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Introduction
Events in the Muslim world of the 21st century call for a cursory look at the Qur’an for
quick and lasting solution to the perennial problems of crisis in the ummah. One crucial
question is what solution is provide in the Qur’an for Muslims to resolve their differences
and how can this be implemented in the secularized and globalizing world of the 21st
address this issue through a post subh workshop for two weeks under the theme
personality
3. to spread the knowledge benefit of the workshop to fellow Muslims and receive a
feedback to better the lives of the participants as well as other fellow Muslims.
Fourteen brothers participated in this workshop from six different countries of the
Muslim world. The workshop examines suratul fatihat (the opening chapter of the
Qur’an). The participants first examined the textual meaning of the ayat (verses) of the
surat based on their understanding of the sciences of Tafsir and hadith. The summary of
the analysis is that suratul fatihat is a form of worship between Allah and His servants
1. The significance of the surat as teaching, orientating and nourshoring the tawheed
yaomiddin…).
between the servant and his Lord and a privilege, duty and right to the servant to
3. The emphasis of the Surat on the need of the servant for constant seeking of
guidance of his Lord on all affairs especially the straight path to worshiping and
4. The need for the servant to avoid and seek his Lord’s help on following the wrong
paths of those with whom his Lord is displeased and of those contextually astray-
the Jews and the Christians respectively (verse 7…ghayril maghduubi ‘alahim wa
laa d daalin).
5. The need for the servants to understand and stand on their condition of
collectivity in their worship and lives as one people and one community of same
faith and destiny (as indicated by the collective nature-plural form of the
The participants concluded that the following are contextual issues that the believers need
1. Allah’s rahmat to all His creatures regardless of their faith in Him implies the
need for Muslims to show mercy to themselves and others regardless of their
2. The need for the servants of Allah to realize and accept that only Allah is
independent while all His creatures are dependent on Him and interdependent on
3. The need for the servants of Allah to realize and accept that only Allah has
themselves on all issues as no one has or can give guidance to others except Allah
or by Allah’s leave.
4. The need for the servants of Allah to realize and accept that only the path of the
righteous is mutual obedience to Allah though love and care for others whether
Muslims or not. Hence the believers need to distance themselves away from the
wrath of Allah through disobedience like the Jews and misguidance like the
5. The need for the servants of Allah to realize and accept that only the consolidation
of their individual and collective lives on the tawheed can led to guidance and
The second workshop was held a week after the first one on 1st May 1, 2011. The
workshop involved nine brothers and focused on the first five verses of suratul baqarah.
The participants examined the textual and contextual meaning off the verse in relation to
the lives of the 21st century Muslims. The conclusion of the workshop is that these
verses address the qualities of those who can be guided by Allah al Mutaquun-the God
conscious or the pious ones. The issues raised by the participants include the following:
1. That the surat commenced with letters the meaning of which only Allah knows
2. That the Surat indicates that the Qur’an is certainly a guide for the Mutaquun
means that only those who can meet the requirements of Mutaquun can get God’s
guidance.
3. That to achieve guidance and attain falah (success) man must have the following
qualities:
Understanding the Surat in the context of challenges of 21st century Muslim world
2. Qualifying to receive guidance implies evaluating one’s self and not others based
3. Understanding that every human knowledge one aquires must be subjected to the
the Qur’an or the authentic hadith must be the bench mark of standard of living,
education and civilization for believers who are following the guidance of their
Lord.
5. The life of the Mutaquun must be based on mutual understanding and acceptance
of the Islamic ideology which is based on the belief in the unseen (alam l ghayb)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the participants at the Qur’anic project “contextualizing the Qur’an for the
21st crisis free Muslim world” agreed that the solution to the problems of Muslims lies in
Muslims re-examining their lives in the context to the guidance in the Qur’an with a view
to translating its remedy to social-economic cures ecological ills. They concluded that
individuals should examined themselves and align themselves with the standards of the
Qur’an as the bench mark for the time of peace and crisis as no other cure can be sought