The Reply to these questions is placed on:
http://www.oocities.org/mkamranparacha/ReplyofChallengeToIslamEmail.htm
I hope that
anybody who read the questions will also read the Answers.
Further
http://www.oocities.org/mkamranparacha/ProphetMuhammadPBUHandBible.htm
http://www.oocities.org/mkamranparacha/ISLAMandTERRORISM.htm
This was a mail I received from somebody starting
below the star line.
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I Challenge the ENTIRE Islamic nation
that PLEASE give me answers for the following passage.
IF you don’t read this passage I will come to know
that Islam does not have the answer for this.
If you are a real Muslim
and have proud on being Muslim then you will give me answer of atleast 10
questions asked
The Evidence From Islamic
Traditions
1. Is Quran complete ?
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"Many (of
the passages) of the Qur'an that were sent down were known by those who died
on the day of Yamama ... but they were not known
(by those who) survived them, nor were they written down, nor had Abu Bakr, Umar or Uthman (by that time) collected the Qur'an, nor were they
found with even one (person) after them." (Ibn Abi
Dawud, Kitab
al-Masahif, p. 23). |
According this source, portions of the Quran that
had been memorized by those slain in the battle vanished, never to be found
again.
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Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: 'Umar said, Ubai was the best of
us in the recitation (of the Qur'an) yet we leave some of what he recites.'
Ubai says, 'I have taken it from the mouth of
Allah's Apostle and will not leave for anything whatever.' But Allah said:
None of Our revelations do we abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We
substitute something better or similar (2.106)" (Bukhari Volume 6, Book
61, Number 527) Narrated Ibn Abbas: Umar said, "Our best Qur'an reciter is Ubai and our best judge is 'Ali; and in spite of
this, we leave some of the statements of Ubai
because Ubai says, 'I do not leave anything that I
have heard from Allah's Apostle while Allah: "Whatever verse
(Revelations) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We bring a better
one or similar to it." (2.106) (Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 8) |
These missing verses cannot be referring to
abrogated parts of the Quran which were no longer essential since even the
abrogated parts still form part of the text today.
This is why Ibn Umar
would say:
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It is reported
from Ismail ibn Ibrahim
from Ayyub from Naafi
from Ibn Umar who said: "Let none of you say
'I have acquired the whole of the Qur'an'. How does he know what all of it is
when much of the Qur'an has disappeared? Rather let him say 'I have
acquired what has survived.'" (as-Suyuti,
Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur'an, p.524). |
2. Suras Added or Deleted
The Islamic traditions agree that certain Muslim reciters included extra suras not
found in the present text of the Quran. For instance, Ubay
Ibn Kabb was considered one of the best Muslim reciters, being dubbed "the Master of the Quranic Reciters." Yet,
interestingly Kabb included two extra suras, which he claimed were part of the revelation:
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"Written in
the text of Ubayy ibn Ka'b
were the Fatihal-kitab (the Opening Surah) and the Mu'awwi-thatayni
(the Charm Surahs) and Allahumma
innaa nasta'iinka
(the opening words of Suratul-Khal'
meaning 'O Allah, we seek your help') and Allahumma
ayyaaka na'budu (the
opening words of Suratul-Hafd meaning 'O
Allah, we worship you')". (as-Suyuti,
Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur'an, p.153). |
Here are the two suras in
their entirety:
You (alone) we worship, and to You
(alone) we pray and lie prostrate, and to You (alone) we proceed and have
descendants. We fear Your torture and hope for Your
mercy. Truly Your torture will overtake the infidels.
Interestingly, Ubay was
not the only one who included these suras into his
codex. According to al-Suyuti, both Ibn Abbass and Abu Musa also included
them as part of their text. (Al-Itqan, p. 154)
QUESTION FOR YOU
Why are these suras not
part of the Quran today seeing that Muslim reciters
such as Ubay claimed that God revealed them as part
of the text?
Another Muslim considered an authority in Quranic recitation was Abdullah Ibn Masud:
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Narrated Masriq: 'Abdullah bin 'Amr mentioned 'Abdullah bin Masud
and said, "I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet saying,
'Take (learn) the Qur'an from four: 'Abdullah bin Masud,
Salim, Mu'adh and Ubai bin Ka'b."
(Bukhari Volume 6, Book 61, Number 521) |
Masud made the following claim:
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Narrated
'Abdullah (bin Mas'ud): By Allah other than Whom
none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Sura
revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place it was revealed; and there is
no Verse revealed in Allah's Book but I know about whom it was revealed."
(Bukhari Volume 6, Book 61, Number 524) |
Yet, in spite of his claiming to know the exact
place each Sura and verse was revealed, Masud not only rejected the two extra suras
of Kabb but omitted three additional chapters from
his codex as well! This makes Masud's Quran only 111 Suras in length. Interestingly, Bukhari records that Masud and Kabb were in
disagreement over this very issue:
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Narrated Zirr bin Hubaish: I asked Ubai bin Ka'b, "O Abu AlMundhir! Your brother, Ibn Mas'ud
said so-and-so (i.e., the two Mu'awwidh-at
do not belong to the Quran)." Ubai said,
"I asked Allah's Apostle about them, and he said, 'They have been revealed
to me, and I have recited them (as a part of the Quran)," So Ubai added, "So we say as Allah's Apostle has
said." (Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 501) |
QUESTION FOR YOU
Whose testimony should we accept, that of Masud or that of Kabb? Do we
agree that Allah only revealed 111 chapters or do we accept the 116 chapters of
Kabb's codex? Furthermore, why is it that the Uthmanic text contains 114 chapters, three more than that
of Masud and two short from that of Kabb?
3. Missing Verses
The hadiths also supply
us with evidence that there are missing verses:
Missing Part On The
Fatherhood Of Muhammad:
Yusuf Ali records that S. 33:6 in the text of Ubay
read differently from the Uthmanic text. The Uthmanic text presently reads:
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"The
prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are
their mothers." |
Yet Ubay's codex read:
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"The
prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and he is a
father to them, and his wives are their mothers." |
Hence, Yusuf Ali states:
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"In
spiritual relationship the Prophet is entitled to more respect and
consideration than blood-relations. The Believers should follow him rather than
their fathers or mothers or brothers, where there is conflict of duties. He
is even nearer - closer to our real interests - than our own selves. In
some Qiraats, like that of Ubai
ibn Ka'b, occur also the words 'and he is a father
to them,' which imply his spiritual relationship and connect on with the
words, 'and his wives are their mothers.' Thus his spiritual fatherhood
would be contrasted pointedly with the repudiation of the vulgar superstition
of calling any one like Zaid ibn Haritha by the appellation Zaid
ibn Muhammad (xxxiii. 40): such an appellation is really disrespectful to
the Prophet." (Ali, The Holy Qur'an, p. 1104, f. 3674) |
Missing Part On Asr Prayer
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Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from al-Qaqa ibn Hakim that Abu Yunus,
the mawla of A'isha, umm
al-muminin said, "A'isha
ordered me to write out a Qur'an for her. She said, 'When you reach this ayat, let me know, "Guard the prayers carefully and
the middle prayer and stand obedient to Allah."' When I reached it I
told her, and she dictated to me, 'Guard the prayers carefully and the middle
prayer and the asr prayer and stand obedient
to Allah.' A'isha said, 'I heard it from the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’" (Malik's Muwatta, Book 8, Number
8.8.26) Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Amr ibn Rafi said, "I was
writing a Qur'an for Hafsa, umm al-muminin, and she said, 'When you reach this ayat, let me know, "Guard the prayers carefully and
the middle prayer and stand obedient to Allah."' When I reached it I
told her and she dictated to me, 'Guard the prayers carefully and the middle
prayer and the asr prayer and stand obedient
to Allah.’" (Malik's Muwatta,
Book 8, Number 8.8.27) |
Compare it with today's present text:
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"Be
guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and stand up with
devotion to Allah." S. 2:238 Pickthall |
Missing Verse On Suckling
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Narrated Aisha: It had been
revealed in the Qur'an that ten clear sucklings
make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him)
died and it was before that time (found) in the Qur'an (and recited by the
Muslims). (Sahih Muslim, Book 8, Number 3421) |
Missing Verse On Stoning
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Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: 'Umar said, "I am afraid that after a long time has
passed, people may say, "We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book," and
consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has
revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of Rajam
be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is already
married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or
confession." Sufyan added, "I have
memorized this narration in this way." 'Umar
added, "Surely Allah's Apostle carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him." (Bukhari,
Volume 8, Book 82, Number 816; See also: Vol. 8, No. 817 and Vol. 9, No. 424) |
Missing Bismillah
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Ibn 'Abbas asked `Uthman what
possessed him to place Malik had a shorter explanation for the absence of this bismillah.
The beginning of Bara'a fell out and its bismillah fell out with it. (p. 164-165, Jalal al Din `Abdul Rahman b. abi Bakr al Suyuti,
al Itqan fi `ulum al Qur'an, Halabi,
Cairo, 1935/1354, pt 1, p. 65) |
Missing Part On "
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Anas b. Malik reported Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) as saying: If there were two
valleys of gold for the son of Adam, he would long for another one, and his
mouth will not be filled but with dust, and Allah returns to him who repents.
(Sahih Muslim, Number 2284) Ibn'Abbas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as
saying: If there were for the son of Adam a valley full of riches, he would
long to possess another one like it, and Ibn Adam does not feel satiated but
with dust. And Allah returns to him who returns (to Him). Ibn 'Abbas said: I do not know whether it is from the Qur'an
or not; and in the narration transmitted by Zuhair
it was said: I do not know whether it is from the Qur'an, and he made no
mention of Ibn 'Abbas. (Sahih
Muslim, Number 2285) |
In light of the preceding evidence, can any Muslim
honestly claim that the Quran has been completely preserved?
4. Traditions Which Show Muslims Accusing Each
Other Of Tampering With The Quran
Interestingly, both Muslims of the past and present
have accused each other of adding or omitting portions from the Quran:
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Hudhaifah therefore said to Othman: "Oh Commander of the Faithful, be careful of the people." He answered,
"What is the problem?" Hudhaifah said,
"I took part in the expedition against Accordingly
Othman sent to Hafsa, saying, "Send us the
sheets that we may copy them into the volumes. Then we shall return them to
you." Hafsa therefore sent them to Othman.
Then he commanded Zaid ibn Thabit
and Abdullah ibn al Zubair and Said ibn al As and
Abdullah ibn Harith ibn Hisham,
and they copied them into the volumes. And Othman said to the company of the
three Quraishites, "When you differ, you and Zaid ibn Thabit, in any portion
of the Qur'an write it in the dialect of the Quraish,
for verily it came down in their dialect." And they did so until, when
they had copied the sheets into the volumes, Othman
restored the sheets to Hafsa. And he sent to every
region a volume from what they had copied, and commanded regarding
everything of the Qur'an besides it, in every sheet and volume, that it
should be burned. (Mishkat al-Masabih, trans. James Robson [Ashraf
Lahore, 1963], p. 185 Bukhari transmitted from Anas
bin Malik) |
These traditions clearly affirm that the Syrians
had readings not known to the Iraqis and vice-versa. These readings had nothing
to do with dialectal variations since variations in dialect would not result in
the parties not having heard verses contained in the other codices.
Furthermore, who gave Uthman the right to burn
codices written by eye and ear witnesses of Muhammad? One Muslim who refused to
submit his codex to burning was Abdullah Ibn Masud:
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Hudhaifah went on to say, "O Abdullah ibn Qais,
you were sent to the people of "The
people have been guilty of deceit in the reading of the Qur'an. I like it better to
read according to the recitation of him (Prophet) whom I love more than
that of Zayd Ibn Thabit.
By Him besides Whom there is no god! I learnt more than seventy surahs from the lips of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah
bless him, while Zayd Ibn Thabit
was a youth, having two locks and playing with the youth." (Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2,
p. 444) |
Interestingly, the charge that Muslims have
tampered with the text is not limited solely to the past. There are certain
Shiite Muslims who hold to the belief that Uthman
omitted portions of the Quran that spoke favorably of Ali. (W. St. Clair-Tisdall, A Manuel of the Leading Muhammedan
Objections to Christianity [London: Society for Promoting Christian
Knowledge, 1904], p. 59; B. Todd Lawson, "Notes for the Study of a Shi'i Qur'an," in Journal of Semitic Studies
[Autumn 1991], vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 279-96)
Furthermore, even today there are some Shiite
Muslims that claim to have two genuine suras that
forms part of their Quranic text:
Sura Al-Nurain
"O you who believe,
believe in the two lights. He has revealed them unto you, warning you against
the torture of the Great Day - two lights emanating from one another, for I am
the All-Hearing and the All-Knowing. Truly those who fulfill Allah's pledge and
his Apostle's verses shall be rewarded with
Source: Mohammad Azat Darwaza, Al-Qur'an al-Majid,
page 60 and Mohammed Ahmed Maal Allah, Al Shi'a wa Tareef
Al Quran; also see Theodor Nöldeke:
Geschichte des Qorans Zweite
Auflage, völlig umgearbeitet von Friedrich Schwally,
Zweiter Teil: Die Sammlung des Qorans, Leipzig [Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung]
1919, Seiten 102-103
Sura Al-Wilaya
On the name of the all merciful God
You who are believers, believe in the prophet and the saint (patron,
God-man) "which is Ali Bin Abi Taleb, Mohammed cousin" which we sent, they will guide
you to the strait path.
A prophet and a saint "belong to" each
other, and I am the all knowing, the experienced.
Those who do (obey) God's covenant
they "deserve" comforting paradises.
And those who if it read to them our verses, they
contradict it.
[Meaning: If somebody (unknown) were to read the
verses (from the Qur'an) to them, they reject would it.]
They have a great (big) place in Hell, if they
called in the day of judgement: where is the unfair,
the contradictory for the messengers?!
The messengers don't leave them "without"
the truth, and God "will not allow them" to win (appear, show) till a
short time.
Praise your lord "and" thank "him", and Ali "Ali Bin Abi
Taleb, Mohammed cousin" "one" from the
witnesses.
Please
find our these Suras in Quran for me,
2.Meaningless Quranic Words
There are
certain letters in the Quran which has baffled Muslims till this day. The
letters are those that appear at the beginning of certain chapters:
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Alif Lam Ra- Suras 10, 11, 12, 14, 15. |
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Alif Lam Mim- Suras 2, 3, 29, 30, 31,
32. |
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Alif Lam Mim Ra- Sura 13. |
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Alif Lam Min Sad- Sura 33. |
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Ha
Mim- Suras 40, 41, 43,
44, 45, 46. |
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Ha
Mim 'Ain Sin Qaf- Sura 42. |
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Sad-
Sura 38. |
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Ta
Sin- Sura 27; |
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Ta
Sin Mim- Suras 26, 28. |
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Ta
Ha- Sura 20. |
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Qaf- Sura
50. |
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Ka
Ha Ya 'Ain Sad- Sura 19. |
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Nun-
Sura 68. |
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Ya Sin- Sura 36. |
Muhammad Asad admits:
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"About
one-quarter of the Qur'anic suras
are preceded by mysterious letter-symbols called muqatta'at
('disjointed letters') or, occasionally, fawatih
('openings') because they appear at the beginning of the relevant suras. Out of the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic
alphabet, exactly one-half- that is, fourteen- occur in this position, either
singly or in varying combinations of two, three, four, or five letters. They
are always pronounced singly, by their designations and not as mere sounds-
thus: alif lam mim, or ha
mim, etc. "The
significance of these letter-symbols has perplexed the commentators from the
earliest times. There is no evidence of the Prophet's having ever referred to
them in any of his recorded utterances, nor any of his Companions having ever
asked him for an explanation. None the less, it is established beyond any
possibility of doubt that all the Companions- obviously following the example
of the Prophet- regarded the muqatta'at as
integral parts of the suras to which they are
prefixed, and used to recite them accordingly: a fact which disposes
effectively of the suggestion advanced by some Western orientalists
that these letters may be no more than the initials of the scribes who wrote
down the individual revelations at the Prophet's dictation, or of the
Companions who recorded them at the time of the final codification of the
Qur'an during the reign of the first three Caliphs. "Some of
the Companions as well as some of their immediate successors and later Qur'anic commentators were convinced that these letters
are abbreviations of certain words or even phrases relating to God and His
attributes, and tried to 'reconstruct' them with much ingenuity; but since
the possible combinations are practically unlimited, all such interpretations
are highly arbitrary and, therefore, devoid of any real usefulness…"
(Asad, The Message of the Qur'an [Dar al-Andalus Limited, 3 Library Ramp Gibraltar, rpt. 1993],
App. II, p. 992) |
After summarizing several different
interpretations, Asad concludes:
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"…and so,
in the last resort, we must content ourselves with the finding that a
solution of this problem still remains beyond our grasp. This was
apparently the view of the four Right-Guided Caliphs, summarized in these
words of Abu Bakr: 'In every divine writ (kitab) there is [an element of] mystery- and the
mystery of the Qur'an is [indicated] in the openings of [some of] the suras." (Ibid., p. 993) |
Even A. Yusuf Ali states:
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"As shown
in Appendix I (Sipara 3), the Abbreviated Letters
are mystic symbols, about whose meaning there is no authoritative
explanation. If the theory advanced in n. 25 to ii 1 has any validity,
and the present group A.L.R. is cognate to the group A.L.M., we have to
consider and form some idea in our minds as to the probable meaning of the
variation… But no one should be dogmatic in speculation about mystic
Symbols." (Ali, The Holy Qur'an- Introduction to Sura X [Yunus], p. 481) |
We are also told in Ali's footnote 25, p. 17, that
the meaning A.L.M.:
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"…Much has been
written about the meaning of these letters, but most of it is pure
conjecture. Some commentators are content to recognize them as some
mystic symbols, of which it is unprofitable to discuss the meaning by mere
verbal logic. In mysticism we accept symbols as such for a time being: their
esoteric meaning comes from the inner light when we are ready for it…" |
Ibn Kathir notes:
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"The
'ulama do not agree as to the interpretation of <Alif-Lam-Mim>
and other similar letters at the beginning of some suras. They have been given
the following interpretations: 1.The letters belong to Mutashabih (allegorical) verses, whose meaning is
known only to Allah. 2.They are the names of Allah. 3.They have meaning, and Allah
did not reveal them in vain and without a purpose. Those ignorant people who
say that the Qur'an contains words for mere worship, that have no meaning
whatsoever- are certainly in great error. There is no doubt that the letters
at the beginning of some Surahs have a meaning: we
say about them only what is authentically said about them by the Prophet.
Otherwise, we say nothing further about them and recite the verse <'We
believe in it; it is all from our Lord.'> (3:7). As for the
wisdom behind these letters, some scholars have said it is: 1.To alert the polytheists so
that they might listen to the words of Allah. This is a very weak reason in
light of the fact that such disconnected letters do not appear at the
beginning of every Surah. Besides al-Baqarah and al-'Imran
that follows it, both start with these letters, and both were revealed in Madinah where there were no polytheists. 2.Others believe that they are an
example of the miraculous wonder of the Qur'an and the people are unable to
confront it. This opinion is held by many scholars, including the Sheikh of
Islam, Ibn Taymiyya. This opinion is borne out by
the fact that all disconnected letters mentioned in the Qur'an are followed
by a mention of the Qur'an itself and its revelation by Allah, Lord of the
worlds. For example: <Alif-Lam-Mim. This is
the Book ...> (2:1), <Ha. Mim. By the
Book that makes things clear, that is this Qur'an)> (43:1), <Alif-Lam-Mim. Allah! There is no god but Him, the Living,
the Self-Subsistent. He has revealed to (Muhammad) the Scripture>
(3:1-3). <Alif-Lam-Ra. (This is) a Scripture
which We have revealed unto you (O Muhammad) ...> (14:1) (Tafsir Ibn Kathir-Part
1 Surah Al-Fatiha Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 1 to 141, Abridged by Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa'i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London 1998], pp. 55-57; bold italic
emphasis ours) |
That Ibn Kathir's second
explanation is unconvincing is seen by the fact that certain suras begin by mentioning the Quran without the mysterious
letters preceding it. For example S. 18:1 begins:
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In the Name of
Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to
Allah, Who hath sent Hs Servant the Book, and hath allowed therein no
Crookedness. (cf., S. 24:1; 25:1; 39:1-2; 52:1-3; 55:1-2; 97:1) |
In other suras, we find
the letters appearing without any reference to the Quran. One such sura is S. 191-2:
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In the Name of
Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Kaf. Ha. Ya. Ain. Sad. (This is) a
mention of Zakariya. |
And:
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In the name of
Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Alif-Lam-Mim.
Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "We believe",
and that they will not be tested? S. 29:1-2 (cf. S. 30:1-2; 68:1) |
The late Christian writer, 'Abdallah
'Abd al-Fadi, wrote:
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"Our
question is: Considering that only God knows the meaning of these words, as
Muslims claim, what do they benefit us? God never inspires a man with
profitless words; His words are clear and His oracles are a
guidance to the people." (Al-Fadi, Is
the Qur'an Infallible? [Light of Life, PO Box 13, A-9503 Villach, Austria], p. 297) |
QUESTION FOR THE DEBATER
Since Muslims such as Asad
clearly admit that there is no report suggesting that Muhammad spoke about
these mysterious letters in his recorded utterances, where did the Companions
come up with such a practice especially since these letters left them perplexed
as to their meanings? Furthermore, no report has come down to us indicating
that the Companions had inquired Muhammad on the meaning of these mysterious
letters. This is indeed strange since had these letters been part of the
original revelation why would the Companions not have asked about their
meaning? This seems to suggest that scribes added these letters much later and hadiths were then forged to establish their authenticity.
3).Fables of the Quran
The Quran contains myths and fables that were well
known during the time of Muhammad. The Quran testifies that the unbelievers
accused Muhammad of borrowing fables already known to them and claiming it as
revelation from God:
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Of them there
are some who (pretend to) listen to thee; but We have thrown veils on their
hearts, So they understand it not, and deafness in their ears; if they saw
every one of the Signs, they will not believe in them; in so much that when
they come to thee, they (but) dispute with thee; the Unbelievers say:
"These are nothing but TALES OF ANCIENTS." S. 6:25 When Our Signs
are rehearsed to them, they say: "We have heard this (before): if we
wished, we could say (words) like these: these are nothing but TALES OF
ANCIENTS." S. 8:31 When it is said
to them, "What is it that your Lord has revealed?" they say, "TALES
OF ANCIENTS!" S. 16:24 "Such
things have been promised to us and to our fathers before! they
are nothing but TALES OF ANCIENTS!" S. 23:83 And they say:
"TALES OF ANCIENTS, which he has caused to be written: and they
are dictated before him morning and evening." S. 25:5 "It is true
we were promised this,- we and our fathers before
(us): these are nothing but TALES OF ANCIENTS." S. 27:68 But (there is
one) who says to his parents, "Fie on you! Do ye hold out the promise to
me that I shall be raised up, even though generations have passed before me
(without rising again)?" And they two seek Allah's aid, (and rebuke the
son): "Woe to thee! Have faith! For the promise of Allah is true."
But he says, "This is nothing but TALES OF ANCIENTS!" S.
46:17 When to him are
rehearsed Our Signs, "TALES OF ANCIENTS", he cries! S. 68:15 When Our Signs
are rehearsed to him, he says, "TALES OF ANCIENTS!" S. 83:15 |
According to the Quran, Solomon had animals under
his control and actually would have conversations with them much like the way
humans do:
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"And there were
gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the jinn and humankind, and
of the birds, and they were set in battle order; Till, when they reached
the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings
lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving. And (Solomon)
smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord, arouse me to be
thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do good that shall be
pleasing unto Thee, and include me in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves.
And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe,
or is he among the absent? I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I
verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse. But he
was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing)
that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto thee
from Sheba with sure tidings. Lo! I found a woman ruling over them, and
she hath been given (abundance) of all things, and hers is a mighty throne. I
found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan maketh their works fairseeming
unto them, and debarreth them from the way (of
Truth), so that they go not aright; So that they worship not Allah, Who bringeth forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth,
and knoweth what ye hide and what ye
proclaim…" S. 27:17-25 |
Muslim Muhammad Asad must
allegorize this passage since he was seemingly aware of the difficulty in
viewing this historically:
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"In this
instance, Solomon evidently refers to his own understanding and admiration of
nature (cf. 38:31-33 and the corresponding notes) as well as to his loving
compassion for the humblest of God's creatures, as a great divine blessing: and
this is the Qur'anic moral of the LEGENDARY story
of the ant." (Asad, p. 578, n. 17) |
Now compare this fable with the credible historical
version of the Holy Bible:
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"God gave
Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as
measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than
the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of
Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding
nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand
and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop
that grows out of walls He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and
fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the
kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom." 1 Kings 4:29-34 |
The Quran even claims that both the winds and jinns (demons) were subservient to Solomon:
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"And to
Solomon (We subjected) the wind strongly raging, running by his command
towards the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are the
All-Knower. And of the Shayâtin (devils) (from
the jinns) were some who dived for him, and
did other work besides that; and it was We Who guarded them." S.
21:81-82 "So, We
subjected to him the wind, it blew gently to his order whithersoever he
willed, And also the Shayâtin (devils) from the jinns (including) every kind of builder and diver,
And also others bound in fetters. [Saying of Allâh
to Solomon]: ‘This is Our gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be
asked’." S. 38:36-39 |
Ibn Kathir in his
commentary on Solomon 's control over the winds states
that Solomon was using the wind to travel by a flying carpet!
Muslim Alhassan Albasri claimed:
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Solomon was
traveling on his carpet from |
Muhammad Asad states:
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"In this as
well as in several other passages relating to Solomon, the Qur'an alludes
to many POETIC LEGENDS which were associated with his name since early
antiquity and had become part and parcel of Judeo-Christian and Arabian lore
long before the advent of Islam. Although it is undoubtedly possible to
interpret such passages in a 'rationalistic' manner, I do not think that
this is really necessary. Because they were so deeply ingrained in the
imagination of the people to whom the Qur'an addressed itself in the first
instance, these legendary accounts of Solomon's wisdom and magic powers
had acquired a cultural reality of their own and were, therefore,
eminently suited to serve as a medium for the parabolic exposition of certain
ethical truths with which this book is concerned: and so, without denying
or confirming their MYTHICAL character, the Qur'an uses them as a foil
for the idea that God is the ultimate source of all human power and glory,
and that all achievements of human ingenuity, even though they may sometimes
border on the miraculous, are but an _expression of His transcendental
creativity." (Asad, p. 498, n. 77) |
Another Quranic fable
includes S. 18:9-23, 25-26 and the Story of the Sleepers of the Cave. According
to this tale, several youths and their dog fled to a cave where according to
one version of the story they slept for 309 years.
Once again, here is Asad:
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"…We may,
therefore, safely assume that the LEGEND of the Men of the Cave- stripped
of its Christian garb and the superimposed Christian background- is,
substantially, of Jewish origin... But whatever the source of this LEGEND,
and irrespective of whether it is of Jewish or Christian origin, the fact
remains that it is used in the Qur'an IN A PURELY PARABOLIC SENSE:
namely, as an illustration of God's power to bring about death (or 'sleep')
and resurrection (or 'awakening'); and, secondly, as an ALLEGORY of
the piety that induces men to abandon a wicked or frivolous world in order to
keep their faith unsullied, and of God's recognition of that faith by His
bestowal of a spiritual awakening which transcends time and death."
(Ibid., p. 439, n. 7) |
And,
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"The future
tense in sayaqulun points once again to
the LEGENDARY character of the story as such, and implies that all
speculation about its details is irrelevant to its parabolic, ethical
purport." (Ibid., p. 442, n. 31) |
In fact, Asad often
points out the fact that many of the Quranic tales
are legendary, mythical. Note the following comments:
Asad on S. 2:102
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"…At any
rate, it is certain that from very ancient times Babylon was reputed to be
the home of magic arts, symbolized un the LEGENDARY persons- perhaps kings-
Harut and Marut; and it
is to this LEGEND that the Qur’an refers with a view to condemning every
attempt at magic and sorcery, as well as all preoccupation with occult
sciences in general." (Ibid., p.22, n. 83) |
Asad on S. 2:259
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"…The story
told in this verse is obviously a PARABLE meant to illustrate God’s
power to bring the dead back to life… The speculation of some of the earlier
commentators as to the ‘identity’ of the man and the town mentioned in this
story are without any substance, and may have been influenced by TALMUDIC
LEGENDS." (Ibid., p. 58, n. 253) |
Asad on S. 18:50
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"…This
short reference to the oft-repeated ALLEGORY of God’s commands to the
angels to ‘prostrate themselves before Adam’ is meant,
in the above context, to stress man’s inborn faculty of conceptual
thinking…" (Ibid., p. 446, n. 52) |
And,
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"… As
regards Satan’s SYMBOLIC ‘rebellion’ against God, see notes 26 on 2:34
and note 31 on 15:41." (Ibid., p. 447, n. 55) |
When we turn to Asad’s
notes to S. 2:34-35 on the story of Adam, Eve and the Garden something
interesting emerges:
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"… Lit.,
‘the garden’. There is a considerable difference of opinion among the commentators
as to what is meant here by ‘garden’; a garden in the earthly sense, or the
paradise that awaits the righteous in the life to come, or some special
garden in the heavenly region? According to some of the earliest commentators
(see Manar I, 277), an earthly abode
is here alluded to- namely, an environment of perfect ease, happiness and
innocence. In any case, this story of Adam is OBVIOUSLY one of the
ALLEGORIES referred to in 3:7." (Ibid., p. 9, n. 27) |
Again,
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"… As in the
parallel account of this parable of the Fall in 2:35-36, the dual form of the
address changes at this stage into the plural, thus connecting once again
with verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11 of this surah,
and making it clear that the story of Adam and Eve is, in reality, an
ALLEGORY of human destiny… In this deeper sense, the ALLEGORY of the Fall
does not describe a retrogressive happening but, rather, a new stage of human
development…" (Ibid., p. 205, n. 16) |
Asad on S. 18:60
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"…In this
instance, it evidently marks a connection, with verse 54 above (‘many facets
have We given in this Qur’an to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the
benefit of] mankind’), and introduces an ALLEGORY meant to illustrate
the fact that knowledge, and particularly spiritual knowledge, is
inexhaustible… The subsequent PARABLE of Moses and his quest for knowledge
(verses 60-82) has become, in the course of time, the nucleus of INNUMERABLE
LEGENDS with which we are not concerned here… There is no doubt that
this Tradition is a kind of ALLEGORICAL introduction to our Qur’anic PARABLE… As for the ‘junction of the two
seas’, which many of the early commentators endeavored to ‘identify’ in
geographical terms (ranging from the meeting of the Red Sea and the Indian
Ocean at the Bab al-Mandab
to that of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean at the Straits of
Gibraltar), Baydawi offers, in his
commentary on verse 60, a purely ALLEGORICAL explanation…" (Ibid.,
pp. 448-449, n. 67) |
And,
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"…In the Tradition
on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka’b
(referred to in note 67) this mysterious sage is spoken of as Al-Khadir or Al-Khidr,
meaning ‘the Green One’. Apparently this is an epithet rather than a name,
implying (according to popular LEGEND) that his wisdom was ever-fresh
(‘green’) and imperishable: a notion which bears out the assumption that
we have here an ALLEGORIC FIGURE symbolizing the utmost depth of mystic
insight accessible to man." (Ibid., p. 449, n. 73) |
Asad is not alone in acknowledging that the Quran contains ancient tales of
the Arabs and of the Judeo-Christian communities. Abdullah Yusuf
Ali, in his famous translation of the Quran, also acknowledges this fact.
Ali On S. 2:55
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"…We have hitherto
had instances from Jewish traditional Taurat
(or Pentateuch). Now we have some instances from Jewish traditions in
the Talmud, or body of exposition in the Jewish theological schools…"
(Ali, The Holy Qur’an-Translation and Commentary, p. 30, n. 70) |
Ali On S. 2:70
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"…The
gushing twelve springs from a rock evidently refers to a LOCAL TRADITION
well known to Jews and Arabs at Mustafa’s time… The Jewish Tradition
would be based on Exod. xvii. 6: ‘Thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of
it that the people may drink…" (Ibid., p. 32, n. 73) |
Ali On the Jews fishing on
the Sabbath Day
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"…There
must have been a Jewish tradition about a whole fishing community in sea
side town, which persisted in breaking the Sabbath and were turned into
apes…" (Ibid., p. 34, n. 79) |
Ali On Abraham being
tossed in the Fire
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"…traditionally
the fire incident is referred to a king called Nimrud…
if Nimrud 's capital was in Assyria, near Ninevah (site near modern Mosul),
we may suppose either that the king 's rule extended over the whole of
Mesopotamia, or that Abraham wandered north through Babylonia to
Assyria." (Ibid., p. 837, n. 2725) "…Can we
localize Nimrud? If LOCAL TRADITION can be
relied upon, the king must have ruled over the tract which includes the
modern Nimrud, on the Tigris, about twenty miles
south of Mosul. This is the site of the Assyrian
ruins of great interest, but the rise of Assyria as an empire was of course
much later than the time of Abraham. The Assyrian city Kalakh
(Calah), and archaeological excavations carried out
there have yielded valuable results, which are however irrelevant for our
commentary." (Ibid., p. 533, n. 1565) |
And,
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"…In
Arab tradition there is the story of Abraham. Nimrud
tries to burn him to death, but on account of Abraham's faith the fire became
a means of safety for Abraham…" (Ibid., p. 1714, n. 6055) |
The late Syed Abu-Ala' Maududi concedes the fact that the Quranic
story of the drowning of the Pharaoh at S. 10:90-91 finds parallels in the
Talmud:
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"…Though
this is not mentioned in the Bible, it is explicitly recorded in the
Talmud in the following words: ‘Who is like Thee, O Lord, among the
gods?’" (Towards Understanding the Qur’an-Vol.
IV, Surahs 10-16, an english
translation of Tafhim al-Qur’an by Zafar Ishaq, assisted by A.R. Kidwai [The Islamic Foundation (printed and bound in
Great Britain by the Cromwell Press), rpt. 1999], p. 63, n. 91) |
We conclude this section with the words of Faruq Sherif:
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Some
Legendary Figures In the course of
developing its teachings, the Qur’an frequently cites the example not of prophets
and sages of ancient times, but also of some LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL or even
FICTITIOUS persons. Chief among these is Khidr,
the Evergreen who, though not mentioned by name, is recognised
as the mysterious person (the possessor of divinely-inspired knowledge of the
secret sources of life) whom Moses met on his ALLEGORICAL journey… Another
LEGEND prominently described in the Qur’an is that of the ‘seven sleepers’ or
the ‘Companions of the Cave’ also mentioned in another section of this
book. In this connection mention is made of the angels Harut
and Marut who taught magic at Babylon, but warned
the people that the teaching was imparted to them only to try them. In the
commentaries of the Qur’an Harut and Marut have been identified with the two fallen angels of
Jewish tradition who, having sinned on earth, were hung by their feet over
a well for punishment. A summary is
given below of the contents of the Qur’an relating to three LEGENDARY
figures: Dhulqarnain, Luqman,
Qarun. A section is
also included on Pharaoh who, although a historical person, often appears in
the Qur’an as an archetype for autocracy. The experiences or
characteristics of these MYTHICAL or SEMI-MYTHICAL figures are included to
serve a salutary example or a dissuasive lesson to believers." (Sherif, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur’an [Garnet
Publishing, 8 South Court South Street, Reading, RG1 4QS UK, 1995], pp.
94-95) |
Need we say more?
Questionable and
Pornographic Language of the Quran
The Virgin birth of Christ
The Quran describes Jesus’ virginal conception and
birth in seemingly graphic and tasteless language:
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And (remember)
her who guarded her SEXUAL ORGAN (Arabic-farjahaa):
We breathed into her from Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a Sign
for all people. S. 21:91 And Mary the
daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her SEXUAL ORGAN
(Arabic-farjahaa) and We breathed
INTO IT of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her
Lord and of His revelations, and was one of the devout (servants). S. 66:12 |
Mahmoud M. Ayoub contrasts the birth narratives of
the Gospel of Luke with that mentioned in the Quran:
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"The language
of this verse (author- Luke 1:35) is clearly circumspect. It implies no
sexual union or divine generation of any kind. Furthermore, while Luke’s
description agrees with both in form and spirit with the Qur’anic
idea conception of Christ, the language of the Qur’an IS FAR MORE GRAPHIC
AND OPEN TO INTERPRETATION." (Christian-Muslim Encounters,
ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad & Wadi
Z. Haddad [University Press of Florida, 1995], p. 67) |
He goes on to say:
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"…Then of Mary
He (author-allegedly God) continues: ‘And she who guarded well [lit. fortified] her chastity [lit. GENERATIVE ORGAN], and
thus We breathed INTO HER of our spirit, and We made her and her son a
sign [or miracle, ‘Aya] for all beings’ (S.
21:90-91)… "In the
second instance the Qur’an speaks of Mary as a righteous woman who lived in
strict chastity and obedience to God: ‘And Mary daughter of ‘Imran who guarded well her GENERATIVE ORGAN farjaha, and thus We breathed INTO HER of our
spirit’ (S. 66:12). THE BOLD AND GRAPHIC STATEMENT APPEARS TO HAVE SHOCKED
TRADITIONISTS AND COMMENTATORS, so that most of them tired to cover it up
with different and FARFETCHED signification or glosses over it with out
comment… "Ibn Kathir interprets the phrase ‘guarded well her generative
organ’ to mean: ‘safeguarded and protected it. Guarding well ihsan signifies chastity and high birth.’ He
comments on the phrase, ‘and thus We breathed into it of our spirit’ thus
‘that is, through the angel Gabriel. This is because God sent him to her, and
he took for her the form of a man of good stature (S. 19:17). God commanded
him to breathe INTO THE BREAST OF HER CHEMISE. HIS BREATH WENT DOWN AND
PENETRATED HERE GENERATIVE ORGAN, AND THUS CAUSED HER TO CONCEIVE JESUS…
(Ibid.) |
Finally:
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"Abu Ja’far al-Tusi, the jurist
doctor of the Shi’i community, as well as his well
known disciple al-Tabarsi, read the words, ‘We
breathed into it’ literally. Al-Tusi says: ‘It has
been held that Gabriel BREATHED INTO MARY’S GENERATIVE ORGAN then God
created Christ in it’…" (Ibid., p. 68) |
Wife Beating
One sad aspect of Muhammad's sunna is that Muslim men are given the privilege of
beating their wives if the women show signs of rebellion:
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"Men are
superior to women on account of the qualities which God hath gifted the one
above the other, and on account of the outlay they make from their
substance for them. Virtuous women are obedient, careful, during the
husband's absence, because God hath of them been careful. But chide those
for whose refractoriness ye have cause to fear;
remove them into beds apart, and SCOURGE THEM: but if they are
obedient to you then seek not occasion against them: verily, God is High,
Great!" S. 4:34 Rodwell |
The embarrassment of this passage has led Muslim
scholars to redefine scourging as a light tap which leaves no mark. An example
of such a view is Ibn Kathir:
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<And beat
them.> if they do not abstain from their disobedience through both
advise and desertion. However, the beating should be Dharbun
ghayru mubrah, i.e.
light, according to the hadith narrated in Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Jabir,
who had quoted the Prophet as saying in his farewell pilgrimage: "And
fear Allah in women, for they are your aides, and their duties towards you is
that your beds should not be shared with someone you dislike. Therefore, if
they disobey you, beat them lightly, and your duty towards them
is that you should maintain and buy them clothes in a reasonable
manner." Scholars said: Dharbun ghayru mubrahun means: The husband should beat his
wife lightly, in way which does not result in breaking one of her limbs or
affecting her badly. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, part 6, p. 53 bold italic emphasis ours) |
Notice that even in Ibn Kathir's
translation of S. 4:34 the command to beat one's wife sticks out clearly.
Furthermore, there is absolutely no justification in beating women even if that
beating is mild. This is simply inhumane to say the least.
Some Muslims also appeal to Hadiths
where it is reported that Muhammad disallowed wife abuse. Yet, unfortunately
for these Muslims the preceding statement from Ibn Kathir
that at the time of the Farewell Pilgrimage Muhammad gave the command to beat
women cancels out such an attempt to deny spousal abuse. In fact, other
traditions clearly show Muslims beating their wives with Muhammad's approval:
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"…the above
verse (i.e., 4:34) was revealed in connection with a woman who complained to
Mohammad that her husband slapped her on the face (which was still marked
by the slap). At first the Prophet said to her: 'Get even with him,' but
then added: 'Wait until I think about it.' Later on the above verse was
revealed, after which the Prophet said: 'We wanted one thing but Allah
wanted another, and what Allah wanted is best.’" (Ar-Razi, At-tafsir al-Kabir on Q. 4:34) |
Ibn Kathir reports:
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On the authority
of Ali, Ibn Mardawih narrated: "A man from al-Ansar came with a woman to the Prophet, then the woman
said: 'O Allah's Messenger! Her husband who was known as so and so from al-Ansar had hit her and that had affected her face.'
The Prophet replied: 'He should not have done that.’ Then, the verse, <men
are the protectors and maintainers of women. >, as far as
discipline is concerned, was revealed. Therefore, the Prophet said: 'You
wanted something and Allah wanted something else.'" (Ibid., pp.
50-51 italic emphasis ours) |
In Sahih al-Bukhari,
Volume 7, Number 715 we find another woman who was beaten severely enough that
a green bruise was found on her body.
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Narrated Ikrima: Rifa'a divorced his wife whereupon Abdur-Rahman
bin Az-Zubair Al-Qurazi
married her. Aisha said that the lady (came),
wearing a green veil (and complained to her (Aisha)
of her husband and showed her a green spot on her skin caused by the
beating.) It was the habit of ladies to support each other, so when
Allah's Apostle came, Aisha said, "I have
not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing woman. Look! Her skin
is greener than her clothes!" When Abdur-Rahman
heard that his wife had gone to the Prophet, he came with his two sons from
another wife. She said, "By Allah! I have done no wrong to him, but he
is impotent, and is useless to me as this," holding and showing the
fringe of her garment. Abdur-Rahman said, "By
Allah, O Allah's Apostle! She told a lie! I am very strong and can satisfy
her but she is disobedient and wants to go back to Rifa'a."
Allah's Apostle said to her, "If that is your intention, then know that
it is unlawful for you to remarry Rifa'a unless Abdur-Rahman has had sexual intercourse with you."
Then the Prophet saw two boys with Abdur-Rahman and
asked (him), "Are these your sons?" On
that Abdur-Rahman said, "Yes." The
Prophet said, "you claim what you claim (i.e., that he is impotent)? But
by Allah, these boys resemble him as a crow resembles a crow." |
We notice two things from this Hadith.
First, Aisha attests that Muslim women were suffering
more than any other women. Second, Muhammad never once corrected Abdur-Rahman for beating his wife so hard as to leave a
bruise on her body but focuses instead on his wife's allegations and motives.
In Sunan of Abu Dawud, # 2141 we read:
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Iyas Dhubab reported the apostle of Allah as
saying: "Do not beat Allah's hand maidens," but when Umar came to the apostle of Allah and said: "Women
have become emboldened towards their husbands," he (the prophet), gave
permission to beat them. Then many women came round the family of
the apostle of Allah complaining against their husbands. So the apostle of
Allah said, "Many women have gone round Muhammad's family complaining
against their husbands. They are not the best among you." |
And, in # 2142 Umar
reported the prophet as saying:
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"A
man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife." When Ash'ath
Ibn al-Qays discovered Umar
b. Khattab beating his wife, Umar
stated: "Memorise three things from me, which
I memorised from the prophet, who said: 'The man is
not to be asked why he beat his wife…" (Ibn Kathir
on Q. 4:34, taken from a Hadith reported by Abu
Dawood, al-Nisa'i and Ibn Magah)
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In Sahih al-Bukhari
Volume 7, Number 132 Muhammad said:
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"None of
you should flog his wife as he flogs his slave and then have sexual
intercourse with her in the last part of the day." |
In other words, it is all right to flog women, only
not as hard as slaves, or on the day a person decides
to have intercourse with them. This exposes Islam's harsh treatment of both
women and slaves.
Another time where a woman was beaten occurred
shortly after an incident involving Muhammad's youngest wife, Aisha. According to the traditions, after the Muslims were
returning to Medina from the campaign of Banu al-Mustaliq, Aisha fell behind. Safwan Mu'attal ibn al-Salami
found her stranded and brought her back to the camp. A rumor began to spread
that Safwan and Aisha had
committed adultery, causing Muhammad to distrust his young wife.
In order to get to the heart of the matter, Ali ibn
Abu Talib decided to question Aisha's
female servant in the presence of Muhammad about the latter's wife. Haykal notes,
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"The
servant was called in and Ali immediately seized her and struck her
painfully and repeatedly as he commanded her to tell the truth to the
Prophet of God." (Husayn, The Life of
Muhammad, p. 336) |
According to Mishkat
Al-Masabih's
translator, in his footnote of Fatwa by Qazi Khan,
that beating a wife mildly is:
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"allowed in
four cases (1) when she does not wear fineries though wanted by the husband,
(2) when she is called for sexual intercourse and she refuses without any
lawful excuse, (3) when she is ordered to take a bath (to clean herself) from
impurities for prayer and she refuses and (4) when she goes abroad without
permission of her husband." (Mishkat,
Bk.1, section "duties of husband and wife," f. 138) |
This is confirmed by Abu Dawud
in his notes on #2141 and #2142:
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"This shows
that wives should obey their husbands," and, "This means that a man
tries his best to correct his wife, but if he fails to do so, he is
allowed to beat her as a last resort. This tradition never means that a
husband should beat his wife without any valid reason." |
In fact, the hadiths
record Muhammad singling out one Muslim for having the reputation of being a
great wife beater!:
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Fatima bint Qais (Allah be pleased
with her) reported that her husband divorced her with three, pronouncements
and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) made no provision for her
lodging and maintenance allowance. She (further said): Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) said to me: When your period of 'Idda
is over, inform me. So I informed him. (By that time) Mu'awiya,
Abu Jahm and Usama b. Zaid had given her the proposal of marriage. Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: So far as Mu'awiya is concerned, he is a poor man without any
property. So far as Abu Jahm is concerned, he is
a great beater of women, but Usama b. Zaid... She pointed with her hand (that she did not
approve of the idea of marrying) Usama. But Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon himn)
said: Obedience to Allah and obedience to His Messenger is better for thee.
She said: So I married him, and I became an object of envy. (Sahih Muslim, Book 009,
Number 3526) Fatima bint Qais (Allah be pleased with her) reported: My husband Abu
'Amr b. Hafs b. al-Mughira sent 'Ayyish b. Abu Rabi'a to me with a divorce, and he also sent through him
five si's of dates and five si's
of barley. I said: Is there no maintenance allowance for me but only this, and I cannot even spend my 'Idda
period in your house? He said: No. She said: I dressed myself and came to
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). He said: How many pronouncements
of divorce have been made for you? I said: Three. He said what he ('Ayyish b. Abu Rabi'a) had
stated was true. There is no maintenance allowance for you. Spend 'Idda period in the house of your cousin, Ibn Umm Maktum. He is blind and you can put off your garment in
his presence. And when you have spent your Idda
period, you inform me. She said: Mu'awiya and Abu'l-Jahm (Allah be pleased
with them) were among those who had given me the proposal of marriage.
Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Mu'awiya
is destitute and in poor condition and Abu'l-Jahm
is very harsh with women (or he beats women, or like that), you should
take Usama b. Zaid (as
your husband). (Sahih Muslim, Book 009, 3527) |
We must ask the Debater the following question.
Does Muhammad's allowance of Muslim men to beat rebellious wives show signs of
integrity? What women would view Muhammad as honest and trustworthy seeing that
he favors domestic abuse?
S. 4:34 also points out the fact that Allah has
made man superior to woman. This superiority is not due solely to position as
we find in the Holy Bible, but also includes the fact that Allah has given men
superior qualities over women. This idea is restated in S. 2:28:
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"…Women
have such honorable rights as obligations, but their men have a degree
above them." |
Ibn Kathir on 4:34
states:
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In this verse
Allah says that the man is the leader over the woman and is the one who
disciplines her if she does wrong. <Because Allah has made one of
them excel the other.>, this is because men are better than
women, and man is better than woman. Therefore, prophethood
and kingship were confined to men, as the Prophet said: 'A people
that choose woman as their leader will not succeed.' This hadith
was narrated by Al-Bukhari. Added to that positions such as judiciary, etc…. <And
because they spend from their means.> Here, Allah refers to the dowry
and expenses, which Allah has prescribed in the Qur'an and Sunnah; and given a man is better than a woman, it
is appropriate that he be her protector and maintainer, as Allah says:
<But men have a degree over them.> (2:228). (Tafsir
Ibn Kathir, part 6, p. 50 bold italic emphasis
ours) |
And Ibn Kathir on 2:228:
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<But men have
a degree over them.>, that is, men have a degree over women as far as
virtue, behavior, status, obeying orders, expenditure, fulfilling duties, and
grace in both worldly life and the Hereafter… (Tafsir
Ibn Kathir, part 2, p. 204) |
Unlimited Concubines For
Sex
The Quran also allows Muslims the right to have an
unlimited amount of slave girls for sex:
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If ye fear that ye
shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your
choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to
deal justly (with them), then only one, or that which your right hands
possess. That will be more suitable to prevent you from doing injustice.
S. 4:3 |
According to Ibn Kathir,
the phrase "that which your right hands posses" refers to the slave
girls in the possession of Muslim men:
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The Ayah commands,
if you fear that you will not be able to do justice between your wives by
marrying more than one, then marry only one wife, OR SATISFY YOURSELF WITH
ONLY FEMALE CAPTIVES, FOR IT IS NOT OBLIGATORY TO TREAT THEM EQUALLY,
rather, it is recommended. So if one does so, that is good, and if not,
there is no harm on him… (Tafsir Ibn Kathir-Abridged Volume 2 Surat
Al-Baqarah, Verse 253, to Surat
An-Nisa, Verse 147, parts 3-5, p. 375) |
Temporary Marriages-Mut’a
One shameful aspect of Islam is the practice of
temporary marriages called mut'a. This
practice granted Muhammad's followers the privilege of gratifying their carnal
desires with women for a temporary time period at a very cheap price:
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And all married
women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands
possess. It is a decree of Allah for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond
those mentioned, so that ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not
debauchery. And those of whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give
unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do
by mutual agreement after the duty (hath been done). Lo! Allah is ever
Knower, Wise. S. 4:24 Pickthall |
Ibn Kathir comments:
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"… <And
how could you take it back and you have gone in unto each other.>
(4:21): the general meaning of which was given as evidence for Mut'a Marriage (Marriage for an intended
short time) which was, undoubtedly, PREVALENT at the onset of Islam, but
was abrogated thereafter. Ash-Shafi'i and a
group of scholars were of the opinion that Mut'a
Marriage had once been permitted but was later invalidated on two occasions.
Some were more assertive than that, while others have made it lawful only
if necessary. The majority of scholars, however, have opposed this view.
The correct statement is mentioned in Sahih
Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, on the authority of
Ali Ibn Abu Talib: 'The Prophet forbade Mut'a Marriage and the meat of local
skylarks (a type of bird) on the Day of Khaibar.'
"It is
narrated in Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Ar-Rabi' Ibn Sabrah Ibn Ma'bad Al-Juhani, who had
quoted from his father, who had participated in the Conquest of Makkah with the Prophet who said: 'O, People! I have
permitted you to do Mut'a Marriage and Allah has
forbidden it until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, whosoever is married to a
woman through this type of marriage, should release
them and should not take anything back from Mahr
you have given them.' According to Muslim, it was said during Hujjatal Wadaa' (Farewell
Pilgrimage). This Hadith has other meanings in
the Book of Al-Ahkaam." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir,
abridged by Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa'i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London; First edition 2000], part 5, pp.
29-30 italic emphasis ours) |
The Hadith supplies
several examples of such marriages:
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Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported: We were on an expedition with Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) and we had no
women with us. We said: Should we not have ourselves castrated? He (the Holy
Prophet) forbade us to do so He then granted us permission that we should
contract temporary marriage for a stipulated period giving her a garment,
and 'Abdullah then recited this verse: 'Those who believe do not make
unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, and do not
transgress. Allah does not like trangressers"
(al-Qur'an, v. 87). (Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3243) Jabir b. 'Abdullah and Salama b. al-Akwa' said: There came to us the proclaimer
of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and
said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has granted you permission
to benefit yourselves, i. e. to contract temporary
marriage with women. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3246) Abu Nadra reported: While I was in the company of Jabir b. Abdullah, a person came to him and said that
Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Zubair
differed on the two types of Mut'as (Tamattu' of Hajj 1846 and Tamattu'
with women), whereupon Jabir said: We used
to do these two during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him). Umar then forbade us to do them, and so
we did not revert to them. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3250) |
Finally:
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Rabi' b. Sabra reported that his father went on an expedition with
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) during the Victory of Mecca, and we
stayed there for fifteen days (i. e. for thirteen
full days and a day and a night), and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)
permitted us to contract temporary marriage with women. So I and another
person of my tribe went out, and I was more handsome than he, whereas he
was almost ugly. Each one of us had a cloak, My
cloak was worn out, whereas the cloak of my cousin was quite new. As we
reached the lower or the upper side of Mecca, we came across a young woman
like a young smart long-necked she-camel. We said: Is it possible that one
of us may contract temporary marriage with you? She said: What will you give
me as a dower? Each one of us spread his cloak. She began to cast a
glance on both the persons. My companion also looked at her when she was
casting a glance at her side and he said: This cloak of his is worn out,
whereas my cloak is quite new. She, however, said twice or thrice: There
is no harm in (accepting) this cloak (the old one). So I contracted temporary
marriage with her, and I did not come out (of this) until Allah's Messenger
(may peace be upon him) declared it forbidden. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008,
Number 3253) |
What kind of prophet would sanction such
immorality? Is not this type of temporary marriage a form of legal prostitution
since the intent in the marriage is sexual gratification as opposed to marital
union and family upbringing? And how does this maintain the integrity of the
women who are simply provided material gifts for the degrading of their bodies
in satisfying the sexual lust of men acting as untamed animals?
Sex In
The Holy Bible states that there will be no sexual
activity in heaven:
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Jesus
replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But
those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the
resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and
they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's
children, since they are children of the resurrection." Luke 20:34-36 |
Our joy in heaven is to be in God’s holy and
perfect presence:
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Then
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the
new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with
them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their
God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making
everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words
are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will
give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who
overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their
place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second
death." Revelation 21:1-8 |
Yet the Quran teaches that men will be granted
access to a paradise that is purely carnal:
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As to the
righteous, they will be in gardens and in happiness... (to them will be
said,) "Eat and drink ye with profit and
health, because of your (good) deeds." They will recline (with ease) on
thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them (in the
original: marry them) to companions with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes…
And We shall bestow on them, of fruit and meat, anything they desire. S.
52:17, 19, 20, 22 (see also 4:57; 76:12-22; 55:54-56; 47:15) |
Even more astonishing is this description:
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"Surely for
the godfearing awaits a place of security, gardens
and vineyards, and maidens of SWELLING BREASTS (kawa'eb),
like of age, and a cup overflowing." S. 78:33 Arberry
(see also Dawood, Rodwell) |
Ibn Kathir, one of
Islam's premiere commentators, notes:
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"Kawa'eb" – "SWELLING AND FIRM, NOT
SAGGING." (Quoted from M. Rafiqul-Haqq and P.
Newton, Place of Women in Pure in Islam, p. 30 – you can read it
online. |
To imagine that God would reveal such a verse,
wherein he would actually say that in paradise one will find women who
literally have firm breasts is incredulous.
The idea of having sexual relations in Paradise has
led some Muslims to interpret these passages metaphorically. This in turn has
prompted the assumption that the description is merely a poetic attempt to
describe that which is indescribable.
Unfortunately for these scholars, Muhammad will not
allow for such an interpretation. In Sahih Muslim,
no. 6793 and 6794, we are told:
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"In
Paradise… every person would have two wives (so beautiful) that the marrow of
their shanks would glimmer beneath the flesh and there would be none without
a wife in Paradise." |
According to Ibn Kathir's
commentary on S. 56:35-37, a Muslim will be given seventy specially created
females with two of his earthly wives, for a total of seventy-two maidens in
In Mishkat Al-Masabih, Muhammad indicates:
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"The believer
will be given such and such strength in Paradise for sexual intercourse. It
was questioned: O prophet of Allah! Can he do that? He said: ‘He will be
given the strength of one hundred persons.’" (Bk. IV, chp. XLII, Hadith no. 24;
transmitted by Tirmizi who classified this Hadith
as sound) |
Even more amazing is this statement from Muhammad:
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"The
Prophet was asked: 'Do we have sex in |
An editorial footnote to Ibn Kathir’s
translation indicates that the word dahman
means intercourse done with such "shove and disturbance." (Ibid.)
In fact, according to some Muslim scholars
homosexuality will also be permitted in heaven! :
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"Abul-Ala al-Maari said that
homosexuality will be permissible in paradise. He based this opinion on Sura al-Waqi’a 56:17-23: ‘Round
about them ARE MALE YOUTHS OF FRESHNESS… and
there will be huris ("beautiful
companions with large and lustrous eyes, like pearls well-guarded").’ "Abul-Ala said: ‘If wine is prohibited in this world and
allowed in paradise, the same will happen with homosexuality’ (Risala al-ghufran
by al-Maarri and Khawater
Muslim fi al-mas’ala al-Jinsiyya by Muhammad Jalal Kishk)." (True Guidance, pt. 4, p. 122) |
To say that this is incredulous would be a wild
understatement!
Finally, the Quran speaks of women as tillage that one
can plow into anyway they choose:
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"Your women
are a tillage for you, so go to your tillage as you
will." S. 2:223 |
According to some Muslim sources, this verse was
revealed to condone anal sex:
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Narrated Jabir: Jews used to say:
"If one has sexual intercourse with his wife from the back, then
she will deliver a squint-eyed child." So this Verse was revealed:- "‘Your
wives are a tilth unto you; so go to your tilth when or how you will.’ (2.223)" (Bukhari,
Volume 6, Book 60, Number 51) |
And,
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"Ibn Abbas said, in question with this verse, that the Muslims
from Medina had previously practiced a type of sexual relationship between
husband and wife which they had learned from the Jews, in which the
husband honours his wife with respect. When the
Muslims from Mecca arrived, they brought a different standard of behaviour with them. This created a severe tension in the
Islamic community. Muhammad answered it with the above verse and allowed men
to behave as they wished. He allowed his followers anything that would
satisfy their beastly lusts. (The full text of this hadith
is not translated out of spiritual reservations). "Ibn Abbas said: ‘Umar came to
Muhammad and said: "I have perished." "Why?" Muhammad
asked. "It is because I have altered the normal position of sex
tonight."’ He meant to say that he had sexual intercourse away from his
usual place. At first, Muhammad gave no reply, then
he claimed that Allah gave him license. Muhammad and Umar
were shameless and immodest. Muhammad should have guided Umar
to God’s holiness and purity. "Al-Bukhari
narrated after Ibn Umar that al-Baqara
2:223 was revealed on the issue of having anal intercourse with women.
Al-Tabarani narrated in Al-Aswat,
with a reliable chain of traditions, that ‘Your women are a tillage for you’ was
only revealed to license anal intercourse (Asbab
al-Nuzul by al-Suyuti
on Sura al-Baqara
2:223)." (True Guidance, pt. 5, pp. 48-49) |
Interestingly, we find Bukhari’s
Hadith on Ibn Umar’s
comments to S. 2:223 yet with one added twist:
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Narrated Nafi': Whenever Ibn 'Umar recited the Qur'an, he would not speak to anyone
till he had finished his recitation. Once I held the Qur'an and he recited Surat-al-Baqara from his memory and then stopped
at a certain Verse and said, "Do you know in what connection this Verse
was revealed?" I replied, "No." He said, "It was revealed
in such-and-such connection." Ibn 'Umar then
resumed his recitation. Nafi added regarding the
Verse:--"So go to your tilth when or how
you will" Ibn ‘Umar said said, "It means one should approach his wife
in…" (Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 50) |
According to Muhsin Khan
the reason for the break in the quotation is due to the fact that,
"Al-Bukhari left a blank space here because he was not sure of what Ibn ‘Umar had said." (Khan, Sahih
Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, p. 39)
We are left wondering as to why Bukhari decided to
leave a blank space precisely at the point when Umar
was about to explain S. 2:223? Could it be that Ibn Umar
had in fact justified anal sex, leaving Bukhari too embarrassed to include this
in his collection?
Interestingly, Ibn Kathir
indirectly affirms that certain Muslims had concocted hadiths
justifying anal intercourse:
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"…However,
is forbidden to have sex with one’s wife in the anus... Quoting his father,
from his grand father, Amru Ibn Shu’aib
narrated that the Prophet said: ‘Having sex with one’s wife in the anus is
minor sodomy.’213 On the authority of Ali Ibn Talq,
Imam Ahmad narrated: ‘’The Prophet has forbidden sexual intercourse with
one’s wife in the anus, for Allah is not ashamed of the truth.’214 Quoting
Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet said: ‘Allah will not
look at whoever has sex with his wife in the anus.’215 Also, it was narrated
on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet
said: ‘Cursed is he who has sex with his wife in the anus.’ 216 Any Ahadith which allow such act are considered incorrect and
they were all examined by our Sheikh al-Hafidh Abu
Abdullah adh-Dhahabi in a volume which he compiled,
and proved weak and false. "It was
narrated on the authority of IBN UMAR, Malik, ash-Shafi’i and at-Tahawi THAT IT
IS LAWFUL but it is untrue. An-Nasr as-Sabbagh
said: Ar-Rabi’ used to swear by Allah that Ibn
Abdul Hakam had lied, when he had made allegations
against ash-Shafi’i concerning the lawfulness of
having sex with one’s wife in the anus. On the contrary, ash-Shafi’i mentioned the unlawfulness of having sex with
one’s wife in the anus in six of his books, and Allah knows best. Also, Ibn
Umar forbade it. On the authority of Sa’id Ibn Yasar abu al-Habbab, ad-Darami narrated: ‘I said to Ibn Umar:
"What do you think of having sex with one’s wife in the anus?" Ibn Umar said: "Does anyone of the Muslims do
that?"’ This is a good Isnad, and
explicitly reveals the unlawfulness of such act, and anything attributed to
him is rejected on the ground of the above Hadith. "Ma’mar Ibn ‘Isa narrated that Malik considered having sex with one’s wife in the anus
is unlawful. Quoting Isarel Ibn Rawh,
Abu Bakr Ibn Zayyad an-Nisaburi narrated: ‘I asked Malik
Ibn Anas’s opinion on having sex with one’s wife
from the back, he said: "You are but Arabs, and can sowing be in a place
other than that which has been ploughed? Do not go beyond the vagina." I
said: "People claim that you say that?" He said: "It is
a lie, it is a lie."’ Thus, this is what has been attributed to them,
and it involved Abu Hanifa, ash-Shafi’I,
Ahmed Ibn Hanbal and their companions, followers
and other scholars from the Salaf. They
entirely denied the allegation and some of them even believed that
having sex with one’s wife in the anus is Kufr."
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir-Part
2 Sura Al-Baqarah, ayat 142-252, Abridged By Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rifa’i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London 1998], pp. 191-192) |
Ibn Kathir acknowledges
that Muslims were circulating hadiths permitting anal
sex, even appealing to the authority of Ibn Umar as
evidence.
What is even more amazing is that one modern Muslim
source has discredited the hadiths forbidding anal
sex. According to the Learner, the hadiths
that claim that anal sex is forbidden are questionable and do not conclusively
disprove having sex in the anus.
After commenting on the said hadiths
with their chains of transmission and the opinions of hadith
Scholars, the article states:
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Keeping in view
the condition of these narratives, it should be quite obvious why I have not based
my argument on these narratives. Though the referred narratives have been
reported in some of the collections of hadith, yet
I cannot call the contents of these narratives "directives of the Shari`ah". There are two reasons for
this. Firstly because, as is pretty obvious from the discussion above that
the sanad (chain of narrators) of these
narratives is not reliable to qualify for ascription of the saying to the
Prophet (pbuh). This weakness in sanad is actually a hindrance for me in ascribing something
to the Prophet (pbuh) which has not reached us
through unquestionably reliable sources. Secondly, because in my opinion,
the nature of Khabr-e-wahid (hadith) is such that it does not allow us to base the
directives of Shari`ah on it alone. It seems
that even if the Prophet (pbuh) had said something
about the prohibition of anal sex, it should be placed as a natural
prohibition (as I have done in my referred answer) rather than a prohibition
of the Shari`ah. Prohibitions mentioned in khabr-e-wahid (hadith)
are those that are either natural prohibitions or clear corollaries of
prohibitions mentioned in the Qur'an (Shari`ah).
Unless a prohibition mentioned in a khabr-e-wahid
(hadith) clearly relates to a natural
prohibition or is clearly related to a prohibition mentioned in the
Qur'an, the ascription of such khabr-e-wahid
(hadith) to the Prophet (pbuh)
becomes quite questionable |