One day a group of Jews came to Muhammad and proposed a challenge to see if he was a real prophet, thinking they could trick him with three questions. One of the answers provided was the story of Dhul-Qarnyn, aka Alexander the Great, as found in the Quran. But did the answer pass the test? Tune in live as Mary Harb continues our series on the history of pre-Islamic Arabic and the origin of Islam. Previous episodes can be found in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy8uZd3mOZSowvJaeC1OpqCXQzooauBID
Mary Harb can be found on YouTube here: @toomanymarys7355
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Many thanks to Mary for another awesome presentation. If it seemed like timing was off and/or we were talking over each other a tiny bit, we discovered after the fact there was a couple second delay we didn't know about. Special thanks to Jack Ray, One Way Apologetics, and Jack Ray again for the superchats. Your support is greatly appreciated.
To any Muslim who wants to respond to this or discuss any topic, email me at thaddeus@reasonedanswers.com and I'll be happy to set something up!
From, Ibn Kathir 18.1-5
Reason why this Surah was revealed
Muhammad bin Ishaq mentioned the reason why this Surah was revealed. He said that an old man from among the people of Egypt who came to them some forty-odd years ago told him, from `Ikrimah that Ibn `Abbas said: "The Quraysh sent An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it to the Jewish rabbis in Al-Madinah, and told them: `Ask them (the rabbis) about Muhammad, and describe him to them, and tell them what he is saying. They are the people of the first Book, and they have more knowledge of the Prophets than we do.' So they set out and when they reached Al-Madinah, they asked the Jewish rabbis about the Messenger of Allah. They described him to them and told them some of what he had said. They said, `You are the people of the Tawrah and we have come to you so that you can tell us about this companion of ours.' They (the rabbis) said, `Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) — what is it If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.' So An-Nadr and `Uqbah left and came back to the Quraysh, and said: `O people of Quraysh, we have come to you with a decisive solution which will put an end to the problem between you and Muhammad. The Jewish rabbis told us to ask him about some matters,' and they told the Quraysh what they were. Then they came to the Messenger of Allah and said, `O Muhammad, tell us,' and they asked him about the things they had been told to ask. The Messenger of Allah said,
«أُخْبِرُكُمْ غَدًا عَمَّا سَأَلْتُمْ عَنْه»
(I will tell you tomorrow about what you have asked me.) but he did not say `If Allah wills.' So they went away, and the Messenger of Allah stayed for fifteen days without any revelation from Allah concerning that, and Jibril, peace be upon him, did not come to him either. The people of Makkah started to doubt him, and said, `Muhammad promised to tell us the next day, and now fifteen days have gone by and he has not told us anything in response to the questions we asked.' The Messenger of Allah felt sad because of the delay in revelation, and was grieved by what the people of Makkah were saying about him. Then Jibril came to him from Allah with the Surah about the companions of Al-Kahf, which also contained a rebuke for feeling sad about the idolators. The Surah also told him about the things they had asked him about, the young men and the traveler. The question about the Ruh was answered in the Ayah;
وَيَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ
(And they ask you concerning the Ruh (the spirit); say: "The Ruh…'') 17:85.
My post, Satan Causes to Forget
S 6:68 And when you have seen those who wade into our verses, turn away from them until they wade into hadith other than it. And if the Devil causes you to forget, do not sit after the remembrance with the wrongdoing people.
S 12:42 And he said to the one he thought would be saved of them: Mention me to your lord. But the Devil made him forget his lord’s mention and remained in the prison a bid’ of years.
A bid' of years is a period between three and nine. This word occurs in the 'prophecy' concerning the Romans and Persians in S 30:4.
Muhammad's False Prophecies
S 18:63 He said: Did you see when we retired to the rock? Then I forgot the whale. And nothing made me forget it but the Devil, to mention it. And it took its way into the sea wondrously.
This speaks of a dead whale meant for lunch that came into contact with the spring of life and was vivified and then escaped.
[tirmidhi:3149]
Compare with:
S 2:106 What we abrogate from a verse or cause it to be forgotten we bring better than it or the like of it. Have you not known that Allah is almighty?
Regarding Abrogation
S 87:6-7 We shall make you read so you do not forget / Except what Allah has willed. He knows the publicity and what he hides.
From, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi In The Company of The Prophet Elijah
This story is about Elijah and about a great sage who wanted to learn more about him. The name of the sage was Rabbi Joshua ben Levi.
One day, when Elijah was on his errands of mercy, he was met by Rabbi Joshua. Although usually unseen by anyone, unless the Prophet wants to be seen and recognized, Rabbi Joshua saw and recognized Elijah and greeted him respectfully. Then he begged the Prophet to take him along on his journey.
"Where I go," Elijah replied, "there must be no human companion. Humans do not see everything, and what they see they do not always understand. Pray, be not curious, let me go."
Elijah's words only strengthened Rabbi Joshua's desire to accompany the Prophet and benefit from his companionship. The sage continued to plead: "I promise that I shalt not weary you with questions and shall in no way interfere with your mission. Take me with you, Master." sage: "Remember, as soon as you will begin asking me questions to explain that which you will not understand, our ways must part."
Towards evening the weary old travelers came to an old shaky hut of a poor couple. Both the man and his wife were sitting outside their home. When they saw the two travelers they rose and, in the true fashion of the children of Abraham, they welcomed the strangers to their humble home. What little food they had in the house, they gladly shared with the guests, and offered them their beds for rest. They themselves made their beds on the straw in the cow-shed that housed their cow. The cow was their only valuable possession, for its milk was their whole source of income.
In the morning the Prophet and sage took leave from the kindly couple, as soon as they were out of sight, the Prophet Elijah prayed that the cow of the poor couple should fall dead. Rabbi Joshua was terribly shocked and upset. "Why should you repay for the kindness and hospitality of these people with such ingratitude?!" he wanted to exclaim. But he remembered the Prophet's warning and kept his silence.
All day long they wandered together and the Prophet taught the sage many teachings without a word of explanation about his way with the poor couple.
Towards evening they came to a fine mansion and asked permission to spend the night there. The rich man who lived there did not receive them with a friendly face. Grudgingly he permitted them to stay the night in his house, but offered them no food or a kind word. In the morning, as they were about to leave, they noticed a crack in the wall. Elijah did not say a word, but no sooner were they gone when the Prophet prayed that the cracked, dangerous wall be restored to solid strength.
Again Rabbi Joshua was amazed. "Why should the rich miser be spared the trouble and expense of repairing his wall?" thought he, but remembering the Prophet's warning he held his peace.
After a long and tiring day's journey, the two reached a city that had a beautiful House of Prayer. The walls were made of marble, and the benches of carved wood. The scrolls were richly adorned, and the Ark was a masterpiece of art. "Here, certainly, we shall be made welcome and treated with respect," thought Rabbi Joshua. But he was wrong again. After the evening prayers, no one seemed to take an interest in the strangers, and none of the wealthy members offered them a bed and food. The Prophet and the sage had to spend the night on the precious but hard wooden benches. When they left in the morning, the Prophet wished the members of the community that they should all become Aldermen of the city.
Rabbi Joshua was sorely tried to keep his silence, what with his empty stomach and aching bones. The Prophet's blessing to the unkind people puzzled him greatly, but he sealed his lips and buried his question deep in his heart.
The companions reached another city. The House of Prayer was not as beautiful as the one they visited the day before, but the people made up for it in kindness and hospitality. They enjoyed a rest in the best house of the town, and were honored like princes. When it was time to go, the Prophet turned to the good people and said: "May G‑d grant that only one of you be a leader."
This was the last straw. The sage was no longer able to control himself. Forgetting the Prophet's warning, he exclaimed: "Revered Master! Far be it from me to tell you what to do. Yet it seems to me that you add insult to injury; that you reward good with evil, and evil with good. Please explain to me your strange ways."
"I warned you that humans judge by the sight of their eyes, but there is more in life than meets the eye. According to our agreement, you will have to leave me now. But let me explain to you at least what you have witnessed, and your heart will be able to live in peace.
"You see, the poor old couple who received us so nicely on the first night of our journey, certainly deserved our gratitude. I saw to my great sorrow that that very day the woman was destined to die. We gave them an opportunity, to do an act of charity and I prayed to G‑d that she should live, and that their cow take her place. Although they lost their most precious possession, they will be able to stay together for a few years more. He who gives life will also provide for their support."
"I see now," exclaimed Rabbi joshua. "But what about that rich miser, and his cracked wall?"
"There was a huge treasure buried beneath the wall. Had it collapsed, the miser would have found it. That's why. "I could not have known that, of course," said Rabbi Joshua. "Now, why did you bless the men of the beautiful synagogue who did not open their homes to us?"
"That was no blessing, my friend," replied Elijah. "A community where everybody is a leader is not a happy place to live in. This is also the explanation of my wish to the kind and hospitable citizens of the last place we visited. Let them have one respected and able leader who is dedicated to the good of all. There will be peace, harmony and co-operation in that blessed community, and it will prosper."
"You have opened my eyes, dear Master," exclaimed Rabbi Joshua.
"Go and teach our brethren the ways of G‑d. Let them not be disheartened when they see the wicked prosper, or the righteous suffer. For while man judges by the sight of his eyes, G‑d looks into the heart, and He rules the world with justice and mercy. Shalom! Peace be with you."
The next moment Elijah was gone.
My post, Dhikr
S 15:6 And they have said: The one whom the dhikr has been sent down upon, you are jinni-possessed.
S 15:9 We have sent down the dhikr and we are keepers for it.
S 16:43-44 And we did not send before you but men. We inspire them. So ask the people of the Dhikr if you do not know. With the proofs and the Zubur. And we sent down to you the Dhikr to make clear for people what has been sent down to them and perhaps they will ponder.
[18:83 And they ask you about Dhul Qarnayn. Say: I shall read to you a remembrance of him.] Or a dhikr of him.
S 21:7 And we did not send before you except men; we inspire them. So ask the People of the Dhikr if you do not know.
S 21:10 We have sent down to you a book wherein is your dhikr. So do you not comprehend?
S 21:105 And we wrote in the Zabur after the Dhikr: The Earth, my righteous slaves inherit it. (Thought to be based on Psalm 37:29: The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.)
S 25:18 They said: Glory be to you! It was not behoving for us to take instead of you any protectors. But you amused them and their fathers until they forgot the dhikr and were a fallow people.
S 25:29 He misguided me from the dhikr after it had come to me. And the Devil was a deserter to man.
S 36:11 You only warn him who has followed the dhikr and feared Al-Rahman in the ghayb. So give him good news of forgiveness and a generous wage.
S 38:8 Has the dhikr been sent down upon him from among us? Rather, they are in doubt about my dhikr. Rather, they have not yet tasted torture.
S 39:23 Allah has sent down the best hadith, a book, resembling, a repeated thing. The skins of those who fear their lord shiver from it then their skins and their hearts relax at Allah’s dhikr. That is Allah’s guidance. He guides therewith whom he wills. And whom Allah misguides there is no guide for him.
S 43:5 So should we strike from you the Dhikr, as remission, because you were an extravagant people?
S 54:25 Was the Dhikr thrown upon him from among us? Rather, he is an untruthful liar.
S 68:51 And those who have disbelieved would almost make you slip by their eyesight when they have heard the dhikr and they say: He is jinni-possessed.
S 68:52 And it is nothing but a dhikr for the ‘alamin.
S 77:5 And Al-Mulqiyat of a dhikr
My post, The Denizens of Hell: Men or Angels?
The Quran here and there tells us of people in hell but there is one oddity that I shall bring to the reader's attention.
S 74:31 And we have not made the companions of the fire but angels. And we have not made their number except as fitnah for those who have disbelieved that those who were given the Book may be certain and that those who have believed may increase in faith and that those who were given the Book and the believers may not doubt and that those in whose hearts is disease and the kafirun may say: What did Allah want by this example? Thus Allah misguides whom he wills and guides whom he wills. And none knows your lord’s troops but him. And it is nothing but a remembrance for the human being.
Not men but angels damned? Why might angels be damned?
It might conceivably be argued that the 'companions of the fire' are the 19 (or in a variant 17) angels supposedly over hell. But the same phrase is used in other passages and (for the most part) is in reference to human beings.
S 2:39 And those who have disbelieved and have called our verses a lie, those are the companions of the fire. They abide therein indefinitely.
S 2:81 Yes, he who has earned an evil deed and his sin has surrounded him, those are the companions of the fire; they abide therein indefinitely.
S 2:217 They ask you about the sacred month, fighting in it. Say: Fighting in it is big and blocking from the way of Allah, and kufr in him, and the Sacred Mosque, and expulsion of its people from it, is bigger with Allah. And fitnah is bigger than killing. And they still fight you until they bring you back from your religion if they can. And he who bounces back among you from his religion then dies while he is a kafir, those–their deeds have become worthless in the dunya and the hereafter. And those are the companions of the fire, they abide indefinitely therein.
S 2:257 Allah is the protector of those who have believed. He brings them out of the darknesses into the light. And those who have disbelieved, their protectors are the taghut. They bring them out of the light into the darknesses. Those are the companions of the fire, they abide therein indefinitely.
S 2:275 Those who consume interest do not stand up except as the one whom the Devil fumbles with with touch stands up. That is because they have said: Selling is only the like of interest. And Allah has permitted selling and forbidden interest. So he whom admonition from his lord has come to and he has ceased, his is what has passed and his affair is to Allah and he who has returned, those are the companions of the fire, they abide therein indefinitely.
S 3:116 Those who have disbelieved, their monies will not avail them, nor their children, against Allah at all and those are the companions of the fire. They abide therein indefinitely.
S 5:29 I want you to return with my sin and your sin and you to be of the companions of the fire, and that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.
S 7:36 And those who have called our verses a lie and have been arrogant towards them, those are the companions of the fire, they abiding therein indefinitely.
S 7:44 And the companions of the Jannah called to the companions of the fire: We have found what our lord promised us to be true. So have you found what your lord promised to be true? They said: Yes. Then a caller called among them: Allah’s curse is upon the wrongdoers,
S 7:47 And when their eyesight was turned facing the companions of the fire they said: Our lord, do not put us with the wrongdoing people.
S 7:50 And the companions of the fire called to the companions of the Jannah: Pour out upon us some of the water or of what Allah has provided you with. They said: Allah has forbidden them to the kafirun.
S 10:27 And those who have earned the evil deeds, recompense of an evil deed with the like of it and humiliation covers them. They have no defender from Allah. As though their faces had been covered with a piece of the night. Dark. Those are the companions of the fire. They abide therein indefinitely.
S 13:5 And if you wonder then a wonder is their speech: When we were dust are we in a new creation? Those are the ones who have disbelieved in their lord and those, the collars are on their necks and those are the companions of the fire. They abide therein indefinitely.
S 39:8 And when harm befalls man he invokes his lord, turning to him. Then when he bestows grace upon him from him he forgets what he used to invoke to him before and makes peers for Lah to misguide from his way. Say: Enjoy your kufr for a short while. You are of the companions of the fire.
S 40:6 And thus your lord’s word was confirmed against those who disbelieved that they are the companions of the fire.
S 40:43 There is no misdemeanour that what you call me to has no call in the dunya or in the hereafter and that our reason is to Allah and that the extravagant are the companions of the fire.
S 58:17 Their monies will not avail them nor their children against Allah at all. Those are the companions of the fire; they abide therein indefinitely.
S 59:20 Not equal are the companions of the fire and the companions of the Jannah. The companions of the Jannah are the victors.
S 64:10 And those who have disbelieved and called our verses a lie, those are the companions of the fire, abiding therein indefinitely. And miserable was the destiny.
S 7:179 says: And we have created for Jahannam many of jinn and man. They have hearts they do not comprehend with and they have eyes they do not see with. And they have ears they do not hear with. Those are like cattle, rather, they are more astray. Those, they are the heedless.
Jinn created specifically for hell. Angels too?
My post, Surah/Quran Like It Observations
(Chronological Order)
S 17:88 Say: If man and jinn came together to bring the like of this quran, they would not bring the like of it, even if they were an assistant to one another.
S 10:38 Or do they say: He has fabricated it? Say: Bring a surah the like of it and invoke whom you can instead of Allah if you are truthful.
S 11:13 Or they say: He has fabricated it. Say: Then bring ten surahs the like of it, fabricated, and invoke whom you can instead of Allah if you are truthful.
S 52:33-34 Or do they say: He has made it up? Rather, they do not believe. So let them bring a hadith the like of it if they are truthful.
S 2:23 And if you are in doubt about what we have sent down upon our slave then bring a surah of the like of it and invoke your witnesses instead of Allah if you are truthful.
In S 17 the author denies that, were man and jinn to come together to bring the like of this quran, they would. This is something like the 50th surah, so not the whole quran so far. In S 10 the author calls people to bring a surah, one, and to invoke a witness or two, if they're truthful. In S 11, ten are called for. In S 52, a hadith is called for. Finally, in S 2 it's back to one surah. But here the author says: of (or from) the like of it. Did he think that there was a body of literature that was like it from which one might bring something? The author fluctuates between one and ten surahs. Why? Why does he go from quran to surahs to hadith to surah? The author calls for people to invoke deities as witnesses, 'if they're truthful'; shouldn't the Muslims too invoke their deity, namely Allah, as their witness? And what exactly might his audience have understood by 'surah'? Might he have meant a chapter, called a surah, from a book, also called quran, of one or other of the other competing 'prophets' in the Arabian Peninsula?
Further reading:
Surah Like It
A quran?
Answering Muslims: How Muhammad Became the Final Prophet
The Best Hadith
Chronological Order of the Qur'an – WikiIslam
My post, Surah Like It [1]
S 2:23 And if you are in doubt about what we have sent down upon our slave then bring a surah of the like of it and invoke your witnesses instead of Allah if you are truthful.
S 10:38 Or do they say: He has fabricated it? Say: Bring a surah the like of it and invoke whom you can instead of Allah if you are truthful.
S 11:13 Or they say: He has fabricated it. Say: Then bring ten surahs the like of it, fabricated, and invoke whom you can instead of Allah if you are truthful.
S 17:88 Say: If man and jinn came together to bring the like of this quran, they would not bring the like of it, even if they were an assistant to one another.
S 52:33-34 Or do they say: He has made it up? Rather, they do not believe. So let them bring a hadith the like of it if they are truthful.
Side note: In S 10:37 we read: And this quran was not to be fabricated instead of Allah but is a confirmation of that in front of it and an analysis of the Book. There is no doubt concerning it, from the lord of the ‘alamin.
But back to our knitting. Has the challenge been met? According to the Quran, the Torah is like it, apparently. I quote from one of Sam Shamoun’s and Jochen Katz’s articles: Based on these verses, Muslims are convinced that the Quran is absolutely unique and unparalleled. For many it is an important element in their belief in the divine origin of the Quran that nobody was ever able to meet this particular challenge. The various issues around the challenge to bring a Surah like it are discussed in detail in the section Is the Qur'an Miraculous? In this current article we want to focus on the amazing fact that there are statements in the Quran which acknowledge that this challenge has already been met! The Quran asserts that the revelation given to Moses is similar and equal to the Quran. Consider the following passage:
Now that the Truth has come to them from Us, they are saying: "Why is he (Muhammad) not given the like of what was given to Musa?" Have they not rejected that which was given to Musa before? They claim: "These (Torah and Qur'an) are the two works of sorcery complementing each other!" And they say: "We believe in neither." Ask them: "Bring a Book from Allah which is a better guide THAN THESE TWO, I will follow it, if what you say be true!" S. 28:48-49 Malik
Muhammad challenges the unbelievers to bring a book which is not only a better guide than the Quran, but also better than the book of Moses!
[ Note: There exists a variant reading in Sura 28:48. However, most translators render the passage similarly to the above quoted translation by F. Malik, and Ibn Kathir also bases his comments on this version. The variant readings of this verse are discussed in the article, Books or People?, in the section on "Different Versions of the Qur'an". ]
Ibn Kathir's commentary reads:
<Two kinds of magic, each helping the other!>
‘Ali bin Abi Talhah and Al-‘Awfi reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said that this refers to THE TAWRAH and the Qur’an, because Allah says next …
<Say: "Then bring a Book from Allah, which is a better guide than these two that I may follow it.">
Allah often mentions the Tawrah and the Qur’an together, as in the Ayat …
<Say: "Who then sent down the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance to mankind …"> until …
<And this is a blessed Book which We have sent down.> (6:91-92)
And at the end of the same Surah, Allah says …
<Then, We gave Musa the Book, to complete (Our favor) upon those who would do right> (6:154) …
<And this is a blessed Book which We have sent down, so follow it and have Taqwa of Allah, that you may receive mercy> (6:155).
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 7 (Surat An-Nur to Surat Al-Ahzab, Verse 50), abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition, August 2000], p. 418; cf. online edition; bold and capital emphasis ours)
My post, Fitnah [1]
فِتْنَة : – سِحْر
– Action or power of attracting
– Great charm or divinely power
– Physical attractiveness or exciting beauty
– A feeling of mystery attracting you
– Noun gerund of verb to witch
– The act of being attract irresistibly
– Physical attractiveness or alluring and exciting beauty
– Power exercised by beauty or eloquence or the like
– glamor; infatuation; magic; spell; fascination; captivation; enchantment; charisma; charm; bewitchment; sorcery; conjuration; draw; interest; witchcraft; jugglery; magnetism; appeal; attractiveness; allure; mountebankery
المختصر
فِتْنَة : – إِغْراء
– Action or power of attracting
– Temping or enticing into sexual activity
– The act oe ancident of seducing
– seducement; seduction; temptation; enticement; attraction; lure; menticement; allurement
المختصر
فِتْنَة : – مِحْنَة
– Distress or thing that causes suffering – ordeal; distress; trial; calamity; suffering; disaster; adversity; affliction; misfortune; pain
المختصر
فِتْنَة : – نَوْع مِنْ نَبَات السَّنْط
– Kind of plant called (cassie) – A spiny tropical acacia with globose heads of fragrant yellow flowers yielding a perfume.
المختصر
فِتْنَة : – شَغَب، اِضْطِراب
– Long loud deep sound
– A wave of enthusiastic admiration
– Agitation or din and bustle.
– Noisy confusion or civil insurrection
– An angry demonstration by a mob
– Attempt to overthrow the government by force
– The act of uttering (words etc) noisly
– The state of being full of noisy
– An organized shout to support a sports team
– Wild or violent disturbance by a crowd of people
– riot; sedition; commotion; strife; disorder; trouble; tumult; turmoil; unrest; disturbance; brawl; clamor; craze; unpleasant; uproar; loud; shouting; noise; row; shout
المختصر
فِتْنَة : – جَمَال
– loveliness; magnificence; splendor; superbness; beauty
[almaany .com/en/dict/ar-en/]
From the root ف ت ن (f-t-n), related with seduction and revolt. Compare فَتَنَ (fatana, “to incite revolt, to charm”)
NounEdit
فِتْنَة • (fitna) f (plural فِتَن (fitan))
strife
civil war
sedition
tribulation
charm
craze
crime
[en .m .wiktionary .org/wiki/]
My post, A Messenger’s Speech?
S 69:40 It is a noble messenger’s speech. See also S 81:19
It will be argued that it is Allah’s word conveyed by Jibril to ‘Muhammad’. The following verses say: And it is not a poet’s speech, little is what you believe. Nor a soothsayer’s speech, little is what you remember.
There’s not a word about conveyance to the messenger, nothing about Jibril. The author says that it’s not a poet’s speech; does this mean that it is not speech conveyed to a poet or does it mean that it doesn’t originate with a poet? The author says that it’s not a soothsayer’s speech; does this mean that it is not speech conveyed to a soothsayer or does it mean that it doesn’t originate with a soothsayer? Obviously it means that it is not speech that originates with a poet or a soothsayer respectively. Verse 43 will be cited: A tanzil from the lord of the ‘alamin. But the author has clearly said in his ‘clear’ book that it is a messenger’s speech. Now if Allah is the author, then is it being referred to as a messenger? Theoretically possible.
Let us look at another Quran reference and a non-Quranic hadith out of interest. In S 19:17 we read: And she took from them a screen. Then we sent to her our spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a regular man.
In verse 19 we read: He said: I am only a messenger of your lord’s that I may give you a pure boy.
In a cave hadith we read: He used to take with him the journey food for that (stay) and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again for another period to stay, till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him in it and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read." [bukhari/91/1]
One of the Allah ‘names’ is Al-Haqq, The Truth. Is the hadith saying that “the Truth” was an angel, properly a messenger?
Further reading: Is Allah A Messenger?
My post, Allah Misguides
S 2:26 Allah is not ashamed to make a similitude of even a mosquito and even above it. So as for those who have believed, and they know that it is the truth from their lord, and as for those who have disbelieved, and they say: What did Allah want by this similitude? He misguides therewith many and guides therewith many. And he does not misguide therewith except the fasiqun.
S 4:88 So what is wrong with you concerning the hypocrites, two bands? And Allah overturned them for what they earned. Do you want to guide him whom Allah has misguided? And him whom Allah misguides, you will not find a way for him.
S 4:143 Fluctuating between that, not to those and not to those. And he whom Allah misguides, you will not find a way for him.
S 6:39 And those who have called our verses a lie are deaf and dumb, in the darknesses. He whom Allah wills, he misguides him and he whom he wills, he puts him on a straight path.
S 6:125 Whomever Allah wants to guide, he expands his chest to Islam. And whomever he wants to misguide, he makes his chest tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus Allah puts rijs on those who do not believe.
Regarding rijs, see my post: [allah-the-filthy-monkey]
S 7:178 Whom Allah guides, he is the guided and those he misguides, those, they are the losers.
S 7:186 He whom Allah misguides has no guide. And he leaves them wandering blindly in their oppression.
S 9:115 And Allah would not misguide a people after he had guided them until he makes clear to them what they fear. Allah is learned in everything.
S 13:27 And those who have disbelieved say: Why has a sign not been sent down upon him from his lord? Say: Allah misguides whom he wills and guides to him he who has turned.
S 13:33 So is he who is resting on every soul with what it has earned…? And they have made partners for Lah. Say: Name them. Or do you inform him of what he does not know on the Earth or of the apparent of speech? Rather it has been adorned for those who have disbelieved, their plot, and they have been blocked from the way. And he whom Allah misguides has no guide.
S 14:4 And we have not sent any messenger except with the tongue of his people to clarify for them. And Allah misguides whom he wills and guides whom he wills. And he is the mighty, the wise.
S 14:27 Allah fixes those who have believed with the fixed speech in the dunya life and in the hereafter. And Allah misguides the wrongdoers. And Allah does what he wills.
S 16:37 If you desire their guidance, Allah does not guide him whom he misguides and they have no helpers.
S 16:93 And had Allah willed he would have made you one nation but he misguides whom he wills and guides whom he wills. And you shall be asked about what you used to do.
S 17:97 And he whom Allah guides, he is the guided; and he whom Allah misguides, you will not find for them protectors instead of him. And we gather them on the day of resurrection on their faces–blind and dumb and deaf. Their shelter is Jahannam. Every time it abated we increased the blaze for them.
S 18:17 And you see the sun when it rose declining from their cave to the right and when it set departing from them to the left while they are in a gap thereof. That is of Allah’s signs. Him whom Allah guides, he is the guided and him whom he misguides, you will not find a guiding protector for him.
We might add S 22:3-4 And among people is he who argues about Allah without knowledge and follows every stubborn devil. It has been written upon him that he who has nominated him that he misguides him and he guides him to the torture of the blaze.
S 35:8 So is he whom the evil of his deed has been adorned for and he has seen it as good? So Allah misguides whom he wills and guides whom he wills. So do not let your soul go upon them in regrets. Allah is a knower of what they do.
S 39:23 Allah has sent down the best hadith, a book, resembling, a repeated thing. The skins of those who fear their lord shiver from it then their skins and their hearts relax at Allah’s dhikr. That is Allah’s guidance. He guides therewith whom he wills. And whom Allah misguides there is no guide for him.
Regarding 'dhikr', see my posts: [dhikr] [people-of-the-dhikr-1] [people-of-the-dhikr]
S 39:36 Is Allah not enough for his slave? And they frighten you with those instead of him. And he whom Allah misguides has no guide.
S 40:33 A day you turn away fleeing you have no defender against Allah. And him whom Allah misguides has no guide.
S 40:34 And Yusuf came to you before with the proofs but you did not cease in doubt about what he had brought you until when he perished you said: Allah will not raise a messenger after him. Thus Allah misguides him who is extravagant, a doubter.
S 40:73-74 Then it was said to them: Where is what you used to associate Instead of Allah? They said: They have strayed from us. Rather, we did not invoke anything before. Thus Allah misguides the kafirun.
S 42:44 And whom Allah misguides, he has no protector after him. And you see the wrongdoers when they have seen the torture saying: Is there any way to a reason?
S 42:46 And they had no protectors to help them instead of Allah. And whom Allah misguides, he has no way.
S 74:31 And we have not made the companions of the fire but angels. And we have not made their number except as fitnah for those who have disbelieved that those who were given the Book may be certain and that those who have believed may increase in faith and that those who were given the Book and the believers may not doubt and that those in whose hearts is disease and the kafirun may say: What did Allah want by this example? Thus Allah misguides whom he wills and guides whom he wills. And none knows your lord’s troops but him. And it is nothing but a remembrance for the human being.
Regarding fitnah, see my post: [fitnah] Regarding angels, see: [the-denizens-of-hell-men-or-angels]
My post, Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?
In this post we shall be looking at Allah's boss asking for a loan.
S 2:245 Who is the one who will lend Allah a good loan so that he multiplies it for him many multiples? And Allah grabs and spreads and to him you are returned.
S 5:12 And Allah took a covenant of the Banu Isra’il and we raised among them 12 captains. And Allah said: I am with you if you establish salat and give the zakat and believe in my messengers and honour them and give Allah a good loan. I will atone for your evil deeds and admit you to jannat, rivers running beneath them. But he who has disbelieved after that among you, he has strayed from the evenness of the way.
A Very Short Note on 'Banu Isra'il'
S 57:11 Who is the one who will give Allah a good loan so that he doubles it for him and his is a generous wage?
S 57:18 The charitable men and women and they have given Allah a good loan. It is doubled for them and theirs is a generous wage.
S 64:17 If you give Allah a good loan he doubles it for you and forgives you. And Allah is grateful, clement.
S 73:20 Your lord knows that you stand less than two thirds of the night and half of it and a third of it and a party of those with you. And Allah determines the night and the day. He knew that you will not enumerate it so he has repented for you, so read what has got easier of the Quran. He knew that there would be sick men among you and others travelling in the land seeking Allah’s favour and others fighting in the way of Allah. So read what has got easier of it and establish salat and give the zakat and give Allah a goodly loan. And what you offer for yourselves of good you find it with Allah. It is better and greater as a wage. And ask Allah for forgiveness. Allah is a forgiver, merciful.
Would Allah be a debtor and give interest, which is haram?
My post, Gog and Magog
S 18:92-99 Then he followed a cable Until when he reached between the two bars he found a people instead of them not almost comprehending speech. They said: Dhul Qarnayn, Ya’juj and Ma’juj are corrupting in the land. So do we make an expenditure for you that you may make a bar between us and them? He said: What my lord has enabled me in is better but help me with strength, I shall make between you and them a barrier. Give me ingots of iron, until when he had equalised between the two tops he said: Blow, until when he had made it fire, he said: Give me, I shall empty copper over it. So they were not able to climb it nor able to dig into it. He said: This is a mercy from my lord. But when my lord’s promise came he made it flat. And my lord’s promise was true. And we left some of them on that day to surge over others and it was blown on the trumpet then we gathered them as a crowd.
S 21:96 Until when it had been opened for Ya’juj and Ma’juj. And they slip from every bend.
Narrated Zainab bint Jahsh:
The Prophet (ﷺ) got up from his sleep with a flushed red face and said, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, from the Great evil that is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this." (Sufyan illustrated by this forming the number 90 or 100 with his fingers.) It was asked, "Shall we be destroyed though there are righteous people among us?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Yes, if evil increased."
[bukhari:7059]
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"Gog and Magog people dig every day until, when they can almost see the rays of the sun, the one in charge of them says: "Go back and we will dig it tomorrow." Then Allah puts it back, stronger than it was before. (This will continue) until, when their time has come, and Allah wants to send them against the people, they will dig until they can almost see the rays of the sun, then the one who is in charge of them will say: "Go back, and we will dig it tomorrow if Allah wills.' So they will say: "If Allah wills." Then they will come back to it and it will be as they left it. So they will dig and will come out to the people, and they will drink all the water. The people will fortify themselves against them in their fortresses. They will shoot their arrows towards the sky and they will come back with blood on them, and they will say: "We have defeated the people of earth and dominated the people of heaven." Then Allah will send a worm in the napes of their necks and will kill them thereby.'" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the beasts of the earth will grow fat on their flesh."
[ibnmajah:4080]
"And then Allah will send Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog people) and they will sworn down from every slope. The first of them will pass the Lake Tabariyah (near the Dead Sea in Palestine) and drink all its water. And when the last of them will pass, he will say: `There was once water there.' Prophet `Isa (ﷺ) and his companions will then be so much hard-pressed that the head of an ox will be dearer to them than one hundred dinar, and `Isa along with his companions, will make supplication to Allah, Who will send insects which will attack their (Ya'juj and Ma'juj people) neck until they all will perish like a single person. Prophet, `¦sa and his companions will then come down and they will not find in the earth as much space as a single span which would not be filled with their corpses and their stench."
[riyadussalihin:1808]
My post, The Flood [1]
S 29:14 And we sent Nuh to his people and he remained among them 1,000 years but 50. Then the Flood took them when they were wrongdoers.
The text says that he was sent to his people. Does this mean that he was sent to them from abroad? If messengers go only to their own people, as S 14:4 indicates, then the phrase "we sent Nuh to his people" is unnecessary, for what people would he be sent to other than his own? The text says that he remained among them for 950 years. How old was he when he began his ministry? How old was he when he died? If he fathered children after beginning his ministry– for the text says: "we sent Nuh"; it doesn't say: 'Nuh and his family or children–, were some of his children the wrongdoers that were taken by the Flood?
We are told that at least one son died. S 11:42-43 And it runs with them on waves like mountains and Nuh called his son and he was on retreat. My son, embark with us and do not be with the kafirun. He said: I shall look for shelter on a mountain; it will grant me full protection from the water. He said: There is no protector today from Allah’s command except whom he has had mercy on. And the waves passed between them and he was of the drowned.
This contradicts S 21:76 And Nuh when he called before and we responded to him and saved him and his family from the great distress.
His son was not saved; he died. In S 37:76-77 we read: And we saved him and his family from the great apprehension. And we made his offspring, they are the remaining.
His son died and he did not remain.
Who were those with him in the ship? S 7:64 But they called him a liar so we saved him and those with him in the ship. And we drowned those who called our signs a lie. They were a blind people.
It doesn't identify them as his family. In S 10:73 we read: But they called him a liar so we saved him and him who was with him on the ship and we made them successors and we drowned those who called our signs a lie. So see how the result of the warned was.
His wife, we are told, betrayed him. S 66:10 Allah has given an example for those who have disbelieved: Nuh’s woman and Lut’s woman. They were under two slaves of our righteous slaves but they betrayed them. So they did not avail anything from Allah. And it was said: Enter the fire with those who enter.
Was Nuh's "woman" one of those drowned? Lut's "woman" died. S 7:83; 27:57; 29:32, 33.
Was Musa a contemporary of Nuh? We read of "the Flood" in his time. S 7:133 So we sent upon them the Flood and the locusts and the lice and the frogs and the blood as detailed signs but they were arrogant and were a criminal people.
When the Egyptians and Fir'awn drowned (or otherwise–see: Qur'an Difficulty: Was Pharaoh Drowned or Saved? ) in the sea, was this as a result of the Flood?
My post, Created from…?
S 15:26 And he created man from argil, from altered mud.
S 19:67 Does man not remember that we created him before and he was nothing?
S 23:12 We created man from a descendancy of clay.
S 24:45 And Allah created every beast from water. Of them is he who walks on his belly and of them he who walks on two legs and of them he who walks on four. Allah creates what he wills. Allah is almighty.
S 25:54 And he is the one who created from water a human being and made him affinity and fusion. And your lord was capable.
S 30:20 And of his signs is that he created you from dust then behold, you are a man, you spread out.
S 40:67 He is the one who created you from dust then from a drop then from a blood clot then he brings you out as a child then that you may reach your maturity then that you may be old men and among you is he who dies before and that you may reach a designated term and perhaps you will comprehend.
S 96:1-2 Read in the name of your lord who created, Created man from clots.
Further reading: Contradictions in the Qur'an: What was man created from?
We might also quote S 4:1 People, fear your lord who created you from one soul and created from it its husband and broadcast from them many men–and women. And fear Allah whom you ask and the wombs. Allah was a watchman over you.
My post: [wife-or-husband]
[how-allah-creates-and-resurrects]
My post, Kun Fa-Yakun Be and It Is
We are told that Allah creates by saying ‘Be’, and it is. In a number of passages we read that Allah says to IT ‘Be’ and it is.
S 2:117 The inventor of the skies and the Earth. And when he has preordained a matter he only says to it: Be, and it is.
S 3:47 She said: Lord, how can I have a child when a man has not touched me? He said: Thus does Allah create what he wills. When he decides a matter he only says to it: Be and it is.
S 3:59
S 19:35 It was not for Lah that he should take any child. Praise be to him! When he decides a matter he only says to it: Be and it is.
S 36:82 His command is only when he wants a thing that he says to it: Be, and it is.
S 40:68 He is the one who vivifies and causes to die. And when he has decided a matter he only says to it: Be and it is.
Let’s look at a well-know verse. S 3:59 The example of Isa with Allah is as the example of Adam. He created him from dust then said to him: Be and he is.
Adam was created from dust then Allah said to the already existing Adam ‘Be’, and he is. And he should have said kana ‘was’. Or did the author think that Adam was still alive? Yakun could be understood in a future tense, ‘will be’, which would also be absurd.
Seven dkippers and alexander the great , all hearsay and copied here and there, withoiut knowing the facts…and put it in the koran…what kind of book is this …omg
It is refreshing to hear a woman enlightened by the wisdom of Monty Python 😂
Islamic defenses tend to be immaterial, by which I mean that the defenses respond to specific points or issues w/o affecting the larger issue. Here, they have lots of quibbles about the details of the stories/answers, but it's all so what? Whether Muhammad borrowed from Alexander or simply failed the test for another reason, who cares? Why he's wrong is immaterial – what matters is that he made a mistake.
so, green … shrek?
This was a great stream & a great argument, but I still think you need to embrace the power of AND. Muhammad & his heirs are likely real, but that doesn't mean they aren't fake as well – later people built upon a kernel of truth to serve their own purposes. Like Shakespeare built up all that pro Tudor propaganda in his plays: those people were real & many elements were accurate, but it's also a fiction play & the Tudors weren't likely handsome, virtuous & well-spoken like that. If Muhammad were a failed Christian heretical prophet, it would explain all that endorsing the Torah/Injil stuff – later people tried to turn him into the founder of a new religion & the attempt to make a failed Christian prophet into the founder of a new religion caused all sorts of problems, that you identify. Of course there's tons of hadith of dubious accuracy – you're blending stories of multiple personages. And of course there's lots of embarrassing tales because you are working w/ real people (most likely). Put it this way: imagine 150 years from now that people need a new religion based on Britney Spears to serve the needs of their empire – what would her bio, sunnah & hadith look like? Esp because you'd likely blend in elements from other pop stars too. I think Quran is based on a lectionary, but the lectionary is real & there are other sources too. It's a hodge-podge of fact, fable from multiple authors/sources.
Yasir Qadhi who doesn't believe in yajuj and majuj actually says they may be zombies…lolol😂😅🤣😂🤣religion of fantasies
Best Argument for Islam: 1 billion people can't be wrong. Unless they're Christians.
Do you muslims still believe that islam is true or even a religion? Don't you see that muhammed was a fraud! He stole stories from from everywhere and everyone and claim it's from a god he called allah. He stole even that god from the pagans.
Thank Thaddeus and Mary for getting muhammed allah busted….again 👏 God bless you both and your loves ones 🙏❤✝
1.3K views but only 216 likes??!!!!! looks suspicious 🤔
😆 real 😆😆😆
« Allah » it’s just al_lah, the god (unique) … 😤😮💨🤓
Are you talking about « Alexander the Great » ?
Only « Koran » …. The literature 😆 « Hadith » 😆😆
What is the real meaning of « masjid haram » « MSJDHRM » ? and where is it ? … really 🤔🤔🤔 easy if you are « smart » 🤓
Even « Mekka » is a creation …
Oy vey! Dhul Qarnayn is obviously just a retelling of the Alexander Romance, a set of silly myths that evolved in the centuries after Alexander died. if anything, the fact that these myths are found int he Qur'an is poof that Islam is false.
YouTube itself shows muslims and non Christian people seeing Jesus Christ and being saved but no Christian sees muhammad or gods of other beliefs, why is that, I tell you, because only Jesus Christ is real