I suggest all those attending my Zoom programs, and every Muslim everywhere, and every non-Muslim as well, do the following assignment. It is about something called Zulm.
If you know how to read the Qur'an in its original Arabic Script -- remember, only Arabic is Qur'an, everything else in any other language is translation or whatever -- and check out as many references as you can on the root word ZULM.
Such as Zulm, Zaalim, Zaalimoon, Zaalimeen, Zaloom and Zallaam.
By my very, very rough count, I found more than 200 references.
Now, I ask you, Muslim and non-Muslim alike to go and find me any document of comparable length -- a little over 75,000 words -- with 200 mentions of this concept, which roughly translates to: atrocities, oppression, tyranny, abuse, injustice, cruelty, denial of rights, and so on.
And this, mind you, in the early Seventh Century of the Christian Era on this earth -- more than 1400 years ago.
Now that is what you can call a Miracle. A living, real miracle, in real time, that anyone can touch, feel and see with their own naked eye.
It is "proof," if proof is what you were looking for, that this Qur'an cannot be of human design or composition.
So, when I do a Zoom program, I generally assign homework to people who attend. The assignment requires that people go and, on their own, find out some information.
And process that information. And then decide what to do with it. And determine how they are going to let that information impact their lives.
If you have not learned to read the Qur'an in Arabic, and only can read a translation, then use those translations and find out the references as best as you can for the concept of Zulm.
Sadly, there is no equivalent for it in English. So, as I said earlier, you will have to go with expressions like atrocities, oppression, tyranny, abuse, injustice, cruelty and so on. And you must know in many cases these are likely to be mis-translations.
Report back to me on your results. But don't expect me to address that in a future Zoom program. I may or may not. Once I assign a responsibility, I move on. I leave it to other people to deal with their assignment and get on with their lives.
I do that to make people shoulder some responsibility for their own learning and education. For, to me all education is Self-Education and all learning is Self-Teaching.
And the way it works is like this. Knowledge comes to people who actively and diligently seek it -- using every legitimate and lawful means at their disposal.
People who even run to China to get it if they have to.
Knowledge has nothing to do with people who sit around comfortably and wait for other people to dump it in their heads from outside.
Teaching in the language of Qur'an is called: Ta'leem. And learning in the language of Hadith is "Actively Seeking Knowledge."
So, the burden is on the "Seeker," on the student as it were. On people that is.
Utlubul Ilma, says Allah's Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. The best way I can render this concept in English is:
"Actively Seek Knowledge. Diligently and actively pursue knowledge."
And actively seeking knowledge begins when people are beset with all kinds of questions in their minds; and they lose sleep thinking about them.
And they go and spend the rest of their lives "Looking for Answers," and being perfectly miserable. For, answers are few and far between. And qualified people to help out disappear fast. And not likely to be replaced.
That is how knowledge happens.
END
