Surah 8: Al Anfal and Surah 47: Muhammad | Q&A | Project Illumine

[@mominhaq6295]

Keep strong and wish you well, inshallah

[@stephenconnolly1830]

TIMESTAMPS Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem [Grace Song's preamble] 5:05 can the Professor reveal his engagement with Surah Muhammad and why it was so entitled? 6:48 Surah al-Anfal and Surah Muhammad referencing actual events relating to the revelation. 10:00 the simplistic answer that Surah Muhammad was so named because of the mention of the Prophet's name in one of its Ayat. 11:00 the Asbāb al-Nuzul\circumstances around the revelation not helpful in this case - scattered sources, a detective story to piece together. 12:25 revelation of Surah Muhammad after the battle of Uhud and Surah al-Anfal but before the expulsion of Banu Nadir (625 CE) and the Banū al Muṣṭaliq expedition (627 CE). 14:05 post Uhud lacunae, the emboldened Jewish tribes... 14:52 ...and hypocrites - forming around Abdullah ibn Ubayy - bad mouthing the Prophet to his disciples. 16:38 Surah Muhammad's insistence either people were with the Prophet or they were an enemy - no more prevarication from the Medinese. 17:50 the importance of consulting disparate sources comprehensively to gain an accurate rather than superficial understanding. 18:16 the importance of Arab poetry in fighting their propaganda battles - the social media of the day. 19:10 the phenomenon of the hypocrites contacting the Meccans in an attempt to strike a deal with them [amounting to treason]. 21:05 the Qur'an focusing on what the hypocrites were saying not their specific identity - their non-committal discourse and doubt. 22:13 the Medinese realignment resulting from the revelation of Surah Muhammad with its no nonsense message and concomitant isolation of Abdullah ibn Ubayy + refractory hypocrites/followers. 26:55 does the Professor want to talk about some important reports which provide some timely clarification? 28:58 the Dhikr emembrance for Surah al-Anfal - Ayah #2 - and Surah Muhammad - Ayah #7. 29:23 why was Surah al-Anfal important and what was the reaction to its revelation/its importance? 30:42 lacking in all previous scholarship on the subject of Surah al-Anfal - spoils of war/booty + rape being a fact of life; considered the right of the victorious surviving warrior. 33:50 the unprecedented innovation of Surah al-Anfal - the end of individual pillaging (and definitely no raping) in favour of placing valuable items resulting from the spoils of war in the public treasury. 34:35 the risk of deterring the recruitment of soldiers. 35:50 the beginning of the modern laws of war/ending of pillaging and raping. 40:00 application of the same rules under Saladin Ayubi after the reconquest of Jerusalem - an unheard of arrangement. 41:10 even in the modern age soldiers stealing without sanction - the example of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan pillaging and raping there. 42:25 Muslims being unaware of their history due to the colonisation of their minds via the secondary sources written by orientalists with an imperial/colonial agenda. 43:08 the Professor's conviction - thinking outside the box being connected to the power of God - allowing the boundaries of convention to be transcended. 43:52 how do Muslims navigate the potential for spiritual abuse as per Surah al-Anfal mandating the remittance of one fifth to fund the needs of the state and war effort? 49:00 the problem of trust and its resolution. 1:01:45 betraying God's message by causing cognitive dissonance by failing to make it relevant to people's everyday experience. 1:05:05 could the exhortations in Ayat #65 & #66, Surah al-Anfal, about a Muslim force fighting a force ten times the size of theirs, followed by being permitted to take on a force only twice as numerous, be clarified? 1:16:36 despite the curtailment of individual booty how were the Muslims still able to be so successful at recruiting new converts from those not anchored in the Qur'anic message? 1:18:35 the exception of pillaging by Yazid's forces against Hussain's. 1:20:52 the sense of collective identity and purpose provided to the Arabs by Islam. 1:23:20 the generous remuneration and unprecedented nature of welfare aimed at taking care of the family of fallen soldiers making a huge difference - the importance of state administration in the military success of the Muslims throughout history (Ummayyad and Abbasid etc dynasties). 1:26:55 can the Professor's repetition of whether one is disturbed by the Qur'an's mention of hell or comforted by its mention of Jinnah\heaven according to oneself and who one is apply to those suffering from a disturbed pathology created, for example, by a heritage Muslim family controlling their children with violence and constant fear of torture in hell for even minor human mistakes? What does one say to the damaged person incapable of objectivity, truly unable to fairly evaluate their own conduct, that is still bothered by the mention of hell? 1:28:26 does the Professor think the idea of feeling uncomfortable at the Qur'an's mention of hell whereas the mention of heaven doesn't bring peace due to the excessive guilt or shame instilled into a person by their culture and environment though the person may not be full of sin leaving them to struggle with irrational guilt and fear which they have internalised viewing themselves as unworthy of forgiveness and deserving of hell? 1:34:15 the analogy of the response of certain students to the teaching of law in relation to the consequences of culpability. 1:42:28 the problem of the Muslim immigrant (teacher) experience in the US which uses Islam - particularly the instrumentality of fear - as an identity due to the lack of suitable investment in human resources, expounded. 1:52:20 could the Professor discuss more on Ayat #14 & #15 in Surah Muhammad concerning the parables of Jinnah\heaven? 1:58:02 the materialism and mundanity of Muslim convert readings. 2:01:41in relation to chapter Muhammad's theme of believers and disbelievers/hypocrites. It seems the importance of belief is that it focuses one's thinking so this is translated into actions in a particular direction and within specific parameters, versus disbelief which results in the converse - very often amounting to inaction if not downright opposition. Could the Professor share his thoughts on the phenomenon in recent decades of incessantly going on about the subject of Tawhid\monotheism amid Muslims’ constructive material action faltering. Is Tawhid akin to polytheism/Shirk under these circumstances? 2:18:56 the word Muh'kama\precise/decisive in Ayah #20, Surah Muhammad is used to describe the chapter, could the Professor discuss this in light of the precedent of the use of the terms Muh'kamat/Mutashabihat in Surah Al Imran? 2:19:40 Ayah #20, Surah Muhammad: "wayaquloo alladheena amanoo lawla nuzzilat soora fa-idha unzilat sooratun muh'kamatu wadhukira feeha al-qitalu ra-ayta alladheena fi quloobihim maradu yanthuroona ilayka nathara al-maghshiyi alayhi mina al-mawt fa-awla lahum" (Those who believe say, "If only a chapter is sent down." Yet when a decisive chapter is sent down, and fighting is mentioned in it, you see those in whose hearts is sickness looking at you with the look of someone fainting at death. So woe to them!). 2:27:06 is comprehending the historical context and chronology important information when studying the Qur'an? 2:27:33 how or at what point can societies say they have tried every diplomatic means possible before considering war? 2:27:55 the Professor being satisfied with the principle of just cause - especially concerning war - under Islamic law; peace being a huge blessing, but war as a necessity under the appropriate conditions. 2:39:00 Chapter 17: Jihad, sovereignty and jurisdiction: The issue of the abode of Islam, Ahmed Al-Dawoody (2019) The Routledge Handbook of Islamic Law, Abou el-Fadl, K. (ed). 2:39:55 the importance of understanding the moral and ethical point of each chapter in the Qur'an. 2:47:03 the requirement of reading scholarly texts or attending Bible study classes to comprehend its meaning. 2:48:30 dumbing down the Qur'an. 2:50:32 how does one respond to those who disrespect the Prophet? 2:52:53 the lack of freedom of speech all around the world throughout the pre-modern period - at variance with current circumstances. 2:57:20 the Prophet being maligned daily during his lifetime, documented in the Qur'an, without repercussion. [Ameen]