[Edited] CONCLUDING Surah 112: Al Ikhlas and Surah Al Fatiha | Project Illumine, Usuli Institute

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl presents his final two Quranic commentaries on Surah 112: Al Ikhlas and Surah Al Fatiha, concluding the Project Illumine: Light of the Quran series at The Usuli Institute (www.usuli.org). Recorded at The Usuli Institute on 30 April 2023.
Project Illumine is a three-year-long intensive immersion into the unique moral messages in each of the 114 surahs (chapters) of the Quran, the fruit of this scholar's lifetime relationship with the Quran. Surah Al Ikhlas is the 113th surah in the series; Surah Al Fatiha is the 114th. This is not the traditional line-by-line exegesis, but a chapter-by-chapter thematic approach that seeks to rediscover the original meaning received by the early Muslims that sparked their passion such that they transformed from desert dwellers to civilization builders. It is an investigation of the timeless moral and ethical lessons of the Quran then applied to our modern day. In the introduction, Executive Director Grace Song shares her thoughts on the journey and reads Thank You letters to Shaykh from around the world, testifying to the impact of these Project Illumine halaqas.
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[@aneesamoosa8995]

Really appreciate this amazing resource sheikh is providing. The tafsir is transformative, revolutionary as Islam is intended to be. May Allah bless and reward usuli institute, the people behind the work and this amazing community

[@randkishawi8475]

So amazingly, beautiful, deep, heartfelt explanation. Very grateful

[@lorenagomez04]

Yazakallahkhairan, from a Mexican revert living in Egypt, struggling to learn Arabic .

[@stephenconnolly1830]

TIMESTAMPS
Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem
[Video suitable for viewing at increased Playback speed.
Grace Song's preamble to 23:15 followed by the Professor's reflections until...]
30:02 ...Surah al-Fatihah \ chapter The Opening, #1; occurrence and positioning in the revelation.
32:22 the corpus of traditions on the significance and impact of the chapter.
36:05 the Seven Pearls, epitaphs, anchors and Umm al-Kitab \ the Mother of the Book and its key - foundational.
39:39 (1) as basic contract with the Divine;
40:50 (2) as key to the Qur'an.
41:30 per Ayah #2, gratitude as the foundation of belief = moral philosophy:
"al-hamd ulillahi rabb il-'alameen"
(Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds).
44:08 the point of life, what comes after death - Ma'ad \ resurrection as next step, Ayah #4:
"maliki yawm id-deen"
(Master of the Day of Judgement).
48:18 affirmation by worship, Ayah #5:
"iyyaka na'budu wa-iyyaka nasta'een"
(It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help).
50:56 precepts of morals/ethics, Ayah #6:
"ih'din as-sirat al-mus'taqeem"
(Guide us to the straight path).
51:33 lived experience leading to epistemological philosophy, Ayah #7:
"sirat alladheena an'amta alayhim ghayr il-maghdoobi alayhim wal ad-daleen"
(The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided).
54:10 the entire philosophy of the Qur'an encapsulated in these elements.
55:58 human existence/reality a simulation maintained by a super-intelligent designer...
59:33 ...theism versus deism...
1:00:08 ...clarification in Ayah #1 as a theistic, constantly involved, Creator:
"Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem"
(In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful).
1:05:21 God's Sunnah \ precedent.
1:07:35 "rabb il-'alameen" - Rabb = caretaker; ‘Ālamīn = worlds/dimensions.
1:11:04 gratitude leading to humility leading to justice.
1:13:28 blessings known by their opposites - sight versus blindness.
1:21:30 love triumphing over the ego...
1:23:15 ...hence the refrain contained in Ayah #3:
"ar-rahman ar-raheem"
(The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful).
1:26:28 justice delayed until the next life, Ayah #4:
"maliki yawm id-deen"
(Master of the Day of Judgement).
1:30:00 the Islamic normative principle that the objective of legislation should be mercy and compassion.
1:32:01 the instinctual coding of organisms - supplicating the Creator - except humans who can manifest ingratitude via injustice.
1:38:20 Ayah #5:
"iyyaka na'budu wa-iyyaka nasta'een"
(It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help)...
1:42:02 ...the straight moral/ethical path expressed in Ayah #6:
"ih'din as-sirat al-mus'taqeem"
(Guide us to the straight path).
1:44:00 beyond justice.
1:45:25 the inevitable fate of philosophy, ugliness.
1:47:17 the greatest blasphemy of the present - autocratic Muslim states etc.
1:48:33 Ayah #7: "...maghdoobi alayhim..." (...against whom there is anger...)...
1:50:03 ..."...wal ad-daleen" (...nor of those who are misguided).
1:51:00 the uniqueness of Surah al-Fatihah in literature.
1:51:55 Surah al-Ikhlas \ chapter Monotheism, #112;
1:52:15 Ayah #1:
"qul hoow al-lahu ahad"
(Say, "He is God, the One")
Ayah #2:
"al-lah us-samad"
("God, the Absolute")
Ayah #3:
"lam yalid walam yoolad"
("He begets not, nor was He begotten")
Ayah #4:
"walam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad"
("And there is nothing comparable to Him").
1:53:25 the logic of the created - effect following cause.
1:58:25 al-Samad \ the uncaused cause - the epitome of exceptionalism, a singularity.
2:01:00 the incomparability of God, per Ayah #4.
2:01:40 seeking God's grace - annihilation of the ego.
Amen 2:02:33 [Alhamdulillah Rabb il-Alamin!]
2:02:39 [Professor Abou el-Fadl's commentary]
2:06:44 [Grace Song's commentary]
Q&A SESSION
2:10:01 Q: what was the Professor's journey with these chapters?
2:20:41 Q: has the Professor left anything out of his journey with Surah al-Ikhlas because of the commentary being so short?
2:29:33 Q: as Surah al-Fatihah is the key to unpacking the secrets and meaning of the holy Qur'an how shall we approach each of the rest of the chapters? Does the Professor recommend reading the other chapters with the concepts described about al-Fatihah in mind to better understand those chapters? What is the best approach to understand them?
2:33:12 Q: does al-Fatihah give guidance on how much believers should push themselves in the pursuit of gratitude, knowledge and accountability? It seems to teach these principles but does it have a metric to compare ourselves to for when is enough? How much mercy should a believer show? How critical should one be? Is there such a thing as too much mercy or self-criticism?
2:34:55 A: the Prophet's mercy exemplified - mediaeval Muslim scholars, jurists and lawyers deferring to Roman etc law ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_majestas ) instead of the Prophet's example.
2:44:17 Q: concerning chapters al-Falaq and al-Nas, how does one seek refuge in God? Many Muslims simply recite these chapters or say they seek God's refuge similar to an incantation, could the Professor share information about the inner dimension of seeking refuge?
2:49:45 [Grace Song reading messages to the Professor]