recent revert asking...

[elme]

asalaamu alaikum!

i've embraced islam recently and this Ramadaan was my first fast! And it went splendidly! i have a few questions though that, i am surprised, some friends don't have clear answers to.

> during the last week at tarawih the imam recited a surah.... but then we all went straight down into sajdah and then came back up again.
can someone explain why? does it occur after a certain surah is recited?

> also, i've been wondering. throughout the Qur'an it says 'We'. why the word We if islam teaches monotheism? i am just interested in the translation of this.

shukran very much

The choice i have made has come over a period of many years. i've been searching. reading. listening.

islam, to me, is a humble way of life.... if lived truthfully. one has to keep sincere in the everyday rituals like salah, taking wudoo, making dua, reciting the Qur'an... i've seen too many brothers and sisters do these just for the sake of getting it over and done with.

i absolutely love my deen!

shukran again for those who will answer...

[thipps]

Originally Posted by elme

asalaamu alaikum!

Wa'Alaikum Salaam Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu

i've embraced islam recently and this Ramadaan was my first fast!

Alhamdulillah. Truely, Allaah is the One who guides.

> during the last week at tarawih the imam recited a surah.... but then we all went straight down into sajdah and then came back up again.

can someone explain why? does it occur after a certain surah is recited?

These are called Sujood al-Tilaawah (prostration of recitation).
These are supported by authentic ahaadith and the concensus of the ummah.
There are 15 such verses after the recitation of which this prostration is peformed. For example, the first three that occur in the Qur'an are the following:
1 - “Surely those who are with your Lord (angels) are never too proud to perform acts of worship to Him, but they glorify His Praise and prostrate before Him.” [Qur’an, 7:206]
2 - “And unto Allaah (Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the afternoons.” [Qur’an, 13:15]
3 – “And to Allaah prostrate all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, of the live moving creatures and the angels, and they are not proud [i.e., they worship their Lord (Allaah) with humility].” [Qur’an, 16:49]
Reading the translation also helps.

> also, i've been wondering. throughout the Qur'an it says 'We'. why the word We if islam teaches monotheism? i am just interested in the translation of this.

In the Qur’an, God often refers to Himself using the word ‘We’. But this does not mean that Islam believes in the existence of more than one God.

Two types of plural
In several languages, there are two types of plurals, one is a plural of numbers to refer to something that occurs in a quantity of more than one. The other plural is a plural of respect.
a. In the English language, the Queen of England refers to herself as ‘We’ instead of ‘I’. This is known as the ‘royal plural’.
b. Rajiv Gandhi, the ex-Prime Minister of India used to say in Hindi "Hum dekhna chahte hain". "We want to see." ‘Hum’ means ‘We’ which is again a royal plural in Hindi.
c. Similarly in Arabic, when Allah refers to Himself in the Qur’an, He often uses Arabic word 'Nahnu' meaning ‘We’. It does not indicate plural of number but plural of respect.
Tawheed or monotheism is one of the pillars of Islam. The existence and uniqueness of one and only one God is mentioned several times in the Qur’an. For instance in Surah Ikhlas, it says :
"Say He is Allah the One and Only."[Qur’an, 112: 1]
Hope this helped.
And Allaah knows best.

[Friend]

Salaamu Alyckum

My brother in Arabic Language some times if someone is very important he may use we when he speaking about himself >>>because his speech means something which is very important .And our God Almighty Allah is a unique and nothing like him so his speech equal the speech of all and his words will be the final words no real Muslim can make any arguments after his words .

And Allah know best

Allah protect you

[mansio]

Another Scripture, much respected by Muslims, has been overlooked. The Old Testament uses the plural of respect.

[elme]

Shukran very much!

oh, all of you have answered my questions to satisfaction! i am grateful for this place of learning and sharing.

[Jibran]

Originally Posted by mansio

Another Scripture, much respected by Muslims, has been overlooked. The Old Testament uses the plural of respect.

Yes thats true. I think instead of citing the example of Rajiv Gandhi and his Hindi sentence we should refer to the Old testament which uses the plural of respect quite often.

Elohim literally means "gods" but it used in the Old testament several times as a plural of respect. Therefore looking at the various examples in diferent literatures, we can easily understand the Quranic usage of "We" or "Us" by Almighty.

Thanks

Jibran

[thipps]

Originally Posted by Jibran

Yes thats true. I think instead of citing the example of Rajiv Gandhi and his Hindi sentence we should refer to the Old testament which uses the plural of respect quite often.

Every poster makes thier contribution. I didnt mention the OT, someone else did. excellent. Criticizing a correct example due to personal preference for another, is a discouraging way. Lets try to compliment each other instead of criticizing to no useful end.