Embracing the Quran in Cyberspace

THE VIRTUAL REALITY Embracing the Quran in Cyberspace

Fostering Intimacy with Revelation to Realize Spiritual Maturity of Umma 2.0

BY RASHEED RABBI

During 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 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

the degrees of separation and imitate his practices.

Nouman Ali Khan (founder, Bayyinah Institute) took a deeper dive into Surah Yusuf in 2020 Ramadan. His micro-focus familiarized 381,000 viewers with Prophet Yusuf’s unshakable faith so that they could better navigate their way through Covid’s adversities. During 2021, he presented similar exercises of other prophets to eliminate the historical barriers to exploring the Quran in its fuller, richer and more representative contexts. manners with the sacred text and scripture. To improve one’s relationship with the Quran in a self-paced manner, some websites like www.quran.com try to accommodate all features simultaneously, including the conventional naskh style of Arabic calligraphy, translations (in multiple language), recitation styles, transliteration in the Roman script, as well as brief summaries of contexts and the occasions of revelations.

Together, these and other ingenious programs appear to be an overarching, long col-

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.

The pandemic is, hopefully, a temporary trial (fitna). But according to Hamza Yusuf, this era’s biggest trial is covert deceit: the madness of post-modern people with so many non-religious commitments. He therefore started a podcast, “The Sacred Text Messages,” to instill an eagerness to embrace the Quran and extract its timeless wisdom. A sense of gnosticism is currently nurturing 19-20,000 searchers, marking an exponential surge from 6-8,000 in just two years.

Alongside these exegetical and analytical engagements are online oral and aural opportunities to reconnect with the Quran’s very original form. Not only the very first revealed word “recite,” but also the word “Quran” itself mean recitation. Hence, El-Hajj Hisham Mahmoud (founder, Lanturna; https://www.lanturna.com), before translating a juz’ for an immersive experience, hosted Hafiz Mohamamd Samir during the nights of Ramadan 2021 to recite the juz’. Wisam Sharieff (Quran Revolution; www.quranrevolution.com) offers a variety of programs to find an individual’s unique Quranic voice. Even social media sites like Arabic Calligraphy (https://arabiccalligraphy.com), with 26,800 members, focus on the Quran’s aesthetic aspect.

There are endless opportunities to engage in textual, non-textual and sensorial laborated and coordinated single curriculum in cyberspace. It’s as if an all-encompassing curriculum is being developed to omit distances from the source and to encompass the Quran holistically.

To support such an undertaking, several online organizations design solely Quranbased programs during Ramadan as well as year-round programs for all interested individuals. The Institute of Knowledge (https://www.instituteofknowledge.com/) reflected on Surah al-Mulk’s 30 verses during the 30 nights of Ramadan 2021, in addition to offering Quran certificate programs.

The Imam al-Ghazali Institute’s (www. imamghazali.org/) Ramadan Telegram channel provided short “Ramadan Moments” videos to help revive the Ramadan 2021 spirit, emailed daily tafseer selections and launched a special Quran program for children. The institute even declared 2021 “The Year of Tafseer” and provided the greatest classical-era commentaries for 12 important suras.

Rabata (www.rabata.org) seeks to savor the spiritual joy in being with the Quran via Quran Chat, Speed Quran Memorization and the Daily Quran Reflection with Dr. Tamara Gray. Celebrate Mercy's 40-minute session during the last 10 days of Ramadan 2021 focused on reviving Surah Yasin, the heart of the Quran.

Several academic scholars have initiated informal programs to appreciate and spread the Quran’s sacred dynamics. Muqtedar Khan (professor, Delaware University) hosted a series of conversations with Quran scholars on his YouTube channel “khanveration.” He invited Dr. Celene Ibrahim, Dr. Carl Earnst, Dr. Musharraf Hossain and Imam Faisal Abdur Rauf to share their scholarship with lay Muslims. Omid Safi (director, Islamic Studies, Duke University) offered an online course (www. illuminatedcourses.com/) for lay Muslims to focus on the Quran’s mystical aspects so they could soar on the wings of humility and transcendence.

These various participants, who come from all walks of life, continue to embed sacredness in cyberspace and make the virtual Quran’s curriculum universal. Other virtual communities enrich this curriculum, among them the Tanzeel Foundation (https://www.tanzeel.org/), which stresses tanzeel (descended; 26:192), and the Al-Furqan Foundation (https://al-furqan. com), which emphasizes furqan (criterions; 25:1).

Besides these two primary names, the Noor Facebook community (www.facebook. com/thenoooor), with 14,000 followers, and the An-Noor Academy (www.annooracademy.com) draw attention to the Quran’s divine light (5:15). Similarly, Dr. Ibrahim Jaffe (www.sufi.net) focuses on healing (10:57), the Mercy Academy on daily blessings (16:89) and the Al-Huda Academy on the ultimate guidance of life (2:185) via the Quran. Such organizations, which can make the connection more explicit, embody the Quran’s significance in cyberspace.

These online Quran programs and organizations are competing to integrate Quranic spirituality and philosophy with technology. Scattered into digital bits, they are nevertheless connected by countless individuals’ quest for sacredness. With rapid development and versatile learning modes, they embody the Quran in electronic space. While we may not find the ideal program right away, there are many options available from which to choose. ih

Rasheed Rabbi, an IT professional (MA, religious studies, Hartford Seminary, ’16), pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Boston University, is also founder of e-Dawah (www.edawah.net) and secretary of the Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers & Technology Professionals. He serves as a khateeb and Friday prayer leader at the ADAMS Center and a certified Muslim chaplain at iNova Fairfax, iNovaLoudoun and Virginia’s Alexandria and Loudoun Adult Detention Centers.