“Windows To Spirituality”
The following subcategories are a part of faith & belief. Please click and have more information about faith in these subjects.
Jesus In The Talmud There are several passages in the Talmud which are believed by some scholars to be references to Jesus. The name used in the Talmud is “Yeshu”, the Aramaic vocalization (though not spelling) of the Hebrew name Yeshua. The identification of Yeshu as Jesus is problematic. For example, the Talmud...
Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi, often Yerushalmi for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmuda de-Eretz Yisrael (Talmud of the Land of Israel), is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talmud after the Land of Israel...
Supernatural Gift A supernatural gift may be defined as something conferred on nature that is above all the powers (vires) of created nature. When God created man, He was not content with bestowing upon him the essential endowments required by man’s nature. He raised him to a higher state, adding certain gifts to which...
Faith Explained Faith refers to confidence, trust, and hope in God, a person, community, tradition, or locus of inspiration. The object of faith varies among people, but the common denominator is a level of conviction and an inner attitude towards a greater power or force in the universe. Etymologically, the word ‘faith’...
What Is Faith? St. Thomas says, “Faith has the character of a virtue, not because of the things it believes, for faith is of things that appear not, but because it adheres to the testimony of one in whom truth is infallibly found” The meaning of the word (Pistis, fides)....
The Qur’an With Annotated Interpretation The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English is an English translation of the meanings of Qur’an written by Turkish Sunni Muslim scholar Ali Ünal. First published in 2006. The translation comes with interpretation and exposition on the meaning of Qur’anic verses in conjunction with Asbab al-Nuzul (the reasons for revelation or the circumstances of revelation)...
1. Al-Fatiha (The Opening) It is commonly accepted that this sūrah was revealed during the Makkah period of Muhammad’s Prophethood. Some Traditions say that it was also revealed on a second occasion in Madīnah. The majority of scholars hold that the verses first in order of revelation are the initial...
3. Al-‘Imran (The Family of Imran) This sūrah takes its name from the family of Mary (Al-‘Imran). It was revealed in Madīnah and consists of 200 verses. It deals with many matters concerning the relations of the Muslims with the People of the Book, in particular, the Christians. It clarifies...
2. Al-Baqarah (The Cow) This sūrah of 286 verses is the longest in the Qur’ān and may be regarded as a detailed summary of it. The sūrah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) began to be revealed just after the Emigration (Hijrah) to Madīnah and continued to be revealed over almost ten years until...
4. An-Nisa (The Women) This sūrah, which has 176 verses, was revealed around the sixth year of the Hijrah. Sūrah An-Nisa (The Women) is the first of two sūrahs that begin with the phrase, “O humankind!” When the Qur’ān is divided into two equal parts, it is the fourth sūrah of the...
5. Al-Ma’idah (The Table) This sūrah was one of the last chapters of the Qur’ān to be revealed. It consists of 120 verses, and takes its name from Al-Ma’idah (The Table, verse 112) which Jesus’ disciples asked God to send them from heaven. In addition to several other topics, it...
6. Al-An’am (The Cattle) Sūrat Al-An’am (The Cattle) was revealed in its entirety during the final year of the Makkah period of Islam. Coming in order in the Qur’ān after al–Baqarah, Āl ‘Imrān, an–Nisā’, and al-Mā’idah, all of which were revealed in Madīnah, this sūrah dwells on such themes as...
8. Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) This sūrah was revealed during the Madīnah period of Islam, just after the Battle of Badr, the first major confrontation between the Muslims of Madīnah and the polytheists of Makkah. It takes its name from the word al-anfāl found in the first verse. Al-Anfal...
7. Al-A’raf (The Heights) Sūrat Al-A‘rāf was revealed in Makkah and consists of 206 verses. It takes its title from the word al- a‘rāf, which occurs in verses 46 and 48. Al-A‘raf (The Heights or The Elevated Places) is the heights between Paradise and Hell. Following Sūrat al-An‘ām, which discusses...
9. At-Tawbah (The Repentance) According to the majority of scholars, this sūrah was revealed in Madīnah in the 9th year of the Hijrah. At-Tawbah deals with almost the same topics as those dealt with in Sūrat al-Anfāl. It is the only sūrah in the Qur’ān which does not begin with...
10. Yunus (Jonah) This sūrah was revealed in Makkah and consists of 109 verses. It takes its name from verse 98, where an incident related to Yunus (Jonah)’s people is recounted. The sūrah as a whole deals with the essentials of faith – in particular, the Divine origin of the...
11. Hud (Hūd) This sūrah was revealed in Makkah, and it consists of 123 verses. It takes its name from the story of the Prophet Hūd (Hud, The Holy Prophet), upon him be peace, and it has special importance here due to the topics dealt with. Like Sūrah Yūnus, this...
13. Ar-Ra’d (The Thunder) Revealed in Makkah, this sūrah consists of 43 verses. It takes its name from the word Ar-Ra‘d (The Thunder) which is found in verse 13. Like other Makkan sūrahs, it also dwells on the essentials of faith, and the arguments for faith found in “nature” and...
12. Yusuf (Joseph) This sūrah, revealed toward the end of the Makkan period of Islam and comprising 111 verses, takes its name from the Prophet Joseph (Yusuf), upon him be peace, whose life and mission it recounts. Unlike the accounts of other Messengers, different elements and aspects of which are...
14. Ibrahim (Abraham) This sūrah of 52 verses was revealed in the closing years of the Makkan period of Islam, taking its name from the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), upon him be peace, whose prayer concerning Makkah and its future people is mentioned in verses 35–41. In verse 5, Moses’ mission...
