Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? - Islam for Muslims - Nairaland
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Stories From The Quran- Moses and Pharaoh / Does The Quran Permit Suicide? / Is Hell Eternal Or Not? Contradiction In The Quran! (2) (3) (4)
| Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 6:11pm On Jan 25, 2011 |
GOD BE GLORIFIED!!! By the grace of God, the Impetus behind this thread is an attempt to refute allegations of contradiction in the Quran by some INDIVIDUALS/GROUPS on the Internet. Most of this alleged contradictions stems from poor understanding of the Quran and most often, the acquisition of very bad translations of the QURAN. I urge anybody who intends to pursue the truth of the Quran to do so with sincerity and verify all FACTS from the Qruan itself. Here is a translation i highly recommend: [url=https://1cabb384-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/evidenceofgod/Quran.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7cqxefBGCU-DajQuUDmVVyKC1wSWXbaaLYj4Uls6pV5Uvjn2g7AoNmIUmCwJUFkmAYFfbGA4Datu1TQslXzJBTFKvS69XgQuFf2DwkYubPDfGyLU6_qvnxSTNVmCCFEfb_dTzQvNoNOjRyVw_HKKnuy6C0gqso8Zcb1g1d_QSEHvj6egCx_aSrMGZ36T7aDTaJ8JQhMOz3bueGL2mJ5TCd-4mi2h4A%3D%3D&attredirects=0]QUR'AN[/url] "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." [Bible, 1 Peter 3:15] "You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path,and He knows best who are the guided ones." [Quran 16:125] [25:33]Whatever argument they come up with, we provide you with the truth, and a better understanding. Claim1: Refutation1 This is a deliberate distortion of the meaning of the verses and mixing up of laws that apply under different circumstances. When understood, the numbers will add up perfectly . Verse 4:11 gives 2/3 of the estate to the female inheritors of the man. These include the wife and the daughters. Here is 4:11 [4:11] (Khalifa's translation)GOD decrees a will for the benefit of your children; the male gets twice the share of the female. If the inheritors are only women, more than two, they get two-thirds of what is bequeathed, Here is the false claim again : <<When a man dies, and is leaving behind three daughters, his two parents and his wife, they will receive the respective shares of 2/3 for the 3 daughters together, 1/3 for the parents together [both according to verse 4:11] and 1/8 for the wife [4:12] which adds up to more than the available estate.>> According to the Quran, 4:11, the wife and the daughters (who are the primary inheritor of a man) will get 2/3 of his estate and the parents will get 1/3 and this adds up to a perfect ONE. 4:12 details that the wife will get 1/8 of the estate but this is not a separate portion of the total of 2/3 that all the females will inherit from the man's estate in case a man dies leaving behind more than two female inheritors. There is no contradiction here and the numbers do add PERFECTLY. Here is the 2nd false claim : <<A second example: A man leaves only his mother, his wife and two sisters, then they receive 1/3 [mother, 4:11], 1/4 [wife, 4:12] and 2/3 [the two sisters, 4:176], which again adds up to 15/12 of the available property. >> Here again is a deliberate distortion of the laws in the verses. Each portion of the inheritance in the above example is taken from and applied to a different circumstance which is obviously wrong. God in 4:11 gives the mother of the deceased person 1/3 of the estate if there was no one else (including a wife) to inherit his estate. The mother would get 1/6 if he has siblings. The law described in this example above, for two sisters , in 4:176, is given in case the deceased has no mother, father or children and you cannot add a portion assigned to a mother to a portion assigned to sisters in case of a deceased mother. You cannot add a portion for the wife in this case either as the portion used for the mother is ONLY given if the deceased left no wife or sisters. The claimer is trying to fool the reader here. Adding what the wife gets to what the siblings get to what the mother gets (in this case) is a clear distortion and misrepresentation as the law gives the mother the wife and the siblings different portions under different circumstances. In all these cases and when the law is applied as indicated without mixing the laws they still all add up perfectly. In the example of the claimer, the wife will get 1/4 (verse 4:12), the mother will get 1/6 (4:11) and the two sisters each gets 1/6 (4:12). this adds up to 1/4 + 1/6+ 1/3 = 3/4 . In this case 1/4 of the estate is left out deliberately for the inheritors to split it as they see fit for their own circumstances and after fulfilling God's law and requirements. Quran strongly recommends in 2:180 that a will shall be left to conform with the specific circumstances of the deceased. For example, if the son is rich and the daughter is poor, one may leave a will giving the daughter everything, or twice as much as the son. Claim2: Refutation2 6:22-23 does NOT say that the infidels are attempting to conceal anything. This claim is based on poor understanding of 6:22-24..., these 2 verses say: "On the day (Day of Judgment) when we summon them all, we will ask the idol worshipers, "Where are the idols you set up?" Their disastrous response will be, "By GOD our Lord, we never were idol worshipers." Note how they lied to themselves, and how the idols they had invented have abandoned them." 6:22-24. The words "By GOD our Lord, we never were idol worshipers" and also the words "Note how they lied to themselves" are of great significance to the meaning of these verses. These words do not mean that the idol worshippers are hiding their sin from God! These words confirm that the idol worshippers, now and forever, will genuinely and vehemently deny that they are idol worshippers!!! They are entrapped in their sin to the extent that they cannot see that they have committed idol worship! They are not at all hiding anything, they are actually ignorant that they are committing any sin! Having made this point, reading 4:42 does not present any contradiction. "On that day, those who disbelieved and disobeyed the messenger will wish that they were level with the ground; not a single utterance will they be able to hide from GOD." 4:42 There is no doubt that the idol worshippers are not able to hide anything from God on Judgment Day, for everything they have done and every "single utterance" is recorded and written. Claim3: Refutation3 these two sets of verses speak of two all together different groups of people. To expose this false claim it is necessary first to state that the name of Muhammad is not mentioned in this Surah at all. How the inventors of this claim related the matter to times before and after Muhammad is unjustified. These verses (from 7 to 56) state that on Judgment Day people will be stratified into three groups. A- The Elite …. Who are many of the early generations, and few from the later generations, (verses 13-14). This verse confirms that the early generations who are the contemporary followers and supporters of every messenger (not only Muhammad) have a special place reserved for them in heaven, that is because they are the ones who suffered persecution from the traditionalists and adherents of the corrupted religion. B- Those of the right side ……, the rest of the believers who could be from any era, thus their distribution is evenly spread over all eras. In (verses 39-40) we are told that they are many of the early generations as well as of later generations. C- Those of the left ……… disbelievers and idol worshippers who will dwell in hell. The assumed contradiction between verses 13-14 and between 39-40 is non existent since these two pairs of verses speak of different groups of people. Claim4: Refutation4 verses 90:18-19 speaks of two of the 3 groups, it does not say that there are ONLY 2 groups……… where as 99:6-8 does not speak of any of the three groups. to demonstrate this naive claim of the author, consider the following example: Suppose we are given some information in two sentences: 1st Sentence : There are three cars in the garage, one on the right, one on the left and one in the front. 2nd Sentence: The one on the right is green, the one on the left is black. Can we say that since the 2nd sentence speaks only of two cars , then there is only 2 cars in the garage? Can we say that there is a contradiction between the 2 sentences? Obviously not... When we examine the verses in the Quran that are subject to this false claim, we read a similar example to that of the three cars. First we read 56:7-10 , 7. You will be stratified into three kinds. 8. Those who deserved bliss will be in bliss (described in verse 27 as the ones on the right) 9. Those who deserved misery will be in misery (described in verse 41 as the ones on the left) 10. Then there is the elite of the elite. Now when we read 90:17-19: 17. And being one of those who believe, and exhorting one another to be steadfast, and exhorting one another to be kind. 18. These have deserved bliss. 19. As for those who disbelieved in our revelations, they have incurred misery. 20. They will be confined in the Hellfire. We note that verse 18 here speaks of the group described in 56:8. while verse 19 speaks of those described in 56:9 Nowhere do we read in this Surah that these two groups will be the only groups on the day. Furthermore, when we read to the other verses that are referred to and are supposed to be in contradiction to 56:7 , and they are 99:7-8 , we see that they do not talk of any groups as such. These are the words: 7. Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. 8. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it. These words say on Judgment Day we will be accountable for everything that we have done, there is no mention of any groups of people here. Claim5: Refutation5 Pharaoh's life was NOT saved. Let us first read 4:18 "Not acceptable is the repentance of those who commit sins until death comes to them, then say, "Now I repent." 4:18 In other words, if one repents just because one feels that he/she is dying it will not be acceptable of them. We are given a whole life time to submit to God Almighty. Repentance at the time of death is nothing more than fear, for at death we are made to know instinctively that God ALONE is Lord. But by then it is too late! Consequently, when Pharaoh was drowning and he repented, it was not accepted from him. The claim of the author that in verses 10:90-92 Pharaoh was forgiven is again based on very poor understanding of Arabic, or due to the acquisition of a poor translation. Let us read these verses: "We delivered the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his troops pursued them, aggressively and sinfully. When drowning became a reality for him, he said, "I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Children of Israel have believed; I am a submitter." "What! Now ? For you have rebelled already, and chose to be a ransgressor. "Today, we will preserve your body, to set you up as a lesson for future generations." Unfortunately, many people are totally oblivious to our signs." Here God asserts that the body of Pharaoh (and not his life) was preserved to be set as an example for future generations. We do know that at that time, the Egyptians were endowed with the exclusive knowledge of mummification. Today, Pharaoh's mummified body is on display at the Cairo Museum. Claim7: Refutation7 There is clear distinction made in these verses between believing Christians from idol worshippers. When we read 2:69 and also 5:69 we see that only the Christians who believe in God are saved. Here, it must be stressed that belief in God means very clearly belief in the ONE God who is not a third of a trinity and who is not Jesus Christ. Therefore, whoever believes that Jesus is God in the flesh does not really believe in the real God who created the heavens and the earth, and who incidentally created Jesus as well. Whoever believes that God is a Tri figure-head, as per the trinity, does not believe in the ONE God either. This is exactly what 5:72-73 states, "Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah himself said, "O Children of Israel, you shall worship GOD; my Lord and your Lord." Anyone who sets up any idol beside GOD, GOD has forbidden Paradise for him, and his destiny is Hell. The wicked have no helpers. Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is a third of a trinity. There is no god except the one god. Unless they refrain from saying this, those who disbelieve among them will incur a painful retribution." According to the Quran God is ONE not three in one. Jesus is the messenger of God and not His son. Therefore those among the Christians who worship God ALONE and are certain that He ALONE is the true God will be in heaven. We are asserted in the Bible, as well as the Quran that God Alone is the true God: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3) These words of Jesus make a very clear distinction between God, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and between himself, plus the fact that he was sent by God. We also read the words of Jesus that confirm that it is written that we should all worship God ALONE: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and HIM ALONE you shall serve" Luke 4:8 Now let us read the second verse quoted by the author: "Anyone who accepts other than ISLAM(Submission) as his religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be with the losers." 3:85 Submission(ISLAM) to Almighty God and obeying His Law is the teaching of all Scripture and not only the Quran. The Old Testament, New Testament, and the Quran all confirm this truth. Those who have reduced ISLAM(Submission) to be the religion of the Quran only have not grasped the message of truth from God Almighty. claim8: Refutation8 Had the author read 3 verses after 21:98 he would have realized that his claim is false. We read in 21:98: "You and the idols you worship besides GOD will be fuel for Hell; this is your inevitable destiny." This has prompted the author, in haste, to claim that since Jesus is worshipped by millions of Christians, therefore according to the Quran all those millions, plus Jesus will burn in hell! What a miserable man this author is!! For had he read only three verses later he would have realized that his claim is hasty and false. Verse 101 reads: "As for those who deserved our magnificent rewards, they will be protected from it (hell)." In other words, all the good servants of God, who were worshipped against their wishes (like Jesus and Mary,Muhammad....etc), are protected from hell fire, for they have already earned God's magnificent reward and thus abide forever in heaven. In essence, verse 98 speaks of the idols who misled the people into corrupt religion. To quote examples from every religion, we have the case of the Rabbis in the Jewish religion who set up a new man made law in the Mishna and Gemarah, in spite of God's clear commands to the people of Israel not to follow any law other than the law of God (see Leviticus 18:4). In the Christian faith we have the case of idols like Paul who was the corrupter of the message of Jesus, for although Jesus stated that it is written that everyone should worship and serve God alone (see Luke 4:.8.), and that God alone is Lord (see John 17:3), yet we find Paul creating a new religion through his vision of Jesus as a divine figure who died to save humanity, consequently leading the millions to worship Jesus as their Lord and Saviour instead of God. In the Muslim faith, there are the examples of those who collected a whole bunch of fabricated lies against the prophet 200 years after he died, which is known as hadith, and which 99% of Muslims follow today in spite of God's clear commands that they should follow the law of God in the Quran alone, since it is fully detailed (see Quran 6:114). The prophet himself commanded his followers not to write his hadith and only follow the Quran, (this is documented in Muslim and other hadith collections). claim9: Refutation9 Idol worship is not forgiven if maintained till death, however, if a person repents and rejects all idolatry in his/her life time , they are forgiven. The author of this claim again shows his very poor knowledge of the Quran. The Quran makes the point very clear that any sin can be forgiven, even idolatry, if one repents and becomes a believer during his/her life time. On the other hand, idolatry is not forgiven if maintained till death. After death, or at the time of death repentance is too late and idolatry is not forgiven. "Nor is it (repentance) acceptable from those who die as disbelievers." 4:18 The example of Abraham which was given by the author, is a good example to demonstrate this Quranic truth. We are told in 6:76 how Abraham, in search of God, first mistakenly thought that a planet, the moon and then the sun to be God, which is an act of idolatry, yet we are told in 6:79 that Abraham repented and submitted to the One God who created everything, and was thus forgiven and appointed a prophet of God. "When the night fell, he saw a shining planet. "Maybe this is my Lord," he said. When it disappeared, he said, "I do not like (gods) that disappear." When he saw the moon rising, he said, "Maybe this is my Lord!" When it disappeared, he said, "Unless my Lord guides me, I will be with the strayers." When he saw the sun rising, he said, "This must be my Lord. This is the biggest." But when it set, he said, "O my people, I denounce your idolatry." "I have devoted myself absolutely to the One who initiated the heavens and the earth; I will never be an idol worshiper." 6:76-79 On the other hand, those who die as idol worshipers, are not forgiven. The claimed contradiction is non existent. Furthermore, the author makes the following claim: "Muslims believe that all prophets are without any sin." As made clear at the beginning, what Muslims think or do is not the subject of this work, they may be right or wrong. This is a reply to the claims of contradiction in the Quran, it is not a defence of Muslim non-Quranic beliefs. With this in mind, the Quran does not make any such claim (that all prophets are without sin). The Quran confirms that all messengers of God are human beings, who are able to do good or wrong. They are not infallible. We are given various examples of messengers who committed sins. The following are examples: 1- We are told that Moses committed a sin of murder "Once he (Moses) entered the city unexpectedly, without being recognized by the people. He found two men fighting; one was (a Hebrew) from his people, and the other was (an Egyptian) from his enemies. The one from his people called on him for help against his enemy. Moses punched him, killing him. He said, "This is the work of the devil; he is a real enemy, and a profound misleader." 28:15 In verse 16 we are told that he then repented and implored God for forgiveness which was granted to him. 2- We are also told of the sin of Noah when he disobeyed God's command and then repented : "And Zan-Noon (Jonah), abandoned his mission in protest, thinking that we could not control him. He ended up imploring from the darkness (of the big fish's belly): "There is no god other than You. Be You glorified I have committed a gross sin." 21:87 Once again, and because he implored God for forgiveness he was forgiven. "We responded to him, and saved him from the crisis; we thus save the believers." 21:88 claim10: Refutation10 It is NOT forbidden to adopt sons. The author claims that according to 33:5 it is forbidden to adopt sons, well let us read this verse: "You shall give your adopted children names that preserve their relationship to their genetic fathers. This is more equitable in the sight of GOD. If you do not know their fathers, then, as your brethren in religion, you shall treat them as members of your family. You do not commit a sin if you make a mistake in this respect; you are responsible for your purposeful intentions. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful." God is approving adoption in this verse and not prohibiting it. The words "You shall give your adopted children names that preserve their relationship to their genetic fathers" indicate God's approval of adoption !!! The words "you shall treat them as members of your family" once again confirm God's approval, rather than prohibition of adoption. The verse stipulates that adopted children should be given their real fathers surname, but there is nothing in the verse to prohibit adoption. claim11: Refutation11 Lot's wife was of old age, verse 26:171 confirms a fact rather than show disrespect! We are told in 26:171 that Lot's wife (who was doomed because she was a disbeliever) was old in age. The author seems to have a problem with someone being described as old !! If the author is affected by the slang language of describing someone you don't like as "the old woman" then it is his problem. God uses the language in factual manner and not in slang. The wife of Lot was old, that was what the verse said. There is nothing disrespectful in being old. The reason Lot's wife was doomed was because she was a disbeliever and not because she was old !!! claim12: Refutation12 The Holy Spirit is Gabriel, and not one third of a Tri-god !!! Unlike current Christian belief, the Quran teaches that the Holy Spirit is Gabriel, who is an angel, who is subordinate to God and who is not a third of the trinity! It is worth mentioning here that up to two centuries after the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was still understood to mean a superior angel, not of one substance with God. There is good evidence in the Bible to support this view, the following is one example: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (Mathew 1:18) Now consider the following verse: "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man called Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary." (Luke 1:26-27) From these verses we see that the Holy Spirit and Gabriel are used interchangeably. claim13: Refutation13 The claimer does not understand the meaning of 19:71. A- The words of 19:71 are as follows: "Every single one of you must pass by it and see it; this is an irrevocable decision of your Lord." This verse indeed confirms that all humans will pass by Hell and see it, yet we immediately note an important use of words between this verse and other verses that speak of the disbeliever's entry into Hell. In 19:71 the Arabic word (Waredha) is used, which means (pass by and see). However, in the verses that speak about the disbelievers entry into Hell, we note the word (Dokhool) is used which means (entering), as opposed to passing by: "Your Lord says, "Implore Me, and I will respond to you. Surely, those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell, forcibly." 40:60 In spite of the believers passage through Hell, yet they will be shielded from its suffering, this is confirmed in the words: "On the Day of Resurrection you will see the faces of those who lied about GOD covered with misery. Is Hell not the right retribution for the arrogant ones? And GOD will save those who have maintained righteousness; He will reward them. No harm will touch them, nor will they have any grief." 39:60-61 This could be compared to someone traveling through the blistering heat of the open desert in an air-conditioned car. Although he is in the middle of the desert yet he is shielded from its heat and enjoying the cool air-conditioned drive. Further confirmation of this meaning is indicated in the Quran in reference to the story of Abraham: "They said, "Burn him and support your gods, if this is what you decide to do." We said, "O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham." 21:68-69 Here we are told that although Abraham was literally thrown into the fire by his idolatrous countrymen, yet he was not harmed by it. The wisdom to be attained from this event taking place on Judgment Day (the passage of the believers by Hell) is truly of great importance. FIRST: To the believers, upon their passing by Hell and seeing all the suffering within, they will indeed realise the great victory they have attained by avoiding Hell: "Every person tastes death, then you receive your recompense on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever misses Hell, barely, and makes it to Paradise, has attained a great triumph." 3:185 SECOND: Upon seeing Hell the believers are also assured that God's promise of Heaven and also of Hell were fulfilled. Again, this will make them praise Almighty God : "They will say, "Praise be to GOD, who fulfilled His promise to us, and made us inherit the earth, enjoying Paradise as we please." What a beautiful recompense for the workers!" 39:73-74 claim14: Refutation14 Whatever the angels do is in accordance with God's will. In 32:11 we are told that for each individual there is an angel placed in charge of when the appointed death time comes. "Say, 'You will be put to death by the angel in whose charge you are placed, then to your Lord you will be returned." However, when we read 47:27, we note that it speaks about the disbelievers in plural. This is indicated by the word 'them' in the verse. "How will it be for them when the angels put them to death? They will beat them on their faces and their rear ends." Since verse 47:27 speaks of the disbelievers in plural, thus the word 'angels' is used in plural. Finally, in 39:42, we are told that it is God who takes our souls. "GOD puts the souls to death when the end of their life comes.... " To demonstrate that the author is presenting pathetic arguments just to conjure up any contradiction, let us consider the following example of the following two statements: >>In the beginning of the World War the German forces invaded Poland." >>In the beginning of the World War Hitler invaded Poland." Can we say that there is a contradiction between these two statements? Obviously not, for although it is obvious that Hitler did not go personally with a gun and invade Poland, it is understood that the German forces were acting upon Hitler's commands when invading Poland. Consequently, it is correct to say both sentences without having any contradictions. Similarly, and although it is the angels who are in charge of putting people to death, yet they are acting upon the commands of Almighty God, and in that sense our lives are terminated in accordance with God's will. calim15: Refutation15 Besides misinterpreting the meaning of 23:101, these 3 verses speak about different groups of people , at different times and at different places. To expose this false claim of contradiction, let us analyse the 3 verses. 1- "When the horn is blown, no relations among them will exist on that day (Day of judgment), and they will not ask about one another." 23:101 What this verse is saying is that when the horn is blown to signal Judgment Day, all blood relations of this world be will meaningless, the verse is also speaking about the disbelievers (see 23:99-100) and that their grave misfortune on that day will mean that the last thing on their minds will be to inquire about their relatives or their next of kin. The time spoken of in this verse is the time just after resurrection and prior to the delivery of Judgment. 2- "They will come to each other, questioning and blaming one another." 37:27 The timing spoken of in this verse is the same as the timing of the previous verse (23:101). It is the time just before the delivery of Judgment. This is confirmed by verse 20 of the same Sura : "They will say, "Woe to us; this is the Day of Judgment." Here, we are told that the disbelievers will go about blaming one another for the miserable misfortune they find themselves in on the Day of Judgment (see verses 27-33). This kind of questioning and blaming is quite different in meaning to the meaning of 23:101 where we are told that the disbelievers will be overwhelmed by the awesome impact of Judgment Day, and the grave misfortune that awaits them, that the last thing on their minds then will be to ask about their relatives. 3- "They will meet each other and reminisce among themselves." 52:25 The subject, the time and the place spoken of in this verse are quite different to the previous verses. While as the previous verses speak about the disbelievers (awaiting Judgment), this verse speaks about the believers who are already in heaven (see verses 17-18). They ask one another and reminisce about their life on earth. This in indicated by verses 26-28: "They will say, "We used to be kind and humble among our people. "GOD has blessed us, and has spared us the agony of ill winds. "We used to implore Him; He is the Most Kind, Most Merciful." The claim of contradiction is a result of a very superficial insight into the Quran, which is undoubtedly a result of the naive and biased mentality of the author. calim16: Refutation16 Same reply as to claim 14 (The angels execute God's commands). Whether you read the Quran or the Bible, you will know that the angels are commissioned by God to execute various matters for mankind, they do nothing of their own, they only carry out God's commands. This petty claim is indeed quite futile! We are told repeatedly in the Quran that the angels are commissioned by God to assist and protect the believers. Whatever work they are doing for man, they are doing in accordance with God's will.... To question whether they are the protectors or God is thus quite futile. claim17: Refutation17 The total in any of these verses is 6 (not .8.). The confusion of the author stems from a wrong interpretation of 41:9-12 , these verses read: "Say, "You disbelieve in the One who created the earth in two days, and you set up idols to rank with Him, though He is Lord of the universe." He placed on it stabilizers (mountains), made it productive, and He calculated its provisions in four days, to satisfy the needs of all its inhabitants.Then He turned to the sky, when it was still gas, and said to it, and to the earth, "Come into existence, willingly or unwillingly." They said, "We come willingly." Thus, He completed the seven universes in two days, and set up the laws for every universe. And we adorned the lowest universe with lamps, and placed guards around it. Such is the design of the Almighty, the Omniscient." 41:9-12 What these verses are saying is that the physical universe (the word earth is used in the Quran either to mean the planet earth, or as in this case to represent the physical universe) was created in two days and that the setting up of all the provisions necessary for life was completed inside four days. To put it in different words, the physical universe was created and its provisions set up inside four days. The error of the author is that he added 2 plus 4 , whereas the wording of the verse indicates that the four days include the two days of its creation. Then we are told that the completion of the creation of all seven universes (where our physical universe is the innermost) required two extra days, for a total of six days. Moreover, it must be noted that the "days" of creation are only used as a yardstick, they do not mean 24 earthly hours. claim18: Refutation18 2:29 does NOT say that the earth was created first. "He is the One who created for you all that's inside earth (Matter), then turned to the sky and perfected seven universes therein,* and He is fully aware of all things." 2:29 Verse 2:29 is of remarkable scientific significance. More than one verse in the Quran confirm the theory of the Big B@ng. Verses 2:29 is one of those verses. This verse states that all physical matter was created before the creation of the universe (space). The theory of the Big B@ng confirms that all matter that comprises the universe (and of which earth is formed) was once concentrated in a very small area. When this extremely dense concentration of mass exploded outwards it signalled the birth of time and space. If we read 2:29 we note that it does not say that earth was created before the universe, but in accordance with the theory of the Big Bang, it confirms that all matter which the earth is made of (elements) was created before space.. The very accurate and indeed scientific wording of this glorious verse obviously went unnoticed by the evidently unscientifically minded author of this false claim. The Arabic words (ma fee Al-Ard) literally mean 'what is INSIDE the earth'. Thus God is saying that He has created all matter (of which earth is made of) first then He created space. This is in total agreement with the theory of the Big B@ng which states that all matter was confined in an extremely dense singularity, and that space was created after the explosion of this infinitely dense singularity. claim19: Refutation19 Once again and due to the inadequate scientific knowledge of the author, he made this false claim. These two verses speak of two very different events. "Do the unbelievers not realize that the heavens (space) and the earth (matter) used to be one solid mass that we exploded into existence?" 21:30 "Then He turned to the sky (space), when it was still smoke, and said to it, and to the earth (matter), "Come willingly or unwillingly." They said, "We come willingly." 41:11 Immediately we are given various accurate scientific indications that these two verses speak of two completely different events. These indications are: 1- The word 'exploded' in 21:30 confirms the original moment of the Big B@ng when time, space and matter were all one unit of creation that exploded outwards. 2- The command from God to space and matter to 'come willingly (into existence)...', in 41:11 implies that space and matter were already in existence. This confirms that this verse speaks of an event subsequent to the initial moment of creation. 3- The word 'smoke' in 41:11 is very accurate in describing the hot gases that formed after the Big B@ng explosion, and which condense under their gravitational pull to form stars and galaxies. It becomes obvious thus that 21:30 speaks of the outward explosion of the Big B@ng , while 41:11 speaks of the subsequent inward condensation of clouds of gas and matter under their gravitational force, to form stars and galaxies. claim20: Refutation20 If God was a "Person" then only the personal words may be used. Those who describe the Arabic impersonal word 'Ma' (what) in 91:5 a grammatical error because it is the impersonal , while God should be referred to in the personal , are most probably Christians who cannot get away from their image of God as a "person"!! , In truth God is not a PERSON , whatever God is, is a matter far beyond our understanding, whatever God is, God is not "A Person" !!! What is for sure is that there is no word in Arabic, or in any language, will ever be accurate in referring to God. For that reason, both personal words such as 'Howa' (He), or impersonal words such as 'Ma' (what) are used in the Quran without preference in reference to God, since non of the two is more accurate than the other in reference to God. claim21: Refutation21 It may be too much to expect the author of the claim to understand that the Quran speaks of the theory of 'Time Dilation' which was to be confirmed by Einstein 13 centuries after the revelation of the Quran! Apart from the fact that these verses speak of different events, the truly amazing observation here is that the Quran speaks of a scientific theory that was only to be known after Einstein put forward his theory of relativity in 1905. First let us read the three verses refered to: "... A day of your Lord is like a thousand of your years." 22:47 "All matters are controlled by Him from the heaven to the earth. To Him, the day is equivalent to one thousand of your years." 32:5 "The angels, with their reports, climb to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years." 70:4 Note that only the first two of these verses speak of a day relative to God (1000 years of our count) , However, the third verse does not speak of a day relative to God, therefore before demonstrating the scientific significance of these verses, it must be said that there is no contradiction between the first two verses on one hand and the third verse on the other hand. Scientific significance: The theory of relativity states that since we live in a space-time universe there is no such thing as 'absolute time'. What relativity tells us is that time, measured in our frame of reference (our point of view), runs at a different speed from time in another frame of reference. This phenomenon is called 'Time Dilation'. The equation which predicts this 'stretching' of time is: T = t divided by the square root of [ 1 - (V x V)divided by (C x C) ] t = length of a time interval for us T = length of a time interval for another frame of reference. V = velocity of other frame of reference C = speed of light (approx. 300,000 km/second) The mathematics of relativity says that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. If a body travels faster than the speed of light ( where V is greater than C ) we would get a negative value for the section marked between the [ , ], but since there is no square root for a negative value, the equation cannot accept speeds greater than the speed of light. However, it has been discovered that some particles actually travel faster than light. These are called 'tachyons'. They cannot travel at the speed of light, only faster. The amazing notation of these Quranic verses, besides confirming the theory of 'Time Dilation', is that they confirm the fact that if there is such frames of reference where one day is equal to a thousand years of our count, and even fifty thousand years of our count, they must be travelling at speeds many times faster than the speed of light. These frames of reference cannot be physical, and that is because according to the relativity equations the speed of light is the limiting factor in our physical world. claim22: Refutation22 Who said that the Quran spoke of nine 'PLAGUES' ? To clarify this false claim let us read 17:101 [17:101 ]"We supported Moses with nine profound 'Ayat' (miracles), ask the Children of Israel. When he went to them, Pharaoh said to him, "I think that you, Moses, are bewitched." The Quran speaks of nine Miracles and NOT nine plagues. These nine are detailed as follows: In 7:133 we are told of five of the nine: 1- The flood 2- The locusts 3- The lice 4- The frogs 5- The blood In 7:107 and 108 we are told of : 6- The rod that turned into a snake. 7- His hand that turned into white (It is said he had leprous hand). In 7:130 we are told of : 8- The drought. 9- The shortage of crops. That makes them nine all together , nine miracles , not nine plagues. claim23: Refutation23 The subject of both verses (2:284 and 2:286) is deeds and not intentions. To expose this false claim let us first review 2:286: "God never burdens any soul beyond its means, to its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits." Here we clearly see that the words "what it earns" and the words "what it commits" speak about one's deeds, hence God will hold every soul accountable to its own deeds. Now let us read 2:284, starting from the last words of verse 283 : "Anyone who withholds a testimony is sinful at heart. God is fully aware of everything you do. To God belongs everything in the heavens and the earth, Whether you declare your inner thoughts or conceal them, God holds you accountable for them." By reading verses 283 and 284 together it becomes apparent that the subject of verse 284 is testimony and not one’s intentions. Declaring a testimony or concealing it is a matter that can have grave results when verdicts are given in courts of law. Concealing a testimony that is beneficial to a defendant can seriously damage his/her case. This is why the issue of concealing a testimony is considered an accountable deed. The assumed contradiction between the two verses is thus non-existent. Both verses are addressing one's deeds. claim24: Refutation24 Erroneous deduction, due to inadequate understanding of the conditions of forgiveness. To demonstrate the truth of these verses and their implications it is necessary first to examine in the light of the Quran what is forgiven by God, and which can be implied under 48:2, and what is never forgiven by God and thus must be feared according to 6:15. We are told in the Quran that God forgives all sins except idolatry: "GOD does not forgive idolatry, but He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who sets up idols beside GOD, has forged a horrendous offense." 4:48 Now let us read 48:2 "We have bestowed upon you (O Messenger) a great victory, whereby GOD forgives your past sins, as well as future sins.., " 48:2 When we read both verses (4:48 and 48:2) we clearly understand that all the messenger's sins may be forgiven, as long as he does not commit idol worship. The fact that the messenger, like all other believers, is not pardoned for any act of idol worship is confirmed in the following verse: "It has been revealed to you (O messenger), and to those before you that if you ever commit idolatry, all your works will be nullified, and you will be with the losers." 39:65 Now let us read 6:15 "Say, ‘I fear, if I disobeyed my Lord, the retribution of an awesome day." 6:15 When we read the words that immediately precede this verse, we read: "Say, "I am commanded to be the most devoted submitter, and, `Do not be an idol worshiper."6:14 If we put the two verses next to one another (verses 14 and 15 of Surah 6), it becomes obvious that the messenger is to say (I fear the retribution of an awesome day if I should disobey God and commit idolatry). It follows from that to conclude that verse 48:2 which promises the messenger’s sins will be forgiven (past and future sins) is obviously connected to all other sins, except idol worship. There is no contradiction between the two verses. claim25: Refutation25 This verse is speaking about an arrangement far more comprehensive than the 'Reproduction System' (male/female) of plants. Let us first read the words of the author of the claim. He says: 'I took the freedom to ask around on the biology newsgroups to find out more about this claim. Here is a list of some responses I got: There are quite a few examples of organisms which are exclusively parthenogenetic (one sex). I might refer you to Graham Bell's "The Masterpiece of Nature", a weighty tome which has all you could care to know about the evolution of sexual reproduction. The list is actually decently long : bacteria, fungi imperfecti, etc. All members of the Monera Kingdom reproduce asexually only. Yes, the Plantae and Protista Kingdoms do produce both ways, but almost never only asexually. As for the fungi, a certain group, the fungi imperfecti, are classified as such because no forms of sexual reproduction have been observed. Concerning your question about "higher" species, no members of the Kingdom Animalia produce only asexually (the scientific term is not non-sexual). There are some rare cases of lysogeny (sp?), but it is very rare. Hope this helps. Could it be that God is wrong? And wrong in so many cases? Or could it be that the one who was wrong here was not God? Maybe Muhammad was a good observer of the world around him, but he was not omniscient. And it shows in the above and other contradictions collected here.' In reply to this claim, we remind ourselves that the words of the verse said : "And of everything We have created pairs" The word 'everything' clearly indicates that God is speaking of everything in the universe and not just some species of plants. So what is this universal arrangement by which everything is created in pairs? Here we explore the science of Quantum Mechanics. When we study Quantum Particle Properties, we find that for every elementary particle in the universes there is a special partner called its anti-particle that has the same mass but the opposite electric charge. This is what is called Anti-Matter. Basically, if a particle and its own anti-particle collide, they cancel one another out. They destroy one another and turn into a flash of pure energy which can manifest itself as light. For many years this theory remained a theoretical hypothesis, since no anti-matter was ever produced in a lab. However, very recently, a Swiss-based scientist confirmed that anti-matter has been manufactured in tiny amounts! The scientists at the European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN), on the Franco-Swiss border, have now set up the world's first anti-matter factory, one of them, Professor Frank Close, told the annual science festival in Wales: " Nine atoms of anti-hydrogen were produced just over a year ago. Now, the new factory will produce them at a rate of more than 2,000 atoms per hour" Close said. When matter meets anti-matter, they annihilate each other in a flash. The scientific consensus is that, when the universe was created, matter and anti-matter emerged equally from the Big B@ng. For more details on that matter check : [url]http://physics.bu.edu/ATLAS/guide/anti-matter.html [/url] [url]http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/mastaff/particle/antimatt.html [/url] http://www.netlabs.net/hp/tremor/amatter.html So once again we witness the Quran's amazing scientific content. The subject of 51:49 and which the author failed to interpret correctly, is in fact yet another very accurate piece of knowledge. This verse as seen address's the theory of Quantum Particle Properties, and not the type of 'Reproduction System' (male/female) of one species of plants or another. claim26: Refutation26 Claim based on poor translation and insufficient scientific knowledge. First of all verses 96:1-2 do not say 'blood clot' !!! The correct translation of these two verses is: "Read, in the name of your Lord, who created. He created man from a 'Alaq' (that which clings)." 96:1-2 The word 'Alaq' literally translates as (that which clings). This highly accurate scientific description, describes the fertilized egg as it clings to the wall of the mother's womb. Obviously, the author of the false claim has been reading an inaccurate translation of the Quran. Now let us read the other contested verses: [21:30]"Do the unbelievers not realize that the heaven and the earth used to be one solid mass that we exploded into existence? And from water we made all living things. Would they believe?" Current scientific knowledge confirms the dual meaning of this verse: 1- The history of life on earth confirms that all life originated from water, then crept unto land, later birds were created then mammals and finally man. Therefore the phrase And from water we made all living things is accurate in that respect, and it confirms that all life originated from water. 2- When the chemical composition of any living organism (including the human body) is analysed it is found that it is formed mainly of water (at least 80% or more). This again confirms the accuracy of the phrase And from water we made all living things. In other words all living things are largely composed of water. It is indeed interesting, and along the same lines, to note that it was found that all liquids in our bodies (tears, saliva, blood, urine, perspiration, etc) contain the same percentage of salt as is found in the oceans. Next, we move on to the verses that state that man was created from clay, mud, or dust. Since dust and clay are the same thing (dust is dry mud) then they can be addressed together. Once again, the history of life on earth confirms that at the early stages of the development of earth, and before life was formed, the earth was still very hot, too hot for water to exist in a liquid form. Gradually, and when the earth cooled sufficiently, the water that condensed and formed the seas and oceans mixed with the dirt to form mud. Out of the moulding mud was born the simplest living organisms, in the shape of bacteria and single cell organisms. From these early forms of living organisms originated higher and more complex forms culminating in the creation of man from the same origin, which is mud. This scientific theory is confirmed in the Quran: "We created the human being from aged mud, like the potter's clay." 15:26 Also 3:59, 30:20, 35:11 But this is not all, in another verse an amazing scientific information is given that was only to be revealed at least a thousand years after the revelation of the Quran. This is found in the following verse; "We have created man from a 'Sulalah' (quintessence) of clay" 23:12 The word 'quintessence' means a sample that is a representation of the whole. Today, when human tissue is analysed, it is found to contain exactly the same eighteen most abundant elements in the earth's crust. These are: Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Hydrogen, Chlorofine, Iodine, Manganese, Phosphorous, Lead, copper, silver, Carbon, and Zinc. For that, the human being is indeed created from earth, Next we move to 19:67 which says: "Did the human being forget that we created him already, and he was nothing?" On closer inspection we note that this verse does not say that we were created from nothing (as the author of the claim would interpret), the verse says that before we were created we were nothing. There is a big difference between saying: >>'we were created from nothing' and between >>' before we were created , we were nothing' Finally, we are told in the Quran that the human being is created from a drop of fluid [16:4, 75:37] "He created the human from a tiny drop, " 16:4 "Does the human being think that he will go to nothing? Was he not a drop of ejected semen? Then He (God) created an embryo out of it! He made it into male or female! Is He then unable to revive the dead?" 75:36-40 These verses describe the initial stage of the formation of the embryo, and the fertilization of the female egg by the male sperm. Once again, this is in line with scientific knowledge. claim27: Refutation27 Conditions given in the two verses are clearly different. The two verses contested are : "O you who believe, do not enter homes other than yours without permission from their inhabitants, and without greeting them. This is better for you, that you may take heed. If you find no one in them, do not enter them until you obtain permission." 24:27-28 "You commit no error by entering uninhabited homes wherein there is something that belongs to you. GOD knows everything you reveal, and everything you conceal." 24:29 Once again, we note that the two verses speak of two different types of homes. In verse 27 the words "from their inhabitants", confirm that the verse speaks of homes that are inhabited. The words "without greeting them" confirm that there are inhabitants in those homes. However, the words "uninhabited homes" in verse 29 confirm that God is speaking of homes that are not inhabited. In essence, 24:29 says that the believers may enter uninhabited homes, where there are things that belong to them in order to get their belongings. There is no contradiction between the two verses. claim28: Refutation28 Key words in 24:5 ignored by the author. We read in 21:98: The words of 24:23 read: "Surely, those who falsely accuse married women who are pious believers have incurred condemnation in this life and in the Hereafter; they have incurred a horrendous retribution." Now when we read 24:5, we read the words: "If they repent afterwards and reform, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful." The words "afterwards" means after they have received the punishment which is detailed in 24:4. Moreover, because God is the Most Merciful, He will forgive those who commit such a sin only if they "repent and reform". To conclude, those who commit the sin of falsely accusing married women will be severely punished by God, except those of them who repent and reform after committing such a sin. Once again the contradiction is due to poor understanding of the Quran. claim29: Refutation29 Verses [ 39:73, 41:30, 57:21, 79:41 ] do not speak about gardens in paradise, they speak of paradise itself. The reply to this trivial claim is two-fold. First, and by reading verses [39:73, 41:30, 57:21, 79:41] we see that they speak of paradise in general. They do not speak of how many gardens there are in paradise. In that respect they do not contradict verses [18:31, 22:23, 35:33, 78:32] that speak of many gardens in paradise. Second, and more importantly, all descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout the Quran are allegorical. The Quran tells us that these descriptions are allegorical, whenever such descriptions occur as independent statements, not within a general subject. See 2:24-26, 13:35, and 47:15. The word "Mathal" (allegory) is used in these verses. Linguistically, the word "Mathal" in these verses can be removed, and we still have perfect sentences. But it is there because the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical. What Heaven and Hell are really like is far beyond our comprehension. Hence the need for allegory. How can one describe, for example, the taste of chocolate to a person who never tasted chocolate? Allegory will have to be used. The person has to wait to actually taste chocolate in order to know what chocolate tastes like. Whatever allegory we use to describe the taste of chocolate can never approximate the real thing. claim30: Refutation30 The Quran confirms the source of the previous Scripture and substitutes some of its laws. [2:97]"Say, "Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought down this (Quran) into your heart, in accordance with GOD's will, confirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news for the believers." [16:101]"When we substitute one revelation in place of another, and GOD is fully aware of what He reveals, they say, "You made this up!" Indeed, most of them do not know." By reading these two verses it becomes difficult to see any contradiction. The revelation of the Quran indeed confirmed that previous scripture were also sent by God (Torah, Injil .....etc). However, some of the laws prescribed in these older Scripture were substituted with new laws in the Quran. An example of that is the fact that sexual intercourse between married couples was prohibited at all times during fasting. However, in the Quran it was made permissible between sunset and sunrise. claim31: Refutation31 Wrong translation, plus wrong understanding of the meaning of perfect language. [16:103]"We are fully aware that they say, "A human being is teaching him!" The tongue of the source they hint at is non-Arabic, and this is a perfect Arabic tongue." First, the word used in the verse to describe the Arabic of the Quran is 'Mubeen' which translates as Perfect or Clear. The word used by the author, which is "Pure" is not accurate. Second, any language in the world has in it many words from other languages. That does not make it imperfect. If we look at the English language as an example, we find hundreds of words that derive from other languages. The word 'kiosk' is originally Polish, while the phrase tete-a-tete is originally French ....... etc. These words, and hundreds others, although of foreign origin, have become part of the English vocabulary. Since these originally foreign words have found their way into the English vocabulary, their use is well within the use of 'Perfect English'. 'Perfect English' is thus a question of a script that is written in correct grammar. The same applies to Arabic or any other language. claim32: Refutation32 Incorrect interpretation of 3:144 plus poor understanding of what takes place when the righteous depart this world. First, we read 3:144: "Muhammad was no more than a messenger like the messengers before him. Should he die or get killed, would you turn back on your heels? Anyone who turns back on his heels, does not hurt GOD in the least. GOD rewards those who are appreciative." It is clear that there is nothing in this verse about the death of all messengers before Muhammad. It is a good thing to pause here and present a brief outline of the concept of the death of the righteous according to the Quran, and also the Quranic explanation of the death of Jesus. The Righteous Do Not Really Die, they Go Straight to Heaven "Do not think that those who are killed in the cause of God are dead; they are alive at their Lord, being provided for." (3:169) "Do NOT say about those who are killed in the cause of God, "They are dead." For they are alive, but you do not perceive." (2:154) These verses and other similar ones, tell us that although the righteous depart this world, and to the people around they look like they have died; in reality THE RIGHTEOUS DO NOT DIE. When their lives on earth come to the predetermined end, the angel of death simply invites them to leave their earthly bodies and move on to Heaven. We learn from 89:27-30 that God invites the believers' souls to: "Enter My Paradise." As far as people on earth are concerned, the righteous appear to "die." People do not realize that the righteous simply leave their bodies, and move on to Paradise. The verses shown above are self explanatory. In 36:26-27, we see the best evidence that the righteous go to Paradise, while their friends and relatives are still living on earth. Just like a group of people going on holiday to Hawaii and waiting for their friends to join them. See also 16:32 & 6:60-62. Jesus' Death The Quran tells us that the soul of Jesus was raised before the arrest and crucifixion of his physical body. Thus, his persecutors arrested, tortured, and crucified an empty body - Jesus was already gone to the world of souls (3:55, 4:157). Interestingly enough, the fact that God saved Jesus from the torture of crucifixion by raising his soul before his arrest, is confirmed by a number of Biblical verses. Let us first read the Quranic reference to this issue and then the Biblical verses. "They plotted and schemed, but so did God, and God is the best schemer. Thus, God said, "O Jesus, I am putting you to death, and raising you to Me; I will save you from the disbelievers." 3:54-55 "They claimed that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God! In fact, they never killed him; they never crucified him; they were led to believe that they did." 4:157 These verses confirm the following matters: 1- That God raised the soul of Jesus prior to his prosecution and crucifixion. 2- That the enemies of Jesus did not triumph over him. Now let us read the Biblical version: 1- "In the days of his earthly life, he offered up prayers, with loud cries and tears to God who was able to save him from death and he was favorably heard for his godly fear" Hebrews 5:7 This very significant verse indicates that upon hearing the prayers of Jesus, God has saved him from death. In other words Jesus did not die on the cross. The words God who was able to save him from death correspond to the Quranic words "save you from the disbelievers" in 3:55 The verse tells us that Jesus "offered up prayers" and that his prayers were "favorably heard", which confirms that God saved Jesus from dying by the hands of his enemy. The Church may argue that the prayers of Jesus took place when he was in the grave and before being resurrected. However, this is in contradiction to the words of the verse: "In the days of his earthly life". The words "earthly life" state that Jesus "offered up prayers" while he was alive on earth, and not dead in the grave. 2- The same conclusion can be reached from the famous prophecy in Psalms: "My God, my God, why have thou forsaken me? I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb. You have been my God, be not far from me for trouble is near, for there is no one to help. For dogs have surrounded me. The Assembly of the wicked have enclosed me but you, O Lord, do not be far from me................ you have answered me." Psalms 22 The words "you have answered me" again indicate that God saved Jesus from death. 3- This is also confirmed by the following verse: "But you, O Lord be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them ……..my enemy does not triumph over me." Psalms 41:10-11 The words "raise me up" so that "my enemy does not triumph over me" also support the theory of the raising of the soul of Jesus before his enemy triumphs over him (before being crucified). Once again these words correspond perfectly with the Quranic words raising you to Me; I will save you from the disbelievers. 4- Other verses indicate that God had raised the soul of Jesus sometime before the crucifixion and that the one that was crucified by the Romans was no more than a moving but soulless body, similar to the body of one who goes into a coma, with his body functions still in operation, yet clinically dead. One in that state would thus offer no response : "Herod was extremely pleased to see Jesus. From the reports about him he had wanted for a long time to see him, and he was hoping to see him work some miracles. He questioned Jesus at considerable length, but Jesus made no response. The chief priests and scribes were at hand to accuse him vehemently. Herod and his guards then treated him with contempt and insult." [ Luke 23:8-11 ] claim33: Refutation33 29:27 does not say that all messengers came from Abraham's seed A- The words of 19:71 are as follows: To expose this blatant error, let us read 29:27: "We granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, we assigned to his descendants prophethood and the scriptures, we endowed him with his due recompense in this life, and in the Hereafter he will surely be with the righteous." The verse clearly says that God assigned to the descendants of Abraham prophethood and the Scripture. The verse does NOT say that all prophets/messengers came from Abraham's seed. The reader can read for himself and expose the errors of the author. claim34: Refutation34 The seven universes are one inside the other. The 7th universe, which is the smallest of the seven universes, and which is the innermost, and which we live in, is surrounded by the 6th universe. The 5th universe surrounds the 6th ...and so on, till we get to the 1st universe, which is the greatest and outermost universe. In that respect, anything that lies inside the 7th universe is also inside the 6th, 5th...... up to the 1st universe, since the 7th universe lies at the centre of all universes. The moon, sun, stars plus all the galaxies and the farthest heavily bodies (quasars) all lie inside the 7th and smallest universe. That is the universe in which we live. The moon, all the stars we see in the sky, plus all the galaxies we see are all part of the innermost 7th universes. With this in mind, we can read all the verses quoted by the author and see no contradiction. Claim35: Refutation35 Wrong interpretation. If we read the verses (2:136, 2:285 and 3:84) we see that God commands all believers not to make any distinction between any of His messengers: [3:84]"Say, "We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and in what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters." However, in 2:253 we are told that God Himself elevated some messengers above others. [2:253]"These messengers; we blessed some of them more than others. For example, GOD spoke to one, and we raised some of them to higher ranks. And we gave Jesus, son of Mary, profound miracles and supported him with the Holy Spirit." God is free to distinguish some messengers over others, after all it is God who created us all. However, the command to the believers is simple and clear, and that is the human being is not to make any distinction among God's messengers. claim36: Refutation36 The author has not researched the two verses properly. When we read these verses we can see that they speak of two completely different types of people. "Had they, when they wronged their souls, come to you and prayed to GOD for forgiveness, and the messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would have found GOD Redeemer, Most Merciful." 4:64 "Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them - even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times - GOD will not forgive them. This is because they disbelieve in GOD and His messenger. GOD does not guide the wicked people." 9:80 In 4:64 God is speaking about those who have wronged their souls but have turned back to God and asked for His forgiveness. The fact that they asked forgiveness from God denotes that they believe in God, and for that we are told that "they would have found GOD Redeemer, Most Merciful." On the other hand, those spoken of in 9:80 are described by the words: "they disbelieve in GOD and His messenger" ...and because they are disbelievers, we are told that "GOD will not forgive them" From these two verses we learn that forgiveness can be asked for any believer who repents and reforms, but may never be asked for disbelievers. No contradiction exists between the two verses. claim37: Refutation37 Once again the subject is categorically different in the two verses. "GOD has pardoned you: why did you give them permission (to stay behind), before you could distinguish those who are truthful from the liars?" 9:43 "The true believers are those who believe in GOD and His messenger, and when they are with him in a community meeting, they do not leave him without permission. Those who ask permission are the ones who do believe in GOD and His messenger. If they ask your permission, in order to tend to some of their affairs, you may grant permission to whoever you wish, and ask GOD to forgive them. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful." 24:62 If we read the two or three verses before 9:43 we clearly see that verse 43 speaks specifically about going out for battle while 24:62 is talking about leaving a community meeting to attend to some personal matters! Just as is the case in any modern day country, no one is allowed to dodge military service except with a legitimate excuse, however any one wishing to be pardoned from a social or religious meeting does not need an urgent excuse. This is exactly what these verses are saying. In the case of war, the prophet was commanded not to give permission to those wishing to stay behind unless he verifies their excuse and sort the genuine from the others. Verse 24:62 speaks of a community meeting, and thus there is no need for people to produce excuses to be pardoned. claim38: Refutation38 incorrect translation of key words. [16:12]"He has ordained, in your service, the Night and the Day, as well as the Sun and the Moon. Also the Stars are ordained by His Command. These are (sufficient) proofs for people who understand." The verse does not say that the sun, moon and stars are subject to our commands, but ordained by God for our service. The Arabic word used is 'Sakhar' which means (ordained). The words "ordained by His Command" confirm that these heavenly bodies are controlled, and ordained by God. Where did the author get the idea that they are controlled by man is indeed a mystery! Indeed the sun, moon and the earth have been ordained to very precise specifications for the service of mankind . The following are some examples: 1- If the sun was closer to the earth, present distance being 93 million miles, the temperature on earth would rise sharply causing the evaporation of oceans and rivers and the extermination of all life. If the sun was much further away the earth would freeze to death. 2- If the size of the earth was somewhat less than it's present size, say the size of the moon, it's gravity would have been much weaker. That would result in the failure of the earth to retain it's atmosphere or water vapour, and thus no life would have been possible. If the size of the earth, on the other hand, was larger than it's present size, say the size of Saturn or Jupiter, the gravity would have been too strong. That would cause the atmosphere to be compressed to much lower heights resulting in much higher air pressure. That would also abolish life on earth. 3- If the moon was closer to the earth, the tides would rise causing gigantic waves that would destroy life on islands and coastal areas. If the moon was further away from the earth the tides would come to a standstill leading to the stagnation of seas , the result of which would be grave damage to marine life. These very precise measurements of such variables as distance, mass, speed………..etc. are referred to in the following verses: "The sun and the moon precisely computed..." 55:5 4- The earth spins on it's axis once every 24 hours. If it didn't spin, the oceans would empty all their waters and if it spun much faster it would disperse into empty space. The spinning movement is also responsible for the night and day, without which one half of the earth would be under continuous sunlight and heat up excessively while the other half would be submerged in total darkness and freeze to death. The Quran speaks of the spinning of the Earth by saying: "He (God) coils the night onto the day and coils the day onto the night" 39:5 The word "coils" is quite accurate in describing the spinning movement. 5- The earth rotates round the sun once every 365.25 days. Whilst doing so it is tilted on it's axis at an angle of 33 degrees. As a result , the seasons occur making it possible for the habitation of the planet. If the earth was not tilted on its axis the poles would have been submerged in continuous cold darkness preventing the seasonal thaw of the polar ice. The accumulating ice would eventually result in unshifting frozen poles and little water elsewhere. 6- If the earth's crust had been thicker than it's present thickness all the oxygen would have been absorbed into the earth. Without oxygen no life would be possible. Similarly, if the oceans were much deeper, all the oxygen and carbon dioxide would have been absorbed into the oceans with similar results.All these precise specifications were referred to in the following verse: "It is He who created the heavens and the earth in true proportions." 6:73 In that respect, it is evident how the sun, earth and the moon are ordained by God to very precise attributes in service of mankind. claim39: Refutation39 No mention of the imaginary 'rich man' anywhere in 2:184 [2:184]"Specific days (are designated for fasting); if one is ill or travelling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast. If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better. But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew. [2:185]"Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein. Those who are ill or travelling may substitute the same number of other days. GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations, and to glorify GOD for guiding you, and to express your appreciation." Nowhere in verse 184 do we read about any privileges granted to the rich to dodge the fasting! This claim by the author is purely a creation of his imagination! The choice of feeding a poor person (in place of fasting) is granted to those who can fast "but with great difficulty" and not to those who are rich !!! The word rich (or any synonym of rich) does not appear in either verses. Hence, the law of fasting is as follows: 1- All those who are in good health are required to fast the month of Ramadan (regardless of their bank balance!!). 2- Those who are travelling on long journeys, or who are ill, may "substitute the same number of other days" at a later date. 3- Those who cannot fast without experiencing great difficulty (e.g. diabetic, or other serious illness sufferers) may "substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast". 4- It is made clear in these verses that God does not require to place any hardship on the believers for observing their fasting........"GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship" and thus the concessions given for those with genuine excuses. claim40: Refutation40 the subject of the two verses is completely different. [2:234]"Those who die and leave wives, their widows shall wait four months and ten days (before they remarry)." This verse indeed speaks about the time a widowed wife should wait after her husband's death before re-marrying. The reason for that wait is to make sure she is not carrying the child of the dead husband. So that in the case that she finds herself pregnant the child should be named after his dead father and not the new husband Now by reading 2:240, we clearly see that the subject is completely different: [2:240]"Those who die and leave wives, a will shall provide their wives with support (alimony) for a year, provided they stay within the same household. If they leave, you commit no sin by letting them do whatever they wish, so long as righteousness is maintained. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise." Immediately we see that the subject here is providing an alimony for the widowed wife for a complete year. The verse also says that if she leaves, after the prescribed 4 months and 10 days, to get married, then the alimony is discontinued (since she will have a husband to support her). Also note that the words "If they leave" are linked with the words "so long as righteousness is maintained" or in other words, if they leave to re-marry after the prescribed period of 4 months and 10 days has elapsed, then they are acting within their rights. Therefore the subject of 2:234 is the time a widowed wife should wait before re-marrying, while the subject of 2:240 is the period a widowed wife is entitled for alimony from the dead husband's will, that being one year. The alimony is discontinued if the widowed wife re-marries before the year is over. claim41: Refutation41 Archeological finds verify the incident of the sleepers of the cave. Before dealing with this claim, it must be pointed out that there is nothing in these verses to say that while the sleepers of the cave had been sleeping they had their eyes open. This is, as is the habit of the author, a clear addition to the words of the Quran. In these verses we are told about the miracle of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. In 1928, Franz Miltner, an Austrian archeologist discovered the tomb of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. Their history is well documented in several encyclopedias. Ephesus is located about 200 miles south of ancient Nicene, and 30 miles south of today's Izmir in Turkey. The dwellers of the cave were young Christians who wanted to follow the teachings of Jesus, and worship God alone. They were fleeing the persecution of neo-christians who proclaimed a corrupted Christianity three centuries after Jesus, following the Nicene Conferences, when the Trinity doctrine was announced. For more information search one of search engines for Franz Miltner, also some information is given in a translated midieval book found at the following URL .... http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/7sleepers.html claim42: Refutation42 Incorrect translation of 25:45-46 There is nothing in these two verses that says that the sun moves to create shadows! Let us read the two verses: [25:45-46]"Have you not seen how your Lord designed the shadow? If He willed, He could have made it fixed. We then designed the sun as its pointer (indicator). Then We withdraw it (the shadow) unto Us a gradual withdrawal." By reading these verses we note the following: 1- The position of the sun in the sky acts as an indicator to the length of the shadow. 2- No words in these verses speak of the movement of the sun to create shadows. 3- The Arabic word 'Qabadnah' (withdraw it) in verse 46, is in the masculine form, thus it refers to the shadow and not to the sun. The word 'Zil' (shadow) is a masculine Arabic word. If the reference was made to the sun (Shams), which is a feminine Arabic word, the word used would have been 'Qabadnaha' ........... Thus the movement, spoken of in verse 46, and which the author incorrectly ascribed to the sun, is in fact the movement or change in the length of the shadow on the ground. claim43: Refutation43 Key words ignored by the author. "Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship except Him, and your parents shall be honored. As long as one or both of them live, you shall never say to them, "Uff" (the slightest gesture of annoyance), nor shall you shout at them; you shall treat them amicably. And lower for them the wings of humility, and kindness, and say, "My Lord, have mercy on them, for they have raised me from infancy." 17:23-24 "Neither the prophet, nor those who believe shall ask forgiveness for the idol worshipers, even if they were their nearest of kin, once they realize that they are destined for Hell." 9:113 The claim is that the bold words in 17:23-24 contradict the bold words in 9:113. Once again, there is no contradiction between the two verses. To clarify that, we must study these two verses together. By doing so, we can deduce the following: 1- In 17:23-24, we read "As long as one or both of them live" and the words "you shall treat them amicably." These words indicate that the subject of the verse is the parents who are still alive. We may ask God to show mercy for our living parents. Once they are dead, the Quran confirms, in no uncertain manner, that all intercesssion will be useless. Once we die, our records are sealed and the Judgement rests in God's hand alone. 2- Furthermore the words "once they realize that they are destined for Hell" (9:113) confirm that it is prohibited to ask forgiveness for the idol worshippers, whether they are dead or still alive, even if they were ones own parents. God does not accept a plea of forgiveness for the idol worshippers. The story of Abraham's plea for forgiveness for his father, and how it was rejected by God is a good example (9:114). To conclude, a plea for God's mercy for our loved ones who are alive is permitted, provided they are not idol worshippers. Moreover, no plea for God's mercy is accepted for the idol worshippers, even if they are our own parents, and whether they are alive or dead. claim44: Refutation44 It is not God who chooses not to guide some, it is the evil ones who insist on not accepting the guidance. "Say, 'To whom belongs everything in the heavens and the earth?' Say, 'To GOD.' He has decreed that mercy is His attribute." 6:12 "If their rejection gets to be too much for you, you should know that even if you dug a tunnel through the earth, or climbed a ladder into the sky, and produced a miracle for them (they still would not believe). Had GOD willed, He could have imposed guidance on them all. Therefore, do not behave like the ignorant ones." 6:35 What the author wants to say in reality is how can God 'decree that mercy is His attribute' , yet refrain from guiding some even though He is able to guide all? The answer to this question, which in fairness is one of the very few sensible questions posed by the author, reference must be made to the following key words: 1- "you should know that even if you dug a tunnel through the earth, or climbed a ladder into the sky, and produced a miracle for them (they still would not believe)" ......... these words indicate that it is not God who willed that these people go astray. God sends the guidance for everybody, but the evil ones will never believe even if they are shown the greatest of miracles! For that, it is they who choose to be disbelievers, in spite of the guidance that was sent to all mankind (them included). 2- The Arabic words 'Lauw sha Allah, lagamaahum ala al hoda' which translates Had GOD willed, He could have imposed guidance on them all indicate that God is able to impose belief on any human, but what is the merit of belief if it is imposed? When Jesus came to give the guidance to the world, God was able to force the people at the time of Jesus to be believers, why did God not do that then? The answer to this question is the same, whether at the time of Jesus, or at the time of the revelation of the Quran. The answer will be the same till the end of time. Man has to earn faith, and not to have it imposed on him. It follows to say that God does not prevent anyone from becoming a believer. God sends guidance through the messengers and the Scripture. This guidance is sent to all humanity. However, it is the pure in heart who accept the truth of the Scripture and chose to worship God. Now we come to the third verse: "We did not send any messenger except (to preach) in the tongue of his people, in order to clarify things for them. GOD then sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. He is the Almighty, the Most Wise." 14:4 The bold words in this verse "GOD then sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills" once again confirm that the ones who are sent astray, are only reaping the result of their wickedness. God does not lead astray those who are good in heart, but He allows the wicked to be led astray due to their wickedness. It is important here to read the following verse which confirms this meaning: "Had GOD known of any good in them (the wicked ones), He would have made them able to hear and receive (the guidance). Even if He made them hear, they still would turn away in aversion." 8:23 This verse once again confirms that God is fully aware that these wicked ones will NEVER believe no matter what guidance is given to them. Because of that, the fact that they are led astray (with God's knowledge) is their own doing and not out of God's own preference. |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 6:13pm On Jan 25, 2011 |
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| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 1:28pm On Apr 05, 2011 |
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| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 7:10pm On Dec 04, 2012 |
Will Be Updated Soon- God willing!! |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 11:48am On Dec 09, 2012 |
[size=13pt] Claim45: Refutation45 The subject of 2:115 is NOT prayer "To God belongs the east and the west, so wherever you go you will always be facing God. God is Omnipresent, Omniscient" 2:115 "We assign a Qiblah (direction for prayer) that is pleasing to you. Henceforth, you shall turn your face towards the Sacred Masjid. Wherever you may, all of you shall turn your faces towards it." 2:144 The claim is that as per 2:115 God made it lawful for the believers to face anywhere in Salat (Contact Prayers), yet in 2:144 they are commanded to pray only in the direction of Mecca ! The obvious misunderstanding here is that while verse 144 is speaking about Qiblah (direction) for the Prayer, verse 115 is not speaking about prayer at all. Verse 115 is speaking about the fact that God is Omnipresent. God is everywhere at the same time, and thus wherever we may look or wherever we may go, we will always be facing God. The presence of the word "Omnipresent" at the end of the verse confirms that the subject of the verse is God's Presence and not the Prayer. Therefore there is no contradiction between the two verses. Claim46: Refutation46 Author ignored key words in 3:7 "We are fully aware that they say, "A human being is teaching him!" The tongue of the source they hint at is non-Arabic, and this is a perfect Arabic tongue." 16:103 Now let us read the complete verse 3:7, with the words the author ommitted: "He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses which constitute the essence of the scripture-as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses. Those who harbor doubts in their hearts will pursue the multiple-meaning verses to create confusion, and to extricate a certain meaning. None knows the true meaning thereof except GOD and those well founded in knowledge. They say, "We believe in this-all of it comes from our Lord." Only those who possess intelligence will take heed." The author falsely claims that 3:7 states that no one knows the interpretation of the Quran save God. However, when we read 3:7 we note that the wisdom and the understanding of the Quran is also given to those well founded in knowledge. This verse is traditionally mistranslated to mean only God knows the meaning of certain verses. This is false translation. If we could only think for a moment why God would put a verse in the quran that is to serve as a guidance for man and yet we cannot know its meaning. Why put it there in the first place? We are also told in the Quran that the truth and wisdom of the Quran are only given to the pure in heart, to those who worship God alone. The words those well founded in knowledge are not related to any scientific or intellectual knowledge, they simply mean the knowledge and understanding of the Quranic message. The knowledge that God should be worshiped alone and that all idolatry should be rejected. Thus the claim that only God understands certain verses in the Quran, as implied by the author and traditional Muslims, is false. [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 7:08pm On Dec 13, 2012 |
[size=13pt] Claim47: REFUTATION 47 The author is using non-Quranic hearsay to attack the Quran! The Quranic verses that speak about the Night of Destiny do not contradict one another. What some Muslims believe or say is not the subject nor the defense of this study. The main concern here is the Quran. For only the Quran, being the true word of God harbors no contradiction. "We revealed it in the Night of Destiny. How awesome is the Night of Destiny! The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by their Lord's leave, to carry out every command." 97:1-4 "We have sent it down in a blessed night, for we are to warn." 44:3 "We have recorded the fate of every human being; it is tied to his neck. On the Day of Resurrection we will hand him a record that is accessible." 17:13 The night of Destiny, believed to be the 27th night of the month of Ramadan, was the night the Quran was descended unto the soul of Muhammad. It is thus described in the Quran as a "blessed night". The author has detailed a number of concepts that have no basis in the Quran, and used them to attack the Quran and claim that it contains contradiction: 1- The author says: To Muslims, the "Night of Power" is a blessed night on which fates are settled and on which everything relating to life, death, etc., which occurs throughout the year is decreed. It is said to be the night on which Allah's decrees for the year are brought down to the earthly plane. In other words, matters of creation are decreed a year at a time. It is true that the Quran speaks of the night of Destiny to be blessed since it was the night when the Quran was placed in the heart of Muhammad, however, there is no indication in the Quran whatsoever of the false yearly concept (where all fates ...etc are decided once a year)! If some Muslims believe that, they must be getting their information from outside the Quran. The Quran asserts quite the opposite of that. 57:22 confirms that everything in the heavens and the earth is already recorded from before creation (57:22), and not settled on yearly basis ! The author here used a false non-Quranic concept (the yearly concept) to attack a correct Quranic truth (matters are already recorded from before creation 57:22) 2- The author then says: "All of the above is contradicted by "And every man's fate We have fastened to his own neck." This says that man alone is responsible for what he does and what happens to him. [17:13]" What the author is addressing here is the old puzzle of (Is man master of his own fate or not?) In other words, if everyone's fate is already recorded before hand, how can God say that we have the choice to be believers or not? As explained in claim 21, the theory of relativity has helped clarify this very old debate. Relativity says that there is no such thing as absolute time, furthermore it states that time was created when the universe was created. At the initial moment of the Big Bang, Matter, Space and Time were all created simultaneously. What this means is that outside our physical universe there is no such thing as time. Outside the physical universe there is no such thing as yesterday, today or tomorrow. It follows therefore that from God's point of view, and since God is not subject to time as we know it, all matters, past, present and future are already recorded. [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 9:53pm On Dec 14, 2012 |
[size=13pt] Claim48: Refutation 48 In 7:157 God does not speak to Moses. To analyze the meaning of 7:157 we must start reading from 7:155: [7:155] "Moses then selected seventy men from among his people, to come to our appointed audience. When the quake shook them, he said, "My Lord, You could have annihilated them in the past, together with me, if You so willed. Would You annihilate us for the deeds of those among us who are foolish? This must be the test that You have instituted for us. With it, You condemn whomever You will, and guide whomever You will. You are our Lord and Master, so forgive us, shower us with Your mercy; You are the best Forgiver." [7:156] "And decree for us righteousness in this world, and in the Hereafter. We have repented to You." He said, "My retribution befalls whomever I will. But My mercy encompasses all things. However, I will specify it for those who (1) lead a righteous life, (2) give the obligatory charity (Zakat) (3) believe in our revelations, and [7:157] "(4) follow the messenger, the gentile prophet, whom they find written in their Torah and Gospel. He exhorts them to be righteous, enjoins them from evil, allows for them all good food, and prohibits that which is bad, and unloads the burdens and the shackles imposed upon them. Those who believe in him, respect him, support him, and follow the light that came with him are the successful ones." To resolve the truth of this claim it is first necessary to determine who is referred to in 7:157 as the "the messenger, the gentile prophet". The author claims that in this verse God is speaking to Moses. It can be shown that this is quite impossible. If we assume that God is speaking to Moses in this verse, then "the messenger, the gentile prophet" cannot be Moses himself, since it would make no sense for God to ask Moses to follow himself! Equally, and if God is speaking to Moses in this verse, "the messenger, the gentile prophet" could not be Jesus nor Muhammad since it would make no sense for God to ask Moses to follow a prophet who would come after his time. The person who is described as "the messenger, the gentile prophet", and who is Muhammad, is in fact the clue in verifying the ones who are addressed in this verse. The confirmation that it is Muhammad who is referred to as "the messenger, the gentile prophet", is found in the verse that follows: [7:158] "Say, (O Muhammad) "O people, I am God's messenger to all of you. To Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. There is no god except He. He controls life and death." Therefore, you shall believe in GOD and His messenger, the gentile prophet, who believes in GOD and His words. Follow him, that you may be guided." By reading all four verses, we can see that in 7:157 God is not speaking to Moses at all, God is speaking to all Jews, not only those at the time of Moses, but for all time. What God is saying to all Jews is that He will specify His Mercy to those who: (1) lead a righteous life (2) give the obligatory charity (Zakat) (3) believe in Our revelations (4) follow the messenger, the gentile prophet, whom they find written in their Torah and Gospel. If we look at the third condition (believe in Our revelations) it implies that God expects each people to believe in the revelations given to them. At the time of Moses, the Jews who were entitled to earn God's Mercy, were those who believed in the Torah given to Moses. At the time of Jesus, the Jews who would earn God's Mercy were those who believed in the Torah as well as the Injil (Gospel) which was given to Jesus. This means that all the Jews who disbelieved in Jesus and labelled him as a false prophet, will not earn God's Mercy. Finally, from the time of the revelation of the Quran onwards, the Jews who believed in the Torah, the Injil (Gospel) and also the Quran would be entitled to God's mercy. [/size] 1 Like |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 11:27pm On Jun 29, 2013 |
[size=13pt] Claim49: Refutation 49 False claim. Misrepresentation and poor understanding of the above verses. The first of the three verses refered to by the author is as follows: [38:41]Remember our servant Job: he called upon his Lord, "The devil has afflicted me with hardship and pain." The author uses this example of Job, to say that calamity comes from Satan. It is true that in this verse Job implored God saying that the devil has inflicted him with pain and hardship, however, by reading other verses in the Quran, we realise that Job was mistaken. The hardship and pain that Job was suffering were not inflicted on him by the devil, they were a mere test that God wished to put him through. We are given ample evidence in the Quran that God tests all believers. God also tests the messengers and prophets. In verse 34 of the same Sura (38) we are told of God testing Solomon: [38:34]"We thus put Solomon to the test; we blessed him with vast material wealth, but he steadfastly submitted." Solomon and Job represent both ends of the testing spectrum. We are put to the test through wealth, health, or lack of them, to see if we worship God alone under all circumstances. When God was satisfied that Job was a faithful persevering believer, which is indicated in verse 44: "We found him steadfast. What a good servant! He was a submitter" God thus rewarded him by doubling his family: "We restored his family for him; twice as many. Such is our mercy; a reminder for those who possess intelligence." [38:43] Further evidence that the hardship that was suffered by Job was not from the devil (as Job thought) is found in the following verses: [16:98-100] "When you read the Quran, you shall seek refuge in GOD from Satan the rejected. He has no power over those who believe and trust in their Lord. His power is limited to those who choose him as their master, those who choose him as their god." The devil has no power over the ones who believe and trust in God. Furthermore, the devil cannot inflict sufferring nor evil on any human being. All that the devil is able to do is to intice man, and invite him to commit sin, then it is up to every man to reject the devil or follow his inticing. Once again this is made evident in the following verse: [14:22]"And the devil will say, after the judgment had been issued, "GOD has promised you the truthful promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise. I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation. Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves. My complaining cannot help you, nor can your complaining help me. I have rejected your idolizing of me. The transgressors have incurred a painful retribution." The author then quotes 4:78 to say that calamity comes from God! Well let us read 4:78 [4:78]"When something good happens to them, they say, "This is from GOD," and when something bad afflicts them, they blame you. Say, "Everything comes from GOD." Why do these people misunderstand almost everything? The words "Everything comes from GOD" mean that through God's will everything is decreed to happen, the good and the bad. All things, good and bad, are created by God, then God showed man both routes, good and bad, and then it is up to man to choose which route to follow. This meaning is confirmed in the following verse: [91:7-8]"The soul and Him who created it. Then showed it what is evil and what is good." Therefore, since God is the creator of all things, it is right to say that "Everything comes from GOD". Now we move on to the third verse quoted by the author: [4:79]"Anything good that happens to you is from GOD, and anything bad that befalls you is from you. We have sent you as a messenger to the people, and GOD suffices as witness." Notice that the verse said (Anything good that happens to you) and not (anything good that you do). This confirms that all blessings that come our way are given to us by God. Examples of that would be good health, wealth, happy family, healthy children ......etc. On the other hand, all sins we incur are a result of our own doing. God does not force us to commit sin nor does He push us into sin. On the contrary God warns us from all evil. Therefore anything bad that we do is a result of our own free choice. Examples of that are murder, rape, burglary, wars ......etc To summarize: 1-God is the creator of all things, good and bad, therefore "Everything comes from GOD" 4:78 2-Then God shows man the good and warns him from evil "The soul and Him who created it. Then showed it what is evil and what is good." 91:7-8 3-The devil invites man to commit evil, man has the free will to choose the good or the bad: The devil will say: " I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation." [14:22] 4-All blessings that are given to us are given to us by God: "Anything good that happens to you is from GOD"[4:79] 5-All sins we incur are a result of our free choice: "anything bad that befalls you is from you"[4:79] And the devil will say: "Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves"[14:22] [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 12:07pm On Jul 25, 2013 |
[size=13pt] Claim50: Refutation50 Abrogation is the biggest lie against the Quran. No Quranic words are abrogated. This is probably the only claim by the author, for which he is not to be criticized directly. In this claim, and unlike previous claims, the author is not personally the presenter of a false claim, but in actual fact he is only echoing a concept that was originally fabricated by some ignorant Muslim scholars! The concept of Quranic abrogation (that some Quranic verses are abrogated and invalidated by other verses) has been invented by some corrupt Muslim scholars during the fourth century A.H. (late 10th century A.D.). In truth, no Quranic verses have ever been abrogated. These scholars have corrupted the meaning of two Quranic verses [2:106, and 16:101] to imply their abrogation concept. FIRST VERSE 2:106 "Whichever Ayah We relinquish or cause to be forgotten We replace it with its equal or with that which is greater, did you not know that God is capable of all things?" 2:106 What the interpreters claim is that this verse confirms that some Quranic verses are invalidated by others. They interpret 'Ayah' in this verse to mean a verse in the Quran. However the word 'Ayah', has been used in the Quran in no less than four different meanings: a- It could mean a miracle from God as in: "And We supported Moses with nine profound Ayah's (miracles)." 17:101 b- It could also mean an example for people to take heed from as in: "And the folk of Noah, when they disbelieved the messengers, We have drowned them and set an Ayah (example) of them for all people." 25:37 c- The word 'Ayah' can also mean a sign as in: "He said, 'My Lord, give me an 'Ayah' (sign).' He said, 'Your Ayah is that you will not speak to people for three consecutive nights." 19:10 d- It could mean a verse in the Quran, as in: "This is a book that We have sent down to you that is sacred, perhaps they will reflect on its 'Ayat' (verses)." 38:29 Now if we study verse 106 of Sura 2, we can easily spot that the word 'Ayah' in this particular verse could not mean a verse in the Quran. It can mean any of the other meanings (miracle, example or sign) but not a verse in the Quran. This is because of the following reasons: 1- The words "cause to be forgotten" could not be applicable if the word 'Ayah' in this verse meant a verse in the Quran. How can a verse in the Quran become forgotten? For even if the verse was invalidated by another (as the interpreters falsely claim) it will still be part of the Quran and thus could never be forgotten. 2- The words "We replace it with its equal" would be meaningless if the word 'Ayah' in this verse meant a Quranic verse, simply because it would make no sense for God to invalidate one verse then replace it with one that is identical to it! 3- If the word 'Ayah' in verse 106 meant a miracle an example or a sign, then all the words of the verse would make perfect sense. The words "cause to be forgotten" can apply to all three meanings and that is what actually happens with the passing of time. The miracles of Moses and Jesus have long been forgotten. We only believe in them because they are mentioned in the Quran. Similarly the words "We replace with its equal or with that which is greater" is in line with the miracles of God. God indeed replaces one miracle with its equal or with one that is greater than it. Consider the following verse : "And We have sent Moses with Our Ayah's (miracles or signs) to Pharaoh and his elders proclaiming : 'I am a messenger from the Lord of the universe'. When he brought them our Ayah's they laughed at him. Every Ayah We showed them was greater than the one that preceded it." 43:46-48 SECOND VERSE 16:101 "When We substitute one Ayat (revelation) in place of another, and God is fully aware of what He reveals, they say, 'You made this up'. Indeed most of them do not know" The substitution here is not of one verse in the Quran with another, but it is concerned with one of two things: a- The substitution of one Scripture in place of another. b- The substitution of one verse within a Scripture with another in a subsequent Scripture a- The first meaning is given evidence to in the following verse: "Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them." 5:48 Here, the words "superseding them" confirm that the previous scripture were substituted with the Quran. b- The second meaning is also given evidence to in the Quran in various matters where things that were prohibited to the previous people of the book were made lawful in the Quran. As an example, we are told in 2:187 that sexual intercourse between married couples during the nights of the fasting month was made lawful, while it was prohibited previously. We are also told in 6:146 that God prohibited for the Jews all animals with undivided hoofs; and of the cattle and sheep the fat was prohibited. These were made lawful in the Quran. This verse 16:101 does not mean the substitution of one verse in the Quran with another. The evidence to that is given within the same verse (16:101): The key to the meaning of the verse lies in the words: "......they say, 'You made this up" Here we ask, who is likely to tell the messenger "You made this up" ? and why? For sure it cannot be his followers, his followers are not likely to tell him "You have made it up"................it has to be those who do not believe in him, which focuses on the followers of previous scripture that feared that their scripture was then being "substituted" with the Quran............like the Jews and the Christians of that time......... The Jews and Christians do not care if one verse in the Quran is substituted for another, they do not believe in the whole book............. they will not complain that one verse in the Quran is being substituted with another! However, and if their Scripture is being substituted by the Quran, they will immediately accuse the messenger that the Scripture he brings (Quran) is not from God but that he "made it up" himself. In actual fact, this is what they say up until today. These glorious words "you have made it up" indeed stand as a true indicator from God Almighty that the substitution in the this verse is not related to one within the Quran, but indeed a substitution between two scripture. PLEASE CLICK THIS THREAD LINK FOR COMPLETE INSIGHT [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 8:52am On Nov 04, 2013 |
[size=13pt] Claim51: Refutation51 This is clarified in 52:23: "They will enjoy drinks that are never polluted, and never sinful to drink." This verse which speaks about Heaven, confirms that all drinks therein are pure and not polluted in any way (they do not harm the body). And since all drinks and wine in heaven are pure from pollution, they are thus not prohibited. [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 2:40pm On Nov 07, 2013 |
[size=13pt] Claim52: Refutation52 Since God is everywhere, He is closer than the jugular vein and also far beyond the boundaries of the universe. The concept of God the Omnipresent who is everywhere at the same time means that He is as close as the jugular vein (50:16) and also beyond the furthest boundaries of the universe, at the highest height: "GOD; Possessor of the highest Height." 70:3 It is very clear here that the author is making up any old nonsense to attack the Quran, for it can be demonstrated that the idea of the Omnipresent God, who is present everywhere at the same time, is also to be found in the Bible. Why is he attacking a Quranic concept that is also confirmed in the Bible? Furthermore, it is necessary to confirm that verses [32:5, 70:4] do not say what the author claims. These verses do not say that it takes between 1,000 and 50,000 years to reach God ! This claim is merely a work of the author's imagination. The words of these verses are as follows: "All matters are controlled by Him from the heaven to the earth. To Him, the day is equivalent to one thousand of your years." 32:5 "The angels, with their reports, climb to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years." 70:4 As mentioned in claim 21, these verses speak of a scientific theory called 'Time Dilation'. They do not speak of the time taken to reach God ! For more details please check Claim 21. [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 8:05pm On Nov 20, 2013 |
[size=13pt] Claim53: Refutation53 Has it occured to the author that both could be correct? "As for the one who receives his record behind his back" 84:10 "As for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, "Oh, I wish I never received my record." 69:25 On Judgement Day, the wicked ones will hold their record behind their backs (in shame) with their left hands. [/size] |
| Re: Quran Contradiction: Truth Or Fallacy? by usisky(m): 8:10pm On Nov 20, 2013 |
[size=13pt] Claim54: Refutation54 Naive understanding of 26:196 "It (the Quran) has been prophesied in the books of the earlier generations." 26:196 The meaning of verse 196 has been completely misinterpreted by the author. By reading 26:196 we can clearly see that it does not say that the Quran was written in the earlier Scripture, but that it was foretold in the earlier Scripture. In every divine Scripture we are told of prophecies of the prophets and Scripture to follow. The Old Testament contained many prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ. Similarly the Bible contained prophecies about the coming of a prophet after Jesus who brings a Scripture from God (see John 14:15-16, 14:26, 15:26-27, 16:13) [/size] |
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