The following document is a collection of quotes from the Koran.
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The quotes are taken from a number of translations of the Koran. The best translations are the following: a/ N. J. Dawood, published as a Penguin Classic, ISBN 0 14044.052 6; b/ M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), ISBN 9780199535958.
(Other translations used are the “interpretation” by Arthur J Arberry, published by Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-283501-7; and Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s version, Wordsworth, Classics ISBN 1 85326 782 1).
That a number of translations are used is to avoid charges that any one translation is an aberrant translation, and therefore a misrepresentation, of the Koran.
Arberry’s translation of the Koran is probably the worst translation in english. He writes in his introduction “previous versions of the Koran, like the original text itself, [have] been printed as continuous prose...I have called my version an interpretation.” Arberry explains that he has done so because “the rhapsodic nature of its composition has been largely lost” in prose, and that he hopes “some faint impression may be given of its dramatic impact and most moving beauty.” Thus the Arberry OUP version seeks with sometimes archaic language and convoluted grammar to impress upon the reader a profundity to the message of the Koran which the “interpreter” feels is missing in faithful prose translations. This is a peculiar position. Even in Dawood’s faithful prose translation the impression gained is one of passages which are commenced with calm but which become increasingly frantic, and fervent which reach a fevered crescendo culminating in a maniacal rant often calling for the killing of unbelievers. Arberry as becomes evident is keen only to fudge the Koran’s message to make it palatable to non-Muslims who might be horrified by what the Koran actually calls for. However, it is when comparing Arberry’s “interpretation” with Ali’s translation that one’s suspicions are aroused, for it begins to appear that Arberry simply rephrased Ali’s translation, bowdlerising it to eliminate those aspects that a western reader might be appalled at. It is a matter for speculation as to whether Arberry’s intentions were to circumvent Mohammedans pursuing violence by way of fudging the calls to commit acts of violence; or whether he intended to lull non-Mohammedans into a false sense of security intended to facilitate the acceptance of Mohammedanism in his own nation?
The Koran can certainly not be called beautiful. It would have to rank along side Mein Kampf as one of the most vile pieces of thought ever expressed by humankind. Like Mein Kampf it plundered humanity’s cultural closet adopting and altering the knowledge of its time to suit its need. Mein Kampf employed Darwinist ideas distorted as a pseudoscience (social Darwinism) to incite hate. The Koran employed the knowledge of Hellenistic science (however garbled Mohammed’s understanding of it was): Ptolemy’s cosmology (evidenced in the description of the "seven heavens"; that is, the spaces between the “crystal spheres” on which the moon and sun, and 5 known planets revolve within the "firmament"), a crude understanding of foetal development (known since the time of Aristotle* nearly one thousand years before hand), as a means of impressing upon the credulous that the Allah of the Koran was the causal element in these otherwise “inexplicable” “wonders”. Muslim propagandists use these often garbled references to argue a scientific basis for the Koran. This is not the case. Mohammed merely used these "wonders" as the proofs of god’s existence in which science is not necessary. Mohammed retells the stories of the Jewish people, gets them wrong, and uses these stories to stake a claim in “prophethood”. In the Koran, Biblical stories, like that of the flood, are retold to demonstrate god’s punishment of unbelievers - and as these stories were Jewish, Mohammed uses them to illustrate god’s distaste for Jews, and ultimately, Christians, punished by god for their unbelief (instead of their sins). A hatred no matter how fervently expressed does not constitute great literature.
Any reading of the Koran demonstrates that although Mohammed claims that he recites the stories found in Jewish and Christian scripture, what is recited in the Koran is inconsistent and wildly divergent from those literatures. On any reading the Koran can therefore only be described as a religious forgery. Unsurprisingly the Jews who could demonstrate that their scriptures predated Mohammed's very birth refused to accept him as a prophet and refused to convert to his religion. This has fuelled an ineffable hatred of Jews (and Christians) which is expressed in unambiguous language in the Koran. The inconsistency between the Koran and pre-existing Jewish/ Christian stories is explained by Muslims thus: that although texts of the Jews and Christians can be shown to have existed well before Mohammed was born, the Koran is older because it is the exact word of an eternal God and has always existed which the Jews and Christians got wrong, which is why god through Mohammed corrected these errors. Thus, although the Jewish literature could be dated back to a certain period, it is certainly not eternal. According to Mohammedans then, the Jewish/Christian scriptures are imperfect because they are the work of imperfect men and what they wrote is therefore a corrupt rendition of God's eternal message. The Koran, Mohammedans claim, is the word of god, not Mohammed... told, one imagines, in the form of a spiritual “possession” as is portrayed in the popular imagination. ... It must also be emphasised that whereas Buddhists emulate Sidarta, Christians emulate the acts of Jesus (theoretically), & Muslims emulate the deeds of Mohammed. Although this is unfortunate for all of us, it is most unfortunate of all to women; chapter 33, “The Confederate Tribes” is, the Koran claims, god’s direct advice to Mohammed on how he should treat his own women (wives & concubines). It makes for chilling reading.
*”Aristotle compiled a whole book on his dissections but this is now lost. The process of growth was observed, in one case by placing a hen over a clutch of eggs and removing and breaking open an egg each day so that the formation of a chick embryo could be charted.” p. 277 The Greek Achievement: The foundation of the western world” Charles Freeman. Penguin ISBN 0-14-029323-x.
the Koran is apparently intended for all humanity -whether we want it or not: Many Muslim propagandists claim that the Koran was intended to only ever unite the Arabs and that the spread of that religion was a consequence of the attractiveness of its message, and that the perpetual violence committed against unbelievers was never part of that religion’s call. The Koran though is unequivocal in the duty Mohammed claimed he was called to perform on behalf of god which, to our misfortune, was intended for all of humanity. Muslims continue to commit atrocities against non-Muslims whether they be Zoroastrian, Hindu, Jews, Christians, atheist and apostates (those who abandon Islam, convert to other religions) on the basis of this call.
Purpose of Islam "We have sent you forth to all mankind, so that you may give them good news and warn them." Sheba 34.27 Dawood translation.
[“We have sent thee not, except to mankind entire, good tidings to bear, and warning” (Sheba 34.27, Arberry. Demonstrates the kind of pseudo-profundity engineered by Arberry in his “interpretation”)
“We have sent you [Prophet] only to bring good news and warning to all people, but most of them do not understand.” Sheba 34.28 Haleem translation ]
"Fight against such of those to whom Scriptures were given as believe neither Allah nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His apostle have forbidden, and do not embrace the true faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." Repentance 9 :29 Dawood translation
[“Fight those of the People of the Book who do not [truly] believe in God and the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden, who do not obey the rule of justice, until they pay the tax and agree to submit.” Repentance 9.29, Haleem translation
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Prophet, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, even if they are of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” Repentance 9.29 Ali tanslation
Both the Haleem and Ali translations make this much clear: that although Islam considers itself to be the religion of all the “People of the Book” which includes Jews and Christians, this is a consideration which is predicated on these people accepting the Koran as the basis for their faiths. Thus, any Christian or Jew, by not recognising the Koran, can be said to not be a “Person of the Book”. In other verses, for instance 8.38-39, the goal Muslims are to strive for is to totally eliminate “unbelief” - this cannot exclude Jews or Christians whose beliefs Islam rejects.]
Eliminate fitnah
(Mac Leopard dictionary, wikipedia search. Wikipedia url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitna_(word) ) The Wikipedia definition proceeds: “many contemporary Islamic scholars believe that free pluralistic democracy resembles the evil of fitna.”
The purpose of Islam is defined thus in the Koran:
“tell the disbelievers that if they desist their past will be forgiven, but if they persist, they have an example in the fate of those who went before. [Believers], fight them until there is no more persecution, and all worship is devoted to God alone…” 8.38-39 M.A.S. Abdel Haleem translation.
"Tell the unbelievers that if they mend their ways [abandon 'unbelief'/'idolatry'] their past shall be forgiven; but if they persist in sin ['idolatry'] ...Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme." The Spoils 8.38-40 Dawood translation.
(“Say to the Unbelievers, if they desist from Unbelief, their past would be forgiven them; but if they persist… fight with them on until there is no more tumult [unbelief] or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere…” 8.38-39 Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation.)
The word “fitnah” is translated as “sin” by Dawood; “tumult”/”oppression”/”injustice” by Ali; “persecution” by Haleem.
The word evolved from metallurgy: “The term originally referred to the refining of metal to remove dross” (Wikipedia dictionary). Hence it is the elimination of impurity. Impurity then is defined as non–Muslims. The Byzantines ridiculed this concept by discussing it literally & defining Allah to be a metal sphere.
“ Fight in the cause of Allah...And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter.” The Cow 2.190-191 Ali translation
“…persecution is more serious than killing… Fight them [unbelievers] until there is no more persecution, and worship is devoted to God.” 2.191-193 Haleem translation.
No compulsion?
There is a claim that Islam is not forced upon people against their will, but is a faith willingly embraced without compulsion. This claim is made by citing a portion of one verse: “There is no compulsion in religion”
The verse, in complete reads: “There is no compulsion in religion: true guidance has become distinct from error, so whoever rejects false gods and believes in God has grasped the firmest hand–hold, one that will never break. God is all hearing and all knowing. God is the ally of those who believe…for the disbelievers, their allies are false gods who take them from the light into the depths of darkness, they are the inhabitants of the Fire, and there they will remain." The Cow, 2.256-257 M.A.A Abdel Haleem translation.
"There shall be no compulsion in religion. True guidance is now distinct from error. He that renounces idol–worship and puts his faith in Allah shall grasp a firm handle that will never break Allah hears and know all…As for the unbelievers, their patrons are false gods, who lead them from light to darkness. They are the heirs of Hell and shall abide in it forever." The Cow, Dawood translation.
Commentary: verse 256 only means what apologists claim it does when it is quoted out of context. The context in which it appears however gives it an entirely different meaning. The verses that precede it read "Fight them [unbelievers, or "idolators" in Dawood's translation] until there is no more persecution [al fitna, meaning "impurity"] and worship is devoted to God." verse 2.193. What the verse intends to convey is that war will be waged against unbelievers until they are enlightened by god, and adopt Islam; that is, come to their senses and realise that they would not be assailed if they embrace Islam. Indeed, that compulsion is central to Islam is emphasised in the opening verse of “Repentance” 9 :29: "Fight against such of those to whom Scriptures were given as believe neither Allah nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His apostle have forbidden, and do not embrace the true faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (Dawood translation). Other passages make the same call for violence to be inflicted on non–Muslims until they convert: "Tell the unbelievers that if they mend their ways [abandon 'unbelief'/'idolatry'] their past shall be forgiven; but if they persist in sin ['idolatry'] ...Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme." The Spoils 8.38-39 Dawood translation
“…tell the disbelievers that if they desist their past will be forgiven, but if they persist, they have an example in the fate of those who went before:, fight them until there is no more persecution [fitna “impurity”], and all worship is devoted to God [Allah] alone.” 8.38-39 Abdel Haleem According to Muslims, violence against non–Muslims is not compulsion, but enlightenment arrived at “voluntarily” when they realise that it is in their interest to convert. This cynical sophistry appeals to apologists alone.
The Koran is inscribed in Heaven indefinitely - on its own say-so:
"Surely this is a glorious Koran inscribed on a preserved tablet." The Constellations 85.21-22 "Those who dispute Allah's signs without proof are held in abhorrence by Allah and by the faithful." The Forgiving One 40.36 Dawood translation
[“Those who dispute concerning the signs of God, without any authority come to them, very hateful is that in the sight of God and the believers.” The Believers 40:37 Arberry translation. Dawood’s “The Forgiving One” is interpreted as “The Believers” by Arberry. Arberry’s version hardly makes any sense.) ]
The message of Islam is to be disseminated thus:
"Believers...put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers." The Imrans 3.149 Dawood translation (In Arberry’s “interpretation” “The Imrans appears as “The House of Imran”. The above passage is missing or “interpreted” to such a point that it does not make sense.)
"Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you." Repentance 9.123 Dawood translation
[Repentance 9.123: “O ye who believe! Fight the unbelievers who gird you...” Ali translation]
"Proclaim a woeful punishment to the unbelievers...When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and pay the alms-tax, let them go their way. Allah is forgiving and merciful[!]" Repentance 9.4-6 Dawood translation
[“When the sacred months are drawn away, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and perform the prayer and pay the alms, then let them go their way: God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.” Repentance 9.5 Arberry translation]
"Let the unbelievers not think they will escape Us... Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your disposal, so that you may strike terror into the enemies of Allah..." The Spoils 8.60 Dawood translation
"Those that make war against Allah and His apostle and spread disorders in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the country. They shall be held to shame in this world and sternly punished in the next." The Table 5.33 Dawood translation
"Believers, do not follow the example of the infidels, who say of their brothers when they meet death abroad or in battle: 'Had they stayed with us they would not have died, nor would they have been killed.' Allah will cause them to regret their words. It is Allah who ordains life and death. If you should die or be slain in the cause of Allah, His forgiveness and His mercy would surely be better than all the riches they amass. If you should die or be slain, before Him you shall all be gathered." The Imrans 3.156 Dawood translation
[“O ye who believe! Be not like the unbelievers, who say of their brethren, when they are travelling through the earth or engaged in fighting: ‘If they had stayed with us they would not have died, or been slain.’ This that Allah makes it a cause of sighs and regrets in their hearts. It is Allah that gives Life and Death, and Allah sees all that ye do. ..And if ye die, or are slain, lo! It is unto allah that ye are brought together.” The Family of Imran 3.156-158 Ali translation
“O believers, be not as unbelievers who say to their brothers, when they journey in the land, or are upon expeditions, ‘If they had been with us, they would not have died and not been slain’ - that God may make that an anguish in their hearts. For God gives life, and He makes to die; and God sees the things you do. If you are slain or die in God’s way, forgiveness and mercy from God are a better thing than you amass; surely if you are slain, it is unto God you shall be mustered.” The House of Imran 3.150 Arberry translation]
NOTES on the passage 3.156 / 3.150:
In Arberry’s “interpretation” “battle” instead becomes “expeditions”! Indeed this passage is Mohammed’s castigation of those who did not fight in the battle of Uhud! The battle of Uhud was at 625 and the Muslims were defeated. This exhortation to battle is made to instead appear as something altogether else by Arberry. In Arberry’s text 3.149 reads “ Those of you who turned away the day the two hosts encountered.” where Dawood’s 3.155 reads “Those of you who ran away on the day when the two armies met.” According to Arberry’s “interpretation” a clash of 2 armies is rendered to instead be a seemingly innocuous encounter of 2 hosts!
Additionally, comparing Arberry to Ali’s translation: “Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met, it was Satan who caused them to fail, because of some evil they had done.... Be not like the unbelievers, who say of their brethren... engaged in fighting: ‘If they had stayed with us they would not have died, or been slain.’ ...” Ali 3.155-156 Ali makes it clear that the reference is to battle. Arberry, whose “interpretation” reads suspiciously like a revisionist rendition of Ali’s translation (and therefore not a translation of the Koran from Arabic) has eliminated any reference to war; Arberry writes “upon expeditions” where Ali translates “engaged in fighting”.
Indeed, to get to what it was all about in Arberry’s bowdlerised rendition, one has to read to 3.160: “And what visited you, the day the two hosts encountered, was by God’s leave, and that He might know the believers; and that He might also know the hypocrites when it was said of them, ‘Come now fight in the way of God, or repel!’ They said, ‘If only we knew how to fight...’ They that day were nearer to unbelief than to belief...”
Arberry: 3.140 “Many a Prophet there has been, with whom thousands manifold have fought, and they fainted not for what smote them in God’s way, neither weakened, nor did they humble themselves.” Dawood: 3.147 “Many large armies have fought by the side of the prophet. They were never daunted by what befell them on the path of Allah: they neither weakened or cringed abjectly.”
Arberry makes an explanation for loss in battle appear to be some kind of esoteric meditative contemplation on the sincerity of pious belief!
In the introduction to his translation Dawood writes “In preparing this new translation it has been my aim to present the modern reader with an intelligible version of the Koran in contemporary English... the Koran contains many statements which... lend themselves to more than one interpretation. I have taken great pains to reproduce these ambiguities wherever they occur, and have provided explanatory footnotes in order to avoid turning the text into an interpretation rather than a translation” p 11. Conversely, Arberry had a different agenda, and, consistent with his desire to “interpret” rather than translate, Arberry writes in his introduction “As footnotes and glosses do not interrupt the smooth flow of the Arabic Koran, so in this English interpretation footnotes and glosses have been deliberately avoided.” p. xii.... Arberry has already “interpreted” 3.150 in a way in which it is not immediately obvious that the passage refers to an actual battle and that the call from Mohammed is that it is the duty of believers to kill on behalf of god and to gain immediate entry to paradise, or be punished by god for refusing to kill on god’s behalf. In “interpreting” rather than “translating” and by avoiding footnotes Arberry completes what is a deliberate deception.
"Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the cause of Allah; whether they die or conquer, We shall richly reward them." Women 4 .74 Dawood translation (also refer The Bee 16.107)
[“So let them fight in the way of God who sell the present life for the world to come; and whosoever fights in the way of God and is slain, or conquers, We shall bring him a mighty wage.” Women 4 .74 Arberry translation]
"Believers, why is it that when it is said to you: 'March in the cause of Allah,' you linger slothfully in the land? Are you content with this life in preference to the life to come? Few indeed are the blessings of this life compared to those of the life to come. If you do not fight He will punish you sternly and replace you by other men. Allah has power over all things." Repentance 9.38 Dawood translation
[“O believers, what is amiss with you, that when it is said to you , ‘Go forth in the way of God,’ you sink down heavily to the ground? Are you so content with this present life rather than the world to come? Yet the enjoyment of this present life, compared with the world to come, is a little thing. If you go not forth, He will chastise you with painful chastisement, and instead of you He will substitute another people.” Repentance 9.38 Arberry translation. Arberry has fudged the call to wage war on behalf of god, which is what is meant by deriding those that seek this life over the one to come, so that it reads as if it is simply a call to faith.... In this passage Mohammed is urging his followers to sacrifice their life, to die in the process of waging a war for god. This is augmented with the threat that those that not willing to sacrifice their life in the advance of Islam will be punished by god.)]
"As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah, He will not allow their works to perish...He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them." Mohammed 47.5-6 Dawood translation
“When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads…Had Allah willed, He could Himself have punished them; but He has ordained it thus that He might test you...As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah - He will not allow their works to perish.” Mohammed 47.4 Dawood translation
“When you meet disbelievers in battle, strike them in the neck…God could have defeated them HImself if He had willed, but HIs purpose is to test some of you by means of others. He will not let the deeds of those whos are killed for His cause come to nothing.” Mohammed 47.4 Haleem translation
[“...when ye meet the unbelievers in fight, smite at their necks... [by] Allah’s Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them Himself; but He lets you fight in order to test you... those who are slain in the Way of Allah - He will never let their deeds be lost.” Mohammed 47.4 Ali translation]
"Tell the unbelievers that if they mend their ways [abandon 'unbelief'/'idolatry'] their past shall be forgiven; but if they persist in sin ['idolatry'] ...Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme." The Spoils 8.38-39 Dawood translation
[“…tell the disbelievers that if they desist their past will be forgiven, but if they persist, they have an example in the fate of those who went before:, fight them until there is no more persecution [fitna “impurity”], and all worship is devoted to God [Allah] alone.” 8.38-39 Haleem translation]
"Allah revealed His will to the angels, saying: 'I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, maim them in every limb!'" The Spoils 8.12 Dawood translation
"It is not for any Prophet to have prisoners until he make wide slaughter in the land. You desire the chance goods of the present world, and God desires the world to come; and God is All-mighty, All-wise." The Spoils 8.67-68 Arberry translation
["It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he hath made slaughter in the land. You desire the lure of this world and Allah desires for you the hereafter and Allah is Mighty, Wise." 8.67-68 (http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/index.html) ]
"Believers, have fear of Allah and seek the right path to Him. Fight valiantly for His cause, so that you may triumph." The Table 5. 35 Dawood translation
"Believers, fortify yourselves with patience and prayer... Do not say that those who were slain in the cause of Allah are dead; they are alive, although you are not aware of them." The Cow 2.153 Dawood translation
"Fight for the sake of Allah those that fight against you... Kill them wherever you find them. Drive them out of places from which they drove you. Idolatry is worse that carnage." The Cow 2.190 - 191 Dawood translation
[“ Fight in the cause of Allah...And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter.” The Cow 2.190-191 Ali translation
“ And fight in the way of God...And slay them wherever you come upon them, and expel them from where they expelled you; persecution is more grievous than slaying.” The Cow 2.187 Arberry translation. Arberry writes “persecution is more grievous than slaying”? That does not make any sense. Is not slaying persecution? Or is the presence of unbelievers in amongst the faithful Muslims perceived to be “persecution”? Dawood’s passage reads “Idolatry is worse that carnage" )]
" Believers, when you encounter the armies of the infidels do not turn your backs to them in flight. If anyone on that day turns his back to them ... shall incur the wrath of Allah and Hell shall be his home: an evil fate." The Spoils 8.16 Dawood translation
[“O believers, when you encounter the unbelievers marching to battle, turn not your backs to them. Whoso turns his back that day to them, unless withdrawing to fight ...is laden with the burden of God’s anger.” The Spoils 8.15 Arberry translation
“O ye who believe! When ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them. If any do turn his back to them on such a day - unless it be a stratagem of war ... - he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell.” The Spoils of War 8.15-17Ali translation]
"Mohammed is Allah's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another." Victory: 48.29 Dawood translation
"Those that have embraced the faith... and fought for Allah's cause with their wealth and their persons are held in high regard by Allah." Repentance 9.21 Dawood translation
" Whether unarmed or well equipped, march on and fight for the cause of Allah, with your wealth and your persons." Repentance 9.41 Dawood translation
[“Go ye forth, whether equipped lightly or heavily, and strive and struggle, with your goods & your persons, in the cause of Allah...” The Repentance 9.41 Ali translation
“So go out, no matter whether you are lightly or heavily armed and struggle in God’s way with your possessions and your persons” Haleem translation.] " Believers! Have faith in Allah and his apostle and fight for His cause with your wealth and your persons. He will forgive you your sins and admit you ... in the gardens of Eden." Battle Array 61.10-12 Dawood translation
[“struggle in the way of God with your possessions and your selves.” The Ranks 61.10-11 Arberry translation. In both 9:41 and 61:10-12,Arberry has “interpreted” away the militaristic pursuit as is called for in the Koran in the cause of Islam)]
"Allah loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as firm as a mighty edifice." Battle Array 61.2 Dawood translation
Killing on behalf of Allah is a demonstration of piety and fidelity to Allah!
"He that fights for Allah's cause fights for himself. Allah does not need His creatures' help." (basically, killing for Allah is done by humans for their own salvation, not because Allah is weak...) The Spider 29 .7 Dawood translation
“...when ye meet the unbelievers in fight, smite at their necks... [by] Allah’s Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them Himself; but He lets you fight in order to test you... those who are slain in the Way of Allah - He will never let their deeds be lost.” Mohammed 47.4 Ali translation
"fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. But you may hate a thing although it is good for you..." The Cow 2.216 Dawood translation
["Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, you knew not." 2.216 ( http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/index.html )
“Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you.” The Cow 2.216 Ali translation
“Prescribed for you is fighting, though it be hateful to you. Yet it may happen that you will hate a thing which is better for you.” The Cow 2:.212 Arberry translation]
“Those that believe in Allah & the Last Day will not beg you to exempt them from fighting with their wealth & their persons. Allah knows best the righteous. Only those seek exemption who disbelieve in Allah...” Repentance 9.44 The passage goes on to state: “Are you waiting for anything to befall us except victory or martyrdom?” 9.51 (If a battle is won on the field it is a victory; if a battle is lost & all are slaughtered, it too is a victory as it achieves “martyrdom”!)
[ “O ye who believe! What is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the Cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with grievous penalty, and put others in your place[9.38-39] ...Go ye forth , (whether equipped) lightly or heavily, an strive and struggle, with your goods and your persons, in the Cause of Allah. That is best for you, if ye (but) knew [9.41]...Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day ask thee for no exemption from striving with their goods and persons... Only those ask thee for exemption who believe not in Allah and the Last Day [9.44-45]... Say: ‘Can you expect for us (any fate) other than one of two glorious things - (martyrdom or victory)?’ [9.52]...” The Repentance” 9.38-52 Ali translation]
“The believers who stay at home ... are not equal to those who fight for the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home. He has promised all a good reward; but far richer is the recompense of those who fight for Him...” Women 4.95 Dawood translation
[“Those believers who stay at home, apart from those with an incapacity, are not equal to those who commit themselves and their possessions to striving in God’s way. God has raised such people to a rank above those who stay at home–although He has promised all believers a good reward, those who strive are favoured with a tremendous reward above those who stay at home.” Haleem translation
“Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) that Allah promised good [reward]: but those who strive hath He distinguished above those who site (at home) by a special reward.” Ali translation
“Such believers as sit home... are not equals of those who struggle in the path of God with their possessions and their selves. God has preferred in rank those who struggle with their possessions and their selves over the ones that sit at home.” Women 4.97 Arberry translation. It does make you wonder what, other than the obligatory waging of war against unbelievers, could put believers who do “leave home” or who “struggle” at such great risk that they would have to be given special instruction that rewards them for their greater effort? Of course, the answer lies in Dawood’s clearer translation: fight, that is, wage war. In war one always runs the risk of incurring permanent physical injury, incapacitation, or death.]
The purpose of war is part of Allah's test of the faithful:
"If you have suffered defeat, so did the enemy. We alternate these vicissitudes among mankind so that Allah may know the true believers and choose martyrs from among you ...that He may test the faithful and annihilate the infidels. Did you suppose that you would enter Paradise before Allah has proved the men who fought for him...?" The Imrans 3.140-142 Dawood translation
[“If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. Such days of varying fortunes We give to men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks martyr-witnesses to Truth...Allah’s object is also to purge those that are in Faith and to deprive of blessing those that resist Faith. Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven without Allah testing those of you who fought hard...?” The Family of Imran 3.140-142 Ali translation]
"He created life and death that He might put you to the proof and find out which of you acquitted himself best." Sovereignty 67.2 Dawood translation
And, ultimately, the purpose of relentless war and terror against non-Muslims is:
"The day will surely come when the unbelievers will wish that they were Muslims." Al-hijr 15.1 Dawood translation
[“ Perchance the unbelievers will wish that they had surrendered” El-Hijr 15.1 Arberry translation]
In light of the Koran’s insistent inculcation of a divine demand in the pursuit of violence it is a curiosity that Muslim propagandists deny that Islam is a religion of violence.
The Paradise those who kill for Allah will go to:
"But the true servants of Allah shall be well provided for... in the gardens of delight. They shall sit with bashful, dark-eyed virgins, as chaste as the sheltered eggs of ostriches." The Ranks 37.40 -46 Dawood translation
"But for those that fear the majesty of their Lord there are two gardens... Each is watered by a flowing spring... They shall dwell with bashful virgins whom neither man nor jinnee will have touched before... Virgins as fair as corals and rubies." The Merciful 55.46-58 Dawood translation
“We shall wed them to maidens with large dark eyes. Secure and contented, they shall call for every kind of fruit. After the one death they will taste death no more. god will guard them from the torment of Hell…” 44.54-56 Haleem translation
It should be noted that to “wed” has the same meaning as to “be available for coitus”. Guillaume emphasises that “The guiding note is sounded in the words ‘Women are your tillage’, and the word for marriage is that used for the sexual act.”, p.71 Islam, ISBN 0140203117 . Essentially the Koranic idea of purpose for the existence of women is that women exist to fulfill men’s sexual pleasures.
The Holy duty of waging war is to slaughter, after which one is to take prisoners for ransom
"It is not for any Prophet to have prisoners until he make wide slaughter in the land. You desire the chance goods of the present world, and God desires the world to come; and God is All-mighty, All-wise." The Spoils 8.67-68 Arberry translation
“When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads, and when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly. Then grant them freedom or take ransom from them…Had Allah willed, He could Himself have punished them; but He has ordained it thus that He might test you...As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah - He will not allow their works to perish.” Mohammed 47.4 Dawood translation
The call for beheadings “When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads…Had Allah willed, He could Himself have punished them; but He has ordained it thus that He might test you...As for those who are slain in the cause of Allah - He will not allow their works to perish.” Mohammed 47.4 Dawood translation "Allah revealed His will to the angels, saying: 'I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, maim them in every limb!' The Spoils 8.12 Dawood translation
["Your Lord revealed to the angels: 'I am with you; give the believers firmness; I will put terror into the hearts of the disbelievers–strike above their necks and strike all their fingertips.'" Battle Gains 8.12 Haleem translation Haleem fudges this call, softening "beheading" with "strike above their necks". To cut above the neck is to cut the head off above the neck.]
Iconoclasm against images (idols) "We gave Moses and Aaron [the Scripture] that distinguishes right from wrong... We bestowed right judgement on Abraham and We knew him well. He said to his father and his people, 'What are these images to which you are so devoted? ... You and your fathers have clearly gone astray... By God I shall plot against your idols as soon as you have turned your backs!' He broke them all into pieces..." Koran The Prophets 21. 48-57 Haleem translation
The Koran on women:
"It is Allah who has given you the earth for a dwelling-place and the sky for a ceiling. He has moulded your bodies into a comely shape..." The Forgiving One 40.63 (which begs the question: why do women have to hide their “comely shape”?) Dawood translation
"Men have authority over women because Allah has made one superior to the other...Good women are obedient...As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them to beds apart and beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against them. Allah is high, supreme." Women 4.34 (*refer notes on this passage) Dawood translation
["Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God's guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them. If they obey you, look not for any way against them; God is All-high, All-great." Women 4.37-39 Arberry translation
"Men have authority over women because God has made one superior to the other and because they spend their wealth [to maintains them]. So good women are obedient, guarding their unseen [parts] because God has guarded [them]. As for those from whom you fear disobedience admonish [them] and banish them to beds apart and beat them; then if they obey you seek no occasion against them." Women 4.31 Alfred Guillaume translation Islam Pelican, ISBN 0 1402 0311 7 (Indeed Guillaume writes: “Since some Muslim propagandists in this country persistently deny that women are inferior to men in Islam it is worth while to set out the facts [in] Sura 4:31.... To a Muslim who takes this stand on the law of Islam the gulf is unbridgeable, but in actual practice in the civilized communities of the Muslim world a more liberal view of women’s place in human society is coming to the fore.”)]
"Women are your fields: go, then into your fields as you please." The Cow 2.223 Dawood translation
[“Your wives are your fields, so go into your fields whichever way you like…”The Cow 2.223 Haleem translation
“Your wives are as a tilth unto you; so approach your tilth when or how ye will;” 2.223 Ali translation
“Your women are a tillage for you; so come unto your tillage as you wish, and forward for your souls;” The Cow 2.223 Arberry translation]
"Women shall with justice have rights similar to those exercised against them, although men have a status above women." The Cow 2.228 Dawood translation
[“Wives have [rights] similar to their [obligations]… and husbands have a degree [of right] over them…” The Cow 2.228 Haleem translation]
( Guillaume emphasises “The guiding note is sounded in the words ‘Women are your tillage’, and the word for marriage is that used for the sexual act.”, p.71 Islam, ISBN 0140203117 . Essentially the Koranic definition for the purpose for the existence of women is that women exist solely for the sexual pleasure of men.)
“A male shall inherit twice as much as a female.” Women 4.10 Dawood translation
“… tell believing women that they should lower their glances, guard their private parts, and do not display their charms beyond what [it is acceptable] to reveal; they should let their head–scarves fall to cover their necklines and not reveal their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband’s fathers… their slaves, such men as attend them who have no sexual desire, or children who are not yet aware of women’s nakedness; they should not stamp their feet as to draw attention to any hidden charms.” Light 24.31 Haleem translation Note: the men who “attend” to women who “have no sexual desire” are male prisoners of war who have been castrated and enslaved.
"Enjoin believing women to turn their eyes away from temptation and to preserve their chastity; to cover their adornments - except such as are normally displayed; to draw their veils over their bosoms and not to reveal their finery except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their step-sons, their brothers, their brother's sons, their sisters' sons, their women-servants, and their slave-girls; male attendants lacking in natural vigour, and children who have no carnal knowledge of women. And let them not stamp their feet in walking so as to reveal their hidden trinkets. " Light 24.31 Dawood translation
"It shall be no offence for old spinsters who have no hope of marriage to discard their cloaks without revealing their adornments. Better if they do not discard them." Light 24.60 Dawood translation
"You shall not kill your children for fear of want." The Night Journey 17.31 Dawood translation Dawood's note explains: "In allusion to the pre-Islamic custom of burying alive unwanted newborn girls." (Is this what Muslim propagandists mean when they declare that Islam gave women rights that they never before had?)
"Blessed are the believers... who restrain from their carnal desires - except with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them - and do not transgress through lusting after other women; who are true to their trusts and promises and never neglect their prayers." The Believers 23.1-3 Dawood translation (... which means that women who are not married, or do not pray - that is, they are “infidel” - are open season? It corresponds to the fate of Egyptian Coptic women raped by Muslim men who have no rights because they are not Muslim as per SBS documentary 1995)
"If one of your women commit fornication, call in four witnesses from among yourselves against them; if they testify to their guilt confine them to their houses till death overtakes them or till Allah finds another way for them. If two men among you you commit indecency [sodomy/homosexual union] punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, let them be. Allah is forgiving and merciful." Women 4.15-16 Dawood translation ..But not equal. Women have no means of seeking forgiveness & are condemned to death. Further, all you have to do is convince your friends to back you and the woman's say-so is irrelevant!
“You are also forbidden to take in marriage married women, except captives whom you own as slaves.” Women 4.24 Dawood translation
Mohammed had additional rights to ordinary Muslims... ... bear in mind thomas a’kempis’ “imitation of christ” to gauge a chilling vision of hell on earth for women when the faithful live in imitation of mohammed...
"Prophet We [Allah] have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have granted dowries and the slave-girls whom Allah has given you as booty...This privilege is yours alone... You may put off any of your wives you please and take to your bed any of them you please. Nor is it unlawful for you to receive any of those whom you have temporarily set aside." The Confederate Tribes 33.49-51 Dawood translation (Dawood's footnote reads: "At this time Mohammed had nine wives, apart from slave-girls.")
“Wives of the Prophet, you are not like other women... do not be too complaisant in your speech lest the lecherous-hearted should lust after you... Stay in your homes and do not display your finery as women used to in the days of ignorance.” The Confederate Tribes 33.32-33 Dawood translation
“[Believers] You must not speak ill of Allah’s apostle [Mohammed], nor shall you ever wed his wives after him; this would be a grave offence in the sight of Allah.” The Confederate Tribes 33.54 Dawood translation
“Prophet, enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers to draw their veils close around them... so they may be recognised and not molested.” The Confederate Tribes 33.58 Dawood translation
The Koran on homosexuality:
“Remember the words of Lot, who said to his people: ‘Will you persist in these indecent acts which no other nation has committed before you?’” The Heights 7.80 Dawood translation
“If two men among you you commit indecency [sodomy/homosexual union] punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, let them be. Allah is forgiving and merciful." Women 4.16 Dawood translation
[“If two men commit a lewd act, punish them both; if they repent and mend their ways, leave them alone” Women 4.16 Haleem translation]
It should be noted that two men are required to commit a “lewd act” – which cannot be accomplished alone (hence it is not masturbation); thus it is a sexual act between 2 men: homosexuality. The actions called for against femesexuals (“Lesbians”) are less tolerant:
“If any of your women commit a lewd act, call four witnesses from among you, then, if they testify to their guilt, keep the women at home until death comes to them or until God shows them another way.” Women 4.15 Haleem translation
Slavery
"As for those of your slaves who wish to buy their liberty, free them if you find in them any promise ... You shall not force your slave-girls into prostitution in order that you may make money, if they wish to preserve their chastity. If any one compels them, Allah will be forgiving and merciful to them. " Light 24.33 Dawood translation (thus if they don't care about their chastity, sell them to prostitution & make as much money from them as you want, but even if forced against their will into prostitution by believing owners, Allah will forgive them!) "Those that divorce their wives by so saying and afterwards retract their words shall free a slave [as a penalty]." She who Pleaded 59.3 Dawood translation
“You are also forbidden to take in marriage married women, except captives whom you own as slaves.” Women 4.24 Dawood translation
Anti Christ anti Jew Essentially the Koran is antithetic to all religions. Its antipathy to the "west", that is countries of Christian background, and of Jews, is essentially because the Koran claims itself to be the correct interpretation of the word of God which it claims has been corrupted by Christians and Jews:
"Allah made a covenant with the Israelites ... But because they broke their covenant We laid on them Our curse ...They have perverted the words of the Scriptures...You will find them deceitful except for a few of them ... With those who said they were Christians We made a covenant also, but they too have forgotten much of what they were enjoined... We stirred among them enmity and hatred... Unbelievers are those who declare: 'Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’ " The Table 5.11-17 Dawood translation
"We sent forth Noah and Abraham, and bestowed on their offspring prophethood and the Scriptures...We sent other apostles, and after those Jesus the son of Mary, We gave him the Gospel and put compassion and mercy in the hearts of his followers.... but they did not observe it faithfully... Let the People of the Book [Jews and Christians] know that they have no control over the gifts of Allah; that these gifts are in His Hands alone, and that He vouchsafes them to whom He will." Iron: 57.26-29 Dawood translation
"Some Jews take words out of their context and say to the Apostle: 'We hear but Disobey.' Allah has cursed them in their unbelief. They have no faith, except a few of them." Women 4.45-46 Dawood translation
"The unbelievers among the People of the Book [Jews & Christians] and the pagans shall burn for ever in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures." The Proof 98.6 Dawood translation
"They [Christians] say: 'Allah has begotten a son,' Allah forbid! Self sufficient is He. His is all that the heavens and earth contain." Jonah 10.68 Dawood translation “We will strike panic into the disbelievers’ hearts because they attribute partners to God although He has sent no authority for this: their shelter will be the Fire.” The Family of Imran 3.151 Haleem translation
"Unbelievers are those that say: 'Allah [God] is the Messiah, the son of Mary.' ... Unbelievers are those that say: 'Allah is one of three.' The Table 5.72-74 Dawood translation
"We have revealed to them [Christians] the truth, but they are liars all. Never has Allah begotten a son, nor is there any other god besides Him." The Believers 23.90 Dawood translation
" We gave the scriptures to the Israelites and bestowed on them wisdom and prophethood...[but] they disagreed among themselves from evil motives." Kneeling 45.16 Dawood translation
"If they observe the Torah and the Gospel and what is revealed to them from Allah, they shall be given an abundance from above and beneath... Believers, Jews, Sabaeans, or Christians - whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does what is right - shall have nothing to fear or to regret... We made a covenant with the Israelites and sent forth apostles among them. But whenever an apostle came to them with a message that did not suit their fancies they either rejected him or slew him... Unbelievers are those that say: 'Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.' ...Unbelievers are those that say: 'Allah is one of three.' There is but one God. If they do not desist from so saying, those of them that disbelieve shall be sternly punished." The Table 5.66 -74 Dawood translation
" You will find that the most implacable of men in their enmity of the faithful are the Jews and the pagans, and that the nearest in affection to them are those who say: 'We are Christians.' “ (who does that leave...?) The Table 5.82 Dawood translation
"'People of the Book, why do you deny the revelations of Allah?' ...Believers, if you yield to some of those who were given the Scriptures, they will rob you of your faith and lead you back to unbelief." The Imrans 3.98-100 Dawood translation and,
"Had the People of the Book [Jews and Christians] accepted Islam, it would have surely been better for them... most of them are evil-doers." Imrans 3.111 Dawood translation
"Those who say: 'The Lord of Mercy has begotten a son,' preach a monstrous falsehood, at which the very heavens might crack, the earth break asunder, and the mountains crumble to dust." Mary 19.88 Dawood translation
" ...admonish those who say that Allah has begotten a son... a monstrous blasphemy is that which they utter. They preach nothing but falsehoods." The Cave 18.2 -5 Dawood translation
"They worship their rabbis and their monks, and the Messiah the son of Mary, as gods besides Allah; though they were ordered to serve one God only... They would extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths." Repentance 9.30-33 Dawood translation
“The Jews say: ‘Allah’s hand is chained.’ May their own hand be chained! May they be cursed for what they say! ...We have stirred among them enmity and hatred, which will endure till the Day of Resurrection... They spread evil in the land, but Allah does not love the evil-doers.”The Table 5.64-65 Dawood translation
“Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given as believe neither Allah or the Last Day who do not believe what Allah and His Apostle have forbidden, and do not embrace the true faith [Islam], until they pay tribute out of hand & are utterly subdued.” Repentance 9.28 Dawood translation
[“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Prophet, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, even if they are of the People of the Book, until they pay the jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” Repentance 9.29 Ali tanslation]
“there are some among them [“people of the book”: jews/christians] who twist their tongues when quoting the Scriptures, so that you may think that what they say is from the Scriptures, whereas it is not...” The Imrans 3.78 Dawood translation
Essentially, however, the excessive vitriol is a consequence, solely, of Mohammed’s retelling of Hebraic stories in a way that bears no relation to the actual stories he is claiming to retell. He then blames the Jews & Christians for these difference rather than admit his own error! Further:
“The unbelievers [Jews/Christians] say: ‘This [Koran] is but a forgery of his [Mohammed’s] own invention...’ what they say is false.” Al-Furquan 25.5 Dawood translation
“We [god] have destroyed many a sinful nation and replaced them by other men.” The Prophets 21.12 Dawood translation (This is Ecclesiasticus 10.8 of the Christian book of the Apocrypha still in use in the Eastern Orthodox Christian Churches. Mohammed has here appropriated it and uses it to assert that Muslims now are the “Holy Race”.)
“It is ordained that no nation We [god] have destroyed shall ever rise again.” The Prophets 21.98 Dawood translation
Therefore, according to the Koran, the existence of the modern state of Israel is an abomination in defiance of the will of god... which serves to diminish god who is obviously too impotent to do anything... One though suspects that the Mohammedan mindset interprets the existence of the Israeli state to have come about as a means by which god intends to test the mettle of believers by providing them the means by which they can prove their faith & thus gain direct entry to heaven ( Re: The Imrans: 3.140-142 in which defeats are described as god testing the faith of believers, which would mean Israel exists as such a “defeat”.)
the Koranic basis of anti Jewish sentiment:
“Ask the Israelites how many veritable signs we have given them [2.210] ... Mankind were once one nation. Then Allah sent forth prophets to give them good news and to warn them and with these he sent down the Book with the truth... None disputed it save those to whom it was given...[2.213]” The Cow Dawood translation
According to Mohammed, Jews were given god’s word, but that these Jews, given god’s word, disputed it, (that is rejected it) and in the process they had altered/corrupted it. Concomitant to this assertion is the claim made that god called Mohammed to correct what the Jews had corrupted.
Biblical tales retold in the Koran
In the Koran are retold familiar Biblical tales.
One could accept the Islamic claim that Mohammed simply corrected what Jews/Christians got wrong in their texts, and with the example of the Tower of Babel accept that the tower that reached heaven was in Egypt not Mesopotamia.
It should be remembered that Cairo came to be referred to as “Babylon” in the medieval period (eg Anna Comnena refers to it as Babylon in the Alexiad when describing the abilities of the Crusader cavalry to bring down the walls of Babylon).
Taken from the Wikipedia: “...the Romans established a fortress town along the east bank of the Nile. This fortress, known as Babylon, remains the oldest structure in the city [of Cairo].” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo 10/9/2010 )
If we accept the Islamic position, Mohammed is right and archaeology, history, and all other evidence is wrong.
The Koranic account on Jesus as Muslim
The Koran claims Jesus as the first Muslim in verse 3.45. It is on this basis that the claim is made that Islam reveres the god of Christians and is not antithetic to him.
“The angels said, ‘Mary, God gives you news of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next, who sill be one of those brought near to God…She said ‘My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?’ [The angel] said, ‘This is how God creates what He will… He only says ‘Be’, and it is. He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, He will send him as a messenger to the Children of Israel.” The Family of ‘Imran 3.45-49 Dawood translation
Of course the Jews rejected Jesus; and for Christianity, the father (god); the spirit (god); and the son (the human form god took) - (god); are three manifestations of the one united entity. The Jews rejected Jesus, and Islam rejects Christianity which has it that Jesus is a manifestation of a unified trinity. To cite a verse quoted earlier:
Biblical personages not Jews:
“Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. He was an upright man, one who surrendered himself to Allah.” The Imrans 3.68 Dawood translation
[“Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will to Allah’s which is Islam, and he joined not gods with Allah.” The Family of Imran 3.67 Ali translation
“No; Abraham in truth was not a Jew, neither a Christian; but he was a Muslim and one pure of faith; certainly he was never of the idolaters.” The House of Imran 3.60 Arberry translation]
Therefore, according to the Koran, to claim that Abraham predates Mohammed (and therefore Islam), is a falsehood intended to deny “god’s truth”..., Hence: The Imrans : 3.98 - 100 "'People of the Book, why do you deny the revelations of Allah?' ...Believers, if you yield to some of those who were given the Scriptures, they will rob you of your faith and lead you back to unbelief." Dawood translation
Example of Biblical stories employed against “unbelievers”
“And Noah said: ‘Lord do not leave a single unbeliever in the land. If you spare them they will mislead Your servants and beget none but sinners and unbelievers.” Noah 71.27 Dawood translation (Thus here we have an example of a Biblical story told by Mohammed and used against unbelievers, Jews and Christians - even though it is part of their Bible! This is a “retelling” of the Promised Land in the OT, in which the Jews were ordered to exterminate the Canaanites... Except that in this instance Mohammed has transplanted this scenario to Noah!)
Islam: House of Peace
“Allah invites you to the House of Peace [Islam]. He guides whom He will to a straight path.... As for those that have earned evil [refusal to accept Islam], evil shall be rewarded with evil. MIsery will cover them...They are the heirs of Hell.” Jonah 10.26-27 Dawood translation
[“But Allah doth call to the Home of Peace [islam]: He doth guide whom He pleaseth to a way straight. To those who do right a goodly reward... But those who have earned evil [refusal to accept Islam] will have a reward of like evil... they are companions of the Fire: they will abide therein for aye!” Jonah 10.26-27 Ali translation]
NOTE: The Family of Imran 3.151 Soon shall We [god] cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers... their abode will be Fire: and evil is the home of wrongdoers!” Ali translation Refusal to accept Islam ends in eternal damnation... If Islam is the House of Peace, then unbelief is Hell, the “House of War”. Thus Mohammedans make this into a reality.
Zoroastrians - believers? "As for the true believers, the Jews, the Sabaeans, the Christians, the Magians, and the pagans, Allah will judge them on the Day of Resurrection." Pilgrimage 22.17 Dawood translation
Do not befriend unbelievers
"Woe ...to the disbelievers who deny the Last Judgement! None denies it except the transgressors, the evil-doers who, when Our revelations are recited to them, cry: 'Fables of the ancients!'" The Unjust 83.8 Dawood translation
"Believers, take neither Jews or Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. Allah does not guide the wrongdoers." The Table 5.51 Dawood translation
"Believers, do not seek the friendship of the infidels..." The Table 5.57 Dawood translation:
"Believers do not make friends with who are enemies of Mine and yours." She Who is Tested 60.1 Dawood translation
"He forbids you to make friends with those who have fought against you on account of your religion ...or abetted others to do so. Those that make friends with them are wrongdoers." She Who is Tested 60.9 Dawood translation
"Believers, do not chose the infidels rather than the faithful for your friends." Women 4.145 Dawood translation
"Let the believers not make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful - he that does this has nothing to hope for from Allah ... Allah admonishes you to fear Him ." The Imrans 3.28 Dawood translation
"Believers, do not make friends with any men other than your own people. They will spare no pains to corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin." The Imrans 3.118 Dawood translation
“You shall not wed pagan women, unless they embrace the faith... Nor shall you wed idolaters, unless they embrace the faith.” The Cow 2.221 Dawood translation
Omniscient god predetermination:
"No one dies unless Allah permits. The term of every life is fixed." and if believers do not fight on Allah's behalf, "they complain: 'Had we had any say in the matter, we should not have been slain here.' Say to them: 'Had you stayed in your homes, those of you who were destined to be slain would have gone to their graves nevertheless; for it was Allah's will to test your faith and courage." The Imrans 3.145 Dawood translation (3.155 )
" Every misfortune that befalls the earth, or your own persons, is ordained before we bring it into being." Iron 57.22 Dawood translation
"Allah has power over all things... He is cognizant of all your actions... He knows what the heavens and earth contain. He knows all that you hide and that you reveal. He knows your inmost thoughts." Cheating 64.1-4 Dawood translation
" He has knowledge of the inmost thoughts of men." Iron 57. 6 Dawood translation
“No fruit is borne, no female conceives or is delivered, but with His knowledge.” Revelations Well Expounded 41.46 Dawood translation
Allah created unbelievers solely to punish them:
“None can guide those whom Allah has led astray. They shall be punished in this life: but more painful is the punishment of the life to come. None shall protect them from Allah." Smoke 13.34 Dawood translation (Thus unbelievers have been made to disbelieve by Allah who intends on punishing them for straying!)
"None can guide the people whom Allah leads astray. He leaves them blundering about in their wickedness." The Heights 7.186 Dawood translation
"Had it been Allah's will, He could have made them all of one religion. But Allah brings whom he will into His mercy." Counsel 42.8 Dawood translation
"Among them were some whom Allah guided, and others destined to go astray....Strive as you may to guide them, Allah will not guide those whom He misleads. There shall be none to help them." The Bee 16.37 Dawood translation
"Satan is your enemy: therefore treat him as an enemy. He tempts his followers so that they may become the heirs of Hell." The Creator 35. 6 Dawood translation (Allah in previous passages had himself already led unbelievers into disbelief... but in this passage though it is instead satan who has misled! In The Heights 7.14: “Satan replied: ‘Reprieve me till the Day of Resurrection.’ ‘You are reprieved,’ said He [god].” So, one could say god allowed evil to exist so that he could test men, which again, is rather pointless, as Allah is cognizant af all, which means then that god is nothing other than malice deified... )
"Believers, you have an enemy in your wives and children: beware of them." Cheating 64.14 Dawood translation
"Whether you reveal your thoughts or hide them, Allah will bring you to account for them." The Cow 2.284 Dawood translation
Why then...
"He created life and death that He might put you to the proof and find out which of you acquitted himself best." Sovereignty 67.2 Dawood translation
For an omniscient being allah is no more than a malevolent fiend.
Illegal to kill Muslims
"It is unlawful for a believer to kill another believer except by accident." Women 4.92 Dawood translation
However, what is a true believer? The Koran states that there is no middle ground, no picking & choosing it is all or nothing: "Those that deny Allah and his apostles, and those that draw a line between Allah and His apostles saying: 'We believe in some, but deny others,' - thus seeking a middle way - these indeed are unbelievers. For the unbelievers We have prepared a shameful punishment." (women 4.150) Dawood translation
The consequence is that any Muslim who might be seen to not be completely Muslim can be justified to be an “unbeliever”.
Apostasy
"Those who return to unbelief after Allah's guidance has been revealed to them are seduced by Satan." These apostates are those who say "'We shall obey you in some matters.' Allah knows their secret talk." Mohammed 47.26 Dawood translation
"Those that disbelieve and debar others from Allah's path and in the end die unbelievers shall not be shown forgiveness by Allah. Therefore do not falter or sue for peace when you have gained the upper hand." Mohammed 47.34 Dawood translation
"You are called upon to give to the cause of Allah. some of you are ungenerous; yet whoever is ungenerous to this cause is ungenerous to himself. Indeed, Allah does not need you, but you need Him... He will replace you by others different from you." Mohammed 47.38 Dawood translation
"...those who deny Allah after professing Islam and open their bosoms to unbelief shall incur the wrath of Allah and shall be sternly punished. For such men love the life of this world more than the life to come." (my italics) The Bee 16.107 Dawood translation
" Prophet make war on the unbelievers and hypocrites and deal rigourously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate... they uttered the word of unbelief and renounced Islam after embracing it...Allah will sternly punish them both in this world and in the world to come." Repentance 9.73 - 75 Dawood translation
[ “...[In] giving you satisfaction with their mouths but in their hearts refusing; and the most of them are ungodly...truely evil is that they have been doing, observing neither bond nor treaty towards a believer they are the transgressors... If they break their oaths after their covenant and thrust at your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief... Fight them, and God will chastise them at your hands and degrade them.” Repentance 9.8-10 Arberry translation]
"Those who accept the faith and then renounce it, who again embrace it and again deny it and grow in unbelief - Allah will neither forgive them nor rightly guide them." Women 4.137 Dawood translation
Proofs of god's existence " It was Allah who raised the heavens without visible pillars... He ordains all things [and upon the earth he] placed upon it immovable mountains." Thunder 13.2 -3 Dawood translation (Damn inconvenient .... that the sky has no pillars whether visible or not... & those damn tectonic plates that create mountains where once were none!)
"It is He who has made the earth your cradle and traced on it paths for you to walk on. It is He who sends down water form the sky with which He brings forth every kind of plant...Surely in this there are signs for men of understanding." Ta Ha 20.51 Dawood translation
"He knows the visible and the unseen... If He seeks to afflict them with a misfortune, none can ward it off... It is He who makes the lightning flash upon you, inspiring fear and hope, as He gathers up the heavy clouds. The thunder sounds His praises, and the angels, too, for awe of Him. He hurls His thunderbolts at whom He pleases. Yet unbelievers wrangle about Allah." Thunder 11.9 -13 Dawood translation
"Those who dispute Allah's signs without proof are held in abhorrence by Allah and the faithful." The Forgiving One 40.36 Dawood translation
“Do they not see the birds that wing their flight in heaven’s vault? None sustains them but Allah. Surely in this there are signs for believers.” The Bee 16.79 Dawood translation
Day of Judgement
“They think the Day of Judgement is far off: but We see it near at hand.” The Ladders 70.7 Dawood translation
He [Allah] has kept strict count of all His creatures, & one by one they shall approach Him on the Day of Resurrection.” Mary 19.93-94 Dawood translation
[None is there in the heavens and earth but he comes to the All-merciful as a servant; He has indeed counted them...Every one of them shall come to Him upon the Day of Resurrection...” Mary 19.93-94 (Arberry)]
Defining Hell
"...those who dispute the revelations of Allah...[and] who have denied the Scriptures ... [will] with chains and shackles round their necks they shall be dragged through boiling water and burnt in the fire of Hell." The Forgiving One 40.69-70 Dawood translation
"Garments of fire have been prepared for the unbelievers. Scalding water shall be poured upon their heads, melting their skins and that which is in their bellies. They shall be lashed with rods of iron." Pilgrimage 22.20 Dawood translation
"Flames of fire shall be lashed at you, and molten brass. There shall be none to help you." The Merciful 55.35 Dawood translation
Dominion over animals "It is Allah who has provided you with the beasts, that you may ride on some and eat the flesh of others. You put them to many uses...” The Forgiving One 40.80 Dawood translation
The right to bear arms
"When.... conducting their prayers [believers can pray] armed with their weapons. It would much please the unbelievers if you neglected your arms and your baggage, so they can swoop upon you with one assault. But it is no offence for you to lay aside your arms when overtaken by heavy rain or sticken with an illness, although you must always be on your guard." Women 4.102 Dawood translation
(This same passage in Arberry’s “interpretation”: “ ...let a party of them stand with thee, and let them take their weapons. When they bow themselves, let them be behind you; and let another party who have not prayed come and pray with thee, taking their precautions and their weapons. The unbelievers wish that you should be heedless of your weapons and your baggage, then they would wheel on you all at once. There is no fault in you, if rain molests you, or you are sick, to lay aside your weapons; but take your precautions. God has prepared for the unbelievers a humbling chastisement.”)
Arabic language as holy thus reinforcing arab racism.
“We have revealed it [the Koran], a code of judgements in the Arabic tongue." Smoke 13.37 Dawood translation
"We have revealed to you an Arabic Koran." Counsel 42.6 Dawood translation
"...an Arabic Koran for men of understanding." Revelations Well Expounded 41.1
“Had we revealed the Koran in a foreign tongue they would have said: ‘If only its verses were expounded! Why in a foreign tongue, when the prophet is Arabian?’” Revelations Well Expounded 41.44 Dawood translation
It is evident that Mohammed felt compelled to explain why his Koran was not recited in the Greek, Hebrew, or Persian languages. The Greek world, represented by Byzantium was the repository of Classical learning. Sasanid Persia was the Greek’s main adversary. The Jews where custodians of purported “holy texts”. Mohammed found himself in a position of having to defend why Arabic suddenly became the language of choice for god. This attempted justification for using Arabic has come to be used as a justification of Arab racism. Contrary to the claims of Muslim propagandists, Arabs are racists. The most contemporary manifestation of Arab racism can be found in the example of the genocide in the Sudan of the sub-Saharan (black) Africans who are being eradicated in the Darfur region by Arabs. Faith in Islam has not spared them being slaughtered enmasse, enslaved, or raped. Faith in Islam does not prevent black women being captured for the purpose of sexual enslavement by Arabs as yebit. A recent book Slave by Mende Nazer, is the recounting by the author of her abduction and forced subjection to sex-slavery by her Arab abductors. In Indonesia the Muslim priesthood is composed of people of Arab lineage, of which the best example is “abu” Bakar Bashir. Arberry, in his introduction to his “interpretation”, claims “Since the Koran is to the faithful Muslim the very Word of God, from the earliest times orthodox opinion has rigidly maintained that it is untranslatable, a miracle of speech which it would be blasphemous to attempt to imitate. it is thus the duty of every believer to learn to understand its meaning in the original Arabic.” (p. ix) Thus we have a holy language (Arabic) spoken by a therefore holy people (Arabs) whose own land (Arabia) must therefore be holy. Mohammed's attempt at explaining in plain language what he claimed to be the message of god becomes instead a justification of Arab racism. In this respect Arberry’s convoluted “interpretation” betrays the spirit in which the Koran was written.
The “logic” behind the perpetual pursuit of killing others:”The Heights” verse 7 To understand why Mohammedan philosophy implores a state of perpetual war and perpetual killing as being the means by which the soul will achieve its own salvation one has to refer to Verse 7.9-21, "The Heights". It is in this verse that we find the Mohammedan genesis myth, a genesis myth which has guided and will continue to guide, the course Mohammedans pursue for as long as this religion festers. According to Mohammed, god created the angels from fire. Then, to give the angels something to worship, he created Adam from clay. All but one angel, Iblis (Satan), prostrated themselves before Adam:
“We created you, We gave you shape, and then We said to the angels, ‘Bow down before Adam,’ and they did. But not Iblis: he was not one of those who bowed down. God said, ‘What prevented you from bowing down as I commanded you?’ and he said, ‘I am better than him: You created me from fire and him from clay.’” The Heights 7.11–12 Haleem translation
God punished Satan by expelling him from heaven. God could have eradicated Satan but instead permitted his continued existence so that he would provide a test of the religious fidelity of man. (An otherwise omniscient Allah is evidently incapable of omniscience.) God's instruction to man and his wife was that they could both live in Paradise with one proviso: that they do not eat from the tree of immortality (which was also the tree of awareness of right and wrong). However, waylaid by Satan, mankind ate from this tree.
God's punishment (7.24-25) for mankind was expulsion from paradise. The punishment was banishment to earth where the religious fidelity of each individual would be tested. Entry into heaven is no longer automatic but has to be earned. Being alive on this world is evidence of the punishment. And dying in the process of killing unbelievers is the test by which one proves oneself to gain entry into Paradise. To get to heaven a believer must be willing to forfeit this life.
And, just when this religion seems to explain itself: “None can guide those whom Allah has led astray. They shall be punished in this life: but more painful is the punishment of the life to come. None shall protect them from Allah." Smoke 13.34 Dawood translation
This means that unbelievers have been made to disbelieve by Allah himself, who intends on punishing them for straying even though it is his own doing. Additionally, how does this reconcile itself with the stating in "The Heights", that it is Iblis who leads human-kind astray? Is Allah Satan?
Addenda to the expulsion from heaven:
The tale of the defiance by the angel Iblis is recounted in other passages, eg. 18.50: “When We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ all prostrated themselves except Satan, who was a jinnee disobedient to his Lord.” Dawood translation; “We said to the angels, ‘Bow down before Adam,’ and they all bowed down, but not Iblis: he was one of the jinn and he disobeyed his Lord’s command.” Haleem translation]
“He [Allah] created mankind out of dried clay, like pottery, the jinn out of smokeless fire.” The Lord of Mercy, 55.14–15 (Haleem translation) “The Lord of Mercy” is translated as “The Merciful” by Dawood.
There are some claims made that “jinn” and “angels” are different, however, god commands all angels to bow, and all do so except for Iblis. God does not command all angels as well as the jinn. He merely commands only the angels to do so, and it would have been unnecessary to mention his defiance, if he was not an angel and if the jinn were different, because jinn had not been ordered to bow by god. Iblis is described as an “angel” or jinn, and is composed of fire, and this indicates that the terms “jinn” and “angel” were at this stage interchangeable.
No need for science
"We have decked the lower heaven with constellations. They guard it against rebellious devils... Meteors are hurled at them ...Eavesdroppers are pursued by fiery comets. " The Ranks 37.3-10 Dawood translation
"The night is another sign for men... We have preordained phases for the moon... The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day." Ya Sin 36.37 - 40 Dawood translation
"...Allah drives the clouds, then gathers them and piles them up in masses which pour down torrents of rain... He sends down hail, pelting with it whom He will... The flash of His lightning almost snatches off men's eyes." Light 24.43 Dawood translation
[“One Fundamentalist Muslim website (among many) declares that the Koran mentions that the universe originated from a gaseous material. (Koran 41:11). This is a paradigm example of the type of "evidence" that is offered, and one hardly needs to point out why it is unpersuasive” (Richard Carrier: http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/islam.html )]
"He set upon the earth mountains towering high above it. He pronounced His blessing upon it and in four days provided it with sustenance for all alike. Then He made His way to the sky, which was but a cloud of vapour, and to it and to the earth He said: 'Will you obey me willingly, or shall I compel you?'" Revelations well Expounded 41.10-11 Dawood translation
["Him who created the earth in two days,... And therein firm mountains over it, and blessed it, and He ordained therein its diverse sustenance in four days, equal to those who ask. Then He lifted Himself to heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth, 'Come willingly or unwillingly!'" Distinguished 41.9-10 Arberry translation]
"He raised the heavens without visible pillars and set immovable mountains an the earth lest it should shake with you." Luqman 31.10 Dawood translation
“Do they not see the birds that wing their flight in heaven’s vault? None sustains them but Allah. Surely in this there are signs for believers.” The Bee 16.79 Dawood translation
“He has forced the night & day, & the sun & the moon, into your service: the stars also serve you by His leave. Surely in this there are signs for the men of understanding.” The Bee 16.12 Dawood translation
“Allah ordained the months twelve in number when He created the heavens and the earth.” Repentance 9.36 Dawood translation
Do not worship stars
“ Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. But do not prostrate yourselves before the sun or the moon; rather prostrate yourself before Allah who created them both...” Revelations well expounded 41.37 Dawood translation
A Flat Earth
"Did We not spread the earth like a bed and raise the mountains like pillars?" The Tidings 78.10 Dawood translation
"…about Dhul–Qarnain [Alexander the Great] … ‘We made him mighty… He journeyed on a certain road until he reached the West and saw the sun setting in a pool of black mud." The Cave 18.84 (of course, if it is believed that the earth is flat & spread in all directions then there has to be a place somewhere for it to "sink" into, or rise from!) Dawood translation
["We gave him a way to everything; and he followed a way until, when he reached the the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring." The Cave 18.84 Arberry translation]
"We built the heaven with Our might, giving it a vast expanse, and stretched the earth beneath it." The Winds 51.48 Dawood translation
[" And heaven - We built it with might, and We extend it wide. And the earth - We spread it forth; O excellent Smoothers!" The Scatterers 51:48 Arberry translation]
"...the sky above...We built it up and furnished it with ornaments, leaving no crack in its expanse. We spread out the earth and set upon it immovable mountains." Qaf 50.5-9 Dawood translation
"He set firm mountains upon the earth lest it should move away with you." The Bee 16.15 Dawood translation ["He cast on the earth firm mountains, lest it shake with you." The Bee 16.15 Arberry translation (Since the earth is like a flat tablecloth it has to have weights, mountains, to prevent it blowing away?)]
How we were created According to Muslim propagandists the Koran anticipated modern science in describing (amongst other phenomena) foetal development. However, a cursory glance at the Koran shows instead that the “wonder” (miracle) of birth is merely offered as a proof of Allah’s existence in which Allah is the causal explanation for which there is no need for science. Further, other passages state we were created from clay and are taken almost verbatim from the Jewish/Biblical creation story. In other passages we are grown like a plant. Mohammed has hedged his bets.
"recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from clots of blood!" The Blood Clots 96.1 Dawood translation
"Allah created the sexes, the male and female, from a drop of ejected semen" The Star 53 :.40 Dawood translation
"Allah has brought you forth from the earth like a plant..." Noah 71.18 Dawood translation ["And God caused you to grow out of the earth, then He shall return you into it." Noah 71.18 Arberry translation]
"From the earth We have created you, and to the earth We will restore you; and from it We will bring you back to life." Ta Ha 20.55 Dawood translation
"Of coarse clay We created them." The Ranks 37.12 Dawood translation
"Is man not aware that We created him from a little germ?" Ya Sin 36.77 Dawood translation
"Allah created you from dust, then from a little germ. Into two sexes he divided you. "The Creator 35.11 Dawood translation
"He first created man from clay, then bred his offspring from a drop of paltry fluid. He moulded him and breathed into him of His spirit. He gave you eyes and ears and hearts: yet you are seldom thankful." Adoration 32.7 Dawood translation
"We first created man from an essence of clay: then placed him, a living germ, in a safe enclosure [the womb]. The germ We made a clot of blood, and the clot a lump of flesh. This We fashioned into bones, then clotted the bones with flesh, thus bringing forth another creation." The Believers 23.10 Dawood translation
"He created man from a little germ: yet man openly disputes his judgement." The Bee 16. 4 Dawood translation ["He created man of a sperm-drop; and, behold, he is a manifest adversary" The Bee 16. 4 Arberry translation]
"We have created man from the union of the two sexes so that We may put him to the proof." Man 76.1 Dawood translation
"Let man reflect from what he is created. He is created from an ejected fluid that issues from between the loins and the ribs." The Nightly Visitant 86.6 Dawood translation
Breeding for Allah?
"Pray to your Lord and sacrifice to Him. He that hates you shall remain childless." Does this mean that you have to prove you are faithful by breeding ... for if you don't breed it would be proof of your hatred of Allah who has left you childless...! Abundance 108.2-3 Dawood translation
The sole koranic act of kindness “It shall be no offence for the blind, the lame, and the sick, to eat at your table.” Light 24.60 Dawood translation This contrasts with the Hebraic religion which damns the sick & the invalid as unclean & unworthy even to worship. For the Judaic faith illness was god’s marking them for their “sin” - the baggage of Judaism’s Babylonian heritage.
Awareness of Greek knowledge?:
"Why do you deny the greatness of Allah...? Can you not see how He created the seven heavens one above the other, placing in them the moon for light and the sun for a lantern? Noah 71.13-17 Dawood translation
"We built above you seven mighty heavens and placed in them a shinning lamp." The Tidings 78.12 Dawood translation ["And We have built above you seven strong ones, and We appointed a blazing lamp." The Tiding 78:12 Arberry translation]
"Have you not regarded how God created seven heavens one upon another, and set the moon therein for a light and the sun for a lamp?" Noah 71.13-17 Arberry translation
"In two days he formed the sky into seven heavens, and to each heaven He assigned its task. We decked the lowest with brilliant stars and guardian comets." Revelations Well Expounded 41.12 Dawood translation
"So He determined them as seven heavens in two days, and revealed its commandment in every heaven. And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps." Distinguished 41.11 Arberry translation
"He created seven heavens, one above the other. His work is faultless. Turn up your eyes: can you detect a single flaw? We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, missiles for pelting the devils. We have prepared a scourge of flames for these, and the scourge of Hell for the unbelievers: an evil fate!" Sovereignty 67.4-6 Dawood translation
Greek cosmology had, by the time of Mohammed, come to supersede the cosmology of the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians. With the fixed earth at the centre of the cosmos, it was surrounded by 7 independent spheres on which moved the moon, sun, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn, in a universe bounded by the "firmament", an 8th sphere, on which the unchangeable stars were permanently fixed. Anomalies in the observations were explained away by having the planetary objects revolve on "epicycles" in which the 7 wandering bodies circling the earth would each describe a circle (epicycle) around a point which itself moved in a circular motion. Pythagoras, born one thousand years before Mohammed, supposed the movement of these spheres to be musical. The ultimate astronomical tract which described this cosmological system was Claudios Ptolemy's Μαθηματικης Συνταξεως βιβλια ιγ (Mathematical Collection in thirteen Books). This came to be known as Η Μεγιστη (the megisti, Gk: the greater; The Great Syntaxis. It was so-named by Papus who divided astronomy into the “greater” & “ lesser “ astronomies) , and has come to be known as al Majisti, or "Almagest", with the Arabic “Al” replacing the Greek "H" (the). To keep the earth at the centre of this universe the mathematics and models had become enormously complex and cumbersome. “By the time the Ptolemaic system was perfected, the seven passengers, sun moon and five planets, needed machinery of not less than thirty-nine wheels to move through the sky...” (p.71, Arthur Koestler, The Sleepwalkers. isbn 0-14-055212-x)
According to Plato the earth is the centre of the cosmos, the site of imperfection and in a state of constant flux; conversely, the “firmament” the sphere upon which the stars are fixed is permanent and perfect. Between earth and the firmament revolved the gods (planets). According to Asristotle, the only “sphere” in which change occurs is the “meteorological” zone (“sublunary”); the region between the earth and the moon. The heavens (Ouranos) are divided into 7 heavens defined as the spaces between the moving bodies (between moon & sun, sun and mercury, mercuy & venus, etc). Ptolemy came to provide this system what came to be the definitive mathematical model.
To augment his bona fides Mohammed couched his garbled Greek cosmology (Mohammed does not seem to grasp what the “7 heavens” were or where they existed) which he probably learnt from the Hellenised Jews that he came to later exterminate; & in a garbled version of the Jewish creation mythology which though based in Genesis is so wildly divergent that it is absurd. Not content with that however, Mohammed’s rendition went on to ‘explain’ that meteors exist to pelt devils. Hardly scientific.... But then again, neither was Mein Kampf.... It begs the question of why accept this god on the basis of proofs that are demonstrably erroneous?
Much has been said by propagandists for Islam; that it preserved the heritage of classical Civilization. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason that we still have the literature of antiquity was solely a consequence of Byzantine (Greek) efforts to preserve their own ancestors' heritage which culminated in their transcribing extant texts onto parchment as the papyrus was hardly archival material. Arab scholars from Baghdad were educated in "the Greek lands" (Byzantine Empire); and Byzantine translators and scribes provided Baghdad and the Arabs of Spain with copies of Greek classics and translated them into Arabic as well. The same happened in Sicily where the Norman, Byzantine and Muslim worlds met.
For the Arabs the "Almagest" was the most studied text from antiquity. In describing 7 passengers in the heavens, and 7 heavens, Muslims believed that it lent "scientific" support to the Koran’s 7 heavens. Even Mohammed himself claimed:
A/ “ Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. But do not prostrate yourselves before the sun or the moon; rather prostrate yourself before Allah who created them both...” (41.37 Dawood translation);
B/ “He has forced the night & day, & the sun & the moon, into your service: the stars also serve you by His leave. Surely in this there are signs for the men of understanding.”(16.12 Dawood translation);
C/ “...the phases of the moon ...are seasons fixed for mankind and for t he pilgrimage [Ramadan].” (2.188 Dawood translation)
It is this irrational belief that the Koran is the word of god that meant that the geocentric system which provided a mathematically workable model accommodating “7 heavens” persisted in Islam well after it was debunked by the (Copernican) heliocentric one. In the famous dispute between Chinese, Muslim, and European (Christian) astronomers in predicting a solar eclipse in 1629 the Jesuits used the new Copernican system to correctly predict the eclipse. During his reign, Emperor Kangxi Yang called for "Guangxian the [Muslim] court official and Ferdinand Verbiest the Jesuit missionary to forecast the movement of the sun's shadow and the positions of the stars. Verbiest's predictions all came true while Yan Guangxian failed completely." ( http://www.chinasoul.com/e/e-wk/episode03.htm ) (Ironically, the Jesuits employed a system which had been condemned as heresy by the Papacy in 1616!) For Islam this has meant that part of the infallible word of god is incontrovertibly debunked! It is therefore bizarre to read of Islamist propagandists' claims that the Koran is "scientific" and therefore predictive! Indeed....in 1993, Sheik Abdel-Aziz Ibn Baaz, the supreme religious authority of Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa, declaring that the world is flat. Anyone declaring it to be round was declaring themselves atheist which is punishable by law (as an apostate)!
NOTES 1 Some Koranic verses are numbered differently in different translations. For instance, the verse Women 4: 34 in the Dawood translation appears as Women 4: 37-39 in Arberry's "interpretation", and in Guillaume’s Islam appears as 4:31. Some chapters even appear under different titles. In Dawood's translation "Revelations well Expounded" appears as "Distinguished" in Arberry's "interpretation"; Dawood's "Battle Array" appears as "The Ranks" in Arberry's "interpretation"; “The Forgiving One” in Dawood appears as “The Believers” in Arberry - the number and content of the chapters remains the same however. Both translation & interpretation leave spaces between the number of verses, e.g. in Dawood's Noah, chapter 71, verse 71:8 is numbered and so is 71:21, which means an estimation has to be made as to what the actual number of the verse quoted might be if the verse is somewhere in between. This means that some verses may appear either before or after the number I have attributed to them depending on the translation...
ONE PEOPLE REPLACED BY ANOTHER
“We [god] have destroyed many a sinful nation and replaced them by other men.” the Prophets 21.11
[ Christianity has a similar message from the book of the Apocrypha: Ecclesiasticus 10.8 “’Because of unrighteous dealings, injuries, and riches got by deceit, the kingdom is translated from one people to another’... And this sovreignty over regnum and sacerdotium the Son of God committed to Peter and to his successors.”
This forms the basis of the claim that God from the time of Christ, has abandoned the people of Judaism and chosen Christians instead as the “holy race”.]
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