Hajj - The Sacred Journey

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Yahia Emerick in Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam

Oldest Quran Manuscript Avaialble

This is one of the most ancient manuscripts of the Quran that we currently posses, written in the Hijazi script. It is displayed at the University of Birmingham, and has been Carbon-14 dated to the same era (plus or minus a few decades) of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). To the right of the manuscript is the typed up version of the same text (courtesy of Prof Alan Godlas). 

It is patently clear, even to those of us who can't read the ancient Hijazi script with ease, that the two texts are essentially the same. No other religious text can even come close to this level of preservation. The earliest complete copies of the New Testament date back to more than three centuries after the era of Jesus Christ, and the earliest manuscripts of the Old Testament to more than a thousand years after the era of Moses. 

What is more amazing is that the Quran isn't even primarily preserved through manuscripts - it is first and foremost preserved through the memorization of huffadh of every single generation, to the point of tawatur (meaning: in each generation numerous people have recited the Quran and passed it down to the next generation, to the point that it would be impossible for all of them to be mistaken about it).

The preservation of the Quran is a matter that all Muslims have agreed on, from the beginning of Islam, and hence it is of the most fundamental and essential beliefs of Islam.

Anyone who denies that the Quran has been preserved is simply not a Muslim. 

Of the most fascinating disciplines of our academic tradition, therefore, is the specialty of documenting the preservation of the Quran, and of explaining the evolution of the script, the addition of the tashkil and diacritic marks, the development of the various recitations (the 'seven' and the 'ten' and the 'fourteen' and others), the classification and codification of these recitations and the differences between them, and of course the relationship of these recitations to the 'modes' (Ar. 'ahruf') that are referenced in the hadith. Scholars have always had many fascinating and at times heated discussions regarding all of these facets and more, and many books have been written about these topics, such as those by Ibn Abi Dawud and Ibn Mujahid and Makki b. Abi Talib and al-Dani and Ibn al-Jazari and a host of others. But despite all of the differences of opinion found in these classical works, none of those discussions ever negated the basic fact that all Muslims believe in: that the Quran, as the Speech of Allah, has always been preserved.

"Truly, we have sent down this Remembrance, and We shall, for sure, preserve it" [al-Hijr; 9].

All praise is due to Allah for revealing the Quran to us and gifting us belief in His Speech!

Source: Sh Yasir Qadhi

Your Parents Are Your Heaven - Yasir Qadhi

Ayatul Kursi Beautiful Recitation

Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa huwal haiyul qai-yoom; 

laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; 

lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; 

man zallazee yashfa'u indahooo illaa be iznih; 

ya'lamu maa baina aideehim wa maa khalfahum; 

wa laa yuheetoona beshai 'immin 'ilmihee illa be maa shaaaa; 

wasi'a kursiyyuhus samaa waati wal arda wa la ya'ooduho hifzuhumaa; 

wa huwal aliyyul 'azeem;

Understanding Quran With Tafsir

I have finished Al-Quran in Arabic when I was a young kid. But I never have been able to finish Al-Quran with the translation or with Tafsir. I made 2 attempts - once in Bengali and another time in English. But both the times laziness or other priorities diverted me. This time I am thinking I will go with English Tafsir along with the Arabic recitation. For this I picked the list of 114 Surahs from Wikipedia and plan to go one by one - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surahs_in_the_Quran. For Arabic recitation I will be following the default (1st in drop down) Al-Afasy - http://tanzil.net/#2:1 .

I have the "Study Quran" (https://www.amazon.com/Study-Quran-New-Transl…/…/ref=sr_1_1…) which I plan to consult as and when needed for any of the Surahs if I get stuck. But otherwise I will focus mostly on Sh. Yasir Qadhi's lectures, Ustaz Nouman Alil Khan's lectures, Bengali tafsirs from www.quranerkotha.com (which I find the most extensive and detail). The pace I will go, it will take me approximately 5 years to finish all the 114 Surahs unless Allah guides me and it happens faster! Pray for me. During this time, this post will remain in progress or will be constantly updated as and when I finished the tafsir of each Surah.

The miracles of Quran by Sh Yasir Qadhi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2S_e1d4hb0

Surah#1: Al-Fatihah

I was following the Hafs Qirayat (which is the most common one amongst the 10 Qirayats of Al-Quran). I followed Sheykh Yasir Qadhi's series - https://www.youtube.com/watch… and Ustaz Nouman Ali Khan's lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igHPJULuxMw. Also a good and detail Tafsir in Bengali I followed is from here - http://quranerkotha.com/surah-fatiha/ .

A few key points to note -

1. Sura # 1 in Al-Quran. Total verses (ayat) # 7. Makki Sura.
2. First complete sura revealed in Al-Quran.
2A. Surah al-Fātiḥah ("the Opening") is also called, Umm Al-Kitab ("the Mother of the Book") and Umm Al-Quran ("the Mother of the Quran"); Sab'a al Mathani ("Seven repeated [verses]"; Al-Hamd ("praise"); Al-Shifa' ("the Cure"); Al-Ruqyah ("remedy" or "spiritual cure") and al-Qasas, "The Foundation".
3. YQ gave ideas about why there is difference of opinion amongst scholars about "Bismillahir Rahman Ir Rahim" being part of Sura Fatiha or not.
4. YQ gave some astonishing numbers about how many times this Sura is recited by a single Muslim per year!
5. NAK gave some beautiful explanations of why certain words have been chosen and in exactly certain orders. He showed what would it sound like if even a single modification is done in any order or word in the Sura (loosing either in meaning, or in impact or in melody).
6. Also a fantastic demonstration from NAK is the balance of the Sura - linguistic, mathematical, meaning wise and even compared to Sura Ikhlas which is the last Sura of Al-Quran.
7. A short explanaion related to hadiths about Surah Fatiha by NAK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8I6BZQED7E

Surah#2: Al-Baqarah

Quick overview by Sh. Yasir Qadhi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a7a55bEFho

Most detail tafsir in Bengali - http://quranerkotha.com/category/%e0%a6%ac%e0%a6%be%e0%a6%95%e0%a6%be%e0%a6%b0%e0%a6%be%e0%a6%b9/

Nouman Ali Khan's short tafsirs (one-third verses are missing) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIBoiUMdfV0&list=PL5qUbRsC8MygbSAQbkaWnY2bokW8_ZAIt

The missing tafsirs from NAK video series are - 88-90, 103-104, 116-121, 133-134, 174-175, 178-188, 194-202, 211-212

From Ayat 229 onwards, you will have to follow this link -

• NAK tafsir of ayats 88-90: http://podcast.bayyinah.com/2012/05/12/surah-al-baqarah-88-90
• NAK tafsir of ayats 229 - 232: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWDZPo8rufQ
• NAK tafsir of ayats 246 to 252 (in sequential clips): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ip-4DmVhrg&index=31&list=PL36CB72BE226BC3BF 
•  The detail tafsir by NAK of the last 2 ayats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njuq145ESzk
• Ayat ul qursi tafsir by NAK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84Z25CLXE1w
• Yasir Qadhi on believers, hypocrites and disbelievers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOP0d5DWQRA
• Dhikr Allah by Sh Yasir Qadhi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9INJscE-zA 
• Ayat ul Qursi tafsir by Sh Yasir Qadhi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuMhO6A9hPQ
• Hadiths about Sura Baqarah by NAK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87PWw4LTkuM

A few key points to note -

1. Sura Baqarah is the largest sura in Quran. Total ayats 286.
2. It was revealed over 9 years from early Medina till the very end.
3. 
   

(In Progress.....)