Welcome! Qur’an Genius (abbr. *QG*) is my personal digital garden about the Qur’an. # What is a digital garden? In the words of [Maggie Appleton](https://maggieappleton.com/) digital gardens: <aside> 💬 “[...] are taking a new approach to the way we publish personal knowledge on the web. They're not following the conventions of the "_personal blog_," as we've come to know it. Rather than presenting a set of polished articles, displayed in reverse chronological order, these sites act more like free form, work-in-progress wikis. A garden is a collection of evolving ideas that aren't strictly organised by their publication date. They're inherently exploratory – notes are linked through contextual associations. They aren't refined or complete - notes are published as half-finished thoughts that will grow and evolve over time. They're less rigid, less performative, and less perfect than the personal websites we're used to seeing.” From [A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden](https://maggieappleton.com/garden-history) </aside> # What is Qur'an Genius? QG is an individual, independent research project that aims to collect and analyse diverse reflections, commentary and perspectives about the Qur’an, in a humble and honest search for the Truth. The content featured in this digital garden ranges from scholarly books and academic paper extracts to *ḥadīths*, to videos and podcasts, to Reddit comments from so-called “laymen”, to notes, questions, quick reflections and short commentaries by myself. # Why Qur'an Genius? The references in QG will not be exclusively limited to contributions from Islamic scholars, Muslim researchers and students of religion. I want to embark on something so outrageous - as some people might argue - as bringing together ideas and perspectives from people who on paper have nothing - or very little - to do with Islam and the Qur’an _on paper_. In poetry, when you take two seemingly unrelated items and make them fit together, it is something that you would call a “conceit”. Applied to higher principles such as belief systems, it becomes a “metaphysical conceit”. This is exactly what I intend to do, in an attempt to corroborate, from the human pool of knowledge available to us, the divine wisdom encapsulated in the Qur’anic ayahs, expand on it and specify it in relation to current topics and issues. It’s a tool that allows me to holistically engage with the Qur’an, add layers of meaning to it, ponder on it and use it as a discussion starter with people. Hopefully, you may find some benefit in it too, in’sha’Allah. # To who Qur’an Genius is aimed? **Qur’an Genius is open access** and welcomes everyone regardless of sex, profession, ethnicity, political opinion, personal or social condition. # Who created Qur’an Genius? This guy right here. ![[ash-qg-founder.png]] # **How Qur’an Genius Works** Following the analogy of a digital garden starting from barren land, every unique reference inputted acts as a "seed planted" 🌱. This will nurture the growth of the number of surahs (commonly referred to as Qur'anic "chapters") and ayahs addressed, revealing such surahs and ayahs in the garden. The English interpretation of the Qur’an used throughout the website is [The Clear Qur’an](https://theclearquran.org/) by Mustafa Khattab. - If I find satisfactory evidence to contest a term used therein, I may change its original translation, highlight it in **yellow** to denote the change, and explain the rationale behind it. - Conversely, if a term is unclear to me, I might retain the **Arabic transliteration of the term (in green)** while conducting my research. All video and audio content will include English transcripts or summaries to make it accessible to as many people as possible. In the future, I consider transcribing such content in other languages I know, such as Italian and French, in’sha’Allah ^[_in'Sha'Allah_ commonly translates as _God willing_]). The transliteration of Arabic terms will follow a harmonised style, as detailed in [[Transliteration table|this table]]. The information presented in each piece of content reflects the presenter's educated understanding of the Qur’an, which may not necessarily align with my current understanding. Documenting and acknowledging that something exists is not tantamount to defending it. Qur’an Genius is also a "learning in public" experiment. The main idea behind learning in public is to build and refine knowledge on a particular subject while simultaneously building an audience interested in the knowledge you're developing or the work you're doing. - Learn more about learning in public [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hTo15vQ7qI). This means my findings may evolve as new information comes to light. The quest for truth is always ongoing, for all of us. # **Engagement etiquette** There are only two essential rules of engagement to navigate this digital garden successfully, which I believe apply to any information we encounter, online and offline: 1. Make a concerted effort to conduct our research and think critically, without preconceived notions. > [!success] بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ > *"And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart – all of these shall be questioned."* **([[17•36]])** 2. Strive to judge ideas, not people. > [!success] بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ > "Those who listen to what is said and follow the best of it. These are ⸢truly⸣ the people of reason." ([[39•18]]) # **FAQ** ## **How can I support the project?** - <mark style="background: E7F154;">**Share what you found beneficial** about this digital garden</mark> with family, friends, work colleagues, acquaintances, and perfect strangers. - <mark style="background: E7F154;">**Create your own digital garden**</mark>—It’s quick, easy, and inexpensive to set up. Email me at **[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])**, and I will assist you with the setup, God willing (in’sha’Allah), free of charge. It will require time and effort on your part to nurture this digital garden, but it will be worth it, in’sha’Allah, I promise.