Miscellaneous - 2

Faith and works

Critic:-

A possible explanation to my question about the apparent contradiction between 4:150-151 that requires belief in all Messengers and 2:62 and the other ayats which speak favourably of non-Muslim People of the Book, may be that they should not be compared to each other according to strict formal logic, but that the purpose of those differences among ayats is more pragmatic.

Comment:-

The rule is that people are judged according to their deeds and that is based on correct faith i.e. faith based on knowledge of truth, and that Allah is the final Judge.

Question:-

Are not deeds and faith inherently different? Few people actually change their religion, most people who are born non-Muslim tend to remain so out of habit, not because they have made a thorough comparison between Islam (whereby I mean Islam in its most common sense, i.e. "historical" Islam, as opposed to Christianity, Hindusim, etc., not Islam as a general truth to be also found partly in other religions) and their own creed. So how can their good deeds include their faith?

Comment:-

"Faith without works is dead". That is, a person cannot be said to have faith if he does not act accordingly.

Faith is a spiritual or psychological state that, like love and hope, has three aspects thought, motive and action.

But these can also act independently in an automatic manner - e.g. an action can be a habit or a reflex. Motives can be addictions, conditioned reflexes, or the result of physiological discomfort. A thought can pop up in the mind owing to accidental association with events that happen to take place around one, go round and round in the mind.

There is no consciousness, conscience or will associated with these.

True religion is a deliberate conscious way of life as opposed to an accidental, automatic or mechanical one. It requires spiritual development or regeneration and that means it has to engage consciousness, conscience and will.

It requires appropriate efforts, but there could be several different sets of techniques and conditions of life that encourage it and some may be better than others and may suit some people rather than others or like medicines be more or less effective for different people.

It does not matter how people come to make such efforts.

People might be brought up to have such values and have environments that encourage and stimulate efforts. Others might have sudden enlightening conversion experiences. Others might be converted gradually owing to predispositions. On the other hand some people could be converted to false or distorted or less efficient ideas and techniques.

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Repetition in the Quran

Assertion:-

The Quran is very repetitive. Without this it could have been reduced to a much smaller book without loss of meaning. These repetitions with small variations seems to indicate that the verses were not accurately remembered or written down before they were collected into the present book. The Quran cannot then be regarded as a revelation of the Word of God. Take as example the following:-

"And We said: O Adam dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise, and eat there from amply as you wish; but do not draw near this Tree or you will be of the transgressors." 2:35

"But, O Adam, dwell you and your wife in Paradise and eat from whence you will, but draw not nigh unto this Tree or you will be of the unjust (transgressors)." 7:19

And the following:-

"Verily, whether it be of those who believe, or those who are Jews or Christians or Sabaeans, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and acts aright, they have their reward with their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." 2:62

"Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews, and the Sabaeans, and the Christians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, and does what is right, they shall not fear, nor shall they grieve." 5:69

"Verily, those who believe this Revelation, and those who are Jews, and the Sabaeans, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who join other gods with Allah, verily, Allah will decide between them on the Day of Resurrection; verily, Allah is witness over all things." 22:17

Comment:-

As has been explained, the Quran was originally a recitation of what was a revelation to the Prophet Muhammad. The written book is only a record. Variations owing to imperfect memorisation may have got into it as some people speculate, but there is no evidence for this. The verses were also written down and the pious that memorised them tended to be conscientious about accuracy. But it is also possible that the same idea was restated several times in order to reinforce the lesson. Things are also better understood when they are presented from different points of view in different contexts.

An examination of the wording and context shows that the significance of these verses is not really repetitive but that different contexts bring out different meanings.

Let us take the first pair you quoted:- 2:35 speak of eating "amply as you wish", while 7:19 speaks of eating "whence you will". These are really different ideas. If one looks at the context then one finds that 2:35 tells us about Adam (man), how angels were to bow down before him and that he sinned and was expelled from Paradise and later received revelations. But 7:19 explains how the fall of Adam from Paradise was achieved. The emphasis is on the Satan.

Let us look at the next three verses you quoted:- 2:62 is nearly identical with 5:69, but there is a difference in context. The first is connected with the mission of Moses and the rebelliousness and punishment of the Israelites. The implication is that Allah does not rely only on one set of people. The second is connected with the People of the Book, i.e. those who have received scriptures through Prophets, which is a group wider than the Israelites. They are required to return to the teachings in them, teachings that have been confirmed by those sent through the Prophet Muhammad. The sentence in 5:68 - "Vex not thyself then for a people who disbelieve." - is significant. Verse 22:17 presents us with an idea that is even more universal as we can see by putting it in context:-

"Thus have We sent down Manifest Signs; for, verily, Allah guides whom He will. Verily, those who believe this Revelation, and those who are Jews, and the Sabaeans, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who join other gods with Allah, verily, Allah will decide between them on the Day of Resurrection; verily, Allah is witness over all things. Do you not see that unto Allah bow down in worship (or submit in service and adoration) whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the beasts, and many among mankind, though there are many unto whom the doom is justly due? Whomsoever Allah abases there is none to honour him; verily, Allah does what He will." 22:16-18

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Other Scriptures

Question:-

Am I entitled to obtain a copy of the Bible to know the book Allah sent to Jesus? And is the existing Bible accurate? I heard that the true one sank in the Euphrates?

A Muslim:-

It is not permitted to have any of the books prior to Islam because of the following:-

Anything helpful in them has been put by Allah into the Quran. Allah, Subhanahu Wata'ala, says:-

"It is He who has sent down the Book (the Quran ) to you (Mohammad) in truth, confirming what came before it."

Comment:-

That is not the opinion of all Muslims.

The Quran affirms that the Torah and Injil were sent to Moses (saw) and Jesus (saw). But these refer to their teachings just as the Quran was sent to Muhammad (saw).

"It is He (Allah) who has sent down to you the Scripture with truth, confirming what was revealed before it, and has revealed the Torah and the Gospel before this for the guidance of mankind, and has revealed the Discrimination (Criterion)." 3:3 See also 3:48-50, 5:44-48, 5:68

So though these past written books are the writings of various human authors and contain their interpretations and ideas, they also contain the sayings and doings of Moses and Jesus.

There is no ban in the Quran against reading these books. On the contrary Muslims are instructed to seek knowledge wherever they can find it. This includes the scriptures of not only the Christians and Jews but also of Buddhists and Hindus and others. Though they are not the Quran, other books do have some truth in them and even the Quran is falsified by the misinterpretation of the ignorant and foolish.

Narrow mindedness must be vigorously opposed.

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Quran only

Question:-

I found the following very interesting. The web site www.submission.org/true-shahada.html claims that the Shahadah has been corrupted. It should only be "There is no god but Allah", and "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" is an unjustified addition. I wonder if its the truth?

Comment:-

That web site is run by a small sect that professes to believe in the Quran alone and reject the Sunna of the Prophet. In this they contradict themselves. They wish to sideline Muhammad (saw) and follow another person, Rashad Khalifa, whom they regard as a Prophet. As the Quran tells us in several places that Muslims are to obey Allah and the Messenger He sends (4:59, 5:92, 8:20, 9:71, 47:33, 49:14, 64:12) and that obeying the Messenger is obeying Allah (4:80), then it is clear that this sect does not believe in Quran only and does not obey Allah.

It is true that the Shahadah consists of "There is no god but Allah" as the Quran affirms (e.g. 37:35). But the second part, "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" is also what the Quran says (e.g.48:29).

It is true that there is a difference between having one and the other:-

The first part can be regarded as Universal as it applies to all peoples and all genuine religion is regarded as Islam in the Quran while the second part applies only to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

But these two things are not mutually exclusive. This is because it is the Quran that came through Muhammad (saw) that has universalised the message by pointing out that Allah has sent many messengers to all peoples and that the Quran is a confirmation of their several messages. In fact the Quran tells us not to make a difference between the messengers and between them and Allah (4:150-151). It also tells us that the Prophet Muhammad represents all the past Messengers (3:81).

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Shariah

Assertion:-

Contrary to your assertion, 'true democracy' has nothing to do with 'mutual consultation'. The word 'democracy' has a precise meaning. So for that matter do the words 'religion', 'nation', 'ideology' and 'terrorism'. Democracy does not mean 'mutual consultation', it means 'rule of the people'. Democracy is the condition by which the people of a nation rule themselves by making their own laws by choosing their own law-makers. The method of choosing, and the proportion of the people able to choose, are open to debate, but the *condition* itself is not.

Comment:-

Who has given the terms precise meaning? You? Or is there a central authority for this? In fact, these words have both different connotations and denotations for different people. I am concerned with realities not slogans and various verbal definitions.

In which so called "democracy" do "people" rule? Where do "the people" make laws? When did you make a law? And if you did why are you imposing it on others?

In fact, it is those who control the political parties who make the policies and laws and it is they who manipulate opinion by using their wealth to make propaganda, and their power and position to manipulate events affairs, often in secret. Opinions are created by the news media for the profit and interests of those who own them. A political party that comes to power often on a minority vote makes the laws and policies and these are imposed on the people. The owners of the industry, who also control the political parties and determine the culture, control the behaviour of people. The people merely conform or consent to live under the laws and policies made for them by those who control the purse strings. This cannot be called a Democracy though better than an outright totalitarian dictatorship.

Clearly, if people undertake mutual consultation then the community that does so will be ruling itself. They too will agree to live under a set of laws but in the case of the Shariah, when properly studied and applied, they will consent to objective laws - laws not made on whim or expediency and the vagaries of a power struggle, but laws that are really beneficial for human welfare and development and apply the principles of Truth, Compassion and Justice.

Question:-

Where in the world do you think people can live according to your idea of Democracy?

Comment:-

People can live like that wherever they establish true Democracy. They will do so when they have studied how this can be done and develop the motives and abilities to do so. That is what the Islamic Teachings, discipline and Educational Systems are for. The Sharia is meant to facilitate this.

Assertion:-

Muslims want to impose the Sharia law on the rest of us. That is not Democratic. They want to recreate a Caliphate. That is tyranny.

Comment:-

The Sharia law applies only to Muslims. Others can have their own laws. Muslims want a federation of self-regulating communities where people can fulfil themselves according to their own ideals.

We see that in the so called "Democracies" people elect mass murderers, bigots, relatively stupid or ignorant people and perverts that do much national and international damage and think that is perfectly legitimate, but if Muslims want to elect a Caliphate to incorporate their vicegerency and represent them, then this is regarded as evil by definition. Why is this one-sided prejudice not recognised?

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