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Prominent American Muslim, Umar Lee, leaves Islam: "We were lied to"
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jwshe...@satx.rr.com
May 17, 2013, 1:11:05 PM5/17/13
to
Prominent American Muslim, Umar Lee, leaves Islam:
"We were lied to"
Robert Spencer
Umar Lee, a convert to Islam from St. Louis, was once enough of an
Islamic supremacist to write to a rival: "i could cut your neck with
the sword of islam and watch you squeal like a bitch like daniel
pearl." In an email exchange with me, he endorsed the death penalty
for apostasy.
But now he has left Islam and returned to Christianity. Watch the
video; in it he makes many, many important points about how converts
to Islam are lied to, and how Islam establishes an empire of fear.
Note especially this, starting at 4:04:
"We can talk about the grievance industry, CAIR, etc., trying to
hype up the threat of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is very minor. You
want to talk about religious bias? You convert to Christianity in
Saudi Arabia, you're murdered. You convert from Islam in so many
Muslim countries, it's the death penalty. Why are Muslim societies so
afraid of missionaries? Why are Muslim societies so afraid of freedom
of speech? Why are Muslim societies so afraid of the Gospel? Why are
Muslim societies so afraid of the message of Jesus Christ? If you
believe Islam is the truth, why don't you believe Islam can compete in
the marketplace of ideas? Obviously you don't, or you wouldn't kill
people that convert to Christianity and put missionaries in jail."
Clearly they don't believe Islam can compete in the marketplace of
ideas. Just yesterday I offered to debate UC-Berkeley's professor of
"Islamophobia," Hatem Bazian. He responded: "Racist are not to be
debated they are to be shunned." (Yes, this university professor wrote
"racist are." He didn't explain what race jihad terror is. They never
do. This "racism" business is just a cover for what Umar Lee says:
their knowledge of and fear of the fact that they know their ideas
can't compete, or hold up to scrutiny.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/prominent-american-muslim-umar-lee-leaves-islam-we-were-lied-to.html
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
"We were lied to"
Robert Spencer
Umar Lee, a convert to Islam from St. Louis, was once enough of an
Islamic supremacist to write to a rival: "i could cut your neck with
the sword of islam and watch you squeal like a bitch like daniel
pearl." In an email exchange with me, he endorsed the death penalty
for apostasy.
But now he has left Islam and returned to Christianity. Watch the
video; in it he makes many, many important points about how converts
to Islam are lied to, and how Islam establishes an empire of fear.
Note especially this, starting at 4:04:
"We can talk about the grievance industry, CAIR, etc., trying to
hype up the threat of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is very minor. You
want to talk about religious bias? You convert to Christianity in
Saudi Arabia, you're murdered. You convert from Islam in so many
Muslim countries, it's the death penalty. Why are Muslim societies so
afraid of missionaries? Why are Muslim societies so afraid of freedom
of speech? Why are Muslim societies so afraid of the Gospel? Why are
Muslim societies so afraid of the message of Jesus Christ? If you
believe Islam is the truth, why don't you believe Islam can compete in
the marketplace of ideas? Obviously you don't, or you wouldn't kill
people that convert to Christianity and put missionaries in jail."
Clearly they don't believe Islam can compete in the marketplace of
ideas. Just yesterday I offered to debate UC-Berkeley's professor of
"Islamophobia," Hatem Bazian. He responded: "Racist are not to be
debated they are to be shunned." (Yes, this university professor wrote
"racist are." He didn't explain what race jihad terror is. They never
do. This "racism" business is just a cover for what Umar Lee says:
their knowledge of and fear of the fact that they know their ideas
can't compete, or hold up to scrutiny.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/prominent-american-muslim-umar-lee-leaves-islam-we-were-lied-to.html
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
amro...@gmail.com
May 19, 2013, 2:11:58 PM5/19/13
to
No Killing of apostates in Islam:
Quran 18:29 And say the truth from your Lord, then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve. ...
Quran 2:256 "..No compulsion in religion, the truth stands out clear from
error..
Quran 10:99 " If Your Lord had wished, all the people on earth would have
believed. Would you (Mohammad) force people so that they become
believers?
Quran 18:29 And say the truth from your Lord, then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve. ...
Quran 2:256 "..No compulsion in religion, the truth stands out clear from
error..
Quran 10:99 " If Your Lord had wished, all the people on earth would have
believed. Would you (Mohammad) force people so that they become
believers?
jwshe...@satx.rr.com
May 19, 2013, 6:34:57 PM5/19/13
to
KORAN commands to kill infidels:
Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. - Sura 2:98
On unbelievers is the curse of Allah. - Sura 2:161
Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places
whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. -
2:191
Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion
reigns supreme. (different translation: ) Fight them until there is no
persecution and the religion is God's entirely. - Sura 2:193 and 8:39
Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. - 2:216
(different translation: ) Prescribed for you is fighting, though it is
hateful to you.
..... martyrs.... Enter heaven - Surah 3:140-43
If you should die or be killed in the cause of Allah, His mercy and
forgiveness would surely be better than all they riches they amass. If
you should die or be killed, before Him you shall all be gathered. -
3:157-8
You must not think that those who were slain in the cause of Allah are
dead. They are alive, and well-provided for by their Lord. - Surah
3:169-71
Let those fight in the cause of God who sell the life of this world
for the hereafter. To him who fights in the cause of God, whether he
is slain or victorious, soon we shall give him a great reward. - Surah
4:74
Those who believe fight in the cause of God, and those who reject
faith fight in the cause of evil. - 4:76
But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever you find
them. - 4:89
Therefore, we stirred among them enmity and hatred, which shall endure
till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will declare to them all that
they have done. - 5:14
O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends
of each other. Those of you who make them his friends is one of them.
God does not guide an unjust people. - 5:54
Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns
supreme - 8:39
O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there are 20 steadfast
men among you, they shall vanquish 200; and if there are a hundred,
they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of
understanding. - 8:65
It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he has made slaughter
in the land. - 8:67
Allah will humble the unbelievers. Allah and His apostle are free from
obligations to idol-worshipers. Proclaim a woeful punishment to the
unbelievers. - 9:2-3
When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find
them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for
them. - 9:5
Believers! Know that idolators are unclean. - 9:28
Fight those who believe neither in God nor the Last Day, nor what has
been forbidden by God and his messenger, nor acknowledge the religion
of Truth, even if they are People of the Book, until they pay the
tribute and have been humbled. - 9:29 (another source: ) The
unbelievers are impure and their abode is hell. (another source: )
Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and
pay tribute.
Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of
Allah, with your wealth and your persons. - 9:41
O Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Be harsh
with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. -
9:73
Allah has purchased of their faithful lives and worldly goods, and in
return has promised them the Garden. They will fight for His cause,
kill and be killed. - 9:111
Fight unbelievers who are near to you. 9:123 (different translation:
Believers! Make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Let them
find harshness in you. (another source: ) Ye who believe! Murder those
of the disbelievers....
As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah, He will not allow
their works to perish. He will vouchsafe them guidance and ennoble
their state; He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to
them. - 10:4-15
Allah has cursed the unbelievers and proposed for them a blazing hell.
- 33:60
Unbelievers are enemies of Allah and they will roast in hell. - 41:14
When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then when you have
made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds, then set them
free, either by grace or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens.
- 47:4
(different translation: ) When you meet the unbelievers in the
battlefield, strike off their heads, and when you have laid them low,
bind your captives firmly.
Those who are slain in the way of Allah - he will never let their
deeds be lost. Soon will he guide them and improve their condition,
and admit them to the Garden, which he has announced for them. - 47:5
Muslims are harsh against the unbelievers, merciful to one another. -
48:25
Muhammad is Allah's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the
unbelievers but merciful to one another. Through them, Allah seeks to
enrage the unbelievers. - 48:29
Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal
sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate. - 66:9
The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn
forever in the fire of hell. They are the vilest of all creatures. -
98:51
Fight them so that Allah may punish them at your hands, and put them
to shame. (verse cited in Newsweek 2/11/02)
-------
KORAN promises of houris in heaven:
Single-minded slaves of Allah... will be honored in the Gardens of
delight, on couches facing one another; A cup from a gushing spring is
brought round for them, white, delicious to the drinkers, wherein
there is no headache nor are they made mad thereby. And with them are
those of modest gaze, with lovely eyes, pure as they were hidden eggs.
- Surah 37:40-49
Lo, for those who ward off evil is a happy journey's end, Gardens of
Eden, whereof the gates are opened for the, wherein, reclining, they
call for plenteous fruit and cool drink therein. And with them are
those of modest gaze, companions. This it is that ye are promised for
the Day of Reckoning. - 38:50-54
Lo! Those who kept their duty will be in a place secure, amid gardens
and water-springs, attired in silk and silk embroidery, facing one
another.... And we shall wed them unto fair ones with wide, lovely
eyes. They call therein for every fruit in safety. They taste not
death therein, save the first death. And He hath saved them from the
doom of hell, a bounty from thy Lord. That is the supreme triumph. -
44:51-57
Lo! Those who kept their duty dwell in gardens and delight...
reclining on ranged couches. And we wed them unto fair ones with wide,
lovely eyes... and we provide them with fruit and meat such as they
desire.... - 52:17-22
...Reclining upon couches lined with silk brocade, the fruit of both
the gardens near to hand.... Therein are those of modest gaze, whom
neither man nor jinni will have touched before them.... - 55:54-56
Those are they who will be brought nigh, in gardens of delight...
reclining therein face to face. There wait on them immortal youths...
and fair ones with wide, lovely eyes, like unto hidden pearls, reward
for what they used to do.... Lo! We have created them a creation, and
made them virgins, lovers, friends. - 56:11-37
(Different translation) Companions with beautiful, big and lustrous
eyes... virgin-pure and undefiled.
--------
Koran "sharia" punishments:
As for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their
hands as punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment
from Allah. - Surah 5:38
http://www.wvinter.net/~haught/Koran.html
Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. - Sura 2:98
On unbelievers is the curse of Allah. - Sura 2:161
Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places
whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. -
2:191
Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion
reigns supreme. (different translation: ) Fight them until there is no
persecution and the religion is God's entirely. - Sura 2:193 and 8:39
Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. - 2:216
(different translation: ) Prescribed for you is fighting, though it is
hateful to you.
..... martyrs.... Enter heaven - Surah 3:140-43
If you should die or be killed in the cause of Allah, His mercy and
forgiveness would surely be better than all they riches they amass. If
you should die or be killed, before Him you shall all be gathered. -
3:157-8
You must not think that those who were slain in the cause of Allah are
dead. They are alive, and well-provided for by their Lord. - Surah
3:169-71
Let those fight in the cause of God who sell the life of this world
for the hereafter. To him who fights in the cause of God, whether he
is slain or victorious, soon we shall give him a great reward. - Surah
4:74
Those who believe fight in the cause of God, and those who reject
faith fight in the cause of evil. - 4:76
But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever you find
them. - 4:89
Therefore, we stirred among them enmity and hatred, which shall endure
till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will declare to them all that
they have done. - 5:14
O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends
of each other. Those of you who make them his friends is one of them.
God does not guide an unjust people. - 5:54
Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns
supreme - 8:39
O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there are 20 steadfast
men among you, they shall vanquish 200; and if there are a hundred,
they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of
understanding. - 8:65
It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he has made slaughter
in the land. - 8:67
Allah will humble the unbelievers. Allah and His apostle are free from
obligations to idol-worshipers. Proclaim a woeful punishment to the
unbelievers. - 9:2-3
When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find
them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for
them. - 9:5
Believers! Know that idolators are unclean. - 9:28
Fight those who believe neither in God nor the Last Day, nor what has
been forbidden by God and his messenger, nor acknowledge the religion
of Truth, even if they are People of the Book, until they pay the
tribute and have been humbled. - 9:29 (another source: ) The
unbelievers are impure and their abode is hell. (another source: )
Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and
pay tribute.
Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of
Allah, with your wealth and your persons. - 9:41
O Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Be harsh
with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. -
9:73
Allah has purchased of their faithful lives and worldly goods, and in
return has promised them the Garden. They will fight for His cause,
kill and be killed. - 9:111
Fight unbelievers who are near to you. 9:123 (different translation:
Believers! Make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Let them
find harshness in you. (another source: ) Ye who believe! Murder those
of the disbelievers....
As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah, He will not allow
their works to perish. He will vouchsafe them guidance and ennoble
their state; He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to
them. - 10:4-15
Allah has cursed the unbelievers and proposed for them a blazing hell.
- 33:60
Unbelievers are enemies of Allah and they will roast in hell. - 41:14
When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then when you have
made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds, then set them
free, either by grace or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens.
- 47:4
(different translation: ) When you meet the unbelievers in the
battlefield, strike off their heads, and when you have laid them low,
bind your captives firmly.
Those who are slain in the way of Allah - he will never let their
deeds be lost. Soon will he guide them and improve their condition,
and admit them to the Garden, which he has announced for them. - 47:5
Muslims are harsh against the unbelievers, merciful to one another. -
48:25
Muhammad is Allah's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the
unbelievers but merciful to one another. Through them, Allah seeks to
enrage the unbelievers. - 48:29
Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal
sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate. - 66:9
The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn
forever in the fire of hell. They are the vilest of all creatures. -
98:51
Fight them so that Allah may punish them at your hands, and put them
to shame. (verse cited in Newsweek 2/11/02)
-------
KORAN promises of houris in heaven:
Single-minded slaves of Allah... will be honored in the Gardens of
delight, on couches facing one another; A cup from a gushing spring is
brought round for them, white, delicious to the drinkers, wherein
there is no headache nor are they made mad thereby. And with them are
those of modest gaze, with lovely eyes, pure as they were hidden eggs.
- Surah 37:40-49
Lo, for those who ward off evil is a happy journey's end, Gardens of
Eden, whereof the gates are opened for the, wherein, reclining, they
call for plenteous fruit and cool drink therein. And with them are
those of modest gaze, companions. This it is that ye are promised for
the Day of Reckoning. - 38:50-54
Lo! Those who kept their duty will be in a place secure, amid gardens
and water-springs, attired in silk and silk embroidery, facing one
another.... And we shall wed them unto fair ones with wide, lovely
eyes. They call therein for every fruit in safety. They taste not
death therein, save the first death. And He hath saved them from the
doom of hell, a bounty from thy Lord. That is the supreme triumph. -
44:51-57
Lo! Those who kept their duty dwell in gardens and delight...
reclining on ranged couches. And we wed them unto fair ones with wide,
lovely eyes... and we provide them with fruit and meat such as they
desire.... - 52:17-22
...Reclining upon couches lined with silk brocade, the fruit of both
the gardens near to hand.... Therein are those of modest gaze, whom
neither man nor jinni will have touched before them.... - 55:54-56
Those are they who will be brought nigh, in gardens of delight...
reclining therein face to face. There wait on them immortal youths...
and fair ones with wide, lovely eyes, like unto hidden pearls, reward
for what they used to do.... Lo! We have created them a creation, and
made them virgins, lovers, friends. - 56:11-37
(Different translation) Companions with beautiful, big and lustrous
eyes... virgin-pure and undefiled.
--------
Koran "sharia" punishments:
As for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their
hands as punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment
from Allah. - Surah 5:38
http://www.wvinter.net/~haught/Koran.html
amro...@gmail.com
May 20, 2013, 5:00:51 AM5/20/13
to
"jwsheffi...@satx.rr.com" <jwsheffi...@satx.rr.com> wrote:
> KORAN commands to kill infidels:
>
> Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. - Sura 2:98
2:98. Anyone who opposes GOD, and
> KORAN commands to kill infidels:
>
> Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. - Sura 2:98
His angels, and His messengers,
and Gabriel and Michael, should
know that GOD opposes
the disbelievers.
>
> On unbelievers is the curse of Allah. - Sura 2:161
disbelievers, have incurred the
condemnation of GOD, the angels,
and all the people (on the Day of Judgment).
>
> Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places
> whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. -
> 2:191
>
> Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion
2:190-193. You may fight in the cause of
GOD against those who attack you, but do
not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors.
You may kill those who wage war against you,
and you may evict them whence they evicted you.
Oppression is worse than murder. Do not fight them
at the Sacred Mosque, unless they attack you
therein. If they attack you, you may kill them.
This is the just retribution for those disbelievers.
If they refrain, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
You may also fight them to eliminate oppression,
and to worship GOD freely.
If they refrain, you shall not aggress;
aggression is permitted only
against the aggressors.
>
> Fight them until there is no
8:38. Tell those who disbelieved:
if they stop, all their past will be
forgiven. But if they return,
they will incur the same fate
as their previous counterparts.
8:39. You shall fight them to ward off
oppression, and to practice your
religion devoted to GOD alone.
If they refrain from aggression, then
GOD is fully Seer of everything they do.
>
> Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. - 2:216
> (different translation: ) Prescribed for you is fighting, though it is
> hateful to you.
>
even though you dislike it.
But you may dislike something which is good for you,
and you may like something which is bad for you.
GOD knows while you do not know.
Oppression Condemned
2:217. They ask you about the Sacred
Months and fighting therein:
say, "Fighting therein is a sacrilege.
However, repelling from the path
of GOD and disbelieving in Him
and in the sanctity of the Sacred
Mosque, and evicting its people,
are greater sacrileges in the sight of
GOD. Oppression is worse than
murder." They will always fight you
to revert you from your religion,
if they can. Those among you who
revert from their religion, and die
as disbelievers, have nullified their
works in this life and the Hereafter.
These are the dwellers of Hell,
wherein they abide forever.
2:218. Those who believe, and those who
emigrate and strive in the cause of
GOD, have deserved GOD's mercy.
GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
> ..... martyrs.... Enter heaven - Surah 3:140-43
suffers the same hardship. We alternate
the days of victory and defeat among
the people. GOD thus distinguishes the
true believers, and blesses some of you
with martyrdom. GOD dislikes injustice.
3:141. GOD thus toughens those who believe
and humiliates the disbelievers.
3:142. Do you expect to enter Paradise
without GOD distinguishing
those among you who strive, and without
distinguishing those who are steadfast?
3:143. You used to long for death
before you had to face it. Now
you have faced it, right before
your eyes.
3:144. Muhammad was no more than a
messenger like the messengers
before him. Should he die or get
killed, would you turn back on
your heels? Anyone who turns
back on his heels, does not hurt
GOD in the least. GOD rewards
those who are appreciative.
>
> If you should die or be killed in the cause of Allah, His mercy and
> forgiveness would surely be better than all they riches they amass. If
> you should die or be killed, before Him you shall all be gathered. -
> 3:157-8
>
> You must not think that those who were slain in the cause of Allah are
> dead. They are alive, and well-provided for by their Lord. - Surah
> 3:169-71
>
> Let those fight in the cause of God who sell the life of this world
> for the hereafter. To him who fights in the cause of God, whether he
> is slain or victorious, soon we shall give him a great reward. - Surah
> 4:74
>
> Those who believe fight in the cause of God, and those who reject
> faith fight in the cause of evil. - 4:76
when weak men, women, and children are imploring:
"Our Lord, deliver us from this community
whose people are oppressive, and be You our Lord
and Master."
>
> But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever you find
> them. - 4:89
they have disbelieved, then you
become equal. Do not consider
them friends, unless they mobilize
along with you in the cause of GOD.
If they turn against you, you shall
fight them, and you may kill them
when you encounter them in war.
You shall not accept them as
friends, or allies.*
4:90. Exempted are those who join
people with whom you have signed
a peace treaty, and those who come
to you wishing not to fight you, nor
fight their relatives. Had GOD
willed, He could have permitted
them to fight against you. Therefore,
if they leave you alone, refrain from
fighting you, and offer you peace,
then GOD gives you no excuse to fight them.
>
> Therefore, we stirred among them enmity and hatred, which shall endure
> till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will declare to them all that
> they have done. - 5:14
>
> O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends
> of each other. Those of you who make them his friends is one of them.
> God does not guide an unjust people. - 5:54
they mock and ridicule it. This is because they are
people who do not understand.
5:59. Say, "O people of the scripture, do you not hate
us because we believe in GOD, and in what was
revealed to us, and in what was revealed before us,
and because most of you are not righteous?"
>
> Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns
> supreme - 8:39
>
Anyways, here it is again:
8:38. Tell those who disbelieved:
if they stop, all their past will be
forgiven. But if they return,
they will incur the same fate
as their previous counterparts.
8:39. You shall fight them to ward off
oppression, and to practice your
religion devoted to GOD alone.
If they refrain from aggression, then
GOD is fully Seer of everything they do.
> O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there are 20 steadfast
> men among you, they shall vanquish 200; and if there are a hundred,
> they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of
> understanding. - 8:65
He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
8:62. If they want to deceive you, then GOD will suffice you.
He will help you with His support, and with the believers.
8:63. He has reconciled the hearts (of the believers).
Had you spent all the money on earth,
you could not reconcile their hearts.
But GOD did reconcile them. He is Almighty, Most Wise.
8:64. O you prophet, sufficient for you
is GOD and the believers who
have followed you.
8:65. O you prophet, you shall exhort the
believers to fight. If there are
twenty of you who are steadfast,
they can defeat two hundred, and
a hundred of you can defeat a
thousand of those who disbelieved.
That is because they are people
who do not understand.
>
> It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he has made slaughter
> in the land. - 8:67
>
your hands, "If GOD knew of anything good in
your hearts, He would have given you better
than anything you have lost, and would have
forgiven you. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful."
8:71. And if they want to betray you,
they have already betrayed GOD.
This is why He made them the losers.
GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.
> Allah will humble the unbelievers. Allah and His apostle are free from
> obligations to idol-worshipers. Proclaim a woeful punishment to the
> unbelievers. - 9:2-3
>
> When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find
> them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for
> them. - 9:5
treaty with you, and do not violate it,
nor band together with others against
you, you shall fulfill your treaty with
them, until the expiration date.
GOD loves the righteous.
>
> Believers! Know that idolaters are unclean. - 9:28
>
> Fight those who believe neither in God nor the Last Day, nor what has
> been forbidden by God and his messenger, nor acknowledge the religion
> of Truth, even if they are People of the Book, until they pay the
> tribute and have been humbled. - 9:29 (another source: ) The
> unbelievers are impure and their abode is hell. (another source: )
> Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and
> pay tribute.
9:13 "Wouldn't you fight people who broke their
> Fight those who believe neither in God nor the Last Day, nor what has
> been forbidden by God and his messenger, nor acknowledge the religion
> of Truth, even if they are People of the Book, until they pay the
> tribute and have been humbled. - 9:29 (another source: ) The
> unbelievers are impure and their abode is hell. (another source: )
> Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and
> pay tribute.
covenant with you; attempted to expel the
messenger and they were the ones who started
the aggression against you?.."
22:17 Those who believed and the Jews and
the Christians and the Sabians and the Magians
and the Polytheists God will judge between
them in the day of Judgement, for God is a
witness over everything."
2.62 Surely those who believe, and those who
are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians,
whoever believes in God and the Last day and
does good, they shall have their reward from
their Lord, and there is no fear for them,
nor shall they grieve.
5.69 Surely those who believe and those who
are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians
whoever believes in God and the last day and
does good-- they shall have no fear nor shall
they grieve.
60.8 God does not forbid you from being just
and kind to those who did not fight you for your
religion nor drive you out from your homes. For
God loves those who are just.
2.190 And fight in the way of God with those
who fight with you, and do not start the aggression
surely God does not love those who start the
aggression.
8.61 And if they incline to peace, then incline to
it and trust in God; surely He is the Hearing, the
Knowing.
"And so We revealed to you (Mohamad) an Arabic
Quran to warn the mother of the villages (Mecca)
and whoever is around it.." Quran 42:7-8
(Arabic Quran 12:2,
13:37, 20:113, 39:28, 41:3, 42:7, 43:3 Quran In
Arabic tongue 16:103 26:195, 46:12)
"And had your Lord willed, He would have made
humans one nation; and even then they would
still disagree. Except whom your Lord had
mercy on them.." Quran 11:118-119
"And to every nation We made for them their
own rituls so that they celebrate the name of
God upon what we have bestowed on them."
Quran 22:34
"To every nation We made rituals to follow.."
Quran 22:67
"And had God Willed, He would have
made you (humans) one nation.." Quran 16:93
> Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of
> Allah, with your wealth and your persons. - 9:41
>
> O Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Be harsh
> with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. -
> 9:73
>
> Allah has purchased of their faithful lives and worldly goods, and in
> return has promised them the Garden. They will fight for His cause,
> kill and be killed. - 9:111
>
> Fight unbelievers who are near to you. 9:123 (different translation:
> Believers! Make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Let them
> find harshness in you. (another source: ) Ye who believe! Murder those
> of the disbelievers....
disbelievers who attack you--let them find
you stern--and know that
GOD is with the righteous.
>
> As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah, He will not allow
> their works to perish. He will vouchsafe them guidance and ennoble
> their state; He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to
> them. - 10:4-15
>
> Allah has cursed the unbelievers and proposed for them a blazing hell.
> - 33:60
33:60. Unless the hypocrites, and those
with disease in their hearts, and the
vicious liars of the city refrain
(from persecuting you), we will surely
grant you the upper hand, then they
will be forced to leave within a short while.
> Unbelievers are enemies of Allah and they will roast in hell. - 41:14
41:14. Their messengers went to them,
as well as before them and after them, saying,
"You shall not worship except GOD."
They said, "Had our Lord willed,
He could have sent angels. We are
disbelievers in what you say."
>
> When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then when you have
> made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds, then set them
> free, either by grace or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens.
> - 47:4
> (different translation: ) When you meet the unbelievers in the
> battlefield, strike off their heads, and when you have laid them low,
> bind your captives firmly.
>
> Those who are slain in the way of Allah - he will never let their
> deeds be lost. Soon will he guide them and improve their condition,
> and admit them to the Garden, which he has announced for them. - 47:5
>
disbelieve, you may strike the necks.
If you take them as captives you may
set them free or ransom them, until
the war ends. Had GOD willed, He
could have granted you victory, with-
out war. But He thus tests you by
one another. As for those who get
killed in the cause of GOD, He will
never put their sacrifice to waste.
47:5. He will guide them, and bless them
with contentment.
47:6. He will admit them into Paradise,
that He described to them.
47:7. O you who believe, if you support
GOD, He will support you, and
strengthen your foothold.
47:8. Those who disbelieve incur misery;
He causes their works to be utterly in vain.
47:9. That is because they hated what GOD revealed
and consequently, He nullifies their works.
> Muslims are harsh against the unbelievers, merciful to one another. -
> 48:25
>
> Muhammad is Allah's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the
> unbelievers but merciful to one another. Through them, Allah seeks to
> enrage the unbelievers. - 48:29
barred you from the Sacred Masjid,
and even prevented your offerings
from reaching their destination.
There were believing men and women
(within the enemy camp) whom you
did not know, and you were about
to hurt them, unknowingly. GOD
thus admits into His mercy whom-
ever He wills. If they persist, He will
requite those among them who dis-
believe with a painful retribution.
48:26. While those who disbelieved were
enraged, and their hearts were
filled with the pride of the days of
ignorance, GOD blessed His
messenger and the believers with
peaceful contentment, and directed
them to uphold the word of right-
eousness. This is what they well
deserved. GOD is fully aware
of all things.
48:27. GOD has fulfilled His messenger's
truthful vision: "You will enter the
Sacred Masjid, GOD willing, perfectly
secure, and you will cut your hair or
shorten it (as you fulfill the pilgrim-
age rituals) there. You will not have
any fear. Since He knew what you
did not know, He has coupled this
with an immediate victory."
48:28. He is the One who sent His messenger with the
guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail
over all other religions. GOD suffices as a witness.*
48:29. Muhammad-the messenger of GOD-and those with him
are harsh and stern against the disbelievers,
but kind and compassionate amongst themselves.
You see them bowing and prostrating,
as they seek GOD's blessings
and approval. Their marks are on their faces,
because of prostrating.
This is the same example as in the Torah.
Their example in the Gospel is like plants
that grow taller and stronger,
and please the farmers. He thus
enrages the disbelievers. GOD
promises those among them who
believe, and lead a righteous life,
forgiveness and a great recompense.
>
> Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal
> sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate. - 66:9
a firm repentance. Your Lord will then remit your sins
and admit you into gardens with flowing streams.
On that day, GOD will not disappoint
the prophet and those who believed
with him. Their light will radiate
in front of them and to their right.
They will say, "Our Lord, perfect
our light for us, and forgive us;
You are Omnipotent."
66:9. O prophet, struggle against the dis-
believers and the hypocrites and be
stern with them. Their abode is
Gehenna, and a miserable destiny
>
> The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn
> forever in the fire of hell. They are the vilest of all creatures. -
> 98:51
>
> Fight them so that Allah may punish them at your hands, and put them
> to shame. (verse cited in Newsweek 2/11/02)
9:67 where the constricted hands were mentioned to refer to people who
do not give to charity or contribute. There is also 5:64 with the
hands of God is spread to mean giving unconditionally. Also hands are
used to describe overspending and being niggardly in 17:29:
"Do not make your hand tied to your neck and do not spread it all so
that you'd sit blamed and heartbroken." Quran 17:29
Aslo hands means authority as in Quran 111.1: "Cursed are the hands of
Abi Lahab."
Addittionally, the word "cut" itself is used metaphorically in Quran
29:29, 2:27, 9:121, 47:22 & 27:32
The word "amputee" in 108:3 metaphorically refers to the childless
man.
Cutting the hand of the theif in 5:38 does not mean killing the theif
either, since in the following verse 5:39 whoever repents God will
accept his repentance.
Jailing with labor seems the only rational punishment as was the
punishment of Joseph's brother in sura 12 verse 75:
"They said: his punishment whoever was found in his saddle-bag he
would be the punishment." (Bondage?)
The Quranic stories are educational and moral stories basically.
The phrase 'bima kasaba nakalan' in
5:38 which means 'on what they have
gained an example'. This shows
that no two thefts are alike and the punishment
must be in accordance
to what they have stole.
>
> http://www.wvinter.net/~haught/Koran.html
jwshe...@satx.rr.com
May 20, 2013, 9:51:48 AM5/20/13
to
The Qu'ran: The Scripture of Islam
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/4b.html
B. THE MECCAN AND MEDINAN SURAHS.
1. The Style and Emphasis of the Meccan Surahs.
One of the great difficulties confronting a reader of the Qur'an is
the general lack of chronology in the sequence of its chapters.
Compounding this difficulty is the fact that many of the surahs are
composite chapters of passages dating from both Muhammad's years of
preaching in Mecca and his years as leader of the Muslim community in
Medina. Nevertheless, as pointed out already, the shorter, more
striking surahs generally date from the Meccan period and the longer,
somewhat cumbersome passages of the later surahs date from the Medinan
period.
The early Meccan surahs are all somewhat similar and concentrate on
the issues which first impressed themselves upon Muhammad, namely the
waywardness of his people, the judgment to come, and the destiny of
all men to heaven or to hell. Here is a typical passage:
O manl What has seduced thee from thy Lord Most Beneficent? Him
Who created thee, fashioned thee in due proportion, and gave thee a
just bias; In whatever Form He wills, does He put them together. Nay!
But ye do reject Right and Judgment! But verily over you (are
appointed angels) to protect you, kind and honourable, writing down
(your deeds): They know and understand all that ye do. As for the
Righteous, they will be in Bliss; and the Wicked, they will be in the
Fire, which they will enter on the Day of Judgment, and they will not
be able to keep away therefrom. And what will explain to thee what the
Day of Judgment is? Again, what will explain to thee what the Day of
Judgment is? (It will be) the Day when no soul shall have power (to
do) aught for another: For the Command, that Day, will be (wholly)
with God. Surah 82.6-19.
Throughout these early passages Muhammad stands forth purely as one
sent to call his people to the good and to admonish them against the
punishments awaiting evildoers. Innamaa anta munthir - "Verily you are
but a warner" (Surah 79.45), is the address found in various forms in
these passages (so also Surahs 74.2, 87.9).
Muhammad is several times reminded, in the Meccan period, that his
only task is al-balagh, communication. (Cragg, The Event of the
Qur'an, p. 146).
The great dispute between pagan Arab idolatry and the exclusive unity
of God only comes to the fore in the later Meccan surahs. In the same
way Allah, the name for God, also only begins to appear with
regularity in these later Meccan surahs as well, the more impersonal
ar-Rabb (the Lord) being generally preferred in the very earliest
surahs.
But in Mohammed's first preaching, the announcement of the Day of
Judgment is much more prominent than the unity of God, and it was
against his revelations concerning Doomsday that his opponents
directed their satire during the first twelve years. (Hurgronje,
Mohammedanism, p. 34).
The generally prophetic character of the Meccan surahs, as opposed to
the legalistic form of most of the Medinan surahs, at the same time
marks the earlier surahs with far more grandeur and humility before
God than those to come later. One moving early surah addressed to
Muhammad commends itself assuredly to any sincere reader of the
Qur'an:
By the Glorious Morning Light, and by the Night when it is still,
Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased. And
verily the hereafter will be better for thee than the present. And
soon will thy Guardian- Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be
well-pleased. Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter
(and care)? And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance.
And He found thee in need, and made thee independent. Therefore, treat
not the orphan with harshness, nor repulse the petitioner (unheard);
but the Bounty of thy Lord - Rehearse and proclaim! Surah 93.1-11.
Just as we found a sharp distinction in the biographical section at
the beginning of this book between the sincere warner of Mecca and the
somewhat opportunistic ruler of Medina, so it does not surprise us to
find a similar contrast between the Meccan and Medinan surahs. One
cannot help wondering what our final assessment of Muhammad would have
been if he had been killed just before the migration to Medina.
Certainly his years in Mecca, characterised by the fine spirit of the
contemporary Qur'anic passages, leave a generally positive impression
on the student of his life's course.
The beginning of the Moslem propaganda was the free, honest and
sincere expansion of a religious mind moved by a profound conviction
of the Supreme Truth, and by a sincere desire on the Prophet's part to
raise first himself, then his most intimate friends and relations,
finally all his fellow Arabs from the barbaric error of idolatry in
which they lay supine. (Caetani, "The Development of Mohammed's
Personality", The Muslim World, Vol. 4, p. 363).
2. The Character of the Medinan Surahs.
One of the easiest ways of distinguishing between the two periods is
the manner of address in the Medinan surahs. Whereas the Meccan
passages usually speak to Muhammad himself or to men generally, the
Medinan passages are often addressed to Muhammad's followers with the
introduction Yaa ayyuhallathiina aa'manuu - "O ye who believe!" What
follows is often of a legislative nature and it is true to say that
the laws of Islam (the shari'ah) are found principally in the passages
dating from Muhammad's migration to Medina. Whereas the Meccan surahs
are prophetic in character and striking in style, these later surahs
are generally legalistic and are more leisurely in style.
Those parts of the Qur'an belonging to the Medinan years are
predominantly legal and political. Their concern is with campaigns,
confiscations, customs, and behavior, rather than with patriarchs and
preaching. (Cragg", The Call of the Minaret, p.82).
The Medinan surahs deal with the abolition of usury (Surah 2.278), the
laws of inheritance (4.11-12), the prohibited degrees of relationship
(4.23), the property of orphans (4.6-10), the prohibitions on wine and
gambling (5.93-94), and the like. The following is but the first
quarter of a long verse dealing with the need to reduce all contracts
to writing and to have them witnessed:
O ye who believel When ye deal with each other, in transactions
involving future obligations in a fixed period of time, reduce them to
writing. Let a scribe write down faithfully as between the parties:
let not the scribe refuse to write: as God has taught him, so let him
write. Let him who incurs the liability dictate, but let him fear his
Lord God and not diminish aught of what he owes. Surah 2.282
The whole verse, one of the longest in the Qur'an, makes tedious
reading and contrasts with the sharp, pithy exclamations of the
earliest surahs. "The slovenliness, the trailing sentences, the
mechanical rhymes of the later portions of the Qur'an, have often been
remarked on" (Bell, The Origin of Islam in its Christian Environment,
p. 96). Another writer makes a similar comment on the generally
uninspiring character of the Medinan surahs:
The sentences are long and unwieldly so that the hearer has to
listen carefully or he will miss the rhyme altogether; the language
has become prose with rhyming words at intervals. The subject matter
is laws, comments on public events, statements of policy, rebukes to
those who did not see eye to eye with the prophet, Jews especially,
and references to his domestic troubles. Here imagination is weak and
stock phrases are dragged in to conceal the poverty of ideas though
occasionally the earlier enthusiasm bursts out. (Tritton, Islam, p.
16).
One of the most significant distinctions between the two periods is
the amount of attention which the Qur'an pays to Muhammad himself in
the later surahs. Although the Meccan surahs are often directly
addressed to him, he is very rarely the subject of the revelations,
but in the Medinan surahs he comes regularly to the fore. Passages
dealing with the Day of Judgment and the destiny of mankind give way
to new revelations concerned much with the immediate concerns of his
private life. He is given special permission to exceed the limit
placed on Muslims not to take more than four wives at a time (Surah
33.50-52), believers are commanded to salute him (33.56), and are even
given strict details regarding etiquette to be observed when
approaching his apartments:
O ye who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses, until leave is
given you, for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its
preparation: but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken
your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk. Such (behaviour)
annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but God is not
ashamed (to tell you) the truth. Surah 33.53
These passages contrast sharply with the humble tone of an earlier
surah where he is rebuked for alighting a blind man who came to him to
enquire about his message while he was courting wealthy pagan Arab
merchants:
(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, because there came to him
the blind man (interrupting). But what could tell thee but that
perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)? Or that he might
receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him? As to one who
regards himself as self-sufficient, to him cost thou attend; though it
is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding). But
as to him who came to thee striving earnestly, and with fear (in his
heart), of him west thou unmindful. Surah 80.1-10.
In the biographical section of this book we have already seen how,
during the Medinan period, Muhammad began to regard himself as God's
supreme apostle and final messenger to all mankind while considering
himself purely a warner to the Arabs at the start of his course. The
exalted image he obtains in the later passages and the attention paid
to his personal affairs characterise much of the Medinan surahs:
There springs into the front line the person of Mohammed with an
almost shameless prominence. (Caetani, "The Development of Muhammad's
Personality", The Muslim World, Vol. 4, p. 361).
At the same time the stories of the Biblical prophets are remoulded
into a fairly regular form very similar to his own prophetic course
and experience. Many of these stories consist of dialogues between a
prophet and his kinsmen in which the former preaches monotheism and
right-living to the latter who have strayed from the path (So Noah,
Surah 21.76-77; Abraham, Surah 37.83-99; etc.). Indeed the
conversations are even couched in precisely the same language used by
Muhammad in debate with his own Meccan kinsmen. Hud, the prophet of
the 'Ad people, is said to have discoursed with his countrymen in this
manner (only relevant statements are here included for the sake of
brevity):
"O my people! Worship God! Ye have no other god but Him" . . . the
leaders of the unbelievers among his people said "Ah! We see that thou
art an imbecile" . . . He said "O my people! I am no imbecile, but (I
am) an apostle from the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds! . . . Do ye
wonder that there hath come to you a message from your Lord through a
man of your own people, to warn you?" . . . They said: "Comest thou to
us, that we may worship God alone, and give up the cult of our
fathers? Bring us what thou threatenest us with, if so be that thou
tellest the truth!" He said . . . "Dispute ye with me over names which
ye have devised - ye and your fathers - without authority from God?
Then wait: I am amongst you, also waiting". Surah 7.65-71.
This passage almost perfectly symbolises Muhammad's own struggle with
the pagan Meccans. He too concentrated on proclaiming the unity of
God, was rejected as one possessed, and likewise defended his claims.
(Hud, as in all the Qur'anic stories of the prophets it records, is
made to describe Allah in typically Qur'anic terms, e.g.,
rabbil-'alamin - "The Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds"). Again there
is the emphasis on the prophet being called from his own people who,
however, preferred the cult-worship of their ancestors. Muhammad
likewise threatened his people with destruction and was challenged to
bring it about (Surah 8.32) and, like the supposed prophet Hud,
reviled their idols as asma' summaytumuu haa antum wa aabaa 'ukum -
"names which you have devised - you and your fathers" (Surah 7.71,
53.23). Another writer says of Muhammad's tendency to remould the
stories of the former prophets to fit his own experiences:
What, however, is of more interest to our present study is that
the stories of the previous prophets, in whose succession he claims to
stand, come to be accommodated to that same pattern. Vague and
indefinite figures in the early Meccan passages, their stories
gradually take form and, as they appear in his later preaching, they
tend more and more to fall into a stylized pattern, viz. the pattern
which he has as the background of his thought of his own mission.
(Jeffery, The Qur'an as Scripture, p. 47).
It has rightly been said that much of the Qur'an is a collection of
stories of prophets and events culled from Jewish and other sources
upon which the personality of Muhammad has indelibly been impressed.
Nowhere is this truer than in the case of the very altercations
recorded in the book between earlier prophets and their people, for in
these cases even the personalities of those prophets have given way to
that of Muhammad himself. (Hud is not a Biblical prophet but the
passage quoted is perhaps the most striking example of a parallel
between a Qur'anic narrative of a former prophet's experiences and
Muhammad's own lot). One cannot help concluding that, far from being a
book of divine origin, the Qur'an is really little more than the
impress of Muhammad's thoughts and perceptions upon the material he
imbibed.
From a careful perusal of the suras of this second period, it may
safely be said that there is nothing in them which an Arab, acquainted
with the general outline of the Jewish history and legend, and of the
traditions of his own country, and possessed of some poetic fire and
fancy, might not have written, and that the hypothesis of a divine
origin is in no way required to account for them. (Stobart, Islam and
its Founder, p. 107).
3. A Summary of the Contrast between the Two Periods.
In conclusion it seems appropriate to quote a few authors who make
their own comments upon the contrast between the Meccan and Medinan
passages. Believing that the Qur'an is eternal and that it was
mechanically dictated to Muhammad, Muslim writers are generally
disinclined to admit the contrast. They fear to allow any idea of a
development in the Qur'anic text as this seems to imply that it had
much to do with Muhammad's growing prophetic consciousness. One
writer, however, who has the courage to openly admit this development
(as we have seen - p. 109), accordingly has no difficulty identifying
the distinction between the two periods:
A voice is crying from the very depths of life and impinging
forcefully on the Prophet's mind in order to make itself explicit at
the level of consciousness. This tone gradually gives way, especially
in the Medina period, to a more fluent and easy style as the legal
content increases for the detailed organization and direction of the
nascent community-state. (Rahman, lslam, p. 30).
He goes on to say: "It is interesting that all these descriptions of
experiences and visions belong to the Meccan period; in the Medina era
we have a progressive unfolding of the religio-moral ideal, and the
foundation for the social order for the newly instituted community but
hardly any allusions to inner experiences" (Rahman, Islam, p. 128).
Another writer also alludes to the developing character of Muhammad's
prophetic consciousness in the contrast between the Meccan and Medinan
surahs:
Yet the revelations which he received, in Mecca so passionate and
overwhelming, seemed in Medina to become increasingly, though perhaps
unconsciously, the result of reason and thought. (Glubb, The Life and
Times of Muhammad, p. 231).
It is not our opinion, however, that the phenomenon is purely one of a
logical development. The Medinan passages do not compare in style,
diction or content with the elevated spirit of the Meccan passages and
this retrogression, rather than true "development", is symbolic of the
similar deterioration we find in the character of the persevering
prophet of Mecca who became the autocratic and, at times, ruthless
ruler of Medina. Other writers comment in a similar way on the less
inspiring nature of the Medinan passages:
In the earlier chapters these verses are short, just as the style
is living and fiery; in the later chapters they are of lumbering
length, prosaic and slow, and the rhyme comes in with often a most
absurd effect. (MacDonald, The Religious Attitude and Life in Islam,
p. 31).
Yet the style of the Koran shows the change for the worse. As its
sincerity, in the deepest sense of the word, seems to diminish, its
subject-matter gets more and more mundane and prosaic; and with that
the fire, the terseness, the rhymed beauty of the style gradually
fades away into prolixity, tameness, obscurity, wearying
repetitiousness. (Gairdner, The Reproach of Islam, p. 48).
The style of the Coran, though varying greatly in force and
vigour, has for the most part lost the stamp of vivid imagination and
poetic fire which marks the earlier Suras. It becomes, as a rule, tame
and ordinary both in thought and language. Occasionally, indeed, we
still find traces of the former spirit. (Muir, The Life of Mahomet, p.
328).
To do justice to the book, however, the passages mentioned by Muir as
those manifesting the "former spirit" should be mentioned. The first
is:
God! There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, the
Eternal. No slumber can seize him nor sleep. His are all things in the
heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence
except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures
as) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of
His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne cloth extend over the
heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and
preserving them. For He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).
Surah 2.255
This is the famous ayatul-kursi, the "Verse of the Throne", named
after the throne of God described in it. The other striking passage
from the Medinan period is a rare verse, of obvious beauty, which
tends to move into the mystical realm in its description of God's
glory and has accordingly been highly esteemed by the Sufis, the
mystics of Islam, of whom we will hear more later:
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His
Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp
enclosed in a Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: lit from a
blessed tree, an Olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose Oil
is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon
Light! God cloth guide whom He will to His Light: God cloth set forth
Parables for men: and God cloth know all things. Surah 24.35
These two passages are rightly highly esteemed by the Muslims and are
typical of the constant endeavour in the Qur'an to glorify God in
suitable terms. Nevertheless they do appear to be more easily related
to the earlier surahs of the Meccan period than the otherwise
legislative spirit of most of the Medinan passages. It is in the
Meccan surahs that we find "quite a number of verses expounding this
theme of God's goodness and power. Indeed, quantitatively this is by
far the most prominent aspect of the message of the early
passages" (Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, p. 63).
The Muslim world, nonetheless, rarely approaches the Qur'an with a
desire to analyse its teaching, sources or development in a critical
way, and prefers simply to dogmatically claim that it is the true and
final revelation of God. Let us, then, press on to a brief examination
of some of its teachings, its collection, and its sources, to see
whether this claim can truly withstand the acid test of a critical
analysis.
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/4b.html
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/4b.html
B. THE MECCAN AND MEDINAN SURAHS.
1. The Style and Emphasis of the Meccan Surahs.
One of the great difficulties confronting a reader of the Qur'an is
the general lack of chronology in the sequence of its chapters.
Compounding this difficulty is the fact that many of the surahs are
composite chapters of passages dating from both Muhammad's years of
preaching in Mecca and his years as leader of the Muslim community in
Medina. Nevertheless, as pointed out already, the shorter, more
striking surahs generally date from the Meccan period and the longer,
somewhat cumbersome passages of the later surahs date from the Medinan
period.
The early Meccan surahs are all somewhat similar and concentrate on
the issues which first impressed themselves upon Muhammad, namely the
waywardness of his people, the judgment to come, and the destiny of
all men to heaven or to hell. Here is a typical passage:
O manl What has seduced thee from thy Lord Most Beneficent? Him
Who created thee, fashioned thee in due proportion, and gave thee a
just bias; In whatever Form He wills, does He put them together. Nay!
But ye do reject Right and Judgment! But verily over you (are
appointed angels) to protect you, kind and honourable, writing down
(your deeds): They know and understand all that ye do. As for the
Righteous, they will be in Bliss; and the Wicked, they will be in the
Fire, which they will enter on the Day of Judgment, and they will not
be able to keep away therefrom. And what will explain to thee what the
Day of Judgment is? Again, what will explain to thee what the Day of
Judgment is? (It will be) the Day when no soul shall have power (to
do) aught for another: For the Command, that Day, will be (wholly)
with God. Surah 82.6-19.
Throughout these early passages Muhammad stands forth purely as one
sent to call his people to the good and to admonish them against the
punishments awaiting evildoers. Innamaa anta munthir - "Verily you are
but a warner" (Surah 79.45), is the address found in various forms in
these passages (so also Surahs 74.2, 87.9).
Muhammad is several times reminded, in the Meccan period, that his
only task is al-balagh, communication. (Cragg, The Event of the
Qur'an, p. 146).
The great dispute between pagan Arab idolatry and the exclusive unity
of God only comes to the fore in the later Meccan surahs. In the same
way Allah, the name for God, also only begins to appear with
regularity in these later Meccan surahs as well, the more impersonal
ar-Rabb (the Lord) being generally preferred in the very earliest
surahs.
But in Mohammed's first preaching, the announcement of the Day of
Judgment is much more prominent than the unity of God, and it was
against his revelations concerning Doomsday that his opponents
directed their satire during the first twelve years. (Hurgronje,
Mohammedanism, p. 34).
The generally prophetic character of the Meccan surahs, as opposed to
the legalistic form of most of the Medinan surahs, at the same time
marks the earlier surahs with far more grandeur and humility before
God than those to come later. One moving early surah addressed to
Muhammad commends itself assuredly to any sincere reader of the
Qur'an:
By the Glorious Morning Light, and by the Night when it is still,
Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased. And
verily the hereafter will be better for thee than the present. And
soon will thy Guardian- Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be
well-pleased. Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter
(and care)? And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance.
And He found thee in need, and made thee independent. Therefore, treat
not the orphan with harshness, nor repulse the petitioner (unheard);
but the Bounty of thy Lord - Rehearse and proclaim! Surah 93.1-11.
Just as we found a sharp distinction in the biographical section at
the beginning of this book between the sincere warner of Mecca and the
somewhat opportunistic ruler of Medina, so it does not surprise us to
find a similar contrast between the Meccan and Medinan surahs. One
cannot help wondering what our final assessment of Muhammad would have
been if he had been killed just before the migration to Medina.
Certainly his years in Mecca, characterised by the fine spirit of the
contemporary Qur'anic passages, leave a generally positive impression
on the student of his life's course.
The beginning of the Moslem propaganda was the free, honest and
sincere expansion of a religious mind moved by a profound conviction
of the Supreme Truth, and by a sincere desire on the Prophet's part to
raise first himself, then his most intimate friends and relations,
finally all his fellow Arabs from the barbaric error of idolatry in
which they lay supine. (Caetani, "The Development of Mohammed's
Personality", The Muslim World, Vol. 4, p. 363).
2. The Character of the Medinan Surahs.
One of the easiest ways of distinguishing between the two periods is
the manner of address in the Medinan surahs. Whereas the Meccan
passages usually speak to Muhammad himself or to men generally, the
Medinan passages are often addressed to Muhammad's followers with the
introduction Yaa ayyuhallathiina aa'manuu - "O ye who believe!" What
follows is often of a legislative nature and it is true to say that
the laws of Islam (the shari'ah) are found principally in the passages
dating from Muhammad's migration to Medina. Whereas the Meccan surahs
are prophetic in character and striking in style, these later surahs
are generally legalistic and are more leisurely in style.
Those parts of the Qur'an belonging to the Medinan years are
predominantly legal and political. Their concern is with campaigns,
confiscations, customs, and behavior, rather than with patriarchs and
preaching. (Cragg", The Call of the Minaret, p.82).
The Medinan surahs deal with the abolition of usury (Surah 2.278), the
laws of inheritance (4.11-12), the prohibited degrees of relationship
(4.23), the property of orphans (4.6-10), the prohibitions on wine and
gambling (5.93-94), and the like. The following is but the first
quarter of a long verse dealing with the need to reduce all contracts
to writing and to have them witnessed:
O ye who believel When ye deal with each other, in transactions
involving future obligations in a fixed period of time, reduce them to
writing. Let a scribe write down faithfully as between the parties:
let not the scribe refuse to write: as God has taught him, so let him
write. Let him who incurs the liability dictate, but let him fear his
Lord God and not diminish aught of what he owes. Surah 2.282
The whole verse, one of the longest in the Qur'an, makes tedious
reading and contrasts with the sharp, pithy exclamations of the
earliest surahs. "The slovenliness, the trailing sentences, the
mechanical rhymes of the later portions of the Qur'an, have often been
remarked on" (Bell, The Origin of Islam in its Christian Environment,
p. 96). Another writer makes a similar comment on the generally
uninspiring character of the Medinan surahs:
The sentences are long and unwieldly so that the hearer has to
listen carefully or he will miss the rhyme altogether; the language
has become prose with rhyming words at intervals. The subject matter
is laws, comments on public events, statements of policy, rebukes to
those who did not see eye to eye with the prophet, Jews especially,
and references to his domestic troubles. Here imagination is weak and
stock phrases are dragged in to conceal the poverty of ideas though
occasionally the earlier enthusiasm bursts out. (Tritton, Islam, p.
16).
One of the most significant distinctions between the two periods is
the amount of attention which the Qur'an pays to Muhammad himself in
the later surahs. Although the Meccan surahs are often directly
addressed to him, he is very rarely the subject of the revelations,
but in the Medinan surahs he comes regularly to the fore. Passages
dealing with the Day of Judgment and the destiny of mankind give way
to new revelations concerned much with the immediate concerns of his
private life. He is given special permission to exceed the limit
placed on Muslims not to take more than four wives at a time (Surah
33.50-52), believers are commanded to salute him (33.56), and are even
given strict details regarding etiquette to be observed when
approaching his apartments:
O ye who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses, until leave is
given you, for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its
preparation: but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken
your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk. Such (behaviour)
annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but God is not
ashamed (to tell you) the truth. Surah 33.53
These passages contrast sharply with the humble tone of an earlier
surah where he is rebuked for alighting a blind man who came to him to
enquire about his message while he was courting wealthy pagan Arab
merchants:
(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, because there came to him
the blind man (interrupting). But what could tell thee but that
perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)? Or that he might
receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him? As to one who
regards himself as self-sufficient, to him cost thou attend; though it
is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding). But
as to him who came to thee striving earnestly, and with fear (in his
heart), of him west thou unmindful. Surah 80.1-10.
In the biographical section of this book we have already seen how,
during the Medinan period, Muhammad began to regard himself as God's
supreme apostle and final messenger to all mankind while considering
himself purely a warner to the Arabs at the start of his course. The
exalted image he obtains in the later passages and the attention paid
to his personal affairs characterise much of the Medinan surahs:
There springs into the front line the person of Mohammed with an
almost shameless prominence. (Caetani, "The Development of Muhammad's
Personality", The Muslim World, Vol. 4, p. 361).
At the same time the stories of the Biblical prophets are remoulded
into a fairly regular form very similar to his own prophetic course
and experience. Many of these stories consist of dialogues between a
prophet and his kinsmen in which the former preaches monotheism and
right-living to the latter who have strayed from the path (So Noah,
Surah 21.76-77; Abraham, Surah 37.83-99; etc.). Indeed the
conversations are even couched in precisely the same language used by
Muhammad in debate with his own Meccan kinsmen. Hud, the prophet of
the 'Ad people, is said to have discoursed with his countrymen in this
manner (only relevant statements are here included for the sake of
brevity):
"O my people! Worship God! Ye have no other god but Him" . . . the
leaders of the unbelievers among his people said "Ah! We see that thou
art an imbecile" . . . He said "O my people! I am no imbecile, but (I
am) an apostle from the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds! . . . Do ye
wonder that there hath come to you a message from your Lord through a
man of your own people, to warn you?" . . . They said: "Comest thou to
us, that we may worship God alone, and give up the cult of our
fathers? Bring us what thou threatenest us with, if so be that thou
tellest the truth!" He said . . . "Dispute ye with me over names which
ye have devised - ye and your fathers - without authority from God?
Then wait: I am amongst you, also waiting". Surah 7.65-71.
This passage almost perfectly symbolises Muhammad's own struggle with
the pagan Meccans. He too concentrated on proclaiming the unity of
God, was rejected as one possessed, and likewise defended his claims.
(Hud, as in all the Qur'anic stories of the prophets it records, is
made to describe Allah in typically Qur'anic terms, e.g.,
rabbil-'alamin - "The Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds"). Again there
is the emphasis on the prophet being called from his own people who,
however, preferred the cult-worship of their ancestors. Muhammad
likewise threatened his people with destruction and was challenged to
bring it about (Surah 8.32) and, like the supposed prophet Hud,
reviled their idols as asma' summaytumuu haa antum wa aabaa 'ukum -
"names which you have devised - you and your fathers" (Surah 7.71,
53.23). Another writer says of Muhammad's tendency to remould the
stories of the former prophets to fit his own experiences:
What, however, is of more interest to our present study is that
the stories of the previous prophets, in whose succession he claims to
stand, come to be accommodated to that same pattern. Vague and
indefinite figures in the early Meccan passages, their stories
gradually take form and, as they appear in his later preaching, they
tend more and more to fall into a stylized pattern, viz. the pattern
which he has as the background of his thought of his own mission.
(Jeffery, The Qur'an as Scripture, p. 47).
It has rightly been said that much of the Qur'an is a collection of
stories of prophets and events culled from Jewish and other sources
upon which the personality of Muhammad has indelibly been impressed.
Nowhere is this truer than in the case of the very altercations
recorded in the book between earlier prophets and their people, for in
these cases even the personalities of those prophets have given way to
that of Muhammad himself. (Hud is not a Biblical prophet but the
passage quoted is perhaps the most striking example of a parallel
between a Qur'anic narrative of a former prophet's experiences and
Muhammad's own lot). One cannot help concluding that, far from being a
book of divine origin, the Qur'an is really little more than the
impress of Muhammad's thoughts and perceptions upon the material he
imbibed.
From a careful perusal of the suras of this second period, it may
safely be said that there is nothing in them which an Arab, acquainted
with the general outline of the Jewish history and legend, and of the
traditions of his own country, and possessed of some poetic fire and
fancy, might not have written, and that the hypothesis of a divine
origin is in no way required to account for them. (Stobart, Islam and
its Founder, p. 107).
3. A Summary of the Contrast between the Two Periods.
In conclusion it seems appropriate to quote a few authors who make
their own comments upon the contrast between the Meccan and Medinan
passages. Believing that the Qur'an is eternal and that it was
mechanically dictated to Muhammad, Muslim writers are generally
disinclined to admit the contrast. They fear to allow any idea of a
development in the Qur'anic text as this seems to imply that it had
much to do with Muhammad's growing prophetic consciousness. One
writer, however, who has the courage to openly admit this development
(as we have seen - p. 109), accordingly has no difficulty identifying
the distinction between the two periods:
A voice is crying from the very depths of life and impinging
forcefully on the Prophet's mind in order to make itself explicit at
the level of consciousness. This tone gradually gives way, especially
in the Medina period, to a more fluent and easy style as the legal
content increases for the detailed organization and direction of the
nascent community-state. (Rahman, lslam, p. 30).
He goes on to say: "It is interesting that all these descriptions of
experiences and visions belong to the Meccan period; in the Medina era
we have a progressive unfolding of the religio-moral ideal, and the
foundation for the social order for the newly instituted community but
hardly any allusions to inner experiences" (Rahman, Islam, p. 128).
Another writer also alludes to the developing character of Muhammad's
prophetic consciousness in the contrast between the Meccan and Medinan
surahs:
Yet the revelations which he received, in Mecca so passionate and
overwhelming, seemed in Medina to become increasingly, though perhaps
unconsciously, the result of reason and thought. (Glubb, The Life and
Times of Muhammad, p. 231).
It is not our opinion, however, that the phenomenon is purely one of a
logical development. The Medinan passages do not compare in style,
diction or content with the elevated spirit of the Meccan passages and
this retrogression, rather than true "development", is symbolic of the
similar deterioration we find in the character of the persevering
prophet of Mecca who became the autocratic and, at times, ruthless
ruler of Medina. Other writers comment in a similar way on the less
inspiring nature of the Medinan passages:
In the earlier chapters these verses are short, just as the style
is living and fiery; in the later chapters they are of lumbering
length, prosaic and slow, and the rhyme comes in with often a most
absurd effect. (MacDonald, The Religious Attitude and Life in Islam,
p. 31).
Yet the style of the Koran shows the change for the worse. As its
sincerity, in the deepest sense of the word, seems to diminish, its
subject-matter gets more and more mundane and prosaic; and with that
the fire, the terseness, the rhymed beauty of the style gradually
fades away into prolixity, tameness, obscurity, wearying
repetitiousness. (Gairdner, The Reproach of Islam, p. 48).
The style of the Coran, though varying greatly in force and
vigour, has for the most part lost the stamp of vivid imagination and
poetic fire which marks the earlier Suras. It becomes, as a rule, tame
and ordinary both in thought and language. Occasionally, indeed, we
still find traces of the former spirit. (Muir, The Life of Mahomet, p.
328).
To do justice to the book, however, the passages mentioned by Muir as
those manifesting the "former spirit" should be mentioned. The first
is:
God! There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, the
Eternal. No slumber can seize him nor sleep. His are all things in the
heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence
except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures
as) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of
His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne cloth extend over the
heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and
preserving them. For He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).
Surah 2.255
This is the famous ayatul-kursi, the "Verse of the Throne", named
after the throne of God described in it. The other striking passage
from the Medinan period is a rare verse, of obvious beauty, which
tends to move into the mystical realm in its description of God's
glory and has accordingly been highly esteemed by the Sufis, the
mystics of Islam, of whom we will hear more later:
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His
Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp
enclosed in a Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: lit from a
blessed tree, an Olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose Oil
is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon
Light! God cloth guide whom He will to His Light: God cloth set forth
Parables for men: and God cloth know all things. Surah 24.35
These two passages are rightly highly esteemed by the Muslims and are
typical of the constant endeavour in the Qur'an to glorify God in
suitable terms. Nevertheless they do appear to be more easily related
to the earlier surahs of the Meccan period than the otherwise
legislative spirit of most of the Medinan passages. It is in the
Meccan surahs that we find "quite a number of verses expounding this
theme of God's goodness and power. Indeed, quantitatively this is by
far the most prominent aspect of the message of the early
passages" (Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, p. 63).
The Muslim world, nonetheless, rarely approaches the Qur'an with a
desire to analyse its teaching, sources or development in a critical
way, and prefers simply to dogmatically claim that it is the true and
final revelation of God. Let us, then, press on to a brief examination
of some of its teachings, its collection, and its sources, to see
whether this claim can truly withstand the acid test of a critical
analysis.
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/4b.html
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