Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Islam critiqued questions Abraham's argumentation, The man who spoke to the stars?

In answer to the video "The Quran, Abraham, Zarathustra and the Furnace"

The Quran quotes many instances of Abraham demonstrating the futility of Idol worship to his people. They worshipped the celestial bodies, which were represented by statues. The Quran points to the Sun, Moon and the bright entity/kawkab. The reference to this triad is historically accurate, and recently attested by archaeology. The Judeo-Christian tradition did not preserve that knowledge, as the Bible merely speaks of "gods" in Abraham's native land, while the oral tradition mentions both celestial and earthly deities. 

Abraham  was very critical towards their beliefs, from a young age, even sickenned by them 37:83-90. God thus inspired him with strong arguments, gave him certainty of heart to confront them 6:75,83. As the sun, the moon and the bright entity appeared and disappeared, Abraham each time declared the superiority of the rising one over the setting one. He was sarcastically pointing to the naivity of his people, who should have reasoned just as he was doing outloud. How could they not see the ephemerity of each astral body despite that they have always been rising then setting. This lead to an impass since turn after turn, none of these objects remained indefinitely. Abraham was doing this reasoning out loud, addressing his own self in front of his people, in order to stimulate the audience's senses and reasoning. The demonstration led to the inevitable conclusion that there must be a Power above and beyond all the visible forces of nature, a Power Who had created them, and Who regulated and controlled them at all times
6:78-9"O my people! surely I am clear of what you associate. Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the polytheists".

In the non-canonical Book of Jubilee ch12 which retraces some of Abraham's early life, we read of a similar story. While trying to find natural indications for the year's rainfall in the celestial objects, Abraham reasons that these entities, together with all things and natural phenomena are created by God. He concludes that it is meaningless to seek answers and guidance in anything other than the Creator. It is this very reasoning, which Allah had guided him to, through his inner spiritual disposition, the fitra, which Abraham subsequently used in his argument against star worship as depicted in the Quran 

6:75"And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith]".

 

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