Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Acts17apologetics dive into Quranic eloquence; supporting the prophet against the calumnies?

In answer to the video "Muhammad: The Suicidal Messenger (David Wood)"

I will give you now a quick glimpse of Quranic eloquence, relevant to the issue at hand.

Whenever God swears an oath by any of the created objects in the Quran, it isnt on account of their qualities, although these qualities do serve the purpose of attracting the audience's attention at first. Oaths serve to testify to the truth which is meant to be established in the subsequent verses.

This is not an uncommon mode of expression in divine scriptures from the past such as in the book of Jeremiah Jer31:35,32:20-26 where various observable natural phenomena and entities are pointed to in order to establish the statements that follow. In every oath there is thus a thing (physical or abstract) testifying to a concept and in this life, we are called to be witnesses that these things do in fact give a true testimony.

In sura najm for example 53:1 the oath sworn by the setting star comes in the context of accusations that Muhammad was either deluded and willfully went astray, or was mislead against his will. But just as the setting of the star and dawning of the day signals the end of darkness where one was justified in his conjectures and guesses concerning the surrounding realities that were shrouded from clear view, the same is the case of Muhammad whose life and personality isnt hidden in darkness to any of his addressees. His character and history is manifest like the bright dawn. He is "your companion" an often repeated phrase 7:184,34:46,81:22 to stress how well known and familiar to them he was. None can justifiably conjecture and question his sanity, sagacity, righteousness and honesty -all of which were known qualities of his- by accusing him of willfuly walking into the ways of crookedness and sin or unwillingly dragged into an evidently false path in ignorance of the right way. Among the well known incidents even deep into his prophethood years, where his enemies themselves could not deny his sincerity, is when Abu Sufyan was summoned by Heraclius to be questioned regarding the prophet, he recalled 
"Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet".
A similar oath is sworn in 81:15-26 testifying to the divine source of this revelation. It is part of a spiritual system as clear as the natural system is. Just as the oath by the appearing stars, the departing night and the first light of day symbolize the bringing to light of that natural system, similarly the Quran through its rightly guiding qualities, brings to light the fact that it cannot be the word of an evil entity 
"Most surely it is the Word of an honored messenger...Nor is it the word of the cursed Shaitan.." 
Elsewhere an oath is sworn by the positions of the stars 56:75-81 that bring physical guidance to the night traveller like the Quran brings spiritual guidance, with the oath implying that just as the celestial system is stable, consistent, harmonious despite the apparent scattering of the stars and cosmic bodies, the same is the case of this Quran who is firm and consistent, free from any discrepancies despite the scattering of its verses revealed over a long period of time. The oath comes also in a context of refuting the accusations of sorcery levelled against this revelation, and it being the inspiration of evil spirits, for just as the guidance provided by the wonderful celestial system cannot be the product of an evil entity so is this glorious Quran and its spiritual guidance far from being the inspiration of evil ones
56:77-80"a honored Quran, in a book that is protected, none shall touch it save the purified ones, a revelation by the Lord of the worlds" 
26:210-12"And the Shaitans have not come down with it. And it behoves them not, and they have not the power to do (it). Most surely they are far removed from the hearing of it".
But this vilification campaign only attracted more curiosity and eventual conversions, considering the compelling logic and beauty of the Quran as well as the outstanding personality of the message bearer. The same is the case with today's Islamophobic industry, which is actually serving Islam much more than harming it. Except for the few who have made up their minds about Islam being false and evil, people very rarely take for granted the naive depictions and superficial analysis of the critics of Islam present in the media. Anybody can sense that the claims rarely scratch 1% of a topic, before drawing their hasty conclusions. This leads people to want to know more about Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims and the more they dig the more they understand that things are certainly not what these malicious and deceitful critics want to convey.

Similarly in the prophet Muhammad's time, people came from Yemen inquiring about the news of a prophet who had risen in Mecca, and after secretly accepting Islam, would go back to work among their tribes. The clan of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in Yemen accepted Islam in this manner.

These were moments where only the strongest in faith and the most sincere could bare, in the face of public persecution and humiliation. None of his followers sought wealth or reputation, power or sovereignty. Rather, they were seekers after the truth and believers therein. The Prophet himself had grown accustomed to a barrage of assault whenever he passed through a particular route. Thorns were strewn in his way, dirt and filth were thrown at him while he was engaged in prayers, and street urchins were incited to follow him, shouting and clapping their hands in derision 41:26.

Facing this relentless persecution, the followers of the new faith who had to abandon their hearts and homes would sometimes, out of desperation ask the prophet to invoke Allah's curse on his enemies 
"People have gone by who were sawn and torn to pieces in the cause of God, but they did not desist from their duties. God will accomplish His plan till a rider will go from Sinai to Hadramaut fearing none except God". 

History now bears witness to the realization of this prophecy.

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