Hud (The Prophet Hud) (11)- 123
1> Alif Lam Ra. (This is) a Book with verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning) further explained in detail from One Who is Wise and Well-Acquainted (with all things):
*** The Quran was not in book form during the lifetime of Muhammad. The verse above is thus totally misleading ***
2> (It teacheth) that ye should worship none but Allah. (Say:) "Verily I am (sent) unto you from Him to warn and to bring glad tidings:
3> ("And to preach thus) `Seek ye the forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance; that He may grant you enjoyment good (and true) for a term appointed and bestow His abounding grace on all who abound in merit! But if ye turn away then I fear for you the Penalty of a Great Day:
*** The expression "..for a term appointed..." means a length of time which is pre-destined by Allah***
4> "To Allah is your return and He hath power over all things.'"
5> Behold! they fold up their hearts that they may lie hid from Him! Ah! even when they cover themselves with their garments He knoweth what they conceal and what they reveal: for He knoweth well the (inmost secrets) of the hearts.
6> There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependeth on Allah: He knoweth the time and place of its temporary deposit: all is in a clear Record.
7> He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and His Throne was over the Waters that He might try you which of you is best in conduct. But if thou wert to say to them "Ye shall indeed be raised up after death" the Unbelievers would be sure to say "This is nothing but obvious sorcery!"
#The Unbelievers, who do not believe in a Future life, think all talk of it is like a sorcerer's talk, empty of reality. But in this they show their ignorance, and they are begging the question#
*** The Quran is wrong AGAIN since in the Biblical story of the Creation, God created the Heaven and Earth in FOUR days, NOT SIX.
Describing the Throne of God to be over the water, is taken directly from the Biblical narrative of the Creation as in
Genesis 1: "1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And a wind from God moved upon the face of the waters"
The concept of an after life was taken of course from Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. This was obviously not in the very primitive religion of pagan Arabia***
8> If We delay the Penalty for them for a definite term they are sure to say "What keeps it back?" Ah! on the day it (actually) reaches them nothing will turn it away from them and they will be completely encircled by that which they used to mock at!
*** The expression "If We delay the Penalty for them for a definite term", reinforces the fact that no matter what human beings do or do not, their destinies are pre determined by Allah.
The concept of Man's FREE WILL does not exist in the Quran***
9 If We give man a taste of mercy from Ourselves and then withdraw it from him behold! he is in despair and (falls into) blasphemy.
10 But if We give him a taste of (Our) favors after adversity hath touched him He is sure to say "All evil has departed from me;" Behold! he falls into exultation and pride.
11 Not so do those who show patience and constancy and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward.
12 Perchance thou mayest (feel the inclination) to give up a part of what is revealed unto thee and thy heart feeleth straitened lest they say "Why is not a treasure sent down unto him or why does not an angel come down with him? But thou art there only to warn! It is Allah that arrangeth all affairs!
*** At the cost of being repetetive, it is vital that the reader is reminded again and again, that the Quran has no concept of human FREE WILL. This repetition is required, because the conclusions of this dogma are catastrophic for the Quran as shown in the following reasoning:
Since humans are PRE-DESTINED, then all their deeds are the result of Allah's intentions for their actions.
Because of their lack of freely deciding what actions to take in life, they are not the masters of their destiny.
As they are not allowed the freedom of choice, then they are consigned by Allah, to end up either in his Hell or in his Paradise, depending on his whim.
Man's pre-destination then, by force of logic, precludes the need for RELIGION.
There is also no need for SATAN since he cannot deceive those whom Allah intends to go to Paradise and the ones destined by Allah to end up in Hell do not need the assistance of Satan.
Since religion is of no use under these circumstances, then there is no need for prophets to guide humanity to the RIGHT PATH.
Without the need of prophets, Muhammad and all other messengers are of no value and are hence redundant.
In conclusion, since Mankind, under these conditions, does not need religion, has no need for prophets, and no need for Satan, then the QURAN becomes totally unnecessary and irrelevant ***
13 Or they may say "He forged it." Say "Bring ye then ten Surahs forged like unto it and call (to your aid) whomsoever ye can other than Allah! if ye speak the truth!
*** This challenge can easily be met, since the pagan Arab poets, produced better Odes in much more correct Arabic grammar than the Quran is able to achieve.
The grammatical and syntactical errors in the Quran are numerous and well known, and cannot possibly be, the result of divine 'revelations'.
All the reader is required to observe, are the enormous number of words, terms and expressions between parenthesis, that are added to the text of the Quran by its interpreters, to make sense of many of the otherwise totally unintelligible verses ***
14> "If then they (your false gods) answer not your (call) know ye that this Revelation is sent down (replete) with the knowledge of Allah and that there is no god but He! Will ye even then submit (to Islam)?"
15> Those who desire the life of the Present and its glitter to them We shall pay (the price of) their deeds therein without diminution.
*** It should be pointed out to the reader, that another recurrent theme in the Quran, is its total objection to having Mankind enjoy the pleasures of LIFE on Earth.
They are repeatedly reminded, that they will have infinitely greater rewards in the afterlife, as long as they FEAR Allah, OBEY Muhammad, perform prayers, acts of charity and FIGHT in the path of Allah***
16> They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire: vain are the designs they frame therein and of no effect are the deeds that they do!
*** The meaning of the verse is crystal clear: Allah is informing his followers, that because of pre-destiny, all human deeds are of no value ***
17 > Can they be (like) those who accept a Clear (Sign) from their Lord and whom a witness from Himself doth teach as did the Book of Moses before it a guide [Imama] and a mercy? They believe therein; but those of the Sects that reject it the Fire will be their promised meeting place. Be not then in doubt thereon: for it is the Truth from thy Lord: yet many among men do not believe!
#1512 "A witness from Himself': i.e., the Book which was given to Al-Mustafa, the Holy Qur-an, which is compared to the original Revelation given to Moses. We make no difference between one true and genuine Message and another, nor between one apostle and another,-for they all come from the One True God. 1513 "Guide": the Arabic word here is Imam, a leader, a guide, one that directs to the true Path. Such a direction is an instance of the Mercy and Goodness of Allah to man. The Qur-an and the Prophet Muhammad are also called, each, a Guide and a Mercy, and so are these epithets applicable to previous Books and Prophets.#
*** Since both the Quran and its interpreter assert that the Quranic revelations and those of the Torah are both, the holy words of Allah, then on what basis do they deny the Jews their rights and heritage and Allah's promises to them?
Moses is called an (Imam), meaning a guide and leader ***
18 Who doth more wrong than those who invent a lie against Allah? They will be turned back to the presence of their Lord and the witnesses will say "These are the ones who lied against their Lord! Behold! the Curse of Allah is on those who do wrong!
19 "Those who would hinder (men) from the path of Allah and would seek in it something crooked: these were they who denied the Hereafter!
20 They will in nowise frustrate (His design) on earth nor have they protectors besides Allah! Their Penalty will be doubled! They lost the power to hear and they did not see!
21 They are the ones who have lost their own souls: and the (fancies) they invented have left them in the lurch!
22> Without a doubt these are the very ones who will lose most in the Hereafter!
23< But those who believe and work righteousness and humble themselves before their Lord they will be Companions of the Garden to dwell therein for aye!
24 These two kinds (of men) may be compared to the blind and deaf and those who can see and hear well. Are they equal when compared? Will ye not then take heed?
25> We sent Noah to his people (with a mission): "I have come to you with a Clear Warning:
*** All the verses 24-48 regarding the story of Noah, are from Muhammad's mouth and are not found in the Bible, from which Noah's story originated. No comments have been made since none are required to disprove such blatant perversions of history and religion.
The Quranic versions of the Biblical events are almost entirely shorn of detail, whereby the reader is only given the body of the story without its soul.
All the reader has to do, is check the Biblical version and compare to find out what it says compared to what the Quran alleges***
26> "That ye serve none but Allah: verily I do fear for you the Penalty of a Grievous Day."
27> But the Chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "We see (in) thee nothing but a man like ourselves: nor do we see that any follow thee but the meanest among us in judgment immature: nor do we see in you (all) any merit above us: in fact we think ye are liars!
28> He said: "O my people! see ye if (it be that) I have a Clear Sign from my Lord and that He hath sent Mercy unto me from His own Presence but that the Mercy hath been obscured from your sight? Shall we compel you to accept it when ye are averse to it?
29> "And O my People! I ask you for no wealth in return: my reward is from none but Allah: but I will not drive away (in contempt) those who believe: for verily they are to meet their Lord and ye I see are the ignorant ones!
30> "And O my People! who would help me against Allah if I drove them away? Will ye not then take heed?
31 "I tell you not that with me are the Treasures of Allah nor do I know what is hidden nor claim I to be an angel. Nor yet do I say of those whom your eyes do despise that Allah will not grant them (all) that is good: Allah knoweth best what is in their souls: I should if I did indeed be a wrongdoer."
32> They said: "O Noah! thou hast disputed with us and (much) hast thou prolonged the dispute with us: now bring upon us what thou threatenest us with if thou speakest the truth!"
33> He said: "Truly Allah will bring it on you if He wills and then ye will not be able to frustrate it!
34> "Of no profit will be my counsel to you much as I desire to give you (good) counsel if it be that Allah willeth to leave you astray: He is your Lord! and to Him will ye return!"
35 Or do they say "He has forged it?" Say: "If I had forged it on me were my sin! And I am free of the sins of which ye are guilty!
36> It was revealed to Noah: "None of thy people will believe except those who have believed already! So grieve no longer over their (evil) deeds.
37> "But construct an Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration and address Me no (further) on behalf of those who are in sin: for they are about to be overwhelmed (in the Flood)."
38> Forthwith he starts constructing the Ark: every time that the Chiefs of his People passed by him they threw ridicule on him. They threw ridicule on him. He said: "If ye ridicule us now we (in our turn) can look down on you with ridicule likewise!
39> "But soon will ye know who it is on whom will descend a Penalty that will cover them with shame will be unloosed a Penalty lasting."
40> At length behold! there came Our Command and the fountains of the earth gushed forth! We said: "Embark therein of each kind two male and female and your family except those against whom the Word has already gone forth and the Believers." But only a few believed with him.
41> So he said: "Embark ye on the Ark in the name of Allah whether it move or be at rest! For my Lord is be sure Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful!"
42> So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains and Noah called out to his son who had separated himself (from the rest): "O my son! embark with us and be not with the Unbelievers!"
43> The son replied: "I will be take myself to some mountain: it will save me from the water." Noah said: "This day nothing can save from the Command of Allah any but those on whom He hath mercy!" and the waves came between them and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood.
#1537 The Unbelievers refuse to believe in Allah, but have great faith in material things! This young man was going to save himself on mountain peaks, not knowing that the peaks were themselves being submerged.#
*** Another altered version of events in the Quran only and not in the Bible where in, Noah's son did not perish.
Genesis 6: …"17. And, behold, I, myself, bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, where there is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.18. But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you"
Again and again, the angel Gabriel was definitely giving the wrong version of events to Muhammad ***
44> When the word went forth: "O earth! swallow up thy water and O sky! withhold (thy rain)!" and the water abated and the matter was ended. The Ark rested on Mount Judi and the word went forth: "Away with those who do wrong!"
#1538 A wonderful passage. The whole picture is painted in just a few words. The chain of material facts are linked together, not only in their relations to each other, but also in their relation to the spiritual forces that control them, and the spiritual consequences of Sin and wrong-doing. The drowning in the material sense was the least part of the Penalty. A whole new world came into existence after the Deluge. 1539 Let us get a little idea of the geography of the place. The letters J.B. and K are philologically interchangeable, and Judi, Gudi, Kudi are sounds that can pass into each other. There is no doubt that the name is connected with the name "Kurd", in which the letter r is a later interpolation, for the oldest Sumerian records name a people called Kuti or Gutu as holding the middle Tigris region not later than 2000 B.C. (see E.B., Kurdistan). That region comprises the modern Turkish district of Bohtan, in which Jabal Judi is situated (near the frontiers of modern Turkey, modern 'lraq, and modern Syria), and the town of Jazirat ibn 'Umar, (on the present Turco-Syrian frontier), and it extends into 'Iraq and Persia. The great mountain mass of the Ararat plateau dominates this district. This mountain system "is unique in the Old World in containing great sheets of water that are bitter lakes without outlets, Lake Van and Lake Urumiya being the chief," (E.B., Asia). Such would be the very region for a stupendous Deluge if the usual scanty rainfall were to be changed into a very heavy downpour. A glacier damming of Lake Van in the Ice Age would have produced the same result. The region has many local traditions connected with Noah and the Flood. The Biblical legend of Mount Ararat being the resting place of Noah's Ark is hardly plausible, seeing that the highest peak of Ararat is over 16,000 feet high. If it means one of the lower-peaks of the Ararat system, it agrees with the Muslim tradition about Mount Judi (or Gudi), and this is in accordance with the oldest and best local traditions. These traditions are accepted by Josephus, by the Nestorian Christians, and indeed by all the Eastern Christians and Jews, and they are the best in touch with local traditions. See (Viscount) J. Bryce, "Transcaucasia and Ararat," 4th ed., 1896. p. 216#
*** Noah too knew Allah. The story of the flood is not the same as in the Bible nor does it have the same narrative effect as the original. The Quranic version - is as usual - truncated and without 'soul'.
Mount Ararat is re-named Judi for no logical reason except to pretend that the Quranic version is 'original' and not a perverted copy of the Torah.
All of the interpreter's intellectual contorsions, cannot change the fact, that the Quran misrepresents the stories as recited in the Bible ***
45> And Noah called upon his Lord and said: "O my Lord! surely my son is of my family! and Thy promise is true and Thou art the Justest of Judges!"
46> He said: "O Noah! he is not of thy family: for his conduct is unrighteous. So ask not of Me that of which thou hast no knowledge! I give thee counsel lest thou act like the ignorant!"
47> Noah said: "O my Lord! I do seek refuge with Thee lest I ask Thee for that of which I have no knowledge. And unless Thou forgive me and have Mercy on me I should indeed be lost!"
48> The word came: "O Noah! come down (from the Ark) with Peace from Us and Blessings on thee and on some of the Peoples (who will spring) from those with thee: but (there will be other) Peoples to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time) but in the end will a grievous Penalty reach them from Us."
49 > Such are some of the stories of the Unseen which We have revealed unto thee: before this neither thou nor thy People knew them. So persevere patiently: for the End is for those who are righteous.
#The sum of the whole matter is that the righteous, who work for Allah and their fellow-men, may be traduced, insulted, and persecuted. But they will be sustained by Allah's Mercy. They must go on working patiently, for the End will all be for them and their Cause#
*** This is definitely not the true interpretation of the verse. This verse PROVES once again that, before the Quranic revelations, and in accordance with recorded history, the pagan Arabs, including Muhammad, had neither recollection nor knowledge of the Biblical stories.
This of course contradicts the repeated mendacious Arab and Muhammadan arguments that they did ***
50 To the `Ad People (We sent) Hud one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him. (Your other gods) ye do nothing but invent!
*** Now that the Quran had finished with the story of the 'prophet' Noah, it follows him with a similar sequence of verses, first pertaining to the 'prophet' Hud of the Ad people then followed by the 'prophet' Salih of the Thamud.
The non-Biblical alleged prophets such as Hud and Salih are clones of Muhammad. They, like Muhammad intended them to do, warn their people of impending catastrophies if they do not believe in their message. A message that ONLY they are privy to, without any miraculous demonstrations, without the 'Thunder and Lightning of God' to prove their mission.
They, like Muhammad, want people to change traditions and beliefs that had sustained them for centuries, based ONLY on their - the 'prophets' - say so.
It is then not a great surprise, that these alleged prophets were derided and mocked.
At least, in the case of the Hebrew prophets, their warnings were accompanied with events that were proving their messages to be true; unlike the cases of Muhammad et al***
51 "O my people! I ask of you no reward for this (Message). My reward is from none but Him Who created me: will ye not then understand?
52 "And O my people! ask forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!"
53 They said: "O Hud! no Clear (Sign) hast thou brought us and we are not the ones to desert our gods on thy word! Nor do we believe in thee!
54 "We say nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may have seized thee with imbecility." He said: "I call Allah to witness and do ye bear witness that I am free from the sin of ascribing to Him
55 "Other gods as partners! So scheme (your worst) against me all of you and give me no respite.
56 "I put my trust in Allah my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature but He hath grasp of its forelock. Verily it is my Lord that is on a Straight Path.
57 "If ye turn away I (at least) have conveyed the Message with which I was sent to you. My Lord will make another People to succeed you and you will not harm Him in the least. For my Lord hath care and watch over all things."
58 So when Our decree issued We saved Hud and those who believed with him by (special) Grace from Ourselves: We saved them from a severe Penalty.
59 Such were the `Ad people: they rejected the Signs of their Lord and Cherisher; disobeyed His Apostles; and followed the command of every powerful obstinate transgressor.
60 And they were pursued by a Curse in this Life and on the Day of Judgment. Ah! behold! for the `Ad rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah! behold! removed (from sight) were `Ad the people of Hud!
61 To the Thamud People (We sent) Salih one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. It is He Who hath produced you from the earth and settled you therein: then ask forgiveness of Him and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord in (always) near ready to answer."
62 They said: "O Salih! thou hast been of us! a center of our hopes hitherto! Dost thou (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped? But we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which thou invitest us."
63 He said: "O my people! Do ye see? if I have a Clear (Sign) from my Lord and He hath sent Mercy unto me from Himself who then can help me against Allah if I were to disobey Him? What then would ye add to my (portion) but perdition?
64 "And O my people! this she-camel of Allah is a symbol to you: leave her to feed on Allah's (free) earth and inflict no harm on her or a swift Penalty will seize you!
65 But they did hamstring her. So he said: "Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days: (then will be your ruin): there is a promise not to be belied!"
66 When Our Decree issued We saved Saleh and those who believed with him by (special) Grace from Ourselves and from the Ignominy of that Day. For thy Lord He is the Strong One and Able to enforce His Will.
67 The (mighty) Blast overtook the wrongdoers and they lay prostrate in their homes before the morning
68 As if they had never dwelt and flourished there. Ah! behold! for the Thamud rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah! behold! removed (from sight) were the Thamud!
69 There came Our Messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said "Peace!" He answered "Peace!" and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf.
#1565 According to the sequence of Sura vii, the next reference should be to the story of Lut, and that story commences at xi. 77 below, but it is introduced by a brief reference to an episode in the life of his uncle Abraham, from whose seed sprang the peoples to whom Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad Al-Mustafa were sent with the major Revelations. Abraham had by this time passed through the fire of persecutions in the Mesopotamian valleys: he had left behind him the ancestral idolatry of Ur of the Chaldees; he had been tried and he had triumphed over the persecution of Nimrud: he had now taken up his residence in Canaan, from which his newphew Lot (Lut) was called to preach to the wicked Cities of the Plain east of the Dead sea which is itself called Bahr Lut. Thus prepared and sanctified, he was now ready to receive the Message that he was chosen to be the progenitor of a great line of Prophets, and that Message is now referred to. Can we localise Nimrud? If local tradition in place-names can be relied upon, this king must have ruled over the tract which includes the modern Nimrud, on the Tigris, about twenty miles south of Mosul. This is the site of Assyrian ruins of great interest, but the rise of Assyria as an Empire was of course much later than the time of Abraham. The Assyrian city was called Kalakh (or Calah), and archaeological excavations carried out there have yielded valuable results, which are however irrelevant for our Commentary. A) Abraham received the strangers with a salutation of Peace, and immediately placed before them a sumptuous meal of roasted calf. The strangers were embarrassed. They were angels and did not eat. If hospitality is refused, it means that those who refuse it meditate no good to the would be host. Abraham therefore had a feeling of mistrust and fear in his mind, which the strangers at once set at rest by saying that their mission was in the first place to help Lut as a warner to the Cities of Plain. But in the second place they had good news for Abraham; he was to be the father of great peoples#
70> But when he saw their hands went not towards the (meal) he felt some mistrust of them and conceived a fear of them. They said: "Fear not: we have been sent against the people of Lut."
*** As usual, the interpreter covers up the wrong Quranic version by deceiving the reader. In the Torah, it relates the following regarding Abraham's visitors:
Genesis 18: " ....2 (Abraham) lifted his eyes and saw and behold! Three men were standing over him....8 he placed these (the food) before them; he stood over them beneath the tree and they ate"
The visitors ate without hesitation and Abraham was not afraid of them as alleged above. They told Abraham, after the meal, that they were going after
Sodom and Gomorrah and not after Lot.
Genesis 18: "20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave..." ***
71> And his wife [wa mara^atuhu] was standing (there) and she laughed: but We gave her glad tidings of Isaac and after him of Jacob.
#1567 The narrative is very concise, and most of the details are taken for granted. We may suppose that the angels gave the news first to Abraham, who was already, according to Gen. xxi 5, a hundred years of age, and his wife Sarah was not far short of ninety (Gen. xvii. 7). She was probably screened. She could hardly believe the news. In her scepticism (some say in her joy) she laughed. But the news was formally communicated to her that she was to be the mother of Isaac, and through Isaac, the grandmother of Jacob. Jacob was to be a fruitful tree, with his twelve sons. But hitherto Abraham had had no son by her, and Sarah was past the age of child-bearing. "How could it be?" she thought.#
*** The reader should be made aware that the Quranic versions of the Biblical events are shorn of detail, flesh and spirit. The stories are invariably insipid, two dimensional and without 'life'. The reader should, for a fair comparison, read up the originals from the Bible.
The Quranic versions are bereft of details but contain absurd inconsistencies compared with their originals in the Bible.
Sarah - nonever mentioned in the Quran - did not laugh because of the previous verse but because of God's revelation to Abraham that he, at the age of almost 100 and she at 90, will sire a son.
Genesis 18: "10. And he said, I will certainly return to you at this season; and, lo, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well advanced in age; and it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women12. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am grown old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
In spite of the fact that Ishmael was already a young man and a 'first borne', none the less, it is ONLY Sarah that is alluded to as Abraham's wife (singular, not plural)
"..wa mara^atuhu.." and hence this is a clear testimony that Hagar cannot be included as a wife, but only as a concubine.
Moreover, the Quran takes liberties in alleging that Jacob too was predicted at the same time, which of course, is not the case in its original Biblical form ***
72> She said: "Alas for me! Shall I bear a child seeing I am an old woman and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!"
73> They said: "Dost thou wonder at Allah's decree? The grace of Allah and His blessings on you O ye people of the house! for He is indeed worthy of all praise full of all glory!"
74> When fear had passed from (the mind of) Abraham and the glad tidings had reached him he began to plead with Us for Lut's people.
*** The Quran is obsessed with FEAR. Fear of Allah, fear of Gabriel, fear of angels, etc., even when the Biblical version does not mention fear.
Verses 74- 82 are copied from the Bible in Genesis Chapters 18 & 19 ***
75> For Abraham was without doubt forbearing (of faults) compassionate and given to look to Allah.
76> O Abraham! seek not this. The decree of thy Lord hath gone forth: for them there cometh a Penalty that cannot be turned back!
77> When Our Messengers came to Lut he was grieved on their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: "This is a distressful day."
78> And his people came rushing towards him and they had been long in the habit of practicing abominations. He said: "O my people! here are my daughters: they are purer for you (if ye marry)! Now fear Allah and cover me not with shame about my guests! Is there not among you a single right-minded man?"
*** It should be pointed out, that not even the greatest authority on the Arabic language could understand the meaning of the verses pertaining to the story of Lut without having recurse to its original in the Bible.
This verse appears all of a sudden, without any background explanations showing why Lut is offering his daughters in marriage.
One would ask, to whom?
why?
In which area of the world are these events taking place?
In which period of history?
Among which people?
The reader cannot have any answers, unless one resorts to the Bible.
The Quran, as is being shown repeatedly, has no concept of Time, of Space or of Veracity; its stories are all jumbled up, unconnected, unrelated, without background, without soul and without logic ***
79> They said: "Well dost thou know we have no need of thy daughters: indeed thou knowest quite well what we want!"
80> He said: "Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake myself to some powerful support."
81> (The Messengers) said "O Lut! we are Messengers from thy Lord! By no means shall they reach thee! Now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): to her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: is not the morning nigh?"
82> When Our decree issued We turned (the cities) upside down and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay spread layer on layer
83 Marked as from thy Lord: nor are they ever far from those who do wrong!
84 To the Madyan people (We sent) Shuaib one of their own brethren: he said: "O my people! worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. And give not short measure or weight: I see you in prosperity but I fear for you the Penalty of a Day that will compass (you) all round.
85> "And O my people! give just measure and weight nor withhold from the people the things that are their due: commit not evil in the land with intent to do mischief.
#1584 Both Plato and Aristotle define justice as the virtue which gives every one his due. From this point of view Justice becomes the master virtue, and includes most other virtues. It was the lack of this that ruined the Midianites. Their selfishness was "intent on mischief," i.e., spoiling other people's business by not giving them their just dues.#
*** Both Plato and Aristotle defined justice as the virtue which gives every one his due. From this point of view, Justice becomes the master virtue, and includes most other virtues. This only confirms what the Torah had instructed several centuries before Plato and Aristotle in
Deut 16: "20. Justice, only justice shall you pursue, that you may live, and inherit the land which the Lord your God gives you"
Deut. 25: "13 You shall not have in your bag different weights, a large and a small"
Leviticus 19: 36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall you have; I am the Lord your God which brought you out of Egypt"
The Quranic verse is thus, not original, but - as is being invariably brought to the attention of the reader - a mere copy of that from the Torah***
86 "That which is left you by Allah is best for you if ye (but) believed! But I am not set over you to keep watch!"
87 They said: "Oh Shuaib! does thy (religion of) prayer command thee that we leave off the worship which our fathers practiced or that we leave off doing what we like with our property? Truly thou art the one that forbeareth with faults and is right-minded!"
88 He said: "O my people! see ye whether I have a Clear (Sign) from my Lord and He hath given me sustenance (pure and) good as from Himself? I wish not in opposition to you to do that which I forbid you to do. I only desire (your) betterment to the best of my power; and my success (in my task) can only come from Allah: in Him I trust and unto Him I look.
89> "And O my people! let not my dissent (from you) cause you to sin lest ye suffer a fate similar to that of the people of Noah or of Hud or of Salih nor are the people of Lut far off from you!
90> "But ask forgiveness of you Lord and turn unto Him (in repentance): for my Lord is indeed Full of mercy and loving-kindness."
91 They said: "O Shuaib! much of what thou sayest we do not understand! In fact among us we see that thou hast no strength! Were it not for thy family we should certainly have stoned thee! For thou hast among us no great position!"
92 He said: "O my people! is then my family of more consideration with you than Allah? For ye cast Him away behind your backs (with contempt). But verily my Lord encompasseth on all sides all that ye do!
93 "And O my people! do whatever ye can: I will do (my part): soon will ye know who it is on whom descends the Penalty of ignominy and who is a liar! And watch ye! for I too am watching with you!"
94 When Our decree issued We saved Shuaib and those who believed with him by (special) Mercy from Ourselves: but the (mighty) Blast did seize the wrongdoers and they lay prostrate in their homes by the morning
95 As if they had never dwelt and flourished there! Ah! behold! how the Madyan were removed (from sight) as were removed the Thamud!
96> And We sent Moses with Our Clear (Signs) and an authority manifest
97> Unto Pharaoh and his Chiefs: but they followed the command of Pharaoh and the command of Pharaoh was no right (guide).
98> He will go before his people on the Day of Judgment and lead them into the Fire (as cattle are led to water): but woeful indeed will be this leading (and) the place led to!
99> And they are followed by a curse in this (life) and on the Day of Judgment: and woeful is the gift which shall be given (unto them)!
100> These are some of the stories of communities which We relate unto thee: of them some are standing and some have been mown down (by the sickle of time).
101> It was not We that wronged them: they wronged their own souls: the deities other than Allah whom they invoked profited them no whit when there issued the decree of thy Lord: nor did they add aught (to their lot) but perdition!
102> Such is the chastisement of thy Lord when He chastises communities in the midst of their wrong: grievous indeed and severe is His chastisement.
103> In that is a Sign for those who fear the Penalty of the Hereafter: that is a Day for which mankind will be gathered together: that will be a Day of Testimony.
104> Nor shall We delay it but for a term appointed.
105> The day it arrives no soul shall speak except by His leave: of those (gathered) some will be wretched and some will be blessed.
106> Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: there will be for them therein (nothing but) the heaving of sighs and sobs:
107> They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure except as thy Lord willeth: for thy Lord is the (sure) Accomplisher of what He planneth.
108> And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: they will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure except as thy Lord willeth: a gift without break.
109 Be not then in doubt as to what these men worship. They worship nothing but what their fathers worshipped before (them): but verily We shall pay them back (in full) their portion without (the least) abatement.
110> We certainly gave the Book to Moses but differences arose therein: had it not been that a Word had gone forth before from thy Lord the matter would have been decided between them: but they are in suspicious doubt concerning it.
111> And of a surety to all will your Lord pay back (in full the recompense) of their deeds: for He knoweth well all that they do.
112> Therefore stand firm (in the straight path) as thou art commanded thou and those who with thee turn (unto Allah); and transgress not (from the Path): for He seeth well all that ye do.
113> And incline not to those who do wrong or the Fire will seize you; and ye have no protectors other than Allah nor shall ye be helped.
114> And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: for those things that are good remove those that are evil: be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord):
115> And be steadfast in patience; for verily Allah will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.
116> Why were there not among the generations before you persons possessed of balanced good sense prohibiting (men) from mischief in the earth except a few among them whom We saved (from harm)? But the wrongdoers pursued the enjoyment of the good things of life which were given them and persisted in sin.
117> Nor would thy Lord be the One to destroy communities for a single wrongdoing if its members were likely to mend.
118> If thy Lord had so willed He could have made mankind one People: but they will not cease to dispute
119> Except those on whom He hath bestowed His Mercy: and for this did He create them: and the Word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled: "I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together."
120> All that We relate to thee of the stories of the apostles with it We make firm thy heart: in them there cometh to thee the Truth as well as an exhortation and a message of remembrance to those who believe.
121 Say to those who do not believe: "Do whatever ye can: we shall do our part;
122 "And wait ye! we too shall wait."
123 > To Allah do belong the unseen (secrets) of the heavens and the earth and to Him goeth back every affair (for decision): then worship Him and put thy trust in Him: and thy Lord is not unmindful of aught that ye do.
