Al-Isra'a / Bani Isra'il (The Nocturnal Journey) (17)- 111
1 Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did Bless in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the one Who heareth and seeth (all things).
# 2167 Masjid is a place of prayer: here it refers to the Ka'ba at Makkah. It had not yet been cleared of its idols and rededicated exclusively to the One True God. It was symbolical of the new Message which was being given to mankind. 2168 The Farthest Mosque must refer to the site of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem on the hill of Moriah, at or near which stands the Dome of the Rock, called also the Mosque of Hadhrat 'Umar. This and the Mosque known as the Farthest Mosque (Masjid-ul-Aqsa) were completed by the Amir 'Abd-ul-Malik in A.H. 68. Farthest, because it was the place of worship farthest west which was known to the Arabs in the time of the holy Prophet: it was a sacred place to both Jews and Christians, but the Christians then had the upper hand, as it was included in the Byzantine (Roman) Empire, which maintained a Patriarch at Jerusalem. The chief dates in connection with the Temple are: it was finished by Solomon about B.C. 1004; destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar about 586 B.C.; rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah about 515 B.C.; turned into a heathen idol-temple by one of Alexander's successors, Antiochus Epiphanes, 167 B.C.; restored by Herod, B.C. 17 to A.D. 29; and completely razed to the ground by the Emperor Titus in A.D. 70. These ups and downs are among the greater Signs in religious history#
*** This is the name of the Sura which is also called Bani Isra'il,
(The Children of Israel). This is the alleged Night Journey from Mecca to the
Farthest Mosque.
Yet one more 'miracle' that occurred to Muhammad in the dead of night without any other witnesses.
Although this may have been a SPIRITUAL ascent, Muhammadans insist and created a mythology assuming a real PHYSICAL transport.
The verse above, when analysed word by word, produces the following unambiguous interpretation:
The text speaks of TWO separate 'Mosques', therefore, Muhammad was taken "To the Furthest Mosque" which meant to a distinct and existing mosque; not one to be established in the future nor to where a mosque stood before; hence it could not have been anywhere on Earth and especially not in Jerusalem since there was no Masjid (Mosque) or Temple there at the time of Muhammad.
The verse continues, "whose precincts We did bless"; this could not have meant that the (Trinitarian) - a Shirk/Idolatrous - church on the Temple Mount could have been blessed by Allah. If it means that this holy area was blessed at the time of its construction by Solomon then why did the verse continue by adding "in order that we might show him some of Our Signs"?
Muhammad was being shown (Our Signs) meaning wonders and miracles. There were no wonders or miracles shown to him on the Temple Mount that only had a Trinitarian church.
The only wonders and miracles (Our Signs) that could have been meant, would have been at the Throne of Allah and no where else, especially, since the verse continues "for He is the One who Heareth and Seeth all" meaning Allah.
This verse could only have described an allegorical spiritual transport to the Temple/Throne of Allah in Heaven and NOT on Earth.
Furthermore, according to Muhammadan 'tradition', the Night Journey occurred BEFORE Muhammad had emigrated to Madina.
Since this is the accepted case, then the only paramount mosque that could have existed in the Hijaz - if not in the whole of Arabia - was in Mecca.
Even this mosque was not a proper one in the 'Islamic' sense since it harboured all of 360 statues of idolatry. The logical conclusion must be, that it was the Muhammadan interpreters of the Quran, who deliberately perverted the real meaning of this verse by first expressing their opinion, and then the dogma, that he was transported to the mosque in Jerusalem in spite of the fact, that there was NO TEMPLE there and her name (Jerusalem) is not once mentioned in the entire Quran. On the other hand, Jerusalem is mentioned 667 times in the Bible and 1436 times in the Talmud.
Moreover, pre-Islamic pagan Arabs had no tradition or knowledge of Jerusalem. Surah 17:1 does not - in the very circumspect manner it is composed - describe a miraculous journey at all. If it had been such a miracle, more details and explanations would have followed. Instead, the next verse has absolutely no relationship to such a miraculous event but speaks of Moses.
This 'journey', is followed by the later formulated myth - not in the Quran - based on the Biblical story of Jacob/Israel's Ladder, that Muhammad went to the seven heavens.
The concept of seven heavens did not exist in the beliefs of the pagan Arabs - including Muhammad - until he heard it from the Christians and the Jews and then used it in his Quran.
A similar story appears also in the Midrash, of the 'Ascent' of Moses to the Seven Heavens. In the case of Muhammad, a ladder (Mi'raj) was used in some versions and a mythological composite animal, Buraq, was the means of transport in others.
It should be pointed out to the reader, that the word Mi'raj is actually an Ethiopic and NOT an Arabic word.
What is even more astounding and relevant, is that in the Sira by (Muhammad Ibn Ishaq, p183), Aisha, Muhammad's wife, is reported to have insisted that
"the prophet's body never left its place" .
On page (184), there is a further corroborating report that Umm Hani daughter of of Abu Talib, whose name was Hind, concerning the apostle's Night Journey, she said
" The apostle went on no night journey except while he was in my house. He slept that night in my house. He prayed the final night prayer, then he slept and we slept. ….."
Both women are adamant that he never left the house physically but the later traditions of his followers created the myth of a real bodily travel.
Ibn Ishaq's version of events, is totally at variance with the later, much more embellished traditions, casting doubt on the veracity of the whole story.
If this event were such a sublime and momentous occasion, it beggars belief that Allah, who listened to, reported, as well as condemned conversations and puerile gossip held by Muhammad's wives and his enemies - by 'revealing' hundreds of verses regarding them - yet would not have given a single relevant detail about the Night Journey if it ever occurred.
What is even more astounding is the fact that absolutely nothing is mentioned regarding this presumed 'miraculous' event in or on the Dome of the Rock building itself amongst all the inscriptions - over 730 feet in length - that decorate its columns and surrounds.
Not even once, is the title of the Masjid al Aqsa mentioned; a Masjid that was allegedly built for the sole purpose of commemorating the Night Journey.
The verse itself is alluding to two distinct and separate entities, the Masjid itself and its precincts. In fact verse
17: 93 "Or thou have a house adorned with gold or thou mount a ladder right into the skies. No we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that we could read." Say: "Glory to my Lord! am I aught but a man an apostle?"
supports the fact, that he was not involved in a miraculous trip, since if he had, he would have asserted it and not asserted his inability to make or partake of miracles.
In
Sura al Shura 42: 51"It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration of from behind a veil or by the sending of a Messenger to reveal with Allah's permission what Allah wills: for He is Most High Most Wise"
All the relevant records of the Quran and the Ahadith point out that the alleged 'Journey', was spiritual and allegorical but definitely NOT physical ***
2> We gave Moses the Book and made it a Guide to the Children of Israel (commanding): "Take not other than Me as Disposer of (your) affairs."
# 2170 The Book: the revelation that was given to Moses. It was there clearly laid down that those who followed Moses must consider Allah as the Only God. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me; thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God .... ;" etc.(Exod. xx. 3-5). These are the words of the English Bible. As a matter of fact the spirit of the Mosaic teaching went further. It referred all things to the Providence of Allah: Allah is the Disposer of all affairs, and we are to look to none but Him. This is Islam, and the Mi'raj showed that it was the teaching of Allah from the most ancient times, and yet it was violated by the very people who claimed to be its custodians#
***On the one hand, the interpreter compliments the Torah, but on the other, he denigrates the followers of Moses.
What is most interesting, is that he makes the Mosaic teachings as the basis of Muhammadan Islam.
None the less, the interpreter makes two major errors:
First, Moses did not know of Allah since Allah was the name of the supreme but pagan rock god of the Ka'ba and furthermore, the God of Israel, has no name.
The second error is that in the Torah, there is no concept of pre-destination unlike that in the Quran. In both cases, the interpreter is deliberately misleading and mis-informing the reader ***
3> O ye that are sprung from those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah! verily he was a devotee most grateful.
# 2172 After the Deluge of the time of Noah the only descendants of Noah were those who were saved in the Ark with him. They had special reason to celebrate the praises of Allah. But they relapsed into idolatry, sin, and abominations. They are reminded of the true and sincere devotion of Noah himself, as contrasted with the unworthiness of Noah's descendants, especially the Children of Israel#
*** For the nth plus one time, the interpreter excels in his absurd character assassination of the Children of Israel.
Since the Arabs are presumably also descended from Noah, the interpreter, very conveniently forgets to mention, that while the repeatedly maligned and insulted Children of Israel and the Jews kept their faith in the
One and Only God - and remained Muslimeen throughout their history from the time of Abraham and Isaac till the present - they, the Arabs, the alleged descendants of Ishmael the Hebrew, forgot all about Allah for a period of 2500 years until the Quranic 'revelations' brought them back to 'Islam'.
In reality, the only totally unworthy people to speak of in this context, are the Muhammadan Arabs and no one else ***
4> And We gave (clear) warning to the Children of Israel in the Book that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!
# 2174 What are the two occasions referred to? It may be that "twice" is a figure of speech for "more than once", "often". Or it may be that the two occasions refer to (1) the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., when the Jews were carried off into captivity, and (2) the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70, after which the Temple was never re-built. See n. 2168 above. On both occasions it was a judgment of Allah for the sins of the Jews, their backslidings, and their arrogance#
*** The Jews in both cases, when the Temple was destroyed, were actually fighting pagans and paganism and not because they had forgotten God as the interpreter knows very well.
Furthermore, using the same 'logic' as the interpreter, all the calamities and setbacks suffered by the Muhammadans can and must also be attributed to their own 'backsliding, sins and arrogance', such as happened to the 'Muslims' under the Mongols and others ***
5 When the first of the warnings came to pass We sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare: They entered the very inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning (completely) fulfilled.
6 Then did We grant you the Return as against them: We gave you increase in resources and sons and made you the more numerous in manpower.
7 If ye did well ye did well for yourselves; if ye did evil (ye did it) against yourselves; so when the second of the warnings came to pass (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces and to enter your Temple as they had entered if before and to visit with destruction all that fell into their power.
#This is a parenthetical sentence. If anyone follows Allah's Law, the benefit goes to himself: he does not bestow a favour on anyone else. Similarly evil brings its own recompense on the doer of evil. (17.7)2178 The second doom was due to the rejection of the Message of Jesus. "To disfigure your faces" means to destroy any credit or power you may have got: the face shows the personality of the man. (17.7)2179 Titus's destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was complete. He was a son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and at the date of the destruction of Jerusalem, had the title of Caesar as heir to throne. He ruled as Roman Emperor from 79 to 81 A.D. (17.7)2180 Merivale in his Romans Under the Empire gives a graphic account of the siege and final destruction (ed. 1890, vii. 221-255). The population of Jerusalem was then 200,000. According to the Latin historian Tacitus it was as much as 600,000. There was a famine and there were massacres. There was much fanaticism. The judgment of Merivale is: "They" (the Jews) "were judicially abandoned to their own passions and the punishment which naturally awaited them".
*** Although the Quranic verse above does explicitly mention the word 'Temple', the interpreter deliberately avoids mentioning it because it would affirm the Muhammadan allegations that he visited the same destroyed and none existent Temple almost 1100 years later, in Muhammad's fabricated and mythical "Night Journey" story.
What is even more important, is the fact, that the Muhammadan interpreter accepts the historical record that it was Jewish Muslims who died in their hundreds of thousands in defense of Jerusalem against idolatry, and not Arabs ***
8 It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy unto you; but if ye revert (to your sins) We shall revert (to Our punishments): and We have made Hell a prison for those who reject (all Faith).
9 Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable) and giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness that they shall have a magnificent reward;
# 2183 The instability and crookedness of the Jewish soul having been mentioned, the healing balm which should have cured it is now pointed out. The Message of the Qur-an is for all. Those who have Faith and show that Faith in their conduct must reap their spiritual reward. But those who reject Faith cannot escape punishment. Apart from what is past, apart from questions of national or racial history, there is a Hope,-and a Danger- for every soul#
*** The only crookedness and instability can be found without any doubt in the mouths of the interpreter and in the verses of the Quran.
Yet again, one must remind the reader, that there is not a single
NEW, SPIRITUAL, INTELLECTUAL and PRACTICAL PRECEPT, CONCEPT, THOUGHT or IDEA in the Quran that in any way, shape or form, is equal to, or superior, to any that the Quran has PLAGIARISED, PIRATED, PLUNDERED and/or PERVERTED from the Torah and Hebrew Scriptures ***
10> And to those who believe not in the Hereafter (it announceth) that We have prepared for them a Penalty grievous (indeed).
*** The repeated reference to the Hereafter, is an idea that Muhammad plagiarized from post-Biblical Jewish, Zoroasterian and Christian scriptures since it was not conceived of, in the religion of pagan Arabia***
11 The prayer that man should make for good he maketh for evil: for man is given to hasty (deeds).
12> We have made the Night and the Day as two (of Our) Signs: the Sign of the Night have We obscured while the Sign of the day We have made to enlighten you; that ye may seek Bounty from your Lord and that ye may know the number and count of the years: all things have We explained in detail.
13> Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: on the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll which he will see spread open.
*** Repeatedly, in almost every Sura of the Quran, the reader is reminded, that humanity is PRE-DESTINED by Allah.
That humanity has no FREE WILL.
That many humans are consigned to eternal torments in Allah's (the Most Compassionate and Merciful) Hell, through no fault of their own***
14> (It will be said to him:) "Read thine (own) record: sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against thee."
15> Who receiveth guidance receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle (to give warning).
16 When We decide to destroy a population We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then (it is) We destroy them utterly.
17> How many generations have We destroyed after Noah? And enough is thy Lord to note and see the sins of His servants.
18> If any do wish for the transitory things (of this life) We readily grant them--such things as We will to such persons as We will: in the end have We provided Hell for them: they will burn therein disgraced and rejected.
*** Verses 14-18 strengthen the argument of PRE-DESTINATION ***
19> Those who do wish for the (things of) the Hereafter and strive therefor with all due striving and have Faith they are the ones whose striving is acceptable (to Allah).
20> Of the bounties of thy Lord We bestow freely on all these as well as those: the bounties of thy Lord are not closed (to anyone).
21> See how We have bestowed more on some than on others; but verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation and more in excellence.
22> Take not with Allah another object of worship; or thou (O man!) wilt sit in disgrace and destitution.
23> Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life say not to them a word of contempt nor repel them but address them in terms of honor.
#2204 The spiritual and moral duties are now brought into juxtaposition. We are to worship none but Allah, because none but Allah is worthy of worship, not because "the Lord thy God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me" (Exod. xx. 5). Note that the act of worship may be collective as well as individual; hence the plural ta'buda. The kindness to parents is an individual act of piety; hence the singular taqul, qul, etc.#
*** This is copied from
Exodus 20: 12 "Honor your father and your mother; that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you".
Verses 17:23-40 are copied from Exodus 20:2-17 and Deut 5:6-21***
24> And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say: "My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."
#2205 Cf. xv. 88 and n. 2011. The metaphor is that of a high-flying bird which lowers her wing out of tenderness to her offspring. There is a double aptness. (1) When the parent was strong and the child was helpless, parental affection was showered on the child: when the child grows up and is strong, and the parent is helpless, can he do less than bestow similar tender care on the parent? (2) But more: he must approach the matter with gentle humility: for does not parental love, remind him of the great love with which Allah cherishes His creatures? There is something here more than simple human gratitude; it goes up into the highest spiritual region. (17.24)2206 Note that we are asked to honour our father and mother, not "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exod. xx. 12), but upon much higher and more universal grounds, such as befit a perfected revelation. In the first place, not merely respect, but cherishing kindness, and humility to parents, are commanded. In the second place, this command is bracketed with the command to worship the One True God. Parental love should be to us a type of divine love: nothing that we can do can ever really compensate for that which we have received. In the third place (see next verse) our spiritual advancement is tested by this: we cannot expect Allah's forgiveness if we are rude or unkind to those who unselfishly brought us up#
*** This verse is plagiarized from the often repeated injunctions, in Rabbinical writings, laid upon the sons and daughters of the Jews ***
25> Your Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts: if ye do deeds of righteousness verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again (in true penitence).
26. And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those in want and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.
#2208 In the Jewish Decalogue, which was given to a primitive and hard-hearted people, this refinement of Kindness,-to those in want and to wayfarers (i.e., total strangers whom you come across) finds no place. Nor was there much danger of their wasting their substance out of exuberance. Even the command "to honour thy father and mother" comes after the ceremonial observance of the Sabbath. With us, the worship of Allah is linked up with kindness-to parents, kindred, those in want, those who are far from their homes though they may be total strangers to us. It is not mere verbal kindness. They have certain rights which must be fulfilled. 2209 All charity , kindness, and help are conditioned by our own resources. There is no merit if we merely spend out of bravado or for idle show. How many families are ruined by extravagant expenses at weddings, funerals, etc., or (as they may call it) to "oblige friends or relatives", or to give to able-bodied beggars? To no one was this command more necessary than it is to Muslims of the present day#
*** The perverted logic of the interpreter knows no bounds. His loathsome immorality knows no depth. His mendacity has no limit.
As much as he attempts to pervert the meaning of the Biblical instructions, the fact will always remain, that the Quran's PERVERTED version of the Bible is but a spiritually and intellectually shallow reproduction of the original and cannot ever be either equal to or superior to it.
He knows very well, that the Torah repeatedly insists on treating even
'the stranger amongst you' as equitably as the Israelites treat each other, because they themselves were 'strangers' in Egypt.
There is not a single precept about decency, legality or charity in the Quran that is not plagiarized fully or with modifications from the Bible.
The pagan Arabs had no 'Law' to follow, no sense of charity or compassion and no system of 'justice' until the Quranic 'revelations'.
All the following verses 31-38, contain precepts that are taken from the Bible and were never part of Muhammad's pagan Arabia's traditions ***
27> Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (Himself) ungrateful.
28> And even if thou hast to turn away from them in pursuit of the Mercy from thy Lord which thou dost expect yet speak to them a word of easy kindness.
29 Make not thy hand tied (like a niggard's) to thy neck nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach so that thou become blameworthy and destitute.
30> Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance for whom He pleaseth and He provideth in a just measure: for He doth know and regard all His servants.
31> Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you: verily the killing of them is a great sin.
#2214 The Arabs were addicted to female infanticide. In a society perpetually at war a son was a source of strength whereas a daughter was a source of weakness. Even now infanticide is not unknown in other countries for economic reasons. This crime against children's lives is here characterised as one of the greatest of sins.#
*** The sins allegedly committed by the pagan Arabs included infanticide and human sacrifices; the same presumed descendants of Abraham and Ishmael somehow degenerated and forgot all of Allah's ordinances and only discovered them after their convenient 'revelations' to Muhammad 2500 years later.
Unfortunately, the picture that we have of the lives and traditions of the pagan Arabs are based upon the very biased records written by their greatest, most implacable and victorious enemies: Muhammad and his followers.
It is a fact that humanity does not have any independant primary or even secondary sources to balance these invariably one-sided reports.
It was, and still is, part and parcel of the Muhammadan agenda to villify, denigrate, insult and demonise, all those who were victimized by Muhammad and his followers, such as the Jews, the Christians and especially the pagan Arabs so that they, the Muhammadans, can portray themselves as more reasonable, gentle and intelligent; which obviously, they are NOT ***
32> Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil opening the road (to other evils).
#2215 Adultery is not only shameful in itself and inconsistent with any self-respect or respect for others, but it opens the road to many evils. It destroys the basis of the family: it works against the interests of children born or to be born; it may cause murders and feuds and loss of reputation and property, and also loosen permanently the bonds of society. Not only should it be avoided as a sin, but any approach or temptation to it should be avoided.#
*** This is, as usual, copied from the Torah.
Exodus 20: 13 "You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" ***
33 > Nor take life which Allah has made sacred except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully We have given his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life: for he is helped (by the Law).
#2216 On the subject of Qisas see ii. 178 and the notes thereto. Under the strict limitations there laid down, a Iife may be taken for a life. The heir is given the right to demand the life; but he must not exceed due bounds, because he is helped by the Law. Some Commentators understand "he" in "he is helped (by the Law)" to refer to the heir of the person against whom Qisas is sought. He too will be helped by the Law, if the heir of the first slain exceeds the bounds of Law.#
*** The Law - of Moses - is very clear about the subjects of murder and manslaughter.
In the case of MURDER, only the death penalty can be accepted; life for life.
In the case of MANSLAUGHTER, compensation is allowed. The penalty for all other crimes must not exceed the injury committed and again, compensation is allowed.
Many of the most merciful, benevolent and decent items in the Shari'a, Muslim law, are copied from the Torah, with some modifications suitable to the Arab tradition and culture. ***
34> Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to improve it until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfill (every) engagement for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
#2217 Cf. vi. 152, and other passages relating to orphans, e.g., ii. 220. If an orphan's property is touched at all, it should be to improve it, or to give him something better than he had before,-never to take a personal advantage for the benefit of the guardian. A bargain that may be quite fair as between two independent persons would be, under this verse, unfair as between a guardian and his orphan ward until the latter attains the full age of understanding. 2218 Ashuddahu means the age when the orphan reaches his full maturity of strength and understanding, say between the ages of 18 and 30. The age of legal maturity may be 18 (as for certain purposes in India) or 21 (as in England). For certain purposes in Muslim law it may be less than 18. In the orphan's interest a much stricter standard is required in his case. 2219 The definite article al has here a generic meaning, and is best translated by "every". 2220 From the context the engagements referred to would relate to beneficial contracts connected with the orphan's property or promises or undertakings given by the guardian or implied in the terms of his appointment. But the words are general and may be interpreted in the general sense. Note that this sentence does not occur in the similar passage in vi. 152, where there was a discussion of social laws: it is appropriate here, where the discussion is about the guardian's personal and individual responsibility.#
*** Almost every precept in the Quran was copied - with some alterations - from the Bible. The above, for example, are from Deuteronomy.
Deut. 16: "…11. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite who is inside your gates, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are among you, in the place which the Lord your God has chosen to place his name there"
And in
Deut. 24:".. 17. You shall not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the orphan; nor take a widow's garment as a pledge".
There is not a single new and practical precept, concept, thought or idea in the Quran which, in any way, shape or form, is equal to, or superior, to those in the Bible.
This 'MANTRA' has to be repeated as many times as necessary so that the reader would appreciate the magnitude of the Quran's ENORMOUS debt to the religions of other peoples in its composition ***
35> Give full measure when ye measure and weigh with a balance that is straight: that is the most fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination.
#2221 Giving just measure and weight is not only right in itself but is ultimately to the best advantage of the person who gives it.#
*** This too, is copied from the Torah.
Deuteronomy 25:13 "You shall not have in your bag different weights, a large and a small.14. You shall not have in your house different measures, a large and a small.15. But you shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shall you have; that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God gives you.16. For all who do such things, and all who do unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God"***
36> And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
37> Nor walk on the earth with insolence: for thou canst not rend the earth asunder nor reach the mountains in height.
*** Once more, this is copied from the Bible.
Psalms 37: "11. But the humble shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace***
38> Of all such things the evil is hateful in the sight of thy Lord.
39> These are among the (precepts of) wisdom which thy Lord Has revealed to thee. Take not with Allah another object of worship lest thou shouldst be thrown into Hell blameworthy and rejected.
#2224 The moral law, as expounded in xvii. 23-39 is far in advance of the bare Decalogue in that it searches out motives, and draws pointed attention to the weak and helpless if we are to reach any real understanding of Allah. It begins with a mention of the worship of Allah, the One True God and ends with a similar mention to close the argument, thus emphasizing the fact that the love of Allah embraces the love of man and practical help of our fellow-creatures. 2225 "Blameworthy" carries us back by reminiscence to xvii. 29, between which and this verse there is mention of crimes committed out of covetousness and a selfish disregard of other people's rights. "Rejected" carries back our reminiscence to xvii. 18, from which to here we have a reference to crimes that lead to deprivation of Allah's grace. The latter is of course wider than the former. Note how subtly the two streams of thought are here conjoined#
*** As usual, the interpreter is trying his best to show the Quran to be of a higher moral standing than the Bible - from and upon which most of the Quran is derived in the first place - is totally false and unprovable.
The Decalogue was only the frame upon which all the remainder of the Written and Oral Law were appended; upon which, the interpreter himself depends, to explain all the verses of the otherwise UNINTELLIGBLE Quran***
40> Has then your Lord (O Pagans!) preferred for you sons and taken for Himself daughters among the angels? Truly ye utter a most dreadful saying!
# 2226 Cf. xvi. 57-59. Insistence on true worship means also exclusion of false worship or worship derogatory to Allah. In circles where daughters were despised and even their lives had to be protected by special legislation, what could have been dreadful than ascribing daughters to Allah?#
*** The interpretation of this verse is made deliberately false to mislead the reader about the actual beliefs of the pagan Arabs, that were later, almost totally, incorporated in the CULT of Muhammad.
First of all, the pagan Arabs had no concept of Angels but believed that their gods had families similar to those of humans.
Secondly, in the pantheon of the gods of Mecca, Allah was only one of the foremost among them. Allah was attributed to have had three very important and powerful female deities as his daughters. These were Al Lat (Crescent), Al Uzza (Venus) and Al Manat (Fate).
To Al Uzza, both animal and human sacrifices were offered. As a young man, the tradtions assert that Muhammad believed in this goddess ***
41 We have explained (things) in various (ways) in this Qur'an in order that they may receive admonition but it only increases their flight (from the Truth)!
42> Say: if there had been (other) gods with Him as they say behold they would certainly have sought out a way to the Lord of the Throne!
43> Glory to him! He is high above all that they say! Exalted and Great (beyond measure)!
44> The seven heavens and the earth and all beings therein declare His glory: there not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet ye understand not how they declare His glory!
Verily He is Oft- Forbearing Most Forgiving!
#2229 All Creation, animate and inanimate, sings Allah's praises and celebrates His glory,-animate, with consciousness, and inanimate, in the evidence which it furnishes of the unity and glory of Allah. All Nature bears witness to His power, wisdom, and goodness. It is only "ye", i.e., those who reject the whole trend of your nature and deny Faith simply because ye have been given a limited amount of choice and free-will,- it is only such as "ye" that understand not what every other creature understands and proclaims with joy and pride. What must be your degradation! And yet Allah bears with you and forgives you! Such is His
goodness! #
*** The concept of the SEVEN Heavens is taken from Rabbinical tradition as in Pesachim 94b as well as from the New Testament.
This concept did not exist among the pagan Arabs prior to Muhammad's Quran.
What is even more relevant, is the fact, that the interpreter confirms the PRE-DESTINATION of human beings, as shown above***
45 When thou dost recite the Qur'an We put between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a veil [Hijaba] invisible:
#2230 Veil invisible: Some Commentators understand mastur here as equivalent to satir: a veil that makes invisible, a thick or dark veil. But I think that the meaning of mastur (in the passive voice) as "hidden or invisible" is more consonant with the whole passage. If all nature, external and within ourselves, declares Allah's glory, those unfortunate who cut themselves off from their better nature are isolated from the true servants of Allah and the revelation of Allah, because (1) they are unfit for being in their company, and (2) because the servants of Allah and the revelation of Allah must be protected from the pain which blasphemy or rebellion must cause to their unsullied nature. The veil is none the less real even though it is invisible#
*** The interpreter of the Quran erroneously uses the word 'veil' to describe three distinct Arabic words that actually can mean Curtain, Cover or Separation that otherwise, have different connotations and meaning ***
46 And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur'an and deafness into their ears: when thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur'an they turn on their backs fleeing (from the Truth).
*** Allah, the Most Compassionate and Merciful, deliberately misguides his own creation***
47 We know best why it is they listen when they listen to thee; and when they meet in private conference Behold the wicked say "Ye follow none other than a man bewitched!"
*** Muhammad's Allah, the alleged creator of the universe, does not only spy upon his own creatures, but also tells Muhammad of their plots and thoughts so that they can be recorced in a 'holy scripture' called the Quran***
48 See what similes thy strike for thee; but they have gone astray and never can they find a way.
49> They say: "What! when we are reduced to bones and dust should we really be raised up (to be) a new creation?"
50 Say: "(Nay!) be ye stones or iron
51 "Or created matter which in your minds is hardest (to be raised up)--(yet shall ye be raised up)!" Then will they say: "Who will cause us to return?" Say: "He Who created you first!" Then will they wag their heads towards thee and say "When will that be?" Say "Maybe it will be quite soon!
*** The alleged 'greatest of all prophets' cannot answer a simple question regarding the future and furthermore, he misleads his listeners, since the End of Time is still to come, even after 1400 years have elapsed since his prediction - of immediacy - above ***
52> "It will be on a Day when He will call you and ye will answer (His call) with (words of) His praise and ye will think that ye tarried but a little while!"
53> Say to My servants that they should (only) say those things that are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions among them: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy.
54> It is your Lord that knoweth you best: if He please He granteth you mercy or if He please punishment: We have not sent thee to be a disposer of their affairs for them.
55> And it is your Lord that knoweth best all beings that are in the heavens and on earth: We did bestow on some Prophets more (and other) gifts than on others: and We gave to David (the gift of) the Psalms.
56> Say: "Call on those besides Him whom ye fancy: they have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them."
57> Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord even those who are nearest: they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath: for the Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of.
58> There is not a population but We shall destroy it before the Day of Judgment or punish it with a dreadful Penalty: that is written in the (eternal) Record
# 2244 These verses are a commentary on the last clause of the last verse. "The Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of." The godless thoughtlessly challenge Allah's Wrath, but do they realise its nature? Even the best of us must be moved with terror when we think of its consequences, were it not for His unbounded Mercy. Those who deny the Hereafter fail to realise its terrible Portents. They ask for Portents and Miracles now, but do they realise that their coming means destruction and misery to those who reject faith? They will come soon enough. The whole world will be convulsed before the Day of Judgment. The part of the wise is to prepare for it#
*** Again, it has to be pointed out, that the translation of the word
(al Qiyama) should be (Resurrection) and not (Day of Judgement) -See note on 3:161.
Yet once more, the Quran declares and confirms, that every event in life, is pre-destined and pre-ordained***
59 And We refrain from sending the Signs only because the men of former generations treated them as false: We sent the She-camel: to the Thamud to open their eyes but they treated her wrongfully: We only send the Signs by way of terror (and warning from evil).
60 Behold! We told thee that thy Lord doth encompass mankind round about: We granted the Vision which We showed thee but as a trial for men as also the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Qur'an: We put terror (and warning) into them but it only increases their inordinate transgression!
# 2249 Some Commentators take this as referring to the Mi'raj (xvii. 1) and others to other visions. Such visions are miracles, and become a stumbling block to unbelievers. They are an encouragement to men of faith. Thus they are "a trial for men". (17.60)2250 The tree Zaqqum, a bitter and pungent tree described as growing at the bottom of Hell, a type of all that is disagreeable. See xxxvii. 62-65; xliv. 43-46; and lvi. 52. All these are Suras chronologically earlier than this Sura. The application of the name to a tree of the myrobalan kind in the region of Jericho is, I think, of post-Quranic date. It is a trial for wrong-doers. See xxxvii. 63 and n. 4073#
*** According to Ibn Ishaq, upon the authorities of Aisha and others (sections 265/66), Muhammad never left her side that night and it was only a spiritual journey.
The Isra could not have been a miraculous physical transport, since there is nothing miraculous about a vision. Most important of all, the reader should consider the following carefully:
The Quran asserts that the only miracle that Muhammad ever needed to demonstrate to the pagan Arabs was, in fact, the Quran itself.
Otherwise, there is not a single miracle that the Quran mentions having been performed by Muhammad and yet, the Hadiths are full of the most incredible and outrageous inventions of miracles possible.
It was Muhammadan scholars who, over several decades, concocted the story and later turned it into a very convenient dogma: that the Night Journey was a physical transport and hence a miracle from Allah.
This they did, in the same manner as the perverted Quranic version of Abraham's attempt to sacrifice 'Ishmael' in a 'vision'.
The Quran and Hadiths are full of similitudes of events that occurred in the Bible, that Muhammad distorted to fit in with the culture and thoughts of the pagan Arabs as well as to portray himself as another great prophet in the footsteps of the Hebrew ones ***
61> Behold! We said to the angels: "Bow down unto Adam": they bowed down except Iblis: he said "Shall I bow down to one whom Thou didst create from clay?"
*** This verse describes a Rabbinical tradition and does not exist in the Bible which contains no mention or concept of SATAN, IBLIS, JINN or any other such DEMONS.
Muhammad, as was his forte, plagiarized these ideas from Jewish Traditions ***
62> He said "Seest Thou? This is the one whom thou hast honored above me! If Thou wilt but respite me to the Day of Judgment I will surely bring his descendants under my sway all but a few!"
63> Allah said: "Go thy way; if any of them follow thee verily Hell will be the recompense of you (all) an ample recompense.
64> "Lead to destruction those whom thou canst among them with thy (seductive) voice; make assaults on them with thy cavalry and thy infantry; mutually share with them wealth and children; and make promises to them. But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.
65> "As for My servants no authority shalt thou have over them." Enough is thy Lord for a Disposer of affairs.
66> Your Lord is He that maketh the Ship go smoothly for you through the sea in order that ye may seek of His Bounty: for He is unto you Most Merciful.
67 When distress seizes you at sea those that ye call upon besides Himself leave you in the lurch! But when He brings you back safe to land ye turn away (from Him). Most ungrateful is man!
68 Do ye then feel secure that He will not cause you to be swallowed up beneath the earth when ye are on land or that He will not send against you a violent tornado (with showers of stones) so that ye shall find no one to carry out your affairs for you?
69 Or do ye feel secure that He will not send you back a second time to sea and send against you a heavy gale to drown you because of your ingratitude so that ye find no helper therein against Us?
70> We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors above a great part of Our Creation.
*** As usual, Muhammad and his Quran are WRONG again - and this time on the simplest level of intellect and reality - since neither Allah nor God ever provided humanity with any kind of transport.
Humanity had to do this by itself ***
71> One day We shall call together all human beings with their (respective) Imams: those who are given their record in their right hand will read it (with pleasure) and they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least.
72> But those who were blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter and most astray from the Path.
73 > And their purpose was to tempt thee away from that which We had revealed unto thee to substitute in Our name something quite different: (in that case) behold! they would certainly have made thee (their) friend!
#2269 It happens with men of Allah, and it happened with the holy Prophet, that they are tempted by the world with many things which appeal to the world generally, if they would make some small concession in their favour. The "small concession" may hold the key of the position, and neutralise the whole teaching sent by Allah. If the Prophet had accepted wealth and position among the Quraish and "only respected" their idols! The Quraish would have taken him into their inner circle! A dishonest liar like Musailama would have jumped at the opportunity and been hailed as a friend and associate and made much of. But Prophets of Allah are made of sterner stuff. They are given special strength to resist all plausible deception.#
*** Just after the death of Muhammad, all hell broke loose among his followers, who massacred each other in his name and in the name of Allah.
They, during and after their world conquests, became similar to those whom they conquered and diminished their reliance on the Quran to which they have been paying only lip service.
It was the followers of Muhammad who attacked, pillaged and destroyed the holiest places in Arabia, the Madina and Mecca, only a few years after his death; each side of the conflict, committed these atrocities, as usual,
In The name of Allah***
74 And had We not given thee strength thou wouldst nearly have inclined to them a little.
#2270 From a purely human point of view it may seem policy to make a small "concession" to men's weakness in order to fulfil a divine mission. But the divine Messenger is given special strength to resist such temptations.#
*** The interpretation of this verse is made deliberately misleading. This verse was mildly rebuking Muhammad for his 'momentary' weakness when he allowed the three daughters of Allah to be venerated as well, with their father
(Allah) in the Satanic Verses of the original 53:21-22.
His weakness was due to 'expediency'. He wanted to bring his economically powerful tribe of Quraiysh to his banner by meeting them half way and allowing them to share Allah with his three daughters (Lat,Uzza, Manat).
Satan had absolutely nothing to do with this temptation - since Satan is only a HUMAN INVENTION - then it is obvious that Muhammad was LYING and DECEIVING his followers, as usual.
Humans have to blame some 'entity', other than one's self, for all one's weaknesses and sins. Only a handful of Muhammadan theologians among the
1.3 billions of his followers even know the meaning and the origin of the word, Satan.
Muhammad most certainly did not ***
75 In that case We should have made thee taste an equal portion (of punishment) in this life and an equal portion in death: and moreover thou wouldst have found none to help thee against Us!
#2271 If such a thing was possible for a true Messenger of Allah, viz.: a compromise with evil and a dereliction of his mission, he would be no exception to the law of personal responsibility. Indeed, as the power and the responsibility were greater, the punishment would have been greater too. It would have been double,-an exposure in this life and the usual punishment in or after death for a desertion of Truth. (17.75) 2272 The motive held out by the world for a compromise with Truth is itself fallacious. The motive is that the compromise may bring influence, position, and opportunity, if not wealth and the other good things of life. But these themselves (if attained) would be of no use or help if pitted against the command of Allah#
*** Allah's rebuke continues but no punishment is enforced upon Muhammad ***
76 Their purpose was to scare thee off the land in order to expel thee; but in that case they would not have stayed (therein) after thee except for a little while.
#2273 As happened in the case of the holy Prophet, the enemies try to frighten the Prophet of Allah away from their midst, so that, once away, they could expel him and keep him out. But they are counting without the Plan of Allah. If they persecute the righteous, they dig their own graves!#
*** The interpreter's explanation is totally and knowingly false since it has nothing at all to do with any of his enemies and had everything to do with a moment of political expediency.
Since Muhammadan scholars, falsely attribute him with total sinlessness
- emulating him with Jesus - they have to find every absurd excuse under the sun to misrepresent the facts by making him superhuman and infallible; attributes that are rightfully for the divine and certainly not for a human being. ***
77> (This was Our) way with the apostles We sent before thee: thou wilt find no change in Our ways.
78> Establish regular prayers at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony.
#2275 The Commentators understand here the command for the five daily canonical prayers, viz.: the four from the declination of the sun from the zenith to the fullest darkness of the night, and the early morning prayer, Fajr, which is usually accompanied by a reading of the holy Qur-an. The four afternoon prayers are: Zuhr, immediately after the sun begins to decline in the afternoon; 'Asr, in the late afternoon; Magrib, immediately after sunset; and Isha, after the glow of sunset has disappeared and the full darkness of the night has set in. There is difference of opinion as to the meaning of particular words and phrases, but none as to the general effect of the passage. (17.78) 2276 The morning prayer is specially singled out for separate mention, because the morning is a "peaceful hour" and special influences act on the soul awaking from the night's rest. Special testimony is borne to the prayers of this hour by the angelic host#
*** According to the literal translation of the verses 78 & 79, there are only THREE periods in the day during which prayers are to be conducted.
The followers of Muhammad pray FIVE times a day only because he did so; they follow his Sunna, which is considered as divine as the Quran ***
79 And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a station of Praise and Glory!
80> Say: "O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honor and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honor; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me)."
81> And say: "Truth has (now) arrived and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish."
*** This verse is alleged - in the 'traditions' - to have been pronounced by Muhammad, when he conquered Mecca and destroyed the idols of the Ka'ba***
82 We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss.
*** The Quran, unlike the Torah, was revealed over a lengthy period of
23 years; in fact, for as long as Muhammad was alive, and needed the convenient MADE to ORDER 'revelations' ***
83> Yet when We bestow Our favors on man he turns away and becomes remote on his side (instead of coming to Us) and when Evil seizes him he gives himself up to despair!
84> Say: "Everyone acts according to his own disposition: but your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way."
85> They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you (O men!)
86> If it were Our Will We could take away that which We have sent thee by inspiration: then would thou find none to plead thy affair in that matter as against Us
87> Except for Mercy from thy Lord: for His Bounty is to thee (indeed) great.
88 Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an they could not produce the like thereof even if they backed up each other with help and support.
#2288 For the meaning of "Jinns", see n. 929 to vi. 100. 2289 The proof of the Qur-an is in its own beauty and nature, and the circumstances in which it was promulgated. The world is challenged to produce a Book like it and has not produced one. It is the only revealed Book whose text stands pure and uncorrupted today. Cf., for a similar challenge, ii. 23, x. 38, and xi. 13. #
*** The interpreter - who knows more of the facts than he lets on - in this instance, is deliberately misleading the reader since, he, for obvious reasons, cannot tell the TRUTH.
The historical facts, even according to the Islamic sources, prove otherwise:
Firstly, some of the sources point out that, several of the important verses in the Quran are copies of verses in the poetry of the pagan Arabs of the Jahiliyah (days of Ignorance).
Secondly, it was actually Satan, one of the Jinn, who allegedly 'injected' the Satanic Verses 53:19/22, in the mouth of the unsuspecting Muhammad, because they were of the same high level of Arabic prose as that 'revealed' to Muhammad by Allah through Gabriel.
It is a historical fact - based upon the Hadiths of Ibn Ishaq and others - that Muhammad was utterly deceived by SATAN and failed to 'realise' that he had totally compromised his monotheism by making the daughters of Allah divine like their father.
Thirdly, it was Gabriel who had to 'point out' to the STILL unsuspecting Muhammad this alleged Satanic deception.
Fourthly, the Bible is definitely superior to the Quran upon whose verses and precepts the Quran stands.
Hence it can be shown that, contrary to the assertions of the Quran and its interpreter, the Quran could and was 'produced' by other than Allah***
89 And We have explained to man in this Qur'an every kind of similitude: yet the greater part of men refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude!
#2290 In the Qur-an everything is explained in detail from various points of view, by commands, similitudes, examples, stories, parables, etc. It does not merely narrate stories or lay down vague abstract propositions. It gives every detailed help in outward and inner life. 2291 One form in which it can be received with ingratitude is to pay verbal tributes to it but not study it as it ought to be studied (ii. 121, haqqa tilawatihi), or to disobey its precepts or standards.#
*** Contrary to the above explanations, the Quran does exactly the opposite; its 'stories' are invariably incomplete, since it picks out and chooses bits and pieces from the Biblical originals.
For example, it does not have the full story of the creation and the
Garden of Eden; nothing of value about Abraham and Sarah's odyssey; extremely little about Isaac; nothing about Jacob and the tribes; very little about the Exodus, wanderings, judges etc.
In short, its reports are only a fraction of the Biblical original.
Moreover, the meaning of the verses is beyond the most knowledgable in the Arabic language without having them explained, based on the Biblical records. It is repetitive, none sequential and meanders aimlessly all over
Time and Space.
The Quran cannot possibly be the product of any divine 'mind' ***
90 They say: "We shall not believe in thee until thou cause spring to gush forth for us from the earth
91 "Or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst carrying abundant water;
92 "Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces as thou sayest (will happen) against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face;
93 "Or thou have a house adorned with gold or thou mount a ladder right into the skies. No we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that we could read." Say: "Glory to my Lord! am I aught but a man an apostle?"
*** To those who demanded a miracle from Muhammad, his answer was that he was only a human messenger.
If the first verse, that of the alleged 'Night Journey' was actually a miracle, as his later followers claim, then he would have pointed this fact to his inquisitors and would have had it mentioned in detail in his Quran ***
94> What kept men back from Belief when Guidance came to them was nothing but this: they said "Has Allah sent a man like us to be (His) Apostle?"
#2299 When a man is raised to honour and dignity, his sincere brothers rejoice, for it is an honour that reflects its glory on them. But those with evil in their hearts are jealous like their prototype Iblis, (xvii. 61, n. 2251). To such men the mere fact that their own brother receives the grace of Allah is enough to turn them against that brother. Any other reasons they may devise are mere make-believe.#
*** Verses 90-94, make it abundantly clear, that Muhammad was not a miracle worker but only a warner and a deliverer of Allah's message.
That is why one cannot find a single report of a miracle performed by him in the whole of the Quran, but many, totally imaginary and concoted ones by his later followers in the Hadiths ***
95> Say "If there were settled on earth angels walking about in peace and quiet We should certainly have sent them down from the heavens an angel for an apostle."
96 Say: "Enough is Allah for a witness between me and you: for He is well-acquainted with His servants and He sees (all things)."
97> It is he whom Allah guides that is on true guidance; but he whom He leaves astray [youthill] for such wilt thou find no protector besides Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather them together prone on their faces blind dumb and deaf: their abode will be Hell: every time it shows abatement We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.
*** Once more, the interpreter misguides the reader by translating the word [youthill], 'leaves astray' instead of the more accurate 'leads astray' thus changing the actual meaning of the verse from its original concept of PRE-DESTINATION to the FALSE one of FREE WILL ***
98> That is their recompense because they rejected Our Signs and said "When we are reduced to bones and broken dust should we really be raised up (to be) a new Creation?"
99> See they not that Allah Who created the heavens and the earth has power to create the like of them (anew)? Only He has decreed a term appointed of which there is no doubt. But the unjust refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude.
100> Say: "If ye had control of the Treasures of the Mercy of my Lord behold ye would keep them back for fear of spending them: for man is (ever) niggardly!"
101> To Moses We did give nine Clear Signs: ask the Children of Israel: when he came to them Pharaoh said to him: "O Moses! I consider thee indeed to have been worked upon by sorcery!"
#2308 Nine Clear Signs: see vii. 133, n. 1091. The story of Pharaoh (or a phase of it) is here told with a view to exhibiting the decline of a soul on account of pride in outward power and dignity. 2309 To them: i.e., to Pharaoh, as sitting in his Council, with the Chiefs of his people. Cf. vii. 103. The whole scene is described in some detail from the point of view of nations or Ummats in vii. 103-133. 2310 At a different and later stage in the scene, Pharaoh's Chiefs call Moses a "sorcerer well-versed" (vii. 109). Here Moses, who had come with the Nine Signs but had not yet shown them, is reproached with being the object of sorcery: he is practically told that he is mad!#
*** Even when concerning the most famous and most important set of miracles/plagues in the Bible, the Quran gives the wrong number, NINE instead of TEN.
The interpreter is left with no choice but to cover up the error - I am being charitable for not using the term falsify - by creating an extremely spurious set of explanations.
If, as the Quran asserts, that the Torah is the word of Allah, then where, when, why and by whom was it perverted?
Where is the original that one can compare the two with?
If there is no original to compare with, then how can any one allege, let alone prove, that it had been perverted? ***
102> Moses said "Thou knowest well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence: and I consider thee indeed O Pharaoh to be one doomed to destruction!"
103> So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth: but We did drown him and all who were with him.
#2312 Pharaoh on this tries various subterfuges and plans for removing not only Moses but all his people by doing away with them. The detailed story is not told here but may be read in S. vii. But Allah's Wrath descended on Pharaoh and those who were with him in body and mind. The Egyptians who repented were subject to Pharaoh's wrath but were saved from the Wrath of Allah (vii. 121-126).#
*** At least the Quran asserts - in this verse - that Pharaoh and all his host, perished in the water
10: 90 We took the Children of Israel across the sea: Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. At length when overwhelmed with the flood he said: "I believe that there is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to Allah in Islam)."
91 (It was said to him): "Ah now! but a little while before wast thou in rebellion! and thou didst mischief (and violence)!
92 "This day shall We save thee in thy body that thou mayest be a Sign to those who come after thee! But verily many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!"
while in this verse it implies that he was saved
***
17:104 And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)": but when the second of the warnings came to pass We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.
# 2313 The Israelites were taken to the Promised Land in Palestine, and they established their own kingdom there, but they forfeited Allah's favour by their sins and backslidings and will have to answer like all souls by the law of personal responsibility at the Day of Judgment. 2314 The second of the warnings: the first was probably that mentioned above, in xvii. 5 and the second that mentioned in xvii. 7 (middle). When this second warning due to the rejection of Jesus came to pass, the Jews were gathered together in a mingled crowd. Some Commentators understand the second warning to be the Day of Judgment, the Promise of the Hereafter#
*** The interpreter has deliberately mistranslated the portion - as he and others like him have been doing for centuries -
[but when the second of the warnings came to pass]
should have been
[ if the promised Final Day arrives ]
because he wanted it to be a continuation of 17:4 thus changing the meaning and deceiving the reader.
This last verse proves - beyond a shadow of a doubt- that the Quran is declaring, that it is the will of ALLAH to gather the Children of Israel once again [from the four corners of the earth] to their Promised Land BEFORE the End of Days (on Judgement Day).
In fact this is the concept of the Jewish Messianic Era.
Accordingly, no Muhammadan Muslim has the right to interfere with the ingathering of the Jews in Israel again as it is Allah's will to allow this.
Hence, it is the Muhammadan Arabs who are actually OCCUPYING Jewish land and doing their utmost to deprive them of it ***
105> We sent down the (Qur'an) in Truth and in Truth has it descended: and We sent thee but to give Glad Tidings and to warn (sinners).
#2315 The Qur-an was sent down by Allah in Truth: it was not forged by any mortal. It has descended in Truth: it was not and has not been falsified or corrupted in the process of being communicated to mankind. (17.105)2316 The part of the Prophet was that of a Messenger: he was not responsible if the ungodly rejected it. He fulfilled his mission in promulgating and explaining it and leaving it as a legacy to the world#
*** The primary purpose of the Quran was to convert Muhammad's pagan Arab brothers among the Quraiysh to start with and the remainder gradually, to MONOTHEISM.
It was not meant to convert the Jews or the Christians who already had their glad tidings, their revlations, their scriptures and their messengers.
Unfortunately, Muhammad's attitude changed as he got more powerful and more assertive through his totally obedient forces as an Organized Criminal Fraternity, to impose his will.
He craved having a scripture for his own people. The Quran became their scripture to compete with and attempt to overwhelm, overcome and ultimately replace those of the Jews and Christians by the use of force and terror and not through dialogue and debate ***
106 (It is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts from time to time) in order that thou mightest recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages.
# 2317 The marvel is that these parts, revealed at different times and in different circumstances, should fit together so closely and consistently as they do. All revelation is progressive. The previous revelations were also progressive. Each of them marked a stage in the world's spiritual history. Man's mind does not take in more than his spiritual state will have prepared him, for Allah's revelation comes as a light to illuminate our difficulties and show us the way in actual situations that arise#
*** The interpreter is of course totally mistaken in alleging that the Quranic revelations 'fit together…' since they are actually totally disjointed and generally incoherent without references their in the Ahadith.
Moreover, the Quran was 'revealed' in stages, in different places at different times, to different audiences because the verses were conveniently 'descended' to explain away, justify and sanctify any and all of Muhammad's actions, deeds, needs, lusts, cravings, hatemongering etc etc.
The Ahadith testify to this fact, by repeatedly mentioning - in hundreds of instances - that such and such a verse or sura was 'revealed' after such and such an event had transpired, to justify or explain it away ***
107 Say: "Whether ye believe in it or not it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand when it is recited to them fall down on their faces in humble prostration"
# 2318 No one's belief or unbelief affects the beauty or grandeur of Allah's revelation. But those endowed with spiritual knowledge or insight know at once when they hear Allah's holy Word, and fall down and adore Allah. Those endowed with knowledge include those who had received previous revelations and had kept themselves free from corrupt ideas
*** Both the Quran and its interpreter are falsifying history and reality because the only people who had "…spiritual knowledge…" were the Jews and Christians and neither of them for sure "…bowed down…" to such DRIVEL and MENDACITIES.
It was exactly because the People of the Book derided and disbelieved Muhammad that they were subsequently plundered, forcibly converted, enslaved, exterminated or forced out from most of their native land, the
Arabian Peninsula ***
108> And say: "Glory to our Lord! truly has the promise of our Lord been fulfilled!"
109 They fall down on their faces in tears and it increases their (earnest) humility.
110 Say: "Call upon Allah or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Neither speak thy Prayer aloud nor speak it in a low tone but seek a middle course between."
#Grace which saves Allah's servants from sin. See n. 19 to i. 1. Allah can be invoked, either by His simple name, which includes all attributes, or by one of the names implying the attributes by which we try to explain His nature to our limited understanding. The attribute of Mercy in Rahman was particularly repugnant to the Pagan Arabs (see xxv. 60, and xxi. 36): that is why special stress is laid on it in the Qur-an. 2322 These Beautiful Names of Allah are many. The hadith related by Tirmizi, accepted by some as authentic, mentions 99 names of Allah. Qadhi Muhammad Sulaiman has published an Urdu monograph on the subject, published by the Daftar Rahmatun-lil- 'Alamin Patiala, 1930. Those who wish to see a poetic Commentary on the names in the form of stories in English may consult Sir Edwin Arnold's Pearls of the Faith. Sir Edwin's stories are of unequal merit, but a fine example is furnished by No. 4, al-Malik. "The King"#
*** In the verse above, both Allah and al Rahman are the NAMES of gods and are not adjectives or attributes.
In fact, al Rahaman was the name of the god of the Yemenite Arabs that Muhammad believed in at the beginning of his mission. Allah, at that time, was not part of his belief system.
When the Quraiysh persisted in refusing to accept al Rahman as the supreme god, since they believed in Allah, Muhammad had to change his tune and turn to Allah and abandon the use of al Rahman especially from the Madina period onwards.
This verse clearly affirms that Allah or al Rahman are NOT GOD but the names of gods.
Thence forward, he resorted to the inseparable duo of
" Allah and his messenger" ***
111 Say: "Praise be to Allah Who begets no son and has no partner in (His) dominion: nor (needs) He any to protect Him from humiliation: Yea magnify Him for His greatness and glory!"
