By AY Mol on 22-5-2009 10:53

As it is out of print, and old copies are only available at university libraries, when I got the chance to buy one, I didn't need to think twice. As it is an important study, it is now scanned in and for the first time available online. Prof. JMS Baljon, from Leiden university, has written several important studies on modern Muslim thought, including one on Syed Ahmed Khan and on Shah Wali Allah, both which I also got my hands on and will be scanned in shortly.

 

"Modern Muslim Koran Interpretation" it is a great summary of 20th century Muslim advancement in understanding the Qur'an and one of the most important Western studies on modern Muslim Qur'an interpretation covering from 1880 till 1960.  This book is one of the most quoted by scholars of the Qur'an in the West, Muslim and non-Muslim, as is Izutsu's "God and Man in the Koran".

 

Due to the large size of the scanned book, it has been split up in 6 parts:

 

    Modern Muslim Koran Interpretation v1a (PDF)   ...

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By AY Mol on 21-5-2009 16:35

An introduction and similarity between the Human Rights displayed in the Qur'an and that given by the United Nations. It is an ongoing work in progress.

 

Some examples:

 

1. Equal human dignity by birth:  ولقد كرمنا بنى ءادم 17:70 Surely, We have conferred dignity on the descendants of the human species (as a birth right, regardless of where the child is born).  قد خلقنا الانسن فى احسن تقويم 95:4 Indeed, We have created the human being (all of them) in the best design.

 

2 b. The only superiority over another is righteous conduct, not race, gender, nationality or creed:  يايها الناس انا خلقنكم من ذكر وانثى وجعلنكم شعوبا وقبائل لتعارفوا ان اكرمكم عند الله اتقىكم ان الله عليم خبير 49:13 O Mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes so that you might (affectionately) come to know one another. Surely, the most honored among you, in the sight of God, is the one who is best in conduct. God is Knower, Aware.  ولكل درجت مما عملوا وليوفيهم اعملهم وهم لا يظلمون...

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By AY Mol on 26-4-2009 12:56

Theologist and Physic professor John Polkinghorne has a discussion with atheist Physic professor Steve Weinberg, who just commented that if God existed he would impale Steve with a sword from the sky, then there would be no doubt God existed, Polkinghorne gives some very interesting answers:

 

Polkinghorne: May I just say that, God forbid, if a flaming

sword were to come and decapitate Steve before our very eyes

that would pose a very big theological problem. Because that

would be the capricious act of a magical, vengeful god and that’s

not the God of my belief. You see the problem with miracles . . .

Weinberg: . . . it is the god, however, of your religious tradition.

Polkinghorne: I wouldn’t say that the religious tradition is unsullied,

but it’s certainly not the sole strand within that belief.

The problem with miracles is the problem of divine consistency.

God is not capricious, but God is not condemned equally...

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By AY Mol on 20-4-2009 20:01

Critical Thinkers for Islamic Reform: A Collection of Articles from Contemporary Thinkers on IslamThis important book is a collection of writings of more then 30 modern writers on Islam. From professional Islamic scholars to individuals writers and thinkers, this collection is groundbreaking and unique as a serious collection of 21st century Islamic thought on critical research, reform and renewal in Islamic and Qur'anic interpretation. With diverse subjects on the interpretation and message of Qur'an and its relation to human rights, freedom and wellfare. History of Islam, society and thought. Modern experience of being a Muslim, the concept of gender and needed actions for reform.To purchase the book, go to:Critical Thinkers for Islamic Reform by Edip Yuksel, Arnold Yasin Mol, Farouk A Peru (Editors)Authors...

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By AY Mol on 12-4-2009 1:33

12:108 قل هذه سبيلي ادعو الي الله علي بصيرة انا ومن اتبعني وسبحان الله وما انا من المشركين     Say: This is my Way: I call on Allah resting upon reason and . I and whosoever followeth me - Glory be to Allah! - and I am not of the Mushrikeen. قل/Qul/Say: هذه سبيلي/hadihi sabilia/This is my Way ادعو/adh3ua/I call الي الله/ila Allah/to Allah علي/a3la/resting upon, based on  بصيرة/basiraht/mental perception, insight, reason, understanding, evidence based argumentation.  انا/ana/I   و من اتبعني/wa min atittab3ani/and from those that follow/pursue و سبحان الله/wa subhana Allah/ and sancrosanct, above all is Allah و ما انا من/wa ma ana min/and I am not of/from المشركين/mushrikeen/those that associate (illusions to reality)/are ensared/trapped (by superstition and wrong perception of reality). This very important verse explains that the Guidance/huda to the Way/Sabil of the Qur'an, its message and its explanation of Reality, is based on evidence based argumentation/basiraht. Basirah are things...

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By AY Mol on 10-4-2009 12:43

 

 During a crisis it is an ancient human tradition to rethink our spirituality, as the human mind is used to the idea of being punished by the Divine, thus we reflected on our relationship with the Divine to see of we can restore the balance. But this approach to a crisis and our relationship with the Divine is an inheritance from our ancestors who lived in times when nature and cause and effect were chaotic looking and thus without a system, and this approach  is deeply imbedded in our cultures, religions and subconciousness.

 

55:8-9 Do not transgress in the balance. Observe the weight with equity, and do not fall short in the balance.

 

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By AY Mol on 4-4-2009 21:55

1. gain control over the forces of the physical world and keep open his achievements (3:190-191, 45:13), according to the laws of God, for the good and well-being of mankind at large (anything that benefits mankind remains on earth 13:17);
2. should have all that is required to maintain life (20:118-119), and
3. should lead a corporate life and establish a social order in which the physical needs of each and every individual shall be fully met and he shall have full opportunity and means for the development of his Personality (2:195, 92:18).

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By AY Mol on 8-3-2009 9:50

 by Dr. Manzoor-ul-Haque

 

BRIEF HISTORY Different theories about the origin of existing species including man came into vogue during the last few centuries. As they could not be supported by scientific evidence, they ultimately became obsolete one after the other. The actual forces that brought about evolution were gradually discovered and are now thoroughly understood.(1) Primitive human races had various myths to explain the origin of man and animals by the creative acts of supernatural powers. Until the last century most of the people including such scientists as Linnaeus, Cuvier, Agassiz and Owen believed that species had been created separately. Cuvier thought that the disappearance of fossil species had resulted from a series of catastrophes, the last being the Noah’s flood; and after each of these the earth had been repopulated by new creation of higher type. The belief in catastrophes was dispelled by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell (1797-1875) who showed that the geological...

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By AY Mol on 7-3-2009 18:01

 



 

The law of the Quran in the capacity of Divine Message to Mankind is perfectly universal and applicable to all nations. It knows no racial, geographical or religious bounds as it applies to the whole of Human species. How do Human nations rise to power and through what delinquency in their efforts they fall and are wiped out of the face of the earth–this as a matter of fact is the essence of a part of the whole teaching of the Quran. “Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian rather he was a downright acceptor of commands: (hanifan Musliman) (3:67) Shows that the Quran does not accept the theory of Prophets having come down on earth for the purpose of instituting ‘religions’ or sects, nor did they come to divide man. “Human beings are one people” and “for this very purpose, God created them.” (wa li zalika khalaqahum) (11:119) Show that the intention of nature is to make Man develop as One Nation, in fact develop in exactly the same way as millions of other species of lower beings have...

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By AY Mol on 8-2-2009 15:04

The Quran, the final book of revelation from Allah, comprises the sole complete system of life for all mankind. This system, based on the deep eternal laws that govern and hold the fabric of our universe together, is not affected by the changing winds of time. It is so comprehensive that it encompasses, in every era, all facets of human existence, leading the charge in the quest for knowledge and wisdom. Consequently, a book with such far-ranging capabilities must be of a language that is equally comprehensive, deep, and capable of conveying the most complex and abstract thought, while at the same time maintaining clarity and precision. Upon reflection, it becomes evident that since Allah had chosen the Arab nation to inherit and implement the revolutionary message of the Quran, then even centuries before the actual revelation of the Quran, the Arabs had a tremendous responsibility to, step by step, evolve a language that would be capable of expressing and containing its wisdom. When Abraham’s children were...

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