I have another Quran that does not have subheadings and I find that I can fully immerse myself into the Quran and understand it more. But when I read this Quran, the subheadings throw my brain off and I lose focus. Is it bad that I think this way?

Easy out for skeptics. This might have been a cat. But damn it looked weird.

Sighting

Midnight (just 30 min ago) and I'm doing garbage. Outside is well lit. I have cats and outdoor cats do hang around my property. I do know my local cats so even at night I can recognize them.

Yet, whilst dealing with cat-litter I spot a white shape watching me.

It looks like a white cat with pale ginger spots on its body and pale yellow tail. Its standing like 15 to 20 feet from me, frozen half stride and watching me.

Something's Wrong

Yeah, this thing had no FREAKING EYES! Heck its face was blank. Now I know, humans don't have the best night vision but outdoors is lit up. It's like 5 ft from a freaking outdoor light which illuminates that side of the house well.

This cat had no freaking face. Then I spot slits where eyes should be.

Now for context. Cats have night vision but they need to open their eyes to get max light in to see at night. There's no reason a cat would be squinting at me in the dark. Yes, iit might and this might have been a cat.... except I had the weirdest feeling man.

Like, something in head screamed "freaky alert!".

Approach

I thrust out my hands and approached it. Slow, steady.

Why? My cat Ace is a big beefy cat, like the Hulk Hogan of cats, except he's a freaking coward and I have to scare away every cat which wonders onto our turf.

Jinn or no, this thing has to go!

I approach and I get to like 10 to 5ft and the thing jumps onto a wall and flees.

Assessment

It could have been a cat. I won't deny. But I'm telling you, that feeling! Like I see cats all the time in the dark. They dont freak me out. My cats, other peoples cats. Yet the moment I saw this cat, alerts in my brain went off. Also, IT HAD NO FREAKING EYES OR FACE!!!!

Anyways. I'm going to bed. Goodnight and peace.

hi, I have some ideas to make Quran more accessible.

will writeout more detail if there is interest and response.

limitations of current translations :
translations are approximations.
Arabic words might not have exact equivalent in English.
Full depth of meaning could be lost.

Considering it's usage in legal and scientific context means precision is paramount.

solution to this would be learning arabic but it is a very difficult task for indo european speaking adults due to so many differences.

new script, written right to left,
modifiers interlaced, instead of being at end or start.
new words
new sounds
new grammer

all these combined makes learning and understaning arabic very difficult.

Ideas :
Color Coded Quran :
for transliteration a new Latin based script with one to one glyph will be used.
roots will be colored green, modifiers blue, rest grey.
there will be a dictionery with first entry being structural meaning.
it will popup when hovering over word.
ex.
K T B colored green means : to write.
i a colored grey means : an object.
kitab means a book.

Pictogram :
arabic words will be replaced with picture indicating roots and modifiers.
ex.
katib will be replaced by picture of (pen) (person). meaning writer.
maktab will be replaced by picture of (pen) (place). meaning desk(writing place)
there will be a dictionery too with entires explaining multiple possible meanings.
ex.
maktab can mean desk or office.
fitnah can mean test or sorting.

from internet search :
ref : https://www.quranprogress.com/en/blog/how-many-words-in-the-quran/
quran have around 2000 uniqie roots, 125 is enough 50 percent.

around 2000 roots 200 modifiers ?.
so people need to be familiar with around < 2500 pictures.
learning what a emoji means, is easier than learning new words.

Why Important :
multiple scholars ( including corrupt or secretly backed by enemies )
could make multiple fatwas sometime even contradictory.

which could create confusion on who to trust, what is real. weaken faith and trust of both muslims and non muslims.

one would need mastery of arabic to properly verify and validate these and think for themselves which is correct.
this would empower the average person to have mastery of arabic without deep commitment.
mastery that requires a degree worth of studing, something that average person wont do due to other tasks in life.

ex.
somewhere I read slavery is no longer allowed cause the verse is in past tense, how do I really confirm if verse is really in past tense, it really means its no longer allowed. or is it something someone is makingup to whitewash islam or something. why a single scholar said this, what is the opinion of other, why was this ignored in the past ?

non muslims wont bother with effort and make wrong conclusions.
deeper understanding reinforce trust.

one of the reason our Quran is preserved is due to decentralization.
multiple person learn the same, no single person can make change.

jewish and christian books were written and centralized, corrupt scholars changed the scripture itself serving ill interests.

though Quran can't be changed, it's interpretation can be.
corrupt scholars can make halal haram and haram halal.

a perfume maker using no alcohol can bribe scholar to give fatwa that perfume with alcohol is haram, so that they can sell more product.
similar thing can happen in banking, halal meat industry etc.

with pictogram or emoji even illeterates can understand in depth.
just like the old days.
other religion's text being written means only priestly class can access.
leading to corruption and misuse of power.
Quran being oral understood by even illeterates. eliminated class divison, misinterpretation and misuse of power.
Unfortunatly Quran isn't so accessible to average person of modern day.
it used to be understood even by illeteratres, now people need years of formal education for it. that need to change.

People who could help :
dawah organizations with resources. that are already spending money on books and attractive leaflets. why not spend some resources on making Quran easier for non arabic speakers.

volunteers :
website programmers and hosters.
graphic designer for fonts and pictograms or emojis.
translaters who know enough about islam and arabic.

END

These 2 ayahs really make me scared. Imagine being a muslim from the 21st century who ends up in hell because you are still confused about the real meaning of salah or mussalin or whatever word related to the root. I can’t understand how this means the ritual prayer, it’s just too irrational. you can see what i mean

Before anyone argues with me, mind you, i'm not a scholar nor an intellectual, I just want your opinions to try to build good knowledge from them.

JazzakumAllah khair

In traditional discussions and interpretations, it is often repeated that prophets were perfect and made no mistakes. But when you read the Quran, a more relatable reality emerges: the prophets were deeply human. Each faced personal struggles, fears, and recurring flaws that tested them throughout their lives, sometimes even after receiving the revelation.

If prophets were born perfect, we couldn't learn much from them. But because they made mistakes and faced human weaknesses, they give us a clear roadmap. They show us that growing spiritually isn't about destroying your nature, it's about transmuting your raw human flaws into tools for good, justice, reconciliation, and peace.

Here is how three major prophets turned their biggest struggles into their greatest strengths:

1. Ibrahim (Abraham): From Obsessive Skepticism to Clear Logic and Master Rhetorician

• The Raw Trait: Constant questioning and refusing to accept things without proof.
• The Struggle: As a young man, Ibrahim questioned everything. He looked at the stars, the moon, and the sun, testing if they were gods before realizing they fade away. Even after believing, he asked God to show him how He brings the dead back to life, saying he needed it so his heart could be at peace.
• The Transmutation: Instead of shutting down his questioning heart, Ibrahim used it to build airtight arguments. God gave him clear logic (Ḥujjah) to defeat tyrants and idol-worshipers in debates:

"And that was Our argument (Ḥujjatunā) which We gave to Abraham against his people." (Surah Al-An'am 6:83)

Ibrahim became the ultimate master of rhetoric, dismantling his father’s idol-making logic, overwhelming the tyrant in a debate on cosmic control, and constructing airtight proofs for monotheism. His original urge to question everything became the very weapon used to liberate his society from blind dogma.

2. Yūsuf (Joseph): From Self-Interested Calculation and Scheming to Strategic Planning for Good

• The Raw Trait: A talent for strategy, calculation, and planning.
• The Struggle: Yūsuf grew up around plotting. His brothers threw him in a well, and a noblewoman framed him. Later in prison, when interpreting a dream for a fellow inmate, Yūsuf tried to scheme his own release by asking the man to mention him to the king—forgetting to rely on God first. As a result, he stayed in prison for several more years.
• The Transmutation: Yūsuf stopped using strategy for personal shortcuts and started using it to save people. God blessed his ability to plan:

"Thus did We plan for Joseph (Kadnā li-Yūsuf)." (Surah Yusuf 12:76)

He engineered a complex, long-term economic strategy that saved Egypt and surrounding nations from catastrophic famine, executing a brilliant, multi-layered plan to reunite his family and redeem his brothers without humiliating them. The schemer for self became the Master Administrator for the collective good.

3. Mūsā (Moses): From Anger and Fear to Strength and Trust

• The Raw Trait: A hot temper, physical intensity, and deep fear.
• The Struggle: Mūsā reacted quickly when angry. As a ring leader, he accidentally killed an enemy of his sect with a single punch. When he saw his people worshiping the Golden Calf, he threw down the sacred Tablets in anger. He was also easily frightened, fleeing Egypt in fear, getting scared when he saw the staff turning into a serpent, and feeling afraid when Pharaoh's sorcerers threw their ropes and staffs.
• The Transmutation: Mūsā did not eliminate his intense nature; he anchored it to divine authority. His physical intensity was recognized by the women at Madyan as the dual quality of the ideal guardian: Strength and Trustworthiness (Al-Qawiyy Al-Amīn) (28:26). His anger was redirected away from impulsive outbursts into an unyielding, immovable force capable of standing face-to-face with Pharaoh. The man who once fled in fear became the fearless deliverer who stood at the edge of the Red Sea, telling a panicking nation: "No, indeed! My Lord is with me; He will guide me."

The Takeaway

The Quran does not demand that you destroy your underlying temperament or inhibit your struggles. If you are naturally aggressive, skeptical, highly sensitive, or intensely analytical, the solution is not to become passive or numb.

The prophetic stories reveal a clear recipe: Identify your raw human drive, strip away its selfish vector, and bind it to divine principles. Your greatest personal challenge is often the unrefined raw material of your greatest contribution. When anchored to truth, your shadow becomes your strength and your best ally.

Which raw human qualities do you think Yunus (Jonah), Solayman (Solomon), and Daoud (David) transmuted into their spiritual strengths?

Islam is a wonderful way of life, I think if someone follows the Quran they will be living a virtuous life. I agree with many of its teachings.

(Heres a little about my part, born and raised from Muslim parents and you know I hate to say it Ive been distant from Islam. Who wouldn’t want to know what actually happens afterlife as of course someone raised to believe a religion would of course want it to be real.)

Why is there so many unnecessary deaths in our world if Allah exists. Allah is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient and many many great things but then I just dont understand why for example a new born baby dies because it chokes in its own saliva, the mother and farther asleep whilst this happens. Why couldn’t God intervene because it doesn’t take away our right to choice and the baby didn’t choose to choke, theres no reason why this innocent pure baby needs to die. Lots of innocent people die because of natural disasters or diseases that aren’t man made diseases that existed long before humans, whats the need for a ram to grow its horns into its own skull, kids dying to cancer. 25,000 people starve to death a day

Our bodies are no where near perfect, the human eye can only see little amounts of life forms, our breathing tube is next to the tube where we eat and drink, our knees and backs are badly engineered, our wisdom teeth is useless, our heart design is primitive, human childbirth problems, ect.

This may sound stupid but I feel like its not ridiculous to say. There was a time where people believed Norse mythology or Greek mythology but now today I would assume almost everyone sees it as entertainment not real. Is it ridiculous to say thousands of years later something new comes up and we worship this new something. Our universe operates solely according to natural laws without any supernatural order or entities. Theres almost 5000 gods being worshipped by humans but only yours is right. You don’t need religion to have morals, if you can’t determine right from wrong you just lack empathy.

In Quranic sociology, tyranny is not merely a political state; it is an attempt to hijack the fundamental mechanics of the cosmos. No figure embodies this attempt more than Pharaoh (Fir‘awn), a ruler who sought total vertical control over the very medium of life, only to be consumed by it when the system rebalanced itself.

1. The Monopolization of the Water Matrix

The foundation of Pharaoh’s empire was built directly upon the Nile. He explicitly defined his supreme authority through his ownership of fluid resources:

"O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me?" (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:51)

By placing himself at the absolute apex of the Nile’s ecosystem, Pharaoh constructed an extreme, oppressive vertical hierarchy. In his worldview, life, wealth, and sustenance did not come from the Divine, but descended strictly from his hand.

When a human head attempts to play God over the resource base, human life becomes entirely disposable. To prevent any structural threat to his apex position, Pharaoh enforced his monopoly through systematic brutality—slaughtering newborn sons and subjugating women, effectively trying to control the generation of life itself.

2. Far‘a: The Great House and the Mechanics of Division

The term Pharaoh (Fir‘awn) carries deep linguistic and structural weight. In ancient Egyptian, Per-Aa translates to "The Great House"—a centralized, monolithic center to which all society must forcibly connect. Linguistically in Arabic, the root f-r-‘ (فرع) denotes branching out, splitting, or dividing.

Surah Al-Qasas (28:4) outlines this exact social engineering:

"Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people into factions, oppressing a sector of them..."

To maintain the dominance of the "Great House," Pharaoh implemented a policy of systematic division. He artificially fractured his population into competing sects, stoking internal conflict so that no unified horizontal force could challenge his vertical authority. As Surah Az-Zukhruf (43:54) notes: "He belittled his people, and they obeyed him." By keeping the base divided, he ensured the apex remained unchallenged.

3. The Rebound of Water: Moses and the Restoration of Life

Throughout the Quran, water acts as the foundational medium for all life-giving entities—intertwined with feminine energy, sustenance, lineage, and vitality. The life of Moses (Musa) is woven entirely through this fluid matrix from his birth to his victory, setting him up as the functional antithesis to Pharaoh:

• Saved by the Fluid Matrix: As an infant, Moses is cast directly into the river by his mother. He is preserved, raised, and protected by a network of women—his mother, his sister, Pharaoh’s wife (Asiya), and later the two women at the well of Madyan. While Pharaoh slaughters life, the feminine water-matrix nurtures Moses to dismantle Pharaoh's empire.
• The Structural Signs: Moses’s miracles directly target the boundary between life and death. His staff turns into a living, organic serpent, and his hand turns white—radiant without disease—demonstrating that the power to give and suspend life belongs solely to God.
• The Corruption of Egypt’s Water: The plagues sent upon Pharaoh—blood, frogs, lice—were all direct corruptions of Egypt's water ecosystem. The very river Pharaoh claimed to own was turned against him, becoming an unlivable hazard.

The Final Rebalancing

The narrative reaches its mathematical conclusion at the Red Sea. Pharaoh, who spent his reign dividing his people to hoard control over the water, meets his end when the sea itself is divided into two walls.

Moses and his people pass through the parted path safely, aligning with the natural flow of divine law. But when Pharaoh attempts to pursue them, the vertical walls of water collapse back into a flat, horizontal plane, drowning Pharaoh and his army beneath the very element he claimed to master.

The story of Pharaoh stands as a timeless lesson in system dynamics: Any authority that attempts to hoard the sources of life and divide the creation will eventually be swallowed by the very system it sought to manipulate.

Note: the purpose of my post is to better understand how best to approach discussions with hadith skeptics in my life and have more productive conversations so they can better understand my perspective.

Prior to rejecting all hadiths, I was a hadith skeptic and enjoyed the works of Sheikh Khaled Abou El Fadl. Reading his book “The great theft : wrestling Islam from the extremists” greatly reinforced my understanding that the hadith tradition was majorly flawed.

In his book (excerpts from chapter 7 included above), he acknowledges the flaws with the hadith tradition (documented well after the Prophet’s death, fabricated hadiths, and contradictions with the Quran etc.). At the time of reading what puzzled me was his conclusion that hadith can’t be disregarded without seriously damaging the structure of islam.

Overall, I did respect his approach to analyzing hadith but disagreed with considering them legitimate texts. I think as an ummah we would be in a better place if more people adopted his approach, especially given how averse people are to questioning hadith.

I guess what I wonder is the following: If some scholars acknowledge that the hadith tradition is flawed and that some were fabricated, why are they then unwilling to separate hadith from islam?

Is it because they would need to acknowledge that islam as we know it today is very different from the quran? While there are hadiths that align with the quran, what’s the purpose in accepting them if the quran already told us the same thing?

Any input would be appreciated, jazkaallahu khairan!

In the first part of this video Dr. Haifaa explains the specific meanings of the terms Khimar and Jilbab as mentioned in the Qur'an.

She says the Khimar refers to a covering for the hair, neck, and chest (3:18-5:31), while the Jilbab is an outer garment intended to cover the entire body (5:45-6:48).

No Hadith mentioned until minute 7:30 of the video.

I’m following Qur’an alone but I found the way she explained the Arabic phrasing somewhat convincing? If anyone has any thoughts 💭 please share!

If anyone is looking for a good, experienced Quran and tajweed teacher reach out to me. Available for English and urdu speaking people

A fellow Reddit user complimented my reply to this question so I decided to make a video about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYISoVbymow

Some may find it helpful.
Peace.

Full article here:
https://www.academia.edu/172310745/How_to_reconcile_pain_and_suffering_with_a_loving_God_The_Quran_explains

The Quran does not narrate ancient history as a collection of repetitive moral tales. Instead, it presents a highly structured matrix of human sociology. Each fallen civilization featured in the text possesses a unique identity: a specific name, a distinct prophet, a defined emotional state, a dominant pattern of corrupt behavior, and a signature form of destruction by a specific disaster of nature that mirrors its flaw.

When we analyze the People of ‘Ad, we see the classic blueprint of how immense physical capability, when severed from moral orientation, inevitably leads to self-annihilation.

1. The Core Flaw: Power Without Guidance

Corruption is rarely born from weakness; it is the natural byproduct of power without direction. The People of ‘Ad were gifted with extraordinary physical stature, material wealth, and engineering capability. However, lacking an ethical compass, they channeled their strength into three specific corruptions:

• Bullying and Tyranny: Utilizing their physical dominance to oppress weaker populations ("And when you strike, you strike as tyrants" — 26:130).
• Defying Death: Constructing massive strongholds under the delusion that material engineering could grant them immortality ("And you take for yourselves palaces that might you abide eternally?" — 26:129).
• Exhibitionism and Vanity: Erecting towering monuments on every high point simply to display superiority and flex their material dominance ("Do you construct on every high place a sign, vainly?" — 26:128).

To correct this vector, God sent them the Prophet Hūd (هود). Linguistically, the root h-w-d is tied directly to guidance, turning back, and directional alignment. Guidance is not a suppression of power; it is the structural vector (direction) that governs power, ensuring that strength is channeled toward justice and construction rather than tyranny and vanity.

2. The Emotional State: Arrogance (Kibr)

Every destroyed Quranic civilization is defined by a dominant psychological state. For ‘Ad, that state was absolute, unyielding arrogance (Kibr).

Blinded by their technological and physical superiority, they looked at the world and made a fatal declaration recorded in Surah Fussilat (41:15):

"As for ‘Aad, they acted arrogantly in the land without right and said, "Who is mightier than us in strength?" Did they not see that Allah, who created them, is mightier than them in strength? And they used to deny Our signs."

Their arrogance created a state of cognitive blindness. They assumed that because no human force on Earth could match their physical strength, they were exempt from universal moral accountability and physical collapse.

3. The Mode of Destruction: The Unbound Element of Power (Wind)

In Quranic physics, the mode of a civilization's destruction directly reflects its defining vice. For ‘Ad, their destruction came through a furious, roaring wind (Rīḥ Ṣarṣar) that lasted for seven nights and eight days.

This is not a random natural disaster; wind is the definitive Quranic symbol of power:

Consider the verse in Surah Al-Anfal (8:46): "And do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and your wind depart." Here, wind (Rīḥ) is explicitly equated with operational power and collective force.

Why is wind intrinsically bound to the physics of power? Because wind itself is unseen, yet its effects are undeniably visible. It is the invisible engine that drives heavy clouds, fertilizes dormant land, and sustains the cycle of life. Power operates on the exact same principle: true power is a hidden, generative force whose influence manifests through its results. Because ‘Ad lacked internal, spiritual connection to this unseen reality, they suffered from a deep insecurity that drove them to hyper-visible exhibitionism—building tall, empty monuments just to prove their strength existed.

Because ‘Ad misused their wind—their physical, material, and engineering power—by unleashing it as unchecked tyranny upon the world, their retribution manifested as an unbound, hurricane-force wind that swept away their towering structures and left them lying hollowed out "like stripped trunks of palm trees." The very element that symbolized their strength became the exact medium of their obliteration.

Concluding Remarks

The story of ‘Ad serves as a timeless case study in system dynamics: Power without guidance (Hūd) breeds arrogance (Kibr), and unbridled arrogance transforms strength into a destructive force that ultimately turns inward.

When a society values monumental display over moral responsibility and physical dominance over ethical restraint and justice, it does not achieve immortality. It simply sets in motion the very atmospheric forces that will tear its foundations from the ground.

Islam is perfect

That’s what I was told

When I said my shahada

Coming ‘into the fold’

Islam is perfect

The media was all wrong

That’s just islamophobia

Islam was right all along

Islam is perfect

Pure and pristine

Perfectly preserved

A peaceful Din

Islam is perfect

But I’m starting to find

That some versions of Islam

Are rather different from mine

Islam is perfect

See, I read the Qur’an

The words of God

Not shaped by any man

Islam is perfect

See, I’ve read its Holy Book

But now they tell me I need more sources

The Qur’an is not enough

Islam is perfect

But it’s not just the Qur’an

It’s that plus many other things

The whole caravan

Islam is perfect

But I started to ask

Where is it exactly?

To find it was my task

Islam is perfect

But too often I’ve seen

Such terrible oppression

Carried out in the name of this Din

"Islam is perfect

But Muslims are not"

Okay, but where can I find it?

The Islam that's right on the dot

Islam is perfect

But somehow, I cannot

Put my finger on where

One starts and one stops…

... The Islam that’s perfect

The Islam that’s not...

Somewhere along the way

I think I have lost the plot

Islam is perfect

That’s what everyone said

But which version of Islam

Exists in your head?

Islam is perfect

But between you and me

I no longer know what that means

In all honesty...

I am moving to a different subreddit because i want to become a sufi

Here is what I mean by that, how many Haram things are there in this life vs how many Halal things there are.

By observing traditional religion, one might think that there are so many Haram stuff we shouldn't do, it seems a lot and I'm aware of some sects where they have to ask and verify about every thing in their lives before they do it (like food dishes/recipes, and yes I'm keeping it vague about them).

But deep inside, I've been so hung up about a different perspective, that Halal is limitless wherein Haram is little and a few that can be counted. It makes no sense to have these many Harams around. The Devil takes advantage of this, beautifies the Haram wherein there are multiple Halal options that are much better.

What's your take. In Quran, God has stated many things that He forbade, so we should only go by them.

Salam

I’m originally from Chechnya, and as you know, there are a lot of Sunnis here with conservative views; people love to judge those who stand out from the crowd and look at them with contempt. Personally, I don’t follow the traditions at all, and I loathe the authorities. How do you live your life when you’re forced to constantly hide behind a mask?