran.
So we will read accounts of diverse early reactions
to the sonority of the Quran. But the sonority of the Quran
is as important today as it was 1,400 years ago.
So we will end day two with an exercise in which we
ask you to experience and reflect on the recitation of the Quran.
It is only by experiencing the recitation for yourself
that you can deepen your understanding about what the orality of the Quranic
has meant for Muslims in diverse contexts across the centuries.
Florida Islamist Sermon: Attack Israel
tv/florida-friday-sermon-hasan-sabri-palestine-jerusalem-aqsa-liberated-through-way-of-saladin-omar-ibn-khattab
During a Friday sermon at the Islamic Center of South Florida (ICOSF) in Pompano Beach, Florida, Imam Hasan Sabri said that the establishment of Israel was a "sad comedy" carried out by the superpowers of the time "because they wanted the Muslims themselves to be humiliated." According to Imam Sabri, nothing would be achieved through the peace process and "Palestine, Al-Aqsa, and Jerusalem have one path and one way to be liberated, and that is the way of Saladin, and the way of Omar ibn Al-Khattab." The sermon, delivered on April 13, was posted on the official ICOSF YouTube channel.
Friday, May 11, 2018
READING: REVELATION
READING: REVELATION
The passages contain two hadith from the first chapter of Bukhari's (d. 870 CE) Sahīh collection (the title, meaning 'sound', indicates that the compiler has set the highest possible standard for authenticity for the hadith he has selected). This hadith collection has come to be considered the second most important book, after the Quran, by Sunni Muslims, becoming one of the canonical works of their tradition (which does not mean that some Sunni scholars did not continue to debate their authenticity).
The first hadith narrates the events that unfolded concerning the first revelation granted to Muhammad.
The
second hadith gives one of the most detailed accounts in Muslim sources
of the manner in which the revelation would be received by the Prophet
received the revelation.
These readings provide a link between the first theme of Day 2, namely the context of the Quran, and the second theme, namely the orality/aurality of the Quran, showing that in Muslim accounts the Quran not just words on a page, but is also associated with particular modes of experience and knowledge.
In Bukhari's version, the various 'chains of transmitters' (isnād) that he had been able to collect for this hadith would have been given, but we have omitted these for ease of reading. These chains of transmitters might read something like this: "So-and-so heard from so-and-so, who was told it by so-and-so...who heard 'Aisha relate:"
The Arabic calligraphy that is written when the Prophet is mentioned says, 'May God bestow blessings and peace upon him and his family', which is a traditional prayer said or written by many Muslims whenever the Prophet's name is mentioned.
Narrated by 'Aisha (wife of Muhammad):
The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1-3) Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, "I fear that something may happen to me." Khadija replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones." Khadija then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza, who, during the pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while.
THE MANNER OF REVELATION
Narrated by 'Aisha (wife of Muhammad):
Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) being inspired divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over).
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Islam, Day 2
READING: THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT FOR INTERPRETING THE QURAN
As we will see during this course, the diverse approaches that Muslims have used to interpret the Quran and the corpus of hadiths (accounts of the actions and sayings) attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which together form core scriptural texts for most Muslims, are intricate and complicated.One source of these complexities is the question of the relationship between the Quran and the context in which it was revealed. On the one hand, the Quran is considered to contain a message for all of humanity, which will be valid for all subsequent times and places, and not simply for 7th-century Arabia. On the other hand, in many respects the Quran has a clear connection with that context. As preparation for our engagements with the Quran in the rest of this course, it is therefore important to consider the ways in which the context of the emergence of the Quran is relevant for the interpretation of this text, whilst also bearing in mind that there are other approaches to interpretation that are not so context related in this way.
1. The Arabic Quran: On several occasions the Quran refers to itself as ‘an Arabic Quran (recitation)’. The Quran is composed of the Arabic of 7th century Arabia, including turns of phrase that are specific to that period of the language. Muslim philologists from early in Islamic history devoted much attention to developing sciences of Quranic grammar, lexicography and rhetoric so that the literal meaning and emotional force of the Arabic of the Quran as it would have been heard by those to whom Muhammad taught it could be preserved. One often sees detailed linguistic and grammatical discussions in commentaries (tafsīr) on the Quran for this reason.
2. The Social Significance of Language – Poets and Prophets: From what we know about pre-Islamic Arabia, the importance of language can hardly be overestimated. Eloquence was deeply respected, and poets were respected professionals whose crafted words might make or break the reputation of an individual or a tribe. Battles always began with the recitation of war poetry, and there are even legends that bloodshed might be avoided if a poetic defeat was definitive. The most famous pre-Islamic poems are the ‘Hung Poems’ (mu‘allaqāt), which were hung in the most revered place of all, on the Kaaba itself. The Quranic clearly distinguishes itself from both poetry and the speech of soothsayers inspired by jinn; the scripture contains numerous claims that its language proves its divine origin, even challenging deniers to produce something like it. (We will look at the issue of the inimitability of the Quran in more detail in Day 5.) Distinguishing the Prophet Muhammad from these poets and soothsayers, the Quran speaks instead of prophecy, which seems to have been a concept that had significant currency in pre-Islamic Arabia. According to Muslim accounts of the Prophet’s biography (sīra), while a child Muhammad was travelling with a trade caravan to Syria. The caravan stopped at a hermitage of a Christian monk named Bahira, who upon seeing certain signs, including physical features of Muhammad, predicted that he was to become the awaited prophet. Such accounts give us some context as to how Muslims have conceived of the context in which the Quran was revealed, and illuminate many of the Quranic statements about its own, very particular, form of language.
3. The Walking Quran: As we have mentioned before, the most important aspect of contextualizing the Quran is the Prophet Muhammad himself, who came to be considered by Muslims to embody the message he revealed. Hence he came to referred to as “the Walking Quran” or “the Quran on Two Feet.” His sayings and actions (recorded in the hadith literature) are the most important resource for understanding the meaning of the Quran, and the imitation of the Prophet, the cultivation of his character traits, is considered by many Muslims to be the key to gaining access to the deeper meanings of the Quran.
4. ‘Occasions of Revelation’ (asbāb al-nuzūl): A significant number of Quranic verses respond directly to particular events in the life of the Prophet Muhammad or to questions posed to him. There are sometimes differing accounts of these occasions of revelation, and commentators may weigh them against each other or even question the extent to which they are relevant to interpretation. For example, regarding the verse “To God belong the East and the West, so wheresoever you turn, there is the Face of God, verily God is All-Encompassing, Knowing,” (2:115) some commentators will interpret this verse as a legal pronouncement, arguing that the occasion of revelation was when a group of travelers, who had been unable to determine the direction of prayer at night time and in the morning realized they had got it wrong, asked the Prophet whether their prayer was invalid. However, other commentators, particularly Sufis in this case, have suggested that this verse is simply a statement of fact, a metaphysical truth, and the reported occasion of revelation is irrelevant, or that it is both a legal pronouncement regarding the status of mistakes in prayer and a metaphysical statement.
5. Meccan and Medinan Periods: Given the connections of many Quranic verses with particular occasions of revelation, scholars have endeavored to associate various parts of the Quran with different periods of the 23 years during which Muslims believe that the Prophet received revelation. The most important categorization here is between verses (or whole chapters/suras) that were revealed in Mecca, and those revealed in Medina, after the Hijra ( his emigration from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 CE). The social situation of the Prophet and his followers while in Mecca as opposed to the period in Medina were quite different. For example, the Meccan chapters, which, despite being earlier, are mainly located at the end of the Quran, contain a striking lyricism and intensity, instructing the oppressed and deeply committed group on the spiritual truths of the meeting with God and the urgency of turning toward Him. During the Medinan period on the other hand, the community had become an established social and political entity, and in these passages, to give just a few examples, the Quran lays down regulations for communal life, whilst also warning of those who have joined the community simply for material and social benefit. An interesting illustration of this difference is seen in Sura 73, which begins by addressing the Prophet (and his committed Meccan following) “O thou enwrapped! Stand vigil at night, save a little, half of it or reduce it a little, or add to it; and recite the Quran in a measured pace. Truly We shall soon cast upon thee a weighty Word. Truly the vigil of the night is firmest in tread and most upright for speech.” (73:1-6, Trans. The Study Quran, SQ) But it ends with verses added later, said by some to date from the Medinan period, which lightens the burden of worship for the believers for a community that was now less elite: “Truly thy Lord knows that thou dost stand vigil well-nigh two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those who are with thee; and God measures out the night and the day. He knows that you will not keep count of it and has relented unto you; so recite that which is easy for you of the Quran…” (73:20, SQ) At this juncture, it should also be noted that the modern editions of the Quran, whether in the Arabic or any other language, have arranged the chapters/suras roughly in order of verse length: the longer suras are placed in the beginning (save the first one, the Fātiha), and the shorter suras are placed at the end.
6. Abrogation: Given that the verses of the Quran are believed to have been revealed over a 23-year period, in which the social conditions of the Muslims were constantly changing, one finds within the Quran certain verses that provide differing instructions on a single issue. Perhaps the majority of interpreters hold that later verses have the capacity to abrogate, or invalidate, the legal rulings contained within previously revealed verses. This, they would maintain, is not to say that ‘God has changed His mind’, but rather that differing social conditions necessitate differing causes of action. One example of this is the gradual prohibition of wine (and hence other intoxicating beverages) that one can trace in different Quranic verses. For example, the verse “O you who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when you are drunken until you know what you are uttering,” (4:43 SQ) obviously contains instructions that are less restrictive than the verse, “O you who believe! Wine, and gambling, and idols, and divining arrows are but a means of defilement, of Satan’s doing. So avoid it, that haply you may prosper,” (5:90 SQ) which is considered the last verse revealed regarding wine.
7. Reactions to Pre-Islamic Practices: The Quran contains a range of responses to different pre-Islamic practices, from confirmation of certain types of practice, such as fasting and pilgrimage, which were given new forms, to outright rejection, such as the harsh criticisms of pre-Islamic Arabs for idolatry and burying alive female new-borns. Many commentators in the modern period have argued that the social message of the Quran should be understood in the light of pre-Islamic practices. For example, some argue that slavery was a social institution in pre-Islamic Arabia that was so entrenched that it would have been impossible to ban it outright, so instead the Quran places great emphasis on the virtues and rewards associated with freeing slaves.
These considerations already suggest some of the complexities associated with interpreting the Quran, complexities that will only become more apparent as we turn to other aspects and genres of Quranic interpretation. However, this complexity should not be discouraging. While it seems practically impossible to say once and for all that one has ‘understood’ a particular Quranic verse, it is more helpful to think of understanding as possessing degrees of intensity, like a spectrum of light. Although, many Muslims believe that complete understanding belongs only to God, or to the Prophet, or to Prophet and the Imams, depending on the group, all Muslim scholars, indeed all Muslims have been engaged in the attempt to gradually deepen their understanding of the meaning of the verses of the Quran. Throughout the tradition, and especially in the pre-modern period, one repeatedly comes across the sentiment ‘and God knows best’, as the author endeavors to present the best interpretation possible given their means. Likewise, although one may not know Arabic and may not have mastered the body of knowledge associated with Quranic interpretation, one can continuously increase in knowledge by becoming acquainted with diverse Muslim interpretations of the Quran and gaining understanding of the methods by which these interpretations were attained, the contexts that shaped them, and the reasons for their diversity.
As we will see during this course, the diverse approaches that Muslims have used to interpret the Quran and the corpus of hadiths (accounts of the actions and sayings) attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which together form core scriptural texts for most Muslims, are intricate and complicated.One source of these complexities is the question of the relationship between the Quran and the context in which it was revealed. On the one hand, the Quran is considered to contain a message for all of humanity, which will be valid for all subsequent times and places, and not simply for 7th-century Arabia. On the other hand, in many respects the Quran has a clear connection with that context. As preparation for our engagements with the Quran in the rest of this course, it is therefore important to consider the ways in which the context of the emergence of the Quran is relevant for the interpretation of this text, whilst also bearing in mind that there are other approaches to interpretation that are not so context related in this way.
1. The Arabic Quran: On several occasions the Quran refers to itself as ‘an Arabic Quran (recitation)’. The Quran is composed of the Arabic of 7th century Arabia, including turns of phrase that are specific to that period of the language. Muslim philologists from early in Islamic history devoted much attention to developing sciences of Quranic grammar, lexicography and rhetoric so that the literal meaning and emotional force of the Arabic of the Quran as it would have been heard by those to whom Muhammad taught it could be preserved. One often sees detailed linguistic and grammatical discussions in commentaries (tafsīr) on the Quran for this reason.
2. The Social Significance of Language – Poets and Prophets: From what we know about pre-Islamic Arabia, the importance of language can hardly be overestimated. Eloquence was deeply respected, and poets were respected professionals whose crafted words might make or break the reputation of an individual or a tribe. Battles always began with the recitation of war poetry, and there are even legends that bloodshed might be avoided if a poetic defeat was definitive. The most famous pre-Islamic poems are the ‘Hung Poems’ (mu‘allaqāt), which were hung in the most revered place of all, on the Kaaba itself. The Quranic clearly distinguishes itself from both poetry and the speech of soothsayers inspired by jinn; the scripture contains numerous claims that its language proves its divine origin, even challenging deniers to produce something like it. (We will look at the issue of the inimitability of the Quran in more detail in Day 5.) Distinguishing the Prophet Muhammad from these poets and soothsayers, the Quran speaks instead of prophecy, which seems to have been a concept that had significant currency in pre-Islamic Arabia. According to Muslim accounts of the Prophet’s biography (sīra), while a child Muhammad was travelling with a trade caravan to Syria. The caravan stopped at a hermitage of a Christian monk named Bahira, who upon seeing certain signs, including physical features of Muhammad, predicted that he was to become the awaited prophet. Such accounts give us some context as to how Muslims have conceived of the context in which the Quran was revealed, and illuminate many of the Quranic statements about its own, very particular, form of language.
3. The Walking Quran: As we have mentioned before, the most important aspect of contextualizing the Quran is the Prophet Muhammad himself, who came to be considered by Muslims to embody the message he revealed. Hence he came to referred to as “the Walking Quran” or “the Quran on Two Feet.” His sayings and actions (recorded in the hadith literature) are the most important resource for understanding the meaning of the Quran, and the imitation of the Prophet, the cultivation of his character traits, is considered by many Muslims to be the key to gaining access to the deeper meanings of the Quran.
4. ‘Occasions of Revelation’ (asbāb al-nuzūl): A significant number of Quranic verses respond directly to particular events in the life of the Prophet Muhammad or to questions posed to him. There are sometimes differing accounts of these occasions of revelation, and commentators may weigh them against each other or even question the extent to which they are relevant to interpretation. For example, regarding the verse “To God belong the East and the West, so wheresoever you turn, there is the Face of God, verily God is All-Encompassing, Knowing,” (2:115) some commentators will interpret this verse as a legal pronouncement, arguing that the occasion of revelation was when a group of travelers, who had been unable to determine the direction of prayer at night time and in the morning realized they had got it wrong, asked the Prophet whether their prayer was invalid. However, other commentators, particularly Sufis in this case, have suggested that this verse is simply a statement of fact, a metaphysical truth, and the reported occasion of revelation is irrelevant, or that it is both a legal pronouncement regarding the status of mistakes in prayer and a metaphysical statement.
5. Meccan and Medinan Periods: Given the connections of many Quranic verses with particular occasions of revelation, scholars have endeavored to associate various parts of the Quran with different periods of the 23 years during which Muslims believe that the Prophet received revelation. The most important categorization here is between verses (or whole chapters/suras) that were revealed in Mecca, and those revealed in Medina, after the Hijra ( his emigration from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 CE). The social situation of the Prophet and his followers while in Mecca as opposed to the period in Medina were quite different. For example, the Meccan chapters, which, despite being earlier, are mainly located at the end of the Quran, contain a striking lyricism and intensity, instructing the oppressed and deeply committed group on the spiritual truths of the meeting with God and the urgency of turning toward Him. During the Medinan period on the other hand, the community had become an established social and political entity, and in these passages, to give just a few examples, the Quran lays down regulations for communal life, whilst also warning of those who have joined the community simply for material and social benefit. An interesting illustration of this difference is seen in Sura 73, which begins by addressing the Prophet (and his committed Meccan following) “O thou enwrapped! Stand vigil at night, save a little, half of it or reduce it a little, or add to it; and recite the Quran in a measured pace. Truly We shall soon cast upon thee a weighty Word. Truly the vigil of the night is firmest in tread and most upright for speech.” (73:1-6, Trans. The Study Quran, SQ) But it ends with verses added later, said by some to date from the Medinan period, which lightens the burden of worship for the believers for a community that was now less elite: “Truly thy Lord knows that thou dost stand vigil well-nigh two-thirds of the night, or a half of it, or a third of it, as do a group of those who are with thee; and God measures out the night and the day. He knows that you will not keep count of it and has relented unto you; so recite that which is easy for you of the Quran…” (73:20, SQ) At this juncture, it should also be noted that the modern editions of the Quran, whether in the Arabic or any other language, have arranged the chapters/suras roughly in order of verse length: the longer suras are placed in the beginning (save the first one, the Fātiha), and the shorter suras are placed at the end.
6. Abrogation: Given that the verses of the Quran are believed to have been revealed over a 23-year period, in which the social conditions of the Muslims were constantly changing, one finds within the Quran certain verses that provide differing instructions on a single issue. Perhaps the majority of interpreters hold that later verses have the capacity to abrogate, or invalidate, the legal rulings contained within previously revealed verses. This, they would maintain, is not to say that ‘God has changed His mind’, but rather that differing social conditions necessitate differing causes of action. One example of this is the gradual prohibition of wine (and hence other intoxicating beverages) that one can trace in different Quranic verses. For example, the verse “O you who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when you are drunken until you know what you are uttering,” (4:43 SQ) obviously contains instructions that are less restrictive than the verse, “O you who believe! Wine, and gambling, and idols, and divining arrows are but a means of defilement, of Satan’s doing. So avoid it, that haply you may prosper,” (5:90 SQ) which is considered the last verse revealed regarding wine.
7. Reactions to Pre-Islamic Practices: The Quran contains a range of responses to different pre-Islamic practices, from confirmation of certain types of practice, such as fasting and pilgrimage, which were given new forms, to outright rejection, such as the harsh criticisms of pre-Islamic Arabs for idolatry and burying alive female new-borns. Many commentators in the modern period have argued that the social message of the Quran should be understood in the light of pre-Islamic practices. For example, some argue that slavery was a social institution in pre-Islamic Arabia that was so entrenched that it would have been impossible to ban it outright, so instead the Quran places great emphasis on the virtues and rewards associated with freeing slaves.
These considerations already suggest some of the complexities associated with interpreting the Quran, complexities that will only become more apparent as we turn to other aspects and genres of Quranic interpretation. However, this complexity should not be discouraging. While it seems practically impossible to say once and for all that one has ‘understood’ a particular Quranic verse, it is more helpful to think of understanding as possessing degrees of intensity, like a spectrum of light. Although, many Muslims believe that complete understanding belongs only to God, or to the Prophet, or to Prophet and the Imams, depending on the group, all Muslim scholars, indeed all Muslims have been engaged in the attempt to gradually deepen their understanding of the meaning of the verses of the Quran. Throughout the tradition, and especially in the pre-modern period, one repeatedly comes across the sentiment ‘and God knows best’, as the author endeavors to present the best interpretation possible given their means. Likewise, although one may not know Arabic and may not have mastered the body of knowledge associated with Quranic interpretation, one can continuously increase in knowledge by becoming acquainted with diverse Muslim interpretations of the Quran and gaining understanding of the methods by which these interpretations were attained, the contexts that shaped them, and the reasons for their diversity.
The Muslim Conquest of Europe
Muslim Conquest
By Yochanan Visser, Israel National News:
Yochanan Visser is an independent journalist/analyst who worked for many years as Middle East correspondent for Western Journalism.com in Arizona and was a frequent publicist for the main Dutch paper De Volkskrant. He authored a book in the Dutch language about the cognitive war against Israel and now lives in Gush Etzion. He writes a twice weekly analysis of current issues for Arutz Sheva
On Tuesday, Israeli Middle East expert and Arab affairs commentator, Tzvi Yehezkeli made history when he began to reveal the inside workings of the ongoing Islamic revolution taking place in France and other European countries with a large Muslim majorities.
Yehezkeli, a father of five children, made headlines before with his two and a half hour documentary ‘Allah Islam’ aired in September 2012 when he entered Muslim communities in European countries and exposed the widespread radicalization among Muslims there, hiding his Israeli identity.
This time around, however, Yehezkeli decided to go undercover using business cards and other items suggesting he was a Jordanian businessman heading an export/import company who wanted to donate money to European Muslim charity organizations run by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).
The goal of his unique and risky mission was to expose the danger the MB poses to the West and Europe in particular and how European governments still fail to see what the Muslim Brotherhood’s plan is all about.
The Arab affairs commentator of Israeli TV Channel 10, who holds a BA and MA in Middle East studies and speaks Arabic fluently, was advised by a Palestinian Arab sheikh and an expert from the Israeli intelligence services about how to behave and talk while infiltrating Muslim Brotherhood hubs in Europe.
Yehezkeli also learned how to pray as a Muslim in mosques and how to recognize suspicions about his identity during his encounters with Muslim Brotherhood leaders and officials.
In the Middle East, Yehezkeli filmed Syrian refugees and the Islamist stealth revolution taking place in Turkey under the leadership of dictator Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Erdogan is sponsoring Islamist organizations in East Jerusalem who work to radicalize the young Arabs there and to organize a violent uprising, when the time is ripe, against Israeli control over the city.
Once in France, the Israeli journalist discovered how the Muslim Brotherhood uses the same method and succeeded in gaining control over the Muslim communities in the country via ‘Dawa’, a missionary charity which aims to turn secular or less religious Muslims into Islamists.
He exposed the doublespeak by Muslim Brotherhood leaders in France who talk about coexistence and tolerance in French but preach Jihad in Arabic.
The MB at this stage tells its supporters to adhere to French law but prepares them for the next stage, the day Islamists will take over France.
The French government, for its part, facilitates the Muslim Brotherhood’s control over the Muslim communities in the country, for example, by subsidizing schools which teach a curriculum that is totally different than the one studied by children at French schools, according to Yehezkeli.
Many of the lessons deal with Islamic conquest via Jihad and teach Muslim children that France will collapse because of the lack of (Islamic) ethics in French society, said Yehezkeli during the first episode of “B’zehut B’duyah” (“undera false identity”).
“The Muslim Brotherhood educates and the French government subsidizes,” claimed Yehezkeli adding that the education Muslim children in France receive is comparable to what Palestinian Arab children in the Gaza Strip get under Hamas rule.
The Israeli Middle East expert showed that Islamic books which are forbidden in countries like Jordan and Saudi Arabia because they advocate Jihad as a means to expand Muslim control across the globe, are available in book shops in the Arab suburbs of Paris. So are DVD’s of speeches of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the current spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to French law, it is forbidden to use or sell discs with the virulent anti-West and anti-Israel sermons and speeches of al-Qaradawi, but shops in the Arab neighborhoods in Paris continue to sell them.
Yehezkeli also interviewed Yoram Cohen, head of the Israeli internal intelligence group, ISA or Shabak, who said “Dawa” will eventually turn into violence aiming to seize control over countries.
Cohen also said that in the end there is no difference in the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaida as well as Islamic State which uses Hassan al-Banna’s idea of SS-styled shock battalions to terrorize the world.
Yehezkeli cited an Israeli intelligence expert who told him “Islamic State is a pimple, but the Muslim Brotherhood is cancer.”
The Muslim Brotherhood began its activities in Europe in 1958 when Said Ramadan the son-in-law of MB’s founder Hassan al-Bana travelled to Geneva and later to Cologne in Germany where he studied at the local university.
Ramadan, with the financial help of Saudi Arabia, started a process in which the steadily expanding Muslim communities in Europe were brought under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood also gained domination over the Islamic World Congress (IWC) an organization founded by Haj Amin al-Husseini the anti-Semitic leader of the Arab community in pre-state Israel.
By the year 2000 many European Muslim communities were brought under MB and IWC control.
The Muslim Brotherhood also built a global financial network and in 1988 opened the al-Taqwa bank which was also involved in financing the Al Qaeda attack on the United States on September 11,2011.
Al-Qaeda ideology, but also the ideology of ISIS and Jaish Tahrir al-Sham, by now the most powerful Islamist rebel group in Syria, is based on the writings of Sayyid Qutb, the first MB ideologue and spiritual leader of the organization.
In Qutb’s view, the establishment of the Kingdom of Allah on earth cannot be achieved through prayer and preaching alone. In order to reach this goal, it is necessary that those who do not recognize Allah’s authority be killed.
Qutb’s views on Islam were translated into a slogan by founder Hassan al-Banna which appears on the flags of Islamist terror groups such as ISIS:
‘Allah is our objective, the Koran is our constitution, the Prophet our leader; struggle is our way and death for Allah is our highest aspiration. ‘
Tzvi Yechezkeli, who became a religious Jew after filming “Allah Islam” and now lives in Gush Etzion, says that now that the total defeat of Islamic State is imminent, there will be an new kind of bomb – a stealthy one.
The Middle East expert predicts that if nothing is done, European countries such as France, Denmark and Belgium will come under de-facto Islamic rule in the near future.
“In 10 or 20 years, some of the European countries will be home to an Islamic movement that will ‘only’ serve as kingmaker in local elections. But it will be so influential in the general population that it will dictate the tone in everything it wishes,” Yehezkeli told the media last week.
Asked why he concentrates on France in particular, the undercover investigative journalist said the French are “naïve and innocent.”
They refuse to see what is happening because it is a very gradual attack on French culture and values, according to Yehezkeli.
“A gradual process is more dangerous than a surprise attack. The world is afraid of wars. Give the French their croissants and they will sit quietly,” according to the Channel 10 commentator who for two weeks resided in a suburb of Paris and didn’t speak a word of French – because he didn’t have to.
“You don’t feel like a foreigner in France. In the cafes, women and men are segregated. It feels exactly like being in a real Muslim country,” Yehezkeli said about his undercover stay in the Paris area.
Analysis: How the Muslim Brotherhood is taking over France
Muslim children in France are taught to take over Europe the way Gazan children are taught about Israel. The rest of Europe is next.By Yochanan Visser, Israel National News:
Yochanan Visser is an independent journalist/analyst who worked for many years as Middle East correspondent for Western Journalism.com in Arizona and was a frequent publicist for the main Dutch paper De Volkskrant. He authored a book in the Dutch language about the cognitive war against Israel and now lives in Gush Etzion. He writes a twice weekly analysis of current issues for Arutz Sheva
On Tuesday, Israeli Middle East expert and Arab affairs commentator, Tzvi Yehezkeli made history when he began to reveal the inside workings of the ongoing Islamic revolution taking place in France and other European countries with a large Muslim majorities.
Yehezkeli, a father of five children, made headlines before with his two and a half hour documentary ‘Allah Islam’ aired in September 2012 when he entered Muslim communities in European countries and exposed the widespread radicalization among Muslims there, hiding his Israeli identity.
This time around, however, Yehezkeli decided to go undercover using business cards and other items suggesting he was a Jordanian businessman heading an export/import company who wanted to donate money to European Muslim charity organizations run by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).
The goal of his unique and risky mission was to expose the danger the MB poses to the West and Europe in particular and how European governments still fail to see what the Muslim Brotherhood’s plan is all about.
The Arab affairs commentator of Israeli TV Channel 10, who holds a BA and MA in Middle East studies and speaks Arabic fluently, was advised by a Palestinian Arab sheikh and an expert from the Israeli intelligence services about how to behave and talk while infiltrating Muslim Brotherhood hubs in Europe.
Yehezkeli also learned how to pray as a Muslim in mosques and how to recognize suspicions about his identity during his encounters with Muslim Brotherhood leaders and officials.
In the Middle East, Yehezkeli filmed Syrian refugees and the Islamist stealth revolution taking place in Turkey under the leadership of dictator Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Erdogan is sponsoring Islamist organizations in East Jerusalem who work to radicalize the young Arabs there and to organize a violent uprising, when the time is ripe, against Israeli control over the city.
Once in France, the Israeli journalist discovered how the Muslim Brotherhood uses the same method and succeeded in gaining control over the Muslim communities in the country via ‘Dawa’, a missionary charity which aims to turn secular or less religious Muslims into Islamists.
He exposed the doublespeak by Muslim Brotherhood leaders in France who talk about coexistence and tolerance in French but preach Jihad in Arabic.
The MB at this stage tells its supporters to adhere to French law but prepares them for the next stage, the day Islamists will take over France.
The French government, for its part, facilitates the Muslim Brotherhood’s control over the Muslim communities in the country, for example, by subsidizing schools which teach a curriculum that is totally different than the one studied by children at French schools, according to Yehezkeli.
Many of the lessons deal with Islamic conquest via Jihad and teach Muslim children that France will collapse because of the lack of (Islamic) ethics in French society, said Yehezkeli during the first episode of “B’zehut B’duyah” (“undera false identity”).
“The Muslim Brotherhood educates and the French government subsidizes,” claimed Yehezkeli adding that the education Muslim children in France receive is comparable to what Palestinian Arab children in the Gaza Strip get under Hamas rule.
The Israeli Middle East expert showed that Islamic books which are forbidden in countries like Jordan and Saudi Arabia because they advocate Jihad as a means to expand Muslim control across the globe, are available in book shops in the Arab suburbs of Paris. So are DVD’s of speeches of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the current spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to French law, it is forbidden to use or sell discs with the virulent anti-West and anti-Israel sermons and speeches of al-Qaradawi, but shops in the Arab neighborhoods in Paris continue to sell them.
Yehezkeli also interviewed Yoram Cohen, head of the Israeli internal intelligence group, ISA or Shabak, who said “Dawa” will eventually turn into violence aiming to seize control over countries.
Cohen also said that in the end there is no difference in the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaida as well as Islamic State which uses Hassan al-Banna’s idea of SS-styled shock battalions to terrorize the world.
Yehezkeli cited an Israeli intelligence expert who told him “Islamic State is a pimple, but the Muslim Brotherhood is cancer.”
The Muslim Brotherhood began its activities in Europe in 1958 when Said Ramadan the son-in-law of MB’s founder Hassan al-Bana travelled to Geneva and later to Cologne in Germany where he studied at the local university.
Ramadan, with the financial help of Saudi Arabia, started a process in which the steadily expanding Muslim communities in Europe were brought under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood also gained domination over the Islamic World Congress (IWC) an organization founded by Haj Amin al-Husseini the anti-Semitic leader of the Arab community in pre-state Israel.
By the year 2000 many European Muslim communities were brought under MB and IWC control.
The Muslim Brotherhood also built a global financial network and in 1988 opened the al-Taqwa bank which was also involved in financing the Al Qaeda attack on the United States on September 11,2011.
Al-Qaeda ideology, but also the ideology of ISIS and Jaish Tahrir al-Sham, by now the most powerful Islamist rebel group in Syria, is based on the writings of Sayyid Qutb, the first MB ideologue and spiritual leader of the organization.
In Qutb’s view, the establishment of the Kingdom of Allah on earth cannot be achieved through prayer and preaching alone. In order to reach this goal, it is necessary that those who do not recognize Allah’s authority be killed.
Qutb’s views on Islam were translated into a slogan by founder Hassan al-Banna which appears on the flags of Islamist terror groups such as ISIS:
‘Allah is our objective, the Koran is our constitution, the Prophet our leader; struggle is our way and death for Allah is our highest aspiration. ‘
Tzvi Yechezkeli, who became a religious Jew after filming “Allah Islam” and now lives in Gush Etzion, says that now that the total defeat of Islamic State is imminent, there will be an new kind of bomb – a stealthy one.
The Middle East expert predicts that if nothing is done, European countries such as France, Denmark and Belgium will come under de-facto Islamic rule in the near future.
“In 10 or 20 years, some of the European countries will be home to an Islamic movement that will ‘only’ serve as kingmaker in local elections. But it will be so influential in the general population that it will dictate the tone in everything it wishes,” Yehezkeli told the media last week.
Asked why he concentrates on France in particular, the undercover investigative journalist said the French are “naïve and innocent.”
They refuse to see what is happening because it is a very gradual attack on French culture and values, according to Yehezkeli.
“A gradual process is more dangerous than a surprise attack. The world is afraid of wars. Give the French their croissants and they will sit quietly,” according to the Channel 10 commentator who for two weeks resided in a suburb of Paris and didn’t speak a word of French – because he didn’t have to.
“You don’t feel like a foreigner in France. In the cafes, women and men are segregated. It feels exactly like being in a real Muslim country,” Yehezkeli said about his undercover stay in the Paris area.