Religion

Prologue to Decoding The QURAN

Name: Prologue to Decoding The QURAN
Author: Ahmed Hulusi
ISBN: 9780615728971

by Ahmed Hulusi, Aliya Atalay (Translator)

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Overview

He who wants to observe the reality can do so even on a single verse... Whether that be a manifestation in worldly form or a literal verse encrypted in the Quran... For just as the part contains the whole, a single verse can be a gateway into endless realizations, both inward and outward...

In this light, this tiny, yet very special selection and interpretation of verses by Ahmed Hulusi, released as a preliminary to Decoding the Quran, is like an invitation to man, to read and know himself... As only through a comprehensive knowledge of the self we have a real chance to know the One!

So let us forego our predetermined conditionings and read as though we are reading for the very first time...

Let us dive into this ocean of knowledge and melt away our constructs, fragmenting us from the Absolute One...

Let us enter this portal, stripped from the falsity of our identities, and begin the enthralling journey from ourselves, to ourselves!

"... from the One we came, and to the One we shall return..." (Quran 2:156)

About the Author, Ahmed Hulusi

Ahmed Hulusi was born on 21 January 1945, in Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, and was named Ahmed by his mother, and Hulusi by his father.

He spent his first 18 years without any prior religious knowledge, believing only in 'a Creator'. As every time Ahmed Hulusi enquired about religion he was told "do not question, just do as you are told" he lived a seemingly 'irreligious' life according to his environment.

Three days after his father's death, on 10 September 1963, unable to decline his mother's wish, he attended Friday prayers, where he felt an immense inspiration and desire to understand the reality of religion. That same day he decided to always keep in a state of ablution and committed to performing the prescribed daily prayers (salat).

He commenced his religious education by studying the eleven volumes of Sahih Bukhari, published by the Turkish Directorate for Religious Affairs, the whole of the al-Kutub al-Sittah, and the most authentic Turkish translation of the Quran by the late Elmalili, one of Turkey's most eminent Quran scholars.

He then spent two years undertaking intense studies of the modern sciences. This exceptionally diligent period of education was then followed by an interval of intensive spiritual diets and retreats, leading him in 1965 to write his first book "Reflections" (Tecelliyat). This book holds an important place for Ahmed Hulusi as it is a conglomeration of his views and theological evaluations at the youthful age of 21.

In 1965 he took a solitary journey, as with all his endeavors, to fulfill his pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).

His principle has always been "Do not be a blind follower of anyone! In the light of Muhammad SAW's teachings, choose and walk your own path in life independently!"

In 1970, when he was working for the Aksam newspaper of Turkey, he began researching the topic of spirits and the evoking of spirits, and published Turkey's first and only book in this field, "Spirit, Man, Jinn" (Ruh Insan Cin).

After discovering that the phrases in the Quran "smokeless fire" and "fire that inhabits the pores" are actually references made to "radial energy", Ahmed Hulusi began to further his research to decipher the teachings of the Quran in the light of science, and shared his findings in his book "The Mysteries of Man" (Insan ve Sirlari) in 1985.

For further information: http://www.ahmedhulusi.org/en/

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Editorials

Kirkus Reviews

A short introduction to the author's interpretation of the Muslim holy book, the Quran. The author has written a number of other books on "decoding" the Quran's meaning. Here he presents a brief overview of his theory, centered on his understanding of the meaning of the letter "B" as used in the Quran's text. In his interpretation, Allah is seen not as a distinct entity but rather part of everything--an idea drawn from the Muslim mystic tradition of Sufism, which the author practices. Hulusi emphasizes the Quran's metaphorical nature, and he blames the proliferation of sects within Islam on the tendency of some scholars to read those metaphors literally--as rules rather than frameworks for understanding esoteric concepts. For example, he writes that a verse commonly interpreted as permitting multiple wives in fact refers not to spouses but to "connected souls." All the Quranic verses here are rendered in English, but the author asserts that the text can only be correctly interpreted in the original Arabic, where it is free from misunderstandings and inaccuracies contributed by translators. After several introductory essays, he includes a list of all the Quranic names for God, with explanations of the meanings of each, and a selection of verses from the Quran. The author's passion for his subject is evident, and not only because of his frequent use of exclamation points. He tries hard to render a complex topic understandable to laypeople, and largely succeeds, although it may still be difficult for readers to make sense of some of the interpretations. Overall, the book is likely to appeal to those interested in ideas about the Quran and Islam that fall outside of the mainstream. An intriguing overview of a unique approach to reading the Quran.