After my parents split up, my dad would take us to Catholic Church. I also attended CCD and made my First Communion.

As I started to think for myself, I had questions. Like, “How can Jesus be God and God’s son?” I never received a satisfactory response. I frequently would fake sick just to get out of going to church. Eventually, my dad stopped expecting me to go.

I had a realization as a pre-teen: I thought we were Christian but we don’t pray or go to church. Do we even believe in God? It was disturbing to think that we might go to hell for not participating in religious traditions.

As a clever young thing, I figured that if I sell my soul, I am free to sin and the owner of my soul will suffer in hell, not I!

At age 14, one of the worst times in my life, I prayed to be ill so that I could die. Not long after, I developed asthma and bronchospasms that were so bad that I failed math and English and had to go to summer school.

At age 16 I was dumped by my closest friends. I became angry at God for giving me a miserable life. Another friend invited me over her house. Her parents were going to be painting the walls so we were all allowed to write and draw on the walls. I took this opportunity to write “Fuck God” on the wall.

I was caught in a downward spiral. I was damaging everything I had ever had in my life: my relationships with family members, my schooling, and my attitude.

I was lost for a long time but something inside me said that someday I would have to ask myself the big questions. I didn’t feel ready yet even at the age of 21.

Then, I met Nassim, a Moroccan man, who frequently talked to me about God. At first, it was difficult for me to listen. I think the fact that his English was so broken made me be more patient with him. He got me to start thinking differently. We got married six weeks after our first meeting.

My friend, Jackie, told me she had turned her life around by her faith in God. I think I might have laughed right into the phone. For some reason the concept of God had not become real for me yet.

It was only after I lost my son who I had carried in my womb for five months, and then I found out that my husband had had an affair, that I had a serious, dramatic change in attitude. I believed that my innocent baby must have gone directly to Heaven and that I wanted to do whatever was necessary to ensure that I would be able to join him there. In my mind, that meant doing good deeds and selfless acts for others. I became so grateful to God. I felt free. I felt proud of the person I was becoming.

I tried hard to make my marriage work and we had several trial separations. One of the times that I came back to him, in October 2008, I discovered that he was not willing to be faithful to me and the cheating would continue. When I confronted him, he screamed at me, putting me into a state of misery and sorrow. I stayed up late watching BBC’s Planet Earth. There was a scene where a wolf was chasing a young caribou. The young caribou’s foot slips just a bit but enough to let the wolf catch it by the tail. At that point, the caribou sat down and became still with the look of submission on its face. It was as though God had taken over the caribou’s life and said, “It is my will to let this wolf continue living at the expense of your life.” It was extremely moving.

Later that night, when I was lying in bed, nearly asleep, I received an inspiration. The message came in the form of a vibration which I was somehow able to translate into English. I felt it was so important that I remember it that I dragged myself out of bed and, in the dark, I opened the last page of my journal and grabbed the first thing I could write with which happened to be my eyeliner pencil and I wrote in big letters, “ONE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND”. I was too tired to ponder the message at that point so I went to bed. In the morning, I made an appeal to God. I spoke out loud to my creator, saying that I want to feel guided and not alone or abandoned. I wanted understanding to flow into my consciousness. If God was willing to grant me this, I would do God’s will.

Not long after that, I began a truth seeking mission. I wanted to have a better understanding of the world around me. Using the internet, I read articles and watched videos on any subject that I felt might bring me closer to the truth.

One day, God inspired me to research honey bees. I found it interesting how bees see in ultraviolet. If I see a flower as white, the bee might see it as violet. I figured, if I don’t even know what color a flower is, what do I know at all? I went on YouTube to learn about the bees and a found a video called about the honey bee waggle dance, their way of communicating to the other bees where the flowers can be found. It was a fascinating video of a scientific experiment and I really enjoyed it. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf7WL0Mgil0. I felt in awe of God for all the marvelous creatures in the world. At the end of the video, the announcer said “Allah created the bees and inspired them to do their work. This fact is mentioned in the Quran.” Then, it showed a verse from Sura An-Nahl (Chapter: The Honey Bee). I was overcome with a rush of energy and emotion as it felt to me that God was guiding me, showing me a path to take!

I searched YouTube again, this time for “miracles of the Quran” and “miracles of Allah”. I found many amazing things that started to build my foundation of faith. Then, I found the “mathematical miracle of 19″ and subsequently, I learned about the Submitters, a group founded by Rashad Khalifa. I listened to Rashad Khalifa’s translation of the Quran, narrated by Suleman Imdad, and I joined other submitters on Skype for Quran study. The sense of community was very strong to begin with. People seemed mostly welcoming to me. That is, until I started asking too many questions and pointing out inconsistencies. I found that the Submitters were not interested in the message that Allah sent to Muhammad but they would rather follow all the audios, videos, articles, and books written by Dr. Khalifa. I spent about a year in internal conflict before I exposed myself as a disbeliever in Dr. Khalifa’s teachings.

Shortly after that, I found sites like “Mental Bondage In the Name of God”, which questioned traditions even more. I had been participated in the Facebook group “Hadith of the Day!” which had discussions on how the Hadith contradict the Quran. It was in that group that I caught the attention of Farouk A. Peru, a Quranist. I had the honor of chatting with Farouk about the Quran and he really opened my eyes to some amazing things. My passion for the Quran had been reignited and I couldn’t have been happier!

Next came the Facebook group “Quranology Discussions”. In the early days, before we had over 250 members, the group chat features was active. That’s where I met other Quran alone Muslims who were not followers of Dr. Khalifa. The feeling of not being alone in my beliefs is extremely fulfilling. The best part of being a Quranist is having the freedom to interpret God’s message to humanity for myself. It’s as much mine as it is anyone else’s. This allows me to search within myself for understanding and wait for God’s inspiration.

They disperse their spinformation.

They call it “news” but it has never changed.

Paintings commissioned by the Powers That Be

Tell the stories that they want us to believe.

Financing of popes classified as infallible.

“Eat up. We know you must be hungry.

“Look at us. We have plenty.

“Be like us. End your misery.

“Bow down to us. We are your masters.”

But they don’t realize what I know.

They don’t realize what I’ve seen.

They can’t fathom what’s in me.

Inspiration.

Conscience.

The word of God resurfacing within:

“They intend to put out

The light of God with their mouths

But God will perfect his light

In spite of dislike by those who conceal.”

So reflect.

Think.

Meditate.

Evaluate.

But don’t sit back and wait.

Act.

Fight back.

Not with arms,

But, with mind.

With heart.

By example.

Rise up.

Express.

Do not be silent.

Don’t live to regret.

Today, my body was a TV’d massacre.

Today, my body was a TV’d massacre that had to fit into sound-bites and word limits.

Today, my body was a TV’d massacre that had to fit into sound-bites and word limits filled enough with statistics to counter measured response.

And I perfected my English and I learned my UN resolutions.

But still, he asked me, Ms. Ziadah, don’t you think that everything would be resolved if you would just stop teaching so much hatred to your children?

Pause.

I look inside of me for strength to be patient but patience is not at the tip of my tongue as the bombs drop over Gaza.

Patience has just escaped me.

Pause. Smile.

We teach life, sir.

Rafeef, remember to smile.

Pause.

We teach life, sir.

We Palestinians teach life after they have occupied the last sky.

We teach life after they have built their settlements and apartheid walls, after the last skies.

We teach life, sir.

But today, my body was a TV’d massacre made to fit into sound-bites and word limits.

And just give us a story, a human story.

You see, this is not political.

We just want to tell people about you and your people so give us a human story.

Don’t mention that word “apartheid” and “occupation”.

This is not political.

You have to help me as a journalist to help you tell your story which is not a political story.

Today, my body was a TV’d massacre.

How about you give us a story of a woman in Gaza who needs medication?

How about you?

Do you have enough bone-broken limbs to cover the sun?

Hand me over your dead and give me the list of their names in one thousand two hundred word limits.

Today, my body was a TV’d massacre that had to fit into sound-bites and word limits and move those that are desensitized to terrorist blood.

But they felt sorry.

They felt sorry for the cattle over Gaza.

So, I give them UN resolutions and statistics and we condemn and we deplore and we reject.

And these are not two equal sides: occupier and occupied.

And a hundred dead, two hundred dead, and a thousand dead.

And between that, war crime and massacre, I vent out words and smile “not exotic”, “not terrorist”.

And I recount, I recount a hundred dead, a thousand dead.

Is anyone out there?

Will anyone listen?

I wish I could wail over their bodies.

I wish I could just run barefoot in every refugee camp and hold every child, cover their ears so they wouldn’t have to hear the sound of bombing for the rest of their life the way I do.

Today, my body was a TV’d massacre

And let me just tell you, there’s nothing your UN resolutions have ever done about this.

And no sound-bite, no sound-bite I come up with, no matter how good my English gets, no sound-bite, no sound-bite, no sound-bite, no sound-bite will bring them back to life.

No sound-bite will fix this.

We teach life, sir.

We teach life, sir.

We Palestinians wake up every morning to teach the rest of the world life, sir.

We are studying (Ba, Ra, Alif) today. ب ر أ

http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=brA  this one

Farouk

Marisa

Asfora

Jannah

Imraan

Darcsin

Kamran

salaam all ok so is there a link between “creatures” bariyati and being innocent/free/disassociated? 98:6 and 4:112 for example

I think 59:24 is a good place to look.  It has a little bit of a different meaning from the others according to the rendered translations.  In the verse, we have creator and inventor.  So we know “creator” can’t work for both khaliqu and bariyu. are these 3 synonyms in 59:24? l-muṣawiru too

I wish Farouk was here.  He was giving me some hints about 12:53.

I’m just plain confused.  Jannah please let us know how we can help, we are only thinking out loud here, just join in

Ok. That is fine. have you clicked the link to the root on corpus? aboveYep, thanks. cool, then you can click the individual verses and compare them

i don’t think 59:24 can be synonyms, based on 59:23 cos that is a long list and i doubt they are all synonyms too… ? you would expect them to all be synonyms or not (not one list of non-synonyms and one list of synonyms) if that makes sense. No, I don’t believe in true synonyms.  Similar words maybe, but slightly different meanings at least. I think I agree with Marisa here. All words have slightly different meanings I find. Also, this verse is talking about the various attributes of God, so variety is more important than similarity in this sense.Verse 59:24?  Yes. “For him are the names beautiful.”

Sorry. I’ll be with you in a few minutes. OK Imraan! We can wait for you.  No need to wait

God said to Jesus “(watub’ri-u) the blind” in 5:110.i have been looking at 57:22  

I really think it has to do with cause, being responsible for a cause, removing a cause, etc.  Like when I write an article and publish it and people take from my writing and start acting upon the views I have expressed in it.  I am responsible for what caused their behavior.So we would be responsible for our own actions? I’m not sure I follow. I pulled the trigger.

i think in 57:22 there is a clue word “fātakum”

i could be wrong but it seem like the word that we are studying has to do with having barriers that either confine or exclude or exempt and the fatakum seems to be about a barrier that lets things get thru… it’s just what came to me and i haven’t checked it or cross reffedThat could be relating to “disassociated”.  

In 59:24, خَالِقُ has to do with determining the measure, بَارِئُ has to do with removing obstacles and مُصَوِّرُ has to do with getting things to incline to each other. These are different stages within the creative process. determining the measure, removing that which stands in the way and getting what is necessary to work together for success of the process.

Sounds right Imraan – the process for developing oneself and the society – cool economy of words.

Yes Yasin, I think that the root basically has to do with removal of something.

In 57:22, it is not so much about bringing it into existence, but rather the removal of that which brings about the disaster. Or rather the removal of that which prevented the disaster from coming about.

A bit like having a filter on one’s information. You place up a barrier, then in a measured way you let information in, consider it and keep going.  A bit like a personal firewal…

That’s an interesting thought.Agreed. 

Comes back to responsibility.  You are responsible for what u see, hear and intuit…. so when you control the flow of information – in a way you choose to put up an obstacle to the nonsense – but you also allow yourself to see/hear/intuit ALL that you can and then filter it. So when we see acts of oppression being carried out, we can choose to bounce it off our firewall or let it in and in a considered way formulate a response… but you need the ‘thought process’ behind it to consider it too… hence the program of life…of peace, of submission. That could also be negative too as you could choose to ignore certain things. I’ve certainly done it. True, hence the considered aspect.  If you try to align yourself with the straight path to success – you are programming your responses in a certain way – so some people become predictable.

For example, went shopping yesterday. Lady gave me too much change, i weighed up taking the money, then the bad feeling kicked in (happened in a split second, i can think fast) and I gave the money back – she would have had that money taken out of her paycheck… but again that behaviour is learned… so we filter…emotions feed off the knowledge, and can control that kind of behaviour to make it automatic.  I know that I wouldnt have taken the money – but I considered taking it, weighed up the options and gave it back… That is true. I would feel pretty bad taking the extra money, and that is certainly a learned behavour since not everybody would feel the same about it. 

OMG you are stirring up things in my head   This is related to psychology.  Stimuli!  Discriminative stimuli, learned behavior, etc. EXACTLY! Stimuli (external) feed in through the filter… act behind it sort of – and control the permeability of it. This is my interest in anthropology kicking in, but wouldn’t different groups of people have different reactions? Exactly. That’s why the quran takes an evolutionary stance to things. There are different ways to handle different circumstances. as such, there may be times when certain verses are not relevant in certain circumstances. But this does not mean that they no longer have any purpose, just that an individual or community at a certain stage of their evolutionary development don’t require it. Any other individual or community at a different stage of evolutuonary devlopment will always have access to it should the y require it. I guess that would be partially why not many people follow the Old Testament anymore, it’s no longer relevant. 

I would say that the Quranic message is universal – i.e. it applies to all people at all times, whatever the circumstance. The reason why there is SO much freedom. We overlook this freedom aspect.  There is no shariah law – we are free to govern ourselves provided we dont transgress the basic rules given within AQ. Road traffic rules arent present in teh Quran – but necessary to follow – for ones safety… The thing about verse being relevant at one time and irrelevant at another time really should be rephrased – the relevance is for all time and all people, its back to incorporating the whole thing.

That’s the thing though, the quran had to be revealed because the older scriptures were no longer relevant. I disagree – its not that they were irrelvantjust that people didnt get the whole picture… like some sunnis dont get the whole picture because some dude is doing the interpretation for them – so they dont get to setup their own filters.. its ‘prefiltered’

I don’t believe in older scriptures.  lol I don’t either, the quran is what we need to follow. 

I’m not so sure about the rephrasing because there certainly seems to be instances when one verse would apply and another wouldn’t. I found that i had to be honest with myself in admitting this.theres one ‘doctrine’ i hate above others – and that is of abrogation – I just read it like that bro… my own prejudices… someone I spoke to some time ago brought up the relevance issue to discuss abrogation – didnt like it when I said he was taking the michael. I have talked to so many non-muslims and they strongly believe in the abrogation theory. These are the people who believe the quran instructs violence against non-believers though. 

Yasin, this is a common misconception. The issue of relevance does not automatically lead to the concept of abrogation. Naskh cannot mean cancel on one hand and preserve on the other. It’s about succession. Even though a verse is irrelevant under certain circumstances, it doesn’t mean they can’t be relevant if circumstances dictate it again. So there is no abrogation, only succession which allows individuals or communities to find their way to the right destination regardless of their current condition.agreed. Well said.  

I had a student who i was coaching at cricket. He was exceptional even at the age of 4 and loved the game and progressed very well with the coaching program. Once he was ready to move on and play in a social league, they tried to take him back to basics that I had covered a long time before and he was way beyond that. they were stuck to their manual and therefore couldn’t deal with him. The quran is not so static a document.

i agree, not static If it were static I’m sure we would all be living like 7th desert arabs right now. say that to the hoardes of sunnis in saudi… True, true, but they follow ahadith. That’s different…theyve shackled the quran to 7th century interpretations, opinions and superstitions…not just in that sense, but also in the now, there are different conditions that exist all at the same time.

Are you saying that the root is about putting up a filtering mechanism?

In a way – its one piece of the pie.  mmm pie.cherry…

 Apple is the best. cherry fo sho.

escape comes up in 9:2 aswell

is that a coincidence? see 57:22 fatakum that is translated as escape as well so that is 2 verses so far where BRA comes up with something about escaping – i think there is something here some kind of clue. I have to go now, night night salaam thx for the invitation i was going to say that in 57:22, i think that which is removed in order for the disaster to take place is the Ghafar of God mentioned in57:21.

Salaam salaam. Salaam, have a good night. wsalaam, Asfora!  Goodnight!

Im staring into the eyes of a beautiful woman – now would you want to be B-R-A of a thing like that? (And no, my computer is not a beautiful woman) – not THAT much of a geek.lol.

So, who is Jannah? Please introduce yourself to me… i dont know who you are… Really? I figured that maybe we would have met in one of the FB groups, guess not. :/ dunno… lol well there’s not really much to say except that I live in Canada.cool.  im in BIRMINGHAM – thats UK, not that fake one in Alabama. Hey They stole the name of our beautiful city. lol. Am I the only Canadian here? well M is the only American here… and we are typing with each other now… Well at least I have people online to talk to. I’m in a small town surrounded by nothing but christians.  That sounds familiar.  The worst part for me is that people might assume I’m a traditionalist if I say I am “muslim”. Yea that’s the problem. When people ask I usually just say I’m agnostic just to avoid arguments.  Most people I know still think islam allows wife beating and such, argh… I wore a scarf wrapped around my head one day last winter because it was cold.  I’ll never live it down. Yea I don’t even wear a headscarf. I don’t really believe it’s required anyway as long as we dress modestly. I agree with that. Sometimes I would, but just don’t want to get stares. I like the look. you should see her beautiful eyes… do you have pretty eyes?Poor thing. CHristians aint so boad…

I’m moving to Canada soon. Wife and 2 kids already there. Hope hook up with you some time once i’m there Jannah.Insha’Allah Imraan you will be in Jannah!!! not the person – the place… lol I get that alot. People are like “I wanna be in jannah!” I’m like “what? Me or the place?”It was too good to resist, sorry!i’m looking for jannah here (not the person, the state) no offence Jannah.

Jannah on earth is the goal of all goals.

Peace peoples I got to go, keep happy y’all… God bless u all.

Peace, love and granola to keep you regular as you grow old bro.    LOL! peace Ok, goodnight. Salam.

Marisa, I’m thinking of carrying on with the basic Arabic classes I conduct here in SA once I’m in Canada. I need to learn arabic.whoops

I guess we’ll wrap this up unless anybody has anything else to add. I don’t think so. It was an excellent discussion though.

do you think twiddla could work for conducting it online? For what? Teaching arabic? If so I’m defintely interested in learning. yes, would it work as a classroom, marisa? I think she left. i guses so. will let you know if i start online classes, jannah. if i remember correctly, you said you weren’t far from vancouver. I’m still quite far, about 6 hours. are you in bc?Yes. interior or up north probably. Interior, Okanagan/Shuswap area.Ok, then i guess the online option would be for you as well. will let you know.

gotta go. peace out Bye bye. Bye. I should be going too. 

I found a good link for learning Arabic.  It’s a little slow but good!  They are Canadian too.  http://www.lqtoronto.com/videos.html

 ^^okay. 

hello ?

why it doing this HERE?  Farouk is cyan (light blue).

OMG YAY! 

Scroll down, dude! 

go to the bottom of the page and type <– exactly  

Guys? 

This is Imraan

This is Marisa. <heeey  

How come I always get the stupid pink?

This is Shorouq xD 

Where’s Farouk?

Farouk, type something! I think we lost him.

Salaams, who’s the new guest?

Never mind :P 

So we were discussing 2:158

http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=Twf

I think 2:158 presents the solution to what over coming what is in the preceding verses

 ln psych class yesterday, we were discussing the left brain and the right brain.  They are completely separated except by a relatively small part called the corpus collossum.  One allows you to think as an individual and one allows you to think as a whole.  I want to fit this concept into the Quran.  When I clicked on sh3ayr it brought me to a word that most commonly means “perception” according to corpus.  This makes sense.  Going between the brain that thinks on an individual level and the brain that thinks on the level of all existence.+1

ش ع ر seems to have to do with been intimately acquaited with something <– the poets?

2:158 says “yatufa bihima”, not around them… using them! 

causing or effecting the tawwafa with them. so yes, using them

Although 7awl (around) in the Quran could mean “year” [rotation again]. REVOLUTION.

ok im following now!

great

So back to TWF then?

going back and forth, oscillating

How can it mean “groups”? It could have something to do with the members of a group, hence “ta’eefa”. Or… what this group does. 

I don;t think they need to be plurarl either, just performing the function of oscillating. 

the groups are moving back and forth

Group or party because they are move amongst each other metaphorically, so they get to know each other well?

^^ Agreed there too. Can’t make my mind up. 

How about 68:19.  The root word is used twice in that verse.It’s masculine. /:  

Again, “alaihim”. [[Fatafa AAalayha ta-ifunmin rabbika wahum na-imoon]]  Like the revelation that is sent down to the prophet.  It’s sent 3layha.;P  I was thinking this could be a form of mental torment.  Affecting the disbeliever/ungrateful? 

Are we stumped?

TWF – bringing things under your control? within your power? gaining mastery over something? Well, we can see what this ta’ef did. 

maybe even in 2:158, using it (safa and marwa) to achieve hajjal bayt or 3umrah?

68:20 -

Transliteration

Faasbahat kassareem

Sahih International

And it became as though reaped.

“sareem”, I thought, means strict, not reaped. They were the people of THE Jannah, btw, right? (68/17)

ص ر م to cut in order to seperate according to Lanes

hmmm, i was thinking every-day Arabic. Sorry. 

The context always dictates what the object of the concept is, so in 2:158, TWF should be referring to using safa and marwa from sha3a’irillah in order to succeed in hajjal bayt or 3umrah. mastering all of this to become well acquainted with what is required?

In the sense of a group or a party of people, it could mean being familiar with with each other, knowing each other, having a mastery of what each other think, what makes each other tick?

where is everyone? 

Well, it’s Ramadaan and I’m thirsty. :’(

It’s ramadan and I’m just about to have a cup of coffee;)

Yeeaaaaah, you don’t live with your parents. 

lol

What happened to Marisa? I am here.

Are we not in the zone for discussing the root today?

That right brain, left brain thing. I always thought it represented to different ways of processing things and the trick is to try and bring those two processes together.

They say left brained people are more inclined towards thinking logically about things in a step by step manner, while left brained people are more creative in their approach.

They’re pigs, in other words. I mean, mentally-wise. left or right? <— left

Right controls left body and vice versa. I am right handed, so left brain dominant apparently. My wife is left handed, so right brain dominant apparently. Since we’ve been together, I have become much more right brain active and I think she has become more left brain active, while still being dominant where we originally were. I hope this means we are thinking more wholistically now.

I’ve been doing an experiment this year to see if I am more productive and able to do more if I don’t fast. Seems like I am. So I am here yak yak aykking away and all thsoe fasting seem a little less productive because I seem to be talking to myself ))))))) I shouldn’t have fasted. 

http://blog.ted.com/2008/03/12/jill_bolte_tayl/  Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness — of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:44.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU  here is an alternate video link. thanks, will check it out.

Marisa, this is interesting. I can’t view the video, but I’m reading the transcript. Gives me some ideas regarding TWF actually.

I gotta go now.

Salimah, welcome and bye. Sorry you missed the class, but people weren’t really into it today. Maybe we can do this root again.

yes?

im yellow (salimah)

it’s ok. I’m sorry I wasn’t here

sure, I’ll be happy to do that

Peace and love to all. talk to you soon.

Peace be unto you too

Is there any Quranic evidence that the book we know as the Quran has been the same “al-kitab” throughout history?  I think I read a verse saying it has always been, but I can’t find it.  I think that the verse I blogged about is pretty strong evidence.  (35:43)

Ok, got it

35:43 their arrogant behaviour on earth, and their devising of evil [arguments against God's messages].34 Yet [in the end,] such evil scheming will engulf none but its authors: and can they expect anything but [to be made to go] the way of those [sinners] of olden times? Thus [it is]: no change wilt thou ever find in God’s way; yea, no deviation wilt thou ever find in God’s way! (Assad)

Way=sunna.  Idon’t really doubt that al kitab has been the same throughout time. I’m doing some reading on it at the moment

I’d love to hear your thoughts, because it’s my current belief that we can only be given a reminder if we already know something and I think it’s something some of us do inherently know.  That reminds me of my view on “hijab” and Maryam.  She utilized hijab to protect herself from outside influences and therefore she got her deen from God as he breathed it into her (rooh).  “None can understand it save the purified.”  Let me get another verse that I think might support this.  Yes, here it is.  30:30, http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=30&verse=30#(30:30:1).  

Farouk said something really interesting in one of the groups, something along the lines of a person being a muslim at any one time that they have decided to do something for the betterment of themselves and others. I’ll have to ask him to explain it- I can’t remember which thread it was on.

I mentioned the same thing in a thread

It has to do with decisions. Anything we do in life is essentially a decision that is made. So when we have a decision to make, we must ask ourselves the question: “Will my decision bring about safety, security and freedom for myself and those around me or not?” If we choose to act on the option that brings this about, then we are muslim in that instance.

Brilliant. I loved what you said about speeding today.

It reminded me to slooow down when I drive – stop being so aggressive. Helps having an ‘agressive driving cert’

Those who respond to their higher self and establish their life’s purpose, and their affairs are in consideration of those among them, and what they have been given (gifts, talents, blessings) they put to good use, when afflicts them the self-serving (greed, tyranny, injustice), they help themselves.  Recompense a harm with a similar harm.  But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, then his reward is upon God.  Indeed, He does not like the wrongdoers.  This is MARISA.YAY!

If I can add: “If your decision aligns itself with the will of Allah – then you are in essence submitting to that Will therefore in that moment you are doing a ‘muslim act’. and therefore can be defined as muslim at that moment/for that decision”

So we have to remind ourselves of Allah, of His Will and align.  When our decisions are in this state of alignment progress happens – the stream only flows one way… DARCSIN IS GREEN ok SKY BLUE/GREEN  It’s cyan to be exact.yeah yeah.  What color is 255, 255, 255? ur hand.“normal”.shuddap. Where Im from – IM normal!  Hey, I’m middle-eastern/asian too!do u have any ‘asian’ in you? no but i want some!naughty  (padded thai?)

HOw do I figure out who’s who with these colours?

Kryslte, are you pink? I’m yellow.WHO is yeller? Ok got it. Imraan. 

Thanks for the compliment Krystle?LOL Mar, I mean I’m not yellow OR yeller bellied! Sorry Imraan :/

I’m a lighter pink than Imraan.  Imraan is yellow.  Marisa is red.

Not meeee!lol!

In regards to ‘none can approach it save the purified’ (56:79) I think its to do with those purified of thought – emptied of preconceptions and the gods we set up in our lives – this is ONE of the steps to walking the “straight path that reveals and evolves you in stages”

Which verse is that again Yasin?.

56:79 This is a Book that none but the pure of mind can grasp.  

I think that it would be more accurate to say those who effect purity than the purified ones.agree – to effect purity is to go through or be going through the process… i c.  The Quran is a book of signs (ayat) and you will only understand all the signs once you are 100% purified.  That is not to say that you will not understand individual signs corresponding with your stage of purification+spiritual development/connection.

Salaat helps one to put the purification into practice, reason why salat and zakat mentioned together so often? no? yes!

Well, I am finally going to present my salat research at this year’s conference in South Africa and the Quran and qara’a forms an important part of the presentation. I have found that the basic meaning of qara’a and hence Quran is not what we have been taught. The basic meaning is about bringing together component parts in a protected environment in order for it to develop stage by stage until it is ready to function in the way it is meant to.I like this. So you mean the ‘revelation’ in stages is to be done in an environ of safety and then to put it into practice no? These groups online help in our little ‘submit with those who submit’ thing…

Just getting a link. The only reason qara’a is acceptable as reciting is because when we recite, we bring together the letters and sounds in the protected environment of our bodies and allow them to develop into a comprehensible form for delivery.please elaborate – when you said this it reminded me of the time when the wife and I used to read the Quran to our son when he was in the womb…and how he reacted to it…

Check out the first enries for ق ر أ here: http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000030.pdf

whats this fascinatino for she camels?

The fascination with camels has brought about the opinion that the arabs have thousands of words that mean camel, but this is not really true. They described camels in various ways because of the characterictics a particular camel demostrated so the various “names” for camels can be traced back to the root which describes that characteristic.

TRUE.

So assigning the meaning of recite and reacital to ق ر أ and Quran is a very limited approach. It is dependant on what ق ر أ means. ق ر أ is not dependant on what recital means. If that makes any sense.

GO ON DUDE

People always use that argument when I talk about exploring roots. That because there are so many words for ‘camel’, it can’t be a good idea to look into the roots. I thought there is only one word for camel?   Hi Yesar. hello  There is now! lol It always had me stumped, but Imraan has just explained it brilliantly.  That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do a study based on the common English translation concept.  For example, “evil”, or “sin”. 

I was just going to ask why everyone else is so quiet?

Me quiet? lol.

I think the sunnis have the qirat aspect down in the simplest sense.  My son is learning pronunciation – corrects me and his aunty maha AKA Marisa too (maha’s pronunciation is almost perfect albeit with her crazy smooth accent)  Also, the sound of the words – when ur reading a few verses which rhyme – they really have an effect – even if you dont understand the words – which then makes you ask “I wonder what it says” – this was my response as a child.

Sufi zikr – can at times consist of sounding out words in praise of Allah.  Now, when you internalise those sounds and bring them together in yourself, they can have a profound effect.  When you do that AND you understand what the sounds actually mean – they delve deeper, they can shake the foundations of your very being.

I should be in London tonight!…alas its not meant to be… there is a big sufi gathering on in Pekham mosque tonight.. my old sufi groups

Marisa, one of the things I’m coming to realise is that the root may not be a simple verb, but rather a process made up of a number of actions, like in the way I’ve defined ق ر أ.  That’s great.  Have you seen my thoughts on JBR?http://blissonature.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/jibrilgabrielurgeimpulseinstinct-2/

No

There are some great examples in quran of this process of ق ر أ. One is surah alaq. Another is muzzammil. please elaborate…im feelin lazy after my ooooooodon

Here are some of my notes from a Jummah talk I gave at a mosque. Sorry about the CAPS.

IN SURAH ALAQ, WE FIND THAT IT STARTS WITH THE INSTRUCTION “IQRA”.

IS THIS SURAH TELLING US MORE THAN TO JUST RECITE OR EVEN READ?

1. proclaim! (or read!) In the name of Thy Lord and Cherisher, who created-

WE ARE TOLD TO “IQRA” WITH THE ONE OF ALLAH’S DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF BEING ONE WHO CREATED, WHERE THE TERM جَلَق IS USED. THIS DOESN’T JUST MEAN TO CREATE, BUT TO CREATE BY DETERMINING THE MEASURE OR PROPORTION ACCURATELY. THIS RE ENFORCES THE CONCEPT OF QARA’A UNDER DISCUSSION.

THE VERY NEXT VERSE MAKES IT EVEN CLEARER AS IT GIVES US A MORE SPECIFIC POINT TO CONSIDER

2. created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed Blood:

THIS POINTS US TOWARDS THE PRIMARY MEANING OF QARA’A BEING RELATED TO THE CONCEPT OF CONCEPTION ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO DELIVERY OF A HEALTHY BABY.

3. proclaim! and Thy Lord is Most Bountiful,-

4. He who taught (the use of) the pen,-

5. taught man that which He knew not.

AGAIN, WE ARE INSTRUCTED TO “IQRA” AND REMINDED OF THE BOUNTEOUS NATURE OF OUR RABB OR NOURISHER WHO TAUGHT US WHAT WE DID NOT KNOW THROUGH THE USE OF THE PEN.

THE SURAH THEN GOES ON TO SPEAK OF THOSE WHO DO NOT FOLLOW THIS INSTRUCTION OF “IQRA”, GIVING US A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT WE MUST AVOID IN ORDER TO FULFILL THIS INSTRUCTION OF “IQRA”.

FINALLY, WE ARE TOLD

19. Nay, heed Him not: but bow down In adoration, and bring Thyself the closer (to Allah.!

THE INSTRUCTION HERE IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND SUBMIT TO THE CALL FOR “IQRA” IN ORDER TO DRAW NEAR.

THIS SURAH IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN GIVING US THE INSTRUCTION WE NEED TO FOLLOW IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS, AND THAT INSTRUCTION IS “IQRA” OR “DRAW TOGETHER ALL THE NECESSARY COMPONENTS FOR ESTABLISHING THE TRUTH AND DEVELOP THEM IN TO A PRODUCTIVE WHOLE, SO THAT YOU HAVE A FULLY OPERATIONAL SYSTEM CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING THE LOFTY GOALS SET OUT IN QURAN.

Done

I take it as to ‘embody’ it. Yasin wrote a great article on Q R A

Sure, that covers one component of it, but like I said it seems to describe a more comprehensive process. I’d love to read that article, Yasin.check darcust.wordpress.com

Study of Qaf – Ra – Alif

96:0 In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful. 

96:1 Read in the name of your Lord who has created. 

96:2 He created man from an embryo. 

96:3 Read, and your Lord is the Generous One. 

96:4 The One who taught by the pen. 

96:5 He taught man what he did not know. 

Here we have an interesting aspect of verse bracketing.  A concept (96:2) is mentioned between two commands to READ, or more specifically IQRA.  I understand 96:2 as being the realisation of one’s humanity by adhering or attaching oneself to what we are told to iqra.  This is further expounded in the following verses in that to iqra is to be taught by the pen (so something you read) and it is something you didnt know.

96:6-7 Tells us that we mustn’t stop IQRA just because we have achieved something – we have to continually strive

96:10 the prohibition is for salla – for connecting with people, how? Look at 96:12 – which is righteousness.

96:15-16 – the forelock (nasiyatin – Nun-Saad-Ya/Waw 11:56/55:41/96:15-16) refers to the part of the brain which has conciousness – mastery over oneself.

96:19 submit in order to come near to God.

The mention of salla in this verse and how one should not be stopped from doing it – is important.  We have to work righteousness even though there will be people trying to stop us – these works of righteousness help us to align ourselves with the Will of Allah and we become ‘created’ as man.  It is the rise from the animal selfishness to being human and concious of making contact with other people in order to do good.

The question then comes, what are we told to IQRA?  My take on these verses:

96:0 In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful. 

96:1 Read whilst being mindful of the attributes of your Lord to act according to that nature

96:2 Which We originated as a model for mankind by adherance to what we Read

96:3 Read to realise the attributes that will make you productive

What to Read? Well there are a few things which we can read:

1. The Quran of course

2. The attributes of God and their human equivalents in people we connect to

3. The results of our work/lives

4. Ourselves

17:14  Read your record! It is sufficient for you that you are aware of yourself today.

THIS verse is amazing.  Directly after it the matter for record which you are told to read/discern is mentioned – that is whether or not you were guided.  What is the result of this guidance? Well its simple, we guide for ourselves – or we misguide ourselves – which puts to bed the usual argument – does God guide and misguide? Not at all, we do it ourselves.  Compare this with 96:11 where it talks about guidance.

It is reading the results of our lives, sitting down at the end of the day and sorting through one’s thoughts, identifying if we have tried to actualise any of the divine attributes in our lives or have we lived like animals, automatic beings driven by impulse?  Did we behave like humans? An important question, to find more lessons.

17:14 and 69:19-20 show us about this record which we examine or allow to be read.  Do our lives read like the Quran, and the attributes of the Almighty or do they read like other parts of the Quran when they mention Pharoah or the mushrikeen or the kafiroon?

73:20 -Here we are told to read what is easy/a little/what we can of the Quran as God knows that we will be occupied or ill. Again righteousness is mentioned – the command to connect and purify to do righteousness…

16:97-99 Here we are told to do good works and read the Quran so that we can seek refuge IN Allah – so that we are not like Shaitan the displaced… i.e. READ in order to put your mind in the right place – with God.  Stay God Concious.

SUMMARY:

We read the Quran and apply the lessons to our life.  We can read the effects of following the guidance or not, so we can choose to become more human by integrating the Divine Attributes.  The salaat, the connection we have by working righteousness, by fighting oppression, by doing good deeds reflects in our lives and others.  So, when we read our record at the end of the day and we choose to PLAN our days by writing it in our record in the morning (two times for salaat) we are deciding to be God concious and plan for guidance and adherance to the Word.

The writing was inspired by M…. glorious M. Its not finished, but you get the gist.

Oh yes, I read this on QuranRoots. It’s great. I like it.

Another example is muzzammil where there have been gross mistranslations in my opinion. Al Muzzammil is not one wrapped up the way I see it. ز م ل means to counterbalance, so if you load a horse or camel, you ensure that the load is balanced. Or two riders on a camel sittting in such a way so as to counterbalance each other.Muzzammil is one who effects such balanace.  HAve you seen Shabbir’s trans of 73? As in ‘selector of companions’

I haven’t relly looked at his, but I have seen Parwez’s, from which Shabbir Ahmed has got most of his work. It sounds similar. It makes sense because the chapter really is about selecting companions in such a way as to have that balance and counter balance. When you look at terms in the chapter like “rattala tarteela”, it is about balanced and equitable arrangement.

So you dont equate that to what one would do with the verses of the Quran? Well the verses/signs do accompany us in our lives if we integrate them into our lives no?

WHERE HAVE THE GOOD WOMEN GONE? I am here!I’m heregood. 

I see it as arranging the companions in a balanced and equitable way utilising their respective capabilities in concert with how Quran can be seen in light of how I described ق ر أ above. Its about bringing an equitable society into effect stage by stage utilising the various capabilities of those involved in achieving this.

Yes, I see what you mean. There are many verses that I read in a personal and social sense at the same time. It’s something that I really want to research one day, God willing, the multiple meaning verses. I take them on a completely different meaning to some others. Those who say I take them the way I do to make it easy. I think I make things a lot harder for myself with my personal understanding of them. I think it easy to find a ritual in them and go with that. That’s my opinion.

You’re referring to mutashabihat? I think so!The firm verses we shouldnt really differe on, but your and my experiences will color your understanding

That’s an interesting one. I don’t see it as meaning “allegorical”. 3:7 says there are muhkamat and mutashabihat verses.That is the verse that is often thrown at me, yes.

Muhkamat refers to those verses which are firm in the sense that they establish limits. I don’t think we can refer to a single verse as mutashabihat because the form dictates that there should be at least two verses that are being compared in my understanding.

yes – this is where the verse pairing comes in handy… you use verse pairing and bracketing to elucidate a meaning appropriate to your understanding. sorry – i was speaking outloud to someone about a website! lolan example of being unable to multi-task

website? lol

Maybe I can use an example to demonstrate what I mean. Just a sec.K Thanks

In 3:130, we are advised against riba, but it is qualified as being compounded. In 2:275, we are told that riba is haram without any qualification. This could appear to be an inconsistency. My understanding on this is that the quran addresses various stages of evolution within the lives of communities and individuals. So if a community is steeped in the practice of riba, it is not possible to remove it suddenly. There is a step by step process that would allow for different applications under different conditions.

In relation to mutashabihat, these are two verses that are connected my a common thread, being riba. Those who are intent on maintaining riba would dwell on the compounded aspect without attempting to work towards its eradication. Does this make any sense? SORTA Hmm

There are other examples as well. It even comes into play very much in the concept of salat.I was watching  aprogram about buddhism and it was very appealing – the concept that it is YOU who control your destiny/future etc… and the interplay between the individual and the role they play in their society helps or hinders that society – so the concept of karma (consequence of actions) is very important and IS salaat in my opinion Karma is salaat? karma is not salaat…it is one of the attitudes to adopt to achieving peace…I gotchacool

PRAISE ALLAH!!! May His Name be Glorified and Magnified! <3 I think that’s what I was getting at. If you take salat to mean prayer, that is easier than taking it to mean something much greater, but because I don’t consider it be prayer, I’m considered by those who do to be lazy.

One of the problems with the idea of salat being so general is that it is presented within quran as being finite. It has a preparation, a beginning and an end. Those who take salat to be prayer also point out that there are specific times mentioned. The evolutionary nature of concepts in quran explain why students of quran have such trouble with trying to decide “how many” salats there are every day. I think that in the beginning of Muhammad’s mission people were able to give less time to salat than later in his mission. For example, I think that chapter 73 is one of the earliest methods of salat and 17:78 is one of the latest methods and times prescribed for salat.

Chapter 73 gives the night, others give various points in time, while 17:78 gives a span of time. It may not refer to time, but it doesn’t affect looking at it this way.

I dont think that there are a finite number of ‘salats’ in a day – it is between the dawn and night… so why not the WHOLE day… ?Exactly

17:78  Hold the contact prayer at the zenith of the sun, until the darkening of the night; and the Qur’an at dawn; the Qur’an at dawn is witnessed. Interesting.  So, the only break we get is when Allah takes the nafs in our sleep… yes…

That does make sense, Imraan, because we have the verse that gives instructions on what we need to do in preparation for salaat (the “wudhu” verse).

So who doesnt clean themselves in the morning?ala wudu…I shower every morning if that makes a difference. This is not about bathing.  At least not ONLY about bathing.OI F COURSE….. its one of the things… when dooing wudhu (ritually) I feel calm and ready to mentally tackle stuff) – my experience only… SORRY – do go on… I see wudhu as a spiritual aspect myself. mental/spiritual prep – that too.  the thing is that we cant just look at the quran in one dimension… our application is deeper…

I think its about extended periods and not specific 10 minute intervals or something…during the twilights…

What is interesting about the body parts mentioned in the wudu (if you take it to mean that) is that in reflexology, the hands, face, head and feet each have points that are used to treat the entire body. yes!TRUE. the chakras at the ends of our extremities and our heads/faces etc are INlets and OUTlets for energy…use them to take in positive PURIFYing energy (with clean water if you must) the ground/earth is where the energy grounds you… so when u can do ‘dry ablution’ it is with that in mind…wudu is not just a ritual, just like salat is not just a ritual.

We do tend to get very intellectual about the quran and not actually think with our hearts… the quran helps us to put our heart into action – soften it so to speak (not physically of course, that would be stoopid, duh)

I’m really considering the verses on wudu to be about preparing for salat in the sense that those who are going to be involved in a particular must be knowlegable about the subject matter to be discussed so whatabout those who are not yet knowledgeable or those who have no knowledge – are they excluded?

In a sense, yes. My understanding of salat is that in a developed commuinty, there would be various salats going on at the same time. People would attend and contribute to the salat that they are knowledgeable about in terms of its purpose.

OK. lets try something if you’re ALL game? go on

Give in the briefest possible words – your understanding of salat. I will go first of course:

It is the means with which one connects to the creation and thus the creator. Serve creation to serve creator. You nailed it. Serve the creation and thus serve God. I don’t see it as something that will only benefit myself personally. What you give out you will get back, BUT you don’t give to receive.i like – i hate the ‘sawaab system’ of bow like this and u get 70k sawabs. I used to think it was like a computer game, you get the high score u get a new life in heaven (as a kid!) Ha ha it’s actually some fellow ‘quranists’ who do my head in with this one

I see it as making productive use of the quran in all aspects of our lives in order to establish islam and imaan.cool

Involve yourself with the world around you by making use of the the gifts, talents, skills, blessings, knowledge that has been bestowed upon you.  Give back to the world so that you can live a life worth living and die without remorse.  Remember that even the birds know their salaat.<3 I LIKE.

this is fun. I see it as trying to establish a following in a community sense and trying to follow gods laws by following the quran. Aqumu al salat literally means maintain the following. In my opinion. 

One of the things worth noting is that we are never told to establish or make salat “to” God. but FOR God…YES!yes

The basic meaning of the root of salat is to make contact, but salat itself seems to come from the second form so it is about effecting this contact or one couold say “turning towards”. This turning towards is not always used as turning towards the quran. An example is 9:5. In 9:5, it refers to turning towards the treaty that has been violated.yeah so you turn towards the community – and bring them in line… help them to see what is right. show them what you have learnt and help them remember.

Hey where did everyone go…

I was wondering the same thing.

maybe im too boring

    What do you think about 9:5. dejavu! My post is just below this.

Actually, I think that the subject of 9:5 are mushriks and refers to them turning towards the original treaty. If not taken this way, it would violate the verses that speak of no compulsion in the deen.gimme a min

you – help these guys understand the agreement. I dont believe it gives the standard KILL meaning for violators of the treaty.  Also, the treaty is not necessarily an aspect of deen… more one of political necessity But the condition is that THEY establish the salat, not you.go on.. i wanna hear more…

If they are required to establish the salat and bring forth the zakat, they are in fact been forced to do this or suffer the consequences. So if we understand this as referring to salat in the sense that a mu’min is required to, we are violating their right to freedom of deen. The object of a salat is very important. The object is not included in the definition of salat on its own. The object of salat is dictated by the context. YES For a mu’min, the object of the salat (or what must be turned towards) is the Quran. Here, the context dictates that the mushrik must turn towards the original terms of the agreement which will in turn contribute to the growth and development of the community at large (zakat). this community is made up of mu’mins and mushriks.  So, what is qiblah?

I think qiblah is putting something before one’s self as an indication of acceptance. This is why we are to incline towards (ruku) and submit to (sujood) the position of quran regardless of our personal inclinations. These two together result in accepting and “facing” the position of quran on a matter.

The difference between mu’min and muslim: A muslim has accepted that the message the prophet brings is the truth (Yeah, OK, fine. You’re right).  A mu’min recognizes and is conscientious of the impact of the message and implements it in accordance with the instruction.  A bit like how it’s easy to say “God is omniscient”, but to be conscientious of that fact and act in accordance with it is another thing altogether.good

The muslim for me is one who effects safety, security and freedom, whereas the mu’min is one who effects safety, security and tranquility. The key difference being freedom on the one hand, and tranquility on the other.

So what am I? a Muslim or a mumin?

A muslim ensures that the environment allows for the freedom of all to contribute to this process. A mu’min ensures that the environment allows for the tranquility of all in being able to live with the peace of mind that all members of the community are taken care of. Just a working thought at the moment.

ok my take.  The mushriks break the treaty. allowance is given to cut them off and surround them and establish salat – communicate and contact the people in order that they may purify themselves of what they have done – this results in honest repentance…But why must they establish salat and bring forth the zakat?  because it is through mutual consultation and discussion with the people will they understand what the treaty entailed – and then they can purify themselves of the reasons as to why they rejected the treaty could be, yes. i’ll have to consider that. Well, it benefits all and doesn’t allow for an ‘under-class’ to form with everyone involved Aah, a fellow socialist. Erm, yeah? lol Great. With everyone involved in the system, none can feel that it is against them- that’s my takeThese takes are interesting. I just need to check how it fits with the language used in this passage, but thanks for all the insights on this.

bijabbārin (بِجَبَّارٍ) noun

genitive masculine singular indefinite noun (اسم
مجرور)

(50:45:8) … the one to compel. …

jabbāran (جَبَّارًا) noun (3)

accusative masculine singular indefinite noun (اسم
منصوب)

(19:14:5) … a tyrant …

(19:32:5) … insolent, …

(28:19:24) … a tyrant …

jabbārīna (جَبَّارِينَ) noun

accusative masculine plural noun (اسم
منصوب)

(26:130:4) … (as) tyrants. …

l-jabāru (ٱلْجَبَّارُ) adjective

nominative masculine singular adjective (صفة
مرفوعة)

(59:23:14) … the Irresistible, …

jabbārin (جَبَّارٍ) adjective (3)

genitive masculine singular indefinite adjective (صفة
مجرورة)

(11:59:11) … tyrant …

(14:15:4) … tyrant …

(40:35:23) … tyrant.” …

jabbārīna (جَبَّارِينَ) adjective

accusative masculine plural adjective (صفة
منصوبة)

(5:22:6) … (of) tyrannical strength …

FORCE, COMPULSION, URGE

Therefore, jibril means an irresistible urge or impulse from God! Like instinct!

According to verse 43, God’s sunna never changes or revolves. I feel that is solid proof against the tri-religious myth. Also, the chapter really emphasizes that God is always here with us and aware of everything we say, do, or experience. It’s amazing. Nobody else bears witness to our lives in such a fashion. It’s easy to say “God is omniscient”, but to really feel that you are never alone because God is with you is something entirely different. God supports whomever He wills, without limits. He is never unaware. He knows perfectly well what is in our best interests and He is the arranger of circumstances. All praise and glory be to God!

After I came up with this last night, I looked at my clock which projects onto the ceiling and hit the button which turns the display upside down. I laughed because the time was 11:11 so it looks the same either way. Then I realized the sign of UNITY.