Showing posts with label (part. Show all posts
Showing posts with label (part. Show all posts

Mengapa Al Qur’an Diturunkan Dalam Bahasa Arab? (part 3)

on Monday, November 5, 2012

Pada artikel sebelumnya, saya telah mencoba menunjukkan mengapa bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang ideal dalam penurunan wahyu Al Qur’an.

Akar kata terakhir dari ayat adalah عقل (‘ql). Sungguh, Kami telah menurunkannya sebagai Al Qur’an dalam bahasa Arab agar kamu memahaminya.

Sebelum melihat artinya, dari ayat itu sendiri kita bisa menyimpulkan bahwa disana ada tujuan yang akan dicapai oleh kumpulan bagian-bagian beserta artinya yang diekspresikan dalam bahasa yang jelas dan berbeda. Ini, fakta bahwa Al Qur’an diturunkan dalam bagian-bagian yang disampaikan dalam bahasa yang memungkinkan pembedaan antara bagian-bagian tersebut adalah cara Tuhan memilih untuk mengarahkan para umat menuju sebuah pemahaman. Tapi, pemahaman seperti apa yang sedang kita bicarakan ini?

Arti utama dari akar kata عقل (‘ql) adalah menahan, mengendalikan, yang menunjuk pada apa yang juga kita temukan bahwa عقل (‘ql) juga berarti nama sebuah tali yang digunakan untuk mengikat kaki-kaki onta sehingga mereka tidak bisa bergerak. Dari sinilah kita akan mulai: gagasan bahwa sesuatu itu di kendalikan, didirikan secara tetap di suatu tempat. Lalu, apakah ada hubungannya antara gagasan mengendalikan sesuatu ini dengan pemahaman?

Pertama-tama, mari kita melihat bahasa Inggris understanding(pemahaman)… ini berasal dari stand (berdiri), yang mana, ternyata berasal dari bahasa Latin sto, yang artinya secara umum adalah berdiri, lawan dari duduk, berjalan, atau berbaring. Jadi sto berarti untuk berdiri di tempat, berdiri tetap atau tidak berpindah-menegaskan hubungan antara pemahaman dan ketidakberpindahan. Tapi, bayangkan seseorang bertanya “tapi bagaimana dengan ‘under’ (dibawah) – mengapa itu muncul sebelum gagasan remaining still (diam)?; dan apa hubungannya dengan understanding (pemahaman)?”ini adalah pertanyaan yang sungguh menarik…

Sebagai preposisi, under (dibawah) menunjuk pada posisi yang lebih rendah yang diambil dalam menunjukkan sesuatu yang berada diatas – jika pada yang diatas kita menyebutnya surface (permukaan), menjadi di bawah berarti menjadi di bawah permukaan. Sekarang orang tersebut menyanyakan “Oh, mungkin ini mengapa ‘under’ umumnya dihubungkan dengan inferioritas atau penaklukan…” dan kita akan mengatakan: itu hanya terjadi jika anda berhenti melihat ke permukaan… Pernahkan anda berpikir bahwa untuk menjadi kuat, setiap bangunan membutuhkan pondasi? Dan pondasi itu adalah sesuatu yang berdiri di bawah bangunan? jadi, meskipun beradai di bawah permukaan, tidak terlihat, pondasi pada kenyataannya adalah dasar atas apa yang membuat bangunan itu berdiri. Lebih lanjut, pondasi adalah permulaan, yang sangat banyak, sehingga menegakkan dasar adalah untuk membangun sesuatu, yang mana, memberikan kelahiran pada hal tersebut. Contohnya, ingat bahwa setiap saat orang membicarakan tentang prinsip-prinsip dalam masyarakat? Apa yang menurut anda mereka arahkan? Bukan apapun melainkan konsep-konsep dasar yang padanya masyarakat dibangun – dan kenyataan bahwa dasar itu tidak berarti rendah, sebaliknya… Dan ini tepatnya dengan konsepnya yang sangat ditinggikan oleh preposisi yang dengannya kata sto berhubungan. Karena analisis ini, under (di bawah) kemudian berguna untuk menekankan ide dari kepastian sebagai kualitas yang tidak mungkin terlihat jika seeorang terbiasa untuk hanya melihat pada permukaan.

Sekarang, mari kita memperlebar analisis dengan memasukkan satu arti lain yang terkandung pada akar kata: things that are perceived by the intellect (hal-hal yang dimengerti oleh para ahli). Dari yang telah kita lihat di atas, dan untuk tetap menjaga kesinambungan, kata kerja perceive (melihat/mengerti) harus dihubungkan dengan gagasan dari menahan, atau menjadikan tidak bergerak. Marik kita ambil sumber kata dalam bahasa Inggris, dalam bahasa Latin percipio, yang berarti to take possession of, to gather, collect (untuk mengambil kepunyaan, mengumpulkan, menghimpun). Ingat lego – untuk membaca sebagai plihan dari buah yang anda petik dari pohon? Sekarang kita membahasnya sekali lagi… Tetapi sekarang sesuatu telah ditambahkan ke dalam pilihan tersebut- memetik, dan nyatanya bahwa anda telah mengambil kepemilikan darinya, yang mana, anda telah menguasai buah tersebut untuk diri anda sendiri. Dari ide memiliki sesuatu yang telah dikumpulkan ini, percipio pun bersifat metafora dalam menunjukkan to understand, comprehend (untuk memahami, mengerti). Jika anda masih belum teryakinkan bahwa percipio adalah salah satu jalan dari mempertahankan, maka izinkan saya menambahkan bahwa itu berasal dari capio, to take in hand, seize, grasp (untuk mendapatkan dalam genggaman, menangkap, menggenggam); digunakan dalam hubungan dengan kehidupan makhluk yang berarti to take captive, to catch (by hunting) (untuk menawan, mengangkap (dalam berburu)).

Pada akhirnya, kita mengatakan menghargai عقل – pemahaman, ini sudah jelas bahwa ini adalah pemahaman yang berdasarkan pada apa yang dilihat, retensi intelek dari bagian-bagian yang telah dipetik dari keseluruhan. Tetapi intelek tidak hanya menahannya – mereka juga membawanya bersama-sama.. Saya akan mencoba membuktikan bahwa faktanya intellect berasal dari kata intellego (untuk memahami, mengerti, membenarkan apa pun), yang mana terbentuk dengan preposisi inter dan lego… Ya, ini adalah lego yang sama.. dan lagi, ingat bahwa ini menunjukkan kepada kita bahwa mengumpulkan bersama mungkin juga sama dengan pilihan? Sekarang, ketika didahului oleh inter, lego dapat menunjukkan pada timbal-balik, hubungan dua arah yang bisa kita temukan dalam hal-hal yang kita pilih. Dan ketika hal-hal tersebut berbagi hubungan-hubungan, mereka membawanya bersama-sama. Lebih dari itu, mereka saling terkait, bertalian, bersama…. Ingat rangkaiannya?

You can also read the English article here



View the
Original article

Mengapa Al Qur’an Diturunkan Dalam Bahasa Arab? (part 2)

on Sunday, November 4, 2012

Pada artikel sebelumnya, saya telah mencoba menunjukkan bahwa Al Qur’an tidak hanya sebuah kumpulan ayat-ayat dalam satu buku…

Sekarang kita akan melihat akar dari bahasa Arab itu sendiri, عرب (‘rb), telah menunjukkan pada kita yang kemungkinan menjelaskan pada kualitas yang membimbing saya untuk berhipotesis bahwa kita sedang berurusan dengan bahasa yang special.
Arti pertama dalam عرب yang akan menyita perhatian anda terhadapnya adalah “tidak melakukan kesalahan apapun dalam berbahasa, mengekspresikan makna yang jelas, dengan berbeda, dengan demikian membuat semuanya menjadi jelas, terang, dan berbeda. Sebagai berikut, Al Qur’an diturunkan dalam bahasa yang telah memberikan kekuatan untuk mengekspresikan arti-arti secara jelas dan berbeda.

Sudahkah anda melihat pasangan yang dibentuk oleh bentuk kata keterangan dari jelas dan berbeda? Kita semua mengetahui arti dari kata jelas, dan dalam derajat yang lebih tinggi ataupun lebih rendah kita secara umum dapat berbicara dengan jelas, atau paling tidak mencoba untuk melakukannya.

Tetapi apakah kita sangat yakin dengan arti kata berbeda? Apakah cukup dengan menjawab bahwa sesuatu itu dengan nyata diekspresikan ketika kita membedakannya dari hal-hal lainnya?; atau apakah dengan mengatakan bahwa kita membedakan ketika kita memisahka, ketika kita membagi, akan membantu?

Mengapa Al Qur’an Diturunkan Dalam Bahasa Arab

Ini jelas merupakan logika figuratif dari bahasa latin distinguo (dari kata inilah distinct terbentuk), berarti untuk memisahkan, membagi, melepas, menunjukkan: jika kita ingin membedakan hal-hal kita harus bisa memisahkannya. Pendeknya, saya akan mengatakan bahwa mengekspresikan arti-arti dengan berbeda yang dimungkinkan oleh bahasa Arab itu secara esensial koheren dengan fakta bahwa al Qur’an disusun dari bagian-bagian. Dengan kata lain, jika قرا (qr’) menitikkan pada keberadaan bagian-bagian yang disusun bersama, عرب menekankan fakta bahwa bagian-bagian tersebut diekspresikan secara berbeda, sangat nyata sehingga tidak ada kesalahan yang bisa ditemukan dalam kumpulan tersebut. Jadi, kedua akar kata tersebut berhubungan, karena keduanya berusaha memberikan kita gagasan dari sebuah hubungan yang tertata, logis, dan konsisten dari bagian-bagian.

Sekarang, mari kita lanjutkan untuk mencoba memahami mengapa عرب juga berarti air yang melimpah. Apakah anda melihat hubungan antara sesuatu yang berbeda, mudah untuk dimengerti, dan air yang melimpah? Anda tahu bagaimana hujan turun dari langit bukan? Hujan turun dalam tetesan yang berturut-turut, terpisah, dan berbeda. Ketika mereka sampai di tanah untuk kemudian diserap oleh tanah ataupun tetap berada di permukaan, mereka akan berkumpul, membentuk aliran yang kurang lebih sama seperti asalnya. Ketika anda melihat aliran tersebut, anda tidak melihat tetesan, karena mereka berkumpul bersama menjadi sebuah keseluruhan yang sempurna sehingga membuat anda lupa bahwa anda sebenarnya melihat bertemunya kembali ribuan tetes-tetes air.

Jadi, adalah mungkin untuk membayangkan bahasa Arab sebagai sesuatu yang dapat menciptakan sebuah aliran, arus yang terbentuk dari banyak kata-kata berbeda yang kumpulannya itu melambangkan air yang melimbah, yang mana adalah kesuburan, kemurahan hati. Dan itu tepatnya adalah apa yang disebut Al Qur’an. Lebih jaunhnya, saya pikir bahwa untuk mensintesiskan aspek tertentu dari Al Qur’an ini saya hanya harus meminta anda untuk mengingat bahwa Tuhan menggunakan نزل (nzl) untuk menjelaskan wahyu dan air yang Dia kirim dari langit.

Pada bagian ketiga, kita akan mencoba memahami arti dari kata “pemahaman”….

You can also read the English article here



View the
Original article

Mengapa Al Qur’an Diturunkan Dalam Bahasa Arab? (part 1)

on Saturday, November 3, 2012

Untuk pertanyaan ini, saya pikir kebanyakan orang akan menjawab bahwa karena bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang digunakan dan dimengerti oleh Nabi Muhammad saw. Meskipun saya tidak menyangkal jawaban itu, tapi menurut saya kita bisa melihat lebih jauh. Menjadi sebuah wahyu yang ditujukan kepada seluruh umat, saya pikir ini wajar untuk berpendapat bahwa ada kemungkinan sesuatu yang spesial mengenai bahasa Arab yang telah memungkinkannya dipilih oleh Tuhan. Dan untuk membuktikannya saya mengajak Anda untuk bersama-sama menelusurinya. Kalau Anda mau, kita akan menuruti ayat kedua dari bagian 12 – “Sesungguhnya, kami telah menurunkan wahyu ini dalam bahasa Arab sehingga kamu memahaminya”.

Bagi mereka yang tidak familiar dengan bahasa Arab, ini akan membantu mereka mengetahui bahwa kata “Qur’an” berasal dari akar kata قرا (qr’). Arti pertama dari akar kata tersebut adalah untuk mengumpulkan, sebagian demi sebagian, yang mana menunjukkan kepada kita, Al Qur’an sebagai sebuah kumpulan dari bagian-bagian, elemen-elemen yang berbeda yang disatukan sehingga membentuk sebuah buku. Tapi kita akan menambahkan beberapa detail ke dalam asumsi yang agak sederhana ini…

Kita akan tuangkan dalam hal yang lebih detail dengan menyebut bahasa Latin “colligo” (yang dari kata ini, bahasa Inggris “collect” dan “collection” berhubungan), yang berarti untuk mengumpulkan atau mengumpulkan bersama menjadi satu, untuk menghimpun; contohnya digunakan dalam bahasa militer, untuk menggambarkan perkumpulan tentara. Tetapi arti yang paling menarik datang dari salah satu penggunaan metaforanya, dimana kita menemukan bahwa kata “colligo” berarti untuk meletakkannya bersama di dalam pikiran, untuk berpikir akan/pada. Tidakkah Anda setuju bahwa ini menambahkan pemahaman yang lebih baik untuk pertimbangan apa itu arti Al Qur’an sebagai sebuah kumpulan dari bagian-bagian? Ini memungkinkan kita untuk tetap melihat kitab suci Al Qur’an sebagai permukaan yang daripadanya dikumpulkanlah ayat-ayat dan juz-juz, tetapi itu juga mendorong kita untuk mempertimbangkan kebutuhan untuk menempatkan bagian-bagian tersebut terkumpul dalam pikiran kita melalui penalaran.

Sekarang kita akan menuju akar makna lain yang harus kita renungkan, “membaca”.
Apa kaitan antara membaca daengan mengumpulkan bersama bagian-bagian yang terpisah? Jawabannya terlihat mudah… ketika seseorang membaca, dia membawa keseluruhan tidak hanya huruf-huruf, tetapi juga kata-katanya sebagaimana kalimat-kalimat secara keseluruhan. Tetapi, mari kita mencoba untuk mendapatkan lebih banyak detail… Ambil kata kerja Latin “lego”: membawa, mengumpulkan, mengumpulkan bersama, umumnya digunakan sebagai penunjuk. Contohnya, untuk mengumpulkan buah-buahan atau bunga-bungaan, yang mana menambahkan “colligo” gagasan “mengambil”, “memilih”. Dengan kata lain, “mengumpulan bersama dengan memilih” membawa pada ide “ekstraksi”, “penghapusan”.

Saya anggap Anda telah mengambil hasilnya dari sini… Jika sudah, Anda tahu bahwa Anda tidak memilihnya secara diskriminatif seperti jika Anda dalam keadaan mata tertutup, dan semua yang Anda perlu lakukan adalah menggenggam semua keuntungan tersebut. Ketika Anda memanen buah dari pohonnya, Anda memilih apa yang Anda petik, begitulah, anda memilih salah satu yang paling menarik bagi anda. Dengan kata lain, ketika Anda memetik buah dari pohonnya, Anda mengambil salah satu yang telah Anda pilih dari seluruh buah yang menggantung pada pohon tersebut.

Sekarang, disamping itu, lego berarti membaca, yang cukup penasaran, sebagaimana kata ini memungkinkan kita tidak hanya untuk melihat perbuatan membaca sebagai pengumpulan huruf-huruf dan kata-kata bersama, tetapi juga untuk melihat perbuatan tersebut yang berarti memilih bagian-bagian untuk membentuk keseluruhan.

Sekarang mari kita bawa Al Qur’an… Ketika Anda membaca pembukaan Al Qur’an dari juz 1 sampai akhir, Anda sedang memanfaatkan kumpulan yang telah terorganisasi, terkumpul, setelah penurunan wahyu tersebut. Tetapi, mengapa tidak mencoba untuk memilih bagian-bagian, ayat terpisah, dan kemudian mencoba untuk membawanya bersama-sana dengan bantuan kemampuan Anda? Anda hanya perlu memahami apa yang telah Anda pilih dan pertahankan itu dan kumpulkan dalam kecerdasan Anda melalui penalaran. Siapa tahu…mungkin Anda akan melihat setiap ayat terpisah ini sebagai butiran mutiara yang darinya sangat mungkin membentuk untaian hingga menjadi sebuah kalung… untaian tersebut menjadi pemahaman anda dari pilihan yang telah anda buat…

Pada bagian kedua dari artikel ini kita akan menganalisis akar dari bahasa Arab itu sendiri, عرب (‘rb).

You can also reas the English article here



View the
Original article

When you Believe Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Last Prophet- Your faith is Completed (Part 1)

on Monday, September 17, 2012

Islam is the religion that wants a strong faith in the divine ruling of the finality of Prophet hood, i.e, Khatme-Nabuwat in which the muslim has to admit and maintain a strong believe that Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) is the last Messenger of ALLAH. This occupant in Islam is so important that if there is any doubt in it, the whole life as well as one’s faith can be ruined. Those who protect their belief from any kind of damage are very strong because they are protecting their faiths for the almighty ALLAH(SWT). For instance, Mirza Ghulam Qadiani had abrogated Jihad and introduced his personal book in which he had explained Quranic Verses in disobidence of real Hadiths, which gave rise to a new faith named as Ahmadiyyat. An Irani scholar, Hussain Ali (Bahaullah) explained the modified version of the principles of Islam. He also introduced his book in which Individuals who have faith over the next messenger after Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are tending to give an impression that this religion is not complete, and they are tempting to produce possible corruption, rejection or alteration of the messages of Islam. He had replaced the Holy Quran and also changed the direction of Qiblah to Namka, which is in Israel from Makkah tul Mukarrama. He named his new faith “Bahism”.

It has given a path to the misguided and opportunitsts to divert the concentration from the religion of ALLAH. However, the Holy Quran that has merged whole world in it has effectively said that no other messengers will be sent after Prophet Muhammad (SAW). For this, there are more than two hundred Quranic verses and Hadiths available for reference. In addition to it, all the companions and whole Muslim ummah has agreed over the Finality of Prophet-hood and consider its doubts as “Kufr”.

The founder of “Hanifa School of thoughts”,  Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) was so anxious about this misguidance that he passed an official order and questioned with the applicant that do they have any proof about their sayings or not? His order was issued in the form of “FATWA” in which he had stressed over the strong and absolute belief in the Khatme-Nabuwat. He had motivated Muslims to defend the doctrine of Islam from alteration and corruption. If the Muslims got face to face with any of the claimant then he/she should demand for the evidences about their claims but if they do not have any, then a Muslim should recite the meanings of this ayat that:

“There can not be another god besides Allah(SWT) and there can not be another Prophet after Muhammad(SAW). “

It is the duty of every Mulism to fight against the tenant and to those who are damaging the Holy religion. You will also find lots of moments when you see that how Muslims had defended their Islam by sacrifsing heir lives. The first Caliph of Islam Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) fought for the dignity of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) against Musailma. He had not just done it for HIS dignity, but also to save Muslims from his cruelty. As the result, 22000 territorial army of Musailma had been killed while Muslims lost 1200 precious lives of the soldiers that includes around 600 Qaris, Distingushed soldiers of Badr, Huffaz and companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

In order to appreciate and understand the willpower of Muslims, you need to remember that throughout the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), He had lost 259 precious lives battling for the respect and honor of Islam and ALLAH. On the other hand, Kuffar, the non believers of Islam, had suffered with 759 casualities. In short, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) decreed that the imposters of Prophet (SAW) should not spread evil in the country. So, He ordered His companions that they should not rest until the elimination of evil from their country. This decision was accepted and so endorsed by the companions that Hazrat Umar (RA) offered a replacement with Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA). He said that:

“I will exchange all good deeds of my life time for your acts of one night and one day. One night from those three nights you spent with Rasool Allah(SAW) in the Cave of Thaur and one day from the days of battles against impostor Prophets to guard the Finality of Muhammad(SAW).” 

Obviously, it is our obligation and responsibility to defend and struggle for the “Finality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)” and should not entertain the argues of fake Prophet and Messiahs who appear time to time.

To be continued………………………….


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

About the author



View the Original article

An expedition to the center (Part III)

on Friday, September 7, 2012

In the previous post we’ve seen that a sharp-point, being essential for piercing or penetrating, is also responsible for the appearance of a small entrance, that might explain why acies is able to name the pupil of the eye.
I’ll now introduce one other characteristic of the pupil that I think it’s importantits being stationed in the center of the iris… The noun center derives from Latin centrum, the stationary foot of the compass, around which the other is carried in making a circle – by metonymy, the middle point of a circle, the centre. This Latin word derived from Greek kentrum, any sharp point; of animals, sting of bees and wasps (just like Latin acumen as we’ve already seen…). The Latin centrum gave origin to centrosus, the central point, hence, in the most inward, internal place.
The Greek word that denotes the inmost point is akria, that could be used in relation to muelos (marrow), meaning the spinal marrow – that we’ve found in the second part of “On verses and signs congregated around the origin”, as being a part of the central nervous system, and the place to which is sent all information apprehended by the senses. From akria, other words derived, like akribhs, exact, accurate, precise; and akribwma, exact knowledge.
Let’s now see the marrow, conveyed by Latin medulla, also meaning the pith, inside, kernel, metaphorically used to denote the innermost, best part. In English, the central kernel of a nut or seed is named nucleus. In Latin, nucleus was basically a little nut, a sense that allowed other meanings to emerge, such as the hard, uneatable kernel, as well as the kernel, the inner part, inside of a thing. The verb that denotes the breaking of the shell is enucleo, a derivation from nucleus, figuratively meaning to lay open, make clear, explain, hence, clear, pure, unadulterated; and as a substantive, its plural form was the name for the essence, the condensed meaning. The Arabic root that alludes to the breaking of nuts, almonds, etc, and to the the pure, or best, part is لب (lb). We have already found it in the fourth part  of “On verses and signs congregated around the origin”, where I’ve said that because of its associating the edible heart of nuts, almond with understanding, the root is defining a certain “type of knowledge or understanding that has its origin on the capability of being able to look at the inside, at the center of something that is hidden – a notion that is rendered clear in English language through the noun insight, literally, a sight or view into the interior.”
In the second part of this article, I’ve suggested that “the motive why [such] a piercing is associated with acute vision probably has to do with the fact that whenever a hole is bored on a surface, light penetrates through, illuminating its interior. And this is, essentially, what is done, or allowed, by the pupil…” In fact, with noun punctum, we’ve seen how it went from denoting that which is pricked or pricked in, to designating a small hole. One synonym of hole is an opening – and Arabic language clearly states that the pupil is the gate, or door, of the eyes (بوب العين).
Let us now stop for a moment in order to understand what we’re talking about when we talk about an entrance, or aperture. First of all, dictionaries define aperture as being an opening, such as a hole, gap, or slit. But, what’s a fact is that we may get a whole different idea if we analyze Latin verb aperio (the source of aperture), that has more to do with the sense of to uncover, or lay bare, hence the meanings to unclose, open. You might think that this is an insignificant detail, as the English verb itself may also mean having no protecting or concealing cover, which implicitly alludes to the previous existence of a cover that has been removed… Anyway, if this is true, what’s also evident is that this particular meaning is referent to the idea of a protection that has been removed, whereas aperio is not alluding in any way to that cover being any sort of protection. In just the opposite way, the Latin verb points to the opening of an entrance to, and the fact that something is rendered accessible is what explains why, in relation to mental objects, it means to disclose something unknown, reveal, make known; and why it was used metaphorically as meaning clear, plain, evident, manifest, in opposition to that which is concealed, covered, dark. And, what’s more, the expression oculos aperire, that is, to open one’s eyes, is one other way of saying to make [someone] discern. These same relations are found in aperio‘s equivalent in Arabic. In fact, فتح (fth) not only means an opening and to open, but also made it to be unrestricted and to explain, inform.
The Arabic root for gate or door, بوب (bub) also means to make things to be divided into kinds, or sorts; and the division that is made according to distinct items, articles, or categories. It is important to say that this is the sort of orderly division that allows articles or items to be distributed under distinct heads – like what happens when one divides a book into chapters. So, this meaning lead us to the consideration of a disposing, an arranging of distinct elements according to classes or categories. The noun class defines a group whose elements share certain attributes, that is, specific traits that are only common to those elements. So, basically, the disposing of items to which بوب refers to, deals with the idea of an orderly arrangement whose criterion seems to be the attention paid to attributes that are only common to certain individuals – which may be considered side by side with aperio’s discernment.

In the next post, I will show you examples confirming that the inmost part, or center, is associated with a circle and fixedness…


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

About the author



View the Original article

An expedition to the center (Part I)

on Thursday, August 2, 2012

An expedition to the center

When I was finishing my article “On verses and signs congregated around the origin”, I’ve noticed one very interesting detail in the Arabic root conveying the meaning ayat, the word used in the Qur’an to both name its verses and the signs of God: the fact that اى is formed by the first and last letters of Arabic alphabet. In my native language, the word az is formed in just the same way: that is, with the first and last letters, of Portuguese alphabet. And this apparently minute detail sparked the most curious of expeditions…

The first meaning of the word az denotes the blade, the flat cutting part of a sharpened weapon or tool. This word derived from Latin acies, a sharp edge or point (of a sword, dagger, etc), probably originating in Greek akh, point, and akhis, pointed object. From this notion of a sharp edge or point, the word came to be used to name both the army drawn up in order of battle, and, in relation to the sense or faculty of vision, sharpness of vision or sight. If you have read “On verses and signs congregated around the origin”, you’ll immediately notice that it is as tough I’m following the same track… In fact, in that article, I think that one of the things that catches the attention is the seeing how verses and signs seem to be an intrinsic part of what I would call a military complex, that was even able to embrace concepts referent to the nature of languages, as I’ve shown in the last part LINK of the previously mentioned article.
Let us go back to acies, that has one other surprise for us: the denoting the pupil of the eye. The pupil is a round, black hole in the center of the iris. Its colour originates in the lack of light in the internal part of the eye, that can only hope to receive it through the pupil, that acts as an entrance allowing light to enter. In other species, pupils are vertical slits, like in cats, whereas goats, for instance, have horizontal pupils. This difference of shape serves distinct purposes in each of the species. In the case of human beings, the round shape of our pupil is what allows both peripheral vision and concentration on a single point. It is interesting to point out that peripheral vision is a term that defines itself by opposition to central vision, which clearly denounces the greater importance given to the later. Basically, peripheral vision is the one occurring outside the central point to which eyes gaze at. This type of vision is weaker in humans when compared with other species, and this is simply because receptor cells on our retinas are located in a greater number at the center. So, basically, human eyes’ ability to focus on a central point is what sets us apart from all other species in what vision is concerned. Furthermore, this same feature is at the very base of such notions as aiming towards a goal, with aiming meaning both to direct (a weapon) toward an intended target and a purpose or intention toward which one’s efforts are directed. That such a feat is based on a specific feature of the pupil, its shape to be accurate, is not insignificant, as I will try to evidence in this article.
So, till now, and because of its derivation from acies, Portuguese word az showed us that the cutting part of weapons or tools is associated with sharp point, which was used figuratively to describe a certain type of vision: both cutting and piercing, which is rendered possible by the pupil of the eye… In the next post I will try to clarify this interconnection a bit more.

On verses and signs congregated around the origin (Part 6)

on Monday, July 30, 2012

On verses and signs congregated around the origin

In the previous post I’ve shown that language itself is a sign that is based on military aspects. In fact, language itself is so dependent on the gathering of distinct elements to give birth to words, sentences, and meaning, as an army is of the gathering of distinct individuals – and if soldiers congregate around a fixed standard, where do the elements of language congregate themselves?

I would like to start by telling you about the Greek word phalaggos, that means line of battle as well as the joints between the fingers and toes, nowadays known as phalanges. From this word, another derived: phalanx, that was used In ancient Greece in relation to a division composed by the total members of the infantry. This word was inherited by English language, meaning a tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily armed infantry standing shoulder to shoulder in fixed lines several ranks deep – a meaning that got its inspiration from the close position of the elements of the Greek phalanx infantry, whose first rows were formed by soldiers having their spears projecting out over the first rank of shields, making it impossible for the enemy to reach one of its members without being pierced first.

In the Qur’an, we find this row in 61:4, “Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a structure joined firmly.”  - the word row being conveyed by صف (Sf), to set, placed, or stationed, a company of men, military force, in a rank, row, or line.
The word structure is a translation of بنى (bnia), a root that also denotes the act of constructing and bringing up, educate. In Latin, structura means a fitting together, adjustment; having had its origin in struo, to make by joining together; to build, fabricate, make, form, construct, and, with the idea of order predominating, to set in order, arrange. In other words, the stationing of troops in a row is equivalent to constructing.

I’m certain that you’re familiar with the need of arranging bricks in a row so as to build a wall. In Arabic, we find such a wall in root سور, that also means a sign or token as well as being used to denote the chapters of the Qur’an. The idea is that every single sign is arranged in such a manner as to render possible the construction of whole. To the building as a whole, as a group composed by orderly arranged elements in rows, be it bricks or soldiers, we’ll give the name book, كتب, (ktb), a root that also means the disposing the troops in order.

So, basically, the Qur’an is a building. Being a building, it’s composed of elements closely joined in rows. But, remember that in order to assure that these rows are made even, masons use a wooden instrument similar to a rule? This instrument is found amongst the meanings of ام, the root we’ve found in the second part of this article, also signifying origin and mother.

Before concluding this article, there’s just one last detail to which I have to call your attention: the fact that the Qur’an is conveyed by Arabic root قرا, which means to collect together – and which, in turn, means that even the title itself is a sign… because in Arabic, the title of a book is one of the meanings of عنو (‘nu), a root that also refers to everything that serves as an indication of other thing.

God willing, in my next article I’ll tell you the story of what happened when I noticed that ayat is a word composed by the first and last letters of Arabic alphabet, and decided to look at the word in my native language that’s as well formed through the addition of the first and last letters of Portuguese alphabet.

On verses and signs congregated around the origin (Part 4)

on Thursday, July 26, 2012

On verses and signs congregated around the origin (Part 4)

In the previous post, we’ve seen how  the identification of signs is dependent on the sense of vision.

I would now like to analyze an Arabic root whose presence in this article I hope will allow me to prove that in order to know signs a special kind of knowledge is needed, a type of  knowledge that seems to be associated with vision.

The root is سمو (smu), whose main meanings in the Qur’an are those of sky and names.
A name is a sign in the form of a language unit by which a person or thing is known.

The root سمو also means a form or figure seen from a distance, and the aspect of anything – so basically, just like the others we’ve seen so far, a name is also a sign with its own shape. But besides this similarity, a name has one characteristic that makes it distinct from the others: names are signs that can be used to allude to someone or something that is not present, which means that the recognizance of names is not dependent on vision.

To put it in other words, if names are like forms that we see then either we identify those forms or we don’t, that is, either we know them or we don’t. It is not a question of not seeing them, but of recognizing them. In Latin, this verb is recognosco, and literally means to know again. Being used to denote the act of recalling to mind, this meaning to know again as a recollection in the mind is dependent on the thing being previously known – and this is probably why سمو is synonym with علم (‘lm), a root whose main occurrence in the Qur’an is to denote knowledge, as I’ve pointed out in the first part of this article.

We should now recall that ayat denotes both the signs and the verses in the Qur’an. In my opinion, this pair should to be looked at from the very peculiar aspect it assumes in the Qur’an, where those signs lead a sort of double-live, as they are both apparent and not immediately perceptible… To say it in other words, the concept of ayat in the Qur’an tells us of  the existence of an apparent thing that is inseparable from a thing not equally apparent, and it is only because we are capable of seeing or recognizing the former that we are able to infer, or deduce, the presence of the other. This is also coherent with علم and سمو connection with signs, allowing me to conclude that getting to know the signs and the verses of the Qur’an is, in fact, dependent not only on the ability of seeing them but also of conceiving them.

In order for a better understanding of what conceiving means, I would like to call your attention to the Latin verb from which it derives: concipio, to take or lay hold of. From this general meaning, a figurative one emerged: to take or seize something by the sense of sight, which in turn was used as meaning to comprehend intellectually. I think that this verb is the one that more explicitly shows us that there’s an equivalence between seeing and understanding, an equivalence that originates in the general metaphor of the eye of the intellect, that is, a sort of sixth sense that is responsible for the perception of unapparent things.

The fact that they’re intrinsically connected is made explicit in Arabic root بصر, that denotes both the sense of vision with the eye and the vision of the intellect, as demonstrated, for instance, in 24:44, “God alternates the night and the day. Indeed in that is an indication for those of vision”.

The alternation of night and day is an apparent sign susceptible of being caught by the eyes, and, at the same time, an unapparent one that can only be grasped by the intellect – which means that this sign is a concept, that is, it is a name given to the conjunction of all the characteristic features or particulars of the alternation that can only be seen by the other type of vision. But if we wish to understand even better this type of knowledge, I suggest taking a look at 3:190 “Indeed, in […] the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.“, where understanding is denoted by لب, a root that clearly associates it with the edible heart of nuts, almonds, etc. In other words, this is the type of knowledge or understanding that has its origin on the capability of being able to look at the inside, at the center of something that is hidden – a notion that is rendered clear in English language through the noun insight, literally, a sight or view into the interior.

Inspired by the sense of names in سمو, in the next post I will try to explain how these units of language congregate around its own standard…

On verses and signs congregated around the origin (Part 2)

on Tuesday, July 24, 2012

In the previous post, I’ve shown you that signs are associated with physical forms. Furthermore, and in order to shed more light on the concept, I’ve added one other Arabic root, علم, that shows us several examples of what signs are, and to one of them I now wish to pay special attention: the standard or banner to which soldiers congregate.

In ancient Rome, the military standard was named signum (the source of our sign), a word whose general meaning was that of a a mark, token, sign, indication. In its particular use in military language, the signum was the distinctive sign of a division of an army, a meaning that gave birth to several expressions, such as the following of the standard to denote the marching in military order; the relinquishing the standard as a synonym of deserting, and the fixing the banner as likened to encamping. This last meaning was conveyed in Latin through the expression signa figere. Meaning to fix, fasten, attach, affix, the verb figo (the source of  adverb fixe, that is, fixedly) was used as an allusion to the fixing in the ground, hence to erect or set up.

The Arabic root نصب (nSb), means to put, set upright. It can be applied to stones set up as a sign or mark to show the way. Furthermore, when used with the standard of علم it means setting it up. One other interesting thing is that this root signifies origin, source, a place whence a thing grows.

The noun origin derives from origo, to rise, while the verb denoting that action, orior, was used applied to the heavenly bodies as meaning to become visible, appear.
Besides origin, نصب also means dust rising high. In order to understand its presence side by side with origin, I’ll first ask you to pay attention to 30:20 “And of His signs is that He created you from dust”, and 35:11 “And God created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop“.
Dust is the name given to fine dry particles of earth. The noun particle derives from Latin particula, a small part or little bit – a diminutive of pars, a part, piece, portion. This same word gave origin to: partibilis, divisible; particulatio (particularize), a dividing into small parts or pieces; and to partitio (partition), used by philosophers as meaning a logical division into parts or members.

The root نصب signifies a portion as well.

The Latin word for dust is pulvis, a source of derivation of to pulverize, that is, to reduce a substance to fine particles. Latin pulvis was also used in relation to soil, hence alluding properly to potter’s earth, a substance whose elasticity allows it to create artifacts of several shapes.

From all this, I think it is possible to conclude that origin is associated with that which comes to existence by means of the firm congregation of parts, of which the soldiers congregation to the banner, and the particles of earth gathered to form dust and potter’s earth seems to be a symbol.

In 83:6-7 we read “[Man] was created from a fluid, ejected, emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.” The noun ribs is conveyed by the same root denoting dust in 30:20 and 35:11 – that is, نصب.

In what backbone is concerned, it is conveyed by صلب (Slb), that not only refers to any portion of the spine (particularly the lumbar portion, or loins),  but also to a banner or standard.

The backbone is also known as spinal column. The spinal column is a vertical structure made up of bone and cartilaginous matter that supports the trunk and the head. It is composed of roughly 33 bones called vertebrae -  Latin word for joint. Each pair of vertebrae is connected by a joint that stabilizes it and allows it to move. The spine is home to the spinal cord, or spinal marrow, a column of nerve tracts that, along with the brain, form the central nervous system, to which is sent all the information apprehended by the senses  – which means that we should add the spine to the the list where we already have the standard and dust-potter’s earth as symbols of origin. But not only the spine… we should also add the mother, a meaning that we get from Arabic ام (‘m), also meaning that to which other things are collected together as well as source, origin, foundation or basis of a thing, its stay, support or cause of subsistence. This root does not mention the spine, however it sure denotes the ensign, or standard, which an army follows.

In the next post, I will be analyzing signs dependence on the sense of vision.

Islamophobia is prejudice against Muslims and Islam (part 1)

on Saturday, July 21, 2012

Islamophobia is prejudice against Muslims and Islam. Islamophobia refers to hostility and unfounded fear of towards Islam. Such hostility and fear leads to discriminations and racism against Muslims by excluding them from the social, mainstream political ,stereotyping the presumption of guilt by association, economic, and public life of the nation. It includes the perception that Islam is inferior to the West has no values in common with other cultures, and rather than a religion it is a violent political ideology. Professor Anne Sophie Roald wrote that steps were taken in January 2001 at the “Stockholm International Forum on Combating Intolerance”, where Islamophobia was known and recognized as a form of Anti-Semitism and intolerance alongside Xenophobia and it was an official acceptance of the term towards Muslims.

As an anti islamophobia I’ll say the consistent acts of terrorism performed by Muslims are not the main cause of Islamophobia but the main causes of Islamophobia are the 9/11 bombings which called thousands of Americans and also the 7/7 bombings in London and so many more. This has led to the illusion that only Muslims are bombers and they should be feared. . Muslims are being blamed for everything now a day. Exaggeration of the media of Muslims has not led to Islamophobia. Instead, U.S. government and the media have fanned the flames of something more that is older than 9/11. Islamophobia goes far back in history, the term seems that it goes back to the 1980s but came into the common usage after the attacks in the United States at September 11, 2001. In 1997, the British Runnymede Trust defined and described Islamophobia as the “hatred or dread of Islam and therefore, to the dislike and fear of all Muslims,” stating that Islamophobia also refers to the practice and matter of discriminating against Muslims.

Islamophobia has resulted in the unquestioned and general acceptance of the following:

  • Islam is a monolithic religion and cannot adapt to new realities.
  • Islam does not share common values with other major religion.
  • As a religion Islam is inferior to the West. It is archaic, irrational and barbaric.
  • Islam supports terrorism and it is a religion of violence.
  • Islam is nothing but a violent political ideology.

The Muslim people who live in the west are highly impacted by Islamophobia and its bad effects. Muslims, as the members of minority communities in the West, grow up against a background of Islamophobia. They are always in a fear of some kind of discriminations in every sector of social and professional life and this is the result of the Islamophobia in America. In 2006 the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) conducted a survey on American Muslim voters. Results show that American Muslim voters are young, highly educated, but 77 percent of the voters said Muslims worship the same God as Jews and Christians do; 69 percent believe that resolution to the Palestinian cause would be a reason to improve America’s standing in the Muslim world; 66 percent support working for normalization of relations with Iran; 55 percent are very much afraid that the War on Terror has become a war on religion Islam.

Now we have tackled this and that stay tuned to read more about Islamophobia in my next article as i will talk about more about Islamophobia.

Self-Jihad; A Formula that will guarantee you a Happy Life (Part 2)

on Friday, June 29, 2012

In the previous post, I generally discussed the idea of self-jihad which is a very important concept in Islam. It entails fighting one’s own self from committing sins that upsets God from us such as forbidden looks, the looks that any man or woman gives to illegal scenes such as immodestly dressed persons, as it may trigger some other sinful thoughts and deeds as well.

Today, I am going to discuss the significance of self-jihad with reference to the human’s soul in Islam. Firstly, for those who are not familiar with the meaning of the word “Jihad”: it means fighting, so, self-jihad means to fight your-self.

Before starting, let me brainstorm with an example: a little child who is born to find himself in the street with no mother or father to teach him what is right and what is wrong, it would be very expected from him to steal, lie, and fight for simple reasons, in other words, he would be untamed. Whereas the one who is raised in a good family with focused guidance and teaching, he would grow more controlled.

Our souls are very much like the previous example. If the soul is left untamed, it would urge the human to commit mistakes with no shame, while if the human always deter himself from sinning through remembering God and hell vs. heaven, the chances of him being a good person will definitely increase.

In the Qur’an there is a verse which says (in the meaning) “a soul urges bad deeds”. That is, if we are not in a strong relationship with God, the minute we feel allowed to do something wrong without getting punished like looking at forbidden scenes, stealing, or cheating, we would! Only when we remind ourselves with the Almighty God and learn by heart that all previous deeds are sins, that we will be able to “tame” ourselves, and be the master of ourselves. All this comes under the significance of self-jihad.

“Sins are false pleasures that strip you of your tranquility and peace of mind.  Be at peace by being obedient to Allah” this quote is said by Sheikh (Islamic Scholar) Abdul-Bary Yahya, a famous Islamic preacher who gives lectures in English. Also, there are many many evidence in the Quran and Sunnah which advise people to stay away from sins as they lead to depression. That is because God gets upset from sinning, so, if The Creator is mad at you, do you expect to live happily? Do you expect from people to love you? Of course not! If your mother gets upset from us, we feel terrible, so how about The Almighty??!

Finally, the significance of self-jihad, is one that is so great; it gives us a formula to a happy life. So, only by obeying God and strengthening our bond with him, that we will lead a healthy life full of blessings and serenity. No wonder that, many -if not all- of those who do not practice self-jihad and have uncontrolled manners, suffer from psychological problems that even their psychiatrist advise them to get to God and supplicate to Him. It is so natural! God has created us from His soul, so, the minute we are away, things go so damagingly wrong!

Related posts:

  1. Does Jihad mean a different thing in the Modern World? The happenings of the modern world have created ambiguity in...
  2. Jihad and terrorism are completely opposite concepts The concept of jihad is not only included in the...
  3. Self- Jihad?! The other day I was watching TV, and while I...
  4. Dialogue with Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch Muslim Academy recently contacted Mr. Robert Spencer about establishing a...
  5. What does the word “Jihad” actually mean in Islam? (1) What does the word “jihad” actually mean in Islam? The...


View the Original article

What is really going on in Egypt – A Personal Opinion (Part 2)

on Tuesday, June 19, 2012

In the last post I discussed the first two reactions and points of view regarding the breaking news of the dissolving of the parliament, so here I will discuss the last point of a view and a quick analysis of what happened.

The third point is the fact that this is the last nail in the coffin of the revolution, it is so clear now, and this is my pinion only, but the SCAF has successfully killed the revolution, and it is also clear that after this, that Ahmed Shafek is going to become the president, so I refuse this political manipulation, especially after the people who got injured, lost their eyes and the martyrs who died.

Come to think of it, after a year and a half from the revolution. We have no constitution, the only elected power was eliminated, so no one in power at the moment was elected by the people and the trial was a game and most of the people including the sons of the president and the helpers of the minister of interior got their innocence, only one last step is left, which is the upcoming step which is having Ahmed Shafek as president.

The reason behind all of this is that when SCAF took control, he searched for the most powerful political party at that time, the Muslim brotherhood, they made a deal with them to give them the parliament in order to turn a blind eye on what is happening in El Tahrir and to the protestors, this way, they got the loyalty of the Muslim brotherhood and they made the people hate them. Then when it is time and they don’t need them anymore, they dissolved parliament with having a lot of people hating them for their performance in the parliament, I am one of these people. I have to tip my hat off to SCAF for planning that far ahead.

The solution for this and I’m sad to say this, is a revolution because I don’t want my kids while answering their history exam to be questioned, specify the reason behind the failure of the revolution of the 25th of January. Tahrir did it once and it shall do it again my only hope that people unite and pay attention to the dirty game being played and stand against it as we once did. And history repeats itself, because this is the exact thing that happened to the revolution of Romania, the same scenario. But I hope we do bring ourselves a different ending.

On another note, today was the first of two days of the second round of the elections, I already voted this morning, so be ready to hear from me as the primarily results starts to come in.



View the Original article

What is really going on in Egypt – A Personal Opinion (Part 1)

on

Of course, as we all know, 1/3 of the parliament was dissolved and resulting for it the whole parliament was dissolved because it was judged to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The reason behind such ruling has been discussed in the previous blog. This is considered a huge loss for the Muslim brotherhood and the Islamic parties because they had a majority in the parliament. First of all, I am having mixed feelings about it; I don’t know should I be glad or sad.

I will discuss this situation form 3 points of view so I can try to figure out how I should feel about this.

So the first point is my opinion or reaction that I should be happy, because no one was glad with the performance of the parliament and the laws they discussed and their reaction to what the SCAF was doing to the protestors and especially their reaction against the massacre of Port Said. And of course who can forget them thanking the SCAF and saying that people should not protest anymore and that the Army and the SCAF is a higher power that shouldn’t be protested against. So, I should be glad that we got rid of them, but if we turn a blind eye to what the SCAF is doing, knowing that what he is doing is unfair and fraud because we like the result is a concept that I refuse. Because this is exactly what the Muslim brotherhood did, as when the SCAF thrown them a bone of parliament, they turned a blind eye on everything and left the protestors getting killed and injured by the SCAF and they didn’t act, all of this in order to secure their chairs at parliament, and look what good did that make them, now the chairs that they so desperately needed and pursued are no more. So the concept of turning a blind eye on unfairness because it serves me good is totally unacceptable. Because sooner or later it will come back to haunt you, look what they did, and how it ended up for them.

The second point is being a Christian Egyptian, and I can’t help but to feel glad that the Islamic parties don’t have the parliament and the majority and that they will no longer be the ones responsible of writing the constitution. And no one can blame me for saying that, because we all have seen what their ideology is and their performance in the parliament.

That’s it for this post; follow my next post for the third point and my analysis of what has happened.



View the Original article

Ta’aruf is dating muslim (part 1)

on Saturday, June 16, 2012

Ta’aruf is part of the Islamic culturewhen it comes to the relationship men and women. Ta’aruf is the best way to get a prospective wife without dating process, in Islam law dating is “haram”. So the only  one a way to find prospective wife is ta’aruf. You have to know more about the woman’s reputation and her family before you you go for Ta’aruf.

 Inthe of process ta’aruf  men and women can ask in detail such as about bad and good habits, life, friendship and pretty much everything they want to know about eachother as long as it is done in a respectable way. When ta’aruf men and women accompanied by their parents as a mediator. This is difference between ta’aruf and dating, ta’aruf more Gentleman because more responsible than dating. In ta’aruf  a man cans see woman face if she wears Burqah (veil) and can take hold her hand.

There is a following steps for ta’aruf.

At first Ask the person who are considered closest to candidate who can be trusted, Inshallah God will give we are enough information objectively. From here we can identify how a women who will could be your future wife will build household together. Said a poem ‘If you want to ask about a person ask a trusted person who is closest with person (friend), because person can  explain from their friendship and social.” Then after having a strong tendency to marry her the next step is introduction, go to women house’s (ta’aruf) and meet with her parents and say to her parents I want married your child, but don’t forget still maintaining the norms of Islam.

Why should i o for ta’aruf?

Because Marriage begins with ta’aruf is like as you want buy a Car in dealer, generally at first you will ask about the car, how speed, fitur etc. But are you can try drive the Car ?….NO.., you can’t try to drive before you buy and you only can ask about his car ,, Actually it look likes ta’aruf . But if you Buy a car not in dealer, perhaps you can try to drive but the car not guarantee, perhaps second car who ever accident and broke,  Or other,,,

how more expensive Car in dealer or not ? true..in dealer more expensive,, it’s likes ta’aruf with ta’aruf women more appreciated.

So are you ready for ta’aruf..or learn islam more,,



View the
Original article