Surah 25: Al-Furqan | Original English Commentary Part 1 | Project Illumine 

Alhamdulillah! I just request anyone who finds this video to leave all their biases have a leap of faith and start this journey... and if it doesn't work so be it...but to just walk away because it's not familiar with the mainstream is a big loss. Scholars like these ( even if u don't agree with them all of the time) are rare and when we don't appreciate the blessing of knowledge Allah also takes away the barakah from our lives. I started this journey 2 yrs back as a heritage muslim and suffered from a crisis of faith because I was afraid of questioning my faith because I was unsure at the core of my iman that my islam would stand this questioning but sitting through the halaqas did build a confidence in me that it's okay to not have answers to all of my questions but since my core was rebuilt in this journey with a stronger foundation questions didn't bother me that much that it would shake my iman ...like it did when I was not a part of this journey. This is my testimony to this journey.

[PART 2 - Surah al-Furqan, Day 1 timestamps continued] 2:14:40 Ayah #25: "wayawma tashaqqaqu as-sama-u bil-ghamami wanuzzila al-mala-ikatu tanzeela" (The Day when the sky is cleft with clouds, and the angels are sent down in streams) Ayah #26: "al-mul'ku yawma-idhin al-haqqu lirrahman wakana yawman ala al-kafireena aseera" (On that Day, true sovereignty will belong to the Merciful, and it will be a difficult Day for the disbelievers). 2:15:10 Ayah #27: "wayawma ya'addu ath-thaleemu ala yadayhi yaqoolu yalaytanee ittakhadhtu ma'a ar-rasooli sabeela" (On that Day, the wrongdoer will bite his hands, and say, "If only I had followed the way with the Messenger"). 2:16:20 Ayah #28: "yawaylata laytani lam attakhidh fulanan khaleela" ("Oh, woe to me; I wish I never took so-and-so for a friend") - most injustice being attributable to peer pressure; the company one keeps resulting in personal corruption. 2:26:02 Ayah #29: "laqad adallanee ani adh-dhik'ri ba'da idh ja-ani wakana ash-shaytanu lil'insani khadhoola" ("He led me away from the Message after it had come to me; for Satan has always been a betrayer of man") Ayah #30: "waqala ar-rasoolu yarabbi inna qawm ittakhadhoo hadha al-qur'ana mahjoora" (And the Messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have abandoned this Quran"). 2:30:30 Ayah #31: "wakadhalika ja'alna likulli nabiyyin aduwwan mina al-muj'rimeen wakafa birabbika hadiyaw wanaseera" (Likewise, to every prophet We assign enemies from among the wicked. But your Lord suffices as a Guide and Saviour) - every prophet will be guaranteed enemies. 2:31:20 Ayah #32: "waqala alladheena kafaroo lawla nuzzila alayh il-qur'anu jum'lataw wahida kadhalika linuthabbita bihi fu-adaka warattalnahu tarteela" (Those who disbelieve say, "Why was the Quran not revealed to him at once?" Thus in order to strengthen your heart thereby, and We revealed it in stages). 2:33:30 Ayah #35: "walaqad atayna moosa al-kitaba waja'alna ma'ahu akhahu haroona wazeera" (We gave Moses the Scripture, and appointed his brother Aaron as his assistant) Ayah #36: "faqul'n adh'haba ilal-qawm illadheena kadhaboo biayatina fadammarnahum tadmeera" (We said, "Go to the people who rejected Our signs," and We destroyed them completely). 2:34:54 Ayah #37: "waqawma noohi lamma kadhaboo-r-rusoola aghraqnahum waja'alnahum linnasi aya wa-a'tadna lizzalimeena adhaban aleema" (And the people of Noah: when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, and made them a lesson for mankind. We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful retribution). 2:34:58 Ayah #38: "wa'adaw wathamooda wa-as-haba ar-rasi waquroonan bayna dhalika katheera" (And Aad, and Thamood, and the inhabitants of Arras, and many generations in between). 2:37:44 Ayah #39: "wakullan darabna laah ul-amthal wakullan tabbarna tatbeera" (To each We presented the parables; and each We devastated utterly). 2:38:45 Ayah #40: "walaqad ataw ala al-qaryat illatee um'tirat matara as-saw afalam yakunoo yarawnaha bal kanoo la yarjoona nushoora" (And they came upon the city that was drenched by the terrible rain. Did they not see it? But they do not expect resurrection) - a reference to Sodom. 2:40:50 Ayah #41: "wa-idha ra-awka iy yattakhidhoonaka illa huzoowan ahadha alladhee ba'atha al-laahu rasoola" (And when they see you, they take you for nothing but mockery: "Is this the one God sent as a messenger?") - snobbery exemplified. 2:42:30 Ayah #42: "in kada layudilluna an alihatina lawla an sabarna alayha wasawfa ya'lamoona heena yarawna al-'adhaba man adallu sabeela" ("He nearly led us away from our gods, had we not patiently adhered to them." But they will know, when they witness the torment, who is further away from the way). 2:42:48 Ayah #43: "ara-ayta man ittakhadha ilahahu hawahu afa-anta takoonu alayhi wakeela" (Have you seen him who chose his desire as his god? Would you be an agent for him?) - Gods = their egos; the disagreeable phenomenon of many Muslims, including many Imams/Muftis, being truly Mushrikeen \ polytheists who are simply employing Islam as a badge. However, forcing these and any other people to believe is itself polytheism \ Shirk [to be avoided at all cost].

TIMESTAMPS Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem [Video can be viewed at increased Playback speed without loss of fidelity and comprehension. Grace Song's preamble until 12:45] 13:47 some comments on the importance of revisiting the earlier circles covering the relevant chapters \ Suwar of the Qur'an, how these are interrelated to each other and the importance of doing so (i.e. building one's Qur'anic character systematically). 16:00 Surah al-Furqan \ chapter The Criterion, #25; chronological order, positioning in the revelation and historical occurrence, significance, style and theme. 23:44 Ayah #1: "tabaraka alladhee nazzala al-fur'qana ala abdihi liyakoona lil'alameena nadheera" (Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant, to be a warning to humanity) - discussion of the term blessed \ Tabara. 29:35 discussion of: "nazzala al-fur'qan" (sent down the Criterion) = function. 33:20 analysis of the word "qur'an" = nature (an interconnected whole). 35:35 Ayah #2: "alladhee lahu mul'k us-samawati wal-ardi walam yattakhidh waladan walam yaku lahu shareekun fil-mul'ki wakhalaqa kulla shayin faqaddarahu taqdeera" (He to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, who took to Himself no son, who never had a partner in His kingship; who created everything and determined its measure) - the rationale from the interpretation of the Ayah why Islam is the only extant true form of monotheism. 49:01 Ayah #3: "wattakhadhoo min doonihi alihata lay yakhluqoona shayaw wahum yukh'laqoona walay yamlikoona li-anfusihim darran wala naf'an wala yamlikoona mawta wala hayata wala nushoora" (And yet, instead of Him, they produce for themselves gods that create nothing, but are themselves created; that have no power to harm or benefit themselves; and no power over life, death, or resurrection). 51:02 Ayah #4: "waqal alladheena kafaroo in hadha illa if'kun if'tarahu wa-a'anahu alayhi qawmun akharoon faqad ja-oo thul'maw wazoora" (Those who disbelieve say, "This is nothing but a lie that he made up, and others have helped him at it." They have committed an injustice and a perjury) Ayah #5: "waqaloo asateer ul-awaleen ak'tatabaha fahiya tum'la alayhi buk'rataw wa-aseela" (And they say, "Tales of the ancients; he wrote them down; they are dictated to him morning and evening") - detailing the contradictions of the claims in the Prophet's interlocutors (the Quraish). 1:00:00 the Asbab al-Nazul/circumstances of revelation for Surah al-Furqan = confronting gossip, propaganda and ad hominum attacks to avoid dealing with the central message itself. 1:02:55 Ayah #7: "waqaloo mali hadha ar-rasooli yakulu at-ta'ama wayamshee fil-aswaqi lawla unzila ilayhi malakun fayakoona ma'ahu nadheera" (And they say, "What sort of messenger is this, who eats food, and walks in the marketplaces? If only an angel was sent down with him, to be alongside him a warner") - Allah's pre-emption of the former AND latter day Islamophobes + crisis ridden Muslims. 1:06:05 Ayah #8: "aw yul'qa ilayhi kanzun aw takoonu lahu jannatuy yakulu min'ha waqala ath-thalimoona in tattabi'oona illa rajulan mas-hoora" (Or, "If only a treasure was dropped on him." Or, "If only he had a garden from which he eats." The evildoers also say, "You are following but a man under spell"). 1:10:28 Ayah #9: "unthur kayfa daraboo laka al-amthala fadalloo fala yastatee'oona sabeela" (Look how they invent examples for you. They have gone astray, and cannot find a way) Ayah #10: "tabaraka alladhee in sha-a ja'ala laka khayran min dhalika jannatin tajree min tahtiha al-anharu wayaj'al laka qusoora" (Blessed is He who, if He wills, can provide you with better than that-gardens beneath which rivers flow-and He will give you palaces). 1:22:00 Ayah #12: "idha ra-athum min makanin ba'eedin sami'oo laha taghayyutha wazafeera" (When it sees them from a distant place, they will hear it raging and roaring). 1:25:00 Ayah #13: "wa-idha ul'qoo min'ha makanan dayyiqan muqarraneena da'aw hunalika thuboora" (And when they are thrown into it, into a tight place, shackled, they will plead there for death). 1:25:45 Ayah #14: "la tad'o ul-yawma thuboora wahida wad'oo thubooran katheera" ("Do not plead for one death today, but plead for a great many deaths"). 1:26:35 Ayah #15: "qul adhalika khayrun am jannat ul-khul'di allatee wu'ida al-mutaqoona kanat lahum jaza-aw wamaseera" (Say, "Is this better, or the Garden of Eternity promised to the righteous? It is for them a reward and a destination). 1:27:30 Ayah #17: "wayawma yahshuruhum wamay ya'budoona min doon il-lahi fayaqoolu a-antum adlaltum ibadee ha-ula-i am hum dall us-sabeel" (On the Day when He gathers them, and what they worshiped besides God, He will say, "Was it you who misled these servants of Mine, or was it they who lost the way?") - the problem with the literalist approach and resolution of the meaning (the idol of oneself, the ego). Ayah #18: "qaloo sub'hanaka ma kana yanbaghee lana an nattakhidha min doonika min awliya-a walakin matta'tahum wa-aba-ahum hatta nas ul-dhik'ra wakanoo qawman boora" (They will say, "Glory be to You. It was not for us to take any lords besides You. But you gave them enjoyments, and their ancestors, until they forgot the Message, and became ruined people") - the last section of the Ayah helps explain much of the ugliness witnessed these days. 1:44:25 Ayah #19: "faqad kadhabookum bima taqooloona fama tastatee'oona sarfa wala nasra wamay yathlim minkum nudhiq'hu adhaban kabeera" (They have denied you because of what you say; so you can neither avert, nor help. Whoever among you commits injustice, We will make him taste a grievous punishment) - (Khawarij) the promise applying to any injustice whatever the origin; (Mutazila) only major sins punished; (Ahl al-Sunnah) only covers injustice \ Zulm of disbelief\ Kufr & polytheism \ Shirk; (Qur'anic discourse) covers all injustice - sins against Allah can be forgiven by Him, but animated beings have rights and suffering has to be accounted for. Going on Hajj to get such sins wiped out being a form of backsliding and a woefully erroneous belief. 2:00:15 Ayah #20: "wama arsalna qablaka min al-mur'saleena illa innahum layakuloona at-ta'ama wayamshoona fil-aswaq waja'alna ba'dakum liba'din fit'natan atasbiroon wakana rabbuka baseera" (We never sent any messengers before you, but they ate food and walked in the marketplaces. And We made some of you tempters for one another-will you be patient? Your Lord is always Observing). 2:07:57 Ayah #21: "waqala alladheena la yarjoona liqa-ana lawla unzila alayn al-mala-ikatu aw nara rabbana laqad is'takbaroo fi anfusihim wa'ataw utoowwan kabeera" (Those who do not expect to meet Us say, "If only the angels were sent down to us, or we could see our Lord." They have grown arrogant within themselves, and have become excessively defiant) Ayah #22: "yawma yarawna al-mala-ikata la bush'ra yawma-idhi lil'muj'rimeena wayaqooloona hij'ran mahjoora" (On the Day when they see the angels-there will be no good news for sinners on that Day; and they will say, "A protective refuge"). 2:10:14 Ayah #23: "waqadim'na ila ma amiloo min amalin faja'alnahu haba-an manthoora" (We will proceed to the works they did, and will turn them into scattered dust) - the Professor: "good deeds without belief is a form of injustice in itself, because Kufr/disbelief is an injustice". [Surah al-Furqan, Day 1 timestamps continued - PART 2]

Henry is so cuuuute!

When it comes to animals testifying against you, I wonder what you think of animal experimentation. Some of the experiments are really gruesome, like injecting cancer cells into mouse brains to grow tumors, creating mutant mouse strains to recapitulate obesity, Alzheimer's disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and so on, and creating gruesome physical injuries like injecting toxins into muscles in mice, excising large chunks of muscle in dogs, and scalding 40% of a pig's body area with boiling water. No, this is not from PETA, and I can give you the actual citations from the biomedical publications. All this, to improve our understanding of human diseases and curing them, so I see value in animal experimentation, though I always feel so guilty about how gruesome these experiments can get even though as a bioinformatician I only analyze data coming from these experiments. I really wonder, when these gruesome experiments did lead to groundbreaking treatments for humans, what those poor lab animals will testify to us the scientists. On the other hand, I see the immense darkness of this system. Our profit-driven healthcare system, environmental racism, and colonialism mean that many people won't benefit from these advances in science these animals were sacrificed for. Also, often when a study is performed, people don't step back and think about why this study is needed in the first place. For example, the lab I worked in as a undergrad does genome wide association studies (GWAS) on mice. In each study, they would kill hundreds of mice from over 100 inbred strains to perform genetic mapping of phenotypes of interest. Every organ was collected for further analysis. The lab focuses on the metabolic syndrome, so in one of the classic studies from the lab, hundreds of mice were fed a high fat high sucrose diet so they would be obese, to study the genetics of obesity and diabetes. There was another similar study on atherosclerosis. But the elephant in the room is why people are getting metabolic syndrome in the first place. Like why do we need to work so much that we only have time to eat junk food? Why does junk food exist in the first place? What about food apartheid which makes it difficult for many people of color to access healthy food? What about the neoliberal colonialism imposed on Mexico (second highest obesity rate after the US among large countries)? What about how colonialism erased healthier indigenous foodways in Mexico and Polynesia (many Polynesian islands have even higher obesity rate than the US)? During my biomed education, public health never got the attention of cool new treatments, though prevention can do so much more to health than the imperfect and often expensive treatment. It's just that most prevention measures aren't as profitable and may be threatening to the racist ruling class. I'm imagining what the lab animals will testify to this entire system.