THE VIRTUAL REALITY
Embracing the Quran in Cyberspace
Fostering Intimacy with Revelation to Realize Spiritual Maturity of Umma 2.0 BY RASHEED RABBI
D
uring the ongoing Covid pandemic, Muslim communities have blossomed in cyberspace. And yet their core focus on the Quran hasn’t changed. The virtual umma continues to unravel the Quran’s message (47:24) via innovative programs to fulfill the religious promise of umma 2.0 (IH, Sept.-Oct. 2021). Previously, the virtual umma mostly focused on democratizing religious debate and discoursing on “controversial” verses. While these discussions underscored the Quran’s uniqueness and literary value, they also objectified sacredness by inadequately addressing its sacrosanctity, for the Quran is nothing less than God’s actual words. In short, it is the source of complete guidance, both living and lifegiving, that continues to feed humanity. As such, the Quran repeatedly urges Muslims to reflect on it to connect with the Divine via recitation: “Recite (with
contemplation): “In the Name of thy Lord who created, created humanity from a bloodclot. … “Recite (with contemplation): And your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the pen, taught humanity what it did not know” (96:1 and 5). These verses’ human imagery implies that the pen and the Tablet, ink, paper, letters, words and verses and, over time, the Quran itself, became a multilayered Arabic text. Without challenging this universal perception, Yasir Qadhi (resident scholar, the East Plano Islamic Center, Texas), offered the “30 Juz’ in 30 Days” during Ramadan 2020. His 30 sessions of verse-by-verse translation helped explain the Quranic message and added the fervor that a fasting Muslims experience while exemplifying Ramadan as the month of revelation (2:185). His discussions enabled more than half-a-million digital viewers to revel in the divine wisdom. These precise and preliminary
40 ISLAMIC HORIZONS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
discussions, being served as indexes, were followed by multiple khutbas and khatiras throughout the year to share the interpretations and divine signs (ayat) of each chapter and theme. The “30 Parables in 30 Nights" offered during Ramadan 2021 enabled the participants to grasp the abstract concepts common to our shared experiences. Over 72,000 viewers explored the Quran’s heavenly message. However, the Quran’s textual form is a second-order revelation, for it was compiled after the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) demise. Its translation into English is a third-order revelation, and its dissemination in cyberspace is a fourth-order revelation. Further factored by our ignorance and insincerity, these orders of revelation create degrees of separation from the source, leaving our understanding divergent and fragmented. For omitting such distances from the divine message, Omar Suleiman’s (founder, Yaqeen Institute) contextual analysis on the “Quran-30-for-30” YouTube program (https://yaqeeninstitute.org/series/quran30-for-30) during Ramadan 2020 was very effective. Along with Abdullah Oduro (imam, the Islamic Center of Coppell, Texas) and daily guest speakers, he explained and extracted gems from each juz’. Approximately 172,000 viewers were pulled into this journey to unfold unbounded sacredness. Correlating the occasions of revelation to our everyday experiences, the speakers presented the Quran as a contemporary and timeless scripture that even caused a few non-Muslims to convert. Ramadan 2021’s “Quran 30 for 30” season-2 zoomed in on the Prophet’s life, love and legacy. Mapping his emotional states with Quranic verses enabled him to “transcend” his own historical environment and “enter” ours. Crafting his invisible presence in cyberspace helps us lessen
