The Quran, a miracle/sign: in which sense? Epilepsy?

[mokko]

I would like to know what precise sense you can give to the statement "the Quran is a sign of Allah". I have 2 possible meanings:


1) It is just a miraculous sign. Affirm it, but do not try to understand this statement further.


2) Muhammad received Allah's revelation by way of a Geschwind syndrome (a form of epilepsy) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschwind_syndrome), or a similar rare mental condition, which explains his hyper-religiosity, hyper-morality, hyper-graphy, deep intuitions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporal_lobe_epilepsy#Social_and_artistic_influen ce) and also visions of angels ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Migraine_aura.jpg ). Moreover, his revelation happens to be very similar to the Ebionite doctrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebionites#Islam), a doctrine held by the cousin of his wife, Khadija ( http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/BBwaraqa.html ).

The statement in 2) is not incompatible with an Islamic conception of miracles (e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occasionalism#Islamic_theological_schools): to count as a miracle, a phenomenon does not need to contradict explanations from science, medicine, or history.


Muhammad was certainly of good faith, he was certainly not a poet nor a liar, and not crazy (crazy=meaningless mental visions), and not ill, far from that.

He received revelation from Allah (by the way, note that this term has never-ever been defined with precision by anyone, without inducing plenty of logical paradoxes, which might also be the sign of some deep truth), not out of his own conscience.

Muhammad was certainly justified in believing his revelation, and in propagating it, especially because Wikipedia was not accessible in Arabia in the 7th century (his wife was his only source of information, and she did not have internet at home).

which meaning do you prefer? 1) or 2)? Moreover, can it be said that 2) is "un-Islamic"? Why? Do you have another meaning to suggest?

 

[strive-may-i]

I would like to know what precise sense you can give to the statement "the Quran is a sign of Allah". I have 2 possible meanings:


1) It is just a miraculous sign. Affirm it, but do not try to understand this statement further.


2) Muhammad received Allah's revelation by way of a Geschwind syndrome (a form of epilepsy) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschwind_syndrome), or a similar rare mental condition, which explains his hyper-religiosity, hyper-morality, hyper-graphy, deep intuitions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporal_lobe_epilepsy#Social_and_artistic_influen ce) and also visions of angels ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Migraine_aura.jpg ). Moreover, his revelation happens to be very similar to the Ebionite doctrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebionites#Islam), a doctrine held by the cousin of his wife, Khadija ( http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/BBwaraqa.html ).

The statement in 2) is not incompatible with an Islamic conception of miracles (e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occasionalism#Islamic_theological_schools): to count as a miracle, a phenomenon does not need to contradict explanations from science, medicine, or history.


Muhammad was certainly of good faith, he was certainly not a poet nor a liar, and not crazy (crazy=meaningless mental visions), and not ill, far from that.

He received revelation from Allah (by the way, note that this term has never-ever been defined with precision by anyone, without inducing plenty of logical paradoxes, which might also be the sign of some deep truth), not out of his own conscience.

Muhammad was certainly justified in believing his revelation, and in propagating it, especially because Wikipedia was not accessible in Arabia in the 7th century (his wife was his only source of information, and she did not have internet at home).

which meaning do you prefer? 1) or 2)? Moreover, can it be said that 2) is "un-Islamic"? Why? Do you have another meaning to suggest?

The art of inquiry, when verbalized to irrelevant, ill framed questions or relying on bad techniques, takes one away from correct answer.

So, I would like to know what precise sense you get from any reply to this presumed formulation of yours.

 

[Hajjerr]

Salam. If you read Quran, you will find your answers, no doubt. I dont think anyone of us muslims respect Quran just because "it is said is a miracle from God" but because of its content, good morals, good teachings and good advices. After this will follow the right conclusion. Focus on what will improve your life and relationship with your Creator. All the best.

 

[a_stranger]

Assalmu alaikim
Quran awakens human mind and heart to ponder in all that is around then think and reason . The creation around us is telling clearly about the one who created : his power, his perfect knowledge , unlimited mercy, wisdom, love.......
Quran guides human mind in a perfect way to feel the greatness , the glory of the one who created. Quran fulls human heart with love gratitude towards the creator. Quran teaches noble morals , purity, sincerity.........it directs humans in a best way to highest states of morality.

 

[mokko]

Salam. If you read Quran, you will find your answers, no doubt. I dont think anyone of us muslims respect Quran just because "it is said is a miracle from God" but because of its content, good morals, good teachings and good advices. After this will follow the right conclusion. Focus on what will improve your life and relationship with your Creator. All the best.

interesting reply. but if content matters, what about, for example, the visions of Ellen White? It also came as a "revelation" to her, and it also contains morals, teachings and advices (similar to Quran on many points). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspiration_of_Ellen_G._White Can you accept one and reject the other?

 

[Hajjerr]

interesting reply. but if content matters, what about, for example, the visions of Ellen White? It also came as a "revelation" to her, and it also contains morals, teachings and advices (similar to Quran on many points). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspiration_of_Ellen_G._White Can you accept one and reject the other?

All the true prophets were muslims. Islam is not a new message, it is indeed an old one. It is a message from Allah that was revealed to many Prophets before Prophet Muhammad . All the Prophets were ordered by God to submit to him and worship him alone. A message of "Tawheed", to single him out for worship and not associate any partners with him. So, all the Prophets, from Adam through to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad were all followers of Islam. They are all Muslims. find more here http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2426

The last one was prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him.
Christianity along with the other beliefs are inventions of missleaded humans.

Again my best advice is to read Quran, this is the most important thing to do.
No one else will benefit except the one that understands how islam is wiping all confusions and replaces a balance in our life.
And Allah knows best.

 

[mokko]

All the true prophets were muslims.
Again my best advice is to read Quran, this is the most important thing to do.
No one else will benefit except the one that understands how islam is wiping all confusions and replaces a balance in our life.
And Allah knows best.

I found this in the Quran:

To every people (was sent) a messenger: when their messenger comes (before them), the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.
—Qur'an, sura 10 (Yunus), ayat 47

And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and God spoke directly unto Moses;
—Qur'an, sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayat 164

 

[kalamazoo]

I found this in the Quran:

To every people (was sent) a messenger: when their messenger comes (before them), the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.
—Qur'an, sura 10 (Yunus), ayat 47

And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and God spoke directly unto Moses;
—Qur'an, sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayat 164

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.


sura 10 (Yunus), ayat 47


(10:47) A Messenger is sent to every people; *55 and when their Messenger comes, the fate of that people is decided with full justice; they are subjected to no wrong. *56

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*55.

The Qur'anic expression ummah is not to be taken in the narrow sense in which the word 'nation' is used.
​

The word ummah embraces all those who receive the message of a Messenger of God after his advent. Furthermore, this word embraces even those among whom no Messenger is physically alive, provided that they have received his message. All those who, after the advent of a Messenger, happen to live in an age when the teachings of that Messenger are extant or at least it is possible for people to know about what he had taught, constitute the ummah of that Messenger, Besides, all such people will be subject to the law mentioned here (see verse 47 and n. 56).

In this respect all human beings who happen to live in the age which commences with the advent of Muhammad (peace be on him) onwards are his ummah and will continue to be so as long as the Qur'an is available in its pristine purity.

Hence the verse does not say: 'Among every people there is a Messenger.'
It rather says:
'There is a Messenger for every people.'

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*56. When the message of a Messenger of God reaches a people the stage is set and they are left with no valid excuse for not believing. Everything has already been done to communicate the truth to these people and so all that remains is to wait for God's decision to inflict His punishment upon them. And so far as God's judgement is concerned, it is marked with absolute justice. All those who obey that Messenger and mend their behaviour are deemed worthy of God's mercy. On the contrary, those who reject his teaching are considered deserving of His punishment, depending on God's will, both in this world and the Hereafter.

---

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An-Nisa 163-164-165 and 166 verse.

O Muhammad, We have sent Revelation to you just as We sent it to Noah and other Prophets after him[204] We also sent Revelation to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob, and the descendants of Jacob, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and We gave the Psalms to David [205] We also sent Revelation to those Messengers whom We have already mentioned to you and to those Messengers whom We have not mentioned to you; and We spoke directly to Moses as in conversation [206] All these Messengers were sent as bearers of good news and warners,[207 so that, after their coming, people should have no excuse left to plead before Allah [208] Allah is, in any case All-Powerful, All-Wise. (People may or may not believe it) but Allah bears witness that what He has sent down to you, He has sent that down with His knowledge and the angels also bear witness to it, though Allah's being a witness alone suffices.

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Meaning

[204]
This is to emphasize the fact that the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) has not come with a new thing and that he does not claim to present something for the first time, but he has, in fact, received Guidance from the same source of knowledge from which all the Prophets before him had received, and that he too is presenting the same Truth and Reality that has always been presented by the Prophets, who were raised from different corners of the Earth. The literal meaning of wahi is:
(1) to give hint of,
(2) to communicate to the mind,
(3) to convey by covert suggestion, and
(4) to send a message.

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[205]

Only a part of the Book of Psalms in the existing Bible consists of the Psalms of the Prophet David, and they bear his name. Its remaining constituent parts are the psalms of other people, and have been attributed to their authors.

It should also be noted that the study of the real Zabur, the Psalms of David, shows that it is a Revelation of God. Likewise, additions have been made in the Book of the Proverbs of Solomon and the last two chapters were obviously added afterwards. But, in spite of this, the major portion of the Proverbs contains gems of Truth and Wisdom.

The same is true of the Book of Job.
A study of this reveals that, though it contains gems of wisdom, it is wrong to attribute the whole of it to the Prophet Job. Whereas the Qur'an and the introductory chapters of this very Book bear witness to the great fortitude shown by the Prophet Job, its subsequent chapters show that he was an embodiment of grievance against God, and that, in vain, did his companions try their best to convince him that God was not unjust. Besides these, the major portions of the seventeen Books of the Israelite Prophets in the Old Testament are evidently genuine Revelations; especially the Books of Joshua, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos and some others contain many such passages that show the grandeur of Divine Revelation and move one to ecstasy. Their high moral teachings, their campaign against idolatry and their sound arguments prove the Oneness of God, and their strong criticism of the degeneration of Israel clearly shows that these and the sermons of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and the Qur'an came from one and the same source.

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[206]


The way Revelation was communicated to the Prophet Moses was different from that of the other Prophets. They heard either a voice or a Message from an angel, but the Prophet Moses had this privilege that Allah Himself had a direct talk with him as in a dialogue, e.g., the dialogue cited in
Ta Ha, XX :11-48 in the Qur'an.

This privilege has also been mentioned in the Bible: "......And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11).

http://bible.cc/exodus/33-11.htm

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[207]

That is, all the Prophets had one and the same mission.

They gave good news to those who believed in the Divine Message and mended their ways in accordance with it and warning to those who adopted wrong ways of thought and action that they would meet with serious sequences in the end.

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[208]

The Prophets were sent with the sole object that they should set forth before mankind the Right Way, both theoretically and practically, so that on the Day of Judgment no evil-doer should be in a position to offer the excuse that he was ignorant of the Truth. That is why Allah appointed Messengers in different parts of the world and sent down Books. These Messengers imparted the knowledge of the truth to a large number of people and left behind them Books of which one or the other has always existed for the guidance of mankind.

Now if one goes astray in spite of this arrangement, one cannot throw the blame on Allah and His Messengers. He himself is responsible for this because he did not accept the Truth when it came to him, or the responsibility is of those who had the knowledge of it but did not impart it to others who had gone astray.

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http://www.englishtafsir.com/Quran/4/index.html#sdfootnote205sym

http://www.tafheem.net/tafheem.html

​

 

[mokko]

1. I need to disagree with this particular interpretation, which is not clear at all. It only adds confusion.

2. Why do you say that Ellen White's belief is an invention of missleaded human? She also received "revelation", had similar experiences, etc..You can certainly complain against some theologians, but not against someone who directly received revelation, like Ellen White.

3. I hope that your argument in favor of Muhammad and against White is not circular. Can you explain me why your argument is not circular?

 

[Hajjerr]

1. I need to disagree with this particular interpretation, which is not clear at all. It only adds confusion.

2. Why do you say that Ellen White's belief is an invention of missleaded human? She also received "revelation", had similar experiences, etc..You can certainly complain against some theologians, but not against someone who directly received revelation, like Ellen White.

3. I hope that your argument in favor of Muhammad and against White is not circular. Can you explain me why your argument is not circular?

I said above what i wanted to say, if you dont want to agree or understand, then khair, it is not my place to have a debate.
I am not interested to know about lady White experiences as long as she did not preached Tawheed, if you are, it is your own choice.
A person with moral and no faith is not complete, a person with faith and no morals is not complete, islam is the perfect religion.

112:1
Say, "He is Allah , [who is] One,
112:2
Allah , the Eternal Refuge.
112:3
He neither begets nor is born,
112:4
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."

 

[strive-may-i]

So what brings you here? Whats your relationship with Creator? What do you believe?
Answer these.

1. I need to disagree with this particular interpretation, which is not clear at all. It only adds confusion.

So you have accepted there were messengers sent. Let me give another translation of the Surah 4:164

And [We sent] messengers about whom We have related [their stories] to you before and messengers about whom We have not related to you. And Allah spoke to Moses with [direct] speech. [Qur'an 4:164]

2. Why do you say that Ellen White's belief is an invention of missleaded human? She also received "revelation", had similar experiences, etc..You can certainly complain against some theologians, but not against someone who directly received revelation, like Ellen White.

About verifying what she said, a christian forum is a better place for your argument. We dismiss the part that does not align. Each of the believer has his solid reasoning. That choice, to reason right, to accept the reasoning and benefit, is given to each human.

3. I hope that your argument in favor of Muhammad and against White is not circular. Can you explain me why your argument is not circular?

And circular? Islam, its straight, with no minefields, its got direction and it does not fail. Yours seems tangential. Throws out.

There are ways to figure it. But you will have to step down and come prepared with a sincere, non self-deceiving mindset. You have a choice, and if you realize the journey, you will surely know what to do so that you are not left 'High And Dry'. Its your journey.

Just remember this - 'A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.' - Rabindranath Tagore.

 

[strive-may-i]

@Thread Title : "The Quran, a miracle/sign: in which sense? Epilepsy?

"
So you come here with a precise ability to guage? We doubt. Because you started your first post with nonsense. Can you show me an epileptic who can speak when under stroke. And how precise can one be, when there are valid criticism against the most mused syndrome. And how precise, when there are yet no scientific gauges to measure the brain? And add to it the total ignorance of soul and its nature, you end up with something thats machine, not human, not living. Want to apply logic? lets talk bits and bytes.

Oh, unless you are blindly willing to accept and repeat the same Orientalist lies... [Those were lies and its proven. Those books are no longer used to discredit Quran, but used by serious, honest historians as a lesson and example of bad writing of history]

I have a meaning to suggest,
Scientists accept there is all indications to tell life cannot happen, but life yet still happened. Life is a miracle, they agree, considering the odds of life forming from non living things. That's what Allah says in Quran, Life is a miracle, a sign of his creation, a sign from creator. The quran is a miracle , a sign from creator. Prophet is also a sign from creator. His no lie proven historic record, is a miracle a sign from creator.

Its your question, your journey. The choice to make a headstart , with a clean unprejudiced mindset, is yours. Good Luck!

 

[mokko]

if you are not confident enough to use your logic, and not confident enough to make the effort to put yourself into someone else's perspective, you will not learn anything from this discussion.

For my part, I learnt from our exchange about the attitude of some Muslims, and to tell you my feeling, they do not carry a good image of their religion at all. Aggressive attitude and violent words.

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

Firstly, welcome to TTI.

2.Why do you say that Ellen White's belief is an invention of missleaded human? She also received "revelation", had similar experiences, etc..You can certainly complain against some theologians, but not against someone who directly received revelation, like Ellen White.

Most here don't know and are not interested in Ellen white. Although you didn't actually say it, but from above I get it that you mean why don't we treat Ellen white the same as Prophet Muhammad? Or anyone who makes similar claims? Why for us all are mislead humans except for the Prophet?

None of us here is a scholar. Us laypeople can help just this wee bit with whatever understanding we have. However, since you are not willing to state your intentions behind the opening of this thread, I'll say the discussion ends here, with you taking Sister Hajjer's advice and reading the Qur'an to find it out yourself.

if you are not confident enough to use your logic, and not confident enough to make the effort to put yourself into someone else's perspective, you will not learn anything from this discussion.

No Muslims is. Our confidence lies in the Qur'an and Sunnah. It's only the arrogant or the ignorant who thinks his logic is something he can always relay upon.

And about learning, we ask Allaah only for beneficial knowledge. As Muslims we "must not" engage in useless discussions. Time is waaay too precious.

For my part, I learnt from our exchange about the attitude of some Muslims, and to tell you my feeling, they do not carry a good image of their religion at all. Aggressive attitude and violent words.

Br. Strive here is being wise. Your words and statements are offensive and incite doubt. He's trying to be certain about your intention and asked you kindly. If you happen to be a troll [I'm not saying you are], he prefers not to waste his time with you. If you are not, he prefers to invest his time in this thread and earn his share of reward. You can't blame him.

@ bold. That won't work! If you are troll [again I'm not saying you are] you'll find Muslims with an aggressive attitude and no amount of "they do not carry a good image of their religion at all" is going to change that. Troll repellents always come in handy.

 

[mokko]

No Muslims is. Our confidence lies in the Qur'an and Sunnah. It's only the arrogant or the ignorant who thinks his logic is something he can always relay upon.

This statement is not correct.

If my background matters that much, I am from a Muslim background, but the more I learn about "my" religion, the more I am disappointed by it (both doctrine and people), and in the future, I will not waste more of my time on it.

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

This statement is not correct.

Perhaps, but maybe not. Do you know what a Muslims is?

If my background matters that much, I am from a Muslim background, but the more I learn about "my" religion, the more I am disappointed by it (both doctrine and people), and in the future, I will not waste more of my time on it.

Your background doesn't matter at all. Your intention does. You come along an Islamic forum. You ask questions with your intentions unclear. And I already explained why we think it worth to try and find what you intend to do here at TTI.

Lastly, if you have already made up your mind, what are you doing at TTI? I'm sorry but this questions keeps on popping up. No amount of discussion is of any worth unless you have the right intention. Are you willing to learn and get your faith back or are you just trying to have another debate to prove Islam isn't for you.

In case of the former, you my brother will find much benefit here. In case of the latter, might as well think of Post # 15 as your last post. Most, if not all the members here are not interested.

 

[mokko]

My intention is not to offend or incite doubt on anyone, especially on perfect strangers on internet. I just had "questions that keeps on popping up" about Islam, and I wanted to find out how other Muslims deal with them, instead of facing them alone. There are 1.5 billion Muslims on earth, some of them dedicate a lot of their time to their religion, but at the end, it is hard to find reasonable answers to the most basic questions. This fact is very surprising. Are they all sleeping or something?

I have no bias against "laymen", especially given the poor quality of the production of "scholars" of this field.

Moreover, sometimes, many "reasonably smart" laymen can perform better than few scholars. It is called "crowdsourcing".

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

My intention is not to offend or incite doubt on anyone, especially on perfect strangers on internet.

Well then I advice you to word your questions differently. We honor and love our Prophet to death. When you come about and suggest his miracle "The Holy Qur'an" is a result of epilepsy, what do you expect us to treat you like? How many mircales have you come across that were a result of epilepsy. The Qur'an was "revealed" to him i.e brought to him by angel Jibraeel. That is what we believe and if you want to come around an Islamic site, you might as well show your respect for our faith in your questions. This way, we will be able to return you your respect, trust you to be an honest researcher and try to help you with whatever we can.

I just had "questions that keeps on popping up" about Islam, and I wanted to find out how other Muslims deal with them, instead of facing them alone.

Which my brother is perfectly normal. Healthy even. Muslims ask as they are encouraged to in a respectful manner, from those who are given knowledge. Repeat your question in simple words and we'll get back to it Inshaa`Allaah. May be make another thread since this one got one way. If I get time and I know the tidbits. I'll help too. Atm, I'm not so sure I understand your confusion clearly.

There are 1.5 billion Muslims on earth, some of them dedicate a lot of their time to their religion, but at the end, it is hard to find reasonable answers to the most basic questions. This fact is very surprising. Are they all sleeping or something?

You know that's pretty rude. You shouldn't blame people for your ignorance. You live in a shell and only poke out to ask questions filled with sarcasm. OKay, you may not mean it that way, but that's what the reader gets. I'm afraid you are not getting any answers this way. Like I said, we prefer not to waste time.

I have no bias against "laymen", especially given the poor quality of the production of "scholars" of this field.

Wow. So when you get sick, do you visit a doc or just go to anyone? It's about being careful and wise. Not trusting a layman with knowledge of the deen is no insult to him. It's very much the right thing to do for yourself and the layman.

Rude.

Moreover, sometimes, many "reasonably smart" laymen can perform better than few scholars. It is called "crowdsourcing".

Now this is exactly what I call a couple of arrogance and ignorance. Stick around, may be you'll realise soon enough that you don't even know your alphabets. Don't take it to heart, none of us here is any better. You'll fit in well with us.

 

[strive-may-i]

instead of facing them alone. There are 1.5 billion Muslims on earth, some of them dedicate a lot of their time to their religion.

See the bold part. And hope this clears
�Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah. for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.� [Qur'an 13:28]

I wanted to find out how other Muslims deal with them,.

And no, even when one thinks one has, Muslims will point out 'you have not found it'. One might see the truth, but from a wrong direction.

Are they all sleeping or something.

No, they are busy, seeing the signs and turning their heads towards the truth. Each one is peacefully engaged in the journey, bowing, obeying and striving to be a better human. And there is overwhelming proof, which shows those who put the effort, succeed.


Okay seeing from your perspective. So 'Mokki thinks Mokko has offended' - The answer here so far in this thread, echoes the creators command
"Have patience with what they say, and leaves them with noble (dignity).� [Qur'an 73:10]

Next, I repeat what others repeated. I repeat what the creator has said.
"There are ways to figure it. But you will have to step down and come prepared with a sincere, non self-deceiving mindset. You have a choice, and if you realize the nature of this journey, you will surely know what to do so that you are not left 'High And Dry'. Its your journey. Your choice. "

Now coming back to the question, Many posts and you have shown a tendency to ignore valid questions, and pick the next crowd sourced favorite muse. True strangers are genuine.

 

[mokko]

We should distinguish "respect of faith" and "uncritical belief in a faith". I can respect stone-worshipping, but not worship stones myself. I can also ask politely questions on a "stone-worshipping forum", if I want to understand this faith.

If they reply to me "you are arrogant or ignorant if you question the logic of stone-worshipping". They will look weird to me, who thinks (maybe wrongly) that stones cannot benefit nor harm me. But maybe they are just following the religion of their parents, and I can respect that.

So my opinion about some Muslims is that their attitude to religion is closer to Abraham's father than to Abraham himself. The "content" of their beliefs could be the same as Abraham's, but prophets are usually more remarkable by their attitude than by the content of their beliefs. This is why prophets made their society progress. And why some "scholars of deen" make their society stagnate. Same beliefs, but different attitudes.

Wow. So when you get sick, do you visit a doc or just go to anyone? It's about being careful and wise. Not trusting a layman with knowledge of the deen is no insult to him. It's very much the right thing to do for yourself and the layman.

When Muhammad faced metaphysical questions in his early fourties, he went to hira cave, meditating alone. He did not go to a priest or to a rabbi.

Personnally, when the illness is serious, I prefer to trust wikipedia. Trusting an encyclopedia written by a crowd of teenagers is more wise than trusting a doctor, who might not be up-to-date with recent medical literature (doctors use wikipedia anyway).

If you know someone with "knowledge of the deen" who wrote something interesting about the Geschwind syndrom, I am interested.

We live in the 21st century, not the 20th. Well-organized crowds can out-preform experts. If nobody on this forum shares this optimism about "the wisdom of the crowd", there is no reason to waste my time with this particular crowd, and I should look for a more optimistic crowd.

see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_of_the_crowd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing_creative_work
Crowdsourcing creative work (CCW) is an open call to the crowd for novel and useful solutions. Crowdsourcing may be appropriate when experts are in scarce supply, multiple diverse ideas and/or contextual insights are needed.