Surah 39: Al-Zumar | Original English Commentary | Project Illumine

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl presents his original Quranic commentary on Surah 39: Al Zumar as part of the ongoing Project Illumine: Light of the Quran series at The Usuli Institute (www.usuli.org). Project Illumine is a year-long intensive immersion into the unique moral messages in each of the 114 surahs (chapters) of the Quran, the fruit of this scholar's lifetime relationship with the Quran. This is the eighteenth chapter in the series. This is not the traditional line-by-line exegesis, but a chapter-by-chapter thematic approach that seeks to rediscover the original meaning received by the early Muslims that sparked their passion such that they transformed from desert dwellers to civilization builders. It is an investigation of the timeless moral and ethical lessons of the Quran then applied to our modern day. In the introduction, Executive Director Grace Song talks about disciplining the soul through service that does not serve the purpose of feeding one's ego, and shares a few stories and examples.