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Al-Mahdi Journal

We see the word used to describe the phases of the Moon is manazila = houses.  From this we can look again at 36:38 and say the Sun has no phases except the apparent running of day and night.  Of course the Arabs at the time of the revelation being well versed in astrology and poetry would I think hardly have paused in understanding these verses.

I know that you will feel that this is just from my imagination because your English text says 'house' and not 'house of the zodiac' as you would like it to be written for you to acknowledge its meaning.  I offer in support of my interpretation a verse of prayer written by Imam 'Ali ibn Al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (as) (659-713 CE), the Great-Grandson of the Prophet (saw), from the prayer he recited upon seeing the crescent of the new Moon,
"O obedient creature,
speedy and untiring,
frequenter of the mansions of determination,
moving about in the sphere of governance!"2

If we look at the theory of relativity and the models for gravity fields there are some who say that a planet or star must exist at a certain point or follow a specific path almost like rolling marbles over a pitted and grooved surface.

If you can obtain the translation of the Qur'an by S.V. Mir Ahmad Ali with additional notes by Agha Mahdi Pooya you will have a very accurate and meaningful translation of the Qur'an and one of the most informative tafsirs ever written in English.

Until the next exchange wa salam, Amin.

2 Ali ibn Al-Husayn, The Psalms of Islam- Al-Sahifat al-Kamilat al-Sajjadiyya, trans William Chittick, Muhammadi Trust, UK, 1987, page 140.

Dr. Liyakat Takim wrote this as a reply to the condolence messages his family received after the death of their Mother.

Dearest family and friends,
As-Salaamu 'alaykum
May God shower his mercy and blessings on all of you.
"We have enjoined on every human being to be kind to the parents. His mother carried him with great difficulty and gave birth to him with great
difficulty, the [period of] carrying and weaning the child is thirtymonths" (46:15)
"We have enjoined on every human being to be kind to his parents. His mother bore him with great difficulty" (31:14)
It is with these verses that the Qur'an reminds us of the difficulties that the mother experiences when she carries, gives birth to and weans the child.
In other verses the Qur'an also reminds us of the pivotal role that the parents (and especially the mother) play in our lives and enjoins us to treat
them with love, care and great sensitivity.
Earlier this week (April 29) I lost my mother (popularly known as Ammijan -beloved mother) to a short sickness. Never did I realize the void and
emptiness that the loss of my mother would create in me. Indeed, I feel that
A part of me has died, a loss that is irreplaceable. Since I was the baby of
The family, Ammijan had special affection for me (she would always joke that I was her favorite child). I feel that God has honored me by having a great mother like her. The greatest tribute that many of you have paid her is that she left behind a legacy of piety and moral uprightness for her progeny to emulate.
I know fully well that nothing that anyone says can fill the void that the
loss of the mother engenders. However, I would like to thank you all for
writing and expressing your condolence and support. Your email and telephone messages have provided my family and me with much solace and comfort in our time of need. Your willingness to experience our loss, grieve with us, share and feel our pain have filled our hearts with love and given us much consolation at one of the most crucial moments of our lives. Personally, it has made me realize how fortunate I am to have such loving and caring friends.
As Professor Stephen Sapp, a very close and dear friend from the University of Miami wrote, "God has a plan that often we do not (and cannot) understand, and though it may be small comfort in the pain of the immediate moment, faithful people have always ultimately found comfort in knowing that God has promised continued love and protection for our loved ones who have died."
The Qur'an reminds us in this verse of our spiritual origins and destiny. It
suggests that in reality, we are spiritual beings who are undergoing a
temporary, transient human experience. As it says:
"O peaceful, tranquil soul! Return to your Lord, with you being at peace,
And your Lord pleased with you, and enter among my devotees, enter my garden." (89:27-29)
The words of Maulana Jalal al-Din Rumi always mesmerize me, providing me with much solace in very difficult times. As he states:
"Don't cry at my burial -
For me this is the time of joyful meeting!
Don't say "Farewell!" when I'm put in the grave -
A curtain it is for eternal bliss.
You saw "descending" - now look at the rising!
Is setting dangerous for the sun and moon?
To you it looks like setting, but it's actually rising;
The coffin seems a jail, yet it means freedom.
Which seed fell in the earth that did not grow there?
Why do you doubt the fate of human seed?
THE HEART GRIEVES FOR WHAT IT HAS LOST
THE SOUL REJOICES FOR WHAT IT HAS FOUND"

May God shower his love and mercy on you and your family, Amin.
Affectionately,
Liyakatali Takim and family