Islam critiqued analyzes military strategies; The convenient timing of jihad?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Muhammad didn't punish any of the guilty in his 13 years at Mecca, almost 3 times the length of Jesus' total mission, because God had still not granted him the authority and power to do so.

And before the critics raise their eyebrows thinking that he would have done it had he the power to do so, let me remind them of a pervasive pattern of the Semitic prophets, running through the Israelites and Ishmaelite.

When the prophets Moses and Muhammad emigrated from the lands where they were oppressed, their passive attitude had nothing to do with them being conscious of their weakness and therefore preferring to wait for a better time to fight back. Both the Israelites and the early Muslims were much weaker than their enemies when they were initially commanded to fight in Allah's way. What did Moses in the Torah order the Israelites to do, when they insisted on fighting after having regretted their disobedience the first time? He told them not to go to war because God wont be with them and they would all be killed

Deut9:23-24,Numbers14"Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies".

The same happenned in the times of Joshua (Joshua7).

Similarly, the prophet Muhammad was told to "wait" in the face of persecution and keep transmitting the Revelation openly, until he was commanded to take up arms against the oppressors for God will be with him 2:190,9:14,8:17. When the people of Medina secretly met with the prophet, pledging their allegiance shortly after his migration, and suggested they should lead a surprise attack by night on the Meccans, the prophet refused arguing it did not concord with his message, ie the time was not right yet. Even prior to that, some were eager to engage their persecutors in battle

"There were some companions of the Prophet who were in a hurry to wage war while they were at Mecca before hijrah. They said to the Prophet "Allow us to take (our) pickaxes in order to fight these polytheists.' And we have been told that ‘Abdu Rahman ibn ‘Awf was among those who had said it. But the Prophet forbade them to do so and said, "I have not been ordered this". 

The decision frustrated his close companions including his early followers that suffered torture at the hands of the Meccans. The "timing" of counter attack was not due to the Muslims becoming stronger and the prophet consequently ordering them to take up arms.

Both the ahadith and the Quran show that they were inferior in numbers and might as compared to their oppressors during most of their battles especially the first ones, and the Quran relates in Sura Baqara how they went forth reluctantly. We also read in 4:77,47:20 how the believers eagerly awaited the divine command to allow military action and how many turned their backs in terror once it came.

When the decreed timing of jihad had arrived, the prophet was commanded to march towards the opressor even if he had to do it by himself 4:84. Victory is only in God's hands. That is why we read in 9:25-6 that the Muslims' vast numbers was not a factor of victory. Just as the Israelites largely outnumbering their enemies could not bring them victory in their later wars, neither avert crushing defeats, since God had withdrawn His help 2Chr24:17-24.

The early Muslims eventually came to understand that principle. In the time of the caliphate, when the Persians had gathered their forces for war, Umar sought advice from Ali about whether or not he should engage. Ali said:

"Victory or defeat in this matter does not depend on abundance or scarcity of forces. It is God’s religion which He has supported, and it is His army which He has strengthened and aided, until it has reached the point that it has reached, and has risen as it has today. We hold a promise from God, where He says: "Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them successors in the land as He made successors those before them, and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange(24:55)". God shall fulfill His promise and support His army...As to what you said about their [large] number, [you should know that] in the past we did not use to fight relying on number and abundance, but we used to fight relying on support and assistance from God.

The prophet's decision to fight back had thus nothing to do with a position of physical and logistical power. The "timing" was solely decreed by God, and not by his whims, nor the whims of the prophets before him. Another biblical example is when the Israelites were commanded to fight in God's way, although they were much weaker than the Amalekites and other pagan tribes

Judges6:16"And the Lord said to him...I shall be with you, and you shall strike Midian as one man".

It is in fact reported that under Gideon's leadership, God did not want the Israelites to be too numerous in their confrontation with the oppressive Midianites and so, in order not to compromise the credibility of a strictly divine victory, ordered their ranks to be trimmed down from 30.000 fighters to 300. The most fearful were the first to be sent back and then those that drank from a river by kneeling to it. This was done to expose the ISraelites influenced by pagan rituals (Judges7). 

Strangely enough, God did not find them too numerous and a threat to the credibility of the divine nature of their victory in their initial invasion of Canaan under Joshua where they numbered 40.000 warriors. 

In the times of David and as described throughout the book of Samuel, David always inquired to the Lord if the timing and strategy were right for him to engage the enemies in battle. David knew that any victory could only come with God's help, especially considering how outnumbered he and his followers were

"Shall I go up to the Philistines? will you deliver them into my hand?' And the Lord said unto David: 'Go up; for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand"  

Ps33:16-17,Ps20:8"These trust in chariots and these in horses, but we-we mention the name of the Lord our God".

David would recall the events in his latter days

Ps18:18"He delivered me from my mighty enemy, and from those that hated me, for they were too powerful for me".

On the other hand, King Saul before him decided at one point to seek military guidance using occultism instead of relying on God. This was one of the main reasons God caused him to die in battle in a violent and humiliating way, as well as caused his sons to be slain 1Sam13,28,1Chr10.

Similar biblical examples of divine orders to fight according to divine "timing", regardless of human logistical and military situation is when the weak and outnumbered Jacob was commanded to rise and confront his enemies, aided by his small army composed of his sons and servants. God promised He would make him prevail over the kings of Canaan that had united to destroy them.

The divine victory, detailed in Jewish oral tradition, instilled terror in the heart of Jacob's enemies which prevented their pursuit Gen34:30,35:1-5. When the Assyrian empire of Sennacherib had completely subdued and reduced to slavery the kingdom of Israel, and was threatening to pursue its advance into the kingdom of Judea, the king Hezekiah had full trust in God's judgement, timing and promised victory despite his army's inferiority however some of his counselors who lacked faith preferred trusting their own judgement and strategy, and were thus doomed for severe chastisement 2Kings19,Isa22.

What is further important noting is that under the prophet of Islam, contrary to the Jewish prophets' genocidal warfares, Islam did not resort to wiping out and oppressing comunities and populations so as to assert its dominance following victory. Yet, contrary to Judaism, Islam supplanted all surrounding ignorant communities in terms of spiritual, moral and social aspects. And this despite Islam's enemies always outnumbering the Muslims, better equipped, enjoying greater material resources, whether in the Arabian peninsula or beyond. The unique Islamic system is what made it prevail over and crush ignorance, first in Arabia and then in the two adjacent superpowers of Byzantium and Persia.

God did not command Jesus to fight just as He did not command Noah and other prophets to fight in His way, because God intended to bring down His punishment on the rejectors differently, and He did so quite severely after Jesus' departure. If God had willed to punish the transgressors through his prophet Jesus as He did through the Israelite prophets before him, Jesus would have taken up arms and fought in Allah's way, like his predecessors did, and like the Ishmaelite prophet did after him

47:4"and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others".

This method of punishement upon the rejectors of a prophet is therefore a trial for the sake of men and does not mean Allah needs men to accomplish a task He is unable to do by Himself. Had He willed, He would have destroyed them Himself by sending a disaster from the heavens or from within the earth. Before them, many nations have been destroyed by His torment in the blink of any eye. He could have similarly routed them as well. 

The Quran draws an interesting parallel in sura hadid, between the sending of prophets and Iron. This metal is a symbol of the forceful establishement of the natural balance of justice if needs be, and the verse 57:25, after speaking of both the prophets and iron, ends with God's attributes of might and strength. See also 22:40-41.

Islam critiqued exposes Christian tax; is there a Biblical jizya?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

A few example were given earlier to help contrasting the Biblical laws, and the Islamic war ethics and regulations on non-Muslim citizen.

To further enlighten those unfamiliar with Bible loving regulations as regards foreign invaded nations, i will mention 2 types of divinely approved wars.

There is the compulsory command/mitzva among the 613 revealed at Sinai, binding on Jews of all times to destroy Amalek's seed Deut25:19 without showing any pity whenever the opportunity is there, and exterminate the remaining Canaanite nations from the land of Israel whenever any of them or their descendants are identified Deut20:16. This is a timeless ordinance, as already said, part of the 613 binding commandements, and is thus an explicit order to genetically exterminate a certain people. Every command within the Torah is understood as eternally binding and those that are inapplicable today due to the absence of a Temple will be reinstated in the utopian messianic era, where every nation will be forcefully subdued to the Jewish God Mal3:4,Deut30,Ezek11,36,37,Isa56:6-8,Zech14:16,Jere33:15-18,Ezek43:18-46:24.

The eternally binding command to blot out Amalek's seed and other Canaanites, if one fails acting upon this law anytime a descendant of such tribes is genetically identified, then one becomes subject to divine anger as what happened to king Saul 1Sam28:18,1Chr10. Saul suffered a violent and dishonourable death. His household was decimated at the hands of the Philistines who also dispossessed his community.

The same happened prior to the entire Israelite community that was sent for a 40 years desert wandering for their refusal to engage the promised land's natives in battle.

Along with those known, compulsory genocidal warfare as described earlier, during which no atrocities towards men, women, children, cattle and plants may be spared, there are laws relating to optional warfare, for the sole purpose of Israel's "national glory" as labelled by their rabbis. In such cases any random nation the Israelites arbitrarily choose, and set themselves out to conquer can either be "peacefully" submitted, resulting in the enslavement and taxation of its population, or in case of their rejection of the "peace offer", a military subjugation resulting with the execution of all adult males, the capture as spoils of war of their women, children, and livestock

Deut20:10-14"When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby".

In addition, should it be necessary to completely subdue that nation

2Kings3:19"you shall fell every good tree, and you shall stop up all springs of water, and you shall clutter every good field with stones".

In the land of Canaan, those natives that werent driven out or exterminated as per the Torah's injunctions during the invasion, were subdued into slavery Josh17:13. Their descendants suffered the same fate under Solomon's rule 1Kings9:20-1.

After all and as stated in both the HB and the Talmudic writings (Eleazar ben Shammua) , the purpose of creation and the reason why the heavens and earth are maintained is for the chosen race to observe Torah. All these citations werent made to disparage the Bible, rather at pointing what would have been the outcome had the Quran been the product of human base desires, whims, greed and lust.
The fact is the Ishmaelites went through almost identical situations as the Israelites in their confrontations with opposing tribes and nations, and yet we do not find anything remotely similar in terms of abuse and excess as is seen throughout the Hebrew writings, and by the hands of true prophets of God.

It is to be further noted that the Quran does allude to some episodes where the Israelites were confronted to, or were about to engage the Canaanites. Everytime, it refrains from mentionning the shocking acts which the Israelites have comitted. The Quran could have used these incidents as divinely sanctionned precedents allowing unrestricted bloodshed and abuses. Yet we keep on reading in the context of warfare, verses stressing self-restraint in retaliation, or the non-materialistic goals of fighting in Allah's way.

Islam critiqued is a poor tax collector; Zakat better than Jizya?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Until 9:29, the sura Tawba prescribed divine punishment upon 3 groups; the hypocrites among the Muslims, the treacherous warmongers among the idolaters, and those idolaters insisting on their pagan practices within the sacred precincts of Mecca. 

No punishement is prescribed on the peaceful idolaters beyond Mecca, as well as those in Mecca that refrain from their rituals at the sacred sites re-dedicated strictly to the Islamic religion. They are to be left unharmed as mentionned earlier.

Nor is there until now any legal directive towards the remaining non-Muslims living under Muslim rule, whether in Mecca or beyond. This included the people of the book (Jews and Christians) or the followers of other belief systems, or even atheists 

9:29"Fight those who believe not in God and nor in the Last Day and nor do they forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden and nor do they follow the religion/DEEN of truth from among the people of the book, till they give the compensation with a willing hand, while they are humble".

This verse, as attested by the prophetic practice, is not restricted to the people of the book. It covers any religion that was and could potentially fall under Muslim rule as a result of provoked warfare. The verse mentions 4 categories;

1- Those who do not believe in God 

2- Those who reject the resurrection 

3- Those who regard as lawful what Allah and the prophet have forbidden. Those that pass the 2 preceding criteria by believing in God and the concept of resurrection, should adhere to Islam as the only reasonable spiritual reality. If they make the choice not to, then they are believers in one of the many man made religions that does not forbid what Allah has forbidden through His prophet in the Quran and sunna. Or they might be from the people of the book, believers in God and the resurrection. Being sincere in their faith, they should, like the aforementioned group naturally enter the fold of Islam. The Quran speaks of them, those that remained truthful to the scriptures in anyway, shape or form it reached them, trying to follow it to the best of their ability. Their sincerity, unprejudiced, praiseworthy reading and understanding of their books led many of them to eventually believe in the revelation bestowed on the prophet Muhammad 2:121,83,3:113-115,199,4:162,5:13,66,69,83,7:159-170,17:107-9,28:52-4. But those that make the choice not to, they remain as people of the book who despite their sincerity in faith, do not regard as forbidden what Allah and His messenger forbade.

4- Those who do not follow the DEEN of truth from among the people of the book. The root D-Y-N means rule or debt or any obligation. It may be summarized as "system". It is used this way in the Quran 9:36,12:76 classical literature and even in common Arabic speak. Whenever the preposition "mina" is used before a composite entity, or a group, and that this entity is given a qualification, then "mina" carries the meaning of "among", pointing to a portion from among that composite entity 4:46,160,5:5,23,41,57,107,8:65,57:10. "The Deen of truth" in that phrase cannot refer to Islam as a religion. One cannot speak of a portion from among the people of the book as being followers of Islam while others reject it. This speaks of the Jews and Christians whom the Quran in many places condemns as sinful, insincere to the truth of their own books. The praiseworthy among them, followers of "the deen of truth" were those included in the 3rd category.

None of the groups above are to be fought until they become Muslims. Rather until they pay the jizya in submission to the Islamic rule. That subjection is in relation to the Islamic system which they are now bound to, being permanent non Muslim residents under protection of the Muslim state. The majority of Muslim scholars have understood the passage in that way. See for example al-Shafi'i, Al-Umm, Vol. 4, Ahmad Mustafa al-Maraghi's Tafsir Vol. 10 or Fatani, Ikhtilaf al-Darin p48. This is also seen by the fact that the musta'min (a non Muslim temporary resident) is not subjected to the Islamic legal system nor the jizya, according to the Hanafi school. That subjection has thus nothing to do with humiliation, as some have interpreted, and without any evidence in the prophetic practice nor that of the first caliphs. Humiliation does occur however, when those non-Muslim residents of the Islamic state refuse to pay government taxes to the point they have to be forcefully made to. Just as Muslims, shortly after the prophet's death had to be fought, humbled, and forced to pay the government taxes under Abu Bakr's caliphate.

The order to fight therefore isnt motivated by a choice of creed otherwise the mere paying of a tax would not have been enough to end the fighting, rather a forceful conversion would. Yet that option is never proposed in the verse. The only issue for them is explicitly spelled out; Payment of taxes and submission to the laws of the religious state they live in as members of a different religion on whom different rights and obligations apply. The governement has actually more to gain in wealth and manpower if they convert, especially in early times when Muslims were a minority in these newly conquered lands. Yet they are told to keep their religion and autonomy instead.

Converting to Islam, something that isnt incumbent upon them, would end the command to fight them should they insist on not paying the jizya. But they will not escape being fought should they refuse honoring the duties that fall upon them as Muslims, including contributing financially to the functioning of the Islamic state, as well as obligations that did not apply to their former religious communities, like military service. There really is no true incentive for them to leave their religion which is why the option is never proposed in the verse.

The verses that follow illustrate some of the transgressions of the people of the book, and their causes, such as deification of prominent personalities, blind following of their religious leaders etc, while no blame is placed on them for not following Islam. These dark deviations in religion will never extinguish the light of guidance, no matter how much the disbelievers among the people of the book dislike it 9:32. The verse employs the image of a person attempting to extinguish a strong light with a blow from the mouth, to illustrate the relative feebleness of his position.

The passage ends with the reiteration of a prophecy made long before 48:28,61:9 regarding the prevailing of the deen/way of truth sent by the One true God over all other ways no matter how much the polytheists dislike it 9:33. The wording of this verse is very appropriate since it specifically mentions the polytheists, followers of non-divine religions, as disliking the establishment of the deen of truth. The people of the book, sincere to their scriptures as pointed earlier, will not dislike the establishment of a Godly system, since it does not only mean establishing Islam, but also exposing and establishing the truth of their own religion 

5:83"And when they hear what has been revealed to the messenger you will see their eyes overflowing with tears on account of the truth that they recognize".

The Jizya is a collective tax, not a head tax. It is imposed on the people of dhimma, the diminutive for dimmat Allah wa rasulih, the protection of God and His messenger. This connection demonstrates the significance of the dhimmis, making them eligible for protection under divine obligation. The prophet applied the command upon Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and according to some scholars like abu Hanifa, the pagans, based on a prophetic saying 

"If they (Arab polytheists) accept the dhimmah contract (aqd al-dhimmah), then inform them that they have the same rights and duties as Muslims". 

The jizya imposed on them is a collective tax because it is agreed upon by mutual consultation, not arbitrarily decided by the Muslim state. The nature of the compensation to the Muslim state varied depending on the capacities of each one. It was not always monetary and its amount was adaptable to each case.

The benefits which the government offers in exchange of the due jizya, are matters of communal and national interest - defending the territory from outside aggression, establishing security, maintaining the environment, building infrastructure, etc., not the sort of benefits you can opt out of. The earliest Muslim rulers even appointed a portion of the Muslim zakat to feed the needy among the people of the book, even though they were exempted from paying the jizya. When a Jew came asking the caliph Umar for money, he said 

"go find him and those like him, and give them out of the public treasury". 

It is known that together with the needy, the clergy was also exempted from the tax by the Muslim authorities. And yet they fully benefited from government services, including military protection and infrastructure. These exception to the rule of 9:29 are based upon strong and firm unconditional principles as regards the Muslim duty towards the weak in any society, and the preservation of the worship sites of the people of the book where the name of Allah is mentionned. There is thus a strong Quranic basis for the policy of most Muslim rulers, including as early as the caliph Umar, of being selective in the application of the jizya upon the people of dhimma. 

Even though Jizya it is not a personal head tax, for the sake of argument, one can either pay taxes willingly, or be punished through several forceful means including jail in case of refusal, or leave the country. In a secular state the issue is pretty much the same. Special taxes will apply to alien residents, who in addition to having to compensate the state for providing them with benefits of all kind, must also exempt themselves from the obligations and rights that apply to the citizen of that state (military service, various taxes on salaries, financial regulations etc). Paying that tax will protect them from being pursued and punished by that government. 

Some insidious critics like calling it "protection money". Every taxation system in the world is in fact aimed at providing protection; either by financing a system that preserves the well-being of the society as a whole, or by protecting against punishment, since failing to pay results in sanctions. Jizya is the rightful compensation demanded from the dhimmi, in exchange of the exemption from the laws, rights, obligations, penalties etc of that state religion in matters that do not concern the society as a whole. That is because the sharia for Muslim governance of non-Muslim citizens is that non-Muslims should not be forced to follow the moral laws dictated in the Quran. 

The idea that this model oppressed non Muslim dhimmis to the point they preferred conversion is unfounded, without any historical and documented basis. It wasnt therefore a system aimed at enriching anyone, but a legitimate compensation for concrete services and exemptions. That is why non-Muslims that volontarily participated in the military were exempted from the tax. Those that paid the tax and werent properly served were refunded. For instance when Muslim ruled Syria was threatened with invasion by the Romans and the Muslim ruler doubted whether he would be able to protect the non-Muslims of that region, he hastily returned their jizya money which was supposed to be partly aimed at guarantying their protection. Abu Ubaydah ibn al Jarrah told the Christians they would be bound by the agreement again only if he is able to fend off the Roman invasion. The Christians consequently prayed for Muslim victory, knowing that the Romans would never behave with them in such a manner.
 
Under that system, non Muslims enjoy complete religious autonomy as long as it does not conflict with the state religion. For example selling alcohol publicly. Dhimmis may deliberate, individualy deny, or reform their religious laws to their liking and to fit their desires without any concern about the laws of the state, again, so long as no conflict occurs between the 2. For example it is well known that Christian and Jewish elites enacted laws preventing their people from resorting to a Muslim judge in cases where their own laws were unfavorable.

The misinformed critics arguing that jizya was an unfair system aimed at enriching the Muslim state may be thinking of the divinely blessed taxation and hoarding of riches and spoils by king David and his appointed governors in his conquests. This wealth was dedicated to the building of national religious edifices (on the ruins of other people's) 2Sam8,1Chr18:2,6,8,13,20:1-2,26;26-7 and meant for personal glory as well 2Sam12:29-31. The wise king and prophet Solomon would continue in this pattern, in line with the rules of the monarchy dictating that the king's expenditures (a "heavy yoke" that ultimately caused the scission of the kingdom of Israel after Solomon's death 1Kings12) should be collected indiscriminately, contrary to the jizya that spares the needy and weak 1Sam8:11 (some exemples of the daily rights, gifts and luxuries of the Jewish monarch to be brought forth by conquered nations in 1Kings5:1-7,9:14-15,27-28,2Chr27:5). Solomon similarily to David had appointed representents that collected his levy from Jews and non-Jews, the difference between the 2 groups being that when the conquered nations could not pay they were reduced to forced labor 1Kings9:21. Contrary to this subduing system aimed at benefiting a party and lowering another, going back to the days of Joshua (Josh16:10) and before, jizya partly financed the functioning of a society in which those who paid it were fully part of.

Islam critiqued objects to state practices; Taxes are extortion?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Some insidious critics like calling it "protection money". Every taxation system in the world is in fact aimed at providing protection; either by financing a system that preserves the well-being of the society as a whole, or by protecting against punishment, since failing to pay results in sanctions.

Under that system non Muslims are obviously favored since they enjoy a sort of autonomy within a state and may live by the regulations of their own religions as long as these do not create a conflict with the state religion (drinking alcohol privately for example). The rules applied by the later caliphs relating to "ghiyar", the dresscode of the dhimmis, was not intended to be discriminatory. When Muslims entered a foreign land and ruled over it, they were initially in minority. For this reason the ruler would tell the non-Muslims to wear a distinct clothing already belonging to their culture and not copy the Muslim dresscode.

An example is that of the zunnar/belt which was inherited from the Greek culture and originally not an item Muslims wore. This dress code regulation was actually reciprocal if one considers that the prophet himself used to tell his people not to act or dress like non-Muslims. Further for purely convenient and administrative purposes, this distinction avoided confusing situations where one person would be reprimended although he might be subject to different rights and obligation than another.

Dhimmis may deliberate, individualy deny, or reform their religious laws to their liking and to fit their desires without any concern about the laws of the state, again, so long as no conflict occurs between the 2. For example it is well known that Christian and Jewish elites enacted laws preventing their people from resorting to a Muslim judge in cases where their own laws were unfavorable.

Because they get to keep their religion and rules and can never be forced to renounce them, the only citizen obligation that applies to them is the payment of the jizya either volontarily or through force if they decide to remain in Muslim land but rebel against that only law.

Although punishment isn't prescribed for Muslims refusing to acquit themselves of the taxes, since these taxes are caritative and it would obviously be absurd to punish someone for refusing to be charitable, Muslims on the other hand do get punished for refusing to acquit themselves of other citizen obligations that do not apply to dhimmis, including fighting for the country's defence.

Islam critiqued tries talking hadith; The conversion of Thumama?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

The story of Thumama is actually an interesting one. When the prophet permitted the killing of Thumama b. Uthal, the chief of Banu Haneefa who had assassinated a number of the Prophet’s Companions, and had even plotted to kill the Prophet himself, yet when he was captured, not only was he given to drink from the prophet's own she-camel but after repeated invitation to Islam and repeated rejection, was eventually set free. He returned to the prophet's mosque and eventually converted, impressed like many others by the prophet and Islam's high morality. He knew he deserved the death penalty, as seen from his own answer

"If you do me a favour, you will do a favour to a grateful person. If you kill me, you will kill a person who has spilt blood. If you want wealth ask and you will get what you will demand"

yet the prophet neither was vengeful, nor wanted favors and much less money from him, despite his influential tribal position. Upon his arrival to Mecca and after an enthusiastic declaration of faith, in his zeal he implicitly answered a questioner that he had always been a Muslim

"When he reached Mecca, somebody said to him: Have you changed your religion? He said: No! I have rather embraced Islam with the Messenger of Allah".

The prophet had to temper Thumama's overzealousness later on; when he returned to his tribe and the most influential among the people of Yamama converted after hearing his story. Thumama convinced them to halt all grain supply to the Quraysh. Such a sanction would have been highly effective in draining the Quraysh, but the noble prophet interceded on behalf of those very ones that had starved him and his early companions in a ravine, persuading the people of Yamama to resume trading with Quraysh, preferring to take the harder but nobler route to victory than the faster one at any cost

"The Messenger of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Was-Sallam) did not have to choose between two matters, but that he chose the easier of them as long as it was not a wrong action. If it was a wrong action, he was the furthest of people from it".

Islam critiqued gets tangled in his warped world; has 2:256 been abrogated?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

2:106 speaks of N-S-KH meaning a) to write an exact copy, or b) to write over as in replace. 16:101 says baddalna aya makan aya/we replace an aya in the place of an aya. Sura 16 by the way is Meccan and according to the proponents of the idea, the first case of abrogation occurred in Medina. Both verses speak of the physical replacement of the abrogated, with the abrogating and this is not the case of Quranic abrogation according to which both types of verses are still present within the Quran. It is talking of the Quran's ayat superseding the ayat of previous scriptures, replacing them, which precisely is one of the oft repeated functions of the Quran. Another verse misused by the proponents of Quranic abrogation is 13:39. It speaks of "mahw" which means effacement and total removal; this again disagrees with the advocates of that theory according to which both the abrogating and the abrogated verse remain in the Quran.

No consensus exists on whether the doctrine is a reality. The identification of abrogated rulings in the Quran has been in the past and still is an act of biased interpretation. We see cases of companions, even after the prophet's death giving different opinions on whether a verse is abrogated or not, as is the case for 2:184 with ibn Umar arguing for and ibn Abbas against its abrogation. Scholars of abrogation, fuqaha’ havent been able to refine the principles of abrogation so as to give them universal shape. Different scholars have come up with their own standards of abrogation. This doctrine was introduced decades after the Prophet and was developed in full over three centuries by many scholars. In other words, abrogation is not a genuine Islamic doctrine. Most verses proposed as subject to abrogation do not even conform with the rule of an aya replacing another aya; for example scholars on the subject argue that the "verse of the sword" 9:5 abrogates 2:256 yet they conveniently omit that 2:256 contains information that cannot be replaced and so they are forced to select even within an aya what is abrogated and what is not. Further the verse of no compulsion was revealed in Medina after the first command to perform jihad 2:190-5. It is a reiteration of an Islamic principle present long before in Meccan verses, including in 18:29. This means the application of that principle of freedom of religious choice, and its validity, are unaffected by the political superiority of the Muslims. No authentic report of the prophet mentions the theory or the existence of abrogated verses within the Quran. Not a single verse of the Quran indicates that a ruling has been overruled by another.

Something else to note is that even the traditional adherents to the notion agree that there are no abrogated verses present in the Quran. This is seen from the various ahadith which speak of passages people used to recite and that were absent from the prophet's final recital of the Quran. People explained that phenomenon through the theory of abrogation. Even when some scholars speak of abrogated verse still present in the Quran, they dont argue that these verses become obsolete, rather they carry a new meaning.

Islam critiqued unveils obscure Bible concepts; Jesus approves of sealing the hearts and despises sinners?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

All religious scriptures have the concept of spiritual death, albeit some differences. Christianity, which is assumed to be Jesus' teachings, includes the HB with all of its contents, as well as the account of creation and the divine will to keep humanity in the dark in regards to moral consciousness.

Contrary to the Quran where man is supposed to be ingrained with God-consciousness, knowledge and good and evil, in the Bible, this mechanism was hidden in the fobidden tree of knowledge.

Jesus of course recognizes, as depicted in the NT, that some individuals are beyond spiritual hope. He accuses the stubborn Pharisees who could not see the truth despite his repeated warnings Jn8:42-49, thanks God for obscuring the truth to this type of repeated transgressors. They are those who are foreordained to have their hearts hardenned Rom9:8-23,Ex4:21,Deut2:26-35. They become delusional in spiritual matters and are further deceived through lies

Matt11:20-25"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not..Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent"  

2Thess2:10-13"and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness".

This is in line with the Hebrew Bible's statements the likes of

Jer10:23"people's lives are not their own, it is not for them to direct their steps".

Besides distancing himself from the spiritually unclean while calling them dogs and pigs Matt7:6, Jesus also purposely spoke to the spiritually dead, as the ones alluded to above, in parables, knowing that however clear his language is they will not understand him, thus conforming the prophecy of Isaiah according to which a category of transgressors will never be spiritually receptive

Mk4:10-12,Matt13:13-15"Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed...lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them".

Jesus did not love and pray for these "enemies", he on the contrary kept them far from the truth, in line with David who "hated" the lame and blind Jebusites 2Sam5:8.
Jesus clearly states in it that he keeps speaking in parables to the spiritually blind

"in order that"

they do not understand

"otherwise they might turn and be forgiven".

He uses parables to teach and lead astray at the same time. It teaches his followers and confuses his rejecters and he purposely continues in this manner "otherwise" the rejecters might turn and repent, meaning he could have taught them in another manner than in parables but didnt, to achieve the purpose of NOT having them reform themselves. Note Jesus is quoting Isaiah6's prophecy where YHWH is sending Isaiah to some sinful nation.

Isaiah fortells that nation's doom and prior to this these people have their spiritual senses sealed as a punishment. Isaiah is to further confuse them (make the heart...) "otherwise" they might mend their ways. It is in this exact sense that Jesus in Matt13 is referencing Isaiah, hence the words that the prophecy is fulfilled in his contemporaries. He was confronted to people whose spiritual senses were sealed by God as a punishment as he stated earlier. To fulfill Isaiah's text he does exactly like him, confusing them further as a form of wordly punishment for their rejection of him, through unintelligible parables that will prevent any possibility for them to reform themselves. This theme isnt unique to Isa6, elsewhere God has

Isa29:10"poured upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and He has closed your eyes; the prophets and your heads who stargaze, He has covered".

This sealed their understanding to all the vision which Isaiah was putting before them

"And the vision of everything has been to you like the words of a sealed book, which they give to one who can read, saying, "Now read this," and he shall say, "I cannot, for it is sealed".

To those who only pay lip service to the Law, the hypocrites who only fear God outwardly

Isa29:14"I will continue to perform obscurity to this people, obscurity upon obscurity, and the wisdom of his wise men shall be lost, and the understanding of his geniuses shall be hidden".

This complete loss of wisdom will perdure until an unspecified day where the spiritualy dead will "see" and "hear" again v18.

Isa6, as quoted by Jesus centuries later when confronted by the spiritually dead, is a direct action by YHWH preventing people from the right path as He is alleged to have done to Pharao to whom Moses was sent with miracles but with a clear purpose; to cause God -in answer to Pharao's denial of the miracle- to unleash His series of punishements on Egypt and consequently free the enslaved Israelites. This is acccording to the principles that YHWH disposes as He wills of the hearts of the people, and more particularily of nations' leaders

Prov21:1"A king's heart is like rivulets of water in the Lord's hand; wherever He wishes, He turns it".

For the attainement of this purpose in regards to the Egyptian ruler

Ex7:3-5,13,Ex10:1"I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them".

Pharao and his officials had no other issue but to be doomed

Ex14:4"And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army".

Pharao's heart was purposefuly hardened prior to the performance of miracles in order to create a chain of events meant at destroying the Egyptian oppressors and ultimately freeing the Israelites. This removed any possibility of reform at the sight of the signs and warnings

Ex8:15"So the necromancers said to Pharaoh, "It is the finger of God," but Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken".

It is interesting to note that even prior to that, the subjugation, enslavement and opression of the Israelites themselves is attributed to God who is said to have stirred the peoples' hatred and jealousy towards them

Ps105:23-5"Israel came to Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And He made His people very fruitful, and He made it stronger than its adversaries. He turned their heart to hate His people, to plot against His servants".

The same was done later to Sihon king of Heshbon whose spirit was caused by God

"to be hardened and his heart to be obstinate".

Sihon consequently refused Moses' peace offer and was defeated in battle, his land conquered, his people massacred Deut2:26-35. Similarily, we read in Isa37:7 of God instilling a certain desire into the wicked Assyrian king Sennacherib that would ultimately create a chain of events leading to his death. Again later, God would harden the hearts of the Canaanites in order that Israel 

Josh11:20-23"might destroy them completely, and that they might have no favor, that they (the Jews) might destroy them as the Lord had commanded Moses".

In

Judges9:22-24"God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem"

in order that the king Abimelech might be severely punished for his wickedness and murders of the sons of Gideon

53"Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in killing his seventy brothers".

YHWH prevented Solomon's son, Rehoboam, from hearkening the wise counsel of his father's former advisers about using tact, diplomacy in his dealings with the people who were heavily burdened by the royal taxation system instaured since the time of king David. YHWH prevented Rehoboam in order that the promised punishement of Solomon for his alleged sins, including the sin of idolatry, come true through the scission of the kingdom

1Kings11,12:15"The king did not listen to the people, for it was something brought about by the Lord, in order to fulfill His word".

Just as one day, YHWH will draw Magog by

"hooks into its jaws"

as would be done with a wild beast Ezek38, throughout the course of history, God would rise and forcefully incite neighboring nations to destroy and subjugate the Israelites for their transgressions. These punishing nations were late destroyed themselves, despite having done the task required of them. This would be the case of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Amonites, Moabites etc as described in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Other examples of spiritual death in the Hebrew Bible are those of the tribe of Ephraim who remained "exalted" so long as they served God but when they became guilty of idol worship and remained unrepentant despite prophetic warnings to cease their sinful ways they "died" a spiritual death long before national destruction Hosea13. Again, in 1Sam2:25 we read of Eli's unrighteous sons who persisted in their transgressions despite the warnings until they could not hearken the voice of reason anymore because their faith was sealed, ie "the Lord desired to kill them". As he confronted the multitudes of polytheist Israelites, the prophet Elijah, in his open prayer to God, says that

1Kings18:37"You have turned their hearts backwards".

Islam critiqued wants concrete examples; who are the spiritually degenerate?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

They are those whose spiritual disorientation has obscured their lives. They are sucked in by irrelevant distractions although they can physically hear the calls of admonition, as if being called from afar and dimly perceiving what is being said 6:71. Their spiritual senses become clouded to a point that they begin perceiving acts and concepts that are otherwise a corruption of mankind, to actually be an improvement of humanity 2:11-12.

Sometimes, the sight of spiritually upright people causes their mockeries, aversion and rejection while they should serve as examples for them to follow 23:110,27:56.

David decried that atitude of the spiritualy degenerate, those full of hatred and aversion towards the doers of good Ps38:21. Even the most selfless of acts such as giving to charity is stripped from all goodness in their sight; it becomes a pretext of mockery and rejection of not only those that practice it, but a means of sarcastic attack against the revelation that demands it 9:79,36:47. These are the kind of people repeatedly addressed by the prophet Amos in particular, and others like Micah, condemned not only for their neglect of the poor but for their outright deceitful exploitation of them for wordly gains

Micah3:11,Amos8:5-6"When will the month be delayed, so that we will sell grain,..and to pervert deceitful scales...To purchase the poor with money, and the needy in order to inherit them, and the refuse of the grain we will sell".

In fact, any divine admonition, not just the calls for human empathy, is equally dismissed through any possible pretense

36:45-6"And when it is said to them: Guard against what is before you and what is behind you, that mercy may be had on you. And there comes not to them a communication of the communications of their Lord but they turn aside from it".

Even when the Quran points to external signs supporting its various arguments, they are equally dismissed while they are a source of wonder to the God-conscious

37:12-4"you wonder while they mock, and when they are reminded, they mind not, and when they see a sign they incite one another to scoff".

The Quran is refering to the psycho-spiritual reality, that the more one indulges in certain behavior, the harder it is to escape that behavior. The consciousness of this person begins to be molded in accordance with the life-style one adopts. Those who dont follow truth and make compromises with it, start to lose value for it, sometimes to the point they arrogantly start choosing falsehood over truth

54:4-5"And certainly some narratives have come to them wherein is prevention--Consummate wisdom-- but warnings do not avail".

This phenomenon is also considered a law of God, and is part of God's hidaya or guidance. The more one chooses to do good, the more God strengthens the will and love of the truth, as well as perception. The more one does evil and fails to repent, the more one's will becomes clouded with vice and lust. Man starts to see according to his whims and fancies. The prophet Micah addresses the sinful and corrupt Israelites as

Micah3:2"Those who hate good and love evil".

Islam critiqued finds more logic in Islam; Allah causes the seal?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Just as the strengthening of one's heart and belief is attributed to Allah because He established and allowed the laws of causality leading to such positive outcome. A pattern of righteous behavior will increase one's spiritual receptivity

8:10-11,10:57,18:13-14,19:76,48:4,47:17"And (as for) those who follow the right direction, He increases them in guidance and gives them their guarding (against evil)".

Similarily, the sealing/death of the (spiritual) senses is attributed to Allah because it exists with His will and established laws of causality. If a person willfully and repeatedly makes the wrong moral, spiritual choices then this will cause a gradual degradation of spiritual receptivity, just like physical death naturaly comes as a result of repeatedly mutilating one's self. We are made of the physical body and the spiritual body; both can die at our own hands and at any moment if we indulge in certain behavior. Just as physical death ends the capacity to nurture the dead body, spiritual death ends the capacity to nurture the soul and purify it

"He will indeed be successful who purifies it, And he will indeed fail who corrupts it".

At that point, the person's moral values are turned upside down

7:146"I will turn away from My communications those who are unjustly proud in the earth; and if they see every sign they will not believe in It; and if they see the way of rectitude they do not take It for a way, and if they see the way of error they take it for a way; this is because they rejected Our communications and were heedless of them".

The straight path, that of righteousness becomes as if crooked to them as stated by the prophet Hosea

Hos14:10"Who is wise and will understand these, discerning and will know them; for the ways of the Lord are straight, and the righteous shall walk in them, and the rebellious shall stumble on them".

The way of sin appears smooth, and apealing as stated by David and Solomon

Ps36:2-3,Prov16:25,14:12,2:13-15"those who forsake the ways of uprightness, to go on ways of darkness, those who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perversity of evil who are crooked in their ways and perverse in their paths..There is a way [that is] straight in a man's view, but its end is ways of death".

It becomes even an abomination for them to turn away from transgression and reform themselves, while seeing the righteous acting with uprightness is repulsive to them Prov13:19,29:27. The disruption of their moral compass makes them think that their behavior is justified in the name of "freedom" while they are in fact slaves to their condition

45:23"Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah ? Then will you not be reminded?"

Their senses of spiritual perception become so corrupted that despite being shown and clearly explained the signs supporting the highier divine realities, signs present all around and even inside of man 2:115,12:105,31:20 they keep ignoring and denying

5:71,16:36"So there were some of them whom Allah guided and there were others against whom error was due (haqqat alayhi aldalaal or "against whom a verdict of error became inevitable")".

At that point, the guidance, the multifarious evidence for the truth and light of spiritual uprightness is still present all around them yet they are now blind to it and unable to perceive it in any way

2:17"Their parable is like the parable of one who kindled a fire, but when it had illumined all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in utter darkness-- they do not see".

That is in contrast with the God-conscious, whose spirituality is nurtured and developed to an extent that he remains alert to evil and corruption and whenever he slips, immidiately remembers God and turns back on his feet 6:122,7:201,47:17,57:28.

Islam critiqued could learn from it; attitude of the spiritualy degenerate?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

After reaching that point where any exposure to the revelation causes aversion, one can choose to adopt a passive attitude towards the guidance from Allah and his surrounding signs instead of fighting, mocking or disputing them 6:25. It would avoid worsening one's state in the Hereafter. In 26:4-6 that gradual severity of a person's condition, and the corresponding spiritual consequences are described; although one is certainly to blame and deserving punishment for turning away in aversion from the signs and guidance, those most eligible for chastisment are the ones that arent satisfied with rejection, but step up their level of opposition by doing something worse such as scoffing at the revelations.

Instead of turning away from guidance in a confrontational and despising manner, a behavior that will only bring regret upon the person 67:8-11, one can opt for passive or respectful denial. Such an attitude makes one deserving of having the hardened and sealed heart mercifully restored, capable of freshly re-evaluating the guiding signs

8:23"And if Allah had known any good in them He would have made them hear"  

6:46"Have you considered that if Allah takes away your hearing and your sight and sets a seal on your hearts, who is the god besides Allah that can bring it to you?".

This is what happenned to the previous nations to whom revelation was sent but gradually turned away from it and kept transgressing until they became spiritually deaf and blind. God knew some goodness in them despite their repeated transgressions so He turned to them in forgiveness, leaving them the chance to nurture and develop their newly recovered spiritual receptivity but while a few succeeded, many failed 5:70-71. One such incident is reported in the Hebrew Bible in the context of the Israelites' blindness to the prophetic warnings of destruction that was to befall the sinners among them as well as the heathen nations that oppressed them Isa29,35.

Most of those that reach that point where their senses of spiritual perception are damaged beyond repair, God does not restore their potential

8:23"and if He makes them hear they would turn back while they withdraw".

They remain in that condition until they meat their fate in the hereafter

10:33"Thus does the word of your Lord prove true against those who transgress that they do not believe".

As revealed to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the most obdurate disbelievers who have no more hope of mending their ways

Jer19:11"I break this people and this city, as one breaks the potter's vessel, which can no longer be repaired".

The Quran similarily compares the spiritually dead, those that came and listened to the prophet's gatherings, as static, hollow logs of timber resting against the walls 63:3-4. Elsewhere, along the same lines, it is said in the HB that

Prov10:13"a rod is for the body of one devoid of sense",

ie a category of people does not listen until punishment befalls them. The verse is thought to be a reference to Pharao.

Islam critiqued questions the divine scheme; Allah gives everyone a chance prior to sealing the hearts?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Prior to reaching that stage, they had all the time, and opportunities to re-evaluate their inner condition

35:37"Did We not preserve you alive long enough, so that he who would be mindful in it should mind?".

Guidance is present all around man and within his self to stimulate spiritual deductions. Repeated neglect and denial of these signs leads one to a point where he is incapable of changing his course. Eventually the level of wickedness becomes such that they beome deserving of divine retribution in this world 42:21,29:53,18:58. Instead of destroying them outright, God lets them add sins upon sins. Their continuous conceit, thinking that despite their condition and behavior they are beyond the reach of divine justice, this very thought process becomes a means by which their suffering is increased 7:182-3,68:43-5. In the era of prophethood, such people would think that God not punishing them despite the presence of a prophet among them was due to their being fully justified in their position.

The Quran would answer that God controls a system much more intricate than their shortsighted mindset. Not only were they in God's grasp, letting them add in sins until they are severely retributed, but God's witholding His immidiate retribution for sins takes also into consideration those who have yet the potential to reason and reform themselves, whether from among them or other independant groups and individuals 20:129-132. But whether in the times of the messengers or today, the fate of the spiritually dead is sealed

17:45-7,18:56-7"And We do not send messengers but as givers of good news and warning, and those who disbelieve make a false contention that they may render null thereby the truth, and they take My communications and that with which they are warned for a mockery. And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the communications of his Lord, then he turns away from them and forgets what his two hands have sent before? Surely We have placed veils over their hearts lest they should understand it and a heaviness in their ears; and if you call them to the guidance, they will not ever follow the right course in that case".

Their earthly end does not depend on their spiritual condition, it will occur when their appointed time expires. As equally stated in the Hebrew Bible, the sending of prophets to those type of hardenned disbelievers is not meant at reforming them anymore but rather at annuling all arguments they might have the day they are raised. They will not deny that warnings were indeed issued to them, even by prophets

Ezek2:5"And they, whether they listen or whether they refuse to listen-for they are a rebellious house-they shall know that a prophet was in their midst".

As already said, there are typical patterns of behavior prior to the spiritual senses becoming sealed. The passage from sura 18/kahf shows an example; they were people who never understood the Divine Call, mocked it, contended with its Truth, turned away from it countinuously. They were walking the typical road leading to spiritual self-destruction. The second part of the verse explains the consequences of such behavior; God causes the death of their spiritual senses as a natural consequence of their advanced level of spiritual degradation. Their spiritual senses are caused to die just like Allah causes the physical death of the one who would continuously mutilate himself. The consequence of such spiritual condition is the incapacity to recognize, accept, and follow moral and spiritual uprightness.

This divinely decreed process, which is actually an imperceptible punishment already occuring on earth, is similarily described in 7:100-1. Allah sets a seal over the spiritual senses of the repeated, willful rejecters as a punishement for their attitude. Although they do not perceive it, they remain in darkness until death takes them. It literally is

"by means of their sins" (bi dhunubihim)

that God "sets a seal" upon the hearts of men. One causes himself to reach that point where he can no longer react positively to spiritual guidance until his appointed time comes 3:178,7:182-3,68:43-5. As said many times, the phenomenon is attributed to Allah since He has decreed this law of cause and effect but it is the immidiate consequence of one's own, willful behavior

92:4-21,41:5"And they say: Our hearts are under coverings from that to which you call us, and there is a heaviness in our ears, and a veil hangs between us and you".

They acknowledge that they have closed their understanding to any calls for spiritual reform.

Islam critiqued is a heartbreaker; Allah seals the hearts?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Repeated sins and transgressions diminish the remembrance of Allah 58:19. This inevitably leads to heedlessness as to the higher meaning of the innumerable signs in and around man 40:69. The notion of a hereafter becomes a highly doubtful proposition 83:10-14. The heart becomes a niche for evil spirits 26:221-3, hard to the remembrance of Allah 39:22, shrinks upon hearing the calls of guidance 39:45. To take a spiritual breath becomes as hard as when climbing high in altitude 6:125, and the heart ultimately darkens

2:7"Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes"  

57:16"so their hearts hardened, and most of them are transgressors".

The sealing of the heart is therefore, like all natural laws, a divine decree. The person himself prepares the ground for it, through his freechoice. It is a well known biological, neurological reality that our choices are in huge part conditioned by our previous experiences. Although this conditioning can be broken at anytime with will and resolve, a point may be reached where nothing can break the behavioral pattern and the individual becomes completely desensitized to the condition he has himself progressively prepared the ground for, as well as its consequences.

As the Quran states, each action inescapably leaves its impression on the soul either sharpening its ingrained understanding of divine guidance, good, and evil, or corrupting it 91:7-8 until the spiritual senses reach a culminating point where they are damaged beyond repair and are caused to naturally die (sealed)

7:179"..they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear".

This verse is similar to Moses' admonishion of the "stiff necked" Israelites in the Torah, who despite all the miracles they witnessed were still doubtful

Deut29:3-4"With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear".

Man was created in the best of molds, capable of rising to the highest spiritual rank as represented by the prophets, just as he may degrade himself to the lowest of the lows in terms of spirituality, morality 95:1-5.

The Prophet illustrated that notion with his saying

"When one commits a sin, a black speck appears on his heart. If he disowns it and repents, his heart will be purified. But if he repeats the sin, the spot spreads, until it overtakes the entire heart".

This parallels what the Quran says in

83:14"that which they were earning has covered their hearts with rust".

Prior to reaching that irreversible condition, the door to repentance and cleansing of the accumulated rust remains wide open. Repeated denial of the signs of creation, and the guidance of revelation 6:104, progressively brings about that spiritual condition of blind denial. This law has been decreed and maintained by Allah and thus indirectly caused by Him, just as one's spiritual receptivity is increased consequently to engaging in a righteous pattern of behaviour 92:4-21. Once spirituality is sealed, only Allah can reverse it 6:12,74:56. The Quran however repeatedly stresses that there cannot be coercion in religion 2:256,18:29. In the Hebrew Bible God promises the spiritually dead, that in some future time

Ezek11:19-20"I shall give them one heart, and a new spirit I shall place within them, and I shall remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and I shall give them a heart of flesh. In order that they walk in My statutes and keep My laws and perform them, and they will be My people, and I shall be their God".

This implies that such people can never return and reform themselves without a forceful divine intervention.

Those who remain in their degenerate spiritual condition, they will seek vain excuses even if they are shown a glimpse from the unseen realities of the heavens

15:14-15"Only our eyes have been covered over, rather we are an enchanted people".

They will remain unsensitive no matter which signs are manifested before them or warner sent to them 7:146,10:101. Such a condition is so severe that even if the angels or the dead speak to them, and all unseen realities are shown to them, they still will try to find a way to maintain their position, except if Allah pleases 6:111. Belief in Allah is tied to Allah's will, because it is dependant on a system of causality, established and allowed by Him; belief may only come as a result of opening one's mind and heart to the signs within and outside of man. He will never force our hearts and minds to accept it

11:28"shall we constrain you to (accept) it while you are averse from it?". 

Therefore those who reach such advanced stage of spiritual degeneration will not turn back. The prophet Nuh's son remained in pride and disbelief even while the prophecied punishment was unleashed 11:36-43. Sometimes as in Pharaoh's case, they do repent before being overtaken by death, but such untruthful repentance is rejected. Repentance and faith can only be deemed valid when asserted through trials and times of moral hardships

6:158"its faith shall not profit a soul which did not believe before, or earn good through its faith".

The reality is that such people will never turn back and mend their ways, unless forced by God. Keeping them alive is therefore by itself a punishment, they will be adding sins upon sins 3:178. 

Islam critiqued studies Muslim reasoning; Allah the cause of all things?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Again, God shows the right and the wrong, encourages us to do right, but has left us to push the final button, make the choice because at the end

74:38"Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns".

This necessitates that each person is entirely responsible for choosing belief 24:52 or dibelief 3:19.
Therefore in reality, even though Allah is the Ultimate Cause of all things, none can be discharged of his moral responsibilities. This is reflected in

4:79"Whatever benefit comes to you, it is from Allah, and whatever evil befalls you, it is from yourself".

This evil is the result of changing the good things coming from Allah into evil

2:211"and whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him, then surely Allah is severe in requiting evil".

Only man is to blame for the evil resulting from his wrong moral choices

8:51"This is for what your own hands have sent on before, and because Allah is not in the least unjust to the servants"

4:40,10:44"Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves".

The evil spoken of in 4:79 are the result of sin, not the divine hardships and trials referred to in 4:78 and elsewhere for example 9:50-51. In 9:51 are addressed those who do not rely on Allah in the pursuit of a goal, thinking that the outcome is solely related to one's will, preparedness and actions. That mindframe led those who refrained from battle and that saw hardship befalling the believers in battle to think that

"We took indeed our precautions beforehand, and they turn away rejoicing".

But the believers, when hardships befall put their trust in Allah. They rely on Him and accept whatever happens because they know that it is ultimately Allah who allows or prevents things. This then necessarily means that all things that befall a person whether perceived as good or evil, are allowed with Wisdom. They are nothing but tests, opportunities of spiritual betterment. That is why, one invokes Allah's help and guidance in the pursuit of any goal, so that one is given spiritual awareness in the process, no matter the outcome. As stated in sura Yusuf "He is the master over His affair". 

This higher principle is again found in 57:22 saying that all is in a Book

"before we bring it into existence"

and this is meant to convey that the hardships that befall all people, even in a righteous pursuit, are by God's permission, encompassed by His knowledge, power and wisdom

9:51,64:11"No affliction comes about but by Allah's permission; and whoever believes in Allah, He guides aright his heart; and Allah is Cognizant of all things".

Nothing can happen outside of his will. Whatever happens to someone it is so because Allah allowed it

4:78"Say: All is from Allah".

57:22 does not say that man's actions are written down in a book from eternity, but that the hardships resulting from those willful actions dont happen unless by His permission. It is a consolation to the believers, who rely on Allah in their endeavours, trusting His wisdom

57:23"So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant at what He has given you". 

In the HB the principle is presented thus

Lam3:33-38"he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone...Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?"

Things happen because of God's will, Who either allows or prevents a situation to occur in a chain of causality. This means that in God's foreknowledge a thing has already come to pass before He allows (or prevents) it to happen

Ecc3:15"Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before".

Islam critiqued finds higher reason for suffering; is there any good in hardship?

In answer to the video "No Compulsion in Religion"

Allah tries all human beings indiscriminately through hardships or ampleness 7:168,13:26,30:37 with the aim of causing spiritual growth, purging the hearts. The preceding verses 4:75-77 speak of the divinely ordained law of fighting in the way of Allah those who unjustly oppress the weak for their religion, and some among the Muslims shallow in their faith held back. The Quran is full of admonition to such "believers" shallow in their faith who were averse at the thought of leaving their homes to defend the oppressed 8:5-6.

Those hypocritical "believers" viewed such hardship as "evil", a calamity brought upon them by the prophet "This is from you", while it is in fact a beneficial test coming from God with the aim of increasing them spiritually. In this sense, all things coming from Allah -hardships or ampleness- are good regardless of our perception "All is from Allah".

Hardship is, then, the preliminary to higher, more advanced states of being; it prepares man for the recompense that awaits him, and from his response to it, his true nature is brought to light.

This turns the concept of 'Evil' into a relative one that is subject to interpretation. In other words, what is considered 'evil' to us might actually be 'good' when it brings about a greater benefit such as successful completion of the test, ie spiritual betterment.

But perfection is not what God expects from us, He wants us to turn to Him in all situations whether in happiness or despair

12:87"despair not of Allah's mercy; surely none despairs of Allah's mercy except the unbelieving people".

God repeatedly encourages the transgressor to turn to Him, because it is expected from a faillible creature to fall short sometimes 3:133-5.

The fact that all things befalling man, whether what we interpret as "good" or what we perceive as "bad" are ultimately in Allah's Hands is reflected in 27:47 when the nation of prophet Salih accused him of being the cause of their confusion (ta'ir)

"He said: The cause of your confusion (ta'irukum) is with Allah".

His answer, as that of Moses quoted elsewhere 7:131 reflects a higher reality; all things are encompassed by Allah's knowledge and power because He is the One who created and controls the laws of causality. All consequences of man's actions are encompassed by Allah's knowledge 11:6,57:22 and power 11:56 because He could, against man's will, prevent sin 18:65-82,6:107,112,137 or force belief 2:253,5:48,6:35,149,11:118. But this does not in anyway dismiss the person's responsibility in the process of causality.

The deeds of a person are so closely tied to him that

17:13"We have made every man's ta'ir/actions (good or bad) to cling to his neck".

A person's deeds are as inseparable from him as the neck from the rest of the body. Whereas other body parts can be cut off without causing death, it isnt the case with the neck. The higher reality implied in the statement that the current state of affairs of a person is with Allah, thus means that the chain reaction that leads to a person's good or bad position, originates from Allah since He established that system, and is allowed by Him, since He encompasses it with His knowledge and power at each instant.

This means the consequences of any action, even those that result in sin or confusion as in the prophet Salih's reply, can be said to be indirectly caused by Allah

27:46-47"why do you seek to hasten on the evil before the good? Why do you not ask forgiveness of Allah so that you may be dealt with mercifully. They said: We are confused because of you..He said: The cause of your confusion is with Allah; nay, you are a people who are tried".

He created the system of causality, of which man's freewill is fully part of, and He could stop it at anytime. That is why there is no entity other than Allah to turn to to ward of a chain of causality leading to hardships or evil, just as there is none to beseech for benefits

6:17"And if Allah touch you with affliction, there is none to take it off but He. And if He visits you with good, then He has power over all things".

The universal system of causality is entirely in Allah's hands, encompassing and sustaining it at each instant. He could allow or prevent its intricate effects in such a way that could result in harm or benefit upon a person. All is done with perfect wisdom. When speaking of the hardship of the Israelites' life of slavery, the Quran attributes the direct action to the tyrants, all the while keeping the divine will in the background 

14:6"Remember the favor of Allah upon you when He saved you from the people of Pharaoh, who were afflicting you with the worst torment and were slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord".

The tyrants' evil deeds were permitted to unfold, but with ultimate wisdom, becoming a trial to those suffering the consequences.

As to sinning,  God does not want man to sin, hence the Quran's continuous pointing the means by which to do good. From turning the attention to man's ingrained cognition of higher moral truths, to the sending of revelation through special agents. Or the external guidance in the shape of recognizable signs of nature within and outside of man, signs so obvious that the Quran uses the powerful image of God's face being anywhere man looks.

 All these guiding mechanisms cannot be imposed upon anyone, in a system of causality that integrates freewill. One has to make use of these tools freely and choose whether he wants to live within the prescribed limits or not. God therefore does not want man to transgress but when he does, God allows it according to His established system of freewill in which man is fully responsible. There is therefore a fine line between moral accountability and God's supreme will and control over the current of causality 

7:28"And whenever they commit an indecency, they say: 'We found our fathers (acting) upon it, and Allah has enjoined it on us.' Say: 'Verily Allah does not enjoin indecencies. Do you say against Allah what you do not know?".

Disbelievers of all times objected that if Allah truly disapproved of their behaviour, then he would have prevented them from it

43:20,16:35-6"And they who give associates (to Allah) say: If Allah had pleased, we would not have served anything besides Allah, (neither) we nor our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything without (order from) Him".

This corrupt and self-serving view of causality doesnt take into account that Allah has established that eachone is to choose his own path freely. The evidence for this is that we are capable of perceiving the spiritual significances of all things, as well as the fact we were sent guidance and messengers that clarify the right from the wrong

"Thus did those before them; is then aught incumbent upon the messengers except a plain delivery (of the message)? And certainly We raised in every nation a messenger saying: Serve Allah and shun the Shaitan. So there were some of them whom Allah guided and there were others against whom error was due".

This refutes determinism or predetermination, while also dismissing the excuse that one's spiritual condition, despite being exposed to guidance, could be due to worldly circumstances beyond one's control 4:97,16:41-2,23:106-8. Those who regard themselves as compelled to conform to society are strongly condemned and their excuse for failing to assume responsibility is rejected, except for the weak who have no possibility but to remain in an environment that conflicts with the right path 4:98-99.  But those who have the ability to bring about a change in their atmosphere or shift to a better environment, but that do not, then they will be fully accountable for having continued to live in the same corrupt environment. One should not hesitate to migrate in Allah's way to seek conditions more spiritually appropriate. Neither should one be disheartened by the material uncertainties of a new life to the point one remains in a place that could jeopardize one's situation in the Hereafter 29:56-60. In the NT, Jesus warned his followers to the same effect Matt6:24-34.

The word hijra in such verses denotes the spiritual as well as physical migration from an environement of sin to that of righteousness. This is a continuous demand from Allah that one should strive to purify his atmosphere from evil. Hijra is, according to God's messenger, the abandonning of what is condemned and disliked by Allah. Whenever the worship of God becomes impossible, the believer is obliged to forsake the domain of evil and to "migrate unto God", to a place where it is possible to live in accordance with one's faith

29:56,39:10"and Allah's earth is spacious".

The prophets themselves from Abraham to Moses, down to Muhammad, did not hesitate to leave their homeland and their loved ones behind, when the pressure to be expelled reached life-threatening proportions. Other prophets, the likes of Shuayb were rescued by God through the sending of calamities upon the rejecters before their forced exile came to fruition 7:88-91.