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It is not a Book which newlywed couples walk under nor are virgins meant to get married to it (a malpractice in some regions). An example would be a medical encyclopedia where the properties of medicines are given. However, the prescription will not be of any help if it is worn like a talisman and not applied to our life (62:5, 3:23).
The Quran teaches us Divine etiquette. As submitters, we can’t yell or abuse nor be arrogant and conceited.
[2:83] We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: “You shall not worship except GOD. You shall honor your parents and regard the relatives, the orphans, and the poor. You shall treat the people amicably. You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat).” But you turned away, except a few of you, and you became averse.
[31:18-19] “You shall not treat the people with arrogance, nor shall you roam the earth proudly. GOD does not like the arrogant showoffs. Walk humbly and lower your voice―the ugliest voice is the donkey's voice.”
[17:37] You shall not walk proudly on earth―you cannot bore through the earth, nor can you be as tall as the mountains.
So, we must be honest, straightforward and sincere in dealings (4:58). Truthfulness and fair play advance agreements. When there is a lot of deceit and dishonesty there is immense damage done to society (2:188, 205). Corruption spawns hostility and contaminates the situation. We should not be prompted by greed and self-interest and never misrepresent facts to intentionally mislead others.
The dealings of untruthful people are condemned: [83:1-3] Woe to the cheaters. Who demand full measure
when receiving from the people. But when giving them the measures or weights, they cheat. [26:181-3] “You shall give full measure when you trade; do not cheat” You shall weigh with an equitable scale. “Do not cheat the people out of their rights, and do not roam the earth corruptingly.”
As submitters, we should be evenhanded and judicious and not allow ourselves to be influenced by anyone or anything besides God, and we should minimize our personal likes and dislikes. [4:135] O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do. We should be ready to forgive and forget if this leads to harmony.
On the Day of Judgment, among other things, we will be interrogated and held answerable for how and what we earned and how we utilised it. In His Infinite Wisdom, God has made a totally woven economic system put to administrate all features of our actions. Even though it was originally revealed in an era when commerce and economics were quite rudimentary, it has proven itself to be far ahead in its outlook by confronting the challenges of even the so-called “most modern society.”
[10:57] O people, enlightenment has come to you herein from your Lord, and healing for anything that troubles your hearts, and guidance, and mercy for the believers.
[17:38] All bad behavior is condemned by your Lord.
Cont’d from April 2014
[2:2] This scripture is infallible; a beacon for the righteous.
[55:13++] Which of your Lord’s Marvels can you deny?
Analyzing more areas of knowledge contained in the Quran in light of modern education and science.
“Animal culture” describes the current theory of cultural learning in non-human animals through socially transmitted behaviors. The question as to the existence of culture in non-human societies has been a contentious subject for decades, much due to the inexistence of a concise definition for culture. However, many leading scientists agree on culture being defined as a process, rather than an end product. This process, most agree, involves the social transmittance of a novel behavior, both among peers and between generations. This behavior is shared by a group of animals, but not necessarily between separate groups of the same species.
The notion of culture in animals dates back to Aristotle and Darwin, but the association of animals' actions with the actual word “culture” first was brought forward with Japanese primatologists' discoveries of socially transmitted food behaviors in the 1940s.
[6:38] All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book. To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.
The creatures on earth live in communities. This was mentioned in Quran 14 centuries ago. Whereas the communal behavior of the birds and animals was only discovered by the scientists in the 20th Century.
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