Fitra Foundation, in conjunction with the department of Quranic Studies at Sayyida Nafisa Seminary, presents the first installment of the “This is our Tradition” series, entitled, “The True Recitation”.
In these lessons, we’ll feature the exegesis of 40 verses of the Quran that shape the fundamental spiritual attitudes with which we are to approach the Divine Speech.
Fitra Foundation present this first installment of the “This is our Tradition” series, entitled “The True Recitation” inspired by Allah’s Words —
“Those to whom We have given the Scripture, who observe its recitation as is due to it, they are the ones who truly believe in it. Those who deny its truth are the losers.” Qur’ān 2:121
The great scholars of the past began their works with a signature introductory style. In this way, they initiated their works with eloquence, as if to say — this Islamic tradition is marked by beauty, so those who wish to learn it or impart it, let them clothe it in beauty, for God is beautiful and all beautiful things does He love.
Sacred knowledge is not an art but a discipline. While style is a sign of grace, methodology is the sign of soundness. The Islamic tradition is characterized by intellectual hierarchy and structure. This is the realm of usūl, and it is the distinguishing feature of enduring scholarship.
Adab, as a term, is oft-repeated, rarely understood. Adab is a faith-based demeanor which can only be learned from true scholars. In spirt, it represents complete deference to God and His Messenger ﷺ. In form, it is expressed through the sanctification and glorification of all things divine, not in a superficial sense, but in a real functional way.
Finding one’s self in the Quran is the goal, but it necessitates a proper approach. The why, how, and where of that journey is what true scholarship and Tradition provide. When that spiritual map is drawn, then life – itself – becomes the recitation. The beginning is true faith. The pauses are upon God’s commands and prohibitions. The destination is God, Himself. This is the true recitation.
So then, is the continuation of tradition by conveying what past scholars did or by doing as they did? Is it through mimicking them or in furthering their methodological objectives in accordance with the challenges of our own time? Clearly, the former is a conception of tradition that honors the blessed Imams by laying down with them in their graves. No, the great scholars of the past do not call to us to enact Tradition as a stone monument in their name, but to draw upon their eternal spirit to keep tradition alive.
When colonial powers entered Muslim lands, pedagogy was harnessed as a weapon.
In erasure of the intellectual pillars of Islamic civilization, the laymen’s assuming of scholarly authority and the scholar’s assuming of the laymen’s taqlid are no worse than each other. In the dizziness of reversed realities, only full-faceted Tradition can set the Umma back on track.
Where is our independent, Islamic academia?
Elevation in scholarly level is in —not just knowing – but having the ability to employ the usuli methodology of classical scholarship. Knowledge is not a textbook, it’s a skill.
We often speak of the critical importance of utilizing knowledge for devotional practice. This is only the first cycle, though. Scholars have completed this round and been raised to the next, which is scholarly practice that leads to new knowledge.
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Illumined by the prophetic soul and nurtured by prophetic knowledge, our Lady Nafisa is a culmination of the excellence of prophetic inheritance, in lineage and scholarship.
Until today, the minaret of her magnificence calls to us, her legacy leads us, and her spirit solaces us. If her virtues were to be distributed upon the women of the world, they would render them all saints.
May Allah’s pleasure and peace be upon her.
On Dec. 24th, 1968, Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit. In radio broadcast, lunar pilot William Anders read from the Book of Genesis […] I was not yet born, but…
Join us as we visit the orbit of the greatest woman in creation, our Mother Mary. May God’s peace be upon her.
There are no problems here, Houston. We are clear for launch.
In the Qur’ānic universe, all forms revolve around a meaning. These axes of meaning are the divine realities created within them. The mighty celestial expanse of the Qur’ān can only be navigated by discovering these orbits.
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَاكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينَ
“And ˹remember˺ when the angels said, “O Mary! Surely God has selected you, purified you, and chosen you over all women of the world.” Qur’ān 3:42
