BACKGROUND HISTORY AND NEED FOR ESTABLISHING THE QURANIC FORUM:
1. FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE UNAWARE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND NATURE OF THIS FORUM, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT IT ALL BEGAN ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 31ST, 2001, WHEN DR. CHARLES & MRS. SEDIGHEH KUNKLE, APPROACHED ME, ASSUMING THAT I WAS HOLDING SOME IMPORTNT POSITION IN IMAN, WHICH I NEVER HAVE, BEING ONLY A VOLUNTEER, WHEN THEY BROACHED THE SUBJECT OF ORGANIZING A GATHERING FOR THE STUDY OF THE HOLY QURAN.
THE IDEA WAS GREAT, BUT I INFORMED THEM THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN PERMISSION FROM THE MANAGEMENT TO ESTABLISH SUCH A GAHERING ON A FORMAL BASIS. SO A LETTER WAS WRITTEN ADDRESSED TO DR. NAMAZIKHAH, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND PRESIDENT OF IMAN, OUTLINING THE NEED TO ORGANIZE SUCH A GROUP TO STUDY THE QURAN IN-DEPTH. DR. NAMAZIKHAH GRACIOUSLY AND WITH PLEASURE ACCEPTED THE PROPOSAL, AND EVER SINCE HAS BEEN A NON-PARTICIPATING, BUT ACTIVE SUPPORTER OF WHAT CAME TO BE CALLED THE MAJMA’EH QURANI, OR THE QURANIC FORUM.
A CHARTER WAS PREPARED AND SIGNED BY THE KUNKELS, MR. MASOOD BEHSHID, A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND MYSELF, OUTLINING THE MISSION, OBJECTIVES AND MODUS OPERANDI OF THE SAID FORUM.
FOR SEVERAL YEARS MR. BEHSHID REMAINED AN ACTIVE IN-HOUSE PARTICIPANT, GUIDE, AND COUNSELOR OF THE FORUM, UNTIL HE TOOK-ON ANOTHER MISSION TO TEACH PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM TO A YOUNGER GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS. FOR HIS YEARS OF CONTRIBUTIONS WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO HIM.
2. AS A RESULT, THE TITLE, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE OF THIS FORUM HAS BEEN CAREFULLY SELECTED AND ADOPTED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: GOD ALMIGHTY HAS REVEALED HIS MESSAGES TO HUMAN-KIND COUNTLESS NUMBER OF TIMES VIA INDIVIDUALS WITH EXTRA-ORDINARY AND UNCOMMON ATTRIBUTES, SOMETIMES ENSHRINED IN WHAT WE CALL “SCRIPTURES”.
THESE SCRIPTURES, SUCH AS THE QURAN, CARRY DIVINE COMMANDMENTS OF DO’S AND DON’T’S, SO THAT HUMAN BEINGS TREAT EACH OTHER IN A MANNER CLOSEST TO WHAT GOD ITSELF WOULD DO. IT IS THEREFORE NOT MERE WORDS THAT IN THE QURAN YOU READ THE VERSE “YAA BANI AADAM INNI JAA’ELON FIL ARZ EH KHALIFAH = O’ OFF-SPRINGS OF ADAM, I HAVE PLACED YOU ON EARTH AS MY VICE-REGENT”, OBVIOUSLY MEANING THAT WE HUMANS ARE INVITED TO DO GOD’S BIDDINGS ON EARTH.
3. LATER THE RULES OF DISCOURSE, THE ASSIGNMENT OF MODERATORS-IN-TURN, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS WERE LAID OUT TO MANAGE AND OPERATE WHAT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS A “CIRCLE FOR THE REVIEW AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE HOLY QURAN”. THE FORMAT OF DISCUSSIONS OF THIS FORUM WAS DESIGNED, NOT IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY, DURING WHICH THE VERSES OF THE QURAN ARE RECITED, INTERPRETED AND ACCEPTED WITHOUT QUESTIONS!!
IN THE QURAN GOD USES LEADING QUESTIONS 65 TIMES ASKING FOLLOWERS: DO YOU NOT THINK, REFLECT, USE YOUR WISDOM IN REVIEWING THE MESSAGES OF THE QURAN, SUCH AS: “AFA-LAA YA’QILOON, AFA-LAA YATA-FAKKEROON, AFA-LAA YATA-DAB-BA-ROON AL-QURAN” AND SO FORTH.
FURTHERMORE, THE PROPHET OF ISLAM IS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID: KNOWLEDGE IS LIKE A TREASURE-TROVE. AND THE KEY TO LAYING HANDS ON THAT TREASURE IS BY SEARCHING AND ASKING QUESTIONS!!
FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDANCE, THIS FORUM WAS ESTABLISHED TO REVIEW, RESEARCH, REFLECT, DISCUSS AND ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THE PROFOUND MESSAGES, AS WELL AS THE SIMPLE AND ESOTERIC MEANINGS OF THE VERSES OF ALLAH ((SWT), INSCRIBED IN THE HOLY WORDS OF THE QURAN.
THIS FORUM IS NOT A CLASS, BECAUSE IT HAS NO TEACHER, THERE ARE NO HOME-WORKS, TESTS OR EXAMS INVOLVED. THE PURPOSE BEING FOR EVERYONE TO STUDY, TO ASK QUESTIONS, PARTICIPATE TOGETHER, TO BE INFORMED, AND TO ASSIST EACH OTHER IN ANALYZING, UNDERSTANDING AND LEARNING ITS ENLIGHTENING DIVINE MESSAGES.
4. ALLAH’S MESSAGES IN THE QURAN: WHILE ON THE OUTWARD IT SEEMS THAT THE MESSAGES OF GOD ARE CLEAR AND SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND: SUCH AS REMEMBER ME, PRAY, DO NOT STEAL, BE HONEST, BE HELPFUL, BE CHARITABLE TO YOUR KIND AND TO MY CREATIONS, BE PATIENT, ETC. ETC. ETC., THERE INDEED ARE INTRICATE, HIDDEN AND NOT EASILY UNDERSTOOD GUIDELINES AND PATHWAYS THAT ONE NEEDS TO DECIPHER IN ORDER TO LEAD A LIFE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DIVINE WILL.
BY EXAMPLE, IT REMINDS ME OF A FLOWER. CONSIDER A ROSE: YOU SEE ITS BEAUTY, SMELL ITS DIVINE PERFUME, ITS SMOOTHNESS ON THE OUTSIDE, AND ARE SWOONED INTO EMBRACING IT WITH LOVE AND AFFECTION. HOWEVER, IF ONE THEN SEPARATES THE PETALS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL FLOWER, DISECTS IT INTO ITS CONSTITUENT PARTS, ONE FINDS HIDDEN INTRICACIES AS WELL AS BEAUTIES OF CREATION, IMMORTALIZED BY SA’DI, THE GREAT POET OF PERSIA, IN THIS CHARMING VERSE:
BARGEH DERAKHT-AAN-E SABZ, DAR NAZAR-E HOOSHYAAR,
HAR WARAGHI DAFTAREEST, MA’RE-FAT-E KER-DE-GAAR.
MEANING, WHICH APPLIES JUST AS WELL TO A FLOWER:
THE GREEN LEAVES OF TREES,
IN THE EYES OF THOSE AWARE,
EACH LEAF IS A BOOK INDEED,
OF DEEP WISDOM DIVINE.
AND SO IT IS, THAT THOUGH WE ALL APPRECIATE THE OUTWARD BEAUTY OF SCRIPTURES, STILL A VAST AND SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED TO DECIPHER THEIR HIDDEN MESSAGES AND ARRIVE AT A MORE CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ESOTERIC, AND AS THE PROPHET HAS SAID, ITS MULTI-LEVEL MEANINGS, TO ENLIGHTEN AND EXPAND HUMAN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION.
5. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROPER STUDY OF THE QURAN:
THIS REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY, SHA’N-EH NOZOOL OR CONTEXT OF REVELATIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AS TO WHEN AND WHY VERSES HAVE BEEN REVEALED TO PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS, CHOSEN FOR THE TASK OF GUIDING THEIR PEOPLE, AND BY EXTENSION, ALL MANKIND IN ALL AGES.
SUCH SPECIALISTS, CALLED SCHOLARS OF THIS OR THAT FAITH, HAVE BROUGHT EXPANDED AND A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MESSAGES OF GOD TO PEOPLE DURING DIFFERENT HISTORICAL PERIODS, THOUGH I MUST ADMIT, NOT ALWAYS AS PRISTINE AND NOBLE AS ONE WOULD EXPECT, DUE TO UNFORTUNATE ADDITION OF CERTAIN CULTURAL AND ETHNIC BIASES. BE THAT AS IT MAY, WE OWE MUCH TO SUCH SCHOLARS.
7. ASSISTANCE AND GUIDANCE OF SPECIALISTS /SCHOLARS
SCHOLARS CAN BE A SOURCE OF HARM AS WELL AS HEALING. THROUGHOUT THE AGES WE HAVE SEEN COUNTLESS EXAMPLES, AS WE DO SO TODAY, THE HARMFUL TYPE WHO PROMOTE HATRED, FORM AND FASHION KILLERS BY INVOKING THE SCRIPTURES.
WHEN IN FACT ALL SCRIPTURES PROMOTE WORDS OF WISDOM, AND GIVE GUIDELINES FOR PATIENCE AND PEACE, WHETHER SUCH BE THOSE INVOKING THE HIMAYANA OF BUDHHA, THE UPANISHADS OF HINDUS, PRINCIPLES OF CONFUCIOUS PHILOSOPHY, OR FAITHS PROMOTING GOSPELS OF COMPASSION, LOVE AND PEACE, INCLUDING THE QURAN.
6. FORUM RESIDENT SCHOLARS: FOR SEVERAL YEARS, TO HELP THE MEMBERS OF THIS FORUM BETTER UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE MORE HIDDEN MEANINGS AND MESSAGES IN THE QURAN, WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE THE VOLUNTARY SERVICES, INTERPRETATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE PERSON OF
DR. ZAMAN STANIZAI, TO WHOM WE HAVE BEEN GRATEFUL AND SHALL FOR EVER REMAIN SO.
HE IS A PROFESSOR OF ISLAMIC STUDIES AND MYSTYCISM AT THE PACIFICA INSTITUE AND OTHER CENTERS OF LEARNING IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, HAVING HIS OWN SITE ON THE INTERNET, AND A SPEAKER ON DEMAND IN VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL VENUES.
DR. STANIZAI JOINED THE FORUM ALMOST FROM ITS INCEPTION, WITH HIS LATE WIFE JEHAN, A VERY BRIGHT AND INCISIVE LADY, (GOD BLESS HER SOUL).
FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS DR. ABDULLAH GILANI, IMAN’S FRIDAY PRAYER IMAM, A SURGEON, LINGUIST, TRANSLATOR AND AN ACCOMPLISHED INTERPRETER OF THE QURAN, HAS KINDLY GRACED THE QURANIC FORUM WITH HIS REGULAR PARTICIPATION, BRINGING VAST KNOWLEDGE OF ISLAMIC HISTORY, QURANIC ARABIC, AND THE PRACTICE OF PROVING AYAHS OF THE QURAN WITH MODERN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES.
QURANIC FORUM DISCOURSES AND PRESENTATIONS 