Abd Al-fadi - Is The Quran Infallible 1fx6q

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"We turned to thee a company of jinn giving ear to the Qur)an.... Then, when it was finished, they turned back to their people, waming. They said, 'Our people, we have heard a Book that sent down after Moses, confirming what was before it, gUiding to the truth and to a straight path' " (Sura al-Ahqaf 46:29,30).

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"Say: 'It has been revealed to me that acompany ofthejinn gave ear, then they said, 'We have indeed heard a Qur)an wonderful, guiding to rectitude. We believe in it, and we will not associate with our Lord anyone. He - exalted be our Lord's majesty! - has not taken to himselfeither consort or a son. The fool among us spoke against God outrage, and we had thought that men and jinn would never speak against God a lie. But there were certain men of mankind who would take refuge with certain men of the jinn, and they increased them in vileness, and they thought, even as you also thought, that God would never raise up anyone. And we stretched towards heaven, but we found it filled with terrible guards and meteors. We would sit there on seats to hear; but any listening now finds a meteor in wait for him. And so we know not whether evil is intended for those in the earth, or whether their Lord intends for them rectitude. And some of us are the righteous, and some of us are otherwise; we were sects differing. Indeed we thought that we should never be able to frustrate God in the earth, neither be able to frustrate Him by flight. When we heard the guidance, we believed in it; and whosoever believes in his Lord, he shall fear neither paltriness nor vileness. And some of us have surrendered, and some of us have deviated. Those who have surrendered sought rectitude; but as for those who have deviated, they have

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"And to Solomon [We gave) the wind; its moming course was a month's joumey, and its evening course was a month's journey. And We made the Fount of Molten Brass to flow for him. And ofthe jinn, some worked before him by the leave of his Lord; and such as them as swerved away

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from Our commandment, We would let them taste the chastisement of the Blaze; fashioning for him whatsoever he would - places of worship, statues, porringers like water-troughs, and anchored cooking-pots" (Sura Saba) 34:12,13).

believe, were used by Solomon in building the temple, palaces and statues, etc.

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"And his hosts were mustered to Solomon,jinn, men and birds; duly disposed.... He [Solomon] said, '0 Council, which one of you will bring me her throne, before they come to me in surrender?' An [Writ] of the jinns said, 'I will bring it to thee, before thou rlsest from thy place; I have strength for it and Iam trusty' " (Sura al-NamI27: 17,38,39).

But we ask: Since these S<X8l1ed 'ifrit are created of fire and are spiritual beings that can go up and down the heavens, infiltrating all places, how can they marry or die?

8. Honey Is a Remedy for All Diseases Question 184: We read in Sura aI-NahI16:68,69: "And thy Lord revealed unto the bees, saying: 'Take unto yourselves, of the mountains, houses, and of the trees, and of what they are building. Then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow the ways of your Lord easy to go upon.' Then comes there forth out of their bellies a drink of diverse hues wherein is healing for men."

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The Qurlan teaches about some creatures other than demons; these it calls jinn and the 'ifrit, which were created of the fire of Gehenna. These mythical creatures eat, drink, marry, live and die just as people do. There are even Muslim jinn and unbelieving jinn; the Muslim ones used to swarm around Muhammad whenever he recited the Qurlanl They, as Muslims

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"A drink" means honey, since it is drunk. "Wherein is healing for men" means it can be swallowed either by itself, as a cure for bronchial diseases, or in combination with other remedies, as is the case with other diseases. This is attested to by the fact that there exists no elixir or medicine that does not contain honey. According to Qatada, a man came to the Messenger of God and said, "My brother complains of his abdomen." Muhammad said, "Give him honey to drink." The man went away, and on returning, said, "I gave him [honey] to drink, but it was of no avail."

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T~e Messenger said, "Go away and give him honey to dnnk; surely God is truthful and your brother's abdomen is the Iiarl"

away from him. Some men sought counsel from Abu Bakr, who said to them, "If he said that, then he must have told the truth." They asked him, "Do you believe him?" He answered, "I believe in yet more than that." Therefore Abu Bakr was called "The Believing". This transpired a year before the Hijra. It has been debated whether he was asleep or awake; with his body or with his spirit. Yet, most people believe that he was taken on the NightJoumeywith his body to the Further Mosque, and was taken up into heaven, and reached the Sidrat al-Muntaha [i.e., "The Lotus Tree of the Utmost Boundary, or of the Seventh . Heaven"]. For this reason the people of Quraish were amazed and thought it impossible. This impossibility, as they thought, is refuted by facts that were proven in geometry; namely, that the distance between the opposite ends of the sun [Le., the diameter] is about 160 times the distance between the opposite ends p.e., the diameter] of the earth, and that its bottom end can reach the place of its upper end in less than a second. Moreover, God is certainly capable of producing such a high speed in the body of the Prophet.

We ask: How could the man believe Muhammad and disbelieve his brother's abdomen, since his brother was not healed? Does such an answer explain Muhammad's honesty or the truthfulness of the effect of honey as a cure-all?

9. The Night Journey (aI-1sra') Question 185: We read in Sura al-Isra l 17:1: "Glory be to Him who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to th~ Further Mosque the precincts of which We have blessed that We might show Him some ofOur signs. He is the All-hearin~ the All-seeing." ' .... ..

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Al-Baidawl said: It has been reported that the Messenger of God was asleep in Umm Hani )'s home after the evening prayer, and that he was taken on the Night Joumey, from which he retumed on the same night. He related what happened to her, saying, "The Prophets, peace and prayer be upon them, were summoned unto me, and lied them in prayer." He later retumed to the Holy Mosque and told the people of ?urais~ about it. They wondered at the news and thought it ImposSIble. Many of those who believed in him tumed

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We ask: Who witnessed the Night Joumey and the Heavenward Ascension? Some of the conditions of a miracle are that it should be performed before witnesses, and that it be of some sort of benefit. The Night Joumey and the Heavenward Ascension, however, do not meet these conditions. Moreover, the Further Mosque was not in existence at the time of Muhammad, but was built about a hundred years after his deathI How colJld he have prayed in it, then, or described its gates and windows?

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10. The Philosopher Hoopoe Question 186: We read in Sura al-Naml 27:20-28: "And he [Solomon] reviewed the birds; then he said, 'How is it with me, that I do not see the hoopoe [al-hudhudj? Or is he among the absent? Assuredly I will chastise him with a terrible chastisement, or I will slaughter him, or he bring me a clear authority.' But he tarried not long, and said, 'I have comprehended that which thou hast not comprehended, and I have come from Sheba to thee with a sure tiding. I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given of everything, and she possesses a mighty throne. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun, apart from God; Satan has decked out fair their deeds to them and he has barred them from the way, and therefore they are not guided, so that they prostrate not themselves to God, who brings forth what is hidden in heaven and earth; and He knows what you conceal and what you publish. God: there is no god but He, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.' Said he, 'Now we will see whether thou hast spoken truly, or whether thou art amongst those that lie. Take this letter of mine, and cast it unto them, then tum back from them and see what they shall retum.' "

The Qurlan says that Solomon knew the language of the birds and the insects; and that thejinn, together with the human beings and the birds, were his soldiers. It says also that he took those soldiers of his to the valley of the ants, and an ant recognised him and knew that he was a king and an infallible prophet and that all those [with him] were his soldiers. It therefore, wamed its fellow ants, saying, "Ants, enter your dwelling-places, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you, being unaware!" In the above quoted text, the Qurlan says that Solomon reviewed the birds and said, "How is itwith me, that Ido not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent? Assuredly [unless he apologises] I will chastise him [by plucking his feathers] with a terrible chastisement, or Iwill slaughter him [to be an example for others]!" And right away the hoopoe came strutting and flaunting his superior knowledge, saying, "I have comprehended that which thou hast not comprehended, and I have come from Sheba to thee with a sure tiding," as if it were saying, "I am not your inferior; rather, your knowledge is less than mine. For here I am telling you of the queen ofSheba who worships the sun apart from God, the Creatorofheaven and earth, and the Knower ofall the secrets of the universe." Solomon said to him, "Take this letter of mine to her, so that I may know whether you are telling the truth or that you lied to mel" So the hoopoe took his letter and gave it to the queen of Sheba. She took counsel with her people regarding what she should give in answer to the letter and decided to send a gift to King Solomon, which he refused! Then

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Solomon asked those seated with him if any of them could procure him the throne of the queen ofSheba in secrecy. And an (ifrit of the jinn said to him, "I will fetch it to you before you even rise from your place; I am strong and faithful to carry and keep it safel" And Solomon was not content, but demanded that it be brought at once. Then someone said, "I will bring it to you before you blink!" As the throne came, Solomon changed some of its markings; and when the queen of Sheba arrived, Solomon asked her, "Is this your throne?" She answered, "It seems as though it is my throne." Thereupon, the king told her to enter the palace, and she pulled up hergarment in orderto cross what she thought was water, but she found it was only glass. Therefore, she believed in the God of Solomon and became a Muslim [i.e., one of the surrendered]' We ask: How can a rational being imagine Solomon's retinue to consist of jinn and birds? How can a mere hoopoe be wiser and more knowledgeable than the wisest man of that time, or challenge him, saying, "I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended, and I have come from Sheba to you with a sure tiding"? How could a hoopoe ridicule idolatry and praise monotheism? How could a hoopoe serve as a courier? How could a hoopoe manage and direct Solomon's kingdom more efficiently than kings, ministers and philosophers?

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A1-Baidawi said: "When the Word falls on them" refers to the meaning of the word, which is the resurrection and the chastisement they had been promised. "We shall bring forth forthem out of the earth a beast" refers to al-Jassasa, which is a creature sixty cubits long, with feathers, fluff, and four hoofs. It has no tail, but rather a beard. As for its speed, no one can escape from it, and no one pursuing it can catch up with it. It was likewise reported that the Messenger (peace be unto him) was asked about the place from which it came. He answered, "From the holiest mosque [i.e., the one in Mecca]." The beast will "speak unto them". It was reported that it goes forth carrying Moses' rod and Solomon's signet. It will not leave a believer without stamping on his face a white spot with Moses' rod. [This spot] will spread over his face until his whole face turns white. And the beast will also not leave an unbeliever without stamping his face with a bli3ck spot with Solomon's signet; [and this black spot] will spread over his face until his whole face is black because of it.

11. A Beast Among the Prophets Question 187: We read in Sura al-NamI27:82: "When the Word falls on them, We shall bring forth for them out of the earth a beast that shall speak unto them: 'Mankind had no faith in Our signs.' "

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We ask: Is it sensible to imagine a talking, hairy, fluffy, fourlegged winged beast that resembles both mammals and birds? Not only that, it also preaches like the prophets and has the authority of Moses and the wisdom of Solomon; it even has inits possession the rod of Moses and the signet of Solomonl

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12. A Corpse Leans on a Stafffor a Year

going to die before finishing it, he committed it to Solomon, .who employed the help of the jinn to complete it. But as the time of his death drew near, which he was told of, and the temple was not yet completed, he wanted to hide his death from the jinn, so that they might complete the bUilding. So He called them to build around him a pavilion made of crystal, with no door to it. After that he stood up to pray, propped up on his staff. Then his soul was taken, being thus positioned. He remained in this position until a termite devoured the stick, and he fell down. They tried to determine the time of his death, so they put the termite on the staff, and it ate a certain amount of it during an entire night and day. On this basis they reckoned he had died a year before.

Question 188: We read in Saba)34:14: "And when We decreed that he [Solomon] should die, naught indicated to them that he was dead but the Beast of the Earth devouring his staff; and when he fell down, thejinn saw clearly that, had they only known the Unseen, they would not have continued in the humbling chastisement."

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A1-Baidawi said: "And when We decreed that he should die" refers to Solomon. "Naught indicated to them that he was dead" refers to thejinn. "But the Beastofthe Earth" was added as an object of activity. Another reading mentions ''the Beast of the gnawing" [where the Arabic word for "earth" (ard) was replaced with "gnawing" (arad)]. "Devouring his staff" refers to the staff with which he used to drive away [animals]. "And when he fell down, thejinn saw clearly," for at first the jinn were uncertain and confused. "Had they only known the Unseen," as they had claimed, "they would not have continued in the humbling chastisement," since they would have known of his death immediately when he fell down, and would not have continued for a whole year in their forced labour to him. The commentators have said that David constructed the temple in the same place where Moses' tabernacle stood, and since he perceived he was

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We ask: How could it be that King Solomon could die and remain dead for a whole year, without anyone taking notice of it? Where were his wives? Where were his children? Where was his retinue? Where were his people? Wouldn't any of these inquire about him? Did they really think he stood praying for a whole year, propped up on his staff- without sleeping, eating, drinking or washing? How is it that, when he died, being propped up on his staff, he did not fall down? Wouldn't his body rot and decay? Wouldn't his corpse lose its balance on the staff before the termite had eaten part of it? And if we assume that Solomon really built a pavilion ofcrystal to conceal his death from the eyes of the . jinn and the people, did he know beforehand the role the termite was going to play?

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13. A Hovering Mountain Question 189: We read in Sura al-Nisa l 4:154: "And We raised above them the Mount, taking compact with them."

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We read in Sura al-A(raf 7:171: "And when We shook the mountain above them as if it were a canopy, and they supposed it was about to fall on them: 'Take forcefully what We have given you, and what is in it; haply you will be godfearing.' " ,9lj

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14. Mountains Endowed with Reason Question 190: We read in Saba) 34:10: "And We gave David bounty from Us: '0 you mountains, echo God's praises with him, and you birds!' And We softened for him iron."

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A1-Baidawi said as an exposition of the latter verse: "And when We shook [Arabic: nataqna] the mountain above them" means that God uprooted the mountain and lifted it above them. The verb nataqa originally meant "to pull". "As ifitwere a canopy" means that the mountain was covering them as a shade. "Supposed" means they were certain. "It was about to fall on them," because the mountain was not stationary in the air where it was, and because it was promised them. This was due to the fact that they refused to receive the ordinances of the Torah, owing to their heaviness. Therefore God lifted the mountain above them, and it was said to them, "Receive what is in it, or else the mountain will surely fall on you." A1-Baidawi said as an exposition of the former verse that "taking compact with them" means that they might accept it.

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We ask: Is it reasonable that a mountain could be pulled out of the earth, soar into space, and hover in mid-air to intimidate the people and force them to receive the Law? Doesn't this do away with the scientific law ofgravity and the moral law of divine love?

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A1-Baidawi said, " '0 you mountains, echo God's praises with him' means to repeat his praises and moum over sin. This was brought about either by creating in them a voice like his, or by forcing them to praise whenever he contemplated what was in them. Or it means to walk with him wherever he walks." We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:72: "We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were afraid of it; and man carried it. Surely he is sinful, very foolish."

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A1-Baidawi said, "It was held by some that, when God Almighty created the celestial bodies, He instilled reason in them and said to them, 'Behold I have issued a decree and created

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paradise for those who obey Me, and hell for those who disobey Me.' Then they said, 'We are your labourers appointed for your creation; we cannot fumish any decree, and desire, neither reward nor punishment.' And when he created Adam, He offered the same to him, and Adam accepted it; and thereby committed sin against himself because he loaded himself with something thatweighed him down. He was foolish because he was ignorant of the deathly consequence of his action." Our question is: Do mountains possess reason that qualifies them to comprehend what most people do not comprehend, so as to refuse the trust that was extended to them? Do the mountains have minds, cognition and emotions, so as to repeat David's prayers, confessions and praises?

15. Iron Gets as Soft as Wax Question 191: We read in Sura Saba) 34: 10, 11: "And We gave David bounty from Us: '0 you mountains, echo God's praises with him, and you birdsI' And We softened for him iron: 'Fashion wide coats of mail, measure well the links.' - And do ye righteousness, for surely I see the things you do."

A1-Baidawi said, " 'We softened for him iron' means that itwas made to be like wax in his hands - to be handled however he wanted, without heating or hammering with tools, or by his own strength."

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We ask: How can iron change in quality in David's hands, so as to lose its rigidity and become as flexible and soft as wax, without being heated or hammered? What is the point of this alleged miracle, which the Torah would undoUbtedly have mentioned, had it really happened?

16. A Nap Lasting Three Hundred and Nine Years Question 192: We read in Sura al-Kahf 18:9-26: "Or dost thou think the Men of the Cave and al-Raqim were among Oursigns a wonder? When the youths took refuge in the Cave saying, 'Our Lord, give us mercy from Thee, and fumish us with rectitude in our affair.' Then We smote their ears many years in the Cave. Afterwards We raised them up again, that We might know which of the two parties would better calculate the while they had tarried. We will relate to thee their tidings truly. They were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.... Thou wouldst have thought them awake, as they lay sleeping, while We tumed them now to the right, now to the left, and their dog stretching its paws on the threshold.... And even so We raised them up again that they might question one another. One of them said, 'How long have you tarried?' They said, 'Your Lord knows very well how long you have tarried. Now send one of you forth with this silver to the city, and let him look for which of them has purest food, and bring you provision thereof.'...(They will say, 'Three; and their dog was the fourth of them.' They will say, 'Five; and their dog was the sixth of them' guessing at the Unseen They will say, 'Seven; and their dog was the eighth of them.' ) And they tarried in the Cave three hundred years, and to that they added nine more. Say: 'God knows very well how long they tarried. To Him belongs the Unseen in the heavens and

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in the earth. Howwell He seesl Howwell He hearsl They have no protector, apart from Him, and He associates in His govemment no one.'''

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A1-Baidawi said, in effect, "At the time when Diocletian persecuted the Christians, certain youths fled to a cave outside Ephesus. They remained asleep in that cave for 309 years; they turned over on their sides, but were unable to hear. Afterwards, they woke up and the people knew about them by the old currency they had with them." But we ask: How was it feasible for seven young men, together with their dog, to live for 309 years without eating, drinking, walking, urinating or defecating; seemingly awake, but yet asleep, tuming right and left in their sleep, while their dog was stretching its paws on the threshold? What moral does this story hold for us today?

17. The Wind at Solomon's Command Question 193: We read in Sura al-Anbiya) 21:81: "And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind, strongly blowing, that ran at his command unto the land, that We had blessed; and We had knowledge of everything."

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his preference? What is the point of all this? What would the Children of Israel or the Kingdom of God gain?

18. The Birds of the Sky Fight with Stones Question 194: We read in the Sura al-Fil105:1-5: "Hast thou not seen how thy Lord did with the Men of the Elephant? Did He not make their guile to go astray? And He loosed upon them birds in flights, hurling against them stones of baked clay and He made them like green blades devoured."

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As an exposition of Sura al-Anbiya), al-Baidawi said: "'The wind, strongly blowing,' drove Solomon's seat away in a short time, for God Almighty said that its morning course was a month's journey and its evening course was a month's journey. It was ofa gentle and good nature. Another opinion says that itwas genUe one time and blowing another time, according to his preference. 'Unto the land, that We had blessed' refers to greaterSyria after the wind had carried Solomon from there in its morning course."

We ask: What is the benefit of subjecting the wind to Solomon, so that it might carry his throne wherever hewanted and whenever he wanted, growing fierce and mild according to

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A1-Baidawi said: It has been reported that the Battle of the Elephant took place in the year of the Prophet's birth. [The story] goes as follows: Abraha ai-Ashram, the king of Yemen, who reigned before Ashama the Negus, built a church in Sanca and called it Qalis [most likely from the Greek ecc/esia]. He hoped to tum the Pilgrims' attention to it. It happened that a man from Kinana went forth and stayed in it overnight, which angered Abraha. He, therefore, swore to tear down the Ka cba. He went forth with his army having with him a strong elephant named Mahmud and another she-elephant. When he prepared to enter, and mobilised his army, the elephant arrived, and whenever they pointed it toward Mecca, it knelt down and remained there. But whenever they pointed it toward Yemen, or any other direction, it would trot away. So God Almighty sent birds;

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each of them had a pebble in its peak, and two pebbles in its feet, bigger than a lentil and smaller than a chick-pea. They stoned them with the pebbles; each pebble entered the head of each man and exited from his rectum! Thus they all perished.

favour and honour with the king. [Joseph's father] feared that, if all of[his sons were to] go in one group, they would be stricken by the evil eye. It was because they were not known before that he did not give them this commandment in the beginning, or because he was fearful for Benjamin. The evil eye is one of the . effects· of the psyche. This is evidenced by the fact that the Messenger (peace be unto him) used to say on his retum, "0 God, I take refuge with God's perfect words against every demon and jinn, and against every evil eye."

But we ask: Why did the elephant prefer to help the heathen and refrain from helping the Christians, refusing to walk whenever they pointed it toward the Ka cba ofthe heathen, and trotting away whenever they pointed it toward Yemen? How did the birds comprehend this and the heathen in war against the Christians? How did the flocks of birds understand one another, know the exact spot of the battle, bring along pebbles, carry them with their beaks and feet, and stone the army of the Christians without hitting the heathen? How could it be that God would side with the elephant, the birds and the pagan worshippers of the Ka cba against the Christians? And finally, how could a pebble "smaller than a chick-pea" fall down from the beak of a bird onto a man's head, penetrate his skull, chest and abdomen, and exit from his rectum?

19. The Evil Eye Question 195: We read in Sura Yusuf 12:67: "He also said, '0 my sons, enter not by one door; enter by separate doors. Yet I cannot avail you anything against God.' "

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A1-Baidawi said, "[These words were uttered] because [the sons] had beauty and pomp, and were known in Egypt for their

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But we ask: From where did the Qurlan get this story which the Bible never told? The Qurlan has actually attributed a superstition to one of God's holy prophets, and it conflicts with both science and faith in God's providence.

20. The Children of Israel and the Cow Question 196: We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:67-73: "And when Moses said to his people, 'God commands you to sacrifice a cow,' they said, 'Doest thou take us in mockery?' He said, 'I take refuge with God, lest I should be one of the ignorant.' They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us that He make clear to us what she may be.' He said, 'He says she is a cow neither old, nor virgin, middling between the two; so do that you are bidden.' They said, .'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He may make c1earto us what her colour may be.' He said, 'He says she shall be a golden cow, bright her colour, gladdening the beholders.' They said, 'Pray to the Lord for us, that He may make clear to us WIlatshe may be; cows are much alike to us; and, if God will, we shall then be guided.' He said, 'He says she shall be a cow not broken to plough the earth or to water the tillage, one kept secure, with no blemish on her.' They said, 'Now Thou hast brought the truth';

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and therefore they sacrificed her, athing they had scarcely done. And when you killed a living soul, and disputed thereon - and God disclosed what you were hiding - so We said, 'Smite with part of if; even so God brings to life the dead, and He shows you His signs, that haply you may have understanding."

which the Lord your God is giving you to posses, and it is not known who killed him, then your elders and yourjudges shall go out, and they shall measure the distance from the slain man to the surrounding cities. And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not worked and which has not pulled with a yoke; and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to avalley with flowing water, which is neither ploughed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer's neCk therein the valley. Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled. And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. Then they shall answer and say, "Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. Provide atonement, 0 Lord, for Your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of your people Israel. And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood. So you shall put away the guilt of the innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 21 :1-9)

AI-Baidawi said: "There was a well-off elderly Israelite. His nephews killed his son because they were greedy for his inheritance. They dumped him at the city gate. Then they acted as if they came to seek revenge. God commanded them to slay a cow and strike him with a part of it so that he might come to life and tell who killed him." If we study the history of the Israelites, we do not find any trace ofthis story. Probably Muhammad got the idea of the story from the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament: If anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land

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This is the cOmmandment of the Torah, which demonstrates the horror of murder and the method of finding out who the murderer is. Moreover, it reveals the ignorance of the elders of the people as to the identityofthe murderer; washing their hands on the sacrifice was a symbol oftheir innocence. They would ask forgiveness for that sin, whose perpetrator was not discovered. All this is within the boundary of reason. But is it reasonable that

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a piece of meat taken from a calf would cause a dead man to retum to life and talk when he was struck with it?

Another hadith claims that "thunder is an angel who rebukes the clouds. Thunder is a superior angel called Rufil"; yet another hadith says that it is "an angel entrusted with the clouds; he gathers the far sides of the hill and s them together. He has a spindle [or a sword] in his hand; when he raises it there is lightening, and when he brandishes it there is thunder."

21. Is Thunder an Angel? Question 197: We read in Sura al-Ra
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We ask: Since thunder and lightening are natural phenomena resulting from the collision of positively and negatively charged ions in cold and hot air, how can some say that they come from angels?

22. Vulnerability to Magic Question 198: We read in Sura al-Falaq 113:1-5: "Say: 'I take refuge with the Lord of Daybreak from the evil of what He has created, from the evil ofdarkness when itgathers, from the evil of the women who blow on knots, from the evil ofan envierwhen he envies.' "

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A1-Baidawi said: "From the evil of the women who blow on knots" refers to the sorcerors who tie knots in threads and blowon them. The verb nafatha means to blow on with saliva. It was revealed because ofa Jew who cast a spell on the Prophet in eleven knots, which he wove on a cord and stuffed in a well. The Prophet fell ill. Suras al-Falaq [113] and al-Nas [114] were then revealed. Gabriel told Muhammad where the spell [or magic] was, and he sent 'Ali, who brought it

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and recited the two suras over him. And it came about that when he recited a verse a knot would come loose, and a IitUe vigour would return to Muhammad. This, however, does not mean that the unbelievers were correct when they said he was bewitched, since they meant he had been . driven crazy by magic. Another opinion says that blowing on knots means to discourage men's determination; as if it is borrowed from the idea of softening the knots by blowing saliva on them so as to ease their loosening. AI-naffathat received a definite article, since every blower is evil, unlike every daybreak and every envier. We read also in Sura al-Baqara 2:102: "And they followed what the devils recited over Solomon's kingdom. Solomon disbelieved not, but the devils disbelieved, teaching the people sorcery, and that which was sent down upon Babylon's two angels, Harut and Marut; they taught not any man, without saying, 'We are but a temptation; do not disbelieve.' From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife, yet they did not hurt any man thereby, save by the leave of God, and they learned what hurt them, and did not profit them, knowing well that whoso buys it shall have no share in the world to come; evil then was that they sold themselves for, if they have but known." I.Oj

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A1-Baidawi said, "By 'sorcery' is meant that through which one gains favour with Satan in order to obtain something; however, whatis acquired cannot be used independently. This is possible only for those who suit him [probably Satan] in witness [or confession] and ill-Will. For suitability is the condition for coordination and co-operation. This, then, is what distinguishes the sorcerer from the prophet or the saint." Our question is: How can a believer who is guarded by God's providence be affected by magic? The Law of God explicitly forbids magic: ''You shall not learn to follow the abomination of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter through the fire, or one who practises witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). The apostle Paul verbally attacked asorcerernamed Bar-Jesus, saying, " '0 full ofall deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways ofthe Lord? And now, indeed, the hand ofthe Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.' And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand" (Acts 13:9-12). In addition, the apostle Peter said to Simon the sorcerer, "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see, you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8:22,23).

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This is the true Law of God, and these are the true apostles of God, who rebuked the sorcerers and brought their evil deeds to naught. The power of God is indeed greater than the powers of sorceryl

Part Nine Lexical Questions

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1. Useless Words Question 199: There are some useless, meaningless words that appear in the openings of29 suras in the Qurlan. Following is a grouping of these words with their references in the Qurlan: AlifLam Ra: Yunis 10, Hud 11, Yusuf 12, Ibrahim 14, al-Hijr 15; Alif Lam Mim: al-Baqara 2, Allmran 3, al-
2. Foreign Words Question 200: The following verses in the Qurlan attest to the fact that the Qurlan was revealed in Arabic: "Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of all Being, brought down by the Faithful Spirit, upon thy heart, that thou mayest be one of the warners, in a clear, Arabic tongue" (Sura al-5hu(araI 26:193-195).

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"An Arabic Qurlan, wherein there is no crookedness" (Sura al-Zumar 39:28). ...

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But we ask: How can the Qurlan be "Arabic, manifest," when it contains many foreign words from the Persian, Assyrian, Syriac, Hebrew, Greek, Egyptian, and Ethiopian languages, to mention but a few. Of these we list the following:

298

The Word

The Reference

Abariq (ewers) Abraham Adam Allah (God)

aI-Waqi'a 56:18 aI-Nisa ' 4:4 aI-Baqara 2:34 aI-Fatiha 1:1

Ara'ik (couches) 'Adn (Eden) Firdaws (paradise) Fir'awn (pharaoh) Ghassaqan (pus) Habr (rabbi) Harut Huri lnji! lstabraq (brocade) Jahannam (Gohenna) Jinn Maqalid (keys) Marnt MaInn (charity) Mishkat (niche) Sabt (sabbath) Sakina (shekinah) Sijji! (baked clay) Sirat (path) Sura Suradiq (pavilion) Tabut (ark) Taghut (idols) Tawrat (Torah) Zakat (freewill offering) Zanjabi! (ginger)

aI-Kahf 18:31 aI-Tawba 9:72 aI-Kahf 18:107

The Language Persian Assyrian Akkadian Hebrew (Eloah) and Syriac (llaha) Persian Syriac

Pahlavi

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3. Contradictory s

earth, then it goes up to Him in one day, whose measure is a thousand years of your counting" (Sura al-Sajda 32:5).

Question 201: We read in Sura al-Nisa l 4:82: "What, do they not ponder the Qurlan? Ifit had been from other than God surely they would have found in it much inconsistency."

FiftyThousand Years: ''To Him the angels and the Spirit mount up in a day whereof the measure is fifty thousand years" (Sura al-Ma(arij 70:4). Does God Permit Intercessors?

The problem is, we find much contradiction within the Qurlan's pages. Consider the following: Do the Words of God Change?

No Change: "There is no changing the word of God" (Sura Yunis 10:64); "No man can change His words" (Sura al-Kahf 18:27); "It is We who haye sent down the Remembrance, and We watch over it" (Sura al-Hijr 15:9). Change: "And when We exchange a verse in place of another verse - and God knows very well what He is sending down they say, 'Thou art a mere forgerl' Nay, but the most of them have no knowledge" (Sura al-NahI16:101); "And for whatever verse We abrogate or cast into oblivion, We bring a better or the like of it; knowest thou not that God is powerful over everything?" (Sura al-Baqara 2: 106); "God blots out, and He establishes whatsoever He will; and with Him is the Essence of the Book" (Sura al-Ra(d 13:39). How Long Is One Day?

One Thousand Years: "He directs the affair from heaven to

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Intercessors Permitted: "Surely your Lord is God, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then sat Himself upon the Throne, directing the affair. Intercessor there is none, save after His leave [i.e., except by His permission]. That then is God, your Lord; so serve Him. Will you not ?" (Sura Yunis 10:3). Intercessors Not Permitted: "Say: 'To God belongs intercession altogether. His is the kingdom of the heavensand the earth; then unto Him you will be returned'" (Sura al-Zumar 39:44); "God is He that created the heavens and the earth, and what between them is, in six days, then seated Himself upon the Throne. Apart from Him you have no protector neither mediator [i.e., intercessor]; will you not ?" (Sura al-Sajda 32:4). How Many Muslims in Paradise?

Few Muslims: "A throng of the ancients and how few of the later folk" (Sura al-Waqi(a 56:13,14). Many Muslims: "A throng of the ancients and a throng of the later folk" (Sura al-Waqi (a 56:39,40).

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Who Will Be Saved?

Is Hypocrisy Alright?

Muslims and Others: "Surely they that believe, and those of Jewry, and the Sabaeans, and those Christians, whosoever believes in God and the Last Day, and works righteousness - no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow" (Sura al-Ma lida 5:69).

Prohibit it: "Give thou good tidings to the hypocrites that for them awaits a painful chastisement. Those who take unbelievers for their friends instead of believers - do they seek glory in them? But glory altogether belongs to God" (Sura alNisa l 4:138,139); "The hypocrites, the men and the women, are as one another; they bid to dishonour, and forbid honour; they keep their hands shut; they have forgotten God, and He has forgotten them. The hypocrites -they are the ungodly. God has promised the hypocrites, men and women, and the unbelievers, the fire of Gehenna, therein to dwell forever. That is enough for them; God has cursed them; and there awaits them a lasting chastisement" (Sura al-Tawba 9:67-68); "Hast thou not regarded those who have taken for friends a people against whom God is wrathful? They belong neither to you nor to them; and they swear upon falsehood, and that wittingly. God has made ready for them a chastisement terrible; surely they - evil are the things they have been doing. They have taken their oaths as a covering, and barred from God's way; so there awaits them a humbling chastisement" (Sura al-Mujadila 58:14-16).

Muslims Only: "Whoso desires another religion than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him; in the next world he shall be among the losers" (Sura AI Imran 3:85). Is Pardoning Sanctioned?

Pardon: "Surely the hour is coming; so pardon thou, with a gracious pardoning" (Sura al-Hijr 15:85). Do not Pardon: "0 Prophet, struggle with the unbelievers and hypocrites, and be thou harsh with them; their refuge is Gehenna - and evil homecoming!" (Sura al-Tawba 9:72). Is Indecency Permitted?

Forbid It: "And whenever they commit an indecency they say, 'We found our fathers practising it, and God has commanded us to do it.' Say: 'God does not command indecency; what, do you say conceming God such things as you know not?'" (Sura alA(raf 7:28). Allow it: "And when We desire to destroy a city, We command its men who live at ease, and they commit ungodliness therein, then the Word is realised against it, and We destroy it utterly" (Sura al-Isra l 17:16).

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AI-Baidawi said, "They have taken their oaths, which they made known, as covering, that is as your action against [the shedding of] your blood and [the forfeiting of] their possessions." Allow It: "The Jews say, 'Ezra is the Son of God'; the Christians say, 'The Messiah is the Son of God.' That is the utterance of their mouths, conforming with the unbelievers before them. God assail them! Howthey are perverted!" (Sura al-Tawba 9:30); "So the last remnant of the people who did evil was cut off. Praise belongs to God the Lord of all Being" (Sura ai-An (am 6:45); "0

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believers, shall I direct you to a commerce that shall deliver you from a painful chastisement? You shall believe in God and His Messenger, and struggle in the way of God with your possessions and yourselves. That is better for you, did you but know. He will forgive you your sins and it you into gardens underneath which rivers flow, and to dwelling-places goodly in Gardens of Eden; that is the mighty triumph" (Sura al-Saff 61 :10-12); "And struggle for God as is His due, for He has chosen you, and has laid on you no impediment in your religion, being the creed of your father Abraham; He named you Muslims aforetime and in this, that the Messenger might be awitness against you, and that you might be witnesses against mankind (Sura ai-Han 22:78).

was revealedI We, therefore, took them as lawful together with him.' By 'him' he meant al-Farazdaq, for he said, 'And a married woman whom we married by our swords... she is lawful to whoever enters upon her being not divorced.' "

Is Caprice Permissible?

Forbid it: "But as for him who feared the Station of his Lord and forbade the soul its caprice, surely Paradise shall be the refuge" (Sura ai-Nazi
Muhammad made his marriage to any woman who desired him, orany woman he desired, categorically and unconditionally pennissible. This was in addition to his harem and concubines. Forhe said, "And any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and ifthe Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for you exclusively, apart from the believers" (Sura al-Ahzab 33:50). Moreover, Muhammad made sexual relationships with women the future hope in Paradise, for he said, "hurls [white youthful maidens], cloistered in pavilions... untouched before them by any man or jinn... reclining upon green cushions and lovely druggets" (Sura ai-Rahman 55:72,74,76)

Is Wine Allowed?

Allow it: Muhammad permitted his followers to launch religious raids and have sex with female captives without their being divorced from their husbands. The Qur)an says therefore, "And married women, save what your right hands own" (Sura al-Nisa) 4:24).

Forbid It: "0 believers, wine and arrow-shuffling, idols and divining-arrows are an abomination, some of Satan's work; so avoid it, haply so you will prosper" (Sura al-Ma )ida 5:90).

Af-Baidawi said, " 'Save what your right hands own' " of the women that were taken as captives having unbelieving husbands; these are lawful to the captors. And marriage is annulled by captivity, for Abu Sa lid, may God be pleased with him, said, 'We fell upon some women captives on the Day of Awtas who were married to unbelieving husbands, and we were averse to have sex with them. So we asked the Prophet, and this verse

Allow It: "This is the similitude of Paradise which the godfearing have been promised: therein are rivers of water unstaling, rivers of milk unchanging in flavour, and rivers ofwine - a delight to the drinkers" (Sura Muhammad 47: 15); "They are given to drink ofa wine sealed whose seal is musk - so after that let the strivers strive" (Sura al-Mutaffifun 83:25,26).

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What to Do with Unbelievers?

(1) Do not strive against them: Heed not the hurt: "And obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites; heed not their hurt, but put thy trust in God; God suffices as a guardian" (Sura al-Ahzab 33:48). No compulsion in religion: "No compulsion is there in religion. Rectitude has beCOme clear from error. So whosoever disbelieves in idols and believes in God, has laid hold of the most firm handle, unbreaking; God is All-hearing, All-knowing" (Sura al-Baqara 2:256). Extend money to them: "Thou art not responsible for guiding them; but God guides whomsoever He will. And whatever good you expend is for yourselves, for then you are expending, being desirous only of God's Face; and whatever good you expend shall be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged" (Sura al-Baqara 2:272). Leave them alone: "And say to those who have been given the Book and to the common folk: 'Have you surrendered?' If they have surrendered they are right guided; but if they tum their backs, thine it is only to deliver the Message; and God sees His servants" (Sura A1lmran 3:19); "Had God willed, they were not idolaters; and We have not appointed thee a watcheroverthem" (Sura ai-An cam 6:107); "And thy Lord had willed, whoever is in the earth would have believed, all ofthem, all together. Wouldest thou then constrain the people, until they are believers? It is not for any soul to believe save by the leave [i.e., permission] ofGod; and He lays abomination upon those who have no understanding" (Sura Yunis 10:99,100).

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Calling them with goodwill: "Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and good onition, and dispute with them in the better way. Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those are guided" (Sura al-Nahl 16:125). (2) Strive against them: Kill them: "Urge on the believers to fight. If there be twenty of you, patience men, they will overcome two hundred" (Sura alAnfal 8:65). Fight for the sake of religion: "Fight them, till there is no persecution and the religion is God's" (Sura al-Baqara 2:193). Exact money from them: "Fight those who believe not in God and the Last Day and [who] do not forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden - such men as practise not the religion of truth, being of those who have been given the Bookuntil they pay the tribute out of hand and have been humbled" (Sura al-Tawba 9:29). Persecute them: "They wish that you should disbelieve as they disbelieve, and then you would be equal; therefore take not to yourselves friends of them; until they emigrate in the way ofGod; then, ifthey tum their backs, take them, and slay them wherever you find them; take not to yourselves anyone ofthem as friend or helper" (Sura al-Nisa' 4:89); "When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds" (Muhammad 47:4); "0 Prophet, struggle with the unbelievers and hypocrites, and be thou harsh with them; their refuge is Gehemna -an evil homecomingl" (Sura al-Tawba 9:71).

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Call them with the sword: "So do thou fight in the way of God; thou art charged only with thyself. And urge on the believers" (Sura al-Nisa) 4:84). In line with this verse, Muhammad butchered his opponents; such as Ka lb Ibn ai-Ashraf, Abu Wk alShaikh, and Abu Rafi ( Ibn Abi (Aqiq. The blood of these men will testify against him until the Day of Judgementl

He lifted Himselfto heaven when itwas smoke, and said to it and to the earth, "Come willingly, or unwillingly'" They said, "We come willingly." So He determined them as seven heavens in two days, and revealed its commandment in every heaven.' And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and to preserve; that is the ordaining of the All-mighty, the All-knowing" (Sura Fussilat

41:9-12). What Happened to Pharaoh?

He was delivered: "And We brought the Children of Israel over the sea; and Pharaoh and his hosts followed them insolenUyand impetuously till, when the drowning overtook him, he said, 'I believe that there is no god but He in whom the Children of Israel believe; I am of those that surrender.' 'Now? And before thou didst rebel, being of those that did corruption. So today We shall deliver thee with thy body, that thou mayest be a sign to those after thee'" (Sura Yunis 10:89-92). He was drowned: "'And, Pharaoh, I think thou art accursed.' He desired to startle them from the land; and We drowned him and those with him, all together" (Sura al-Isra) 17:102,103); "Therefore We seized him and his hosts, and cast them into the sea; so behold how was the end of the evildoers!" (Sura alQasas 28:40). Was Earth or Heaven Created First?

Earth was first: "Say, 'What, do you disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days, and do you set up compeers to Him? That is the Lord of all Being. And He set therein firm mountains over it, and He blessed it, and He ordained therein its diverse sustenance in four days, equal to those who ask. Then

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Heaven Was First: "What, are you stronger in constitution or the heaven He built? He lifted up its vault, and levelled it, and darkened its night, and brought forth its forenoon; and the earthafter that he spread it out, therefrom brought forth its waters and its pastures, and the mountains He set firm" (Sura al-Nazi1at

79:27-32). What Is the Language of the Qur)an Like?

Clear language: "And We know very well that they say, 'Only a mortal is teaching him.' The speech of him at whom they hint is barbarous; and this is speech Arabic, manifesf' (Sura al-Nahl

16:103). Ambiguous language: "It is He who sent down upon thee the Book, wherein are verses clear that are the Essence ofthe Book, and others ambiguous. As forthose in whose hearts is swerving, they follow the ambiguous part, desiring dissension, and desiring its interpretation; and none knows its interpretation, save only God. And those firmly rooted in knowledge say, 'We believe in it; all is from our Lord'; yet none re, but men possessed of minds" (Sura A1lmran 3:7).

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4. Repetitive Words Question 202: In Sura ai-Rahman 55, whose verses number 78, the question, "0 which of your Lord's bounties will you and you deny?" is repeated 29 times. It appears in verses 16, 18, 21, 23,28,30,32,34,36,38,40,42,45,47,49,51,53,55,57,59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, and 77. In addition to the manipulated rhyming of the Ourlan's stanzas described earlier, the Ourlan is full of repetitive phrases, whether verbal as in Sura ai-Rahman 55, or thematical as in the stories of the prophets. The story of Adam, for example, is repeated in Suras al-Baqara 2, Sad 38, Ta Ha 20, and al-A
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The story of Jesus is repeated in Suras AI Imran 3, Maryam 19, al-Nisa l 4, al-Ma 'ida 5, al-Hadid 57, aloSaff 61, Ya Sin 36, and al-Zukhruf 43. The storyofthe creation ofAdam and God's commanding the angels to worship him is repeated in fIVe suras. The story of Noah and the Flood is repeated in ten suras. The story of Abraham waming his people in vain and being brought the good tidings of Isaac is repeated in eight suras. The story of Lot waming his people in vain and the consequent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is repeated in nine suras. The story of Joseph takes up an entire sura. The story of Moses being sent from God to Pharaoh is repeated in 12 suras. We ask: Isn't this repetition a defect that promotes boredom and impatience? Doesn't this prove that the Ourlan is far from being eloquent.

5. Plagiarism Question 203: We read in Sura al-Furqan 25:5,6: "They say, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients that he has had written down, so that they are recited to him atthe dawn and in the evening.' Say: 'He sent it down, who knows the secret in the heavens and the earth; He is All-forgiving, All-comionate.'''

The story of Solomon is repeated in Suras Sad 38, al-Baqara ' 2, al-NahI16. The story of Jonah is repeated in Suras al-Anbiya ' 21, alSaffat 37, al-Qalam 68, and Yunis 10.

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This verse indicates that the Our)an descended upon Muhammad by the revelation ofGod. Yet his contemporaries did

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not find anything new in it, but said that he merely took the fairytales of the ancient people that he had heard and wrote them down in what is called the Qurlan. Thus, the Qur)an is not by revelation! Indeed, Muhammad quoted from the poetry of Imru) al-Qais, the sayings of cUmar Ibn al-Khattab, the books of unlearned Jews and Christians, the books of the Persians, the books of the Hunafa ' , and others. Here are some examples: From the Poems of Imru) al-Qals Imru) al-Qais is one of the pre-Islamic poets who died in A.D. 540 (30 years before the birth of Muhammad). He composed a famous poem, from which the Qur)an quotes several lines. These are indicated in italics below: The hour has drawn nigh: the moon is split, Revealing a doe that hunted my heart and bolted away. She has white and black eyes; Her features never cease to amaze me; She has sleepy eyes With stark contrast between black and white. She ed by me on the feast-day in her adornment; Shot me, took in hand, and hamstrung [me], With arrows of deadly glances, And left me as the wattles ofa pen-builder. If.she stays away from me for an hour, This hour would be the most distressing and afflictive. Beauty has been engrossed upon her cheeks With musk-powder as a brief line. It is the routine of the moons to travel by night, 312

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But I saw the night travelling by the moon. By the white forenoon and the brooding night, Distinguished by light, what a blooming thing! When I saw her embarrassment, I said, '7he hour has drawn nigh, the moon is split." The first part of the first sentence and the last line occur in Sura al-Qamar 54: 1, where it says, "The hour has drawn nigh: the moon is split... The second line of the third sentence is found in Sura al-Qamar 54:29, where it says, "Then they called their comrade, and he took in hand, and hamstrung her." The fourth line ofthe third sentence is found in Sura al-Qamar 54:31, where it says, "And they were as the wattles of a pen-builder." The first line of the seventh sentence is found in Sura af-Duha 93: 1,2, where we read: "By the white forenoon and the brooding night." Imru' al-Qais also wrote: She came forward; and the lovers from behind, As though they slide down out of every slope. And she came on the feast-day in her adornment; So for the like of this let the workers. work. The second line of this poem is found in Sura al-Anbiya l 21 :96, where it says, "When Gog and Magog are unloosed, and they slide down out of every slope." The last line of this poem is found in Sura al-Saffat 37:61, where it says, "For the like of this let the workers work." From the Words of (Umar Ibn al-Khattab (1) (Umar Ibn al-Khattab had a piece of land in the upper section of Medina, and the only way he could get to it was through a beitmidrash ("house ofprayer") that belonged to

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the Jews. So it was that whenever he was there, he would sit down and listen to what they had to say. Once they said to him, "There is none among Muhammad's friends that is dearer to us than you, and we have ambitions for you." (Umar said, "By God, I have not come to you out of love for you, or because I am doubtful of my religion; rather I come to you to gain more insight about Muhammad." They said, ''Who of the angels is Muhammad's friend that comes to him?" He answered, "Gabriel." They said, "That is our enemy." (Umar said, "Whosoever is enemy to God and His angels and His Messengers, and Gabriel, and Michael - surely God is an enemy to him." When Muhammad heard of it, he said that it was so revealed to him, and recorded it in his Qur)an in Sura al-Baqara 2:98. Later on Muhammad said to IUmar, "Your Lord was in agreement with you, (Umar."

MessengerofGod, both the righteous and the unrighteous come in to your wives; why not order them to use a curtain: [Muhammad took the words from IUmar's mouth and had them recorded in Sura al-Ahzab 33:53.] And in the incident of jealousy [over IAisha], where his wives were gathered against him. Therefore IUmar said to them, 'It is possible that if he divorces you, his Lord will give him in exchange wives better than you.'" [Muhammad also took these words verbatim and had them recorded in Sura al-Tahrim 66:5.]

We ask: Wouldn't it have been more correct for Muhammad to say that (Umar was in agreement with his Lord, and not the other way around? What strikes us as even more strange is the fact the Muhammad plagiarised the sayings of (Umar and claimed that they were revealed! In that case, is IUmar to be considered an inspired prophet, or did Muhammad plagiarise the sayings of another and claim them as revelation? (2) A1-Bukhari and others reported that (Umar said, "I was in agreement with my Lord on three things: When I said, '0 Messenger of God, I would that you take Abraham's station for a place of prayer.' [Muhammad took the words from his mouth and had them recorded in his Qur)an in Sura al-Baqara 2:125: "Take to yourselves Abraham's station for a place of prayer.'1 And when I said, '0

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We ask: Are God's words taken from the mouths of mere men? From the Books of Unlearned Jews

Following is a list of the themes Muhammad wove into the Qur'an. The corresponding Qur'anic verses and references in the original Jewish writings are also provided: (1) Cain learns how to bury his brother from a raven (Sura al-Ma'ida 5:30-35); found also in Pirqei Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 21. (2) Nimrod casts Abraham into the fire, but the fire could not bum him (Suras al-Baqara 2:260, al-An1am 6:74-84 , al-Anbiya ' 21:52-72, Maryam 19:42-50, al-Shu1ara ' 26:69-79, al-IAnkabut 29:15-16, al-5affat 37:81-95, alZukhruf 43:25-27, and al-Mumtahina 60:40); found also in Midrash Rabba, chapter 14, section on Genesis 15:17. (3) King Solomon consults withjinn, birds and an Ijfrit. Also, a hoopoe delivers news about the queen of Sheba and how her throne was brought to Solomon (Sura al-Naml

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27:17-45); found also in the Second Targum on the bookof Esther.

From the Books of Unlearned Christians

(4) Implanting lust in the two angels Harut and Marut, and their drinking wine, fornicating, killing and teaching sorcery to the people (Sura al-Baqara 2:96); found also in Midrash Yalkot, chapter 44. (5) A mountain is raised above the Jews' heads (Sura alA(raf7:170); found also in Avodah Zarah, chapter 2. (6) A golden calfthat lows (Suras al-A(raf 7: 157 and Ta Ha 20:91); found also in Pirqei Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 45. (7) The seven heavens and the seven gates of Gehenna (Suras al-Isra l 17:46,48 and al-Hijr 15:44); found also in the Hagiga (section 9, chapter 2) and Sefir Ha-Zohar, chapter 2. (8) A throne on the water (Sura Hud 11 :9); found also in the exegesis of Rashi on Genesis 1:2. (9) The battlements, which are meant to be the fine partition between paradise and hell (Sura al-A(raf 7:44); found also in the Midrash on the exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:14. (10) A flood consisting of boiling water (Sura Hud 11 :42); found also in the books Rosh Hashana (16:2) and Sanhedrin (108). (11) A guarded tablet (Sura al-Buruj 85:21,22); found also in Pirqei Avot, section 5, chapter 6. 316

(1) The men of the cave, or the seven sleepers (Sura alKahf 18:8-26); found also in Gregorius' The Book of the Glory ofthe Martyrs, vol. one, chapter 95. (2) The story of Mary: how she vowed herself to God, how Zechariah took charge ofher, and howthe angels provided her with food (Sura AI Imran 3:31,32,38-42); found also in the books Yerut Euangelion (chapters 3,4,5,7,8,9,11,15) and The Death of Our Father, the Old Carpenter (chapter 3, on the life of Mary). (3) Mary's withdrawal from her family to a distant place, and the falling down of ripe dates by the command of her Baby (Sura Maryam 19:23,24); found also in The Book of the Story ofMary's Birth and the Childhood ofthe Saviour, chapter 20. (4) Christ creates birds out of clay (Sura al-Malida 5:110); found also in the Greek book, The Book of Hooma the Israelite, chapter 2. (5) The denial of Christ's crucifixion and His likeness being cast upon another (Sura al-Nisa l 4:157); this is in line with Basilides' heresy, which maintains that Cllrist cast His likeness upon Simon of Cyrene, so that he was crucified in His place; followers of this heresy assumed this is what happened, for they held that Christ had no real body, but took upon Himself only the likeness of a body. From the Books of Unlearned Persians The Qurlan testifies that al-Nadr Ibn al-Harith used to rebuke 317

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Muhammad for merely copying the sayings of the Persians and receiving nothing by revelation. It is a matter of common knowledge that the Persians ruled over a large number of Arabian tribes before and during Muhammad's lifetime. Therefore, the. stories of their kings, beliefs and legends circulated among the Arabs and left their stamp on Muhammad, \fl)o recorded many of them in his Qur1an. Af-Nadr Ibn al-Harith, too, used to relate the s of the Persian kings to the people, and would often say, "By God, Muhammad has nothing better to relate than I do; and his narration is nothing but the fairy-tales of the ancients that he has had written down, just as I have." To which Muhammad answered, "When Our signs are recited to him, he says, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients'" (Sura al-Qalam 68:15). Muhammad even went so far as to curse al-Nadr in the Qur1an, saying, "Woe to every guilty impostor who hears the signs of God being recited to him, then perseveres in waxing proUd, as if he has not heard them; so give him the good tidings of a painful chastisement" (Sura al-Jathiya 45:7,8).

it back. So Artioraf ascended to heaven by the guidance of an archangel and wandered about from one level to another, gradually ascending higher and higher. Having acquired knowledge of everything, the good god Ahura Mazda ordered him to retum to earth and tell the Zoroastrians about what he saw. Muhammad apparently took the story of the ascension of Artioraf Namak and tumed himself into the main character, saying, "Glory be Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the Further Mosque the precincts of which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing" (Sura al-lsra 117:1).

We ask: How could Muhammad curse al-Nadr, when he knew that he had quoted a great deal of the Persian legends in his Qur1an, such as the ascension of Artioraf Namak and the description of paradise with its wide-eyed hurls and lads? Moreover, Muhammad made his instructor, Salman the Persian, one of the Companionsl Consider the following subjects, which Muhammad copied from Persian sources: (1) The ascension of Artioraf Namak. The original story

(written roughly 400 years before the Hijra) says that the Magi sent Artiorafs spirit to heaven while he was in a trance. The purpose of this ascension to heaven was to acquire knowledge of what was there and to bring news of

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In his of the Night Journey, Muhammad said, "I was brought a white beast smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey, called al-Buraq; it would place its hoof at a distance equal to the horizon. Isat upon it and Gabriel took off with me till he reached the lower heaven. He called upon God for help and Isaw Adam. Then he brought me up to the second heaven and I saw Jesus and John [the Baptist]; then he brought me up to the third heaven and I saw Joseph; then he broughtme up to the fourth heaven and I saw Idris. After that he brought me up to the fifth heaven and I saw Aaron. Then he brought me up to the sixth heaven and I saw Abraham. After that I retumed to the lotus tree in the seventh heaven [Sidrat al-Muntaha] and saw four rivers, among them were the Nile and the Euphrates. Afterwards, I was brought a vessel of wine, a vessel of milk, and a vessel of honey, and I took the milk. He said, 'This is the instinct which you and your people have'" (Mishkat, pp. 518-520).

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(2) Paradise: its hurls and youths. Muhammad took the belief in the existence of the hurls in paradise from the Zoroastrians, who said that in heaven will be found the spirits of luminous, young, and pretty gir1s, and that the reward ofwar heroes will be an etemity with the youths and hurls. The Indians likewise believed in the hurls. As for the word hurl, its meaning can be traced to the Avestan and old Persian languages, in which it refers to the sun and its light. It is the same as the Pahlavic word hour, which developed in modem Persian into hur. (See also The Book of the Laws ofManwa; chapter 5, verse 89.) So in keeping with this Persian belief and expression, the Qur)an refers to "hurls, cloistered in cool pavilions" (Sura ai-Rahman 55:72), and "wide-eyed hurls as the likeness of hidden pear1s" (Sura al-Waqi (a 56:22,23).

source for· many stories and phrases. Although Muhammad said that Salman was barbarous (a nonArab) and that the Qurlan was Arabic, this does not rule out the fact that the contents and intention may have come from Salman, whereas the Arabic style of phraseology may have come from Muhammadl

(3) Muhammad's instructor: Salman the Persian. The Qur)an testifies that it was Salman the Persian who dictated the Persian stories to Muhammad. We read in the Qur)an: "And We know very well that they say, 'Only a mortal is teaching him.' The speech of him at whom they hint is barbarous; and this is speech Arabic, manifest" (Sura al-NahI16:103). Salman was a Persian who converted to Islam. He also became one of the Companions. It was he who advised Muhammad to dig a trench at the time when Medina was under siege, which advice Muhammad readily took. It was he also who advised Muhammad to use catapults in the invasion of Banu Thaqif in al-Talif. The Arabs accused Muhammad of receiving assistance from him when compiling the Qur)an, and of falling back on him as a

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From the Books of the Hunafa)

(1) Muhammad's praise of the Hunafa l . We read in Sura al-Nisa) 4: 125: "And who is there that has a fairer religion . than he who submits his will to God being a good-doer [Arabic: hanifj, and who follows the creed of Abraham, a man of pure faith?" We also read in Sura AI Imran 3:95: "Say: 'God has spoken the truth; therefore follow the creed of Abraham, a man of pure faith [Arabic: hanifj and no idolater.''' And in Sura ai-An lam 6:161 we read: "Say: 'As for me, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, a right religion, the creed ofAbraham, a man of pure faith [Arabic: hanifj.' " In both Hebrew and Syriac, the word hanif means "profane, defiled, or a renegade". Arabs have stigmatised all those who left the worship of idols and tumed their backs on the religion of their forefathers with this infamous word. Those people who grew weary of the gods of the Arabs were Muhammad's forerunners, whose opinions were incorporated and confirmed as tenets of his own religion; this we can gather from the obvious intention of the Qur)anic statements about them.

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(2) The rise of the Hunafa l. The following is a quotation from the Sirat of Ibn Hisham:

with his Muslim wife Umm Habiba Bint Abi Sufyan. On arriving in Abyssinia, he adopted Christianity, gave up Islam and died a Christian. Thereupon, Muhammad sent for his widow Umm Habiba and married her. cUthman Ibn al-Huwairith went to Caesar, the Roman Emperor, became a Christian, and was treated well by him. Zaid Ibn cAmr, however, adopted neither Judaism nor Christianity, abandoned his people's religion and kept away from idolatry, forbade the killing of young girls [Arabic: Wa'd al-Bana~, and used to say, "I worship the God of Abraham." He often addressed his people harshly, telling them of the error they were in. He was in the habit of declaring his doctrines publicly in the Ka cba; and therefore his uncle Khattab drove him outofMecca and forced him to stay on Hira< which stands opposite that city. He never gave him permission to enter Mecca.

Ibn Ishaq said, "The Quraish were gathered one day on one of the feasts of a certain idol of theirs, which they venerated and worshipped. They made pilgrimages to it and circumambulated it. They used to celebrate this feast on a certain day every year. Four of them became intimate friends with one another. The first was Waraqa Ibn Nawfal Ibn Asad Ibn cAbd al-
(4) The effect of Zaid Ibn
(3) The destiny of the Hunafa ' . Waraqa Ibn Nawfal became deeply established in Christianity and followed the Scriptures until he possessed a certain amount of knowledge from the people of the Book. cUbaidaliah Ibn Jahsh remained as confused as he was before, until he adopted Islam and migrated with the Muslims to Abyssinia

Is it to One Lord or a thousand lords That I should pay homage when matters are divided? I abstained from both al-Lat and al-cUzza, And thus should every patient and steadfast man. I pay no homage to either cUzza or her two daughters,

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As is known, Muhammad used to go to Hiral and spend a month there every year. There Zaid influenced his ideas and direction greatly.

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Nor do I visit the two idols of Banu Amr. I do not pay homage to Hubal, either; It being a lord in age past when my dream was easy. I wondered, and nights have things to wonder at, As the days, too; which only the disceming knows. It is that God destroyed many a man, Who lived a dissipated life-style. And saved others by the righteousness of some, So that the little child among them grew chubby. As the person felt unsatisfied, he repented Just as the winded-driven twig fluctuates. But I worship my Lord the Comionate One, So that the forgiving Lord may forgive my guilt. So keep the godliness of God your Lord, Which, when you keep, you shall not perish. The righteous have paradise for a dwelling-place, But the unbelievers have the heated Fire, Shame in this life, and when they meet their death, They find things that bosoms cannot bear.

From the Inspired Scriptures

This poem sets out the tenets of the Hunafa) by which Muhammad was affected, and which he incorporated into the pillars ofhis religion. This poem from Zaid declares the following: the rejection of idolatry, a confession of the unity of God, the promise ofparadise, a warning ofthe chastisement in the heat of Gehenna, the names of God (the Comionate, the Lord, the Forgiving), the call to the religion of Abraham. In summary, Islam has taken its major tenets from the Hunafa), as taught by Zaid Ibn (Amr to Muhammad.

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We read in Sura al-A
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.•..,:.}j ~IJ.! This is a blatant confession that many of the s in the Qur)an, except for the stories of Muhammad's women and invasions, are taken from the Bible. From the book of Genesis he quoted the stories concerning creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Lot, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. From the book of Exodushe adopted the stories concerning Moses, Pharaoh, the pillar of cloud, the manna and the quail, the rock, the Ten Commandments, the golden calf, the two tablets, and the ark of the covenant. From the book of Leviticus he took the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and the blood sacrifices. From the book of Numbers he took the stories concerning the spies, Korah, the red heifer and Balaam. From the book of Deuteronomy he adopted Moses' receiving the Torah and the priests keeping it. From the book of Joshua he tookthe Israelites' entering the Promised Land. From the book of Judges he took the story of Gideon. From the two books of Samuel he took the stories concerning Saul, David and Goliath, and David's repentance. From the books of the Kings and Chronicles he took the stories concerning Solomon and the queen of Sheba, Elijah, Elisha and the captivity in Babylon. The of Job is taken from the book of Job. He quoted also some verses from the book of Psalms, Isaiah and Ezekiel. The story of Jonah is taken from the book of Jonah. The stories of

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Zechariah, John, Mary, the birth of Christ, His miracles, death and ascension are all taken from the gospels. From the Acts of the Apostles he derived all the information regarding the spread of Christianity, the council of Jerusalem and the ordaining of bishops. He likewise quoted some verses from the apostle Paul's epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Thessalonians, and from the epistle to the Hebrews. He quoted also from the epistles of James and Peter, and from the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostle John. .

6. The Disconnectedness of the Qur1an Question 204: It is written in Sura al-Isra) 17:106: "And a Qur)an We have divided, for thee to recite to mankind at intervals, and We have sent it down successively."

A1-Baidawi said, "'A Qur)an We have divided' means it was sent down in divisions and sections. The verb is often stressed [Arabic: mushaddadj for the fact that it was sent down within a little over twenty years. 'For thee to recite to mankind at intervals' means slowly and leisurely, for it is thus easier to commit to memory and less difficult to understand.... 'And We have sent down successively' means according to the events." We read in Sura al-Furqan 25:32: "The unbelievers say, 'Why has the Qur1an not been sent down upon him all at once?' Even so that We may strengthen thy heart thereby."

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A1-Baidawi said: "The unbelievers say, 'Why has the Qur)an not been sent down upon him all at once?' " is a futile objection; for the miraculous nature [Arabic: Ij'iaz] of the Qur)an is not affected by its being sent down all at once or in divisions. Yet its being divided has some benefits. Among these is the fact referred to in the following sentence: "Even so that We may strengthen thy heart thereby." This refers to the strengthening of the heart in memorising it; for the Prophet (peace be unto him) was illiterate, whereas the prophets that preceded him knew how to write. Had it been sent down upon him all at once, he would have been overburdened with the task of memorising it, and perhaps he would not have been able to do it. For the receiving ofit was possible only because it came a little at a time. Moreover, the fact that it was sent down according to the events necessitates more insightand delving into the meaning. Also, its coming in intervals gave him the chance to challenge the unbelievers with every portion so thatthey could not contradict him, which made his heart stronger. Again, the fact that Gabriel brought it down time after time established his heart. Ofthese [benefits] is the recognition of the abrogating and the abrogated verses, the ability to the current contexts [or circumstances] to the lexical significance; for this aids in eloquence.... "And We have chanted it very distinctly" means it was recited to him little

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by little, slowly and leisurely, in the span of twenty or twenty-three years.

7. Unfamiliar Words

We ask: How can the Qur'an be inspired if it was given to the people sporadically and in pieces, parts ofit having been given at a certain time, and others having been delayed? Muhammad was always disappointed whenever the Arabs, the Christians, and the Jews asked him about it; he sometimes even replied that Gabriel was delayed in coming to him, owing to some dogs!

Question 205: The Qur'an indudes many unfamiliar words. Below is a list of some of them: The Word

Abba Ghislin Hanan Awwah aI-Raqim Kalala Mublisnn Akhbatn Hanidh Hasbasa Tafayya'n Sariyya Masjur Qimtarir (As(as Siiiil Naqur Faqira Istabraq Mudhammatan

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Possible English Meaning pastures pus

tenderness comionate inscribed tablet direct heir sorely confonnded humbled themselves roasted be discovered to cast rivulet swarming inauspicioUs to swarm

clay trumpet calamity brocade green

The Sura

(Abasa 80:31 aI-Haqqa 69:36 Maryam 19:12 . Hud 11:75 aI-Kahf 18:9 aI-Nisa I 4: 12 aI-Mu'minnn 23:77 Hud 11:23 Hud 11:69 Yusuf 12:51 aI-NahI 16:48 Maryam 19:24 aI-Tur 52:6 aI-Insan 76:10 aI-Takwir 81:17 Hud 11:82 aI-Muddaththir 74:8 aI-Qiyama 75:25 ai-Rahman 55:54 ai-Rahman 55:64

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(Umar Ibn al-Khattab once recited from a platform, "And fruit, and pastures...," Then he said, "The fruit [Arabic:fakiha] we know; but what are pastures [Arabic: abba]?" On second thought, he said, "cUmar, it means nothing but ion," Ibn cAbbas said, "I do not know the meaning of ghislin, hannan, cawwah, and al-Raqim," We ask: Aren't these unfamiliar words contrary to sound scholarship and the art of composition?

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And in Sura ai-Hall 22:52 we read: "God annuls what Satan casts," .J"'fl··

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The Our)an, ofall other religious books, is characterised by its abrogating and abrogated verses; yet the true words of God should not include such things. Consider the following:

8. The Abrogating and Abrogated Verses Question 206: It is written in Sura al-Baqara 2:106: "And for whatever verse We abrogate or cast into oblivion, We bring a better or the like of it; knowest thou not that God is powerful over everything?"

~~: jl ~ ~.;.b 1+. 1; jl ~i ~ t·r; \.II' .'1:' 1.Al11)J'" .•~~ ~~ jS' ~ wi bl ~ ~ We read also in Sura al-Nahl 16:101: "And when We exchange a verse in the place of another verse - and God knows very well what He is sending down - they say, 'Thou art a mere forger!' Nay, but the most of them have no knowledge,"

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The Ourlan says in Sura al-Racd 13:39: "God blots out, and He establishes whatsoever he will; and with Him is the Essence of the Book,"

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Problems with the Abrogating and Abrogated Verses

(1) Abrogation in God's words goes against His wisdom, truthfulness and foreknowledge. It is the short-sighted man that Issues laws and replaces them according to situations and circumstances. The almighty God, however, knows about all things before they come to . How then could it possibly be said about God that He changes, exchanges, abrogates and blots out? Isn't it more appropriate to exalt God high above all this calumny and say, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nora son of man, that He should repent" (Numbers 23:19)? (2) The idea of abrogation does not exist in Judaism or Christianity. Christ said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth away, one jot or one tittle will by no means from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17-19). (3) Abrogation opens the gate wide for lying and false assertions; for if a false prophet says something that is later proven wrong, or if the listeners object to it, he could then say his

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statement is abrogated, and tell them something else that would suit them: "God annuls what Satan casts" (Sura ai-Han 22:52). The god of Muhammad has indeed even abrogated parts of the Qurlan, which he sent down upon Muhammad (Sura al-Baqara 2:106)!

so Muhammad tried to please her and said to her, "Keep my secret, and I will consider Mary the Copt unlawful to me." But Hafsa told (Aisha, and Muhammad became angry and divorced Hafsa.

Questions about the Abrogating and Abrogated Verses

(1) Why did Muhammad abrogate not approaching women during the fast? We read in Sura al-Baqara 2: 187: "Permitted to you, upon the night ofthe Fast, is to go into your wives; they are a vestment for you, and you are a vestment for them. God knows that you have been betraying yourselves, and has tumed to you and pardoned you. So now lie with them." This abrogating verse came after the confession of Muhammad's Companions, induding cUmar Ibn al-Khattab, that they betrayed the regulations of the fast by having intercourse with their wives after the evening prayer. So this abrogating verse legalised what had been forbidden, and it permitted what had been prohibited! (2) Why did Muhammad abrogate what he himself had forbidden, thereby breaking his oath? We read in Sura al-Tahrim 66:1,2: "0 Prophet, why forbiddest thou what God has made lawful to thee, seeking the good pleasure of thy wives? And God is All-forgiving, All-comionate. God has ordained for you the absolution of your oaths. God is your Protector, and He is the A11knowing, the All-wise." Muhammad uttered this verse after he had brought Mary the Copt to the house of his wife Hafsa, cUmar Ibn al-Khattab's daughter, while she was not there. But Hafsa could not bear this,

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How could Mary be made lawful once again, after she had been dedared forbidden? And how could Hafsa be brought back? Abrogation was useful in solving the problem; it made the one lawful, and absolved Muhammad from his oath conceming the otherl God "commanded" him to resume intercourse with Mary, who had previously been declared forbidden, and to restore Hafsa, who had been divorcedl (3) Why did Muhammad abrogate the destruction of enemies' trees during wartime? We read in Sura al-Hashr 59:5: "Whatever palm-trees you cut down, or left standing upon their roots, that was by God's leave, and that He might degrade the ungodly." When Muhammad laid siege to the Jews of Banu ai-Nadir in the vicinity ofYathrib, he had their palm trees cut down. So they called to him from their fortresses, "Muhammad, you forbade corruption and find fault with all who do it, so why then do you cut down ourpalm trees and bum them?" Some ofthe Companions, therefore, doubted the legitimacy of this deed and were impressed with Banu al-Nadir's protest. Then abrogation occurred to sanction these corrupt deeds by God's permissionl (4) Why did Muhammad abrogate praying for dead nonMuslims? We read in Sura al-Tawba 9:84: "And pray thou never over anyone ofthem when he is dead, nor stand over his grave, they disbelieved in God and His Messenger, and died while they were ungodly."

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This verse came after Muhammad had finished praying over the corpse of the deceiver (Abdallah Ibn Salul; he stood nearthe grave till the burial was complete. (Umar, however, disagreed with praying over the man for his deception, but Muhammad did not stop. Yet, in order to please (Umar, this abrogating verse came to counteract the effect of the prayer.

9. Ambiguous Speech Question 207: We read in Sura Allmran 3:7: "As for those in whose hearts is swerving, they follow the ambiguous part, desiring dissension, and desiring its interpretation; and none knows its interpretation, save only God. And those firmly rooted in knowledge say, 'We believe in it, all is from our Lord.' "

The Qur1an itself claims to contain clear, intelligible verses that require no further explanation; these also do not allow several possible interpretations. But it states also that it has ambiguous ones whose meanings are not clear, either because they are too brief or because their literal meaning is not compatible with the context. Supposedly, only God knows the interpretation of these, and the faithful have merely to accept them. We ask: Is not the occurrence of such ambiguous verses a defect in the Qur1an's supposed eloquence and clarity? How can we be sure of the verses whose interpretation God alone

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knows? The Bible says: "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Is the Qur1an capable of being put to the test?

10. Words Resembling the Words of Others Question 208: We read in Sura al-Isra l 17:88: "Say: 'If men and jinn banded together to produce the like of this Qur1an, they would never produce its like, not though they backed one another.'''

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We ask: Are not the seven pre-Islamic poems (Arabic: muCallaqat) and the pieces of rhythmic prose of al-Hariri more eloquent than the Qur)an? Isn't Imru' al-Qais more expressive than Muhammad? Aren't the poems of al-Mutanabbi, al-Farid, and the speeches of Quss Ibn Sa(ida just as eloquent as the Qur1an - so much so that the Qur)an can no longer be regarded as a miracle? In fact the Qur)an is not miraculous at all, since a miracle is an event that happens contrary to nature and its laws. For example, the death ofa living creature cannot be considered a miracle, since this happens according to the laws ofnature. But to bring back to life something that has died, through prayer or by a command, is considered a miracle. Compiling a book, however eloquent or verbose it may be, cannot be considered a miracle; it is merely an extraordinary human work. So if we consider the Qur)an to be a miracle, based on its lofty eloquence and rhetorical style, then we will also have to consider many of the poems and speeches ofthe Arabsas miracles, too! And ifthe

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Qur)an challenges all people with its eloquence, then any Muslim who reads the famous poems and eloquent speeches of the Arabs will have to declare courageously the plain truth that Muhammad was equal in literary skill to any of those Arabs possibly even less gifted.

been brought down, for this Qur'an has been brought down in seven letters; so read it in whatever way is convenient to you." Expositors said, "'Seven letters' means seven different ways or readings." .Thus, the variation in Qur)anic readings has often led to differences in opinion.

There are a great number of Jewish authors who wrote in Hebrew, Hellenic authors who wrote in Greek, and Roman authors who wrote in Latin; these men cannot be matched, for every language has its own men of letters. As for the knowledge contained in the Qur)an, it is not excelled by that of the Arabs, Persians, or Christians to whom it tumed for information.

11. Variant Readings Question 209: Muhammad is reported to have said, "The Qur)an has been brought down to you in seven letters [i.e., languages or manners], so read it in whatever way is convenient to you." It is an established fact that the Qur)an was given in seven letters (languages or manners) so that it is now difficult for anyone to issue a correct judgement on any of its phrases because no one is sure anymore to which reading he should refer. The story behind these words of Muhammad goes like this: IUmar heard Hisham Ibn Hakim recite Sura al-Furqan in a way that was different from Muhammad's own recitation. So he grabbed Hisham Ibn Hakim by the neck and brought him to Muhammad. IUmar said, "0 Prophet of God, I have heard this man recite Sura al-Furqan in a manner unlike yours." Muhammad said, "Recite it, Hisham." So Hisham recited it in the manner that IUmar had recited it. Muhammad said, "It has thus

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Part Ten Questionable Aspects of Muhammad's Life

1. His Wives Question 210: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:50,51,53: "0 Prophet, We have made lawful for thee thy wives whom thou hast given their wages and what thy right hand owns, spoils of war that God has given thee, and the daughters of thy uncles patemal and aunts patemal, thy uncles matemal and aunts matemal, who have emigrated with thee, and any woman believer, ifshe give herself to the Prophet and ifthe Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for thee exclusively, apart from the believers - We know what We have imposed upon them touching their wives and what their right hands own -that there maybe no fault in thee.... ltis not for you to hurt God's Messenger, neitherto marry his wives after him, ever; surely that would be, in God's sight, a monstrous thing."

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two, three, four; but ifyou fear you will not be equitable, then only

2. His Raids

one, or what your right hands own; so it is likelier you will not be partial" (Sura al-Nisa l 4:3)? Why did Muhammad throw off restraint only for himself and marry more women than Islamic law permitted? He allowed himselfthe option of marrying anyone who gave herself to him provided of course that he desired her. By the time he died he was married to nine wives and had two concubines, Maryam and Raihana. A1-Baidawi said, "The women who gave themselves to the Prophet were: Maimuna Bint ai-Harth, Zsinab Bint Khuzama the Ansarite, Umm Sharik Bint Jabir, and Khawla Bint Hakim'" Isn't it strange, however, that Muhammad commanded the Muslims to be impartial to their wives, and yet permitted himself to show partiality to his own wives? He said, "Thou mayest put offwhom thou wilt of them, and whom thou wilt thou mayest take to thee, and if thou seekest any thou hast set aside there is no fault in thee"l Why did he give the right to all widows to remarry, and yet deprive his own wives of the same thing, commanding that no man should marry them after his death? A1-Baidawi said, "'And any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for thee exdusively, apart from the believers' was an announcement that this was an exdusive priVilege for his prophethood and an ission that he was worthy of honour." We ask: If sexual relationships with many women was a privilege exclusively reserved for Muhammad, owing to his prophethood, why then didn't any other true prophet of God receive the same right?

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Question 211 : We read in Sura al-AnfaI8:39,65: "Fight them, till there is no persecution and the religion is God's entirely; then if they give over, surely God sees the things they do.... 0 Prophet, urge on the believers to fight."

We ask: Is God in need of violence and swords to spread His will? In fact, Muhammad made lawful for himself what had already been forbidden, in that he urged his followers to kill and fight, and commanded them to engage in invasion and holywars for the sake of religion; yet while he was still in Meccahe said, "No compulsion is there in religion" (Sura al-Baqara 2:256) and, "Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and good onition, and dispute with them in the better way. Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided" (Sura al-Nahl 16:125). He used to say that God said to him, "It is thine only to deliver the Message, and Ours the reckoning" (Sura ai-RaId 13:40). But when he grew stronger in Medina after the Hijra, and found himself surrounded by followers who wielded sharp swords, he attacked the Jews near Medina, killing most of them and commanding the Muslims to fight all those who disagreed with him, so that all people would be his followers. Yet, he overlooked the fact that God does not reign by cruelty and harshness but by love, for God is love.

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3. Forbidding What God Made Lawful

4. His Kinsmen, the Inhabitants ofHell

Question 212: We read in Sura al-Tahrim 66:1,2: "Why forbiddest thou what God has made lawful to thee, seeking the good pleasure of thy wives? And God is All-forgiving, A1I-comionate. God has ordained for you the absolution of your oaths. God is your Protector, and He is the All-knowing, the A11wise."

Question 213: We read in Sura al-Tawba 9:113,114: "It is not for the Prophet and the believers to ask pardon for the idolaters, even though they be near kinsmen, afterthat it has become clear to them that they will be the inhabitants of Hell. Abraham asked not pardon for his father except because of a promise he had made to him; and when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God, he declared himself quit of him."

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~ fJi ~I "tJ "'r:~ ~..,::ll i»", ~"+-i ylft.,Pl ~ ~ 5.# ~ ~ ~ ..;.j .pi Iji jlj '&£; t ~ i! m~ 5.# Wi O~llA~j §~y ~ ''il ~~ ~'J.l )'i~',i fJl? ~j .(~ f~ ~j~ We read in AI-Sirs al-Halabiya that Muhammad was once in the house of Hafsa, (Umar's daughter, who was one of his wives. She took leave of him to visit her father, and he gave her permission. Immediately, Muhammad sent for Mary, one of his concubines, and brought her into Hafsa's house, and slept with her. Hafsa came back and saw Mary with him in her own house, so she did not go in until Mary left. Then she went in and said to him, "I saw who was with you in the house." She also got angry and cried and said to him, "You have done to me what you have not done with any of your wives. On my day, in my house and on my bed'" Therefore he said to her, "Keep silent. Will it please you if I declare her forbidden for me and never touch her anymore?" She said yes. So he took an oath that he would never touch her. However, when his desire for Mary retumed, he broke his oath and used the so-called "revelation from God" to prevent Hafsa from objecting to his behaviour.

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A1-Baidawi said, "It has been reported that Muhammad said to Abu Talib when the latter was on his deathbed, 'Say a word which I can use in my argument with God for you.' But Abu Talib refused. Muhammad said, 'I will continue asking pardon for you unless I would be forbidden to do that.' And then this verse descended. It was also said that when he conquered Mecca, he went out and visited his mother's tomb. He stood up, with tears in his eyes, and said, 'I have taken leave from my Lord to visit my mother's tomb and he gave me leave, and have taken leave to ask pardon for her but he gave me no leave, and brought down on me these two verses.' " Qatada said, "Muhammad said, 'Surely I will ask pardon for myfather as Abraham asked pardon for his father.' And then this verse was revealed." Expositors are in agreement that Muhammad used to ask pardon for his father (Abdallah, his

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mother Amina, and his uncle Abu Talib, and that God forbade him and rebuked him so strongly that he wept, for they were idolaters and inhabitants ofhell. What a vast difference between the parents of Muhammad and those of Christl

tween a true prophet and a false one, if Satan can speak through either of them?

5. Revelation from Satan Question 214: We read in Sura ai-Hail 22:52: "We sent not ever any Messenger or Prophet before thee, but Satan cast into his fancy, when he was fancying; but God annuls what Satan casts, then God confirms His signs - surely God is All-knowing, A11wise."

6. They Were Near to Seducing Him Question 215: We read in Sura al-Isra l 17:73: "Indeed they were near to seducing thee from that We revealed to thee, that thou mightest forge against Us another, and then they would surely have taken thee as a friend."

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The expositors say that when Muhammad was gathered in the midst of the Quraish, he recited Sura al-Najm 53, and on reaching"...and Manat the third, the other," he added, ''These most high deities whose intercession is to be sought" (53:20). The idolaters listening to Muhammad therefore rejoiced at his words and even knelt down to pray with him when he knelt, and said, "Muhammad made the best mention ofourgods. We know that Allah gives life and puts to death, but our gods intercede for us to him." Yet, we ask, How could Muhammad renounce the unity of God in such a way, praising the gods of the Quraish in order to win them over to his side and Ultimately gain powerover them by means of satanic utterances? What is the difference then be-

346

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In Sura al-Ahzab 33:1 are the words: "0 Prophet, fear God, and obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites. God is A11knowing, All-wise. And follow what is revealed to thee from thy Lord; surely God is aware of the things you d"."

In Sura al-Zumar 39:56 we read: "If thou associatest other gods with God, thy work shall surely fail and thou wilt be among the losers."

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.1&t.r-fJ-i In Sura al-Malida 5:67 the Qurlan says: "0 Messenger, deliver that which has been sent down to thee from thy Lord; for if thou dost not, thou wilt not have delivered His Message."

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We ask: Doesn't this verse indicate that Muhammad had a tendency to ingratiate himself with the idolaters and praise their gods? Later, he apologised by saying that God rebuked him and forbade him from doing that anymore!

7. He Married His Daughter-in-Law Question 216: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:37,38: "When thou saidst to him whom God had blessed and thou hadst favoured, 'Keep thy wife to thyself; and fear God', and thou wast concealing within thyselfwhat God should reveal, fearing other men; and God has better right for thee to fear Him. So when Zaid had accomplished what he would of her, then We gave her in marriage to thee, so that there should not be any fault in the believers, touching the wives of their adopted sons, when they had accomplished what they would of them; and God's commandment must be performed."

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ij j ~ 1~ I~! ~~~f ~Ijjf J- V ~jli )$ fJA ~ 4.A ~ ~ wi J.) \4.J if; ~i)$ fJli lO~.,ili ~i yf fJlij .J')Jlli ·l.)JJ ~i yf fJlij j;i ~ IPO &t~1 J- ~i Most expositors agree that this verse speaks of Zainab, Zaid's wife, whom MUhammad saw dressed in a chemise with a veil over her face when he went to Zaid one day on certain business. She was fair, and her physical appearance was perfect among the women of the Quraish, so that he was bewitched by her beauty. Then he said, "Praise be to Him, who changes hearts'" and left. When Zaid arrived home, she told him, and he looked into the matter diligently. He came to Muhammad and said, "I want to leave my wife." Muhammad said to him, "What is the matterwith her? Did she do anything to make you suspicious of her?" Zaid said, "No, by God. AlII saw in her was good. But she treats me as inferior on of hernobility, and hurts me with her tongue [i.e., with what she says]." So Muhammad said "Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear God" [that is, "Do not leav~ her"]. Yet, afterthis, Muhammad said that God rebuked him and said to him, "Why did you say, 'Keep thy wife to thyself?' Were you afraid the people would find fault with you and say, 'He ordered a man to divorce his wife and afterward he himself married her'? Muhammad, do not fear the people." Butthanks to Gabriel, Muhammad did not have to fear the people and was able to announce his desire to take her from his son; not only that, but now all Muslims can also marry the wives of their adopted sons as long as the latter have accomplished what they wanted from them. How could Muhammad allow himself to lust afterZaid's wife, who was his next of kin? How could he lie to the Arabs and tell them things other than what he really had in mind,

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and tum Gabriel into an enemy ofZaid so as to deprive him ofhis wife and take herfor himself? Instead ofrepenting and asking for forgiveness, he praised God and said, "Praise be to Him, who changes hearts'" Is it consistent with the holiness of an archangel like Gabriel to condone Muhammad's lustfuldesire and tum this wrong act into a law, thus removing all shame for those believers who commit such lawlessness? It was for this moral principle that Zainab used to boast to Muhammad's other wives and say, "It was your fathers who gave you in marriage, but it was God himself who gave me in marriage."

knots" refers to the sorcerors who tie knots in threads and blow on them. The verb nafafha means "to blow on with saliva". It was especially revealed because of a Jew who cast a spell on the Prophet with eleven knots, which he tied in a string and hid in a well. The Prophet fell ill, and Suras al-Falaq 113 and al-Nas 114 were revealed:'

8. A Bewitched Prophet Question 217: We read in Sura al-Falaq 113:1-5: "Say: 'I take refuge with the Lord ofthe Daybreak from the evil ofwhat He has created, from the evil ofdarkness when itgathers, from the evil of women who blow on knots, from the evil of an envier when he envies:"

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We read in Sura al-Nas 114:1-6: "Say: 'I take refuge with the Lord of men, the King of men, the God ofmen, from the evil of the slinking whisperer who whispers in the breast of men ofjinn and men. '11

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different is he from Moses who prevailed against all the sorcerers of Egypt! How altogether "other" is he from Christ who drove out demons and raised the dead! If Gabriel could really neutralise the magic and heal him, why did he leave him for over six months in that helpless situation? How can such a man be trusted as a mediator of God's revelation? Is that why his god said to him, "We shall make thee recite, to forget not" (Sura alMa87:6)?

upon himself the greater part of it, him there awaits a mighty chastisement."

9. He Honoured the Stone Question 218: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:21: ''You have had a good example in the God's Messenger." lUmar Ibn al-Khattab said concerning the black stone, "Yes by God, I know that you are a mere stone that does neither harm norgood. Butfor seeing God's Messenger kissing you, I would not have kissed youl"

We ask: Why did Muhammad incorporate kissing the black stone as one of the rites of the pilgrimage, as the idolaters were used to doing? Is this really a good example? Why did he seek the favour of idolatrous Arabs by honouring the stone together with God?

10. The Incident ofSlander Question 219: We read in Sura al-Nur 24: 11: "Those who came with the slander are a band of you; do not reckon it evil for you; rather it is good foryou. Every man ofthem shall have the sin that he has earned charged to him; and whosoever of them took

352

iji. ~J.;:a 'i ~ i: op .;.li~~ IJ.~ .;,tJJI ~!I , ,:" t J.fII i JJ'" Jj 'iJJlj ~jT . . &! ~ IP ~ ~;T . ~ ~ y;. jA ~ ~ '(if);':' yl.li. ~ ~+I: ~;.f A1-Baidawi said, "The slander is the sheer lie that was said about lAisha. This was when the Prophet took her in his cornpany on some of his raids, and one night he gave permission to the people to stop and return. She went off to do something and when she came back she found that her necklace, which was of onyx, had broken off. So she went back to look for it. The one in charge of her houda thought she had come back, so he kept on going. When she finally did come back, however, she found none of the people. She sat down, so that someone would find her after missing her. Now Safwan Ibn al-Mu (attal al-Sulami had camped behind the army. He walked by night and reached her by morning. When he reached her he recognised her, so he had his camel kneel down, and she mounted it. He led her to where they found the army, and she was accused of having slept with him. Among the band who accused her were: (Abdallah Ibn Ubay, Zaid Ibn Rita la, Hassan Ibn Thabit, Mistah Ibn Athatha, Hamna Bint Jahsh and all those who helped them. We ask: Was Muhammad's marriage to lAisha a blessing ora curse? Ibn Hisham said, "Muhammad married 13 women, among whom was (Aisha, who was six years old when he married her and nine when he consummated the marriage with her." Why would an old man like Muhammad marry a nine-yearold child? If this was the habit of his contemporaries, why didn't

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he correct them rather than practise it with them? Why did he take her with him on his travels and wars, thus giving people a chance to talk maliciously about her and about men like Safwan Ibn al-Mulattal in the raid of al-Mustaliq? (Ali Ibn Abi Talib was wise in the advice he gave to him, saying, "Why would God restrict you, whereas there are many women other than her?" But (Ali did not know how dear she was to his old heart; for he used to say about her that she was among women as porridge [i.e., the most delicious] among other foods. So Muhammad went to herand said, "I have heard about you what I have heard; ifyou are innocent, then God will acquit you. But ifyou are guilty, then ask God for forgiveness and repent, because if a servant confesses his guilt to God and repents of it, God returns to him." But Gabriel promptly brought him a divine oracle that absolved (Aisha and cursed those who accused her. The testimony and curses of Gabriel occupy 18 verses of Sura al-Nur 24.

'Fighting in it is a heinous [lit.: monumental] thing, but to barfrom God's way, and disbelief in Him, and the Holy Mosque, and to expel its people from it- that is more heinous in God's sight; and persecuting is more heinous than slaying.'''

. Ibn (Abbas said, "Ifyou search the threats in the Qurlan, you will find no harsher ones than those revealed on of the incident of the slander of (Aisha." Can't a rational thinker see that Muhammad filled his Qurlan with his own as well as his wives' personal affairs? If (Aisha were really innocent, why didn't Muhammad acquit her immediately? Why did the revelation linger for so long, leaving her in her father's house while Muhammad suspected her loyalty to him?

11. He Killed His Opponents Question 220: We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:217: ''They will question thee concerning the holy month, and fighting in it. Say:

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The pre-Islamic traditions prohibited fighting during the holy months, as does the Qurlan in Sura Muhammad 47:4. Yet, Muhammad broke with all this in order to take revenge on his enemies treacherously. He sent his cousin (Abdallah Ibn Jahsh with a battalion in the Jumada al-Akhira, a month before the Battle of Badr, and made him leader of the battalion. He wrote him a letter, saying, "Go in the name of God and do not read the letter except after you have walked for two days." So (Abdallah walked two days. Later he opened the letter and read it. It said the following: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Comionate. Go with the blessing of God with the friends accompanying you till you reach Batn Nakhla. There.you will spot camels that belong to the Quraish; perha;: rel="nofollow">s you can bring us some good from them." He obeyed, as did his friends with him, who were eight in number. None of them stayed behind, and they all reached Batn Nakhla, which is between Mecca and al-Ta'if. The people in charge of the camels were Amr Ibn alKhudari, ai-Hakim Ibn Kaysan, (Uthman Ibn (Abdallah Ibn alMughiraand Hiraqllbn (Abdallah. When they saw Muhammad's friends, they feared them, since they were assembled in their neighbourhood. (Abdallah Ibn Jahsh said, "The people are in a

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panic; so let one of you shave his head and expose himself to them. Ifthey see him shaven, they will feel safe and say, 'These are native people who will do us no harm.' " This took place on the last day of the second Jumada, and they thought it was in Rajab. The people counselled with one another and said, "If we leave them tonight, they will enter into the holy place and will be safe from you." So they unanimously decided to fight the people. Thereupon, Waqid Ibn (Abdallah al-Sahmi shot (Amr Ibn alKhadhrami with an arrow and killed him; he was the first one to fall in the ranks of the unbelievers. AI-Hakim Ibn Kaysan and (Uthman were captured, and they became the first captives in Islam. As for Nawfal, he ran away and they were unable to capture him. So the Muslims drove the camels and the two captives back to Muhammad. The Quraish then said, "Muhammad profaned the holy month, shed blood, and carried away our possessions." The inhabitants of Mecca ridiculed the Muslims in itforthis. When Muhammad heard about it, he said, "I have not commanded you to fight in the holy month." The camels and the two captives stood there and he refused to take any of them. The people who were in the battalion thought it too great a thing (to be done) and spoke with him about it, so he declared what they did as legal, applied the Qur'anic verse, took the camels and set apart one-fifth. This was the first fIfth in Islam and the first battle spoil divided. The rest was divided among the people of the battalion.

(Umair Ibn (Adiy to Asma l Bint Marwan and ordered him to kill her because she spoke ill of him. He was blind, so he went to her in the night and entered her home. Some ofher children were there, sleeping, and she was holding a baby that she was nursing. He felt her, moved the baby away from her, and thrust his sword into her chest, which went through to her back. Then he went to the mosque and prayedI He told Muhammad what had happened, and Muhammad said, "Let no two goats butt heads with one another for her sake!" He commended (Umair profusely and went out to the people, saying, "If someone desires to look at a man who helped God and His Messenger,let him look at (Umair Ibn (Adiy."

We ask: How can God make fighting lawful when the idolaters held itto be unlawful? As if God is more violent than the idolatersl Following are some s of the opponents whom Muhammad had killed: (1) The murder of Asma ' Sint Marwan: Muhammad sent

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(2) The murder of Abu Wfaq the Jew: Muhammad sent Salim Ibn (Umair to assassinate Abu (Affaq. Abu (Affaq was 120 years old at that time, and he used to ridicule Muhammad in his poetry. So on a hot night Abu (Affaq slept in the courtyard ofhis house, and Salim knew this. He went up to him and drove his sword into his liver, and killed him. (3) The murder of Ka (b Ibn ai-Ashraf: On learning that Ka (b Ibn ai-Ashraf ridiculed him and was stirring up the Quraish against him, Muhammad sent five men to kill him, among whom was Na'ila, his foster brother. Muhammad went with them as far as Saqi( al-Farqad, and instructed them, saying, "Go on in the name of Godl 0 God, assist them." Then he returned home on that moonlit night. As for the men, they kept going until they arrived at the place where Ka (b and his forces were stationed.

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[Ka
sent (Abdallah Ibn
ordered Salam Ibn Abi al-Haqiq to be killed, as Ibn Ishaq mentioned. He said, "The Aws and al-Khazraj tribes competed with one another in their zeal for Islam. AJ-Aws claimed that they killed Ka (b Ibn ai-Ashraf. AJ-Khazraj said that they would not have this as an advantage over them.

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So they tried to recall someone who was as antagonistic to Muhammad as Ibn ai-Ashraf. They ed Ibn Abi al-Haqiq, who was in Khaybar. They got permission from the Messenger of God to take five men from Banu Salma to help them; these were (Abdallah Ibn
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his own sword in the belly, which went through his body, and then they went out.

killed, so he embraced Islam. This was reported by Ibn Ishaq.

Now (Abdallah Ibn lAtik had poor vision, and he fell offa ladder, and his hand [or possibly his foot] was badly sprained. So they carried him and looked for a place to hide him. The people kindled fire and examined every face. The men carried theirfriend and came to the MessengerofGod to tell the news of killing his enemy. They disputed as to who among them had killed Salam Ibn Abi Haqiq; each one of them claimed to be the one. The Prophet said, 'Bring forth your swords.' They all brought their swords, and he looked them over, pointed to the sword of (Abdallah Ibn Anis and said, 'This killed him; I can see on it the traces of food.' " [Adapted from Sirat by Ibn Hisham; section on the killing of Salam Ibn Abi al-Haqiq.] (6) The murderof Umm Qirfa: Shortly prior to the murderof Ibn Abi al-Haqiq, Umm Qirfa was killed at the command of Zaid. The people tied her legs to two camels and forced them to walk in opposite directions until Umm Qirfa's body was ripped apart. Muhammad congratulated Zaid for his work and did not censure him for this bestial cruelty. (7) The murder of Ibn Sunayna: Muhammad once said "Kill any Jewish man you meet." Mahisa Ibn Mas(ud jumped on Ibn Sunayna, who was a Jewish seller of cloth and garments, and killed him. There was a non-Muslim named Huwaisila who reprimanded Mahisa for what he did. So Mahisa said to Huwaisila, "By God who commanded me to kill, if He commands me to kill you I will strike your neck off." Huwaisila was afraid of getting

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(8) The slaughter of Banu Quraiza: When Muhammad attacked the Jewish tribe of Banu Quraiza and besieged them, they agreed to surrender on the condition that he should spare their lives for the sake of the tribe of Banu Aws. Muhammad delegated the decision on this issue to Sa(d Ibn Mu(adh, who decided to kill the men and distribute the possessions, the children and the women. Muhammad found that judgement agreeable. He commanded Banu Quraiza to be brought into the city, and a huge ditch was dug for them in the market place. Muhammad sat with his friends, and the Banu Quraiza were brought out to him; and six hundred of them were beheaded before his eyes. (9) Seeking revenge for his uncle Hamza: When his uncle Hamza was killed in the Battle of Uhud, Muhammad was so angry that he swore to take revenge on the Quraish and kill seventy people in place of his uncle.

(10)

The impact his spirit of treachery left on Muslims: There were numerous fights, instances of treachery, and heinous murders that took place throughout the history of the Muslims, according to the model of behaviour their Prophet leftfor them to follow. Itsuffices to quote here what Ali Ibn Abi Talib said: "Sword and dagger are our basil; fie the narcissus and the myrtle. Our drink is the blood of our enemies; our flask, but a human skull."

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12. He Despised a Blind Man Question 221: We read in Sura )Abasa 80:1-10: "He frowned and turned away that the blind man came to him. And what should teach thee? Perchance he would cleanse him, or yet , and the Reminder profit him. But the self-sufficient, to him thou attendest though it is not thy concern, if he does not cleanse himself. And he who comes to thee eagerty and fearfully, to him thou payest no heed."

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It has been reported that Ibn Umm Maktum came to Muhammad while the latter was talking with the nobility of the Quraish, and said to him, "Recite to me and teach me what God taught you." Muhammad, however, paid him no heed and turned away from him, and said to himself, "Those mighty men say that only the boys, the slaves, and the scum ofsociety follow him." So Muhammad frowned and tumed away from him in disdain, and continued talking to the honourable people. We ask: How could MUhammad attend to the influential people and reject the poor, the needy, and, in this instance, the blind? How far he is from Christ, who acted comionately and tenderty when a blind man came to him - and restored his sight!

13. He Drove Away the Poor Question 222: We read in Sura al-An(am 6:52: "And do not

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drive away those who call upon their Lord at moming and evening desiring His countenance; nothing of their falls upon thee, and nothing of thy falls upon them, that thou shouldst drive them away, and so become one of the evildoers."

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It has been told that al-Aqra) Ibn Habis al-Tamim and )Uyaina Ibn Hisn the Fazarite came to Muhammad and found him seated with Suhaib, Bilal, (Ammar and Khabab along with a group of lowly believers. When those men saw the poor people around him, they despised them and said to Muhammad, "Why don't you sit here in front of the people and banish those men and the stench of their garments; then we would follow you. We would prefer it if you took your seat among us as a sign of our superiority over the Arabs. Arab delegations will come to you and we will be ashamed to be seen with those [black] slaves. So when we come to you, banish them from our presence, and when we finish [talking with you] you can seat them wherever you want." He agreed, and they said, "Then write us a contract in this respect." So he brought a sheet and asked (Ali to write, but on second thought he perceived it was a trap, so he Claimed that Gabriel forbade this. Ibn (Abbas said: Some poor folk were with the Prophet. Some of the nobility said, "We believe in you, but when we come to pray, put those men behind us." He was near to agree to their request, but when he perceived the injustice in it, he said that God forbade him from doing this.

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14. Satan's Relationship with the Revelation Question 223: We read in Sura al-A(raf 7:200-202: "If a provocation from Satan should provoke thee, seek refuge in God; He isAII~hearing, All-seeing. The godfearing, when avisitation of Satan troubles them, , and then see clearly; and their brothers they lead on into error, then they stop not short."

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Al-Baidawi said, " 'Ifa provocation from Satan should provoke thee' means to goad or cast doubt, so as to make one act contrary to what he has been commanded, which can be a transport offearorthought. There is a simile between Satan's provocation and allurement to men to commit transgressions and the way a drivergoads or spurs his beast onward. 'Seek refuge in God; He is All-hearing' means that He will hear your cry for help. 'AlIseeing' J'l)eans that He perceives what is good for you and makes you do it. Or maybe it means He hears the sayings of the one who hurt you, and knows his works, and is going to repay him, and thus keep you from taking revenge and ing the ranks of Sa~n." A hadith says: "Satan goads everyson ofAdam at his birth, so that he cries out in fear, but for the son of Mary; when he [Satan] came to goad him, he goaded the cover." We ask: If the devil was able to goad Muhammad and drive him in such a manner, how could Muhammad then be a prophet? Even the Muslims themselves it the great difference

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between Muhammad and Christ in the Qur)an's fabricated about the birth of Jesus. Christ said about himself, "The ruler of the world is coming and he has nothing in me" (John 14:30). The apostle Peter also said about him that He "went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil" (Acts 10:38).

15. A Burden That Weighs the Back Question 224: We read in Sura al-Sharh 94:1-3: "Did We not expand thy breast for thee and lift from thee thy burden, the burden that weighed down thy back?"

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Al-Baidawi said, "'Thy former and thy latter sins' refers to everything that you have committed, for which you should be otherwise punished,"

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We ask: Could Muhammad's daim to be the intercessor for his nation be true when he himself is guilty of sin?

16. He Wrote Down the Words ofRis Scribe Question 225: We read in Sura ai-An cam 6:93: "And who does greaterevil than he who forges against God a lie, or says, 'To me it has been revealed', when naught has been revealed to him, or he who says, 'I will send down the like of what God has sent down'?"

~~) J~ jl ~¥ JJi ~ ~fli,';' ~l 'yjl ~ 'f":"1 rl.u~IO).J"" .«wi Jjll \.0 ~ jl'L J~ 'yj ~~ ~! U ~j .:)"! A1-Baidawi said, .. 'To me it has been revealed', when naught has been revealed to him" refers to cAbdaliah Ibn SaId Ibn Abi Sarh, who used to write for God's Messenger. The verse (Sura al-Mu )minun 23:11) that says, "We created man ofan extraction of day" was revealed, and when Muhammad reached the part that says, .....thereafter We produced him as another creature" (23:14), (Abdallah said, "So blessed be God the fairest of creators!" in amazement at the details of man's creation. The Prophet said, "Write it down; for thus it has been revealed." cAbdaliah doubted and said, "If Muhammad is truthful then I receive the revelation as much as he does, and ifhe is a liar, what I said was as good as what he said." In AI-Sira, by aJ-llraqi, we read: The scribes of Muhammad were 42 in number. cAbdaliah Ibn Sarh al-(Amiri was one of them, and he was the first Quraishite among those who wrote in Mecca before he tumed away from Islam. He started saying, "I

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used to direct Muhammad wherever I willed. He would dictate to me 'Most High, All-wise', and I would write down 'A1I-wise' only. The he would say, 'Yes, it is all the same.' On a certain occasion he said, 'Write such-and-such,' but I wrote 'Write' only, and he said, 'Write whatever you like.''' So when this scribe exposed Muhammad, he wrote in the Qur1an, "And who does greater evil than he who forges against God a lie, or says, 'To me it has been revealed', when naught has been revealed to him." So on the day Muhammad conquered Mecca, he commanded his scribe to be killed. But the scribe fled to (Uthman Ibn CAffan, because cUthman was his foster brother [his mother suckled cUthmanj. CUthman, therefore, kept him away from Muhammad. After the people calmed down, (Uthman brought the scribe to Muhammad and sought protection for him. Muhammad kept silent for a long time, after which he said yes. When cUthman had left, Muhammad said, "I only kept silent so that you [the peoplej should kill him." We ask: How could Muhammad be a prophet and atthe same time prefer the words of his scribe to his own, and command them to be written down as though they were revealed? How could he be a prophet when he assured the scribe that he would not be killed, and then incited the people to do so instead?

17. He Was No Worker of Miracles Question 226: The Jews and the Arabs tried many times to get Muhammad to perform a mirade with which he could confirm his claim to be a prophet. But Muhammad itted his absolute

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inability, and made many excuses for this failure. Here is some of what he said in this respect:

wamer.' What, is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down upon thee the Book that is recited to them? Surely in that is a mercy, and a reminder to a people who believe."

(1) We read in Sura al-Isra) 17:59: "Naught prevented Us from sending the signs but that the ancients cried lies to them."

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.c[)jj"JT AI-Baidawi said, "'Naught prevented Us from sending the signs' means that nothing prevented the sending of miracles that the Quraish suggested. 'But that the ancients cried lies to them' means that the ancients, such as lAd and Thamud, did not believe them, for the Quraishites were just as these folks were. So if God sent them the signs, they would disbelieve them just as the ancients did." We ask: If the signs were utterly useless fOr those who had received them in the past, why did God send them in the first place? What kept God from performing miracles through Muhammad when he had performed them through all the true prophets, such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and the Lord Jesus Christ? This is nothing but an excuse from Muhammad. Ifmiracles are withheld because of people's unbelief, then the communication of the message itself should be withheld from the unbelieving people as weill

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AI-Baidawi said, "'Why have signs not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' as [was the case with] the shecamel of Salih, the rod of Moses and the table of Christ Jesus. 'Say: The signs are only with God,' who sends them down to whomever He wills. I do not possess them, so as to be able to perform what you suggest. 'I am only a plain wamer'; I have nothing to do but to wam." We ask: Since miracles are with God, why didn't He allow Muhammad to perform them to confirm his prophethood, if Muhammad was really in a relationship with Him as were the true prophets and the apostles?

(3) We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:108: "Or do you desire to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned in former time?"

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(2) We read in Sura al-IAnkabut 29:50,51: "They say, 'Why

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have signs not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'The signs are only with God, and I am only a plain

The Jews said to Muhammad, "Bring us a complete Book from heaven as Moses brought us the Torah. Or

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break forth rivers for us, as Moses did, so that we might . follow you and believe you." They often asked him this question, and he was never able to perform any miracle. So he said to them, "Or do you desire to question your Messenger?" We ask: Didn't the Jews have the rightto ask him? How could Muhammad considerhimselfa prophet when he had nothing in common with the prophets of old? (4) We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:118: "And they that know

not say, 'Why does God not speak to us? Why does a sign not come to us?' So spoke those before them as these men say; their hearts are much alike."

Rafi( Ibn Khuzaima said to Muhammad, "If you are a messenger of God, as you say, tell God to speak to us so that we might hear His voice, or perform a sign so that we should believe in you." Muhammad answered him, "The Jews asked Moses to show them God openly." This answer, however, is wrong since the Jews asked Moses for quite the opposite. They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:19). We ask: Doesn't everyone have the right to examine every message claimed to be from God? (5) We read in Sura ai-An
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God the most eamest oaths if a sign comes to them they will believe in it. Say: 'Signs are only with God.' What will make you realise that, when it comes, they will not believe?"

~).l ~r ~~I;,. ~ H!~1 ~ JJ~ 1.,uTjl , • .. : 'I rlAl~1 i »'" .(~~j4 ~ ~~I;,. I~!~ ~7.Jt IOj JJi ~ .=..tt§i 11! ji Iff The Quraish said, "Muhammad, you tell us that Moses had a rod with which he struck the rock and twelve springs broke forth, and you tell us that Jesus raised people from death, and that Thamud had a she-camel for a sign. Perform a miracle for us, then, so that we may believe you and believe in you." Muhammad said, "What thing do you wish?" They said, "To tum for us AI-8afa [ei mountain] into gold, or bring back from death some ofour dead folk to ask them whether what you say is true or false. Show us also the angels testifying to you." Muhammad said, "If I do some of what you say, will you believe me?" They answered, "Yes, by God, if you do, we shall follow you all together." Muhammad stood up and prayed to God to tum AI-Safa into gold. But Gabriel came to him and said, ''You have whatever you wish: if you wish, it will be gold, but if they do not believe you we will cast them away, and if you wish we will leave them until the ones destined to repentance repent." Muhammad said, "I wish that they repent... And so Muhammad worked his way out of having to perform a miracle! (6) We read in Sura al-Isra) 17:90-93: ''They say, 'We shall

not believe thee till thou makest a spring to gush forth from 371

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the earth to us, or till thou possessest a garden of palms and vines, and thou makest rivers to gush forth abundanUy all amongst it, or till thou makest heaven to fall, as thou assertest, on us in fragments, or thou bringest God and the angels as a surety, or till thou possessest a house of gold omament, or till thou goest up into heaven; and we will not believe thy going up till thou bringest down on us a book that we may read. Say: 'Glory be to my Lord! And I aught but a mortal, a Messengerl'"

(8) We read in Sura al-Ra cd 13:27: "The unbelievers say: 'Why has a sign not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'God leads astray whosoever He will, and guides to Him all who are penitent' "

We ask: Were not Moses, Elijah, Elisha and Daniel also mortals, and messengers? Yet, they performed miracles. If Muhammad was really a mediator of a heavenly message, why didn't heaven back up his message?

(7) We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:145: "Yet if thou shouldst bring to those that have been given the Book every sign, they will not follow thy direction; thou art not a follower of their direction, neither are they followers of one another's direction. If thou followest their caprices, after the knowledge that has come to thee, then thou wilt surely be among the evildoers." 372

(9) We read in Sura ai-RaId 13:31: "'If only a Qur1an whereby the mountains were set in motion, or the earth were cleft, or the dead were spoken to - nay, but God's is the affairaltogether.' Did not the believers knowthat, ifGod had willed, He would have guided men all together?"

(10) We read in Sura al-Anlam 6:124: "And when a sign came to them, they said, 'We will not believe until we are given the like of what God's Messengers were given.' God knows very well where to place His Message; and humiliation in God's sight shall befall the sinners, and a terrible chastisement, for what they devised." 373

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18. He Was Criticised by His Contemporaries

(12) We read in Sura al-ACraf 7:203: "And when thou bringest them not a sign, they say, 'Why hast thou not chosen one?' Say: 'I follow only what is revealed to me from my Lord; this is a clear testimony from your Lord, guidance, and mercy for a people of believers.'''

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never performed a single miracle. As for the reasons and the evasions he used, they are invalid. The miracles and wonders that the prophets performed before the eyes of the ancient peoples caused some to believe, while some refused them. So the excuse that ''the ancients cried lies to them [disbelieved them]" is not valid. Were the Qur1an a miracle, it would have said, "and here is the Qur1an, a miracle," but instead it says, "Naught [nothing] prevented Us from sending the signs." In short, Muhammad did not bring asingle sign to prove that he was a messenger or a law-giver.

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Question 227: The Arabs criticised Muhammad and censured him for many things. He mentioned those things in the Qur1an, together with answers to them. They said he was: (1) Demon-possessed (mad). We read in Sura al-Hijr 15:6,7: "They say: 'Thou, upon whom the Remembrance is sent down, thou art assuredly possessed! Why dost thou not bring the angels unto us, if thou speakest truly?' ..

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Sura al-Qalam 68:51 says: "The unbelievers wellnigh strike thee down with their glances, when they hear the Reminder, and they say, 'Surely he is a man possessed!' " ,..

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Also, we read in Sura al-Saffat 37:36: "Saying, 'What, shall we forsake our gods for a poet possessed?' "

followers certain things and afterwards forbade them the same things, and then gave them other commands. He would say something one day, and would change his mind the next day. Therefore they said, in effect, "What you say is of you, because if this were the word of God it would not have been altered or replaced; for the word of God is steadfast, unchangeable."

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So then, the people accused Muhammad of madness, and attributed these delusions aboutthe revelation and the angels to his confused state of mind. (2l A Forger. We read in Sura al-NahI16:1 01: "And when We exchange a verse in the place of another verse - and God knows very well what He is sending down - they say, 'Thou art a mere forger!' Nay, but the most of them have no knowledge."

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The Qur)an says in Sura al-Shura 42:24: "Or do they say, 'He has forged against God a lie?' "

(3) Bewitched. We read in Sura al-Furqan 25:7,8: ''They also say, 'What ails this Messenger that he eats food, and goes in the markets? Why has an angel not been sent down to him, to be a warner with him? Or why is not a treasure thrown to him, or why has he not a Garden to eat of?' The evildoers say, 'You are only following a man bewitched!' "

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Sura al-Isra) 17:47 says: "We know very well how they listen when they listen to thee, and when they conspire, when the evildoers say, 'You are only following a man bewitched!' "

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he charmed himself against a spell, they said, "No doubt he is bewitched and out of his mindl" (4) An Ear. We read in Sura al-Tawba 9:61: "And some of

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A1-Baidawi said, "Saying he was an 'ear' meant that he heard all that was said to him and believed in it. He [Muhammad] was called al-Jariha due to his propensity for exaggeration, just as through the excess of his listening he became an instrument of hearing; similarly he was called a spy. It has been reported that they said. 'Muhammad is a hearing ear; we say whatever we like to him, and he believes what we say.'''

19. He Was Killed by Poison Question 228: We read in Sura A1lmran 3:144: "Muhammad is naught but a Messenger; Messengers have ed away before him. Why, jf he should die or is slain, will you tum about on your heels?" ...

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A1-Baidawi said: "If he should die or be slain, will you tum about on your heels?" [refers to the incident in which] (Abdallah Ibn QamPa al-Harithi threw a rock at God's Messenger that broke four of his front teeth and gashed his face. Mus(ab Ibn (Umair, who was the standard-bearer defended [Muhammad]. So Ibn QamPa killed [Mus(ab], assuming that he killed the Prophet. Then, as it is reported, he said, "I killed Muhammad." Someone cried out, "Behold, Muhammad has been killed, and the people tumed on their heels." Then the Messenger cried out, "Come to me, servants of God." Thirty of his followers ed him and protected him until they scattered the unbelievers. Some hypocrites said, "Had he been a prophet, he would not have been killed. Go back to your brothers and your religion." Anas Ibn Nadr, the uncle of Anas Ibn Malik, said, "0 people, if Muhammad is slain, Muhammad's Lord is alive, and dies not; what shall you do if you live after him? So fight for what he fought for," and added, "0 God, I acquit myself of what they say and exonerate myselffrom it:' He then clasped his sword firmly and fought till he was killed, and the verse was revealed. When Khaybar was conquered, and the people felt sec;ure, Zainab Bint al-Harith, Salam Ibn Mishkam's wife, went about asking which part of the lamb was Muhammad's favourite to eat. People told her, "It is the front leg, for it is the best part and the farthest from harm." So she took a lamb, slaughtered it, and cut it up. Then she took a deadly poison that kills instantly and poisoned the lamb, putting more poison in the leg and shoulder. When the sun set, Muhammad led the people in the evening

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prayer. When he finished, he wanted to go, but she was sitting at his feet. He asked about her, and she said, "0 Abu al-Qasim, here is a gift I have for you." Muhammad ordered some of his friends to take it from her, and it was put before him in the presence of his friends, among whom was Bishr Ibn al-Bara l Ibn Ma crur• Muhammad said, "Come near and be seated." Muhammad took the leg and ate, too. When Muhammad had swallowed his bite, Bishr swallowed his, and the rest of the people ate of it. Muhammad said, "Raise your hands; this leg and this shoulder tell me they are poisoned." Bishr said, "By the One who honoured you, I found the same in my morsel, but nothing kept me from spitting it out except that I would spoil the pleasure of your food. When you ate that which was in your mouth, Idid not desire myown soul more than yours, and wished that you had not swallowed it." [One opinion has it that] Bishr died then and there. A part of the lamb was thrown to a dog, and the dog died. Another opinion says that his [Bishr's] colour turned black and his pain lasted two years, after which he died. It was also said that Muhammad took a bite ofthe lamb, chewed it, and spit it out, whereas Bishr swallowed his morsel. Then Muhammad sent for this Jewess and asked her, "Have you poisoned this lamb?" She said yes. He asked, "What prompted you to do that?" She said, "You have acquired certain powers with which you judge those who are loyal to you. You killed my father, my uncle and my brother.... So Isaid, 'Ifhe is a king, then I would be relieving us ofhim, and ifhe is a prophet, he will be able to perceive.' " It was said that he pardoned her, while others say he commanded her to be put to death and crucified. When Muhammad fell ill just before his death, he said to cAisha, " lAisha, I still feel the effect of the poisoned food I ate; this is the

time of my demise by that poison." When Bishr's sister entered his room dUring the time ofhis last sickness, he said to her, "This is the time of my demise by the meal I ate with your brother in Khaybar."

380

20. His Strange Manner of Receiving Revelation Question 229: Following are some ofthe peculiarways in which the Prophet Muhammad received revelation: (1) In a robe. We read in Sura al-Muzammil73:1-5: "0 thou enwrapped in thy robes, keep vigil the night, except a little [one half of it, a little more or a little less], and chant the Qurlan very distinctly. Behold, We shall cast upon thee a weighty word."

AI-Baidawi said, .. '0 thou enwrapped in thy robes' is the way the Prophet was referred to; it described the state he was in, for he was asleep or trembling when the revelation first came to him while he was wrapped in a velvet robe. 'We shall cast upon thee a weighty word' refers to the Qurlan, which was weighty to receive. lAisha said, 'I saw the revelation descend on a bitter cold day, and by the time it departed from him, his forehead was dripping with perspiration.' " We read in Sura al-Muddaththir 74:1,2: "0 thou shrouded in thy mantle, arise, and warn!"

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A1-Baidawi said, "'0 thou shrouded in thy mantle' refers to the incident in which the Prophet said, 'I was in Hira) and heard a voice calling me, so I looked around, but saw nothing. Then I looked up and saw it was on a throne between heaven and earth [i.e., he saw the ange~, so Iwas terrified and returned to Khadija and said, 'Shroud me with a mantle,' and Gabriel came and said, '0 thou shrouded in thy mantle.' So this was the first sura to be revealed." (2) Like a drunk man. We read in the trustworthy hadiths that whenever the revelation came down upon him, he would faint, and his state would drastically change, so that his appearance was that of a drunk man. Muslim scholars claimed that he was being transported from the earth. (3) He snorted like a camel. Abu Huraira reported that Muhammad would start to tremble whenever the revelation came down upon him. Another report says: He would be in anguish because of it [i.e., the revelation] and his mouth would foam and his eyes would shut, and he would snort like a young camel. (4) He buzzed like a bee. (Umar Ibn al-Khattab reported, "Whenever the revelation would come down on him, there would be heard near his face the buzzing of bees." (5) The revelation came to him like the ringing of a bell.
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me in the form of a man talking to me, and I comprehend what he says.' " (6) He was soaked with perspiration. (Aisha said, "I saw it coming down on him on an exceptionally cold day, and when it departed from him, his forehead was wet with perspiration" (al-Bukhari, Bad) al-Wahy). (7) He heard voices. We read in the Hadith that Muhammad said to Khadija, "When I retire, I hear the voice of someone calling, 'Muhammad, Muhammad.''' In another report he said, "I see light while I'm awake, not dreaming, and I hear a voice, so Ifear that this is something harmful." Another report says, "I am afraid I am a diviner, and thatthe one calling me is a familiar spirit." Yet another report says, '" am afraid that I am demon-possessed (mad)." (8) He trembled. Abu Huraira reported that no one could bear looking upon the Messenger of God whenever the revelation came upon him; they had to wait until it was over. Some say that Abu Huraira reported that henna used to be put on his head because of the accompanying headache that afflicted him (Kitab mirat al-ka)inat). All these facts raise a question: What sort of revelation is it that renders a man unconscious, or that makes him faint, appear as a drunk man, snort like a young camel, causes his eyes to become bloodshot, makes him perspire profusely, have a headache, and feel a bUZZing in his ears and a tingling in his head? It is worthy to note that he had the same symptoms before he professed prophethood. Ibn Ishaq reported that he used to be protected by magic against the evil eye in Mecca before he

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received the Qurlan. When the Qurlan descended on him, the same symptoms he had earlier retumed. Before he received the Qurlan he used to tremble, shut his eyes, change his features, snort like a young camel, and then lose consciousness. Khadija said to him, "Shall I bring you someone to cast a spell overyou?" He said, "No, not now." Muslim scholars determined thatAmina, Muhammad's mother, protected him by magic against the evil eye. Itwas said that when she was pregnant with him, the angels came to her and said to her, "When you have given birth to him, say, 'I guard you by God against the envy of all that envy.' "

a/-Bari, determined that it was three years, whereas Abu alQasim al-Suhaili said, "It is mentioned in some documented hadiths that this duration lasted for two and a half years." HafIZ al-Suyuti said it was for two years.

21. He Attempted Suicide Question 230: We read in Sura al-Duha 93:3: "Thy Lord has neither forsaken thee nor hates thee."

.«Ji ~j ~ ~~j ~I r: ..r ~I O)J"' A1-Baidawi said, .....It was reported that the revelation did not come to him for several days, and the idolaters said that Muhammad's Lord left him and hated him. The verse came in answer to what they said." Muslim scholars said that when Muhammad stopped receiving the revelation, after the death of Waraqa Ibn Nawfal, he grieved so deeply that he once went early in the moming to Yathbur, and then later to Hira l, wanting to throw himself down, but Gabriel appeared to him and said, "Muhammad, you are truly God's Messenger." He then calmed down, was relieved and retumed. But when the revelation would cease for a longer time, he would repeat the same scenario. Annalists were undecided as to the duration of time; Ibn Hajar al-IAsqalani, in Fath

384

We ask: How can a prophet attempt suicide? The Qurlan addresses Muhammad reproachfully when it says, "Yet perchance... thou wilt consume thyselfl" (Sura al-Kahf 18:6),

22. Khadija Confmned the Revelation for Him Question 231: We read in Sura al-Mu lminun 23:25: "He is naught but a man bedevilled; so wait on him for a time,"

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If you examine the Hadith, which is as important in Islam as the Qurlan in of doctrine and practice, you will see that Muhammad was not certain about his revelation. It is reported that Isma(i1lbn Abi Hakim quoted Khadija saying to Muhammad, "Can you tell me about this friend ofyours when he comes?" He said yes. So when Gabriel came to him, he said, "Khadija, here is Gabriel, he has come to me." She said, "Stand up, my cousin, and siton my thigh." He stood up and sat on herthigh. She asked him, "Do you see him?" He said yes. She said, ''Then tum around and sit on my lap." Muhammadtumed around and saton her lap. She asked, "Do you see him?" He said yes. So she cast down her veil as Muhammad was seated in her lap, and asked him, "Do you see him?" He said no. She said, "0 my cousin, be sure and rejoice; by God, he is an angel, not a devil." Khadija uncovered her head in order to know whether that which haunted him was caused by the same carrier of revelation

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who came to the prophets before him, or if it was merely unconsciousness caused by demon possession. Otherwise, she thought, he would be a priest, not a prophet - the very thing that caused him to fear for himself. Muslim scholars agree that Muhammad suffered from [unconsciousnessj prior to the revelation coming to him. Because the symptoms ceased until she put herhead-covering on again, Khadija knew for certain that the bearer of revelation was an angel, and no devil, for an angel cannot look upon the uncovered head of a woman, unlike the devil! So it was Khadija, then, who concluded that he whom Muhammad received was the same bearer of revelation that used to come to the prophetsl

making the rounds among them?" Anas answered, "It was reported that he has been given the strength ofthirty (according to another narration, forty) men of the men of paradise." Muhammad also said in the Hadith, "I have been given the strength of four men in assault and sex." The men of paradise are said to have a h'Jndred-fold strength in eating, drinking, intercourse, and lust. Ibn al-(Arabi said about Muhammad, "He, beyond comparison, sured all beings in strength for sexual intercourse." It was reported by Ibn Sa (d, quoting Anas, that he went about having intercourse with all of his wives in one night. Muhammad himself said, "Gabriel brought me a pot, and after I ate of its contents 1was given the strength of forty men of paradise." Muhammad once complained to Gabriel about his lack ofdesire. Gabriel smiled, till Muhammad's seat glistened on of the brilliance of Gabriel's four front teeth. Then Gabriel said to him, "What is that which you eat, compared to harisa [a dish of meat and bulghurj?" (Sahih Muslim, section on (Aisha's bounty; Tabaqat Ibn SaId, section on Muhammad's wives and (Aisha's bounty; Ihya) )U/um ai-Din, section on marriage).

We ask: Was Khadija reared among the prophets? Was there any prophet in her family who experienced the same SYmptoms so as to compare Muhammad to him? How could she come up with the odd rule that an angel does not look upon a woman's uncovered head, whereas the jinn can? Which prophet before Muhammad sat on his wife's lap until she assured him that it was Gabriel who came to him?

23. Why Should They Be Jealous ofHim? Question 232: We read in Sura al-Nisa l 4:54: "Or are they jealous of the people for the bounty that God has given them?"

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386

24. If She Gives Herself to the Prophet Question 233: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:50: "And any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for thee exclusively, apart from the believers."

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Ibn SaId brought out, quoting Munir Ibn (Abdullah al-Duali, that Umm Shuraik al-Dusiya, who was a very beautiful woman, offered herselfto the Prophet, and he accepted her. Then (Aisha said, "Jlis a worthless woman that offers herself to a manf" When Umm Shuraik learned of i~ she said, "Well, I am such a woman then." Therefore, Muhammad called her mu'mina [i.e., a believer], and that is why the verse says "any woman believer [mu'mina)". When Muhammad said this verse, (Aisha said to him, "Indeed, God hastens to do what you desirel" (Asbab alriuzul by al-5uyuti).

Muhammad uttered the above-mentioned verse. Therefore (Aisha said, "Indeed, God hastens to do what you desire." Muhammad took to himself (Aisha, Hafsa, Umm Salama and Zainab; these he slept with on a regular basis. He "putoft" five of his women: Umm Habiba, Maimuna, Sawda, Juwairiyya and Safiyya; these he slept with whenever he liked.

25. He Treated His Wives Unfairly Question 234: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:51: ''Thou mayest put off whom thou wilt of them, and whom thou wilt thou mayest take to thee; and if thou seekest any thou hast set aside there is no fault in thee. So it is likelier they will be comforted, and not sorrow, and every one of them will be well-pleased with what thou givest her."

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388

Muhammad issued a decree that his wives should not marry after he died. He said, "It is not for you to hurt the Messenger of Allah, heither to marry his wives after him" (Sura al-Ahzab 33:53). The reason for the revelation of this verse is that Talha said that he would marry his cousin (Aisha after Muhammad's death. Muhammad brought down this verse as a revelationl

26. He Quoted from Both Jews and Christians Question 235: We read in Sura al-NahI16: 103: "And We know very well that they say, 'Only a mortal is teaching him.' The speech of him at whom they hint is barbarous; and this is speech Arabic, manifest"

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:~ ~,j SI4 liAj ~l ~~ fJJJ.,Jt 'i~1 AI-Baidawi said, "They meant Jabr, the Roman page of (Amir Ibn al-Hadhrami. Others said they meant Jabr and Vassar, who were sword-makers by trade in Mecca and who used to read the Torah and the Injil. Muhammad used to by them and listen to them as they were reading [or reciting]. Still others said that it was (Aish, the slave of Huwaitib Ibn (Abd al-(Uzza, who was a man versed in the Scriptures and who converted to Islam. Still others said that it was Salman the Persian."

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The Arabs of Mecca said that Muhammad was only taught these stories and annals by another man, who was a mortal like himself, and not by God as he claimed. They disagreed as to who that man was! AI-Qurtubi reported, on the strength of Ibn (Abbas, that Muhammad knew a blacksmith in Mecca called Sal(am, who was a Christian. The idolaters saw Muhammad going in and out to him, so they said, "It is only Sal(am that teaches him." llkrima said, "Muhammad used to entertain a slave of the Mughirites called Yalish, who could read the Scriptures. Therefore the Quraish said, 'He is teaching him.''' It was also said that "As far as I know, Muhammad often sat at the Marwa with a Roman Christian slave, owned by the Hadramites, whose name was Jabr, and he could read the Scriptures." IUbaidallah Ibn Maslama said, "We had two slaves from the people of lAin al-Tamr; one was called Vassar, whose sumame was Abu Fakiha, and the other's name was Jabr. They worked in Mecca as sword-markers, and used to read the Torah and the Injil. They would read, and Muhammad would sit with them and find rest in their words whenever the unbelievers hurt him. The idolaters said therefore that Muhammad was learning from them." AI-Farra I said, "The Arabs said that Muhammad was learning from IAish, a slave owned by Huwaitib Ibn (Abd alIUzza, who was a non-Arab Christian converted to Islam." Others said, "It was IAddas, the slave of IUtba Ibn Rabi(a" (see al-Suyuti's Asbab al-Nuzul of this verse). We ask: If the Arabs accused Muhammad of learning from others and attributing this knowledge to himself, claiming that he received it by divine revelation, why did he not bring a proof that he received it from God directly? The answer he gave, namely that the one he listened to was a non-Arab, is a confession. He

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took what he heard and put it in his own eloquent Arabic. In fact, s of the stories from the Old and the New Testament were in poetry before Muhammad's time. For example, Umaiya Ibn ai-Salt described the story of Abraham and Isaac in the following poem: Praise the King every morning, On which the sun rises, And in every night. Abraham who fulfilled his vow has considerations, And was a receiver of bounties. He would not keep his first-born, If he saw him in the company of the flesh. And he has a knife that cuts into the flesh A curved scar like a crescent. "0 my son, I have vowed you unto God, a sacrifice, So bear up; I am your ransom." The boy answered, saying: "Nothing given to God is claimed as possession." "My son, your reward is God, Whom you fear in all situations. Then fulfil your vow unto God, but keep the blood from touching my garment. Tighten the straps; I will not avert the knife, As does the shackled prisoner." As he took the clothes off him, His Lord ransomed him with a spotless lamb. Other Arab poets have written poetry describing biblical stories. AI-Samaw1al described what happened to Moses in the wilderness. He based his poem on the book of Exodus. AINabigha mentioned the name of King Solomon in a poem he

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recited to commend his king, al-Nu(man. There is also poetry about Jonah and how the great fish swallowed him, and how God saved him. In Muhammad's day, Christianity was quite widespread in Arab lands, and there were renowned churches like the "Ka (ba" of Najran. There were also leamed bishops like Quss Ibn Sa (ida, famous for his eloquent speeches. The Prophet Muhammad heard him at Suq (Ukaz. Among the Christians there were innocent martyrs like the Yemenite Christians against whom some Jewish people revolted, killing them by throwing them into a trench which they set on fire. Muhammad alluded to them in Sura al-Buruj 85:4-7, saying, "Slain were the Men of the Pit, the fire abounding in fuel, when they were seated over it and were themselves witnesses of what they did with the believers." The Qurlan also praises priests, monks and Christians for their piety in Sura al-Ma1ida 5:82, saying, "Thou wilt surely find the most hostile of men to the believers are the Jews and the idolaters; and thou wilt surely find the nearest of them in love to the believers are those who say 'We are Christians'; that, because some of them are priests and monks, and they wax not proud."

27. Returning Insult for Insult Question 236: In Sura al-Kawthar 108:1-3, we read: "Surely We have given thee abundance; so pray unto thy Lord and sacrifice. Surely he that hates thee, he is the one cut off."

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Muhammad's sons by Khadija had died, and al-(As Ibn Walil had said that Muhammad was without any offspring at all. Muhammad answered, ''Verily, the one who hates thee, he is the one cut off [or without offspring]," meaning al-(As. Because people had insulted the Prophet for having no offspring, he declared that those who hated him would be without offspringI In Sura al-Masad 111:1-5 we read: "Perish the hands of Abu Lahab, and perish hel His wealth avails him not, neither what he has eamed; he shall roast at a flaming fire and his wife, the carrier of the firewood, upon her neck a rope of palm-fibre."

The reason for the revelation of this sura is that Muhammad had invited his relatives in order to wam them, but his uncle Abu Lahab had told him: "May thou perishl Is this why thou invited us?" And he took up a stone and threw it at him, so Muhammad cursed him, saying, "Perish the hands of Abu Lahab and perish he," meaning "Let his soul enter the fire to be roasted on it." He also cursed his wife, saying that she would be the carrier of the firewood which would bum her in hell, and that she would have a rope around her neck by which to be hanged. The Prophet cursed all those who opposed him Iikewisel Howfar Muhammad is from Christ, for ''when He was reviled, He did not revile in retum" (1 Peter2:23). The Bible dearly tells us to emulate Christ and follow His teaching when it says, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:14).

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28. He Incited His Followers to Fight Question 237: In Sura al-AnfaI8:65 we read: "0 Prophet, urge on the believers to fight."

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Muhammad certainly did as he was toldl He participated in 29 raids: Widan, Buwat, al-IAshira, Safwan (or "The First Raid of Badr"J, the greater Badr, Banu Sulaim, Banu Qainuqa l , alSuwalq, Qarqarat al-Kidar, Ghatafan (which is the raid of Dhu Amr), Bahran in the Hijaz, Uhud, Hamra l al-Asad, Banu alNadir, Dhat al-Riqa ( (''The Raid of Folly", which is the raid of Muharib and Banu Tha (Iaba), the final Badr (which is also called "The Raid of the Promise"), Dumat al-Jandal, Banu al-Mustaliq (also.called "The Dreadful"), al-Khandaq (''The Ditch"), Banu Quralza, Banu Lihyan, Hudaibiya, "The One with Ticks", Khaybar, Wadi al-Qura, "The Pilgrimage of the JUdges", The Conquest ofMecca, Hunain and al-Talif, and Tabuk. The "raids by proxy" [i.e., those in which the Prophet did not participate personally, but sent his friends instead] are 47 in number. It is even said that they numbered as many as 70. This brings the total numberofraids to about a hundred, which means that Muhammad was responsible for an average ofone raid per month! In the Qurlan, many of them are recorded, of which we can mention the following: The Raid by Proxy on Ibn al-Khadhraml

In Sura al-Baqara 2:217 we read: "They will question thee con~ming ~he holy month, and fighting in it. Say: 'Fighting in it is a heinous [lit.: monumentaij thing.'"

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.•ft! Muhammad had sent out (Abdallah Ibn Jahsh atthe head ofa raiding party consisting of 80 men. When they arrived at a place called Batn Nakhla they ambushed a caravan of the Quraish. (Amr Ibn al-Khadhrami was in the caravan, and he was killed as the first of the unbelievers. AI-Hakim Ibn Kaysan and (Uthman were taken captive as the first prisoners of war of Islam. The Muslims drove the caravan and the prisoners back to Muhammad, who grew angry because his friends had raided and taken booty dUring the holy month. Afterwards, he made it lawful and allotted fixed portions of the booty to himself and his friends. The Raid of Uhud

In Sura AI Imran 3:140we read: "And that God may know who are the believers, and that He may take witnesses from among you."

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Muhammad was fighting the Arabs, having 700 men with him at Uhud. At first the Arabs were put to flight, but then they tumed around and won the day, having broken Muhammad's nose and his four front teeth and gashed his face. As they continued to harass him, his friends scattered. He went to a rock and tried to lift it, but he couldn't, so he sat down under an acacia tree. Hind and the women who were with herstayed in order to mutilate the dead bodies of Muhammad's friends, cutting off their ears and

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noses. She also tore up Harnza's liver. Then one of the Arabs approached, wanting to kill Muhammad, whose standardbearer defended him, but was killed. The Arab then shouted, "I have killed Muhammadl" after which the Arabs withdrew. This made Muhammad call out, "Come and help me, God's servants, come and help me, God's servants!" Thirty men then gathered around him and bathed him with the greatest difficulty. He began to curse those who had routed him and tried to encourage those who had been vanquished, saying, "And that God may know who are the believers, and that He may take witnesses from among you."

The Raid ofHunaln

There is a story about this expression: When the women had waited long for Muhammad, they went out to inquire about him, when suddenly two men came up, riding on a camel. When one of the women asked, "What about Muhammad?" The men said, "He is alive." The woman then said, "I do not care; God has taken witnesses from among His servants." Muhammad quoted this expression of hers, considering it inspired, as a consolation over what had happened at Uhud. The Lesser Raid ofBadr

In Sura A1lmran 3: 123we read: "And God most surely helped you at Badr, when you were utterly abject."

In Sura al-Tawba 9:25 we read: "God has already helped you on many fields, and on the day of Hunain."

A1-Baidawi says in his commentary: "Hunain is a valley between Mecca and al-Talif. The Messenger of God and the Muslims fought there, twelve thousand in number. Ten thousand of them had been present at the conquest of Mecca and the other two thousand were Meccans of the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif, who were released after the conquest and swelled the ranks of the Muslims. When they met, the Prophet, iring their vast number, said, 'We shall not win insignificantly.' They fought a fierce battle, but were put to flight, while the Messenger of God stayed where he was, having no one with him except his uncle al-(Abbas and his cousin Abu Sufyan. The servants ofGod called him, '0 ye of the tree, 0 ye of the cow,' Then they came, saying, 'At thy service, at thy service,' The battle greweven more fierce, and finally the unbelievers were routed, and on that day Muhammad captured six thousand souls and took so many camels and heads of small cattle that they could not be numbered.

.cii~f ~fj ~~ mi ~~ .l1ljl \ Yr:r oJl~ JT i.JJ"" A1-Baidawi said in his commentary, "Badr is a watering-place between Mecca and Medina. It belonged to a man called Badr and was named after him. In the raid of Badr the Muslims killed seventy men and captured seventy others,"

396

The Raid of Badr

In Sura al-Qamar 54:44,45 we read: "Or do they say, 'We are a congregation that shall be succoured?' Certainly the host shall be routed, and tum their backs," .

397

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.cj:ill fJ)jj A1-Baidawi said: " IUmar - may God exalted be pleased with him - said that When it was revealed, he replied, 'I do not know what this is,' and when the day of Badr came, I saw the Messenger of God wearing his coat of mail, saying, 'The host shall be routed.' Then I knew." The Raid of Nadir

In Sura al-Hashr 59:2, we read: "It is He who expelled from their habitations the unbelievers among the People of the Book at the first mustering. You did not think that they would go forth, and they thought thattheirfortresses would defend them against God; then God came upon them from whence they had not rec~oned, and.He cast terror into their hearts as they destroyed their houses WIth their own hands, and the hands of the believers; therefore take heed, you who have eyes'"

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A1-Baidawi said: It is told that when [Muhammad] arrived at Medina, he made peace with the tribe of Banu Nadir on the condition that they would be neutral towards him. When the day of Badr appeared, they said that he was the Prophet

398

described in the Torah as the Helper. Then when the Muslims were routed at Uhud, they began to have misgivings and revoked the agreement, and Ka1b Ibn alAshrafsetoutfor Mecca with forty mounted men in order to fonn an alliance with Abu Sufyan. Then Muhammad commanded Ka 'b's foster brother to be killed and accompanied them with the Cavalry, besieging them until they agreed to emigrate. Most of them then emigrated to Syria. One group of them reached Khaybar and Hira. "It is He who expelled from their habitations the unbelievers among the People ofthe Book atthe first mustering" refers to theirfirst mustering on the Arab peninsula, since no such humiliation had ever befallen them before. A mustering is the moving of a multitude from one place to another. ''You did not think that they would go forth" - because of their strong courage and power. "They destroyed their houses with their own hands" - in order to spare the Muslims.

The Raid of Tabuk

In Sura al-Tawba 9:73,74 we read: "0 Prophet, struggle with the unbelievers and hypocrites, and be thou harsh with them; their refuge is Gehenna ...i an evil homecomingI They swear by God that they said nothing, but they indeed said the word of unbelief and disbelieved, after they had surrendered. They purposed what they never attained to, and they took revenge only that God enriched them, and His Messenger, of His bounty. So if they repent it will be better for them; if they tum away God will chastise them with a painful chastisement in this world and the next; on the earth they have no protector or helper."

399

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. Pari Ten

what was inherited by their revenge. "Only that God had enriched them, and His Messenger, of His bounty" - for most of the people of Medina were poor, leading a wretched life, and when the Messenger of God arrived, they received booty.

29. The Killing of the Dogs A1-Baidawi said: "0 Prophet, struggle with the unbelievers" - with the sword - "and be thou harsh with them" - in doing so and do not favour them above others. "They swear by God that they said nothing"; it is told that the Prophet stayed for two months at the raid of Tabuk as the Qurlan was being revealed to him, reproving those who were left behind. A1Julas Ibn Suwayd said, "If what Muhammad says to our brothers is true, we are worse than donkeys." This reached the ears of the Prophet, so he summoned him. When he came, he swore by God to witness what he had said. Then the sura was revealed, and al-Julas repented in the best manner. "They purposed what they never attained to" - namely, to kill the Messenger. Fifteen of them had actually planned to push Muhammad from his camel into the valley when he would be climbing the steep mountain road by night on his return from Tabuk. So (Ammar Ibn Yasir took the halterofthe camel to lead it, and Hudhayfa went behind him to steer it. They were proceeding like this, when sUddenly Hudhayfa heard camel hoofs and the rattling of weapons. He said, "Away, away with you, ye enemies of God", so they fled. "They took revenge only..." - that is, they did not reject or find

400

Question 238: In Sura al-Malida 5:4 we read: ''They will question thee what is permitted them. Say: 'The good things are permitted you; and such hunting creatures as you teach, training them as hounds.' " \OJ

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A1-Tabari tells us, on the authority of Abu Rafi(: "Gabriel came to Muhammad, asking his permission to enter into his house. Muhammad allowed this, but Gabriel did not enter, so Muhammad said: 'We have already been given permission concerning thee, 0 Messenger of God, yes, but we do not enter a house where there is a dog.' Abu Rafi(said: 'So he ordered me to kill all the dogs in Medina, which I did until I came to the house ofawoman who had a dog that was barking at her, so I left it alone, taking pity on her. Then I came to Muhammad and told him, but he ordered me to kill this last one, too.' Then (Adi Ibn Hatim and Zaid Ibn al-Muhalhal came, saying: '0 Messenger of God, we are people who hunt with dogs and falcons, and the dogs of the clan of Dhuraih hunt cows, donkeys and gazelles, so what is lawful for us?' So he answered with the

401

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words mentioned. And he declared hunting dogs and dogs for herding lawful after he had killed them alii"

Children of Israel saying, 'I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I will create for you out of clay as the likeness ofa bird; then I will breathe into it, and itwill be a bird, by the leave ofGod. I will also heal the blind and the leper, and bring to life the dead, by the leave of God...' Furthermore, the Qur1an testifies in many places that the Torah remained without falsification from the time of Christ until the time of Muhammad, as we see from Sura A1lmran 3:93: "Say: 'Bring you the Torah now, and recite it, ifyou are truthful.' " The Qur1an also testifies that the Gospel is intact, as we see in Sura al-Ma1ida 5:47: "So let the People of the Gospel judge according to what God has sent down therein. Whosoever judges not according to what God has sent down they are the ungodly."

We ask: If Gabriel did not enter Muhammad's house because of the dog in it, why was it not enough for Muhammad to kill only the dog in his own house? Why did he order the killing of the poor woman's dog, yet allow the rich people's hunting dogs to live? Moreover, dogs had been in Muhammad's house and in Medina before the decree was given to kill them, so how could Gabriel have entered Muhammad's house prior to that time? If Gabriel hated dogs, are we not justified in saying that the one who used to come to Muhammad prior to the decree was someone other than Gabriel?

30. The Torah Did Not Prophesy about Him Question 239: In Sura al-Saff 61:6 we read: "And when Jesus son of Mary said, 'Children of Israel, I am indeed the Messenger of God to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.' Then, when he brought them the clear signs, they said, 'This is a manifest sorcery.''' }.

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The Qur)an testifies that the Torah had been preserved without error orfalsification up until the days of Christ, as we read in Sura A1lmran 3:48-49: "And He will teach him the Book, the Wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel, to be a Messenger to the

402

So the Bible is true, unfalsified, unchanged; nothing has been added to it, neither is anything missing from it. There is no indication whatsoever that Muhammad was to come as a prophet. Where then did Muhammad get the idea that Jesus had prophesied about him? Christ said that after His ascension He would send the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. In the original Greek it refers to the paraclete, which means "comforter". This word is close in pronunciation to another Greek word which means ''famous''; the Arabic equivalent of this word is mamduh, so Muhammad thought that this mamduh, whom Christ would send, was none other than himself! The origin ofthis error is that these two Greek words were interchanged, so that the Arabs understood something other than Christ had intended. It is no secret that Mani, the well-known impostor who emerged from Persia and claimed to be a prophet, said, "I am

403

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the Paraclete, and Christ has witnessed about me." But the Christians refuted his claims by their intimate knowledge of the truth of the Gospel and by their knowledge that Christ did not prophesy about the coming of another prophet after Himself. Moreover, they knew that Christ had sealed the Law by His disciples (Isaiah 8:16). Christ also warned His followers about false prophets, saying, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7: 15).

the common folk: 'Have you surrendered?'" (Sura AI Imran 3:20); "And of the People of the Book is he who, if thou trust him with a hundred weight, will restore it thee; and of them is he who, if thou trust him with one pound, will not restore it thee, unless ever thou standest over him. That, because they say, 'There is no way over us as to the common people.' They speak falsehood against God and that Wittingly" (Sura Allmran 3:75).

31. The "llliterate" Prophet Question 240: In Sura al-Alraf7:157-158 we read: "Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophetofthe common folk.... Believe then in God, and in His Messenger, the Prophet of the common folk."

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...t}'ii .:sfi J.,.:.jli &;f-. ~.,jJ" ,o~1 ,oV:V .,jlf'il o)Jo"' .ct}'ii .:sfi ~jj ~~ I~ri The reason Muhammad is called "the Prophetofthe common folk" is that he did not appear among the Jews, but among the Gentiles. (This description can also be translated as "the illiterate Prophet".) The Jews were used to calling all non-Jews gentiles, or "common folk", just as the Arabs used to call all nonArabs tajam. The Qur1an refers to Jews and Christians as "People of the Book" and others "the common folk", which is what all Arabs were called according to the Qur1an: "It is He who has raised up from among the common people a Messenger from among them, to recite His signs to them" (Sura al-Jum(a 62:2); "And say to those who have been given the Book and to

404

Therefore, Muhammad was called the Prophet of the common people, because he was a stranger to the Jewish nation, the chosen people, from whom God had raised up all the prophets; and God made His Word, Christ, the Saviour ofthe world, the final seal ofall the prophets. Muhammad was also called "the Prophet of the common folk" because, as it is claimed, he did not know how to read and write. They consider it a miracle that he could recite the Qur1an, being illiterate. Many Jews and Christians followed Muhammad and embraceGi Islam. Ibn (Abbas and al-Suyuti relate in their commentaries that a certain (Ubaidallah Ibn Sallam, who was a Jewish priest, converted to Islam. The Qur1an says about him: "And a witness from among the Children of Israel bears witness to its like" (Sura al-Ahqaf 46:10).

32. Compulsion and Non-Compulsion Question 241: In Sura al-NahI16:101 we read: "And when We exchange a verse in the place ofanother verse -and God knows very well what He is sending down - they say, 'Thou art a mere forgerl' Nay, but the most of them have no knowledge."

405

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disobeys God and His Messenger has gone astray into manifest error." In the Qur1an there are two separate messages, as if by two different prophets that fight each other, and the second one defeats the first, takes it prisoner, and neutralises its messagel The first one forbids doing harm to those who do not believe in Muhammad: "And say to those who have been given the Book and to the common folk: 'Have you surrendered?'" (Sura AI Imran 3:20); "And if thy Lord had willed, whoever is in the earth would have believed, all of them, all together. Wouldst thou then constrain the people, until they are believers? It is not for any soul to believe save by the leave of God" (Sura Yunis 10:99,100); "Itis thine only to deliver the Message, and Ours the reckoning" (Sura al·Ra (d 13:40); "And obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites; heed not their hurt, but put thy trust in God" (Sura al-Ahzab 33:48); "And We have sent thee not, except good tidings to bear, and warning" (Sura al-Isra l 17:106). However, the second message abrogates the application of these verses, even though their text has not been erased from the Qurlan. They are kept there for reciting only. Muhammad adopted a new way in his exile in Medina: the way of war, violence and fighting! How does the Muslim reconcile these verses, the Meccan and the Medinan ones, the peaceful and the warlike ones?

33. Nearer the Believers than They Themselves Question 242: In Sura al-Ahzab 33:36 we read: "It is not for any believer, man or woman, when God and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have the choice in the affair. Whosoever 406

AI-Baidawi says: "It is not for any believer, man or woman" means that absolutely no one has a right; "when God and His Messenger have decreed a matter,"- that is, when God's Messenger has decreed it. God is mentioned in order to exalt the Prophet and declare that his decree is God's decree, because it was revealed conceming Zainab, the daughter of Jahsh and his aunt Umayma, the daughter of (Abd al-Muttalib. The Messenger of God had engaged her to Zaid Ibn Haritha, but she and her brother (Abd Allah refused! It is said that Umm Kulthum, daughter of (Uqba, gave herself to the Prophet, but he gave her in marriage to Zaidi ''To have the choice in the affair" means that they themselves could choose anything instead of letting their choice be subservient to the choice of God and His Messenger." In his commentary to Sura al-Ahzab 33:37, al-Baidawi says, " 'And conceal what is within thyself "- that is, to marry Zainab if Zaid would divorce her, or if the Prophet wanted him to divorce .her. 'Fearing other men' means their condemning of you for doing so or fearing people's gossip." In his commentary on the same sura, verse 6 ("The Prophet is 407

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nearer to the believers than their selves") al-Baidaw! says, "It is told that he wanted to raid Tabuk and commanded the people to s~t o,ut. But some people said, 'Let us ask our parents' permission, so the Qurlanic verse descended." From -these verses and their interpretation we see how M~ham~ad imposed ~is absolute will. If he wanted to give Zalnab In marriage to hiS son Zaid, she would have to submit even if she and her brother objected. And if Muhammad wanted Zainab, Zaid would have to renounce being her husband! And if he ~anted. to raid, the young men would have to obey without asking their parents' permission!

Bibliography al-Baidawi, (Abdallah Ibn (Umar. Anwar al-Tanzil wa Asrar a/Ta lwil2 vols. Istanbul, n.d. al-Bukhari, Muhammad Ibn Isma1il. al-Sahih 7 vols. edited by Mustafa Dib al-Bugha. Beirut, n.p., 1990. al-Ghazzali, Abu Hamid. Ihya l IUlum ai-Din. Cairo, n.d. al-Halabi, Ali Ibn Burhanaddin. al-Sira al-Halabiwa. 3 vols. Cairo, 1962. aPlqd al-Fatid, 6 vols. ed. by Ahmad Amin. Cairo, 1990. ai-NasaIi, Abu (Abd ai-Rahman Muhammad. Sunan 2 vols. Cairo, n.p., 1932. al-5hahrastani, Muhammad Ibn (Abdalkarim. Al-Milal wa a/N/hal Beirut, n.d. al-Suyuti, Jalaladdin IAbdarrahman Ibn Abi Bakr. aI-Duff alManthur, 6 vols. Beirut, n.d. al-Itqan fi IUlum al-Qurlan. Beirut, 1973. al-Jalalan. Cairo, 1990. al-Tabari. Jami l al-Bayan Ian talwil al-Quran. 30 vols. edited by Mahmud Muhammad Shakir. Cairo, n.p., 1968. Taltikh al-Rusul wa al-muluk. 10 vols. ed. by Muhammad Abu al-Fadi Ibrahim. Cairo, 1990. al-Ta1Iabi. Ara'is al-Majalis. Cairo, 1990. Darwaza, Muhammad Izzat. al-Quran aI-Majid, Beirut, n.d.

408

409

Bibliography

Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad. Musnad. 6 Yols. Cairo, n.d.

General Index

Ibn Hisham. AJ-Sira al-Nabawiya. 4 Yols. edited by Mustafa alSaqa, Cairo, 1936 Ibn SaId. al-Tabaqat al-kubra. 9 Yols. edited by Dar Sader. Beirut, n.d. Muslim, Ibn al-Hallaj. Sahih. edited by Muhammad Fu lad IAbdal al-Baqi. 5 Yols. Cairo, n.p., 1955-1956. Nallar, Abdalwahhab. Qisas al-Anbya Cairo, n.d.

410

Aaron ........ 37·39, 42, 48, 50-51, 137138,255,319 al· 'Abbas ..... ..397 'Abd al·Harith 46 'Abd al·Manat 47 'Abd al·M uttallb .. 128,235,322,407 'Abd al·Rahman .... 189-190 'Abd al·'Uzza 47 'Abd Allah 407 'Abdallah, father of Muhammad .. 345 Abel 123, 325 Ablram 71 Abraham 38, 51, 54-56, 62-63, 80, 86, 122-124, 134, 158, 162-165, 299, 304, 310-311, 314-315, 319, 321-325, 345, 391 Abrogation .... 123, 210, 222, 236, 241, 300, 327, 330-334, 406, 11,331-332

Absalom 71-73 Abu Affaq 357 Abu al·Flda' 205, 216 Abu al·Qaslm, . 380 Abu Bakr ...... 119, 206-207, 222, 224225,234,250,271 Abu Faklha .... 390 Abu Hanlfa 229, 237 Abu Huralra 382-383 Abu Lahab 157,393 Abu Na'i1a 358 Abu Qatada 359 Abu Rafl' 401 Abu Sa'id 304 Abu SUfyan 397,399 Abu Tallb ..345-346 Abu Yusuf 234 Abu Zuhalr , 203 Abyssinia . 322-323 'Ad 78-80, 82, 137, 259-260, 368 Adam ........ 45-47, 88, 123, 142, 148151, 181, 191, 231,

280, 299, 310-311, 319,325,364 Adultery ... 58, 159, 193, 207, 240 Ahab, King 82 al·Ahbar, Ka'b 18 Ahura Mazda .. 319 'Aln al·Tamr ... 390 'Alsh ...•.... 389-390 'Alsha 103, 119, 125, 144, 166, 185, 206-207, 250, 257-258, 315, 333, 353-354, 380-383, 387-389 al·Akhlra. Jumada . ............... 355 Akkadian, language .... 299 al·Thaqafl, al-HaDaj Ibn Yusuf .... 250 Alexander the Great, see Dhu al·Oamain 'All, see Ibn Abi Talib, 'Ali Allah ....... 49,116, ·124, 127-128, 202,

411

General Index

General Index

236. 241-242. 299. Arable, 346.389 language ...... 26. Amlna, mother of 32, 36, 39. 51. 69. Muhammad .. 346.· 71. 81. 85. 89. 93. 384 118. 122. 128, 147. 'Ammar 363 156, 173-181. 183, Amon 86 278, 297-298. 309. Amoz 48 320-321. 323. 326Amram, see Imran 327. 330. 335, 389. Amulets " 63 391.403 Angels 20, 22, 26-27, 46, 59, 98. 111-112. 117, 124. 130. 132. 135. 137. 143, 145. 147-150. 154, 158. 160-161. 169. 212. 257·258. 290-292. 301. 311, 314. 316·317. 371372. 375-377, 382. 384-386 Angels, fallen, see devils. demons al·'Anqa' 83 Ansar 203.245 Antioch .. 76. 78. 83 Apostate ....... 223224,237

language 298299 Atonement ...... 42. 98. 118, 142. 159. 206, 214. 216. 242. 289 Avestan, language : 320 Azar 38. 84 Babel, Tower of 53. 88 Babylon 85. 292. 325 Badr ....... 235. 396 Badr, Battle of .210. 235. 355. 394. 396398 Arda 157 Badr, final raid of .. Ark .......... 47.52. 394 Apostles .... 76, 78, 124.299 Bahran, raid 394 124. 132.294.36.9 Arphaxad ........ 80 al.Baldawl 17-21. Apostles' Creed 124 ArtIoraf Namak 318- 24.26,29-30.46-49. Arabia .......... 165 319 51,53.56.58.60-61.

412

Arabs 37, 45. 47. 71. 86. 98. 121-123, 125-128. 164-166. 197-198. 200. 211. 219. 233. 237. 247·251, 318. 320-321. 328. 335336, 349, 352. 363, 367. 375, 390. 395396. 403-404 'Arata ....... 197-200 Aramaic, language 173. 299 Archangel, see Angels

Ascension .93. 124. 146. 318-319. 326. 403 Ashama ........ 285 al.'Ashlra, raid 394 al·Ashram, Abraha . .. 285 al.'Asqalanl, Ibn Hajar ......... 384 As syrIan,

66, 76, 78. 80-82. 8485. 87. 98·99. 118. 125. 132. 140. 152. 155. 157, 185. 189. 191. 194-196, 201. 203-204. 206. 208209. 212-213. 216. 220. 222. 229-230. 233. 235-236. 238. 241-242. 244. 247248. 259-260. 264. 269·270. 275-276. 278-280. 283-286. 288. 290-291. 293. 303-304. 326-327, 342. 345. 350. 353. 364-366. 368-369. 82 378-379, 381 -3. 384, 389. 396-398. 400. 407-408 Baaam I Bal'am

124 325 390 I

Banu a· I Must a II q 394 Banu al·Nadlr ... 333 Banu al·Nadlr, raid .. 12. 394. 398 Banu 'Amr 324 Banu Asad 224 Banu Aws 361 Banu Fazara 225. 250 Banu Hanlfa 220. 224 Banu L1hyan, rald394

Banu Nadir 398 1:2 31. 316 Banu Qalnuqa' ..235 5:21-24 52 Banu.Qalnuqa', raid. 6:9 40, 89 .. 394 10:1 48, 53, 56 Banu Quralza 361 11 :27 38. 53. 88 Banu Quralza, raid .. 15:17 315 . 394 16:12 56 Banu Salama . 17:18.19 162 .. ......... 210,359 21 :9-12 163 Banu Sulalm, raid ... 22:18 163 . 394 26:4 163 Banu Tamlm 224 28:14 163 Banu Thaqlf, 29:18 66 Invasion of .....320 37:19·20 57 Baql' al.Farqad ..357 39:12 39. 58 Barzakh ..... 155-156 Exodus 325. 370.391 Basllldes .........317 , 2:5-10 64 234 al·Bata Ih 3:15 27 Batn Nakhla 355, 395 6:20 39 Bedouins ........220 7·12 67. 88 Benjamin . .61-62. 287 8:6 88 Bethlehem ........ 44 9:6 89 Bible ......... 27. 3839.41-42.45,54.57. 10:14 89 58,61-63.65,67-68, 12:29.30 89 15:27-16:1 70-71.75.87. 91.92, 68 108. 116-119. 130. 16:1 68 133. 141.143. 148. 17:1-6 69 152, 159. 193. 195. 20:19 70 202, 263, 287, 325, 31:18 69 335. 393, 403 34:14 151 Genesis 325 Leviticus 325

413

General Index

16:2 .42 16:32,33 .42 Numbers 325 71 16 23:19 331 Deuteronomy . 325, 288 6:4 116 18:9-12 293 21:1-19 289 Joshua 325 Judges 90. 325 90, 325 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 15:1-6 73 1 Kings 8:6,8,9 .42 18:1-16 82 Esther 35, 316 Job 2:10 87 Psalms 130, 325 136:15 .41 Ecclesiastes 7:14 316 Isaiah 124, 325 133, 404 8:16 42:10-12 166 Ezekiel 124, 325 Hosea 13:2,3 246 Jonah 124, 325

414

General Index

14:30 365 Acts 165, 326 2:11 165 8:22,23 293 10:38 365 13:9-12 293 25:11 60 Romans 124, 326 3:1,2 163 5:14 142 9:4,5 164 11 :33-36 148 12:19-21 .109, 393 14:17 154 1 Corinthians . 326, 124 5:1-13 240 7:39 226 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 240 Galatians 326 1:8,9 132 Ephesians 4:24 195

Blnt Marwan, Asma' . 159-161. 163-165, 356-357 170. 202, 212, 214, Blnt 'Uqba, Umm 232, 242, 244, 317, Kulthum 407 326, 331, 346. 352, Black stone 55, 246, 362, 365, 368-369, 352 393,402-405 Book 25, Christians 83, 9238.42.51,56,70-71, 94, 116. 121. 124, 103, 111, 115-116, 126. 132-133. 151126, 129-133. 162, 152, 165-166. 202. 164, 183, 208, 217, 216. 226, 243-245, 226. 236-237, 244, 247, 283, 286, 302265, 300, 306-307, 303, 312. 316-317, 309, 315, 322, 330, 328, 336, 392, 404405 108 369. 372, 398-399. 402,404-405 Circumambulation, 22:8 ........ 133 t f al-Bukharl . 49, 120, see awa Old Testament ••.. 1 56 90 163 206, 213, 314, 351, Companions .... 32, 35,5, , , , 383 388 119 125 135 156 288 al.Buraq ........ 319 210. 318. 320. 332Bllal 363 333 Blnt Abl Sufyan, Buwat, raid •••.. 394 Umm Hablba • 323 Cain .. 123, 315, 325 Constantinople 225

5:25-33 232 Philippians 124, 326 John 1:3 ..92. 119, 143 Thessalonians 124, 326 2:11 92 1 Thessalonians 4:22 163 5:21 335 6:1-15 75 8:3-11 193 1 Timothy 2:4 141 13:1-30 75

Blnt ai-Harth, Canaan 28,47- Covenant ... 37,54, Malmuna ...... 342 48,53-54.61,67,86 136-139, 162-164, Blnt al.Mukhtar, Charms, see Amulets 174, 181, 217, 222-

Habakkuk 2:18,19

246

Matthew 5:37 ..99, 106-107, 109, 159.331 6:7,8 212 7:15 404 18:21,22 242 19:16,17,21 ., .170 22:30 ....111-112, 154 23:37,38 170 25:46 152 26:20-29 ..75, 242 Mark 12:29 14:17-25

116 75

Luke 1:5-40 42-43 2:1-20 .44, 91 3:23 39, 56, 92 12:9 98 16:26 152 17:4 242 22:14-30 75

Hebrews • 124, 7:14 9:7 42, 11:5 James .....• 1:13.14 2:19 5:12 1 Peter .....• 2:21-23 2:23 2 Peter ••.... 2:5 R I tl eve a on .. , 21:8

326 42 159 52 326 141 117 99 326 109 393 326 40 326

I

,

f

,

•

Blnt al-Harlth, lalnab Caliphs, rightlyCopts .••••••..... 66 ................ 379 guided 119 Council of Nlcaea 94

Sadaqa 261 Christ 43- 223. 243, 325 Blnt Jablr, Umm 44,50,75, 91-94, 98- Crucifixion .. 75, 93Sharlk ......... 342 99, 106, 109, 111, 94, 119, 159-160, Blnt Jahsh, Hamna • ................ 353

118-119. 124, 132, 317 142·148, 152. 154, Cush

53

415

General Index

General Index

al-Dahhak 151 Damakh. mountaln83 Darwaza Dathan

139 71 41 48 Oav Id .. .. .. .. . • • 50-51. 66. 72-73. 84.

233. 304-305. 315. EliJah 49.51. 333. 349. 407 80. 124. 325. 368. 372 al-Duall, Munlr Ibn 'Abdallah 388 Ellm 68-69 Elisha 50-51. Dumat al-Jandal, raId 81. 124. 325. 368. .................394 372

89-90.124.158.276. Enoch 279-281.325 al-Duslya, Umm Day of Awtas .304 Shuralk 388 Ephesus

51-52. 325 283

Day Of Congregation Earth 18-20. Ethiopian, 125 23-25.29.31.36.46. language .. 298-299 ................. Day of Mustering 137 63.66-67.71.85-86. Euphrates 319 Day of the 105-106. 115. 128. Eve A6. 191. Confederates .. 212 137. 142. 144-149. 231.325 Devil, see Satan 161. 163. 165. 217. Evil eye ..... .62.287. Dhalzan 122 223. 258-259. 262- 383-384 Dhat al-Rlqa'. or raid 263. 266. 271-276. al-Farazdaq 305 of Muharlb and 279. 282. 287. 300- al-Farld 335 Banu Tha'laba.394 301. 306. 308-309. al-Farqad, Baql' .358 Dhlmml 222.237 311. 319. 331. 372- ai-Farra' 390 Dhu al-HIDa 127. 197- 373.382.399.406 Fasting 44. 198 Eden .. 154.299.304 74. 82. 107. 121. Dhu ai-KIf! 81-82 Egypt 25-26. 123. 161. 179. 184. Dhu al-Qa'da 127. 35-37.49.61-62.66- 202. 214-216. 249. 197-198 69. 88-89. 286, 352 332 Dhu al-Qamaln 17-18. Fatakh, mountain, Egyptian, see Damakh 84-85 language .. 298-299 Fighting .....100-101. Dhuralh, clan .. , A01 Dlocletlan ....... 283 Elephant, Battle of 127-128. 218-219. the 285 221. 354-356. 394110 Divorce • 123. 134. 189-190. Elias, see Elijah. 50- 395.406 192. 203-204. 231- 51.81, 180 See also jihad

Fire-worshippers 152. God 17-19. 237 23-28. 31-32. 39-41. Flood .48. 43. 45-47. 49. 51-55. 53.88.311 59-61.65-67.69-71. Forgiveness .58. 118- 73-74. 77-93. 97119. 152. 161. 199. 108. 110-112. 115239. 248. 289. 350. 121. 123-126. 128354 152. 154-164. 166Friday 125- 170. 175. 177-178. 126. 203 180-185. 189-192, Gabriel. angel 62.78. 134-135. 157. 161. 263. 291. 314. 319. 327-328. 349-352. 354. 363. 371. 382. 384-387.401-402

Greek, language ...... 298299. 336. 403 al-Habbab, ....... 260 Habib, the carpenter 77-78.83 Hadlth (Tradition) ... 104. 108. 144. 152. 161. 207. 257. 291. 364. 382-383. 385.

194-203. 205-215. 387 217-223. 225. 229. H 231. 233-236. 238- adramltes ...... 390 244. 246-249. 255. al-Hafd, sura 136.139 257-264. 266. 269- Hafsa ...... 125. 185. 274. 278-281. 284- 332-333.344.389 290. 292-294. 297. Hagar......... 7374 - •

Galilee, sea of 75 299-304. 306-309. Gehenna 138. 311. 314-315. 317151-152. 168. 245. 319. 321-324. 330265. 267-268. 299. 334. 336. 341-350. 302-303. 307, 316. 352. 354-360. 362324. 347. 399 374. 376-377. 379. See also Hell 382-386. 388-392. Ghassan 165 395-407 Ghassanlds 225 Gog 313 Ghatafan, or raid of Goliath 89-90. 325 Dhu Amr ...... .394 Gomorrah 311

162 Haglga .31 HaD 55.86. 21-123. 184. 195200. 202. 217. 225. 246. 322. 352 al.Haklm 157 Ham 47-48.53 Haman .35-36. 64. 88 Hamra' al-ABad, raid

al-Ghazzall, Abu Gospel .91.93. .. 394 Hamid 145.154· 130. 132-133. 147. Hamza 241.361.396 Gideon 89-90. 202. 402-404 Hannah A2 124. 325 Greece ........ 49, 85 al-Hariri 335

417 416

General Index

General Index

al-Harlth, al-Nadr Ibn ...... 317-318. 379 Harut 292.299 Hashlmltes 235

Himyar 165 Ibn 'Abbas 18, 22• Hind 395 26-27. 72. 139. 155Hlra 165.399 156. 158. 161. 210. Hlra' 323. 382. 384 237. 290. 330. 354. 363. 390. 405 248 397 Holy Mosque ... 208 Hawazn I Heaven 20-24. 210. 212, 218. 270. Ibn 'Abd al-'Uzza, 51.63.70-71,74-75. 275.319,355 Huwaltib .. 389-390 78. 80. 93. 105-106. Holy Spirit .. 91.116. Ibn 'Abdallah, Abu 111-112. 128. 132. 143-144. 154. 195. Rafl' 358 134. 146. 154, 158- 403 Ibn 'Abdallah, Hlraql 161. 170. 208. 261- Hoopoe 272-273 355 262. 266. 271-273. Horeb 27-28. 69 Ibn Abl 'Aqlq, Abu 300. 309. 318-320, Hubal 324 Rafl' 308 331. 369. 372, 382 Hud 78-80 Ibn Abl al-Haqlq, Heavens ...... 18, 20. Hudalblya 394 Salam ..... 358-360 22-25. 67. 115, 137. HUdhayfa 400 Ibn Abl Bakr. 147. 149. 163. 217. Hums 199 Muhammad 250 269. 279. 281. 301. Hunafa' 312. 321- Ibn Abl Hakim, 309.311.316 322.324 Isma'lI 385 I

Hebrew, language 173. 298-299. 321. 336. 358 Hell ........ 137.151152. 161. 258, 263, 280. 316. 344-346.

I

Hunaln ..... 201. 397 Ibn Abl Hatlm 290 Hunaln, raid 394. 397 Ibn Abl Sarh, Hurls ......111. 153- 'Abdallah Ibn Sa'd 155, 213. 299. 305. .. 366 318.320 Ibn Abl Tallb, 'All 60. ai-Husain 250 119. 138-139, 151. Hutama 151-152 222. 250. 291. 354.

393 Huwalsila 360 361. 363 Hljab, verse of the Hypocrites 100. Ibn 'Adiy, 'Umalr 357 veil 195 209. 244-245. 302- Ibn 'Aftan, 'Uthman . Hljaz 86.245. 303, 306-307. 347. . 367 250. 394 379. 399. 406 Hijra ...235. 318, 343 Iblls, see Salan

418

1¥..Ahtab, Huyay 211 Ibn 'Amlr, 'Uqba243

Ibn 'Amr. Dhu'ab 260 Ibn Hakim, Hisham 134, 139. 225, 246. Ibn 'Amr. Zaid . 323336 312-313. 330. 332. 324 Ibn Hamza, Dhlrar •• 334. 336, 344. 352. Ibn al-'A'sam. Labid. .. 119 382 ................ 351 Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad . Ibn al-Khudarl, Amr Ibn al-'Arabi 387 108. 158.257 355 Ibn al·'As. 'Amr . 250 Ibn Harltha, Zald .... Ibn Khuzalma .. 322 Ibn ai-Ashraf, Ka 'b.. .. .. .. ..... 348-350 Ibn Khuzalma, Rafl' . 370 .308.357-358. 399 Ibn Hatlm, 'Adi .. 401 Ibn 'Athr, QUlail .. 80 Ibn Hazm, Jarlr

263 Ibn Lu'ay. Ka'b . 126.

Ibn 'Atik, 'Abdallah ... Ibn Hind, Dawud 120 322 ...... 358-359, 360 Ibn Hisham 85. 126, Ibn MaJa ........ 166 Ibn 'Auf. Rahman

'Abd

al- 322-323. 353. 360 Ibn Malik, Anas 379. 237 Ibn Hlsn, 'Uyaina 99. 386-387

Ibn 'Auf, Salim .. 126

363 Ibn Mansur, Sa'id 157 Ibn al-Huwalrlth, Ibn Ma'rur. Bishr Ibn Ibn aI-A yam, h J ab ala , , ................ 225 Uthman 323 al-Bara ........ 211. Ibn Ishaq 361 380-381 Ibn Amr, Janda' 260 Ibn Jahsh, 'Abdallah . Ibn Marwan, 'Abd al.. ......... 355, 395 Malik. .. .. .. ... 250 Ibn Anls, 'Abdallah ... ........... 359-360 Ibn J a hsh, cUbalaa 'd II h Ibnasu M 'd ...... 239 322" Ibn Arqam, Zald 157 . .. . .. .. .. .. . .. .. Ibn Mas ud. Mahlsa . Ibn Aswad, Khuza'a . Ibn JuralJ 151 360 ................ 359 Ibn Ka 'b. Ubayy 139 Ibn Maslama, Ibn Athatha, Mistah . Ibn Ka'b. Zar'a ... 83 'Ubaidallah .... 390 . .........••••.• 353 Ibn Kaysan, al.Haklm Ibn Mlrdas, al"'Abbas Ibn Dhl Khuwalslr 201 ...... 355-356, 395 .. .. .. . . . ... 99. 201 Ibn DI'ama. Qalada .. Ibn al-Khadhraml,

Ibn Mishkam, Salam

.. 386 'Amr 356. 389. .. ;... 379 Ibn Habls (al-Tamlm), 394-395 Ibn Mu'adh. Sa'd 361 'al-Aqra' 99. Ibn al-Khattab, Ibn al-Mu'atlal. 201. 363

'Umar ..... 119-120.

Safwan ....... 207

419

General Index

General Index

Ibn al·Mughlra. Ibn Salul. 'Abdallah . Idol·worshlppers .77, 'Uthman Ibn 334 85, 127, 198, 217, 'Abdallah ...... .355 Ibn Sinan, Mas'ud ... 220-221, 237, 243, Ibn al·Muhalhal. Zald 359 306. 321, 345-346, ................ A01 Ibn Sulalman, al. 348, 352, 356, 384, Ibn Muhammad, al· Rabl' 107 390, 392 Qaslm 119 Ibn Sunayna 360 Idols 38, Ibn Muslim, Ibn Suwayd, al..Julas 45, 47, 55, 78, 80, Muhammad 290 .400 82, 86, 145, 196, 246-247, 260, 299, Ibn Nadr, Anas .. .379 Ibn Thablt, Hassan .. 305-306, 321-322, .. 353 324 Ibn Nawtal. Waraqa .. ........... 322, 384 Ibn 'Ubay, 'Abdallah. Idrls Ibn Nuwalra, Malik... .. ......... 238, 353 81 319 ................ 234 Ibn Qusay .322 Ibn Rab'l ........ .359 Ibn al·Rabl', Sa'd 203 Ibn Rabl'a. 'Utba .390 Ibn Rita'a, Zald . .353 Ibn SaId .....387-388 Ibn Sa'lda, Quss 335, 392 Ibn Safwan, Hanzala . ..................83 Ibn Sag hr. Rabab 260 Ibn Salam, 'Abdallah ..................31 Ibn Sallam. 'Ubaldallah A05 Ibn al.Salt. Umalya .. ................ .391

420

Ibn 'Umalr, Mus lab .. 379 Ibn 'Umalr, Salim 357 Ibn 'Umar ...195.197 Ibn Umm Maktum362 Ibn 'Uqba, Umm Kalthum ........ 107 Ibn Wa'lI. aI·'As .393 Ibn al·Walld. Khalld. . 224, 234-235 Ibn Yaslr. 'Ammar ... : .400 Ibn al·Zubalr, 'Abdallah .......250 Ibn Zurara. Ahmad .. 211 Idata. grammatical case 173, 178

51-52,

Itad~

198 265 268. "I t......... 269, 274, 315 Ihram 55, 200 Q1az 327 Ikrlma 390 'Imran, see Amram Inheritance ...64, 66, 203, 229-230, 288 InJII 93, 164, 299, 389390 See also Gospel al·'lraql 366 Isa, see Jesus, Christ Isaac 48. 5051,62-63, 124, 158, 162-165, 311, 325 Isat 196 "trl

I

Ishmael ........50-51, 54, 56, 74. 81. 123124, 162, 164, 166 Islam 97,99100, 119. 121-123,

al..Jahml. Amlr Ibn Jlnn ........129-130, Jahm 191 136, 154. 168, 258. James 124 265-268, 273-274, Japheth 47 276-277, 287, 299, al..Jarlha 378 305, 315, 335, 350.

1~1~,1.1_

~6

197, 199-202. 205, al..Jassasa 275 Jlzya 236.237 220-225, 234, 238, Jerusalem 42. 106. Job 48,50. 245, 248-251, 302, 161, 165, 170. 209- 81,84,87,124,325 320, 322-324, 356, 211,326 Jochebed A2 358, 361, 366, 385, Jesus .. 22.44,50-51. John 124 326 389-390, 395, 405 74-77. 91-93, 115' 116 118.119 126 John the Baptist .50Israel ......... 49,51, ' " 5 1 76 124 319 326 66, 69, 73. 75, 81, 130, 142-143, 145" , , 84. 289 147, 159-160, 170, Jonah ......... 50-51. 76.310,325.392 Israel. Children ot 40, 181 ,193 . • 242 , 293 , 45,66.68,70,82,90, 311, 319, 326, 365. Joseph, betrothed to 124, 142. 162.164, 368-369, 371, 402- Mary A3 213, 285, 287, 308, 403 Joseph. son ot Jacob 402-403,405 Jethro ......... 27.65 3, 26. 39, 48, 50-51, I'tlmar 196 Jews .17, 27, 60, 93, 56~3, 87, 124, 287, 311.319.325 Jabr 389-390 121, 123, 126. 132. Jacob 48 , 50- 141 151-152 160 Joshua ........ A9. 81 I .

51,56-57,62.63,66, 87, 158. 162-165 Jahannam, see Gehenna

163, 245, 312, 333.

I

209-211, 264, 290. 314-316, 343, 367,

I

243- Judah A2 303. Judgement Day .138, 328, 162, 308 369- Jumada 356

Jahiliya, pre.lslamlc 370, 389, 392. 404- Jundub 157 period .... 121-122. 405 Juwalrlyya 389 126-128, 189, 191, Jezebel. Queen ... 82 Ka'ba 54-55, 197-199. 246-247, Jihad ....... 202-203 86, 121-123, 161, 312,335,355 See also Fighting 210-211, 219, 246-

421

General Index

247, 250, 285-286, 323 Kalb 250 Khabab .363 Khadlja 125, 157, 382-386. 393 al·Khal'. sura 136, 139 al-Khandaq, raid .394 Khawarlj 201 Khawla 157, 342 Khaybar .359, 379, 381, 399 Khaybar. raid .394 al-Khldr A8-49 Kllab 250 Klnana 285 Kitablyya, woman of the Book ....... 244 Korah, see Qarun Kufr 182,219 Last Day 54, 102, 121, 177-178, 180, 192, 236, 240, 302, 307 al-Lat .323 Latin. language .299, 336 Law 69. 164, 279, 293-294, 331,404 See also Torah

422

Laza 151-152 levi 42, 289 Lot 50-51, 124. 310-311, 325 Luqman 83-84 Magog Malmuna

313 389 Malik .. 222,237,257 Mallkl. school of Islam 222 Manat 47.346 Manl 403 Manna .. 28, 124, 325 Marriage .... 66, 110112, 122. 154, 203· 204, 226, 304-305, 341-342. 348, 350, 353, 387.407-408 Marut ....... 292, 299 Marwa. Mount .. 122, 195-196, 390 Mary the Copt .. 125. 332-333,342,344 Mary. mother of Jesus .38-39.41-44, 73-74. 91-92, 115116, 124, 142-145, 147, 159, 317. 326, 364,402 Mecca ... 80.86, 106, 121, 196. 198, 201, 209-211, 225, 243,

General Index

245. 248, 250. 275, 285. 323. 343, 345, 355-356. 366-367, 383, 389-390. 396397,399 Mecca, Conquest of 394 Medina 126, 206, 210-211, 245, 257, 313, 320, 343, 396, 398,401-402.406 Messenger 31, 44-45, 56, 79, 92. 97, 99, '102, 104, 108, 115, 126, 134, 136-139, 143, 154, 157, 159. 164. 166, 182, 184185. 189-190, 195, 200-201, 203, 207, 210, 217. 220, 222223, 225, 233-238, 244, 246, 257-258. 262, 269-270, 275. 287. 304, 307. 314315. 333. 341, 348, 352, 357-360, 366, 369-370, 372. 377379, 382-384, 389. 397-402, 404, 406407 Messiah .... 115, 142143,147,159,303

Methuselah 51-52. 80 Michael. angel .. 135,

314 Mldlan Mldlanltes

263 90-91 Mlna 197 Mlrlam 42 Monotheism ..... 122123. 151-152, 274 29-30, Moon 105-106.312-313

182. 189, 197-199, 201-202, 206-207, 210-211, 213-214. 219, 222, 233, 237, 242, 245, 247, 250, 258, 268-271. 288. 290-292. 304-305, 307-308, 311-312, 314-315, 317-321. 323-325, 328. 332336. 341-346, 348372, 374-376, 378-

Moses ........ 27. 3537, 39, 48-51, 63-71, 406, 408 88. 119, 123-124, Muharram

129-130,

137-138.

158, 193. 213, 255, 265. 275-276, 287. 310-311, 325, 352, 368-372 , 391 Mu'awlya 18, 250 Mulmlna .388 Mughlrltes .390 Mughlth, Mount 80 Muhallil 233 Muhammad .. 17.22, 27,31,45.49-50,55. 60, 69, 71, 78. 86, 99, 101, 104. 108. 110, 116, 119, 121, 123-127. 132-135, 139, 144, 146, 148, 153-158, ·161, 164,

al-Mustallq, raid. 354 al-Mutanabbl .... 335 Muzdallfa Na'ila al-Nablgha

198-199 196 391 Nahr 55 . Na"ar 211 " . Naj 165 392 ran ....... , ai-Nasa 'I, Abu 'Abd h arra man Muhammad .... 257 N wfal 356

a

..

127 Nazareth 42-43 Mujahld 264 Night Journey. (aiIsra') .270-271,319 Murder .......... 100, 289, 356-358, 360- Night of Power. 160361 161.169 MusIIm, IbnaI H8 IIaj Nile ... 26,63, 65, 319 u 49, 104, 108, 144, NImrod 53, 55-56. 315 257. 387-388 Noah .39-40. Muslims ..... 32,100, 47-48,50-53,56,79120-122 126 139 80, 89, 123-124, 152, 15~. 17~. 192: 310-311, 325 196, 198, 202, 205, Nun A9 209,211,213,222. al-Nuraln, sura .. 136 224, 226, 235, 244- Obadiah .82 247, 249·250, 268, Olives 28 297. 301-302. 304. Pahlavlc. 322, 342-343, 349, language .. 299. 320 356. 361, 364, 395- Paradise ...... .62-63, 397,399 101, 103, 111, 152-

423

General Index

General Index

153, 221, 299, 301, 270, 280, 332, 334304-305,320 335,379-380 Paul 60, 109, Prophet .. 26,49,51, 124, 132, 163, 226, 100, 103, 110, 134, 249,293,326 158, 164, 194-195, Pentecost 165 202, 222, 224, 237, People of the Book.. 241, 243, 245, 257, 126, 231, 322, 115, 271, 285, 290-291, 398-399, 404-405 302, 304-305, 307, Persia ... 35, 85, 403 327, 332, 336, 341Persian, 343, 345, 347, 351, language .298-299, 353, 360-361, 363, 320 366, 378-379, 381-

121, 123-125, 129131, 133-134, 136, 139, 142-147, 150, 152, 155-156, 159160, 164, 166-167, 173-177, 179-180, 183, 189-192, 195196, 204, 214, 219, 222·224, 226, 232233, 236, 240-241, 243-244, 265-266, 268, 273, 287, 297298, 300, 304, 309-

Peter 293,365

312, 314-315, 317318, 320-321, 323. 325-332, 334-337,

109, 124,

382, 387-388, 392394, 397-400, 404· 405, 407

Pharaoh 35-36, 31-32 40-41,60,63-65,67, Qaf, Mount 250, 88-89,124,137,299, Qals 308,311,325 312-313,335

348, 354·356, 365, 367, 373-316, 381, 384-385, 392, 394,

Phlllstlnes ..... 90-91 PII rima e see Ha" g g, !IJ Plagues of Egypt 67, 88

Qarqarat al.Kldar 394 400, 402-406, 408 Qarra, mountain .261 Quralsh ...60, 86, 97, 123, 129, 198, 235, Qarun, see Korah Q tada 263 269 345 270-271, 322, 346, a " 349, 355-357, 361Polygamy ........191 Qlbla ..134,201,209- 362, 366, 368, 371, Potlphar, wife of .39, 211, 214 390, 395

58 Prayer 123, 139, 165,

...54,81, 125-126, 158-159, 177-178,

121, 134, 161, 202, 204-205, 207, 209214, 216-211, 260,

424

Qur'an ........18, 22, 27,29,31-32,35-36, 39,41,43-45,51-54, 57-58,61-62,65,67, 70-71,73-15,78,83,

aI-Qurtu bl ........ 390 , Rabl a.,' 165 al-Rada a 166 Ralhana 342

85, 87, 89-90, 93, RaJab ..121, 210, 356 55, 166 100, 105-101, 116- RaJm

Ramadan .. 121, 160- al-Sahml, Waqld Ibn Simeon, brother of 161, 179,214,216 'Abdallah 356 Joseph 61-62 al-Raqim Rashi

281 316 al-Rass 82-83 al-Razl, Husain Ibn 'Ali 132 41 . Red Sea Redemption .93, 118, 214 Resurrection Day 1718, 146, 152 See also Judgement Day Revelation ..117, 126, 132-135, 137, 156158, 166, 197-198, 216, 297, 311-312, 314, 318, 344, 351352, 354, 366, 376, 381-386, 389-390, 392-393 Rlfa'a 189-190 Sa'ir 151-152 Sabaeans 121, 152, 174, 205, 216, 245, 302 Sabbath .... 126, 141 Safa, Mount ..... 122, 195-196; 371 Safiyya 389 Safwan, raid 394, 396

Salama 211 Simeon, prophet .16Salih 258-261,369 18 Salman the Persian . Simon of Cyrene 311

320-321, 389 Sinai Peninsula ..28, Sam, see Shem 37,68 Samaritan 37-38, 255 Sinai, Mount 28 ' 106, ai-Samaw'al ...... 391 180 Samuel .. .42,90, 124 Sodom 311 Saqar 151-152 Sarah 162·163 Satan, see Devil Satans, see Devils Saturn ......54-55, 86 Saul .89-90,124,325 Saviour 147,405 Sawda 389 al.Shafl'r 222 Shafl'l, school of Islam 222 Sh ahad a... 202,324

Solomon .. A8, 50-51, 71-73, 124,255-256, 267-269, 272-277, 283-284, 292, 310, 315, 325, 391 Son of God ......116, 144, 147,303 Stars .. 20-22,24,51, 106,119,163 Suhalb 363 al-5uhaill, Abu al.

Qaslm 385 al-Shahrastanl .. 122, al-Sulaml, Safwan Ibn 189 al-Mu'attal 353-354 ai-Shaikh, Abu 'Afk . Sun 17-18, 308 20, 28-30, 55, 84-86,

Sharla ...... 190,342, 122, 196,233 Sheba ...... 272-274, 315,325

105-106, 144, 154, 273, 293, 391 Shem .47, 80 Sunday Shu'alb .. 82, 262-263 Sunna

121, 128, 216, 211320, 319, 126 222, 236

425

General Index

General Index

Suq 'Ukaz. . ..... 392 al-Suwalq, raid .. 394 al-Suyutl .... .62. 158159, 213. 241. 385. 388.390.405 Syria 225. 284. 399 Syrlac, language ......124. 298-299, 321 al-Ta'if 248. 250. 320. 355. 394, 397 al-Tabarl ...... 28. 47, 81, 92, 97, 224, 234, 256, 263. 401 Tabuk ....... 394,408 Tabuk, raid ..399-400 Talha 389 Talut, see Saul Taqbll 55 Tawaf 55, 122-123 Tawatur 160 Tawus 198 Tayammum .205-207 ai-Tayml, Abu Majih . .................197 Ten Commandments ....... 69, 124, 325 Thablr 198 Thamud .82-83, 137, 258. 260, 368, 371 Thaqlf 397

426

Thunder .26. 290-291 al.Tlrmldhl ... 27. 49. 290 Torah ......... A4. 80. 82. 93. 116, 123. 133. 162. 164, 222. 278, 281. 289, 299. 369, 389-390. 399. 402-403 Towa, Valley of 27-28 Trinity 115-117 Uhud, Battle of .156. 361, 394-396. 399 Ukaz 197 Umar .222. 225, 237, 250,314-315, 336 Umm Ganam, 'Unalzah 261 Umm Hablba 389 Umm Hanl' ..125.270 Umm Jamll 157 Umm Qlrfa 360 Umm Salama 389 Umra ........55, 122 Unbelievers .. 25, 36, 45, 47. 52, 79. 89, 99-101. 115, 135. 142, 146, 149. 152, 157. 160. 183, 201· 202, 209, 217, 223224, 229, 235, 237. 243-245, 259. 292,

302·303. 306-307. 324. 326-327. 347. 351. 356, 373-376, 379, 390. 395, 397400,406 Ur 54 'Uthman 167. 250. 356. 395 'Uyalna Ibn Hlsn 201 al-'Uzza .47. 323 Veil 233 Wadi al-Qura, raid .. 394 War of Apostasy 250 War of the Camel 250 Wldan, raid 394 Word of God 92, 142-145 Ya'ish 390 al-Yamama .. 83,250 Vassar 389-390 Yathbur 384 Yathrlb 333 Yemen .83,248,250, 285-286 al·Yusr, Abu ..... 158 Zabur, see Psalms Zald Ibn Harltha 407408 lalnab Blnt Jahsh .. 125, 349-350. 389, 407-408

lalnab Blnt Khuzalma ..... 342 zakat ... 99-100,123, 176-1n, 200-201, 233-235, 299 Zechariah ..3, 41-43, 50-51, 81, 124. 317, 325-326 Zoroastrians 319-320 al-Zuhrl .......... 237

427

Index to Qur'onReferences

Index to Qur'an References

al·Fatiha 1:1 1:4

299 299

al-Baqara ........... 297,310 2:7 167 2:17 177 2:29 23 2:23 116, 135 2:30 148 2:31-34 149 2:34 299 2:47 164 2:55,56 70 2:60 67 2:61 121 2:62 174 2:67-73 287 2:80 179 2:96 316 2:98 135,314 2:102 292, 299 2:106 300, 330, 332 2:108 369 2:110 299 2:115,142-145 . 207

428

2:118 2:124 2:125-127 134, 314 2:145 2:158 2:168,169 2:177 2:178 2:183,184 2:187 2:193 2:194 2:196 2:197 2:198 2:199 2:214 2:216,244 2:217 ... 224, 354, 2:225 2:228 2:230,236 232 2:236 2:238

370 2:247-251 . 89,299 174 2:248 299 54, 2:256 306, 343 2:257 299 372 2:258 55 195 2:260 315 131 2:272 306 180-181 2:282 190, 229 221 AI Imran 179,214 297,310-311,321 332 3:7 309, 334 307 3:19 306 108, 218 3:20..... 405-406 184 3:31,32 317 197, 199 3:35-37 41 196 3:36 144 198 3:45 143, 147 91 127 3:46 101 3:48 299, 402 100,223- 3:49.. 92, 145-146 394 3:50 299 98 3:55 .. 93, 146, 160 203 3:59 142, 181 110, 189, 3:75 405 3:85 302 403 192 3:93...... 86 205, 211 96,97

3:103 3:121 3:123 3:140 3:144 3:169

249 103 396 395 378 155

al-Nisa) ....... 310-311 4:3 109,191, 193, 230, 342 4:4 299 4:11 191,229 4:12 329 4:15 240 4:24 304 4:25 241 4:31 118 4:34 . 190,202, 231 4:54 386 4:76 103 4:82 120, 300 4:84 308 4:89 223-224, 247,307 4:125 321 4:128 232 4:138,139 303 4:153 70 4:154 278 4:157-158 92, 159, 317 4:162 177

4:171

al-Malida

115, 143

6:52 6:74 6:78 6:84 6:93 6:107 6:109 6:124 6:161

362 38, 315 128 48,50, 164 366 306 370 373 321

311 5:2 219 401 5:4 5:5 226 5:6 205 5:17 142 5:30-35 315 5:33 223 a I-A(rat 5:38 189 . 65,89,297,310 5:43 133 7:2 132 5:46 116 7:11-13 149 5:47 403 7:28 131, 302 5:51 243 7:44 316 5:67......... 348 7:56......... 175 5:69 ..... 121, 174, 7:63,64 89 245, 302 7:65-72 79 5:73 115 7:73-78 258 5:82 165,392 7:89 140 5:89 107 7:127 64 5:90 305 7:128,129 66 5:97 219,246 7:133 88 5:110 .. 91-92,116, 7:145 69 317 7:148 255 5:112-115 74 7:157 316,404 5:116 115 7:160 68,175 5:117 93, 160 7:163 141 al-An1am 7:166 264 310 7:170 316 6:37 374 7:171 278 6:45 ; 303 7:178,179 168

429

Index to Qur'on References

Index to Qur'on References

7:188 7:189.190 7:196 7:200-202 7:203

378 9:111 103 45 9:113.114 345 116 9:124 299 Yunis 364 374 297. 310 al-Anfal 10:3 301 8:12,13 102 10:20 146 8:36 299 10:21 184 8:39 343 10:38 135 8:41 104. 235 10:47 44 8:60 102. 242 10:64 300 308 8:65 ..100, 307. 394 10:89-92 8:67 103 10:90-92 .40 ai-Tawba 10:94 131-132 9:1-5 216 10:99.100 .306.406 9:5 126 Hud 9:25 397 297. 310 316 9:29 .. 103.236.307 11:9 9:30 303 11:10 178 9:31 299 11:23 329 9:36.37 25. 216 11:25-27 52 9:41 100 11:42.43 47, 316 78 9:58-60 200. 234 11:50-59 99 11:69 329 9:60 9:61 378 11:75 329 9:62 184 11:82 329 9:67-68 303 11:114 119,158-159 9:69 176 11:119 168. 265 9:71 307 Yusuf 9:72 299. 302 297 9:73 100. 399 12:11-13 56 181 9:84 333 12:15

430

12:24 12:25-29 12:30-33 12:42 12:49 12:51 12:67 12:83,84 12:93

39 57 59 60 25 329 286 61 62

ai-RaId 19. 297 13:3 18 13:7 374 13:13 ..26, 290. 330 13:27 373 13:35 .153. 300, 373 13:40 343, 406

Ibrahim 14:4

167

al-Hijr 297. 310 15:6.7 375 15:9 166. 300 15:19 18. 21 15:28-33 150 15:43,44 .. 151.316 15:85 302

al-Nahl 16:15 16:26 16:36.39

310 19. 146 53 .45

16:48 329 18:107 299 16:68,69 269 Maryam 16:90 131 297.310-311 16:101 300,330. 19:12 329 376.405 19:16-21 42 16:103 298,309. 19:21 118 320. 389 19:22-26 43. 73 16:106 97.107 19:23.24 317 16:125 307. 343 1924 329 : 241 192728 38 16:126 :, l al-Isra 19:29 91 17:1 ..212, 270. 319 19:33 93. 160 17:16 130, 302 19:42-50 315 17:46,48 316 19:49.50 165 17:47 377 19:54 56. 164 51 17:59 368 19:56.57 151 17:61 150 19'71 . 17:73 347 17:88 136. 335 Ta Ha 17:90-93 371 297. 310 17:101-104 67 20:12 27 17:102.103 308 20:85-88 37 17:106 326. 406 20:87-95 255 316 17:111 128 20:91 al-Kahf 20:116 150

ai-Hajj 22:17 121.174 22:19 175 22:23 153 22:52.331-332,346 22:65 24 22:78 304

al-Mu1mlnun . 297. 310 23:11-14 ..134, 366 23:14 366 23:19.20 28 23:25 385 23:77 329 23:80 146 23:100 156 I N a- ur

....233. 238. 354 24:2 .. 192. 240-241 24:4 239 24:11 352 24:35 299

al-Furqan 310. 336

18:6 385 al-Anbiya I 25:4 18:8-26 317 ..24. 81. 284. 310 25:5.6 18:9-26 281.329 21:31 19. 23. 146 25:7.8 18:29 299-300 21:52-72 315 25:32 18:31 299 21:78.79 72. 165 25:38 18:65 .48 21:85 .. : 81, 283 al-Shu1ara) 18:83-86 ., ..17.84 21:91 144. 313 297.

376 311 377 326 82 310

431

Index to Qur'@ References

315 al-Sajda 262 297 32:3 124 32:4 al-Naml 32:5 ............297 32:13 26:69-79 26:176-190 26:193-195 26:196

27:17 27:20-28 27:38,39 27:82 27:124

268, 315 272 268 274 299

37:61 297 37:77 164 37:81 147, 301 37:113 301 37:123 168 Sad

al-Ahzab

al·(Ankabut

34:10 ..... 279-280 ........297, 310 34:12,13 ..268, 264 29:15-16 31534:14 276 29:27 162 34:44 164 29:39 36 Ya Sin 368

36:38

ai-Rum

76,297,311 ............297 al-Saffat

Luqman ............297 37:6-10 31:10 18, 83 37:36

432

313 53 315 165 180 81,264,

33:1 347 297,310 33:21 352 38:34,35 33:36 406 38:44 33:37,38 ..348, 407 38:48 al-Qasas 33:48 .....306, 406 al-Zumar .....65, 297, 310 33:50 110,194,305, 39:20 28:4-7 64 341, 387 39:28 28:8,38 35 33:51 388 39:44 28:9 63 33:53-55 . 194, 315, 39:56 ; 28:27 65 389 39:63 28:38-40 .41, 88 33:59 134 Ghafir 28:40 308 33:72 279 40:23-25 28:76 36, 71 Saba) 40:36

29:50,51

Index to Qur'@ References

255 87 81 154 298 301 347 299

42:17 42:24

al-Dukhan 44:58

298

al-Jathiya ............297 45:, 78 45:16

.. 318 162

al-Ahqaf ·

al.Mumtahlna

54:1 54:29 54:31 54:44,45

310 60:40 313 al.saff 313 313 61:6 397 61:10-12

54:51-53

169 al-Jum(a

al·Rahman 297

ai-Tur

56:22,23 56:36,37 56:39,40

320 66:12 154 al·Mulk 301 67:5

297

52:6 52:22

329 al-Hadid 154

183 376

al.Najm

310 al-Zukhruf 21 297, 311 376 43:25-27 315

311 402 304 404 257 125

46:10 .405 55:54 46:29-3 1 . . 129 , 265 . 55:56 al-Fath 55:64 329 63:10 .........176 55:68 153 48:1-2 365 55:72 .299, 305, 320 al-Talaq 48:8,9 182 al-Waql(a 65:3 169 301 65:12 23 48:16,17 220 56:13,14 . 48:23 166 56:15-23 153 al-Tahrlm 154 299 111 154

297 309 23

315

62:2 310 62:8 329 62:9-11 154 al-Munafiqun

56:17,18 56:18 56:20-23 56:21

al-Shura

28-29,

142 al-Qamar

Qaf 36 35

Fussllat 41:9-12 41:12

43:59

· 50:1 50:6

24, 297 31 24

al-Dhariyat 51:56

265, 299

66:1,2 66:4 66:5 66:9

38 20

al-Qalam 311

al·Mujadlla

297, 310 68:1,2 68:15 68:51

· 53:4

351 58:14-16 134 al-Hashr

303

53:20 53:32

346 118

398 al-Haqqa 333 69:36

59:2 59:5

332, 344 185 134, 315 245

351 318 351, 375 329

433

Index to Qur'Q1I References

al-Ma 'arlj

ai-Nazi 'at

70:4

301

Nuh al-Jinn 129, 267

al-Muzammil 73:1-5

80:1·10 80:31 81:17

299 al-Mutaffifun al-Muddaththir 83:23 74:1,2 381 83:25,26 74:8 329 al-Buruj 74:25 133 85:4-7 74:31 167 85:14 al-Qiyama 85'.2 1,2 2

al-Insan

329 ai-Tariq

. 86.1-4

365

ai-Tin '..329

95:1-4

106, 180

al-Qadr

73:15

75:25

93:1-3 105-106, 158,313 93:3 384

362 al-Sharh 329 94:1-3

al-Takwlr 381

Quiz

al-Duha 309 304

39-40 Abasa

71:24 72:1-6

79:27-32 79:40,41

153 305

97:1-4 97:3-5

169 160

al-FII 392 117

105:1-5 105:4

316 al-Ma ' un 107:7

299 al-Ghashiya 154 88:13

299

106 al-Kawthar 108'1-3 . .

76:30

169 al-Fajr 89:1-5

al-Naba) 78:25 78:32

al-Masad 153

111:1-5

393

al-Falaq 105

113:1-5

Ifyou have read this book carefully, you can easily answer the following questions. We are prepared to send you one of our other books as a prize in recognition ofyour efforts. Do not forget to write your full name and address when you send your answers to us. 1. There are ten categories ofquestionable texts in the Qur)an. What are these ten categories? 2. List five of the geographical mistakes described in this book.

285 299

............183 al-A'I a 392 76 :10 329 76'13 4 87:6 352 al-Nasr . . 15 76:15 183 87:18,19 .. 123,325 110:1-3 .......248 76:17 76:19

Is the Quran Infallible?

291, 350 '

299 ai-Shams al-Nas 153 91:1-9 ........105 114:1-6 .......350

3. The author has mentioned 54 historical questions in the Qur'an. Write out ten of these questions and explain three of them. 4. The Qur'an permits nine sins; which are they? Which one do you find most offensive? 5. The author raises 29 theological questions in the Qur)an. From these, explain the following: a) The Muslimjinn b) The dubious revelation c) God wills unbelief d) A dog invalidates the revelation e) There is no prophet descended from Ishmael 6. The writer has found 24 grammatical mistakes in the Qur)an. Explain questions 108, 110, 112, 114and 122. 7. The author has found 26 things which he considers to be

434

435

Quiz

legal questions. Write why he found the following subjects questionable: a) Cutting off a thiefs hand b) Marrying another husband c) Polygamy d) Permitting concubinage e) Killing an apostate 8. The author has found 21 social questions in the Qurlan. Write why he found fault with: a) A woman's testimony being worth half that of a man b) Beating one's wife c) Constraining to prostitution d) Blood revenge e) The Muslims' interpersonal conflicts 9. The writer questions 22 scientific matters in the Qurlan. Why does he question the following items? a) The magic ring b) The jinn and the 'ifrit c) Honey as a cure-all for every disease d) A corpse that Jeans on a stick for a year e) Muhammad's vulnerability to magic 10. The writer has found 33 questionable areas in the life of the Prophet of Islam. Name the one you think is worst and explain why. Then list those areas which you do not consider shameful, and defend your viewpoint.

LIGHT OF LIFE • P.O. BOX 13.A·9503 VILLACH.AUSTRIA

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