Tag Archives: god

FOLLOW THE RELIGION OF ABRAHAM

1 Reply

There are three fatal flaws which form the premise for all conclusions in the write-up by A Muhammad (the writer).

FLAW ONE

You shall strive for the cause of GOD as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion (l-dīni) – the religion (millata) of your father Abraham. He is the one who named you “Submitters” originally. Thus, the messenger shall serve as a witness among you, and you shall serve as witnesses among the people. Therefore, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat) and hold fast to GOD; He is your Lord, the best Lord and the best Supporter. [22:78]

This central verse is neither referenced nor quoted in the write-up!

FLAW TWO

He decreed for you the same religion (l-dīni) decreed for Noah, and what we inspired to you, and what we decreed for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: “You shall uphold this one religion (l-dīna), and do not divide it.” The idol worshipers will greatly resent what you invite them to do. GOD redeems to Himself whomever He wills; He guides to Himself only those who totally submit. [42:13]

The religion of Noah was monotheism or per 23:23 and 7:159, “… worship GOD. You have no other god beside Him.” This is the same religion as Abraham. The writer diminishes and limits it to Creed of Abraham as he seeks to limit Abraham’s role to “… worship GOD. You have no other god beside Him.” However, Abraham is the one who named us submitters and was taught and given the rituals of our religious duties. Prophet Muhammad was commanded to follow the religion of Abraham which includes the rituals of the religious duties.

FLAW THREE

The writer writes, “An immediate reference must be made to 6:114 where it is stated very clearly that all the details of our religion are given in the Quran…”

The Quran details religious law in the Quran. Sura 25 is The Statute Book. Even if we take the word ‘Furqan’ as ‘Criterion’, it will still come out as law. The Quran does not detail the rituals of religious duties. These rituals were given to Prophet Abraham and came to us generation to generation from the time of Abraham. There is nothing in the Quran to indicate that any rituals were given to Prophet Muhammad. This falsehood of all details in the Quran (religious law and rituals of religious duties) was initiated by Edip Yuksel. It is laughable to see his demonstration of ‘the steps of salat from the Quran’ in his website. It is also absurd when the writer attempts to give his version of how to do salat.

We are commanded through a religious law to perform salat. However, the rituals of that religious practice were given to Abraham with the Quran only correcting the corrupted practices. 6:38, 6:19, 7:52, 10:37, 12:111, 18:27 are verses which declare to us that the Quran is fully detailed. Verses 6:114-115 make it clear that the Quran is fully detailed for religious law. The Quran is a book of law.

With the fatal error of taking Quran as fully detailed for everything instead of fully detailed for religious law; this individual and others like him make foolish attempts of how to do salat based on 100% Quran and subsequently redefine words like millat-a-Ibrahim (religion of Abraham) to support their erroneous hypothesis.

In light of the Quran (5:101) – with a scan of the 2nd half of the Quran, a conclusion can be made that messengers bring scriptures (57:25, 35:25). Scrutinizing the whole Quran (In light of the Quran), verse 3:81 makes it clear that prophets bring scriptures and that messengers confirm what exists. 3:81 and other verses make it clear that all prophets are messengers and that all messengers are not prophets.

Similarly, verse 6:114 makes it clear that the Quran is fully detailed for religious law. The Quran does not detail the rituals of the religious duties which were given to Prophet Abraham. That is why we (and prophet Muhammad) follow the religion of Abraham.

++

Deen in Arabic translates as, “Religion; judgment; debt that one owes; lending; transaction; subscribe; observe; requital; faith; law; obedience.”

The root word for millat translates as, “to dictate; to embrace a religion; faith; religion; creed.”

DETAILED LOOK AT THE WRITE-UP

“1- The Quranic definition of ‘millat Ibrahim’”

“… uphold the Quran, the whole Quran and nothing but the Quran…” refers to upholding the Quran as the only source for religious law. The word ‘furqan’ translates as criterion or ‘standard to distinguish between right and wrong.’

Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt. 6:114
Most blessed is the One who revealed the Statute Book to His servant, so he can serve as a warner to the whole world. 25:1

before that, to guide the people, and He sent down the statute book. Those who disbelieve in GOD’s revelations incur severe retribution. GOD is Almighty, Avenger. 3:4

Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book… 2:185.

++

“The Quran has only three names for Salat.”

This statement by the writer is correct but does not give complete truth or picture. The writer ignores the fact that the Quran has five-time frames for five salats but mentions only three by name.

++

The first observation is that in all the verses that mention the words ‘millat Ibrahim’ these words are followed by the words ‘he was a monotheist and was not one of the mushrikeen’.

This is not correct. Verses 2:130 and 22:78 are two examples. The writer has an incorrect premise and thus incorrect conclusions.

Who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except one who fools his own soul? We have chosen him in this world, and in the Hereafter, he will be with the righteous. 2:130

++

“These words, which were uttered by the prophet Joseph, speak of the ‘millat’ of those who were atheists, they did not believe in God nor the Hereafter. Atheists do not have a religion but they have a creed (atheism).”

On what basis does the writer conclude that the two men were atheists and even if they were what difference does that make. On a more nefarious side, the writer fails to mention verse 12:38 which mentions the millat (religion) of Joseph’s ancestors.

He said, “If any food is provided to you, I can inform you about it before you receive it. This is some of the knowledge bestowed upon me by my Lord. I have forsaken the religion of people who do not believe in GOD, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are really disbelievers. 12:37

And I followed instead the religion (millat) of my ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We never set up any idols beside GOD. Such is the blessing from GOD upon us and upon the people, but most people are unappreciative. 12:38

++

The writer believes that the word ‘Millat’ in 14:13 does not mean religion. It can only mean religion [Religion: the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods].

[14:9] Have you not heard about those before you – the people of Noah, `Aad, Thamoud, and others who came after them and known only to GOD? Their messengers went to them with clear proofs, but they treated them with contempt and said, “We disbelieve in what you are sent with. We are skeptical about your message; full of doubt.”
[14:10] Their messengers said, “Do you have doubts about GOD; the Initiator of the heavens and the earth? He invites you only to forgive your sins, and to give you another chance to redeem yourselves.” They said, “You are no more than humans like us, who want to repel us from the way our parents used to worship. Show us some profound authority.”
[14:11] Their messengers said to them, “We are no more than humans like you, but GOD blesses whomever He chooses from among His servants. We could not possibly show you any kind of authorization, except in accordance with GOD’s will. In GOD the believers shall trust.
[14:12] “Why should we not trust in GOD, when He has guided us in our paths? We will steadfastly persevere in the face of your persecution. In GOD all the trusters shall trust.”
[14:13] Those who disbelieved said to their messengers, “We will banish you from our land, unless you revert to our religion.” Their Lord inspired them: “We will inevitably annihilate the transgressors.
[14:14] “And we will let you dwell in their land after them. This is (the reward) for those who reverence My majesty and reverence My promise.”

++

The writer believes that the word ‘Millat’ in 2:120 does not mean religion – “Since the religion given to all people is one and the same, there would be no reason why the Jews or Christians would not be pleased with the religion given in the Quran, this is assuming that the word ‘millat’ means religion.”

Per 3:19, the only religion approved by God is Submission (Islam). ‘Only religion’ makes it clear that there are other religions (see the definition of the word religion above). Per the rest of the Quran, it is clear that the approved Religion of Submission mandates the worship of God alone. There is no reason why submitting “the Jews or Christians would not be pleased with the religion given in the Quran”. As we know, the Jews, Christians and the Muslims have divided themselves into sects and have their own religions distinct from what is acceptable in 3:19. This is the exact point of the word millat as religion in 2:120. These sects and their beliefs are doctrines which are the basis of their religion. They are not creeds of their religion as the writer attempts to portray.

The only religion approved by GOD is “Submission.” Ironically, those who have received the scripture are the ones who dispute this fact, despite the knowledge they have received, due to jealousy. For such rejectors of GOD’s revelations, GOD is most strict in reckoning. 3:19
[2:119] We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news, as well as a warner. You are not answerable for those who incur Hell.
[2:120] Neither the Jews, nor the Christians, will accept you, unless you follow their religion. Say, “GOD’s guidance is the true guidance.” If you acquiesce to their wishes, despite the knowledge you have received, you will find no ally or supporter to help you against GOD.
[2:121] Those who received the scripture, and know it as it should be known, will believe in this. As for those who disbelieve, they are the losers.

++

“The word ‘millat’ simply means a creed or a belief, but a religion is a complete and comprehensive set of religious laws which cover all the practices in addition to all the lawful and unlawful activities as prescribed by God.”

On the contrary the word Millat (as per above) means “to dictate; to embrace a religion; faith; religion; creed.”. Millat a Ibrahim or the Religion of Abraham covered all the rituals of the religious practices. Those rituals were given to Abraham (21:73).

++

Say, “My Lord has guided me in a straight path (deen) – the perfect religion (millat) of Abraham, monotheism. He never was an idol worshipper.” 6:161

The writer objects, “If both words (deen and millat) mean religion, wouldn’t only one of them only be used?”

Both words indeed have religion as one of their meanings. It makes good writing to use separate words for the same meaning in a sentence. The Quran sets the standard for great Arabic writing.

“2- Are we accountable to what was decreed for Abraham.”

The writer acknowledges the practices and the rituals associated with those practices were given to Abraham but bemoans that the Quran does not detail the rituals [see Flaw Three above].

We made them imams who guided in accordance with our commandments, and we taught them how to work righteousness, and how to observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and the obligatory charity (Zakat). To us, they were devoted worshipers. 21:73

++

Based on the following verses (5:44-50) the writer concludes:

  • We must follow the words of the Quran and nothing else.
  • The Quran supersedes previous rituals given too Abraham
  • Different communities were given different rites or methods
  • “…receivers of every Scripture accountable only to what they were given in their Scripture…”

[5:44] We have sent down the Torah, containing guidance and light. Ruling in accordance with it were the Jewish prophets, as well as the rabbis and the priests, as dictated to them in GOD’s scripture, and as witnessed by them. Therefore, do not reverence human beings; you shall reverence Me instead. And do not trade away My revelations for a cheap price. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD’s revelations are the disbelievers.
[5:45] And we decreed for them in it that: the life for the life, the eye for the eye, the nose for the nose, the ear for the ear, the tooth for the tooth, and an equivalent injury for any injury. If one forfeits what is due to him as a charity, it will atone for his sins. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD’s revelations are the unjust.
[5:46] Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the previous scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and light, and to enlighten the righteous.
[5:47] The people of the Gospel shall rule in accordance with GOD’s revelations therein. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD’s revelations are the wicked.
[5:48] Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations, and do not follow their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you. For each of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny – all of you – then He will inform you of everything you had disputed.
[5:49] You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations to you. Do not follow their wishes, and beware lest they divert you from some of GOD’s revelations to you. If they turn away, then know that GOD wills to punish them for some of their sins. Indeed, many people are wicked.
[5:50] Is it the law of the days of ignorance that they seek to uphold? Whose law is better than GOD’s for those who have attained certainty?

One may write a thesis based on incorrect assumptions. The writer succeeds well in that. As pointed out in the beginning, the Quran is a book of law, a statute book. There is a difference between law and rituals. It is God’s law that we carry out the religious duties, the rituals of which were given to prophet Abraham. That is why at the very beginning of the Quran, believers are defined as those who, besides other attributes, believe in what was revealed before the Quran. What was revealed before were the rituals of those religious practices, given to Prophet Abraham, who also named our religion (22:78). It is precisely why God calls our religion as Religion of Abaraham.

And they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are absolutely certain. 2:4

Verses 5:44-50 deal with judgements and rulings. The commandment is to rule, or judge based on the scripture. The Jews are commanded to rule based on the Torah, while the Christians with the Gospel and the Muhammad (Muslims) with the Quran. And indeed, the Quran supersedes the previous scripture as the final arbiter of religious law.

Indeed, verses 5:48 points out different rites for the people of the scripture, an example of which is sabbath decreed for the Christians and Jews (16:124), descendants of Isaaq. [See also 22:67-72 referred to the writer]. We also have the descendants of Ismael for whom the rite of sabbath was not decreed. All the descendants of Abraham were commanded to carry out religious duties.

Thus the writer is correct that we must follow the words of the Quran and nothing else, but he fails to point out (or grasp) that the words are complete for religious law not religious rituals. There is nothing in the verses to conclude that the Quran supersedes previous rituals given to Abraham. While he is correct in stating, “receivers of every Scripture accountable only to what they were given in their Scripture…,” he fails to mention that it is religious law rather than rituals of religious practices (5:12, 10:87).

[22:67] For each congregation, we have decreed a set of rites that they must uphold. Therefore, they should not dispute with you. You shall continue to invite everyone to your Lord. Most assuredly, you are on the right path.
[22:68] If they argue with you, then say, “GOD is fully aware of everything you do.”
[22:69] GOD will judge among you on the Day of Resurrection regarding all your disputes.
[22:70] Do you not realize that GOD knows everything in the heavens and everything on earth? All this is recorded in a record. This is easy for GOD to do.
[22:71] Yet, they idolize beside GOD idols wherein He placed no power, and they know nothing about them. The transgressors have no helper.
[22:72] When our revelations are recited to them, clearly, you recognize wickedness on the faces of those who disbelieve. They almost attack those who recite our revelations to them. Say, “Shall I inform you of something much worse? Hell is promised by GOD for those who disbelieve; what a miserable destiny.”

3- Were the religious practices given to Abraham preserved, and practiced at the time of Muhammad? Were they preserved until today?

Prophet Muhammad learned how to perform salat and the religious practices from his elders as indeed one would presume the writer did. As Quranic verses were revealed, Prophet Muhammad corrected the corrupted inherited rituals. Verses 5:6 and 72:18 are two of numerous examples in which the Quran corrects the inherited corrupted practice. Even today the Muslims can correct their inherited rituals to abide by the Quran corrections with 5:6 and 72:18 as just two examples.

Contrary to the writer’s assertion, prophet Muhammad was commanded to follow the Religion of Abraham. There are numerous verses in the Quran which command us to worship God alone (2:112, 4:36, 8:39, 12:39, 22:31, 39:3, 39:45, 40:12, 40:14, 60:4). It is a futile attempt by the writer to equate millat to creed (“…to follow monotheism and refrain from idol worship…”) when so many verses advocate the worship of God alone and to refrain from idol worship.

The writer also attempts to make a case of “… pure practices as given to Abraham” did not exist at the time of Muhammad. Indeed, all the practices, uncorrupted, did not exist at the time of Muhammad and neither does the Quran make such a claim.
Per 19:59 generations lost the contact prayers. We see the evidence among the descendants of Isaaq, the Christians, and Jews. There are also, in the present day, certain Jews and Christians who carry out salat, as an example, with bowing and prostration.

4- Does the Quran only detail laws that have been changed or corrupted? Is the Quran merely an ‘Amendment book’?

In this section of his write-up, the writer seems to grasp that the Quran is a book of fully detailed law. The crucial factor missing is his conclusion is that rituals which make up religious practices are not part of religious law – they are rituals, not religious law.

The Quran details religious law. The Quran also mentions and provides details of some of the rituals of religious practices. And indeed, we cannot accept any religious law outside the words of the Quran. We accept in accordance with God’s decree and law to practice the Religion of Abraham which details the rituals of the religious practices of our religion.

5- Does the Quran outline only the main concepts while the details are passed down to us from the time of Abraham?

There is nothing much to say here. The Quran is fully detailed for religious law, and the prophet carried on his religious practice rituals as he learned from his elders. When Quran verses were revealed, irrespective of when they were revealed, he would correct his religious practice ritual to correspond with the revealed verses.

6- Do we have any Quranic proof for what was given to Abraham?

“These verses (21:73, 22:27) speak about Salat, Zakat and Hajj in general but do not give the specific details which were given to Abraham in connection to any of these practices.”

“And proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage. They will come to you walking or riding on various exhausted (means of transportation). They will come from the farthest locations.” 22:27

We made them imams who guided in accordance with our commandments, and we taught them how to work righteousness, and how to observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and the obligatory charity (Zakat). To us, they were devoted worshipers. 21:73

The verses are specific on Abraham being taught how to observe Salat. We are commanded to follow the Religion of Abraham. We have religious law to observe the religious practices, the details of which were given to prophet Abraham with the Quran clarifying some of the rituals.

7- Should we rely on ‘Universal Acceptance’?

The writer utilizes Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s phrase ‘universal acceptance’ from Appendix 9 of his translation. To remind the writer, the 24434 rakas in salat and 2.5% zakat is universal. It is not the majority.

God’s system of preservation of the rituals is perfect. These rituals have come to us from the time of Abraham with the Quran correcting the corrupted rituals of the religious practices.

VERSES CONTAINING THE WORD MILLAT

[2:120] Neither the Jews, nor the Christians, will accept you, unless you follow their religion (millatahum). Say, “GOD’s guidance is the true guidance.” If you acquiesce to their wishes, despite the knowledge you have received, you will find no ally or supporter to help you against GOD. 2:120

Who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except one who fools his own soul? We have chosen him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be with the righteous. 2:130

They said, “You have to be Jewish or Christian, to be guided.” Say, “We follow the religion of Abraham – monotheism – he never was an idol worshiper.” 2:135.

Say, “GOD has proclaimed the truth: You shall follow Abraham’s religion – monotheism. He never was an idolater.” 3:95.

Who is better guided in his religion than one who submits totally to GOD, leads a righteous life, according to the creed of Abraham: monotheism? GOD has chosen Abraham as a beloved friend. 4:125

Say, “My Lord has guided me in a straight path – the perfect religion of Abraham, monotheism. He never was an idol worshiper.”
Say, “My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to GOD alone, the Lord of the universe. 6:161-162

He said, “If any food is provided to you, I can inform you about it before you receive it. This is some of the knowledge bestowed upon me by my Lord. I have forsaken the religion (millata) of people who do not believe in GOD, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are really disbelievers.
“And I followed instead the religion (millata) of my ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We never set up any idols beside GOD. Such is the blessing from GOD upon us and upon the people, but most people are unappreciative.
“O my prison mates, are several gods better, or GOD alone, the One, the Supreme?
“You do not worship beside Him except innovations that you have made up, you and your parents. GOD has never authorized such idols. All ruling belongs to GOD, and He has ruled that you shall not worship except Him. This is the perfect religion (I-dinu), but most people do not know. 12:37-40

[14:13] Those who disbelieved said to their messengers, “We will banish you from our land, unless you revert to our religion (millatina).” Their Lord inspired them: “We will inevitably annihilate the transgressors.

Then we inspired you (Muhammad) to follow the religion of Abraham, the monotheist; he never was an idol worshiper. 16:123

You shall strive for the cause of GOD as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion (l-dīni) – the religion (millata) of your father Abraham. He is the one who named you “Submitters” originally. Thus, the messenger shall serve as a witness among you, and you shall serve as witnesses among the people. Therefore, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat) and hold fast to GOD; He is your Lord, the best Lord and the best Supporter. 22:78

The leaders announced, “Go and steadfastly persevere in worshiping your gods. This is what is desired.
“We never heard of this from the religion of our fathers. This is a lie. 38:6-7

VERSES CONTAINING THE WORD DEEN

We sent Noah to his people, saying, “O my people, worship GOD. You have no other god beside Him. Would you not be righteous?” 23:23

We sent Noah to his people, saying, “O my people, worship GOD; you have no other god beside Him. I fear for you the retribution of an awesome day.” 7:159.

Abraham was neither Jewish, nor Christian; he was a monotheist submitter (muslim). He never was an idol worshipper. 3:67

I was commanded: “Keep yourself devoted to the religion (lilddīni) of monotheism (ḥanīfan); you shall not practice idol worship. 10:105

Therefore, you shall devote yourself to the religion (lilddīni) of strict monotheism (ḥanīfan). Such is the natural instinct placed into the people by GOD. Such creation of GOD will never change. This is the perfect religion (l-dīnu), but most people do not know. 30:30

All that was asked of them was to worship GOD, devoting the religion (l-dīna) absolutely to Him alone (ḥunafāa), observe the contact prayers (Salat), and give the obligatory charity (Zakat). Such is the perfect religion. 98:5

The Quran

Leave a reply

‘The Quran’ by Professor Nicolai Sinai at Oxford University, explores the Quran based on the Quran itself. He explores the Quran with a ‘historical-critical’ method with a close reading of the text and other relevant sources of the period when the Quran was revealed.

THE QURAN THAT CONTAINS THE PROOF


The Proof within the Quran was revealed 1400 years after the revelation of the Quran. God distinguishes the Quran from its Proof in 38:1, 36:69 and Sura 98. Although the verifiable Proof does not adorn the corridors of universities yet, it clears up the following predicaments in the book.

Enigmatic or Isolated letters as in 2:1
Becca instead of Mecca in 3:96
Abrogation of proof rather than verse in 2:106
Basmallah omitted in Sura 9
Final arrangement or recension of the Quran
Examining the placement of 74:31
Purified sheets in 98:2

The Proof within the Quran resolves all of the above. The Quran initials in 29 suras are part of the intricate mathematical structure of the Quran. Mecca is spelled as Becca in 3:96 to preserve the count of the letter ‘M’ or ‘Meem’ in the Sura as a multiple of 19. Verse 2:106 refers to abrogation of a proof or miracle rather than abrogation of a verse as the Arabic word ‘ayah’ is a multiple meaning word of either sign, revelation, verse, proof, miracle.


When we abrogate any miracle, or cause it to be forgotten, we produce a better miracle, or at least an equal one. Do you not recognize the fact that GOD is Omnipotent? 2:106


The missing Basmallah while being a component of the miracle of the Quran also is a forewarning that Sura 9 was altered by addition of two false verses 9:128-129. Professor Nicolai Sinai in his discussion on 9:128 points out the verse ‘even attributes to him (Mohammad) the qualities of kindness and mercy that are elsewhere predicated only of God.’ One proof that the two verses are false is ascribing an attribute used exclusively for God to Muhammad.


The proof within the Quran authenticates the final arrangement of the Quran as we have it now. In addition, the Arabic word ‘ummi’ signifies gentiles or people without scripture, rather than illiterate. Prophet Muhammad wrote down the Quran as it was revealed to him. His copy had instructions for the final placement of each verse.


Professor Nicolai Sinai questions the placement of 74:31 next to small verses. Sura 74 deals with the Proof within the Quran. The sura is entitled ‘The Hidden Secret.’ Verse 74:30 states, ‘Over it is 19’ and verse 74:31 gives five reasons for the proof based on the number 19.


Verse 98:2 refers to the messenger (3:81) after all the prophets reciting purified scripture who brought forth the Proof within the Quran and exposed 9:128-129 as false verses inserted in the Quran.

OTHER TOPICS IN THE BOOK

First and third person reference to God


[41:12] Thus, He completed the seven universes in two days, and set up the laws for every universe. And we adorned the lowest universe with lamps, and placed guards around it. Such is the design of the Almighty, the Omniscient.

In the Quran, God gives credit to the angels when carrying out His commands. There are seven universes, with us (the humans and jinns) confined to the lowest universe. Angels carry out duties in the lowest universe and thus the use of ‘we’ in 41:12 is the form used to acknowledge their participation. The seven universes were completed by God alone and thus ‘He’ is utilized. In all the Quran, ‘we’ is used when participation of the angels is involved. Needless to mention, the ‘days’ in the above verse is simply a yardstick.

Creation of Adam

There is a reference in the Quran to events prior to the creation of Adam such as the feud in 38:69.

Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son


[37:102] When he grew enough to work with him, he said, “My son, I see in a dream that I am sacrificing you. What do you think?” He said, “O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, GOD willing, patient.”
[37:103] They both submitted, and he put his forehead down (to sacrifice him).
[37:104] We called him: “O Abraham.
[37:105] “You have believed the dream.” We thus reward the righteous.

The dream was from Satan. God does not advocate evil (7:28) and such a command will not originate from Him. There is nothing in the Quran which supports a point of view that such a command originated from God.

Polemics for Christians and Jews

The Quran is just as polemical to the traditional Muslims as the perception the author has for Christians and Jews. The Quran advocates monotheism and the absolute worship of God alone. The Christians fail to worship God until and unless the name of Jesus is attached to God in some form or fashion. The same applies to traditional Muslims who cannot separate the association of Muhammad next to God in their prayers and religious activities, in defiance of the Quran. Jews uphold the Mishnah and Gamarra instead of the Torah, while traditional Muslims uphold Hadith and Sunnah instead of the Quran. The Quran explicitly forbids upholding any hadith other than the Quran itself.

[39:45] When GOD ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned beside Him, they become satisfied.

[17:46] We place shields around their minds, to prevent them from understanding it, and deafness in their ears. And when you preach your Lord, using the Quran alone, they run away in aversion.

[57:14] They will call upon them, “Were we not with you?” They will answer, “Yes, but you cheated your souls, hesitated, doubted, and became misled by wishful thinking, until GOD’s judgment came. You were diverted from GOD by illusions.

Obey God and the messenger

The Quran is a book of law. It is also fully detailed and does not provide freedom to follow any other words as a source of religious law (25:1, 6:112-114, 6:19). Obeying God and the messenger boils down to obeying God whose words are fully detailed in the Quran. The Quran gives examples of mistakes made by Prophet Muhammad as well as other messengers.

Basic law regulating relations with unbelievers

[60:8] GOD does not enjoin you from befriending those who do not fight you because of religion, and do not evict you from your homes. You may befriend them and be equitable towards them. GOD loves the equitable.
[60:9] GOD enjoins you only from befriending those who fight you because of religion, evict you from your homes, and band together with others to banish you. You shall not befriend them. Those who befriend them are the transgressors.

Cutting-off of thief’s hand

The commandment in the Quran is to mark the hand of thief, not cut it off. The same word in 5:38 is used in 12:31 and 12:50. It is obvious that the women did not cut-off their hands.

[5:38] The thief, male or female, you shall mark their hands as a punishment for their crime, and to serve as an example from GOD. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.

[12:31] When she heard of their gossip, she invited them, prepared for them a comfortable place, and gave each of them a knife. She then said to him, “Enter their room.” When they saw him, they so admired him, that they cut their hands. They said, “Glory be to GOD, this is not a human being; this is an honorable angel.”
[12:50] The king said, “Bring him to me.” When the messenger came to him, he said, “Go back to your lord and ask him to investigate the women who cut their hands. My Lord is fully aware of their schemes.”

[27:76] This Quran settles many issues for the Children of Israel; issues that they are still disputing.

Nicolai Sinai points out the ‘removal’ of Adam’s creation in God’s image. He also points to the preeminence of ‘Inviolable House’ from Jerusalem to Mecca. So too is the case with verses 19:16-33 and other verses about Jesus and Mary of settling issues about them and their appropriate standing.

“Intended Prayer Suras” (last few short Suras)

Although traditional Muslims use these last few Suras in their daily sanctioned prayers, it is not correct, Nicolai Sinai presents one reason in the book. Sura 1 is sanctioned, and its words of prayer are to God. The reasoning presented by the author is that the last few sura’s start with ‘Say’. It makes little sense in a contact (Salat) prayer to God to start with ‘say’ or ‘Proclaim.’

Eckhart Tolle and belief in God

1 Reply

The New York Times called Eckhart Tolle “the most popular spiritual author in the United States”. His books, “The power of Now” and “Stillness speaks” have sold millions of copies with translations in 33 languages.

TOLLE’S TEACHINGS
[The Quran verses are only given as reference to similar topic]

  • Ego is an illusory sense of self (25:43). It implies unawareness. Our consciousness is based on ego.
  • Thoughts are tormentors in the head (2:284). Voice in head is not who I am.
  • There is a difference between knowing yourself and knowing about yourself. This awareness (where thoughts exist) becomes an agent for change.
  • Having control is an illusion (3:109).
  • Have an honest self-evaluation (17:14) and let go of the past (25:70).
  • Unhappiness is based on your thoughts (28:69). Inner peace is not based on perceived thoughts. Material possessions will not bring happiness (11:15).
  • The present moment or the power of now (rather than the past or future) should be the primary focus of life.

NOW THEN, WHERE WILL YOU GO?
This is a message for all the people.
For those who wish to go straight.
Whatever you will is in accordance with the will of GOD, Lord of the universe. [81:26-29]

There is a perceived value in Tolle’s teachings for quite a few humans as evidenced by the book sales and by other self-help books. Should an individual reach the destination of ‘now’ by following Tolle’s teachings, what happens then?

The answer – oblivion. The absence of God from an individual’s life makes everything else, infinitesimal.

TOLLE’S IDOLATRY

“I have devoted myself absolutely to the One who initiated the heavens and the earth; I will never be an idol worshiper.” [6:79]

  • Like other new-agers, Tolle advocates looking to the universe for guidance, rather than to the Creator of the universe.
  • According to Tolle, Heaven is inner awakening. As we know, there can be no belief in God without belief in the Hereafter.
  • Per Tolle, universe creation is an ongoing process. Per Tolle, an outside agent creates and walks away and there is an evolving god and humans.
  • Tolle makes no distinction between humans and God; and considers both to share divinity.
  • Tolle believes in Pantheism – Pantheism is the belief that reality is identical with divinity, or that all-things compose an all-encompassing, immanent god.

GOD: there is no other god besides Him, the Living, the Eternal. Never a moment of unawareness or slumber overtakes Him. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. Who could intercede with Him, except in accordance with His will? He knows their past, and their future. No one attains any knowledge, except as He wills. His dominion encompasses the heavens and the earth, and ruling them never burdens Him. He is the Most High, the Great. [2:255]

Supporting a point of view by God’s words in the Quran

Leave a reply

CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR POINT OF VIEW BY GOD’S WORDS IN THE QURAN?

 

Unfortunately, only some submitters adhere to the above, even though the Quran and God’s messenger are clear and explicit about the above.

[6:114] Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
[6:115] The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
[18:27] … Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it.

“We are people who follow the Quran, the whole Quran and nothing but the Quran. Therefore, anybody and this means anybody who brings any information must conform to the Quran, the whole Quran and nothing but the Quran.  And if anyone, I will underline anyone, who comes up with information that is not confirmed by the Quran, we tell him forget it, we don’t accept it. The criterion is preaching, confirming existing scripture, the Quran and nothing else.” – Rashad Khalifa, Khutba announcing his messengership, April 1988.

NEWCOMERS TO SUBMISSION URGED TO VERIFY FROM QURAN

Most of us, when we were first given the message, verified directly from the Quran. Thus, for the correct Shahadah, we would look at the words of 3:18, 47:19 and others similar verses of the Quran. We verified certain aspects the great mathematical miracle of the Quran like number of Suras or the number of letters in the Basmallah or the total number of verses in the Quran. We looked closely at the words of 3:81 to be validate that a messenger will come after all the prophets or 33:40 to ascertain that Muhammad was not the last messenger. Newcomers are encouraged and expected to do their homework of verifying from the Quran.

“THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ME; YOU SHALL WORSHIP ME ALONE” [21:25]

Like all previous messengers, the message of the messenger after the prophets was to worship God alone (39:45). The messenger made it clear that we worship God by upholding only God’s words in the Quran (17:46, 25:30). God blessed us by providing proof that every word of the Quran is a Proven Word of God. The messenger brought forth other information embedded within the Quran by God’s leave like the age of 40, the feud in the High Society, etc. In the February 1990 Newsletter, Dr. Khalifa states, “As stated in 3:81 and 46:9, God’s Messenger of the Covenant does not bring anything new; everything I receive and pass on to you is already in the Quran.”

The messenger summarized the embedded information in his English translation of the Quran. Thus, an Introduction gives a Quranic basis to the Religion of Submission and answers the question, “why are we here?” Appendices in the translation give details of the mathematical miracle of the Quran, proof of messengership and other issues of relevance. As an example, in Appendix 9, the messenger explains God’s divine preservation of religious duties from the time of Abraham to now with the Quran correcting all corruptions in religious duties and associated rituals. Neither Muhammad nor Rashad Khalifa were ‘given’ the steps for ‘how to perform salat’.

THE QURAN AND THE MIRACLE DID NOT COME TO US DIRECTLY FROM GOD

Dr. Khalifa states in his Book, Quran, Hadith & Islam:

“Only a little thinking leads us to realize that Quran came to us through Muhammad’s mouth, and DID NOT COME TO US FROM GOD DIRECTLY. Hence the commandment that we shall obey the messenger…for he utters the words of God.

“When we seek “religious” instructions from Muhammad, or any other source beside God, we support Satan in his claim that God needs a partner. Therefore, those who worship God ALONE follow the instructions and teachings of GOD ALONE. As shown throughout this book, God’s teachings are complete, perfect, and fully detailed in Quran.”

Similarly, the delivery of the miracle and embedded information did not come to us directly from God.

RESISTANCE TO SUPPORTING YOUR POINT OF VIEW EXCLUSIVELY BY GOD’S WORDS IN THE QURAN

What is the point when a submitter, who in the process of accepting the message and verifying directly from the Quran (17:36), like the examples given above, transform from a submitter into a potential submitter who seeks “religious” instructions from Rashad and supports Satan in his claim that God needs a partner?

The answer is very simple. It is the point when one gets away from worshipping of God alone (inability to uphold God’s complete words in the Quran), and therefore that person is stripped of common sense. The following are some examples of stripped common sense of those who cannot give a point of view based exclusively on Quran.

–           They cannot define the word Quran. To them, it is something other that the Arabic Quran given to Prophet Muhammad.
–           They cannot accept that God’s words are complete in the Quran per 6:115.
–           They cannot accept that those complete words are the only source of law per 6:114.
–           They cannot accept that God’s words which make up the book (Quran) provide explanations for everything per 16:89
–           They cannot accept that God’s words in the scripture (Quran) contains the message per 21:10.

–           They cannot accept that God’s words in the Quran are called Hadith (a lowly word according to them) and that we cannot accept ANY other Hadith per 77:50, 7:185 and 45:6. Even though God calls His Glorious words in the Quran, Hadith, they are unwilling to call Rashad Khalifa’s words as Hadith.

–           They consider the messenger’s words in footnotes, subheadings, appendices, etc. as same as or ‘at par’ with God’s words in the 6346 verses of the Quran.

–           They consider the messenger, Rashad Khalifa as infallible and uphold his words as a source of law thus establishing a partner with God (under the guise of ‘authorized explanations’).

**

The human messenger imparted the message of worshiping God alone in his human words. The messenger’s words comprise of footnotes, appendices, subheadings, audios, videos, books and newsletters.

We can certainly impart the message by giving a potential believer, Dr. Khalifa’s Translation of the Quran, as it contains embedded information including the miracle of the Quran. We can provide the potential believer access to the audios, videos, books, etc.

However, if you worship God alone, can you support your point of view directly by God’s complete words in the Quran? Or do you need a partner to associate (shirk) with God’s words?

The messenger said, “My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.” [25:30]

**

None of the above, in any way, means that any of Dr. Khalifa’s work should be cast aside nor does it mean that a thorough study of his should not be done nor does it mean that anyone should be discouraged from study of his works/videos, etc.

It simply means, that when a point of view is advocated, can support from the words of the Quran be provided. The source remains the Quran (Statute Book).  For Statute Law explanations and teachings do not become a source of law.

RELATED LINKS

Admission Test Q&A
Idolatry Q&A
Obey God and His Messenger
Rashad Khalifa on Quran alone
Reversion to Idolatry
Quran Text
Appendices in Rashad Khalifa Translation

Obey God and His Messenger

2 Replies

In the name of God, most Gracious, most, Merciful

When two or more individuals open a joint account at a bank in USA, they have an option of opening an OR account or an AND account. When they open an OR account either party can withdraw funds by one person’s signature. However, when an AND account is opened, both parties must sign before funds can be withdrawn. In other words for the AND account approval of all parties is required for funds withdrawal or to make any changes to the account.

The Quran commands us to obey God AND His messenger. It commands us in 49:1 not to place our opinion above God AND His messenger. The Quran does not give us the luxury of obeying God OR His messenger. In other words we don’t have the choice of obeying God OR obeying His messenger. Thus, obeying God and His messenger boils down to obeying God as it requires God’s endorsement. God’s endorsement is in the words of the Quran. We obey God by following God’s words in the Quran.  We don’t place our opinion above God and His messenger by not placing our opinion outside the confines of the words of the Quran. We cannot obey God and His messenger until and unless what the messenger says coincides with the words of the Quran.

It is:                       obey God and His messenger.
It is not:               obey God or His messenger.

God has given the example of the use of word OR to mean EITHER. The word OR suggests option.

[23:6] Only with their spouses, or those who are rightfully theirs, do they have sexual relations; they are not to be blamed.

[70:30] (They have relations) only with their spouses, or what is legally theirs –
[70:31] anyone who transgresses these limits is a sinner.

God specifies in this category that sexual relations are allowed with EITHER their spouses OR what is legally theirs, but not both.

God has blessed us with all the words we need in the Glorious Quran.

**

As submitters to God alone, our discussions and advocacy on any topic should be based on verses of the Quran.

For those interested here is a mathematical explanation for AND & OR for the mathematically structured book – the Quran

The Difference between And and Or

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/71940.html

Date: 01/23/2008 at 11:59:54

From: Mikki

Subject: and/or

My son had a question that was marked wrong on his paper.  He pointed out to me that by the way it was worded, he felt as though he were correct.  Here is the question:  There are 3 knives, 4 spoons, 4 forks.  What fraction of the utensils are spoons OR forks? He answered 4/11 and was told the teachers edition says 8/11.  I understand the way he read it to be OR meaning one or the other.  If it’s 8/11, shouldn’t it be worded spoons AND forks?  If the answer is 8/11, I want my son to understand why.

Date: 01/23/2008 at 12:24:17

From: Doctor Peterson

Subject: Re: and/or

Hi, Mikki.

The words “and” and “or” can be ambiguous in English, so in math we give them precise meanings.  We have to teach those meanings, but often forget to, which may have happened here.

When we talk about the set of things that are A AND B, we mean that EACH of those things must be BOTH A and B.  Nothing is both a spoon and a fork!  (At least not in this problem.)  So “and” would have been inappropriate.  There are no utensils that are spoons and forks.

When we talk about the set of things that are A OR B, we mean that EACH of them may be EITHER A or B.  That is, we are including in the set BOTH those that are A, AND those that are B.  This is where the confusion and ambiguity come in!  There are 8 utensils that are spoons or forks.

Your son read it in a way that is commonly used in nontechnical English, taking “How many are A or B” to mean two separate questions combined: “How many are A, how many are B”.  I can see how that could be tempting in this case; the two numbers happen to be the same, so he could take the question to mean “How many are A (which is also the same as the number that are B”.  If there had been 3 spoons and 4 forks, that interpretation would not have made as much sense; the best answer he could give would be “3, or 4”.  We don’t combine questions like that in math, to avoid confusion.

So the book was right, but the question is ambiguous if the teacher has not taught (or does not know) the standard mathematical usage. (This usage is important in some later topics, such as probability, so it’s definitely worth teaching.)

If you have any further questions, feel free to write back.

– Doctor Peterson, The Math Forum

http://mathforum.org/dr.math/

 

Date: 01/23/2008 at 12:47:17

From: Doctor Riz

Subject: Re: and/or

Hi Mikki –

I’d like to add one piece to what Dr. Peterson wrote.  While this is a slightly different application of the idea, my students always found this particular example of the logical difference between AND and OR helpful.

In logic, an AND statement is only true if both parts of it are true. If I say, “I am in Vermont AND I am in New Hampshire” the only way that can be true is if I am standing on the border with one foot in each state.

An OR statement is true if either part is true.  If I say, “I am in Vermont OR I am in New Hampshire” that statement is true as long as I am in either state (it’s also true if I’m straddling the border).  The only way an OR statement is not true is if both parts are false, such as if I were standing in Massachusetts when I made my statement about being in Vermont or New Hampshire.

With your question about utensils being spoons OR forks, I count every utensil that is either a spoon or a fork, giving 8 of the 11.  If I were asked what fraction of the utensils were spoons AND forks, there would be zero since the utensil would have to be both things.  There IS a utensil you sometimes see in fast food places which is a spoon shape with teeth on the front edge, and it’s generally referred to as a “spork”, a combination of spoon and fork.  That’s what I’d need for a utensil to be considered a spoon AND a fork.

Does that help?  Write back if you have questions on any of this.

– Doctor Riz, The Math Forum

http://mathforum.org/dr.math/

 

Date: 01/23/2008 at 13:33:11

From: Mikki

Subject: Thank you (and/or)

Thank you both for your prompt responses.  You have taught me something and definitely given me something to think about.

RELATED LINKS

Idolatry Q&A
Obey God and His Messenger
Reversion to Idolatry
Supporting a point of view by Quran
Rashad Khalifa on Quran alone

 

Should we use the word Allah or God

Leave a reply

In as many times as we have been on the internet or in a discussion or a chat group, we almost always run into someone who feels offended that we use the word “God” when we talk about the One and Only God (Allah in Arabic).

It is surprising to notice that most of these Muslim brothers and/or sisters do not know that the word “Allah” is the Arabic word for the word “God”. Many of them believe that “Allah” is the name of the Muslim God. They do not realize that the word “Allah” does not belong exclusively
to the Muslims and that it has always been used before (and after) Islam by the Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians when they speak about God.

Talking to English speaking people about God using the word “Allah” is very much the same like speaking to Arabic speaking people about “Allah” using the word God. It makes all the sense to show respect to the people and their language by speaking to them in the language they use.

Insisting on the use of the word “Allah” which is the Arabic word for God immediately creates the illusion that “Allah” is a whole different deity than God of the whole world. It creates a god that belongs ONLY to the Muslims, and takes the universality of Islam out of it. We found
the comment sent by Abu Iman Robert Squires to be very informative and we re-produced it here.

The word “ALLAH”

A Comment by : Abu Iman Robert Squires

Assalamu Alaikum,

I would like to strongly concur with your observations about the use of the word “Allah” in English and any other language. Both from my conversion experience in America and my experience doing da’wah here in Kuwait, it is definitely 100% – without a shadow of a doubt – better to use the word “God” when making da’wah to English speaking people.

This alone is enough to open many hearts and minds since many people think that Muslims worship a different God. I’ve come across some Arab brothers who insist in using only the word “Allah”. They somehow think that it implies Tawhid while the word “God” implies the Trinity, etc., etc.

You know, the problem with such people is not their knowledge of Arabic, but their ignorance of English. The mushriks (disbelievers) at the time of the Prophet (saws) used the word Allah, and so do Arabic-speaking Christians. The word itself in no way implies tawhid. The reason it implies
tawhid to Muslims is that they’re Muslims. Others use this word in ways that are nothing but shirk.

The word God implies tawhid to me because I have the Islamic concept of Him. It’s all in the concept, but has nothing to do with the word itself. Also, there are statements in some da’wah pamphlets that say “all prophets since Adam used the word Allah” and that “the word Allah is
exactly the same as the Aramaic word Jesus used for God”.

The first statement is baseless and can be proved to be logically incorrect from the Quran. The second statement is incorrect, but the words are only similar, but NOT exactly alike. This whole trend of using “Allah” in English seems to come about rather recently.

Most of the translations and writings done back in the 1940’s and 1950’s used the word “God”, which is a perfectly good translation of the word Allah in Arabic. M.M. Pickthall being the main exception, since he seemed to have used “Allah” in all of the translations that I’ve seen.

The change came, I believe, as a result of Nasserite Arab Nationalism. Many Arabs I know over here still don’t know the difference between Islam and Arab Nationalism! They seem more interesting in defending their pride heritage than really spreading the message. But this is in no way limited to Arabs, I’ve dealt with Pakistanis, Malaysians, Turks and Afghanis that have the same hang-up.

The mentality of some of these brothers almost approaches that of the Bani Isra’il – the “our God vs. your God” mentality! By the way, I’ve never met an English-speaking convert to Islam (or Spanish-speaking, or French-speaking) who disagreed with me on this point. Most them went
through a stage wondering why (some) Muslims insist on using Allah.

I should also add that I know a lot of Muslims that use “God” when speaking English. I find this rather common among most Egyptians that I know. In Morocco, where I visit quite frequently, the also use Dieu when they parlez francais.

Insh’allah, more Muslims will realize this and our da’wah will become more effective. This is a BIG barrier, but many Muslims don’t realize it. Many come up with baseless reasons to justify it (for whatever reason). What do we converts know anyway!!! Ha! Another point before I go…some people like to try to draw exact parallels between English and Arabic words which just don’t fit.

The word “ilah” in Arabic can be used for a false god or for Allah. (Like when God says (paraphrased) the “ilah” of Ibrahim”, and numerous other example.) Anyone who can read the Quran should know this. However, unlike the word “god” in English, which ALWAYS implies a false god. Non- native English speakers sometimes mistakenly believe that “god” and “God” are the same English word, but they are not. They carry completely different meanings. If they doubt this, then they simply don’t know how to speak the English language. And to say that the word “Allah” can only be used for the Supreme Almighty Creator is refuted by the Quran itself.

It clearly says (and I paraphrase here rather liberally) that Christians say that “Allah is Jesus”. There you have it, applying “Allah” to something that isn’t “Allah” right there in the Quran. You see, what people really mean to say is that you SHOULDN’T use “Allah” for anything
except the Almighty Creator, but you still CAN. The same thing goes for the word God.

People can use it in the wrong way, but that doesn’t make it right. The truth is that this word too should only be used for the Almighty Creator. Remember…God has sent prophets to everyone in their OWN LANGUAGE, i.e. a language that they can understand. How many more people
around the world wouldn’t be dying on SHIRK if many Muslims woke up and started making da’wah in a way people can understand? Well, I’ve spoken my peace.

Abu Iman Robert Squires

***

Here is another comment and response by Steven Thomas;

To: BILL H——–

From: STEVEN THOMAS

Sorry Bill, but your sources are dubious at best. Souroush for instance is a evangelical missionary associated with Jimmy Swaggart – great reliability there!

The fact is that Allah does not refer to the moon god or have associates. The linguistic breakdown of Allah is “The/Al God/Lah”. That is why all Christian Arabs (monophysists, Nestorians, Orthodox, Roman, and Protestant (yes, even Mr. Shouroush) use the term Allah to refer to God the Father when they speak Arabic. Lest you wonder where I am coming from, my degrees are Biblical Arch. and Arabic language.

Try again.

Steven.

— The Pitts <c—@centurytel.net> wrote:

The god of the Quran and the God of the bible are completely different. Allah being contrived from AI-Llah the moon god. Please feel free to research it yourself. As your own documentation says,..”don’t mean to offend anyone.”

Peace,

There is no one offended here.

God of the Arabic Bible is called “Allah”. I do not think you believe that there is a god for the English Bible and another god for the Arabic Bible and a third for the Italian bible…etc. It would be too naive.

There is ONLY one God. His name in English is God, in French: un dieu, in Italian: dio, in German: Gott, in Spanish: Dios, in Portuguese: Deus, in Arabic: Allah, and in Aramaic : alaha.

All these are no more than the names of God in different languages To this day the Christian Arabs pray to Allah and talk about Allah. They called Him Allah even before Islam was born and they know they were not worshipping any moon god. Those who still speak Jesus language
(Aramaic/syriac) call God alaha to this day like Jesus did. Jesus did not pray to a moon god but to alaha (Allah), the One and Only God.

The Arabic Bible, use the word Allah for God. If you want any images of the Arabic Bible with the word Allah in it (for God of the Bible), please let me know.

If you want to verify it, call any Arabic church in the USA or any English speaking country and ask them what they call God in their Arabic Bible and whether they still use the word Allah in their Bible or not.

Jewish Arabs also pray to Allah and talk about Allah just like an English person talks about God.

The Origin of the name “Allah”

It seems unlikely that the name Allah comes from al-ilaah “the God”, but rather from the Aramaic/Syriac alaha, meaning ‘God’ or ‘the God’. The final ‘a’ in the name alaha was originally the definite article ‘the’ and is regularly dropped when Syriac words and names are borrowed into Arabic. Middle-eastern Christianity used ‘alah’ and ‘alaha’ frequently, and it would have often been heard.

But in the Aramaic/Syriac language there are two different ‘a’ vowels, one rather like the ‘a’ in English ‘hat’ and the other more like the vowel in ‘ought’. In the case of ‘alah’, the first vowel was like ‘hat’ and the second like ‘ought’. Arabic does not have a vowel like the one in ‘ought’, but it seems to have BORROWED this vowel along with the word ‘alah’. If you know Arabic, then you know that the second vowel in ‘allah’ is unique; it occurs only in that one word in Arabic.

Scholars believe that Jesus spoke mostly Aramaic, although sometimes he spoke Hebrew and he might have spoken Greek on some occasions. If Jesus spoke Aramaic, then he referred to God using basically the same word that is used in Arabic.

From [email protected] (Dr. Christoph Heger)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: How About That Moon God?
Date: Wed Mar 25 18:59:38 EST 1998
Message-ID: <[email protected]>

Greetings to all,

The theory that Allah had been the name of an old Arabic moon god (or moon goddess?) is not familiar to me and I am not in a position to accept or falsify it. The following remarks only are thought to serve further elucidation of the matter.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotos in the first volume of his historic work “Histories Apodexis”, line 131-132, refers to the religion of the Persians. He writes:

“They sacrifice to the sun and the moon and the earth and the fire and the water and the winds. Only to those they sacrifice of old. In addition they learnt to sacrifice to Urania [=the Celestial one, i.e. Aphrodite; Ch.H.], too. They learnt it from the Assyrians and the Arabs. The
Assyrians call Aphrodite Mylitta [Assyrian: Bilit; Ch.H.], the Arabs Alilat…”

This “Urania”, indeed, in some connections appears as a moon goddess. “Alilat”, of course, is to be related to the Arabic feminine form “al-ilah”, a nomen unitatis which has the meaning of “the (single) deity”.

The etymological derivation of “Allah” as a contraction of “al-ilah”, which was maintained in numerous contributions to sri, too, is “popular” etymology and surely not historic. It would be rather strange that especially the “i” should have been disappeared due to neglect of the
speakers, since the syllable “il” is the most important in “al-ilah”: “il” or “el” is the semitic word for God since times immemorial.

Instead, the word “Allah”, as a lot of other words, especially words of the religious sphere, was imported from the Syriac (Aramaic) language: “alaha” – with three long a-vowels -, is the Aramaic word for the (Christian) unique God. The last (long) “a” characterizes the status absolutus
in the Aramaic language and was duly omitted by the Arabs like case endings in the Arabic vernacular, whereas the understanding of the first syllable of “alaha” as an article was a common misunderstanding like for instance in “al-Iskandar” from Greek “Alexandros” etc. The doubling of the “l” is irrelevant, since the doubling sign is a very late invention of Arabic orthography, centuries after Muhammad.

Kind regards,

Christoph Heger

Even some of the traditional Scholars agree on this one; see this Question and answer from a traditional scholar

The Origin of the Word ‘Allah’…

Question:

What is the derivation of “Allah”? Some scholars say it derives from al+ illah (“the God”), but many Muslim Ulema and translators of the Quran (such as Maulana Muhammad Ali) disagree with this, and say that “Allah” is whole in itself, as a proper name for the Supreme Creator. But is there any philological relationship between Allah and other Semitic terms for “God” such as Eloah (Hebrew) and Alaha (Aramaic/Syriac)?

Thank you.

Peace and blessings of Allah be with you.

Shahid M, USA

Reply

Although a lot has been said about the philology of the word ‘Allah’, however, in my opinion, the former of the two opinions noted by you seems to be closer to the correct one. A detailed discussion compiling the opinions of various scholars of the Arabic language regarding the origin of the word can be seen in “Lisaan al-Arab” under the word “Aliha” (a-l-h). In my opinion, ‘Allah’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘the God’. According to the general principle of making proper nouns from common nouns in the Arabic language, the word “ilah” (common noun) has been converted to “al-ilah”, which became “Allah” due to the turgidity and the slight difficulty of pronunciation of the word “al-ilah”.

The Quran, because its prime and first addressees were the Arabs, used the word “Allah” for the Supreme Being, as that had traditionally been the word used for the Supreme Being in that language. The same had been the case in the older scriptures. Those scriptures, like the Quran, used those words for the Supreme Being, which had already in vogue in those languages, to refer to the Supreme Being.

However, there have been scholars of the Arabic language who ascribe to the opinion that “Allah” is the actual name of the Supreme Being. It is indeed important to the evidence that they have provided into account. Nevertheless, I feel that to give God a name is a requirement of us,
humans. God, being the absolute being is in no need for a name.

May the Almighty guide us all to the path of His liking.

Fundamentals of Islam

Leave a reply

Egypt’s media regulator issues warning to controversial show discussing Islam

Islam El-Beheiry

The debate over the programme, called With Islam and presented by Islam El-Beheiry on private satellite TV channel El-Qahera Wal-Nas, started last week when Al-Azhar, the country’s leading Sunni Islam institute, filed an official complaint with the Free Media Zone, the state department in charge of managing cable TV channel contracts.

El-Beheiry’s show has previously tackled several controversial issues in Islam, including punishment for apostasy, the debate on early marriage, and different interpretations of the Hadith, the sayings and teachings of Islam’s Prophet Muhammed.

On Thursday, two independent lawyers filed a complaint with the prosecutor-general, accusing El-Beheiry of contempt of religion, insulting the Prophet’s companions and the Sunnah, the teachings and practices of Islam’s Prophet.

An open discussion about Islam is not allowed in Muslim countries – Egypt being a prominent Muslim country. Mr. El-Beheiry is being accused of “attacking the fundamentals of religion.”

Lets examine..

FUNDAMENTALS OF ISLAM ACCORDING TO THE QURAN

  1. Freedom of religion
  2. Freedom from oppression
  3. Worship God ALONE
  4. Uphold only the Quran as a source of religious law
  5. Only acceptable hadith (narration) is the Quran
  6. Only acceptable sunnah (system) is God’s which is spelled out in the Quran

Does the representative of Al-Azhar uphold any of the above fundamentals from the Quran? The answer is no. The consequences are horrendous in this world and the Hereafter.

Closest to God

Leave a reply

God Almighty has told us about those who are closest to Him in the Last
Day when our reward or punishment will be eternal. In 4:172, God talked
about the Angels who are closest to Him. In Suras 56 and 83, God told us
about the human beings who will be the closest to Him. And this will be
the ultimate Paradise and bliss.

We read in Sura 56:
“When the inevitable comes to pass. Nothing can stop it from happening. It
will lower some and raise others. The earth will be shaken up. The
mountains will be wiped out. As if they never existed. YOU WILL BE
STRATIFIED into three kinds. Those who deserve bliss will be in bliss.
Those who deserve misery will be in misery. Then there is the ELITE OF THE
ELITE. They are those who will be closest (To God). In the gardens of
bliss. Many from the first generations. FEW from the later generations.”
56:1-14 Reflect on this expression, FEW FROM THE LATER GENERATION.

But where-else does God talk about those CLOSEST TO HIM. In 83:21

“Indeed the book of the righteous will be in ‘Elleyyeen. Do you know what
‘Elleyyeen is? A NUMERICALLY STRUCTURED BOOK To be witnessed BY THOSE
CLOSE TO ME. The righteous have deserved bliss.” 18-22.

Only those who are the closest to God will be witnessing this numerically
structured book. Now we know why some people can not see the miracle.
How can this numerically structured book be blessing for the righteous and
disaster for the disbelievrs and hypocrites is explained in 74:31

“We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and we assigned their number
(Eddatahum) (19)
(1) to disturb the disbelievers.
(2) to convince the Christians and Jews (that this is a divine scripture),
(3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful,
(4) to remove all the traces of doubt from the hearts of the Christians,
Jews as well as the believers, and (5) to expose those who harbor doubt in
their hearts, and the disbelievrs; they will say, “What did God mean by
this allegory?
God thus sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills.
NONE KNOWS the soldiers of your Lord except He. THIS IS A REMINDER FOR THE
PEOPLE. ‘ 74:31